The Energon Pub

Top of Ayers Rock

Starscream fought the urge to take off after Thrust. He not only wanted to get in on the action, but he wanted to deal the deciding blow to The Fallen, and perhaps even gain some of the demigod's power, if he could. But something told him that just because the shield was down, The Fallen wasn't totally defenseless. He might have been wrong, but just in case he wasn't, he let some of the others go 1st, and take any damage The Fallen might be able to still inflict. Starscream looked at Feedback.

"So? Are you going to follow your mighty commander Razorclaw's decree?" he asked with a smirk. "Or was my 1st instinct about you right, and you have some actual working intelligence in that cranial casing?"

"Hey!" Kup barked. "That lil' fragger swiped my cygars!"

"Ha." Ironhide snorted. "Haha. Hahaha!"

He pointed at Kup with a mocking finger. Just as suddenly, Arcee was off towards Ayers Rock, leaving a small sandstorm behind her.

"What's gotten into her?" Ironhide said, not realizing what Shockwave had done just moments ago.

Australia-Uluru

Feedback regarded Darkfire's sour look at his response to Starscream's question. "Oh... not sarcastic enough on the tone." He muttered realizing she must have misunderstood, that part about the waiting was a little lighter on the sarcasm than he intended. He hated being confined to ships, it felt like an eternity till he finally got off that stupid thing.

Just as he was about to answer Thrust, Darkfire's asked about the face thing, and just as he was about to answer her as well Razorclaw's orders came across the comm. Darkfire's announced the news to Psychout a split second before he did, so he closed his comm so not to make more confusion across the channels.

He hesitated, by force of habit, as everyone went into a flurry of action.

"So? Are you going to follow your mighty commander Razorclaw's decree?" he asked with a smirk. "Or was my 1st instinct about you right, and you have some actual working intelligence in that cranial casing?"

He turned his head to look at Starscream, the single optic regarding the Sky Commander. "What decree?" he answered. "I couldn't hear anything over the chaos."

Starscream regarded Feedback with a stern look. Now was the time to decide: friend or foe? Was Feedback here to keep an optic on him, or was this really someone who could be useful to Starscream?

"Here's what we'll do." Starscream said finally. "The Fallen may be more vulnerable now, but he's still very strong. He must expect and be ready for an all-out attack. Bu what he won't expect, is the ground to disappear from under him. So that's what we will do."

Starscream transformed into jet mode, and started to float towards The Fallen.

"This is what I was going to do with Brawl, but apparently it was like trying to play chess with a monkey." he said. "Hopefully you have adequate weaponry. Now follow me. Time to be heroes!"

With a gleeful cackle, Starscream fired up his afterburners, heading towards The Fallen. He took aim at the ground behind the demigod, and fired with everything he had. While the others were concentrating on hurting The Fallen, Starscream was going to capitalize on the chaos and make all his shots count.

Australia-Uluru

Feedback listened to Starscream's plan. With a nod he transformed a split second after the commander and followed at his top speed, arming his air to surface missiles, disengaging the radar lock for fire and forget guidance. "I will gI've it everything I have, Commander." He assured Starscream.

Uluru - Joining the Battle.

Darkfire wrote:>>”The shield is down, boss, if you didn't get the message."<<

Psychout received Darkfire's message with a grin on his face. Cloudbreaker's 'expert' diffusion of any tension here meant that business now could go back to normal, and that business was killing the Fallen.

>>>I did, but I always prefer to hear it from someone I actually trust. You know what to do, smash him back to the first generation with everything you have.<<<

He then flicked to the internal team comms channel.
>>> You all heard Razorclaw, get over there and frag him up so bad that even Unicron wouldn't recognise him! Oh, and Feedback - don't get to cosy with Starscream, I'm not having another of my team killed by his treasonous stupidity. Follow him for now and find out what he is up to, but as soon as the Fallen falls get out of there, as he will turn on you, even if it isn't immediately.<<<

He nodded to Kup, "Shields down, full assault has begun so you'd best get out before we're 'enemies' again. I'd have been interested in swapping ideologies with you, as I doubt yours is much different to mine in this war, but we have other matters to attend to. See you on the other side, old general..."

And with that passing comment he took off, but unlike the rest of his teams flyers, he had no intention of heading for the top of the rock, he went straight up. Oh yeah! he thought, now I get a serious chance to test my rifle, zeroed in on the fallens skull and took the shot. And again. And an again.

"Let's see how you like depleted uranium headshots, demon-bot!"

Australia--Uluru

Divebomb was only minimally interested in the open hostility between the Autobots and Decepticons within his immediate area. They had been at war for so long that he expected no less. His primary concern was that the Predacons continued to receive priority medical treatment and from what he had seen they had.

But when Razorclaw's transmission came through, he immediately turned to face Ayer's Rock and the events that were taking place. Whatever had happened, a significant shift had taken place.

The Aerial Assault Specialist gave one parting look to his injured Predacon brethren before launching himself into the air.
___

Kup looked over at Ironhide, having a good laugh at his expense over the pilfered cygars. They'd been hand-crafted too. What a rip.

"Yeah, yeah, yuk it up Rusty. You'll come cryin' to me later when this is all over and you need somethin' to wind down with," he said with a grin.

Then all of the sudden, like they'd been jolted with a shock, all the Decepticons in the whole area started actin' weird. Even the cyclops, who Kup figured was just waitin' for a good opportunity to let loose on all of 'em, turned his attention to the rock. They all pretty much did. Something had just happened.

"What's gotten into her?" Ironhide had said, after Arcee had raced off. Kup looked up as the Decepticons appeared to be collectively turning their attention towards the rock, and the Fallen, with renewed vigor.

"I dunno. Somethin' went really wrong. Or somethin' went really right. I can't tell which."

He didn't have to wait long though, before one of the Decepticons shed a little light on what was happening.

"Shields down, full assault has begun so you'd best get out before we're 'enemies' again. I'd have been interested in swapping ideologies with you, as I doubt yours is much different to mine in this war, but we have other matters to attend to. See you on the other side, old general..."

"Yeah. Mighta been somethin'," Kup nodded, actually agreeing with the little runt 'Con for once in this whole mess. So, that was it after all. And maybe something had gone really right and really wrong at the same time. This might be their only shot at the Fallen, but at what cost to Hot Rod? Kup shuddered to think about it.

"You follow her, 'Hide. I'll get this one back to the Longevity an' meet up with ya when I can."
___

Australia--Uluru--Longevity Exterior

Well, well, how exciting, Ratbat mused, still safe from the majority of the threats in this battle by having perched himself comfortably on the underside of the first Autobot shuttle he could find. They had not disturbed him, he had not disturbed them. It was a nice arrangement, all in all.

Razorclaw's transmission was, in a word, illuminating. The former senator had truly wondered whether or not this might be the end. Now, it seemed, they finally had a shot at survival. And he would certainly not waste that opportunity here.

With a screech, his wings stretched out and his was off into the Australian air.

Ironhide looked at Kup disbelievingly.

"Me? Follow her?" he asked. "I'll be lucky if I can keep her dust cloud in sight!"

With that, he turned around and transformed, giving everything he had to his engine, following Arcee towards the battle.

Australia-Uluru

Psychout wrote:>>> Oh, and Feedback - don't get to cosy with Starscream, I'm not having another of my team killed by his treasonous stupidity. Follow him for now and find out what he is up to, but as soon as the Fallen falls get out of there, as he will turn on you, even if it isn't immediately.<<<

Feedback sighed as he followed Starscream, spiraling towards the rock the Fallen was on. He switched frequencies to the teams internal one. "Yes sir..." He said keeping the irritation out of his tone. To vent that frustration, he targeted the rock just behind the Fallen as well, and fired his missiles to aid Starscream's. He loaded up another set of missiles and trained his guidance systems for slightly closer to the side of the Fallen. Releasing the missiles he went in lower to keep in close with Starscream. He was more accustomed to staying out of the way, but easier with the guidance system to have his cameras in closer. He loaded up more missiles. "Giving it all I have, Commander." He said switching out of his teams comm. Locking on to the rock formation once again, he fired.

Top of Ayer's Rock



Hot Spot was watching the firebirds around the behemoth of Devestator as he clapped creating a huge rush of wind. The wind created a very brief sandstorm and then it was gone along with several of the firebirds. After that everything went so quick it was hard to keep up. The Fallen got hit again and crashed, he got up and broke his own staff to the amazement of Hot Spot which caused a shock wave to come out knocking Hot Spot back a little. A few moments later more fire spread around the Fallen's body and the Cons open fire on him with everything they had including energy weapons.

"Ultra Magnus, what just happen? Did Devestator break the shield and did we see Hot Rod regain control briefly? I know his flames are different than normal but I can try to cool him off."

In the air

Skydive and Fireflight continued their hardest to knock down the few remaining golems when they were almost knocked out of the air by a sudden gust of wind. Skydive looked around and saw what the combiner done. Then he watched as Devestator continued his attack on the Fallen smashing him again. What looked almost like chaos was happening on the top of Ayer's Rock.

>>Silverbolt, what do you want us to do? A normal mech would likely not survive such an onslaught of firepower.<<


Jetfire saw what was all happening. He still had troubles understanding of the magnitude of the power of the gestalt. Jetfire risked being hit as he flew towards the Fallen. He was able to fly high enough to stay out of the way but tried to keep sensors open for any stray blast. With his sensors, he was able to detect the reason for the Cons all out barrage, the Fallen's shield was gone for the time being. He then open the all Autobot channel.

>>My fellow Autobots, the shield of the Fallen's has...well fallen. It seems the Cons believe they have to eliminate Hot Rod to get rid of the Fallen. We all knew this might have to be the case when this opportunity has risen but I'm hoping our leadership has a better idea. I'm also not sure if it is still wise to use energy weapons in case the Fallen can still absorb it without the shield.<<



South of Ayer's Rock

Octane was watching everything going on with his fellow Triple changers including 'Trains distraction and probably by the squishy thing he brought with him. He then received the all Con message.

"Hey Astrotrain and Blitzwing, it sounds like open season on the Fallen. It is time slag one so called demi-god. I wonder if the Autobrats are going to try and stop us or join in eliminating one of thier own."

Octane flies up in robot mode and transforms into his jet form. His weaponry is nothing like the Combaticons or Preds but still added his own weapon fire to the mix.

Australia-–Ayer's Rock

Good old Brawl. If nothing else, Onslaught was certain the warrior would quite literally go down swinging if that's what fighting the Fallen meant for him. In truth, he had to admit that he was a little bit inspired, and that was a rare thing, since it was usually his job to provide the necessary inspiration for his unit. Onslaught too would go down swinging, with empty ammo stores and nothing but his fists if need be.

His awe at the raw power of the Constructicon gestalt had to be forcibly put aside for the time being. However impressive it was, there was still the very real threat of imminent death by any variety of means at the entity's disposal.

But word spread that Devastator had actually cracked the shield, and Onslaught himself could barely believe it. Transforming, the missile truck moved to find himself a better vantage point.

By the time he had done so, Razorclaw had sent through another transmission. Not just a transmission--a breakthrough. The shield was not only damaged....it was gone! And in short order, the area soon became awash in weapons fire as Decepticons across the battlefield had received Razorclaw's orders and were complying. Onslaught would be no different. He had saved one of the missiles on his alt mode for this very possibility. And with it here...now...he let loose, just like the rest of them.
___

They were waging a pretty good fight, but Sandstorm didn't see how in the frag they were gonna take this guy down. With any threat he had ever fought, Sandstorm knew if you could make it spill its inner fluids and vitals, you could eventually kill it. The trouble was that infernal shield showed no sign of giving.

Until it did...

Even from his pretty prime positioning, Sandstorm wasn't sure if he could believe it when he saw it. And it took a Predacon to convince him.

“The shield....it’s down! Magnus!! The shield is down! Now’s our chance to end this!" Razorclaw had called out. it was meant for Magnus, but Sandstorm heard it just as clearly. So...so that meant they could save Hot Rod now, right?

Right?

Sandstorm dropped his weapon and started to run in the direction of the Fallen. But however fast he might have been, energy was a lot faster, and soon there was a torrent of it slamming the area as Decepticons from every direction began to turn their aggression on the rock once more.

"Rod!!!!"

At the urging of Skids, Crosscut jumped out of the trench with agility that surprised even himself. It was the first rule of being part of the Diplomatic corps: If one couldn't hit, one should be really good at getting out of the way. He often relied on other bots with more firepower than he to do the attacking.

Foxfire13795 wrote:Skids looked over to Crosscut and nodded to him. “Time to test my hypothesis! Try your stun grenades on the golems!" He swept his gaze across the battlefield to see how others were dealing with them. The golems seemed vulnerable to prolonged exposure to high temperatures. “Does anyone have any incendiary armaments?"

"Alright, let's see what they can do." Crosscut popped his stun grenade launchers between his shoulders and head. Taking careful aim at one of the golems, he launched two grenades at it. Mere moments before they made contact with the beast, they exploded with bright flashes and loud bangs.

This has to work. Crosscut thought as he observed the golem. It had halted for a few seconds. Crosscut was no tactician, but he was certain that this could be a window of opportunity to a more combat-oriented bot.

Australia – Top of Ayer's Rock

Weirdwolf quietly absorbed Razorclaw's response and accepted it without another word. With the giant green Constructicon pounding away at the Fallen's shield, the tracker did not want to hazard drawing near. Of course, then he spotted the crack in the shield. Events seemed to occur very swiftly all at once. The Fallen suddenly appeared to be at war with himself, snapping his staff in twain. The shield vanished.

Instantly, the summit of the rock was awash in gunfire. All Decepticons almost instantly fired on the Fallen. Weirdwolf was one among their number. Rockets launched from every possible orifice of the lupine tracker, all soaring toward the Fallen intent on his destruction.

“Ends this now,” Weirdwolf thought aloud.

The shield. Gone. The Autobot suddenly wrestled control from the Fallen. Soundwave...had he done it?! Ravage lurked in the shadows of one of the many fissures in the summit of the rock. He was only a short distance from the Fallen when the hail of Decepticon fire showered down upon the demi-god.

Ravage added his own bombs to the equation, firing them off rapidly before retreating a bit to get some distance between himself and the onslaught of weapons fire. Once the black cat was confident that he was at a fairly safe distance, Ravage opened up a comm link to Soundwave.

>>”Boss! The Fallen's shield is down! Was that you? Are you alright?”<<

Australia – South of Ayer's Rock

"Alright, let's see what they can do."

The bright flashes from the stun grenades immediately caught Skids' optics as Crosscut fired them at one of the golems. The blue theoretician looked over to see what effect they might have had. The golem halted for some indiscernible reason. The stun grenades had worked! Skids took advantage of the opportunity to fire a couple rockets the golem's way. They impacted and blasted the rock monster into debris. But it would soon reform yet again.

Skids jogged over to Crosscut and patted the mech on the back. “Excellent work! What else do you-” The blue mechanoid cut off abruptly as he noted a purple streak of energy darting through the sky. It came from Shockwave and was aimed directly at the summit. The sudden eruption of sound from the peak told Skids that something had happened.

“Hot Rod...” The blue mech muttered softly as he looked up at the rock's summit, completely oblivious to the rock lords rising up and stalking steadily closer to him and Crosscut.

Uluru – Medical Outpost FUBAR

Transaction made, Swindle handed the toys over their enthusiastic new owners and counted his acquisition with a brief glance. “Always nice to see satisfied customer” he chuckled, transformed and in cloud of dust got the Pit out of whatever strange situation that was. That cassette had referred to it as a medical outpost, and so he assumed Blast-Off was in safe hands although he couldn’t help but feel that he’d seen that medic before...

He was well on his way back towards Onslaughts position by the time Razorclaw’s transmission came through. “AW SLAG!!” he exclaimed “Now who’s going to buy this concussion cannon!??” He swerved around a cluster of stone golems and shifted up a gear as he closed the distance between himself and the rock.
>>>Onslaught my old buddy, it’s Swindle here, I’m on my way with some U92 rounds, specially designed to melt holes in god-like entities possessing multi-coloured Autobots, limited edition too. I'll add it to your tab, right?”<<<

As he approached the foot of the hill he switched back to his robot mode and stopped dead as the top of the hill was lit up by gunfire. Looks like the Decepticons hadn't wasted any time once that shield went down. He flinched as a beam from Shockwaves mighty ray gun mode flashed overhead at close to the speed of light, followed by multiple cracks of a sniper rifle leaving trails of green radiation arcing across the sky. He sprinted towards the rock as fast as his legs could carry him – he did not want to miss this.

“Hang on boss, Swindles coming!”

Shuttle Longevity

Bumblebee lay on the giant rock and sighed. Wishing something would happen...hopefully he would get his laser pistol back...or at least get sent on a mission by Magnus or Prowl. He then received a transmission, he got up and jumped off the giant rock and listened...

>>My fellow Autobots, the shield of the Fallen's has...well fallen. It seems the Cons believe they have to eliminate Hot Rod to get rid of the Fallen. We all knew this might have to be the case when this opportunity has risen but I'm hoping our leadership has a better idea. I'm also not sure if it is still wise to use energy weapons in case the Fallen can still absorb it without the shield.<<

Bumblebee fell to the sand and sighed again. This was what he was waiting for but he wasn't able to do anything to help them, not without his laser pistol...he had to find Cloudbreaker. He transformed and rolled back to the medical outpost.

Australia - Autobot Shuttle Longevity - Combat Casualty Care Unit

"Chromedome, the connections I was to make between his body and his cranium are holding. Is self-repair systems should reinforce those with some time."

Chromedome took a long and relieved sigh as the medical officer reassured his previous worries. His left hand connected against his mouthplate and optical visit as if he were wiping away most of his worry for his conjunx endura.

"But... there's something else..." Axle continued on while the mnemosurgeon looked up from Rewind's limp body to meet optics with the Autobot medic. Chromedome felt the medic gently grip at his arm as he locked optics with Axle, anxiety beginning to refill his chassis while the doctor explained.

"It's his spark. It's shrinking." Axle let his hand drop away from the mnemosurgeon's shoulder plating while he took in the new information.

"Rewind's spark needs a "jumpstart" from a compatible spark. And that's where you come in." the nursed stated before Chromedome was able to usher in another worry-filled plea. His audio sensors perked up at the notion that he was needed for this "jumpstart" operation Axle was talking about, but he knew he ought to let the nurse finish speaking before he began asking questions.

"You both are Vitreous-Positive. I can use your spark to help Rewind's."

Axle's smiling visage was something that helped return Chromedome's former optimism back to him for the time being, it meant he could be hopeful once again. The tan and white mnemosurgeon shifted his gaze once again back to the recovering archivist's body as he laid upon the medical berth. His features shifted from a dreadful, worrisome expression to a more joyful and hope filled one as he placed his snowy-white digits against the Cassettobot's forearm.

"I'll..." Chromedome stated breaking the silence he withheld so some time now without shifting his gaze from Rewind "I'll do whatever it takes..." Chromedome looked up from his conjunx endura to find a still smiling Axle gesturing towards an adjacent medical slab. The mnemosurgeon wrapped his digits around Rewind's lifeless actuators just before he departed from his side and approached what would be his medical slab.

He climbed atop the table and proceeded to lie upon his back. His amber visor stared up into the operating lights as he set his internal seals to unfasten themselves, allowing Axle and the other medical crew to open his chassis up with relative ease. Chromedome then pivoted his head towards Rewind one last time before staring back up into the bright lights above.

"Ready when you are, doc."

South of Ayer's Rock

As much as he appreciated the congratulations of Skids, Crosscut didn't feel all that great himself. He never wanted to be congratulated for being a good shot or for any sort of combat-related feat. He felt it went against his more diplomatic nature. Besides, he was absolutely positive that this was just good fortune. It seemed to accompany him when he went to unfamiliar places.

He was about to answer Skids, but he, too, noticed the streak of energy hit the summit of the mountain. He froze, keeping his optics on the summit. Judging by Skid’s reaction to the blast, he didn't need to be a genius to know something bad had just happened.

Crosscut spotted movement out of the corner of his optics, and turned to look properly. There were rock monsters still advancing on their position.

“Stay focused, Skids.” He said in an attempt to rally his companion. “We’re not in the clear just yet.” He raised his arms and deployed his vertigo blasters. He doubted that they’d have an effect on these strange creatures, but he was absolutely prepared to defend himself. He just hoped that, if worst came to worst, Skids would protect him.

Australia – Autobot Shuttle Longevity – Combat Casualty Care Unit

Kzzzzztrt...kzzzzzzt...

The red light bolted to the side of the archivist's head still shone however faintly.

Kzzzzzzzrk....kzzzz...

A static filled image resolved into a clear picture. Chromedome's worry stricken face filled the entirety of the screen. His expression shifted slowly into one of hope and joy. The image distorted for a moment, the visual lost. But the audio was still captured.

"I'll..." Chromedome stated breaking the silence. "I'll do whatever it takes..."

Krzzzzrt...kzzzzk...

The static cleared a bit. Chromedome was looking away at something well beyond the camera's sight. Once more, the image was lost. When it cleared, Chromedome was gone, but his voice could still be heard nearby.

"Ready when you are, doc."

Kzzzzrt....kzzz....zzzk...

The visual and audio was lost once more. The video files were stored into Rewind's infinite databanks, filed under recent recordings along with several other new additions with timestamps dating them from a only a few breems ago. Some even more recent.

Kzzzk...zzzrt...kzzz...

The visual and audio feeds returned. Recording so long as Rewind kept functioning.

Kzzz...krzzzt...

...

South of Ayer's Rock

“Stay focused, Skids." He said in an attempt to rally his companion. “We’re not in the clear just yet."

“Hm?” Skids muttered, being pulled from his thoughts by the sound of Crosscut's voice. He noticed the encroaching rock lords. “Oh...Completely slipped my mind...” The blue theoretician said rather blithely. He launched a couple more rockets from his shoulder rocket launchers at the stone behemoths before remembering something in his own arsenal. “Ah! Of course! I'm an idiot!” the super learning daydreamer said as he whipped out his liquid nitrogen rifle.

Skids gave the shattered remains of the golem a good coating of the icy fluid. The stone monster attempted to reform, but its pieces and parts were far too brittle and merely shattered as they came into contact with one another. The blue theoretician shot Crosscut a grin before his yellow optics widened in fear. The vertigo blasters were doing little to nothing to the golem that Crosscut was shooting at. It raised its stone club high into the air.

“Crosscut, look out!” Skids shouted dashing toward his fellow Diplomat. As he neared the red and white diplomat, the theoretician launched himself into a dive to tackle Crosscut out of the way as the rock lord brought his club down.

Australia - South of Ayers Rock

Prowl knew something had changed up on top of the mountain. He could see things more clearly now that the sandstorm had dissipated. Sure the four fire tornadoes were still swirling, but there was more than enough space between them to see at least some of what was happening on the summit. Weapons fire had erupted once more, mainly from the Decepticon side of things. The Autobots had yet to respond in kind. The military strategist felt a wave of anger rush through his frame. Had the ‘Cons just completely ignored him when he said to stop firing on the Fallen’s shield? Were they really that stupid or were they simply that desperate?

As the black and white was about to open a channel directly to Razorclaw to protest the Decepticons’ latest action, Jetfire’s communique came in over the open Autobot frequency. The shield was down. Somehow, someway, the Fallen’s supposedly impenetrable barrier had been brought down. That explained a lot, causing Prowl’s frustration to subside. Now, the fiery demigod was exposed, but in the process so was Hot Rod. Unfortunately, if Wheeljack did not arrive planet side with the spark extractor sooner rather than later, the cavalier would likely become collateral damage in this battle against the Fallen. For Prowl, it was an acceptable loss even if most Autobots would disagree. The death of one ‘Bot in order to save all Cybertronians from extinction was something the strategist could easily live with.

Prowl’s thoughts were then interrupted by Wheeljack’s response regarding the extractor. Prowl sent back a non-verbal acknowledgement before returning his attention to the raging battle that was consuming the top of Ayers Rock. Still no Autobots had opened fire on the Fallen and it was understandable why. While the demigod posed a significant threat, they did not want to harm one of their own. The Autobots wanted to save Hot Rod and not destroy him. The Decepticons, of course, had other ideas, ones that Prowl could not totally disagree with. If Wheeljack could not get down here in time there likely would be no other option but to destroy Hot Rod and hope that the the Fallen would die with him.

But, would it really be that easy? Prowl’s logic center continued to pour over the data that he had received from Ratchet’s duel scans. The information had revealed that there were TWO individual sparks residing within the cavalier’s possessed body. One was his own light spark that was still situated inside his spark chamber. The other, dark spark, was latched on to the outside of Hot Rod’s spark chamber, acting as a sort of leech and sucking the very lifeforce out of him. Given time the cavalier would cease to exist and the Fallen would all that was left.

However, it was that dark spark that was quickly becoming a great concern to the military strategist. As Prowl’s logic center continued to analyze the data on the Fallen’s dark spark, it became increasingly more clear to the black and white that destroying Hot Rod would not necessarily destroy the Fallen, as well. The demigod’s spark was clearly an anomaly of some sort as it could exist outside of a body for prolonged periods of time. It had, after all, survived the destruction of the Fallen’s original body so very long ago. That dark spark then remained hidden for countless vorns until Hot Rod had finally encountered it while back on Cybertron when he first became and declared himself to be “Rodimus Prime”. If the Fallen’s spark could survive that long outside of a Cybertronian body then who’s to say it couldn’t do it again? It was only logical.

“Frag,” Prowl muttered to himself as he quickly opened a comm line to the leaders of both factions as well as to his own logic-driven, one-eyed counterpart:

>>”Ultra Magnus, Razorclaw, this is Prowl. I have further analyzed the data from Ratchet’s two scans. The Fallen’s dark spark is not like that of a normal spark. It can exist outside of a Cybertronian body. In fact, it has done so for untold centuries before finding its way into Hot Rod’s body. If you destroy him, I have calculated a 95.3% probability that the Fallen’s spark will survive and possibly take over another body. Although, I have a strong suspicion that the Fallen can only possess certain mechs. Regardless, his spark could still escape and pose a significant danger at a later time. Thus, we must CONTAIN the Fallen’s dark spark to ensure that doesn’t happen. Then we can find a way to destroy it. Shockwave, do you concur with my analysis?”<<

Pausing for a moment, Prowl transmitted the data directly to the Military Operations Commander for his own analysis before continuing:

>>”Wheeljack is currently retrieving a spark extractor from his lab on the Ark-22. Once he gets it down here we should be able to use it to pull the Fallen’s spark right out of Hot Rod’s chest cavity and capture it. Until then, tell everyone to aim their weapons to DISABLE the cavalier and NOT to destroy him. Do you both copy? Magnus, Razorclaw, do you read me?”<<

Prowl received no immediate response with the exception of static on the Predacon lord’s end. Either his comm line was down or he was simply ignoring the Autobot strategist. “Damn these idiot ‘Cons. They’re going to make matters worse!” The black and white muttered to himself as he transformed into his Nissan GT-R police car mode and raced off towards Ayers Rock, avoiding a couple of rock lords as he went. Hopefully, Shockwave would concur with his assessment of the situation and convince Razorclaw and the other Decepticons that destroying Hot Rod was not a viable option if the Fallen was to be stopped. In the meantime, Prowl opened another comm line to the Ark-22:

>>”Wheeljack, this is Prowl again. You’d better hurry up with that extractor! The ‘Cons have unloaded on the Fallen. If you don’t get down here soon there won’t be anything left of Hot Rod to extract a spark from!”<<

Australia - Top of Ayers Rock

The Fallen’s shield was gone. That much was certain not just to the masses of Cybertronians who had now found renewed vigor in their attacks but to the fiery demigod, himself. It was a major setback as was the loss of his staff. Without it, he could not generate a new shield or conjure up any more elemental soldiers. The golems, firebirds and tornadoes that remained were all that was left. However, these setbacks would not deter the flamed-engulfed mech from his ultimate mission - the destruction of the wretched Transformer race from existence. The Chaos Bringer’s appetite would be quenched and he would be brought into this realm to devour it one world at a time, starting with this tiny mudball of a planet. Nothing would stop that from transpiring. NOTHING!

Then it happened. The first projectile hit him in the upper chest plate, an anti-tank shell lobbed at him by the one called Brawl. The force of the blast caused the Fallen to take a single step backwards, the fires from the explosion lost within the flames produced by the demigod’s own distorted body. There was a dent left behind along with a tingling of pain, but he was numb to it. The Fallen was, after all, a walking torch. The hellfire his own dark spark produced across the mutated cavalier’s frame would cause most mechs to cry out in agony, rendering them in a fetal position and unable to move. But not the Fallen. He was the very definition of pain and suffering, both of which the Cybertronians would soon experience first hand.

More attacks came, faster now, this time from Razorclaw’s lone concussion cannon followed by a plethora of missiles from the various seekers flying overhead. The concussion blasts struck his back, but did little to damage his fiery armored plating. Small bits blew off but the whole of his chassis remained intact. Explosions from the sky born rockets erupted all around him. Thrust, Starscream and Feedback were all aiming for the ground just behind him. It would do no good. The Fallen lifted off the surface of the summit and hovered safely over the ground as it gave way beneath him. The intense heat from the exploding fireballs had no affect as he was already on fire.

A bright violet flash then drew the Fallen’a attention as a large, flying ray-gun made its move towards him from the desert sands below. It was Shockwave, of course, one of the more powerful foes on the battlefield. The intensity of the blast from the purple mech’s aerial gun mode would be detrimental to the body that the Fallen now possessed. He needed to avoid it. No longer could he just stand there and absorb their energies. The shield was gone, never to return. It was time to show these Cybertronians the agility of a demigod.

The hovering Fallen swiftly dodged to his right as Shockwave’s powerful blast shot right by him, the heat of the violet beam barely licking his left shoulder. The energy beam struck a boulder a short distance behind the fiery demigod’s position, causing a massive explosion that would’ve surely knocked the Fallen to the ground had he been standing there. The Fallen attempted to reinforce his position in the air as the blast wave hit him, sending the flamed-ladened mech flying backwards end over end. As a result, the rockets and bombs that had been fired by Weirdwolf and Ravage missed their intended target.
_________

The Fallen quickly regained his composure, still hovering a few feet off the surface of the summit. Hot Rod’s laughter could be heard within his processor, further taunting the demigod and the new reality he now faced.

Laugh all you want, child. It will do no good. Just remember that whatever damage is done to me is also done to you!

I’m willing to sacrifice myself if it saves my friends, Fallen!

But, it won’t save them, child. Do you really think you’re the only one with the potential to become a Prime? Hahahaha!! Even if I lose this body, my dark spark will endure as it has for thousands of vorns! I will find another vessel, whether it be here or elsewhere, and then I will continue what I have started! The Chaos Bringer will be reborn! You cannot stop me! No one can!!!!!

Hot Rod felt a sense of despair at the revelation that the Fallen’s spark would not end with his body's destruction. It was something he had not previously considered. The cavalier thought he was special, unique in some way that he was a part of the Prime lineage. However, that was possibly not the case. He was not unique as there were others who could become a Prime someday. Could it be someone here at Ayers Rock? Maybe, or maybe the Fallen was just trying to tear him down again, weaken his resolve. It would not work. It could not work. Everyone’s lives depended on Hot Rod overcoming the demigod, everyone including....

”Hot Rod!”

The cavalier could hear his name. It was distant but the vocals were more than familiar to him. Arcee?

Ah, yes, your precious pink femme. She’s down there, you know, afraid for your safety. However, she should really be more afraid of her own! Hahahahaha!!!!

NO! Don’t you hurt her!!

The Fallen knocked Hot Rod’s consciousness back further into his processor as the fiery demigod kept his focus on the Cybertronian filth that were gathered around him. The hellfire increased across his frame, becoming hotter and brighter than ever before. It was anger and rage that fueled it. The Fallen had lost his shield and his staff. These mechs would all pay dearly. Playtime was over. Armageddon was about to begin!
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The Fallen then turned his gaze up towards the huge green gestalt that loomed over him. The fiery demigod smiled, revealing a toothy grin of flames. “DEVASTATOR! You are big and you are strong, but you are also stupid with the agility and speed of a slug! Watch as this mere fire ant brings you down!”

The possessed cavalier then raised his left arm up towards the Constructicon combiner and unleashed a torrent of electrical dark energy from the tips of his actuators. The bluish bolts of power coursed through the air, directed at the mid-section of Devastator where the one called Long Haul connected the upper half of the gestalt with the lower half. These were the same dark energies that had previously brought down Sixshot, overwhelming his circuits. The intent here was to do the same to the green combiner, or at the very least force Devastator to break apart into his individual components so they could then be picked off one by one. Either result would make the demigod very happy indeed.

Keeping his left arm fixated on the huge combiner, the Fallen turned his attention towards Shockwave, who, like Devastator, was another significant threat to the fiery demigod. Raising his right arm, the Fallen unleashed more dark energy lightning at the flying purple ray-gun with the same intent to bring him down and remove him from the overall equation.

Once enough dark energy had been thrown at both Devastator and Shockwave, the Fallen sought out new targets, aiming his left arm skyward and his right arm across the top of Ayers Rock. The bolts of dark electrical energy never ceased as they spread out in a web like pattern, searching for whatever ground-based and aerial Cybertronians they could find.

No, I won’t let you do this! Hot Rod invaded the Fallen’s thoughts once more, trying to regain control of his own body. The possessed cavalier wobbled as he hovered over the summit, the Fallen’s lightning attack dissipating for a brief moment as they both wrestled for dominance over the mutated body. Then the fiery demigod regained full control and renewed his dark energy assault on the Cybertronians full force.

You see, child, you are not strong enough to stop me! Now just sit back and watch the destruction of your brethren!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

Australia- Uluru- Above The Fallen

The satisfaction of the rock crumbling beneath The Fallen was very, very short lived for Feedback, as the tricky thing escaped that plan. And was looking very hopeless again as The Fallen defending himself.

"Commander, Thrust!" Feedback called out to Starscream and Thrust, noticing the dark energies bolting up and beginning to web across the sky and land. "Evasive maneuvers! Up, hard and fast!" He ignited his afterburners and pushed his nose straight up, and with a sonic boom as he hit the speed of sound, hoping it was enough.

Above the Fallen

Thrust watched other 'cons attack the Fallen, until suddenly the Fallen created some dark energy and used them to attack Devestator and Shockwave! He then pointed them to the air cybertronians!

"Commander, Thrust!" Feedback called out to Starscream and Thrust, noticing the dark energies bolting up and beginning to web across the sky and land. "Evasive maneuvers! Up, hard and fast!"

Thrust listened to the 'con and bolted up high into the air.

Australia - Top of Ayers Rock

The attack came at the same time as Feedback's warning. Starscream was in the process of a 2nd wave of bombing, and his movement carried him straight into The Fallen's attack. The bolts struck him in the nosecone and wings.

"AAAAARRRRGGGHHHH!!!" Starscream howled in tremendous pain.

It was a pain worse than he had ever felt before. His systems began malfunctioning, his engine began stalling, and Starscream, smoking from the wings and undercarriage, tumbled towards the ground. He had enough sense left to transform, so that he would lessen the damage upon impact.

He hit the ground and rolled, his wings getting crumpled beneath him. After he came to a stop, he regained his bearings and lifted his head. The Fallen was directly in front of him, not too far, his attention turned upward. Starscream attempted to stand up, but found he could not. His limbs simply wouldn't respond.

Australia--Uluru--Skies

His initial blast had not connected as he had wished, but it mattered little. With the reservoir of energon derived from the Ore-13 refining process still coursing through his systems, he had an abundance of offensive energy yet to be unleashed. The energon derivative was meeting and exceeding his expectations. If only all of his seeded worlds could bear such productive fruit.

As he prepared his next offensive, a command-transmission came through, directed primarily at Razorclaw and Ultra Magnus, but which had included him also.

>>"Declarative: I do not possess enough data regarding the nature of the spark in question to correlate your data, Prowl. It is an anomaly that will require further research. Moreover, I calculate a 43.27523% probability that you could employ this calculation in order to spare the life of your Autobot ally. I will not alter my course of action. The Autobot must die. Hot Rod and whatever is contained within his body will thus be destroyed at the earliest available opportunity."<<

Unsurprisingly, his offensive efforts had garnered the entity's direct attention. Without the use of his shielding, the Fallen's attacks were likely to become exponentially more varied as desperation set in. Shockwave intended to nullify said desperation with considerable haste.

The oversized aperture of his space gun mode began to glow once more as he lined up his next shot, but before he could fire the entity struck out with energy that he had not yet encountered directly. With his maneuverability diminished in this mode--and not anything outstanding in his other--the primal energies slammed against his gun mode, lancing all across his body and sending his entire sensor suite into complete disarray.

Shockwave dropped out of the air like a stone, partially completing his transformation sequence before slamming into the ground; small rivulets of the dark energy crisscrossed his partially transformed body as his sensors attempted--unsuccessfully for the time being--to recalibrate themselves.