Transformers: Enslavement

Part 34 En Garde

The Fallen is about ready to kill Optimus, then something happens. Starscream and Thundercracker turn around to look behind them.

Thunder: "Do you hear that?"

Scream: "Yes I do."

Thunder: "What is that?"

Scream: "I don't know, but I less than like it."

The sounds get louder as it draws closer. To their confusion they see five robot dinosaurs running and flying down the street. The two seekers decide to call it quits and retreat. Grimlock launches a fireball at The Fallen, knocking him away. The Autobots and Decepticons take this opportunity to break free and start firing at everything that isn't their own teammates. Shockwave knocks Longarm aside, but Jazz and Cliffjumper start shooting him up, forcing him to retreat. Soundwave pulls Megatron back.

Megatron: "Decepticons, destroy the Matrix and everyone else in our way!"

Soundwave sends out Laserbeak and Ravage to retrieve the Matrix but they are constantly fighting Cliffjumper and Jazz for it. Each moment one of them has the Matrix another one steals it from him. Waspinator got the unfortunate privilege of facing the Dinobots alone. He fires his scales at Grimlock, but they bounce off. He tries to fly away, but Grimlock catches him in his teeth. His screams of pain and terror reach the alleys as he is getting thrashed around like a chew toy. He gets spat out. His head hops over to his mangled body and he calls Skywarp for a groundbridge. As he leaves the battle Thundercracker, Megatron, and Soundwave regroup for a new strategy.

Thunder: "Starscream disappeared again. I'm sensing a pattern."

Megatron: "It doesn't matter right now, just kill everyone in sight."

Thunder: "Sounds good to me."

Soundwave: "What were those things?"

Megatron: "More names to add to the list when we're finished with them."

Soundwave: "Rumble, Frenzy, attack these monsters."

Rumble: "You got it."

As Thundercracker goes off on his own it goes back to The Fallen, who is struggling to move.

Fallen: "Help I'm The Fallen and I can't get up!"

Mindwipe and Skystalker help get The Fallen to his feet.

Mindwipe: "Are you alright master?"

Fallen: "Yes I'm fine. But we need that Matrix. Retrieve it under any means necessary, and do not leave me empty handed."

Sky: "And what will you do?"

Fallen: "It appears they need an incentive to relinquish the Matrix to my possession. So I will cause as much destruction and death until it happens. Now go!"

Mindwipe and Skystalker fly off in search of the Matrix. The Fallen on the other hand decides to unleash his gun, the first Fusion Cannon. However he has named this weapon into something far more unsettling... "The Cure".

Fallen: "It is time to introduce this planet to The Cure."

The Fallen charges up his gun, and out comes a red laser. The beam stops in its tracks and starts to spin. It splits off into five segments, and those segments spiral around one another like a wheel. The segments stop, and then they all shoot out and go underground and inside the walls of buildings, and they burn and explode. But he isn't done yet. He teleports to Big Ben, takes out his sword, flies over and slices the bottom of the tower. There is a brief pause before Big Ben starts falling over and crushing the surrounding structures nearby. Now The Fallen is using his last power, pyrokinesis. Flames appear out of his hands as tendrils and blasts of fire jet out to burn and explode anything in its wake. Any humans nearby are instantly turned to ashes. Megatronus uses his sword's fire, and it snakes through all the structures.

Fallen: (screaming) "Bring me my Matrix!"

Meanwhile Thundercracker is looking for the Matrix, but something shoots him in the back. A loud droning noise vibrates along the street. It's the Doctor in the prototype. He shoots Thundercracker up with all those cannons, and pieces of him start flying everywhere.

Thunder: (desperately) "Oh I don't want it to end like this!"

The doctor briefly fires at Megatron and Soundwave, and the severely damaged Thundercracker fires a missile to get away. He calls a groundbridge and leaves the city for the rest of the battle.

Dr: "And this for mutilating and torturing me!"

Soundwave: (ejecting) "Buzzsaw, Beastbox, Squawktalk, destroy the human."

Beastbox and Squawktalk fire at the hovercraft, and they both hop aboard. The doctor shakes Squawktalk off, but Beastbox rips all the canons of the machine. Buzzsaw flies over to the cockpit and stares down the Doctor.

Buzzsaw: (eerie) "Hello doctor, allow me to introduce you to my jaws." (shrieks)

Dr: (screaming) "Good god no!"

Buzzsaw smashes through the cockpit, and blood splatters around the glass. Based on the way his head entered and the fact that he is still wiggling his neck around with all those fleshy noises it his heavily implied that Buzzsaw bit the poor doctor's face off. The hovercraft crashes, and the three return inside Soundwave. Meanwhile the Dinobots are terrorizing the Vehicons and transforming. Sludge swings his long neck around to clear a path for the others. He transforms and smashes any others that he has missed with his warhammer. Slag impales several Vehicons on his horns. He transforms and skips like a little girl, wildly swinging his club while singing.

Slag: (singing) "La-la-la-la-la!"

Snarl shoots his spikes out into Vehicons. He transforms as two Vehicons approach from his front and back. He takes out his scythe and cuts the one in front of him in half. He turns around and throws his scythe at the other one, and it goes straight through his head. Snarl does a victory stance over his success. Swoop swings his flail-mace around, knocking several Vehicons away. He transforms and lets Grimlock finish them off. His fire breath burns all the remaining Vehicons to a crisp. Swoop launches fireballs out of his dinosaur form to stop Laserbeak and Ravage from getting the Matrix. They retreat while he grabs it with his talons and tosses it to Optimus.

Swoop: "Optimus catch!"

Optimus grabs the Matrix, and a miracle happens. A bright glowing light engulfs the Autobot leader, and all of the wounds on his body begin to heal up. The Matrix has fully repaired Optimus, and he's ready to get back in action. Grimlock helps Optimus to his feet.

Grimlock: "Whoa, can I have some of that stuff?"

Prime: "I think it only works for me.... you can talk now?"

Grimlock: "Yeah, and then some."

Snarl: "You can thank Wheeljack and Perceptor for that."

Swoop: "I feel as free as a bird!"

A Vehicon tries to jump at Grimlock, but Optimus shoots him away.

Grimlock: "Me Grimlock like your style."

Prime: "I like your moves."

Slag: "Blah blah blah me Slag wanna kill stuff."

Bumblebee, Ratchet, Ironhide, and Jazz approach Optimus and the Dinobots.

Bee: "Whoa I totally didn't see that coming."

Ratchet: "They're alive."

Swoop: "Of course we're alive. What else would we be?"

Sludge: "Dead."

Snarl: "I guess that's true."

Prime: "Autobots, we must stop Megatronus from destroying Earth. It has to end here."

Ironhide: "Couldn't agree more."

Prime: "But where is Longarm and Cliffjumper?"

Jazz: "I saw them get separated from us after hat little altercation. I'm sure they'll be fine."

Prime: "Then we don't have a moment to lose. Dinobots, may we ride you into battle?"

Grimlock: "Me Grimlock thought you would never ask."

Grimlock transforms into his T-Rex form, and Optimus gets a ride as Grimlock runs off blasting Vehicons with him. Bumblebee walks over to Swoop for a ride.

Bee: "May I?"

Swoop: "You may."

Bee: (excited) "This is so cool!"

Swoop: "I know right?"

Jazz: "Hey Snarl, mind if I hitch a ride?"

Snarl: "If that's what you want then sure."

Jazz: (getting on) "I've never tried anything like this before."

Snarl: "You and me both."

Slag: (to Ironhide) "Me Slag will let you ride just this once."

Ironhide: "Once is all I ask for, unless you and I make a great team."

Slag: "Me Slag doesn't think you should bet on it." (rides off)

All that is left is Ratchet, who sees the lone Sludge waiting for him.

Sludge: "Me Sludge will ride you now."

Ratchet: "Don't you mean that the other way around?"

Sludge: "Whoops, now me Sludge has to fix his ad on the internet."

Ratchet: "I guess I can scratch this off my bucket list."

Ratchet rides Sludge, but he is going very slow.,

Ratchet: "Can't you go any faster?"

Sludge: "Me Sludge just messing with you."

Sludge picks up the pace, and then starts going in the opposite direction.

Ratchet: (annoyed) "Now you're going the wrong direction. You really are stupid!"

Sludge: "Sorry, me Sludge got confused."

The two come across Rumble and Frenzy, who have their guns pointed at them.

Rumble: "Let's get em!"

Frenzy: "Yeah!" (shoots)

The twins fire at Ratchet and Sludge. Ratchet hides behind Sludge's neck, making himself as thin as possible to avoid being hit. The shots just bounce off of Sludge like it's nothing.

Frenzy: "This isn't working."

Rumble: "Then let's shake and quake!"

They use their piledrivers to create a crack in the ground. Sludge doesn't budge, and he seems to be happy.

Sludge: "Hey me Sludge can do that too!"

Sludge uses both of his right feet to create an even bigger crack. It opens up to create a chasm that Frenzy falls into Rumble grabs onto the ledge and crawls back up. Sludge fires lasers out of his eyes to knock him out. The two then proceed onward as it transitions over to Jazz and Snarl. Snarl shoots his spikes out at Vehicons while Jazz shoots the rest with his crescent missiles. The spikes return to Snarl's back as they continue traveling.

Jazz: "I haven't been in a rodeo in who knows how long, but this is way better!"

Snarl: "What's a rodeo?"

Jazz: "I'll tell you when you're older."

Ironhide and Slag are tearing up the opposition with Ironhide using his shotguns and Slag shooting lasers out of his horns.

Slag: "Not bad."

Ironhide: "Thank you."

Slag: "That doesn't make me Slag like you though."

Ironhide: "Whatever."

Optimus and Grimlock are having zero difficulty dealing with the Vehicons. Optimus jumps off Grimlock to stab a Vehicon in the face. Grimlock transforms and uses his sword and shield to slice and bash everything in his way. The two play off one another's previous attacks to combine their powers. Grimlock picks up a Vehicon and throws him into the camera, which masquerades as another Vehicon's perspective. Meanwhile Swoop and Bumblebee are blasting away in the sky.

Bee: "Oh this is awesome, I wish Sideswipe was here to see this!"

Swoop: "Well why not ask him seeing that he's here with us?"

Bee: (confused) "What do you mean? It's just us."

Swoop: "No, there is a guy right behind you that hopped on when we were flying. Isn't that him?"

Bumblebee turns around, but before he can eye the mysterious passenger he gets punched in the face.

Swoop: "Ok I'm going go out on a limb here and say that isn't Sideswipe."

Bumblebees vision clears as he sees that this individual isn't Sideswipe at all... it's Splicer.

Splicer: "Hi Bumblebee!"

Bee: "How did you get on here?"

Splicer: "By jumping of course. How else could I have gotten here?"

Swoop: "He has a point."

Splicer: "So I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I have to kill you now."

Swoop: "I thought he was nice! Cant we all just get along?"

Bee: "I'm not going down without a fight."

Splicer: "I would expect no less from you."

Splicer runs forward to attack Bumblebee, and it's six arm-blades vs one puny Energon ax. Bumblebee is holding up quite well with the given circumstances.

Splicer: "You've gotten better, so have I."

Bumblebee gets kicked back and gets cut on his left side, but he manages to knock Splicer back after distracting him by shooting.

Bee: "Swoop I could use some help here!"

Swoop: "Right, right!"

Swoop does some daring aerial maneuver to get Splicer off. He nearly succeeds when he falls over, but Splicer digs his blades into Swoop's wing to get back on.

Swoop: (in pain) "OW!"

Splicer: (sincere) "Sorry!"

Bumblebee and Spicer their fight, but Splicer clearly dominates him and is ready to kill him. Suddenly someone snipes him out. Splicer falls in slow motion, and he takes out his guns to shoot Swoop in his wings with his crystal shards. They all are direct hits, and the two Autobots start going down.

Swoop: "I'm going to have to do a crash landing I'm going down!"

Swoop crash lands on a roof and is knocked out. Bumblebee falls to the street. Splicer jams his elbow blades into a wall of a building to grind down and falls on his knees. He looks across the street to see who fired the bullet, and it's Mirage. He helps Bumblebee up while preparing to fight Splicer.

Splicer: (unscrewing the bullet) "Hey you're that same guy who sniped me out before. Could you stop that please?"

Mirage: "I can't sit around when my friends are in danger."

Bee: "Be careful Mirage."

Mirage: "That won't be necessary. This is just one Decepticon."

Bee: "Well this is one Decepticon who can take us all out."

Mirage: "I think you're stretching the truth there."

Splicer: "He's not though."

Mirage: (observing) "A child? This ultimate weapon is a child?"

Splicer: "What does that have to do with anything?"

Mirage: "Someone your age could not have that kind of skill."

Splicer: "You'd be surprised. Why not go a few rounds and find out yourself?"

Mirage: "Very well, but know that I won't hold back."

Splicer: "Me neither."

Mirage: "Go Bumblebee, I will take on this Decepticon."

Bee: "Good luck." (drives off)

Splicer and Mirage circle one another, getting their blades out for battle.

Mirage: "I've been taught to respect all opponents good or bad. You may make the first move."

Splicer: "Thank you."

Splicer slashes at Mirage, but he dodges it easily by leaning slightly over to the left. Mirage retracts his blades and puts his hands behind his back. Splicer keeps slashing and stabbing at the Autobot, but dodge each attack with precision and finesse. Splicer does another slash, but Mirage bends over backwards and kicks Splicer back.

Mirage: "You are too impatient. Your moves are sloppy and you telegraph each of your attacks."

Splicer: "Oh yeah? Well you talk funny."

Mirage: "Pardon?"

Splicer: "How is anyone supposed to take you seriously with that accent?"

Mirage: "You are attempting to hinder my performance by insulting me. That will not work."

Splicer: "Easy coming from the guy who insults my technique and is afraid to go on the offensive."

Mirage: (activating blades) "Very well then. If you want the offensive then you shall receive it."

Mirage attacks Splicer, and the two exchange clashes with their blades. They attack and block each one of the other's attacks. Mirage starts to overwhelm splicer with his speed and uppercuts him on his chin. Splicer tries shooting him with his SMGs, but Mirage quickly somersaults to avoid the shoots. He does a swift kick to knock Splicer down. He jumps for a finishing blow, but Splicer rolls out of the way. Splicer tries to stab him again but this time Mirage steps back and jabs his elbow down on Splicer's arm, forcing it down. He jabs his elbow three times into Splicer's face, and rolls him along the ground. Mirage riddles Splicer with bullets from his SMGs, knocking him down. Splicer does a spin attack, and Mirage only barely blocks the attack. He breaks his defenses by striking upwards. In slow motion the blade goes up, mere centimeters from Splicer's face. Mirage kicks Splicer back, and jumps over him to do a kangaroo-style kick to him. They continue to slash it out until Mirage gets a blow to Splicer's face. He feels around and see that there is a cut on his right cheek. Splicer goes more aggressively this time, and Mirage starts to have a slightly more difficult run. His attempts to toy with the Decepticon have been erased due to the surprising skill of his opponent. Mirage cuts Splicer across the chest, and that just makes him even more mad. He shoots his crystal shards at Mirage, and he blocks them with his blades. Eventually the crystals starts to become more than he can handle. He is forced to start slicing them up with his blades. He slices them so fast he looks like a blender. Mirage slides to avoid the fire and does an aerial somersault, grabs Splicer by the head, and throws him while he is still in the air. Mirage crashes into a wall, but he quickly gets out. Mirage fires at Splicer, but he does a spin attack of his own to destroy the bullets. He spins around so fast that he is blurred out. He spins at Mirage, who is forced to jump and roll over. Splicer jumps while still spinning and Mirage barely avoids damage as the road gets torn up next to him. Mirage picks up a car and throws it a Splicer, who tears it to pieces from all his blades. Splicer leaps to attack, but Mirage was waiting patiently for his moment to counter. He grabs him by the arm and slams him onto a car. Splicer breaks free of his grasp and fisticuffs with Mirage. Mirage quickly gets the upper hand and punches Splicer in the face, knees him in the stomach, and throws him across the street. Splicer is on his knees panting, his vision getting blurry. Mirage knows that he must ends this fight. He sharpens his blades, running at the Decepticon. Splicer and Mirage both leap into the air with their blades out. What happens next is something incredible. As they are jumping in the air they are twirling and flipping. Their blades are clashing in mid-air after each time they jump. They are both keeping the pace with one another. Mirage decides to end this and uses a daring finisher... but it doesn't go as planned. Splicer manages to to a spinning jump kick straight to Mirage's face. Mirage goes bounces across the street, starting to recover. Splicer has already ran over to him and kicks him in the face while he is down. Mirage then gets picked up and thrown into a wall of a building face first. He gets up, wiping the Energon off of his face and spits.

Mirage: "I honestly did not expect that."

Splicer: "Really?"

Mirage: "I suppose I got a bit sloppy back there, but that won't happen again."

Splicer: "Are you sure it isn't me besting you instead of you making a mistake?"

Mirage: "Not likely. I did underestimate your skill. You are good and you display some fine qualities of a true warrior. However you are still young, and my experience and skill far outweigh your own."

Splicer: "You may have more experience, but I'm better. I can prove it."

Mirage: "Now you are being fictitious."

Splicer: (goading) "Then fight me, unless you're scared."

Mirage attacks Splicer again, but this time Splicer seems to be at a more even level with mirage. It appears that Splicer slips up, and Mirage overpowers him in blade lock. His arm blades are inching nearer and nearer to Splicer's neck."

Mirage: "I told you I was better."

Splicer: "Yeah... about that."

Splicer instantly overpowers Mirage, stepping on his foot, putting his battle helmet/visor on, headbutting him. Mirage clutches his face in pain, and Splicer starts doing those lightning fast punches that he is known for. He finishes by giving him two quick uppercuts to Mirage's chin and doing a kangaroo kick of his own on him. Mirage slowly gets up, having realized that Splicer may be more than he thought.

Mirage: "I won't underestimate you any more."

Splicer: "Don't lie, that's the problem with guys like you. You can't win this because I played you."

Mirage: "What?"

Splicer: "They call it playing possum here. I let you rough me up a bit to feel out your tactics and skill. Now that I know how you work, I can finish you." (cracks knuckles)

Mirage: "Now if you can't see me."

Mirage cloaks himself, and Splicer is looking for him. Mirage thrashes him around, forcing him to retreat a bit.

Splicer: "That's how you want to play huh? (puts on visor)

Splicer's helmet/visor has a thermal imaging device, perfect for spotting cloakers. Splicer gets attacked, but he uses the weight of the attack to slam Mirage on the ground.

Splicer: "You really aren't that creative you know that?"

Mirage gets angry and fires his sniper rifle at Splicer. He fires a bullet at him too, and in slow motion the two sniper bullets collide. Mirage's bullet breaks, but he directs Splicer's bullet at him. Splicer counters by doing a ninja kick to redirect it again and hits Mirage in the chest. Mirage leaps to attack but Splicer hits him with two of his shards, knocking him on his back. Mirage gets up and opens fire, but Splicer slides over to a car, picks up a manhole and throws it into him. Splicer fires his knife gun at Mirage. He deflects all the blades, but he doesn't know about the recall feature. The blades cut at Mirage's sides, and one goes right into his back, making him stagger forward. Splicer cuts a street light and swings it into Mirage. Mirage is slowly getting up, and Splicer fires his sniper rifle at him again, but he misses, or so Mirage thinks.

Mirage: (panting) "You missed."

Splicer: (grinning) "Wasn't aiming for you."

Splicer presses a button on his forearm, and beeping starts. The wall behind Mirage explodes and he gets blasted forward. Splicer ends the fight by stabbing Mirage with his three blades right into Mirage's left side. He crumples to the floor bleeding.

Splicer: "Say it..."

Mirage: (closing his eyes) "You are truly a better opponent. Just get this over with so I may rest in piece."

Splicer: "You got it buddy. You know I got my training from my brother, Megatron, and Soundwave. They taught me one thing that was very important."

Mirage: "What might that be?"

Splicer: "Never underestimate your opponent. Of course they were talking about Optimus when he said that."

Splicer goes in for the kill but he is forced to do a backflip to avoid a fireball. He transforms and retreats as Swoop fires more at him. He helps Mirage to his feet.

Mirage: (grateful) "Thank you my friend, I thought that would be the end of me."

Swoop: "No problem, need a lift?"

Mirage; "I'll be fine thank you, just go on without me. I'll be fine."

Swoop transforms and flies to help out the other Autobots. Mirage keeps walking until he hears a jet. Mindwipe transforms in front of him, and the Autobot draws his blades.

Mirage: "Stay back, I'm warning you."

Mindwipe: "I do not wish to fight you, I require your help."

Mirage: "I would never help you."

Mindwipe: "I know you wouldn't help.. willingly. (hypnotising) Listen to my voice. Let all negative emotions be erased at my sight. Erase all free will and let the darkness inside. I am your master now. You are my puppet, my slave, and you will serve Megatronus. Do you understand?"

Mirage blankly nods.

Mindwipe: "Excellent, now await further orders."

Mindwipe transforms and leaves. Meanwhile Ironhide, Slag, Snarl, Jazz, Swoop, and Grimlock are attacking Devastator, but even the power of the Dinobots can't seem to stop Devastator.

Grimlock: "Something has to take this guy down."

Swoop: "Is he invincible?"

Snarl: "I sure hope not."

Slag: "Keep shooting him!"

Jazz: "I think I may have an idea."

Jazz calls Wheejack, who answers.

Jazz: "Wheeljack, we need you and Perceptor here."

Wheel: "Why?"

Jazz: "Devastator."

Wheel: "Are you sure you can't handle this? If we bridge out we can't go back."

Jazz: "I'm very sure."

Wheel: "Perceptor, we need you to go out there. You need to use it."

Perce: (nervous) "Are you sure? You know what could happen."

Wheel: "I know, but we need you now more than ever."

Perce: -sigh- "Oh dear, very well."