Ruby - Transformers: Dark of the Moon fanfic

Prime vs Prime

Ruby stumbled sideways, her legs wobbling like jelly. She wearily raised her gun and finished off the decepticon who had been attacking her with brutal offense for the past ten minutes. 

She felt sickeningly dizzy. Her heart raced along so fast it was humming instead of beating. She longed to fill her lungs with cool, fresh air. Instead, Ruby was choked with smoke and fumes; blinded by sparks and fire. 

The burning wasn't just all around, it was inside her. Her lungs burned and her muscles burned; her skin and eyes felt dry and singed. The terrible wound in her stomach had gone numb. 

Ruby tilted back her head to face the sky. Outlined white against the blue, bigger than huge, was Cybertron, bearing down on them. She had to get to that pillar. 

She jogged on, weaving in and out of transformers and soldiers, all of whom were locked in combat. A narrow beam of intense white light streamed vertically from the city center straight upwards towards Cybertron, pulling the planet closer. Ruby ran straight for it, putting on a great spurt of speed, when she heard Optimus' voice ahead.

"Sentinel!" he boomed, "Get down here! NOW!"

Ruby hurtled round the last corner in time to see Sentinel Prime leap off the building that contained the pillar, the origin of the light. Sentinel unsheathed his lancer in mid-air and drove it into the building, using it to slow his decent towards Optimus. 

While he was distracted, Ruby took careful aim with cupped hands, choosing to abandon her gun. She closed her eyes and called upon the remaining dregs of life within her body, fighting to keep her hands steady. 

The air enclosed in her hands grew hot with blue light. The silver bracelet tightened around her wrist, feeding her power.  When the ball of energy was brimming with strength, threatening to burst from her grip, Ruby propelled it out, directing it straight at the pillar. 

The shot hit home, and in an explosion of bricks, the pillar fell to the street below. The string of light vanished. Ruby felt a dull throb of satisfaction and fell to one knee with a grunt. Her vision dulled for a few moments, but the clamour of the battle echoed in her ears, growing to a deafening volume. She shook her head, trying to clear it.

"Here!" Ratchet's deep voice did not sound as gentle as Ruby was used to, startling her enough to bring back most of her ability to see. Ratchet sped towards her as a fluorescent green blur; the pillar lay flat across a heap of rubble between Sam and Dylan further away. Bumble Bee was a yellow Camero, racing to join them. In the background, the rest of the war was raging, ending with Optimus and Sentinel.

"Ruby," said Ratchet with an air of desperation, "Take this,"
He raised his palm and bathed her in gentle blue light for a short second. The rest of Ruby's senses rushed back to her along with a little pocket of strength. She rose up to her feet, her knees sore and blood still congealing around her torso.

"Thank you," she said quickly and quietly, nodding in his direction. She headed for the pillar without waiting for a response.

Dylan got to it first; he slapped its middle and the pillar rose back into the air, shrieking. White light shot from it, into the sky.

"What have you done!?" screamed Sam, pouncing and wrestling Dylan to the ground.

Major Lennox's shout somehow managed to rise above the racket, "Deactivate that pillar, NOW!"

Far above them, Cybertron resumed its gradual decent towards the earth. Ruby sprinted for the pillar, her heart threatening to burst from her chest. The stream of air tore at her injuries, giving the feeling that she was being pelted with icicles. Bumble Bee transformed and dove forwards: he tackled the pillar from the air. Ruby had already ran another hundred meters past him when Cybertron's transportation was abruptly cut off with a whine, and it shrunk away from the sky until Ruby could no longer see it. 

Her relief was short lived. Sentinel boomed out a command, "Noooo! Decepticons! Fire at Optimus!"

 Major Lennox retaliated; "Cover Optimus!"  

Before she had even come to a stop, Ruby sped back up, charging towards the two Primes.

Bullets of all types and sizes flew in the direction of their battle, as did Ruby, dodging them carefully. With the element of surprise and a flick of her wrist, she twisted Sentinel's weapon-baring arm as she ran into the center of their battle. 

He roared in fury and wretched his arm out of her magnetic grip with a resounding twang, his gleaming red hide scratched. Optimus took his chance and launched a sequenced attack with his sword. It whistled through the air and clashed against Sentinel's lance, which he threw forward to protect himself just in time. 

With a bellow like a hundred bulls Sentinel swung his lance and landed a blow of such force on Optimus it took off his right arm. The squeal of tearing metal was painful to Ruby's ears, but the sight of Optimus being injured was worse.

"Optimus!" she cried.

She ran towards him, her heart screaming in protest but willing her faster. He got to his feet as she approached, and weakly blocked another attack from Sentinel who was dangerously close behind her. Sentinel easily unbalanced him and Optimus stumbled backwards, shaking the ground. 

Ruby's blood ran cold and tears streamed down her cheeks. Sentinel let out a rumbling growl layered with such evil it shook Ruby to the bone. But she couldn't tear her eyes from Optimus. And so she didn't see Sentinel swing his lance, she didn't have time to defend herself. The cold, biting edge of the lance struck her injured arm and sent her flying through the air. 

Optimus howled some incoherent word. She crashed into the hard concrete some feet away. Everything dimmed, but blissful blackness did not claim her, not yet. Ruby didn't dare move; the pain would be too much. She could hear Optimus pleading; she knew Sentinel was preparing to deliver that one, final blow and there was nothing she could do to stop him. 

She cracked open her eyes, just a tiny bit; maybe she would see some way to help. Stars clouded her vision, but she could see the cruel glint of Sentinel's raised lance and the intensity of Optimus' sapphire eyes. At the last second, out of nowhere, Megatron balled into Sentinel, knocking him away from Optimus and his lance out of his reach.