Shadowfire

Chapter 27

::Starscream::
::Responding::
::I need you to-::
::I don't care what it is Shadow, you know I'm staying out of this::
::You can't stay out of this anymore, not with what they've done. Go back to the 'Cons Screamer:: I said tonelessly
::I told you-:: He snapped, roused to anger now
::Starscream they killed my sparkmate:: his ire melted instantly
::I'll be there as soon as I can::

I turned to Wheelie, the little 'Bot that Optimus had ordered to stay behind so I wouldn't be alone.
"Go, rejoin the Decepticons, I want a detailed report of their plans and I want it yesterday"
"Yes princess"

___________________

"I'm going after Sentinel" I announced "he knows I'm still here and he's found a way to make it more personal then it was before, as if killing my family wasn't enough"
"What-" I held Sam's gaze until realisation dawned.
"No. No they couldn't have-" he buried his head in his hands as I continued
"Sentinel Prime has kidnapped Mikaela Banes, she's being held by a human named Dylan Gould in Chicago, he appears to have been working with the Decepticons for some years now"
"I'm coming with you" Sam said, his tone broking no argument
"You're not going alone" Lennox agreed
"I'm goin' too. That arsehole killed my friends" Epps concurred, his announcement met by a chorus of agreement from the ex-military men of NEST, the special task force had been shut down but the soldiers remained, outright refusing to answer to the government that had sacrificed their Autobot teammates as they became deserters, trading military service for their new status as vigilantes.

___________________

::Gather the Decepticons:: I ordered the little mech ::I'm going to kill Sentinel::

___________________

The human component of NEST gathered on the tarmac of the base, grieving for their Autobot comrades even as they prepared to keep fighting without them, my father and uncle strode towards them, commanding their attention.
"Listen up" Lennox addressed the assembled troops "if we do this, we do it without US government sanction, I can't promise anyone a ride home but if you're with me, the world needs you now"

A soldier steeped forward from the crowd, no more than 26 he was still young, still had his life ahead of him, and was ready to lay it down if need be.
"I'll find my own ride home sir"
"Who else?" Lennox asked, voice raised to the shout so common amongst military leaders, the response was instantaneous. The soldiers erupted into a cacophony of assent, yelling their agreement, fists pumping in the air. 
"For the Autobots" someone yelled, and the rest of the men took up the cry.
"Autobot victory"
"Autobot victory!"

___________________

We streaked towards the city. I was heading the convoy now- in the place of Optimus, on the way to do what I should've done following my sire's death. The lack of 'Hide by my side felt like a phantom limb, and I swore I could still feel his spark bonded to mine, but that couldn't be true, I had seen the destruction of Zanthium with my own optics, and I would avenge him.

We were on the outskirts of Chicago when I called a halt and split from my only remaining family.

"Keep going" I told my dad and the assembled soldiers "take back the city" my eyes met Sam's "save Kayla. I'm going after Sentinel"

___________________

The city was in chaos, besieged by what were the Fallen's personal soldiers- those who held no loyalty to either Screamer or me but served only their own personal hunger for destruction and death, the whole city was in a state of anarchy- it was pure carnage. I faced the old mech across the battle field, the Decepticons arrayed behind him, everyone ignoring the explosions and falling buildings. He sneered dismissively even as droves of humans swarmed around us, screaming as they fled for their lives.
"What are you doing here, half-Prime? You think to take command from me?"

"It was you who tried to steal it from me" I told him "it is my right to rule, as my sire once did" I turned to face the assembled Decepticons, ignoring Sentinel "you know me, you don't know this ancient wreck. You're honouring his agreement with your forebears because you didn't have another option, but now you do. You know me- Megatron's sparking and heir" my commlink chirped, warning me of Screamer's approach. I grinned, sharing my sire's flare for dramatics "and you know Starscream" there was a thud as he landed behind me "Megatron's Second, and your new leader"

And just like that the Decepticons loyalties changed and they flocked to Screamer.

"You fools!" Sentinel cried "you must obey me, I am a Prime! I control the Pillars!"
"You are not worthy of the name" I declared "relinquish the pillars Sentinel, before I kill you"
"You cannot stop me youngling" I grit my teeth and launched myself at him, catching him mid laugh I tackled him to the ground firing my cannons directly into his chassis. He shoved me off as if my attack had done nothing, despite the holes in his metal and the energon leaking from the wounds. He snarled at me.
"If it's a fight you want, be prepared to die, for one shall stand, and one shall fall"

As we fought I was able to hold my own, though neither of us was able to gain the upper hand. I was reminded of fighting the Fallen, except I was alone, and my wounds weren't caused by being unable to escape- I had accepted that I would get hurt but Sentinel needed to die. I fought recklessly, throwing myself at any gap in the mech's defence without heed of personal injury, what was I fighting for anyway? Sentinel needed to be offlined for what he did, but I didn't care if I followed him to Primus. All the Autobots were dead, I would either die and join them, or live with that knowledge and pain, surviving to join the Decepticons.

I ducked under Sentinel's flailing attempt at a right hook, and caught his arm with both servos, bracing myself against his side, I ignored the cannon on his other arm that he fired directly into my left shoulder joint, and pulled, there was a pop, sparks flew, and then the limb came loose from its socket and I tossed his useless, disconnected arm away from me.

Sentinel kicked me away from him, I didn't travel far, and scrambled away from me, crawling pitifully along the ground until he reached the Control Pillar.
"Stop! Or I'll activate the Pillars!" I stilled, watching Sentinel clutch at the Pillar like a lifeline. I stood and walked over to him, placing one foot on his chest plate, pressing down, forcing energon through the rents in his metal. I felt a flash of déjà vu, as if I'd seen this very scene before, a victorious cybertronian pressing down on their defeated foe, forcing more of their lifeblood to ooze out of their wounds, my scrambled memory banks gave a shudder, as if trying to remember, and I got a flash of a similar scene, an unknown femme dying under Megatron's heel.
"Do it, I don't care. I'll kill you anyway" I threatened, Sentinel looked at me in confusion, obviously he had counted on me wanting to protect Earth, mores the pity. The human government had ordered the Autobots to leave, manipulated by Sentinel yes but not blameless in the deaths of my family, and after I was done here I would make them pay.

I aimed my canon at the Control Pillar, and smiled down at Sentinel.
"No- no you can't, destroying the Pillar would cause an explosion that-"
"I. Don't. Care." I prepared to fire, to destroy that damn Pillar myself, and then Sentinel was sent flying, knocked out from under my foot by a powerful canon blast that took out half his helm. I didn't turn to see who had fired, instead I advanced on the fallen Prime, he couldn't be dead, I was supposed to kill him.

Luckily he was still alive, though barely.
"You're too late" he wheezed through a broken vocal processor "the humans will be enslaved with or without me"

Feeling the need to claim victory- to prove that I didn't need the unknown Cybertronian's help in defeating my foe, I thrust my servo directly through the downed mech's ruined chest plate and tore out his spark, crushing it in my fist.
"I'm not some youngling half-Prime anymore" I whispered to him as the light of his optics faded and offlined. I riddled his circuitry with cannon fire despite his death, it wouldn't do for him to somehow reanimate.

And only then did I turn, and near glitched at what I saw. No, it couldn't be true, maybe I had been offlined by Sentinel, maybe I had joined Primus. There was no other way to explain seeing the Autobots arrayed before me. Optimus, Jazz, Bee, and- I didn't dare hope, but then I saw him. Ironhide.

He was alive.

They were all alive.