When We Seared The Sky

Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One

In Chains

Soundwave did not waste time in launching his attack. He stood aside only to let five lithe figures crawl like spiders into the base before he brought a heavy foot down on the ground, creating a sonic wave of blue light around it that sent Alexis and Jade flying and caused the only ones still standing to stumble in its wake as the high-frequency sound boomed through the air. Then he drew a colossal weapon, morphing his right arm into the largest gun that human eyes had ever beheld, and aimed at Optimus.

“Optimus Prime: primary target,” he stated, taking another step forward. “Extermination classification: urgent.”

The leader turned to face the great navy blue monster with raw determination in his azure optics. “I think not, Soundwave,” he said, his sword singing as it swung through the air, pointing at the Decepticon’s red visor. “Get out of here now and I will let you go in one piece.”

Scarlet seared into Optimus’s eyes as evil lit the visor, making it glow with murderous passion. “Request not possible,” the voice claimed, and the gun disappeared back into Soundwave’s arm – only to be replaced by a hideous-looking axe. “Mission success crucial. Optimus Prime: primary target.” He paused. “Eradicate.”

With this last word, he raised the axe and brought it hard towards Optimus’s head. The leader ducked, surprisingly agile for his mass, before he retaliated with an equally harsh blow, metal smashing against metal with a massive crash.

The creatures that had been let in by the communications officer swung themselves across the room, somersaulting and screaming as they made their attack. Three of them sprung upon Starscream, who let out a roar of rage as the three jet drones leapt up and locked themselves onto him, tearing their long, scythe-like claws into his armour. Alexis screamed, staggering backwards as her guardian struggled with them.

“Alexis, run!” he shouted at her from where she was dragging herself up off the floor and grabbing her gun once again. "Get to safety before Thrust finds you!"

“No!” she shrieked, aiming the gun at the prime drone, which had locked its arms about his neck. “I’m not g –”

“GO, NOW!” he bellowed, even as Ratchet finally managed to get up from beneath Ironhide and was immediately taken down by Sideways, who had just appeared as if from a nightmare.

She opened her mouth to argue, her heart screaming with terror as the three of them tore at his body, jabbering madly. “Traitor! Traitor! Destroy the traitor!” they shrieked, one of them drawing out a chain-like mace of some sort and striking Starscream about the head with it, bringing the overwhelmed Cybertronian to his knees with a crash as he attempted to beat it off.

However, as she raised the customised M16 to blast the creature off of him, she was struck harshly across the face by a massive limb and thrown off of her feet with a scream as the smallest drone sprung upon her. The magenta creature’s bloody eyes were wide with apparent pleasure as Alexis clutched her stinging cheek, staring up in horror at her attacker, which stood at only nine feet tall but was still incredibly frightening; its eyes were filled with sadistic delight at her pain.

“Seraphim,” the femme hissed, before she raised a hooked limb high. Alexis threw herself to the side as the hook embedded itself deep into the ground beside her and she scrambled desperately up as the Decepticon being came back for a second attack, the weapon whistling through the air a hair’s breadth from her throat.

“MOVE, ALEXIS!” Starscream bellowed at her as he ripped at the chain around his neck, tearing aggressively at the links in a vain attempt to get to her.