Transformers
Robots in Disguise

109 - The Upper Hand

by Mike Watson

	Scourge looked down at the still body of Optimus Prime.  If the situation had been 
different, he would be rejoicing now.  As it were, things were a bit weird.  A lot of questions 
needed answering.  If the Vertigo had indeed crashed here a million Earth years ago, and the 
pods had orbited Earth for that long as well, why were they never spotted?  Surely Earth 
scanning equipment would have picked them up.  It was believable that the Vertigo could not be 
found in all these years, many things on Earth had not been discovered, though they had existed 
on it for many years.
	Scourge transformed and drove back to the Vertigo, leaving Optimus.
	
					* * * * * *
										
	Optimus looked around.  Everything was black.  Strange.  What had happened?  He 
remembered feeling pain.  His back!  He felt it, but it was fine.  But where was he?  He took 
a step forward, and a bright flash of light overtook the blackness that surrounded him.
	"Optimus Prime," a distant voice said.  Optimus shielded his eyes, hoping to see the 
source of the voice.  The light was concentrated in front of him, and that was where the voice 
came from.
	"Who's there?" Optimus asked, some fear in his voice.
	"Do not be afraid," the voice said.  The light grew and the silhouette of a stocky 
figure could be made out.  He had huge arms and a very wide chest.  Something familiar about it.  
Optimus squinted, but he could not make out any more of the figure.
	"Who are you?" Optimus asked.
	The figure let out a small chuckle, then took a step forward.  He opened his mouth to 
speak, but a different voice came from the opposite side of the blackness.
	"Optimus Primal," it was the voice of the second Megatron, Optimus recognized it from a 
variety of sound data tracks he had heard.  Optimus spun around, coming face to face with a 
huge red dragon.  He turned back towards the other figure, who he finally recognized as 
Optimus Primal, the Maximal responsible for the reformatting of Cybertron.  He had his hand 
outstretched, a look of determination on his face.
	Optimus looked back and fourth at both figures, and at the same time they let out energy 
blasts, Primal from his hand, Megatron from his mouth, both of which incinerated Optimus.

					* * * * * *
					
	"Prime!" X-Brawn let out a yell.  They had just found Optimus, severely damaged and in 
stasis lock.  He hadn't been too far from the lake Prowl,Midnight Express and himself had just 
explored, and they were about to load him onto Midnight Express for transport back to base when 
he sat up, a look of horror in his eyes.
	"Optimus, what's wrong?" Prowl asked, concerned.
	Optimus looked at Prowl, then down at the mess of parts in his chest.  The pain in his 
back and head were back.  He tried to say something to Prowl, but nothing came out.  His vocal 
center had been damaged, no doubt.
	"He can't talk," Midnight Express said quietly.  "The blast to the back of his head-" he 
trailed off.  Optimus was a mess indeed.  He had been shot in the back, a powerful shot that had 
ripped up most of his back and gone through to his chest.  The hole in his chest was nothing 
compared to his back.  He had also been shot in the back of the head, similar to how Sideburn 
had been a week or so ago.  The blast had trashed his head, it didn't even look like Optimus 
any more.  It was a miracle he had come out of stasis lock.
	"Optimus, we need to get you back to base for repairs," Prowl said.  "Just relax and in 
a few mega cycles you'll be good as new," Prowl said.
	Optimus tried to object, but he had no way aside from shaking his head.  He needed to 
tell them about the pod, and what had happened.  He raised his arm, attempting to point at the 
pod, but his motor functions had been greatly damaged as well.  He only succeeded in weakly 
punching Prowl in the chest.
	"Optimus, this won't hurt, okay?" Midnight Express said, kneeling next to Optimus.  He 
pressed a switch on Optimus' neck which had little enough damage that it still worked.  Optimus 
looked at Midnight Express, and then fell backwards, in stasis lock.
	"Okay, let's get him back," Prowl said.  Midnight Express transformed and Prowl and 
X-Brawn put Optimus on the train's roof.  They all then drove off back towards their base.

					* * * * * *
					
	Back inside the Vertigo, Scourge punched some information into a computer console.  The 
time the Vertigo had been on Earth had been concealed fairly well.  After it crashed a lot of 
the information stored in it was wiped out.  Coupled with the amount of time it had been dormant 
without any sort of maintenance, it was no wonder the damages had been so severe.
	Something needed to be done about all this.  He couldn't tell the Preds though.  Megatron 
would think Scourge was trying to dupe him or something.  Stupid untrusting Megatron.  The 
rest of the Preds probably could not grasp all this, the same with the other Decepticons.  
Well, Dark Scream would probably get it, but that was about it.
	A red light on the ceiling flashed on.  It was the ships internal scanning mechanism.  
They were looking through each room for him.  The red light meant the signature being searched 
for had been found.  Great.  No doubt Megatron was wondering why Mega-Octane had been totaled.  
Scourge got up from his seat and walked over to the entrance of the room he was in.  He pushed 
open the door and walked into the hallway, face to face with Megatron.
	"Ahh, just the Decepticon I was looking for," Megatron said quietly.
	Scourge looked at Megatron.  How he hated these games.  "What for?" he asked.
	"Well," Megaton calmly said.  "It appears one of your fellow Decepticons has been 
greatly injured.  When I tried to find out why, no one would tell me."
	Scourge looked at Megatron blankly.  "And?"
	"Perhaps you can tell me, then?" Megatron said, growing more and more impatient with 
Scourge every second.
	"Nope," was all Scourge said.  He pushed past Megatron and walked down the hallway.
	"Face me, Decepticon," Megatron yelled, very angry with Scourge's show of disrespect.  
Scourge just kept walking.  Megatron eyed Scourge as he walked around the corner and out of 
sight.  The Decepticon would pay dearly for that.  Megatron clicked on his communicator.
	"Sky Byte, find Ro-Tor and report to my coordinates," he said.  "I have a mission for 
you."
	Sky Byte's voice came in over the communicator, "Yes sir!"
	Megatron walked back into the room Scourge had been in and sat down at the computer 
console.  Now, exactly what had the Decepticon been up to?

					* * * * * *
					
	"Ops is in the CR chamber," Sideburn said.  "He'll be in there a few mega-cycles, 
but everything should be restored."  He looked down at Prowl.  "What happened to him?"
	Prowl, who was sitting in a chair, looking at the ground, finally looked up at 
Sideburn.  "He was ambushed, most likely.  Scourge probably."
	Sideburn nodded slowly.  "Well, Rail Spike and Rapid Run went to the lake, to keep 
watch.  We'll probably have to keep a constant surveillance over it," Sideburn said.
	"I just hope Prime's okay," Prowl said.  "He looked like he wanted to tell us something, 
but he couldn't talk, so-" Prowl trailed off.
	"The chamber won't erase his memory," Sideburn said.  "He'll tell us when he's fixed."  
Prowl nodded, looking at the closed CR chamber.  Inside, Optimus lay still.

					* * * * * *
					
	"This is Megatron, leader of the Decepticons.  And if you are hearing this, it means 
I have failed.  This time.  But I know that Transwarp technology is being developed, and so 
I leave this message to any Decepticon descendants that may find-"  It was the voice of Megatron.  
The first Megatron.
	Optimus looked around.  He was in the same blackness as before.  Everything came back 
to him.  Then in front of him a scene unfolded.  It was the second Megatron, standing before 
the Tripedacus council.  On Cybertron!  Was he home?!  Optimus ran towards the scene, but as 
he approached, it got further from him.  He tried again, with the same result.  He finally 
just gave up and watched.
	"Your findings are great, Megatron," one of the members of the council said.  "But 
why should this keep us from deactivating you, as is law here?"
	"Tripedacus council," Megatron began.  "I cannot begin to tell you just how sorry I 
am for all the trouble I have caused."  Megatron turned his back to the council.  "However, 
the message on this disk, put there by the greatest leader of our Decepticon ancestors, is 
proof that we should attack the Maximal elders, and take back what is rightfully ours," he 
said, a small grin appearing on his face.
	The second member of the council looked at Megatron, then spoke up.  "What is that?"
	Megatron turned around.  "Why, Cybertron, of course."  He said it unflinching.  
	The council members looked at each other, shocked, then back at Megatron.  "We no 
longer wish to control Cybertron," the third council member said, narrowing his eyes.  "There 
is a pact with the Maximal elders we do not wish to break.  I am afraid you are a threat to 
that pact, Megatron.  It is best you comply."
	Megatron turned around again, thinking.  He finally said something after a small pause.  
"Well then," he said slowly.  "I suppose you have to eliminate all who are against you."  Then, 
very quickly, he spun around, aimed his dragon head at the council and engulfed them in flames.  
Screams of pain were heard, but were soon overpowered by Megatron's insane laughter.
	The scene slowly moved away from Optimus until it was gone and all that remained was 
the blackness.

					* * * * * *
					
	Sky Byte, with Ro-Tor, flew towards the lake.  Megatron had told them to go there and 
harvest as much of the energon as they could carry.  After a few trips they would have enough 
to power up the Vertigo and use its weapons on the Autobots.  Sky Byte smirked to himself.
	"We are nearing the site, sir," Ro-Tor said.
	Sky Byte looked over at the Decepticon, flying in his helicopter form.  "We will land 
in two cycles," he said.  If there was one Decepticon he could get along with, it was this one.  
For some reason he had no dislike for Predacons.  If only all Decepticons were like that.
	"Sir," Ro-Tor interrupted his thoughts.  "There are Autobots at the scene!"
	Sky Byte looked down, just in time to avoid gunfire.
	"Hoo wee, like shootin' ducks in a barrel!" Rapid Run shouted, firing a few more shots 
at Sky Byte.
	Rail Spike looked over at him.  "What in the Pit does that mean?" he shouted.  Rapid 
Run did not respond, he just kept firing at Sky Byte and Ro-Tor.  Rail Spike shrugged and 
fired more shots as well.
	"Ro-Tor, terrorize!" Ro-Tor said, transforming.  He continued to hover above the Autobots, 
firing shots at them.  Sky Byte did the same, which caused the two Autobots to take cover behind 
some trees.
	"Well, at least we know they can fire back," Rail Spike muttered.
	"Now what, boss?" Rapid Run asked, ducking when a shot connected with the tree, 
causing it to shake.
	Rail Spike looked around, then up at the two attackers.  "We can't let them get any 
energon, so we just need to get them to retreat at least," he said.
	"Aww, but I wanted to scrap them!" Rapid Run objected.
	Another shot connected with the same tree, this time causing it to fall.  Rail Spike 
looked back up at the two, then back at Rapid Run.  "I said, 'at least'," he said quickly, then 
ran into the open field, firing shots at the two flyers.
	Rapid Run watched Rail Spike run out, somewhat confused.  "At least?" he said.  "Oh!  
I get it!"  He grabbed his weapon, and ran after Rail Spike, yelling "Leave some of them 
varmints for me, boss!"
	Sky Byte grinned, loading a rocket into his gun.  He aimed at Rail Spike, who was firing 
at Ro-Tor, and pulled the trigger.  The kickback caused him to do a back flip, as the rockets 
weren't really meant to be fired from the air, but the rocket connected with Rail Spike, causing 
him to fly backwards and land hard in the dirt.
	However, Sky Byte was disoriented, and hit by a shot from Rapid Run, so he too fell to 
the ground.  Ro-Tor landed a few yards away from Rapid Run.
	"Hey, varmint," Rapid Run said.  Both of them had their weapons holstered at their sides.  
	"Autobot," Ro-Tor said, nodding.  They both stood there, hands poised above their 
weapons, ready to draw and fire.
	"Draw!" Rapid Run yelled.  Both grabbed their weapons, aimed and fired, but Rapid Run 
did so while diving out of the way, so only Ro-Tor was hit.  He fell to the ground, smoldering.  
Rapid Run got up, and walked over to Ro-Tor, in stasis lock.  "That'll learn ya," Rapid Run 
said, nudging Ro-Tor with his foot.  He clicked on his communicator.  "Rapid Run ta base," 
he said.  "The situation is under control."
	Sideburn's voice came over the commlink.  "Good, now clear out of there for repairs, 
the lake should be okay for a little while."
	Rapid Run looked at the three injured.  "You got it, blue car, over and-" suddenly 
Rapid Run was shot in the back.  He fell to his knees in surprise.  He looked behind him to 
see who had done it, but was instead kicked over.  A heavy foot was on his back.
	Back at the base, Sideburn heard a voice that wasn't Rapid Run's over the commlink.  
"Sorry, Autobots, the lake isn't 'okay'."  Megatron.  A yell of pain was heard from Rapid 
Run, then static.

					* * * * * *
					
	Prowl and Sideburn sped towards the lake at top speed.  Sideburn just prayed Megatron 
hadn't destroyed their friends.  Being outnumbered was starting to become a huge problem.  The 
only Autobots left at base were Midnight Express and X-Brawn, and if Megatron found out its 
location, it was doubtful they would be able to hold him off for long.
	"There it is!" Prowl yelled.  They were close enough to see the lake, but there looked 
to be no activity anywhere.
	Sideburn stopped and transformed, with Prowl doing the same.  Rapid Run and Rail Spike 
lay injured on the ground.  Rail Spike stirred.  Sideburn ran over to Rapid Run to check his 
vital signs.  He was in stasis lock, but alive.
	Prowl nudged Sideburn, who stood up to look at what had caught Prowl's eye.  A few yards 
away from them a hole had been dug in the ground.  "I'll go check it out, you keep up with 
these two," Prowl said, looking over at Rail Spike and down at Rapid Run.  Sideburn nodded.  
	Prowl ran over to the hole, his weapon drawn and aimed at the hole as he approached 
it.  When he was finally able to see into it, he put down his weapon.  It was empty except for 
a single, tiny energon cube at the bottom.
	"They got energon," he yelled over the Sideburn.  This was turning out to be a great 
day.  Three injured Autobots, and Megatron with a good deal of energon.  Top notch.

THE END