TRANSFORMERS: Scramble City - Versus

          It was a stare down for the ages. Standing on the ocean’s cliff standing his ground stood Metroplex, the newest addition to the Autobots that was created as way to finally combat the Decepticons with ease. 
          Standing in the ocean, having arisen from it’s cold, murky depths, stood Trypticon, the Decepticons' answer to Metroplex. A massive stalemate in the making, neither robot flinched or
made any moves, save some glowing optics on both sides. The other Autobots present were stunned, to say the least. Optimus Prime just stood there in awe, his weapon drawn but not raised, not sure what to make of all this. The two new Autobot gestalts, Defensor and Superion, couldn’t stop staring at the two city-sized robots that were intent on waiting the other out until a mistake was made.
          With the deadlock going nowhere, Prime was about to order his combiners to attack, when suddenly, the large Trypticon let out a shrill shriek before disappearing back into the sea, waves forming everywhere and smacking into the cliffs with a sizeable force. Prime looked down at the water briefly before turning to his troops. 
         “Curious.” he said. “He could have attacked us all, but he didn’t.” he explained. “There is more to this than meets the eye. Unfortunately, standing here for eternity won't answer any of our questions. Autobots, transform and roll out!”                             
           Prime quickly transformed into his tractor trailer form and began speeding off towards the Ark, which served as the Autobots' base on Earth, with the others following suit. 
          'This is something that will have to be analyzed before proceeding any further. We can’t just blindly stage an attack on the Decepticons without having some idea of what is going on. There is much to ponder.'

          “They are afraid of our new creation, aren’t they Starscream?” asked Megatron, his distinctive voice filling the room. 
          “Yes Megatron, they are quite scared, and we will soon use their fear against them.”  replied his second in command. Megatron grinned to himself while watching the last of the video feed on his vidscreen. 
         “Come Starscream,” he said. “We have much to do if we are to use Trypticon properly.”             
         Starscream just nodded, and followed Megatron as he exited the room. It was Megatron’s intention to use Trypticon to steal the humans' oil tankers as they cross the oceans. But for his plan to work effectively, they would have to create a rather large diversion to keep the Autobots and their new robot busy. The two Decepticons rounded the corner in the corridor, and shortly thereafter ended up meeting with Soundwave. 
         “Ah, Soundwave. I require your assistance.” said Megatron. 
         “As you command Megatron.” replied Soundwave in his monotone voice.
         “Good. We need to know where the humans keep their most powerful weapons. Find out immediately and get back to me.” ordered  Megatron, his red optics glowing brightly.                   
         Soundwave nodded, then pressed a button on his left shoulder. 
         “Laserbeak, Buzzsaw, Ratbat, eject! Operation: Recon.” said Soundwave, as the three cassette robots ejected from his chest cavity, and flew into the travel tower, which rose above the waves quickly from their sunken starship base to let them depart before dropping back into the ocean, undetected.
        “Excellent.” said Megatron. “Now we wait.” Starscream walked back and forth before muttering. “I’d rather attack now.” He was going to question Megatron, but for once decided against it, opting to learn more about what was going on before he initiated any of his own plans. After all, knowledge was power. 
         As Megatron walked off to take care of other things, Starscream left to find his two of his
seeker comrades, Thundercracker and Skywarp. He wanted to discuss with them the possibility of a reconnaissance mission to the Autobot base, with or without Megatron’s approval. 
         'I am after all second in command, and should rightfully be leader of the Decepticons as a whole! But for now, I'll carry on as I normally would.'

        “We might have lost our edge because of that supersized Deceptislime.” said Ironhide, a little anger showing in his voice. Optimus Prime had gathered his top troops around Teletraan 1 in the base's main command area to go over the new adversary. The Aerialbots were also present, trying to come up with alternatives for Prime that included them in the mix. For the first time in a while, the Autobots as a whole seemed uncertain about how to proceed next, this deadlock taking it’s toll quickly.
         Ratchet spoke up next, nothing but questions on his mind. 
        “Prime, how can we ever regain our advantage over the Decepticons?” Optimus Prime
thought for a second before answering. 
        “I don’t know Ratchet, I don’t know. I wasn’t expecting anything like this. It was assumed that when we brought Metroplex online, the edge would finally be ours."
         Some of the others nodded at this, but kept silent. Cliffjumper broke the silence right away, the smaller robot charging into the centre of the group. 
        “I say we fire some missiles down that oversized tin can’s throat right now!” he exclaimed excitedly, always wanting to charge into battle without thinking.
        “Calm down Cliffjumper. That won’t help us right now.” he said, taking the load off Prime temporarily. Cliffjumper backed up into the group for the time being, calmed down and deciding on listening for now. Jazz turned back to Prime, about to ask a question, when Teletraan 1 came to life, an incoming message being received.
         He reached over the controls, and tapped a few buttons, with the image of Mirage appearing on the screen. 
        “Mirage here. I just saw Laserbeak and company fly past. They’re up to something, but it's anybody's guess what.” he explained.
        “Keep on them, Mirage.” replied Prime. “I’ll send some backup for you in case things turn for the worse.” Mirage nodded, then the screen went blank. Prime turned to address the group.  
       “Cliffjumper, Hound, join up with Mirage and track Laserbeak from the ground. Silberbolt, take the Aerialbots and stay airborne near the area until needed.” 
         All parties concerned nodded, with Cliffjumper and Hound transforming immediately into their vehicle modes and speeding out of the base, while the Aerialbots walked away towards another exit, ready to transform and take to the skies. 

         Perched on a human-built wall near his target, Laserbeak deployed his video equipment and filmed the area, with his sensors scanning as well, not missing anything. His target was a human military factory that produced some of the most powerful weapons they could construct. He was to gather as much data as possible to facilitate the theft of the very same weapons. Buzzsaw was also gathering data, but on the far side of the facility where more was going on.
         Ratbat remained far overhead, acting as the lookout for any Autobots that might be in the area on patrol. It wouldn’t be much longer now til his memory banks were full, and the three would be withdrawing back to base to give Megatron the precious data. Just then, his comm unit started to beep, and a familiar voice was on the channel. 
         “Laserbeak return to base. Operation successful.” said Soundwave, before the comm channel closed. Laserbeak let out a shriek before rising into the air. Seeing him suddenly lift off, Buzzsaw followed suit, with Ratbat joining and bringing up the rear on the way back. It may have been important to Megatron, but for Laserbeak, it was just another mission to go on. He didn’t care how many missions he was sent on, he would always complete them all efficiently and effectively, having earned Megatron’s respect long ago, but more importantly, always earning his share of the energon. 
          The factory now well behind them, Laserbeak’s sensors were now picking up some Autobots moving in on the area, but they were too late to try to apprehend him and his colleagues. He continued his course back to Decepticon headquarters, his part done.

         “I see we got here too late.” said Hound, standing next to Mirage and staring into the sky at the departing Decepticons.
         “Cowardly Decepticreeps. I wanted to take a piece of them with me!” exclaimed
Cliffjumper, always riled up about battle. Mirage said nothing at first, standing there staring at the human factory, trying to figure out why the Decepticons were suddenly interested in it. 
         “I’m going to hang around here in case they decide to come back.” he said, starting to survey the complex. 
        “All right. Cliffjumper and I will head back to base.” he said. “Stay in contact Mirage. The Aerialbots will be around if you need them.”                                
         Mirage nodded before transforming into his racing car mode and began driving the perimeter of the complex. Hound and Cliffjumper transformed just as fast, and sped off towards their base, dirt kicking up behind them. Mirage tracked them on his sensors until they were both out of range, then resumed his scanning of the facility as he drove the perimeter. He was surprised that no other Decepticons were present when Laserbeak and his group were in the area, as they usually came in great numbers to secure such a large source of energy, one
that would fill many energon cubes.
         He was halfway around the facility, and still picking up the same kind of readings as when he started. While there was a lot of stored energy, the weapons were being split up and loaded onto heavy transport vehicles, under guard, to wherever they needed to go. With this kind of movement, there wouldn’t be enough weapons left in one place to make a significant splurge. After completing his scans, Mirage pulled out of the area, and decided to head back to base.   
        “Mirage to Silverbolt, I’m heading back to headquarters. There's little else I can accomplish out here.” he said over the comm.
         “Copy that.” replied Silverbolt. “We’ll do one more pass, then bug out. Silverbolt out.”     
         With that, Mirage cut the comm and floored it, accelerating faster and faster towards the base. Silverbolt got the other Aerialbots into formation, and flew one more pass over the facility before activating their afterburners and heading for the Ark. All seemed quiet enough for the time being, so there was no need for further patrolling. The five jets screamed off into the
distance, en route to headquarters.

          Raw data and images of the facility flew across the screen as a few more of his top soldiers entered the room to watch the vidscreen. 
         “There is more than enough energy there for us to steal, Megatron.” said Starscream, who was flanked by Thundercracker and Skywarp. Megatron only nodded as he kept his focus on the information being displayed to him on the screen. After staring at the data a little longer, the rigid Decepticon leader finally spoke. 
         “Excellent. We must attack the facility and steal it’s energy.” he said.
         Starscream spoke up immediately. “I will take a team immediately to secure the facility.” he said with a smirk. 
         “No.” replied Megatron sharply. “We will be sending a certain number of troops for this mission and I will lead it.” 
         “But Megatron--” began Starscream, before getting immediately interrupted. 
         “Pay attention Starscream!” snapped Megatron. “We want to distract the bulk of the Autobot forces, while our newest addition, Trypticon, attacks the real target.” 
         “And what would this ‘target’ be, oh Mighty Megatron?”queried Starscream, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. Megatron stared him down for several moments before speaking. 
         “That is for me to know, and the rest of you to find out when I decide to tell you. Is that clear?” he barked. 
         “Oh yes. Very clear Megatron.” said Starscream begrudgingly.
          His optics now glowing bright red, Megatron hurried out of the room, with almost everyone in tow. Starscream and Thundercracker held back for a brief moment to discuss something. 
        “Thundercracker, you know this should be OUR mission, and the energy along with it.” he said. Thundercracker glanced towards the door briefly before answering. 
        “You still try to cross Megatron, after all you've endured in the past?. Be careful. He’ll turn you into slag.” he explained, a hint of worry in his otherwise calm voice.
         “Indeed.” said Starscream softly. “Let’s go join our ‘leader’ on this mission.” he explained quickly. Thundercracker just nodded, and the two seekers walked out the door and towards the lift tower, joining their other comrades. Starscream was deep into his own thoughts at the moment, not really paying attention to the mass departure. When the lift stopped above the water and the door dropped open, he transformed into his jet mode and followed the group into the sky, formulating yet another plot to overthrow Megatron.

          “Me Grimlock say you not know nothing about petro-rabbits!” snarled the Dinobot leader, stomping around in his dinosaur form, trying to provoke his opponent even further. 
          “Me Snarl say you Grimlock not smart!” yelled another of the Dinobots back. The two stomped around each other for in a tight circle a few moments before stopping face to face and staring each other down. Neither wanted to give so much as a centimetre to the other, and it looked as if the confrontation was going to turn into a battle, when suddenly, both heard thebeep of a comm unit.
          “Me Grimlock no like interruptions.” he said, transforming to robot mode to accept the communiation. Snarl followed suit, and just stood there, listening. The voice on the other end was a little crackled, but could be understood. It was Optimus Prime. 
          “Dinobots, Megatron has initiated a full scale assault on a power facility.” he explained. “We need your help to contain and drive back the Decepticon threat.” 
          “Dinobots will come help fight Decepticons. Me Grimlock said so!” he said into the comm before closing the channel. By then, the other three dinobots that were close by had transformed to robot mode and were standing near Grimlock when the call came in. 
          “Dinobots, we go fight Decepticons now!” said the Dinobot leader, a little bit of impatience in his voice, as he was eager to fight the enemy. The others only nodded at this.
A moment later, they all leapt into the sky, and began soaring from Dinobot island towards the location Grimlock had received from Prime. He knew he was ready, and he knew that the rest of the Dinobots were ready, always looking for a good fight. Grimlock didn’t always agree with Prime, and sometimes would rather do things his own way. But in all seriousness, he knew that the Decepticons had to be stopped at all costs, and he had no problem being the instrument of their demise.
           "Me Grimlock no like Decepticons!"

           The assault was devastating to say the least. Bombs rained down near the perimeter of the complex, trying to throw off the ground forces of the Autobots who were still rolling into the area. Laser blasts impacted everywhere, as two gestalts, Superion and Devastator, exchanged fire between themselves trying to outmaneuver each other.
           Megatron was letting loose blast after blast of his fusion cannon towards the facility, as Optimus Prime returned fire from his own rifle, trying in vain to hit the Decepticon leader. The battle had quickly turned into a massive stalemate, and it didn’t take long for the Decepticons to hole up inside the facility, with the Autobots having a difficult time trying to breach the defences and gain entry. The five Protectobots showed up next, immediately transforming and merging into the gestalt Defensor. Just as it seemed that would turn the momentum a little towards the Autobots, the Stunticons showed up quickly and screeched to a halt between Defensor and the
facility, immediately merging into the Decepticon gestalt Menasor, engaging Defensor in a ferocious all-out assault.
          As the battle raged, Optimus began to wonder why the Decepticons weren’t trying to move any of the energon out, and why they had started to hold off on leaving the facility and becoming more entrenched. It almost seemed as if they were stalling, trying to divert attention away from somewhere else. His gun went silent for a moment as a small terrifying thought entered his head: There was no one left to guard the base. He had brought every last Autobot to this battle, due to the intelligence that said all of Megatron’s forces had left the Decepticon base for this attack on the facility.
         Omega Supreme was still offline and in stasis for repairs, so there was no one left behind to defend any kind of attack. That, and Metroplex was still away on another mission. Just then, his comm beeped. It was a call from Teletraan One.
         “Warning. Decepticon intruder detected on an intercept course to this location.” said the computer, no emotion to be heard. Prime knew he had made a critical error. He had totally forgot about one of the most powerful of the Decepticons, the new robot, Trypticon. As he went back to trading more fire with the enemy forces, Prime had another thought. He stopped firing again, and sent an encoded priority signal to Metroplex, who should have been on his way back from scanning the seabed where Trypicon first emerged.

           Trees snapped under his mighty wheels as he rolled across the ground heavily, making his way back to the Ark. He was already on his way back having completed his mission when a priorty comm signal had come in from Optimus. Now knowing that he had a major fight on his hands, he was eager to engage in his very first battle, wanting prove himself in combat, one on one. Metroplex rumbled along, slowly closing the gap between himself and the Ark.
           A short time later, and he was on approach to the Ark, his sensors picking up the large hulking form of Trypticon stomping awfully close to the far side of the volcano. Metroplex came to a screeching halt, and transformed into his gigantic robot mode, his feet shaking the ground beneath him with a force of many large tremors. He stopped near Trypticon, his optics glowing
intensely, never leaving the large Decepticon for a second. He wanted a piece of this intruder. He wanted it really bad.
          And then suddenly, it started. Trypticon opened his large mouth and fired a few shots of plasma energy from his cannon, the twin blasts hitting Metroplex in the chest plate and bouncing off of him with minimal damage. His glanced down, then back at Trypticon, his facial expression never changing. Metroplex pulled back a fist he had made, and thrust it at the massive Decepticon, catching him in the chest plate as well, sending him staggering backwards, having trouble maintaining his balance.
          Trypticon righted himself, and charged Metroplex, spearing him rather quickly, the large Autobot falling onto his back and impacting the ground with a thud that rivaled an earthquake. He slowly sat up, and let loose a barrage of plasma energy from his shoulder mounted cannons, the concussive blasts knocking Trypticon on his back as well, while Metroplex got to his feet slowly. Trypticon managed to get back to his feet, but was now a little worse for wear from that last shot.
          Not wanting to give up, he opened fire from his mouth cannons, as well as a couple of torso mounted weapons. Metroplex, now facing Trypticon again, let loose a barrage from his shoulder cannons as well as his uber-sized rifle, the exchange of fire lasting a few minutes this time. Both robots took some damage, and were almost deadlocked, when the last barrage from Metroplex hit Trypticon in his left eye, causing significant damage to the left side of his head. The massive Decepticon let out a massive scream before turning tail and stomping away as fast as he could. 
          Metroplex stood tall, his weapon still drawn. He had stood his ground and defended the Ark from the new Decepticon threat, the battle brief but one that had proved that he was the most powerful robot for the time being, and one element that the Decepticons couldn’t overcome, but only stalemate. He slowly walked around the volcano, picking up a large mass moving towards him on his sensors. It was the bulk of the Autobot forces, too late to assist, but
a welcome sight to see nonetheless. 
                             
          At the bottom of the ocean, nothing was moving for once. Fish didn’t seem to want to exert themselves, eels stayed hidden, and jellyfish were nowhere to be seen. The Nemesis sat there by itself for once, it’s dark purple exterior lost amongst the dark water that enveloped it. The atmosphere inside was a little reserved, as the Decepticons had come back empty handed this time, and had suffered a setback detrimental to their cause. Most them worked queitly, while a few others were in the main control centre.
          Megatron was not a happy leader at the moment. His most powerful soldier                       defeated by the large Autobot, Metroplex, and his troops unable to hold al the Autobots at bay long enough to contain them, he was angry beyond his own normal level. Starscream was standing near him, aas were a few others in the room. Megatron watched the happy Autobots on his video screen from his surveillance feed and mumbled loud enough for everyone to hear.  
         “Enjoy it now Autobots, for some time in the near future I will exact a revenge on you that even Metroplex can’t stop.” he sneered.  Looking at the image of Prime on the vidscreen, he said one more thing. 
         “Prime, somewhere, somehow, I will destroy you with my bare hands!"

                                                            THE END