The heavy thud of Brawl's massive treads shook the pavement as he loomed over the intersection. He looked around the area with a cold, mechanical hunger. "You all shall perish," Brawl laughed. On his shoulders, heavy armor plating hissed and clicked open, revealing rows of black missile pods.
"Careful, Bee," Ratchet warned as he tracked the weapon's heat signature. "Brawl was built for one thing, total destruction," he added.
Bumblebee looked at it. A clear, feminine voice from a pop song chirped out, "I know what you're thinking," followed immediately by a deep, gritty clip from an action movie trailer, "Get to the chopper." He pulsed his optics toward Lois as he pointed his arm cannon toward a nearby alleyway. "You should find shelter," he finished as stitched the words together from three different news broadcasts.
Lois didn't flinch. She checked the magazine of her M4W and flashed a sharp, confident smile. "Don't worry about me, Bee. I've already sent a few of these scrap-heaps to the junkyard," she remarked.
Brawl didn't wait for them to finish. "Cluster Missile Barrage," he growled. The armored pods on his shoulders were fully deployed. Within seconds, dozens of high-explosive micro-missiles hissed into the sky. They were trailing thick, oily plumes of black smoke. They arched over the battlefield in a deadly swarm before raining down. The missiles struck the ground. Each impact sent a violent shockwave through the pavement. Parked cars were tossed like toys. A wall of orange fire erupted across the street, forcing the Autobots to dive for cover.
Lois dived forward. Her boots skidded on the grit as she threw herself behind a thick concrete wall just as a missile detonated a few feet away.
Ratchet jumped forward and dodged the blast. "Diagnostic Pulse," Ratchet said as he released a localized sonar wave from his chest that mapped out the hidden structural weaknesses of Brawl. "He's heavily armored, Bee, but his joint seals are vulnerable," he added.
"Got it," Lois said as she popped up. She aimed her M4W. She lined the shot up with his joints on Brawl`s shoulders and fired. The bullet went through the air and hit his joints. The metal plate got pierced and hit his internal wiring.
"What," Brawl questioned as his eyes glowed. There was some fluid leaking from his right shoulder.
Bumblebee flipped through the stations until a boxing commentator's voice shouted: "The heavyweight champion of the world," he said. "Sting Like A Bee," Bumblebee said as he deployed his arm cannon and fired a rapid-fire sequence of yellow plasma bolts that peppered Brawl's chest.
"Reactive Shielding," Brawl grunted as his chest plates shifted and angled outward. The plasma bolts hit his body but the sloped armor redirected the energy. He absorbed the blasts with minimal damage. He didn't even flinch.
At that moment, they felt the ground shake. "You maggots," Megatron shouted. "Fusion Cannon," Megatron said as the interlocking metal plates of his right arm compressed and rotated. The barrel surged with an unstable, white-hot energy. He fired a massive pulse of compressed fusion power. It went towards Bumblebee.
Bumblebee saw the blast coming and jumped out of the way. The pulse missed Bumblebee narrowly and went forward and hit a building. There was an explosion which destroyed the building.
Lois appeared up from the wall. Her eyes narrowed as she locked her sights on the silver giant. She flipped a toggle on her M4W and switched the firing mode to the underbarrel grenade launcher. She squeezed the trigger and a 40mm grenade was shot out. It hissed through the air and a high-velocity streak slammed directly into the side of Megatron's head.
A massive explosion erupted against the Decepticon's helm. The concussive force shattered the metal and sheared off several other heavy metal plating segments. Shards of jagged Cybertronian steel rained down onto the street.
Megatron staggered. His head snapped to the side as black smoke billowed. He let out a low, guttural snarl. "Who did that?" he roared as his red optics flickered with murderous intent.
He wiped a smear of Energon from his cheek. His fusion cannon began to glow with a deadly violet hum. "I will not be made a fool again," he added as he spotted a reddish orange hair. He lunged forward.
Around the corner, a massive Peterbilt 379 truck, painted in iconic red and blue with blazing flame decals, tore forward. The chrome exhaust pipes screamed as the truck slammed through the gears. Without slowing down, the truck began to shift. Tires retracted and the chrome grills slid into place. A massive body stretched and expanded. Optimus Prime used the incredible forward momentum of his truck form to launch his entire multi-ton weight into a low-angle tackle.
Optimus slammed into Megatron's side. The impact sent a shockwave through the plaza. The two giants tumbled across the street. They crushed cars and flattened a bus stop as they skidded through the debris.
Optimus planted his feet. His heavy metal boots dug deep into the ground to halt their slide. He stood over the Decepticon leader.
"He is mine," Optimus commanded.
"Optimus," Megatron said as he smiled."I have been waiting for this," he added. Megatron shoved Optimus back and the two looked at each other.
"Megatron will destroy your leader," Brawl said. "Cluster Missile Barrage," Brawl growled as the armored pods on his shoulders clicked open. Another dozens of high-explosive micro-missiles hissed into the sky.
"Repair-Shield," Ratchet said as he deployed a hexagonal energy barrier from his forearm. The missiles slammed into the shield.
Bumblebee saw an opening. "Let's Get Ready To Rumble," Bumblebee said as he transformed into his Camaro mode and performed a high-speed power slide. He slammed his rear fenders into Brawl's heavy treads to knock him off his feet.
Brawl stumbled but he did not fall. "Piston Cracker," Brawl roared as he slammed his massive fist into the ground. A localized seismic tremor ripped through the asphalt.
Lois felt the ground moved. She firmly put her feet on the ground and held steady.
Ratchet leaped over the crack. "Triage Toss," Ratchet said as he threw a handful of magnetic adhesive grenades. They clamped onto Brawl's left shoulder joint and locked the armor plates in place with a sharp metallic clink.
Brawl tried to move however his left shoulder joints were not shifting. "120mm Tungsten Slug," Brawl commanded. The massive smoothbore cannon on his right arm aligned. He fired a single, devastating kinetic round. The deafening boom echoed as the slug tore through a concrete pillar behind the Autobots and collapsed a section of a skyscraper.
"Watch Your Head," Bumblebee said through a construction warning. He fired a grappling hook at the falling debris and swung a massive slab of concrete directly into Brawl's head. The impact cracked Brawl's jaw.
"Emergency Surgery," Ratchet said as his right hand shifted into a high-speed rotating buzz-saw. He lunged forward. The saw screamed as it bit into Brawl's leg actuators and threw sparks everywhere.
Lois moved forward. She aimed her M4W. She fired a couple of rounds. The rounds struck his optical sensor and they leaked dark fluid. "Keep going," she shouted.
Brawl roared in pain. His leg was venting hydraulic fluid. He swung his massive arm. "Piston Cracker," Brawl roared as he hit Ratchet in the shoulder. A chunk of metal flew off. Ratchet was sent flying back.
"My shoulder," Ratchet said as he touched the hole. "I am okay," he added as he got up. He thought Brawl was strong.
Bumblebee flipped over the tremor. "Catch You On The Flip Side," Bumblebee said as he performed a backflip over Brawl. He fired his cannons downward into the Decepticon's exposed neck wiring. The cannons hit his shoulders and there was a massive explosion. There were chunks of metal which went flying and hit the ground.
Brawl staggered back. He could feel his joints heavily damaged. He tried to move his shoulder pods and they clicked open again. "You helped me," Brawl said. "Cluster Missile Barrage," Brawl growled. The missiles arched up and rained down. They hit the street and exploded. One explosion caught Bumblebee's leg and sent him skidding across the grit.
"Defibrillator Blast," Ratchet said as he slammed his glowing pads together. He sent a massive arc of blue electricity into the ground, which traveled through the metal debris and fried Brawl's lower leg circuits.
Brawl dropped to one knee. "Damn you," Brawl said.
Lois moved forward. She flipped a toggle on her M4W and switched the firing mode to the underbarrel grenade launcher once again. She squeezed the trigger and a 40mm grenade was shot out. It hissed through the air and a high-velocity streak slammed directly into the optical of Brawl. There was an explosion on his face and his eye was destroyed.
"My eye," Brawl shouted as his red glowing optical fell to the ground. There was fluid coming from the hole in he face.
"Highway To Hell," Bumblebee said through a rock anthem. He transformed back into his car. He charged at top speed. His front bumper slammed into Brawl's chest.
Brawl coughed out a cloud of black exhaust but grabbed Bumblebee`s hood. "120mm Tungsten Slug," Brawl commanded at point-blank range.
Lois took out the grenade launcher. She raised her with steady hands. She aimed down the sights. She pressed the triggers and fired a shot. The shot went through the air and hit Brawl`s arm. There was an explosion upon impact. It knocked Brawl's cannon arm just as it triggered and threw the high-caliber round wide into the sky.
Ratchet closed the distance. "Surgical Strike," Ratchet said as his wrist-blades extended and cut to Brawl's main fuel lines. There was energon sprayed onto the pavement.
"Reactive Shielding," he grunted, but his plates were too damaged to lock. He was leaking fluid. He was partially blind.
"Grand Slam," Bumblebee said as he shifted his hand into a heavy-duty hammer and swung it in a massive horizontal arc and shattered Brawl's remaining optical sensor. "Shock And Awe," Bumblebee said as he slammed his palms down and released a massive electrical discharge that paralyzed Brawl's entire frame.
"I will destroy you," Brawl groaned as his armor was scorched and his limbs barely attached. He tried to raise his cannon one last time.
"Encore," Bumblebee said as a cheering crowd roared over his radio. He unleashed a final, overcharged blast of golden energy that blew the Decepticon's chest plates clean off and tore a hole in the centre of his chest.
Brawl collapsed. His massive body hit the ground with a final, heavy thud.
Lois stepped out from behind the wall. "Nice work, boys," she remarked.
Ratchet retracted his saw. "You are one brave human," Ratchet remarked.
Bumblebee gave a thumbs up. His radio played a triumphant victory theme.
At that moment, Rei and Saeko approached Lois.
Lois lowered her weapon. "Are you both okay?" Lois asked.
"I am, I had to kill someone," Rei replied. She thought after the kiss with James she had been feeling better.
"It was Tsunoda and Miura," Saeko calmly said as she lifted her blade. There was still blood on it. She smiled.
"Well, they were the enemy," Lois remarked.
"They were and them being here raises questions," Saeko said. "But we can talk about it later," she added.
"Agreed," Lois said as she reloaded her M4W.
James stepped into the circle. "Looks like Brawl is down," James said with a smile. He saw Bumblebee and Ratchet in one piece. "I'm going after the All-Spark," James declared. "Lois, Saeko, Rei, stick together," James said.
He pulled Lois into a firm, protective hug. His arms locked around her.
Lois leaned into his chest. Her fingers gripped his clothes. James pulled back just enough to look at her. He leaned in and pressed a quick, fierce kiss to her lips. He broke the kiss. His forehead rested against hers for a fleeting second. "Stay safe," he whispered.
Lois nodded. Her grip on her M4W tightening as she regained her composure. "Just get that Cube, James. We'll handle the rest down here," she said.