Chapter 12- The Fight Begins

Ehhhhhhhh. I don't wanna talk about it. I really do want to get through this story because, if you can believe it, I have most of it and the next story planned out. Endings and all. My only problem is that I talk about it, here with you guys and to myself as I work things out, but I'm garbage about actually writing the chapters and then updating. It's quite unfortunate, but I am feeling that creative spark again. I just hope you guys enjoy it. Otherwise, I can just…you know, fuck off, I guess. Anyway, here's the next chapter. Sorry it took 30 years regardless.

-September 7, 2011-

As Sam sat in the driver's seat of Optimus's vehicle form, his thoughts remained focused on Carly, only occasionally disturbed by the newly formed bumps of the road. He would have gone with Bee to see her rescue out, but the last conversation he had had with Spade kept replaying in his mind.

"You shouldn't have to choose between her and your family, and ultimately, she's gonna make you do that."

Things were strained between them even before she was kidnapped. Even in a situation like this, he felt he couldn't face her. Bee understood and to his luck, one of Epps's friends, Alex, volunteered to go with him and get her out. It would at least give him more time to think. So when he looked up and noticed the rogue Decepticon ship carrying Bee and Alex to Trump Tower, he wished them both luck before turning his attention back to the destruction in front of him.

In the halls of the Decepticon base, Spade made her way to the cells as slowly as possible, as every step she took brought her more agony. The ache in her interface panel persisted any time she moved. As her left hand gripped the wall for support, she carried a tray with three energon cubes in the other. The liquid oscillated dangerously close to the brims of the cups with every rattled step she took. Eventually, she resorted to dragging her pedes, ignoring the sound of metal scratching against metal grating on her audios.

It must have been hours later, she felt, until she finally made it to the cells where in front of her lied three energon-depleted Seekers. Upon her arrival, one of the mechs sat up slowly to let his optics focus on the form in front of him. Spade looked to the other Decepticons guarding the cells and shooed them away wordlessly. They saluted her and left the area silently as she set the tray down close to the cells so that the cubes would be within reach.

"You look like slag," Starscream said dryly.

Spade's optics slowly roamed over to him, her servos frozen in front of the gate. Starscream, prepared to deliver another quip about her appearance, paused and took the time to look at her again. The tension radiating from Spade's frame settled within the cell. He felt his trinemates stirring as the same unease gripped them. For a moment, the three Seekers' hunger was forgotten.

Starscream re-examined her body and took note of the injuries in unusual places. Her neck was marred with fresh scars and dents that he recognized to have been made by someone's servos. His optics slowly ran down her chassis where he saw more scratches and her shattered cockpit. The deeper dents on her hips, shaped vaguely like a mech's servos. Claw marks on her inner thighs. And, what was perhaps the most disturbing injury that he noticed, was the damage done to her interface panel. Mangled and scratched and hanging on by just a few wires. The Seeker tried not to think about the state of her valve considering her external condition. Instead, he made optic contact and felt his spark sink.

Spade's bottom lip was quivering and in her distress, she looked almost like a sparkling on the verge of tears. Her servo fell from the gate as she moved closer, a pleading look in her optics.

"Starscream…" she muttered.

The Seeker in question heard the shakiness in her voice, easing up from his position in the cell slowly to try and offer comfort. His trinemates remained where they were to give her space. Starscream reached for two of the energon cubes, noting how the tension in her frame seemed to increase once again as he did. He passed the cubes to Thundercracker and Skywarp to let them drink and turned back to Spade.

"My audials are open."

About 20 minutes had passed before, seemingly out of nowhere, Megatron's voice boomed across the city.

"Raise the bridges! Find them!"

Sam jerked forward in his seat at the sound. He looked up at the sky and saw several Decepticon ships break formation to begin scouring the city, likely looking for them.

"Prime!"

Sam jumped again, feeling the seatbelt tighten around his waist and torso. He looked at the radio at the sound of Ironhide's voice.

"We've lost our cover. The Decepticons will probably find us in a number of minutes."

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," Sam whispered, feeling his heart race in his chest.

"Bumblebee, come in," Optimus ordered.

"Sir. I have retrieved Carly and Alex. We'll be joining the convoy in two minutes. Decepticons have been alerted and are converging on our location."

Only seconds later, missiles began flying overhead, landing mere inches away from the Prime's trailer.

"Autobots, push forward. We must find safety and regroup. The Decepticons now know we're here."

With that, the Autobot convoy gained speed, narrowly dodging the debris in the road and the bullets from Decepticon ships. All of a sudden, Optimus slammed his brakes, creating considerable distance between him and the rest of the Autobots. Sam was about to ask, but Bumblebee sped down the road to the left of them and sharply turned to make his way into the convoy, Optimus immediately gaining speed afterwards.

"Prowl, find us a clear route and take the front! We cannot stay out in the open for long."

"Yes, sir!"

Prowl pulled up his internal GPS and calculated the next route. In the distance was an empty and open building large enough for the 'Bots to all transform in with little structural damage. As a bit of warning, he activated his right turn signal and slowed down before taking the new route. The 'Bots followed behind him closely, dodging gunfire when necessary.

"30 seconds out."

Sam nearly sighed in relief when suddenly, Optimus lurched forward as his trailer jerked outward behind him. Sam rolled down the window and stuck his head out to look behind them, paling as a giant metallic worm-like creature broke through the surface of the ground, extending itself more into the streets and nearby buildings. It was only a matter of seconds before the trailer detached completely. Optimus didn't stop, instead gunning his engine to just narrowly avoid being knocked off the road. The monstrous Decepticon tossed it to the side as it rose from beneath the road, unraveling to reveal another mech that had been hiding within. The Decepticon cocked the large gun on his right arm, growling at the escaping convoy.

The Autobots began to pull into the building that Prowl spotted, transforming as soon as they were able. The humans convened around each other after the stressful ride downtown, verifying that everyone was okay. Optimus pulled in with Sam last. He released his seatbelt, allowing the human to exit his vehicle form and meet up with the others. The Prime transformed shortly after and looked at his own soldiers, frowning at the new situation they were in.

"Sam!"

The human in question searched for the source of the British accent, his eyes locking on Carly standing near Bumblebee. Sam tensed but moved toward her, opening his arms to embrace her. She nearly leapt into them and wrapped her arms around his neck. Somehow, she didn't notice the tension in Sam's shoulders as he reluctantly held her.

"They found me. I was so afraid," she whispered into his neck.

"I'm so sorry about all of this. I'm gonna get you out of here safely. I promise."

"Hey Sam!"

Thankful for the opportunity to break free of the embrace, Sam pulled away when someone else called his name. He saw the rest of the human soldiers gathered around each other and began to walk towards them. Epps, who had summoned him over, grabbed his hand and pulled him into a hug.

"You owe Alex big time," he said quietly into Sam's ear.

"Yeah, I know. As soon as we get out of this."

Epps patted his back and pulled away to address the group.

"Alright, listen up! Alex here made a breakthrough. While he was getting Carly out of Trump Tower, he managed to somehow get in contact with NEST."

"One of their mini drones got caught in the engine when the ship went down," Alex said, stepping forward. He caught Sam's eye and nodded in his direction. Sam mouthed a thank-you in return before he continued. "Sentinel has all of the pillars stationed in different places around the world. The main pillar that controls everything is in the southeast cupola of the building directly across from Trump Tower where Carly was being held hostage. Either we shoot it down or the Decepticons transport Cybertron here."

At that moment, it seemed as if everyone froze in place.

"What?" Epps said in disbelief.

Behind them, Ratchet stepped forward. "It makes sense now. Sentinel is planning to transport Cybertron here and use the humans for slave labor to rebuild. You yourselves are the natural resources he was referring to."

"We won't let that happen," Optimus replied gravely. "Sentinel won't win. If you were able to contact Lennox, then NEST soldiers should be arriving within the hour. Once they do, we'll be able to reach the base and request more firepower. In the meantime…"

Optimus trailed off and glanced at the road behind them. In the distance, he could see his trailer partially lodged in the lobby of the building it crashed into on the way.

"They have my trailer. I need that flight tech. Shockwave can't hunt all of us at once. Wreckers," he said, looking back at the three race cars, "we need a diversion."

"Let's get some!"

"You got that right."

The mechs gathered at the entrance of the building and loaded their weapons. Epps took over and continued.

"We're going to circle around to that glass building," he said, pointing towards the building in question. "We'll get high enough to make the rocket shot while the 'Bots draw their fire."

The humans then began preparing themselves while Wheeljack approached their group. "Wait a minute! I'm not letting you go out there without my urban-combat prototypes," he exclaimed, un-subspacing a handful of weapons and lowering them to Sam.

"Wheeljack! We gotta go!" Sideswipe said from behind him, slightly annoyed.

Wheeljack waved him off and continued, "They're great inventions for kicking ass."

"What even are these?" Sam asked, examining them reluctantly.

"Those are boom sticks. Armed in thirty seconds. And grapple gloves for climbing."

"Let's move!" Epps said.

Ratchet moved first, rolling out of the building and dodging enemy fire before engaging the targets on the roof. Optimus and the other 'Bots followed soon after with Jazz pushing forward firing on the 'Cons rounding the corner. The Wreckers set out in the opposite direction to engage Shockwave who remained at the end of the street with his pet surrounding him. While still in their vehicle modes, they fired at the scientist unrelentingly, forcing him backwards. Optimus's trailer was soon in their sights.

As the 'Bots fought, Sam and the rest of the humans ran towards the path they created for them under their cover, heading for the glass building in the distance. It wasn't long before they were away from the fight and right outside the building. Sam, noticeably faster than the others, burst in through the side doors and entered the lobby, sprinting towards the staircase.

"Epps, this way!"

"I'm not supposed to be down here."

When the femme in front of him quietly muttered that, Starscream glanced up from his energon cube. She insisted he drink even as he refused, considering how long it had been since they were able to do so. His trinemates had long since downed their cubes and sat attentively behind him.

"I'm aware. I suppose Megatron's off to battle if you are down here."

Spade visibly cringed at the sound of his name. "They've been gone for a few days," she replied quietly. "I haven't heard from any of them since."

She then lowered to the ground and sat cross-legged in front of the cell, tucking her servos in her lap. She hadn't made eye contact with any of the mechs since she got there.

"Spade?" Starscream said gently.

She looked up from her lap only slightly. "If I'm bothering you, I'm sorry. I'm just… a little confused."

Her voice was soft and timid, very much unlike the femme he knew before she was subjected to Megatron's abuse.

"Go on," he replied before pausing, "if you'd like."

For the first time, she raised her helm fully and looked him in the eye. Starscream felt his spark aching as she did so upon seeing the nearly broken look in her optics. They were misted over as if she might cry at any given moment. His trinemates stirred behind him, likely noticing it too.

"Maybe I… should have seen it coming," she murmured.

At this, Starscream glared, though it wasn't directed at her.

"You can't blame yourself for this. Megatron is a monster. You're far from the first femme he's hurt in this way, but maybe you'll be the last, assuming the Autobots win."

"How could you say that?" she asked incredulously, gripping the bars of the cell. "We're Decepticons! If he was here, he'd—"

"We are not Decepticons." Starscream's voice darkened. "I'm not. My trinemates aren't. And you have never been a Decepticon."

Spade merely stared at him as he spoke, a myriad of emotions swirling in her optics.

"If I took the time to explain to you how many lives he's ruined, and how many Cybertronians he's hurt, we'd never leave this place. The lengths that he's willing to go to just win a war that's already been lost…"

Starscream stopped himself and shook his helm. "I'm hoping you'll realize where you came from soon. It's for the better. Anyway, it seems like you're in need of assistance and so in the meantime, we'll offer our services to you."

"But you don't even like me."

"What makes you think that I don't like you, femme?" Starscream scoffed, then paused. "I don't, but you've done nothing wrong, have you?"

Spade was taken aback. Surely he had to have some kind of grudge against her. In some ways, she was his replacement. "I know what you're thinking, but as I said, you've done nothing wrong. It's all Megatron, and you're just another pawn in his game. I just wish it hadn't taken us so long to realize it."

"Starscream…"

"You have questions. I can't answer them all, but I'll do what I can."

After a brief discussion about the game plan and several flights of stairs later, Sam and his crew made it to the upper floors of the glass building. Directly in their line of sight was the cupola with the main pillar. On the other side of that building was Sentinel and Megatron, both staring off into the city, probably searching for traces of the Autobots. Sam was surprised to see Megatron again after two years. His condition appeared to be deteriorating faster than he thought. When Megatron started to circle the building, Sam pulled away from the window to let Eddie set the rocket up. The larger man was panting and sweating like the rest of the group, muttering under his breath about his presumed "heart attack" and the stress the mission had put him under. All the while, Epps continued to bark orders at his other friends and Carly remained in the center of the room, nervously watching the windows.

The others did the same, making sure they hadn't been spotted by Decepticon ships. Eddie had begun loading the rocket into the chamber and aimed at the cupola. He inhaled and exhaled slowly to steady his breathing and prevent the launcher from drifting too far from the target. As his finger squeezed the trigger, Epps began yelling once again.

"Wait! Two ships beneath us!"

Eddie lowered the weapon and looked down, Sam coming up from behind him to do the same. Several floors down, two of the ships were firing into the building.

"Why are they shooting? What the hell's going on?" Stone asked.

"Oh fuck. They're gonna topple the building," Sam replied, fear evident in his voice.

As soon as he said it, the upper half of the building began to shake. By then, more ships had arrived to follow their lead, repeatedly firing at the support beams on the lower floors. The upper half then tilted forward, causing chairs and desks to slide towards the windows.

"Take cover!" Epps yelled.

"Oh God."

They began grabbing at whatever sturdy objects they could find, Sam grabbing Carly by the wrist and dragging her over to an intact support beam. She turned her head to a window on the other side and noticed more ships heading their way. These ships, however, were at the same altitude as their floor.

"Guys, look!" she shrieked, pointing in their direction.

The others scrambled to find cover, hiding behind desks and other beams. As the ship neared the window, Epps shushed the group, realizing that a Decepticon was going to be looking for them. Sam pulled Carly closer to make sure neither of them would be seen in their hiding spot. Behind them, the ship slowly came to a stop in front of the window and a 'Con could be seen riding on top of it. He jumped forward and rolled into the building, shattering the glass and destroying the wall. Carly screamed at the sudden sound, causing Sam to cover her mouth with his hand, holding her even closer to his body. The others ducked down behind their cover, and Epps inched forward to see him.

The Decepticon cocked his rifle and moved closer, aiming down the walkway while scanning the room. From the corner of their eyes, Sam and Carly spotted the barrel of his gun directly to their right.

"Don't. Move."

While the 'Con was distracted, Epps removed a grenade from his rig and pulled the pin. He gestured in front of him towards Eddie, who released the chair he held onto so that it would roll towards the window. After hearing the sound, the Decepticon turned around, giving Epps the chance to throw the grenade that exploded only a few seconds after that.

"Run!"

"Cover fire!"

The group began to run uphill towards the opposite window as soon as Epps yelled, some of them firing at the Decepticon with their own weapons.

"Shoot the glass! Jump out the window!"

A few shots later and the glass in front of them was shattered. One by one, they all jumped out of the building as if in slow motion, landing on the incline created by the partial collapse of its upper half. Sam kept his arm linked with Carly's as they jumped, releasing her so they could land safely. With a thud, they all fell onto the windows and began sliding down the side of the building, shards of glass trickling down alongside them. Sam did his best to slide in front of Carly and slow her fall and she screamed, arms and legs flailing.

"We can't keep sliding like this!" he yelled.

"Sam, I can't stop!"

"Shoot the glass!" Epps responded, pulling out his pistol and firing at the glass in front of and directly beneath them.

The others followed suit and steadily fell back into the building, tumbling towards the other side just as quickly as before. Some of them managed to stop their falls sooner by crashing into support beams. But Sam, Epps, Carly, and Alex weren't as lucky, instead continuing to roll across the tilted floor. Sam was feeling dizzy as the world around him kept spinning. Somewhere he heard Carly screaming, but he couldn't locate her in his disorientation. Frustratedly, he turned on his belly and grabbed at the linoleum with his fingers, trying to slow his fall. His efforts were futile, however, and he continued to slide down the ground toward the other window. To his left, he saw a bundle of wires streaming down from the ceiling. He grabbed them suddenly, causing him to jerk upwards into the air before he stopped his descent. Carly, who had been in front of him, nearly passed him and latched onto his legs at the last second.

Epps followed his lead and managed to get a hold of a different set of exposed wires, but Alex just kept rolling.

"Alex!" Epps and Sam yelled simultaneously.

Just as he was about to grab onto Epps, a desk that had also been sliding with them broke through the window right behind him. Alex lost his grip and rolled backwards, falling through the pane with the desk. His screams echoed between the buildings that still stood strong as he fell towards the Decepticon that had chased them before. At the base of the building stood Shockwave, who had been scanning the ground for Autobots or humans to hunt. The last thing Alex saw as he fell was the single, bright red optic staring at him, mere inches from his face. He finally landed before him, his bones shattering beneath his skin.

"Alex…" Epps breathed. He had watched him fall the entire time, right up until he crashed into the ground at the cyclops Decepticon's feet.

The mech in question looked up at the building he had fallen from. "Driller-bot is thirsty," he growled, ignoring the mementos from the office that continued to shatter against his armor.

All of a sudden, the worm-like Decepticon from before appeared from beneath the ground once again, toppling street lights and destroying all of the cars and debris in its path. He drilled his way to Shockwave, who spoke to him in Cybertronian. And then, the monster screeched as he easily forced his way through the building, coming out on the other side and drilling upwards.

"The stairs are blocked! We're trapped."

"Epps, how are we gonna get out of this?"

Sam ran over to the window to look down, seeing Driller directly beneath them.

"Move! We gotta move!"

Hope you enjoyed. I did this instead of piano homework. :( If there were any mistakes or other awful things, I apologize for them in advance.

-D.P.