Megatron shook his head as he recovered from Onslaught’s shot. “Dr. Eggman, get your bots under control!” he shouted.
“I think it’s high time I remind you who’s the boss around here!” snarled Eggman.
“Eggman, what’s going on here?!” demanded Optimus.
“What’s going on here?” repeated Eggman. “I’m showing the ungrateful Decepticons who’s the real master! Megatron, I gave you and your colleagues lodging so you can safely conduct your war with the Autobots! I built you a secondary base! I even built you guard units! Yet you never appreciated me! You never even attempted to destroy Sonic personally! You let squatters like the Metarex sit in orbit around the moon! I’m sick of being pushed around like some mere drone! I’M the conqueror, dammit! I WAS going to let you Decepticons be my Elite Guard, but, thanks to the Allspark and my new device, I don’t need you! My Combaticons are already programmed to surpass you militarily! And the best part is, I already know where THEIR loyalties lie, thanks to the program my device introduced into the Allspark’s life-granting abilities! I’ve already mentally reassigned you in my future empire as mere workers! Perhaps, Megatron, you would make an excellent miner!”
“Dr. Eggman, I’ll have you disemboweled for this treachery!” roared Megatron. “I expected this from Starscream, given his track record with my predecessors!”
“HEY!” protested Starscream.
“Rumble, Operation: Organic Discipline,” ordered Soundwave.
“Time to crack you…!” Rumble didn’t get far with his promise. Heck, he didn’t get far with his leap towards Eggman. Brawl scooped him up.
“Come here, bug!” he growled.
“What, you want a piece of me?!” taunted Rumble.
“No,” grunted Brawl. “I want two!” He then grabbed Rumble’s upper torso in one hand and his legs in another.
“LET HIM DOWN NOW!” shouted Soundwave as he charged at Brawl. Vortex fired his gatling guns at Soundwave, backing him into the wall. Once Vortex let up, Brawl pulled on Rumble’s limbs…HARD. Rumble was torn in half, the mental shockwave ripping through Soundwave’s mind like a knife through flesh. For Soundwave, all noise, even his own screaming of Rumble’s name, was silenced. His hearing only reactivated as Rumble’s pieces hit the ground, fading to gunmetal grey. Rumble’s Spark…was extinguished. As he looked at Rumble’s corpse in disbelief, fear of the Combaticons gripped Soundwave’s Spark. That fear…fueled his rage. He roared in grief and anger, throwing Vortex aside and slamming his fist into Brawl’s head. Again, and again, and again, he struck Brawl, ready to snuff his Spark in revenge. However, he never got the chance. Blast Off grabbed Soundwave and flew up to the cave ceiling, slamming the Communications Officer into it repeatedly.
“DECEPTICONS, ATTACK!” shouted Megatron.
“AUTOBOTS, ATTACK!” ordered Optimus. There was a HUGE battle in the caves! Laser fire flew everywhere, threatening to collapse the roof. Many bots tried to make a grab for the Allspark, but none could get to Eggman fast enough.
“This has gone on long enough,” rumbled Onslaught as he fired his guns. “Vortex! Blast Off! Escort our creator out of here! Brawl! Swindle! Make sure they have a clear path! I’ll bring up the rear!”
“Yes, Sir!” acknowledged his fellow Combaticons.
“Dr. Eggman!” called Blast Off as he and Vortex surrounded him. “With us!”
“Capital idea,” replied Eggman. He followed Blast Off and Vortex as Brawl and Swindle aimed their weapons around the group.
“Farewell, you outdated hunks of junk!” taunted Onslaught as he fired on the cave ceiling. The rocks then fell.
“GET OUT OF…!” Megatron couldn’t complete his order as the rocks buried all the Autobots and Decepticons alive.
“What’s going on?!” demanded Eggman.
“GO! GO!” shouted Onslaught as he ran after the group with the cave-in at his heels.
“GOOD GOD! RUN!” shouted Swindle. No one needed any convincing as everyone ran towards the cave mouth, exiting the cave at top speed as the rocks closed the cave’s mouth. As the dust settled, the Combaticons and Eggman sat there for a minute to catch their breath.
“Well, that was hair-raising!” gasped Eggman.
“Everyone alright?” asked Onslaught.
“Still operational,” reported Vortex.
“So that’s what the sky on Mobius looks like,” muttered Blast Off. “A little too blue for my tastes.”
“And the ground around us,” mumbled Brawl as he looked at the grasslands. “WAY too green.”
“Well, I intend to fix that!” promised Eggman. “But first, we need to show Mobius who should be feared. Combaticons, we’re going to Station Square!”
“At once, Lord Eggman!” affirmed Onslaught. “Combaticons, transform and mobilize for Station Square!” The Combaticons transformed and Eggman led them to Station Square.
Back in the cave, nothing happened. The rocks from the ceiling stayed well and firmly on the Autobots and Decepticons. This was a good few minutes before the rocks burying Megatron shifted. His fist burst out and he pulled himself out of the rocks, his Decepticons following suit, then Optimus and the Autobots. “That fat fool!” snarled Megatron. “He’s ruining EVERYTHING!”
“We need to get the Allspark back!” urged Galvatron.
“But what about…?!” called Soundwave as he uncovered Rumble’s body.
“Leave him!” ordered Megatron.
“Leave him?!” protested Soundwave. “But he…!”
“That’s an order, Soundwave!”
“Soundwave, Eggman’s probably got the moon base’s defenses turned against us!” urged Starscream. “Robotropolis WON’T be a safe haven! We don’t have any means of getting Rumble out! We MUST leave him! We’ll collect him later!” Soundwave hoped against hope Starscream was wrong, but Ravage had just reported that all Decepticon personnel had to evacuate the moon base because of Eggman’s robots turning on them, Metal Sonic included. He glanced down at Rumble’s body…then revenge took over his thoughts. It fueled him as he connected with all the Decepticons and calculated Eggman’s destination. His back-flap retracted, and his battle-mask deployed.
“Allspark energy: moving towards Station Square,” he reported in his monotonous voice.
“Order all Decepticons to mobilize there,” commanded Megatron.
“As you command, Megatron.” Soundwave opened a Ground Bridge just as Optimus freed himself and started digging for his bots.
“Prime,” called Megatron, “WE will be the ones defending the Allspark. Don’t interfere in matters you don’t understand!” He and his Decepticons entered the Ground Bridge and it closed behind them. Optimus checked to see if there would be any radio interference as he dug the Autobots out. There was none, despite the rocks surrounding them.
“All Autobots, converge on Station Square!” he ordered. “The Allspark was taken by Eggman and he’s got angry Decepticons on his tail! There’s going to be a fight in Station Square! We need to get the cube out of there! All Autobots, rally to me at Station Square!”
Deep beneath Mobius’ crust, near the very core of the planet, Nemesis Prime and Crystal Widow were speaking to a figure in the shadows. “The battle for the Allspark has begun,” explained Nemesis.
“You know what you must do?” asked Crystal Widow.
“Cause confusion amongst the enemy,” replied the figure as he stepped out of the shadows to reveal himself to be Meteorfire, “awaken the Blade from across time, grab the Allspark, bring them here. Easy enough.”
“Do NOT get cocky!” barked Nemesis. “Optimus and Megatron are clever. They WILL catch on if you screw this up.”
“Keep your carburetors clear,” replied Meteorfire as he took pressed a button on his wrist. His armor then fell off to reveal a purple and yellow bot with motorcycle kibble and handlebars on the back of his head. Four human-sized bots then approached him.
“Are we set, Boss?” asked a small maroon and black bot.
“We’re set, Nightcruz,” answered the motorcycle bot.
“Perfect,” declared a small purple and dark-grey bot. “We’re eager to get the cube away from them!”
“Patience, Noisemaze,” urged the motorcycle bot. “This requires timing.”
“No kidding,” muttered a small black and red bot. “We’re cutting it close here.”
“Oh, give it a rest, Rook!” snapped a small grey and purple robot. “We can take them!”
“Easy, Crosswise,” advised the motorcycle bot. “We need to impress Unicron first. Completing the mission is paramount.”
“Sage advice,” agreed Nemesis. “Do you think you can do it?”
“Nemesis, relax,” assured the motorcycle bot. “After all, if Sideways and his Mini-cons can’t do it, who can?”