“Move it!” called Grimlock as the team ran from the electro-sanitizer. They then ducked behind a gear, then noticed it follow the guiding wire upwards. Another electro-sanitizer then followed it.
“I’m tired of hiding!” hissed Deadlock. “Stand clear and let me deal with this!” She then jumped and overtook the electro-sanitizers, then landed on a ledge. The electro-sanitizers detected her and ran straight up to her. “That’s it, come meet your demise!” she declared as she drew one of her swords. She then sliced one in two and threw the remains at the other, destroying it. Grimlock simply nodded.
“Not bad,” he remarked. He then heard a new electro-sanitizer from behind him. “Now you get to watch how an Autobot handles those things!”
“GRIMLOCK, LOOK OUT!” warned Perceptor. Grimlock transformed to beast mode and swung his tail into the electro-sanitizer, breaking it and making it explode, taking the guiding wire with it in the process. “…Well, that bought us some time,” breathed Perceptor in relief. “We better utilize as much speed as possible. We’re in Starscream’s shoulder joint. His chest should be around here somewhere.”
“Thanks for telling us,” snarked Grimlock. “I never would have figured that out myself!”
“Just hope he doesn’t make any sudden movements,” gulped Perceptor. They climbed up the gears, pullies, and levers that made up Starscream’s internal shoulder mechanics.
Starscream felt something tickling the insides of his shoulder. “…Stray dust probably,” he muttered to himself. He moved his arm to get the “dust” towards electro-sanitizers.
The team tumbled as the mechanisms moved suddenly. Shahra and Deadlock landed on a gear with only bumps, Grimlock managed to get himself onto a hydraulic tube, and Perceptor was hanging on a ledge over a set of cogs that were moving. “Jump, Perceptor!” urged Deadlock. Perceptor let go, then Grimlock tackled him to a safer area.
“Some hero!” he grunted. “Next time, stay home! You could have guided us through the mission!”
“I hate to be a pedantic bore,” replied Perceptor, “but that option wasn’t a viable one. Talking to miniaturized bots always made radio communication impossible. The range on a bot’s personal radio shrinks in proportion to the bot.”
“So, you didn’t have a choice, huh?!”
“Not if you want to succeed, no, I didn’t!” Deadlock then swung her Great Sword to the floor right between the two mechs.
“If you idiots are done!” she hissed. “Let’s move!”
Starscream saw Airazor fly down towards a city-state and grinned. “Praxus, eh? I always loved scaring a Praxian!”
“Prime, this is Airazor!” called the falcon Maximal over the comms. “Starscream and I are about a hundred miles and closing! ETA, ten minutes!”
“Understood,” replied Optimus. “Bots, we’ve got a force-field to set up!”
“Where are we now?” asked Shahra.
“Somewhere in Starscream’s neck,” replied Perceptor.
“Wait, his neck?!” asked Grimlock. “How come it’s so hard to tell which way we’re going?!”
“What do you mean?” asked Shahra.
“Grimlock’s right,” remarked Deadlock. “If we were in his neck, then, ideally, the only option we would pick is down if he were upright. Meaning…”
“He’s horizontal!” realized Perceptor.
“Please tell me that means he’s asleep!” gulped Shahra.
“Asleep, nothing! See those lights along the walls?” Perceptor pointed to a group of lights as they flashed blue. “Those are a Transformer’s robotniks, our nerves, if you will. Each one has a specific color code. That particular shade of blue tells us that he’s flying in robot mode!”
“And that’s bad news for our guys!”
“Hey! What’s that glow?!” called Grimlock as he pointed out a cavern with a strange light in it. Everyone followed it and saw a glowing sphere.
“Okay, I know enough Transformer biology,” said Shahra, “to identify that thing! That’s Starscream’s brain!”
“…How come it’s so quiet?” muttered Grimlock.
“He must not be engaging any major brain functions, like communications or moving,” guessed Deadlock.
“Isn’t he flying?” asked Shahra.
“For a flyer, that’s not a major brain function,” replied Perceptor.
“Well, I’ve got a honey of an idea!” declared Grimlock. “Let’s bash brains!” He raised his fist to the brain.
“NO, GRIMLOCK!” called Perceptor.
“Not without me!” supplied Deadlock as she drew her swords.
“Put them away!” urged Perceptor as he and Shahra held their teammates back. “It’s too dangerous!”
“Listen to Perceptor, you two!” pleaded Shahra. “He’s right!” Just then, the brain chamber shook as it rotated. Everyone fell towards a wall.
“The force-field’s all set to go,” reported Tails, “but it’s only gonna last five minutes against Starscream.”
“That’s five minutes more than we’d have without it,” replied Tails.
“INCOMING!” called Airazor as they swooped in to join them. Starscream landed shortly after.
“We gotta buy Perceptor more time!” declared Optimus as he switched his comms on. “All available Autobots, move out!” Hardhead and Duros rolled out first and fired their arsenal on Starscream. The smarmy Seeker simply shrugged it off.
“Head on!” called Duros.
“Hardhead, CENTRALIZE!” Hardhead and Duros transformed, then Hardhead’s head connected to his body, and he dashed towards Starscream.
“Oh, that is just too precious!” chuckled Starscream. He raised his hand, ready to fire the Heart.
Once everyone regained their footing, Grimlock and Deadlock advanced on Starscream’s brain. “If you destroy his brain, he’ll fall!” pleaded Perceptor. “The impact could detonate the Heart of Cybertron!”
“It’s our only chance!” argued Grimlock. He and Deadlock raised their swords, then the brain glowed and multiple snake-like creatures with electricity surrounding them leapt out of the brain and circled the team.
“What are they?!” yelped Shahra.
“Brain impulses!” replied Perceptor. “EVIL brain impulses!” The brain impulses then charged downwards through a hole in the floor.
Starscream fired the Heart of Cybertron right into Hardhead’s chest, knocking him to the ground. Hardhead’s head fell off and he transformed to vehicle mode while the head turned back into Duros. Starscream then fired on Duros. “I guess today WASN’T an honorable day for battle,” snarked Starscream. He then saw Rhinox preparing his guns. “Oh no! The Chain Guns of Doom!” mocked Starscream.
“Sarcasm doesn’t become you!” growled Rhinox. The rhino then fired. As expected, the shots bounced off Starscream. Starscream yawned, then fired the Heart again, bringing Rhinox down.
Starscream’s brain impulses would not stop swarming Perceptor and his team! They nearly ripped Shahra apart! “What are they even for?!” roared Grimlock. He dared a peek down the hole, then realized they went down Starscream’s neck. Perceptor then joined Grimlock and looked down the hole, then they both got the same idea!
“The Heart!” they cheered.