Who: Too many fucking robots.
Where: "The most dramatic dune in the desert."
When: SUNDOWN.
What: Megatron tries to get Orion Pax to use the Forge on the Matrix of Leadership but then the music starts.
Warnings: Violence, singing.
[THREAD STARTERS ARE BELOW.
NO TAGGING ORDER, IT'S FREE FOR ALL.]
ORION, MEGATRON, RODIMUS, and SOUNDWAVE
Heading out into the desert is just a painful trudge at this point, and Orion Pax doesn't seem to have much fight left in him. He still doesn't know what Megatron even wants - he doesn't yet have a full grasp of what the Forge is even capable of. And even know, he still doesn't know if he is going to go through with it. He's bought Rodimus and himself all the time he could, but now it all feels oppressively close to the end.
Rodimus isn't exactly thankful, and Orion doesn't think he should be. Maybe he's being selfish. It's easy to consider all the ways that this whole thing has been his mistake, even though so many of his friends would have urged him away from that way of thinking.
It's been days since he could talk to anyone who isn't Megatron, and right now that has been nothing but poisonous.
Orion doesn't say anything on the way over, remaining silent until they have all re-positioned themselves to the center of a a series of rocky cliff faces. The sun is just starting to set on the horizon, and the burn of the day's light is only just beginning to fade.
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He shoves Rodimus roughly to the ground when they reach the desired spot, gun trained on his head.
"Soundwave – the Forge."
Fucking, ROCKY CLIFF FACES
He grimaces as Megatron shoves him, nearly losing his balance as he falls to his knees. He's glad to not be moving at least; the trek here has been more exhausting than it should've been and now that the immediacy of avoiding-death had worn off, he's becoming more and more aware of how horribly painful his wounds are. This is sincerely the EXACT opposite of how Rodimus had been expecting his infiltration of the Decepticons to go. He's almost willing to say this had been a really, really bad idea, even.
None of this deters him, however, from being morbidly curious as to what Megatron's Great Big Plan with the forge is going to be...
Re: Fucking, ROCKY CLIFF FACES
He would see to it that Megatron's plan came to full fruition.
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He looks away, finally, staring into the sand, and then eventually up to Megatron's face.
"Megatron..." he says, his voice weak. It's not the first time he's pleaded with him, but it's the most final. "Please...don't do this. "
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Some part of him had hopes that it wouldn't work, that without the Matrix it wouldn't be enough. This is enough to easily prove him wrong.
He looks at Megatron helplessly. He still doesn't know what he's supposed to do.
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"Excellent," he murmurs, half to himself, optics gleaming with anticipation. "The power still rests within you... as soon it will rest within me." Without further ado he produces it, from the compartment where it's been uselessly stowed: the Matrix of Leadership, whole and undestroyed. "You will use the Forge, Orion, to alter the Matrix permanently... to create from it a power I can wield... a Dark Matrix, if you will. And if you do not..." His cannon, still aimed squarely at Rodimus, hums to life with a low whine.
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Orion stares at the Matrix, completely dumbfounded. Almost unbelieving. The what with...the what? He doesn't know what to be more offended about - the fact that the very idea of doing that is extremely sacrilegious, or that he did in fact have the Matrix this entire time, and had stolen it from him. He's stolen an enormous part of who he was, and put him through so much pain.
"That is impossible," he breathes.
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Orion can feel it coming, even before the music slowly starts to form in the background. It starts as a soft, formless chant and slowly starts to grow into something bolder - ancient Cybertronian words that he can't understand. Part of him wants to just break down, to give up completely.
But instead of collapsing inward, his overwhelming emotions are forced out as words unbidden.
"Once I called you brother," he sings, his voice still frail. "Once I thought the chance to sooth your wrath was all I ever wanted."
He grips the Forge more firmly in his hands, staring at the helplessly.
“Even now I wish that they had chose another – serving as your foe on their behalf, was the last thing that I wanted...” He takes a step towards him, his expression mournful but with an anger beneath it that is becoming more prominent as his voice grows bolder.
“It was our home! These years of war and devastation, how they torture me inside...” He glares up at Megatron, the next words spat in frustration: “All the innocents who suffer from your stubbornness and pride!”
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Orion's singing is earnest with more than a bit of anger creeping in, but maybe it'll confuse the others just as much. The longer it goes on the more natural it feels - like singing your feelings out in a moment of life or death is the most obvious thing in the world. Rodimus is wary of, having experienced first hand, the way these moments can suck you in, make it impossible - unthinkable! - to commit any action contrary to the music. Nonetheless, Rodimus turns his attention to their captors, watching them out of the corner of an optic. He doesn't know what he expects, but at this point is open to any opportunity to sabotage this crazy endeavor.
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AND THEN THESE OTHER GUYS SHOW UP
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He gives up and explodes out of his alt mode as he clears the top of a dune and sees them, breaking into a run as he draws one of his weapons, struggling to aim as he skids down the dune.
"Orion!"
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Even with the extra boost from his alt. mode, he might not reach the fight in time to block Soundwave’s attack. There’s a tension in his body as he tries to suppress the immediate instinct to transform. Staying in vehicle mode, even for a brief moment, might put him at a disadvantage. But right now, with his thoughts focused solely on protecting Rodimus and Orion, he simply revs his engine and pushes forward at full speed.
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But as he is trying to right himself, to do anything he hears the sound of someone's engines, and a voice shouting his name. Ratchet? Hope flutters in his spark, but he can't take the moment to turn around and see what is really happening. Maybe him and Rodimus can get out of this - if they can survive the next few seconds, at least.
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It's hard to tell what's been going on, but Rodimus's apparent gamble isn't the worst thing that could have happened -- count on Rodimus to shake things up, all right, and Arcee even feels a note of grim approval at that -- and of sick satisfaction at having been right, because that's the Matrix and she knew Megatron must have had it all this time. She spots Orion, looking injured and hapless, and her spark flares in directionless anger. No time to think now. Time to move.
"Drift, Ratchet -- cover Rodimus! Get Soundwave off his back!" Arcee's already transforming, her feet hitting the ground running as she lifts a blaster and fires off a few shots at Soundwave. "Rodimus, I'm coming!"
She's running to meet Rodimus, her other hand outstretched -- she's thinking along the same lines as Rodimus here, with the Matrix and Orion in the same place... If she can get Rodimus to hand off the Matrix, she'll take the pressure off of him -- Soundwave won't be interested in a target that's no longer carrying the Matrix, and Arcee is significantly less injured than Rodimus, not to mention a smaller target. And if she can get the Matrix to Orion...
And as she starts running toward Rodimus, she begins to hear music -- again. A strangely compelling beat fills the desert air as she skids through the sand, and for a moment Arcee has a moment of dread -- but this time, oddly enough, it is not accompanied with the undeniable urge to sing -- just the compulsion to
come on and slamrun faster to the beat.no subject
On this terrain it wasn't difficult for him to catch up with them, which was one blessing, but he could already hear the sounds of a battle ahead, as well as an extremely loud and energetic musical beat? As he crested the small dune blocking his view, he transformed into robot mode, ready to leap into the fray. He was however momentarily distracted by the combination of chaos and music. What on earth was happening here? Where was that music coming from? Soundwave?
With Arcee rushing to support Rodimus (with the MATRIX?!?) and calling Ratchet and Drift to back her up, Magnus leapt down the dune, sliding in a flurry of sand toward Orion. Who was (once again) lying defenseless in front of Megatron. Whether due to luck or the pull and influence of the music, Magnus' descent ended in a dramatic slide that brought him to a halt in front of Orion as some singing began overhead ("Come on Slam, and Welcome to the Jam."). He reached over the other bot to grab the Forge, hefting the hammer over Orion and getting a better grip, ready to defend Orion against Megatron (again).
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Megatron looks about ready to explode with rage.
"I will destroy you all," he snarls, and fires on Ultra Magnus without any further hesitation.
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"Arcee!" Both hands are outstretched as he passes the Matrix to her open hand. Okay so there might be a little bit of a gap between them, but he's confident she'll catch it.
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Arcee is approaching quickly from his flank, shots from he blaster just barely missing his face. And then...sweetly on the desert breeze...like a dream. Space Jam. A cold laugh burst from his vocalizer before he can quell it. Why.
Then it happens, Arcee shoots past him, hand held out for Rodimus to pass the Matrix. Absolutely not. Just as Rodimus goes to pass it to her, a very narrow space between them, Soundwave's own hand shoots forward. It's as if he was made for this moment. His long flat arms are the perfect width and just as Rodimus lets go Soundwave snatches it away. Success.
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The distance between them is shorter, and this strategy didn’t work the first time...Besides something in the beat is compelling him that transforming is just the thing to do right now.
"Here's your chance, do your dance at the Space Jam" is the first line Drift hears clearly. So naturally, he follows the signs and breaks into a sprint mid-transformation. Pulling out each of his swords, he aims a blow at Soundwave's arms as he runs, hoping to knock the matrix out of his grasp.
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He tries to pull himself back through the sand to give Ultra Magnus more room to work. He wants to shoot, or to do something but his energon levels are still critically low and the walk over here was pushing it as it was. He brings out one of his swords, trying to think of what to do, and shakily starts trying to get to his feet, his optics warily set on Megatron.
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"Don't even think about it," he snarls, his optics scanning the fight for the Matrix as he keeps firing with his free hand. "You have to focus on not getting killed right now."
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