TFP: Dodger's Greatest Encounter (Book 2)

Flying Mind

On a cliffside halfway across the world, the Nemesis was grounded on a cliff.  Apparently, Airachnid was not the only one who tried to snuff Megatron today.  Earlier, a bunch of clones of Starscream boarded the ship in an attempt to snuff Megatron.  But they were foiled when the Insecticon hive attacked the ship, Megatron destroyed all but one of the clones who promptly escaped.  At first, the Insecticons were trying to attack, but they then suddenly stopped fighting and swore their allegiance to Megatron.  Now Megatron had an army of Insecticons at his disposal.  But that didn't stop the Nemesis from suddenly going down, which brings them to their current predicament.

Megatron: Damage report.

Dreadwing: We have suffered critical damage of all major systems, lord Megatron.  It will be some time before we can get the ship airborne.

Megatron: Soundwave.

Soundwave played security footage from the engine room, it showed something big and green smashing into the ship's power core, when Soundwave enhanced the image, they know knew who brought the ship down.  Bulkhead.

Titania: It's that Wrecker!

Megatron: So, it was an Autobot who crippled my vessel.  They will move quickly to exploit any perceived weakness.

Knockout: Surely, they're not foolish enough to launch a direct assault, my liege.

Megatron: Optimus has grown decidedly more ruthless since our last encounter.

There was no denying that, the last time Optimus and Megatron met, he had the warlord at his mercy.  Only intervention by Dreadwing had saved Megatron's life.  Knowing that Optimus will not hesitate anymore, Megatron had to come up with a quick way to get his ship airborne.  It required a trip to the power core.  Megatron went down there with Knockout, Titania and Dreadwing behind him.

Titania: Lord Megatron, If I may ask, how do you plan on repairing our vessal so quickly?

Megatron: Ah, glad you asked Titania.  There is only one possible substance that can repair technology in a rapid sense.

To emphasize, Megatron picked up an energon crate, but this one glowed purple, not blue.  Dark Energon.

Titania: Dark Energon!?  My lord, is that even a good idea!?

Megatron:  Indeed Titania, for if I used Dark Energon.  I could not only repair the ship, but also control the ship with my very will!

Knockout: Lord Megatron, as your physician, I strongly advise against this.  Dark Energon's regenerative properties are impressive, but the side effects there is no telling how it might impact the ship.

Megatron: Dark Energon courses through my veins.  Infusing the warship will enable me to manipulate the craft as if we are one.  And together, we shall crush Optimus Prime.

(Autobot base)

At the Autobot base, Airachnid's stasis pod was placed in the relic storage vault.  Meanwhile, Bulkhead was explaining his adventure on the Nemesis.  While he was investigating an energon signal, he stumbled upon a stash of energon, all packed up and ready for delivery.  But when he tried to recover it, he slipped and fell into the hole, knocking himself out in the process.  When he came too, he found himself on the Nemesis.  As he snuck around the ship, he ran into Starscream apparently, but Starscream provoked Bulkhead into beating the scarp out of him.  Thinking he just Starscream to death, Bulkhead continued to sneak around the ship.  But when the Nemesis started going down, he ran into Starscream!

How was he still alive!?

Bulkhead remembered seeing this Starscream transform and fly away.  But Starscream lost his T-Cog, how could he fly?  It was determined that it wasn't Starscream that Bulkhead beat to death, it was a clone, which also explained why the other Starscream Bulkhead saw could transform and fly away.  Clones of an individual can have T-Cogs even if the original doesn't have one.  The kids were surprised to hear that, but right now, Bulkhead was explaining how he brought the warship down.