Transformers Animated: Little Spider

Chapter 29

Kelly's body was partially roboticized.

While her right side was completely normal, her left side was an unsettling combination of metal and flesh. Silver metallic plates glinted and wires sprayed messily, purple flesh spreading out across metal, resembling veins and tumors.

Snarl was frozen, transfixed, unable to process what was right in front of him.

Grimlock grabbed Snarl's scruff, yanking him back behind the train before they could be seen. However, as he was being pulled back, Snarl glimpsed Meltdown injecting another syringe into the unconscious child.

Something snapped inside him.

He let out a bellowing roar, shoving Grimlock off of him as he transformed, charging at Meltdown.

Meltdown jumped, dropping the syringe. "What-UGH!"

Snarl slammed into him, the mad scientist sent flying with enough force to crash through solid bricks.

Snarl huffed, rushing over to Kelly but before he could reach her, he was grabbed, roaring as a burning sensation ate away at his frame.

It was a mutant. It resembled a giant octopus and it comprised solely of acid, its multiple arms coiling around Snarl's body with killing intent.

Snarl roared and contorted in agony as the acid melted through his outer casing, the mutant tightening its hold. He thought he was done for until he heard Grimlock roar, the tyrannosaurus slamming against the mutant and pushing it off.

"Grimlock!" Snarl yelled, watching the other fall to the ground.

Grimlock had body slammed into the creature, his shoulder and side taking the brunt of the impact, and as a result; heavily melted those aforementioned areas. Snarl rushed to Grimlock's side, the tyrannosaurus struggling to get up.

"Me...Grimlock...okay..."

Snarl began helping Grimlock up when Meltdown emerged from the hole, expression apoplectic.

You...disgusting tin-can imitations! Meltdown seethed, climbing out of the rubble, "How dare you invade my sanctuary and disrupt my work?!"

Snarl dragged a writhing Grimlock over to Kelly as the mad scientist drew closer, his foot prints leaving smoking scorch marks with every step he took.

"I should have melted all of you down to scrap metal ages ago!" Meltdown threw aside a cart blocking his path, "but I kept you around because you were useful and you were based off one of the most majestic creatures to ever roam the earth!" Meltdown pulled out a remote and pressed a button, shocking the acidic mutant, "but in the end, you're still metal and wires, nothing against true flesh and bone!"

The acidic monster began to split, gooey green breaking off as new bodies formed, effectively being multiplied. In seconds, faceless acidic humanoids were surrounding them, their misshapen bodies swaying unsteadily like a horde of walking undead.

Snarl quickly placed Grimlock down beside Kelly's berth, stepping protectively in front of them.

Meltdown seethed, pressing a button on his remote, commanding his mutants to attack. "I have had enough of you! It's time we ended this!"

Snarl let out a rumble, readying himself to charge.

He was wounded, he was outnumbered and he was trapped.

But he was damn well not going down without a fight.

As Snarl prepared himself, Grimlock looked up, terror in his optics. "SNARL! NO!"

Snarl cast a sad glance at Grimlock.

Their gazes met, Grimlock's weak and pleading, Snarl's scared but determined.

As time seemed to slow down, Snarl uttered one single word:

"Protect..."

And with that, he attacked.

The acid mutants surrounded Snarl as he fought.

Grimlock closed his optics, unable to watch, but he still heard.

He heard it all.

He could hear the battle...

He could hear the destruction...

He could hear Snarl's screams...

It went on for what felt like an eternity, with Grimlock being subjected to the torment of hearing Snarl's agonized cries, unable to do anything.

Grimlock could not move, his systems failing him and growing weaker by the second.

He had nothing left to give, no strength to rely on and no way to help, all a result of his own actions.

He could have...

He could have listened...Should have listened...

He should have gone to the Autobots when he had the chance.

If he had listened, maybe they would have healed him and he wouldn't be dying here right now...

If he had listened, he never would have gotten deathly injured in the first place...

If he hadn't outcasted Snarl, they never would have even fought...

If only...

If only...

If only...

Grimlock dreaded looking, but he did and he instantly regrated it.

Snarl lay motionless on the floor, unrecognizable, his armor a steaming pile of melting metal and contorted limbs, the mutants surrounding his body, Meltdown not far, satisfied with the results.

Grimlock wanted to go to Snarl, to see if he was still alive, to impulsively fight until he too ceased functioning. But he remembered what Snarl told him, looking back at the unconscious little girl.

Not wanting to make any more mistakes, he dragged his body over, holding the berth and curling protectively around it. It was all he could do with what little strength he had left.

As pathetic as he felt the gesture was, at least this time...

...he listened.

______

A/N

I apologize for making this chapter so short. Initially, this was meant to be a much longer chapter and I rewrote it multiple times to try and make it work, but it felt too jumbled.

As a result, I split the chapters. Once again, my brain cannot follow a plot outline and just ended up writing what it felt like!

Eh I'm not going to complain too much though since breaking the outline helped me out of my little funk of writer's block.

Don't worry, chapter 30 is going to be much longer.

Also, I apologize in advance.

Next chapter has... a lot happening.

Anyway, see you later guys, gals and non binary pals.