Meanwhile from down the distance, Lennox lowered his binoculars. He looked at a slender young girl with an hourglass figure. She has olive skin, high cheekbones, brown eyes with full eyelashes, and straight, lush hair reaching her thighs. "My god," Lennox muttered. "She is beautiful. I've never seen a woman like that," he remarked.
Donnely, crouched beside a stack of concrete barriers. He just nodded solemnly. "She looks like those girls from the dreams, man. The one-percenters. You know, the kind of woman you think only exists in movies or high-end magazines," he remarked.
Behind them, several other soldiers in the squad started muttering among themselves. They grips loosened on their rifles as they stared.
"Is she even real?" one private whispered.
"She's like a goddess," another added.
Lennox snapped out of it first. He looked at the orange nightmare. "Get a grip," he shouted. "All of you," Lennox barked. "I don't care if she's the girl of your dreams or the princess of the Middle East. We have a skeletal shogun the size of a small building closing in," he added. "Eyes on the target, safeties off, and stay sharp. She might be beautiful, but we are the US Army," he said. "And we fight," Lennox shouted.
The soldiers jumped instantly as they re-engaged their weapons.
"Copy that, Boss," Epps muttered.
Goddess Bludgeon looked at Elita-1. His skull-face was grinning. His empty, glowing orange sockets looked forward.
Elita-1 stood her ground. Her pink and white armor gleamed. "Bludgeon, you are a monster, you murdered many of my friends and allies," she said.
"Who are you talking about?" Goddess Bludgeon laughed. "The Keeper who I personally killed in the center of Cybertron," he said. "Or that traitor Catilla who I hunted down and slashed him with my blade," he added as he touched the hilt of his sword.
"You monster," Elita-1 said. "You also were behind the genocide of them," she added.
"You will die like the both of them," Goddess Bludgeon said.
Jasmine held her Red Hawk pistol. "He does not sound like a good person," Jasmine said as her eyes locked on the skeletal shogun.
"You should get to safety," Elita-1 said. "He is too dangerous," she added.
Jasmine smiled. "I choose to be here," Jasmine responded. "I will be with you the entire way," she added.
"Great Katana Strike," Goddess Bludgeon said as he unsheathed his heavy blade in a motion so fast it blurred. The vertical downward stroke cleaved through pavement and split the street for an entire block.
"Incoming," Lennox shouted. Epps, and Donnely opened up with sabot rounds and grenade launchers. The human fire peppered Bludgeon's heavy plating, but the Decepticon didn't even flinch.
The bullets bounced off Goddess Bludgeon. He paid no attention to them and moved forward.
Elita-1 and Jasmine jumped out of the way. They saw the street split into two as they dived away from the centre. Elita-1 rolled to a stop. Jasmine landed on her feet.
Elita-1 aimed her pink gun. She aimed down the sights and pressed the trigger and sent a pink laser bullet shrieking through the air.
Goddess Bludgeon moved his blade and deflected the blast. The blast went off to the side and hit a building which exploded. "Is that the best the elite leader has?" he remarked.
Elita-1 looked at him. "Elysian Chrono-Burst," Elita-1 said as her optics flickered with a sharp pink light as she overclocked her internal processors. She became a pink-and-white blur. She surged forward at a speed.
"Is that what you call speed," Goddess Bludgeon said. "Great Katana Strike," Goddess Bludgeon roared. He anticipated the blur and swung his massive, energized blade in a wide horizontal arc. The edge hummed as it sliced through the air, but Elita-1 dipped beneath the blade.
"Elysian Sting," Elita-1 said as her forearm plating shifted. She deployed twin superheated energon blades and stabbed into the seams of Goddess Bludgeon`s armor. She severed the hidden cooling lines and power cables beneath the plates.
Goddess Bludgeon ignored the sparks showering from his torso. "Great Kabuto Crush," he bellowed. His massive, reinforced samurai helmet went forward and lunged towards Elita-1.
Elita-1`s shoulder plate got hit and pierced. He moved his head and pinned the Autobot commander against a crumbling brick wall with a deafening crunch.
"Elita," Jasmine cried out as she raised her Red Hawk and fired twice. The high-caliber pierced Bludgeon's yellow kneepads. The impact vibrated through his leg and some fluid leaked.
"What?" Goddess Bludgeon questioned as he turned his skeletal face toward Jasmine. He thought about what that gun was.
Jasmine was twirling her Lasso of Submission like a cowboy. With a fluid snap of her wrist, she threw the glowing golden cord. It snared Bludgeon's sword arm.
Goddess Bludgeon felt his knees weakened. He swung his sword at the lasso.
"Dont," Jasmine shouted as she tugged the Lasso of Submission.
Goddess Bludgeon dropped to his knees. "What?" he questioned.
Elita-1 pushed off the wall. "Elysian Pulse," she said. Her forearm opened to reveal a cannon glowing deep purple. At point-blank range, she unleashed a pink beam that slammed into Bludgeon's chest. She scorched a black crater into his heavy plating.
Goddess Bludgeon fell backwards and the Lasso came off. He suddenly felt his strength come back. He looked at Jasmine and raised his sword. He felt sparks coming from his chest.
"Elysian Nova Rain," Elita-1 said as her shoulder launchers snapped into position. She unleashed a volley of micro-missiles. They went through the air and dropped down towards Goddess Bludgeon.
"You are just insects," Goddess Bludgeon said as he swung his sword blindly. "Great Blade Whirlwind," he said as he spun his massive body and created a tornado around him. The missiles hit the tornado and exploded. There was a large smoke cloud.
"Elysian Pulse," Elita-1 said as her forearm opened up. She fired a pink beam blasted forward. It went through the air towards Goddess Bludgeon.
Goddess Bludgeon jumped in the air. "Great Iron-Foot Stomp," Goddess Bludgeon as he came down and slammed his foot down. He shattered the street in a localised earthquake. Jagged stone shards shot upward like spears and flew everywhere.
Elita-1 dodged through the erupting debris. "Elysian Grace-Kick," she said as her thrusters flared with pink light. She delivered a devastating roundhouse kick directly to the side of Bludgeon's helmet.
Goddess Bludgeon raised his sword and swung it down.
Elita-1 dodged his blade. "Elysian Web-Tether," Elita-1 followed up as small ports on her wrists fired glowing lines of energized carbon-fiber. The cables snared Bludgeon's massive legs and anchored him to the broken asphalt.
"Elysian Void-Palm," Elita-1 quickly added. She thrusted her open hand forward. A concentrated beam hit the pinned Shogun in the stomach. The beam went through his hole. It sent him skidding backward until the tethers snapped. He was on his knee as he panted. There was fluid leaking from his gaping hole.
Goddess Bludgeon stood up once again. His silhouette flickered. "Great Ghost-Step," he hissed as he vanished into thin air and reappeared instantly behind Elita-1.
"Behind you," Jasmine shouted.
"How did that big thing move so fast," Epps remarked.
"Great Katana Strike," Goddess Bludgeon said as he slashed Elita-1 in the back. His sword cut her and sparks were sent flying into the air. Elita-1 collapsed down the ground.
Elita-1 panted. She thought that was a big hit.
Jasmine raised her Red Hawk and four twice. The high-caliber pierced Goddess Bludgeon's chest, neck and shoulder. The bullets pierced those points and went through. There was more fluid leaking.
"Epps. Donnely. Mount up!" Lennox shouted as they went towards an armored humvee. Epps hopped into the turret of the humvee. He pulled the bolt on the .50 caliber machine gun with a heavy clack. "I don't care if he's a shogun or a robot. He's gonna eat this lead!" Epps yelled.
Donnely got into the driver seat. Lennox sat in the passenger side. "Go, go," Lennox shouted.
"Die," Epps said as he opened fire. The heavy machine guns barked. Streams of tracer rounds slammed into Bludgeon's Goddess chest-plating. The sheer kinetic force forced the massive Decepticon to take a heavy step back.
"Great Seppuku Burst," he commanded as his chest plating hissed open to reveal a core swirling with volatile orange energy. He fired a beam of energy directed straight at the military vehicle. It went through the air.
"Incoming," Lennox said. "Bail out," Lennox screamed.
Epps jumped out from the top. Donnely and Lennox opened the door and jumped out. They rolled away. The beam slammed into the engine block. The metal liquefied instantly before the entire vehicle erupted in a violent fireball that sent jagged shrapnel whistling over the soldiers' heads.
"That was close," Epps said.
Jasmine lassoed a ledge and swung towards them. She landed gracefully. Are you all okay?" Jasmine asked.
Lennox, Epps and Donnelly looked at her. "We are," Lennox responded as he got to his feet.
"Okay," Jasmine responded. "We need to keep helping Elita-1," Jasmine said as she sprinted forward.
"You heard her," Lennox said as they all got up.
Elita-1 got up. "You murdered them," Elita-1 said. "Elysian Chrono-Burst," Elita-1 added as she ignited her thrusters. She rapidly closed the distance. "Elysian Sting," Elita-1 said as she deployed a pair of superheated energon blades. She swung her blade and carved a glowing 'X' across Bludgeon's exposed midsection. There was fluid which sprayed out.
Goddess Bludgeon roared. He swung his massive katana in a desperate arc. "Great Blade Whirlwind," he said as he tried to move his blade.
"Not this time, skull-face," Jasmine shouted as she leaped over a piece of rubble. Her Lasso of Submission glowed with a fierce, golden light. She threw the loop with perfect aim and snared his body. Jasmine thought the monster, the Mimic, dropped to his knees when she put the Lasso on him. She thought she could do it.
"Kneel," Jasmine shouted.
Goddess Bludgeon dropped to his knees. He felt his energy go. He could not deny her.
Elita-1 saw he was on his knees. "Elysian Grace-Kick," Elita-1 said as her boot vibrated. She swung her foot and collided with Goddess Bludgeon's yellow knee joint. The armor shattered like glass and the massive shogun slumped forward.
"Fire," Lennox shouted as he aimed his gun. He pressed the trigger and unloaded his rifle. The bullets went through the air and slammed into Goddess Bludgeon's body.
Donnely hauled a shoulder-mounted rocket launcher. "Take this," he said as he pulled the trigger. The sabot rocket shrieked across the street and hit the Goddess Bludgeon's head.
Epps unloaded his gun. Streams of armor-piercing rounds hammered into Goddess Bludgeon's plating. At that moment, more soldiers came up and unloaded their guns.
The impact was immense. The sheer volume of fire created a wall of kinetic energy that physically halted Bludgeon. Shards of metal were sheared off his shoulders, and the ornate kabuto helmet was pelted until sparks flew from its crown.
"You will pay for your crimes," Elita-1 said as she lunged forward. "Elysian Grand Pulse," Elita-1 added as her forearm cannon pressed directly into the imploding gap. She fired a large sustained, pink-violet beam of pure energy that burned straight through his spark chamber and out the back of his plating.
There were sparks coming from this body. "I lost," he said as he exploded. Goddess Bludgeon's body blew up and his metal plates went flying everywhere. His kabuto helmet clattered hollowly across the pavement before dissolving into ash.
Jasmine coiled her Lasso of Submission and put it on her waist. She walked through the settling ash to stand beside Elita-1. "We did it," Jasmine said, a triumphant smile brightening her face.
Elita-1 turned to her. "Your intervention was timed perfectly. Thank you for your help, Jasmine," she said.
"No thanks needed," Jasmine replied firmly. "We are on the same team, after all," she added. She then turned toward the scorched military vehicles and waved a hand to the men in the dirt. "And thank you all for the cover," she added.
The response from the squad was instantaneous. A chorus of cheers erupted from the weary soldiers.
"Did you see that? She smiled at me," Epps shouted as he threw his arms up in the air like he'd just won the lottery.
Donnely didn't even look at him. "In your dreams, Epps. That smile was definitely directed at me," he remarked.
Lennox stepped between them. "Focus, people! Settle down," he barked. "It isn't over yet," he said.
"You are correct," Elita-1 said. "Megatron still lives," she added.
Jasmine smiled. She checked the chamber of her Red Hawk. "Not for long," she said. "James will beat him," she said.
"That kid?" Lennox asked.
"Yes my man," Jasmine responded.
"Man?" Epps asked.
"Yes, we are getting married soon," Jasmine said.
"Nooo," the soldiers shouted.