(Idaho, EDC Operations Base#34)

 

Welcome to the Earth Defense Command, or EDC for short. Here in the year of 2034, Earth has developed one of its most powerful militaries, consisting of personal originating from 102 countries, which included all of Europe, the Americas, Parts of Eurasia, and southern Africa. It was founded in 2006, after discovering Cybertronian technology in 1984. The United Nations Security Council agreed to fund the development of an organization dedicated to Earth's protection, though not all members enlisted in this endeavor. 

 

With its worldwide blanket of guardianship, the EDC has surpassed all other nations in terms of manpower and technological prowess. Using the discarded Cybertronian tech, its scientists and engineers designed large bipedal weaponry derived from deceased mechanical bodies of ages past. Not just bodies, but ships as well were found, providing ample opportunities for an upgrade, whatever that entailed. Now one of its bases located in Idaho endures another day of keeping the peace, showing signs of clear skies and smiles on the soldiers' faces. If only it remained so. 

 

“Sir,” an officer stationed in the communications center said to his superior, who drew a glance over to him. “Come take a look at this.”

 

An older man strolled to his subordinate, looking over the radar with him. “What is it?”

 

“I’m picking up unknown hostilities approaching our position, sir. So far, we only have one listed.”

 

“Okay,” the older man nodded, looking back at the other officers. “Have all forces on standby in case things get ugly, and contact the local mechanoid teams. Tell him we may need their help.”

 

“Sir, the target is speeding up. It’s closing in on us!” His subordinate relayed an update.

 

“What?”

 

“Hang on, let me try to hail it,” the comms officer picked up a wired radio connected to the console. “Unidentified aircraft, you are entering EDC-controlled airspace. Turn back now or land and prepare to be boarded.”

 

A minute passes with no response being received. Static could be heard over the airwaves, barring a few spikes in what sounded like breathing.

 

“I say again: unidentified aircraft, you are now entering EDC-controlled airspace. Turn back immediately or land and prepare to be boarded,” the comms officer repeated.

 

“Attention, insignificant worms of Earth,” a reply was finally heard, but not the good kind. “This is Skyquake, your rightful lord and master. Keep all eyes on my arrival as I tear your humble domain into minuscule chunks of organic trash!”

 

"Who am I speaking to on this frequency? Identify yourself immediately, or be forced to comply via lethal means."

 

"I already told you my name, earthworm! I am SKYQUAKE, your only lord and master. And don't you forget it, cause I will send you miserable freaks into the great beyond once and for all. Do you hear me, fleshing? Can you comprehend my words?"

 

The comms-operator wasn't buying it, shaking his head at this fool's declaration. "Sir, are you drunk?" 

 

"Drunk on possibilities to ending you, human! Have you considered your last words yet? Have you imagined the likely scenario of your demise? Have you, have you?" The voice continued annoyingly. 

 

"Sir, might I suggest therapy for your mental condition? I know one everyone here goes to, and he's certainly smarter than you," the comms-officer's snide remark elicited a few thumbs-ups. 

 

"Insolent worm!  For that unwarranted insult, you first shall suffer my wrath! Do you hear me!? Suffer my-," the manic voice was promptly cut off. The comms-officer turned to his superior. By now, the radar had lost the signal, which certainly developed feelings of worry. Although, it isn't difficult to imagine why.  

 

"All clear, sir. If there's nothing else, I'd like permission to-," his request was abruptly interrupted by rumblings, which appear to have emanated outside. "What the hell?"

 

"Let me reiterate for the ignorant ones," the voice came back, startling the officer. "You WILL suffer my wrath, you WILL die first in my massacre. And do you know why?" While confusion rose high, cracks began to form in the wall. Each line grew longer, giving way to a hollow center from which sunlight punctured through. Silence permeated the room, tension rising as some of the operators opted to leave. 

 

Until a large metal palm bursts through the hole, grasping the crumbling concrete wall. Thereafter, it moved the fragile barrier towards the left, becoming a newly formed pile of rubble while sunlight in greater quantities illuminated through. Blocking that light, however, was the giant responsible for creating this mess.

 

A large unfamiliar mechanoid with damaged parts on its forearms and four bloody stripes staining its face, alongside a deeply disturbing smile.

 

“Wha….” The comms operator tried to speak, his voice hesitant on words. “W-What the hell….are you?”

 

“Who am I, fleshing?” The giant replied, lowering his arm to grab the frightened operator, holding him up to his metal face. “Didn’t I tell you already?”

 

“N….No….?”

 

“I’m….” The giant placed a thumb on his prey’s head, flicking it off its body. A bloody geyser erupted from the headless corpse, red droplets falling like rain onto the floor, some marking the giant's hand. "Skyquake, your malevolent executioner. Master strategist and leader of the Predators. But above all...."

 

Skyquake threw the corpse into an abandoned chair, which rolled on its five wheels before toppling back under its new owner's forceful placement. As he wiped off the blood with his yellow chest, Skyquake turned around to find squads of infantry encircling the building below, soon joined by two battle tanks aiming their barrels at him. 

 

"I'm pure evil," he said to nobody, wearing a determined yet sadistic grin. "Evil which'll never die, even if every Autobot in the universe fought me. Especially.....HIM."

 

He jumped off the tower, freely falling towards the ground as bullets began whizzing by. It seems these humans were prone to fear-fueled attacks, piquing his imagination on various methods for murdering them. The concrete ground crumbled under his two large feet landing on it, catapulting bits and pieces towards some of the soldiers. Bullets were flying yet none made any impact, each of them deflecting off Skyquake's glaucous armor. With one lethal kick, the predator leader redirected their fire in a powerful gust of wind, intentionally sending two soldiers into a nearby fuel truck, exploding on contact. 

 

"What's wrong, fleshings? Out of ammo already?," Skyquake exclaimed, picking up a downed soldier in his right hand. "Too bad, cause I know you can dodge.....THIS!"

 

He threw the disoriented human straight into one of the tanks, denting its armor with a crimson splash. The turret fired an HE round, missing its intended target by mere inches. Skyquake leaped forward, using his back thrusters to cartwheel in mid-air, landing behind the tank. From there, he grasped the turret's gun barrel, where he proceeded to RIP the entire piece off. 

 

Still grinning like a madman, Skyquake kicked the decapitated tank onto its topside, stomping on the vehicle's exposed underside thus killing all four inside. Meanwhile, the second tank's crew watched in horror, immediately turning right and moving forward at rapid speeds. Skyquake, however, blocked the armored beast's path by means of a foot, halting its treads so forcefully they dislodged on the spot. At that moment, the predator stepped over the tank while casually strolling towards a new batch of soldiers, detached gun barrel in tow as a club. 

 

"Throw as many freaks as you want at me, freaks! No force in this whole wide universe could ever hope to stop me. And the reason is....." Skyquake readied his club with both hands, swinging downward at an incoming squad. None survived their fate, all five ending up as blood-ridden pieces of flesh sheathed in clothing. "Because I'm the greatest of all Decepticons! Better than Megatron...."

 

He swung at more soldiers, two of them sharing a similar fate.  

 

"Better than Archforce...."

 

Then more.

 

"Better than Talon...."

 

And more.

 

"Better than that loser Motorhead....."

 

AND MORE.

 

"Better than every tin-can from Cybertron still walking today," Skyquake exclaimed to an audience of corpses. "Especially YOU, OPTIMUS PRIME! I KNOW YOU'RE OUT THERE, COWARD! FACE ME AND DIE LIKE YOUR WORTHLESS AUTOBOTS!"

 

(Idado News 56, Helicopter 02, near Base#34)

 

"Folks, we are coming at you live with a birds-eye view of what's possibly the most disturbing event ever recorded on national TV," a female newscaster relayed the current events to millions watching or listening while inside a chopper, winds breezing at maximum. "Right now, a rouge mechanoid has begun rampaging through one of the EDC's vital fortifications. It is currently if this mechanoid's from another country or homemade, but all speculation points to the former. At any moment, the EDC should be launching flyers to counteract this mechanical nightmare."

 

Somehow, they didn't catch the story of Skyquake's previous rampage. How very odd.

 

(EDC Operations Base#34)

 

"Is that all you got?" Skyquake questioned his foe's strength, watching three attack helicopters encroach on his position. With the gun barrel in hand, the predator leader aimed for the middle chopper, pulling back his arm momentarily, then tossing it like a boomerang. The middle one got hit, its cockpit catching the full brunt, killing both of its occupants. It exploded on impact, producing a charcoal smoke cloud. 

 

Skyquake took an opportunity to blast towards their spot, jet boosters on highest levels. He next reached for the left one, dashing at extreme velocity. Missiles were fired in threes, each equipped with heat-seeking specifications. But that didn't matter, since the predator held his own countermeasure: namely his metal fist penetrating the left copter up to its rotating blades, which stopped completely. He severed the blades off their connection point, adjusting them in his other hand before using them as a throwing star to down the last one. As the missiles fell from loss of signal, Skyquake removed the copter skin from his left arm, letting it drop onto the ground below. 

 

"Is that all you got, humans?! Don't tell me you're weaker than I imagined," Skyquake exclaimed, disappointed so far. "Fight me! Then BOW to my magnificence! BOW like you've never....huh?"

 

Just then, sounds of jet engines were heard a few miles from his hovering spot. In the distance, a squadron of four aircraft soared into view, running on twin engines from the back.

 

“Reinforcements already? Wow, these freaks are desperate, almost as desperate as Starscream demanding leadership,” the thought certainly resurfaced some old amusing memories. “But alright, let’s see how truly pathetic they are.”

 

To his surprise, the newly arrived fighters converted into a humanoid robot mode, hovering on thrusters attached to their feet. Their bodies were thin as a supermodel, barring their bulky forelegs and visible plane wings on their backs. Harsh sunlight reflected off its glossy silver metal, bits of black painted on the knees and wrist-guards for variety. Lastly, their heads contained a monoeye hidden behind a visor, their lower jaw covered by cooling vents. It seems the humans developed their own Transformers as weapons eitther for destruction or protection. 

 

Interesting.

 

“Hello, what do we have here? More desperation on part of the freaks?”

 

One of them unveiled a rifle from its back skirt, aiming directly at Skyquake. The other three followed suit, eagerly awaiting orders to fire.

 

“Ha! Good luck trying to hit me. I’ve dodged laser cannons bigger than your puny squirt guns,” Skyquake scoffed at their weaponry. “You don’t honestly think you can kill me with those, don’t ya?”

 

“Attention, unidentified mechanoid,” the middle one’s pilot said through a speaker. “By order of Article six of the EDC charter, you are hereby decreed to surrender now or face total annihilation. I repeat, surrender now or face total annihilation.”

 

"Hmm....." Skyquake pondered on that demand momentarily, smiling at its absurdity. "How about.....No."

 

"This is your final warning: surrender now or face total annihilation."

 

"I think you've heard my answer," the predator leader deployed his battle mask. "TIME TO DIE!"

 

(Below)

 

Optimus arrived at the base entrance, seeing black smoke rising from numerous fires across the base. He converted into robot mode, walking over the forsaken checkpoint closed to all visitors. Prime drew out his Ion Blaster, walking slowly as to avoid Skyquake's attention. He quickly gained speed in his steps, dashing towards the hanger then sliding into cover. 

 

From there, he observed the battle above, finding quite the gruesome mess. Skyquake swiftly made short work of two fighters, both falling into an igneous grave. With grisly palms in tow, he taunted both to attack head on.

 

Naturally, one of them complies, firing their rifle at him. Skyquake effortlessly dodged every shot, inching closer to his target. Following that, his right hand punctured the mechanoid’s torso, reaching deep into the cockpit. With such aggressive strength, he pulled the pilot outside, crushing him into crimson paste while the machine flew to its early death.

 

Optimus readied his blaster, aiming straight for the predator leader. His lock-on systems displayed a target reticle on Skyquake, additional data taking wind, distance, and bullet drop into account. With steady hands, closed left eye, and no sign of any sudden movements, Prime takes his chance and FIRES!

 

The orange shot blasted Skyquake’s rear thrusters, spiraling him into a downward arc, heading straight for the scorching base. In a blazing trail, he flew towards the barracks, now deserted after his initial attack began. He crashed into the building, a massive fireball spewing upward like an atomic nuke. Optimus turned his focus onto the hovering flyer, who hovered down to where Optimus was, landing right next to him. 

 

"Were you the one who saved me?" The pilot inside asked. 

 

"I believe your answer is over there," Optimus replied, pointing to where Skyquake fell. "Allow me to handle Skyquake. You're no match for him." 

 

"That's his name?" The female pilot remarked on that new piece of info. "How do you know this guy?"

 

"We fought on opposing sides during the great war. Believe me, he's more dangerous than you've ever imagined," the Autobot leader reasoned with her. "Let me handle him. You should go and rescue anyone trapped in those buildings he destroyed."

 

"And why should I trust you?"

 

"Like I said, I know him. We fought each other before. He's an opponent I'm familiar with," Optimus elaborated on his vague history with Skyquake. "Please, let me do this. Too many people have been hurt already."

 

The flyer glanced at Skyquake's crash point, turning back to Optimus. "Do you have a name, sir?"

 

"Optimus Prime," he answered confidently. 

 

"Optimus," the pilot repeated his name, almost whispering it. "Okay," she nodded the mechanoid's head. "I'll let you handle him, but I'm still radioing in a request for reinforcements. I'll tell Command that you're currently engaging.....'Skyquake'. Man, what a weird name."

 

"Even weirder than mine?" Optimus replied cheekily, raising an eyebrow. 

 

"That's.....hard to say," the pilot's vague answer didn't help, but now wasn't the time for name-shaming. If that's even a thing, of course. "Whatever, I'll handle rescue operations. You go get that scumbag."

 

"Sure," the Autobot leader nodded in response. "Be careful, soldier."

 

"You too.....sir," the pilot said her last piece before flying off deeper into the base, looking for wounded or anyone trapped in burning cages made from crumbling buildings. 

 

Optimus, meanwhile, turned his sights back to Skyquake, whose hands grasped the barrack's exterior as he slowly rose amidst the enveloping fires all around. Bruising littered his whole body, deep scratches exposing inner wiring and gears. The predator huffed out exhaust through his mouth, shaking his woozy head while blinking his optics out of unsteadiness. Soon, he returned the look of firmness onto Optimus, gritting his metal teeth under the mask. 

 

As he fully arose on his feet, Skyquake stepped out of the enflamed structure, itself collapsing under fiery circumstances. Although wobbly from the fall, willpower alone kept him on both feet, strolling over to his long-hated foe. Unfortunately, his legs gave out, kneeling unintentionally before Optimus. Alas, he stood up once more, unwilling to show weakness towards him.

 

"Optimus Prime," Skyquake muttered in exhaustion. "What took you so long?"

 

A long-anticipated engagement awaits, both sides ready with fists clenched. Who will win? Who will triumph? Who will prove their might over the other? 

 

Hard to say when the future's uncertain.