dragonofdispair | Challenge 3, Part 2, Fill 4 (Darth Krande's)

For Darth Krande's entry here: http://okkkkay.livejournal.com/794.html

The battle was the biggest since Megatron’s defeat on Earth. Decepticons and Autobots had come from all corners of the known universe, answering the call of their leaders to one, last fight against the annihilation of their species. It was a threat bigger than all of them and even the Scavengers had come. Survival was their goal, but running wasn’t going to buy them more than a few moments’ extra life; fighting, risking life and spark, wasn’t a great prospect either, but it was one that gave them a chance.

No one had been more surprised with the tides of battle had brought them into a tight formation with the DJD. Fulcrum’s payload had been long removed, so he felt nothing more than the ever-present thrill of fear as he took cover behind the big tank, using his bulk and armor to snipe away enemies. He didn’t even see, really, who he was using for cover. He was big, well-armored and a living mech — that was all that was important in this fight.

Nearby he heard Misfire’s frantic whoop! of glee and Grimlock’s answering roar as a gout of flame seared away a swath of enemies. The big dinobot dove into the fray with berserker fearlessness, and Misfire, the Decepticon who could hit anything but what he aimed at, clung to the T-rex’s skull, surrounded by enemies so thickly it hardly mattered if his missed. There was always another enemy in the shot’s path.

All around him, similar partnerships formed. Tanks carried minibots into combat, jets trined with anyone who had two minutes free to make a bombing run regardless of faction…

And Fulcrum came face-to-mask with Tarn.

He squeaked and scrambled away, but the DJD’s leader had other things to think about than a cowardly K-class who’d refused to jump.

Battle kept his systems from calming, but panic ebbed. He was no berserker like Grimlock, to be carried through a fight on rage and pain and fear. If he let panic take over, he’d run, then he’d die because there was no place to run too. This fight would be won, or lost and all he could do was his part to influence that outcome. So he forced panic from his mind…

…Just in time to see the HUGE tentacle rise up to swat Tarn.

He called out. Maybe it was “Look out!” because Tarn turned to look, but Fulcrum couldn’t hear himself as he moved, scrambling up and over the tank’s armor to get his shot in at the tentacle’s one weak-point…