Transformers: Dark of the moon rewrite

Chapter 9: Battle in Washington, DC

We then cut back to the Underbase where we see Bumblebee in the training room beating up a punching bag with a picture of Mirage's face scribbled on it taking his anger out on the dummy until he blows up the dummy with his plasma blaster. Arcee then enters the room, asking Bumblebee if he's okay. Bumblebee tells her that he wants to give that traitor Mirage a piece of his mind. Arcee tells Bee that he's taking this betrayal a little too hard. Bumblebee tells her that he wishes he could have figured out Mirage was the traitor sooner that way he could have prevented the Decepticons siege of the Metroplex. Arcee places her hand on Bumblebee's chest, telling the yellow Autobot not to be so hard on himself and that he couldn't have known. Bumblebee retaliates by telling Arcee that he should have known, saying that it was super obvious from the get-go that Mirage was hiding something given how suspicious he's been acting ever since he joined team prime. Arcee begins to feel sorry for Bumblebee, assuring him that it's okay and that the team managed to all make it out alive thanks to his bravery followed by the two Autobot lovers sharing a romantic moment together. we then cut to Director Faireborn contacting Simmons to inform him that the Decepticons have returned and are planning a large-scale invasion of Earth using a hidden fleet that was discovered on the dark side of the moon by NASA decades ago. Simmons is disturbed to hear of the Decepticons return and tells Faireborn that he'll be on his way before hopping in his Cadillac and arriving at the Underbase. Spike and Bumblebee are both happy to see Simmons again, telling him that he watched his debate with Shawn Berger before Bumblebee blew up the TV. Bumblebee apologizes while Simmons tells Spike that one of these days he's gonna give Mr. Berger a piece of his mind. Chip then runs up to Simmons and shakes his hand, Chip fanboying over Simmons saying that he's a big fan of his new book "code-name hero" showing off his copy. Simmons then signs his autograph on Chip's copy of the book with a sharpie before Wheelie hops out of Chip's backpack and starts zipping around his legs, Chip telling Simmons that Wheelie's just as excited to see him too before Kicker shows up to greet Simmons with a fist-bumps, saying that he hasn't seen him since the battle of Egypt asking what brings him here, and Simmons tells Spike and co. that Director Faireborn informed him that Megatron and the Decepticons are back after a 3-year-long hiatus and are planning an invasion and that he wants to do what he can to help the Autobots and N.E.S.T. put a stop to it. after that, we cut to the Washington, DC subway station where we see a bunch of civilians board a nearby train (which is actually Astrotrain in disguise) only for the train's door to suddenly close on the people and the Decepticon insignia appears on Astrotrain's interior TV screens, Astrotrain telling the civilians they are being held hostage in order to get the Autobots to hand over the pillars before his bullet train mode starts moving. we then cut to the battlechargers Runamuck and Runabout in their rally fighter modes driving through the streets of Washington, DC crashing through traffic causing mass human casualties before Junkheap in his garbage truck mode joins the fun of causing collateral damage, spilling toxic sludge from the back of his garbage truck mode that causes cars to slip and slide and crash into each other and explode. however unbeknownst to them an Energon detector nearby has picked up their signatures. we then cut back to the Underbase where Director Faireborn informs the Autobots that Decepticon activity has been detected in Washington, DC and that they're holding innocent civilians hostage. Optimus clenches his fist, saying that they must be after the pillars. Sentinel steps in and tells Director Faireborn "the pillars must stay with me, for I am the only one who can activate them, without me the Decepticons won't be able to use them for their wicked ends". Optimus understands the sentiment, but warns Sentinel that holding onto them will put a target on his back. Sentinel tells Optimus "I would gladly lay down my life if it meant keeping them out of Decepticon hands, for the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few". Optimus then tasks Ironhide and the twins with protecting Sentinel while Bumblebee, Arcee, Blurr, and Wheeljack will rescue the hostages and Ratchet will stay behind and prepare sick bay. Optimus exclaims "Autobots, transform and roll out!" followed by all the Autobots transforming into their vehicle modes while N.E.S.T. personnel attach the pillars to the top of Sentinel's vehicle mode. the Autobots then transform into their vehicle modes followed by Spike, Carly, Kicker, Chip, and Elise hopping on their Autobot partners before heading for Washington, DC. upon arriving in DC the Autobots each split up: Optimus, Ironhide, and the twins go with Sentinel while Bumblebee, Arcee, Blurr, and Wheeljack chase after the runaway train. however they are intercepted by Runamuck and Runabout. Spike tells the others hat they've got company and Bumblebee orders Blurr and Wheeljack to keep the two of them distracted while he and Arcee try to stop the runaway train. Elise shouts "get 'em Blurr!" and Blurr transforms into robot mode to blast the battlechargers with his laser rifle to keep them distracted while Bumblebee and Arcee swerve left to go after Astrotrain all the while Mirage watches the commotion in his Ferrari convertible mode from his rear-view mirror before chasing after Bumblebee and Arcee. the battlechargers dodge the blasts fired from Blurr's laser rifle before driving off ramps and transforming into their robot modes mid-air before charging across the highway crashing through traffic, Blurr using his super-speed to dodge the incoming cars being flung towards him before telling Wheeljack to cover him. Wheeljack then transforms into robot mode followed by Blurr and Wheeljack ejecting both their human partners from their chest compartments, Chip and Elise both using their grappling hook gauntlets to grab the battlechargers by the head to keep them distracted but hop off before Wheeljack uses his time-bubble gun on Runabout and Runamuck freezing them in place followed by Blurr kicking the twin Decepticons off the edge of the overpass telling them good riddance. Elise then says "Just like the simulations" before both her and Chip high-five. Chip tells Elise that the two of them make a great team before Wheelie pokes his head out of Chip's backpack to make an affectionate beeping noise. Wheeljack then kneels down to tell Chip and Elise that if it weren't for his inventions they would be Decepticon fodder so they have him to thank for that. After that we cut to Junkheap finding the battlechargers underneath the overpass and transforms into his robot mode telling the two to get back up, saying that Shockwave is counting on them. Runamuck and Runabout both get back up and tell the two that they're fine and can't wait to give those Autobots a piece of his mind followed by the three Decepticons transforming into their vehicle modes and driving off. After that, we cut to Bumblebee and Arcee pursuing the runaway Astrotrain, Carly noticing civilians trapped inside the Decepticon bullet train and radios Spike informing him of the situation and that she thinks the train is a Decepticon. Spike understands the severity of the situation and asks Bumblebee if he can get him close enough. Bumblebee tells him he'll try before both him and Arcee corner Astrotrain from both sides of the tracks. Spike climbs on top of Bumblebee's Camaro mode and tells Carly to follow his lead followed by Carly standing on top of Arcee's motorcycle mode. Spike and Carly both fire their grappling hooks through the windows of Astrotrain's bullet train mode before climbing inside and telling the civilians to stay calm saying that the Autobots are here to save them. Meanwhile Bumblebee and Arcee transform into their robot mode and leap on top of Astrotrain, Bumblebee saying that he hopes Spike knows what he's doing, Arcee telling him "same with Carly" before Mirage drives up to Astrotrain in vehicle mode and transforms into robot mode to leap on top of the moving Decepticon locomotive and confront Bumblebee and Arcee, Bumblebee less than thrilled to see Mirage again after he betrayed the Autobots. Mirage tries to tell Bumblebee and Arcee that he doesn't want to fight, telling the two that they can make things so much easier if the Autobots would just surrender to the Decepticons. Bumblebee shouts "NEVER!" and whips out his wrist-blade ready to stab Mirage, however Mirage easily blocks Bumblebee's blade with his rapier. Mirage then kicks Bumblebee causing him to stumble and fall on his back, the impact of his fall shaking the train causing Spike to fall over and his ring box to fall out of his pocket, but manages to grab it before Carly can notice. Mirage then pins Bumblebee to the ground, holding his rapier up to the little yellow Autobot's neck. However 'Bee is saved by Arcee who takes aim at Mirage with her crossbow before firing a shot that he dodges. Mirage then spares Bumblebee and turns his attention to Arcee, deflecting her blasts with his rapier while Bumblebee gets back up and tells Arcee to run. however Arcee refuses to back down, telling Bumblebee that she can handle him. Mirage then turns invisible which catches Arcee off-guard causing her to fire her crossbow aimlessly hoping to hit her invisible target if she gets lucky, however she misses every shot and the invisible Mirage sneaks behind her ready to go in for the kill, however Bumblebee saves her with his stingers electrocuting Mirage causing his cloaker to deactivate and for him to fall off the train and into the street below. Bumblebee asks Arcee if she's okay, and Arcee tells Bumblebee that she'll be fine. Meanwhile Spike tries to kick Astrotrain's door open, but it won't budge. Spike radios Bumblebee asking for some assistance, and Bumblebee rips off Astrotrain's door before telling everybody to hop on. All the civilians along with Spike and Carly climb on top of Bumblebee and Arcee before the two Autobots hop off the runaway Astrotrain and tell Spike and Caly to get the other humans to safety. As soon as Spike and Carly help evacuate the civilians, Astrotrain transforms into his gargantuan robot mode to pin down both Bumblebee and Arcee. Mirage gets back up on his feet and thanks Astrotrain for the assistance and to finish them both off for him. However Astrotrain is suddenly shot in the back by Optimus Prime with his shoulder-mounted rocket launcher causing him to drop both Bumblebee and Arcee. Optimus readies his arm-mounted chainsaw however Astrotrain knows better not to mess with Optimus Prime and transforms back into his bullet train mode to retreat. Bumblebee is glad to see Optimus again, and Prime drops his weapons and tells Bumblebee that he came as soon as Spike and Carly told him that they were in trouble. Spike and Carly step out from behind Optimus's feet followed by Bumblebee asking who's protecting Sentinel, and Optimus tells his little yellow friend that he requested Director Faireborn to send in the commandos for backup and that help is on the way. We then cut to Lennox, Epps, Donnelly, Burke, and Graham driving armored humvees while Kicker rides in the bed of Ironhide's pickup truck mode guns at the ready in case any Decepticon tries to attack from behind. Lennox radios Kicker, asking if he and Ironhide spot any incoming enemies and right on cue Shockwave in his purple Cybertronian tank mode rolls in crushing cars under his massive treads before firing blasts from his tank turret forcing Ironhide and the twins to swerve out of the way. Kicker tells Lennox that they've got a big one on their hands. Lennox and his men along with Kicker open fire on the massive purple tank, and even though they're successfully slowing Shockwave down they can't stop him on their own and are forced to fall back when Shockwave transforms into robot mode and starts firing back at them causing Kicker to fall out of the back of Ironhide's vehicle mode forcing the commandos to fall back to help their fallen comrade. However help is on the way when Wheeljack arrives on the scene using his time-bubble gun on Shockwave freezing him in place allowing the others to get away safely. We then cut to Junkheap and the battlechargers pursuing Sentinel only for Ironhide, Sideswipe, and Sunstreaker to transform into their robot modes to stop the three Decepticons in their tracks leading to the three Decepticons and three Autobots all pointing their weapons at each other, Sunstreaker saying "woah, looks like we got a little Mexican standoff here!" Followed by Ironhide saying "weapons down" and Sideswipe saying "and we'll let you escape with your dignity". All six opponents drop their weapons, however Junkheap fires a blast of corrosive acid from his mouth that Ironhide luckily manages to dodge but hits a nearby sign causing the sign to melt which grosses out the poor twins. the battlechargers then both draw their weapons, Runamuck wielding a pair of arm-mounted flamethrowers and Runabout wielding a pair of arm-mounted blades. Sideswipe then kicks one of the guns Wheeljack built towards Ironhide who is glad to be able to test out his new weapons on a REAL Decepticon this time. Ironhide shoves the gun into Junkheap's mouth to prevent him from using his acid breath and shouts "Decepticon punk!" before pulling the trigger and kills Junkheap by blowing his brains out. Sideswipe picks his katanas up to lock blades with Runabout while Sunstreaker dodges Runamuck's flamethrowers before picking up his twin pistols to fire back at him. The twins then get the idea to switch weapons and Sideswipe tosses his katanas to Sunstreaker while Sunstreaker tosses his pistols to Sideswipe. Sunstreaker then slices Runamuck's flamethrowers off with his brother's katanas while Sideswipe shoots off Runabout's blades with his brother's pistols followed by Sunstreaker decapitating Runamuck while Sideswipe delivers a headshot to Runabout. Ironhide puts his guns away telling the twins "class dismissed" followed by the twins switching back to their normal weapons. meanwhile the commandos help Kicker back up followed by Optimus, Bumblebee, Arcee, Wheeljack, and Blurr arriving on the scene. Spike, Carly, Chip, and Elise all hop off their Autobot partners to rush to Kicker's aid, Carly asking Kicker if he is okay. Kicker tells her that he's fine and that he's glad to see her, followed by Spike intervening to ask the commandos if Sentinel and the pillars are safe, followed by Sentinel transforming into his robot mode. Optimus asks Sentinel what's wrong, and Sentinel tells Optimus that he senses something coming. we then see a familiar-looking Chinook helicopter swoop in and fire a missile at the Autobots, Optimus telling the Autobots to duck for cover before pushing Sentinel out of the way followed by the missile hitting the ground knocking all the Autobots off their feet while the humans run for cover. the Chinook then turns out to be Megatron who transforms into robot mode mid-air before landing in front of the Autobots. Sentinel then walks up to Megatron which confuses Optimus, asking what he's doing. Megatron aims his fusion cannon at Sentinel, demanding him to hand over the pillars followed by Sentinel whipping out one of the pillars to Megatron all the while Ironhide readies his guns saying "I don't believe it". Megatron asks if this is some kind of Autobot trick before telling Sentinel "you can't fool me old mech, I was trained by you but you rejected me in favor of choosing Optimus to be the next prime!" followed by Sentinel telling him that this is no trick and that he now regrets passing the torch to Optimus going as far as to say that he failed the Cybertronian race by launching the Allspark into space and letting their planet die, saying that he has now seen the light before telling Megatron that he has come to propose an alliance between the Autobots and Decepticons to help rebuild Cybertron together and fix what Optimus broke, offering his hand to the baffled Megatron. Lennox asks Sentinel what's going on here, asking the old prime if he's fraternizing with the enemy before telling him nicely to back away from the Decepticons or they'll shoot followed by Epps, Donnelly, Burke, and Graham aiming their weapons at Sentinel who tells them "your primitive earth weapons do not intimidate me. I am a prime, I do not take orders from lower life forms like you" followed by Optimus asking Sentinel if he's gone mad. Sentinel tells Optimus that Megatron has shown him the truth and that the Decepticons are trying to clean up Optimus's mess by rebuilding Cybertron. Sentinel tells Optimus to cast aside his pride and re-join him as master and student once more alongside Megatron and for the Autobots and Decepticons to put aside their differences and work together for a better tomorrow followed by the other Autobots aiming their weapons at Sentinel. Optimus refuses Sentinel's offer, telling his old master that the Decepticons can't be trusted saying that they were responsible for the war that destroyed their planet and that if Megatron gets what he wants he will unleash an army of Decepticons upon the Earth and that they'll enslave the human race and use them as a slave labor force to rebuild Cybertron, Optimus trying to get Sentinel to come to his senses by saying "you were the one who told me that freedom was the right of all Sentient beings, weren't you? how is THAT freedom!?" all the while Sentinel looks down on Optimus with disappointment and tells him that in desperate times some sacrifices need to be made before Megatron aims his fusion cannon at Optimus. Ironhide then takes the hit for Optimus who shouts "Ironhide NO!" causing Ironhide to bleed Energon profusely before falling to the ground. Kicker rushes towards Ironhide's aid in spite of Lennox ordering him to stand down, but Kicker doesn't listen and stays by his Autobot partner's side begging for him to get up. Ironhide then struggles to get back up, telling Kicker not to worry about him and that he doesn't go down that easily saying at as long as he still functions he just keeps on fighting before standing up and cocking his guns ready to protect Kicker. Megatron looks down at Ironhide and utters the quote "such heroic nonsense" as a callback to the 1986 animated movie. Megatron then puts his hand on Sentinel's shoulder and tells him to execute the Autobot to prove himself trustworthy. Sentinel whips out a cosmic rust gun but hesitates at first to execute a fellow Autobot but thanks to Megatron yelling at him to "DO IT!" Sentinel pulls the trigger and fires a blast of cosmic rust at Ironhide killing the Autobot weapons expert in front of Optimus, Kicker, and everyone else. Ironhide's last words are "Run Kicker!" before being disintegrated by the cosmic rust while Kicker gets down on his knees and sheds a tear for his fallen partner while Optimus kneels down to comfort the grieving Kicker. Sentinel notices Kicker crying over his fallen Autobot partner and tells him that he has some sympathy for the puny human's loss but he did what had to be done. Kicker then gets angry and points his gun at Sentinel, telling him that he will PAY for Ironhide's death only for Spike and Carly to grab the enraged kicker and drag him to safety while Optimus whips out his Ion blaster and opening fire on the two ready to avenge Ironhide while Bumblebee rushes in with his plasma blaster to aid Optimus. Sentinel then whips out his cosmic rust gun and aims it at Bumblebee followed by Optimus yelling at the yellow Autobot to get out of the way. the twins then rush in to protect Bumblebee only for Sentinel to blast Sunstreaker with the Cosmic rust gun. Sideswipe then rushes to his brother's aid and kneels down to cradle his brother in pieta pose. Sunstreaker then looks at his twin in the eyes and tells him "goodbye brother" before he succumbs to the cosmic rust and disintegrates in his brother's arms. Sideswipe then gets up and readies his katanas before rushing towards Sentinel to avenge his brother, slicing the cosmic rust gun in half to prevent Sentinel from using it. however Sentinel kills Sideswipe by impaling him on his sword before turning his attention to Megatron and handing him the pillar followed by Megatron congratulating him on proving his worth before taking the pillar from Sentinel's hand followed by Shockwave, Astrotrain, and Mirage arrive on the scene to regroup with their leader. Megatron tells the other 'cons that they got what they came here for and the four transform into their vehicle modes and escape while the Autobots are too busy being distraught over the deaths of Ironhide and the twins.