Transformers: Retribution Read Online Free Page B

Star Seekers weaved in and out of the asteroid field, blazing away, chasing one another even as they tried to shake off pursuers. Fleet order on both sides had broken down rapidly, giving way to hundreds of furious dogfights. Clouds of debris testified to the losses both sides had suffered.
    But at the center of the mayhem were the two flagships. The
Nemesis
and the
Tidal Wave
unleashed withering broadsides at each other, each ship pounding away at close range, maneuvering furiously to gain an advantage. Any shot that missed inevitably hit one of the myriad asteroids, sending pieces of rock flying in all directions, crushing friend and foe alike. It was the same for any lesser vehicle caught in the path of one of the behemoths. Both ships smashed everything in front of them into road-kill in their eagerness to get at each other.
    “Show these cretins no quarter!” Megatron yelled. Soundwave said nothing; he was too busy piloting the
Nemesis
, doing his best to keep it out of the arc of the
Tidal Wave
’s larger guns. The catamaran was larger than the
Nemesis
and possessed significantly more firepower. But the
Nemesis
was more agile, particularly with Soundwave at the helm, coaxing maximum performance from the craft’s computers. The
Tidal Wave
was clearly tryingto get close enough to board the Decepticon warship, but Soundwave wasn’t about to oblige it. Once the two ships locked together, anything could happen. And winning these kinds of duels was all about calculated risk.
    “Cowards!” Thundertron yelled from his perch atop the
Tidal Wave
. “Are you afraid to face me, Megatron?”
    “What do you call this?” Megatron said as the
Nemesis
spun past the
Tidal Wave
, riddling it with a series of energy blasts.
    “I call it not taking things personally enough! Let’s do this, Megatron! Right here, right now, and may the best bot win!”
    “You’re on,” Megatron said. A hatch behind the
Nemesis
’s bridge opened, and he roared out in spaceship mode, his disklike shape a stark contrast to the metallic lion that now careered toward him. Thundertron’s alt-mode was enough to strike fear in even the hardiest bots: A giant laser protruded from his mouth, and his claws rippled with energy. Blasts ripped past Megatron as he zigged and zagged toward Thundertron. In the background he caught a glimpse of Starscream and his jet troopers conducting strafing runs on the
Tidal Wave
, knocking out gun emplacements and engines. Dueling pirates and Decepticons were everywhere, the battle spilling onto one of the larger asteroids. Megatron landed on that rock, reverted back to his humanoid form, and let fly with his fusion cannon at Thundertron. But Thundertron was nothing if not fast; he dodged the fusillade and alighted nearby, switching out of his lion mode as he charged his foe, swinging his cutlass. Limbs and heads flew as he carved a path straight to the Decepticon leader, who beckoned him forward.
    “So glad you could join me,” Megatron said.
    “This is the way it should be,” Thundertron screamed. “You and me, face to face!”
    “Do you have to yell so loud?”
    “Prepare to have your spark extinguished!” Thundertron’s cutlass met Megatron’s fists. Sparks flew as the two clashed; lesser bots backed away in all directions to give the main contenders some space. Megatron’s expression was one of contempt.
    “You may have done well against low-rent stellar trash,” he told Thundertron, “but now you’re facing Cybertron’s greatest gladiator. There’s more than a few lessons for you to learn today. And I think we’ll start with—”
    But he broke off as Thundertron suddenly intensified the speed of his attack. His cutlass was a blur; Megatron was barely able to parry the ferocious onslaught. Thundertron drove him steadily backward, snarling the whole way.
    “You Decepticons think you’re the only warrior race. But there’s a reason your empire collapsed. The universe
wrote you off
, Megatron, just