Transformers: Retribution Read Online Free PDF Page A

like I’m going to do now.” He drew his cutlass back for the killing blow. But as he did so, Megatron stepped past him, grabbed his one good leg, and flipped him onto his back. The Star Seeker leader tried to pull himself to his feet only to realize that Megatron hadn’t let go—he was still holding on with one hand while he brought a fist down toward Thundertron’s head. The pirate took the shock of the blow with his sword, then swung the weapon in a quick arc; Megatron released his grip, jumping back to save his own arm.
    “So quick,” said Thundertron. “So far from enough.”
    “So try this,” Megatron said, catching the hilt of Thundertron’s cutlass and sending it hurtling from his grasp. But Thundertron grabbed Megatron’s wrists, pulling them apart, getting him in an armlock, and twisting.
    “How does it feel, Megatron? To know that yours is the setting sun? Would you like to know where I’m going when I’m done here? I’ll tell you:
Cybertron itself
. Your planet will pay for all its crimes. It’s just too bad you won’t be alive to hear the screams.”
    “Such an active imagination,” said Megatron, surging power into his arms—pulling himself free, then whirling back on Thundertron and smashing him in the face so hard that pieces of metal flew. Thundertron staggered backward, and Megatron closed in.
    “Let’s get back to that lesson,” he said.
    He grabbed the pirate leader’s body and hurled him headlong to the rocky surface, then moved in for the kill. But before Megatron could deliver a killing blow, Thundertron reverted to his lion mode and rolled clear of Megatron’s mighty kick. Megatron swung his fusion cannon around for a clear shot, but Thundertron kept moving, staying one step ahead of Megatron’s shots and then leaping in, shifting back to his robot form and smashing the side of Megatron’s head with the side of his cutlass, sending the Decepticon leader reeling backward.
    “What’s the matter, Megatron? Not used to fighting a real warrior? That’s because you’re
weak
.” Thundertron raised his glowing blade and swung it at Megatron.
    “Don’t make me laugh!” Megatron brought his arms up, fending off a dizzying rain of blows.
    “What’s that? I couldn’t hear you over the sound of me beating you senseless!”
    Megatron dropped to one knee as a particularly vicious swipe passed over his head. “I’ll give you this, pirate: You’ve lasted longer than most of my opponents.”
    “But you’ll last only a few more minutes,” said Thundertron.
    “G ET US IN CLOSER !” C ANNONBALL YELLED. T HE
T IDAL
Wave
rocked as rocket and laser fire impacted all along its armored hull. The main viewscreen displayed hundreds of warrior robots darting in and out of the asteroid field. Cannonball cursed under his breath as Sandstormwrestled the
Tidal Wave
around the
Nemesis
’s flak envelope. Cannonball had lost his leader’s signal in the swarm of activity. On the one hand, he admired Thundertron’s boundless courage. On the other, sometimes he wished the pirate king would place a greater premium on teamwork than on personal glory.
    Brimstone was too busy to ponder such abstractions. His throat was almost hoarse as he barked ceaselessly into the shipwide com, directing damage control teams to where they would do the most good. Frankly, he wasn’t sure how much more of this assault the
Tidal Wave
could take. With the Requiem Blaster no longer a factor, the flagships were just too evenly matched and he was acutely aware that the Star Seekers would be doomed without their ship. He turned to Cannonball.
    “We can’t take much more of this kind of punishment!”
    “No surrender!” Cannonball shot back. “No retreat!”
    “If we lose the ship—”
    “We will
not
lose the ship!”
    “We will if we don’t withdraw!”
    Cannonball took a hard look at the tactical display. The only way they could win was to get close enough to the
Nemesis
for a killing broadside. But the