[Log] Delirium

[thepurpleone]

WHO: Donnie and open..!
WHAT: Purple boy is sick but he's getting better maybe probably
WHERE: Various locations aboard the R2
WHEN: The following week after the Path to Aeon



He saw Anemone floating ahead of him, the red light pouring in from the windows of the library tinting the soft blue wood of her body into a bruised purple...

"Annie..?" he tried calling out, but no sound left his throat. The distance between them stretched impossibly, the dark room and the red-lit windows slowly becoming a long, endless hallway flanked with mirrors. Desperately he reached out after her, helplessly watching a darkness build at the end he couldn't see, but it was quickly spreading. His mouth opened in a silent cry as he lost sight of Anemone, and then the darkness engulfed him as well.


The lights are too bright, the groan that leaves his throat sounding thick from the sludgy buildup there. He closes his eyes, hearing...something before he feels the poke of a straw by his lips. He sips automatically, the brief wash of water relieving his mouth of the general grossness before the straw is withdrawn and he's turning his face back into the comfort of the pillow beneath his head.

It's not long before sleep pulls him under once again.


"You have to have power to fight the battles that count, if you do nothing but give it away piece by piece then there will be nothing left when you need it most; and if that is the case then you have to take back power where you can."

Shockwave's words echoed across the empty space although the Decepticon himself was nowhere to be seen. No, not empty. Red filled every inch of it, and held the promise of glowing magenta the further out he looked. The coppery tang in the air was overpowering.

He didn't want to be here. But it was okay because soon the redness swallowed him up.


There's a weight on his chest. When he stirs, he feels it rumble, a familiar, comforting sensation. With some effort he frees a hand from his blankety bonds, bringing it to rest on the lump there. He's slightly startled to find that it feels furry, but his brain can't comprehend what that means right now. The furry thing still responds, shoving its head (?) against his fingers with a motor-like purr. He hears something else further off bark, and the rumbling abruptly stops, breaking off with a hiss.

The weight vanishes from on top of him, his hand dropping onto the covers, and for a moment he drags it around but feels nothing there. He's too tired to investigate further.


His body refused to move. Why was he so tired? He tried to pull himself to his feet and found himself collapsing again. Behind him, one of his appendages twitched, but he couldn't get it to lift. Father would be disappointed again. He looked up as he saw that masked visage, the sharp-toothed grin permanently etched on it hiding whatever expression might have actually laid beneath it. "Not yet..." Father murmured, wiping the frustrated tear trails from his face before sweeping a hand over his eyes. No, he didn't want to go back to sleep, the monsters were there- please Father-


He's tired of being in bed. But he's too tired to do anything else. It doesn't stop him from trying. His arms waver as he pushes himself up, and he drops back against the nest of pillows behind him. Won't his legs get smashed? The thought confuses him, but he can't grasp the thread to trace where it might have spawned.

He closes his eyes again.


Ants at a picnic. Distantly he knew he should do something, but Mikey wasn't there. Maybe that was for the best. The food was getting ruined and he didn't want his brother to get upset.

The ants were dying. They stopped moving, overtaken by strange growths, a stalklike antennae emerging from their backs. The edge of the blanket was rotting.

It was vaguely fascinating as much as it was horrifying. But before he could watch it spread any further, an owl swooped down and tore away the rotting half of the picnic blanket.


The beanbag cushioning beneath him squeaks within the material it's housed in. Donnie opens his eyes, not remembering even getting out of his bed, much less how he managed to get from there to the corner of his room. His arms shake as he pushes himself up, and once he's a little more upright, he rubs at his eyes to try clearing the bleariness from them.

For a long moment he just sits there, staring at the wall as he tries to herd his thoughts into some sense of order. It's like trying to scoop soup with a slotted spoon. ...mmm, soup.

Someone...had brought soup. At some point. He has no idea when. He doesn't even know how long he's been in bed. Whatever sickness Mortu had warned would hit him after treating that parasitical fungus in his brain, Donnie had not at all been prepared for this. A case of Rat Flu almost seems far more preferable. At least that was a relatively quick burn.

An attempt to stand ends up with him faceplanting on his bed. It could have been worse, he supposes. Navigating around the bed, he digs a hand under the pillow pile, frowning. He throws them all to the floor and stares uncomprehendingly at the empty space that's left.

Where's...his tech-bō?

Something in his gut twists as he remembers. He hears someone sob and it takes him a moment to realize it had come from him.


He wakes up again. He must have passed out on the edge of the bed. Pins and needles prickle up and down his feet and legs as he tries to move them, groaning as he stands.

It takes far too long for his liking to get out of his room and wash his face off so he can at least feel slightly more like a mutant turtle. Once he gets his mask on and the familiar weight of his goggles on his head, he feels a little more like himself.

For someone with backup plans for backup plans he finds himself sorely lacking for support to keep him upright. He tries not to think about the absence of his precious weapon as he makes his way to the edge of the recharge slab. On the way he's joined by a little fluffy white dog and something cat-shaped. ...if cats had six eyes and looked like they were part rat, with two tails. Donnie has to squint a bit before hazarding a guess.

"...Illex?"

The scrungly-looking thing rumble-purrs as it weaves around his legs. Okay. That's...new. But if Krivnaar's mimic could change into other creatures then perhaps Illex doing the same isn't completely unheard of.

The dog barks, trotting over happily, oblivious to the glare the mimic gives as it plants itself in front of Donnie. He can't help but smile a little. As a consolation prize for worst time at an auction ever, this has to be one of the better ones. That's all he allows himself to reflect on as he resumes heading towards the lift. …he doesn't want to deal with the lift.

"Hey, Vallum…" he starts, waving to catch the attention of the security golem towering over the edge. "Can I get a hand?"

Comments

I. Hallway

[thepurpleone]

The weight of his spider-shell is a little heavier than what he'd gotten used to with his latest design, but that one doesn't have the limb range he needs to keep from falling. Truthfully he probably shouldn't be wandering around like this, but to be sick and restless is the worst combination.

Past that, however? He has no idea. He hadn't thought that part through.

Donnie hugs the walls as he goes. There's a tram station somewhere, he knows. Maybe he should have just used his usual battle shell, except that would require having sharper reflexes to fly.

…maybe this was a bad idea.

II. Observation Room

[thepurpleone]

An endless sea of stars kept at bay by a thick wall of glass. Donnie's practically got his face pressed against the thing, his breath fogging it up every time he exhales. But it feels nice and cool against his skin.

He doesn't want to move. Correction, he probably couldn't even if he tried. Getting here had exhausted him, but this is his favorite place to be when he can't corral his thoughts, the easiest place to feel nothing. Of course, it's also the place he's had multiple breakdowns from said feelings, but so long as there aren't any conversations to be had, he's fine.

At least he knows if he falls asleep here he won't be in anyone's way…

[milesperhours]

Turning around the corner with a soundless slipstream, Tails maneuvers his Extreme Gear at a slower pace than what he'd usually use in barreling down the hallways; partially because he liked to take his time around the observation deck, partially because people would be distracted in looking outside instead of paying attention on the road. It would hardly do to have a collision accident in what's likely the most fragile place on the ship, as sturdy as this glass is. Wouldn't want to be the cause of a hull breach!

The intended purpose of taking this route today was to travel to the hydroponics lab, choose some plants for his room, and then skedaddle off with them in item boxes, but the flash of someone purple at the corner of his vision makes him pause and slow down.

Donnie...? Wasn't he still sick? Tails told himself that he would shoot a message to check in with him a week after he got back, but it seems the turtle was moving about earlier than expected. Either recovery was quickening because of mutant gene stuff, or he was out here unsupervised without anyone noticing. Anyway—what's the worst that could happen if he wasn't left alone?

Turning around the Ex-Gear, he makes his way over to settle near the glass, purposefully tapping a foot as he nears to make his presence known, as it looks like someone was getting sleepy. "Hey..." he adds before pausing, because what could he say other than the usual phrase? That might make Donnie try to dodge things, and the last thing Tails would want is to make him even more uncomfortable.

"...Do you mind if I join in watching?" he asks, a neutral, but amicable expression sitting on his face. It's what someone like Whisper would want to hear instead. Don't push the issue or get them to talk if they didn't want to, but if they wanted company, the least he could offer was to stick around in presence while they both did their own thing.

[thepurpleone]

Admittedly if he falls asleep as he is he's going to wake up with a horrible crick in his neck. It's probably for the best when Tails makes his presence known, the turtle blinking a few times before juuust managing to lift his head away from the window.

He stares over at Tails for a few seconds before the connection manages to spark a name to the face.

"Hey," he says somewhat belatedly, Tails already having moved on to his inquiry, and again Donnie blinks, but it takes a shorter time for him to parse the question at least.

"O-oh. No, not at all, knock y'rself out."

[milesperhours]

Yeah, okay. Not 100% lucid.

Nodding though, he hops off the Ex-Gear before docking the hoverboard behind him on the glass. Tails sits at an angle that lets him see both Donnie and the stars outside. He isn't sitting too close as to risk getting sick himself, while sitting comfortably in fetal position while he lets his tails wrap around.

For a bit, sky blue eyes stay focused on the outside, blurring the line between his reflection and a nebula in the distance. Huh... It looks vaguely familiar, but not enough to put a solid name on it.

"I... haven't actually sat up close to look outside like this before," he says, less as a conversational starter, and more as an observational note. "Not here, anyway. Just only had the drive-by view experience. Do you come here often?"

[thepurpleone]

Donnie smiles a little, happy for the company. It's way too easy to get lonely on this ship sometimes. He sighs, resting his head against the glass again.

In earlier times he'd eagerly look up what systems they were passing through, trying to find any identifying clusters of stars or catch a glimpse of planets. Sometimes he still does, but these days he just likes imagining that he's floating freely out in that starry sea.

"Best seat in the house," the turtle replies, at least seeming to pull his focus together a little better. "This is one of my favorite places on the ship."

[milesperhours]

"I can see why," slips some amusement into his voice. "But honestly, I can't guess at how many people wouldn't be amazed by the sight. Or at least, I don't think it'd ever grow old for me."

Being on the ARK, staring down the horizon between space and the curve of the Earth below... That's really the only time he slowed down to stargaze among the cosmos, when everything was over and... Eggman stood beside him. Every other instance he was among them, he was too busy being focused on a mission to really take a look. And, well, time is all he has now, so...

"What do you like about it? Space, I mean. I guess the obvious part would be it being really pretty, but—that's the easy answer. Besides that." A hand waves at himself in dismissal.

[thepurpleone]

"Space always seemed like the cool place to have adventures," Donnie says wistfully. "There's this movie franchise we've always loved- Jupiter Jim? We'd sit and watch over and over and imagine traveling to all the places he did... Saving the galaxy and being a space hero had to be awesome..."

When things go right, it still is. But old sci-fi movies don't ever touch on how exhausting being a hero is, or how trying it is to do the right thing. His smile is tight as such thoughts come up.

"...wish it was that simple all the time..."

[milesperhours]

Jupiter Jim? That's going on his backlog, then. Tails smiles at Donnie as he recounts the series, but dims at the turtle recalling his past naïveté. "...Yeah. That'd be nice, wouldn't it?"

It'd make things so much easier. Everything would be so much easier, if things went right all the time, and no one got hurt. No fighting, no wars, no need to hide, none of that. Some faint feeling bubbles in his head, before he blinks, and pops at it before it gets too far. Not right now, thank you.

"Do you wanna talk about it? Rubber duck debugging doesn't only have its use in programming you know. I know how easy it is to get lost in your own head and all." A glance back to the outside, "But it's also okay if you'd rather not. Sometimes, all you want to do is just... watch."

[thepurpleone]

It's easy to see when his thoughts turn inward, expression pinching at the thoughts lurking there. No.... He doesn't need to overthink now, and a part of him is thankful that he can't quite focus enough to manage a full spiral. Still, it takes some effort to dislodge that train of thought from its tracks.

The glass fogs up again with a heavy breath. His eyes flick towards it, watching it clear up gradually so he can see something of his face again, reflected.

"...don't know what to start with." There are so many things, but filtering through them had already been a problem even before his immune system tanked.

[milesperhours]

Tails' own face bunches up in worry. Was he asking this too early? Is it even the right thing to say? He was about ready to wave a gloved hand in the turtle's view, but sees Donnie reorienting himself, and lets out a little sigh of relief with the flick of an ear.

So there was too much to talk about. The classic problem. There's also the matter of how much he would want to give away, as much as they've gotten along swimmingly so far. What would be an optimal way to divide a megabyte into kilos? It's most definitely not as simple as that, but it's the easiest comparison he can draw for himself.

With a hum, a hand cups his jaw. "How about... one thing that happened recently? Something that happened a few hours ago, or maybe yesterday?" Perhaps even a week before, if he was daring to touch the topic, but considering the heavy weight in the atmosphere, it seemed unlikely.

[thepurpleone]

Donnie looks like he's bitten into something sour as Tails attempts such prompts. Not that he doesn't appreciate it but...

"I'm not even sure how long I've been up... Much less how long I was stuck in bed."

Any sense of time has gone out the window and he's a little afraid to find out just how long he's been out.

IV. Return to Sender

[thepurpleone]

The message had been heard. Truthfully, Donnie's not sure how much he actually understood of it. Even on the days when he wasn't sick, deciphering Soundwave II's brand of speech is like doing crossword puzzles.

At best, the turtle is on the mend. The fever seems to come and go as it pleases, but he can stay upright for longer periods of time so he's practically well so far as he's concerned. He still hasn't been able to scrape up enough reserves to focus, not that he's particularly felt like doing anything, project-wise.

Soundwave is in trouble. That much, Donnie understands. Moved, which implies that he's being restricted to do something. Not of the Decepticon's choice only underlines that point. Maybe Soundwave has the patience to play some long game, but Donnie does not.

Anger is the first true emotion he's felt in a while. It's a familiar one, the easiest to distinguish. It's something he's had to suppress throughout their mission and he's tired of holding back. He's tired of having the people he cares about, taken away from him, of things being taken from him in general.

Reckless, he knows. Dangerous, yes, he's aware of that too, but to a point, he doesn't quite care. He's latched onto this urge to do something, and so he tracks down the blue Soundwave, flying down the long corridors. It's not the straightest flight path, and not the fastest either, because the last thing he wants to do is crash into a wall or collide into someone made of metal while traveling at speed.

[vengeanceuponyou]

A mind so full of interwoven plots and plans and poison left him unaware of Soundwave contacting others regarding his situation. Why would Megatron consider such a thing? With enough time, his beloved would snap back into reality and cease this nonsense of his. Nothing can fall into place for Megatron without his SIC being of sound mind and body. Progress was being made, but it wasn't enough. He needs more.

For that, a steady supply of energon is needed, and that's what the tyrant is seeking now. He marches on through the corridors, imperious as always, his cannon on standby with low, menacing whirring. It's as he's turning a corner that he crosses paths with Donnie...but he doesn't acknowledge the other. At all. He doesn't even see him. A Lord so powerful needn't pay any mind to anyone else not worth the privilege, especially when they're too minuscule to bother with. Vermin either move for Megatron, or they face their inevitable death.

Such is life.

[thepurpleone]

In true Mad Dogz fashion, Donnie's going in without a proper plan. His head can't piece together one right now, but it's fine, it probably wouldn't have held together anyway the moment he rounds the corner.

It's...a complicated rush of emotions that hit him. How long has it been since he's seen this Megatron? Does...he even count as that Megatron?

"It is true that you are an inventor, then? Good. Any universe could use more like you, I should think. ...You put me in mind of someone from my own life."

Something tightens in his chest. It's not fair.

Megatron, this one, had been a rarity, breaking the mold from the previous. They'd worked on the Hydroponics lab together, got things to balance out right. Donnie'd given him a stinkin' plant and it had gotten blown up because his girlfriend had been on a rampage against Megatrons again- maybe she's been right to, all this time, maybe he's the stupid one

He hadn't wanted to believe that something had changed, but Optimus Prime was not a liar. Still, Donnie had hoped, maybe. Maybe he still hopes. It's all the same, one big smear. He closes in and he can hear that hum of energy coming from that cannon, which makes him feel impossibly cold despite his temperature running higher than usual.

"I am here, now. That much I can promise, at least. And I am glad for it, if that means bringing you peace of mind."

Megatron's here all right. That he doesn't bother to even turn a glance towards the glowing purple speck closing in only hurts more.

"I look forward to seeing you. Spending time with a friend is a balm even under the harshest circumstances."

The universe is cruel, no matter the dimension. His friend had been changed- again by some meddling of Primes, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS

The silver mech's form blurs, and Donnie tries to blink his vision clear. He grits his teeth, increasing the speed of his jetpack. Not intending to move to avoid Megatron, it seems. Neon purple sparks around him.

"Give...him...back..." he says, and he's not sure who he's addressing anymore, but he's tired of losing friends, of losing...

Maybe his size is negligible to a 40-foot Decepticon, but the sudden robotic fist that conjures up out of what looks like lines of energy demands attention, especially when it's made to scale and appearing well ahead of the flying turtle, aiming for Megatron's face. He's two for two when it comes to punching Megatrons, why not make it three. Maybe it'll actually work for once and knock some sense into him. Maybe...maybe...

...maybe it's too much _{too soon.}

[vengeanceuponyou]

Megatron would've stomped right past, treating the words as easily ignored background noise, but Donnie assures he won't be moving on without being acknowledged. A giant fist appearing out of nowhere and decking him with more strength than he could've anticipated? Oh, yes. Attention got.

With a grunt of pain, he stumbles back, remaining on his feet only by clutching a wall and holding himself up by digging his fingers in. He clears the static from his HUD with a sharp jerk of his head, then he searches for the source of this anomaly. Too high, lower, lower still...

Ah. The red optics grow brightly as they narrow into slits. His fusion cannon is no longer quiet. It shoots up to full power while he scrubs some energon off of his faceplate, having been dented deeply enough to break the mesh. This is exactly why he no longer lets it remain completely off once he's left his habsuite. With enemies abound, he must always be ready for attacks.

Abruptly, he laughs. "This vessel's vermin never fail to amaze me with their stupidity." This time, his head shakes in amusement, and he adds more laughter towards the mite that dared to attack him. "I will give you this much. Few of your meager size have managed to strike me so far. Consider yourself one of the elite, though there is little to be proud of when you're a godling amongst worms."

Megatron pushes away from the wall, pure malice in his gaze. If Donnie was hoping for any sign that his old friend was there, he'll unfortunately be left wanting.

"I'll allow you one minute to seek aid from those you surely have on standby, all so that none may say I didn't offer you a chance to make a wiser decision. If they don't make it in time...well. You will have time to reconsider your foolishness once you return. If you return."

His arm rises, cannon ready to fire in precisely one minute. Tick-tock, little organic.

[emojibot]

This is the reason that Optimus keeps so many tabs on Megatron, because he knows eventually something like this will happen... not to mention the nonsense he's been dealing with Megatron-wise since he got back from the Infinity Spiral. Why is Donnie attacking him? There are some unanswered questions, but he can work those out later.

With an almighty THUD, Optimus slams into Megatron seemingly out of nowhere (though Megatron is likely unsurprised to know the Prime was lurking around), using the long handle of his large axe to try and pin the warlord to the wall, keeping the cannon aimed down and away at the floor.

"Megatron, that's enough!" He snaps, engine growling furiously. Donnie doesn't even get a glance, as he's privately quite disappointed his warning wasn't heeded and they've ended up in a situation that should have been avoided. He will be even more disappointed with even more people when he knows the full context. Optimus immediately sends Leo a private comm, with their exact position attached to it. "Donatello is unharmed but he needs to be extracted from this location urgently."

Pushing the handle against Megatron harder, he grinds out, "Is this what you've sunk to? Attacking children?!"

[thepurpleone]

He might have felt some satisfaction in being able to land a hit, but he's not proud of this. That was his friend, and he's upset because he'd taken away his other friend, and all he can see is red and in that moment he doesn't care if gets blasted away.

Megatron's words are without recognition, the acknowledgement of someone who considered themselves higher than anyone else. There isn't much room for friends there.

But Donnie still has some friends, proven by the sudden drive-by of one Optimus Prime. It's a timely intervention, a surprising one at that.

"O...Optimus...?" If he were on the ground he'd be sinking to his feet. The sudden wild use of ninpō hasn't done him any favors when he's still weak from being sick, the only thing keeping him up being his battle shell.

"He...he took him away...!" It's hard keeping a grasp on the temper that had fueled him. He just feels miserable and exhausted right now.

[vengeanceuponyou]

Megatron laughs more as he's pinned. Cackles, really. Oh, how the surprises never cease. Not that he should be surprised. He says as much when he grin at Optimus, confirming the other's thoughts. "I should've known you wouldn't be far behind, Prime! Will you ever grow tired of your obsession with me?"

All for the better. With this constant surveillance, Megatron's learning more about the Prime's many, many weaknesses. His concern for lesser beings has always served as a weapon that's as good as any axe. How fortunate, then, that target after target are generously placed into the bloodiest hands on the ship?

"By all means, keep it up! It's my favorite part of your predictability." With a growl to match the racket from Optimus's engine, he throws himself against the axe and the hold on him, just enough to get his right arm free. Then, with every atom of evil in him, "All are worthy of my wrath."

He doesn't hesitate once he has the chance. His arm snaps in Donnie's direction, and he fires a single blast from his cannon. If it hits, good. If not, his point is still made. Nothing is above him. No one is above him. All are equal in death when it is his hand guiding them to their demise.

[ceruleon]

The message explained why Leo hadn't been able to find Donnie where he'd left him, but he didn't have time to think about that. People didn't use words like "extracted" unless it was an emergency.

The small flash of blue as Leo portaled there went unnoticed by Megatron. There had been a moment where Leo considered OP might be overreacting about Dee being sick, but the moment he laid eyes on the situation he only had one thing in mind. Saving his brother. His eyes and stripes glowed as his own ninpo powers flared, pivoting immediately into a second portal, leaping out just above Donnie where he could perch on his battle shell for the half second he needed, teeth clenched.

Megatron might not have noticed the smaller portals, but there was no missing this one. It wasn't often Leo channeled his power for portals this size, but today was a special occasion. The circle of blue lit in the air, catching the light from Megatron's cannon. To the decepticon's side, arcs of mystic power traced the mirroring circle, filling with blue light. The glow in the center quickly shifted to purple, and in moments Megatron's own cannon blast fired out, redirected at its originator.

"I can't think of anyone more worthy of getting their butt handed to them than you," Leo taunted as the cannon fire and portal dissipated, crackling blue energy tracing alone his markings. "Talk about predicable."

With his added weight and Donnie's completely conked out sense of balance the two of them were already tilting and starting to dip precariously but that was fine because they were out of here.

"I owe you on, OP," he said as he saluted with a sword still in hand, a portal opening below them. "Give me a ring if you need me back, but I trust you got this."

And with that the two turtles were gone. As they landed onto the ground Leo continued to sit on his brother, giving his a hard poking jab to the head. "If you ever try to fight a robot warlord one-on-one while running a fever again I will tell Raph and he will ground you for 50 years."

[thepurpleone]

That eye-searing magenta is suddenly redirected, and while he can vaguely work out what had happened, everything's smearing together as they're slowly embraced by that familiar blue light. His brother's voice sounds so distant, but that tone is a comfort, and in the back of his mind, no matter how messed up things are, Donnie at least knows that no matter how rough things have been, his brother is always there for him.

He doesn't even try to get up once the cold floor is beneath him, not that the extra weight of Leo makes that an easy task. He flinches at the jab to his head, but he supposes he deserves that.

"...just...tired of losing..."

[ceruleon]

"Bro, you're so out of it the bald photographer bot could beat you!! There's a reason we had Mikey stay behind, remember? If you don't want to lose then don't fight the guy with the giant cannon when you can't even fly straight."

His voice was getting more agitated the more he spoke, as it started to sink in just how close a call that had been. If he'd gotten there even a second later...he sighed, pressing the heel of his palm against his face

"What's so important you needed to duke it out right now? There wasn't anyone he was hassling besides Optimus and he can handle himself against Megatron."

[thepurpleone]

Leo's...upset. Well of course he is. Donnie'd almost gotten himself obliterated, after all.

He doesn't want to explain. Why should he? Shouldn't it be obvious enough? But then maybe it isn't...

Still, Leo's words sting. Maybe it wouldn't have been 'now' if he were able to think clearly, or if his dumb emotions weren't suddenly wired on a shorter fuse.

"I'm sick and tired of people being taken away from me!" he growls, an exhausting effort when he has to try sucking in enough air through compacted lungs. He would've tried to shove himself up to get Leo off of him because he's sick and tired of that too now, but his arms only shiver at the attempt, and he collapses again, wheezing.

[emojibot]

Letting out an incoherent noise of panic, Optimus very clearly tries to take the shot for Donnie, doesn't move fast enough, then wheezes in relief when Leo gets to him first. He sends a quick 👍 over comms as the cannon blast is redirected back towards Megatron, deciding that he'll have to enquire as to exactly why Donnie would do this out of nowhere later.

First things first. Big angry warlords first.

He was past furious about Megatron hurting the young crew members on board over a month ago. He's beyond beyond it now. Regardless of if that shot hits Megatron or not, he tries to take advantage of the brief confusion to activate the axe blade and swing it at him, hoping to damage his cannon or do something that'll get his attention or momentarily disable him.

Optimus considers the restraining bolts he carries with him at all times. He comes close to using one, again, but opts not to. If it's just him and Megatron, then he can deal with it. If there's other people involved, then he believes it's more rational to use them. He can't be wasting them willy-nilly. He needs to ensure Megatron ends this day in the brig, as he failed to do before... if he can't use his freedom on the ship sensibly, then it gets taken away. This is true of anyone.

"Stand down, won't you?!" He hisses in anger as he swings the axe.

[vengeanceuponyou]

Megatron takes his own blast to his side, snarling in rage once it happens. Must everyone on this ship be abnormal? Why can't it only be his Decepticons that are usefully abnormal?! He shakes off the damage with a few sharp grunts, somewhat grateful that he was struck at an angle and not dead-on. No time to think about it much beyond that. Prime had an advantage, and he used it wisely.

Just in time, Megatron crosses his arms and braces himself to take blows from the axe, sparks spraying outward whenever he's hit. Snarling even louder, he heaves himself forward, pushing into the flat of the blade to stave off more attacks. While doing so, his flail shoots out to prepare for a counterattack of his own. At least this will be entertaining, he thinks. Megatron's been eager to see that larger axe for quite some time. Everyone else ceases to exist now that the ship's true titans are battling, and none shall stand in their way.

When he has the chance, the ball of his flail swings up to twist the chain around Optimus's axe handle. He yanks the chain back once it's taut, hoping to throw Optimus off balance and directly into a swift blow from his reinforced boot. "I stand down for no one, least of all for you!" he shouts, going for an uppercut with his fist while he's at it. "And I will respond to any and all aggression towards me in kind, as is my right!"

No matter his success or lack thereof, the ultimate goal is to tackle Optimus down onto the floor. It's about time for them to continue where they left off on the Plains Planet.