Note: Most of this story was written in Vortex's point of view.
Go back and retreat, that's what I heard all over the place. Felt nice, though, to be back in kicking these Autobots' afterburners. In addition, it's even better to be able to have revenge to those blasted Protectobots after what they had done to my Combaticons and me. It hadn't end well, however.
Megatron was screaming all over us like that's gonna save him from the Ark itself. Onslaught did so, telling us to go back to base. The Autobots surely had the good fortune today, had been able to fight us back with the help of the mad scientist Wheeljack's creation, the Protectobots. Weird name, anyway. The name's Protectobots, but they more like the Destructibots, trashing the battlefield all over like the mad bots they are.
/Bad news, everybody. I got the feelings that we are being followed./ Brawl's voice rang over the gestalt bond.
/The heck? I don't see anyone./ Seriously, if Brawl's able to feel anyone following us, why I didn't see anyone up here? And behind me. /Your feelings must be at glitch./
/We should be cautious. The last time I don't believe to Brawl, I ended up on Hook's medbay./
/Still better than on the Ark's failed platform, Ons./ And the laughter could be heard from us.
/Speaking of the Ark, where is Blast Off? Haven't seen him up here./
/Maybe he retreated before us, being a coward he is./
/Rude one, Swindle. And I didn't see any relations between Blast Off and the Ark./
/Sometimes you have to defrag those too smart processors of you, Onslaught. They're both shuttle and fly, only Blast Off is smaller./
Or maybe Blast Off had gone into a trouble.
/I detected Blast Off's energy signal. It's ahead those cliffs. But it's not moving./
/Can you see anything, Vortex?/
/Can't. Too far./
/Let's go and investigate./
Wait, what?
/Didn't you hear Megatron? He told us all to retreat./
/I'm sure he'd be in better relief when he sees all of us. Anyway, we're far from the battlefield. Vortex, go there and check the area./
I sighed; sometimes being a helicopter didn't pleases me. So then, I went down there, and hoping Onslaught didn't hear my protests about always being told to check and investigate. I was expecting I'd find Blast Off there, wounded until he can't fly. What I didn't expect was seeing him in chained on the ground. Clearly someone did it, why would he chained himself anyway.
/Bad news, Ons. Blast Off's there chained on the ground./
/Chained? It might be a bait. Approach with cautions, everybody./
We arrived there, at the edge of the cliff. Correction, they arrived there. I always have to go first and check. Duh. I went down to find that the cliff was actually not so high. I landed, and seen none.
/You guys can go down here. It's not too high, and I seen nothing./
They jumped, though I didn't really expect Brawl to jump. We found Blast Off laying there with chain all over his body. He's unconscious. It seems some had shot him with this chain and made him lost control and fell, then the impact made him unconscious.
"We have to get him back to base."
"How?"
"We… drag him?"
"Stupid idea, Brawl."
While they were talking away about how to get Blast Off back to base, I checked him. He's fine, only unconscious. The wings were fine, none broken. Only a few scratches and marks on his paint job. Fortunately he fell not too high.
"Don't move an inch."
Everybody froze upon hearing those words. That tone, that fragging tone…
Stepping away from the shadow of the cliff, was Hot Spot holding a gun, pointed right to Onslaught's backhead, and Groove.
Frag, how did I failed to notice them? And how did they managed to get here?
"Your plan was right, Hot Spot. The Combaticons reeally are dumb."
"Shut up, Groove."
So now, I understood what Brawl meant with 'being followed'. I don't want to ended up on First Aid's lab table again.
"Now thrown down your weapons and put your hands on the air, or your beloved leader's head here will be blasted to bits."
I was ready to thrown my tail rotor right to him. But not so long after, the rest of the Protectobots went down here. Frag.
/Now what are we gonna do?/ I asked through the bond.
/We can't just fight them. Not with that gun pointed directly to Onslaught's head./
/Just throw your weapon, guys. It'll be fine. And Vortex, throw your tail rotor in any minutes now. I'm ready./
I threw my gun as Onslaught told us and put my hands on the air. The thoughts of being under First Aid's lab table suddenly felt when I saw First Aid retracted away his mask. No… no… I don't want that to be happen again.
I threw my tail rotor right to the weapon Hot Spot was holding. Fortunately, that made a long enough distraction for Onslaught to attack and take the gun from Hot Spot. Surely the other Protectobots instantly aiming for him, but they didn't see the bomb fell on the ground that I attached to the rotor, which is also fortunately.
"Now throw away your weapons and put your hands on the air." Onslaught said.
"Or what, fool?"
"Or you'll experience explosion."
"Ha! Show us!"
/Explode it, Vortex./
/But you're-…/
/Do it!/
I exploded it, right in front of Onslaught and Hot Spot. When my tail rotor went back, I ran to take Onslaught whilst the others were taking their weapons and shooting at the Protectobots. Oh great, now we have 2 wounded.
Just before I could get Onslaught off from the new battlefield, a portal opened right behind us. I'm so sure what portal it is.
"Guys, what do we do? We can't get off from this battlefield!"
"Just go… through the portal… kaff It may end up kaff on the base. kaff"
"Save your energy, Ons. You sure need it." But that was when I realised something. I saw Onslaught with an optical ridge "What if the portal doesn't end up on the base?"
"But it's at… kaff at least better kaff than here."
I turned my attention to the others, though I myself wasn't so sure, "Brawl, Swindle, take Blast Off and retreat to the portal!"
"You sure?!"
"Just go back, Brawl!"
I took Onslaught to then portal, then. It's all white until I saw I was on another down of a cliff. A cliff that… coloured red?
For once I ignored it, at least Onslaught got a place to at least rest. Soon Brawl came out from the portal bringing Blast Off with him, and then Swindle. Then the portal closed itself.
"O~kay, where are we?"
"I'm not so sure myself." I turned my attention to Onslaught. He didn't take much damage, at least. Still, he needed help.
"Go search for anyone, Tex. I'll keep Ons safe."
"Don't even try to help him!" For sure. The last time he took care of anyone made Motormaster nearly killed.
"Yeah, yeah. Sure."
I transformed and took off. This place surely weird. The metal here had red colour. And there are some weird-looking green things on the ground. No one could be seen. No one.
Anyway, I'm not so sure that we were safe. Trouble always found its way to come to us. Sure it because of Swindle, pretty sure I think. But still, he's one of my brothers. And he made a good frag toy too. Heh, now I thought crazy thoughts. I already had a special relationship with Onslaught. He seemed the closest one with me. The others thought I was only a hard copter.
I had been wandering around for quite some time now, until I saw what appears to be a city, but it seemed so far away. Still a good news anyway.
/Hey guys, I found a city. But the problem is it seems it's so far away./
/Um, about problems, we have our own here,/ Swindle replied.
/Don't tell me you did something to Onslaught or Blast Off!/
/No, it's another story. And I suggest you better go back here./
I sighed, what had Swindle do this time? I hoped it doesn't have anything about Onslaught or Blast Off. Wait, did he said it's not about them?
I arrived at my gestalt's location and gasped. Ooh yes, this is another story.
I saw the Autobots holding guns pointed to my brothers. From up here it appeared like it. But those Autobots were coloured in a different colour scheme, though I still could see Optimus Prime heading over them. I then landed and held my weapon to them, which is I knew it's a stupid thing to do. But heck, Optimus Prime got closer and closer until he's right in front of me.
"Throw down your weapons and put your hands on the air."
Frag.