The dark purple Eradicon kicked the crater by his foot with a growl, and then turned to his companion, who nodded.
The second Eradicon pressed the side of his helm, activating the comm-link that would patch them through to the Decepticon Commander.
"Commander Starscream, this is Squad Gamma-Eight. The crater has been examined; a Cybertronian definably landed here, maybe two."
"I will send back-up. Eliminate them if they are Autobots."
"Yes, sir."
The Eradicons looked around with their bright optics and strode away, down the small canyon. A dark blue helm rose from behind an outcropping of rocks, and the owner of the helm blinked her blue optics.
"They're gone. Let's go."
"Why are we sneakin' around?!" The blue femme's companion hissed, revealing his bright orange and red paint job to the sun. "We should be bustin' some Con heads in."
"In case you forgot, Blaster," The femme hissed, dragging herself from behind the rocks. "I am injured, and you tend to need close range backup, which I'm unable to give."
"Ah, don't get your panties in a twist, Nightbeat. I still got my cassettes." Blaster hummed, standing to his full height and helping the femme along. He practically carried the blue bot, as she was trying to keep her leg off the ground and from leaking Energon.
"I see you're already using the organic's slang." She snorted, directing him the opposite way the Eradicons had taken. "And your cassettes are in stasis because we lack Energon, remember?"
"Gotta fit in, ya know?" Blaster chuckled, ignoring her cassette comment in favour of peering around the corner of the canyon, turquoise optics searching for danger before they moved on.
"Pfft. There'll be nothing to fit in with if we don't find the Autobots. The 'Cons must have a jammer or something." Nightbeat snorted, wincing as she smacked her ankle of a sharp piece of rock.
"Should we try again?" Blaster asked, ducking into a large cave and placing the dark blue femme to the ground.
"It won't hurt to try." Nightbeat shook her head, and then pressed two fingers to the side of her helm. Blaster mirrored her movements.
"This is Autobot Nightbeat. If any Autobot can hear me, please respond and bring a medic to these coordinates."
"This is Autobot Blaster. Any 'bot's out there, you wanna help us? We got 'Cons tryin' ta find us, and we can't fight. Requesting assistance at the following coordinates."
The two Autobots shared hopeful looks before settling down to wait.
Dusk fell and Nightbeat lay against the rocks behind her, optics dim and underglow even dimmer. Normally her neon would have lit the cave up in a myrid of colours, but with her lack of Energon, and the flow steadily rushing out of her leg, there wasn't much she could do.
Blaster suddenly moved, crouching before her and drawing his blaster.
"Somebots coming." He growled, glancing back at Nightbeat, who shifted her own blasters into her hands.
"Over here. Gamma-Eight said they were around here somewhere."
"The...Eradicons." Nightbeat snarled quietly, charging up her blasters.
"No, Night. Don't shoot them. Save what Energon you have." Blaster scowled at her, pushing her blasters away from their spot.
"I plan to go down fighting. I'm not going to lay here like a dead glitch-mouse."
"Who'd have thought that an entertainment caste femme had this much fight in her?" The orange and red bot shook his head, and charged his own blasters.
A red optic appeared in the cave's mouth, and Blaster wasted no time in firing. However, the Eradicons were large in number and soon swarmed towards their hiding spot.
"This is Autobot Blaster. We could really use some help."
"Good thing I brought my cannons then."
"Iron...hide." A smile spread across Nightbeat's facial plates and her optics offlined.
The Eradicons turned to their new opponent, one trigger-happy weapons specialist, and there was a heap of them on the ground in seconds. Ironhide strode into the cave, ducking to grin at Blaster.
"It would have been nice of you to answer our comms." Blaster snorted, peering at Nightbeat.
"Yeah, yeah. If had gotten any, we would have. You're lucky I was in the area." The large black mech nodded to the femme. "What happened to her?"
"We had...an accident involving Starscream. It was fine until the wound reopened when we landed. She's been steadily leaking since early this cycle."
"Well, we'd better get her to Ratchet then." Ironhide lifted the femme bridal style and activated his comm.
"Wheeljack, this is Ironhide. Activate a ground bridge at my coordinates. And prep the Hatchet, we've got an injury."
In answer to his comm, a glowing vortex appeared at the mouth of the cave.
"Let's go, Blaster. Prime will be glad to see you, and I'm sure Elita and the other femmes will be glad to see Nightbeat."
Ratchet was polishing his good wrenches when Wheeljack commed him.
"Ratchet, this is Wheeljack. Ironhide said something about an injury."
"That aft-head is always injuring himself. He's nearly as bad as the devil Twins." The medic growled, readying a berth and his tools before heading to the ground bridge room. The portal had to be contained, so that the humans, or clumsy bots, wouldn't accidentally trigger it.
The ground bridge was glowing when Ratchet appeared behind the old scientist who smiled, and gestured to the two approaching figures, one of which had another in his servos.
"Hey, Ratch." Ironhide grinned. "Look what I found! The Communications Officer and a Special Ops femme!"
"Idiots." Ratchet knew the signs of Energon dehydration. The femme and the Communications Officer displayed such symptoms. A wrench met Blaster's helm and he pouted, rubbing the new dent. "What have you been doing to get into such a state? Ironhide, take Nightbeat to my Med-bay."
"Sure thing, Doc." Ironhide nodded, moving to get out of the room. "And if she wakes up, I'll hit her over the head really hard."
"That will be unnecessary, Ironhide." Ratchet growled, grabbing Blaster's arm and dragging him along through the base.
"Well don't call me when she wakes up and starts screaming."