A/N: Okay, first of all, in my world, the Command Trine (SS, TC and SW) are bonded to my trine (NB, WF and MB respectively).
Second of all, Starscream is OOC -_-' and everyone else probably is too, I'm not good at keeping them IC. Sorry.

Anywho, the idea originated when I read a story where the 'Cons tried to take out Ratchet (It's called 'Lynchpin' if anyone cares) and I realised how freaking important the medics are and I somehow came up with the idea of another transformer taking a near-fatal hit for their medic and viola! Story for you all.

Of course I had to use my OC Nitrobolt (I love putting my reincarnation of myself into weird situations for some reason, anyone else have the same problem?) because I really couldn't see any of the other 'Cons doing something like this without coming over quite OOC, and I don't think I'm familiar enough with the Autobots, dispite the similar personalities between myself and them...

Bah, no one read the authors note anyway ('cept me xD)
~Rio out, peace ^_~\\//


The battle was not going well for the 'cons, though that should not have been a surprise. Stupid Autobots always seemed to get lucky.

A red and gold Seeker femme was aimlessly flying not too far above the battle in her alt mode, shooting randomly at the Autobots and waiting for the inevitable 'Decepticons! Retreat!' from Megatron.

Her wingmates were already downed, Metalblast unconscious and Wildfrost fighting valiantly against some of the more resilient minibots.

Out of the corner of Nitrobolt's ruby optics, she saw the Autobot, Ironhide, launch a barrage of missiles at a blissfully unaware Hook. She almost shrugged it off. Almost.

Protect the medic.

The thought ran through her head and, as she started speeding to head off the missiles, she distantly remembered their other medic, her very own wingmate, was unconscious and downed. Primus knew that if Hook was incapitated, there was no way some of the injured 'cons would make it.

Thankfully for the Decepticons, she got there before the missiles and planted her pedes firmly in the ground, holding her arms in front of her face protectively.

"What the slag do you think you're doing!?" Was all she heard from the Constructicon medic before she was forced into a world of pain.

Two missiles caught her right wing and one slammed into her left, the last three hitting her arms, legs and chassis. Amazingly she managed to keep quiet through the whole ordeal, but no one knew if it was sheer will or the pain was too much to be expressed in words.

The battle had died down and some of the mechs were staring in shock as the femme fell to the ground leaking energon and other vital fluids, most of her armour turned to something resembling scrap metal.

Then Hook leaped into action, working furiously to stabilise the Seeker who had saved his life. The remaining 'cons then proceeded to fire furiously at the stunned Autobots, driving them back enough to grab their injured comrades and take off without waiting for their commander's say-so.

Thundercracker and Skywarp grabbed their opposites, Wildfrost and Metalblast respectively, and took off into the air. Their third member, Starscream, landed next to Hook and Nitrobolt, doing a good job of hiding his worry and panic.

"Will she be alright?" The SiC asked lowly, voice decidedly un-screechy for once.

"I'm trying to stabilise her." Hook replied quickly, "She cannot fly nor be flown back to base in this condition."

"What if you operated in Astrotrain?" the tri-coloured Air Commander glanced distrustfully at the equally suspicious Autobots.

"Possibly."

One comm. to the triple-changer later and the silver and purple mech landed in shuttle form next to them, cargo bay doors open.

"No Ironhide," The soft voice of Optimus Prime carried to the two mechs and they glanced at the Autobot leader, watching them calmly and stopping the volatile mech from doing something stupid.

"Starscream, help me lift her."

Half the Autobots were expecting the vain jet to refuse outright so when he obediently lifted the other Seeker a lot of the 'bots stared in shock.

Leaving the Autobots on the ground, inside of Astrotrain Hook quietly thought about the red and gold F-15 unconscious before him.

"Why?" He asked, looking up at the mech watching his opposites face intently.

Starscream was going to answer he didn't know when the memory of a conversation he'd had with Metalblast, the Decepticons other medic and Nitrobolt's calm wingmate, flitting across his CPU made him pause.

"I'm a medic Starscream. We grew up together and over the vorns I've constantly told those two, 'If you want to live to see the next solar-cycle, protect the medic'. Because, if the medic dies, you can bet the whole army will suffer from it."

Starscream drew up a mental chart of all the majorly injured Decepticons and realised, with Metalblast unconscious for who knows how long and Hook blown to scrap, half the army would have died if Nitrobolt hadn't stepped in front of the Constructicon and taken the hits instead. The thought spooked him more than he cared to admit and he had a new respect for his severely injured Bondmate lying in front of him.

"She was protecting the medic." He murmured instead, optics locking onto Hook's, "And saving the other Decepticons."