"I can hear you." Red Alert said, causing a startled leap from the human. "Because I am currently the only one with sensors powerful enough to detect any decepticons before we walk into a trap. And Optimus Prime and Ratchet are still busy trying to revive Jazz, and Prowls' fretting over them, Bumblebee is also summarily busy."
Ironhide muttered something so softly the human couldn't hear it, but Red Alert evidently could, for he snapped, "I don't like this either! Decepticons could be overrunning the Ark as we speak."
Will leaned against Ironhides door as he said, "But I've seen the security you set up! Theirs no way any deceptcon should be able to sneak past it!"
Red Alert fell silent, and Will had the distinct impression that Red Alert had been stunned beyond response. He wondered what could of caused it. After all, Red Alerts security systems may be overkill according to Ironhide, but- "Thank you?" Red Alerts voice was slightly hesitant, as if he wasn't sure how to say the words.
Lennox chuckled as he asked, "What, never gotten complimented before?"
"No. I haven't."
Stunned silence fell on the other two. "So thank you William Lennox. For the compliment. Unless you were being sarcastic-"
Red Alert sounded as if he would be much more comfortable with the idea of sarcasm, but something inside of Lennox pitied Red Alert. The large mech was twitchy, and withdrawn. But still, if these mechs had been living before the Earth was created- That was more then enough time to receive a compliment! "No. It wasn't sarcasm."
Ironhide shifted gears, muttering under his breath. Red Alert glared but chose to ignore it. "I picked up faint smells of fire over on the eastern edge of the perimeter. We should probably start from over there."
The two mechs drove off into the fast approaching night, followed by a special OP's hit team. Will could feel Ironhides cannons pulsing beneath him as Ironhide drove, and Red Alert said something in cybertronian. Ironhide braked suddenly, nearly throwing Will against the windshield as Ironhide roared something back.
Red Alert replied tartly, as he kept on going. Then he stopped, and changed. "Umm, William Lennox."
"Just Will." Will said quickly, even as he looked up at Red Alert. "Yeah, what is it?"
"Theirs something wrong with this earth. It is unusual from the other patches-"
Ironhides engine turned over once, eerily before falling quiet. Will got out, making his way to Red Alert. "I don't see anything wrong." Will said, puzzled.
Red Alert was still nervous however. "Are you certain? My scanners say that something is off here, though I'm not sure what."
Will shrugged. "It doesn't look any different to me. What does your scanners say?"
"It's wet. Very wet."
"Then it might be an old well or nearly dried up spring that was covered up. C'mon, we have more things to do then worry about wet ground." Said an officer behind Will. Will turned, looking at the soldier, who pointed behind him.
"We have about ten trucks of eager soldiers who don't appreciate the constant delays. We need to keep on moving."
"Caution is never overused." Red Alert snapped, optics scanning the rapidly descending darkness. "And I am not going to fight decepticons in the night. It's too dangerous."
Ironhide agreed. "He's right. Night battles is what cause real nightmares. After all, if the Con's offline your night gear, you'll be firing blindly, and you're likely to shoot one of us."
"Huh, so you two can agree on something." Will muttered, looking around. Red Alert shifted slightly, as Ironhides engine rumbled loudly. With a slight wince, Red Alert took a step backward onto the 'wet' ground.
And began sinking.
Ironhide changed so fast, Will wasn't even sure that Ironhide hadn't already been changed. The large, ebony mech leapt foreword, grabbing onto the flailing Red Alerts arm. William stared at the quicksand, and Ironhide pulled at Red Alert, attempting to pull him out.
Red Alert strangled a noise about to rise from his vocalizer, and with a wet, disgusting squelch, Red Alerts foot was pulled free from the Quicksand. Silence fell upon the crew behind, and Ironhide said shortly. "We're going have to stop here."
"Why?"
"Because I don't want to fight at night! Now go ahead and hunker down for the night. I just hope that we won't get snuck up from behind."
"While my sensors may be a little overloaded from the variety of earth smells and sounds Inferno, I will not let any deceptcons sneak up, and you know it." Red Alert sniffed, as Ironhide examined the foot.
"You are gonna have to see Ratchet. Theirs a whole lot of grit that I won't be able to get out." Ironhide warned. "Just let us find something to blow up tomorrow."
"Agreed." Red Alert said. "I have a wish to pound out some frustrations."
Both mechs settled against a tree, optics and scanners running constantly, silently. The humans made ready to bed down for the night, keeping the weapons close at hand.
0o0o0o0o0o0
"Captain Lennox! Captain Lennox!"
Will woke up blearily as one of the special ops members shook him awake. "What?"
"Sir, theirs a problem with one of the Autobots. He's shaking and muttering."
"Probably just something they do when their recharging. Go back to sleep unless an alarm is sounded."
0o0o0o0o0o0o
Morning dawned, bright and early. Too bright for about half the crew. "What is wrong with them?" Ironhide muttered.
"Red Alerts muttering kept them awake."
"Hmph, they should be able to sleep any time, anywhere. Red Alert always mutters like that." Ironhide stated. "That's why I wanna blast this 'Con-"
"Incomming!" Red Alert suddenly roared. "Deceptcon jet, about 5 miles away, approaching fast and closing."
"Ya certain?" Ironhide asked doubtfully.
Red Alert turned, optics narrowing as he said sarcastically. "Unless you know any other Jets that mutter, 'Kill Autobots, kill autobots, kill every single one of them' Ironhide."
"Yeah, You said the same thing about five vorns ago when we were on that other planet, and it wasn't a decepticon."
"Very well then, I suppose the deceptcon signature pained on its wing is good enough for you?" Red Alert asked, peering at the fast approaching jet.
Ironhides cameras warmed up as the Special Ops team got ready. "Too bad we don't have the twins to do Jet Judo." Red Alert grumbled, subspacing his own guns as he inserted a rocket onto the launcher.
Ironhide strained to see the jet, then nodded. "Yep, that's our deceptcon. We're too exposed out here in this clearing. Everyone fall back into the vegetation."
Already some were climbing trees, and Red Alert muttered. "1/2 of a breem and he'll be far enough in my sights that I should come close to hitting him."
The fight was on.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0
The jet screamed in from above, Ironhide and Red Alert firing quickly at the exposed underside, as it did a graceful loop to come at them again. "Ironhide, he's going to change." Red Alert murmured, his auditory receptors catching the sound of gyros and hydraulics tensing to shift.
Ironhide cursed, and Red Alert shifted into a better position as the Deceptcon landed. Then, Ironhide remembered something. "Red Alert! The quicksand!"
Red Alert nodded, and threw himself at the changing decepticon. They both flew backwards into the quicksand, and rapidly began sinking. Ironhide moved forward to save Red Alert from it for the second time even as Will made a motion for the soldiers to put up their weapons. If they tried fighting after this, there was a big chance that the Autobots would get hurt as well.
The government would chew his sorry but out if that happened. After all, not many governments could boast of having secret aliens living in their backyard.
Ironhides hand gripped the back of Red Alerts neck, and he struggled to pull the smaller, lighter bot out. "What's keeping you down?"
"Ironhide, my arm! The decepticon still has a hold of my arm!"
Ironhide looked back and snarled, "Blow off his arm!"
Lennox stood frozen, and then convinced himself that Ironhide would know what he was doing. After all, they had replaced Bumblebees legs, right? "You two, Anderson and Gunnerson! Both of you are the best shooters! Aim for the arm and blast if off before they get sucked down!"
Ironhide grunted as he kept Red Alert steady. BOOM! Red Alerts optics unexpectedly dimmed, and Ironhide took a few steps back as Red Alerts arm slipped beneath and the rest of Red Alert was hauled out. Red Alert unsteadily got onto his own feet, a hand pressing against the area where the arm had gotten torn off. "Thank you." He said, optics slowly brightening. "Now we just need to call Ratchet, Prime, and tell them that mission is accomplished and for Ratchet to start on a new arm."
"Wheeljack or First Aid might do that actually." Ironhide said thoughtfully, looking Red Alert over.
Red Alerts comm. link flared to life, and Red Alert reported the situation, ending with "-we threw him in the quicksand sir. Whether or not he's alive is yet to be seen."
"Quicksand?"
The humans looked at each other as a curious voice began speaking fast in cybertron, and Ironhides face grew blanker and blanker as the more the mech spoke. "Perceptor, now isn't the time! I'll let you take a sample from what's left in my foot, but until then, No, I'm not going to go down in their just to satisfy your curiosity!" Red Alert finally said, cutting the mech off.
Ironhide, amused, said, "C'mon Red, surely it can't be that bad."
"Would you like to get your foot full of mud, silt, clay and whatever else might be down there? Or how about I stuff it in your precious cannons so that way Perceptor can get a sample from that!" Red Alert said, exasperated.
There was a reply in cybertronian over the link, and both turned to look at the link. "What did he say?"
"He said that if it was Quicksand, then to bring an entire bag full of it, because he wanted to test it, and the water as well. Dangit! Ironhide, do you know where we can get something to hold enough for Perceptor in?"
The humans exchanged looks as Red Alert and Inferno talked quickly, Red Alert still holding his wounded shoulder. Finally Red Alert sighed. "Alright, Alright!"
To the mechs surprise, Red Alert took out one of the rockets and carefully flipped it open. He then began hollowing it out, as Ironhide took care of the extra circulatory and more explosive parts. The humans watched, stunned as Red Alert filled the case up with quicksand, and turn back to the humans, and say, "Lets get out of here. Prime said the governments sending a couple of copters on the way here."
0o0o0o0o0
Perceptor waited eagerly by the Arks door, shifting from foot to foot impatiently. Red Alert handed the before-rocket-now-turned-to-giant-holding-case to Perceptor, who hurried off to go test on it. "I expect one of you two to guide me there later!" the scientist warned before he vanished.
"Your turn." Red Alert grunted, as he slowly made his way to the medbay. "There is no way I'm gonna guide him anywhere after the last incident with the skunk flower."
SsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSs
A request fic with the subject 'Quicksand'. I tried to make Quicksand the main object of this fic, and failed miserably, so I rewrote it into this. Hope that you don't mind too much that the whole Quicksand thing was pushed off into the side. And yes, I did it from William Lennox's view, from the 2007 movie verse simply because it was easier.