Rules are meant to be broken
Ultra Magnus didn't understand why his old friend refused to follow his orders. Of course, Hot Rod had always been a foolish and excitable bot. At a time like this, however, Ultra Magnus did not tolerate Hot Rod's "leap before you look" actions. With the war at a point like this, going out alone like Hot Rod had a tendency to do was asking for death. Ultra Magnus would enjoy it if he could leave Hot Rod to face the consequences of ignoring the rules but he feared that might lead to the off lining of the poor fool.
"Hot Rod!" called Ultra Magnus, transforming.
He was on the edges of Autobot territory, in a small city once known as Altihex. Once a scientific city, Ultra Magnus knew many Autobots who had left this as their home. It stood, but barely. The destruction, from the battle earlier that week, had been devastating and disastrous. Magnus had not been at the battle of Altihex, as he had been preoccupied with other battle plans and assisting Optimus with directing the troops.
"Hot Rod!" Ultra Magnus repeated.
Gun fire. Ultra Magnus perked, taking off toward the source of the battle. Decepticons were known to wander these parts, though they occasionally bumped into Autobot patrols, which led to the small skirmishes that boarder cities were known for. Ultra Magnus tip toed around the destruction, peering around building to get a view of the battle. Three Cons. Two bots. Ultra Magnus groaned. Hot Rod had brought Springer on this trip apparently. Activating weapons, Ultra Magnus double checked the rules of battle in his head before rushing order the corner.
"Delta formation!" Ultra Magnus instructed.
"Took you long enough," replied Hot Rod with a grin, leaping over the commander. "I was just telling Springer here that you would never leave us out in the middle of nowhere!"
"You were the one who wandered out into the middle of nowhere!" argued Ultra Magnus, firing a covering shot at the Con towering behind Hot Rod. "Watch your back! I thought I told you Delta formation!"
"Is that the one with the diversion or the flank?" mumbled Hot Rod, jumping onto the nearby ledge.
"Get a room you two," chuckled Springer.
"I'm not letting you get off on this either, Springer. Last I checked, you were supposed to be working on the detailing of project Victory," snapped Ultra Magnus.
"Well, isn't that great," shrugged Springer.
Ultra Magnus wasn't going to lie. He enjoyed these two. They were closest things to friends he had. He knew Hot Rod before the war, had been introduced to Springer after. Together, they had formed a team worth Prime's observation. These poor Decepticons didn't know who they were dealing with. One had already fallen back, terrified and obviously new to the thought of fighting Autobots. The other two were more than ready to fight to the last of their spark.
"Ultra Magnus, watch out!" called Springer.
Ultra Magnus had failed to follow protocol, forgetting to watch the left side during battle. Hot Rod fired once, knocking the Con back while Springer battled the Con hand-to-hand. Ultra Magnus and Hot Rod were left with the final Con. With the two of them working together, the Con had little chance. He stumbled back, falling victim to Hot Rod's final shot. Ultra Magnus towered over the fallen Con, watching his optics flicker.
"Springer!" shouted Hot Rod.
Ultra Magnus spun around, watching Hot Rod slam the second Decepticon into the wall. Springer collapsed, relinquishing Energon onto the ground. His optics flickered a moment then went black. Ultra Magnus snarled, stepping up behind Hot Rod. The young Autobot, optics narrowed, pounded against the Decepticon.
"You sick, twisted…Decepticon!" shouted Hot Rod, throwing the Con onto the gorund.
"Hot Rod," instructed Ultra Magnus. "We can take him back for questioning. He might hold valuable information on the Decepticon's plans."
"I don't care! He snuffed Springer," snarled Hot Rod, kneeling down. "I wanna see his spark!"
Ultra Magnus' optics widened, taking a step back. Hot Rod gasped, looking down at the Decepticon's hand that stabbed through his chest. Ultra Magnus screamed as Hot Rod fell back. He fired, killing the Con instantly. Hot Rod whimpered, holding his side. Ultra Magnus kneeled beside him, lifting his head.
"Hot Rod, stay with me," sighed Ultra Magnus. He placed a finger to his head. "This is Ultra Magnus to Theta Base, requesting ground bridge."
"Ultra Magnus…" groaned Hot Rod, grinning lightly.
"Don't move," ordered Ultra Magnus. "They're sending a ground bridge."
He heard the whirl of the ground bridge behind him, feeling its force and energy. He lifted Hot Rod, walking toward the ground bridge. He felt the Energon leaking onto his arms, coating his armor. He glanced back, spotting Springer in the rumble. He would come back for him. The light consumed him, spitting him out into the base.
"I need medical!" Ultra Magnus shouted.
Medics rushed in, taking Hot Rod from his arms. He pointed back toward the bridge, instructing them to retrieve Springer's body. He stood in place, watching everything move around him. Protocol. He needed to follow protocol with this, regardless of his emotions. He sighed, walking away. Things would work out. So long he followed the rules. Follow protocol. Straying from the rules led to things like this, death and destruction. It was inevitable.
