Author's note: Jason, You're right. I'm fixing Roller's dialogue.
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"Ratchet, get Sunstreaker and Gears out of here," Optimus thundered over the barrage of laser fire, "-I'll cover you!"
The ambulance raced away in a cloud of dust, his sirens wailing. Optimus sent a shot into Thundercracker's upraised arm just as the Decepticon jet was switching from hand to weapon, and the arm blew off at the elbow-joint, knocking Thundercracker backwards with a pained cry. Behind him Optimus could hear the brisk, reassuring crackle of Ironhide's sidearm. Megatron was across the battlefield, still cursing and wading his way out of the wave of carbon dioxide foam that Wheeljack had blinded him with. Razorbeak and Ravage were engaged as well... Optimus spotted Sparkplug crouching behind a boulder off to his left, and his blue optics flashed.
"Roller," Optimus ordered quickly over his helmet radio, "-deploy and get Sparkplug back to base!"
A disbelieving bleep crackled unhappily in his audio receptors.
"GO! -I'll pick you up as SOON as I get back," Optimus promised.
Roller agreed with an uneasy chirp.
Optimus stole one quick glance at the tiny gray wedge darting out from behind the shadow of his trailer, then turned as he felt the glare of Megatron's narrowed red optics, like cubed glass grinding against the metallic skin of his face.
Optimus met his enemy's glare coolly, and fired.
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Roller zipped across the open ground, braking to a stop just short of the Sparkplug Human's yellow boots. Sparkplug just stared at him for a moment.
Roller twittered urgently, spinning his red strobe.
"-Gotcha," Sparkplug nodded, swinging himself into the driver's seat. Roller took off as soon as the cushion's weight-switch gave him a signal, but steered a zigzag route out of the canyon, picking up cover whenever he could- -it was easy enough, he just thought of how to shoot THEM, and avoided being anywhere HE had a firing solution...
Roller leaned into a corner, and they lost sight of the battle entirely. He straightened out his course, and became aware of the oddly soft hands that were resting on his dashboard. Almost moist, like the dropped silicone gasket he'd once run over with his tires. ...Eww...
"Thanks for the lift," Sparkplug said, when the noises of battle began to fade behind them.
Roller beeped politely.
Mercifully, the Human said nothing more for the remainder of the trip.
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Roller was alone in the control room before Teletran One. He'd dropped Sparkplug off in front of the door to Ratchet's sickbay, and there his courage had failed him. He left the bemused Human in a very impolite cloud of panicky exhaust, and bolted.
High above, Teletran One's giant expanse of view screen and softly blinking controls glowed down on him. Roller's strobe flashes slowed, awed. He'd 'seen' this room often enough, but always from The One's point of view, or from the trailer's hiding place under Teletran One's console. ...The hiding place was shut now, and he didn't know how to make it open.
Roller reversed, then turned and drove around, mapping out the outer perimeter of the room. There were LOTS of good hiding places under other consoles, especially the ones with chairs in front of them. Roller paused in the dark under Jazz's station. The One would be back soon. The One had said so, and The One never lied.
...The loud Autobots would come back with The One though, and as scared as he was of being in this big room by himself, Roller WAS curious. He could explore now, if he kept his audio receptors alert. ...But what if he met the THE RATCHET?
THE RATCHET was LOUD, and threw wrenches, and always seemed to have his cold white hands buried in other robots' leaking energon-hoses...
A shudder passed through Roller's small chassis right down to his drive shaft, and he stayed where he was.
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"-I don't know, Optimus. I haven't seen him since we got back," Sparkplug explained, walking through the cathedral-arch sized doorway with his giant metal companion.
"Hmm..." Optimus put a hand to his mask, considering. He could feel Roller nearby, but where- ...ah-ha. A tiny red flicker glowed softly in the shadow beneath a nearby console. Optimus bent down on one knee, and a gray streak shot out from under the console with a squeal of rubber tires. Roller braked in front of the larger mech's knee, and burst into a long series of anxious bleeps and whistles, punctuated by frantic strobe-twirling.
Optimus smiled behind his mask, and offered Roller his hand.
Roller drove up onto it gratefully, and Optimus felt the little scout's warm skid-plate settle against his palm as Roller's suspension relaxed. He gave a low, tired whistle.
"Thank you for getting Sparkplug to safety for me, Roller," Optimus said, patting the tiny vehicle with his free hand, "-that was a very brave thing you did."
"-Yeah, you really saved my bacon," Sparkplug agreed sincerely. He shot Optimus a questioning glance as the Autobot leader's large blue fingers obscured Roller's view.
Optimus winked.
"I think that's enough excitement for one day," he said, setting Roller back on the floor gently. Roller looked at Sparkplug, and did a nervous forward-reverse shuffle.
The Human waved to him kindly, one hand in his soft cloth pocket.
Optimus transformed into vehicle mode, and lowered the ramp of his trailer.
Roller waved his strobe carefully from left to right in Sparkplug's direction, then drove up the ramp into the safety of his trailer, and home.
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-tbc-