Thought I would give you guys a lovely Christmas present by updating this story. It's been a little while since I have, so I think it seems like a good idea. I wish you guys all a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year. You probably won't see another update until around next year. Until then, stay safe!
Rodimus could hear screaming; explosions and plasma blasters blazing. Decepticons were chasing humans down a city's street. Screams of fear and pain echoed around him as they were followed by cries of death and destruction. Women tugged their crying children by the arm as the Decepticons herded them onwards; men assisted the elderly as best as they could. No one was to be left behind, even in the wake of devastation.
One femme Decepticon advanced forward, laughter of glee and bloodlust emitted from her vocal processor. She turned her rifle upon the fleeing humans and fired a ball of fiery plasma at them.
Rodimus saw it coming from a mile away, leaving the safety of his companions as he bolted towards the line of fire. "Get down!" he shouted as he neared.
He stood in front of the humans, shielding them just as the shot met his delicate doorwings, earning a scream of agony from his vocal processor. He collapsed as his doorwings began to melt away from the contact of the blast. His cyan optics squinting from the heat, his armour burned and smoked.
He glanced downwards through his swimming vision at the humans that stared at him in gratitude. "Run," he whispered pitifully to them, "now."
But they didn't move as their eyes turned to horror and shock when they diverted to behind him. He glanced over his shoulder to see what they were looking at and he wished that he hadn't. The femme Decepticon that shot at the humans earlier stood over him, her plasma rifle pointed directly at his head.
It was primed and ready...
He closed his optics, waiting for the end...
Rodimus awoke with a start, his breathing heavy from the dream and his armour dripped with beads of oil. It took him half a second to realise that he wasn't in his quarters and that he was on a roadside, parked in between Ironhide and Arcee. None of them had stirred when he awoke from his unusual dream. It was the second time since he'd had it, but it was a lot more detailed than before. The last time he had a dream like this; it was four months ago regarding Harbinger and the fall of Optimus.
Was the Matrix trying to tell him that something bad was going to happen, something that had had to do with this mission? The mere thought of this vision happening like last time terrified him and he felt his tyres tremble beneath him.
He sighed quietly, not wanting to disturb his companions from their recharge. They had been on the road for five days now, and the more they were out here, the more his instincts screamed at him, telling him that something bad was going to happen. Why couldn't he have the normal life of a youngling and not be chosen by the Matrix and the Allspark to lead the Autobots through... whatever it was that was going to happen in the future.
Shifting his wheels slightly, he edged forward a bit. He wondered where Springer was, since he had noticed that he was nowhere to be seen when he had woken up from his dream. Rodimus guessed that he was somewhere out on patrol, checking out the perimeter. He shuddered a little, thinking about how during the past five days had involved short, petty arguments between himself and Springer. He didn't know why the dark green triple-changer was being so difficult; he hadn't done anything to upset him at all!
If he had his head, he would have shaken it. He didn't have time to make stupid arguments with someone who was too stubborn to really listen to him. Besides, his processor was too busy thinking about stretching his arms and legs, but he knew he had to stay in his vehicle mode for safety reasons.
"You're awake, kid?" Ironhide's voice quietly pierced through the warm air. "I didn't expect you to be up so early. Had another nightmare?"
Rodimus shifted uncomfortably, unsure how to respond. Ever since they had started the trip and had recharged side by side, Rodimus had been plagued by dreams that came very rarely. Now this was the third time his dream had bothered him and he wasn't even sure if it was wise to voice his concerns. "I don't know," he answered honestly.
Ironhide said nothing for a brief moment, as though he was considering pushing the young Prime for further answers. He seemed to rethink it as Arcee began to stir from her slumber, stretching her wheels on their axels for a bit and yawning.
"I just want to transform and stretch my arms and legs," Rodimus snorted, changing the subject before Arcee noticed their previous discussion.
"I don't know, kid," Ironhide laughed, sensing his reason to do it, "I thought you were used to being in your vehicle form after all this time. What changed your mind?"
"Not sure," Rodimus replied hesitantly. "I guess I'm eager to get going again."
The old mech laughed again. "I understand how you feel, Rodimus, but we cannot for a little while longer. Until we get back to base, we're stuck like this for a little while longer."
"Yeah, I know," Rodimus sighed disappointedly.
A whirlwind suddenly picked up speed and a dark green jet – Springer – descended from the clear sky, falling fast until he stopped just a metre above the group, sending dirt and dust into the air. He hovered for a brief moment, repositioning himself a little to the side until he was right beside Arcee and he quickly transformed into his 2011 Ford Interceptor form gracefully.
Ironhide turned himself around to face the recent arrival. "Springer, report," he commanded, the friendliness in his tone gone.
"There's been no sign of any vehicle – human or Cybertronian – since I've been patrolling the perimeter, sir, over the past couple of micro-cycles," Springer answered like the good soldier that he was. "I have, however, spotted an F22 Raptor flying nearby, but it had quickly moved on before I could get in for a closer look and it disappeared into the clouds too quickly for my liking."
Rodimus mentally chewed his bottom lip, a sinking feeling of suspicion in his aft. "It seems a little suspicious, don't you think?" he suggested, getting the attention of the two older warriors. "Maybe Springer could have found out more if he had been a little faster."
Springer's engine revved violently and he inched a little closer to Rodimus. "Are you calling me slow?" he demanded furiously.
"I might," growled Rodimus in a sarcastic manner, closing the gap between himself and the dark green mech. Springer was quick to mirror his move until they were almost bumper to bumper. Ironhide quickly barged his way forward, getting in front of Rodimus while Arcee for Springer.
"I'll tear you a new one if you two don't stop arguing with each other!" Ironhide snapped. "Calm down the both of you and save it for the Decepticons if we end up meeting them." He turned to Springer. "Go and head back out to watch out flanks while the rest of us head out down the rest of the route onto the Interstate."
Springer muttered something underneath his breath in Cybertronian as he transformed into jetfighter form and took off into the sky, dust and dirt making its way into Rodimus' articulators. He coughed a little from the intake, grumbling on how annoying Springer was getting. He sighed and turned back to Ironhide. "Where are we going?" he questioned curiously.
Ironhide said two words that made Rodimus shudder in fear: "Mission City."
The young Prime shrank back in horror as those words left Ironhide's vocal processor. He sensed Arcee doing the same thing. "We're going to that place?!" he cried with alarm.
"Because," Ironhide responded casually, appearing to not notice Rodimus' horrified tone, "Decepticons are believed to have been sighted by the Sky Spy drone and it's our job to check it out without the notice of humans."
"Ironhide, I was born there nearly seven years ago," Rodimus whispered quietly. "I can't go back there."
"I understand your reluctance to go, little one, but we have to go there for the sake of humanity," Ironhide said gently in a fatherlike tone that seemed to put Rodimus' thoughts at ease.
Arcee came forward and gently nudged him in the side, offering whatever form of comfort she could. "It will be ok, Roddy," she whispered to him kindly.
Rodimus sighed with a lot of force from his breath, "Alright, Ironhide, I'll go."
"Good," Ironhide chuckled. "Let's get going while the morning is still young. I'd hate to run into a lot of traffic along the way." He started up his powerful engine and turned towards the exit that led directly for Route 99, which would take them directly to the interstate known as Interstate 5. He checked to make sure that the way was clear before he pulled out onto the road, with Rodimus and Arcee not too far behind.
Bluestreak yawned tiredly as he entered the command centre with a datapad tucked under one arm. He really hated getting up early for his shift at console, but it was one of his jobs as part of the Security Services in the Autobot base to be at Teletrann for the whole morning. The mere thought of disappointing the Security Director – Hound – made the midnight blue and silver mech worried. In all his life as serving as a member of the Security Service, he had never disappointed his Chief, but he knew there was always a first time for everything.
Rubbing the exhaustion from his optics, Bluestreak dismissed all thoughts and made his way over to his usual spot – right in between Tracks and Windcharger, who sat next to Springarm. On Tracks' left was the youthful Backfire. The young warrior had very slowly made his way up the ranks in the Autobots and he had now found a good place as part of the Security Service, but he still maintained the decency of being a bit hot-headed, amusing the Earthbound Autobots while the former Elpis Autobots just shook their heads at his determination.
Still, Bluestreak was glad of the new addition to the group, but it made his job a little bit harder. Keeping an optic on the youth and doing his job at the same time was... complicated.
"Good morning, Blue," Springarm greeted, frowning a little bit. "Primus, you look exhausted."
"Morning everyone," Bluestreak greeted back, taking his seat at the console. "Are we in for a busy day today?"
Tracks shook his head. "I highly doubt it," he replied. "The whole grid has been quiet while I've been here, though Springarm has been here the longest." He turned to the mech on his left. "What do you think?"
Springarm tapped in a few commands into the console, bringing up a series of Cybertronian words that flashed quickly before his optics. According to the mech's profile presented by Skyfire after the Elpis had touched down, Springarm was gifted for reading extremely quickly; so quickly that it made it impossible to figure out whether he was just skimming or just flicking through the pages without bothering to read them. He was done in a matter of seconds and he shifted his gaze over to Bluestreak.
"In the time that I've been here," he explained, "which has been only two and a half micro-cycles, there has been nothing in my sight."
Bluestreak nodded with approval. "Excellent," he smiled. "Let's hope it stays that way for the rest of the day. Keep up the good work everyone. Hound might not need to file in a report to Prowl today if nothing comes up."
Without warning, Teletrann started bleeping and its main monitor brought up something that had everyone in the room dropping their jaws in shock. The computer was showing a group of several Decepticons heading towards Mission City, the very spot that Rodimus and his group were heading to at this very moment.
"Looks like you spoke too soon, Blue," Windcharger grumbled.
"Shut the frag up, Windcharger, and let me do my job!" Bluestreak hissed as he bolted upright and typed into the console, patching directly into the team that was closest to the incoming incident. "Ironhide, this is Bluestreak! We've got Decepticons heading towards your destination, and they're going in real fast."
"Roger that, Bluestreak," Ironhide responded in a determined manner. "We're on our way! Ironhide out."
Tracks swivelled around in his chair and he activates his own com-link. "Prowl, this is Tracks," he began. "Teletrann just picked up at least nine Decepticons heading towards Mission City, Ironhide and his team are moving in to intercept them, but I don't think they're going to get there in time to head them off."
"Reading you loud and clear, Tracks. Springarm, order up a team of Autobots to meet me in the Shuttle Hanger on the double!"
"Already on it, Sir," Springarm answered seriously. As he was saying this, he was patching into a group of Autobots' com-links. "Skyfire, Mirage, Ratchet, Brawn, Bumblebee, and Sideswipe, meet Prowl in the Shuttle Hanger immediately. We've got Decepticons making their way to Mission City. Ironhide's team are almost there, but they will need backup ASAP. I repeat: meet Prowl in the Shuttle Hanger immediately."
"Roger that!" they answer at once without hesitation.
Bluestreak nodded with approval at the swiftness of his team. "Good job, men," he said. "Let's hope everything works out in the end."
"I've got a bad feeling about this..." Springarm muttered, touching a familiar symbol on his left cheek.
The early morning quietness of the barely awake Mission City was interrupted by an approaching familiar F22 Raptor coated in alien tattoos. Starscream circled the city several times as his thoughts drifted towards the past, the past of when the Autobots had achieved victory with the assistance of that pathetic Sam Witwicky.
It disgusted him on how such a tiny, weak organic being could just so easily defeat a Cybertronian, especially with the assistance of their military force. They were pitiful, but a nuisance nonetheless when they used their numbers against them. That was nearly seven years ago now, and still the humans fought alongside the Autobots.
What was even worse was that Megatron still led the Decepticons, but Starscream knew that their faith had faltered slightly after the downfall of Harbinger. However, the capture of the youngling may turn the tables around in both Megatron's and Starscream's favour, especially with what they had planned for him when the time was just about right.
"Cyclonus to Starscream," his com-link buzzed, interrupting his thoughts, "the Decepticons you requested for this mission should be arriving at your coordinates any nano-klik now."
"I see them, Cyclonus," the tattooed mech snorted gruffly and he disconnected the com-link before Cyclonus could say something nasty. Though he couldn't help but smirk internally as he spotted the approaching squadron making its way towards him. Two of them settled onto his right, another two onto his left, while the last four drifted lazily behind his tail rudders.
Spotting a decent landing spot, he transformed into his bipedal form and landed in the most graceful manner he could pull off upon the roof of a tall building. He glanced up, watching the group follow his lead and land a little roughly on the rooftop.
"Decepticons," Starscream commanded, arms tied behind his back in a casual manner, "state your designations."
The four mechs designated themselves as Skywarp, Thundercracker, and a newly repaired Ramjet and Vortex. Starscream wasn't surprised that Cyclonus had sent this pathetic lot with him again. Nothing surprised him anymore. What was the loyal soldier hoping to accomplish by sending these four underlings to him like last time when he had tried to capture the youngling no more than over four weeks ago?
Shaking his head, his attention diverted to the four femmes standing on the mechs' right. "Designations, now," he ordered, scowling.
"Blackarachnia," a petite, black femme responded with a hiss, spreading two pairs of unusual legs on her back. She nodded to the other small, black femme on her left. "This is my sister Airachnid. We are twins."
Airachnid pulled her lips back to reveal sharp fangs, hissing aggressively and the two pairs of extra legs on her back spread out widely, each one ending with sharp claws that looked like they could cut through solid steel.
Starscream nodded. Twin femmes were extremely rare amongst Decepticon ranks, and these two were certainly one of the most unusual pairs they had ever seen. From what he knew about these two, they were part of Shockwave's experiments many years ago in an attempt to fuse Transformer biology with eight-legged Insecticon CNA. Seven subjects had been used in the project, but only six of them survived. Blackarachnia and Airachnid were two of those survivors.
The third femme with her hands upon her hips, a gruff exterior about her, and broad wings extending from her back, just shook her head dismissively. "Slipstream," she answered coolly, folding her arms across her chest. "Don't get in my way and I won't get in yours."
A quiet one, it seems, Starscream thought to himself. A voice inside his head told him that he should avoid this femme's wrath because she was definitely someone not to be trifled with in battle, despite her quiet nature and her gruff attitude. Simple enough, he liked soldiers that didn't speak much anyway.
His attention was soon diverted to the last femme, who hadn't spoken a word since their arrival at their destination. He peered a little closer at her and his optics blinked in surprise. "Thunderblast, what are you doing here? Are you really willing to risk the life of your sparkling in battle?"
A slender hand slapped him across the faceplates, shocking him and the rest of the group. "I am the femme commander of the Decepticons, Starscream," Thunderblast snapped angrily. "It is my job to lead the femmes to victory whether you like it or not!"
Rubbing the right side of his cheek, Starscream muttered something inaudible underneath his breath. "Have it your way, femme," he hissed as he turned away from the snickering mechs and femmes and made his way over to the edge of the building, watching far below as he noticed the human military attempting to evacuate the civilians once again. So weak, he thought darkly, so easily frightened by the simplest of things.
He turned back to the squadron, who stood at attention and ready for battle, waiting for him to give them the signal.
"Decepticons," he bellowed at the top of his vocal processor and flickering his arm towards the ground swiftly, "attack!"
If Rodimus' warning sensors hadn't gone off and his optical sensors hadn't seen what was going on in front of him he would not have believed it. Right ahead of him and his group, Mission City was in flames. Pillars of smoke billowed from the once proud city that had once been his birthplace. He really hadn't planned on coming back to Mission City, not like this. He could hear screams of panic from the humans; explosions from plasma blasts, and memories of long ago were beginning to plague his processor.
No, he couldn't let the past haunt him like that! He had to concentrate on here and now, not focus on what had once been. He pushed those thoughts into the back of his cranium and letting his determination replace his doubts and fears.
"Autobots, gun it to the maximum!" Ironhide ordered. "Prowl just called and told me he and the backup won't arrive for two micro-cycles. He sent Skyfire ahead of them, but he won't make it in time to give assistance. It's up to us to slow down the 'Cons for as long as we can until help arrives."
Everyone responded with a 'Yes sir!' and Rodimus quickly switched in his gearstick to the highest setting. His wheels spun furiously like during the time he had raced with his friends and he quickly began to inch ahead of the others. He heard Ironhide and Springer gasp in surprise at how fast he was pulling away from them.
"I'm going ahead of you to see what I can do to assist the humans," he called to them, the gap between himself and the others growing even further that confirmed his urgency to get there before them.
He heard Ironhide sigh, "Alright, but just be careful. If you don't make it through this, then Optimus will have my cranium on a platter. By all means, do not fight the 'Cons unless it is absolutely necessary. Do I make myself clear, kid?"
"I read you, sir," the young Prime responded.
"Good. Arcee, Springer, go with Rodimus. You're faster than me because of my condition. Guard him with your life."
"Understood, sir," Arcee replied sincerely.
Springer didn't exactly answer straight away. Instead, he answered by letting his armour shift in random directions to form his dark green jetfighter form and pushed off the ground with his hands just as he finished transforming. He blasted away with his thrusters and flew directly above Rodimus, sticking close to his tailpipe.
Arcee drifted a little closer to Ironhide for a moment, her tone softening with worry, "Are you sure you'll be alright on your own?"
Ironhide chuckled deeply, his chassis trembling a little. "Don't worry about me, Arcee," he answered kindly. "I'll be fine. I'm not as young or as fast as I used to be, but I'm strong enough to handle a bunch of dumb 'Cons on my own. Now get going before Rodimus gets there first. He will need a lot of assistance in protecting those humans."
The young femme sighed reluctantly, "Aye-aye, sir." She switched on her nitro boosters and sped on after Springer and Rodimus. She caught up with them in a matter of seconds until she was on Rodimus' right side and underneath Springer. "I'll race you guys," she said cheekily.
"You're on, Arcee!" Rodimus laughed, drawing further and further ahead of her. This time, Arcee seemed to keep up with him as they drew closer to the burning city. Springer announced that they were under a mile away from it, and this only fuelled Rodimus' fears even more.
The race was soon forgotten when they reached the outskirts of the city, and Rodimus instantly transformed into his bipedal form for the first time in days. He wanted to stretch his limbs, but it would have to wait until the incident was over. Arcee and Springer followed in suit behind him, standing on either side of him and glancing around at the terrible scene that awaited them.
Rodimus' optics squinted, his processor flashing those painful memories of long ago over and over again. He realised that they were on the street where he had been born. He didn't even know how he knew because he had been blind during the whole battle, but something told him that this was the very same spot he had been all those years ago.
He didn't have time to wonder anymore as a massive boom knocked him and his companions off their feet. He was tossed backwards and his newfound battle instinct kicked in, allowing his body to tuck itself in to protect itself and he dug his toes into the concrete with his digits burrowing to hold himself steady. His doorwings bristled along with emotions and he felt a need to turn and run, but he knew that he couldn't, not when human lives were riding on the line. He was well aware of Springer and Arcee already back up and in their battle poses, ready to fight this menace.
There was another loud bang that sounded awfully like the barrier of sound being broken, but this time the force came from behind and he was quick to roll to one side, followed by Arcee and Springer. He glanced up and spotted a familiar F22 Raptor rising into the sky before it turned around and headed straight for them again, only this time it dive-bombed for the ground. Its armour began to shift and slide, forming into a recognisable Decepticon.
Starscream completed his transformation and landed on the ground, his birdlike feet gripping the ground and holding him steady as he slid down the street, sending vehicles flying around him as he made his way towards them.
Another memory of long ago flashed across Rodimus' optics... memories of being helplessly blind and struggling to work out how he was self-aware while being knocked off his wheels by a tremendous push. Back then he couldn't see a thing because his optical sensors had been damaged and instinct had driven him to flee for his life. It was a life that had ended up crossing paths with a homeless human, a human who he owed himself to.
Wait! That feeling he had felt before after he had awakened and the move Starscream was pulling. Why did it seem so familiar? Oh Primus! Starscream was the one who sent him running like the coward that he was?
"Distracted, youngling?" a voice spat from in front of him.
"What?" Rodimus questioned, clearly puzzled. Something heavy and hard slammed into his face, sending him hurtling into a burning building. Broken pieces of glass, dirt and stone bounced off of his armour and a wave of dizziness overwhelmed his equilibrium sensors. He heard Arcee cry out his name, but everything was all a blur. Two pairs of optics peered down upon him; one of their owners began to shake him a little roughly.
"Rodimus, snap out of it!" a familiar voice growled in his face, forcing him to snap out of his daze.
"I'm up, I'm up!" he cried, rubbing his head painfully and shoved Springer away from him. Gentle hands carefully picked him back up and he knew that it was Arcee who was helping him. Once he was back on his feet again, Springer and Arcee pointed their weapons at Starscream.
His audio receptors rang with screams of terror from down a street not too far from them. All three Autobots turned their heads and spotted Ramjet and Vortex – newly repaired and more dangerous than ever – herding a group of humans while above them Cybertronian jetfighters were flying in the sky, destroying buildings in their wake. Even more panicked humans cried out for help.
Rodimus whirled upon his companions. "Springer," he called to him, "take off and try to distract the Decepticon fliers."
Springer frowned, almost as though he was hesitant about doing this job. He seemed to know that he would be outnumbered against the enemy, but when he saw the fierce confidence in his Prime's optics and the trust he was placing in him, he reconsidered. "Very well then, Sir," he sighed a little bit reluctantly.
Transforming into his jet form, he ignited his plasma burners powerfully and took off into the air.
Once he was gone, Arcee's gaze shifted over to Rodimus', who had never taken his optics off the sky. "What do you want me to do?" she asked loud enough to get his attention.
"Arcee," Rodimus ordered, all emotion leaving his tone, "help the military force protect the civilians while I distract Starscream."
For the first time since they had met, he saw hesitation and doubt in his friend's beautiful azure optics. He knew that she trusted him completely, but how deep that trust was placed was beyond him. This was no time to doubt, especially when human lives were riding on the line.
"Arcee, go," he begged frantically, his doorwings trembling violently with fear and a hint of rage. "I don't have time for any doubts. Please just trust me."
Again, there was that look of confusion, hesitation, and doubt on his delicate facial features. Rodimus wasn't sure whether she was going to comply or not, but finally the human cries tore her away from him. "Yes, Sir," she whispered before she turned, transformed into her vehicle form and raced off down the road as quickly as she could.
Rodimus felt his spark ache for those commands he gave to his dearest friend, and it hurt him more than anything to send her away from his side. But his orders had to be carried away. He had learned enough from Optimus to know what to do, and all he had to do was place his trust in his soldiers.
He turned to face Starscream, who had been watching the entire scene unfold before him. "Your blind faith in your Autobots will be your downfall, youngling," he sneered.
"Say what you want," Rodimus growled angrily. "I trust my men unlike you or Megatron!"
"Enough talk! Let's get started, and when I'm finished with you, there will be nothing left to put you back together!"
The young Prime got into his fighting stance and mockingly motioned Starscream to come forward. "Let's dance," he smirked.
