All's Fair In Love And War.

Chapter Nine.

A/N: Yes, I'm using characters from other continuities than the Bay movie one in this story, although it's obviously Bay movie based.

"There's nowhere left to run, and we don't want to hurt you, but we will if you make it difficult for us!"

The voice was familiar and directly in front of her. It was the flier who had originally addressed her, the one who had suggested she come quietly to make it easier on herself. As the only one directly ahead and closest to her, she knew it must belong to the owner of the helicopter alt. Her answer was to bare her teeth and raise her arms.

She did not expect the helicopter mech to drop down and attempt to knock her over, and it was more luck than judgement that saw her dodge fast enough to evade. She realised that she'd stopped moving, and began dodging back and forth, feinting and dropping back, anything to stop any of them repeating the trick.

The copter-mech laughed. "Go right ahead and tire yourself out, it'll make it easier for us. We can wait, it's no good trying to get away." Casting a look at the grounder mechs, Sam saw they were arraying themselves both front and behind, hemming her in. She wondered where Barricade was, even as she moved her head back round to see that the mechs ahead had edged closer.

"I tire of your futile efforts to confuse us. I'm going to end this, now!" the helo-mech said. He moved to drop down and knock Sam over again, began spinning so his tail would hit her, but at that moment a laser shot down, shattering his tail rotor, and with a shriek, he spiralled out of control over Sam's head and converted to robot in time to avoid a catastrophic crash. He then swung around, casting his optics skyward, and looked for his assailant.

More shots came from above, one drilling a neat hole in the wing of a bulky flier who also appeared to have tank parts amongst his vehicle kibble. As he shrieked and sheared away to land, the train-flyer's tail fin was slightly clipped, and two of the other fliers dodged to avoid the laser bolts. Sam, startled, squinted up in an attempt to see where the shots were coming from, but the direction of the shots seemed to be coming from the same direction as that of the desert sun, which was high in the sky, and which prevented her from being able to see who was firing.

The shots were hitting only the New Decepticon fliers, but that didn't necessarily mean the attackers were there to aid Sam. There was at least one faction of Autobots about who did not want peace either, and there could be other splinters of either faction out there, or lone wolf renegades, all of whom might want to claim the only known living femme for themselves. 'My enemy's enemy is my friend' might not actually be the case in this particular situation.

Sam spotted movement out of the corner of her eye, and dodged as the big black truck-mech lunged for her. She actually felt the tips of his fingers brush against her plating, he was so close. Something warned her, maybe a sixth sense, or maybe the numerous sensors Ratchet had told her were embedded in her plating, and she turned just in time to avoid another grab from a mech she didn't recognise. She realised that the circle of opponents around her was tightening. The downed fliers - two of whom appeared to have more than one vehicle form - had converted to robot form, and were still a danger despite their injuries.

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General Morshower looked up as a communication came though on his computer. He didn't particularly like the desk work that came with his position, but it was a necessary evil, and he was glad that the computer age meant information could be communicated faster than a man could run, and in most cases, more securely than radio or Morse, although recent events in Mission City had shown the fallacies in their communication systems, ones that needed to be corrected. Sometimes, he thought they were way too reliant on technology, and other times, like today, he was glad of it.

He moused over the notification he'd received and frowned. Usually disturbances out in the desert were not routed directly to him, but the content of this message explained why.

'Large contingent from the Autobot Base heading further out into the desert, satellite imagery shows they appear to be closing on a number of other robotic forms in the desert, and there are reports of laser fire and explosions in the area.'

Morshower pressed a button under his desk that activated two strong electronic locks on his office door, hit a button on his keyboard in a sequence that made his window blinds drop and close, and then turned to a blank screen behind his desk.

He tapped in two codes, waited for them to be approved, then put on a headset and pulled the attached microphone in front of his lips. He waited a moment before beginning to speak.

"This is General Morshower calling Optimus Prime. What is going on? Why are you out in force, and who are the opponents whom I assume you are heading for?"

He waited a moment or so to see if any reply was forthcoming, but only heard static through his ear pieces. He repeated his message to Optimus Prime, but after the fourth repetition with no response, he turned it off, removed the headset, and turned back to his desk, donning another headset and making another broadcast, this time to his officers.

"Gentlemen, please ask your subordinates to check and confirm that all men have signed a non-disclosure agreement, and them tell them to get ready to mobilise if the order is given. A situation where your intervention may be required appears to be developing, make sure they are ready, and wait for my command. Morshower out."

He then removed the second headset, turned back to the screen, put back on the first, and continued trying to raise Optimus Prime.

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"Mirage, activate your disrupter, and see if you can find out what's going on," Optimus instructed. The slender blue and white mech gave Optimus a thumbs-up - a human gesture more than one of the Cybertronians on Earth seemed to have adopted - before shimmering out of view.

The searchers were in the shadow of a dune, waiting to find out more about what was going on, not wishing to run into an uncertain situation unprepared, or where their appearance might put Sam in danger. None of the searchers liked the delay, but they were all combat veterans, and understood the necessity. The intensity of the fighting seemed to change, and they could hear more laser fire and shouts and screams from some of the combatants, and smell and hear the battle not so far from where they crouched. It was tempting to charge up the incline and attack, but they'd be silhouetted against the skyline if anyone was watching, easy targets if they were seen too soon.

There was a scuff of stones nearby and Optimus turned in time to see Mirage shimmer into view.

"It's the New Decepticons alright, no less than eight, and no more than twelve. I spotted all of the Combaticons, plus Shockwave and Motormaster. They appear to have Sam cornered, and have injured Barricade, although he still appears to be spoiling for a fight. However, the New Decepticons appears to be under attack from the air. I suspect, but cannot confirm, that it's our fliers. However, whoever they are fighting, it would likely be to our advantage to attack now, while they are distracted."

Optimus looked at Prowl, who nodded : tactically, it made sense.

"Then let's transform, and roll out," Optimus said.

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There was a roar from behind the second mech who had attempted to grab her, and suddenly Barricade, himself showing visible scratches and laser holes and burns on his armour, was bearing the attacker to the ground, his whirring plating-shredding blade saw screeching against the armour of his opponent, his hands in the other mech's wiring at the vulnerable point between chest and hips. He pulled out a double handful of sparking wires and leaking tubing, and then threw the injured mech at one of those behind Sam, before moving to be back-to-back with her.

He shouted "Use those shoulder cannons, Sam, they're not just there to look intimidating!" Belatedly, Sam did so, and saw the mechs directly in front of her draw back. She could hear Barricade's saw blade, and could see the circle of mechs was widening, as they drew back out of his range, but not necessarily hers.

One very large but clumsy-seeming mech suddenly folded down into an imposing tank form, as more laser fire came from above. Another big mech folded down into what looked like a weapons platform, raising two long guns almost vertically, aiming at the sun before shooting with a thunderous boom.

Sam heard shrieks, and saw four fliers suddenly scatter, visible against the blue sky now they had moved out of the sun's glare to avoid the mech's shells. She couldn't see if they were hurt, but her attention was diverted as the mechs facing Barricade suddenly turned to face the other way. Chancing a look, Sam saw them raise their weapons against some charging ground vehicles as Barricade said "Well, as humans might say, it looks like the cavalry has arrived, Sam!" She gave an audible sigh of relief as she saw the familiar blue and red livery of Optimus Prime leading the charge.

Sam whipped her head back around in time to fire her cannons at a flier who was heading directly for her: when that didn't stop him, she called "dodge right!" to Barricade as she dodged to her left (his right). They managed to avoid the charging flier, who ended up crashing into the black Optimus-like mech instead.

"Ramjet, you idiot, what are you doing?" The black mech asked, striking the flier who was crumpled beside him as he disentangled himself and rose. He took a step back as he found himself staring down the barrel of one of Ironhide's cannons, as Optimus himself faced down the purple mech with the giant optic.

A screech of thrusters drew Sam's attention, and he was astonished to see what looked like a space shuttle launch itself skywards.

"Sam, focus, this battle isn't won yet!" Barricade said to her, in a sharp tone. Bringing her attention to bear, Sam saw the mech who had taken tank form had been joined by a second tank, one that seemed to also possess wings. One of the wings had a hole with blackened edges running through its thickness, and Sam abruptly recognised it as one of the fliers who had been downed earlier.

"You can have two forms?" Sam shouted to Barricade while firing her shoulder launchers, one at each tank.

"Not me, and not many Cybertronians at all, but there are a few triple changers, Sam, and Blitzwing there, and Astrotrain to your right, are two of them. Having two different forms needs one of three particular sorts of mindsets: they are either highly flexible mentally, already broken, or almost totally insane, and most triplechangers of my acquaintance tend towards the last of those three categories. The advantages should be obvious, but the disadvantage is that they are rarely predictable, and will often take risks we feel are too great."

Movement drew Sam's optics and she saw the one who had tried to ram them getting to his feet.

"He's still functional?" Sam asked in astonishment.

"Ramjet is built to withstand ramming head first into things, Sam, it's how he was designed," Barricade said, as he let fly with his whirring saw blade, which brought the cone-headed Seeker back to his knees. "He's not adapted against me, however," he said, and then nodded as the red and yellow mechs whose alt mode's were Lamborghinis, known collectively as the Twins, both laid into him with their fists. "Or them, fortunately for us," Barricade said conversationally, but without letting his guard down.

"Our Autobot friends have these ones covered," he said, and then nodded to one side. Sam looked in the direction of his gaze, to see the helicopter mech was still able to stand, but was being attacked by Knockout, who had skidded in from seemingly nowhere in car form, converted to robot form, and started shooting at the already-damaged New Decepticon. "And your original Decepticon friend there is dealing with Vortex for us, too. Now, let's deal with these other ones for them, shall we?"

Barricade turned to help Sam confront the four facing him - two tanks, one train/winged mech Barricade had referred to as Astrotrain, and the weapons platform currently shooting at several airborne forms who seemed to be unable to do much except fire the occasional laser bolt while dodging, now they had lost the element of surprise.

"It seems Onslaught has our flying allies there at a disadvantage, Sam. If you fire your missiles at Brawl and Blitzwing, the tanks there, I'll see if I can give him something else to worry about, shall I?" Barricade said.

"Go for it," Sam said, barraging the two tanks with the next salvo from her shoulder cannons, and hoping she had plenty of ammo. Although in training Ironhide had told her she should have enough ammo, she doubted he had foreseen a firefight quite like this, or with quite so much at stake. She also kept glancing over to make sure Astrotrain wasn't going to try anything.

Barricade himself concentrated his attacks on the weapons platform - Onslaught? - from a distance, shooting his own missiles at it, and it worked. Onslaught converted back to his robot form and began dodging, and Sam, in looking back, noticed the tanks were trying to come at her from two directions.

She twisted to fire at one, dodged to avoid the other, and then found herself out of room to move. She backed up as much as she could, and one of the tanks followed her in, leaving her even less room. She could only see one option, and she took it.

Ducking under the gun turret, she ran towards the tank and managed to climb up its side, crouching low, hoping the New Decepticons were averse to the risk of hitting one of their own, and trained her shoulder cannons on the second one.

When she felt the one beneath her move, she glanced down to realise he was transforming, and leaped away, landing and turning to fire at him. It was the triplechanger, Blitzwing, and as Sam's missiles impacted on his chest mid-transformation, they didn't appear to cause any damage beyond black burn marks. However, the impact or blast must have affected his balance, and he fell over. Sam turned to the second tank, in time to see Cliffjumper and Bumblebee run through, raising their weapons. Mirage also shimmered into view and turned to face Astrotrain, bracing himself, taking a battle-ready stance, and reaching up to his shoulder cannon.

Astrotrain must have had enough already, for he backed off and then fled to one side, still in robot form. Casting his optics up to the sky, Mirage fired his shoulder rocket at the airborne Space shuttle, which appeared to be trying to chase one of the Seekers. Mirage's missile nearly hit him, but he dodged, although he quickly landed, not far from the first tank.

Onslaught suddenly turned and ran over by Brawl as well.

"Blast off, wait here. Swindle, Vortex, get over here!" he shouted. Sam looked around to see the last two named 'Cons -who seemed to be holding their own against Knockout and the Twins - suddenly stop fighting, and run towards Onslaught. She was pulled out of her observations by Barricade pulling on one arm. He looked, well, not exactly frightened, but he was suddenly very tense, in contrast to his more relaxed manner earlier.

"Sam, time to get back from here, far back, let's see if we can go over by the Twins and Knockout there. You three as well," he said, motioning to the three newly-arrived Autobots, "this is going to be tough, and we'll need all the space, and all the back-up, we can get."

"Five of us, five of them, one injured, is it going to be that bad?" Sam asked.

"Yes, Sam, do as he says," Bumblebee said, giving Sam a shove. "You don't really have the training for combat against any of them even with us by your side, let alone this!"

At that moment, Onslaught shouted "Combaticons, combine!"