Prepare yourself...this is crazy sad.
Chapter Nine
When the announcement went out that they were about to enter Cybertronian atmosphere, there was a palpable change among the crew. A buzz seemed to float from one clump of Transformers to the next. They congregated in and around the main bridges and "window" screens, as though wanting to be the first to see the home-world they'd been away from for so long. Sunbeam and the other members of The Alpha Trion spoke to groups of avid listeners, each and every Autobot wanting to know what had happened to their home in their absence.
Even Kyrus joined the clusters in the main bridge, entering and watching their approach of Cybertron with astonished optics and a slack jaw. It was the calmest that Thunderous had ever seen her. "This'll be your first time on Cybertron, won't it?" he realized, looking his surly medic up and down. She nodded mutely, not tearing her eyes away from the growing planet. He frowned. It was to their disadvantage they had an Earth-born officer. She wouldn't know as much about Cybertron, and she might get distracted from sights that were old to Thunderous.
Yet, he couldn't stop himself from staring too.
They were entering Cybertronian atmosphere now. Kyrus stood at the window, staring out into the vast dark planet below. Hound stood with her, speaking in low tones that probably no one other than he, Kyrus, or Thunderous could hear (which Thunderous blocked very successfully). Ironhide and Bumblebee stood with him, each looking at him with expectant optics.
"We need to find our old stronghold. Sunbeam and Skyrush say that that was near the old Praxus," Bumblebee informed him.
"No way," Thunderous said, shaking his head. "The Decepticons destroyed Praxus in the beginning of the war."
Ironhide shrugged, "That's why it's such a good hide-out. No one expects us to be there."
Thunderous frowned. He didn't know anywhere on Cybertron as well as Kaon, though he doubted any of his new comrades would want to go there. He found himself gazing at Ironhide. His Chief Advisor would come in handy. It was more likely that the old warrior knew more of Cybertron than he did.
"So Praxus," he said quietly. "What happened to Iacon?"
Neither officer answered, but both just stared at him blankly. He sighed. He needed all of the Intel that he could get, but it seemed that being away from Cybertron for so long had left his officers as in the dark as he was. He could only hope that they remembered more of their old war when they were on surface.
"Where do you think Starscream is now?" Bumblebee asked quietly. As if in answer to him, their comm. screen flickered to life with the Decepticon commander's face on it.
"Starscream," Kyrus growled, stepping forward. Thunderous put up his arm to block her path and stepped forward to take the call.
"What do you want, Starscream?"
"Oh brave and noble Traitor Prime," the red and blue seeker sneered. "I see that since you're joining, the Autobots have turned coward, and abandoned Earth."
"What do you want, Starscream?" he repeated.
The tetrajet sneered. "I would have thought the brave Autobots with their new Traitor Prime would have tried to take back their missing prisoners. But I guess that you, Thundercracker, make them weak." Thunderous ignored the jibe; Starscream had just opened the very lead they were looking for."
"Where are they?"
He bared his dentias. "A few of them weren't feeling well…so we sent them home." A soft but excited murmur spread through the listening mechs. Kyrus watched with palatinate optics locked on the screen bearing Starscream's face. The Decepticon leader, however, wasn't done. "But if you thought you could escape by running home to Cybertron, you were dead wrong."
The screen went back as Starscream cut off the comm. link.
Everyone was silent, staring at one another with fear in their faces. Thunderous knew in his spark that this was one of his moments to take charge. "We cannot afford to risk Starscream's attack. We need to get to battle stations-" He never finished his sentence.
"Incoming object," Skyrush shouted from his place at the radar. "Moving fast and heading right toward us."
"People move!" Thunderous roared. He raced over to his place at the main battlement as everyone scrambled. The missile struck with sudden and powerful force. The entire ship rocked at the motion.
Over the intercom came Gamma's frantic tones: "Prime! Prime! Respond Prime!"
Out of the corner of his optics, Thunderous saw Kyrus transform and scurry out the door. He pressed the response link, "Thunderous to Engine Room! Gamma, what's going on?"
The relief was evident in Gamma's panicked voice. "We got hit. Engine's down. I'm doing everything I can, but Prime…we're going to crash."
Thunderous felt stunned. Was this the graceful leadership that was needed for these straggling bots? Pressing the com link, he said the first thing that came to mind, "If we're going to crash, I want you to get somewhere safer, now."
"Can't Prime," Gamma's calm response hit his audios like the piercing of Starscream's usual screech. "Can't walk. Don't you worry about me. I'll do what I can down here."
"Gamma," he bellowed into the intercom. "Gamma, that was an order!"
The only reply was the crackling of the closed link.
He rose to his feet and looked around. Everyone was looking at him, and he knew they were waiting for him to take command. "Get to the central hub now," he ordered. "Get as many people there as you can right now. And prepare to land."
Everyone abandoned post and took off. It was pure chaos. Thunderous couldn't help but feel sick. Optimus would have known what to do. Optimus would have done a better job. In fact, Optimus had, when they had crashed on Earth all those billions of years ago.
There was a change in him then, a change that he knew without knowing how would signify his entire leadership. He would not fail. He would save as many of his crewmembers as he possible could, even if it meant dying himself. Pressing his hand into the intercom again, he heard his deep rumble carry out over the ship as though it was not his own. "I want everyone to go to the centermost of the ship that you can. Take as much of our energon and our weapon supply as you can. Keep them separated."
Kyrus, he said over private comm. Where are you?
Getting medical supplies, came her frantic answer. He vented in frustration. Of course, she would need her supplies.
"Skyrush," he called. The silver mech was there in front of him immediately.
"Prime!" He saluted.
Thunderous looked him dead in the optic, wanting him to know how serious the situation was. "Go to Kyrus's Medbay and help her get as much of her equipment as you can carry."
Skyrush dipped his head, neither smile nor cheer showing on his face now. Without waiting for further instruction, the small silver mech raced away to help. Thunderous ran out into the hallways, rushing down to the engine room one floor below the central hub. He needed to get to Gamma as soon as he could get his legs to carry him there.
He knew as soon as he got there that it was hopeless. Pure pandemonium reached his ears and the burning smell of charcoal made his vents whir. The engines were on fire. Momentarily stunned by the blaze, he couldn't help but feel a great grief swamp him. There was no repairing the ship, not after a fire like this. It had been his ship for maybe half an Earth-week. Not only that, but in that room had been Gamma and whoever had been assigned to work with him. They were probably dead now.
"Where's Inferno?" he asked Blitzwing as he ran past. The triple-changer's wide orchid optics met his Prime's. "I don't know! Everyone's heading to the central hub. He may be there."
Thunderous didn't have time. He gazed into the inferno and made the split second decision. He raced into the fire, feeling the straight heat peel his paint and crack the glass on his cockpit. The smoke made his vents shutter painfully. Reaching out with hands, he felt carefully for any sign of life. His foot caught on something, tripping him up. He looked back and found a still form. Relief, small but ever present made him cough aloud. The figure was familiar, but he couldn't tell who it was in the smoke. There was no time to think. Scooping up the form into his arms, he wrapped himself protectively around his charge and raced out of the fire.
Blitzwing was gone, but Inferno was there. Never before had Thunderous felt such relief as that which swamped him when the Wrecker's azure optics met his own magenta ones. "Put out that fire."
"We don't have time," Inferno argued. "We have an estimated 2 minutes until impact."
"We'll make it," Thunderous growled. "There are people in there! You need to put out the fire, now!"
The fire truck transformer knew not to argue twice. Transforming, he pointed his hose and spurted the place with water. It wasn't enough, although when Thunderous looked in, he still could see no one. He looked down onto the ash-covered face below him. It was Arcee, who must have been helping out in the engine room that day. She was still in his arms, though he could feel the fait stir of air from her vents, signifying that she was still alive.
"We need to go," he said when they had taken up a minute. "Let's go."
Inferno transformed back, and together they ran as fast as they could up the stair flight and to the central hub. It was packed with living robots, each holding onto the other for comfort and support. He sat down next to Cliffjumper and Mirage, still holding Arcee protectively as he quietly counted down the seconds.
Impact was jarring. There was no other word to describe it. Thunderous could feel it in his core. Every mech jumped about a foot and slid in every direction. They scattered as energon and weaponry spilled everywhere. He could not tell who was who as voices all screamed at once.
They were still. It was almost as shocking as the crash had been. He took a moment to re-orientate himself. Clutching Arcee's arm helped. Slowly he set her down. She was still unconscious, but she was looking better.
A sound of a bomb going off made him jump.
"This can't be happening," Mirage muttered, shifting in his place.
Thunderous rose to his feet at the sound of running outside the vicinity. A break-in? The Decepticons were coming to finish off survivors. He gave out the command. "If you're uninjured, grab a weapon and get to your feet now. We're under attack!"
Noises carried out, but Thunderous spoke louder. "Move quickly. Get the injured to the center. Anybody who's well enough to fight must fight."
Around him was the shuffling of feet. Thunderous turned to the people closest to him. Mirage was carrying Arcee to the center. Ironhide and Chromia were standing side by side, identical looks of rage on their faces, Cliffjumper was standing next to Blitzwing and Sunbeam. Skyrush was holding a box of grenades, on his other side was Smokescreen, Windcharger, Brawn, and Gears. That was the longest Thunderous had to take it all in before they were being charged.
He pointed his weapon (never before used) and fired. To his surprise, it was a small ball of electricity that, when it hit its target, exploded. Or maybe it didn't, because the mech it hit (Espion) was still whole when he fell. But he didn't look like Espion anymore. Only years of working with him left some taint of recognition in Thunderous's optics. He blinked in pure astonishment. Then he pointed his weapon again.
It was harder fighting against his old comrades than he'd predicted. Especially when he saw Skywarp. He turned away, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not get over the blank shock on his old friend's face.
It was easier to fire at Soundwave. Thunderous had never liked the cassette-transformer. They had never been friends, and it was easy to find his inner hate for the Decepticon 3rd in command. He fired, trying to get a direct hit. Damned Soundwave was quicker than he looked.
There was another explosion, but Thunderous was pretty sure that it was just Skyrush doing his thing. In fact…the Decepticons were retreating! They were going…going…gone!
He barely had time to celebrate. People were still moving, shuffling around. Someone screamed. He tried to follow the sound and couldn't. He watched with wide optics as several people rushed past him, Kyrus at their head. "Get him to my Medbay now!" she ordered loudly. Horror dripped down him as he followed them, Chromia in step with him.
He entered the Medbay behind several other people. They were all scattered haphazardly, some sitting on births, others just lying on the floor. Some were crouched next to their friends, others holding some injury or another. Everyone, however, was watching the commotion where Kyrus was with dull, blank optics.
Thunderous shuffled over to where Kyrus was working and peered down. There was Ironhide, lying still on the table. Energon life-blood was everywhere. Bumblebee was holding part of his proto-skeleton in place while Hound on his other side was holding something cupped in his hands (Thunderous couldn't see what).
Cold shock trickled down his back as he watched Kyrus work on his back and neck with delicate hands. It took him a moment to adjust. He didn't bother asking what happened; he didn't think he would get an answer anyway.
He realized after a moment that there were other patients waiting. Once being a seeker of Kaon, Thunderous did have basic medical skills. Without a word to his working Medic, he began to file from group to group, healing basic injuries. By the time he got to the last ones that he could help (Powerglide and Gears) he was looking at a nearly empty Medbay. Cliffjumper was once more lying on a birth in the corner, holding hands with Mirage and murmuring quietly between them. Chromia sat on a birth with her legs dangling, clutching a burn in her abdomen and watching Kyrus work on Ironhide with already grieving optics. Bumblebee and Hound had gone.
He walked over just as Kyrus put down her tool. She stood with her head bowed for a long moment before turning away without looking at him and walking over to Chromia. "How's Ironhide?" the blue femme asked immediately. Kyrus just pointed at her wound.
Chromia moved her hands and allowed the medic to work. When she was done, the blue and gold femme helped the older to her feet and asked her to move her arms, stand on one foot, ect. When she was done with that, she quietly asked if anything else hurt. Chromia was shaking.
"No, I…what about Ironhide?" She stammered.
Kyrus didn't answer, just looked up at the femme. It was a long moment before either moved. The first to break the stance was Chromia. The blue femme hugged Kyrus gently, whispering quietly in her ear. The Medic hung her head.
Finally, they separated, Chromia to Ironhide, Kyrus to Thunderous. He reached out a hand and stopped her, looking directly into her optics. "What's going on?"
She took a deep breath, "In every Transformer, there is a bundle of chords that connects the central processor to the spark chamber. Humans have something similar, called the spinal chord." Thunderous narrowed his eyes. She wasn't done, "In humans, when their spinal chord gets severed, several things could happen. If they get hit in the back, they sometimes lose functions of their limbs. Like what happened to Gamma," she added. "Ironhide got hit in the neck."
"What happens when humans get hit in the neck?" he dreaded asking.
Her lower lip trembled as she answered. "Depends. Sometimes, they lose control of their bodies from the neck down. Most of the time though, they die."
He took a deep breath. "So Ironhide is dead?"
She shook her head. "No. Not yet. But he will be soon. I put him in stasis lock, so he won't feel it." She lifted her indigo gaze rested on Chromia, kneeling next to her dying love and holding his hand.
"Maybe we should leave them," he suggested. He raised a hand and rested it on her shoulder. Kyrus pulled away from his touch.
"I must see to my other patients first." Before he could answer, and maybe it was better this way, she was across the room helping to Cliffjumper again. Thunderous gazed over at Ironhide's still form. Grief filled him at the sight. Already they had lost Gamma, and now they were losing Ironhide too. Ironhide, his trusted advisor, his kindly father-figure, his friend and officer…was dying. He didn't want to disturb Chromia's last moments with her bondmate, so he said his farewell from afar:
"Goodbye, my loyal officer, my excellent advisor…and my good friend."
