"Run!" Jazz cried, throwing another grenade at the oncoming Sharkticons.
Blurr was more than happy to oblige, and he sped behind the saboteur's makeshift cover before the grenade went off. Shards flew around as several Sharkticons got caught in the explosion, while the shockwave sent a lot more of them flying.
"Did we get them, Jazz?" Blurr asked. "I hope we did, because I'm starting to feel tired and you know I can't keep this up much longer when I get tired!"
"I think we got 'em," Jazz replied, tuning up his audios. He didn't hear any more metallic footsteps, but that didn't mean anything. The Sharkticons could be waiting for them to step out and then catch them by surprise.
"Do you want me to check? I'll just pop my head out and look, you know I'm good at that, I'm the best in fact. I'll be back down before the Sharkticons even blink."
Jazz pondered on the offer for a few moments. "Alright, kiddo. But be careful."
"Don't worry, be back in a jiffy. Less than a jiffy, really, because I'm the fastest mech in the universe and-" Blurr stopped as he looked over the debris, then instantly crouched down next to the saboteur. "Uh… I have some good news and some bad news."
Jazz frowned. Blurr spoke slowly, which wasn't a good sign. "Start with the good news then," he said. Hopefully, that would somehow ease the blow that was coming next.
"There are no Sharkticons around anymore," Blurr said.
"And the bad news?" Jazz asked.
"Windcharger and Brawn are coming towards us, and they don't look happy to see us!"
Jazz stared at Blurr incredulously, then dared a quick peek over the debris too. He was greeted by Brawn and Windcharger's laserfire, and he ducked at once.
"Not happy hardly cuts it," he said wryly, and he opened his communication frequencies. "Yo, Prime, guess what we found!"
"Oh, no… who are you fighting?" Optimus's voice sounded from the other side of the link.
Something in that tone made Jazz realise that he and Blurr weren't the only ones who came across a nasty surprise. "Brawn and Windcharger. You?"
"Ironhide," Optimus answered. The sound of a cannon being blasted crackled through the transmission. "I tried to reason with him, but he doesn't listen!"
"No offense, but the old Ironhide didn't listen much to reason either," Jazz commented.
"Maybe, but he didn't try to off us while at it either!" Optimus retorted.
"Good point," Jazz admitted. "Are the Twins okay?"
"They are dealing with Ratchet," Optimus said. "I don't know where Wheeljack and Huffer are yet."
"Do you think they went after Prowl and Bluestreak?" Jazz asked.
"If they did, they haven't found them yet; I didn't get any message from them," Optimus replied. "Hold on, I need to check with Skylynx, too."
"You'd better hurry," Jazz said, sparing a look in Blurr's direction. Thankfully, the blue mech seemed to be holding well against the two minibots for now. "Our friends are too eager to have our heads."
"Understood," Optimus said, and the transmission ended temporarily.
Optimus almost flinched when the laserfire barely missed his helm, and he looked in Ironhide's direction. The veteran Autobot was standing at the end of the corridor, holding a small cannon with both hands.
"Ironhide, listen to me. You don't want to do this!" Optimus cried. "You're stronger than this!"
The only answer he got was a blast from the cannon. Such was its force that a good chunk of Optimus's cover was blown away.
"Can't we all just get along?" Wreck-Gar asked, loading his gun.
"I'm afraid that's not happening today," the Autobot leader said, and he activated his communication frequencies again. "Skylynx, report. What's the situation so far?"
"In one word: chaotic," Skylynx replied amid cries of Sharkticons and laserfire. "Looks like the Quintessons have unleashed all their forces against me. Not that it will do much good to them, mind you."
"Did you see Wheeljack or Huffer?" Optimus asked.
"No, can't say I have," Skylynx said. "Although my superior detectors tell me that you have troubles of your own, Optimus."
"That's one way of putting it," Optimus said, firing in the hopes of hitting Ironhide's cannon – no such luck. "We'll need your help, Skylynx."
"Fear not! Skylynx to the rescue! I'll deal with my adversaries in no time!"
"Less talk, more action, Skylynx," Optimus said, and he ended the transmission.
"What are we going to do tonight, Brain?" Wreck-Gar asked, looking at Optimus expectantly.
"The only thing we can do, Wreck-Gar," the Autobot leader said. "And I'm going to hate myself for it tomorrow."
Wreck-Gar seemed to understand, for a wry expression settled on his features.
"Plan B. Let's just kill each other."
Optimus nodded, and then jumped out of his cover, firing his rifle.
"You know, Bro… this makes me miss the good old days when he'd just throw wrenches at us," Sideswipe commented, crouching behind a wall.
"You and me both," Sunstreaker said, wincing at the barrage of laserfire that showered the Twins. "So… any ideas?"
"Why is it always me who has to think of a plan, anyway?" Sideswipe asked, glaring at Sunstreaker.
"Because you always say I have the looks and you have the brains, that's why!" Sunstreaker retorted.
Another barrage cut their argument short. Growling, Sunstreaker dared to step out of their cover and started firing repeatedly, forcing Ratchet to keep his distance. With that, he crouched next to Sideswipe again.
"How much power have you got left?" the red Lamborghini asked, nodding at Sunstreaker's gun.
"Not much. Maybe three or four rounds," Sunstreaker answered. "You?"
"Less," Sideswipe replied with a wince. In the next moment, though, his face lit up; for he had remembered something important. "But I also have a stink bomb!" Sure enough, he took out of subspace a small round object that easily fit the palm of his hand.
"Primus, you actually carry that around?" Sunstreaker asked, looking at his brother as if he had gone crazy.
"Hey, you never know when you're gonna have to pull a decent prank!" Sideswipe said cheekily. "And now guess who's gonna be on the receiving end."
Sunstreaker didn'thave to guess. "He's gonna kill you when this is over."
"I know," Sideswipe said, and he tossed the object in Ratchet's direction. The bomb went off at the medic's feet, releasing a foul-smelling puff of smoke which had him cough violently.
That was the perfect opportunity for the Twins to lunge out of their hiding place and tackle Ratchet on the floor. A few moments of struggling later, Sunstreaker managed a powerful punch on the medic's jaw, rendering him offline.
A minute passed, then two… but Ratchet didn't move. The Twins stared at the medic, panting slightly as they tried to catch their breath.
"You didn't hit him too hard, did you?" Sideswipe asked, poking the motionless form.
"Please. I know how to control my strength," Sunstreaker said, waving his hand dismissively. "Aw, blast it."
"What?" Sideswipe asked, looking at his brother worriedly.
"My paint is ruined," the yellow Lamborghini moaned, holding up his hand. Indeed, his knuckles and arms were scratched in more than several places, the result of trying to subdue the medic.
Sideswipe shook his head at that. "One more reason to save Ratchet, then," he said in an amused tone.
Under other circumstances, Sunstreaker would have glared at his brother. This time, however, he chuckled, obviously sharing the humour of the situation.
"Yeah," he replied. "So I suppose we now wait," he added, and he sat down against a wall.
"I guess so," Sideswipe said and he sat next to his brother in a tired manner. A few seconds later, a big grin formed on his lip components as another thought occurred to him.
"You know, I also found a black marker in my subspace. How about we…?"
"No," Sunstreaker declared with finality.
"Spoilsport," Sideswipe muttered in mock annoyance.
"Oh… Not good, not good at all!" Blurr said, shaking his head rapidly. "They just keep firing at us and we can't do anything about it because we can't just kill them all over again, but then they are trying to kill us and…"
"You'd better not continue that train of thought, kiddo. You're giving me one big migraine," Jazz said. He peered through a small opening in their cover, and saw to his dismay that Brawn and Windcharger were steadily coming closer.
"But what do we do then, Jazz? Do we have a plan? Any good plan? A plan that actually works?"
Jazz pursed his lips momentarily, and then his optics locked on several pieces of plating that had fallen off the wall during the heat of battle.
"I've got something in mind," Jazz said, grinning.
"Really? What?" Blurr asked.
"Wait for it."
"That doesn't sound like a good plan…" Blurr started, but Jazz didn't let him continue. As soon as the sound of firing stopped, the saboteur grabbed Blurr and sprang out of their hiding spots.
"Hey, guys! Over here!" he cried.
Windcharger's optics flared and he extended his hands. Jazz knew what that meant, of course; Windcharger intended to use his electromagnetic powers. More importantly, it meant that the saboteur's plan was working already, so he and Blurr had to act quickly.
"Blurr, hold on to me!" he cried, ejecting his grappling hook at the nearest beam behind him. The hook got tangled around the beam securely, anchoring the two Autobots. Jazz hoped that the beam would hold long enough for his plan to work.
Not a moment too soon. Every metallic object started shaking as the minibot moved them at will – including the plating lying on the floor. But Jazz and Blurr still held on. Windcharger's hands practically glowed with the power in his fingertips, determined to capture the intruders.
The plating yielded first, however, and flew straight to the two minibots. Such was the force of the impact that the minibots crashed against the opposite wall, rendering themselves unconscious.
The electromagnetic power ceased, and Jazz relaxed his hold at last.
"Well?" he asked Blurr with a grin. "Good plan?"
Blurr nodded. "Good plan."
Ironhide fell on the floor, clutching his right leg protectively; Optimus's aim had proved good. Still, the Autobot leader had to make sure that Ironhide didn't cause any more problems. Running as fast as his feet could carry him, he reached for the veteran Autobot's arms and grabbed hold of them.
"Wreck-Gar, do you have something to offline him?" he asked, not loosening his grip even for a second.
"I've got a slug," Wreck-Gar replied, shrugging.
"That's not what I wanted to hear!" Optimus cried. Ironhide used his uninjured leg as leverage to push the Autobot leader away, his combat training still effective even in his reprogrammed state.
Wreck-Gar didn't waste any more time, taking his rope out of subspace, he lassoed both the veteran Autobot's feet in a single throw. Ironhide growled and tried to kick himself free, but it was of no use; the rope was too strong.
"Ready when you are, partner," the Junkion said, addressing Optimus in a southern drawl and his optics never leaving the thrashing Autobot.
Optimus nodded, and proceeded to tie Ironhide's hands as well.
"I'm sorry, old friend," he murmured, the sight of the veteran Autobot thrashing about like a wild animal disturbing him to no end.
The sound of a new round of laserfire forced Optimus out of his musings, though. When the Sharkticons realised that their masters' secret weapon had been subdued, they opened fire once again.
"No!" Instinct taking over, Optimus covered Ironhide with his body, shielding him from the enemy fire. A burning sensation washed through the Autobot leader, making him cry out, but he didn't budge. He wasn't going to lose another Autobot as long as it was in his hands, not again.
Wreck-Gar came to his side, using his shield to protect the two fallen Autobots, but Optimus knew that it wouldn't be enough. They needed help, and they needed it desperately.
It finally came in the form of Skylynx. His lion form sank its teeth to every Sharkticon on his way, while the dinosaur one opened his mouth widely and revealed his cannons. A few blasts later, the Sharkticon minions had dispersed, so Skylynx walked up to his fellow Autobots.
"Awfully sorry for my delay," he said. "Are you injured?"
It took some time effort, but Optimus managed to get back on his feet.
"I'll live," he said. "But we'd better hope Prowl and Bluestreak manage to reverse the programming, or all this has been in vain."
"Sideswipe to Optimus. Come in, Optimus," Sideswipe's voice sounded at that moment via the transmitter. "You there?"
"Tell me, Sideswipe," the Autobot leader said.
"Ratchet's secured, and we've just detected Huffer. You want us to catch him?"
Huffer… At last.
"Affirmative. But try not to injure him," Optimus instructed, "Optimus out."
Now… where is Wheeljack? the Autobot leader thought.
TBC...