Update: Hello, sorry for not updating in a while. I really have no excuse other than...I forgot. I may update a couple more chapters today seeing as I have chapter 17 in the works now. Yeah I know. The story is getting real hot, but were still a while off from getting the big guns out.
Right now I believe we were still in the valley bed battle. (man I'm a slow updater, you guys must hate me. X-o) Anywho, time for the next chapter!
Bumblebee watched Teletran's screens of the battle. He saw everything; Optimus Prime almost being blown apart; Starscream flipping Mirage over and taking Spike; everything. He watched as the Decepticons and Autobots slammed into each other on the valley bed as they punched and kicked seemingly at anything that moved. It was all for nothing. The trade didn't work. The Decepticon's still had Spike and now Optimus had been hurt.
"Damn it!" He cursed and slammed his fists onto the counsel. "I need to be there!"
Suddenly a loud crash came from Wheeljack's workshop. More crashed followed by a loud piercing roar. The ground shook under the small yellow Autobots's feet. It was coming from Wheeljack's lab. Curiosity beat hesitation as Bumblebee walked slowly down the corridor and reached the door to Wheel jack's lab. The automatic door opened as it picked up bumblebee's signature.
Four pairs of glowing red eyes peered back at Bumblebee from within the darkness of Wheeljack's lab. Another roar emanated from the room. Everything shook fiercely.
"Who the slag are you?" Bumblebee demanded, though he thought if that thing roared one more time he'd faint.
The pair of eyes at the top peered right at Bumblebee.
"Me…" It roared. "GRIMLOCK!"
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Thundercracker rammed into Sunstreaker, sending him to the ground fast. Sunstreaker cursed as he picked himself off the ground and charged Thundercracker in return. The seeker moved out of the way by igniting the rockets in his feet; sending him a couple hundred feet into the air.
Not wanting to wait for the ding-bat to come back down Sunstreaker found another Decepticon to pound. He turned around just in time to see Soundwave punch Trailbreaker to the ground. Without hesitation Sunstreaker charged the Decepticon communications officer. Soundwave put his hands forward in time to catch the Autobot by the shoulder and turned his heals and flung Sunstreaker like a rag doll over several transformers' heads. Sunstreaker landed on Prowl and Dirge who had each other by the hands, trying push the other to the ground when Sunstreaker slammed into them.
"What the slag!" Prowl cursed, the very few times he did swear.
Sunstreaker, ignoring Prowl, pulled out his laser and fired a couple shots at Soundwave, who was making his way over to finish the yellow Autobot off. Only one shot found its intended target, catching Soundwave in the right shoulder. The other two found targets among the crowded battle field.
The Decepticon fell to his knees, clutching his wound.
"Ravage," Soundwave ordered. "Eject and destroy the Autobot!"
Soundwave's chest opened and a small black tape flew through the air. In mid flight the tape shifted and turned into a sleek black Decepticon named Ravage. Ravage hit the ground running and clamped his jaws around Sunstreaker's left arm.
"Augh!" Sunstreaker cried more worried about the mark Ravage would leave than any pain or injury.
Sunstreaker lifted his fists up and brought them down upon Ravage's head, dazing the Decepticon tape momentarily. Sunstreaker took the moment and got to his feet. He aimed his gun at the stunned tape and fired, the shot caught Ravage in the neck. It blasted through the armor and severed all the wiring all the way through. Ravage's severed head rolled a few feet before it stopped.
"One scratch and..." Sunstreaker said with a smirk. "…Heads will roll."
Ironhide helped load Optimus into the back of Ratchet. The fallen leader groaned as he rested in the back of the Ambulance. Optimus Prime had just barely fit. Wheeljack transformed into his respective vehicle mode and started driving back to base with Ratchet and Optimus. Ironhide was to stay behind and take over as temporary commander. As soon as the small convoy was out of sight Ironhide, with recharged motivation, bounded up the incline and stared out at the valley. As he reached the top he saw chaos. The Autobot and Decepticon forces were very limited, but in the short time the battle had raged on they had made the small valley look more like a war zone from Cybertron that anything on Earth.
"Slag," Ironhide breathed. He jumped off the incline and skidded down the gravel covered hill. Small pebbles and bits of rock flung at him and caused a small dust cloud o follow him all the way down. When he got to the bottom he saw Hound. He was on the ground with the Decepticon Thundercracker slowly walking towards the wounded Autobot. Thundercracker stalked Hound before deciding to finish him off. Ironhide steadied his laser pistol on his forearm and when he got the Decepticon's head in his sight he fired. The shot missed his head, but slammed into his chest, sending him aback with pain and surprise. Ironhide quickly ran over to Hound and hauled him up.
Besides numerous dents to his armor and a nasty laser wound on his leg Hound was pretty much intact. Ironhide began the tedious task of hauling his comrade up the hill and safely on the other side. When Hound was secured Ironhide repeated the task, this time with Mirage who had a run in with Starscream. Bullet holes littered the Autobot's armor. He looked more like Swiss cheese than a Transformer. As Ironhide was losing his patients with the battle he looked up to see, what he thought was, a large dust storm heading their way.
But as it came closer Ironhide could see it was no dust cloud. He saw several dark figures within the dust cloud. They came closer and closer until he could see clearly who it was.
"I don't believe it…"Ironhide grunted through his clenched jaw. "The Dinobots!"
Sure enough, there was Grimlock and the troop; Snarl, Sludge, and Swoop.
'Wheeljack must have wakened them up…' Ironhide thought to himself. As the four Autobots approached he could see Bumblebee was with them. Ironhide felt a tinge of annoyance for towards the little Autobot for disobeying orders. He was supposed to be back at the Ark.
"What the slag!" Ironhide cursed. "Bumblebee, what do you think yer doing'? And what're they doing here!"
Bumblebee transformed and began to explain, but Grimlock roared in protest.
"We here to save Autobots!" Grimlock snarled. "Autobots bite more than can chew!"
"You're supposed to be in suspended animation! Wheeljack had no business waken you brutes up." Ironhide snapped. "You're more a threat than any help!"
Grimlock rolled his head back and let out an audio sensory piercing roar.
"Me Grimlock no take orders from red tin can! Me Grimlock leader of Dinobots! Optimus Prime no here! Cannot fight! Cannot lead! Me Grimlock only leader here. Grimlock take over!" Ironhide was steaming with protest against it, but he didn't need to be making fights within their own ranks when there was barely a rank to start a fight in. The Decepticons had them out gunned and out maneuvered. The Decepticons were war machines, designed for this very purpose. The Autobot ranks, however, were full of only a handful of soldiers, the rest were scientists and the sort. True, that some of the scientists had become well trained in the soldier's life, but there were still a few who were still struggling to keep their balance in the even changing current they all seemed to find themselves in since leaving their home so long ago.
"Ok, Grimlock." Ironhide sneered in burning resignation. "You be leader for the time being. But only until those Decepticons are defeated and out of this valley and the human is secured."
Grimlock faced Ironhide with a satisfied smirk, but still surprised at how easy it was to gain leadership among the disorder of Autobots; even if it was only temporary.
"Human?" Swoop suddenly piped in. "What Human?"
"His name's Spike. He's a friend and the Decepticons are keeping him as a hostage." Bumblebee explained. "You need to get him safely out of here. Then you can crush those Decepticons' tailpipes across the valley bed!"
"Sound good to me." Swoop nodded with a destructive glee as he flew up into the sky. "I do it."
"Grimlock leader!" The T-rex bellowed. "Me say what we do. Who say we rescues puny flesh creature? Me Grimlock give no such order!"
Everyone waited, rather impatiently, for Grimlock to continue with a reply.
"Swoop go get Spike creature." He decided finally. Ironhide and Bumblebee groaned with frustrated relief.
With the needed approval and a wild cry, Swoop took off higher into the sky and over the ridge of the Autobot encampment. His sleek silvery wings caught the sun in such a way that they looked as though they were made of diamonds. His eyes darted over the area, searching for any energy signatures that didn't match a Autobot or Decepticon's or even a Transformer. It didn't take long before his scanner picked up an alien energy signature. Huddled around his seeker groupies, Starscream handed out orders to his fleet; the human named Spike lay motionless in the air commander's grip. There were scattered groups of the two factions doing battle below. It was almost pathetic to see wither side fighting in such a desperate clash of forces. Neither side looked pronged for victory, but if Swoop was to bet, the Decepticons were looking less for ware then the battle torn Autobots.
The Seeker's leader caught sight of Swoop as the Dinobot's shadow passed over his vision. A confused scowl crossed the seeker's pale face for a second, but only a moment's composure was enough for him to replace it with a greedy smirk. Starscream turned to the battle worn Skywarp and handed him the boy's limp body. Then, he stepped away from the group and fired up his jets in his feet. As Starscream jetted into the air like a rocket, his body made an upward tailspin as he came to meet Swoop in midair.
There was a loud sound of metal clashing together as the two fliers' bodies met with tremendous momentum. Swoop's head spun as he regained his flight balance. Starscream floated 10 feet away, his smirk gleaming wide upon his face.
"I know not of your beastly origins Autobot," The Seeker sneered. "But your utter destruction demise will be a pleasure."
Swoop's head was still spinning slightly when he transformed. His Dinosaur mode shifted away revealing his robot mode. His eyes glared at the Decepticon with utter virulence.
Starscream welcomed the Autobot's rage as confirmation of his own challenge.
"Decepticon fool for challenging Dinobot." Swoop pointed a clawed finger at the Seeker.
"'Dinobot'?" He asked. "How idiotic; taking the form of an earth creature suites you. There's a reason why those beast no longer walk this Mud ball-"
Starscream fired a barrage of laser fire from the barrels on his arms.
"-they were wiped out!"
Swoop swung around to dodge the volley of lasers and returned fire. A single laser shot across Starscream's leg, grazing him slightly. The Decepticon didn't seem to notice the wound at all and simply maneuvered around to face Swoop. The Dinobot swung primitively at the Decepticon and caught him in the jaw. Starscream scowled and threw his own punch at the Autobot. Swoop caught Starscream's arm in the crook of his own and with their free hands, the two began to simultaneously punch and grope at each other's vital systems.
Starscream gasped as he sustained a devastating blow to his chest. Swoop released his arm and delivered a kick to the stunned Decepticon's shoulder, sending him flying to the ground some distanced down. The Decepticon's second in command left a large crater in the middle of the valley bed. The few remaining battles ceased as the combatants stopped to see what the commotion was.
Swoop took the opportunity and began a fast decent that turned into a nosedive down towards the remainder of the Seeker group.
Skywarp handed the boy over to the severely damaged Thundercracker, looked up at Swoop, turned back to Thundercracker, and flew off the opposite way from Swoop.
Swoop landed gracefully a few meters from the dumbfounded Thundercracker. The Seeker looked down at the unconscious boy in his hands and sat him on a nearby rock and followed Skywarp accordingly in a panic.
Swoop looked on after the two in confusion then turned towards the human. The boy stirred somewhat as he approached, but didn't awake.
Swoop looked down at Spike with a cautious certain curiosity. The human's forehead was caked in red blood from a gash near his temple.
'Humans so small.' Swoop thought to himself as he reached down to pick the boy up. As his fingers were about to enclose the boy Swoop heard a strange, loud, and quite annoying sound. He removed his hand away and saw that the human had woken up. The sound was the human screaming. Spike's eyes were wide with fear.
Spike stumbled to his feet and tried to run away, but tripped over himself and fell again. Swoop reached over and gingerly picked the frightened human child up.
"Human no scared of Swoop." Swoop tried to reassure the human. "Swoop friend. Me Dinobot! Swoop Autobot!"
Swoop pointed to the red symbol engraved upon his chest.
"You're an Autobot?" Spike asked breathless from screaming. "Why didn't you say so?"
Swoop scowled.
"Swoop did say."
Spike sighed and nodded.
"Ok. But where's Mirage? What happened?" Spike asked as he looked around him.
"Swoop not know no one called Mirage." The Dinobot explained. "Swoop just woke up. Me not familiar with all Autobots yet."
Spike looked up into Swoop's face.
"Swoop? That's your name?" Spike asked with a wince, remembering the pain in his shoulder and head.
Swoop nodded.
"Yep. Me Swoop and you human Spike." Swoop replied proudly.
"Just 'Spike' is fine, Swoop." The very sore human added. "My friend Bumblebee and all the others call me that."
"Ok. Swoop call you that too." Swoop nodded with a smile. "Swoop and Spike friends now too."
Spike was taken aback by Swoop's forwardness and it was slightly embarrassing. By his grammar and speech alone Spike could tell there was some bugs in Swoop's hard drive, but no matter.
"Ok, Swoop, we're friends." Spike agreed. "Now lets get out of here."
Swoop crouched down and jumped up into the sky and took off towards the Autobot's encampment beyond the ridge. As they passed the valley bed they saw the various Autobots and Decepticons had retreated to their respective sides of the valley and the Decepticons looked as though they were departing for good.
'Good!' Spike thought bitterly. 'I hope I never see any of those shit heads ever again!'