Chapter 10: Air Traffic
Orion glared up at the jets as they approached, and began waving to them.
Suddenly, three of them broke off, darting after the others.
Orion's face fell, as the lead planes, Silverbolt and Air Raid, closed in on him.
He ran forward, closing the distance between them, as they unleashed their missile payloads.
The spot where had been standing exploded, as the mech dove forward, glaring up at the two jets as they flew past, and began to circle around.
He opened his comm.
"Silverbolt, listen to me. You know me. I don't know what Zeta Prime told you, but I imagine it has something to do with me and my team being traitors. Zeta and I had a disagreement, me and him, so let my team go. You know this is wrong."
Silence. He turned, and darted down a side alley as Silverbolt and Air Raid tried to relocate him.
Ironhide smashed through a barrier, leading the way for the rest of the team, as missiles pounded the ground around them.
Slingshot, Skydive and Firefly were hot on their tails, trying to force them off the road.
"Somebody tell these fly boys to calm their intakes!" Ironhide shouted, smashing through a building's front window.
The other autobot's followed him in, and changed form.
"What do we do?" Hound asked, rifle in his hand as he peered around the corner of the broken window.
"Much as I hate to admit it, against these guys our best strategy is hidin." Ironhide replied, as Prowl flipped a desk over for cover.
Jazz looked around, gun drawn, and frowned.
"Did Orion make it back?"
Ironhide stood up, and exchanged looks with Prowl.
"Ironhide, it's not safe." Prowl warned.
"Slag safety. I ain't leavin him behind." Ironhide replied. "Stay here, stay hidden."
He dove out of the broken window, and changed form, rolling ahead, as the jets resumed their pursuit of him.
Orion was blasted forward as the missiles landed right next to him, destroying an innocent sidewalk he happened to be standing next to.
He struggled to his feet, shrapnel embedded in his left arm.
Silverbolt and Air Raid rolled back around.
"Silverbolt...are we sure about this?" Air Raid asked.
Silverbolt turned on his comm.
"Zeta Prime, Orion Pax is attempting to surrender. Permission to make an arrest?"
"Denied." Zeta replied. "Make an example of him. Show the rest what happens to traitors."
Orion heard every word over his comms.
"Okay. Alright Silverbolt." He conceded, pressing the button down. He turned, and looked up at the jets, and let out a pained vent, as energon dripped from his arm.
"I understand your orders. If it is fate that I die today...then do it." He said, holding up his arms in surrender. "I won't run. I won't try to get out of the way. But hear this. Today, you aren't killing a traitor. You're striking down a fellow autobot. And if it must be done...please. Spare my team." He begged. "They only followed my orders. They are not a part of this."
Silverbolt pulled back on the throttle as he came back around. Orion stared at him, a single tear rolling down his cheek.
"Please. I will take the punishment for my strike team. Please Silverbolt. Please Ze...please Prime."
There was silence as the jets approached.
"Forgive me, Orion Pax." Silverbolt replied. "Zeta Prime, do we have to kill the others..?"
"Silverbolt, your orders stand." Zeta snapped. "Terminate Pax, then take out his team. They're all traitors." He said, guilt wracking his frame, he held his head in his hands.
"Curse you for making me do this, Orion..." He whispered.
While in Helex, Orion stared up at the approaching jets, despair and disbelief in his optics.
He felt like someone had just grabbed his spark and crushed it. A wave of fear and hopelessness washed over him.
How could all this have happened?
The missiles fired, and cut down towards him, glowing bright blue.
He closed his optics.
"Primus...I'm not even sure I've ever believed in you but...be with them, please..." he begged.
There was a loud, aggravated roar, that filled his audios.
Then a big red mech slammed into him, and they both went tumbling over the edge of the street, falling into the alley below.
The street exploded above them, the missiles pounding against it and tearing its structure apart.
Debris rained down on the two renegade mechs.
"What're ya tryin to get yourself killed?!" Ironhide demanded angrily, grabbing Orion's arm. "Get up, Orion!"
The street above them lurched, more debris coming down.
Orion looked around, surprised to still be alive, and momentarily lost in the moment.
The last few moments had been a blur.
"Let's move, its comin down!" Ironhide shouted, gesturing for Pax to follow.
Orion shook himself then nodded.
Ironhide charged ahead, with Pax running behind him, as the street began to collapse.
Ironhide transformed, and Pax followed suit, the Cybertronian van and pickup truck gunned their accelerators as the entire street above them came crashing down.
"Haul aft kid, this is gonna be close!" Ironhide shouted, as they streaked for an exit ramp onto a different street.
Orion stayed close to Ironhide's rear bumper, as they closed the gap, and roared through it, wheels coming off the ground as the street collapsed behind them, sending out a cloud of smoke and debris.
Orion and Ironhide bounced across the freeway, and then turned off, rolling down a side street, as the jets, now all back together, streaked overhead.
"I see them!" Skydive called. "Two of them in the alley!"
"You okay, Pax?" Ironhide asked.
Pax pulled himself even with Ironhide.
"Zeta Prime ordered our deaths because we found out about that rust cannon. He tried to have Mirage killed for the same. Ironhide, this isn't a deterrent. He plans to fire it. He wouldn't do this otherwise."
"Too much on your mind Orion, the world is literally on fire around us." Ironhide remarked as missiles pounded the building's around them, sending down more debris.
"I really thought I could get through to Silverbolt." Pax lamented.
"He's a soldier. He's followin orders." Ironhide replied. "Zeta's the one getting knuckles to the face when I see him again."
The two did a powerslide around the corner and revved toward their makeshift hideout.
They smashed through the already broken window again; and changed form.
"Sir, they've gone indoors, I'm going in to investigate." Silverbolt said over the comm.
"They can hear you over the comm you moron!" Zeta Prime snapped.
"Get ready!" Jazz shouted, drawing his gun, as Pax and Ironhide got to cover. "We got incoming!"
Silverbolt dove down, transforming as he hit the ground, the other aerialbots transforming around him, drawing their rifles.
"Comms off." Silverbolt commanded.
"Sir?" Firefly asked.
"You heard me." Silverbolt replied.
He fired his rifle into the room, hitting the back wall, as he dove through the shattered glass, and into the building. The other four aerialbots followed behind him, guns raised.
"And if you five want to get out of here alive, you'll deactivate your comms and trackers now." Silverbolt called to the back of the room, optics narrowed.
"What are we doing?" Skydive asked, with wide optics.
"Shut up." Silverbolt replied. "Just trust me, and do as your told."
There was silence from the room.
Then slowly, hesitantly, Orion stood up from behind cover, hands raised. The other autobots slowly emerged as well.
Guns raised.
"Are they deactivated?" Silverbolt asked.
"They are now." Orion replied.
Silverbolt nodded. He turned, and fired a volley of laser shots at the wall, making the other aerialbots look around in confusion.
He pressed his comms.
"Prime Sir, they ducked down into the sewers. I've lost visual." He said, maintaining optic contact with Orion, who nodded gratefully to the mech.
"You what?!" Zeta demanded. "How?"
"I'm not sure Sir. We thought we had them cornered. They...vanished." He said. "We aren't equipped for underground work sir, I recommend bringing in a ground unit."
There was static on the other end.
"Very well. Return to the Citadel for a full debrief."
"Copy that." Silverbolt replied. He looked at Orion.
"I've bought you maybe an hour. You and your team need to disappear."
Ironhide nodded, a grateful smile on his weathered face, as he stepped toward the fliers.
"You were always one of the better airheads, Silverbolt. I owe ya one."
Silverbolt chuckled dryly.
"You boys have bailed us out plenty of times. And all five of you being traitors is hard for me to believe. So this one time I'm letting you go. But if he orders me to take you out again..."
"We understand." Orion replied. "We'll try not to give you the chance. Thank you Silverbolt."
Silverbolt nodded, and saluted.
"Try to get to the bottom of this fast, Pax. We won't be the last team Zeta sends."
He turned and gestured to the others. They exchanged confused looks, then transformed up, and jetted out of the area.
Orion and the other autobots stepped out of the building, and watched them go.
"Guess ya did get through to him." Ironhide said, giving Orion an encouraging shove. "Good job."
Orion nodded, looking to Prowl.
"Any sign of backup approaching?"
"Negative." Prowl replied. "Wait." He looked at his scanner and his optics widened.
"We have something big headed our way. Some kind of ship. Could be a shuttle."
"Weapons ready!" Orion commanded.
"What kinda ship?" Jazz asked, pulling out the rifle he had just stowed away.
"The kind that gun won't do much against." Prowl replied, looking up over the rooftops. "It's seconds away."
There was a wailing sound, as the ship soared in from behind a building, curling around the skyline, and hovering overhead.
And it's faction was unmistakable.
It was purple and black. A decepticon badge painted on one side.
It turned around, and taxi'd in for a landing.
"That could be our ticket out of here." Hound noted. "We'll need a ship, Pax."
"Guns up." Pax commanded, with a nod. "We're taking that ship."
The ship landed, and the ramp hissed, then lowered underneath it.
Orion raised his rifle and advanced, as the smoke cleared around the shuttle. The other four mechs fell into formation behind him, rifles raised.
Orion squinted as he tried to see through the smoke.
He paused, as an outline appeared from it, stepping confidently forward..
And his mouth opened in surprise as he got closer.
A grey mech. A decepticon badge on his chest. Fusion cannon on his arm. Bucket on his head. Tank treads on his back.
"Aw slag..." Ironhide muttered.
Megatron strode down the ramp, smirking as his optics locked with Pax's.
The smoke cleared to reveal his entourage.
Soundwave walked at his left side. Starscream at his right side.
Ravage by his feet, a distrusting look on his small face.
"Orion Pax! It is so nice to see you again." Megatron declared, still smirking as he stepped towards the smaller mech. "It looks as though your autobot dream isn't all it's cracked up to be." He looked to his squad, optics looking across each mech, lingering uncomfortably long on Prowl.
"Tell me, do you require assistance?" He asked innocently.