AN:
Transformers on Earth
Autobots
· Optimus Prime
· Sentinel Prime
· Ratchet
· Ironhide
· Bumblebee
· Sideswipe
· Arcee
· Chromia
· Hawk
· Smokescreen
· Que/Wheeljack
· Jetfire
· Dino/Mirage
· Roadbuster
· Leadfoot
· Topspin
· Brains
· Wheelie
Major Decepticons
· Megatron
· Starscream
· Sideways
· Shockwave
· Soundwave
· Onslaught
· Breakdown
· Knockout
· Thundercracker
· Skywarp
· Swindle
· Laserbeak
· Crankcase
· Crowbar
· Hatchet
· Sharpshot
· Hardshell
· Kickback
"First Shockwave, then Sentinel, and now Soundwave? Way beyond coincidence. Something big's going down, and we need to find out what..." He got to his feet, locking gazes with his partner gravely as Caden finished his sentence.
"Before Megatron brings it right down on our heads."
…
5 minutes later
8:35 PM
NEST headquarters, Washington, DC
2 years after the death of the Fallen
Caden ran into Sam just as he and Carly were leaving.
"Hey," he called, jogging to reach them as they slowed to a stop, noticing a sour expression on Sam's face. "So what happened?"
Sam stuck his hands in his pockets briefly before answering. "She punted me."
"Huh?"
He sighed. "Said they'd look into the murder, but...I'm out of the loop."
Caden's eyes widened in disbelief. "What? How does that make any sense?"
"Apparently, I'm 'just a messenger,'" he responded, making air quotations with his fingers.
Drake crossed his arms crossly. "If she thinks you're a messenger, then I'm the damn paperboy. Who else could have had the guts to take the frigging Allspark and shove it into the chest of an ancient robot who could've killed someone with a flick of his finger? Or sprint across miles of burning sand among explosions and searching Decepticons to revive Optimus with the Matrix?" He snorted. "I mean, hell, we wouldn't even have had the means to revive Sentinel Prime without you." Although, Hawk would argue that might be a good thing.
"Look," Sam interrupted, holding his hands up, "I get it, okay? I don't like it, but I get it." The look on his face said otherwise.
Caden smiled conspiratorially and drew close, whispering in his ear. "You're gonna go rogue, aren't you? Try and figure it out yourself."
Sam's quick glance was all the confirmation he needed. "She sent us home with Autobot protection."
"Bee?"
He nodded.
Caden gave out a humorless chuckle. "Well, at least Senior Government Pinhead had that much sense." He shook his head. He respected Mearing as an apt intelligence officer and coordinator, but not for her judgement or inability to bend the rules when necessary. Too much red tape, he thought, and not for the first time. Pulling himself out of those thoughts, his eyes drifted to the blonde, and he gave her a friendly smile. "So, I don't believe we've been properly introduced." He outstretched his hand, and she took it. "I'd like to rectify that."
"Maybe...another time," she said warmly, throwing an arm around Sam's shoulders. "I think my boyfriend has had enough on his plate for one day."
Caden smiled wider. "Fair enough. Speaking of which, I have a girl of my own to get back to, so…" He clapped Sam on the shoulder and nodded. "I'll be in touch."
"Sure thing," Sam said in return, turning around and walking for the door as Caden watched them leave.
Amazing how far he's come. Just over a year ago, when they'd first met, he had seemed like an awkward, timid teenager, and for the most part, he was. Even six months ago, the last time they'd seen each other, he was too sensitive, too fragile to be the determined, confident man that stood up to Mearing's governmental BS. Although the two of them weren't the closest of friends, he more than respected him, both his accomplishments and just who he was as a person. As such, his clear development of a considerable backbone was something he was very glad to see. Caden spotted Hawk motioning in his direction and surmised that it was time to go.
…
1 hour later
9:42 PM
Sudley, VA
"Honey, I'm home!"
Kara bounded down the stairs from the third to second floor, then leapt the last ten feet to the first floor, tackling her boyfriend in a crushing hug. "Missed you."
Caden let out a slightly choked laugh. "Uh huh. I can tell by the bone-crushing—umph—" Anything he was about to say was cut off by a passionate kiss, and all other thoughts melted away in a flood of ever-expanding warmth. "Mmm...hello," he said dreamily when she finally broke the kiss.
"Hey handsome." Another quick kiss and she pulled him to his feet, snuggling against his chest, her cheek rubbing his shoulder gently as she closed her eyes. "How was work," she asked in a slightly muffled voice. His smile faded slightly, and his hesitation got her attention. "What happened?"
"There...could be trouble. Serious trouble."
Her eyebrows furrowed. "If you're saying that, then this is serious, 'cause we're always in trouble."
A black brow raised as a slight amused smile came to his face. "And you'll be in trouble if you start worrying about it tonight. Right now…" his lips nibbled at her neck, "...I want you to myself. All to myself."
She let out a shuddering sigh, her eyes closing gently as she melted into his embrace, her arms wrapping around his neck as he lifted her into a cradle carry. All the energy seemed to leave her body as he laid her in their queen-sized bed and doffed his jacket and boots before joining her, spooning her six-foot body, his arms wrapped around her torso protectively. A series of gentle taps on their window caused an annoyed growl to come from the man before he reluctantly pushed himself away from her body and went to the source of the disturbance.
"What," Caden asked almost irately.
Hawk was hanging from the side of the house, not for the first time, the impeccably stable structure holding his weight. "It's Sam. He says you're not picking up your phone."
Caden's eyes narrowed dangerously, and he clenched his teeth before rolling his eyes and closing the window, retrieving his silenced phone and finding two missed calls. He snarled in annoyance before hitting the "call" button and putting the device to his ear. The voice at the other end was different from what he expected.
"Caden," Sam said, his tone more determined and focused than Drake had ever heard from him, "can you come to my place tomorrow?"
Drake's eyes narrowed. "When?"
"Afternoon. A little past two."
He glanced toward Kara. "Fine."
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing, you just...caught me in the middle of something."
"Oh...oh."
Caden could tell that he had come to the wrong conclusion. "No, Sam, I didn't mean—"
"No, man, it's fine...yeesh, I'd be pissed if I were interrupted in the middle of—"
"I don't do...that. I'm not that kind of guy."
"Dude, it's cool."
"No, it really isn't. I don't want that kind of reputation."
"What reputation? Since when does anyone care?"
Caden pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh, closing his eyes. "I'll be at your place tomorrow. Just...wait, what exactly are you planning?"
Sam was silent for a while. "Something's really off about this whole thing, and I need to call an expert."
Drake's eyebrows furrowed. "What expert?"
"I'll tell you tomorrow. I'll let you get back to...whatever it was you were doing."
"Right...see you tomorrow." He closed down the phone and huffed, tossing it to the side and looking back toward the now-empty bed. Glancing around the room, he was taken by surprise when a pair of soft arms wrapped around his midsection from behind. "Oh...hello." He smiled as she pulled his shirt over his head and pushed him face-first onto the mattress.
…
Next day
2:15 PM
Washington, DC
"Wow."
"Interview is over! You-out of my house!"
Caden was busy on the floor of Sam's apartment, half-dying of laughter.
"You're sounding like a pinhead, agent. And I've got a suggestion for you—"
"It's over! Understand?"
"Damage control."
"Dutch!"
The half of the screen with former Agent Seymour Simmons went black, along with the TV a few seconds later as Sam shook his head and picked up his phone for the sixth time, dialing the number of the man in question once again. He cursed under his breath as the line went to voicemail.
"Is he serious?"
Sam looked up at the question's source and rolled his eyes once before opening his mouth to speak. His phone rang before he could. "Yeah."
"Yeah, hello?"
"Simmons."
"Yes, I know my own name, thank you very much, now what do you want?"
Sam gave Caden a glance, to which the spy returned a "you're on your own" look. "I called you because the Decepticons are back. I want to know why, and I need your help."
"They're back? Well, that's good for business."
"What if I told you I know a fifty year old alien secret that nobody ever told you?"
Simmons' response sounded well and truly agitated. "Do not tempt...my addiction. I have gone through withdrawal, kid. Dutch! Is this line secure?" There was a muffled answer from the other end, along with sounds of shuffling. "Don't take the risk. I'm rich, why should I? Do. Not. Relapse. I won't. Do not let the demons win." A "got it" was heard quite clearly on the former Sector Seven agent's end. "What kind of...secret?"
"Apollo," Sam started nonchalantly. "Moon. Aliens. Cover-up. Future tech. Assassinations. That kind of stuff."
"Ohhh...Apollo…" His voice trailed off as he promptly hung up the phone.
Sam stared at his end for a few seconds before shaking his head.
"So? Is he coming?"
"Yeah, Cade. He once told me that all he ever wanted to be growing up was an astronaut. There's no way he'll pass up the chance at this kind of gig."
"Hm," he grunted, seeming to become lost in his thoughts.
"So Sam," Hawk said from where his holoform stood, just behind a fully bipedal Bumblebee, "what've you been doing the last few months?"
He shrugged in response. "Nothing, really. I've felt so unimportant and useless, that's why I tried to get Mearing to bring me in on the investigation."
"And why you're going off the reservation to prove her wrong." He shrugged in approval. "S'what I'd do."
A knock on the freight elevator door a few stories below Sam's loft alerted them to Simmons' presence. A minute later, the man himself stepped through the doors in a dark suit and sunglasses, with a blonde man behind him and several dozen cases of equipment.
"Tell Megatron...let's tango."
…
4:50 PM
Virginia
Two vehicles rolled down a secluded road in the countryside of Northern Virginia, rolling hills all around them. One was a bright red Rosenbauer airport truck, the other a flaming red-and-blue Peterbilt 379 towing a chrome trailer. Both pulled to a dusty stop, the latter disengaging its trailer as it transformed into a 32-foot robot, the former into one slightly taller and just as regal. The bright red Autobot stood gazing out into the countryside at the fading sun, admiring the scenery.
"So majestic and peaceful, this planet. Unlike the final days of Cybertron."
Optimus strode toward him from behind. "I've wondered what might have been, if you had fought the final battle, instead of me."
Sentinel smiled sadly and turned toward his former protege. "Never mourn the past, young warrior. Thanks to you, our race survives."
Optimus pressed his lips together and opened his chest panels, kneeling and feeling a twinge of guilt in his spark. "You were our leader, Sentinel." The Matrix of Leadership floated into the air, and he pushed it toward his mentor. "It is your right to lead us again." He knew Hawk would disagree, and to a very small degree, he did as well.
Sentinel didn't hesitate in his answer. "In a world I do not know? I am no longer your teacher, Optimus." He pushed the Matrix back into Optimus' grasp. "You are mine."
…
4:55 PM
Washington, DC
"Hawk, you okay?"
The Bot's holoform flickered for a moment as a deep frown came to his face before he turned to his human partner and responded so only he could hear. "Yeah...I...Optimus just commed me."
Caden's eyebrows furrowed.
"He said Sentinel rejected the Matrix."
Surprise crossed the man's face. "You think maybe you were wrong about him?"
Hawk looked away, pursing his lips. "Maybe...but just because he didn't take command doesn't mean there's nothing wrong. He's off, I can feel it."
Caden sighed in resignation and turned back toward Sam and Simmons. His Autobot friend's beliefs were steeped in millennia of history and bad blood between common Cybertronians and the Primes. He didn't doubt that their apathy and inaction had partially led to the eventual death of their world, but to think that a Prime, any Prime, would actually defect...it was unthinkable. Hard to see it happening with Optimus as an example, anyway. Although, if he thought about it, Optimus, by all accounts, really was the paragon of all "modern" Primes, with all their strengths and few, if any, of their flaws. With some effort, he returned his focus to the matter at hand.
"You've got to break this case down," Simmons was saying. "What we have here is an astronaut epidemic. MIA," he said, punctuating this statement with a thump of a old picture with a former NASA staffer on a board, as well as many others. "Dead. Died in a car accident. Killed. DOA. Car death. It's like these guys can't drive. They can fly into outer space, but they can't drive a car."
A few sharp knocks on the door brought Sam there, where his boss passed a packet of files to him. "Procured your information, Witwicky."
"Thank you, Bruce," Sam said, closing the door.
A foot stopped it. "Now...would you let me see one right now? One time."
"Quick."
"Very."
The door opened to reveal an older man with frizzy white hair and an expression that Caden could only define as benignly crazed.
"Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter," Sam said to the group. "It says NASA launched it in 2009. See, forensics show Wang may have messed with the code, preventing it from mapping the far side of the moon, which is also the dark side."
Caden nodded in acknowledgement as he reviewed several pictures from the sixties NASA era, then did a double-take at the new arrival.
Bruce Brazos walked straight up to Bumblebee and stared, nodding his head slightly. "Freakin' awesome."
"They infiltrate us," Simmons said, "intimidate us, coerce us to do their dirty work. And once they're done, kadoosh. A double-tap to the cerebellum."
Hawk was searching the photos and files alongside his partner, and an expression of shock and horror crossed his face. "Cade," he whispered, picking one of the pictures up and handing it to him.
Caden's expression mirrored his as they locked gazes. "You don't think—" Hawk's slow, grim-faced nod answered his question. "Shit," he breathed, returning his eyes to the picture. On it was a group of NASA personnel talking in a testing facility.
With a silver-black 1968 Audi 100 in the background.
Caden laid down the picture and gave Hawk a look, turning back to the other two, an uneasy feeling in his gut.
"So," Sam said, "humans are working for the Decepticons."
"I don't think this is about the Decepticons looking for something on the moon," Simmons said, a disturbed expression coming to his face. "I think it's about something...they wanted to hide."
"Come to Daddy," Bruce said in a crazed voice as he motioned to Bee with a double-handed wave, falling into a sloppy fighting stance. "Come on, throw down. Ha!" He threw a few kicks into the air.
"Did you eat a lot of paint chips when you were a kid," Bee asked through a radio clip.
"He's a freak," Simmons muttered.
"Ha!" Brazos yelled as he kept up his antics. "Like it?"
Bumblebee's patience seemed to have run out, and he deployed his plasma cannon, knocking the man onto his back. "Get back!" He pinned him there, unmoving, watching as the man giggled insanely.
"I'm ticklish!"
"Sir!" Simmons shouted crossly. "We are having a pretty high-level alien intel confab here that I don't think you're cleared for, errand boy."
"Yeah," Bruce blurted as he got to his feet, "you're right." He turned to Sam. "It's a bitching robot."
Caden smirked and shook his head. Got no idea…
"I think it's time to go, Bruce," Sam said, moving him toward the door.
"Thank you so much for this, and—"
"Got to go, Bruce." He slammed the door in his face and turned back toward the rest of the room.
"Hey," a voice said from the center of the open room, "I'm smokin' over here." A laptop transformed into the blue-eyed intelligence specialist the Wreckers brought to Earth. "Downloaded missing Russian cosmonauts." Brains motioned animatedly and hopped toward a nearby printer. "Turns out the Soviets canceled a manned mission to the moon. The moon! In 1972. And two of their cosmonauts went into hiding in America." He put his hands against the printer, interfacing with it. "And I just found them alive!" Several sheets spat out of the device, showing the pictures and locations of the men in question.
"You're a genuis, Brains," Wheelie said from somewhere else.
As Bumblebee whistled through the radio absently, the door of the apartment opened, and a very stunned Carly Spencer walked through, startling the yellow Bot. He recoiled in surprise, accidentally bumping a chandelier with his head and sending it smashing to the ground. He ducked back, pulling down half his battle mask to hide his face like a kid caught with a hand in the cookie jar.
"Missed it," he transmitted, "by that much."
"Hi," Sam said, half-dazed.
Carly did not look pleased. "Would somebody care to tell me what the hell's going on?"
"Who are you," Simmons asked.
"Who are you?"
"Who am I? Who is that? Dutch!" He motioned to his blonde assistant. "Frisk her!"
"Certainly," the man said with a sinister expression and a heavy German accent.
Sam looked a little panicked. "No, no," he warned. "Dutch, I wouldnt—"
"Don't touch me," Carly said authoritatively, with a warning look at the approaching man.
Dutch actually recoiled and turned around. "I'm not gonna touch her."
"Sam," she questioned.
"Angel," he pleaded. "Uh...I was working. I'm sorry about this." The way she stormed off up the stairs sent Sam running after her.
"Great!" Wheelie shouted. "We're homeless."
"She lives here," Simmons asked no one in particular. "Wow." He turned to Dutch. "You had your chance to frisk her."
Dutched shrugged. "I have a girlfriend."
"Really? What's her name?"
The man hesitated considerably. "India."
Caden heard the sounds of an argument starting upstairs and sighed. Didn't want to cause that kind of friction. "Well," he said, breaking the silence, "we seem to have overstayed our welcome. Not the image of me I want that lady to have, so…" He looked at Hawk, who nodded to him grimly. "We're gonna go."
"You're leaving," Simmons asked incredulously, gesturing to their impromptu setup and all the intel they'd retrieved. "Now?"
"'Fraid so," Hawk answered for his partner, pushing off the desk he was leaning against. "We've got another lead to run down. You two take the cosmonauts."
"Got it...I guess."
"Take care," Cade called as he left via the front door, seeing Hawk's holoform vanish in his peripheral vision and spotting his vehicle mode parked in an alley around the corner. He climbed in and locked the door before speaking. "So...Sideways was involved in this whole 'moon' business."
Hawk shimmied under him. "Yes...though in what capacity exactly, I'm not sure. We'll have to ask him to find out."
"And how exactly do you expect to do that? I mean, it's not like we can just call him up. First we need to find him, then we need to capture him. Which do you think is gonna be harder?"
"Capturing, of course, but I don't plan on us doing it alone."
Cade raised an eyebrow as Hawk started driving. "Oh yeah? And who exactly are you planning on calling in?" As they rounded a corner, a familiar Lamborghini joined up with them. "Smokescreen...of course."
"Boss-man said you might need help," he answered simply.
"Thought that was Optimus."
"Well...yeah, but…" Smoke's red-haired holoform appeared in the driver's seat and pointed at Hawk. "He's the teach."
Caden sighed and rolled his eyes. "And how are we going to find him?"
"Well," Hawk started, "we're going to need inside information...from someone who's more easily accessible."
"Meaning a Con."
"One in particular. One with whom we may have some rapport."
Drake's eyes widened as he got his friend's drift. "Knockout."
…
20 minutes later
5:15 PM
Dulles Airport, VA
"Look, Knockout. All we're asking for is a little information."
The red Decepticon huffed indignantly and crossed his arms. "That is so not all you're asking for. You're asking me to put my spark on the line with Sideways, by far the number one psycho this side of Cybertron. And with Shockwave around, that's saying something."
Hawk was getting irritated at Caden's lack of results, and made his displeasure known. "Listen, slagger." He shoved Knockout up against the side of a warehouse, holding him off the ground with his forearm on his neck. "I've got a score to settle with him, and if you know Sideways, then you know my history with him." Knockout nodded quickly, prompting Hawk to bring their faces very close together. "If I have any say in the matter, only one of us is walking away intact, and it's gonna be me." A cruel smirk came to his face. "Or, if you'd prefer me to torture it out of you…" He snapped a Cybertanium blade out and pointed its razor-sharp edge at the flame pattern on Knockout's chassis.
His red optics widened. "Wait, wait, wait! Stop!"
"Hawk," Caden reprimanded softly, shaking his head and playing "good cop." He turned back to Knockout as the blade returned to its subspace. "Look, all we need is a location. We'll take it from there."
Knockout scowled at them both. "Fine," he spat out. "As a medic, I hear things from my patients. I can tell you where he's gonna be in twenty minutes."
"Good enough for me," Hawk muttered, releasing him and stepping back.
Caden rolled his eyes noticeably and gave Knockout a genuinely sympathetic look, mouthing, "I'm sorry."
"Whatever. Just leave me alone, and make sure that my name stays out of your little...energon feud."
"Consider it done."
…
20 minutes later
5:38 PM
Reston, VA
Caden and Hawk had been staking out a relatively unpopulated area of the suburbs for the last ten minutes waiting for Sideways to arrive. Smokescreen was on standby out of sight in the trees, not too far away from their position. Just when they were beginning to doubt Knockout's intel, a familiar silver-and-black Audi R8 pulled into the dirt lot beyond the cover of the forest and transformed. Sideways was performing what looked like routine maintenance on his Nucleon rifle, though why on Earth he would do it in a dust-filled lot was beyond comprehension. Suddenly, as though something had just occurred to him, Sideways pointed the weapon into the trees and fired.
The shot missed a speeding Hawk by barely a foot, allowing him more than enough time to maneuver around the next, slamming into the assassin's legs with his broad side in a 180 turn. Caden dove out the door, Daggertail loaded and ready, unleashing the first salvo of MA rounds on his gun arm as Hawk transformed and snapped his blades out. Sideways snarled at them both and kicked a cloud of dirt over Caden, obscuring his line of sight and rolling away from a slash on Hawk's part. His minigun chewed into Hawk's armor, but got little more than a snarl before the Bot tackled and pummeled him, his blades damaging the rapid-firing weapon and his left arm before he was shoved off and buzz-sawed back. Sideways had been practicing his close quarters maneuvers, if his vastly improved fighting style was any indication, and truthfully, Hawk was having trouble keeping up.
A half-dozen MA rounds perforated the armor of Sideways' knee and caused him to drop to a kneeling stance, both arms buzzing and cutting in Hawk's direction before swiping just over Caden's head as he ducked and rolled away. Another engine was heard from the forest, and a Lamborghini Egoista stormed out, transforming midair to tackle Sideways, pinning him to the ground by his back. A few seconds later, and he was completely restrained, but that didn't stop him from roaring in his struggles.
"Enough," Hawk barked, slamming his open palm into the side of Sideways' head. "You're going to talk," he hissed at his old rival. "You're going to tell me everything you know about the moon program, and you're going to tell me now."
Sideways grinned malevolently. "In your dreams," he taunted.
"Smokescreen…" Hawk's optics turned fierce. "Hold him down." The rookie Bot did so reluctantly, a little confused as to his mentor's intentions until he saw the data transfer cable. Sideways saw it too, but Hawk didn't care as he approached, a sinister smirk coming to his face. "I want you to know, I despise using this on sentients." He yanked open an interface port in the back of the Con's neck, attaching the cable and preparing a highly invasive and potent Cybervirus. "But for you I'm willing to make an exception."
Sideways roared in rage and pain as the virus burnt into his processor, worming its way into his deepest thoughts and memories and laying everything bare. He was completely suggestible and cooperative. If he were asked a question, he would hold nothing back.
"So," Hawk said when he was sure everything had run its course, "Apollo. Spill."
Sideways growled at him, but eventually answered. "That operation was Soundwave's pet project, not mine. My role was minor at best. Intimidation and surveillance. All I did was make sure our pet humans did what they were supposed to."
"So you don't know what Megatron was planning. His endgame. What was he hiding on the moon?"
"Ships," he spat out. "Dozens of warships, hundreds of fighters...and an entire invasion force of dormant Decepticons to man them."
A shudder of fear ran through all present.
"Why hasn't he used them yet," Caden asked. "He could conquer Earth four times over with that kind of firepower."
"I honestly don't know."
Hawk scowled and turned away, racking his processor for anything else, anything that could be used to anticipate Megatron's next move. Nothing came...except the burning, irrational gut feeling that he had had since the Ark was discovered. He turned to Sideways with slightly narrowed optics and spoke.
"Sentinel Prime. What do you know?" Sideways actually shuddered with the effort of attempting to resist the effects of the virus, but a quick stab of Hawk's blade into his shoulder put an end to that. "What do you know?!" he roared.
"We shot him down," he hissed in answer. "The ship drifted through space and landed on the moon."
"I already know all that. What I want to know is why you were chasing him in the first place. What was your plan for him?"
An evil, mocking grin came to the assassin's face, one that sent a chill of dread through all present. "He was the plan." He leaned closer to Hawk. "Is the plan."
And with that, everything fell into place. The disappearance from Cybertron late in the war. The discovery on the moon. The extreme measures the Decepticons took to hide the wreckage and the dark side from human view after the Apollo program. The fact that Megatron waited for over forty years to execute his plan, whatever it was. All they knew for sure was that whatever this endgame was, the spacebridge was part of it, and since Sentinel was the only one who could use it, they needed something capable of reviving him: the Matrix of Leadership. Caden and Hawk locked gazes as this all dawned on them both, and a mutual expression of horror was shared.
"Hawk," Caden said, voice trembling slightly, "call Optimus. Call Optimus now."
He put a finger to his helm, activating comms. and pinging the DC area for Optimus, Bumblebee, for anyone who might be in a position to stop Sentinel. "No response. Slag!" He turned to Sideways, who was smiling widely as explosive fire crisscrossed the Autobots' position. They both transformed, Hawk allowing Caden to leap in before screeching off. "That fragger tipped them off! Soundwave's jamming all long-range communications in or out of DC!"
"Then how do we—"
"We drive like hell!" His quick shifting of gears and screeching turns affirmed this statement. "And pray we're not too late."
…
5 minutes later
5:53 PM
Washington, DC
Ironhide was listening to a series of flurried comm. bursts from Sideswipe, Dino, and Bumblebee, who had taken out one of the three Dreads while escorting Sentinel to NEST. The other two were still in pursuit, and 'Hide was more than willing to assist. He drove past Sentinel's fire truck form and his three Autobot escorts.
"Ironhide!" Sam shouted as he screeched past in Bee.
The weapons specialist charged straight toward the two Chevy Suburbans, his front bumper impacting with both of theirs in a head-on collision. As all three of them transformed, Ironhide flipped himself midair, angling to land gracefully on his feet while the two saboteurs spun haphazardly through the air, yelling in pain the whole way down. When they hit, they were quick to scramble to their feet, pulling weapons as Ironhide brandished his new cannons and Sideswipe skated in with his dual explosive blasters.
"Is there a...problem," Ironhide asked somewhat mockingly.
"Woah," Sides added. "Little Mexican standoff we got here."
"Weapons down," Ironhide ordered gently.
"And we'll let you escape with your dignity."
"Drop 'em."
Crankcase and Crowbar, the last two Dreads left, exchanged a look and a few phrases of Cybertronian before tossing their guns aside at the same time as their opponents.
"That's good," Ironhide said almost relaxingly.
Which is when Crowbar smiled and unsubspaced two spiked spears on his back. Pulling one off, he chucked it at Ironhide.
"Ironhide," Sideswipe warned, "watch out!"
The warning was in vain, as 'Hide yelped in pain when the weapon dug into his left shoulder. Crowbar threw the other spear at Sideswipe, who snapped out his swords and flipped backward, slashing the weapon in half and turning his landing into a spin as he kicked one of his blasters into the air.
"Ironhide, catch!"
He did so, and Crowbar lunged toward him in vain as a single high-explosive round blew his head apart. Two more shots tore into Crankcase's chest armor as the Con kicked Sideswipe to the ground before Ironhide ripped the spear in his own shoulder out and skewered his opponent through the head with it, using the weapon's shaft as leverage to dump him headfirst on a nearby car.
"Decepticon punk," he taunted, kicking him in the head and sending the vehicle and its cargo into an empty cafe, where they both exploded. He gathered up his cannons and remounted them to his back. "Class dismissed."
…
5:56 PM
Hawk, Caden, and Smokescreen had made it all the way to Tyson's Corner, even with over a dozen Vehicons and Combaticons in pursuit. But they were running out of time, and with so much fire coming in their direction, they weren't going to make it without stopping to shoot back in earnest. As they rounded yet another corner, Caden returning limited amounts of fire with his Daggertail, Smokescreen slammed on the brakes.
"What the hell are you doing, rookie," Hawk demanded over comms.
"Giving you a fighting chance," he responded determinedly. "If I slow them down, or at least draw some of them off, you might make it in time to stop him."
Hawk thought about this for a few moments before venting in resignation. "Give 'em hell, Smokescreen."
The young Bot's shift to Stealth Force mode and resultant fire patterns were all the answer he got as the partners left him behind.
"Is he gonna be okay," Cade asked.
"I trained him for the last six months, and he was an Elite Guard before that. What do you think?"
Caden gave a slight smile, ever-amazed at the confidence that his partner could give him despite the odds. A powerful jet engine overhead drew both of their focuses, but when the plane in question ended up being an F-35, not an F-22, both of their systems were jolted with renewed hope.
"Jetfire!" Hawk yelled over comms.
The Aerialbot banked and dove toward them, arcing up at the last second to strafe the roadway behind them, scattering Decepticons with his weapons fire. "What the Pit's going on? I'm getting reports of gunfire and mayhem in the city, but I can't reach anyone!"
"Soundwave. Jammer. Big problems. I'll fill you in later, I promise, but right now, I need you to spacebridge us to NEST."
"What? I don't under—"
"Now, Jetfire!"
He transformed in front of the slowing vehicle and prepared a spacebridge for them, opting to stay behind to mop up the Cons. Hawk didn't have time to argue otherwise before they vanished from the spot, leaving Jetfire's teleportation device to recharge. With that jamming still going, he was out of range, and they were on their own.
…
5:59 PM
NEST headquarters, Washington, DC
"Get inside! Let's go!"
"Lennox!" Sam shouted, climbing out of Bee and getting his attention.
"Go, go, go, go, go!" he yelled at his men, approaching Sam.
"We got Decepticons everywhere."
Lennox raised his hands in reassurance. "I've got my whole team deployed looking for them. Ironhide!" he shouted to the newly arrived Bot. "Protect Sentinel! Get him locked up inside!"
"Consider it done," 'Hide answered with a nod.
"Hey," Sam said, "you've got to guard him, 'cause he's the key to the whole thing."
Sentinel drew up to his full height after transforming and spoke. "Indeed I am. What you must realize, my Autobot brothers, is we were never going to win the war. For the sake of our planet's survival, a deal had to be made…with Megatron." Everyone present turned toward Sentinel except the Bot closest to him, the one assigned to protect him. Sentinel spun around at a speed that only an experienced warrior could pull off, raising his Cosmic Rust cannon and putting two shots through Ironhide's back.
Ironhide collapsed to the ground instantly, his hands grasping at his slowly but steadily deteriorating chassis. "What," he wheezed out painfully, "have you done?"
"I hereby discharge you from duty," Sentinel told him almost mockingly, raising his cannon for the final blow and leveling it at his chest when the furious growl of a powerful custom engine reached his audio receptors from the direction of the base's loading ramp…along with a feral roar.
"Sentineeeel!"
…
6:02 PM
He was right there…standing over who Hawk considered to be one of his closest friends…one of his only friends. And he's mine.
"Take him!" Cade yelled in encouragement, an equally furious scowl on his face as he dove out of Hawk, tucking and rolling to a stop as his guardian and partner accelerated toward the traitorous Prime.
Sentinel spun to face him, firing his cannon at where he should have been and hitting empty pavement instead as Hawk transformed fifteen feet away, somersaulting into a powerful and near-vertical handspring that planted a double-kick on Sentinel's head. He kept rising, in slow-motion from the adrenaline-fueled viewpoint of Caden, deploying his left-hand blade and propeller-sawing a painful line through Sentinel's right shoulder as he arced over his head to his rear and spun midair, his right hand drawing and charging his fusion cannon to full power on the way down. He fell into a perfect kneeling crouch on impact, barely dodging a spinning horizontal swipe from Sentinel's sword and pointing the cannon directly at his chest. A powerful blast at point-blank range sent the Prime flying backward and yelling in pain, giving Hawk and Caden the time they needed to regroup.
Snapping himself out of his battle rage, Hawk looked at Ironhide and shuddered in horror as he saw what Sentinel's weapon was doing to him. "Bee!" he roared. "Sideswipe! Get him out of here, now!" Two explosive shots barely missed the former assassin as he dive-rolled away, dodging blasts from Sentinel and returning suppressing fire with his cannon. "Fall back! Ach!" A shot from the Prime sent corrosive particles onto his outer armor, but it was a glancing hit at most. He picked up Caden and rolled away from another salvo as Sentinel retreated into the underground recesses of the base's storage area. "Caden, let's go," he urged when his partner kept firing.
"What?!"
"Like you said, he's a Prime. We can't take him on without a significant advantage. Without Optimus, we don't stand a chance. We need to regroup."
"What about the pillars?!"
Hawk scowled in the direction of the base, his enemy out of range and sight. "Already gone." He returned his gaze to the human. "He's won this round."
Drake looked like he wanted to argue, but instead clenched his teeth and nodded, climbing into Hawk once he transformed and started driving away after a retreating Bumblebee and Sideswipe, who were escorting a truck carrying a wounded Ironhide.
"Caden," Hawk said agitatedly, "the base isn't empty."
Caden's eyes widened as he got his meaning and rapidly pulled up a blanket frequency over all NEST comms. "If there are any soldiers in the DC HQ, this is Consultant Caden Drake. Sentinel Prime has gone rogue and is coming for the spacebridge. He is coming for the pillars. You cannot stop him. I repeat, you cannot stop him! Do not engage him under any circumstances, do you read? Does anyone copy?!" he asked desperately, slamming the dashboard furiously when no answer came. "Dammit!"
AN: And there's the first of several changes brought about by my characters. Will Ironhide survive in the absence of a killing blow? Will Hawk's interference somehow make things worse in the long run? You'll find out on Thursday, with the activation of the spacebridge and Battle of DC.
I really hope you all like how this is all playing out. I try, oh so very hard, to make my amendments as realistic as possible, so I desperately hope that this is making sense.
As always, please review and recommend.
