"Raf... Raf!" Lennox said in a raised whisper, slapping his palm against the human-turned-Transformer's armor for a reaction. He received none. The NEST commander cursed under his breath.
He was still reeling with everything that had just happened. They had finally found Jack and Miko, but it had gone by so fast he didn't even have the chance to process it. Then not one, not two, ut three Predacons appeared, very alive and very lethal. They had transformed and talked. Or, as close as their booming, monstrous tones would allow, as Lennox could hear their growls from the other side of the battleground.
The human could feel the ground shaking from the force of their fight, even across the vast distance. He almost felt the heat of the flames the beasts spewed at one another, bringing forth the memory of his first encounter with the dragon within the collapsing building.
He had been lucky to get out of the range. Many of his men were not as fortunate. The commander's gut twisted as he looked over at the battlefield, only to see the charred or torn apart remains of his subordinates. He would have to tell their families they would never see their loved one, and yet he could not even explain why. Just like in Qatar, all those years ago.
Lennox gritted his teeth. This shouldn't have happened. This was supposed to be a routine mission, his forces acting as support. But he had merely led them all to their deaths.
Now Raf was beside him, dying.
The human-turned-robot had jumped between the raging Predacon and the scrambling humans, taking the brunt of the beast's fury. Energon was leaking profusely from his frame and his vents came out sluggish sputters. His optics flickered from blue to black, Lennox didn't have to know Cybertronian biology to know he was in trouble.
The man was at a loss what to do. He knew protocol and logic dictated that he had to call reinforcements. But would he just being endangering more lives? Humans didn't have a chance against the Predacons. Could the Autobots?
The decision was made for him, when a swirling vortex of a groundbridge opened, and Megatron stepped through. The Decepticon tyrant didn't seem happy. His dangerous snarl drifted over to Lennox's hiding place, who stayed tense the entire time. After a few heated words, the Decepticons, the Predacons, and the poor, poor kids vanished from existence.
Now Lennox didn't have much time. And where was Bumblebee? Raf had emerged from the hole in the mountain alone. Had the beasts killed him while Raf had escaped unseen?
"Shit. Shit, shit, shit," Lennox hissed as his clammy hands fumbled for his satellite phone to contact the base. The dialing tone seemed to last forever. "Come on, come on..."
Beside him, Raf stirred with a terrible, metallic groan.
"—'Bee..." the former human mumbled. "Bumble... bee..."
Lennox's chest ached. Slowly and hesitantly, he placed a warm palm on the robot's cheek. He stroked the metal there, just like he petted Annabelle whenever she had a nightmare. Even through the static, the voice sounded like a scared and broken little boy's. While the robot was as big as a car, it was hard to remember Raf was actually just a little kid.
The realization made Lennox's stomach twist painfully. Kids didn't belong in war, the proof laying right in front of him. Kids died in war, just like his men had.
Finally, the phone was answered.
"Lennox? Is this you?" It was Ratchet's voice, staticky, but comprehensible.
"Ratchet!" The NEST commander didn't even know where to start. He decided with the most urgent. "Raf is down. He's hurt, badly. I need a groundbridge and backup, ASAP!"
"What?" Rather than the detached, analytical tone of a medic, Ratchet's voice was filled with quiet shock. "H-How can that be?!" There was a moment of stunned silence until the Autobot added, "Sending reinforcements."
Lennox found himself counting the seconds ticking by. He clutched the wound on his side, feeling the blood seep through his fingers. The lieutenant colonel knew he should go out and help his men. Find who was still alive, and find out how to save them. But just the thought of leaving Raf injured and alone made his chest clench.
There was nothing he could do to staunch the bleeding from a metal wound he couldn't repair or even slow down. He was going to be trouble himself if he didn't stop his own bleeding.
Then finally, a hum filled the air as a swirling vortex came into existence. Lennox straightened at the sound of slow, heavy pedes and then the hulking form of Optimus Prime stepped through. The Autobot leader's hard optics widened as he scanned over the ruins of the NEST forces. Several more figures stepped through, resulting in bright optics and gasps.
"What in the Pit happened here?" Bulkhead exclaimed in shock, almost ramming into a frozen Ratchet.
Lennox meant to reply, but before he could, a groan of pain escaped his mouth. The world panned and the man slid to the ground, his back pressing up against a tree. Instantly the metal giants turned in his direction.
"Commander Lennox—" Optimus Prime started, but the human interrupted him.
"I'm fine," he seethed. "Help Raf!"
Ratchet did not need to be told twice. He sprinted the distance between them, fast for his age, medkit in servo.
"By the Allspark..." Ratchet gaped as he examined the little mech's gruesome injuries.
With delicate servos as if Raf could fall apart with a single touch, he adjusted Raf so that he could reach the worst of the wounds.
"Where's Bumblebee?" Bulkhead asked after scanning the field, catching no sight of a black and yellow mech.
"I-I don't know," Lennox explained through gritted teeth. "He and Raf went up ahead. There was a cave collapse, I think he's still down there."
Optimus nodded. "Arcee, Smokescreen, search the area and recover Bumblebee."
"Yes, sir," Smokescreen saluted.
"Right, Optimus," the two-wheeler nodded. She turned to the injured human. "Are you going to be alright?"
"I've had worse," Lennox reassured through his strained voice, but the Autobot knew better than to question him twice.
With a nod, she transformed and drove away in a blur. Smokescreen followed suit with a rumble of an engine, a trail of dust billowing behind them. As the pair disappeared from sight, Lennox watched as more humans pulled through the groundbridge. There was the sound of slamming doors, loading of weapons, and frantic shouts as NEST soldiers fanned out. While half of the men eyed their surroundings for threats, the other half ran to the air of their fallen comrades.
"Are there survivors?" Optimus asked as he noted the many fallen bodies of the soldiers.
Lennox shook his head. "I don't know..."
"Who did this?! I'll scrap 'em!" Bulkhead thundered, transformed his servos into spiked maces and pounding them together.
"P-Predacons. Two of them. They came out of the mountain."
It was then Optimus's stern faceplates morphed into an expression he never seen before. His optics went even wider, his mouth dropped open as his helm reared back. Shock? Or was it horror?
"You're saying Shockwave cloned more of those beasts?!" Bulkhead exclaimed.
"N-no, I don't think so. The Decepticons looked as surprised as I did."
"The 'Cons were here?"
"With Jack and Miko."
"Miko?!" Instantly the protective guardian jumped on the sentence, almost stomping on Lennox as he rushed forward. "What did she look like? Is she okay?"
"The answer to your questions will have to wait for later, Bulkhead," Ratchet spoke up, placing his scanner back in subspace. "We need to get Raf in medbay, stat!"
Bulkhead's anger faded, only in the slightest, when he took in the sight of Raf.
"R-Right."
He took Ratchet's place, lowering down to lift up Raf gently. The frail thing looked so little in the giant Autobot's arms, almost vanishing in his hold. The former human let out a pitiful whine.
"It's okay, little buddy," Bulkhead cooed in his gravelly tone. "I gotcha."
"Go, now!" Ratchet ordered urgently, ushering Bulkhead into the groundbridge.
Lennox couldn't help but let out a relieved sigh as he watched the pair disappeared, only to jump when he felt a warm metal hand wrap around him. He was surprised when he blinked up to see Optimus leaning over him.
"You also require medical attention," the Prime rumbled.
"I can walk on my own."
His comment was ignored as the gentle giant scooped him into the air, but was careful not to agitate the human's wounds further. Lennox's heart jumped into throat. He rarely came into physical contact with the Autobots, never mind being picked up by one. It was an unnerving and disorienting feeling, but he didn't have the energy to protest.
Optimus carried him through the groundbridge and Lennox had never been more relieved in his life to see the sight of the army base before him.
He saw Ultra Magnus by the groundbridge controls, his expression grim. Wheeljack was already rushing to Bulkhead, frantically demanding answers, but the larger Wrecker ignored him. He rushed to the portion of the hanger that made up the medbay while Ratchet was already turning on monitors and gathering his tools. Optimus took his cargo away from the excitement.
"What in the name of Uncle Sam's hat happened?!" Fowler's voice exclaimed.
Lennox groaned as he was deposited by a pile of crates, shakily grabbing the edge of one to keep himself steady. He eyed the government agent rushing down the stairs, but it was Epps that got to his superior first.
"Damn, you've seen better days," his friend commented as he wrapped a sturdy arm around him to keep him steady.
"Thanks, Epps," Lennox grunted. He tried to straighten, only to hiss with pain. "I-I need to report. T-the Predacons...they're intelligent."
"What are you talking about?"
"They transformed. Like you 'Bots. They nearly fought each other to the death."
"They what?!" Fowler barked.
"I thought they were just giant monsters and all that," Epps commented.
"Transformation is a fundamental part of our evolution," Optimus mused. "One we simply had no evidence of the Predacons possessing."
"Until now," Lennox seethed.
"So if you're saying they can transform, does that mean..." Epps started, but trailed off, not knowing how to word such an absurd question. He did not need to, as his best friend knew his meaning.
"Yeah, they're sentient. Talking and everything. I couldn't catch what they were saying, but they got into a fight. I think it was over the kids."
His audience blinked at that.
"What do you mean by that?" Fowler demanded. He eyed the direction of the medbay, the sounds of surgical tools drifting from it. Judging by his wide eyes, he too had seen poor Raf's mutilated state. "Like a pack of dogs over a steak?"
"I think they wanted to, but that big dragon stopped them. It was almost like... it was protecting Jack and Miko. It practically gave them to Megatron the second he stepped through the groundbridge." Lennox's frown deepened. "And all three of them tagged along."
Fowler cursed, shifting his weight in anxiety. "What do we do, Optimus? Megatron's got three of those things already and just one can take out a city. And we know he's building an army out of them."
Optimus's frown deepened. Lennox swore he could almost hear the gears working in his head as the Prime no doubt considered their options.
"In ancient times, my fellow Primes led the Beast Wars against the Predacon aggressors, but every attempt to repel them turned to ruin," Optimus Prime told, almost like he was lost in a memory. "It was not until the Great Cataclysm, when a star came too close to Cybertron, disrupting its electromagnetic field and scorching its surface, that the Predacons were finally defeated. In the ashes of what remained, rose our civilization."
"So our only solution is the end of the world?" Epps digested, eyes widening in horror.
"With few of our numbers, there will be little we can do to stop Megatron's army," Ultra Magnus added solemnly..
"Unless we stop Megatron's cloning operation before it finishes," Wheeljack decided, optics narrowed in determination.
"And how's that been working out?!" Fowler exclaimed, on the verge for a full-on panic attack. "Every time we find one of these bones, the 'Cons already have their greasy paws on it!"
"Then we will have to redirect our efforts to locating the facility in which the Predacons are being generated," Optimus decided.
"The Nemesis is out of the question, as a warship is too compact to house such a large number of beasts," Ultra Magnus decided.
"Oh, that narrows it down," Epps spat sarcastically.
"The Decepticons would require a large facility in order to engineer the coming process of the Predacons," Optimus surmised.
"Someplace hidden. Where no one would even think about looking around," added Wheeljack.
"Still doesn't help anything," Epps chirped, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Oh, give it a rest, Epps," Lennox groaned, pushing himself off the crate. Pain radiated across his body and he swayed. The two other men rushed forward to steady him, but the NEST commander pushed them off.
"How's Raf?" he asked gruffly, moving to look where Ratchet was operating.
Bulkhead frowned, following his gaze. "...It doesn't look so good. He got beat up pretty badly."
Instantly the hairs on the back of Lennox's neck stood on end as EM fields flared in distress. Wheeljack let out a savage growl, stomping his pede in the ground with a loud thud. Magnus and Optimus merely wore stoic masks, while the humans were more expressive. Fowler cursed and paced, running a hand through his hair while Epps shook his head.
"Ratchet is a capable medic," Optimus assured. "He has the greatest expertise in treating Raf's wounds."
"It's my fault," Lennox admitted. "He was trying to protect us and I couldn't help..."
"There is nothing you could have done, Colonel Lennox."
"And what about my men?!" Lennox raised his voice to a harsh yell. "Who's going to answer for that?"
"I was just about to ask the same thing," a shout came, full of condescending fury.
Everyone looked to see Galloway had just entered the building, walking towards the group with a brisk, furious pace.
"What the hell is this?" the advisor demanded. "You said it would be a scouting mission. Get in, get out. Now our men are dead."
"You sent us to investigate Decepticon movement, and we did," Lennox growled heatedly. "We walked into an ambush."
"And you're telling me Decepticons were capable of this?!"
Lennox rose his voice to a shout. "They weren't Decepticons!"
He clipped his mouth shut as he realized he made his mistake too late. Epps's eyes widened and Fowler shot him a glare. Galloway's gaze merely widened a fraction before narrowing back to a skeptical glare.
"Then what were they?" he demanded.
Lennox swallowed and looked away, refusing to answer. However, as the deafening silence dragged on, he realized he didn't have a choice.
"It was the Predacons…"
"Predacons." Gallows uttered skeptically. "And that is what? Some kind of weapon? A class of more Decepticons?"
"Ancient beasts that once walked among our homeworld," Optimus spoke, his voice grave and solemn. "And now yours. If Megatron manages to build his army of them, they will rain fire upon your cities, as we believe they once did in your early history."
Galloway narrowed his eyes at the Prime, clearly not believing a word he said. If anything he seemed more worked up than before.
"Dragons? You're telling me Decepticons have dragons? So you knew the Decepticon had these... superweapons, and you did nothing? Just like their citadel, Jasper, Las Vegas!"
"We were only aware of one Predacon."
"Was that before or after it slaughtered half of our forces?"
Optimus's optics narrowed, but said nothing. Galloway took his as his chance to stomp forward, as if he had a chance against the massive giant, waving his hands in exasperation.
"We allow you to stay on our planet, in our country. We even given you a whole base to yourselves. We share our intel, our weaponry, our soldiers." He paused in front of the Autobot leader, glaring accusingly. "And you give us nothing! You brought a war to our shores, and it's our men-our people-that are paying the price!"
It was then Lennox jumped to his feet, ignoring the flare of agony and instead shouting, "Raf saved our asses out there! If it wasn't for him, we'd all be dead!"
He ignored Epps and Fowler's glares while his own did not waver from Galloway. He couldn't help but bite the inside of his cheek, aware of his horrid mistake, but he would not back down to the likes of this snake. The security advisor only cocked an eyebrow.
"And who is 'Raf' supposed to be?"
"One of my men. And he's the only reason any of us are still here!"
Galloway's tone was flat as he drawled, "Well, if he's still alive, I'll have to thank him."
Lennox was tempted to sink the arrogant bastard's teeth in, but he never got the chance. Suddenly there was a hum from the groundbridge and three figures stepped through. Arcee and Smokescreen, half-carrying, half-dragging Bumblebee between them.
The yellow scout looked hardly any better than Raf, covered in scorch marks and ripped armor. One of his delicate wings were crushed and there was a sizeable dent in his helm. But his optics were online—dim and flickering—but online. Bumblebee let out a weak whirr as he took a hobbling step, trying to keep up with his comrades.
Ignoring her baffled audience, Arcee called, "Ratchet! We need you!"
The Autobot medic only briefly glanced from where he was operating on Raf, sparks flying from the welder against the youngling broken hide.
"Scrap…" Ratchet looked torn, between the patient underneath his servos and another Autobot almost as critically injured. Finally he came to the next best solution. "Arcee, do you know how to use a welder?"
"I've done patch jobs in the field before," Arcee assured.
"Good. Bumblebee is going to need it. I'll be with you as soon as I can."
The yellow scout let a staticky buzz, which Lennox could only guess was a protest.
"Like scrap you're 'fine!'" Ratchet snapped.
Apparently that ended their discussion, as Bumblebee did not reply and Ratchet returned to his work. He let himself be guided to a spare berth in the medbay. Smokescreen and Arcee worked together lifting the scout and gently placing him down, but couldn't prevent Bumblebee's groan of pain.
"Holy shit," Galloway cursed as he watched the spectacle with wide eyes. "They're about to fall apart!"
"After fighting for us," Lennox stressed. "They protected us. Because they are more than just allies, they're family."
"Family?" Swallowing, the NEST commander clipped his mouth shut and held his ground as Galloway marched towards him until their faces were an inch apart. The security advisor spoke low enough only for Lennox to hear, hissing, "They're not family. We're made of flesh and blood, they are made of alien metal. They say one thing yet their actions say another. As far as national security is concerned, they are the enemy."
Lennox glared right back, keeping his mouth shut lest he let slip anything else. Little did Galloway know, Cybertronians hearing were far superior. Surely Optimus heard the exchange, judging by his narrowed glare and the colonel wouldn't be surprised if the others heard, too.
Galloway lingered for a few long seconds, before drawing away and announcing, "From this point on, your team is deactivated. You are to remain in Diego Garcia-pending further orders."
"What?" Wheeljack barked.
"No way!" Smokescreen protested.
"We don't take orders from you," Lennox snarled. "General Bryce is the head of NEST."
"And I tell the President what to do," Galloway snapped back in an arrogant tone.
"The president won't stand for this," Fowler spat, stepping forward with fists by his sides. "Not when he reads my reports."
"Who do you think sent me here? He's going to have a very different opinion once he hears what I have to say."
"And you've what, had a whole ten minutes with the Autobots? You don't know them. You don't understand what they have done for our country—our world. Some paperweight isn't going to stop us from stopping the Decepticons."
"I know our world is being destroyed. Good soldiers and innocent citizens are dying for what-for them? As far as I am concerned, the treaty is void."
"And when the Decepticons take over and enslave the human race, do you think they'll have any mercy for you?"
"At this point, the Decepticons have done more for us than the Autobots have!"
Fowler's voice rose to a furious yell. "Have you lost your mind?!"
He curled his hand into a fist, as if to send a punch into Galloway's face, only to be stopped by a weak, staticky voice.
"St-stahp!"
All the attention in the room turned to the source of the voice—the small Autobot that lay sprawled across the berth, unable to move.
Raf's helm wasn't even raised off the berth as he looked upon the scene with horribly dim optics. The energon had been washed away and the nastiest of the wounds had been repaired, but he still looked pitifully small.
His meek, small voice came out broken and staticky, his words hardly comprehensible, "Zzztahp 'ighting."
Humans and Cybertronians alike merely stared, frozen. Ratchet stood by the young mech's side, medical tools still in his servos, as he looked down at his patient with shock and concern.
"W-wee cahn't terrrn each orrtherrr," Raf continued. "Yerrre 'uhst l-lehttin' the 'Cahn's w-wehn…"
He shifted, causing a terrible grinding noise. Instantly Ratchet laid a gentle, but firm servo on his dented chest, carefully ushering him to lay back down.
"Hush now, Raf," Ratchet murmured softly to him, patting his helm in comfort. "Just regain your strength."
Even from here Lennox could see his frame heaving as his vents worked to cool his overheated system. There was plain fear in those pale optics. No doubt he was disoriented, waking up only to watch his allies arguing before him. After he had seen two dozen men massacred.
Lennox bit the inside of his lip. Poor child didn't deserve this. Any of this.
Galloway just stared at the scene, as if he did not know what to make of the absurd display.
The NEST commander turned him, demanding lowly, "Does that sound like the enemy to you?"
Lennox has been around the metal beings far longer than the security advisor, learning how to read their expression by the slightest shift of plating. He doubted Galloway could see the haunted look in Raf's optics, but for once, the security advisor had no smart reply. However, with a painful swallow, he did not fail to fix Lennox with another accusing glare.
"This discussion isn't over," Galloway warned them as he turned to make his way out of the building, giving one last glare to them.
Fowler let out a heavy sigh as the man vanish from his. He shook his head, irritably muttering under his breath, "Idiot."
"That went well," Epps huffed.
"Now what are we going to do?" Lennox demanded.
"Do whatever we can to stall him," Fowler answered for them. He ran a hand through his hair, cursing. "I'll probably have to go to Washington D.C. I have some cards I can play, buy you guys some time. Do whatever you have to do to get results."
"Any ideas on how to do that?"
The government agent was already moving away, either to begin packing his things or pursue Galloway. He paused to glance over his shoulder, glancing up from Lennox to the grim Autobots to a half-conscious Raf. "Well, for starters, you can send those overgrown reptiles to hell."
"My liege?" Starscream's voice came out quiet and nervous, cautiously nearing his lord.
Only to jump with a screech, almost drowned out by Megatron's fierce roar as he pounded his fist on a nearby console in anger. The other Decepticons flinched at the deafening clang and moved away from the shower of sparks. Even Shockwave twitched at the sound. After the day's... developments, the members of Decepticon high command chose to retreat to the Nemesis. For once, Knock Out graciously offered his medbay for their little meeting. It allowed them to discuss matters while the medic tended to his patient.
Quickclaw was still in stasis, laid across a medical berth. Starscream begrudgingly gave Knock Out and Shockwave credit, as the reconstructive surgery was successful. After joors of grueling work, the youngling had a new pair of pretty little wings. The Seeker had yet to see how Warpdive fared, but if Shockwave was confident enough to leave his pet, then it must meant she was stable. Still, Starscream was disgusted by the idea that she was left alone with them, especially considering the brutes had tried to terminate the poor thing.
Megatron must have had similar thoughts, his crimson optics bright and his sharp denta bared in a snarl. His voice came out as a harsh and dangerous growl as he began to pace back and forth like a caged beast.
"Our former beast may believe himself a loyal servant today, but trust me, the moment our royal Highness realizes his army possesses greater might than what currently remains of the Decepticons—"
"Evolution will become revolution," Starscream stepped in.
"Which won't bode well for us," Knock Out chimed in from his spot leaning against the wall, arms folded across his chest.
Megatron's engine growled at that, and the red mech wisely took a step back. The Decepticon leader took his place by Quickclaw's side. Even Starscream had to admit, the mech looked pathetic. Despite how his wounds were welded and polished, he looked small on the gigantic berth. His vents came out slow and unevenly, even as there were half a dozen cables attached to his frame. A precautionary measure, Knock Out assured, but he looked as bad as when he barely survived the Fall of Darkmount.
Megatron's expression didn't soften at the sight of his poor pet, but rather it turned even more severe. Claws ran over an unmoving helm, deadly and gentle at the same time. The tyrant was silent for a long moment. None of his subordinates dared to speak.
"I am left with no choice but to eradicate the Predacon clones, before they are provided with the opportunity to eradicate us."
"Lord Megatron, you are not saying you intend to pull the plug on Shockwave's beloved Project Predacon?" Knock Out asked warily, even eyeing the deathly still scientist.
Then, to everyone's surprise, Shockwave said, "Your conclusion is most logical, my liege."
Knock Out frowned deeply. "But what of those currently walking among us? If those fire-breathing savages catch on to us, they'll tear us to shreds!" He looked to Quickclaw, trapped in stasis. "We've already seen a sample of the devastation they can cause."
It was then Starscream had an idea. "Why assume that we will be the ones to perform the deed?" All optics turned towards his direction, and the Seeker sneered, happy that they were finally willing to listen to him. "After all, if the Predacons were to discover that the Autobots were responsible for wiping out their comrades, our beasts might, in turn, terminate them for us." Then his sneer grew into a sinister smile. "Or... they them."
"Two birds with one stone, hmm?" Knock Out hummed. "But may I add, how do we plan to do that? We can't exactly call the Autobots and make them do the dirty work for us."
Starscream begrudging realized the mech had a point. The Autobots no doubt would jump on any opportunity to destroy the vile beast, but if they made it too obvious, there was no telling of the consequences. No, those self-righteous fools had to be just as blind as the Predacons. He was ripped from his thoughts as Shockwave stepped forward.
"If I may," the scientist offered with a malicious look in his optic, "I have a solution."