Queen's Notes: I return! And not two years later lol Hopefully this chapter is not too hard to follow.
I am going to do a little retcon on the story and shift the timeline of where it takes place. The start of Just A Stray is going to be placed just about a year after the attacks on the Autobot/Wrecker/Human bases by Cemetery Wind so this story will fit better with my Wreck 'an Rule story, and another story that's not quite ready to post.
Just A Stray, Just A Cover
Chapter Nineteen
Nest
All things considered, the night had not been too bad to start with.
It was clearing up fully now, letting what faint light from the waning moon hit the ground around the trees and few clearings in the park. The air almost tasted better, maybe because it did not have the smell of dirt from windy evenings and nights. More like warm wood and water.
He had found the two mechs in the evening and thanked the gods that the smaller front liner had recognized him almost at the last second. The armor the man wore was plated with Cybertronian armor, but it could only take so much of a direct assault from a mech.
The helmet was the newest part, having to be re-made over the last few months, and had something mostly only mechs would see. That the man was sure was what saved him.
Dark paint on dark paint, on the left side of the helmet, it was reflecting light a little differently. A Wrecker emblem. A glyph set ran in matte green down Stone's left arm, over top of the sleeve and armor. It was basically Cybertronian long hand of a name.
Roadbuster, Foreman's Crew
Sideswipe had given the man so much shit, after finding out it was Stone and he had the Wrecker emblem on him now instead of the Autobot-Nest one. Poking at the back of his right shoulder where another emblem rested.
The silver minibot had awkwardly walked on the forest floor with his wheeled pedes clamped like they were now. Something was wrong where he could not roll but following Stone back to the small car he had come with. The massive form behind them followed in a good mood, the chain clunking on black armor to balance the short but awkward flatbed trailer.
Sideswipe had seemed oddly relieved to be found by Stone, hovering closer than what used to be his normal.
Not that Stone could blame him, either of the two mechs really for their reactions.
It had been going good at that point. Trailbreaker was lowering his trailer to the ground that he had been carrying by a chain over one shoulder. They were debating on leaving the junker car Stone had brought, or to take it and have the bigger mech following at a distance while towing Sideswipe. There was that advantage of having a real human 'driver' on the off chance of being pulled over, but also Trailbreaker could drive while Stone slept, or on the flipside. Stone could drive while the big Autobot dozed.
It has been a sheer chance that the bullet missed him, Stone had spotted something on the ground that must have fallen out of his car when he first arrived in the area and armored up. Stooping to grab it he just wrapped his fingers around the small trinket he had bought early the day, in the hopes of someday sending a package to his daughter.
The sound of the bullet in the air, of it hitting the car window. The spider web of cracks and the belated crack of gunfire, it was their only warning.
Stone had just rolled forward, coming up against Sideswipe's leg when the silver mech stepped forward. The developed habits of Nest kicking in for both.
Trailbreaker gave a startled, almost chirrup sound as more gunfire was let loose, at him mostly! The specialized generator on his back wurred and spluttered as he reflexively tried to trigger it, and then remembered he had to lift his right arm and activate the old flak shield.
It leapt to life, extra panels on his arm extending out, followed by the energy field that took the rough shape of a coffin shield. Fringes on the lower side to help protect knees, and a half circle taken out of the top with another fringe. It almost completely covered his whole frame.
It was a gift of sorts from centuries past, and though Trailbreaker did not have to use it often, he was still grateful for the flak shield at times like this. There were only a few stings of that almost too-hot human ammunition against his armor before the shield deflected them off into the forest.
The big black mech ducked his head and moved to plant his shield in front of Sideswipe as another wave of those hot rounds were aimed at the minibot. "I think we should go."
"Well, YEAH!" Sideswipe shook himself, scanning through the semi transparent shield beside him. "How many are there-"
Sideswipe yipped, as he dropped to the ground, a heat round grazing him on the shoulder but did not do that much damage. Stone had climbed up the small mech's side to grab at a muscle cable in his side and yanked to knock the Autobot off balance. Something he had learned a long time ago it seemed, first by Jazz and Bumblebee and then by Ironhide and Ratchet.
"Gods damn, get down Sideswipe!" The man grunted as he managed not to get landed on, rolling over to pop up just enough to scan as Stone clicked the safety off his rifle and scanned the darkness around Trailbreaker's shield. The visor in his helmet activated fully to help cut through the darkness. It was similar in design to how visors worked for the Wreckers', and probably like Trailbreaker's own visor.
One, two, five... eight muzzle flashes that Stone could count from where he was.
"Big guy," Stone asked, and switching to the comms in his helm ::Can you pop that bigger shield?::
::Its warming up, give me about a minute.:: Trailbreaker was in a half kneeling position, freeing his right arm as he had reflexively braced the shield. Hesitating a moment to trigger his short cannon, though Sideswipe managed to roll as Stone moved and aimed.
The shorter mech had no hesitation to fire on the humans, they shot first and the one human he trusted right now was behind his right hip now. ::Then we'll get this taken care of.::
::Sides, watch the east,:: The man said as he sighted… and fired a shot back into the dark, there was a distant yell that cut off. Stone picked himself up and moved to the side of the shield away from where the minibot was.
The man just missed getting grabbed by Trailbreaker, instead Sideswipe was grabbed as he started to talk.
::I think it's clear behind us, just a lot of trees- Stone come back!::
::I got your backs,:: The man said as he ran for cover, having to put some faith in his armor that he would not stand out on any thermo scans for a while. It let him get to the side and work on sharp shooting. Moving in the dark better than the attackers after they started to pick up where he was. The man ducked behind a tree, hooking his rifle into a magnet clamp on his back.
He listened to the sounds of the firefight. Feeling more than properly hearing both Trailbreaker's forcefield generator throbbing to life. There was also a vibration in the air that he had not heard for a year. A pulse of cybertronian weapon fire starting. The slower, larger pulses from Trailbreaker as he tried to scare off the attackers, and give cover fire more. The rapid pulses would be coming from Sideswipe. They should have been smart enough to see the Friend or Foe tag in Stone's armor by way of cybertronian scanners.
The man knelt lower behind his tree, finding where he had stashed his injectors just above the knees. All the while listening to the gun fire, between that and the last glimpse around to mark targets. The man triggered the needles to pop out as he did a mental count, priming the devices as the sound of new people were coming in just to his left.
Stone slipped to his right, then back to the left as he avoided being spotted by the reinforcements. Not that surprised really. Only when they had a good four years under collective belts could he and the other mech-loyal Nest soldiers could be a small team of humans and an Autobot or two and still be able to take down larger Decepticons.
The man recognized an attempted pattern as he followed behind the last of this wave of reinforcements. Something from the first month of early Nest, the suggested tactics to take down a Decepticon. Something that involved spreading out, and converging onto a mech like some pack of hunting dogs.
It was a tactic that was shit, that he and the rest promptly dropped as fast as possible. A Cybertronian was faster than expected on their pedes, they could vanish like the prop hunt game or another mech, or five, would pop up.
Stone wrapped an arm around the neck of the strangler in the back, bringing the injecter up to jab quickly at the slightly exposed neck. Dropping the limp man as quiet as possible while already stepping over to the next man. Slipping into an odd roll of taking the place of a body to get to the next of the hunters.
If they could head off this, break an opening for Trailbreaker to get out and not have his back pitted-
Shouts of warning happened just as Stone was stepping up to someone with a higher caliber weapon. The Wrecker-human reached out, jerked the man backwards, twisting an arm to roll the other man down. Falling down on top of him, Stone pressing the injector down on an arm this time, and holding down the hunter for the extra few seconds for the drug to work.
Someone spotted him, running over as a new cybertronian weapon fired into part of the line the hunters had made. A trilling carried over the momentary chaos, and Stone could not help but smile as he dropped a shoulder and braced for an impact.
The not quiet voice he knew, as a black and gold Autobot came out of the darkness, battle mask down. Momentary startled at a flash of silver. Sideswipe having gotten free and charging the closest humans with his blades snapping out.
"Fragging traitors!" Sideswipe yelled, shameless in giving the last of the four closer, a punt kick while a charge started to crackle in the air. Sideswipe tried to get out of the way, rushing forward again and to his right- and hit into the forming force field. Having only the faintest of shimmers to show it was there, going a bit more opaque where weapon's fire hit in a sprinkling pattern.
There was a yell of Cybertronian curses, Sideswipe staggering and trying to pull his right sword out of the thick feild in the air. "Trailbreaker! Primus- put it down mech!"
The yell of cybertronian words was enough to get the big truck to jerk, startled. Responding back in kind, "I can't...shouldn't-"
"They're trying to kill us, like the Decepticons, we have to defend ourselves!" The silver mech growled, planting a wheeled pede on the field to brace himself and started to very slowly pull his arm mounted blade out. It was an odd sensation that Sideswipe could feel even though the dulled sensors in the blade, it was like the air turned thick, and turned thicker to hold anything in a standstill.
"No!" Trailbreaker barked to get Sideswipe's full attention, frowning under his visor, "Sideswipe I Can. Not. Just... Drop the shield, my generators need to finish fully spinning up before I can start to cycle them down again."
Sideswipe turned, looking back as Bumblebee gave a worried trill from the other side for a moment. "What?"
::What?:: Bumblebee echoed from a short comm. And then a broken yelp as a charged shot hit him in the shoulder. The scout frame backed up to get around the curve of the shield to protect himself as there was rap-rap-rap of quick shots from another angle.
Crosshairs' weapon, trying to be accurate with small targets from farther out and then his attention shifting to his right. His aim immediately changed directions as the back up wave of hunters spotted him and converged, including a... helicopter?!
"Drift!" Crosshairs demanded as he had to dive to the side, pulling himself into a kneeling position to use his over armor for cover. Hearing Bumblebee's warning trill two moments too late as there were several thumps against his shoulder, arm and side. Crosshairs reached for the lines attached to him as magnetic anchors itched. "Oh frag."
Crosshairs heard his name just as there was a few minutes of utter chaos, and a set of electric charges! It was like several of the things the Hunter group had done already, ripping off the efforts from the old Sector Seven and Nest ingenuity meant to stun smaller Cybertronians. Not quite like a taser gun on their own, supposed to trip up mechs, but when that shockers were stacked?
The charges thankfully would not make it too deep into Crosshairs' systems. Even when another thump landed on his chest. Those inner systems like the spark, fuel pumps and armor pocket were protected, the charges would wash over the protoform. The drawback was that he was comparatively a light frame type for his height, and conducted the taser like charges away from into Crosshairs' joints.
The mech was aware out of the corner of his optic, at the edge of his lowered lense that Bumblebee was fighting to get a taser line off his right arm.
Had it just been the two of them outside of the force field, this would be a very big problem.
Good thing they were not alone.
Good thing these hunters were not as desensitized to the chaos that innately followed Cybertronains.
Part of the mentioned chaos started as an approaching helicopter was intercepted by a smaller, undeniable one. Rising out of the lower tree level to hit the underbelly with more force than expected, blades folding as the smaller flier transformed. Drift grabbed the running rails as the human helicopter was yanked to the side and downwards rapidly with his weight after being jarred up.
"Why hello there," Drift grinned inside the open side of the human helicopter at the passengers. The lack of much armor and weapons had Drift hesitating a moment as he reached up to grab the top of the open door. Then he spotted the camera equipment and other assorted things strapped down between the humans.
It was a horrifying moment for sure for those inside, even if Drift was not that big. Their pilot was panking while trying to keep in the air with the mech climbing from under to the side. The blue and black mech squinted as he growled lightly, reaching in to grab, not the cameras but to what they were all connected to. Drift recognized that it was seen as more valuable with the case and extra straps. Those straps shredded under his claws, and the two bolts holding the case ripped easily free.
"Nono!" One of the humans tried to stop Drift, small hands reaching to grab at his own hand. Still strapped into the seat she could not do much more than try and pull at the metal thumb. It triggered two others to try and desperately stop him. "You can't take that!"
Drift snorted as he pulled his right arm out of the passenger compartment, "You and your masters are disgustingly dishonorable humans. You hunt and poach what's left of my people, after we Autobots and Wreckers alike gave up so much to save you from enslavement and worse! And you are offended by this?"
Oddly, there was a moment of confusion from some of those inside, before Drift planted a pede on the lower edge of the helicopter and rocked to force it to tilt. They were low enough now to the ground that Drift let go, and he pulled free one of his combat swords. With a bit of a grunt, the short mech cut free the main rotors. He kicked down and back, as the blades spun in the opposite direction as him, it would force the human craft right side up.
The craft would land hard, and bounce a few times but it would be upright and though the humans shaken up still be strapped in. Safe enough. Drift was transforming back into his own flight mode. The container he stole vanished into a cargo space, and later into subspace until Bumblebee or Leadfoot could get a look at it.
While all that was happening, two others had appeared and reappeared.
Jolt came almost out of nowhere from in the trees, his integrated whip-like lines extending almost completely to lash out. Catching the lines on Bumblebee's shoulder, diverting the charge to himself as the electric mech flicked the whip. Yanking off the lines from the scout and the human off their feet, dragging them closer before pulsing a charge back the lines.
"Enough of this!" Jolt growled, he flicked his other whip to send it sweeping over the ground, and the human Hunters, sending enough charge to keep down. By way of being unconscious or just unable to move.
The charged round that hit Jolt had no effect and he even grinned at that, but it did not stop him. Nor the regular bullets really, most of those he could shrug off though there was suspiciously no more of the high heat rounds.
Jolt twitched his right whip back off the humans and to shake off charing fabric. The cored like whip crackled against the forcefield behind him and extended out another eight feet. About as long as him, and the left one flicked off the three humans and tossed at another human, brushing over one and wrapping several times around one that had been barking something in a radio. Jolt pulsed a paralyzing charge through his whip as he was distracted from a voice behind him.
"Jolt!" Sideswipe had freed some of his blade, and waved with his free hand. "Watch the armors!"
"Why?" Jolt tilted his head, using the whip to pull the one wrapped human up and grabbed him, tugging off he's comm device to give to Bumblebee.
"We have an ally," Trailbreaker said in Cybertronian, slightly distracted as he reached for the array over his shoulder. "Old Nest, remember Stone? He worked with Ironhide and Sideswipe"
Jolt brightened up, and Bumblebee gave a confused but excited warble at a name he knew- that a human friend was alive!
And Bumblebee was hit in the shoulder again, a broken, angry sound as it spun him around to see Crosshairs collapsing at the same time. He flailed and finally fired a shot towards the paratrooper, just to his right as a dark form human-size popped up to the left.
Remember when all this was going on at the same time? The chaos kicked up and like chaos does, it was dying out just as suddenly. To the sound of cracking electric whips, the hum of only Drift's rotors, and the pulsing of a forcefield coming down.
The four humans holding the charge guns by Crosshairs were rapidly taken down. The first grabbed from behind, Stone pulling a hand held weapon, pistol sized but… off slightly as there was nearly no sound. He shot two of the others with the charge rifles, walking towards the forth. A near miss on the arm but the round spun the other man around by the green mech's head, a few moments to get closer and tackle. The tranquilizing injector following the Hunter down and jabbing it down after.
Stone was already moving to get up, using the isolated left arm and hand he trotted to Crosshairs, grabbing the first taser line and yanked it off of the mech's shoulder. "No time to lay around mech, roll over and I'll get the rest."
The man made himself not react as this mech reflexively reached up to grab him. Blunted claws turning sharp and curling at his chest and side before hesitating. He was just close enough to see the lenses in the mech's optics focusing on the Cybertronian glyphs down his left arm. Stone lived up to his name and held still, waiting for the caging talons to open.
"...you know Roadbuster?" Crosshairs asked with a confused burrt sound under the words.
Stone dropped the lines he held and reached up to tap the wrecker emblem on his helmet, "He's my Foreman. Let me get those others off you. Roll over? We don't have long to get out of here before whoever these boys belong to come running."
A junty musical clip sounded as the man yanked off the other lines on Crosshairs, "I've found you again!"
Bumblebee bounced over, while Trailbreaker was slowly transforming and Jolt smacked the last two humans with a elictifing whip. Doorwings wiggling as he flexed his hands, hovering close to help pull Crosshairs up. He ducked back down to poke and almost grabbed up the lone standing human in plated Cybertronian armor.
"It's good to see you again man!" Stone laughed as he lifted a hand as the black and yellow one closed at the last second to give a careful fistbump. "Good gods you turned out more like a killer bee to survive this huh?"
There was a pause as Stone got a better look at the Autobot he had trained and lived with, as well as fought beside for years.
"...Are you getting into an emo phase?"
"What?" Bumblebee huffed, straightening up as Crosshairs leaned on his back for support. A Doctor Who voice clip blurting out, "What-wait-What? What!"
Reviews! [omg so many X_ ]
Silverleone:
I'm glad you like the story! I've had to do that a few times, it fustrates me with Jolt becuse he has so little spoken likes, and like other mechs too. lol Crosshairs is getting a few wake up calls and then he's swinigng into being a bad-aff, with a Tiny riding on his shoulder or in his holster.
d8rkforcen1ght7: (chap18)
He is, akward step dad that is trying his best. Not always right but, he's trying.
d8rkforcen1ght7: (chap16)
Wing like from the commics/drift spotlight =3 in the very basics he's one of the Knights of Cybertronian, and who helped turn Drift into Drift from Deadlock. I have the head-cannon in movie verse that Wing was traveling in space looking for Optimus and found Deadlock/Drift there.
TheFirstFemaleAlpha:
Thank you! hopeful this chapter makes sense lol
d8rkforcen1ght7: (chap10)
Everything is better with cuddles!
d8rkforcen1ght7: (chap9/8)
Yes, Steeljaw is a mecha pupper, not the Decepticon, or Autobot kitty. Have you ever seen Leadfoot's prototype/promo images? If you googe 'Leadfoot Stealjaw' you'll see the squished face.
d8rkforcen1ght7: (chap4)
Yes, YES he had to incoke Murphy, slow acting law and fast acting.
Mariah:
I honestly haven't see that much of the two newest shows Cyberverse and Power of the Primes. If you feel up for poikeing through my stories I do like to write with humans and mecha though! I'll see about that auther but I can't garentee what pops out for writing exept when I do requests for short stories on my tumbler now and than.
Mkae: (Chap18)
I'm being as safe as possable I promis. I've been working on a big garden! I have an ARMY of Potatos =3 Also Edd is becoming a squish in my head. Hopefully you like Stone (I younked a background NEST character...or several and flushed them out) He might be helping Crosshairs be Best Dad
Mkae: (Chap17)
She is Tiny Young Thing, so I imagine most Cybertronians are a little more tollerant of kids than adults that SHOULD know better. Also she's a quiet tiny.
Guest:
You're welcome and thank you lol I'm hoping it stays around.
SangoMarie:
I'm so glad you found it! I hope I can keep the story good, have some adventure mixed in
CatalunaKael:
;_; hang on I'm crying. Thank you so much for that. This story was started as a thing that was helping with my depression, and has an actual plot now. It still blows my mind every time someone likes it despite my dyslexic aft
Sarah: (chap18)
Whoo! I did a surpize on Sarah! MWaahaha! Amy is Crosshairs' Tiny now, and bubbles haven't been used in his car form yet... I have this image of him driving and her sticking the bubble wand out the window to pop on Drif of Bumblebee behind him instead XD Itching soap. Not Optimus but someone as Tall as Optimus? XD Save the other Giant squish.
Sarah: (Chap17)
Well, Bug and Jun-bug were the easiest thing he could call the little human that wouldn't have Bumblebee taring into him...and then it became more and more affectionate.
Amy is vastly behind, but, there's a not so wild Stone who will help put in that regard (after Amy realizes he's okay). I love Crosshairs but he's going to be better at teach Amy about weapon smithing and Cybertronian glyphs than human languages... Oddly I can see him doing alright with teaching math.
Galaxus Prime:
Ta-da! next chapter! and I'm glad you think so
JulyssaSanguinette:
Thank you!
DeadlyNightshade97:
I haven't written it out but I will. Its basically being sitting in the seat, and then everything is moving and she's sitting/rolled into the armor pocket. Crosshairs would be just big enough that his pocket can hold a blanket and a pillow, maybe the plushies with just enough room for a person. Plenty of room for Amy. but the other stuff is held in subspace or just squished between the seats. Lol I still want to bring Edd around some more!
wolfimus prime:
It is a Tall squish and Angery Short Sword XD TA-da! ...I can't make promises, I'm all for some dramas, but I try not to kill right now
Autobot2001:
No. nooooo...well now you gave me an idea how dare you. Not taken though, this Tiny was in the armor pocket.
Once more, Please, please be safe out there people!