Hi everyone. I want to thank you all for reading the story so far. I am thankful that you have been following it. I am just writing this A/N to let you know that I will not be updating this story on this side of the new year but I will be back to it next month. I just have a few other projects that I want to get started before I carry on with this one.
So please don't forget to stay healthy and happy into the new year. Lets hope that 2021 is a better year than this year.
Chapter 11: Girl Power
The streets of Iacon had once been so filled with life. Before the war, Iacon had been the busiest city-state of Cybertron that had seen many Cybertronians going about their business. That had all changed when the war had broken out. The change had been so sudden that it just seemed that Iacon had always been a ghost town. Many Iaconians had joined sides with the Autobots in the early days of the war. Most of them had been noblemechs who suddenly found their whole world turned upside down. Other Iaconians had wanted to remain neutral and had been taken to the safe houses that were all across Cybertron with hopes that they would get off the planet and away from the war. The Iaconians hoped that the war would not last as long as it had already. They had thought that the Decepticons that had appeared from Kaon would surrender when a new Prime came and had tried to speak with Megatron a few times. The times that Optimus had arranged a meeting with Megatron the leader of the Decepticons he had been refused to see the Prime.
The other city states of Cybertron had hardly seen much change since the war had begun. It was only Kaon and Iacon that were seeing the heaviest conflicts of the war. The other city states had seen a few fights but that was nothing compared to what was happening in Iacon. They had welcomed refuges from Iacon and Kaon into their borders but that had been in the first few weeks of the war. Now the other city states were not allowing anymore refuges in their borders just encase they were sleeper agents from either factions.
A turbofox froze in its prowl through the deserted streets of the outer sectors of Iacon. Its paws hardly made any noise as it walked down the empty street. It stopped mid step when it heard a noise. It looked up as its ears perked out as it scanned for the source of the noise. Its yellow optics were bright in the dim light of the night cycle as it kept searching for the source of the noise.
Movement caught its attention. The movement was close to a wall of the building that it was hard for it catch the movement. It dropped low to the ground as it waited to see what was coming its way. It caught the movement again and this time it was much closer than the last time that it had seen it. Not wanting to get caught in a fire fight between the larger mechs it bolted into an alleyway just as the figure got closer.
Elita-One kept her back pressed against the wall as she crept about in the shadows. Her blaster was in her right hand as her left hand carried her Ion dagger as she led the way through the deserted darkened streets of outer districts of Iacon. She glanced across the wide street to see Jazz leading his team of Mirage and Hound. The visored mech looked towards her and nodded his helm for the two of them to continue.
Elita looked over her shoulder to see Chromia behind her. The light blue and silver femme was carrying her favourite rifle in both her hands. The rifle had been a gift from her own Sparkmate who had made the weapon with his own hands just as the war had begun. The two friends nodded their helms in a silent agreement before Elita was once again leading the four other femmes down the abandoned streets of Iacon.
A few times they came across a turbofox, but the small beast Cybertronians were quick to get out of the femme's way.
/Elita do ya here me?/ asked Jazz over the comms system.
/I hear you Jazz. What is the situation on your side?/ she asked the head of the special operations. She had stopped as she looked across the street towards the black and white from Vos. He had also stopped on his side of the street with Mirage standing in front of him with his blaster peeking into the alleyway where the turbofox had ran into when it had heard them approaching. Hound was standing behind Jazz and was scanning the way they had just come from. It was never good to be attacked from behind with who knows what was ahead of them.
/Old Hound here is detected a strange energy signal/ Jazz explained to her. He nudged his helm towards Hound who made no motion to have heard that he was being called 'old' by the younger mech who was his commander in all the madness that was going on around them.
/Does he think that it is this shadow thing that was mentioned at the meeting?/ she asked him but her optics were locked on Hound. The dark green mech was still looking down the road that they had just come. His rifle and the missile on his shoulder both ready to be fired when the Decepticons or the shadow made a move against them. There had been times when Decepticons had done sneak attacks on Autobot scout parties in Iacon that it was standard for someone to always be looking the way that they had just came from. She looked back towards Jazz as Moonracer took a position before her. The light green femme dropped to one knee as she aimed her snipper rifle into the dark street that was looming ahead of them.
/There is nothing else with this strange energy signature. Wait a minute old Hound is saying something, / Jazz continued to explain to her.
Elita kept watching the three mechs across the street, but her optics always looked up to the sky encase Seekers flew by and spotted them. She could see Hound and Jazz speaking to each other in the corner of her optics but she fully returned her attention to them. Hound was pointing back in direction that they had come from. He was quick to stop pointing and focus back on the visored mech that was leading him.
"Elita what in the name of Primus is going on?" Chromia asked Elita that brought her attention back to her second in command. She knew she shouldn't have been but she had been listening closely to what Elita was saying on her side of her call with Jazz. Chromia had grabbed Elita by her and turned Optimus's to be Sparkmate to face. "What is this about a shadow? Has the 'cons got a new weapon?" she asked her friend.
Elita looked towards her friend and sighed. "The scouts have been reporting of seeing a shadow all over Iacon. The shadow has only attacked those who have been going after neutrals, especially the younglings. It also covers those who are getting the wounded out of the way." Elita explained to her.
"Scrap! Is this thing going to attack us along with the 'cons?" asked Moonracer speaking up for the first time. The young femme was not looking back around to see Elita or Chromia. Her blue optics were busy scanning the street in front of them. Her snipper ready to fire at anything that was bigger than a turbofox and had red optics.
"Not attack per say, but give warning shots until the neutrals get out of the way. Then it's gone." Elita explained to the other femmes. "So, the worst thing we can get is a little bit of sparks." Elita explained to the others.
/Elita, Hound has detected Starscream's Trine up ahead. It seems that the Seekers have gotten to the neutrals before us, but they are not making a move in taken the neutrals back to Kaon./ Jazz suddenly spoke up over the comm system that they were all sharing.
Elita looked back over the street to see that Jazz was looking over at her. /Scrap. We need to make our move now before those neutrals are shipped away and brainwashed by either Shockwave or Soundwave!/ she growled back to Jazz.
/Understood. How are we going to pull it off? I mean the Seekers are good soldiers and they have the advantage of going to air. What have you got in plan?/ he asked her from across the street. He was still looking over at her as asked what they were going to do.
Elita looked about herself as she thought over what they had on their side and how she could use it to their advantage in the fight against the Seekers. The five femmes in her team were the best femmes that she had under her command. Moonracer was one of the best snippers in the whole Autobot army, she was young and impulsive at the most of times but she was good at being the snipper of the team. Chromia like her Sparkmate, Ironhide was good with any weapon that she had been given along with her own fists. Firestar may have been snobbish with her skills but she was good at rescue missions such as these ones. It was one of the few reasons why Firestar was brought on them even though Elita knew that she was going to brag about it later, mainly to Inferno. Greenlight and Lancer were the two medics on the team. The two of them always seemed to be able to calm any distraught youngling down with an Energon cookie that came out from nowhere, but the entire squad knew that the two medics kept Energon cookies in their subspace.
Then Jazz had two other mechs with him. Jazz being the head of the special operations had skills that only a few other Autobots had. He always seemed to get whatever he was after without much problems coming from the Decepticons. Mirage with the ability to turn invisible was useful in the many missions that he took part in. Hound's holograms were so real that it could even fool Soundwave without him doing a good scan of the hologram.
So that was eight highly trained and skilled Autobots against three Seekers, but not just any three Seekers. These three Seekers were the high commanders of the Decepticon air force. They commanded the sky with an iron fist in the name of Megatron. With the Seekers under his control, Megatron ruled the sky and that was bad news for the Autobots. The Autobots forces were mainly ground forces with only Powerglide and Jetfire being able to take to the air, but those two were not designed for combat like all the Seeker trines within the Decepticon ranks. They needed to be careful and plan what they were going to do. It was not just their lives at risk but there was also innocent neutrals.
She looked back towards Jazz and signalled for Jazz to get over to their side of the road. He nodded his helm before he gestured to Mirage and Hound to follow him. A second later the three mechs had silently made their way over to Elita's side of the road. Chromia made way for Jazz to take up a position beside Elita.
Jazz made sure that both Mirage and Hound were pressed up against the wall of the building alongside Elita's team. He waited until Hound and Mirage were settled with the femmes before he returned his attention back to Elita knowing that both of their teams were safe and in position. "What's up, Elita?" he asked her.
Elita looked back at the visored saboteur. She did not know what Jazz had been doing before the war broke out, but she was glad when he joined the Autobots ranks alongside former Enforcer Sargent Prowl. He had skills that had already been put to good use in the war against the Decepticons and Megatron in the early months of the war. He had a great knowledge on hacking computer systems of both Autobots and Decepticons. This skill was what had made him the head of the Special operations within the Autobot ranks. His skill with computers also made him good at reinforcing the security in the computers so that mechs like Soundwave could not breach it without a fight.
"We need to do a surprise attack on Starscream and his Trine. That way we can get the neutrals out of the way and back into the safety of the base. So, I suggest that we do this at the same time. That way the Seekers are too busy dealing with the attackers that they won't have time to see that the neutrals are gone." Elita explained.
"But how are we going to do that?" Chromia voiced up. "We may outnumber them but this is a Trine of Seekers. They are built and designed for warfare." Chromia stated to both commanders. "Not only that but this is Starscream's trine. They are the best of the best."
"She does have a point there, Elita. Starscream may be arrogant but he was trained for warfare with the rest of his Trine. So, we will need to come up with a good plan, one that Starscream won't see coming his way!" Jazz told Elita after a moment of silence.
Elita looked back to Jazz with a sly smile on her faceplates. She had an idea, and this idea was one that was no doubt going to dent Starscream's already too large ego. "Oh, I have an idea Jazz. One that will make Starscream regret joining Megatron cause and for bragging too much!" Elita told the visored mech. She couldn't help the mischievous glint that had appeared in her optic as she looked towards him.
"I don't know what the plan is, and I am already scared for old 'screamer." Jazz whispered as he remained at his position between Elita and Chromia.
"Well, chief what is it? What is this grand plan of yours?" Chromia asked her leader. She was getting angsty in waiting to hear what Elita was planning for the three Seekers who had taken great joy in attacking ground based Autobots mainly for the fun of it.
Elita looked back to her oldest friend. That smirk still there as she finished the final details of her plan. Satisfied with it she explained to the team of eight Autobots. "Jazz, I want your mechs to get the neutrals out of there and race back to Iacon as if Megatron is right behind you. Do not look back as you do so," she explained to Jazz.
She ignored the confused look that was on his faceplate as she turned her attention to Moonracer. "Moonracer?" she asked and gained the light green femmes' attention. She only titled her helm slightly to the side to show Elita that she had heard her. "I want you to find the highest point and be a snipper. I want you to shoot at the Seekers as fast as you can." she ordered the younger femme who nodded her helm in understanding before slinking off into the shadows to find the best place for her to be the snipper that Elita was looking for.
Elita returned her attention back Chromia and the other femmes under her command. "For the rest of you, you are with me and we are going to keep Starscream, Skywarp and Thundercracker busy as Jazz and his team get the neutrals out of there." she ordered the others. "But be carefully because as soon as we attack everything is going to go crazy. The Seekers will keep trying to get us so keep moving and the neutrals will be scared and will attempt to flee. This can cause them to get caught in the crossfire so be careful of where and who you are firing at."
She got the responds from the team quickly after she gave them her plan. The Autobots were quick to get into position where they will wait for the signal to strike the Seekers. They could already hear Starscream bragging to the captured and scared neutrals. It was very quick that it was just her and Jazz who had remained in their position by the buildings wall. "Jazz do you feel like you are being watched?" she asked the visored mech. She was not looking at him instead at an alleyway across from where they had been positioned. The alleyway was dark and narrow that it prevented a mech about the size of Starscream or Soundwave for getting into it, but not one of Soundwave's minions or a wild turbofox. The Cassetticons were already pests to the Autobots in getting into plans that they did not want getting into Megatron's hands.
"What makes you say that Elita? We are after all in a warzone so maybe one of Soundwave's pets are lurking about in the shadows like the little creeps that they are?" he asked shouting a little bit too loud as he looked into the dark alleyway.
He waited a second to hear any noises but when no sounds came from the alleyway, he looked back to Elita. "See? It's just your mind playing tricks on you. It happens to the best of us out here in a warzone. Now let's get going we have a group of neutrals to rescue." Jazz said back to her. He transformed into his alternative mode and raced towards where the rest of the team was.
Elita was not quick to transform into her alternative mode. Instead she was still looking towards the dark alleyway that was making her nervous. She didn't know why she was having the feeling that they were being watched. It may have been because there was scouts from both sides going about in this part of Iacon. They were also far away from any of the base entrances that were dotted all over Cybertron that if they needed backup or to fall back it would take some time. It could have been just that she was constantly alert and just waiting for a Decepticon spy to attack with no sudden warning. Being alert all the time was what saved lives. She kept looking into the alleyway in hopes that whatever was making her fell so uneasy would show itself to her now that she was alone.
/I'm in position commander!/ came Moonracer's voice over the comm. system. The young snipper having found a good position already meant that the others were also already to make their move against Starscream and his Trine. She looked back towards the alleyway one more time before she transformed into her alternative form. She kept her engine as quite as she could as she drove to where Chromia was waiting for her.
In the alleyway two red optics glowed brightly as they followed Elita as she joined the rest of her team. The red optics then slipped back into the darkness of the shadows.
Elita transformed beside Chromia and looked at her friend. "Is everything alright Elita?" Chromia asked her when she brought her blaster out of her subspace and aim the weapon at Skywarp. The purple Seeker was laughing at a joke he had no doubt told to a young mech who was just staring at up at the seeker with his bright blue optics. The yellow youngling tried to get away but found Skywarp in front of him once again.
"Aw you aren't thinking of leaving little mech?" asked Skywarp.
The young yellow minibot took a step back away from the teleporter Seeker. His optics bright and fearful as he looked up at the towering Seeker above him. "My creators told me to never talk to a strange bot." the young mech told Skywarp.
Skywarp growled and his afterburners revved in anger. Beside him his Trine mate, Thundercracker snorted back a laugh. Skywarp glared at him his ruby red optics glowing brightly in anger and annoyance that this small mech was not scared of him. It was only made worse when Thundercracker said, "He has a point. Remember when our creators told us to never speak to a strange bot. Especially if they are offering Energon candy."
Skywarp turned his full attention to his brother. "Whose side are you on? Mine or this groundpounder?" he asked pointing towards the young minibot who stepped back in fear. He was not moving his optics away from the two Seekers.
"At the moment his. After all he did get you to be quite for at least a moment." Thundercracker responded back to his trine mate. He stepped to side and avoided a fist to his faceplate, but it smacked his wing instead. "Ah, did I hurt your feelings little brother?" Thundercracker laughed at Skywarp as he kept dodging the purple mechs fists that were close to hitting him.
"Shut up the pair of you!" growled Starscream. The older trine brother was looking at his younger brothers. His red optics narrowed as he glared at them with annoyance. He still had his arm that his null ray aimed at an old mech who had refused to hand the group of neutrals over to the Decepticons. Seeing them calm down he returned his attention back to the old mech. "Reconsider my offer, old timer. I am not repeating it again. You will all be rewarded for the services that you give to the Decepticon cause." he said to the old mech.
The old mech who was a dull green almost grey colour snorted back to Starscream. "You and Megatron may say that you are building a new Cybertron. But this has happened before, and we will soon return to how Cybertron was before this Primus awful war. The only difference will be that Megatron will be sitting on a throne of his own making. He will get rid of everything that has marked the past of Cybertron's history to prevent someone from looking to the past. I am not handing these young to the likes of you." the old mech snapped towards Starscream.
Starscream growled in annoyance and powered up his null ray at the old mech. The Cybertronians who were standing behind the old mech gasped in fright at seeing the weapon powering up. They had thought that it was just for show and that Starscream was not going to shoot a mech who had was not a threat to him.
"Go on Seeker! I am not afraid of you. I have faced down Quintessons and Sharkticons for the freedom of all of Cybertron. I have fought alongside Primes of old and Drakeians. So, I am not afraid of a cowardly Seeker who is going to shot on an old mech like me and a group of younglings and femmes!" the old mech snapped at Starscream.
In her high vantage point Moonracer was watching the whole thing. She got the signal from Elita that she was ready, and she was just waiting for the right moment. The right moment came when Starscream was about to fire on the old mech. With her rifle ready she aimed it at Starscream's wing. Seeker wings were as sensitive as Paraxian door-wings. The perfect target for a snipper to hit. Without hesitation Moonracer fired at Starscream.
Starscream let out a loud scream of pain and shot his null ray off in the direction of the snipper. He missed Moonracer who had ducked behind the balcony wall of the floor that she was on. She heard the blast hitting the wall just inches away from her helm but paid it no mind. She had a job to do and there was no point in getting worried about getting hit. This was after all a warzone that she was in. The others needed her to keep a level head in order to get back to base once this was all finished.
"Are you alright-" Skywarp did not have time to finish his question when the other femmes leapt out of their hiding spots and launched an attack that the three Seekers were not ready for. He and Thundercracker fired back with their weapons but the femmes being smaller were faster than them and they always got out of the way. It also did not help that there was a snipper who was firing at them. "Argh! Where is that blasted snipper?" Skywarp snapped as he received a laser blast in his faceplate. He looked towards Thundercracker to see him firing at Chromia who was smiling and laughing at the whole thing.
"I don't know! These slaggers are everywhere!" Thundercracker snapped back to him. He fired a rocket to Chromia, but she was already away from the last place that she had been to a moment ago.
Starscream snarled as he was under fire by Elita. The pink femme commander had become notorious in the Decepticon ranks. She was a commander who was just as good as either Optimus Prime or Ultra Magnus in leading her units. Unlike those two she used guerrilla tactics in getting her task completed. This made her almost as feared as the Prime himself and also one of the other commanders that Megatron wanted captured alive at all costs.
"Why don't you stand still Elita-One! Megatron will treat you and these Cybertronians with fairness!" Starscream rasped as he fired a laser at her.
Elita transformed into her alternative mode and drove as fast as she could to get away from the laser fire that was coming her way. She drove closer to Starscream and was a good distance away from him that she transformed back into her root mode. Placing her feet flatly on the ground she got herself into a battle stance. Her blue optics narrowed as she looked towards Starscream. "Don't flatter yourself with such lies, Starscream! I know what Megatron is really like!" she snapped back at him.
Before Starscream had time to think of a response Elita fired her blaster at his faceplates. Starscream roared in pain and this attracted the attention of his trine mates and the other femmes in the street where this fight was happening. Starscream glared towards Elita. His ruby optics glowing brightly in rage as he looked towards the femme commander who had just shot him. "You dare shot me in my faceplates, wrench! Do you not know who I am?" Starscream snapped at Elita.
Elita shouldered her blaster over her shoulder and smirked at him. "Oh I know who you really are Starscream! A weakling who allowed a bunch of femmes to not only beat you in combat but also allow the neutrals to get away!" Elita replied back to Starscream.
Starscream looked around to see that the neutrals that had been there before the femmes had attacked were gone. He looked back at Elita and growled at her as his anger got the better of him. All around him the femmes laughed. Some of them were trying to cover their laugh by snorting it back or covering their faces, this was mainly Chromia. The others were laughing uncontrollable and it only got worse when Skywarp also started to laugh at his trine brother. He stopped when Thundercracker glared at him.
"You think you are so smart, but you are wrong. You have just made a big mistake in angering me: Starscream!" he snarled at her. He raised his null ray towards Elita. The weapon that made him feared like Megatron with his plasma canon powered up. Elita raised her blaster and powered it up but she was not fast enough. Starscream fired his null ray a second faster than Elita fired her own blaster.
Elita was suddenly pushed to the ground by a force from behind her. She staggered from the force of the push. She found her balance before she faceplanted onto the ground. She looked up to see that everyone was staring at something. Following their glances, she saw what had pushed her. Standing on four feet was Nightshade. Elita looked from the sharp five claws on all four paws to the long narrow wings that were spread as wide as they could. She then looked at the optics of Nightshade. They were red like the seekers, but unlike them they were not filled with hatred just annoyance.
"What the heck is that thing?" Skywarp asked. His optics wide as he looked at Nightshade.
"I don't know. I have never seen anything like that before." Thundercracker responded. He did not remove his optics from Nightshade as he took a step backwards.
"I don't care what it is. That is the thing that has been attacking all Decepticons!" Starscream snapped just before he fired at Nightshade.