Chapter 2: Adrift

3 hours after arrival onto Remnant, wastes of Solitas

Who doesn't hate snowstorms? They blind you, cover everything they touch in the shivering white. Oh, and they also have a tendency to freeze everything caught in them. Only the desperate or foolish would think about treading through such conditions. Right now, though, a group of certain mechs were part of the former group.

Swindle growled under his breath as he and his squad marched through the drifts. It's already been a few cycles since touchdown and they haven't found any shelter upon arrival. Incinerator- a broad and brutish flier with gray armor- had to use his aptly-named weapons just to keep the group's internal fluids from freezing and bursting out of their pipes. Everyone was carrying a Seeker on their back, each one still trapped in Stasislock.

Swindle had to carry an extra burden in the form of a Minicon. This one was cast in contrasting shades of gray, with hints of olive green. The monocle-like sensor over his right optic and a missile launcher on his back identified him as Thunder, Thrust's personal minion. He was giggling in that "bleep-speech" that many of his kind were fond of using. He was pointing a finger at a tan-and-burgundy 'Con of the Bruiser bodytype. That was Demolisher, and he had the misfortune of being charged with Thrust's safety.

Swindle resisted the urge to join in on the laughter as the tank grumbled under his breath. He always loved watching the two of them bicker and clash with one another. But unless someone found a sanctuary from the storm, he wasn't going to function any longer to savor it. One of the Vehicons shouted something barely audible and pointed towards a grey shape up ahead. A scout disappeared into it for a few seconds before popping back out. The thumbs-up was the confirmation he needed.

As they stepped closer he could make out a cave ahead of him. To his delight was large enough for all of them to enter in robot mode. Incinerator gathered some rocks and planted some debris-no doubt fragments of the Arclight- into the center of the makeshift pit. He ignited his flamethrowers and watched as the rubbish burned. Everyone began setting their paralyzed comrades to the side and sat around the bonfire. Thunder leaped off of Swindle's shoulder and sat beside his comatose partner.

The Cons' sat in silence for a few minutes. Demolishor was the first to break it. "So… has anyone heard from the Leviathan yet?" He asked awkwardly.

Swindle shook his head. "Been trying to reach 'em for the last couple of cycles. Nothing but static. Either the explosion knocked its transmitters offline, or nobody's bothered to pick up the phone."

Incinerator scoffed. "Did you forget about the fires up there?" He said. "Even if the ship did survive planetfall, the guts would've been reduced to molten slag by now. And trust me, I know slag."

A Vehicon- servant class judging by his lighter paint job and dual optical bands- stood up from his seat. "Unlikely," He said. "The Leviathan would've had measures to contain the fires. Someone- or at least some vital part of the ship- would've survived."

Incinerator growled impatiently. "Then why haven't we heard anything from them?" He asked in an irritated voice.

"I was thinking the same thing," said a new voice.

Every Decepticon jumped out of their seats to see Thrust slowly transforming to bipedal mode. He stumbled a couple of times as he rose back onto his feet, but he found a stalagmite to steady himself on in both cases. His Minicon chirped in excitement as he regained balance and cleared his vocal processor.

"How long were you online?" Demolishor asked.

"Oh, for the past few minutes," He said. "I wasn't able to speak or transform up until now."

He crossed his arms behind his back in a professional manner. "While I was modelocked, I too was listening for any transmission from the Leviathan. But I wasn't narrow-minded enough to overlook other things."

He activated a holographic projection of a keyboard, typing up a command. Another construct appeared, forming the planet. A continent split off from the main body as it faded away. Ridges and cuts began to bleed into existence, presumably forming mountains and other geological features. A red dot appeared on the map, representing the party themselves.

"You probably haven't been able to see them from orbit or through the storm, but this region is rather mountainous," Thrust said. "Such regions can act as obstacles for radio transmissions. Ours could potentially be boxed in right now. But that's something far more interesting nearby."

A number of blue dots appeared on the map while a column appeared on its right edge. It divided itself into several rectangles and spawning moving waves within them. Swindle seemed to be narrowing his optics behind his visor as he leaned forward.

"Are those… radio waves?" The Combaticon inquired.

The Seeker nodded. "Evidence of intelligent lifeforms. The waves are moving back and forth between these points. I believe that these are outposts of some form. I haven't fully translated their native language, but the scraps were provided some interesting implications."

Thrust tapped a button on his keyboard and the rectangles lit up like crazy. Static and voice emerged from the projection.

"Bzztzbz -freezing my ass off while Commander's bzztzbzt"

"Been away from bbbzzztt too long. Getting BZZT-sick."

"Bzzt see that? Sky lit bzzt like a bzztcracker!"

"Pieramater clear. Returning bzzt base."

"Bzzt just left thermo-bzzzt and entered mesobzzt."

"Would love to shove that damn grin of his up his bzzt."

"Meteorites making plantbzzt now. Bzzt largest one still gliding."

Demolisher perked his head up. "Meteorites? Like escape pods?"

Thrust nodded. "And the Leviathan. The natives are already tracking their trajectory as they make planetfall. Perhaps they're following the ship's as well."

Incinerator slammed his oversized propeller-claws together. "Then let's pay those creatures a visit," He suggested with a hint of bloodlust.

Thrust shook his head. "We're not in any position to pick fights," He noted. "It would be best if we took on a more subtle approach. Thunder and I both possess cloaking fields, so we shouldn't have trouble infiltrating one of the outposts. The rest of you remain here until I give the word. I'd rather use force as a last resort."

Thrust shifted to jetmode and opened up his cockpit, allowing Thunder to hop inside. The remaining Cons rumbled in disappointment as the duo rocketed out of the cave. This was going to be a boring day, wasn't it?

30 Minutes after arrival…

Rewind was blasting away in tank mode while First Aid was slicing and dicing in mech form. The latter swung his axe around as the smaller beasts attempted to dogpile on either bot. His Minicon friend was focusing on the airborne menaces, trying to knock them out of the sky. The Bulk would occasionally use his Path Blaster to blow up any natives that got too close to him. Overall they were handling the situation quite well. But they needed to find their anonymous friend soon before their Energon was depleted.

Their person of interest revealed himself after ramming into a swarm of Grimm. Hot Spot converted into botmode and drew out his sword. He carved his way through the hordes as he approached the medic, grabbing a Beowolf that lunged at him and threw it at one of its kind. The doctor was rather pleased to see him. His posture turned into one of concern as soon as his optics saw the gash on his leader's chestplate. He instinctively summoned his Energon repair ray and healed the wound away.

"Still charging cranium-first into battle, commander?" He inquired wittingly.

The taller bot gave off a confident chuckle. "It's where I belong pal," he replied with a smirk. His expression turned more serious afterward, however. "Did you come across any other Autobots?" He asked.

The medic pointed at Rewind, still acting as a makeshift anti-aircraft. "Happened to be with me when the Arclight went to the Pits," The Protectobot noted. "Apart from him, no. Saw a lightshow from the local forest and decided to investigate. Was anyone else with you?"

Hot Sot was shaking his head when a blue blur sped past the two. To the medic's astonishment was an organic female, hacking away at the monsters with arm-mounted blades. She bounced from one corner of the battlefield to the other with what appeared to be a jetpack. His commanding officer let a chuckle escape from his vocalizer.

"I did manage to find an ally for the moment," He said. "That reminds me, found some data for you and the dataslug."

He summoned a holographic keypad and typed something into it. A flood of data made its way into the chief medical officer's brain module and briefly blinded him. Once his sight returned, he had a sizeable treasure trove of information. He immediately transmitted it to Rewind as well, though he failed to account for his current mode. The Minicon was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of data and found himself practically drowning in it.

"Gah!" Cried out the recordibot. "Too much information! Too much information!"

His cannons were suddenly flying about, firing in all directions. One blast was right at his feet- er, treads- and the shockwave sent him soaring over the battlefield. He converted to botmode midair and fell faceplate-first into the earth. As he whipped the dirt off of his visor, his optics finally came back online…

...and found himself at the mercy of one of the wolves. A blade pierced through the back of its neck and out of its mouth before it could strike him. The whole head came flying off after another sword sliced it off. Both belonged to the female, smiling at her handiwork. His audio receptors translated her world's tongue into his own.

"Geez, and I thought the Knights had bad aim," She said with a laugh.

The mech growled as he rose back onto his feet. "Hey, try focusing while a literal info dump clogs up your processor," he retorted.

A roar caught their attention. The two of them saw a spiked bear-like creature charging towards them, leaping into the air and dead set on body slamming into them. The girl grabbed the robot by the servo and blasted off with him. The entity- an Ursa Major according to a recent entry in the Minicon's databanks- created a massive crater upon impact and shook the surrounding ground.

The girl dropped Rewind below and flew straight towards the Grimm. She landed on its back and attempted to hack away at its neck, but it was too far for her blades to reach. It simply shook her off and attempted to squish her with its paw. She rolled just in time to dodge it and retaliated with several slashes. All they seemed to do was annoy it. A bolt of blue energy zoomed past her and into the Creature's torso. Rewind had already converted back to vehicle mode and was drawing its attention towards him.

The Usra Major stood on its hind legs and walked out of the crater. It blocked the Autobot's shots with its front ones and slammed them back down. The ground exploded into a thousand pieces and sent both humanoids flying into the air. First Aid happened to spot them while dealing with a swarm of Grimm and came to their rescue. He leaped into the air and caught them in his arms, rolling as he hit the earth. He was rewarded with a thumbs up from the Minicon and grumbling under the female's breath.

The moment was ruined when the Usra managed to knock the Bulk onto the ground. The smaller warriors rolled into another horde and found themselves pinned down. First Aid attempted to rise, but the Ursa Major cut through his overshield and into his knee-joint. The Autobot let out a cry of pain as he fell back down and the beast climbed onto his back. The giant attempted to grab the monster, but it managed to evade his reach.

He felt it climb up to the back of his neck, and instantly realized it was up to. Yet it didn't slash at it as it did with his leg. If anything, he felt it being pulled off of him like a Scraplet. He turned to see it floating in the air, coated in purple energy. The next thing he knew, it was flung into the crowd that was clawing at Rewind and the native. The fragments of pavement it created earlier were drawn together by the same energy and crudely fused into a giant sword.

The blade went to work on cutting down the common raffle. Beowolves, Creeps, Boarbatusk, and even a couple of King Taijitu. The human and Minicon were keeping their distance as it swung around madly. Suddenly it straightened itself up and stood motionless. It exploded into several fragments and scattered itself across the battlefield. The Ursa Major that troubled them earlier had its skull impaled by a shard and dropped to the ground, black vapors escaping from its corpse.

An exhausted sigh caught the mechs' attention and they turned to see a blonde middle-aged woman. She possessed light-green eyes and a crop in her hand. Her attire- a white top and pencil skirt- suggested a professional demeanor and personality. She huffed as she rose back onto her feet, the violet energy crackling around her body. Her eyes fell upon the girl and narrowed instantly. The younger specimen reacted similarly.

"Ms. Marinus," The woman said.

"Noelani," The girl corrected with a growl. "It's Noelani."

"Still the same temperamental girl either way," The older one noted. She turned her gaze towards the mechs, trying to mask her surprise.

"I don't recall Ironwood commissioning for more models of Paladins," She said as she walked towards them. "Especially ones so… humanoid and colorful. Who are you?"

Rewind tapped his fingers nervously. He and First Aid turned towards Hot Spot as he knelt before the woman.

"You would not believe us if we told you, ma'am," He said politely.

The blonde one chuckled, crossing her arms. "I've seen things that made me question my sanity more times than I can count," She replied. "Nothing can really surprise me these days. I take that the meteorites are your doing?"

The Autobot rubbed the back of his neck. "Something like that," he confessed. "The three of us are new 'round here, miss…"

"Goodwitch," The woman said. "Glynda Goodwitch."

The mech nodded. "Name's Hot Spot," He said as he pointed a thumb at himself. "These are Rewind and First Aid."

Glynda raised an eyebrow at the names. "Aliases, I presume?" She inquired.

"More like rough translations," Rewind piped up. "Our people's tongue isn't something that can be mimicked by yours."

"That, I can attest to," Noelani noted. She shook her head immediately afterward. "Wait, you're saying that yawl are aliens!?" She said.

The giant's optics curved into something best described as 'sheepish'. "I did try to tell you," He noted. "But then again we're in the middle of a battlefield right now."

A dozen roars caught their attention. More Grimm were swarming towards them.

"Then it's time for a tactical retreat," Glynda suggested.

First Aid raised a hand. "What about the city's natives?" He noted. "The majority of them might not react kindly to giants like us."

Glynda frowned. Those two were right. If the VNN or the rest of the media were to see them-

Hot Spot suddenly fell to the ground and spasmed. His entire body began to contract and compress into what could be best described as a cyberpunk battering ram. She could make out hoses and a ladder (or crane. It was hard to tell) popping up on the "roof" of this form.

"How much Energon you got?" He asked the medic.

"About three-fourths of a tank," The medic noted. "You?"

"Just one," The commander confessed. "We're gonna have to reformat ourselves and change altmodes out here."

First Aid stared at him in disbelief, sputtering. "Butbut-but that would eat away at your reserves in a matter of nano-cycles," He objected. "I've got plenty to spare but you… you're likely to burn yourself out to single digits. Hell, maybe even go into Statislock!"

"Then one of our friends here will just have to drive me until you get me a pick-me-up," His leader said. "Rewind, scan any locals I pass by while you're riding. Build up a holographic disguise for yourself."

Rewind let out a short laugh. "Already ahead of ya," He said.

Rewind retreated into his databanks and dug through the photos he downloaded from the crash site. In nanoseconds, he ran through hundreds of pictures of the dead and their loved ones. In the real world, cyan light spawned and clung onto his exo-structure. The light died out after a few seconds and the robot was nowhere to be found. In his place was a gray-haired man with steel-blue eyes and a paramedic's uniform.

First Aid finally converted to vehicle mode and joined in with Hot Spot on the formatting. Their bodies stretched and twisted, flakes falling off of their chassis to be carried away by the winds. Their cybertronian forms gave way to terran designs, resembling a Rosenbauer Panther 6x6 and an ALS ambulance vehicle. The Energon lights on Hot Spots body began to flicker, while First Aids' still gleamed like the stars.

Rewind opened one of the commander's doors and slipped into the driver's seat. Glynda took the opposite door and sat beside him. He was staring at the steering wheel and other controls with a confused look on his face.

"Uh, you got a manual for these types of vehicles?" He asked her awkwardly.

Her response was a sigh as she switched places with him. She fiddled around with the controls to see how they responded. To her amazement, the larger mech operated like a regular firetruck. Noelani simple stared at both cars in awe. An "ahem" from First Aid finally broke her out of her trance. The girl reluctantly hopped aboard and the Autobot's engine roared to life.

Glynda drove the commander off of the battlefield, the medic and his passenger following suit. Some Grimm gave chase, but most of them ate the mechs' dust. The rest didn't bother to follow them. Why waste energy on a tiny group of prey? After all, they weren't out of the woods yet…

Over 3 hours after arrival onto Remnant, wastes of Solitas

In the frozen wastes of Solitas was an Atlesian outpost. Though its human (and Faunus) population was rather small, its actual size was not the case. It possessed at least two hangers for their ground forces and three for their aircraft. The majority of their security forces were automated, with Knight-drones patrolling the grounds. The few organic lifeforms present were staying indoors.

The cold winds of their home was something of a double-edged blade. On the one hand, the average citizen would freeze to death out there. On the other hand, so would most Grimm. Those that endured the weather were something to be feared, however. This outpost and several others were built to ensure that none of such horrors made their way to the Kingdom. To their friends and families.

Of all the soldiers assigned to Outpost Alizarin, none hated it more than Tango Rubesco. He was a fair-skinned lad with shoulder-length pink hair and a lean build. His uniform was elegant, consisting of white and varying shades of pink. His emerald green eyes were facing the floor as he grumbled and muttered through the hall.

He stopped by a window and gazed through it. All he could see were snowbanks and grey clouds. There was nothing there at all. No bars, no ballrooms, no concerts, no festivals, no museums… just nothing. Why was he stationed here anyway? He's more effective as a spy than a soldier.

He sighed. While Special Operatives were technically Huntsmen, he wasn't exactly built for Grimm attacks. He was better suited for facing humanoid opponents. Crimelords, extremists, and other evildoers. But Grimm… they don't operate like humans or Faunus. They know nothing about greed or hatred. They just tear down the world without a second thought, almost as if they were programmed for it. That, in his mind, makes them scarier than even the most vile people on the planet.

He resumed his walk and made his way to the communications center. Waiting for him was a red-haired man with broad shoulders, a light goatee, and purple eyes. His buzzcut hair and collection of badges indicated that he was head of operations in Alizarin. This was his commanding officer, Barney Read.

"Sargent," Rubesco saluted.

His commander returned the favor. "Specialist," He replied. "I need your input on something."

"It doesn't have to do with this place's drab decor, does it?" Joked Rubesco.

A slight smile crept onto the Sargent's face. "Not quite," He said.

He typed into his console and brought up a holographic map of Solitas. Typing in another sequence brought up a number of different icons and charts. Tango had already seen this set up a hundred times. All of the radio towers used by Atlas, Mantle, their bases, towns, villages-

Wait… there was something different. He saw a new spot on the radar. Something massive. Something screaming if the charts are of any indication.

"What in blazes…" Tango said as he narrowed his eyes.

"Popped up about the same time as that meteor shower," The Sargent noted. "Lotta fingers pointing at the White Fang, but it doesn't match up with any of their channels. That, and uh…"

He pressed a button and their radio speakers started to play some strange sounds. It seemed to be following a rhythm or pattern, replaying the same sounds over and over again. It took him a minute to release that it was a voice. Someone was trying to send a message out.

"You're the resident spy. You recognize this sort of language?"

Said spy shook his head. "Never," He confessed.

"It's not the only one either," the elder said.

He pressed a couple more buttons. Sure enough, two more strange tongues were being projected as well.

"These channels are more difficult to pinpoint," He said. "Not as loud as the first one. Probably someone trying to keep a low profile."

"And you want me to lead an investigation into these, don't you?" Said Rubesco.

"An accurate assumption," The Sergeant said. "Were it not for this damn storm. Anyone flying in it would find themselves crashing into a mountain or Grimm. For now, do what you can to dig up those other two signals."

Rubesco sighed as he walked to a nearby console. So much for excitement. Unbeknownst to everyone in the room, however, someone was helping themselves to the supercomputers at the bottom level. A certain Minicon had already downloaded all of the information on them and was making his way towards a hanger. He had memorized the Knight's patrol routes, so avoiding them was easy. By the time he reached the door, he heard a soft thud outside and slid it open. An invisible figure stepped over him and closed the barrier back. His partner removed his cloak and knelt down before the little bot.

"I trust that you encountered little resistance," Thrust inquired. "What endo-skeletons have you discovered in their closets?"

His Minicon partner fired thin laser beams from his optics into Thrust's. The Bulk swam through and drink it like a warwahle in a matter of seconds. He let out a relaxed sigh as he returned to the real world.

"An excellent find my friend," He said. "Keep an optic out for guards while I scan their goods."

The Minicon chirped in acknowledgement as Thrust began examining the wares. Most of the vehicles here appeared to be aircraft, with the occasional ground transport here and there. Most of the aircraft appeared to use VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) engineering, though a few specimens seemed to rely on rotors or traditional propulsion. These would definitely come in handy for the Seekers and other flyers.

He turned to his partner. "Could you be a gentlebot and guide me to the next hanger?" He asked. "Preferably one with ground based vehicles? Not everyone has wings you know."

The Minicon nodded, running over to the hagner's door and peeking out of it. A thumbs up was the signal Thrust needed to slip out. Activating his cloak, the Decepticon tiptopped behind the smaller robot. It took a few minutes for them to stealthily reach the next shelter, but overall smooth sailing. The Seeker had to wait for Thunder to scout the hanger, though. He wasn't in the mood to tempt Lady Luck.

The door slid open and Thrust squeezed in. Now he found himself surrounded by all sorts of ground units. Tanks, dune buggies, SUVs, jeeps, snowmobiles, motorcycles, bulldozers, and so much more. The Combaticons would be having a field day here. Thunder had already helped himself with a missile truck and was running laps around the facility in it. Thrust meanwhile choose the F-35B Lightning II.

He was about to test out his new Alt-Mode when a loud crashing sound echoed through the building. He turned to Thunder, earning a shrug from the Minicon. The duo peeked outside to see smoke not too far from the base. Many of the natives were rushing over to investigate the incidendent. Thrust was rather tempted himself, though he was hesitant to follow through with his curiosity.

"That's odd," Thrust noted. "What could possibly-"

His train of thought was interrupted by another explosion. This time was right at the base itself, in the form of a fireball crashing onto the pavement. He could've sworn he heard someone screaming as it fell. Something rose from the smoke and limped his way out of it. It was Incinerator, covered in dents and clawmarks. He had some blade-like protrusions embedded into his chassis. He fell onto a knee as the remaining guards surrounded him.

Thrust growled. What did that bulkhead get himself into this time?

"Thunder," Thrust commanded. "Get to the communications center and disable their tower. We can't have them alert their leaders of our arrival."

Thunder chirped in acknowledgment and activated his cloaking field. Thrust did the same and they split off. While the Minicon was heading to the tower, Thrust was going to Incinerator's crash site. He tiptoed his way to the crowd and hid behind some cargo, decloaking himself. He activated his telescopic vision and zoomed in on the first crash site.

It turned out to be a fellow Seeker. Sadly they appeared to have exploded in jetmode when they crashed. But he did notice more of those blades on their remains. There some fresh samples scattered about as well. They appeared to be… wait, feathers?

Another scream caught his attention. This time it was from some natives, being burnt alive by Incinarrator's trademark weapons. He let out a sadistic- almost maniacal- laughter as he rained fire upon them. The organics fired bullets at him, but they just bounded off his armor plating. Someone fired an energy blast from from the rooftops above, nailing his left arm. He screamed as ice coated it and crept down the limb, giving off a particular glow and humming sound as it did so. What was that, some type of chemical weapon?

Thrust shook his head and converted his arm into a blaster. Right now he needed to save his fellow Decepticon, even if he was an idiot. A shot from the cannon collided with the native and sent them flying out of sight. Unfortunately this also draw the remaining forces' attention to him. They opened fire and he ducked back behind cover. Activating his cloak, he snuck around the fireteams and made his way towards Incinerator.

"What in the Fallen's name are you doing here?" He hissed.

The brute jumped at the sound of his commander's voice. He turned to see a gleaming outline against the background, only for Thrust to cast it aside. He converted his arms into flamethrowers and began melting the ice. After a few seconds, he bashed his weapons at it and the casing shattered, freeing his friend's arm.

"Turns out that cave belonged to someone else," Snarled Incinerator as he rubbed his arm. "They practically threw us out and called in some friends of theirs. You've probably seen what they did to the other flyboy."

"And who exactly is 'they'?" Thrust asked.

His answer in the form of a demonic screeching.

45 minutes after arrival…

The Residential District. Home to the majority of the city's population and one of the closest districts to Beacon. When the academy fell under siege from the White Fang and Grimm, it and the Commercial district were also caught in the crossfire. Some lost their jobs when their workplace was destroyed, others lost loved ones and friends to the chaos.

Even though the Grimm threat has been confined to Beacon, the scars they left still linger. And though many have launched efforts to rebuild what was lost, many more still fear another outbreak. Another attack. What point is there for reconstruction when the Grimm might just tear it all down again, some ask. Nobody had a simple answer, and it frustrates people to this day.

First Aid and the comatose chassis of Hot Spot already approaching the border between Beacon grounds and the Residential District. And unfortunately, so were another pack of Grimm. Boarbatusks, Nevermores, and Griffons were giving chase, while Beowolfs had already leapt onto the vehicles. Noelani was hacking away at any that got on First Aid while Rewind fired at the ones on Hot Spot. Suffice to say, it is a hectic ride.

The girl ducked back into the Autobot's cabin whenever one of the wolf-like beasts swung at her. She'd amputate their limbs when given the chance, sending them tumbling into the broken gravel. Rewind had it easy, blasting away without any issue. Any that managed to evade his shots or shrug them off were either bashed by the Minicon or thrown off by Glynda's driving. The Nevermores stayed at the backlines, letting the Griffins and Beowolves take point.

Their reasons for doing so became clear. Laser blasts and bullets flew past the heroes and towards the horde. Up ahead they could see a makeshift gate, with automated turrets firing shells and energy blasts at the monsters. There were also humanoid drones, around the size of the natives. Curiously, they sported scraps of white underneath their forest-green paintjob. A coat of arms also appeared to have been sprayed over each unit's torso.

Unfortunately for them, someone was waiting at the border. Parked just past the defenses was a grey van, with the letters "VNN" on its side. A woman with silvery hair-whom Glynda recognized as Lisa Lavender- and a cameraman were just outside of the car, apparently trying to film the skirmish. The Huntress noticed some Nevermore leaving their positions, flying just beyond the range of the guns' radars. They seemed to be-

Glynda quickly grabbed Rewind and pulled him into her seat as she opened her side's door.

"Take the wheel," She ordered as she exited the cab.

Rewind barely had time to protest before she climbed onto the truck's ladder. Just as she feared, the raven-like Grimm was flinging their razor-sharp feathers at the civilians. She reached out with her Semblance and telekinetically grabbed the projectiles before they could hit their targets. The statislocked Autobot swerved right, though, and she lost focus. The feathers fell onto the van and it exploded, scattering the crew.

Many found themselves running further into the ruins and at the mercy of the Grimm. Two workers- Qobalt and Forest- were cornered by a pack of Beowolves. Before they could swing their claws at them, though, a blue blur crashed into them. Noelani bounced between the ruins, hacking away at the beasts as she did so. The end result before the civilians was something best described as "Grimm suchi", already fading into the winds.

She had already moved on to another pack before the men could thank her. She danced around the beowolves, hacking through their kneecaps. While the beasts while crawling around legless, she happily decapitated them one at a time. Once the pack was dealt with, she gestured towards the workers.

"Now's a good time to exit stage left," she hollowered, pointing at the gate.

The civilians made a mad dash towards the barrier while the girl bounced off to find another fight. Rewind was still struggling to drive Hot Spot's vehicle form, but he did his part by running over any Grimm he saw. Avoiding the civilians was a challenge, though, with them running about like headless robo-chickens. Glynda had already leapt off of the roof and was on the ground trying to gather as many workers as possible. Their panic only made things worse.

More and more of the swarm were entering the battlefield. The fliers above complicated things for the grounded warriors below, having to watch out for raining feathers and swooping claws. Lisa had the misfortune of being abducted by a Griffon and was screaming at the top of her lungs as it flew off. Glynda tried to reach out with her Semblance, but she was dogpiled by a group of Creepers.

Noelani saw this transpire and was already springing into action. She climbed up a ruined building and leapt from it, rocketing towards a Nevermore around her size. She jammed her blades into its back and held on for her dear life. The beast flew in an erratic fashion, trying to throw the human off. With a few twists from her armblades, she steered it towards the Griffon carrying Lisa.

The girl slashed at the Nevermore's eyes once they got close enough, blinding it as she leapt off of the bird. She rammed one of her blades into the Griffon, staggering and dazing it. She was about to slice off its arms with her free one when something entered the airspace. It was a Valecopter Dauphin, coated in white plating with blue and orange highlights. The craft fired its chainguns at the Griffon, forcing the beast to take evasive action. In its haste it dropped its hostage, sending her screaming to the ground below.

Noelani tore herself from the Grimm to dive after the damsel in distress. The copter unleashed a volley of gunfire and missiles upon the airborne menaces, seemingly without regard to the two humans in freefall. The student strafed and spun around to avoid the projectiles and any Creature still flying about. Those that did obstruct her found themselves cut in half by her blades. At last she reached Ms. Lavender and and grabbed her, using her jetpack to redirect their trajectory. Bouncing from one Grimm to another, they enveoutally reached the earth below. The girl rolled as she landed and sat the woman upright, dusting her off.

"How's that for a scoop?" Noelani asked with a smirk.

The woman was too busy trying to catch her breath to respond. A purple energy enveloped her and she found herself being carried over the barrier and into the city limits. Noelani turned to Glynda with the two men she saved earlier, First Aid not far from them. As the Protectobot rolled by, she saw more people in his cab. Most of them wounded. The helicopter from earlier was trying to divert the flying Grimms' attention away from the civilians. Rewind was trying to drive Hot Spot of the battlefield. She leapt onto the firetruck's side and slipped into the passenger seat, startling the Minicon.

She spotted Glynda speaking with Lavender, obviously irritated by the reporter's recklessness. She personally admitted that quality of hers, though she wished that she'd at least bring some bodyguards along. Bravado alone can only do so much. Everyone had left the battlefield by now, leaving the Grimm as the victors by default. She hated running from a fight, even if it was the only logical course of action.

The Headmistress's voice popped up from the radio's speaker. "I'm heading to the hospital with First Aid and his patients," She said. "You two head to the library and wait for me there. I'd like to have a word with your commanding officer when I return."

Rewind turned to the younger female with an awkward look on his holographic avatar's face. "Uh, you wouldn't happen to know the way there would you? Or how to operate this type of vehicle by any chance?"

Noelani facepalmed as she cursed her luck.

Nearly 4 hours after arrival…

Thunder was on his way to the communications center when an alarm went off. The hallway suddenly bathed in a crimson light and all of the workers scrambled out. They all were pushing and shoving each other aside, often knocking a friend or two down. Thunder had to squeeze into a corner just to avoid being caught up in the chaos. When the last fleshling left, he resumed his journey. What was that all about?

To his relief, the main room was vacant. All the terminals were still active and receiving information. There was a large screen at the other side of the room, but doubted that it was the central computer. There was a desk isolated from the rest, though. Thunder went to it and saw that it was running as well. Nobody bothered to shut them off before they left. Why?

He shook his head. They're probably just stupid, that's all. He went to work on the terminal and produced a cable from his backpack. He plugged it into the computer and began hacking into it. There was an outgoing transmission being sent to all stations, probably an alarm of some sort. Disabling it was child's play for him, though. The station was still tracking other communication towers, though, each sending their own message. Thunder placed on his chin, contemplating on his next course of action. He shrugged and began listening in on the other outposts.

Something stood out from the common rabble, though. Something familiar. Shuffling through the noise unearth something he wasn't expecting. There were two distress signals, both of them Cybertronian origin. One presumably for each faction. He brought up a map of the planet and began tracing them. One of them was nearby, within a mountain range about fifty kliks from here. The other was on another continent in the southern hemisphere.

"Mayday, mayday!" Called out a voice. "This is Huffer of the Arclight. Our ship was destroyed in battle and now we're stranded on some uncharted planet. If anyone can hear this, please se-"

Thunder switched over to the other signal. He knew where the first one was going. The second one concerned him more.

"To all surviving crew members of the Levithvian," Said a squeaky voice with an even stranger accent. "Return to ship. Repeat; return to ship. Captain Switchblade iz in critical condition and ve are without leadership. Ve need someone to restore power and order, NOW!"

That shook Thunder. Switchblade? Critical? He had to tell Thrust-

A bang echoed through the building and something bounced off of his armorplating. He turned to see a pink-haired native in white attire appearing out of thin air, pointing a gun at him. His universal translator ran through the data he collected to decrypt the man's words into Cybertronian.

"Well lookie here," Tango taunted. "A fellow bookworm. You know the library's closed right now, don't you?"

The Minicon chirped and bleeped at the man, confusing him. He shook his head and reloaded his gun with glowing blue bullets. His audio receptors could've been malfunctioning, but Thunder could've sworn he heard them humming or something. The man fired a shot at the Minicon and he instinctively rolled out the side. Lightning coursed through its cirectry and it the damn thing exploded. When the infiltrator returned his attention to the organic, he was gone.

Something kicked him while he was on his knee. He toppled over onto his missile launcher and the human decloaked himself. He hopping on one foot, cradling the other in his hands. He was cursing under his breath as the Minicon rose back onto his feet. He used the opportunity to swing his metallic fist at the man. The fool fell onto his own back before the servo met his face, though, and he rolled away to avoid the Con's foot as he stomped into the ground.

The man holstered his pistol and drew out two daggers from his sleeves. They were crackling with the same energy as his bullets, glowing like the fractured moon above. He dashed towards the grey mech and evaded every one of his swings. He'd duck and weave around his foe's fists and slash away at the Con, draining his Overshields in a matter of seconds. When he did manage to land a cut on the Minicon's arm, he screeched in pain (or whitenoise. One of the two) and clasped at the wound with his other hand. That didn't feel like an electrical burn. No, that felt like something else. Something he had never felt before.

What happened next wasn't what the Specialist expected. He changed into what appeared to be a miniature missile truck and began unloading all of his missiles. The whole room suddenly went up in flames and the man had to run out of there to avoid being blown to bits. The robot rolled out like a Ravager outta hell and zoomed down the halls. The drones- Knights their computers' files called them- opened fire on the Minicon, but a missle sent them to the scrapheap. He was almost at the exit when the ground burst under his wheels.

The bot converted to bipedal form and saw some creatures slither out of the floor. They resembled centipedes, with bone-like armor plating and ebony bodies. Red markings dotted their coat, each segment of their body possessing a pair of insectoid legs. He could make out several claws in their mouths as they stared down at him. One lunged at him and buried its mandibles into his shoulder. He screamed and battered the thing's skull with his free hand, but it wouldn't budge. It tore the whole arm right off of his torso, shoulder included.

Thunder ran out the doorway and fell to the ground, trying to keep the Energon from pouring out. As he lay there leaking, the bugs surrounded him, ready to dig their fangs into him too. A stream of gunfire dashed away their dreams however. Thunder looked back to see Swindle, sporting a new altmode.

"You're welcome," Said the Combaticon as he transformed and knelt down. He grabbed the Minicon and planted him on his shoulder, carrying him back into the battlefield. fThrust was burning away at some of the native monsters with his flamethrowers when the two approached him. He politely gestured them with one of his arms for them to wait before finishing the beasts off. When he turned back to them, his optics immediately fell upon the Minicon's injury.

He grabbed the little bot from Swindle's shoulder and used one of his flamethrowers to cauterize the wound. Once it was closed up, he retracted his battlemask and smiled at Thunder.

"I take that explosion from over yonder was your doing?" The Air Marshall inquired.

The Minicon nodded, chirping about his discoveries to him. Thrust's face took on a concerned look when he revealed Switchblade's fate. The Seeker imminently shifted to his new Alt-mode and planted the infiltrator in the cockpit.

"Fallback!" Thrust ordered to the surviving troops. "Fallback and regroup at the Leviathan!"

"The Leviathan?" Swindle shouted over the smoke and gunfire. "You've found it?"

"Yes… and we're heading to it right now."

The Combaticon turned to some Vechicons, still firing at humanoids and Grimm alike. "You heard the man," He shouted. "Transform and rise, baby!"

He and the grounded units converted to their wheels forms and fired at the wall before them. A hefty chunk of concrete gave way and they rolled on through the debris. The Seekers and other winged bots simply flew over it. Tango exited the communications center in time to see the Decpeticons leaving the party already. He couldn't blame them, considering who was crashing it right now. He turned to see sabercat-like Grimm mauling some of the soldiers and drones, sphinxes flying off with hostages to Brothers-know-where. This chaos and anarchy is only gonna bring in more of them, he realized.

A coughing sound caught his attention. He turned around a corner to see Reads, clasping a bleeding wound over the left side of his abdomen. Some blood was dripping from his broken nose and soaked into his hair. He lifted his head to see his favorite spy as the younger man knelt down before him. He lifted his arm up and sprayed some biofoam into the opening, closing it shut.

"Thanks," He said as Tango helped him onto his feet.

He attempted to walk, but he ended up falling onto his knee. The younger man offered to help again, but his hand was shoved away. The sargent's eyes were glued at the battle raging around them. More and more of their station was torn down by the Grimm, their soldiers ripped to pieces. He slammed a fist into the ground with an angry cry. Tango knelt down and placed an assuring hand on the elder's shoulder. This time he accepted it.

"We have to evacuate," he growled. "Abandon ship."

"But to where?" Tango asked. "We're not exactly in Vale you know."

"To the closest refueling station," The sergeant replied. "To Parchment. Get as many of the wounded on wheels as possible and cover them."

Tango nodded, putting the man's arm around his shoulders and lifting him back up. "Including you," The Huntsman insisted.

The army man looked like he was gonna argue against this, but all he could muster was a pained growl. The pair walked to one of the surviving jeeps and slipped into it. Tango took the wheel while the sergeant sat in the passenger's seat. He grabbed the walkie-talkie and pressed a couple of buttons, drawing out the vehicle's speakers.

"Attention all personnel," His voice boomed. "We are incitating Exigent Exodus. Repeat, Exigent Exodus is now in effect. Everyone is to gather around the head of base and proceed to refueling station Parchment. Repeat, everyone is to proceed to Parchment."

He could hear the roars of several engines in the chaos. One by one some wheeled vehicle or another would form up behind him or by his sides. There were also some flyers, keeping a low altitude above him. They were already opening fire on the Grimm as they abandoned ship, though not everyone made it out. One or two aircraft were knocked out of the sky while a Boarbatusk rolled into a jeep.

He turned his gaze to his former base. Already the Creatures were tearing it down, leaving nothing to stand. They grinded everything to dust, left nothing behind. Not even rubble.

"They're probably follow us back to Parchment," Tango noted as he drove through the snow.

"I know," the elderly man confessed. "But we'll be prepared when they come."

But will it be enough? The Spec-Op thought to himself.

Author's Notes

Yeah… this chapter is real late. Personal life and writer's block are the main culprits for this crime. Now that Volume 7 is running, though, I should have some fresh drive and inspiration. Like the last chapter, some content was pushed back from this one to keep it from getting bloated. I can promise you that we'll be going back to Anima in that one.

Thunder is really Armada Inferno. I went with his Japanese name rather than his English one because there's already a dude in Aligned with that name (or at least is implied to be in this Continuity).

Demolisher is just his WFC incarnation (though I have considered having him as a former Constructicon like his movieline counterpart, considering that it was a class in the pre-war caste system. Right now that detail isn't relevant to the present.).

Incinerator is a direct port from the 2007 movie's toyline.

And now the organics of the story so far. The first OC from the Team to be revealed is Noelani Marinus, a hotheaded hack-and-slasher. I wasn't too sure that her weapon and fighting style would fit into RWBY all that well, but then I remembered Penny and how OP she was in Volume 1 (essentially how she herself was gonna have a jetpack).

Tango is basically like James Bond or the Spy from Team Fortress 2. Better suited for stealthy missions rather than allout brawls. I honestly considered having him and Read die during the Grimm attack on Alizarin, covering the wounded and making a last stand and whatnot. I changed mind and decided to have them survive (though whether or not they'll be so lucky next chapter remains to be seen).

And now the Canon Goliath in the room… Glynda. I did say that I wanted to avoid involving Canon folk as much as possible, but that rule is generally applied to RWBY and crew. Glynda was hardly used after Volume 3, and her connections with Ozpin made her a logical choice for the Bots at Vale.

No previews for the next chapter for the same reasons as the last one. Hopefully all that I wanted to do in it will be wrapped up next time.