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Chapter 22

Mission report.

Data gathering in progress.

Files included:

File A: Monitoring capabilities

File B: Copy of emergency evacuation plans

File C: Information regarding Alison Wallace.

Note: Financial Controller of N.E.S.T

Analysis of Autobot team. Bumblebee

Scout. Eighteen feet tall. Yellow with black racing stripes. Custom 2006 Chevrolet Camaro vehicle form. Combat ability: skilled, but considered young and inexperienced for his species. Known weapons: energon cannon formed from each hand- number of shots depends on energon in system. Manipulation: highly unlikely. Guardian over human named Samuel Witwicky. Mainly lives with human in Washington D.C. Recommendation: possible engagement.

Analysis of Autobot team. Sunstreaker

Gladiator. Twenty feet tall. Yellow. 2008 Lamborghini Gallardo vehicle form. Combat ability: extremely skilled. Known weapons:, energon cannon formed from one hand- number of shots depends on energon in system. Skilled in hand to hand combat. Manipulation: unlikely, unsatisfied with status on earth, socially distant from teammates. Recommendation: highly dangerous, avoid.

Erin crept between crushed vehicles, careful to avoid stepping on shattered glass. The rusted walls of compacted cars stretched three times her height. There was plenty of cover.

-I'm in position- she whispered over her radio.

Pulling a small device out of her pack, she aimed it near the compactor itself. On the screen, two distinctive heat signatures were visible. Their sparks glowed a bright white, tapering off into a red and yellow glow around the rest of their frames.

-I've got two, southeast of Sideswipe. 300 meters- She reported.

-Any movement?- The silver warrior questioned.

-Negative- Erin responded. They could be recharging, or keeping still with purpose.

-Can you get an I.D?- Sunstreaker asked.

-Negative, I don't have visual.- The soldier couldn't get any closer without risking her position. Some mechs had far stronger senses and could detect a human like her quite easily. -Targets look approximately 6 tons each. Lying down, but don't seem to be transformed. No vehicle modes to confirm.-

-Big mechs, huh?- Sideswipe quipped.

-Formation 6?- Erin surveyed.

-Sounds good to me.-

-Let's just kick their afts already.-

-You're up, Sideswipe.- She called.

Erin grinned, ready for a fight. It was their third mission together, after being a team for just over four months. Only a week prior, they had left their base to stop a decepticon attack on an oil refinery. However, when they arrived, the place was torn apart and the 'cons had already fled. They had finally tracked down the perpetrators an the trio did not plan on letting them escape. That's why the three of them were to apprehend the 'cons while N.E.S.T soldiers formed a perimeter, ready to strike should they attempt to escape or head for a populated city.

Erin ran from her cover, towards the wall that divided her and the targets. As soon as she reached it, she heard the telltale sign of Sideswipe zipping through the junkyard; the 'shink' of his blades slicing through the unsuspecting enemy.

She whipped around the wall of junk as Sideswipe shot by her.

Two large creatures stared after the front liner. Erin fired off four rounds to bind them. After that second, she could fully realize just what she was looking at. Her eyes widened in astonishment.

Sideswipe's comm shouted over her radio, -Sunny, be careful, they're insecticons!-

The creatures, a giant beetle and grasshopper, thrashed wildly, scratching at their faces where the bullets destroyed their optics.

-I've been wanting to test my metal against these bastards again!- Sunstreaker smashed through the wall behind the 'cons, causing rusted junk to topple onto them. He jumped onto the grasshopper's back and pounded furiously at his helm.

They were far larger than the twins and appeared to have thicker armor. The grasshopper screeched wildly as it thrashed, trying to dislodge Sunstreaker. Sideswipe whipped past Erin again, going for the beetle.

"Rin!" He sent over the comm, "Stick to back up fire, you don't want to face these bastards!" He then leaned low on his wheels as he whipped around, slicing one of the large purple legs before him.

With no time to argue, Erin took cover. She closely watched their prey. They used no formal technique, only animalistic attack and defense. She could see that they were powerful. The beetle twisted around, using a back leg to fling Sideswipe across the yard. He landed with a heavy crash.

The beetle 'con's mandibles dripped with a greenish fluid as he spoke, "Autobots, autobots weak, weak."

Erin fired off a round of energon bullets to distract the beast while Sideswipe recovered. It cried out but didn't retreat. Instead, the purple 'con turned towards her. "Shrapnel smells, smells organic, organic. Smells, smells tasty."

Erin took a few steps back, feeling a rare sense of apprehension. -Uh, guys? Cybertronians don't eat humans, right?- The blind monster leaped as Erin ran for new cover.

Sunstreaker's response did nothing to quell her nerves. -Insecticons will consume anything they get their servos on.- He grunted as he held on to his opponent. -Stay back, squishy.-

Too slow, Erin found herself surrounded by the massive, sharpened, beetle legs. She heard it's screeching call, "Shrapnel smell, smell organic, organic."

Apparently, these things didn't need to see. Erin changed the cartridge in her weapon and fired off high powered rounds at the creature's joints. The 'con swung its helm down, trying to bite her.

She unsheathed her blade and planted it in the side of its mandible. It pulled back, screeching, taking her blade with him. She ran out from under him, towards Sideswipe, firing back at the beetle, going through another clip. Her shots didn't seem to have enough of an effect.

A crash to her side alerted Erin of Sunstreaker's predicament. The grasshopper 'con had rolled over, knocking off the yellow mech. It then pinned him to the ground. Sunstreaker wrestled with it, trying to keep its jaws away from his neck cables.

Sideswipe jumped up and skated towards his twin's aid, knocking over the 'con. Just as the yellow 'bot was able to stand, a large metal mass crashed down from the sky, tackling Sunstreaker. It appeared to be another scar-faced beetle-looking 'con, churring at the smaller warrior. The grasshopper recovered and started to wrestle with Sideswipe. Both mechs looked as if they were barley holding off the bug-formers.

This was bad, the twins were fighting with everything they had, but it wouldn't be enough. The beasts were massive.

Erin darted across the rusted pile left from Sideswipe's crash landing. She needed to get away from this thing, none of her weapons were strong enough for anything besides combat support.

The beetle started to dig away at Erin's hiding place. "Want to taste, taste."

She checked her gear, only one cartridge left and the one still in her gun only had one remaining shot.

-Guys, I'm almost out of ammo, how do we take these guys down?- Erin didn't bother concealing her communications, there was no time.

Erin could hear Sideswipe's exertion over the coms, "They… have thick armor… but weaker protoforms. Hit 'em hard and it'll… do some damage underneath."

"Just stay back, squishy. Make sure they don't leave the perimeter. We already commed Wheeljack, he's moving in with a group of fleshies. The explosives they're packing should give us an edge."

Erin chanced a glance around to them. The grasshopper managed to slip around, away from Sideswipe and bashed at his abdomen, knocking him over. The second beetle 'con used its middle set of legs to uppercut on Sunstreaker, sending him crashing to the ground. Both mechs were held down by a pair of pointed bug arms. Sunstreaker tried to wrap his legs around a back leg to trip his opponent. Meanwhile, Sideswipe placed his wheeled pedes against the other one's leg, running his tires, like he was trying to burn the appendage. Both bugs faltered, but only Sideswipe was able to break through. He fought the bug back with well-placed slices from his blades. The beetle over Sunstreaker raised an appendage, a sharp blade appearing.

Erin ducked out from her hiding place as soon as Shrapnel lunged for her. She sprinted towards the 'bots, cartridge in one hand, fire arm in the other. Momentarily forgetting her pursuer, Erin chucked the energon filled cartridge and aimed her pistol. The moment it was within range of the raised joint, she shot. The resulting explosion tore the limb in two. Sunstreaker managed to shove off the caterwauling beetle and wrestled it back to the ground. They viciously dragged each other down, neither gaining the advantage.

Pools of green liquid dripped around Erin, "Tasty tasty, human." She looked up into the blinded optics of shrapnel.

It lunge for her, just as she evaded. Mandibles spat out green covered earth.

A telltale war cry erupted off to her side, momentarily distracting the beetle. The war ravaged, sword wielding, 'bot himself hurdled over a mound of degraded car seats. A well-placed side kick from the white mech put Sunstreaker's bug off balance, allowing the yellow 'bot to jump to his brother's aid while Wheeljack handled the injured beetle. A hail of gun fire greeted Erin's ears, following Wheeljack's entrance.

"Stay back!" Wheeljack called to his human companions. "Firearms won't work on insecticons, only blunt force! Set up a barrier with energon mines near the exit into town!"

Resounding 'yes, sir's came from the N.E.S.T soldiers as they retreated to follow their orders, but not without catching the attention of scar-face. "No one escapes." He called before heading towards his organic targets.

"Hey, now!" Wheeljack chased after him, "Don't you run away from a fight, 'con!"

The beetle paused long enough to thrash at the white 'bot, knocking him to the ground. "I, Hardshell, do not take orders from a lowly autobot." He spat.

Another barrage of bullets caught his attention. As the mechs had stated, even the energon-based weapons did little damage. Hardshell chased his query over the ridge, distantly followed by Wheeljack. The sounds of guns firing continued for a few seconds, before it was replaced by the desperate screams of men.

The sound sent a shot of panic through Erin's veins. Those screams, the reverberation of metal arms tearing apart soft human bodies, it made her legs shake. Her breath was caught in her throat. She remembered.

They were only meant to scope out the landscape and report back. The mission was simple and the main objective was to not get caught. They never expected just what enemy they would find. And they never could have realized just how outgunned they were.

She barley stood, her knees bent together, shaking. She panted heavily, partly from exhaustion, and partly from pure fear. She was wet, liquid dripping off her, soaking into her socks. It was warm. It muddied the sand covered earth. And it wasn't her own. Her comrades, the people she trained with, her friends… that was all that was left of them. The blood soaking into her clothes, and the even layer of flesh and bones lining the ground. She was all that was left.

The churring directly behind her brought Erin out of the memory, Shrapnel smelled the air above her head, a ravished grin gracing his dripping faceplates.

"I'm out of ammo, guys!" she called.

"Run!" Erin's frantic eyes shot over to Sunstreaker. His glassy optics were widened by the panicked look on his faceplates. "Squishy, run!"

Run? She had to run? No weapons, no way to defend herself against this monster. Her mind had already analyzed every possible tool within sight, nothing would help. But she was too slow. It would catch her. It was going to eat her. At that moment, Erin felt the sensation of falling. She was going to die. She had to run. By why couldn't she move?

The beast lunged at her, but she froze, mind going blank. She just stared up at the sharp metal mandibles, barely concealing a rotation of knife-like denta, aimed for her.

A flash of silver covered her vision. Sideswipe jumped between her and the decepticon. She could hear metal scraping on metal as Sideswipe staggered back, legs on either side of her. She looked up, his chassis was torn open, sparks flying out. Bright blue energon dripped down, a few drops hitting the side of her forehead. It burned like acid. Sideswipe collapsed back, body limply hitting the ground.

"Sideswipe!" she screamed. At this angle, she could see just how severe the damage was. Energon covered the front of his frame and pooled around him.

A crash to her side alerted her to Sunstreaker, who had a servo to his chest plates, as if in pain.

"Autobot taste bad, want human human." Shrapnel sang horridly.

Erin whipped around again, this time, adrenaline surging through her veins. Sideswipe was hurt because she couldn't move, that was on her. But it wouldn't happen again.

She ran between the 'con's legs and shot out for the back exit of the junkyard. The stomping behind her alerted her of a pursuer. She whipped around and saw Sunstreaker's wide optics tracking her, only they were nearly white.

She didn't have much time. Erin stayed on her path, half her attention on running, the other half on a flurry of hand signals. -Plan. Drive forward. Shoot down barrier.- Hoping her got the message, she pointed towards the hillside ahead of them. It had been carved straight through to make a driving path, leaving high stone walls on either side.

For good measure, she whistled for the beasts' attention. "You 'cons want some human, right?" A quick glance around revealed two oversized bugs behind her, pushing each other to get the lead.

Sunstreaker, having transformed into his vehicle mode, slipped around them and up to Erin, who was sprinting with all her energy. He met her pace and popped his side door open. "Get in!" he called.

With no time to waste, she just waved him on. The mech needed time to set a post, and the soldier wanted all the insecticons' attention to be on her.

Sunstreaker didn't argue, her plan, after all, lead the 'cons away from his injured twin. Instead, he slammed the door and shot ahead.

Erin continued to speak through her radio, "See the fissures in the stone?" When she wasn't running for her life, she'd remember to preach to her teammates about the importance of studying the terrain both before and during a fight, a habit for which the twins still teased her.

"Got it." He growled as he did whenever revved for a fight. The sound was honestly terrifying, and she was glad it wasn't aimed at her.

She was lucky the insecticons were battling to reach her, pushing each other or pulling the other back. It gave her just enough time and distance. With a last ditch push of energy, she ran into the canyon, walled by stone a hundred feet in the air. With the prospect of either being shredded, consumed, or crushed, she managed to pull ahead, just past Sunstreaker, who was well hidden behind a grove of thick trees.

She didn't even take a chance as she darted around his pedes and practically plastered herself to one of his legs. At that moment, the yellow rage machine was the safest thing in her mind. She heard two shots fire above her.

An avalanche of stone crashed down behind her, accompanied by morbid mechanical shrieks. A large servo scooped her up and she was help against a yellow chassis, shielded from any rubble or dust. She could hear a few rocks pinging off her protector's armor. Erin's ears rang, making it hard to tell when the rockslide was actually over.

When the scene quieted, Erin was pulled away from the chassis. She looked up into Sunstreaker's light blue optics, which were staring back intently.

"Are you injured?" he inquired, vent oddly hitched.

"No, what about you and Sideswipe?" she knew that he would be able to use their bond to ascertain the silver mech's condition, even if he wasn't fully conscious.

The 'bot looked up at the pile of stone that blocked their path back. "He's hurt, but online. Hang on." He set her down on his shoulder, ignoring the nervous sounds his teammate was making, or her flailing arms. Instead, he focused on climbing the newly formed hill.

Erin felt a sense of vertigo, and hung to his audio fin like it was a life line. Even with him leaning against the rock, making her only a few feet off the ground, the motion was enough to give the illusion of extra height.

"Not there!' he snapped and jerked his helm away, which only brought Erin with it.

She relented and scooched her knees onto his back, forcing her to hang down. Although, she managed to find seams in his lower back armor that allowed her to hold with her booted toes. Also, his shoulders were arched, so she wasn't entirely dangling. The soldier wrapped her arms around Sunstreaker's neck and clung tightly, that way, he could still turn his helm. All the time she tried not to think how embarrassing such a position was for either of them. Sideswipe better be in stasis, because he'd never let them live this down.

"Better." Sunstreaker rumbled as he made it to the top of the hill and started to slide down.

"Wheeljack just commed me. He said his 'con got away, but the fleshies are tracking him with some drones. They can't follow him for long, though. He's out flying them. The bastard will likely law low for a while. 'Jack also said the scene over there isn't pretty. Only a few fleshies survived." He paused to let Erin take it in. "'Jack will take care of the ones we buried, he has enough explosives to dismantle them. 'Hide is coming for backup, just in case."

"You don't want to help finish the job?" she questioned. That was unlike him. If there was anyone thirsty for shed energon, it was Sunstreaker.

"I want to make sure Sides is fine first." He replied, tone sounding tight. "I've also contacted Hatchet, he'll be meeting us soon."

Erin didn't have the energy to argue. Her adrenaline was gone. She just wanted to lay down somewhere safe, where she could keep an eye on her injured teammate, and relax.

The sky buzzed with one pair of flapping wings, strongly bending the air around them. Hardshell suffered severe injuries from the battle, but the insecticon would not show any weakness. He was the strongest among them, after all. That was why he had survived.

He would avenge the offlining of his brothers, the last of his race. And he would destroy the human girl who scarred him.

But first, he needed to regain his strength. Without any energon, he required alternate sources of sustenance. As an adaptive species, insecticons could consume practically any matter, but he required a more pure form of energy if he was to recover.

Through their hive mind, Hardshell could see that Shrapnel critically injured one of the gladiator twins. And the old warrior, Wheeljack would be out of fighting state for days, thanks to him. It was the perfect time to strike again. The autobots would not dare retreat towards their base until the silver twin stabilized.

All he needed was to reach the nearby damn. Should he harvest the electricity there, he could be able to remount another attack, for the glory of all insecticons.

A signal caught his attention, one from a familiar source. Hardshell diverted his course to meet the inbound jet. Within seconds, he could see the silver form, soaring faster than sound. Simultaneously, they transformed and landed on a rocky outcropping. The soft stone crumbled under their weight and tumbled down the hill, falling among the trees below.

"Starscream," Hardshell begun, only to be interrupted by the jet's shrill voice.

"It is Lord Starscream to you, insect!" he bravely encroached on the warrior's space, a challenging glint in his optics. "Megatron is offline and I am your commander now."

A flash of fury hot the insecticon's energon lines. "You are not half the warrior he was," he spat out the last word with contempt, "Lord."

The slender jet growled with frustration. "I was Megatron's Second in Command, his successor. And now, more than ever, the decepticons need strong leadership." Starscream's long, sharp digits clenched into a fist, depicting how he would crush any opposition. "Even a simple minded creature, such as yourself, should understand that much. It was I, after all, who summoned you here." He muttered, disregarding Hardshell's angry yowl. "Unless we rally behind a single leader, the autobots and their human pets will pick us off one by one."

The commander had a point, Hardshell could admit. The decepticons thrived under Megatron's iron servo rule. There were few who could take command. "Very well, Starscream-" he paused, seeing the jet's hot glare, "Lord Starscream," he corrected, words feeling like acid on his glossa, "I will follow your command."

A dark, pointed smile grew on Starscream's faceplates as his glassy red optics flashed. "Excellent." He practically purred. "Now, let's get going. Where are the others? I believe there were three of you."

"We engaged the autobots in combat." Hardshell lifted his severed leg as evidence of a hard fought battle. "Shrapnel and Kickback were offlined." He added before his new master's anger could erupt, "But the silver gladiator twin was gravely injured. If return now, we could finish him and his infernal twin. The old wrecker was weakened by the battle and their human pets' fluids stain the ground. Now is the perfect time to strike."

"You fool!" Starscream screeched. "You would have us take on at least three autobots, should back up have not already arrived for them, and those N.E.S.T insects!"

Hardshell made sure not to look taken aback by the outburst. "But they are injured." He tried to explain.

"That is precisely when a gladiator is at his most dangerous!" he explained slowly, as if lecturing a sparkling. "We will regroup at our base, not blindly fall into a hopeless skirmish."

Hardshell held back a growl of contempt. "An insecticon warrior never leaves a battle unfinished. I must get revenge on the twins' human pet for injuring me."

Starscream paused, optics narrowing. For a moment, the insecticon though the mech was going to attack him, but instead he asked in a low rumble, "This human pet, was it a femme?"

The spark of battle had nearly been extinguished in Hardshell. His wound was still leaking and without energy and repairs, the last of the insecticons would go extinct. Not wanting to show his own weakness, he stood tall and carefully spoke a stern. "Yes.".

"Come." Starscream transformed, alt-mode only falling inches before he shot into the sky. Hardshell struggled to keep up with his speed. Starscream led them away from the battlefield, to where the insecticon could only guess to be the base. Through the comm, Starscream muttered, "Megatron offlined because he miscalculated what a human can cause. I will not make the same error."

A battle had been won. Two dangerous decepticons had been taken out of play. But no one was in the mood to celebrate. Thirteen men had been slaughtered in the battle. They never even had a fighting chance. Erin could see the fear in the survivors' eyes. It likely mirror her own. They were completely powerless. What was the point in even trying? Only the autobots could even make a mark in the enemy. They were only human. This was all pure suicide.

Erin was guilty of more than simple weakness. She had gotten in the way. If she hadn't been there, Sideswipe wouldn't have had to come to her rescue. And he wouldn't be getting open spark surgery.

After the battle, Ratchet had been confident the silver mech would pull through, but not long after they loaded into their transport home, Sunstreaker collapsed, falling into stasis along with his twin.

The acid from Shrapnel's jaws had a belated affect, infecting Sideswipe's own energon lines and turning the contents of his veins to sludge. Sunstreaker felt the effect it had on his twin through his own spark.

Now both mechs were in grave danger, and it was all Erin's fault.

She crouched outside the med bay, chest burning with shame. All she could do was wait, while the mechs who had put their confidence in her were dying.