Endgame
The Decepticons swarmed the Autobot base like a tidal wave, laser fire and missiles showering down on the entrenched defenders. The Wreckers, sans Springer and Twintwist, were welcome additions to the fight, but as formidable as they were, these odds were pushing it.
Menasor and Devastator thundered up the valley, and with two Aerialbots and a Protectobot down there was no chance of the two Autobot gestalts coming into play. While the giants advanced, the Seekers harassed the few fliers and rained down ordinance while the rest of the forces sought cover in the rocks and trees and attacked from long range.
Optimus ducked a blast from his opposite number, hands instinctively wrapped around his helm as rock fragments pinged off his hide. He glanced over the top of his cover, squeezed off a shot at Dirge, and took a calculated risk.
"Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, bring out Wheeljack's new missiles!" Prime ordered.
The twins' faces lit up. "Really?" Sideswipe asked eagerly.
"Yes, I want Devastator out of commission before he can do any harm!"
"Got it."
Sideswipe knelt and produced from subspace a breech-loading missile launcher almost as tall as he was, with a bore about as wide as his face. He shouldered the weapon and carefully took aim at the green behemoth. "Load!" He ordered. Sunstreaker snapped open a case of large missiles and carefully fitted one into the breech, closed the lock, then knelt to brace his twin against the recoil. "Fire in the hole!" Sideswipe grinned and depressed the trigger.
Ka-thoooom!
The missile lanced out and yawned off target, blowing a rather large crater out of the mountain to the left of Devastator. The billowing cloud of smoke from the ignition was whipped away by the wind to reveal two rather scorched twins sprawled on the rock, knocked back by the unexpected potency of the recoil.
"Woah, now that's what I call a kick!" Sideswipe gave the launcher an appreciative look as he picked himself up then pulled his brother up.
Sunstreaker took one glance at himself and wailed "Look what it's done to my paint!"
Sideswipe shrugged. "You were all scratched up anyway, at least now you can get a full re-paint instead of just a touch up."
That mollified the yellow warrior somewhat. "True." He nodded.
The twins took aim again, this time Sideswipe keeping his back to a boulder and his brother bracing him from the side. "Fire in the hole!" He repeated.
Ka-thooooom!
Devastator howled and stumbled back, a large chunk blown out of his shoulder. That was when he spotted the two warriors and changed tack. "Reload!" Sideswipe called, looking back at his twin as the behemoth advanced.
"We're outta missiles!" Sunstreaker yelled, dropping the empty case.
"Oh slaggit!"
Faces grim the twins prepared to attack, only to be suddenly thrown back by a blast of hot air. A dark blue streak shot overhead and Devastator cried out in pain before shattering into the individual Constructicons. The new jet banked and circled the area, checking for movement, then changed course and circled the two Autobots.
"Looked like you needed a hand there." A familiar voice called down.
Sideswipe grinned. "Nightwatch! Good to see ya!"
"Good to be here! Where's Prime? I've got some mutual friends on the way."
"Out east of us, at that rock spire." Sunstreaker pointed.
"Much obliged." Nightwatch waggled his wings and peeled off.
0o0o0
Springer cast an optic back the way they had come, worriedly noting the black clots of fluids dribbling down Jazz's legs and smearing dark streaks on the pale rock. "You feeling ok?" He asked. The sounds of battle almost drowned out the wounded mech's reply.
"Not really feelin' too swell." Jazz admitted. He wheezed and coughed up a mouthful of hydraulic fluid, discreetly spitting it out to the side. "That can't be good."
"I'd have to agree." Springer gently eased Jazz to the ground, kneeling beside him to check on the multitude of wounds.
Ch-chink Ch-chink
"Freeze, Auto-scum. Both of ya." Rumble sneered, his brother cassette keeping Springer covered while he lined up his gunsights on Jazz. "Megatron's gonna be happy 'bout this." He grinned.
"I beg to differ."
Rumble turned and found himself nose to muzzle with a rather large and rather angry cyberwolf. Shadow snarled, long fangs centimetres away from the little mechanoid's face plate. "I suggest you run." She growled. "It was a long flight and I'm feeling rather peckish." Both mechs gulped and fled, stumbling and pushing at each other in their haste to escape.
Shadow laughed and transformed, kneeling beside Jazz and running gentle fingers over the torn edges in his armour plate. "Though I'd toldja t' stay home." Jazz weakly admonished, tapping the plate of metal on the femme's face.
"I can run, transform and shoot, so that's good enough for me." Shadow replied, frowning as she examined the tacky residue crusting the largest wounds. "You know how I get." She twisted and held out one hand, dumping a stretcher out of subspace, before turning her attention to Springer. "Gimme a hand, we've got to get him to a repair bay."
0o0o0
"Heh, look at the groundlings run." Skywarp sneered as he lined up for a fresh attack run.
Static hummed, then a voice crackled over his radio. "Hey you!"
"What the…Who is this?"
A giggle filtered through. "Bye bye."
The Seeker finally traced the source of the transmission, transforming and looking down to see an orange femme waving at him. A femme whom just happened to be standing next to a light tank. Skywarp activated his teleport systems, but Scope anticipated the move and adjusted his aim accordingly, firing just before the seeker had time to re-materialise and catching him square in the chest.
0o0o0
The arrival of the 116's and their allies proved to be the factor that turned the tide, the newcomers relieving their Ark-based comrades on the front lines and giving them the time to gather their strength for the final push to drive the attackers back.
"You may have won this battle, but the war is far from over, Prime!" Megatron roared as he took off and led his battered troops back to base.
"Ah stuff it!" Caps hollered back, inciting a chuckle from the gathering troops.
Springer and Shadow appeared from behind a bluff, Jazz on the stretcher between them, while Twintwist hauled Deck towards the Ark by his bound wrists, the latter having regained consciousness partway through the trip.
"Is everyone intact?" Prime asked, quickly doing a head count as the last stragglers approached.
"For the most part, looks so." Nightwatch replied. He flicked his gaze towards Deck. "We've gotta get back to Cybertron before Shockwave misses us. We'll take that one off your hands if you like." He offered.
"You're welcome to." Optimus rumbled.
"Somebody get a medic, Jazz needs help now!" Shadow yelled, setting down the stretcher.
"I'll take care of that." Ferric said, pushing his way to the front of the crowd.
"Like slag you will!"
Ratchet stalked up to Ferric, his face a thundercloud as he stabbed one finger in the larger mech's face. "You keep your slaggin' hack hands off my patients." The CMO snarled. Ferric contemptuously batted his arm away. "Or you'll do what?" He sneered. Ratchet didn't waste any words, simply balling his fist and driving it deep into the red mech's abdomen. Ferric doubled over gasping and totally unable to defend himself as Ratchet brought his fist down on his helm in an overhead hammer blow. The mech staggered, swayed, and finally toppled.
There was a cheer from the Cybertron-based Autobots.
Victorious, Ratchet turned to the Ark-bots. "Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, if that slag-pile even thinks about repairing anybody, shoot him."
"With pleasure." Sideswipe grinned, the twins bounding down the hillside to take up flanking positions beside the downed mech.
"You'll never win, Jazz!" Deck roared as he was none too gently dragged away by the Wreckers. "Hardline still lives on, and I'll make sure you'll pay!"
Hound turned a curious look on the still prone Jazz. "Who's Hardline?" he queried.
"Yeah." Cliffjumper chimed in. "What's he talking about?"
Jazz took one look at the gathering crowd of curious Autobots and decided to take the easy way out of answering their questions- he let himself pass out.
0o0o0
It was dark when Jazz finally cycled out of repair-stasis and into full awareness. He checked his chronometer, somewhat surprised that three full days had passed. Then he remembered the crowd of curious Autobots. "Oh no." He groaned, one hand rubbing his visor. "How th' heck am I gonna get out of this?"
"If you're wondering about Hardline, there's no problem. Our resident tactician is a surprisingly good liar."
Ratchet emerged from his office, a cup in each hand. He hooked a stool with his foot and pulled it over, sitting down and handing a mug of energon to Jazz when the officer had hoisted himself into a partial sitting position, propped on one arm. Jazz accepted the cup with a grateful nod and took a sip, feeling the oily liquid slosh around in his mouth before draining down his throat and into his fuel tank.
"Prrowww?" Twostroke slipped out of a vent and wound her body around the legs of Ratchet's stool, looking up at him with a question on her furry face. With a sigh, the CMO bent, scooped up the cat, and deposited her on the repair berth. Twostroke purred and butted her head against Jazz's arm several times in greeting. Jazz carefully set down his mug and stroked her head with the tip of his finger. "Miss me didja?" He asked. "Doncha worry, I got some real good 'bots watchin' m' back."
Twostroke mewed again and curled up in the crook of Jazz's elbow, still purring. Ratchet watched with an almost un-noticeable smile. "That fraggin' animal was mooching around here all the time you were out." The medic informed him. "And if I wasn't chasing her out, then I was beating back the crowd of worriers." He jerked a thumb at the repair bay's double doors. Jazz craned his neck and caught sight of perhaps one or two shadows lurking on the other side of the glass insets.
"Thanks Ratch'. I owe you an' Prowl big, real big." Jazz said, a frame-deep weariness making his voice lose its usual lilt.
The CMO shook his head. "You don't owe us slag." He corrected. "Finish off your energon and get some shut down, you need it."
"Yes Ratchet." Jazz obediently replied, too exhausted to inquire further into Prowl's cover-up as he downed the remaining energon and carefully lowered himself back down onto the berth.