My gratitude to everyone who has read/reviewed/followed/favorited this story thus far! Feedback is always appreciated. My internet was down for several days, but it's back now, so hopefully I'll be back to a somewhat regular updating schedule again. Enjoy!
Switchshade leapt through the groundbridge, landing lithely on his pedes on the rocky ground where it opened, very carefully not thinking about Bulkhead's likely reaction to his presence. He lifted his helm, meeting Bulkhead's shocked blue optics, and distantly heard Miko's cry of, "Why don't those guys hang with their own 'Bots? This is our one-on-one time." He cycled his optics in confusion, until he realized she was referring to the two humans perched on his shoulder plating.
"Switchshade! What are you doing here?" Bulkhead demanded harshly, as the black mech quickly made his way to the Wrecker's side, crouching to find cover as well. "You did not lock me back in my cell, and the humans were most insistent that they would not remain behind." Switchshade muttered softly, not meeting his optics. "I felt that they would be in danger if they attempted to come alone."
The green mech narrowed his optics, but Switchshade quickly continued, "I can of course take the humans and return to the base, if you wish, but I do not know that Lord Prime would approve of me being alone with them and unbound in your base without supervision." Bulkhead nodded in reluctant agreement. "You're with me then-getting Fowler back is our number one priority. But, if I get any indication that you're thinkin' about returning to the 'Cons, I won't hesitate to put a hole in your spark chamber."
Switchshade nodded gravely, having expected nothing less, and then followed as the Wrecker began to make his way towards the base. They hadn't gotten even three pedesteps forward when three sentries challenged them, stepping forward with blasters charged, "You there!" Bulkhead and Miko both exclaimed, "Scrap!", while Switchshade tensed, wishing that Ratchet had not disabled his own weapons systems when he was taken prisoner.
The vehicons immediately opened fire on Bulkhead, whose frame had been shielding Switchshade from sight, but as the Autobot dodged the blasts and prepare to return fire, Switchshade quickly stepped forward, holding up his servos in a gesture to cease. Confused, the vehicons paused as they faced their former communications officer. "Desist. The Autobot is with me." Two of the vehicons looked at each other, and then one stepped forward, blaster still charged and ready, but not yet aimed at the black mech. "Sir… We are under order to destroy all Autobots on sight. And you… we were told you had betrayed us. Commander Starscream gave orders that you were to be taken alive." Switchshade raised an optic ridge. "Very well then, I will come. But the Autobot comes alive as well. I have orders of my own." When the vehicon made to protest, Switchshade stepped closer, dark red optics sparking. "If you have objections, you can of course take it up with Soundwave."
All three vehicons flinched, and their leader quickly shook his helm. "N-Not at all, Sir. Please, this way." They turned, and began to lead the way back into the Nemesis, and Switchshade quickly caught Bulkhead's optics, trying to convey that he could be trusted. Although looking extremely skeptical, the Wrecker did not instantly try to fight, instead tilting his helm slightly as Miko whispered something in his audial, and then lowering his weapon, following right behind Switchshade as they were escorted in the Nemesis.
Jack and Raf huddled down, hiding in Switchshade's shoulder plating as best they could, while Miko sat on Bulkhead's servo, looking around with wide eyes. As the group moved through the halls of the Nemesis, Switchshade prayed they would not encounter any officers. At several different points, groups of two or three vehicons came across them, but they did not attempt to interfere, merely watching in surprise as the odd group continued to move through the halls. "Commander Starscream is currently… speaking with a human in the brig. We will bring you to him." The vehicon in the lead explained, to which Switchshade merely nodded.
They continued to move down the halls, until a commotion ahead gave them pause. "Wait here!" one of the vehicons commanded, before realizing what he had said, and turned back briefly to apologetically add, "Sir." The three vehicons sprinted forwards to investigate, and while they were moving, Switchshade turned to Bulkhead, and gestured at the open backs of the Decepticon soldiers, averting his optics from the gore when the Wrecker took the opportunity and opened fire, quickly destroying all three. Bulkhead turned to face him with narrowed, angry optics, and snarled, "You're lucky Miko trusts you, or you'd be deactivated by now! What the Pit were you thinking? What did I just say about not giving me a reason to think that you were going to re-join the 'Cons?!" Switchshade flinched back, his servos lifting defensively, dropping his gaze and lowering his helm in an attempt to appease the angry Autobot.
"I had little other choice, unless you wished to fight it out where the humans might be endangered. It got us in…" Bulkhead growled, but eased back, muttering, "This isn't over. We'll have a talk later." Switchshade felt his spark stutter, but he simply nodded, and moved to flank the Wrecker as they moved to investigate what had made the noises that had caught the attention of the vehicons. Before they could reach the corner, Cliffjumper peeked around, his bright blue optics sparking in amusement, and he grinned widely when he caught sight of Bulkhead. "Fancy meeting you here!" he exclaimed cheerfully, kicking over a recently-deactivated vehicon out of his way before stepping forward, Arcee and Bumblebee moving to his side as he stepped into view.
"What is he doing here?" the femme demanded, blasters charging again, and her cold blue optics narrowed as she glared at Switchshade. Then, she caught sight of Jack peering out from one of Switchshade's shoulderplates, and her optics widened in shock and further rage. "Bulkhead." Her deadly tone froze the energon in Switchshade's lines. "Forgive me, but there will be time for blame and all due repercussions to the multiple poor decisions that were made today, but for now, I implore you, we must hurry if we are to rescue Agent Fowler." The black mech pleaded with Arcee, knowing that the penalties for all that had occurred would most likely fall on his helm, but he was willing to bear it if they could all safely return to the Autobots' base.
At least, perhaps, Ratchet might be willing to heal at least a fraction of the damages caused… I could… he might… if… his optics flashed nearly white in terror as an image of the Prime from a battle far in the past, when the mighty Autobot Ironhide had fallen in battle to Thundercracker and Skywarp's combined efforts came to his processor-the blank mask of merciless rage that had covered the Prime's faceplates when his right-servo mech fell. The unforgiving, unstoppable force that had decimated what remained of the battlefield that dark day, when Prime showed all Cybertronians what, exactly, he was capable of if those under his protection were harmed. What fate befell the seekers could be mine, if any of the Autobots do not return from this mission…
"Um… Switchshade?" Raf's quiet voice was nearly drowned out by Arcee's angry berating of Bulkhead as Cliffjumper tried to play peacemaker and Bumblebee kept a watch on all the hallways around them. Blinking, the black mech realized he had been trembling hard enough to nearly throw off the humans still perched on his shoulder plating, and he quickly lowered them to the ground. "Are you… Are you going to be alright?" Raf asked quietly, looking into the ex-Con's optics with no little concern. "I-I will be well, young one. Go now to your guardian." The human glanced at him once more, but obeyed, Bumblebee quickly scooping him and up cradling him protectively against his chassis.
"Alright, look!" Cliffjumper finally cut into the rapidly escalating argument between Arcee and Bulkhead. " 'Shade's right. We really need to be moving if we're gonna save Fowler-you two can hash this out back at base. Let's move!"
"Move where? We still don't know where they're holding Fowler." Arcee's vocalizer was angry, but not openly challenging, her processor clearly switching from argumentative to let's-get-this-over-and-done-with-right-fragging-now. Jack, who had moved to her side, and was sticking close to her pedes, quickly glanced at Raf, and the two humans declared in unison, "He's in the brig!"