Ch. 105

Optimus and his team cautiously prowled outside a large building, Arcee and Bumblebee delicately helping Soundwave in through the roof so he could reach the computers inside. It would be a lengthy process. Enough time would elapse that a battle could ensue. All the blue mech needed to do was attach to the computers and corrupt or delete the codes, but even then, Soundwave would have to fight against firewalls and the time constraint that Earth-based computer files gave them.

Optimus activated his COMM and quietly addressed his team, "Autobots, I am currently in position on the north side of the facility. What are your current locations?"

"Bulkhead here. Breakdown and I have the west face covered. Over."

"Knockout here," the red mech purred over the line, "east face is covered. Over."

"This is Arcee. South side is covered."

Bumblebee beeped quietly last, informing the team that he had decided to stay beside Soundwave. He activated his blaster as he bubbled, saying that he would act as the last line of defense if the Decepticons tried to get in. Soundwave was somewhat grateful for the young mech's company. Not out of a sense of loneliness while he worked quietly but because it gave him something to judge while he pressed forward with his task. He had deactivated his COMM to attain the full benefits of an uninterrupted mind as he worked and the mech's reactions to the outside world would be crucial. The act would take a few precious seconds off the actual deletion of the codes he sought. And there they were.

Soundwave's little tendrils dug more eagerly into the computer as he isolated every code associated with Project: Damocles, whether or not it was the activation codes. A sudden stiffness to Bumblebee's form told Soundwave that something was going on outside. Blaster fire aimed towards the building confirmed the thought and the yellow mech whirled in surprise, aiming up his own blaster and charging it in preparation for the assault.

Optimus threw a hard punch into the helm of an Eradicon as the mech drew close, firing his blaster at another when they tried to come up from behind. The Decepticon forces had moved in quickly after the Autobots had finished setting up their perimeter and the Prime was thankful that Starscream wasn't there to see how many had arrived; the seeker would have been terrified. Optimus could only imagine how his other teammates were fairing and to what extent their battles were being pushed to. He felt fairly more confident when he heard Knockout cackle loudly from the east side of the complex and Breakdown and Bulkhead whoop after a loud crash echoed from the west. Arcee was the only silent one out of his troops, but the Prime wasn't worried. The femme had always been an excellent soldier in the art of ambushing.

Drones from all around the base and building were moving in fast, trying to get as close as possible. They were slamming into the Autobots left and right, firing their weapons as needed to get in close. Arcee had quickly assumed that it was to get in at Soundwave and stop him from what he was doing. But from Megatron's aerial view in his ship, this was wholly not the case.

"They have yet to spot him, C.Y.L.A.S.," the warlord snarled in impatience.

The disfigured mech chuckled, "Relax, Megatron," Megatron growled at him and C.Y.L.A.S. took a step back, bowing, "I mean, Lord Megatron. Patience is key. If he's not here, I have a back up plan that will draw him out. So long as your troops can keep the rest of them at bay."

The warlord snarled deeply, "My armies can do more than that. Now, will you do your new leader the courtesy of divulging this plan? Or do I need to remind you of how little your existence means to myself and my cause?"

C.Y.L.A.S. put his clawed servos up gently in submission, "No need for threats. My thoughts are at your disposal..."

Arcee kicked back a Vehicon with a loud roar, then fired down upon him as she quickly activated her COMM, "I don't expect anyone to respond," she announced, firing down another drone that tried to move in, "but these Cons are moving in hard and fast! They really want to get inside!"

Bumblebee beeped over his COMM from inside the facility, asking if he should come out to help.

"Negative, Bumblebee!" Optimus managed to shout into his COMM, "Stay inside! You are Soundwave's only protection should we become too overwhelmed!"

The Vehicons and Eradicons were becoming more slingshot the longer it took to get in close. Some simply ran at the building, hoping to get in, before being fired upon or thrown back by an Autobot. Finally a group of Eradicons broke from the frantic formation and transformed, flying up then down at a hard angle at the building. Breakdown and Bulkhead fired up when they could, taking most of the drones out, but one sped through the blockade and crashed into the roof of the complex, the damaged mech transforming weakly as he shakily reached for his COMM.

"Lord Megatron, he's not here-"

Bumblebee flew at him quickly, his fisted servo punching up into his helm and his blaster firing multiple rounds off. The drone slumped, dead, but the yellow mech whirled and huffed angrily, COMMing to the rest of his team that the drone had divulged to Megatron that Starscream wasn't with them.

"Maybe that's a good thing!" Bulkhead answered back, "Maybe they'll leave if he's not here!"

Arcee scoffed, "Or maybe they'll just try to take the codes and use Damocles whenever they feel like it!"

"Bumblebee!" Optimus ducked to avoid a Vehicon's claws, then gutted him with his blade, "What is Soundwave's progress on the deleted codes?!"

Bumblebee beeped, asking the Prime to hold on, and bubbled at Soundwave, asking how much longer it would take.

"Soundwave: has breached military installation firewalls one through four. Two walls remaining. Once firewalls are fully removed, codes will begin deletion. Estimation: eleven minutes, twenty-two seconds."

Arcee growled, "That's going to take too long!"

Smokescreen groaned as he listened to the COMMs alongside Ratchet, "C'mon, doc! Listen to them! They need me, I can help! You and Scream-"

"Starscream."

"Whatever. You two stay here and I'll bring the rest of the heat they need! I got this!"

Ratchet scowled, "HA! The only thing you've 'got' is a bad case of the 'I could be a hero' complex! The Decepticons don't yet know you're here! Unless Optimus says otherwise, you're to remain here until you are called in."

"But doc-"

"No 'buts'!" Ratchet growled, "And don't call me 'doc'!"

Smokescreen grumbled and his chassis sagged in defeat. Starscream went to sneer and retort something cruel when he noticed Jack fiddling quickly with his phone. There was a frown on his face and the seeker noticed a bouncing tick in the boy's leg.

"Is something the matter?" Starscream asked him quietly.

Jack quickly looked up at him, then back at his phone, "Oh, uh... I'm not sure. Raf's just texting me."

Miko gasped, "Has he escaped from prison?!"

Agent Fowler chuckled, "Is that why the boy's not here?"

Jack shrugged, "His mom grounded him. Bad grades," Fowler tsked and the boy continued, "He just texted me that he heard something by his house. He didn't want to think much of it, but he's scared."

Starscream slowly glared and growled, "What did he hear?"

Jack held up his phone so the seeker could see, "He says they're pedfalls. He knows what they sound like. He tried calling 'Bee, then other members of the team, but he can't get through."

Miko pouted, "Well they're all out there blasting Cons to smithereens! There's no way they could answer his calls."

Starscream growled louder and pulled away, "I need a bridge, Ratchet. Rafael's home address."

Ratchet looked back at him and laughed before waving him out, "If that child can't escape the wrath of his mother on his own then it's best to leave him to it!"

The seeker wordlessly went to the ground bridge controls and activated it himself, checking the preset coordinates they had on file as the portal powered up.

"Scream, wait!"

"You will back away from those controls this instant, or so help me-"

"Enough!" Starscream snarled, "A bot is within Raf's current location. He's daring this far too much!"

Ratchet frowned, "Who? Even Megatron wouldn't risk that, let alone any of his Decepticon troops."

"No. They wouldn't," the seeker huffed, turning for the portal, "but a former MECH agent would."

Starscream made his way through the bridge quickly enough and the portal shut down, leaving the rest of the Autobots and humans behind.