Ch 2

[Location: Outside the ruins of the Autobot base]

Elita nodded to herself as Smokescreen and Optimus disappeared. Her communicator went out when the base was destroyed, but there was also the risk that the 'Cons were tracking any radio frequency so she would not draw attention to the others by trying to call the kid's phones.

"Come on, E, think," she mumbled, "they would know to try to meet up somewhere, but where? I should try to head to Agent Fowler's base; at least there I can get mended up." Going quite as a Decepticon jet flew right over her, Elita realized that her biggest problem was getting away from the area.

[Location: Jackhammer crash site]

As he pulled himself free from the steering console he found him folded over Wheeljack groaned as he pulled himself as upright as he could, the pain throwing his head for a spin. Around him his ship was a smoldering pile of slag and he was pretty sure that short of a complete overhaul that it would not likely fly again.

The tearing of metal off to his right drew the Wrecker out of his pain as he focused on the paneling being peeled away. Pulling free one of his swords, Wheeljack prepared to meet the Decepticons as they came for him but paused as the golden sunset back lit a bot he never thought he'd see again in all his stellar cycles. Looking in at him, chewing on a detonator control was an old, rust-scarred, white bot.

"Well, I'll be slagged," Wheeljack mumbled.

"Most likely, if you don't move your sorry crankcase right now, wheel grinder!" replied Kup in his all-too-familiar Drill Instructor tone. "This pile of scrap will be crawling with slagging Decepticons in no time!" Kup stepped back out from the wreckage and began firing into the swarm of Insecticons and jet drones that were engaging a squadron of military jets that showed up right as the Autobot base was decimated.

"That's actually what I'm counting on, Gunny," Wheeljack grimaced through the pain as he stowed his sword and staggered to the back of the Jackhammer. "I'll only be a second." Opening the lid to one of his ordnance boxes Wheeljack activated a remote detonator on one of the grenades. After closing the lid he slid it on the floor positioning it near where the energon feed lines came from the fuel tanks to the boosters. Grabbing the other box of grenades and a few other pieces of ordnance he headed for the opening Kup had made; triggering the ships distress beacon on the way out.

Once outside the Jackhammer, Wheeljack transformed his right arm to cannon mode and started firing at the cons swarming the human military jets. "I suggest we make ourselves scarce before the real fun begins," Wheeljack told Kup as he moved strategically behind the carcass of the Jackhammer heading to the side the butte he crashed at the base of.

The two took cover around the side of the butte and watched as ten Decepticon jets swept in on the ship, transforming as they landed. The Seekers fanned out and surrounded the wreckage; transforming their hands to blasters while cautiously closing the distance to the ship. The one in charge, standing outside the extra hole that Kup made in the side suddenly stopped and ordered the others to hold position.

"Commander Starscream,"the drone began via radio,"we have arrived at the source coordinates of a distress signal. We are entering the ship to take prisoner any Autobots that may still be functioning."He then ordered the rest of the group to converge in closer to the wreckage to prevent any Autobots from escaping from hidden compartments or other areas within the rubble.

"Yes, yes, by all means bring in any prisoners you find," began Starscream's reply, "Wait, did you say ship?"

Starscream, fighting in the airborne fray, locked on two military Raptors, launched his missiles and banked hard just in time to see an enormous explosion from the direction his Seeker had radioed from; the same direction he had downed Wheeljack in. Either the Autobot had sent the distress signal and booby trapped himself with his last bits of consciousness, or he somehow managed to survive being shot down. The latter thought did little for Starscream's ego after thinking he had vanquished another Autobot. But, at least he's destroyed all his other targets so far.

Back on the ground Wheeljack and Kup watched Jackhammer burn and finished stowing the ordnance they had taken from it on themselves. "Nice of them to try to help but the humans are getting their back sides handed to them up there," Kup commented as he assessed the situation, looking for a safe, strategic withdrawal in order to figure out their next move.

"Don't sell the humans short, Kup," Wheeljack replied, "It's not just us they came to assist. It's their planet they're fighting for too. Some of them would make darn good Wreckers actually."

Kup looked at Wheeljack briefly and put his detonator back in the corner of his mouth, the red button on the end glowing indicating "ready" status. "Well no slag, gear head! I've been on this planet long enough to see even some of their most destructive wars, they're capable of great evil and great heroism; but that's not my point," the bot that started the Wreckers began, "My point is get off your surging exhaust, pick your targets carefully and let's give them some help and get to better cover!"

As the two Wreckers broke from their spot just out of view of the Jackhammer they stuck close to the side of the butte stepping out to take shots at whatever Seeker, Vehicon or Insecticon was closest or in best line of sight to their weapons. The sky above had become a massive swarm of both human fighter jets tangoing with Decepticons, but it gave plenty for the Wreckers to focus on as they began to assist the humans. It was as the humans began to take off from the fight that the 'Cons surged towards the pinned Wreckers.

Adjusting his jaw around calmly, which moved the detonator to the other side of his mouth, Kup calmly focused on the task at hand. Wheeljack heard the older mech mumbling to himself, but with the screeches of the dying Insecticons falling around him added to the ringing in his audio receptors made it difficult for him to hear what the old bot was saying. Both jerked to a rather surprised halt as several Seekers began flying right at them only to be blown apart in the sky from behind as a volley of shots began to pour from a distant butte.

Wheeljack smirked as he went back to taking out his targets, "Way to go, E."

"You mean to tell me we've got another Autobot out here?" Kup snapped between shots. His sensors were not able to pick up any other Autobot signals in the area and had been hoping that they had all evacuated from the base before it had blown.

"Elita's special," the younger Wrecker smirked, "really special. You'd like her."

"Well, we'd have to save her first now don't we?"

"Looks like she's the savin' us."

Kup focused off at the distant butte as he kept downing oncoming Decepticons. "I'm going to need you to open up another one," Wheeljack heard him say.

[Location: Outside the ruins of the Autobot base]

Elita-One realized that there was no way to get to the base, but as she saw the casualties the humans were taking she risked opening up a direct channel to Agent Fowler.

"Everyone except Wheeljack and I are gone. Get the troops out of here."

"What about you?" he replied sharply and she heard June yell something to get his attention.

"I'll get to the base, don't worry. Get June to safety or you'll never hear the end of it from Jack… or me."

As she shut off the communications Elita knew that she only had a few moments before the Decepticons swarmed down onto her but she focused through her scope as two bots came around the distant rock formation that the Jackhammer had crashed behind. Wheeljack she recognized, but who was the old scarred white bot? As she began to take out the forces that had turned their attention away from the retreating humans and gave it full force to the two Autobot mechs on the ground after a massive explosion rocked the area.

"Jackie ain't shootin' ya so ya must be a friendly," Elita mumbled as she began to clear the attacking force from behind. "You two need to get out of here."

When what she had assumed was the old white truck she had seen driving towards where Wheeljack had crashed actually seemed to make eye contact with her she frowned. His hand signals were the same as what she had learned in the military. There was something she needed to watch for at that moment and it would happen below her. Through her scope she watched as a ground bridge portal opened up behind the two mechs in her scope, which they rushed through before it winked shut. Most of the Decepticons that had been rushing the pair ended up crashing into the butte behind the portal opening.

With a groan Elita crawled over to the edge of her hiding place and saw the portal open up in the air below her. Stowing her sniper rifle into her hand the Autobot-Human gave a grunt as she tumbled off the cliff side and fell into the ground bridge portal before everything went dark.

[Location: Kup's Ship: the Dauntless]

Jazz, who had returned to the ship per Kup's orders as they headed towards the strange energon beam that pierced the sky, was manning the ground bridge controls. At first he was glad to hear that Wheeljack had survived the crash, but it came across as shock, all be it a somewhat pleasant one, that there was another Autobot on the field that would need a ride home.

Right after Kup and Wheeljack stumbled through the portal Jazz shut it down and reopened one with the coordinates that Kup had radioed to him. The old battle scarred fighter had only a moment to turn around in time to catch Elita as she came flying through the ground bridge, which sent them skidding across the floor for a few meters.

"She sure does know how to make an entrance," Jazz replied after powering down the ground bridge. Using it at the moment was risking bringing the Decepticons right to them and right now they needed the time to regroup with the others.

Elita managed to roll off of the 'Bot that caught her and watched him gain his feet as her head felt swimmy. She must have lost quite a bit of energon from her previous encounter with the Vehicons. They all seemed frozen in place as they looked each other over for a moment before Elita managed to break the silence.

"You've lied to me all these years, Handsome," she quipped up at the bot standing over her, not quite ready to gain her own feet.

Behind him Wheeljack snorted a laugh before groaning in pain as he grabbed a hold of his side. "Handsome? E, ya need to get Doc to check your optics out the next time you see him."

"The lady is entitled to her own opinion, wheelgrinder," Kup grumbled as Jazz walked over to the other Wrecker to guide him to the medical bay. As the pair left, Wheeljack mumbling how things hadn't seemed to have changed in the absence of the older bot, Kup gave Elita-One a slight smirk as he offered her a hand. "You look like you could use a hand."

Not quite sure if her dizzy spell had passed yet, but knowing she couldn't just stay sitting in the floor how she was, Elita reached up and let the mech before her pull her to her feet. She stumbled a bit before the fresh wash of dizziness passed enough for her to walk, but Kup gently held onto her arm as he walked her to the med bay.

[Location: Beneath the ruins of the Autobot base]

When Optimus Prime groaned as he was being pulled into the cavern Smokescreen winced reflexively, but the pain was unavoidable. The Elite Guardsman was determined to get his mentor to safety. Finding a little alcove in the rock the smaller bot tucked the severely damaged leader into the safety of the little shelter. It seemed, once settled, that Prime was able to begin to rest; so Smokescreen found a boulder to sit on as he kept watch for both possible discovery from Decepticons, as well as any downturn in his friend.

He had not really seen heavy battle, but Smokescreen had come across a body or two in his time. The images of those unfortunate Cybertronians were forever saved in his data-banks and unfortunately the mech before him looked even worse than he could ever recall a Cybertronian corpse being. That thought alone sent a chill through his frame.

In the time Smokescreen sat watch, the Elite Guardsman knew that he would have to make a few runs up to the surface to check on both the Decepticons' sweep of the base's ruins and for anything that he could use to at least keep Optimus alive until he could find Ratchet. Though never have been trained in the medicinal arts Smokescreen had basic field first aid training and knew that he had better act quickly or risk losing the last Prime.

[Location: In the ruins of the Autobot base]

Megatron paced as he waited as patiently as he could for his workers to uncover anything of worth in the decimated ruins that the Autobots once called home. The Decepticon leader was quite upset over watching as at least three Autobots had escaped from his troops, Autobots that had not been inside the base at the time. He had watched as his troops failed in their mission, quite a few downed by an all too familiar sniper's pattern. Elita-One, or Ellan Greer as Cylas gladly told them in an attempt to save his life, had been hiding for too long and apparently had come out of hiding to play. She still needed to pay for her attempt to take his life as she took the artifact from him.

"Find me their bodies!" Megatron's bellow echoed around the rocks.

Starscream, having returned to his master's side once the humans had retreated, winced at just the anger in Megatron's tone alone. The drones had been working all night and had yet turned up even a limb of any casualty that had been caught in the blast. "Work faster!" he yelled at a group that were nearby, sending the drones into a flurry.

Behind the pair a group of four drones were working together to pull something shining out of a pile of twisted girders. At hearing their chatter, Megatron turned to observe them. His eyes went wide as he saw the prize they pulled free and gave a mighty leap over to them. Swatting two of the drones out of the way he stared down at their bounty. "The Forge of Solus Prime?" It did not take the Decepticon dictator long to figure out exactly how Optimus had gotten his hands on it and how he had utilized it to his advantage. If Dreadwing's spark had not already been obliterated, it would have been at that moment. "You managed to find this and have yet to bring me even a single bolt from an Autobot?!"

When Starscream attempted to get his master's attention to show what else, or at least who else, had been found he backed away a bit as Megatron growled in frustration. Apparently having Airachnid in a stasis hold would not appease the tyrant.

"They fled using their ground bridge," Megatron grumbled out as he began to stomp away from the ruins. "Have Soundwave monitor all forms of communications, including the human's networks. I want the Autobots found now!"

Author's Note: I do not own this show.

I can guess the possibly two things that you are thinking.

1: Why the heck has it taken so long for you to update this? Season 3 is halfway over and you've been gone too long!

2: There's quite a bit of this that doesn't flow like your own writing K.G.. What gives?

The answer to both questions is this: I am working some with my husband TechMECHs on this one which is why the writing style is different in some areas plus flu and that's why it has taken so long. Thanks for being patient with us and we'll get some more posted hopefully soon.

Also, has anyone seen Anonymous Beast Wars Fan Girl recently? I'm getting worried.