Hey all! Sooo sorry for he late chapter but college has been a butt. ALSO! I accidentally wrote soundwave last chapter instead of Shockwave, my bad. It's now fixed so yeah, shockwave, not soundwave :)
Shout Outs!:
Aloris2.0 the great
Nope, totally cool. thanks
Cashagon
Thanks for pointing that out, totally missed it when i proof read :( :)
Enjoy this chapter!
A Space Bridge opened seconds after the transmission ended, Optimus and strangely Galvatron leading the charge. On the other side Ultra Magnus was the first to greet them, greeting them by relaying the events that transpired in more detail as fast and as logically as possible. Aliena placed a servo on Optimus' shoulder pad, "I'll get Predaking, where are Silverbolt and the others at?"
"The outskirts of Klaksis among the caverns. I'll send you their exact coordinates."
She nodded before running out.
Galvatron turned to Optimus, "Let me take a few Autobots there, try and distract Shockwave while Aliena fetches Predaking."
Optimus thought for a minute before asking Ultra Magnus, "Do you have an estimate on Shockwave's numbers?"
He shook his head, "Not a definite. We know of the Predacon, maybe a few grounders, but none past that."
Optimus turned to Galvatron, "Take Fireflight and Slingshot for air recon but do not engage, we do not know the condition of the Aerialbots' shelter."
Galvatron frowned but nodded, leaving to fulfill his orders.
The council watched him go with silent disapproval, waiting until he left to voice their concerns, Avalon being the first, "Is it wise to let him fight?"
Bee sighed and mumbled quietly, although the mech's sharp hearing picked up on it anyway, "You'd have him offlined if you guys got your way."
Avalon scowled, "And for good reason."
Optimus cut in with a disapproving glance at both Bee and Avalon, "Now is not the time for such arguments, they can be settled later, if they will ever truly be settled. For the moment we must trust that Galvatron will hold true to his words, which he will. A deceiver he has been and still may be, but he holds close his honor which is what will be at stake should he go back on his word."
The council conceded for the moment, knowing the truth in the Prime's words, at least until a more appropriate time to debate it further.
Aliena flew into Darkmount and scanned the skies for Predaking, spotting him flying in from the east. Too impatient to wait for him she flew out to meet him halfway. The Predacon landed quickly, slightly surprised at her impatience, "Aliena, what has-?"
"Shockwave, he and the Predacon that was missing from the lab just attacked the Aerialbots."
His optics widened slightly before growling, "I will tear out his spark. Take me to them."
She nodded and transformed, flying as fast as Predaking could. "Aliena to Iacon, do you have an exact location yet?"
Arcee answered her, "Twenty klicks southwest of Klaksis, Galvatron said you'll see a large scorch mark on the ground. Their just west of that."
"Thanks Arcee, where's Knockout?"
There was a surprised beat before she answered, "Getting a med bay prepared, why?"
"I'm stopping by to get him, Silverbolt may need more than a basic field patch to get him far enough away to safely open a Ground Bridge."
"I'll tell him to be ready."
The com ended and she relayed their position to Predaking, "I'll meet you there, need to pick up someone first."
She pealed left for Iacon, leaving Predaking on his own.
Breaking into mock speeds to reach Iacon sooner, she and landed none too gracefully outside the medical bay where Knockout was waiting. "Are you sure we won't be able to bring him in via Ground Bridge?"
She jerked her helm towards the emergency Ground Bridge, "Not taking the chance."
Knockout sighed and activated the Ground Bridge, leaving assistant to work it. As soon as they were through the glowing blue/green vortex Knockout immediately wished he'd waited 'til that afternoon to polish his plating.
Aliena scanned the battle field in shock, it seemed that there were many more returned Cybertronians that they hadn't known about, all of which looked to be Decepticons. There had to have been at least a dozen, she couldn't accurately tell due to so many bots and cons running around, firing and dodging. Several stray, and not so stray, bolts and lasers shot towards her and Knockout.
Knockout yelped, seeing them coming at him with no time to move other than raise his servos and arms to protect his helm. Aliena quickly threw up a shield around them, absorbing the shots, before shooting back after gaining cover. "Is this what it was like during the war on Cybertron?" She asked, almost shouting to be heard over the din of the battle.
Knockout shrugged, staying low to avoid the bolts, "More or less."
Aliena growled, popping up over the incline just enough to shoot at the cons pinning them down, taking that second to also scan their surroundings—spark sinking as the cave where the Aerialbots were hunkered down in was just far enough across the slight clearing to be great targets. Air Raid popped around the cave's corner quickly and shot at a con approaching them, nicking him in the side.
"We need cover."
Knockout raised an optic ridge, "Really? You don't say? A bot could lose more than a nice finish out here."
"Really?"
Knockout glared at her, "You're the one that brought me out here!"
"And I'm starting to regret that." She mumbled.
The earth rattled and the air rang with a piercing screech of an enraged Predacon. Aliena and Knockout both poked an optic over the incline to briefly seen Predaking attack another Predacon, landing on top of him before being thrown off and tackled himself, ending up on the bottom then releasing a stream of white hot fire and gaining the upper hand again. Their attacks went back and forth, neither getting a definite upper hand.
"On three, run towards the Aerialbots' shelter."
"Are you crazy?!" Knockout hissed, "That has to be at least a hundred yard gap between them and us! We'll be sitting ducks!"
She smirked, although he didn't see it as her back was to him, "Glad to know you keep up on Earth's humor."
"It can be mildly entertaining, but again, you're insane!"
"Ye-up." She said curtly, "Good thing I can make a temporary shield." Her optics darted across the opening again hissed, grabbing Knockout's arm, "Three!"
He yelped again as he was suddenly drug out into the open and forced to run with the insane femme for dear life, crying out in fear every time a bright light impacted with the invisible energy shield—lighting up a section of it whenever a bolt impacted. Seconds later they dove into the cave and Knockout laid there for a moment to let his intakes return to a healthy rate again before angrily snapping, "What happened to the countdown!?"
"One, two?" She shrugged, "They paused for a moment so it was the best time to go."
Knockout sputtered, "It didn't seem like that to me!"
Aliena stood, "Only about half of them were focused on us."
"Only half she says. Remind me never to trust you."
Aliena looked at him blankly, "You ever did?"
"Enough to think that you weren't suicidal."
"But I'm not, we survived."
Knockout grumbled, dusting himself off, and turned to Air Raid who was preoccupied keeping the cons out firing range on the cave. However, needing to ask where Silverbolt was at was unnecessary as the cave was just deep enough to drag them all safely inside.
Skydive knelt next to Silverbolt, putting pressure over a large laceration on his chest. Knockout frowned at the mess but immediately went to work. Ten minutes later he patched him up enough to safely move him. "Aliena, I've got Silverbolt temporarily stabilized, but we still can't open a Ground Bridge in here!"
Aliena shot at a few cons attempting to get too close, "Got it!" She glanced around the battle field before coming Optimus, "Optimus? Optimus, can you hear me?"
*I am here-* she could hear blasters and explosions through his end of the com link and could only assume that he was here too, somewhere.
"Knockout's got Silverbolt stabilized but we still can't open a Bridge and we're pinned down. If you could spare some air support or something it would be greatly appreciated."
*Understood.*
"Well?" Air Raid asked.
"Backup 'll be comin' soon!" She shouted while shooting around the corner again.
Moments later several powerful blaster shots from overhead cut off the ensuing assault. Galvatron shot into view, drawing many of their attackers' attention.
She turned to the bots, "Alright, we have temporary cover, we need to move, now."
Knockout and Air Raid grabbed Silverbolt, Skydive nursing his own arm and leg. They left the cave in the momentary pause of fire and making their way back to the alcove that Knockout and Aliena had used previously. A Ground Bridge reopened at the original coordinates and Knockout gawked at the distance, "They couldn't have opened it any closer."
Aliena proved extra cover fire as they made their way painstakingly slow across the sparse ground.
Knockout, Air Raid and Silverbolt were just about to the Ground Bridge when a blaster whined and Air Raid fell to the ground with a cry of pain. Aliena whirled around to see Shockwave running at them, blaster prepared to fire again. Quickly, she threw up a shield around them all and absorbed the shot but breaking the shield immediately due to the strain of it being so large. It collapsed with a small shockwave making Knockout and Skydive stumble while Aliena fell to her knees.
Her arms switched to blades and shouted, "Get the Aerialbot's through!"
Air Raid groaned but helped Skydive grab the now unconscious Silverbolt, Knockout halfway carrying both Air Raid and Silverbolt.
Shockwave swung his blaster arm like a club at Aliena, forcing her to dodge the swing before retaliating and nicking the cord that powered his blaster, although not severing it. His attention now fully on her forced her to dodge several rapid fire shots. She didn't realize that in the process she had left a clear path to the bots. Shockwave averted his gun just long enough to take a quick but precise shot.
Knockout cried out, gripping his side as he fell away from the Ground Bridge.
Aliena hit Shockwave with a subsonic, causing him to stumble. She ran over to Knockout who was curled up, "Knockout?"
He groaned and blearily opened an optic. She looked down at his wound and saw that he was hit from behind on the left side, a large and raged gash ripping through him.
"Scrap, Knockout, can you stand?"
He trembled as he rolled painfully to push himself up.
Movement from Aliena's side caught her attention. Without thinking she quickly threw up a shield around them, absorbing Shockwave's shot. She groaned as he kept firing, struggling to keep up the shield. "Aliena to Iacon. I need an emergency Ground Bridge, bot down."
There was a static-y reply which she couldn't make out, only catching the words Bridge and use. She quickly dropped the shield and fired an energy bolt, catching Shockwave on his left shoulder plate—burning him badly and causing his cannon to sputter. She glanced at Galvatron and saw him deeply engaged in a massive fight between the half-dozen rouge cons, certainly too busy to help her.
Hurriedly, she wrapped her arm around Knockout, slinging his left arm over her shoulders. They made it a few steps before a piercing screech split the air and something crashed into the ground only yards away from them. She dropped to her knees and threw up another shield, deflected the debris thrown their way. Once the shards of ground stopped flying she immediately hoisted Knockout up again and continued into the fog, intent on using it as cover.
Scrapping to her right made her turn to see Predaking picking himself up, a feral anger in his optics as he screeched into the sky again. She paused to follow his gaze and saw the other Predacon, one that look like another dragon, screech at Predaking before diving.
Aliena saw a cave a few yards to the west and hurriedly turned take shelter in it. An ion blast struck the metal rock near her helm and she instinctively dropped, letting go of Knockout and rolled to a kneeling position—blasters armed and ready. Shockwave stumbled out of the dust cloud, swinging at something. A red arm swung at him from the haze and Optimus slashed at Shockwave with his sword arm.
Shockwave now thoroughly distracted, she turned to Knockout and picked him up again. The ground shook as the Predacons continued their fight and she ducked into the cavern. Aliena dropped Knockout with a cry as she was thrown off her peeds by a shockwave. Glancing over her shoulder she saw the piercing orange optics of a Predacon, and not Predaking.
Its optics narrowed in on hers dangerously, a low growl rising up from its throat. Her spark jumped in terror as he opened his maw, the white fire within lighting up his chest. Her arms instantly switched to blasters and she took aim at the roof of the cave, pouring all her abilities and power into the shot. It struck the roof with enough force to shatter it, crumpling and falling to block the entrance.
Aliena flattened herself over Knockout and raised another shield as the Predacon's fire hit the metal rock, some seeping in and making the room swelter while it simultaneously melted the metal. The moments seemed to last minutes before the fire receded and she could lower the shield. Rolling off of Knockout she stared at the ceiling with heavy intakes, jumping when several thuds! hit the rapidly cooling metal.
She looked around the cavern and saw that it was a tunnel that lead farther into what must have been a hill. Eyeing the melted entrance warily she grabbed Knockout again. He groaned and clutched his side as he stumbled down the tunnel with her. Aliena sighed heavily as she practically dragged him down, retreating even farther underground as the tunnel steepened.
Finally he collapsed and she set him down carefully, hoping they were far enough in that the Predacon or Shockwave wouldn't follow. She glanced down at Knockout's wound and truly assessed it for the first time.
The shot had torn through his armor with almost sickening ease, seeming to just melt it. His systems were raw and open, a few Energon lines had been cauterized by the shot but most had either reopened from his moving and jostling or had never sealed. Already within the span of a minute a large pool of Energon lay beneath him and her servos and side were covered. Her throat constricted as a memory of Predaking flashed in her mind. She couldn't tell what other systems had been hit, but she knew that it was an utter mess and if he didn't get help soon it would be lethal.
Activating her holoform she started cauterizing his wounds and stopped the Energon loss. "Knockout,"
There was no answer.
Her holoform fizzled out and saw that his optics were dark, "No, Knockout, Knockout! Wake up! Stupid ex con, wake up! Come on, I have no idea how to even semi-fix this."
She closed her optics and took an intake and focused on supplying him with some Energon. After a minute she collapsed to the ground, exhausted—optics flickering before darkening as she entered forced recharge.
*O*O*O*O*O*
Aliena onlined her optics, confused by the darkness of the space. She pushed herself up with a groan, feeling sore everywhere, intakes deep and slow as she tried to reorient. Ragged intakes drew her attention to a still form near her and the faint light from her optics revealed Knockout. Recollection of the events that lead them there flooded her with startling force.
She took in a sharp intake as she kneeled by Knockout. She gripped his shoulder pads and shook him slightly, not enough to jar his wounds but hopefully enough to wake him. He still didn't online and Aliena fought to remain calm before turning to his wounds and attempting to seal them enough to prevent the dust and debris from entering in the wound, not sure if Cybertronians got infections the same way humans did but always better to play it safe.
After the patch work was done she focused on giving him more Energon as his levels were dangerously low. Knockout's moaning snapped her out of her work, "Knockout?"
An optic flickered online, the other following soon after along with a pained grown.
Aliena kept her face neutral as she asked, "Hey, are you waking up or just testing out your optics?"
A weak glare was her answer.
"Good." She sat by him for a minute and looked around the tunnel they were in before turning back to him, "I'm going to scout ahead a bit to try and find a way out, we can't go back the way we came in."
Knockout answered weakly, "You can't, go far…your En-Energon levels are getting low."
She quirked an optic ridge, "And how would you know that in your state?"
He looked at her unamused, "I'm a medic, there's some systems that just don't shut down. Also you movements give it away."
Aliena tightened her form and turned back to him, "Well if you have the strength to tell me something that I probably won't do then you can give me a little direction on how to properly patch you up until help arrives or we get out."
Knockout closed his optics and was quiet for a minute, running a diagnostic on himself, "You, need to seal. The filter v-valves."
She knelt down again and carefully undid one of the covering to find the filter valves. With Knockout verbally guiding her she managed to put a semi-decent patch over it resting against the back wall for a moment.
"Is there, areason 'e, can't just gobac?" Knockout asked, slurring his words as he fought forced recharge.
Aliena glanced down the tunnel, "Maybe, maybe not. I just don't want to take the chance of Shockwave still being there."
She looked over at Knockout when he didn't say anything and sighed, he'd fallen back into recharge again. Sighing, she walked into the tunnel and around the corner. The tunnel was pretty straight, as in there were no forks or branches. Every few minutes she'd try her com again, still getting nothing but static.
Optimus stood on the battle field checking over the Autobots. After Galvatron incapacitated or made the rouge Decepticons flee he'd immediately turned to help Predaking and made the Predacon retreat with Shockwave. Predaking was not happy for the help but seeing the condition of the Autobots let it slide this once—telling Galvatron as much.
Optimus glanced around the converging bots and commed Iacon, "Optimus Prime to Iacon, did the Evac team make it?"
A slightly hurried but calm femme answered, *The Aerialbots made it through but neither Aliena Prime or Knockout came with."
Optimus frowned, he'd understand if Aliena hadn't gone through. She'd be of more help on the battle field than in a medical field but Knockout? He thought back to when he'd engaged Shockwave. There's been too much dust to properly see more than a klick or so and so had barely seen Aliena run into the dust cloud for cover but couldn't remember if anyone had been with her. He started searching the bond only to find nothing there. Nothing as in the sense there was no thoughts or feelings emanating from Aliena. He knew she wasn't good at the process yet but he'd always been able to find them if he search, all he could feel now was her essence, like she was unconscious.
Predaking transformed and walked over to Optimus, "I saw her carrying Knockout into the cave nearby." He gestured to the rubble covered and melted cave mouth. "He looked gravely wounded."
Optimus stared at the blocked cave entrance for a long nanosecond, a hundred thoughts—most of which were not good—flashed through his processor before he shoved them down and spoke calmly although a silent command to act swiftly carried with it. "Any Autobot injured can return to Iacon for repairs, everyone else, we'll begin to dig out the entrance. Does anyone know these caves?"
Jazz spoke up, "I can't say I know the cave's personally, but my squad and I were trapped in several of them for a time. A good number of them wined around and come out somewhere else."
Optimus scanned the cliff the cave was buried in, hundreds of possible exists were plausible, if it exited out of the cliff at all.
Bee walked up to Optimus, "Optimus, she might not even still be there. Knowing her she'll find another way out, I can start patrolling a perimeter."
Optimus nodded and they dispersed.
Aliena paused in another underground cave, sighing in defeat when it didn't lead to an exit. The tunnel continued on for a ways but she turned her back to it to find Knockout again. She was pretty sure they'd left nice Energon trail to follow and worry still gnawed at her.
When she returned to Knockout he was still in stasis. Prodding him in the side a few times, and procuring no movement, Aliena grabbed his arm and carefully lifted him up and started carrying him down the tunnel. By the time they reached the new cave, which took almost an hour, Aliena was having a hard time staying online herself. She dropped him on the floor as carefully as one could drop someone and proceeded to sink to the floor herself. Optics offlined not a minute later.
Light scraping noises and tired grunts greeted tired audio receptors. She laid still for another minute, unwilling to move or even online her optics until something prodded her side and made her frown. A little more light invaded the void, the other source of light being Knockout's optics, which were focused on her.
Something poked her side and she hissed and glared down at her side, ready to smack away the source of pain only to stop, when she saw Knockout's less than normally graceful servos patching up a tear in her side. She glanced farther down and saw many other basic patches closing wounds slightly larger than small cuts and scrapes.
Knockout paused what he was doing and she shifted, sitting in one position for so long started kinking wiring in the wrong places. She stilled for a second to fight off a wave of blackness before kneeling to stand, only for Knockout to weakly press her down from where he sat—looking better and no longer near death but still very weak.
"Don't." He rasped hoarsely, pain lacing his voice, "You're already too low, on Energon. I'm not sure I want to know, why I still have an acceptable amount when, I was the gravely wounded one."
She smirked as she proceeded to stand, albeit shakily, "Oh just the benefits of some of my abilities."
He glared at her and she ignored him.
Something small lightly collided with her helm and she turned to see a small metallic pebble plinking to the ground then saw Knockout limply holding another one, his warning plainly written on his faceplates.
"What do you want me to do, sit here until Shockwave finds us?"
"He probably won't. Not while we have both Predaking and M-Galvatron fighting together, don't forget Optimus Prime."
"Yeah, it's kinda hard for me to forget him." Aliena snapped, fatigue and Energon loss waring on her.
Knockout dropped his glare but held a level look, "What I want if for you to save whatever you have left of your Energon and wait for Optimus and the others to get to us. You can contact him and guide him us; Primus knows how many loops and branches you took us through."
She sat down, with an annoyed sigh. Silently cursing the fact that he was right, her Energon levels were too low, she'd be knocked into forced recharge soon. "I don't know how to contact him. There's still a lot that I don't get about being Cybertronian."
Knockout frowned, "How do your carriers know then if their youngling needs something?"
She blinked before responding, "We just, tell them? Vocally."
Knockout frowned, "But what if you don't? There're plenty of things far too painful to simply just, say."
She shrugged, "I guess you either know how to read emotions or you wait till they say something."
Knockout looked down, "That sounds awful."
"We're just used to it I suppose…I'm sure there's several that'd rather prefer not having them be able to read us like an open book."
He looked at her for a long second, "I take it you were one of those."
"Yeah, I suppose so. Not like it mattered much anyway, my mom knew me too well so it really wasn't worth the effort."
"But still…" Knockout shook his helm sadly. "So your sparklings, can they really only communicate in their screams? It seems as though that would grate on the processor over time."
When she didn't respond he glanced her direction only to see her in forced recharge. He laid his helm against the wall, relenting to recharge as well.
Optimus reached out through the bond again, briefly grasping something before it slipped and she went silent again. The last of the boulders were moved enough to fit inside. Optimus was the first in, followed by Galvatron and Bee, who returned after patrolling after a couple hours and switching with someone else. Optimus and especially Galvatron had to hunch over slightly in the low tunnel.
A certain joy washed through Optimus as he was finally able to follow after his sparkmate and could only pray that the dried blue drops they were following were Knockout's alone. After a couple minutes of brisk walking they paused in a larger cavern where they had obviously stopped to rest for a bit, a larger puddle still on the ground.
Bee walked around Optimus to the other tunnel, lights from his chassis lighting the floor. The marks were light, and most would have missed them, but they lead down the tunnel and to the right of a fork. "Optimus, they're this way!"
Optimus turned immediately and started following him. Fifteen minutes later they entered another cavern within the confusing tunnel system and saw a form lying on the ground almost opposite to their entrance. Optimus was the first to recognize her outline, nearly pushing over Bumblebee in his haste.
Aliena was lying against the wall with her optics offlined and Optimus gently grabbed her but she still didn't stir, his only relief was that he could feel a faint pulse beneath her armor.
Knockout was jostled online, optics wide before he recognized Galvatron, "Oh thank Primus."
Galvatron helped him stand, practically holding him.
Bee blinked when he turned, more than slightly surprised by the scene. He fought the urge to laugh, given just how uncomfortable each was with the other's presence being so close, but the situation was unavoidable as Optimus carried a still unconscious Aliena.
Knockout said weakly, "Her Energon levels are dangerously low."
Optimus looked at him, "As are yours."
Hard was the first sensation she felt, then the realization that nothing was poking her side. Onlining her optics she looked up and saw an Energon line leading from a cube or a bag or something to a couple areas on her arm or chest plate. Her optics then trailed over to the side to find Optimus sitting there with his head on the berth.
Her laugh roused him and he smiled, relieved, "How are you feeling?"
"Better, not so doggone tired." There was silence for a moment before she muttered, "We've got to stop meeting like this."
Optimus laughed quietly and held her servo, "Yes, I agree."
She smiled before it fell, "How's Knockout and Silverbolt?"
He nodded, "Knockout will be alright, nothing too serious was done. Silverbolt will be down for longer than Knockout but nothing was irreparable."
She sighed, relieved, before laying her helm on the berth, still exhausted.
Just before recharge claimed her again, she felt a gentle kiss on her forehead.
Ok, done! Small breather. I will post another chapter in WWCWN before uploading here again because there's a few things that need to be changed for that story but it isn't much so hopefully a quicker update! Until next time, R&R!
