Viper saw that slowly the remaining Cassetticons were starting to close in on him and his last team mate Road Rage. As much as he hated to do it, he wasn't in Autobot territory and would have to call it off. He hit his communicator.
"Rage, pull out. We've got to get the team to CR, if you can pull some of the downed Cassetticons it could possible give us some information."
"There aren't that many left, we can take them! I don't want to leave here like this. Two of them are pipsqueak cassettes for Primus sake!" He nearly shouted in his comlink. He was following Ravage; something down in the pit of his spark told him that where Ravage had gone he would find their objective.
"Rage." Viper tried to keep his anger in check. "I gave you an order; you don't know them like I do. We have to get our teammates out now or we won't get out at all!" Viper's temper nearly got the best of him as he yelled the last few words. He walked under a tree trunk, finding Rumble's form next to that of Turncoat. He lifted the small form and carefully forced it to transform into its smaller cassette mode, something he had learned from Payne. Viper then hauled up Turncoat's frame and headed back to his ship.
Disgusted Rage honed in on Brimstone's beacon, he was the closest one. Walking through the swamp irritated him farther, as his feet began to feel like they were getting sucked into the brown tinted water. His mind planned revenge. He wanted all the Cassetticons not just stasis locked but painfully deactivated permanently. Sure he would manage to take his team home, sure he would pick up a Cassetticon if he could, though if he thought they didn't need the data he'd extinguish the spark right then and there.
Frenzy slid around the front of the ship, he knew no one was there; he had to place the tracking device. Laserbeak had already told him that the two Autobots were pulling out, and they had Rumble. There was no way he was going to let them take his twin without going after them. He entered the door, and opened the first side panel he found. Cautiously he inserted one of the tracking units Soundwave had given him into the circuits. That done he replaced the panel and headed out to Ravage, he helped his feline brother take their down commander to their base.
Laserbeak had located Sythonic and Syphonic, and had led Valclaron to get them. He was looking for Soundwave himself when he had found them. Once Valclaron had picked them both up and was en route to base, Laserbeak flew back up and set his sensors back on Soundwave heading straight for his location.
Viper headed up the ships ramp and instantly for the small medical area. He had six CR chambers on board so some would have to wait, but it had to be done. He put in Turncoat and closed the chamber door. He looked at the small cassette in his hand, if Rumble's self repair systems brought him back online he knew there would be trouble. He proceeded to the holding cell that had been meant for Thundertron and reworked the grid on the entry to a solid plate; there would be no slipping though the bars for this one.
Finally Road Rage found Brimstone; he lifted his fallen comrade and headed for the next beacon. This one was only around the corner and no ridiculous swamp to stomp through. He found Peacemaker and pulled him along. He knew Viper had to have some sort of plan, he and his team leader had worked together for sometime and even when the great Optimus Prime called retreat Viper was the last to give in. The options started to go through his processor as he walked. He even started questioning which option he would choose over which he thought Viper would prefer.
In no time he was at the ship's entrance with Viper coming out to assist him. Brimstone had already started to come around his light blue optics fluttering in pain.
"I couldn't do it." he whispered.
Viper ignored him lifting him from Road Rage, and taking him to the CR.
"I have Turncoat, and I picked up Rumble too." Viper stated.
Road Rage was still angry at the situation he only let out a grunt as he put Peacemaker into the CR next to Brimstone.
Viper knew Rage wouldn't be happy, but it couldn't be helped. "I'll get Ultra Magnus next." Again Rage grunted then he nodded, his more slender frame was built for speed and wouldn't be able to handle the weight of the larger mech. "Squal and Sephorath should be near one another, and if you see Payne…"
"Yeah yeah alright, I get the picture." Road Rage stomped off in Sephorath's direction. There were trails in the brush that had shown which way each had taken; it only took a little look at the beacon to tell him which path to take.
Near the DSA base, Valclaron was met by Datamatrix whom instantly took Syphonic from him, and headed into the base.
"Who did this?" Data insisted. His question went unanswered. "I demand to know!" he yelled setting his sister into the open CR. A small metallic clink caught his attention. He leaned down into the chamber and picked up Payne. Disgusted he nearly crushed the smaller Autobot in his grasp. Valclaron put his hand on Datamatrix's for arm his optics narrowed to paper think slits, as she shook his head in a negative manor. In return Data glared back at him, and then took off to a holding cell he would let Soundwave decide what would be done with the youngest of Soundwave's children. He tossed the little Autobot into the back of the cell then followed Valclaron back out.
"Where is my bother?" Data asked. Valclaron only shook his head. Data knew something wasn't right when he had noticed Soundwave not at his post. He kept up with the long strides that Valclaron took out into the swamp. Instantly he received incoming transmission from Laserbeak and the coordinates of Soundwave, as well as Star Raider. They passed Frenzy and Ravage to which Valclaron picked up Thundertron and started back to the CR. Coming to Soundwave's chassis Datamatrix could only shook his head. He lifted his brother and headed back to base, though they had a rivalry he hated to see anything happen to him.
Viper took the helm of his ship and prepared to take off. He was exhausted; his energon level though would sustain him till he could make it back to the Earth base. There he would find other members of the Suicide Squad to reorganize his mission and he could recover as well. He was still irritated with the fact of leaving Payne; he wasn't sure what the Decepticons would do to him, his past association with Soundwave in general lead Viper to believe that it might already be too late. He locked in the coordinates and lifted off as Road Rage sat in the co-pilots seat.
"We'll get Payne back" Viper voiced.
"If anything happens to him I'll get the sorry 'Con myself." Road Rage answered slamming his fist into the arm of the chair.
Datamatrix waited as the door opened and Soundwave stepped out of the CR. "What happened?" He demanded again.
"Defense over taken."
"No slag! Rumble taken, Buzzsaw taken, and hey guess what SUSTIAN IS GONE!" He mocked starting to pace he wasn't accustomed to telling his older brother seriously that he messed up. Soundwave looked down and Frenzy who stood next to Data looking desolately at the ground.
Soundwave said nothing and read the report that Data had handed him. Yes he was missing two of his own cassettes, and Sustain. But it indicated that they were after Thundertron, who had not come out of the CR yet. He looked down at Frenzy again. The little cassette perked up.
"I planted it." He said.
Soundwave nodded, and then headed to the communications room and his usual post.
"What?? Come on!! I go out and haul your sorry aft in here and you just take off!?!?" Data followed on his brother's heals.
"Cassettes must be recovered."
"Hell Yeah!"
Soundwave transformed onto the communications console plugging himself in as he did. Datamatrix manned the controls as Soundwave fed he computer he signal to look for.
"Found it!" Data exclaimed as Soundwave transformed again.
Thundertron walked in to the room brooding and heated with anger. "Now it's our turn to strike."
Soundwave nodded and pressed his shoulder button. "Frenzy return." The little 'Con hopped and transform landing within Soundwave.
"I am coming too." Data started to the door.
"No. You're needed here." Soundwave answered. Data scowled.
Thundertron stalked off not waiting for what was left of his team to follow.
Viper exhaled, his ship touched down at the Suicide Squad base. He had radioed a head and members of Phasewing's Warhawks including Phasewing herself were waiting to help get the damaged Autobots to CR.
"What happened?" She asked Viper who still sat at the ship's helm.
Viper only tilted his head in her direction. "It was him and those cassettes, I mean I knew it was going to be rough to start, but Ravage ..." He paused a moment rethinking all that happened. "I underestimated that cat." He twisted the chair so he sat face to face with her. "As planned it was twelve to twelve, Gemini had knocked out a few on his own but that was when that cat came into it. I let it get down to Rage and I and called it off."
Phasewing was surprised it wasn't like Viper to want to call anything off. "Most of your team is healed now. We've traced Payne's signal. The Decepticons most definitely have him."
"I knew I shouldn't have taken him. He insisted though." Viper suddenly sat up. "We did get Rumble, Buzzsaw and Sustain." He got up from his chair and headed to the holding cell.
"Its 'bout time!" Rumble's voice piped up. "I was wonderin' when you lazy 'Bots were gonna get round to rememberin' we 're down here." It was obvious Rumble was in no shape to fight or much else. Still he kept the attitude he was commonly known for.
"Shut up." Viper said calmly. "What will they do with Payne?"
"HA! That little sucka? He ain't worth the effort!" Rumble stood definently despite the energon that flowed from an open wound in his side. Buzzsaw had not regained consciousness, but Sustain sat near the back corner just watching.
"That's enough." Viper walked away. Phasewing stood and looked a while longer, and then caught up.
"What are you going to do with them?" She asked.
"I donno, if we keep them here Soundwave will come looking for them. Windracer is the only one with a place outside of here." He activated his comlink. "Windracer come in."
Windracer's comlink buzzed to life. "Uh yeah, Windracer here."
Viper let it linger a second. "Windracer, I really need a favor." Viper explained the situation then waited for her reply. "Whoa, you think Soundwave is going to head up here? Okay, I'll take them. I'll alert my team to a possible attack as well."
"Good good. As soon as I do some work here Rage and I'll be up there to lend a hand." Viper nodded to Phasewing.
"Understood, we could use a few good bots. Windracer out." She closed the link.
"Rage will like that. I know he wants to get even."
Phasewing nodded. "It's all he's talked about."
"Yeah I figured." The two Autobots walked together heading for the base medical facility.
Windracer contacted. Aquila and told her to prepare for a pick up. Meeting her teammate at the cave mouth Windracer transformed in to her Dragon mode then leapt off the cliff taking flight. A moment later Aquila joined her.
"I've told Raider to prepare a place to put them, I know that Rumble and Buzzsaw can be sneaky little things, we're going to have to watch them suspiciously. Viper also told me that Payne could be with the Decepticons if they come.
The Eagle sighed in acknowledgement. "We don't normally have visitors. It will be different we aren't used to the home field advantage."
"Do not underestimate them what they lack in brute strength they make up in processor cortex." Windracer said.
"And I intend to make them use every single bit of that processor." The large Eagle flapped her wings twice then glided next to Windracer soundlessly.
They flew across the ocean riding the air currents and touched down near the forest line before the Suicide Squads base transforming to there robot modes. Viper and Phasewing were waiting.
In each hand Viper held a cassette, one blue one gold there were in their small Cassette mode blinded by an energy ring. "The rings will keep them in Cassette mode." He said handing them to Windracer. "They won't last long though." He looked to Phase how held a third cassette, a green one, out to Aquila. (currently adding here)
"There is something different about this one." She slid the cassette into Aquila's hand.
"Why?" Windracer asked looking it over.
"I can't be sure." Phasewing took a second to think back to the female cassette's posture. "I don't think she has been caught before. She seemed distant."
Windracer's optic brow rose. "New to battle huh?"
"I know she has some experience, but not with such close contact with us Autobots." Phasewing decided.
"We'll keep a close optic on them all." Aquila added.
"Alright, I have the sensors on here for anything Decepticon, I suspect Soundwave will want them back as soon as he can get them."
"Indeed, I have made preparations." Windracer assured. With that Windracer spread her white wings and floated up in to the air transforming back in to her Dragon mode, Aquila waited a little longer.
"Those Decepticons haven't a clue what they are in for if they come out there." She smiled, then transformed herself and headed back to Hero Stronghold.
Raider stood at the entrance to the holding area making the last adjustments to the holding fields as Windracer and Aquila entered.
"Everything is ready." Raider looked down on them seeing the small cassettes. "Wow, they really are small in that mode."
"Yeah, and I am guessing that Soundwave's mass shift will shrink them even more." Aurora added.
Windracer placed the two cassettes on the floor in the first cell removing the energon bond. She stepped out and back as the two transformed, she activated the energy barrier.
Rumble looked around after getting to his feet. "Whoa? Where are we now?" He came closer to the door and peered out at the Autobots. "Pppffffiitt more Autobots, it ain't gonna matter when the rest of my team gets here." He scoffed again then sat back in the cell, Buzzsaw hopping over to join him.
Aquila set Sustain down and she transformed as well. The Decepticon looked around puzzled then sleeked back against the wall.
"Common, we have to be ready incase the do come to claim them." Windracer lead her crew out and back to the control room.
The small cloaked Decepticon ship neared Earth's orbit. Soundwave calculated the area where the signal came from then, Rumble's signal itself. Somewhere along the lines they had been separated and now the ship didn't matter. He fed the coordinates in and then titled the ship going in to land on a small island. As they approached the island the sensors swept over it. The focal point was a large mountain, though not a volcano, the area was obviously no longer geographically active, on its East side laid a cliff face with a large dark cave opening, where at the bottom there was a number of sharp rough rocks, to the trained operative it was obvious it was used for these with flight capabilities. Down the north side laid a lush green meadow that stopped just short of a fresh water lake fed by a natural spring. The island as a whole looked uninhabited and pristine. It didn't fool Soundwave's sensors the mountain itself was where he had tracked Rumble to and within the structure it was a fully operational Autobot base. There would really be no way to land without setting some sort of alarm off.
Special thanks to Traxs for Road Rage and Viper, as well as to Windracer, for Windracer, Aquila, Aurora, and Raider. Thanks also to Phasewing, for her Phasewing.