A/N: Hee-eey! So... I know I'm later than I said I'd be, but a week late isn't too bad, right? *nervous chuckle* Anyway, please enjoy the latest chapter of Hardened Sparks. Please review, and, as always, I welcome feedback and constructive criticism.
The 'Con was faster than his size suggested. Strongarm barely got out of the way before he barreled into her and Sideswipe.
"Protoblaster!" She barked at the weapon in her hand. The Decepticon Hunter hummed as it formed the specified weapon. She whirled to take aim, only to be swatted aside by a giant fist. She slammed against a nearby tree, the bark cracking under her weight.
"Autobots!" The Decepticon spat as he swatted Sideswipe aside in a similar manner. "Always meddling in the affairs of your superiors! You will pay for your insolence!"
"Yeah? Put it on our tab!" Sideswipe retorted, drawing his katana. The fugitive parried his attacks, but Sideswipe managed to avoid his blows as well. The punk was fast, Strongarm had to give him that. She scrambled for her weapon, which fortunately hadn't fallen too far when she was thrown. She seized it and let loose a barrage of energy bolts. They hit the 'Con in an explosion of blue sparks, one after the other.
The 'Con snarled at the assault. As Sideswipe lunged again, he caught the mech's arm and threw him through the air like a giant metal discus. The noise of his crash-landing made Strongarm wince. The Decepticon then turned to her, teeth bared to reveal saber-like fangs.
"Insect!" he roared, leaping at her. She was ready this time, however—a timely tuck-and-roll left the mech soaring over her. She swung around and peppered his back with several more shots before he managed to turn around.
Then, suddenly, something dark swished across the ground at the Con's feet. In a flash, Strongarm's legs were swept out from under her. She hit the grunt with a grunt.
What the-?! Her train of thought derailed as a gargantuan paw planted itself on her chest plates. The sun was blocked out as the 'Con bent over her. Against the light, his form was reduced to a black silhouette with two burning yellow lights set in his dark face. It was then that Strongarm noticed another shape behind the 'Con: a segmented tail with a bulbous stinger on the end, poised behind him like a snake about to strike. How had she not seen that before?! Idiot!
The Decepticon growled softly as he ground her further into the ground.
"Normally, I would not hesitate to rip out your spark," he said in a low, rumbling voice whose softness belied its words. "But I have a use for you."
He twisted his pinned wings so that the metal clamp was visible. "Remove this—atrocity—from my back, and I may deign to spare you.
"I don't' make deals with criminals." Strongarm snapped. The 'Con responded by pushing down harder. Her chassis felt like it was about to crack.
"I am no criminal," the Decepticon whispered. He bent closer, amber optics boring into hers. "One cannot break the law when one is above it. I am superior to you machine-formers; your rules have no sway over me."
His tail curled over his shoulder. A bead of liquid welled at the tip, where it quivered ominously above Strongarm's face.
"You, unfortunately, will not live to see my reign."
Panic rising in her spark, Strongarm fought to get out from under his pede. She might as well be pushing against a mountain. The tail pulled back, tensing before it struck—
A large rock bounced off the Decepticon's helm. It only made him hesitate for a second, but that was all the time Sideswipe needed. In a red blur, he pounced on the 'Con's tail and jabbed his katana between the armored segments.
The 'Con let out a bellow that nearly blew Strongarm's audio circuits. He jerked back, and Strongarm seized the opportunity to roll out from under the criminal's pede. The 'Con whirled in circles trying to catch the mech clinging to his appendage. The sight would've been comical if not for the urgency of the situation.
"Sideswipe, fall back! He's too strong!" Strongarm ordered, running for her fallen weapon.
"No! I can take him!" The mech yelled from his perch.
"Listen, you idiot—"
"ENOUGH!" The 'Con, tired of the game, swung his tail against the ground. The blow raised a dust cloud and knocked the wind out of Sideswipe. The 'Con wrenched his tail out of the stunned mech's grip and, to Strongarm's horror, plunged it down toward his chestplates.
Sideswipe's quick reflexes saved his life—if the stinger had entered his spark chamber, there's no knowing how much damage it might have caused. As it was, it pierced his arm, which he'd thrown up to block the attack. Judging from the agonized cry he let out a moment later, that was bad enough. The 'Con disengaged the stinger with a flick of his tail and gave the youngling a savage kick in the side. Then he turned to Strongarm.
Strongarm aimed her protoblaster. A pessimistic voice in her head insisted that it was fruitless. He's too strong! You can't beat him!
Shut up! She ordered the voice, but her hands still quivered. The 'Con tensed to spring. A primal roar rang through the trees.
Which caused both Strongarm and the fugitive to pause, because the roar hadn't come from the 'Con.
Strongarm whirled around to face the source of the roar. She then wisely got out of the way as Grimlock came barreling through the trees. The Dinobot tackled the massive Decepticon before he could even blink. They rolled on the ground in a flurry of teeth and claws, their combined snarls making the ground shake.
Bumblebee followed Grimlock into the clearing, with Knockout close behind him. His optics swept over the scene, taking in the situation.
"Knockout, Strongarm, get Sideswipe out of here; Grimlock and I will take care of the fugitive!" Bumblebee barked before plunging into the fray. Knockout had already hurried to Sideswipe without waiting for the order. The red mech was curled on his side, cradling his arm. Strongarm followed the medic, kneeling next to him at the youngling's side.
"Sideswipe! Talk to me!"
"I'm…sick…of getting stung…" Sideswipe hissed through clenched teeth.
"Hang on, Sides, you'll be all right." Knockout assured him softly as he scanned the mech. Satisfied that he was safe to move, the medic hoisted Sideswipe over his shoulders in a battlefield carry. He glanced at Strongarm as he made to leave. "Sweetspark, if you're functional, get moving. It's not safe here."
Strongarm bit back a retort about the nickname and followed the medic back toward the road. She could chew him out about the nickname later. Right now, he was correct; this area was most definitely not safe.
The already-abused forest now looked like a war zone, thanks to the two giant beast-formers. Bumblebee ducked as Grimlock's tail soared over his head. He stayed low to the ground as he watched for a clear shot at the battling 'Con. Whenever he saw an opening through the flailing limbs, he fired. The shots distracted the fugitive enough for Grimlock to get in a few good punches, but, to Bee's frustration, that was all they were doing. Not that he was surprised. He'd known this would be a tough fight as soon as Fix-it had ID-ed their target. This 'Con was a type of Cybertronian infamous for their strength and sheer ferocity. A creature he hadn't encountered since the defeat of Unicron—and the loss of Optimus…
As the memories flooded his mind, Bee hesitated. For a split second, the images of the past distracted him from the present. As is the way of the universe, the Decepticon chose that moment to throw Grimlock off. In the moment it took Bumblebee to refocus, ten tons of metal dinosaur came flying towards him.
Bee made a desperate leap for safety, but Grimlock's tail managed to clip him anyway. His gun flew out his hands, striking against the ground. As it hit, it fired; the wild shot flared across the clearing, ricocheted off a moss-covered rock—and hit the 'Con square between the shoulders.
The 'Con froze, and for a second Bumblebee thought the blast had actually stunned him. But his hope turned the horror as the Decepticon shook his wings and something large and silver fell to the ground.
The shot had broken the clamp.
The bestial 'Con spread his wings wide, his expression becoming one of pure ecstasy. He fell to his knees, transforming as he went. His form changed to one of a bizarre-looking creature with the head and body of a lion. The segmented tail melded smoothly into his spine struts, and the wings stretched twice the length of his body. Pinned beneath Grimlock's tail, Bee watched the 'Con leap into the sky. The sound of leathery wings flapping blended with his triumphant roar as he flew beyond their reach:
"FREEDOM!"
"Get back here, you giant turkey! We ain't done yet!" Grimlock scrambled to get up, but Bumblebee stopped him with a gesture of his hand.
"It's too late, Grim. We'll have to track him with the Alchemor's scanners." Bumblebee shoved Grimlock's tail off of him and got to his feet. They couldn't catch the fugitive while he was in the air. His prisoner badge was still active; they could keep track of his location and be ready for him when he landed. Right now, they had other priorities.
Strongarm and Sideswipe were just outside the forest. Sideswipe was propped up against a boulder as Knockout examined his arm. Strongarm sat beside him, absentmindedly rubbing one of several new dents on her frame. She looked exhausted, but she jumped to her feet as soon as she saw Bumblebee. "Sir! The fugitive—"
"Escaped. But that's not important right now; are you two all right?"
"Peachy," Sideswipe muttered, wincing as Knockout touched the hole where the stinger had entered.
"He'll live, once I get the venom cleaned out of his circuits," Knockout clarified, not looking up from his examination. "I can turn off his pain receptors for now, but he won't be driving back to the ship in this condition. Sweetspark here—" Knockout nodded to Strongarm, "—has a few dents that need looking at, but her self-repair systems should have her ship-shape in a few days."
Strongarm glared daggers at the medic before turning to Bumblebee, her expression melting into one of pleading apology.
"I'm so sorry, sir! This is my fault; I should have guessed that he had enhanced senses, or we should have observed from further away, or—"
"Strongarm, listen," Bee interrupted, grabbing her by the shoulders. "This was not your fault. The prisoner was out of your league. If anyone's to blame, I am—I sent you to check out the signal in the first place."
"Now that we've established that, can we get back to base? I have damaged bots to take care of." Knockout stood up and brushed off his hands. "Grimlock, can you carry Sideswipe down the mountain? He'll need to ride on your trailer on the way back."
Grimlock obligingly scooped Sideswipe into his arms, despite the youngling's loud protests that he could walk. He started down the mountain with Strongarm close behind, her ire somewhat mollified by Sideswipe's humiliation. Bee started to follow his team, but a hand grabbed his shoulder.
"Bumblebee—"
The sudden hostility in Knockout's voice took Bumblebee off guard. That tone was generally reserved for people who scratched the medic's finish. That better not be what he'd angry about, Bumblebee thought with an internal sigh. He turned to face the medic. "Look, Knockout, if your paint got messed up—"
He was cut off by Knockout's fist connecting with his jaw. Bee stumbled back. He gaped at the medic in shock. The previously calm mech now looked murderous as he stared Bumblebee down.
"A Predacon." Knockout growled, fist still raised. "You sent inexperienced younglings after a slagging Predacon! They could have been offlined! If we'd been a minute later, it would've been too late. What were you thinking?!"
Bee was dumbstruck. He wasn't sure which had thrown him more, the punch or the fact that Knockout had been the one to deliver it. He'd expect this kind of reaction from Arcee, or Ratchet—but from Knockout? What had gotten into the medic?
"I didn't know the signal belonged to a Predacon," Bumblebee defended himself. "If I had, I'd never have sent them here alone."
"You shouldn't have sent them here at all! Just because you spent your childhood fighting a war doesn't mean they have to!"
Bumblebee's mouth hardened into a thin line. "I don't want them fighting a war, Knockout." He said in a deadly calm voice. "I didn't want them to be here in the first place; I told them both to stay on Cybertron when I came here, but, surprise, they didn't listen! I didn't want them getting involved in a fight, but they're here now whether I like it or not, so I might as well make use of them.
"Besides, they might be inexperienced, but they aren't helpless. Strongarm is one of Kaon's most promising police cadets, and Sideswipe, for all his faults, is a capable warrior when he wants to be."
"Maybe so," Knockout muttered, "but that wasn't enough for him today. What if the venom had been fatal instead of just painful? Sides could be dead right now."
"But he's not; a fact for which we should be grateful." Bumblebee fixed the medic with his best "authority" look. "You said you wanted to keep my team functional. If you're so concerned about their health, why don't you go treat their injuries now and yell at me later?"
Knockout scowled, but to Bumblebee's surprise, he started down the mountain without further argument. Bumblebee stayed where he was, still bewildered by Knockout's response. He rubbed his sore jaw. Never, in all his time with the Autobots, had he seen the medic act that concerned about someone other than himself. Why the sudden worry over the younglings?
Wait a second, Bumblebee thought as something Knockout had said sank in. Since when does he call Sideswipe 'Sides?'