Skyfire directed his sensors to the ground, wanting to check on Optimus Prime and the others. So far, the place looked quiet, and the Valkyrie wished inwardly that things stayed that way. He wasn't a warrior, even if circumstances had forced him to become one.
"You alright?"
The gentle tone snapped him out of his musings and he activated the sensors inside the pilot's cabin. Faera was seated in front of the dashboard, regarding the panel in mild concern.
"Yes," he replied. "Don't worry about me."
"Okay," she replied with a nod, and she crossed her arms.
"You are tense," Skyfire noted, checking the readings his sensors sent him. "Your core pulses faster."
She raised an eyebrow; it didn't take a great mind to know she was surprised. "You really do know a lot about the race of Sadjens, don't you?"
Skyfire chuckled. "Not as much as I let on, I assure you," he replied. "I only know what the Merkeesans told me, and that isn't enough."
"I'm sure of it," Faera said. "The Merkeesans saw us as nothing more than vindictive savages."
"Hmm…" Skyfire thought about it for a few moments. "Ebon fits into that description."
Faera didn't answer. She just sighed and bowed her head. Skyfire was far from finished, though.
"However, you made me realise that Sadjens can also be loyal and protective, with a strong sense of justice," he said. "Even if it means having to turn against their own kind."
"I've done nothing different than what you had to do," Faera replied, a sad smile crossing her features. "Perceptor told me about Starscream. I'm sorry; it must have been hard for you."
He did, didn't he? "The Starscream I considered a friend is no more. Lingering in the past won't make a difference."
"No, I suppose it won't."
Her voice was soft, almost wistful, and Skyfire didn't know what to make of that. He didn't have the chance anyway, for it was then that the sound of an incoming transmission cut into their conversation.
"Yo, this is Blaster blastin' at you, Skyfire. Do you read, over?"
Faera sat up at once, and Skyfire opened his communication frequencies.
"Skyfire here. Tell me the news, Blaster."
"It's show-time. You'd better be ready for the grand openin'," the communications officer answered.
"And that means?" Faera asked curiously.
"The Decepticons are here," Skyfire replied before turning his attention to Blaster once more. "Got it, Blaster; we'll be ready. Skyfire out."
At the next moment, a loud crackling sound resonated in the pilot's cabin, almost startling the Valkyrie. When he directed his sensors back to Faera, however, he registered that she was in her beast form, her tail swaying in an agitated manner.
"We don't know if he's here," he pointed out, realising what was in the Sadjen's mind.
"He's here," Faera answer, her usual deep, feminine voice replaced by the synthesized one the chip provided. "He must be."
If Skyfire had been able to in his current state, he would have frowned. Still, there was no denying that look of certainty reflected in the yellow eyes, so he also knew that it was best he should trust her on this.
"I suppose there's only one way to find out," he said, and he activated several controls. "Hold on, this will be abrupt."
Faera followed Skyfire's suggestion and crouched, keeping her eyes closed. The Valkyrie directed his nose upwards and flew towards a large cluster of clouds so that no Decepticon would see him. The turbulence made Skyfire's whole structure shake, yet he kept his course steady.
"You alive back there?" he asked Faera once he levelled up again; she hadn't moved an inch during the whole procedure.
Faera stood up, her eyes shining with amusement. "It will take more than that to bring me down," she said. Swaying her tail once, she walked up to the control panel and checked the monitors. "We're quite high. Can Blaster still cover your energy signal?"
"It's fine," Skyfire said. "The Decepticons won't know what hit them."
"Speaking of which… I think we've just spotted them," Faera said. Indeed, about a dozen red specks appeared on the radar-screen, moving at high speed.
"And unless my sensors are way off, they're right below us." Skyfire activated a small camera and zoomed past the clouds, locking on the familiar Decepticon shapes.
"What did I tell you?" he said to Faera, smiling wryly. "There's Megatron, Soundwave, Thundercracker, Skywarp, Ramjet, Blitzwing…" he stopped midway, for it was then that he noticed something very wrong. "Strange. I don't see Starscream anywhere and yet I can pick up his energy signal."
"Maybe he's inside that one?" Faera ventured, pointing carefully with her claw at Astrotrain; the triple-changer was flying next to Thundercracker and Skywarp.
"That makes things even more curious," Skyfire said. "The Decepticons don't use Astrotrain as a means of transportation for relatively short distances. Unless…" he didn't continue as realisation caught up with him in that very moment.
"Unless they're carrying something and Starscream is guarding it," Faera completed; she knew what was it Skyfire hesitated to say. "I told you he's here."
"We had better contact Prime," Skyfire said, activating his communication frequencies.
"Wait."
Skyfire directed his sensors to Faera. "What is it?"
"Is he supposed to do that?" she asked, still keeping her eyes locked on the radar.
Skyfire returned his sensors back to the camera, seeing the same thing the Sadjen did: Astrotrain flying away from the other Decepticons and heading westward.
"I'm not sure. It can't be good though," he admitted. "Hang on; we'll find out what he's up to."
Faera nodded her understanding and crouched once more, while Skyfire activated more controls and turned westward as well.
"Megatron, sensors are inoperative. Indications of Autobot interference," Soundwave said, flying close to the Decepticon leader.
"That's weird. I don't see any Autobots," Thundercracker said, directing his visual sensors to the ground.
"Because Prime isn't foolish to leave his troops out in the open," Megatron replied, "At least not without Hound's holograms offering some protection."
"Shall I find the Auto-pest?" Skywarp asked.
"No," Megatron replied with a smirk. "Let them think we're oblivious to their presence for now. It adds flavour to our little plan."
The rest of the Decepticons didn't say anything. After all, it was wise not to question their leader's orders. Still, that didn't mean they had to like them. That seemed to be the case with Thundercracker; he wasn't flying at full speed as it was expected from someone supposedly eager for battle. That was something that didn't escape Skywarp's attention, so he slowed down and brought himself close to the blue Seeker.
- What's wrong, Thundercracker? Don't you want to pummel any Autobots? – he asked, using the Decepticon secret frequency.
- Pummel them in earnest? Yeah, I do, - Thundercracker answered. – But this is a stupid charade. –
- Heh, relax. Things could be worse, you know, - Skywarp said cheerily.
- In what way? –
If Skywarp could wink, he would do so right then and there. – You aren't with Starscream and Astrotrain, Sadjen-sitting. –
The blue Seeker groaned and sped up. "Come on, I can see the plant straight down."
Sure enough, the building itself finally became visible. Acting on cue, Megatron signalled the Decepticons to follow him, and he started flying towards the plant. Everything seemed quiet, and the building looked positively vulnerable. That is, until the sound of audio-piercing music made the Decepticons writhe in agony.
"Who in the Pit is behind this?" Blitzwing cried, trying to be heard over the electric guitars and the screams of the lead singer.
"Oh, I think I have an idea," Ramjet said, the memory of a similar situation still fresh in his databanks. "And if I get my hands on him, he's gonna wish he was never created."
Jazz watched the Decepticons from his cover near the plant with grim satisfaction. He had wanted to use his woofers for some time, a sort of payback after Megatron hit him with the fusion cannon. Though the saboteur had finally got his chance, he was also aware that he only bought some time till reinforcements arrived. It wouldn't be long before the Decepticons managed to tune down their audio receptors and land, ready to scrap the Autobot that dared try and stop them.
But, if there was something that Jazz never ran out of, was of ideas. He wasn't captain of Special Ops for nothing. So, as soon as he saw the Decepticons regaining their composure one by one, he transformed and sped off to another hiding spot within the plant. The clouds darkened everything under the moonless sky, so Jazz could easily blend in with his surroundings without being noticed. And, if the Decepticons still had their audios set to the minimum as Jazz suspected, then he had one more advantage against them.
Jazz ducked, hiding in the shadows that the structures provided, and waited. As soon as Megatron and Soundwave touched the ground, the saboteur dug out of subspace three tiny mechanisms and activated them. Yellow lights started flashing rapidly, an indication that the mechanisms were about to go off at any moment. Jazz, however, wasn't worried. He waited a few seconds more and then, when all the Seekers transformed, threw the mechanisms at their feet. The mechanisms exploded with a loud bang, releasing smoke and soot. The Seekers let out a cry of dismay and rubbed the dirt off their optics, all the while declaring that the Autobot had just signed his death warrant.
"Soundwave, send Laserbeak out!" Megatron ordered, his optics flashing his wrath.
"Laserbeak, eject. Find the Autobot," Soundwave said, activating the summoning button.
Laserbeak sprang out of Soundwave's chest-plate with a squawk, and he flew up in the sky to locate Jazz. But Jazz was far from idle. He crouched like a large cat and, just as Laserbeak passed over him, he lunged and trapped him in a large metal box. Laserbeak screeched and tried to fly out of the box again, yet the saboteur welded the box shut before throwing it into a trashcan nearby.
One down, Jazz thought, dusting his hands once the matter was taken care of; then he turned towards his next hiding spot.
A nasty metallic hiss was the only thing that warned him that the fight wasn't over. Jazz snapped around to kick his would-be attacker, but Ravage was faster. He headbutted the saboteur, knocking him on the ground. Jazz tried to push Ravage's wide-open jaws away from his vocaliser, but it was easier said than done. Ravage was a strong Decepticon, in spite of his size.
Blast it…
But then, as if out of the blue, some kind of force lifted Ravage up in the air. Jazz looked up, gladdened to see a familiar red Lamborghini holding the metallic panther by the tail and not letting him go, no matter how hard Ravage struggled.
"Bad kitty! No energon for you!" Sideswipe declared before tossing Ravage at the wall and rendering him unconscious. Smiling broadly, he offered his hand to Jazz so that the saboteur would get back on his feet. "You okay?"
"I am now," Jazz said, taking Sideswipe's hand and standing up. "Just try not to cut it so short next time," he added in mock reprimand.
"No sense of drama," Sideswipe replied with a shake of his head. "Come on, we're needed elsewhere."
Jazz nodded his understanding, and he followed Sideswipe to the real heat of the battle. Optimus and Megatron were already locked in combat, while Sunstreaker was busy with Soundwave. However, Soundwave had already unleashed his minicasettes, so Rumble was now facing Cliffjumper, and Frenzy and Buzzsaw were teamed up against Ratchet. Ironhide was dealing with Ramjet, though Dirge and Thrust were about to tip the scale to their fellow Seeker's favour.
"Can I have Thrust?" Sideswipe asked, holding up his gun.
Jazz followed suit, a big grin on his lip components. "He's all yours, kiddo."
With that, both Autobots started firing at the two Decepticons. Dirge and Thrust took cover and, a few seconds later, all four of the adversaries were exchanging laserfire.
Even in that situation, though, Jazz still kept an open optic in case someone needed his help. Wheeljack certainly looked like he was in trouble; Blitzwing was approaching the engineer menacingly, fists on the ready to pound him. But, to Jazz's relief, Trailbreaker rushed to Wheeljack's aid. Though the large mech wasn't as fast or as agile as most of his fellow Autobots, he was a good fighter, and Blitzwing didn't stand a chance against him.
Something moving cut into the saboteur's thoughts, and he was about to pull the trigger and shoot at it. That is, until he caught sight of the familiar face of Prowl, who carried a steeled expression and his optics shone brightly due to the battle-rush in his systems.
"Well? Is the battle goin' accordin' to plan?" Jazz asked, firing at Dirge. The Seeker evaded the laserfire and shot back at Jazz, but the saboteur avoided the hit just as swiftly.
"So far, the strategy has been 80% efficient," Prowl answered, and he loaded his acid-pellet rifle. "It's fortunate under the circumstances."
"Fortunate?" Jazz echoed, confused.
"If Megatron had brought his combiners, our chances would have decreased to 55%," Prowl replied as if stating something perfectly natural over a cube of energon.
Jazz snorted. "You humour stinks, did you know that?" he said, and he fired at Dirge again.
Prowl's lip components simply tugged to a small, wry smile, and he aimed his rifle at Buzzsaw. The metallic vulture and Frenzy were about to pounce on a seemingly weaponless Ratchet, so Prowl decided to make things easier for the medic. He fired, and found his target. Buzzsaw let out a squawk of pain and retreated as fast as possible, so all Ratchet had to do was take out of subspace his wrench and toss it on Frenzy's head. Frenzy blinked, and collapsed on the ground very much like a stiff board.
Jazz couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. "Makes you glad the good doctor is on our side," he declared.
"Agreed," Prowl said.
However, Jazz could see that his friend had frowned quite visibly.
"Is somethin' wrong?" he asked.
"I can't see Thundercracker and Skywarp," the tactician answered, and he activated his communication frequencies. "Prowl to Bluestreak. Do you read?"
Bluestreak looked down at the battle from his relatively comfortable perch on the tallest structure of the plant. Things looked bad, but the gunner didn't let worry seep through his thoughts. Prowl had instructed him to climb up here and do his job, and that was exactly what Bluestreak intended to do, his gun in his hands.
"Prowl to Bluestreak. Do you read?"
Alarmed, Bluestreak activated his communication frequencies. "Loud and clear, Prowl. Is something wrong?"
"Try to locate Skywarp and Thundercracker."
"On it," Bluestreak replied, and his optics started scanning the area for any signs of the familiar purple and blue Seekers. He was dismayed when he didn't manage to find them, nevertheless he didn't give up. Skywarp had the nasty habit of teleporting during battles, after all; he could be just about anywhere. And Bluestreak was sure that, wherever Skywarp was, Thundercracker was bound to be with him.
Wait a minute… Bluestreak did a double take on the building across him, for it was then that he caught sight of a pair of wings. Skywarp was indeed inside the building that housed the generators, ready to fire at the relays that controlled them.
Bluestreak acted fast and with experienced ease. Aware that he had a clean shot, he fired at Skywarp, wounding him on the shoulder joint, then loaded again and waited. But, apparently, Skywarp was in no mood to get shot again, so he teleported out of the room.
"Bluestreak?"
The gunner allowed himself a small smile. "I found Skywarp. You won't have to worry about him for a while."
"I see," Prowl said, and Bluestreak was certain that there was a tone of approval in those two simple words. "What about Thundercracker?"
"Not yet," Bluestreak replied. "He must be up in the air or--"
The gunner never managed to finish his sentence. A deafening roar reached his audios and, before he had any chance to react, Bluestreak was knocked out of his place by something blue and at full throttle. Out of pure instinct, the young mech grabbed hold of the first thing that his hands reached for so he wouldn't drop on the ground.
Thundercracker in his alternate mode.
"Blast it!" both Autobot and Decepticon cried at once. Thundercracker started doing every sort of manoeuvre he could think of to shake Bluestreak off him. Bluestreak, on the other hand, just kept tightening his grip on the F-15's nose, stubbornly holding on.
"If it's not those pesky brothers, it's you!" Thundercracker exclaimed. "Get off me!"
"What do you think I am, an idiot?!" Bluestreak snapped back above the roaring engines.
"Yes! An idiot who doesn't let go!" the Seeker retorted, spinning like some kind of drill. That, however, proved a mistake. The extra weight and the rapid motion got the stabiliser out of sync, so Thundercracker started spiralling out of control.
Bluestreak now knew beyond any doubt that he should jump before he got himself seriously hurt. As soon as Thundercracker was in low enough altitude, he loosened his grip and braced himself for the inevitable impact with the ground. His insides jostled, and though he rolled several times to ease his landing, just as he learned during his training, he still felt the sickening sensation of something breaking. The pain was excruciating, but Bluestreak didn't think about that. He had to get up, for Thundercracker was back on his feet and looking very angry.
The new wave of pain that washed through his body made Bluestreak look down, and he was horrified to see his right leg was broken at the knee-joint, twisted and a dead weight that pinned him down. Worse, he couldn't find his gun; he must have lost it when Thundercracker rammed him.
"You're not so tough now, I see," Thundercracker declared, and he held up one of his ray-guns. "I'll enjoy this."
At the next moment, Bluestreak activated his missile launchers, aiming them straight at the Seeker. Thundercracker stopped on his tracks, and stared at the gunner incredulously, his surprise quite evident on his features.
"Well?" Bluestreak said, his voice dangerously inviting. "I'm waiting."
Thundercracker didn't do anything. He just huffed in dismay and took off once again. Bluestreak remained where he was for many long moments, as if he had frozen in place; but then he slowly sank back on the ground with a sigh of relief. He was never pulling that kind of stunt for as long as he lived.
"Bluestreak!"
The gunner looked up, his gaze resting on the welcome sight of Hound. The jeep, however, knelt next to Bluestreak, concerned.
"You okay?"
"Not really," Bluestreak said truthfully; his leg was killing him. "But…" he added with a smile, "You missed quite the show."
Hound shook his head, although he smiled back at the gunner. "I'm sure I did. Now hold still till I get Ratchet, okay?"
"Okay," Bluestreak replied; then shut his optics and relaxed, knowing that he was safe.
Optimus parried Megatron's attack with his arm, then attempted to punch his adversary on the jaw. Megatron, however, dodged the attack and sprang backwards, a smirk drawn on his features.
"I admire your persistence, Prime. But it won't help you this time," he said, and he picked a large boulder to throw it at the Autobot leader.
"Funny… I was just about to say the same thing to you, Megatron," Optimus replied, sprinting forward. Using all his speed, he tackled Megatron, forcing him to drop the boulder. At the next moment, a forceful hammer-like hit dented the plating on his back, and Optimus fell on his knees with a groan. He tried to shake off the dizzy feeling before it was too late, for he knew that Megatron would take advantage of that opening for sure.
To Optimus's great surprise, Megatron did nothing. The Decepticon leader simply stepped back, as if he waited for Optimus to get back on his feet. Considering that Megatron didn't believe in honourable fights, Optimus was aware that that could only mean one thing.
Megatron had a trick up his arm-plating.
Jazz still kept firing from his cover, sparing only a brief glance in Prowl's direction. Prowl was crouched beside him, optics reflecting his frowning expression as he listened intently to Ratchet via the transmitter; but, finally, the transmission came to an end, and Prowl sat up to resume fighting.
"Bluestreak will be fine," he said.
Jazz nodded. "The kid's tougher than he looks."
Prowl just fired at Dirge, not bothering with an answer. Jazz didn't know what to make of that silence at first, but then he noticed that his friend still looked troubled. In fact, he was now scanning the battlefield, optics locking briefly on each and every Decepticon that he could see.
"What is it?" Jazz asked.
"They're holding back," Prowl murmured.
"Come again?!" the saboteur cried, shocked. The only reason that the Decepticons would be holding back was…
- Prowl to Optimus Prime. The attack is a diversion. Repeat, a diversion, - the tactician said, using the secret frequency.
- Oh no… I was afraid of that, - Optimus replied, pushing Megatron away when the Decepticon leader tried to pin him down. – We need to find out where the real attack is going to happen… And I think I know just the right mech to give us that answer. –
- What's our next course of action? – Prowl asked.
- End the transmission and keep fighting, - Optimus ordered. – I'll contact Skyfire.–
- Understood. Prowl out, - Prowl said, and he turned off his communication frequencies. "You heard Prime, Jazz."
"Yeah, I did," Jazz answered, and he started firing at the Decepticons once more. "Let's just hope that things don't get out of hand, though, or we'll be in it up to our necks!"
TBC…