AU G1/IDW-verse. Taking place during the events of All Hail Megatron. Megatron's on Earth, running rampant with his Decepticons. Prime's down and out on Cybertron with the Swarm slowly moving in. Unbeknownst to both sides, an underground group is about to make its appearance on Cybertron for the first time in several millennia...
A/N: OCs used. All mentioned characters belong to their respective owners, Transformers is property of Hasbro, the time line belongs to IDW.
Please keep in mind that this is an AU G1/IDW-verse setting. Some things may appear different then they may appear in the comic.
Be warned this chapter is going to be long...
-----OOOO-----
Welcome to Tomorrow
-----OOOO-----
Chapter 7.
Once Knight disconnected the com-link, Storm turned around and gazed at Ice Queen. She then turned her gaze downward towards Havoc and Catastrophe. The twins still looked a bit beat up from their little training exercise with Ice Queen.
"Guess what Knight sent me." She then beamed.
That alone perked the Twins interest. "Oh! Knight sent the scans?" Havoc asked anxious.
"Lemme see! Lemme see!" Catastrophe begged, looking up at Storm with the most pathetic look on his face.
Ice Queen shook her head and walked over and picked the two youngsters up by the scruffs of their armor. "Age before beauty, small fries."
Storm laughed lightly as she watched the Twins dangle from the female Seeker's grasp. "Knight also sent a nice chunk of data from the planet she's on. And according to one such file she sent... 'Ladies first.'"
"I like the sounds of this planet already." Ice Queen smirked from behind her face mask. Setting down Havoc and Catastrophe, she kept her clawed hands on their shoulder to prevent them from moving.
Cracking her knuckles Storm accessed the data scans she received from Knight. First she accessed the data for the form that Knight marked as being for her. Uploading the data, Storm shivered at the familiar feeling of her armor reformatting itself to the chosen alternate mode. After a few moments it passed and Storm stretched her joints, adjusting to the new weight added to her shell. Looking down at her front, she then turned her head and looked behind her at the door wings that now adorned her back. "So?" She looked at Ice Queen and the Twins. "How do I look?"
Ice Queen crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head. "Certainly fits you. Makes your cannons look larger that's for sure." She added with a laugh.
Storm put her hands on her hips looking down at herself again. "You sure? It feels bulky..." She turned around so that way they could see what she looked like from behind. "Does it make my aft look big?"
Havoc made a motion to comment. But Catastrophe quickly covered his mouth, "For the love of Primus don't say what I think you're going to say..."
"You better not." Storm glared from over her shoulder before turning around.
"Care to share the rest of the data Knight sent?"
"Impatient aren't we Icy?"
"It's in the programming."
Storm shook her head. "Okay be ready to receive data, that includes you to Hav and Cat."
"Yes ma'am!" They saluted.
Transmitting the data, Storm watched as one by one Ice Queen, Havoc, and Catastrophe input the scan data into their systems and reformatted their shells. Ice Queen's wings were a lot taller standing on her back. The thrusters of her jet mode found their way to the backs of her shins. The jets horizontal stabilizers were on her forearms, most likely the battle blades that she occasional made use of when not using her sabers. The jet cockpit stood out boldly on her chest. Havoc and Catastrophe were virtually the same in appearance; the only subtle difference was their color schemes. They both took the small all terrain vehicles as their alternate forms. A set of wheels adorned their backs, the other set in their heels, most likely allowing them to 'skate' around. Handle bars rose up from either side of their neck and were pointed backwards in between their back mounted wheels. They were obviously lighter in build, their armor more spread out across their frames.
Catastrophe bounced from one foot to the next. "Hmm... I like it. I feel so much lighter on my feet."
Havoc skated around Catastrophe as Ice Queen inspected herself.
"Not bad. I'll have to thank Knight when she gets back. This form suits me nicely."
"Okay enough marveling." Storm cut in. "Let's transform and get moving. Disaster, Blue, Indigo, and Excalibur are waitin. Ice Queen take to the air, you'll guide us through the canyons. Havoc, Catastrophe, stay with me."
"Copy that." Ice Queen simply agreed. Leaping into the air the female Seeker transformed. Hovering before Storm and the Twins for a moment she quickly ignited her thrusters and roared off into the sky.
Watching as Ice Queen circled overhead, obviously waiting for them, Storm turned to the much smaller Havoc and Catastrophe. "Okay midgets, transform and let's roll." With that command, Storm herself transformed. Settling onto the four wheels of her alternate mode, smoke billowed from her stacks, her powerful engine roaring. Shifting back and forth on her shocks and wheels, she backed up and watched as Twins finished their transformation sequence. They shifted back and forth on their own wheels before pulling up to Storm.
"Ready?"
"Let's go!" Catastrophe revved his engine.
"Let's go." Pulling off, Storm led the way with Havoc and Catastrophe following behind her.
-----OOOO-----
Crouched on an overhang, Disaster held her head up, her optics shuttered and she 'sniffed' the air. The area surrounding her smelled of death. No doubt bought on by the Swarm and their insatiable hunger. Activating her optics, she 'sniffed' the air again, picking up something on the light breeze that graced her. Turning around she watched as Blue and Indigo approached her at a steady clip, before slowing to a jog. "Nice of you to join me." She smiled behind her face mask at them.
"Sorry we're late." Indigo apologized as they stopped beside her.
Blue nodded. "Yeah Excalibur had us take a detour."
Disaster chuckled before getting on the com-link with the mech. -Excalibur you joining us?-
-On my way.-
"Fly boy is joining us, so once Storm gets here we'll be ready to go." Disaster explained.
"Sounds good to me." Blue said sitting down on the overhang.
Disaster joined her as Indigo continued to stand, scanning their surroundings.
"I wonder what Bots are with Kup..." Blue thought aloud.
Disaster shrugged. "Who knows? I'm guessing most likely Bots that we haven't met yet."
"Dizzy, you haven't met a lot of Bots."
She shrugged, "True, Indigo, true. I may not have personally met them, but I remember faces."
The older of the femme Twins shook her. "Dizzy your logic baffles me."
"I know." She said cheerfully, and then looked up seeing Excalibur swoop in low, transforming mid-flight before touching down.
"The sector is clear, so we can take a breath until Storm arrives with the others." He reported coming to stand beside Indigo.
She huffed, crossing her arms. "Hope Storm gets here soon, who know how long the Autobots will last with the Swarm up their afts."
Excalibur nodded, his thoughts drifting to Knight. 'Hope she's fairing well...'
-----OOOO-----
"Are we there yet?"
"No."
"... Are we there yet?"
A sigh. "No."
A moment. "How bout now?"
"Don't make me come back there!" Storm's high powered engine revved irritably.
"Cat stop before Storm launches you out of her cannon like she did last time you made her mad." Havoc warned to his brother.
"...But that was fun!"
"You two better stop before I stick you with Ice Queen." Storm warned, her voice dripping her seriousness.
"Meep..."
"That's what I thought." Storm smirked with satisfaction. Engine rumbling loudly, something suddenly could be heard over its roar.
"HELP!"
Storm stopped short causing Havoc who was behind Storm to brake suddenly causing Catastrophe to run into Havoc.
"Hey!" Catastrophe started to complain but was suddenly hushed by Storm.
"Quiet." She hissed. Listening closely she heard it again.
"SOMEONE! ANYONE! HELP!"
Storm surged forward in the direction she heard the pleading mech. Rounding several hairpin bends, Havoc and Catastrophe followed. Rounding another bend, Storm braked hard, transforming. There before her, partially trapped beneath a collapsed building lay a mech colored in red and gray with blue highlights. Trapped from the waist down, Storm could clearly see the blast spots on the building where he tried to free himself.
At Storm's loud approach, he whipped his head around, relief radiating from his face. "Thank Primus!" He said in glee with his accented voice. "Thought I'd offline here!"
"Nope." Storm said coming forward. "Heard ya calling. Your one lucky mech. You're very fortunate we were passing through."
"I'm not complainin'." He said watching as Havoc and Catastrophe pulled up and transformed. "Younglings? They yours?"
Storm choked. "Slag no. These younglings I picked up when the Bots and Cons left planet."
Havoc crossed his arms. "We're not younglings."
Catastrophe mimicked his move. "Yeah!"
"Quite bickering and help me here." Storm said, testing the weight of the building.
The mech chuckled a little. "The name's Desperado." He introduced himself.
"Storm, Havoc, "She pointed to said mech."And Catastrophe. Okay here's the plan... I think I can hold the building up high and long enough for you guys to pull him out." Storm pointed at the Twins. "Think you can handle that?"
They saluted. "Yes ma'am!" They then hurried to the larger Desperado's side, each grabbing an arm as Storm prepped to lift the building.
Grabbing a hold of the building, knees bent, she huffed air in and out of her vents a couple times. "Ready?" She looked at Havoc, Catastrophe, and Desperado. They all nodded. "On three... One..." She grasped hold tightly. "Two..." She huffed air through her vents again. "Three!" Putting all her strength into it, Storm heaved the building up high enough that Havoc and Catastrophe quickly dragged him clear. Once she made sure all were out of the way, she quickly let go and jumped back causing the building to crash back down with a resounding crash. "Whew..." Stretching her digi-grades a bit she went over to where Havoc and Catastrophe stood with Desperado. Taking a look at his legs made her wince. From his knees down were wrecked and twisted.
"You sure aren't walking anywhere." Havoc observed.
"That's for sure. Okay guess I'm gonna end up carrying ya now aren't I?" Storm smirked, transforming back to her alternate mode. "Hav, Cat, load him up."
As Havoc and Catastrophe helped to load Desperado, he couldn't help but to tilt his head at Storm's vehicle mode. "Never seen a form like that before."
"Cause ya haven't. I have a contact on an alien planet where the Decepticons are currently setting up shop; she scanned an assortment of forms and sent me a slag load of data about the planet. So how'd ya end up out here?" Storm then asked curious.
Once Havoc and Catastrophe had him sitting in Storm's bed, he answered, "I picked up a distress signal while passing through the sector. My ship was shot down by a Decepticon battle cruiser."
"Ow."
He nodded.
"Wait. You said you were tracking a distress signal? How come we haven't picked it up? We have been planet side since the Bots and Cons bailed."
"Storm we dun have the fancy equipment that he had on his ship." Havoc said standing next to Storm.
"Your right for once, Havoc."
"The message was also encrypted, so there's no way you could've picked it up." Desperado explained. "Took me a while to break the code."
Storm would've nodded. "Well let's get rolling; I'll explain everything on the way. I got a couple of guys waiting on us."
"There's more of you here?" He asked as Storm started rolling forward, Havoc and Catastrophe flanking her.
"Quite a bit of us actually. We're a mixed group."
"Mixed?"
"Yeah, well... Up overhead now, covering us is a Decepticon."
"A Con!?!" Desperado yelped, immediately pulling his double barreled sawed-off shotgun from subspace and aiming at the sky.
"Whoa there!" Storm slowed to a stop. "She's one with us!"
Desperado lowered his shotgun. "A defector?"
"Not really, more like a defector from Megatron's rule." Storm explained starting forward again. "She doesn't like the way Megatron runs things. So when the Decepticons fled, she got left behind. She's the one responsible for several sabotage attacks against the Decepticons. Rumored had it for a while it was an insider, little did they know." A smirk could be heard in her voice.
"Are there anymore Decepticons?" Desperado asked, a bit calmer now that it was all explained to him.
"Well... Knight is a unique case."
"Knight?" Desperado tilted his head.
Storm's engine revved. "Knight is different from the Cons and Bots. She doesn't wear any of their badges. She's not even classified as a Neutral."
Desperado was now curious. "Then... What is she?"
Storm was silent for several moments before she finally spoke. "That's something... You'll have to ask her yourself."
Desperado nodded, not quite sure. "How far are these companions of yours?"
"They're waiting for us just outside the canyons. We're making good time so I'm gonna venture a guess we'll be there before the end of the solar cycle." Storm said, rounding a bend in the road.
"Care to share their names considering I'm going to be traveling with you?"
"Well we got Excalibur, he's one of the last flight capable Autobots out there. He and Knight are wing-mates, they hold a unique partnership." Storm explained.
"Unique? How?"
"It's not what you're thinking. Excalibur was a disciple of Alpha Trion's before he vanished. That's how we met Knight and Excalibur. They were hunkering down in Alpha's safe house, that's where we've been since this all began." The black femme explained.
"A disciple of Alpha Trion? Impressive. Alpha Trion didn't choose just any mech to take on as an apprentice."
"Hm." Storm would have nodded in agreement. "There's also Blue and Indigo, twins. From what they tell me, they were created by the Autobot engineer, Wheeljack. Supposedly using Autobot parts and Decepticon programming. Indigo has more control over the programming then Blue. Blue under high stress situations goes into what has been dubbed a 'Rage Mode'. It's hard as slag to get her out of it, but strange as it is Knight has a knack at it. They were the first generation of Bots like that to be bought online. That leads me up to Disaster; she's a second generation creation of Wheeljack's. Dizzy was created with sniffing out the Swarm in mind. She was built from scratch, with all new programming and protocols in place. Dizzy was the one who found Havoc and Catastrophe. They were trapped in an alcove with couple Swarm scouts about to get them. Disaster rescued them, of course when she got a closer look these guys were just out of their sparkling stage, they just got their first armor upgrade. "She paused. "They didn't even have names yet. Well after a solar cycle or so it was Disaster who gave them their names. Ironically fitting if you ask me... Disaster, Havoc, Catastrophe?" She couldn't help but to chuckle.
Desperado allowed a smile to cross his face. "Fitting? Yes, but ironic I doubt that." He laughed. "Me? I'm an Intel bot; I was stationed at a small outpost on a moon not too far from here. Once the Decepticons swept in, they took no survivors. Myself and another managed to get to the shuttles, I made it off first, the Cons took him down before he left orbit."
"I'm sorry." Storm apologized.
He shook his head sadly. "He was my assistant. Shame... Rift was a young mech..." He paused. "What about yourself? I haven't seen a body shell like yours before."
Storm rumbled. "That's because shells like this have been discontinued. I was a miner way before the war began. They started constructing miners with digi-grade legs because we always had thieves and bandits getting in and taking the supplies and materials. They started booby-trapping the mines, so to compensate they gave us digi-grade legs, with specialized seismic and electronic sensors in our feet so we can tell where the traps were. They soon found that the digi-grade legs made it easier to traverse the mines. When the war broke out a majority of the miners had their legs changed to suit the war effort. I choose not to."
"You've made it this far with no problem I see no issue with it." Desperado stretched.
"Glad you don't have a problem with it. The others call me old for keeping it." She shrugged carelessly on her wheels.
Desperado laughed out loud. "My prime was orns ago. I was a structural worker before the war. I probably came online a short time after you."
Storm shared his laugh. "That makes me feel better. Now I don't feel so old."
-S...rm... St...rm... Storm, its Ice Queen do you read me?-
"Yes! We must be past the no com-link zone." Storm beamed.
"Why you say that?" Havoc asked.
"Yeah." Added Catastrophe.
"I say that because I got Icy coming in on the com-link." Storm smirked. -I read ya Icy, nice to hear your voice again.-
-Glad you like me so much. - Ice Queen chuckled. -I got in contact with Excalibur. He's waiting with the Indigo and the others; you're not to far now. Would you like me to join them and await your arrival?-
-Copy that. Tell Indigo that we recovered an injured mech.-
-Bot or Con?-
-He's a Bot. - Storm clearly smirked.
She sighed loudly over the line. -I swear you guys just keep popping out of nowhere.-
-He's not that bad. He's got a cute little accent going on.-
-And does this 'cute little accent' have a name?-
-Desperado.-
There was a moment across the line before Ice Queen came back on. -Indigo wants to know the status of this mech.-
-He was trapped beneath a fallen building; his legs are scrapped like I've never seen. Overall everything else on him is fine.-
-... Are you insinuating something?-
-Icy, please... He's nice looking and all, but not my type. I like em big and heavily armed. - Storm would've been smirking from audio to audio.
-Your hopeless.-
-So I've been told... Okay I got a beat of ya guys on radar. - Storm announced.
-Affirmative. ETA?-
-Less then you think. I hate giving exact times.-
Ice Queen grumbled. -For a femme of your age, you act worse than a youngling.-
-I know. I pride myself with that fact.-
-So I've been aware of.-
Storm chuckled again. -Alright I'm getting off the air. See ya in a few.-
-Copy. - Then the com-link went quiet.
"So?" Desperado asked.
"I got Indigo waiting to inspect your damage, see if she can help ya or am I doomed to forever haul your aft."
"I'm not that much trouble am I?"
"Naw, just met you so I can't be sure on that fact, but we'll be there in a few short cycles. Havoc, Catastrophe, how you guys fairing?"
"Too many miles in too short a time." Catastrophe complained.
"Are we there yet now?" Havoc asked.
"Havoc for the love of Primus!" Storm's engine roared again.
Desperado shook his head, clearly amused. "These younglings certainly act as if they were yours."
"If you wish to not be thrown from my bed, you will not utter that again." Storm threatened, her engine lurching.
Desperado made a motion as if he was sealing his mouth.
"That's what I thought." They cruised around the side of a building and soon found themselves approaching the overhang where Indigo, Blue, Disaster, Excalibur, and Ice Queen now stood. Disaster was circling Ice Queen, most likely inspecting her new alternate form. Storm would've smiled. She gave a roar of her engine, smoke billowing from her stacks.
Blue shook her head before calling out, "STORM YOUR OBVIOUSLY COMPENSATING!"
"AM NOT!" Storm called back.
Havoc and Catastrophe sped past and made a bee-line for Disaster. They transformed and promptly leapt into the air and pounced on Disaster.
"GHACK!" Disaster yelped as they hugged her.
"We missed you!" Havoc smiled brightly.
Catastrophe nodded his head happily.
"So I see." Disaster grunted. "You mind letting me up?" She then asked as Storm pulled up with Desperado.
Excalibur smirked, his arms crossed over his chest. "Nice of you to join us Storm. And I see you bought company. Greetings stranger, the name's Excalibur, here let me help you up so Storm can transform."
"Thank you, my name's Desperado." He said as Excalibur looped one of Desperado's arms, around his shoulder and helped him up out of Storm's bed, allowing her to transform.
Switching to her bipedal form, Storm stretched her arms up over her head. "Nice to see ya guys again. Desperado, I'd like you to meet, Blue, Indigo, Disaster, and Ice Queen. And please don't shoot Ice Queen." Storm asked after she pointed to each name femme.
"Hello, Desperado." Ice Queen greeted respectfully.
"Er... Hello." He started slowly. "Excuse me but I fear it may take me some time to adjust to this uhh... Change."
"Perfectly acceptable."
"Disaster." She introduced herself, got up, and shook Desperado's hand.
Blue motioned to herself, "I'm Blue, this is my sister Indigo." She then motioned to her sister who nodded in return.
With the Havoc and Catastrophe by her side, Disaster turned to Storm. "Nice armor upgrade and alternate form Storm."
Storm smiled broadly. "That isn't all." She said in a sing-song voice. Accessing the data file, Storm sent out the information and data on the scans Knight choose to to each individual recipient. "Enjoy."
One at a time each of them accessed the scan data of their alternate form and one by one reformatted their shells. First one to reformat was Disaster. Her armor became thicker and much more streamline. The audio receptors on her head grew taller and more pointed. A short, thick tail formed behind her as her hands and feet became clawed and animalistic.
The same happened with Blue and Indigo. Their forms became more streamline. Spilt between their shoulders was the head of their beast modes. Clawed gauntlets adorned their wrists while behind them came long blade tipped tails.
Storm let Desperado lean on her while Excalibur reformatted his body. Knight couldn't find a mode she liked that would fit Excalibur so she surfed their worldwide communications network and found one that she thought suited him. His color scheme shifted some so that one side of his body was red and white while the other side was blue and white. His wings were much larger then Ice Queen's, each wing having a small winglet on the tip. The cockpit was split between his shoulders, acting as armor. Resting on his back were three jet engines. The center engine having a large blade like fin on it.
"So? What do ya guys think? Knight got some good forms huh?"
"Very nice Storm, very nice." Disaster said, admiring her clawed hands.
"Agreed." Came Blue examining her claws.
"Okay time is of the essence femmes and mechs." Storm announced. "We gotta get rolling before we miss our chance to meet up with the Bots."
Excalibur took Desperado from Storm, so that she could transform. Once she was settled on her wheels, he helped Desperado back into Storm's bed. Patting the roof to Storm's extended cab, Excalibur reported, "He's set to go."
"Good. Dizzy take point."
"You betcha." With that Disaster fell forward on all fours, transforming. Within moments there stood a metallic canine.
Havoc beamed. "Ooh, nice form Dizzy. Mind if I hitch a ride?"
Disaster turned her head to look at the small mech. "Are you that lazy?" She asked, sharp fangs showing.
"Do you need to ask?"
Disaster's 'ears' fell back against her head. "Point taken... Fine."
Havoc wooted and hopped onto Disaster's back, settling himself behind her back mounted electric coils.
"Easy." She chastised.
"What about me?" Catastrophe whined, arms crossed over his chest in a very sparkling like manner.
"I got it covered." Blue stepped in. She to fell forward on all fours. But unlike Disaster's canine form, Blue's was feline.
"Score." Catastrophe smirked, getting on Blue, settling himself in between her jet boosters.
Ice Queen shook her head in disbelief. "Younglings..." She muttered.
Storm rumbled as Desperado stifled a laugh. "Okay Excalibur, Ice Queen Get airborne, once ya get a beat on the Bots, give them any back up they may and most likely will need. Be sure to let them know that the cavalry is on its way. Now get going!"
"You got it." Excalibur nodded before jumping into the air and transforming, before shooting off and gaining altitude.
"Com-link's are open, so await our call." Ice Queen nodded to them before doing the same thing as Excalibur before joining him and flying out of sight.
Turning her attention back to those before her, Storm shifted on her shocks. "Alright, let's not keep them waiting. Transform and let's get going!"
"Tally ho." Indigo smirked behind her face mask before transforming into her feline form.
Storm's engine turned over with a roar, smoke pouring from her stacks. "Dizzy?"
"On it." Nose to the ground, Disaster sniffed a couple spots, then stepped forward and sniffed another spot. She suddenly looked up; her ears back against her head again as a deep growl reverberating in her chest. Raising her head, she gave a light howl before taking off top speed.
Blue dashed forward, running a short clip behind Disaster, Storm pulled out behind her as Indigo bought up the rear.
"You any good with that shotgun of yours?" Storm asked to Desperado.
He pulled said weapon from subspace. "Custom tailored just for me." He cocked it with a smirk.
"Good cause I have a strong hunch we're gonna need all the fire power we got..."
-----OOOO-----
"Well," Started Ice Queen. "The Autobots shouldn't be hard to find. Look at all the Bug bodies." She observed below her.
"I'm more concerned with the explosions I'm seeing up ahead." Excalibur pointed out.
"...Yeah that would do it. Good eye, Cal." Ice Queen banked towards him playfully.
Excalibur banked upside down and around her, "If Knight saw you doing that, she wouldn't be too pleased so you know."
"Ah, Knight needs to learn about the way things are. What's the human saying that I found... Ah yes... 'The birds and the bees,' with reference to courting and mating."
"Ice Queen..."
"Okay, okay I'll back off, you need to- Whoa..." Ice Queen gaped as a particularly large explosion rocked the sector they were quickly approaching. "I say we kick in the afterburners."
Excalibur would have nodded. "I agree."
Kicking in the thrusters Ice Queen pulled ahead. "What you armed with?"
"Vehicle mode or robot mode?"
"Both."
"Vehicle mode, a small store of missiles and two gattling guns. Robot mode, I have my plasma cannon." He swooped low, now starting to see the massive Swarm up close for the first time.
"Keep to your vehicle mode first." The Seeker instructed. "You have more ammo in vehicle mode. I suggest swooping in low and carpet bomb the ugly things."
"I concur... Ladies first?"
"Thought you'd never ask." Dipping low, close to the building tops, Ice Queen flew straight down over the center of the Swarm. A bomb bay door on her undercarriage opened and a cluster of bombs rained down. "SEE YOU IN THE PIT SLAGGERS!" She called as the cluster made contact with the Swarm blowing sections away. Pulling up, Ice Queen made room for Excalibur to drop his larger arsenal.
"As humans say... 'BOMBS AWAY!" The mech called, his missile cache raining down into the massive group of misformed bugs. They screeched loudly, their attention spilt between the sky and Autobots on the ground before them.
Down below them, positioned on the back of Roadbuster's alternate mode, Kup gazed skyward at the two strange jets.
"Friends of yours?" The old mech called to Jazz who sped up beside Roadbuster.
"Can't tell. Those are Earth alt modes... Though the way that blue jet is fighting reminds me of someone I used to know."
"Who cares?" Cliffjumper called form his position riding on Hound, guns still cocked and firing at the Swarm. "They're helping us so I say we accept it!"
Suddenly a howl reached their audio receptors. The fact that it rose over the combined hissing and growls of the Swarm was impressive. Then no more a moment later a series of strange sounds reached them
"-IN COMING!-" Came a call aloud and over the com-link.
From the corner of a building behind, Swarm bugs still passing in scores, two figures leapt into the fray, one silver in color, the other blue. Then immediately behind them, a vehicle roared out, its engine giving off a roar louder than that of the entire Swarm. "OUT OF THE WAY YOU UGLY PIECES OF SLAG!" The massive vehicle called. Sitting in the vehicles bed a mech sat, his gun going off in volleys as he fired into the Swarm. Beside the vehicle, cutting through the Swarm with feral like grace was a femme, clawed gauntlets flipped down over her hands; she spun with deadly grace, her bladed tail cutting into creatures. Jumping up onto the vehicles hood, the femme continued to slice through the bugs that the vehicle simply plowed through and over.
In no time at all the vehicle erupted out of the Swarm and sped up alongside of Roadbuster. The smaller forms weaved in between each bug before they both leapt from among the bugs and dashed on either of the Autobots. Now clearly seen perched on the quadrupeds backs were two younglings.
"Kup you old fool, good to see ya!" Storm chortled as Desperado let off another volley into the Swarm.
"Storm!? Good to see you functioning!" Kup smirked, letting off another shot. "Shame we couldn't meet under better circumstances!"
"Like wise old friend. How you holding up Des?" She then turned her attention to her passenger.
"Could ya ease up around those corners? You almost tossed me!" Came her reply.
"Try being up front!" Indigo then made herself heard.
"Who're your people so that way I can tell the others not to shoot them?!" Kup called ducking down.
"Sound off!" Storm called.
"Disaster and Havoc!" The canine called out from where she ran beside Hound and Kup.
Havoc gave a short a smirk on his face.
"Blue and Catastrophe!" The blue feline called as she ran beside Ratchet.
"And I got Indigo and Desperado the fliers are also with me, but enough introductions let's get out of here!"
"Couldn't have agreed more with you Storm! Days like this never get old." Kup exclaimed as he let off another burst from his rifle.
"You can say that again, haha!" Cliffjumper laughed spraying the area with machine gun fire. He suddenly yelped, readjusting his position in Hound. "Keep it steady, Hound!"
"I'm trying!" The jeep replied, his tires screeching over metal. "It's too slick!"
"I got ya!" Disaster bought herself closer to Hound, ran right up beside him, helping to prevent him from losing control.
Gun still blazing, Kup barked. "Stay close! We've got a little something planned, and it's coming up!" A pause then, "Preceptor?"
Said mech stopped his shooting from where he was stationed on another section of Roadbuster. He quickly stowed his rifle and withdrew two pistols.
That's when Havoc spotted a small bomb on the side of the trail they were traveling on. "That's going to go up real good!" He laughed.
"Better watch your head youngling!" Disaster warned.
Pistols in hand, Preceptor fired each pistol once, each shot hitting its mark causing a massive explosion as a wall of fire rose high into the darkened sky.
Both jets overhead banked steeply to the sides, avoiding the rising smoke and fire.
"Whoa, that's somethin'." Cliffjumper gaped.
"I'd say." Disaster added.
"Err was that necessary?" Catastrophe asked.
"You wanna become a bug chew toy?" Blue answered with her own question.
"... No."
"Then yes it was necessary."
"What about Drift? Isn't he back there?" Ratchet inquired.
"Does it matter?" Came Bumblebee.
"Worry later!" Storm barked.
"Enough of that!" Kup broke in. "Keep the speed up, we only slowed 'em down."
Something suddenly whizzed through the air and struck Preceptor on the neck. The red mech fell over onto his back as Kup quickly went to his aid.
"Keep moving!" Kup ordered. "We got more explosives lined up on the bridge."
"Your certainly prepared." Desperado commented.
"I'd say." Indigo jumped the gap between Storm and Roadbuster and joined Kup next to Preceptor. "He'd was hit with a Cyber Venom stinger." She told Kup. "Let me take care of him." She quickly pulled off the stinger and started tending to him.
"Where we going?" Havoc asked.
"Our bunker." Ratchet answered.
"The bridge, it's the only way to and from our bunker- We made sure of it." Kup told them. "We blow the bridge, and it'll take 'em a while before they can make it across. Time enough to prepare."
As they sped across the bridge it was Cliffjumper who spoke after a long moment. "These go, the whole bridge goes. I'm assuming you're planning on a long- distance shot?"
"I was planning on Perceptor." Kup said.
"Without him or that gun it's next to impossible from the ground." Cliffjumper came back. "Springer could take the shot from the air."
"I can't. I haven't been able to fly since the crash." Said mech explained.
"So it was your ship we found." Storm said mainly to herself as they pulled to a stop on the other side of the bridge.
"I could do it, Kup. Get in close, take the shot and-" A light blue mech started.
"You're not fast enough, Blurr." Kup told the mech.
"I could try." He insisted transforming.
"You'll get yourself killed." Kup told him sternly.
"Give me a shot, Boss." Blurr smirked. "We don't do this, and we're all dead."
Storm revved her engine loudly getting the attention of the mechs present. "I got fliers that can do it." She explained calmly.
That's when a red, bulky mech looked over one shoulder before physically turning around and looking around him. "Wait a minute..." He paused. "Where's Sunstreaker?"
"What's that mech doing!" Disaster yelped, as she gazed out down the bridge where a yellow mech stood.
Before anyone could do anything the red mech transformed and sped down the bridge where the yellow mech stood.
"IRONHIDE!" Kup yelled. "What is he doing?!"
Indigo opened a private com-link with Storm. -That young mech had an ashamed, mournful look on his face.-
-You think he's trying a suicide run?-
-I've seen that look before... I think he is. - She said after a moment.
That's when Storm immediately opened another com-link with Knight. -Knight! Please tell me your on the air!-
From where she drifted in the SZ, Knight didn't miss the tone of urgency in her voice. -I'm here.-
-We need you Cybertron side on the double! We may have a mech on a suicide run!-
-On my way! - Quickly navigating the darkness, Knight burst forth from the en-massed shadows of the Swarm. The bugs went flying in all directions as her spinning rotors tore into them. A look of determination on her face, Knight took off at high speed, skimming the heads of the Swarm bugs. Her visor lit up, zooming in on what it was indicating, she spotted the mech. Off in the distance, heading off in the other direction were to other mechs, one carrying the other. 'They resigned this mech to his fate?' She thought.
The Swarm pressed forward, easily washing over the mech they had pinned. With another burst from her thrusters, she dived into the hoard. Rotors spinning overhead, she easily sliced and cut into them. She ignored the ones that manage to claw and and cut into her. Focused on the mech before her she increased her speed watching as he raised his arm, blaster in hand readying himself to fire at one of the bombs that lined the bridge. 'So close!' One Bug in front of her whirled around and made a motion to attack, Knight easily evaded, swung around and with one final push with her thrusters soared forth, grabbing the mech around the waist just as his blaster went off...
From where they stood near the Autobot bunker, all gaped as the explosion sent fire, smoke, and Swarm bugs skyward.
That's when Disaster spotted something. "There!" She called.
Something stirred in the flames, and then suddenly rocketing at them, fire licking at their forms, came Knight and Sunstreaker. One of her rotors dissolving off from the intense heat as she clenched the un-moving form of Sunstreaker to herself as she crashed into the landing they were perched on. Her body protecting the mech she saved, her face hit first, her visor shattered on impact sending green glass in all directions. Metal screeched on metal as the rest of her body made contact fully and they skid for a few more feet, another one of Knight's rotors sheering, before they came to a deafening stop.
Groaning, Knight shuttered her optics, her pain receptors screaming at her.
"Let him go." A voice said in a dead pan tone above her.
Activating her optics, Knight found herself staring down the barrel of a gun, at the other end was Kup. The barrel was so close that the glow from Knight's blue and red optics glinted against the metal of the rifle.
"... Uhoh..."
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Okay so it's very, very long... Oh well. Read and Review!