Title: Holding Out For A Hero Bonus Scenes #6
Rating: NC-17
Characters/Pairings: Sideswipe, various others - some canon some not.
Warnings:
Universe: WW and G1 mix
Disclaimer: I, in no way, shape, or form, own the Transformers© franchise or the characters it contains. They belong to Has/Tak.
Summary: Over the vorns Sideswipe and Sunstreaker have come to suspect there are only two mechs that maybe, just maybe, affect Prowl on a level that the Unit Commander might and could disregard logic for in a battle situation in order to save. Yet when the unit finds itself in circumstances that offer the opportunity for the answer to be revealed the twins may find Prowl really is as convoluted as he seems at times and the answer still unclear.

Notes:
BFFM = Better Frag'n Find Me
{bond speaking}

HOFAH - Bonus Scenes # 6 – Misc. Battle Scene

"According to Iacon, an Ops mech who has been undercover for the past three mega-cycles is exiting with valuable information. He is making his way to a retrieval point at this very moment. His information is considered valuable enough that we will be heading to that retrieval point ourselves in order to recover and escort the operative to Iacon. As of his final contact the operative believed his cover to still be intact and his escape at minimal risk. Those of you with us on our previous two meet and retrieve missions know the operative's status may have changed by now. Whether it has or not has no bearing on the fact that we are the only unit being sent in. You may or may not be happy to learn that Artillery is being moved into position to cover the area if needed. One final note, please pay attention as this is new. This mission has been re-classified by Iacon as Gamma level; that means an at all costs mission." Ricket paused to let the new status register and everyone's attention to focus again. Prowl's Officers were too disciplined to outwardly show consternation at that new status, even the two junior lieutenants so the pause was all that he allowed. "Questions?" he finished. Ricket didn't expect any as this was the final Officers briefing before imminent move out; but it was still prudent to ask especially with the two still green junior's. And apparently prudence was well placed this time.

"Sir?" One of Prowl's two junior Lieutenants, "Who knows of the classification?"

"This mission's classification is for Officers only." Ricket responded.

"So the Sergeants are not to be informed?" This time from the Senior Lieutenant.

Prowl shifted his stance drawing attention to him. "You may inform only you're Senior Sergeants and only if you find yourself in a situation that warrants it. As always, I leave what warrants it at your discretion." Prowl spared a general encompassing glance at his officers. "Echo has the new command comm. encryptions for this mission" Prowl nodded at his Communications Officer. "Pick them up as you leave. We move out in three breems, dismissed.

/\/\

"Echo!" Ricket leaned in touching his helm to the communication officers. It was the only way to be heard over the Decepticon artillery and the Autobot artillery answering it. "Have you had any word at all on the Commander?"

"No Sir!"

Ricket was getting a lot of "no Sir's" and "I don't knows" ever since the unit had gotten themselves pinned down by small arms and artillery fire while attempting to seize the retrieval point from the Con's. By chance or bad luck they had arrived to find two Decepticon units swarming the area. So much activity in this part of no mech land screamed that the operative's departure had been blown at some point during his exit. Now two joors in to the engagement and counting, neither side seemed inclined to move from their entrenched positions. Despite the Cons superior numbers their Officers, just like Prowl, seemed content to let their artillery pound their opposites along with the occasional pot shots with personal weapons.

And Prowl. He couldn't remember every being more frustrated at his difficult to work for Commander than he was at the moment. Prowl had initially held the unit back from the area under cover and sent Hound to scout the situation further. Upon the Scouts return Prowl had listened to his report on the situation and had been on the verge of issuing pullback orders; deeming the mission a lost cause when Echo had picked up that blasted BFFM signal. Ricket had been standing next to the scout when Echo had played the signal for Prowl. The hitch in Hound's systems and the sharp look he directed at the Commander was locked in Ricket's processor because it was at that point when Prowl's battle plans had changed. Ricket wasn't sure what in the signal he and Echo had missed but whatever it was had certainly affected Hound and Prowl. His Commander, usually cold, calm and collected in any circumstance and not known for acting rashly had heard the signal and immediately requested an initial artillery barrage and then set the entire unit against the two Con ones. The plans Prowl had issued to the lieutenants had been as sound as any first contact plans from Prowl ever were, but as usual were only good until the first shots had been fired. Unfortunately a few breems after the engagement had begun Prowl had vanished with the scout and one of the two twin warriors. Communications and sensors had been jammed just after that and Echo had had no luck countering the Cons jamming yet.

"Slag this, we need to …"

They both ducked as an artillery round impacted with a whomph against the other side of the crater wall they were currently using for shelter and rattled both of their chassis. "I'm beginning to think they knew we were coming." Ricket yelled as the debris settled.

"Starting to look that way Sir."

"Alright, find Sideswipe. His brother is wherever the Commander is. I want him to contact Sunstreaker and relay to the Commander it's time to return. If he can't do that, I want him to locate the Commander's team and drag their afts back here. Were pulling back if we can."

"This is a Gamma mission, we can't pull back."

"Frag that, we can to pull back. At all cost is only applicable if we still have a package to retrieve. This has been going on for two entire joors and the Commander has been missing for more than two thirds of that time. Iacon may not be pleased with our failure. But if we've lost the Commander as well…" Ricket shook his head before pressing back to Echo's helm "So, find Sideswipe and pass on my orders."

Echo nodded and took off. Two breems later he located the Senior Sergeant where he was settled in a bomb crater with what was left of a fire team and the Unit's Med Tech working on what was left of Sideswipe's Lieutenant. Echo waited while Sideswipe launched a shoulder rocket at an unseen target before moving over and pressing his helm against Sideswipe's. "Sergeant, Sunstreaker is somewhere ahead of our position. The Commander and Hound are with him. Captain wants you to contact your brother and have him bring the Commander back if he's still alive."

Sideswipe leaned back and frowned at the comm. officer. He and his brother placed shields around their bond when they went into battle so as not to affect each other. He could get a general sense of his brother's direction, but talking would be impossible unless Sunny unshielded as well and Echo knew this already. He leaned in "Why would they be out in front?"

"Commander was getting ready to withdraw when I picked up an Ops BFFM. It was right after that that we engaged the Cons."

Sideswipe's optics flashed in surprise. "Who's the mech?"

"What?"

Sideswipe leaned in pressing his helm to Echo's. "I said, who's the signal from?"

"How the frag would I know that?"

"You're a communications mech right? Look I don't know how they do it, but Ops can always tell whose signal is whose. Obviously the Commander can as well. If he can without special equipment, then you certainly must be able to."

Echo leaned away from Sideswipe and replayed the signal carefully examining it and started in surprise. He touched helms again. "You're right, there's a subtle tone woven into the signal itself. Most probably wouldn't know it was there if you weren't looking for it. But it still doesn't tell me who sent the signal. Maybe the Commander has a code key?"

"It doesn't matter anyway." Sideswipe shrugged as he pulled away. There were only two mechs that Sideswipe and his brother suspected Prowl might and could disregard logic for in order to save. And logic certainly did not dictate the unit commander just up and taking off on his own with a thrown together fire team.

/\/\

Sacrificing safety for speed, Sideswipe was running in the general direction he felt his brother. Echo hadn't any idea where they were or how far ahead of the unit they might be nor whether they had gone to ground or even if they were alive. Sideswipe knew Sunny at least was still alive because the bond said so.

Sideswipe heard the whistle and hit the ground near a questionably sound structure of something, trying to make himself flat. The round hit to close for comfort and when the blast wave hit the structure behind him it shuttered and began to fall at Sideswipe. He attempted to scramble clear only to lose his footing as the ground gave way beneath him and he slid into a collapsed hole half his height as the mostly destroyed structure collapsed on and around him.

"Slag!" He wiggled trying to free his arms and hands to dig out when the rubble began shifting and strong hands were pulling him out onto his feet.

"You okay?"

Sideswipe looked into the optic band of Groundpounder before yelling back his answer. "Yeah, thanks mech, glad you were here."

"Where you headed?"

"Commander has a team up front somewhere seeking that pick-up we were sent here for."

"We're frontline here Sideswipe. Nasty business beyond, and with comm.'s down I don't think we're gonna be allowed to engage in hand to hand this time."

"Not likely, Echo said Captain wants to pullback, but he won't do so without the Commander."

"Nothing's working. How are you locating them?"

"Sunny's in that team."

Groundpounder nodded. "I already lost my lieutenant, plus an entire fire team, can't report it without the comm. though and it's gonna be slag having to train another lieutenant."

"Ah, training 'ems not so bad."

"Hmpf. Easy for you to say, you're the one with the Senior Lieutenant."

"Mine wasn't looking to good when I left." Sideswipe shrugged "Besides, since when do you need an Officer to hold the line anyway? Junior's just get in the way. You always seem to do just fine holding the line." Keep the ranks in position but I don't think the Con's are too eager to come visit at the moment."

"You just keep your head down out there." Groundpounder yelled, jabbing a finger at Sideswipe as more artillery sailed by overhead.

"Of course." Sideswipe smiled, then took off again.

More than one third of a hic further and Sideswipe was sliding into another crater to Sunstreaker's side. Across the crater Prowl was re-loading his rocket launchers while Hound worked to patch up a slender mech that looked a lot like Mirage, except this mech was green and yellow and sporting a Decepticon insignia.

Sideswipe hollered across the crater at Prowl in the momentary lull in artillery from both sides. "Captain would really like for you to return to the command crater Sir. He thinks we should pull back."

Prowl nodded once. "We have what we came for. We'll start back as soon as Hound gets Mirage patched enough."

Sideswipe glanced again at the green and yellow mech as realization set in. Of course that was Mirage. Then he nudged his brother nodding and Sunstreaker dropped his shields.

{Figured there were only two mechs he'd ignore logic for. And there is no way you can tell me being this far past our own line with a single fire team is logical.}

Sunstreaker shook his head. {I don't know Sides. Raj has some pretty important Intel apparently.}

{How important is pretty important?}

{At all cost important. But Prowl said he figured it might spare the unit some by taking a small team to sneak up rather than engaging in hand to hand.}

{Yeah? Well we still gotta get back.}