Swindle stood straight, optics flashing as they widened in shock. He turned to look back at the two running mechs, as white static reined their comm.-links. As he looked around he found he couldn't see anything but sand for miles. Nothing else...no one else. He turned, head whipping left to right, searching for his comrades. Nothing, no one. He felt his spark stall for a moment, if that was even possible. Could Energon run cold?
Fear.
::Swindle!:: The golden mech jumped as Astrotrain's voice crackled over his comm. ::GET DOWN!::
Swindle made a confused face at the open comm., and Astrotrain yelled something quick and incoherent. ::I said-:: "-GET DOWN!" He screamed when a weight tackled him from behind, slamming him into the ground and pinning him there. His optics blacked out for a moment, leaving him in darkness. He gulped down air, attempting to stay calm as panic began to hot-wire his circuitry. He finally managed to online him optics, seeing Astrotrain's hand in-front of his face. Panic nearly took over until he noticed the rest of the triple-changer hovering over him.
"Uhm." He turned onto his back, finding Astrotrain leaning over him, right arm over Swindle's head propping him up, other arm at Swindle's side. He could feel one of Astrotrain's knees bent between his legs, the other was stretched back, pede firmly on the ground in case he needed to move quickly. He chest-plate mere inches from Swindle's.
Very, very awkward position. He could hear Vortex cackling over his comm.
Wait.
"Where's Vortex?" Swindle all-but shoved the shuttle off as he quickly sat up to look around for the missing Copter. No where to be seen. He looked to Astrotrain, who stared at him with wide optics for a moment, before smiling sheepishly. "Ah...about that..." He shifted back a bit, Swindle stared at him. He shuffled a bit more. "He kinda...got...uhm...eaten?" He smiled sheepishly again, looking at Swindle as the Jeep stared back, face full of shock.
"You...He..." Swindle twitched, and Astrotrain shuffled back a bit more. "You...YOU LET MY BROTHER GET EATEN?" Swindle screamed, Astrotrain flinched back, backing into a stone. "N-n-...yes?" He tried his best to look innocent, it hadn't been his fault the Copter was crazy. "ARGH!" He couldn't even blink before Swindle pounced him, cursing in Cybertronian as he hit Astrotrain in the head - repeatedly - with his Scatter Blaster. Astrotrain covered his face, apologizing over and over again which only proved to make Swindle hit him harder.
The blows came to an abrupt halt, Astrotrain let out a mental sigh of relief.
Until he heard the hum of something powering up, the squeal of a weapon being powered far beyond that of which it should be, just beyond backfiring from the pressure. He uncovered his face and optics to find the barrel of a blaster - Swindle's Scatter Blaster, to be exact - glowing a not-very-comforting shade of bright violet. Not even an inch from his faceplate. Astrotrain looked nervously at Swindle's shadowed faceplate.
"I hate this planet. I hate these glitches, this war, worms, muck and-" The ground became uneven, rumbling, Swindle nearly loosing his balance and he growled. "And you know what I really, really hate?" The ground behind him shifted, shifting as the large worm again emerged, likely intent on eating them as well, Astrotrain looked up at it, horrified, Swindle didn't spare a glance it's way.
It hissed.
"What I hate the most...is-" He spun around, the tip of his scatter blaster grazing Astrotrain's nose, it spun around, making a clicking sound as Swindle pointed the fully - over charged - Scatter Blaster right into the creatures opened jaws. It froze at the unfamiliar feeling in his jaws. "GIANT MECH-EATING WORMS!" He screamed, blaster going off right in the creatures mouth, lighting up it's nearly transparent flesh violet.
Then...
"BANG!" Astrotrain yelled, a smile on his faceplate, Swindle, standing to his right, flinched. He had both arms folded up, covered his helm. Mostly the top of it. And Vortex giggled, leaning against Swindle for support. Astrotrain was grinning, excited, like a kid. Vortex had an expression to mimic his. And Swindle looked tired, as if would drop any second now. Blast Off had picked them up after Swindle had taken out the worm, he had circled after it went into the earth again, and failed to see the scene play out. Vortex was fine, just covered in some organic slime, intestines, just about everything else that may have once been inside the worm. Swindle and Astrotrain had a bit on them too. Blast Off, with no need to stay sense he had not witnessed it, went straight to the wash racks.
He had to bring them home, he didn't seem to appreciate what they brought home with them while they had to sit in him.
They now stood in the throne room, after being ordered to explain where they had gone, why, and what had taken place by Megatron. Who not sat on his throne, looking a mix between confused and amused. Starscream had a mildly horrified expression on his faceplate, where he stood at Megatron's right, arms tucked behind his back.
Finally, seeing no more explanation, and Astrotrain was a bit too hyper to give a proper one anyway, he dismissed them with the wave of a hand. "And yes, Starscream, you can go play "Mother Hen" as the humans call it. I know you'll do it anyways." Megatron added, as Starscream turned to him, mouth slightly open, after the trio left the room. The SIC spared him a glare, before turning and jogging to the door, and exiting the room.
Megatron stared at the door, bemused, and rubbed his optics.
"Swindle, Vortex!" Starscream called, running after the trio as they made their way to the wash room. Astrotrain didn't bother slowing, he wasn't being called for, he kept walking as the other two halted to look at their SIC. Starscream slowed to a stop, and the first thing he did was grab Vortex by the arms, jerking him forward, and looking him over. Vortex made a whining sound, and Starscream gave him a surpicious look. "I'm fine, Starscream!" Vortex grinned, innocently. Starscream narrowed his ruby optics at the mech, before letting him go and snapping around to Swindle, making the half-awake mech jump.
"Mrrm?" Was all Swindle could manage in his tired state. He wanted a large glass an Energon, and some recharge, bad. He was beginning to care less and less if he had organic innards and outerds all over him. That over-powered shot he used to take out that Organic alien had zapped almost all of what was left of his Energy. He didn't doubt he'd probably fall into recharge in the wash racks. And...he didn't even realise he still had his arms covering his pink helm until Starscream reached forward, and lowered them to his chest, where he dropped them to his side.
He paused, looking confused for a moment, before looking sleepily back up at Starscream.
Starscream grabbed him by the arm, lightly, and pulled him forward. "Vortex, you go on to the wash racks and go see Hook tomorrow, after you recharge. Swindle's about to fall into recharge standing up, so I'll just let him stay with us tonight." Vortex made a whining sound again, which Swindle barley made out through his tired haze. "That's no fair..." "Maybe next time, Vortex." The copter turned, patting Swindle on the shoulder, smirking, before merrily making his not-the-least-bit-tired way to the wash room.
Poor Astrotrain. Would be stuck in there alone with him now.
Starscream turned Swindle around, and started directing him down the hallways. "Okay, lets' get you washed up, get you some Energon before you crash, and get you into recharge before Megatron orders my presence in the thrown room again."
Swindle made no reply, watching with growing amusement as many various, mumbling blurs passed his line of vision.
Authors Notes: Sorry this is bad. Sorry this is rushed. Sorry this had a TON of plot holes. But I really wanted to get off the planet chapters already. xD I have ideas but they had to be back on Base, and I was running low on muse for the planet scenes anyway, so they started to get worse and worse. And I'll try to make the next chapter better!
Disclaimer: Transformers does not belong to me, nor do any of it's Characters.