Tires squealed desperately on uneven ground as his frame smoked and he was abruptly dropped off seven feet from the ground. The red automobile was quick to swerve and two-wheel around a sharp bend of warped earth and asphalt before touching down on all four tires.

"CliffJumper to base, what the pits just happened?" He radioed to Ratchet, but he was suddenly met back with a screeching buzz similar to static and a hacksaw on metal. He hummed in frustration and turned his tires to start and drive slowly forward, trying to find a flat surface to drive on.

This clearly wasn't the drop off designation as he tried calling out for Optimus and BumbleBee, but to no avail. They simply weren't anywhere in sight. And the only thing in his sights was a world in utter and complete ruin.

The roads were shredded to oblivion, the streetlights were uprooted like trees and left lying in the middle of the road in which he had to carefully roll over as to not puncture a tire or disable cables. The stores had their windows blown in from a sheer force of power and display. Several of the buildings were crumbling into themselves and the air was thick and dusty, as if this was just a simple aftermath of a tornado.

Sidewalks were buckled upwards like a disfigured inchworm as debris littered every surface. Now noticing the sky, it wasn't blue, it was black and orange, smog hung over the heavily desolated down, destroyed beyond recognition. CliffJumper had rolled to a stop when in the center of a four-way was a large steel sign that dug into the ground. It was bent in the middle, but it glinted with the light of his fog-lights.

'Welcome to Jasper, Nevada.'

It wasn't far off that something sounded and a bright blue bullet of electricity and heat shot past him, causing him to swerve his tires and jolt forward to avoid hitting the sign as he sped towards a cluster of ruined homes and ducked behind them, shutting off the fog lights, he transformed with weapons in hand and waited.

Silence dragged on until CliffJumper moved to peer from behind the building, only to see a slim figure accompanied by a larger figure. Optics narrowed, who were those two? The figures seemed to be conversing.

"Look at this place! The Auto Bots are getting careless, DreadWing!" The voice of the smaller figure said as it reached out to touch the sign. He recognized that voice from anywhere. "Commander StarScream, we just chased one of them off, we need to be careful." The voice of the one named DreadWing urged, the large cannon hoisted and poised on his hip, pointing towards where CliffJumper was crouched.

"I know, but I just can't bear the thought of having lost this place to them… It clearly is a reminder that we are in our darkest hour." The smaller seeker said as he looked up to DreadWing.

CliffJumper was at a loss of words as he leaned a little too far. They did this? The Auto Bots? A cluster of debris fell and a shot rang out as the shelter CliffJumper was behind was being pelted by bullets. StarScream had moved away from the sign and slightly behind DreadWing for cover as he on-lined his own weapons.

CliffJumper had no choice but to roll out and fire his own at the two. Both of the seekers split, causing CliffJumper to trail after one of the figures as they danced out of the flurries of shots. He was able to hit the Commander on the shoulder as he could hear a loud yelp, a grin spread across his faceplates before he shouted in surprise. He danced on tip toe away from shots aimed away from his frame, but at his pedes.

"Commander!" The larger seeker shouted, dentals bared as he sauntered forward slowly, letting his cannon fire rapidly at the red grounder as he danced away, soon twisting behind an overpass column. DreadWing continued to shoot relentlessly, until his cannon overheated and the spinning contraption inside whined as it stopped. It was enough time to allow CliffJumper to slightly duck out and fire a barrage of bullets at the larger seeker, who held the weapon up like a shield.

A small flash of quick movement and an arm whipped to the side to shoot at the shadow that was making its way towards him. A yelp and a shot hit its mark on his side and the Commander went down quickly. DreadWing bellowed in pure furry and rage as his Commander was brought to his knees. Clutching the cannon, he angrily threw the cannon over his shoulder after disconnecting the sword, charging with malice in his optics.

CliffJumper knew he was in trouble as he watched his shots bounce off the seeker, but his body wasn't invincible as scorch marks were left in their wake. Light rivers of Energon ran from the shots and down his frame. Arms raised, DreadWing bellowed as he pulled the blade through the air, causing the grounder to quickly duck and roll away.

Pausing, the seeker turned towards CliffJumper as a crack sounded behind him, blade in servo as a slash appeared on the beam he was just behind not too long ago. The rocks started to pelt the two of them and DreadWing quickly rolled out of the way of the falling bridge as did CliffJumper.

They quickly got to their pedes and DreadWing let the sword slice the air, the dust visibly pulling away like smoke as CliffJumper nearly got sliced in half. He stumbled backwards, nearly avoiding a thrust to the helm as he tripped. Right into the waiting claws of the second seeker as he quickly intertwined his digits around the others arm and chassis, locking them in a deadlock, legs moving to lock at the grounder's thighs. DreadWing was about to swing downward, but stopped when he saw the struggle his Commander was going through just to keep the grounder in place. He didn't want to slice his Commander in two.

StarScream winced as the wound to his side leaked heavily and pooled quickly next to him. DreadWing wasted no time in raising the butt of his blade.

"W-Whoa wait, hold on—!" CliffJumper tried to plead before he was knocked out by the others brutal swing. Falling limp in his servos, StarScream released his hold and leaned back with the bot against him. Panting heavily, the seeker looked up at the other and winced.

DreadWing was quick to pull the bot off of him and offered a servo to the other as he put his blade back upon its mount on his back. StarScream winced and whimpered once he was on his pedes, a servo to his side as he stumbled slightly. DreadWing knelt down and peeled the others servo away to survey the damage to his Commander. It wasn't fatal, but it wasn't good either.

"Commander, we need to take you to Doctor Knock Out." He announced as StarScream nodded quickly, putting his servo on the others that was on his hip.

"Y-Yes, let's do that… But what about him?" StarScream gestured to the grounder as he lay knocked out and oblivious.

"We'll take him with us, Lord Megatron or Sir SoundWave could get some information about the Auto Bot's intentions. It would prove useful if he were to come with us."

"A prisoner? Do you hear yourself, DreadWing?" The seeker asked as his optical ridges were furled upwards in concern. DreadWing shuttered his optics and adverted the others gaze.

"We have no choice, Commander. It could very well save the world form its sudden doom. We need to know how to stop them before they do themselves in." He pointed out, causing the smaller seeker to lower his helm. He was silent before he nodded quietly.

DreadWing raised a servo to his audio communications, but he was interrupted by a small and tiny figure that ducked behind the rubble, soon dipping out and pointing her guns at the two of them. DreadWing quickly put himself in the line of fire, gently pushing StarScream behind him as he growled.

But Arcee didn't even move forward, she tilted her helm, eying them from her spot before she turned, transforming and speeding off. Both the seekers were baffled.

"Did she just leave her comrade behind? They didn't do that last time when BumbleBee was downed by SoundWave… I thought they fought denta and claw for their comrades…" StarScream mumbled before he turned back to look down at the unconscious vermillion grounder. His optics grew wide.

"DreadWing! Do you know who this is?" He asked as he pointed to the downed Auto Bot.

"Of course, it's Arcee's old partner TailGate." He simply replied, StarScream quickly shook his helm.

"I thought Airachnid off-lined him in front of her… No, it is CliffJumper! We had him off-lined not too long ago, how did he survive?! And what is with the paint job?" He asked as he crouched down, only to wince again and he moved the others jaw to look at him over. "It's no doubt. It's him." He murmured as he looked up to DreadWing. The larger tilted his helm before he looked back to where Arcee was only moments before.

"She didn't recognize him, though…" DreadWing muttered as he looked back down to see StarScream shutter his optics in pain. DreadWing moved his servo to gently pull the seeker up. Without wasting any time, opened a communications line to their Third in Command.

"Sir SoundWave, we request an immediate space bridge, Commander StarScream is injured and we have a possible prisoner." DreadWing said, moving to stoop down and grasp the smaller grounder by the waist and hoist him up. He offered a servo to his Commander, who took it for support, digits curling in mute pain as his side leaked out faster than he would have liked.

Before them a vortex of the same colors that CliffJumper had driven into before being spit out here in this place. DreadWing looked around him, staying alert and helping guide StarScream through the gate and to the safety of the Nemesis.