Chapter 3: Tumbling From Above

I don't own Transformers.

OMP didja see what I did thar for the acronym of this chap? Read on!

"Bond talk"

"Speech"

'Thought'

Nicknames:

Ultranova Prime: Nova

Shadowhunter: Shadow

Swiftstreak: Swift

Swiftstreak and Crystal held each other desperately. "OH MY GOSH! WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!" Swift yelled as Crystal screamed her helm off. She looked around for her twin and the rest of the gang, only to see…

"Go Fish."

Nightstar had a habit of carrying random things and it just so happened that she found a deck of cards in her subspace. She, Nova, Shadow and Icewhip were calmly sitting on air and playing cards as the ground began to grow bigger.

"How can you be so calm at THIS time of all times?" Swift yelled over the roaring of the wind in her audios.

"Honey," Nova's nonchalant voice came through the bond. "It's no use panicking right now; we have to be prepared for the worst. So why not enjoy the breeze while you're at it?" Swift looked at her commander like she had grown two helms.

"Say, where are our Autobot symbols?" Icewhip asked through the bond.

"Well… Yours are on both your wings; Crystal's is on her chest, just over her spark chamber; Shadow's is on her left shoulder while Swiftstreak has hers on her right shoulder. Nightstar has hers on her wrist and… NO! BAD NIGHTSTAR! I SAW THAT!" The other femmes flinched at Nova's suddenly loud voice coming through the bond and they looked over at Nightstar, who sheepishly took a couple of cards out of her hand and returned it to subspace.

"What about your symbol?" Crystal asked.

"Ya know, I don't see it anywhere…" Nova stretched to her full height and began to inspect her armor.

"OH MY PRIMUS! I found it!" Nightstar giggled and pointed at Nova's aft. Sure enough, it stood out boldly, crimson against light purple.

"Oi! Enough of the peep show!" Nova reached across and batted Nightstar on the helm.

Just as Nightstar was about to retaliate with a quick whack, the sudden sounds of a battle raging below them caught their attention.

"Nightstar, I require a status report on the situation." Nova ordered through the bond. This was no longer their world; they were part of a war now. Nightstar soberly nodded and scanned the area.

"As expected, there is a large battle going on between the Autobots and the Decepticons. Unfortunately, there appear to be a large amount of Autobot casualties and some of them are in critical conditions. There do not seem to be any medics on the field and time is short for these mechs. The Decepticons also have the advantage in numbers and firepower. In short, the 'Bots are getting the slag pounded out of them!" Nightstar projected loud and clear through the bond.

"Acknowledged," Nova inclined her helm. "Nightstar, go down there and help stabilize those mechs' conditions!" Nightstar nodded and broke out of formation, spiralling to where the carnage was at its worst. "Crystal, head over to where the fighting is not that serious and provide support with your bow and arrow. Icewhip, protect Crystal while dispatching as many Decepticons as possible." Said femmes shot over to their positions without questioning their commander. "Twins, both of you are with me. We'll head to wherever the fighting is the most serious and lend a helping servo." Shadow and Swiftstreak saluted as they followed the path of their commander.

Nova grimaced behind her mask as she gained speed due to the position which she had angled herself at. Unsheathing her dual Energon swords, she landed squarely on top of a black armored mech with red optics that was busy beating the slag out of a green, red and white mech with blue optics and flashing ear fins. "Motormaster and Wheeljack," Nova thought grimly as she easily flipped herself over the black mech, her blade burying itself deeply into the exposed wires at his knee joint.

Motormaster screamed in agony as Nova cut through one of his main Energon lines and blindly swung his sword at the Prime. Ducking, she effortlessly thrust her sword just below his spark chamber, sending him into stasis to prevent further injury to his spark. "What are you waiting for Wheeljack? Get out there and beat the Decepticons to the Pit and back!" Wheeljack was staring openly at Nova, making her feel quite uncomfortable with the attention. At her words, it was as if she had flipped a switch and Wheeljack nodded with a flash of his ear fins before running back into the fray.

The glint of sunlight reflecting off a golden boomerang assured Nova that the twins were doing well as she turned and began to hack away at other Decepticons.

"You don't mess with the twins!" Swiftstreak taunted the mechs she was engaging in combat, safe with the consolation of her sister watching her back. Jumping up, she back flipped and stabbed a rampaging Wildrider in the face with her spear before using him as a springboard to bound up and swing a pede at Shockwave. She quickly noticed that another mech had gone too close to her sister for her liking at sped up to him, releasing a strong charge from her stun gun. "And stay down!" She allowed herself to celebrate for only a klik before she became focused on the task at hand once more.

"Ash! Behind you!" Swift turned, only to see her twin's battle axe protruding from the helm of an unknown Decepticon.

"Ix-nay on the uman names-hay!" She hissed as Shadow used her human nickname. Early in the battle, she found out that her boomerang could cut through armor and she happily hurled it at a black cone-head Seeker that was just inches away from throttling her twin's neck.

"Sorry." Shadow muttered as she swiftly somersaulted over the grabbing servos of a Constructicon, handicapping his sight as she jabbed her fingers into his optics. Twirling her axe, she swiftly slashed at Blitzwing's torso.

"I'm gonna be the very best, that no one ever was… To bash them all is my real test, the Autobots is my cause…" Shadow fell forwards as she heard her twin doing a parody of the Pokémon theme song.

"Really, Swift? You have to start now?" Shadow told her twin off through their twin bond.

"Hey, I'm supposed to motivate them! What else do I do? Act like a blur sotong? [*1]" Swiftstreak cheekily replied.

Both of them had a brainwave at the same time.

"Do you…" Swift shot a look at her twin.

"Wanna make like a damsel and be distressed?" Shadow completed her offer. Swiftstreak nodded and feigned being injured, drawing attention away from her twin who melted into the shadows.

"Cover me."

Those were Icewhip's simple orders as her whips crackled to life. Crystal nodded and strung her bow, ready to defend her friend. Icewhip burst forwards unexpectedly at a speed that wasn't possible without some additional help. "Guys! I've got a jetpack!" She grinned evilly as she realized this would give her the upper hand. With a battle cry, Icewhip flew into the battle and her whips cast an eerie glow from the center of the tangle of mech bodies.

Icewhip and her whips worked as one being, the weapon acting like an extension of her arms as they flowed smoothly, coiling around the necks, servos or pedes of mechs, either hampering their progress or damaging them beyond repair. She danced a deadly ring around Crystal, tackling mechs as she safeguarded the younger femme.

Spying a team of heavily built mechs stampeding towards them, Icewhip deactivated her weapons and brought out her knuckledusters. "Let the real games begin." Her lip plates twisted into a cruel leer and she swung her now weighted fist at the first mech to cross her path. Smirking as the metal of his face plates crunched satisfyingly under the force, she relished in his agonized yell. Many times, her friends said that Icewhip had more than a little bit of Decepticon in her, and they were right. The way her optics would light up at the failure of her adversaries was too bright to miss, by her enemies or by her friends.

"Energon line stabilized." Nightstar wiped the coolant that had beaded up on her forehead as she finished the nerve-wracking procedure of wielding the once freely-flowing, Energon-coated wound shut. She scanned the mech, one of many she had been able to save, once more before she felt a menacing aura looming behind her. Without a nanoklik to spare, she spun on her heel and her Energon dagger soon found a new home in the Decepticon's spark chamber. A choked sound rolled out of the lip plates of the mech that was poised to strike a fatal blow, his raised arm that wielded helicopter blades falling to his side as his optics flickered and dimmed. With a mighty crash, he collapsed on the ground and was no longer online.

Nightstar heard someone get up behind her and turned around to find her most recent patient struggle to get up. "Jazz," she said sternly. "You are not 100% fully functional. You're not to engage in combat at all." She gently placed a servo on his chest plates, halting any movement that the mech was about to execute.

Jazz's visor blanked at the sight of a femme beside him before his battle instincts kicked in and his processor toyed with the idea that this femme could possibly be a Decepticon. He struggled to get away before he could possibly get offlined and Nightstar vented in frustration before subspacing her wrench and nailing Jazz on the helm before she showed the Autobot symbol on her wrist. "I am within the same faction as you. I'll explain everything once this battle is over and you are not, I repeat not to stress your systems any more than necessary." He nodded in obedience, not wanting to feel the fury of the femme medic again. "Good. Now try and stay out of trouble." Nightstar quickly rushed off to attend to the next casualty, leaving a rather stunned Jazz in her wake.

War was scary. Crystal vouched for that fact. Her spark clenched as she shot arrow after arrow at mechs she didn't know. They may have been complete strangers to her, but they were still living beings after all. They had the right to make choices. She gasped as Icewhip took on multiple mechs at once.

However, Crystal couldn't help but notice the feral elegance and ease in which Icewhip attacked her enemies. She ducked and weaved under the weapons of the mechs that were out for her Energon. "Why didn't Icewhip become a dancer before? She's so graceful!" Crystal thought.

Suddenly, a purple Seeker burst out of nowhere and caught Icewhip in a stranglehold. There was a crackle of energy surrounding the pair before they disappeared. Crystal gasped and covered her mouth with her servo. "It's Skywarp! Where did he bring Icewhip to?" she thought worriedly. She was beginning to panic.

A cold chuckle sounded from behind her as fingers closed around her throat, cutting off her air supply. "You will be an excellent pet for the mighty Starscream, femme." A sickening voice crooned in her audio. Crystal very nearly purged her Energon as soon as she heard the tone of which he was speaking in. "I have plans for you as soon as we return back to base."

"Aww… Tired already? Don't worry, Ultranova Prime's gonna escort you personally to the Well of Allsparks!" Nova was a lethal whirlwind of blades and fists; smashing, twirling, slicing and bashing. She was able to keep the mechs at bay but unfortunately, more and more arrived and she began to get overwhelmed from being attacked at all sides. As she quickly stabbed an unidentifiable mech with her sword, the sound of a gunshot caught her attention. She turned her helm to the side, only to feel pure agony shoot through her system.

She knelt down on one knee and offlined her optics, allowing herself to wallow in the pain she felt. She was so close to giving up. "It's no use. They just keep coming!" She thought.

Crystal's audio-shattering scream echoed throughout the battlefield.

Nova felt her spark frost over as she gritted her dentas and stood up, one servo covering her side wound that was leaking an alarming amount of Energon as she sheathed her swords and subspaced her photon cannons. Symbols and warnings flashed across her visor that she did not notice before and she brusquely pushed them aside, knowing that she wanted to- no, needed to- get to Crystal before it was too late.

She fired at every single mech that had red optics, never stopping once or backing down to reflect on what damage she was doing. She ploughed her way through the sea of mechs, rage and worry giving her the strength she needed to reach the source of the scream.

Starscream was preparing to fly off with his quarry, glad that he had such a prize catch, when somebot crashed into him, catching him in a headlock. "Release your prisoner Starscream, and I will not damage you… much." The low voice of a femme growled in his audio.

Starscream merely laughed mockingly at the thought of a femme threatening him. "You and what army?"

A savage shriek came from the skies and the Seeker soon found himself occupied with a rampaging Icewhip. Nova swiftly seized Crystal from his grasp and told her to look for Nightstar. Energon tears pooled in Crystal's optics as Nightstar rapidly appeared at her side, holding her and comforting her. Nova turned to the mech that had dared to harm her little Crystal and she tried to join Icewhip in beating the slag out of the Seeker. But as soon as she took a step towards him, her legs gave out; the loss of Energon finally catching up to her. "Twins, restrain Icewhip. I want Starscream to live so the other 'Cons can see what happens if they mess with Crystal." Nova sent through the bond as Nightstar yelled in worry and rushed to her injured commander's side and started to patch up her injury temporarily.

The twins managed to restrain Icewhip long enough for Starscream to escape and the Decepticons began to retreat at an unheard order. The femmes stood in a protective circle around their leader and did not let their guard down for one klik as Nightstar angrily berated Nova for battling with a possibly fatal wound. Nova looked down sheepishly and rubbed the back of her helm.

"Well, I guess we'll have a lot of explaining to do once the Bots get here."

Nova looked up in a panic at Nightstar's statement and noticed a couple of Autobots she recognized on the horizon. Shyness kicking in, she stood up and quickly turned around, ready to escape when Nightstar vented in exasperation and whacked Nova on the back of her helm with her wrench. "Nova, when have we ever let you escape from meetings?" Nightstar and Icewhip each grabbed one of Nova's arms and dragged her protesting loudly to the Autobots, the twins and Crystal following behind. "You have a face mask and you also have a visor. What are you worried about?" Nightstar reasoned.

Nova was getting more and more desperate the closer they got to the Bots. She had tried bribing them, threatening them (which Icewhip scoffed at), even going as far to saying "Jazz and Prowl!" to distract Nightstar.

"Nice try, honourable leader. Look lively, we're nearly there." Icewhip said.

"At least give me some dignity won't you? Just release me already!" At Icewhip's incredulous glower, Nova grumbled, "Fine. I promise I won't run off." Both Nightstar and Icewhip shared a look before they let go of her at the same time, causing her to land on her aft ungracefully.

"Thanks a lot, glitches." She glared at them until somebot cleared his throat.

Icewhip raised her servo to the mech and said, "I think it would be for the better if we are repaired before you interrogate us."

"Crystal! Get up sleeping beauty!" Nightstar poked Crystal, who had fallen asleep due to what she had to go through. Crystal mumbled and shot an arrow that had a suction cup on the end, the projectile sticking to Nightstar's forehead. "Lemme recharge." Crystal slurred as she turned over.

The twins were no better. Shadow was trying, and failing, to stay awake and Swiftstreak was recharging on her pedes. Shadow leant against Swift and both of them crashed to the ground in recharge, all their energy spent from their battle. Nova had her helm in her servos as she muttered, "What did I do to deserve these nuts?"

"Thank you!" Nightstar chirped through the bond.

"Only you of all bots would take it as a compliment." Nova drily replied before she winced and shook her helm, warning symbols flashing in her vision, indicating that she had to refuel soon.

Optimus did not fail to notice this and asked, "Are you alright?"

Nova squeaked upon hearing the voice that she adored and fell onto Icewhip, her cheeks turning blue behind her mask. Every femme could feel the blush through the bond and Nightstar took the opportunity to torment her commander. "Oooooh! Optimus and Nova sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G."

"Shut up Nightstar! It's bad enough that I can't just squee and glomp him right here and now." Nova thanked Primus for giving her a face mask. She definitely did not need anyone to see how bad she was blushing.

Nova nodded and Optimus gave the others standing behind him orders as a ship touched down nearby. "Ironhide! Ratchet! Get Red Alert and comm Moonracer and First Aid! Tell both of them to expect patients." Ratchet and Red Alert went over to the twins and moved them into the ship, propping their frames against the wall while Ironhide tried to make his way to Crystal, only to get stopped by two growling femmes. He raised his arms in submission and backed off, Nova refusing to take her optics off the mech she considered a threat to Crystal while Icewhip gently picked Crystal up, carrying her in her arms as if she was a sparkling and stepped onto the ship, followed by Nightstar.

Nova scowled as she felt liquid seeping through the temporary patch that Nightstar had created. "WARNING: ENERGON LEVELS EXTREMELY LOW. INITIATING RECHARGE PROTOCOLS." The warning flashed across her visor once before her vision developed black spots and she collapsed. She heard a loud curse before she gave herself up to the darkness.

"Slag it! Optimus, be careful with her! Her wound has begun leaking! She should not have gone fighting after she got that." Ratchet raved as Optimus carried Nova bridal style into the ship. Nightstar had a disturbing glint in her optics and smiled her blackmail smirk, snapping a quick picture before her mood settled once more. As soon as Optimus gently laid Nova down and stepped back, Nightstar had beaten Ratchet in getting to Nova and was busy stemming the flow of Energon. Ratchet placed a servo on her shoulder and asked, "What are you doing, youngling? This is no time for fooling around."

Nightstar looked at him in annoyance for a nanoklik before turning back to her job and she quickly answered him. "Designated Nightstar. Trained and qualified medic." Her doorwings were stiff with worry as she fused certain wires back together. After about ten kilks, Nightstar sat back, doorwings drooping in tiredness as she yawned and went into recharge beside her commander's body. Icewhip had long since fallen into recharge, curled next to Crystal's frame, wings pressed uncomfortably against the wall.

Ratchet scanned the wounded femme one more time and was amazed to find how well the femme medic had done the job. "She is talented. But if she has more training, she may match or even surpass me in skill." He thought.

"Who are these femmes? They just fell out of nowhere. They may be Decepticon pretenders! Or maybe they are infected with a contagious virus! Or maybe…" Red Alert was off on his famous paranoid rants, grating on the nerves of the others.

"Red Alert, there are Autobot symbols on these femmes. Nevertheless, they are smaller than regular femmes." Ratchet observed.

"You are right. For now, we should let them recharge. They have deserved it for aiding our troops. We shall interrogate them later." Optimus said from the place he was standing at, behind both medics. "Chromia, have you seen any of these femmes before?"

The blue femme shook her helm, replying, "No, my Prime. I have not. Perhaps Elita has seen them before." Optimus acknowledged her statement and Chromia exited the room.

"Come to think of it, I know now is not the time to ask but you and Elita have not spark bonded?" Ironhide asked with pure curiosity in his optics.

"That is correct. It is not the time to ask but I will give you the answer if I have to. Both Elita and I grew apart, and it was rather taxing on both of us to have to continue pretending to be in a happy relationship so it was a mutual decision to break it off and just maintain a friendship as co-workers. Are you satisfied?" Optimus walked towards the pilot centre after he answered the question. Taking one last glance at the recharging forms of the femmes, his gaze lingered on the femme with light purple armor before he spun on his heel and walked off.

Ack! This be very long! Hope you enjoyed it! Now I shall go and poke Soundwave to lend me his blackmail material. Reviews are like chocolates to me! And I like my chocolates! Please R&R! Favourites and follows are welcomed too! ^^

-Love, Nova

[*1]: "Blur sotong" is a slang phrase in Singlish. (Singaporean twist on English) Sotong is Malay for squid. The term came around because squids squirt ink to escape from predators, am I right? So, apparently this "sotong" got lost in his own cloud of ink and ended up in front of the predator when the ink cleared. An example of a sentence with this phrase is: "Wah lao eh! (the exasperated Singlish OMG) Our teacher always blur like sotong one! Don't know the difference between x and y!"