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Just the plot and OCs.
We all already know this.
Hey! Look at this! A chapter on time! Who would have thought?
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Chapter 11
Well, it was official.
Bumblebee did not like static-hounds.
"LET ME GO!" Snarling the most intimidating sound he could come up with Bee twisted and turned as he swung by his scruff bar while the huge black canine like mech raced through the tunnels with seven other hounds trailing with him. All the youngling got in response to his pleas was a growl that rumbled through his very spark and a vicious shake. That didn't stop him though. These stupid things had hurt the twins!
His twins!
They were his brothers and these stupid things hurt them!
That stupid mech stabbed Sunny!
The youngling's spark rolled in pain.
Please, He wished with all his might to whatever high power might be listening. Please let Sunny and Sides be okay. Please! Let Hide find me!
The hound that carried him raced around another dark corner seeming oblivious to Bee beating his little fist against its muzzle for all he was worth and not evening seeming to care when he spun and kicked at its neck.
Its fangs just snapped into his valuable scruff bar bending and twisting the metal making Bee cry out in pain.
He was not made to be treated like this!
Didn't this stupid thing know youngling's were breakable!?
"You're hurting me! Let go!" He squealed as they rounded another corner.
And ran straight into Ironhide's leg.
"Oww." Bee whined when the static-hound crashed into the unyielding black metal of Hide's upper thigh and then went bouncing back. The rest of the pack crashed into the other bots that they'd stumbled upon and what ensued next was mass chaos.
"STATIC-HOUNDS!?" Hot Rod snapped.
"What the pit!?" Ratchet bellowed.
Snarl.
Hiss.
Bite.
SLAM!
Yelp!
"BUMBLEBEE!" Optimus and Ironhide panicked at the sight of the little yellow mechling covered in energon swinging between the snapped tight jaws of a large black beast that hissed once at them as it stumbled backward its pack at its side.
For a moment the hounds and the bots just stared at each other while Bee blinked in confusion trying to figure out if his guardian and family were really standing in front of him until he decided that it wasn't his pain fogged processor fragging with him and he let out a pitiful sounding whine.
"Hide,"
Then the hounds leapt in a circle sprinting down a side tunnel.
"GET BACK HERE YOU FRAGGING GLITCH!" Ironhide sprinted after them. "PUT HIM DOWN!"
He couldn't shoot the damn things for fear of hitting Bumblebee and blowing up the whole expanse of tunnels while he was at it, but that didn't stop the enraged snarl that worked its way out of Ironhide's thick chest as he, Ratchet, Optimus, and Hot Rod sprinted after the huge black static-hounds.
They knew they weren't going to catch them on foot though and the tunnels were not spacious enough to transform, which left the mechs with one option.
Hot Rod.
Because he was the fasted of the four of them.
Throwing everything he had into his strides Roddy raced ahead of his fellow bots sliding around the sharp corners with ease gaining on the fleeing hounds the pain filled squeals of the youngling driving him on until sprinting through a four way cross section of tunnels he jumped forward landing with a painful crash to his chest.
But he had the static-hound that had Bumblebee in its jaws by the back foot.
With a squeak Bee found himself rolling on the floor as a static filled snarl lifted to the air and the beast that had him spun back burying its fangs in Hot Rod's shoulder. The mech hissed painfully before he whipped out a blade slicing into the hound as the others descended.
Hot Rod rolled tacking the dead hound in his grip with him and using it to shield his neck from the snap of teeth that lunged for him. Kicking out he sent another hound flying before he threw the dead one away and sprang back to his feet slicing his blade into the back of one that jumped for Bumblebee again.
Optimus flew past him grabbing hold of another one tossing it back before it could sink its fangs into Bee as the little mechling scrambled back until he slammed into the tunnel wall as Ironhide and Ratchet joined the fray.
The CMO's buzz saws cut two more hounds into little pieces while Ironhide didn't stop moving until he had Bumblebee in his hand. The little mechling was sobbing and grasping at his guardian's chest as Optimus, Ratchet, and Hot Rod ended the last few hounds that were running around snarling until the last one fell dead on Optimus' energon blade.
For a klick the four of them stood there panting, the bright red commander favoring his left shoulder where that static-hound snapped its fangs sank in. That was not his nor his fellow mechs concern though. What they were worried about was the crying mechling in Ironhide's hand.
Ratchet sprang forward with a curse taking the energon covered, shaking little one from Ironhide's own slightly trembling hand quickly running scan after scan. What he found confused him.
Bumblebee was beat up and dented, but all this energon wasn't his. Where the slag did it all come from?
"Sunny!" Bee cried out, pulling desperately at Ratchet's fingers. "Sides!"
"What?" Ratchet rumbled his optics narrowing.
"Have to help them!" Bee pleaded. "Ratchet! Help them!"
"Help?" Ratchet looked toward Prime before it accrued to him, and when it did it hit him like a plasma round to the spark.
Where the pit were the twins!?
He knew better than to try the comm links, the static hounds presence made them useless. All that hissing killed radio ways, even now that they were dead it would take a few klicks for the waves to be free to the air again besides there were probably more. The waves would still be down. However, Ratchet had another choice to finding out where the twins were.
But he didn't get the chance to use it.
There was a metallic thump and then pain exploded into his back.
A grunt of pain left him before Ironhide and Optimus yelped his name as he twisted to take the brunt of the force of the fall from Bee. Catching himself on his left palm he clutched Bumblebee to his chest with his other hand as feeling slipped out of his frame.
Stun arrow.
Primus, it had been a long time since he felt one of those.
"Ratchet!" Bee cried out in horror as the medic hit his knees.
"What the pit!" Ironhide bellowed latching hold of his friend and his son hauling them both up, but not before he grabbed the glowing purple arrow shaft in the middle of Ratchet's back.
"Pull the fraggin' thing out!" Ratchet hissed out painful.
"Is that a stun arrow!?" Roddy breathed.
Optimus was glaring into the shadows trying to figure out where the shot had come from. Anything with a combustion shot that made it fire, Ironhide's cannons, or any of their blasters, would have sent the tunnel up in a raging inferno but a stun arrow was shot with an old fashion energy bow. There was nothing that made it fire but the strength in a bots arms.
A bot that was lurking somewhere in the shadow in this tiny tunnel playing glitch-mouse and robo-cat with them.
Spinning the blade in his hand the Prime glared into the darkness.
"Ratchet?" He growled out.
The medic grunted. "I'll be fine. Just pull it, Hide."
Bumblebee whimpered at the sight of the glowing thing in Ratchet's back. Ironhide cast him a glance, but he was safe trapped in Ratchet's fist and at that point he had realized it wasn't Bee that was leaking all that energon. It was just covering him.
With a sick sounding yank Ironhide pulled out the arrow. To his credit Ratchet just let out a short, quiet gasp and kept the little mechling pinned to his chest before he found himself leaking from the puncture in his back and Ironhide supporting his weight with his thick arm wrapped around under his own arms.
"Where the frag did it come from?" Ironhide snarled to the dark shadows around them.
"For that matter where did those damn hounds come from, why did they have Bee, and where the pit are the twins!?" Ratchet growled trying to hide the panic in his voice. Where were his twins? They wouldn't have let Bee go while they were still breathing.
"Hurt!" Bee chocked back another sob drawing all optics back to him. "Down there!"
Optimus and Hot Rod took off toward the direction Bumblebee pointed with Ironhide pulling a hurt but still scrambling Ratchet along with him. He wouldn't leave him. It was like asking him to let the others run off and find Bumblebee while he just lay somewhere. It wasn't something Ratchet could be expected to do.
Not with the mechs he viewed as his sons.
And not with whoever, or whatever shot that arrow lurking around these shadows somewhere. Ironhide kept a weathered optic on each moving dark mass wary of hound or bot alike that might spring from them at any time as they raced down the tunnels.
He didn't see the gleam of titanium grey optics in the dark crevices of the tunnel above him though.
But they watched him with building annoyance.
Every molecule of Sunstreaker was on fire.
The burning blade in his middle making him struggle for each breath he took, but that was nothing compared to having to hang there from the wall and watch Sideswipe wither in pain below him.
There was an equally as nasty looking energon blade drove half an inch from the mech's spark. Sunstreaker could feel that it had punctured his brother's spark chamber. The chamber that bore his half of their shared spark.
The pain had Sunstreaker a snarling mess, trying to figure out how to tear this damn blade from him with his arms pinned to the wall with a dagger over his head.
That damn mech and his hounds had done a good job. He had them both in the perfect position to just off them right then and there, but then with a nasty smile he vanished back into the shadows taking his hissing hounds with him.
Sunstreaker was confused, in pain, and panicking about both his brothers.
But he didn't have to wonder over what was going on much longer.
One klick he was struggling to pull at his wrist then he heard a gasp and Optimus was easing him from the wall.
He snarled in agony fighting the urge to let pain educed tears fall when he found himself knelt to the ground with the Prime holding him upright.
"Sunstreaker! Sideswipe!"
He looked up through hazy optics and found the medic he trusted so.
"Ratch," He mumbled, trying to breath around the blade in his middle. "Sideswipe."
Sunny would be fine. At least he was pretty sure he would be.
He was telling himself that at least.
It was his brothers he was worried about right now. His twin brother and the little mechling one as well.
"Help, Sides . . . ." He coughed, energon bubbling in his mouth. "Were is Half Pint?"
"Bumblebee is fine, Sunstreaker." Optimus assured the golden warrior watching as Hot Rod helped the medic who was moving sluggishly with the effects of the stun arrow that were slowly leaving his system now that Hide had pulled the glowing thing out. While Ironhide had Bumblebee covered in a hand not letting the tiny one see the energon coated frames of his two favorite frontliners.
This was not something he needed to see.
"What happened, Sunstreaker?" Ratchet hissed darkly as he pulled the blade from the red warrior who gritted his teeth to the pain and let the medic hastily patch his chest. He needed both of them in the medical bay this fraggin' klick, but he knew that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. Whatever was going on here, wasn't over yet. So all he could do was patch them from leaking to death and make sure both their sparks were stable enough to make it a while longer.
They were stronger than most though.
He knew they would just grit their teeth and hang on trusting him to fix them when he could.
"Static-hounds." Sunstreaker grumbled his voice full of pain, from his own frame and from Sideswipe's who was struggling not to cry out as Ratchet welded up the slice in his spark chamber hurriedly. "Some fraggin' mech. I don't know."
Then suddenly the golden warrior was gasping when Ratchet carefully pulled the blade from his middle.
Sunny wasn't even sure when he'd gotten over to him.
"Frag it, Ratchet!" He tried to double over but Optimus kept him upright, the powerful Prime cringing at the sight of what had been done to his warriors.
"Easy," The CMO hushed the bright gold mech mindful of the energon that was now gushing down his frame. With flying fingers he sealed as many lines and severed cables as he could just as he had done on the other twin, but just like Sideswipe, Sunstreaker needed far more then he could offer him in this tunnel.
They needed to get back to the ship now.
"When I get my hands on that glitch," Sideswipe hissed from where Hot Rod was trying to ease him to his feet. "I'm going to tear him into tiny pieces—Ratchet? WHAT THE PIT HAPPENED TO YOUR BACK!?"
The medic glanced over his shoulder as he helped Optimus pulled Sunstreaker up to find the red mech's optics wide as he stared at his back, but Ratchet didn't have time for that right now.
"Later, Sideswipe."
"Later my aft!" The warrior snarled.
"What?" Sunstreaker mumbled. "What's wrong?"
"Some glitch stabbed him in the fraggin' back!?"
"WHAT?"
"Both of you MUTE IT!" Ratchet bellowed. "I'm fine! But you won't be if we don't get you back to the damn ship."
"Comm links are still down." Optimus growled helping keep Sunstreaker on his feet watching as Hot Rod did the same with Sideswipe.
"The hounds are still around." Ironhide snarled as he kept Bumblebee cradled to his chest. The little mechling was scarily quiet and it was making Hide even more uneasy. He just shivered in his palm keeping one tiny hand grasped to his chest. He didn't even demand to see, or anything along those lines that he would normally be doing.
Because he was scared out of his little processor.
Bumblebee was not stupid.
He knew something awful was going on. He just didn't know what it was.
When he reached out with his spark for the powerful ones around him he was met with nothing but blackness and an eerie darkness. That static like rumble was still echoing in his audios and all he could feel was the energon that was still sticking to him. All he could see was the arrow in Ratchet's back that Ironhide yanked out, and the twins with blades drove through them.
Another chill ran through the little mech.
He wanted out of this tunnel.
He wanted back on the ship.
He wanted the darkness to go away.
He wanted to curl up on the rec room couch in Sideswipe's lap next to Sunstreaker and watch meaningless programs about organic animals that he didn't think he'd ever see in real life.
He wanted Ironhide and Optimus to make everything better again.
Closing his optics tightly he pressed himself up against Ironhide's armor and ignored everything else except his guardian's spark beating against his audios and tried to pretend they were in their berthroom and there was nothing else but a pile of warm snuggly blankets around him and Hide was putting off telling him a story.
He was not here in these cold dark tunnels with whatever it was lurking in the shadows.
Ironhide tightened his grip on the youngling before he glanced to Optimus who met his optics.
"Spark vault." Was all the leader growled, but it was so obvious Hide was mentally kicking himself for not thinking of it before. That was the safest place for the quivering thing right now, and it would calm him down. With optics mindful of the shadows Ironhide shifted Bee away from his chest and earned a panicked squeak in return.
"No! Hide!"
"Shush, little one." Hide rumbled at him. "It's alright."
Bee whimpered making the weathered warrior squirm, but with a few nano-klicks the sound of sliding metal and clicking plates made Bee's antennas perk up in the safety of his guardian's fist. That sounded suspiciously like a spark vault opening? Opening his closed tight optics to find Hide parting his fingers he was greeted by his vivid blue optics and the massive ebony mech smiled reassuringly at him before he brought him up to the sliding back plate that protected the reinforced compartment that rested next to his spark chamber.
His spark vault.
Scampering up without even having to be told Bee clicked happily and tumbled into the dark, safe, warm, and slightly squishy hideaway he hadn't known since Jazz stashed him in his quite a few vorns ago.
Snuggling in pushing himself up to the side that shared space with his adopted Sire's spark chamber he lost himself in the beating of the powerful spark next to his audios. The thick plating and armor that made up his massive Sire clicked and shifted back into place as Ironhide swung to stare down the tunnels around them.
The hissing had started up again.
The hounds were coming back.
His cannons whirled with anger, but he forced them cold again.
He would not blow them all to pit because of his damn temper, and with the gases still clogging his olfactory sensor he knew that was just what was going to happen if he fired those whirling weapons up.
"Comm links might be down." He snarled. "But our sparks aren't."
Optimus' optics flashed with realization and then he was kicking himself for not thinking of it before. As he hauled Sunstreaker up carefully beside him letting Ratchet take him gently—much to the golden mechs hatred, he did not want to be drug along like some helpless weakling, but since he couldn't stand on his own he didn't have much of a choice—Hot Rod pulled the other twin up with him and arm around his shoulder as he tried to steady the panting red mech.
They were hurt.
Bad.
And Optimus, Ratchet, Ironhide, and Hot Rod were going to kill some mech for that.
However, at the moment, they had to get all of them out of these damn tunnels.
In one collective push; Ironhide, Optimus, Hot Rod, and Ratchet flung everything they had into the bonds that linked them to their friends calling out to Jazz, Prowl, and Ultra Magnus.
Calling for help just as an explosion rocked the tunnels.
"You know," Jazz swung his silver feet back and forth of the edge of the loading ramp as he sat beside Swoop sipping a cube of energon. "I don't think I've ever really had a conversation with you, Swoop. You or any of your brothers."
Swoop let out an airy chuckle. "Jazz busy. Dinobots know him Jazz does important things."
"Well yeah, mech." Jazz nodded after he took a sip. The two of them had been moving crates along with most of the crew, but were now taking a much needed rest. Actually, the silver mech was kind of just avoiding the ship across the circle where Prowl, Wheeljack, and Grimlock were in the middle of a rather heated argument about whether or not Dinobots could have access to the shooting range that they were helping restock.
So far Jacky and Grimy were not winning.
Though they did have Prowl in quite a stew.
Jazz found it quite funny actually.
"But I make it a point to get to know every bot. It's kinda what I do."
"Then me Swoop." The lanky tri colored beast mech held out his giant, long clawed hand offering it to the smaller mech beside him. With a beaming smile Jazz took his clawed hand in his own and gave it a firm shake. "Me like flying, and blowing stuff up, and pestering me Swoop's brothers, and helping Wheeljack, and playing with Itty Bitty because Itty Bitty might be itty bitty but Itty Bitty fun and me Swoop like him, and me Swoop also tryin' figure out how to convince him Ratchet to let me Swoop learn about medical things. Because me Swoop think it interesting, me Swoop always been one that helps patch up other Dinobots when other Dinobots get hurt when we was alone, so now think maybe him Ratchet let me learn . . . for real . . . you Jazz understand?"
Jazz blinked for a moment his visor extra bright with how wide his optics got before he snorted a laugh. "You want to learn to be a medic?"
Swoop looked away taking Jazz's laughter for refusal. "Knows it is foolish. Me Dinobot. Not be allowed to be medic."
"Now hold up there a nano." Jazz shook his head, pulling on the other bot's shoulder to make Swoop turn back and look at him. "I didn't say I didn't think you could do it. I was just a little shocked, that's all. I didn't think something like that would interest you or your brothers."
"Oh not brothers." Swoop quickly perked back up, a smile blooming across his faceplate when the mech before him didn't immediately shot his idea out of the sky and crush his dreams. "Them Slag and Snarl rather be deactivated then learn 'bout putting stuff together. Them way more happy taking things apart. And him Sludge like to draw, but him not interested in medic things . . . and Grimlock . . . well him just like smashing stuff. Not all stuff, sometimes him have things he rather not smash, like Itty Bitty, but most times him like them Slag and Snarl. Him rather break. Them good at it."
Jazz leaned back looking to the bright sky above as he chuckled. "Yeah they are good at it. I didn't know Sludge liked to draw though."
Swoop nodded enthusiastically. "Yep, him good. Real good. Him draws things to build and stuff him sees. Most times him build things but them don't work like he wants too. Him breaks them sometimes too."
"Does Jack know he likes to build things?"
The flyer Dinobot chewed on his lip for a moment. "Me Swoop not know."
"You two should tell him." Jazz encouraged.
"Really?"
"Yeah," The saboteur offered the mech a wink. He was really starting to like the silly, lanky, beast mech. Him and his brothers. They might be a little rough around the edges but there was nothing 'bad' about them. They were just different, misunderstood, and he could remember a time when that had been him.
He had no room to judge them.
And he had no intention to ever again.
"You should tell Ratchet that you want to be a medic too." The silver mech added.
Swoop's grin fell and he went to studying his claws. This lifted one of Jazz's optic ridges and he swung his leg knocking it against the flyers.
"What's wrong, Swoop?"
Swoop shrugged not really all that keen on giving him an answer.
The saboteur would probably laugh at him. He didn't like being laughed at. His brothers didn't either, but they handled it better.
If getting mad was better? To Swoop it wasn't. He didn't think it was the right thing to do, but bots left them alone when they got mad. While when he was just quiet it tended to keep happening.
He wasn't sure what was better.
All he knew was he didn't like being mean, or being mad.
"Swoop?" Jazz sat up straight nudging the Dinobot with his shoulder this time trying to get him to talk. "You can talk to be mech. I won't say nothin'."
"You Jazz will laugh at me Swoop." He mumbled.
Jazz tilted his head. "No I won't."
"Yea will."
"Well we won't know if you don't tell me, will we?"
He had a point.
Looking up rather pathetically—quite a feat when the mech was bigger than Jazz in every since of the word, and kind of terrifying when he was angry—the smallest of the Dinobots pushed his two pointer fingers together in a method of distracting himself as he mumbled out his reply. "Me Swoop don't think me good 'nough to."
Jazz's jaw actually dropped open for a few nano-klicks before he snapped it shut and looked away from the mech trying to make sure he couldn't see the emotions in his optics. Because sometimes—with some mechs, and Jazz had a feeling that Swoop just might be one of them—that visor really didn't do much to hide his emotions.
Not good enough?
Damn.
Jazz had to shake himself. That hit a little close to home.
Looking back he conjured up an honest smile. "Swoop, I assure you. You are good enough to do whatever you set your spark too. Everybot is."
"But Ratchet not like us Dinobots."
"He likes you, Swoop." Jazz said. "He likes the twins doesn't he?"
Swoop bit his lip. "Well yea."
"Then he likes you." Jazz punched him lightly in the arm resisting the urge to roll his optics. That wasn't going to help the beast mech understand his point. "He's just Hatchet. He has his own way of showing it. Its why we love him."
"Yea." Swoop laughed softly thinking of the medic that had helped bring him back from the edge of the Pit. "Him Ratchet can be scary sometimes."
"Oh you better believe it."
"Really think him teach me Swoop?"
"Sure I do." Jazz nodded quickly. "If you're really serious that is. Ratchet only does all or nothing."
Swoop nodded as well. "Me know."
"Then ask him."
"JAZZ!" The silver mech popped his head up just in time to find Prowl stalking toward him with Wheeljack running frantically after him and Grimlock growling behind them.
"This is gonna be fun." Jazz snorted.
Swoop tilted his head in confusion. "When him Grimlock look like that, him not fun."
Jazz doubled over in laughter for a good three klicks while Swoop watched him in confusion and Prowl stalked closer.
"What can I do for ya, Prowler?" After collecting himself again Jazz hopped to his feet grinning broadly as the white and black mech reached him.
"Will you please tell this infernal mad scientist that he cannot let—"
KABOOM
An explosion that vibrated the very ground beneath their feet shook the gathered bots, knocking many off their feet, and throwing the few still closest to the tunnels entrance several feet back as the metal and rock came crashing down in front of the entrance just as a call from Optimus', Ratchet's, and Ironhide's, even Roddy's sparks slammed into Jazz nearly toppling over.
From how Prowl stumbled it seemed he felt it too.
A desperate call for help.
They were in trouble.
Bumblebee was in trouble, and if that wasn't motive enough there was the fact that trouble for Optimus Prime meant something weird was going on here.
With a shared glance Prowl and Jazz sprinted to the collapsed tunnel just as Ultra Magnus rushed from his ship and every bot in the Autobot army came with them.
Because each and every one of them knew that Bumblebee was down there.
Groggily Bumblebee opened his optics to the squishy darkness of his guardian's spark vault shaking his head trying to clear the echoing bang from his audios, only to realize something even worse was wrong.
Shifting around he pressed his audio hard against the side of his Sire's spark vault—the side that shared a wall with his spark chamber—and felt his own seize up in panic at what he didn't hear.
Then came the familiar thump of the pulsing orb of light and Bee let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. Shifting back in his neat little ball that he had curled himself up into, he pulsed out with his spark trying to figure out what happened, why Ironhide seemed to be laying down, why there had been that big boom, and then everything had vanished for him.
He realized he must have been knocked out, but he didn't understand why it had happened.
That was when the dark hissing returned.
Shivering deep down in his spark the youngling pushed at the squishy walls around him chirping trying to gain his Hide's attention, but he didn't get a response.
"Hide," He called out quietly with his spark, pushing and prodding at the one that beat slowly right next to him. Why was it beating so slowly? Why wasn't Hide doing anything about that awful hissing?
Why was it getting louder?
Bee balled up on himself tucking as tightly together as he could as the sound echoed around him. It hurt his audios, his processor, and his very spark. It was horrible, and he wanted it to stop.
More than anything he just wanted it to stop.
He couldn't feel around this darkness. He didn't understand it.
He'd know darkness before.
Mega-whoever had been dark, but the black inside him Bee struggled and slammed his way through and found that underlying light beneath it all.
This darkness however, this wasn't like that which had been inside the Lord of the Decepticons.
If Bumblebee really thought over it, he'd realize that that darkness had been a billion times worse than this one, but what made this one claw at his spark so badly was the fact that there was no light on the other side of it for him to latch onto.
It was just darkness.
There was no good.
Not at all.
The big black hissing things that had tried to take him from Sunny were nothing but that inky darkness. They were nothing like Risk had been, nothing like any bots he'd ever known.
There was something unstable, and scary about them.
They thrived on fear and the thrill of the kill.
And it utterly terrified him.
Under all their anger, snarls, and violence though there was this gnawing since of loyalty that confused Bumblebee to no end. They acted as a unit, they fed off each other, but they were obeying the orders of something much stronger, less primitive, much more bot like . . . and much darker.
It was that darkness that had appeared when that mean mech hurt the twins.
A darkness that had now doubled and was closing in.
There was a harsh thud against the thick black armor that kept Bee safe at the moment and he curled into a tighter ball blinking in terror as the hissing formed all around him while something smacked hard into Ironhide's chest right above where he was.
That was when Bee decided it was really time for Ironhide to be getting up.
"HIDE!" He screamed for all he was worth over his bonds pleading for his guardian or somebot to stop the hissing and whatever was stupid enough to be hitting Ironhide in the chest. He certainly got a response too.
The call from his spark slammed Ironhide back into the land of the functioning, his processor spinning from the affects of the blast, and his optics flickering open just in time to see the jagged blade slamming down—right toward his spark vault.
He acted out of instinct.
Throwing all his weight to the side the massive black mech thrust himself from beneath the slamming blade and came to his feet just in time to watch the glowing red blade slam into the ground where he had been. Though he only met the cold titanium grey optics of his attacker for a moment before a static-hound crashed into him. Quick as a virus-viper's strike its fangs were buried deep in his neck and he grunted in pain as two more launched themselves into him, but Bumblebee's frantic screams from inside his spark vault were more than enough to have him fighting back. He tore the hound from his throat snapping it's back in one clean movement before he pulled the other two from him and danced out the way just as that purple seeker sliced his blade up at him again.
With a snarl he swung out catching the mech in the noseplate sending him crashing to the ground when a flash of green caught his attention from the corner of his optic. He twisted trying to ready himself for the blow, but it never came. There was the wicked slice of metal tearing metal and a pain filled yelp before the tall green mech flung himself backward his purple optics narrow as he came to stand beside the purple seeker nursing his leaking noseplate behind a wall of hissing hounds and Ironhide found himself shoulder to shoulder with Optimus Prime who was glaring through rage filled slits breathing hard as his dented and energon leaking frame vibrated with anger beside the weapons specialist.
It was at that moment Ironhide realized he was damaged too. His shoulder was aching, his left knee joint was leaking badly, and his processor was still spinning, but he was on his feet. That was more than could be said for the twins.
Sunstreaker hissed under his breath as he tried to push himself to his feet, but found his frame wouldn't obey him. His own pain was doubled though when Sides pushed up to his knees trying to get up only to fall forward grasping his chest. They were both in bad shape, but they glared nonetheless at the foolish bright green mech that had done this to them.
They'd scrap him; mark them . . . as soon as they figured out how to get to their feet.
Ratchet wasn't having any of it though. The injured mech stepped in front of the two warriors growling low at the two intruders ignoring the twins' hissed protest as Hot Rod placed himself at Optimus' side.
All of them had been injured by the blast that knocked them all unconscious, but that did nothing to stop the energy fueled by rage flowing through them.
Optimus spun the energon blade in his hands as Ironhide whipped out a dagger and Hot Rod did the same as Ratchet's buzzsaw spun to life.
"You're in over your head, mechs." Optimus warned in a low snarl as the two mechs smirked darkly at him the collection of sixty something hounds hissing at their feet edging closer to the Autobots with every passing nano-klick.
"Nah, Prime." The green one chuckled. "I don't think we are. Though you could just make it easier on all of us and hand over the little runt. It's just him we want."
Bee flinched.
Ironhide snarled.
Optimus growled.
"Not on your life!" Ratchet hissed.
The two mechs snorted as the purple one smiled. "Hard way it is then."
Like a strike of lightning he swung and a blade was suddenly imbedded in the left side of Ironhide's chest.
Right over his spark vault.
Bee cried out in terror, Ironhide gasped in pain, and all pit broke loose.
Again.
The hounds sprang forward in one snarling, hissing, snapping wave of black as Ironhide went down on a knee yanking the glowing blade from his chest more out of fear of what it could have done to the youngling hiding inside where it hit then he did out of it hurting him. With an slick with energon slice he pulled it out and thrust it up into a hound's skull before he rolled to his right dodging another dozen of them. He caught a flash of black behind him and flung his own blade into the chest of the hound that had spun around Ratchet and jumped for Sideswipe.
Its cry of agony as it crashed to the ground was ignored by the mechs. Hot Rod was grappling with the green mech that fought far better than he would have guessed and with the help of the hounds that kept leaping in and taking chucks out of his hide the bright commander wasn't really doing all that well. Ratchet was far too preoccupied spinning around within a energon-bath of all the hounds that tried to tear into the twins who were struggling more now than ever to find their way to their feet.
Sunstreaker had pushed himself up, one hand grasping the half patched half leaking gaping hole in his middle, but that wasn't stopping the frontliner. As far as he was concerned he'd lived through much worse and he found his feet after a klick of struggle letting his blades slide out in a flash of glimmering metal. Glaring through narrow slits as he watched the medic cut into the hounds as he stepped between the raging CMO and his little brother who's smoldering look said nothing more than 'help me up', but Sunny knew the red idiot was safer where he was than trying to fight with that hole in his chest.
His brother would say the same to him, and Ratchet's snarl at him said the medic agreed with that line of thinking, but when the hound made it past the over challenged CMO and met its end on Sunstreaker's drawn blade Ratchet turned his back to the 'told you' in the golden mech's optics and let him help keep him and his twin safe.
Optimus had fought his way through the wave of growling static-hounds shaking the echoing hissing from his processor and came energon blade to energon blade with the deep purple seeker. With a dance accented with snarls the two mechs clashed over and over again, sparks flying as the blades slid along each other, each mech trying to gain a window to strike their advisory.
However, the purple mech was more skilled with a blade than Optimus' would have first thought—he was deadly good, quite honestly—but the Prime was too far passed fragged off to be anything less than brutal. They struck for each other in a dance of flying energon and sliding blades catching home on each other now and again as the hounds aided their master in taking cheap shots at the leader of the Autobots.
Not that he was conscious enough in his anger to even feel the teeth slam into him before he was tearing them away.
Ironhide on the other hand might not be able to use his cannons for the gas he could still smell that some fool already set off once, and he might have a gaping hole in his chest, but he was not the resident weapons specialist for nothing.
Yanking a battle axe from a subspace pocket he never touched unless it was an emergency Ironhide sliced his way through the snarling hounds to Sideswipe's side. Sunstreaker—who was slicing a hounds throat—and Sideswipe looked up to meet his optics in confusion before Ironhide dropped the axe down beside him and pulled a quivering youngling from between the torn hole in his chest.
It was not a pleasant feeling, but his spark vault and spark chamber were jammed closed from the attack so close to his life force. They would not open without medical overrides for some time, and he would not bring Bumblebee into that mass of fighting when there was a long slice in the middle of what was supposed to be protecting him.
"Hide what are—"
"He's safer with you." Ironhide plopped the shaking tiny yellow thing down into Sideswipe's outstretched hand trying to ignore the fat tears rolling down his cheeks and his fearful whines.
"Are you glitched!?" Sides hissed, though he was already cradling the quivering thing to a section of his chest that wasn't leaking energon . . . too badly. "I can't even get up!"
"Like that's stopped you before." Ironhide snarled back before he swung his dripping battle axe to knock a hound back away from Sunstreaker who was watching them out of the corner of his optics as he sliced another attacker.
Sideswipe growled, more at how useless he was right now than anything else before Ironhide charged into the fray to help Ratchet, Optimus, and Hot Rod. Bumblebee's quiet whimper drew Sides' optics back down to him.
The youngling clutched at his sticky with energon chest his optics wide and terrified at everything that was going on around him and the injuries under his hands.
Softly he whispered. "Sorry, Sides."
The frontliner snorted trying to balance himself on his knees. "It's not your fault, Half Pint. Don't even think it."
"Want me." Bee let a few tears slide down his cheeks and Sides' spark clenched.
"Well they can't have you."
"Who are they?" The youngling shivered.
Sides snarled as Sunstreaker run through another hound and tossed it into the one that had leapt up and was digging it's fangs into Ratchet's armor. "I don't know."
Hot Rod though.
He was starting to figure it out.
The green mech twisted and parried as well as anything he'd ever seen. In fact, he was almost positive he had seen it before.
In a place he desperately wanted to forget.
"You know," The green mech chuckled as he sliced for Roddy's neck only to have the mech lean back then counter with his own sharp upper cut before he rolled to the side and kicked a pair of hounds away from him then came up with a thrust to catch the other mech's blade on his own the two of them in a stalemate once again. "I could have sworn I've seen you somewhere before."
Hot Rod grimaced. "Doubt it."
"No," The green mech shoved off of him before he twisted fast and slammed his foot into Hot Rod's chest. The commander stumbled before swinging around to dodge another hound and sliced for the mech's lime color plating. He hit home by at least a few inches and the mech snarled in pain and anger before he sprung out of reach again. "No mech. I think I do. You remind me of somebot I use to know."
Then he sprung again, catching Hot Rod in the shoulder earning himself a pained gasp before Roddy buried his dagger in the other's arm and ripped another longer blade from subspace. The mech stumbled back this time grasping at the blade in his arm and retching it out just in time to leap to the side when Ironhide's battle axe slammed into the ground where he'd just been.
"You're mistaken." The WS snarled as Hot Rod joined him at his shoulder glaring. "Roddy don't know scrap like you."
"Roddy?" The green mech smirked. "Yes. . . I do know who you are."
His only response was a hiss from Ironhide before the massive black mech charged him and they were grappling. Hot Rod weighed how well Ironhide seemed to be smacking the damn fool's aft around before he sprang Ratchet's way to yank a hound from his back and stab four more before he went back to back with the slightly panting medic as they backed a few feet toward Sunstreaker as the snarling wave of black inched toward him.
Even if Hot Rod really couldn't see them.
His processor was stuck on those optics.
Those orange optics.
He had seen them before.
Pit . . . Hive City . . . bounty hunters!
"Optimus!" Hot Rod snarled as he sliced down a static-hound's back and sent another one flying away from where it jumped for Sunstreaker.
The Prime was locked blade to blade with the big purple seeker the two of them hardly an inch apart as they snarled pressing against each other.
Optimus had the advantage of size and strength—truth be told he was stronger than the other—but the purple seeker had something going for him too. He was fast.
Very fast.
And what he lacked in size and muscle he made up for in his ability to slide out of Prime's well aimed blows before the commander could correct for his agility.
Not taking his optics off the mech he was currently thinking up ways to brutally offline, slowly and painfully, Optimus yelled over his shoulder at his third commander.
"What?!"
"They're bounty hunters!"
Something in the very air down in those tunnels changed in that moment as every Autobot down there took in a slightly shaky breath at that term that hit a little too close to home, especially for Ironhide.
Though it was Hot Rod that both the mechs locked their optics on with a sneer.
"Told ya I know ya." The green one drawled as the purple one chuckled as in a twist he spun from the Prime's reach.
"That is what we are, and it truly has been entertaining, but we'll take what we came for now if you mechs don't mind. There's quite a price on the runt's head."
And then he vanished in a flash of purple light.
Prime's spark dropped to his toes as he spun around looking for the seeker as he silently panicked his optics darting to the shivering form of Bumblebee that Sideswipe now had fisted to his leaking chest his optics darting around for the mech that just warped from view.
Though when the green one jumped from Hide's reach with a laugh they didn't have to wait long.
In another brilliant flash of purple and a pained gasp Sideswipe found himself on his back with a sharp clawed foot digging into his wounded chest. He struggled and swung as he heard everybot around him jump toward him, but the purple bounty hunter had already latched a hold of Sides' fist that held a whimpering Bumblebee and his claws dug in prying Sideswipe's struggling fist open. All this happened in the expanse of about two nano-klicks and for no more than half of one Bumblebee's big blue optics stared up in terror at the narrow grey ones that looked down at him before he was plucked despite all his wiggling from Sideswipe's snarling, twisting frame and then he and his attacker vanished in a bright purple light.
Teleporting was a strange sensation for the little mechling.
It was kind of like tumbling through empty blackness that pulled at his spark in a vacuum like space as if it wanted to rip him apart and scatter the pieces throughout the universe though he didn't really think he and this mean mech had been—wherever it was they went when the bright light flashed—for very long because when a pop sounded in Bee's audios he was met with Ironhide's vicious snarl and Optimus' outraged growl before he heard the chuckling of that green mech who suddenly latched hold of the purple one's hand and again they vanished in another flash of purple but not before he heard the terrified yell that followed him into the black nothingness.
"BUMBLEBEE!"
Again he was surrounded by that empty blackness and he whimpered at its presence looking around trying to make since of the vacuum that had taken over his senses only to find himself trapped in long, thin purple claws that he knew very well he shouldn't be near. He squeaked in terror, but no sound accompanied the outburst. Because no sound existed in this place.
Only coldness, darkness, and emptiness.
And the feeling tore at the little mechling like long fangs; digging into his spark, taking hold, and trying to tear it apart.
He gasped at the pain trying to push it off and away from him though he found he wasn't strong enough to push the blackness away no matter how hard he tried.
So when the empty world flashed back to reality Bumblebee breathed a sigh of relief, not even caring that he was in the fist of some brightly painted glitch that was stupid enough to think he could take the mechling away from those that were his family.
Because as clever as Flipswitch was and as much thought as he and Slipknot put into pulling this job off. The mech's teleporting abilities were not the best in the universe, and despite all the planning they had done neither he nor Knot could have known that the very expanse of tunnel he warped them too was the very one that just got blown to pit by one very fragged off Autobot army.
Flipswitch landed in a crouch from his warp the same time Slipknot thudded down beside him—the little yellow youngling grasped in Switch's claws dangling like some scrap of worthless something—and the pair of them looked up just in time for their optics to widen.
It only took about four nano-klicks to take it all in. The crumbling wall of stone that the 'Bots had blown to clear a way into the tunnels, the two bounty hunters crouched there with Bumblebee dangling from very uncaring claws as energon dripped from his frame, and the dozens of Autobots that now stood between them and their way out.
Flipswitch took in the sight before him with a startled gasp before all the bravo fell right out of his spark.
Oh frag.
With a roar that shook the very ground under their feet and a flash of a giant metal frame painted red, yellow, grey, and black a giant Triceratops crashed—horns down and flames licking the sides of his mouth—square into Slipknot's chest.
The mech twisted, but couldn't move fast enough to save himself from the Dinobot's charge. With the crash of metal on metal and the scream of a frame bending to unyielding stone Snarl slammed the bounty hunter to a far stone wall his horns slicing through his thick lime green metal as one horn piercing right through his spark chamber.
Flipswitch caught the last agony filled sound that left his partner's lips and the sound registered in some part of his hardened spark as painful. All the vorns they had worked together to survive flashing before his processor in a picture show of past jobs and meaningless faceplates they'd hauled in together. The moment of grief blinding him to the real world long enough to completely miss the giant metal t-rex that charged him until there was nothing he could do but close his optics.
Grimlock's fangs found purchase in the seeker's purple shoulder digging in deep. Bee let out a scared squeal that fought through the rage born haze in the King's processor along with Wheeljack's and Jazz's yell at him not to hurt Bumblebee as he tore the foolish glitch from the ground and shook him hard flinging his massive head back and forth his deep red optics clouded with anger, but when he caught the flash of bright yellow metal in the grasp of the mech who's frame he was going to rip to pieces a part of him stalled.
With a snarl he brought his head up and swung back around with his captive in his jaws shaking hard in the direction of the Autobot's watching from the corner of his optics as Jazz flung himself forward just as the yelling glitch in his jaws released the youngling from those thin purple claws.
Bumblebee suddenly found himself tumbling through the air head over toes and he let out a terrified scream as the ground rushed toward him until a familiar hand snatched him from certain death. With another acrobatic twist the mechling found himself cradled to a silver chest as they went sliding across the hard grey ground. Bee clutched tightly to the slick metal armor over a franticly beating spark burrowing his little head into the strong metal as Jazz breathed out.
"I got ya Lil' Bee."
With the threat of harming the youngling now gone Grimlock snarled a sound that rumbled the dark tunnels around them as he threw his head back and forth slamming the now limp fool in his jaws into the walls as he bit down harder and harder until his jaws were overflowing with energon and he felt the pulsing spark beneath the frame in his teeth fade into silence.
Bumblebee—gasping, shivering, and sobbing in Jazz's grip—watched with round, wide optics as Snarl hauled himself back from the green mech he'd crushed against the wall. Energon rolled down his beast mode's crown of metal and horns as he shook his massive head his dark red optics livid as he stepped back to take a deep breath and then launched a spray of fire
Bee cringed at the crackle of the flames over a frame and the sight of the energon catching light and adding to the growing fire that was tinted blue and white by the heat of the burning live force of Cybertronians. His wide gaze took in the terrifying scene of Grimlock as well even as Jazz hauled himself up and tried to shield Bee from the sight that was the massive beast mech that still had the limp purple frame between his jaws shaking and slamming it until he bent and pinned the lower half of the frame between one of his huge clawed feet and then ripped up with an awful sounding tear separating the lower half from the upper in one jagged tear.
When Grimlock shook what was left of the glitch between his jaws and then let it fall, energon dripping down between his long fangs, he glared around at the collection of bots around him his frame shuddering in rage until a hand laid itself on his right leg.
He flinched, a deep growl building in his chest, until he realize it was Wheeljack at his side.
"Easy, Grimlock." Wheeljack whispered as the other bots came forward, Ultra Magnus at the lead as Jazz hurried to Quickfire while she bolted forward to the silver ninja with Prowl at her side just as Optimus, Ironhide, and Hot Rod came flying around the corner only to skid to a stop at the sight of the femme medic looking over the shivering mechling while Wheeljack tried to calm the Dinobots—not just Grimlock and Snarl who had been the ones to catch the bounty hunters, but the other three who had transformed into their beast modes and were either pacing outside the blown in tunnel or like Swoop were fluttering above the gaping hole nervously—and Ultra Magnus who looked up to meet them.
The three mechs were growling and painting, but the sight of Bee back in the hands he belonged in calmed them some as Ironhide hurried across the energon splattered ground to reach Bumblebee.
Magnus met his Prime's and fellow commander's gaze as Optimus looked to Jolt.
"Jolt, Ratchet is a few tunnels down and to the left with the twins. Go and help him get them to the medical bay."
The blue apprentice who was hovering around Quickfire looked up in a snap before he took off as he was told with First Aid hard on his heels.
"What the frag happened?" Magnus snarled as he reached Optimus and Hot Rod.
"Well it was bounty hunters." Roddy observed what was left of the two brightly colored mechs.
Optimus just snarled. "Get everybot back on the ships, everybot injured to the medical bays, get Bee on the fraggin' ship, and I want the damn thrusters to full power in seven klicks. We're getting out of here. NOW!"
The world around the blue and red commander sprang into action as his family scrambled; Ironhide going with Bumblebee and Quickfire to Eternity, Magnus nodding to him and gathering the crews to the ships, as Jolt and First Aid appeared again helping Ratchet with both Sideswipe and Sunstreaker as the two twins limped along with them their dark blue optics widening at the sight of the ripped frames and energon not to mention the Dinobots that Wheeljack was trying to herd back to the ships leaving Optimus standing there with Hot Rod staring down at the battered frames in a tense silence until the orange, red, and yellow mech walked forward and knelt at the bright green painted frame now punctured and burnt.
His light blue optics danced over the charred metal.
Optimus closed the distance between them his frame still tight in anger and frustration.
"Hive City?" He rumbled out lowly.
Hot Rod flinched.
"That is where they knew you from?" The Prime pressed.
The youngest commander nodded.
"Do you know them?"
"Now that I think about it yes." He admitted. "Slipknot and Flipswitch. They were decent bots, but that was a long time ago."
"A matter for later." Optimus agreed. "Take you're crew. We'll meet up at the Tyger Pax tunnels."
"Right."
So the two mechs left the scrapped frames of the two that were foolish enough to think they could take Bumblebee from them . . . the two that almost did.
Well that was dramatic.
And once again I've created and then brutally murdered OCs. Aren't I just wonderful? It kind of makes me sad. I actually liked those too.
Anyway, Bumblebee didn't get taken! Yay! Though Optimus is thoroughly pissed . . . which is never good.
Then there is this strange bit about the two glitches that tried to take the youngling knowing Roddy. Gosh I can't see that becoming a problem. Not in the slightest.
Well, the drama will just keep right on coming it seems. Because that's what is entertaining and fun to write.
Poor Bumblebee. I really need to give this kid a break.
I'm also kind of in love with the next chapter so I hope to see you guys there!
-Jay