Author's Notes: Here we are at part 2 of this semi midquel to Words Unspoken, where Heatwave and the gang put their plan into action! They see Team Prime off as they leave for Cybertron, the Rescue Bots ready to take on the task of protecting Earth alone and hopefully putting the human race's collective panic at ease! I'm sure it will be a totally uneventful and relaxed experience for all involved where they won't have to deal with any insane plot shenanigans that may or may not come falling out of the sky, literally…
Thanks for all the love as always everyone! And feel free to comment to share in the insanity!
Part Two
Crashing Expectations
Location: Autobot Omega Outpost One / Nevada Military Base
Heatwave
He stood sentinel, despite the large military hanger dripping with awkward tension. It was occasionally shaken with the shouts of some unseen military man in an office somewhere, ranting about Cons, paperwork, the end of the world as they knew it, or some combination of the three.
The rest of Team Prime was scheduled to Bridge off to Cybertron in less than an hour. Heatwave and his own team were here to receive everything they would need to take their place as the main Autobot presence on Earth until further notice. He hoped that exchange would happen relatively soon, before the ire of the angry unseen military man turned his rage onto them.
Heatwave could also feel the recruits radiating discomfort as they attempted to stand still behind him in the simmering pot of emotions. Whirl's optics were twitching with excess energy. Hotshot was no doubt plotting something dubious, and Hoist just appeared terrified.
He was actually impressed they had stood still for so long without incident. The recruits had a hard time remaining in formation even during training. But now, as the kliks ticked by, Heatwave caught the young Cybertronians start to risk curious glances at a set of couches that rested behind a second story railed catwalk above them, making up a human lounge area.
The break space was occupied by a small group of older teenagers Heatwave had never officially met. However, he was aware the recruits had already befriended these particular humans. More proof the Recruits were a good fit for the upcoming mission. They made friends easily. He was also sure this was what drew their collective focus to the teens now. Instead of socializing with friends more on their peer level, they were forced to remain still as statues, waiting on Bumblebee's arrival.
The human teens present were the partners and friends of the members of Team Prime. And apparently, one Decepticon. In fact, the same Con who started all this drama in the first place. Observing the teens, Heatwave assumed they were nice, chatting to Cody and Frankie who had tagged along and had wandered up to introduce themselves. They were all exchanging phone numbers and comments about what was going on around the world. Heatwave couldn't tease out which human would bother wasting time becoming buddies with the secret breaking Con.
"So, the big guy is Heatwave, right?" One of the teens asked of Cody and Frankie. The random question broke the tension like glass. The one who spoke was a thin Japanese girl with chemically dyed hair. She was leaned against the catwalk railing, busy studying Heatwave just as he was studying her and her associates in kind.
"Yep. He's the leader of the Rescue Bots." Cody confirmed on Heatwave's behalf.
The girl pursed her whole face as she continued to study Heatwave. "So, is 'Wave' like, a common second name on Cybertron?"
The tallest teenage boy risked a gaze up from his phone to look at his friend with an 'almost afraid to ask' expression. "What are you talking about Miko?"
The girl, Miko, was quick to elaborate. "Seriously, lets count them down. We have, Soundwave, Shockwave, and now Heatwave. I'm just going to assume there are loads more. Is it like, a subgroup or just a popular name?"
"This is a ridiculous conversation." The other older girl informed everyone from behind her laptop. The dark-skinned teen girl had only glanced up to speak her simple peace before getting back to whatever she was typing.
"Could just be a coincidence?" Frankie offered, humoring Miko for some reason.
The youngest teen with glasses, also stationed behind a laptop of his own, squinted at his screen. "There's also a Tidal Wave." He revealed. Every teen looked at him. "Just found him in the Decepticon database. So, him too." He added.
"See!" Miko snapped at the older boy.
The dark-skinned girl just rolled her eyes behind her laptop, still not dignifying the topic with any additional comment of her own. Frankie and Cody were trying very hard not to laugh.
A mischievous snicker caught Heatwave's, and the group of teenager's attention. Sauntering through the hanger's large bay doors with a crate of spherical devices… Heatwave adjusted his optics, yep, it was a box full of grenades. He could already feel Hotshot's unquenchable desire to touch one even without looking at the young bot. "Four million years, and I never gave the name thing a second thought." The bot with the grenades continued to chuckle. "Good catch, kid. It's fragging hilarious."
"Watch it Wheeljack, you'll give Miko a complex if you give her credit for every little thing you didn't bother noticing in the past four million years." Came the commentary from another newcomer. A smaller built two-wheeler who had optics sharp enough to cut down to the Spark.
Whirl was suddenly trying very hard to stifle her 'excitement' noises. /Is that one Arcee?/ She commd to Heatwave and the rest of the group. /She's SO cool!/ Whirl carried on not so subtly observing the slim soldier with aw struck and twinkling optics. Thankfully, Arcee appeared far too preoccupied piling supplies near their Spacebridge along with the other bot named Wheeljack to notice. And if she did, she just didn't mind the audience.
/She also looks like she could kill us with her gaze alone./ Hoist observed. /Just a helms up, If she looks my way, I will not be able to smother any involuntary terrified whimpers, so I'll apologize in advance Professors./
/Wonder what her kill count from the war is?/ Hotshot thought out loud. He winced under the combined weight of every one of his professor's stern glares. /I wouldn't say it out loud!/ He assured them all defensively.
/Probably the same number as the grenade guy./ Wedge couldn't help but add.
Heatwave was running out of covert ways of shooting stern looks at his students without the remaining members of Team Prime noticing. Thankfully, the few they had glanced running in and out of the Hanger, Wheeljack and Arcee now included, were so engaged with packing or frantic conversation amongst themselves or over Commlink the Rescue Bots might as well have been scenery on the wall.
Wheeljack lulled his helm out the open hanger door. "Yo Bee! Magnus is shouting my audios off! We going or not?" He gave Heatwave's group a glance. The first time they had been noticed. As he had warned, Hoist made a seemingly involuntary noise of anxiety from his vents when they were under direct scrutiny. Wheeljack shouted outside again. "And you've kept the poor good doer bots in here waiting forever! They're gonna rust if they stand here any longer!" He offered Heatwave an almost too innocent grin, then nodded to the recruits behind him. "Our boy is on his way." He promised.
"We aren't usually this scattered." Arcee added from her place at the dormant Space Bridge, typing in their outgoing coordinates and grumbling. "Things have been chaotic, as I'm sure you've noticed."
Heatwave didn't have a chance to assure her. She had a finger pressed to her audio that moment, steely blue optics glaring at the wall. "Well Bulk, I don't know what else to say. You and Smoke drew the shortest straws to stall Ultra Magnus. You figure it out. We're going as fast as we can."
"Arcee!" Miko shouted from the catwalk, leaning over the railing so far Heatwave shifted his weight, getting ready to catch her if she plummeted off. "Is Knock Out there yet? Tell Bulk to use him to distract Magnus! Doc Knock can talk for hours!"
Arcee just rolled her optics before carrying on her comm conversation. "We're about to leave, just keep him from confronting our favorite Ex Con Communication's Officer until we get there. We'll… Primus, someone from the US government is comming me, I need to take this. Yes, I am abandoning you. Figure it out… This is Arcee… Yes, of Team Prime. No, I um, don't handle that. Have you talked to Agent Fowler about that?" She wandered off into an adjacent hall in a rush, Heatwave just catching the tail end of the comment- "No Senator, I personally would not advice for Earth to declare open war on the Decepticons. I have a feeling that will not put anyone's minds at ease."
Wheeljack huffed another snicker, and Heatwave soon noted the Autobot warrior was studying their large rescue group. "Hey, at least it can't get much worse." He offered up as some semblance of solace, scarred faceplates stretched in a smile again.
At first, Heatwave wasn't sure why he had offered the tidbit of reassurance at all. Then he got the private Com from Whirl.
/Professors… Earth is going to declare war on the Decepticons?/
Heatwave turned to take in the terrified expressions of his students. Wheeljack must have noticed it too.
/It's what we're here to prevent./ Boulder reminded them. /No matter what happens, we'll get through it together./ he emphasized the silent statement with his signature warm and reassuring grin.
A familiar yellow chassis trudged into the Hanger. Bumblebee had finally arrived. "Thanks for coming… I didn't mean to make you all wait this long." Bumblebee promised. Like the rest of Team Prime, he looked exhausted. "It's just been…" He vented while trailing off.
"Emotionally and intellectually taxing?" Chase offered.
"The worst weekend of our collective lives?" Blades added.
Bumblebee forced a smile. "To put it mildly."
"And that's why we're happy to help." Heatwave insisted. He tried to beam as much authority and confidence as he could manage. Both for Bumblebee's sake, and his student's. In the corner of his vision, he caught the recruits stiffen up, trying to mimic his stiff persona to hide their previous auras of impending terror. It didn't suit any of them. Joints locked too tight and back struts bent back way too much to be taken seriously. He tried to ignore their efforts and maintained his focus on Bumblebee. "Where is the rest of the team?" He asked, noting the rather empty hanger. Save for Bumblebee, Wheeljack and Arcee, and Heatwave's own group he had invaded Team Prime's base with, there hadn't been any others.
"Already Bridged out to Cybertron." Bumblebee said with a motion towards their Spacebridge in the corner. "Us few stayed behind to tie up a few loose ends, and so I could hand everything off to you. Then we have to hurry off too… I also need to introduce you to our government liaison, who has been running interference on the… Incident."
"You mean damage control!" Came a sudden snarling voice from the catwalk.
Bumblebee winced. Wheeljack took a seat on a crate, as if preparing to be entertained by a show about to begin. Heatwave risked a glance to the single office door near the couch area. It was where most of the yelling from the unseen human had been coming from.
The one older teen girl behind her laptop quickly retrieved a pair of headphones and plugged them into her ears, ready to tune out the chaos that was coming. The others merely ducked out of the way, Cody and Frankie taking a hint and not blocking the door before it was hurled open.
A man, dark brown skin, wearing what was probably once a well pressed suit at some point in the recent past, and seething eyes marched down the catwalk steps towards Heatwave and his group. He heard Whirl try to stifle a whimper. "These who I'm working with Bee?" The man all but snarled, narrowing his dark baggy eyes at the new Bots before him.
"Yeah. These are the Rescue Bots. Optimus had nothing but great things to say about all of them. If we want people to not panic, these are the bots you want." Bumblebee explained. "Heatwave, this is Agent Fowler. He's the one you'll be talking to officials through."
"It's good to meet you sir." Heatwave began politely, though he worried the man was far to irate to be receptive to pleasantries.
Agent Fowler looked Heatwave, then the rest of his team up and down. "Washington's wig… I forgot how many bots they had stuffed up in Maine."
"Which is going great by the way!" Hotshot announced out of nowhere. Heatwave had to resist the urge to groan. Before they got here, he had been very clear that they would speak as little as possible, except for Hotshot, who would not activate his voice box at all. Apparently, Heatwave had been talking to himself for all the good that conversation did. "Everyone on Griffin Rock doesn't have any problem with us Bots! And we even have human associates at the Academy working with us. We are basically experts in human and Bot relations!"
And of course, before Heatwave could stop her, Whirl had to intone too, because why not? "The secret to our success, is open communication and a go get em attitude!" She even gave a wink of assurance to cement her point.
Agent Fowler rose a brow at the two small bots bombarding him with excited enthusiasm, ignoring Wheeljack's snicker from the corner. "Good to hear… Because things couldn't get much worse. We have whole cities in full blown panic. My phone is blowing up every minute with mayors, senators, and the president, asking what the Autobot stance is. And we STILL have not been able to get that damn worldwide message taken down from everyone's phones! The faster we can get you all on board, the better."
Bumblebee's faceplates turned grim. "So far, everybot wearing the Autobot emblem has been placed on lockdown, but are otherwise still safe from retaliation… But All Cons are to be shot on sight."
"Which I don't have a problem with!" Agent Fowler snarled. "But that detail doesn't matter anyway. The Con in question, whose name will not be mentioned in this hanger by the way, took all his friends off world regardless, leaving us with the mess. And the Cybertronian refugees in North Carolina either wear Autobot emblems or nothing. And they weren't authorized to leave their base even before this fiasco. So the only bots the public will see, is you lot."
"Where can we help first?" Boulder asked. "The last thing we want is the panic lasting any longer."
"Indeed." Chase added. "It is said, that the unknown factor, is scarier than the known factor. Perhaps if people see us, imaginations will no longer run unlawfully wild."
"I just need to convince the big wigs in Washington to let you all take center stage." Agent Fowler said. He did not appear thrilled with his impending task. "I've seen your resumes, those should impress, but just a heads up, the officials will want to meet you all before they let you talk to the public."
"That's not a problem." Heatwave assured him. "We'll talk to any official and put their minds at ease."
One of Agent Fowler's fists twitched with remaining uneasiness. "I know you will, but I want to reiterate how important this is. You can't say anything wrong to these people when they come to talk to you. And they won't be like the humans you've worked with before. These pencil pushers are weary of all Cybertronians, Autobots included. Always have been. They haven't seen much of your kind like I have. I thank lady liberty that at least we don't have to deal with Cons on top of the rest of this mess. Our nameless Con did the only right thing by clearing out."
"Soundwave's good at pacifying most conflicts." Came the voice of the oldest teen girl from the catwalk. The name of said Decepticon made Agent Fowler's whole-body wrench as he turned to look up at the teen who dared utter the forbidden name. The guilty human was still on her laptop, though she only had one headphone in. Her other ear was open to the conversation. "If you could cool it with the whole 'kill every Con on sight' thing, I'm sure he can smooth things out." She offered, as if it were the most obvious solution to their problem. Well, now Heatwave figured out which human was friends with the secret breaking Con.
"She said the forbidden name." Whirl whispered with equal parts terror and amazement.
Bumblebee took an instinctive step back away from Agent Fowler. Miko and the other teens were snickering at the girl's bold words, and the government man's twitching eye in response to it. Cody and Frankie remained stoned faced, listening intently to the drama sure to unfold before their eyes. Wheeljack was still sat on one of his boxes of grenades, leaning forward and eagerly awaiting the chaos sure to unfold.
Agent Fowler took a deep, grounding breath. "Rhea… I appreciate you see the good in him. But that doesn't change the fact I still intend to shoot him myself if he ever shows his screenless face on this planet again!" the military man promised, the original calm he started off with having gone up in smoke.
The Con's friend, Rhea, rose both hands up in a sign of mock surrender. "I'm just saying, if we don't want to overwhelm the Autobots, Soundwave is a resource I can call."
She said it again!" Whirl whisper gasped.
"We aren't even almost that desperate!" Fowler huffed, turning about face to re-focus on Heatwave's group. "Again… You are our last SENSIBLE option."
"We won't let you down." Heatwave promised.
Agent Fowler glanced Bumblebee. "You said Optimus trusted these bots?"
Bumblebee gave an assuring nod. "He did. And so do I. I'd trust them with my life."
Now Heatwave heard Wedge and Blades trying hard not to make sounds of flattered excitement. Thankfully, they both kept it together.
"Then I'll trust them too." Agent Fowler said at last. "I need to go to Washington to debrief them on the new plan. Officials will be on Griffin Rock to sort out the details very soon." He explained, finally excusing himself with a salute.
With that settled, Heatwave relaxed somewhat. The recruits almost collapsed behind him.
"Try not to lock your joints next time." Boulder offered as Hotshot almost stumbled forward into Heatwave's back. "Makes the hydraulics lock up."
Bumblebee released another vent. "All that's left is handing off the keys to the base, in a manner of speaking."
"Helms up!" Arcee announced before she hurled something underhand towards him.
Bumblebee lurched forward to catch the offending projectile. A data stick, which he handed off to Heatwave, in a much more civilized manner. "This will divert all messages from Cybertron, and Earth Governments originally intended for Autobot Omega Outpost 1, and reroute them to your base. It also has everything you may need to know regarding military operations around Earth. Certain countries are less friendly to Cybertronians stomping around then others, and that was before this whole fiasco. I'd study up on it."
"We will have it memorized front to back." Chase assured him.
"And he means that literally." Blades added.
"Bee." Arcee intoned, finger pressed to the side of her helm. "We need to go now if we intend to stop a fist fight from breaking out in the meeting room, and that's just between our group. We haven't even brought Starscream into the equation yet."
Bumblebee shuttered, the statement finally enough to move him. "See ya Raf, bye guys." Bumblebee muttered to the teens on the catwalk before he made his way to the Spacebridge after Arcee and Wheeljack.
"Have fun stopping another war, guys!" Miko shouted after him.
Arcee let out a drawn out vent while Bumblebee gave her a very tired thumbs up. Still snickering, Wheeljack activated the Bridge. With supplies in servo, Arcee and Wheeljack hurried through. Bumblebee hesitated. He faced Heatwave one last time. "All of Team Prime will be gone from Earth for a while, Heatwave. Earth is going to be totally dependent on your team."
"And we have it covered." He promised. "You just focus on your mission back home. Good luck, sir."
"Likewise. I have a feeling we'll both need it." Bumblebee huffed before vanishing into the swirling portal.
Location: Griffin Rock, Maine
Heatwave made sure they were ready for anything. They had run drills, practiced simulations, and covered every possible angle. Even Blades was feeling more confident, now having Bumblebee to impress when he got back.
They had regrouped in the town center in front of the council building. Almost everyone in Griffin Rock had shown up in solidarity the moment they got the word about the visitors from Washington. Agent Fowler had managed to convince those in power to trust in the Rescue Bots. Officials would be arriving to meet them, debrief them, and set guidelines for what they could say in front of the public. Heatwave got a message from Agent Fowler not long after the first, basically consisting of the vibe, "DON'T MESS THIS UP."
"The town looks immaculate." Heatwave told the Chief, genuinely impressed by everyone's hard work. They both watched from the Council building steps as the recruits helped the local school kids pick up the last bits of trash from the grass along the roadside. Of course, Hotshot and Wedge managed to transform the mundane task into a competitive sport to see who could gather the last molecule of rubbish, but Heatwave wasn't complaining. Whatever worked.
The Chief hummed in agreement. "Nothing's impossible when a common goal is in mind… I'm just glad we convinced Mrs. Neederlander to hide the guns for the Official's visit."
"Chief!" Mayor Luskey said, excitedly popping his head out of the Council building while readjusting his hair. "I got the call from the mainland! Our visitors just got on the ferry and are on their way!"
"Almost show time!" Huxley Prescott sang, having parked right in front of the Council building for the best shots possible. He had been there for a while. "And I'll be the first one on the scene of this historic event, which I'll finally be able to broadcast WORLD WIDE!" He couldn't contain the squeal as he reapplied his makeup.
Cody arrived on his hoverboard, skidding to a stop in front of his dad. "The neighbors are all ready to give their eyewitness reports dad. The amount of video people have taken of the Bots saving lives is actually incredible. I think that'll help our case too."
"And Doc Green and Dr. Baranova have our basic biology covered if they ask." Heatwave added. They were going into this just assuming these Government officials would rely more on human input, even regarding Cybertronian subjects. Heatwave didn't put up a fuss. Again, whatever worked.
"I think we have it all covered." The Chief said. He gave Heatwave a smirk behind his mustache. "Nervous to make your big debut?"
Heatwave considered that. Though the Chief was only half joking, the other half of his comment silently reminded Heatwave how much was at stake. But this was what Optimus Prime had wanted, humans and Cybertronians, working together. No more secrets. Just a trusting partnership.
Then he caught the recruits excitedly chattering to Chase, Boulder, and Blades, who had just returned from their own last-minute tasks.
"Oh Primus, I just realized! When this is all done, we can just transform anywhere we want!" Whirl squealed.
Hoist gasped right after her. "If we pull this off, people won't be scared of us anymore… Think of all the places we can visit. And just, ya know, GO! Without having to pretend!"
"All the Cybertronian refugees will be able to come out of hiding too." Wedge pointed out.
"No more hiding for any of us!" Hotshot almost shouted, volume control the last thing on his mind. "I am just going to walk down the street as my real self!"
"I have been on so many medical forums… It will be exciting to be able to no longer have to give a fake name when conversing with others." Medix admitted behind a shy smile.
Heatwave felt himself smiling too. "No. I'm not nervous, Chief. Because after this, there are going to be a lot of changes for the better… Ha. Maybe the Con was onto something." Hope warmed his Spark as he watched the Recruits bubble with excitement. This was going to work. He only wished Optimus could have been here to see it too…
Cody's phone buzzed, and then the Chief's did too. They both answered at the same time.
"Hi Frankie." Cody greeted in the casual tone reserved for his best friend.
"Doc Green. What can I do you for?" The Chief answered.
A beat of silence.
Maybe he was anxious after all… Because something about both Frankie and Doc Green calling at the same time was slightly disconcerting. Heatwave waited, watching the two familiar human faces for any clue to the reason behind the call, if only to put his mind at ease when it turned out to be nothing. That sinking feeling only grew into a gaping pit when Cody and the Chief's expressions turned to one of shared apprehension. Then they both slowly panned their gaze up at the sky.
"What, exactly is it?" The Chief demanded. He stood up from the steps of the Council building, now alert and back rigid.
"How close is it?" Cody asked Frankie. He continued to watch the sky, but now with a touch of fear in his eyes.
"What?" Heatwave demanded of them both.
"Dad!" Dani yelled from her place next to Blades across the road. "Dr. Baranova called my phone, but I missed the call! Message said it's urgent!"
Without another word, the Chief put his phone on speaker, allowing Heatwave to join in the cryptic conversation.
"-literally just picked up the signal! I assume the Bot's ship may have a stronger read on it… Does Heatwave have the radar system open?" Doc Green's voice came through the line.
Heatwave knelt down in a hurry, getting closer to the small phone. "No, we turned it off, remember?"
"Agent Fowler suggested we shut down all Cybertronian tech before the Official's arrive, just in case they scan for it, or saw it as a threat." Boulder explained. He had come over with the others, sensing the sudden tension.
"Oh, right…" Doc Green recalled. "Well, you may want to turn it back on. One of my satellites just picked up major Cybertronian interference in the atmosphere."
The Energon in Heatwave's pipes boiled. And here he almost gave the Con credit! "Did that Decepticon send ANOTHER message?!" Of all the times to send out more threatening info, it had to be now?
"That would have probably been better." Frankie said through Cody's phone, now set to open speaker as well.
Now Heatwave was just confused. If it wasn't the Decepticons sending another world-shaking message, what was it?
"It appears to be a destress beacon of some kind." Dr. Baranova's voice added over Charlie's receiver, Frankie's little sister humming from her arms. "But since it's coming through our Earth based tech, it isn't translating well."
"BIG SHIP IN THE SKY!" the toddler added with extra vigor the rest of her family did not share.
"Yes, my little Amelia Earhart… It is indeed a big ship… She saw it on radar, hence her commentary." Doc Green explained the outburst.
Cody fidgeted, still watching the sky. "Did they at least say where they were landing?"
"They aren't landing." Frankie corrected him. "They're crashing."
Without further explanation, Heatwave nodded to Boulder, silently giving the ok to remotely reactivate the Sigma and its radar.
Boulder fumbled with the controls on his servo. "Ok, here we go, that should-"
The blare of the emergency space frequency screeched through the same screen, and into every Bot's Commlink. It didn't need to be translated for them to understand. It was Cybertronian after all.
/ Mayday! Th…. i… the Autob…. rison ship… A…mor! Interna…tamperin….critical…. error…. Crash la….ing- /
The message cut off just as the shimmer in the sky appeared.
"This seemed like a good time to happen." Hotshot noted sarcastically.
Heatwave mentally acknowledged the poor timing, but pushed it aside in favor of preventing a tragedy. "Can we get a beat on where it's going to crash?" He asked Boulder.
Boulder fiddled with his servo screen. His whole expression fell. "Griffin Rock."
"Of course, it is." Heatwave vented.
The Burns sprang into action, ordering everyone inside or to cover. "Do we have time to evacuate?" The Chief asked.
Boulder checked. "We shouldn't have to… It's going to crash along the mountain ridge of Griffin Rock itself. No one should be up there…"
"Except us to help those on that ship." Heatwave said. "Recruits, we've done drills like this. Let's roll to the rescue!"
Every bot burst into their alt modes, humans rushing to their respective partners. Heatwave opened both his driver and passenger doors so Kade and Cody could jump in. The moment he heard seatbelts click he was racing out of town towards the mountains. Blades, Whirl, Medix and Hotshot flew off ahead in their arial modes. Heatwave now saw the distinct outline of a Cybertronian vessel, smoking and coming into view by the second. Seeing the massive size of the vessel for himself, he knew there was no way they could keep the ship from crashing, or even slow it down. There was nowhere near enough time. All they had to work with was shock absorbing foam. With any luck, it would work as a massive air bag on impact.
"So… when exactly are those fancy officials coming by again?" Kade wondered out loud over the sound of Heatwave's roaring engine.
Cody checked his phone, and grimaced. "They'll reach the port in an hour."
"We can't think about that right now!" Heatwave insisted, despite the growing pit in his Spark. "Saving lives always takes priority… Once everyone on the ship is recovered and accounted for, we'll go from there."
Sirens blaring, Heatwave hugged the turns, screaming up the mountain trail with Chase, Boulder, Hoist and Wedge on his tail. Now the crashing ship was audible. Flaming pieces ripped off its hull, hurling into the ocean with explosive sized splashes.
/Hotshot! Handle that debris! Keep it from falling on the town! / Heatwave Commd.
/You got it, Teach!/ Hotshot responded before his jet mode broke off from the flying pack, headed for the ship.
/Just think of it as a really high stakes game of Cube!/ Wedge called after his fast flying friend, who of course laughed at the comment over the commlink.
/First to arrive, start covering the mountain in foam!/ Heatwave ordered.
/Already foaming!/ Blades reported just after he and the others had disappeared over the ridge. Heatwave maintained his focus on the road and each sharp turn, trying not to notice how close the ship was. He did spot the red blur of Hotshot streaking around the blazing inferno, smashing debris off course from the land and into the ocean instead.
/WOW! Watch it dude!/ Hotshot randomly exclaimed.
/What's going on?/ Heatwave demanded.
/A jet just flew from one of the open port holes of the ship! Aaaaand they are not stopping… They aren't going to stay and help their crewmates?/
/They're probably in shock./ Boulder offered in the mystery bot's defense.
/It is a rather shocking event, considering how many are 'flying from the coop,' so to speak./ Chase added.
Trying to maintain some focus on the road, Heatwave glanced up to see ten or more other arial bots fleeing in all directions away from the crashing ship, hence Chase's comment. But he had no doubt those escaping now weren't the only members of the crew. It was only the ones who could fly to escape.
/Blades, coverage report?/ He asked, now watching the ship's location compared to his team's over the ridge.
/I think as good as it's going to get!/ Blades yelped back.
/Then clear out, all of you! Don't be near the impact sight!/
He didn't have to give the order twice. Three helicopters flew off from the mountain ridge, steering hard to get out of the way of the massive ship. The only thing Heatwave managed to make out in the blaze was the scorched Autobot emblem on the side of the ship. It glided over the ridge and out of direct sight. "Brace you two!" He shouted. Cody held fast onto his seatbelt while Heatwave felt Kade's hands wrap around his steering wheel like a vice. He slammed the brakes and braced himself too, preparing against the shock wave that would wash over them.
The whole mountain roared. The deadly quake that followed almost threw Heatwave over the guard rail. Hoist's tow hook had lassoed around a tree, keeping him somewhat in place despite the explosion's force. Heatwave didn't hear Wedge's scream of alarm over the eruption of the crash, but he saw the smaller orange car hurled off his wheels. For whatever reason, Wedge hadn't braced, not against one of the larger Bots, or even a tree. Now, the blast flipped Wedge end over end, sending him headed for the edge of the mountain road, no hook, or larger chassis to secure him.
Heatwave accelerated fast, just managing to knock into Wedge's spinning fender, stopping him from careening over the edge. Boulder's scoop caught the rest of him before he hit the guard rail, digging his treads into the path to secure them both in place.
The plume of flames rose from the mountain just over them, snatching trees and other brush in its wake. The moment the ground ceased shaking, and the thunderous roar of impact died down, Heatwave rushed to Boulder and Wedge. He opened both his doors, and Kade and Cody didn't have to be told to hop out. Heatwave transformed, gently picking up Wedge's car mode from Boulder's scoop. "You ok Wedge?"
Alarmingly, Wedge didn't transform right away after being placed back on the road. Boulder and Graham came up along with Chase and the Chief. Only then did Wedge shift, slow and disjointed. That wasn't normal. He was only able to groan, and at once Heatwave Commd Medix and Blades. /We'll need the medical kit, Wedge is hurt./
All three copters came screaming out of the sky after that message went out.
"No, no!" Wedge managed to mumble, totally disoriented. "The Bots on the ship'll need it more!" He tried to stand, then instantly fell back towards the asphalt.
Heatwave caught him before he faceplanted into the road. "Easy, we'll get them too. Just sit tight."
Blades, Medix, and Whirl almost didn't wait to be touching the ground before they transformed.
"Wedge! Are you ok?" Whirl cried as she rushed to him.
"What's wrong with Wedge?!" Hoist said a little distance away, having transformed in his haste and getting tangled to the tree in his own hook's cable.
Medix was at Wedge's side within moments. "Wedge, can you tell me if anything hurts?"
Wedge had a hard time focusing on any one of them. "Everything is spinning, and ow… My left ped."
Heatwave held Wedge steady, feeling the smaller bot's whole chassis go rigid in his grasp when Medix gently manipulated his left ped. "Definitely broke the main hydraulic, in both his knee join, and heel strut." Medix said matter of factly. He got to work bracing the offending ped, then turned his focus to Wedge's helm. "I'll need my scanner. It's back at the Academy, but if Wedge says everything's spinning for him, my best guess is it's an internal cranial fracture. Both injuries need to be manually treated before his self-repair or stasis repair can even start working on it. "
Wedge groaned in frustration. "Stupid… I'm an idiot. I thought I could handle the shock wave and get ahead of it… I should have grabbed onto something, or one of the professors… It flipped me like one of those human doll rags…"
/What's going on down there? The ship is down! Metal to the pedal guys!/ Hotshot reported.
/Hotshot, Wedge got hurt bad!/ Whirl almost cried.
/What?!/
The jet started to descend, but Heatwave jumped onto the open comm channel. /We have this taken care of Hotshot. I need you up there to survey the damage to the ship. Start scanning for survivors./
/But-/
/Now, Hotshot!/
Wedge grimaced, taking a moment, but finally activating his commlink in spite of his damage. /I'm ok Hotshot. Start looking for survivors./
Hotshot hesitated, but the jet did pull away, headed back up the ridge.
"Is there anything we can do for Wedge?" The Chief asked.
Heatwave shook his helm. "No, Medix and Blades can handle it. Just head up the mountain to help Hotshot."
"I'm sorry professor." Wedge mumbled, trying very hard to focus on Heatwave. "I ruined everything. What if this makes us late for the government officials?"
"Don't even think about that." Heatwave assured him softly. "Accidents happen. That's why you have a team to help you." Then as gently as he could manage, he handed Wedge to Blade's awaiting servos.
In spite of Heatwave's previous assurance, Wedge was visibly devastated. He maintained a downcast gaze, Blades stepping off the road to allow the others to carry on without them. Heatwave sympathized, but they had to continue. He would further assure Wedge once they were back at base, and he had been treated, and everyone was safe.
He transformed, opening both doors for his two human passengers to return to their seats. Kade jumped in, but Cody remained on the asphalt. "Go help the bots on the ship. I'll stay back with Wedge."
Heatwave was in truck mode, so he wasn't able to visually convey his appreciation to Cody for remaining with Wedge. He had to find the time after all this to thank him. All he could do now was close the passenger door and honk his horn. "Alright, let's move out team!" There was a noticeable span of hesitation for the remaining recruits to follow the order and transform to carry on. But they soon did, knowing that every one of them was needed. They continued speeding up the mountain, only over half of Heatwave's team following him.
Following the path and the rising smoke, they crested the ridge. The crash site was on them right away. Hotshot was already working to extinguish the fires in the trees with the help of his smaller firetruck mode, but he was struggling.
The ship had been massive. It's reinforced hull (possibly a cargo ship for the war) had helped hold the overall structure together, keeping it from exploding into twisted wreckage. The bow of the vessel was warped, but thanks to the foam lining the ground, it hadn't been totally destroyed. But that was the last of the ship's decent luck. It had split down the middle, every single port hole it once had having been blown out, either by the fire or the impact.
Heatwave didn't have to dish out orders, everybot knew what their rolls would be. Kade jumped out so he could transform and help Hotshot extinguish the fires. Chase and hoist had to help Boulder try and move fallen rubble to check for survivors that may have been ejected. Moving larger materials was usually Wedge's job. His construction-based mode was better equipped for the task, like Boulder.
Medix and Whirl were circling as copters, searching for any sign of movement. So far, no one reported anything. That was a little strange. Though they hadn't made it into the ship yet, there should have been some sign of survivors. Maybe the crew was small, despite the size of the vessel.
The fires were out, and Heatwave turned his focus to the sky. /Any movement?/ He asked both fliers.
/All's quiet./ Whirl reported.
/Which is very strange, considering how many stasis pods there are./ Medix added.
/Very true!/ Whirl exclaimed. /There are stasis pods scattered EVERYWHERE. This must have been the sleepiest space mission in Cybertronian history./
Heatwave very quickly came across one of the offending pods they reported, glass cracked from where it had been smashed into the ground. /Anyone in them?/ He knelt down. The one he found was empty.
/So far, all vacant,/ Medix said. /But my scanners indicate they all have seen recent use. Extended use in fact. This was a long haul ship./
Both Medix and Whirl landed on their peds among the others. Whirl spun in dizzying circles, helm pointed up and optics searching the sky. "The ones who could fly and got out first didn't come back… Aren't they worried about their friends? This must be a really crippling case of shock they all have."
Hoist grunted as he yanked another large plate away from the ship's opening made by the crash. "How long does shock last?" he asked, directing the question towards Medix.
Medix hummed thoughtfully to himself in leu of a direct answer. Heatwave caught the young medic's optics narrowing in suspicion as he studied the strange puzzle before them.
Boulder pulled the last piece of ship plating away from the large hole ripped into the hull. Darkness stretched into the ship, sparks from the walls only hinting at the large expanse of the interior with brief moments of illumination. There were no moans from injured travelers or panicked screams. The interior fire suppressants had done their job on the inside at least. This left only eerie silence. It was unsettling after such a dramatic and thunderous entrance into the atmosphere.
The inside was too dangerous, so the humans stayed outside to continue the search for anyone they may have missed. All their spotlights and optic beams came on. It revealed the broken girders and dripping Energon pipes that lined every corridor. Still no sign of a crew. Heatwave watched Boulder as the tech checked his screens. Boulder's faceplates compressed. "My scanners indicate residual Groundbridge energy that was dispersed very recently… Some on the ship who couldn't fly may have been able to Groundbridge to safety."
"They would be scattered all over Earth if that's true, since they wouldn't have exact coordinates." Medix pointed out. Everybot winced at the ramifications of a bunch of unfamiliar and scared bots suddenly appearing on Earth, right at the worst possible time considering the political climate.
"But at least they will be safe from the crash." Heatwave reminded them all pointedly. "We'll scan the ship before returning to base to start a wider search."
/Heatwave, do you copy?/ Chief Burn's voice ran in his audio.
/Go ahead Chief./
/We have a survivor out here… But they are out of our reach, to put it mildly. We need a copter./ He said.
They all hurried out of the creaking ship, Whirl and Medix taking the lead to put their copter modes to good use. Their human partners weren't far, all standing at the far edge of the ridge, overlooking the rest of the mountain range.
"Where is the survivor?" Medix inquired.
Kade scoffed. "I'm surprised you haven't HEARD him yet." He pointed up towards the peek of Griffin Rock. Heatwave's gaze rose, just as he indeed noted the alarmed cries of someone on the breeze.
"Aw cute, he's a minicon." Whirl observed with a charmed grin.
"And he is dangling from the top of Griffin Rock." Hoist added, much less amused by the sight.
The Minicon's wheels, in place of visible peds, spun useless in the air. He clung to a jutting rock for dear life, wholly focused on the vast drop below. "I don't know how I got here!" the small Cybertronian yelled across the ridge to no one in particular. "I was JUST in recharge, then I wake up to being - merry - scary - VERY high off the ground!" He yelped, optics sparking as he stuttered on the words.
"He's tiny enough. I've got him." Whirl volunteered before transforming. She hovered over the dangling Minicon, lowering her basket until it was just below him. "Aaaaand scoop!" She flew forward suddenly, snatching the Minicon on her basket. The action elicited an alarmed yelp from him, but he soon clung to the lifeline like a vise as she flew them both back to the ridge.
The basket lowered to the ground slow. The small Cybertronian trembled, still not letting go even when he was laying flat on his back.
"You ok?" Heatwave ventured. He didn't see any obvious damage on the Minicon, despite having fallen from a crashing spaceship from orbit. Yet poor Wedge had broken his ped in two places and sustained a helm injury just from the crashes shock wave alone. Some bots tended to have all the luck.
The small bot was unblinking, still clung to Whirl's basket with a thousand-mile stair. "I doubt I will ever be ok a ten – a glen – again…." He whimpered.
Medix pointed at the bot confidently. "Alright, so this is a more accurate representation of what going into shock looks like."
Whirl shimmied in the air, which shook herself loose from the clinging bot. Heatwave knelt to take in the only crew member they had found so far. "We got your destress message. You crash landed on Earth. We're the Rescue Bots, here to help."
The minibot refocused his big, longing optics, finding Heatwave. Then he forced them to refocus again on the symbol on his chest. Those sad optics brightened at once. "Autobots! Primus, what are the odds!" He swiveled somewhat upright, wheels unaligned, causing him to roll backwards. Chase extended a casual hand, stopping the minicon from rolling backwards right off the edge of the ridge. Once he had his bearings, he zoomed forward, and snatched Heatwave's kneeling ped in a desperate embrace. "I haven't seen another Autobot in… I can't even remember how long!"
"Eh, you sure this one's ok, Heatwave?" Kade asked, far from convinced. "He seems long gone, maybe even before the ship started crashing."
Ignoring the unsolicited hug and Kade's commentary, Heatwave pressed on. "Can you tell me how many crew members were on that ship so we can find them and make sure they are all ok?"
Still latched to Heatwave's ped, as if trying to weld himself there, the minicon vented. "No crew to speak of, other than me, of course…" He turned his faceplates up and smiled. "The name's Fix It! And I was one of the minicon stewards on the ship for the looooong haul. We made up the Autobot crew."
"Could the other minicon stewards fly?" Hotshot interrupted, crossing his servos.
Fix It blinked. "I… Never saw them do so. We are all the same build model. So, if I can't fly, then they shouldn't be able to either. And if we could, no one told me…" He couldn't help an awkward chuckle and a glance back towards the ridge. "That would have come in handy a few kliks a toe- a throw- ago. Ya know, when I was dangling…"
"Then who were all the bots who flew away from the crash?" Hotshot pressed.
"And the others who used the Groundbridge to get away." Boulder added.
"And how do you account for the hundreds of empty stasis pods if you were only a small crew?" Medix added, narrow optics reflecting renewed suspicion.
Fix It's once elated and bubbly aura might as well have been doused with a bucket of Maine's icy ocean water. "Empty, stasis pods?" He echoed. At last, he released his death grip around Heatwave. For the first time, he seemed to register the charred remnants of the ship behind them. He blinked, taking silent inventory of all the broken stasis pods laying around the crash site like tome stones. "Oh leer – Dear. This isn't good. Did… all the Decepticon prisoner's escape?"
"Come again?" Graham asked meekly. Heatwave was glad someone had inquired more of the alarming statement, because he was fairly certain his voice box just shorted out because of it.
Fix It poked at a broken stasis pod, wincing as the last bit of glass shattered. "Yeah, this ship is… was, the Alchemor, a long rout prison ship, on the way back to Cybertron with a good number of inmates to book. They were all in stasis, so I'm not sure how they got out. I thought the ship's security systems would take care of them… then the next thing I know, we are crashing." Fix It watched as one of the wings from the ship crashed to the ground, throwing up a plume of dust in its wake. "I'm going to be in so much trouble for this…"
Before Heatwave, or anyone could come to grips with the statement, and everything it implied for them, especially NOW of all times, Fix It lost his frowned and turned to the stunned group with a renewed smile. "But it'll be fine, I found you Autobot rescuers! You can help me gather up all the Cons before they cause any trouble... I do hope this wasn't a problematic time to round them up?"
In the stunned silence that followed, the back engine of the Alchemor crashed down in the background behind a still grinning and hopeful Fix It.