Author's Notes: Our heroes are trapped inside a burned nuclear powerplant with a Decepticon! They need to out wit him, escape, and find their way back to base all without the military seeing any of it! Will they get help from some familiar friends? Let's hit the road bots! Cons are getting up to no good! As always, leave a comment to tell me what you think, and of course enjoy!
Part 7
Thank the All Spark and Mr. Spock
Wedge
He hadn't been spotted yet. The massive shadow came back up from the water and tossed a reactor rod onto the grated floor. It clanked alongside many other harvested rods before the intruder dove back down for more.
Wedge knew he hadn't been seeing things before! There had been a bot in this facility while he and his team were busy saving lives. The human workman had mentioned an intruder. Then a fire mysteriously breaks out… Wedge felt as though he was piecing together what caused this mess. And it wasn't good.
The bot came back up, more rods gripped in deadly claws in place of normal servos. "No way ol' Thunderhoof'll not rip my optics out their stalks… I gotta think of something to save my aft… Maybe I won't go back to the base? Nah, Glowstrike'll hunt me down. Scrap I am so fragged…" He tossed the rods haphazardly onto the floor with the others. The scratched Decepticon emblem affixed on the bot's shoulder confirmed Wedge's worst fear. This was a prisoner from the Alchemor. HERE of all times.
/Professor Heatwave,/ Wedge groaned through the open Commlink. /We have a pretty big problem of the Con variety./
As he expected, there was a long, say it ain't so, kind of pause that wafted over their collective communications system.
Hoist beat Heatwave to the punchline. "/In here with us?!/
/Afraid so./ Wedge reported. He took as quiet a step backwards as he could manage, trying to use what was left of the smoke as cover. /He's stealing the rods in the cooling pools… I assume whatever he's going to use them for isn't innocent./
/Has he broken any?/ Boulder asked with true alarm. Wedge wasn't used to hearing that type of terror from the normally calm and composed bot. It reiterated just how deep in the scrap they were in.
/Not that I see. But he's taking them all./ Wedge explained.
/We'll head over to give you back up!/ Hotshot promised. Wedge already heard his friend's speeding engine down the hall growing closer. It made every joint in his chassis tense. If the Con emerged from the water and heard him…
/No!/ Heatwave barked. /Everyone stay put! Wedge, get out of the same room as soon as you get the chance. I don't want you in there with him! We'll send Grimlock./
Hoist made a less then dignified noise over the chatter. /Grimlock is coming here? As in, he'll be in the same building as us? That's somehow worse than sharing a destroyed power plant with a Decepticon!/
/And how do you suppose we even do that, Heatwave?/ Blades interjected, passing right over Hoist's complaint. /If we open a Groundbridge, the government suits will pick up the energy readings from it and know we're up to something. Then they'll come in here, see the Con, and figure out there are basically a billion other Cons frolicking around Earth as we speak!/
Heatwave didn't answer. Wedge didn't envy his position. It wasn't an easy one. /We'll just have to make something up later. Say the Recruits needed more securing foam back at base… It's better then them getting smart to the Decepticon threat./ Heatwave vented deep, then another commlink was added to the chatter. /Grimlock, come in./
/Bout time I heard from ya, boss bot./ Came the famous soldier's snicker. /Is it finally time to bash some brainpans?/
/Discreetly./ Heatwave reiterated. /Remember what we discussed. Under no circumstances can you be seen by any humans! You'll utilize our Groundbridge and the coordinates I'm sending to 'quietly' bridge into the location. The recruits are in there too, so be careful. And this is a Nuclear Power station, so please try to keep the damage to a minimum./
/Sure, sure./ Going by his tone, Grimlock sounded like he heard none of what Heatwave just said. /Promise not to kill the Con, just like we discussed. Maiming should work just fine… I'm happy to get out from this little chatter Minicon you got in here. Primus he's grating on the nerves./ Grimlock cut off his commlink. It left the rest of them in a very uneasy silence.
/I don't believe this Decepticon related ruse will continue past today./ Chase worried.
Wedge retreated more when the Decepticon emerged. He was still grumbling to himself and piling more rods into his hoard. Wedge's optic scanners read over the rods. Outside the cooling water, their temperature was starting to climb. If they got to hot, the protective casings would breech. Then the radiation would spill out. Did they even have time to wait for Grimlock? /What should we do?/ he asked, backing towards the exit. /Maybe get ready to block the military from coming in when they read the Groundbridge opening?/
Fate didn't permit him the luxury of receiving an answer. The Con dumped his latest haul of rods with clumsy claws. It appeared he was fumbling to stack them, but alas, they were cylinders. A notoriously unstack-able shape. And once one rod slipped, they all did. The rods rolled all over the grated floor, clanking against each other or falling back into the pool. Wedge in-vented his anxiety at the horrific sight. Then he realized his mistake to late. That loud gasp hadn't been imprisoned in his helm.
The crab looking Con's bobbing optic stocks shot up and locked onto him through the smoke. He was spotted just a few steps from the exit.
The buzz of a blaster activated as the Decepticon scurried out of the pool. "Oiy! Who's is there?!"
/Wedge, report?/ Came the concerned voice of Heatwave in his audio. /Are you out of that room yet? Wedge!/
/Gotta go./ Wedge tried his darndest to shove down his fear. /He spotted me./
/What!/ Hotshot's voice was cut off, and Wedge placed his unhindered focus on the Decepticon's glowing shoulder canon. It was hard not to. It was aimed right at his helm.
"Um, just me, Wedge." Wedge greeted through a very forced smile. Did he actually just say his real name? Real smooth. He might as well tell the Con his whole Autobot life story, or how he was friends with Optimus Prime. All info he was sure would go over great.
The Decepticon's strange optics narrowed at him. Then he scuttled closer. He wasn't paying attention, and he kicked a few nuclear rods in his wake. Wedge tried not to wince.
"I don't remember you from base… Did Thunderhoof send ya after me to finish me off? Tell him we can forgive and forgets, I swears! Anything he wants! I can make it happen. My snitchin' cycles are behind me, honest!"
Wedge blinked. He resisted the instinct to blurt, 'What in Primus's name are you talking about?' Did the Con actually think Wedge was… Wait.
Following that hunch, Wedge glanced down at his own chest. His Autobot emblem was totally concealed with ash from the fire rescue. This Con thought Wedge was a fellow Decepticon escapee from the Alchemor. He could work with this until back up arrived. Or until he was found out and shot in the faceplates. Whatever came first.
Wedge shook the unease from his energy field and plastered on his most winning, Decepticonish smirk. "I'm, uh, new to base. I don't work with Thunderhoof, so no worries bud." Whoever in the Pits Thunderhoof was. Wedge rolled with it. He was willing to push his luck as the Con's posture noticeably relaxed. "I'm a Constructicon. You know Rivet? He's my Master."
The Decepticon's stalky optics blinked. Then they widened with recollection. "THE Rivet?" and his blaster shifted away. "Heard loads bout him… Never seen him, or read about what he did, but I 'spect he must be somebot important if he had littler bots callin' him 'master.'"
So, this Con was an idiot. What great luck!
"Good to know you've heard of him!" Wedge inched a little closer. All the while he eyed the nuclear rods. One was starting to heat up the grated floor under it. It wasn't far from cracking open. He needed to handle that. "I was actually, uh, sent from base to check in on you. I have expertise on nuclear power… Here, let me help you out with that." He stepped nearer to the problematic rod, keeping an optic on the stiff Decepticon. "So, I'm Wedge, as I mentioned. And you are?"
"Eh, Clampdown." He paused, looking Wedge up and down. "Why yous covered in ash?"
Wedge motioned around them with a sarcastic laugh. "How can I not be? Crazy this building just caught on fire. Wonder how that happened?"
"Oh, that was me." Clampdown volunteered. Wedge was far from surprised. Though what did surprise him was how fast Clampdown offered up that information. He tried to keep the glare from his features as Clampdown explained himself in a less then apologetic way. "When I was warped here, there was way too many organics runnin' around. I figured some fire would smoke them out… Then it got a little out of servo. Then I got turned around in the smoke and couldn't even find my ways to the rods. Crazy, hu?"
"It happens to the best of us." Wedge assured, shoving down every boiling instinct he had in him to punch Clampdown.
"From the ship crash?" Clampdown said out of nowhere. Wedge looked down, where Clampdown was staring. His casted ped.
"Exactly right. Lucky to have gotten out at all." He tried to shift the cast from out of Clampdown's focus. It had human writing on it that would give away that lie. But he quickly realized, as Clampdown absently staired at the cast for a few seconds more before nodding away the explanation, that was not a major concern.
The Decepticon didn't protest as Wedge retrieved the closest rod. It was almost to hot for even him to handle, but he suffered it. "Wow! Clampdown, buddy… These are about to burst open. Did they tell you how dangerous that is if you don't keep them cool?"
"No." Clampdown admitted. "Thuderhoof almost smelted me. So Steeljaw shoved me through the Groundbridge to come grab a bunch for Needler's Spaceship. Nobot tells me nothin'."
From Clampdown's grousing, Wedge learned the Cons they were hunting had organized into a group, had access to a Groundbridge, and were actively building a spaceship. Scrap. None of that was great. But he maintained his grin and continued to collect the rods from the floor. Clampdown started to mirror the task. "Well I'm happy to share with you bud. If one of these overheats and breaks open, it'll be enough to burn out your optics."
Clampdown let out a high pitch squeal and threw the rod he had just picked up. Wedge managed to catch it before it hit the ground. He shoved down the want to scream at the Con. It wasn't worth breaking his cover. He gently let the rods down into the water before brushing off his hands. "No worries Clamps. We'll find a safer way to store them for, Needler."
Clampdown fidgeted from side to side, his thin peds clicking as he did so. "T-thanks Wedge. Thanks for having my back struts… I was statin' to think I had to make a break from the group when they drug Thunderhoof back. But yous so, what's the word, when yous good with words?"
"Eloquent?" Wedge guessed.
Clampdown snapped one of his claws. "Yeah! That one! Thunderhoof loves them fancy types. Ya think you could, I don't know, butter him up for me? Make him forget the whole, double crossin' thing? Maybe between yous and Steeljaw, I'll get off this planet with my rivets still intact."
'OH you poor sweet summer child.' Wedge thought. He patted Clampdown on the back. "Bud, I've got you covered. Now, when are they sending for us again? I totally spaced when they told me. I just got out of the pod myself, ya know?"
"Whenever we ping for them, if they feel like answerin'." Clampdown grumbled. "Then it'll take forevers to get through. I don't trust that Bridge Needler made… Every time they fire it up it looks like it's about tos explode."
"I could calculate how long it'll take… If I knew exactly where the Groundbridge was." Wedge offered. He gave a hapless shrug. "They don't tell me anything either. Got me right to work after waking me up. I don't even know where the base is."
"Good to knows I'm in good company." Clampdown vented. "Some organic dump called… What was it? Aussti? Austril?"
"Australia?" Wedge jumped on.
Clampdown gave him a strange look. "How-"
"Lucky guess." Wedge said, trying to smooth over that mistake.
Clampdown nodded, somehow buying that. "Fair enough. Yeah. Australia. Some desert place on all sides of the hole in the ground we called dibs on. Not exactly a home away from home, but it keeps the Autobots away I figure."
"Oh, I assume the Autobots will never know." Wedge said past his too big of a smile. Bingo. They had a location for the largest collection of Cons on the planet. The party in Wedge's helm was short lived though. Dread put a damper on it. The Australian outback was where their ally Rescue Bot Brushfire patrolled. And they hadn't been able to contact her since this whole fiasco started. Had she tried taking on the den of Cons alone? Had she been overwhelmed? Was she a prisoner, or worse, somewhere clinging to life unable to call for help? He couldn't think about it right now.
The distant sound of a Groundbridge fired up in the hall outside the reactor room. As Clampdown said nothing about pinging for pickup, Wedge assumed he knew who was coming through that portal. And it was not good for Clampdown in particular. He tried to maintain his composure for the sake of the lie. He wouldn't have to keep it up for much longer. "Alright Clamps, lets wrap this up so we can head back to base. I'm sure, Steeljaw will be happy to have us back safe and sound and not captured by those Autobots." He said while walking slowly back towards the pool. He hoped he remembered the name correctly. Even if he was off, it was not like Clampdown was the type to notice.
"Yeah, about Steeljaw…" Clampdown said while scuttling alongside him. "Wedge, you seem the type to keep a secret."
Perfect. Even more reason to stall picking up the nuclear rods. "I'm an iron trap with secrets." Wedge promised.
Clampdown fidgeted. "Steeljaw told me not to say nothin', but I think he would want an honest bot like you on the ins. He has it on good faith, that our bosses, Glowstrike and Saberhorn are about to double cross each other."
Great. More terrifying Con names to remember. Wedge continued to roll with it. "They do seem the type not to get along."
Clampdown nodded. "Yeah, and with my old boss Thunderhoof thrown into the mix, a fight for power'll break out any cycle now… But here's the thing, Steeljaw has a way around that. He's gonna double cross them all first."
"So a good old fashion triple cross." Wedge said, nodding along as if nothing about this was alarming. Primus, he did not miss these types of power struggles while he was in the Decepticons.
"Exactly! Actually, loads back at base have Steeljaw's back struts over Glowstrike and Saberhorn's. They don't think it's worth leaving Earth at all. They like the idea of taking over the rock and stayin' put like he says. But he says we needs more Cons before he can double cross Glowstrike and Saberhorn cuz they're too strong right now… You in?"
Wedge was putting in so much effort into his forced smile it was starting to ache. Of all the times for a group of Decepticons to plan a hostile takeover of Earth it had to be NOW? When his poor professors were outside talking the press down with sniper scopes on them? The Con's couldn't have just waited a month or two after Humanity learned about Cybertronians before throwing scrap into the wind and being their absolute worst selves? This was going to undo everything they had worked to build!
"Count me in." Wedge said despite everything else that blazed through his mind in that instant. "Double crossing my friends. It's my second favorite thing to do."
There was a rumble in the large room as the monstrous ped steps came down the hall, charging for them.
"Second favorite?" Clampdown was curious. Enough to not notice the charging impending doom coming down the smoky hall. "What's your first favorite thing then?"
Wedge's grin grew wider. "What's the Decepticon namesake, buddy?"
Clampdown took a little to long pondering that. Then it clicked. "Lying?"
"Bingo." Wedge hurriedly took as many steps away from Clampdown as he could.
Grimlock burst through what remained of the blast doors with a truly terrifying roar. Pieces of the wall in his way exploded as if they were made of paper mâché. His Dino mode was even more intimidating than his bot form. Deadly spikes lining his back struts and denta sharp as blades. His yellow optics were locked on the small Con in the center of the room. Those terrifying fangs peeled back into a murderous smile. Then he charged at Clampdown full speed, rendering the grated flooring with each step.
Clampdown wailed a long, unbroken scream. To terrified to move in any direction. His shoulder blaster activated and fired a barrage at Grimlock, all while maintaining his scream of abject horror. It was about as effective as Kade's spitballs he would fire through a straw at Dani when the Chief took too long talking through safety protocols they had to go over to renew their licenses. The blasts bounced off Grimlock's thick war armor without leaving a scratch.
Grimlock smashed into Clampdown full force. It sent the Con flying across the massive room, still screaming, and into the far concrete wall. The impact left a distinct, crab shaped imprint.
Through the room's crumbling opening, Hotshot, Whirl, and Medix rushed in. Hoist remained there, staring at the carnage in transmission fluid leaking terror.
"Good work distracting the Con!" Hotshot praised Wedge while throwing a servo around his shoulder. "We were listening outside in the hall, just incase you needed back up. You really pulled the Decepticon vibe right back up it almost was convincing me!"
"I KNEW those Improv classes with Mr. Woodrow was a good idea!" Whirl squealed. "It totally paid off!"
Through some notable interference, Heatwave's commlink opened with a panicked crackle. /We heard that bang from out here! PLEASE keep it down! There is only so much scrap we can make up about structural integrity of fire ravaged buildings before they start calling our bluff!/
The monstrous Dinobot snorted loud through his vents. He then peeled Clampdown from the wall. The Con was no longer screaming at least. Now he was just letting out a low and unbroken moan akin to a slowly leaking gas tank. "Don't get your tailpipe in a twist Boss bot. That should be the last of the noise."
Clampdown twitched, raising a shaking claw to his audio, probably to call for backup with what little consciousness he had left. Grimlock noticed his attempts. He grabbed Clampdown by that same reaching claw and slammed him back into the wall. It left a second crab imprint next to the first and sent a distinct rumble through the building. "Ok, THAT should be the last noise." Grimlock promised, He threw Clampdown's limp Chassis over his shoulder, assured in the knowledge the Con was good and unconscious.
"Ok, so we got the Con." Wedge said to the group and the open comm channel for his professors to hear.
"It was disappointingly easy." Grimlock vented.
"Who looks to need medical attention now." Medix snarled and glared up at Grimlock.
Grimlock shrugged. The motion caused clampdown's helm to clank against the wall. "His Spark is still tickin', he's fine." He said, blowing off Medix's concern.
Wedge just rolled his optics. "Do we Bridge back to base before the military gets wise?"
/Oh, they already know./ Blades promised. /That one scary agent lady has sent us about ten silent pings demanding why we activated our tech. We have been ignoring it./
/Just don't look at her Blades./ Boulder said sternly.
/I can't… She's glaring a hole into the side of my helm./ Blades whimpered.
"Professors." Wedge said morosely. Seeing Clampdown swinging from Grimlock's back kickstarted his short-term memory files. "Before Grimlock… apprehended the Decepticon, he said their hidden base was in Australia."
/Good to know./ Chase intoned. /It is excellent you were able to utilize your police interrogation skills we learned in class, Wedge./
"But what about Brushfire?" Wedge reminded them.
Silence only interrupted by Whirl's horror stricken in-gasp followed. Wedge continued. "We can't contact her. And if she tried to take on the Decepticon gang alone to protect the local region…" He couldn't bare finish the thought out loud.
/We'll find her, Wedge./ Heatwave promised finally. /We will find everyone, and fix this mess together. We'll handle the fall out with the military here. I'm sending you the Groundbridge access, so you can open it from your end. We'll be right behind you./
"But Professors!" Whirl started to protest. "If Brushfire is really in trouble, and we still can't contact the others… We can't lose you guys too!"
/Now Whirl,/ Chase intoned sharply. /What is rule 47 section 8 of the Rescue Bot Handbook?/
Whirl deflated. "Follow all orders in a timely fashion."
"Good thing she answered." Hotshot hummed quietly. "I was gonna guess 'make up your stasis pod after recharge.'"
/Excellent./ Chase praised with a much softer tone. /We will be fine, and if we require back up, we shall request it. But I for one am certain that the United States Military will be totally rational and back up will not be required./
/I clearly need to show you more Syfy movies, Chase./ Blades vented before they all signed off through the crackle of white noise.
"We headed out, short stack?" Grimlock called across the room towards Hoist.
What little progress Hoist had made creeping beyond the destroyed entrance crumbled with Grimlock's sudden focus on him. He coward back behind the wall as if diving for cover from enemy blaster fire.
"I-I-I'll go through the Bridge after you all go first!" Hoist insisted behind his sad crumbling blockade.
"Coverin' our tailpipes. Not a bad call." Grimlock said with a nod. He readjusted the limp Con on his back, knocking Clampdown against his sharp backplates. He looked down to Wedge and offered a truly terrifying smile. "So, ready to go, little boss?"
"Ready as we'll ever be." Wedge said while trying not to snicker at Medix, who winced every time the unconscious Con clanked loudly into one of Grimlock's spikes. Nothing some rest in a stasis pod wouldn't fix, he was sure.
He pulled up the Academy's Groundbridge mainframe in his HUD. There, he found the new code Heatwave had sent which would activate it. Finally, they were home free.
Error.
Wedge blinked. He resent the command. The same error message blinked in front of his optics. "Um…" He repeated the command multiple times in vain, his panic growing with each failure. He looked past the sea of error messages at his expectant teammates. "It's not working."
"Come again?" Hotshot said.
Wedge continued to try but was now unable to mask his panic. "It's not working! I keep sending the command and it's like it's not going through!"
"Let me see it." Hotshot volunteered. Wedge send him the same access without thinking. It took him a few moments to remember Hotshot would know frag all about what he was looking at. This was confirmed when Hotshot staired into the empty middle distance with a deep contemplation, reading over the same Error messages Wedge had seen before bouncing it back over with a shrug. "No clue. I figured a new set of optics would maybe do the trick."
"What's the hold up?" Grimlock grumbled.
"Send it to me." Medix huffed a vent. He blinked rapidly after receiving the data package. "The command isn't going through. It's like it's being blocked… like…"
"Like our communication with the other Rescue Bot teams." Whirl realized with a sudden horror. "Professors! We're in trouble! The Groundbridge is down! And…" She stopped, optics widening in fear. "They're not answering me. Guys, are you hearing my comm pings?" She looked around the room expectantly. Wedge was getting nothing. They were all dead in the water. Whatever had disturbed communications with the other Rescue Bot teams had finally reached them. And at the worst possible time. They were trapped.
"Send it to me." Grimlock grunted.
Wedge glanced up at him, absolutely unconvinced the brute would know what he was looking at.
"What? I didn't say I could fix it! But I've been in loads of situations where we lost communications. 9 times out of 10 it's Cons. The 10th time is just scrap luck caused by Cons."
Not having much else to lose, Wedge pinged the Bridge controls to Grimlock. His deadly snout pursed downward. "Yep. You got yourself a Con interferin' fragger to deal with." He said before bouncing the controls back. He shifted Clampdown off his shoulder and let him fall unceremoniously to the floor. "Probably because of this light weight. The goons he's workin' for may have gave him a rang. He didn't answer, they assumed the worst, which, from his position, it was." He took a moment to laugh at his own joke and start the tedious, rather painful looking process of transforming back to his bot form. "So they locked onto his position and scrambled everything around him in hopes of taking down the last Autobot group standin' in their way. Not a bad trade for this one aft." He gave the Con a small kick. It was enough to start to rouse Clampdown.
"Eh? That you Starscream? I can be yours Decepticon Lord…" Clampdown started to say groggily. Grimlock put an end to whatever that was going to be by kicking him again right before Medix could stop him. This kick was not so small as he probably intended it to be. It flung the Con back across the room and added a third crab shaped impact into the wall along side the other two. "See?" Grimlock hummed, walking to retrieve Clampdown from the wall once more. "I didn't just fall off some passin' incinerator ship. I know what I'm talkin' about when it comes to Cons. I may be stupid, but I ain't no idiot."
"So… What do we do?" Whirl asked of their group.
Wedge didn't have an answer.
"Why not just walk out and go the long way home?" Grimlock huffed.
"No!" Everyone insisted at once.
"The humans can't see that Decepticon." Medix reiterated. "The military doesn't know they are here."
"And they really can't see YOU." Hotshot added.
"Yeah, that would be worse than them seeing the Decepticon." Wedge pointed out.
Grimlock rolled his yellow optics, but otherwise didn't complain. He just threw Clampdown back over his shoulder.
Whirl transformed into her copter mode and flew up into the high ceilings. There was a large glass skylight in the highest nook. She transformed and wedged herself between it. She wiped the soot from the glass and peeked out. "The Professors are talking to the Military now… The Burns are kind of far away from them. I wonder if they were separated?"
"If only we could ask them." Wedge growled in growing frustration. He glanced Hoist, still cowering out in the hall. "Any ideas? This is sort of more important than your phobia."
"Sorry. To scared to think." Hoist admitted. Whirl's gasp drew Wedge's focus skyward. "There are a few military guys coming towards the building! I think they are going to come inside!"
"We'll barricade the door!" Hotshot said.
Another large portion of wall crumbled from the doorway, almost hitting Hoist. "Ok, never mind. Who else has a plan?"
"I'm just gonna walk back." Grimlock huffed and started for the exit.
Hoist transformed and was halfway down the hallway before Wedge and the others were able to grab onto Grimlock's ankles to try and stop him.
"They really can't see you!" Wedge snapped, digging his one good ped into the floor to try and stop the Dinobot's powerful stride.
"No joke!" Hotshot reiterated, pulling from the other side of his other ped. "And I'm usually the one totally on board for the more chaotic solution!"
A sharp buzz radiating from deep in Wedge's audios was enough to make him release Grimlock. Not like the tug of war was doing much good anyway. But he hadn't been the only one to get hit with the strange noise. Even Grimlock stopped, jagged optic ridge rose from the strange event.
"What was that?" Hotshot asked no one in particular.
/Who, would be the more correct assumption, young bot, would it not?/
Wedge jolted at the refined and familiar voice. "Quickshadow!?"
/The very one./ The spy bot confirmed. /I'm glad somebot finally picked up on this encrypted frequency… But it look's like the boys are in a bit of a pickle with the military outside. How are you little ones doing on the ins?/
Whirl came crashing down from the ceiling almost in tears. "Quickshadow! We're stuck inside with Grimlock and a Decepticon and the military are gonna come in and see them and we can't Groundbridge to get away and then we'll get carted away to some military bunker and get experimented on or be forced to turn a crank for the rest of eternity to create endless power for all of the East Coast-"
/Primus…/ Quickshadow interrupted. /I see some of you have been watching to many Syfy movies with Blades. Righto. I don't know how long we have before the Decepticon interference will take us back down, but I can help you all get out undetected. There is a back exit to the facility that leads to the eastern side road. There is a large truck there… it should be big enough for you all to pop into the back. If you can turn it on, I'll be able to get remote access and drive you away. Can you manage?/
"Not like we have a choice." Wedge huffed.
/That's the Spark./ Quickshadow snickered. /Now off you go. Some suited goons are almost to the front entrance of the facility./
"Thank you Quickshadow!" Whirl almost wept.
The same interference stepped onto whatever assurance the older bot would have given them and the Comm channel closed.
Hotshot clapped his hands together. "Alright. Back door, then truck. Hoist! Get back here and face those fears! Cuz it's about to get cramped."
They hurried into the hallway, Wedge taking the lead with the facility's map in the forefront of his HUD.
"So, getting caught by the military isn't an option?" Hoist wondered all the way down the hall behind them. "I'm willing to turn a crank for eternity!"
"Keep going!" Whirl insisted before transforming into her car mode. Wedge heard her transform again, then Hoist's desperate protests. It was all followed by tires screeching in reverse. Whirl returned, trailed by Hoist's smoking tires as he desperately tried to reverse back down the hall. The task was in vain, as Whirl had taken his tow hook and wrapped it around her waist, marching them both forward with considerable effort. "Let's go bud!" She encouraged, pulling forward.
Grimlock snickered. "You kids are cute. No wonder Prime was always talkin' your little club up."
"You knew Optimus?" Hotshot asked as they hurried along.
Grimlock stopped only to slam some burned debris out of the way. "Pits yeah! And he sure knew me, cuz I gave him trouble every chance I got to. The big boss bot even thought I was mentor material. What a laugh that is." He slammed his fist into a blocked hall. "I guess that's what made him good 'hero' material worth remembering. Had faith in everybot no matter how hopeless."
"Mentoring… us?" Wedge ventured.
"Nah, the Insecticons, of course you half pikes! He was tryin' to find some use for us killin' machines after the war, I figure."
"Well… We really don't know how to fight." Wedge offered. Grimlock gave him an odd look. "Heatwave does, but he always tells us we don't have to focus on that. But now, here we are, two hundred Con convicts on the loose. We could really use a teacher to help us in that department."
Grimlock shrugged his armored shoulders. "Eh, I guess it would do my Spark good knowin' you little pikes aren't totally defenseless when I leave. Guess I could stick around, free of charge. Would give me somethin' to do…"
Wedge caught the truly alarming grin Hotshot was sporting at that concept. "We should learn right when we get back! That way we can go kick some tailpipe and save Brushfire!"
Hoist's tires only squealed even more desperately. Either from the concept of storming a Decepticon infested cave or sitting through a personal sparring lesson with Grimlock.
They reached the far end of the facility where the fire damage was minimal. Wedge was only halfway through explaining how the large bay doors led to the outside before Grimlock was ripping them open. Well, that certainly saved time, but would require an explanation for the personnel staff later. A back-parking lot greeted them with a few large semi-trucks that hadn't been evacuated by the staff. It appeared empty. But looks could be deceiving. People could be lining the streets along the parking lot fence and see them creeping out.
Whirl crept forward. She passed off Hoist's hook for Hotshot to hold onto. On stealthy peds she hurried along from one large crate to the other. Edging ever closer to the nearest truck. She rolled a few times, either part of the stealth mission or just for show. She ended just before she would be out in the open. There would still be a run to the nearest truck. She peeked around the corner for a split klik. She retreated behind cover. Out of habit, she rose a hand to her audio. Then recalling their communication was jammed, she looked back and only shook her helm. Wedge assumed that meant humans were present 'within seeing bot' distance. Scrap.
Before he could ask out loud what they could do, Whirl's focus noticeably shifted behind them. To the river? Wedge turned just in time to see a rising fog from the water. Odd to say the least for a sunny day. As the fog rolled closer, he could only assume Quickshadow was somehow behind the smoke screen. One of her many spy tools no doubt. He was far from complaining as it totally encompassed the parking lot. He lost sight of Whirl a few yards ahead of them in the fog. They would be safe from human sight.
"Lets go! Who knows how long the fog lasts." Wedge urged. They inched forward, careful not to trip over each other in the fog. Whirls blue colors drew Wedge to their goal. A truck large enough to hide Grimlock and the rest of them if they were willing to squish together a little. Mission accomplished, with the only true detriment being to Hoist's mental health! Not bad if Wedge said so himself.
Whirl already had the hatch on the back open and was waving Grimlock over. The monstrous bot nodded gratefully to her before unceremoniously tossing Clampdown in first. He then compressed his plating as much as he physically could to get in. The whole truck whined at the weight of Grimlock alone. Medix was watching the back set of wheels worriedly. "The rest of us may need to just follow behind, save for Wedge of course. The truck may not be able to support all of our combined weight."
"The military will recognize our alt modes." Wedge said right back. "We can't risk it. Our teacher's helms are probably on the line if we mess up."
Medix bristled at that but didn't argue further. He winced as he stepped into the back trailer, weighing it down further.
Hoist remained right where he was, gazing horrified into the dark truck trailer's shadowy interior only illuminated by Grimlock's glowing yellow optics. "I-I can probably ride under the truck and stay out of sight?" he whimpered.
"Unacceptable." Medix growled. "If the tires burst, as I calculate they most definitely will, you will be crushed."
"I'm at peace with that." Hoist said.
"In ya go kid." Grimlock's massive servo crashed out of the trailers darkness and snatched Hoist by his tow hook. Before Hoist could escape, scream, or do anything, Grimlock yanked him into the truck.
"There," Hotshot smiled at Medix and Wedge. "Problem fixed itself."
Medix just rolled his optics before attending to Hoist. He seemed to be fighting off yet another involuntary stasis lock episode.
"Alright, me next." Wedge said. "Give me a boost Hotshot, so I don't trip on my cast…"
Hotshot's servo on Wedge's shoulder brought him to a stop before he could approach the trailer. "We actually need ya out here bud."
"For what?" Wedge wondered. "Need me to lead the snipers away when the tires pop?"
Whirl pulled open the driver side door behind them. "You heard what Quickshadow said. She can't control it remotely without it being turned on first." She poked her whole helm inside and huffed in frustration before pulling back out. "Yep, no keys in the ignition."
"So… Do I look for a truck that may have keys? I think our day's 'stupid crazy luck' reserve is all tapped out, but I can try."
"No." Hotshot said past a rather mischievous grin. "You can get the truck running without the keys. Hotwire it!"
Wedge glared at him. "I'm an engineer, Hotshot. Not a truck thief. Why would you think I know how to do that?"
"I actually wasn't referring to your engineering skills…" Hotshot admitted, still smiling.
Wedge blinked. He had no clue where he was going with this. Knowing Hotshot, it was something devious. He didn't like how it apparently involved him.
"You know…" Hotshot nudged him in the side. "Dig up some of those Con thieving skills. You already brought up the Con lying act to trick Clampdown without any trouble. Same thing."
Wedge staired, then glared. "So, you think just because I was a Decepticon for a while, I just magically know how to hotwire a vehicle?"
"He's right Hotshot," Whirl said, appearing sheepishly ashamed. "It was rude of us to assume that."
Wedge vented loudly before trudging towards the cab of the truck. "I'm only mad because if I said 'no' I couldn't, it would be a lie."
Because indeed, he knew exactly how to activate most tech illegally. It was lesson 'two' he had with Rivet back on his small ship that would travel between Decepticon War ships to make repairs. Wedge had tried and failed to purge the information. And forget what lesson 'one' was. He shuttered.
Yet here he was, feeling oddly nostalgic with his digits deep in the now exposed wires of the cab's dash. This was human tech, so much more primitive, but still the connectors to start up an engine was basically universal. He tried not to grumble as Whirl and Hotshot both loomed right over him, taking in his work with big inquiring optics. It wasn't exactly a skill he was proud of. "I feel like hotwiring and stealing a truck right behind a crowd of people is the exact opposite of being honest with humanity!"
"We can start again tomorrow." Hotshot promised.
"Yep!" Whirl said with a swift slap on Wedge's back. "Needs of the many! As Spock would say!"
"That doesn't apply to this situation at all Whirl! No offence to your Spock friend." Wedge growled just as he made the final connection. With a massive spark from the wires the engine roared to life.
Wedge turned around to point at both of them. "Not a word of this to Professor Chase! I'd never hear the end of it!"
Hotshot snorted as if it were obvious. "That goes without saying… None of us would."
Whirl patted Wedge again as they hurried back towards the trailer. "Spock would be proud."
Wedge accepted Hotshot and Whirl's help into the trailer. "He's the one with the lightsabers, right?"
"Probably." Whirl agreed with a shrug. "Blades just said he was the king of space nerds." She placed a hand over her Spark and closed her optics in silent prayer. "May he watch over us in the All Spark and keep our tires from popping."
Hotshot pulled down the trailer door, dousing them in darkness with only their multicolored optics to differentiate them. "Do humans go to the All Spark too?"
"Why not?" Whirl said. "I like to think it's like a big place where all the different afterlives are connected and you can just jump around, either on boats or rockets or something. You don't have a chassis anymore. You can do whatever you want."
"What scientific proof do you have to support this theory?" Medix countered, turquoise optics narrowing skeptically.
Whirl's two yellow glowing orbs rolled. "And what scientific proof do you have that says I'm wrong?"
Medix started, paused, then stuttered. "I don't, but you don't either."
"So it could be." Whirl assured.
"No!" Medix hissed right back. "That's not how scientific inquiry works!"
"How about this?" Hotshot offered. "If the truck tires don't pop from all of us weighing it down, then Whirl's right."
"That wouldn't prove-" Medix started to protest.
"Deal!" Whirl agreed and lunged forward towards Hotshot's optics. There was the chaotic sound of scraping metal before they finally found their mark and shook hands on it.
Grimlock's rumbling snicker pulled all optics up to him. "You kids are a riot."
Wedge jolted when the truck started forward. They were moving. "Quickshadow did it! We're home free!"
"Unless the tires pop from our combined weight." Medix reminded them all.
"Oh, ye of little faith." Hotshot said with a snicker.
"How ya holdin' up, hooks?" Grimlock's optics were aimed down at what appeared to be darkness. It was where Wedge had witnessed Hoist before the trailer door shut, curled in the fetal position with his optics squeezed closed.
"Happy place." Hoist's voice whimpered. "I'm in my happy place. It's bright and wide open, not trapped in the back of a truck with a killing machine."
The sound of Grimlock's massive hand clanked assuredly down on Hoist. "I get ya. Con's can be scary for young bloods like you. But no worries kid. This one's out cold. Prime was right. You younger lot need fightin' skills. It'll do ya good. I'm definitely sticking around."
Hoist whimpered hopelessly.
The banter ceased when the truck sped up. Wheels squealed in protest and Wedge winced with each pothole they hit. They took a turn rather fast. Then another. Why was Quickshadow being so reckless with the driving? She must have known the truck wouldn't be able to handle much with all of them weighing it down and bending the suspension.
Then a disturbing thought hit him as hard as Grimlock had smashed into Clampdown. The military may be pursuing them, and Quickshadow was trying to outrun them. That would make sense. A driverless truck just left a burned-out alien infested nuclear powerplant. Why wouldn't they pursue?
Another sharp turn, and the sound of a distant siren. Yep, they were in trouble. Light suddenly filled the trailer through a small crack. Apparently, Hotshot couldn't take the suspense either. He had cracked open the back door and was peeking out, faceplates pressed to the ground. "Three military trucks are right behind us… They're hailing for us to pull over."
"Primus, Optimus, Mr. Spock Nimoy… please get us out of this." Whirl whispered to herself, squeezing her optics and hands tight.
"Ya sure I can't take care of this?" Grimlock offered.
"They haven't confirmed it's us yet." Medix said through gritted denta. "They may assume it, but can't prove it until they lay human eyes on us. If you burst out, they'll know."
Grimlock shrugged and settled back down.
Wedge couldn't handle the suspense any longer either. He pushed Hoist to make room and peeked out alongside him. They were on a highway, now trailed by five black SUV's with flashing lights. They had done a good job clearing out all pedestrians that may hinder their chase. And due to the trucks heavy load, it couldn't risk going much faster than it already was. "This is bad." Wedge mumbled. He tried in vain to open the Groundbridge again. The error message mocked him in his HUD. They were trapped.
The sunlight caught off something speeding over the horizon. Shimmering white with blue detail and tinted windows.
"Quickshadow!" Hotshot cheered.
The spy car caught air over the hill behind them, landing just between the truck and their pursuers. Sparks flew from the asphalt, the five military cars scrambling out of her way. The drivers shocked from the sudden newcomer's flashy arrival.
Quickshadow dropped something metallic from her undercarriage… Spikes! The deadly points scattered the road behind her to shred three of the five pursuing car tires. At first, fear shot through Wedge. Quickshadow wasn't using deadly force by any means… but she was still technically attacking military cars. The treaty would be destroyed. Everything would go to the Pits!
But then he noted her Autobot emblem, or rather, the lack there of. A newly polished Porsche mark replaced her Autobot colors on her grill. She then proceeded to show off this mark when whirling around, driving backwards to face the military cars still giving chase. Wedge was sure this was on purpose. They would see no Autobot emblem and note the silhouette of the human holoform in her driver's seat.
She thrust forward, connecting with the SUV on her right. With a quick zap its engine was disabled, and she was soon hunting down the last. But it wasn't going down without a fight. The military personnel inside rolled down their windows. Round after round of gunfire assaulted Quickshadow's frame. Wedge winced with each hit. Whirl screamed at the sound of the blasts and covered her optics even though she wasn't watching the action to begin with. Quickshadow endured the hits like a champ. She was left with a series of nasty dents in her doors and cracks in her reinforced windows.
The rims of her tires started to extent. Spinning blades unfurled and Wedge's brainpan caught up to her plan. She slammed into the military car, her serrated rims shredding their back tire. She pulled away, leaving the SUV to slow to a stop behind them.
"That was fragging awesome…" Hotshot whispered between them, optics wide with wonder. Quickshadow's weaponized wheels shifted away, and she followed behind. She flashed her high beams at them assuredly in place of their jammed commlinks. Wedge smiled at her before shutting the small gap and snuffing out the light from outside.
"Is it over?" Whirl whimpered. She didn't dare reopen her optics to peek.
"We're ok." Wedge vented and sat heavy against the trailer's wall. "All according to plan… Praise Spock."
His quip eased the tension, as he had hoped. It also annoyed Medix, which was a plus.
After some time being bounced around in the dark, they finally rolled to a stop. Wedge risked a peek outside. They were on a dirt road in the woods far from anyone or anything. Good. He threw open the hatch and rolled up the door before carefully climbing out. Hotshot, Medix, and Whirl leapt out right behind him. Grimlock lumbered out, Clampdown tucked under one servo and Hoist's totally tense chassis under the other.
They made it. Far from pedestrian eyes and the military hopefully doubtful of their involvement in the highspeed chase. Maybe they would think some thieves had taken advantage of the fire and stole the truck. After all, why would the technologically advanced alien race need to stoop that low? Wedge was fairly confident in that alibi. They finally had a moment to vent a deep intake of relief.
Then all 18 wheels of the semi-truck blew one by one. They watched as a group as the whole truck sank onto its rims to the chorus of deflation like a set of sad party balloons.
Medix frowned as the last tire whined. Then he tried very hard to ignore Whirl's smug smirk which had shifted from the truck and was now aimed his way. "Nothing but a remarkable coincidence." Medix insisted at the timing.
Whirl smiled up at the sky triumphantly. "Thank you Mr. Spock and Optimus! I know it was you both working together!" She rose a hand to the sky with her fingers spread in a strange salute. "Live long and prosper, Nerd King." She added with a whisper.
"I'm pretty sure this is how cults get started." Wedge noted to Hotshot.
"Wow. That's one big chap you've got there."
Quickshadow's polished voice noted as she drove around the defeated truck. Her Porsche marking shifted around to unveil her true Autobot shield before the rest of her shifted out of alt mode. She took in Grimlock wearily, seeming to recognize him. "Didn't know we were bad enough to call on a soldier of his… caliber."
"I go where the work is these cycles." Grimlock explained with a shrug. "Takin' a break from the Autobot side to do some freelance work. Whatever the job needs doin' I can usually make it happen."
Quickshadow rose a thin optic ridge. "Didn't you punch Starscream in the faceplates?"
Grimlock broke out in a fanged grin. "Yep. And I enjoyed every klik of it."
"Rightyo." Quickshadow hummed, choosing to skip beyond that. "Good that we got you small bots out. No worries about the big boys… Heatwave can take care of himself."
Wedge assumed she saw the worry still lingering on their faceplates.
"What about you?" Wedge asked. "You got shot. Are you going to be ok?"
"Human bullets." Quickshadow said with a shrug and brushed at the dents along her servo. "Nothing some sealant and magnetic dent remover won't fix. But thanks for the concern chaps. Let's walk and talk, since time's in short supply. I'm sure you've noticed." She started down the dirt path with the group following very close behind, except for Grimlock taking up the far back. "I was on the European side of the planet when the crash happened… Then before I was able to tie up my few loose ends and Bridge over to help, the Decepticon's had constructed their Bridge and communication dampener and I was forced to rely on my wheels alone. And a few other tricks."
"So it is the Cons that are messing with our tech?" Hotshot asked, jogging to be right alongside her.
"Indeed." She confirmed with a grim nod. "They know we are scattered around the globe, so their best bet to cripple us was to silence our communication and Groundbridge tech. Very smart on their part with what little resources they must have."
"But we just lost communication recently." Medix clarified. "We had it this whole time! What changed?"
Quickshadow gave that a moment's thought. "It could have been your location, or rather, the location of your base. The Rescue Bot Academy in Maine may be perfectly located far enough from the Decepticon base where their dampener can't reach. If that is the case, it is good to know their tech is limited."
"They're in Australia." Wedge intoned, happy to add anything that could help them out of this mess. "That's what this Con said anyway." He nodded back at Clampdown, who was moaning in Grimlock's underarm. Grimlock dropped him on a rock, knocking him back out, then replaced him under his servo. "And we have had no word from Brushfire…" Interestingly enough, Quickshadow didn't seem all to surprised by the location of the Decepticon's base.
"We're worried sick!" Whirl cried. "What if they botnapped her? Or are forcing her to dig for Energon! Or are just making her tell jokes in her silly Australian voice for their entertainment!?"
"I don't think we have to worry much about that." Quickshadow said. She led them to a brush covered cave. She cleared away the disguised cave entrance. They were greeted with a thrown together safe house of Cybertronian tech, and bright emerald green optics.
"Crikey! Ya found the little tykes Quicks!" Brushfire in took with a smile of pure relief.
Wedge shared the sentiment. And before he new it, he and his fellow teammates were rushing into the cave to embrace her.
"We thought you were terminated or worse!" Whirl wept into Brushfire's chest plates.
Brushfire snorted an amused laugh. "I'd be interested to hear what 'worse' then terminated would be. But it's good to see ya lot." She gazed up at Quickshadow. "She got me out of a bad spot in my neck of the woods. It was a risk, but after losing communication I started broadcastin' my location. She found it around the same time a few Cons did."
"How'd you both get out of that?" Whirl wondered.
Brushfire cracked a smirk. "You can ask the blokes yer self if you want." She stepped aside, which allowed Wedge to spy deeper into the shallow cave. Tied up in chains and piled in a grumbling stack were about ten Decepticons.
"That's a lot of Cons." Hotshot said with an impressed whistle.
"It was my main job for a while." Quickshadow pointed out. "A selfish part of me is a tad giddy this happened. My combat skills were getting a spot rusty."
Brushfire's chipper demeanor fell. "We were able to catch these blokes… but there are hundreds more back home in Aussi… I had to leave my patrol area. I'm really worried about the local wildlife there. The Con's have been less then careful so far."
"Just point the way." Grimlock said while cracking the pistons in his knuckles. "If it's just a 'few hundred Cons' it shouldn't take me more than a klik or two."
"Easy big boy." Quickshadow said. "Before we left, our Decepticon friends had laid booby traps all over the region and in their hideout. We'll need to scout it before an assault. I recommend we move this party back to the Academy… As I assume you have a better facility for keeping this lot quiet. The cheeky back servoed comments are starting to hurt even my feelings."
"Get smelted frag face plated Autobot!" One Con shouted.
Grimlock stepped into the cave, and into the Decepticon's sights. The curses and grumbles stopped dead, and suddenly all ten Decepticons became quietly obedient.
"But Groundbridges are down." Medix reminded the group. "And communication. How will we get back?"
The problem was becoming more insurmountable. They were in Virginia… and they needed to get to Maine. That was roughly 670 miles. That was a 12-hour drive if they didn't stop… Their alt modes may or may not be recognized now… And they had Grimlock and eleven Decepticons to drag along. And their 18-wheeler was down 18 wheels.
"What about calling someone back home like Cody or Frankie?" Whirl offered. "Doc Green may have a way to get the Rescue mobile here and back? It's big enough to handle all of us! The military doesn't know about that!"
"That would require the Commlinks, remember?" Wedge grumbled.
"Not in this case." Whirl countered. "Our communication is down, but the human networks aren't… Has anyone seen a payphone on the way here?"
Wedge blinked. "Those are still a thing?"