TRANSFORMERS: CASUALTIES OF HOPE / CHAPTER FOUR
"Don't do it "
Windcharger heard the words but didn't want to listen, "Shut up, you coward. Maybe you can stand by and watch our friends die but I can't."
"I doubt you'll miss," began Bluestreak. "But I've managed to hit Megatron in the past and he kept standing. Is it worth the risk, Windcharger? Our only hope is uniting with whoever's left."
Windcharger felt his finger against the trigger, wanting to pull it so badly. If there was ever a chance to take out the Decepticon leader now was the time. And it would turn the tide of the battle instantly. Windcharger knew Bluestreak only wanted to avoid the conflict altogether and save himself but getting to the armoury and regrouping with more Autobots made sense.
Then as if destiny had other plans, Windcharger watched as Megatron took to the air, losing his opportunity to strike. Windcharger retrieved his pistol and threw the rifle back to Bluestreak, "What are you waiting for? Wheeljack is waiting for us."
Taking the lead, Windcharger took off for the armoury. He didn't care if Bluestreak followed or found a hole to hide in. All he wanted right now was to fight the Decepticons, even if it cost him his spark.
"We're not going to last much longer if we stay here."
Taking cover between two anti-aircraft guns, Springer and Arcee fired alongside the defence weapons at the Decepticons flying overhead. The two Autobots managed to score the occasional hit but it wasn't enough as the Decepticons didn't let up on their assault. As well as being nearly ineffective, the anti-aircraft guns were taking heavy damage, suffering from numerous attack runs.
After activating Autobot City's transformation sequence, Springer and Arcee, wanting to get involved in the fight, headed outside to take the Decepticons head-on. But soon the dangers of staying in their current position became apparent and their way back into the fortress was obstructed by damage caused by the battle "The guns can't target the Decepticons fast enough, the auto-defense system can't predict their maneuvers." said Springer.
"So why can't we take over?" asked Arcee as she tried sniping the Decepticons above.
"We're locked out. It wouldn't have happened if there were enough Autobots to fill every battle station. Only Wheeljack can override the system."
"Then get him on the line and see if he can get us in," said Arcee.
As Springer activated his comlink, Arcee continued firing away. Despite the threat in the sky, Arcee's thoughts went to the safety of Kup, Hot Rod and Daniel. Last she knew they were outside the city before it transformed. If they hadn't made it back before the city assumed its fortress mode, it meant they were trapped outside. Having received no word on their current whereabouts, she worried for their safety.
Acree saw Springer slap his comlink closed, "Wheeljack says forget the guns and to meet him at the armoury. We need to defend it before the Decepticons get any closer. And he has a nasty surprise waiting for them once they're close enough."
"Did he say anything about Hot Rod or Kup?" she asked. "Hot Rod had Daniel with him earlier."
Springer couldn't hold back the disgust he felt, "Negative. And if Hot Rod had any sense he would have taken off in the other direction to keep Spike's son safe. If he brought him here during a full-scale Decepticon invasion, he's going to have a lot to answer for if Daniel gets hurt. Or worse!"
Arcee couldn't deny the truth in Springer's words but she also knew he didn't have a high opinion of Hot Rod, "We don't know the circumstances Hot Rod and Kup were facing. And now's not the time. Let's find Wheeljack and hope the others are safe no matter where they are."
As Arcee got up, Springer saw that his words had gotten to her but he didn't regret saying it. And in all honesty, he hoped those three were all right as well. Deciding the matter was closed for now, he followed Arcee out of the gunner station towards the armoury.
"Don't know how we're getting out of this one!"
Trapped in a stairwell, trading blaster fire with a squad of Decepticons trying to advance towards them, Kup and Hot Rod held back the invaders from coming up the stairs to their position.
"You're scaring Daniel," replied Hot Rod with the boy behind him. Daniel, sitting beside a sealed door, had his head down with his hands covering his ears. The Autobots were unable to open it, even with their passcodes. And they were unable to try hacking the controls as both Autobots were needed to hold back Decepticons.
"You know, we wouldn't be in this mess if you had called in what you saw instead of firing at the shuttle!" yelled Kup from behind cover, reloading his pistol. "Probably could have blown up all the Cons inside with an artillery strike and avoided this mess."
Hot Rod knew Kup was right. He spared a look at Daniel, wishing he could get him away from the chaos, hoping he would be able to make it up to him. But to escape their current situation they needed a miracle.
Or a miracle worker!
Hot Rod activated his comlink and hoped his transmission wasn't blocked by the thickness of the walls, "Hot Rod to Wheeljack. Are you there, Wheeljack?"
"Hot Rod? It's Wheeljack. Where are you?"
Hot Rod was surprised to receive an answer as quick as he did, "Me, Kup and Daniel are trapped in stairwell D. We're under fire and the security doors are locked down. Can you open it for us?"
"Spike's son is with you?" came the reply. "Ok listen. I can open the doors but I need time to bypass the security system. Once I do you have one chance to get out of there. Then meet me at the armoury. There are more Autobots headed my way. Just hold tight. Wheeljack out."
Kup couldn't help but grumble. "Chance's are he's going to blow them up to open them. Great plan."
Hot Rod returned to firing back at the Decepticons, "You love seeing the negative in everything, don't you?"
"All I want to see is Daniel safe. So come on and keep shooting."
As the shots rang out, Daniel kept his head down, remembering all the stories his Father and Grandfather told him about the Autobots. In all their tales, the Autobots never once let them down. It was the only thing that kept Daniel from losing hope, knowing Hot Rod and Kup would figure a way out of here.
In the armoury, Wheeljack was keying commands into his computer. He had limited access from his position and couldn't help Hot Rod, Kup or Daniel unless he left the armoury. But not without making sure those on their way here weren't locked out.
With a few adjustments to the security parameters, the doors to the armoury would open for Autobots. Wheeljack knew he was taking a huge risk leaving the armoury undefended, but he couldn't leave his friends out there to die.
Collecting a few tools and making sure his shoulder cannon was loaded, Wheeljack ran out of the armoury, hoping he'd return to see the others safe and sound once he got back.
Finding themselves lost within the fortress, Windcharger and Bluestreak hurried to find the right way to their destination. After running into more dead ends than they would have liked, it seemed they would never find the armoury. "This battle will be over before we ever find Wheeljack," said Windcharger. "Maybe we should-"
The explosion cut off Windcharger in mid-sentence as part of the ceiling came down on top of him. Dazed by the impact, Windcharger tried to assess his situation and found he couldn't move.
Through the debris, Windcharger thought he heard the loud snap of electron blasts firing rapidly. Then he heard someone shouting his name, over and over again as the load on his body grew lighter.
"Hang on, Windcharger! I'll get you out of there," said Bluestreak as he dug Windcharger out.
Windcharger saw that the Decepticons had managed to blow a hole through the fortress's outer wall, exposing the Autobots to the danger outside. The Minibot was thankful to be able to move again and surprised Bluestreak hadn't run off and left him behind.
At that moment, Windharger felt incredibly guilty. Overwhelmed by the fact that earlier he had called Bluestreak a coward. "Thanks, Bluestreak. I owe -."
Sparks showered Windcharger as Bluestreak's shoulder exploded. A Seeker, hovering behind them in robot mode, had snuck to attack and was now trying to finish off the wounded Autobot. Bluestreak brought his rifle up to return fire only for it to explode when the Decepticon shot it and struck its power cell. The Seeker went on to disarm Bluestreak by shooting his shoulder cannons before the Autobot could use them, causing them to erupt.
Furious, Windcharger struggled to free himself, pushing the debris off his body and crawling out. He managed to find his gun but not soon enough as the Seeker mercilessly gunned down the unarmed Bluestreak.
The Seeker didn't stop shooting until Windcharger fired, hitting him in the face. Smoke poured from the Seeker's now ruined optic socket as he staggered about in mid-air. Windcharger fired two more times, each shot hitting its intended target, downing the Seeker permanently.
Pulling himself up, Windcharger rushed to Bluestreak's side. Upon seeing the fallen Autobot, lying still with half of his face gone and energon pouring from his wounds, Windcharger saw he was too late to be of any help. "I'm sorry," said Windcharger mournfully, feeling terrible for what he said earlier. "I… I never should have called you a coward."
Windcharger almost stumbled backwards when something grabbed his arm. Windcharger only managed to calm himself down when he realized Bluestrerak was still alive!
Knowing he didn't have long, Bluestreak struggled to speak with the last of his energy. "It's ok, Windchager. I know everyone thinks so. But I always thought I might do something brave enough to change their minds…. but who was I fooling?" Bluestreak said almost with a laugh. "They say it's scary to die alone but maybe I can brave it out by myself. Get out of here, Windcharger. I don't want to be responsible for your death. Not like Huffer's…"
Windcharger was shocked by Bluestreak's confession. Though the revelation left Windcharger blindsided with a blitz of mixed emotions, he decided it would be pointless to be angry with the dying Autobot. "I won't leave you, Bluestreak."
As the battle raged around them, the two Autobots remained unnoticed for the moment. Windcharger tried to put Bluestreak at ease in a desperate attempt at dignity as his spark slowly faded away, leaving behind another to grieve its absence.
"We're never going to make it!" yelled Arcee as she and Springer rushed across the surface of the fortress in their alternate forms, dodging projectiles from every direction.
"Not with an attitude like that," said Springer, trying to lift Arcee's spirits. "Break left and keep going."
The two skidded as they made the turn, throwing the Decepticons pursuing them of course. Ahead of the Autobots was an alleyway. The walls were tall enough to provide the Autobots with some cover but were forced to transform to navigate the route. Armed and ready, Arcee and Springer moved down the alleyway, ready for anything, hoping they could make it to the armoury without incident.
"Wheeljack is still several clicks away," said Arcee.
"We should be able to put anything down that gets in our way," boasted Springer.
"Are all Wreckers always this cocky?" asked Arcee.
"Only the ones who can shoot straight. And we all shoot straight."
Arcee regretted asking. Springer was good but so were a lot of other Autobots. She just wished he wasn't so cavalier about it. Then again, so was Hot Rod. She admitted the two of them were tough but they didn't realize how stupid they could sound, especially in the thick of battle.
Those thoughts disappeared as Arcee turned the corner and into a dead end. "I thought you said it was this way?"
"All I said was turn left. Not my fault city routes aren't the same in fortress mode."
"Time to make our own route then."
Arcee backed away from the wall a few feet then readied herself to burst into a sprint. Springer clued into what she was doing, stepped toward the wall and cupped his hands. Arcee took off toward Springer and was launched into the air with ease. She landed on the upper level and was followed by Springer as he used his spring-loaded legs to join her. But despite overcoming their minor obstacle, danger found them again.
"Heads up," Springer said, seeing their earlier pursuers coming at them. "More uninvited guests coming our way."
Arcee looked around and found nothing they could use for cover. Jumping back where they came from was no use, as the Seekers would box them in and finish them off. They were out in the open and at the mercy of a heartless enemy.
"Time to change tactics," said Springer as he transformed and took off in his helicopter mode. "Head south. You'll find lower ground in that direction. Wheeljack's armoury won't be far."
Arcee looked at Springer as he sped towards the approaching Seekers. "What are you doing? You're outnumbered."
"The day I can't handle a little air pollution is the day I resign. Now get going."
As Springer flew to distract the Decepticons, Arcee transformed, gunned her engine and took off. She hoped Springer's fool heartness wouldn't be the death of him as he danced in the air, avoiding what the Seekers threw at him. There was nothing she could do about it except to make sure his efforts didn't go to waste.
As Arcee sped off, a pair of optics spied her from high above. Squatting on a ledge of a battle tower, Starscream spotted one of the Autobots he held responsible for his injured foot. "What do we have here? Why, the perfect opportunity for revenge, of course!"
Starscream knew the lone Autobot hadn't seen him from this height. Now with his repairs complete, he transformed and began following Arcee while remaining out of sight. He vowed that she would not see the end of the day after what she had done to him.
As Arcee made for the lower levels, she could see that the surface ahead of her ended abruptly. "You didn't mention a sudden drop-off, Springer!" She would have to figure out how to get down once she reached the edge but took comfort in seeing the defense towers on the lower levels. She would have plenty of cover available to her as she made her way to the armoury.
With about a dozen feet to go, Arcee was startled when in front of her, Starscream dropped out of the sky, flying straight towards her. She made a shape turn when projectiles strafed the path before her, avoiding the attack. But as she tried to correct her course, Arcee flipped over and spun across the surface. Transforming, she fought to regain control and came to a sliding stop just before going over the edge.
From where she stopped, Arcee realized how lucky she was as the fall would have caused considerable damage. Knowing she was far from safe, Arcee took her pistol from his weapon compartment — only to have it kicked away.
Above her stood Starscream with his arm rifles aimed at her head. "Don't be offended when I say this," taunted the Seeker. "But I've killed Autobots who made the chase far more exciting than you did!"
Refusing to go down without a fight, Arcee kicked the Seeker's leg. Starscream stumbled when his knee was struck but managed to drop down on Arcee, pinning her against the ground. With the barrel of his arm rifle pressed against Arcee's head, Starscream laughed as the fembot struggled. Seeing all she did was delay inevitable, Arcee hoped Springer, Hot Rod, Kup and especially Daniel survived the siege.