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Frontier Refinery: El Dorado, Kansas

Vortex inwardly smirked in self satisfaction as the two planes barreled straight into one of the larger storage tanks towards the primary cluster. He did not see parachutes, but then again he really did not care if there had been. What mattered was that the task had been completed and the human observers were quickly dispatched with the efficiency of a well lubricated attack plan. What more could one ask for?

Well for the interrogator, he could ask for a great deal more. He had been limited to spotting targets for the rest of the Combaticon heavy hitters such as Brawl and Onslaught. While his over all presence had not been the most noticed, he had hoped to at least get into the thick of battle. Perhaps there he would be able to pick off a perfectly deserving piece of information, a scout or even one of those medics or engineers the Protectobots tended to have lying around in overt abundance.

Unfortunately as Vortex banked into firing range of Blades, the lone flier he detected, his communication channel flickered to life. He ignored it briefly as he attempted to gather a firing solution on the enemy copter but the signal would not be left to a later date. It was that of Onslaught ordering a full withdrawal from the battlefield. "You have to be joking. I have yet to even shred one of those Autobot scrappers." He hissed to himself, making sure his channel was not open so that the unit commander could hear his complaint.

Still, he had a moment before the bounce effect would be locked and he would be removed from this world. Vortex loaded a pair of advanced air to air missiles into the under belly launcher of his alt form. He banked into a hover and fired the pair of missiles at Blades. Unfortunately as they left his launcher, the effects of the bounce system took hold and began to phase him out of the fight.

Without their primary source of guidance, the two pieces of ordinace spiraled out of control. The first bounced and exploded near the wreckage of what had once been a guard post. The second spiraled out of control and skid to a halt deep within a corn field nearly a half kilometer away. It remained cooling as its fuel drained from its engines and its spent tanks soon fell silent. The advanced targeting systems dead to lack of power, as their link with the primary nodes provided by Vortex's instruments had been severed.

The Combaticon swore as his final visual image was that of his missile laying in a heap of burnt corn husks.

TBC: Ultrax

Frontier Refinery

As Groove kept an eye on Runabout, hoping the Battlecharger would come out peacefully, he heard Blades come down, taunting the wounded Decepticons.

"There's no need for that tone, Blades.", Groove sternly tried to reason, "He's clearly injured right now and we have him covered. We give him a chance to come out without violence and take him into custody."

It was then that Saferoute drove up behind the two Protectobots. She transformed to her robot mode, pulling out her laser rifle.

"All the humans are safe at the hospital. Thanks for the help." she said, "Is that the slagger who chased me hiding behind those cars?"

"Yes.", Groove informed the transport, "He's hurt and we're waiting for him to come out."

Saferoute narrowed her optics, anger filling her as she tried to get a better look at him. She pointed down her rifle and walked toward the Battlecharger with purpose, passing by the two Protectobots.

"He's alone and injured and you're waiting for him to come out?" she asked incredulously.

"Saferoute, what are you doing?" Groove asked, his aim with his pistol waivering.

Saferoute wasn't listening, though, as she continued to march. Her main goal in life had been to protect and save the weak, innocent creatures that the Decepticons threatened. But now that she had rescued the hostages, her intent was to punish the slaggers who endangered them and killed countless others.

"Why are you hiding?", Saferoute called out to the battlecharger, "You were all set to take on seventy humans, there's just three Autobots now!"

Groove started walking closer behind the Autobot transport.

"Stop doing this, Saferoute.", Groove tried to reason, "I know he's threatened lives, but that's no excuse to-"

Saferoute continued to ignore Groove as she was stood in front of the abandoned cars. For her, the humans, and every other animal the Decepticons had hurt, a small amount of justice was going to be served.

"What, you only like being outnumbered when you can step on them?", Saferoute continued to yell to the wounded battlecharger.

With her rifle in one hand, Saferoute grabbed the bumper of one of the cars with her left hand. She grunted as she lifted up and flipped the car over with one hand, the roof of the car smashing to the pavement. Taking just a few steps she got up close to Runabout, aiming her rifle at his head.

"I hope you're scared right now, just like every humans you Decepticons have come across." she said with disgust as she cocked her rifle, "It's the very least you deserve."

Frontier Refinery

>>"Decepticons! We are pulling out!"<< came Motormaster's latest set of orders. The volume of the transmission was so clear, and Motormaster's voice already so bellicose, that Dead End had to lower his receptor sensitivity a little. That transmission from the Thanatos had already been so loud that Dead End felt like the bulky purple cyclops had burrowed in to his laser core. Usually only Soundwave had comms of that clarity level.

Oh yes, there was a battle going on, too.

Getting to his feet, he saw that the yellow Autobot warrior was bearing down on him in vehicle mode. Raising his immensely destructive compressed air rifle, he managed to squeeze off a few more shots. In retrospect, moving out of the way would have--perhaps--been the better course of action to take. They were going to lose this battle anyway. What did it really matter at this point?

Dead End attempted to jump, but the Sunstreaker's front end clipped his leg joints, causing the morose Stunticon to barrel roll over the hood before landing once again in this planet's terrestrial waste it called soil.

Recognizing a defeated situation when he saw one--and he had seen little else, lately--Dead End transformed and hit his accelerators as hard as he could in the opposite direction. He could already feel gears grinding together that had been functioning just fine when he got here. Lovely. Oh well, one more thing on his list. No need to keep Motormaster waiting, or that would be another. Mid-turn, Dead End found his sensors overwhelmed by bright white light.

This is it. At last. The end. I'm ready, Primus.

And he was gone.

Frontier Refinery – El Dorado, Kansas

Just when Blades had discovered a rare moment in which he could enjoy himself, Groove appeared. In all honesty, he had forgotten about the scout, entirely engulfed in a fantasy that was about to be granted reality. But Groove's words invaded that fantasy, causing it to wither and experience a slow demise. Only he boasted the capabilities of being the galaxy's biggest killjoy.

“Take him into custody?” Blades swung his helm at Groove, his expression brimming with anger. “Forget that! He deserved to get his spark cut out the astrosecond he decided to become a Decepticon!”

The audacity of his team-mate! The stupidity! Blades briefly wondered if his audio receptors had acquired the correct information; it was almost too strenuous to process. But he knew all to well that his hearing hadn't beguiled him, that it hadn't misinterpreted a single letter.

“Frag this. This guy dies now.”

As Blades began advancing towards Runabout, scrunched down behind a collection of neglected vehicles, Saferoute joined the two Protectobots, brandishing her laser rifle the instant she transformed. She squandered little time with formalities, instead electing to end the Battlecharger's worthless existence. Blades had to admit that he liked this chick already, and just loved how quickly violence and aggression had seized rule over the situation. Flipping that car was a great touch.

Ceasing movement, Blades folded his arms across his chest-plate. He smiled, content with his newly modified role as a spectator. After all, it was femmes before gentlemechs.

“Hit him a few times for me, all right, Saferoute? Hard.”

* * *

Wildrider's attention had been resting on Breakdown, waiting for a response or two, but when he received Motormaster's transmission, it picked itself up and wandered off elsewhere. A lot like Wildrider, really—but only this time there was no opportunity to venture to another destination. A brilliant beam would soon materialise, plummet to the surface, and snatch up Wildrider, transporting him back to the Ultrax.

He suddenly realised he hadn't had that much fun while being at the refinery. Or luck, for that matter.

First, he was defeated by an Autobot who he had never beheld before, someone he should have destroyed in record time. And upon claiming victory in their struggle, Wildrider was saved by Runamuck. He wasn't certain who illustrated a more pathetic image: the young punk fresh out of the protoform stages or the idiot whose concern for the welfare of the Autobots equalled his own. It was a close contest.

Second, after Runamuck's marvellous rescue and unstoppable inclination to continue the fight in Wildrider's position, the Stunticon was abandoned. Just like that. There, he sat in the filthy soil, terminated if anyone were to hazard a guess. That was how awful his appearance suggest—

The beam struck him, swallowing him whole. Back to the Ultrax, he went. Back to being awarded with one of Motormaster's signature smashes to the face-plate for probably doing something foolish during their mission. Back to watching Screamer pretend to be the fearless and awe-inspiring leader, efficiently guiding the Decepticons through their most chaotic moments.

Back to normality, he supposed.

OoC: Sorry guy's been busy a bit with life and work grrr..

Outside the Refinery, El Dorado Kansas

Runabout crouched between the wrecked cars as the two protectobots had begun to move in, the docile pacifistic tones of Groove filling Runabout's receptors. The battlecharger was hurt, and clutching his side with one hand, he felt a hole there. How in the frag did that happen? Oh wait...yeah it dawned on him. Blade's missile actually did some damage to the shock trooper, and as he pulled his hand away, he could see the energon coating his hand.

Runabout closed his optics and winced as he tried to stand before falling back to his knees. It was then that he heard the gruff vocals of Blades chiming in and the voice of that blasted Auto-Bus femme. Runabout felt along his side and realised that the gash in his flank was deeper and wider than he thought.

He opened up a channel to Runamuck.

"Hey...hey bro...ya better get out here fast..Blades has put a hurt on me bad..argh im leakin bad...."

It was while he was sending the transmission to his twin terror, that he was rumbled. He felt a gun being pressed to his head.

"Aw slag..." Runabout growled as he tried to twist to counter the surprise cannon to the noggin. But all it got him was landing flat on his back, the impact jarring the wound in his side as he hit the asphalt hard. His left hand smashed down the roof of one burnt out car as he heard the protectobots and the bus-former verbally tearing him a new one in regards to the human meatsacks at the refinery. Runamuck gingerly baited them to say more as a distraction.

"huh well guess what...rather plunder the universe and take everything it has to offer than play the damned hero and try to save everyone!" he snuck a long ragged strip of metal into his right hand whilst he waited for runamuck to show

'c'mon bro.. i aint got all frakkin day...'

Eldorado Refinery - The Grand Pull Out/Rescuing a dimwit

Runamuck poked his head out of cover as the building collapsed around himself and Octane. A grin formed under the Battlecharger's faceplate as Sprints had succumbed to the falling building. Excellent, a damn jackpot for once! Runamuck was chuffed with himself and the commendation from Onslaught made it a little more worth its results. Well it was a nice fuzzy moment until the transmission from Runabout came in.

Terriffic... there was always something that Runamuck had to do to rescue his dullard of a brother. What had he done now?

"...Blades has put the hurt on me..." thats what it was. Thats what his message was all about. It must be bad becuase Runabout didn't usually sound that...broken

Slaggit, this day had gone from brilliant to down right sludge, and all because of his halfwit of a brother who had managed to stuff things up yet again

>"Hang on Runabout I'm on my way..."< Runamuck replied as he transformed into his white and silver Mustang mode, gunning his engine as he took off down the highway to get his brother out of trouble yet again. He switched to carge mode - his overdriven engine reaching and audo crushing whine as he tundered down the straight towards Runabout's location, hitting the asphalt hard as he crunched and smashed through the already ruined cars towards the pile up where Runabout was in cover.

It was then that the refinery blew up with a bright orange flash. Damn, that was lucky..what else can actually happen today? Runamuck meh'd to himself as he rammed through the pile-up and made a beeline for the female autobot who had a cannon levelled at Runabout.

"RAMMING SPEED!" Runamuck yelled as he floored it hard.

Frontier Refinery – El Dorado, Kansas

The young mech watched as the first arrow he sent toward the former racer hit behind its target sending the Stunticon hurtling; he hit the ground hard, his back scorched by the shrapnel. With the explosion a broad smile spread over Hex’s face, but the sight of Drag Strip’s body still in one piece caused the mech to growl in anger.

“Damn you, you worthless piece of slag. Just die already.” He mumbled.

Hex watched for a moment as the yellow Stunticon landed face down in the dirt where he remained still. Not even the sound of the human jets or the detonation of the tanks their missiles collided with jarred the downed ‘Con.

Hex tilted his head to one side as he took in Drag Strip’s prone form, his previous smile returning as he thought of how good it would feel tearing into the former racer’s chest once more and looking into his optics as he crushes his spark in his hand. Hex let out a low chuckle as he slowly made his way to Drag Strip’s side.

Still no movement. Hex stepped over the Stunticon so that he lie between his legs, and with his right foot turned the ‘Con over onto his back.

“This is gonna be fun.”

With sadistic glee, Hex began to lower himself so that he was close enough to feel the spray of energon as he tore Drag Strip apart.

****

Sideswipe backed up his warning with a feral yell as he closed the distance between he and the sneaky, sniveling, slagheap, Swindle. The red warrior was about to leap at his prey when the munitions expert transformed and announced that he had to be somewhere else.

Sideswipe grit his teeth as he picked up his speed and jumped at Swindle, but the Combaticon had already faded in a blazing white light that was a bounce beem. Sideswipe landed back on the ground in a crouch. He straightened up to his full height and let out an angry growl.

He turned to make his way back to the others when he received a signal that was his own inevitable bounce back up to the Guardian. He quickly opened a link with Sunstreaker.

>>”Hope you fared better than me, bro. I never even got to get my hands moist with energon. Anyway, time to bounce….literally. See ya on board.”<<

That said, Sideswipe, like Swindle, was soon bathed in white light and then he was gone.

****

Tracer hadn’t even encountered the enemy, unless Sideswipe counted. The femme didn’t even have time to check the humans who were in the jets that had crashed. She hoped that their deaths were quick and painless…as if that were even a comforting thought.

From her position she had no visuals on any of the original team, nor could she see Sideswipe and Sunstreaker. She tilted her head up and took a long look into the rapidly brightening sky when she received a signal of the incoming bounce retrieval. With any luck the others will be bounced out as well in one piece.

Moments later, the kona blue femme was gone.

****

“Mutilated, yeah, that’s what they did.”

Breakdown’s response was shaky due to his trembling. But he still caught Wildrider’s tone change from one of abhorrent arrogance to that of his normal not-so-right-in-the-cranial-until self. Breakdown immediately stopped his trembling when he realized what his teammate was trying to get at.

“Uh, I didn’t say Groove did anything! It was that Pit-spawned Blades what done it! Anyway, I’m sure you didn’t even get to gut any ‘Bots, so back off Rider!”

Breakdown revved his engine for good measure before he intentionally pulled forward in an attempt tp get Wildrider to drop the issue.

Outside the Refinery, El Dorado Kansas

Saferoute kept her rifle aimed at Runabout even as he stumbled around with a failed counter attack. She pay no attention to Blades' request, or Groove's protests as she watched the hurt battlecharger flop to the ground. Though she would never admit it, even to herself, she enjoyed watching the murdering slagger as he leaked fluid, flailing in desperation.

"You won't be plundering anymore.", Saferoute replied with a scowl, "You're not hurting anyone else."

As she started to squeeze the trigger, she heard the sound of metal crashing and an engine running on overdrive. As she turned to hear Runamuck yelling it was already too late. The white battlecharger slammed into Saferoute's legs, taking her feet out from under her. She toppled over Runamuck as he drove out from under her, then slammed hard onto the pavement in his dust.


--------------------


Groove had no control of the situation as Saferoute ignored him, while Blades encouraged her while continuing to berate the scout. Runabout's own words about plunder didn't really help his case either. He lowered his gun, hoping to calm the situation

"We don't have to sink to their level!", Groove tried to reason, "We need to show them compassion and mercy, let them see there are better alternatives to this endless bloodshed!"

Just then the Protectobot heard an oncoming car- Runamuck. Before he could warn her, Saferoute was hit hard, though the much quicker Groove managed to leap out of the way. As Runamuck drove passed, Groove stood up and used his vaporator cannons to spray freezing liquids on the ground, icing a large section of the road in front of him. Raising his photon pistol again, he aimed it toward the white battlecharger.

"Runamuck! We have you covered! Give yourself up and I won't hurt you!"


--------

Saferoute's landing on the pavement disoriented her for several astroseconds. Once the pain in her back subsided she sat up. She started to stand up.

"NNG- SLAGGIT!", she yelled from the pain as she tried to put pressure on her legs.

She sat back down to look at the damage. The armor on her lower legs had buckled very badly- made worse when they had been weakened by Runabout's fire from earier. Through a few small tears in her metal skin she could see that many of her servos and actuaters within her leg had been crushed or damaged.

She looked over- Runamuck had passed her, but his brother Runabout was still crouched where he was.

"No, I'm not done with you.", she said, picking her rifle back up.

She tried to fight the pain to stand back up. As she started to put her weight onto them several sparks shot out, and a small amount of mech fluid leaked onto her feet. As she started to stand upright, her legs shook from the damage and the excruciating pain. Despite her struggle, she couldn't take it, dropping down to her knees. Her laser rifle still in hand, she took aim at Runabout.

"Say hi to Unicron for me!" she yelled as she pulled the trigger.

Frontier Refinery - El Dorado, Kansas

Drag Strip lay motionless on the ground even as he heard a faint chuckle coming from the Autobot psychopath. Moments later, Drag’s audio receptors picked up the sounds of footfalls on either side of his body. He tried not to dwell on the memories of what had happened before, but it was difficult especially knowing that the mech who had ripped his chest cavity open was now so close to him. It would be different this time, the former racer reminded himself as he then felt Hex turn him over onto his back. It took a great deal of control for Drag to remain still as his pain receptors registered the agony across his damaged back.

“This is gonna be fun.” Those words echoed within Drag Strip’s cranial unit as Hex leaned down closer to him. Then, before the silver Autobot had even realized it, the yellow racer’s optics flashed on as he simultaneously brought his gravito-gun up and pointed it directly at Hex’s own chest plate. “Not fun for you, Auto-brat!” Drag said before firing his weapon at point blank range. There would be no way for Hex to avoid a hit this time. He would either be crushed or ripped apart by the gravitational forces generated by the Stunticon’s armament.

Drag Strip smiled as the bounce beam then consumed him and whisked him away back to the Ultrax, leaving the former racer wondering just how much damage he had done to the maniacal Autobot.

Frontier Refinery - El Dorado, Kansas

Sunstreaker felt satisfaction as he slammed into Dead End. Unfortunately he had absorbed a hit or two along the way and now the helpless Stunticon was tumbling over him. He could hear and feel metal scratching against metal as the Decepticon scraped and scratched his paintjob. Letting out a snarl he transformed and turned around once the Stunticon had rolled clear over him. The yellow warrior level his gun at the fleeing Dead End only to watch him disappear in a beam of light.

He growled as he received a signal from Sideswipe. >>”Waste. Of. Time.”<< was his reply as he was bounced back up to the Guardian.

*

Hot Spot sighed as Motormaster detonated another fuel tank before finally leaving. He doused the new fire source with flame retardant foam as he continued his efforts to at least prevent the spread of the flames. He could only hope that human fire control teams were on the way by now. They certainly had to be aware of some of what was going on here.

>>”Autobots, fall back to the refinery and help control the fires. The Decepticons are pulling out and we will be soon as well. I’d like to try and minimize some of the damage to further human structures before we leave though.”<<

Frontier Refinery- El Dorado, Kansas- Firefighting

Sprints rolled out from under some rubble, groaning. The fallen building didn't exactly help his already weak and wounded chassis, and though the blasts he'd taken from the friction rifle were wearing off, it still bothered him too move his shoulders much. He grunted as he pushed up with his arms, raising his head to take in the situation.

Not much fighting was still going on, oddly enough. Then he realized why: the Decepticons, particularly some that he hadn't noticed before, were bouncing out. Sprints watched them disappear, wondering why the warlike and energon-thirsty 'Cons would leave like that. Even Motormaster vanished in a flash of white light.

Sprints shook his head as a message came in from Hot Spot. Apparently the fires were getting out of control, and the commander wanted to "minimize damage."

Sprints shoved a large section of building off his legs. Yeah, minimize damage. That'll work.

He decided to reply to Hot Spot then, so that it might seem like he was doing more than dashing into battle and nearly getting his aft handed to him-- even though in the process of aft-handing, he had put the hurt on some 'Cons. He'd have to look more into them back onship, he decided. Find out who they were, and when he could fight them again.

>>I hear you, commander. Pulling out sounds good, I've taken a bit of a beating here. Guess that's what happesn when you take on two 'Cons at once, huh? Hehe, but seriously, minimizing damage, sounds good, probably not happening though. F'rexample, I have what used to be a building half on me right now... I'll be there.<<

Sprints started to rise, then gasped and fell as his heavily damaged legs gave out under the other stress his body had taken in the fight. >>On second thought, I can't come help. Fragging legs aren't working. I'm going nowhere unless somebody carries more or I get bounced. Whichever works for me.<<

With that, Sprints lay back down and waited.