Seibertron.com Energon Pub Forums

Yellow Sea- On the Shore

Vortex's engines pivoted into full gear as the first shell whizzed passed his body as he flew forward at speed over the battlefield. The triple changers had already joined in on the strafing runs, targeting the heavily armed ground troops of invading Autobots. The second shell was angled directly into his adjusted flight path, as if predicted by some advanced computer that the Interrogator had previously believed Hard Head lacked.

He cut his engines immediately and allowed himself to stall out and plummet several dozen feet, barely avoiding being breached by the explosive counter strike volley. The second shell exploded where he had been sending a shower of shrapnel fragments that pelted his rotors as he kicked them back to full. "Scrap... Now I am going to spend the next cycle picking metal particles from my turbo prop." Vortex was distracted enough with the clang of metal in his engines that he almost forgot about the third shell as it rocketed towards him with lethal intent.

The Decepticon copter kicked his rotor into hyper speeds and forced himself to gain altitude. Below him a tight funnel of air began to form as he rose through the clouds, pounding the shell as its speed began to slow. Eventually it rose to meet the mouth of the spinning vortex and soon it was only a meter away from the belly of the Decepticon when it detonated. Vortex's armor was peppered with shell fragments and carbon scars.

Vortex grunted as he entered into a tight spin pivoting towards the sea. His communication signal erupted with a static burst then an irritated grinding voice on the other end. "Yeah yeah. I heard ya. But I don't think this base is the actual target. Not enough scraplets down there to even hope to make a successful assault."

Adjusting his damaged rotors, and markedly slowed by pieces of shell shrapnel that had punctured several portions along the air foil, Vortex began a rapid descent towards the deck. With a inner wince of pain, Vortex pushed his stabilizing rotor to adjust his descent angle once more to the direction where the shells had originated. He fired a barrage of rockets towards the Autobots, without a target lock but at least enough of a memory algorithm to have a generalized read out of Autobot positions. Nearly a dozen rockets flew from his wing pods as he fell below the tree line and reverted to robot form.

"Ya know Onslaught," Vortex continued, "even with all these Autoguns its hard to beat a bit of air superiority." His weapon was drawn as he began the slow process of moving from cover to cover as he headed back to the sea shore and the salty brine where his three comrades were manning the defenses. Talk about dull.

On Shore

Before she had turned her optics back on Saferoute could feel Hex letting go of her rifle, the moment they went back online she saw the young mech literally bend over backward to avoid her shot. Too slow to react, she could only watch as her weapon was removed from her hands and tossed. She stared at her empty hands, then at Hex in front of her. She didn't know whether to be angrier at him for fooling her, or at herself for falling for such a ploy.

"You....", she grumbled clenching her teeth, anger with a hint of doubt in her optics, "You....."

Quickly she ran a system check and her diagnostic computer showed that her bus form was unusable. The blast she had taken earlier had damaged most of the armor that composed the front of her alternate mode. If she transformed she'd only move as fast as her rear wheels could drag her. Even worse, her lasers and missile launcher were disabled. There'd be no quick getaway, and she was now completely weaponless.

There's no point running away or going for my gun, he'd catch me before I took one step., she thought as she raised her fists up in a defensive position, Warpath's slagged, I don't know where Ricochet is, and I can't get a signal up to the Guardian for help. I guess there's no choice but to go down swinging.

She took a deep intake, her optics locked onto Hex, she took a cautious step forward. Her only chance was to stay close to him, keep him from using his superior speed and quickness. Of course if Hardhead was any indication, there was no telling just how much stronger and tougher Hex was. Saferoute tried not to think about that part.

"All right, no more head games Hex.", Saferoute said with as much conviction as she could, pulling her arm back, then throwing a hard left hook at the young mech's face.

On Shore – Tree Line

Kup, Ironhide and the Protectobots materialized just inside of the forest bordering the shoreline where the Decepticons had been working not too long ago. It took only a quick glance to figure out that they were far too late to prevent a battle. Gunfire, shouts and the sound of Decepticons rocketing through the air greeted them all on their arrival. Kup grimaced as he hefted his musket.

“Spread out, but stay in the tree line. Ironhide, I want you on the right flank, Hot Spot on the left. Ideally we just provide some covering fire for our wayward bots as they fall back to our position. If that doesn’t work then we move forward and just envelop the lot of them, Bot or Con, and deal with ‘em on way or the other. First Aid will stay towards the rear, Groove you can cover ‘em. I’m betting there will be wounded from the sounds of things. I want both of you ready to run out there quickly and grab anyone who can’t walk on their own. This tree line will be our fallback position if necessary.”

Ironhide heft his rifle and nodded at Kup. It was a sound strategy and he had nothing really to add to it. He’d worked with Kup long enough to trust him. He quickly jogged through the woods to take position on the right flank. The tree provided some cover, even if it wasn’t the best. Hopefully no one had seen them quite yet. The Autobot took up position behind a large tree, kneeling behind it and peering around it, ready for the order to fire. Covering fire didn’t need to be accurate, but there needed to be a lot of it. Hopefully they had enough to discourage any Cons from charging them.

“Yes sir!” Hot Spot replied to Kup. He turned to his team. “Blades, Streetwise, take up positions between Kup and the flanks. We want it to look like there are more Autobots here then there are so keep mobile, fire from multiple positions. Hopefully we can full the Decepticons into thinking there are a lot more of us here then there are. If we can get them to hesitate we can get out of here quickly and safely.”

With those additional orders given Hot Spot jogged to the left flank of their makeshift battle line. He took up a kneeling position behind a fallen tree. He would have to be careful with his fire lest he ignite their fallback position.

As the Autobots moved into position Kup glanced back out at the shore in front of them. Hopefully all of these Bots would just come running to them peacefully and they could get out of here. He’d been fighting this war to know that whatever you hoped for was the least likely thing to happen though. He let out a quiet sigh before opening a communication line on an Autobot frequency.

>>”Autobots, this is Kup. You are ordered to withdraw to the tree line if at all possible. You will be provided with covering fire. If you are wounded and need medical care it can be provided immediately. If you are unable to reach us transmit your location and you will be retrieved. Disregarding or disobeying these orders will not be tolerated.”<<

Now they just had to wait. As soon as he spotted some Autobots moving towards them he would give the open fire order. Until then he wanted to hold the element of surprise for as long as he could.

On Shore

Hardhead was displeased that his first two shells had failed to hit their mark. These Cybertronians were not to be taken lightly, even for a herald. However, that displeasure was soon replaced with a feeling of accomplishment as the third shell exploded directly beneath the Combaticon interrogator, sending Vortex spiraling out of control and forcing him to the ground beneath the tree line. Of course, like a true Decepticon, the alien helicopter did not go down without a fight, firing off a barrage of rockets in the former Autobot’s direction. Multiple explosions went off all around the Stryker armored vehicle as it remained stationary. There were a few close calls, as a couple of missiles detonated close by, but no direct hits.

“Those almost tickled me,” Hardhead mused as he returned to his robot mode once the dust and debris had settled and immediately began scanning the area where Vortex had gone down. The green herald moved towards his prey as he caught sight of the fleeing Combaticon heading for the sea. Drawing out his pair of shatterblasters, the war veteran prepared to desecrate his Cybertronian target. “You can’t hide from me behind cover forever, ‘Con. When I get a clear shot, you’ll understand that your fate is already....”

Hardhead’s words were interrupted by the communication from Kup, ordering all Autobots to withdraw to the tree line or face the consequences of not doing so. The herald chuckled under his breath at the old timer’s ultimatum. If the aged mech only knew what he was really up against, he would not make such demands. Soon, very soon, Kup and the rest of them would understand that they were no longer in control of the situation.

Stopping his advance, Hardhead turned and walked back at a slow pace towards the tree line where Kup and the other Autobots were now hiding. A smile creeped across his faceplate as the veteran soldier reached the spot where Warpath’s headless body still lay. Moving past the stasis-locked crimson warrior, the green herald found the served cranial unit and picked it up in one hand before opening a comm line back to Kup and his group of saviors:

>>”I’m afraid, Kup, that Warpath will be unable to respond to your orders. You see, he got so carried away down here that he just lost his fraggin’ head! Ha ha ha!!”<<

Hardhead’s laughter echoed across the sands towards the edge of the shoreline as some of the Autobots took up flanking positions on both sides. It was of no concern to him as he then tossed Warpath’s cranium directly ahead into the trees where it would land near Kup and whomever else remained by his side. The decapitated head was intended as a warning as well as a sign that the war veteran would not be complying with any orders given by a mere Cybertronian.

>>”As for myself, well, if you want me, Kup, you’ll have to come out here and get me, old timer!! Ha ha ha!!!”<<

On Shore - Abandoned Storage Cave

Ricochet remained in a crouching position near the center of the cave while still holding on to the makeshift dagger he had obtained from a found piece of torn metal. With his cranial light shining straight ahead, the expert marksman carefully scanned the walls of the dark chamber for any signs of his tormentor. “Where are you, Darkride?! I know you’re here somewhere! Face me you cowardly slagger!!” There was no immediate response from the supernatural interrogator. Instead, the only voice he now heard was Kup’s, coming through his comm link. The message was a bit garbled as it had to pass through the thick walls of the cave, but the gunner could still ascertain the old timer's words. Hopefully, his response would reach the Autobots without much audio distortion.

>>”Kup, this is Ricochet. I read you. Unfortunately, I’m not able to come to you right at the moment. I’m currently trapped underground inside a collapsed cave with Darkride about a mile or so away from the beach. I’m sending my coordinates to you now. Be warned, Rodimus, Hardhead and Hex are all traitors! I know that may be very hard to believe, but they turned against Saferoute, Warpath and myself once we bounced down here! Darkride is with them, as well, and they are all exhibiting almost supernatural like agility and strength. Be extremely cautious when you approach them! They are no longer your friends! Do you read me?!”<<

Ricochet broke off his communiqué with Kup when he heard a sound coming from somewhere behind him. The marksman spun around, placing his free hand down on the ground to help balance himself. “We don’t have much more time, Darkride,” the black and gold mech said as he kept a close watch on the darkness that surrounded him, his makeshift dagger at the ready. “I know you like cutting yourself you sick, twisted fragger. But, why go to all that trouble when I can eviscerate you, myself? Heh. What? You think you’re the only one who likes to inflict pain and suffering on others? Well, you’re not. It’s one of the reasons I’m not well liked amongst my own comrades. So, why don’t we just end this little dance of ours and get down to business already before my ‘friends’ arrive?”

On Shore

“That’s good. Very good. Get mad.”

Hex flashed the bus-former a sinister grin as he took a careful step backward. If there was one thing he understood about these miserable creatures was that they were subject to making snap judgments and rash decisions…just as all inferior races were prone to.

“I know you wanna kill me. I know you wanna see me suffer, but you’re an Autobot…you have a…code.”

The youthful mech let out a condescending laugh as he began to slowly circle the femme. He stopped however; when Saferoute demanded he end his head games…hysterical ranting of a mechanism who had no idea that today was her last day of existence…although he had to give her props for trying.

His smile faded as he regarded Saferoute…his head tilting inquisitively to the right. His contemplative posture was abandoned when the larger femme pulled her arm back and threw a hard left hook aimed directly at Hex’s face.

As if anticipating the maneuver from the beginning the young scout shifted his body weight slightly to the left easily avoiding the femme’s flying balled up actuator. He watched the whole scenario unfold as if everything around him moved in slow-motion with Saferoute’s attack breezing just inches past his face. Before she could recover, Hex reached over with both hands and took a hold of the femme’s forearm. With his grip secured the young herald pulled her arm closer to him and flashed her that same sinister smile that had been plastered on his visage only moments before.

“I wanna play a game. It’s called ‘Save the Innocents.’ The rules are simple…stop me before I kill your friends…the inhabitants of this planet and those sweet little creatures you hold so close to your spark.”

Hex grew serious and tightened his grip on Saferoute’s forearm.

“You fashion yourself a savior…a freedom fighter…a mechanism that must help any and all sentient beings. But answer me this, Saferoute…who will save you?”

Hex finally released the femme’s arm and stepped back leaving plenty of space between him and the much larger Autobot.

“I wanna know if you have what it takes to survive and still be a hero.”

On Shore – Tree Line

The disorientation was probably the only thing that First Aid would never get used to. No matter how often he was bounced down to a planet the dizzying effects always got to him. The doctor quickly placed a hand on a nearby tree to steady his stance and also buying himself just a little bit of time to quell the uncomfortable feeling.

His attention was then drawn to Kup as the old warhorse began to issue orders to the small group. It was then that First Aid noticed the heavy weapons’ fire…not to mention the sound of shouting coming from only Primus knew who.

When his name was spoken, First Aid was sure to pay close attention to just what Kup had to say. He would be one of the more crucial arrivals as he would need to patch up and secure any and all of the wounded. The doctor offered the elder ‘Bot a nod of understanding and took a quick glance back to his good friend, Groove.

First Aid moved up carefully to a position just behind Kup’s position, but keeping in mind that he’d need to wait until the Commander’s say so before he would be able to get out there and retrieve their wounded.

On Shore – Abandoned Storage Cave

It started in low, but the sound of Darkride’s cruel laughter began to fill the entire cave’s interior. The echoes bounced the maniacal cackling against one wall to another in such quick succession that there was little possibility the source could be traced.
The sound finally began to die down only to let through the soft and steady melody of dripping water. So peaceful. Such a wonderful final resting place for such a miserable being.

“Torture you? Oh my dear, Ricochet, but I have been torturing you.”

Darkride’s words rolled off his tongue like the finest velvet…low and husky. And by the time he had finished speaking he was, again, standing beside his prey. So close the interrogator was prepared to make his move when he stopped…it wasn’t time to end this ‘dance.’

The slim mech carefully positioned his face next to Ricochet’s left audio…his heated breath rhythmically beating gently against the side of the black and gold ‘Bot’s head.

“You see…this is the most effective kind of torture…”

The words slipped from his mouth in a hushed tone, but as quickly as they penetrated his opposite’s audio, Darkride was gone taking up another position further into the cave.

“…there is no blood…there is no need for it. What there is, my delectable morsel, is uncertainty…crippling doubt. And dare I say it…fear. It is all in your head...before I take it from you.”

Another rousing session of laughter filled the cave answering Ricochet’s sorry attempt at his own mind game.

“You? Eviscerate me? I am sorry, but I will have to decline. You see, I have already performed such a delicate procedure and it never really did satisfy me.”

Darkride moved out of the shadows and fell within Ricochet’s light beam. He approached with a slow even steady gait…no hesitation. But he stopped just a few feet out of the Autobot’s reach.

“You have no idea what pain and suffering is. You use pain in order to ease your own suffering. You see, Ricochet, we are not all that different. For what is pain without suffering…and suffering without pain? Let me end your suffering through pain. I can even make it therapeutic for you.”

The herald’s head tilted ever so slightly to the right as he took in the mech before him and his words.

“You believe that do you? You believe your, so called, comrades will help after you told me you were not well liked among them? My dear, dear, Ricochet, do not delude yourself. Your savior, Kup, will not be coming.”

Darkride was already a blur as he closed the distance between him and his prey. With his clawed hands outstretched, the interrogator attempted to grip the Autobot’s shoulders and pin him hard against the wall behind him. From there he would just nature take its course.

On Shore- Tree Line

Groove quickly shook off his disorientation after materializing with the rest of the Autobots. He shivered a little as the sounds and sights of the area reached his processors, the battle had already begun. Groove would have given anything to go back and prevent this from happening earlier when he had the chance, but now it was too late.

Can't dwell on that now, Groove. You need to focus on the task at hand.

Groove nodded to Kup as he received his orders, then looked to First Aid. Though he tried not to show it, he was somewhat relieved that his orders were to help protect his close friend and any incoming casualties. He hated violence, but using it to protect others was a lighter burden on his spark.

"Don't worry, I'll keep you and your patients safe, First Aid.", he assured his friend as he took a few steps into position.

Groove waited along with First Aid for any signs of casualties, when he heard something falling into their cover just a few yards away from him. At first thinking it was a grenade, the scout readied his vaporator cannon to disable it and ran closer. It wasn't a grenade though, but that gave Groove no relief when he saw what it was.

"Dear Primus, no!", Groove tried to overcome his horror as he recognized the severed head on the ground, "Warpath!"

On Shore

Saferoute was starting to realize how futile things were as Hex avoided yet another of her attacks. Before she knew it the young mech had grabbed hold of her arm hard, much harder than she thought he'd be able to. Obviously Hex's strength had been increased just like Rodimus and Hardhead.

She tried to shake him off but it was of little use, and she was forced to look right at the traitor's sickening smile. At first she kept stern, trying not to let the young mech's words get to her. That didn't last for long though, as he threatened the innocent lives of Earth's natives.

"No......", she growled as she still struggled to free her arm from Hex's grip, "Don't you dare hurt them!"

Saferoute heard little of what Hex had to say after, as all she could think of were the dead human bodies she saw in El Dorado. They were innocent, fragile creatures, every one of them on this planet. How anyone would want to harm them..... She wouldn't stand for it.

Finally Hex let go of her, as the young mech taunted her about whether or not she would survive. It was then that receieved the communication from Kup, announcing that reinforcements had arrived and ordering her to fall back to their position.

Had she received his message a breem earlier, she would have complied. But Hex had crossed a line, and Saferoute was no longer thinking rationally.

>>I hear you, Kup, but I'm not leaving until I know this piece of slag won't hurt anyone.<<

Abruptly closing her comm line, Saferoute's narrowed her optics and stared straight at Hex, that smile still on his faceplate.

"It doesn't matter if I survive..... I won't let you hurt anyone", she roared as she lunged at Hex with reckless abandon, throwing her fist wildly.

On Shore - Abandoned Storage Cave

Darkride’s continued taunts fell on deaf audio receptors, his words a mere nuisance now as Ricochet remained steadfast against an unseen enemy. Yes, the goading and insults from the shadows was torturous, but it was nothing the marksman could not handle. Fear, doubt, it was all a part of war and something that the black and gold mech had learned to live with a long time ago. Even here, in this death trap, the Autobot was afraid, but he was also angry. This ‘Con that now cowardly lurked in the darkness had tortured and killed countless Autobots along with various other lifeforms across the galaxy. The interrogator needed to finally face justice for his war crimes and that time would be now even if it meant the gunner’s spark would be extinguished as a result.

Finally, as if on cue, Darkride entered the light beam that shined from Ricochet’s cranium. The interrogator moved slowly towards him, all the while babbling on and on about suffering and pain and how therapeutic it could be. It was all nonsense, of course, but why not let the supernatural creature have his say. It meant nothing in the long run and simply gave the marksman time to plan his next move. The insinuation that his comrades would not be coming to save him because the gunner was unpopular did very little to shake his resolve to punish the filthy torturer once and for all. He had heard it all before and even experienced being left behind in some cases. Regardless, the black and gold mech was used to surviving on his own and he intended to do so again....somehow.

“I need no savior from you,” Ricochet started to say as Darkride suddenly rushed towards him with such speed that the expert marksman only had enough time to raise his makeshift dagger and take a single swipe at his attacker. Whether his blade had made contact or not was lost on the gunner as the interrogator’s clawed hands grasped both of the Autobot’s shoulders and slammed his whole body back up against a rocky wall, causing the knife to fly out of his actuators from the sheer force of the impact. Now weaponless, the black and gold mech became even more desperate as he struggled against the seemingly supernatural strength of his adversary.

“What the frag are you?” Ricochet growled as he attempted to push back against the immoveable force that was almost certainly relishing every moment that the Autobot remained helpless. It was then that the marksman’s optics fell onto the glimmering sight of Darkride’s shrapnel rifle hanging from his waist. “Wait, I know....” the now grinning gunner continued as he quickly reached down and snatched his attacker’s weapon from its holster, bringing the rifle up to bear. “....you’re slagged!!”

Aiming the end of the barrel directly at the interrogator’s chestplate, Ricochet opened fire at pointblank range, unleashing a battle cry that echoed all around the dueling rivals. Even an alleged paranormal entity like Darkride would find it impossible to dodge this attack. The only question now was whether or not the damage would be sufficient enough to end this fight in the marksman’s favor.

Bottom of the Yellow Sea

Oil Slick, at least, had got back to the Combaticon Commander with some operational data regarding what was happening on the surface. For whatever reason, the chemist seemed to be the only one with a vantage point that Onslaught would find useful in terms of providing him with additional tactical intelligence.

>>"Copy, Oil Slick. I'm sending reinforcements to your position now. Feed me anything you can regarding Autobot field rosters and apparent objectives."<<

It was a risky move, but the Autobots had been here for a considerable period already and none of them had breached the surface of the water. The Combaticon was quickly left to conclude, rightly or wrongly, that whatever they had come here for...it was not their makeshift base of operations.

>>"Agreed, Vortex. We'll take whatever advantage we need to take, be it in the air or wherever else we can find it. Our current advantage appears to be the reality that the Autobots are not interested in what I am most keen on protecting. Therefore, a strategic shift is in order. Swindle, Brawl--lock on to Oil Slick's position and provide additional cover. I'm en route."<<

Blast-Off, currently, was Onslaught's only unutilized resource. But he had not heard anything from Razorclaw that indicated that should change. His frustration at that reality, however, was steadily growing. Blast-Off had been separated from the unit for too long, in his estimation. If the wait continued much longer, he fully intended to give Swindle or Vortex the go-ahead with their earlier proposals to return their teammate to the fold. For the moment there were bigger priorities.

Transforming, Onslaught activated his thrusters and began the process of launching himself towards the surface and Oil Slick's position. A fellow Decepticon, if nothing else, was the Autobots' apparent target and Onslaught wanted to know why. More importantly, he wasn't going to let him go without a fight.

Bottom of the Yellow Sea - Trenches

Brawl too had began to wonder why the Autobots were not advancing. Ideally his bombardment of the shoreline would have been the reason for this but even Brawl was doubtful that was the answer to the riddle. Even more curious was the fact that Vortex had taken to the air but was providing no tactical intelligence. Usually the Combaticon interrogator would have painted targets for Brawl and Onslaught to finish off by now. Even Ramjet and the triplechangers had gone quiet despite going up. Not that Brawl expected the triplechanger duo to follow protocol now after their earlier insubordination.

Obviously Onslaught was puzzled as well given the new orders from the Combaticon leader. The strategist did not abandon a tactically superior position lightly. That being said, Onslaught was the one to make the decisions, not Brawl. And that was just fine with the Combaticon heavy hitter. Onslaught probably had conjured somekind of a plan already anyhow.

>>"Sure thing boss."<< Brawl replied back to his commander and transformed into his robot mode. That being done, he activated the thrusters in his feet and headed towards Oil Slick's position with Swindle hopefully following closely behind.



Bottom of the Yellow Sea - Decepticon base

"Right. That should be it." Scrapper stated as Hook finally sealed Scavenger's armor. "Bringing Scavenger online in 3 - 2 - 1 - activating..."

Scrapper's optics fixated on the monitor before him, this was a critical phase after all. There was no room for hurry when re-activating another mech's high neural functions. Luckily enough, Scavenger's higher brain functions returned to normal the way they were supposed to. Not that luck was to be thanked for here. It all came down to his and Hook's exceptional skill.

As he slowly revived Scavenger's consciousness back to normal, Scrapper called in the next patient of his and Hook's. "Mixmaster! You are next in line! We will start with minor modifications due to the current situation so that we can quickly deploy to the battlefield if necessary."

"Ignition of higher brain functions is a success. Welcome back Scavenger." Scrapper greeted his fellow Constructicon as the excavator stirred up on the operation table. "How do you feel old friend?"