TG'verse. Behind enemy lines. Evac
Ironsides didn't look back to see if the younger members of the team had gotten away, he only bellowed and charged the nearest Meredronian, both guns firing as he lumbered over the broken terrain. The massive scaly being shrugged off the shots, then hit him with a blast that sent him flying.
He was up again in the next moment, down one gun, his systems screaming alarms as he charged again. Again he went down, and then again, and he knew he wasn't getting up again. He saw the Meredronian's cannon aimed at him again and glowered at it, refusing to show any fear. Primus, please, let the rookies get away safely with that data.
The cannon fired.
Daylight was suddenly blocked out as something threw itself over him, and then Roadqueen let loose a blast from her airhorn and launched herself in a flying football tackle that knocked the Meredronian tip over teakettle into his quintmates. Roaring with fury, the massive femme lifted the startled and struggling alien by the throat and bellowed into his face.
"I WILL DESTROY YOUR BROTHERS AS YOU WATCH! AND LEAVE YOU TO BRING HOME THE STORY! NO ONE TOUCHES MY TEAM! AND NO ONE TOUCHES THE RUNT! HE IS MINE! DO YOU HEAR ME??"
The unit in her grasp hissed with grieving fury as she expressed the worst insult and threat among his people, then winced as she shook him and roared in his face again.
"Yes!" he gasped in accented Basic. "This unit understands. Free my brothers let go. Destroy this unit instead!"
"No!" came a protest from the other four, who were frozen and watching with horror. So deeply ingrained were the quint bonds that even the thought of important data falling into enemy hands couldn't override their reaction now. "We hear you. Please... give brother."
Roadqueen snarled at them and tightened her grip, her crimson optics burning with fury and battle lust. "Give me one reason I shouldn't do to you what I just did to the other quint."
Her captive's eyes slid that way as his three nostrils struggled to draw air into his respiratory cavity. "They're all...."
"Dead." She rumbled with finality.
He looked back at her, gathering his courage. "Me first."
Ironside was hazily aware of all this as he tried to stop a leak in his side. He'd nearly gotten it done when darkness took him.
* * *
He awoke to Roadqueen's fingers gently splicing wires and patching lines. "Uh...? The... quints?"
"I sent that last one running." She didn't look up from her work.
"Good...." He switched his optics off and shuddered as damaged circuits made him twitch. "After... what we just learned...."
"We don't want to wipe the slaggers out, I know." One large hand gently held him down as he spasmed. "But they've got no right to try and kill us out either. Just because they need Cybertonium to reproduce...." She rumbled a growl. "They aren't going to listen to diplomacy, you know."
Ironsides groaned as his relays seized up again. "...Know."
Then he looked at her wryly. "We... married?"
She snorted and resumed working. "No. I just proposed and got it witnessed. You don't have to do anything about it."
"Hnnnn." He switched his optics off again. "You're... busted up... too."
"They're sending in an evac team." She finished all the repairs that she was capable of, then scanned the area around them before sitting beside him warily and putting a protective hand over him.
"How?" He frowned, turning his head slightly and then greying out.
"Hold still." She growled at him too. "No slagging idea. Maybe someone finally got that portable space bridge to work."
"That is a good guess, friend," said a smooth, accented male voice. "But no. We only have a cloaked shuttle nearby."
"Who the slagging pit are you?" She leveled a suspicious optic at the newcomer.
"Our name is Tigerhawk."
Ironsides twitched with surprise at hearing the designation of Rodimus' new best scouting team, then staticked as he felt himself sparking again. "Tigatron and Airazor."
"Yes." The deep voice held concern and the faintest trace of soft laughter. "Come, let us get you on the shuttle and headed for home. Your own shuttle lifted off safely an hour ago."
Ironsides was silent as Roadqueen carried him aboard and then curled next to him so that she'd fit into the hold of the modern ship. Everyone thought he was offline again.
But then he stirred as Tigerhawk asked if they needed anything else before they left them.
"Yeah. There are two of you, right?"
"Yes...?" The white fuzor fusion tilted their head.
"You see this femme?" One hand curled weakly into a point.
"Yes."
"She's... mine."
He was smiling at Roadqueen's rumble of surprise as he slipped into stasis.
He was up again in the next moment, down one gun, his systems screaming alarms as he charged again. Again he went down, and then again, and he knew he wasn't getting up again. He saw the Meredronian's cannon aimed at him again and glowered at it, refusing to show any fear. Primus, please, let the rookies get away safely with that data.
The cannon fired.
Daylight was suddenly blocked out as something threw itself over him, and then Roadqueen let loose a blast from her airhorn and launched herself in a flying football tackle that knocked the Meredronian tip over teakettle into his quintmates. Roaring with fury, the massive femme lifted the startled and struggling alien by the throat and bellowed into his face.
"I WILL DESTROY YOUR BROTHERS AS YOU WATCH! AND LEAVE YOU TO BRING HOME THE STORY! NO ONE TOUCHES MY TEAM! AND NO ONE TOUCHES THE RUNT! HE IS MINE! DO YOU HEAR ME??"
The unit in her grasp hissed with grieving fury as she expressed the worst insult and threat among his people, then winced as she shook him and roared in his face again.
"Yes!" he gasped in accented Basic. "This unit understands. Free my brothers let go. Destroy this unit instead!"
"No!" came a protest from the other four, who were frozen and watching with horror. So deeply ingrained were the quint bonds that even the thought of important data falling into enemy hands couldn't override their reaction now. "We hear you. Please... give brother."
Roadqueen snarled at them and tightened her grip, her crimson optics burning with fury and battle lust. "Give me one reason I shouldn't do to you what I just did to the other quint."
Her captive's eyes slid that way as his three nostrils struggled to draw air into his respiratory cavity. "They're all...."
"Dead." She rumbled with finality.
He looked back at her, gathering his courage. "Me first."
Ironside was hazily aware of all this as he tried to stop a leak in his side. He'd nearly gotten it done when darkness took him.
* * *
He awoke to Roadqueen's fingers gently splicing wires and patching lines. "Uh...? The... quints?"
"I sent that last one running." She didn't look up from her work.
"Good...." He switched his optics off and shuddered as damaged circuits made him twitch. "After... what we just learned...."
"We don't want to wipe the slaggers out, I know." One large hand gently held him down as he spasmed. "But they've got no right to try and kill us out either. Just because they need Cybertonium to reproduce...." She rumbled a growl. "They aren't going to listen to diplomacy, you know."
Ironsides groaned as his relays seized up again. "...Know."
Then he looked at her wryly. "We... married?"
She snorted and resumed working. "No. I just proposed and got it witnessed. You don't have to do anything about it."
"Hnnnn." He switched his optics off again. "You're... busted up... too."
"They're sending in an evac team." She finished all the repairs that she was capable of, then scanned the area around them before sitting beside him warily and putting a protective hand over him.
"How?" He frowned, turning his head slightly and then greying out.
"Hold still." She growled at him too. "No slagging idea. Maybe someone finally got that portable space bridge to work."
"That is a good guess, friend," said a smooth, accented male voice. "But no. We only have a cloaked shuttle nearby."
"Who the slagging pit are you?" She leveled a suspicious optic at the newcomer.
"Our name is Tigerhawk."
Ironsides twitched with surprise at hearing the designation of Rodimus' new best scouting team, then staticked as he felt himself sparking again. "Tigatron and Airazor."
"Yes." The deep voice held concern and the faintest trace of soft laughter. "Come, let us get you on the shuttle and headed for home. Your own shuttle lifted off safely an hour ago."
Ironsides was silent as Roadqueen carried him aboard and then curled next to him so that she'd fit into the hold of the modern ship. Everyone thought he was offline again.
But then he stirred as Tigerhawk asked if they needed anything else before they left them.
"Yeah. There are two of you, right?"
"Yes...?" The white fuzor fusion tilted their head.
"You see this femme?" One hand curled weakly into a point.
"Yes."
"She's... mine."
He was smiling at Roadqueen's rumble of surprise as he slipped into stasis.