Transformers: Steel Reign

[Cynical Cat]

"Negative," said Deathstrike. "Your word, unverifiable. Mine, confirmable by Soundwave. It is illogical to follow your proposal."

[Agent Fisher]

Stryke set Prime back down and stepped in between the Sentinel and his leader. He looked over at Deathstrike. "You better convince him quick, cause I honestly don't want to die right now." The warbot said, his view shifting back to the large transformer aiming at him.

[Dark Silver]

The Sentinel lowered the arm, the glow of the blaster disappearing as the charge died away.

"Proposition: Acceptable. You have 1.75 Breems to complete Evacuation."

[Cynical Cat]

Deathstrike continued to address the Sentinel. "Remaining Autobots will retreat and then you will. I will then leave Megatron for your retrieval. All Autobots will move away from Megatron so that only I will threaten him, as their words are unverifiable."

[Agent Fisher]

Stryke once again moved back to behind Prime, trying to get him moving. He opened his comm again. The warbot could feel the larger bot budging, but he knew that he needed help to get him there in time.

[LadyTevar]

"Any functional bots, I need help getting Prime to the pod."

Crimson's head lifted as she heard Stryke's commcall. She looked down at Hornet, still in stasislock in her arms, and wondered if she counted as 'functional'.

Trying to adjust Hornet's position with only one working arm convinced her she was not. "Scrap..."

[General Havoc]

Wheeljack fortunately was already en-route towards the call for help, and raced in towards Stryke and Deathstrike without so much as a word. He quickly transformed, and moved in to grab the fallen body of Prime and help pull him to the evacuation transport. Wheeljack didn't even dare theorize as to how badly off Prime was. That was a job for Ratchet.

*----------------------------------------*

Hornet's light blue and silver body was covered in dull grey mech fluid, his severed shoulder periodically sparking as the circuits within it shorted. He lay unconscious, dead to the world, energon and mech fluid still leaking out of the rents torn in his battered form. And yet, despite all that, slowly the stasis lock Wheeljack had put him into began to wear off, and Hornet (very gently) began to wake up.

He wasn't sure at all where he was. In fact he wasn't sure of much of anything. His sensors and other systems were busy trying to reboot, some successfully, some not. The one thing he could tell was that he was laying down on something, and that there was another Autobot transponder system very close by. He read the code...

"Crim...son?" he asked weakly, his speaker in such a low power setting that it was unlikely anyone except Crimson would be able to hear him. His voice was small and scared. He knew that one of his wings were missing, that he had lost over a third of his mech fluid, that he was badly hurt, but not how badly. Even if he had had time to read the damage reports, he didn't know how to interpret them properly.

Tears formed in his optics as he lay still. "C... Crim... son?" His fear right now however was not his own damage, but the fact that he appeared to be laying on top of Crimson... and Crimson wasn't moving. The thought that if her transponder was active, then so was she, did not enter his head, and he immediately feared the worst.

[Dark Silver]

"Negotiation: Preposterous. Elimination: Preferable."

The Sentinel remained primarily motionless, aside from the optics and it's sensors scanning the battlefield. "Calculations detect 99.7208% probability of victory against current Autobot Forces. Autobots will be allowed to retreat without further hosilities with evacuation is complete within alloted timelimit. 1.73 Breems till terminus. 95.6% probability you are attempting to stall."

[LadyTevar]

"Shush, Hornet... you need to rest," Crimson answered softly, wishing she could do something for the way he was still sparking and in pain. "We're inside Skylynx, about to evacuate the base."

Poor Teenybot... his pain receptors were hopefully offline with all the damage he had. She wondered if she should sing him back to sleep-mode.

[Cynical Cat]

"Your analysis is flawed," said Deathstrike. "Any other course of action is likely to result in my termination due to restricted mobility. Any proposal which ends in my likely termination is undesirable. You will back off when the rest of the Autobots are clear or I will terminate Megatron."

[General Havoc]

Hornet was in fact still in pain, his pain receptors having been partly disabled, but still more or less active, but that was not his primary concern. When Crimson replied to him however, and told him that they were in an evacuation transport, Hornet felt such a wave of relief pour over him that he broke down completely and cried, not loudly or with gusto (he didn't have the energy for that) but softly and quietly, again likely audible only to Crimson. Tears of windshield wiper fluid ran down his face and washed some of the hydraulic mess away from the leaks in his own systems, and he gently used his one remaining arm to hug Crimson as tightly as he could (which, this time, was REALLY not very), as though he was afraid she was going to vanish spontaneously, along with everyone else.

[LadyTevar]

Crimson couldn't help but feel pity for Hornet. "Poor little bot ... all out of bravery now that we're safe?" Her voice was softly teasing. "Think of the stories you could tell Bumblebee and the others, how you protected me from Ravage."

[Dark Silver]

"97% probability Decepticon victory can be achieved without Megatron. You have thirty astroseconds to withdraw to Evacuation Transport or Autobots shall be eliminated. There will be no more negotiation. 1.69 Breems till terminus."

The Sentinel's arm cannon once more glowed, as it was brought up level with Deathstrike. Obvious now, it was tired of the game. It was time to give in, or face the Pit.


The other Autobots and the Dinobots were making their way to Skylynx, and had almost arrived. Hot Rod, when Stryke called for help, rushed to help his ally, as he helped Wheeljack support the big Autobots weight.

"Get to Skylynx, that's a order soldier," Wheeljack said, being the ranking Autobot in the little trio with Prime offline, "We'll be there in a nanoklik."


"You have five astroseconds to compl...." The Sentinel's countdown was halted, as it seemed to be listening, "Affirmative. Omega Sentinel will retreat to outer perimeter. You have 1.69 Breems to complete evacuation, or face termination."

With that, the Sentinel turned, and walked over and through the debris left by the destroyed repair bays, towards the Northern Defense Perimeter.

[Cynical Cat]

Deathstrike waited until the remaining Autobots had been pulled aboard Skylynx and none of them had a clear line of fire to Megatron. Then he ran as fast as his crippled body could go towards the massive Autobot.

[Agent Fisher]

Stryke and the others finally reached Skylynx. He entered the pod and finally they got Prime inside. The warbot gave out a sigh of relief. He looked over and saw Crimson. When he saw the fembot, he quickly made his way over, looking her over. Inside he was close to panic, but tried to block it off with humor. "I thought I told you not to scratch your paint job." He said, looking at Hornet. He knelt down and put a hand on the small bot. "Thank you for saving Crimson, Hornet, your going to make a fine warrior." Stryke said, trying to cheer him up.

[Dark Silver]

Sludge, carrying Breachload and escorted by Rachet carrying Swoop, were the lasts ones in Skylynx, waiting till even Deathstrike managed to make it in.

The Dino-bird flew, it's massive clawed feet touched upon the cargo compartment, settled down on it like laying upon a bed, then transformed into a shuttle.

"Hold on mechs" Skylynx's voice echoed in the passenger section as he began to lift off the ground. turned on it's axis, and the thrusters blasted off, headed to the south-east.

Moment's later, the Omega Sentinel strode back into the base, looking down on the prone form of Megatron.

The battle was over.


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


Skylynx flew through the air, thrusters on near afterburner. At this speed, they'd reach the Ark in a couple of hours - under Hot Rod's orders. Optimus and Breachload both would require extensive repairs, and the others were damaged beyond the abilities of the other local bases to repair.

[frigidmagi]

Breakout limped over to Rodimus.

"Are the Decepticons still there?" He asked.

[Dark Silver]

Rodimus looked over to Breakout, as he turned from the prone form of Optimus. When Breakout asked his question, Rodimus emitted a sigh, "We got Decepticons controlling most of this planet Breakout, yeah..they're still out there. If you mean back at Fort Maximal.....the Omega Sentinel is still there, and he's to much for us to deal with. Right now, Prime is our priority. We need to get him back and repaired...and the rest of you."

[frigidmagi]

"For us yes, that is correct but we have other forces Rodimus. Now that Prime is safe, the termination of Megatron is priority. Call up a fresh assualt force and have them take out Megatron. You know as well as I do that our chances go up a good 45.67% if Megatron dies. More if they Cons do what I think they'll do and start fighting each other over command." Breakout said quietly enough to avoid most of the bots hearing.

[Dark Silver]

"I would, but most of our heavy hitters who would have a frozen Pit's chance against the Omega Sentinel are off putting out brushfires and fighting in Siberia. Omega Supreme is currently dealing with a renewed Decepticon offensive out near France...we don't have the manpower to get there intime to stop them... Sorry Breakout...as it was, it was Skylynx and myself that could be spared to come get you all out there.... We'll let Magnus make a call when we reach the Ark. For now, I suggest cycling down and getting a rest."

[frigidmagi]

This was a mistake. Breakout could feel the cold iron certainly of that nestling deep in his chassis, but it seemed an unavoidable mistake. Still he had to try one more time.

"Are you sure of this?" He asked. His memory banks churned has he sought a way to convince Rodimus but he was just to damned tired and damaged.

[Dark Silver]

"Unfortunatly old friend...yeah, I'm dead certain. We'll reach the Ark in a megacycle...the medics there will be able to patch you back together. When your repaired, me and you will have something to discuss anyway..."

Rodimus patted Breakout on the shoulder, and turned to look back at Optimus.

[frigidmagi]

Breakout could only sigh and nod. He was still sure this was something they were all going to regret but he couldn't figure out a way to avoid it.

"Perhaps you're right. I'll look you up when I am repaired then." He replied and took Rodimus' advice, limping back to a convient place to cycle down for a bit.

[LadyTevar]

Stryke and the others finally reached Skylynx. He entered the pod and finally they got Prime inside. The warbot gave out a sigh of relief. He looked over and saw Crimson. When he saw the fembot, he quickly made his way over, looking her over. Inside he was close to panic, but tried to block it off with humor. "I thought I told you not to scratch your paint job." He said, looking at Hornet. He knelt down and put a hand on the small bot. "Thank you for saving Crimson, Hornet, your going to make a fine warrior." Stryke said, trying to cheer him up.

Crimson was just thankful that Hornet was in a position to mostly hide her complete lack of chest armor, and that it wasn't -too- obvious that her left arm wasn't moving. It just looked like her left arm was holding Hornet in place. Thus, all Stryke was seeing and trying not very well to hide his concern over was Ravage's clawmarks on her left shoulder, hips, and legs. It wasn't quite fair that she was torn up, and Stryke seemed barely touched.

Still, she looked up to give him a faint smile, trying to match his humor. "Ravage has more than his paint scratched," she quipped. "But you shouldn't be bragging either." Her head turned, her optics peering at him from several angles far too obviously to be completely serious in her regard. "Your armor's going to need a few touch-ups as well, you know. Is that Bondo I see?"

Teasing Stryke was a fun distraction to worrying about the base, about Optimus, about Breachload. Crimson sometimes believed she survived the long vorn in space only by having a sense of warped humor. But she could be serious as well. "At least you're in one piece, Stryke..."

[General Havoc]

Hornet heard Stryke and Crimson's voices as if from a long distance away, and slowly tried to focus on them. They were congratulating him for saving her from Ravage. Hornet wanted to protest that what had actually happened had more to do with Crimson saving HIM from Ravage, but he couldn't find the energy to do so. Instead he sniffed softly, tears still fogging his optics, and looked up at the large blurry figure looming overhead that he surmised was probably Stryke. He managed a very weak smile, still blinking back the tears, and tried to say something to Stryke. He tried to say "Thank you..." but he wasn't sure if his speaker had managed to say it or not.

He lowered his head back down onto Crimson, or whatever it was he was laying on top of, and managed at least to slow his tears to a trickle. It was something. He hugged her as hard as he could, meaning just hard enough perhaps to be noticed, and remained stationary. It hurt too much to move.

"Th... than....k... you...." he managed to whisper, but it wasn't clear to whom he was addressing it.