- THE FLEET TOGETHER -

 

‘Brawl.’ Bumblebee growled the name as he continued to drive, fleeing the relentless blasts of the Decepticon heavy-guns warrior. ‘Why is he alive? These Americans, really…’
Brawl’s Supreme Class tank turret would kill him in one hit, and everyone in him. He needed to get the children away, and fast. As Michael began to cry, Bumblebee opened his door. ‘Get out,’ he cried. The orphans awkwardly climbed out, one by one, until the five of them were exposed to the approaching Decepticon. Bumblebee transformed, drawing his blaster and removing the safety. ‘Uh-oh. Here comes the baddy,’ said Bumblebee, and the children jeered at the massive looming tank, calling it ‘Poo-head’ and ‘Fatty’. But inwardly, Bumblebee was concerned. Brawl was one of the most dangerous Decepticons he ever fought. In fact, it was Bumblebee who brought down Brawl in the last war on Earth.
‘Here!’ he picked up the children, clumsily tumbling them up onto his shoulders. ‘We’re going for a trek in the jungle.’ He fired an ion blast at Brawl. The lumbering tank began to transforming, armoured plates sliding to protect his limbs’ vital joints even as the blast collided into him. Brawl roared, firing four proton lasers at Bumblebee.
They can track me?! My Supersession Colloid technology isn’t working!
Looks like I’ll have to do this the tradtional way.
Masking his concern, Bumblebee laughed, firing a shot at the pursuing Brawl. ‘Can’t catch me!’ he carried Michael over his shoulder, and as the child laughed, he jumped and fired another shot at the tank. He glanced at the Hummer that was approaching them. ‘Look! Here comes our friend!’
Ratchet transformed, somersaulting into the air. He landed in front of Bumblebee, aiming his forearm cannon at Brawl. ‘I got your back,’ he growled. ‘Take the kids away.’

‘Negative,’ said Bumblebee. ‘I’m not leaving without you.’
Ratchet shouted, ‘No, you must!’ he deployed his forearm cannon, and his roof rack attached to his forearm, activating into ‘Drake’ mode. He fired several warning shots, and then lunged, firing several blasts, halting Brawl for a few moments. He truly looked fearsome –
‘It’s a big green cookie monster!’ squealed Emily, as the medical officer leaped on Brawl and blasted off the turret with his forearm cannon. His cannon transformed into his Callidus Class Tomahawk, and he sliced into the armour of the Decepticon. Sharp metal scratched across camouflaged armour.
Ratchet looked at Emily as the children waved in the back of the bonnet. ‘I am not a cookie monster!’ he exclaimed, as he kicked at one of Brawl’s gattling guns. Bullets splayed in all directions. Brawl activated his lasers, firing upwards at Ratchet. Ratchet parried, his Drake Claw folding in and generating a sheet of Energon that reflected the blast from Brawl’s cannon. ‘If you’re going to call me by a name, it should be Ratchet!’ he reprimanded, his voice drowned out by the deflected shot exploding into some clump of bush.
‘Uncle Ratchet,’ piped up Tom, waving his hand. Emily laughed and followed up with her own christening of the Autobot.
Bumblebee whistled again. ‘These kids are smart, just like you said.’
The wizened Ratchet blinked in surprise, and shrugged as he flipped away from a hail of rockets from Brawl. ‘It’s got to be better than cookie monster,’ he muttered, as he fired another round of stunning lasers at the Decepticon.

*

Outskirts of Mission City

Prime gently lay Arcee down on the soft grass, before sliding Ironhide’s body beside her. He looked upwards. ‘Come in, Fleet V backup. Air Defence Faction. Evac, Skyblast, Jetfire. Come in. We have escaped the Decepticon ambush. Arcee and Ironhide are critically injured. Ratchet has gone on leave with Bumblebee. Can you help?’
The skies cleared as the transmission crackled. From the clouds, three great celestial bodies slowly throttled down. A massive rescue helicopter descended before them, stirring the surroundings and rustling the green grass. ‘Hi there, old friend,’ exclaimed Prime. ‘How is Cybertron?’
‘It’s good to see you again, Optimus,’ said the massive Autobot, transforming. Evac, as the medical officer assigned on Earth, was taller than Prime, bulkier, and carried in his cargo at all times a rescue dinghy. ‘It’s not going well. Our planet is dead, and we have no way of fending off the Decepticons – especially Blackout. Of all our troops, I’m the only one who can fight him one-on-one.’
Skyblast and Jetfire landed, their massive aerial configurations transforming into towering robots. They looked tersely at the two injured Autobots. ‘Not a good time to be ambushed. At a time when the Decepticons outnumber us and outgun us, we are in danger of facing overwhelming numbers,’ said Skyblast.
Prime looked at Ironhide and Arcee. ‘They need help, and they need it soon. Can you help them remain in recharge until Ratchet returns? We must remain hidden, until the Decepticons reveal themselves. Then we will strike, and save Earth from Starscream and the rest of them, who are bound to be returning.’
Red and white Jetfire nodded. ‘We’ll do as you command, Optimus. We will attack only at your word. But what of our decimated command structure? Without Jazz to lead our troops – ’
‘I will take over the remaining legions under Fleet V. Return to CELESTIAL headquarters,’ said Prime. ‘We will coordinate our attack on the Decepticons there.’
The three aerial Autobots saluted him. ‘Yes, sir!’
Nearby, Ironhide turned his head to his left, groaning. His optics struggled to make out her face. ‘Arcee…’ His hand slowly lifted, and clasped hers. ‘Girl…’
Despite her injuries, she could not help but giggle, her vocal processors choking out a laugh. ‘Hi. Your Class I Autobot infantry soldier here, reporting for duty.’
‘Shut up and get some rest,’ he replied, holding her hand tighter.
She embraced his broken body. ‘It’s so good to be with you again.’

*

‘Let’s get out of here!’ cried Bumblebee, and Ratchet followed suit, with the children in his Hummer mode as they drove away from Brawl. Brawl bellowed in rage and transformed into a massive half-Earthen, half-Cybertronian tank, giving pursuit. He was monstrous – upgraded with new armaments from Cybertron as well as the most developed Earthen technology, he blasted the forest and the orphanage into a sundered wasteland, clearing the path in front so that he could find Bumblebee.
‘This could be difficult,’ commented Ratchet wryly, as the children laughed and tumbled to and fro in his back seats. ‘Bumblebee. Get them out of here. I will back you up.’ He opened his door, and the children scrambled out. Ratchet began to transform, his lime-yellow plates shifting from disguise to armour. ‘You shall not pass!’ he roared, Callidus shining. He charged, activating Drake.
‘It’s old Gandalf,’ laughed Tom.
Bumblebee whistled. He had never seen Ratchet this angry. The wizened old Autobot had drawn his Drake Claw and clamped tightly onto the Decepticon’s turret. ‘Brawl!’ roared Ratchet, directing the turret to fire narrowly past the orphanage. The shell exploded and blew up several trees. Ratchet swiveled, deflecting a hail of lasers and bullets from Brawl’s upper guns with his shield, before propelling himself forward and clamping onto Brawl’s main turret with his Drake Claw and yanking it upwards, misdirecting another powerful blast. Brawl began to transform, and his thick arms suddenly shot up, slamming into Ratchet and hurling him away. Emily screamed and the children cried out. Bumblebee’s optics narrowed and he aimed his Suite at Brawl, firing several ionic blasts at him. The tank brute swiped wildly at the energy beams as they smashed into him, firing his own lasers. Bumblebee swiped up the five orphans in his arms and flipped, dodging laser blast after laser blast. ‘Remember, Bumblebee, we need to pull the children out. Don’t worry about killing that monster. We’ll worry about him and his friends later.’
‘Hey, Brawl!’ called Bumblebee, switching his linguistics to Cybertronian. The orphans in his arms looked up at him in wonder as he began to speak in the language of his homeworld. ‘You sure you can take these humans today? There are two of us, and we both have comlinks to the gathering Fleet V. I’d be surprised if you don’t know about it. You don’t want to get taken down last time, do you? Surrounded by sentients who hate your circuitry. Don’t make me repeat history.’
Brawl paused, and began to back off, his claw still pointing at them. Then, his voice came out, slow and powerful, although slightly slurred, like hesitant, rolling thunder. ‘I will return, and you will all scream your last words at the end of my weapons systems,’ he growled, before turning around and transforming into a tank. He began to roll slowly, back into the thickness of the forest behind the ruins of the orphanage.
Sora looked sadly at the rubble. ‘We don’t have a home anymore.’
‘You do. You have a home,’ said Ratchet quietly.
Bumblebee still held his cannon at the retreating Decepticon’s massive bulk. But the smoke was clearing, and the fire was dying down. ‘Ratchet,’ he said tersely. The children held their breath, eyes wide. ‘Call the fire department before this turns into a wildfire.’
Brawl’s rumbling was receding slowly into the forest.
‘Thank you, Bumblebee. Your help was vital,’ said Ratchet, taking back the children and holding them in his hands. ‘Hurry, there is no time to waste. We will rendezvous with Optimus; we’ll stay hidden until the time comes to assemble Fleet V in earnest.’
Bumblebee nodded. ‘Let’s go home,’ he exclaimed, as he transformed. ‘We’ve got a few more younglings to protect now.’

*

A week later. CELESTIAL headquarters, Egyptian desert. 24:00

By the time Ratchet and Bumblebee had returned, it was time to reveal the Autobots’ next move. It was a secret Ratchet had been working on ever since the Autobots had touched down on Earth.
Fleet V was a mobile armada, but even it needed a base. CELESTIAL was its saviour in this respect. CELESTIAL’s greatest asset was its stronghold – a towering dome and two docks on either side was only the beginning of its size. It served as a functioning fortress as well as an underground refuge – several tonnes of Cybertronian metal protected the halls that had been dug deep below the earth, and connected to the base were two nuclear missile silos in the event of an emergency. It was, all in all, the size of a small city, able to house entire populations in the event of an all-out Decepticon attack. It also had its own shuttle launch pad for the Ark, in the event urgent evacuation was needed to enter outer space. With four aircraft decks, a wall of ion anti-air cannons, and laser turrets for land threats, it was the main line of defence against the Decepticons.
There was still much to explore – much of it had not even been disclosed to the members of Fleet V yet.
Prime could not be happier. ‘Most impressive, Ratchet,’ he nodded approvingly, as he carried an awe-struck Michiko in his hand. ‘Give my compliments to the builders who worked so hard to make this a reality.’
The Chief Medical Officer nodded. ‘Yes. It is our secondary base of operations. It is the spine to the body of Fleet V. It is a strong base, it will serve you well,’ said Ratchet proudly. ‘I also have a secret in relation to that base – one which is top secret.’
‘Hi Optimus! Hi Ratchet! Hello, youngling,’ came Bumblebee’s friendly voice. The Autobot spy emerged from a docking bay to the base’s left. Prime put Michiko down and waved at Bumblebee. ‘Just fixing my Suite. It was damaged in our fight with Brawl.’ Michiko stared in wonder at the yellow warrior, who looked down at her. ‘It’s been a while. Really, we haven’t seen each other in months! How are you?’
‘Hi Bumbles,’ giggled Michiko. ‘I missed you.’
‘I missed you too, little baby,’ smiled Bumblebee. ‘But I’m back, just as I promised. And I brought new friends,’ he said, gesturing to the five orphans, who had tagged along with him, each holding hands and following Bumblebee’s large foot like ducklings follow their mother. Michiko blinked, and waved at them. The younger children smiled shyly. ‘Meet Emily, Tom, Sora, Michael, and Franky.’
Emily blinked up at Ratchet, who shifted uncomfortably. Without further ado, she spread her arms and squealed. ‘Grandpa!’
Prime gawked at them. ‘These are the civilian targets I despatched two Autobots to retrieve?’
Bumblebee sniffed. ‘I’m sure they will show off what they can do later, when they’re done playing with our spare parts.’
Ratchet gave a distressed look at Prime. ‘I’m sorry,’ he blurted.
Prime sighed, even as Michiko put her hand on him. ‘Looks like we have something more difficult than Decepticons to handle,’ he muttered.

*

As the others crowded around Bumblebee, Arcee was hard at work nearby, closing up the final incision on Ironhide’s arm as they sat together on the warm sand. It had taken two days for Ratchet to fix up her injuries, and he did a most impressive job – but when he moved onto Ironhide, Arcee stepped in. It was alright; she would do it. At her feet was a pile of new shining metal that was provided by Prime, and she attentively matched each one to every injury that Ironhide had sustained. ‘Cooperate, Ironhead. Turn your body this way.’
‘Look at them,’ grumbled Ironhide, glaring at the smaller human children flocking around Bumblebee and Ratchet, while Prime and Michiko looked on. ‘So happy and oblivious to the real dangers. Humans… bah humbug. Maybe you should join them.’
‘Quiet, you.’ She raised her head to look at him, but his optics did not meet hers. He simply stared at the ground, silent. She spoke as she twisted back in a nail. ‘Sorry we had to meet like this.’
He glanced at her. ‘Arcee…’
‘I’ve missed you, coach,’ she murmured, patching up a gash on his chest from Wreckage’s sword with a new metal plate. ‘Ever since you went to Earth I’ve been reassigned to so many places… places I hate.’ The words came out, flowing uncontrollably, like she was catching up on several centuries of silence. ‘I’ve thought about you a lot.’
‘Well, you’ll have to put up with it, you should have known from the start,’ grunted Ironhide. ‘Decepticons like hanging around in crummy places.’
‘Why couldn’t I stay on Earth? The Decepticons on Charii system were a pushover, they weren’t even worth it – ’
‘I wish you had come to Earth earlier, but Optimus has his reasons,’ grumbled Ironhide, but he could no longer play the tough commander, reverting back to the concerned, caring mentor. ‘Were you injured while in – ’
‘What do you take me for?’ exclaimed Arcee, punching him in his rusted arm. ‘I haven’t lost any of my skills since Tyger Pax. And that Wreckage creep – he’s got no idea how hard I am to take down when I’m the one doing the ambush.’
He snorted. ‘Why were you almost deactivated by him, then?’
Arcee looked hurt.
‘Sorry,’ forced out Ironhide.
‘How long has it been since you watched me speeding on the racetracks of Cybertron?’ she asked suddenly. ‘You know?’ She sidled closer to him. ‘I know Jazz’s death has been hard on you. And I know we have fought for so long. That’s why I guess what I’m trying to say is… remember what it was like to have peace of mind. We have so few chances, why not make the most of it?’
‘Happiness is in my cannons,’ smiled Ironhide, looking down fondly at his missile launcher. ‘Happiness is the victory of battle, the smell of Decepticon charred metal.’
‘Even I’m not that obsessed with my weapon, and I love it,’ sniffed Arcee. ‘But honestly – ’ she put her hand on his, and her voice dropped even more in volume – ‘you are still feeling guilt over Kaiba-5, aren’t you?’
‘Don’t dig this up again,’ growled Ironhide.
‘I’ll say whatever I damn well please,’ she replied mock-serenely, resting her head on his shoulder. ‘You are one tough old collection of circuits, Ironhide, but in the end, you have a Spark of gold. You are, after all, an Autobot.’
‘You don’t know me as well as you think,’ he lied.
‘Go join the Decepticons, then,’ she challenged. ‘Go sign up with Megatron and his lackeys. You’ll get to see more explosions. You’d love that, wouldn’t you? But until you make peace with what you did, you will never be a truly free robot.’
‘Blabbermouth,’ he snarled, pushing her off him rougher than he would have liked. ‘Just like so many centuries ago. Too much talking, not enough action. You still have much to learn. And it’s not up to me to teach you the things I’m talking about.’ His metal feet made soft, giant prints on the desert as he glanced at Prime, Ratchet and the children talking happily with Bumblebee.
‘I can’t believe I love this rusted, stubborn old bull,’ grumbled Arcee, rubbing the shoulder plate where he had shoved her.
‘What did you say?’
‘Nothing,’ said Arcee quickly, as she sulkily patched up a large scratch on Ironhide’s black paint with a human bandage Michiko had given her.