In over her head

[Deleted]

Characters: Open to all
Location: Desert just outside the town of Jasper
Content Warnings: Mild violence
Plot Summary: Arcee is headed back to base when she ends up in over her head.



The heat coming off the desert created a shimmering appearance in the distance that would have blinded humans but for Arcee it didn't matter. The autobot warrior's tires sped along the blistering hot road not feeling the heat like the humans and animals did. Her mirror's twitched slightly as she caught the sound of another vehicle behind her. Arcee was always on guard in case she was ambushed by one of the Decepticons. Primus knew some of them had an annoying knack for showing up out of nowhere. Sadie was in place and Arcee let out a soft vent of exhaust in her rendition of a sigh as the car passed. The driver was human not holographic and she hadn't picked up any traces of energon.

"It's too quiet." The fem responded to herself as she watched the car in front of her turn off onto another road.

There hadn't been a lot of activity in a while leading the team to surmise that Megatron or Starscream were planning something. Whenever there wasn't a lot of activity it was enough to put Team Prime on edge. As if the mere thought was enough the sound of another engine caught Arcee's attention. This however wasn't a car or truck engine, she knew the difference this was a jet. Tilting her mirrors again Arcee suddenly swerved as energon blasts rained down behind her from the decepticon chasing her.

"Scrap!" The fem shouted out swerving and weaving to avoid the blasts that could easily lay her out or worse.

The jet above her continued it's pursuit leaving the autobot sliding off the road into the sand and sparse plant life of the desert. Another blast struck the ground just behind the fem with enough force to fling her forward. She let out a cry and instinctively transformed into her robot mode. She rolled aross the hot baked ground for a few feet before coming to a stop and she lifted her head. Blue optics rested on the jet that was coming closer and they widened when she saw the one was joined by four others and two vehicons.

"Arcee to base, I need back up, now."

[Deleted]

"Hang in there Arcee, help is on the way!" Bumblebee spoke over his com-link to his old teammate, communicating in his beeps he still used. His voice was deciding not to quite cooperate today, his heavily scarred vocalizer bothering him for the present moment. There were some days he hated trying to talk, which only sometimes irritated the old damage and made it uncomfortable to talk for long periods of time. Primus forbid he ever actually fully talked again.

The yellow and black muscle car though came racing down the blazing hot road, engine revving as he accelerated to give aid to the two wheeler. It had been sometime since he had last worked with her, but that didn't stop him from still being there for his teammates when he was in the area. And quite frankly, going back and forth between the bases wasn't always that difficult. But it was also difficult to stay away from Jasper at times and remember that he no longer was just a scout any longer.

When he was closer, Bumblebee transformed to his robot mode, immediately grabbing his Plasma Cannon in one hand and deploying his double barrelled blasters with the other, immediately firing upon the airborne drone soldiers and the Vehicons. His main goal was to force them to disperse and allow him to get to Arcee or allow the two wheeler to recover and get her bearings to join him. Either way, he had to get the heat off her first before he can do much else. And what better way to do it then to get them from the side and force them to regroup.

[Deleted]

Tarn had just happened to be nearby when he received a notification that combat had been engaged. Nearby being a mere bridging away. He'd been scouting, taking a bit of time to search for a few different targets: Dreadwing, for one, the traitorous scum; Barricade, another deserter who'd taken refuge on this filthy planet; and, of course, Pharma. The medic would not be so lucky as to escape him a third time should he be located.

The levels of activity on the Autobot side made it likely that they had set up a base of operations within the mass of land known as the 'United States'. Tarn cared little for the humans' territorial borders, but, it did help him narrow down his search at least a little. At least, he hoped so. It could all be a very clever ruse, after all...Still, it was why he was standing in a vast, open plane, scanners opened as much as possible.

It was simple protocol for the footsoldiers to give notice when they engaged the enemy, and Tarn was listening quite carefully to the Decepticon frequencies. When the alert came, he noticeably perked up, turning his masked face toward the Earth's sun, his red optics narrowing. It was doubtful...but it could be Pharma...At the very least, he could attempt to gain a prisoner out of the encounter.

He commed back to the ship, requesting a bridge to the site of the encounter. A few moments later, he was granted one, the swirling green vortex appearing in midair next to him. How good of them to be so very quick about it, he mused as he stepped through.

He heard the sounds of combat even before his pede touched down on the sun-heated surface of the planet. As he walked through the portal, unhurried in his movements, he observed the scene ahead of him. Some fifty yards away, a squad of Vehicons had engaged a pair of Autobots. One seemed to be pinned down, and the other moving to help them. Mmm...just two? And neither of them his quarry. A little disappointing.

He paused, content to watch for a moment and gauge just what the pair could do. He was in the mood for a good fight. If the Vehicons killed them...well, it would go to show that they weren't the opponents he was seeking.

[Jetfire]

The longer he'd been cooped up in base, the more Jetfire ached to stretch his wings around Earth. He'd never resort to flying off and just calling it a joyride though, no. There had to be a valid, logical reason to warrant him running off away from his research. Then it hit him.

"Arcee to base, I need back up, now."

At the moment, Jetfire was base. He hauled his aft over towards the communications hub, firing back a reply, "Copy that, Arcee. You've got air cover inbound."

There were dozens of protocols he'd need to go through before launching off on his own, but most of the other command staff were either busy, or on medical leave. Given this specific set of circumstances, Jetfire deemed that his allies needed assistance more than rulebook etiquette, he elected to help.

The Air Commander punched in the coordinates for a space bridge based on the triangulation of Arcee's distress call, setting it to automatically shut itself once he'd made it through. Sure enough, a swirling green vortex appeared down the hall to his left. Jetfire backed up to take a running start at it, transforming as he hit the final stretch of ground.

A moment later, and he was there. The red and white jet tore out of a green vortex a healthy height above the ground, thrusters painting his trails a fiery orange. A cursory evaluation of the situation showed Arcee, and apparently Bumblebee, to be pinned down by several Vehicon seekers as well as their land-based counterparts. Jetfire sped off to engage the seekers in hopes of drawing them off of Bee and Arcee, at least long enough for them to regroup. The Autobot opened fire on the Vehicon's formation, blowing apart the lead craft in a rain of molten and twisted metal.

Jetfire pulled up out of his initial attack run to loop back around towards the rest of the seekers, starting to pick them apart one by one. In his haste, he failed to notice the second ground bridge transporting in one hell of a walking tank.

"Arcee, Bumblebee! Just the bots I've been looking for."

[Deleted]

Arcee's optic's shifted from the threat to her old teammate who had arrived just in the nick of time to keep her from being scrapped. The fem watched as the enemy turned their attention on Bumblebee giving her enough time to get back to her feet. Hearing Jetfire's voice over the Com second's later confirmed that between her and the other two this fight wasn't going to last long.

The second she was on her feet again her blasters were drawn and she started taking shots moving swiftly across the desert toward her targets. The arrival of Jetfire scattered the group and with a few being picked off it felt like there wasn't going to be much left for her to do.

"Thanks for the help boys." She called out launching herself into the air and coming down on top of another of the vehicons.

Her blasters were exchanged for her blades and she cleanly dispatched the vehicon before moving toward another. Like her friends she didn't realize they were being observed by another Decepticon or the threat he posed. Having the back up she needed gave Arcee room to do what she did best. She moved with deadly grace across the battlefield quickly coming to Bumblebee's aid as another jet took aim to try and take her old teammate out.

"Got you covered Bee."

[Deleted]

Bumblebee didn't hesitate to engage the ground Vehicons, tearing through one that had turned their attention on him. He was closing the distance now, but didn't stop his unrelenting fire on their enemies, relieved to see it was enough to give Arcee her chance to regain herself along with Jetfire's cover. "Good timing Jetfire!" The yellow mech called, finally shifting his double-barreled blasters into his arm as the Seekers decided to come down much closer.

He switched out his plasma cannon for his Decepticon hunter then, the handle extending into the spear weapon he had come to favor since obtaining it. The yellow mech was immediately jumping and stabbing one of the Seekers that came at them, before kicking them away towards another of their companions attempting to make a run for it. But he looked back when he heard the crash of another of the fliers, giving Arcee a quick nod and thumbs up for the aid. "Just like old times." He mused, twisting his spear in hand as he turned his attention back to another of the Vehicons, side stepping a few shots aimed at him before throwing the weapon into its neck.

But as he did so, Bumblebee finally saw they were no alone. A rather dark, tall figure was several yard away, observing them. He couldn't quite make out who it was at first but it was leaving him wondering.

"Jetfire can you see who our observer is from up there?" Bumblebee attempted to talk normal, voice static laced over the com-links before clearing it once more. Primus help him. None of them had noticed Tarn in all the chaos initially, but his main concern now was that these drone soldiers the Decepticons seemed to favor was just the appetizer and the main course was going to be swift to follow.

[Deleted]

Tarn's spirits lifted slightly as the jet tore through the bridge that appeared above. Ah. Three would be much better. And they were making such quick work of the Vehicons too. Excellent. They hadn't noticed him, being far too caught up in their little skirmish. Behind his mask, a dark smile crawled across his faceplates. Very good. He may as well announce himself.

He took a few slow steps, as though building up momentum before moving into a longer stride and picking up his pace. His large frame should not have allowed for much grace, but, the way he moved was that of a predator, sleek and smooth. He had reached a run when he transformed.

Ah! The shifting from one form into another was a sensation he would never tire of! How glorious, this gift to their race. It was what set them apart from lesser beings. The tank struck the desert ground, tracks already rolling and propelling it forward. The double-barreled turret moved around to face his targets, and the smaller guns beneath it set themselves for a volley.

He fired as he approached, the twin purple fusion blasts speeding alongside each other, so close that they were nearly one. They struck the ground near the Autobots with a great BOOM, the impact sending debris into the air. Tarn felt dark satisfaction coil around his black spark as he continued his charge, firing again.

[Jetfire]

Jetfire had their attention now, to say the least. He'd drawn off the rest of their number after scattering their formation, but now he was being pursued by the survivors. He cut across the desert surface to pull them away from the battle even further, flying close to the ground to foil their attempts at targeting him. The Autobot dodged and rolled over the sand soaked ground, evading the majority of the incoming fire; but at this rate, they'd eventually make a solid hit. He pulled straight up hard, beckoning his pursuers to follow him.

He continued to dodge the energy blasts as he soared upwards to the heavens, his attackers hot on his trail. It might've seemed as if Jetfire was hellbent on climbing all the way to orbit with the trajectory he was taking, but all he really needed was to line up his targets. Sensing the right moment, Jetfire transformed out of his alt mode at the height of his ascension, letting his leftover momentum carry him even higher. The seeker drew his fusion rifle and spun around, facing the last of his enemies head on. He placed one powerful well-placed shot through each of their torsos, watching as they all fell victim to gravity.

Transforming again just as his dispatched targets exploded from internal and external damage, Jetfire sped back down to the desert. Bumblebee and Arcee were handling themselves exceptionally well against the rest of the Decepticons, but as Bee had pointed out, they had a guest. While he was normally one to analyze the situation, the situation had transformed into a tank and was now laying down salvos of cannon fire on his friends.

"Can't tell who it is from up here, but they're not giving the best of first impressions!"

The jet locked his weapons on the Decepticon tank bearing down on Arcee and Bee, lining up for a strafing run on them. He let loose a rapid volley of fusion cannon fire at them, not before launching a pair of isokinetic missiles as a welcoming gift.

[Deleted]

The fight was quickly coming to an end with three seasoned Autobots dealing with it. But like her friends Arcee knew this was just the warm up for something bigger and nastier. The fem flipped and dodged, twisted and turned in graceful movements like a human dancer. Her attacks were precise and accurate as she took down the cannon fodder and prepared for whatever else the Decepticon's had to throw at them. Blue optic's shifted when Bee questioned about their guest and they narrowed as she tried to get a good look too. She couldn't make the figure out but it didn't matter for long as they decided to join in minutes later.

Arcee dove out of the way as the fusion blasts from the tank struck the sand. She came up on one knee blasters back in place and a determined look in her optics and on her face. "You can say that again Jetfire." The fem called out in regards to his first impression comment.

Blasters fired the familiar blue as the fem rose from her crouched position and moved. Staying in one place wasn't an option with any of the Decepticon's that weren't simply cannon fodder. This Con was huge and dangerous, able to move easier then anyone would believe his vehicle mode capable, and Arcee wasn't about to allow her friends or herself to be taken down by him. The original combatants were destroyed and littered the ground around the Autobots but that didn't stop more from arriving.

"Scrap, we've got more company!" Arcee called out over the coms. She twisted to blast a fresh vehicon coming up from behind her before turning her attention back on the tank. "They're trying to wear us down!"

[Deleted]

"Since when do they ever give good first impressions?" Bumblebee pointed out, jumping back from the cannon fire that came their way. Those shots seemed rather familiar, "Guess fusion cannons are picking up speed in the Decepticon fashion department, he's packing some serious power." The yellow and black mech turned his attentions on Tarn, beginning to fire his double barrel blaster in his direction while trying to avoid further shots their way.

Until some close calls from Vehicon support caused him to have to flip back a time or two. Well, this was going well as expected. They had the tank quickly looming and the Vehicons were now making a second wind. Wearing them down was one thing, but if they weren't careful they would be a lot worse shape than that.

"You two try and see if you can slow that guy down, I'll cover the Vehicons." Bumblebee told them, face guard clicking into place as he took a running start before transforming, racing towards the on-coming force of Vehicons, weaving back and forth to dodge around their energy blasts before slamming bumper first into one, transforming a moment later and using his momentum to throw himself forward to tackle another. But, he knew there was only so many he could hold off, the muscle car once more taking his spear in hand once the Decepticon hunter was drawn once more, knocking some back or stabbing them, aiming for what he could to incapacitate or take the out entirely.

But, there was still the occasional blast or punch for his effort, making the young mech wince or back off.

[Deleted]

There! He had their attention. The mech inwardly smirked as he turned his smaller guns up, a series of shots catching Jetfire's missiles and causing them to explode before reaching him. The fusion fire, however, did slam into his heavy forward armor, scorching it and leaving small pocks. Hmm, he couldn't take too many of those head on...and combined with the lighter baster fire from the grounders, they would wear him down.

Tarn mentally paused as more Vehicons entered the fray. At least one of them would be kept busy, then. A shame. It had been too long since he'd been in a battle with any real danger to his life. The DJD were hunters, taking on solitary targets or small groups. As a team, they were indomitable. And they rarely separated.

Tarn transformed again, rolling out of the way of the rest of Jetfire's barrage. He was more worried about the flier than the others. If they got near enough and teamed up, they could possibly drag him down. But, the jet had the advantage of maneuverability.

He began to run, red optics glowing fiendishly through his mask as he aimed his double fusion canon and fired at the flier. He idly wondered if any of them were familiar with his reputation, characterized by his mask and weapon of choice. If not, he would have to simply make himself as well known in this universe as he was in his own. After all, the ability to strike fear into a spark through visage alone was truly a gift, and he thanked his lord for it every day.

He continued to move, toward the battle proper, as he fired shot after shot on the jet.

[Jetfire]

The skies were finally clear, giving Jetfire total command of the air, as he liked it. Instead of simply firing off another volley towards the Decepticon, he took a moment to analyze the situation. His impeccable accuracy and reaction time was matched only by the thickness of his armor, but then again, it had only been two missiles. Jetfire had more than two missiles, so now was a good a time as any to test out his theories.

Jetfire was about to coordinate his attack along with Arcee when the Decepticon abruptly transformed. His visual scanning quickly locked on to his target, stopping only once the mask came into view. He didn't know said bot personally, but his reputation certainly preceded him. "Great... have either of you done anything to warrant getting on Megatron's bad side, lately? I doubt the leader of the Decepticon Justice Division would be here for anything else."

Tarn was the last person he'd like to be fighting today, especially with that 'soothing' voice of his; granted, Jetfire wasn't the one fighting him up close at the moment. A burst from the Decepticon's fusion cannon prompted the Autobot seeker to evade, spinning around in the air to narrowly avoid it. Jetfire retorted with another missile blast, two just like before. Only this time he fired them with a wider trajectory, and triggered their separation mechanism once they were halfway to their target. The two missiles now became six, just as Jetfire now opened fire with his gluon beams in addition to his fusion cannon.

He was going to absolutely hammer him from the air, if only to allow Arcee and Bumblebee a few chances to do some damage.

[Deleted]

The second wave of vehicon's didn't deter Arcee from focusing on the real threat. Those that dared to get in her way ended up with fatal blaster or blade wounds. Her optic's remained locked on the tank watching as the Decepticon transformed adding even more height and intimidation factor. The fem's optic's narrowed as she watched him go after Jetfire and she moved swiftly through the vehicon ranks leaving most of them to Bumblebee.

"It doesn't take much to get on Megatron's bad side." Arcee retorted back to Jetfire's question. "But personally I can't think of much I did to warrant this, at least not lately."

Blasters charged Arcee took aim as she continued to move firing at the Decepticon with determined shots. She was a capable warrior but she wasn't perfect and knew it. She had missed many times in her time fighting but that was the point of teamwork and she trusted Bee and Jetfire. She knew the Mech in front of her was dangerous but that didn't stop her from pushing forward. When she felt she was close enough to switch attack methods the blasters were replaced by her blades.

"You're going down Con!" She cried out launching herself at Tarn with the intent of making good use of her blades and blasters to try and pull his attention from the others. Being quick and agile usually worked to her advantage and as she got closer to those burning red optics she prayed it wouldn't fail her.

[Deleted]

“Since when does anything involving derailing Megatron’s plans never not mean we’re on his bad side.” Bumblebee chimes in, ducking a few punches aimed towards before twisting the spear, knocking one Vehicoj in the face and stabbing the other. It seemed when he did this a few times, the second wave of Vehicons quickly backed off for the time being. It was clear the Autobots held their interests elsewhere. “That will have to do.” He muttered before quickly turning his attention back to the real threat.

Honestly, Bumblebee only vaguely recalled the hulking form of Tarn. He wasn’t quite familiar with the DJD, despite all the information he had ever found as a message courier and scout. But, these were some things to worry about later as the yellow and black mech transformed, racing back towards the others to give them some cover. “Just be careful Arcee!” Bumblebee called to her. He knew she could handle herself, but Primus only knew what this Decepticon was capable of, not to mention he seemed to be handling their firepower fairly well when it was three on one.

‘Just got to wear him down.’ The younger mech though to himself, quickly transforming back to robot mode when he was close, beginning to fire both Double Barrel blasters from each arm. But, he was careful to avoid hitting the two wheeler, optics focused on firing at any spot Arcee wasn’t striking, especially spots already worn down by Jetfire’s own heavy artillery.

[Deleted]

Oh, they were good. Very good. Such coordination. Such teamwork so early in the battle. It had taken some time for his Decepticon Justice Division to become the well-oiled machine they were, highly aware of the others' strengths and weaknesses and able to coordinate even without verbal communication. He and Tesarus could bring even opponents like a raging dinobot down in seconds. Helex, with his sheer size, four arms, and brute strength, was more than capable of backing up any of his teammates, just as must as he was able to stand alone. And Vos and Kaon...Tarn truly found himself pitying those who found themselves facing that pair.

::This is Commander Tarn of the Decepticon Justice Division,:: he transmitted back to the Nemesis, and to any Decepticons who may be listening on the frequency. It was protocol to report engagements when operating from a larger base. And Tarn always followed protocol. ::I am currently engaging three Autobots in the place known as Nevada. Stand by for further report. This shouldn't take much time.::

Tarn never stopped moving as his spark thrummed with an almost forgotten excitement. The seeker made another pass, having dodged Tarn's cannon. Good, good.He wasn't going to make this easy. Fliers weren't uncommon among the Decepticon ranks, and the DJD had hunted them on more than one occasion. It was always a delicious little challenge, getting them out of the air and within arm's reach. Of course, Kaon's ability to use his electricity as a range weapon was always helpful.

Tarn demonstrated an agility that was unsettling for a bot his size, rolling once more out of the way and into transformation. In his tank mode, his armor shifted to layer one plate under the other and strengthen his defensive capabilities. He traded maneuverability for durability. The maneuver saved him from one split missile. The others exploded against the thick front plating of his tank mode, rocking him and scorching his armor, but doing little in the way of true damage. Wearing through his hide, so to speak, would take a great deal of concentrated fire, and a great deal of time. Though, he mused as a few of Jetfire's strafing shots connected, the seeker's firing capability may end up being a problem in the long run. That was a great deal of power the jet was carrying. If he had the opportunity to concentrate his aim....hm, best to keep moving.

Ah, and here was another. Lighter blaster fire at range was of no concern in this form, doing no more than leaving small scorch marks. But just because she- he could see now that the blue one was a femme- was small did not mean that he could afford to underestimate her. Small bots fighters were usually quick and agile. He suspected she would fight a bit like Vos did, using superior speed and agility to get in close and overwhelm him. He rolled forward again, moving at top speed as his smaller guns opened fire on the incoming grounder, even as his fusion canon trailed the seeker, firing shot upon shot, aiming a little ahead of the jet in an attempt to take his flying speed into consideration.

Stronger impacts on his armor briefly drew his attention to the yellow bot at a distance. Ah, a good play. This one had analyzed the situation quickly and was already working to wear him down through concentrated fire. He would need to put down one of them quickly, then, preferably the seeker. Then, depending on how things went, he would very much like to toy with the others. Perhaps, if he was lucky, rattle them with the death of a comrade.

Because this time, Tarn was looking for a series of kills. Not torture victims. Besides, they only needed one for questioning.