Fan Fiction Transformers At War

[Furious Rodimus]

Jazz surveyed the heavy water production plant in the valley below under the cover of Hound’s hologram that made him appear as part of the naturally occurring flora. The plant had mysteriously come back online, and Prime along with Prowl had decided that the Decepticons were involved somehow. This had led the Autobot 519th Sabotage – Infiltration and Counter-Intelligence unit to be deployed. The other members of the 519th, affectionately known as SIC ‘Em, were already on station and ready to move on his orders.

Jazz activated his external subwoofers and began projecting high-intensity infrasound toward the plant. Then he waited along with the other members of SIC ‘Em, Hound, Mirage and Bumblebee. After 30 minutes there was no obvious stirring from the plant. No humans exited the plant and no response from any Deceptions either. Jazz radioed Bumblebee “Time to roll.”
Bumblebee fired up his engine and began his approach from the nearby suburban mall carefully working his way through the Saturday evening traffic. Jazz knew that Bumblebee would be 10 minutes until he was on site so he cranked up the intensity of his infrasound production in an attempt to provoke a response if there was going to be one.

On the opposite valley crest, Mirage had set up the portable radar station that Wheeljack had concocted for him. Cloaking it and himself with his invisibility field allowed a view in case of Decepticon air incursion. Mirage sighed internally at having been assigned as the 519th’s surface-to-air missile operator for this mission. He had argued that given his abilities he should have entered the production facility alone, captured any information available and reported back. However, Prime, Prowl and Jazz had argued for a team deployment, arguing that if a Decepticon presence was found then the plant must be destroyed in order to deny them the neutron moderator for their weapons program. Mirage conceded their point, and agreed to replace his normal weapons package for an anti-air package for the duration of the mission.

Hound continued his holographic camouflage for both Jazz and his own alternate modes. He would have preferred to be out scouting the area but the 1km range of his hologram projector forced him to remain still since nether he nor Jazz could afford to be seen. As Bumblebee approached the plant he switched on his targeting array and zeroed in on the plants entrance with his surface-to-surface artillery shells. He had no intention of firing without order but figured it better be prepared in case Bumblebee’s presence provoked a hostile response and he needed heavy fire support.
As he drove up the single-lane road to the imposing heavy water plant Bumblebee continued his scan for any radio or electronic signals not of Autobot origin. Nothing suspicious came across his electronic detection suite, but as he had learned on Cybertron, just because nothing suspicious jumps out at you doesn’t mean something suspicious isn’t present. He activated his Electronic Counter-Measures package to cover his final approach from unfriendly sensors. The gate to the plant was unguarded and the traffic arm was up in the open position. Bumblebee slowed to 10km/h as he passed the guard house. Referring to the digital map in his databanks he took the left hand road to the control buildings.

The squat two story building was painted in the industrial gray that dominated the heavy water plant. As he circled the building to the back where the small loading dock was located he noted absolute absence of light or sound emanating from the building. Not that he expected a lot of activity on what the humans called “Saturday night” but there was not even the low-level lights that the after-hours staff made use of in their duties. Nothing was adding up about this plant the Coming to a halt he radioed up to Jazz on the western crest “Have Hound zero in on the control building. I think this mission is about to go hot!”

“Already done little bot” came Hound’s voice, superseding Jazz’s response.
Bumblebee’s infiltration instincts paid off as he was already in reverse as four cassette tapes came smashing through a second story window. Bumblebee flashed his high beams at them as he backed away quickly hoping to blind the four Decepticons as they transformed. Plumes of fire and smoke appeared from the western crest line and Hound opened fire with the Copperhead artillery that Wheeljack was able to cook up after the Autobots “borrowed” the plans from a local military base. Great gouts of dirt and concrete flew up under Hound’s merciless barrage.
Bumblebee transformed and activated the laser sights on his hand-mounted high-calibre pistols hoping to pick off the cassettes as they emerged from the fire and smoke. After a couple hydraulic fluid cycles

“Incoming!” shouted Mirages voice over internal Autobot radio moments before he opened up with his chassis-mounted SAM battery at the Decepticon F-15 Eagle that entered the fray. Bumblebee transformed quickly, executed a high-speed j-turn to pull himself out of the line of fire of the Decepticons AGM-64 Hellfire precision-guided missile. Thundercracker shrieked over the battlefield and pulled up high and right dropping chaff as he went to obscure his radar signature on Mirage’s equipment. Another Hellfire missile launched at Mirage’s position forcing him to break cover by transforming and leaping desperately down the valley. However the Hellfire found its true target: the small radar array that fed targeting data to Mirage’s SAM equipment. In a flash of flame, dirt and metal the radar array became smoking wreckage.

Transforming Jazz took aim with his own weapon and cracked off a trio shots at Thundercracker. One scored a hit on the Eagle’s nose-mounted radar, but the other two flew uselessly into the sky. Hound scanned the wreckage as he sped along the valley ridge, upon locking on to five Decepticon signals, one large and four smaller ones; he unleashed another torrent of artillery fire. He saw one limb come off one of the smaller figures, but he picked it up all the same. As he sighted in again three of the smaller signals entered the larger one before the large one transformed becoming significantly smaller. Feeding Bumblebee his targeting data Hound continued his artillery fire with Bumblebee now adding his fire into the smoke and dust. The last of the smaller signals picked up the other four and rocketed skyward.

“Slag that Laserbeak” cursed Hound, “Bumblebee, can you fry him?”
“Trying,” Bumblebee mumbled as he fired his dual pistols in vain as Laserbeak corkscrewed, jinked and juked higher to where Thundercracker was circling out of range of the Autobots weaponry.
Mirage and Jazz added their fire to the blazing thunder but to no effect.

“Cluster bombs!” Bumblebee shouted as Thundercracker came in on a strafing run that levelled that heavy water plant, starting with the vertical towers and ending with the warehouses along. Thundercracker broke left and looped around for another pass, activating his afterburners and the special sonic attack that was the source of his name and pride at the top of the loop. The ultrasonic waves emanating from his twin engines drove the Autobots to their knees as the force of the assault reduced what was left of the heavy water plant to dust and ash. As he screamed off into the deepening night Bumblebee surveyed the ruins. “Well,” he smirked “at least we don’t have to level the place now.”
Jazz grinned “You may be right, but now we have report that we didn’t find out anything at all.”

Bumblebees smirk faltered a bit, “Slag.” Then his face brightened “At least that responsibility falls to the mission commander, isn’t that right Jazz?”
Jazz glared at Bumblebee in mock outrage “Team deployment, team report.”
Hound joined them and transformed to robot mode just as Mirage returned from picking up the scraps of the radar array. “Wheeljack told me to bring back the array no matter what, so that’s what I’m doing” He answered their quizzical looks with a shrug.
“Wheeljack will be so pleased,” Hound replied sardonically. “Well, let’s hit the road and enjoy the moonlight and the rolling hills back to the airport.”
“Ugh, I hate that Super Guppy they make us ride around in. No style at all.” Jazz complained.
Bumblebee transformed and spoke “Substance over style Jazz, substance over style.”
Jazz frowned “I’m pretty sure you can have both.”