Hunt for the Thirteen

Cheetor

Dust flew into his optics as the decepticons continued to dig.

He was fine, but he could see Mia and Clarice rubbing at their eyes when the cons weren't looking.

They had been here for an hour looking for an object approximately the size of the matrix in landscape filled with miles and mile both left right and down of sand.

The coordinates he had translated had given a "general area" for the location of the enigma of combination.

So half this earth desert was being dug up trying to find it.

At first, Megatron had forced Cheetor and the humans to dig, but after Mia and Clarice had nearly gotten buried alive, Starscream had ordered them to wait on the side of the dig site.

Right in the way the wind blowed sand.

Cheetor sighed.

They wouldn't be here if not for him. If he could have fought off Soundwave, refused to translate the data...but if he hadn't the girls would have already been dead.

But to trade this planet for only two lives... Cheetor thought.

Things had been much easier in the allspark. Dead and alive was the only thing he worried about.

Now he had a whole team to care for, plus kids.

But Mia and Clarice were being little autobots troopers, their armor bands had been taken by Shockwave, so they couldn't shield their eyes.

Shouts and groaning came from the giant hole, which was so deep they couldn't even see the decepticons inside it anymore.

"What if the Nexus is in the earth's core?" Cheetor asked himself under his breath.

Megatron would force them to go so deep...

Something landed right beside them. Cheetor moved to shield the girls as a wave of sand hit. When his optics were clear, he found himself self face to tusks.

"What's up doc?" She says with a smile.

Suddenly, its raining autobots. Optimus, Elita, Thrust, Ironhide...the maximals...

Its like they brought everyone but the medics and scientists.

Something slithered under the sand as the shots started to echo in the empty plains.

One decepticon was pulled dow, sinking away into the sand.

Light erupted before disappearing an instant later...

Like a spark being ripped out then devoured.

But Cheetor looked away as he transformed into Cheetah made.

"Get the kids out of here." Maim shouted to him as she joined the fray.

"But..." Mia tried to protest as the mammoth threw her and Clarice's back-up armor to them.

The clasps connected with their skin and then completely enveloped them in armor which made them look like cybertronians.

But Cheetor wrapped his tail around them and plopped them on his back as he took off.

There was no sign of a groundbridge, so Cheetor ran straight out of the battle, heading far far away.

Anywhere safe until the battle was over. Until it was safe to go home.

Clarice slung to his neck, Mia's arms in a death grip around the younger girl.

She looked back, and Cheetor, even with the metal mask covering her face, could tell she wanted to fire her weapons into the fight.

But she saw reason. If the decepticons decided to follow them...

Best to to bring attention to themselves.

Cheetoe glanced back at the battle.

Thrust had shoved a dozen cons down into the hole and was now jumping on top of them, crushing them to bits.

Ironhide, Arcee, and Prowl were fighting off some insecticons. Elita was going toe to toe with Starscream, Soundquake was facing Soundwave, backed up by Blaster and their cassettes, Skunks and Dinobot were doubling up on Shockwave...

Megatron had finally joined the fray and was, of course, fighting his rival.

"What do you hope to accomplish with the enigma?" Optimus's voice rang out through the desert, despite the clangs and screams of the battle.

"Conquer!" The leader of the decepticons cried.

"Cheetor!" Mia shouted.

The catbot turned forwards.. And dug his paws into the sand to stop them from running under foot of Victorion.

"Get to safety friend Cheetor!" She said as the red and green combiner leaped over them, crashing onto 10 decepticons, crushing them like cans.

After that, he just kept running. He didn't look back.

Maybe he would have seen it coming if he had.