Yeager Chronicles: After Extinction

25: Cade; Optimus

The harsh echo through the valley of bullets sung. Cade ducked for cover behind Crosshairs' door. Before he had a chance to ready his alien gun, Hound's engines hissed and growled while bullets rang against his frame.

"Ow, oi!" His frame jumped and rolled forward and suddenly the shots seemed to stop. Confused and terror-filled yells carried down but their words were lost on Cade. Here he had a chance, he readied his weapon but did not quite step into the line of fire, not before Drift and Crosshairs and Bumblebee jumped into their alt. modes. The yelling from across the valley did not quiet down but the firing had stopped.

"What are they doing?" Cade asked, going to stand beside Crosshairs, watching how his optics seemed to flare while he peered over at the top of the plateau. Hound shifted his large pedes and then turned halfway to Cade and shrugged.

"They may be calling reinforcements," Drift said with an air of disappointment. "We are still not supposed to be here." On this planet was something he quietly omitted. His armor flared on his arms, trailing down his arm. "I believe it unwise to-"

"-Shut it, Samurai Jack. Guy's coming right to us," Hound interrupted, pointing with a tilted head.

One of the nameless black trucks drove down a little too fast for comfort. It sent a shiver down Cade's spine, a quick and painful reminder of when the CIA, Attinger, was after him. He raised his weapon out of spite, although not being entirely sure how this entire situation will go. Even when the rig came to a stop Cade was unwavering.

A man with grey, messy hair, stepped out of the driver's side. A dirt stained suit—something that was much better suited for an office than in the middle of a desert. There was a certain glint in his eyes, something that Cade refused to place. This guy just... walked right passed him like he was a mere statue, or he was distracted enough to not notice.

"Bumbley-bee! I thought they shipped you and the rest off for good." He seemed relieved.

Crosshairs looked at Bumblebee funnily. "You know him?"

"He peed on me once," Simmons said it proudly, like it was actually a good thing vice something to show disrespect for the human. Good thing that Bumblebee is not really one to hold onto a grudge. "You can put the gun down soldier. They won't be shooting at you," Simmons directed to Cade.

"Yeah, I'm just not so sure about you." Cade still held it with both hands, he did lower it but did not relinquish control at any point. He won't bring himself to trust those from the government, not now or ever. "What makes you so sure I won't shoot you?"

"You like your friends. Youse friends, yeah?"

"Cut the shit—" Bumblebee's radio switched channels "—what's your mother[bleep] purpose?" Purpose came over his radio without hesitation but the fucking was censored (by Bumblebee).

Cade looked at Bumblebee, a mixture of confused and disappointment was plastered on his face. He wanted to make comment on the song—Cade personally did not care for it, but remained quiet. Unlike Cade, Simmons was not bothered by it and merely messed with his overcoat, straightening it. "Classified," he said. "I can't let youse pass any farther."

[Cue an author who has no fucking clue how to go from here. Murder...]

"And why—" An explosion ripped through the mountain's face, making even the mecha by Cade flinch at it suddenness. Simmons' growled and grabbed something that was on his hip and Cade reacted by pointing his weapon at him, only it was a walkie-talkie.

"You bettah have a damn good excuse for what that was," he hissed, gripping the device while his knuckles changed from an olive to a white before Cade's eyes. A man on the other end said something, something that Cade could not make out the staticked yell.

Gunfire rang out from the other side of the valley, the fire, although now, aimed for the mountain's face. "Damn! Hold your fire! Hold fire! Our three are in there!"

Three who? Cade wondered with a glint in his eyes, his hair falling into his face.

A familiar object was flung from the breaking face, grays and blues were dark against the morning sky. "What the fuck is that?" Cade couldn't help but mouth quietly. Mecha behind him equal parts confused and battle ready.

Drift looked on with an open jaw. "That's a mech!"

-----

Metal flailed through the air, leaving Optimus mere moments before hitting the ground and skidding to a halt. His vents barely moved, the flick—whole body smack—that the dinobot had given him made it nigh impossible.

"Optimus! Status?" Nightblade—much to Optimus' still mild irritation—commed. He tried to move first, rocks and dirt shifted under him, one pressing into the lower center of his back, breaking his stoics with a whince. He didn't answer, he could see her frame poking from the now very open mountain face. Moving his servos, going under him, sharp stones pressed into his palms and his knees whilst her turned over.

Although his motion was slow, Optimus knew he was being watched—most likely by those humans that Nightblade was so adamant about bringing into the situation. Unfortunately, he knew that they could most likely see him now. Nothing like being a wanted criminal and still be working with (although, obviously not his first choice) practically the people that wanted him dead and dispatched.

He heard a familiar growl over his comms, "Optimus. Answer me. Or I'll come down there myself." He sighed, still not answering. "Don't make me." It sounded—from her—more defeated than she would have wanted.

"I'm up. I'm fine. It's—" he stumbled, stones sliding from under his pedes were of no help either— "Hardy the first time I've been flung by someone." Once he steadied himself further, after another minute shift, he said, "There are three up there, so far what I could see."

There was a mumble over the comms, not so much from Nightblade but from what it sounded like to be Skyblaze. "What is it?"

"There are a lot more than three." The soft tone in which those words were spoken did something weird inside his head. It wasn't something he was quite sure he understood but it seemed to make his spark pulse a bit harder than usual. Something unspoken from inside made him go, go into mode and drive over the rocks and rumble until he would come to the scarred cliff face.

"There's a nest. And you found mamma."

Notes: HOLY FUCK IM STILL ALIVE and so this dumpster fire! Since I'm out of school (and will be attending university in the fall) I will soon have the time I need to finish this. To those who have been patient with me, thank you. It's been hard as of late to try and write anything, especially for this. YC is a work I am proud of and I am going to try and get it finished by the end of the year. (And with that, work on the sequel! Since apparently, I have a slight plan for that. Until next time, thank you. Possibly consider a comment? :3