Even Heroes Know Pt.11

Drift couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

He had only fought with Optimus once before while on Cybertron but he was forced to aid a separate Autobot battalion during that fight. What he was seeing he knew existed, but found it hard to imagine when he’d only known Optimus as simply brave, rational, and even gentle. Of course, you don’t survive as leader of half of a warring race for 5 millennia without finding a way to kill with accuracy.

Three Decepticons swarmed Optimus after he sliced one in half upon entering the base--the humans escaping through the gate. Optimus dodged the attack of the three with speed that smothered any inclination of his age and maneuvered through the chaos they caused like he had already gone through this fight. Drift moved to help, but was only able to score the back of one Decepticon before Optimus permanently incapacitated all three. “Aid Ironhide!” Optimus ordered before diving for cover from enemy fire.

Drift found himself some cover sliding behind a destroyed human helicopter. He had caught sight of a few Decepticons firing projectiles from the other end of the base. He could hear Ironhide by the hangars yelling challenges to the attackers and he could see more Decepticons flanking the edges of the base perimeter, trying to get behind their position. Drift decided to take his chances with the flying bullets and make his way to Ironhide. The skilled bot sprinted across the concrete, slipping and weaving around vehicles and debris. “Drift, hurry!” Ironhide called from his cover behind a hangar wall. Drift dove the final pace, barely missing a bullet.

He straightened to evaluate his surroundings: Ironhide was with two other Autobots he didn't recognize, and to Drift’s surprise, a group of human soldiers who were huddled up against the side of the building, weapons in hand. Ironhide gave a quick briefing, “They came out of nowhere--and quickly. They had energon cloaking. Sergeant Rey tried to give an evacuation order but there wasn't time.”

Drift now noticed the deceased bodies of humans scattered across the base grounds. These soldiers must have been what remained. “Is there a coordinator? Is it Megatron?”

Ironhide looked at him with annoyed suspicion. “There's a big fella two hangars down from here. He has the lock lens that was being stored--” An explosion of fire and energon ignited at the corner of the building and all braced themselves against the heat; one of the other Autobots crouched in front of the humans to protect them. “Unicron’s blood!” Ironhide cursed. “We've got to take him down to get an advantage!”

Drift didn't wait. He ran to the other end of the hangar and peeked around the corner. Two more Decepticons were making their way toward his position and fired once they noticed him watching. Drift pulled back for cover and found one of the unfamiliar Autobots suddenly next to him. “I'll cover you if you can get to the lock lens. The name’s Spitfire.”

Drift then noted the Autobot’s physical attributes. Pieces of his dark green and brown armor resembled scales of Earth reptiles and the insignia was not an Autobot’s at all, but that of a the organic activist group the Maximals. Drift sheathed his sword, “Alright. I'm going to transform and reach their leader’s hangar. You behind me?”

Spitfire nodded and hefted a gun with a sharpened muzzle. Drift transformed and burned rubber, shooting out into the open behind the line-up of hangars. He zigzagged to avoid the onslaught of fire but it eased up when Spitfire rolled out from his cover and began firing at the Decepticons. Drift focused on reaching his destination, but couldn't help but glance by as one of the Decepticons screamed from being hit by Spitfire’s gun. The enemy soldier crumpled to the ground--melting from the venomous acid that Spitfire distributed. Drift heard the second Decepticon go down behind him and changed back into bipedal form as he came up on the hangar the head Decepticon was using for cover.

Drift leaned over the corner to get a look of where the head Deception could be. Through the space between the hangars he saw Optimus surrounded by four more Deceptions, still fighting with a charge Drift could only describe as descended from the Primes. Fire from out of sight revealed Ironhide assisting their leader from cover. A beam of energy shot from the front of Drift’s hangar toward Optimus, but the Prime rolled out of the way allowing the beam to incidentally hit a Decepticon. The enemy soldier grunted and suddenly changed into alt mode: A helicopter. But it appeared to be paralyzed as it remained immobile and the fight continued.

Drift gripped his sword and prepared himself for a swift, stealthy attack on the Decepticon with the lock lens. He pressed himself into the side of the building and stalked along the edge, ready for a surprise assault. But his brain pulled the emergency brake on the plan when a human ran around the corner. She was in a panic and tears of terror streamed from her eyes. Both bot and human stopped abruptly and stared at each other. Drift knelt to one knee and offered her a hand. “Come on,” he chided. “I'll get you to safety.” The words had an unusual effect on the female: Striking wide pools of rejection to the offer and providing a cloud of doubt to take control of a rippling facial expression.

She was scared, Drift could tell that much. Maybe she had never seen a cybertronian before--or at least never been in the midst of a fight between Autobots and Decepticons. He tensed his hand to try and encourage her to move. “I can get you out of here if you hurry. Don't be afrai--”

His words were stolen with his ability to stay in his current form. He barely gave a cry of pain before his body succumbed to the will of the lock lens’ energy and he deconstructed into vehicle mode followed by paralysis.

In a matter of seconds Drift’s mainframe seized and he lost consciousness.