Chapter Text
"You have some sort of escape plan?"
"Yeah, but your not gonna like it." He pulled up his hand to his ear. "Bulkhead to Optimus, rendezvous to my coordinates." A Lazer shot at his face, making him pause in pain. "I'm in need of backup!" Bulkhead called through his comlink.
It didn't look like there was any response as he immediately went back to fighting. The humans weren't giving up. One Lazer shot right into the side of Breakdowns head. Causing him to pull up his arm to swat the bullets away like bugs. They didn't do much damage, but they were an endless stream that stung after a while.
Bulkhead was right, he didn't like it. But at the moment he didn't care all that much. He just wanted out of this.
A Lazer from one of the helicopters shot his right side. He turned to look up at the sky, spotting a helicopter with a gun attached to the bottom. He grabbed a vehicle right beside him and tossed it as hard as he could into the sky. Screams from the humans rattled through the air for a second. Then a giant explosion. But he had already turned his attention away from it.
Breakdown used his cannon that sat on his shoulder to fire at the surrounding humans. His hammer smashed down on the cars. He didn't care about any of them. Not even just because these were humans. But because they were trying to tear him apart like scrap.
The thought of being torn about by humans disgusted him.
He looked up and spotted three helicopters, the two in front seemed to be clearing a path for the one in the center.
Then he saw the familiar face smiling back at him mischievously. Silas. He seemed to push a button, and a Lazer cannon on the helicopter started firing up. He stood there for a second, staring at it. Letting the little human bullets dent his finish. He was glad knockout wasn't here to witness this. Right as the helicopters cannon began to fire he ran out of the before it could hit him, knowing it couldn't move in time to catch up. The blast hit exactly where he stood a moment before, sending out a wave of energy that damaged the surrounding area.
He noticed Bulkhead, not to far away from him, was struggling. A little pang of guilt shot through breakdown knowing he must still be hurt from their fight earlier today. If he wasn't, maybe he could've held his own. Bulkhead fell onto the dirt. Groaning in pain. Catching breakdown by surprise.
A certain human noticed this to, up from inside their flying safe haven. A small light began to buzz through silas's Canon again. This time aiming at the autobot. Bulkhead didn't seem to notice.
Without thinking, breakdown hurdled himself at bulkhead to push him out of the way of the lazer. The bullets seemed to stop. They slid across the ground together. And when they finally stopped, they sat up. Staring wide optics at the explosion that could have been bulkhead. Then stared at eachother, just for a second. Seemingly understanding that they had to work together.
Then the bullets were flying again, like little hopeless bugs.
They got up in unison, and back to back they started fighting the humans. Breakdown and bulkhead working together. Smashing cars left and right.
They had been fighting for eons so they knew eachothers patterns. Bulkhead swung left, his right side needed covering. It was so strange, after all, they hated eachother. But here they were, defending one another so easily.
If breakdown had time to think, maybe he would've realized the Canon firing up above their heads. They were an easy target, standing back to back.
The humans began to run into their cars and drive off. The helicopters swung away. They were leaving.
Together they changed their weapons back into their hands and watched as MECH scrambled away. The loud sounds and the heat of battle leaving with them.
"Your backup?" He said, turning to face bulkhead behind him. He just sorta stared at him blankly, not responding. From the sounds coming from the sky, it certainly didn't sound like any autobot. Then he turned to look.
A silver jet, surrounded by four purple jets. Starscream. They transformed and landed hard on the ground in front of them.
"Commander starscream." He was surprised to see him here. But also glad. So they were going to rescue him after all!
Starscream slowly started forward. Glaring at bulkhead for a moment. "Consorting with the enemy breakdown?"
He turned towards bulkhead. "But bulkhead got me out of there." He smiled at him thankfully. Bulkhead looked at him with surprise. Then he turned towards his commander.
"Many spark felt thanks autobot." He stopped right in front of breakdown and looked up at him sharply. "Now destroy him."
He turned again to look at the autobot that had just saved him. He had risked his spark to save someone. Not just someone, him. The con that only earlier today was about the smash his head in without a hesitation.
Bulkhead took a step back and raised his arms slightly, ready to defend himself.
"But he-"
"Do you plan on joining their ranks anytime soon! No! Then be done with it already!" He screamed as he overly dramatically twitched his wings.
He looked over at bulkhead, then back at his commander.
"But Starscream, he saved me. I'll let him go this time."
"Oh?" He glared at the autobot. "So have you officially gone soft or what? You think this autobot cares about you? He only saved you because he didn't want humans to have our technology! Don't let his false kindness fool you!"
"Look I'm tired. Let's just go." He frowned at the commander, and the commander frowned back. They both seemed to forget about the autobot standing only inches away.
"You know Megatron didn't even want to save you! This was all my doing! Without me you'd be scrapped."
"That can't be true." But as soon as he said it he realized it most certainly was true. It was probably the fact that he was so easily captured by humans. Megatron saw him as weak.
"You owe me! And now your not even following basic instructions!" He growled. "Vehicons! Destroy the autobot!"
The vehicons started powering up their weapons. Breakdown took a hard step infront of bulkhead, making the ground shake a little. Surprising everyone, even himself.
"Urgh! You imbecile!" Starscream shouted. He motion a threat to hurt him with his claws. "What did those humans do to you? You never used to question anything!"
Breakdown transformed his hand into his hammer. A way of telling starscream that his claws didn't scare him.
"Vehicons! Fire at breakdown too!" They hesitated for a minute, with their blasters in the air. "Well!" Starscream shouted.
Their aim was directed at him now. Starscream darted at breakdown, but he brought his hammer down, smashing starscreams side. He screamed. Bulkhead brought his own blasters and began firing at the vehicons from behind breakdown.
The roaring of faraway engines rang out into the air between the fighting.
The other autobots had arrived. They transformed and aimed their weapons firing at the cons. All the cons.
Breakdown fell over from an unexpected shot in the side from one of the two sides. A painful sting of pain came from the wound. He grabbed it, and felt energon spill out from the wound. Great.
Starscream made a grumbly gurgling noise. "Retreat!" He screamed, and all the jets flew into the sky.
Breakdown opened his eyes, seeing them all running.
What about him?! He began to panic. Sure he defended bulk but that wouldn't mean he would do the same for him? Right?
He scrambled to get up. Which shot a painful sting along his side. He switched on his comlink, or he tried to. Mech had disabled it, how was he going to get back to the nemesis with no way of contacting them! He was stuck down here!
"Engaging the enemy on your own was even more foolish this time bulkhead. But, I am honored that you saw fit to rescue your rival. You have truly risen above yourself." Optimuses calm voice said from behind him.
"Heh, thanks Optimus. You should've seen the damage we did to those mech guys!"
Breakdown stood up, rubbing his head. It was pounding. He wobbled a little bit back and forth.
Scrap! Scrap! SCRAP! His head screamed. He was surrounded by the enemy, wounded, and he couldn't get back to the war ship. He wished he had just followed starscreams orders. Everything was easier when you didn't ask questions.
The autobots stared at him. They seemed to cringe at his missing optic. Arcee had her blasters out, glaring at him with daggers. She was small but breakdown knew that meant nothing. She was ferocious.
"Breakdown." Optimus spoke calmly but loudly. "You are in need of medical attention. Can you contact knockout?"
"Mech, kinda, disabled my comlink. So, uh, no."
"Are you willingly to come to our base to get help?"
"Optimus, you cannot be serious!" Arcee tensed.
"Helping a con was one thing. But bringing him to our base!? That seems like too much!" Bumblebee said in a series of beeps and whistles.
"Wait guys. He just defended me from mech, starscream and the vehicons. I think we should help him. At least get him on his feet."
"Although I understand the concern you two. We cannot simply leave him out here in this condition without a way back to the Nemesis. We would be just as bad as starscream." With that comparison being made the two of them shut their mouths. "But it is not up to us, it is up to breakdown."
They all turned to the con, who sheepishly nodded. "Yeah, ok. I wouldn't mind some help." He held his acking side, staring down at the ground. Embarrassment flooded his sensors.
Ratchet stepped up infront of breakdown, scanner in hand. "MECH did quite a number on you didn't they?" The scanner whined as it got closer to all his injuries.
"Rafeal, requesting a groundbridge. We have a guest with us as well." Optimus spoke into his comlink.
"Miko is gonna have a field day." Ratchet grumbled underneath his breath. But everyone still heard. Breakdown didn't know what a miko was but he assumed it was one of the humans they kept around.
A portal opened up to the right side of the group, and all the autobots started loading in one after the other. Bulkhead was still injured as well, so they went side by side well Optimus went in last.
The base was so much smaller then breakdown had expected. The walls were a rich orange with stripes of yellow and red. The equipment outdated, and they didn't even have everything, just scraps of what probably used to be a ship.
There were different levels of platforms, which probably was for the humans. Everything was made of a dull colored metal, and the room smelled of warm dust. They were probably in a desert somewhere.
A loud, bright TV was playing over in the corner of the room. It shut off, and a small, pink human girl ran over to the railing on one of the highest platforms.
"Bulk! Hey! So how'd it go? You have to tell me everything!" When she stopped talking, she noticed the decepticon standing in the middle of the room. "Wait what! Woah! What's he doing here!?"
He had the strong urge to say something witty but didn't want to annoy any of the autobots. The fact they brought him here did not mean they trusted him. The glares from bumblebee and arcee proved that. Ratchet only seemed to care about getting to a the both of them to a med bay. And bulkhead just looked sad, in a way. It felt strange to see bulkhead sad. The only emotion he ever saw him in was an anger of some kind.
"He's here cause he needs to get fixed up by Ratchet. Mech did a number on him." Bulkhead answered. Repeating what ratchet had said only a moment before.
"Hm, so, you didn't get a rematch?"
"Rematch?" Breakdown asked under his breath. And glanced over at bulkhead for a second.
"Not this time miko. But I'll totally get him next time." He lightly punched breakdown in the arm. This took the con by surprise. Why was he being so friendly all of a sudden?
"Come on over here breakdown." Ratchet called from across the room. "I'll fix you up now."
"Seriously though, there is a con in our base. That's never happened before." He could hear the tiny human girl say as he began to walk over to the medic.
"I know, it's strange for us all." Bulkhead answered.
He had to bite down a sassy remark once again. He wasn't about to get himself scrapped out here.
As he sat down on the table, Ratchet gave him a scan to check the damage. If only that was knockout.
______
Back on the nemesis
"What happened to you this time screamy?" Knockout asked as he scrambled into the med bay. A wound on his side was one of the first things knockout noticed.
"Breakdown betrayed us!" He screamed. Using the wall as leverage to walk to the table. "He not only defended an autobot! But he also completely disregarded my orders! And attacked me!" He notioned to his side, a huge dent from a huge weapon on display.
Knockout couldn't believe his ears. What kinda nonsense was he spewing about his partner?
"That doesn't sound like breakdown at all. Perhaps you misunderstood-"
"Misunderstood!?" He looked up in shock. "There was nothing to misunderstand. He knew what he was doing. Do you not believe me!? I only tell you the truth! He attacked me, unprovoked. Well defending bulkhead!"
"Unprovoked? You expect me to believe that?" He made a huffing noise. "But defending bulkhead? Now that is strange."
Knockout held in the hurtful things he wanted to say to starscream. He wasn't in the mood to poke fun at the pathetic commander. He just wanted to know what breakdown was thinking. Why would he attack starscream? That didn't seem like something he would ever do.
It couldn't of been him right? Or was starscream lying? That seemed like a more obvious answer. Because of course he would lie to save his own scrap.
Maybe those humans did something to him, and knockout could just fix it.
He didn't want to hear more about it from someone like starscream. Yet he continued prattling on like starscream always did. Knockout just wanted to talk to breakdown and get to the bottom of this.
He could feel the anger bubbling up inside him. But most of all, he wanted to know that breakdown was safe.