The desert air is choked by swirling dust clouds, and the ground trembles under the weight of the immense robots as they speed across the arid landscape in their vehicle forms. Leading the charge, Ultra Magnus steers the Autobots and their human companions toward the northeast, navigating the rugged terrain surrounding the Grand Canyon. Their mission was to locate the source of a faint Energon signal detected several days before. Ultra Magnus knows it's a long shot, hoping to find other Autobots after all this time, but it's a risk he must take.
"Breaker, any response to our message?"
Breaker and Sparks have continually scanned the airwaves, hoping for a reply.
"So far, no response, Ultra Magnus," Breaker quickly responds, focused on listening for incoming radio transmissions.
Without warning, the stillness of the desert is shattered as the ground erupts in a series of violent explosions. "We're under attack! Circle up! Protect the humans!" Ultra Magnus orders, his voice sharp. In a fluid motion, he unloads his human passengers, transforming from his vehicle form into a towering robot. He unleashes a barrage of energy bolts from his blaster, sending plumes of dirt and rock spiraling into the azure sky.
In an instant, the group of vehicles changes shape, leaving behind heavily armed Autobots of varying sizes, each ready for the fight. Their human allies instinctively drop to the ground, drawing their weapons and returning fire at the unseen desert foe. Bullets zip through the air, many bouncing off the metallic hides.
The desert thrums with the chaotic sounds of gunfire, "Where are they?" Sandstorm shouts, his optics scanning the horizon. The deafening noise of metal being struck reverberates through the chaos. The sounds of rifle fire fill the air. Bullets ricochet off the armored skin of the Transformers.
"We're completely surrounded!" Brawn yells.
"They're human!" Marksman shouts as he methodically fires his weapon on carefully selected targets.
Suddenly, a volley of rockets scream, illuminating the dusty sky.
"We've got incoming!" Hound yells.
The deafening noise of metal being struck reverberates through the chaos. The ground bursts, sending soil and rock into the air to rain down upon the survivors. Amidst the chaos, a cry of anguish pierces through the din of combat.
"Damage Report!" Ultra Magnus booms as he continues firing on the attackers.
"Sandstorm is down! Hound and Bulkhead have been hit! We have multiple human injuries!" Brawn shouts back.
"I'm on it," Ratchet responds, hastily activating his medical systems and sprinting toward his fallen comrades. His hands are primed to assist as Brawn continues laying down protective fire.
"Blades, Cosmos, air support needed now!" Ultra Magnus orders.
"You heard him, let's go!" Blades shifts into action, his crew jumping onboard. Once in the air, Wolf Spider opens fire with the door-mounted .50 cal, sending hot lead raining down on the enemy.
Sand and debris from the battle fill the air.
"Ultra Magnus, the dust is interfering with my visual receptors," Brawn calls out. "It looks like they're vanishing."
Each Autobot witnesses the same unsettling sight as their optical receptors reveal the attackers flickering in and out of view like a mirage.
"Cease fire!" Ultra Magnus orders. The frantic staccato of rifle fire and the electric crackling of plasma bolts fade into an eerie silence, replaced by the groans of the wounded and Ratchet as he offers aid. An odd stillness descends on the group.
"Blades, deploy the medics at once! We must be ready for them if they return. Set up a perimeter around the injured!" Ultra Magnus orders. Brawn and Cosmos take defensive stances backed up by the humans not aiding the injured.
"Ratchet, status report," Ultra Magnus calls out.
"Sandstorm took several direct hits. I can stabilize him temporarily, but he requires extensive repairs," Ratchet replies, his voice strained with worry. "Ultra Magnus, there's more. Night Fox also sustained serious injuries." Before Blades is settled on the ground, Doc and Wolf Spider leap from the helicopter, rushing to the friend's side.
"How did we fail to detect them?" Ultra Magnus asks in disbelief as he surveys the aftermath of the devastating ambush.
"Sir," Breaker interjects, "We've intercepted some encrypted chatter," He pauses, adjusting the headphones over his ear, his brow furrowing in concentration as he focuses on the fragmented signals that crackle through the static.
"What are you hearing?"
"We're not sure. We're working on decoding it now." Sparks answers, fingers quickly working the keys of his laptop. The screen flickers with lines of complex code.
"Keep at it," shifting his attention to Cosmos. "Cosmos, can you assist from the air? Perhaps you can boost the signal or help triangulate a point of origin?"
"I'll do my best," Cosmos responds before transforming and taking flight.
"Who were they?" Ultra Magnus wonders aloud, his frustration boiling over, as he scans the desolate ground for clues that might reveal their attackers' identity. The dry, cracked earth stretched before him, barren and unyielding, offering no immediate answers.
"They were hiding in spiderholes!" Gramps calls out, pointing to the ground where small, barely there depressions marred the otherwise flat terrain.
"Spiderholes?" Ultra Magnus questions.
"Yeah! Spiderholes," Gramps replied, kneeling down to investigate further. He grabbed a nearby rock and pulled it aside, revealing a human-sized hole. "It's an old guerilla warfare tactic. They dug these holes, climbed in, and waited, camouflaged from sight. It's incredibly effective when done right."
Ultra Magnus rubbed the back of his neck, his irritation evident, "That still doesn't explain how our sensors missed them." His metallic tone was laced with frustration.
"I don't have an answer for that," Gramps admits.
"I couldn't see them either," a sudden voice speaks, startling everyone. They all turned to find Ladytron standing at the fringe of their group.
"I could see them using my standard human optics as well as any of you could," her eyes narrowed as she recalled the ambush. "All I could see was shadows and blurs of movement, but the moment I switched to thermal imaging, they vanished. It was like they were ghosts."
"Cobra," Big Brawler calls out.
"Explain." Ultra Magnus asks.
"They're likely Cobra Sand Vipers," Big Brawler explained, addressing Ultra Magnus with a steady gaze. "We might also be dealing with some Sand Rats, Sand Scorpions, and Desert Scorpions. They are equipped with advanced tech and specialized bodysuits. It's all designed to block their heat signatures. Those not using tech may have undergone genetic modifications, enabling them to regulate their body temperature naturally. The rest are just really good at hiding in this wasteland. That's why they didn't show up on your thermal scans."
"Are you sure?"
"Not 100%," Big Brawler replied, opening his hand to reveal spent brass and steel casings. "But these are AK casings. I also found 9mm and .45 shells scattered about. And if Gramps is right about the spiderholes, there's likely more going on beneath our feet than we realize. I'll bet the area is littered with tunnels. That's how they escaped so quickly."
Ultra Magnus takes in this new information, "So we should expect another attack."
Comments