Infection

Energon

Starscream's POV

"I don't believe this." He grumbled as he paced the ledge he and Knockout were on.
"What is it now." Knockout answered from his spot sitting against the caverns wall.
They had been sent to monitor and energon mine that had been emptied. The Nemesis hovered above the opening in the mine as troops prepared to move the energon. Megatron, Shockwave, and Soundwave remained onboard the warship while he and Knockout had been sent to the mine. Once they started the move the energon would not be cloaked by the ship or the cavern. The autobots would surly get the reading and be on their way.
"Despite this incident Megatron expects us to work as if nothing's wrong." He complained as the first transport left.
"Are we not capable of doing so?" Knockout asked trying to get Starscream to be quiet. It was a conflicting question. To say no meant he was weak or could not adapt. But to say yes meant he shouldn't be complaining. In the end the question worked and Starscream remained quiet.
     But it didn't last long.
An explosion rocked the cave and shots rang out down the entrance.
"And their here." Knockout said annoyed. Starscream rolled his eyes as he dropped off the ledge and opened his wings slowly gliding to the other side. Megatron had told them to keep out of sight so the autobots wouldn't find out they had a, hopefully temporary, weakness.
He landed behind a boulder and hunkered down to watch and wait for an opening to fly up to the Nemesis. He looked over at Knockout who had jumped off the ledge and backed up to the cave wall. He wouldn't be seen if the autobots didn't look. They had been told to stay out of sight but they planned to help from the shadows if they could.
A few seconds later the autobots stormed the main cave. They began to take out the vehicons and get close to the remaining energon. He wanted to do something but he remained. I can't risk getting on Megatron's bad side now.

Knockout's POV

He watched the autobots getting closer to the energon and he couldn't just sit their hiding. He watched Arcee get a little too close to his hiding spot and he noticed another rock pile across the cave. He smirked as an idea came to him and after a moment he brought the dormant rod at the end of his tail to life.
He sprinted forward and jabbed her with the electric rod before running behind the rocks as she yelled and fell. He smirked as Bulkhead ran up to see if she was OK and he ran back to his first hiding spot and hit the wrecker on his way by. Bulkhead yelled and stumbled forward. Knockout stopped and observed that the rookie and scout weren't their. I thought the rookie was over eager. He wouldn't miss this. Were is he?
His thoughts were interrupted when Optimus noticed him and shot the rocks above him. Scrap. Knockout though as he scrambled back up to the ledge he and Starscream were on. He stopped and pressed himself up against the caverns wall and waited. When no shots followed he peered over the edge and saw that the prime had been waiting for him to do just that.
He barely dodged the shot aimed at his helm and watched it hit the wall behind him. But as he turned the prime shot the ledge and it crumbled. His talons slipped off the edge and he fell.
He yelped as his helm hit the ground hard and he blacked out.

Bulkhead's POV

One second he had been kicking con tail pipe and the next a shadow passed behind Arcee and she had yelled and fell over.
"Arcee are you OK?" He asked as he ran to her.
"I'm fine." She said as she failed to get up. "What was that?" She asked him.
"I don't kno-AAHHH!" He yelled as a red blur ran passed him and he felt electricity flow through him for a brief moment. He stumbled and turned to Optimus who was watching something behind him. He turned back around as Optimus fired and watched the shot hit just above some rocks. Then he saw something run up to a ledge about 20 feet off the ground.
Optimus paused and they watched a red and white muzzle peer over the edge. Knockout? Was all Bulkhead thought before Optimus shot at the con who barely dodged. Optimus shot at the ledge just below the cons paws. It crumbled and he lost his footing and fell. His helm hit the ground first and the rest of his limp frame rolled down after facing away from them.
     The remaining vehicons began to shoot at them again as another transport of energon left and he and Arcee recovered from the shock. To their surprise a ground bridge opened and none other than Bee and Smokescreen ran out of it to help.
     "Ratchet come on, really." Arcee scolded over the coms. A growl was returned. Bulkhead went to keep fighting but their was an audio piercing shriek from across the cave and he looked to find Starscream had also been transformed and was hovering above the rocks he must have been hiding behind. He watched the seeker dive toward Smokescreen and he shouted a warning. But the rookie turned around to late and yelped as he was caught in the seeker's talons.
     But it wasn't Smokescreen who got caught.
     It was Bumblebee.
     Their scout had seen the seeker coming and shoved Smokescreen aside, which made him yelp, and Starscream had picked him up instead. The seeker flew up towards the opening in the cave as Bumblebee clawed at him.
     The seeker chirped and called to them as he flew up and out of the cave with Bee. Smokescreen's optics widened as he grasped what, to him, must have been words.
The autobots finished off the vehicons as he got away. Bulkhead felt helpless, as no doubt the others did too, but they couldn't fly after Starscream and they couldn't have shot for they might have hit Bee.
     Smokescreen roared and chirped as he ran forward.
     "East kid, we can't do anything now." Bulkhead said as he caught the rookie and held him still. Smokescreen began to whine but stayed and relaxed. They turned to Optimus who asked Ratchet to open the bridge and walked over to were Knockout was still laying with his back to them. Bulkhead noticed a small puddle of energon under his helm as the prime approached. Optimus picked up the con and placed him over his shoulder plate as the bridge opened and they walked through.