Tinman

Decepticon Dynamics

Though she stood no chance against Ravage's unyielding paws, Sara struggled to wriggle free and save her daughter. Her limbs thrashed, adrenaline fueling her already weakened body as she roared with maternal desperation.

"NO! MY BABY! MY BABY!" she shrieked in a voice so shrill Starscream could've been put to shame.

Her eyes fixated down river, Sara spotted Annabelle's head poke up briefly and then disappear. Never in her life had she felt so helpless. Her baby girl was going to drown and she was unable to prevent it. Suddenly, out of nowhere the deafening roar of a fighter jet engine blasted overhead accompanied by the quaking impact of a colossal weight striking the ground. Sara held her breath as one of the massive jet Decepticons strode into view snapping off some of the trees with his broad metal wings. Unlike Starscream this one had blue-tinted plating like a Blue Angel fighter jet—though his alternate form had yet to be seen.

"All right what's going on here?" his deep baritone voice, grated.

Rumble shifted his arms back, "It ain't true Thundercracker." he pointed at the river, "Humans can't swim."

"What?" the blue giant turned to where Rumble was pointing, his crimson optics focusing.

Sara was about to scream again, but much to her astonishment Thundercracker briskly marched down the river uttering something deeply in Cybertronian. In only a few long strides the big jet Con had gotten ahead of Annabelle and knelt down on the river bank, seeming to watch the life and death drama for a moment. Even from the distance, Sara could see Annabelle's head submerge once again.

She wanted to scream her plea but it only came out as a choked whisper, "Please...please save her."

Seeing the child go under again, Thundercracker reached into the river and fished Annabelle out, water cascading through his metal fingers. Sara clenched her chest with terror until she could hear the sputtering coughs of her child. She was alive...but for how much longer?

Thundercracker brought the tiny human to his eye level, deep red optics observant. The little drenched creature coughed, presumably clearing its air filters of the invasive water. Once it stopped coughing the child shivered, curling up weakly in the palm of his hand and made some pitiful high pitched sounds. The Decepticon had never seen a human so closely before, much less one so small. Part of him was disgusted by the squishy, wingless, little scrap of flesh and yet...he was oddly intrigued by it. Forgetting his petty curiosities for a moment, Thundercracker lightly closed his hand, and turned back to where Rumble and Ravage were guarding the other human.

"What's the big idea Rumble?" his voice dangerous.

The small mech flicked a hand, "I just wanted to see if it could swim."

Thundercracker brought his foot down hard, shaking the ground, "Like SLAG you were!" He held up the fist that encased Annabelle, "You almost killed this one you glitched half-chip!"

"Bah! We've got two of 'em. Who cares if one of 'em shuts down?" Rumble sneered and then pointed an accusing finger at the huge mech, "Since when do you give two bolts about fleshies?"

Thundercracker paused then growled, "Dead prisoners are worthless and besides that YOU don't have the authority to kill them you stupid midget."

"HEY! Who you callin' midget?" Rumble shouted, reforming his piston hands and charging Thundercracker's ankles.

Briefly, Sara was astonished that such a small mech would dare attack such a large opponent. Then again, Rumble definitely had a short fuse. Using his pile drivers as fists the little drone struck Thundercracker against the joint of his ankle. Surprisingly the human-sized Con's strike made Thundercracker stumble backward a couple steps.