Tinman

Protector

Ironhide couldn't see the jets, but his heavily assaulted audio sensors just made out their distinct roar bearing down on his position. The Autobot tried to focus, desperate to distinguish where the attack would originate. That's when his sight began to warp and distort, changing colors and twisting all shapes into dizzying vortexes. Ironhide's equilibrium was completely off kilter. He didn't even know where the ground and the sky were anymore as Soundwave's horrendous attack brought him crashing to his knees.

"Slag you to the Pit, Soundwave." he hissed, holding his head to vainly block out the sound.

Nearby, Soundwave made a slow circle around Ironhide, never diverting the amplifier on his helmet crest from the Autobot. Only when he stood beside Ravage's squirming, broken body did he relent.

Ironhide expelled a massive gust of relieved pressure from his vents when the sound finally stopped. His audio receptors rung terribly, throwing off his vision focus as well. Eventually, his whole body stopped vibrating long enough for him to relocate the Decepticon. Soundwave held Ravage in his hands, his visor scanning the broken drone repeatedly. The panther mech rattled gently, and then moaned when his master prodded his crumpled back legs. Without a word, Soundwave opened his chest compartment and placed his drone inside, facing Ironhide again.

The Autobot ground his jaw pistons as he rose up. Jet engines blasted loudly overhead and before Ironhide could blink Skywarp, Thundercracker, and Starscream landed gracefully in their bipedal forms, surrounding him. Ironhide's optics darted with caution, trying to keep his sensors locked on the four large Decepticons just in case they decided to attack from all sides. None of them made a move.

Starscream viewed the scene a moment, giving Barricade's still form a kick with his foot, "Worthless ground-roller."

"Barricade still functional." Soundwave proclaimed.

"Well he's worthless now." the jet Con spat focusing on Ironhide.

Skywarp had a maniacally pleased smirk on his face. "Look at that, the mighty Ironhide without a cannon on his arms."

Ironhide directed a nasty glare at the black jet. Of all the Decepticon Seekers, other than Starscream, he hated that teleporting slaggard the most—always disappearing and attacking from behind like a coward. Real mechs faced their opponents head on and didn't use dirty, underhanded tricks. He would truly enjoy ripping that glitch's wings off.

"I won't need cannons to beat you Decepti-bums." he growled.

Ironhide's gaze instantly directed to Thundercracker and the two humans locked securely in his chest cockpit. His sensors went wild, scanning both Sara and Annabelle through the glass several yards away. For the briefest instant Ironhide's spark throbbed, relieved his two charges remained alive and relatively unharmed. Now he just had to get them out of there without harming either one of them.

....

When Thundercracker transformed Sara and Annabelle were folded at a downward angle. Amazingly the transformation didn't crush them since the Seeker's cockpit didn't undergo any major shifting other than folding downward and sliding into the center of his chest. Sara held Annabelle tightly, bracing her feet against the metal "floor" so they wouldn't face-plant into the cockpit glass. She was about to curse the Con when through the glass she saw Ironhide standing before them.

The woman's heart lightened, a brief joy consuming her. But it was short-lived when she noticed Ironhide's missing cannons. Where were his cannons? Why were they missing? Then her heart thudded to the bottom of her chest cavity like a lead weight when she noticed how outnumbered her family guardian was. Four Decepticons against one Autobot—terrible odds.