Not all miracles came from angels. Some time later, Starscream banked steeply and swung into line with a long, now-roofless corridor. Three Autobots--Tracks, Red Alert and Inferno--caught in the open, stood and fired at the red and blue Seeker; light and heavy laser fire streaked past him.
"Right out in the open? This is too easy!" The Decepticon laughed and commenced his strafing run. His own lasers traced a path of pitted metal down the 'street', pointing inevitably at the exposed Autobots.
Tracks, Red Alert and Inferno heard the scream of the Seeker's turbines as he swooped; each held his ground, firing, trying to get that one good shot on the deadly but lightly armored jet. Time seemed to go into slow motion as the trace of Starscream's laser fire converged inevitably on them. One of us is going to die here, Tracks thought. If only I can just bring him down--
"Well, if it isn't my old pal, Red Alert," Starscream laughed to himself as the Autobots came into clear focus, and their fire continued to go wide of him. "I'll teach you not to stand in the open when I'm in the sky!"
Fire-fire-fire-fire-shift-fire-fire-shift-fire-fire--
Tracks and Inferno flung themselves to the ground as the line of laserfire converged on them. Red Alert didn't move quite fast enough. Tracks watched in horror as two of Starscream's bolts slammed into Red Alert's chest simultaneously. The Autobot Security Chief convulsed once and fell over backwards.
Starscream laughed mockingly as he zoomed up from his strafing run. "That'll teach him!"
"Nooo!" Tracks leaped up and ran to the fallen Autobot. Red Alert lay on his back, darkened optics facing the sky. Tracks stared in disbelief; where Starscream's bolts had hit, there wasn't so much as a scratch in Red Alert's paint. Inferno came and knelt beside him.
"He's... out cold, but still alive," Tracks said, stunned. "How? He should be dead from that hit!"
Inferno looked at the laser trail on the ground pointing toward them, at Red Alert, at the laser trail behind them. "Null ray." The big Autobot shook his head. "I don't know why, but Starscream switched to his null rays just for that shot on Red Alert."
# # #
By the time Inferno carried him to the repair bay, Red Alert had started to twitch as function and sensation returned. First Aid was elbow-deep in Trailbreaker's chassis, oblivious to their existence. Ratchet waved Inferno over to his just-cleared worktable.
Inferno blinked, noted the impatient scowl on the white and red Autobot's face, and decided that now was not the best time to ask Ratchet just how he'd gotten here. What he was doing was self-evident. He laid Red Alert down on the table. There was a clank and clatter in the background as Wheeljack entered, dropped a stack of boxes on the floor, and started rooting through the one on top.
"Well?" Ratchet asked as he looked at Red Alert, whose optics were flickering back on. "Going to tell me where he's hit, or do I guess for a while?"
"Null ray hit him twice, dead center," Inferno drawled. "Weren't sure if Red's circuits were going to come back up right."
"Null ray??" Ratchet popped an access panel and linked a probe to the port he found there. "Why was that slagger using a null ray--oh, never mind. I doubt he stopped to tell you about it." He frowned slightly at the readouts. "Red will be fine, this time. Just tell him to stay out of the line of fire, I got enough work in here!"
Red Alert looked up Inferno and Ratchet. "I'm not dead?"
"No, you're not dead, you're not even seriously hurt, and you're taking up space I need for people that are actually hurt," Ratchet grumbled, then broke off into a slight smile.
"I don't get it. I should be dead! Starscream hit me square on--" Red Alert scrambled off the table as Ratchet scowled at him.
"Ah'll tell you all about it, Red," Inferno said as he half-dragged his friend from the repair bay. "Ah think you should stop complainin' about not bein' dead, though--it's annoyin' Ratchet. He might fix yer complaint."
Wheeljack handed First Aid a stack of parts and glanced over at Ratchet.
Ratchet, you looked even grumpier than you did when the Dinobots used the repair bay for a squash court.
I'm happy Red Alert survived, but it would have been nice if Starscream had decided to get whimsical when he was shooting at, oh, us.
# # #
Hey, Ironhide! Your old buddy Kup sure doesn't take 'innocent' coincidences at face value, does he?
Not hardly, Windcharger. He never did believe in 'coincidence'. He's seen lots weirder things than us in his day, and not forgotten a one of them.
Yep, interjected Ratchet. Just ask him; he'll tell you all about them!
*chuckle*
Ratchet, what's your status? asked Prowl.
Same old, same old. Repair bay.
I thought you and Wheeljack left after Perceptor--
And we went back there after he left. Think I'm going to leave First Aid in the lurch? When Mirage, Trailbreaker and now Red Alert have all found interesting new ways to get their afts shot off?
But I thought--
Don't think so hard, Prowl. You keep doing your job, and I'll keep doing mine, and we'll all be happy.