Verdant knew they'd been long there too long once her optics started to frost and her systems were noticeably sluggish. Wheeljack still hadn't woken up yet, and Verdant figured that the cold would keep him in stasis lock for as long as he remained below his required temperatures.
She also knew how bad the situation was looking. She had been dragging Wheeljack across the floor for ages, and she was leaving behind noticable dents in the ice floor with her blaster as they walked in case the other Autobots came looking for them. But that all depended on whether or not Bulkhead was okay, whether or not Ratchet would check up on them over comms, and least helpfully, if he'd send reinforcements when their single hour of searching was up.
Verdant had no idea why the frag Wheeljack and Bulkhead couldn't drive straight and slow down like capable bots, but there was probably a plausible solution. By now, the cold would have shut any other bot her size down, which she could deduce from all the warnings flashing across her optics. Luckily, Verdant's processor was incredibly advanced and she was able to compartmentalize and shut down thought processes, saving energy for the parts needed to maintain her goal.
Keep walking. Don't drop Wheeljack. Find a slope. Get out of the water. Call for a groundbridge.
Those first two were becoming increasingly difficult as Verdant's pedes struggled to part the thin freshwater. Her arm jerked up as she let off another blast at the ground to add to their trail.
Something ahead of them blinked, a dim red light in the bluish darkness. Verdant paused and tilted her helm, optics narrowing as she focused in on it.
Oh.
Verdant took a step back. There, laying on the ocean floor, was a massive, scaly predacon, its head tucked into its chassis in a vain effort of chasing its own body heat.
It was frozen solid and the joints of its body had worn away from erosion.
Verdant looked up.
And it was their way out of here.
She moved forward, faster now and stronger with a sense of hope. Verdant reached the predacon and ejected her tentacles again, wrapping them around Wheeljack and strapping him to her back. She grabbed the predacon and began to climb.
With the aid of the water, it was an easier climb than she expected. Verdant made it to the top of the predacon's back and grabbed Wheeljack with her servos, letting her tentacles pluck the grenade from Wheeljack's hip and place it on the side above them. A few moments later and the two of them were rising through the water, being pulled by the long appendages.
She gasped once they were out, her mesh stung by the crisp air. Verdant reached back and grabbed Wheeljack's chassis, hauling him out with her. He was heavier now, out of the water, but with the aid of all her extra attachments, Verdant was able to get him over the edge of the ice.
Sitting down, she'd never felt more relieved to activate her comms. "Ratchet, we..."
Verdant paused, optics going wide as she got a good look around her. A circle of vehicons surrounded them, all of the clones pointing their blasters at her.
Frag.
"Yes, Verdant? Have you found anything?"
"Uh," she stood up shakily. "We're going to need backup. As soon as possible."
They started shooting.
Verdant lunged to the side, pulling their fire away from the defenseless wrecker. Shots massacred the ground, sending up shards of ice that bounced harmlessly off of her armour. Verdant lunged for a giant drill and took cover behind it, panting.
YOU ARE READING
Going Green
Fanfiction"I'm not Soundwave." Ever since the destruction of her home, Verdant had spent her life as a loyal Autobot soldier. She was Ultra Magnus's third in command, and the most renowned intelligence officer in the Autobots. She was of the same frame-ty...
