Transformers: A Matter of Fate

THE BATTLE OF DALLAS: END

CHAPTER 59
The Battle of Dallas: End

Mark was really tired of the world crumbling around him, and even more tired of running. He groaned quietly as he kept his hold of Alexis's hand as tight as he could. His breath was getting labored, and even Sideswipe looked exhausted as they continued their search for the remainder of the Autobots. "Mark," Mark eyed Alexis quietly. "I'm going to drop dead, I'm exhausted!"

Mark shared her sentiments, just how long could this thing go? He could already see that the sun was starting to set over the city. Soon they'd be fighting in complete darkness, and God knew that wouldn't be good. He bit back his response, pulling himself over some rubble, and positioning his gun slightly. "I know, I know baby," Mark breathed. "But we gotta keep moving, gotta-."

He barely shoved Alexis out of the way as a second wave of fire shot overhead. He dodged breathlessly, barely noticing as Sideswipe was knocked back by the force of the blast. He turned, firing off a volley of shots at the vehicon, but at that point, he was so tired, he barely managed to get a good shot in. He groaned quietly, was this the end? Was he really, after all this bravery, and all this fighting, going to die right there? He grunted, at least he'd get to see his mom and dad again, he supposed, bitterly casting his alien gun aside once it couldn't fire any more.

He was quietly apologizing to Hound when another shot fired, this time from the side. Mark looked up at the sight of a large, yellow Autobot leaping from the roof. With a sigh of relief, he realized that Bumblebee had at long last arrived on the scene. Bumblebee carved through the mech like a pro, blasting apart the vehicon's spark before turning, and letting his battle mask shoot up. "Gotta be more careful there," A voice clip sounded from his speakers. "I like you too much to lose you, kid."

"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes," Mark managed, getting to his feet as Alexis stood as well. "Is Cade with you?"

"Nah, knew better than to bring them into this chaos," Bumblebee stated through more soundbites, then turned to Alexis. "Ohhhhhhhhhh," He then tilted his head to Mark inquisitively. "Not to ignore more important things, but who's the babe?" Alexis blushed slightly, looking away a little.

"Bee, this is my girlfriend, Alexis," Mark introduced quickly. "Alexis, this is Bumblebee."

Bumblebee gave an impressed whistle and a thumbs up at his young friend. Clearly approving in his choice of girlfriend, as it was now Mark's turn to blush. Bumblebee, for his part, turned and dipped his helm respectfully as if he were wearing a cowboy hat. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance m'am," He then added, switching gears. "Break his heart and I'll break yours," Alexis went pale after that. "Now, what do y'all say we work on gettin' ye out of this here situation?"

Mark nodded his head, wiping the sweat from his brow. "We're supposed to rendezvous with the other Autobots and NEST," Sideswipe stated as he rolled up. "Please tell me you know a safe path through. Because slag if I'm not having a hard time protecting these two in this mess," He then added. "We lost track of Hound and Mirage which complicated things."

"Got it," Bumblebee nodded, then noticed Mark's lack of weapon, and beat appearance. "You look a little worse for the wear, soldier," Bumblebee noted, looking around. "Maybe I should hoist you up and carry you the rest of the way."

Sideswipe also looked down at Mark, knowing his friend was trying his best to be strong. But also knowing he'd gone through more hell than all three of them had in the past twenty-four hours. "Mark, you've fought long and hard, bud," Sideswipe noted as Bumblebee crouched and held his hand out. "But I think it's time you sat off on the sidelines for a bit," He then turned to Alexis. "You too, Lexi."

"Fine, but I can walk," Alexis explained. "Mark's the one that's hurt. I've hardly taken a hit," She looked at Mark. "And they're right you know, you can't be a hero all the time. We've got this," She winked at him.