A/N: Hi, I'm back again with this story.

The reason it's been so long is because I was having it redone by a beta, Nocturne no Kitsune who's redone the first four chapters. Unfortunately, since his laptop crashed, I haven't heard from him since June.

This was the first transformer story I ever wrote and I'm glad that people have liked it.

I need chapter names, so if anyone has any suggestions, please give them to me.

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers, just letting my imagination run wild.

Enjoy and please review.

Chapter One

It was another day, and another battle. It was mid-afternoon and a yellow sun blazed overhead, baking the parched earth. The red, almost Martian landscape was normally filled with the quite sounds of desert life with the exception of the occasional Coyote or Bug making themselves known. But today, the rocky plains rang with the sound of laser blasts and explosions as two separate forces traded blows.

There were two sides to this conflict, both refusing to surrender their ground to the other. Both sides had a single, identical goal. That goal was to locate and retrieve a nearby Minicon at any cost before the opposing force did.

This was actually the first battle in a long time, nearly two earth weeks, since the Autobots and the Decepticons last traded blows. The wait for a Minicon to reveal itself had set both forces on edge, every last one of them itching for a fight and the battle was heated.

But none of the realized that they were being watched.

The Watcher in question was high on a nearby bluff and shielded by shadows, surveying the scene below him. SideWays smiled beneath his face mask, his optics glinting with some unknown emotion. He had not been observing the battle for long, but he already knew that neither side had been able to find the minicon yet.

Overhead, both Jetfire and StarScream soared through the cloudless blue sky in a intense dogfight with guns blazing as they tried to outmanoeuvre the other. But it was easy to tell that for as intense as it was, both were holding back from a full engagement. They were waiting for a signal by their respective searchers Hotshot and Cyclonus. Once one of the two found the Minicon, it was their job to retrieve it.

Elsewhere, both searchers in question sped through the Utah Badlands. A place where samples of the most ancient stones in the world were found.

An appropriate place to search for a ancient relic, at least ancient by human standards SideWays mused.

He idly wondered who would be the first to locate the minicon. Not that finding equalled victory mind you, one could only hope it was that easy. Once one side knew, the other was only shortly behind and the fighting would intensify. There was no victory in these fights, not until one side was able to take the minicon back to the safety of their base. But then, it wasn't due to say that the fighting was already starting to get intense as Megatron and Optimus prime squared off.

Optimus Prime and Megatron.

Leaders of the Autobots and Decepticons, both incredibly strong and determined mechs. Two mechs that SideWays both admired and scorned for their respective qualities. Megatron for his ruthlessness and cunning, and how he did not allow sentiment to weaken him. But to Sideways, the way he handled his men was ridiculous, the incident with Starscream the strongest case in point.

That is what he admired about Optimus. The Mech knew how to treat and lead his men, and insure that they were able to function as a well coordinated fighting force. But as lack of sentiment was Megatrons strength, it was Primes weakness. The mech could not seem to learn that mercy had no place on the fields on war.

But never the less, he believed that the Autobots strengths would win this particular fight. After their break, the Autobots would be pumped full of righteous confidence.

Not that it made a difference. The Decepticons would bounce back and the stalemate this over all conflict had become would continue. And that was exactly what Sideways master desired. The conflict had to go on for even longer with power carefully balance. Both sides were evenly matched, with the Autobots possessing the Skyboom Shield and the Decepticons with the StarSabre.

Of course, the Requiem Blaster would undoubtedly speed things up and turn the tide of conflict. But they were still a long way from recovering that weapon. Over all, everything was going well and according to plan.

And yet it wasn't.

The Autobots had been doing well lately, too well for too long. The Decepticons needed a boost, they needed to win more battles and minicons. And yet Sideways did not want to help them directly, it was not the time. He needed to cripple the Autobots temporally, enough so they would recover but the Decepticons would have gained some ground in the meantime.

But how?

Physically wound then, literally crippling? Long-term injuries can have unpredictable results, and while they would recover eventually they might try something desperate to speed up the process if the Decepticons started to gain too much of a lead.

No, that was not an option.

He needed to cripple them in a way that they would not be able to recover, not until he was ready to let them recover. He also had to go about it in such a way that the Decepticons wouldn't take advantage of the situation and try to wipe the Autobots out.

An exceptional large explosion snapped Sideways from his musings and focused his attention back on the battle. For now, he decided to simply watch the scene unfold before him. He would think of something to remedy the problem later, he always did.

Elsewhere, the same explosion that had disturbed Sideways sent violent vibrations throughout the area causing rocks and boulders to loosen and tumble down on everything in the vicinity. Including, for example, a bright yellow Camero.

The Camero in question whooped, clearly enjoying himself as he raced down a narrow canyon dodging the falling debris. His passengers on the other hand...

His passengers on the other hand chorused out, hanging on tight to whatever they could as they tried not to be knocked about by the wild swerving.

"Dao Man! What was that?"

"Hotshot, look out for those rocks!"

"Slow down! You're going too fast!"

Hotshot chuckled, actually increasing his speed before replying to his passengers. "Come on Rad, I have to go fast to avoid those Decepticreeps. And for your information Carlos, That was Megatron trying to use his Cannon to blast Optimus and as usual missing. And don't worry so much Alexis, I can handle it. No bunch of rocks is going to slow me of all bots down."

Another loud explosion set more rocks to dislodge and tumble from the canyon walls and rain down on them, prompting Hotshot to use his cannons to blast the larger ones while swerving to avoid the others.

Once they were apparently clear, Hotshot chuckled again, this time with a touch of arrogance. "See? I told ya-ouch!" He yelped as the last rock he just blasted ricocheted off the canyon floor to whack on straight on the bonnet.

The yellow car skidded, almost throwing around his passengers even more even as they laughed before straightening out. Hotshot moaned, wishing he could rub the sore spot on his Chassis. "Ow, Ow, Owwww."

After she had managed to catch her breath and stop laughing she leaned around the side of the drivers set to look at the dashboard and spoke, a slightly mocking tone in her voice. "You were saying something Hotshot?"

All she got back was half-hearted grumbles, which sparked her and Rad into another laughing fit. Carlos on the other hand, was holding himself white-knuckled and looking a bite pale, being absolutely terrified as how close that rock had been from coming through the window and straight at him.

Once he managed to compose himself, he cast a pointed look at the two in the backseat, speaking in a wounded tone. "Hey Dudes, that that almost hit the windscreen and me. That's mucho not funny."

Both Alexis and Rad continued to laugh despite Carlo's protest. Finally, both calmed down, though Rad was still snickering. "What you worried about Carlos? After all, its Hotshot behind the wheel."

Alexis joined in, snickering as well. "Yeah, our Hotshot driver is too smart for a bunch of rocks."

Just as she said it, Karma came back to bite her. The last rock blasted by Hotshot burst into a dense cloud of pebbles rather than blown clean out of the way, and pelted Hotshots bonnet. The Mech yelped in pain and skidded out of control, spinning wildly on the canyon floor while the kids yelled in a panic. It was actually a miracle that they didn't crash into one of the walls, with how narrow it was.

But it was not the time to count their blessings, as Hotshot collided mid-spin with a large piece of rubble. Momentum lifted Hotshot into the air and on his side, causing the kids to yell even louder as they found gravity suddenly changing.

"Yea-arrghhh!" Hotshot ground out as he slide on his side over the bottom of the canyon until he came to a painful stop. The kids on the other hand were alright, if a little unnerved from being tossed about so abruptly. They had been wearing their jumpsuits, so they had been saved from the worst.

They were still slightly shaken after the wild ride, and were painfully aware of how vulnerable they were in this position. But even then, they trusted Hotshot to protect then with his all so they weren't as worried as they could have been.

But still, they would be more comfortable when they were not hanging in their seats. Once they gathered their senses, they carefully undid their seatbelts and climbed out. Letting Hotshot transform and right himself. Once the Mech was righted and sitting, the three kids voiced their concerns for their yellow friend, starting with Carlos. "Hotshot, you ok man? You took a beating there."

But before Hotshot could answer or the other two could voice their own worries, the Mech's Comm. beeped to life and Optimus's voice came through sounding concerned. "Hotshot, what happened? Are you and the kids alright?"

Hotshot tapped his Comm. and groaned out a response. "Yes sir, everything's fine and we're having a great time." He decided that he would rather not elaborate on his little accident.

"Hotshot, we all heard you yelling and a crash. Were you attacked by...," Optimus was suddenly cut off by a grunt, and the sound of clashing metal came over the Comm followed by a voice that was diffidently not Prime'.

"Pay attention when you're fighting me Prime!"

A thud, and the sound of clashing metal before they heard Prime respond. "If you don't mind Megatron, I was enquiring after my men."

"Laughable Prime, I think I warrant a bit more attention than some children," Was the sound of Megatron, his voice smug.

"Hardly. Those kids are worth ten of you Megatron," Optimus said in a calm yet serious voice. "They have been nothing but welcoming and supportive ever since we have come to their world."

There was the sound of grappling and more clashing metal, followed by growling. Both boys grinned at each other and shared a high-five, while Alexis blushed at Optimus's words.

But then Megatron spoke again. "What makes you think I was referring to those human brats you keep as pets Prime?"

"Hey!" said Hotshot indignantly. "Did he just call me a kid?"

Why, yes," Megatron sneered. "I do believe I did. Do you have a problem with that, child?"

They heard Megatron chuckling as Hotshot angrily muttered curses. Rad, Carlos and Alexis jaws had dropped but now they were glaring at the Comm. system. They couldn't believe what Megatron had just said.

"I really wonder sometimes how you cope Optimus, with such adolescents masquerading as soldiers," Megatron said with sneering malice.

"Well Megatron," Optimus replied lightly. "You would know as most of those under your command are soldiers who act like children."

There was a fierce snarl from Megatron and they heard him engaging with Optimus before the Comm. link was abruptly cut off. The kids were how grinning at Optimus's words and even Hotshot's grumblings had subsided. His Comm. buzzed and Sideswipe's voice spoke. "Hey bro, did you catch that?"

"Yeah, I heard MegaMoron. But Optimus showed him," replied Hotshot a grin in his voice.

"Yeah I saw. Bro, what's happening your end? We lost sight of you."

"Just a slight setback, nothing I can't handle. We're in the canyon next to the really tall stack."

"Copy that Hotshot, you'd better get moving before Cyclonus or Starscream spot you."

"Alright bro. Anything on the Minicon?"

"Negative, Sideswipe out."

"Alright, Hotshot out," Hotshot released his Comm. and finally managed to get a chance to look himself over.

"Aw man, look at my paint job!" he groaned, looking at the deep scratches and dents in his armour, especially the parts where the paint had been scrapped down to the metal.

Alexis set her hand on the leg of her large friend and smiled. "Never mind Hotshot, we'll get you fixed up back at base," she said soothingly.

"Boy," exclaimed Carlos stretching and glancing around at the ruined canyon walls and ground. "What a mess. Hey Rad, how long have we been out here?"

"I'd say about an hour," replied Rad.

Carlos whistled.

"That Minicon is hidden real good this time, that's for sure," said Hotshot. "But at least the Decepticons haven't found it."

"Yeah, but even if they do find it first, I bet we can beat them to it" said Carlos.

"But that's the thing isn't it?" said Alexis. Everyone looked at her and she continued. "It doesn't matter who finds it, as the other side always finds out and then it becomes a big battle to retrieve it. I think we need to come up with a better strategy."

"You've got a point Alexis," said Hotshot, brow furrowed. "It's been pretty obvious so far, to the Decepticons that I've been charging around with no clear direction. That'll change once we spot that Minicon."

"Speaking of which, Rad any word from Laserbeak?" Alexis asked.

Rad pulled out his communicator and glanced at the screen. An image of some rocky out crops appeared as Laserbeak flew over them, tirelessly searching for a hint of green among the red rocks. Rad shook his head as he spoke.

"Nothing yet."

"So what are we going to do when we find that Minicon?" asked Carlos.

They all thought for a moment, and then Rad said. "What if we went for the Minicon."

"Err dude, isn't that what we were doing anyway?" Said Carlos confused.

"No I mean, what if just the three of us went?" said Rad. Carlos still looked a bit puzzled but Alexis's face lit up as she clicked with what Rad meant.

"Just the three of you on your own, going after a Minicon?" said Hotshot not looking very happy with the idea. "The Decepticon's would be on you in moment!"

"Not if they were chasing you," Alexis said. At Hotshot's confused look, she continued. "When we locate the Minicon, you'll go haring off to a point that's far away from the actual Minicon while we go to it's real location."

Hotshot looked thoughtful at this but still concerned. "That could work, but I still don't like the idea of you kids unprotected."

"But once we find the Minicon, we'll call for our Minicon's and they'll look after us!" said Carlos excitedly. "Come on, this could totally work."

"Well…" said Hotshot wavering.

"The Decepticons would be too busy with you and the others. If we stay with you, we'll probably be at more risk. Not that you don't do a great job protecting us," Alexis added hastily. "But this way we can sneak right past Megatron, grab the Minicon and go home."

Before Hotshot could reply, they heard the sound of blades whirling. The sound was rapidly getting louder meaning the vehicle was getting closer and fast.

"Cyclonus!" said Hotshot staring in the direction of the sound and quickly transformed. He reversed beside the three kids and threw open his doors. They quickly piled into the back and were still strapping themselves in as Hotshot took off, his doors slamming shut with a resounding clap.

With the roar of a high-power engine he shot through and out the canyon and onto the rocky plain, and although they were now exposed to the Decepticons it was better then being caught in a confined space like the canyon with a trigger happy maniac like Cyclonus.

It wasn't long until the helicopter whirled into sight and spotted them. With a whoop of mad delight, he went after them, guns blazing.

"Hey Autobot, where are you off to in such a hurry?" Cyclonus laughed, blowing up a large boulder Hotshot had just passed.

"Maybe you guys have a point," Hotshot mumbled to the kids. Aloud he said "I'm trying to get away from your ugly mug, Cyclonus!"

"Ooooh, that hurt. NOT!" Cyclonus said mockingly, increasing his speed. "But not as much as this will!" he laughed as he climbed higher and sprayed the ground in front of Hotshot with shots forcing Hotshot to drive through a hail of debris and explosions.

Hotshot gritted his teeth as the small sharp shards bit into his armour, and increased his speed. Once free of the debris, he took a sharp left and took off through some rocky pillars. But Cyclonus kept after them, being a flyer had serious advantages, especially as Hotshot was hindered by the vast rocky Utah Badlands. Suddenly Hotshot's Comm. came to life again, only this time it was Blurr's voice.

"Hotshot, turn right after you pass those three stacks and drive straight along the cliff top."

"Roger Blurr."

Hotshot did as he was instructed, skidding madly as he turned and soon they were racing along the edge of a ravine. Hotshot hoped Blurr had a good plan because Cyclonus was still on his tail and gaining.

"And boy, I really don't fancy falling!" thought Hotshot.

"Give up Autobot," Cyclonus called. "You can't escape me, I'm gonna.. Argh!" he yelled as a burst of laser fire hit his side. Two well placed shots hit his rotor blades and he careened out of control. With a yell, he plunged, smoking into the ravine, taken down by the Autobot sniper.

"Thanks Blurr. Great shooting!" said Hotshot as the kids cheered.

"You're welcome," came Blurr's cool voice before disconnecting the link.

Now that he wasn't being pursued, Hotshot slowed down so he was simply cruising. The sniper was nowhere to be seen, he had undoubtedly rejoined the main battle from whatever vantage point he was on. With Cyclonus gone they could hear the muffled sounds of battle, that Hotshot was sure was over the peak that bordered the ravine. Hotshot sighed, they were safe, for now.

"Everyone alright?" he asked the kids.

"We're cool, amigo," replied Carlos patting the seat in front of him.

"I'm going to call Highwire, Grindor and Sureshock to meet us, so we'll be ready when we find that Minicon," said Rad opening a link to his Minicon.

"You kids would be careful, because although I'll be distracting the Decepticons, we won't be able to call the others in case we're overheard," warned Hotshot.

"We'll be extra cautious," Alexis said reassuringly. "When we get the Minicon, we'll call Jetfire or Red Alert and they can get us back to the base."

"Alright, we'll give this plan of yours a shot, now where shall we go from here?" He broke off as Rad's portable communicator beeped.

"He's done it, Laserbeak's found the Minicon!" cried Rad excitedly, looking at a picture of something jade green embedded in the rock.

"And Highwire and the other's aren't far from here!" Exclaimed Alexis

With the kids Minicon's coordinates, Hotshot headed straight for their location. He drove quickly but cautiously so as not to attract any attention. In no time at all, he reached an overhang in the side of a rocky slope where the Minicons were hiding. Hotshot causally slowed to stop beside them as the kids piled out.

"You've got five minutes to make a start, before I start my own run. Good luck!" Hotshot said before driving off.

Highwire beeped softly in question as Hotshot disappeared from sight. Grindor and Sureshock were also looking questioningly at their human counterparts.

"Don't worry guys, we've got a plan," said Rad laughingly. "We're going after the Minicon while Hotshot distracts the Decepticons."

The Minicon Trio still did not look assured, so Alexis stepped up to try with a caring voice. "It's alright, we'll be okay with you guys here to help."

"Yeah, we're a team!" said Carlos. "Come on guys, let's get going."

The Minicon's gave small shrugs and transformed. Carlos leapt onto his skateboard, Alexis onto her scooter and Rad onto his bike. They set off, being careful not to be caught out in the open. Their route did unfortunately bring them close to the battle, in fact only a small overhang hid them form Demolisher.

"What was that?" Demolisher said suddenly as he briefly paused in his shooting as he heard the sound of rocks falling close by. Alexis on Sureshock had accidentally knocked into them, as the kids on their Minicons had quickly rushed from their previous hiding place. They quickly flattened themselves against the rock as they heard Demolisher peering around.

"Hmm," Demolisher was still, listening for further disturbance. But then a noise behind him made him turn. It sounded like the roar of a car speeding close by.

"Megatron!" They heard Demolisher cried. "It's that Autobot Hotshot, I think he's going for the Minicon!"

"Well done Hotshot," thought the kids as they heard Megatron barking an order over Demolisher's comm.

"Well get after him, Demolisher! Thrust, Cyclonus you too. Wheeljack, Starscream you keep the Autobots pinned down. I'll deal with Prime..."

"Yes sir!" They heard Demolisher say before he went off after Hotshot.

"Come on." whispered Rad and they set off again. Even though they weren't near any Decepticons now, they had decided to whisper to be on the safe side. Five minutes later they had reached the small gorge where the Minicon was located. The kids quickly jumped off their Minicons to peer over the edge.

"How are we going to get down?" asked Carlos looking down into the shadows.

"It's not that deep," said Alexis. "But it's a pity we don't have rope or something."

The Minicon's after being relieved of their passengers had transformed from their vehicle modes. At Alexis's words, they transformed and combined into Perceptor. Scooping Carlos up, Perceptor jumped down into the gorge. Carlos had given a small yelp as they went down but only out of surprise. He quickly surveyed the scene as Perceptor let him down. He looked back up at Rad and Alexis and said.

"It's not too far, Rad if you help Alexis, Perceptor can catch her, and then you can come down."

They did as Carlos suggested, holding onto Alexis's arms. Rad lowered her into the shallow chasm. Once he reached a certain point, he let go and Alexis landed in Perceptor's arms.

"Thank you, Perceptor," she said smiling as he let her down.

Rad now lowered himself into abyss, until he was hanging by his fingers then dropped into Perceptor's waiting grasp. Once Perceptor had let him down, Rad joined Alexis and Carlos as they examined the damp stone walls. Perceptor also joined them as Alexis touched the cold dark rock.

"The Minicon's embedded in the rock somewhere, it shouldn't take long for us to find it," she said softly.

They carefully made their way along, searching for the hidden Minicon. The distance echo of battle reverberated around them. Suddenly Rad pointed at a deep crack in the wall.

"Look, there it is!" he said hurrying over to the crack where something green was glowing. He stuck his arm into the crack as the others ran over and pulled out the dormant Minicon.

"Dude, I can't believe it!" Carlos said excitedly but quietly. "We just have to get out of here like, now."

"We'll contact Jetfire as soon as we're up top," said Alexis as they quickly made their way back to the point they had descended from. Once they reached it, Perceptor braced himself against the wall allowing Rad to climb up on his shoulders. Once there he sat down and Carlos helped Alexis to climb up Perceptor and onto Rad's shoulders. Once there she stretched to grab the cliff edge and managed to pull herself up and out. Once she was on firm ground, she peered back down to see Rad standing up and holding the Minicon up for her. She took it and carefully concealed it in a hole before leaning back over the cliff.

Rad had sat down again to allow Carlos to climb up and once he was on Rad's shoulders, Alexis grabbed his arms and helped him haul himself out. Then both Alexis and Carlos reached down and helped Rad out. With Alexis and Carlos holding onto him, Rad held his arms out to Perceptor who jumped up, grabbed hold of them and was pulled up into the sunlight. Everyone paused to catch their breath.

"Well guys it was hard work but we did it!" said Carlos triumphantly. "Alexis you get the Minicon, then Rad can contact Jetfire and then we are out of here."

Alexis bent and retrieved the Minicon form its hiding place. She, Rad and Perceptor suddenly looked beyond the gorge as a distant explosion sounded.

"We'd better go." Rad started to say but suddenly caught sight of Carlos's face. He hadn't turned to look beyond the gorge but was staring in shock at a point behind them. It was then that Rad and Alexis felt a very large shadow fall over them. Slowly they turned to see what Carlos was staring at and froze in horror at the sight that met their eyes.

"Well, well what do we have here?"

A/N: couldn't resist a cliff-hanger. Who is it who has found the kids. Find out in the next chapter and please leave me a review.