It was the first time they'd gotten a call in months. It wasn't unnatural that they'd be on standby for days, maybe even weeks, but it'd been months without a single notice from anyone. Energon got low sometimes, but they'd managed to pull through this far. They'd asked for help occasionally, but the radio signals seemed to jam frequently.
This portion of Cybertron had been bordering on the edge of Autobot and Decepticon territory lines. It wasn't uncommon that a stray Decepticon (or Autobot) would wander over the border and end up starting a battle that could last for days. His squadron seemed to see it all. He almost didn't believe that they had radioed someone, but then again there were a few things he already didn't believe in.
"H-- llo?" The voice on the radio was littered with static, "Squad-- Radic--n, i-- any--ne al--ve?" He'd been leaning against one of the walls in their bunker, sitting next to one of his comrades while trying to get some recharge. If he hadn't of been awake, who knows when the signal would be lost. It took a minute to register in his processor that someone was speaking. The sound of something that wasn't laser blasts and explosions was satisfying, to some extent.
Scrambling to stand up, as well as some embarrassing trips, he'd managed to pull himself to the computer that had transmitted the call. It was dusty and pieces were missing, but at least it still worked.
"Hello?" He spoke over the mircophone piece that jutted out from under the monitor, "Hello, Cybertron command? Anyone? Squadron 804 'Radicons' are still here! I repeat, we are still here!" He sounded frantic. Why was he frantic? There wasn't anything wrong... well, there was the matter of energon and their weapons malfuncting occasionally. Either way with the lack of a Medic on hand, since the last had been blown apart by a laser blast to the chest, there was the matter of health. Nonetheless, his team needed relocation at least.
"I repeat, we are still here!" His voice seemed to falter a little, he was growing tired again. With the lack of Energon around here, refueling was even worse. He'd taken the least of the last of their haul, and his systems disagreed with his movement. His servos gripped at the control board, waiting for a response. He couldn't recharge now, they had to get a signal in. This could be their only chance to--
"H--lo?" The voice returned, "We he-r y-u, where is y-ur l-cati-n?" His processor sparked. Another response! He tapped at the computer, trying to remember exactly how to send his coordinates. With some effort he'd managed to send out an encrypted Autobot signal according to the radio frequency.
"Coordinates sent." He spoke into the microphone again. It grew quiet again, minus the faint sounds of gunfire off in the distance. His frame was tense as he watched the cracked screen of the computer. C'mon...
"R--ciev-d coo-d-n--tes. H--w m--ny c--su--lties?" His optics flickered underneath his visor. How many... casualties? Is that what it had asked. No... there weren't any casualties. His team was fine! They were just... recharging. He'd seen dead 'bots before, anyone in this war had. There was a big difference... right? He refrained from answering that question.
"Please, come here soon. We need relocation and Energon." He pleaded to the computer, "We're not gonna last much longer." Silence again. At least the radio signal seemed to be still intact, it hadn't dropped like it usually did. The voice returned, this time with less static.
"We're clos--ng in on your locati-n. Standby for --ssist." The voice responded from the radio. He slumped on the keyboard panel of the computer. They were saved. Moving was becoming painful, but he ignored it as best he could. He trudged back to where his resting spot had been, leaning against his comrade. He tipped his head back and stared at the ceiling, letting his optics offline.
"Hey buddy, we're saved. Maybe then they'll get ya a new head. It'll be gnarlier than your old one."
How many casualties were there? He knew deep in his spark, but he didn't want to admit it to himself. Squadron 804 'Radicons' had been eliminated; except for him.
