The Transformers- Scrambled Sound Waves
It was a sunny summer day across the western United States. The bright sun bore down on the Pacific Northwest, specifically, giving all the humans who lived there a bright and cheerful demeanor. But, while this was the case for the humans in the Northwest, not every living being there shared the same mood. Deep inside his remote mountain headquarters, the Decepticon leader, Megatron's mood better resembled a brewing storm than the sunny day that was passed outside the Decepticon headquarters.
With a twisted face, Megatron angrily paced the control room of the Decepticon base, with his heavy footsteps footsteps echoing throughout the entire mountain, which caused most of the Decepticons to stay out of the same room as Megatron, so they didn't suffer his wrath. But, despite this fact, the angry Megatron was not alone as his air commander, Starscream and his communications expert, Soundwave also stood in the room with him, where they watched their leader continue to pace the room with frustration. Suddenly, the arrogant Starscream spoke in his usual high pitched voice, breaking the constant echoing stomps in the mountain.
"You seem troubled, oh great Megatron(!) Tell us, what troubles you?"
"You know exactly what is bothering me, Starscream!" Megatron snapped back. "The fact that we continue to sit idle on this wretched planet is beginning to take its toll on my patience! My Decepticons on Cybertron need their leader to lead them to glory! Who knows what has become of them since that fateful day we left Cybertron to pursue the Autobots..."
"Hm, hm, hm," Starscream chuckled while his smug grin become brighter. "We continue to sit idly on Earth because we have yet to gain the energy and materials needed to build a new spacecraft to take us back home- and we have yet to gain those materials because you have failed to lead us successfully."
Megatron stopped in mid walk and turned his head towards Starscream, who currently stood against the wall with folded arms. His electronic eyes narrowed where he cast a glare towards the red and white robot, who simply continued to grin back towards his leader.
"Not only does sitting on this planet continue to try my patience, so does your constant prattling! You are as irritating as rust, Starscream. Be warned- I do not take such irritations lightly."
"You have no reason to warn me." Starscream replied. "I am merely stating the obvious. You have failed to lead us to victory against Optimus Prime, and his Autobots. Now then, if I were in charge, it would be a different story! With the swift and smart Starscream at the helm, the Decepticons would have tasted victory long ago. We would already be back on Cybertron!"
Megatron had heard all he could take. In a swift movement, the powerful Megatron stormed towards the sleeker Starscream and reaching out with a large grey hand, Megatron gripped Starscream by the throat. The Decepticon air commander let out a choke of surprise before Megatron spun around and tossed Starscream to the floor, where he painfully landed before Megatron's feet.
"Idiot!" Megatron cried before he then stomped on Starscream. "You believe you know how to lead the Decepticons, but you have no idea! You are too arrogant and selfish to see the bigger picture. If I placed my Decepticons under your command, they would have simply starved to death due to lack of energon."
"Heh, the Earthlings have a saying," Starscream muttered painfully. "That's like the pot calling the kettle black."
"Do you know what else will become black?!" Megatron now roared. "Your charred hide after I destroy you with my fusion cannon!"
The other Decepticon standing in the room, the quiet, blue Soundwave had seen this scenario all too often as it was almost a daily occurrence between Megatron and Starscream, and deciding he had seen enough, Soundwave decided to interrupt them. Soundwave moved towards the large purple computer in the control room, and he then switched it on with a press of a button, bringing the large video screen to life.
"Attention: lack of energon can be rectified." Soundwave announced in his usual cold, monotone voice. "Research shows aviation fuel as a highly sustainable source of energon. Suggested course of action: acquire the necessary fuel."
Megatron turned his attention away from the fallen Starscream before he looked towards Soundwave and the computer screen with interest.
"Where can we obtain this fuel?" Megatron asked.
"International airports carry large quantities of the desired fuel." Soundwave explained. "Nearest location from Decepticon HQ is Seattle-Tacoma International Airport."
Megatron turned his attention back to Starscream, who now found the strength and courage to rise himself to his knees, while he continued to sit under Megatron's glare.
"If you wish to prove yourself to me, take Skywarp and Thundercracker to this airport, retrieve the fuel in energon cubes and bring it back to me! Perhaps if you can prove yourself half competent, I will change my mind, and not melt you down to make parts for our new space cruiser."
Quickly, Starscream rose to his feet and scurried out of the control room, giving Megatron nothing more than a simple nod. Despite his silence, inside Starscream seethed with hatred for Megatron. He wished to replace Megatron and become the Decepticon leader, as he thought his preferred methods of speed and guile were the way forward, rather than Megatron's more simple ways of brute force. Despite this, Starscream did as Megatron ordered and found his comrades, Skywarp and Thundercracker, and together, the three soon left the Decepticons' secret mountain base. Transformed into their alternate forms as F-15 jets, the three Decepticon jets headed towards Seattle, Washington as fast as their boosters would allow.
"So, Megatron wants us to get energon from a human airport, does he?" The blue jet, Thundercracker asked.
"Correct." Starscream replied as he flew in front of Thundercracker and Skywarp in his form- a red jet. "We are not far away now. We shall strike hard and fast, take the fuel and leave. Check and prepare your weapons."
"Weapons checked." Thundercracker muttered. "An airport seems like a pointless errand though, if you ask me. There are oil rigs, or power plants we could strike. Those places don't have so many people around to get in the way."
"Your thoughts aren't important, Thundercracker!" Starscream bellowed back over the roar of their jets. "Skywarp, confirm your weapons check...Skywarp? Skywarp!"
Checking his on board radar, Starscream suddenly realized that Skywarp had disappeared after he failed to respond to Starscream's command. The air commander grumbled over his radio to Thundercracker when a bright light above him caught his attention. A purple glow appeared a few feet above him, before it turned into the form of the black jet known as Skywarp.
"What?" Skywarp chuckled, now flying upside down. "I'm right here!"
"Idiot." Starscream hissed. "Forget your practical jokes and pay attention to the task at hand! Megatron thinks I can't lead a parade, let alone lead the Decepticons. If you show me up and prove him right, Skywarp, you will pay a heavy price!"
"Yeah, yeah." Skywarp answered, by which time he flew back into line. "I was just making sure my teleportation ability still worked."
"The airport is now in visual range." Starscream announced, now ignoring Skywarp. "Ready your weapons and prepare to strike! Dive!"
Down on the ground, the loud and busy airport was packed with people making their travels. Planes crossed the runway and filled the skies as they took off and landed at the large airport. In the control tower, worry soon turned to panic when their radars picked up three unknown planes flying swiftly towards the airport, and within moments, they were visible to the workers in the control tower. With screams of fear and confusion, the workers watched the three jet planes soar through the sky, narrowly avoiding large aircraft before they then swooped to the runway, where they transformed and exposed themselves to be evil Decepticons!
As their gigantic robotic feet touched the ground, Starscream slid to a stop after shoving an aircraft that was sitting at his right. Despite needing little effort, Starscream caused the empty plane to fall to its side, where it crashed into another plane, filled with crew members who were preparing the plane for its next flight. The collision caused both planes to explode, and within seconds of their landing, the Decepticons stirred great panic at the airport as flight crews, passengers and airport workers began to run across the runway in horror, while countless more people inside the airport began to rush for the exits and escape. Screams filled the air, replacing the usual noise of jet engines, which were just as loud and this served as amusement for the cruel Skywarp.
"Heh, look at them run." Skywarp chuckled. "I always like watching them run away!"
Skywarp looked on to see Starscream and Thundercracker looking around the runway for the desired fuel, but more interested in amusing himself than carrying on with the mission, Skywap reached out and picked up an aircraft tug in his large purple hands, before he then tossed it towards Thundercracker.
"Catch, Thundercracker!" Skywarp called with a laugh.
Thundercracker turned, and with lightning fast reflexes snatched the airport tug out of the air at the last moment and caught it. Sharing a laugh, Thundercracker and Skywarp began a game of catch amongst themselves for a moment, which only served to fuel Starscream's wrath.
"Knock it off!" Starscream shrieked after he blasted the tug out of midair with his arm mounted null ray. "I told you, don't you dare bungle this mission up for me! Locate the fuel source, and extract it into energon cubes!"
Grumbling, Skywarp and Thundercracker marched behind Starscream, and the three scoured the large networks of runways while they searched for the aviation fuel. Their presence and violent nature had caused everyone at the airport, including the armed police to rush away in fear for their lives, and so the Decepticons were met with no resistance. Angrily, Starscream ripped open aircraft hangers, and knocked airplanes out of the way in his search for the aviation fuel, when suddenly, Thundercracker called out to him. Following the voice, Starscream walked behind one of the largest aircraft hangers to see a vast amount of fuel pumps and tanker trucks, all lined up and either full of aviation fuel, or waiting to collect it from the pumps into the large tanks.
"Excellent!" Starscream said with happy, wide eyes. "You've found the fuel. Quickly, fill up your energon cubes."
The three Decepticons surrounded the fuel pumps and they held their hands out in the air, almost as if they were preparing to catch something above them. Instead however, a flash of white light flickered above their hands before giant, empty white cubes, stacked up in piles of five appeared out of thin air and landed in each of their hands. The Decepticons set their energon cubes down before Skywarp and Thundercracker watched Starscream who stood before them and then lowered to a knee, took one of the fuel pumps in his hands and ripped it from its concrete foundations! Fuel began to fly up into the air, resembling a garden hose on a hot day, and as the lack liquid began to drop to the ground, Starscream grabbed an energon cube from his pile and placed it up the stream of fuel. The fuel landed inside the cube, where it immediately turned from black fuel into a glowing pink liquid, and Thundercracker and Skywarp then followed suit as they ripped up a fuel pump each and began to fill up their own energon cubes.
"There's got to be enough fuel in these pumps to fill not only these cubes, but dozens more!" Thundercracker exclaimed. "Why don't we stay a while and drink of this out of the ground?"
"Well, we do have straws!" Skywarp cackled before he held up a flailing pipe that continued to spurt out jet fuel.
"Will you two just shut up and carry on?!" Starscream announced sharply. "Once you fill up your five energon cubes, retrieve five more, and when those are done, get another ten ready! We don't leave until every last drop of this black liquid is turned into energon."
Together, the Decepticons now silently continued their work, adding more and more energon cubes to their growing collection. The chaos and noise from earlier had soon turned to silence after all people around the airport had fled the scene, but soon, the silence was once again broken when Starscream heard the collective rumbles of engines and running of tires. After a few moments, the Decepticon frowned and turned to Thundercracker who was crouched to his left.
"What's that noise?" Starscream asked.
"Noise? What noise?" Thundercracker replied. "Come to think of it, I've been so deep in thought, I haven't been listening to-..."
Before Thundercracker could finish, Skywarp, who stood by their stack of energon cubes quickly called towards his fellow Decepticons, one arm pointed out towards the runway.
"We've got company!" He called in alarm.
"Company?" Starscream asked, rising to his feet. "Ha! The humans have sent their military to dispose of us? I'd love to see them try!"
Starscream, and then Thundercracker walked around from the fuel pumps and towards Skywarp to get a better view of the approaching company Skywarp had mentioned. With a clear view, Starscream was shocked to see a group of four vehicles- a white Porsche sports car, a white police car and a small red sports car were led by a large red articulated truck. The truck's brakes hissed as it stopped, followed by the other vehicles and the Decepticons' eyes widened in horror to see the vehicles quickly changed their forms into those of the heroic Autobots. Now standing across from their enemies, Optimus Prime stood before his soldiers Jazz, Prowl and Cliffjumper. With his large laser cannon in one hand, Optimus Prime pointed towards the Decepticons with a blue finger.
"I'll give you one chance." Optimus Prime announced in an authoritative tone. "Turn back to the skies where you came from and leave the energon cubes so that we can end this peacefully, Starscream."
"We heard you cats were spoiling the travelers day on the airwaves," the cool Jazz then said with a grin. "If make like a tree and leave, maybe those humans can get on with their vacations."
Starscream glared towards the Autobots, and remaining silent, he instead raised his right arm and fired a blast from his null ray, which sent a purple bolt of energy through the air, where it crashed into Optimus Prime's arm! The blast immediately caused the Autobot leader's arm to drop to his side, where it now became lifeless for a short time as the giant leader stumbled backwards from the shot.
"I won't even give you a chance to walk away alive, Autobots!" Starscream bellowed. "Decepticons, attack!"
On Starscream's order, Thundercracker and Skywarp raised their own arm mounted laser weapons, then the trio collectively fired their weapons at their enemies, the Autobots. A rain of laser fire flew across the runway to the Autobots, who immediately scattered to avoid the laser blasts. Now under the cover of various airport buildings, the Autobots retaliated as they attempted to fire back at the Decepticons, who surrounded their pile of energon cubes in what became a stand off of laser fire, with neither side able to get an advantage over the other.
"We're sitting ducks like this!" The ever impulsive Cliffjumper said over the radio to his Autobot comrades.
"Prowl," Optimus Prime called over his radio, upon hearing Cliffjumper's complaint. "Have you analyzed the situation?"
"Yes, Optimus." Prowl responded. "As Cliffjumper implied, we aren't going to get far in this situation, but out in the open, we risk taking considerable damage. Also, there is highly flammable fuel nearby, as well as energon cubes. A stray shot might be enough to take us all out, and the airport with it!"
"Then we need to get them away from those cubes," Optimus Prime said, after firing another defensive shot from the cover of the aircraft hanger he stood behind.
"Hey, I've got that covered!" Jazz called over the radio. "Let ol' Jazz do his thing, and those Decepticlowns will be out of the way in no time."
"Whatever your thing is, Jazz, you'd better do it now." Prowl replied in an analysis. "The chances of a poor shot is becoming likely as tempers rise. I also predict if we wait much longer, Skywarp will be deployed to pick us off using his teleportation powers."
"Then it's settled. Jazz, it's in your hands now." Optimus Prime called out to Jazz. "I'll cover you!"
Quickly, the Autobots began to execute their plan. Stepping out from behind the cover and safety of his air hanger, Jazz stepped out into the open, where he was spotted right away by the Decepticons. Before they could attempt to shoot at the Autobot special agent, however, Optimus Prime rose from his own cover and laid down a barrage of laser fire, forcing the Decepticons to defend themselves from Prime's own barrage. Now with cover, Jazz transformed into his vehicular form as a Porsche sports car and quickly drove towards the Decepticons, his car doors opening as he drove. He skidded to a halt a safe distance from the Decepticons who were preparing to strike once more.
"Hey Decepticons, check out this week's number one on the top ten!" Jazz cried.
Starscream looked towards the Porsche in front of him and lowered his null ray in preparation to fire, but before he could, his senses were barraged by ear splitting loud music and blinding lights as Jazz created a dazzling sound and light show to disorientate his enemies. Immediately, the Decepticons clutched their robotic ears and blinded by the lights, they began to stumble away from their guarded energon cubes due to their dizzied state. Optimus Prime found the opportunity he needed.
"Now!" Optimus Prime called to Prowl and Cliffjumper. "They're away from the energon! Strike them down before they can recover!"
The Autobots didn't waste time as right away, Prime, Prowl and Cliffjumper rushed from behind the cover of the buildings and with their weapons at the ready, the Autobots began to pelt the Decepticons with a hail of laser fire. The firepower collided with Starscream and Thundercracker, causing them to immediately drop to the ground painfully while they were still disorientated. However, Skywarp, at the back of the group avoided the laser blasts, and with enough of his wits, suddenly disappeared!
"Skywarp's teleported!" Optimus Prime called.
"If I'm right, I know where he's going to turn up..." Prowl replied.
Prowl surveyed his surroundings, watching while Jazz continued to pump his music at full volume to further disorientate Starscream and Thundercracker who writhed on the ground. Just then, a prick of light appeared in the air above the Porsche car, and within seconds, the purple light turned into the form of Skywarp who floated above Jazz unknowingly, his arm mounted laser cannons bared as he prepared to fire upon the oblivious Autobot.
"I knew it!" Prowl called.
Just as he had anticipated, the Autobot military strategist had correctly thought Skywarp would appear above Jazz to try and stop him- but Prowl wasn't about to let that happen. He aimed his shoulder mounted missiles towards the black Decepticon, and before Skywarp could strike down his Autobot comrade, Prowl fired off his right missile, which shot through the air, collided with Skywarp and collided in a shower of fire and metal!
"Blast you, Autobot!" Skywarp cried out painfully as he dropped to the ground.
Jazz was taken by surprise from Skywarp dropping to the ground and instinctively, he transformed to his robot mode before he fired his photon rifle at the fallen Decepticon, causing him to roll away over to his Decepticon allies with a smoking wound in his chest. With a slight break from the Autobots' laser fire, Starscream slowly rose to his feet while Thundercracker and Skywarp each took to a knee behind their air commander.
"Had enough?" Jazz asked. "Or do you wanna be spoon fed another pounding?"
"My appetite for destruction won't be satisfied until I destroy you, Autobot!" Starscream snapped back.
"Aw, for crying out loud," a frustrated Cliffjumper hissed at the lack of action. "Let's finish them! Charge!"
"Cliffjumper, stop!" Optimus Prime called.
But Optimus Prime's call was ignored for the little red Autobot, Cliffjumper rushed past Prime, Prowl and Jazz and made a full out run for Starscream. Seeing Cliffjumper's rash action, Starscream grinned and took a step backwards, before he aimed his null ray cannon at the small Autobot and fired a blast of laser fire from it. The purple energy collided with Cliffjumper's chest and immediately, the small Autobot dropped to Starscream's feet with a cry of pain as he was unable to move. The deadly effects of Starscream's null ray were that they would disrupt the flow of electricity in anything mechanical, causing them to become immobile.
"Cliffjumper!" Optimus Prime called out in concern, which was followed by a laugh from Starscream.
"Now then," Starscream began as he crouched forward and picked up Cliffjumper by his ankle. "Will you Autoboobs be so gracious as to allow me to leave with my energon, or will you try to be heroic and cause your friend to meet a grizzly end?"
"I...I didn't anticipate this." Prowl said to Optimus Prime with a look of worry. The unexpected always caused Prowl to become unable to cope with a situation.
"What do we do, boss?" Jazz then asked, also turning to his leader.
"Yes!" Starscream called out, tauntingly. "What will you do, Prime? I'm sure this little one's life means too much to you to simply throw it away in exchange for some energon."
Optimus Prime looked towards Starscream with a look of concern. Cliffjumper was helpless and wide open to a fatal attack from any one of the Decepticons that stood near him. He looked to the energon cubes, and then turned back to Jazz and Prowl, where he ordered them to stand down.
"Prime, we can't let them win just like that!" Jazz pleaded in protest.
"We must think about Cliffjumper's well being." Informed Optimus Prime. "Starscream, we surrender. Return Cliffjumper safely to us, and we'll let you walk away."
"Hm, I think I'd rather keep this little one until the energon is in our possession." Starscream replied. "You shall remain where you are while Thundercracker and Skywarp gather up our bounty."
"Alright, Starscream, you win." Optimus Prime stated. "But, I will do you one better. Ishall personally hand your energon cubes to you."
"Optimus Prime, doing my bidding?!" Starscream cried with a twisted smile on his face. "Ahahaha! Megatron could only dream of that! Very well, Prime, give me my energon!"
Optimus Prime dropped his large laser cannon to the ground, which was so heavy that it caused the concrete under it to buckle. With his blue hands up in the air, Optimus Prime slowly walked away from Jazz and Prowl, and slowly stopped beside the large stack of energon cubes, where he took on of the glowing cubes in his hands. He then looked towards the Decepticons, seeing that while Starscream held Cliffjumper upside down by the foot, Skywarp and Thundercracker stood behind him with their weapons trained on him.
"Here," Optimus called towards Starscream, "catch!"
Starscream looked to see the energon fly through the air towards him. Knowing that if it crashed to the ground it would explode, Starscream tossed Cliffjumper to the floor and stumbled forwards in a panic. The cube landed softly in his held out hands, and Starscream sighed with relief to see the energon cube didn't explode. Seeing Starscream calmly looking to the cube, Optimus Prime then quickly looked towards Jazz.
"Jazz, fire!"
Before the Decepticons could react, the slick Jazz kicked his photon rifle, which lay on the floor, up into the air. In one swift motion, Jazz caught the weapon in his hands, aimed it towards Starscream and fired a blast from it. The laser shot through the air, and Starscream shrieked as the beam of energy collided with the energon cube in his hand, causing the energon cube to erupt in a powerful reaction of exploding energy. A blinding flash and deafening explosion filled the air as Starscream found himself flying through the air, where he crashed into Thundercracker and Skywarp, and all three Decepticons lay prone on the ground.
The flash of light began to die down when Optimus Prime regained his laser cannon and pointed it down towards the three fallen Decepticons. He looked to Starscream, seeing that the Decepticon's chest armour had been torn from his body, leaving sparking circuits and broken gears exposed to the open air. Giving the order, Optimus Prime and the Autobots began to pelt the Decepticons with weapons fire once more, that was so forceful, the Decepticons were pinned down with no hope of fighting back.
"Let's get out of here!" Skywarp cried towards Thundercracker.
"Suits me." Thundercracker replied.
Still being pelted by the Autobots weapons fire as if it were hail stones, Thundercracker and Skywarp slowly rose to their feet. They shielded themselves with their arms as they prepared to take off into the air and retreat, when a voice called out to them- it was the pain filled voice of Starscream.
"Wait, don't go!" Starscream whined. "I cannot move. Take me with you!"
"What do you think?" Skywarp asked to Thundercracker, who turned towards Starscream.
"Megatron will probably punish us if we leave him...Come on, Starscream."
Still being pelted with Autobot fire, Thundercracker scooped Starscream up into his arms, and slowly he rose up into the air to retreat. Skywarp remained on the ground for a few moments longer to fire his own arm mounted machine gun at the Autobots in slight retaliation, before he too lifted off up into the sky, battered and beaten from the encounter.
"Hold your fire." Optimus Prime called towards Jazz and Prowl. "It's over, let them go."
"Haha, alright!" Jazz cried a thumbs up. "The creeps are retreating."
Optimus Prime nodded to Jazz and then walked over to Cliffjumper, who still lay motionless on the ground. The Autobot leader took a knee and inspected Cliffjumper's damage.
"Cliffjumper, are you functional?"
"Yeah, I'm ok..." Cliffjumper softly answered. "I just can't move yet."
"That's the effect of Starscream's null ray," Prowl pointed out. "It will wear off soon, like it did with Prime's arm earlier."
"Yes, you will be fine." Optimus Prime seconded to Cliffjumper. "But you really must learn to control your impulses. Rushing out towards the Decepticons like that almost saw you destroyed."
"Sorry, Optimus," a now humble Cliffjumper said. "I just wanted to take them down."
"Hey, hold on." Jazz then interjected. "Let's not get grim, guys. Cliffjumper's a little banged up, but he'll survive. If he didn't do that daredevil stuff, he wouldn't be our Cliffjumper, would he? We sent the Decepticons off with their tail pipes between their legs, and only one energon cube was destroyed, meaning this airport will get all its jet fuel back."
"I'd call that quite the victory." The softly spoken Prowl said in response.
"I suppose you are right." Optimus Prime agreed after taking Cliffjumper in his arms and standing to his feet. "Our job here is done, for now. We shall take Cliffjumper back to base for repairs and then return here to assist the humans with turning the energon back into the jet fuel they need. Autobots, transform and roll out!"