WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE : HER LADYSHIP
Summers had always been his preferred time of the year. The warm sunlight perfectly complemented his clarity of vision. Even though it was a Sunday and most people were still asleep, oblivious of the dangers around them, Frank Martin was ready as always, dressed in his black suit, sipping on his vintage Cabernet Sauvignon because after all, anytime was a good time for wine. The client had requested him to urgently come to Carson City for a 'dangerous assignment' and Frank, always ready to play with danger, had been punctual as promised.
A man of his word, he did not like lateness, neither in himself nor his clients. 5 more minutes and his client would find that he was gone. Even as he was deducing the identity of those around him by their demeanors, a familiar voice intruded on his train of thoughts.
"I'll have whatever he is having, thank you." Saying so the body belonging to the voice slipped into the seat next to Frank.
"Morning Inspector Tarconi!", greeted Frank, "What brings you here?"
"Urgent work, Frank, some really important and urgent work..." Even as Frank was nodding his head in approval, the inspector continued,"...FOR YOU."
Frank slammed his Bordeaux glass on the counter as the realization dawned on him that his latest client was the inspector himself even as Tarconi, anticipating such a reaction, immediately took out his laptop and opening a presentation continued, "It is an open secret Frank. Every action has it's consequence and if you must keep doing what you do, I need you to finish this job. The heat from your expeditions across the globe are soaring through the roof to levels more than I can handle, and this is the only way the departments will choose to ignore it. It's the 60s, Frank. Times have changed and administrations the world over are aware of some dangerous secrets, which could cause widespread panic if made public. What I am about to tell you must thus remain a secret for as long as we deem necessary."
Frank smiled, "If I drive for you, you must understand something clearly. I like to follow my rules, 'Rule number. 1: Never change the deal', 'Rule 2: No names' and 'Rule 3: Never open the package'. So if you want me to drive for you, you better stop revealing my identity. In professional dealings, I prefer 'The Transporter'. Moreover, a question that obviously begs an answer is 'Why me?' I refuse to believe that the department would entertain any idea of doing me a favour. So, you better stop lying Inspector!"
"You are right. I never could twist your arm into doing something. You got me there.", knowing that his prevarication would not work with Frank, he stated without further delay, "The real reason for me approaching you is that the task I am about to assign you will require a special set of skills which are rare to come by. Our only alternative was the South American Toretto gang, who also would have got the job done, but are notorious for the trail of destruction they leave behind. And as I said secrecy is of utmost importance on this mission. You do know what a secret mission is, am I right?"
"They are the kinds of missions where you get medals but they send them to your relatives.", replied Frank with a radiant smile."So, what's the story?"
"For many years now, an alien race has thrived among us. These beings can transform into various machines as the situation demands. To cut a long story short, they also have their fair share of bad apples, The Decepticons. Seeking ultimate power over Earth, these beings are capable of going to extreme lengths. The Autobots form the nicer half of this race, referred to as The Transformers. Bumblebee, an Autobot, first approached us with some vital information a few years back. However, his story was pretty hard to believe and his real intentions unverifiable until now. Hence, we did the only logical thing to do. We placed him in confinement. He said that he belonged to the future and had escaped through a portal to warn the human race. As per his statements, with mankind's growing dependence on technology, machines are soon going to become self-aware, taking over from us. 'Skynet', for that is what he calls them, shall then join forces with the Decepticons to ensure that the entire human race is wiped out and the 'metallic brethren' then intend to create a planet where they can thrive. Humans, however, do make one last stand, 'The Resistance', under the leadership of one John Connor. Knowing this, the Decepticons and Skynet have often sent their agents , to prevent him from being born. Their repeated attempts had proved unsuccessful and so, this time they have decided to stop 'the Resistance' with the help of Starscream and a Terminator T-800 unit by preventing the birth of John's mother, one Sarah Connor who supposedly rallies humans against the machines in our dystopian future. Now, we did not believe any of this until all the other events predicted by him panned out in the exact same manner over the last few months. He even accurately predicted the rise of the Siegel crime syndicate and the arrival of Howard Hughes. Based on this, we are assuming that the rest of his tale may also be true. As per him, the 'agents from the future' will be arriving now, even as we speak and will attempt to kill Sarah's mother, a pregnant woman called Samantha before she can deliver. Your task is to ensure the safety of the couple till they reach Las Vegas where she is due to give birth to probably the most important woman in history."
"Quite a tale, Inspector! I am a simple man. I stopped listening to your story midway because frankly, it does not matter and I do not like to cloud my mind with unnecessary details.", nodded Frank, his usual charming self.
Smiling, Inspector Tarconi continued, "We will be having decoy cars traveling through all the roads to Las Vegas in the region. Your regular car shall be among these decoys. We thus hope to throw our pursuers off our scent. We have arranged for your car, a Chevy Impala aka Bumblebee. This will give us maximum firepower in case we draw the most attention. I shall accompany you."
Slightly annoyed at being denied the use of his own customized car for this mission, Frank got behind the wheels. Even as they had begun their journey and the posse had split as per plan onto their different routes, Frank and Inspector Tarconi realized that they were being followed. A tough guy on a motorcycle and a fighter jet were both in hot pursuit.
Starscream's infrared heat scanner had picked up Frank's signature. Coordinating with the T-800 unit, both opened fire. Frank drove with great tact, accelerating and changing lanes furiously. However, nothing worked. Suddenly, after he had crossed a long bridge, Frank braked causing the T-800 to crash into the Chevy, causing it severe damage. The fighter jet overshot them and had to turn back.
Meanwhile, both Frank and the Inspector had stepped out of the car, guns blazing. Bumblebee transformed and battled with Starscream, who too regained his original metallic framework for the brawl. They punched, kicked and knocked the other out often with resounding blows that resembled the clap of thunder. Ultimately, Bumblebee, with a grievous neck injury that ensured that his vocal cords were scarred forever, grew furious and ended the long drawn-out fight by impaling Starscream on a tree, immobilizing him.
The Inspector and Frank's heavy firepower had successfully managed to push the T-800 on the back-foot and off the bridge.
'I will be back' had been his last words. Bumblebee resumed his Chevy Impala form and the trio made good progress but soon enough, the T-800 was back. Frank decided to face his opponent once and for all. With the help of Inspector Tarconi's accurate shooting, Frank's smart fighting techniques and Bumblebee's sheer brute power, the T-800 ultimately met it's end too amidst much gore.
The remaining drive was uneventful. As the posse reunited at Centennial Hills Hospital, Frank was informed by the inspector that his customized car had been used to drive Samantha by her husband. All the cars had 2 occupants to fool the heat signature detectors of Starscream. They had assumed that Frank would be with the lady but even after they discovered that it was the Inspector accompanying him, the T-800 continued pursuing Frank in the hope that at the end, Frank would lead him directly to the lady. However, all issues had been taken care of.
Soon afterwards, Frank disappeared somewhere into the city of Las Vegas. With it's vibrant nightlife and shady streets, it was impossible to track him. He had done his job and that was all that mattered.