Characters: Moonracer, Skywarp
Notes: Human AU. It's still set on Cybertron, but the planet is less metallic and more earth-like. You know, with forests and such.
The Female Autobots in this are kind of based off of the French Maquis' guerrilla warfare set in mountainous forests (berets and all XD)
Transformers © Hasbro
A throb of lightning overhead sent the murky sky into a brief sheet of luminescence; layers of dirty grey and mauve clouds smearing its every inch. Moonracer gave an involuntary jerk at the clap of thunder that followed. She furrowed her brows.
'That was definitely 2 seconds. The storm is getting closer'
Tightening its strap, she swung the rifle over her shoulder and slipped down from her perch atop a mossy boulder. She shuddered at the biting sensation of ice-cold liquid seeping through her boots, wading onwards through saturated vegetation.
The rain seemed to fill every inch of free air, striking at her exposed face and neck in large icy pellets and drowning out all other sounds in a hissing downpour. She gripped and tugged down her beret, securing it against the gales. While the forest's thick tree frames did work as windbreakers, sly torrents of frosty wind still managed to slither through their leaves and branches, under her uniform and pinch at her skin.
No sooner had this thought surfaced did a freezing surge of air rise up and embrace her. She drew a shuddering breath of chilly air while her shoulders tensed and drew up.
Another strike of light from above brought a meek flinch from her. She huffed out a puff of white air and took a sloppy step forwards, resuming her wet and dark course back to base.
'What's that sound…?'
Brown eyes fluttered skyward, blinking back droplets of rain coagulated in dark lashes. The sound of something new….something that at first seemed to be nothing more than approaching drums of thunder, soon developed an unhealthy and unquestionably manmade droning splutter. Moonracer was no engineer, but she knew the sound of a dying engine when she heard one.
She instinctively dove for cover at a sudden flare of light that filled the void above the treetops. It passed by overheard and was gone the next second.
Without thought or purpose the young soldier pelted after it, the cold and wet temporarily forgotten. She jumped and dove under tree branch and earth mound, clumsily clamouring up wet muck slopes and stumbling over protruding tree roots.
Another guttural chug from above caught her attention, looking up just in time to see the flaming tail-end of the aircraft disappear and a trail of powder grey smoke billowing in its wake. With renewed vigour she increased her pace, pushing through a tall garrigue bush. The shrub was large, it's leaves and branches continuing on for a good ten paces before she stumbled out of it.
Moonracer drew in a sharp lungful of crisp night air and skidded to a clumsy stop. The ground just ahead of her feet crumbled away and gave a clear view of the long and dark slope below; its slick, mucky expanse dipping and inclining into the next valley.
Her torso tipped back and forwards, arms flailing in a desperate bid to regain her balance. Unfortunately the added weight coupled with drenched ground was too much for the overhang to support. With no more than a warning jerk of the earth beneath her feet, the ledge gave out and sent the soldier tumbling down, a fraught cry and rain of sodden earth following after.
She yelped and cursed, eventually coming to a forgiving stop atop a soft patch of mossy earth. Her head snapped back up when a booming metallic wail rent the air. She awkwardly scrambled upright and kicked off in its direction.
The jet's lower region was completely torn off. Looking up she saw the tail-end was caught, still smoking, in the tree-tops strong web of branches. She spared a moment to stare in awe at the machine. Moonracer had seen many aircraft before, but never torn and battered like this one was. Another crackle and pop from the flaming wing brought her back into attentiveness. Dirt caked boots jumped down from the small mound and splattered into the shallow puddles surrounding the craft.
Its hatch, she soon realised, was quite out of her line of vision; the glass beginning just a head and a half over her own. She sighed out a small puff of white air and scrambled for leverage. Eventually managing to secure her foot over a wheel-well and sling her arm across the jets front window, gloved fingers gripping at a small incline.
Inside the hatch a flickering holo-console gave the pilot's frame a dreary red outline. Her eyes narrowed in focus. Whoever they were they seemed to be unconscious.
Uncertain of what to do next, she rapped the thick glass with her fist. No reaction.
A sharp slap of thunder overhead sent the sniper slipping back with a yelping squelch into the mud. She groaned and quickly freed herself from the slop, already feeling the freezing moisture seeping through her clothes and stinging her skin.
She froze up when a new sound slipped into the myriad already present. Coughing? Human coughing?
Widened eyes snapped to her far right. She gazed in shock at what could only be the pilot. Then looked back to the ships hatch…It was still shut. How had he-?
A pained gag gripped her attention.
"Guh! A little help here would be nice!" A guy, well that figures. Moonracer hastily sloshed through the gradually deepening puddles and knelt by his side.
"Are you alright?" He still had his thick dark helmet on, reflective visor and plastic gathering beads of rain. He gave a throaty laugh.
"Well, considering I just crashed from over 300 feet ….yeah, I'd say I'm doing pretty good. Help me get this thing off would'ya?" He indicated the release strap at the back of his helmet.
"Ugh, sure" Moonracer moved behind him. It took a few moments of clumsy fumbling before she got it; her thick gloves certainly made the cold weather that much more bearable, unfortunately at the expense of being able to perform dexterous tasks, such as gripping a simple release strap.
The pilot breathed a sigh as the hot leather of the helmets insides gave way to a gush of replenishing wind and welcoming cool water.
"Much better" he muttered, raising a gloved hand to muss up his hair matted down from the helmets confines.
"Are you injured?" She noticed how he kept one arm firmly grasped around his mid-section. Bruised ribs? Well he'd certainly be lucky if that was the worst he had. She'd heard enough stories of pilots whose remains were unable to be salvaged due to the extremity of their crash.
"Nothing I can't handle" he grumbled, staring into the ground ahead of his feet. After a moment of patient silence Moonracer decided to act.
"I can help you back to base if you want"
"Huh?" he asked, finally looking up to her.
"Base? You know, where they can tend to your injuries" She let her eyes fall on the patch of his uniform where the insignia should be displayed. Too caked in mud to make out, but a vague outline was there. "It's about a day's trek from here, but I know these forests pretty well so it shouldn't be a problem" she added with some pride.
The pilot stared at her for a moment, eyes briefly flickering to her Autobot arm band. His expression was momentarily unreadable.
"Base…" he mumbled. "You mean….Autobot base?"
She quirked an expression that basically read 'well duh'.
"Ugh, yeah. Where else would we go?" she quipped. His brows knotted slightly.
"Nowhere I can think of" His eyes drifted back to his own shoulder, experimentally rolling it to check for damage. "So…" he casually began, leaning back on his hands and fixing his gaze back to her. "You got a name?"
"Moonracer" she replied, eyes fluttering skyward. "We should find some shelter, the storms almost right on top of us" She stood up, offering him a hand. He shrugged it off, instead electing to laboriously shift and grunt upright. Moonracer watched in concern. "Your ribs alright?"
He uttered a noncommittal grunt, one hand resting on said area. She frowned slightly.
"I think I might have some bandages in my pack, but we should get some shelter first. Wait out the storm"
The pilot looked up and scanned the area. "Like where?" Moonracer was unable to suppress an amused grin.
"You're not a very outdoorsy guy are you?" She giggled at the irked scowl he sent her. "Relax fly-boy, I know this territory. There's a cave just beyond that group of trees" She quirked her head in said direction and led the way towards it. He huffed before grudgingly following after her, only to dither when a sharp gale of wind whipped at his back.
"Damn, its cold!" She looked back at him in amusement.
"Just realising it now?"
"How can you stand it?!"
She shrugged a red clad shoulder. "I guess I'm just sort of used to it" He snorted.
"I don't see how anyone could get used t- SHIT!" He cursed loudly as his foot plunged into a knee deep pool of muck. "Aww, crap!" Moonracer bit down the giggle threatening to escape and offered him her hand once again.
He glared petulantly up at her for a moment, but this time huffily accepted it.
"So what was your name again?"
Skywarp looked up from sulking into the campfire, papery thin blanket tightly gripped around his shoulders. Moonracer was currently wringing out her still dribbling hair, brunette curls springing into life from the fires heat.
"Skywarp" he absently replied, almost instantly hearing the ingrained voice of Starscream erupting in his mind.
Stupid moronic fool! Idiotic dumbass! Why not just show your insignia and be done with it you retard?!
He risked a sidelong glance at her, but detected no hostile reaction and let his shoulders relax a little; though a small part of him was slightly piqued. Why shouldn't she know his name? He's just as much of a menace to the skies as Starscream or Thundercracker!
The pilot returned to his silent broodings, eyes boring into the dancing flames. He hated rain. He hated the outdoors. He hated the cold. But together they merged into one colossal, persistently biting pain in the ass.
What he'd give to be back at Tyger Pax. The heat, the girls, the beaches, the bars, the girls, the flight practices, the girls: essentially, all Skywarp really required in life.
A ruffling hiss caught his attention. Dark eyes looked up to see Moonracer opening a packet of energon infused pastries. He felt his stomach constrict on itself and scowled when its demand became audible. Moonracer looked up.
"Hungry?" He would have snapped back an 'obviously' or at least glowered at her for good measure, but if she was to believe his Autobot farce he needed to act appropriately.
Donning a benevolent grin he chirped, "Yes p-pl…" He gagged. "please" The girl furrowed dark brows.
"Ok…You know you don't have to ask in such a creepily cheerful way. It's not like I'm going to let you starve if you're an ass to me" she muttered, tossing a cake his way. He caught it, grin dropping and giving way to a tired frown.
He grunted a meaningless noise in response, eagerly sinking his teeth into the soft dough and tasting the sweet energon filling. It took him less than a minute before he was looking up again in the hopes of another being tossed his way.
Moonracer held her half-finished one, staring at him in mild surprise.
"Damn, when's the last time you ate?" She reluctantly tossed him another, leaving only three in the packet. Each cake was meant sate a grown man for at least three hours, but this guy must be used to eating a lot more. He mumbled something indiscernible from the stuffing in his mouth. She sighed, tucking away the remains before he got the opportunity to ask for more.
"You guys must be used to eating pretty well back at Iacon eh?" she muttered, tone more tired than bitter, though the suggestion was there. Again, all that garnered her was more incoherent, dough muted slobberings. She rose from her makeshift rock-chair and ambled over to the cave's opening. "Looks like the storms going to be clear come morning" she noted.
Skywarp, having fully devoured every morsel of the cake, craned his neck in an attempt to see without relinquishing his mossy cushion. He quickly gave up, flopping back into a reclining position and deciding to take her word for it. He was fed, partially dry, warmer, and tired as hell.
"We can start heading back to base once the clouds clear" The mumble was so quiet and his eyelids so heavy Skywarp almost let that statement pass without issue. Luckily, Starscream's obstinately present chidings were etched so deeply into his cranium that the Seeker found himself bolting up as though physically whacked by the Air Commander, his fatigue washed clear.
"Base?" he nervously questioned.
"Uhm, yeah" Moonracer pivoted around to face him. "Autobot base, like I said earlier. Remember?" She tiredly dropped herself onto a small patch of dry earth. "How else would you expect to let the guys back at Iacon know you're still alive? They'll need to send out a transport to get you back, file damage report and all that stuff" She waved her hand idly, clearly too tired to care for the logistics of it.
"But…I can't go there"
"Why not?" She gazed curiously at him. He faltered.
"Ugh…well um…because…"
The Seeker fumbled desperately for something, anything to get him out of this. Just because this girl wasn't informed enough to know him didn't mean the rest of the Female Autobots were just as ignorant. And even if he managed to trick them, the second Iacon hears his name he'd be as good as dead. They'd probably send over those Seeker knock-off Aerialbots to-
And there it was. Hope.
Skywarp donned as close a severe look he could muster.
"I can't go because I'm on an assignment" He inwardly applauded the grave tone he formulated. In truth being a good actor was being a good liar, and a good liar he was; not as good as Starscream, but better than Thundercracker anyway. Moonracer stared.
"What assignment?"
"I'm an Aerialbot. I came here to meet up with a…um, an informant in one of the towns nearby"
"Which one?"
Huh, maybe she wasn't as gullible as he'd first thought.
"The one with the giant clock-tower and…big red manor" He recalled the topography he'd passed over before his unanticipated landing. Moonracer seemed to be less than placated, brows furrowed in clear scepticism.
Seeing no alternative, Skywarp tried a different approach. "Listen, you can take me back to base and call up Iacon if you want, but in that time my informant will have come and left" He paused to let the message sink in before delivering the finishing touch, "So unless you want dozens of lives to be put at stake, I suggest you help me get to the village"
Moonracer gazed searchingly at him for a long moment. She then exhaled heavily, rubbing her face.
"Ok"
Skywarp blinked in mild surprise, but kept his 'professional face' fixed.
"Ok?"
"Ok" She looked back up at him, eyes tired. "But it's going to be a good four days journey from here and definitely not easy"
Skywarp inwardly groaned. Four days in this piece of shit forest? Just kill him now…
Outwardly he merely nodded and muttered a brief, "Thanks" before laying back.
Moonracer huffed out a sigh, flopping back into a reclining position against the soft earth and turning on her side.
"Get some sleep" she mumbled. "You'll need all the energy you can get for tomorrow"
Skywarp was already out like a light before she'd even finished her sentence.
A/N: To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure if I'm gonna continue this =/ The idea intrigued me so I wrote it. And I kind of have the plot worked out, but what I'm lacking is the motivation. I wrote this ages ago and it's just been sitting on my desktop for so long I figured I may as well post it :shrugs:
The way I see it, with human AU's they can either be done right or wrong. I'm not sure whether I managed to do justice here =B Feel free to let me know if it's nothing but a piece of crapola =3 I'd much rather know now than after having written half the story.