Virtual Valor, All Are Not Created Equal
VIRTUAL VALOR
Chapter 1
It was, according to Spike Witwicky, a perfect summer day. Clear blue sky overhead, an ever-so-slight breeze, and a roaring sun bathing the land below in its warmth. The last several days had been unusually quiet when it came to Decepticon activity. A sense of concern filled most of the Autobot ranks, as they both quietly and verbally wondered what their sworn enemies were up to. But some of the Autobots saw the break in action as a chance to unwind and partake in some leisure activities. Bumblebee, perhaps the greatest espionage agent ever to wear the Autobot insignia, had left the confines of the Ark along with Spike and Carly. Spike was Bumblebee's human best friend, while Carly was the apple of Spike's eye. They had talked him into taking them to a nearby swimming hole. Others chose to remain at the Ark and practice their marksmanship.
"You'll never make it," the pessimistic Gears stated. He and a handful of other mini-bots had gathered around to watch Brawn and Warpath show each other up. Brawn steadied his hand and took aim at the makeshift target several meters in front of him. "You're looking too high, lower your arch," Gears finished.
Brawn tried hard to ignore the distraction, and refused to reply. A few seconds later, Brawn pulled the trigger on his weapon. The laser soared several inches above its hoped destination and took out a small chunk of rock from the hill behind it. "Told ya' you'd never make it," Gears sighed. "Nobody listens to me."
The burly Autobot lowered his weapon in self-disgust and turned towards his heckler. "Slag it, Gears! Be quiet!"
Warpath playfully shoved Brawn aside and prepared to take his own shot. "Watch and learn," he boated. A couple of the onlookers, namely Cliffjumper and Bluestreak- a fierce Autobot warrior and legendary gunner respectively- lost interest in the contest and set off to find something else to occupy their time.
Warpath zeroed in on the target and managed to gain a direct hit. "Blam!" he shouted. "Bullseye!" The crowd of viewers offered a polite round of applause, earning them a stern look from Brawn. He shook his head and threw up his arms. "What's wrong, Brawn?" Warpath chuckled. "Can't accept the fact I'm better than you?"
Brawn scoffed at such an absurd statement. "So you know how to fire a gun, so what?" It's not a 'gun', it's a tank barrel, Warpath thought defensively.Brawn could hear whispers from the gathered Autobots, and quickly thought of a new challenge to save him from losing any more stature among his peers. "What matters most is ones toughness, ones strength." He spotted an old, broken down shuttlecraft and made his way towards it. Feeling the optics of everyone there following his steps, he put on an incredible display of power and lifted the shuttle high into the air. Using only one arm, he smiled as he effortlessly held the object over his head. Pausing for dramatic effect, he let the shuttle crash to the ground and called out to Warpath. "Try this one, dirt-hugger!"
Warpath stood in awe of Brawn's tremendous power, knowing he couldn't match the feat. Never one to refuse a challenge, however, he confidently made his way towards the shuttle. His body grew tense in anticipation of the strain about to overtake his circuits. As the onlookers watched in silence, he placed his hands on the object and got a solid grip. Letting out a ferocious groan, he managed to lift the shuttle, with both hands, to his chest. Despite giving it everything he had, the object refused to go any higher. Fearing damage to his personal integrity, Warpath let the item drop to the ground with a thunderous crash. "Big deal," Warpath retaliated. "That doesn't prove a thing!"
Now it was Brawn's turn to take a playful jab at his fellow mini-bot. "Actually," Brawn smiled, "It proves you're weak!" His optics scanned the audience around him, noticing several half-smirks and a couple full-blown grins. "Weak, weak, and weak."
Warpath was put in a position to defend his honor, so he called upon what was left of his ego and stepped directly in front of his tormentor. "I'd rather be weak," he stated proudly, "than blind!" A collective chorus of "ooh's" and "ahh's" escaped from the bystanders.
Brawn, not one to control his impulses, shoved Warpath back several steps and said nothing. The light-hearted mood was quickly changing. Warpath, both shocked and enraged, returned the gesture. Brawn staggered much less than Warpath, but the point had been made. This contest had gotten out of hand.
"You pushed me!" Brawn roared.
"You pushed me first!" Warpath responded.
Brawn paused and thought of a quick insult. He decided upon "Poor sport!" and added another shove for the exclamation point. Warpath did the same, a name and then a shove. It went back and forth for several seconds.
"Brute!" Warpath shouted.
"Waste of energon!" Brawn responded.
"Fuel-guzzler!" bellowed Warpath.
"Slag for brains!" Brawn retaliated.
"Gobot!" Warpath smiled. Checkmate.
The last one struck a nerve with Brawn. "That does it," he snapped. He burst forward violently and grabbed Warpath by the throat. "You're scrap!"
A gruff, familiar voice called out from a short distance away. "Stand down!" Neither Warpath nor Brawn reacted, forcing Ironhide to get involved physically. "Something wrong with your audio receptors?" he asked, pulling the two apart. "I said stand down!"
The Autobot security officer turned his gaze towards the crowd of observers. "All right, everyone beat it!" Seeing them begin to disperse, he returned his attention to the culprits. "You two- Jazz's office- five minutes." Warpath and Brawn, seemingly returning to their more reasonable selves, looked at each other with a puzzled expression.
"Jazz?" Brawn asked. "Where's Prime?"
Ironhide didn't appreciate being questioned, and his tone reflected his aggravation.
"On a mission!" he answered. "Jazz's office- five minutes," Ironhide repeated. "Move!"