Chapter 001: Opening Moves
Captain William "Wild Bill" Lennox watched his men through slitted eyes. Jorge Figueroa was going on about not being able to wait for some sort of Cajun dish his mama made. Lennox knew that his men couldn't wait for the transport leaving in two days because he couldn't wait either. All of them were spending quite a lot of time being maudlin and thinking about their loved ones at home. Given half the chance Epps would flash the photo of his little girls to anyone who showed even mild interest. Just then Fig launched into a tirade in Spanish that finally roused Lennox out of his reverie. "English! How many times have we got to tell you man, none of us speaks Spanish?"
Fig launched into another tirade that made Lennox roll his eyes. "Fine whatever." he muttered.
"Hey, anyone else miss lazy afternoons? Sox at Fenway with a hot dog and a flat beer?"
Fig smiled. "Perfect day. Eh, you got a perfect day Captain?"
Lennox gave a crooked grin. "I just can't wait to hold my baby girl for the first time." The others started to make "aw" and cooing sounds. "Shut up!"
The helicopter landed not much later on the pad. Lennox hoisted his tired body up and made his way down with the rest of his team. His muscles ached and not for the first time he wondered what crazy incident in his childhood had led him to become a career soldier. If he'd done what his family had wanted and become a nice accountant like his dad or maybe a police officer like his brother he'd be sitting at home right now playing with his baby girl.
As Lennox went through his routine, he mentally shook his head. Nah, he was too suited to the job. He was one of those rare people who made a good soldier and realized it. The military needed every person they could get, so he'd stick around. Fortunately, Sarah understood. She hated it, but she understood.
The thought of his wife brought a smile to his lips. He'd get to see her beautiful face soon. Epps saw the silly grin that Lennox had on his face. "Hot date Captain?"
Lennox turned his grin on his buddy. "Yeah."
Epps smiled. "Tell Sarah I said hi."
"You know, once we go on leave, you really have to meet 'er."
"And you'll have to meet my Monique. Something tells me that they'll enjoy each other's company."
The men parted ways as Lennox went off to relax for a bit before his date with the webcam. He sat down and pulled out his personal log. He began to write just as one of the local boys came running over. "Lennox!"
"Heya Mahfouz!" he greeted.
"Some water?" the boy asked.
"Sure. Wanna help me with some of this stuff?"
The afternoon passed pleasantly as he waited for his turn. When it finally came, Lennox walked into the tent that housed the laptop that the troops used to web chat with their families. "Is she on?" he asked the tech.
Before he could answer, Sarah's beautiful face flashed onto the screen. Lennox grinned. "My ladies!"
Sarah smiled at him. It was her serene, joyful smile that made him think of a Madonna. Lennox's grin turned into an answering smile. Oh, but she definitely wasn't a saint . . .
He remembered the day that they'd met. She was a college girl and he was just back in town on leave. They'd met at a party given by one of his father's work friends. Will still remembered the way she'd laughed when he'd asked if she was single. For a moment he thought she'd shoot him down, but instead she'd told him her phone number and told him that she was partial to Chinese.
"I can't wait for you to come home. Annabelle laughed."
He chuckled. "She did?"
"Yeah, her very first one." Sarah replied.
"You sure she didn't just fart?"
Sarah giggled. "No, she's a lady." Annabelle began to cry. "She doesn't know you yet, but she will." Sarah bounced the baby, quieting her.
Lennox smiled, paternal pride and love coalescing in his heart. "Babe -" Before he could finish his sentence, the connection began to grow fuzzy and distorted. He realized he was losing her. "Baby, don't worry, I love you and I'll be home soon!"
The connection cut off right on Sarah's stricken face. Lennox growled, and felt a chill run up his spine. Something about her face and the abrupt disconnect disquieted him. He walked out into the twilight, wondering what was up with the internet. That was when he saw the hoopla over on the helipad. He was squinting at it when he saw the sight that would utterly change his life.
He witnessed Blackout's transformation.
Captain William Lennox was frozen in place. His terrified brain could barely process what was happening. It was at least a full fifteen seconds before he realized that what ever the hell this thing was, it wasn't friendly. He turned and ran flat out for his tent and for his men. He saw Epps and Fig marshalling the men and getting ready. Lennox turned back and watched as the metal behemoth ripped into the command center.
That was when Lennox saw the man. He was tall, probably hovering around six feet, five. He was dressed in some sort of futuristic armor, and it took a few seconds and a bright flash before Lennox realized that the armor looked exactly like the armor of the robot currently on a rampage. Epps took that moment to shove a gun into his hands.
"Come on, we've got to help em over there!" Lennox cried.
"Are you insane?!" Epps replied. "Look at that thing! It's rippin' into tanks for Chrissakes! We've got to get out of here!"
Lennox pushed his friend to the side as they both dodged a flying Hummer. Lennox glanced back at the demolished vehicle. "I think you may have something." He gestured to his men. " Come on! We're out of here!"
Unbeknownst to him, the towering monstrosity and the strange man known as Blackout noticed the small group. The rest of the humans were running without any idea what they were going to do, but this group looked cohesive. They could possibly be a threat to him. He made his way to them, tossing tanks and trucks out of his way.
Fig saw him coming. "Captain!"
Lennox turned, but it was Epps who was grabbed by the armored man. Epps struggled and kicked to no avail. The armored man grinned evilly. "Pathetic things." he muttered. "It's almost a blessing that I kill you."
Lennox examined the armor quickly. The only part that looked remotely vulnerable was the mask. The stranger's mouth area was only covered by a plate of glass. Lennox hesitated for a moment. If he shot the mask, he might accidentally injure Epps. He finally squeezed the trigger.
Epps found himself laying on his back. He scrambled up and realized that the strange man was also laying on his back. The glass part of the strange battle mask was cracked, and Epps could see the bullet. He realized that he was lucky as all get out. The bullet had struck at just the angle to lodge the bullet rather than have it ricochet. As he scrambled up he cast a look at his comrade. Later, much later, he would chew out Lennox. Right now he was grateful for his life.
The group of Army Rangers sprinted out of the field of tanks that they'd taken cover in just in time. A great blast of energy knocked them all flat, but sent the tanks flying through the air. Lennox panted as he watched them drop to the ground not far from where he and Mahfouz lay. Whatever the hell this thing was, it was powerful.
And he had never been more terrified in his entire life.
Blackout-Companion snarled in rage as he climbed to his feet. The damn human had shot him. Fortunately, the bullet had lodged in his mouth plate, but he could taste the blood from where the glass had cut his lips. Damn insects. He couldn't wait until his leader rose up so that they could slaughter them all like their pathetic cattle.
As his Companion strode back towards his Handler two sets of optical sensors, one composed of soft tissues and the other of silicon reflectors took in the carnage. He did not take pleasure in it, and truth to tell he had never really enjoyed the aftermath of a good battle. The battles themselves, oh yes. The clean up, no. He hated seeing the once beautiful blood and Energon laying sullenly all over the ground and the bodies of the broken.
Doubly damning was the fact that he had failed. His mission objective had been to retrieve the files on Megatron from the United States database. Frenzy and Barricade's initial reports had indicated that it was possible that the supposedly powerful human nation harbored their leader deep within the bowels of its bureaucracy. His Companion's lips curled again at the thought that he would have to report in the failure, and that Frenzy, of all the damn mechs, would probably take the glory.
What was worse, those two fuckin' humans weren't among the dead. He'd set off one last huge blast hoping to get them, but they must have gotten away. "Scorponok."
The small arachnid robot and his human sized scorpion Companion clambered down from Blackout-Handler's back. The acknowledgment to Blackout's command flashed in the Decepticon's mind. "Hunt down those humans. Kill them."
Scorponok sent his telepathic acknowledgment and scuttled off to complete the task. He would gladly rip into the pathetic humans even without an order from his Chosen, but this was probably going to be his earliest chance to really rip into some humans. Starscream had forbidden wholesale slaughter until they found Megatron. Even though the humans were pathetically weak, in their Lord's weakened state - for he could only be weakened if they humans had him prisoner and he'd never ally himself with them - it was possible the humans might hide him from his loyal followers. Or at least that was the shit that Starscream had spewed. Either way, Scorponok was bound and determined to enjoy this.
Blackout-Handler transformed and his Companion disengaged his armor as he approached the helicopter. The metal slithered around his body until it all was contained within his gauntlets, boots, and backpack. He slid into the pilot's seat and lifted off. Time to go report in to Starscream. He was not looking forward to this at all.
Samuel James Witwicky had one major goal: to get a girl. Not just any Jane, Sarah, or Brittany, but one specific girl. Mikaela Banes.
He still remembered the first time he realized that he'd liked girls. It was his seventh grade science class, and he was watching Mikaela give a presentation on frogs. The light from the Power Point was shining on her face and he realized that her lips were utterly fascinating. His crush had lasted for years, right up until now. He couldn't help glancing up at her as he spread his materials out. He had to make an A so that he could get that car. He needed a car in order to help win her.
Of course, he knew that it was probably a futile effort. She was currently dating the star of Tranquility High's football team, the ever popular Trent Sanders. It would take a miracle to get her to look at him . . .
"So, for my genealogy project I did my great-great grandfather, Captain Archibald Witwicky . . ."
He thought it had gone well until his teacher had dropped the bomb. "I'd say it was a solid B minus."
"But sir! That was a quality report!" Sam protested. No, no, no! He needed this A!
"You were hawking your grandfather's crap!" his teacher shot back.
"Sir, please, I really need an A. My dad told me that if I brought him two thousand dollars and two As I could get a car. Please sir. Don't you remember your first car?" Sam pleaded.
His teacher's eyes grew misty at the memory.
Moments later Sam was dashing out of the building triumphantly holding the slip of paper with a red A- scrawled on it. He didn't pay enough attention to where he was going until it was too late. He slammed into a person standing next to the entrance of the school. They both went down, but Sam was quick on his feet. "Man, I am so sorry!"
The boy sat up slowly. Sam couldn't really see the guy's face because of the hood of his sweatshirt, but he could see his eyes. They were an electric blue, and strangely piercing. Sam felt the hairs at the nape of his neck stand on end. The boy stood up, and Sam realized that the guy was probably a little bit older than he was, maybe in his early twenties. "Dude, I'm really sorry."
The guy nodded, his blue eyes never leaving Sam's face. He made a gesture with his hands, but Sam had no idea what it was. The guy repeated the gesture, and Sam realized that he was using sign language. Sam shook his head and mouthed "I don't speak sign language."
The guy looked around and then pulled down his hood. His skin was pale and his hair coal black. He had weird tattoos covering his rounded face. There were two black lines that if viewed from the front appeared to be completely straight even over the dips of his eyes and mouth. On his cheeks were yellow stripes that angled along his jaw line. He pointed to his ears and smiled, showing strong, white teeth. From the glimpse he got of them, Sam could swear that the young man's canines were slightly larger than normal.
The guy pointed to his throat and shook his head. Sam frowned, and the boy repeated his gestures. Then the proverbial light bulb went off. "Oh! You're not deaf, you're mute."
The boy nodded vigorously. He made the gesture he'd used earlier and mouthed "It is okay."
"Well, still, I'm sorry I mowed you down." Sam heard a car horn. "And that's my dad, so I gotta go. Nice meeting you!" Sam hurried off, his excitement causing him to completely forget about the strange boy. He was finally getting a car!
Sam was now convinced that he was not actually going to acquire a car. Bobby Bolivia's was full of Grade A junkers, and the car he stood in front of was just one of many dingy rat traps on the lot. He sighed and turned around. It was then that he spot two spots of yellow in the sea of blue and rust-red.
He walked over to them and examined the yellow VW Bug and the very vintage Camaro. Neither one was actually that bad, but Sam slid his hands along the Camaro. It was old and beat up, but at least it had racing stripes. Compared to the other junkers, he'd make do.
"I like this one." he said to his dad.
Ron Witwicky glanced over at Bobby Bolivia. "How much?"
"Well, taking into account the semi-classic nature and the custom paintjob - five grand."
"I ain't paying over four."
Sam sighed. Of course the one car on the entire lot that he actually wanted would be out of his reach. He opened his mouth to try to cajole Bolivia when he heard the beginnings of a high pitched whine. He hit the deck as the whine turned into a sonic blast. He glanced up as the windshields and windows of every single car on the lot exploded. The shards of glass caught the light of the afternoon sun and were beautiful as they danced through the air. The twinkling sound they made as they hit the ground was just as pretty.
Bobby Bolivia got up and brushed himself off gingerly. He looked around the lot with a dazed look on his face. He turned to Ron. "Four thousand."
Sam grinned as his dad walked into the dealer office to sign all the necessary papers and such. He took a moment to actually get into his car. He liked the sound of that. His car. He shifted around in the driver's seat and smiled. Yeah, this felt right, just like all the bull that Bolivia had spewed about cars choosing the driver. Maybe the crack pot had something going there.
He took a moment to savor the feel of the seats and of the wheel. It was then that he noticed that the wheel had some sort of marking on the center. He rubbed away some gritty dust to reveal a strange marking. It was a stylized, stern, red face. Sam stared at it, frowning. He guessed it was a customizer's mark, but for the life of him he couldn't think of a time he'd ever seen it before. Maybe it was from some small time operation.
Sam slid out of the car and turned to meet his dad. He did a double take. Across the street he glimpsed the boy from school. Their eyes met again and the boy gave Sam an almost imperceptible nod. Sam blinked and walked over to the dealer's office. When he turned to look back again, the boy was gone.
Bumblebee-Companion watched the boy walk into the office. The spur-of-the-moment plan had gone off without a hitch, and for the first time in awhile Bee felt a spurt of hope. After a year on this planet, he had a clue to follow. This boy had the glasses that he'd seen on eBay, and he had to get to them before Barricade and his crony Frenzy did.
He'd only discovered the glasses a week ago, and the plan had formed when his heightened hearing had picked up that Sam Witwicky was buying a car. It had been a nearly perfect opportunity. Now, his Handler would be in the perfect position to protect Witwicky until Optimus and the other Autobots arrived. It would be awesome if he could insinuate his Companion into Sam's life as well.
Bee-Companion smiled as he walked into a store. Sam Witwicky had a cute ass, for a being that had no Handler. It was just unfortunate that the human boy wasn't at least bisexual like Bee was. He walked over to the frozen dinner aisle and grabbed a box of Hot Pockets. He walked to the check out and paid in cash. He'd discovered quickly that there were plenty of under the table jobs available in some of the seedier garages where his advanced knowledge of mechanics made him invaluable. He was currently renting an apartment over the garage where he worked. The rent was halved, but so was his pay. At least he had some cash from his stint of living in his Handler.
Bumblebee-Companion walked out of the store with his dinner. He knew that he needed at least ten of these Hot Pockets things to satisfy his hunger, but it was all he could really afford right now. He'd just have to pop more of those vitamins and hope that he could scrounge enough to get a few steaks. He knew that if he kept up a diet of high fat foods he would squeak by until the others got here. His Companion was in need of a really good meal. However, he estimated that he had at least another month before his dietary situation became dire. Fortunately, his Maximal, Spike, could hunt for his food in the woods outside of Tranquility.
That reminded him, he needed to go out and see Spike. He'd kept contact with his Maximal to a minimum so that local authorities wouldn't be alerted. Spike wasn't completely strange looking - the Earth creatures called "mountain lions" shared a marked resemblance with him - but Bee knew that humans would freak if they saw the white and gold cat creature. They would think he was some sort of genetic freak or a danger to the people in the area, both of which were the furthest things from the truth. Spike was a very typical marsh-runner and he would never harm a human without just cause. Of course, the humans were still very egocentric so even if they ruled a creature's attack necessary they would still punish the creature.
Despite all the hard ships, Bee felt light hearted. He was blessed with a cheery disposition, but even his circumstances had begun to dim it. Now, he had a reason to sing, even though he no longer possessed vocal chords.
