Hope you all enjoy! Please review and tell me what you think!
Bad Company- Bad Company
11/12/09
On a throne of stone and soil he sat, resting his battled, mechanical form as multiple tiny cons encircled his head, trying to repair the damage done by Optimus Prime just a few months ago. It did not matter to him where on this rock of a planet he was located; all that matter to him was that he could recover in peace, and that he wouldn't be able to see any of the primal species he had hoped to have by now dominated and destroyed.
Months flew by as quickly as minutes to ones as ancient as Megatron, making the pain of his gross defeat still fresh in his mind, as if it were yesterday. He couldn't see how the Autobots had bested him once more. He had The Fallen on his side, yet Optimus Prime destroyed him. He had killed Optimus Prime, yet he was revived. It seemed as if the whole universe was conspiring against him. He was so close, so painfully close… How could he have failed…
"AAAAH!" he thundered rabidly, the recollections of his failure causing his angry outburst. Some of the tiny bots working on his head fell to the ground and squealed, only adding to his annoyance, staring them down and growling at them. Some of them tried to climb back up to his injuries and continue their work, but some stayed on the ground, too scared to attempt it.
Some distance away in the sky, a Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor flew towards Megatron's resting place, making its presence known by a loud wind sound following it. The plane suddenly began to dip dangerously, causing it to descend towards the ground in the Decepticon leader's direction. He didn't even flinch. He knew very well who it was.
Only yards from his master, Starscream transformed into his bipedal form midair, his feet landing on the ground loudly and destroying the earth beneath him, leaving massive, gaping marks. The con walked the rest of the way to stand in front of Megatron, taking in the sight of him. But before he had a moment to address Megatron, the injured leader spoke first.
"You disappoint me, Starscream," Megatron stated coldly to the returned con. "I send you out to gather information, and you return to me empty handed."
Starscream looked to the ground, ashamed.
"I apologize, Master," the flyer replied. "I couldn't locate the location of the Autobots, or any of the others associated with them. However-"
"Save it," the large con stopped him, holding up his hand. "If your words will not help me, there is no point in you speaking."
"Please, Master," Starscream stammered quickly, the bot flinching at if slapped. "Is there anything I can do to assist you in any way, anything you want-"
"I want the heads of the Autobots at my FEET!" he boomed at the con, again making him flinch. Starscream tapped his fingers together nervously for a moment before responding.
"I apologize, Master," he repeated, not looking his superior in the eye. "I-I can't exactly do that-"
"Then find me someone who can!" he scolded him. "What good are you, Starscream? You are of no use to me!"
Starscream looked towards the ground, shamed by his master's statement. The words pierced his Spark; he wanted Megatron to be proud of him, not think of him as a nuisance, and insult to the Decepticons. He wanted to be better.
And he had an idea, something he had been formulating but never had the courage to talk about. Maybe this was the time, he thought to himself. What harm could it do?
"Master," he nervously spoke, looking up at Megatron after a moment's silence. "If I may… I believe I have a way to… something we can use against the Autobots."
His superior turned his head towards the con, narrowing his eyes at the flyer.
"Go on," he said, his curiosity peaked. What in the pit could Starscream have come up with? He was prepared for another disappointment, but listened.
"Well, Master," he stuttered, his nerves getting the better of him. "The Autobots are so fond of their human pets, yes? The whole species even. What if… what if we used them against them?" Starscream waited for a moment before going on, waiting to see a reaction. Megatron looked at the con, narrowing his eyes in concentration, interest. Starscream took this as a sign to continue, gaining more confidence. "If we take some of the humans, whether they be apart of their pathetic human army or not, it doesn't matter, we could use them to our advantage. Use them against the Autobots. Send them into situations where we would need the use of the holoforms. That way, if they succeed, it would be a mission success without one of us being on the front line. And if they die… what's a human life?"
There was a minute of silence, the words of Starscream resting on the ears of his leader.
"Starscream," Megatron mused for a moment, looking down at the con as a sinister smile cross his metallic lips. "Maybe you aren't as hopeless as I thought you to be…"
Starscream smiled widely, gazing up at his leader with wide eyes.
"Excellent, Master!" the con rejoiced. Suddenly, his expression turned dark and wicked, the smile overtaking his face full of malice. "And I believe I know which human will have the honor of being our first guest…"
1/19/10
Currently standing in the middle of a padded floor, Alise was soaked in sweat, and sore in every muscle of her body. Her hair, though tied up, was sticking to the back of her neck, and large wet patches were all around her shirt, her face a bright shade of red. She looked up at the figure in front of her, her eyes begging to be shown some, if only a little mercy. However, none was given.
"Again."
"UGHHH..." she exclaimed loudly and obnoxiously, her exhaustion and irritation getting the better of her. "'Hiiiidddee!" she started whining childishly, realizing how she was sounding but not caring at the moment. "We've been at this for two hours! I have moved my body in ways I didn't think were humanly possible, and I've done the technique just as you showed me twenty times already!"
He wasn't moved by her pity speech.
"Again."
One of the promises she made to her friends was that she would get proper self defense training, so at the very least she'd be able to somewhat defend herself against a holoform if ever necessary. However, she didn't realize that her trainer would be Ironhide, who was more than a little excited to take up such a role. Ever since her arm healed up back on Diego Garcia he'd been teaching her fighting and self defense techniques, and for the most part, she had gotten pretty good at it. But that wouldn't keep 'Hide from making sure she stayed good, and maybe even got great. However, 'Hide had decided today to push Alise harder than he ever had before, drilling her over and over again in the techniques without a break. She was tired and annoyed, and not putting up with it anymore.
If it had been a soldier 'Hide was doing this to, he would hear no complaints. However, this wasn't a soldier; this was Alise.
She scowled at him, crossing her arms and standing in front of him firmly, not moving from her spot.
"No," she growled.
Ironhide, his eyes widening slightly at her defiance, mimicked her position, crossing his arms also.
"Oh?" he answered her, matching her sass and attitude. "If you feel you are so prepared, please demonstrate."
Then, with a quick nod of his head over the top of her head, a pair of arms from a person she didn't realize was behind her suddenly made their way around her neck, putting her in a chokehold.
Alise had been in the situation many times before, but not so suddenly, and not with, telling by the girth of the arms around her, someone so large. However, she knew she how to act, her reactions reflexes ingrained into her over the last few months.
Quickly delivering a quick and powerful jab to her 'attacker's' rib cage, she then connected the heel of her foot to his foot, both attacks earning her sounds of pain from behind her. She then took the opportunity of the man's pain to quickly grab his looser arm and shift her weight frontward, causing him to propel and flip forward, and land roughly on the ground on his back, still reeling from his earlier pain. Alise was then able to see who her attacker was, and with a smug smile, saw that she had just taken down Master Sergeant Robert Epps.
Looking up at Ironhide then, his arms still crossed, she gave him a smirk, and mimicked his position.
"Satisfied?" she asked him, expecting some form of praise. But leave it to Ironhide to knock her down a few pegs.
"You should have been able to sense someone was behind you," 'Hide answered her tersely, unimpressed with her display.
Narrowing her expression at him, the girl rolled her eyes and began mumbling under her breath, calling him some not very nice names in Spanish as she bent over to help Epps up, making the holoform smirk.
"You good, Epps?" Alise asked him with a laugh, looking down at him on the floor. He gave her a thumbs up, from the ground, not speaking.
It had been almost a week since NEST had moved into D.C., and everyone was slowly situating themselves into life in the city. All the soldiers had moved into the base, the small but mighty number of them pleased to be on American soil rather than on an island in the middle of nowhere. While they weren't able to tell anyone of their location, even if they had family or friends in the area, they were enjoying themselves, while still working hard. The Autobots were adjusting well to the change also, the cooler weather greatly improving their dispositions. They too also enjoyed life in the city, drinking in the flurry of human activity.
Alise was loving life in the city. She had never been to D.C. before, but she loved the culture, the color, the weather, and the food, and she the longer she was there the happier she was to be off Diego Garcia. She spend a lot of her off duty time out in the city, and as always, she always told someone when she was leaving. However, because of the location of the base, she normally wasn't alone. Bee, Ironhide, or even Sideswipe usually gave her a ride because she couldn't get to most of the places she was going without a car.
Another detail Alise was happy about was that she was finally able to get back in touch with Camila, her best friend from Arizona, and stay in touch with her. It was only a few months after Alise had left the state that Cam had done the stay, the pressure from the town after Alise's 'disappearance' becoming too much for her. Cam had moved to San Diego and got a job at a law firm as a paralegal, which was what she went to university for. They had kept in contact by letter when Alise was on Diego Garcia, and she was now able to keep in contact by phone, which was a major improvement. She was able to use the base's secure phones to place calls, and it was great to hear her friend's voice again, and that she was doing well.
"Maybe I should recruit you, Lise," Epps joked as she helped him up. She smiled and laughed at the statement.
"Like Bee would ever let me do that," she answered him. "He worries too much. He was giving me the usual overprotective spiel before he left with Optimus, Lennox, and Ratchet this morning. 'Don't attract attention, stay on base if you can, let Ironhide know what you're doing,' blah blah blah."
"Well, you are the con blacklist. I think he has some reason to worry."
The interpreter gave him a sad smile. "I know, Epps, and I will do everything you guys asked me to to stay safe. But sometimes it's like he forgets I'm a person with my own mind. His worry is sweet, but it's too much sometimes."
A beeper located on Epps's belt began to sound then, making him excuse himself and go over to a corner of the room before he could comment on Alise's concern. 'Hide however, still there, was able to.
"Bumblebee is the most human of all the Autobots," 'Hide began, making the girl turn towards him. He understood Alise's concern, and he believed it valid; however, he wanted her to see Bee's side of the story, and why he was acting the way he was. "You are mostly to thank for that, girly. But you must remember, the Autobots have lost everything; our home, friends, family, whatever life we had on Cybertron is gone. This planet is our home now, and we will do everything in our power to protect it. Bumblebee does not want to lose anything else important to him, and you," he poked Alise squarely in the shoulder, making her jerk back slightly "are at the top of that list. He knows he will lose you many years from now, but there is a vast difference from you dying warm in your bed and you dying at the hands of a Decepticon, and the effect that either will have on him." The dark subject took a turn then, and 'Hide smirked. "So take some pity on the pathetic, love-struck bot. You have him in the palm of your fragging hand."
Alise, smiling lightly at the holoform, took in what 'Hide was trying to tell her. Not breaking eye contact with him, she absentmindedly started to play with the little bee around her neck with her fingertips. She understood what 'Hide was saying; Bee had lost too much already to lose her.
"Thanks, 'Hide," she told him sincerely, "for telling me why."
He gave her a small smirk. "Whatever, girly."
Epps then began to make his way over to the two again, this time with more hustle. He had a mirthful look on his face, and 'Hide and Alise, side by side, began to walk in his direction, meeting him halfway.
"What is it?" 'Hide asked first, his face scowling in confusion.
"Looks like we're going on a field trip," he told the two cheekily, earning even more confused looks from them.
"What?" Alise questioned.
"They're some suited fellows waiting in a parking lot about ten minutes from here," Epps reported to the two. He then turned and faced Alise. "And they're asking for you."
Alise flinched visibly, startled by the information. "What? How do they know… What?"
"We just got a call from the General," Epps told them both. "They're representatives from the French National Assembly. Ever since you saved them in Mission City, they've apparently been looking for you, and they were going thru a lot different channels to try and look for you, but no one knew who you were. Well, someone knows the General and happened to ask him, and after doing a crap ton of background and security checks, he finally told them he knew how to reach you."
"Why do they want to talk to me?"
"Probably to give you a personal thank you." Epps smiled wickedly, then. "And they have a gift for you."
Alise's face dropped. This was exactly why she didn't want anyone knowing where she was; she didn't want anything from the Assembly. She was just glad they were safe.
"Epps!" she cried out. "This is exactly what I didn't want happening! They don't need to give me anything!"
"Well, tough shit I guess," he answered bluntly, no remorse on his face or in his tone.
"Quick go and get washed up, and meet us by the tech area in twenty minutes." Alise sighed, and then slowly nodded and began off in the direction of her room.
Fifteen minutes later, Alise was speedily walking to the tech area as Epps had instructed her to, cleaned off and wearing a new change of clothing, slacks, a nice shirt, and good shoes. When she arrived, she saw that Epps was dressed in full uniform, and to her great surprise… so was 'Hide? She had never seen him in a uniform before. In fact, she'd never seen his holoform in anything but a black shirt and dark jeans.
"What's happening?" Alise quickly asked them, making her way over to the two.
"'Hide and I are escorting you over there," Epps told her, holding out to her a camouflage jacket that Alise just realized was in his hand. She took it from him, giving him a questioning look.
"It's a bit cold outside," he told her with a smirk. "And it shows you're with us, and not interested in leaving," Epps elaborated.
The interpreter chuckled, putting it on. "As if two suited escorts weren't enough?" she answered.
"The General himself told me to," Epps answered, as the three began to walk towards Ironhide's Topkick. "He doesn't want them asking you in French right in front of me if you want a job in the assembly."
"Afraid I'll get a better offer?" she asked sarcastically. She rolled her eyes at her own statement as 'Hide smirked and Epps laughed. "General Morshower should know I would never leave, especially for something like a larger pay."
"I don't think it's you leaving so much as them wanting you," Epps clarified as they reached the Topkick, its doors opening for them. 'Hide helped Alise onto the seat so she was sitting in the middle, and was then sandwiched between him and Epps as the Topkick began to roll out, heading out of the base and onto the streets of D.C. "He just doesn't want them asking, period. He wasn't really happy with telling them you were here in the first place, to be honest. He considers you one of his soldiers and felt as though he was compromising your safety."
"Is it?"
"Not really. Only four people know that you're associated with the military, and they don't know where we are or what we do exactly. Honestly, I think that was his excuse, but it fell through a bit. But he's not exactly losing either. He made them all sign a crap ton of confidentiality forms, and told them we were driving from an hour away."
"And that's not the only dishonest detail," 'Hide commented with a smirk from the driver's seat.
"Oh yeah," Epps remembered, suddenly beginning to laugh loudly. "They didn't know what your name was, so he changed it name, just to make sure nothing would come back to you."
"...Oh?" Alise said, slightly worried. "What is it?"
Epps paused for a moment before answering.
"Alice Black."
Mentally, she breathed a sigh of relief. She had about hundred other possibilities going through her head, and that was fortunately very safe.
"How creative."
'Hide chuckled on her left, finding humor in her tone, which was dripping in sarcasm.
Epps also found this funny. "That's what I was thinking. But just go with it if they mention it," he paused for a moment, giving her a teasing look, "'Alice.'"
'Alice' then punched Epps in the shoulder.
The rest of the ride was in silence, Ironhide taking them to the parking lot where they were meeting the representative, which was only a short drive away from the base. After a few minutes they turned a corner into street with a large lot, only one car in Alise's view parked in it, which looked to belong to a supermarket that had closed down. The area was quiet for the most part. A few cars passed them but for the most part there wasn't any heavy traffic like you would normally find in D.C. 'Hide pulled into the empty lot, where Alise saw two men standing.
The shorter of the two was a pudgy man with a white mustache and a balding head, who had a happy, all around gentle look on his face, looking around at the buildings overhead. The other man, leaner, taller, and with a thick head of greying hair, was holding an envelope in his hands, his eyes mostly examining the ground below them. The two men were dressed in fine suits, and standing in front of a vehicle Alise couldn't see.
When they pulled into the lot, the two men looked up at the Topkick and smiled, both standing straighter and putting their arms in front of them. 'Hide parked a few yards away and appeared to stuff off the Topkick, and then the three exited, 'Hide helping Alise out of the driver seat side. Smiling at the two men, Alise then started to walk towards the two men.
"Mademoiselle Alice Black?" the taller of the two asked her as she approached them, Ironhide's holoform a few feet behind her, the Master Sergeant at his side. She knew that by now he would be translating everything they said so he could understand, and she answered the man, her French coming out.
"Oui, Monsieur," she responded with a slight smile on her face, finding humor in being called the alias. The two men's faces lit up.
"Hello, Miss Black," the taller one responded, closing the small space between them and shaking her hand. "My name is Pierre Delcamp, and this is my associate Michele Petitjean."
"Hello," the other man cut in with a smile, shaking her hand also.
"Hello, sirs," she answered politely, standing before them quitely.
"We are here today on behalf of the National Assembly of France and its members, to give you our sincerest gratitude for your bravery and courage for saving the lives of many of our representatives in Mission City in 2007," Delcamp continued professionally, speaking as though he was addressing an important figurehead. "We would have come to you sooner to give you our thanks, Miss Black, however, you are a very difficult person to find," he added with a chuckle.
"So I'm being told," Alise responded with a laugh of her own. "Of course. A thank you really isn't necessary. I am just thankful for the safety of everyone at the center." She knew it sounded cheesy, but what else could she say? I didn't want anyone at the center to get squashed by a Decepticon and die painfully?
"Well, we believe otherwise, Miss Black," Petitjean continued, smiling widely at her. The more Alise looked at him the more she thought he reminded her of the Monopoly man, but she decided to keep that comment deep within her mind. "That is also why we are here this afternoon. The Assembly, in our thanks, would like to present you with a small token of our appreciation, for going beyond what was asked of you, and saving our representatives."
"Oh, please," Alise said then, waving her hands slightly. "I really am not looking for anything in return. Your thanks is more than enough."
"Please," Delcamp disagreed with her, shaking his head. "We insist." He then held out the envelope in his hands to her, smiling lightly.
Hesitantly, she took the envelope from the man, and to her surprise, felt that there didn't seem to be any paper in it, but an object. She opened the envelope, and her eyes widened when she pulled out a pair of… car keys?
Looking at them questioningly, she quickly from them to the keys and back.
"I don't understand," she said meekly, but she had an idea of what was happening. Please, tell me I'm imagining this.
"Miss Black, we'd like to introduce you to your new mode of transportation," Petitjean announced, and as he said this, the two stepped away from the car behind them. Alise's mouth fell open.
The car was a super sleek, black coupe, most definitely a sports car. It looked brand new, and like nothing she had ever seen before, everything from the framework to the headlights completely different from anything she'd ever seen on US soil. The car was gorgeous, and looked dangerously expensive, like something she couldn't even dream to buy. Then, walking to look at the front of it, she felt the blood drain from her face as she saw the words Bugatti grace the grill.
She turned back to the two men, her eyes wide.
"A car?!" Alise spit yelled out, flabbergasted, so much so that she had exclaimed this in English.
The two men laughed, amused that she was so surprised at their gesture.
"Yes, a car," Delcamp answered her, saying this in English as she did. He switched back to French to continue. "This is the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport, Miss Black. It will be unveiled later this year to the public, but we decided it would be a special treat for you to be the first person to have one. It will be the fastest street legal vehicle in the world, and can reach speeds of up to 267 mph."
"You will have to register it in your name here in the US. However, all of its expenses are paid for, except of course for the gas," Petitjean added. The two then paused, waiting for her reaction.
Alise couldn't speak for a few moments, wondering if this was a joke someone was playing on her, and that any moment someone would come out and yell, "SIKE!" She kept looking from the car to the men, waiting for something to happen. However, as the men continued to stand there, she realized that what was happening was very real, and that she had to say something.
"This is too much," she told them, shaking her head. "I can't except this. I just did what any other person would do."
The men smiled and shook their heads.
"You'd think that, Miss Black, however there are not many who would have done what you did," Petitjean told her solemnly. "Please, Miss Black. Those were our friends in Mission City that day. We really cannot thank you enough, and this is how we can think to repay you."
Alise smiled gratefully at them, not knowing what else to say. Seeing that she was no longer going to protest, the men both smiled at her and nodded.
"While, Miss Black, we won't take up any more of your time today. We thank you again, and we hope you enjoy."
After another round of handshaking and more profuse thanking from Alise, the two men walked away and entered the other car that was alone in the parking lot. The two then drove off, leaving Alise still in a bemused state as to what just happened.
It was Epps who snapped her out of her dazed state.
"Uh, did I hear the word Bugatti in all that French talk?" he asked her, seeming just as shocked as she was.
"They gave me a car," Alise stated, dazed. "They- gave- me- a- car." Suddenly, her own words were starting to reach her brain, and it dawned on her. Suddenly, a flood of adrenaline seemed to hit her. "They gave me a Bugatti! Oh my god. Holy shit!"
'Hide's holoform came over then, inspecting the vehicle for himself. Even he nodded in approval at the sports car.
"This is an impressive human vehicle," he told Alise. "It was very generous of them."
"I can't believe this," Alise continued on. "The only car I ever had was the '76 Chevy in Arizona! And that was $2000 off my neighbor! This is probably worth-"
"An estimated £1.7 million," 'Hide finished for her, obviously having just searched the web for the answer. Alise ran a hand thru her hair, and Epps made a loud whistle.
"Well, I know who I'm driving back with," Epps said giddily, almost as if the new car was his. "Ha ha! Lennox can suck it! Thinks he's so special because he gets to go to South Beach on a surveying mission. But HA! I get a day with a Bugatti!" Snatching the keys from Alise's hand, Epps jumped into the passenger's seat and closed the door, turning on the car. The Bugatti started up with a gentle purr, and 'Hide and Alise could hear Epps laughing from the inside. Suddenly the window rolled down, and the Master Sergeant looked out it at the holoform. "Don't expect us back right away, Ironhide. We gotta test this baby out."
As Epps rolled the window back up, Alise turned to 'Hide next to her and gave him a nervous smile.
"If we're not back in an hour, send out a search party," she told him seriously.
The holoform nodded in agreement. "My thoughts exactly."
I think the Bugatti needs a name. What do you guys think? Any ideas?
