Okay peoples I'm back. Yippee (note, this is said in a semi sarcastic tone)
I can't help but notice that my reviewers have stopped reviewing. Now this is very depressing for me as I like the responses I get on my stories. Now because of this lack of reviews I'm going to start a new policy (this is not my idea. I am simply borrowing it from a friend). This is how it's going to work.
0 reviews: hmm, well I can safely say that you won't be hearing from me for a long time. Which is a shame because I like writing stories and I have a lot of brilliant ideas which I would love to share with you.
1 TO 2: I would be thinking maybe three to four weeks.
2 TO 3: two to three weeks maybe
3 TO 4: two weeks maximum
5+: this is more like it. If I get five reviews you have my word that the next chapter will be up within a week.
(major apology needed here peoples. The site has this thing where it doesn't upload certain symbols, such as bullet points and little arrows. I had little arrows to indicate the 1 to 2 part but because the sites annoying it decided to get rid of them and leave just the number. Which could have ended catastrophically if it weren't for Princess Selina who just saved my butt by pointing that out. Thank you very much. So now you know that I don't mean 34, I mean 3 TO 4)
Okay so have I made my point? This is how I operate from now on. If you want this story to continue then review please. I don't care if it's just one word, it's a review. Please, please, pretty please with sugar on top.
Anyway. Long enough Authors note. Please enjoy chapter four of meet the matrix.
"I fought better than you"
"Nah man, you stink"
"Do not"
"Do too"
"Do not"
"Do too"
I rolled my eyes as the Twins fought once again. It was routine by now, they fought several times a day over the most stupid things.
"Shut up morons, you're both ugly" I yelled over their bickering
"That ain't what we was arguing 'bout"
"Well in that case you both suck"
"Oh that's it ya little bitch" Skids half growled at me and lunged forward. I stood calmly as sharp silver fingers snagged the green plating and picked him up.
"Do you want to repeat that?" Starscream smirked as the smaller 'bot squawked and squirmed in an attempt to get away.
"Nope, put me down man" Skids kicked out at Starscream, although his stumpy legs couldn't reach. I snickered as Mudflap raced in to help his twin. In the end Starscream scooped him up as well. He held them up so he could examine them.
"Hmm, what should we do with you?" his red optics gleamed
"Put us down?" Skids asked hopefully. The seeker seemed to think for a few seconds then grinned wickedly.
"Nah" he drawled "I think you could do with some fresh air"
His boosters powered up but a hand on his shoulder stopped him from taking flight. He turned to Optimus who was watching with the utmost curiosity and amusement.
"Starscream, where are you taking them?"
"I was thinking Madagascar"
"You know you'll have to go and get them again"
"Oh yeah" Starscream looked a little put off at that prospect "Can I take them to Florida?"
"Later on maybe. Right now I need you here"
Starscream literally pouted but dumped the twins on the ground none the less. They both scrambled away as fast as their stumpy legs could carry them. I watched them go and raised an eyebrow.
We had arrived back from Shanghai about two hours ago. Like always, the first few hours after a mission were complete chaos as injuries were seen to, equipment put away, reports filled out. There had been three human casualties on this mission, bumping the death list up to thirteen. There had been about twenty-five critically injured men, one critically injured women (not me), and everyone else was walking away with minor injuries.
All in all, it could have gone so much better. But the 'cons had been stopped and that was the main thing.
I took another gulp of blue powerade as I flicked over the final page of a report that Lennox had given to me. Why people gave me this stuff I still didn't understand. I usually signed with a smiley face next to my name which some people thought was amusing and others just thought it was annoying. I liked to go with amusing.
"Hey Ironhide, do you know what the longest word in the world is?" I called over to the weapons specialist, who grunted.
"No, what's the longest word in the world?"
I tossed my paper onto the seat beside me and grinned.
"It's "
"Pneumonoultramicy-what-what?"
"" Optimus corrected "according to the oxford dictionary it is the longest word in the English language. It is a type of lung disease caused by the inhalation of silica dust"
"Prime, ya getting as bad as Ratchet"
"Why thank you"
"Not a compliment"
"I am aware"
I watched them go back at forth in amusement. Unlike the twins this bickering was calm and very collected. I chucked my pen at Ironhide and laughed at the small ding when it impacted his head. He raised a hand and grumbled in Cybertronian.
"Hey Gunman, Stubborn Jack-ass I have a question" I called up; using the nicknames that Epps and I had come up with, "What did the dying Decepticon mean by 'the Fallen shall rise again'?"
Optimus shrugged and turned his blue optics to Starscream who was fiddling idly with one of his talons. The seeker glanced up at everyone and rolled his optics.
"And you all assume that I know what he was going on about" He sighed
"I just thought that you may have some idea as to the basic warning" Optimus said smoothly "I'm not suggesting that you know exactly what he was talking about"
"Well you're all in luck because I actually do know"
Silence settled on the room. Lennox and Epps who had entered just as I had asked the question both looked up expectantly at Starscream. Jazz stopped humming to imaginary music and gave the seeker his full attention. I tapped Optimus's leg armour and he bent to offer me his hand. I then climbed onto his shoulder and leaned back into the warm metal.
Starscream shifted his weight from foot to foot for a second and cleared his vocaliser.
"Okay, so it could have two meanings this warning. One it could mean that Megatron is going to come back"
"Megatron's dead" Ironhide and I objected at the exact same time.
"Exactly" Optimus rumbled "he's fallen"
Starscream nodded in agreement and I didn't like the look in those red optics "I would prefer that option to the second"
"And what's the second?" I asked, leaning forward and resting my elbows on my knees.
"The second is that this guy gets his act together and comes to Earth" Starscream projected an image into the space between Optimus and himself.
To say that the robot was ugly was something of an understatement. He was hideous. Molten red optics gleamed wickedly in the sharp face, gill like panels on either side of his head moving up and down. Curved pieces of metal, almost like fangs, rested over his mouth which was twisted into an ugly smile. The image gave me no actual proportion of size. All I could see was that his arms and legs were quite spindly and made from black armour, with lines of red creeping their way across it. He held up an eight taloned hand in a slight beckoning gesture.
I narrowed my eyes as I studied the picture. There was something incredibly familiar about him.
"Who is that?" Ironhide asked after a while of silence.
"The Fallen" Starscream replied simply "Megatron's master. He used to be a Prime which explains the funny name"
Optimus coughed softly and Starscream flinched.
"Not saying that your name is funny or anything" The seeker tried to take back what he had just said.
"That is not what I was going to say" Optimus said calmly "you say that he used to be a Prime?"
"Yeah. Don't really know the details. He just keeps rambling on about how his brothers betrayed him and slag like that" Starscream then seemed to think of something else "he also mentioned, not long before I came to Earth to retrieve the All Spark, that his time for revenge was coming soon"
"How do we stop him?" Ironhide snarled, cannons flaring to life "when someone wants revenge it usually mean disaster"
Starscream locked optics with Optimus and understanding seemed to dawn on the Autobot leader.
"Only a Prime can defeat The Fallen" Starscream said slowly, "so I suppose we can assume that our dear leader is a target for an attack. If The Fallen is planning on returning any time soon he will want the only one who can destroy him out of the way"
A heavy silence weaved its way through the room. I rested my palm against the warm metal of Optimus face plates and traced small patterns with my fingers. When I had first met them I had thought that they could only feel hard touches but when I began to get to know them better it came to light that they could pick up even the softest of touches. In fact they were more sensitive to gentle than anything else. I used the tip of one finger to trace the carvings in his audials.
After a few more moments Optimus finally broke the silence, his deep voice calm and steady as always.
"I see no reason to treat this as a direct threat. Only when he is showing sign of actually returning will we begin to even vaguely worry. For now I suggest that we simply continue to erase the various Decepticon threats around the globe" There were small mumblings of agreement "although I would like to know a little more about him"
"Well he's a great at monologuing" Starscream clapped a hand over his face "Primus, when he gets going. Yardie, yardie, yardie, yah, revenge this, revenge that, boring, boring, boring"
I nudged Optimus playfully "I have the perfect weapon in that case"
"What?"
"Get Optimus going on about how freedom is the right of all sentient beings" I grinned as his blue optics turned to me and he glared
"Are you suggesting that I could talk him to death?"
"Uh-huh"
"You do realise that talking someone to death is impossible"
"Not if they die of boredom"
"Also impossible"
"Alright then, he'll die of old age"
"I don't think that I could talk for that long"
I giggled "just a thought"
Optimus held my gaze for a long moment before looking away with an exasperated sigh. Ironhide was chuckling softly just behind us as I began to slowly climb up onto Optimus's helm. I lay on my stomach, in the same position that I had assumed years ago on Blackout.
"Did you know we're getting a new liaison today?" I said, resting my chin in my hands, "I wonder what he's going to be like"
"I still don't see why we need a liaison" Ironhide grumbled "whiny, pesky, little squishes who care more about their suits than anything else"
Optimus turned carefully to face Ironhide, being extra vigilant that I didn't fall off his helm "Be that as it may we must tolerate them all the same. We are guests on this planet 'Hide remember"
"Yeah I know, but still" Ironhide groused "Stupid, little, irritating…"
"Ironhide please. You're tired, you're cross and I do not wish to listen to this. Just go and blow something up and calm down" Optimus sighed. Ironhide shrugged and turned to leave. I waited until the door had closed until I spoke.
"I think someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning"
"He is always like this around your politicians. And I have to admit that he does have a point. Some of them can be very irritating" Optimus placed his hands on his hips "especially the ones that want to use us to fight other countries"
"You gotta admit that one was funny" Starscream smirked "when that guy was demanding that we help in, what was it called again, the 'war in Iraq' or something"
I smiled, laughing quietly as I scraped my fingers through the dirt on Optimus's helm. Most of his armour was filthy and encrusted with dirt and dust. In fact most of them looked much the same. I tapped his helm insistently until thick, blunt fingers scooped me up.
"Can you put me on the ground? I have something I need to do"
"What?" Optimus asked as he placed me down. I grinned mischievously.
"Trust me Buddha you'll love it"
Starscream tapped Optimus's shoulder as I left. I heard the hissed comment and smiled.
"Do you think we should be worried?"
"Most definitely"
Hehehehe. What is Ally planning? Oh don't worry it's nothing to amazing and I'm sure a few of you will have already have figured it out.
Well with my previous Authors note in mind please review. And just too maybe intrigue you a little I'll be now adding little previews of the next chapter at the end.
Tata for now (hopefully)
I was armed. I was dangerous. Humming the mission impossible theme song to myself I gathered up the high tech weaponry I needed to complete this dangerous mission. I was used to high risk situations but this was far worse than anything that I had ever done before. Courage, bravery, skill and no small amount of luck would be needed if I was to get out of this situation alive. I got myself into position and aimed my weapon at my designated target.