Chapter 5: More Than Meets The Eye
Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers or Sailor Moon. They're the property of Hasbro and Naoko Takeuchi. Any other copyrighted material found in this story is the property of its respected owner. Good reading.
Inside the transport ship, Optimus Prime, and Ultra Magnus walked about the hallway, and conversed about their new, upcoming battleground. Just a couple of days ago the commander of the reconnaissance team on Earth gave his detailed report of his investigation. Prowl has confirmed that the Decepticons have actively involved themselves in the affairs of aliens, and thus, the Autobots must respond in kind with a strike force of their own.
"If you ask me Prime." Proposed Ultra Magnus. "Call this whole thing off. These...humans and their world are not worth sticking our necks out for. No strategic value, technologically inferior, fragmented allegiances, and its too far away from even the most remote outpost we have."
"I agree with you Magnus. However, we cannot allow the Decepticons to have allies of any sort. Megatron will certainly find something useful in them. He always does." Responded the Autobot master.
"It's sure out of the way to get an ally. And its out of the way for us to intervene as well." Replied the veteran Autobot.
"Yeah I know." Agreed the calm voiced Optimus.
"You think it'll end like all the others?" Ultra Magnus queried.
"....There's no way in hell I'll let the Decepticons gain an ally. No matter what." The big red machine answered with a cold tone.
The duo stopped and turned to face a set of heavy double doors. Prime stared silently for a moment, and pressed the holographic keypad. Followed by Magnus, he entered the room, and gazed upon the motionless mech that's clamped to the wall. It's heavily damaged body told the tale of its last stand, and its Spark Chamber, removed from the chassis, remained firmly grasped in a hydraulic boom suspended from the ceiling. Optimus approached the mech and looked at his lifeless face, the once bright red optics now darkened and lifeless.
*C&C to Optimus Prime.*Came the mech voice over the intercom.
"This is Prime. Go ahead Jazz."
*Boss bot, we just past the Earth's moon and will be in orbit soon. Ship is being rigged for silent running to avoid detection by the aliens.* Announced the Autobot second in command.
"Very well. I'm on my way to the hangar deck. Contact Sailor Pluto and inform her of our arrival."
*You got it Prime.* Confirmed Jazz.
The Autobot master turned his attention once again to the imobile mech. The hydraulic boom lowered and Prime cupped the spark chamber in his hands. The throbbing of the spark was steady and strong, just what Optimus was hoping for. Many names were given to him after that fateful day so long ago; traitor, backstabber, coward, deceiver, hypocrite, two-face, and monster to just name a few. However, it doesn't matter what colourful nouns the Autobots give, because they all have the same definition; Starscream.
Inside a private room at the hospital, Amy sat in her chair next to Lita's bed, and typed away at her laptop. It has been two days since the Sailor Soldiers' devastating battle with the mechanized being. They had arrived at the stadium and soundly ambushed Jedite and destroyed his energy harvesting creature in the process, but just as they were about to finish him off, Jedite called forth an ally from the shadows. The approaching vehicle stunned them all when it changed form, and what followed could only be described as a disaster. Within ten seconds of its attack Sailors Jupiter, Venus, Neptune, and Uranus were put out of action, and very nearly killed. If not for the intervention of another mechanical creature, referred to as Prowl by the first one, the rest would've been killed outright.
Amy put down her laptop, and turned to the bed as Lita began to wake up. The drozy brunette moaned, and slowly rubed her eyes. The blue haired woman smiled slightly and leaned over the side of the bed.
"Hey you." Came the soft voiced Amy.
Lita lowered her hands, and lazily looked at the visage next to her, and grinned.
"Heeyyyyy." She tiredly replied.
"Got some good news. The medical tests came back and showed no complications or brain trauma. You're going home today." Amy happily announced to her savior.
"Finally, can't wait to get outa here Ames." Weakly replied the brunette.
Amy giggled at the sound of the odd nickname. "You haven't called me Ames in a longtime."
"Who else is here?"
"Serena, and Raye. They're gonna help Mina pack her stuff. I'm gonna go to the cafe and get something to eat, you want anything?"
"Cherry pie or meatloaf. Thanks." Answered the still drowsy woman.
Amy nodded and stood up. She leaned over and gently removed a couple of hair strands from Lita's face, and gave a small kiss on her forehead. "Thanks for saving my skin back there."
"I always got your back." Lita replied before yawning back to sleep.
In the next room, the blond haired, blue eyed Mina lazily sat up in her hospital bed, and turned her attention to the opened door. Raye, the one person Mina didn't want to talk too, entered and sat next to her. Mina coldly glanced at the black haired woman, then turned her eyes to the window. Raye, however, with a sarcastic grin, merely stared at the blond, and decided to break the ice.
"So...how you feeling Mina?" Queried the black haired woman.
"Fine." Came Mina's cold reply.
Raye leaned on the bed's edge, and crossed her arms. "Whats going on with you?"
"I told you. I'm fine." Mina answered in still a cold tone.
"Bullsh-t. Whats REALLY going on?" Raye pressed on.
"Nothing that concerns YOU or the others. Now leave, and let me be." Ordered the Inner team leader.
Despite the cold and resentful tone of her compatriot, Raye stood her ground. "What the hell happened to you Mina?"
"This conflict is gettting worse, and someone has to take her duties seriously. We're not teens anymore you know." The blond sternly replied, staring out the window.
"You used to be so cheerful, flirtatious..." Raye began to say, but got abruptly cut off.
"GET OUT!" Yelled an evil eyed Mina.
Without saying a further word, the woman simply nodded and left the blond to her thoughts. Mina sniffled and wiped the tears from her eyes. The heavyhearted woman leaned back in her bed and looked out the window. No matter what the others thought or how hard they tried to get close, it was best to keep them at a far distance.
Serena walked down the hall, on her way to check Lita and Mina out of the hospital. She hummed to herself a tune then suddenly stopped by a muffled boom sound. The odango haired woman slowly opened the door next to her and peered inside. Sailor Pluto stood next to the wall, Garnet Rod in hand, and approached the future monarch. She entered the room and closed the door, now maybe she'll get her answers.
"At 9pm tonight, go to the abandoned warehouse just outside the dockyard in Chiba. I'll be waiting there." Announced the Guardian of Time.
"What are you hiding Pluto!? What the hell was that a couple of days ago!?" Demanded Serena.
"Everything will be explained there. Please trust me on this."
"What were those machines!?"
Pluto pondered the question, but couldn't blame her for being so demanding. She decided to give a little tid bit, if anything, just to temper her inquiry a little. "The machine that defended you and the others is called an Autobot. There are much more like him, and they're on their way here."
"Here? For what?" Asked Serena in a more calm demeanor.
"A means to destroy the Dark Kingdom, and end the war."
As they flew over Tokyo, a pair of F-15 Eagles continued their mission. They soared at low altitude to get the best scans, and photos as possible. The duo have been at this for just a short while, and it'll take them the better part of the evening to complete their assignment. Nephlite, one of the Dark Kingdom's Generals, has been in contact with the pair ever since their arrival on Earth, passing on instructions from Queen Beryl and the Decepticon Scrapper. Due to the nature of their current missions, both have been repainted into American Air Force colours and markings to facilitate their infiltration on this world. They were even painted with the fake pilot names of Thomas Clearview and Samuel Welland to make them look completely authentic.
"Hey Thundercracker." Called one of the F-15s. "How long are we suppose to do this recce mission?"
"It'll take us quite a while Skywarp." Answered the other. "Queen Beryl, and Scrapper want us to recon all American and Japanese military facilities around the Tokyo area. In case the human forces interfere with our operations, we'll know exactly where to strike back."
"Makes sense. Hey, I heard that Barricade really kicked the crap out of these Sailor Soldiers the other day. Took half of them out of the fight in seconds. That is until the Autobot showed up." Conversed Skywarp.
"Yeah, our go-to guy Nephlite told me about it. Totally out matched..." Answered Thundercracker but suddenly stopped by a loud buzzing sound.
TC quickly figured out that his brother had a weapons lock on one of the city's buildings. Knowing his brother's complete disregard for other lifeforms, he put himself in-front, blocking Skywarp's line of fire. Thundercracker easily matched his brother's every jink, and slide. Skywarp knew he couldn't out fly his older sibling, and soon gave up in disappointment.
"The hell bro?" Exclaimed the annoyed Seeker.
"I'm not letting you kill people just for the fun of it." Replied the elder sibling, an ever present voice of reason. "We're not mass murderers."
"Why not!?" Skywarp shot back. "The damn Autobots have labeled us mass murderers, monsters, and whatnot ever since the First Cybertronian War, and again in the Second Cybertronian War. And they still do in the now, Third Cybertronian War. The Autobots will always call us that so why fight it!?"
"They don't speak for me, or you, or Starscream, or our family. They're no angels themselves, so who cares what they think." Explained Thundercracker in a calm demeanor. "You're not a mass murderer, or a monster, Skywarp."
"......."
After a moment of awkward silence, the elder Seeker decided to re-focus his younger sibling's mind on the task at hand. "Next waypoint is the American naval base at Yokosuka."
The odango haired Serena paced a little, and occasionally pulled out her cellphone to check the time. All the team members were present at the place designated by the Space-Time Guardian. They all slowly wandered around the abandoned warehouse's oddly packed parking lot. For a place that hasn't been used in some years, the parking area was almost full of brand new automobiles of different makes, and models. Amara walked about the vehicles with the love of her life Michelle. The short haired blond marvelled at her surroundings, never in her life has she ever been around so many new, and shiny foreign vehicles at one time. Michelle carried a handkerchief and used it to wiped the occasional drool from Amara's mouth, much to the annoyance of her lover.
Mina stood by the dock's edge, and carried Artemis in her arms. The feline peered up and looked at the woman's neutral expression. He felt sadden that she won't let him get close anymore, especially since both have been eachother's closest friend for over a decade, and have been through so much together. Artemis decided some months ago not to pry anymore in her private business, if anything, to keep what's left of their friendship.
The woman suddenly stiffened her stance a little as she stared at a pair of jets that were flying by. The F-15s flew very low, almost at wave top level on a southern heading toward Yokosuka it seemed. The odd whine of the turbine engines caught her attention especially. I know that sound. Mina thought to herself.
"Hey Serena. Doesn't this police car look like the one that defended us back at Yokohama?" Queried Darien.
"Yeah it does actually." Confirmed the blue eyed woman.
Everybody's attention was suddenly brought to the warehouse by a loud boom. They all quickly gathered and stared at a shadowy individual walking toward them, many took a defensive stance. The dark silhouette approached the well lit parking area, and everyone relaxed once they recognized it was Sailor Pluto.
"Alright Pluto." Announced Serena. "We're all here. Now explain yourself."
The dark green haired Sailor thought for a moment, and decided to cut to the chase. "Instead of making a long explanation, I'll show you." She then took a breath and knew it was now or never. "Autobots, roll out!"
All the vehicles around them abrputly began to change their forms. The women and Darien stared in awe, and held a collective breath. Pluto has promised Serena that she had a powerful ally that will help the Sailors in their conflict, but none could of even theorized that THIS is what Pluto meant.
The moon princess stepped forward and looked the Space-Time Guardian in the eyes. "What are they?"
Sailor Pluto glanced over to the large machine just behind her, and beckoned it to come forth. "I'll let him explain."
The huge red/blue robot slowly walked to the odango woman, its every foot step clearly felt by the other Sailors. He glared down at Serena and slowly knelt down in-front of her.
"You are Serena Tsukino, descendent of Serenity, Queen of the former moon kingdom." Said the machine with its booming voice.
"...Yes." Came Serena's soft answer.
"I am Optimus Prime, master and commander of the Autobots."
"Why are you here?" Queried Darien as he walked to his lovely wife's side.
"We are here because the Decepticons have allied themselves with this Dark Kingdom, and are actively involved in your conflict. My Autobots have actually been on your world for several months now, at the request of Sailor Pluto, to investigate possible Decepticon involvement in your war." Explained Prime.
Serena glared at Pluto and asked. "How long have you known about them?"
"Almost a year. The Decepticons entered my realm and attempted to take the Gate of Space-Time. I was completely outmatched, and quickly subdued. Later, Optimus Prime and a group of his Autobots came and fought off the Decepticons. After which we have entered a partnership. Optimus would station one of his kind at the Gate with me at all times, and I would open portals for them to transit from their vessels to my post, or to Earth, and vise versa." Explained Pluto.
"Why have you kept yourselves hidden from us for this long?" Inquired Serena.
"Because it greatly facilitates our investigations on alien worlds. It also keeps the Decepticons from driving themselves deeper into hidding." Answered the big red machine.
"Pluto mentioned to me earlier today that you Autobots will be a means to end the war between the Dark Kingdom."
"Yes." Confirmed Optimus. "We Autobots will fight alongside you, and as long as your conflict continues so will our alliance. You will not stand alone anymore."
Queen Beryl watched from a short distance away as the being she discovered so long ago as a child, now stood alive and well. Scrapper and his Constructicons worked none stop to remove the ages old rock from its form, but what was surprising was the speed at which the R bath and the CR Chamber repaired the long lost Decepticon. Even the software, and programing reload went quickly, and all without complications. The red haired Queen stared on as the purple, mono eyed mechanism moved under its own power, and glanced down at her.
"Hello again." She softly greeted.
The Decepticon walked forward and knelt down as he got a closer look at the female. After a moment of scanning his vast databanks, he recalled the image of a red haired girl, and then quickly ran an aging program. Indeed, this woman was that child from so long ago.
"You...are the child." Said the one eyed machine.
"Indeed...your memory banks don't seem to be damaged at all, Shockwave." Bellowed a voice from across the vast cavern.
Shockwave turned and looked at the massive silver mech as it calmly strolled toward him. "What is your command Lord Megatron?"
