Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers: just my OC's & the plot.
TOMORROW IS FOREVER COMING
Chapter 7: Opportunities & Introductions
"... You're serious?" Sam asked sceptically
"I'm very serious" Colonel Bishop replied frankly
"An internship with NEST?" Miles exclaimed
"I like to think of it more as an exercise in 'practical diplomatic relationship dynamics' as far as the cybertronian side of things is concerned; but on the human side yes it would fall more into the profile of an internship" the Colonel clarified
"Even though none of us here are enlisted? That's kinda unconventional" Mikaela pointed out
"NEST is an unconventional organization, and from what I've heard you all proved more than capable of handling yourselves, both professionally and personally; as Major Lennox's report about your 'otherworldly' adventure so dramatically illustrates"
"You-, know about that?" Glen blinked in surprised
"I was fully debriefed on the circumstances of the 'DRD' incident; and what happened following your 'cosmic misplacement', and I have to say, for ones so young you were all exemplary in your commitment and conduct; much more competent than some rookies I've come across in the past. And seeing as your partnerships with your guardians are already so well established, I see no reason why we cannot utilize those friendships for the benefit of NEST's goals" Bishop stated
"By commissioning them as diplomats for humanity? ..." John asked sceptically from where he sat in the corner of the office, his sharp wolf-like eyes not leaving Bishop's presence for a second, "Forgive me for sounding negative, but after everything that's happened I'm not keen to see my son, nephews and niece go out in the field and risk coming home in coffins"
"I understand your concern, and they won't be joining Lennox and the other members of NEST in any live fire combat..." Bishop turned his attention back to the kids, "-As diplomats, your duties will include the handling of any Decepticons wishing to defect, the integration of the new Autobots and teaching them our human customs, as well as any other Autobots who manage to find their way to earth. But more importantly, Prime believes that our 'human leaders' need to be reminded of the trust we share with our cybertronian friends, and I'm inclined to agree" he explained frankly.
"A good point, but what's the catch?" Morri asked
"The catch is you'll be required to undergo a basic fitness test and attend a basic firearms exam; at the very least I want to sure you can haul your asses and know how to take care of yourselves if anything unforeseen happened. Other than that, you'll be required to remain with your guardians and perform any odd-jobs and necessary tasks that need attending to here on the base"
"So? You only need us to try and sweet-talk any ex-cons into joining team Prime? And the rest the time we're interns who actually get paid? Sounds like a pretty sweet deal to me" Miles grinned
"Providing you can shoot straight" Mikaela deadpanned dryly
"That's if any of us can shoot straight; Will-, I mean, Major Lennox already knows how I feel about handling guns, of any kind. In that other universe I never fired single shot but I still managed to help bring down the Spark Eater..." Darren pointed out, "-Look, I'm not saying I'm not keen on this, if anything I'm kinda glad someone finally took the intuitive to come up with this idea, it's been way overdue. It's just-, there's always another way to resolving a tough situation that doesn't require the use of a gun" he sighed, John watched carefully as the Colonel considered the boy's words, and dropped his gaze in a sense of understanding.
"That's very true..." Bishop nodded in agreement, "And for those of us who know how to think our way out of a tight situation, there's always another means that doesn't have to involve the use of violence. But sadly, for all the planning and precautions we take, fate can change the whole game-plan in a heartbeat; and considering the 'unpredictable' nature of our friends long-term enemies, we have to take every conceivable precaution to ensure that our personnel stay safe. It's more of a formality, for Prime's peace of mind, as well as everyone else's" he softly reasoned; the kids glanced at one another and shrugged. He did make a reasonable point; with the bots enemies still out there anything could happen, perhaps it couldn't hurt to air on the side of caution?
"...One question; what does Prime think about this?" Morri asked
"He's cautious; we both agree this would be a good opportunity to try and set the long term 'peace plan' into action, but he wants to leave some precaution in place should any unforeseen issues arise, which I agree is a prudent move. To that end he's willing to approve these new 'diplomatic internships' on one strict condition" the Colonel stated
"Which is?" Tom raised an eyebrow
"That you all take your orders directly from him and Major Lennox; this may be very unorthodox as far as the Alien/Autobot Cooperation Art is concerned, but this way we'll be able to conduct our mission objective with as little red tape as possible..." Bishop hesitated slightly, before his tone turned more venerate, "...I know that must sound somewhat 'deceptive', and personally I don't like having to give the appearance that we're sneaking around the President's back. But the truth is we cannot afford to have bureaucrat's like Galloway dictate outright what we can and cannot do; try as we may we won't be able to completely control every situation that falls into our jurisdiction, and while the White House is half expecting world war three to come to our doorstep, we have to look at the possibility that diplomacy can work, provided it's given the right opportunity. That, or we risk putting more lives in danger...Of all the humans on this world, no one knows the Autobots better than all of you; you know how they think, how they feel, and vice versa they know you all just as well. You both have a connection that's based on friendship, not an obligation, you're both accepting of each other's differences and you're both objective and unprejudiced in the short-comings of each other's social mannerisms. For all intents and purposes you are the living proof that peaceful co-existence is possible between us and the cybertronians, and if Prime is looking to show any more ex-cons that there is a better way to live besides fighting and bloodshed, then he'll need you at his side to prove that point"
For a moment the kids sat in silence as they contemplated Bishops words...
"...I can see why Prime took such a liking to you" John commented in an unreadable tone.
"It's not a question of just wanting to prove a point, it's about thinking what's best for everyone and the future at large; and it makes better sense and logic to want to find a way that doesn't involve needless loss of life" Bishop stated coolly
"I agree; but I'm still not convinced" the Royal Marine replied frankly, Morri glanced over her shoulder at him; why was he being like this? Ever since the start of the meeting he'd been hard to please from the start; sure this was a big deal, but he knew she and the others can handle themselves, what made this different? Deciding to keep her opinion to herself, she focused her attention back to the Colonel who regarded her uncle with a respectful gaze: he knew he wasn't going to lay all the man's doubts to rest, being a father and uncle it was his job to worry, and nothing would persuade his paternal instincts otherwise.
"I know, and I'm sorry I can't do more to alleviate your worries; but there are some things I will state so there's no doubt on how this all stands. The job is non-applicable to minors; I'm sorry you two but until you both turn eighteen, I'm afraid you can't apply..." Bishop stated, Becca and Becky looked at each other and sighed in disappointment, to which Hailey wrapped her arms around their shoulders to try and comfort them.
"With my current 'situation' I guess it's not applicable to me either huh?" Ashley sighed. Bishop regarded the tall broad sphinx-like hybrid and sighed, "Considering we still don't know enough about your 'unique' situation to make a safe decision, we don't want to take any unnecessary risks; plus technically you're underage too, so the job is none-applicable until you turn sixteen"
"What? We have to wait 'till we turn eighteen but he only has to wait four more years?" Becca exclaimed in surprise, "What gives?" Becky demanded
"'What gives' is that the legal age of consent in Britain is sixteen, and since Ashley and his family aren't American citizens they're still bound by British law, even on American soil" Bishop explained
"Oh" the girls blinked in surprise
"Hang on, I'm fifteen so I'm underage too, why am I the acceptation?" Darren asked
"Because you're already on NEST's payroll; technically you can apply for the internship by default of the NSC agreement's policy on extending additional 'supply and demand': you'll have to reread the footnotes" Bishop replied.
"Okay; but that aside, any other 'requirements' we have to meet?" Mikaela asked
"Only that you must be punctual, professional, and flexible; aside from your off-duty hours you'll be required to keep your schedules running and on time, if there's any falling behind it'll be everyone's time you waste, not just your own. This job is not just an internship, you'll be given serious responsibilities and I expect you all to live up to them. To make sure you all acquire a varied and dynamic set of 'work-skills' you'll all be placed on a rotating duty roster so you'll be working alongside the bots and other troops. You'll be doing everything from mandatory security checks, medical and mechanical maintenance in the med-bay and engineering labs, training with the bots in basic non-live fire combat exercises, and managing basic resources in the living quarters and residential block. If, in the event we do get any more defectors you'll be posted on stand-by, and if you're called to help mediate the defections you're to follow Prime's instructions to the latter and carry on any follow-up orders; is that understood? ..." Bishop stated; everyone nodded
"Then in that case, what do you say?" he offered openly, the kids looked at one another with optimism. Except for Morri, who gazed at her uncle with slight doubt, but he instantly picked up on her concern for him and discreetly nodded with an easy look in his eyes; as if to say: it's your choice, it's okay either way. Slightly relieved, she turned back and asked: "One more question, what're you going to tell Galloway?"
"Don't worry, I'll handle him; I doubt he'll take kindly to it but I want to lay to rest any notion that your age dictates your behaviour"
"He's that stereo-typed?" Mikaela exclaimed incredulously, "I know he's a jerk but-, jeez" she sighed
"Dude, that's so not on" Miles concurred as he folded his arms in annoyance
"Hell man I'll take the job just to stick it to the noob" Glen added in equal annoyance.
The Colonel noticed the look on Darren's face, the subject of the firearms exam hadn't left his mind, "...Just the one, firearms exam? ..." he asked tentavely. "Just the one" Bishop nodded, Darren considered it for a brief moment before replying, "...Okay"
"I guess, aside from Becca, Becky and Ashley that's all of us" Danny thought aloud as he looked around the office and saw no one else seemed to hold any objections. "Aw come on what's to object to here? We get to work with our bot-bros, do something way more productive with our time, don't have to worry about getting our heads blown off, and actually get paid for our efforts. That's a pretty sweet deal to me" Hailey piped in
"Agreed" Sam smiled
"Seconded" Miles replied
"Third" Mikaela concurred
"Forth" Darren nodded
"Fifth" Morri agreed
"Sixth" Tom agreed
"Seventh" Danny smiled
"Eighth" Glen grinned
"And ninth!" Hailey chimed, all in rapid succession; to which everyone couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Alright then..." Bishop smiled, "In that case, report to the base's human resources unit to receive your uniforms and then report to my office at 1400 hours to sign the paper work" he stated as he got up from his chair and headed for the door
"Uniforms?" Miles blinked in surprise
"But of course, if you're going to be working on this base I expect you all to look professional; now if you'll excuse me, I've got other business to attend to...Sergeant..." Bishop regarded the Marine with a discreet nod and promptly left the room.
Later that day:
"...You okay?" Deathshot asked,
"Yeah, it's just a little snug for my liking is all..." Morri replied as she undid the Velcro strap around her collar and readjusted it; the uniform was certainly in-keeping with the whole 'black-ops look' of NEST (as Hailey put it), a typical black and dark grey US combat style suit that had been altered to look more casual. Overall a little more 'stylized' in a sense; personally Morri thought it kind of looked like something out of Star Wars or some obscure sci-fi manga, or... She stopped, "...You know, it kinda reminds me of the Major..." she thought aloud, Deathshot blinked in realization as to whom she was referring to, and smiled softly, "Yeah, she'd approve of that little uniform"
"I'd have been shocked if she didn't; with half the stuff she wore I'm amazed Glen didn't get any nose bleeds-" she chuckled as she finished readjusting the collar until finally it fitted more comfortably; as she steadied herself on the sniper's shoulder, she noticed the NEST insignia on her sleeve, and the Autobot insignia above it. "...It feels weird..." She thought aloud
"What? Being ambassador for both our people? I'd have thought you'd be happy?" the mech blinked in surprise
"No no I am, I really am! Its just-..." she hesitated momentarily, "Well, Bishop hasn't been on the base twenty four hours and he's already fits in like he's been here forever. I can't make up my mind whether he's really tugging at the reins and getting too ahead of himself, or if he really knows what he's doing, and-..."
"And what?"
"...I don't know" she sighed, unable to spit out what her thoughts were trying to make sense of, ", he just strikes me as a real dark horse; doesn't give much away you know?"
"I know what you mean..." the sniper replied, frowning slightly in thought, "I only got to meet him briefly this morning, but right away I could see he's not one to confuse praise for license; but what struck me most was how still he was"
"A room full of bots and he doesn't even blink? Not even around Majestrix? What're the chances of someone having the bottle for a first-time intro like that?"
"It's uncanny, considering he's never met us before"
"Still, at least we know where views on you guys stand; so that's one less arsehole to worry about" Morri reasoned, "...Personally, I'd be interested to see how well he does round here; he's already got Majestrix swept off her feet-" she smiled as she glanced over at the Colonel and Majestrix, who seemed to be laughing over something amusing while Optimus stood nearby with a small smile on his lips, "And he's managed to impress Prime in one fail-swoop"
"He's discerning, shrewd, not too particular; and yet his frankness lends to his humanity in a hardened way" Deathshot observed
"...You think that might have something to do with how he got those scars?"
"I took a quick bio-scan of his face and did a little research on the internet. The soft tissue damage that would create scars of that particular severity can be easily treated with simple cosmetic surgery to lessen their appearance" the sniper replied
Morri blinked in surprise, "...So? Why keep them?"
"Scars are nature's way of reminding us that we survived the past; and they're the reminders we have to carry so as not to make the same mistake twice"
"But what mistake could be so profound that you'd want to remind yourself of it every day when you look in the mirror?"
"...You'd be surprised..." Deathshot sighed as he dropped his gaze in rueful thought.
"*Ahem!*, If I may have your attention please? ..." Majestrix announced to the whole hanger; all at once the chatting died down to a silence and everyone listened as the Prima addressed the entire Autobot army and NEST Platoon. "As I'm sure you've all been informed, my troops have been in quarantine for the last seventy two hours, and during that time they have been briefed and brought up to speed on current events. Not a moment ago I just received confirmation that the last of the quarantine procedures has been completed, and they are now finally ready to meet the rest of their brothers-in-arms..."
A wave of excitement rippled through the whole crowd as everyone was suddenly excited at the prospect of meeting the new arrivals.
"...Needless to say, things have changed a great deal in the last twenty five thousand years; the war ran its course as such and we were not there for the better part of it. To suddenly wake up and learn that Cybertron and the war had been lost was, well? I think we can all relate; but unlike many of you who've come to accept our present circumstances, my troops might take a little longer to adjust and adapt to the fact that earth is now our home, so please; all I ask is that you be thoughtful, understanding, and patient. Now, if you'll follow me, I will make the necessary introductions..." She said as the she lead the way out of the hanger, and proceeded towards the 'open-air' hanger where the Autobot ships were stationed. A lot of the younger bots pushed and nudged their way to the front so as to get a better view while their elders simply hung back and followed in their own sweet time, many of the humans scattered to the suspended walkways so as to avoid getting stepped on while the kids took to their guardian's shoulders for a prime view. As they spilled out into the open-air hanger, the sinister form of the Black Solstus loomed overhead like a shadow without its master; approaching the rear of the ship, the lowest-most access ramp slowly lowered down to the ground and came to rest with a soft THUNK! Inside, the ship was blacker that night, no one could make out anything, but through the gloom the distinct glow of optics could be seen blinking and gazing out into the sunlit air. Both the Lambo and Chevy twins grinned in eager anticipation, as did Bumblebee, Bluestreak, Hot Rod, Cliffjumper, Brawn, Jazz and Trailbreaker who all stood at the front with everyone else behind them. On the extreme left of the ramp, right at the back of the gathering, both the ex-con seekers discreetly kept their heads lowered and tried their best to look inconspicuous as possible as they stayed behind Botanica's large trailing tree-train while Ravage and his brothers sat perched on one of the Black Solstus's rear thrusters, well out of anyone's reach.
"Now, before we meet the crew, first I'd like to introduce my family; starting with my eldest daughter: Eclipse..." Majestrix announced, gesturing towards the ramp; right on cue, the sound of metallic footsteps echoed out from the gloom as said femme emerged... She was a real sight to behold; decked in deep rich purples from head to toe with bright white breast, neck and face plates, her armour was sleek and sharp with curved tapered edges that look like blades running up and down the length of her body, her helm sported a sleek 'horned crown' shape, making her look particularly intimidating. Her left optic was a bright sky blue while her right optic was a deep lavender purple; her bone white face was decorated with elegant black markings around her optics, and certain parts of her armour looked as if they were made of amethyst as they looked more crystalline than metal, on her back were an elegant set of swallow-shaped jet wings with a smaller set of forewings plus a set tailfins that reached down to her ankles. As she stepped out into the sun her armour glistened like amethyst crystals, and her elegant curves stood out against her wings as she flexed them out. The young mech's stood in stunned silence as their sparks started beating about in their spark chambers; unable to divert their optics away from the object of their keen interest; but Eclipse paid no attention as she stepped forward and joined her mother at her side. "-Leader of our reconnaissance unit, and my most proficient scout" Majestrix smiled as Optimus stepped forward to introduce himself, "You remember you're 'uncle' Optimus, don't you Eclipse?"
"Of course:" the femme replied tonelessly, "It is good to see you again sir"
"And I you young one" he smiled, "It will be an honor to have you serve with us"
"Please, the pleasure is mine" she replied impassively with a respectful bow; from where he sat on Bumblebee's shoulder, Sam was taken aback at what little emotion the femme displayed for her uncle; you'd think after being apart for so long, one would be overjoyed to be reunited with their family again? But here, this femme regarded him more as a strict commander than a dear relative. 'Hm, must be one of the hardcore types' he thought to himself; some individuals were not so good or comfortable at showing their emotions well, that was the way they were, and that was okay (?). He let the notion go and watched in fascination as Majestrix continued: "She has served me very well these past eons, and I know she will be a fine scout to you too dear brother..." the Prima smiled proudly, "Now, my second eldest, Moonshine-"
"-Moonshine?" Miles grinned as he tried to fight back the laughter that threatened to burst out, "Oh this I gotta see!"; "Ditto!" Sam giggled. The femme glared at them with a stern look, instantly shutting them both up, Mikaela elbowed her boyfriend with a particularly reprimanding look too, to which he didn't protest.
"-Is my applied sciences designer..." Majestrix continued
"Applied sciences?!-" a feminine voice exclaimed incredulously as the second sibling came sauntering down the ramp like a supermodel on the catwalk. This femme was even more stunning, even more so by the fact that she was a dragon! Long, sleek and serpent-like with rich luscious purples and dark blues with a vivid set of bright green optics, she sported a huge double set of butterfly-like wings, a set of long whip-like antennae and a row of soft spine-like fins running down her back and tail and on the sides of her jaws; she walked on her hind legs in a very human-like manner before transforming. In femme-mode her dragon head rested above her breast plates while her humanoid face and neck were radiant white with rich purple lip plates, her jaw fins formed a dainty shoulder cape over her upper arms while her huge main wings formed a long elegant train-like cape flowing down her back while her smaller wings hugged her waist and hips, forming a sleek gown-like hem that draped over her long clawed feet. Her back fins had gathered up into the back of her sleek horned helm, forming into long flesh-like dreadlocks while her long whip-like tail curled out behind her, whipping back and forth with every step.
"Mother dear, I produce beauty-divine in functioning form, 'applied sciences' makes it sound so drab!-" she drolled in a posh British accent as she strode up to the gathered bots. "-Uncle Optimus!" she gasped in delight as she suddenly recognised Prime; she bound up to him with a real spring in her step and threw her arms around him. "It's good to see you too Moonshine!" Prime gasped as he managed to pry one his arms loose from her tight bear-hug and pat her on the head, she let him go and suddenly noticed the hot-rod flames on his chest plates, "Oh, you kept the red and blue-" she smiled tenderly, "I always said they were your colours, but hot rod flames?"
"I like them, I find they suit me" he smiled
"You always did fancy yourself a bad-aft" she grinned playfully. Everyone watched in a mix of dumbfounded disbelief and tittering delight, not quite sure what to make of the bright and bubbly femme; Miles stared at her in a mix of every emotion and wasn't entirely sure which one to use. On the one hand she was stunningly beautiful; but, her name just kept tugging his lips into a crazy smile; for a moment he almost lost track of what was going on as Majestrix introduced her youngest daughter...
"-And you remember my youngest, Novastar, don't you Optimus?" she smiled
"Little nova?" Prime blinked in surprise as said femme appeared at the top of the ramp; unlike her siblings, this little femme was much more nervous as she made her way down the ramp. As all eyes and optics locked onto her, she didn't seem comfortable being stared at; but was it any wonder? She was as beautiful and elegant as her sisters; decked in bright dandelion yellow and rich purple with radiant pink optics, her armor was as sleek, sharp and smooth as her elder sister's with snow white face, neck, forearm and midriff plates. With a double set of sleek tapered jet wings, tailfins, and a smooth swept back helm, she radiated with splendor, and at the same time, there was a sort of sweet demure daintiness about her, like a delicate flower...
As she nervous approached Optimus and greeted him; time and everything else seemed to fade into nothingness as Skywarp stared at her in dumbstruck awe; her radiance, her beauty, her sweet smile, his spark felt like it had sprouted wings of its own and had taken flight to the heavens, singing a song of joy and passion as he sighed in adoration. As time seemed to stop altogether, she spotted him through the crowd; they stared into each other's optics for what felt like eternity, and then...she smiled at him...
"Hey!-" Thundercracker shook him on the shoulder; reality snapped back into place and the moment had pasted, Skywarp did a double take as his processor tried to remember what was going on; "Uh? What?" he raised an optic ridge; "What the slag were you gawking at? Close your cockpit!" the older seeker whispered. Looking down, Skywarp awkwardly fumbled to close his cockpit, which had somehow popped open by itself. Looking back up, he saw Novastar had moved out of his line of sight and could barely catch of glimpse of the top of her helm through the densely packed bots. Sighing in disappointment, he kept his head low as Majestrix continued the introductions...
"...My best scout, my finest scientist, and my top hacker; my daughters, and my most treasured magnum opus three fold..." she smiled warmly at her daughters; Moonshine and Novastar gazed adoringly at her while Eclipse simply stood to attention like a troop on the parade ground. "And now, I introduce my dearest, most loyal friends; family in every way but blood, who through thick and thin have given me many centuries of undying loyalty and affection. And who I know, you will come to love and admire too..." Majestrix smiled, "Oh, and you might want to take several paces back-" she added with a sly look in her optics.
"Any idea where she's going with this?" Ironhide whispered into Prime's audio as everyone moved back by several meters; "A pretty good one, and all I can recommend is, brace yourself old friend:" Optimus deadpanned; Ironhide grumbled something under his breath, this was either going to be bad, or something else altogether: either way, it was going to mean trouble. But he realized this was probably going to be tense when a whole bunch of sinister-looking optics gazed out from the darkness of the ship; followed by a series of soft grunts, growls, hyena-like cackles and hisses as they watched the bots startled movements. With a sharp double clap of her hands, Majestrix grinned as the first set of glowing optics approached out of the dark and slithered down the ramp...
Everyone jumped in alarm at the sight of the huge serpent-like creature; over thirty feet in length and blacker than the blackest shadow, it had the long robust body of a python or boa, but had the upper body, forelegs, neck, head and face of a leopard, with long pointed ears and sharp emerald green optics it was a sinister-looking beast. As it approached, it circled its mistress, hissing aggressively at the other bots, who all hastily stepped back further to give it a wide birth; content that no one was threat, the creature stood up on its forelegs and slithered/climbed up Majestrix's side, coming to rest around her neck with a content purr. "Now now Shadowfang, is that any way to say hello?" she cooed to the creature, who simply rubbed its head against her helm.
"What in the pit is THAT thing?!" Skids panicked
"Shadowfang: my shadow that follows me most places, and keeps my wings warm on the coldest of nights; what she is I don't quite know. A hybrid of some kind, courtesy of one of Shockwave's many bio-weapons experiments, which I 'relieved' him of several eons ago" Majestrix smiled as she stroked the creature, eliciting a deep rumbling purr from its vocalizer.
"Bio-weapons experiments?" Bluestreak echoed, raising an optic ridge in confusion.
"A nightmare that came long before your time kid. Back when Cybertron was still able to sustain what was left of its dying ecosystems; Shockwave tried cross- breeding Cybertron's apex predator species in an attempt to create living weapons. But when he got the idea to install their processors with base-line AI software to make them more intelligent, many of them learnt how to break free of their handler's control and turned on them. Those beasts were a near-endless source of horror for everyone, bot and con alike; I didn't think any were still alive after all this time" Kup explained as he stepped forwards to get a closer look, the creature bared its teeth but didn't hiss as it leaned forward to get a good sniff of the old bot.
"If there's one thing I enjoyed more than trying to blast Shockwave to the pit; it was raiding his hidden laboratories and plundering his experiments. And I kept only the best ones for myself..." Majestrix grinned as she let the creature slither off her neck and onto one of the rear tail fins of the ship; everyone watched in morbid curiosity as the creature coiled up watched them like a hawk, "...But of course, Shadowfang wasn't the only result of the bio-weapons experiments..." she put her fingers to her lip plates and blew hard, eliciting a loud shrill whistle. Suddenly, the sound of barking, howling and growling echoed out loudly from the ship as a huge pack of fifteen dog-like beasts galloped down the ramp and made a bee-line for Majestrix; each of them wagging their tails and whining and yapping with delight as their mistress bend down to greet each of them, to which she received a generous amount of licks from their long silver tongues, everyone didn't know whether to run or to power up their weapons as many of the bots suddenly recognised what they were.
"Hellhounds?!" Ironhide gasped, "But I thought they were extinct?" Jetfire exclaimed
"On Cybertron they are..." Majestrix replied as she got back up and snapped her fingers, immediately each of the beasts sat down and fell silent; but still twitched in happy excitement. There were three basic types; the most obvious were the five long skinny ones with pale silvery armour, built like greyhounds with long sleek powerful legs, large optics, long pointed ears and long narrow muzzles filled with small cone shaped teeth: they were obviously built for speed and agility. Five others seemed to resemble wolves as they were of a sturdier build with stocky forequarters and wolf-like faces and muzzles with sharp armour plates running down their necks with slate blue and dark grey marbled markings; those ones looked like they were built to track and fight. But the other five were the most intimidating of all: smaller and shorter than the others with dark gun-metal grey armour, they looked like pitbull/shark hybrids on steroids; with a much more robust build, shorter legs and wide blunt muzzles, their teeth looked like a cross between a shark's and tiger's, with four huge canines that could do some serious damage, and smaller serrated triangular teeth for shredding. They were built to fight, and fight hard. "...These are the last of Megatron's personal pack; the ones that he intended to use for hunting traitors. I stole them from him when they were still newly sparked, and have been my best hunters and trackers ever since" the Prima smiled as she stroked their heads
"You've got even more brass-bearings than I thought! Keeping a pack of Hellhounds? You gotta be crazy!" Sunstreaker exclaimed in disbelief, to which Majestrix glanced at him with a sly grin. "...Not enough apparently?" she replied sweetly as she whistled again; this time, a deeper, much hoarser growl rumbled out of the ship as the next member of her menagerie made its presence known...
A GIANT three headed hellhound; over thirty five feet tall from the ground to the top of its centre head, the great beast stomped out and sniffed the air, gazing over at the bots and growling loudly. Everyone froze in terror: the sight of its huge silver teeth and robust jaws told them right away it could kill them in one bite; each of the heads were indistinguishable from each other bar their optics, the right head's was blue, the centre head's was yellow, and the left's were red. As the creature approached closer, its deep growls made the whole crowd back up, until it spotted its mistress, and instantly calmed down as it nuzzled her like a puppy. "Now now Cerberus, that's no way to greet our friends..." she cooed softly as a happy moan escaped the creature's jaws.
"A THREE HEADED Hellhound?! How in the pit-..." Cliffjumper gasped
"Slag! Shockwave sure knew how to make a monster!" Ultra Magnus gasped offhand
"True, but not so much a monster if you know how to understand them" Majestrix replied as she produced three mini energon cubes from her subspace and offered them to the beast; each of the heads licked up a cube and chewed on them contently. She made a gesture with her hand and the creature padded over to one side and lied down to enjoy its treats, followed by the Hellhound pack.
"So what other pets do you have? Or dare I even ask?" Jazz asked, passing a sigh of relief. To answer his question, Majestrix whistled again and this time a huge black shadow swopped out of the ship, circled up and around before gliding down and perching on her shoulder. "This is Carrion, my 'cyber-griffin vulture', and by far one of the most noble creatures in existence" Majestrix stated proudly as the creature hopped down onto her outstretched arm. True to her words, it literally looked like a griffin/vulture hybrid; at over ten feet long from nose to tail with a wingspan of over twenty five feet across, it had a stocky feline body with a long bladed tail but had the head of a vulture with blade-feathers at the base of its neck, and a huge set of disheveled wings that looked more like shards of shrapnel all pieced together into crude wing-shapes with powerful engines on each side. Completely black from beak to tail-tip, its scarlet red optics surveyed the scene with a particularly austere gaze; it was as unflatteringly unattractive as it was starkly frightening: its very appearance was something akin to the grim reaper, or some ominous deathly presence. Either way, half the bots were wondering what else there was to Majestrix, if this was her idea of nobility. The creature gave a shrill hoarse squawk, and took off up into the air, perching next to Shadowfang on the rear-most tailfin of the ship.
"Noble? Yeah, if yer Fester Addams" Sam said offhand as he watched the ominous griffin preening its feathers while Shadowfang curled up next to it.
"One mech's ugliness is another's beauty; and besides, a cyber-griffin vulture has the keenest optics of any creature, and over the years he's done a fine job on keeping an optic on everyone, and everything" Majestrix stated. Suddenly, a deep loud rumble echoed out from the ship as two more beasts availed themselves; Majestrix smiled as she instantly recognized them, and they her..."Ah, but these by far are my most precious companions. Blackscar, Whiteclaw, here my darlings..." she called to them warmly as they came up and rubbed their bodies up against hers with satisfied purrs. The creatures in question were a pair of GIANT robotic tigers; over fifteen tall and forty five feet long from their noses to their bladed tails, they had thick robust forequarters with long lean hindquarters, huge paw pads sporting a lethal set of claws, and jaws that could rip a mech's head off in one quick bite. But unlike regular earth tigers, this pair had a set of complex-looking crests at the sides of their heads and jaws with four long blueish-purple whip-like antenna extending out from behind their small pointed ears, and unlike the others creatures they had no lip plates to hide their teeth, thus the whole front of their faces looked like were skulls, and locked in a constant chilling snarl. Their colouration however was more appealing; one was deep jet black with white stripes running down its neck, back and tail, while other slightly larger one was radiant snow white with black stripes: each had a single bright yellow optic in the center of their faces, and each had a long blade-like stinger at the tip of their tails. As they paced around Majestrix, Ravage suddenly noticed the familiarity they both shared with his own design; and watched them with captivated fascination that rippled down his spark-bond, and caught his brother's attention too...
"Turbo-Tigers!" Jazz gasped, "-You got turbo-tigers?"
"Aw hell no way!" Mudflap gasped
"Where, in the pit did you find those?!" Jetfire breathed in astonishment
"The obsidian pits of Dalmeck-Karr 12; Starscream thought he could overthrow Megatron with these 'pretty kitties' as his personal assassins. But after I found out about them I decided he could try overthrowing Megatron the old fashioned way; so I stole them away and kept them for myself..." Majestrix grinned as the black turbo-tiger stood up on its hind legs to nuzzle her face, "Hmmm, they've been my precious angles ever since" She cooed lovingly as she scratched the creature behind its ear.
"Hehehehe! Yeah I bet!" Glen chuckled nervously while he tried to hide behind Skids and Mudflap's frames as the white turbo-tiger tried to softly paw at him, which only made the-already nervous human even more twitchy as he tried to run for cover: only to be chased and pounced upon. "Whiteclaw! No! Put him down this instant!" Majestrix sternly ordered, to which the white tiger complied and let him go, after scrambling back onto his feet Glen made a beeline for the safety of Prime's huge frame, with Whiteclaw eying him with disappointment.
"I hope that's not going to be a regular occurrence?" Prime frowned disapprovingly.
"Turbo-tigers will be turbo-tigers; they'll pounce on just about anything small that moves in front of them" Majestrix shrugged as the black turbo-tiger got down and paced off around the side of the ship.
"Yeah, and probably eat just about anything too right?" Epps nervously replied
"Hm, that depends; they don't usually favor organics. Simply keep a red laser pen on your person at all times and you'll be fine" she replied casually, Epps was about to ask why: until he suddenly remembered what cats love most about red laser pens. "A laser pen's gonna keep than oversized kitty off me?!" he sarcastically demanded. With an exasperated sigh, Majestrix activated a red laser in her left optic and directed at the ground in front of Whiteclaw, right away the huge beast started pawing at the light like a kitten at play, following it with eager interest as Majestrix led the laser around the side of the ship, with the tiger still chasing after it. Once both creatures were out of range, she deactivated the laser and gazed at Epps with a satisfied raised optic ridge. The man simply shook his head and sighed in dreary exhaustion: his life had just gone from 'already-risky-yet-interesting', to playing host with a hoard of occupational hazards.
"So? I take it you don't really go for cute and fluffy?" Hailey asked with a nervous smile
"Cute and fluffy is fine, but when you're in the middle of a war you want something that's going to know how to defend itself and survive more than a few rounds of plasma-bomb attacks and seeker raids. Something that thrives on carnage is best suited to the melee and unpredictable nature of combat. And when dealing with an enemy like the cons, cute and fluffy is the last thing on my mind" Majestrix stated in a dry tone.
"Mother always did have a soft spot for the 'toothy' ones; especially Geo" Moonshine smiled as she petted one of the hellhounds.
"Geo?! ..." Prime flinched at the name before a sour look came over his face, "Oh don't tell me you still have-"
"Yes, yes I do-" Majestrix grinned with glee, before she sighed in exasperation, "Honestly Optimus, you of all mech's know how long lived Geo's kind are; not to mention they can spend hundreds of years at a time in hibernation. And besides, if it wasn't for her you would never have learnt how to survive an encounter with Shockwave's most favourite pet..."
"Shockwave's most favorite pet?" Jetfire echoed
"Back up, is she talking about-"
"Wait, does she mean?-"
"Hang on; Shockwave's favorite pet was that Driller, and it-..." Bumblebee's 'antennae' dropped down as he suddenly realized what Majestrix was talking about... "...Oh frag..."
A deep vibrating rumble echoed out of the ship like rolling thunder and shook the ground like an earthquake.
"Oh slag! What now?!" Ironhide exclaimed as he held onto Will in one hand.
"You might want to back right up!" Majestrix called over the loud rumbling
"What?" Ultra Magnas called back
"She means RUN!-" Prime barked as he took off in the opposite direction; no one asked or argued as they followed close behind while the human troops scattered back into the base and behind the fire-blast barriers along the edges of the open air hanger. A huge BOOM! Shook the ground as a huge dust cloud was thrown up into the air, practically blocking out half the sunlight coming into the gorge; as the rumbling died down, a deep loud metallic whining/groaning echoed back and forth off the canyon-like walls: like a whale song of some kind. The kids tried to get a good look over their guardian's shoulders to see what it was, and through the dust the giant silhouette a huge serpent-like creature shifted from one side to another before coming to a stop in front of the Ark.
"YOU CAN STOP RUNNING NOW!" Majestrix called over, and as the bots skidded to a halt and turned; the sight before them made their jaws and cockpits drop.
Lying in a curved position on the ground between the bow of Ark and the stern of the Black Solstus, a HUGE worm-like behemoth sat; with six long tentacles, a mouth full of rotating jaws and countless teeth, it dwarfed the entire group. Its silver and grey drill-like armor glistened in the sun as the countless segments that made up its body rotated back and forth slowly as its giant head swung round towards them. As its teeth 'click-clacked' over and over one another, a deep electronic whale-like moan echoed deep from within its hulking body while its six massive tentacles slowly snaked towards the bots, as if sniffing their air around them.
Of all the creatures to have ever existed, none were more respected, or more feared than the Driller; its size, power and ferocious predatory nature had been the stuff of terrifying legends for countless eons; and its stealthy and fast prowess had made it the undisputed apex predator of Cybertron. But with the planet and its ecosystems long since gone, the great beasts faded into myth and fable; now the subject of camp-fire tales and old war stories to scare rookie bots. The only other Driller the bots had ever known was the one Shockwave kept as his personal war-hound; no one had ever imagined that anyone else could have kept one of these giants, let alone an Autobot: they were simply too big and too dangerous. But here, as Majestrix passed along the giant's flank, slowly and smoothly caressing its sharp bladed body, the behemoth twitched its tentacles as a happy-sounding deep MMMMUUUUR rumbled out of its huge gaping mouth. The bots kept their distance, as the memories of Shockwave's Driller brought back unpleasant memories for those who'd been unlucky enough to confront the beast face to face; they remembered just what kind of damage those tentacles can do, and just how much metal those teeth could shred...
"You...have a Driller..." Sunstreaker tried to snap himself back to reality, "A real, big-aft, Driller..."
"Holy Slag..." Jetfire facepalmed, nearly stumbling over backwards
"That thing's your PET?!" Sam squeaked
"How did it even fit on the ship? It's gotta be nearly two thousand feet long!" Mikaela exclaimed in shock as she gazed at its long hulking body.
"Two thousand and fifty to be exact-" Majestrix grinned, "And every last inch of her is stunning"
"Two thousand and fifty?! That's way bigger than Shockwave's Driller!" Bumblebee gasped
"Well of course she's bigger, she's a female!" the Prima frowned. As the Driller purred at its mistress's touch, a familiar scent caught its attention; directing its tentacles towards the bots, it instantly picked Optimus out as it 'sniffed' him up and down, and a curious groan rumbled deep within its body as Optimus tried to gently push the intruding tentacles away.
"Oh Optimus, she still remembers you after all this time-" Majestrix smiled warmly "How wonderful"
"Yes, quite-" he replied with a hint of displeasure as he gently swatted one tentacle away from his face, "Now, if you please?" With a long shrill whistle and a waving gesture of her hand; the Driller's body segments began to rotate faster, and in one smooth turn with a slithering motion it took off towards the far end of the gorge, passing a rather curious Omega Supreme, fluidly slipping over the underground waterway outlet and into the deep flowing river, swimming along towards the open desert. The hellhounds and turbo-tigers too took off towards the vast open terrain, running up the long sloping road that hugged the western side of the canyon wall, the single quickest way up to the top; while Carrion and Shadowfang sat contently in the shade of the Black Solstus.
"Holy crap, and I thought people who keep alligators for pets were nuts..." Will thought aloud as he wiped the sweat from his brow. "All those things were your pets?"
"Everyone has a hobby; and simply plundering Decepticon hideouts and destroying everything just wasn't fun if you didn't have anything to show for it..." Majestrix reasoned with a sweetly smile, "And if you're worried about keeping them in cages, don't. They don't do cage's well anyway; with the vast expanse of the desert surrounding the base they'll be happily provided for: there's the reservoir, a mountain, several valleys and gorges, and plenty of scrub-land for them to sniff around and hide in. And when they soon learn that the base is the their only food source, they won't be tempted to jump the perimeter and go wandering off to the nearest human habitation; give them time to settle in and they'll be fine"
"Yeah, you say that, but saying it and 'settling in' actually happening are two different things!" Glen pointed out, his nerves still shot.
"He's got a point, we use the desert for training and live-fire exercises, as well as the air-strip and hangers; how're we supposed to go about business as usual if those 'pets' are running around getting up to who knows what?" Will asked in concern
"Hmmm?" Majestrix thought for a moment, "I'll put something in place to keep them off the runways, away from the power-supply units at the dam and away from the training grounds, fair enough?"
"It'll do" Will nodded, satisfied, but not completely at ease, "But what about 'Geo'?"
"Female Drillers are quite territorial; I think she'll favour the north side of the western mountain and the gorges surrounding it. Just give her a few days to establish her territory and you shouldn't have any problems" the femme replied
"And food? I don't think that thing'll take energon cubes"
"Drillers can go for years at a time between kills, a handful of cubes here and there will keep her happy, maybe the occasional dead con if she's lucky, and if Shockwave is stupid enough to bring his Driller to earth he's going to be slag out of luck. Female Drillers are known to be cannibals..." she grinned slyly
"Oooookay-" Sam nodded slowly, thinking she probably enjoyed that fact a little too much, "So? Generally, just don't go into the desert for the next few days?"
"I think that seems to be the general consensus Mrs Witwicky" Morri sarcastically replied
"Oh Mother! We nearly forgot Scrappy!" Novastar squeaked in mild alarm
"Hm? Oh yes, don't worry I haven't forgotten him" Majestrix smiled
"Who's Scrappy?" Mikaela asked
"Oh, he's my pet hellhound; mother gave him to me when I was very young, he's been my bestest little friend for as long as I can remember" she chimed happily
"And the biggest annoyance" Eclipse sarcastically added
"Oh please! You're only saying that because he took a bite out of your wing the one time! And that hardly counted as a mesh wound!" Moonshine waved off, Eclipse glared daggers at her younger sibling but said nothing.
"Aw slag! Another one of those things?" Mudflap facepalmed
"Yes, but this one is quite different from the others-" Majestrix warned as she held the bot's gazes with a stern look in her optics, "I have to warn you; this is by far the most dangerous of Shockwaves experiment's. When starved, it can strip a mech of his armour within less than forty five minutes, and when really starved, it can kill and excoriate a Driller within half the time..."
The bots glances at one another in dread and horrified alarm; what could possibly kill a driller?
"Remember: no sudden moves, and if it comes up to you, try not to look it in the optics..." Majestrix warned before she whistled, and a tiny pair of bright purple optics appeared at the darkened doorway... Everyone braced themselves; whatever was about to come out, they all hoped and prayed that it would respond to its mistresses command. Their minds reeled, what kind of monstrous beast could be capable of killing a driller and stripping it of its armour? As the thought sent shivers through their systems, the bots readied themselves, either to run, or to fight...
A small growl echoed out of the darkness of the ship...
This was it. The worst of the worst; the terror that came trotting down the ramp was a great big-
Chihuahua?
The sound of a scratched vinyl record would've been a most appropriate sound effect for the moment as every bot and human did a double take at the tiny dog-bot. Red Alert nearly glitched, Jetfire squinted as if a bug had flown into his optic, and Prime stood there with a raised optic ridge, not quite sure what to make of the ridiculously cute little creature. It was probably the size of a Yorkshire terrier, maybe smaller? With pale pewter and silver armour, big adorable purple optics and a little button-like nose, huge pointed ears, a short curly tail and tiny little legs that looked too small for its skinny little body. A brief moment of dumbfounded silence past before most of the bots and humans broke into fits of hysterics and fell about each other in a pile of uncontrolled laughter.
"THAT'S the big bad driller-killer?!" Skids wheezed as he tried to pick himself up off the ground
"Holy slag!-" Mudflap bellowed, "-That thing's the size of my-"
But he didn't get a chance to finish as the Chihuahua-bot took a running leap and tackled him in the face plates. Laughter instantly turned to hysterical panic as Mudflap tried to pull the tiny creature off his nose-plates, but its (surprisingly strong) little teeth gripped hard and refused to let go as it growled angrily. His brother, plus the other bots watched on with side splitting laughter as the Chevy danced around with this tiny dog-bot hanging from his face; Prime and the other older bots watched on with slight amusement and exasperated sighs.
"OH PRIMUS!-" Novastar panicked as she ran over to the Chevy and tried to get the little creature to let go, "-I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!-" she repeated over and over in a flustered panic, until finally the dog let go and nestled in the crook of her arm. "Bad Scrappy! Bad Scrappy! That was very naughty!" she reprimanded him with a light finger-flick on the nose, but the little Chihuahua-bot simply scratched behind one ear and didn't make any further fuss. "I'm so sorry about that! He's not usually like that around strangers!" Novastar apologized vehemently, terrified that she really ticked him off.
"Uuuh, -dafrag?" Mudflap groaned as he staggered around in a daze, keeping one hand on his still-sore nose plates while his brother and the other bots and humans finally calmed down and regained their composure.
"Well? That was, 'different'..." Majestrix smiled slyly with satisfaction, "Can you still stand?" she asked
"Uh-huh..." the burnt orange Chevy nodded as he leaned against his brother while still rubbing his dented wound.
"Good, and now, back to business..." The Prima smiled; as if on cue, another collection of optics appeared from out of the gloom of the ship, and stared down at everyone with curiosity, and skepticism...
R&R Please!
