Greetings, everyone. I haven't written for a while as I've been going through a bit of a tough time in the past year, but I think I'm slowly coming out of it. I had a very unpleasant experience at the hands of a guy I knew from the TFW2005 website, one of the administrators there who I had met on previous occassions at the Auto Assembly convention. I met up with him last year and received a nasty shock when I became the target of his unwanted advances. The experience has just highlighted to me how women in general need to be careful when interacting with men, espeically when they seem a little too keen on us. There are unfortunately a number of guys in this fandom who don't have much social skill. To other ladies out there, I urge you to never let your guard down when interacting with others, in particular men, especially within fan communities where you are likely to encounter a lot of 'nerds'. You need to keep yourselves safe. You need to know when to tell a guy to stop or when to just leave if he is making you uncomfortable. You need to be prepared to tackle unwelcome behaviour. And as a general rule, don't take chances meeting up with a guy you do not know very well, even if you think he is a friend. If you do, be prepared for anything.
Apologies for that, but I do feel now that this is an important safety issue for women. I don't want others to fall prey to the kind of behaviour I did.
Anyway, putting that aside, to everyone who has shown interest in this fic in the past, I thank you. It has been a pleasure to know my writing has been enjoyed. I can say I'll be finishing these "Invasion" chapters in the forseeable future. After that, I'll have to see.
Invasion - Part 3.5
Iacon.
"Get out of the way!"
Ratchet horned loudly at several Autobots in vehicular modes ahead of him. He, Arcee and Sari had been caught in a traffic jam on their way to the Infirmary. They were stuck on a crowded road.
Sari, seated within Arcee's vehicle mode, craned her neck around and looked out through Arcee's window at the lines of Autobot cars surrounding them.
"Where did all these bots come from?" she wondered aloud.
"Word's spread of the Decepticon attacks at Fortress Maximus and Trypticon Prison," Arcee explained. "Bots want to get out of Iacon now. It's become dangerous."
"I said move!" Ratchet yelled again at the cars ahead of him.
Sari sighed. "We're never going to get to Ultra Magnus in this jam."
Suddenly Arcee opened the canopy of her car mode. "Step out, Sari."
Sari did as she was told and jumped out onto the road. Arcee transformed to robot mode and walked up to the bots in front of Ratchet that he had been yelling at to move. Ratchet also transformed.
"Excuse me, sirs, but we urgently need to get to the infirmary," Arcee said politely to the bots. "It could be a matter of life and death. Please let us pass."
The bots Arcee addressed transformed to robot modes. They surrounded her in an intimidating manner.
"I don't care if you gotta go save the world, missy!" one of the bots declared. "You'll just have to wait in line like the rest of us! So get back in your place!"
Ratchet took a step forward to come to Arcee's aid. But then to his and the other bots' surprise, Arcee reached behind herself and drew out one of her blue energy swords. With lightning speed, she brought the blade up against the bot's neck. He froze.
"I asked you nicely, now I'm telling you," Arcee uttered dangerously, "let us through, or I'll slice my way through."
The bot backed away rapidly from Arcee. "Y-yes, ma'am," he stuttered, stepping aside. "Please come through."
The other bots followed his example and stepped aside for Arcee. A clear path was formed. Ratchet's mouth fell open.
"Whoah..." Sari said in a low voice from the ground.
Arcee placed her sword back into storage behind herself then turned to Ratchet and Sari. She waved them to come forward. "C'mon, let's go." She transformed into vehicle mode.
Ratchet recovered himself and transformed into vehicle mode too. His side door swung open and Sari climbed into him. He then followed after Arcee.
"Remind me never to make her angry," Ratchet muttered to Sari through his vehicle mode speakers.
Sari nodded vigorously.
"Thank you!" Arcee called as she sped past the bots she had threatened.
They simply nodded to her, their optics tracking her nervously as she and her male companion drove down the road.
Outside Fortress Maximus.
"Reflector and Nightbird have taken down the main fortress cannon!" Mega-Octane declared to his Decepticon commandos. "Decepticons, prepare to merge!"
Nearby, the Decepticon commandos, two ground vehicles and two aircrafts: Ro-Tor, Armorhide, Rollbar and Movor, chorused all at once: "Yes, sir!"
The two ground vehicles, a tank and an off-road vehicle, charged their weapons, preparing to fire at the Autobot TransTech police force nearby. Depth Charge, at the head of the police force, saw this.
"Take cover!" he shouted.
He and others immediately retreated and threw themselves to the ground as the two Decepticons fired simultaneously at them. The incoming blasts shot toward them and exploded on the ground that they had just previously occupied.
Meanwhile, in the air, an Autobot fighter craft, its pilot Powerglide, was entering a gradual downward spiral. Whilst engaged in an aerial dogfight with one of the Decepticon fliers, he had been struck from behind. He was shouting into his radio.
"Maycycle! Maycycle! I'm hit! I'm going down!"
Powerglide's plane plummeted, leaving behind it a trail of smoke. The Autobot pilot prayed for a landing he could walk away from.
The five Decepticon commandos broke away from their ground and air-based fights with the Autobots and gathered together.
"Merge into Ruination!" Mega-Octane roared.
The Decepticon commandos suddenly began reforming and joining together into something very big. Watching in horror a short distance away, Depth Charge and his officers fell silent.
"Oh frag me..." Depth Charge uttered as a giant shadow fell over him.
Underneath Trypticon Prison.
Megatron waited with limited patience as his troops lowered themselves through the hole one by one. Barricade had led them beneath the prison, straight down into underground tunnels.
"We will pass undetected right under the feet of the Autobots whilst they are distracted outside with General Strika's organised attacks," Barricade informed. Frenzy, perched on his shoulder, nodded rapidly in agreement. "She is currently holding the Space Bridge Nexus in readiness for you, Lord Megatron."
At the mention of Strika's name, Lugnut, still above the hole in the prison ground, threw his arms up in exultation, almost knocking Shockwave over at his side.
"Ah, my lady Strika! Spark of my spark!" he cried. "With her superior strategy aiding our escape, our freedom is assured! None, save Lord Megatron, can match her unparalleled intellect and ability! She is an inspiration to all Decepticons! The burning light of my life cycle! The-"
"Lugnut! Stop babbling about your consort's brilliance and get down here!" Megatron snapped irritably from below in the tunnel.
"Yes, my liege! My apologies!" Lugnut said hastily.
The burly Decepticon quickly proceeded to drop himself into the hole. But a problem arose.
"Ahm, master, I appear to be stuck," Lugnut sheepishly announced when he had passed halfway through the hole and become trapped.
Beneath Lugnut, Barricade, Blitzwing, Sunstorm and Ramjet looked up at his hanging legs. Megatron quietly slapped himself and groaned.
"Ohhhh boy," Frenzy moaned from Barricade's shoulder.
Blitzwing's manic face suddenly swung into view. "Ooo! I know how to get him loose!" he declared. "Luggy! Raise your armz like you're dancing! And ve'll all give you a good tug from down here whilst Shocky can push you from up zhere!"
Blitzwing took hold of Lugnut's dangling legs. "Come on, everyone!" he hollered. "All togezher now! Push and pull!"
Ramjet, Sunstorm and Barricade looked at one another and shrugged. Then, following Blitzwing's example, they also took hold of Lugnut's loose legs.
"This gonna be fun," Frenzy remarked humorously, scuttling behind Barricade's head.
Lugnut wiggled slightly in his trapped position. "Erm, my arms are rasied," he announced in subdued embarrassment.
There were grunts and groans as Shockwave pressed down on Lugnut's great shoulders from above and the other Decepticons pulled at Lugnut's legs from below.
Below, Blitzwing's face switched to his angry one. "Pull harder, you protoformlings! You call yourzelves Decepticons?!"
Above: "Lugnut, urrgh, you should consider downsizing slightly!" Shockwave complained as he turned himself around and added his body weight onto his pushing arms.
Then Megatron stepped forward, grabbed Lugnut's foot, and with a mighty yank, brought his large lieutenant crashing down into the tunnel, right on top of Blitzwing. Barricade and the Starscream clones fell backwards in surprise. Shockwave came falling down on top of Lugnut too.
Lugnut picked himself up from the ground quickly, throwing a dazed Shockwave off his back, and dusted himself off before his master. Blitzwing lay flat on the ground beneath him, twitching.
Lugnut kneeled before Megatron. "Thank you, master!"
"Get up, all of you," Megatron said impatiently, ignoring Lugnut. "We've wasted enough time here."
He turned to Barricade who was holding his head and slowly standing up. "Lead the way out."
Barricade composed himself and pointed ahead. "This way." He began to move down the tunnel.
"Big ass!" Frenzy muttered at Lugnut from behind Barricade.
Megatron followed Barricade and Lugnut trailed after his master. The other Decepticons, rubbing themselves painfully, glared at Lugnut and grumbled quietly. Blitzwing took a few wobbly steps forward.
"Now I know what a pancake feelz like!" he said dizzily. "AHAHA! AHAHAHAHA!"
Blitzwing's manic laughter echoed through the tunnels.
To be continued.