Author's notes
Before you read this chapter, please open a browser to Wikipedia and search for People's Liberation Army. There's a map somewhere showing how China is divided into various Military Regions. It'll help as you read the chapter. Again, I am a lay man when it comes to military hardware and strategy so I beg for your forgiveness if what I write is really impractical and illogical in real life. Then again, this is a Ranma+Transformer fic….
Thanks for your support guys. As usual, long reviews are appreciated. Feel free to rant for as long as you want, it makes me extremely happy to start the day reading your reviews.
Chapter 21: War CouncilKasumi was standing in a vast white space. Her eyes were closed and she wore her normal dress again. Her back leaned against someone else's back. In contrast to the soft fabric of her clothes, the other's back seemed to be made out of hard metal yet was warm to the touch. Both of Kasumi's hands gripped the other being's hands as they stood back to back.
"You never told me about your other half before."
"There was no reason to. She died long ago and left a bottomless pit in my Spark until you came along."
"So am I a rebound girlfriend?"
"Five thousands years is a little long for me to be on the rebound don't you think?"
"I'm sorry, I was just teasing."
"I know."
Silence reigned for awhile. Kasumi squeezed the other's hands.
"Are you really alright now?"
"I've been alright ever since you showed me that love still exists in this cold galaxy. When you poured out your heart in the junkyard, I realised how selfish I was, thinking that the universe centred around me and how unjust my fate was."
A tear escaped from Kasumi's eyes. "I thought I was being pathetic."
"No, you were being human, a kind-hearted and ultimately good person. That you knew your own flaws and could humble yourself to serve your family for so long only makes you more of a hero than I'll ever be."
"I don't know if I can replace what you lost. But all that I am, I offer to you. Please accept me as I am."
"Thank you Kasumi. Please know I am not looking for a substitute for Ariel, I am looking for you Kasumi. Do not think even for an instant of comparing yourself to my true love once upon a time. You are two different people. I don't want you to become Ariel. I want you Kasumi."
Kasumi shed tears of happiness at his words. Both turned around to face each other, Bumblebee and Kasumi. Bumblebee lifted Kasumi's hands in his and to her astonishment, the metal skin from his body seemed to dissolve in a shower of stardust revealing human skin beneath, starting from his hands.
"I promise Kasumi, by the grace of your God, that we will be together, now and forevermore," he said as his Autobot face slowly dissolved and Kasumi could almost see a human face ……….
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Kasumi woke up wrapped comfortably in the panda pelt. She yawned and stretched out her hand and touched a familiar warm metal sensation. Slowly, as though waking up from a very good sleep, she stood up and found that she had been lying against Bumblebee's hand. The yellow Autobot was lying on his side, eyes closed and still sleeping if the dimmed blue lights that were his eyes were any indication. She giggled when she heard a strange noise coming from Bumblebee's voicebox and realised that it must be an Autobot version of snoring.
She surveyed her surroundings. They were in a massive chamber filled with what Kasumi realised to be cremation pots. At the centre of the chamber was a statue of a Chinese Amazon in full battle dress. Bumblebee and Kasumi were lying near the wall and then she saw a huge shrouded figure lying on the floor. Somehow she instantly knew that it was the dead body of Optimus Prime.
She was about to stand when she realised something sitting on her lap. She looked down and beheld the Matrix. She marvelled at the now small object and could hardly believe that such a small thing could alter the fate of the universe. Carefully, she placed both hands on it and the Matrix emitted a warm feeling that tingled through her body.
"Optimus, are you there?" she whispered.
From the Matrix, a voice spoke, "Yes Kasumi. Go wake your boyfriend, its time to see the damage in my body."
Kasumi blushed and wondered why she was still so shy around the concept of dating the yellow Autobot. "Prrriiiiiimmmmmeeee.." she whined. In the Matrix, she thought she heard a soft chuckle.
The brown haired girl then walked towards Bumblebee's face. To her delight, the damage that Bumblebee sustained had vanished and the Autobot appeared fully functional. His yellow armour was shining brightly against the torches that lit the chamber and there were no holes or battle damage anywhere on his body. Bumblebee's blue eyes then glowed brightly to show that he was awake. His mouth curled up in a smile. "Good morning Kasumi."
"Is it? I thought by the time you met Megatron, it was afternoon."
"Actually, it's been two days since that happened if I can believe my chronometer. We've both been sleeping all that time."
Kasumi was shocked. "Two days! Oh my, we've got no time to loose then, China must already be under attack!"
Bumblebee sat upright and marvelled at his newly restored body. "You're right, we've got no time to loose. No time at all," then he swept Kasumi off her feet and hugged her once again. It was an odd sight seeing the eighteen foot robot hug the delicate girl like a teddy bear but to Kasumi and Bumblebee, they needed to do it one more time in the flesh/metal. Then Bumblebee placed Kasumi on his shoulder and walked to the shrouded body.
It was then that they realised that behind the statue, also lay the ruined bodies of Ironhide, Ratchet, Prowl and Jazz. Their eyes were lifeless but their bodies had not lost their colour yet. Kasumi gripped Bumblebee's shoulder tightly as she saw them. But first, they went to the Prime's shrouded body.
"Kasumi, it's up to you now," Bumblebee said quietly. Kasumi nodded and instructed Bumblebee to hold her on top of Prime's chest. The Autobot joined his hands together and Kasumi carefully stood on them as he put his hands over Prime's chest.
She held the Matrix in front of her. "Come back to us, Optimus Prime. We need you. I need you. As a father you shall be to me. Please Prime, we love you. God loves you. Lord, let our friend walk again" Kasumi whispered as a few tears escaped her eyes. One tear fell on the Matrix and the Autobot artefact once again flashed brightly. To her amazement and awe, a strange ball of energy came out of the Matrix and circled around her. When it touched her skin, she giggled as it felt ticklish yet soothing at the same time. As the ball of energy faced her, she thought she saw the familiar eyes of Optimus Prime in it.
The Spark then descended to the shrouded body. Bumblebee quickly pulled Kasumi away as a flash of white light seemed to envelope the entire body and then Kasumi smelt the scent of burnt cloth as the shroud covering the body of Optimus Prime was burnt to ashes. Then to her wonder and joy, the flash subsided and Optimus Prime's body became visible. Like Bumblebee, the damage that Prime had sustained had been complete repaired. He even looked as though he had been waxed and polished thoroughly and his blue and red armour shone as it reflected the cavern's light. Then his once lifeless eyes glowed and Kasumi once again saw the ageless wisdom of Optimus Prime in them.
Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots then arose from the ground, returned from the dead.
"Optimus," Kasumi whispered.
Prime looked at Kasumi with a neutral expression. He held out one hand to Kasumi. "May I express my gratitude to Kasumi, old friend?"
Bumblebee bowed his head and wordlessly passed Kasumi to Optimus' hand. He raised Kasumi to his head then ever so gently, tilted his head forward. Kasumi did the same and her forehead touched Optimus Prime's and both closed their eyes.
"Praise Jesus/Primus," they both whispered. The floodgates broke and both of them cried as Kasumi leaped unto Prime's left shoulder and hugged his head with all her strength. Optimus Prime also shed tears silently and his right hand reached over his left shoulder and gently stroke Kasumi's back.
"Dear Optimus, I don't care what you say, if it weren't for me, you wouldn't have to die," Kasumi said.
"Now now Kasumi, we've been through this. Some sacrifices are worth it. This was one of them. The first tides of darkness have passed. Now we must prepare for the next. Together. One way or another, this pointless war ends here, on this planet. This I promise you Kasumi. Your race will be free to go about their destiny without our interference. Kasumi, once again because of your love, I have returned. Now I believe we have some more Autobots to restore."
She looked at the bodies of the other Autobots. "Are they dead? How come I didn't see them in the Matrix? Was it because they died after we came out?"
Bumblebee knelt beside Jazz and took a look inside his chest. Faintly, they could see a blue Spark, flickering like a candle flame caught in the wind. "Not yet, they're all still alive, most likely in stasis lock, which is kind of like hibernation to us when our lives are in extreme danger so we shut ourselves down. As you can see, they have all taken some pretty hard knocks."
"Kasumi, may I take the Matrix now? I think I can take it from here," Optimus said. Kasumi nodded and placed the small Matrix on Prime's palm. In an instant, the Matrix transformed itself and became enormous again. She then walked up to Jazz.
"Poor Jazz, he was so brave. He tried to take on that behemoth Bruticus all by himself," she whispered as she ran her hand on Jazz's cheek, on the very spot that Kasumi slapped after that interesting presentation Jazz had given to her in Okinawa.
"He always knew how to lift up spirits in the worst of situations. He was the youngest among all of us, by the time he was created, the civil war was in full swing and most of the Autobot females perished first due to Megatron's pogrom. Stand back Kasumi," Prime said as he held the Matrix in front of Jazz's chest.
As before a Spark came out of the Matrix and went into Jazz's body and enveloped it in white light. When it faded, Jazz's body was fully repaired and he moaned painfully, saying "Owwwww, who dropped the house on me?"
"Jazz? Are you alright?" Kasumi asked as she leaned on his shoulder.
The Autobot pervert took one look at Kasumi's animal skin outfit and thought he had died and gone to heaven. He then put a hand over his forehead. "Actually, I'm not feeling too well. I think I need… mouth to mouth resuscitation….. help me Kasumi…"
What he got was Bumblebee's foot as he stomped on his face.
"That's MY girlfriend you're talking to," Bumblebee snarled. In an instant, Jazz was on his feet and glaring at Bumblebee.
"Hey, no fair. You've already had one in your life. Why can't I get Kasumi? You can't even fit in her while I have a fair chance at least."
Kasumi's eyebrow twitched but she said to Jazz in a sweet voice, "Jazz, could you put your head down here? I have something to give you."
Jazz became fearful. "It's not another slap is it?"
The eldest Tendo sister shook her head. "Seriously, I want to give you a kiss for your heroism. I love you for who you are Jazz. Can I show my appreciation?"
He was still cautious. "French kiss or cheek kiss?"
"Jaaazzzzzz," Bumblebee growled.
"Cheek kiss Jazz," Kasumi said.
Jazz smiled widely and at the next moment, was lying flat on the floor facedown, his cheek levelled at Kasumi. True to Kasumi's word she kissed him. Then she slapped him.
"Yeow, I thought that you said you weren't going to slap me," Jazz cried, rubbing his cheek.
Similarly, Kasumi rubbed her hands as she had used all her strength to slap him and once again regretted the effect of flesh striking metal. "Did I say that I wouldn't slap you? Please Jazz, I love you as you are but kindly refrain from making profane remarks in my presence."
Jazz looked at Optimus. "Are you sure Megatron didn't screw Kasumi's mind while she and he were one?"
"Why you little…." Bumblebee lost his temper and gripped Jazz's head in a headlock and proceeded to give him a noogie.
"YYYYYEEEEEOOOOOOOWWWWW! GEROFF OF ME YOU OLD YELLER!" Jazz cried as he frantically tried to get out of the head lock.
"AAAAAHHHHH SHUT UP! CAN'T AN AUTOBOT GO INTO STASIS LOCK IN PEACE AROUND HERE!" Ironhide suddenly shouted.
"HE'S ALIVE!" Bumblebee and Jazz cried and both proceeded to pounce on Ironhide and pulled him into a sitting position before proceeding to hug him on either side.
"Bleargh! Just great, the two best warriors in our group have become pansies!" Ironhide roared, ignoring the burning circuits in the numerous holes on his body.
"Hark, did you hear that Jazz?" Bumblebee pretended to gasp.
Jazz put his hands to his cheek in shock. "I do indeed you old dog. The great Ironhide, just called us the best warriors of the group! Which makes him…. I don't know, what does that make the great veteran Ironhide?"
"I don't know. How about …. NOT THE BEST WARRIOR!" the two proceeded to laugh their heads off, letting go off Ironhide to roll on the floor.
"All joking aside Ironhide, I'm glad to see you alive. I thought you were a goner," Kasumi said as she walked to Ironhide's hand and squeezed a finger.
Ironhide snorted. "Awww, now don't you start. That Bruticus likes to play dirty but that idiot forgot that it takes only one direct shot at our Sparks to kill us."
"Then we have even more to be thankful for. Apparently Megatron didn't think of the impact of merging five personalities into one. We're going to have to think up some strategies old friend. Now, you ready for a refit?" Optimus Prime said as he approached Ironhide.
"Bring it on Prime. They've been catching us with our pants down since we landed on this mud ball. Now it's payback time!"
Kasumi realised something. "But if Ironhide's not dead, the Matrix can't repair him right? In fact, I'm surprised you're repaired at all, I thought that was the Key To Vector Sigma's power."
Optimus Prime shook his head. "I was wrong in that aspect. I learned many things when I was one with the Matrix, including the fact that the Key isn't a divine artefact: it's a Cybertronian invention used to manipulate the Matrix's power. The true power has always resided in the Matrix. I was wrong, the Matrix IS our holy cross. And through it, comes our greatest strength and power."
Kasumi smiled widely. "So does this mean we have an advantage?"
Prime shrugged. "Not really for battle but in future….. who knows? Now if you don't mind, I've got some restoration work to do."
Two minutes later, Ironhide, Ratchet and Prowl were fully restored and the Autobots plus Kasumi sat down for council. As Kasumi had been hardwired to Megatron since her first conversation with him, she had been privy to all of Megatron's planning and scheming with his fellow Decepticons. Megatron moreover had taken great delight in explaining in explicit details, his plans to enslave humanity, starting with the massive military base of the Chengdu military region and then forking out to attack the Lanzhou military region and Jinan Military region. By conquering Jinan, Megatron would cut off reinforcements from the Guangzhou and Nanjing military regions, leaving only Shenyang military region as the only reinforcement for Beijing military region.
"Megatron isn't stupid, more's the pity. Even if his drones are outfitted with your Cybertronian technology, he is still wary of the chance of being outnumbered by the other four military regions of China. Speed and surprise is of the essence so he planned to swiftly attack and convert Chengdu's then Jinan's and Lanzhou's military bases simultaneously. Which means by today, he would already have already conquered Lanzhou and Jinan and will be amassing to attack Beijing by the end of today. What time is it anyway?" Kasumi asked as they were currently inside a cavern.
"Ten pm, two days since Megatron attacked Chengdu," Bumblebee said.
"It will take time for the ground drones, probably two more days, to amass and attack Beijing and Megatron will wait so that his ground forces and air forces can complement each other. But Prime, he has another plan to use against the Chinese military when they fight head on. He plans to break the Key to Vector Sigma into many pieces and refit his newly created Decepticons, and perhaps a few drones as well, with the Key to Vector Sigma pieces so that during battle, the Decepticons can instantly convert Chinese military vehicles or anything mechanical for that matter, into drones. So he won't be the only one capable of converting machines into drones; the rest of his army will be able to do the same. For someone who's supposed to be a megalomaniac and merciless butcher, he appears to be rather cautious and conniving."
"Bear in mind Kasumi, he was not only suppose to be our greatest champion in battle, but our greatest general as well. Treachery has only sharpened his wits over the ages. Like us Kasumi, he is all too aware of the numerical disadvantage of his forces and wants to establish his powerbase by conquering all of China. With China's massive industry and war machine, Megatron would be well placed to conquer the rest of the world. Until that happens though, he will take every precaution to preserve his ranks. More so now that the Matrix is out of his grasp," Optimus said.
Prowl said, "There's also the fact that somewhere in Lanzhou, Jinan and Chengdu, Megatron may have discovered nuclear weapons. But as far as he is concerned, he would want China's infrastructure intact so I doubt he would use them to win against the PRC's military."
"Unless we actually win and he decides to adopt a Scorched Earth Policy," Kasumi said quietly. Ratchet was horrified at the notion.
"You really believe he would do that?"
Kasumi nodded. "Megatron didn't bother hiding the plan from me, but he did prevent me from knowing where, when or how he plans to use the nuclear weapons in case we won."
Optimus shook his head. "Now that's a real problem. It's not an impossible job to track them down but the only one with the expertise of solving this problem is Hound and he isn't here at the moment. Speaking of which, has anyone established contact with Hound?"
Jazz pointed at the boulder blocking their entrance. "At the moment I'm still trying to figure out a way to get out of here without blasting that boulder to smithereens and break every ash container here. I can't read anything out of this chamber Prime, let alone contact Hound."
"I just hope he manages to convince the PRC to cooperate. I'm not even sure that's going to be enough since it'll take some time for the Beijing region to be reinforced by the other military regions. If I calculate correctly, it'll take three days from now for Beijing to be reinforced by the Shenyang, assuming Hound's negotiations is successful and the PRC musters its forces in Beijing," Prowl, ever the pessimist said.
"What about the remaining southern military regions of Nanjing and Guangzhou? Megatron is still unprotected at his flank should he choose to attack Beijing," Ironhide said.
"Like I said, speed and surprise is the key to Megatron's success. With three military regions worth of war machines, now armed with Key To Vector Sigma pieces, Megatron seeks to swiftly attack and convert Beijing military region's forces and assert his power over China by conquering the capital. There's also the fact that Soundwave is doing his level best to make sure that the Chinese chain of command is confused and kept in the dark of what is happening as China is conquered. I don't know how though, I get the impression he was going to plant a super virus into the World Wide Web or something like that."
"We will worry about the Scorched Earth plan later. If we do nothing, the result would just be as bad. If Soundwave is involved, it means that even we can't contact Hound if we wanted to. Our best option is to rendezvous with Hound first and let him sniff out the bombs," Optimus said.
Prowl stood up. "In the mean time, I suggest Bumblebee take Kasumi somewhere safe. The Amazon city would be empty now, Cologne basically took the entire Chinese Amazon tribe over the mountains the last we spoke."
Kasumi's face fell. "Look, I know I may just be a hindrance but is there any way I can help? I mean, its my world too and I have as much right to see Megatron fall as you do."
"So you're not such a pessimist after all?" Prowl asked with his arms crossed.
Kasumi shook her heard. "Prowl, I still stick to what I believe; I don't want anymore people to die, not even Megatron. But its unfair after all I've been through, you're going to pack me off while the men go to war? I don't think so," she said angrily.
To her surprise, Bumblebee said, "Kasumi is right. She deserves to be there at the end. She deserves to see Megatron get a whooping."
"Then how, pray tell, do you intend to keep her safe? Strap her on your shoulder while you dodge tank weaponry? Kasumi, please be reasonable," Prowl pleaded.
"No Prowl, in this matter I won't budge. Prime, please say something."
All looked at the Autobot leader who sighed. "Kasumi, I sympathise with you but don't you think Prowl is right? Is it fair for Bumblebee to constantly look over his shoulder?"
Kasumi was slightly shaken. "There must be a compromise. I can't sit by the sidelines anymore. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I want to fight too. Out there, I'll bet Ranma, Akane, Cologne, the Amazons, Ukyo and Ryoga are preparing to take on the Decepticons. I …. don't want to be a bystander anymore," she whispered. Tears formed in her eyes as she thought of her family battling for their lives while she sat on the sidelines.
"Please don't cry Kasumi. In any case, we won't be sending you off right now. Autobots, we will travel to Beijing region. Once there, Bumblebee, you will take Kasumi to find her family and drop her off there. In the meantime, the rest of us will aid the PRC military in repelling the Decepticon invaders. I will give instructions to Hound then."
"There's still the matter of battling the Decepticon gestalts Optimus. By Kasumi's count, there are now two of those behemoths and we simply don't have enough firepower to overcome them. Not with just the five of us, plus Bumblebee and Hound," Ironhide said.
Optimus sighed. "If all fails, I will see if I can use the Matrix to stop the gestalts. My Spark tells me that it cannot be used as a weapon of war but it may aid us in defending the humans. We will devise strategies along the journey as we must leave now if we are to reach to arrive at the battle in time."
The Autobot leader stood up, along with everyone else. Even Kasumi stood on top of Bumblebee's shoulder.
"Autobots, I want to thank you for following my orders even unto your near deaths. Your sacrifice touched me greatly even as I was one with the Matrix. You've truly acquitted yourselves as heroes far nobler and greater than Megatron ever was. Never doubt yourselves. Though we fight against overwhelming odds, I say this to you, we will win this battle. In Primus name, we will fight for the salvation of this world. For Kasumi's love, WE WILL WIN! FOR HER KINDNESS, FOR HER BRAVERY, FOR HER SACRIFICE, AND MOST OF ALL, FOR HER LOVE, WE WILL BE VICTORIOUS!"
Kasumi blushed furiously as all the Autobots took out their weapons and punched them into the air. "KASUMI! KASUMI! KASUMI! KASUMI! KASUMI!"
"For the sake of the love she has shown us, I bid you stand! HEROES OF CYBERTRON!"
"HAAAAAAAARRRRUUUUUUUUMMMMMMPPPPPPPHHHHHH!" they all shouted.
Kasumi wished that her tears would stop flowing but God wasn't listening to her prayer now. She was utterly overwhelmed, for the second time, by the fact that she had inspired the Autobots to great feats of heroism against overwhelming odds. This time though, despite the odds, hope blossomed like a raging fire as she saw all her friends, fully healed in mind and spirit after all the hell they had just been through.
"My friends, I have only one more request of you. Please return safely so that I may cook for a banquet worthy of your friendship," she said tearfully as she hugged Bumblebee's head tightly. The yellow Autobot stroked Kasumi's back.
"Inari Kasumi. Lots and lots of Inari. I want to place my order first," Prowl immediately said. Kasumi looked at him and was delighted when Prowl gave her a small smile which he immediately covered up. Jazz's jaw nearly dropped when he saw the smile though.
"Did that stick in the mud Autobot just smile? The end must be nigh." This earned him a sharp whack on the head by Ratchet. Jazz rubbed his head sheepishly but still said, "By the way, how do we get out of this tomb?"
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Exiting the tomb was fairly simple: they simply walked through the boulder, which in the end turned out to be just an illusion.
"Wow, that was easy," Jazz remarked. "Didn't imagine the Amazons to use subtle techniques."
"The tomb is guarded by more than just illusions Jazz. I'm surprised you were allowed in there actually," Prime chuckled.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Jazz shouted.
Just then the sky was lit by a shooting star. Kasumi quickly gestured to Bumblebee to look upwards. "Please Bumblebee, is that a shooting star?"
Bumblebee processed his visual sensors then said, "Yes it is."
"Quick everybody, make a wish!" she said as she closed her eyes, clasped her hands and prayed.
"God, I thank you for my friends tonight, that we are able to meet again under this starry night. Lord Jesus I wish for victory for the forces of good over the forces of evil. Please help us win over the Decepticons, give us the means to win so that my family, friends and the people of this world be safe from Megatron's evil. Lord I place my fate and their fates in your hands Lord. Thank you Lord. In Jesus name I pray, Amen."
As she opened her eyes, she found that the Autobots were still staring at the sky with a look of wonder on their faces. She then looked into the sky and was overcome with shock and awe.
There was another star descending from the sky. This one headed right for the Autobots. As it drew nearer to Earth, Kasumi saw that the burning light was actually that of a huge engine. An engine that was attached to a towering rocket. As the rocket rapidly descended, she was overawed by the rocket's size, which was easily the height of Bruticus if not higher. From the base of the rocket engine, four landing claws came out and dug into the ground, stabilising the rocket's landing and anchoring it to the ground as its engines died out.
Then a hatch opened followed by a ramp leading to the ground. Bright white light shone from the inside and at the entrance, the Autobots and Kasumi could see a silhouette.
"Dear God…." Kasumi whispered as the figure stepped off the ramp towards the Autobots.
To be continued………
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Evil cliffhangar!
Well, actually it gets pretty predictable now. For that I apologise but seriously, towards the end, you guys not only speculated so much, you actually managed to influence my story as well.
When the Autobots were cheering with Kasumi, I was thinking of the Spartans of "300". Imagine their battle cry as you read that.
I don't really want to say this but since some of you are wasting valuable review space repeating it, I will say this… NO I DO NOT HAVE ANY INTENTION OF MAKING KASUMI A HEADMASTER, POWERMASTER, BRAINMASTER OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
Goodnight and God bless.