Disclaimer: Hasbro owns Transformers, I own the story. Any and all additional recognizable culture references, locations, songs, et cet, belong to their rightful owners.
Chapter 28: Role Call in Russia
"What is the status report on our quarry?"
"The Decepticon war ship is coming right to us. They will be landing in T-minus thirty-two minutes. The Autobot party is now transferring itself from the borrowed star cruiser into Skyfire will proceed to follow the Decepticon war ship in approximately five minutes. They will be arriving here in T-minus forty-three minutes."
"How is our virus doing?"
"Most people are still trying to figure out how to stop it. As far as we know, the only people who have managed to hold it off are Decepticon Effort Skynet, some back-hills merchant in America, and (with the assistance of Teletran One), Jack Turbine, apprentice of Wheeljack. It's significantly slowed all other war effort with those acceptations."
"Dr. Moriguchi, sir, shouldn't we stop the Autobots and Decepticons before they come to us?"
"Of course not, my good fellow; we shouldn't be inhospitable to our guests, now, should we?" Moriguchi snickered. "And besides, I'm sure that they would love to see what we've done with their old friend, Max. Bring in any and all guard drones and have all personnel stationed in the laboratories and control rooms. We'll let the robots come to us."
- - - -
"Let's have one final roll call before we launch: Starscream?"
"Here."
"Thundercracker?"
"Here."
"Skywarp?"
"Here."
"Mextron?"
"Here."
"Smartmouth?"
"Do you not see me standing in front of you?"
"Ferrofluid?"
"Present, sir."
"Skynet?"
"Presence: Affirmative."
"And your Cassetticons?"
"Rockpunch: Present. Suspicion: Present."
"Shadowleap?"
"Hiya!"
"Cartwheel?"
"Hello."
"Scarletclaw?"
"Let's shred some fleshlings!"
"And finally: Blitzwing the Second…. All three of him."
"Reporting for duty, sir." Ca-chick! "What, you think I'm only here for my own health?" Ca-chick! "Ooh, are we going to a party? Will there be punch? I like punch, especially a brass-knuckle lined punch!"
Everybody groaned negatively at Random Blitzwing's pun and Megatron merely shook his head. Behind Megatron, Shockwave stepped forward and spoke quietly to him.
"My Lord," Shockwave whispered, "Are you sure you need so many people for a mere raid on a human base, and with so many Efforts?"
Megatron motioned for his team to board the pre-chosen battle cruiser that was parked in the Reborn Nemesis' garage bay.
Ravage bound forward and stopped Scarletclaw.
"Remember the lessons I gave you, girl," he growled.
"Pin the other guy down and go straight for the jugular, and never get my claws stuck, got it," Scarletclaw confirmed.
Ravage gave Scarletclaw a kitty lick on the head in approval.
"Good girl," he purred. "Now go forward and prove that you're more than an Autobot kitten."
Scarletclaw hissed at him to show her ferocity before bounding into the battle cruiser. As the team went into the dark grey, jet-like cruiser decorated with red Decepticon insignias on its wings and sides, Megatron and Shockwave spoke privately.
"What my plans require is none of your business, Shockwave," Megatron growled, "Just keep the ship protected until we've removed the annoying little glitch that keeps our computers locked down. I will return soon, so keep everyone in line here."
"If I may say one more thing, sir," Shockwave pleaded.
"Make it quick."
"Soundwave and I would like to come along, as well, just to keep an eye out on our Efforts—"
"What, don't think Ferrofluid can handle himself in combat, Shockwave?" Megatron teased with a smirk. "Or do you fear that they may try something rather stupid and treacherous in which case you would have to protect them from my wrath?"
Had Shockwave a face, he would have scowled in annoyance, but instead shook his head and merely replied in his bland tone, "No, sir, it just doesn't feel right to be separated like so when we can be together."
"Blasted Spark connections," Megatron sighed. "I look forward to the day when you find a way of severing such petty connections, Shockwave."
With that final statement, Megatron turned away and boarded the battle cruiser. Shockwave watched as the cruiser was ejected out of the Reborn Nemesis and dove down to the waiting Earth below. Behind him, a certain blue and white cassette player transformed and came from the shadows.
"There was a time where I would not care whether or not a creature related to me was endangered," Shockwave said without looking at Soundwave. "But, alas, such a time has passed and the human ability to grow on one's self has infected me with sympathy and care for my boy, Ferrofluid. Have you been infected too, Soundwave, or are you too holy for such petty things like love and caring?"
"Negative," Soundwave replied. "Purpose: Serve Lord Megatron. Purpose: Protect Decepticon Effort Skynet. Logic: Megatron does not mean to bring Decepticon Effort Skynet back. Error: Can not serve Megatron and protect Skynet. Question: How to protect Skynet and serve Megatron?"
"Damned if we act, damned if we don't," Shockwave sighed. Suddenly, his optic brightened up and he looked at Soundwave, "But… maybe we don't have to act, per-say…"
- - - -
"So you'll let me go, but only on the premise that I tail Megatron's party and keep your kids alive?" Jess asked.
"Affirmative: Weapons will be given and assistance offered," Soundwave replied. "Warning: Assistance limited; Can not allow Megatron to discover such deals."
"I thought you two were the most loyal Cons to Megatron," Jess said, peering warily up at the 'Waves from with in her cage.
"We are," Shockwave stated. "But… It appears that our Efforts have grown on us and we fear for their safety."
"Sure that isn't just fatherly lone and instinct talking?"
"You seem to have forgotten that I have no emotion," Shockwave pointed out. "At least, I didn't, a long time ago."
"Offer: Accepted?" Soundwave asked.
"Sure, anything to get out of here," Jess agreed. "I just ask of two things in return: I want Pointblank back, and I don't want you to kill any Autobots for the next, mmm, three days."
"Pointblank is the weapon we are giving you anyway," Shockwave said, opening Jess' cage and picking her up, "And the deal is that you watch over our Efforts and we set you free: Nothing more, nothing less."
"So…?" Jess asked.
"Request to not kill Autobots: Denied," Soundwave stated.
"Cheap old men…" Jess grumbled.
- - - -
"Optimus Prime, sir," Skyfire announced, "I have just detected a Decepticon battle cruiser landing near a salt mine in Russia. The Reborn Nemesis seems to be waiting in orbit. There is a high number of Decepticon Efforts in the cruiser and I can even detect Megatron and Anne there."
"And of Jess?" Optimus asked, watching the borrowed Autobot cruiser dart back into space, following its homing beacon back to Cybertron.
"I can not detect her yet; perhaps she is among the landing party?"
"Are they going into the salt mine?"
"It appears so, sir."
"Then let's have a roll call and see what they're up to. Benjamin?"
"Here."
"Prowl?"
"Reporting for duty, sir."
"Becky?"
"It's Amethyst now, Optimus! I re-named myself? I'm going to get myself painted purple when I get the chance."
Prowl smiled and shook his head in bemusement, but said nothing.
"Right, Amethyst. Jazz?"
"Ready to kick some Decepti-skid plate, sir!"
"Good, Josh?"
"I think I like 'Tiestowing' now."
Optimus looked at Josh-now-Tiestowing.
"That's an Earth word I'm unfamiliar with," Optimus said, "What does it mean?"
"Tiesto was just a really famous DJ from the early 2000's era," Tiestowing explained. "I think it's a cool name and a cool wink to human culture, kinda like how Dad likes human culture. And the 'wing' part, well…" He unsheathed and re-sheathed his wings. "You get the idea."
"I'm so proud of you," Jazz sniffed, whipping a mock tear from his optic.
"Very well, Tiestowing, moving on: Ironhide?"
"Me and all my guns, sir!"
"Bumblebee?"
"Here."
"Wheeljack?"
"Ready!"
"Ratchet?"
"Here."
"Sunstreaker, Sideswipe?"
"I'm here, but Sunstreaker's optic and some of his sanity isn't," Sideswipe joked. He ducked the punch Sunstreaker aimed at him.
"Very well," Optimus finished, "Skyfire, Michelangelo, Alias, and the human Sam will all remain in the sky while the rest of us go down and see what the Decepticons are up to down there."
"Optimus," Skyfire announced, "In coming call from Jack Turbine and Teletran One."
"Put them through."
Blip! "Hey, guys," Jack Turbine called over the communications link. "Teletran One and I can't stop the virus, but we've tracked down who's causing it: Some one in some underground base somewhere in Russia. We can't get an exact location because the coordinates of the origin point keeps changing. Where ever the virus is being broadcasted from, it's either from with in a huge complex or multiple individual computers."
"So Megatron is going after the guys causing the cyber-lock down in the salt mines?" Wheeljack suggested.
"Figures," Sideswipe snickered, "He probably got annoyed with having to work around the virus to get to his feel-good email messages of the day."
"Thank you, Jack; any word from Hound or Cliffjumper?" Optimus asked.
"No, not yet, but we'll keep looking."
"Keep in touch," Optimus said.
Skyfire shook a little as he came down through the atmosphere and Jack hung up.
"Why can't I come?" Sam asked. "Can't I help with nothing on this mission?"
"It's too dangerous, Sam," Optimus told him, "You're not a Transformer and we're going to be dealing with Transformer threats."
"So, Benjamin ain't no Transformer and you're letting him come!" Sam objected.
Benjamin felt a sharp pain in his pride and gritted his teeth to keep himself from shouting as he replied, "But I am part Transformer and I have years of military knowledge and training under my belt."
"Yeah, how much of that has actually been practiced?" Sam asked.
"We're landing just a couple miles away from the salt mine and the Decepticon cruiser," Skyfire spoke as he gently landed. His bay doors opened up to a cold, stunted forest land outside. The sky in the west was yellow from the fading sunset light as night covered Russia. "The salt mine entrance is approximately 1.24 miles south east. Good luck."
"Autobots," Optimus said, "Transform and roll out!"
Optimus turned into his truck-alt mode. Ratchet became a red and white hospital ambulance. Bumblebee turned into a beetle bug, Ironhide a van, Wheeljack into a race car, Prowl into a police cruiser, Jazz into a Porsche, and the Lamborghini twins into their names sake. It was something proud for Jazz and Prowl to see Tiestowing and Amethyst transform for the first time, having finally scanned in their own alt-forms on their flight here.
Amethyst had succeeded in adopting an Earthling car mode and was now a sleek, feminine 2006 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, with a white roof center and racing stripes on either side while the rest of her body was black. As an after thought, a red and blue rack of lights popped out of her roof.
"I still can not believe that that is Finland's police car," Jazz muttered. "We're so moving there when this is all done…"
Tiestowing had adopted a classic 1965 Mustang body. With his white and black paint job, the Mustang looked like it had come from an old science-fiction movie. But just as that fact was registered, fins on his trunk extended slightly, emitting a tiny trace of energy, his head lights became almond-shaped and a pair of black racing stripes grew from the white paint to run along the top of his car body. Something about the body, in general, appeared to change: Did his roof struts slant? Did he become narrower, or thinner? It was difficult to place one's finger on it, but the body over all changed and thus made the alt-mode a vehicle of undetermined body type other than a vague "1960's Mustang".
Thus transformed, the Autobots drove out of Skyfire and headed to the salt mines. Behind them, Alias waved a cheery good bye while Michelangelo muttered a plea for good luck. Sam, on the other hand, was scowling at something having gone wrong. Behind his deep blue visor, he fixed his eyes on Alias and a plan began to form.
"Well, here we go again," Ironhide groaned. "Off into yet another dangerous, life-and-death mission and we'll probably not going to come back this time."
"Aww, don't be such a pessimist, Ironhide!" Jazz teased. "Be optimistic, like Optimus!"
"Did you just make a joke of my name, Jazz?" Optimus asked.
"Well, even if we do perish," Amethyst said. "At least we'll all go down together."
Josh took the chance to begin playing a song on his radio. Its name was Goodnight Saigon by Billy Joel.
"We met as soul mates on Parris Island
We left as inmates from an asylum
And we were sharp, as sharp as knives
And we were so gung ho to lay down our lives
"We came in spastic, like tame-less horses
We left in plastic, as numbered corpses
And we learned fast to travel light
Our arms were heavy but our bellies were tight
"We had no home front, we had no soft soap
They sent us Playboy, they gave us Bob Hope
We dug in deep and shot on sight
And prayed to Jesus Christ with all of our might."
"Huh, I wonder if we'll make our own war song someday," Jazz commented. "Something to remember our times by."
"What, like a theme song?" Prowl asked. "Eh, I don't know—"
"Shaddup!" Ironhide hissed. "Here comes the good part!"
"We had no cameras to shoot the landscape
We passed the hash pipe, and played our Doors tapes
And it was dark, so dark at night
And we held on to each other
Like brother to brother
We promised our mothers we'd write
"And we would all go down together
We said we'd all go down together
Yes we would all go down together"
And wouldn't you know it; soon the entire war party was singing it.
