Another chapter has finally arrived.
For all you starving people out there who have been begging me for this next update, come satisfy your hunger!
If you are wanting an explanation as to why it has been a whole month since my last update, please check out my profile page. I have updated it with an explanation of what's been holding me up.
And to a certain guest reviewer out there- sorry it took "so damn long."
Anyway, this chapter is nice and long so enjoy!
Chapter 34: Lift Off
...
What made the beginning of a mission so thrilling wasn't just the not knowing what was to come, or the sense of adventure that sang through your circuits. It was because a mission always gave one a sense of purpose. A purpose that was within one's capacity to actually fulfill. It wasn't often one got to experience that.
Elita One had personally always loved that aspect of missions. It made her feel more alive, needed, and useful to the world. Sure, there were always the little, unasuming, every day actions of good which were at their core, very powerful, but when it came to mission time, Elita reveled in her chance to make large leaps and bounds for the planet and people she loved.
In this instance, she was about to prove her love for Optimus Prime. He had waited long enough for her to work up the courage to find Megatron and confront him about the Book of Alsparks. She would no longer hesitate.
Motoring up to their new team's vessel, the Tenacious, Elita transformed to find Chromia already waiting there. Jazz, Bumblebee and Ironhide were standing by the ship as well, and each turned their attention towards her when she approached.
Elita gave them each her usual, serene and sincere greeting smile.
"Good day," she acknowledged with a graceful dip of her head.
"We have come to see you off," Ironhide spoke first.
"But first we inspected the whole vessel and made sure it was ready for your departure," Jazz interjected. "Everything is cleaned, fueled and working in perfect order for ya Commander."
"You have my thanks," Elita replied, truly grateful. Primus knew they didn't need their ship falling apart on them during space travel.
"All due respect, but how long has it been since you've flown one of these?" Bumblebee inquired curiously, jerking his thumb back towards the Tenacious.
"Longer than I'd care to say," Elita admited with an easy smile, "But I am confident that what I lack in piloting expertise, my second in command will know the appropriet times to lend a helping hand," she stated, looking to Chromia. Chromia only nodded.
"Here come the troops," Ironhide commented. And indeed, Elita could hear the sound of several engines, roaring their way. She turned slowly to percieve all five of her team members arrive exactly on time. Moonracer led the girls, and Firestar brought up the rear just behind Ultra Violet. Each of the femmes transformed and stood at attention, lifting their arms in respectful salutes to their commanding officers.
"Greetings. You have my great appreciation for each of you having shown up directly according to when you were asked," Elita began. "You have my permission to board the Tenacious. Assemble in the bridge, and I shall be there presently," she ordered.
The femmes all nodded in unison, and moved up the ship's ramp as instructed, one by one. Elita had never seen a more excited group of girls. Even through their strained attempts at professionalism, it was not hard to percieve the eagerness beeming from their optics as they marched past and into the ship. Chromia followed them aboard, having only shot her bonded a brief, goodbye glance and light smile, in which Ironhide subtly returned.
Elita then focussed her attention onto him, Jazz and Bumblebee.
"I intend to keep up radio contact frequently throughout our journey, so the council remains updated on our findings. We will call in at the very least, once a mega-cycle. If for any reason this mission should go awry, the council will be contacted via the main communications tower. However, if we are put into the compromising position of being unable to reach you, the council has my permission to send out a second ship in search of us, if our radio silence stretches on beyond that of two mega-cycles," Elita concluded.
"You got it Lita," Jazz nodded.
"Of course commander," Bumblebee replied simultaneously.
"Are we to expect a new prisoner upon your return?" Ironhide inquired, cocking a brow. Elita studied Ironhide carefully. It was clear Chromia had told him much more details about their mission than Elita had cared to ellaborate to others beyond the likes of Ratchet.
"That is highly unlikely," Elita answered. "If we take a prisoner it will be because of circumstances completely unforseen."
Ironhide nodded his understanding.
"Alright, I shall take my leave of you now. Do keep me informed of Shockwave's whereabouts and how Prowl is handling his diffiult position," Elita added.
"Of course. I am to meet with him shortly," Ironhide responded. Elita nodded to Ironhide, then to Bumblebee and Jazz. Her optics then swept over the landscape of the city with tenderness and affection, before she turned and walked up the ship's ramp. It had been a long time since Elita One had flown aboard a space craft. In the past she had never particularly enjoyed it, but she had a different feeling about it now. This was not a war mission, likely to take years before any success was achieved. This was peace time. She was doing this for Optimus.
Entering the ship and turning towards the location of the bridge, mapped out in her HUD, Elita came through the double sliding doors to stand before her team members. They were each standing at attention, waiting ever so patiently for her arrival. As soon as she entered, she turned and addressed them as she would her crew.
"Flare Up and Moonracer, you will both be stationed at the left, and right navigation pannels. Greenlight will moniter the ship's internal system gages. Ultra Violet and Firestar will be responsible for keeping tabs on the engine room, ensuring everything is running smoothly. This way you will all remain until further notice," Elita commanded. "Dismissed."
The team split up, each femme springing eagler to their positions aboard the ship. Elita walked to sit in the captain's chair of the bridge where Chromia stood waiting, just by the ship's control throttles.
"And our destination?" the silver femme inquired. Elita sat down in her chair, recalling with perfect clarity the vision in which Optimus Prime had showed her of Megatron, pacing the outskirts of Titan.
"Titan," Elita responded calmly. Chromia nodded and put in the coordinates before bringing the Tenacious' engines roaring to life. Soon, the ship was lifting smoothly from the dock and turning elegantly about in the air, headed for the star speckled atmosphere.
...
Shockwave despised this new society. Prime City was a bad joke that Shockwave was incapable of understanding. A new age was it? Hardly. If Shockwave had learned anything throughout his numerous terra-cycles of existance, it was that history was bound to repeat itself. Maybe the Autobots had run this round, and maybe they would have a head start over their brainwashing of this new society, but the fact still remained. The Autobots were dreadfully flawed in their philosophies, and sooner or later, their young, naive students were going to grow up and recognize this for themselves.
And when they did, who would they turn to? Who would lead them in their revolt?
Why, he would of course.
Megatron had forfeited his role as Decepticon leader and dispersed the faction, leaving the fate of a future rebellion solely in the scientist's highly capable hands. And Shockwave had prepared accordingly. Now, he would only need to wait for the unrest to begin.
Standing in his room, Shockwave glowered down through his wall length window, taking in the restored towers and buildings of the redubed Iacon, and considering why he felt like he would prefer to see them burning and crumbling instead.
Suddenly there was a ping at his door, and before the scientist could answer, the medic femme, in whom Shockwave's sensor's had just scanned the presense of, entered without permission.
"Prowl informs me you haven't spoken two words since your release from the Nemesis," Red Alert commented, walking in to stand beside him and fold her arms as she too stared out the window at the view.
"I find his company irritating," Shockwave responded shortly. "Even more so than my previous fellow Decepticon superior Starscream."
"That's the guy with the pointy heels and screechy voice right?" Red Alert questioned. Shockwave hesitated, almost amused.
"Affirmative."
"Yikes. I'm sure Prowl would be hurt to hear that," Red Alert smirked.
"And you care about Prowl's emotions," Shockwave stated, almost a question, but not quite. He sounded more disgusted than anything.
"Only when his mood is bound to make him even more irritating," Red Alert responded. Shockwave grunted. For a moment there was silence. Then...
"Why are you here?" Shockwave droned, realizing that he was becoming perhaps just a bit too lenient with tollerating the femme medic.
"Thought I would come to improve your emotional state. Your system stress readouts appear to decrease in my company," Red Alert replied.
"You are mistaken," Shockwave corrected stiffly, "I do not possess the same kind of distracting emotions in which most cybertronians unfortunately suffer from."
"Your readouts say differently," Red Alert challenged, cocking a brow up at him. Shockave did not acknowledge her statement, but continued to stare out the window.
"What range of emotions are you capable of then?" the medic femme prodded.
"They are not emotions so much as an assessment program I keep filed away in my processor that determines the positive or negative effect circumstances will have on my ultimate goals," Shockwave responded.
"Give me an example," Red Alert commanded curiously.
"My goal: To maintain some peace and quiet. Assessment: Furthing conversation with you will only inspire you to elongate your presence in this room, thus robbing my time which could be spent in peace. Conclusion: Desist in responding to your comments," Shockwave replied.
"If that is true, you're not doing a very good job," Red Alert smirked.
"It was only an example," Shockwave returned.
"What do you really want then?" Red Alert asked.
"To know the source of this odd fascination you seem to have in spending time in my company," Shockwave answered bluntly.
"Well, that answer will just have to wait because I'm not here to chat, I'm here to check your vitals and then go report to Prowl that you're still functioning fully, and the only reason you're not talking to him is because you don't like him," Red Alert replied, now turning to open Shockwave's system panel upon his forearm. Again, she did so without his consent, somehow using a special device of hers to bypass his defensive locks. It was unsettling and obtrusive.
Shockwave's optic narrowed. This femme was going to be a problem for him. He just knew it.
...
Knock Out sat, reclining with his peds resting upon the communication's center desk, sipping on some energon. Today was a vacation day for the medic turned teacher and he was enjoying it, even while on communications monitor duty. It was pretty quiet, since it wasn't often the long distance tower was contacted by anyone not planet-side.
However, Knock Out had been informed that Elita One had taken a small crew on some sort of treasure hunt, and the communications tower needed to have someone near by to answer should the femme be making her routine call- or a distress one.
Knock Out sipped leisurely at his cup of energon when suddenly, the quiet of the room was disrupted by an incoming call. Already?! The mech sighed and lowered his legs, leaning over the desk to activate the answer switch. Ratchet's image, shimmered onto the screen.
"Well well, if it isn't my second favorite doctor," Knock Out grinned. "How are things on earth? Not too boring I hope?"
"Knock Out. You're the last person I would have expected to be on communication's duty," Ratchet responded, unamused.
"Just doing my part. It's the least I can do while I'm not training up countless little brats and treating the various injuries of the general public," Knock Out waved as if it were nothing. Ratchet humphed.
"Where is Elita One?"
"Currently, she is off planet," Knock Out answered. "She left with her new femme team to hunt after some ancient scrole or something," Knock Out shrugged, taking another sip of energon.
"It's the Book of Alsparks, and can you patch me through to her? I have something important that she will wish to know," Ratchet insisted.
"Unfortunately, I'm afraid our tower is not yet powerful enough to transfer a signal from your location out to her ship," Knock Out replied. "Perhaps you can leave a message?"
Ratchet grumbled some incoherant words and then sighed.
"Just have her contact me when she is back planet side. The news I have is important, but not urgent," Ratchet relinquished.
"Will do," Knock Out replied easily. "Care to share what it is you're working on back there?" he questioned, pointing in interest to a contraption Ratchet was subtly blocking from view of the camera.
"Ohhhh no. Nothing of your business! Besides, its highly experimental," Ratchet admonished grumpily.
"Suit yourself," Knock Out sighed disinterestedly, taking another swig from his energon cup only to frown when he found it empty.
"I must return to my work, but don't forget to give my message," Ratchet commented strictly, shaking a finger at the screen. Knock Out set his cup down and nodded.
"Of course of course. Till next time. Always a joy chatting," Knock Out replied before flipping the switch and ending the call. Shortly after two life forms appeared on Knock Out's HUD scanners and he recognized the signals as Wheeljack and Smokescreen just before they entered.
"Talking to yourself again?" Wheeljack questioned with a smirk.
"Noooo," Knock Out deadpanned. "That was Ratchet. He asked for Elita One, and requested I have her contact him when she returns."
"Any idea what about?" Smokescreen asked eagerly.
"He didn't disclose that information, no," Knock Out answered, running a thumb claw over his other digits distractedly.
"How much longer is your shift?" Wheeljack questioned. "Some of the guys are going racing, and we figured you'd not want to miss out. Besides, you know how I do enjoy any opportunity to crush your ego in some healthy competition," the wrecker grinned evilly.
Knock Out perked up, his interest piqued.
"Actually, I believe my schedule has just cleared up. I shall revel in allowing you to experience a fleeting moment of hope for victory, before I blow it away with the dust my rear tires fling onto your grill," Knock Out challenged cockily.
"We'll see," Wheeljack snorted as Knock Out rose from his chair and paced over to leave with them through the exit. Smokescreen followed along excitedly behind them, looking greatly forward to this race.
Ok so since I stayed up till 2:30 in the morning to finish and publish this, I hope you all reward me with nice reviews telling me how happy you are that I'm back, and how much you're looking forward to Elita One's mission and meeting Megatron again! Thanks for reading and hope to update again soon!