DISCLAIMER: I do not own Code Geass or Transformers. They are (respectively) the property of Sunrise/CLAMP and IDW/Takara/Hasbro.
Rated: T for violence and language
As the Decepticons make their way through the inner corridors of the Trion, the Autobots conduct a counteroffensive to route the intruders off the flagship.
Chapter 30 – Diversionary Tactics Engine Room
Command Ship Trion
Wheeljack and a team of engineers were working on several adjustments to the ship's gravity control before the general alarm was sounded. Within two cycles they cleared out of the engine room and activated the automated security to hold off any intruders that would attempt to breach the space. Several nanokliks after that, they went to a nearby armory and picked up weapons which to defend themselves.
Turrets popped out of the bulkheads and cocked as munitions were loaded within their internal mechanisms. High explosives contained within flak shells would tear the Decepticons to shreds. There were also laser grids that, if passed by a hostile intruder, would trigger less lethal traps that would entrap and neutralize the room's unwanted 'guests'.
"Everyone clear out. We got to help the rest of the crew search for a safer place. Hopefully we'll come across a security team that can back us up."
Several cycles passed when they got out of the space and into the passageways that led into the upper decks. The engineers were not as good as fighters as the regular contingent of soldiers that were on board. One of the members of Wheeljack's team strayed too far ahead and got shot by one of the Decepticon mercenaries that roamed across the Trion's halls.
"GET DOWN AND TAKE COVER!" the chief engineer commanded. Two of the other engineers moved to slow, while the others did as instructed. By then Wheeljack brought his shoulder-mounted launchers to bear and sent a volley of four missiles flying in their direction. The projectiles destroyed three of the intended targets and sent one other crashing into the deck. Struggling to get back up, the Decepticon mercenary aimed his disrupter ray and pointed at one of the downed engineers before Wheeljack came to the rescue and fired his photon rifle at the enemy's head.
When the blast struck, sparks flew as the intense energy fried the enemy's processor. Wheeljack immediately came to the aid of his subordinates and brought him to another engineer that was standing. Other members of the team scrambled and worked to do the same.
"Get up, come on." the chief engineer said to another of the damaged workers and wrapped his arm around his shoulders to get him on his feet. "We need to get these bots medical attention now! Let's move!"
_ _ _
Medical Bay
Command Ship Trion
Sideswipe and Sunstreaker awoke in a dazed state. Sideswipe felt groggy, and banged his helmet several times to clear his blurred vision with the palm of his hand. As he came to, he noticed the red lights that blinked intermittently through the room they were in. He flexed his shoulders and worked his digits as his sight was restored.
"What in the inferno?" the red twin groaned, his optics fading in and out. Sunstreaker narrowed his own at the presence of enemy soldiers.
They founded themselves caught in the midst of chaos. Decepticons rampaged through the decks despite their small numbers.
"Good to see you bots are awake, we need to move pronto!"
"What's happening?"
"Intruders on the ship. Come on."
The twins got themselves off of the operating tables and fell in line behind Jazz and his team of security troops. All of them were armed with photon rifles and EMP shotguns to take down their foes. Open hostility could only be responded in kind with lethal force.
Jazz and his group measured their steps and advanced cautiously through the ship's corridors. One of the guards that served as the point bot knelt with a photon rifle in hand and signaled to everyone else behind him that it was safe to continue. He raised his hand again that made the group pause and watched shadows moving just several meters away.
"Hold it right there!"
"Easy, we're friendlies!" one of the mechs said with his hands raised in surrender. The security soldier lowered his weapon and Jazz spotted the Wheeljack, dirtied from excess work that the latter was conducting in the main engineering room. They carried with them several wounded techs that were damaged from weapons fire.
"Wheeljack, glad to see you homey!" Jazz exclaimed with relief.
"The feeling's mutual," the chief engineer replied.
"What's the situation?"
"A few of my team's been hit bad, they need medical attention," Wheeljack informed.
Jazz turned to Sideswipe and Sunstreaker: "You two, get these bots to the med bay," the special ops lieutenant instructed before he turned back to the chief engineer. "Obviously you came across some of the 'Cons."
"We did. Security systems are active but they don't seem to be holding the enemy back hard enough. These 'Cons are good!" Wheeljack noted.
"We can still use the element of surprise in our favor," Jazz said before he was interrupted by one of the security soldiers.
"Lieutenant, I founded a holomap from the processor of this soldier right here. You and Wheeljack might want to see this."
Jazz extended his palm at a small thick discus-like object and held it. He clicked on the module, activating a holographic representation of what was clearly a blueprint of the Trion itself. Wheeljack leaned in to see what the lieutenant was seeing and did not like what he saw, sharing in Jazz's sentiments that the enemy was after something very specific. Jazz zoomed in on the ship's inner corridors until a specific section of the ship was highlighted.
"Wheeljack, is that what I think it is?" Jazz asked as he handed the module to his friend to confirm they were both seeing the same thing.
"They're going after the astrophysics lab! That's where the tachyon control grid is at!" the chief engineer exclaimed. "If they blow that section of the lab, we'll be blind to cloaked ships."
"Well then, best we get moving."
Wheeljack, and all the other members of Jazz's group nodded in agreement. After a small amount of discussion, the two mechs each took a group of security personnel to assist in searching the decks for the intruders. Splitting up made it easier to spread out as they attempted to seek out the hostiles, especially since time is of the essence.
_ _ _
Deck 5
Command Ship Trion
In another part of the ship, Drift and Banzai-Tron continued their duel in hand-to-hand combat. The latter pulled whatever tricks he had on his sleeve in order to outwit his foe. Barely evading a fatal blow from one of the Decepticon's hidden energon daggers, Drift rolled to the side and swung a palm to Banzai-Tron's mid-section and kicked with unhindered fury.
"This is the Deadlock that I've been wanting to see for a long time! Come on!" Banzai-Tron challenged, wanting to bring back the inner killer that he knew so long ago.
"It's Drift!" the blademaster grunted, using his strength to shove the assassin back.
"Think you can escape your past? Think you can outrun what you've done to all those Autobots years ago?"
"No, but I can help put an end to this war."
"The war will go on forever! You can't deny it!" Banzai-Tron declared. Neither bot showed signs of giving in to one another, and they were putting their all to take each other down. Banzai-Tron landed a strike of his blade against Drift's shoulder pad. The white cyber-ninja yelped in pain as the assassin drove it deeper before he retracted it and prepared for another strike.
As soon as Banzai-Tron lunged forward, Drift swung his blades and slashed against the Decepticon's midsection. The former countered hard with a swift kick that sent his foe into the air and knocked him down. Drift used his short swords to hoist himself back up onto his feet and prepare for another attack. He saw Banzai-Tron leap into the air as the latter jump kicked in his direction, giving Drift an opportunity as he kicked the mercenary in the knee and sent him rolling on the deck.
"You've been holding back," the assassin grunted.
Drift somersaulted onto the ground and crouched down as Banzai-Tron led his attacks with a series of pierces meant to strike at his spark and his neck. The white blademaster held his ground and spun around with his right elbow, smashing into the Decepticon's chest plate and kneeing him in the head. Banzai-Tron staggered back at the force of the blows and shook his helmet to recover. After years of waiting, the assassin finally founded the challenge he had been searching for. And he was going to savor every second of it.
_ _ _
Deck 14
Command Ship Trion
Squads of Autobot troopers were clearing each room deck by deck. The ship's internal sensors were useless since the mercenaries were using signal dampeners to mask themselves, making them difficult to track. Meanwhile, Jazz led a team which was tasked in neutralizing the intruders that were still on the move.
Moments later the team stumbled upon a couple of enemy sentries that were on the lookout for Autobots. Jazz alerted his team to take up defensive positions and shoot the hostiles. As the firefight began, he heard a ringing inside his helmet and realized someone was calling to him. There was only one person that he knew that would attempt to reach him, and the timing couldn't have been badder.
"Oh no, not now..."
The heiress of the Ashford family never realized that the three 'brothers' were miles high in space. Against his own judgment he decided to answer the call in the midst of a firefight. Telling her the truth was out of the question, since the circumstances would seem to be too incredible for her to believe.
"Milly?"
"Jerome, we were wondering if you and the twins would be interested in joining us at the Tokyo festival in the next couple of days?"
"I'm a little busy right now, Milly!"
"What's that noise in the background?"
"There's a fight going on at the club!"
"A fight?"
"call you back!" Jazz replied. The only thing that mattered was the present, he would have to wait to her in person later and apologize for his abruptness.
Shells from the enemy soldiers' neutron assault rifles pelted against the bulkheads of the ship.
The relentless assault of the enemy's attacks pushed the Autobots situated in the lower decks on the defensive.
Flak grenades rolled towards their direction. Jazz reacted on instinct on shoved the nearby Autobot security soldier out of the way. "MOVE!"
"Autobot scum. Time to meet your maker."
The special ops officer froze in place before he caught his enemy by surprise and locked his arm in a wrist hold. "It's going to take more than aiming at pointblank range to take me down."
Jazz used the momentum of his body to throw him onto the ground. The special ops officer got back up and knocked him out with his feet. He knew that the enemy wasn't going to get back up for a while. That was until he heard a weapon cocked and felt the end of a barrel touching the back of his head. Raising his hands in surrender, Jazz stood completely still, waiting for the Decepticon mercenary to make the next move.
"Sir!" shouted one of the security guards as he saw Jazz held at gunpoint.
"Don't do anything drastic!" the Autobot lieutenant instructed.
"Stay right ther – OOF!" the hostile groaned as he fell, a metallic clang echoed throughout the space. By then Jazz lowered his hands and turned to find a couple of enemy soldiers knocked out unconscious at the feet of Sideswipe and Sunstreaker. The red twin flexed his digits, admiring his handiwork as he gave an impish grin to the special ops lieutenant.
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it," Sunstreaker grunted.
_ _ _
Astrophysics Lab
Command Ship Trion
Six Decepticon mercenaries led by Bomb-Burst cut a swathe through the forward corridors of the ship, taking down any Autobot that they could find. The Battlechargers Runamuck and Runabout took point with their rifles sighted in front of them. By the time they reached their destination, the pair observed that two guards were posted in front of the entrance to the lab. Runamuck leveled his weapon and shot the left sentry while Runabout shot the right one. Both slumped lifelessly against the floor, and the Decepticons proceeded cautiously towards their objective.
"We are clear," Runamuck informed the group.
Bomb-Burst moved the two mercenaries aside and attached a cable to the lock. He depressed a switch that broke the scanner-lock, since the lab only allowed authorized personnel to enter the space. Once they entered inside, Bomb-Burst smiled in admiration as he examined the inside of the space.
It was truly a technological marvel to behold, a by-product of the genius of the enemy. All of the science of which the Autobots devoted themselves for the betterment of Cybertronian civilization created the objective which they sought to destroy. The mercenary leader considered it too bad that all of it would be gone to waste.
"Get the charges," he instructed.
One of the Decepticon soldiers dispensed several explosives, with all of them setting them up at different parts of the lab before they finished.
"Charges are set," Runamuck informed.
"Alright, let's clear the area and detonate them," Bomb-Burst commanded. He and his group left the room as intended. By the team moved to the opposite wall, every console and power line that tied the tachyon system together was destroyed. All that remained of the equipment was smoke and fire, the Trion's internal extinguishing systems working to put out the danger before it spread throughout the ship. All of the Decepticons howled and cheered in victory before they attempted to make their getaway. The celebration was cut short as Runamuck and Runabout heard something coming from the distance.
Their visors brightened as they saw headlights coming from the distance, as well as the hum of a massive engine from the distance. They knew it was not good news when it came rushing forth and rammed against the soldiers head-on. The impact left the group of seven laying on the ground, struggling to recover themselves.
The truck changed into robot form, smokestacks strutting out of its shoulder pads with the Autobot insignia marking them. Runamuck and Runabout wondered why the hell did Banzai-Tron do his job and take out Prime according to their original plan. There were more of them, and he was only one, but that didn't mean the fight itself was going to be easy. And, as expected of him, he would take on as many Decepticons as Megatron dared to throw at him.
"You will move no further," Optimus ordered the intruders. "If you know what's best for you then you will stand down. Now."
"No chance that's going to happen! Eat this, Prime!" Bomb-Burst declared. Optimus watched as the mercenary chuck the flak grenade into the air, sending flechettes that flew at hypersonic speed. The shards struck the supreme commander by the midsection and his right forearm as he tried moving backwards, whilst shaking off the impact of the blast. Prime countered with his ion blaster and fired continuous bursts that killed three of the mercenaries and crippled another. Another blast struck Bomb-Burst, piercing through his armor and taking him out.
The Battlechargers attempted to take down the enemy commander to no avail. Like a lion, the Autobot leader spared no expense in showing his fury. He used his blaster as a club and swung it against Bomb-Burst, effectively taking him out of play. Runamuck and Runabout shot in panic, knowing that Prime was going to let loose of his anger against them. Everything turned into a blur as Optimus rushed towards Runabout, grabbed him by the neck and threw him into the ground.
By then the Autobot leader turned his attention toward Runamuck, who was the only Decepticon in sight left standing. The mercenary yelled and fired his weapon but missed as Prime rocketed his way into the air and landed a punch that knocked the Battlecharger down. Optimus narrowed his optics as he picked up the hireling by the chest plate and lifted him off his feet with his immense strength.
"You and your allies have a lot of nerve to even dare stepping on my vessel and kill members of my crew," Optimus said cocked his right arm back and slammed his fist into the mercenary's face plate. The impact dented the bot's mouthpiece and cracked Runamuck's visor. Afterwards, Prime dumped the mercenary pair into a nearby escape pod and slammed his heel into the bot's chassis. The Decepticon hireling crashed into the hull of the capsule with a loud thud.
"Get off my ship!"
Afterward he landed his palm into the ejection module and sent them flying helplessly in space. Runabout and Runamuck's face plates were against the view port as they yelled into the void. They tried scratching their way out, but were unable to do since the ejection pod operated only when it detected a safe environment, with the nearest planet being Earth. Several Autobot soldiers swarmed the deck and noticed the downed Decepticons and their leader.
"Optimus, are you alright?" one of the guards asked.
"I'm fine," Prime answered as he pointed to Bomb-Burst. "Take the prisoner to the brig. I want to ask him a few questions when he comes online again."
The soldier saluted sternly at attention. "Yes sir!"
Prime nodded in consent and watched as a pair of soldiers picked Bomb-Burst by his arms and dragged his chassis along the deck. Optimus searched for ion blaster and picked it up from the ground before stashing it inside of his internal armory. He contacted the ship's bridge to begin conducting assessments on just how much damage the Decepticons have caused.
_ _ _
Deck 5
Command Ship Trion
Seeing that Drift had no intention of allowing him to walk away unscathed, the assassin saw little incentive in holding back. Both studied the ancient Cybertronian arts under the same master, except that Banzai-Tron upped his lethality through the art of crystolocution, where a single touch would crystalize a mechanoid's body, with another swipe that would shatter them into pieces. Banzai-Tron attempted to test it by driving his two index fingers into Drift's body, only to be countered and knocked out with a hard chop to the neck.
"You have untapped potential. Megatron was right to choose you as his champion."
The blademaster shook his head. "He's forgotten of the Decepticons' original cause. His own madness has driven our people to nearly became extinct!"
"And yet we are still standing! Tell me, is it worth it? Is it worth wasting your life over these Autobots?"
Drift clutched onto his swords and crossed them in an X, his processor focused solely on his enemy.
"Draw it! Draw your sword! Unleash the fury which you've hidden for so long!" Banzai-Tron dared to his former comrade.
Fury welled from within. His processor worked on overload as his psionic energies channeled through his body, slowly enhancing his physical strength. His blades flashed as the psi from his spark emaninated through his arms.
"That's it! Come on! Show your true form!" the assassin laughed.
The blademaster's optics glowed bright white, an indicator that his strength was reaching critical mass. Drift lifted his short swords and struck them into the ground, his body a conduit that released a shockwave of immense power that cracked into the ground and rushed towards Banzai-Tron. The blast shocked the assassin as arcs of electricity discharged from within, making him howl in agony. Seconds later Banzai-Tron collapsed and remained still.
Feeling the pain course through his chassis, Drift leaned against the bulkhead and laid his swords beside him. Fighting against experienced warriors like the Predacons, Megatron, and Banzai-Tron finally took its toll on his body. He noticed his spark energy was weaker than before. Drawing out his psionic power like he did earlier. He heard the metallic clamor of footsteps as Ratchet and a couple of security guards came about and spotted both him and Banzai-Tron laying on the ground.
"Drift! Are you alright?" the CMO called out.
"I'll be fine," the blademaster coughed.
"Come on, I got you." Ratchet assured, lifting the cyber-ninja onto his feet. Both made their way back towards medical, the blademaster was at least happy that the fighting was over as his optics blacked out.
"Thanks..."
"Drift! DRIFT!" the doctor called out to his comrade, watching helplessly as the cyber-ninja's body shut down as it went limp.
_ _ _
Astrophysics Lab
Command Ship Trion
Two megacycles passed after the fighting came to a halt. Optimus walked inside of the room and saw Wheeljack and a team of engineers examine the wreckage caused by the Decepticons' explosives. The enemy knew where to detonate their bombs. If they ever got to the engine room, the entire ship would've been destroyed. Prime thanked the Matrix that scenario never came to pass.
"How bad is it?" the supreme commander asked.
"Bad. The explosion destroyed the power lines to several of the couplers. Our tachyon capabilities are pretty much crippled," Wheeljack informed in a morose tone. The Trion provided the majority of the fleet's anti-cloak sensor grid, while the other ships served as merely extensions of the network.
The situation made it all the more reason to search for a solution in the establishment of a new grid. Ships operating individually didn't have enough range. Prime figured that Wheeljack could find an alternative means to sense cloaked ship. Whether it would serve as effectively as the original tachyon design remained another matter entirely.
"With the couplers shot, we would need replacement parts to change the system out with a brand new one."
"How long would the repair work take?"
"Three to five solar cycles. That system is very fragile and it was difficult to construct, since the ore that is used to supply the energy is rare. As for the repair parts, we have several. But they're not enough to repair the system. The Trion is the only ship in the fleet that is generates enough power to stretch the net through the entire system."
"Do we still have access to external communications?" Prime asked.
"Yes."
"Send a subspace message to Ultra Magnus and the other senior commanders back home. Let them know of our situation In the meantime, I want damage reports from the other decks and find out what happened."
Wheeljack nodded and left. Prime tended to Ironhide, who was nursing his wounds but nonetheless still operational.
"How are you, old friend?"
"A little bent up. Otherwise, still online and more than willing to bust some Deceptichops."
The Autobot leader chuckled at the security officer's rugged demeanor. Ironhide, advanced in age though he may be, was just about as boastful as a younger soldier within the ranks. Despite his fortitude, he was not by any means invincible. Prime opted to remind his colleague of that fact.
"All in due time, just keep in mind that you're not young. I have a question for you, however: do you remember what happened before the fighting occurred?"
"It sizzles my circuits to tell you this, Optimus: I think we have insiders."
"A mole?"
"Several to be exact. Earlier today, there was a pilot named Dealer that brought in what he claimed was damaged equipment. There's no doubt in my processor he was the one that got those 'Cons on the ship."
"Strange. Prowl made no indication of equipment that needed to be sent for repairs."
"I checked the logs, and they indicated that there were several weapons that needed to be brought down. The rest well... you already know."
"If there are indeed traitors amongst our own forces, then our mission to defeat the Decepticons have already been compromised."
Optimus Prime narrowed his optics at his own realization. The fact that rogue agents operated within his own forces meant that the Autobots that were currently stationed in the alternate universe, and perhaps the rest of the divisions back home were vulnerable to infiltration. Coupled that the fleet lost a percentage of its tachyon sensor capabilities would force the Autobots to step up their efforts even more.
_ _ _
Student Council Chamber
Ashford Academy, Tokyo Settlement
Lelouch waited as the call routed through his laptop. He attached an encryption module to the USB port to cover his tracks. Afterwards he began his call to the one man that he could rely upon to provide the one favor that he hoped the individual in question would provide. Seconds ticked before the call routed through, and then the person answered in a cracked voice. "Yes?"
"It's me, I need a favor."
"What kind of favor?
"I need protection for my classmates at the Tokyo Festival."
"And why should I devote whatever scarce resources that I have in the defense of the very people that are trying to enslave us?"
By the time the question was asked Lelouch knew where the conversation was going. Taizo wanted a favor in exchange for the support that the Kyoto House was giving the Black Knights, since there was much risk involved in associating oneself with a wanted criminal. The Kyoto House invested much in confiding in his ability to defeat the occupation forces. Taizo figured that there was no reward in protecting children that held no strategic value in the liberation process, so Lelouch had to give him an incentive.
"They're not like the Britannians that we know," the ex-prince answered.
"You still didn't answer my question."
"Because I have a suspicion that there's a threat against me based on credible intelligence from my sources in the city. And if I am kidnapped or killed, then any hopes of freeing Japan from Britannia's clutches dies."
After a moment of consideration, the lord gave his reply: "I'll send what men I can spare."
"Thank you, Lord Kirihara," Lelouch replied, remembering to respect the elderly Japanese man.
"Keep this line open. You will be hearing from me soon."
"Indeed," the ex-prince answered.
By the time the call terminated, Lelouch disconnected the encryption module and re-attached it to his cell phone. Seconds went by as he leaned against his chair, his mind in a train of thought. C.C. gingerly made her way through, and Lelouch slowly grew accustomed to her presence within the room, since Milly were with Kallen, Nina and Shirley making preparations for their trip.
"I trust all is going well?" the immortal witch asked.
"At least for the time being," Lelouch answered. "You have a bad habit of exposing yourself when there is little need to."
"We are accomplices, but I will remind you that I am not your pet."
"No, you are not," the ex-prince said. "However, may I remind you that it is not safe. Clovis has been dead for a while, but there are people within the government that wants to get you back."
"It'll be a long time before they find us, or that we're evening working together."
"You are still taking a risk of showing up out in the open, and if people saw you with me there would be a lot of questions raised."
"What? That I am a secret lover?"
The ex-prince did not answer the question. C.C. merely served as a means to an end, nothing more. It was all that she would ever be, especially since she often had the gall to even taunt him. Though he could not deny that her usefulness extended beyond the fact that she granted him his power. At times, he believed that she was the darker side of his conscious.
Lelouch dwelled on other thoughts, wanting to meet with Rakshata Chawla in person but opted against it due to his scheduling with his friends. The ex-prince figured that he could use a little bit of relief from the rigors of leadership. And a little bit of fun on the side, too. It was only 7:00 PM, but he needed to rest early for the day of the festival, especially since he knew that he would be worn out by the time the event was over.
"Best that you make haste and leave, I'm going to rest tonight. Tomorrow evening is going to be a long evening for me, and I'm going to savor it," Lelouch said. He reminisced on the events of the past few weeks, and all that was left was getting to Cornelia. By the time Ohgi and Inoue secured the rods in Hong Kong, he would have another weapon in his arsenal and take the city by force in order to get her out into the open.
End of Chapter 30
Author's Note:
The absence of Optimus Prime and Drift in many of the previous chapters prior to the last one disturbed me somewhat. They are integral to the eventual passing of the events of the story in the Transformers' interactions with the Code Geass universe.
And a heads up: I got two weeks of studying HF/UHF before I transfer over to Japan, and from what I've heard in my current school it's a pain in the ass, so you might not be seeing updates for a bit. If I can I'll see if I can snake in one or two.