Chapter 30-Zero Tolerance
"Not gonna lie, it feels really depressing around here." Impulsor said.
"We didn't need to hear that, Impulsor." Falcia said. "Everyone knows that."
"Well I did say I wasn't going to lie." He replied, earning a glare from her.
The Minicons were doing their nightly patrols, which were becoming more common these days as ERD presence steadily increased in the area. The blockade they set up around Esper Town was a constant reminder of how volatile things had become upon in the country. No one had attempted to make a move on the espers in the area—yet—but everyone was still on edge. The Autobots had made no attempts to apprehend the Minicons, though they still wondered how long this deadlock will last.
"So, you hear the news?" Impulsor asked. Falcia sighed.
"For Micronus's sake, Impulsor, I'm not interested! It's the same damn thing on every channel. The government whines about Megatron taking advantage of their stupidity, the Cons spank the Autobots using politics, and the ERD continues to be a bunch of cog suckers." Falcia said. "What else is there to know?"
"Falcia!" Combusta flew down next to them in jet mode and transformed. "Calm down, sweetheart, I could hear you several blocks down."
Falcia sighed. "This is really grinding my gears. How long does Redline think these guys are going to hang back?"
"Long enough for Sparkplug or Prime to make a change." Combusta said.
"Really? That's just rich. Our only plan is to wait and hope these bozos don't storm us?" Falcia said scathingly.
"If you have a better plan, we're open to it." Impulsor said, already getting tired of Falcia's ranting. How do Redline and Combusta deal with this on a daily basis?
Falcia said nothing and they stood in silence for the next couple minutes. No one wanted to think of the nagging fear in the back of their minds that, if push came to shove, they may be forced to fight against the Autobots.
"I pray we can come up with a way to get through this in one piece.' Combusta thought. 'Because there I know was we'll get through this otherwise without shedding blood.'
XXXXXX
"You said yes?!" Brittany exclaimed, staring at Annie as if she just kicked a puppy.
"Yeah, I accepted Sumeragi's offer. But not after thinking it through." Annie assured her friend, though it didn't work as intended and Annie couldn't completely look her in the eye.
Annie had just told Brittany about her decision to officially join the Neo Knights. Brittany didn't take the news as well as she thought.
"Look, I know it was a bit of a rash decision—"
"Rash? Annie, you saw what those people did to Dana. She still has nightmares about them, and she looks terrible. And you want to go out and fight more people like that?" Brittany said.
"Brit, compared to the Cons, this is tame." Annie said.
"Oh don't give me that." Brittany hissed. "You're not fighting giant alien soldiers, Annie, you're going up against humans. Humans who have no trouble experimenting and killing children to make weapons!"
"And how is this any different from going up against OZ?" Annie snapped, finally losing her patience. "I've deal with far worse than a couple of glorified racists making weapons out of espers. I've lost an arm and an eye to the Decepticons, I've almost lost my brother to other humans trying to rule the world, and I've been driven from my home because of a psychotic esper girl! A bunch of weapons dealers are nothing compare to what I've went through!"
Brittany went quiet and looked away. Annie sighed and sat next to her on the bed, grasping her hand and lacing their fingers together.
"Look, I'm sorry, but this is something I have to do. I've never told anyone this, but lately I've been feeling…restless. Like a retired soldier who can't wait to get back into the fight even though it's over." Annie admitted. "I've tried to live my life the way it used to be before meeting the Minicons, but I just can't. I've seen and done things most adults never experienced before. I…I've killed people, Brit. That doesn't just go away. It stays with you. I'm no longer the normal girl I used to be, and now I have powers of my own that can give me an edge in doing what I've always dreamed about—being a hero for humans and espers. It's not like the Autobots are clamoring for my help."
Brittany stared at Annie with her yellow-green eyes, unable to fully respond to all that. She knew Annie and Darren had been through a lot. They had tons of adventures that were so fantastical and out of this world, it was more at home in a sci-fi novel. But she never really imagined what toll it took on them. The restlessness, the trauma, the potential nightmares they might've had from all the near-death experiences they had. It must have worn away at them. She sort of understood where Annie was coming from, but it wasn't just her that she should be concerned about.
"Annie, have you told Darren about this?" She asked. Annie didn't answer, and Brittany sighed. "Annie…"
"I know, I know, but I couldn't. He's already running on fumes after killing Justine, and I think that fight's done ore damage to him than I thought. You didn't see him back there, Brit. He killed people left and right without even flinching. I don't think he's mentally sound, and he can't handle any more surprises. If he knew what I was doing…he might snap." Annie looked at Brittany with a pleading gaze. "Please don't tell him, Brit."
"I wasn't planning to. I just want you to be careful." Brittany said. She yelped when Annie leaned forward and hugged her.
"I will, Brit. Thank you." Annie said smiling.
Brittany wanted to warn Annie about the consequences of hiding this from Darren, but she was too busy purring in bliss from hugging Annie to really focus on that. She was confident that Annie knew the risks and handle the situation.
XXXXXX
"I don't like him." Veronica said.
"You don't like anyone in Skywatch, Howards." Keller laughed.
"Yeah, but I don't like Harvey even more." She said.
The two women were having some time to themselves in the mess hall of the Skywatch headquarters. It was nice and quiet, with the two women being the only ones there, which meant they could talk a bit more freely. And Veronica had a lot of frustrations to vent to one of the only people she really trusted in Skywatch.
"I'd tell you to not worry about it so much, but that'd be a waste of oxygen." Cole said. "Look, Howards, I know you don't like the guy, I don't trust him either, but ranting about him isn't going to solve anything."
"It's not just Harvey I'm mad about. It's this entire organization. Hollander's taking Skywatch down a very dark path and I'm not liking where it goes. As if going behind the President's back wasn't bad enough, now we're making backroom deals with war dogs."
"Can't argue with that." Cole muttered.
Skywatch was slowly changing into something that neither woman liked, not that they were excited about being in Skywatch in the first place. Laguna Harvey had begun supplying Skywatch with a lot of advanced tech and expensive equipment, upgrades to the talos and their OS, new and improved weapons for infantry, and combat vehicles sporting automated weapons that looked like they were designed for taking out talos…or cybertronians.
"When the hell did this guy get so chummy with high command?" Cole questioned. "We just met the guy and he's walking around like he's the head of Skywatch's R and D division."
"Knowing Hollander, he probably is." Veronica said. "What the hell are we doing, Cole? We're teaming up with some unknown party preparing for war against the aliens humanity's allied with. What's even the point of being a part of Skywatch anymore?"
"You tell me, sweetheart."
Both women turned to see Leo sitting at a table, leaning his chair back so his feet were resting on the table. He grinned at them in greeting.
"Hello, Ibrahim." Cole said, not bothering to hide her distaste for him.
"Please, call me Ali. All my friends do." Leo grinned.
"You're not our friend." Veronica growled. How the hell did they not hear him coming?
"Ouch, that stings." He laughed.
As if having to rely on a civilian company of all things wasn't bad enough, there was also the fact that Harvey brought along a lot of his own people to "help" Skywatch. Among them was Ali Al Ibrahim, who Veronica figured was Harvey's second in command. He had the look and feel of a mercenary who took too much pleasure in his job, even though Laguna presented him as a "weapons tester". He always had that infuriating smirk on his face, as if he knew something they didn't, and Veronica was sure they did.
"What do you want, Ibrahim?" Veronica asked.
"I just came here for a drink." Ali lifted his mug. "I overheard you conversation, and I wanted to reassure you that we are here to help."
"Oh really?" Cole drawled. "And how do you plan to do that?"
"By helping Hollander achieve his goal: the preservation of humanity's existence and independence on the cosmic stage. He wants to protect Terra from the cybertronian war, and we want to further mankind's development as a species. Our goals align perfectly." He said.
"What do you mean by furthering mankind's development?" Veronica asked.
"You'll find out. Just know that everything we do, we do for the people of Terra. To create a world that's not bound by mortal limitations."
'That certainly doesn't sound ominous.' Veronica thought.
"I must be going now. We have a lot of work to do if we are to realize our dream of protecting the world from alien warfare." Ali stood up and raised his mug to them. "Later, ladies. Try not to die of boredom before we get to the good shit, will you?"
Cole and Veronica glared at Ali 's back as he walked out of the hall like he own the place. Veronica shook her head and leaned onto the table.
"Skywatch is fucked, Keller." She said. "This organization's fucked and we're the only ones who see it."
"I hear that, sister." Cole said and took a long, hard swig of her beer.
XXXXXX
Hollander read through the progress reports on the now transitional upgrades that were being done to Skywatch's Mobile Armor unit, as well as the overhaul done to their combat vehicles.
He couldn't help but crack a smirk at the progress being done in such a short amount of time. Talos with advanced operating systems that allowed more complicated movements assisted by the unit's computers, more powerful weapons that could rival a tank in terms of damage, and stronger combat vehicles that were both mobile and powerful. He was really liking how things were progressing.
"I'm impressed, Harvey," Hollander said, looking up at the man in question. "You were quicker with the aid than I thought you'd be."
"I run a tight ship. We're business partners, and I wouldn't leave a partner out to dry." Laguna Harvey, known secretly as the Zodiac general Pisces, said.
"And money isn't an issue for you? All this equipment and weaponry is pretty expensive." Hollander said.
"Money is not a concern for me. I practically dominate this country's military arms program. It's the least of my concerns."
Hollander nodded. "Also, if you can spare a couple of men, I'd like some assistance in studying the few Gigas under our control."
"An Atlantian Gigas?" Harvey raised an eyebrow at that. "How did you…"
"We've had naval teams scour the battle zones of our latest skirmish with the Atlantians to snatch up the remains of any mecha and ships we could haul back." Hollander laced his fingers together. "The Atlantians are significantly more advanced than us and their technology could be the key to properly defending our planet from the warring cybertronians. However since their queen isn't offering anything of use…"
Pisces nodded. This man was crafty. Poaching Atlantian vehicles must have been so top secret that even his contacts didn't hear about it.
"I take it the study isn't going as smoothly as you wanted?" He inquired.
"Trying to dissect Atlantian technology is hard enough without even understanding their science. I wanted to find a way to create direct energy weapons and more durable air and seacraft, but our scientists can't make heads or tails of this stuff." Hollander complained.
'To be we already beat you to that by using energon.' Pisces thought. "I'll have my best technicians on the team, Hollander. However, I can't help but notice that you're putting an awful lot of effort into weaponing Skywatch. Are you planning on fighting the Autobots?"
"What makes you say that?" Hollander said.
Pisces sent him a cheeky grin, and Hollander sighed and rolled his eyes.
"This is only a precaution, just in case the Autobots step out of line. We cannot allow aliens to dictate how we run things in interspecies politics. This world is ours, and we cannot allow anyone to intrude upon our sovereignty."
"Even though you're going behind the President's back?"
"President Flag may have been a soldier once, but he has been out of the job too long. He forgot the necessity of showing strength even to our allies or they'll walk all over us." Hollander said.
"I understand." Laguna nodded. "Just be sure to watch your step. Flagg is a scary man when he learns someone is pulling a fast one on him."
"Then we'll just have to ensure that he never watches us step." Hollander replied with a smirk.
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"…In other news, the standoff between the espers of the designated Esper Town and the ERD continues as both civilians and military personnel await their next move. The main cause of the ERD's hesitation is because of the presence of Minicon refugees taking the stand against the ERD…"
"Why are you watching this?"
Armorhide jumped when Rodimus plopped himself down into the chair next to him. The red and orange Autobot looked as irate as he felt, which wasn't a normal look for Rodimus.
"Hey, Rodimus," Armorhide sighed. "I'm just watching the news. Not much for me to do around here lately since things have slowed down. Figured I'd watch the news."
"Anything change?" Rodimus asked.
"No, not really." Armorhide replied.
"Of course not. Don't worry, any change that is going to happen isn't going to be good for us." Rodimus grumbled.
"You sound angry about this."
"Of course I'm angry, Armorhide. Our allies are practically driving more and more people to the Cons and Prime won't do a damn thing about it!" Rodimus growled.
"But didn't the treaty say that we aren't supposed to get involved with stuff like this?" Armorhide asked.
"That was made moot when Karaba became best friends with the Cons." Rodimus sighed. "I'm sorry for venting at you, Armorhide. It's just that…we're fragging Autobots for crying out loud. We're meant to make sure that stuff like this doesn't happen, and yet here we are just sitting here."
"I know. I don't like seeing people being treated like this." Armorhide agreed. "Couldn't we do something?"
"Just the two of us? No, that'd be impossible. Not to mention we'd have to deal with Prowl, the heartless bastard." Rodimus grumbled.
Armorhide didn't know what else to say. He didn't like what the Osean government was doing to their own people, treating them like criminals on a wide scale, but to openly rebel against their decisions would cause their alliance to fracture. Megatron really has them deadlocked.
He sighed and crossed his arms. If being Prime meant he had to deal with all this politics, then he didn't envy Optimus's job at all.
XXXXXX
It was the weekend at the Providence Institute and the students had no classes for the next two days. But while her brother was sleeping the morning away, Annie was hard at work running through the training course that the Neo Knights used to harness their skills.
The course was part obstacle course, part death run, filled with automated guns that fired rubber bullets, ponds filled with boiling hot water to motivate any slackers to move faster, and large boulders Barnaby manipulates to come at the runner from random directions. It may seem excessive, but it was conceived by Kotetsu and Sumeragi as a method to train new recruits in using both their powers and physical abilities to their fullest.
Annie ran through the course as fast as she could, trying to pace herself as she dodged the ice projectiles fired by Karina and leaping over stone spikes jutting from the ground. Several ice bullets fired at her and Annie spun around, extending long bone spikes from her forearm and shattering them instantly.
"She's fast." Kotetsu said, looking rather impressed with the girl's skills.
"It's nothing new. Sumeragi's inspection told us that Annie's healing factor is quite the game changer." Barnaby said.
Annie's healing factor enabled her body to produce less fatigue poisons than the normal human body does when one's physical limits is reached. This allowed her to push her body harder than a regular human without immediately suffering from fatigue and exhaustion.
Annie had taken the course three times, the first she failed on the first obstacle, the second she got halfway, and she got the farthest on her third attempt. She had a little bit of trouble getting past the floating boulders that Barnaby threw at her, but she managed it. At the end of the course, after crawling under a barbed wire fence, Annie met her final obstacle—Hua.
'She can use her powers at long and close range, while I'm mainly a close range fighter,' Annie thought as she charged at Hua. 'But I'm not totally helpless!'
Hua shot multiple bolts of lightning at Annie that surged through the ground in a wide arc. Annie focused on her arms and created two wide bony plates to protect herself from the electrical wave. They took the brunt of the attack, but she still felt some pain. Annie fought through it and charged ahead.
"Let's go!" Annie tossed her one shields aside and thrust her arm out. To everyone's surprise, the skin around her forearm split apart and four large bone spikes spiraled out of her arm to form a large drill over her hand. Pushing it further, Annie tensed her muscles and shot the bone drill at Hua. When Hua jumped to the side, Annie had several more bone spikes sprout from her back and shoot at Hua.
Hua cursed and tried to avoid them, but two of the spikes caged her leg in, pinning her in place. Annie broke off from the spikes and leapt over Hua, using her face as a stepping stone to propel herself over the girl and to the finish line. Annie didn't relax until she was safely over the finish line, tumbling over it and hitting the wall.
"I did it!" Annie panted, her head ringing from hitting it against the wall.
"That was great, Annie!" Kotetsu grinned, clapping his hands. "You've certainly grasped the course quickly."
"They forced me to get creative." She said. She walked over to Hua and broke apart her bone cage to free the girl. "You okay, Hua?"
"I'm fine. That was a nice trick you did with that bone drill thing." Hua said excitedly. "How'd you do it?"
"I used deer antlers as an inspiration. I've been practicing to see if I can create antler replicas in my room." The skin on Annie's forehead split apart as she grew a pair of large deer antlers on her head. "Then I tried to see if I could turn those into weapons using the same principles."
"I'd say you're getting the hang of that." Kotetsu praised, staring at the girl's odd looking antlers. "Your teamwork with the girls is getting better too."
"But you can do better." Barnaby said. "The obstacle course is just one part of your training. It's not enough to prepare you for the real world. I know I don't need to tell you this, but in our line of work, anything can happen. Especially with all the craziness going on these days. Act on your training, but always be prepared for anything."
Annie took it in stride. Stern and aloof as he was, Barnaby was just looking out for her. He knew better than anyone else what she had been through in the past and was doing his best to curb her less attractive habits. "Don't worry, I know."
But while Annie was enjoying her time living her dream as a Neo Knight, things were heating up elsewhere in New York.
XXXXXX
In the blink of an eye, the situation in Esper Town took a turn for the worst.
Karaba members appeared in a grandiose display, as if they were saviors coming down from the heavens to show their followers the light. A light pink portal appeared right in the middle of the street in eyesight of the ERD unit standing guard on the main street cutting through Esper Town.
Three people emerged from the portal—Fauntleroy and his two wives, Jane and Sue, the daughters of Dreyas. The tall man smiled at the espers staring at them warily and adjusted his glasses.
"People of Esper Town, we are here to liberate you." He declared. "May I speak with your leaders? The so-called Defenders who protect this fine neighborhood."
"That would be us." Gar and Shelia landed on the ground, with Carla and Luan hanging back with the Speed and Assault Teams standing by. "What do you want?" Shelia asked.
"We're only here to provide assistance. Karaba has caught wind of your plight and we've come to aid you in driving away the government dogs causing you problems." Fauntleroy said.
"We don't need the Brotherhood's help." Shelia growled. "You people have caused us enough trouble with your crap!"
"Just accept the handout, kid. You're not doing anybody any favors refusing us." Jane said, crossing her arms. "You guys can't take on the entire ERD by yourselves."
"She's right. The only reason you've remained untouched is because of your Minicon friends." Fauntleroy said.
"And it's because of our Minicon friends that we won't accept your help." Gar said. "There's nothing stopping your Decepticon overlords from putting them in chains as soon as the Nemesis pops up over the city."
"That's a shame, because your little friends are not going to keep the ERD out forever." Fauntleroy said, standing face to face with the siblings. "Work with us and we'll promise you the full support and might of the entire Brotherhood."
"We don't need you!" Redline said, marching up to him. "The Autobots are all we need. At least they won' try to enslave us at first glance!"
"The Autobots? Look around you, tiny," Jane laughed. "The Autobots aren't here, and they won't be coming to help you as long as they remain the Osean government's lapdogs. Face it, little man, we're all you've got. We're all you need."
"The answer is still no." Luan said, tensing up for a fight.
"So you speak for everyone here, then?" Fauntleroy smirked, turning to the assembled crowd. "Karaba has gained ground in our war against homo sapiens. With the support of the Decepticons, we shall eliminate the Osean government and the ERD, who see fit to imprison you in camps like the ethnic groups of the Europian Civil War. First they round you up in pens, then they begin lining you up for extermination, dumping the bodies of men, women, and children in mass graves like trash! They're done tolerating you, now they seek to exterminate you and eliminate what they deem as a threat to their rule over the planet!"
"The Autobots will not help you now. They'd rather stand by and bow before their human pet keepers rather than live up to their goal of preserving life." He looked at the weary faces of the citizens of Esper Town, knowing he had their ears. "It's because of humans that you live in this desolate part of New York City! It's because of them that you live in small, cold apartments with little food and water, while you're all forced to pay large rents just to live here. Will you stand for it?"
"No!" A woman shouted.
"I'm sick of how we're being treated!" A man called out.
"Those bastards treat us like shit when we've done nothing wrong. I'm tired of living in fear of these people."
"I want to live in a better place!"
Fauntleroy smirked as he saw a good portion of the crowd airing their grievances, and their numbers were growing. Gar and Shelia tried to stem the changing tide but the reality of their way of living was causing people to finally have enough of what was going on.
"David," Sue tapped his shoulder. "We've got ERD heading our way."
"Perfect." Fauntleroy grinned.
Five ERD Paladins charged down the street with a whole group of armored carriers that barricaded the street. The Paladins got in formation and pointed their guns at Fauntleroy and his wives.
"Attention Karaba agents, put your hands up and get on your knees. You are under arrest!"
"Five Paladins? That's it? I'm almost insulted there isn't more." Fauntleroy remarked.
"Wait, don't shoot!" Shelia ran up to them. "We've got civilians here!"
But at this point, the soldiers hardly cared about collateral damage. "Stand down and disperse or we will attack."
Fauntleroy glanced a Jane, who snapped her fingers and a red spark of energy sank into the ground. Seconds later, one of the underground pipes burst open, erupting from the ground right in front of Shelia. It didn't cause any damage and only startled Shelia, but unfortunately, the ERD saw this as a sign of aggression.
"Open fire!" The ERD troops opened fire on the crowd with tear gas canisters and rubber bullets. The more lethal rounds were saved for Karaba and the Defenders.
"Shelia!" Luan grabbed Shelia and turned themselves intangible, letting the rounds pass right through them.
"Stop it!" Gar yelled.
"Jane, Sue," Fauntleroy called out to his wives. "Wipe them out."
The girls nodded and got to work. Jane used her powers to make the bullets go off target or just explode midair before firing red bolts at the armored vans, making their engines rupture and explode as if the gas ignited from within. ERD troops scattered to avoid being caught up in the flames.
Sue's body was engulfed in flames as she flew up on heat convections and began blasting the Paladins with superhot blasts of plasma. The talos, for all their reinforced composite armor, weren't able to withstand the immense heat and were destroyed almost immediately. The pilots tried to shoot them down, but Sue manipulated the concrete around them to change it into lava, entrapping the machines' arms and legs in the hot liquid that immediately melted through the armor.
Fauntleroy stood in the middle of the chaos, smirking as the scattered espers began fighting back, using their powers to chase off the ERD soldiers. Bullets sailed through the air, some people were hit, but ultimately the ERD were being forced back.
'These people are nothing once you take away their guns and machines.' He thought. 'Pathetic. To think that these people once made me afraid to go out as a child.'
Fauntleroy heard metallic footsteps behind him and spun around to dodge a punch from Redline's fist. Redline spun around and threw a kick at him, which he easily dodged.
"Don't drag these people into your slag!" Redline shouted.
"Drag? They were already involved!" Fauntleroy grabbed Redline's arm and threw him hard into the ground. "And if you aren't going to pick a side, don't interfere!"
"I'll do what I must to protect my friends!" Redline took out his blaster and shot at Fauntleroy, who deflected the bullets with some invisible barrier of energy around his body.
"Then I'll do what I must to protect my family and Karaba's cause!" Fauntleroy's arms glowed with bright energy, cosmic energy stored within his body, and he unleashed a powerful blast at Redline that sent him crashing into a car, causing it to explode.
"Redline!" Servo exclaimed, running to help his friend.
"Let that be a lesson for anyone who stands in the Brotherhood's way. If you aren't going to choose a side, do not interfere. War has no place for pacifists." Fauntleroy spat. "Jane, Sue, we're leaving!"
The sisters joined Fauntleroy after demolishing the ERD forces that were currently retreating from the mob and Fauntleroy pressed a button on his watch. A ground bridge appeared behind them and they disappeared into the portal, leaving behind the chaos they sowed. But while they only came with three members, they left with dozens more.
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"That's your costume?" Brittany said with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, like it?" Annie asked excitedly.
"I do, actually, it looks really great on you. But, um," Brittany tilted her head. "Isn't it a bit revealing?"
Annie was showing Brittany her new Neo Knight costume that the team had made for her. She said that it was made to be practical for her powers in some way, and it was…though it was a bit revealing.
Annie's costume consisted of a short black and red crop top that left her midriff bare and black opera gloves that over her arms with dark red pants and knee high boots. Annie said that the costume allowed her to draw her bones from her torso without tearing the fabric, though Brittany wondered if she just chose it to look good while kicking ass. She couldn't deny that Annie did look good in it.
"I make this look good." Annie grinned, staring at her reflection in the mirror. "I make this look really good."
"You really do." Brittany admitted. Annie grinned back at her through the mirror.
"Hey, Brit, how about tomorrow we—" Annie was cut off when the door opened and Gina came walking in.
"Hey, Annie, Brittany! I just bridged in from Tranquility to say…hi…"
Gina stared at the costume clad Annie in silence, earning a guilty look from Annie. It didn't take long for Gina to connect the dots upon seeing the color scheme of the Neo Knights and she slowly closed the door behind her.
"Explain." Gina demanded.
XXXXXX
"This is a damn mess." Gar growled as he stood with his sister and the rest of the team watching people clean up the streets from the riot that occurred the other day.
Karaba had done its fair share of damage to the ERD unit watching Esper Town and had sent the detachment packing with practiced ease. But they had only run the ERD team out of the area. They'll be back, and most likely in force.
In the meantime, a sizeable portion of espers in the district had left to join the Brotherhood. Now there were regular patrols done by police to scope the area out on top of increased scrutiny from the mayor. It was only a matter of time before Esper Town suffered a crackdown.
"The next time I see that bastard, I'm blowing his ass up with my fireworks." Lyn growled. A lot of people had been injured in the riot, and the fact that people were still supporting Karaba through all this got on her nerves.
"Get in line." Falcia said as she, Combusta and Twirl walked up to them.
"Combusta, how's Redline?" Shelia asked.
"Sparkplug brought him back to Omega One to heal him. Aside from some severe burns from the energy blast he took and the flames, he'll make a full recovery." Combusta said.
Twirl looked around with a concerned look. "Is there any way we can help?"
"You girls can keep watch." Gar said. "Once word spread about what happened here, the ERD will return in force, and may not be as hesitant to move in this time. We need to know when they're coming to be ready for their arrival."
"Gar, I don't think we'll be making out of this unscathed." Luan muttered nervously. Gar saw her worried expression and wrapped his arms around her.
"It'll be fine, Luan. We just need to watch each other's backs." He told her. Gar looked at the others. "We all need to be ready for when this gets violent. No matter what, we cannot give in to either side."
The Defenders nodded, slightly uplifted by Gar's strong will to fight. They may not be able to escape getting into a battle, but they'll fight both the Brotherhood and the ERD if they have to.
XXXXXX
Annie really need to remember to lock her doors when talking about super special secrets. It was going to get her in a lot of trouble one day. Like right now.
Apparently Gina had decided to give the twins a surprise visit on their first weekend in New York to check up on them. It had only been a little over a week since leaving Tranquility, but it felt like a lifetime for Annie, and she was honestly happy to see Gina. The girl looked a bit taller, and her muscles slightly more defined even through her tight sweater, which somehow made her hotter. Great, now she was checking out her brother's girlfriend.
"I can't believe you, Annie." Gina paced in front of her and Brittany agitated. "The Neo Knights? Of all the luck, you had to run into the Neo Knights and join them?"
"Yes, we've already established that, Gina. It was random and a bit lucky that we found out about them, but it's nothing to be worried about." Annie said. "Look, I know what I'm getting into. I've thought it over—"
"Oh really? You've thought it over?" Gina said crossly. "I'm so glad you thought long and hard about joining an esper vigilante group."
"Technically, it's a private security—"
"I don't care!" Gina snapped, making Annie clamp up. Gina sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose through her glasses. "Annie, what's with you and wanting to get into the middle of the action all the time? For heaven's sake we spent the past year fighting Decepticons, terrorists and dolems. Six months shouldn't be long enough for you to have a dry spell."
Brittany froze when Gina turned her gaze onto her. "And Brittany, I thought you were the calming influence here. After all the trouble she's been through along with me and Darren, how can you let her do this?"
"Whoa, back off. I begged her to keep it quiet. That's on me." Annie said defensively.
"Annie, you're joining a superhero team to fight other humans. You're going up against people who'll ruin your whole family if you get caught." Gina said.
"I joined to protect those espers who can't protect themselves like us, Gina. I can keep what happened to Justine from happening to anyone else." Annie said. "And maybe help fix this mess the government's started, since the Autobots aren't returning my fucking calls."
Gina glared down at Annie, who didn't waver under her gaze. The girl genius knew her friend was dead set on seeing this new career path through.
"You know if Darren finds out…"
"He won't, because no one's going to tell him." Annie said. "I need to do this. You know as well as I do that I'm not going to sit back and watch this country go to hell because of the Cons and Karaba."
"…Fine. Do what you want. I won't stop you, not that I can." Gina said with a huff. "I won't tell Darren, but if something happens to you, I'm telling him everything. Got it?"
"Got it." Annie smiled. "Thanks, Gina."
"Don't thank me, Annie." Gina said, looking at her disappointingly. "I'm not doing this for you."
XXXXXX
It was high noon when Megatron had requested to speak to Dreyas. The Karaba leader was in the middle of surveying the progress of their various training camps across the mountain range that the organization called home. Though Karaba had numbers, they had to make sure to train their new recruits as hard as any modern army, and help these brave men and women reach their full potential. Even espers with non-combative powers were to use their powers to the fullest, push themselves to their limits and go even beyond.
In the meantime, Magda worked with Fauntleroy in planning more operations across Osea. She was interested in testing out the new invention of the Decepticon Shockwave, this portable space bridge contraption that was supposed to allow instantaneous transportation. Dreyas wasn't crazy about it, but any advantage was welcome so long as it was safe.
'Our numbers have reached a point where we can begin increasing our activities across the nation.' Dreyas thought as he looked at the reports. 'And I know a lot of places where we can hit them where it hurts.'
"Dreyas." The Decepticon leader called out to him as he and his spymaster Soundwave walked up to him, his large footsteps making the ground shake with each step.
"Megatron." Dreyas nodded to the two mechs. "Can I help you with anything?"
"I only came to inform you that your strike teams have been supplied and are ready to go." Megatron said. "I've had Soundwave mark potential targets, from politicians to locations that we can hit."
"You've been busy. I thought you were solely focusing on the Autobots." Dreyas noted.
"I do enjoy watching the Autobots run around without a damn clue on what to do about these new events. The more espers we liberate, the more people turn against the ineffectual protection of the Autobots." Megatron's grin was positively gleeful. "I would be lying if I said I wasn't playing around with them a little bit."
Dreyas grinned. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"
"Very much. I forgot what a rush it was to lead a revolution on this scale. Part of the fun is watching your enemies make your job easier." Megatron nodded to Soundwave, who handed Dreyas a datapad. "Here are the high priority targets you'll want to hit if you want to really shake things up for the government."
Dreyas read the report over and his eyes widened at what he saw. "This…this is very bold. Ambitious, but bold."
"I take it you agree with what we have planned?" Megatron asked, knowing he had Dreyas hooked.
"I do. This will be a good way to hit them where it hurts." Dreyas laughed.
The preparations were already complete. Now it was time to sow the seeds of chaos.
Sorry for the pause in updates. I've been testing out a new update pattern where I update whole story arcs in chunks after I finish writing them. I've currently finished writing the Skywatch storyline and I'll be working on the final arc to this story next week. Also for some reference, Annie's Neo Knight costume is basically a red and black version of X-23's X-Men costume (yellow crop top, black gloves, leather pants). Be ready for next chapter as tensions between enemies and allies reach their boiling point as differing viewpoints clash between not just the warring factions, but also our heroes themselves. It gets bloody and it gets violent. Be sure to visit the official Transformers Titan website on WordPress. Thanks for reading, please leave a review and stay safe everybody!