Chapter 8: Confrontation
"Alright, you bastards. Time to play ball," Buster's resolute expression stayed focused on the unknown vehicles parked outside. He didn't recognize them as anything part of Wright, noting their uniquely modern aesthetic. One of those oddities being an empty car carrier surrounded by four conspicuously uniform-grey escorts particularly declares them suspicious.
Deep down though, he wasn't sure.
After encountering Codexa and Wolfang, things weren't so clear anymore. He knew stopping Codexa took priority, but Diaclone could potentially obstruct him. No, they definitely will, especially knowing something brought them here. But those machines held human pilots, and he's never taken a life before. Could he even do it? Maybe escape was the better option-running away from enemies might save your life.
But what about those unable to run, unable to escape? What if Diaclone too obstructs your means of retreat-will he have to kill them, then? Despite the heart saying yes, his mind said no. Still, something must be done.
"Damn," he grumbled under his breath, moving away from the window. "There's too many."
"True…..not for me, of course." A strange voice spoke from behind, prompting a swift turnaround. A woman sat on a nearby drawer next to an illuminated lamp, surprisingly stable despite the extra weight.
Twin buns rested outward on her alabaster hair, each giving off perky and cheerful attributes. Deep maroon pupils gazed strongly onto him like devious spiders hidden in corners. Her ears had symbolic earrings shine their reflective metal-Autobot on the right, Decepticon on the left-which possibly indicate a double-sided nature. Her attire consisted of a plain navy crop-top enveloped by a grey leather jacket, and one pair of unripped jeans shorts contrasting heavily with long hazel high boots. Oddly enough, no tattoos appeared anywhere on her body or limbs. Strange even for someone 'cool' as her.
"Who are you?" Buster cautiously asked the stranger, whose unrelenting smile produced no change.
"Relax," she instantly got off the drawer, walking towards the blonde with arms folded behind her back. Her lean forward elicited a greater need for vigilance. "Just seeing how my partner's doing."
The chosen words raised an eyebrow, only to suddenly realize her meaning. "Wolfang?" His answer earned him a gleeful nod, whose source pulled back to meet eye-to-eye.
"Bingo," she replied. "Codexa might've been right to pick you."
"But….how?" he inquired about her appearance.
"When a Bravemaster forms a contract, he/she not only grants the user their wish but also separates themselves into individual cells," Wolfang explained. "Doing this allows the master to execute any desired order upon their servant, whether professional or…..pleasurable." He knew what the latter meant.
"O…..kay," Buster said in bafflement but understood completely. "Why are you a woman, though?"
"Every master holds deep wishes within their subconscious. My form here represents your ideal woman-or rather, your preferences come to fruition." her explanation caused him to scoff at such nonsense.
"So what, you've become what my mind wants?" he chuckled a little, careful not to draw external attention. "Now that's fucking bizarre."
"I'll have you know, mister wise guy-bizarre's my middle name," Wolfang said pridefully. "My altercation abilities allow me unlimited access to personas and guises beyond simple desires. For I am raw unfiltered energy, channeled throughout within one mere vessel. And you now hold bits of that power."
"Uh-huh…..so I can change into robots or...aliens too?" Buster asked calmly, pushing back inner childhood's reawakening.
"No," she replied bluntly. "That's my job, sweetie."
"Aw," her response deflated hidden fantastical fulfillment. "And just when things were getting…..what the hell?" An unintentional look at his left arm revealed his memento silver watch gone. Now in its place was an elongated tattoo of a wolf, whose azure body flowed like scorching flames. "What's this?"
"That….." Wolfang trailed off, crossing her arms. "...is proof of our partnership. The bits of power I lent to you."
Buster gripped his fist tightly, confidence rising high. His eyes made small glances to the window, seeing all present vehicles convert into humanoid shapes. Guess he was right, or just lucky this time. "Then…..we can go after Codexa-stop her plan once and for all."
"I don't get it," Wolfang interjected. "Why commit to her early on? You barely know her. For all we know, her intentions are worse than imagined."
The blonde lowered his arm, standing tall as a strong tree. "Our first meeting gave me the sense of need in her. She may have lied to me-admittedly under semi-true circumstances-but deep inside, her heart and mind aren't one."
"How so?" Wolfang grew intrigued by his philosophical take, despite five giant machines outside approaching slowly.
"During our little trip into dreamland, she asked if I trusted her. True, I foolishly said yes, but somehow, I knew she needed more than an accomplice. No-what she wants…..is a friend," His words came out crony, but held firm truth regardless. "That's why….I'll remove the evil from her heart, no matter the cost. Not for Jesse…..but for me."
The pretender female nodded, smiling with genuine resolve. "You know the magic word, Buster?"
"Brave up Wolfang, was it?" Buster said the designated phrase. "Sounds kinda lame, no offense. Mind if I change it a little?"
"Doesn't matter what you say, just that it works." Wolfang stood next to him, facing the window. Buster turned around to meet their incoming foes. "Any notable suggestions?"
"How about…." the blonde pondered on his battle cry, utilizing his extensive background in philosophy for reference. Naturally, a name for his wolf-like appearance would require precise labeling to accurately describe him. Since wolves often hunt in the wild, he'll need a name of proper homage to it. Something like….
"Snarl," Buster said. "That's who I am now-Snarl the Bravemaster. And now…." He took an enormous deep breath, collecting every inch of inner passion stored inside. Feeling more than confident to take on Diaclone, possibly entire armies, one single word emerged as the key to victory. Despite being forced into an odd situation, he will muster the courage to win against them. Therefore…..
"MASTERFORCE!" His cry caused the wolf tattoo to suddenly glow, surprising him even further by itself projecting energy waves in a tornado form. The swirling shield enveloped his entire body in glorious blue, lighting the mostly darkened bedroom. Meanwhile, 'Wolfang' randomly licks her index finger, smothering apparent saliva onto her Deception earring.
"Twirl, transform," she mumbled to herself, witnessing Buster's changing form and smiling.
(Outside)
"Be careful, guys. Autobots are especially dangerous against scattered persons. Do not break formation," the car carrier warned his teammates from behind, directing their path towards the house. So far, nothing peculiar occurred. Until….
"Boss, I'm picking up two signals in there. Both Autobot and Decepticon," one Spychanger reported. "I think we got a double whammy."
As his words echoed across radios, the roof soon erupted wide open, spreading countless pieces of slate all over like a popped balloon. Two growing shapes appeared, transforming into distinct powerful silhouettes and materializing into distinct powerful machines.
One was an unusual-looking wolf-bot, while the other was a slender airborne Decepticon. Her wings stuck out like angular spikes, making her alt-mode immediately obvious to the team. In fact, the Biplane-ish frontend and propeller on her chest made it so obvious a child would be stupid for not understanding. Although her side-skirts being shrunken tailfin pieces helped little in eliciting guesses.
"Are you guys Diaclone?" the fembot asked curiously, intently observing her enemies. "Wow-quite the arsenal here. Someone's been busy."
The wolf-bot felt overwhelmed by uneven numbers, his look of worry clear and present. That did not sway him, though. "Why are you here?" he asked.
"Gee, I wonder why!" One Spychanger stored his rifle-taking out an arm blade while charging forward. The fembot stepped forward battle-ready, immediately blocking an incoming slash with a hand grabbing its blade. With enough force to level buildings, she pushed back the daring Spychanger via one powerful punch. It rapidly flung onto the dirt floor, twitching slightly from the impact. All subsequent units pointed their arms at the duo, still as flowing water.
"Don't move! Hands in the air right now!" the Battle Convoy shouted, helping his teammate up.
"Then I ask you again," the wolf-bot stepped forward, refusing to comply. "Why are you here?"
"That's not for you to know, now put those hands up!"
"Why are you targeting the Transformers? How did you even find us?" the wolf-bot crossed his arms, feeling the air's slight breeze.
"You figure it out, genius. Now HANDS UP, MOTHERFUCKER!" Despite the command, the Battle Convoy raised an arm to signal incoming fire.
"Look, I care little about Cybertronians, alright? But at least give me some hints here. Is that too much to ask or are you just cowards?" His calm demeanor certainly aggravated the intruders, much to no one's dismay. Although if they fought in town, casualties might cause greater dismay to him. After all, Buster had important people living there.
"Fire!" Battle convoy ordered the team, who compiled by firing multiple shots onto the duo. Buster put up his arms in defense, nearly blocking every shot. That allowed the fembot to change into a futuristic biplane, blasting upward towards dark skies. Her sudden movement redirected their weapons, giving Buster ample time to charge right in.
His first target was the Spychanger his partner attacked-whose attention diverted too late before receiving another punch to the faceplate. It didn't tumble over this time, instead of storing his rifle again in exchange for double arm blades. By now, the others have noticed their teammate switching weapons-only to become once more distracted by Twirl landing on one of them. The fembot stood over a fallen Spychanger-taking no chances, she rolled the machine over and crushed the chest cockpit with her barefoot. It was assumed the pilot didn't survive.
Meanwhile, Buster had trouble keeping his defense up. His opponent swished and slashed countless times, each attack narrowly avoided or scratched the paint-job. That is until the Spychanger raised both appendages high enough for the blade's edge to shine, fiercely swinging them down in hammer-like fashion. Luckily, Buster managed to dodge-although he realized it couldn't last any longer.
Once the Spychanger recovered from its attack, the wolf-bot jumped and drop-kicked its metallic face, resulting in a damaged visor. That gave him an idea. Landing on both feet, Buster grabbed the stumbling machine, pulling its leg with mighty force. Tossing it around 180 like a cowboy's lasso, he threw the sucker hard, heading straight for Battle Convoy.
The other Diaclone units were engaged in a three-on-one, desperate to avenge their comrade. Not realizing until now that one of them, repeatedly screaming for help, was on a collision course. Twirl took an opportunity to unveil her twin pistols, combining both into a rifle. Firing an incredible mustard laser, the shot pierced the Spychanger guarding Battle convoy, allowing the flailing decoy to smash into it afterward.
Battle convoy tumbled onto the ground, holding a damaged Spychanger in its arms. The pilot wasn't dead, thankfully. Gently setting the wounded down, he returned his sights onto Twirl. She engaged its active comrade in a playful fashion, evading every incoming bullet. Soon, the fembot separated the rifle's duel components, firing on her opponent while conducting movements akin to barrel rolls. The barrage weakened it, giving time for Twirl's chest to spin clockwise. Electrical streams emitted at a rapid pace, soon transforming it into a tiny energy ball.
At last, she fired her breast laser onto the Spychanger, instant impact disintegrating its entire upper half. Battle Convoy stood by watching its comrade's lower half fall back onto mischeveled soil. Seeing the fembot land holding no fear or psychotic tendencies, its pilot pondered on retreating. A tactical retreat might help to win another day, but who knows how many more will die. Then again, it wasn't an option at all.
"Monsters," he uttered to both sentient machines, tightly gripping his rifle. "You'll pay for this." Holding this sentiment in mind, Battle Convoy tossed the long weapon away, now extending both chainsaw blades on his arms. The wolf-bot joined his partner, seeing their situation escalating further.
"Uh, Wolfang? Any weapons on me? Really feeling naked here," Buster asked the fembot, battle-ready yet worried.
"You could give them head," her sly grin stuck briefly before vanishing in a dash towards Battle Convoy, leaving behind a confused Buster.
"What does that-" he immediately realized the joke's meaning, audibly groaning and facepalming at its stupidity. Until he perked up and remembered the obvious wolf head on his chest… "Wait a minute."
Buster joined Twirl in her fight against the humanoid car carrier, dodging every strike from its chainsaw with an occasional punch or kick. The wolf-bot flanked his enemy, careful not to draw his attention. Seeing how Twirl fired a powerful chest laser, perhaps he can perform a similar act. It looked ridiculous in concept, but useful in practice. Here goes nothing.
Buster activated his inner scanners for signs of hidden weaponry, all while keeping watch of the distracted Battle Convoy. Unfortunately, the car carrier soon realized his intentions and pushed Twirl away with a harsh shove. The wolf-bot rapidly steps back, walking in reverse hoping to delay its eventual attack. Now with a massive humanoid truck charging headfirst armed and ready, Buster stopped. His scanners detected a barrel inside the wolf head's mouth, giving him slightly more confidence. But confidence now tests its new apprentice's worth, here in this critical moment.
The wolf head's blue eyes shine like bright stars, opening its realistic mouth to expose sharp teeth and its concealed ace. Energy sucked into its entrance, indicated by tiny white particles flowing swiftly inwards. On his right was a meter indicating the rising percentage of absorbed power, each number moving higher towards one hundred. Suddenly, Battle convoy was right above him, jousting both arm blades forward. Buster managed to dodge, but his movement felt weaker and frail. Again, the car carrier began its attack-can Buster survive this!?
60%…
70%….
80%…..
90%….
100!
"Howling Breaker!" Finally, a powerful ivory beam bursts out in a literal roaring fashion. Battle Convoy had little time to shield itself, for the laser crashed through its chest, effectively killing the pilot. An enormous hole was visible after the trail subsided, to which its outer edges emitted strong electrical currents. Buster then strolled away towards his damaged house, pondering on how much insurance will cost.
A glamorous explosion of ash and flame erupted like magma behind him, not once looking back. Above, the clouds opened to reveal the moon's soft glow, illuminating the wolf-bot's trident forehead. Twirl came to him afterward, pouncing on him like a tiger while showing genuine happiness. Luckily, the duo managed to keep their balance.
"I knew it," she exclaimed proudly, gripping him tighter. "I knew you were something else, Buster Witwicky. Codexa was right, undeniably so."
"Uh, Wolfang?" Buster felt incredibly squished right now.
"That's it, I'm not leaving you! I wanna stay with you till death do us part. I don't care about Arkeville or the Transformers anymore. I just want you and only you!"
"Wolfang!?" His voice began straining under pressure.
"Forget the Autobots and Decepticons. Those rusty pickaxes can frag themselves in the scrapyard for all I care. OH baby, Buster baby-how I've waited for someone like you." Finally, she released him from a seemingly eternal grasp, the wolf-bot oddly feeling no urge to pant or breath. Guess being a robot has its benefits.
Buster caressed the portions affected most by her hug, baffled at her sudden declaration. "Thank you?" he uttered.
"Don't mention it, baby. Sooner or later, you'll be the greatest Brave-ur, Bravemaster ever conceived. I have no doubts," she planted a cold kiss on his metal cheek, then suddenly blinked three times. Silence closed her mouth, realizing what she's done akin to a soldier's first kill. Or rather, what one imagines a first kill is like. "Huh?"
"Wolfang?" Buster asked, concerned.
"Was I…..talking to you?" Her response took him aback.
"Excuse me?"
"Oh, uh….." she trailed off in her words. "I'm sorry, I really have no idea. Felt like someone just replaced me inside. Tell me, Buster-am I still Wolfang?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Buster said calmly.
"Neither do I," Twirl admitted, focusing herself back into reality. It couldn't have been someone else, right? Unless she had multiple personality disorder, that is. But since when can robots contract ailments?
She briefly saw the immobile Spychanger moving again, presenting a devious smile. "Wanna ask that guy?"
Buster found the Spychanger barely getting up, hindered by its damaged right leg. "Why not?"
The duo made their way towards their remaining enemy-who immediately saw them coming and panicked, frantically ejecting unused arm blades. Sadly, its broken knee joint caused an untimely fall onto the ground, further intensified by Twirl's small yet sharpened foot ceasing all movements with one step. The fembot then blasted both shoulder joints, rendering its arms useless.
"Alright, tough guy. No fragging around if you wanna live. No self-destruct, cry for help, or any sneaky scrap on my watch. Try any of those three, and may King Exkaiser bless your rotten soul you'll survive my foot." Twirl elaborated on the rules. "Do you like my foot? You can come out and lick it after answering our questions."
Buster's inner face laid heavily on cringing at her words but kept the calm expression on. "Who sent you? And why is Diaclone harvesting Transformers?"
"I…..have nothing to say to you," the pilot replied.
"No?" Twirl's foot began pushing in deeper, possibly crushing the cockpit.
"W-what are you doing? Stop it, please! I don't know anything, I swear!" The pilot's cries fell on deaf ears.
"Come on, you can do better than that." Twirl was clearly enjoying this, much to Buster's dismay. "Still wanna lick my foot? Still wanna taste, big guy?"
"Please stop! I was just following orders! Idaho, I'm from Idaho!" The fembot ceased her captive's imminent demise.
"Where in Idaho?"
"Jordan! Nova inc factories! That's our hideout!" The pilot informed both of them. "Now please let me go! I have a son and daughter."
"Too bad," Twirl resumed her crushing, fully destroying the cockpit alongside its occupant. When she removed her stained foot, hints of blood dripped onto the darkened soil, nighttime obscuring hints of redness. She wiped it away onto the ground, Buster feeling quite distraught.
"Was that really necessary?" He asked.
"No witnesses, Buster. I thought you were smart," she snarkily answered.
"Not what I meant. I mean, couldn't you have downloaded the location from him?"
"May-be," Twirl felt no shame for killing the pilot. "You didn't say no killing, though."
"You expected me to say 'no violence'? Odd, coming from you." Buster looked down on the machine's empty void, feeling the pilot's early demise held off any further information. "Plus, I get the feeling we're not dealing with amateurs."
"Ironic-you barely scratched these guys." Twirl cheekily replied, storing her two pistols into her side-skirts. "Though, I will admit they were tough. Not genuinely hard, but enough to spank my plate a few times."
"You're suddenly very lewd today. What gives?" Her unsubtle innuendos caught his professional curiosity, leaving out intimacy entirely. Did he/she always speak in crude obscenities?
"Buddy, I've always been lewd. Proud of it, unashamed of it, never apologized for it. See, a powerful entity like me gets to experience all realms of bizarreness from tentacles to giants. Men traverse the galaxy bent on polyamorous conquest, while women search endlessly for treasures and freaky adventures. Thus, my infinite transformations stretching back eons, all together dwarfing the Transformers' existence, gives me imagination and creativity beyond mere pictures in history books!" Her odd speech echoed in the darkness, hearing frightened birds fly off somewhere.
"Uh-huh," Buster said unamusingly, yet internally respected her outwardness. "Cool, awesome, stunning and brave. Now come on, we gotta go."
"Seriously?" Twirl hoped for a better response.
"Sex is temporary, life is external." Buster reiterated a motto of his
"Aw." The fembot was naturally disappointed. "Party pooper, no cake for you."
"Focus, Wolfang. We got bigger issues at hand. Diaclone might've already sent reinforcements by now, possibly endangering the town. We need to evacuate the area, or else people will die." Buster declared outright. "I don't know what Diaclone is planning, but whatever it is, innocent lives will be taken away. We must stop them at all costs."
Twirl's face signified approval. "Spoken like a true Brave. Add in a trailer, and you'd definitely be the next Guardian. What should I do?"
"Observe from above, tell me what's happening. I need to know our chances. If we lose, Wright's finished." Buster's firm determination held optimistic hopes for victory, albeit entirely optimistic.
"Now let's rollout. Transform!" Buster's command allowed him to convert into his futuristic car mode. It held similarities to a muscle car with slight hints of modern-day sleekness. Nonetheless, the blue robot in disguise raced off towards downtown, leaving a ruined house and smashed car. Strange he didn't notice the latter.
"A true Brave, huh?" Twirl repeated her earlier phrase, kneeling down in prayer. "Wherever you are, oh wise warriors of Legendria, please give our new friend hope and courage. I and my brother likewise shall do the same." She then transformed into her jet mode, soaring towards black skies.
[-]
"Well, well…." Codexa looked into her holographic monitor, sitting quite comfortably in a throne-like chair. "He's learning faster than I imagined. If this keeps up, our efforts would be severely interrupted." Footage of Buster's recent fight played on-screen, its owner initially unimpressed by his skills. After seeing him firing the Howling Breaker, however, her stance was swiftly reassessed. Of course, No faith was placed in Buster stopping her, but future countermeasures might be required.
After all, one Bravemaster alone held enough power to annihilate worlds. Or at least, what her mind often determined. She closed the holographic footage, motionless expression resting perfectly on her face. "Very well. Let us commence our activities."
The chair swung one-eighty, now overlooking a vast view of solid metal and divinely green lights. There, two gigantic presumably female figures stood tall like unrusted statues. One made of five individual pieces, the other made of three stacked figures. Both were concealed in shadow, unwilling to fully present themselves.
"Victorion. Darkstream." Codexa addressed her servants. "It is time."
"Indeed, my lady." One of them spoke. "What shall you have us do?"
"Guide our target into our desired goal, but do so discreetly. Humans must remain focused on harvesting those dysfunctional tin cans. If ever they realize we are here waiting, watching, scheming-remind them why no one speaks of us. Assume disguises, seduce our enemies, and ensure no Autobot or Decepticon escapes from our grasp. Our revenge must succeed. For mother…...for Nebulon…..and for the Galaxy."
"YES, YOUR MAJESTY!" Their mission was clear.
[-]
Author's note
Guys. I gotta be real with you. I'm not sure if I can continue this story.
It feels like I'm in an art museum proudly presenting my work, but no one's looking. Sometimes I wonder if continuing Fugitives is a good idea. Especially knowing how few reviews I'm getting.
That, or maybe the fandom doesn't want stories like this. Understandable, since most want the robots for obvious reasons. But, it seems as though fans have some inherent bias against humans in Transformers. And you know what? Fuck that.
I'm writing this story about human characters with human characters. I won't force you to like it. Just letting you know, that's all.
Have a good day, everyone. Peace!