Robotech vs. Transformers: Revenge Road
Chapter Sixteen
"How's Roy?" Izzy Randal asked, the green haired woman carrying her loaded cafeteria tray over to the table.
"He's getting out of hospital soon," Lisa Hayes said, the light brown haired woman smiling slightly. "He's already nearly buggy from being confined in bed and I think the doctors will be glad to see him gone."
Izzy snickered, "Yeah, I can see that." She ate some of her food, "And how's Claudia?"
"Shaken," Lisa admitted. She sipped her coffee as she added, "I think she always figured Roy was immortal..."
"I know how that feels," Izzy agreed. "Did you finally talk the captain into taking some time off? I didn't see Claudia around today."
Lisa gave a self satisfied smirk, "I bumped it up to Admiral Gloval. He made Claudia take some leave with Roy."
Izzy nodded, "Good for him! I always thought the admiral was a wise man."
Lisa chuckled as she teased her, "Don't be such a suck up, Izzy."
Izzy stuck her tongue out, "Hey, I resemble that remark."
Lisa ate her meal, feeling faintly astonished at how warm Izzy was being. In the time that she had known the intense young pilot she had lost a lover, grieved, and finally began to move on. She had also nursed a unhealthy hatred for all Transformers, but that also seemed to be easing as she interacted with the Autobots.
'I'm glad to see her healing, though I wish she'd ease off on her need to kill Decepticons,' Lisa mused. Such focus could be good in small quantities, but if it became an obsession it could get a pilot killed. Or worse, kill their comrades.
"So who's running things, now that Claudia's off nursing Roy back to health?" Izzy asked, sipping her drink.
"You're looking at her," Lisa made a face, "I'm next in command, remember. If I had known getting Claudia off ship would mean more work for me, I'd never have let her go."
"Yeah, right," Izzy looked amused.
"Anyway," Lisa changed the subject, "is Arcee meeting with us today? I was hoping the Autobots might know where the Decepticons vanished to."
After successfully drawing out a team of Decepticons including their leader, Megatron, a group of Autobots and humans had launched a raid against their underwater base. Using the experimental sub Tuatha De Danaan they had reached the base, cracking the sunken starship and sending forces inside. There they fought their way to the space bridge connecting the base to Cybertron, destroying it and cutting off easy reinforcements for the enemy. Arguably, it could be a turning point in the war, assuming they could find the Decepticon forces.
"Arcee and a bunch of Autobots are scattered all over the place scouting for them," Izzy noted with a frown. "Not much luck, too."
"We really need to figure out a way to track Transformers," Lisa grouched.
It might be due to alien alloys, it might be advanced technology, it might just be good electronic counter measures, but nothing human made could track the Decepticons. And the Autobots had a similar problem, though from what Lisa understood it was due to a ongoing 'arms race' of detection and counter measures.
"We'll catch them eventually," Izzy reassured her with a smile.
"Damn right," Lisa agreed.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Optimus Prime felt a deep satisfaction as he reviewed the files of the attack on the Nemesis even as the other Autobots conversed behind him. He had been leading the charge and hadn't had as much time as he wanted to review what had happened and what they had discovered.
It was good that they had destroyed the Space Bridge, but nearly as important they had destroyed the supplies of Energon too. Personally he hated to see the resources go to waste, but it was better than them falling into Decepticon hands. If such a quantity of Energon had been sent to Cybertron, the Decepticons would have gained a immense advantage.
"I wish we had been able to salvage some of the Space Bridge," Wheeljack noted, the inventor looking pensive, "we could have used one ourselves."
"No time," Iron Hide shook his head as he gruffly said, "there was no way we were grabbing anything when that new bunch popped out of the Bridge."
"Sunstorm was murder to stop," Tracks noted, the stylish sports car frowning slightly.
The golden alloyed Decepticon had charged the attacking Autobots as they blew up the Bridge, and the fusion generator within him made him a tough customer. Sunstorm had bodily tossed around Transformers like toys, only the combined firepower of several troops finally bringing him down.
'We were lucky he was disoriented by transit,' Optimus admitted, though he wouldn't say that aloud. Must maintain the image of the confident commander, no matter how he actually felt.
"Prime!" Jazz called as he hurried in, the Autobot grinning, "We ran into a Decepticon scout force and clobbered them! No losses on our side,but we took out a Starscream clone and forced them to dump their Energon."
"Well done," Optimus nodded, "was Megatron with them?"
"Sorry," Ratchet shook his head, the ambulance Autobot looking regretful, "just foot troops. I think he's licking his wounds, as the humans would say."
"I never understood that saying," Kup noted, the older Autobot shaking his head. "So, Megs is hiding out? Good."
"No, we need to track him down," Optimus said firmly. "The longer Megatron remains hidden, the more likely he'll launch some kind of new plan against us."
There was a uncomfortable shuffling as the elation of the victory was replaced with a degree of concern. "We're sending out scout parties, but I don't want to send out small groups," Sideswipe noted, "we'd be too easy for Decepticons to ambush."
"True," Optimus conceded. He looked over at the squad's inventor, Wheeljack, "Any luck on upgrading our tracking satellites?"
"I'm working on it," Wheeljack admitted, "but it's slow going." Ruefully he added, "We ended up spotting the Decepticons last time from simple aerial photos, maybe we'll get lucky again."
"Maybe so," Optimus agreed.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Megatron did his best not to snarl, though it was difficult. The off gray Decepticon crouched down as he entered the tunnel in Kentucky, shuffling along until the passage opened up into a larger , artificial chamber.
One, this had been a human run coal mine, but it had 'played out' as the humans said, and ultimately been abandoned. Found on a mission the Decepticons had quietly taken over, sending the Constructicons in to widen and prepare the tunnels as a emergency base.
'Not that I ever intended to use it,' Megatron thought bitterly, standing up, 'but I wanted to be prepared. Now, I'm glad I did.'
The Insecticons chittered to each other nervously even as they ate at the walls, processing dirt and coal scraps for fuel. The Constructicons were out scouting the other tunnels, looking into expanding the base. Thrust was watching the cloning tubes where copies of his brother Starcream were being created. Much of the rest of their numbers were deeper in the Earth, extracting coal to make Energon.
'The coal might be exhausted by human standards, but we have technology they can only dream of,' Megatron thought proudly.
Darkshadow, the female Decepticon, walked towards him as she studied the soldiers around them. "Lord Megatron," she bowed slightly as she said, "I regret we were not able to do more in the Nemesis defense."
"I've reviewed the files," Megatron said flatly, "the numbers were overwhelming. I'm lucky you got as many Decepticons out as you did." Mentally he added, 'And I cannot offend you, considering you are the only reinforcements I have.'
"Sir," Darkshadow nodded seriously. "I believe all the survivors have reported in," she added calmly, "there are... not as many as we had hoped."
"We lost many fighters in the arctic attack, on Nemesis and over the past few months," Megatron nodded. He looked over at the cloning chambers and dryly noted, "We were lucky to save those, they provide much of my cannon fodder."
"Too bad they're not terribly smart," Darkshadow noted dryly.
Megatron grunted, but had to concede the point. He looked down at the smaller transformer as he asked, "When will your team be ready to mobilize?"
"We'll need time to recover from the transit," Darkshadow admitted reluctantly. "We came through just as the Autobots were firing on the Bridge, it made the transit... rather uncomfortable."
Megatron nodded, conceding the point. Normally using the Space Bridge was simple, if energy consuming, but going through it while someone was trying to destroy it? He didn't know what that must have been like...
"Once you and your people are ready," Megatron said flatly, "we need to prepare to strike back at the Autobots. We are on the defensive for the moment, but I refuse to stay that way."
"As you command, Megatron," Darkshadow bowed slightly as she walked away.
AS she walked away Megatron looked at his dispirited troops and silently worried. It was a bad sign that no one was even challenging him for leadership, at this point. After a defeat SOME fool always tried to seize power, and Megatron always put them down. But now the Decepticons were so shocked they weren't even doing that.
'Of course Darkshadow will strike at me when she can, but she's a special case,' Megatron mused. The woman had clearly longed for greater power for a long time, and she was sure to seize the chance to gain it. 'Just like a good Decepticon,' Megatron thought, smiling.
Feeling restless Megatron strode deeper into the tunnels, stooping where needed to make his way to where the Constructicons were digging deeper and wider tunnels for them to use. There was something oddly soothing, watching them dig, the coal extraction and the conversion to energon.
"Scrapper, how goes it?" Megatron asked as he picked up a fragment of energon and digested it.
The loader in robot mode turned, nodding briskly. "We should have sufficient quantities of raw energon to start restoring our power reserves." He hesitated a moment, "Without Soundwave, we're going to have problems storing it into cubes."
Megatron felt that pang of loss, but kept the pain off his face. "I'm sure you will figure out something," he said, "or I can always put Hook in charge."
"We'll figure it out," Scrapper gave a dangerous look to his second in command.
"Do so," Megatron smiled coldly as the group resumed working. 'Ah, rivalry was always a good motivator,' he mused as he turned away. 'Possibly I can use it to motivate my troops too?'
"AAAh!" a voice roared and Megatron dodged, barely escaping a blow. Bonecrusher, the bulldozer, swung at Megatron again, this time hammering him backwards.
"Fool," Megatron spat, "stop this now."
"You're too weak to rule! Devastator will...," Bonecrusher growled.
Swinging his arm cannon around Megatron calmly blew Bonecrusher's arm off, making the transformer yelp in agony. Then he calmly blew the other arm off before kicking Bonecrusher on his back. "Are you done?" he asked pleasantly.
"Y.. yes," Bonecrusher moaned weakly.
"The only reason I'm not extinguishing your spark is because I need you," Megatron growled, "don't make me regret the decision." He turned to Hook, "Repair him."
"Yes, Lord Megatron!" Hook groveled as Megatron walked away.
To be continued...