Updated - 13~09~2019

The Simulation

Cybertron, Pan Pacific, 11th Althian 3217, Iacon

I could qualify this day as a great day. I had never expected to be given the opportunity. It had passed a week since I went for my first drive to Iacon, and since then I did it every day. I was a speed lover and I couldn't keep my T-cog without movement and my tyres stopped. But that wasn't what made my day incredible.

I was sat on the upper level with my pedes hanging over the edge, while I talked vividly with a vehicon called Steve. He really was like me, bright and full of life. He really loved music and dancing. Not only that, he organised twice a month a karaoke night to destress the tense atmosphere. I think I should give a try any day.

Suddenly, Prowl came and knelt by my side. "Hi Steve, what's up?"

"Here, getting to know the Kiddo." He pushed me softly.

Prowl laughed. "I see, trying to get him to the karaoke night?"

"You caught me!" Steve raised his servos in surrender.

Then the cop turned to me. "Hey, Knockout, so you busy?"

"Nah, not really." I answered. "Just chatting with Steve."

"Then you wouldn't mind helping me, right?" He teased me with a glow in his optics.

"Sure!" I stood up and greeted the vehicon as I followed Prowl. "Where we going?"

"You'll soon know it." He smirked slightly. "Just... be patient."

I couldn't handle my nerves, I was so excited! My expectations grew at each step, specially when he walked pass my room and the command station. Were we heading the training room? What was he up to?" We soon stopped in front of a door, as Prowl opened it, through its panel. The stance wasn't new for me, it was the simulation room. I stood still, in confusedness. Why were we here?

"The simulator room." I stated confused.

"Yeah!" He turned to look at me, grinning. "Isn't it exciting?"

"Of course..." There were no pilots in there. Who were we testing then? "Why are you programming the computer? Are we gonna test any pilot?" I wondered as he typed fast.

"That's right!" He walked towards a closet and he opened it.

"They are late." I commented taking my data pad out.

"Hey Kiddo, you don't need that." I put it again on its place. The cop walked towards me and he raised my arms to my shoulder level as he started to attach pieces of a suit to my plates. I looked at him still not understanding what was he doing. "Oh! By the way, the two pilots are already here."

"Wait. Are gonna do the simulator together?" My optics couldn't go wider.

"Yes." He said finishing with me and putting his own suit on. "I needed to do some exercises and since I miss what was like controlling a Jaeger, I thought it would be good to go under simulation. Since I still had a pilot missing, and remembering your excitement while riding Cherno, I thought you may wanted to help me."

A genuine smile crossed my face side to side. "Of course, sir!" I said following the pilots protocol.

"Come, I'll help you placing on the simulator." He guided me.

We entered the machine, and I soon had all the cables and controls attached to its respective place. But there was something it didn't suit there. "Prowl, why am I in the right hemisphere, the pilot's place?"

"Well, I've always been the copilot, and I'm intrigued to see if you're capable of guiding me." He explained with a hint of slyness. "Ok, we will do the whole protocol, I mean, informing the command station, getting information of the Terrorcon we will face... Everything, all right?"

"Yes." My voice trembled in emotion. I was gonna be a pilot, well kind of, for few hours. "Ready, copilot?"

"Go ahead." He nodded.

"Romeo Blue ready for mission. We request information about the Terrorcon we will fight and the city it's heading to." I asked to the computer.

An electronic voice answered me. "Terrorcon Cat. I, code name... Onibaba. City heading, Cristal City... Distance left... Two miles." I suspected that Prowl had programmed the easiest mission he knew, and I think he added my natal city to make me tickle. Ok, did he want to see me into action? Then I would not disappoint him.

"Ready for the neural drift." I ordered.

"Establishing neural handshake... Neural Handshake strong and working." The voice answered. We were not connected, but it made the simulation more real.

"Calibrating the Jaeger." We both knew the movement we needed to do, Prowl because he had been a pilot, and I because I had seen them doing it. I tried to do it as accurately as I could.

"Don't look at me, Knockout. Your gaze must be always looking at the front." He corrected me. "Remember you're the right hemisphere, I am the one who has to follow you, and you have to make your orders clear. If you do so, we don't even need to look or worry about the other one." I nodded.

"Jaeger calibrated." The feminine voice said again.

"Romeo Blue, ready to leave." I said as the last part of the protocol.

"Green light." The voice replied.

"Ok, let's start walking with right leg." I said. We both moved simultaneously. "Left... Right... Left..."

I kept saying it for a while, until Prowl cut me off. "You don't need to guide me in every step we take, you have already settled the path." He grinned at me, and then he laughed. "I did the same in my first simulation." We both laughed while walking. At the really beginning it was quite easy to move the platform, but then it started getting a bit harder. "Hey Knockout, why don't we try to run?"

"K. Ready to run in three.. Two... One." I ordered. "Left, Right, Left, Right." It was harder than what I thought, and even though I was fit, and I had a good muscular mass, I had a hard time following Prowl's path.

"Keep up, Kiddo!" I realise that I was falling behind, so I speeded up path. "Ok, I see the Terrorcon. What do we do now?" He was waiting for instructions, my instructions.

"First off all, unable it to continue walking, so, I would suggest to try to injure the legs." I thought fast. "Two direct blows to its head and right knee to his vent system."

We both moved almost like one, punching the imaginary monster with all our strength. "Three blows to head... Block left arm... Step back... High kick to head... Walk behind... Enabling main weapon in three... Two... One... Now!"

I didn't even noticed but I was completely exhausted. The simulation took us two hours and a half, a bit more than a real battle. We finally got out of the machine and we took the suits off. Then Prowl read the results at loud, not letting me see them. "Not bad at all, but it could be better. 67% coordination." The cop said. "Well, to be your first time, you have done it pretty well. Congrats kid, your first Jaeger simulation." He patted my shoulder. "How was it?"

"I like it." I answered, almost ready to do it again, even though the fatigue I felt. "So, when are you going to take the next... Training session?" I asked slyly.

He laughed vividly. "Don't become addicted, it may be a while until the next time." He said heading the exit. "But, if you want, I may offer you another chance." He added before leaving.

Prowl found him in his quarters. "Alpha, I've tested him." He showed him the real results. "85%. You know other pilots are less accurate than him. He was able to guide me perfectly well. I suspect he has attended some fighting classes."

"More than what you might have imagined, my friend." The elder mech left the data pad on the table and stood up. "He really did. In a very intensive way, and almost dangerous, but he did." Prowl looked at him surprised and confused. "Long story, but for the moment, I would suggest you to keep training him. Whenever it's the time to take next step, he'll let you know." He rested his servos on his shoulders. "By the way, I'll tell you that he really learns fast. You will have to be creative my friend."

The cop vented thoughtfully. "Very well then, let's get creative."