Hey guys! I'm back and with chapter 40! I'm so sorry it took me so long to update again. Been hitting writer's block a lot with this one. I've also been trying to get back into my TFA story. I know I haven't updated that one in a really long time, but I haven't forgotten it. It's just been a slow process.
So, my original plan was to update a whole chapter and not split it into two parts. However, I didn't count on how long the chapter would be. The longest chapter I've written so far is chapter 15 of my TFA story at around 7,500 words. This one would have been close to around 12,000 words as a whole chapter! And as much as I want to give you the whole thing, its just time consuming going through something that long. I should hopefully have part 2 up soon, but it still needs work so only time will tell. But yeah, that's why this chapter is being split into two parts.
Anyway, I hope you like it. Sorry for any grammar errors.
Transformers Prime: The Medic's Assistant
Chapter 40: How it All Began Part 1
Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers Prime
(Autobot Base)
It had only been a day since Team Prime fought Nemesis Prime, and all was quiet. Optimus and Fowler had left the base in hopes to clear Team Prime's name while everyone else gathered in the main hangar and waited.
"Do you think Optimus and Fowler will be able to convince the military that Team Primes still good?" Raf asked.
"They gotta!" Miko said, "who else will fight the cons?"
"The military were pretty mad about Nemesis Prime attacking them," Jack said.
"But Nemesis Prime is out of order now," Miko reminded him, "once they realize it's a knockoff, they'll have to let the bots stay."
"But what if they don't?" Sierra asked, "what if they decide to kick the bots off world anyway?"
"I hear Mars is lovely this time of year," Stormracer joked, "nice red valleys to drive on, beautiful mountain scenery-"
"And a whole lot of nothing," Bulkhead threw in.
"Hey, at least we wouldn't have to worry about traffic," the teal femme said, "we'd just have to put up a few mars rover crossing signs."
Over at the computer, Ratchet frowned as he turned to look at her. "Do take this seriously, Stormracer," he said, "if the humans deem us a threat, it will be problematic for everyone."
"I know," she said, "but Miko's right. Optimus and Fowler got this."
"See?" Miko said.
"I hope so," Sierra said, "it be hard to send a postcard to Mars."
Stormracer laughed as Ratchet groaned.
"Don't encourage her," the medic told Sierra.
"Come on, Ratchet," the redhead said, "let Storm joke a little. It's what she does."
He vented. "Yes, yes. I learned that a long time ago when we met. Even then it wasn't amusing."
"So then why did you hire her?" Miko asked.
Sierra's eyes widened with excitement as she looked at her guardian. "You gotta tell them that story!" she said.
"What, that story?" Stormracer asked as she rubbed the back of her helm, "I don't know."
"Oh come on, Storm, tell em!" Bumblebee encouraged her.
"Yeah, its been a while since you shared that one," Bulkhead joined in.
"Why, what happened?" a very curious Miko asked, "was there a fight?"
"Well, yeah there were a couple," Stormracer said, "but its a really long scary story, I don't think you want to hear it."
"I want to hear it," Raf said.
"Ditto," Jack said.
"Tell us!" Miko said excitedly.
All eyes and optics were on the assistant. Stormracer looked over at Ratchet, wondering if he would be alright with her telling their story.
The medic vented but gave her a nod before bringing his attention back to the computer.
The teal femme looked back at the kids and chuckled. "Alright, alright," she said. Clearing her throat, she began her tale. "Many years ago, during the fight on Cybertron, the war was slowly but surely making its way towards Iacon City. Many places began shutting down, including the Academy of Science and Technology where I studied. After the academy shut its doors, I sided with the autobots and had plans to join the Science Division. Unfortunately, things didn't go the way I had hoped... "
(Millions of years ago)
(Iacon City, Cybertron)
Over at the Science Division Centre, Stormracer stood in the head office as she spoke to the bot in charge.
"Look, I know you only accept bots with degrees, but I have what it takes," she said, "if you look at my resume, it has a list of everything I've studied and majored in. I even have one of my teachers as a reference."
"I've read your resume, Miss Stormracer," the bot said to her, "though while I am impressed, this is nothing more than a report card to me. I need bots who have actual experience. I'm sorry you were unable to graduate from the academy, but this is something I still stand by."
"I know I'm asking a lot, but I want to help the autobot cause," she pleaded, "science is what I'm good at. All I want is a chance to put my mind to good use."
He vented. "You are a bright young femme, but I'm afraid I must decline. If you really want to help the cause, there are other options for you to try."
"But science is the only thing I know."
"I'm sorry," he said, "my answer is still no. I wish you luck."
Seeing there was no way to change his mind, Stormracer let out a sad vent. "Thank you for your time," she said. Walking out the door, she sadly made her way down the hallway. As she walked, she glanced at a bot entering one of the laboratories. She stopped and looked at the scientists inside the lab, all working on a project as they consulted with one another. She wished she was in there with them, working alongside them and sharing her thoughts and ideas. She continued watching until the door closed shut on her. Letting out a sad vent, the femme continued on towards the exit.
(Time skip)
Later that day, Stormracer met up with her friends at Macadam's Oil house and told them what had happened as they sat at a booth with their drinks.
"I still can't believe he said no," Greenlight said with a frown, "science is your thing! You're like the smartest one out of all of us!"
Taking a sip of her energon, Stormracer let out a vent, "Joining the Science Division was my only plan," she said sadly.
"You can still join the fight," Lancer said, "the autobots can use more bots out there."
"You know I'm not a soldier, Lancer," Stormracer reminded her.
"Maybe you could be a messenger," Greenlight said, "you're pretty fast."
"You do know we're talking about the same femme who can't even remember street names, right?" Lancer reminded her.
"...Oh yeah," Greenlight said, now rethinking her idea, "and she does get distracted pretty easily, doesn't she?"
While they were talking, Stormracer noticed out the window an autobot transport driving by towards the outskirts of the city. The autobots in it were armed and ready for the fight ahead of them. It was the third transport she saw passing by. She wasn't surprised since Macadams was close to one of the military bases. Still, given everything that was happening, it made her feel uneasy.
"Stormracer!" Lancer said as she tried to get her friend's attention.
The teal femme snapped out of it and looked back at her friends. "Sorry," she apologized, "what?"
Lancer let out a vent. "Point proven," she said.
Stormracer sadly looked down. "I don't know what to do," she said, "science is the only thing I'm good at. I'm practically useless."
"Don't say that," Greenlight told her, "you just need to get out there and try something new. I mean look at Lancer. She's now training to be in the Elite Guard."
"But she always wanted to be in the Elite Guard even before the war," Stormracer pointed out.
"But I was too afraid to try, remember?" Lancer reminded her, "it wasn't until the war began that I sucked it up and joined. The point is, me and Greenlight moved on to find our place in this new norm. You can too."
"You should think about joining the Elite Guard," Greenlight said with a smirk, "some of the mechs there are really cute!"
"Ugh, here we go," Lancer said as she rolled her optics.
"What?" the green femme asked, "I'm not wrong."
"And you wonder why they put you in an all-femmes team," the orange bot said.
Remembering her team, Greenlight looked at the time and gasped in horror. "Scrap!" she said as she hopped out of her seat, "I'm supposed to train with Chromia in less than ten klicks! She'll hunt me down if I'm late!" She made a run for the door. "Catch up with you both later!" she shouted, "good luck, Storm!"
Both Stormracer and Lancer watched as their friend dashed out the door while nearly knocking over a bot in the process.
"I guess we're paying for her drink... again," Stormracer said as she looked at the green femme's nearly empty cup.
"I'll do it," Lancer said, "she can pay me back later." Looking at the time, she got up from her seat. "I should get going too. You wanna come?"
"You go ahead," Stormracer said, "I just wanna think for a bit."
"I hope you find something soon," Lancer said, "with how everything's been going, things are going to get a lot worse before it gets better. I'll see you later, Storm."
Stormracer watched as Lancer paid for the drinks and walked off towards the door. Letting out a vent, she sadly looked at her energon, thinking she might not be able to find anything.
Walking over to the booth, a big orange and brown bot grabbed the empty glasses from the table and noticed the femme's sad expression. "Cheer up, Stormracer," he told her with a friendly smile, "opportunity will come knocking sooner than you think."
Stormracer looked up at him and smiled. "Thanks Macadam."
Soon after paying for her energon, Stormracer left the oil house and made her way down the street. She decided to walk home instead to give herself more time to think.
They're right, she thought, I have to keep looking. There's gotta be something I can do. She let out a vent. But what?
She could hear the sound of explosions far off in the distance, making her energon run cold. The battle was slowly making its way towards Iacon, causing many of the citizens to either join or evacuate. She knew it was only a matter of time before things got much worse. And if it continued to do so, nowhere on Cybertron would be safe.
She walked by an alley when she heard the sound of something being knocked over. Stopping in her tracks, she looked over and gasped in surprise when she saw an injured autobot staggering towards her. His orange and blue armor was scratched and dented, like he had just got out of a fight. No longer able to walk, he fell to his knees and servos. Stormracer's optics were wide when she noticed the blaster wound on his back. She rushed over to help him as she called for help.
"Hello?!" she said urgently into her commlink, "I have an autobot here that's been shot! He needs medical attention! We're on..." She whacked her forehead for not remembering the name of the street. "We're on the same street as Macadam's Oil House two alleys down! Please hurry!" Hanging up, she vented before bringing her focus back to the bot.
The mech started coughing as his wound sparked. "Have... to..."
"Easy," she said, "what's your name?"
"Tr... Transwarp," he said.
"Hang in there, Transwarp," she said, "helps coming. You're going to be okay."
All of a sudden, she heard a growl coming from deep within the alley. Looking up, her armor nearly leaped off of her when she saw a pair of glowing red optics staring back at her from within the shadows. The growling continued as a large creature stepped out into the light, revealing itself to be a cyberwolf. Stormracer fearfully stared at it as it bared its sharp fangs at her.
"Uh... nice doggy?" she said timidly.
Letting out a snarl, the wolf charged. Stormracer let out a scream as she fell back. She watched in horror as the wolf bit down on Transwarp's leg and started dragging him away. Transwarp winced in pain as he weakly tried to grab hold of something, but to no prevail.
Needing to help the autobot, Stormracer looked around and saw a pipe off to the side. Getting up, she grabbed it and rushed over to the two.
"Let him go!" she yelled as she swung at the wolf.
The pipe hit the wolf across the face, making it let go of Transwarp. Stormracer grabbed Transwarp's arm and pulled him back, but the wolf immediately recovered and angrily leaped at her. Stormracer screamed as the wolf sent them both flying away from Transwarp, causing her to skid on her back with the wolf now on top of her. Still holding onto the pipe, she pushed it between the wolf's jaws as it tried to bite her. She desperately kept pushing it back, trying to keep the beast's fangs far from her as much as possible. The wolf snarled as its teeth began crushing the hollow pipe. Stormracer was even more terrified as she continued to struggle.
"Help!" she cried out, "Somebody please help!"
The wolf ended up yanking the pipe out of her grasp and tossed it aside. The pipe no longer there to protect her, Stormracer brought her arms up to shield herself as the wolf scratched her arm with its sharp claws. But before the wolf could bite her, it let out a painful yelp before being pulled off the femme. Stormracer looked to see Transwarp sitting up with his arm stretched out, revealing a cable with a grappling claw at the end. He had the claw latched onto the wolf from behind and was using it to reel the animal away from Stormracer.
The wolf turned around and brought its attention back to the mech. Shaking off the claw, it growled and leaped at him. Transwarp fell back and now had the wolf biting down on his other arm. He let out a painful cry as the wolf's teeth started tearing open his arm compartment, causing whatever was inside to fall out. Using what strength he had left, Transwarp brought his legs under the wolf and kicked it over him, sending the wolf flying right into the side of a disposal bin. His energy drained, the bot groaned in pain as he slumped to the ground.
Stormracer immediately rushed over to make sure he was okay. Hearing the wolf, she fearfully looked to see it getting back up before growling at them. But before it could attack, shots were fired from behind the two and right at the wolf, causing it to jump back. Stormracer turned around to see two autobots coming to their aid, both black and white with one sporting a blue visor and the other wearing a law enforcement badge. Outmatched, the wolf turned around and ran off with the police officer in pursuit.
Soon as the wolf was gone, the bot with the blue visor rushed over to Stormracer and Transwarp. "Hey, you okay?" he asked her.
She was still shaking but gave him a nod. "I-I think so," she said.
He then brought his attention to Transwarp. "What happened?" he asked as he knelt down beside him.
"H-He was shot in the back," she said, "I c-called for help before that w-wolf came and attacked us. H-he saved my life."
The bot immediately aided him as he made a quick call. Still trembling, Stormracer could see Transwarp barely keeping his optics open as he vented heavily.
It wasn't long before the officer returned. "It got away," he said, "I alerted the others to keep an optic out." He looked at Transwarp. "How is he?"
"Doesn't look good, Prowl," the other bot said, "closest place to get him is the triage facility. Already gave Ratchet the heads up. Transport is on the way."
As they waited, the bot with the blue visor stayed by Transwarp's side while the one called Prowl tried calming Stormracer while asking her some questions. She tried her best to answer them until the paramedics arrived. While they tended to Transwarp, the bot with the blue visor looked at Stormracer.
"Might be best you tag along so the doc can check ya over," he said.
Feeling that Transwarp needed more attention than she did, she tried to decline. "I'm okay," she said, "honest."
"Better safe than sorry," he said, "plus with that wolf still roaming around, might be best if ya stay close to us."
The thought of the wolf still running around scared her. Stormracer then agreed.
Soon as they were ready, the paramedics loaded up Transwarp onto the transport. Stormracer got back up and looked down the alley, hoping to never run into the beast again. She then noticed something shiny on the ground near her. Picking it up, she saw it was a round handheld projector that had fallen out of Transwarp's arm compartment during the attack. She looked it over, seeing it was still intact with only a few scratches on it.
"Hey, ya comin?!" the bot asked her.
Stormracer looked over at him. "Coming!" she said. Putting the projector into her own arm compartment, she made her way over and got into the transport with Transwarp. Soon, they were on their way to the facility.
Hiding from around the corner deep within the alley, a tall dark figure watched as the transport drove off with his prize. Transforming into his muscle car form, he quietly drove out of the alley and carefully following them from a distance.
Stormracer remained quiet the entire time as she looked at Transwarp worryingly. It didn't take long for them to reach their destination. Once they came to a stop, Stormracer hopped out and joined the other two bots while the paramedics helped Transwarp and carried him to the entrance where they were greeted by two autobot guards. Following behind, Stormracer looked around once they entered the facility. Inside was a large room filled with injured bots, some laying on berths being treated while others sat by and waited. Doctors and nurses were rushing by as they tried to help each patient. She even noticed couple autobot guards in the room helping out as well. It wasn't long before an older looking red and white bot rushed over to them.
"Where do you want him?" the paramedic asked.
"Over here, now!" the bot ordered as he pointed at a berth.
The two paramedics did so and set him down on the medical berth. Stormracer followed after and watched as the medic immediately went to work. His equipment already set up, he began an energon transfusion before activating a device on his arm and using it on Transwarp. Soon the bot was in stasis, allowing the medic to continue.
"Is he going to be okay?" Stormracer asked the bot with the blue visor.
"Don't worry," he said, "Ratchets one of the best medics I know, plus a real good friend of mine. That bot is in good hands."
Stormracer watched as Ratchet repaired Transwarp. Soon after the bot was patched up and stabilized, Ratchet called a nurse over. "Put him in room 12 for now," he told him, "I'll check up on him when I get a chance."
Stormracer watched as they placed Transwarp on a gurney and pushed him out the room towards the hallway.
"Hey, Ratch," the bot said, "this lil lady here can use some help too. She was with that bot when the wolf attacked."
"I just got scratched," she said, showing Ratchet her arm, "it's nothing serious."
"I'll be the judge of that," the medic said as he took her arm and looked at the damage, "what is your name?"
"Stormracer, Sir," she said.
"Yep ep ep!" he told her, "Don't call me Sir, I work for a living." Seeing she just needed a small patch job, he pointed over at one of the berths. "Take a seat over there," he said, "I'll be with you in a moment."
Stormracer did so as Ratchet went to check up on the other patients.
"Don't mind him," the bot said, "he may be grumpy, but he's a good bot."
The femme took notice of how many patients were in the room waiting to be treated. A lot of them were badly damaged.
"Are all the patients here soldiers?" she asked the bot.
"Most of em, yeah," he said, "the cons have really been giving us Hell. Every doc here has been working nonstop. Personally, I think they need all the help they can get."
The police officer then walked over towards them. "Time to go," he told his partner.
"Got it, Prowl," he said. He looked at Stormracer. "I need to get goin. You gonna be okay?"
"Yeah, I'll be good," she assured him, "thank you both for everything."
"Don't mention it," he said, "and don't worry. We'll find that wolf. Make sure you have a bot escort you home once you're done, ya dig? Just tell em Jazz said so."
"Got it," she said, "nice meeting you."
"Back atcha," he said.
After Jazz and Prowl left, Stormracer continued watching Ratchet as he went over to help one of the doctors. She found herself very intrigued by his work and by how many bots he was helping. With Jazz's words echoing in her head, it wasn't long before an idea came to her.
A little ways away from the triage facility, the muscle car hid in the shadows as he watched the two autobots leave the area. He looked back at the triage and studied it as he began forming a plan.
After he was done with the other patients, Ratchet finally went over to Stormracer. Having her rest her arm on a table, he activated his mod and fired two small pulses on the scratches.
Stormracer looked at the device. "What is that?" she asked.
"An EMP generator," he said as he activated his welder and began patching her up, "it helps ease the pain on bots while I repair them. It can even put a bot into stasis if ever the situation calls for it. I find it useful whenever I'm out in the field."
"Cool!" she said, "you could take a decepticon down easily with that thing."
He frowned. "That is not what its designed for," he told her, "it's a tool for healing, not for combat."
"Oh," she said, "sorry." She then chuckled. "Sure is a knockout though."
Ratchet stopped what he was doing and gave her a look.
"You know, because it can knock out bots?" she explained sheepishly, "no?"
Rolling his optics, Ratchet let out a vent and continued working.
Stormracer awkwardly sat there as he worked. Wanting to know about Transwarp, she asked, "That bot you helped earlier, Transwarp. How's he doing?"
"He lost a lot of energon, but thankfully the blast didn't hit his spark," he said, "it will take time, but he should recover."
Stormracer let out a vent of relief. "Glad to here," she said, "that wolf would have given me more than a scratch if he hadn't helped."
"What I find odd is what in the Allspark was a wolf doing all the way in Iacon?" Ratchet said.
Stormracer shrugged. "Maybe the war chased it out of its home?" she guessed.
"That or perhaps it was just looking for something to eat," the medic said.
"Heh, it wouldn't have liked me," she said, "I've been told I'm spoiled."
Ratchet only groaned at her joke.
"Hehe, sorry," she apologized, "been a crazy day."
"Mm hm," he said, still looking unimpressed. It didn't take long before he finished up his work. "There, all done," he said.
Stormracer lifted up her arm, seeing it looked good as new. "Thanks!" she said.
"I advise not to do anything strenuous for the rest of the day," he said, "now if you'll excuse me, I have other patients I must attend to."
Wanting to ask her question, she quickly stopped him from leaving. "Actually, there's something I want to ask," she said.
He stopped and looked at her. "Yes?" he asked.
She let out a nervous vent. "I, uh, first off want to say, I was amazed by your work and by how many bots you're helping," she said, "and I was wondering if maybe... can you teach me how to repair bots?"
"... No," he answered before turning around and walking away.
Stormracer hopped off the berth and followed after him. "I'm a fast learner," she said, "I just want to learn how to do simple repairs. Nothing fancy."
"Do you have any medical experience?" he asked.
"Well, no, but-"
"Then no. I'm not training anyone who has zero expertise."
"I'm a science student," she said, "well, was. The academy shut down before I even got to graduate. I studied biology, including cybertronian anatomy. I'm also really good at chemistry if that's relevant."
"Then perhaps you should try the Science Division," he said, "they can always use more brilliant minds."
Stormracer sadly vented. "I tried," she said, "they won't accept me because I lack experience."
Ratchet stopped in his tracks, making her nearly bump into him. Venting in frustration, he turned around to look at her. "Why do you want to do this?" he asked her.
"Because I'm not a soldier," she said, "I hate the idea of having to take a life. But I still want to help the autobot cause. I know I'm not much, but even if you teach me the basics, even just basic first aid, it would mean so much. I could even help out around here."
"I'm a field medic," he said, "that means if I'm not here, I'm out there on the battlefield. Not to mention, I work on injured bots around the clock. I do not have time to teach you anything."
"But-"
"I said no," he said, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do."
Stormracer stood there as she watched the medic walk away. So much for that, she thought.
Letting out a sad vent, she turned around to leave before remembering the hologram projector in her compartment. She hadn't given it back to Transwarp. She looked around to see all the other doctors and nurses busy with their patients. Not wanting to interrupt their work, she decided to go find Transwarp herself. She made her way down the hallway in search of the room he was in. She didn't want to disturb him, but she couldn't leave without giving back his projector. She would just put it next to him for when he woke up.
"Room 12 Ratchet said," she said out loud as she walked. As she walked, she looked at the other rooms full of wounded. Her spark sank at their battle wounds. Some were missing limbs while others were hooked up to life support. She could only imagine the horror they must have faced out there.
It wasn't long before she found the room. Though as she got closer, she heard a loud thump coming from inside. Immediately she went into the room to find Transwarp awake and on the floor as he tried to get up.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" she said as she went to help him, "what are you doing?! You have to lay back down."
"C-can't," he said as he tried to keep moving, "have to... go."
"You were just shot," she argued as she helped him onto his pedes, "you need to rest."
"No time," he said as he tried to keep moving, "have to find... Optimus Prime."
She looked at him in confusion. "Optimus Prime?" she asked.
"Need... to complete... mission... before..."
"Before what?" she asked.
He groaned as he fell to his knees. Stormracer immediately tried getting him back up before an angry voice made her freeze in place.
"What is going on in here?!"
Stormracer looked up to see a not so happy Ratchet at the door looking at her.
"He tried leaving," she said as the medic walked over to them, "I was only trying to help."
"You shouldn't even be back here while the patient's recuperating!" Ratchet scolded her as he helped the bot up and walked him over to his berth.
"You... have to get me... to Optimus, doctor," Transwarp said weakly.
"You suffered severe injuries," Ratchet said as he made him sit down, "you need to rest."
"You don't understand," he said, "I'm being... hunted."
Ratchet paused for a moment before looking at Transwarp. "What?" he asked.
"That wolf," he said, "it wasn't a random attack. It was sent... to hunt me down."
"Wait, what?" Stormracer asked as she walked over to them.
Now very concerned, Ratchet asked Transwarp, "Who is hunting you?"
"A bounty hunter," he said, "I have... vital information... for Optimus Prime... W-was... too risky to send through communications... I volunteered. Somehow, word got out... and now I'm being targeted."
"But you're safe now," Stormracer said, "the wolf ran off."
"Even so, it's master may not have been far behind," Ratchet said before looking at Transwarp again. "The bot that's hunting you, what's his name?"
Before Transwarp could even say the name, the power went out, surprising the three as they looked around in the dark.
"What the- what happened to the lights?" Stormracer asked as her glowing optics looked around the room.
Transwarp's guard immediately went up. "He's here," he said worryingly.
Stormracer turned on her headlights to give them some light as bots rushed down the hallway with their lights on.
Sticking his head out the door, Ratchet stopped a passing guard. "What is going on?" he asked, "why haven't the back-up generators kicked in?"
"Don't know," the guard said, "we're sending bots down now to go check it out."
"Where are the other guards?" Ratchet asked.
"Half of us were sent out when we got word of a decepticon sighting not far from here," he said.
"That can't be a coincidence," Stormracer said.
Quickly thinking, Ratchet gave the guard new orders. "Grab a gurney and bring it in here, now!"
The bot rushed off as Ratchet walked back inside towards Transwarp.
"What are we doing?" Stormracer asked him.
"If he's being hunted, we need to put him in a secure location," the medic explained.
The guard immediately came back with a gurney and the two placed Transwarp onto it. One on either side, both pushed the gurney out the door.
"Get these two somewhere safe," Ratchet told the guard, "and alert the others we have an intruder."
"Yes sir," the guard said.
"You're not coming with us?" Stormracer asked Ratchet.
"I need to help the others," he said, "if the backup generators aren't working, that means the life support machines aren't either. I'll come find you later. Now go!" He then took off down the hall and disappeared from their sight.
"This way," the guard told Stormracer as he pushed the gurney in the opposite direction.
Stormracer grabbed the other side and the two made their way down the hall. She looked down at Transwarp who looked very uneasy.
"It's okay," she told him, "we're getting you somewhere safe. It's going to be okay."
It wasn't long before the backup power kicked in, allowing a fair bit of light to spread across the hallway. But just when they thought things were starting to look up, they skidded to a halt when an autobot went flying past the corner and slammed into the wall. Stormracer nearly screamed as she covered her mouth in horror as the bot was shot to death before he could even get back up. A tall figure then stepped out from around the corner. His armor was green and black with spikes along his shoulder pads and one each in the center of his tires. His face was white with black markings, plus a huge scar over his left optic.
The bounty hunter's optics flared red as he looked at the three. Seeing Transwarp on the gurney, he grinned.
"Would you look at that?" he said, "you brought my prize right to me. You shouldn't have."
Transwarp fearfully looked at the bot. "Lockdown," he murmured.
The guard activated his weapon and pointed it at the intruder. "Freeze, decepticon!"
Lockdown smirked. "Who said I was a decepticon?" he asked.
The guard looked at Stormracer. "Get out of here, now!" he ordered before firing at the bounty hunter.
Stormracer immediately pulled the gurney back and pushed Transwarp away. But she didn't get far as a shot fired at the back wheels of the gurney, breaking it and sending Transwarp to the floor.
Having stopped the two from escaping, Lockdown brought his focus back to the autobot guard. Grinning, he fired three shots at the bot, the third one hitting him in the spark. Stormracer watched in horror as the bot fell to the floor, offlined. Her energon ran cold when she looked up at Lockdown who was evilly grinning at her. Soon three more guards came running from behind her and aimed their weapons at Lockdown.
"Stand down!" one warned.
With Lockdown busy, Stormracer immediately went to Transwarp and helped him up. "Come on!" she said as she allowed him to lean on her so they could escape by foot, but she soon found speed to be a challenge once they got moving.
His target getting away, Lockdown looked back at the group of bots. Opening a secret compartment, he tossed three small round devices at the group. Before the bots had time to react, the devices went off, causing smoke to engulf them. The bots immediately began firing blind as they tried to find the intruder. It didn't take long for Lockdown to make himself known as he transformed his arm into a chainsaw and went for the attack. Screams were heard from inside the cloud of smoke as energon splattered across the wall. Once the smoke cleared, Lockdown looked down at the mess he made.
"Amateurs," he said nonchalantly. Looking in the direction the two ran off, he stepped over the bodies and went after them.
Having heard the screams from far behind, Stormracer desperately tried to go as fast as she could as she saw the exit straight ahead. But just when she thought she was in the clear, she heard the sound of an engine behind her. Looking over her shoulder, her energon ran cold when she saw the bot in vehicle form speeding over towards them. She immediately leaped out of the way with Transwarp before the car could hit them. Lockdown swerved around and transformed back to bot mode before making his way over to them. Stormracer tried pulling Transwarp away, but Lockdown only back handed her away, sending her flying against the wall. She let out a painful yelp as she fell to the floor, feeling her audio receptor sparking from the blow. Holding the side of her face where he hit her, she fearfully looked up to see him standing there.
"You have two choices, Sweetspark," he said, "one, you walk away quietly, or two..." he activated his chainsaw and pointed it at her.
Stormracer was even more terrified as she stared at the chainsaw, the teeth spinning around rapidly as they threatened to slice her in half.
"Hey!"
Lockdown turned around to see Transwarp slowly getting back on his pedes. The blue and orange bot glared at him as he tried to stay standing. "Leave... her alone," he warned, however still sounding very weak, "I'm the one you want."
Lockdown deactivated his chainsaw and walked over to the bot. Ready to go down fighting, Transwarp tried to throw a punch, but was completely off balance. With one hard left cross, Lockdown punched Transwarp's lights out and sent him falling to the floor.
"Now that was just sad," Lockdown said as he looked at the unconscious bot. He went to grab him before he heard the sound of an engine heading towards him. Next thing he knew, an emergency vehicle came from behind and rammed right into him, knocking him off his pedes.
Ratchet transformed and activated his scalpels as he glared at the bounty hunter. "The only way you're getting him is over my cold lifeless chassis."
Frowning at the medic, Lockdown got up and cracked his neck. "Fine by me," he said as he activated his chainsaw.
The two charged at each other and fought while Stormracer crawled her way over to Transwarp.
"Wake up," she said as she tried to shake him awake, "come on, Transwarp, wake up!" Looking over at the fight, she flinched when she saw Ratchet get thrown to the floor. She looked around before laying optics on a mop leaning against the wall.
Lockdown smirked as he approached Ratchet. "Is that all you got?" he asked mockingly as he lifted his chainsaw in the air.
Ratchet immediately rolled out of the way before the saw went down on him. Getting back up, he threw a punch, only for the bounty hunter to catch his fist.
"You're gonna put me to sleep," Lockdown said. He punched Ratchet back, sending him flying into the wall before falling on his front. Walking over to the medic, Lockdown was about to finish the fight when something whacked him from behind. Unfortunately, it didn't so much as hurt as it did annoy him. Turning around, he saw Stormracer standing there with the mop in her servos, ready to fight him off with it.
He gave her a look. "Seriously?" he asked. Using his chainsaw, he swung it at her weapon, completely cutting the mop in half.
Stormracer fearfully watched the top half of the mop fall to the floor before looking back up at Lockdown. "Uuh... how bout two out of three?" she asked nervously.
Lockdown only gave her a kick to the torso, making her fly back and into the other wall. She let out a painful groan as she curled up in a ball on the floor.
Before Lockdown could do anything else, he heard a whirring sound right behind him, making him turn around to see Ratchet standing there with his EMP generator activated and aimed at him.
"Don't make me use this," he warned.
Lockdown nonchalantly looked at the EMP. Deactivating his chainsaw, he raised his servos up as if to surrender. But just as Ratchet thought he had him, Lockdown grinned as he activated one of his mods. The next thing the medic knew, something shot out of Lockdown's arm and latched onto him. Soon as the device was activated, Ratchet let out a scream as he felt volts of electricity coursing through him.
Stormracer's optics widened. "Ratchet!" she fearfully shouted.
Soon as the device turned off, Ratchet fell to the floor, unable to move.
Lockdown stepped forward and towered over him. "Ratchet, huh?" he said, "I've heard that name before." A grin then spread across his face. " And I know someone who will pay me a pretty penny for you."
Ratchet grimaced at him. "Go... to... the pit," he said weakly.
Lockdown laughed. Kneeling down, he brought his fist back and punched Ratchet between the optics, instantly knocking him out. Soon as the medic was out for the count, he stood back up and went to deal with Stormracer. However, when he turned back around, there was no sign of the femme anywhere. Figuring she ran off scared, he decided to let her go. "Smart femme," he said. Walking over to Transwarp, he slung him over his shoulder before walking back to Ratchet and dragging him by the pede.
Stormracer, who had hidden behind the corner of the hall, peaked around to see the bounty hunter walking off with Transwarp and Ratchet. "Scrap!" she whispered. She looked around, seeing no other bot that could help. Not wanting to let him take off with Transwarp and Ratchet, Stormracer quietly followed after him.
Lockdown stepped outside and made his way over to his trailer. Placing the two bots in the trailer, he looked at Ratchet's EMP generator still out of its compartment. Curious, he grabbed hold of it and pulled it out, causing Ratchet's arm to spark. He was checking it over when he heard the sound of footsteps approaching, making him glance over to see two autobot guards rushing over. Looking at the EMP generator, he grinned as he turned it on at a higher setting.
"Freeze!" one yelled as they had their blasters pointed at him.
"Turn around!" the other yelled.
"Whatever you say," the bounty hunter said casually as he turned around. Immediately he fired at one of them, causing him to black out and fall to the ground.
"What the scra-" the other went to say, only to be hit by a blast as well. Soon he too blacked out and joined his friend on the ground.
Impressed by the results, Lockdown looked at his new toy and grinned.
"Nice," he said.
Draping a tarp over his prisoners, he transformed and hooked himself to the trailer before taking off from the facility.
Stormracer's optics were wide when she saw Lockdown take down the two guards with Ratchet's EMP. She stayed out of sight as he transformed and drove off with Ratchet and Transwarp being pulled behind. Not wanting to lose them, Stormracer transformed and followed from a distance. She followed Lockdown further away from Iacon, making her feel more and more uncomfortable. It wasn't until they approached a clearing that Lockdown stopped. Immediately she stopped too and hid behind a structure. Her optics widened when a ship suddenly appeared out of nowhere and descended down in front of him. She watched as Lockdown opened the hatch and drove up the ramp, disappearing into the ship with his prisoners. Needing to call for help, she tried opening her commlink unit, but soon realized it was damaged from when Lockdown hit her. She was scared, worried that if she left to get help the ship would no longer be there.
Once she figured Lockdown wouldn't see her, she carefully made her way towards the ship. Just then the hatch started to close, making her go faster.
"What am I doing, what am I doing, what am I doing?!" she asked herself as she transformed and hopped inside the ship before the hatch closed completely.
And that was part one of How it All Began! I hope you all enjoyed it and liked the cameos I threw in there. And if anyone is wondering, Transwarp is an OC I came up with. I had another character in mind, but because he's already technically part of the aligned universe, I didn't want there to be any confusion, so I decided to make a new character.
Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope to have part two up in the near future. Until next time! God bless!