Hostile Territory
Written by: Okami
Chapter 8- Human Shield
~
'Cause I loved and lost the day I let you go
I really want to hear you say
That you know just how it feels
To have it all and let it slip away
Can't you see
I know the moment's gone
I'm still holding on somehow
Wishing I could change the way the world goes round
Lyrics: Changes_Unknown
~
Authors Note: I do not own Robots in Disguise. I do however own Alana and Suzuki, therefore they can not be used anywhere other than this fanfic without my permission.
Helpful Hints: ****** - Means a change in scenery, or from Autobots to Decepticons
~~~ - Means a change in point of view but the same scenery
* * - Indicates a comlink conversation
******
"All right team, let's beat these guys at their own game," RailSpike ordered, returning fire at the small group of Predacons.
"Roger that," Midnight cheerfully acknowledged, firing his attack at DarkScream.
"Yeah, it's time to show these guys whose the best," RapidRun said happily, leaning out from behind his shelter and putting up his barrier, blocking all attacks aimed at him.
"Nice job," RailSpike commented, bombarding the four Predacons with a shower of missile from his arms.
~~~
Slapper fired his right laser at RapidRun, only to have it bounce off the latter's shield. He was cursing silently at their inability to defeat the Autobots when a sudden flash of movement caught his eye. Turning towards the rock formations beside him, the Predacon noticed a very familiar human. A smirk broadened his face as the robotic toad wrapped his tongue around the unsuspecting female's waist and arms. He sucked in the extra long tongue and held the human before him as a deterrent for the Autobots.
"Ith you thoot I'll kill thith umen," Slapper declared.
"What did you say? I can't understand you," Midnight called out.
"I thaid-" the Predacon was about to continue, but decided to hold the human in his hands instead of his tongue while talking. "I said, 'If you shoot I'll kill this human'."
The rest of the Predacons were surprised at the brilliance of the idea and watched gleefully at the three bullet trains lowered their weapons.
~~~
Alana gasped in surprise when something long and wet wrapped around her waist, pinning down her arms in the process, then proceed to drag her through the air towards a large robot. She groaned outwardly when the realization that her only outfit was now soaked in slobber hit her.
"This is disgusting," she whined, completely repulsed by the idea of being covered in spit.
"Pipe down human," DarkScream smirked.
"Yeah, hush up," GasSkunk added. He was about to let loose his gas attack when a circle of light appeared on the ground in front of the bullet trains. Three cars instantly flew from the light and transformed into robots.
"Prowl transform!"
"Sideburn transform!"
"X-Brawn transform!"
"No! You mustn't attack!" RailSpike cried, lunging in the direction of the Autobot brothers.
"Why not?" Sideburn questioned, lifting his weapon at the Predacons.
"They have a human hostage," RapidRun explained.
The three Autobot brothers turned to look for themselves and were shocked to see a very familiar human in the clutches of the enemy. Alana's jaw was clenched shut, her teeth grinding against each other, as one of Slapper's fingers pressed against her still fractured wrist, sending pain flashes through her arm.
"Alana? What in tar-nation are you doing here?" X-Brawn asked, lowering his gun so as to pose no threat to his enemies.
"Hey. Fancy meetin' you here," the human grunted, trying to ignore the pain shooting throughout her body.
"Let her go Predacons. She has nothing to do with this. This is between Autobots and Predacons. Let the girl go," Prowl said, attempting to use reason as a means of releasing the hostage.
"You'd like that wouldn't you," Slapper snickered. "Well, how about this," he grinned and proceeded to squeeze the fragile life form between his two webbed hands.
The pain soon became too much, and Alana let out a pain-filled scream. She tried to block away the agony but when the Predacon increased the pressure of his grip, it was all she could do to keep from loosing consciousness.
"Stop it!" RailSpike shouted, gritting his teeth at the scene before him. The sound of the human screaming sent chills through his frame, and he was sure it did the same thing to the other Autobots.
Sideburn clenched his fists tightly, getting increasingly pissed at not being able to do anything to help the suffering human. He would have interfered already but Prowl had urged him against it, so he just stood by and watched the Predacons torture a defenseless Earthling.
"Right Shoulder Thrust!"
Slapper lost his balance as Wedge landed a blow to his mid-back, forcing him to release Alana if he was to keep standing; he was unable to stay on his feet, however, and soon found his face full of dirt.
Alana flew from Slapper's hands and landed hard on the ground, her head impacting first. She bounced limply then rolled a few times before coming to rest on her side; her body not moving a muscle.
Wedge towered over the fallen Predacon. "That's for picking on humans," he growled, looking up into the faces of the other Autobots. "Well, what are you waiting for? Let's kick some Predacon tailpipe!"
"You said it," X-Brawn agreed, letting loose a bombardment of laser blasts at GasSkunk.
The Predacons screamed in terror as they were bombarded by attacks from Team Bullet Train, the Autobot brothers, and the Build Team. They quickly realized their disadvantage and retreated.
"And don't come back!" HeavyLoad shouted after the retreating forms of the enemy.
"It's a good thing we were nearby," Wedge said, a hint of smugness in his tone. "Is the human all right?"
X-Brawn was already by her side, turning her gingerly on her back. He noticed that blood was trickling from her nose and a stream of crimson fluid flowed from a place in her cut on her forehead.
"Should we take her back to base?" Sideburn suggested.
"In normal circumstances I would say no, but I think an exception is in order in this case," Prowl replied.
The eldest Autobot brother carefully cradled the human's limp body in his hands as he stood up. He cautiously transformed into his vehicle mode so that Alana lay in the back seat, cushioned by the foam padding.
"Prowl calling Optimus, we have an emergency. Please respond."
*Optimus here. What's the problem?* the Autobot leader's face appeared in the police car's screen.
"A human was badly injured by the Predacons and she needs medical attention immediately. We're bringing her to base," Prowl replied, hoping Optimus would not disagree with his decision.
Optimus Prime debated shortly about the idea but relented, his urge to help the humans overriding any other thought.
"We'll be arriving shortly," Sideburn added. "Have Tai standing by."
*Roger that Sideburn,* Tai's voice replied, her own image appearing in the blue Autobot's view screen. *Awaiting your arrival.*
Within a matter of minutes, the Autobot team, excluding the Build team who returned to their tunnel digging assignment, arrived at headquarters. X-Brawn transformed quickly and held Alana carefully so as not to damage any of her injuries further. He reluctantly laid her on a small table in the medical bay and left, leaving Tai alone with the human.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Koji asked Tai.
The hologram female thought for a moment before a smile spread across her lips. "Well, since you probably know more about the human body than I do, yes, you may help."
"All right!" Koji cheered, following Tai into the medical section of HQ.
