Hostile Territory

Chapter 16- A New Troop! But For Which Side?

Written by: Okami

~

She came calling

One early morning

She showed her crown of thorns

She whispered softly

To tell a story

About how she had been wronged

As she lay lifeless

He stole her innocence

And this is how she carried on

Lyrics: Wash Away Those Years_Creed

~

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

******

Optimus Prime watched in horror as Gigatron's spark energy flashed around the stasis pod and their new human friend. He glanced nervously at the Decepticons and prayed that the protoform was still an Autobot and not the enemy, and that Alana would be safe. Light exploded from the pod, illuminating everything within range and forcing everyone to shield their optics from the intense brightness. The blinding light disappeared as quickly as it came; leaving the robots slightly stunned.

Prowl was the first to shake off the effects and glanced cautiously at the new bot before running a quick check to make sure his brothers were still functional.

In place of the stasis pod stood a motorcycle known commonly to humans as a 'Crotch Rocket'. Instead of having the passenger sit straight up, this model was designed so a human could lean forward and better use the speed at which the motorcycle could travel. Forest-green paint covered the cycle's frame, four silver exhaust pipes glimmered in the sun's rays, and two booster rockets accessorized the new machine. But, Alana was nowhere to be seen. This went unnoticed by all at that particular moment, for their attention was focused on the new robot.

"Oh great, another Decepticon bozo," Ultra Magnus groaned, raising his gaze towards the heavens.

"Hold on a minute," Optimus quickly added. "We don't know if he's a Decepticon or an Autobot yet."

"Then why don't you go find out," Ultra Magnus challenged.

Optimus nodded his head, more to himself than anyone else, and slowly approached the motorcycle. He got within a few yards before the engine roared to life and a voice erupted,

"Transform!"

He watched as the motorcycle swiftly and fluidly morphed from a mere machine into a robot—a female robot. Optimus felt his golden optics widen and was sure he heard just about everyone, Autobot and Decepticon alike, gasp in surprise. A dark green helmet similar to a hawk's beak angled down between the transformers purple optics, blocking her nose from sight. Her chest plate protruded more than any bot under his command (for obvious reasons), and her shapely hips accentuated her slim waist.

All of this and more seriously distracted the Autobot leader from concentrating on the task at hand: convincing her to join the Autobots.

"Um, I'm Optimus Prime," he greeted, silently kicking himself for stuttering at such a crucial moment. Extending a hand he added, "As leader of the Autobots, I welcome you to Earth and your new home. I humbly ask that you join me and my Autobots."

The female bot made no move towards or away from the Autobot leader; she simply stared at him with her purple optics. Finally, she tentatively took a step forward and hesitantly lifted a mud brown hand. Her motions were jerky and unsure at first, but became smoother as her confidence grew.

~~~

Scourge snarled softly as the female bot slowly approached his look-alike rival. Stepping away from his fellow Decepticons, the tall, black robot strided closer to the two transformers.

"I am Scourge, leader of the Decepticons. On behalf of my master Gigatron, I extend to you the offer to join us," he said smoothly, sending Optimus a sideways glare.

Immediately, the female stopped and pinned her optics on him, her hand poised in midair. She cocked her head to the side as she looked at both robots before her.

"Scourge?" she repeated, her voice smooth and soft. Turning to the Autobot leader, she added just as softly, "Optimus?" The female continued to glance at one then the other, not sure whom to trust.

"What's going on?" MegaOctane whispered to his lord. "I thought she was supposed to be under your command?"

Gigatron sent him a sharp glare before returning his attention back to his most loyal Decepticon. "Apparently not," he growled. He watched the silent exchange of glances before finally loosing his patience. "Are you an Autobot or a Decepticon?!" he bellowed, startling the forest green robot.

The female bot shifted her weight, placing her hands on her hips. She startled everyone by saying, in a sarcastic manner,

"You don't have to yell. My audio receptors aren't broken, ya know." After a moment, she decided to answer Gigatron's question. "I honestly don't know which side I'm on. I don't even know that much about myself, much less what team I'm on."

Scourge clenched his fists in frustration, trying extremely hard to keep his temper leashed. He never had much patience and this was weighing heavily on the overflow line.

"Aww, come on," Sideburn piped up in his usual carefree tone. "You've got to have some idea of whose side you're on. Do you at least have a name?"

She nodded, a smile grazing her lips. "Suzuki," she responded.

~~~

Prowl shifted his weight from foot to foot, his instincts screaming at him to get out of the area and fast. He knew this peaceful exchange would only last for long; Scourge's temper was beginning to show in his jerky movements and flashing optics. A shiver ran through his frame as his audio receptors picked up the female bot's voice. It was so silky, like nothing he had ever heard before.

Taking a tentative step forward, he drew Suzuki's attention his way. "If you would accompany us to our base, we could run a systems check and help you to remember," he suggested, offering his hand as well.

That was the last straw for Scourge. He whipped around and bombarded the Autobot brothers with his Barrage Attack. Several of the lasers found their mark while a few hit the ground near the enemy robots.

"Decepticons, attack!" MegaOctane ordered, bending over and firing away his Twin Lasers assault.