Hostile Territory
Written by: Okami
Chapter 20- The Turning of the Tide
~
I spent a day by the river
It was quiet and the wind stood still
I spent some time with nature
To remind me of all that's real
It's funny how silence speaks sometimes when you're alone
And remember that you feel
Again I stood against the Faceless Man
Lyrics: Faceless Man_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
******
The Autobots meandered calmly down the acceleration tunnel at HQ, all except X-Brawn who made a beeline for the Teletran 1. He conversed with Tai for a moment before turning to his siblings with a defeated countenance.
"Nothing. Still nothing," he relayed. "Con found it! Where could she be? It's not like this planet that awful big!"
Prowl and Sideburn shrugged their shoulders in response. For the past few months, Tai had been searching relentlessly for any trace of Alana, but each search concluded with nothing. The Autobot brothers exchanged sad expressions before retreating down separate halls.
Suzuki watched them go with a curious expression. She questioned to Prime what was up and when he responded, immediately regretting asking.
"Oh," she responded, laughing nervously.
"Is something wrong?" Optimus asked, seeing how his underling seemed unnerved.
"No, no, I'm fine," Suzuki replied quickly, rubbing the back of her neck. She quickly excused herself from the main room to escape the uncomfortable situation, but not without being under Ultra Magnus' scrutinizing gaze.
******
Wedge strolled down an empty hall of HQ, a smile across his face for no particular reason; he was just happy today. The young transformer hummed to himself a catchy human tune as he continued down the corridor towards Teletran 1 where he knew Optimus would be. The head of the Build Team and youngest commander of a team of Autobots had a question to ask his leader about the amount of battle assignments, or lack there of, that they had carried out in the past month; which were few to none.
As his large feet stomped down the corridor, a faint sound reached his audio receptors. It sounded strangely familiar but he couldn't quite put his finger on where he'd heard it before. Pausing in his walking, Wedge listened intently to the soft humming, his head cocked in concentration. Realization suddenly hit him like a ton of bricks: this was the same song he'd heard in the tunnels!
The young Autobot crept silently down the hallway like a predator stalking prey. His heavy feet made surprisingly little noise as he followed the soprano voice. His pursuit was sometimes hindered by the separation of the hallway into two other corridors, making the decision harder since the voice seemed to be coming from every direction.
Trusting his instincts, or whatever the equivalent for robots is, Wedge chose one path and soon found the source of the song. He was about to turn another corner when the floor creaked under his weight, sending a chill up his frame. The young Autobot flattened himself against the wall, his optics wide and spark pounding furiously.
What if something really big and nasty is around that corner? he thought to himself. No. A voice that beautiful can't be dangerous. But, then again…. Wedge shook his head. Gathering his courage, he whirled around the corner and shouted,
"Gottcha!"
"Ah!" a startled cry erupted from in front of him. Wedge blinked in surprise upon seeing the new recruit standing with one hand on her chest and the other on the wall for support. She was breathing quickly and was staring at him with wide optics.
"What the heck was that for?" she asked demandingly.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were someone else," Wedge apologized. Glancing around the otherwise empty corridor, he scratched his head in confusion.
"Did you happen to see anyone else around here?" he asked.
Suzuki shook her head. "Nope, just me. Why?"
"Well, I heard this song and I was wondering who was singing it," the Autobot replied, a look of defeat crossing his face.
The femme nodded her head in understanding. "What did it sound like?" she asked.
Wedge scratched his head while he thought, a nervous grin spreading across his face. "I'm not entirely sure," he admitted after a bit. "It sounded different than the normal Earth tongue, if that helps at all."
Suzuki smiled kindly. "I'll keep my audio receptors open in case I hear something." She chatted a few moments longer before continuing on her way.
******
Scourge grumbled to himself as he stormed through the halls of the Decepticon base, his temper barely able to be leashed. That overgrown windbag! he roared silently. Just wait. One day I'll be in command and he won't dare speak to me that way. That pile of scrap! Scourge let out a strangled bellow as he drove his clenched fist deep into the wall, pretending it was a certain mech's face.
"How dare he!" he growled between clenched mouth components. "Gigatron will regret this day for megacycles to come." Recalling the conversation between himself and his leader earlier only made his temper flare that much more.
For some reason, unbeknownst to anyone but Gigatron himself, the Predacon leader decided to berate Scourge more than usual for his failure earlier that day. He even went so far as to strike the Decepticon commander! Scourge once again leashed his horr0id temper and bowed before his master, begging for forgiveness, all the while pondering ideas of how to dismantle the worthless scrap heap before him. The only reason he stayed by Gigatron's side was because of the spark energy that bound them.
A thought suddenly struck him. It was so obvious he growled at himself for not having thought of it sooner. If Gigatron's spark energy had made him a Decepticon and a slave, then his energy should do the same. Scourge allowed a smile to crease his face, under the ever-present facemask of course.
There's only one bot capable of aiding in my plans of conquest, he thought maliciously. And she'll be easy to persuade with her circuits already influenced by the Decepticons. Scourge's shoulders began to quake with barely suppressed excitement. His brilliant mind immediately began planning the trap for the femme, examining every possible scenario. Devilish laughter erupted from his vocal unit as he selected the perfect scheme, arranging to put it immediately into affect.
******
Suzuki sighed in boredom, once again strolling the halls of Autobot HQ. With the Decepticons unusually quiet as of late, there was nothing to do but sit around and wait. Despite her desires to 'burn some rubber', she reluctantly obeyed Prime's orders of staying indoors and out of sight from humans.
The Autobot leader was not keen on the idea of her going out and being an open target for not only the Decepticons but also human stares. It wasn't everyday that a motorcycle could operate without the aid of a human passenger. The suggestion of Koji as the driver was quickly shot down bearing the fact that the human was way too far under the age limit, much to the dismay of the boy.
This forced the femme to remain at base and meander aimlessly around in hopes of finding something to pass the time. She'd already played games with Sideburn and the Build Team, competed in mini races with Team Bullet Train and Skid-Z, and helped Prowl review the many police codes and regulations; there just wasn't anything else to do around here! She'd even attempted to strike up a conversation with Ultra Magnus as an escape from the boredom, only to find him grumpy and not one to talk much; that had pretty much shot her last hope at some sort of entertainment. The next best thing to do was either recharge or exercise and she'd done both so much her joints ached and her energon reserves were full to the point of bursting.
Her thoughts then wandered to X-Brawn and his search for the human girl who'd saved his life. Alana, a simple Earthling, saved the spark of a mech in danger, risking her own life in the process. I wish I could ease the pain in his CPU, she thought quietly. But then I'd be revealing too much, way too much.
Suzuki sighed regretfully. She desperately wished to ease his sorrow, but simply could not risk it at this point in time. Later, she told herself, just not now. The femme tried to change the course of her thoughts, but was interrupted by a sharp pain seizing the upper part of her right arm. Clutching her arm near the elbow, she gritted her mouth components together as another wave swept over her, this time down her entire arm. A hiss escaped her lips when her hand fell into uncontrollable spasms, her fingers moving of their own accord in positions that would make other bots cringe. Lowering herself to one knee, the femme hoped the less elevation would help relieve the pain, but to no avail.
The painful experience lasted all of three minutes tops yet it seemed like excruciating hours. Fluid leaked from her optics as she struggled to regain her breath while at the same time testing the regained control over her arm. What the hell was that? she thought, filling her robotic lungs with air.
~~~
His heavy footsteps echoed down the long, and as always, empty halls of HQ. Sighing in content, Prowl reflected on the day's work well accomplished. He had assisted in three car chases that ended in success, located five parking violations for Towline, and even managed to keep his reckless brother Sideburn under control for the better part of the day; that is until the latter spotted a certain red sports car. Allowing a rare smile to cross his features, the police car Autobot continued toward his destination of his chambers to take the nice hot oil bath his joints begged for.
Turning a corner, the smile disappeared from his face and was replaced by an expression of surprise and concern when his optics locked onto a kneeling form in the middle of the hallway. Instantly noticing the mech was the new recruit, millions of questions raced through his mind in the few seconds before he opened his mouth. What is she doing on the floor? Is she all right? What happened? Does she need medical attention?
"Are you all right?" he asked, a hint of concern in his voice. Kneeling down beside her, Prowl quickly took note of everything noticeable: the fluid leaking from her optics, her heavy breathing, and the fact that she was clutching her right arm to the point of denting her frame.
"Yup. I'm fine," Suzuki replied, straining a bit to get the words out between gasps. "No problem here."
Prowl frowned at this. "I think Tai should take a look at your arm," he pushed, helping the femme to stand. The female mech casually released her arm from her vise-like grip, pretending to be oblivious towards his reason of concern.
Suzuki looked him straight in the optic, a smile crossing her face. "You're so sweet. But really, nothing's wrong."
Prowl's face grew suddenly hot from the comment. It took much discipline to compose him once more and luckily Suzuki did not seem to notice the slip in his poise.
She could tell by Prowl's determined look that she'd have to lie better then that and come up with a good reason for her actions. "I just pulled something while training earlier, it's really nothing to worry about."
He knew she was lying so the question remained why she wasn't telling him the truth? "If it was earlier in the day, then your internal systems would have begun repairing it immediately and it shouldn't be bothering you now. And if that truly were the case, then Tai should run a systems' scan to make sure your internal repair program is operating efficiently."
Suzuki's smile never faltered but her mind was shifting her weight nervously. "Oh, would ya look at the time, I was scheduled to go on patrol over 30 cycles ago. I'd better get going. See ya!" she said quickly, transforming and racing down the hall towards Teletran 1 and the Global Spacebridge.
It wasn't until the femme had already left the base did it dawn on Prowl that she wasn't supposed to leave the base. Placing his head in his hands, the Autobot decided to track down Tai and have a bulletin released to watch for Suzuki.
******
Ultra Magnus grumbled to himself while activating his scanners. Why he was helping his brother was beyond his comprehension at the moment. All he knew was that he was searching for the femme per Prime's suggestion and bring her back to base before something happened to her. The Autobot leader would have ordered her to return to base, but the blasted femme had turned off her comlink. It was also beyond him why Optimus was so worried about the female. It wasn't like she couldn't handle herself in a battle, because she had certainly proven that thought false many a time.
His scanners located the motorcycle robot with as much problem as the finding water in an ocean; this is taking into account the fact that his scanners are the best of the Autobots. Magnus grumbled once more when he noticed his target was moving in the opposite direction he was headed, that meant he would have to turn around. Blast it, he muttered, making a U-turn at the next available area. And of course, she had to be cruising one of the few dirt roads in the area, which meant he'd get his newly waxed frame scratched up. This is just not my day.
He wasn't but 100 yards of his target when another dot appeared on his scanners, but this had a different signal, one of a Decepticon. Ultra Magnus slowed down slightly to lengthen the distance between them. He was not sure if the enemy was headed towards a target of their own, or if they were simply out for a joy ride; either way, Magnus now had two objectives to follow.
******
Suzuki sighed to herself as she ate up the gravel beneath her tires. The fresh air, the sunshine, the feel of something other than tiles under her feet just felt so refreshing! She could not explain how good it felt to get out and be free for awhile, even if it was limited, she didn't care. As long as she had a few hours to herself, to do what she wanted, all was good. And all she wanted right now was to feel the wind blow past her.
The femme was so enthralled by being outside again that she almost didn't notice the large oil tanker pull into her lane. It was then that she noticed her scanners detecting a Decepticon in the premise, and it was right in front of her. Suzuki refrained from enticing a battle only because the oil tanker flashed its brake lights at her then engaged its turn signal. Ignoring her instincts, she followed the Decepticon leader up a windy dirt path to a clearing.
"Suzuki transform!"
"Scourge transform!"
The two robots donned their robot forms and stood before one another, both with no weapons in hand to ensure the peaceful exchange of words, for the moment anyway.
"Yes?" Suzuki began. "What do you want?"
Scourge, without saying a word, extended his hand. His ruby optics sparkled mysteriously when the femme gave him an odd look.
"Join me," the Decepticon offered. "Become a Decepticon and rule by my side."
Suzuki narrowed her optics. "What about the others? And your master Gigatron?"
Scourge snorted in hatred at the mention of his lord's name. "Forget them. Once we join forces Gigatron will be scrap, nothing but a pile of junk the way he should be."
The femme was obviously taken back by this display of hatred from the enemy for her optics widened considerably. They returned to slits, however, when the Decepticon began approaching her. She reached for her two guns by her side and had them charged and aimed by the time Scourge had managed one more step.
"You already have my answer, Scourge," she growled, easing her finger on to the trigger. "Take it and go."
Scourge shook his head sadly. "I'm afraid that won't do. You see, I always get what I want."
It was Suzuki's turn to snort. "Not this time," she muttered, taking aim.
"That's not a very Autobot thing to do," Scourge mocked, holding up his hands surrender style. "Shooting an enemy with no weapons."
The femme's fingers hesitated on the trigger. He's right! An Autobot would never shoot an unarmed opponent. What am I thinking!? She fastened her guns back on her thighs.
"You see," the Decepticon continued, taking a few more steps forward. "You are a Decepticon, your actions betray you Suzuki."
"We have nothing further to discuss, Scourge," the Autobot replied. Doing a very foolish thing, she turned her back to the enemy and began to withdraw towards the nearby forest.
Scourge grinned wickedly as he watched her retreating form. He concentrated deeply on his spark energy, forcing it to shoot a burst at the Autobot. A few seconds later, a blast of blue spark energy shot forth from the Decepticon's chest, straight for the femme.
Suzuki whirled around at the sudden sound, optics widening in the process. Before she could even compute what was happening, a blow to her chestplate sent her reeling to the ground.
Struggling to one knee, the female mech attempted to stand but the pain in her entire frame prevented her from doing so.
"Ultra Magnus transform!" a familiar voice shouted, followed by the pleasing sounds of a transformation. Suzuki tried once more to stand, only to have pain streak through her circuits, almost causing her to go off line.
The rogue Autobot fired round after round at the Decepticon leader, his gun beginning to smoke from the exertion. He managed to call for backup while at the same time dodge Scourge's Sword of Fury. Magnus ducked the attack and landed an uppercut into the latter's jaw component, buying him just enough time to land a solid kick to Decepticon's chestplate.
Scourge's optics burned brightly as he recovered from the double assault. Energizing his sword, the mech charged his enemy once more. With his anger fueling his strength, the Decepticon sliced through Magnus' left arm, leaving a nasty looking gash. He didn't pause in his attack, however, and also landed a blow to the Autobot's side, nearly missing some major components.
The stubborn Autobot collapsed to the ground, gripping his side as energon flowed freely from the wound. Something's not right. I should be able to take him no problem. Where is he getting his strength?
"Prowl transform!"
"Sideburn transform!"
"X-Brawn transform!"
"Combustion Missiles!"
"Exhaust Backfire!"
"Bronco Blast!"
The Autobot brothers shot forward from the Spacebridge and unloaded their weapons on the Decepticon. X-Brawn and Sideburn raced to Ultra Magnus, giving the rogue much needed relief, while Prowl kneeled by Suzuki's side.
~~~
"Are you alright?" Prowl asked, kicking himself for asking such a stupid question. The fact that the femme couldn't even stand was enough to tell him she was injured.
"Just fine. No problem here," Suzuki struggled, a grin across her lips. She opened her mouth component to say something else but never even started when her optics dimmed and her body went limp, collapsing into Prowl's unsuspecting arms.
The police car Autobot was caught off guard by the sudden change in her status but quickly regained his composure. That is, of course, after forcing away the sudden heat that had formed in his cheeks. Prowl placed one of her arms around his neck and supported her weight as they stood, finding this to be much harder than he originally had thought; she was heavier than she looked! Glancing at the status of his brothers, he began making his way towards the open portal of the spacebridge.
"Our mission is complete. Fall back," he ordered in his cop-like voice.
The two other Autobot brothers followed suit, bearing the brunt of Magnus' heavy bulk between them. Even though he was injured and being carried away, the rogue was able to provide cover for the retreating siblings with his trusty Blue Bolts. A cloud of dust granted the Autobots enough time to accomplish a safe withdraw back to base.
Scourge watched their retreat, a smirk spreading across his dark face. They may have been able to reclaim her body, but they will never be able to reclaim her mind. The Autobots could repair her battered frame, but never her corrupted circuits. She was now his. The Decepticon leader let out a howl a triumph before laughing hysterically.
"Your days are numbered Gigatron! Soon I will be in command and you will be reduced the scrap heap that you are!" he bellowed in glee, optics flaring brightly.
**Important Note**
I will going to Hawaii for a week starting July 5th and ending July 12th, so the next updated may come later than planned. Thanks for understanding.
