Hostile Territory
Written by: Okami
Chapter 21- Treachery In A Friendly Mask
~
When I pretend
Everything is what I want it to be
I look exactly like what you had always
Wanted to see
When I pretend
I can forget about the criminal I am
Stealing second after second just 'cause
I know I can
Lyrics: Lying From You_Linkin Park
~
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
******
Tai's repair drones hovered over the offline form of Suzuki, relaying beeps and blips back to the main computer for analysis. They would have been fussing over Ultra Magnus as well, but the stubborn mech had said he could wait until the major repairs on the femme were complete before it was his turn. The hologram of Teletran 1 didn't even bother arguing due the seriousness of Suzuki's injuries.
"Major circuitry overloaded."
"Energy nearly depleted. Beginning recharge now."
"Systems nearing stasis lock."
"Spark experiencing overload!"
This and other bad news flowed from the repair bots. After the full analysis was completed, Tai began the mend the broke femme. The female hologram worked diligently for almost a megacycle, having to call in the backup drones to give the others a rest.
Tai hovered over the medical bay, examining the finished product. A smile of satisfaction began to graze her lips, but something stopped it. She wasn't sure what it was, but something was wrong; but what?
~~~
"She'll be fine. Right now she needs to rest for at least two Earth days before she should even begin to think about moving around," Tai instructed the Autobot team. She went on to explain the seriousness of her injuries but neglected to mention the strange sensation she had felt; it just did not seem worth bringing up at the time.
Turning her attention to the rogue Autobot, she put on her determined façade.
"All right Ultra Magnus. It's your turn now."
~~~
Magnus clenched and unclenched his hand a few times to test the mobility of the repair job; it was satisfactory. He moved his arm around in search of sore spots only to find none; Tai had done her job well. The blue Autobot turned his head sharply upon hearing someone clear their throat and came face to face with his slightly older brother.
Prime smiled from behind his faceplate, wishing to converse with Magnus like a brother. He could not remember the last time the two of them had acted like brothers; it'd been so long ago. Now it seemed like all they ever did was fight over the matrix or battle the Decepticons and Predacons. If only Magnus could see…all he wanted was a brother, not this constant bickering.
Optimus was brought out of his thoughts by a low groan belonging to Ultra Magnus.
"Are you here to talk or just stare at the wall all day?" the rogue Autobot asked impatiently. "Cause I've got better things to do than stand around here."
"Yes, I'm sure you do," trying his best to sound sincere. "I just wanted to talk with you about the battle today. You were there before anyone else and know exactly what happened."
Magnus sighed heavily and glanced towards the ceiling, similar to a human rolling their eyes.
"I was tracking her down as you so nicely asked when Scourge showed up and led her away to talk. I followed but stayed out of sight. They talked for a few minutes about the femme joining the Decepticons, but she refused. Scourge fired some kind of blue energy from his chest at her when her back was turned and that's when I entered. Scourge seemed unusually juiced when I fought him, as you could see," Magnus held up his now fully repaired arm as a demonstration. "That's about it. Are we finished?"
Prime's head was bent as he absorbed the information.
"You're sure the energy was blue? And it came from Scourge's chest?" he asked, lifting his head.
Magnus nodded. "Why? Is that important?"
"I'm not sure," Prime lied. "But we should keep an eye on her just in case."
You've always been a horrible liar, Prime he thought, shaking his head. The comment, did however, trigger something in Magnus' memory banks. He thought about mentioning the femme's mutated symbol but was beaten by an alarm blaring in his audio receptors.
"We have a breach in security! I repeat, we have a breach in security!" a robotic voice announced over the intercom system.
*A Decepticon has been located inside headquarters!!* Tai's voice nearly screamed from Prime's comlink. *It's positioned in the medical bay.*
"Who is it Tai?" the Autobot leader asked.
*I can't tell. The signal is definitely Decepticon, however, I am not able to distinguish who it is.*
"Affirmative. On my way," Prime replied, now fully aware his brother was already on his way. Following in hot pursuit, the two brothers raced towards the medical bay, blasters charged and ready. Their heavy footsteps shook the foundation as they stormed through the corridors, joined by the other Autobots nearby. Together, they slowed and crept towards the medical bay, their large feet making surprisingly little noise on the tiled floor.
Prime was the first to enter to area, his sensors on full alert. Broken glass crunched under his feet as he carefully stepped deeper into the room with the unidentified Decepticon. Various objects were thrown carelessly about the room, the robotic drones were torn apart so much so they were barely recognizable, and even the bolted down examination bed had been ripped up and tossed through the window to the ICU chamber.
Optimus scanned the room for any sign of life, and found none. His optics went wide at this unexpected conclusion. What about Suzuki? He thought suddenly. She was supposed to be recovering in the room where he now stood, so where was she? He ordered his underlings to search the area and report anything suspicious, as well as to search for the missing femme.
~~~
Ultra Magnus' feet led him to a darker corner of the section where he thought his scanners detected something. As he drew closer he noticed a strange sensation in the pit of his spark; something wasn't right. No sooner had that thought entered his mind did a pair of blinding lights shine in his optics and an engine roared to life. The Autobot stumbled back a few steps before recovering from the surprise, and opened fire on the strange vehicle.
Tires screeched in his audio receptors and the smell of burning rubber mixed with gun smoke filled his sensors as he continued to pour on the assault. The Decepticon tried to retreat further back into the corner but found this impossible for the wall stood strong and bullets became imbedded deep within their frame.
Magnus' gun soon clicked empty and finally ceased its onslaught, giving the enemy a few moments to recover. The rouge Autobot stood still and allowed a slight victory smile to cross his lips as he awaited the clearing of the dust to clear. The next few seconds seemed to pass in slow motion: an engine roared to life as a pair of headlights temporarily blinded Ultra Magnus, the Decepticon raced past him with only a few moments to spare before his gun began unloading itself on them again.
"Heads up!" Magnus hollered, giving chase to the enemy while sending a warning to his fellow Autobots. For a mech of his size, he was incredibly fast on his feet, able to keep up with the retreating Decepticon. This was not too awful difficult since the transformer seemed damaged as it kept skidding out of control and colliding with objects flung about the room.
"Exhaust Backfire!" Sideburn cried, firing his weapon at the enemy.
"Combustion Missiles!"
"Bronco Blast!"
The other two Autobot brothers joined in the fun, firing their attacks on the intruder, catching the latter off guard and sending them crashing through a nearby wall.
"Surrender Decepticon. You're outnumbered and we have the home-field advantage," the youngest Autobot brother snarled, aiming his gun at the fallen enemy.
A guttural growl came as a response, followed by the familiar sounds of a transformation. Sideburn managed a few well placed shots before he was knocked to the ground by the enemy then pined by their heavy frame. He heard an almost animalistic snarl before pain ripped through his front torso. Metal was literally torn from his body and flung across the room, followed by pieces of circuitry and wires. Warnings sounded frantically in the young Autobot's audio receptors as his body tried to monitor and repair the damage, only to have another area in even more critical condition than the first.
His pained and terrified screams filled the air as the Decepticon tried to tear him to pieces. The worried cries of his brother and the satisfied snicker of the Decepticon were the last thing he heard before going off line.
"You'll pay for that!" Prowl shouted, firing furiously at his brother's attacker. He succeeded in prying the Decepticon off his sibling before it transformed back to vehicle mode and raced down the hall.
"Prime! Sideburn needs medical attention, pronto!" Prowl's panicked voice shouted.
*Optimus!* Tai's voice erupted from Prime's comlink. *I'm not sure how but the Decepticon just entered the Global SpaceBridge!*
Just then Wedge's head peered around the corner, followed closely by his three other comrades. They had heard the urgent report about a Decepticon in the medical bay and came to kick some tailpipe, only to find the area nearly destroyed and no sign of the enemy.
"Tai, I want you to lock onto that Decepticon's signal and bring up a visual," Optimus ordered sharply, bolting for the door. "Wedge, you stay here and look after Sideburn," he added over his shoulder.
*Yes, sir* came the hologram's short reply.
Wedge was about to argue when his optics fell upon the severely damaged form of the youngest Autobot brother lying lifeless on the ground, a large puddle of energon growing steadily under him. The young leader immediately ordered his comrades to find anything salvageable in the disaster area that was their medical bay while he attempted to repair the massive injuries. He never knew those few classes of medical training would actually be put to the test in a situation such as this, but no one knows when their skills will be called upon, no matter what they may be.
"How is that possible?" Prowl questioned aloud, following his leader. "Only Autobots have access to the spacebridge. How did this Decepticon know how to activate it?"
"Not sure," X-Brawn answered. "But I say we kick us some Decepticon tailpipe and ask questions later!" The two brothers chased their leader and his brother into the main room where Teletran-1 stood.
The group of Autobots soon found themselves waiting impatiently for Tai to bring up a visual of the strange Decepticon. Typing furiously on the many keys of Teletran-1, Tai tried desperately to locate the enemy in the spacebridge.
"Almost there," she muttered, fingers flying across the keyboard. "Just a few more seconds and—NO!" Tai's eyes went wide and her hands crashed angrily on the console. "They just exited the spacebridge. I can't locate them now!"
The hologram silently berated herself for being too slow. If only she'd been just a little faster, a little more efficient and the Autobots would have the information they requested. But instead they were completely in the dark about the mysterious Decepticon who had somehow managed to enter their base without being detected until it was too late.
"It's all right, Tai," Prime's soothing voice interrupted. "You did your best and that's all we can ask for. Besides, if it weren't for you we never would have know there was a Decepticon in the base. We owe you for that."
Tai nodded, a smile crossing her young face. She could always count on Prime for an encouraging word or a pat on the back. He was a remarkable leader in her eyes, and always would be.
"I did manage to get a shot of the Decepticon. It's a bit blurry but it might be enough to help," she suggested, turning back to the control panel. With a wave of her hand across the keypad, a very blurry picture of the intruder appeared on the screen.
Optimus squinted his optics to try and clear the smeared imagine. Something seemed familiar about that vehicle, but he couldn't put his finger on it. The dark green smears caused too much of a smudge for him to distinguish any details, except the fact that the vehicle was small. It appeared to have only two wheels, not anything like the military vehicle he'd expected to see…almost like a motorcycle. His optics grew wide. It couldn't be!
"Primus," he whispered, optics fixed on the blurry image displayed on the large screen.
"It couldn't be. There's no way. That can't be right," X-Brawn said, shaking his head in denial, but kept his wide optics locked on the picture.
"Suzuki…," Prowl whispered softly, his mind denying the fact but his spark knew it was true.
******
Suzuki leaned heavily against a tall oak tree for support, gasping for breath that refused to flood her robotic lungs. Pain screamed through her body from the various injuries inflicted upon her by the Autobots. She gripped her right arm as the constant throbbing became more intense, threatening to overtake her entire arm. Energon seemed to leak from every pore, but in some spots it flowed freely, forming a pool of the life-giving fluid by her feet.
The femme reluctantly pushed herself away from the tree to continue her trek through the forest; her navigational systems being damaged she knew not where she was headed. She stumbled into numerous bushes and trees in her wandering, further injuring her wounds. The once small trickle of energon leaking from her body soon became a steady stream, leaving a bright green trail of the liquid.
Pausing for a moment to catch her breath, she swallowed large gulps of air eagerly as more pain coursed throughout her battered frame.
"Dame those Autobots," she growled, clutching her right bicep. "They will pay dearly for this." Fatigue and the dramatic loss of energon finally caught up with her as she slid down to the earthy floor. With her back against a sturdy maple, the female transformer reluctantly allowed her system to recharge, totally unaware that the animals of the forest had become deadly silent.
~~~
Scourge stepped out from behind his cover, a smile wavering across his masked face. Excitement mixed with pleasure as he gazed down at the recharging form of Suzuki. This one mech was going to aid him in his quest to become the most powerful force in the universe; yet she seemed so weak and fragile.
The black Decepticon knelt down and easily scooped her up, cradling her in his powerful arms. He felt his hands become slick with energon as he retreated deeper into the forest. A hint of respect for the femme entered his mind as he recalled how long she had to walk with her injuries; he knew because he had followed her the entire way. Scourge allowed himself a brief smile of satisfaction grace his lips before he disappeared into the Predacon base, very proud of his catch.
~~~
"Have you lost your mind?" Skybyte hollered, alarmed beyond belief to see Scourge enter Gigatron's throne room bearing the newest Autobot in his arms.
Scourge merely cast him a piercing glare as he continued towards his master. The Decepticon bowed low before his master, still managing to support the femme's dead weight in his strong arms.
"What is the meaning of this, Scourge?" Gigatron growled, staring down hard at his underling and the bot cradled against his chest.
"I have reason to believe this Autobot is no longer such," Scourge began, choosing his words carefully. "She has seemed different than the other Autobots and has now left them. I have reason to believe she is now a Decepticon. Her symbol is enough to tell us that." The black Decepticon positioned the femme's arm to display her now totally converted symbol.
"We still can't trust her. Her programming is-" Skybyte began but was silenced by his rival.
"Now totally that of a Decepticon. If you would allow her to be repaired, I will monitor her personally and prove my theory to be correct," Scourge interrupted quickly. "I give you my word."
"Let's just hope that's good enough, Scourge. Because if it's not…." Gigatron let the threat hang in the air. Then, with a wave of his hand, dismissed both underlings.
Scourge bowed once more before leaving, partly in a manner of respect but mostly to hide the hatred shinning in his ruby optics. Just wait you pompous windbag. Soon I'll make you regret the day you crossed paths with me.
******
Pain. Indescribable pain. Muffled voices. Silence. Blinding lights. Suzuki's memory chip recalled the fragments of salvageable data easily accessible. The femme turned her head from the hot white lights secured in the ceiling that glared down upon her face. Blurry images swam across her vision as her optics struggled to come into focus. After a few moments, she was able to distinguish everything in the room from its neighbor; even the large black mech sitting beside her bed didn't appear so distorted.
The femme did a double take upon gazing at the Decepticon resting by her bedside. What's he doing here? she asked herself, staring down at Scourge's peaceful countenance. A gentle smile crossed her lips when a soft snore escaped the mech's slightly open mouth. Shifting her weight to a more comfortable position, Suzuki eased back into recharge mode, that smile still decorating her face.
