Heh, ummm, here's the chapter that's totally meant to be posted this late in the day… Enjoy some late night reading. Whoops.
What was going on with me? My hand gingerly touched the center of my chest, where the buzz originated from. Those two alien robots have changed me, whether they know it or not. What I couldn't fathom was them staying for long? Heh, maybe after this battle they'll see me as the monster we all know I am.
At that thought, my hand curled into a fist and rested right above my heart. Why did it hurt to think about them seeing me as a monster? Everyone on this base knew it, or at least the ones that know of me. I knew why, I always get attached to others quickly, a horrible trait of mine.
A sigh escaped me as my eyes gazed over to the many hangars lining the bots side of the base. Only a few souls out during the early hours of morning. It was the morning after my little fly/drive with Sides and Sunstreaker. The memories of what I felt when around them last night refused to leave.
Today was the day we were going to attack the newly found Jasper base and boy was I ready. Heat rushed to my finger tip at the reminder. A sadist smirk graced my lips. Those nasty, vile humans were going to feel the fire of a dragon.
The sun began to rise sometime later, its rays stretching over the lightening sky. Humans started to wake right at the crack of dawn. The lights in their buildings flickering and sounds of them moving about filtered into the air. I glanced over to a window of someone's room that I figured out was Anna's before gliding over to it.
Her light flipped on, causing me to stop and hover nearby. It was surely too early for a seven year old to be waking up. Someone inside rustled about to gather his/her needs quickly before exiting the room.
Unease had me acting on my protective trait. I latched onto the window's frame with the two hooks on my wings and listened for any more movement. The only sound in the room was the quiet breathing of someone, Anna possibly. Could've that been William? Sometimes I was too dumb for my own good.
Meh, I was already here. I gently pried open the window and slipped past the curtains. Anna's sleeping form could be seen under a thick comforter. She rested peacefully without a care in the world that I was standing here.
What was I going here? She's fine and that was her father. Right as I moved to leap out of the window, a noise behind me caught my attention. "Nighty?" Anna's tired voice wavered into the air. I visibly flinched due to me waking her and turned around, a small smile on my lips.
"Hey, I didn't mean to wake you. I was in the area and decided to stop by," I stated and felt my cheeks heat up from being caught.
She sat up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "I'm happy to see you. I got in trouble with my dad and he's making me stay in our room until it's safe to let me go back to Mama." The kid got off of the bed, it squeaking from her movements, and hugged me rightly. I returned the gesture a little confused and patted the top of her head awkwardly.
"Understandable. I best be going before he finds me in here or he'll throw a fit." I gently pushed her off of me and headed towards the open window.
Anna nodded, a little out of it. "Okay, be safe today and keep my daddy safe, please. " I smiled big at her request and dipped my head before leaping out into the warming morning sky. The wind greeted me with a gentle breeze to carry me a little ways.
While heading over to the Med. Bay, I spotted a familiar human form slowly making his way to his work hangar. William didn't seem like a morning person, just like his child. Like father, like daughter.
I couldn't stop the sweet but sorrowful smile. My heart clenched painfully at the thought of Zayden yet it gave me motivation for today's battle. I fight for Zayden, for Mia, for Jacob, and for Jeremy. One day, when this is all over, I will be able to see them again without danger looming over our heads.
My talons clinked against the metal of the Med. Bay's roof. Ratchet wasn't here yet, probably either sleeping as I've learned they do or speaking with any of the other bots. He has given me permission to enter through the windows if need be but I didn't feel that I should.
The buzz sat quietly, barely making any commotions for awhile until it acted up. My gaze snapped over to where the smaller hangars stood in a grid pattern. Two familiar shapes rolled on their wheeled feet, going someplace on the base. Their blue orbs met mine. The red twins turned the direction he was heading towards me, a smirk washing over his face. His twin rolled his eyes and followed Sides. Ugh, why were they coming over here?
Sides stopped at a distance where he didn't have to strain his neck to look up. The yellow overgrown toaster stood next to him, only giving me a couple side glances. "Morning, Azar! How was your night?"
"Uh, good, I guess," I answered the red bot, a little put off by his enthusiasm. "I'm guessing you're a morning person by the looks of it." Why not try to start a conversation with them? Ratchet was nowhere in sight and I didn't know when we were heading off.
"Nah, not really. But seeing you brightened my cycle for sure!" My brows furrowed at his announcement. Was he flirting with me? Or was that a compliment? I had no clue, I had never been in a relationship with someone, er in this case, two someone's.
Sunstreaker scoffed at Sides words and trudged away. His brother gave me a kind smile before chasing after the yellow tin can. Alright-y then.
Later on in the day, a good hundred or so humans gathered at the entrance of the main hangar. Ratchet still has yet to make his appearance and meant I was still outside. Curiosity killed the cat. I took off into the sky and headed towards the gathering of soldiers.
Hundreds of eyes flickered onto my body as I glided into the Main Hangar. A shiver racked my frame due to the amount of people in one place. I landed quietly next to William on the guardrail and glared at the humans below and around me. "Hey, Azar. You're just in time for us to go over the plan," Robert greeted.
I only dipped my head to acknowledge him and landed on the guard railing next William. My tail wrapped around the bottom bar for balance. "What were you doing up at five-thirty?" William questioned and leaned his back side against the railing.
"Flying around. I don't sleep much and have to keep myself busy for the time being," I answered and rested my elbows on my thighs, observing the gathering humans.
"Reasonable. Are you ready for today?" he continued.
"I can handle whatever they throw at me. But do you know why kind of base it is?" I threw back and glanced at the packet in his hands. What was in there?
William followed my gaze and held out the papers in his hand. "Here, we have satellite images of the building. It's not very big but we aren't taking any chances." I accepted the packet and opened it. There were only a few papers. Of course the military barely has any information about Jasper. This base is only one of a good twenty or so other bases.
Inside held the satellite image he talked about and he was right about it being small. Scientific bases are around this size but there wasn't a separate for… test subjects. Training and holding hubs are much more bigger unless they are hidden in a city then Jasper heads underground.
The only other logical option was this base is a data center like the last one I entered. All other information in the packet supported my prediction. I handed back it with a neutral expression. Going against a data center isn't bad, one I would rather take on then any other. "It's a data center. They don't usually have high security but I was proven otherwise when I met a Decepticon. Barricade is his name if I remember."
"Do you think ninety soldiers and three Autobots will be enough?" Robert gained our attention. Well, last time I attacked a data center, there wasn't that many soldiers only one Decepticon.
That could change. If they know I'm going after them, Rue and Cyrus will send out their soldiers with backup. Jasper always has a plan b for things like this... Always three step ahead. "Yeah, and you have me as well. Any super humans you see though, let me take them on. Your guns and firepower will not be able to gun one down," I responded with and subtlety noticed the twins entering. The tingling made sure that I knew.
Their forms appeared from the left side. Sides immediately spotted me on the catwalk and waved like a kid seeing his crush. I nervously waved back and greeted Sunstreaker with dip of my head. He returned the gesture and dragged his brother to the side.
Ironhide trudged his way into the hangar, seeming a little irked. The lumbering bot took roast on the other side of humans and crossed his arms.
"Alright, we'll let the others know," William agreed and turned to the huge crowd below us. When the humans saw his movement, all of them quieted down to listen about he needed to state. "Today, we're facing an enemy we have next to none information about." He continued to drone on about the plan, to be sneaky, and watch each other's back. I barely paid any attention to it as the buzz capture my focus. How was I going to take on Jasper if that's keeping me distracted?
William led his team out to army styled vehicles. Everyone load up in those vehicles besides William and Robert hopping into Ironhide's truck mode. I flew above them, wings easily being able to keep up with their moderate speeds through the mountains.
Once we were passed the trees and far onto the highway, I glided down to be close to the Autobots leading the multiple vehicles. Sides revved his engine and moved to zoom past Ironhide. The black truck gunned it and jerked to keep him from taking the lead. I couldn't help but laugh at the bot being shot down so quickly and headed back up.
Ironhide led us up a narrow road, barely any room for him to drive. The road stopped at a spot with enough room to turn around on once were done.
Soldiers jumped out, high powered guns in their grasp. Ironhide, Sides, and Sunstreaker transformed into their robotic form and waited for William's command. I landed next to the two men and furled my wings tightly.
Danger droned inside of my skull, alerting that we were close to the base. I stood there, eyes watching out for anything out of place, and hackled raising.
The major ordered thirty of his soldiers to sneak through the forest. All the other humans were going to stay behind and be backup in case things go south, horribly. Said man turned to me. "You ready?" I flexed my claws, possibly feeling a little impatient, and nodded.
With my confirmation, the thirty soldiers, the three Autobots, and I headed out to the data center. I took the lead though, listening, smelling, watching out for anything. The bots stayed in the back and William and Robert snuck 'quietly' behind me.
Just like how I predicted, we sounded like a freight train marching through the forest. Both humans and robots equaled each other by the amount of noise they were making.
I spotted the familiar dull grey building through the dense foliage and unfurled my wings. Everyone behind me stopped and listened to what I silently ordered them. I turned towards the two main soldiers and motioned for them to be quietly. "We're here," I stated and tucked the extra appendages back into place.
He peeked over my shoulder and probably couldn't see the building. "Right, so remember. You're going to break in for us, get all the info you can, then get out before you're spotted. Here-" William handed me a tablet with a small cable- "take this and use it to get all that you can." So that's the plan, much better than what I thought he was going to do.
"And you remember, spot any super humans, let me take them on. Your men don't stand a chance against one, let alone five." I take the tablet from him and glanced over the screen.
"Alright, don't get yourself killed, Azar."
A smirk graced my lips and our eyes met. "No promises." I blended into the surrounding area with just a thought and lightly trotted over to the clearings edge. William's face of shock nearly had me laughing and getting us caught. Focus, Azar.
Ten or so soldiers milled about, fingers on the trigger of their guns. Danger rang as if I was blind couldn't see what was in front of me. I silently tip toed over to one of the building's sides and leaped up onto the roof.
Two long ranged Jasper soldiers stood at the corners farthest from each other. I cringed in the slightest when one of them glanced over in my direction. Their eyes were hidden behind a dark pair sunglasses but their body language hadn't alert me they had spotted me. I ducked down behind an air duct and held the tablet close.
Luck seemed to be on my side when the soldier returned to observing the ground below them. I breathed a sigh of relief and snuck over to the vent entrance. This time, I couldn't melt the vent cover, which could alert either guard up here. It was a matter of losing important data or shapeshifting into something small. Stupid powers.
I slid the device carefully between the vent slits and watched out for the humans hearing me. Once it was as far as my claws could push it, I focused on an insect to shapeshift on. Painfully, my body crunched and slowly lost its size to be the length of an inch.
An extra set of legs grew from my sides and a shell took the place of my wings. One long horn protruded from where my nose would be. The top of my body had hardened to protect myself from larger predators.
Once the pain subsided mostly, the shift from Draconic to Horned Dung Beetle was complete. The shell on my back spilt to show the two bug wings hiding underneath. I shakily got myself into the air and latched onto the vent cover. From this position, I noticed one of the guards gazing over here again then glancing to the other guard. Crap, forget that shapeshifting makes a little bit of noise.
Without wasting any more time, I slipped past the vent with a little trouble and landed quietly next to the tablet. My horn came in handy as I carefully pushed the device away from the vent cover to the ledge. Being this small made the drop into the ventilation system more scary than it really is.
Carefully and quietly, I shapeshifted back into my normal form and grabbed the tablet. Hopefully this device has a Trojan coding to slip into the main frame. If not, this job was going the be even harder than it already is. See, this is why I need my watch back… I was surprised I hadn't seen anymore Aztec soldiers since interacting with the two. Was Zayden actually listening to me? Ha, to Hell with that.
Soldiers seemed to be crawling all over inside of the base, worse than last time. There could also be a super human or two in here to protect what information Jasper was holding. My nerves were jittery and my heartbeat rise as I continued to over think.
Nervously, I crawled through the vents, carefully listening to any nearby Jasper soldier. Some would stop, waiting for long moments before moving along. Did they know I was here already? That couldn't be, the alarm would already been set off and I would be chains.
Two guards stood inside of the room, high powered guns in their grasp and gaze focused on the surrounding room. Another pair of soldiers were posted on the other side of the door. Four humans to watch out or kill if need be.
I dropped down silently and snuck over to a computer camouflaged. It was on and surprisingly someone was already logged onto their account. What the…?
My senses fanned out and found there was another person in here. How did I miss that? It had to be the stupid tingling, I blame the twins for my distraction. I quickly plugged into the computer and looked through the data this base held.
A shiver raked my body at the sight of what some folders were named. One had the names of all the children they kidnapped. Another had some videos of the area and the training rooms at the main base where everything goes down. A folder that caught my attention was… mine. I stepped back in shock and fear, barely able to notice footsteps moving around.
Said noise got closer, quick. I grabbed all the important folders and had the download start then faced the human. A technician rounded the corner, head down and reading something on a tablet. My eyes widened in shock. I did the next best thing and chucked an icicle at them.
The shard of ice pierced her chest. She fell without another sound. The tablet fell as well, clanking loudly against the floor and alerting the guards. I cussed under my breath and charged towards where the soldiers.
Both stood on guard, scanning for what caused the noise. I didn't waste any time and lunged on the nearest human. My claws dug into human flesh and definitely drawing blood. He opened his mouth to scream but I reacted swiftly and sliced his throat. The red, thick substance pooled under him, most of it coming from his throat.
The three other soldiers aimed their guns, ready to fire. I didn't give them the opportunity to and slammed my fist down on the ground. Deadly spikes of ice shot out and stabbed them. Blood coating the icicles.
Their guns clicked against the ground, alerting me they were disarmed. I got to my feet and rushed over to the computer knowing I had to get out. Where's the alarm though?
Only three of the ten folders had been downloaded. My eyes glanced over to the four dead bodies then back to the screen. These were important and William needed these to have a chance against Jasper. I sighed and peered at the blood dripping off of my claws. Be patient and be on guard.
On the second to last folder, soldier's marching through the halls could be heard. My hackles raised and danger buzzed once more. I snuck over to the door and crouched on the right side of the door.
Those soldiers got closer until they stopped right before the sever room door. My claws curled slightly as the handle turned… The door opened and revealed another four Jasper soldiers. They reacted immediately and aimed their guns at anything that moved.
My scales were camouflaged so they couldn't see me but that wouldn't last for long. I pounced on the nearest human, claws tearing her flesh like paper. Her scream echoed through the halls as she tried to get me off of her. I refused for the human to escape and twisted her neck.
A satisfying pop cut her voice and she slumped to the floor. I wasted no time to leap onto another unsuspecting soldier. Gun shots rang out and then the deafening sound of a alarm covered the sudden noises. Crap.
I sent out two fireballs to the last soldiers, their bodies bursting into flames and falling to the ground. My talons scrapped for traction against the concrete as I rushed back over to the computer.
The other two folder had been downloaded in that time, thankfully. I grabbed the tablet and rushed out of the room like a bat out of Hell, allowing myself to be seen once more. Only to skid to a stop at the huge figure standing at the end of the hall.
A juggernaut of the destructor class. Crap. These guys were nearly impossible to take down, let alone kill.
He held a smug smirk and lowered his front, ready to charge. Dread built deep, in the pit of my stomach at the sight of him. Then my focus was brought back to the device in my hand; I had to protect it until I can get it to William or at least any other soldiers.
Outside of the building and over the alarm, gunfire caught my attention. William must have heard the alarm and sent in his team to help out.
The superhuman charged, a crazed look in his eyes. His footsteps shook the ground slightly at each pound. I acted on instinct and created a wall of ice to somewhat slow him down. It shattered like glass, not doing anything to stop him. Double crap.
At the last second, I surrounded the device in ice to protect it and slid it past him. His large body slammed into mine and continued charging. He forced all the oxygen out of my lungs and possibly cracked a rib or two. I gasped for air and tried to get him off of me.
The wall met my back, knocking what air was left in my lungs out. I clawed at his skin, futilely attempting to get him off of me. My chest burned at the lack of oxygen as he wrapped a hand around my throat, cutting off all ways for air.
This can't be the way I die, by a common juggernaut! My talons only left red marks on his skin, not even drawing blood. Tears prickled the corners of my eyes. Fear of dying consuming me. Fight!
Heat rushed to my fingers as motivation flooded me. I released the real me from hiding. My body grew to accommodate the scarier, deadly side of me. The same heat doubled in power, leaving burn marks in the concrete behind me.
Confusion grew in his eyes from my sudden growth, his grip slipping in the slightest. An opening for me to get out. I summoned a small fire ball to explode between the two of us. It sent him flying back, skidding across the slick concrete floor. My body creating a dent in the concrete and jerking my already aching ribs.
I pushed myself off and went immediately into offense by slamming my foot down. More deadly icicles protruded from the ground and headed straight for him. The ice shattered on contact when it tried to pierce his chest. Ugh, I forgot juggernauts' skin is impossible to break, making them hard to injure or kill.
The juggernaut chuckled, it rumbled deep in his chest. "Pathetic. Did you seriously think your little ice powers were going to work on me? You break like a stick and I? Well you should know by now you can't kill me," he taunted and got to his feet. His shirt was burned but his skin had no sign of damage besides the light red irritated color.
Well, we're about to find that out truly. I formed a small ball of fire, feeding it quickly with all of the energy my body held. The juggernaut furrowed his brows then laughed, believe he was truly invisible.
He moved away from me to end of the long hallway, turned around, and lazily jogged towards me. "Give me your best shot," he sneered. His words only fueled the fire literally growing between us.
It continued to grow in size, giving off high temperatures. The juggernaut noticed the size of the fire ball and quickened his speed until he was charging once more. I held it in front of me and waited for the perfect moment.
Right before he reached me, I released the energy and was blinded by the light. My body was sent back into the wall behind me and fell face first. I glanced up and saw the building falling down around us. The juggernaut was nowhere to be seen… did it work?
Exhausted, I watched as the roof fell on me, unable to do anything, and-