-Look at chapter 11 for disclaimer. =P
Chapter 12: Nature Walk (Cutting Edge)
"Why must I get up" I groaned as I swung my legs over the edge of my bed. Oh yeah, cuz' I still want to get home…if it's possible…do I even want to go back… it's been around four weeks since the incident with Sentinel. And surely enough, I received a lot of shit on it primarily from Dinobot (who's a strategy buff), Rattrap (because he's Rattrap), and (surprise-surprise) Optimus. However, the ape was more subtle, as he would only give me glances and I'm sure he made my assignments easier.
I clipped on my utility belt and slipped on my boots –which had a memory fit feature. After I secured my blaster and a few other items to my belt, I then stepped out of my room-
"Eep!" only to have two small bipeds almost topple me, kids…oh wait! the early anthropoid children completely ignored me as they continued to run down the hallway, Chak and Oona!
"Hey you guys-!" Cheetor rushed by me –and almost toppled me too as he chased the two munchkins laughing "Wait up!"
I decided to join the game of tag as I chased down Cheetor. After I sprinted down a few hallways, I heard a clanging noise, a sure sign that a metal container had been dropped. Oh no, apply the brakes! I came to a dead stop as I rounded the corner, almost running face-first into Cheetor.
"Whoa-hey!" I could see another, smaller form pinned between Cheetor's arms. As I slipped past, I had to bite back a laugh "Uhhh, hi" and bite even harder at the cat's face as he awkwardly greeted Blackarachnia. I always thought BA and Silverbolt were cute, but I'm having second thoughts
"Ugh, what is this, a military base or a daycare center for under-evolved bipeds?"
"Why not be both?" I gave a cheeky grin, I was ignored.
"Sorry they're just here until we can…-" I was very certain green optics trailed down a little further than they were supposed to (know what I mean) "…find…-"
"Their tribe?" apparently he forgot I was there, the cat jumped to attention. But still had Blackarachnia pinned, either because he really liked the proximity-
"Let go of me" or maybe he just forgot she was there too since she had to shove him.
"Come on, we got rug-rats to supervise" I tugged on Cheetor's arm. And when he didn't budge, I just jogged on without him to the command center, hehehe Cheetor's got a new crush and it's not me… I grinned, finally.
It took a little while for everybody (except DC) to gather around the strategy hub, a clear sign that no one was too keen on baby-sitting. Except for maybe Cheetor and myself, the kids absolutely loved playing with us –but even more so with the center's equipment. As the children continued to play, Optimus walked in ready to plan the best course of action and who would be a part of it "Someone needs to escort the children back to their tribe…" the massive transmetal ape sauntered toward the table "Blackarachnia?"
I was going to volunteer…
"Me-?!"
…but I know where this goes
"-give the job to someone who can fly"
Rhinox hummed, ready to argue BA's (rudely put) suggestion "Our scanners don't register organics properly. Not much chance of locating the tribe from the air"
"The children will have to lead the way, on foot" Oona waddled up to Optimus with arms outstretched, a clear gesture that she wanted to play.
"Oh, make my day, a nature walk?"
"A dangerous one, but necessary-" awwww she's swinging on his finger- focus! "-the cyber-raptors are Megatron's handiwork, and you know Megatron better than anyone"
"Yeeeah, little miss eight-legged lieutenant-"
"Rattrap be quiet"
"Terrific, me and the junior forest rangers"
I swallowed a chuckle as I saw Chak stop spinning in one of the chairs, the kid's eyes glazed over with dizziness.
"I'll accompany her" Silverbolt stepped up beside me and Trailblazer.
"Negative, you've sustained damage. And besides, I want Blackarachnia's full attention on the task at hand"
"I'll go with her!" Cheetor eagerly volunteered, oblivious to Silverbolts' glare –which I couldn't quite see, but I assumed it was hostile. And the snicker from Trailblazer confirmed it.
"Agreed…any more volunteers?"
It was decided. We all stayed quiet (even Rattrap), curious to see just how BA and the kid would fare as baby-sitters. I felt a clawed hand on my shoulder as BA and an especially bushy-tailed Cheetor left the room with the children, "I'm surprised you didn't volunteer considering your apparent bond with those protohumans" Dinobot looked at me with a raised optic ridge.
"I'm both curious and nervous to see what she does…" I glanced over to Rattrap, who gave me a nod, and then to Trailblazer who just shrugged.
OP cleared his throat "The rest of us will stay here then. We still have plenty of work to do regarding the defense systems" and so with that instruction, that's what we did. Optimus wandered off to handle a few errands while Silverbolt rested in the CR chamber. Trailblazer and Dinobot stood over the strategy hub discussing sentry-gun upgrades, while the rest of us watched the monitor.
"Is it me or is our boy looking particularly bushy-tailed today?" Rhinoxs' red optics squinted.
"You noticed that too huh?"
I heard Trailblazer snigger, but then was promptly told to focus by Dinobot. He responded with a low growl.
"Nyeeea, it's the web lady I'm wonderin' about. Call me paranoid, but I don't trust Preds, I don't trust spiders, and I don't trust dames that sneak in and out of classified areas when they think no one's watchin'" Rattrap eyed the spider-woman with skepticism.
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that our little spider chum…-" everyone's attention snapped onto a hissing noise. Silverbolt stood before the CR chamber, glaring at Rattrap.
"…is a credit to her web-spinning species and I don't know what we'd do without 'er" Silverbolt continued to glare at Rattrap as the rat casually spun in his chair to face the monitor. I heard Dinobot snarl, clearly displeased with Rattrap's (still) apparent lack of trust for the other ex-Pred, and although the raptor was not too fond of the black widow, he at least respected her –to a degree. Trailblazer huffed as he continued to eye sentry-gun schematics, and waited for Silverbolt to the leave the premises to comment "real subtle"
I face-palmed.
Later on I got bored and decided to join the two guys to assist in weapon customization and location, with Rhinoxs' permission of course –he was the guy to ask if Optimus wasn't around and it was convenient that he was still working studiously away at the computer. While I was contently experimenting with different sentry configurations (with Trailblazers' help) I heard a frequency patch through: "Rhinox here, what have you found Depth Charge?" we could barely hear DC's gruff voice "What?! I will send a team to assist you immediately"
Grumble. Grumble. It was especially hard to hear his words when the manta was grumbling. However, me and Trailblazer shared an interested glance when we were both sure we heard 'strange pod'.
"No. I insist" Rhinox shook his head and ended the transmission. Rattrap, who was working on a random computer, poked his head up "Did I hear what I thought I just heard?"
"A pod?" I asked. That's not canon, just like Trailblazer...
"That's what you three will find out"
"Yahoo! I was getting sick of-"
"I'm sure you are not included rodent" Dinobot shot an amused glance as Rattrap started to count slowly. The rat looked over toward our large green friend.
"And by three you meant…"
Rhinox nodded and smirked, his red optics shifted over to us "Trailblazer, Dinobot, Cassandra? You three will group up with Depth Charge, whatever's in the pod might be hostile"
"Or whoever…" I walked over and patted Rattrap, "Sorry, you always get stuck with all the work don't you?"
"…yeah no kiddin', before ya know it bird-dog and the boss monkey are gonna go for a picnic too" the second smallest member of the Maximal team crossed his arms and shuffled morosely back over to his project.
"Ready?" Trailblazers' horse head prodded my shoulder. "Yep" with a quick wave to Rhinox and a sulking Rattrap, I mounted Trailblazer's beast mode and we cantered off to catch up to Dinobot, who we found was already at the blast doors.
It would have been a nice little trek if my two big comrades weren't so quiet. I didn't like it. Didn't like it one bit. Come on Trailblazer, you can't stay angry at him forever…say, he never did explain why he was so angry with him! I sighed and breathed in the scent of the forest we were trudging through. The scent brought the vague recollection of where I used to live, reminds me of home sweet home I mused as my eyes scanned for any Predacon movement. I mulled over the likelihood of me seeing my family again, my mind eventually shut out any noise.
Until that noise got too loud that is: "Hey you okay sis?" Trailblazer's head tilted to the left, his cobalt eye looked directly at me. Okay…I am okay; of course I'm…-wait I'm not! I figured it was a really good opportunity to ask some obligatory questions.
"No" I stated dryly, sounding like a child.
Dinobots' ice blue raptor eyes glanced over "You appear fine to me"
Really? My left eye twitched "On the outside…in the inside…"
"You're not" Trailblazer snorted "…we should know why, shouldn't we?"
Thank Primus, I might not need to spell it out!
"If your emotional state somehow jeopardizes this mission…it's best to negate it now-" the Utah-raptor snarled "speak girl"
"What happened between the two of you?!" my volume caught both the transmetal horse and pre-transmetal raptor off guard "I've tried asking what exactly happened on that day the Axalon was pulled into the sea! But I'd only get vague answers or get ignored completely!" so I quieted down a little, "So please talk it out, stop this nonsense".
"I may have been the catalyst for your equine friend's foul demeanor…" Dinobot growled "…I was the one who disagreed with Optimus' decision to retrieve you so early, especially when retrieving the remaining portion of the Axalon seemed like the top priority-"
"Top priority my shiny metal ass, we could have had that spider-lady construct a sub-aquatic vessel right away, like what she made when we needed to get Sentinel-"
I winced.
"-something like that could have been built in a few hours! But no, you and everyone else just settled with sending small rescue teams-"
"You agreed-"
"Well of course I agreed! I got sick of all the stupid squabbling! Hell, I was ready to track down Rampage for Primus's sake-" I knew it "-to get her myself! Especially when all you guys gave up at the last minute! By the way, she turned up at just that time!" Trailblazer blew air agitatedly; sad blue optics peered over at me "…that's why I've been so sour toward FossilFace"
I frowned, then smiled "That's all I needed to know" I looked over to Dinobot, who was focused on our path ahead, but looked a little upset "…and I understand why you and the others did what you did, this is, after all, war. Expending resources to recover a single soldier could very well mean the end"
There was a low, thoughtful snarl "Are we on better terms now?" as the raptor moved his focus onto Trailblazer. The horse snorted.
"Sort of…"
"I'll assume that is a 'yes'" icy-blue eyes rolled.
"Hey Cassie…-" hmmm…? "I know you probably hear this asked everyday by everybody over and over but-"
"You're going to ask why Rampage left me be aren't you?"
"Yeah…It's not like I don't trust you, but honestly that little story of yours is too far-fetched. So I must ask; what really happened?" Trailblazers' voice grew a little quieter, whereas Dinobot gave me an expectant look.
"I don't know, the truth is just as weird" I patted Trailblazer, whom of which looked at me quizzically "Rampage prevented me from being rescued, and to be quite frank I thought he was going to kill me, which he didn't"
"We already know that..." they both muttered in unison.
"Right, sorry, after that I passed out, when I woke up I saw that he brought me to a cave-" don't include Transmutate "I didn't stay long, especially when he destroyed my radio"
"Explains why we weren't able to reach you-" Trailblazer said in an irritated tone, and his canter came to a stop immediately once he caught a whiff of smoke. Actually, we all caught a whiff. I heard Trailblazers' comm. unit crackle:
:"You guys close?": DC asked urgently.
"We smell smoke-"
:"You're close then. Follow my signal": he does know smoke can…- a bright gold disc sliced through the sky probably a mile or two away, oh, nevermind I guess we're close enough, :"Hurry, this things acting weird":
I held on for dear life as Trailblazer tore through the forest, Dinobot close behind. The ride was a thrilling one, also dangerous because of how low some branches were and how packed in the trees were in a few areas. I kept my head down, really not wanting to damage -or lose- it. It didn't take us long to reach the area where the pod first contacted land, the trail stretched for a lengthy distance and there were a few fires here and there. We traveled along the side; both bots being careful not to slice their legs open on any debris as we approached the site of the alien pod.
"Over here!" we saw Depth Charge wave us over, his large frame kneeled down next to something small and oval shaped. Those five words 'Hurry, this things acting weird' echoed off the walls of my mind, I wonder. Trailblazer whinnied and trotted up to get a closer look, clueless as to what exactly he was looking at.
Weren't we all.
I slid off his beast mode so he could go into bot mode; I jogged over to do a thorough examination. And in doing so I seemed to 'excite' the pod-
"Wait, don't!"
And scare DC. Fortunately, nothing happened, nothing bad to be precise. The pod emitted beeps and hums, and once those got nice and shrill (neither of us dared to move) it chirped. The pod's hatch opened with a hiss, and inside were two items, two items that appeared to be...delicious. My eyes went wide and my stomach growled, oh, I may have neglected to mention I didn't eat anything that morning.
"You really are crazy" DC kneeled down beside me, a small hint of relief in his optics. "The pod only started to react once you guys got within what? Two miles?"
"You foolish girl!" was my only warning before Dinobot yanked me away. Ah yes, his timing was impeccable, getting me away from the 'dangerous' pod after it opened. I held my tongue to stop myself from saying anything smart.
"Uhhhm…" Trailblazer leaned in to look into the pod and then grasped the two objects. With careful handling, he set them on the ground. "Hey Cass, looks like there're messages on them"
"From those blasted aliens no doubt!" Dinobot was about to stomp on my breakfast. I did not allow it. I swooped in like a hawk and saved the two gifts from under Dinobot's nose. The raptor spun around, flabbergasted. I returned his glare.
"These aliens can't be so bad can they?" I asked innocently. I knew very well what the Vok had done, but hey, I was very hungry.
"You can't be serious"
"What aliens?"
Trailblazer pulled DC to the side and began a lengthy explanation (he reiterated what he had heard from Rhinox when he first asked) about the Vok. Whilst me and Dinobot began to argue, the raptor's optics remained trained on the 'gifts' with complete and utter distaste.
"Stop being a child and hand them over"
"No" I read the messages while I kept one wary eye on Dinobot. First, was the small cake adorned with Vok symbols:
Eat me? I snorted, hehehe, bastards have a sense of humor…or maybe they've read Alice in Wonderland?
I then read the message attached to the small vial. Drink me –yup, they must have an inter-dimensional library or something, wait…were these… Dinobot advanced ever so slowly toward me, and I merely took quick steps back while I gave him the stink-eye. Could the Vok have something to do with bringing me here? Is that why they sent the pod here? Could it be some kind of care package meant for me?! Maybe…no, it has to be, they had to know I'm the only one who would understand such a reference! Dinobot snarled and went with a more aggressive approach. That being charging me, and it would have worked, he would have got what he wanted…too bad I already had popped the cake into my mouth. Red optics widened with a distraught expression. To be honest, I did feel bad; the raptor-former was as protective of me as all the other Maximals. He only wanted to warn me and neutralize the threat. Sadly though, when I was hungry, I would become an inconsiderate ass in my desperate need for food. And because I was very curious as what the effects of Vok-made food would be.
The answer: nothing. I'm probably a new level of moronic for doing this, but…it tastes like strawberries!
"The Pit happened?!" Trailblazer noticed Dinobots' expression, and so did DC.
"She…ate it"
I drank the contents of the vial with a deliberate slowness. I got stares of disbelief. "If it were poison or any other bio-weapon don't you think there'd be more of it? And in a more threatening vessel?"
"Cassie"
Dinobot face-palmed "Idiot"
Depth Charge chuckled "She seems fine to me, do the aliens know she's in this war too?"
"As of now apparently" I shrugged "You said the pod started to react once we got close…have you considered that maybe I was the target?"
"If you knew that why the Pit did you still consume that wretched junk?!" if Cybertronians could've popped a blood vessel, Dinobot would have in that moment.
"Maybe the Vok like her for not being a Maximal, kind of a species bias deal" Trailblazer speculated-
"Looks that way, from what HorseBoy told me you guys ruined their project…" and DC joined in. "…hey, maybe they're rewarding her?"
Or killing me off…I do feel a little light headed… I wanted to offer some input, to set aside my growing unease. However, as the three guys began arguing/joking amongst themselves, my light-headedness escalated and I found myself passing out.
When I woke, two pairs of red optics and one pair of blue were over me, oh don't tell me…
"I passed out"
"Warned you" Dinobot jeered. On the inside though, I was very sure he was relieved I hadn't died. A rustling noise was my only warning before I found myself being picked up and then squeezed. It took me a moment to realize I was in one of Trailblazer's 'super-hugs'.
"Those were the scariest three minutes of my life!" Trailblazer gently smacked the back of my head "Ass-hat"
I blushed. "Three minutes huh?" I took note that we were all still in the forest "So I don't have polka dot skin or wings do I?"
There were sniggers all around. "No" Trailblazer set me down on my feet. We heard a cough and both of us looked at a very amused Depth Charge and Dinobot, "If you two are done with your spark-warming reunion, I believe we should head back to base, perhaps so Cassandra can go through a legitimate scanning?" the raptor being the one to be the voice of reason. DC snorted.
"For her head or body?"
I grinned and leaped onto the manta's leg. And I started to gnaw on him, and because he didn't want to hurt me…he had to let it happen. The big bad ex-Marshal of Omicron simply muttered and covered his face with his hand, not at all used to dealing with (anymore) embarrassing situations. Luckily for him, I stopped once I was satisfied with his reaction. I turned around to find Trailblazer rolling on the ground and Dinobot mirroring DC. After I soaked in the moment, I pulled out my radio.
"I report mission success" I reported to Rhinox "Cassandra to Rhinox do you copy-?". I gaped once I heard what sounded like explosions and gunfire. Dear Primus I almost forgot! I really am an ass-hat!
:"I copy, you-": there was some grunting as machine gun fire ripped through the other end :"called at a very bad time. Requesting back-up…": there was some more grunting :"did you locate the pod?!":
"Yes sir, it carried a couple of harmless Vok tokens-"
"That you ate!" Trailblazer yelled. Jerk…
:"We'll, discuss this later": I judged by his tone that the rhino was irate. Oh boy.
"We're on our way, hang in there!" I turned off the radio, my worried gaze quickly set on DC "Sounds like our base is under attack-"
"On it-" he transformed "Get on!"
"All three of us?" Dinobot sounded unsure, because both him and Trailblazer were fairly big fellows. But Trailblazer didn't argue as he picked me up with an arm and jumped onto DC's flight mode.
"You're more than welcome to walk FossilFace-"
Dinobot proved he didn't want to do such an inane thing as he ran and also jumped on. As we ascended at a comfortable speed, Depth Charge decided to give us a last second warning "By the way, you might want to hold on-"
"Gah!" before we all had to grip onto our aqua-bat friend as he had his jets reach maximum burn in a ludicrously short time.
Once we returned to our base we had no trouble fighting off Megatron and the remaining Predacons mainly because we outnumbered them and dealing with large Preds was DC's specialty. When the area was clear, me and Trailblazer went to go see Rhinox. And thus, I prepared myself for the lecture from hell.