Chapter 3: Autobots & The Lion Guard
Five Months Later, Pride Rock, 18th January 2015, 7:45 am…
Kiara stepped out of the den and felt the gentle spring breeze brush against her, taking a deep and contented breath as she did.
The sun was just about starting to rise in the distance, its light already covering some areas of the Pride Lands.
It wasn't long before Kiara heard heavy footsteps behind her, making their way over to her. She didn't move, simply counted the steps until they stopped a few feet to her right. About a moment passed before she heard a familiar voice say:
"Morning."
Kiara smiled and looked up to see Code Red sitting next to her. "Morning, Red." She replied.
The two friends sat for a few moments in silence before Kiara asked: "So… what's on the agenda today?"
"I haven't a fucking clue." Code Red replied. "For me, at least. Bombast, Frontline and Overclock are going to take turns patrolling parts of the Pride Lands' borders, Shockshot has volunteered to keep an eye on the goings on within Pride Rock, and Doubletake's heading into the Outlands to investigate an Energon deposit he spotted a day or so ago. But me? I haven't the slightest idea. Might take the day off, especially since Simba's been telling me to."
"Are you, though?" Kiara said.
"I'm considering it." Code Red replied. "Haven't spent any time with you in a couple of weeks, and I think my sanity has somewhat returned after the shenanigans you and your friends put me through."
Kiara laughed. "You know you loved it." She retorted.
"Not sure whether your dad would've seen it the same way." Code Red retorted. "Or Kion, for that matter."
"What's this about me?"
Code Red and Kiara both turned to see a small male lion cub had exited the den and was making his way towards them.
The cub had a pale golden pelt broken up by patches of lighter fur on his muzzle, paws and underbelly, and was robust in his appearance. Orange-brown eyes stared out towards Code Red and Kiara, and a small, swept back tuft of bright red hair sprouted from his head.
"Kion. Code Red was just saying that my shenanigans from two weeks ago would not have been received as well if it was Dad or you going through them." Kiara answered.
Kion quickly looked up at Code Red, who was frantically gesturing down to Kiara mouthing the words:
"Agree!"
Kiara noticed, and looked up, saying: "What?"
"What?" Code Red replied almost immediately after.
The two stared one another down as if they were about to start fighting, before they ultimately cracked up laughing, whilst Kion looked on.
"By the way;" Kion said, interrupting Kiara and Code Red's mirth, "I agree with Code Red. From what I heard, Dad wouldn't be too happy with what happened out there."
Kiara suddenly looked up at Code Red, catching a glimpse of him flashing Kion a thumbs up before he turned to face her, saying:
"Hey, don't look at me. That's what Kion thinks. How am I responsible for Kion's opinions?"
"Probably because you were the one feeding them to me." Kion said, smirking at Code Red.
Code Red's jaw dropped before he groaned. "I opened myself up for that, didn't I?" He said.
"A little bit." Kiara replied.
Kion nodded before saying: "Well, got to go. The Guard's more than likely waiting on me." With that, Kion turned and bounded off of Pride Rock, leaving Code Red and Kiara alone out there.
Kiara soon noticed a perturbed look crossing Code Red's face. "Something wrong, Red?" She asked.
Code Red shook his head. "Nah. Just still trying to wrap my head around this whole idea of a 'Lion Guard'."
"Even though it's been two months since it started?" Kiara asked.
Code Red nodded. "Before Kion came along, well; I guess everyone looked up to me to protect the Pride Lands from any assholes who wanted to screw things up. But now Kion and this… this 'Lion Guard' are in the picture…"
"You're worried everyone is going to stop thinking of you as their protector." Kiara concluded.
Code Red nodded. "Don't get me wrong; Kion's done an incredible job as of late. But I can't help but feel like I'm slowly being replaced by Kion."
"Then make sure you're out there as well." Kiara said. "Kion won't be able to solve every little problem in the Pride Lands. That's where you come in. Who knows, maybe you and Kion might learn to work together on some cases."
Code Red frowned. He had to say, he liked the idea. "There's still one underlying issue." He said.
"The Decepticons?" Kiara asked, reading into Code Red's words like a book.
Code Red nodded. "It's been five months since I last encountered any Decepticons. I'm worried that they've been waiting all that time for me to make one slight error of judgement, and then capitalise on it."
Kiara sighed. "Maybe they are, maybe they aren't." She said. "Whatever the case is, until something happens involving them, you should stop worrying about them. You and I both know my dad's given Zazu specific instructions to come find you if he suspects Decepticon activity. I'm more than certain Zazu's told Ono the same thing." Sighing, Kiara added: "Though I pray the Lion Guard never even have to deal with the Decepticons."
"That makes two of us." Code Red replied.
"Make that three."
Both Code Red and Kiara turned to see Simba standing a few feet behind them. "Morning, Simba." Code Red said. "Out to seize the day, like usual?"
"Not yet." Simba said. "Zazu's yet to give me the Morning Report, and it's still early in the morning. You?"
"He's debating taking the day off." Kiara replied. "But with his concerns, I'm suggesting he goes off and does his thing. Kion can't be there to deal with everything in the Pride Lands. So I'm suggesting that Code Red deal with them."
Simba raised an eyebrow. "And here I thought that was my job." Simba replied.
"Well, consider yourself retired, old man." Code Red joked, prompting an outburst of laughter from Kiara.
Simba rolled his eyes. "Why didn't I see that joke coming?" He asked.
"What can I say?" Code Red replied. "The best jokes are ones you don't see coming."
Simba sighed. "I'll be on top of Pride Rock if anyone needs me." The Lion King said as he turned and made his way to the summit of Pride Rock.
Once she had called down from her mirthful stupor, Kiara turned to Code Red. "How long has that 'old man' comment been tucked away?" She inquired.
"No comment." Code Red replied.
Kiara shook her head. "Nearly a full year after we first met, and even now, you continue surprising me."
"You're saying that like it's a bad thing." Code Red remarked.
Kiara blinked. "No I'm not." She protested.
"Um, you are." Code Red said.
"No I'm not!" Kiara argued.
"You're being defensive, which means you are." Code Red said smugly.
Kiara groaned. "Whoever ordained that we be friends has a terrible sense of humour."
"Had the right idea, though." Code Red replied. "Want to come?"
"You bet!" Kiara shouted as she joined Code Red in taking his leave.
In the meantime, with Bombast…
"Desert, desert everywhere." Bombast remarked as he transformed and looked around. "And not a Decepticon in sight." Shaking his head, Bombast wondered why the hell he had agreed to join Code Red's team if this was all he would be expecting.
Contacting Frontline, Bombast said: "Frontline, this is Bombast. I've not found any trace of Decepticons heading this way. Any luck on your end?"
"No, but I'm sure we'll find something." Frontline replied. "Good things come to those who wait."
"Well, I'm getting fucking tired of waiting." Bombast replied angrily. "I'm a demolitions specialist. I should be blowing shite up, not driving around aimlessly with nothing to blow up!"
"Well, you could blow up the Outsiders' den, but one, we have no idea where that is, and two, the commander would have our heads." Came the voice of Overclock as he joined in the conversation."
"Or, he'd applaud us for destabilising our enemies and for our initiative." Frontline offered.
"You're too positive, Frontline." Overclock replied. "And on top of that, one of our main tasks is to keep the peace here. We go around blowing homes up; that's not going to make us look good. And through us, Code Red."
"Like always Overclock, you make a decent point." Bombast said. "But not a point that helps ease your boredom."
"Well, none of us have the cure for your boredom, so quit whining and get back to patrols." Overclock replied. "The Commander will have our heads if he catches us slacking."
Bombast rolled his optics. "He'll do fucking nothing, Overclock. He's a forgiving type. Maybe too forgiving." With that, Bombast transformed and continued his patrol.
It wasn't long before he caught somebody crossing the border into the Outlands, picking up speed as he spotted them. Coming closer, he transformed, recognising the appearance of his fellow Autobot, Doubletake. "Off on another recon mission, eh?" He asked.
"What's it to you?" Doubletake asked sharply. "Aren't you supposed to be patrolling or something?"
"Aye, but I'm bored." Bombast replied. "I'd much prefer to be blowing stuff up and smashing up Decepticons than hanging around waiting for something to happen."
"Well that's your problem, isn't it?" Doubletake replied. "Don't make your problems my problems. I've got better things to do." With that, Doubletake transformed and drove off, leaving Bombast to continue his patrol.
Meanwhile, with Code Red and Kiara.
"Thanks again for rescuing my daughter." The elephant said as she finished fussing over her daughter. "How can I ever repay you?"
"I'm not a mercenary, so you don't need to pay us anything." Code Red said. "Just keep your daughter away from these things in future." Looking down at the baby elephant in question, Code Red added: "And you stay by your mother's side, okay? You got lucky this time, but that's not to say your luck will run out."
Meekly, the child nodded, and took her leave along with her mother.
Looking to Kiara, Code Red grinned. "I'm liking this idea the more and more I put it into practice."
"Well, now you've something to do besides commanding the Autobots, hanging out with me or lazing about at Pride Rock." Kiara said with a smile.
"Speaking of the Autobots, I'd better get any reports they have." Code Red said. Contacting them, he said: "Autobots, this is Code Red. Anything to report?"
"Nothing here, Commander. But I'll keep looking." Frontline said.
"Good to know, Frontline." Code Red replied.
"I've not found anything as of yet, but that's probably because the Decepticons know that the Pride Lands are better defended because we have more Autobots here then there was." Overclock reasoned.
Code Red nodded. "What about you, Bombast?"
"Spotted Doubletake headed over the border into the Outlands." Bombast replied. "You tell him to head in there?"
"No, he volunteered." Code Red replied. "Said he'd found an Energon deposit not far from the border. I'll contact him and tell him to call you if he needs support." Contacting Doubletake, Code Red said: "Doubletake, this is Code Red. Bombast is on standby in case you need support."
"Unlikely." Doubletake replied. "But I'll keep it in mind." With that, the communication concluded.
"I don't know about you, but Doubletake strikes me as kind of a jerk." Kiara said.
Code Red made to reply, but paused as he spotted a familiar hornbill flying overhead. Waiting for them to perch in a nearby tree, Code Red said: "Morning Zazu. Headed to Simba to give the Morning Report?"
"No, just left Pride Rock, actually." Zazu said. "I did find something that you'd find interesting, though."
Code Red folded his arms. "What?"
"Kion and his Lion Guard are dealing with Janja and a large contingent of his clan." Zazu elaborated. "Maybe too large for them to handle by themselves. Would you mind making your way over there to assist them?"
Code Red nodded. "Sounds good to me, Zazu." Code Red replied. Looking to Kiara, Code Red said: "Head back to Pride Rock. This might get messy."
Near Kion's location, not long later…
Transforming, Code Red silently manifested his Path Blaster and sank to all fours. It wouldn't do if he were seen. Moving forward, Code Red looked up over the small hill he had transformed behind, taking in the scene before him:
Kion was clearly visible, his golden fur and red hair tuft giving him away before anything else about him.
Flanking Kion were the members of his Lion Guard: Bunga the Honey Badger, Fuli the Cheetah, Beshte the Hippopotamus, and Ono the Egret.
Standing a few feet away was a large clan of spotted hyenas, with a single one at their head.
Code Red immediately recognised them as Janja, due to the spiked black mane and notch in his left ear.
At that point in time, it was clear that Kion and Janja were exchanging words, probably Kion repeating his warning to stay out of the Pride Lands.
It was then that Code Red took note of Ono's not being airborne, which he thought was stupid. Why would Kion not have Ono in the air, in order to spot anything else in the vicinity, like other enemies?
This concern quickly bore fruit, as Code Red quickly spotted a trio of hyenas had used the large rock to the left of the Lion Guard to successfully flank the Lion Guard.
Looking over to Janja, Code Red quickly deduced that Janja had a clear line of sight to behind the Lion Guard, and could see his minions were behind them. Scowling, Code Red activated his battle mask, which soon slid over his nose and mouth, retracting his Path Blaster and silently drawing his sword as he did.
He could see that the trio of hyenas behind the Lion Guard were starting to creep closer. He imagined their objective was to take the Lion Guard by surprise and enable Janja and the rest of his clan to attack there and then. The Lion Guard would be trapped and helpless against the sheer weight of numbers Janja had on his side.
Thankfully though, Ono just happened to look behind him, and saw the three hyenas approaching. Alarm crossing his face, he made to shout a warning to the rest of the Lion Guard.
The hyena trio, seeing their ruse had been exposed, blindly charged the Lion Guard.
And they would have reached the Lion Guard, had a giant longsword not buried itself inches from the leader of the trio.
Code Red seized this chance to rise to his feet, and would have charged himself had Kion not unleashed a deafening roar, the strength of which sent the bulk of the clan, including Janja, flying away.
Frowning, Code Red started walking down, seeing the Lion Guard waiting.
"Thanks for the assist, Red." Kion said gratefully, the slightest twinkle in his eye clearly visible.
"You're welcome." Code Red said sarcastically as he pulled his sword out of the dirt. "By the looks of things, you guys were about to become breakfast for that clan of hyenas." Gesturing towards Ono, Code Red added: "You could've prevented that from happening by sending Ono up top. Get a feel for the area around you before jumping in."
"Blame that one on Bunga." Fuli said, eyeing the honey badger harshly. "You know how he is."
"Of fucking course." Code Red replied, looking at Bunga himself equally as harshly. "That zuka zama bullshit's gonna get you killed, one day. You know that."
Bunga frowned and looked away guiltily.
"In Bunga's defence, I did warn him." Kion said. "And before you start, I did notice that hyena trio. I just had to give a show to Janja that I hadn't."
"Right." Code Red said. "So how would you have dealt with that problem? Take me through your plan."
Kion sat down. "The rest of the Guard would have turned around and fended off those three hyenas, leaving me free to use the Roar on Janja and the others." Looking to Ono, Kion added: "That warning you saw Ono give us was going to be the signal for the rest of us to turn and see off that hyena trio."
Code Red went over the plan. It seemed perfectly solid in his head. There was a minor problem, though. "How'd you know if you'd have enough time to use the Roar on Janja and the others? Had he attacked at the same time as that trio attempted to, you'd have what, about a second to unleash the Roar on them? Something like that. And besides, didn't I tell you that you're using the Roar too much?"
"There's no such thing as using the Roar 'too much'." Bunga protested.
"Yes there is." Code Red replied. Looking at Kion, Code Red added: "You need to stop relying on it so much. Using your biggest weapon isn't always the best way to resolve a situation. Trust me, I know."
"This coming from the guy who just hurled a massive sword at a trio of hyenas." Fuli remarked.
"Those aren't my biggest weapons." Code Red replied. "If I'd used my biggest weapons, those hyenas would be ash. And then Kion would be angry with me."
"It's true." Kion said.
Code Red nodded. He made to say more, but fell silent as he saw Zazu flying over. "Everything alright, Zazu?" He asked.
Zazu nodded. "Yes. Simba wants you and the Lion Guard to come to Pride Rock immediately. He has a task for you."
Even before I began writing this story, I was already figuring out the ins and outs of the dynamic between Code Red and Kion.
I figured I'd present Code Red as a sort of mentor figure to Kion. They're friends, make no mistake about that. But I wanted to use Code Red to help address a very common complaint about the character of Kion: His overreliance on the Roar. Now don't get me wrong, The Lion Guard Series is geared towards a younger audience than those who grew up with the films, and so something like the Roar is a good device to draw young children in.
But, I just figured Code Red might have a thing or two to say about it, so I decided to get it out of the way.
Enough about that, though; let's answer some reviews, shall we?
Adam Carver: I agree, Nuka didn't deserve any of the BS that he went through. But it made him an effective comedic presence within the Outsiders.
Daniel's the man 98: Who said it'd be the Pride Landers that Crossfire was targeting?
Jason Chandler: No, it won't. But you already knew that, didn't you?
Jestalnaker94000: Well, here you go: Code Red's new group of Autobots, one of whom I've based on Conor McGregor (Three guesses on who), and the Lion Guard. And yes, Crossfire is up to no good yet again. But most villains are always up to no good, aren't they?
Mike Noland: Thanks for the vote of confidence, mate. I know some fanfiction fans that'd order my very public disembowelling for daring to make an already established character a little OOC. But I ignore them. They fall into the same poor crop of people who hated Star Wars: The Last Jedi so much they caused the actress of Rose Tico to quit all social media.
Regardless, hope you enjoyed this chapter. It's been difficult, seeing as I am currently recovering from an operation on my right foot (Nothing serious, no worries). But as the weeks progress, this should get a lot easier.
With that, I shall see you next Saturday with chapter four, which sees Code Red meet an old friend of Simba's.
T-Rock14