Chapter 7: Pushing Forward

The Vengeance, at the same time…

"What news, Switchblade?" Crossfire asked his personal tactician.

Switchblade at first didn't respond, something that failed to surprise Crossfire. Whenever Switchblade was fixated on a task, he rarely deviated from it, with only passing replies given to any that attempted to draw his attention, not always right away.

However, Switchblade soon replied. "Not much. Shadowstreak has failed to report in since he brought news that an Autobot convocation was headed towards the mountains. It would appear that they have discovered our plans."

Normally, Crossfire would not be pleased, but this time, he was pleased. "Did he provide numbers?" He asked.

"No, all he said was that he intended on ambushing them at the next available opportunity."

Crossfire's smile faded. "I specifically ordered him not to engage." He growled.

Switchblade failed to respond, which only exacerbated Crossfire's scowl.

This along with the news that Shadowstreak had failed to report in since then pointed to one of two outcomes: One, he was now dead, and so no longer of use to Crossfire, or two, he was alive, and biding his time, waiting for Crossfire's inevitable anger towards him for his insubordination to subside.

Either one would fail to surprise Crossfire. For all of Shadowstreak's skill as an assassin and spy, he was a lost cause in open battle. Skilled though Shadowstreak was in terms of hand-to-hand combat, he lacked the tactical know-how that would have been required to conduct a successful ambush, which, in a perfect world, would have either crippled the Autobots to the point that they could not mount much of an offence, or annihilated them completely.

Neither of which were possibilities Crossfire was willing to consider.

Switchblade finally spoke, saying: "I did remind him of your orders not to engage, but he dismissed my concerns by saying you would be thanking him once he brought you the head of Code Red."

Crossfire almost laughed at the reply, but held it in. Shadowstreak was a great many things, but arrogance was not a quality Crossfire had seen in Shadowstreak.

He was about to make a remark when Switchblade said:

"Incoming call from Shadowstreak, sir."

Crossfire smiled. "Patch him through." He said. "I would have words with him."

It wasn't long before a hologram of Shadowstreak appeared, standing at attention and affording Crossfire the respect a commander warranted. "Commander." He said.

"Shadowstreak." Crossfire said. "Calling to try and account for your utter fiasco of an attempt to ambush the Autobots?"

Shadowstreak nearly stammered as he said: "Commander, I merely wished to-"

"Wished to what?" Crossfire demanded. "Endanger our entire operation in the mountains just so you could end the Autobot threat before it could begin?" Shaking his head, Crossfire growled: "I expected better from you, Shadowstreak."

"I can still correct my errors, Commander. If you will allow me." Shadowstreak protested.

"Oh really?" Crossfire asked sarcastically. "And how do you propose to do that, seeing as you haven't enough Vehicons to successfully defeat all of the Autobots that are currently making their way towards the mountains with every intention of disrupting our operations there?"

Shadowstreak made to answer, but no words came forth.

Crossfire shook his head in contempt. "Precisely." He snarled. "However, this failure at least reminds me that you're purely and only good when it comes to scouting missions and assassinations, neither of which were in your mission directives. You were meant to draw the Autobots to you. Not attack them outright in a vain attempt to win glory and my respect. Neither of which you have in your possession, by the way."

Shadowstreak bristled, but held his vocal processors.

"Either way, this means we must push forward our plans for the mountains, if purely so that we may turn your foolishness into an outcome that ends advantageously for us." Crossfire said.

"And how do you propose to do that?" Shadowstreak asked.

Crossfire folded his arms. "Follow the Autobots to their destination, then report back to me. By no means must you attack them, unless you yourself are discovered. But I sincerely doubt that, considering your talents in that respect. Either way, that is your new directive. I strongly suggest you follow it vigorously."

"Yes sir." Shadowstreak said. With that, he made to end the connection, but Crossfire stopped him.

"Shadowstreak?" Crossfire said.

"Yes?" Shadowstreak inquired.

"Do not fail me again." Crossfire growled, making each word seem like its own threat."

Shadowstreak nodded, and his hologram disappeared from view.

Crossfire forcibly composed himself as he looked over to Switchblade. "Marshall our troops and ready the Vengeance for takeoff." Crossfire growled. "All hands on board and ready for battle as soon as possible."

"But what of our battle plans?" Switchblade inquired.

Crossfire clenched his fists. "We can draw up renewed ones on the way." He growled. "In the meantime, do as I command!"

Switchblade nodded and took his leave, passing a familiar lioness on the way out.

"Leaving so soon, Crossfire?" She asked.

Crossfire scowled. "No. I am merely honouring my side of our covenant, Zira. Recent events have forced me to push my plans forward. In return, I strongly suggest you get looking for more Energon."

Zira smiled. "You will get your Energon, Crossfire." Allowing her face to turn into a snarl, she said: "But I expect you to return with the blackened corpses of every last Autobot you face in the mountains."

Crossfire smiled sinisterly. "Zira, when I return, I will gladly give you the head of Code Red myself. I wager that sight will utterly shatter the psyche of that precious princess he calls a friend."

Zira smiled herself. "Oh believe me." She said. "The moment her family is dead and my son Kovu rules the Pride Lands, she will be reminded of her friend's fate until her dying day."

Crossfire shook his head. "Your sadism never fails to surprise me, Zira. Now leave my ship. By this time next week, we will be celebrating the defeat of the Autobots."

Well, whatever Crossfire's plans were regarding Code Red, they have been thrown into disarray by the rash actions of Shadowstreak. But if there's one thing about villains, they always have backup plans. What those backup plans are will be revealed as the story progresses.

But with that aside, let's talk to my readers, shall we?

Adam Carver: Shadowstreak does have a few tricks up his sleeve, but Shadowstreak shouldn't be the one I would worry about if I were you.

Daniel's the man 98: I doubt Shadowstreak is even in charge of Vehicon manufacture. If he was, they'd be as bad as he is when it comes to a head-on assault.

Jason Chandler: The Lion Guard's hypothetical reaction to the Avengers, eh? Well, like with most crossover events, it'd probably start with a fight (And a very short one at that, since the Avengers would utterly bludgeon The Lion Guard, don't at me). But they'd team up, and the Lion Guard would probably become a sub-group of the Avengers afterwards once they've realised they're on the same side.

Jestalnaker94000: Well, you were right about Shadowstreak whining about his loss (To a degree, Crossfire spent most of the chapter ripping Shadowstreak's balls off and force-feeding them to him), but don't worry, Shadowstreak won't be without a part to play in coming chapters.

Mike Noland: Megatron likely wouldn't care, since Shadowstreak isn't under his direct command at the moment. But had Shadowstreak failed a directive given to him straight from Megatron himself, then yes, Megatron likely would have killed Shadowstreak. Or at the very least, tortured him to the brink of insanity.

And with that said, thank you so much for reading this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed reading it.

I shall see you next week with chapter 8, which sees our motley crew of heroes finally reach their destination.

T-Rock14