Chapter 4: DVa
Very few Autobots take their jobs seriously until they experience the war right in front of their eyes. Most expect themselves to be invincible on the battlefield until they get shot in the face, whether it was meant to be fatal or not. After that, most either get too scared to rejoin the battle, or go out to the field to try again.
A young Autobot lass, going by the name DVa, luckily, wasn't one of those cases. Despite her young age, she hasn't let the horrors of the war deter her bright and playful spirit.
The sun was slowly setting on the Cybertronian horizon, and zippy pink sports car was racing down the metallic roads of Cybertron. It was heading towards an Autobot supply station. The car roared towards the base, slowing down as it approached the main doors. Once inside, the pink sports car transformed into a short, slender, blue and pink Autobot. This was DVa.
As the main doors closed behind her, she walked towards the command center. First thing she noted when walking in, DVa noticed that the command center wasn't as packed as she thought it would be. There were just enough Autobot workers stationed at each console, and several other Autobots were moving various crates and flatbeds from garage to garage.
DVa was not paying attention to that right now. She was looking for someone. She was looking for the bot that's running this place. She poked around the facility until she found the bot she was looking for.
Talking to one of the workers was a dark green armor plating, with an orange yellow towing equipment attached to his back. DVa found Hoist.
"Hello~!" She called.
Hoist turned around to see DVa. While he was thrilled to see that there was one more bot to help, but, to him at least, DVa looked like another rookie that just wanted to see some action. Nonetheless, with the Decepticons accelerating their attacks, he needs all the help they can get.
"So…" He started, bringing out a D-Pad. "You're the new recruit?"
"Yep!" DVa smiled. "My name is DVa!"
Hoist shook his head at DVa's bubbliness. He told her to follow her back to the command center. As soon as the two bots entered, one Autobot worker ran up to Hoist in a hurry.
"What's the matter?" He asked.
"Sir, one of our transports going to Iacon was attacked and destroyed!" The worker said hurriedly.
Hoist pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew this was going to happen. The outpost that he was currently working at was in a very tricky spot on Cybertron. Not only that, since the supply station is tasked with restocking all of the nearby Autobot listening stations, it put Hoist in a very frustrating position.
"If Megatron keeps this up, we'll be forced to pull out of this base!" The worker said.
"Yes, I know." Hoist admitted. "We have to figure out a way to get past Megatron's attacks…"
"Uh… can I suggest something?" DVa chimed in.
Hoist turned to face the young Autobot. She looked as if she had an idea.
"I can accompany the next supply shipment." She suggested. "That way, if any Cons plan to attack, I should get them clear."
Hoist was very cautious. From the little report he got from the drill sergeant that trained DVa, she had a little bit of battle experience, but they were against small Decepticon patrols. He wasn't sure if she was ready for a mission as important as this.
"Are you certain?" He asked. "This isn't your average Decepticon patrol."
"I know that!" DVa exclaimed. "I'm looking for some action!"
Hoist sighed. She was just like every other Autobot rookie. However, having dealt with plenty of others like her, he knew arguing with someone like her would be useless. After much though, Hoist gave in.
"Very well." He sighed. "You will be departing with a transport going in 0620. Get your gear ready."
"Yes sir!" DVa replied eagerly.
She then hopped away to her quarters while Hoist began to organize the supplies for the shipment. Unbeknownst to them, there was a small drone that have been listening onto everything they've been saying. The drone beeped a bit and then floated away. It floated around for a bit and eventually settled onto a red Decepticon's arm. The Decepticon studied the surveillance data the drone got and seemed satisfied.
"Hm…" She muttered. "Well done."
A blue car drove up behind the red Decepticon. It transformed into his robot form and approached her.
"So, what have we got?" He asked.
"The Autobots are sending another supply shipment to their capital." The red Decepticon replied. "It will be departing in approximately eight cycles."
"Well, what are we waiting for?" The blue Decepticon urged. "Let's just get in there and destroy them!"
"Patience." The red Decepticon assured. "We will wait until the transport has departed. We will intercept them during their voyage. Only then, will you have your fun."
The blue Decepticon scoffed, but complied nonetheless. The two Decepticons then walk away from their location and disappeared. In the Cybertronian skyline, two aircraft soared away into the air.
The transport was quickly loaded and fueled for its journey to Iacon. Within a few minutes, the transport was ready, with DVa on board. Hoist and the staff of the outpost saw the transport off, and watched until they were clear.
The transport went on for some time, so far meeting no Decepticon resistance. DVa was just raring to see some action. So, she decided to have chat with some of the other escorting troops. However, every time she tried to initiate a conversation, all of them just looked away. In the end, she gave up and just sat down on the other end of the transport, pouting.
"Well, I guess I'll just try to make friends after this mission." She talked to herself.
She walked into the cockpit, where the pilot was busy flying the transport. She plopped herself onto the co-pilot's seat.
"Hi there!" She smiled.
"Hey." The pilot said, not looking at her.
"My name's DVa! Who are you?" She asked again.
"DH-795. But everyone calls me Wing Saber." The pilot said.
DVa would've said more if an explosion suddenly interrupted them outside. The ship rocked a bit, its cargo spilling inside a bit.
"What was that?" DVa shouted.
Wing Saber quickly did a scan of the ship. Luckily, other than a few dents on the hull, the ship was still able to fly. But still, he didn't think it could survive a full Decepticon attack. That's when DVa stood up and opened up one of the ship's doors.
"Hey!" He cried. "What are you doing?"
"What do you think I'm doing?" DVa shouted back. "I'm going to divert the Decepticons away from you!"
"On your own?" Wing Saber asked.
"Don't worry! I have thrusters, so I can fly!" DVa reminded. "Just make sure this ship reaches Iacon!"
With that said, DVa jumped out of the cargo transport and activated her thrusters. She immediately darted to the back of the transport, scanning her surroundings. She soon found what she was looking for: A squadron's worth of Vehicons, accompanied by two other Decepticons that she didn't recognize.
"Alright then." She said to herself, smiling.
She steadied her arms. Her arms shifted and folded in, replacing them with three-barrel fusion blasters. A couple of small panels also flipped out on her shoulders and revealed two small missile launchers. She brushed her nose, and then aimed her blasters at the Decepticons.
"Game on." She declared.
Then, she unleashed her fury. Aiming her cannons in front of her, she fired, along with some micro missiles firing alongside the cannon blasts. The Decepticons also fired back in response, but they were getting shot down one by one.
The two unknown Decepticons broke from the squadron, and began to make a break for the transport. DVa saw this and tried to shoot them down, but she had to take care of the other Decepticons first. So, she continued to shoot down the remaining Decepticon until they were gone.
"Alright, that's done." She muttered to herself.
She then turned to scan for those other two Decepticons that broke off from the initial attack. But they weren't anywhere to be found. DVa was confused until she was immediately tackled by something that threw her off of the transport and into the air. The two figures fell on long distance towards the surface, but the bot that tackled her transformed into a helicopter and flew away. DVa, on the other hand, continued to fall.
When she got close to the ground, she activated the little thrusters on her back, which only softened the landing. She groaned as she got on her front and tried to get up. She barely managed, until she saw two aircraft approaching her at a criminally high speed. She quickly raised her blasters and began firing. The shots just seemingly bounced off of them.
The aircrafts then transformed into two muscle cars, before transforming into two figures. She figured that they were the other two Decepticons, as their glowing red optics could be seen, even in her condition. DVa had to react fast, so she tried to fire her cannons. But the red Decepticon fired a shot from her own blaster, disabling her cannon. The blue Decepticon ran up to her faster and kicked her in the face before she could do anything.
"Nowhere to run!" He scowled.
DVa stood back up. She clenched two fists and ran at the blue Decepticon. She threw a punch, but the Decepticon dodged it and just retaliated with his own punch. Meanwhile, the red Decepticon stayed back and just observed.
The blue Decepticon continued his punches and kicks onto DVa's chassis, cracking her armor and making her bleed Energon. Finally, the blue Decepticon finally landed a critical hit on DVa. She fell like a stack of bricks, her Energon spilling onto the metallic surface.
"Well, you lasted a bit longer than expected." The blue Decepticon sneered.
DVa turned around and faced the two Decepticons.
"What do you want…?" She spluttered, her voice clearly in pain. "Attacking these supply shipments won't stop us from fighting!"
The red Decepticon chuckled as she stepped forward. She crouched down and lifted up DVa's chin.
"Every little bit helps for the war effort." She explained. "And besides, it gave us the opportunity to fight you."
"A warrior is as noble and strong as the cause she fights for." She continued. "Pity… you chose the wrong side."
Before DVa can reply, the blue Decepticon stepped up and unsheathed a blade from his left arm. He then stabbed it right into DVa's chest. DVa screamed in pain as the sharp metal blade cut through her inner workings.
"You fought bravely, young one." The red Decepticon sneered. "You deserve a better death."
The blue Decepticon yanked the blade out of DVa's chest. He lunged his arm back and prepared to strike her down. But then, a pair of missiles flew in from above and landed right on his torso. It blew him back several feet, with the red Decepticon taking some bullets as well. She was able to dodge most of them, but was still forced to fall back nonetheless.
A sleek jet flew down from the sky and transformed into a slender figure. DVa couldn't make out who it was, but she did see that the new arrival had an Autobot symbol on her sides.
"Sorry, luvs!" She said. "But no Autobot is going to die on my watch!"
The two Decepticons growled. They were ready to attack but then they saw an Autobot transport arriving behind them. They scoffed, and turned around. Running away, they transformed into their muscle car form and drove away. Once they were up to speed, they turned into a harrier jet and helicopter respectively.
Tracer saw them flee, but quickly turned back to DVa's bleeding body. She saw that she barely hanging on to life.
"I need a medical crew! Hurry!" She called.
A pair of Autobots quickly ran over with a stretcher in between them. DVa moaned as she was gently hoisted up and placed on the stretcher.
"Hey, it'll be alright." Tracer said calmingly. "You're in good hands now."
DVa awoke later in a medical facility. She looked around. She was hooked on to Energon IVs and was lying down on a metal slab. Some bots were also around her, checking readings.
She sat up, her gears and pistons creaking and winding up as she moved. The medic bots saw this, and gently told her to get back on her back and rest. DVa wasn't having any of it, as she had some questions first.
"What about that transport?" She asked. "Did it make it to Iacon?"
"You want the long answer or the short answer?" called a voice.
DVa and the medics turned to see Wing Saber standing by the door. He seemed undamaged, and judging by the smile on his face, it would seem DVa was right.
"May we have a moment?" He requested.
The medics obliged, quickly filing out of the room. Wing Saber reached a control panel and pressed some buttons. DVa's bed the arched upward, with supports for her feet popping up.
"How you holding up?" He asked.
"I'm doing alright." DVa replied. "Just a couple of bruises and battering. Nothing a quick day or so in the med-bay won't fix."
Wing Saber somewhat chuckled at that. He may not have known this young Autobot that long, but he did figure out that she is brave.
"Someone's here to see you." He added.
DVa looked puzzled. Then, through the door, came in two more Autobots. She seemed to recognize one of them, being the one that saved her. The other, much older and grizzled looking Autobot on the other hand, she didn't know.
"Hope for a fast recovery soldier." The old Autobot said. "I'm Soldier: 76, and I assume you've met Tracer?"
DVa looked over to Tracer now. She
"You're lucky." 76 admitted. "Not just anyone can survive an encounter with Shatter and Dropkick like that."
DVa deduced that they were the names of the Decepticons she fought earlier. Still, she was very apprehensive as to his presence here.
"What are you getting at…?" DVa asked curiously.
76 quickly coughed into his hands and got to the point. But before he could say anything, Tracer interrupted.
"The commander wants to recruit ya!" She said.
DVa was pleasantly surprised. Wing saber as well. They have heard recruitments for a secret Autobot taskforce, but she never knew the full details of it.
"Why me though?" She asked. "There are plenty of other Bots out there."
"Yeah I know." 76 responded. "But I just don't pick my recruits on a dime. I pick them on a trial basis."
"And was my trial that mission of escorting the transport?" DVa asked curiously.
76 nodded, and Tracer quickly walked over to the young pink Autobot. She seemed rather bubbly, which DVa really liked.
"So, luv?" Tracer spoke. "What's it going to be?"
DVa thought about it for a short second. She had only just joined the Autobots, and the fact that she was already getting recruited into subgroup seemed too fast. Still, she can't let an opportunity like this to pass.
"Ok." She finally said. "I'll join."
Tracer clapped in excitement, while 76 just nodded quietly. DVa was excited as well. Only her first two days in service for the Autobots, and she already has secured a spot with who she can only describe as a veteran.
"This is going to be fun." DVa smiled.
She pumped her fist in the air, but she quickly brought it back down, as doing so brought a short sting of pain.
"Yeah…" Wing Saber commented. "How about you let the medics take care of you first before you start celebrating?"
All of the Autobots in the room all had a good laugh with that.