Chapter 14
I do not own anything from Transformers.
"Gabby we have protection against magnetic fields," Optimus said to Gabby as they rode to the old junkyard where they were meeting Walt and his contacts. Ratchet was coming with them to assess the situation and they needed the help. The rest of the Autobots were riding around the perimeter to protect the plans they had.
"I know, but you may get trapped, and what happens if we are attacked?" She asked trying to make sense of Optimus volunteering the trailer.
They had the trailer hidden in the bunker in Arizona with the other Autobots.
"You said the power of the magnets should not last more than a few minutes, then I can let go, and we can make our escape," he said through the speakers.
Gabby thought for a moment. "I don't know. I know you would have it under control, but I can worry right?"
"My matrix is well protected, and we already have ways to stop us from being damaged internally from magnetic fields, now the outside, yes I will be trapped, but as long it is disabled we will be fine," he answer appreciating her concern.
"Besides, do you think it makes me feel any better that you are putting yourself in danger to carry out this mission?" He asked.
Gabby raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Touché."
Optimus laughed through the speakers.
They arrived at the old car graveyard just outside of Phoenix, Arizona. Gabby's contact Walt waited for her with two other men, older, and obviously the owner, and his helper.
Gabby made sure Walt warned them that she was with the Transformers, and had Barricade go into robotic mode. The two men were paid off about seeing the robots, and to keep their mouths shut.
Barricade approached Gabby and whined, "He made me drive, transform, drive some more, and do stunts."
Gabby raised an eyebrow in question about Barricade's complaining.
He looked around while the others transformed into robotic mode.
"I have to say though I did it for you, and it was not completely terrible. The man is smart, and a pleasant human. I think after this is over, I will stay with him till he passes on," Barricade said sincerely. "Right now. My first priority is to get rid of the human who wants to see us all dead."
Gabby was taken aback by Barricade's admission, and very happy about it. He actually could see someone besides her, and relate to a human.
"Well OK then. That makes me happy that you and Walt connected," she said smiling.
"He is what you humans call a badass, and I like it," he said before walking away. "He would have made a perfect Decepticon."
She had to agree.
Gabby maneuvered past many metal legs, and all of them careful not to step on her. Optimus was always very watchful of that.
Ratchet and Gabby then went over the trailer and measured everything, took notes, inspected the equipment, made their plan.
Then they would have to test it. Gabby was able to acquire a laptop that she would destroy in testing.
Optimus and Ratchet then installed all equipment.
"Do you think this will work?" Walt asked Gabby.
"Well, we'll know when you lift me ten stories," she answered.
"Gabby, you are messing with powerful government entities. Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked.
Gabby turned to him and said, "Do you know what they did to me, and these guys?"
"No, because you never told me," he answered.
"Well, if you knew it would be worse than what you are doing now to protect your family," she commented.
She turned to Walt and faced him. "Do you want to know the truth?"
Walt nodded waiting for her response.
"The big guy and I have a child, and I will do anything to protect her."
Walt looked skeptical. "Wait…you have a child? With him? How?"
Gabby smiled. "Walt, there are just some things science can't answer, and from an engineer to a chemist that is saying a lot."
"What I want to know is how did you not die?" He asked.
"That is another mystery. One that may never be solved," she answered.
Walt could only shake his head in amazement. "Where is this child?"
"She took off into outer space. There are more enemies coming and she was trying to defeat them. However, she is on her way back now," Gabby answered taking more notes as Ratchet told her what was going on.
"This is crazy!"
"So are alien robots, but here we are," she said giving him a side-glance.
Walt nodded in understanding, but said nothing more.
Gabby had come to view him as a friend, and she could see he was getting worse and worse. He was no longer accepting treatment for his cancer, and had six months, if that.
When Optimus and Ratchet were finally done, Gabby and Ratchet inspected the trailer.
"So, the trailer will open, and each magnet will be shot to each story of the building with these hooks to secure them," Ratchet explained.
Gabby nodded and continued her notes.
"How long do you think we have till they are fully charged?" Gabby asked.
"Well, we are about to see aren't we?" Ratchet answered.
Barricade was getting annoyed at the plans again. "Ah! I don't understand why we just don't blow up the building. It would make it so much easier."
He turned and looked at Optimus with his optics flashing red. "Prime, you need a good kick in the aft. You are putting your life on the line for a few humans."
Optimus looked at Barricade and his optics narrowed. "This is more than that, Barricade."
Gabby walked in between the two taking a chance on getting stepped on.
"Barricade. That building is designed to withstand a small nuclear explosion, so your weapons are useless," Gabby explained looking up at him. "However, even with the reinforced steel a magnetic field can destroy most pertinent information on the robots and Orianna."
Optimus looked down at Gabby careful to keep her in his sight range.
"If you had taken a moment to ask, and find out we did make a plan B," Optimus said sharply.
"What is the plan B?" Barricade asked.
Optimus smirked through his faceplates. "We infiltrate, and then bomb it."
….
Optimus and Ratchet insisted on staying while the magnet was tested.
The guys who ran the junkyard could only build a quick seven-story structure to accommodate their testing. Gabby didn't like it, but it would have to do.
Gabby held the control unit, as she was then lifted ten stories into the air by a crane.
Gabby always hated heights, but she tried to ignore it, and tried to put up a brave face as the crane lifted her in a small metal box.
Optimus and Ratchet braced themselves while Barricade kept the perimeter secure with the Autobots so he would not get caught in the magnetic field.
She clicked the button on the radio. "Ready?"
Walt answered and said, "We are ready to go. Remember the button on the left will shoot the hooks with the magnets, and once they are attached to the building start with the button on the right to activate them, and then activate the field slowly."
"Alright, here we go," Gabby answered.
She turned on the laptop, and made it boot up. Holding that in on her arm, she hit the button the left, the hooks began to shoot the magnets into the air.
It took a lot of power to make the magnets shoot many feet into the air, since they were almost bigger than her.
Gabby prayed as each one shot through the cannon, and first was the highest story, then the next, and the next.
Gabby frowned as the fourth story one missed, and fell to the ground with a big thud.
"Keep going! Keep going!" Walt yelled into the radio.
The third story missed, but the rest of them hit their targets. They would need to do a little tweaking, but overall the hooks attacked to the makeshift structure.
"Ready?" Walt asked.
"Yes," she answered.
Pressing the button the right, Gabby began to turn the dial slowly. Gabby could see Ratchet and Optimus start to try to resist the pull of the magnets as she gave them more strength.
She turned the knob again, and this time Optimus lost his footing, but waived for her to keep going.
Gabby looked down at the laptop, and it was still working.
She had it about halfway, and still the laptop did not budge.
Taking a deep breath, she turned the knob to three quarters.
Ratchet and Optimus cried out as they were now solidly attached to the structure.
Gabby almost cried out in glee as the laptop home screen began to flicker with other colors. Then as she turned the knob a tiny bit more, the screen went completely blank. In fact, after it did that, it was pulled from her hands and crashed against the metal cage she was in. The cage began to sway sideways, and she began to sweat with fear. She could have sworn she heard cracking at the crane began to move to the magnetic field.
Shaking she turned down the knob, and finally hit off making the magnets, both Autobots, and other metal pieces come crashing to the ground.
The laptop fell to her feet. She fell against the cage as it continued to sway, and she tried to steady it.
Optimus immediately rose, and yelled, "Get her down!"
The helper in the crane lowered Gabby enough, and Optimus waited for Gabby to jump into his waiting metal hand.
"Did it work?" He asked.
Gabby was breathing heavily from relief as she sat in his hand. She smiled up at him. "It worked."
Relieved Optimus put her on the ground, and they cheered for their success.
Optimus called the rest of the Autobots, and they arrived curious as to what happened.
"So, this should destroy everything in that building?" Deserae asked.
"All I am worried about is his experiments, but yes, this should do it. This is years worth of work on the cyborgs, and we need to stop them," Gabby explained.
"Can't we do this with a hacker?" Ironhide asked.
Gabby shook her head. "No, because everything I tried is behind an impenetrable firewall, and he has back up after back up. This will take care of almost everything."
Ironhide left it alone after that.
"This will make the cyborgs incapacitated as well," Optimus added.
Gabby said her goodbyes, and they were on their way to Los Angeles not soon after.