Cargo Transport
"You're serious! A boring cargo route?!' Air Raid exclaimed in an incredulous tone. He couldn't believe that any Aerialbot would lower himself to that level.. No matter how desperate they were for a job.
"Sounds pretty freagin' boring to me. A waste of time," Slingshot agreed. He didn't have a high opinion of humans to begin with, and now being forced to beg for a job from them – was insulting to the flyer to say the least. The Decepticons didn't do this – why the heck should they?!
Silverbolt shrugged. He was actually quite happy with the job offer from Fed-Ex. Perhaps he could do it at lower altitudes as well? Surely his human boss wouldn't care as long as the cargo arrived their on time – right? He knew he'd face some ridicule from his fellow Aerialbots, but he was already used to their jokes about his acrophobia. "Hey, a job is a job. I don't see YOU working Slingshot," he replied as he gave the other mech an appraising glance.
Slingshot snorted, he didn't care what the others thought. "I'll just steal energon from the Decepticons while you fools slave away for your human bosses," he insulted.
Skydive studied the brash mech, he knew that Slingshot wasn't all talk by any means. "If you get caught, don't expect us to come and rescue your tail fins this time. We'll be busy," he said flatly. Everyone knew what would happen to an Autobot if the cons got hold of their aft. But perhaps an experience like that would calm down the brash Slingshot? Make him realize that he wasn't invincible..
Sticking his olfactory sensor up in the air, Slingshot looked down at his fellow Aerialbots. They were too freagin' cautious! Just like the rest of the Autobots. Why couldn't they just take what they needed from the humans?! Heck, they were protecting them from the cons weren't they?! They owed them! But freagin' Optimus was too afraid to be that bold. To demand the Autobots' just payment for their work… He'd had the audacity to order all of them to get jobs… To beg for funds from the humans! Well, Slingshot wasn't about to lower himself to THAT level… "You mechs have fun 'working' – I'll supply the energon all by myself!" he snorted. Before anyone could reply, he turned and strode out of the room.
"Prick," Air Raid stated. He'd hated having to get a second job just like everyone else, but an order was an order.
"Think one of us should stop him?" Fireflight asked. He was sure that the impulsive Aerialbot would get caught by the cons, and he didn't want to see that happen to any mech! Even one that deserve a little 'reality check'.
Silverbolt sighed in resignation, "I'll talk with him when I get back on shift. Maybe I can talk some sense into him before he really screws up."
Air Raid chuckled, "Good luck!"
"You'll need it," Skydive agreed.
"Maybe you should just tie him down?" Fireflight offered, his optics gleaming with the very idea.
The Aerialbot leader sighed. Why did Optimus have to make HIM leader?! It was a pain in the afterburner! But he couldn't think about it now, he was going to be late for work. "Well, I handle him when I get back, see ya," he said.
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"Our flight plan states that we need to cruise at thirty thousand," the pilot stated flatly.
Silverbolt tried not to shudder in anxiety. He hated heights with a passion, but now his job was going to force him to fly at high altitudes. Visions of coming crashing down to the ground filled his meta with dread. And now that he was becoming heavier-and-heavier as the human cargo handlers continued to load his belly full – he'd hit the ground even harder! "You sure? Why can't we cruise at five thousand?" he asked.
The pilot sighed in exacerbation. He'd never imagined having an argument about flight altitude with the jet itself! Especially when that jet was a concord! This was going to make a hell of a story over a beer one day. "Because… That's what the FAA orders us to fly at. I don't want to discuss it again," he stated.
A sinking feeling ran through the mech. Sloggers, he was stuck flying high… He wished he could up and quite right now! But then he'd be a laughing stock amongst all of the Autobots.. He'd never live it down..
--
They'd been flying for several hours now. The pitch black of night doing little to stymie Silverbolt's fear… He knew that they were flying over the open ocean right now, then they'd cross over the Midway Island chain on their route. At least if and when he crashed, it'd be into water.. A little softer than land…
"Well, I'm up for a nap. Since you're the official co-pilot, just keep us on our flight path," the pilot ordered. He still found it disconcerting to be talking to the jet itself, but this jet was alive. So it wasn't like he was a nut case or anything.
"Yes sir," Silverbolt simply said. It was hard to make conversation with this pilot. He was somewhat of a hardheaded stickler for protocol. In some ways, Silverbolt was beginning to understand Slingshot's view on things… Maybe stealing Decepticon energon would be easier than flying at high altitude?
The pilot went to the cot and laid down. Soon, he was snoring away, leaving Silverbolt to face his fear of heights all alone.
For a while Silverbolt stayed at thirty thousand. But soon he drifted down to twenty five thousand. Heck, no one will know.. He reasoned to himself. And that was five thousand LESS feet to plummet down wasn't it? So it was safer… But soon, Silverbolt began to muse again. Well, twenty thousand feet wasn't THAT much lower was it? He thought to himself. So again, he drifted downward another five thousand feet. He felt a tad safer..
He flew for thirty minutes at twenty thousand. Then his meta started to muse again. He was over water wasn't he? So why would another five thousand be a problem. Surely it wouldn't! So again, he drifted down another five thousand feet. He could almost see the waves now.. He felt even better..
After a while, he again debated with himself about lowering his altitude again. No one had been hurt – right? He was still going to get to his destination – right? So again-and-again, he continued to drift downward. Eventually, he was almost skimming the waves.
An island came up on radar. One of the islands of the Mid-way chain he would cross. In the darkness he saw few lights. So why should he lift his altitude? He wouldn't be bothering anyone by skimming over the island. So staying low, he approached the island and watched as the terrain began to pass underneath his wings…
Suddenly his forward momentum stopped completely! He felt straps going over his nose and wings! Then he was being propelled backwards like a slingshot! The pilot woke up and tumbled across the cabin, yelling in terror… Then Silverbolt felt sand under his belly as he hit the ground and skidded across the beach.. He groaned when he finally stopped, the sand having stripped some of his fuselage of it's protective coating.
In shock, the pilot struggled to his feet. Climbing out of the cockpit, he looked around the groaning concord, trying to figure out WHY they had crashed. In the distance, he saw some towering electric line polls. Two of the metal structures were now bent slightly. Some of their power lines sagging to the ground, as if they'd been stretched. Recalling back to their conversation before they'd even taken off from the mainland, he began to put two-and-two together.
"You son-of-a-bitch! You fucking lowered our altitude!" he accused as he turned towards the concord.
Silverbolt said nothing, the pilot was right… He'd so screwed up! Optimus and the Aerialbots were never – NEVER – going to let him live this one down….
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