Among the Stars
by J. N. Williamson
"The greatest weakness of must humans is their hesitancy to tell others how they love them while they're alive." — Optimus Prime. There is more to them than meets the eye.
Disclaimer: I am in no means associated with the creators of Transformers, nor do I own anything.
Claimer: I merely own my Original Characters and their fictional appearance within the cray-zay world we so love.
I have been busy with this chapter for three days and seven hours, and yet the cold has frozen my fingers and rendered me to retire to the comfort and warmth of my bed. I apologize for not having updated in a while, so hopefully this will make up for that.
I am also working on a new story -que the eye rolls and groans– which will be revolving around the Hobbit and the Elder Scrolls. I have major plans for that idea though I'm still busy working out all the kinks and what not. I won't be promising when I'd manage to update, so it will come in time. I'm trying to write our future chapters so I can maintain a schedule for when I'd update; so I'm still working on that.
I am once again sorry for the long delayed update, as I hope that this chapter didn't disappoint. I am rather iffy about it but let's just blame paranoia once more. Hope you guys like this new chapter and I can't wait to see what you guys think.
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Chapter Five: Plunder.
It pushed back at the forefront of her mind—the ominous feeling that something terrible was about to befall them; something that had the young woman keenly observing their surroundings with the eyes of a hawk.
And despite exhaustion having taken its place deep within her muscles, the young woman remained determined to push ahead. Being prepared for the inevitable was something she had been taught at a young age and despite it being easier said than done, Jessica Simmons refused to give up.
Silence.
No one dared utter a word and despite being grateful for it, Jessica Simmons couldn't help but loathe it at the same time. It made her think and when her mind wandered, dangerous things came to light.
Questions arose within her mind and though she tried to answer them as best she could, the young woman couldn't help but recall the woman's words and the events that had taken place. The sense of familiarity she had felt upon hearing her voice confused Jessica in a state where she questioned her own sanity—whether this was all real or perhaps a figment of her imagination.
It had been agreed on that the group wouldn't be taking a break, Lennox —and herself included— having decided that if their destination was as close as Mahfouz had said, resting was not an option; not if they wanted to see another day.
Heaving a grunt as it became rather hard to breath, Simmons brushed off the concerned look Epps gave her before hobbling to the side—the pain in her leg ever present but something that she had managed to push back at the furthest reaches of her mind. "I'm okay," she murmured in a reassuring tone, her gaze flickering back and forth—searching for anything that might seem as a threat before readjusting her grip on the man's shoulder.
Rolling her shoulder in hopes of appeasing the tension that had coiled up inside her muscles, the sudden shift in sand had her jumping. "Chill," Epps chuckled before pulling her towards him once more, her arm once more settling itself over his shoulder. "—it's just the wind."
No, her mind whispered in retaliation. It was something more than just wind. But knowing that she didn't need to add more arising problems to the group of troubled men, Simmons kept her thoughts to herself before focusing her attention on another subject.
Her father.
It had been a long time since she had allowed her mind to stray towards the man and despite all, she'd be lying if she said she didn't miss him. Because God, she did. If there was one thing she regretted in life, it would be how she had left things.
Just like her mother had, she had broken her promise and left without so much as a whisper—just a note with ill meant words. She had hurt him and she didn't even have the decency to admit it, let alone to herself.
He had written her so many letters and not once had she opened them—not once had she taken the time to sit down and write back. Her pride had kept her from doing just that because in truth, what could she say?
Shaking her thoughts from the path it had strolled upon, Jessica Simmons supposed that this was a mere sign from above that should she ever find herself at the mercy of Death himself, mending broken bonds would be at the top of her list.
Running a exhausted hand across her tired face, the young woman wrinkled her nose in disgust at the sweat clinging to her forehead before grunting, "I could really use a cold beer right about now."
"That's the most sensible thing I have ever heard you say," Donnelly commented as murmurs of agreements were exchanged between the group, something that Simmons was grateful for—as it eased some tension. "—Simmons."
Grinning in response, the young woman couldn't help but groan once more as nausea settled itself within her stomach—her throat burning as she desperately tried to swallow it down.
"Just take it easy." Though the soothing hand rubbing circles between her shoulder blades were meant for comfort, Jessica Simmons could honestly admit that feeling pleasant at the moment was an unachievable feat.
Nodding her head in agreement, the young woman pushed the pain once more back into its cage before straightening her posture. "Let's keep moving. I don't like the idea of being out in the open," and once more she flicked her gaze about their surroundings before adjusting her arm across Epps' shoulder. "—I'll be fine."
Despite taking a few moments to recollect her thoughts and will her tired limbs forward, Jessica Simmons berated herself for appearing so weak.
And even though her leg pulsed in retaliation, as anyone suffering her injuries would, the young woman remained determined to prove that it would not best her. That by some miracle everything would be fine—even though every fiber in her being screamed otherwise.
Her thoughts strayed once more—the subject of her father being the main concern. It didn't fail her notice that the man was probably beside himself with worry, considering that the whole world had most certainly been notified of the events that had taken place.
A brush of death certainly seemed to evict the guilt she had pushed aside whenever she'd think of her father. And once more the subject of peace came to mind.
She would have cackled at the sheer irony behind the word itself. Peace; it was something that humanity had fought for over centuries, but not once achieving. Not in this era or the next, the act itself still remained untouched.
For there would always be conflict and war, whether she admitted it or not.
There was always something—. "Let's hope this telephone line works."
Blinking as she had been lost in thought, nothing but utter relief flooded through her as the small village slowly came into view—the spark of hope that she had thought would never rekindle flickered to life, only seconds before it was once more devoured by the jaws of despair.
Oh God.
For a moment, time itself seemed to stand still as her eyes widened at the dilemma happening before her; the flight or fight question. The instinctual feeling had the girl stumbling backwards, keen eyes watching on in trepidation as dunes of sand took to the sky, the sudden loud metallic groan the only indication of warning before screeching its descent towards the ground.
"Heads up!"
"Heads up! Hey!"
"Heads up! Whoa!" Spasms of pain shot through her system as she found herself hobbling forward, a grunt wheezing past her lips as her knees buckled at the sheer pressure being forced upon them before collapsing to the ground.
Useless.
Despite the numerous shouts filling the air and men scrambling out the way to avoid from being squashed under the tower, Donnelly remained unfazed before turning towards the group, Simmons coughing as she managed to inhale the dust lingering in the air from the impact the tower had made. "What the heck was that?"
Idiot. Shaking her head at the man's question, her gaze turned towards their Spanish companion, the man having shrugged while gesturing a arm towards the tower and much to her dismay proceeded to explain what occurred in Spanish.
"English, dude. English." Donnelly commented with a shake of his head, the group clearly shaken at the sudden turn of events. Having receded to that of a dull ache she dared not scratch, Simmons accepted the offered hand from Lennox—frowning in disbelief as the man himself shoved a M4A1 Carbine in her awaiting hands, eyebrow cocked in question.
"Precaution, Simmons." Pursing her lips in a thin line at the hidden message behind the man's words, Simmons could barely contain the dread that filled her stomach as her gaze drifted towards the village before them.
For a tense moment all Jessica Simmons could remember was the harsh sound of her voice coming out in haggard gasps, her heart pounding against her chest and the blood rushing through her veins—the tendrils of trepidation seizing ahold of her soul and sinking deep into muscle and tissue.
And then shit hit the fan in a matter of seconds—and the young woman could barely contain the scream that wheezed past her parted lips at metallic shing that reached her ears before gunfire pierced the silence.
Pain all but forgotten, the young woman simply gave way to the adrenaline pumping through her body, mindful not to shoot blindly at the ground beneath her. "Open fire! Contact! Contact!" Barely registering that the words tumbled from her mouth, Jessica Simmons barely managed to dive out the way as something seemed to sprout from the earth beneath them—sand and dust flying in all directions.
And for another tense moment, Jessica Simmons would have loved to believe that this was as simple as a dream, an illusion that her mind had conjured but as she slowly pushed herself up from the ground, she knew it wouldn't be as simple as that. "Everybody, quiet. Settle."
Heart jumping in her throat, Jessica Simmons could barely gather her bearings when the loud screech that pierced the silence that had settled over the group set a motion of events that still managed to knock the breath from her very lungs, the young woman watching on in absolute mortification as rapid gunfire filled the air. "Get up! Get up! Come on!" Wincing as she was all but yanked to her feet, Jessica Simmons barely felt the pain as she sprinted from the danger gaining upon them, ducking and rolling down a sandy slope before hobbling forward.
"Whoaaaa!" Nothing seemed to matter at that moment as the group of soldiers rushed towards the safety of the village—and despite the adrenaline pushing her forward, Jessica Simmoms couldn't help but stumble to a sudden stop, hair flying as she whipped her head towards the commotion behind her.
Metallic. Dangerous. And armed to the bone –or rather metal— Jessica Simmons could feel the fear sinking into her body at the sight before her. It seemed to resemble the shape of a scorpion, though much larger and more deadlier than those she had seen in her life, the young woman couldn't help but find it rather ironic that death seemed privy to end their lives as quick and painless as possible—though she wouldn't quite dub it as painless.
"Get your ass moving!" Yanked once more, the young woman could feel her ears straining at the onslaught continued around her—screams, gunfire and debris scattering about.
Lennox grunted as the two continued to move forward, the pitiful whimper that tumbled from her lips was enough to make her stop breathing. When had she become so pathetic? Had she not overcome her fears?
Shaking the thoughts from her mind, Jessica Simmons mustered the courage and determination she had hid within her before pushing forward with all her might. "Go! Move it!"
The sound of the villagers yelling out in Arabian was enough to make her ears ring, the situation becoming more realistic than moments before—the sound deafening as more screeches filled the air.
"Take cover!" Scrambling behind a pillar, Jessica eased her breathing while maintaining a firm grip on the Carbine clutched in her hands before glancing about the carnage.
Lennox scrambled for cover, his firm grip holding Mahfouz as the two rushed forward. "Fig, Simmons! Cover the rear! Cover fire! Move it! Fig, cover the rear! Epps! Cover the rear! Move it! Come on!"
Making sure that there were no friendlies in her line of sight, the young woman threw caution out the wind the moment she opened fire, her focus intent on giving this thing a piece of her mind.
"Give me a mag!" Having run out of ammo, the young woman cursed words that had never left her lips; briefly taking the time into maneuvering her way towards Fig, his wild eyes briefly meeting her own. "This shit is loco!"
"You don't have to tell me twice," she murmured before reloading the rounds in the Carbine before opening fire once more, teeth gnawing at her bottom lip in hopes that this would all be over soon.
The villagers scrambled around in swarms, trying to get away from the metallic scorpion and despite the extra firepower, the thing remained standing.
The group continued to move behind low walls and piles of rocks, all the while trying to take the thing down, not that it seemed possible at the moment, Simmons noted.
They shot at the metallic fiend furiously, only breaking from their gunfire when they needed a fresh magazine of ammunition—another thing that seemed to amaze the young woman.
But as the group continued to push back, their message loud and clear —not backing down without a fight —the thing seemed peeved at the sudden turn of events itself and Jessica Simmons could only watch as it began to fire heavier ammunition, as if sensing that something was bound to give—you either kill or be killed.
From her vantage point behind the wall that provided some semblance of coverage, the young woman could clearly see that this thing meant business, as it blew up buildings and sent bodies flying through the air—and despite having seen her fare share of what happened in the acts of war, death being not so far being, it made her bitter and angered.
Watching as it scuttled around on the compacted sand, the barrage of bullets and explosives from them making no effect on its metal armor, she couldn't help but notice something.
And upon further inspection, Jessica Simmons could safely assume that this thing wasn't as stupid as she made it to be—it was toying with them.
This thing was more intelligent than it let on and much to her dismay, Jessica Simmons couldn't help but question its origins. Craning her head towards the form of Will stumbling out the small, destroyed house, phone pressed against his ear and a look of utter frustration expressed on his face, Jessica Simmons couldn't help but huff in amusement.
"I'm in the middle of a war!" Lennox yelled into the phone, maneuvering his way towards Epps, "This is friggin' ridiculous!"
Dodging flying debris as the man himself slowly made his way towards Epps, Simmons diverted her attention towards the matter at hand—making sure this thing stayed preoccupied until help came along.
"I need a credit card! Epps, where's your wallet?" Heaving a grunt, Epps took a second to answer Will, pausing in his gunfire, "Pocket!"
Ducking behind the man and crouching down, frustration once more appeared on the man's features as he continued to pat alongside the various pockets on the man's cargo pants. "Which pocket?"
"My back pocket!" Epps yelled back over his shoulder—one which Lennox yelled back in retaliation, "You got ten back pockets!" The man shouted, as he scrambled with the many pockets and clips on Epps' cargo pants, throwing his hands up in frustration—and despite the scenario, Simmons merely found the situation more amusing.
"Left cheek! Left cheek! Left cheek!" Epps shouted over his shoulder again at Lennox before resuming his rapid gunfire. For if there was one thing the man despised, it was distractions.
Having fished the thin leather wallet out of the pocket, Jessica continued to watch from her peripheral vision as Lennox crouched down in a safe spot before flipping through the cards, "It's visa!" Will managed to croak into the phone, the carnage around them making it rather hard for him to mutter coherent words.
"Shit," roused from her thoughts once more, Jessica Simmons patted herself down before mentally berating her idiocy that she didn't make not of asking for more mags before turning her attention towards Fig, "I need a mag!"
Barely having enough time to catch the cartridge flying towards her, she only had a few seconds to spare before reloading her weapon and opening fire once more. "Epps! Pentagon!"
Through the turmoil, Simmons managed to hear the disbelieved words for Epps as he spoke into the phone, "I ain't never seen this in my life!" Epps yelled over the noise of explosions as the metallic Scorpion wildly rolled around, "Need gunships on station ASAP!"
Knowing that Lennox had succeeded into coming in contact with the Pentagon, Jessica Simmons could only pray that help came soon. But despite all their effort, the situation was quick to fall out of hands as the group finally came to realize that whatever this thing was—losing was not an option.
The group dove for cover as the scorpion launched a barrage of lasers that tore great gouts of earth out of the ground and ripped stone effortlessly asunder, something that seemed to bring Jessica out her daze and hitting the ground as a salvo of missiles slammed into the building behind her.
"Jesus," she cursed once more as the familiar click of having run empty hit her ears. Yelling out in absolute frustration, Jessica once more threw caution out the wind the moment she stood from the destroyed pillar—her eyes wild and roaming across her surroundings before setting her gaze upon something that made her grin in absolute glee. "Honey, I think I just found my Christmas present."
And without wasting any time the young woman scrambled towards the RPG sitting casually amongst the rubble of stone and debris, her movements quick though sluggish as she hefted the weaponry on her shoulder. Forcing herself upright, Jessica Simmons barely registered her movements as she ducked behind a crumbled wall—head slightly peeking behind the only means of coverage before taking aim.
"—eight man team north of orange smoke! Attack direction west! You're clear and hot!" And nothing frustrated her more than learning that despite the excitement, the RPG turned out to be nothing but a dud.
Having expected nothing less, Jessica Simmons could only grunt in anger as Epps words finally echoed through her mind, "Lennox! The heat's coming!"
"Come on," murmuring a silent plea to whomever was listening at that moment, nothing prepared her for the sheer force that managed to knock her off balance—the sudden impact of a missile finding its target reverberating across the sky being nothing but music to her ears. "Hoorah!"
"Bet that stung like a bitch—!"
"Simmons!" Waving her hand in dismissal, the young woman shook her shoulders in hopes of releasing some tension before throwing a thumbs up at the bewildered look from both Lennox and Epps.
Having heard it through the loud commotion around them, Lennox seemed to come out of the shock before he hurried towards the safety behind a wall before calling out, "Laze the target! We got a beam-rider incoming! Laze target!"
Maneuvering herself forward, the young woman kept low as she reached for her Carbine rifle before flicking on the beam and aiming it towards the metallic scorpion hell bent on finishing what it started.
It took more than a few seconds before fighter planes roared in overhead, swooping down low in perfect formation. "Bite that bitch."
And just as the words slipped from her mouth, gunfire reigned from above—hitting the scorpion with heavy rounds that no doubt would leave a sting against the armor before dropping two different sets of missiles, dirt spraying in the air and chunks of stone flying.
It was then that the frightful whimpers reached her ears and without thinking of any consequences, Jessica Simmons acted upon instinct. Dropping the now useless rifle to the ground, the young woman couldn't move fast enough as her body collided with the trembling form of the young little girl standing in watch as everything crumbled around them. "Shit," Jessica Simmons cursed under her breath as she tried her best to shield the small girl from harm—taking the brunt of the force with a harsh intake of breath, teeth gnashing together as she tried to comprehend what had just happened.
For had it not been for the spasms of pain shooting through her, Jessica Simmoms would have brushed it aside but as darkness crept through her vision—all and everything around her creating nothing but static and blurred images, the young woman could only inhale sharply as blood coated her hand; the crismon liquid dribbling unto the ground beneath her and staining the sand upon contact, death never seemed more inviting at the destruction occurring around her.
She wasn't aware of how much time had passed —though not much, she calculated as the sound of battle still raged on behind and around her. What chance did they truly stand?
"Let go, my child. I shall remain at your side until you are ready."
Though comforting, a question arose within her mind as she succumbed to the darkness descending upon her; would she ever be ready?
Author Note: I have edited this chapter and added more content—as I apologize for the sudden change. I would just like to thank NordicAutobotGirl for having pointed out my small mistake, as I have corrected it now. I would like to thank everyone who has read, followed and favorited this story as well as to those who have taken the time into reviewing. It truly means the world to me. Hope this chapter didn't disappoint.
Much love,
Jesse.