Hello everyone! Just a quick update, will continue to do "Silent Metal Ronin" and will not change the current plot of "Grimlock, Slayer of Titans". Also want to say thanks to Winxfan808, for proofreading this chapter.
Now onto the mayhem!
Chapter 1: Beware the Metal Bogeymen
Location: Shinjuku Ghetto, Area 11 (Formerly Japan)
Date: August 10, 2017 a.t.b.
In the Tokyo Settlement, multiple events were occurring. Japanese resistance fighters steal a truck, supposedly containing a capsule of poison gas, while chased by the police gunships on the highway. In another part of the city, a young student humiliates a nobleman in a game of chess, and is about to head back to his school with his friend that owns a motorcycle. But at the same time of these events, a third one is about to start near the two, as well as a fourth one elsewhere.
"Knock Out here. So far Soundwave's intel about the local resistance hijacking was accurate, I don't think it went according to plan for them." The red Decepticon medic radioed near a Britannian military laboratory.
"That I can tell Knock Out, but nonetheless their actions have given the expected distraction needed to draw security to a minimum near the target zone, and I am having Flamewar track them. Is it clear enough for Soundwave's team to proceed?" Megatron spoke back from their base on the island.
"I'm detecting a few guards inside, but nothing the minicons can't handle." he replied.
"Excellent. Soundwave, input the coordinates for the groundbridge and send in your team." Megatron told his communications chief and spymaster. Soon enough, a portal opened and the minicons soon went through it, and into one of the large storage rooms inside the building.
"We're in, no sign of security." Rumble spoke on his communicator while fist bumping Frenzy. Flip Sides was with Ravage, checking the other side of the room.
"Good, now according to the schematics, the main generator is down the hall on your right. Flip Side and Ravage, you two will go there and dismantle it for pick up. Rumble and Frenzy, you have been given a list of items Shockwave requires for his new lab. Proceed to pick up and pile all the necessary items in the storage room and in the main lab, opposite end of the hall, containing a prototype knightmare." Megatron instructed them.
"We plannin' on stealing it?" Frenzy asked.
"No, not this one for the moment. Starscream will have a few of their standard war machines if everything goes well on his end. Now go and complete your mission. Soundwave has already disabled their cameras and alarms. However, there are a few guards still within the facility. Avoid them if possible, knock them out or kill them if necessary. We must not be detected and have the military be alerted to our presence."
"Alright boss. Hey Flip-"
"Yeah, yeah, me and Ravage know already. We'll call you if we need you." the purple/gray female minicon interrupted Rumble as she and Ravage left towards the generator, while the other two headed toward the main lab. Megatron watch their progress via their optics displayed on Soundwave's screen-like face. He then proceeded to contact his second-in-command.
"Starscream, have you commenced the hijacking yet?"
"Not yet Megatron, still waiting for the cargo plane to get close enough distance to the island. Which should be right about... now! Laserbeak, Buzzsaw, commence hijacking!" the Decepticon jet announced as the two flying minicons soon began descending towards the Britannian cargo plane, which was currently carrying a squadron of Sutherland knightmares.
Getting close enough and their stealth devices activated, Laserbeak made his way towards the front of the plane while Buzzsaw made his way towards the cargo hold of the plane. Having reached where the communication panel was on the plane, Laserbeak begins cutting it open and disabling it. With communications down, the minicon signals the other to begin breaching the side of the plane.
Buzzsaw soon starts cutting the side of the plane, creating a hole that promptly sucks out a few of the craft's crew members before the rest began to hold on. Buzzsaw soon enters the gap and begins terminating the passengers inside the cargo hold. Once that was done, the bird of death then made his way towards the cockpit. At the door, the minicon began using its tentlacle-like arms to drill through the door, killing the pilots on the other side in a gruesome manner. With the entire crew taken care of, Buzzsaw took hold of the controls while Laserbeak finished disabling the trackers located inside the plane. As soon as it was, Buzzsaw began turning the plane towards the island, and began its descent.
"Fantastic work, Decepticons." Megatron remarked as he watched the plane from a distance. He soon went back to monitoring the other minicons progress. The guards on both ends had been disposed of, some were non-lethally subdued, others were not so lucky. Rumble and Frenzy finished collecting the items in the lab, which was empty as both the scientists and the knightmare were nowhere to be found. They soon headed back to the storage, and began to pack things up. At the main generator, Flip Sides and Ravage were almost done with disconnecting the cables to the generator, when suddenly Knock Out began to radio in.
"We got company. A truck has parked in front of the building and is disembarking a squad of soldiers." he reported.
"Blast it. Minicons, how much longer?" Megatron asked.
"Me and Frenzy are ready with the goods." Rumble replied.
"Need another minute on our end." Flip Sides stated her and Ravage's progress.
"In that case, Rumble and Frenzy, prepare to cross the bridge. Flip Sides and Ravage, find a way to barricade or lock the doors and finish up. Once you're done, we'll send you a bridge." Megatron gave out their new orders.
A portal soon opened, and the two red and blue minicons went through it, along with the stolen materials. Fortunately their timing was perfect, as moments later the soldiers soon discover the ransacked lab and soon get the alarms to work.
"Damn, they know. Ravage hurry up with cutting those wires." she told the jaguar minicon while managed to block the doors with some heavy pipes they had removed from the generator. As she did, Ravage finished cutting the cables with his claws.
"Great job. Whoa!" she yelped as the soldiers tried to open the doors and were now bashing against it. Ravage soon came up to help keep the doors from opening. "This is Flip Sides, we're ready. Make it quick though, they already trying to break through." she whispered as to make sure the enemy didn't hear her through the doors.
"Understood, Soundwave!" Megatron told the silent mech to activate the groundbridge.
As Soundwave created the portal, Megatron and Shockwave quickly made their way through it, and began picking the generator up and into the portal along with the last two minicons. By the time the Britannian soldiers breach through the doors, the room was completely empty, including the power generator.
"How in the hell?!" one of them swore and the rest simply scratched their heads at the strange sight.
"Excellent work everyone, both operations were a success. Today we are victorious!" Megatron exclaimed with pride, the rest soon cheered with him.
"Frag yeah! Boy the look on those meatbags will have on their faces when they find their generator gone!" Rumble laughed.
"Dude, that scrap is priceless!" Frenzy laughed as well.
"Ahem. Before we start celebrating, shouldn't we wait for the last two to come back?" Starscream interrurpted.
"They won't be for a while, I've sent them to monitor the recent hijacking by the local resistance." Megatron told his second-in-command.
"What for?" he inquired.
"If what Soundwave picked is true, I want to make sure the bio-weapon within that truck is taken care of. After all, what good are human allies if the massively wiped themselves off with such weapons. And while we are not in the position to make them end their war, we can at least try to reduce the amount of casualties on each side, despite being forced to kill as few though in the process." Megatron explained to Starscream, the two soon walked off as the rest began to work on moving things around.
"Speaking of the humans, any idea where on this rock we will find this so-called "immortal witch"? I doubt she will be easy to find."
"Maybe, maybe not. When I spoke with Optimus, he me told that "when you look for something, it usually ends up finding you." And considering Vector told us she was the first marker on our path, I have a feeling we will find her soon enough." Megatron assured the former air commander. "Knock Out, Flamewar, report."
"Flamewar here, been keeping a distance from the target. Target currently being followed by several gunships. May require Soundwave for aerial assistance." the purple Decepticon motorcycle with orange flames reported.
"Very well, Soundwave, take Laserbeak and assist Knock Out and Flamewar with the acquisition." Megatron told the silent mech. As Laserbeak connected with his chest, he soon transformed into his aerial drone mode and took off. "Soundwave is now on his way now. Don't lose sight of that truck, I repeat, don't let that truck get away."
"Yes sir!" both replied on the radio.
The truck driven by the local resistance had been going down the road at 80 kilometers per mile, behind, three Britannian gunships were tailing them, in front of them, a motorcycle with a sidecar carrying two students. The truck tried to get around them, making a wrong turn down the ramp and crashing into the nearby construction site. The police gunships soon break off, having been told the military would take over from here. Still up in the highway bridge, the students get off from their motorcycle, one took a gander at the truck while the other began looking over the damage to his bike after almost getting run over. The one watching was Lelouch Lamperouge, the one checking his ride was Rivalz Cardemonde. Not far from them, another motorcycle stopped, its driver a woman in a black jump suit and helmet which concealed her head and face. She too went to take a look over the ledge and at the truck.
The student watching became sicken by how the bystanders did nothing but stay on the sidelines waiting for someone else to do something. So he started running off towards the ramp, going down it, and headed towards the crashed vehicle. Lelouch was soon followed by the mysterious motorcyclist, who got back on her bike and simply drove to it. The student ahead of her was already on the truck's ladder and going up it, calling out to see if anyone was alright. The lady got off and joined him, climbing the ladder on the other side.
"Anyone alive in there?" the woman asked.
"I'm not sure-"
Suddenly the truck began to move, causing the young man and the woman to fall inside the trailer. The truck soon backed up and began to move.
"Stop! I'm in here and so is..." He turned and noticed the woman missing. "Huh, where did she go?"
As the truck began to drive off, no one noticed a woman suddenly reappearing on the motorcycle as it began to take off after it. As both vehicles made to the highway. Three military gunships began to hover above them.
"Stop the vehicle! Surrender now and you'll get the chance to defend yourself in court. Stop and surrender at once!" the pilot ordered them as the began to fire warning shots at the truck. "Give up now or we will shoot to kill!"
"Now what do we do? It's the army!" the resistance fighter named Nagata exclaimed as he drove.
"Have you forgotten, that's why I am here for!" the second told him, a girl with dark red, spiked up hair called Kallen. She soon got up and began walking to the back of the truck, unaware she was being seen by Lelouch hiding behind the capsule. The teenager took notice that he had seen her before, but could not remember where. As she prepared to enter the Glasgow knightmare they had stored in the back, she spoke back to her comrade. "Can you enter the subway via the Azabu route?"
"Kallen, let's use it here. Why not?" Nagata told her.
"That would mean a bloodbath." she replied as she got in.
"You're right." he replied.
As they got out of the tunnel, the gunships continued to their pursuit.
"Target is moving from the settlement toward the ghetto." the pilot reported.
"Copy that, corner them." their controller told them.
"Roger that." the lead pilot was about to fire when suddenly a slash harken soon launched from the back of the truck, hitting his gunship and blowing it to smithereens.
"A slash harken!" the one of the remaining pilots gasped as the Glasgow soon launched from the trailer. "A knightmare!"
"You fellas know full well what this badass mother can do!" she yelled as she charged at them, taken another one down. As it exploded, another ship appeared, carrying a knightmare.
"The rest of you back off. I'll take this guy." Lord Jeremiah Gottwald, leader of the Purist faction, dismissed the remaining gunships as his knightmare prepared to detach. "I can only assume that you dug up that absolute relic out of some scrapheap. An over the hill Glasgow is no match for a Sutherland!" He decried as his mech ejected from the ship, blocking the incoming harken with his own, and landed with his rifle ready. "Not to mention a filthy Eleven that spurns the compassion of our glorious emperor!" Jeremiah then fired a powerful blast from his rifle.
The Glasgow was soon taking heavy fire as the enemy combatant took charge.
"Kallen, we should both split up! Both of us can't risk being killed! Run for it!" Nagata yelled into the radio.
"But..." before Kallen could finish, another had made its way onto the highway, in front of Nagata's truck. It soon fired, causing the truck to go down another ramp, and into an underground subway.
"Hmph, simple minded Eleven." Villetta Nu, a subordinate of Jeremiah, remarked. But before she could chase after the truck, she was soon under attack. Not from a knightmare, but from a red sports car, armed with blasters!
"What the- lasers?!" Villetta shouted as she turned to face her attacker only to stunned by the vehicle's newest armament, rockets.
As it fired, she quickly moved her Sutherland off the highway road and safely into the streets below. The rocket missed her, and blew up the patch of the road she was on. It created a gap in the road, forcing the "sports car" to stop in its tracks.
"Ha, simple minded human." the "driver" taunted as the car turned around drove off towards a new route to catch up with the moving truck.
Meanwhile Kallen was in a bit of a pickle, as one of her slash harkens became jammed.
"No way, it's stuck!" Kallen quickly tried to fix it.
"Second hand junk!" Jeremiah roared as he brought out his Sutherland's wrist mounted stun tonfa to smash her outdated knightmare. But he could, Kallen quickly ejected the malfunctioning arm into his mech, exploding into smoke as she quickly got away from the Britannian.
"I'll admit, I really like your spirit. However..." Jeremiah said as sinister smile formed on his face. But that soon disappeared, as a sound of a roaring engine got his attention.
The Purist turned to see an oncoming purple motorcycle with painted orange flames heading towards him. Confusion soon turned into shock as some sort of blaster popped from its sides and soon fired on him. He tried to block the incoming fire with the Sutherland's arms. With the enemy distracted, the bike soon speedily made its way around the knightmare, and began picking up speed to cross the gap. Trying to collect his wits, Jeremiah Gottwald was about to fire at the driver when he suddenly heard a beeping noise. Looking down, he found himself looking at a ticking mine. As the beeping increased, he quickly ejected from his Sutherland before the sound stopped. The motorcycle crossed the gap and onto the ramp the truck took, the explosion erupted behind her, consuming both the Sutherland and a chunk of the road.
Jeremiah watched the motorcycle soon disappear into the subway as his parachute slowly brought him to the ground. "What the hell just happened?"
"A-ha!" said Lloyd Asplund, an Earl of the Holy Britannian Empire and the director of Camelot, a special research division, as well as in charge of the Advanced Special Envoy Engineering Corp. He was currently staring at the Britannian general, Bartley Asprius.
"What are you doing?" the military officer inquired.
"Looking at a man who blundered, am I right?" the scientist told him, which riled up the general.
"Why you-" Bartley spoke but was soon interrupted as the scientist continued.
"You really screwed this one up. Terrorists came along and stole whatever it was that you and Prince Clovis were secretly working on. Retrieving it is simple, but you want to sweep up all their compatriots in addition. Let the terrorists go, and you can find their hideout, too." he then turns to face his assistant Cécile Croomy. "Congratulations! Your reasoning was spot-on!"
"It was nothing. I just thought it was strange." she replied.
"Okay, that's enough. What is it the special corp want out of this?" Bartley questioned.
"I'm merely saying that I'd like to assist with the cleanup." Lloyd replied.
"To assist?"
"Correct, because it is data I want." Lloyd told him, he had been aching to collect combat data for their prototype knightmare, the Lancelot, which was stored in a mobile transport nearby.
"Excuse me, but what in the world have they just stolen anyway?" Cécile asked.
The general was silent for a moment before he answered. "Chemical weapons, in other worlds, poison gas."
"Oh dear, you really did screw it up." Lloyd remarked.
"You son of a bi-" Bartley was about to strangle the man he was soon interrupted by one of his soldiers calling out.
"Sir! Sir!" the soldier cried out as he ran towards them.
"What is it?!" Bartley snapped at him.
"Sir! We've just lost track of a plane carrying the newest batch of Sutherlands!"
"WHAT?!" the general became even more enraged.
"And that's not all! The ASEEC's lab has just been ransacked! Almost of the equipment is gone!"
"WHAT?!" now it was the scientist's turn to be shocked.
"And get this, they even stole the main power generator!"
"You're joking, right? Do you know how big that thing is? They would have had to create a giant hole in the wall to get it out!" Lloyd told the grunt.
"But that's the thing, there isn't any! It just vanished!" the enlisted man told him, he looked as though he was really losing it.
"Impossible! Nothing just disappears out of thin air!" Bartley barked at him.
"Um, gentlemen..." Croomy interrupted, holding out her computer pad to them.
Lloyd grabbed it, and soon enough, both men were dumbstruck by the image before them. On the pad was a snapshot of the generator room, without a generator or any holes in the walls or even the ceiling.
"My lord..." Bartley said.
"Please tell me we have the security footage?" Lloyd asked.
"Nope, none. The cameras were somehow fried and the alarms were disabled. Furthermore, the guards there were either knocked unconscious or terminated. And from what I heard from the coroners, those that died were either bashed to death or were shot in a strange way, like something out of science fiction!"
"What do you mean?" the director inquired.
"Well according to one of your men in ASEEC, it was though they were shot by a "direct-energy weapon"." the soldier explained, causing the three in front of him to just stare at him. "Uh, sirs?"
"Did you just tell us that our robbers... were literally armed... with lasers?" Lloyd's eye twitched.
"Yes sir, which leads me to bad and shocking news number three. You know how we had units pursuing the truck?" the man said meekly.
"Oh god, what happened now?!" Bartley threw his hands up in the air.
"Well, funny story. Ahem, during the pursuit, the terrorists had launched their own knightmare. It was a Glasgow, and it took out several of our gunships. Fortunately, Lord Jeremiah and Lady Villetta arrived to handle the situation. Things were going well, until..."
"Until what?!" Bartley shouted.
"Sir. The two were soon attacked by two "civilian vehicles". One was a red sports car, the other a purple motorcycle with an orange, flaming paint job. Both unknown makes, and armed with concealed weaponry."
"You've got to be kidding me." Bartley said, becoming more and more astonished by the strange things this man had to say.
"The car was armed with rockets, the bike had land mines. But both... both were armed with what I can only assume are "blasters"."
"Please tell me you have at least footage of that." Lloyd said, which the soldier replied with a nod as he brought his own pad.
"Unfortunately, we lost the recording from Jeremiah's knightmare, as it was destroyed by a land mine. Jeremiah was lucky enough to eject in time before it did. Good news is, Villetta was more successful in keeping hers intact." the enlisted man then showed the recording to his superiors, slowing it down to show greater detail of the attack.
Both watched with amazement as they watched the red car attack with what indeed looked like blasters, and then deploy what were obviously the rockets. They watched as Villetta maneuver her knightmare out of the way and into the streets below, narrowing the explosion that came shortly.
"Shortly after that, Lord Jeremiah reported that the motorcycle was last seen pursuing the terrorists."
"This unacceptable! Have our troops double time it, we need to get our forces to the ghetto ASAP! Lloyd-" the general then noticed Lloyd was running off, as well as his assistant. "Where are you going?!"
"What does it look like? We're double timing it, see you at Shinjuku!" Lloyd said as he got into the transport with Croomy.
"But what about the lab?!"
"It's already robbed, won't be any different when I come back later. Allons-y my dear!" the scientist said as they quickly drove off. Now not only eager to test out the Lancelot, but to investigate the latest turn of events. After all, it's not every day you have an enemy that was more than meets the eye.
At the Shinjuku Ghetto, dozens upon dozens of Britannian VTOL transports began to hover above it, frightening the local populace. In some of them, soldiers who were Honorary Britannians, those not of Britannian descent who managed to gain citizenship by swearing loyalty to the Empire. And though they had almost legal rights as those of ordinary Britannians, they were not free from discrimination. In the Britannian Army, they are put in a separate division, and were usually used for menial tasks such as hunting down rebels in less favorable conditions. This was one of those cases, as several of them began to repel down into the streets.
In one of the transports, a commander of the Brtiannian Royal Guard begins giving them their orders.
"The terrorists are hiding in the subway system. Your mission is to locate the weapon they have stolen. Investigate the old subway system that runs through the residential district in the Shinjuku Ghetto. Report in the moment you spot them. Recovery will be handled by us, the Royal Guard. You people bear the honorary title of Britannians now, but you were born Elevens. Therefore the stench of these monkeys ought to be a familiar one. If you want the right to carry arms, then show some results. This is your opportunity to show your loyalty to Britannia!" the commander told the group of soldiers.
"Yes my lord." they all responded as they began their search underground.
Among these soldier was a young man named Suzaku Kururugi, who soon ventured deep into the tunnels and eventually found the truck, which had now gotten stuck in a ditch. With the target found, he taps on his chest, sending the signal back to his superior. Also nearby, two "civilian" vehicles watched from the shadows. Each was positioned on both sides of the tunnel, monitoring the situation.
"Four-zero-four has spotted the target." One of the operators reported.
"Roger, prepare for recovery." the commander ordered.
Back in the tunnel, the soldier's goggle soon spots someone in the trailer of the truck. With quick speed, he jumps into the air and jump-kicks the student, knocking him down.
"Are you Britannian?" Lelouch asked but was soon grabbed by the soldier.
"That's enough mindless murder." he growled.
"Wait, I'm not one of-" Lelouch tried to speak.
"Planning to use poison gas, don't play dumb with me!"
"Get off me!" Lelouch shouted as he manages to kick the soldier off him. "I'm not here by choice. If that's poison gas over there, it was made in Britannia, wasn't it?"
"My god." Suzaku muttered as he soon recognized the student in front of him.
"Mindless murder? Then why don't you just obliterate Britannia!" he yelled.
"Lelouch..." Suzaku said as he removed his helmet, showing his face to his old childhood friend. "It's me, Suzaku."
Lelouch was shocked, as he never thought he would see him again, not since Britannia invaded japan. Meanwhile the "drivers" continued to watch them.
"Oh, this is getting juicy." the "driver" in red commented.
"What is it with you and human dramas?" the "motorcyclist" remarked.
"Oh come on, you have to admit. The humans of this universe are at least entertaining. How much you want to bet they were childhood friends separated by war?"
"I'll bet most of my share of tonight's helping of the pink energon the little aft-holes stole last night, for yours." She replied, waging the Sakuradite they called "pink energon", which was secretly gathered by Soundwave's minicon team from the local mines.
"Deal." the "driver" said as they watched the two boys.
"You... you became a Britannian soldier?" Lelouch inquired.
"Yeah, and what about you? You're a-"
"What are you saying?" Lelouch spoke back when suddenly the capsule opened, smoke soon coming out of it. Suzaku quickly grabbed Lelouch and put his gas mask on his face to protect him of the gas... if there was any.
As the capsule opened, it revealed a glowing yellow, bubble-like energy shield. As it dissipated, a girl with green hair appeared. Shocking the two boys, as well as the two watchers nearby who were expecting suffocating humans.
"That's not poison gas." Suzaku observed. "What is it?"
"Someone we've been looking for, that's what! Knock Out-"
"I'm already trying, Flamewar! Megatron, we've got a situation here..."
As the two contacted their superior, the boys went to help out the girl bound in a straitjacket.
"Tell me the truth, Suzaku. Poison gas, this girl?" Lelouch questioned.
"Hey it's what they told us in the briefing, I swear!" Suzaku replied as they untied her. Suddenly a bright light flashed and not far from them was the Imperial Royal Guard, with their rifles aimed at them.
"Stinking monkey." the Royal Guard commander scoffed. "Being an Honorary Britannian will not excuse you."
"Uh, but sir, we were told it was poison gas!" Suzaku said as he ran up to his superior.
"How dare you question orders." the officer scolded, already Lelouch could tell this was bad. "However, in light of your outstanding military achievements, I'm going to be lenient." the officer then handed out a pistol in front of the Honorary Britanian. "Private Kururugi, take this and execute the terrorist."
"But he's not a terrorist, he's a civilian that got caught up in all this!" Suzaku spoke back.
"You insubordinate little... That's an order! Didn't you swear your loyalty and your life to Britannia!"
"Yes, but, but I can't." he replied.
"What?!" the commander became unnerved by the Eleven's disobedience.
"I won't do it sir, I won't shoot a civilian. I can't follow your orders sir." Suzaku told him as he turned to face his friend.
"Very well..." the commander then pointed the gun behind Suzaku and was about to pull the trigger when all of a sudden another flash of light appeared, coming from both sides of the tunnel.
"Wow, and already you're about to shoot the man in the back for doing the right thing. You're one gutless meatbag, aren't you?" a woman's voice called out.
Everyone turns to face the source, and were soon looking at a woman in a black jump suit and helmet staring at them from her motorcycle. Lelouch recognized her from the construction site. They also noticed the vehicle was armed with some sort of dual cannons which also pointed at them.
"Who the hell are you?" the commander questioned, already becoming annoyed by the amount of witnesses increasing.
"Why to put it quite plainly, the bogeymen of course." a male voice replied, causing them to turn to the other side where a red sports car was parked, with side mounted rockets pointed at them as well.
"Well hello there." a man with red hair and goatee, minus the mustache, greeted. His head and arm was sticking out the driver's side window, showing that he was wearing a red and black suit, as well as sunglasses, which he tipped down a bit as he looked at them. "Now why don't you put down those arms before you go boom?"
"How dare you threaten us, do you have any idea who we are?!" the commander roared.
"Does it look like we care? You're all a bunch of dead monkeys anyway, unless you do as your told." the lady sneered at them.
"What do you want?"
"The girl. Hand her over, now." the man in red demanded, shocking the girl in question.
"Like hell we are!" one of the Royal Guards yelled out as he fired at the female biker. However, the bullets never hit the target, simply phased through her. Her image shimmered a bit before slowly turning her head towards her attacker. The sight stunned everyone in the tunnel.
"What in the name of Britannia?!" the commander said in disbelief at what he saw.
"How is that even possible?" Suzaku added.
"An image? Maybe that's how she never ended up in the trailer. But if that's the case, how is she standing there holding the bike?!" Lelouch thought, trying to make sense of it all.
"Ooh, should not have done that." the red man shook his head.
"Actually I've been waiting for one of these morons to so. Now we have an excuse to have some fun." the "biker" then soon disappeared and the bike soon started to move own, the other did the same, disturbing the humans even more.
"Wha-What trickery is this?!" the guard commander stammered, still keeping his pistol up.
"Trick you say? Well then how about this for a trick!" the motorcycle spoke, as both began to do something impossible.
They began to transform.
Getting closer, the two vehicles soon transformed into robotic humanoid figures, causing everyone to stare in absolute horror. Once it was completed, there were now two knightmare sized mechs standing before them. Each of them having a smug grin on their faces.
"TA-DAH!" Flamewar mocked menacingly as she waved her hands in the air, causing everyone to scream in pure terror. Well, everyone except the green-haired girl, C.C.'s mouth was still covered by the straitjacket. She simply stared in horror as the two beings from her nightmares were now in front of her, like a bad dream turned reality.
The troops open fired on the two living metal monsters, only to find their weapons useless against their armor. Out of ammunition, some of the men started running off, while others like the commander fell backwards and stared in horror at the red mech in front of them change his hand into a saw. Lelouch, Suzaku, and C.C. tried to make their way of the confusion, only to be stopped by an armed Flamewar.
"Where do you think you pipsqueaks are goin'?" the female Decepticon said as she pointed her blasters at them. "Now then, green hair, you're coming with us. Mega-"
"Death to Britannia! Long live Japan!" Nagata yelled out before flipping a switch on the driver's dashboard.
"Huh, where that come fro-?" before Knock Out could finish, an explosion of smoke and fire soon consumed and blew a hole in the ceiling.
As the tunnel collapsed, the smoke soon cleared. The commander looked around and saw that the girl and the school boy were gone, as well as the two metal monsters. The man also noticed Private Kururugi laying on the floor, having been knocked out by the falling debris, not that he cared. As the officer got up, the radio began to speak.
"Commander Kilgore, are you there? Answer me this instant!"
In the G1 mobile base, Clovis la Britannia, Third Prince of the Holy Britannian Empire and Viceroy of Area 11, was with General Bartley Asprius and several of his staff, monitoring the situation. Currently, they were hearing the Royal Guard commander begin raving like a madman.
"Calm down man! You're not making any sense!" Bartley shouted at the comm.
"Make sense? MAKE SENSE?! I WAS NEARLY KILLED BY TWO KNIGHTMARE SIZED ROBOTS THAT TRANSFORM INTO AN AUTOMOBILE AND A MOTORCYCLE! YOU EXPECT ME TO CALM DOWN?!" Commander Kilgore barked back.
"How dare you speak to me like that, I'm... wait... did you just say "an automobile and a motorcycle"?"
"YES! WHY?!"
"And did they didn't by chance happen to be a red sports car and a purple motorcycle with orange flames on it?" Bartley inquired, already knowing the answer but still dreaded hearing it.
"YES... yes they were." Kilgore replied, no longer angry, but was now confused by how they knew that. "How did you-?"
"Earlier, two of our Sutherlands were attacked by the two vehicles, which were armed with rockets and advanced weaponry. But never mind that, gather your men and continue your pursuit of the girl." Bartley commanded.
"Like hell I am! Those things were after her, no way am I going to get my self killed by chasing after her!"
"They're what?!" Clovis yelled as he got up from his throne. "How do they know about her?"
"How the hell should I know, all I do know is that unless you give me some major firepower, you can kiss that girl goodbye!" Kilgore told them.
"In that case we'll move to the next phase immediately!" Clovis commanded.
"But your highness..." Bartley spoke Clovis cut him off.
"Highness nothing! Today not only have terrorists taken the girl, multiple raids have occurred shortly after that. And with this recent news, it is now clear that a third party is involved here, taking the opportunity while we are in the midst of confusion. We're no longer dealing with simple resistance fighters, but a highly advanced and armed faction that is now making their move against us! We are under attack and therefore must mobilize immediately!" Clovis stated as turn his comm on. "All forces hear me! Destroy the ghetto and wipe out all within it! Leave no one alive!"
"Yes my lord." did all reply on the speakers.
"Bartley! Send the commander a squad of knightmares to assist. "Transformers" or not, we will not lose that girl. If she gets out, or word of her does, I'll be disinherited. As for the excuse regarding the recent actions, tell them back at home we're doing an urban renewal of sorts." Clovis said plainly as he sat back down.
"Understood my liege." Bartley complied.
Soon after the order was given, hundreds of military units soon began to invade the small ghetto. And with their arrival, did a genocidal bloodbath begin. Young or old, it did not matter as the Britannian soldiers began shooting down every last man, woman, and child within the area. All with pride as the followed they orders of a foolish prince.
However, it would be orders they would soon regret following. High in the sky, an aerial drone of unknown design had been watching the entire scene, relaying it to the electronic pad held by his superior.
Megatron watched massacre before him, repulsed by what he saw. He was no stranger to such actions, having once decimated multiple civilian cargo transports that tried to flee their dying homeworld, and even tried to cyberform Earth which would involve wiping all organic life on it. But since having been reformed after being free from Unicron's possession, the gladiator mind has been cleared but now stuffed with regrets, and a spark filled with insurmountable guilt. And now having become a Prime, he vowed that he would make up for his crimes by doing what Megatronus did, helping those in need with his power. And he would start by unleashing his wrath on the Britannians that have now incurred it. Even now, he contemplates the similarities to these humans predicament, to that of his own from the beginning.
Like the Elevens, many Cybertronians themselves were nothing more than numbers under the rule of the Guilds of Cybertron. The Guilds and the Senate enforced a rigid caste system, forcing many of those placed in the lower castes to slave away into nothing. Megatron had once been a number, an industrial miner by the designation of D-16. He would work tirelessly in poor conditions, and the living conditions were just as bad. So when word of illegal gladiatorial games were being set up in Kaon, and some promoters were looking for fighters with the promise of better conditions, Megatron joined up and soon began his career as a gladiator and make a name for himself. And while he honed his skills in the pits of Kaon, did he also begin to do something else, think.
As he fought in the arena, he began to appreciate life as he was forced to take it from others. When not trying to survive in the pits, he would begin to question his position in life, was well as question the unfairness and inequality brought upon the by the caste system. Soon enough, he became an activist for equal rights among his fellow Cybertronians, and then a leader that began to fight against the status quo. He soon gained followers among his fellow miners and gladiators, and then a certain data clerk named Orion Pax, the rest became history.
As Megatron reminiscences the past, he is soon contacted by Knock Out.
"Sir, this is Knock Out. An explosion occurred and we've lost track of the girl. We are continuing our pursuit." the medic reported.
"Be sure that you do, she is imperative to our mission. In the meantime, we'll be making our way to the ghetto."
"What?" Starscream said as the rest of the Decepticons turned to face their leader.
"Fellow Decepticons. Hear me now! Today we start our path towards redemption! While may have always believed in the strongest of the fittest, lording over those below us, starting today we change all of that! We will still continue to be mightier than all, but we will do so while also looking over those that do not have strength to stand among us. And we shall begin that new maxim by avenging those defenseless against these mindless warmongers called Britannians! My fellow warriors, on this day I declare war on the Holy Britannian Empire! So arm yourselves for battle, prepare your wits and be cunning, unleash your wrath and taste for destruction on those that damn well deserve it! Today we save the civilians within the ghetto of Shinjuku, while crushing every last combatant within it. And if you do not agree with saving these humans, then too bad. You are either with me or against me, so choose wisely. Now then, to war! For justice!" Megatron roared as he raised his fist into the air.
"For justice!" the other Decepticons too raised their fists in the air. Some did so with absolute pride, others with reluctance, such as Starscream. As everyone prepared for battle, Megatron began walking towards his second-in-command, having noticed the flyer's distaste for his plan.
"Why should we save these worthless fleshlings? While I understand that we need them for an army, to save the ones that can't even fight is waste of time." Starscream complained.
"Starscream! While I know that you're not exactly one for moral causes, you can at least try to do some good. After all, we have been brought here for a reason. A chance not only to redeem ourselves, but to do some good for once. And though you may have a great dislike for the humans, they are invaluable to us, combat worthy or not. We will protect them, and in turn, they will join us when the time comes for our battle with the Dark Knights."
"But you can't expect me to charge into battle!" the air commander told him.
"Who said I expect you to do so?" Megatron replied.
"Wait, what?" Starscream stated as he did a double take by what his leader just said.
"You heard me, I don't expect you to charge into battle like myself and the others."
"Then what do you expect me to do?" he asked.
"To do what you do best, being Starscream. I want you to provide air support as we fight on the ground. Run their aerial forces ragged, show them who truly rules the skies, air commander Starscream!" Megatron encouraged the Decepticon flyer, knowing that he would cooperate better by appealing to his ego. Plus, there have been times that Starscream had proven himself worthy, and this may very well be one of those times where he does so again.
"With pleasure, sir!" Starscream saluted, elated to see that Megatron was giving him the respect he deserves. The air commander then transformed and flew off towards the mainland, leaving Megatron with the rest of his team.
"Alright everyone, prepare yourselves for combat. We will be leaving soon, after I acquire a new alt-mode for myself." Megatron announced. "Buzzsaw, let's take a look at those vehicle scans you have collected."
Back in Shinjuku, Lelouch and C.C. were making their way through the tunnels, having barely lost their robotic pursuers. They had lost Suzaku when the explosion occurred, leaving the schoolboy to fear the worst for his old friend. They eventually made it to a stairway leading to the surface, which from below, looked like a warehouse. The two soon crawled up the steps, laying low to avoid being detected by the military. As they did, Lelouch motioned the girl to stay put.
"Stay quiet and wait here." he said as he slowly crawled up to the surface. Having reach the top, the student witnesses Elevens being shot, by the same guards from before. Only this time they were accompanied by a squad of knightmares.
"Report." Commander Kilgore ordered as he strolled into the warehouse.
"We found only Elevens here sir." one of the guards replied.
"You're sure of it? That exit comes out here." he questioned again.
"Yes sir, it matches with the map of the old city."
Lelouch begins to make his way down the steps, but not before hearing a child begin to cry and then silenced by the sound of machine gun fire. As Lelouch winced at the sound, his phone began to rang, betraying his location to the murderous soldiers. Moments later, he was being beat up by them and was soon against the wall. The guards began to surround him while at the same time held the girl in their clutches. Behind them, the Sutherlands managed to make their way inside the building and were aiming at the young student as well. All hope seemed lost for Lelouch.
"What an appropriate location for a terrorist to meet his end." Kilgore commented.
"You scum." the boy said weakly.
"Still, you did well for a student. But that's to be expected, you're a Britannian. Then again, if it wasn't for us being interrupted by those... things and the explosion, we would have been able to dispose of you there and then. But now that's over with, and we have back up to prevent any more interruptions, it's time for you to say goodbye to your now gone future." the commander said as he cocked his pistol and aimed at the young man.
As they were about to fire, the girl breaks free the guards hold and jumps in the way of the gunshot.
"He mustn't die!" C.C. cried out as the bullet soon hits her in the forehead. She then falls to the floor, dead, her body begins to bleed as it becomes lifeless.
"You shot her!" Lelouch soon runs to her body.
"Our orders were to bring her back alive, if possible. Oh well, nothing can be done about it now. We'll tell our superiors that the Royal Guard found the terrorists hideout and killed them all. Regrettably, the female hostage had been tortured to death. What do you think schoolboy?" Kilgore smirked as they soon aimed at the teen again.
Before he and his men could shoot, they were soon interrupted by a noise of an incoming jet. Kilgore, his men, and the knightmares turned to face the source of the sound, not noticing the young man appeared to be in some sort of trance as he was grabbed by the supposedly "dead" girl. As they listened, Kilgore and his men soon heard a familiar noise, which soon filled them with dread. Their weapons begins to shake as they soon begin to hear slow footsteps make their way around the building. As their heads followed the sound of the footsteps, they soon saw the robot figure before them at the entrance of the warehouse.
It was tall and had a skinny blue frame, with flat wing-like arms and legs that looked sort of hind-legged. But unlike the other two Kilgore and his men encountered, this one didn't have a face. Instead it had a sleek, black screen shaped like an elongated, upside down triangle. Despite the lack of a face, it somehow didn't make it less terrifying for them to look at. It also didn't help that this thing was eerily silent as well.
It slowly entered the building and took a few steps inside, the Sutherlands took aim at the newcomer, ready to fire when it made its first move. As the knightmares focus on the mech before them, Kilgore and his men turn back to shoot the student when the student began to speak.
"Say, how should a Britannian who detests his own country live his life?" Lelouch said as he put his hand to his face.
Back with the mechs, both sides simply stared at each other, waiting for one to make their move. During this moment, Soundwave noticed a glint of something shiny among the pile of bodies on the floor. Bringing out one of his metal tentacles, he plucked the object that had belong to a young lady while the Sutherland pilots watched. In his claw, Soundwave discovers it to be a musical locket, playing a haunting melody as he opened it to see a picture of a mother and daughter. Closing it, he then holds it in front of them.
"When the chime ends, we dance." he simply said as he places the locket on the ground, opening it so it may play once more.
As it played its tune, the Cybertronian and the four knightmares stared as the showdown began. The pilots readied themselves as the chime went on, while Soundwave simply stared and prepared, straightening his thin digits into a blade and while bringing out the other tentacle. The wind blows, and a plastic bag flies across them, like a tumbleweed in the west. The chime continued, the suspense increases as the pilots begin to sweat. And though they hear a chorus of gun shots behind them, they pay no heed, as they focused on the mech of death before them. The music then begins to slowly end, and with the last note played, it begins. The knightmares immediately fire at the imposing mech, but the Cybertronian dodges. He ducks forward, rolls, and strikes with all four. His wing-like arms impale the two center Sutherlands, while his two tentacles begin to drill and do the same. After a moment of chime, the showdown had ended in less than that.
As Soundwave lets the mechs slump to the ground, he turns to face the other humans, only to be met with an odd and unsettling scene. Before him, the green-haired girl laid dead, as well as the Royal Guards, who some reason committed suicide. He also noticed that the boy that was with them was gone, having disappeared while he had tangled with the Sutherlands. Not far from him, two vehicles arrive and transform into Knock Out and Flamewar.
"We got your signal, did you get the..." Knock Out stopped as he and his partner also notice the bizarre scene in front of them.
"What the frag happened?!" Flamewar exclaimed, Soundwave simply shrugged in response.
"Well this is just great. Just how in the pits of Kaon are we going to explain to Megatron that the human he has been looking for is dead?!" Knock Out stressed.
"Target still functions." Soundwave spoke, surprising the two Cons.
"She's still alive?" Knock Out asked.
"You can speak?" Flamewar said next.
Soundwave simply nodded to both answers as he replayed a voice recording of Vector Prime. "...immortal girl..."
"Oh, right, forgot about that." Knock Out replied. The group then notices the girl beginning to move.
C.C. began to wake, her head aching incredibly from the gunshot. At first she hoped it was all a dream, but the three giant, metal beings in front soon crushed that. She tried to run, but was caught by one of Soundwave's tentacles. It coiled around her body as it held her up to the group.
"Well look who's back from the dead. Must be nice to know that your indestructible." Flamewar commented.
"I don't know about that Flamewar, some would look at it as a curse." Knock Out added. "But still, a nifty ability I wouldn't mind having."
Soundwave soon brought her up to his face, the witch could she her reflection on his screen.
"W-Who are you? What are you? How are you even real?!" C.C. questioned, fear sinking into her body as her nightmares had become real.
"We, my dear, are the Decepticons. And we have traveled a long way to find you." the red medic answered.
"Me?"
"Indeed, though we didn't expect to find you in the truck. And to think, I was going to see a couple of meatbags die horribly from poison gas, but instead we spot your sorry aft inside the capsule." Flamewar responded.
"But now that we have you with us, our leader would like to have a few words with you." Knock Out said as Soundwave soon opened a groundbridge, moving the girl away from his face and having her face the aperture.
Moments after it opens, a figure soon strolled out of it. A metallic gray, armored giant with spikes, shark-like teeth, and red eyes. On its right arm, a giant cannon. C.C. blood turned cold and shivered as she gazed at the gladiator. It then spoke in a raspy voice.
"At last we finally meet, human. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Megatron Prime, leader of the Decepticons." he announced as several more of them came out of the portal. "Decepticons, you have your orders. Go and save as many possible, while showing these Britannians the meaning of war."
"Yes sir!" they saluted before leaving to carry out their mission. Soon it was only Megatron and Soundwave in the room with C.C.
"Soundwave, hand me the girl and leave. I'll need you monitor the communications within the ghetto and make sure that any word of our movements are silenced. Also make sure to take care of any aerial units in your way, as well as assist our ground forces whenever possible." the giant commanded.
Soundwave nodded as he dropped the young lady onto his hand, then left as he transformed into a drone and flew off."
"What do you want from me?" C.C. asked.
"A fair question. How about we start by telling me everything about this so called "Power of the King." the gladiator stated as he began to question everything she knew.
End of Chapter 1
Review and critique when you can, always interested in what you have to say.
Next time, on the Gladiator and the Revolutionary. As the battle in Shinjuku begins, Lelouch directs the rebels against the Britannian forces, while the Decepticons soon join in, using stealth and deception to wipe them out. Meanwhile Megatron learns about Geass from C.C., as well as discuss a contract. What will happen when both sides meet? Will they join forces, or will this become a three way battle? What will the conditions of the contract involve? What will happen when it is made? All will be answered in upcoming, action packed chapter of the Gladiator and the Revolutionary!