Hey all! Sorry to take so long with this next update! Thank you all for your gracious reviews! They are always welcomed! Well here it is! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers, but I do own Project Seven, and Project Five.
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"Anyway, so we had this idea, "Cat tugged on the suit that she was wearing and smiled.
"Ah... Yes, the suits. Tell us about this, "Optimus helped the girl change the subject.
"We figured that the three of us could get in the facility and get what we needed. Maybe even destroy Megatron while we're in there," she said.
"Not alone, we hope?" Ironhide asked, as if he almost couldn't contain not using his canons any longer.
"Well we haven't figured everything out just yet. We were thinking of just playing it by ear, but we may need to do more planning," Cat replied.
"Can we help?" Mikaela asked, referring to her and Sam. They wanted in in the action too.
Cat smiled and said, "Yeah, I think we put something together for you guys. Come on, maybe there's something in this truck that we can use."
Cat, Lillian and the two teens walked a ways to the truck while Five scoffed and jumped over to the cliff where she had been standing the night before. Taking the opportunity, the Autobots walked over to Five. They had a few questions for her.
"What do you want?" Five asked, not looking away from the cliff's edge.
"I'm assuming that you understand Cat's condition?" Optimus asked.
Five sighed, "Of course I do..."
"What can we do to-" Ratchet began.
"Nothing..." Five replied in a gruff, by silent tone.
"But... You are older than her, aren't you? How is it that you managed to avoid the same plague?" Optimus asked.
"I wish I knew... I know it has something to do with the updates that I was given, but I don't know what it is that they did to ensure that I survived... So there's nothing you can do..." Five replied.
"If the humans were able to save you, then there must be a way for us to help Catherine," Ratchet said in a matter-of-factly tone.
"Well if you're hoping to find a cure, then you better think of one quick..." Five said.
"Why's dat?" Jazz asked.
"I grew up in that lab the same as Seven did... I've seen some of the projects die off the same way she's dying... It's a rather progressive little problem, and I'd be surprised if she made it to the end of the day..." Five replied.
The group looked back to the four other humans to see that they were smiling and talking as they were going through the back of the truck.
"What about you?" Optimus turned and asked.
Five glanced back at the robot and asked, "What about me?"
"What do you plan on doing once she dies? Where are you going to go? How are you going to live?" he asked.
Five narrowed her eyes before looking back over the cliff and said, "I plan on destroying anyone and anything in my way..."
"In your way of what?" Ironhide asked.
"I'm going to reveal this government for what it's done, and then I'm going to kill everyone at the top... Leaving only me," Five replied in a low growl.
"Do you mean to say that you wish to control the human race?" Optimus asked, startled at the girl's answer.
"Well someone has to... Someone has to teach these people a lesson for all the pain that they've caused... And if I have to destroy everyone who gets in my way, then so be it," Five replied.
The Autobots looked to one another before their leader spoke again, "On our home planet, we have three different factions to our war. The Autobots, the Neutrals, and the Decepticons. The Decepticons are the force that wishes for everyone to perish if they disagree to their rules, and they wish to rule this entire universe. The one that we call "Megatron", which resides at this facility where you and Catherine have aged, is the leader of the Decepticons."
"So... You think I should destroy him too then? Is that what you're trying to tell me?" Five asked.
"No... What you have just described as your plan for life after Catherine's death, is the same plan that Megatron has for this entire universe, which is why we are at war with the Decepticons. We wish to fight for freedom and safety for all beings," Optimus explained.
"These people need to pay for what they've done to us... And that's what I'm doing, repaying the favor that they've put unto Seven and myself..." Five replied.
"Catherine wishes to fight for her own freedom. She doesn't want to enslave the human race as you do. She's fighting for yours and her rights..." Optimus reasoned.
"Well it doesn't matter for her now does it?! She's going to die trying to fight for freedom! I'm going to preserve my rights by destroying everything that opposes me!" Five turned and snarled, raising a fist in anger, "It's them or us! And I choose ME!" She jumped to another cliff nearby, which was farther up the side of the rocky area so that she couldn't be bothered.
"Ironic, isn't it?" Jazz spoke up.
"What's that?" Ironhide asked.
"Cat and Five are one in the same. They're from the same bloodline, they look alike, and sound alike. But one fights for freedom, the other fights for personal gain. Remind you guys of anything'?" he said.
"Yes, I'm afraid it does... Decepticon," they looked up to Five, then looked back to Cat, "Autobot... Needless wars aren't just limited to us I'm afraid..." Optimus sighed as they walked back towards the SUV.
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Cat and the others walked over to the SUV and opened up the back of the truck, lifting it's rear door. There were several things strewn about the back, including clothing and broken electronics.
"It looks like a rat's nest back here..." Mikaela commented.
"Well, I was kind of in a hurry. I threw a lot of things in here and only after driving for a couple of miles I had to stop and take this truck's tracking system apart bolt by bolt as fast as I could so we wouldn't be tracked. As well as a few other little goodies that I found while inspecting it," Cat replied, throwing some broken objects around the back.
While Cat did this she looked up and saw that the Autobots seemed to have gotten into a conversation with Five.
"What's wrong, Cat?" Sam asked as he noticed the girl stop going through the items.
"Uh... N-Nothing," she gave a quiet laugh as she went back through the things.
"So... Why exactly did you take these things apart little by little instead of destroying them, or leaving them behind? Wouldn't that have been faster?" Mikaela asked.
"We need this truck to look as if nothing has happened to it, and in order to do that, I need to be able to make a shell of the tracking system. They're going to go over the truck to make sure it's all intact, and unless we want to be stopped at the gate, we need to make it look up to code," Cat explained as she went through some of the things, looking back to the others every once and a while to see what was going on.
"Are these all those agents clothes?" Sam asked, all wide eyed as he separated clothing from electronics.
"Well, like I said, I used some of them to tie them up. I didn't have rope at the time and I was in a bit of a rush. However, I did manage to ensure that Simmons wouldn't be getting his stuff back," Cat grinned, looking up momentarily to see that the Autobots were all turned, looking at... Were they looking at her?
"Who's got his clothes?!" Mikaela asked, making a disgusted look on her face as if detesting wearing anything that belonged to the agent.
"That would be Five," Cat laughed, the others laughing as well.
Cat looked up to see that the Autobots seemed to be getting a scolding from Five as she was, now, turned to look at them, yelling. She noticed as the other girl seemed to jump away from them, getting at a high spot on a cliff's edge and sitting down, a grumpy look on her face. Cat, then, noticed that the robots were talking and then looked from Five to... Were they looking at her again?!... And then began to trek over towards them.
"You okay Cat?" Mikaela asked, putting a hand to her friends shoulder and giving her a little shake.
"Yeah, why?" Cat asked.
"You just ripped a shirt completely apart..." Sam pointed out, seemingly to back away from the girl in fear that she was about to lash out about something.
Cat was startled and looked down to her hands, seeing two parts of a polo button-up shirt in each one.
"Ah... So I have... Oh well, there's plenty more where that came from," she feigned a laugh as the three looked to one another, with questioning looks.
The Autobots approached the three as Sam and Mikaela put their new clothes on over their regular clothing. Cat's eyebrow twitched as though she had just realized something and then glared to the mechs, giving them a bit of a rattled look.
"What took ya?" Cat asked in a suspicious tone.
"Uh.. We had some things to discuss with Five... So what's the plan?" Optimus replied, and then quickly changed the subject.
Cat sighed and looked back to what she was doing earlier, "We're getting ourselves ready to impersonate the agents, and infiltrate the labs... I think you two ought to stick with the truck once we're inside, "she pointed to Sam and Mikaela, who were being helped to make the suits fit by Lillian.
"Why?!" Mikaela asked.
"Four "agents" walking around together is just unusual. Five and I know the lab areas better than anyone else, and Lillian can get us through some of the major blockades from the security room once we're in. So it'd be better if you two stuck by to make sure that we have a getaway truck in place," Cat put it simply.
"But... we were kind of hoping to help from the inside," Sam sounded disappointed.
"I'm sorry guys, but if too many of us went in, there'd be a chance that not all of us would come back out. And we don't have that kind of time just to be looking around for someone if they get captured or lost," Cat reasoned.
"I agree, we can't have you two being captured, it would be too great of a distraction, and too great of a risk," Optimus said, the other mechs nodding in agreement.
Cat looked up to the Autobots and said, "We're going to need one of you guys to take another way into the lab. I'm assuming that this Allspark will need very specific people to have it moved, correct?"
"If it's in the state that we think it's in, then yes, you are right, "Ratchet agreed.
"Right. Then we'll need one of you to take post at a specific hanger nearby the labs. When we're ready, we'll talk you through where you need to go to meet up with us," Cat nodded confidently.
"And how are you planning to talk us through? With what communications device?" Ironhide asked.
"Well... I've still yet to put something together out of these parts," Cat replied with a sheepish grin, holding up a handful of chips and processors from the SUV's tracking system.
"Where'd you get those?!" Jazz asked incredulously.
Cat stifled a laugh and sighed instead, looking over to where Five sat on the cliffs, sulking.
"Five!" Cat yelled, the other girl looking over from afar.
"Come on! Time to go!" Cat waved her over.
Five nodded and stood up, jumping off of the cliffs and running over to them.
"All set then?" Five asked, crossing her arms.
Cat threw the rest of the parts in a plastic bag and then shuffled the clothing to the ground, cleaning the back of the truck out completely.
"Five, take these four in the truck..." Cat gave a serious look to her counter-part.
Five couldn't help but twist her face in a strange, questioning look, "Why?"
"I need to discuss some things with these guys... You can lead us to the facility and we'll follow," Cat replied, looking to the Autobots.
"But... I... I don't understand..." Five tried to give her twin the third degree about why she didn't feel like babysitting humans.
"Please?" Cat asked, giving the puppy dog eyes to her twin.
"...Just so ya know... I hate you..." Five grabbed the truck keys from Cat and stomped over to the driver's side door.
Cat smiled widely and looked to the mechs, "Five's going to take them in the truck, and you guys and I are going to have a nice little chat on the way there while I fix up our little gadgets."
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Chapter Teaser!
"Uh, hey buddy. Anything the matter?" Cat asked, parts in her hands and a few processor chips in the sides of her mouth as she prepared to remake the shell of the tracking system.
Optimus was shaken out of his thoughts. The last time he had someone sitting in his front seat he was taken control of, and for some reason half-expected the newer driver to do the same. The other Autobots were in waiting for Optimus to take the lead as he rumbled and drove forward, following the black truck.
"What was it that you wanted to speak about?" Optimus finally asked after a few minutes of silence.
Cat looked up from what she was doing, knowing that the mech had left his communications open for the others to listen in on. She sighed and settled back into the seat, looking out the window.
"Tell me what you know first..." she said quietly.