Chapter 2: Haven among the enemy

The Autobots and NEST were getting bolder. Nobody could deny this. The Lycans defeat at the 8th district in Mission City was proof of this. Lucian's top lieutenants and Megatron held a strategy meeting in the late night to determine the cause of the defeat. Ketra stood by the door, listening closely. His ears were those of a wolf as he listened. Megatron was the first to speak. "You have failed, Lucian. We allied with you to get even, but the Autobots have fought back stronger. My best soldiers are in repair bay."

Lucian quickly snapped back, "If your soldiers were prepared, they would still be fully operational."

"Speaking of operational, Barricade suffered from combat rage. If unchecked, it could destroy his core processor." Raze added. Megatron sneered to himself.

"We'll have to melt him down for parts." Lucian stared up at Megatron.

"Ketra has also lost his edge. Any suggestions?" Megatron laughed. "that sword of yours is pure sterling silver. You should figure it out." Ketra was horrified. He ran back to his room and tried to pack all he could into a duffel bag. His armor, his MP7s and some grenades were all packed. He put on his Jeans, his Timeless Miracle t-shirt, and his trenchcoat, which still had the police badge the mimicked Barricades police emblem. Barricade didn't know what was going on, but he knew Ketra had to get out.

"What's the Hurry?" Barricade asked.

"They want to kill me because I lost in combat to a half-breed. The think you have Combat Rage and want to melt you down." Barricade transformed without saying a word. Ketra loaded his bag and got in. They drove off trying to make sense of it all. Hours of thought were useless. Barricade just put the Howard Stern show on his radio. The new guy, Wikus the Prawn, was arguing with Howard and Robyn about the random damages and destroyed buildings in Shanghai, Johannesburg, and Mission City. He knows that something was going down and that he was familiar with being left in the dark by governments and corporations. Ketra shut it off and continued in silence. One question lingered in his mind. "What happened out there? You never rush like that."

"I was confused. I didn't think I was doing the right thing. I've realized that your kind and ours are similar and that if we protect you, maybe organics aren't so bad. I think a logical paradox occurred. I just want to know where we're going."

"I need to get to Nome. It's probably the only place Lucian won't look for us."

"A viroid was uploaded into NEST's communication systems. I'm scanning for any Operations in Nome." After seconds, Barricade had the results. "NEST is sending Ratchet and some human female to Nome to see if the reported escaped Poleepkwa survived Devastators attack."

"Any info on this human?" Ketra asked.

"She must be new, she doesn't have a file." Barricade replied.

"Why a sudden interest in the Poleepkwa?"

"The files don't say anything. Wolfen might be looking for them just to make sure they're okay. Poleepkwa are a lot tougher than humans." By the time the conversation had ended, they arrived at the terminal. Ketra got out and Barricade shut the door.

"Look for a cargo plane with either Autobot or NEST symbols. I'll see if I can find this human and convince her to take us along." Barricade searched the tarmac and finally entered the plane. Ketra ran through the airport terminal looking for this female. He had Ratchets scent, so he just had to find a human with that scent coming from them. He knew she had gone through security already and got through as well. Just before the exit to the Tarmac is where he saw her. She looked about 18. Her eyes were a shade of emerald green and her hair was silver and only went down to her shoulders. Her jacket and was yellow and had Ratchets Search and Rescue emblem on the back and the sleeves had red stripes that looked like the heart rate pattern. Her pants were yellow and had straight red stripes going down. Ketra quickly approached her and tapped her on the shoulder. She jumped and turned around.

"Who are you?" she asked upon catching her breath. She spoke with a moderate Romanian accent.

"It's awfully late to be flying. What's the rush?" Ketra asked, sounding as concerned as he could.

"I'm working with Wolfen Aerospace Industries. Do you know about them?" She seemed to have a good cover story. Ketra would have to be careful.

"I know their efforts shut down MNU and fully integrated the Poleepkwa into our society."

"I'm going into Nome. It was destroyed by a rogue F-22 pilot. Some of the Poleepkwa that escaped from District 9 lived there."

"By the looks of that jacket, you're going to try to save them. You need to be careful. Only the hospital, church, and a few houses still stand. Any human survivors will take you down for the medicine you have."

"This coming from a Cop."

"I've been there before. You need an escort." Ketra insisted.

"Are you armed?" she asked. He pulled open his trenchcoat, revealing one of his MP7s and six grenades.

"To the teeth." Ketra responded.

"Nice piece. Is that a Barreta?"

"Heckler & Koch MP7. I always preferred them for the rate and the light weight." Ketra answered.

"You must have put your car in my plane already. I guess you're right, though. Follow me." The girl walked out onto the tarmac. Most of the light came from the full moon. Ketra knew how to fight the change. It was easy for him.

"What's your name, by the way?" She asked "Ethan Ketra."

"My name's Alira Fairway." The rest of the walk was completed in silence. As they rounded the corner to the plane, Alira saw Ketra's ride. She froze up upon seeing it. It had to be a coincidence, though, as Barricade was clearly not here given the lack of an energon radiation signature. Either that or the lycans found a way to mask such things from Autobot scanners. She stood there breathing heavily until Ketra snapped her back to reality.

"You coming or not?"

"Yeah." She walked inside the plane following Ketra closely. Ketra noticed Ratchet in his altmode.

"I take it you only carry Poleepkwa medicines." Ketra said. "I carry some human medicines, but not nearly enough for 297 human survivors." Alira said with a degree of sadness. The pilot of the cargo plane quickly came out to make sure everyone was present. Ketra recognized him immediately. He was dressed in full body armor with IDF and IAF patches. He had short silver hair and yellow eyes. He was about 5'11 and had a lean build. This was the hybrid that threw the grenade into Starscreams intake.

"Who's this guy? I thought you were supposed to come alone." said the pilot rater sternly.

"He's a cop from Nome. He's my armed escort." Alira said. The pilot stood in awe but snapped back to reality. "My name's John Ledra."

"Ethan Ketra. I've already acquainted myself with Ms. Fairway." He nodded toward Alira. Alira smiled widely.

"Settle in somewher and get ready for takeoff."

With that, John got to the cockpit and sent the plane into the stratosphere. The flight was long and uneventful. Alira would often try to get the Howard Stern show on Barricades radio, and get Ethan to help her out. After 2 hours, the plane landed at the Nome municipal airfield. John got inside of Ratchet with Alira riding shotgun. Ketra and Barricade rolled out onto the tarmac and left to save the Poleepkwa. Their sirens blared, piercing the moonlit sky with their sound. The area was not radioactive, but it was freezing cold. Ketra was determined now to save the Poleepkwa. They were cold-blooded. They wouldn't last long.