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When the Lead Starts to Fly
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"Look at you...," hissed the Insecticon, "All soft flesh and muscle and springy bones...I wonder what kind of noise you'll make as I pluck your limbs off one by one..."
Jack only had time to scramble out of the way just before the Insecticon let loose a volley of vicious barbs. They speared the air with an eerie whistling noise before impacting the very ground Jack had been standing in mere seconds ago. Upon contact, they immediately secreted a noxious green ooze that sizzled and burned the ground around it with a horrendous acrid smell.
Jack didn't waste time. With energy borne partly out of adrenaline and partly out of sheer terror, he bolted for the street, narrowly avoiding the second Insecticon as it made a grab for him. The third was no slouch either. Quickly converting to wasp mode, it buzzed towards Jack in hot pursuit. The other two Insecticons followed suit, and they too gave chase.
Jack could already feel more sweat soaking his shirt as he pumped his arms and legs faster and faster. The drone of the Insecticons' wings threw up yet another storm of ash that billowed around Jack, forcing him to shield his face. He heard a guttural snarl, and he ducked just in time to avoid a swipe from an armored limb and a few more of those acidic barbs.
Jack quickly recovered and then dodged in the other direction to evade another clawed servo. "You infuriating little...Stop moving why don't you!?" snarled the Insecticon, as Jack dodged another swipe. The razor sharp claws narrowly missed his head by a hair and cut a derelict car to ribbons with an agonizing metallic screech. Jack grunted as he stumbled, but regained his footing and surged on.
And then he heard it. He had mistaken it for the drone of the Insecticons's wings at first, but then he recognised the metallic roar of an engine, and then the squeal of tires. Jack's eyes widened, and he immediately threw himself onto the ground just before the pale glow of headlights cut through the billowing ash. Then, the engine and headlights suddenly cut out to be replaced with the sounds of a transformation and heavy footfalls. The ground shook, and Jack let out an 'eep!', as large pedes thundered around him, and he quickly flipped himself over just in time to see a massive fist deliver an uppercut to the wasp's face.
The creature shrieked as it was sent flying backwards. It tumbled through the air, wings and limbs akimbo, before landing right on top of a ruined truck and crushing it flat. The other two Insecticons quickly transformed to bipedal mode and landed, clawed pedes gouging huge rents in the tarmac.
Jack coughed as the ash settled around him. Now that there was no more of the substance billowing around him, he could now have a clear view of the newcomer. He was a scout sized mech, with doorwings that flared out of his shoulders, but he was stockier and bulkier, his frame composed of flat surfaces and sharp angles. He was painted entirely in a dark matte blue, with dabs of black on his pedes, hips, chest, shoulders and helm, and his light grey faceplate was set in a light frown, bright blue optics switching back and forth between the Insecticons warily.
Abruptly, the mech looked down at Jack, and said, "Are you alright?" His voice was an odd mix of light and deep, the voice of a man in his mid twenties.
Jack fumbled a bit before replying, "Y-yeah...yeah, I'm good...,"
The mech gave a bright smile. "Good to know. The name's Throwback, by the way."
"Jack...Jack Darby."
A sudden hiss drew the both of them out of their conversation, and they looked up to see that the two standing Insecticons had unleashed their weapons and were advancing quickly. The third was still having trouble getting back in action. Its limbs flailed about comically as it tried to extricate itself from the truck impaled on the various sharp edges of its frame, and its guttural curses filled the air.
Throwback pursed his lip components. "Get behind me, Jack..."
Jack quickly complied, scrambling to his feet and taking cover behind a derelict four-wheel drive as Throwback cycled his weapons. His forearms buckled and shifted, forming thick, quad-barelled gund, and with two simultaneous clicks, he turned off the safeties and levelled their sights towards the wasps. Immediately, Jack braced himself for what would surely be the familiar discharge of deadly weaponised energy.
Instead, he was surprised once again. Throwback's weapons gave a short, high pitched whine before spitting out, not energy, but a literal hailstorm of mass driven, high caliber rounds that rocketed down the street and peppered the two Insecticons with numerous bullet holes. Jack quickly covered his ears to protect them from the explosive din of gunfire, and he drew back into cover, the better to avoid the spent shells that rained down from Throwback's guns.
The Insecticon on the left snarled as the bullets bit into its frame, and it immediately dove out of the way, shifting to wasp mode as it did so. The one on the right wasn't so lucky. It had tried to weather the storm of gunfire, only to be literally shredded as bullets tore its frame apart from the chest to the neck and helm, causing energon and lubricants to gush and splatter everywhere like some macabre fountain. The wasp gave a final gurgle before falling to the ground, causing more ash to be thrown into the air.
The other Insecticon, still in wasp mode, circled around, energon and other fluids dripping out of its various bullet holes. It hissed and flexed its claws, its wings thrumming wildly as it rapidly approached the blue mech.
Throwback was ready, however. In a single smooth motion, he ducked and grabbed one of the wasp's legs just as it flew over, and swung the limb around, the creature's body following. The Insecticon could only let out a strangled grunt as its body was slammed down to the tarmac with excessive force. Without even skipping a beat, Throwback jammed his pede against the wasp's chest and fired straight into the creature's helm, scattering energon, fluids and charred compenents in every conceivable direction.
And that was when the third Insecticon finally broke free of the truck's remains with a triumphant rattle. It shook off bits of the vehicle and then charged towards Throwback from behind, fangs bared. Jack only saw the creature when it was too late. The wasp had already closed the distance between its target, and Jack only had time to shout, "Behind you!", before the Insecticon pounced.
Time seemed to slow down completely. Throwback could only turn around to face the beast as it opened its jaws, shearing mouthparts buzzing and whirring like dentist's drills in overdrive, its numerous claws oustretched, ready to violently rend Throwback's frame.
Jack heard it before he saw it; a soft whistle, and then a loud 'THWACK!' as a fast moving projectile smacked into the wasp's helm. The Insecticon only had a split second to look stunned before the bullet literally detonated inside its helm, beheading the creature completely as well as tearing and warping large sections of its chest plates.
Jack gaped as the wasp's smouldering frame fell and skidded to a stop mere inches from Throwback's pedes, and he looked up to the mech himself to see him let out a slow breath. "Okay...what was that?" asked Jack.
"A high velocity explosive round," said Throwback, as he squinted towards the horizon. "That was Throttle's work right there; she's never missed a shot."
"...Throttle?"
"Yes, our sniper. And she's a damned good one as well." There was a series of clunks as Throwback ejected two spent ammunition clips from his arms, followed by a whirr and click as new ones slid into place. "No point dawdling. We'd better hurry and find a safe place to Bridge out." He retracted his weapons, and then his body shifted into vehicle mode, the doors popping open invitingly. The car was completely foreign to Jack; it was very futuristic in its design, with bio lights around the frame and on the wheels, and yet it also resembled something closer to a tricked out Dodge.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" asked Throwback, "Come on in!"
Jack quickly complied. He scrambled into Throwback's driver seat, and the seatbelts automatically clicked into position. As the door swung shut, a crackle sounded from Throwback's radio, and a female voice filtered through.
"Looks like you're becoming friendly with the little one, Throwback."
Her voice was light, with an English accent and a curious sing-song quality to it. Jack blinked and uttered a confused, "...uhh..."
"It's Throttle," explained Throwback, "It's alright, Jack. Say hello; it's not like she's going to bite you...not through the radio, anyway..."
By this time, he's already gunned his engine and turned down a street that was relatively clear of wreckage, weaving between the rusted husks of automobiles. Jack coughed and looked at the radio.
"Umm...Hi?"
"Hello!" replied the sniper, cheerfully. "Oh my, I do hope you have a good explanation for Stormfront; he's quite a bit peeved."
"Peeved?" asked Jack nervously.
"Of course he's peeved," mumbled Throwback, "After all, he had to end Mordor and Boris' battle practice."
"Speak of the Chaos Bringer," said Throttle, "There's Boris' MODE coming your way..."
Jack was just about to ask her just what she meant by a 'MODE ', when he got his answer. There was a sudden movement above the rooftops, which Jack mistook for another Insecticon at first. But then the machine floated down right in the middle of the street, and Jack couldn't help but gasp in shock.
The first thing that grabbed him were the four wing-like extensions that flared out from the machine's hips and shoulders. They angled up and down as the MODE descended, and they thrummed, glowing with some sort of energy. Some form of anti-gravity propulsion, Jack thought, as the MODE's feet touched the ground with a heavy, mechanical crunch. The machine was not very large, being about the same size as an average, healthy cybertronian. It was humanoid mecha, two arms with five-fingered hands, two legs with feet, somewhat slim waist and a visored head, and it was painted in a drab desert camo; a perfectly legitimate military machine.
What really made Jack's jaw flop open, however, was the MODE's general aesthetic. The mecha's proportions, smooth surfaces, and angular head were so damnably and excruciatingly in-your-face familiar, that Jack accidentaly uttered, "Japanese...?!"
"Hm? Is something wrong, Jack?" asked Throwback, drawing to a stop.
"Huh? No...It's just that...What is that thing?!"
The blue mech would have raised a blow plate had his face been visible, but then he realized what Jack was talking about, and a ripple of surprise ran through Throwback's dashboard. "Wait...are you saying that you've never seen a MODE before?"
"Well...no."
"Get out of the car!" shouted a voice.
Jack jumped, and he looked up, through Throwback's windshield, to the MODE's visored head. "I said get out of the car! Yes, I'm talking to the skinny suka inside Throwback! Out!" The harsh voice was magnified by what were obviously loudspeakers, and it was somewhat accented. Obviously, it was the mecha's 'driver' who was speaking to him, and the intimidating tone had the desired effect; Jack quickly unbuckled himself and popped the door open.
Right before he slammed the door closed, he heard Throttle's voice over the radio: "Don't worry Jack, I'll be over there in a second..."
There was a whirr and hum of motors as the MODE kneeled down. The mecha raised a fist to its chest, almost as a gesture of fealty, and then the lights emanating from its visor and around its head suddenly cut out. There was a clunk and a hiss as sections of the machine's chest slid open, revealing the pilot. Jack blinked in surprise as the slim figure unclasped the various restraints with a single press of a button, and then jump down onto the MODE's proferred fist. The second her feet touched the metal surface, she kicked off again, this time landing on the ground with a crunch of gravel.
Jack blinked. "Boris is a girl?" he whispered.
"Yes,'Boris'," replied Throwback, just as quietly, "It's short for 'Borislava'...We just like to call her 'Boris', because...Well, you'll see..."
She was young, looking to be around Jack's own age, and just as tall. She had pale skin, almost white, and she wore a curious bluish-black suit that managed to look both form-fitting and bulky at the same time. The most striking feature, however, was her hair; it was a very light blond, almost whitish-grey, and it was cut in a short, spiky pixie cut. In fact, her hair was so short, that for a fleeting second, Jack actually mistook her for a boy.
"Uhh...hello?" he said, smiling weakly, as the girl approached, her boots crunching angrily as she trampled debris underfoot.
She didn't give him a chance to say anything else. Her hand, encased in fingerless gloves, curled into a tight fist, which she sent right into Jack's face with all the force of a jackhammer. Jack's face exploded in pain, and he clutched his nose, as he fell backwards onto Throwback's hood, swearing. The blue mech was stunned.
"Boris!" he exclaimed, "Was that really necessary!?"
"Shut up!" snapped the girl, without even looking at the car. She then loomed over Jack and stabbed a finger at his chest. "Just who do you think you are?!"
Jack frowned, trying to ignore the pain. "What-"
"Answer me!" she shot back, her accent thick. "Who do you think you are?! You think you can just bring us out here so close to enemy territory and risk our necks just to pick up a weedy civilian who lost his way home?!"
Jack felt his indignation rise at Boris' comment. "Hey, it wasn't my fault! I just woke up in this forsaken place and I have no clue how I got here!"
The girl's frown disappeared for a second, only to be replaced by a scowl as she scoffed. "So the skinny little shlyukha just 'woke up' in this place. Yes, I'm sure that's very beleivable," she growled, with blatant sarcasm. "Listen up, civilian! You've had the honor of being rescued by us (no, we're not happy about it), so that means you're playing by our rules. The Commander's rules. Got that, suka?"
Jack could have sworn that he had felt himself shrink a few inches just by staring at Boris' furious face. "Y-yeah," he stammered.
"I'm serious!" she snarled, as she grabbed Jack by the front of his shirt. "Because I swear to God, if we find out you're some sort of spy, I'll break your bones on my knees. Each and every one of them! One by one!"
"I got it, I got it!" exclaimed Jack, his panic rising. Boris snorted in disgust, and let the boy fall back onto Throwback's hood. The minute his back hit the surface, the thrum of helicopter blades became audible.
More ash was blown around as the rotor craft, painted a drab military grey, descended and transformed in mid air. The chopper blades split into two at the turbines and moved to the shoulders, while the rest of the frame shifted and collapsed to from a slim, female figure. Right before she landed, a large, oversized gun unfolded itself from the depths of her inner structure, which she caught with ease. It was a sniper rifle, a vicious looking, long barelled weapon, with a scope mounted at the top, and suddenly, Jack knew who the 'bot was...
"Throttle...?"
The femme surveyed the scene before her. "Oh, dearie me," she mumbled, "I suppose I was a tad late, wasn't I?"
Immediately, Jack noticed that she was much, much taller than Arcee. Her frame was colored in the same grey camo pattern as her vehicle mode, and her faceplate, colored in a slightly lighter grey, held two optics that shone a brilliant green, a departure from the standard blue. They immediately locked onto Jack, and the femme smiled. "Hello, Jack!" she greeted, cheerfully, "Sorry, for not being able to introduce myself properly!" She extended her servo and held out her pinky digit.
Jack hesitated, but then realized what he had to do. Tentatively, he touched the metal digit and shook it, as he would shake someone's hand. "Err...Hi..."
Standing nearby, Boris snorted in annoyance. "If we're done lollygagging," she grunted, "We might as well get a moving...It was just three wasp 'Cons alright, but I'm not going to stick around and see if they'll send in the scarabs next."
"She's right," said Throwback, as he quickly transformed. "I'll call Zed..." He placed a digit to the side of his helm and activated his com. "Zed? Yes, it's me...We have the package safe and sound...Yes, you can Bridge back Mordor and Dozer when we get back. Stormfront as well...alright, we're waiting. Tell Storm that we're done and that we're Bridging the package back home"-Throwback glanced in Jack's direction, taking in his dirty and sooty appearance-"And tell Flatline to prep sick bay. Just in case...Alright, Throwback out."
Jack coughed. "So...what happens now?"
Throttle and Throwback looked at each other uncertainly. It was Boris who finally answered.
"We take you home and see just how much painful interrogation you can take," she grunted, as she walked back to her MODE. "You better be worth all this trouble, civilian." She jumped up onto the mecha's fist and then up into the cockpit.
Once the MODE had reactivated and stood up to its full height, the air fizzled and then crackled as a familiar green vortex burst to life.
You know, I was actually hesitant about having piloted mecha in this story, as I've already featured them in some of my previous stories. I feared that readers might have grown bored with my habit of inserting mecha like Boris' MODE at every opportunity I get and that I might turn readers away from this story.
In the end, it was unavoidable, as I could think of no other way for humans to logically be able to fight alongside Autobots, and that the MODEs have now become a vital part of the story. That, and I just like robots with a Japanese 'Gundam'-like aesthetic.
Hope you guys can still give me constructive criticism and feedback.
-This is Zapwing, signing off.