Understood

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Chapter 13

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It was another typical mid-deca-cycle afternoon. A thick layer of late-winter cloud hung above Overdock, threatening rain but never making good on its threat. Mist was all that seemed to appear, just enough to dampen the streets. Swerve, Gamma, Hot Zone, and Tailgate sat on a bench in front of the Landing Pad Hotel sharing a cube of high-grade and talking about nothing in particular when the sound of heavy footsteps caught their attention. Five mechs emerged from an alleyway and headed for the front of the building across the street. The four minibots stared at the group as they paused in the deep unlit entryway.

"Primus! It's the DJD!" gasped Gamma.

"The what?" asked Swerve.

Three of the group went into the building while the largest one and bright red and yellow one turned and stood as if guarding the entryway.

"The DJD? The Decepticon Justice Department? Megatron's elite hitmen?" Hot Zone asked in a tone that indicated he was surprised the newer mechs had not heard of them.

"Oh wow. That sounds serious," said Swerve.

"They look kinda scary," added Tailgate.

"They are," Hot Zone assured him.

Gamma trembled as she stared at the two across the street. "That's Kaon," she squeaked. "Oh Primus! He looks even better than his pictures."

"These guys are hardcore killers," said Hot Zone with a fearful reverence.

"What are they doing here in Overdock?"

"Probably looking for someone. They're sent after Decepticon deserters and traitors."

"Oh wow," breathed Tailgate quietly. "Which one's Kaon?"

"The bright one. Ooooh... he's there. He's just standing there," said Gamma tremulously. "He's so beautiful."

"Hey Gamma? Think you could spin your fans any faster?" Hot Zone teased.

"I could if he touched me," she answered right back, her optics never leaving him.

The others chuckled, surprised at the femme's fangirl crush on the red and yellow mech. Swerve took the cube of high-grade from Tailgate's hands and finished off the last sips in the bottom. "Well I guess if we hear screams or shots from inside the building I guess we'll know they found what they were looking for," he said

"That's horrible," exclaimed Tailgate.

"They're horrible."

"Except Kaon," Gamma reminded them.

"He has no optics," observed Tailgate.

"No, and it's so sexy."

"Really? Whatever," answered Swerve disparagingly.

They watched the pair in the doorway for a while, half-hoping there would be no screams or shots or other indicators of violence from inside, and half-hoping that there would. A little excitement and a new story to tell would relieve the day's oppressive boredom. Gamma continued to sigh and gush, until she drew herself up and announced with determination: "I'm going to go talk to him."

The three mechs looked panicked. "Gamma! No! He'll kill you!" protested Hot Zone.

"No he won't. As far as I know I'm not on their list."

"Like their hit list? Well you're probably not, but you'd just be bothering him,"said Swerve.

"I won't be bothering him." She whipped a towel out of subspace and wiped it over her faceplate. "I'm just going to go tell him how sexy I think he is and how much I adore him. Maybe he'll 'grave my chestplate. Besides, if he kills me it would be so worth it to feel him touch me." She put away the towel and drew herself up again. "Wish me luck!" she grinned and stepped into the street and walked over to the two DJD members.

"Gamma, no," Hot Zone cried after her, hands stretching but legs frozen on the spot.

"Let her go, Hot Zone," Swerve said, holding onto the dark blue mech's arm. "She'll be fine... I think."

"I can't watch," Hot Zone whimpered. He turned away and slumped onto the bench. His biolights ceased to glow.

"He shut down!" exclaimed Tailgate.

Tailgate and Swerve watched anxiously as Gamma boldly approached the two DJD brutes and addressed the smaller one.

"I hope Hot Zone's wrong," Tailgate sighed. "You really don't think he'll kill her?"

"I don't think he would. Random killings, even of throwaway mechs like us, aren't exactly condoned." They continued to watch. "Well... So far they're just talking."

"So far."

A breem passed, at which point Gamma leaned up against the wall of the entryway and the red and yellow mech dropped to his knees before her.

"What's he doing?" Tailgate stammered nervously.

The big mech moved to watch what was about to happen, blocking the view, and Tailgate and Swerve could no longer see Gamma or Kaon or what was going on, except for the flickering light of electrical discharge behind the behemoth. They heard Gamma cry out and both tensed in terror... at least until the cry morphed into an ecstatic laugh.

When she came back across the street a few kliks later, Gamma was grinning with a look of manic delight on her face. "He did it!" she giggled triumphantly. "Look!" She opened up one of the minor transformation plates on her chest and pointed proudly. Scored into it with an electrical burn were the glyphs for Kaon and the DJD.

"Oh wow! He did!" gasped Tailgate, slapping his hands to his mask and admiring the permanent mark to the inside of her frame.

"What happened to Hot Zone?" she asked, suddenly noticing her partner slumped lifelessly on the bench.

"He couldn't bear to watch you killed, so he forced himself into recharge," answered Swerve.

"I see." And then she laughed. "I've gotta wake him up so he can see this."

Hot Zone was roused and Gamma proudly showed off the autograph to him. "He was actually pretty nice to me," she said, lost again in her fantasy. "He told me I should join the Decepticons though... that I could do so much more with my life than whoring myself out."

"Hitman and motivational counselor. That's quite a combination," remarked Swerve.

After a while the door deep in the entryway opened again and the other three members of the DJD exited. They talked among themselves for a moment before moving back toward the alley from whence they had originally come.

Except for Kaon. Kaon came across the street, heading straight for Gamma.

Her few biolights flared intensely, and as he reached the curb he beckoned to her. She walked quickly toward him, and he leaned down to talk privately with her. After a moment and a delighted giggle from Gamma, he took her by the hand and the two went into the entryway of the Landing Pad.

"I can't believe it," Hot Zone said, mouth agape.

"He wanted her? Someone like that actually wanted her?"

Swerve leaned in toward his partner. "See, Tailgate? Dreams do come true, even for us throwaway little people."

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"Understood" continues in Chapter 14

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Transformers and all related concepts, characters, worlds, and events are property of Hasbro and Takara Tomy. Original characters and story elements are property of E. Potter, writing under the pen name of Miratete.

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