Rated: M for adult themes: language, violence, mental rape, character death, mech erotica, torture, gore, and suicidal ideation. This varies from chapter to chapter, so read at your own risk.
Important Note: I started this series of fics before Revenge of the Fallen hit the theaters. This is an A.U. 2007 movie verse fic, NOT a ROTF/DOTM/AE/LK/BB or whatever follows fic.
Disclaimer: The only thing I own in this work of complete fiction is Velocity/Sira and Hardcore. They are mine. Everything else is copyrighted and owned by some really rich people. I make no money from this but wish I could.
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Full Velocity: Apocalypse Code
Chapter 12: Ruffians
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The softest hint of pink lightened the darkness. Sideswipe woke the humans with gentle nudges and softly spoken words, "Hey, meat monkeys, get your asses up." The fire they fell asleep beside had burned itself out hours ago, a fortunate occurrence as Sideswipe stomped the cooling coals, stirring a choking cloud of ash. Coughed and mumbled curses broke the still dawn.
Optimus watched the team rouse themselves; annoyed, sleep-stiff, and wanting food, the three men and one woman began shuffling through their packs, removing items and stuffing others back in. Even Longhaul and Huffer had taken time to power down and recharge. The only one awake all night, Prime relished returning to their trip and leaving his memories of the past to focus on the present.
Looking at the femme curled in his lap; the Prime could not keep the soft smile from his features. He didn't care who witnessed the sappy expression. Let them know what she meant to him, that he enjoyed her company.
Caressing lightly, he started waking Velocity, but she turned, facing his hip, and settled again.
"Is she hard to pull out of recharge," asked Longhaul. One of Ultra Magnus's crew, the mech could hit hard and fast with a regimented efficiency, wasting little time or energy.
Optimus admitted, "She likes her rest," he didn't try to hide the exasperated sigh. "If I let her, she would spend all day reading in our bunk."
"So would you." The muffled voice grumbled from his lap.
From nearby, Sideswipe added to the conversation. "I am sure there would be more than just reading."
His sharp glare made the red twin turn away. Optimus began poking his mate. "Time to get up."
Flipping over, Velocity arched her back over his tight and stretched her arms above her head, her legs draped over his. A long, sensual moan hummed from her vocals. Plates spread with the movement, exposing the filigree-carved copper protoform and displaying an uncybertronian flexibility. Optimus wondered if she knew what that did to him. Considering the sly glimmer in her optics, she did.
He helped Velocity sit up. Slipping out of his lap, the femme stood and shook away the night. Embarrassment warmed their bond once she noticed Longhaul watching her, and she ducked her helm, looking away. A smile rested on his features; he adored his oddly shy yet outspoken and occasionally vulgar femme.
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Food, weapons, tents, clothes, basic medical supplies, whatever they deemed necessary to make the trip to D.C., was loaded onto makeshift horse-drawn carts. Marcus tightly gripped the strap to his backpack, protecting his notebooks. The delicate leaves of paper held not only his thoughts but battle strategies, weapon designs, and the dreams of his new world order. Watching the preparations, the man glanced at the Decepticon; Hardcore leaned against the school, boredom dripping from the mech's slack armor, but the optics burned fiercely, carefully watching the people. In the months Marcus associated with the alien, he learned much about their species. The subtle shifts in armor, the way optics flashed or darkened, the intensity of the energy they emitted that made his scalp tingle, all nonverbal communications to convey mood and emotional state, all carefully documented in his notebooks.
Hardcore didn't offer to help, and Marcus didn't care. Assisting was not the alien's duty; the Decepticon had one purpose: to kill either the Prime or his mate. If Hardcore died during the future battle or succumbed to his wounds later, so much the better.
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The mountain roads tempted Velocity with curves, rises, and dips, but the dark forest called to her true nature; she wanted to stalk the piney shadows. Even compressed into a Saturn Sky, she could smell the forest: sharp pine and musty dirt mixed with the sweet rot of leaves and dead things. The scents flowed over her intake and pulled a giggle from her vocals. She wanted to run and hunt, but a thirteen-foot robot did not need live prey. Her instincts followed her into her metal body and still whispered in the back of her thoughts.
The seductive pull of what she once was had to be ignored. This was not her forest—the jagged cliffs, all sharp angles, and brutal heights, the needly conifers dominating the land. These mountains were new, lacking her Appalachians' ancient, rounded softness and hard deciduous trees. Beautiful, wild, but not home.
Orange construction cones appeared and dotted the road like noxious weeds, a welcome splash of color, but their appearances prophesied the long, hard work needed to remove them. Temporary signs warned drivers to merge into one lane and slow down. A collective sigh resonated through the convoy, and even the stalwart Prime sank on his suspension as four lanes shrank to two. One side of the road hugged the mountain rocks, the other a sheer drop. No room to go around the work zone.
Without any noticeable command, the sleek red Lamborghini zipped around Optimus, ignoring the speed limit or threat of doubled traffic fines, and disappeared behind the next turn. The rest of the Autobots slowed, then stopped, idly waiting for the reconnaissance report.
Velocity rocked on her tires, stretching struts and shocks, then slowly rolled next to Optimus. "Hey, Big Guy. Come here often?" she purred over the thrum of his engine.
A soft chuckle emanated from the Peterbilt, "No, but perhaps you could show me around," honeyed seduction dripped from his vocals.
Sideswipe's reappearance abruptly ended the tingle along the femme's circuits. The Lamborghini pulled in front of the Prime. "Yo, Boss Bot. The construction goes on for a while. Cars are stalled on both sides, but there's an area with equipment and porta-potties if the humans need to shit or whatever."
The massive semi sat silently for a heartbeat before announcing, "We will work to clear a path through this construction zone and give the humans a chance to eat and take a - break. Sideswipe, you take point, but proceed slowly. I don't want any surprises."
The convoy rolled forward, slowly following the warrior. They traveled a winding mile before stalled cars clogged the road ahead. Velocity and Sideswipe took to their root modes and shoved aside vehicles, making room for the larger mechs and their trailers to pass. The humans walked with them, guns strapped to their backs, checking the vehicles.
Shoving a Bronco across the cones separating the lanes, Sideswipe groaned, "It would be easier to tip this scrap over the side of the road."
Wrestling with an Impala, Velocity snapped her head toward the red mech and snarled," No!" Simultaneously, Chris and Alan echoed her one-word statement.
"Slag," Sideswipe held his hands in the air, surrendering to the multispecies chastisement. "It was only an idea; no need to scuff the paint on my aft about it."
Before Velocity could speak, Chris explained, "Once things return to normal, the owners might reclaim these vehicles, or other people could use them—also, the environmental damage if we shove them over the edge."
Alan chimed in, adding to the argument, "Gasoline, oil, antifreeze, sulfuric acid, lead, deteriorating plastics can leech bromine, mercury, antimony - I did my high school science fair project on the impact cars have on the environment, beyond just carbon monoxide." The man smiled, obviously proud of himself.
"Fragging eco-warriors. I expect V to be a flower-sniffing hippie-type, not two ripped, combat-trained human males."
Longhaul strolled toward them; his trailer left further back on the road. "You all talk too much." And the massive mech began shoving cars aside, several at a time.
Glancing at her mate, Velocity watched Optimus pull away from his trailer and transform. shadowy trees with sun kissed canopies framed his flames and chrome. She liked the juxtaposition - rugged nature surrounding the robotic alien - yes, she very much liked the scene.
As he passed her, his hand brushed her shoulder nearest the traffic jam. She understood his message and found an old station wagon to use as a chair. This was how mechs communicated: soft touches, rapid glances, shifts in electrical fields and plating, an unspoken language all Cybertronians understood, and she was learning. He would have wanted her to go with him if he had grazed the shoulder furthest from the traffic; opposite of what she thought the gestures should mean, but such was life among beings from another planet.
Sideswipe flopped on the ground beside her, leaning against the station wagon. "Finally, the big bots for the heavy lifting." He stretched, arching his spinal assembly, hands behind his head. As he stretched, one hand slipped along her thigh, and she smacked it away.
"Don't you get tired of me telling you ''no'?"
A chuckle answered her question. Sideswipe dipped his helm to look in the car's windows beneath her aft. "Yuck, babies. Why would anyone have offspring? They are so gross."
Dread froze a path up her spinal assembly. "What do you mean babies," she whispered, images of bloated decayed infants filled her mind's eye.
With a one-shoulder shrug, the mech explained, "Babies. There is a car seat, toys, blanket, and clothes." He looked up, "Hey, did you ever have babies?"
Finally, her processor caught up to the mech's words. "So there is no baby, just baby stuff?"
Sideswipe blinked rapidly before he burst into maniacal laughter. "Primus, you thought there were like babies in here," he tapped the station wagon's roof. "Wait until I tell everyone. The look on your face."
Frowning deeply and crossing her arms over her chest, the femme huffed, "You're a dick."
"I want a dick, they seem like fun."
Velocity cycled deeply, resisting the urge to strangle Sideswipe; it wouldn't do any good; Cybertronians don't breathe. Ignoring the still chuckling warrior, Velocity glanced at the humans; the three men loitered in the shade of a nearby aspen, unpacking bread and dried meat for lunch. Susan stepped out of a port-a-potty, her boots crunching on the gravel as she joined her friends. They appeared content. Around them, dead construction equipment and tool-laden trucks waited in the staging area for the absent road crew. Turning her attention to her mate, Velocity watched Optimus clear away vehicles with ease. Grabbing them by the roof, he expertly lifted and swung them to the side before gently sitting them on their tires with barely a bounce of the shocks. A smile curled her lips; she could watch him all day. Standing his full height, the Prime turned his attention to her with a slight quirk of the helm, his smile mirroring hers.
"Gross. Would you two stop being so adorable." Sideswipe continued his complaint with a retching sound like he might vomit out his engine.
Holding her gaze, Optimus posed, crossing his arms and leaning against an excavator, casually displaying his flames and physique as carefree joy tickled their bond. Continuing to stare at her mate, Velocity addressed the warrior sitting at her peds, "Bite me, you jealous bastard."
The bucket arm of an excavator swung, slamming into Optimus with a clamorous echo. The Prime took the full blow, lifted off his peds, he landed on his back, tangled among the stalled vehicles.
The femme's processor took several seconds to realize what was occurring as the excavator began breaking apart and reforming. "Shit!" she hissed.
Jumping to her peds, Velocity launched forward to help her mate and landed face-first on the concrete.
Releasing her ankle, Sideswipe scrambled over her, his hand pushing her down. "Stay out of it," the mech snapped before racing toward the transforming Decepticon, a sword already in hand.
Raising her head and spitting gravel out of her mouth, Velocity watched the enemy mech stomp toward Optimus, a nasty smile twisting his ugly features. An arm shifting into a massive cleaving blade, the 'Con yelled in Cybertronian, "The Prime will die."
Optimus struggled to get up, his legs tangled in the crushed remains of several cars. From further down the road, Longhaul and Huffer ran to their leader, but she knew they would arrive too late. A hail of bullets stalled the yellow Decepticon; the humans had fanned out, weapons raised, and the staccato of gunfire drowned out all other sounds.
Velocity stayed low, letting the humans fire round after round above her as they advanced toward the Decepticon. Only when they stood in front of her, and the threat of being in the line of fire passed, did she stand. Scanning the area rapidly, Velocity searched for a way around the humans and their weapons; she'd be damned if she listened to Sideswipe and didn't join the fight. Sighting an area to the left, between the mountain face and several parked trucks to block the bullets, she turned to slip closer to Optimus.
Movement from her peripheral snapped her head to the station wagon behind her. He stood up and glared, optics burning with hate, the trash of toys and baby supplies falling around his peds. Before fully transforming, he launched himself at her, hands wrapping around her waist, lifting her off the ground.
Yelping with surprise, she sank her claws into the mech's forearms.
Swearing furiously, he spun to the side and slung her away from him, her claws ripping and taking a chunk of him with her. Air whistled over the angles of her armor, and she somersaulted out of control.
Gravity and physics asserted their dominance, and Velocity impacted tree after tree on a downward arc. Then the ground slammed into her, but momentum kept her going, tumbling and bouncing over boulders and through saplings.
A fir tree stopped her. Its thick trunk and wide bough absorbed her impact with a momentous shudder. Leaves and pine needles rained down while birds screamed in fear, their wings drumming the wind. She may have stopped, but her gyros still spun erratically, and the world had neither up nor down. Velocity could only lay disoriented among the brambles. Pain radiated from every part of her frame.
Beyond, metal struck metal, and roars of hate and anger echoed as gunfire punctuated the ruckus.
"Fucking shit, mother fucker, dammit," Velocity snarled, slamming both fists against the ground. Rolling over, the world flipped erratically, but she made it to her hands and knees, twigs and leaves sticking out of the seams in her armor. Dragging herself to her peds, she lurched forward, grabbing tree trunks to stabilize her steps.
Above, the discord of battle continued. She could not see the road from where she stood, only the broken trees that marked her tumble downhill. Velocity hissed in a heavy sigh over her vents. Focused only on returning to the convoy, she grabbed the next tree and stumbled forward. With each step, her gyros slowed and realigned, her balance returning. She began running, but the rocky terrain and slippery slope prevented her from using her speed. Instead, she bounded forward on all fours, hands grabbing for purchase as legs propelled her upward.
Velocity reached a road, hauling herself onto the new asphalt. This was not the area where the convoy had stopped. Looking and listening, an odd calm settled over the forest. The clamor of violence had ended, and she only heard the breeze rustling through the trees.
A Cybertronian body landed a dozen feet from her. The newly laid road exploded, and Velocity startled, skittering backward. "Dammit," she huffed, her pump pounding painfully in her chest.
The mech lay still. His optics - well, optic since half his head was missing - remained dark. The station wagon Decepticon appeared dead, but Velocity had seen enough horror movies not to trust appearances. Instead of investigating the body, she turned and ran, putting distance between her and the fallen enemy. She leaped and scrambled up the mountain, taking a straight path instead of following the winding switchbacks that the road carved to the summit. Trees and loose patches of sand and gravel prevented her from traveling that straight line.
Finally, she reached the lip of the road and climbed onto its smooth surface. Energon splattered the area, splashes and droplets discolored equipment and the ground. Further down the highway, the others watched as Optimus straddled the first Decepticon and pulled his sword from the mech's chest.
Turning to stare at her, Sideswipe waved. "Welcome back, Mrs. I-Parked-My-Aft-On-A-Recharging-Decepticon."
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Authors Notes:
Thank you, readers, for the love you have offered. Feel free to leave a comment or ask questions.
It is a busy time of year for me, so writing is slow. Be patient; updates are coming.
