Here's my usual disclaimer; I did not come up with this plot idea. A friend on TikTok, Deckar Terdax, did. He originally posted the idea as a movie concept and I really liked it. I asked if I could write it as a fic and he said yes! :)
Now, as for this chapter specifically, I should say I do switch perspectives from just a general fly-on-the-wall 3rd person to more focused on Deadlock partway through, if that makes sense.
Anyway, I'm going to let you all read without further ado! Let me know what you think!
God Bless and Good Day!
~The Lupine Sojourner
[Earth]
[Tokyo, Japan]
Kenji Sasaki had never been one for parties, but as the local construction tycoon, there was only so much he could do to avoid them.
His wife left him for a coworker nearly ten years ago, never to be heard from again, leaving him to raise their young daughter, Etsuko, by himself. Kenji had been forced to pick himself up, do the best he can, and provide for his daughter.
He had done well in the company, rising to become the tycoon, which surprised him.
Now, Etsuko was nearly through with high school. Just a few more semesters and she would be ready for college, where she would study business so she could one day inherit his company. And, as the heir to his company, she sometimes accompanied him to parties, if Kenji felt it safe enough.
They always took a cab or bus, since sake was borderline a weakness of Kenji's (not that he indulged often outside of parties; but when he did, it got to the point where he was unable to drive, but remained coherent).
Tonight was one such night. He'd had a few glasses of sake and smiles as Etsuko walks over to him.
He lets her side-hug him briefly. "Is everything alright?" He asks, seeing the subtle signs that Etsuko is uncomfortable.
"Otōsan, you know I do not enjoy these parties. May…may we go?" She asks softly, not wanting to make a scene.
Kenji holds in a small sigh. He'd planned on staying a little longer, but he couldn't ignore his daughter. She was his everything.
So he nods. "We will farewell the host and leave." He replies. He never blamed Etsuko for wanting to leave and never made it seem like leaving was his idea.
He'd never expected to become a tycoon, much less so fast, but here he is. To be frank, the pressures he faces are why he drinks sometimes.
After giving a polite thanks and farewell to the host, Kenji and Etsuko leave the venue arm in arm.
The father and daughter are walking toward the nearest bus station when out of nowhere a group of thugs grab their arms and yank them down an alley, cornering them and demanding money.
Kenji figures he can take them, even if he and Etsuko are outnumbered. Etsuko had not taken as many self-defense classes as he had, but she knew enough to at least get away.
No one sees the strange car pull up to the head of the alley.
That car would change Kenji and Etsuko's lives forever, but they didn't know it yet.
[Half an hour earlier]
[Deadlock's Perspective]
Crash!
Deadlock jolts out of stasis, the pod vibrating and the horrid sound of crunching and scraping metal filling his ears.
When the pod settles, Deadlock sits up and shifts to look out of the viewport.
He finds he has arrived on Earth, not far from a populated area, judging by the structures on the horizon that he could see through the small pane of the viewport.
The pod had crashed into the base of a large hill, it seems, perfect for looking around and getting his bearings.
He opens the hatch and steps out, feeling sluggish and worn down as his systems come back online.
This is an organic planet, Deadlock realizes, a new experience for him, who had never left Cybertron. He found himself quite enjoying the feeling of the soft green…things covering the ground.
He's not sure what it is, but it seems organic, as do the sprawling brown things with green, white and pink organic matter on them not far away.
Deadlock feels a little guilty about the wide path of destruction he had carved out of this area with the pod, but decides to explore a little and try to get his bearings before seeking out the Autobots to deliver the intel and hopefully gain a meeting with the Prime himself.
To that end, he ascends the hill, zooming in with his optics on the nearby buildings. He found the populated area larger than he initially guessed, and more advanced, as well. But it was also further than he thought. He'd have to drive if he wished to explore the city.
He began attempting to access any kind of Grid this planet may or may not have and finds a more primitive version of Cybertron's Grid, referred to as the 'internet', and takes time to familiarize himself with the planet, at least enough to move into the city and begin his search.
He discovers he landed somewhere the local sentient carbon-based organic population, 'humans', refer to as Tokyo, Japan, a rather large and heavily populated city.
He runs a few scans for Autobot signals and does not find anything, so he decides to make for the city, hoping he could boost his signal using better sources of this 'internet' to locate any Autobots that may be in the area.
He transforms and drives for the outskirts, assuming these 'humans' might not be used to a Cybertronian walking around, especially when he sees how small and fragile they look. Hardly any of them come close to even his knee, and their carbon-based forms look like he could injure them without even trying.
Of course, he would never do so intentionally, but he recognized the hazard all the same. Along the more primitive roadways Deadlock finds himself on, he sees some vehicles with humans inside, apparently piloting the vehicles. He notices several different kinds of vehicles and even some strange looks from humans.
Apparently, even his vehicle mode stood out. He hadn't considered that…perhaps at some point he could select an Earth vehicle for his alt-mode and blend in better. But for now, he spots nothing he wishes to scan, so he continues on his way.
When he arrives in the city, he pulls into an alley and, while assessing if he could boost his signal and scans, he spots around 5 male humans cornering another male that appeared older, standing protectively in front of a younger female. Clearly, the younger males did not have good intentions.
For the moment, Deadlock decides to monitor the situation as he scans again for Autobot signals.
When the humans start speaking, Deadlock runs translator systems and determines that the younger males intend to steal whatever goods the older man and female have. Bravely, the older man refuses to hand the demanded items over, resulting in the current tension.
Suddenly, the leader of the group lands a heavy gut-punch to the older man's abdomen and the victim doubles over, leaving himself open to be grabbed by more of the group. He engages them, even managing to throw one over his shoulder. He is kept busy by most of the males as the leader approaches the young female.
The leader is then free to grab the female, who had been moving to help the older man.
She gives a cry of pain as the man shoves her roughly against the wall, grabbing some kind of container on a strap, snapping the strap. The female grabs his wrist and twists, leaving the man to struggle, giving his own grunts of pain before he yanks his hand free and slaps her hard across the face. She falls and the man, still holding the container, reaches into his pocket, grinning as he walks over to the downed female and grabs her roughly.
The older man, having knocked out a few of the males, turns to the leader, only to pale in horror.
The leader held Etsuko's arm twisted behind her back with one hand, and a knife to her throat in the other.
Deadlock had seen enough, driving toward the group to intervene.
The humans had not noticed him at the top of the alleyway and out of reflex, Deadlock transforms and draws a sword. He runs what he wants to say through the translator system he used before. "Enough!" He thunders, making all the humans shake in terror. Deadlock doesn't give the robbers time to think. "Leave them! Now!" He points the sword at them, a menacing dark look in his eyes.
In the confusion, the female grabs the wrist holding the knife, moving it from her throat and quickly twisting the knife out of the leader's hands, tossing it aside before punching him hard on the cheek.
The older man, also taking advantage of the group's surprise, pulls his daughter behind him as he backs toward Deadlock, a strange device in his hands.
Deadlock leans protectively over them, daring any of the others to try something.
"I am calling the police." The older man growls, tapping the device a few times before raising it close to his face.
He talks briefly to the device (some kind of communication device, Deadlock realizes), summing up the events, but leaving out Deadlock's intervention, before he thanks whoever he is speaking to and puts the device back in his strange coverings, now tattered.
The leader, hell-bent on one final attack, yells and charges forward, having found his knife.
Deadlock steps forward as the other men run away, slamming his sword diagonally into the ground so the flat of the blade is facing the charging male.
The leader cannot stop his rushing momentum and runs full-tilt into the flat of the blade, knocking himself out with a metallic clang.
Deadlock can't help a small chuckle before sheathing the sword and turning back toward the older male and female. "I will not harm you. Please, allow me to assist you." He transforms and opens the right side door for them.
The male and female process what he is offering, glance at each other, then make a decision, bowing at the waist in gratitude to Deadlock.
"Whatever you may be, we thank you for the assistance." Kenji straightens, gesturing to the unconscious male leader. "The authorities will arrive shortly and take this man into custody. He will be prosecuted according to Japanese law."
"As he should be." Deadlock agrees.
True to the male's word, the authorities, piloting cars with flashing red and blue lights, arrive quickly, the words 'Tokyo Police Department' written in Japanese on the sides. Deadlock waits for them nearby in vehicle mode, wanting to talk more with the humans.
It doesn't take long, as it is pretty evident what had happened, and these thugs had apparently gained notoriety robbing innocent passersby of their possessions.
Throughout the entire discussion, Deadlock is left out completely, the man explaining that there simply weren't that many thugs this time, and mentioning his study of martial arts.
The gash in the ground from Deadlock's sword is either not noticed, or assumed to have been there previously.
Soon, the leader, having regained consciousness, is fuming as his hands are put in something like stasis cuffs, keeping his hands behind his back, and he is sat in the rear of the police car. He glares at Deadlock and the humans, knowing no one would believe him if he were to tell the police what he'd seen.
Then, Deadlock and the humans he'd saved are alone again.
The male turns to Deadlock. "May I direct you to our home? I must repay you, at least by offering you shelter."
Deadlock thinks for a moment. It might be good to settle somewhere decently secure while he tries to figure out what his next move should be.
He would nod if he were in robot mode. "I would be honored to accept your offer." He again opens his right side door. "Please, make yourselves comfortable."
The humans climb inside, making themselves as comfortable as they could in the strange interior. Clearly, Deadlock's vehicle mode isn't designed to have any passengers.
It's a strange feeling, Deadlock muses, having anything living sitting inside his vehicle mode, but he gets used to it quickly and follows the man's instructions.
"My name is Deadlock." He muses during a quiet moment. He did not know what these humans called themselves, and found he wanted to know. "What do you two go by, if I may?"
"I am Sasaki Kenji, and my daughter is Etsuko." The man says, gesturing to the female, who nods as she is introduced.
"Thank you for your assistance." She says.
"They acted without honor. I did what any honorable person would do." Deadlock replies. "Are either of you injured in any way?"
The man shakes his head. "No. At least, no major injuries, thanks to your intervention." He looks around. "Our home is not far now."
Soon, Deadlock is pulling up to a gate with high walls (nearly as tall as Deadlock, which was a surprise to the Cybertronian) and Kenji gets out briefly to speak with someone over some kind of communication device before returning to the lefthand front seat as the gate opens. Deadlock follows Kenji's instructions and heads for a structure attached to the rather large dwelling and Deadlock finds it rather spacious as he lets the humans out and transforms.
He isn't sure what to do or say now as the humans look him over once more, now that they know a little more about him. They didn't seem to know what to say or do, either, so silence hangs in the air for several moments.
"I do not wish to be rude," Kenji begins, staring at Deadlock and drawing a few conclusions. "But you are clearly not of Earth. What are you?"
Deadlock settles a bit more comfortably, sitting back on his ankles as Kenji and Etsuko do the same. "You are correct; I am not of Earth. I was created on a planet far, far away; Cybertron. I was embued with a Spark by the Allspark of our creator, Primus, emerging from the Well of Allsparks into a world fraught with tension that soon escalated into war." The Sasakis could deduce more or less what the Well of Allsparks is and don't interrupt him to clarify. "I chose my side."
Etsuko tilts her head a bit. She finds herself staring at the strange purple symbol displayed on Deadlock's chest.
It's metal, made of harsh sharp angles, from what she could see, heavily scratched as if by some animal or tool, but she could see enough to compare it to a stylistic wolf head. But why would a robot have a wolf head on his chest? Was it the mark of the side he'd chosen in the war? And why does he look so much like a samurai? How could he know about samurai? There is much Etsuko and her father do not know about their savior and guest, but perhaps they can start learning.
So, hoping Deadlock would not find her rude, she gestures as politely as she can to the symbol. "Excuse me, Deadlock-san, but what is that symbol you wear?"
Deadlock frowns at it, wishing it would fall off and leave him free of its stain. He had attempted to remove the insignia before going into stasis in the pod, but he could not fully erase it. "It is the insignia representing the side I chose in the war." He explains simply. He hates seeing that insignia, and wants to exchange it for the Autobot insignia as soon as possible. "I came here to this planet in order to amend my past mistakes, and to join the side of honor and nobility."
Etsuko nods. "I see." She didn't want to anger Deadlock by pressing for more information.
Kenji comes forward a little as well to get a closer look at the insignia. He, too, finds himself intrigued by his guest. "So this symbol is a sign of your allegiance in the conflict on your planet?" He asks. From his actions in the alley, Kenji could clearly tell Deadlock is a skilled warrior. He'd been fighting for a long time.
Deadlock nods, focusing on Kenji, not the insignia. "Indeed. However, any who bear this insignia and the name Decepticon can never be trusted." He taps the insignia grimly. "And if past experiences are any indication, I am already being pursued."
Etsuko and Kenji exchange looks. "...Pursued by who?" Kenji asks.
Deadlock shudders, eyes closing as if to shut out some mental picture. "Someone I hoped I would never face as an enemy."