-Chapter 8: Driven to Distraction-
The Autobots were quickly assembled in the Tranquility junkyard with every member physically present. Before his crew, Optimus Prime stood with Blaster, Jazz, and Ratchet to relay their recent findings. Knowing the grim situation at hand, Optimus could only hope that his Autobots were up to the task. "Autobots, we face either our salvation or our destruction." He began, voice clear and bold. "Analysis of the data retrieved from the Arctic as well as the Sector Seven vehicles revealed that not only do the humans hold Megatron prisoner, but they also possess the Allspark." A quiet murmur arose from the assembled group as that knowledge sank in. Optimus could sense their concern and trepidation, as if one false move would spell the doom of all.
"We have no doubt the Decepticons are aware of this as well. I sense them getting ready to mobilize." Ratchet continued. "They will mount a strike against Sector Seven in order to reclaim their leader and the Allspark."
"Where is Sector Seven located?" Salvage asked.
"Approximately two mega-miles from here hidden in a joint the humans call 'Hoover Dam'." Blaster answered.
"Sector Seven is evidently aware of our presence here and has patrols all over the city looking for us." Jazz explained. "Therefore, we'll need a diversion so that we can get to the dam."
"Alpha Squad is willing to be said diversion, sir. Between the three of us, we can cover all of Sector Seven's angles and then some." Blueshift offered.
"Negative. Fastlane, Jazz, you will antagonize Sector Seven into following you away from the area." Optimus stated to the contrary. "Trailbreaker will advance to predetermined coordinates and set up a rendezvous point just outside Mission City. The rest of us will split up and meet you there as soon as we can."
"But Optimus, what about escaping Sector Seven? Sending any one of us to confront them alone is a big risk as they don't seem to friendly towards us." Longarm asked.
"Just don't leave the city too soon, Longarm ol' buddy. We might need you to lend a servo to keep them off our backs." Jazz replied. Longarm nodded in acceptance and Jazz's answer seemed to satisfy the others.
"It's settled then." Optimus determined. "Autobots, transform and roll out!"
Later…
The sun sank low in the sky, turning the waters around the municipalities a golden hue that glowed with ethereal beauty. The blue-flake Saturn Sky rolling across the suspension bridge connection Tranquility to Mission City, all alone and blending in perfectly with other traffic, glimmered in the light with a sense of newness. Blueshift rolled quietly onwards half of his brain module dedicated to driving while the other half pondered his situation and what would come next. The youthful Autobot felt shunted to the sidelines, no longer as active in helping his fellows as he had once been. Dejection aside, he knew he would follow orders. He had to. But he wanted to help and do more, to be someone in the optics of his superiors.
His comms crackled. "Skyburst to Blueshift." The ex-Aerialbot called out.
"Blueshift, go ahead."
"Is it just me or do you get the feeling Alpha Squad has been rendered somewhat… replaceable since Prime Force arrived?" Skyburst inquired, as if he had been reading Blueshift's thoughts. Taking a moment to steady himself he replied with,
"Yeah, I've been noticing the lack of assignments other than patrols."
"You think maybe Optimus doesn't trust us to get the job done?" Skyburst asked.
"Either that or he doesn't think we're as good as his little inner-circle is." Evac surmised with a huff as he joined the transmission. Seeing as he was not alone in his thoughts and desires, Blueshift decided it might be time to cater to the wishes of his squadmates.
"Well, maybe we just need to remind him how good we can be." He proffered. "Let's track down Fastlane. I'm sure he wouldn't mind if we 'lend a servo' as Lieutenant Jazz put it." Skyburst and Evac chorused their agreements and pinged their sensors for Autobot energy signatures…
Peeling rubber through the downtown streets of Mission City, Jazz found himself pursued by multiple Sector 7 SUVs. His distraction had been sufficient; using the signal reads gleaned from his search for their vehicles, he was able to pinpoint their convoys and intercept them. A few EMP blasts to short out some of their vehicles had proven effective in gaining their attention and Jazz soon had others pursuing him.
As much as the Autobot Lieutenant found this easy work, he was about to discover Sector 7 could present their own complications.
With three SUV's on his tail, the white Solstice drifted around street corners with headlights ablaze. The towering structures of the city casted long shadows that darkened the streets and played havoc with visual scanning. Jazz was relying almost entirely on infrared scanners to discern vehicle from building. Unfortunately they could only prove so useful when he rounded a blind corner and discovered another three Sector 7 SUVs awaiting him. The Autobot floored his brakes and squealed to a halt as the three vehicles chasing him converged and boxed him in. "This is Jazz, I've been cornered!" He announced into his comms.
"Can you escape without the use of additional force?" Optimus hurriedly asked. Jazz scanned over the vehicles around him and made a startling discovery…
There were humans driving these vehicles.
"That would be a negative." Jazz answered. "Ironhide, can you lend a 'bot a servo?"
"Sit tight, soldier! I'm on my way!" The veteran responded promptly. Jazz transformed his gaze shifting between the various vehicles that attempted to close the gap. More started to close in on his position. Executing a forward somersault, he rolled to a halt on the other side of the first surrounding lineup, coming face to face with a second as armored trucks began to appear and helicopters dove down between buildings.
The blaring horn from a monstrous pickup truck signalled the arrival of a flash of black and red. Ironhide plowed into the armored trucks and shunted them out of the way with significant force. More than any regular Earth-pickup could manage. He transformed. "Get outta here, Jazz! I can handle this!" He bellowed, turning his cannons on the autonomous copters circling up above. Jazz transformed and was on the move as a barrage of pulse blasts shot the helicopters out of the sky.
"We need to get out in the open! The streets are too narrow!" Jazz exclaimed as Ironhide transformed to chase after him. The remaining Sector 7 SUVs and their drivers gave chase. "I'm reading more Sector Seven vehicles trying to cut us off!"
"Not for long." Ironhide remarked with a chuckle. Flooring his accelerator, his Diesel engine roared as he pulled forward and deployed a pair of autocannons that sprouted from within his hood. He tracked the approaching vehicles and promptly shot out their engines with incinerating salvos, each SUV and armored truck coming to a skidding halt and creating a pileup along the streets as the two Autobots rocketed through the city.
"Ironhide, can you please rescue Jazz without another incident like Kyder Five?" Optimus implored.
"Ah, that hunk a' rock was gunna blow up anyway." Ironhide responded dismissively. Retracting his autocannons, the weapons specialist gunned his motor again, slamming into a Sector 7 armored truck and bowling it over. Ironhide fearlessly led the way, Jazz following behind and weaving behind the various vehicles left in his wake.
"Prime, we might have a problem. Looks like there's actual humans in some of these vehicles now. They're no longer the automated drone units we thought they were." Jazz reported.
"I can neutralize 'em. It'll remove the complication." Ironhide quickly suggested.
"We do not harm humans. Despite their fragile microbiotic bodies and repeated indications to the contrary, they are sentient life-forms like us," Optimus reminded his colleague.
Ironhide persisted. "I'll do it quickly and efficiently. They'll feel no pain."
"Ironhide!" Optimus snapped.
"Ugh, I'm just saying. It's an option." Ironhide grumped.
The two vehicles left the narrow city streets behind and started onto the nearest ring road. They appeared to have left the bulk of the Sector 7 vehicles behind. "Looks like it might be smooth going from here on." Jazz noted. "Thanks for the assist, 'Hide, I think I can handle-" He was interrupted by the whup-whup of several helicopters cresting the nearby hillside. A moment later a small fleet of SUVs arrived from in front, bouncing over concrete meridians and screeching to respective halts on several sides to form a roadblock. Helicopters above, fresh vehicles in front, the Autobots found themselves suddenly surrounded.
High-intensity spotlights swept across Ironhide's massive outline as he transformed and slid to a halt. Merging defensive sonics, he and Jazz emitted a collective pulse blast that simultaneously flattened the tires on every one of the SUVs. It was a disabling defense, but not one that was damaging to life. As multiple vehicle chassis hit the pavement, the Autobots charged in the direction of the nearest cover and vaulted off the road onto grassy terrain.
One of the choppers immediately set off in pursuit of the fleeing robots. The systems operator in the first helicopter gazed in frustration at his multiple readouts. Given the amount of sensing gear on board the advanced chopper, it should not have been possible to lose the position of one running giant robot. Try as he might, however, he could not locate the alien machine. The chopper cruised low over hills, checked clusters of trees, and even flew underneath a high overpass bridge.
Since every instrument on board was aimed straight down, they did not detect the robots that was above them, using the iron girders underside the bridge to conceal themselves. "That was close." Jazz breathed.
"Way too close." Ironhide affirmed. "Let's hope Fastlane is having an easier time than we are…"
Elsewhere in Mission City…
Had Ironhide known Fastlane's diversion was proceeding according to plan, he likely would have been relived.
Sector 7 was deploying their full arsenal against Fastlane, including a number of military-grade vehicles. APCs and helicopters tracking his every move as he maintained an active level of aggression against Sector 7's attacks. In his wake lay the shattered remains of dozens of vehicles; SUVs, helicopters, armored trucks, APCs, he had dealt with them all and led Sector 7 on a merry chase around Mission City. So far so good…
Using his scanners to identify the number of vehicles behind him, Fastlane powerslid around a corner and converted to robot mode, effectively getting the drop on his pursuers. His right arm automorphing into his boomer cannon, concussive blasts shattered chassis and some were strong enough to send vehicles careening through the air where they landed in the water, useless and ineffective. The helicopters were dispatched with equal force and soon Fastlane found himself alone. His comms crackled.
"Jazz to all Autobots, Ironhide and I have led Sector Seven on what the humans call a 'wild goose chase'. Pretty sure they're too busy to track the rest of ya down."
"Fastlane here. I believe I can say the same."
"Excellent work, Autobots. We can proceed now." Optimus Prime stated. "Meet us at Hoover Dam as soon as you are able." Fastlane terminated the call and began plotting his next moves when out of nowhere…
"Awesome! That was cool to watch!" Blueshift complimented as he drove up and transformed. Dropping down beside him from above, Skyburst and Evac made their presence known much to Fastlane's shock. "You missed a few back there, but don't worry, we took care of them." Blueshift stated proudly.
"Blueshift? What're you and Alpha Squad doing here? You're supposed to be getting underway to Hoover Dam!" Fastlane exclaimed, his optics darting back and forth between the three. This was not according to plan.
"Just trying to help you out. Jazz has Ironhide for cover, I figured you could use some backup." Blueshift answered calmly, his three squadmates nodding in agreement. Fastlane continued to stare in disbelief until his sensors pinged, warning him of approaching movement. He glanced towards the road behind Alpha Squad and saw the headlights of dozens of vehicles accompanied by a small company of helicopters up above. Sector 7 must've been keeping count and want to bag us all…
"Unfortunately, your backup has drawn some additional attention." He stated grimly, gesturing to the flotilla approaching. Alpha Squad stared in shocked horror.
"Oh no! They must've followed us here!" Blueshift realized, shoulders sagging in dismay. "I'm sorry. We just wanted to help." Their misplaced desires aside, Fastlane knew this bulkier Sector 7 force was going to cause a problem. The need to keep his Autobot brethren safe and cling to his mission burned in his circuits. Optimus Prime had given him as task and he was going to carry it out.
"Get going and rendezvous with Prime and the others." He ordered Alpha Squad, charging his boomer cannon and moving to take Sector 7 head on.
"But-"
"Distracting Sector Seven is my mission! Not yours!" Fastlane exclaimed, rushing ahead while firing his boomer cannon. Concentrated sonic booms blew the SUVs off their wheels, clearing out swaths of vehicles even as more arrived on the scene. He looked back at the stunned Alpha Squad. "Go! Now!" He barked, firing on the ground vehicles as bright-white helicopter lights shone down upon him, illuminating against the dark of night. Skyburst and Evac transformed and took flight, heeding his orders, but a horrified Blueshift watched as Fastlane challenged Sector 7. Alone.
Almost immediately, a steel-mesh net launched from one of the circling copters looped his right arm while another whipped around his legs. Working in unison, the two choppers turned north, yanking the robot off his feet and dragging the entangled mechanoid across the asphalt. Fastlane redoubled his efforts to free himself from the entangling nets. Around him, camouflage-clad commandos were zip-lining down from a newly arrived chopper. They carried no guns, no explosives. The packs on their backs were filled with a unique supercooled carbon-fiber liquid held under high pressure. Hovering just out of reach, they began spraying the struggling robot from head to heel. Encased in the rapidly hardening material, Fastlane took a step, a second—and then toppled forward as the substance hardened to form an unbreakable shell around his entire body.
Blueshift looked on in horror where the commandos were continuing to spray the increasingly motionless Fastlane. Rooted behind the building he took cover behind, the young Autobot kept watching as a pair of helicopters lifted the netted Fastlane off the ground and swung away to the north. Among the helicopters, watching the scene from afar, Tailwhip eyed the sight with growing curiosity…
Just as quickly as the encounter began it had ended. The last of the choppers was gone. The commandos had been picked up and whisked away. None of the black SUVs remained. It was quiet again beneath the bridge. Somewhere, a pair of crickets began calling to each other. Nothing moved. Blueshift crept out into the open. Continuing to harden on contact with the air, tendrils of the special liquid plastic coated parts of the street and the nearby hillside. The reality of his actions sank in.
"What have we done…?" He whispered in dismay.
It was quiet in the hilly woods above Mission City. A few birds chirped back and forth as they searched for food or mates. A couple of white-tailed deer strode cautiously between the trees. Movement caused them to bolt, springing off into the nearest cluster of dense bushes.
Having unintentionally frightened the whitetails, Optimus Prime shuffled closer to an old observatory, the rest of his Autobots taking refuge among a grove of trees. Evac and Skyburst soon arrived seemingly in a hassled hurry, heaving from their intakes. Blueshift was next to arrive, transforming and sprinting up to Optimus with a look in his optics.
"Sector Seven captured Fastlane… we have to back and rescue him." He hurriedly told him. The news sparked the attention of the other Autobots and the team drew closer.
"How do you know?" Longarm questioned.
"We were there. We were trying to help. Trying to show all of you that we were capable of doing more." Skyburst admitted sheepishly.
"You young punks!" Ironhide snapped, shoving his way to the forefront with a twisted snarl on his faceplate. "This is war! Showing off is the kind of stuff that gets 'bots killed!" He bellowed, causing the trio to cower before him.
"Ironhide is right. But we have a more urgent matter. We need to retrieve the Allspark at all costs!" Optimus Prime stated. Ironhide turned with a shocked look.
"What?! You mean we're just gonna leave Fastlane?!"
Optimus nodded slowly. "Affirmative." The callous disregard for one of their own inflamed Ironhide's brewing wrath and he vented it upon his leader, letting Optimus have it.
"You don't care about any of us, do you Prime? 'Protect the humans, get the Allspark, Autobots preserve life!' All you care about is beating your brother!"
The Prime stayed silent and did not respond, simply gazing upon his old friend with a level of hurt in his optics. Trailbreaker loosed a grinding grating from his intakes, the equivalent of a human clearing their throat. "Optimus, sir, we understand the importance of the Allspark, but we can't just leave Fastlane to die! And become some human experiment!" He insisted. Optimus looked towards him.
"Fastlane made a choice. He sacrificed himself because he understood what is at stake." He replied. "He'll die in vain if we don't accomplish our mission. Fastlane is a brave soldier. This is what he would want."
"You know that for a fact, do ya?" Ironhide growled irritably, crossing his servos. "Why are we fighting to save the humans? They're a primitive and violent race." Optimus looked back upon his friend with understanding, no longer snapping at him as he once did in the heat of escaping Sector 7. Ironhide had always been a warrior, raised in a tribal caste that venerated battle and war. Even before the Civil War he had been respected by Megatron, considered to be a Decepticon. Many of his ways had been engrained into his circuits long ago. A forgiveable understanding.
"Were we so different, Ironhide?" Optimus replied. "They are a young species. They have much to learn. Freedom is the right of all sentient beings, we cannot force our war upon them." He said quietly. His soft-spoken tone caused Ironhide's fire to dampen and the veteran Autobot stepped back, no longer challenging.
Optimus turned to regard his other colleagues. "I have had sufficient time to ponder all possible ramifications of a multiplicity of actions, and what I have decided is this: if we return the Allspark to Cybertron, our war will continue. I postulate eventual victory, but not for a minimum of another thousand years. We have been fighting so long, I can remember nothing else." With a sweep of one great arm he took in their surroundings: quiet, tranquil, and at peace, albeit unsettlingly organic. "The opportunity to live, to exist in a state of being other than perpetual combat… this world has reminded me of what our lives could be like. The madness ends today."
"But how?" Jazz understandably wanted to know.
Optimus proceeded to reveal that he had indeed thought out the situation in depth. "When we reach the Hoover Dam, either Megatron must be destroyed or I will take the Allspark and join it with my spark."
Ratchet was openly appalled. "That's suicide! The Allspark is raw power, an energy resurgence of that magnitude will destroy you both!"
"I will not allow the humans to become a casualty of our war," their leader declared firmly. "That is not our way. If we have battled so long for naught else, we have fought for that much. It is an immediately achievable goal. To fight to preserve life, however different it may be from our own." He hesitated for a split second. "That is a belief worth dying for." His optics swept across his soldiers, his friends and allies. Even Ironhide with his surly demeanor. "Mine will be a necessary sacrifice to bring peace to this planet... We cannot let the humans pay for our mistakes." Optimus declared. "We have all made sacrifices in this war. We must not let them be in vain."
One by one his counterparts closed in around him. They transformed together, reasserting the aboriginal mechanical forms they had adopted in order to be able to conceal themselves among the humans. Optimus studied his companions. Though still machines, they looked wholly terrestrial. This world was a part of them now, etched into their physical being. And with such a union came a responsibility to protect and save. Optimus was the last to transform, his diesel motor blasting to life with a throaty roar.
"Autobots, roll out!"
Meanwhile…
Returning to the power plant, Tailwhip discovered his fellow Decepticons in congress by the time he arrived. Converting to robot mode, he strode closer as they all looked to him for news. "Sector Seven captured Bumblebee..." he began, trailing off as his quandaries overtook him. "The Autobots have been trying to protect the humans. Why would the humans want to imprison a potential ally?"
"Because they're weak. Weakness breeds fear, and fear makes every ally an enemy. That's why we Decepticons don't tolerate weakness." Barricade stated a plainly, as if it were something he'd memorized by spark. "If you'd been trained properly by someone like Megatron, instead of that weasel Starscream, you might understand that." He added with a glare. If that was supposed to be bait, Tailwhip did not rise to it. The young 'Con merely huffed from his intakes and switched topics.
"Was Soundwave able to decipher the file?"
"Yeah. The 'Ice Man' is located at the Sector Seven headquarters in a place called Hoover Dam. It's two mega-miles east of here." Barricade answered.
"Starscream will want to know about this information." Tailwhip surmised.
"Starscream can blow it out his exhaust!" Snapped Barricade. "Once we revive Megatron, we won't need to worry about Starscream anymore." He stated, jabbing a finger towards Tailwhip's faceplate.
Tailwhip had finally had enough. Starscream was the only leader of the Decepticons he had ever known, one he'd come to respect once taken under his wing. He did not know enough about Megatron but had difficulty reconciling what these veteran Decepticons had to say with the reality he knew. "What makes you think Megatron is so much better a ruler than Starscream?" He questioned sharply.
"Because you know where you stand with Megatron. Starscream is the type that would kill you in your sleep. Megatron would have the ball bearings to do it to your face." Barricade said. A tense silence ensued, Tailwhip and Barricade staring one another down as ideas clashed.
"Barricade," Soundwave intoned, breaking the silence and tearing the interrogator's gaze away, "if we are to liberate Megatron, we will require the sum total of our force." Barricade nodded slowly.
"You're right. Broadcast the signal, Soundwave." He ordered. The communications officer moved to obey.
"What's he talking about?" Tailwhip asked tersely.
"You didn't think we were the only Decepticons on Earth, did you?" Barricade wondered, sounding amused by his naivety. "We have others who have been in disguise across the sector, waiting for our signal to come out of hiding. Now that we know where Megatron is, it's time to end this. No more hiding, no more disguises." The interrogator stated. A ripple seemed to course through the gathered 'Cons. Blackout, Quake, Stockade, all of them responding to the opportunity to finally rise above the insects they'd been forced to contend with and become the galactic conquerors they were destined to be.
Soundwave generated a high-priority sonic pulse and dispatched his message across all Decepticon communication wavelengths. "Decepticons, the time has come. Megatron has been located. Transmitting rendezvous coordinates. Respond immediately."
And across the country, Decepticons responded.
On the edge of an army motor pool a huge Buffalo mine-clearance vehicle rumbled to life. It was six-wheeled and heavily armored, and its front end sported specialized steel mine-excavating prongs. There was no one around to notice as it cut quietly through a fence and headed for the nearest highway. "Bombshock rolling."
Near the Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, a V-22 Osprey broke course and began moving across the desert terrain of the southwest United States. "Incinerator reporting."
Within an airbase on the Russian mainland, the engines of a pitch-black Mig-29 Fulcrum jet fighter sporting vibrant green trim along its wings suddenly roared to life. Taxiing off the end of a line of identical planes, the interceptor headed for the main runway. Within the nearby tower there was sudden confusion. No one among the air traffic controllers present seemed to know who had requested permission for a takeoff or who had authorized the departure. Their bewilderment would have been worse had any of them been able to see that there was no one in the plane's cockpit. "Overcast moving to reunify."
Elsewhere in the country, in a completely different army base, an M1126 Stryker Infantry Carrier Vehicle left its place in a vehicle depot seemingly of its own accord, paying little attention to any hails or attempts to stop. "Wreckage on the way."
With news of their allies moving to join the coming fight, the Decepticons in Tranquility transformed and took off of their own accord, moving on the Hoover Dam location as their fellows were. Only Tailwhip kept silent, watching and listening as his comrades united around a singular, boisterous rallying cry,
"All Hail Megatron!"