So... I apologize that it took a while to upload this. I had this in the backburner for a bit, but I got distracted by some work that needed to be done. I hope you enjoy, because the next chapter will take a little longer as I'm also trying to finish a different project. So be patient, and enjoy.
Mad Metal, Part 4
"...bee… Bumble… bee… Bumblebee!"
Bumblebee was taken out of his unconsciousness as he heard Ralph's desperate cries over the comms. In a daze, he answered the radio with a couple confused beeps.
"Oh, thank goodness… Bumblebee, you need to help out Hollowpoint, now!"
Like the floodgates being opened, Bumblebee remembered everything that happened in the last half hour, and immediately he climbed out of the rubble that was burying him to finally see where they were: at an abandoned weather station with a crazed Decepticon on them.
Bumblebee looked around with speed to find Barricade, and he did… along with Hollowpoint, who was yelling like a maniac as he was dueling the Decepticon. And to Bumblebee's shock, they seemed about even.
With widened optics, he answered back by telling Ralph what he saw.
"He's fighting Barricade again!? And he's doing it in that feral state!?" Ralph questioned.
Bumblebee beeped affirmatively as he felt the Energon in his body chill at the sight of Barricade.
"Perfect," Aiko said, "Bumblebee, I need you to help Hollowpoint neutralize Barricade."
Bumblebee froze for a second at the idea, but eventually beeped in agreement. But where Bumblebee expected Aiko or Ralph to answer, Ratchet instead took over.
"Do it quick, Bumblebee! Whatever Hollowpoint is doing, it's draining through his Energon reserves fast! You'll have to find a way to deal with Barricade together before time runs out!"
Now feeling the clock ticking, Bumblebee stared upon Hollowpoint and Barricade, ready to run in… but stopped as he saw his servos tremble. He felt it: that fear he could never shake since the interrogation with the Decepticon so long ago. And he despised that feeling. He wanted no more than to face it head-on, to pummel it into the ground, and yet it still held him back. It still clouded his processor. But he couldn't allow it. Especially not now, not with the newbie fighting–
Suddenly, Bumblebee's optics noticed Hollowpoint's arm. His bitten arm. Missing a mouthful of metal with exposed circuits and fuses. Bumblebee knew first-hand how agonizing that was to go through. And yet the newbie was fighting him. And it wasn't out of fear? Was this bravery, or insanity? Bumblebee couldn't tell. But the sight made Bumblebee tighten his servos into fists as his optics shrank.
If fear didn't control Hollowpoint, then why should it control Bumblebee?
Barricade dodged just out of the way as a leaping Hollowpoint crashed into the ground, leaving a small crater in the dirt centered around his embedded blade. The Decepticon seized the opportunity and swung his mace at the feral Autobot's back, forcing him to one knee. But it only made Hollowpoint more furious as he pushed out of the crater with his two legs, practically launching himself into Barricade in a shocking attack. Barricade stepped back as Hollowpoint scrambled to his pedes, his featureless visor staring dead at his enemy.
Barricade scoffed. Although this version of Hollowpoint was more ferocious, that was all he had: ferocity. Any fighting skill or strategy was out of the window with this Autobot. So even being slightly clever with his dodges and counter-attacks, Barricade would thus have the upper hand. Such a shame, he thought: with the thrill he was feeling at first, he wanted this fight to last longer. But Barricade knew full well that he would win.
"If only you remained sane while like this, this would be more of a challenge," Barricade said tauntingly.
Hollowpoint merely yelled a short roar at the Decepticon as he pointed his hollow blade at him.
Barricade only sighed as he got into his stance and said, "Time to knock your lights out."
But Barricade's steeled look changed when he heard heavy steps approaching him from behind, and he turned with his arms up to block Bumblebee's punch.
"Had a long enough stasis nap, scout? How about I make it perma–"
Barricade stopped speaking as he pushed himself out of the way of the very armed and very crazed Hollowpoint about to stab him. In this shock, Bumblebee took the chance and punched the Decepticon in the face, sending him stumbling back away from the weather station. And it was when Bumblebee saw what was behind Barricade that he thought up something.
Bumblebee put a servo on Hollowpoint's shoulder pad, and jerked back as Hollowpoint jolted angrily at the touch, looking at the scout with a hidden expression. Bumblebee put his servos up non-threateningly and started tuning his radio.
"–9mm hollow points–We gotta take him–To the raaaaazor's eeeeedge!–"
Thankfully, Hollowpoint seemed to recognize the words even in his feral state, and slowly realized the plan as he looked at Barricade. And with one simple answer, Hollowpoint nodded as he and Bumblebee took their stances against the deadly Decepticon.
"Finally found some ball bearings, scout? Good. This will be more of a challenge," Barricade said with an excited, denta-baring grin.
Wasting no time, the battle began. Barricade and Hollowpoint ran at each other, while Bumblebee drove around to the side. Barricade shot a few strong blasts at Hollowpoint, who blocked them with his non-injured arm as they rammed into each other, quickly entering a deadlock as they clashed their weapons together to push the other back. Hollowpoint almost won it, but Barricade smashed his headpiece into Hollowpoint's to stun him, allowing Barricade a chance to swing his mace at the feral 'Bot.
But that was stopped when Bumblebee approached from the side with his twin repeaters firing multiple blasts at Barricade's mace arm, breaking some of the armor. Bumblebee quickly followed with a fist to Barricade's arm, while Hollowpoint recovered and tried to swing at Barricade at the same time, forcing him further back.
Though Barricade was skilled enough to handle the multiple opponents, Bumblebee's swift interruptions and Hollowpoint's brute force combined into quite a challenge. However, one thing he noticed as he was being forced back was that Bumblebee was working more around Hollowpoint's attacks, not with them. And that could be something to take advantage of.
Dropping his weapon, Barricade caught Bumblebee's arms and held him in a lock against Hollowpoint as his blade came down. Though he was in a rage, Barricade could tell that Hollowpoint tried to restrain his strike too late, as the blade's tip scratched Bumblebee's chestpiece, drawing Energon from the scout. Barricade then threw Bumblebee to the side as he jumped at Hollowpoint, pinning him to the ground.
"Thanks for the assist, Hollowpoint," Barricade said mockingly.
Hollowpoint grunted in anger, and Barricade saw as the blade seemed to absorb the Energon it collected, causing an angular, Energon-blue pattern to spread just around his bladed arm. And his other, injured arm seemed to repair only slightly. Barricade didn't know what to make of the sight.
But Hollowpoint did. He felt the second wind fuel his fury and pushed Barricade off of him as he got on all fours, looking ready to pounce.
"You are one strange Autobot, I'll give you that," Barricade said as he took a step back to see his two battered Autobot enemies.
But he stopped when he felt his heel meet nothing. He looked back and saw the cliff's edge that would have led to a steep drop into some flora that was more akin to a Decepticon motion spike trap.
By the time he realized the plan, Hollowpoint rushed at Barricade like a freight train, trying to push him off the cliff. But Barricade buried his heels in the dirt before that could happen, and a clash occurred as Barricade held back Hollowpoint's arms. Barricade's widened optics noticed a scratched-up Bumblebee, ready to be the final push needed to end the Decepticon…
Yet one other was on the hunt: Ravage, who leaped on the scout's back, ripping off one of the car wings on his back.
Hollowpoint looked back at the scout, his shock clear even with his visor up. And Barricade could only laugh.
"Clever, clever Autobots. To think that you would have let gravity take me down. I would have thought the scout wanted the honor of snuffing my spark. But we can't all get what we want, can we!?"
Barricade shifted his grasp to Hollowpoint's arm injury, crushing it with as much force as he could. The pain ramped up until the wound felt like it was on fire, and Hollowpoint's crazed growls eventually turned into groans of pain as his visor retracted to reveal his agonized expression. In a split-second, Barricade threw Hollowpoint around until it was Barricade that could push Hollowpoint off the edge, his energy slowly diminishing as his clarity returned.
"I know I promised Starscream that I would bring you back alive. Well… here's to hoping you can survive the fall!" Barricade screamed out, excitement beaming on his faceplate.
Hollowpoint could feel it: the very edge on his heel, the fire from his wound, and the push of Barricade. But the worst part of it was that he felt his strength being sapped from him. His Energon reserves were at an all-time low, and now he was in a position of life and death that he couldn't keep for long. The dread of wondering if the fall would mercy-kill him, or damage him just enough to be helplessly handed to the Decepticons… and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
… Or was there?
Barricade inched his headpiece closer to Hollowpoint, "Make peace, Autobo–"
Barricade was stopped short as Hollowpoint launched his head at the Decepticon's grasping servo, and bit into the thumb with all of his strength. Even with his broken dentas, he could feel the metal skin rip and circulated Energon bleed into Hollowpoint's mouth. Though the substance tasted like dirty static, it gave him some form of strength, allowing him to inch slowly away from the edge.
Barricade shouted from the sudden pain, saying, "Fragging Autobot!"
Barricade let go of Hollowpoint's arm to backhand his faceplate. But Hollowpoint instead did a full grapple, locking his arms together around the Decepticon even as he kept elbowing the Autobot's backside. Though the levels of pain were great, Hollowpoint's desperation was greater. All he could do was stay like this and watch behind Barricade… until finally, he saw Ravage get thrown across the field.
"Get! Off! Me!" Barricade yelled out with every elbow.
Hollowpoint eventually relented and loosened his grip, and dove to the side, his optics right on a furious Barricade that was picking up his mace.
"When I'm done with you, they won't have enough pieces to put you back together!" Barricade screamed out as he raised his weapon in the air for a lethal blow.
A loud droning beep came from behind Barricade and arrived with a punch directly to the chin. Barricade was shocked when Bumblebee, with only one car wing and angry dots for optics, started punching him repeatedly. Over and over, the adrenaline-fueled flurry of blows cracked his armor and pushed him back, until Barricade was on the cliff's edge once again. Realization set in too late as Bumblebee let out a battlecry beep with a long-winding haymaker, sending Barricade flying back into the air and falling down with a scream of sudden fear that only grew farther away until it ended with a sickening crack of splitting metal.
And like that, Barricade was gone. Bumblebee was silent as he looked over the cliffside and at Barricade's busted body with disbelief. The crazed Decepticon was just… gone.
Bumblebee was roused from his state when Hollowpoint groaned loudly, holding his arm to stop the leaking. Bumblebee rushed over to Hollowpoint, holding his upper body higher in support.
"–Oh Lawd above–Are you okay, sir!?"
"I'll live… I'll… Ravage!" Hollowpoint spoke out in shock at the metal jaguar staring them down from afar.
Bumblebee aimed his twin repeaters at the mini-cassette, expecting an attack. Yet instead, a small ground bridge was summoned next to him, and he went through wordlessly, leaving the Autobots alone in disbelief.
An air of calmness washed over Bumblebee and Hollowpoint, who wordlessly gave each other a thumbs up.
Hollowpoint rested his headpiece in the dirt, saying, "Hey, Ratchet… Barricade's gone now. Can we please get a ground bridge?"
Eventually, a ground bridge was summoned, and Bumblebee wrapped Hollowpoint's intact arm around his shoulder and dragged him through. The ground bridge closed, leaving the weather station and the forests vacant of all metal titans.
Autobot Hideout - Missile Silo
Ratchet and the humans watched as an injured Bumblebee dragged in an even more injured Jasper through the portal. They all rushed forward as Bumblebee set Jasper down, letting Ratchet scan him with a medical device. Jasper reached to his back, and pulled out a small shard of an Energon crystal.
"I really wish I brought back more for my first mission," Jasper admitted.
Ratchet didn't respond, and focused on the scanner and Jasper's bitten arm.
"It looks bad, but it's a mesh wound. Nothing I can't fix," Ratchet pointed out.
"I hope the same can be said about my mouth," Jasper said, showing his missing dentas with a goofy smile.
Jackson then stepped in with a serious look on his face.
"Just what were you thinking, Jasper? You could have died out there."
"Yeah… but so could Bumblebee… I couldn't just let that happen," Jasper pointed out sluggishly.
Jackson took a long sigh after that, and said, "Just… use caution next time, clear?"
Jasper nodded while Ratchet finished up his scans.
"That's enough talking. You two are going to the medbay, chop-chop."
Jasper slowly got up to follow the two Autobots, dragging his feet behind him.
"Jasper."
He stopped in his tracks and turned to Aiko, whose gaze made him want to shrink away despite the many-meter difference in height. He saw Rascal in her arms, who was lazily looking up and mewling at him. Aiko held the cat out to him, and he took her in his servo.
"She's been mewling a lot. You need to get her food."
"It's the first thing I'm going to do once I'm all healed u–I mean, repaired," Jasper corrected.
Aiko shook her head and said, "No. You need to do more for that cat. She needs bowls for food and water, a place to sleep, a place to do her business, and probably some other things. Which is why I'm granting you the day off tomorrow."
Jasper… was stunned, "I'm sorry, what?"
Aiko pinched the bridge of her nose, "Jasper… I value service among everything else. If you can help us against the Decepticons, then you earn some off-time. And after everything you did to support Bumblebee… well, you most certainly deserve it."
Jasper was speechless. He didn't know what to say. He could have sworn that the Aiko he was talking to now was completely different from the Aiko in the parking lot, but he couldn't tell. All he knew was that the anchor's weight he was feeling was a little bit lighter now. And all he could say is…
"Heh… Thank you, Miss Aiko."
"That's Major Aiko. Or Major Brooklan, though we usually go by first names around here."
Jasper snapped out of his stupor and said, "Uh, understood, Major Aiko," and did a quick salute.
"Good. Dismissed."
Jasper walked away, his dragging pedes a little lighter as he made his way to the medbay. Aiko felt a sense of pride for the poor boy, but also concern. She was hoping that she was making the right decision. But in the end, only time would tell.
Decepticon Warship - The Nemesis
In the medbay of the dreaded Nemesis, Knockout was working diligently on Megatron's mangled body while Soundwave was watching him like a hawk.
"What is his status?" Soundwave simply asked.
Knockout remained focused while he was pulling out shrapnel from Megatron's frame.
"Well, the structural damage our Lord took was devastating. Frankly, it is a miracle he is even in one piece." Knockout pointed out.
"What are Lord Megatron's vitals?" Soundwave specified with a harder vocalization.
Knockout hesitated as he answered, "His vitals are faint. And judging from the collective damage, I fear he may remain comatose for the moment."
"Then find a way to remove our Lord from his coma."
"Ever the savior for our Lord, are you not?"
Soundwave looked back at the voice to find Starscream leaning on the doorway of the medbay, looking a little more casual than he should be. And at his side was Ravage, who paced toward Soundwave with a limp.
"Ravage said that the Autobots dispatched Barricade. I trust he did everything you could, but why were you not there to interfere?"
"Barricade said he would return with two Autobot heads. He said nothing about needing assistance. Yet even with Ravage, he failed to meet his own standards."
"Mmm, perhaps… Oh, if only he followed orders as well as he hunted."
Starscream postulated entertainingly before his faceplate drifted to restraint as he saw the occupied table in the middle of the room.
"And… how about her, Knockout?"
Everyone then looked at the table carrying Slipstream, her body looking more decimated in the pale and sterile medbay lighting. But like before, her optics remained off, with no hint of red.
"My apologies, my Lord… but she's offline. There's nothing I can do for her," Knockout simply stated in a plain voice.
Starscream was at the table, his servos propping him on the edge, as he gave a long sigh at the sight of his former Seeker.
Finally, Lord Starscream spoke, "You can do something. Fix her up, and we can eventually give her a ceremony for her service."
Knockout, although hesitant, nodded and said, "Understood, Lord Starscream."
"Good" was all Starscream said before heading for the door. But Soundwave noticed something as he left. A glance in Knockout's direction, where his visage formed a deep scowl. Looking between Starscream taking his leave and Knockout operating on Megatron, Soundwave percolated for but a second. But then Ravage gave a short growl of attention, breaking Soundwave's thoughts.
"Knockout, after you are done working on our Lord, see that Ravage is repaired."
"I'll do what I can."
Wordlessly, Soundwave left the medbay, now recalling what Laserbeak saw in that cave… and wondering what he did not see.
"I'll add that to my list of duties," Knockout sarcastically said under his breath, while looking at a similar, yet broken, effigy.
Autobot Hideout - Missile Silo
Some time after the mission, after the repairs, Jasper thought it best to make an internal list of some things he needed to get. Not for him, but for someone else. He drove through one of the larger tunnels to the main silo area, and his holoform came out of his truck form with a smile on his face.
"Oh, Raaascal? I've got something for you."
Rascal got up to Jasper's voice, and he came to her with arms full of bags. He started unbagging them to reveal: two metal bowls, multiple cans of cat food, a few cat toys, a litter box, and a box under his arm.
"No more soggy fries for food or drinking from puddles, eh? You really moved up from garbage-diving."
Jasper peeled the seal off a food can and plopped it into the bowl, and Rascal was quick to happily lap it up like it was the best thing she'd tasted in a while.
"Adorable. But that's not all. I got you a few toys for entertainment. And also…"
Jasper quickly unfolded the box's top, opening it up to find a roundish blue bed with white fluff on top.
"The store owner told me this was the comfiest bed… that I could afford. So why don't you try and break it ou–"
Jasper turned to see that Rascal had disappeared, her food bowl empty. Feeling a shuffle in his hands, he found Rascal curled up in the box, purring happily. Jasper couldn't help but smile at the sight, and lightly petted the kitten's spine with but two fingers.
As Jasper was making Rascal comfortable, Jasper heard the stomping of two sets of footsteps, and saw Ironhide and Optimus Prime enter from one of the tunnels.
"Hello, Ironhide. Hello, mister Prime. How were your missions?" Jasper casually asked.
"I was going to ask the same about yours" was what the Prime said, as serious as ever.
Jasper stopped and stood up, looking at his two superiors, yet never making eye contact.
"It… It didn't go well. We barely found any Energon before things went south. It turned out to be a failure," Jasper plainly proclaimed.
"A failure!? Hahahahaha!" Ironhide seemed entertained by that, and said, "I wouldn't say that. If what I heard from 'Bee was even half right, you held your own against a Decepticon! In which case, bravo! And look!"
Ironhide patted Jasper's truck form, particularly the area retaining a few deeper scratches that revealed the unpainted metal beneath.
"Your first battle scars. The mark of a warrior. Imagine you with a little more training. You'll be taking down Decepticon punks in no time!"
Ironhide's words of encouragement truly surprised Jasper, who couldn't help but nervously smile and scratch the back of his head.
"Well, here's to hoping, huh?" Was all Jasper could muster up.
Ironhide's grin was wide, but was quickly wiped when he noticed Optimus giving a stoic side-eye. He nodded, knowing full well what that meant.
"I should go check on Bumblebee. Keep him company and whatnot."
Jasper nodded goodbye to Ironhide, who disappeared into the tunnels toward the medbay. This left Jasper with Optimus, the Transformer looking down to the human's holoform with an indeterminable expression.
"Jasper, I need to see something. Could you transform?"
Not knowing how to answer Optimus's sudden question, Jasper's holoform disappeared and he transformed to full size, looking at the Prime with confusion. Optimus took Jasper's arm in his servos, and saw the bite injury, now soldered to prevent leaking, yet still missing a big chunk of metal.
"Ratchet told me he could fix it, but I begged him to let me go and get some things for Rascal. I'm sure he can repair it after he's done with Bumblebee."
Optimus didn't respond to that, and instead asked, "... Does it still hurt?"
Surprised yet again, Jasper simply answered, "... Well… Kind of… But nowhere near as much as when Barricade first bit it."
Optimus gritted his dentas upon hearing that. The pain of Barricade's bites, Optimus never knew them personally. But Bumblebee did, and Optimus knew those bites left scars on the poor scout long after they healed.
"When you were fighting Barricade, what did you feel?" Optimus said, letting go of Jasper's arm.
Jasper went frozen at that question, and peered at his bite mark. He could still remember the searing pain, the air on his exposed nerves, that could have brought him to tears if he could cry. It had him on the ground, crawling as far away from Barricade as he could. It made him feel…
"... Afraid. In fact, I was scared out of my mind. How do you do it? How do you guys not get afraid during a battle?"
"We don't."
That one proclamation left Jasper stunned speechless, and Optimus continued.
"Fear is what keeps us sharp. It's what drives us to fight against overwhelming odds. To not have fear would mean to not function. You believe we are fearless, but we are not. Bumblebee… Bumblebee was afraid of Barricade. When Bumblebee was captured by the Decepticons, they attempted to interrogate him for our location. But Bumblebee remained silent. Then Barricade interrogated him, and the damage he inflicted on him was so severe that it took several solar cycles to repair him to full health. The only thing we could never repair was his voice box."
Jasper's mouth was left ajar from the story. That was why Bumblebee was running? But… how…
"If 'Bee was afraid of Barricade, then how did… how could he ever fight him?" Jasper asked, beyond perplexed about the scout's behavior.
"Because while Bumblebee may have fear, he does not allow it to control him. He pushes past it, and fights on. That is not fearlessness. That is bravery. And after your mission, you not only helped in dealing with a dangerous Decepticon, but I believe you also helped our scout face his fears."
Jasper had no words, his mind still processing the Prime's words, albeit slowly. Yet within the dark pit of doubt inside him, he felt a twinge of pride. Of accomplishment.
"But remember, Jasper," Optimus interrupted Jasper's thoughts, his tone somehow more serious, "this war is dangerous. Many have sacrificed their sparks for it. And many of those believed themselves to be powerful warriors. Your body and capabilities can make you just as dangerous, but it is your mind that will keep you functioning. Never allow yourself to succumb to fear… or to rage. Understood?"
Jasper found himself involuntarily standing in salute, and said, "Understood, Sir."
Optimus nodded and walked for the medbay as well, stopping just short to look back at Jasper as he was setting up more cat products. Eventually, Optimus resumed, leaving Jasper alone.
Unknown Facility
In a dark, sterile metal room, the figure stood with their view right on the monitor in front of them. On the screen was a feed of a planet, made of metal formed into many patterns, shapes, and divots, with one noticeable circular hole in its surface that is seemingly endless. Yet the one thing that stuck out about the planet was that it appeared… lifeless. Empty. A husk of its former self.
The figure didn't move an inch, one of its tentacles touching the monitor. Its faceplate was covered in the monitor's bluish light, revealing a mask coming from its headpiece. A deep-blue mask carved with ovalish features like goggle-like eyes, a breathing apparatus where its mouth should be, and a large, bulbous forehead.
The silence in the room was broken by a small, ovalish creature of metal with many clawed tentacles.
Suddenly, a cold voice spoke solemnly from the mask, "Did you get the substance?"
The creature made a few whirring noises as it extended one tentacle outward, a syringe full of Dark Energon popping from its clawed end.
"Perfect," The figure said coldly once more.
Then the figure shook its large headpiece, quickly swiped the syringe with its own tentacle, and held it in front of its view. The monitor's light reflected yet again on the figure as it analyzed the Dark Energon, but its headpiece had a different mask. One that was a dull orange, with an angular design of closed eyes, a green sagging crown, and a wide, ear-to-ear grin.
"Ohohoho, Dark Energon. What secrets do you hold?" Another voice spoke from the same body, with great excitement and spirit.
