Completely by coincidence my brain was in the mood for Transformers stuff today and it's the fortieth anniversary of the cartoon's first episode airing, AKA Transformers Day! XD
Anyway, apologies for leaving this story for a while. Got distracted by anime and life, but I'm back with a new chapter!
Real quick, I am giving my usual disclaimer that this story idea is not mine. It belongs to a friend on TikTok, Deckar Terdax. He made this concept and is co-authoring this fic with me!
Also, this fic got a review! Yay!
M (guest): Glad you like the story! Sorry for taking a while to update, but I hope this is worth the wait!
Now, to the chapter itself!
God Bless and Good Day!
~The Lupine Sojourner
Moonracer finds herself very bored as they drive into a more mountainous region.
"Don't get too far ahead, kid!" Brawn calls. "Remember, we're not the only ones out here looking for Deadlock."
Moonracer slows just a little, sighing. "Yeah, yeah. I just hate long drives when I can't transform." She grumbles.
Brawn laughs. "Me too, Moonracer, but we're getting close…more or less."
Before Moonracer can reply, there's a distant muffled explosion. Moonracer adjusts her mirrors to look behind her and sees-
"Brake!" She cries, following her own advice.
Thankfully, the other two Autobots are quick to react, dodging the missile speeding past them before another explosion detonates right in front of them.
"Off the main road! We can't involve humans!" Magnus calls, noticing a side road leading into the mountains, missing a sign that the road was blocked due to high risk of avalanches in the area.
Just as Ultra Magnus is about to make the turn behind Moonracer and Brawn, he's suddenly hit and knocked clean off the side of the road by a large Cybertronian tank with a Decepticon insignia proudly displayed.
"Magnus!" Moonracer cries.
"Keep going!" Brawn calls back, not stopping. "The 'Cons are on our tailpipe!"
Tarn transforms and slides down the mountainside with ease as he watches the truck tumble end over end until it hits the bottom of the canyon on its roof, wheels spinning in the air. "I must admit, Prime," he sneers, savoring the moment, "I wasn't expecting to see you here. I would love to terminate you myself, but sadly, Megatron wants that honor to himself. I'll not deny him his prize, but he never said in what condi-" The truck in front of him transforms and Tarn suddenly freezes, optics wide as if he's just seen a ghost. "You?"
Ultra Magnus glares up at his enemy with contempt. "So glad you remember me." He growls.
A sudden explosion draws his attention, and Magnus looks up to see the other Decepticons chasing his team. Magnus hesitates slightly, looking between Tarn and the Autobots, but ultimately decides to help his team.
Charging forward, Magnus leaps into the air and delivers a powerful left hook to Tarn's face, making the surprised Decepticon spin and fall to a knee.
Magnus rolls to the ground and begins transforming.
Behind him, Tarn regains his composure, using a punch-like motion to deploy two fusion cannons from his right arm. He fires, barely missing Magnus.
Meanwhile, Moonracer and Brawn barely manage to dodge another of the tank's blasts.
This guy is good. Brawn admits inwardly. The color scheme of the tank looks vaguely familiar, but Brawn can't focus on that right now. He does his best to continue dodging and leading Moonracer away from the Cons.
However, just as Brawn gets ahead of Moonracer, she's slammed into the mountain by a tanker truck with a Decepticon insignia on its grill.
"Moonracer!" Brawn cries in worry as the young Autobot is nearly slammed again, but then, when Brawn quickly adjusts his rearview mirrors, he notices no wreckage…and no sign of Moonracer.
"Where'd she go?" Helex asks in confusion.
Unbeknownst to him, Moonracer is currently crouched on the top of his fuel tank, a smug smile on her face as she begins firing at Bludgeon.
Growing annoyed by the constant barrage, Bludgeon aims his weapon at the green bot in front of him. Moonracer grins. My plan is working!
Steadying her aim, she pulls the trigger on her rifle and fires a shot straight down her opponent's barrel. A split second later, there's an explosion and the Decepticon roars in pain and fury at his weapon is now rendered useless.
Kaon, adjusting his mirrors to see what was going on, notices the small green Autobot immediately. "Helex, she's on top of you!" He calls.
Helex immediately began swerving back and forth in an attempt to dislodge the unwanted hitchhiker, left with no alternative before finally slamming on the brakes.
Thinking quickly, Moonracer nimbly leaps off and lands on the hood of Kaon's vehicle mode, causing him to lose control for a moment as the young bot leapt forward again and transformed, giving the Autobots a slight edge as she starts to catch back up to Brawn.
"Good job, kid."
Moonracer would be smiling if she were in robot mode. "That should stop Bludgeon from causing any problems."
Brawn adjusts his mirror back to the tank. So that's why I recognize him. He notes inwardly. "How do you know him?" He asks, curious.
Moonracer adjusts her mirror to look at him. "I've seen his handiwork in person."
Brawn is about to press her for details when he spots a dirt road ahead, branching off deeper into the mountains, a bridge barely visible, and he gets an idea to take care of their pursuers. "I've got an idea!"
With no further explanation, he breaks away from Moonracer up a different road. Moonracer, unsure what to do, continues down the road she's on, wondering what Brawn's plan is.
A little ways behind his team, Magnus accelerates, trying to catch up, dodging Tarn as he runs after him in robot mode, intent on a fight.
However, Magnus quickly slams into Helex, causing him to skid and before the Con can regain control, he's slammed into Bludgeon, causing the two of them to stall.
Any satisfaction Magnus feels in the small victory is soon dashed as Tarn simply leaps over the two and continues thundering after him.
Magnus inwardly grits his teeth and puts on a burst of speed. He has to catch up to his team and back them up!
Up ahead, Brawn transforms and skids to a halt, his hand forming a drill to place grenades, but as he's grabbing the grenades, a sudden collision makes him slam into the road, nearly falling off the side and down the mountain.
Grimacing, Brawn has only time to register that it's Kaon who ambushed him when his vision goes a little glitchy and his circuits vibrate with the sensation of electricity.
Brawn hears Kaon's cackling laughter. "Thought you could leave the party, didn't you? Or maybe set a little trap?" He increases the voltage and laughs harder. "Not a chance! I thought Wreckers were supposed to be tough, but that was embarrassingly easy! Caught you without even thinking about it! How's that feel, huh?!"
Brawn merely regains his footing, smirking at the cocky Con. "It tickles."
Enraged, Kaon leaps forward with a yell, managing to tear off Brawn's drill hand and drive a knife into Brawn's chest before the Wrecker can dodge.
Brawn looks up, then back at Kaon, scoffing with a knowing smirk on his face. Kaon doesn't like that look, so he follows Brawn's line of sight, only to realize too late that the drill, which had magnetized the grenades, somehow activated, onto it is hurdling right for a large collection of boulders balanced on the edge of the summit.
He'd played right into Brawn's hands!
Just before the explosion, Brawn laughs. "Yoink!" He thrusts Kaon off him and more in line with the boulders' path before he rolls off the edge of the road.
BOOM!
Kaon only has time for one terrified scream as the boulders start their descent…right toward him.
Down below, Magnus and Moonracer reach the bridge nearly at the same time, Moonracer just a bit ahead.
At the sound of an explosion and a scream, the two look up to see the rapidly approaching avalanche and Magnus acts quickly, pulling Moonracer off the bridge, positioning himself protectively over her as the boulders thunder down the mountain, a few knocking off Magnus' back, causing the large Wrecker to grunt.
Luckily, the remaining DJD members aren't so lucky, and Magnus swears he sees both of them caught by the dirt, trees, and boulders sliding down the mountain.
When the rumbling stops, Magnus stands and he and Moonracer examine the wreckage.
The bridge is completely destroyed, and much of the road would need a good amount of repair, but at least the DJD have been thrown into the ravine far below.
Moonracer and Magnus look over the edge where they stood and-
"Sir! It's Brawn!" Moonracer cries worriedly, spotting the Wrecker not far below them. "He's hurt!"
That's an understatement. Brawn must've been caught in the worst of the avalanche, his legs nearly completely crushed and dangling by wires, and the arm holding him to the cliffside isn't any better. In fact, it's creaking and straining under the weight of Brawn's body. It wouldn't hold long…
"Hang on!" Magnus calls, reaching down to grab Brawn's hand.
But Brawn weakly shakes his head, his other arm, slightly less damaged (but not by much), tosses something up. "Catch!" The voice is weak, too weak. Magnus had heard similar voices countless times on Cybertron and he knows what it means. Brawn's Spark is fading…
He automatically catches the object and looks down to see it's a data cylinder.
"Take it," Brawn mumbles weakly, his optics now flickering. "And tell Deadlock my debt is paid."
Magnus looks at Brawn in shock, then grits his teeth and leans down, reaching out again. "You can tell him yourself!" He doesn't want to lose any of his team, not like this!
However, Brawn's arm continues to break away, only being held together by a few wires now. Brawn smiles up at Magnus, his optics fading fast. His now free hand rises one last time in a feeble, sloppy salute. "Wreck and Rule!"
With that, the wires snap, and Brawn falls silently into the dirt cloud and fog below.
"No! Brawn!" Moonracer screams, falling to her knees and reaching down as if to catch him, but he's lost to view in seconds. She stays there, staring wide-eyed at the last spot she'd seen Brawn, her hand still outstretched toward the now swirling fog that holds Brawn's body. "No!"
Just like that…he's gone. His Spark is with Primus in the Well now, she knows that, but that brings little comfort as she struggles to process what just happened, trembling in grief.
Magnus lets her have a few moments, processing the loss himself.
Brawn could be an unruly Bot at times, but he was loyal to the end. Magnus had never once called into question Brawn's dedication to the Autobot cause.
He felt that Brawn would want to be remembered that way, going down fighting for the cause he dedicated everything to.
So after several minutes, Magnus puts a gentle hand on his apprentice's shoulder. She is still young, not having seen death like he has. "He died as he wished; fighting to the end." Magnus says quietly, unsure what else to say to comfort her. "Let us remember him that way."
Moonracer tries to compose herself, but struggles. Then she sees the cylinder in Magnus' hand. She decides to ask about it as a distraction.
"What is that?" She asks.
Magnus has a hunch, wordlessly activating the cylinder. "By the Allspark…" he breathes. It's just what he thought it would be…The list of the DJD's targets, and it's more extensive than he could've guessed. "This is the Decepticon Justice Division's list of targets, those the division are hunting, be it Autobot, traitor to the Decepticon cause, or simply a Decepticon in need of punishment." Magnus explains coldly, deactivating the cylinder before tucking it into a secure slot on his waist. "This is invaluable information, and we can potentially use it to delete the list from the Decepticon database, when we return to base with Deadlock."
Moonracer nods, glad that at least Brawn's death is not in vain. "Should we keep moving, sir?" She asks, wondering what their next move is.
Sad as she is about Brawn's loss, she knows he'd kick her tailpipe if she doesn't keep moving forward and find Deadlock.
Magnus nods, sighing. "Yes. Unfortunately, with this road now destroyed, we'll have to take a longer route, which will put us in Tokyo after dark. You alright to move out?" He eyes his apprentice, wanting to ensure she's alright.
Moonracer looks down the ravine sadly, then sighs heavily. "Brawn wouldn't want us to sulk around here. He'd tell us to make sure we finish the mission, so I'm ready."
Magnus nods back down the road, feeling a bit of pride in his young apprentice. "Alright, then let's head out." But he hesitates as Moonracer passes him, glaring down into the wreckage the avalanche left behind as she transforms to start heading down the mountain as best she can. "I should have dealt with you back on Cybertron." He growls before moving away from the edge.
Moonracer pretends she didn't hear as she see Magnus transform and head down the mountain, but inwardly she realizes a few things about her commander.
One, that he had spoken to Tarn.
Two, that whatever conflict the two of them had with each other, it was deeply personal.