by Night Raid » Thu Aug 16, 2007 5:12 pm
- Motto: "You can't hit what you can't see!"
- Weapon: Twin Sonic Cannons
If you saw this coming, you're either a fricken genius or a master of the obvious. Either one, really.
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Chapter 13: Rumble is indeed red
A loud burst of white noise drew her attention to the fact that Barricade was frozen in shock because the boom box was… changing. The spindly, insect-like being wasted no time in leaping at the Decepticon’s face, another spurt of white noise taking the place of a war cry, kicking and clawing frantically. Sarah was frozen because she knew who this resembled, red hues taking the place of cool blue on an otherwise perfect twin of Frenzy…
Backing out of the ruined store, Barricade resumed his cop car form and sped away as the spiky little creature that had been the boom box hopped down and looked around. It seemed agitated, or at least nervous, as it whipped its head from side to side before jumping onto the counter it had been on previously and perching there like an extremely twitchy gargoyle. Sarah decided to approach it. “Easy now… Easy…” Red eyes fixed on her as she slowly stepped closer, reaching out with one hand. It seemed to be acting like a dog crossed with a small child as it let her touch it, not really seeming to mind her fingertips brushing the spikes at the top of its head. “You can tell what I am, can’t you. You can tell that it was me who changed you.” A moment later she yelped as it jumped past her to cling to the broken wall like an oversized metal gecko, nervously scanning the street. Its antics made her giggle. “Well, you’re quite the little scrapper.” Satisfied for the moment by what it either saw or didn’t see, it hopped back down to the ground. “Always ready to rumble, huh?” Not staying put for a moment, it seemed to be on the lookout for more enemies to fight. A smile took shape on her face. “As a matter of fact, I think that’s what I’ll call you. You are a boy, I think, and your name will be Rumble.” Sarah just about lost it when the target of her attention echoed her last word and spoke his new name. “Rumble!” He seemed happy with her choice as he bounced up and down excitedly, chanting his new name all the while. She took a moment to notice how his odd, squeaking voice suited his small size and frenetic nature… before the former boom box spoke again. “Human girl not st-st-stay here. Dangerous. Enemy maybe come back.” Sarah nodded and Rumble moved a little closer. “Not safe al-al-alone. Rumble go with.” To further emphasize his point, he leapt at her like a fairly small and hyperactive metallic tiger… only to land in her arms as that same cherry red boom box. “Wow… Didn’t know I could do that. I wonder how the others will take this…”
It was late in the afternoon, a bit later than she would have liked, when she came strolling back into the area. “I’m back,” she called out to the odd assembly of vehicles she saw there, alien aircraft included “Sorry I took so long,” she added as they transformed. “I was… distracted.” Optimus echoed her last word questioningly, prompting an explanation. “I’d really rather not talk about it, but I guess you deserve to know. Barricade is alive.” Those words carried an implication with them, an implication as to how she had found this out… Megatron was the first to respond. “Barricade attacked you.” The statement wasn’t phrased as a question. He was merely stating a fact. Optimus, however, had a real question. “How did you manage to escape?” Looking down, Sarah shifted uncomfortably, the red boom box she held bumping against her thigh. A moment later she was holding it out before her. “That’s where this comes into things.” Optimus looked it over. “How could a portable sound system have aided you in escaping from a Decepticon?” The response came swiftly. “I’ll show you.” Placing the boom box on the ground, she took a few steps back. “Rumble, you can come out now. These are my friends.” Utter shock filled the lot of them as the boom box transformed and leapt straight upward, that same spiky shape they’d all come to know… “Decepticon!”
Ironhide had his cannons out in less than a millisecond, taking aim and preparing to fire. His target reacted spectacularly. Jumping straight up with a high-pitched scream, Rumble was behind Sarah in an instant, down in a duck-and-cover position and shaking so hard his spikes rattled. “Human girl no-no-not let others hurt Rumble…?” Her reaction was spectacular as well, in that none of them had thought a human could yell as loudly as she did. “Don’t you dare hurt Rumble!” No blue fire accompanied that shout, but none had to. Not just Ironhide but all of them stepped backward, Megatron included. Behind her, Rumble had returned to boom box form, and that boom box shook, even though there was no visible agency to cause it to do so. In shaking it bumped against Sarah’s leg, drawing her attention away from the others. Turning and stooping momentarily, she turned to face them again, and they could see that she held the boom box sort of cradled in one arm rather than by the handle. “You see what you did? You scared him clean out of his wits. Poor thing…” She glared at Ironhide angrily, even after he put his cannons away.
Optimus broke the resulting silence. “How did you come by him?” Sarah calmed down. “It’s the strangest thing… The closest cover I could find was an electronics store. I thought Barricade wouldn’t blow his cover to chase me, but he did. He cornered me against a counter, and this boom box was sitting atop that counter. In trying to find an exit I accidentally yanked its cord, causing it to fall down, bounce off my head and then land in my lap. Barricade reached out to grab me and I… I panicked. I can remember I was wishing with all my heart that someone would help me when I felt this… this sort of surge inside me and… Next thing I knew, the boom box transformed and attacked Barricade. I’m not too sure what happened to cause this or how, but I…” Shock took hold as she looked up at the Autobot leader. “I think I made him become alive!”
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Girl with All Spark power + red boom box + major danger = this guy.
Rumble: "SKY BLUE SHINY STARDUST PENCIL BRICK!"
...Yup, he's just like his 'brother'.
RIRFIB!!!
Life can be pretty sweet when your alt-mode is a B-2 Stealth Bomber.
And for those of you who are wondering... I'M A GIRL!
I'm not prejudiced; I hate everyone equally.