OK here's the opening chapters, very much a first draft as some sections have been recently crowbarred in and it all needs grammar-checking and tweaking.
Continuity setting: Feb 2007 - Post 80's transformers movie and referencing Dreamwave G1 comics.
[EDIT] I need to update my team's individual bios, the Team bio itself is a brief prequel to this story
Dan left the bar feeling dirty, sullied. He knew it was part of his job but that was no comfort to him. It certainly wasn’t because he felt any compassion for them, I mean people he’d known and grown up with had died as a result of their war. But now they were here in Texas, metaphorically in his backyard, and he’d been the first to report it. “Autobots & DoE resurrect Superconducting Supercollider Project.” While he’d given that story a positive spin there were still so many questions unanswered and he was damned if he wasn’t going to find those answers. That was why he’d gone to the trouble of bribing one of the human scientists into this meeting, getting him drunk and taping the whole conversation as he spilled all the details he knew. He felt sorry for the poor guy, but Dan freely admitted to himself that he’d pulled that kind of stunt to get information before and he’d do it again.
Despite all this, he’d only ended up with more questions than answers. Even the humans there didn’t know how the entire structure was built, it had just appeared overnight. There was a rumour it had been built in space but Dan didn’t believe that for a second. It was a single underground build housing a Ring Particle Accelerator that was 28 miles across, shipping it in from space without anyone noticing it? That was just not possible. Why were there so many Autobot warriors involved, why was there so much security? Why was there a weapons research facility in what was supposed to be a Department of Energy project? Why, when there was so much energy pumping into and out of the facility, was almost sixty percent of it being stored on site. What for? What were these Drones the scientist mentioned and why were they the only ones allow into several large rooms even the Autobots were barred access to.
He turned a corner to the car park. Knowing sleep was not going to be an option that night he settled into the driver seat, fired up his laptop and began to type.
Just off the shores of Lake Waxahachie six giant robots relax.
The sunlight reflects off water trickling though the fingers of a giant green robotic hand. Its owner is an Autobot tank bot called Cannon Feeder. “So the humans are mostly made up of this water stuff then?”
“Yeah, I reckon that’s why they’re so squishy” answered Seekorsky, the breeze gently creaking his folded helicopter blades.
Cannon Feeder looked on with incredulity “That’s amazing, there’s so much I have to learn about this place.”
“Yeah well, I’d just start with being glad you finally got uncovered.” interjected a pale blue jet bot “Personally I’d be worried that if I’d spent millions of year stasis locked and buried in a landslide that no one appeared to notice until they blew up the Ark.” (See Dreamwave Comics Gen1)
“Heh, is that true Cloudstrafer?” sneered a smaller jeep bot called Wagon Ryder “No-one cared the big oaf was missing! Face it Cannon you’re just not as popular as some of us. Now if I went missing…”
“We’d be celebrating!” deadpanned Autofire, placing a firm grip on the jeep’s shoulder and leaning in he whispered “No need to insult him too.”
“heh” squirmed Wagon Ryder, remembering that he still had the bruise from when he last insulted Autofire, he’d gone too far he knew that but he’d obviously touched a raw nerve.
“Ding, Dong the brat has gone!” snickered Vincent, a grizzled, bearded motorcyclebot as he flicked a smouldering cigar into the lake, showering a nearby fishing boat. “Sorry!” he yelled out to the drenched humans, the smirk on his face betraying the fact that he wasn’t really.
Cloudstrafer turned to Autofire “So what do you think of Fort Worth as sergeant?”
“Well, he’s got plenty of guts.” pondered the silver Autobot. “He throws in against some pretty powerful Decepticons.”
“Gets his aft handed back to him on a plate often though.” retorted Cloudstrafer.
“Yeah but other than that he can be pretty shrewd. I think he’s just trying too hard to prove himself.”
“He’s got no previous experience of leading though.”
“Cloudstrafer! Give him a break will you! This assignments a little bolt hole that’s never gonna cross the Decepticon’s radar. We’re only guarding scientific research for Primus’ sake. The only draw is the sheer amount of power they generate for the complex.”
“Yeah, well I’m just glad they let us out occasionally for support missions otherwise I’ll be bored stupid. All this beautiful sky here and no Decepticons to blast.”
“Huh, don’t wish too hard Cloudy, don’t wish too hard.”
Deep in the bowls of the Superconducting Supercollider complex three Autobots are busy attaching probes to a fourth.
A slender Autobot, wearing what appears to be glasses turned to the subject.
“Now Acclamator, this will probably tickle a little but don’t worry, that’s perfectly normal.”
“But Higgs, I had my medical recently, you know us ole timers hate this kinda thing!” griped Acclamator his craggy old face cracking into a grin.
“”Acclamator!” smirked Higgs Boson “You know this is for my work here, your spark gives off a specific wavelength of energy, if we can learn more about this then we might be able to do all sorts of things like re-energise you from afar or you may never need to step into a CR chamber ever again.”
“Ready everyone?” Asked Cauterise, a medical bot currently checking the connections of the probes.
Higgs Boson nodded “Pailload, we’re ready for you to turn on the lights, Acclamator you’ll need to be still now”.
At this command, the yellow construction bot flipped a switch causing laser light to flood the room as scanners and various sensor beams descended on Acclamator.
Further down the hallway a large Autobot was running towards the lab. Turning a corner he tripped and fell over the sprawled legs of another bot.
Hauling himself to his feet the fallen Autobot barked “Bootlegger! What the frag are you doing here!”
“Ieeeuuuurgggh, Sooorrry Siirr” slurred Bootlegger “didna wanna goe t’ pond with others sir Fort Worth sir”
Fort Worth delicately picked up the smaller Bootlegger and hauled him to his feet. Staring into his optics he could see the definite signs of inebriation but where from, all the Energon supplies were accounted for and Bootlegger had near as dammit been strip searched daily.
“Bootlegger are you inebriated?” pressed Fort Worth.
“Couldn’t possibly comment Siir.” Swaying as if buffeted by invisible winds.
Fort Worth shook his head “Get yourself cleaned up or get yourself well out of the way, we’re going to have visitors and I’m damned if I’m going to let them see you like this!”
“yesir” murmured Bootlegger as he staggered off to his chambers.
Fort Worth continued down the corridor and finally reaching the lab door carefully knocked.
“Enter” came the muffled voice of Higgs Boson.
Fort Worth walked in to see Acclamator standing up, pulling out probes as he moved.
“.And it was only then he realised he’d had his leg blown clean off!” Acclamator gestured in a wild pantomime, Pailload nearly doubled up with laughter, even the naturally impassive Cauterise shoulders shook suppressing a laugh but Higgs Boson continued packing down his equipment without emotion.
Fort Worth interrupted “Sorry to interrupt Higgs but I’ve been trying to reach you on the intercom”
“Oh, I always turn that off when I’m working.” dismissed Higgs Boson
“I see.” A strained past over Fort Worth’s face as he bit his tongue “I believe it would be helpful if you didn’t do that in the future. We’ve had an emergency and, as Prime made you administrator of this facility, you have a responsibility to be available for such problems.”
A momentary panic passed over Higgs’ face “What appears to be the problem?”
“Well, to begin with the Earth press and media are outside demanding to know what you’re hiding here.”
Higgs’ panic solidified as he strode across to a side door “Perhaps we should talk in my office before we approach the flesh-, er, humans.”
In the WarPorn headquarters the Decepticon Psychout lazed back into his easy chair and flicked the channels on the viewscreen but despite all the comforts available to him he could not relax. Participating in the Heavy Metal War had it’s advantages, the constant warring and the spoils kept him busy and kept his mind off the dark brooding of the Necronomitron, the dark transformer God of Death buried deep within his psyche. Yet he was restless, he yearned for something more, a little more adventure, a caper perhaps.
His view was briefly interrupted by a giant foot as the twisted medic Mal Practise joined him on an adjacent easy chair, his black battle ambulance frame dwarfing the minuscule cassette bot. He turned to Psychout and gave him what would have been a withering glare it Psychout hadn’t known that this was coming and already turned his chair so his back was facing Mal.
“You had another call earlier.”
“muh.”
“The receiver’s just by your foot.”
“muh huh.”
“Yet I see you didn’t pick it up.”
“m’heh.”
“Fourth call today.”
“mhhh.”
“Oh snap out of it Psych! Unless you actually want me to take a look at your emotion circuits, that is…”
“nuhh”
Mal sighed “Swindle has been trying to reach you, he’s complaining about a crate of Dol Laser rifles you sold him last week.”
Psychout began to chuckle as he twisted the chair to face Mal, “Yeah well if he’d actually bothered to read the offer properly he’d have know they were Doll’s Laser Rifles, you know for those robot toys the kids will be mad for next June. Can I help it if I just happen to know he’s got a lazy eye for double l’s“
Just then, the viewscreen suddenly fizzed to life showing a pretty blonde human female brandishing a microphone as if it were a sceptre of justice and truth.
“…And here we are live outside the joint Department of Energy and Autobot facility with Dan Drevin of the local newspaper. So Mr Drevin you allege that the Autobots are actually designing and manufacturing weapons here.”
“Thank you Sherie. Yes I have actually toured this facility and can confirm that there are several areas that are deemed as off limits. Following an interview with a scientist at the base I have learned that they have developed a device that can disintegrate any matter. There can only be one use for such a device and we can only presume that this is what those closed areas relate to. I also understand that they are siphoning off and storing vast amounts of energy which could, in my humble opinion, be put to better use powering American homes.”
“Thank you Dan. Well I’ve just heard that the Autobots have agreed to an interview and we’ll be returning here shortly to speak to Higgs Boson of Autobot Team Teraelectronvolt.”
Psychout clicked off the screen by remote and began idly tapping it against his chin. “Hmmm, Team Teraelectronvolt. We’ve been regularly taking them down in battles. Weak little brats aren’t they”
“Yes they are new recruits, very foolhardy if I recall.” responded Mal.
“And that disintegration device would shut Swindle up for a bit, for the right price of course.” grinned Psychout.
Mal returned the grin. “Doctors orders, Psychout. I diagnose that you have mild depression. You need to get out, you need to misbehave!”
Psychout leaned back into the chair placing his hands behind his head. “Well then, get Steel City in here. I think Mr Drevin has an appointment with us… ”
TO BE CONTINUED...
), we'd be willing to take him in.
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[ Click to attempt signal recovery... ]
