PART 51
2 HOURS AGO. SHOCKWAVE’S LABNacelle was puzzled by the readings on the large monitor screen in front of him.
“Shockwave, I was wondering if you could clarify exactly what this data is pertaining to that Soundwave is transmitting from Earth? It looks like it might be the test results from some sort of Energon experiment.”
“Hmm, let me see.” Shockwave said, approaching the monitor. “It’s... classified.”
“Classified?” Nacelle replied incredulously. “But I am the highest ranking Decepticon here!”
“You’ve been demoted,” were the last words Nacelle heard before a powerful bolt of X-ray energy tore through his body.
“I hope that provided you with enough clarity.” Shockwave said coldly, brushing aside bits of Nacelle’s internals off of the control console with his still smoking gun arm.
He tapped a sensor lightly upon it’s surface and the data disappeared, replaced by the visage of three scowling Seekers. Each one, with the exception of their heads and wing stripes, were painted in a single color. Acid Storm was green, Nova Storm was yellow, and their leader, Ion Storm, was painted in a hue of dark blue that reminded Shockwave of storm clouds that were about to burst. This particular squad happened to be his favorite. Each member of the trio was intelligent, yet unquestioning. Highly effective on the battlefield, yet they sought no glory for their accomplishments. They were the perfect choice to ensure the success of phase two of Megatron’s plan.
“Rainmakers,” Shockwave called them as they were collectively known, “retrieve the Autobot named Bumper from his cell and then proceed with him to the the Kalis-Iacon border.”
“As you command!” the trio shouted in unison.
AUTOBASE“Clamp Down! Haul that big ‘Con outta his cell,” shouted Stakeout. “He’s goin’ home!”
Skyfire slumped on the floor of his cell. He was dispassionate now, his anger toward the Autobots had long subsided. He had travelled to Iacon seeking their aid in saving the Earth’s resources from being plundered by others of his faction. The Autobots met him with violence, striking him down and imprisoning him, opting instead—as he had been told—to exchange him for a spy who got careless on a mission and wound up a captive of the very Decepticons that he had been spying on.
“What is the value of one life when weighed against billions?” thought Skyfire. “It depends on who you ask,” he concluded, well aware that the majority of his race considered organic life forms to be pests, no different than a Nano-Gnat or a Scraplet.
“You’re a deep thinker,” observed the Autobot appearing in front of his cell. “I can see it all over your faceplate. Hi, I’m Clamp Down. I’ll be one of the officers escorting you to Kalis this solar cycle. Please stand up and face the rear wall of your cell.”
Skyfire sighed and did as he was told. Clamp Down turned off the containment bars, walked in, and affixed a pair of Energon cuffs to Skyfire’s wrists.
Clamp Down’s comm slid down from the side of his helmet. “Ready, Stakeout.” he spoke into it. “I’m walking the prisoner out of the cell block now. Who’s our transport today?”
“Roadbuster. He’s the only ‘Bot with an alt-mode big enough to fit all three of us.” Stakeout radioed back.
Roadbuster began chuckling to himself when he saw Clamp Down come into the garage with his prisoner.
“From armored personnel carrier to paddy wagon to robot and back! And look at that... I’m not even a triple-changer!” he laughed.
“Never mind him, he has a weird sense of humor.” Stakeout said, peeking out from Roadbuster’s cab. “Put the prisoner in the back and let’s get goin’.”
Roadbuster started moving as soon as he felt his back door slam shut, rolling toward the entry ramp that led to the subsurface route to Kalis.
“Comfy back there?” he asked.
“You know we’re not,” replied Clamp Down.
There was so little room in the rear of Roadbuster’s alt-form that every time either of his passengers moved there was a squeal of metal on metal contact.
“Ah, your ordeal will be over soon enough,” dismissed Roadbuster. “It’s a short trip.”
“So what’s his story?” asked Stakeout. “Why’d this Decepticon decide to show up at our front gates alone?”
“Wires crossed, maybe?” Clamp Down guessed. “I don’t know.”
“What came out during the interrogation?” pressed Stakeout.
“There wasn’t one. Garboil destroyed his vocoder just as Warpath was taking him into custody.”
“And no one thought to give him a data pad!?” Stakeout asked incredulously.
“Red Alert sent one over with Warpath and our friend here threw it right back in his faceplate,” answered Clamp Down.
“So let me get this straight... Red Alert sends the same ‘Bot who shot the prisoner back down to the prisoner’s cell to give him a data pad?”
“Yep.”
“Oomph! Apparently Red stinks at playin’ good cop bad cop.”
“If the brass had working cerebral circuits they’d be dangerous,” Roadbuster interjected. “Look alive, we’re here!”
The Wrecker thundered out of the tunnel and came to a full stop in front of the bridge to Kalis. It had been an Autobot held territory for much of the war before falling to the Decepticons, but it’s close proximity to Iacon had made it difficult for them to defend, so now it stood virtually abandoned by both factions.
“Everybody out!” ordered Roadbuster. “Let’s give ‘em back their mech so we can get our ‘Bot back!”
Clamp Down led Skyfire out of the back of Roadbuster’s alt-form and looked across the span that led from Iacon to Kalis. The Rainmakers were already there standing with Bumper.
“Do you see those three mechs over there with the single color paint jobs?” asked Clamp Down.
Unable to speak, Skyfire simply nodded in acknowledgement.
“When we give the signal, start walking towards them.”
Clamp Down fired a round up into the sky first, then Nova Storm fired his own weapon in response, prompting their respective prisoners to start walking over the span. The two pass each other at the midway point. Bumper holds his head down as he sidesteps around Skyfire, but then raises it and smiles weakly at his comrades waiting for him on the other side.
The Autobots’ reunion was a warm one… standing in sharp contrast to the greeting the Decepticons gave Skyfire—which began with him struggling to get stand up again after a kick to the back of the knees, followed by the Rainmakers raining down blows upon his unprotected head. Clamp Down couldn’t bear to watch the beating for an astro-second longer, it sickened him to see a prisoner—even a Decepticon prisoner—mistreated in this manner. He quickly suggested that they all leave to go back to Iacon immediately under the guise of concern for Bumper’s safety—a request that Roadbuster grudgingly obliged.
“Don’t tell me you were shocked,” teased Roadbuster. “What didja expect ‘em to do? Kiss his aft and top off his tank with Energon? C’mon! That piece of scrap got what he deserved.”
“Maybe,” replied Clamp Down. “But I’m more concerned with Bumper here… looks like they tore out his vocoder right before they released him to us.”
“Animals!” Stakeout shouted from the cab section. “Hand him your data pad so he can write down any requests. Maybe there’s something that we can do to ease his pain before we get back to Iacon”
“Good idea,” Clamp Down replied, quickly handing Bumper the device.
The little Autobot smiled as he accepted it, but what he jotted down upon it’s surface shook Clamp Down to his core. The message read—
KILL ME
(to be continued)