Chapter 18 - Friendly Fire

High above, odd pieces of metal plating that were formed on a distant planet came into view through the clearing static. A slow look to the right revealed a bulky white figure and a pained look to the left revealed a now yellowish green and deep purple coloured figure. Hookshot and Roadtrain, both of whom were standing relatively smugly over their felled leader.
''I wouldn't suggest moving too much right now. You might pop something out of joint.'' Roadtrain said.
Krusher grumbled.
''Where are they?'' He growled impatiently, still aching from the beating he'd recieved off Galaxy.
''Gone.'' The transformed KAMAZ replied simply. ''Along with your specialised pair of optical shields.''
''What!?'' He roared, suddenly finding new energy.
He sat bolt upright, much to the painful protests of his battered body and something, somewhere went pop and click simultaneously. His fists clenched down on the sides of the large repair table he'd been lay upon, buckling the tough metal slightly.
''I did tell you.''

Krusher growled angrily and his lenses flared a violent red as he practically wheeled on the smaller, weaker Decepticon, swinging his legs over the edge, then thinking twice about attempting to stand. The world still swam around him in a warped manifestation of its proper self, sending his internal balancing system off kilter momentarily. Once everything had stopped dancing mockingly around him, he continued in a more subdued, more controlled tone.
''Never mind them. Their leader is sufficiently damaged and unable to properly perform his duty for some time, if ever.'' He said in a collected voice. ''What of Turbulance? Has he located Carjack yet?''
''We got a message from him yesterday. But due to the Space Bridge being locked down by the Autobot's code, the transmission was somewhat distorted...'' Hookshot put in.
''Well?'' Krusher snapped after a moment, then regained his composure. ''What did he have to say?''
''From what we could make out, Carjack's gotten his upgrade from the micro chip.''
Hookshot and Roadtrain then took several steps back, in which they hoped were inconspicuous enough to not warrant a thrashing of some sort.
''That irritating, little pile of slag!'' Krusher bellowed and stood up, ignoring the pain that coursed through his circuits. ''I should never have entrusted such a mission to that mass of scheming belligerence!'' He howled and started stomping around the chamber. ''When I get my hands on him, I'm gonna tear him apart and melt him down for scrap!''

Roadtrain and Hookshot looked on, watching their enraged leader with mild amusement.
''On the upside, boss,'' Roadtrain added brightly, ''we still got Steele on our side.''
Krusher stopped dead. His lenses focused on Roadtrain, who didn't move and inch.
''Here we go again...'' Hookshot murmered.
Krusher unleashed his weapons that were still functioning properly and took aim on Roadtrain.


Stamping down the cramped street, a tall, black and deep green figure composed of alien metals moved, crushing everything that got in its way, sending cars, bicycles and lorries alike hurtling through the air, some going skyward. A low, whining sound, that was intimately familiar to the monstrosity, made its massive spines that doubled down its back ripple in what could be described only as mild amusement. The large head spun to face the noise as the body twisted allowing the almost impossible movement to be performed. Turbulance was homing in once more, all weapons at the ready. Down below, zipping around his large feet, a blue and silver blurr dodged and took shots whenever and where ever he could. Movement on the ground was becomming increasingly difficult for Speeder.
''Is this guy gonna stop growing, or what?'' He howled in frustration.
''He has stopped growing, so stop whining and start shooting!'' Turbulance growled and let off some shots.
Some hit home, others slammed into the ground, narrowly avoiding the speeding Autobot. The missiles he'd launched were batted out of the air like tiny insects, instead colliding with the surrounding buildings or exploding harmlessly on impact on the monstrosity's massive hand.

''Mindwhereyou'reshooting,I'mhavingenoughproblemsasitis!'' Speeder yelped wildly as he swerved and spun out trying to avoid said shots and a foot that belonged to what was once Carjack.
A fine string of yellow streaked past Turbulance as he transformed mid-air, slamming into the monstrosity's neck.
''Get your puny aft over here Deadmetal, and put in some real effort!'' Turbulance snapped at the whirling Apache as it seemingly tormented the helicopter-like aircraft.
Deadmetal growled something quietly. Trying to shoo away the overly curious organics was taking a toll on the other two. Turbulance swore at him again, and a stray missile was launched in the Decepticon's general direction.
''Watch where you're aiming, dammit!'' He roared, strafing a much larger missile that erupted from the vicinity of Carjack's shoulder.

Deadmetal left the flailing chopper and fully joined the ongoing battle, determined to win. On the ground, Speeder was flipped into the air by a well aimed plasma blast. He transformed mid-rotation and landed roughly face down in the cracked and buckled tarmac of what was once the road. He rolled onto his back and readied his own plasma cannon and let an unwavering stream of heated shots off. Large, fiery red lenses swung down to glare at him as plasma tore across his thick chest plating.
''Incompetent fool.'' Carjack rumbled sourly.
A mass of black spikes shot forth from his massive right hand and shot downward, toward Speeder. The low rumble of a pained groan echoed into the wet, night air. The result of Deadmetal and Turbulance's onslaught on his neck. The large, menacing spikes slammed and embedded themselves deep into the ground around Speeder. The smallest of twitches on Carjack's part had saved the Autobot's life. Knowing that it more than likely won't happen again, Speeder scrabbled out from beneath the thwarted offensive and opened fire again once he regained his footing. He knew where the others were aiming, and joined in with the assault on Carjack's vunurable neck.

Above the robotic commotion, the news chopper circled, the excited yet utterly terrified reporter still babbling away into the mic as she and her camera man clung on for dear life as their pilot maneouvered as best he could around and away from any stray shots that came near.
''Are you still getting all this, Bob?'' She asked with wide eyes.
The camera man nodded swiftly and zoomed in on what was happening below.
''No one knows where these creatures came from,'' she said, determined to continue her report, the insignia of the international news network bobbing in her mind like a sweet piece of candy, ''or why they're here. Could it be the start of an invasion?'' She stopped briefly, casting a glare at her camera man as he rolled his eyes. ''Or could our humble little world be the chosen arena for some kind of intergalactic gladitorial competition?''
''Ooooh shiiit....'' Bob the camera man groaned, lowering the camera from his shoulder slowly as he watched something small and white hot spiralling toward them.
''Hang on!'' The pilot called over his shoulder. ''We're going down!''

The stary plasma shot skimmed across two of the three sets of rotar blades, the severly close call melting the flimsy metals, rendering them useless and sending the craft tumbling out of the sky, its occupants screaming and swearing. Deadmetal saw it as it happened. Nothing he could do for them now. The stubborn organics didn't take the hint and flee, and now they were paying for it. In the close distance, Turbulance saw it happen too and let out a bark of laughter as they spiralled down, trailing smoke, the craft lodging and becomming skewered on the large series of metal spikes that rowed Carjack's back, whom grunted in distaste when he hazarded a quick glance over his shoulder.
''You puny, worthless creatures!'' He roared in disgust as sparks flew from his neck.


The doe news reporter cracked her eyes open. She'd survived the crash, albeit a tad painfully. A groan burbled through the rear of the felled chopper. Her camera man was pinned to the far side by a large black spine of a metallic origin she had never seen before. The tip was very close to piercing his lower jaw. She cast a quick, painful glance over at the cockpit. The pilot was skewered like a piece of raw meat on a metal kebab stick, a thinner spike spearing him diagonally through the hip and upwards through his shoulder. The beast on which they'd landed shifted abruptly, as if looking down at itself, and the camera man let out a shriek that quickly formed into a thick, wet gurgle. The tip of the spike was now barely viewable at the top of his head. He spasmed a few times and then went still. Once her brain had figured everything out, she let out a scream and several sobs of panic and terror. Then a low rumble, like that of thunder, made her look up. A single red lense glared down at her. She scrabbled across the bent and buckled debris of the chopper and made for the passenger door of the cockpit. It just barely opened and she slid out, only realising the full extent of what she was doing when she placed a finely manicured cloven hoof on the cold, rain soaked spike beneath. Another quick glance up and she swallowed hard and half slid, half fell, half scrambled down Carjack's back as more shots rained out, cutting and sizzling through the night-time rain.


Carjack swung around, ignoring the growing pains in his neck, and slammed a large fist into the ground after the fleeing survivor, who screamed loud enough for the flailing Speeder to hear. Another thing that was heard over the din; the sound of powerful engines and the squeeking and rumbling of metal treads on concrete and tarmac. The army was moving in, and fast, from all different directions. A swift scan and Carjack let out a harsh laugh.
''How pitiful...'' He mused and two new cannons erupted from his forearms.
Deadmetal knew exactly what was going to happen. The new cannons were pointed at the ground at an angle, and the hum of a pair of charging EMPs vibrated through the air. He circled and let off a barrage of everything he had at Carjack. A few small panels peeled and flew away from his neck, revealing small patches of sensitive and highly important circuitry beneath. Under the combined force of both Deadmetal and Turbulance's relentless onslaught, his armour was becomming bent and buckled and damaged beyond repair. The twin humming went to a singular sound, and a massive arm swung up and outward, taking the Decepticon and Autobot by surprise and knocking them out of the way with all the force he could muster.

As Turbulance and Deadmetal disappeared into the mists of the drizzle, Speeder seized the moment and darted between his feet, scooping the woman up and clutching her to his chest as he sprang for cover, the force of the double EMP sending him further than anticipated. The wave of blue electric tore through everything, including the closing-in tanks and various other heavy artillery, destroying them and those that manned them. An unpleasant howl of laughter as all went silent. Then something caught his attention and silenced him. The sound of hurried metal clicking against the road made him turn. Then it went silent again. All was not well. The others may well be dead, but there was one who was still alive. He scanned the surrounding area. Nothing. Carjack went to move forward, until something lept from the rubble and landed within his back spikes with a startling precision that only something of Cybertronian origin could muster.

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