**** Overground ****
by Ivy Bohnlein
Part 4 of the "Underground Trilogy"
Based on characters created by Hasbro and the Admin and Players of the
Transformers 2005 MUSH
"So, what you're saying is that you're afraid."
"I am *not* afraid," I argued quickly, watching my words bounce off
of Hot Rod's infuriating grin.
"Then why aren't you signing up for the shuttle piloting session?
Come on, it'll be fun. And you're always talking so much about learning
new stuff," he prodded.
I hrmphed, lowering a magnifying visor over my optics and inspecting
a patch of microcircuitry that had been blistered by a laser blast. "I
just don't want to be on board any shuttle for your maiden voyage."
He grinned and looked down at the repairs I was doing on his upper
arm. "Afraid my act would be too dazzling to follow?"
My scalpel nearly slipped as he shifted, so I glared up at him.
"More like being afraid that the fiery explosion consuming our shuttle
would be too dazzling to walk away from." I grinned slightly. "Now quit
squirming around."
"Ooo, yes ma'am," he said sarcastically, but at least he held still.
"Well, it's not respect, but it's a start," I replied, then
completed the external repairs. As I finished up my reinforcements to his
armor, I asked, "What happened to you *this* time?"
"Decepticons got lucky while I was out on patrol with Springer," Hot
Rod replied, looking in dismay at the other freshly-repaired wounds across
his frame. "They ambushed us out by the Cybertronian highway."
I shook my head. "Let me guess, the other guy looks a lot worse,
right?"
"Do I detect some sarcasm in your voice? The evidence speaks for
itself I'm here, and the 'cons ran home." He smiled, serene in the
knowledge of his own invincibility. "But I'm not too hurt to learn how to
pilot a shuttle..."
I groaned dramatically as I dropped my tools back into the small
toolkit at my side. "Are we back to that again?"
"Whiz, since when did you pass up a chance to have some fun?" he
asked, poking me in the shoulder.
Sighing, I explained, "Ultra Magnus wants me to check out the
malfunctioning surveillance dish, Elita-I has a meeting planned, Firestar
wants to teach me some self-defense moves..."
In a sing-song voice, he chided, "Sounds suspiciously like
*somebody's* starting to act responsible...."
I gasped. "Oh, never."
"So? Come on, then."
"Why are you so fired up about getting me to try this?" I asked
suspiciously.
He turned on the winning smile. Now I was *sure* something was up.
"I just want your company, Whiz, is that so wrong?"
"Oh, drop the act. What's the real reason?" I demanded skeptically.
He sighed. "Kup doesn't want to waste the resources on a training
flight unless we have at least four students ready to try it."
"Let me guess," I said, pretending to be deep in thought. "The
present class is three?"
"There's that genius of yours shining through," he said
sarcastically.
"You'd better believe it," I smirked. "So who are the other
victims?"
"Blurr and Springer," he replied eagerly.
I stopped dead. "Blurr? That settles it. No way."
"Come on," my persistent companion pleaded, "It won't be that bad."
"You want to get killed?" I asked in disbelief.
He shook his head. "Blurr's not going to kill anybody. He just gets
a little eager sometimes, but he can be careful when he puts his mind to
it."
"I'm more worried about the damage he can do when he forgets to put
his mind to it," I sniffed.
Hot Rod's optics narrowed mischievously. "I've heard the same about
you."
"Hey!" I protested. "What's that supposed to mean?"
He put his hands up before him, as if fending me off. "Let's just
say that some of the other medics get more patients than you do," he
grinned.
I waved an admonishing hand under his nose, forgetting that I had a
laser scalpel in it until he recoiled backward in surprise. "Um," I
stammered, hastily putting it down on the lab table. "Okay, I can get a
little distracted sometimes, but I've never hurt anybody."
"What about the flamethrower that melted down inside of Firestar?" he
asked, quirking a blue optic at me.
"She knew it was a test version when I installed it," I huffed. "And
this really isn't doing much to convince me to help you with your idea."
He was instantly repentant. "I know, I know. But you gotta come,
Whiz, it'll be fun. And it's a chance to try something new, right?
Everyone else already said no..."
"Everyone else?" I interrupted. "I see, I'm the companion of last
resort, am I?"
He flushed and squirmed a little. "Not *everyone*. Arcee, and,
uhm..."
I chuckled as he trailed off. "Arcee is everyone else, now?"
My smile broadened as his gaze immediately dropped to the ground.
"Figure of speech," he mumbled.
"Ah, that's okay," I grinned. "Since *everyone else* said no..."
"You're enjoying yourself far too much," he interjected darkly.
I ahemed. "Since you'll miss my sparkling company so much, okay.
I'll go for it."
His head popped up and he sat up straighter on the lab table. "You
mean it?" he asked, brightening.
"Yeah, sure," I said with a gracious wave of my hand. "It could be
fun. And you need at least *one* competent person along."
"And who would that be?" he asked innocently, then ruined the act by
snickering.
I growled. "I didn't *have* to take pity on you, y'know."
"Hey," he said, his voice oozing cocky self-confidence. "I promise
you won't regret it."
"What do I get if you're wrong?" I grinned.
He pondered briefly. "My undying servitude?"
I snorted. "That's no prize."
"Thank *you*," he replied, sliding off of the table. "And with that
crushing blow to my ego, I'm going to tell Kup that we'll have a full crew
for the piloting lesson."
"Yeah," I agreed, watching him head over to the door. "See you
later, Hot Rod."
"Bye Whiz," he smiled, "And thanks for the repairs!" With that, he
ducked out and I was left with an empty medbay and my own thoughts.
We Femmes hadn't been in Iacon long, so maybe it was just natural,
but I still felt out of place. I was created after the Femmes broke off
ties with Iacon, so I'd never known any of the other Autobots before, and
I didn't feel that comfortable around strangers. I was used to being
sheltered - well, maybe *smothered* is a better word - by my sisters.
Seeing a few familiar faces from my first visit to Iacon helped, but even
Hot Rod only saw me in the repair bay. Not that he wasn't in there often
enough.
So, theoretically, this piloting lesson was just what I needed,
right? Exploration, interaction, new places to see...
Except that I'd never been offworld before.
After all, I grew up in the tunnels. Even on the surface, outside, I
usually felt too exposed to be comfortable. But to go out into space, in
a shuttle... Yeah, I was afraid. Though it'd be a cold day in the sun's
core before I'd tell Hot Rod that.
And now what had my stubbornness gotten me? A trip on a shuttle,
into space, with a crew of student pilots. *Great*. But then again, I'd
played with the simulators before, right? The others must've trained with
them too. How much different could the real thing be?
Or did I even want to ask that question?
Still, I was the one who talked so much about how we had to get to
know the other Autobots. It was time for me to take my own advice and
stop hiding - even if it killed me.
Of course, I'd have to get through the other Femmes first....
Elita-I just smiled indulgently at me. "Whiz, are you sure this is
something you really want to do? You don't have much experience..."
I shrugged. "I know, but how can I learn if I don't try?" I asked,
trying to force nonchalance into my voice.
"But Whiz, I didn't think it sounded very safe. That's why I said
no," Arcee interjected.
The faces around the conference table, recently appropriated as Femme
property, all turned to look at me. "Who else is going on this training
flight?" Firestar asked suspiciously, leaning forward.
"Well, Kup is the instructor, and Springer, Hot Rod, and, uh, Blurr
are..."
"Those three?" Sunrunner asked, her optics widening. "They're a
wrecking crew, Whiz, especially when they all get together. You should
have seen them in the commissary the other day..."
Chromia sighed and shook her head. "I saw it. Unfortunately. Maybe
you should wait for a different instructional flight."
Sunrunner turned to Chromia eagerly. "And you *know* how hard it is
to clean up a paint spill like that."
"I hear they're going to be scraping magenta off of the walls for
weeks," Firestar added, with a hint of exasperation in her voice.
I was lost, but this didn't sound good. *Somebody* neglected to
mention that he'd gotten in trouble in front of my sisters. Great. Now I
was going to have to convince them to let me do something I wasn't even
sure I *wanted* to do.
Moonracer groaned quietly. "Just the kind of influence Whiz needs."
Chromia nodded, shifting to an authoritative position. "I really
think you should wait on this, Whiz."
Arcee chuckled. "I don't think it'll help. Unless Hot Rod finds a
fourth person for that training flight, Kup won't take the shuttle up. If
we want them to go without her, we'll have to find someone else to take
her place."
I looked off into the corner of the ceiling, then slid my gaze over
to regard them out of the corner of my optics. "Go ahead and talk about
me, it's obvious I'm not really here," I said lightly.
Chromia sighed as Sunrunner giggled.
"We're just worried about you, Whiz. I know that you want to make
friends, but that doesn't mean you have to do things that you might
otherwise decline to do," Elita assured me. "It just doesn't sound like
you're doing this for yourself."
Sunrunner smirked. "She's doing it for Hot Rod."
"He asked me for a favor," I said, wondering why Sunrunner looked as
smug as someone who's just swallowed a bunch of stolen energon goodies.
"And it sounded like fun, so I agreed. What's your problem with that?"
That just made her snicker some more. "Whiz, you're so clueless."
Elita directed a sharp look at Sunrunner, making her clam up before I
could drag some more clarification out of her. "Sunrunner," she said in a
warning tone. "That's enough."
Sunrunner made a sealing motion across her lips, then grinned over at
me. When I shook my head blankly, it just made her smile wider.
Chromia turned to me with a low sigh. "We can't tell you not to go,
if it's what you want. But for Primus' sake, Whiz, be *careful*."
I brightened. "Great!"
"*And*, she continued severely, "I want you to get in some practice
on the simulators first. One of those boys might crash the shuttle, but
*you* won't."
I nodded and smiled sweetly. "Yes, Chromia."
Her optics narrowed. "Stop that," she said seriously, though a grin
was pulling at her lips.
"Yes, Chromia," I repeated.
Sunrunner giggled, and Firestar laughed out loud.
"Stop encouraging her, you two," Chromia admonished, pointing at each
of them in turn.
They looked at each other, then back at her. With twin innocent
expressions, they chorused, "Yes, Chromia."
Chromia threw up her hands. "I give up on you all," she groaned.
That was too much to take. Everyone, including Chromia, burst out
laughing.
"Okay Whiz," Elita finally said, recovering herself. "You go
practice on the simulator. The rest of us can handle the boring parts
without you."
I stood, my giggles fading into uncertainty. "If you say so, Elita."
She smiled gently. "Go ahead."
I waved behind me at the others, then tapped the door panel and
headed out as they called their farewells. On my way back to my quarters,
I wondered what their big deal was with Hot Rod. Did they think he was
going to turn me into some kind of juvenile delinquent? First of all,
he's not such a bad guy, and second, I have better judgment than that.
Couldn't they see that? I'm not an *idiot*, I can make up my own mind. I
won't do something stupid just because *he* asks.
Besides, I can do enough stupid things on my own.
Once I reached my small quarters, I wandered over to my computer
terminal. Training simulator, or Space Defense Squad? Hmmm... I weighed
both disks in my hands, then popped the game into the console. I grinned.
It's still piloting a shuttle, sort of. Close enough, anyway....
* * * * *
Well, I'd beaten the game, but that knowledge didn't do much to calm
my firing nerves as I waited for Kup out on the tarmac of Iacon's heavily
defended spaceport. I was just about to say 'forget it' and bolt in a
panic when the rest of the crew left the main base and headed toward me.
Trapped. I knew Blurr and Hot Rod from my first visit, and I'd had a
chance to get to know Kup in the medbay - I guess he knew that I liked
hearing his stories while I worked, and he was happy to have an audience.
I recognized Springer from passing him in the corridors, but I hadn't had
much of a chance to talk to him. He had a smile on his face and a slight
swagger to his walk, as if he'd done this a hundred times.
Great. I was going to crash the shuttle, and Chromia was going to
kill me. Maybe there'd be bad flying conditions. Maybe the Decepticons
would attack. Maybe this will somehow get postponed, and I'll be safe.
"Hey, Whiz!" Hot Rod greeted me. "A clear day on Cybertron and no
sign of 'Cons! All set to blast off?"
He was far too cheerful about flying into certain doom.
"Yeah. All set," I replied wanly.
Blurr zipped back and forth between each of us and the shuttle, like
a frictionless pinball. "GreatDayToFlyAndSeeTheUniverseI'veNeverBeenToSpace
BeforeThisIsSoExcitingDon'tYouThinkSoWhizAndHotRodAndSpringerAndYouTooKup?"
Kup muttered something to himself that sounded like 'kill' and 'Ultra
Magnus' were involved. Aha, so it wasn't just Hot Rod's cheerful bullying
that got him into this. Wonder what he did to get stuck with this
assignment?
"All right, kids," he announced in a gravely voice, "Time to get
aboard."
Hot Rod was so eager that he actually managed to beat Blurr inside.
I hung back a bit more, looking doubtfully at the shuttle. *This* is
supposed to protect me from a vacuum?
"Problem?" Kup asked, seeing that I hadn't followed the others.
"Uh, no," I said quickly. Can't be afraid. "I was just doing, uh, a
visual flight check."
"Good thinkin'!" he said, clapping me on the back proudly. Whoa,
brownie points for cowardice. "Good to see that somebody's been keepin'
track of procedure."
"Thank you, sir," I mumbled, heading up the ramp and into the
shuttle. According to the name stenciled beside the door, it was called
the "Iacon's Victory". Just as long as it didn't turn into the "Whiz's
Flaming Death"...
As I walked in, Hot Rod was checking out the control console, and
Springer had already made himself comfortable in one of the chairs. Blurr
was, well, everywhere. I moved to the side of the door and waited there
as Kup entered and sealed the hatch behind him.
"Since you're at the controls, and Whiz here was the only one to
remember to do our visual prelims, you can take us through the pre-flight
verification procedure, Hot Rod," Kup declared, settling himself in the
pilot's seat. "The rest of you, take yer seats an' watch the monitors,
you'll need to follow along with this too."
"Engines are go, energon levels nominal, weapons systems online,
flight pattern confirmed..." As Hot Rod went through the litany of checks
and double-checks, I settled myself into a chair and took some comfort in
the solid feel of the restaraining harness over my shoulders and lap.
*People do this all of the time*, I reminded myself, *and they come back
just fine. So relax.*
Of course, those people aren't going into space with Hot Rod at the
controls...
"All systems check out, Kup. Awaiting orders to launch," Rod
finished, actually managing to sound mature for once. My my, that's worth
the price of admission right there. "So let's rock and roll!"
Maybe not.
"Rock and roll?" Springer asked dryly, echoing my thoughts.
Kup just shook his head. "Let's run through the takeoff protocol.
Springer, what's our first step?"
"Check that engines are in vertical takeoff position, then engage
power and increase throttle until the critical threshold is reached,"
Springer replied, sounding bored.
"Blurr, next?" Kup barked.
His victim babbled something that had to do with releasing safety
clamps and opening the engine vents. I didn't quite catch it; I was too
focused on the upcoming takeoff and the fact that I was going to be called
on next.
"Whiz?" I'd expected to hear it, but it still made me bolt in my
chair. I think Kup noticed, because his face took on a hint of concern,
but all he said was, "How do we control the ascent, Whiz?"
"Keep an optic on the altimeter at all times, adjusting the throttle
as necessary to compensate for diminishing gravity, distance from the
ground, and atmospheric conditions," I said, trying to capture some of
Springer's nonchalance.
"Excellent. Hot Rod, you perform the takeoff. I've got my own set
of controls, but I don't plan on needing 'em." Kup sat back in his chair
and tried to look relaxed, but there was a tell-tale tightness around his
optics and the corners of his mouth.
I heard the low moan of metal against metal as the jets maneuvered
into position, then a whine of power as they began to charge for liftoff.
"Takeoff in 3... 2... 1... vents open," Hot Rod reported.
The shuttle rose smoothly into the air for about twenty feet, then
sputtered and crashed abruptly back to the ground with a loud *wham* that
jolted us all hard. One of my hands covered my face and the other patted
myself down as I counted all of my body parts.
"What was that?" Springer shouted.
Blurr whined. "OwwwwIFeelLikeMyLegsJustRammedUpThroughMyNeck."
"You have to keep watching the throttle, lad. You opened the jets
without keeping up the thrust, an' you stalled," Kup explained quietly.
"Now, try it again."
"Right," Hot Rod said, and I could hear the single-minded
determination in his voice. "Preparing for liftoff."
This time we made it to orbit, though I won't lie and say it was a
smooth trip. I was gripping the arm of my seat like it was the only thing
keeping me alive, when Kup finally announced, "That's it. Good job, lad."
I released a deep sigh of relief. We'd made it. I was in space.
Everything was fine. Same shuttle, same chair, same walls. I relaxed and
let go of the chair. It's just like being in any other room; this one's
just a shuttle.
Then I looked at the viewscreen. Stars. And in between them, a
vast, inky blackness. Nothingness. I was floating in the middle of that
emptiness, with nothing but these thin walls to protect me. I pressed
back into my chair, tightening my arms around me and staring at the field
of stars with wide optics.
Kup turned in his chair, though I barely noticed. "Let's see
what..." he cut off his own words with a short gasp. He got up quickly
and strode over to me, reaching to unfold my arms and release my harness.
"Huh?" Hot Rod asked, turning to look at me too. "Whiz, what's
wrong?"
Kup knew right away what was going on, and he squatted down to
eye-level, cutting off my view of the screen full of stars. "Is this your
first time in a shuttle, lass?"
I nodded dumbly, finally regaining my focus on the real world.
"Hot Rod, over here. Springer, you watch the controls. Turn off the
viewscreen and fly by the instruments, if you can. Blurr, you help him,"
Kup barked, and the three boys scurried to obey. Blurr and Springer took
their positions at the front of the craft, while Hot Rod knelt at my side
and looked at me in concern.
"I know how y'must feel," Kup said to me, "I've seen this before with
other tunnel-fighters. Y'get so used to being closed in that y' can't
take all this space."
"She's scared of space?" Hot Rod asked, disbelief in his voice.
"As scared as you'd be of a tunnel too small to stand up in," Kup
said, a bit severely.
"Not scared," I said petulantly.
Kup chuckled indulgently. "You won't be the first or last to be
afraid, m'girl. Most of the time, it's good for you. Keeps you outta
trouble - and some 'bots I know could use more of that." He glanced at Hot
Rod. "But sometimes it's just fear of the unknown. An' times like that,
you gotta face it and beat it."
"Yeah, Whiz. If you get scared now, you'll miss the fun parts.
Besides, there's nothing to be afraid of now that I'm not flying the
shuttle anymore." Hot Rod grinned that infuriating grin of his again, and
I couldn't help but smile.
"That's better," Kup said, his wrinkled face crumpling into a smile
as well. "I know there's a lot of space out there, but the shuttle will
protect us. And once you take a good look at it, you'll see that it's not
all empty. There's galaxies an' nebulas an' planets out there. Why, I
remember being out by the Antaxian Cluster one time..."
Hot Rod elbowed him. "Not now, Kup."
I chuckled, relaxing a little further. "Thanks guys. Sorry about...
well..."
"No reason to be sorry. Do y'need to go back to Cybertron?" Kup
asked.
The potential for disappointment on Hot Rod's face was too much.
"No, I'll be fine. Just give me a minute."
Kup smiled as he straightened up. "All right then, take your time."
Mercifully, Hot Rod recognized that this was no time for teasing.
"Yeah, we can handle it for now." When Kup turned around and walked back
to Springer and Blurr, he smiled at me and asked quietly, "Why didn't you
say something before?"
I shrugged a little, embarrassed. "Didn't want you to miss out on
your lesson."
It was a lie and we both knew it, but he just patted me on the arm.
"Sure. Thanks, Whiz."
A burst of rapid, angry-sounding words surprised both of us into
looking at the command console. Blurr was halfway out of his chair, his
hand a smudge of motion as he started lecturing Springer. "IToldYouNotToOpen
UpTheThrottleLikeThatSpringerIToldYouWeShouldn'tTryToChangeOrbitsTillKupSaid
SoAndYouDidn'tListenToMeYouSaidYouHadItAllUnderControlAndNowWe'reDriftingTo
WhoKnowsWhereBecauseYouDecidedToIgnoreMeAndDoWhateverYouWantedAnd..."
"Maybe I ignored you because your chattering has blown my last
patience circuit!" Springer interrupted, bursting out of his chair to loom
over Blurr.
"Both of you, shut up!" Kup commanded, and they fell silent, still
glaring at each other. "I don't care who caused what, I want a status
report."
"We're heading off at a vector of two-five-niner from the galactic
standard plane," Springer informed us, then faltered as he stared at the
dial showing our speed. "That can't be right."
Kup glanced at the same instrument and hopped into the pilot's chair
immediately. "I'll handle this. Everyone, back in your seats." His hands
moved quickly over the controls, and we soon felt the jolt of the engines
cutting off. A sickening reverse of our inertia followed, and my
gyro-stabilizers quivered uncomfortably.
"What'd you do, leave the throttle on while you fought?" Hot Rod
demanded, and our two companions were suddenly very interested in the
floor.
"Thought I was turning it off," Springer mumbled.
Blurr rattled off smugly, "NeverShouldHaveTurnedItOnInTheFirstPlace."
Kup hit a few last switches and got up, staring us down sternly.
"The computer will take a few minutes to recalibrate and determine our
exact position. In the meantime, it's a chance to test yer navigation
skills. We're in an unknown location, an' let's say the nav is down.
What next? Whiz?"
"Find recognizable astronomical phenomena and use their placement and
relative size to triangulate our position," I answered. Whew, I was
getting the easy ones.
"And if the viewscreen is out? Blurr?"
"WellIt'sOnlyOpaqueBecauseOfThePolaraizationLevelYouCanSee
RightOutIt'sLikeAWindowAndThat'sWhyIt'sTheShuttle'sWeakestPoint!" he
replied.
"Exactly." Kup put his hand over the control, then glanced at me to
make sure I'd be okay. I nodded, and he dropped the polarization.
I gasped at the change. A pinkish-red cluster of stars hung before
us like a gauzy curtain across half of the bow. Instead of being so
painfully aware of empty space, it seemed like the sky was full of stars.
Kup was right - this can be beautiful!
When I looked back at him, he was smiling at me. I realized that I
must've looked silly, so I straightened up and tried to look serious
again. But I couldn't help looking back at the screen, staring at the
panorama.
"Or, we could look at that planet down there," Hot Rod said, pointing
to the monitor that displayed our sensor readings.
"WhatPlanetIsItKupDoYouKnowHaveYouBeenHereBefore?" Blurr chipped in.
"Well, it's an Earth-like planet, but no answers to our hailing
messages, and no indication of any technological activity. Probably no
intelligent life," Kup explained.
"So, in other words, we're on our own," I grinned. Out of the corner
of my optic, I caught... something.... on the screen. But when I focused
on the spot, I couldn't see anything odd.
"That's the sum of it, lass." He chuckled. "The computer should
finish calculatin' any time now..."
There it was again. A flash of black where there wasn't any before.
As I concentrated, I could see it getting bigger. I reached for my seat
strap and found it was sitll unbuckled, so I got to my feet and leaned
forward for a better view.
"What is it?" Kup asked, breaking off.
"I think I see something. It's coming toward us," I said, walking up
closer to point at the now-obvious black dot.
"What the...?" Kup slammed himself into the seat. He superimposed a
few heads-up displays on the main picture, targeting the growing
blackness, which was now showing the occasional dull glint of silver.
"Incoming asteroid, closing in fast! Whiz, get down!"
I scrambled into the co-pilots chair and fumbled with the harness,
trying to adjust it to my size before I really needed it.
"Targeting laser batteries, prepare for impact! Firing!" Kup roared,
and twin beams of red light lanced through the darkness and struck the
asteroid. Unfortunately, it just broke into a lot more asteroid pieces,
and most of them continued on their way toward us. The shuttle spun
abruptly as one of the wings was slammed by a fragment, and another jolt
to the fuselage rocked us sideways. My harness was snapped open by the
impact and I went sprawling out of the seat.
As I raised my spinning head, I realized that the viewscreen was
glowing a hot and angry red. Kup had managed to get us straightened out,
but we were still plummeting toward the surface of the planet.
"Whiz!" Hot Rod yelled, pulling at the buckle of his harness to come
after me.
"Stay down!" Springer shouted at him, leaning over to hold him back.
Kup was pulling back hard on the control stick, and was just starting
to get our nose up when a leafy green wall appeared in front of us.
*At least I wasn't flying it,* was the last thought that went through
my mind before I was tossed into the air and the world shattered.
* * * * *
I awoke face down and half buried in a pile of broad, dry brown
leaves. The realization that I was still alive was shortly followed by a
sincere wish that I wasn't.
I raised my head out of the leaves and saw a scattering of shuttle
wreckage, along with several good-sized pieces of viewscreen that
glistened iridescently in the dawning light of an orange sun. So *that*
was what had shattered. I rolled onto my back and stared upward as my
systems performed a diagnostic. The trees were enormous, rising at least
as high as Iacon's towers, with leafy crowns so thick that only a hazy
green light could penetrate them. I was on the right side of a long, ugly
barren swath that must have been gouged by our crashing shuttle. I hope
the guys are all right, I thought hazily. Primus, I hope I'm all
right.
System diagnostics came out fairly well, for the survivor of a major
shuttle crash. My whole right side was dented, with some impact damage
from going through the viewscreen. The radio receptors on the sides of my
head were inoperative - the right one was sheared off, and the left was
pointing backward at an odd angle. The rest of me was stiff, but
functional - thankfully.
Now, on to the fun part. Bracing my hand against the wide trunk of
one of the trees, I rose to my feet. The world spun in shades of grey and
green for a bit, but I managed to keep my balance until my vision cleared.
The tree's bark was oddly smooth, and peeled off in thick sheets, like
heavy paper. It was pale greyish-white on the outside, and reddish where
it faced the pale wood beneath. I tested a sliver of it with my finger
and found it very resilient. Hmmm, could turn out to be useful.
"Guys?" I called, and the background noises of calling birds and
rustling creatures faded. "Hot Rod? Kup?"
A low, pained groan answered me. I wasn't sure, but it seemed like
it was coming from further along the path of torn trees.
"Hang on, I'm coming!" I shouted, limping as fast as I could in the
direction of the voice. Another groan answered me, guiding me toward the
source.
I skidded to a halt at the shore of a large lake, now littered with
shards of metal. In the tall reeds at the water's edge, a rustling motion
drew my optics to a tangle of red, orange, and yellow lying face-down
among the plants. "Hot Rod, are you okay?"
He coughed weakly, trying to drag himself all the way out of the
water with his hands, then giving up after a few feet. I rushed forward,
my boots sinking up to the ankles in soft mud with each step. Grasping
him under his arms, I locked my hands around his shoulders and pulled him
forward onto more solid ground. "Oof... thanks," he said weakly.
"Quiet now. Don't strain yourself until I've had a chance to check
you over," I said, quickly pulling a mediscanner from the compartment at
my hip. The sleek little device fit in one hand, but was able to give me
a full readout on his condition. What nice toys you have, Whiz... "Looks
like you got lucky too - nothing too serious to patch up, though you've
got a lot of misfiring motor circuits right now."
"I can feel every one of them," he muttered, trying to push himself
out of the mud. Dark, brackish water spilled from his joints with every
motion, and I frowned.
"I told you to lie still," I told him firmly. "I'll have you fixed
up in a few minutes."
He grimaced at me. "We have to find the others."
I shook my head and rummaged for the few tools that I had with me.
"We will. But you're in no condition to start searching, and besides,
they're probably in better shape than we are. They kept their harnesses
on, remember?" I popped open a few access panels in his armor, allowing
him to drain his waterlogged circuits, and got to work stabilizing his
motor systems.
"Probably right," he muttered, trying not to show his discomfort.
"Silly me, getting up to help you."
I chuckled as I examined a blown fuse. "You do pick the most
inconvenient times to play hero."
He twisted his head to regard the torn hole in the canopy. "I just
hope they're okay."
"I'm sure they're fine." I removed a resistor-block and sent energon
flowing back through his limbs. "Now, how's that feel?"
He wiggled his fingers experimentally. "Much better, considering you
don't have any tools or spare parts."
I took that as approval and began sealing up his armor again. "I'm
used to recycling and being creative, I guess."
He slowly rose to all fours, getting his head used to the altitude.
I offered a hand and he used it to pull himself upright, then took a look
around. "You may need that skill around here. C'mon, let's find the
shuttle."
I just hoped the shuttle was still in one piece. Otherwise, I'd need
a lot more than leaves, bark, and ingenuity to get us out of here.
Our progress was slow, due to my limping and Rod's overtaxed systems,
and the longer we walked, the longer the path seemed.
"Are you sure this is the right way?" he whined.
It was the tenth time he'd asked. At *least*. "Of course I'm sure.
All the branches were torn off by something BIG going this way."
He grumbled something under his breath, then picked up a leafy branch
from the ground and looked at the snapped end. "If you say so."
"These trees are so strange," I remarked, staring upward at the
crowns. "Just look at the size of those leaves - one of the big ones
could cover my whole torso. And they're so *tall*..."
"Yeah," he said, suddenly looking uneasy. "And who knows what lives
up there."
I chuckled. "Probably nothing. Kup said there were no signs of
civilization down here."
He gazed around edgily. "Maybe so, but I feel like I'm being
watched."
Just then, a creature leaped out in front of us from the shadows
beside the path. It stood upright on two spindly legs, attached to a
bulbous abdomen that was the bottom part of a three-segmented body. Two
sets of arms waved from the broad top segment, and the whole thing was
covered with hard, chitinous armor. A pair of bulging, multifaceted eyes
stared at us from above powerful-looking mandibles, which clacked together
as a guttural noise came from its mouth. It blended into the shadows with
its black coloring and the mottled grey pattern on its back.
"Uh, we mean you no harm," Hot Rod said, slowly raising his empty
hands in the air. I followed his lead, keeping my mouth shut.
The creature looked at us both, then made a series of harsh-sounding
noises. Probably its language, but unfortunately for us, we weren't
fluent in "Giant Alien Ant". It turned out that we didn't need to be,
because the alien cleared up all confusion when it dropped suddenly to all
six legs and lunged at Hot Rod with its mandibles.
"Run!" he shouted, but I didn't need the advice. I wobbled off after
him, with the alien in pursuit.
"I can't believe we're running from a big bug," Hot Rod panted,
looking back over his shoulder.
"Better than being bitten in half by one," I huffed in response.
He growled, pushing himself to run harder. "I wish there was enough
room between these stupid trees to drive. Then I'd show him."
"Him and his friends. On Earth, ants seldom act alone."
"Great," he groaned. "All the more reason to find a good spot for a
fight, then. We've outrun it for now, but it knows the terrain, and we're
both hurt. We can't keep this up."
I looked anxiously around me, and as my optics passed over a
staggeringly huge tree, I spied exactly what we were looking for. "Better
idea. We hide in there." I grabbed his elbow to make him follow me, then
veered toward the tree's base and showed him the small hollow I had
spotted.
"Are you kidding? We'll never fit in there," he protested.
"Yes we will. It'll be tight, but you'll live. No time to argue,
just get inside," I urged, looking around on the ground for a good branch.
As Hot Rod squeezed inside, I picked up the end of a tree limb that still
had a cluster of drying leaves attached, then dragged it across our
tracks. Finally, I ducked into the hollow, propping the branch across the
entrance as a screen.
"At least we could've fought back if we were outside," Hot Rod
grumped. His voice echoed eerily in the hollow as he waited in the dim
light. I didn't see his problem - there was plenty of room in here. We
could stand all the way up, and didn't even have to touch if we pressed
against the bark.
"This way we force them to come to us on our terms. We can't get
overpowered by numbers when that's the only way in," I whispered. "Now
try to keep quiet, and stay out of the light as well as you can."
"Hiding in a tree," he grumbled under his breath, "Fleeing giant
bugs."
"Shh!" I warned. No way to tell how close the ant-thing had gotten
by now.
He finally took my advice, and for a while we were silent. Dust
motes danced through the air, turning the light from the opening into a
clearly-defined beam, and other noises crept in to fill the void. Soon
our audio was filled with the sounds of the breeze whistling through the
hollow, and the creaking of the tree as it moved in the wind.
I guess it was too much for Rod. "Is... is the tree moving or
something?" he demanded irritably.
"No," I told him bluntly, peering at him curiously.
"Sounds like it. Feels like it too - getting smaller in here." He
folded his arms over his chest and looked furtively from side to side.
"What're you talking about?" I snapped. Why couldn't he just settle
down?
"I'm talking about getting out of this stupid tree," he snapped,
summoning his twin grey guns from subspace. "At least I can fight back
against that ant."
I snorted. "Keep your terrorist impulses in check, will you? You
sound like me on the ship."
His response was a little too quick. "I'm not afraid."
I thought back to the first time I'd gone on one of the Femmes'
tunneling missions, trapped in a shaft so small we had to crawl on our
hands and knees. There was a point where I just stopped, shivering,
unable to go any further in the darkness. It was too much to take alone -
Moonracer finally had to talk me through it, guiding me along.
"It's going to be okay, Hot Rod," I said quietly, "I know how much
you hate to sit still, but just calm down."
"You *bet* I hate to sit still," he grumbled petulantly.
I grinned, unsure if he could see it in the dim light. "Just relax.
They won't find us in here, and the tree hasn't grown this tall by
collapsing every time someone tried to hide inside, okay?" Despite my
concerns about being seen, I reached my hand over to lay it reassuringly
on his shoulder.
He frowned, but seemed to lose some of his rigid tension. "I guess
so," he said reluctantly.
"Trust me."
He chuckled then, which I took as a good sign. "I thought you were
trying to make me feel *better*."
"See if I try to help you again, ingrate," I grouched.
We both grinned at each other, then went back to being silent. This
time, though, it was more comfortable, and my companion didn't fidget
*too* much. Finally, after about an hour, I crept up to the entrance and
peered out. I couldn't see anything suspicious, so I poked my head and
shoulders through to look around.
Hot Rod bumped up against me from behind, startling me so much that I
banged my back up against the tree. He didn't seem to notice; just
hissed, "C'mon, quit blocking the door."
I shook my head at his impatience, but clambered through into the
sunshine anyway. Hot Rod followed me quickly, then stood and stretched
his arms, visibly relieved. "Any sign of the bug?" he hissed.
"Nothing I can see," I replied, "but we probably ought to keep in the
trees instead of making ourselves a nice target in that cleared area."
"Brilliant minds think alike," he grinned, starting off at an angle
toward where the shuttle should be. I scrambled to catch up, then ambled
along behind as he blazed the trail. Fortunately, the dim light kept the
undergrowth sparse, and we made out way to the shuttle without much
difficulty. We also managed to avoid any lurking bugs, giant or
otherwise. In a way, that made me nervous - if they were so interested in
us, they must be interested in the shuttle too, right? Unless they already
got what they wanted from the crash...
Suddenly I was halted by Hot Rod's restraining hand on my arm.
"Wait. There it is," he whispered, pointing ahead. He then pulled me
gently behind a tree trunk. "I don't like it. It's too quiet."
I nodded and replied in a hushed voice, "That's what I was thinking."
We waited behind the tree, peeking at the shuttle and searching for
any sign of movement. Nothing. I used the chance to study the ship. It
was pretty bruised, but none of the damage looked impossible to fix. If
there were more tools on board, I could probably get it flying again and
we could all say goodbye to the marauding insects.
"Hm. Don't think we'll see anything more from here. Better take our
chances and check it out," Hot Rod said.
"I'll go first," I told him. He looked at me with a startled
expression, and I gestured to my green and grey frame. "My camouflage is
just a *bit* better than yours."
He folded his arms over his chest. "Yeah, yeah. Someday we'll crash
on a red and yellow planet, and you'll regret that remark."
I snickered, then bent low to the ground and cautiously made my way
to the shuttle as fast as I dared. Once I'd reached its side, I flattened
my back against the hull and sidestepped to the entry hatch. It was open.
I frowned and craned my neck to view the inside. Since I was aft of the
hatch, I got a good view of the control panels at the front of the craft.
A metal protective shield had slammed down over the broken viewscreen, and
a few of the lights on the consoles were blinking red, but there was no
sign of Kup, Springer, or Blurr.
Bad news.
I turned and waved Hot Rod forward. I couldn't keep back a giggle as
he crept forward under the shade of a large leaf, looking kind of like a
turtle with a very thin shell. Once he'd caught up to me, he grinned.
"Ha. I have camouflage too."
"Well," I whispered, "I hope you have our crew in your pocket too,
because I don't see them."
His face turned grim. "Great."
Just then, a tumble and crash from inside the shuttle snapped us both
to attention. I raised the railgun from my wrist and primed the mechanism
as Hot Rod warmed up the charge in his forearm blasters.
"This time, I go first," he said in a low voice. I nodded in reply,
and he moved in front of the door. "Ready?"
Good thing I was, because he didn't wait for my answer. Instead, he
leaped into the doorway, targeting the aft section of the ship. I jumped
in behind him, ready to fire, then lowered my gun with relief. "Springer?"
He was sitting on the floor, one leg folded underneath him awkwardly,
with his gun aimed directly at Hot Rod's face. As he recognized who we
were, he lowered it again with a sigh. "Thank the Matrix, it's you guys."
I scanned the area around him and noticed that Springer had gotten
out one of the emergency repair kits, and in the process knocked over a
few more boxes of supplies. Probably the crash we'd heard earlier. When
I looked back at Springer, I saw that one of his hands was pressed against
his folded leg, and energon was oozing out between his fingers. "Let me
take a look at that leg," I offered, moving over to sit down in front of
him.
"Thanks," he said gruffly, casting a grouchy look at the box of tools
beside us. "They should put instructions on this stuff."
I chuckled and withdrew a few of the things I needed, then gently
moved his hand aside. A ragged slash went almost from knee to foot on the
inside of his right leg, exposing circuitry and severing one of his minor
energon distribution tubes. A few sparks, a lot of pain.
"What happened in here? Where's Kup and Blurr?" Hot Rod asked,
inspecting an overturned chair.
Springer winced as I got to work. "You guys met the local wildlife
yet?"
"Yeah," Hot Rod replied. "You mean the giant bugs, right?"
I nodded as I patched up the distribution tube. Ahhh, duct tape, a
girl's best friend. "We ran into one on our way here."
"Well, you're lucky you got away from it. At least ten of them
stormed in here after the crash, shouting something in that weird language
of theirs. We tried to fight 'em off, but that armor of theirs is tough.
They grabbed Kup and Blurr, and Kup yelled at me to get outside and see if
I could fly away from 'em and find you guys." He gestured to his leg. "I
got away, but they gave me *this* while I was running out the door."
"Slag," Hot Rod growled.
I looked up from soldering the gash in Springer's leg. "But where
did they take Kup and Blurr? We've seen the forest floor, and it's empty.
There's no sign of anything living there."
"That's because they don't live on the ground. They marched right up
into the trees - there's a set of stairs going around a tree not far from
here," Springer explained.
"Double-slag," Hot Rod growled again.
I tapped gently on the surface of the newly repaired armor. "Test
that out."
Springer got to his feet, putting his weight on that leg tentatively
at first, then standing solidly. He grinned and offered me a hand up.
"Thanks, Whiz."
"Anytime," I smiled. "Besides, I'll need both of you in good shape
to help me put this shuttle back together."
"But we have to go get Kup and Blurr!" Hot Rod protested, looking
ready to charge into battle right then and there.
"And how are we going to escape once we have them, o great tactical
genius?" I demanded.
"Well... ah..." he looked around at the ship.
Springer chuckled. "She's right. We'll have to be ready to get
outta here as soon as we get 'em back."
Hot Rod frowned in frustration. "But I don't want to leave them with
those big bugs any longer than we have to. Whiz, can't you fix this thing
up while we go get them?"
"Oh, sure. Fix the ship, then run off and rescue all *four* of you
because you ran off without me," I said sarcastically.
This time, Springer laughed out loud, clapping me on the shoulder.
"Rod, let's just do what she wants, before she hurts us."
I grinned. "Yeah, don't make me get rough."
"Besides, it makes sense to stick together. We'll get this work done
faster, and we won't lose anybody. If these bugs had wanted to hurt Kup
and Blurr, they could've done it here instead of taking them captive,"
Springer explained.
Hot Rod grumbled, but he was outvoted. "All right then, let's at
least get started."
I got to work on the delicate circuitry of the control panels, trying
to get some of the blinking red 'alert' lights to turn off. Not too sure
of their technical skills, I set the boys loose to repair the external
damage and clear the leaves out of the engines. Occasionally I could hear
their laughter outside as they teased each other, but I was too absorbed
in my work to go find out what was up. As long as they didn't break
anything *more*...
As I was replacing one of the panels on the console, they sauntered
back in. "All fixed up," Springer reported, exchanging a look of manly
triumph with his compatriot.
"Yeah, you almost done?" Hot Rod demanded, flopping into a chair.
Unfortunately for him, it was the broken one, and it fell right over,
taking him with it. "Oof!"
"I will be, by the time you fix that chair," I replied dryly.
"But I already did!" he protested. Oh great. *This* is what I can
expect from their repairs?
Springer chuckled. "So do it *right* this time."
Hot Rod grouched some more about faulty parts, but he went to work.
True to my promise, I was finished at about the same time, and we all sat
down to puzzle out a strategy.
"Look, we know those big creepy-crawlies have Kup and Blurr somewhere
in those trees. Somehow we've got to get up there and get them back down,
without running into more of the ants," Springer pointed out.
"How much weight can you carry at once, Springer?" I mused.
"Going up? Maybe one of you. Both of you on the way down, no
problem," he replied.
"We can't go up that way anyway - they'd hear your rotors and be
ready for us," Hot Rod observed. "We'll have to take the stairs."
I shook my head. "No way. First of all, taking the stairs is a
great way to get caught. Plus, we have to keep them open when we want to
leave - Springer can only carry two of us down, and Kup and Blurr might
need that help."
"So what am I supposed to do - grow wings and fly?" he demanded.
"Nope," I grinned, pointing at the tree trunk. "But close."
* * * * *
"I feel ridiculous."
I snickered. "Shut up and keep climbing."
"Yeah, Hot Rod," Springer chimed in. "You look great in bark."
Hot Rod shook his head and raised his hand to climb higher. I
noticed he wasn't mocking my other improvisation - I'd managed to use some
shards of the broken viewscreen to add hooks to our fingers for easier
climbing. "I don't see why I have to wear this getup."
The 'getup' he was referring to was strapped to his spoiler. Using
strips of bark, some branches, and the rest of the emergency tape, I'd
rigged up two hangliders and fixed one to my back, and one to his.
"Because, if you fall, you'll be glad to have the brake," I told him,
sinking my hand spikes into the soft wood of the trunk and pulling myself
higher.
"Better that brake than the other kind," Springer agreed.
"Easy for you to say," Hot Rod grouched, shrugging his shoulders
irritably and flapping the hanglider like awkward wings. "You don't have
to wear one."
I sighed and looked up. The floor of the ants' treehouse wasn't far
above us now. As we'd climbed, it had become apparent that it stretched
across multiple trees, with a few large platforms connected by broad
bridges. We'd already had to use a branch to switch trees, so we could
come up on the edge of one of the platforms. "At least we're almost
there," I told him.
"Good," Springer grunted, moving upward. "Let's get Kup and Blurr
and get away from this fragging planet."
When we finally reached our destination, we each pulled our heads
over the edge of the living platform and took a peek. More ants, of all
sizes, were milling around, traveling between crude structures made of
wood and earth. It looked like an ordinary neighborhood, except for the
creepy neighbors...
"Look," Hot Rod said, pointing. "That's the only hut with guards.
It must be where they're keeping Kup and Blurr."
He was right - two of the bugs were stationed outside the door of a
very sturdily built structure. Probably some kind of jail. It was on a
different platform, though, and we'd have to cross one of those vine
bridges. "How'll we get there without them spotting us?" I asked.
"We could climb down and switch to that tree," Springer said
doubtfully.
"No *way*," Hot Rod said flatly. "I am *done* climbing."
"Well, you have a better idea?" Springer asked irritably.
Hot Rod smirked. Uh-oh. "As a matter of fact, yeah." He pulled
himself all the way onto the platform and crouched there as he pulled the
spikes from his hands. "We create a diversion."
"What...?" I started to ask, then saw him begin folding into his auto
mode, hanglider and all. "Wait..."
"Get Kup and Blurr!" he shouted, turning on his high beams and
shifting into gear.
Springer hastily pulled himself up onto the platform as Hot Rod
peeled out and started driving around the place like a maniac, drawing the
attention of all the ant-creatures quite nicely. Half of them ran from
him in a panic, and the other half started chasing him, their huge
mandibles snapping on air as he sped through their ranks.
I dragged myself up as Springer took off for the jail. I sighed in
exasperation and yelled a warning, "You still have the glider on your
spoiler!"
"Huh... ack!" Hot Rod yelled as the speed and his new airfoil
combined to lift his wheels off of the platform for a few inches at a
time and then drop him back down again with a thump.
Drawn by my shouts, a cluster of the bugs were approaching me, their
claws snapping with obvious hostility. Over their shoulders, I could see
Springer bashing together the heads of the two guards and wrenching open
the jail door. "Keep being a diversion!" I yelled, running along the edge
of the platform to escape the gutturally chattering ants.
"I'm... working on it!" Hot Rod yelled unsteadily, the roaring of his
engine punctuated by squealing tires as he bumped up and down over the
surface.
Then I heard a loud yell of, "Got 'em!" from Springer, quickly
followed by the beating of his rotor blades in helicopter form.
"Get... to the... stairs!" Hot Rod yelped, then growled, "Aw,
slaggit," and transformed back into robot mode to dash for the exit. I
sprinted right behind him, barely ahead of the surging mob of howling
bugs.
"Run, run, run!" I urged, hearing the snapping of pincers just a
*wee* bit closer than I'd like.
"I'm running!" he shouted back, stumbling a little in his haste.
Ahead of us, the stairs just continued to wind around and around the trunk
of the tree.
We'll never make it this way... "Scratch that idea, then!" I
shouted, with a silent hope that this would work, and that he'd forgive me
for it later. "FLY!" I yelled, shoving hard against him and knocking
him off of the stairs and into the air.
"WHIZ!" he screamed accusingly, flailing his arms in panic as I took
a deep breath and leaped off after him.
There was a sickening moment of weightlessness when I was sure that
I'd just made the biggest mistake of my soon-to-be-short life, but then
the wind caught under the glider and buoyed me up, slowing my descent to
something more reasonable. I got a feel for the air currents and then
aimed downward to fly a lazy circle around Hot Rod, who was still shaking.
"I'm gonna kill you!" he howled, clutching the struts of the glider
for dear life. "How could you push me?"
I chuckled, "Would you have jumped?"
He looked at me as if I were insane. "No!"
"See? That's why I pushed. Now, let's catch up with Springer." I
could feel his gaze drilling into my back as I wheeled the glider around
and aimed for the shuttle, leaving the ants to take the stairs.
I was first to swoop in behind the shuttle, bracing my knees to run
along the ground as soon as I hit. I turned around to check on my
partner's progress as I tore away my glider, and was just in time to see a
flailing red shape come out of the trees. I caught one look at his
already running-in-air legs and turned to flee, but I was too late. With
a yell of "Look out!", a crash, and a loud snapping of glider twigs, Hot
Rod careened into me and sent both of us tumbling along the ground.
I groaned. "Smooth... flying."
"Landing... needs work," he replied weakly.
Springer's shout from the shuttle got our bruised bodies in motion
again. "Quit fooling around! Get on board so we can get outta here!"
"Nobody wants that more than me," Hot Rod grumbled as he clambered to
his feet and pulled off the remains of the glider. "If we stay here much
longer, your bright ideas are going to kill me."
I got up with an exasperated sigh. "We wouldn't be so hurt if you
hadn't crashed into me."
"How was I supposed to *steer* that thing?" he demanded.
"Argh! Nevermind, let's just get *going*," I said, then ran for the
shuttle with him close behind me.
When we got back on board, Kup and Blurr were already in the
passenger seats, leaning back in exhaustion. "Good work, you three," Kup
rasped. He and Blurr both looked scraped, dented, and generally worse for
wear, but they didn't seem to be losing any energon, and at least they
were alert.
Hot Rod pulled the heavy door shut and struck a nonchalant pose.
"Could you expect anything less?"
"OOooOOoo," Blurr whined woozily. "Can'tWeJustTakeOffNowAndBragLater
INeverWantToSeeAnotherTreeOrBugOrLeafOrAntEverAgainAndIfIEverDoIt'llBe
TooSoon!"
"Can't argue with that," Springer nodded. "And according to the
sensors, we'd better hurry - our hosts are on the way."
Kup coughed. "Chiteki. I recognized 'em when they grabbed us.
Haven't seen 'em before now, but I've heard stories. Every once in a
while, somebody gets the big idea to try to cut down these forests. They
never get far, 'cause the Chiteki penalty for killing a tree is death.
That's probably why they grabbed us from the crash."
"I'm all for protecting the environment, but right now I'd rather protect
my own aft, thanks," Springer replied dryly.
Hot Rod snickered. "Well said."
"Whiz," Kup said hoarsely, "If this bucket of bolts is ready to fly,
it's your turn at the controls."
"But..." I protested, looking at the pilot's chair warily.
"Don't argue, just do it," Hot Rod said, steering me over by the
shoulders.
"Wha...?" I asked, vaguely trying to shrug him off.
He plopped me down in the chair and then installed himself in the
copilot's seat. As I checked and double-checked my safety harness, he
looked over and grinned. "You made me fly - now I make *you* fly."
Very considerate of him. I ran through the pre-flight check as fast
as I could, but I was so self-conscious of every move that I ended up
doing some tasks more than once. "Systems are nominal - preparing
thrusters for liftoff," I reported.
"Fine, fine!" Springer said, "Just get us off of this dirtball!"
With a blast of power and a lurch that left my gyros trembling, I
wrenched back on the throttle and sent us blasting back into space. Sorry
to bother you, buggies, but we're taking our leave - the place is all
yours now.
Then, from the copilot's chair, came something I really didn't want
to hear. "Uh-oh."
"Uh-oh what?" I asked, undertones of panic creeping into my voice.
"Remember that asteroid that hit us before?" Hot Rod asked.
Springer snorted. "How could we forget?"
"Well," Hot Rod informed us, pointing at the sensor screen, "I think
it brought some of its friends to the party!"
Why me, why me, whymewhymewhyme? I glared at the red clusters on the
monitor, daring them to really be there, but they didn't disappear. I
grasped the control stick tighter. "Uh... hang on tight!"
"Are you sure you can handle... *whoa*!" my co-pilot shouted, getting
thrown back in his seat as I jerked the shuttle upward to dodge a hurtling
chunk of rock.
It's just like the video game, I told myself, keeping my optics
riveted on the screen. Turn the rest of it off. You, the joystick, and
the game. That's all.
Except for the unpleasant shifts between weightlessness and g-forces,
and the occasional shout from the others, and the fact that *this* game
has no extra lives... Nevermind that now. Just focus - and keep flying.
Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, the screen ahead of me
cleared. I half expected to see words on the screen offering me a bonus
round, until I finally brought myself to my senses and straightened out
the shuttle.
"I'm... I'mGonnaBeSickIKnowIt," Blurr said queasily.
"Where..." Kup gasped, then pulled himself upright in his chair with
a shake of his head. "Where did y'learn to pilot a shuttle like that,
lass?"
"Like what?" I asked weakly.
Hot Rod looked at me in disbelief. "Like a crazed lunatic, that's
what!"
"People on Earth pay money for rides like that," I argued
half-heartedly.
Springer oofed. "I'll pay to make the spinning stop."
"Hey!" I protested, "I got us here in one piece, didn't I?"
"That's debatable," Hot Rod said dryly.
Springer chuckled. "Don't antagonize her. She's still at the wheel."
Blurr looked around at us all and announced, "PleasePleasePleaseI
JustWantToGoHomeIDon'tWantToBeAPilotAnymore."
"Lay in a course," Kup said, sounding a bit anxious to be back on
solid ground again himself. "Get us back to Cybertron. And... Hot Rod?"
He turned in his seat. "Yeah, Kup?"
"You fly."
On the way home, I had plenty of time to sit and steam over being
replaced by Hot Rod, but the final insult came once we had achieved orbit
around Cybertron.
"Blurr," Kup said, sounding much steadier now, "I want you to take
Whiz's place at the controls. You'll be bringing us in for a landing."
Hot Rod and I protested with one voice, "But...!"
"Enough. This is Blurr's training flight too. You kids stand
aside," Kup said severely.
Doubtfully, I removed my harness. Somehow, Blurr was into the chair
before I even realized I was out of it. With one last look back at the
console, I turned and strapped myself into one of the passenger seats.
"I'mAllReadyKupIDidThisLotsOfTimesOnTheSimulatorAndIWasEvenGettingIt
RightAfterAWhile!" Blurr told us cheerfully as his hands closed over the
controls.
Even getting it... uh oh. I checked my harness again, then looked
over at Kup, who was trying not to seem as anxious as I was. And they
thought *my* ride was bumpy...
"ChangingCourseNextStopIaconSpaceportSoFastenYourSeatbeltsWe'reGoing
InForALanding!" Blurr told us, then tilted the nose down and fired the
thrusters to bring us out of orbit.
Of course, he probably wasn't supposed to have fired the *main*
thrusters...
"OhNoOhNoOhNoWhat'dIDoWrongWe'reNotSupposedToBeGoingDownThis
Fast!" Blurr complained, dropping the controls in his panic.
I hid my face in my hands. Of course, it only makes sense that we'd
survive all this, just to crash and burn right back where we started from.
"Blurr, take the controls again! Straighten out our approach vector!"
Kup shouted from his seat.
Blurr babbled something so fast it was completely unintelligible, but
he listened to orders and grabbed the guidance stick again, yanking back
hard to flatten out our base and get us into something approaching landing
position.
"I'm firing the reverse thrusters!" Hot Rod added, punching some of
the buttons in front of him on the console.
The shuttle shuddered from the opposing forces of momentum and
brakes, and the floor under our feet heated up uncomfortably as we ripped
through Cybertron's thin atmosphere. The ground was still coming up to
meet us at an alarming rate, so I hardly needed Kup's shout to "Assume
crash positions!" to know what was coming next. Everything seemed to slow
down as we plunged into the tarmac, ensuring that I heard and felt every
moment of the crash: our landing gear snapping and being crushed, the
scraping of our hull against the ground, and the jarring feeling as our
nose hit the wall of the hangar and tore right though.
Finally, everything was still. Nobody said a word, we just looked
around at each other, then silently rose from our seats and filed out of
the door. As Kup closed the hatch behind him, the right wing finally
snapped off and crashed to the ground, but none of us even jumped at the
sound. We all lined up before the shuttle as if we were at attention,
staring at it in disbelief. By some bizarre twist of fate, it was
centered perfectly in its berth, as if it had been expertly parked.
Kup approached us slowly, looking at each of our faces in turn, and
then gazed at the ground. He shook his head there for a minute before
asking, "Well... what can I say?"
I exchanged looks with Hot Rod, who looked at Springer, who looked at
Blurr. This was it, we were doomed.
Suddenly, Kup began to chuckle heartily, his optics sparkling with
mischief as he raised his head. "Hell of a lesson, kids. You all pass."
I stared at him in disbelief, sure that I had heard him wrong.
Without another word of explanation, he turned and began to leave the
hangar through the jagged new exit we'd just ripped in the side. Just as
he started to move out of our sight, he turned back to regard us all
again. "But if you ever, *ever* ask me to fly with you again...." he trailed
off, his face suddenly losing its amusement. "I'd rather you killed me
right away and spared me the agony."
And with that, he walked away, leaving four brand new, and completely
stunned, pilots behind him.
"See guys?" Hot Rod grinned smugly, "I told you it'd be fun."
[The End]
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