Transformers: World War II

[Cynical Cat]

"I have no knowledge of him," said Deathstrike. "That means little as I have been alone in the void for millenia. But he is not 'scrawny' by Casseticon standards. He is larger than Rumble or Frenzy. And Trauma doesn't design. He's a sadistic coward that likes to torment things. Only his skill in putting Decepticons back together allows him to survive. The moment he is not useful to Megatron he is a dead 'bot."

"I do not think he is a Decepticon. He is too odd to use as an infiltrator and too . . . unwarriorlike to a be a lost or newly built soldier. I do not know what he is, but I do not think he was built for this war."

[LadyTevar]

Pathfinder ignored Hornet's protest, looking Deathstrike optic to optic for a long moment, before dropped his eyes. Of all the things that could be said about Deathstrike, he'd never been called a liar. If he said he didn't know about this crazy tiny bot, then he didn't.

The point about not being built for war was what really shut Pathfinder up. The smaller tank-bot turned away. "If you want another flier, you can have it, Deathstrike. See if you can get any use out of it before the Combaticons slag it."

"I'm going to see who else showed up." With that, Pathfinder transformed and headed out the way Overload came in. Some battles weren't worth fighting.

It was not that long a trip to the ship, and Pathfinder stayed in form as he went, taking a couple swings wide to grind over a stone wall in frustration. Of all the Pit-slagged choices to send over, why in Primus' name did Prime send Hornet?
His thoughts were not so deep that he didn't hear the revving of a tank engine, however, and the small tank got back on the road for a touch of speed to see if he was right.

"I know that engine rev..." Pathfinder radioed on the Autobot-only band. "Did someone hear that Blitzwing was in town and came to play?" he added teasingly.

[Cynical Cat]

"It is possible that he is some experiment of Shockwave or some other science orientated Decepticon," conceded Deathstrike as he gave the manner further consideration. "And I doubt any Autobot will take orders from me."

[Charon]

Hunter stared long and hard at Pathfinder as he began to drive away.

"Somebody get Hornet here up to speed. I have to go take care of something."

With that Hunter ran off after Pathfinder, hitching onto a jeep so he could catch up.

[Agent Fisher]

The Havoc medium bomber dipped and rose, skimming feet, sometimes only inches, above the tops of branches. In the distance, the base at Coldstaph grew larger as the Autobot flier approached.

************

"Listen MisFire, Prime just sent word that he needs a few more 'Bots to help out at ColdStaph. They need more fliers, and well, he sent Hornet to get some experience, and you know how the little guy is."

"Hornet?! He sent Hornet to a warzone? And you want me to babysit?" She asked incredulously. Sure, she didn't mind the little 'bot like some did, but still, babysitting him?

"Sorry, MisFire. Who knows, maybe it won't be too long."

************

So, MisFire had shipped out, flying over friendly Russia to reach her new post.

As she approached the base, she spoke over the radio.

"ColdStaph Tower, this is MisFire, approaching from heading 0-5-3, coming in for a landing."

"Copy, MisFire, you're cleared down." Came the reply.

With practiced ease, MisFire landed, her wheels hitting hte runway before she rolled to a stop and transformed, her optics looking around to see who else was here.

[General Havoc]

"If you want another flier, you can have it, Deathstrike. See if you can get any use out of it before the Combaticons slag it."

Hornet didn't really hear anything after that part.

The fluid that had formed up in his optics rolled down his face and sides, leaving bluish streaks of what appeared to be windshield washer fluid streaking down him. He seemed to crumple, actually shivering with such alacrity that the light metal of his wings began to warble like a baking pan shaken from one end. Sounds that might have been sobs had they been coming from anything but a robot emerged from his speaker, and he considered melting away, slinking off somewhere else where he could hide from the others. He did not do so however. He didn't know the base well enough to.

For a moment, a brief moment, he'd managed to convince himself that it was going to be different out here, that the other Autobots wouldn't see him as some kind of Decepticon spy. But plainly he'd been completely wrong. Deathstrike (who seemed to be some sort of Decepticon expert) thought that Shockwave had built him as some kind of experiment, and Pathfinder...

He shuddered merely at the thought.

The drone of airplane engines overhead signaled the arrival of another flier, but Hornet didn't even look up. His whole frame shuddered the wiper fluid from his eyes dripped onto the ground and his already small stature seemed to shrink.

[Cynical Cat]

Deathstrike rose, placing an arm protectively on Hornet's shoulder. "No one who serves under me is cannon fodder," he said softly to Hornet. "No one. I am Deathstrike and all that would hurt those that are mine must face my power."

[General Havoc]

Hornet, despite being less than half the size of Deathstrike, was actually lighter than he looked. Deathstrike's gentle gesture nearly knocked him over. That, at least, Hornet was used to.

The knot that his circuits had been tied in loosened slightly, and he wiped his optics with the back of his wing. "It... it doesn't matter..." he said, still fighting tears. "They all think I'm... some kind of... Decepticon."

[Cynical Cat]

"I do not think you are a Decepticon," said Deathstrike. "It is possible you might be, but I do not think it is likely. One can be built to be an Autobot or a Decepticon, but no one truly is an Autobot or Decepticon until they swear themselves to that cause."

[SirNitram]

"Who builds you doesn't matter. You want to be an Autobot, you just do the job, and that's all that matters to me.. And whatever those overgrown gun platforms think, I'm the one in charge here." Overload said, before nodding to Deathstrike.

"You'll be flying with the big guy here. A little banged-up and poorly repaired, but he's a damn good warrior and flier. And to be honest, I'm glad we've got a dedicated recon flier in here. I can pull it.. I'll show you sometime.. But it takes me out of being on the ground and I kinda stand out in appearance."

[General Havoc]

He knew Deathstrike was trying to cheer him up (though he didn't know why), but it just wasn't working. Pretending that it didn't matter what the others thought he was didn't make it less important. The others thought he was a Decepticon, a plant, the harbinger of some nefarious plot that nobody could put their finger on.

"Yeah," he said, "but they think I'm some kind of evil plot or something, like I've got a bomb inside me, or I'm gonna suddenly turn into someone else and try to kill them all, and that the Decepticons built me to look like I do and... to... be like I am... just because they thought it'd make the Autobots trust me. Except it didn't work..."

He might have even continued, save that the enormous war-bot nearby with the cannon running down one arm decided to chime in.

"So if you're only a Decepticon until you swear yourself to Megatron, Deathstrike," said Cavalier. "What exactly does that make you? I mean... you are unquestionably a Decepticon..."

Hornet froze. It looked like his processor had just segmentation faulted. He slowly looked up at Deathstrike, not surprised, not angry, not afraid, just... perplexed. Totally befuddled. "You're..." he said, "you're a what?"

[Cynical Cat]

"That makes me a dishonourable traitor who abandoned his lord," said Deathstrike mildly. "Are you always this slow on the uptake Cavalier or did they use damaged components for your cerebral circuitry?"

[General Havoc]

"I knew you were a dishonourable traitor before you arrived," said Cavalier. "And since your memory banks seem to be damaged, I'll remind you that I told you so back then. But I thought it was only fair that this one have some idea of just who exactly is telling him that it doesn't matter if people think he's a Decepticon. After all, I'm sure you're just talking to him out of the kindness of your spark."

Throughout all this, Hornet remained very quiet.

[Cynical Cat]

"Kindness of my heart? I don't have a heart Cavalier and neither do you. Have you gone native? The locals place such a high degree of importance on superficial idiocies like skin colour, gender, and who one's parents were. You seem to share those attitudes.

"What would Prime think? Oh, we already know. Overload, who happens to share my opinion on this matter, is in charge and you're just a braggart and a bully who is eager to get his comrades killed because he's afraid that something unlikely might be true. I have dishonoured myself, but there is nothing to you but disgrace."

[General Havoc]

"When I want Overload's opinion, 'con, I'll ask him for it," said Cavalier with a grin, "and when I want yours I'll beat it out of you. But I don't care about who built you and why, Deathstrike. That ain't why I don't like you."

Cavalier slowly walked towards Deathstrike. "I don't like you because you're a lying, murdering, two-faced, rust-sparked, Megatron-worshiping, sadistic bigoted, ignorant, exhaust-sucking, piece of scrap Decepticon wannabe who's just too plain stupid to see what he's landed in. You don't give one rusted bolt what happens to this little one there, but you wanna act all nice and friendly and show up the mean old Autobots don't you? You gonna tell him the fun story of the helpless people you murdered? Show him your trick for firebombing cities maybe?"

He gestured to Hornet. "Go ahead! Tell him! Tell him about how I'm such a bad guy. 'Cause I talk too much. 'Cause I'm an arrogant sonofabitch, Deathstrike. But you?" He laughed dismissively.

"You're nothin' but a bunch of bad attitude and hot air."

[Cynical Cat]

"Hornet," Deathstrike said softly. "Every soldier that served under me, organic or mechanic, had my protection. That goes for you too, if that's Overload's will."

He turned back to the Autobot tanker. "I know you now Autobot. You know you're hollow. A poor warrior. You brag. You strut. You insult. And at the end of the day you're still in Warpath and Breakout's shadow. You flail around trying to hurt others with words because you know you aren't half the warrior you should be. There's just nothing there."

[Agent Fisher]

MisFire stood clear of the runway, watching the humans dart about, moving crates, fueling aircraft, working on aircraft. She smiled. The 'Bot always loved being at an airbase, it seemed so alive.

After a minute or so had passed, with no 'Bots heading towards her, she shrugged and started walking towards the base. As she rounded a hangar building, she smiled catching sight of 'Bots. MisFire made a beeline for them, not noticing the tiny little 'Bot that stood with them.

[General Havoc]

"Be sure to ask him one of these days just what he means by 'protection'," said Cavalier. "'Cons have a funny way of redefining those sorts of things. Might mean he gets to kill you himself."

He adopted a mock-pouting face and took a step closer to Deathstrike. "Aw, what's the matter, Decepticon? Did I make you angry? Did I say mean things about you? Or are you just cranky 'cause we haven't let you firebomb an orphanage or - "

Cavalier's latest series of insults was cut off as Hornet, of all people, suddenly lit up like a Christmas tree and let out a cry loud enough to wake the dead.

"Misfire!"

And then, suddenly, Hornet was gone, racing off like a guided missile straight at the flier who had just arrived before apparently doing his damndest to actually tackle her. He didn't have the mass to do more than shake the much larger Autobot, but rather than continue to try and knock her down, he instead gave her an unmistakable hug, reaching up as high as he could (her waist), and squeezing for all he was worth.

Cavalier looked like someone had just plucked out his speaker. He watched this display with total confusion written all over him. And when finally he recovered his powers of speech, he turned back to Overload and addressed him a question.

"What exactly have they been feeding that one?"

[Cynical Cat]

"Cavalier," Deathstrike growled, his optic flaring.

"Deathstrike!" Stephanie cried, recognizing the signs. The Decepticon stepped forward, putting his formidable mass into the blow. Once, he had been strong. Not as strong as Brawn or Ultra Magnus, but strong enough tear apart Autobots. Enough strength to compensate for a Seeker's superior agility. Now he was a shadow of what he had been, but he had enough mass and strength to matter.

The blow sent the Autobot down into the ground. Deathstrike lifted the Autobot off the frozen ground, servos straining with the effort and every actuator operating at maximum capacity, and smashed Cavalier bodily against the wall. "You dare say I would murder my soldiers? My friends? My brothers and sisters? The reasons that I fight? You lying piece of Autobot filth!"

[SirNitram]

"Deathstrike, that's enough. You and your tech need to inspect the stuff I got." Overload spoke with the force of a commander. "As for Cavailer, good news. You won't have to muddy your precious treads near 'Strike for a while. You're on offloading duty. Hope your winch is up to it, slag-breath, because there's no negotiating or bragging out of this. Now, soldier, move your gearbox!"

[Agent Fisher]

MisFire almost tripped over her own two feet, eeping when the tiny little bot slammed against her, rocking her back, his arms holding him close.

"Oh, hey, Hornet..." She said, keeping her voice cheerful. She was about to continue when Deathstrike punched Cavalier. MisFire pushed on Hornet, trying to untangle him to try and stop the fight when Overload stepped in. The Autobot flier fell still waiting to see what would happen.

[General Havoc]

More of a brawler than a hand to hand fighter, Cavalier had been toying with whether or not he should hit back, or blow Deathstrike off him with a point blank cannon shot. As it turned out, he got to do neither. Overload stepped in and ended the matter with a command.

No stranger to punishment detail, Cavalier dusted himself off as he nodded in agreement.

"Good," he said. "I need a break anyway. Too many 'cons around here. IFF gets all jumbled up..."

He rubbed the dent where Deathstrike had hit him, looked back up at the Decepticon flier, and smirked.

"See you 'round... Deathstrike," he said, and then he walked off towards the loading docks.

*-----------------------------------------------*

Hornet meanwhile had wound up knocked onto the ground after being hastily detached from Misfire. It was an occupational hazard of being that small. He bounced back up to his feet, only to see that the fight was already over between Deathstrike and the tank that Deathstrike had called Cavalier. Overload sounded angry, he knew how to tell that much, and fearing that he might be the target of said anger, he surruptitiously crept behind Misfire, as though a ten foot robot could hide.

Misfire he had known from before, from the period of his confinement. She was one of the few bots who had shown him kindness rather than suspicion, and Hornet had of course reacted in his customary over-the-top manner. With Hornet, one was either an unknown, a source of primal fear, or the embodiment of all that was right with the world. Measured reactions were not his forte.

"Wh... what should... I do?" he asked, leaving the question open to anyone who cared to answer. He rather assumed that everyone here, including Deathstrike and Stephanie, outranked him by about five levels.

[Cynical Cat]

Deathstrike let the Autobot go. "As you wish Overload. I'm sure Cavalier has a lot of natural talent at hauling cargo." He turned to Stephanie. "Shall we attend to Overload's inspection?"

"Sure," said Steph hesitantly. Deathstrike's flash of fury had disturbed her, but she understood it. Call him a murderer of his friends and comrades would raise anyone's temperature to a boiling point. She looked up at Overload. "Is . . . is Hornet alright?" He had almost looked like he was going to cry.

[SirNitram]

"I've seen it in humans.. Gotta admit.. First time I saw it in an Autobot." Overload admitted simply. "But can you blame him? He's probably gotten treated worse than Deathstrike, and doesn't have the emotional toughness that he's bred. I can understand some of it.. But, well, you'd say mileenia ago."

[Cynical Cat]

"Hey Hornet," said Stephanie. "Want to help me look through stuff? Deathstrike will keep Cavalier away."