Ep 1.5 Special Delivery (Closed)

[Deleted]

Set day 7, week 2

Empty.

That was Wheeljack's first impression when he peered into Fortress Maximus's quarters. Probably why no one had bothered coming by and checking to see if the big mech had left any belongings behind when he'd transferred up to Black Rock. Fort Max didn't give off the impression of a mech that would have personal effects and given that he hadn't asked for anything to be brought to him, it would have slipped everyone's minds. The Wrecker stuck his head in and yeah. Four walls and ceiling. Not even a berth. It wouldn't surprise him to learn that Fortress recharged in here in his alt mode.

Except-

Propped up against the wall in a corner. The blade he'd forged a week or so ago. Wheeljack couldn't remember seeing it attached to Fort Max when they'd confronted him out in the desert after his meltdown. So he'd figured there would probably be one place at the Omega base where it was hiding.

It took Wheeljack a moment before he decided to venture in. Even if there was nothing inside, this still was someone's personal quarters and he was invading Fort Max's privacy by doing so. The room was host to whatever sombre thoughts and dreams that big mech had when he had occupied it and Wheeljack felt very much an intruder by breeching in here. He walked quickly, the metal on his back flicking slightly to betray his discomfort. Then, he was gathering up the sword and hauling it up onto his shoulders like he'd done only so long ago. His frame protested at the weight but Wheeljack just bore it and left the room.

It was time for another mech hunt. But unlike before, where he had no idea where Fort Max was, Wheeljack knew exactly where he was going. His path took him straight for the recently repaired control room (guess who'd fixed that), causing no less a stir than the first time he'd walked through the base with the enormous mech cleaver. Wheeljack stood above the ground bridge controls and went searching for a recently entered location in its coordinate database. He found it, the co-ordinates would send him just outside the Black Rock military base, and set the ground bridge on a timer. The Wrecker was still for one moment, then hmphed loudly and logged his trip on the data network. It'd probably slag some higher up, Red Alert or Optimus, going to see Fort Max so soon and without clearing it with Agent Fowler first. But hey, he was strolling down the ground bridge and through it before anyone could protest.

Wheeljack stepped out onto a dry, cracked lake bed. It was brown for as far as the optic could so. Sparse vegetation clung close to the soil from which it sprouted. The terrain climbed up into a mountain range, between which was a military base was nestled, the only sign of human civilisation in this untamed wilderness. One lonely road escaped from it and wound off into the distance. It was close to this Wheeljack had bridged.

It was hot. Wheeljack's central plating clamped down tight on him as he cycled coolant through his lines, trying to keep the heat from searing his interiors. His extremities were a lost cause though. The Wrecker seemed to give himself a shrug as he decided to get on with his business. Wheeljack boldly walked up the road, optics firmly on his destination. There was a check-point outside the front gates but given that Wheeljack had arrived in root-mode, he had no doubt that the entire base was alerted to his presence. His optics could pick out movement, organised, precise military movement from within.

Cheerfully, he sent a ping on Fort Max's channel as he drew to a halt and made no move to approach the gates from what he assumed was a reasonable distance. ::You busy, big guy? Gotta package for you::

[Deleted]

From Wheeljack’s position he would able to look out over the old lake bed and and see heat shimmering off the great twelve thousand foot runway that the rest of the military base spread out around. Taxiiways led off to rows of hangers for storage and maintenance, terminals, shops, and administrative buildings. A water tower loomed at the south end of the dusty field.

The lake bed entrance to the base sat directly ahead of him, in the valley between two sloping mountain ranges. Access was barred by high post and wire fences, atop which were mounted dense loops of razor wire. NO ADMITTANCE, RESTRICTED, BLACK ROCK AUTHORITY read the white sights posted evenly along the length of the fence.

Security cameras and flood lights pointed both into the compound and outwards. A small glass and concrete guard station sat just inside the main gate, which could be electronically slid open and shut. NO PARKING, NO PHOTOGRAPHY read its signs. A watch tower loomed overhead. Wheeljack would be able to see the armed guards inside it watching him curiously.

A moment of startled silence echoed over the Wrecker’s comm line.

“Wheeljack?”

Fortress Maximus sounded taken aback. “What are – no, I’m not busy. Are you at the south gate? Stand by. I’ll be there to meet you shortly.”

The guards in the station and the watch tower were speaking hurriedly between one another now. One of the station guards had begun to talk into his shoulder mounted radio.

“Did you clear this with Fowler?” said Maximus. “Your presence is generating some excitement on the base, I think.”

[Deleted]

::South Gate sounds right:: Wheeljack replied, amused by the surprise in Fort Max's voice. ::Don't worry, I'm not going to wander far. Or at all::

Wheeljack cycled a fresh batch of coolant while he waited in the heat. Uncomfortably, he lowered the blade off his shoulder and rested it against the ground. He didn't particularly like treating it this way but the damn thing was fragging heavy and even his strength wasn't enough to keep it up for very long.

::As for Fowler…:: keeping watch on the activity by the front gate, the Wrecker smirked. ::I'm going to give you three guesses to what the answer to that question is and the first two don't count::

[Deleted]

Maximus snorted.

“That means no,” he said. He sounded amused. “All right, I’m inbound. I’ll be there in a moment.”

The big mech was as good as his word. Within ten minutes a dull blue and grey tank appeared on the other side of the fence, a line of dust on the road that led through the administration buildings to the guard station at the southern gate. It drove slowly, conscious of the men who walked the footpaths between the buildings, some dressed in khaki uniforms and others in the plain clothes of office workers. Several stopped to watch the tank trundle past.

Meanwhile, outside of the gate, the guards were paying similar attention to Wheeljack. His distance and easy, relaxed stance meant that he was not attacking, but between his lingering presence and the sword he carried it was clear they could not exactly figure out what he was there for. They stood warily at their stations, their hands on their lowered rifles. One soldier waved at him.

The tank reached the gate. Two of the guards jogged out to meet him. A hasty conversation followed, too low to be made out. But it ended with the tank being waved though the gate. As the barred doors slid back with a warning alarm the tank rolled forward, though the check–in station, and onto the road that led outside the base and into the old lake bed.

The guards were a little more relaxed now as they returned to their posts. Two more waved at Wheeljack.

The tank slowed to a halt in front of the Wrecker. Then it transformed.

Maximus settled upright, rolling one shoulder as he did so. He shook the dust from his plating and looked down at Wheeljack curiously. He looked tired, haggard, but his red optics were clear and his expression had regained its old stoicism.

“Good to see you,” he said. “This is the delivery you mentioned?”

His gaze fell to the sword and he reached for it, acknowledging that the Wrecker was likely getting tired of lugging the heavy blade.

[Deleted]

“That means no."

A rugged grin pulled at the bottom of Wheeljack's lip plate. Sounded like the big mech was learning. He waited patiently in the hot sun for Fort Max to arrived. Wheeljack watched with some small amusement as one of the soldiers manning the front gate waved to him. He considered waving back, rolling the thought around his processor for a bit before giving a mental shrug.

Eh. Whatever.

Wheeljack waved back.

That seemed to cause a stir amongst the humans. Wheeljack snorted to himself with good humor as he decided to bask in the attention. He could always do with an appreciate audience. So long as they kept goggling at him and didn't start shooting at him for some reason or the other.

It wasn't all that long before he spied a familiar tank amongst the bustling activity of the base. Wheeljack straightened up a bit as Fort Max gradually made his way out, playing close heed to the small humans moving quickly around him. The Wrecker didn't startle at the alert tone when the gates started to unlock, though the metal on his back did quiver a bit before he relaxed. As Fort Max drove on through, Wheeljack caught sight of a few more guards waving at him. He returned the gesture bemusedly before he turned his attention to the tank in front of him.

Fortress Maximus transformed and while Wheeljack wasn't actively looking at him in concern or trying to gauge whether he was alright or not, he did seem a lot more like himself. The exhaustion was obvious but he was calmer now. Probably fifty thousand miles away from being okay but for the moment, he was good and Wheeljack didn't really care much beyond that. Sometimes you have good cycles, sometimes you have bad cycles, Wheeljack learnt to take each one as it came and not worry too hard about what he had no control over. He had to, else he'd have been crippled in indecision and self-distrust by all the possibilities of the things Shockwave could have done to him.

"Yeah," he answered with a smug grin, handing the sword over. "Didn't spend all my time forging it only to let it gather dust."

Wheeljack's gaze slid past Fort Max's shoulder momentarily to the base behind him before returning to the big mech. There were all sorts of questions he supposed he could be asking, how Fort Max was going, whether his so called sabbatical was treating him well, what was life like on a human military base. But that was probing and digging into Fort Max's troubles and he didn't particularly feel like going there unless Fort Max brought it up first. The big mech was fine until he said he wasn't, even if he obviously wasn't.

The Wrecker smirked. "Matter of fact, I didn't forge it either just for chopping up buildings. There a place nearby for two mecha to swing a few sharpened pieces of metal at each other?"

[Deleted]

Maximus lifted the sword from Wheeljack’s grasp. He hefted it, testing the familiar weight. A look of satisfaction passed over his face as he sighted down the blade.

He hoisted it back and allowed it to settle between his shoulders, until it snapped into place along the rifle clips at the small of his back.

“That depends,” he said.

Maximus turned and looked speculatively back towards the base. Smaller valleys branched off the arid lake bed. To the north, down a broad valley roughly six miles from the base, existed a site devoted to the testing of military ordnance. Explosives, surface to air missiles, weapons testing, tactical evaluation of aircraft weapons systems – all of it had left the landscape pitted and scarred. Fowler had mentioned it in passing shortly after his arrival.

Maximus inhaled. Venting a little of the pent up stress through some friendly sparring didn't sound like a bad idea.

He glanced speculatively at Wheeljack.

“Do you mind the possibility of an audience?” he said.

[Deleted]

Wheeljack followed Fort Max's line of sight, though without the other's knowledge of the area, he assumed that the big mech had some sort of place in mind. More rocks that the processor could comprehend and dry heat and a valley in the distance. When the question came, he shrugged easily. Hadn't he been musing only moments before that he enjoyed an appreciative crowd?

"I'm good with an audience," he nodded at the big mech. "Lead on."

[Deleted]

Satisfied, Maximus nodded. Then he turned, collapsing down into his alternate mode as he did so.

The blue and grey tank hit the desert floor with a thud, rocking hard on its tracks. The sound of its engine firing rang into the surrounding hills.

“Follow me,” it said.

Sunlight baked off the lake bed as the tank led the way down a shallow valley. A paved road wound ahead of the Autobots, cracked and dusty. The tank was careful to drive on the side of it, out of the way of the odd Jeep or truck that came barrelling along in the other direction. The military vehicles passed in a rush of flying dirt and dust. If Wheeljack glanced behind himself he would see their brake lights flash red as the startled drivers slowed to more closely examine the sight of a tank being escorted by a high performance concept car.

The hills rose up to either side of them, gentle and rolling, scrubby with patches of crumbled rock and sparse, dried out brush. Above them the sky was an electric blue, free of cloud. Maximus kept up a steady pace in the lead, his treads tearing up the dust. This time both of its machine guns were pointed forward. The heavy sword lay alongside the turret.

Several miles down the valley the landscape opened up again into a broad plain. The ground was flat, baked hard and pebbly. A dark mountain range ringed it, the far off peaks pale with distance. Mirages shimmered at the foot of the rock. There was no fence here, only a lever gate and a grey watch-house at the side of the road. A battered white sign loomed at the gate:

YOU ARE NOW ENTERING THE BLACK ROCK TEST SITE
NO TRESPASSING
BY ORDER OF THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

The tank rolled to a halt at the gate, just as it was intercepted by three soldiers in dusty fatigues. After a tense conversation over the radio the gate was lifted and the tank rolled forward, its engine grumbling. The soldiers peered warily into Wheeljack’s windows as he passed but made no motion to stop him. They all carried rifles and holstered sidearms, and wore helmets with thickly dusted visors.

Beyond the gate was nothing but rock and open desert. Back in the direction of the military base were a few scattered bunkers, concrete and studded with satellite dishes and communication antenna. A handful of Jeeps were parked nearby. The sound of jet engines roared overhead, flying too high to be seen by the naked eye.

The tank drifted to a halt, his whip antenna wagging. Then it transformed.

Maximus stood, stretching. He grimaced, his back arching briefly as he flexed one stiff arm over his shoulder.

“This is it,” he said. “Doesn't look too crowded today. Need to watch out for the craters though.”

He pointed out over the desert. Sure enough, the earth was harshly pockmarked with impact craters from exploded ordnance. Rock fragments lay strewn around them, a testament to the violence inflicted upon the site.

Maximus shook out his stiff arm and eyed the Wrecker.

“So. What did you have in mind?”

[Deleted]

Wheeljack smoothly folded into his alt form just after Fort Max. The Lancia revved its engine once before falling behind the tank. It was a languid drive down through the valley, gravel crunching beneath his wheels. Wheeljack was initially amused that they were ignoring the road, then again he'd seen what Max's treads could do to tarmac. Unlike that frantic night only a couple of cycles ago, the Wrecker was driving slow enough that he wasn't feeling every rock in his undercarriage. A few vehicles came flying past on the dusty road as they trundled by and the Wrecker wasn't oblivious to the sudden slowing.

They were, if he was honest, probably a pretty odd sight.

Mentally shrugging, he followed Fort Max down the gentle valley slop till it flattened out again. The Wrecker was liking the looks of the place already. The massive holes punched in the earth suggested blast damage, looks like they'd been testing missiles and explosives. If the place wasn't under guard by Fowler's people, Wheeljack would have put it down as a place to sneak back to when testing out inventions.

Fortress Maximus came to a stop and Wheeljack halted behind him as the tank handled the guards by the gates to the site. If he could hear it, Wheeljack paid no attention to the conversation being held, allowing his engine to idle. He ignored the curious glances being directed his way, rolling on when Fort Max started moving again. The two Cybertronians drove in when the gate open, past a few buildings and the jeeps sitting outside them. Not a lot of humans around, nothing compared to the numbers back at the main base.

Wheeljack's guide in this little adventure stopped and transformed. The Wrecker was quick to do the same, folding out and upwards. He gave himself a light shake to displace the dust that he'd picked up over the short drive, trailing behind the tank.

“So. What did you have in mind?”

"That's up to you. I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume you probably haven't had that much a chance to get some practice in with that thing," Wheeljack nodded at the hilt that was just poking out above Fort Max's shoulder. "Well, if you're up to it, a light spar, nothing serious, just to get the feel for it. If you'd rather get some practice in on your own time first, then I'm good for an unarmed fight."

It was kind of a sign of the Wrecker mentality that he didn't even blink twice uttering that sentence, utterly serious, despite the enormous size of the hulking warden. Most mecha would be intimidated just contemplating a friendly armed spar with Fortress Maximus and would never ever even consider an unarmed one. And that was without seeing Fort Max fight not even once. Wheeljack had seen plenty of Vehicons decimated and destroyed beneath those massive servos and yet he offered all the same, completely unfazed.

Eh. Whatever.

He'd punched bigger mecha than the one in front of him.

[Deleted]

Maximus considered it.

The rasp the great sword made as it was withdrawn from the clips echoed around the piece of desert around them. Maximus hefted the sword in one hand experimentally, feeling out its balance. Blue sky shone dully against the honed edge. He studied it, his expression unreadable.

The rotors in the warden’s arm barely hummed as he shrugged the blade onto his shoulder. Maximus turned and lifted two fingers to the side of his head. A minute passed in silent communication before he lowered his hand and turned back again.

“Just radioed the monitoring station to let them know what we’re doing,” said Maximus. “So they don’t get alarmed by the noise.”

With an easy motion he threw the blade off his shoulder and grasped the hilt in both hands. The sharp tip cut up a line of dust from the desert floor as the big mech swung it around in a two–handed grip and sank into a combat stance, his feet spread and his knees bent. The treads mounted on his back spun once before flattening back.

“How about we go in with swords until one of us successfully disarms the other,” he said. “Then, it’s unarmed from that point onwards.”

The broad shoulders lowered and the sword was angled low as Maximus sized up Wheeljack and waited, calm and intent.

“Your move.”

[Deleted]

Wheeljack waited patiently for the big mech to make up his mind and come to a decision as he studied the blade in his servos. In the mean time, the Wrecker scuffled one pede in the dirt and got a better handle on their surroundings. Not that there was much, just the dry hard earth and the craters torn into it. But he making sure that there were no smaller, harder to see holes nearby. Footing was everything in a battle and it could just take one misstep to turn a friendly spar into a dangerous one.

His attention shifted when Fortress Maximus raised his servos to his audials, comming someone. Warning the soldiers, Fort Max explained a few astroseconds later. Wheeljack tilted his head to the side as Fort Max readied himself in a combat stance, sword held out in front of him. His decision was made clear even as he laid down the rules.

"Works for me," Wheeljack shrugged easily. He settled back into a combat stance, planting his feet apart. The Wrecker pulled out his own blades from his back, flexing his servos and giving the swords a quick twirl.

He didn't think, even for a moment, that Fort Max's lack of experience would make the big mech a pushover. He had size and weight working in his favour. Wheeljack's frame might be tough and quite powerful for a mech his size but against Fort Max, all he had going for him was his speed. And, well, his experience. But right now, that was going to work against him because Wheeljack actually hadn't had all that many opportunities to engage in friendly swordfights. He was going to have constantly rein himself in and remind himself not to push too hard.

Might as well start simple. Wheeljack pushed himself forward off on one pede into a charge, both swords drawn back. As he closed in on the distance between them, his right arm swung inward, intending for a slash against Fort Max's midriff. His body tilted with the swing, though his left arm remained back, for a follow-up attack should the other sword get parried or deflected.

[Deleted]

Already the two mechs were drawing attention.

At the bunkers behind them a small crowd was forming. Several of the soldiers had gathered by the parked Jeeps to watch the sparring match. They leaned against the vehicles and shielded their eyes from the sun, watching with interest.

The same hot sun beat down upon the combatants as Wheeljack charged. It glinted off the edges of his swords, drawing a flashing line of bright fire against the air when he slashed out.

Maximus tensed, his rear foot edging back in the dirt.

The great sword raised, enough to catch Wheeljack’s blade. The two weapons crashed and scraped together, kicking up a silvery noise. Maximus heaved once against his blade to thrust the Wrecker’s slimmer sword aside and then immediate leapt back to get out of range of a follow up strike, one armoured forearm raised to shield his core. Already the warden was on the defensive, backing off to put his size and strength to his advantage.

[Deleted]

Knowing that every strike was going to be against him, Wheeljack didn't bother testing his blade against Fort Max's sword. The weight alone of the large sword he'd struggled to keep at bay with just one sword, so he allowed Fort Max to thrust his first attack aside. His next swipe slashed against empty air as the big mech leapt backwards.

Wheeljack pressed in again. He knew letting Fort Max put some space between them would give the big mech the advantage of height and range. That was a whole lotta sword he'd need to get past if he gave ground. So, kicking off on his right pede, he followed Fort Max as the big mech backed up. His blades were drawn up in front of as he leapt high, intending to bring them down in a downwards slash, using gravity to lend some weight to the blow.

[Deleted]

It was a good strategy, and it paid off.

Though the big mech was braced and waiting for the attack, he was not expecting the leap. Startled, Maximus drew back a step in an attempt to clear some distance between them, enough that he could awkwardly bring his own blade to bear. Though he was strong and fast himself, in an instant it became clear that the heavy blade was not something he could wield swiftly – especially in cramped quarters.

The great sword reared up. In the nick of time it caught Wheeljack’s blades, preventing them from slashing down upon Maximus’ shoulders and treads. The clang of impact rang out across the field and the big mech winced. His arm trembled, from both the strain of the blow and the effort of holding his sword up to block it.

Sparks arched, showering down into Maximus’ face. He set his jaw and gripped the hilt tightly between both hands. With another heave he knocked away the Wrecker’s swords before falling back, already swinging the great sword around again. Maximus wound back and sent his sword roaring in at Wheeljack’s flank like a bat, aiming to smack the Wrecker aside with the flat of the blade.

[Deleted]

Looks like Fort Max was discovering the joy of wielding a heavy weapon, namely that they were a pain to manoeuvre in very close quarters. The big bot did manage to get his blade up barely in time to catch Wheeljack's swords. There was the harsh clang as metal clashed against metal. For a moment, they struggled against each other, blades locked.

Then Fort Max added his other servo to his grip, giving him enough power to heave Wheeljack off. The Wrecker staggered back a couple of steps, regaining his footing quickly. Through narrowed optics, Wheeljack took in the heavy blade swinging for him, flat side turned against him. With all the big mech's power against him in that swing, Wheeljack doubted his blades would be enough to stop it.

Which was why he didn't bother. Instead, the Wrecker jumped again. It was one smooth motion from recovering from the lurch backwards, then he threw himself over the blade in a sideways roll, allowing him to flank Fort Max. Wheeljack's pedes dug into the ground as he came up again, sending dirt and dust into the air, knees bending to give himself power when he threw himself forward. His right blade flashed up, before he turned it on its side, aiming to smack Fort Max's servos with the blunt edge and loosen his grip on the blade. It would be preferable to use the hilt but this way he wasn't required to get extremely close to Max, else the big mech could probably just knock him away with a limb.