[ti]Ep 2[/ti]That's No Moon (Closed)

[Deleted]

(Day 3, week 3, about noon)

Today was not Zoom-Zoom's day.

The minibot usually existed in some form of unhappiness since the war had started. One not very familiar with the red mech might assume that the announcement of the truce and the cease of hostilities -however temporary- might have provided some relief to him. However, if anything, Zoom-Zoom had slid further into a general sense of discontent with the world.

Oh ho, a truce, hey? Let's have some fun working with Decepticons? That's totally not going to back fire horribly and end up with someone -probably minibot sized- dead. Zoom-Zoom was having none of it. It was hard enough to co-operate with his fellow Bots, how was he supposed to cope with a temporary non-enemy. If there was a way to ensure he went nowhere near a Con for however long this break lasted, then he'd take it. Whatever it was.

Even if it meant going in the absolute opposite direction and working with some humans.

The other thing about having a truce meant that the Autobots were free to up their focus on MECH and up they had. Which meant that Zoom-Zoom's studies on 'how to hack human slag', which he'd totally not been neglecting, thank you very much, were a sudden pressing priority. He'd been learning in his own time since he'd landed on the planet (the internet was a very useful resource on this topic) and then had increased his effort when Prime had personally set it as a Thing for Zoom-Zoom.

But now that the spotlight was on MECH, suddenly it wasn't enough that the minibot was just picking it up as he went along. Someone further up in the chain of command had decided that Zoom-Zoom needed proper tuition on military systems. Which, fair enough, self tutorial could only get you so far and the internet didn't exactly offer a lot of guidance on how to break into the computers that might have the keys to a nuke or something. Plus, it meant not being near the Omega base and not working with Decepticons on some truce related business. Zoom-Zoom was more than okay with this.

But it did mean a trip over to Blackrock, to learn from Agent Fowler's people.

A trip to Blackrock.

Blackrock.

Lair to Fortress Maximus, the murderbot.

Zoom-Zoom was 978% certain that this field trip was going to implode on itself with a lot of fire and pain somehow.

To be fair to the people in charge (Prime and Fowler, most probably), they'd given the big mech warning in advance and probably the minibot's schedule for the day so he could be as far away as he wanted during the visit. Zoom-Zoom had also received plenty of instructions of where he could go (nowhere near Fort Max) and where he shouldn't go (anywhere near Fort Max). Not that he wanted to. The minibot would be content to never ever see the big mech again and was more than happy -delighted, even- to stick to these restrictions. Really, all he had to do was walk through a ground bridge and stick in the designated area. Then, when class was over, walk back through a ground bridge and he'd be back in the Omega base.

Simple. No contact. No one could stuff that up.

An idiot could do it.

---

It was twenty minutes to the start of the lesson and Zoom-Zoom had headed down the ground bridge. Yes, he was a little early but any second he hung around the Omega base was another moment that some sort of disaster could crop up and then the minibot could be drafted in to help deal with it. No, it was better to be across the ground bridge sooner rather than later. And while leaving the safety of the Omega base was usually something Zoom-Zoom was not at all eager to do, Blackrock was another military outpost, even if it was a human one, so the minibot was somewhat comfortable with the prospects of traveling to it. Ish.

Well, he was unlikely to be attacked by MECH or Cons there. Fort Max, on the other servo…

Zoom-Zoom stood in front of the controls and called up the co-ordinates for Blackrock from the machine's databanks. It took a few commands then the ground bridge swirled to life, green energy ripping open a dimensional portal. A few more taps at the controls and the minibot dutifully logged the trip, so that Red wouldn't get upset over it later. Then, he was off, scuttling through the bridge and fighting down his dislike off said method of transport. One of these days, Zoom-Zoom was convinced, with his luck a bridge would fail on him and he'd either die or get shunted into another dimension. A worse one.

It was with no small amount of relief that he shuffled through to the other side. Only to come up short.

What-

He'd been expecting sunshine and the familiar brown on the Nevada landscape. But what he got instead was dim artificial light, some metal scaffolding, a few cabinets and stacks of crates. Slowly, Zoom-Zoom registered that he was inside some sort of hangar -an aircraft maintenance hangar, not that the minibot could tell. What he did know however was that this was a place he definitely shouldn’t be.

Then it got worse and his impending feeling of utter doom grew stronger as Zoom-Zoom got a better look at where he was.

IS THAT SIR STOMP-A-LOT IN THE CORNER THERE??!!

YES, IT FRAGGING IS.

IS SIR STOMPERS WEARING HIS MURDERFACE?

HE WASN'T A SECOND AGO BUT HE IS NOW.

WHHHHY MEEEEEEE.

Unbeknownst to the unfortunate minibot, the co-ordinates he'd retrieved from the ground bridge systems were not the ones he was meant to use. There were two sets of co-ordinates, one that would deposit a mech outside and near the entrance to the base, where there would be a team waiting for them, if the visit had been scheduled in advance. The other coordinates, the ones Zoom-Zoom had used by accident, had been provided to Wheeljack in case of his impromptu visits, such as the one that had occurred at 3am in the morning. Those co-ordinates would drop the mech off directly inside Fort Max's personal quarters.

Quarters that the mech himself was occupying, right now, in this very moment, because he'd been warned that the minibot would be about and had removed himself from the rest of the base to get some peace and quiet.

Zoom-Zoom had a moment to ponder life's unfortunate tendencies that he often fell victim to. Resigned to his probably painful and possibly fatal fate, his mouth opened of its own accord.

"I see that this is how I die. Sent directly into the quarters of the Autobot team killer."

[Deleted]

The hanger itself was large and airy. Fluorescent lights pleasantly illuminated polished concrete floor and vast empty space, cluttered only at its fringes by old cabinets and the original piping for water and electricity. One end of the hanger was open, revealing an impressive view of the surrounding airfield and its aprons. A quiet hum echoed down from the overhead lights.

What dwelled inside the hanger was also large. It was far from pleasant.

Parked at the back of the hanger was a dusty blue and grey tank. The low idle of its engine also echoed through the hanger, which was - for Zoom-Zoom - about to become a very confined space.

As the portal swirled the tank sat perfectly still, as if frozen in shock.

It didn't last.

Maximus rose from his tank mode like Godzilla from the ocean.

He was walking even before his tank treads had locked into place on his back, walking with heavy strides and an even more thunderous expression. He bore down on Zoom-Zoom, his red optics locked on the minibot's face. Each angry footstep made the floor quake.

"What," he said, through grit teeth. "Are you doing. HERE."

[Deleted]

He should run.

He really, really should run.

…wow, how had running end up for him last time? Yeah, no, he shouldn't run.

But really, he should run.

For some odd reason, Zoom-Zoom's legs were utterly uncooperative and unmoving.

Really, reaaally should be running…

Look at that murder face. Running would be good.

Like a minute ago would have been good. Yesterday would have been better.

"What. Are you doing. HERE."

"Waiting to die apparently," Zoom-Zoom said faintly. "Being terrified," he squeaked. "Really, really terrified. Fearing for my life. Quailing in terror. Regretting life choices. Regretting everything."

The minibot shot his legs a quick frown, like they personally responsible for this entire situation. Which they totally were. They'd walked him in here, after all, the damn traitors.

Finally remembering how to operate them, Zoom-Zoom skittered back. "I have no idea why I'm here," he moaned. "I shouldn't be."

[Deleted]

For a minute or two Maximus said nothing.

He seethed.

He had been warned - warned! - ahead of time that the minibot would be on site. Optimus and Agent Fowler had hashed it out. On paper, it was admittedly for a good reason: to bring Zoom-Zoom up to spec on the human military-grade defensive software that could be expected from a militia like MECH. Black Rock hosted many engineering specialists in that field. It was the sort of training the Autobots couldn't afford to neglect, not when MECH was apparently going out of their way to get a hands-on education in Cybertronian neural processing.

On paper, the briefing he had been given regarding Zoom-Zoom's itinerary had been sound. Maximus had given it a grudging pass once he had memorized it and realised he could go about his day to day activities without crossing paths with the mouthy infiltrator. Agent Fowler had given him a strange look but hadn't commented on Maximus' vehemence that Zoom-Zoom be kept out of his line of sight.

On paper, this sort of encounter shouldn't have happened.

ON PAPER, it was technically only a team-kill if you were all still on the same side.

Maximus kept walking as Zoom-Zoom backed up.

"Which," he said through gritted teeth, "set of. Coordinates. DID YOU USE."

[Deleted]

It did nothing for Zoom-Zoom's frazzled state of mind that Sir Stomp A Lot kept advancing on him while he was trying to put as much distance between the two mecha as he could. He almost tripped over a crate of something -knowing his luck, probably something important- as he backed up and away. The minibot however had elected to keep his optics forward and on the big, dangerous mech in front of him, not on where he was going.

Set of co-ordinates…?

What…?

"...there's more than one?" he asked weakly.

Oh, he was so very dead.

[Deleted]

"There are two," growled Maximus. "One set deposits new arrivals on the main ramp over by the administrative buildings. And the second unofficial set lead to my doorstep, which is apparently the one you left plugged into the ground bridge."

In retrospect, this was probably Wheeljack's fault. He was the last Autobot to use the bridge to get to the base. It occurred to Maximus that the coordinates he had used for a direct arrival at the hanger were likely still in the system.

Unfortunately, that knowledge would do nothing to remove Zoom-Zoom from his line of sight.

Maximus did not let up his menacing advance. The big hanger doors were nearby, and he subtly altered his trajectory to steer the back-pedalling minibot towards them. For an instant he entertained the notion of simply booting Zoom-Zoom out onto the ramp and possibly into the next county.

"You," he said, "are a contractor. You want the Range Management Office. This is nowhere near the Range Management Office. Do you require assistance to find the Range Management Office?"

He finally came to a halt and loomed over the minibot, his red optics blazing.

[Deleted]

There had been two sets of co-ordinates. The one Zoom-Zoom should have used and the other one that sheer misfortune had inflicted upon him, dropping him in the middle of Sir Stomp A Lot's turf. Why hadn't anyone warned him about this? It seemed like something vitally important that the people organising this field trip should have thought about. There had been so much 'Don't go near Maximus' stuff and not a single mention of "Oh, by the way, be careful with the groundbridge, there's a direct line right into Sir Stompers living room."

Zoom-Zoom decided quite firmly that this Wasn't His Fault^TM.

He kept scooting backwards, it had escaped his notice that Maximus was subtly directing him towards the door.

Do you require assistance to find the Range Management Office?"

He should say no.

He really should say no.

Behind Zoom-Zoom's visor, his optics had widened as he grappled with the decision. His self preservation urged him to reject Sir Stomp A Lot's offer. Then there was the other terrified part of him that was pointing out that he'd already fragged up the simple act of ground bridging here, did he really want to wander around the base on his own, looking for the management office by himself?

Judging by how Zoom-Zoom's day was already going and his luck in general, the minibot was paranoid that such an endeavour would result in absolute disaster and anger both Prime and Fowler. His personal feelings aside about organics, the minibot had no desire to antagonize the alliance the Bots had with the humans.

On the other servo, asking for Sir Stompers' help would probably, most definitely, absolutely end with some sort of explosion.

No, urged the overwhelming majority of Zoom-Zoom's processor.

"Yes," he croaked instead.

The minibot did a double take at his own words. His lip plates actually gave a curl of disgust at what he'd said.

But…

Zoom-Zoom shot a quick glance through the hangar doors to the base that lay beyond, then back to Sir Stompers. He worried at his lower lip plate then shrugged resignedly and sighed, deciding to own what he'd said by accident.

"Can't even ground bridge to the right place, can I?" he muttered reluctantly. "Yes, I need assistance getting to the Range Management Office. Please."