Ep 1.5 Special Delivery (Closed)

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Wheeljack’s quick thinking and nimble manoeuvre earned him an approving whoop from a few of the soldiers gathered by the Jeeps. Judging by the laughter that followed the human personnel of the test site were starting to get into the show. Most of them never got a chance to see one Autobot in action, let alone two.

The heavy sword roared beneath Wheeljack, tearing up a cloud of dust in his wake. Its momentum carried Maximus’ arms and shoulders through a wide arc with it, but the big mech recovered hastily, already seeking out his quick–moving target.

When he spotted the Wrecker’ blade darting off his side in his red optics widened in surprise, then narrowed.

Maximus laughed. And moved.

The barking clang of the sword hitting his palm echoed across the range.

The dust settled. When it had thinned to a haze Wheeljack would discover that his sword was trapped in one of Maximus’ armoured fists. The warden had let go of his sword with one hand and snatched the blade out of the air, lightning fast. He held it firmly, a hair’s breath away from striking his knuckles.

The warden leaned down.

“Got you now,” he said. “You jumpy bastard.”

Maximus crouched slightly, gathering power.

There was no malice in the red optics as the big mech flung his arm outward. He let go of the sword at the apex of the swing, seeking to either tear it from Wheeljack’s grip and throw it into the desert, or else simply hurl the Wrecker away with it if Wheeljack refused to relinquish his blade.

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Focused as he was, Wheeljack didn't hear the cheers of approval from the watching soldiers. But the sound of Fort Max laughing? That was enough to drive him out of the narrow focus he'd fallen into. An answering smile spread across his face at the sound.

His sword flashed. Fort Max's arm moved. And suddenly, his blade was in the big mech's grip.

For a heartbeat, nothing moved.

The Wrecker tilted his head, examining the situation he was in. Wheeljack didn't bother trying to tug or reclaim his blade, it would pit his strength against Fort Max's and that was a battle he would lose. Instead, he waited to see what the big mech would do.

“Got you now. You jumpy bastard.”

The smile blossomed into a full slag eating grin. "Do you, really?" he wondered, cockily.

With his one arm, Fort Max hauled his arm up, intending to fling the blade from Wheeljack's grasp. The Wrecker didn't fight it, he let the blade slide from his servo as Fort Max's arm rose in the air. Instead, Wheeljack ran forward, leapt and-

-Landed lightly on that still outstretched arm. He jumped again, using Fort Max as a launch pad, front flipping and grabbing his blade before it went too high in the air. Swiftly, he slid the flat edge of the blade beneath his pedes to protect them. Then gravity claimed the Wrecker and brought him down.

He should landed directly on the flat edge of large blade being held on the other side of Fort Max. Wheeljack's weight would be more than enough to rip the blade from the big mech's grasp. If the big mech 's grip had changed when Wheeljack had used him as launch pad, altering the orientation of his sword, then the one beneath Wheeljack's pedes would protect him from its sharp edge.

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No sooner did Wheeljack's foot spring off Maximus’ forearm than the big mech realised he had been thwarted.

He stepped back, his head upturned as he watched the Wrecker pinwheel high overhead, twisting to snatch back his sword. As Wheeljack began his descent Maximus lowered himself into a tense stance and eyed him with silent calculation, his grip tight over the great blade.

The Wrecker struck - and so did Maximus.

Protected by his own blade, Wheeljack’s feet cracked into Maximus’ sword. But by then the big mech had already wound back to deliver his own smashing blow. It tore upwards and collided into Wheeljack with pulverizing force.

Maximus swore as the impact reverberated up his arms and slammed the sword from his grip. The heavy blade hit the desert floor, clattering and vibrating. By then Maximus had already rolled backwards, vaulting to his feet a short distance away. The big mech landed in a crouch, his treads flattened back and the fingertips of one hand touched to the ground.

“Damn,” he grunted. He ruefully shook out the other hand. “Nice move. Guess I’m unarmed now.”

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Wheeljack's moment of triumph was swiftly transformed into a painful one. Sure, he'd managed a disarm but it came with a heavy blow right in his back. The move had been a risky one, normally he'd have attempted to decapitated his opponent just before the jump, rather than trying for a disarm. His armor bore the impact well, but his neural net briefly lit up in pain before he dulled the feedback. The Wrecker hissed, stumbling forward off the blades. Then, he kicked forward into a roll, in case another one blow was coming, to put some distance between them. He came up out of the roll with a twist so that he was settled into a defensive combat stance facing Max at the end of it.

A smirk pulled at Wheeljack's scarred lip plates. "Not so bad yourself," he acknowledged. His right servo flexed to emphasize its emptiness.

Warily, Wheeljack eyed the warden in front of him now. The battlefield had completely transformed with this twist. Fort Max would no longer be slowed down by a unwieldy weapon he was unfamiliar with. And as Wheeljack knew very well, the big mech was absolute murder with his fists.

The Wrecker tilted his chin up arrogantly. His posture briefly shifted to a 'Come at me, bro,' stance before falling back defensively.

"Your move."

Because only a Wrecker would be insane enough to taunt the warden.

He was probably going to regret everything at the end of this battle. But it was so going to be worth it.

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Maximus rose up from his crouch, shrugging dust from his back as he did so.

The crowd behind them had grown as more soldiers and control staff wandered through the parking area and hung around to watch. Now nearly a dozen men loitered at the bunkers, some carrying rifles and others files and coffee cups and briefcases. Their laughter rang over the desert. The occasional cat call or cheer did as well.

Sunlight gleamed off the dusty shoulders of the warden as he straightened to his full height and glanced back at the noise. For a moment Maximus studied their straggling audience, his brow drawn in perplexity. Then he shook his head and rounded back on Wheeljack.

He took in the Wrecker’s undaunted air, the bold glint in his optic.

“My turn?” said Maximus. “All right, then.”

With something akin to good–humour the warden casually stretched one arm across his chassis and then back, crooking the elbow joint. The big frame responded with a soft whir as freshly rebuilt actuators and tensile cords shifted, relaxed with heat. Though he still looked tired, there was a light in Maximus’ red optics that had not been there before.

Unhurried, Maximus turned to the side and slid one foot back through the dirt, planting himself firmly into a low stance. His armoured forearms raised, the hands open and ready. A quiet breath rushed through his frame as he cycled cool air through his plating, huffing out dust.

Then he charged.

Maximus kicked off into a sprint, his foot throwing up a plume of dust behind him. With ground eating strides he closed the distance between the two Autobots fast, pounding flat a trail of prints into the cracked earth behind him. At the last moment he leapt, launching himself into the full glare of the sun. It eclipsed his body in a blinding corona, whiting him briefly from sight –

And then he struck, wheeling one armoured leg around as he came slamming back down to earth directly above Wheeljack, his foot extended to catch the Wrecker squarely in the chest.

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With the distance between them, Wheeljack awareness had expanded enough to notice the growing human crowd. Briefly, he quirked an optic as he glanced over towards them. His smug grin grew at their audience before he returned his attention to his opponent.

Fort Max stretched out an arm and yeah, Wheeljack was probably going to be having some large dents beaten into him sometime soon. The leisurely pace at which the big mech moved belied the powerful grace of his massive frame. Wheeljack was going to have to be quick on his pedes because despite his size, he knew Fort Max moved ridiculously fast.

The big mech settled himself and Wheeljack knew he was going to make a move. The Wrecker prepared himself, mentally calculating the distance between them and his knowledge of Fort Max's speed to get a rough idea of just when he needed to dodge. He wasn't disappointed, Fort Max's threw himself into a charge directly that hurtled over the ground frightfully fast.

The Wrecker tensed. Got ready to throw himself to the side in a roll. Most mecha would have done so already but that would just give Fort Max a chance to alter his path and go after them. No, you needed to dodge the big mech at the last possible moment so his momentum would carry him past-

Or Fort Max could jump so that wasn't going to be an issue at all.

Wheeljack didn't look up, he threw himself to the side. Once you were airborne, altering your path tends to be a smidge bit difficult barring outside interference, so he didn't worry about taking his optics off his opponent briefly. Dust and gravel was stirred and swirled up into the air as the Wrecker's body rolled against the ground. He sprang up to his pedes again and immediately lunged forward, a fist cocked and pulled back, meant to slam the warden in the back like he'd done only moments before.

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Maximus hit the earth hard.

The desert cratered at the point of impact, throwing up chunks of dirt and rock. Maximus allowed the landing to drive him into a crouch, his feet spread for balance. Already he was turning to meet Wheeljack's attack head on, his red optics gleaming through the dust haze.

The Wrecker's fist lashed out. Maximus twisted and leaned backwards in order to let the blow whiff past his abdomen, dust swirling in its wake. In an instant his own hand shot out, seizing hold of the punch at the wrist. Maximus yanked hard, pulling Wheeljack's arm almost painfully straight to pin the Wrecker in place in front of him.

Dust settled around the Autobots, locked together thanks to Maximus' firm grip. Then Wheeljack would hear an odd rumble at his back.

Maximus was laughing.

"Sorry," he chuckled. "It was a good try, though. But if this next one lands, it's probably gonna hurt."

The big mech drew back his elbow and brought it smashing down towards the joint between Wheeljack's head and his shoulder.

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Hmmph. Cocky, cocky, should have stayed on the defensive till he got a better measure on Fort Max. It was one thing to watch him and pick up a few things, fighting the Warden was another game altogether. Wheeljack had overstretched himself, his right arm pulled tight. Knowing that he couldn't retrieve it from Fort Max's grasp meant that he didn't try to pull it back.

"True," Wheeljack agreed simply. "If it lands."

His arm was trapped in Fort Max's grasp. The rest of him wasn't. He could still move forwards, inwards, just not backwards and away. Wheeljack's knees bent slightly, his body tensed and he jumped, using that captured arm to twist him around completely upwards. He placed both pedes at the big mech's chest and kicked backwards, trying to rip himself out of the big mech's grasp. If the move worked, he'd have only a few moments to complete the flip and right himself before falling to the ground.

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Both feet slammed squarely into the warden's chest, knocking him backwards.

Wheeljack would feel the grip on his forearm relax as Maximus staggered back. The release would allow him to flip away, gaining valuable distance before gravity brought him back to earth.

But Maximus had no intention of letting him off that easy.

The big mech recovered his footing quickly. Immediately he narrowed his optics and took a step after Wheeljack, then another. On the third he crouched and sprang into flight, leaping hard. He was not as fast as the Wrecker, but his strength meant that he was just as capable of taking the fight into aerial quarters as the smaller mech was. In an instant he had closed in again, already winding back his arm.

With a scissoring kick of his legs he wheeled in midair. His own closed fist lashed out, seeking to strike Wheeljack in the back before the Wrecker could right himself and drop down out of range like a cat.

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He was free but by the looks of things, that wasn't going to last. Fort Max was fast and relentless.

Mid-air and upside down, Wheeljack frowned to himself. He wasn't going to make it.

Or at least, he didn't have enough time to get his legs underneath him before he got a fist in his back. The Wrecker reached out, reached down. His servos barely brushed the ground, sword still clenched in his grasp. It was enough, he pushed against the Earth, swivelled his body and up into another flip, still carrying him the same direction as before but further away and hopefully out of the way of that oncoming punch.

Wheeljack didn't doubt that even if the move was successful, he'd still be hard-pressed to keep up a defence. If it didn't...well, he'd be smashed into the ground with all of Fort Max's weight behind him. And even the Wrecker wasn't sure he'd be getting back up from that one.

This fight was turning out great.

[Deleted]

The deft move spared Wheeljack the pain of getting a fist in the back.

Behind him he would hear the crunch of Maximus landing exactly where he had touched earth an instant before. Seconds later he would hear the whir of joints and the whistling rush of the warden leaping again in pursuit.

There was a moment of weightlessness as the Wrecker pivoted in the air, trailing a thin line of dust behind him.

Hands seized him by the heavy collar of white armour that lay over his chassis.

In a heartbeat the desert turned into a dizzying blur of tan rock and blue sky as he was abruptly spun in midair. Rotating with him was the warden, who had used the momentum of his own leap to send them both hurtling upwards head over foot in a controlled flip. With his hands still fixed securely around Wheeljack's collar Maximus arched, gathered his legs beneath himself, and allowed gravity to take over.

Wheeljack would hit the desert floor flat on his back.

The impact was hard enough to crack the sun-baked dirt beneath him. A large body blocked out the sun overhead.

An instant later the ground thundered as Maximus' legs hammered down into the earth, throwing up dust. The big mech landed astride the Wrecker, one foot to either side of his knees. He loomed in a crouch, breathing hard, his expression pained. Evidently the aerial manoeuvre had cost him, and he was enduring it stoically.

With one fist still balled into the collar of Wheeljack's throat, Maximus hauled back his other fist.

"Give up?" he said.

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Wheeljack's flight through the air suddenly changed directions abruptly. The world spun dizzily as a pair of armoured servos grasped the Wrecker.

It happened fast.

As Wheeljack had noted several times during the fight, Fort Max really did have him beat on strength. The Wrecker couldn't get free, not in the air like this with nothing for leverage.

He hit the ground hard.

Pain radiated up along his back from the impact, his frame rattled down to its very struts. Dust whipped up around the Wrecker's body. The metal pieces on his back were flattened but they were more artefacts from his alt mode than vital components to his frame. It took Wheeljack a couple of moments to recover.

Too late.

Two massive pedes sunk into the ground on either side of Wheeljack's legs. That massive servo gripped his collar as the other pulled back in warning. Despite this, Wheeljack snorted at the question.

"'m Wrecker, Fortress. I don't know the meaning of those words."

His back tensed as his legs curled back and hooked around Fort Max's thighs. He let go of his sword, figuring at this point there was no reason to hold onto it, since his move set with it was restricted if he was going to have to pull his blows. Wheeljack's legs heaved, hauling the Wrecker up and allowing his servos to latch onto Fort Max's shoulders.

Wheeljack's legs unwound their grip. His knees bent, his pedes temporally bracing against Fort Max's thighs before he kicked off, using his grip on Max's shoulders to swing his body up and around, over the warden's head. He twisted, letting go at the same time so when Wheeljack's pedes came down onto Fort Max's back, he was able to jump backwards, kicking off Fort Max's body and finally putting some distance between the two.

The Wrecker landed, facing forward, with his knees bent as he slid a few feet through the dirt. After going all through this effort to recover from a failed attack, warily, Wheeljack waited for the warden's next move.

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There was an exclamation of shock from Maximus as the Wrecker nimbly scaled his chassis before kicking away. By the time he landed a safe distance away Maximus already whirled around to confront him, his fists raised.

A mixture of frustration and amusement lingered just behind the warden’s optics.

“Thought I had you that time,” he said.

He nodded briefly with his chin, motioning to the soldiers gathered on the slight rise behind them. The crowd at the bunker was jostling and laughing. Some of them clapped. Evidently they had been just as surprised by Wheeljack’s neat evasion of the pin as Maximus had been.

Maximus worked his feet into the earth, lowering into a combat stance. The big frame hissed as spent hydraulic pressure was ejected through lateral vents in his back, blasting a cloud of dust from his plating. He lifted one hand and wiped his optics briefly with his thumb, shook his head as if to clear it. When he settled back he looked weary, but intent.

“All right,” he said. “Round two.”

Maximus lunged.

This time he did not bother with vaulting into the attack. Instead he kept his feet planted as he charged into close quarters, his legs pounding into the earth, the big frame radiating heat. With a feint at Wheeljack’s chest he pivoted sharply on one foot, wheeling into a flanking position. In one motion Maximus crouched low, legs spread for power, and lashed out with a vicious backfist, aiming to ram his armoured knuckles squarely into Wheeljack’s side.

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"Gonna have to work harder than that to bring me down," the Wrecker boasted. Never mind that that last one had been a close call. It had worked and that was all the matter. Wheeljack just smirked broadly at the shocked responses, both from Max and the watching crowd.

The Wrecker settled himself into a defensive combat stance. He briefly arched his back to work out the kinks from that heavy fall he'd just taken, the metal pieces of his back flaring as they straightened up. Fresh coolant was cycled through his lines. The air was hot and all this activity certainly wasn't doing the two bots any favors. Despite this, Wheeljack was still feeling pumped. Energised. It had been too long since he'd had a friendly fight like this. Fort Max was pushing him hard and not giving any quarter. Wheeljack was constantly at his limits, he wasn't keeping ahead, he was barely keeping up with the warden. It was a rare mech that could drive the Wrecker to the very edge of his skill.

"Round two huh?" Wheeljack grinned boldly, like there wasn’t an impending a slagload of tank about to come thundering at him. "Let's dance."

This time, when the warden charged, Wheeljack was alert for any last minute tricks. Unlike before when he'd been expecting a straight charge, Wheeljack knew that the front on attack was likely to melt into something else. He raised a forearm to block his chest except Fort Max pivoted to the side and crouched low, lashing out at his side. A feint huh? The Wrecker decided to go with it. Quickly, he bent the knee closest to Fort Max, lifted his other pede and swiveled sharply, aiming to use Fort Max's fist as a foothold to launch a kick at the warden's head.

[Deleted]

There was too much power behind the backfist for it to be deflected - it slammed into Wheeljack's side with crushing force. However, the Wrecker was not yet out of luck.

His foot connected with the fist, allowing him to propel himself into an equally nasty kick. And it struck, connecting solidly with the side of Maximus' unguarded helm, hard enough to snap it to the side.

The big mech staggered.

He fell sideways onto one leg before catching himself with a cough; energon flaked his lip and chin. The scattered crowd at the bunker loudly cheered their support for the Wrecker, but in the close and dusty space between them Wheeljack would be able to see that the kick had done damage - Maximus' optics flickered briefly as the warden shook his head in an attempt to clear it.

However, when Maximus looked around again he did not seem to resent the blow. He nodded, a quick acknowledgement of the hit.

"Nice one," he said.

He tensed, gathering himself. But this time he did not lunge straight for the Wrecker, instead backing off with his armoured forearms raised warily. Maximus circled, allowing Wheeljack the opportunity to collect himself and launch his own assault.