Work Text:
The Key
Legend:
"Roll Out!"- Talk
What did you say?- Thought
"*Can you read me now?*"- Comm-link and radio
--
"Remember, Darby!" called Vince from below. "I want this place spotless when I get back in the morning!"
"Yes, sir."
The dark-haired teen just watched the red head twit march out the hanger door, scoffed moments after the door closed and resumed mopping the upper platform. He dragged the mop with hard strokes as he muttered to himself.
"'I'm head of Junior Division, so you gotta do what I say. It's 'have to do as I say', sir. 'Like I care what you think, Darby, just do your work! Clean up this place for tomorrow, it's all you're good for. Pfft! Like I want your job."
Jack walks back to his mop bucket to ring out the wet yarn, gagging at the dirty result. He paused and looked over the side rail down at the motionless figure of metal laid out below him. The giant robot humanoid was shut off for the night, placed back on its charging berth, and cleaned (That was part the Junior Divisions work, with Jack being forced to do all the cleaning) for tomorrows next combat session. Ever since he had seen it in action the first week it was brought in, he was in complete awe of it. His boss, Director Silas, had brought it from some sort of skirmish against an unknown faction. He said it was a new trophy that M.E.C.H would use for their goals or whatever BS he spouted.
Immediately after bringing it to base, they began their combat tests for their remote-control systems. Jack wasn't allowed on site, but he had a perfect view from his workstation, captivated at how such a great lumbering machine could move with such precision, power, and fluid movement that made him wish Silas had never found the thing. Heck, he even witnessed the discovery that it can transform its hands into swords that could cut through titanium and even some sort of energy cannons that can blast through the most armored shields!
Despite the full control the scientists 'say' they had on it, Jack never understood why only Silas was needed to pilot it remotely or why they had to strap it down with heavy duty strappings.
Putting the mop handle against the railing, he folded his arms to lean on the rail and looked at the shielded face of the robot. Its knight-like helmeted head gleamed under the lights, he admired the blue and silver shine that seemed interwoven with the red armored torso and the lithe strong legs and blue peds gave it a majestic presence. A true masterpiece of robotic engineering, too bad it would be used for a horrific purpose under Silas.
On one bright side, whenever Jack got the night shift in the hanger, he'd would find himself talking to it. He didn't quite understand why he did so, but he had heard once anyone working in a silent environment sometimes liked having to talk to someone, especially when who or what you're talking to doesn't mind your venting.
"Well, big guy, you were quite a mess earlier. I had to get the special cleaner to get all that dirt out of you, like it'll matter; one left over speck and I'm up to my hair in 'punishment detail' and have to clean you all over again. 'Why flip burgers for a living when you could get high pay from M.E.C.H', flipping burgers don't require all that expectation, and I could deal with pushy customers to Vince's cawing," the boy laid his head on his arms. "But you, some kind of alien tech for us greedy humans to use for God knows what. Did you know they're building a copy of you in another hanger? I thought one of you was enough, but not when it comes with Director Bishop. I just think... maybe you weren't made for combat, you could probably be something like an automated gardener or librarian on whatever planet you came from. Your swords could be your trowels or the... cannons are actually... uh... bug repellents? Must be some big bad bugs for something like that if you even have plants on your planet. Anyway, we could use a giant gardener..."
The boy stopped for a few moments then hung his forehead on the folded arms and sighed harshly.
"I am a loser… I'm talking to an inanimate alien robot about gardening. Sigh, I think I'm going to quit and get therapy," he put a hand through his hair and looked back at his silent audience. "…but it won't help mom, she's got enough problems, 'just have to keep pushing forward' she always says. And if I work hard enough, maybe I'll find my perfect place out there. Not a deal for you, buddy, you've got your fate already laid out. Wish I could do something, hate to see something great like you get tarnished."
Jack straightened up and grabbed the mop. "Well, back to work."
He picks up the mop bucket and carries it down the ramp to the main floor and begins mopping again. He made a sweep around the berth when he spotted something shining on the floor in the dim hanger lights.
Putting the handle against the berth, he squatted down the take a closer look.
At first, he thought it was a jumbled mess of leftover wire. Yet, as he looked at it the more, it seemed to be a solid form of a masterfully crafted metal key with gleaming blue accents.
"Huh," he picked it up, stood up, and turned it over in his hand. Silver and blue seemed to twinkle in the lights that gave it a more… alien look. Jack looked up at the figure. “Guess that last field test finally knocked something off.”
He hesitates, he should really call in and inform the scientists about the piece, but they'll probably blame him for the damage instead and cut his pay. Anyway, the base was so fortified they never bothered to put cameras in the hanger so, what the heck. He took off his shoes, so not to leave shoe prints, jumped onto the berth, tenderly grabbed the red armor of the closest arm and began climbing up. He made sure his hands gripped where he wouldn't cut himself, and reached the chest area and sat up on his knees and looked around for some…
There.
An opening in between the windshield-like chest plates revealed a spot that had the same outline as the key-like object. Casting one last look at the strange key, Jack places it within the area, with some kind of locks surrounding the opening, and clicked the key in accordingly. He paused to see if something would happen, but after a few moments there was nothing. The black-haired teen straightened back up, placed his hands on his hips and nodded in accomplishment.
"Now you're back with all your pieces."
Feeling a little satisfied with himself Jack climbed back down, never noticing the key in its slot glow blue along with the opened two optics from the robot's head that followed the boy's decent from its body and berth.
Putting his shoes back on Jack continued his mopping, kicking the mop bucket to the next area; its squeaking wheels echoed in the hanger, making the teen cringe at the noise. After ringing out the dirty water from the mop head, he paused at a sudden metal groan echoing in the building. He shrugged after a second, having been used to the groans of the metal hanger that would echo in the night from the heat of Nevada sun of the day, and continued his task…
Thump…
He stopped, feeling the sudden vibration from the floor. He blinked. Was there a night combat training scheduled tonight, and Vince didn't tell me? He is 'head of the Junior Division' after all. He shook his head and went back to his mopping.
Thump… Whirl… Clang…
Jack stopped and straightened his back. That…didn't sound like a tank bomb aftershock.
Thump-klink… Thump-klink…
No tank bomb would go off in a pattern that sounded like foot-
Jack slowly looked into his mop bucket to see the ripples of the water with each vibration, and he shook as the sound crescendos.
Thump-clang, Thump-clang... THUMP-BOOM!
His grip on the mop handle tightened when the sound stopped, the hairs on the back of his neck bristled when he noticed the new shadow on the floor and the looming presence over him.
Don't turn, just run, don't turn, just run, don't turn, JUST…
Sadly, for Jack, his body didn't listen as he slowly turned around and all the air stopped in his throat as he saw the blue pillar-like legs before him; behind them, an empty berth with loose 'cut' strappings. He tilted his head up, and up, and up until his wide blue-gray eyes connect with the bright blue optics looking down at him.
The two stared at each other for a moment that felt like an eternity, until Jack finally took a soft, shaky breath when the giant blue helmeted head tilted slightly.
White knuckled with his grip on the mop handle, Jack slowly moved backwards toward the hanger doors, more towards the direction of the alarm button right next to the door controls. The blue optics narrowed (in amusement, maybe?) at this action and moved a large hand toward him. Jack finally turned around and scrabbled into a sprint, the mop clattered noisily on the floor when he dropped it and reached for the button.
He cried out in dismay when he got sudden vertigo from being scooped up and held in a sturdy, and surprising gentle, grip of the metal hand around his body. He tried to force the fingers to release him and struggled as he tried to call out to the outside.
"HELP! SOMEONE HELP! The robot is-!"
"I'm afraid whatever help available is being withheld and distracted at the moment."
The human stopped at the sound of the low baritone voice of a deity. He turned his head to the robot head and his jaw dropped when the mask shield suddenly retracted to reveal its true face. A silver face that bore a small gentle smile at the boy's reactions.
"But you need not fear me Jackson Darby, for I have no intention to harm you, or anyone of this base," then it frowned with brow plates, Jack noticed, over the optics that glanced at a certain direction. "Though there are some I'm reconsidering."
Jack's mind just locked up at this dream, or was it really a dream? The alien robot, no, this intelligent being, did not just…
"… You can talk, and you know my name…" the teen spoke softly with a staccato at the end.
The blue optics looked back at him, making him flinch, and then the metal being spoke in a serious tone.
"I know more than you believe Jackson, and though I would enjoy to finally have a decent conversation, we haven't much time and I have a more pressing question to ask you."
"Me?" the boy pointed to himself in shock.
"Where is the facility that holds the copy of my frame?"
"Uh… Oh yeah, that thing," Jack stammered as he pointed to the doors. "Just out this hanger and to the one down on the left."
Jack suddenly had to hold onto the metal thumb as the giant moved with surprising grace. The being then moved his free hand toward the door controls and Jack was amazed to see a shock coming from a finger and the controls activated the doors to fully open. They walked out onto the main tarmac, where he noticed that the whole base was quiet, except for some commotion at a far distance; not even a perimeter guard was seen from his elevated height. Wasn't this supposed to be the most fortified base in the country? If Jack was uneasy before, his was internally panicked now. He looked back up nervously at the blank face of his captor as they moved left to its next destination.
"Uh, will you let me go now?" the boy tried to plead. "I promise not to tell anyone what happened, I'll probably get fired anyway at the end of all this."
"The moment I release you will be when my mission is done," came the cryptic replay that had Jack groan silently. Moving down the tarmac they reached another hanger; Jack knew there should be guards here but again no one was around. What is going on around here?! "Is this the hanger?"
"Yeah, but the place is locked tighter and full of more alarms than the other hanger. I doubt you'll even-" he stopped when the being opened the hanger door with ease. "…open the door… how?"
They walked into the hanger as the lights flickered on, seeing consoles of computers circled around another berth with a near perfect copy of the being with a control seat connected next to it; for Silas to control no doubt. Before, where Jack admired the amazing engineering of the robot alien, he didn't have that same reaction of the copy. It looked to be made of metal from a junkyard that the scientists put together, the head had optics as well but unlike the bright optics of his captor, the copy's optics didn't look or feel alive. It seemed more...dead, cold... and heartless. Jack was glad he was never assigned to clean this hanger; the copy made him more unsettled, knowing full well he was in the warm metal hand of the original.
Speaking of which….
"Whoa, uh, great likeness, but totally not perfect of course," Jack nervously commented, when the being hummed in disapproval at the sight, smoke puffed out the smokestacks on its back. The teen looked back at the copy, not seeing the secret smirk on the silver face. He then cried out when suddenly moved to the being's red pauldron shoulder, was let go and forced to hold on to the armor as the now free hand opened a compartment in its other forearm and took out what looked like a black propane tube tank and placed it on the torso of the copy. Jack kept his silence, letting the being place more of the tank-like bombs around the hanger. Once done he found himself in the hand again and was carried out of the hanger, the being pulled the door closed and walked down the darkened tarmac to the main gate.
Feeling that the giant's mission was done he turned to the silent face, flinching when it's face shield reappeared as it frowned intently.
"Uh, now that that's taken care of, will you let me go now? ... Please, sir-!"
Jack suddenly became blinded as a pillar of light hits the being's body, he turned to the source and strained his eyes to see clearly. When his eyes adjusted, he paled, and his stomach dropped. So that's where all the guards went.
"…Crud."
Blocking the gate was an array of armored cars, vehicles with machine guns and missile launchers, and small tanks pointed directly at them. Search lights directed toward them lit up the night and infantry soldiers baring the M.E.C.H logo on their uniforms aimed their guns. Jack tried to make himself into a smaller target at the sight, wanting to fully disappear when he saw that his head boss, Director Silas Bishop, stand tall on top of one of the cars. The chiseled, barrel-chested gray-haired man stood like a statue in his cameos, a bullhorn in his hand was brought up to address the stoic and unsurprised metal being.
"NBE X, desist and return to hanger M7 immediately!" the graveled command called out, then his tone turned into a smug sneer. "Wonderful distraction you had for us, but we saw right through it before you've made your escape. You are surrounded and outgunned, so let's save ourselves from having to damage you and obey my commands!" The man then noticed that the robot was holding something, and had Vince, who was the car's driver, pointed the light at it. This illuminated the nervous face a black-haired teen from his youth corps. He was surprised at this for a second, and Vince made a squawk of recognition. Silas' face formed into an enraged snarl that amplified with the bullhorn. "Darby! Get down from there now!
Jack's heart pounded at the how the situation escalated. He tried to desperately call out to explain, but the metal hand gripped tighter around him as the being responded, making the soldiers, except Silas, flinch. Did he know the robot alien was alive before this moment?
"He will do no such thing. While this has been an interesting venture for me to be in your care, Director Silas Bishop, I am needed elsewhere." He paused to address the now distraught teen.
"I'm sorry for this Jackson, but I may have to kidnap you now."
Jack's brain stopped. "Huh?"
The hanger exploded into a great fireball.
The shockwave disrupted the M.E.C.H defense enough for the being to jump, and, shocking everyone present, especially Jack, transformed its whole body. Pieces of the metal frame twisted and turned while maneuvering the screaming boy into a cushioned seat within a formed cab, a seatbelt came around him and held him in place. The soldiers were in awe that the robot was now a red and blue Peterbilt truck cab that had gone over their heads, landed behind them, and headed toward the gate. Its engine roared as it slammed through the fortified doors, like they were made of bamboo blocks, and sped down the open road.
"WHAT ARE YOU ALL GAWKING AT?! FIRE AT WILL AND GET AFTER IT!"
On Silas’ furious order, the soldiers were snapped out of their shock and started firing at the escaping truck; the vehicles drove wide out of each other's firing range and proceeded on the chase.
Jack desperately tries to unbuckle himself, pausing when he hears the gunshots. He leans to look out the driver side mirror and sees the pursuing vehicles. He flies back when a bullet whizzed a bit too close to the window.
"Oh great! I'm being kidnapped by a giant robot alien, getting fired at in both sense of the term by my boss, and my mom is going to freak that my boss is firing at me while I'm being kidnapped by a giant robot alien!"
"There is no real need to panic Jackson," the teen jumped at the sudden voice of his captor through the dash speakers. The dashboard seemed to have more advanced tech than any normal semi-trucks, the windshield displaying a see-though map layout of the base's surrounding area and their location on the road speeding away from the base. The wide steering wheel moved by itself as it veered and dodged the barrage of shots and missiles at them. Jack saw an unusual symbol in the center of the wheel, a bold red face that stared back at him. He didn't know how long he stared at it when he was jolted in his seat as the terrain got bumpier when the semi swerved offroad to avoid being pincered by their pursuers.
"Ratchet, do you read me?" his captor's voice called out, at first Jack wanted to ask why he needed a ratchet tool when the being continued. "This is Optimus, objective achieved, what of your goal?"
The teen flinched when a new voice replied in the speakers.
"*M.E.C.H may have the most advanced defense networks on this planet, but it wasn't anything our scout and little genius couldn't handle.*" A cheery beep and whistle was heard. "*Yes, yes, you both did a superb job. All files have been deleted from their database; it was as if Silas never found you.*"
"Well done," the truck rapidly turned a slight skid to avoid a missile shot.
It responded by purposely running over a large rock that catapulted from its back wheels into the grill of the armored vehicle that fired the missile. Causing damage to the engine that blew out smoke and small blasts of fire, which prompted the M.E.C.H driver to hit the brakes too late as the smoke blocked their approach into a small gulch. The vehicle drove right into it, making it stop so suddenly the inertia pivoted the trunk end over and land on its canopy, causing a small explosion when the overheated missile launcher fell into a puddle of leaking fuel from the ruptured fuel tank from the crash; the soldiers barely escaped.
The red and blue semi just continued down whatever its direction was going, while Jack looked back out the window in awe after witnessing one pursuer's downfall. He jetted back in when more bullets fired back as the other vehicles gunned past their comrade's wreckage to continue the chase.
"Have the others returned safely? Is the ground bridge ready at the rendezvous?"
"*Their distraction worked perfectly and returned with no real damage, less work for me thank Primus. Coordinates set and prepped, but you'll have to accelerate, they are closing in fast, did you run into any trouble or picked up any extra cargo?*"
"Well done old friend, and... yes in a way?"
"Wait, what's going on?! Who's that?!" Jack couldn't keep quiet anymore, he just wanted this dream to end. He wanted out! "Your mission was over when you blew up the hanger, right?! I thought you were going to let me go!"
"*… Who was that? ... Optimus… Please tell me you didn't-*"
"Approaching rendezvous point," announced Optimus, Jack's eyes widened at the sight of an approaching deep canyon rim. "Activate the bridge."
"*Optimus Prime! We've had this discussion! You can't just-*"
"Ratchet…" More shots from their pursuers echoed in the dawning sky as they were closing in, the truck's belt tightened around Jack who screamed in panic and tried to hit the brakes by habit, but the cliff edge only got closer.
Silas' vehicle closed in behind them, the man furiously ordering two of his tank escorts to fire artillery.
"*STOP CUTTING ME OFF YOU SLAGGER! We already have to deal with-!*"
Artillery rounds landed next to the truck, just missing it by inches. The impacts had dirt shoot up to coat the doors and shrapnel scraping against the truck's frame, making Jack curl further into a ball as much as the seatbelt would let him.
"WE'RE GONNA DIE!"
"NOW, RACTHET!"
Silas looked on, enraged, as a swirling light of a green-blue portal appeared out of nowhere at the canyons rim, the truck drove into it, then the portal instantly disappeared without a trace. The cars and tanks stop near the cliff edge, Vince winced when Silas slammed their car door as he got out and frowned at the empty space of the canyon. He rounded on the surrounding soldiers, their fear of his anger had them backing up. "USELESS, all of you! You let them get away!" he roared as he whipped his wrist out to yell into his comm watch. "Please tell me there's something we can salvage!"
"*Sorry sir," came the nervous reply from the blast site of the destroyed hanger. "*The robot used some kind acid compound in the explosives, everything inside and perimeter of the warehouse was obliterated.*"
"Grr… at least melt down any metal you can find, we'll just rebuild."
"*Um… about that sir. All files and schematics of the alien robot and prototype were hacked and deleted from the database… it's been wiped clean, and all hard copies were burned.*"
Vince and the M.E.C.H soldiers moved further back at the reddened rage blooming on their boss's face.
Morning birds had to stop singing their dawn chorus in the canyon trees flew away at the roaring shout.
"WHAT?!"