Transformers Regenerated / WALL-E: Chapter Five

CHAPTER FIVE

    The earth was shaking.

    Benjamin McCrea, former captain of the Axiom, recalled reading about such occurrences, which were called earthquakes. He also knew that they were disastrous events, and thus he shot out of his office chair and rushed outside to warn the rest of the human colony.

    He quickly found that there was no need; everyone was already gathered outside. And earthquakes were not to blame for the shaking; rather it was something that boggled everyone's mind, for such a thing to happen was virtually impossible.

    The Axiom, devoid of passengers and crew, was lifting up from Earth.

*  *  *

    "This is bad, isn't it?" Skids murmured as the blue sky gradually turned into black space before the ship's viewport. "This is part of some diabolical plan, isn't it?"

    "'Diabolic' is too harsh a word," Windtrail scoffed. "Yes, it is something you Autobots would oppose, but that's to be expected. It's almost mandatory by now."

    Skids opened his mouth to further question the Decepticon about his plan but decided against it. He was about to witness its fruition anyway, and he was helpless to stop it.

    For the time being, at least.

    He glanced at WALL-E and EVE. The two Earth robots were huddled together in a corner, watched over by Viral. By the way they were looking fearfully and disdainfully at the steering wheel robot known as AUTO, he could tell they obviously recognized him-- and that this was not a happy reunion.

    After having spent several minutes punching in random commands into the computer, AUTO finally turned around to face Windtrail. When he spoke, his voice came out as a flat, emotionless monotone.

    "BnL starliner Exodus had responded to the frequency."

    "Excellent," Windtrail said with a grin full of mad glee. "Continue hailing the rest. Soon we shall have the entire fleet amassed in no time!"

    As AUTO went back to work, Skids looked at Windtrail curiously. "Wait. This is your plan? To gather a fleet of human-made ships?"

    "It's the first part of it," the Decepticon briskly replied.

    "But wouldn't-- oh, I don't know-- Decepticon ships be more useful?"

    Windtrail scowled at him. "If it were, I wouldn't be doing this. And I shall have you know that I'm growing tired of your tongue."

    Before Skids could fire a sharp retort at him, he was being dragged by his stasis cuffs by Fearstorm. Meanwhile, WALL-E and EVE had been restrained with a red cord-like device by Viral.

    "Take them to the Repair Ward," Windtrail ordered his two cronies. "Have the two Earth robots' memories wiped so that Viral can control them. And as for the Autobot--"

    He didn't have time to finish his sentence. Shooting out from between WALL-E's optics was a red cutting laser which sliced through Skids' cuffs, disabling them. The Autobot was then upon Windtrail, pinning the Seeker down while aiming an arm blaster at his forehead.

    "Always search people for hidden gadgets," Skids said with a broad grin.

    Windtrail snarled as he wrenched an arm free from Skids' hold and punched the Autobot in the side of the head. As Skids backed away, a pair of gatling guns folded out of Windtrail's arms and he began firing them.

    Dodging the bullets, Skids charged towards WALL-E and EVE and grabbed them with both arms. He then ran towards a window and crashed through it, dropping to the Lido Deck below. Upon landing, the Autobot agent morphed into his hatchback form and drove off.

    Windtrail watched them flee with baleful optics. Then, to AUTO, he said, "Dispatch all security bots."

    "Aye, aye, sir," was the monotonous reply.

    Fearstorm stepped forward. "With all due respect, boss, those so-called security bots will be no match against someone like Skids, or even that probe bot."

    Windtrail chuckled darkly. "Oh, they're not going to do anything to stop them. They're just going to help us hunt them down."

*  *  *

    WALL-E had never been inside an automobile before, alien or not. As such, he was quite fascinated by the interior of Skids' vehicle mode. Before him were all sorts of buttons and switches like none he had seen before. It didn't take long for curiosity to get the best of him.

    His optics first fell on a gray dial, which had red and blue bars on either side of it. He turned it to one side and a gust of air blew into his face; he immediately turned it off. He then moved his hand towards a shiny, silver dial and turned it; nothing happened. Confused, he pressed a button just below it.

    "Whoa, we're halfway there! Whoa, livin' on a prayer--!"

    Startled by this sudden outburst of music, WALL-E quickly pressed the button again, turning off the radio. He glanced at EVE, who was giving him an admonishing look.

    "Sorry," he said quietly, tucking his hands away and lowering his head.

    "Yeah, it'd be best if you simply kept your hands to yourself," Skids' voice sounded in the vehicle's interior. "Don't want you pressing a button and causing a missile to go off and blow us up."

    WALL-E yelped at this and tucked himself further into his box form.

    Eventually, Skids drove to a stop in the middle of a corridor. Once WALL-E and EVE had gotten out, the Autobot morphed into robot mode.

    "Okay, since I've never been on a ship like this before, I'm going to need your guys' help," Skids said. "So, that AUTO, er, bot; he's connected to this ship, right? He can control it?"

    "Yes." EVE's tone was bitter and WALL-E shifted his treads at the mention of the Autopilot. Even after six months, WALL-E's near-death experience that resulted from AUTO's actions was still fresh in his and EVE's memories.

    Skids seemed to gather as much from their expressions. "And you don't like him. Okay. So if we take out AUTO, then Windtrail can't control the ship. Easy as Energon pie."

    "How?" WALL-E asked. He pointed back in the direction they had come from, towards the bridge. "Bad robots... there."

    Skids grinned. "Don't worry. All I need is a security terminal... and an old friend of mine."

-

    "Living On A Prayer" is a song by Bon Jovi. Just want to get that disclaimer out of the way.