Exploring Dead End

Warning: implied slash

"Radar clear," Dead End reported to Breakdown, who sped along the two-lane road just ahead of him. Breakdown was supposed to be the scout, and Dead End was just along as back-up; however, Dead End was the one with the radar. In practice, he ended up scouting.

Jungle loomed on either side, blocking out the view to either side; as winding as the road was, forward and backward were blocked to vision as well. Only a narrow slot of sky was in view for any distance. At least the Aerialbots weren't in range. Yet, thought Dead End dourly.

"Where's the turn-off?" Breakdown said snappishly. There were too many eyes peering out from the thatched wattle-and-lath huts they passed from time to time, he was sure of it. Eyes peering out of those dark windows, that he couldn't see, but could see him.

"Right about--there." Dead End suddenly threw on his breaks and slid into a bootlegger turn that sent him plunging violently down a twin-rut dirt track into the jungle.

Breakdown also skidded hard, then let him self roll and 'somehow' just bounce over the sliding chassis of his partner. "The energy source is this way?"

"The odd radar signals definitely are. We may find out soon--unless trees fall on us and crush us on the way in. It's probably an ambush, but since Megatron has ordered us to check out the energy source, check it out we must, though it be our doom," Dead End concluded.

The blue and cream Lambo made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a snicker and nuzzled up to the bumpers of the dark red Porsche, before being bounced away by the rough road. "If they're after the same energy source, we might ambush them!"

"Plan fast. I'm picking up multiple vehicles up ahead, at the base of one of those odd hillocks they have all over the place," Dead End said. "They probably already know we're here and have heavy weaponry ready..."

"Transform and fly, Deadster. We'll flank them!" Breakdown said, transforming as he spoke. "Stay behind my usual arc," he added as he lifted off from the ground, his vibration rifle appearing in his hands.

Dead End followed him, transforming to robot mode and lifting off. His own concussion rifle materialized in his hands. "It's been good working with you, Breakdown."

"Hold off on the eulogy, Deadster," Breakdown said, a feral grin spreading across his face as he flew over the jungle canopy, just barely skimming the leaves. The taller treetops loomed over them like cumulous clouds over a jet.

"There!" he pointed toward a break in the canopy and swooped down. Dead End swung his rifle forward and followed; ahead of him, he could hear the cacophonious vibration of an engine horribly out of sync, gears and cams clashing as if to tear the engine apart. Breakdown's engine, however, wasn't tearing itself apart; it tore other engines apart. His rifle merely focussed that power for greater range.

Men shouted and ran for cover, or jumped on to trucks as the two giant robots descended from the sky. Assault rifles chattered at them from the jungle; Breakdown pointed his rifle at the lead truck. Its engine screeched and then halted with a horrid bang; smoke trickled out from under the hood as dark-haired, bronze-skinned men piled out and ran for the jungle.

Dead End fired off a few desultory shots at the largest concentration of muzzle flashes; trees exploded into splinters and came crashing down. The chattering guns stopped amid screams; a few desultory shots from other directions and they, too, fell silent.

"I don't see what the Combaticons find so entertaining about these people," Dead End said dourly. "That wasn't a fight. It wouldn't have been a decent ambush even if they had surprised us." He seemed disappointed that his predictions of doom were unlikely to come true.

Breakdown laughed harshly. "Well, we could call the Autobots and tell them what we're up to! Would that be fun?"

"Oh yes, right up to the point where they disassemble our laser-riddled corpses," Dead End said, prodding one of the stalled trucks gingerly with his rifle. "Oh my. I think I found what they were digging up." He pulled the ragtop back to reveal a large box, carefully strapped down to the bed of the truck.

Breakdown tore back the canvas cover off the other truck. "More of these squishy creatures gawking--eh." Breakdown frowned at the truck's cargo, then threw a couple of the boxes to the ground, breaking them open. "Nothing but ordinance and digging tools."

He came over and scowled at Dead End's find. "How do you know it's not just more supplies?"

Dead End's visor brightened as he glanced at Breakdown. The battle-mask hid his expression, but his tone suggested a wide smirk. "Because it's radiating."

"Oh!" Breakdown quickly ripped off the box lid to reveal... leaves. "Leaves?" He pawed through the vegetation and his fingers clinked against something much more substantial.

"Packing material," Dead End guessed. "No wild foam trees growing in this jungle."

"Yes!" Breakdown threw the leaves carelessly over his shoulder, liberally covering Dead End with impromptu camouflage, and quickly revealed a man-sized jade cylinder, intricately carved. "What is that?"

"I don't know, but Megatron wants it," Dead End replied.

"How nice of the humans to dig it up for us!" Breakdown said with a quick smirk. "Archaeology is useful, isn't it?"

Dead End looked at the load of ammo and machine-guns in the other truck. "I don't think these fellows were archaeologists, exactly."

Breakdown followed his gaze. "Tomb robbers! I beat that game!" He pointed at the suspiciously regular hillock and the tunnel dug into the side of it. "Let's see if there's more!"

"Mmm." Dead End looked up at the sun. "We're ahead of schedule. Plenty of time to check for more, and probably have the entire pyramid cave in and bury us."

Breakdown snickered as he trotted toward the tomb robber's crude excavation. "Just keep talking that way!" He halted just at the entrance. "One more thing..."

"...when this rock buries us, the mysterious radiations will block our emergency beacons and no one will know where we are until long after our fuel runs down? Not to mention that in this humidity, we'll probably start rusting while still alive, helpless in stasis lock," Dead End intoned as he followed Breakdown.

Breakdown quivered with subtle vibrations, his eyes bright. "Oh yes, that too, but..." His fingers drifted up to touch Dead End's mask. "There are no cameras to watch us in the dark!"

* * *

Indeed, there were not, nor were there any witnesses to contradict the two Stunticons' tale of a prolonged pursuit through the jungle before retrieving Megatron's prize. Their scuffed and dirty appearances only lent credence to their report; after all, Dead End and Breakdown had retrieved the mysterious energy source, which was what mattered.

It still bothered Motormaster that he didn't know what his two teammates were looking so damn happy about...

-- The End --