stopped. Furthermore, the slowly drifting fighters were approaching a fog bank that made singling out potential targets even more difficult. If the battle was swallowed up by the fog, then …
An inability to successfully lock onto a target was not the only reason the captain suddenly straightened.“Oh my God,” he muttered in abrupt recognition. An anxious Epps came up alongside him.
“What is it, Captain? What’s wrong?”
Lennox didn’t look over at the tech sergeant. His gaze was mesmerized by the mist that was about to envelop the mechanical combatants.
“I just realized how far downriver we’ve come.”
He was about to elaborate when a sound between a roar and a hiss caused both soldiers to look upstream. Something was rocketing in their direction, moving fast and sending up a fishtail of water behind it.
Beachbreak, finally in his element. And he wasn’t alone.
Seated in the driver’s seat but freed from any need to steer was a sweating Petr Andronov. Despite the rocking and bouncing, he was trying to balance something on the stealth Jet Ski’s front. Lennox was able to make out the strange weapon the Russian had brought with him. Seated directly behind him in the passenger’s seat was Kaminari Ishihara. As the two men on shore looked on aghast, despite the danger she rose to a standing position and began sighting her own weapon.
Putting down the launcher, a frantic Lennox began waving his arms to try and draw attention to himself. Not from the new arrivals, who thanks to Beachbreak’s abilities were reasonably safe, but in an attempt to alert the other Autobots. It was becoming increasingly, dangerously clear why the Decepticons had chosen to forgo the use of heavy weaponry in favor of hand-to-hand combat. Their choice had nothing to do with tradition, custom, or an inbuilt need to physically demolish their opponents.
They were not called Decepticons for nothing.
Ratchet was first to realize the gravity of the changed circumstances and try to break off the fight. Turning, he began struggling against the current as he fought to make his way toward the shore where the two human soldiers continued to gesticulate wildly. Dropkick fired one shot after him. On land it would have struck the retreating Autobot square in the lower back. In the river, however, the force of the detonation was swallowed up by the now raging, foaming current that reached to Ratchet’s shoulders. Frustrated but realizing that pursuit would expose him to whatever surprise the land-based humans might have waiting, the Decepticon also turned away and began fighting to make his way to the opposite bank.
Farther downstream, Payload and Ironhide were still locked in combat. With one shoulder damaged, Ironhide was having a hard time fending off the increasingly potent attacks of his enemy. Payload was reaching back to deliver still another ferocious blow when suddenly he began to twitch, then to shake violently. Turning and looking down, he saw that something had attached itself to his left side. As he reached for it, Petr fired his weapon again. A second small flat object fastened itself to the Decepticon’s flank, at which point Payload’s contortions intensified. Bringing down his massive fist, he tried to pulverize the small craft that was racing back and forth just upstream from where he was standing. But the Jet Ski was far too agile, and the intended deadly blow crushed only water.
As the Decepticon’s fist descended beneath the surfaceof the river, Beachbreak zoomed in anew. The Russian was reloading, but nothing prevented Kaminari from leaning dangerously over the side. Clinging with one hand to her grip on Beachbreak’s back, she extended herself as far as possible and fired her EMP. She and the designers she had worked with at Tsukuba hoped that the sharp pulse generated by the device would be capable of interrupting the energy flow of any internally powered machine. It had only been built with the aid of computer
An inability to successfully lock onto a target was not the only reason the captain suddenly straightened.“Oh my God,” he muttered in abrupt recognition. An anxious Epps came up alongside him.
“What is it, Captain? What’s wrong?”
Lennox didn’t look over at the tech sergeant. His gaze was mesmerized by the mist that was about to envelop the mechanical combatants.
“I just realized how far downriver we’ve come.”
He was about to elaborate when a sound between a roar and a hiss caused both soldiers to look upstream. Something was rocketing in their direction, moving fast and sending up a fishtail of water behind it.
Beachbreak, finally in his element. And he wasn’t alone.
Seated in the driver’s seat but freed from any need to steer was a sweating Petr Andronov. Despite the rocking and bouncing, he was trying to balance something on the stealth Jet Ski’s front. Lennox was able to make out the strange weapon the Russian had brought with him. Seated directly behind him in the passenger’s seat was Kaminari Ishihara. As the two men on shore looked on aghast, despite the danger she rose to a standing position and began sighting her own weapon.
Putting down the launcher, a frantic Lennox began waving his arms to try and draw attention to himself. Not from the new arrivals, who thanks to Beachbreak’s abilities were reasonably safe, but in an attempt to alert the other Autobots. It was becoming increasingly, dangerously clear why the Decepticons had chosen to forgo the use of heavy weaponry in favor of hand-to-hand combat. Their choice had nothing to do with tradition, custom, or an inbuilt need to physically demolish their opponents.
They were not called Decepticons for nothing.
Ratchet was first to realize the gravity of the changed circumstances and try to break off the fight. Turning, he began struggling against the current as he fought to make his way toward the shore where the two human soldiers continued to gesticulate wildly. Dropkick fired one shot after him. On land it would have struck the retreating Autobot square in the lower back. In the river, however, the force of the detonation was swallowed up by the now raging, foaming current that reached to Ratchet’s shoulders. Frustrated but realizing that pursuit would expose him to whatever surprise the land-based humans might have waiting, the Decepticon also turned away and began fighting to make his way to the opposite bank.
Farther downstream, Payload and Ironhide were still locked in combat. With one shoulder damaged, Ironhide was having a hard time fending off the increasingly potent attacks of his enemy. Payload was reaching back to deliver still another ferocious blow when suddenly he began to twitch, then to shake violently. Turning and looking down, he saw that something had attached itself to his left side. As he reached for it, Petr fired his weapon again. A second small flat object fastened itself to the Decepticon’s flank, at which point Payload’s contortions intensified. Bringing down his massive fist, he tried to pulverize the small craft that was racing back and forth just upstream from where he was standing. But the Jet Ski was far too agile, and the intended deadly blow crushed only water.
As the Decepticon’s fist descended beneath the surfaceof the river, Beachbreak zoomed in anew. The Russian was reloading, but nothing prevented Kaminari from leaning dangerously over the side. Clinging with one hand to her grip on Beachbreak’s back, she extended herself as far as possible and fired her EMP. She and the designers she had worked with at Tsukuba hoped that the sharp pulse generated by the device would be capable of interrupting the energy flow of any internally powered machine. It had only been built with the aid of computer
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