3rd Person POV
Autobot Base
Dante leaned against the wall of the new Autobot base, watching as Raf and Ratchet opened a Groundbridge.
"Return trajectory fluctuations have been stabilized," Raf reported.
Ratchet nodded and accessed the comm. "Ultra Magnus, we are ready to receive you."
Ultra Magnus rolled into the base in vehicle mode, an Energon cube on his back that Bee quickly took before the 'commander' transformed. "We didn't find much else in the rubble of the former base," he reported.
"You call this 'not much else'?" Wheeljack asked, walking through the Groundbridge and holding up a ball of scrap. He threw it toward Bulkhead, but he wasn't ready, and it rebounded off his chest and toward Arcee.
Jumping forward, Dante formed a shield and deflected it into a wall.
"Wheeljack!" Ratchet shouted. "You could have caused serious damage!"
"To me!" Miko snapped getting up from where she had dodged the ball.
Dante smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. But I wasn't about to let my girlfriend get hit."
Arcee punched him.
"But it seems like the feeling isn't mutual," he added, dodging a kick.
"A little help here?"
Dante and Katie barely managed to stifle laughs as they realized the ball had landed in front of Fowler's office, pinning the door shut.
"What were you thinking, soldier?" Ultra Magnus demanded.
"I was thinking... Bulk could catch that lob," Wheeljack countered, shrugging.
"Allow me to make myself clear," Ultra Magnus said. "As Optimus Prime's second in command, I have no intention of tolerating Wrecker behavior."
Wheeljack glared at him for a long moment. "Some things never change," he muttered.
"Jackie..." Bulkhead said warningly while Dante walked over and lifted the ball out of Fowler's doorway.
"Need I remind you that it was Optimus Prime himself who assigned me to command your Wreckers back on Cybertron and get you loose cannons under control?" Ultra Magnus asked heatedly. "An effective combat unit begins with discipline. If you won't accept that, feel free to choose the path of least resistance, as you did before."
Dante glared at him. "That was low," he growled, Katie nodding in agreement.
Wheeljack glared at Ultra Magnus. "If my ship weren't a twisted wreck at present, I'd do that. Sir." With that, he stormed off.
"Way to go, captain," Dante said, crossing his arms. "You just isolated a part of this team."
"Excuse me?" Ultra Magnus asked, wheeling on him.
"No, I don't think I will," Dante retorted.
Arcee tried, and failed, to hide a small smile at his comeback.
"You say that an effective combat unit begins with discipline," Dante continued. "I disagree. A combat unit begins with trust and respect, which must be earned. You play by the book, but in my experience, that can get you killed."
"If you play by the same book your enemies do, then how can you outsmart them?" Katie agreed, earning several looks of surprise.
"I am your commanding officer," Ultra Magnus blustered. "As such, you shall do as I command. I will not tolerate any more rogues in my combat unit."
YOU ARE READING
Enter Dante, The Rev-9: Book 3: Fate
FanfictionSeparated from the others, Dante must fight his way back as Past and Future collide. Now the fight is not just for his future, but for the future of his planet and that of Cybertron as well. Fighting his way through oppressions unlike any other, Dan...
