chapter 8: Shadows Over Qatar

hi guys sorry for no chapter yesterday was really sick but dont worry will be making it up to you guys with 2 chapters today hehe

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A few days before sam met bumble bee...

The relentless sun baked the barren landscape of the US SOCCENT airbase in Qatar. The desert stretched endlessly in every direction, with nothing but sand dunes and the occasional gust of hot wind to break the monotony. Inside the base, the mood was light despite the heat. Major William Lennox sat with his team, sharing a rare moment of peace before their next mission.

"Come on, Epps, there's no way you can beat me at poker again," Lennox said with a grin, shuffling a deck of cards. His short, sandy brown hair was matted with sweat, but he hardly noticed. The desert heat was brutal, but the camaraderie kept things bearable.

Sergeant Robert Epps chuckled, leaning back in his chair. "Lennox, I'm tellin' you, you got no poker face, man. I see right through you every time. What's it gonna be this time? You losing your stash of candy again?"

The rest of the team laughed. Donnelly, one of the younger soldiers, chimed in. "I'm just here to watch Lennox's pride get destroyed, honestly."

"Keep it up, Donnelly. Maybe you'll get a turn next," Lennox shot back, shaking his head with mock exasperation. "One of these days, I'm gonna wipe that smirk off your face, Epps."

"Yeah, sure you will, Major," Epps said with a smirk, leaning in to grab the cards.

As the group prepared to play, the mood was interrupted by the crackle of the base's PA system.

"Colonel Sharp, report to the control tower. Colonel Sharp to the control tower immediately."

The casual atmosphere among the soldiers shifted slightly as Lennox looked up. "Wonder what that's about," he muttered.

"Probably some routine check or supply drop," Epps said, trying to keep things light. But Lennox could see a hint of curiosity in his eyes.

---

Up in the control tower, a different kind of tension brewed. The radio operator, Airman First Class Parker, was staring intently at his radar screen, his brow furrowed in confusion. Colonel Sharp entered the room, his tall frame casting a shadow across the room.

"What's going on, Parker?" Sharp asked, his voice gruff.

"Sir," Parker said, turning to face him, "we've got an unidentified inbound aircraft about 10 miles out, heading straight for us."

Sharp's brow furrowed. "You're sure?"

"Yes, sir. No transponder, no identification. It's just… there." Parker paused, glancing back at the screen. "It's not responding to any hails either."

Sharp rubbed his chin, thinking quickly. "Alright, patch me through. I want to make sure they know they're flying in restricted airspace."

Parker nodded, his fingers flying over the radio equipment as he patched colonel Sharp through . "Unidentified aircraft, this is SOCCENT Airbase. You are in restricted airspace. Identify yourself immediately and you are ordered to change your course immediately and land at SOCCENT for inspection or be prepared to be shot down ," Sharp said, his voice firm and commanding.

Sharp crossed his arms, waiting. After a few moments, Parker shook his head. "No response, sir."

Sharp sighed, leaning over the console to get a better look. "Alright, send out two jets. Escort them to the base. I want to know what the hell this is."

"Roger that, sir."

Parker complied, sending the order through to the pilots. Within minutes, two F-22 Raptors were in the air, streaking toward the mysterious aircraft. moments later the two F-22 had visual contact with the aircraft —a large, heavily armored helicopter, unmarked and silent except for the steady thrum of its rotors.

As the jets closed in on the intruder,The lead pilot radioed in. "This is Falcon One. We've got visual on the unidentified aircraft. It's an MH-53 Pave Low, designation 4500X."

Parker's eyes widened in confusion. "4500X ,that's impossible,"?" the radio officer said, his voice tinged with disbelief. "That can't be right. The 4500X was shot down three months ago over hostile territory." 

Sharp frowned, confusion etched on his face as he turned to officer Parker . "What? are you sure about that " he muttered. 

Parker hesitated, his voice quieter now. "Sir, I'm sure. My buddy was on that chopper. There were no survivors."

Sharp turned slowly toward the radar screen, his expression darkening. "Then what the hell is that flying toward us?"

---

The two Raptors flanked the helicopter, guiding it back toward the base. It descended slowly onto the tarmac as soldiers gathered around, weapons drawn but unsure of what to make of the situation. The helicopter was massive, its rotors cutting through the air with an eerie, mechanical precision.

Lennox and his team stood outside the barracks, watching the commotion unfold from a distance. "What in the hell is going on over there?" Epps muttered, squinting at the scene.

"Looks like they've got some kind of chopper coming in," Lennox replied, his voice tense. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Something wasn't right.

The moment the helicopter touched down, an unsettling silence fell over the base. Everyone was on edge, waiting for some kind of explanation. Then, without warning, the helicopter's rotors ground to a halt, and an electronic hum filled the air.

"What the hell is that sound?" Donnelly asked, taking a step back.

Suddenly, the lights flickered. Lennox's radio cut out with a sharp hiss, and then… everything went dark. The entire base plunged into blackness as an EMP pulse ripped through the air, knocking out every electronic system in sight.

"Shit, it's an EMP!" Lennox shouted, instinctively grabbing his weapon. "Move, now!"

Before anyone could react, the helicopter began to change. The metal plating shifted and reconfigured itself, the cockpit splitting apart and rising into the air as mechanical limbs extended. Within moments, the helicopter was gone, replaced by a massive, terrifying robotic figure.

It was a Decepticon. Blackout.

The soldiers stared in horror as Blackout stood tall, his optics glowing red with malevolent energy. Without hesitation, he opened fire, his arm-mounted rotary cannons spinning to life and raining bullets down on the base. Explosions tore through the air, sending debris and bodies flying. The ground shook as fuel depots ignited, and chaos erupted across the airbase.

"Take cover!" Lennox yelled as the soldiers scrambled for their weapons.

Blackout wasted no time. His massive arm transformed into a blaster, and with a deafening roar, he opened fire on the base. Explosions ripped through the air as missiles launched from his arms, tearing through buildings, vehicles, and anything in his path. The barracks were obliterated in a flash of fire and metal, sending debris flying in every direction.

Lennox and his team hit the ground, shielding themselves from the blast. "We need to get to cover!" Lennox shouted over the chaos. He could hear the screams of soldiers caught in the blast, but there was no time to think. Blackout was relentless, his cannons tearing through anything that moved.

"Move! Move! Take cover!" Lennox shouted, his instincts kicking in as he grabbed his rifle and signaled for his team to fall back.

"Move! Move!" Epps yelled, dragging Donnelly to his feet as they sprinted toward the nearest building, which was already half-destroyed.

Blackout unleashed another barrage, his cannons ripping through the air as he strafed the fleeing soldiers. Screams filled the air as men and women were cut down in the hail of gunfire. Tanks and Humvees were tossed aside like toys, their metal frames crumpling under Blackout's relentless assault.

"Is that a goddamn robot?!" Donnelly yelled as he ducked behind a crumbling wall, his face pale with shock.

"Whatever it is, it's tearing this place apart!" Epps shouted, firing a few rounds in Blackout's direction, though the bullets barely scratched the Decepticon's thick armor.

As if the situation couldn't get any worse, the ground suddenly erupted beneath their feet. From the sandy depths, a massive mechanical scorpion-like creature burst forth—Scorponok. Its tail whipped through the air, smashing into buildings and sending more soldiers flying.

The mechanical beast burrowed its way in and out of the ground, its tail snapping like a whip as it lunged toward a group of soldiers. With terrifying speed, Scorponok tore through the men, leaving nothing but destruction in its wake.

" We have to fall back! We need to get the hell out of here!" said Epp's , waving to his sqaud mates toward the nearest exit as Blackout continued to wreak havoc on the base.

Scorponok scuttled across the ground with terrifying speed, tearing through what remained of the base's defenses. He swiped at soldiers, flinging them aside with brutal force, while Blackout loomed overhead, firing his cannons into anything that moved

"We have to get out of here!" Lennox shouted, pushing his team forward. "That thing's gonna tear us apart if we stay here!"

Blackout's rampage continued as he leveled the control tower with a single blast, the structure collapsing in on itself in a cloud of dust and fire. Scorponok was already moving again, its razor-sharp claws digging into the sand as it hunted for survivors.

"Sir, we need a plan!" Donnelly gasped as they ducked behind the remains of a destroyed vehicle.

Lennox and his team then sprinted toward the edge of the base, barely keeping ahead of the destruction. The air was thick with smoke, flames licking at the night sky as the base crumbled around them.

"This is insane!" Epps yelled as they dove behind a dune for cover. "What the hell are we dealing with, man?"

Lennox gritted his teeth, trying to process the sheer chaos. "I don't know, but what i do know is that if we stay here, we're dead.So we need to move!"

Lennox was breathing heavily, trying to think. "We need to call for help," he said, looking around desperately. But with the EMP still active, there was no way they could use the radios. They were cut off.

Epps glanced up at the sky, watching as Blackout unleashed another volley of missiles. "No one's coming to save us, man. We're on our own."

Lennox's mind raced. He had to keep his men alive, no matter what. "Alright, listen. We can't take those things on directly, not without backup. We need to get to higher ground, somewhere we can get a signal out. Maybe we can find something the EMP didn't knock out."

"Good luck with that," Epps muttered, but he followed Lennox's lead.

The team moved quickly, staying low and out of sight as Blackout continued his assault. The air was thick with smoke and dust, and the ground shook with every explosion. Scorponok was getting closer, its metallic tail snapping dangerously behind it as it hunted for survivors.

Lennox led the way, his eyes scanning the horizon for any possible escape route. They couldn't stay here. They couldn't fight that thing.

"There!" he pointed toward a rocky outcrop just beyond the base's perimeter. "If we can make it to those rocks, we might be able to get some distance between us and them."

The team nodded, and without another word, they sprinted toward the outcrop. Behind them, Blackout continued to wreak havoc,Blackout scanned the battlefield with cold, calculating optics. He saw Lennox's team retreating and growled, sending a signal to Scorponok.

"hunt them down and make sure there are no survivors, all hail megatron"said blackout in cybertronian to scorponok.

The scorpion-like Decepticon snapped its tail, turning its focus to Lennox's team. It let out a mechanical shriek and burrowed into the ground, disappearing from sight as it pursued them through the desert.

Lennox's heart pounded in his chest as they ran, but he didn't stop. He couldn't stop. If they made it to the rocks, they might just have a chance.

But with every step, the sound of destruction behind them grew louder but Lennox didn't look back. 

hope you guys enjoy hehe