"Our intel suggests Rouge will be part of a convey going through the mountains ranges in Azerbaijan on Earth-348 of the Marvel Multiverse. If they clear this range and reach their destination, Rouge is good as dead." Alaric briefed to the group of teenage heroes as they gather around the holotable.
"I see..." Rex commented as he started to form a plan in his head, so does Braedey.
"Okay. So, let me get this straight. There's only one road that leads in or out, sheer drops on every side, a motorcade protected by bad guys from one mile in either direction?" Anakin asked this time, getting to the point.
"Yeah, that's about it." Alaric replied casually.
"Anakin, is there something you want to talk to us about to get off your mind?" Braedey looked at the Jedi.
"Look. This right here, my friend, it happens to be... the stupidest idea I've ever heard of in my life." Anakin stated to Braedey, gesturing to the holotable. "All I'm saying is, I'm tired of everybody around me making the decisions. This time, I take the lead. It's time for the Solo to call the shots, and take the leading point." The others look at him with raised eyebrows.
"Alright, Anakin. What have you got?" Zatanna asked next with a smirk.
Anakin stepped back a little. "I mean, I wasn't trying to get into the whole leadership thing, like, now. You know what I'm saying? Like, you know, when we...." Anakin sighs and looked at the holotable. "Whatever. I mean, I think...." Anakin then spotted a location. "Let's hit it from here."
"Wait a second. Here, Anakin? That is the most secure part of the mountain. Why? Because no one can even physically access it." Gwen stated to Anakin.
"See, Gwen, that's what makes it perfect. Because that's the last place that the bad guys would expect us to hit them from." Anakin countered.
"Hate to admit this, but Skyguy is onto something." Kevin agreed.
"Yeah, I'm with them." Ben nodded in agreement.
Anakin looked at Braedey. "What do you think, Avenger?"
"The most secure part of the whole mountain... least expected place to attack... No air cover. I think we've got a plan." Braedey then pointed to the map. "The question is how? How do you plan on getting onto that road?"
"Well.... Kevin?" Anakin asked to Kevin.
"You know... I think I've got a plan for that." Kevin showed a little smirk.
"What? I delegated. That's what good leaders do. Leader!" Anakin puts his hands on his hips. "We're gonna need some vehicles."
Alaric, who was watching the whole thing play out, stepped up. "Consider the workshop your brand new playhouse. I think you'll find our cars extremely appealing, and useful to you."
"Right...." Braedey spotted a black Dodge Charger R/T, a blue Subaru Impreza WRX STi GH, a green Dodge Challenger SRT, a grey Jeep Wrangler Unlimited JK, and a silver Chevrolet Camaro Z28. "We're gonna need long-travel suspension, limited-slip differentials on all of them, and the toughest sets of off-road tyres you've got on you."
"Wicked." Skylar smirked at this. "I've always wanted to get my hands dirty."
"I can help with that." Morgan added as she held up a power drill.
"Same here." Kevin added. He's been wanting to do something like this for a while now.
"Hey, Kevin. I want the demon child between that car..." Braedey pointed to the Dodge, then at a military truck nearby. "And that truck."
"Wow. That's a lot of armour." Zatanna commented as she looked at both vehicles. "It's just gonna add more weight. Slow you down."
Braedey turned to show a smirk. "This time, it ain't just about being fast." He said to them, the others smirking back in response.
~*~*~
A while later, the group of teens were all in the cars which have been modified, and they are now waiting to be dropped off at the mountain ranges in Azerbaijan.
Ben was in the Charger, Skylar and Zatanna were in the Challenger, Morgan and Rex in the Wrangler, Gwen and Kevin in the Impreza, and Anakin in the Camaro. Braedey doesn't need a vehicle since he could turn into a Transformer, equipped with Beast Hunter.
To pass the time, Morgan was plays Angry Birds on her mobile, with Zatanna making sure her belts are tightened for the journey, Gwen meditating, and Kevin was relaxing, keeping his focus on the mission. Anakin was talking to himself. Braedey, meanwhile, he was formulating about what to do.
Yeah, I'm good. Heh. I'm Anakin Solo. You know what I'm sayin'? It's nothin'." Anakin said to himself as he kept calm.
Suddenly, the whole aircraft they were in started to shudder and shake, the sound of rumbling jet engines being heard, Ben and the others now strapping on their seat harnesses as Braedey got up to get his chute on. Anakin now started to freak out a little.
"Hey, Anakin, you're freaking, ain't you?" Rex called out, smirking to himself.
"No." Anakin replied quickly.
"Yes, you are." Kevin snickered as Gwen and Ben join in as well.
"I said no." Anakin stated firmly.
"Listen Skyguy, it takes a Solo to embrace his feelings. If you need to cry, just go ahead and cry. We won't judge you." Kevin speaks up next.
"As your friend, you know I'm concerned about you, which is why I took the precaution of stashing some extra diapers in your glove compartment." Ben added, Morgan, Gwen and Skylar laughing in reaction.
"Hey, can you just chill out, Ben? I'm not freaking out." Anakin snapped back.
"Sure, you are." Braedey snickered.
"I've seen some crazy stuff in my life, Martin, but this really could make some waves. So let's try to keep it on the down-low as possible, huh?" Alaric's voice comes over the radio.
"Don't we always, Alaric?" Braedey asked back.
"I tell you what; you knock it down a couple of notches this time, drinks are on me for everyone back at the base." Alaric offered.
"You'd be doing yourself a favour, there." Braedey replied back.
"Can somebody just walk me through what we're supposed to be doing?" Anakin asked aloud next.
"Come on on, Anakin, this is your plan. You've got to embrace it." Gwen joked, smirking to herself. She did come up with the idea that an attack from the sky was impossible, but doing this to Anakin was just too funny.
"No, this was not my plan." Anakin spoke back. "This was your plan. YOUR plan."
Then, a red light started to flash as alarms began to blare, the cargo ramp began to lower down, revealing the blue sky right behind them as the rush of air howled inside the plane.
"Oh yeah, here we go. Game time." Ben announced.
"Ladies and gentlemen. Start your engines!" Braedey called out, everyone now firing up their car's engines.
The group's crazy plan was to airdrop all five cars and the two shapeshifters into the mountain ranges using a C-17 Globemaster III, disguised as a civilian aircraft, and the cars will drive out of the back, parachute down safely and take care of the convey on the ground. So, for the rescue mission, Morgan, Kevin, Rex, and Skylar had tricked out their rides for the trip.
Anakin started praying to himself as he looked ahead, holding onto the steering wheel tightly.
"Yo, Anakin, you need fresh air? Because you're about to get a whole lot of it." Stiles smirked.
"Okay, team, green light." Braedey called, giving Ben the green light.
"It's hero time!" Ben announced.
Ben shifted the Charger into reverse, slammed his foot down on the accelerator, the rear wheels spinning with loud screeching as Ben reversed away and out of the aircraft! Ben held onto the gearstick and steering wheel as he felt the car shudder and shake, while it angled itself to aim at a downward angle towards the mountains.
Gwen threw the Subaru into reverse as she looked at her boyfriend. "Kevin, you ready for this?"
"Gwen, just when you didn't think your day could get any better, huh?" Kevin smirked as Gwen drove the Subaru backwards and out of the aircraft!
"Whoo! Oh, yeah. Now, we're moving." Gwen said.
Next, the green Challenger reversed out, with the Jeep following up as they both followed the Charger and the Subaru on the descent to the ground. Braedey and Stiles now stepped forward, their chutes already strapped on, they both look down at the patches of cloud still in the area.
"Try not to have too much fun without us!" The pilot said through the PA system.
"Just keep your channels open, in case the rescu-ERS need some rescu-ING!" Braedey replied. "Ha-ha. Let's do it!" The shapeshifter jumped out of the C-17 and began to follow the cars that had already reversed out.
"Hey, everyone good? Did everyone make it out okay?" Ben called on the radio.
"We have." Morgan reports in.
"Same here." Skylar added. "Hey, wait. Where's Anakin?"
Anakin hadn't reversed out of the C-17. He was still onboard. "You just didn't tell them that this is not for you! This is not your mission!" Anakin told himself in frustration.
"Hey, Anakin? Hey, what's up, man? Talk to me, come on!" Gwen's voice called on the comms.
"I can't do it." Anakin replied.
"The hell you can't! Come on, Skyguy! You throw that Camaro into reverse, and get your Solo behind out here now!" Braedey ordered.
"Look, I can't do it, okay? Listen to what I'm saying." Anakin spoke back.
"Now isn't the time!" Gwen snapped.
"I'm gonna stay up here. We gonna circle around and make sure we holding it down from up here!" Anakin says back.
"You're running out of time!" Skylar called back. "The chute is guided by GPS! You don't have to do anything!"
"Morgan!" Braedey spoke up.
"I'm already on it." Morgan replied.
"Hey, man, listen. I'm sorry to let you'll down, okay?" Anakin apologised. "I'm gonna go ahead and stay up here."
"No, laser sword warrior. I'm sorry to let you down." Morgan said as she then laughed.
"What? What do you mean you're..." Anakin suddenly felt a sudden jolt from behind, getting his attention. Morgan had caused a parachute to launch and was now dragging the Camaro out of the C-17! Anakin pushed his feet down on the brakes and clutch, trying to keep the car in place. It didn't work as the car was being dragged out. "Girl! What are you doing?!" The Camaro then got pulled out of the plane as Anakin spun around in the air, yelling out as he pushed on the pedals, but to no avail. "Oh, Jesus, Morgan! I hate you, Morgan!"
"No, you love me." Morgan smirked at her handiwork.
Back with the others, they were getting close to the ground, still free falling at over three hundred feet a second. As they got closer, the ground proximity warning system were going off.
"Get ready! Groundforce coming in fast!" Zatanna called.
Ben kept his eye on the altimeter, as well as his hand on the trigger to deploy the parachute. "5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Hit it!" Ben called out as he pushed the button.
As the cars and shapeshifters reached 1,000 feet above the ground, they all deployed their chutes, stopping their rate of descent as they glided towards the road. As they got close, Ben cuts the line and lands the Charger onto the road. Gwen then followed, then Zatanna and Rex as they landed before accelerating onto the road and joining the others.
"Whoo! Touchdown, baby!" Skylar called on the radio, smiling at herself.
As Braedey neared the ground, the latter transformed into Cliffjumper, then shifted into his vehicle form, a red 1970 Plymouth Barracuda.
"Man, what a ride." Cliffjumper commented as the Autobot joined in with the other four cars.
"Car check. Call it in." Ben called.
Skylar: "Challenger - Check."
Gwen: "Subaru - Check."
Rex: "Jeep - Check."
"Cliffjumper - Check. Let's roll out!" Transformer called next as the five cars accelerate away, following after the convoy. Unfortunately, Anakin was still stuck in the air in the Camaro as his parachute was having some problems.
"Hello? Please, Gwen. Get me out of here, somebody!" Anakin called out over the comms. "No! Not the trees!"
Cliffjumper's holoform checked the rear-view mirror, and he could see the Camaro spinning in the air and hitting trees. "Oh, come on. Really?!"
"Sit tight, Anakin. We'll come back for you." Ben told Anakin.
"This is not the plan! Was it?" Anakin called out as he watched the others drive away.