Post by Neo Calrissian on Mar 22, 2011 17:12:46 GMT -5
White light.
That is what each of the Autobots who had slain Prime Nova would remember. When those few who knew of their exploits before the organised Autobot rebellion asked them what they remembered from those days. When they sat on the brink of permanent shutdown in a meager medical bay.
White lights, and voices.
+++
"...they stable?"
"Yes, barely. But Prime Nova's spark was beginning to leach into them long before he revealed his intentions."
"Will that be a problem?"
"Not now, maybe. But in the long term... who knows?"
And silence.
+++
"...sure they'd appreciate you coming up, Safecharm."
"No problem. I kinda came up to tell you something else, Brazier. I'm... I'm leaving."
"What? I don't under-"
"My boys are dead. And when you kick these three out, they'll need someone to look after them. I just can't stand sitting on the runway anymore..."
And silence.
+++
"...charm said something about kicking them out when they woke up. What have you been saying?"
"Nova's death caused all the external defenses to shut down. We're running silent."
"So...?"
"They'll never find us here, Brazier. The 'cons, that is. We can start again, continue Lightningrod's work, without these arrogant brutes causing tension-"
"Don't you dare. They risked their lives for you. They leave if they want to."
"Then perhaps you should hear this..."
And silence.
+++
"...is it?"
"Security tapes. One of Safecharm's boys heard them talking up top just before it went down with the mecha-spider. Listen."
*Click*
"The time spend here has not been productive and we have been reduced to keeping appearances.
Wrrr...
Here we are, the survivors of a failed mission, and instead of moving on to the next were are wasting away our lives as this war has left us in a state where were nothing more the primitive androids running basic routines.
Wrrr...
I'd rather go down fighting instead of running out of Energon.
Wrrr..."
"You catch my drift...?"
And...
warmth.
~~~
Torque was the first bot to wake up, and, with blurred optics, saw the outline of Brazier at the bottom of his bed. As his opened his mouth to speak, Brazier raised a hand.
"Please, me first.
You and your friends will be fine. Smokescreen will have sling for a while, and Perceptor made need a cane for a while, but I guess that'll suit him. As for you- you'll need those extra armor slates for a while, so your burns don't get any further corroded."
And as Torque looked down, he noticed that his legs and chest were covered in thin slates of delicate metal. Brazier waited a few seconds before continuing.
"There's something else. One of my colleagues... overheard you, Perceptor and Smokescreen talking about your discontent here, a wish to get back to the fray. And despite your wounds, I believe you were right. We're about to convert this place into a full-scale R&D center- and that's no place for a soldier.
I have contacts in Iacon who will set you up with an old Hellraiser cell. We'll be fine here. The thing is, the Autobot cause needs you... more than you know.
Besides, you won't be alone..."
+++
Safecharm looked back across the Badlands, towards the Sonic Canyons. They looked so beautiful in the evening light...
A sudden crashing sound shook him from his nostalgia. Smokescreen seemed to have chided Torque in some way, and now the two were chasing each other around the pitted road they were driving on. Perceptor, mounted on Torque's roof, was desperately trying to calm them down.
No doubt they were thinking about many things. Wormhole. Nexus. The future, and what destination it may bring.
But in the end, it's best to focus on the journey, not the end of it. Because mechs like them found content not in finishing their mission, but doing it.
The End.
Many thanks to all those who have stuck with the story and played to the finish.
THE GUNS OF FORT ST PYROTRON
That is what each of the Autobots who had slain Prime Nova would remember. When those few who knew of their exploits before the organised Autobot rebellion asked them what they remembered from those days. When they sat on the brink of permanent shutdown in a meager medical bay.
White lights, and voices.
+++
"...they stable?"
"Yes, barely. But Prime Nova's spark was beginning to leach into them long before he revealed his intentions."
"Will that be a problem?"
"Not now, maybe. But in the long term... who knows?"
And silence.
+++
"...sure they'd appreciate you coming up, Safecharm."
"No problem. I kinda came up to tell you something else, Brazier. I'm... I'm leaving."
"What? I don't under-"
"My boys are dead. And when you kick these three out, they'll need someone to look after them. I just can't stand sitting on the runway anymore..."
And silence.
+++
"...charm said something about kicking them out when they woke up. What have you been saying?"
"Nova's death caused all the external defenses to shut down. We're running silent."
"So...?"
"They'll never find us here, Brazier. The 'cons, that is. We can start again, continue Lightningrod's work, without these arrogant brutes causing tension-"
"Don't you dare. They risked their lives for you. They leave if they want to."
"Then perhaps you should hear this..."
And silence.
+++
"...is it?"
"Security tapes. One of Safecharm's boys heard them talking up top just before it went down with the mecha-spider. Listen."
*Click*
"The time spend here has not been productive and we have been reduced to keeping appearances.
Wrrr...
Here we are, the survivors of a failed mission, and instead of moving on to the next were are wasting away our lives as this war has left us in a state where were nothing more the primitive androids running basic routines.
Wrrr...
I'd rather go down fighting instead of running out of Energon.
Wrrr..."
"You catch my drift...?"
And...
warmth.
~~~
Torque was the first bot to wake up, and, with blurred optics, saw the outline of Brazier at the bottom of his bed. As his opened his mouth to speak, Brazier raised a hand.
"Please, me first.
You and your friends will be fine. Smokescreen will have sling for a while, and Perceptor made need a cane for a while, but I guess that'll suit him. As for you- you'll need those extra armor slates for a while, so your burns don't get any further corroded."
And as Torque looked down, he noticed that his legs and chest were covered in thin slates of delicate metal. Brazier waited a few seconds before continuing.
"There's something else. One of my colleagues... overheard you, Perceptor and Smokescreen talking about your discontent here, a wish to get back to the fray. And despite your wounds, I believe you were right. We're about to convert this place into a full-scale R&D center- and that's no place for a soldier.
I have contacts in Iacon who will set you up with an old Hellraiser cell. We'll be fine here. The thing is, the Autobot cause needs you... more than you know.
Besides, you won't be alone..."
+++
Safecharm looked back across the Badlands, towards the Sonic Canyons. They looked so beautiful in the evening light...
A sudden crashing sound shook him from his nostalgia. Smokescreen seemed to have chided Torque in some way, and now the two were chasing each other around the pitted road they were driving on. Perceptor, mounted on Torque's roof, was desperately trying to calm them down.
No doubt they were thinking about many things. Wormhole. Nexus. The future, and what destination it may bring.
But in the end, it's best to focus on the journey, not the end of it. Because mechs like them found content not in finishing their mission, but doing it.
The End.
Many thanks to all those who have stuck with the story and played to the finish.
THE GUNS OF FORT ST PYROTRON