8. AUTOBOT IDOL
"Hello and welcome to the Lost Light Crew Auditions. My name is Swerve, world-class bartender and metallurgist, and these are my colleagues, Crosscut and Riptide."
The silver and red Autobot sitting to his right gave a half-hearted wave while the blue Hydrobot merely played with his datapad with a look of visible disinterest.
Clearing his throat, Swerve began his prepared speech: "Anyway, I'll be the first to tell you that tons of people have wanted to join the crew of the Lost Light. Tons. But as you must understand, a ship only has so much room and we can't fit every last Cybertronian on board. So here is where you make your audition; tell us about yourselves and we'll decide if you deserve a role in our extraordinarily awesome quest.
"The floor is yours, Ammo. Impress us."
"Um, right." The blue and yellow Autobot, who lacked any indicator of a second mode, settled himself in the chair opposite the three judges. "My name's Ammo. Ammo of the Attack on K'th Kinsere."
"That's an unwieldy name," Swerve said. "You're an M.T.O., I take it?"
"Yup... you're not prejudiced towards constructed cold 'bots, are you?"
"Of course not! Why, Riptide here is a Made to Order Soldier himself and a very good friend of mine! Isn't that right, Riptide?"
The Hydrobot merely grunted.
"So, what can you do, Ammo?" Crosscut asked. "What's your alt mode?"
"I don't have one," Ammo said. "I'm a monoformer."
"No worries there!" Swerve said. "We have plenty of monoformers already aboard!"
"We do?" Crosscut said, bemused.
"Sure, there's Ambulon--"
"He turns into a leg."
"Oh, right. Well, there's Rung--"
"He does have an alt mode, he just never turns into it."
"Oh, yeah." Swerve scratched his head. "Well, I'm sure you'd still fit in. Do you have any sort of talent?"
"Well, I always carry extra ammo on me-- hence my name-- so I can provide them to others while out on the battlefield. Plus, I'm pretty handy with a gun."
"Excellent! We hope to see on board. Next!"
* * *
"H-hi, sir," the red and white mech said as he entered the room with an anxious expression. "Are you... are you Swerve?"
"Yeah," the Minibot said, eying the other Autobot skeptically. "I'm pretty sure I just introduced myself. And you are?"
"C-Clutch." The mech suddenly started biting the tips of his fingers. "Oh my spark, I can't believe this. I'm standing in front of the one and only Swerve!"
At this, a stunned silence fell over the judges. Crosscut looked between Clutch and Swerve with a bewildered look while Riptide simply watched on in amusement.
Clearing his throat again, Swerve said, "I... take it you've heard of me?"
"I'm your biggest fan!"
Swerve backed up slightly in his seat, as if being pushed away by this outburst. Then, unsure whether or not this was some sort of elaborate prank, he said hesitantly, "Um... you are?"
"Yes! I've ready everything you've ever written on metallurgy! I study your work every single day!"
"You do, do you?" Swerve smiled weakly. "Um, if I recall, I've only published one data-log on metallurgy... and that was heavily panned by my colleagues."
"Oh, I'm not talking about that! I'm talking about your works published in Timeless, like Beauty Is Only Sheen Deep and The Mettle of Metal. Both are frequently read by the Swerve Fan Club."
"Fan club?!" Swerve exclaimed incredulously. "I have a fan club?!"
"You sure do!" Clutch eagerly replied. "We're only three in member so far, but I'm sure it'll grow as your popularity increases."
For once in his life, Swerve found himself speechless, merely staring at his fan with his mouth agape.
After a long moment of silence, Crosscut nodded to Clutch. "We'll be seeing you on board, Clutch."
The ecstatic Autobot let out a cheer as he excitedly ran off, still leaving a shocked Swerve in his wake. It was up to Riptide to say, "Next!"
* * *
"Powerglide," the tall red Autobot flier introduced himself as he
seated himself (rather uncomfortably) in the small chair. "You could say
I'm something of a daredevil. The Aerialbots rejected my application
twice-- and they've already got Air Raid! I guess you could say I'm too
good for them, heh."
"Uh-huh." Swerve looked Powerglide up and down before shaking his head. "Sorry, sir, but you're too tall."
"Excuse me?"
"You're too tall. I'm not sure if there are any habitation suits big enough to accommodate your size."
"You're joking, right? Ultra Magnus is as big as me-- maybe even bigger-- and he's second-in-command!"
"Yeah, well, he's also Ultra Magnus, so there. Next!"
However, before the next Autobot could walk in, a voice called out, "You are being deceived!"
All three judges looked in surprise to see Nightbeat storming into the room, waving his arms wildly like a fervent agitator. He quickly dropped the act before smirking.
"This is all a prank by Swerve," the detective said to Powerglide and those waiting outside. "Come on, do you really think we'd turn down someone for being 'too tall?'"
Swerve scowled at him. "I'm sure plenty of ships have done that! Is that all it takes to tell you it's a prank?"
"Well, there's that... plus the fact that you're involved... and also because there is no way in Pit would Ultra Magnus allow something like this be called 'Crew Auditions,' let alone...."
He then pointed to a sign right next to the door. It read "Crewditions."
At this, most of the Autobots started to walk away, muttering under their breaths. Finding himself rendered speechless yet again, Swerve could only scowl at the detective.
"You're enjoying this, aren't you?"
Nightbeat simply grinned at him.
--Later--
"Did you succeed in getting on board?"
"Yes, sir," a voice crackled through Prowl's communicator. "There was a slight mix-up regarding 'auditions,' but I have gotten myself onto the crew."
"Good," Prowl replied. "I will be expecting regular reports from you."
"Understood. Signing off."
Once the connection had ended, Prowl heard a knock at the door to his office. Knowing who it was, he said, "Come in."
The door slid open to reveal a black and gold Autobot, stepping in with a stoic expression on his faceplate. As the door closed behind him, the mech folded his arms over his chest.
"I've done some digging-- about the device you guys found on Earth."
"And what did you find, Crosswise?" Prowl asked.
"Not as much as I would have hoped. Apparently it was a remote of some sort, connected to the drones Scorponok had under his command."
"And is it Institute tech?"
"Definitely. It seems to have some of the cerebro tech that they used to use there."
"And do you have any ideas on how Scorponok was able to acquire such tech?"
Crosswise shook his head. "Only that he must have been given it. I'm assuming there's a mole in our ranks."
Prowl nodded. "Then it's up to you to find out who they are."
Crosswise frowned. "Where would I even begin?"
"Where else? The very planet it was found on."
"Earth."
Prowl nodded again, a humorless smile playing on his mouth. "I suggest you leave soon. For all we know, we could be racing against the clock."
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