CHAPTER THREE
"Hey, Crankcase?"
"Don't talk to me, bolts-for-brains," Crankcase snapped, still wincing from the shock the guard had given him.
"Are we the only ones in this prison?" Spinister went on.
"Yes, we are," Crankcase said, his voice thick with sarcasm. "We're the only ones here. Any guards who electrocute me are purely figments of my imagination."
"Are you sure? Because I'm pretty sure there's someone staring at us from the other cell."
Indeed, standing in the cell opposite their's was a large bot in silver and black, with a single yellow optic adorning their featureless face. Clearly an empurata victim, albeit a well-built one. A Decepticon sigil marked their chest.
"Yeah?" Crankcase said, looking back at Spinister. "He's been there since we got here. Have you seriously not noticed him till now?"
"No."
Crankcase rolled his optics. "Well, don't mind him. He's probably just some hopeless los-"
"Hey, Crankcase, how's it going?"
The Triggercon frowned as he turned his head to the monoeyed mech. "How do you know my name?"
"I'm Nitro Zeus. You might've heard of me."
"No, I haven't. And what kind of a name is Nitro Zeus?"
"We met once. Over a century ago. On Cybertron."
Crankcase snorted, folding his arms. "A name like that, I'm sure I would have remembered you."
"To be fair, there was a lot going on at the time," Nitro Zeus went on. "It's rather difficult to socialize when a giant freak high on Dark Energon is trying to kill you."
Crankcase froze, his jaw falling open as he processed these words. "What...?"
"You know who I'm talking about. Thunderwing. The Stormbringer."
The Triggercon began to shake as he curled up into a ball, biting his blue fingers. Spinister looked at him in confusion before glaring at Nitro Zeus.
"What did you do to him?"
"Triggered a bad memory," Nitro Zeus replied, matter-of-factly. "Now, hit him on the back."
"That's not cool. You can't just-- you just don't toy with people like that!"
"I said hit him on the back! Hurry, before he recovers!"
Still glaring at the other Decepticon, Spinister did as told and struck Crankcase in the back. Instantly, a pair of guns deployed from the Triggercon's back and fired at the ceiling. Before the two Scavengers, the ray shield dissolved just as an alarm sounded.
"Great!" Nitro Zeus said. "Now do the same to my cell!"
Spinister responded by extending his middle finger at the monoeyed bot before picking up Crankcase and dashing down the hall. Behind them, their Autobot guard came from around the corner and chase after them.
"We have escapees from cell D-5!" he called into his comm. "Activate all defenses on Sector 821!"
Immediately, small drones with guns ejected from the walls and rolled after the two Decepticons. Skidding to a halt, Spinister soon found himself cornered by a dozen drones. He decided to sum up the situation with a single word.
"Scrap."
In his arm, he felt Crankcase stir. "Let me go, you oaf."
Spinister looked down at him. "Are you sure? You okay now?"
"I'm never okay," Crankcase muttered as he freed himself from Spinister's hold. Deploying his guns again, he said, "What say we make these guys miserable as well?"
"Sure. But, before we do that... why didn't you use your guns earlier?"
"The spring's been rusted for years. I didn't think they worked anymore, or at least not as well."
"Do they?"
Crankcase fired his guns and destroyed five drones at once. "What does that tell you?"
* * *
On the trip to wherever it was he was being taken to, Misfire learned a lot of things about Landslide that he did not know previously.
One: Landslide did not like talking.
Two: Landslide did not like people named Misfire.
Three: ...He was certain there was a third thing, but couldn't think of it at the moment.
Regardless, Misfire was sure Landslide was a complicated person with a lot of layers; he just wasn't showing it. No matter how many Misfire politely asked a simple question, he was simply given the cold shoulder.
He was deprived the chance of pressing the issue further when Landslide brought him into a dark room. It looked a lot like a lab, going by the torture devices all around him and the unconscious bot laying on a slab. A Decepticon stood nearby -- well, not really stand so much as hover in place. Misfire was pretty sure he knew their name, but it wasn't coming to him for some reason.
Landslide said something to the copter-bot -- none of which he could make out -- and before Misfire knew he was being laid down on another slab, clamps falling over his arms and legs. He then watched as Landslide retrieved a cable and hooked it up to the orange bot's head.
Misfire had no idea what was happening, but he was not liking it one bit. He tried to protest but was silenced when Landslide attached the other end of the cable to his head.
Misfire tried to think of some clever last words that suited his predicament, but none came to mind.
* * *
Nitro Zeus could hear a lot of shooting.
This upset him. Usually whenever he heard shooting, he was the one causing it. The sound of laughter only served to infuriate him further. How dare people take enjoyment in what he could not! He was Nitro Zeus! All lives were for him to take!
There was a scream and before he knew it there was a dead Autobot guard lying outside his cell. He then looked up to see Crankcase and Spinister standing outside, both glaring at him.
"Okay, scrap-head, here's the deal," Crankcase said. "We're going to free you and you're gonna help us get out of here. However, if you ever try to 'trigger' me again, Spinister here will rip your head off."
Nitro Zeus glanced at Spinister, who met his optic with a look that could kill. Normally, Nitro would not cower over such empty threats... but seeing as both of them had guns and he didn't....
"Okay," he said. "I hear you. Won't happen again. I promise."
Crankcase snorted. "Right. I'm sure you do."
He raised his guns and shot at the ray shield's generator, casing it to dissolve. As Nitro Zeus stepped out, Spinister handed him with a small pistol which he had looted off the dead Autobot. Nitro eyed the weapon with disdain.
"You expect me to fight with that pathetic thing?"
"Yes," Spinister said bluntly.
"You don't like it, you're free to use your fists," Crankcase said. "Cos' Spinister sure as hell isn't giving you his."
Nitro glanced back at Spinister, who was lugging a large shotgun -- also taken from the Autobot. Upon seeing the Scavenger's dirty look, Nitro took the pistol.
"Doesn't matter. I'm sure I'll find a better one."
"I wouldn't put money on that," Crankcase said.
Spinister cocked his gun. "Enough talk. More shooting."
"Well," Nitro muttered. "At least we have one thing we can agree on...."
No comments:
Post a Comment