No Way Out
By Red Blaze 16
Part 1Spike slowly opened his eyes and looked around. Yup, still here. Wherever here is. He noticed Kup and Ultra Magnus standing near the barred window. He stood up and walked over to them.
"Do you see anything?" Spike asked.
Glancing down at his friend, Ultra Magnus shook his head once before returning his mechanical gaze to what was beyond the window.
"I'm more interested in knowing why we were brought here," grounds out Kup.
Nodding, Spike climbs up next to his Autobot friends and looks out the window himself. There really wasn't anything to see. What Spike could make out was a pit of some sort and what looked like thrones.
"This all seems too familiar," says Kup, as he stands back from the window and looks around the prison.
"Familiar?" asks Ultra Magnus, as he also steps away from the window.
Nodding his head, Kup sits down on the floor. "Hot Rod and I were here before, I think."
"The crash?" asks Spike, climbing back down onto the floor.
"Yeah. After Hot Rod got me away from the mechanical squid, we ran into these…I don't know what you call them," says Kup, shaking his head. "Anyway, we were brought here and put on trial."
"Trial for what?" asks Spike.
"That's the thing. We never found out," replies Kup.
"You might be about to find out why now," says Ultra Magnus, glancing over his shoulder and down at his friends before returning his gaze to the door.
Through the barred window on the door, Spike and Kup could also see what Ultra Magnus saw. On the other side of the door, three guards and floating head stood outside listening to them. Motioning for the guard to open the door, the head floated inside.
"Why did you bring us here?" asks Spike, glaring at the creatures.
"Our reasons are not your concern, Human," replies the head.
Looking them over, the head backed out of the cell. A guard stepped inside and raised its weapon, pointing it at Kup.
"You will come with us," says the head, motioning toward Kup.
"What if I don't want to?" asks Kup, eyeing the creature.
"Then the guard will simply destroy you and one of your companions will take your place," replies the head.
Nodding his head, Kup steps away from his friends and leaves the cell behind.
………….
Spike and Ultra Magnus move toward the window and watch as Kup is lead to the pit. Stepping onto a plank, Kup walks out over the pit. Turning around the face the thrones, all of them notice that two more heads had joined the first.
The heads lose no time and immediately begin to question Kup. As Spike and Ultra Magnus watch, they notice that though Kup lies on most of his answers, the heads seem to know what is true and what isn't.
"These guys sure know a lot about you and Transformers," says Spike, glancing over at Ultra Magnus and then returning his gaze to Kup.
"Yes. It's puzzling. It's as if they can read our minds," replies Ultra Magnus.
Spike shakes his head. "Yours maybe. They're not so interested in me."
Listening to the prisoners talk, the heads confer with each other. As they speak, Ultra Magnus and Spike can hear every word that they say. At the mention of death, Spike steps back from the window.
"I think I just caught their interest," says Spike, as he slips back down to the floor.
……………
Kup was returned to the cell shortly after the questioning was finished. Stepping inside, he turns to the door, but notices that the door has not closed yet. One of the heads moved into the room.
"You will come with us," says the head, motioning toward Ultra Magnus.
Nodding his head, Ultra Magnus steps forward and leaves the cell with the guards. Walking over to the pit, Ultra Magnus steps out onto the plank and stands over the pit. Once again the heads take their places at the thrones and begin questioning.
"You are Ultra Magnus, formerly Autobot leader?" asks the head to the left.
"Yes," replies Ultra Magnus, not feeling the need to lie since they seem to know everything anyway.
"Who are the weakest Autobots?" asks the middle head.
"None," replies Ultra Magnus.
Turning to confer, the left head glances toward the middle head before returning his gaze to Ultra Magus. "69 probability of truth. Each Autobot has a strength in a different area making none weak in all areas."
As the questions continue, Ultra Magnus continues to answer all the questions in one or two words, while trying not to give away too much information. Soon, the heads are done and Ultra Magnus is lead back into the cell and the door is shut behind them.
"What's going on Ultra Magnus?" asks Spike, once the door shuts.
"They're trying to get confirmation from us about the status of the Autobots," replies Ultra Magnus.
"But it's like they really don't care," says Spike. "I mean, they've given you no incentive to tell them the truth."
"We'll have to wait and see," replies Ultra Magnus. "I fear this is only the beginning."
………………….
Resting again, Spike's eye open as he hears the door open to the cell. Standing up, he notices that the door opening also caught the attention of Kup and Ultra Magnus. Standing in the doorway is the floating head, flanked by three guards. Slipping into the cell, the head looks over all the prisoners before turning his attention to Spike.
"You will come with us," says the head.
"He's not going anywhere," replies Kup, taking a step forward.
As Kup steps in front of Spike, a guard steps into the cell. Raising his weapon, he shoves the point against Kup. Electricity courses from the weapon and into Kup. Groaning, Kup is brought to his knees before he realizes what is happening.
"Stop!" shouts Spike, stepping out from behind Kup. "I'll do what you want. I'll come with you."
Motioning the guard back, the floating head leaves the cell. As Spike steps out of the cell, he glances over his shoulder toward Kup. Noticing that Kup is struggling to get back to his feet, Spike turns his attention back to the floating head. The cell door shuts as soon as Spike is clear of the door.
Surrounded by guards, Spike is led away from the pit and the cell. As the entered the hallway, Spike looked around. Hoping to find something that could help him and his friends out this mess, Spike finds nothing more than bare walls. Noticing his guards stopping outside a room, Spike stops himself and waits to see what the head wants.
"You shall go in there, Human," says the head.
Stepping away from his guards, Spike enters a room almost as bare as the hallway he was in. Brightly lit with no furniture in sight, Spike finds himself alone in the room. Glancing around, Spike hears the door shut behind him. Looking over his shoulder, Spike notices that there aren't any door handles on this side of the door.
"Now what?" whispers Spike to himself, as he moves into the room to look around.
Looking over the walls and ceiling, Spike tries to see if there are any other entrances other than the one he came in on. Finding nothing, Spike wanders into the middle of the room. Just as he stops in the middle of the room, the lights go out.
"What the hell!" says Spike, trying to see in the darkness. Why'd they turn out the lights? Is there something they don't want me to see?
Slowly, Spike could feel a cold chill crawl up his spine. The chill had a name: fear. Closing his eyes, Spike listened to hear if anything had changed other than the lights. Not hearing any new noises, Spike slowly opened his eyes and waited. The only sound that Spike can hear is the sound of his own breathing. Time passed by and Spike just stood where he had been before the lights went out.
Just as suddenly as the lights when out, the lights return. Blinking his eyes at the sudden brightness, Spike glances around the room and realizes that nothing has changed. Breathing in and out, Spike begins to walk around the room again when a piercing, high pitch sound rings throughout the room.
Jerking his hands up to his head, Spike tries to block out the noise. Sinking to the floor, Spike can do nothing to stop the noise that threatens to destroy his hearing. And just as suddenly as it had started, the noise stops and there is nothing by silence. Ears still ringing from the sound, Spike stands back up and looks around the room.
What are they trying to do? Attack my senses one at a time?
Walking over to the wall, Spike decides he doesn't want to be in the center of the room any more. They must be watching me, but from where? Running his hands over the walls, Spike walks around the perimeter of the room trying to see what his fingers can feel.
As he continues to run his hands over the wall, Spike notices that the wall is getting hot. Jerking his hands from the wall, Spike watches as the cool, gray metal walls become red with heat. Stepping away from the walls, Spike finds himself back in the center of the room.
Maybe they want me to stay in the middle of the room. Glancing up, Spike examines the ceiling. Maybe there is some sort of camera up there.
Looking over the ceiling, Spike can find nothing to show where the hidden camera is, if there even is one. Glancing back at the wall that had heated up, he notices that the wall is back to its normal gray color.
Hearing the sound of a door, Spike spins around and notices that the door that he had entered through was again open. Seeing a guard standing outside the door, Spike walks over to the door. Stepping out side of the room, he realizes that the guard is not the only one out there. The floating head was also waiting outside the door.
"What's going on here?" asks Spike.
"We're trying to understand you, Human," replies the head.
"Who are 'we'?" asks Spike.
"We are the Quintessons."
Moving past Spike, the Quintesson floats back in the direction of the cell. Following close behind, Spike is led back to the cell. As they reach the cell, the Quintesson floats away from the door and the cell door opens up. Walking back into the cell, Spike feels the door shut behind him.
"Spike!" exclaims Kup. "Are you ok?"
"Yeah, Kup," replies Spike. "Just fine."