Life of an Entrepreneur
Not Just a Salesperson
"Now, now, let's not be so hasty, gentlemen", he said and quickly wrapped his greedy hands around the money that was calling to him. Before grabbing it, he looked into the Cybertronians' optics, blinked twice and widely smiled, so that they wouldn't notice how he was taking the sum away, as it didn't belong to him anymore.
"As far as we know, you are well known for conning people here. We are not going to fall for your tricks", a tall, muscular 'Bot said and looked at the other one. The other, likewise very muscular and sturdy, nodded and they both looked back at the innocent-looking mech who was smiling like he didn't even know what conning meant. The first, gray one crossed his servos and leaned back at the chair he was sitting in, looking at him like he was trying to predict his actions. The other one kept drinking the energon he had in his glass.
"Tricks?" he asked, smiled and tilted his head, "I would never want to trick anybody. This is a rich neighborhood, I heard. I don't know what they have been whispering around about me, but I assure you: I'm as serious as Megatron's conversion."
"What privilege do you have to use Megatron as an endorsement?" The first mech asked and slammed his fist at the table, shaking it and spilling Swindle's drink all over the table. All three of them were watching the fluid for some time until Swindle removed his wet servo from the table and shook it in the air to get the energon off. Then, he widely smiled again to show his imperfectly aligned dents.
"Oh, Megatron? That old cartridge is one of my… well… was one of my most loyal customers! He meant a lot to my… erm… our business. Frankly, he rose from the dead."
The other 'Bot was just looking at the big-eyed 'Con who seemed smooth-tongued. After Swindle watched him for far too long, he looked back at the bigger, extroverted Autobot who wasn't looking impressed at all.
"All right, 'Con. I'll tell you what. If you prove that this weapon actually does what you told us it did, I will buy it. I tested it right after you left, but there was no gravity ray coming out of it. Sorry that we couldn't let you escape with our money. Perhaps a master shooter like me isn't capable of firing this thing… Anyways, if you do not manage to make it do what you want it to, you'll pay us with your head."
Swindle's optics widened as he heard that. He felt a sudden ache in his throat as his spark skipped a beat. Unintentionally, he put his fingers around his neck and gently stroked it, before thinking about being decapitated. Then he smiled.
"Heh, that would be real de-capitalism, if you know what I mean", he joked, but didn't get a positive response from the two pals sitting across the table. In fact, even the quite one looked at him like he just told the world's worst joke. Swindle cleared his throat and put his servos back at the big metallic table to lean on it. He looked back to see the small door leading into the open bar he was in before, when making the deal. Now, he was brought into the next room, where there was just enough space for the table and three Cybertronians. He couldn't even hear the music that was playing next door. Everything in that teeny tiny room was white, which made him feel terribly uncomfortable. He was glad the big dude spilled his drink so that he didn't have to concentrate on the cleanliness anymore. In the room, there were no windows. It seemed like it was specially designed for him if someone happened to find out that he was swindling about his merchandise. Then he looked back at the Autobots who were eagerly awaiting his next move, like they were searching for the perfect opportunity to send him to prison. And he did not plan on going in there another time.
"Look, we're all friends here, by Primus' beard…"
"Spare us the flattering", the first 'Bot said, but Swindle straightened himself and widely smiled.
"But it's true. The war is done, right? Why don't we all agree that it was dumb from us to fight each other just because of different ideals and wishes and let us strive towards the future together…"
"I don't know what future you dream of striving towards, but if you don't get to the point quick, the only thing you'll see is light from above and Primus' beard, which you have already mentioned before."
Swindle looked up at him and the other 'Bot finally said something as well.
"Judging by his reputation, he probably won't go up there", he said and Swindle looked ahead of himself to see the mech who hadn't had anything better to do but to drink through the whole conversation. He narrowed his optics, but smiled anyways, as the apparent optimism was the only thing keeping him alive at that point.
"Yeah. His soul is probably the first thing he sold", the bulkier one said and they both burst into laud laughter which made Swindle's mouth twitch. He almost lost his smirk there.
"Ha-ha… Yes… Very funny", Swindle said and clenched his hand into a fist, but under the table so they wouldn't see it. After that, he relaxed again and leaned back, trying to find the original weapon which was still in his possession. But he couldn't find it anywhere.
'I could have sworn that I put it right there…'
"The size of his soul reflects on his height in general, it seems", the first Autobot said and they started laughing again. Swindle remained silent at that part, so the Autobot took a step closer to him.
"Enough with the small talk, swindler. How does this frag work?" The 'Bot stated, tore the weapon off his right servo and slid it across the table to make it reach the purple mech whose huge optics were looking at him in a smug way, although his leg was shaking which made him know that the 'Con was nervous.
Swindle looked down at the big, fake weapon and blinked a few times before raising his servos into the air. They firstly thought he was going to surrender, but the mech suddenly stretched.
"Aaaaaahhhh… I needed that", he stated and put his rather thin servos behind his square head.
The big, strong mech growled and then slammed his fist on the table yet another time, this time causing the glass to roll down and to break into small pieces. Swindle was looking at it till it didn't burst into small parts. Then he half-closed his optics and sighed.
"Well, I'm not paying that", he simply stated and looked into the distance, which made his client furious. The other one remained sitting and sipping the little energon which was left in his glass. The big, gray-colored mech stood up and walked closer to him, leaning at the marketer's chair and turning it a little, so that Swindle would face him. Despite screaming in the inside, Swindle remained perfectly calm on the outside.
"If you didn't know, there is a price on your head. Just like on every Decepticon's head now."
"Meh, it's not worth it. Don't you think I would already have turned myself in if the price was reasonable? It's insulting how low the price tag is. People don't know how to negotiate these days…" Swindle said, looked down at the floor and slowly shook his head from the left to the right, "it's sad."
The Autobot narrowed his optics.
"The weapon, 'Con. Fix it or I'll shoot your processor out."
Swindle looked up at him and then back at the weapon. Then back at him.
"Look, I gotta be perfectly honest with ya. I have no clue about that thing whatsoever. I just kinda got my hands on it one day because of the business my chief is leading. My job isn't knowing the weapons I sell or fixing 'em, I'm just here for the selling. I'm no businessman; I'm just a small, common salesman. Nothin' more, nothin' less."
"Just a salesman, huh?" the Autobot asked and Swindle looked up at him. Then, he grabbed something from his back and slammed it at the table, right in front of the entrepreneur's optics. It was, with no doubt, the original weapon he intended to showcase.
"And why does this thing work, and not mine?" He asked and Swindle looked up as the Autobot slowly took the gun into his hand and raised it upwards to reach the Decepticon's head. Then, he pointed it at him, his index finger close to pulling the trigger. Swindle froze for a second there.
"Autobots might be the ones who will never pull the trigger on a non-fighting 'Con, but since we are no Autobots or Decepticons anymore… Well."
Swindle remained sitting, clenching his right hand.
"I won't allow anyone to trick me. I did want to pay fair and square like your head, but… Isn't the customer always right? Isn't that the role you should play, Swindle?"
"I… guess you're right", the 'Con whispered and looked ahead of himself to see the other one leisurely sipping energon out of his glass. Then he looked at his right hand and clenched it.
The first one wanted to pull the trigger, but the second one finally raised his head and looked at him to see the 'Con's face while having the gun pressed against his faceplate.
"Wait an astrosecond… He seems way too calm for having a gun pressed against his visage."
"Oh, look! The customer is always right!" Swindle exclaimed and slammed his right hand onto the other blaster on the table, inserting the chip which he kept in his right hand all the time into it. With lightening speed he managed to activate the power of the 'fake' gun and firstly blast the one which was ahead of him, and then blasted the Autobot which was pointing Swindle's own gun against him, without even looking at him, just shooting upwards. Then, he swiftly stood up and grabbed the original blaster, putting it into his chest department. Then he looked at them. The introverted one's forehead was kissing the table and the glass was still in his big, muscular hand. The other Autobot was lying on the floor without any signs of life.
"You simply had to pay extra for the chip… haven't I mentioned that?"
The entrepreneur looked at the gun he shot them with and took the chip out, taking a glance at it. He smirked and looked back at them, postponing the gun on the table.
"You're lucky I was clumsy enough to pick the paralyzing one today, and not the real one", he said and walked over to the 'Bot with the glass of energon. Seeing that there was still something inside of the glass, he took it out of his hand and drank what remained of the energon. He put the glass and the gun back on the table. Then he put his servos on his hips and sighed.
"Sorry guys, I can't loot you right now. I've still got another deal with someone, so we'll have to postpone that. And as bonus, you get the empty, cheap copy of the blaster. So, for free! You should awake within a megacycle or so… Anyways, always great doin' business with you", he said, nodded his head as a sign of greeting and walked out of the tiny room.
He opened the door and quickly walked through it, like nothing happened at all. There it was: the repetitive music again, the small, low-quality tables with unfamiliar faces around them and the familiar scent in the air. The people were laughing all around, talking so much that it all together sounded like gibberish to him and hitting the table with glasses. Someone was celebrating something in the back, but his focus fell to the table he was sitting at before. It was taken, which didn't actually bother him. He approached the table and bent towards two Cybertronians he didn't know, but decided to help win a card game they were playing. He whispered the solution to the mech to his right and the mech widely grinned before flashing his cards at the table and leaning back victoriously. Swindle had already left as the other Cybertronians furiously searched for the mech who just helped him win. The winner happily pulled the prize money closer to himself.
Swindle walked towards the exit, just to be noticed by the barkeeper Blurr, so he looked around and approached him.
"What did you do again Swindle? Stop messing around, I heard shots coming from the other room, is anybody hurt? Are you hurt? Did you just kill someone? Or did you just loot them yet again? Swindle, I cannot cover for you for the rest of my life, I-"
The purple mech rolled his optics and put his index finger over Blurr's blabbing mouth. After he seemingly calmed down, the seller removed the finger from his mouth and leaned forward so the crowd won't hear him.
"Nothing happened, okay? It was… just a complex negotiation. I got the money, they got the weapon and everyone's alive and well. And before you say anything else, you don't need to cover for me. I'm fine. Everything's fine."
They were both silent for a moment.
"How are you?" Swindle asked and Blurr raised his optic ridges. He firstly wanted to answer his little buddy's question, but then he swiftly shook his head and bent a little to talk face to face with the smiling, swindling 'Con.
"You wiled them again, didn't you?"
Swindle started laughing at that before he suddenly got quiet as his smile faded. He nodded his head and said: "Yeah."
Blurr put a servo at his forehead as Swindle smirked again.
"You know you're thought to be dead?!"
Swindle's smile vanished and he looked towards the exit door and pointed at it with his thumb as he saw graffiti outside of Maccadam's Old Oil House before. He wasn't here for a long time as he decided to travel around the galaxy for new weapons and stuff in general. He also waited for the right moment to come back, as there was confusion about his being.
"Swindle Lives", he silently said and Blurr blinked twice at his friend's reaction. Sometimes, he wondered why he befriended him at the first place.
"That's the resistance project they haven't erased yet. Nobody cared to do that."
Swindle remained looking at him.
"I'm not planning on cleaning that either."
"Nobody's gonna notice it."
"Except the residence off all planets you've ever been to."
"Hey, don't worry. I have everything under control."
"Says the dude who almost got shot in the room nearby."
"Yeah, that dude", Swindle smiled again.
"You're walking around the town like nothing ever happened. You didn't get a new paint job, you didn't upgrade yourself… heck, and you didn't even cover your Decepticon insignia!"
"Blurr," Swindle said and widened his optics, "Blurr. Hey. If I survived a mortal wound in my chest thanks to circuitry repair patches from Cheyne," he turned around to face the rest of the population in the bar, "which is on a special discount today," he yelled and turned to face Blurr again, "I can survive everything. Taking risks is part of my everyday routine."
Blurr was skeptically watching him and Swindle smiled even wider, showing his dental plates.
"It is called death opposition. The only thing that Starscream and I have in common."
Blurr rolled his optics and looked away, slightly smiling.
"You're going to give me a spark attack one day."
Swindle laughed a little.
"Who are you, my mother?" he asked and Blurr grabbed a glass of energon for him, before Swindle continued, "No, wait… She doesn't care that much about me."
"Is that really a surprise?" Blurr asked and slid the glass towards the big-eyed mech who wrapped his servos around it.
"Not at all," Swindle answered and happily poured the liquid into his mouth. After that, he reached for the tray on his chest.
"No need for payment. It's on the house."
"Awwww… Blurr, you're the only guy whom I'd love… well, like to pay something. I still owe you, like, sixty drinks."
"Fifty seven."
Swindle blinked and Blurr shrugged his shoulders.
"I counted."
The salesperson half-closed his optics after laughing a bit.
"I promise I'll pay you back, one day", Swindle said and stood up, heading towards the exit with an honest smile on his faceplates.
"And pigs might fly."
Swindle turned around while walking towards the exit to face him with a smile as a goodbye, before he bumped the door to get it open. Then, he started to run away so he wouldn't be spotted. He quickly ran into a shadowy hallway and then took a deep breath to release the tension. He looked at his scratched hands before he looked ahead of himself to make sure no one was looking at him. He was thought to be dead for stellar cycles, after all. Only Blurr and his usual clients knew who he was, where he was and what he was doing.
'I'm not just a salesperson. I'm an entrepreneur."
The same thing he always did; trying to negotiate.
'Someone would think the job of an entrepreneur is extremely easy. Marketing, what is so difficult on that?'
He started walking away, slowly, as he wasn't in a hurry at all. He only wanted to get out of the white room before they woke up.
'A lot of people think it's an easy job to do. What can go wrong? Well, an entrepreneur is someone who supplies risk capital as a risk taker. I never aimed to become one at the first place. I aimed for success, for capital. One day, I woke up and realized what I've become: a guy who took a risk to get merchandise, a guy who took a risk to sell it to fighting warriors, who almost scrapped me hundreds of times, a guy who started a business and made a ton of money. Before spending it all on junk, that is. That's what an entrepreneur is. And if the fact that I almost got shot in the head today isn't proof of that, then I don't have a clue what is. It's… living on the edge, actually.'
He looked back to check if no one was behind him and then ran off into the darkness ahead.