Feet strode briskly along the hallway as the mech stared down at the profile. There was no background- maybe he had come from the slums, which would explain a lot about the violence, paranoia, and the officer's wish for solitude.
Too bad there weren't any confinements that were perfectly soundproof. The mech sighed as he slid the datapad away, shaking his head.
Behind the doorway he could hear the soft footfalls as the newest prisoner quietly - expertly- searched the room, finding and destroying each bug he came across. The mech paused behind the one-way mirror, staring at the newbie.
He was a Lamborghini, slinking along the wall as if he were in a war movie, optics alert despite the sleepiness that should still be clinging to him. One hand slid across the wall, tapping softly at different areas, head cocked as if he was listening for the bugs themselves.
The mech fingered his arm, contemplative as he stared at him. They needed a new test subject. Somebody had mentioned that they would like to see what would happen if a sensor system was upgraded, and he was always willing to provide a subject.
Just so long as the subject wouldn't be missed. And he knew this subject wouldn't be missed. Even after an hour at a console, there was still no background file on the Lamborghini, no matter how many cross-references he ran it through.
The Lamborghini wouldn't be missed, mourned, or even thought of. For Primus' sake, the person whom had dragged him in had asked that he be placed in solitary confinement!
Confident, the mech quickly punched in his code. The Lamborghini's head snapped to the side to look at him, as every line of his body tense. "Hello there! Do you know where you are?"
"Some kind of prison or holding facility of course."
The mech frowned at the soft voice of one whom was simply wary- not really afraid. "Half correct. You're in an insane asylum."
That made the Lamborghini flinch as his optics burned into the others. "A- what?"
"An insane asylum. And congratulations, you were chosen to be a special test subject."
The Lamborghini tensed even further, and the mech smirked. Perfect. This one would be perfect. "Grack!" The choked, a gargling noise of surprise filling the room as the Lamborghini tackled him, a rifle coming out from nowhere to shove into the space that was supposed to be his mouth.
Above him he could feel the Lamborghini shaking slightly, optics wild. "I refuse to be a test subject. There's no telling what you'll do to me!"
A whimper threatened to break out of his vocalizer as he stared cross-eyed up the rifle. Where did he get this? I thought only guards and those with special licenses were allowed to have weapons, at least that's the law, but we all know how the law turns out, and this mech does have a weapon, and oh Primus just one twitch and I'm going to be dead.
The Lamborghini looked up at the doorway, and back down at the prisoner, silently making a decision. "I want to know the code to all of the doors now."
An answering gargle was all that answered him. The Lamborghini let up on the pressure, and he took a deep breath. "Code Alpha, Alpha, Zero, Three, One, Zero."
It was the code that said that the prisoner was ready to kill.
The Lamborghini's optics narrowed. "The true code, or I will start blowing off body parts." Was it just his imagination, or did a slightly queasy look come into the other's optics at the thought of it? No- must have been the trick of the light for it was hidden now.
"That was-"
The gun hammer cocked back.
"No, no, the real code is Alpha Delta, Zero, Three, One, Zero." He squeaked. It was the code for, 'I-am-probably-now-dead-so-kill-the-mech-entering-the-code'.
The Lamborghini's vocalizer flickered on, before he leapt to the side. A tranquilizer gun slammed into the space he once occupied as several large guards entered the room. "Get him!" The mech on the floor screamed.
Blue optics slammed into his for a split moment, promising violent revenge, before the contact was broken. The mech on the floor took in a deep, calming breath despite the fact he didn't need one, and let it out slowly. "I want him placed in our deepest, darkest cell where he'll never see natural light again!" He distantly realized that it was hysteria speaking, but he didn't care.
All he wanted was to never have to face the mech ever again.
-----------
Red Alert stirred slowly, CPU pounding, feeling as if it were splitting in half. He groaned softly, a hand coming up to grab a wildly sparking horn. The familiar action did nothing to appease his CPU ache.
A cruel, mocking laugh came from the doorway, "Aww, is the little guy feeling some pain?"
Automatically he recoiled from the door, CPU working desperately to drag up the memory files of what had happened before he had been knocked out.
He had been trapped in some room, and had been aware of the various crudely hidden bugs that had been watching him. He had just destroyed the more obvious ones, and had gone after the hidden ones, when someone had interrupted, and he had pulled an Ironhide.
Well, Ironhide would've been insulted that he had done the move so sloppily, but it still had its desired effect. Not that it had really mattered in the end. The guards had still come in. But he supposed Inferno would've been proud of his threat. Inferno had always been telling him he was too weak-hearted, and needed to toughen himself up.
"Hey, newbie, not gonna reply?"
Slagit! Red Alert, pay more attention to your surroundings! Who knows what the guards could've done in the time you weren't paying attention?
"Where am I? I don't understand…" Classical clueless. Most mechs loved to monologue, so maybe these guards would…
"You're in an insane asylum."
Well, these mechs could teach a tooth about how to be painful in extraction. "But what about the war going on?"
A laugh was startled out of one of the guards. "War? What war? There's no war."
His spark stopped pulsing. No…no war? How? How is that possible? I thought that the whole entire tale about peace before war was just that. A tale.
"What are you talking about?" Red Alert demanded. "There is a war going on! Decepticons verses Autobots, or at least, that was until Galvatron came along with his insane army and tried destroying everything…"
"Whoo, boy. This ones defiantly a loonie! Listen to those tales he spins." The guards shook their heads at each other, and began strolling off.
Numbly, Red Alert watched them go, then retreated to a corner of the room, head shaking, entire body trembling with the want to know more information. Had he come into the past? An alternate reality where there would be no war? If that was so, was he doomed to spend the rest of his life within this tiny room?
His optics swept the cramped cell in worry. Rust could set into joints if one didn't move around enough, and desperately he searched his subspace.
There was nothing left. The mechs had done a clean sweep through it, and had completely taken everything from his subspace, including the tools that he had always carried around in case he ever got in this position.
His hands clenched into helpless fists. If only he had managed to get the true code out. No, if only he had dodged the police officer. If only Wheeljack hadn't been tinkering around- he always knew it was going to be the death of them all someday.
For how long he stayed crouched in his corner, he didn't know. He could feel tiredness beginning to creep in, but disregarded it as, seeing as he had been tranquilized twice now. It was undoubtedly the drug lingering in his systems.
He began to pace, a hand running along the wall. He was already beginning to go crazy from the lack of anything to do… That wasn't a good sign. In fact, it was a very bad sign. His teeth ground together as he once again desperately searched his subspace for anything to do.
To his surprise, in the very corner, he found an old datapad. Quietly he flicked it on, optics lighting up as he recognized old plans for different bases. Most of them had been destroyed- overwhelmed by sheer numbers, but this was still something to do.
He flicked through each of the plans, optics devouring the little details, until at last he came across the Ark's plans.
He stopped dead, memories rushing in to fill the suddenly empty void that opened up deep within his spark. This hallway here was well marked for hearing Bumblebee's one and only true laugh. That hallway over there was marked for the fact it was the only time Ironhide hadn't had his cannons pulsing with deadly energy. The common room was still whispered among the crew for its legendary 'closeness'. It was rumored that two different pairs had sat within touching distance.
Storeroom 54 had even more scandalous rumors of mechs actually hugging each other.
And then… the legendary Storeroom 42. It was spoken of only in quiet tones. It was actually confirmed that mechs had interfaced within the room.
"Well, lookie this boys, it looks like we got someone worth looking at."
Red Alert glanced upwards, startled by the drawling voice. A femme stood in the doorway, holding a baton. Oh, slag. Am I ever in for a world of pain.
----------
Time literally had no meaning. Mechs, femmes, guards, everyone came and went, torturing, brash, mean. Food was scarce, and there were times he could turn off his optics and convince himself that he was back at the Ark, if it weren't for the single datapad quietly tucked away and hidden.
It was, in the end, one of the last few remaining threads that kept him sane. Or as sane as he could actually be.
Red Alert winced as he flexed his hand, feeling the pain creep into it. Someone had smashed his fingers, and he was afraid that if he didn't keep the hand moving, the self-repair systems would heal the nerves wrongly.
As if taunting him, the dent on one side twanged in memory of the same foot. What he wouldn't give to have a gun or weapon of any kind in his hand, ready to shoot at the nearest, closest mech.
His horns sparked feebly as he placed one shoulder against the wall. He recoiled the next second at the unexpected warmth. Optics rose to the cell door as he stumbled for it, auditory receptors straining to hear the slightest sound.
A shrill beeping noise went off above him, and the deadly cry of, "Fire! Fire!"
Red Alert flinched backwards into his cell, optics going wide. Fire? Here? Now? He pressed one auditory receptor against the wall, optical band flickering off to concentrate on what he was hearing.
"What's going on?"
"The Decepticons are attacking!"
Instantly Red Alert bristled. Decepticons. So, he must have come back into the past, and now Decepticons were attacking. In cells above him he could hear screaming and shouting as others attempted to escape the deadly flames and shots. "Slag…"
He kicked at the door, making others look at him briefly startled, unable to hear the shouts from above. Soon they would however, and then he'd be abandoned here to whatever Fate had in store for him.
Fate never had anything good in store for him. He'd probably be taken by the Decepticons and reprogrammed.
The screams were becoming louder by the astrosecond. Red Alert's foot slammed against the door harder. The guards were looking increasingly rattled by the violent behavior and the faint screams.
Comm. links crackled to life outside of the door. "Get your afts up here on the double! We got an attacking force-"
The words were broken off in a wave of static. Red Alert whispered, "Decepticons, purple insignias. You're all going to die."
The two guards that were supposed to patrol the area shot rattled looks at him. "How do you-"
"No time for questioning now! We gotta get up there!"
The two guards rushed off in a clatter of nervous weaponry as they checked the stunner guns they had. Red Alert felt slightly sorry for them, before he redoubled his efforts on the obstinate door.
Around him he could hear prisoners stirring- those that could stir at least. Some were too badly beaten and used to want to move, or even care. "What's going on?" One prisoner- a very young one, Red Alert remembered. "Where did all of the guards go?"
"Weren't you listening? The voices said that there was a war coming, and look, they were right! We're all going to die!" The cackling mad laugh echoed loudly in the hallway.
Red Alert slammed against the door, and only succeeded in making his shoulder hurt. I'm not going to get out of here. I wish now I had agreed with the heavier armor instead of the speed and sensor net.
His optics darted around the room, hoping that he might actually spot something that could help. In his CPU's optic, he could see Inferno shaking his head sadly at his smaller friend's wrong thought process.
The heat was becoming more oppressive now.
Desperate times call for desperate measures. He slammed his back against the door, making himself as small as possible. There was nowhere else to hide- they didn't have a proper berth, just a few cables to hook up to recharge. His optics fell on the still uneaten cube of energon, and he spilled half of it out onto the floor, creating just enough of a puddle that it might look like someone had slit their wrists.
He then dribbled it liberally onto his own wrists, before allowing his optics to go off.
The heat dimmed slightly, not able to touch the deep underground chamber. Footsteps began making their way down, as the sounds of shots, screams, and cries of those dying echoed loudly in his auditory receptors.
Now, more then ever, he was becoming homesick. He wanted Inferno, he wanted to be surrounded by those who viewed him oddly for his lack of paranoia, he wanted to be back on the Ark. He desperately wanted to be back on the Ark where the crew's behavior was a comforting, never changing thing.
"Alright, this is the last level." The harsh voice reminded him of someone. The femme that had been the first to brutalize him? "Spread out and kill the lot of them."
Calm, he needed to be calm, and he couldn't allow his horns sparking to give away his fear. Spark quivering in fear, he listened to them shoot straight through the small opening.
Screams of fear pounded loudly on his auditory receptors, nearly drowned out by the beating of his spark.
a/n: Yay! Cliffhanger!
P.S., the bunny I used was this one: 7. [G1] Possibly related to above- Red Alert is a time traveler from a hellish future. He's determined to stop it from happening again at all costs. ("Back home, Inferno used to chide me for being too trusting")
If anyone knows where to find it, I'd be eternally grateful for it. Because no matter how hard I look, I can't find it. :(