This could be it for a while. I'll be going interstate soon and won't be near a computer.
Thank you RattlesnakeGoingBackwards. I'm glad you're enjoying this ^_^
"I'm looking for a mech."
Snickers greeted her words as the four scrap-piles in front of her had similar thoughts. The beggars leered at her.
"We're mechs, sweetspark. Lookin' for one of us?" The most rusted one grinned. The other three snickered again.
Revulsion washed over Firefly's spark. She hated that she was reduced to using these Empties. They were nothing more than energon leaches.
"I'm looking for someone useful." She sneered down at them. "Not a malfunctioning waste of space. Give me your answer."
The lead Empty stepped forward. Diesel and Trip-wire were immediately in front of her. "Depends on what your offerin' us."
"There are five energon cubes for each of you if you aid me and we are successful."
Dead optics now shone bright with hunger and anticipation. She could practically hear the excited revs of their decrepit engines. They really were the most disgusting creatures she'd ever come across.
"Yea, we'll help. When do we get the cubes?"
"Once I have what I came for." She shooed it away and turned to the mechs she'd brought along. The Empty joined the other three back in its corner. "Two of you will accompany an Empty each. Meet back here before the light fades."
"Should we be splitting up?" Trip-wire asked, his optics darting nervously. "These Empties aren't trustworthy."
"You'll be fine Trip, Diesel will watch your back. Barricade, you're with me." She paired the other four mechs and gave them each a datapad with Stormcloud's picture on it. "I want this mech found. Bring him to me in whatever condition you find him. Preferably still active."
The Decepticons nodded and separated, each picking up one of the rusted mechs as they started the search. Finally only Firefly, Barricade and the lead Empty was left. It leered at her hungrily.
"Let's get one thing straight." She said coldly. "You make me sick. I want to purge my tanks every time I look at you. If I didn't need a guide through this disgusting cesspool, I would have deactivated you on sight. Do you understand?"
The Empty nodded but the greedy light in his optics didn't go away.
Allowing a shudder of revulsion to roll over her chassis, Firefly motioned for the Empty to lead the way. It's shuffling steps and hunched shoulders didn't increase Firefly's confidence with this endeavor. It was just as likely that this rusting piece of scrap-metal would try and kill them just to drink the energon from their pipes.
"Your friend most likely got caught in the gaming dens. Many mechs walk in here, their pockets full of credits, and they never leave."
"Let me guess, that happened to you?"
It laughed roughly. "Naw, I came here to escape. You see, I sold secrets to the Autobots during the war. High Command found out and put a bounty on my head. I figured I could hide out here until they stopped looking."
Firefly exchanged a look with Barricade and kept walking. Great, their guide was a traitor, now she felt even better. The dilapidated buildings seemed to close in on them.
"I'm tempted to go above." Firefly said quietly.
"You won't see much. These buildings are designed to hide whoever is on the ground. It makes it harder for aerial squadrons to find their targets." Barricade replied.
She smirked. "Heh, I forgot that you spent the last three thousand vorns in this sort of environment."
He shrugged. "Experience is the best teacher."
They continued deeper into the Dead End and Firefly kept her gun in her hand at all times. The Empty led them to several buildings that housed gamblers or the gaming hells themselves. They didn't find any trace of her missing assistant.
"Misfire said he was here." Firefly groused as they exited the eleventh structure the Empty had shown them.
"It was a rumor, and it said he had debts."
The Empty turned. "Who does he owe?"
Barricade shrugged. "Someone called Canon."
The Empty laughed again, it scraped harshly in Firefly's audios. "You should have said that earlier. Canon keeps his debtors close to his den."
At the end of her patience, Firefly swung her gun up and aimed between the Empty's optics. "Take us there now."
"Sure, sure. Keep your circuits straight." He shuffled off and Firefly followed.
Minutes later they stood outside a dark, tilted shell. It couldn't be called a building; it could barely be called shelter.
"If we find Storm in here, I'm going to beat him down to his last transistor." Barricade grumbled.
Firefly eyed the doorway. "You'll have to fish his body out of the Pools first."
Their guide disappeared and Firefly and Barricade gingerly followed. The inside was worse than the outside. Rusting sheets of metal hung from the walls, causing Firefly to keep her wings close to her body. Behind her, Barricade growled out curses. The Empty stood to the side, happy to let Firefly and Barricade waste their time searching through the dark, rundown rooms.
Dismissing several of the occupants as too large or too small or even too dead, Firefly's hopes continued to dwindle as she looked around. A lopsided doorway stood at the end of the room, she headed for it. On the other side was another collection of Empties and mechs. One pair in particular caught her attention. They were just like all the others, covered in filth and rust, and cowering from the intruders. What interested Firefly was that they were half-hidden by blockade of sorts.
She carefully picked her way over to the barricade and peered in. One mech had a familiar design with the right colors, while the other was completely unknown.
"'Cade." She called softly.
Barricade appeared next to her and snorted derisively when he saw the pair.
"Think we should wake them up?"
He grinned and started to pull pieces of their defense away. When they were accessible Barricade turned on his front lights and kicked the familiar one. It woke with a start and jerked back into the wall.
"Ahh! Please, I said we'd get the credits. We just need more time, that's all." The voice was right.
"You've had enough time." Firefly snarled, impersonating the mech who held them. "How dare you waste your time recharging here when you could be getting back what you owe."
Stormcloud quivered and shrunk back. "I'll get started right away."
Firefly tapped Barricade chassis. "That's enough." The lights shut down. She shook her head at the younger mech. "Get on your feet, scraplet, we've spent too much time here looking for you."
His optics widened. "Firefly?"
"Yes. Are you ready to leave?"
Stormcloud scrambled to his feet. "Of courseā¦I thought you were dead."
"That is the common belief. Come on, I don't want to be here any longer than I need to be."
"Okay." He turned and shook the unknown mech roughly. "Blackout, get up, we're leaving."
"Who's he?" Barricade asked as the dark mech stirred.
Stormcloud looked back at them, concern shining in his optics. "My brother. He can come, right?"
Firefly nodded. "Sure, just move out."
Several more tries and Stormcloud's brother stood up. He watched Firefly and Barricade suspiciously. "Who are they? Can we trust them?"
"I trust them more than I do you." Storm replied stepping out of their corner. Blackout frowned but followed him.
Thankful to finally be able to leave this Primus forsaken Pit-hole. Firefly rushed through to the outer room. She would have continued but a wide mech stood in her way. It saw Stormcloud and Blackout behind and scowled. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Taking these two."
"They owe me credits."
Desperate to get out of the rust-infested shack, Firefly raised her gun and shot the mech. At such close range the entire top part of his head exploded. Bits of circuitry and fluid rained down around them.
"They don't anymore." She stepped over the body and out into the street.
A pair of ragged mechs stood outside the door. Obviously Canon's henchmechs. They stepped aside as their employer crumpled at their feet. Firefly faced them with her gun still raised.
"Remove yourselves from my way or I will shoot you."
"You took down Canon." One exclaimed, he stepped forward.
The explosion rocked the buildings around them. Sheets of rusted metal slipped from the roofs and crashed into the dingy alley.
"I told you to get out of my way."
The second mech moved quickly out of the way and Firefly smiled tightly.
Behind her she heard. "You said we had to go with her, you didn't tell me she was insane."
Firefly didn't recognize the voice, meaning it could only belong to Stormcloud's brother. She spun, her gun hanging almost casually in her grip. "Do we have a problem?"
"No, sir." Stormcloud replied crisply.
"Good. Let's get out of here. I hate Empties. Barricade recall the others."
Blackout pushed to the front. "Who the frag are you?"
Storm rushed forward. "Forgive him, my lord. He's an idiot."
Firefly paused. "Stormcloud, I did not train you to beg for mercy. Continue to do so and I will consider you a wasted effort, and you know what I do with mechs who waste my time."
Stormcloud nodded. "Yes, my lord."
"That is not what I wanted to hear." She drew back and slapped him.
"Hey!" Blackout tried to push past Storm.
"No." His red optics caught hers. "Leave my brother alone."
She leaned closer. "What will you do if I don't?"
"Make you regret it."
Firefly grinned and back-handed him. "Good. Now get to Darkmount before I lose my temper."
Stormcloud bowed and grabbed him brother's wrist before pelting down the lane.
Barricade exited the shack. "He's still just a sparkling isn't he?"
Firefly nodded. "It would appear that way. Have the other groups contacted you?" She inspected her hand for any trace of rust.
"Yes. They have started withdrawing."
The Empty that had led them to Canon's lodgings stepped into their path, his optics glowed hungrily. "Do I get my energon now?"
Firefly sneered down at it. "I suppose you have earned it, of course I could deactivate you and keep the energon for myself."
The Empty cowered and shuffled back. Pleased that it had returned to a proper distance, Firefly scattered a handful of energon treats in front of the Empty.
"Your energon will be given to you at the gates. Barricade, let's go." She stepped around the mech scrabbling around in the dirt and moved swiftly towards the exit.
Stormcloud and Blackout were waiting at the entrance of the Dead End. Trip-wire and Diesel stood on either side of them. She could see the other four Decepticons were already half-way to Darkmount.
"Why are you still here? I told you to go to Darkmount."
Stormcloud lifted a hand to show her Trip-wire's hold on him. "We weren't allowed."
Firefly suppressed her annoyance. "Go, just go! All of you."
They turned swiftly and hurried up the slope, arguing amongst themselves.
Barricade was grinning. "Will it be worth the effort?"
She started towards the fortress. "Better be. I didn't risk various rusts and viruses just to throw him back."
"The other one has potential."
"If you say so. All I can see is a bad attitude. If it looks like he can be molded, he's yours."
"How generous of you." He replied dryly.
She smiled sweetly. "It's in my programming."
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