Hey Everyone!
Here is Chapter Ten of A Hell on Cybertron. Thanks to Searece and Fracta Umbra you have your next chapter. I hope you all enjoy this. I need 2 more reviews before the next chapter comes up, especially considering it's a nice long one. :) Off to write some more now with a goal of 45000 words for tonight.
Mav
Chapter 10
Sunstreaker sat looking at where he supposed the floor would be if he could actually see. The hum of the engines reverberated through the room. Small quivering movements rocked the shuttle and travelled through his frame. The enforcers had disappeared from his sight as soon as the ramp closed but he knew they were no longer in this section of the ship. Their footsteps had sounded heavy and clunky as the group retreated towards the front of the shuttle.
It wouldn't be a long ride that much he knew. Where exactly they were going he didn't know but it didn't particularly matter. He was at the whim of whoever was running this show. All around him the bots were quiet. Would he be up against these mechs in the rings? Would these other bots be his very first opponents?
If they were Sunstreaker knew he would be able to take down at least a couple of them. None of them seemed to have the will to fight. He did. That would make the most difference in the ring. Those who didn't wish to fight would be picked off in the very first rounds. The fighters would stay. 'It's likely the audience won't even get to see the ones that have no will to fight' Sunstreaker mused. There will probably be preliminary rounds before the audiences arrive.
Sunstreaker knew he had to convince Sideswipe to want to fight, to have that will to get through it all. Sideswipe hadn't been acting like he had any fight in him. Really he was acting similarly to all the mechs around him. Hopefully his twin would change his attitude slightly.
Sideswipe was contemplating the same thing where he was. He didn't want to fight, at all. However, he would have to unless he wanted to be offlined. Of course, he wouldn't really mind being offlined but it would drag Sunstreaker with him. That wasn't acceptable.
Such thoughts ran through both of the twin's processors as the shuttles continued on to their destination. Everywhere below there were the signs of rebuilding. Crews were working all through the downtown area. Already high rises had gone in, changing the skyline of Kaon.
None of the bots could see it though. Closed off from everything in the steel tub they got closer and closer to their doom. The atmosphere in the shuttles was thick and ripe with grief.
The hum and whirr of the engines changed to a rattle as the shuttles settled down onto the ground. There was a moment of absolute silence before the enforcers returned. Their heavy pedesteps were the main sound before orders started being barked.
"Get those prisoners out of here. Holding cell four is free now," yelled a voice.
"Sir." Came the reply.
The ramp was slowly let down as all of the bots were roused from their positions. In front of them the light began to pour in. It wasn't natural light, instead it was all artificial. The harshness of the illumination had all of the captives shielding their optics.
Sunstreaker tried to catch a glimpse of what lay ahead of them. A sharp intake of breath was all that the bots around him heard as Sunstreaker looked out onto their new home. All around were bots, most of them with shiny plating and extravagant chassis'.
Each bot was running around frantically, obviously with their own duty to fulfil. There was no one standing idle, everyone had something to do. Enforcers stood around overseeing everything that went on. There was no sign of the bots who had been pulled from the streets.
Sunstreaker was forced from the shuttle alongside all the other mechs and femmes. The cacophony of civilisation flooded his audio receivers. He craned his helm around trying to see everything that was around him.
To his left was a walkway which led to a tunnel. He couldn't see where the tunnel led as there was a wall blocking everything to that side. The roof sloped down on an odd angle making him wonder what was above it.
To the right were what looked like repair bays for giant mechs and femmes. Sunstreaker realised just how small he was as he was almost caught up under one mech's pedes. Neither of the twins had ever used to notice such things but now in this large crowd he realised how much his size impacted everything.
Maybe they would be getting new frames but Sunstreaker seriously doubted it. The two would just have to find a way to beat their much larger and robust opponents.
The steady stream of bots was guided towards a large stairwell. The lighting was just as good here as it was in the larger room. There was a surge of bots towards the stairs and Sunstreaker felt himself get dragged along with the crowd.
Down and down the stairs they all went. The lighting slowly got dimmer the lower they got. Some bots stumbled and fell as the group was herded faster. Sunstreaker managed to maintain his footing and avoid being trampled at the same time.
He had no clue where Sideswipe was. His twin was here somewhere, in between the masses of bots. It would be impossible to find him now so they would just have to wait and meet up later.
At the bottom of the stairs there was a large passageway. All along the passageway were enforcers directing bots into different cages. Sunstreaker stopped to peer through the bars of the nearest cage and what saw him terrified him.
Off into the distance were rows upon rows of cages. Everywhere there were bots. Most laid upon the ground and a few huddled into small balls. There were blank looks everywhere. The scariest thing though was seeing the frames all of these bots had.
In place of the normal frames found in Kaon were ginormous sturdy frames that seemed purposely designed for the rings. None of the mechs from the city had ever had this kind of chassis. Either these were mechs brought in from Iacon or Praxus or everyone was being reformatted.
Spotting an enforcer heading his way Sunstreaker melted back into the crowd. It wouldn't be a good idea to stand out from the rest here. So long as you didn't anger the guards you would be okay. Hopefully.
Sideswipe was in the middle of the crowd. From back to front and side to side he was in the middle. There were no other small frames in the group or at least that's what it seemed like. Everyone around Sideswipe towered over him.
There was no way he could attempt to get out of this mass of bodies to even catch a glimpse of what was surrounding the passageway. The twin couldn't even spot the enforcers that he knew must be down here guiding everyone.
All he could feel were the jostling chassis all around him and the sound of thousands of footsteps was all around. The passageway seemed cramped and crowded. Undoubtedly the area had been built for so many and such a rush of bots. Still, it seemed as if everything was closing in on the twin, as if the passageway was about to crush him.
From either side the crowd seemed to thin. The enforcers were directing parts of the crowd into cells on either side of the expansive passageway. Being in the middle meant that Sideswipe wasn't one of the first to get swept to the side. Instead he didn't end up being put into a cell until well at the end of the passageway.
Just before being shoved into the confined area of the cage Sideswipe cast a look back at where he had come from. There were few bots in sight, most of them already in cages. Sunstreaker was nowhere to be seen.
The enforcer shoved Sideswipe hard against his back, catapulting the small youngling to the floor. None of the mechs or femmes already in the cell bothered to help him up, each too lost in their own thoughts.
Sunstreaker sat in the cell he had been put in. Everyone in the cell was downcast, their shoulders hunched over and body language dejected. Everyone continued to stay silent, to just let themselves stand alone in a sea of other bots.
Sunstreaker hadn't been able to spot Sideswipe as he was shoved into this cell. The twin wondered where his brother was and if he was okay. What if the enforcers were going to beat them all to a pulp and Sideswipe was one of the first to go?
The withdrawn sat there stewing with his thoughts, hating what could be happening to his twin now that they weren't together. Maybe they would never end up together again. The thought was so terrifying that Sunstreaker had to put it at the back of his mind. He had to believe that they would end up together again otherwise there wasn't any point in anything.
The enforcers which had escorted all the bots in stood facing the cells. Their faceplates were devoid of any emotion but their optics glinted with malice. These enforcers weren't even bots. They were drones who enjoyed hurting and maiming.
The mechs stood there, unmoving for a couple of minutes before moving away. They moved in a coordinated stream towards the stairwell they had all just descended. The bright lights which had illuminated everything flickered off and everything was bathed in darkness.
From everywhere around came whispering. The sound was harsh and grating, coming from every direction. Sunstreaker squinted to try and see who it was that was talking. Upon close inspection it was no one in his cell. Who else was it that he could hear so clearly?
Deciding that listening in would give him some more clues Sunstreaker switched off his optics. He found that if he shut down one of his sensor nets the other ones became heightened. The sound which had seemed like a buzz before became more distinguished.
The voices were coming from above him but wasn't that where the roof was? Not switching his optics back on Sunstreaker started focusing.
"We've got another couple of orns before we get sent in," A low voice whispered.
"That's not going to last very long. We're doomed," Another replied. The two voices seemed awfully similar to those of the bots he had heard on the streets before.
"Stop with that slag would you? Can't we at least put it out of our processors for a bit?" A voice cut in, obviously fed up with their pessimistic opinions.
"It's just the truth. Did you think they gave us all a new frame and a buff just to keep us hidden?" the first voice replied venomously.
"No but I don't need our fate rattling around in my helm. These bots have the right idea, zoning out like this," the third voice said, sounding very dejected.
"If we make it through the first round we'll still be online. All we have to do is keep winning," A calm voice added.
"You sound so relaxed. How can you be when our lives are on the line?"
"Haven't our lives always been on the line? Only now we can see the opponent coming," the calm mech replied.
Sunstreaker thought about what this mech said. It was true wasn't it? They never knew what was going to take their lives on the street but the time for offlining was approaching at an ever increasing rate. At least now they could see it coming and fight to stay online. They had a chance now, when they hadn't before.
These mechs had obviously had upgrades. It seemed as though they had been given fighting style frames. This would certainly work to the twins' advantage if they got accustomed to their new chassis' quick enough. On the downside they weren't used to an adult chassis never mind a heavily loaded one like a battle frame.
If they learnt quick enough they would improve their odds in the rings. With Primus by their side they would get through this. Eventually there would be an opportunity to escape but where would they go?
Neither of them had anything and no one to contact out of Kaon. If all the cities had law enforcements such as theirs it was likely that as soon as they escaped they would be thrown into a prison somewhere else. It didn't look like a particularly bright idea to Sunstreaker. Their options, dismal options, were to stay and fight and die or stay, fight and live on to fight again.
Sunstreaker's optics flickered on and he looked upwards. Instead of a solid roof like he had been expecting there were bars, crossed bars. It was very similar to the walls on either side of him. Staring upwards in awe he saw that there were cages upon cages stacked above him. Not only did this prison span a massive distance in length and width it also had considerable depth.
Someone had put a lot of thought into planning this layout. There was no way the plans had been a spur of the moment thing, they were much too detailed. It seemed as though whoever was in charge wanted to do the job thoroughly if he was going to do it.
The twin's mind turned to another factor. Where had the initial money come for the new frames? There had been no fights yet so no money was being made. There must be an investor from outside Kaon unless it was the ancients arranging it all. They were the only bots with any substantial money in the city.
Sunstreaker contemplated talking to the mechs above him but upon studying their frames decided against it. They had seemed nice enough from their conversation but they had also seemed desperate. If he irritated them just the slightest bit they would undoubtedly make him an enemy.
Instead the twin sat on the floor and gazed into the corridor next to him. No one on their level was talking but now that he was aware of the other floors above him, Sunstreaker could hear that many other bots were talking.
Sunstreaker tried to look across into other cages around him as he curled up in the corner of the cage. He hoped to see Sideswipe sitting somewhere across from him. Just catching a glimpse would give him some courage, some reassurance. Despite not being overly worried the twin was craving just a glimpse of a twin.
Although they were used to being separated a lot in the search for energon they had never been separated like this. Forcefully. It wasn't their choice to be separated and they always dealt with everything better together.
There's chapter ten. Review please?