Just in case anyone is wondering where the four Con femmes Crimson Phantom, Balewing, Aurora Speeder, and Coldstar are from, they are not actually OCs of mine. They are from a Chinese Transformers MMORPG set in the Aligned continuity called "Transformers Online". It was cancelled in 2012, but there are a lot of characters in it with some simple descriptions of their personality. I chose these four because I figured that I could take some creative licence and expand on what the character descriptions said. In some of the cases, I took a look at the VA list I made for them and based their personality on one of the characters on that list.
Well, enough about the 4 Cons.
Transformers (c) to Hasbro!
OCs (c) to me!
Chapter 9: Beór-sele
"It's like Halloween out here."
"No kidding."
"What's Halloween?" Devcon turned slightly, glancing back at the femme with the organic on her shoulder.
Aalis smiled. "It's a holiday where people dress up in costumes and go around getting sweets. I love it. This is a space Halloween on steroids though."
Music blared, vibrating the ground with every beat. Lyrics floated along, and now Aalis, with her new translator turned on, could understand it all.
Too bad she couldn't reach through her suit and turn it off! The lyrics were enough to make the most vulgar person blush. Definitely space Las Vegas.
"If you don't want to see most of the vulgarity, keep your optics straight ahead." The mech warned. "And stay close. Those with too much high grade could do anything." They walked through the streets, weaving their way through the crowds, only stopping when they couldn't move or when Devcon had to scare off some mech trying to get handsy with Remix.
Aalis, while terrified of being caught, couldn't help but stare. Ever since Bosch pulled her from the stasis pod, everything seemed a blur. But now, she could look around. Take in the sights of another freakin planet! Tall buildings, some floating, towered up around them. Neon lights flashed, lighting up even the sketchiest of alleyways with a colorful light. Aliens of all shapes and sizes roamed about, all in costume, apparently. But it all literally looked alien to the human.
They came into a large courtyard, surrounded by casinos. In the center bubbled a fountain with a very... lewd statue on top. Festival lights, lanterns, and decorations hung everywhere. Over every casino flashed a screen with some sort of... what looked like a raunchy music video.
And the courtyard was packed.
Stopping for a moment, Devcon turned to the two femmes. "Once we get across, it's through the Whims of Fate(1) Casino. The docks are on the other side. Just walk, don't make eye contact, and please keep close. Understand?"
"Yes."
"Then let's go."
The human clutched her friend's armor as they stepped into the crowd. Disguised or not, she was nervous now. Escape seemed so close, yet so far.
They hadn't taken more than five steps when the music suddenly stopped, replaced by the screech of static. The music video vanished from the screen. Even the drunkest of patrons paused, staring up at the screen.
The static faded to reveal a femme with a silver-blue helm that resembled a samurai helmet. In the center of her chassis was a purple insignia.
"Decepticons..."
"Hello degenerates and drunks." The femme cooed. "My name is Crimson Phantom. My companions and I have been given control of the Whims of Fate by Mr. Bent Ho(2). Don't worry, we're not here to ruin your party, but to make it... more fun. There are two Autobots and a human hiding here, potentially in this crowd. So, we're going play a little game. Catch them and bring them to us. Whoever does so wins the game, and one million credits."
Uh oh.
"Annnnnnd," another femme, indigo colored with red accents and silver horns on her helm, popped in, "to make it more fun..." She pressed a button. A wave shot out from the casino doors.
Lights shattered.
"ACTIVATE YOUR HELMET!"Devcon turned to the human frantically.
The girl activated her helmet just as the wave hit them. Both Cybertronians, along with any others in the crowd, all groaned, their bodies shuddering.
And the disguises vanished. Aalis assumed her own disguise vanished, but her helmet flashed a message across the screen. Of course it in another language but the picture of a tank and it flashing red said everything. Running out of air.
A moment later, her translator, atmosphere converter, and space suit came back online.
Their disguises didn't come back.
"Fragit!"Devcon shook off the effects of the small EMP. "Run!" He grabbed Aalis in one servo and Remix's servo in the other. His large form allowed him to barrel through the crowd.
However, this did draw attention.
Drunk and sober people all pointed at them, some grabbed at them. All wanting the 1 million.
"If we hurry, we can get through the casino!"
"Is there no other way?!"
"No!"
He pulled them into Whims of Fate. From the entrance, they could see their exit.
So close!
As they neared it, alarms began sounding.
Metal shutters slammed down before them.
"We're trapped!"
"That's right!"
Aalis felt a hot, burning force hit her back. It propelled Devcon and Remix into the shutters. The human slipped from the grasp of the mech, sliding along the shutters, behind some of the casino decor, and into a wall.
Her head slammed against something, and all went black.
Remix felt the explosion behind her. She looked up to a purple and silver femme with wings on her back. "It was a decent escape attempt, but now it's over. Crimson, I have the Autobots... I will search for the human, but I didn't see the human with them... of course." The femme's gun transformed into a sickle. She twisted a dial and the bottom of the shaft crackled with electricity. "Sweet dreams. When you wake... the nightmare begins."
Remix felt the shaft jab into her body, and the electricity crackle through her before she too blacked out.
In her darkness, Remix felt nothing but fear.
Fear for herself.
Fear for Devcon.
Fear for Aalis.
Then, a light, light cut through the darkness, pulling her out of unconsciousness.
Remix shook her helm as her optics onlined. "Wh-where am I?"
"Oh, aren't you adorable!?" The femme who appeared onscreen with Crimson Phantom stood in front of her, a strange grin on her face. "I mean, you're almost nothing more than a youngling." She giggled. "I wonder what your energon looks like."
"Wh-what...? What's going on!?"
"Oh, my bad. Where are my manners? I'm Coldstar! Now, little femmeling, I've been told to find out what you know about Autobot locations." She pulled a dagger out of her subspace, fingering the sharp edge with her digit. "Please, hold back. It makes the art of war and the art of information gathering so much more fun..."
Aalis blinked, taking in the soft darkness of an air vent around her as she came around. A green head swirled in her vision. As her vision cleared, she could see a lizard-like alien with frills on the side of its head. She screamed, only for the lizard to put his hand over her mouth. He muttered something in a strange tongue before tapping his hip.
The girl looked down to her own hip. To her atmosphere converter. The translator button wasn't on.
Tapping it, the lizard's gibberish came to her clearly as English(3).
"Goody. Goody. Goody. You're 'wake. Human lives! 'm Slizardo!" He grinned. "Wanna save friends? We can save friend."
Aalis blinked, taking a second to actually process the quick and strange speech. "You want to save our friends?"
"Uh huh!" Slizardo nodded. "Bad femmes take Dev and you're friend. We save them." He grinned, making the human giggle. If he'd been a dog, he would've been wagging his tail. His smile and confidence were contagious.
"I mean... I'm just a teacher, but I want to help. What can I do?"
"I got backup! Backup helps. They will help." He grinned. "You gotta deal with two bad femmes. I help you. I help you."
That stopped the human. Slizardo wanted her to take down two Cybertronians. "Uh, Slizardo, you do realize I'm just a regular human girl right? I can't fight two thirty foot robots with weapons."
"Easy. Easy." He reached behind him and grabbed something that looked like a fabric cooler, kinda like the ones full of dry ice that delivery drivers would bring ice cream in, but this one had straps. "Wear this! Wear!"
"Fine." The girl put the thing on her back like a backpack. She stiffened as she felt something in the bag move... What the heck? What's in the bag!? She took a deep breath, ignoring the moving in the backpack. "Wh-what do I do with this...?"
"Pull the cord! When get caught, go meet big boss femme. Then pull cord! No danger for you! You're no' made of metal!"
Made of metal?
Aalis fingered the while cord that hung from the bag strap.
Wait...
"When I get caught? You want me to get caught?"
"Yep! Yep! No choice! Best plan!" He shoved a metal bar in her hand. "Use! Get to air vent when done. Meet one floor under command room. Ok? Ok!" The lizard grabbed his own bag and slipped away, leaving the human, very confused, behind.
Just great.
"Frag..."
"Why go through all this trouble, Aurora Speeder? Why not just offline me and be done with it? You obviously could care less about the information I have."
The silver femme crossed her arms. "You're right. The only information I want is the location of that human, but a bounty hunter like you wouldn't know top secret information." Turning around quickly, she drew her laser whip across the mech's chassis. "Understand, I want to make sure that the art of war is as beautiful as possible. It is too bad for you that the beauty of war is long suffering; short and fast completely ruins the aesthetic. You are your little friend ended up in the worst situation possible. And while you, a seasoned warrior, can hold on through this... I wonder how the little femme will survive."
"Remix..."
"Isn't energon just so much prettier when it comes from a cut!?" Coldstar fingered the edge of her knife, grinning. "Young energon is just so fresh!" She slashed at Remix's arm, reveling in the cry of the young femme. "Now... tell me all you know."
"I-I told you everything!" Remix screamed. "I don't know anything!"
"And the human?"
"Devcon grabbed her! I don't know where she is now! I swear on the Allspark! That's all!"
Coldstar vented. "Thing is, I believe you." She twisted the knife, lifting up the little femme's chin. "But I also don't want to be bored. You're a young femme. Easily moldable. Easily twisted. Easily corrupted. It wouldn't take too long to make you one of us, I think. All it takes is a little time and effort."
Remix offlined her optics, biting her glossa as she awaited the next strike.
Aalis slipped along the wall, trying to stay close to the side. Too bad she couldn't squish herself against the wall. That would push the bag on her back closer.
That would also make the things in the bag closer.
Nope.
Nope.
Whatever was in the bag, she wanted it away from her. Her head listed off everything it could be, from snakes to facehuggers.
The white tiles, speckeled with black dots caught her eyes. She focused on tracing patterns with them with her eyes as she walked, trying to ignore the squirming things in the bag. Red curtains hung along the walls gold-painted; she ran from curtain to curtain.
She knew that Slizardo wanted her to get caught, for some stupid reason, but she really didn't want to get caught. But... was it really the best way to get Remix and Devcon out?
"There you are."
Welp.
Time for doubt was over.
The human glanced up to see the silver and purple femme, Balewing, towering over her. "Hi..."
"So, you've been scampering around the casino. Looking for your friend no doubt." Balewing planted one heeled pede in front of the human. "Now, make this easy and give up."
Aalis always imagined herself to be brave. Charging into all those insane battles in Borderlands 2. Playing Subnautica even though the ocean terrified her. Playing Among the Sleep even though she was horrible with jumpscares.
But here... standing at the feet of a giant robot who could squish her with one step...
She shuddered. Her whole body trembled.
Tears pricked at the corner of her eyes.
Her feet felt like trees, dug into the ground, rooted down, unable to move at all.
The giant metal hand reached down, wrapping around her body. Remix may have picked her up before, but this was different. It felt tight and cold. The ground fell away, swirling before her eyes.
Her chest tightened, flashing from hot and cold. Her breathing came in deep, labored breaths. Her heard pounded against her chest(4).
...
She was not brave...
Not brave at all...
I was going to do the whole escape in one chapter, but I figured it would be better to spread it out more.
Please review!
Footnotes:
(1) This is a reference to Nijima's casino in "Persona 5". Whims of Fate is the name of the background music that plays in the casino.
(2) This is a double reference. Bent is a reference to Benny from "Fallout New Vegas". Ho is a reference to Stanley Ho, who is a famous casino owner.
(3) Slizardo doesn't talk in G1 other than gibberish, but with a translator Aalis should be able to understand him.
(4) This is how I feel when I have a panic attack.
VAs:
Slizardo-Frank Welker (Scooby-Doo, Megatron, Azrael, Curious George,, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Sparky)