Never Was
Disclaimer: A bizarre idea that came to me shortly after I watched the new Transformers Animated episode on Saturday on March 13th. I'm not so sure if it is a... "realistic idea", to begin with, but I will make it as "real" as I possibly can. This idea was bugging me so much, I had to put it down. So if you feel this isn't the best, you can tell me. It won't hurt my feelings, honest. This fic takes place before the events of Animated.
"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before."
-Edgar Allan Poe
"The utmost extent of man's knowledge, is to know that he knows nothing."
-Joseph Addison
By: VampireQueenAkasha
"Your reasoning is highly illogical."
-Shockwave, G1 Episode
Chapter Three: Strange New World
Unknown Planet
Hot Shot stretched and smiled, gazing up at the shining dual suns with a smile of pleasure on his face. Despite the incidents of yesterday, stasis sleep had put him into an oddly good mood. A mood good enough to go sharp shooting.
"Wow, just look at that shine!" he sighed. He glanced off to the side and noticed several fish jumping up in the water with light splashes. Curious, Hot Shot walked up to the stream and glanced both ways. Finally, he grinned slyly and ignited his torch.
Back at the caves, Shockwave and Red Alert were still in stasis sleep. Red Alert had been snuggled up against Shockwave's leg. She mumbled sleepily and it was enough to startle the Decepticon out of sleep. He gave a sharp cry, moving his leg and kicking her in the head.
"Ow!" Red Alert shouted, holding her nose.
"What?" Shockwave spat out in surprise, charging up his arm cannon. Once he regained a proper manner of thought, he sighed heavily with irritation. He was completely in the dark about where Red Alert had been sleeping. "Autobot!"
Red Alert held her damaged nose angrily. "Are you crazy?" she cried, "You kicked me in the face!"
Shockwave's single eye flickered in response to that. "Well why were you sitting so close to me anyway?" he shouted.
Realization crossed the face of the Autobot and she glanced down. Finally, an awkward smile touched her lips. Despite her "Oh", she rose and Shockwave did as well. "Well, where's Hot Shot?"
"If I knew this before I had ever awoken, I'd be quite the blessed Decepticon..." Shockwave said, irritation in his voice.
Red Alert sighed and walked to the cave entrance. She looked around and Shockwave appeared beside her. "Why did he run off anyway?" she murmured, "Couldn't he have at least woken us up?"
Meanwhile, Hot Shot was openly firing his torches at the jumping, alien fish. Behind him, two towering shapes loomed and he sensed them, stopping in what he was doing and spinning around, colliding with a giant, protruding belly. He looked up and realized that two, enormous aliens stood there, resembling peculiar versions of Earthly wolves.
"Why are you shootin' at our fish?" one of then snarled, grabbing Hot Shot by the shoulder.
Hot Shot's optics grew wide. "Whoa!" he gasped, grabbing the hand that had grabbed him, "That is the biggest hand I have ever seen! Wow, it's like a docking drone!"
The bigger alien snarled at him. "Oh?" he hissed, "You makin' fun of my hand?"
Suddenly, he gave a cry and his other arm was forced behind his back. The alien and his comrade glanced back to meet the glowing red eye of Shockwave. He had seized them both tightly by their arms and forced them behind their backs. His strength nearly broke the bones in their limbs.
"Having limbs is a privilege. One I can easily remedy." he said, warningly.
The aliens looked at him in shock. "Who...who are you?" the big alien gasped.
"At this rate, I will become your worse nightmare you could ever fathom," Shockwave hissed, "Now release the Autobot. He belongs to us."
The big alien released Hot Shot immediately and grinned in pain. "Uh, can you let us go now, big guy?" he stammered.
Shockwave refused.
Red Alert stepped up to salvage the situation. "Can you two tell us exactly where we are?" she asked.
The smaller alien laughed scornfully. "What are you gonna do for us?" he sneered.
At this, Shockwave tightened his grip on their arms, twisting a bit. They cried out in pain. "Spare your life," he finished, coldly.
The aliens suddenly grinned with unease. They did not want to risk that chance, especially seeing the cold, empty look in that single, red optic. The aliens struggled for a few moments more until Shockwave released his grip on them.
"Look, strangers aren't usually welcome on our planet." the smaller alien told him, "It would be a good idea if you left right away."
"Yes, this is a dangerous planet," the bigger alien added, "Not safe for machine life."
Shockwave shook his head. "If we could leave, we would not be here talking to you right now," he said, "We require a specific kind of energy source that will allow for us to transmit a signal to our factions. Do you know of such a source?"
The aliens glanced at each other. They seemed confused by the question.
"Well, sure, I guess," the big alien replied, "I mean, if you have the right currency to get some off of the caretaker in the city."
The three Transformers looked at each other. Finally, Shockwave leaned forward and spoke in a calm voice. "Take us there."
O
"Whoa! Check this out!" Hot Shot gaped.
The city was quite big; bigger than even Cybertron itself. The buildings were made of what seemed to be of glistening metal. Shockwave, Hot Shot, and Red Alert observed the city, on guard. Every strange organic alien that laid eyes on them seemed pensive and uneasy.
"Is it just me, or are all these slimy freaks staring at us?" Hot Shot murmured.
"You are not imagining." Shockwave replied, in a low voice.
As soon as the three approached what seemed to be a warehouse, two large squid-like aliens stepped in their way. The Rhino aliens chuckled sheepishly and waved. They spoke in a peculiar language and the two squid aliens stared suspiciously down at the Transformers. They spoke the same language in a bubbling tone of voice.
The larger Rhino alien grinned and shrugged his shoulders, responding in a very awkward manner. He gestured to the robots and giggled weakly.
"What are they saying?" Hot Shot whispered.
Red Alert shrugged. "I don't know, but it doesn't look bad." She looked at Shockwave and noticed him power up his cannon behind his back. "What are you doing?"
"Just in case." Shockwave whispered.
The large rhino alien looked down at them. "Sorry, but you can't get in until you talk to our leader." Shockwave raised his cannon and the alien raised his hands defensively. "It's our rules!" he insisted, "Once you meet him, he'll give you what you need without any trouble!"
Shockwave didn't trust this at all. Something wasn't right. Part of being a Decepticon was taking heed to any possible betrayal. And he could not shake the idea that it was not far over the horizon. He reluctantly lowered his weapon.
"Carry on..." he said, lowly.
The aliens led them away and red Alert leaned forward. "Shockwave, what's wrong?" she asked, "Do you want to get us killed?"
"I want to kill them before they kill us," he whispered back.
"What are you talking about?"
Shockwave glanced down at her. "Don't be a fool, Autobot," he snapped, quietly, "Something is not right. I can sense it." He glanced up toward the larger alien, suspiciously, "I can sense that they are up to something. They are not as civilized as they seem."
Red Alert looked a little worried. "What makes you say that?" she asked.
Shockwave glanced down at scrap parts scattered about all across the ground. They looked suspicious enough to be Transformer parts...
"Call it a hunch..."
The "leader" of this strange city resembled a humanoid serpent with arms and legs. He was adorned in metal and armor of every color. Once the three Transformers walked into the elaborate grand hall, he rose and clapped his hands with a laugh.
"Ahh! Strangers!" he gasped, "So good of you to come to see me! Please, sit!" He gestured to the large rugs on the floor.
The three glanced at one another. Shockwave refused, but Red Alert and Hot Shot sat down. The leader smirked at Shockwave, somehow amused.
"There's no need to worry, my robotic friend," he assured, "The great Sal'uk won't bite." He flicked his forked tongue out once.
"If it is all just as well, I'd rather stand," Shockwave replied, coldly.
Sal'uk narrowed his eyes at him, but maintained a pleasant smile. "Very well, I would not enjoy making guests feel uncomfortable." he told them. He paced around the room and nodded once to two guards by the door. They took the hint and shut the doors tightly.
Shockwave immediately tensed.
"We only request a suitable energy source," he told the leader, "And then, we will be on our way. You won't see us again."
Sal'uk flashed a grin. "Why not stay a bit longer?" he hissed.
Shockwave's suspicions had been true after all. He spun around swiftly, just as several aliens swarmed over them. Just as his cannon went off, a single alien reached out with a peculiar "shock-rod" and sent a massive jolt to his systems.
Hot Shot attempted the same thing, but he and Red Alert were ensnared by a tentacled alien.
"Hey! What gives!" Hot Shot shouted, "What are you doing, you stinking, organic-" The tentacled alien stuffed a rock in Hot Shot's mouth to shut him up.
Shockwave shuddered weakly and struggled to his feet. "W-What do you think...yo-you fool..." he groaned, "Th-they're...sca-scavengers!" He winced and raised his cannon, but two aliens stomped onto it and he winced sharply.
Sal'uk laughed. "Something tells me that you two should have listened to your friend here!" he sneered, at the two Autobots, "Because now you are gonna be a new part of the scrap yard...after we chop ya' up for your energy!"
Hot Shot spat the rock out of his mouth and struggled madly as they carried them away. "You no good, rotten, slagging...!" His rants faded in the halls.
Shockwave struggled for all of his honor as it took several aliens to carry him off with the others. "You'll pay dearly for this!" he snarled, at the two Rhino aliens.
The two giggled mockingly, but stood at a safe distance with nervousness.
The three were dragged deep below surface ground; Shockwave could note that the walls were dripping and this was a brig of some sort. Before he could even think of retaliating, he was tossed into a cell with Red Alert and Hot Shot.
"Ahh! Slag!" Hot Shot shouted, as his head hit the walls behind him.
Shockwave rose to his feet and glanced over at them. "We seem to be in a bit of a stalemate, wouldn't you agree?" he murmured, still sore from his painful inflictions. He fell against the wall with a frustrated growl low in his throat.
"Oh!" Hot Shot's voice dripped with sarcasm and he stuck his face in Shockwave's. "Oh! That's so obvious! I-I think I'll die from the obviousness of what you have just said! Someone help me here before-" Shockwave pinched his lips shut.
Red Alert glanced to the other cells, noticing a few other Transformers sound asleep. This was peculiar. They had not been the first on this planet after all. But the only question remained was what were they used for?
"Shockwave," she said, turning to him, "You said something about the species here being scavengers. What gave that away?"
Shockwave glanced outside a small window. "I could smell Cybertronian fluids as we arrived," he replied, "I'm amazed that you two did not. It was quite potent." He pointed outside. "And that alone should have tipped you off."
The two glanced outside and gasped in horror.
There was a heavy machine working full force crushing metal and sucking out fluids from what they believed were Cybertronians. It was a mess; discarded metal, splattered oil and grease everywhere. Several slithering aliens were laughing and tossed a screaming Cybertronian onto the conveyor belt.
"Disgusting barbarians!" Shockwave growled, furiously.
Hot Shot shook his head, distraught. "This is nuts!" he cried, looking at Shockwave, "They make Decepticons look like bosom buddies!"
Shockwave knew he would come up with something. But with time no longer on their side, that would be a plan he would have to come up with soon.
O
Note-It's been a while. A LONG while. I'm sorry for the wait. I've been working on an original story for a contest.