Spark Deep -- Chapter 1: Deal
This bunny bit hard.
Title: Chapter 1: Deal
Rating: K+
Continuity: AU G1
Chapter 1: Deal
Smokescreen rushed toward the light, rain dancing down around him. He had been on his way home when the storm had struck, catching him unawares. He had transformed, wheels useless on the slick roads, and continued on, trudging through the crystal forest, trying to get home. Then he had spotted the light. It was distant, flickering through the waving branches of the trees, but he pushed on.
Now, closer, he could hear pounding music, and see other lights, colored ones, dancing through the windows.
A club? Way out here, in the middle of the forest?
As he found the gate and walked through, he saw it wasn't just a club.
“A manor house?” he whispered, awed. There were so few of the outdated buildings left.
Shaking it off, he dashed forward and knocked on the door. It swung open immediately, a tall, wide, black mech holding it.
“Welcome to the Sunside Manor,” the mech said, nodding his visored helm. “There is a dryer over there. Once you're cleaned, I’ll show you to the party.”
“Oh, I’m not here for the party,” Smokescreen said, taking a half-step backwards. “I was simply looking for shelter.”
“Nonsense,” a cheery voice said from somewhere to his left. Smokescreen jerked and turned, optics landing on a tall, well-built, red frame. “Everyone's here to party. Come. Dry off, then come and have some fun. You might as well. This storm is going to last quite a while.”
“I... suppose,” the Praxian framed mech said hesitantly, and allowed the black mech to guide him into the washracks for a quick rinse and dry. He came out with clean plating, feeling much warmer. The red mech was waiting, a small smirk on his face.
“Come, traveler. I am Lord Sideswipe.”
“Eh... Smokescreen.”
“It is nice to meet you, Smokescreen. Come.”
They entered the party room, and Smokescreen gasped, optics widening and doorwings flaring. It was a beautiful room, the walls inlaid with stones and gems, the flashing lights reflecting off the inlays. Mechs gyrated on the dance floor, crowded around the table covered with cubes of high-grade, gathered at tables with cards...
Sideswipe noticed the mech staring at the gambling tables. “You play?” he asked.
Smokescreen glanced at his host and nodded. “I enjoy playing.”
“Then perhaps you would entertain me with a private game? I enjoy the game as well, but few play as seriously as I do.”
“I... I think I'd like that?”
“Good! Come, come,” he insisted, grabbing the red and blue mech's elbow and guiding him to a small, vacant table in the corner.
Smokescreen sat heavily on the chair accepting the cube and cards that were thrust into his hands. The game started, and the Praxian took a big drink of the high-grade.
The night got fuzzy after that, exhaustion and powerful high-grade clouding his processors.
Sideswipe did, indeed, play seriously. Credits changed hands rapidly. Then, suddenly, Smokescreen had nothing in front of him. He blinked slowly at the table.
“Looks like you're out, Smokescreen,” Sideswipe said with a grin.
Smokescreen shook his helm and glanced down at his cards. It was a good hand...
“Nahhh,” he slurred, and vaguely wondered when his vocal processor had gotten a glitch. “I've got- got shomething elsh... I bet what'sh in my shecondary-dary shubspace...” There wasn't anything very important in there, was there?”
“Ah, I suppose I will match that.”
With a lopsided, drunken grin, Smokescreen laid his cards on the table. Sideswipe's smirk widened as he did the same.
“Looks like I win again, Smokey,” he said, voice razor sharp in Smokescreen's audios. He stared dazedly at the cards. That... that couldn't be right... “Hand it over, please,” he said with a grin.
Smokescreen hesitated, then opened his secondary supbspace and emptied it. Three cubes of energon, a few sprigs of a purplish crystal plant, and a datapad.
Datapad.
Datapad...
“No!” he cried as Sideswipe picked it up and examined it curiously. The red mech shot Smokescreen an amused glance and turned it on.
A moment later, his optics widened. “A contract... Hm.”
“No...”
“For a mech named 'Bluestreak'... Your cousin? Brave of you, risking him...”
Feeling much more sober than he had a moment ago, Smokescreen choked back a sob. “Please, he just came from Praxus, I forgot that was there, please, please don't take him!”
Sideswipe gave a wicked smile, and a yellow mech with a similar frame sidled up behind him. “Look at this, Sunny,” he said, holding the datapad up. “Looks like we've got a new servant.”
“Don't call me that,” the yellow mech said, taking the datapad. “And not servant, Sides. Apprentice. See?”
“Ah, yes.”
“Please, I’ll do anything, don't take him! His creators just died, he...”
Sideswipe shook his helm. “A deal is a deal. And anyways, the contract is only until he reaches his five-hundredth vorn.”
“He hasn't even reached three hundred yet! Please, don't do this!”
“Come now, Smokescreen,” Sideswipe said, voice consoling. The smirk belayed his reassuring tone, though. “He will be apprenticed to two Lords. That must be much better than anything you could offer him. And we treat our underlings well...”
Smokescreen slumped in his chair, doorwings drooping.
“Leave here come sunrise. Be back in two orns time, at sundown. Not a moment sooner. Do you understand?”
“Yes, my lords,” he whispered.
“Good. Sunrise is in a joor. Hound will show you to a berth you can rest in until then.”
A green mech stepped out of the shadows and gave a shallow bow to the Praxain. Smokescreen listlessly stood and followed.
“They aren't all that bad,” Hound said as they walked out of the room and up a flight of stairs. “They don't treat us horribly.”
“I... I just... I gave him away...”
“It will be alright. I am sure that the Lords will allow you to visit, if you ask,” Hound assured. “And even if they say no... Well, I can hide things. I can get you in to see him at least once or twice.”
Smokescreen huffed an angry laugh. “What am I going to tell him?”
Hound just shook his helm and opened a door. A wide, comfortable looking berth dominated the room. “Please, recharge. I will wake you come sunrise. Or I will send another servant if I am busy.”
Choking back sobs, Smokescreen fell upon the berth.
Title: Chapter 1: Deal
Rating: K+
Continuity: AU G1
Chapter 1: Deal
Smokescreen rushed toward the light, rain dancing down around him. He had been on his way home when the storm had struck, catching him unawares. He had transformed, wheels useless on the slick roads, and continued on, trudging through the crystal forest, trying to get home. Then he had spotted the light. It was distant, flickering through the waving branches of the trees, but he pushed on.
Now, closer, he could hear pounding music, and see other lights, colored ones, dancing through the windows.
A club? Way out here, in the middle of the forest?
As he found the gate and walked through, he saw it wasn't just a club.
“A manor house?” he whispered, awed. There were so few of the outdated buildings left.
Shaking it off, he dashed forward and knocked on the door. It swung open immediately, a tall, wide, black mech holding it.
“Welcome to the Sunside Manor,” the mech said, nodding his visored helm. “There is a dryer over there. Once you're cleaned, I’ll show you to the party.”
“Oh, I’m not here for the party,” Smokescreen said, taking a half-step backwards. “I was simply looking for shelter.”
“Nonsense,” a cheery voice said from somewhere to his left. Smokescreen jerked and turned, optics landing on a tall, well-built, red frame. “Everyone's here to party. Come. Dry off, then come and have some fun. You might as well. This storm is going to last quite a while.”
“I... suppose,” the Praxian framed mech said hesitantly, and allowed the black mech to guide him into the washracks for a quick rinse and dry. He came out with clean plating, feeling much warmer. The red mech was waiting, a small smirk on his face.
“Come, traveler. I am Lord Sideswipe.”
“Eh... Smokescreen.”
“It is nice to meet you, Smokescreen. Come.”
They entered the party room, and Smokescreen gasped, optics widening and doorwings flaring. It was a beautiful room, the walls inlaid with stones and gems, the flashing lights reflecting off the inlays. Mechs gyrated on the dance floor, crowded around the table covered with cubes of high-grade, gathered at tables with cards...
Sideswipe noticed the mech staring at the gambling tables. “You play?” he asked.
Smokescreen glanced at his host and nodded. “I enjoy playing.”
“Then perhaps you would entertain me with a private game? I enjoy the game as well, but few play as seriously as I do.”
“I... I think I'd like that?”
“Good! Come, come,” he insisted, grabbing the red and blue mech's elbow and guiding him to a small, vacant table in the corner.
Smokescreen sat heavily on the chair accepting the cube and cards that were thrust into his hands. The game started, and the Praxian took a big drink of the high-grade.
The night got fuzzy after that, exhaustion and powerful high-grade clouding his processors.
Sideswipe did, indeed, play seriously. Credits changed hands rapidly. Then, suddenly, Smokescreen had nothing in front of him. He blinked slowly at the table.
“Looks like you're out, Smokescreen,” Sideswipe said with a grin.
Smokescreen shook his helm and glanced down at his cards. It was a good hand...
“Nahhh,” he slurred, and vaguely wondered when his vocal processor had gotten a glitch. “I've got- got shomething elsh... I bet what'sh in my shecondary-dary shubspace...” There wasn't anything very important in there, was there?”
“Ah, I suppose I will match that.”
With a lopsided, drunken grin, Smokescreen laid his cards on the table. Sideswipe's smirk widened as he did the same.
“Looks like I win again, Smokey,” he said, voice razor sharp in Smokescreen's audios. He stared dazedly at the cards. That... that couldn't be right... “Hand it over, please,” he said with a grin.
Smokescreen hesitated, then opened his secondary supbspace and emptied it. Three cubes of energon, a few sprigs of a purplish crystal plant, and a datapad.
Datapad.
Datapad...
“No!” he cried as Sideswipe picked it up and examined it curiously. The red mech shot Smokescreen an amused glance and turned it on.
A moment later, his optics widened. “A contract... Hm.”
“No...”
“For a mech named 'Bluestreak'... Your cousin? Brave of you, risking him...”
Feeling much more sober than he had a moment ago, Smokescreen choked back a sob. “Please, he just came from Praxus, I forgot that was there, please, please don't take him!”
Sideswipe gave a wicked smile, and a yellow mech with a similar frame sidled up behind him. “Look at this, Sunny,” he said, holding the datapad up. “Looks like we've got a new servant.”
“Don't call me that,” the yellow mech said, taking the datapad. “And not servant, Sides. Apprentice. See?”
“Ah, yes.”
“Please, I’ll do anything, don't take him! His creators just died, he...”
Sideswipe shook his helm. “A deal is a deal. And anyways, the contract is only until he reaches his five-hundredth vorn.”
“He hasn't even reached three hundred yet! Please, don't do this!”
“Come now, Smokescreen,” Sideswipe said, voice consoling. The smirk belayed his reassuring tone, though. “He will be apprenticed to two Lords. That must be much better than anything you could offer him. And we treat our underlings well...”
Smokescreen slumped in his chair, doorwings drooping.
“Leave here come sunrise. Be back in two orns time, at sundown. Not a moment sooner. Do you understand?”
“Yes, my lords,” he whispered.
“Good. Sunrise is in a joor. Hound will show you to a berth you can rest in until then.”
A green mech stepped out of the shadows and gave a shallow bow to the Praxain. Smokescreen listlessly stood and followed.
“They aren't all that bad,” Hound said as they walked out of the room and up a flight of stairs. “They don't treat us horribly.”
“I... I just... I gave him away...”
“It will be alright. I am sure that the Lords will allow you to visit, if you ask,” Hound assured. “And even if they say no... Well, I can hide things. I can get you in to see him at least once or twice.”
Smokescreen huffed an angry laugh. “What am I going to tell him?”
Hound just shook his helm and opened a door. A wide, comfortable looking berth dominated the room. “Please, recharge. I will wake you come sunrise. Or I will send another servant if I am busy.”
Choking back sobs, Smokescreen fell upon the berth.