Re-posting the Transformers fanfic...
Nova laughed. Maybe this old thing was smarter than he looked.
Then she winced. "No, they didn't. And I already told you. I'm -- not with them right now."
"Ahh." The other bot's head tilted with a grinding sound that rang in Nova's auditory sensors. The sooner she could get this over with, the better. "Hiding?"
Nova grimaced. "No. Running. Or flying, as the case may be."
"Hah." He laughed, a grating wheeze. "So who'd you piss off?"
The old bucket of bolts was far too amused for Nova's taste. "Let's just say I could use a new paint job, my friend. These markings on my wings are... obvious. I need them... not to be."
"I might just be able to help you with that. Long as your former friends don't come looking. If you tracked them in --"
"Already handled." She fluttered a sore wing, immediately regretting it as pain lanced through her circuitry.
"I nicked a signal dampener when I left." She grinned, holding it up. "Whatever happens, I was never here."
The dealer whistled, reaching for the disc in the other bot's hand. "Signal dampener? That's fancy stuff. If it's real."
She quickly tucked it away. "If it weren't real, I'd be slag by now."
"Good point." He turned to a wall of junk behind him, rummaging through piles that looked indistinguishable to Nova. "I don't suppose you want to tell me exactly how you got yourself in that much trouble?"
"No."
He shrugged, turning around, a part in his pitted hands. "Electronic paint job. Cover those things right over, and immediately too. No mess."
It didn't look all that high-quality to Nova, but at least it was something. Relieved to be done with the smalltalk and on to the bargaining, she drew out a few small cubes of energon she'd stolen, laying them on the shelf. "Excellent."
He looked her over. "'Course, it won't do anything about your shape. Oh, it'll fool most bots at a distance and a few close up. But you're pretty common 'Con construction, and anyone who looks close enough will figure it out. You'd need a hologram to really look like something else."
Oh, slag. Nova thought. She'd been afraid he'd say something like that. Just when things are finally going well... "And how much is a hologram generator?"
"Judging by what you've just offered and what that probably means you're keeping back for yourself, more than you stole from your old cronies."
This was getting irritating. She raised a laser. "Really now?"
The old bot held up an arm, revealing a huge, if rusted, cannon. "Really."
Nova winced. The old bot barely functioned, but she didn't care to find out how much of his auxiliary systems he'd devoted to that cannon.
He nodded, pleased with her reaction. "I don't have time for Decepticon games. You'll have to make do with this."
"I already told you," Nova snarled, "I'm not a Decepticon any more."
"And here I thought you were just lying low." He whistled again. "Do you really mean to tell me you're actually leaving?"
She chuckled again. Yes, this one was definitely smarter than he looked. "Leaving those idiot malfunctions I served under, at least."
"And the grand and glorious Decepticon empire?"
"Can go rust, for all I care." Her fist clenched. "If it hasn't already. I'm surprised the enforcers for this province even had as much energon as I was able to nick."
The shopkeeper shook his ancient head. "Well, I see you're set to make yourself all kinds of new friends."
"Which reminds me." He turned back to his shelves, then laid two small yellow objects on the counter.
Nova Black picked one up and examined it. "Optic sensors?"
"An electronic paint job will change your paint," the old bot said, slowly, as if explaining to someone newly constructed. "It won't do a thing about those pretty red optics."
Nova stared. "You're telling me to rip out my own optics and put these in for them?"
"You're the one who says she wants to go Neutral." The old bot grinned, his gears creaking.
Looking at his rusted, scratched face, Nova could see even more wear around his optic sockets. He did this himself, she realized. He was one of us too.
Her jaw tightened. Or an Autobot. He hadn't seemed to care much for Decepticons, after all.
Now there was an interesting possibility, if a slightly disgusting one.
The Autobots all had the same idealistic glitch in their programming, the same willingness to believe in something so strongly they'd risk their spark rather than abandon their principles. What, Nova Black wondered, could shake up someone like that enough that cycles later he'd be here, selling parts on the black market to someone with red eyes and purple insignia on her wings?
A grating whine brought Nova out of her ruminations. She shuddered to think exactly what parts of the old bot scraping together backwards had made such a horrible noise.
His optics -- yellow like the ones he held in his rusted hand -- shone as he laughed again. "I'd advise you to remove the old ones and install the new ones one at a time. It's not easy to install new hardware blind."
Then she winced. "No, they didn't. And I already told you. I'm -- not with them right now."
"Ahh." The other bot's head tilted with a grinding sound that rang in Nova's auditory sensors. The sooner she could get this over with, the better. "Hiding?"
Nova grimaced. "No. Running. Or flying, as the case may be."
"Hah." He laughed, a grating wheeze. "So who'd you piss off?"
The old bucket of bolts was far too amused for Nova's taste. "Let's just say I could use a new paint job, my friend. These markings on my wings are... obvious. I need them... not to be."
"I might just be able to help you with that. Long as your former friends don't come looking. If you tracked them in --"
"Already handled." She fluttered a sore wing, immediately regretting it as pain lanced through her circuitry.
"I nicked a signal dampener when I left." She grinned, holding it up. "Whatever happens, I was never here."
The dealer whistled, reaching for the disc in the other bot's hand. "Signal dampener? That's fancy stuff. If it's real."
She quickly tucked it away. "If it weren't real, I'd be slag by now."
"Good point." He turned to a wall of junk behind him, rummaging through piles that looked indistinguishable to Nova. "I don't suppose you want to tell me exactly how you got yourself in that much trouble?"
"No."
He shrugged, turning around, a part in his pitted hands. "Electronic paint job. Cover those things right over, and immediately too. No mess."
It didn't look all that high-quality to Nova, but at least it was something. Relieved to be done with the smalltalk and on to the bargaining, she drew out a few small cubes of energon she'd stolen, laying them on the shelf. "Excellent."
He looked her over. "'Course, it won't do anything about your shape. Oh, it'll fool most bots at a distance and a few close up. But you're pretty common 'Con construction, and anyone who looks close enough will figure it out. You'd need a hologram to really look like something else."
Oh, slag. Nova thought. She'd been afraid he'd say something like that. Just when things are finally going well... "And how much is a hologram generator?"
"Judging by what you've just offered and what that probably means you're keeping back for yourself, more than you stole from your old cronies."
This was getting irritating. She raised a laser. "Really now?"
The old bot held up an arm, revealing a huge, if rusted, cannon. "Really."
Nova winced. The old bot barely functioned, but she didn't care to find out how much of his auxiliary systems he'd devoted to that cannon.
He nodded, pleased with her reaction. "I don't have time for Decepticon games. You'll have to make do with this."
"I already told you," Nova snarled, "I'm not a Decepticon any more."
"And here I thought you were just lying low." He whistled again. "Do you really mean to tell me you're actually leaving?"
She chuckled again. Yes, this one was definitely smarter than he looked. "Leaving those idiot malfunctions I served under, at least."
"And the grand and glorious Decepticon empire?"
"Can go rust, for all I care." Her fist clenched. "If it hasn't already. I'm surprised the enforcers for this province even had as much energon as I was able to nick."
The shopkeeper shook his ancient head. "Well, I see you're set to make yourself all kinds of new friends."
"Which reminds me." He turned back to his shelves, then laid two small yellow objects on the counter.
Nova Black picked one up and examined it. "Optic sensors?"
"An electronic paint job will change your paint," the old bot said, slowly, as if explaining to someone newly constructed. "It won't do a thing about those pretty red optics."
Nova stared. "You're telling me to rip out my own optics and put these in for them?"
"You're the one who says she wants to go Neutral." The old bot grinned, his gears creaking.
Looking at his rusted, scratched face, Nova could see even more wear around his optic sockets. He did this himself, she realized. He was one of us too.
Her jaw tightened. Or an Autobot. He hadn't seemed to care much for Decepticons, after all.
Now there was an interesting possibility, if a slightly disgusting one.
The Autobots all had the same idealistic glitch in their programming, the same willingness to believe in something so strongly they'd risk their spark rather than abandon their principles. What, Nova Black wondered, could shake up someone like that enough that cycles later he'd be here, selling parts on the black market to someone with red eyes and purple insignia on her wings?
A grating whine brought Nova out of her ruminations. She shuddered to think exactly what parts of the old bot scraping together backwards had made such a horrible noise.
His optics -- yellow like the ones he held in his rusted hand -- shone as he laughed again. "I'd advise you to remove the old ones and install the new ones one at a time. It's not easy to install new hardware blind."