Fic - Blame
Title: Blame
Continuity: G1 cartoon (Dysfunction AU)
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: implied murder of unnamed OC
Disclaimer: I don’t own the characters, I’m just playing with them
Characters and/or pairings: Vortex, with mention of Megatron, Onslaught, Swindle and Brawl.
Summary: When he first gets put in the Detention Centre, Vortex finds himself something to do.
Notes: This is essentially a brainstorm for my AU, written for the prompt ‘It wasn’t clear where it all went wrong’ on tf_speedwriting.
It wasn’t clear where it all went wrong. There were a number of moments, each of which could have been the culprit. Placing blame was problematic, but it wasn’t as though Vortex had anything better to.
Was it the moment Swindle returned to base with the superweapon and the payment, having reneged on the concept of exchange? Or the moment Brawl suggested keeping it, arming it, using it, and Onslaught - surprisingly - agreed.
It could have been the instant Vortex realised that this time he’d gone too far, that the mech whose laser core lay empty at his feet was a far more valuable resource to the growing Decepticon army than had been initially apparent. That the retribution he had exacted was disproportionate to the slight, and there would be consequences.
Or the moment, vorns before, when a sour note appeared in the otherwise harmonious interactions between Megatron and Onslaught. A note that did not fade, but only grew more distinct as the two organisations became closer, as Onslaught went from supplying funds to the insurgents, to smuggling ordnance, to stealing materials, to doing anything and everything Megatron required because the balance of power had irrevocably shifted. The time - many times - that Megatron assumed Onslaught’s support. Drained his resources, put his mechs in danger, all for an unprofitable cause that few of them believed in.
Was it the instant they realised that they were no longer in a partner organisation; they were considered a part of the army. Onslaught had been usurped; he was beholden to an idealist.
Or the separate instances when each of them had decided to stand with Onslaught rather than Megatron. When they had thought him the stronger leader, the more competent strategist.
Or the moment Megatron realised that the Kaon underworld was no longer the bastion of support it had been for so long.
If only… But this wasn’t time for regret. Regret would spiral into despair, and he really didn’t need that. He’d put enough mechs in sensory deprivation to know that the effects could be catastrophic. He had to stay calm, focused; he could get through his time in the box, could survive the silent, numb darkness provided he was rational, provided he had something to do, something to plan for.
Revenge seemed a good place to start.
Somewhere, in all this mess, there was a moment where it all went wrong, a pivotal point which tipped them deeper into the slag. And someone whose fault it was.
Continuity: G1 cartoon (Dysfunction AU)
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: implied murder of unnamed OC
Disclaimer: I don’t own the characters, I’m just playing with them
Characters and/or pairings: Vortex, with mention of Megatron, Onslaught, Swindle and Brawl.
Summary: When he first gets put in the Detention Centre, Vortex finds himself something to do.
Notes: This is essentially a brainstorm for my AU, written for the prompt ‘It wasn’t clear where it all went wrong’ on tf_speedwriting.
It wasn’t clear where it all went wrong. There were a number of moments, each of which could have been the culprit. Placing blame was problematic, but it wasn’t as though Vortex had anything better to.
Was it the moment Swindle returned to base with the superweapon and the payment, having reneged on the concept of exchange? Or the moment Brawl suggested keeping it, arming it, using it, and Onslaught - surprisingly - agreed.
It could have been the instant Vortex realised that this time he’d gone too far, that the mech whose laser core lay empty at his feet was a far more valuable resource to the growing Decepticon army than had been initially apparent. That the retribution he had exacted was disproportionate to the slight, and there would be consequences.
Or the moment, vorns before, when a sour note appeared in the otherwise harmonious interactions between Megatron and Onslaught. A note that did not fade, but only grew more distinct as the two organisations became closer, as Onslaught went from supplying funds to the insurgents, to smuggling ordnance, to stealing materials, to doing anything and everything Megatron required because the balance of power had irrevocably shifted. The time - many times - that Megatron assumed Onslaught’s support. Drained his resources, put his mechs in danger, all for an unprofitable cause that few of them believed in.
Was it the instant they realised that they were no longer in a partner organisation; they were considered a part of the army. Onslaught had been usurped; he was beholden to an idealist.
Or the separate instances when each of them had decided to stand with Onslaught rather than Megatron. When they had thought him the stronger leader, the more competent strategist.
Or the moment Megatron realised that the Kaon underworld was no longer the bastion of support it had been for so long.
If only… But this wasn’t time for regret. Regret would spiral into despair, and he really didn’t need that. He’d put enough mechs in sensory deprivation to know that the effects could be catastrophic. He had to stay calm, focused; he could get through his time in the box, could survive the silent, numb darkness provided he was rational, provided he had something to do, something to plan for.
Revenge seemed a good place to start.
Somewhere, in all this mess, there was a moment where it all went wrong, a pivotal point which tipped them deeper into the slag. And someone whose fault it was.