Anniversary Challenge Fic: Xanth-fusion
NAME: Rose0mary
TITLE: Xanth-makebelieve
RATING: K+
WARNINGS: None
Characters: Jazz. Bumblebee
Slipping into recharge, Jazz logged onto Teletraan. “Hey, Bumblebee,” he said, finding his teammate. “Ready to go explore a new world?”
The yellow avatar of his longterm friend, nodded. “Very.”
“And maybe you’ll finally break you’re deactivating streak.” The intruding voice came from the sparkling white avatar. “I mean, last dozen worlds you stumble onto dangers that no one else could find, and somehow, never have the tools needed to escape with your hide intact.” The mech tisked.
“You know, Star,” Jazz stated, “not many mechs can jump right back into a world they just died in. Remember Lipoles? Have you even visited that place again?”
Star turned his attention from the yellow mech to the silver mech, just arrived. “Teleetran has opened up a single new world for testing. It doesn’t even have a designation yet. Sure you want to trust your partner’s luck?”
Before Bumblebee could retort, three more mechs logged into the conversation. Jazz recognized the avatars immediately, in spite of the changes from the last time they’d encountred each other on this realm. “Hey Hound, ‘Cutter, Mistero. You looking to explore a prototype worlds?”
“Jazz, we were born ready,” Hound spoke up for himself and Trailcutter, “Let us at it.” They vanished almost as quickly as they’d shown up, disappearing into a swirling greenish-grey portal.
The silvery-white mech known as Mistero, slid next to Star. “I’d rather revisit Triax and spend an orn or two thousand, soaking up the sun and solarwinds. What do you think, Star?”
Star, larger than Jazz or Bumblebee, hesitated. “Fine,” he muttered. “We’ll let them be the first to discover what horrors await in Teleetran’s latest experiment with organic creatures and non-metalic planetoids.” Star and Mistero backed up, away from the green-gray mist that blanketed one direction.
“After you,” Jazz ushered Bumblebee forward through the grayish-green fog before more mechs, mostly chargers, could arrive to put a damper on the empty - but not barren - world.
They landed on solid ground. Well, the ground was solid, until it started rolling under their feet, unexpectedly.
“What in the world?” Jazz jumped off the brown rock, landing next to a coffee colored stone slab … that was also rocking back and forth.
Meanwhile, Bumblebee wasn’t having much better luck finding stable ground. “I heard about rock-n-roll, but this is taking it to an extreme level!” Bumblebee yelped before falling under the rock rolling under his feet. It came within inches of flattening the yellow-avatar, before stopping just as suddenly as it started moving. Bumblebee wasted no time getting away from the rock-field, where nothing was as it appeared.
“Crazy world.”
“You said it, not me.”
Easily enough, they found a faintly used path that took them around the rock-filled valley, and took the time to make sure no injuries were created upon their scramble from the rocking rocks.
Upon discovering that neither Cybertronian was hurt they hiked around the clearing filled with russet, black, and grey boulders. One misshape with a rock that appeared more stable than it was, was more than enough warning to avoid other seemingly solid objects.
“So glad this wasn’t a marsh.” Bumblebee quipped. “I could get used to roads that shifted from side to side.”
“Don’t jinx us … “ Jazz trailed off. “Never mind.”
“What?” Bumblebee looked behind them. “Huh. A one-way path. At least we know we’re going the right direction.”
After a long while, the trail ended. Or faded. It was hard to tell which, when one instance, there was a nice, faint, path along the ground, the next, no further marks on the ground, yet it appeared to widen out into a large area, centering a tall, blue-needled tree.
“Pointless,” Jazz vented. “If someone wanted to rot processors, this world might work.”
“Blue needles?” Bumblebee wanted to know. “The tree over there has green vines, the showy flowers along our right are bright red, white clouds shield us from a blazing yellow sun, so why not blue leaves?” Bee took a second look at the vine-covered tree to their left. “Odd. I wonder what the tan and white sticks at the base are.” He stepped closer to the tangled tree in question.
Jazz held back, not liking the looks of the area. Something was off: until he learned more about this jerry-rigged world, he couldn’t know what was causing his internal alarms to flash an amber alert to his processors.
Jazz was still on the path, when the tangled vines from the knotty tree unwrapped and launched themselves towards Bumblebee … who had gotten close enough to be wrapped in a moment. “Jazz!” Bumblebee’s cry for help was cut off as green tentacles completely covered his face.
In a flash, Jazz had pulled out his energon sword - a gift from Apperkot - and hacked at the green vines, cutting through the woody branches before the tree could pull Bumblebee closer to its maw.
The first cut took the tree by surprise. The second swipe, proved to be not nearly as effective, as the tree had chosen to send three spare vine-like tentacles towards Jazz to capture him too. The third slice freed enough of Bumblebee’s arm that he could pull out his own energon-blade, and hack at the other rope-like vines dragging him closer and closer to the pile of sticks.
“I think those are sun bleached struts - organic kind.” Bumblebee hollered once he got his head and upper chassis free. His legs and lower half were still entwined in the living rope, but he was no longer being taking along for the ride.
“You think?” Jazz yelled back, harried on all sides. He’d already discovered the path, once abandoned, could not be relocated. “Hurry up and get to the clearing - nothing over there can trip us up!” So saying, he danced over low-flung vines that were trying to entrap his feet.
It took only another moment for both Cybertrons to free themselves fully and escape into the spruced up clearing. “That was … quite the rush.” Bumblebee leaned against the blue-needled tree. “Think we could catch up to Hound and Trailcutter?”
“No, I think we should wait for Hound and ‘Cutter back at my spatium.” So saying, Jazz faded out, exiting this particular world, shaken by how they’d almost lost Bumblebee.
He faded back into the same room he started in when he first entered recharge and found Hound waiting for him. “You’re back early,” Jazz exclaimed, careful not to back up, knowing Bumblebee was solidifying behind him.
“Yeah,” Cutter shook his head. “Ran afoul of a huge roc bird - took me captive and dismantled me before I could even begin to fight back.” He gestured towards his back-up. “Hound didn’t fare much better - he lived long enough to figure out my wires were used as nesting material, but ended up encountering the wrong end of a fire-breathing land-bound dragon.”
“Ouch.” Bumblebee winced. “I pity those who decided mythical dragons are the equivalent of extinct predicons.” All three turned towards Jazz, waited expectantly.
“What?”
Three glances were exchanged.
“Oh come on! I am not hacking that world! Do you want me to get noticed by the law-enforcing eternals? Bad enough they’ve decided I’m one of those capable of tossing out the occasional virus that allows others cheat death-defying situations.”
Hound grinned. “I don’t know, I think you’re sweet on one eternal in particular.”
“Am Not!” Jazz firmly denied. “Will never get entombed full-time into this make-believe world, shifting from one reality to another just to avoid full-blown boredom.”
“If you say so.”
Author Notes: I have no idea which continuity - Generation 1? IDW? Any?/All of them?
Whichever one fits the reader, I suppose.
TITLE: Xanth-makebelieve
RATING: K+
WARNINGS: None
Characters: Jazz. Bumblebee
Slipping into recharge, Jazz logged onto Teletraan. “Hey, Bumblebee,” he said, finding his teammate. “Ready to go explore a new world?”
The yellow avatar of his longterm friend, nodded. “Very.”
“And maybe you’ll finally break you’re deactivating streak.” The intruding voice came from the sparkling white avatar. “I mean, last dozen worlds you stumble onto dangers that no one else could find, and somehow, never have the tools needed to escape with your hide intact.” The mech tisked.
“You know, Star,” Jazz stated, “not many mechs can jump right back into a world they just died in. Remember Lipoles? Have you even visited that place again?”
Star turned his attention from the yellow mech to the silver mech, just arrived. “Teleetran has opened up a single new world for testing. It doesn’t even have a designation yet. Sure you want to trust your partner’s luck?”
Before Bumblebee could retort, three more mechs logged into the conversation. Jazz recognized the avatars immediately, in spite of the changes from the last time they’d encountred each other on this realm. “Hey Hound, ‘Cutter, Mistero. You looking to explore a prototype worlds?”
“Jazz, we were born ready,” Hound spoke up for himself and Trailcutter, “Let us at it.” They vanished almost as quickly as they’d shown up, disappearing into a swirling greenish-grey portal.
The silvery-white mech known as Mistero, slid next to Star. “I’d rather revisit Triax and spend an orn or two thousand, soaking up the sun and solarwinds. What do you think, Star?”
Star, larger than Jazz or Bumblebee, hesitated. “Fine,” he muttered. “We’ll let them be the first to discover what horrors await in Teleetran’s latest experiment with organic creatures and non-metalic planetoids.” Star and Mistero backed up, away from the green-gray mist that blanketed one direction.
“After you,” Jazz ushered Bumblebee forward through the grayish-green fog before more mechs, mostly chargers, could arrive to put a damper on the empty - but not barren - world.
They landed on solid ground. Well, the ground was solid, until it started rolling under their feet, unexpectedly.
“What in the world?” Jazz jumped off the brown rock, landing next to a coffee colored stone slab … that was also rocking back and forth.
Meanwhile, Bumblebee wasn’t having much better luck finding stable ground. “I heard about rock-n-roll, but this is taking it to an extreme level!” Bumblebee yelped before falling under the rock rolling under his feet. It came within inches of flattening the yellow-avatar, before stopping just as suddenly as it started moving. Bumblebee wasted no time getting away from the rock-field, where nothing was as it appeared.
“Crazy world.”
“You said it, not me.”
Easily enough, they found a faintly used path that took them around the rock-filled valley, and took the time to make sure no injuries were created upon their scramble from the rocking rocks.
Upon discovering that neither Cybertronian was hurt they hiked around the clearing filled with russet, black, and grey boulders. One misshape with a rock that appeared more stable than it was, was more than enough warning to avoid other seemingly solid objects.
“So glad this wasn’t a marsh.” Bumblebee quipped. “I could get used to roads that shifted from side to side.”
“Don’t jinx us … “ Jazz trailed off. “Never mind.”
“What?” Bumblebee looked behind them. “Huh. A one-way path. At least we know we’re going the right direction.”
After a long while, the trail ended. Or faded. It was hard to tell which, when one instance, there was a nice, faint, path along the ground, the next, no further marks on the ground, yet it appeared to widen out into a large area, centering a tall, blue-needled tree.
“Pointless,” Jazz vented. “If someone wanted to rot processors, this world might work.”
“Blue needles?” Bumblebee wanted to know. “The tree over there has green vines, the showy flowers along our right are bright red, white clouds shield us from a blazing yellow sun, so why not blue leaves?” Bee took a second look at the vine-covered tree to their left. “Odd. I wonder what the tan and white sticks at the base are.” He stepped closer to the tangled tree in question.
Jazz held back, not liking the looks of the area. Something was off: until he learned more about this jerry-rigged world, he couldn’t know what was causing his internal alarms to flash an amber alert to his processors.
Jazz was still on the path, when the tangled vines from the knotty tree unwrapped and launched themselves towards Bumblebee … who had gotten close enough to be wrapped in a moment. “Jazz!” Bumblebee’s cry for help was cut off as green tentacles completely covered his face.
In a flash, Jazz had pulled out his energon sword - a gift from Apperkot - and hacked at the green vines, cutting through the woody branches before the tree could pull Bumblebee closer to its maw.
The first cut took the tree by surprise. The second swipe, proved to be not nearly as effective, as the tree had chosen to send three spare vine-like tentacles towards Jazz to capture him too. The third slice freed enough of Bumblebee’s arm that he could pull out his own energon-blade, and hack at the other rope-like vines dragging him closer and closer to the pile of sticks.
“I think those are sun bleached struts - organic kind.” Bumblebee hollered once he got his head and upper chassis free. His legs and lower half were still entwined in the living rope, but he was no longer being taking along for the ride.
“You think?” Jazz yelled back, harried on all sides. He’d already discovered the path, once abandoned, could not be relocated. “Hurry up and get to the clearing - nothing over there can trip us up!” So saying, he danced over low-flung vines that were trying to entrap his feet.
It took only another moment for both Cybertrons to free themselves fully and escape into the spruced up clearing. “That was … quite the rush.” Bumblebee leaned against the blue-needled tree. “Think we could catch up to Hound and Trailcutter?”
“No, I think we should wait for Hound and ‘Cutter back at my spatium.” So saying, Jazz faded out, exiting this particular world, shaken by how they’d almost lost Bumblebee.
He faded back into the same room he started in when he first entered recharge and found Hound waiting for him. “You’re back early,” Jazz exclaimed, careful not to back up, knowing Bumblebee was solidifying behind him.
“Yeah,” Cutter shook his head. “Ran afoul of a huge roc bird - took me captive and dismantled me before I could even begin to fight back.” He gestured towards his back-up. “Hound didn’t fare much better - he lived long enough to figure out my wires were used as nesting material, but ended up encountering the wrong end of a fire-breathing land-bound dragon.”
“Ouch.” Bumblebee winced. “I pity those who decided mythical dragons are the equivalent of extinct predicons.” All three turned towards Jazz, waited expectantly.
“What?”
Three glances were exchanged.
“Oh come on! I am not hacking that world! Do you want me to get noticed by the law-enforcing eternals? Bad enough they’ve decided I’m one of those capable of tossing out the occasional virus that allows others cheat death-defying situations.”
Hound grinned. “I don’t know, I think you’re sweet on one eternal in particular.”
“Am Not!” Jazz firmly denied. “Will never get entombed full-time into this make-believe world, shifting from one reality to another just to avoid full-blown boredom.”
“If you say so.”
Author Notes: I have no idea which continuity - Generation 1? IDW? Any?/All of them?
Whichever one fits the reader, I suppose.