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mosaic_archiveX watched while the autopilot computer docked the ship, feeling edgy... and hoping this wouldn't turn out to be a mistake.
His experiences with other people so far hadn't been pleasant, and he would have preferred to avoid them... and yet at the same time he also craved the feel of other minds nearby, the background whispers of their thoughts and especially the emotions that he seemed to echo and draw strength from.
He'd stayed away as long as he could... but the need had steadily grown to where it could no longer be ignored. And worse yet, it had only been a matter of a couple days since he had left Omicron. Two solar cycles and the silence, the lack of emotions to feed upon was already unbearable. Warily, he reached for the hatch controls...
The ship's hatch opened, and he blinked a bit at the light in the hanger. Leaving the ship cautiously, he glanced around half expecting an attack or for someone to point him out and call for guards... but there was nothing.
He looked around again. Like an animal that has been kept caged for too long, now that he had his freedom he wasn't quite sure what to do with it.
A sign indicating the way to the local lunch counter caught his attention. Laboratory rations at Omicron had always been the same tasteless mush... this place looked like it had something different to offer. Puzzled curiosity overrode his wariness for the moment, and he headed in to the station's small diner.
X was very tense at the number of people around. Now that he was more aware of his empathic traits he tried to use them to keep track of everyone nearby and make sure none of them were threats to him...
Even then, he totally missed that he was being watched. In the furthest, darkest corner booth sat another Transformer. He'd seen the ship arrive, recognized it as a Maximal cruiser, and had his suspicions as to where it had come from.
As a rule, he didn't like Maximals. In fact, it could almost be said that he hated them, as much as he still had the energy to hate anything these days.
But there was something odd about this one. And so, he watched X closely for a while, all the time becoming more certain that his suspicion had been correct.
"Yes?" said an odd voice near X.
X looked over to glare at a strange creature standing behind a counter and looking at him expectantly. "What..."
The alien counterperson blinked and backed away a little. "Can I get you anything..?"
X looked down at the alien, frowning a bit. Instinctively he reached out on a telepathic level, reading the creature's surface thoughts... and finding out what the alien expected, as well as one apparent use for the little credit chits he'd found on the ship...
The alien blinked a little again, and looked slightly dazed. It muttered something quietly to itself about too much overtime...
Still unaware he was being observed, X picked one of the combo plate deals at random off the menu, paid for it, and looked around for a safe looking corner to sit down in. Finally he sat down where he could see the door, and looked at the plate he'd put down in front of himself.
None of the supposed food items was in the least familiar to him, and he was more than a bit wary of eating something so unrecognizable. And he'd caught a sense from the alien at the counter that it was one of the more common dishes served here. He stared at it for a moment, as if trying to reconcile the strange items with what he was used to thinking of as 'food'.
Before he'd managed to succeed in this, someone in the corner booth behind him spoke. "Join me, stranger?" the voice asked quietly... a faint tone to it of someone used to being in charge.
X turned suddenly, startled, to look at the strange Transformer who had spoken to him. His empathic sense hadn't caught anyone sitting there, but then he wasn't even really sure how he did that particular trick at all.
His surprise quickly gave way to suspicion. "Why..?" he asked, noting the stranger's green optics, and what could be a flight mode... it was hard to tell due to the dark corner the stranger was sitting in. But he was obviously a Transformer...
Curious, but wary, X picked up his plate and moved to sit with the stranger, telling himself that if this turned out to be a trap, that he would tear apart anyone who tried to corner him, as easily as he did those at Omicron...
"It has been a long time..," the stranger said, from where he sat in the shadows, "and you too are far from home."
X looked at the other Transformer, optics narrowed in suspicion. "'Home'?" he asked, his tone dripping sarcasm. Then the 'you too' part of the stranger's comment caught up with him. "You're not from Omicron..," he added quietly.
The stranger hmmed to himself and sipped his drink. "No..," he said, equally quiet, his optics shaded to a dark green, "no one is anymore."
X tensed, optics narrowed, expecting an attack... and knowing just what he would do when it came.
"News travels fast, if you know where to get it," the stranger said quietly, a brief thin smile on his face. "I suggest you remember that you're not from Omicron either... if you want to survive."
X quickly puzzled that one out. "They're looking for me..?" he said quietly, hardly a question. "But..." He frowned. How could there be anyone left to come after him.
"Publicly, no. Can't, since you're not supposed to exist. But privately? Ahh..." There was another brief thin smile. "That's another matter entirely."
X was puzzled for a moment, poking at the meal while thinking back over things he had 'overheard' at Omicron. "What does 'classified' mean?" he asked quietly, somewhat distracted, as he studied and then hesitantly ate a bite of the food.
"For very few people only. I was once one of them..," the stranger's tone became bitter, "but that was a very long time ago, in another universe. Fortunately for me, the Council's either stupid or lazy... or both."
"Council?" X asked, feeling strangely cold. He had been finding the food quite a distraction until then, but now it was almost forgotten. It wasn't over yet... they would come for him, and put him back in his cell... and the tests would begin again... No! He forced himself away from that train of thought. If anyone dared come after him, he would kill them... just as he had those at Omicron.
"Maximal Council of Elders... or Council of Idiots, take your pick."
"And they're the ones responsible for what was done to me?" X said, his expression and tone dark as he felt his anger grow again, echoing and feeding off the hate the stranger also held for this 'Council'...
"They're responsible for all manner of insanities, cruelties, and barbaric atrocities, yes."
X was silent for a while, poking at the other bits of food, till he'd tasted a little bit of each different thing... and then he waited, out of habit, to make sure he didn't start to feel ill... to make sure the food wasn't poisoned...
"Something wrong?" the stranger asked, a trace of curiosity on his face at X's eating habits.
"No..," X replied, and resumed eating after a moment, forcing himself not to be distracted by the meal, despite it being much better than the mush he'd been expected to eat in his cell at Omicron...
"You'll need a new ship..," the stranger commented absently. "Unless you want to be captured."
"This Council... they'd recognize that one?" X said, not really needing an answer as he thought over the possibility of this Council trying to capture him. "How many of them are there?"
"...and their numbers are legion," the stranger quoted, and smirked a bit to himself. Seeing that X didn't catch the reference he frowned faintly. "More than even you could handle, my friend."
X frowned, finishing the meal. "How am I supposed to get another ship?" He smirked slightly. "The same way I got this one would probably attract too much attention..."
"There are always ways... black market. Could get a good price for what you've got... and I might know of a way to get another ship."
X nodded slightly, and then after a moment asked the question that had been nagging at him since he had first met the other Transformer. "Why..? Why would you help me?"
The stranger twirled his empty glass, and then looked at X. "Because what helps you, hurts them."
X smirked faintly and nodded. He could understand that reasoning quite well.
Legal stuff: All characters in this story are the trademarks and/or copyrights of their respective holders, except for those that aren't. Any resemblance to anyone who actually exists is coincidental (and pretty darn amazing), etc., etc. It's just a fanfic, guys.
Disclaimer: Actual runaways talking to suspiciously helpful strangers is something unlikely to end well. X was very lucky, and had some very specific circumstances. Do not try this at home (or after leaving it). For that matter, it's usually a good idea not to try ANYTHING Rampage does. Remember, he's (mostly) immortal. You are probably not.
CREDITS:
Cyclonus - Starchaser
Rampage - Stacy
Note: This one was originally writted out as a script-style roleplay with someone else, then converted to prose form. Their screen name was Starchaser, I don't know/remember their real name and haven't heard from them in years. They played the other Transformer who shows up in this. Though it's never actually revealed in the story they're meant to be that timeline's Cyclonus, who had somehow managed to slip past the massive amounts of executions at the end of that timeline's Great War.
His experiences with other people so far hadn't been pleasant, and he would have preferred to avoid them... and yet at the same time he also craved the feel of other minds nearby, the background whispers of their thoughts and especially the emotions that he seemed to echo and draw strength from.
He'd stayed away as long as he could... but the need had steadily grown to where it could no longer be ignored. And worse yet, it had only been a matter of a couple days since he had left Omicron. Two solar cycles and the silence, the lack of emotions to feed upon was already unbearable. Warily, he reached for the hatch controls...
The ship's hatch opened, and he blinked a bit at the light in the hanger. Leaving the ship cautiously, he glanced around half expecting an attack or for someone to point him out and call for guards... but there was nothing.
He looked around again. Like an animal that has been kept caged for too long, now that he had his freedom he wasn't quite sure what to do with it.
A sign indicating the way to the local lunch counter caught his attention. Laboratory rations at Omicron had always been the same tasteless mush... this place looked like it had something different to offer. Puzzled curiosity overrode his wariness for the moment, and he headed in to the station's small diner.
X was very tense at the number of people around. Now that he was more aware of his empathic traits he tried to use them to keep track of everyone nearby and make sure none of them were threats to him...
Even then, he totally missed that he was being watched. In the furthest, darkest corner booth sat another Transformer. He'd seen the ship arrive, recognized it as a Maximal cruiser, and had his suspicions as to where it had come from.
As a rule, he didn't like Maximals. In fact, it could almost be said that he hated them, as much as he still had the energy to hate anything these days.
But there was something odd about this one. And so, he watched X closely for a while, all the time becoming more certain that his suspicion had been correct.
"Yes?" said an odd voice near X.
X looked over to glare at a strange creature standing behind a counter and looking at him expectantly. "What..."
The alien counterperson blinked and backed away a little. "Can I get you anything..?"
X looked down at the alien, frowning a bit. Instinctively he reached out on a telepathic level, reading the creature's surface thoughts... and finding out what the alien expected, as well as one apparent use for the little credit chits he'd found on the ship...
The alien blinked a little again, and looked slightly dazed. It muttered something quietly to itself about too much overtime...
Still unaware he was being observed, X picked one of the combo plate deals at random off the menu, paid for it, and looked around for a safe looking corner to sit down in. Finally he sat down where he could see the door, and looked at the plate he'd put down in front of himself.
None of the supposed food items was in the least familiar to him, and he was more than a bit wary of eating something so unrecognizable. And he'd caught a sense from the alien at the counter that it was one of the more common dishes served here. He stared at it for a moment, as if trying to reconcile the strange items with what he was used to thinking of as 'food'.
Before he'd managed to succeed in this, someone in the corner booth behind him spoke. "Join me, stranger?" the voice asked quietly... a faint tone to it of someone used to being in charge.
X turned suddenly, startled, to look at the strange Transformer who had spoken to him. His empathic sense hadn't caught anyone sitting there, but then he wasn't even really sure how he did that particular trick at all.
His surprise quickly gave way to suspicion. "Why..?" he asked, noting the stranger's green optics, and what could be a flight mode... it was hard to tell due to the dark corner the stranger was sitting in. But he was obviously a Transformer...
Curious, but wary, X picked up his plate and moved to sit with the stranger, telling himself that if this turned out to be a trap, that he would tear apart anyone who tried to corner him, as easily as he did those at Omicron...
"It has been a long time..," the stranger said, from where he sat in the shadows, "and you too are far from home."
X looked at the other Transformer, optics narrowed in suspicion. "'Home'?" he asked, his tone dripping sarcasm. Then the 'you too' part of the stranger's comment caught up with him. "You're not from Omicron..," he added quietly.
The stranger hmmed to himself and sipped his drink. "No..," he said, equally quiet, his optics shaded to a dark green, "no one is anymore."
X tensed, optics narrowed, expecting an attack... and knowing just what he would do when it came.
"News travels fast, if you know where to get it," the stranger said quietly, a brief thin smile on his face. "I suggest you remember that you're not from Omicron either... if you want to survive."
X quickly puzzled that one out. "They're looking for me..?" he said quietly, hardly a question. "But..." He frowned. How could there be anyone left to come after him.
"Publicly, no. Can't, since you're not supposed to exist. But privately? Ahh..." There was another brief thin smile. "That's another matter entirely."
X was puzzled for a moment, poking at the meal while thinking back over things he had 'overheard' at Omicron. "What does 'classified' mean?" he asked quietly, somewhat distracted, as he studied and then hesitantly ate a bite of the food.
"For very few people only. I was once one of them..," the stranger's tone became bitter, "but that was a very long time ago, in another universe. Fortunately for me, the Council's either stupid or lazy... or both."
"Council?" X asked, feeling strangely cold. He had been finding the food quite a distraction until then, but now it was almost forgotten. It wasn't over yet... they would come for him, and put him back in his cell... and the tests would begin again... No! He forced himself away from that train of thought. If anyone dared come after him, he would kill them... just as he had those at Omicron.
"Maximal Council of Elders... or Council of Idiots, take your pick."
"And they're the ones responsible for what was done to me?" X said, his expression and tone dark as he felt his anger grow again, echoing and feeding off the hate the stranger also held for this 'Council'...
"They're responsible for all manner of insanities, cruelties, and barbaric atrocities, yes."
X was silent for a while, poking at the other bits of food, till he'd tasted a little bit of each different thing... and then he waited, out of habit, to make sure he didn't start to feel ill... to make sure the food wasn't poisoned...
"Something wrong?" the stranger asked, a trace of curiosity on his face at X's eating habits.
"No..," X replied, and resumed eating after a moment, forcing himself not to be distracted by the meal, despite it being much better than the mush he'd been expected to eat in his cell at Omicron...
"You'll need a new ship..," the stranger commented absently. "Unless you want to be captured."
"This Council... they'd recognize that one?" X said, not really needing an answer as he thought over the possibility of this Council trying to capture him. "How many of them are there?"
"...and their numbers are legion," the stranger quoted, and smirked a bit to himself. Seeing that X didn't catch the reference he frowned faintly. "More than even you could handle, my friend."
X frowned, finishing the meal. "How am I supposed to get another ship?" He smirked slightly. "The same way I got this one would probably attract too much attention..."
"There are always ways... black market. Could get a good price for what you've got... and I might know of a way to get another ship."
X nodded slightly, and then after a moment asked the question that had been nagging at him since he had first met the other Transformer. "Why..? Why would you help me?"
The stranger twirled his empty glass, and then looked at X. "Because what helps you, hurts them."
X smirked faintly and nodded. He could understand that reasoning quite well.
Legal stuff: All characters in this story are the trademarks and/or copyrights of their respective holders, except for those that aren't. Any resemblance to anyone who actually exists is coincidental (and pretty darn amazing), etc., etc. It's just a fanfic, guys.
Disclaimer: Actual runaways talking to suspiciously helpful strangers is something unlikely to end well. X was very lucky, and had some very specific circumstances. Do not try this at home (or after leaving it). For that matter, it's usually a good idea not to try ANYTHING Rampage does. Remember, he's (mostly) immortal. You are probably not.
CREDITS:
Cyclonus - Starchaser
Rampage - Stacy
Note: This one was originally writted out as a script-style roleplay with someone else, then converted to prose form. Their screen name was Starchaser, I don't know/remember their real name and haven't heard from them in years. They played the other Transformer who shows up in this. Though it's never actually revealed in the story they're meant to be that timeline's Cyclonus, who had somehow managed to slip past the massive amounts of executions at the end of that timeline's Great War.