Cybertronian Civil War part 4: Mech City

[7Knight-Wolf]

Part 4: Mech City

Springer opened his optics. He looked around slowly in dismay. Behind him, over half of the Cybertropilas spaceport was in ruins. The terrible reality of what had happened hit him. “Topazor,” he whispered. “Topazor, can you hear me?”

Painfully, Springer rose to his feet. Topazor lay beside him in stasis lock. Springer picked up Topazor and stood up, to another deathly surprise. The city was dark. It was a cloudy afternoon, and the ever-present lights all over Cybertropilas should have been on. But the city was dark. There were ships buzzing through the air and no bots bustling about the streets.

Springer fell to his knees, still holding Topazor. “What’s happening?” he moaned, as any icy terror gripped his spark. “What is all this?”

With much more effort, Springer stood up again. He carried Topazor through the hazy streets and toward the nearest building that would have a CR chamber. But all the doors were locked, and all the windows covered.

“Aaaaaaahhhh!” roared Springer. It was a long, wordless, heartfelt cry of rage.

When nobody answered, the chopper-bot slowly stumbled back toward Katro’s Tavern. Hopefully there would be some signs of life there. As Springer walked, he passed several buildings that had been blown up. Bots were scattered on the streets, some already dead, and some left to die.

At last Springer reached the tavern. He was relieved to see it still standing, but all the lights were off. Even without the lights, the place was uplifting to see. Drinks were still being served, and there were many and wounded, but still functional bots here. Even some humans were sitting around. But everybody looked surly, or depressed, or just dazed.

Springer sat Topazor down in a chair, and then went up to the counter. “I need a few energon cubes,” he said. “My friend is in stasis lock. I’ve got a hundred cyber coins I can give you.”

The human bartender stared at Springer, seeming bored with the offer. “Okay green, it’s gonna cost you three hundred fifty cyber coins,” said the bartender.

Springer first stared in shock, and then he laughed. “That’s funny, little shrimp, but this isn’t the time for joking. My friend is hurt, as I believe I told you.”

But the bartender wasn’t joking. “One quart-sized cube for three hundred fifty cyber-coins,” he said, “or you could have nothing at all. I don’t know if you realized, but the power’s out, the vice-president is missing, and my line of supplies was cut off yesterday. Cybertron is shaping up to be a miserable place. We received word that at least five other great cities including Mech were attacked by the air-raiders. The power is cut everywhere, and just a few hours ago people started killing each other for arms, CR chambers, energon—you name it.”

“But my friend is in stasis lock!” growled Springer. “You had better give me those cubes now. What chance do you think you have small fry? A fleshy little human against a soldier-robot? Ha! Why I don’t I just take the energon myself?”

The human pulled out a large gun. This was a special weapon that only the Crowe mercenaries sold. Instead of bullets or missiles or plasma, this human-sized gun could spit out sharp chips of raw energon. If a bot were shot in near the spark with one of these energon-guns, the wound would be fatal. “How about handing over the money?” asked the bartender.

Springer felt cheated and humiliated. He had the classic sensitive, manly pride, but he was also a sportsman and could stand to lose a few times. Four hundred cyber coins were all that Springer carried with him, and he gave three hundred fifty to the human.

Soon Topazor had acquired enough energy from the energon to come out of stasis lock. He was still pretty battered, but he was functional.

“What happened?” muttered Topazor groggily.

“Apparently,” said Springer, “everything we didn’t want to happen.” He explained the situation, and together they gathered more news from the bartender. They learned that the power had been cut, and vice-president Airsweep had disappeared.

“This is so strange,” said Topazor in bewilderment. “Last night, Springer…did you get a good look at Miratron’s ship? There was something unusual about the build of it.”

“It was the weapon-carrying ship,” replied Springer. Bing an army-bot, he knew a lot about ships. “The extra odd-looking coating out the outside is to prevent energon radiation from going everywhere. That ship had ‘danger’ written all over it.”

“Ah,” said Topazor grimly, “so Miratron could be involved with some terrorists.”

Springer shook his head vigorously as if to shake away the thought. “That can’t be. I knew Miratron, I trusted her. She can’t be a terrorist! I won’t believe it. Maybe she got captured by some terrorists, though.” Springer’s sky-blue eyes showed nothing but stubborn denial.

“I’m not trying to say that we should give up on her,” said Topazor. “I’m just saying that she could be dangerous. My father always told me that the most outright vicious people are usually the ones suffering the deepest hurts. We are held by noble obligation to help Miratron if we can. She is our friend. So, we’ll go to Mech city and try to find her. If she is involved with terrorists, we’ll have to have her arrested. We will give her a chance. I owe her that much.”

“We both do,” added Springer quietly.

“Now, how are we going to get to Mech city?” wondered Topazor. “Do you feel well enough to fly? I don’t. And it’ll take a day to fly there without a ship.”

“I can handle it,” replied Springer in a low voice. He bucked up and said, “Well, let’s get ready to rumble then. Got any cash? If we run out of energy on the way, we’ll need a CR chamber or some energon, and if the prices here are brutal, I can only imagine what they charge at restaurants. That is, if there are any restaurants standing.”

They took off. Topazor held on Springer as the chopper buzzed through the air. They flew pretty freely at first, zooming along westward as the sun began to set over the primarily techno planet. Below, many building were down and smoke billowed in the air. Now and then ships would zoom by in the distance ahead or behind them. It grew and then, to Springer’s and Topazor’s surprise, they saw lights above right them.

“It’s a ship,” said Topazor. “I wonder they want.”

Suddenly two or three flying bots jumped out of the ship and charged toward them. Springer dodged out of the way, shouting, “what do think you’re doing?!”

“They’re robbers,” said Topazor. “Quick, fly away.”

Springer zoomed out of range of the ship, but then it followed.

“Maybe we should give them what we have,” suggested Topazor. “Before they start shooting at us.”

“I vote for fighting,” growled Springer. “I’m with the military, I‘m not used to running away.”

“You can’t kill them,” exclaimed Topazor, aghast; “they’re citizens just like you and me.”

“Really? And tell me, who’s more important: a powerful politician and a strong soldier or a couple of scrap heaps who call themselves Cybertronians?”

Topazor said nothing. How could Springer judge importance like that?

“I’m somehow getting the idea,” said Springer, flying as fast as his propellers would take him, “that it’s survival of the fittest. Am I wrong?”

“All I know is, you’re starting to sound like a predacon.”

In response to this remark, Springer said nothing. He flew between two buildings, shaking off the robbers at last. “From now on,” said Springer, “we fly low and carefully. And if we run into trouble, predacon likeness or no, we’re going to fight if we have to. You’re an idiot to want to give up your money!”

There was a long silence as they flew slowly on. Then Topazor said, “Those air-raiders did their thing everywhere it seems. It’s a planet-wide disaster that’s making everyone pick up on your attitude, Springer. I don’t know who the air-raiders were. Maximal Radicals? Aliens?”

“Maybe it was Megatron, with all his capability and influence,” said Springer.

“Not even Megatron could arrange something like this in one night,” Topazor pointed out.
***
The next day, Springer and Topazor arrived exhausted in Mech city. Mech city wasn’t as large as Cybertropilas, but with its organic life it had attracted most of Cybertron’s human population. However, now Mech’s condition was as miserable as that of Cybertropilas. In fact, it was probably worse. Amidst the destruction, a few of Mech’s famous orchards and gardens were still standing. It seemed that wherever Topazor looked, some unsuspecting bot was being robbed or having his house broken in on.

“This is sick,” said Topazor.

They landed in a dark alley and camped out there all day. When it was night, the fourth night since the Dome fell, Springer exclaimed, “I’m starving! My energy reserves are getting low. I’ll go find us something, alright? A soldier lives on his stomach you know!”

Just as Springer got up and was about to leave the secluded alley, a voice from somewhere near rasped, “there’s an energon cube, behind that trash can.”

The voice sounded depressed, with a dry rasp of weakness in it; and it sounded a familiar. Topazor walked a few feet up the alley and saw a human lying behind some empty barrels. The human had dark brown hair, a tight-drawn face, and sharp brown eyes.

“Chris!” exclaimed Topazor. He gently took the man out from between the barrels and laid him down. “Are you hurt?”

Springer came over with eyes blazing stubbornly. “Where’s Miratron?!” he demanded.

“Can you tell us where she is?” asked Topazor in a polite voice.

Chris shook his head. “I don’t—I know,” he said weakly.

“What happened? How did you get here? Why did leave Miratron and Nightscream? Why did you and your friends shoot us?” questioned Springer.

“We shot because we were in a hurry, and we wanted Miratron to come with us,” answered Chris with effort. “They told me to do something. I didn’t want to help them. They pushed me and another traitor out of their ship. The other traitor, I head he was a former agent who knew all about terrorist cells. He fell one way, and I fell the other, but that awning and those barrels broke my fall a little. Ow,” he said sharply, and then went on, “They left me here. And I say they can all get themselves killed and I wouldn’t care!”

“Calm down,” said Topazor gently.

“Listen to me,” said Chris urgently, “I don’t know what’s going on. But I know Miratron and Nightscream were talking about killing and pillaging. I know that there’s planet-wide disaster. The other traitor, he was one of the Axalon’s crew. Talk to him—he’ll know more.”

“What was the bot’s name?” asked Topazor.

“I don’t know,” said Chris faintly. “I didn’t even get a good look at him.” Then Chris lost consciousness.

“What now?” asked Springer. “I don’t know how to fix humans; they don’t have circuitry.”

“I don’t know either,” said Topazor. “But I have an idea. Chris said that another bot, one of the Axalon’s crew, didn’t want to be involved in crime either. That bot will know a lot, Chris said. Now that I know of, there’s only one surviving member of the Axalon’s crew. That’s Cheetor, and he hasn’t been seen for years. But he loved Earth and practically made it his home.”

“So?”

“So, we need to go to earth and look for Cheetor,” answered Topazor.

“That’s crazy!” said Springer. “On the other hand, I guess it’s worth a shot. It’s going to be hard to get a ship.”

“Yes, and before we do that, we’ll have to find somebody to help Chris. He had one bad fall. Well, let’s start looking.”

[Blazemane]

I'm kind of confused. Didn't you imply that Cheetor was the other traitor, but now they have to look for him on earth? I know the first part said he was there, but...

“But my friend is in stasis lock!” growled Springer. “You had better give me those cubes now. What chance do you think you have small fry? A fleshy little human against a soldier-robot? Ha! Why I don’t I just take the energon myself?”

The human pulled out a large gun. This was a special weapon that only the Crowe mercenaries sold. Instead of bullets or missiles or plasma, this human-sized gun could spit out sharp chips of raw energon. If a bot were shot in near the spark with one of these energon-guns, the wound would be fatal. “How about handing over the money?” asked the bartender.

Springer felt cheated and humiliated. He had the classic sensitive, manly pride, but he was also a sportsman and could stand to lose a few times. Four hundred cyber coins were all that Springer carried with him, and he gave three hundred fifty to the human.

'At's what Springer gets!

We will give her a chance. I owe her that much.”

“We both do,” added Springer quietly.

Ooooooo, love triangle. As I mentioned earlier, Springer looks crush-like as well.

[7Knight-Wolf]

I'm kind of confused. Didn't you imply that Cheetor was the other traitor, but now they have to look for him on earth? I know the first part said he was there, but...

Yes, it was implied that the other traitor could be Cheetor. It's a bit of a strecth, but Topazor figured if Earth was Cheetor's second home, that's where the cat would go after getting kicked out. Remember, almost twenty-four hours have passed since the traitor was kicked out. That could give him enough time to get a ship and maybe head for Earth. At the very least, going to Earth means being away from the carnage on Cybertron for a while, and gathering at least some news about Cheetor.

[Blazemane]

That makes sense. Thanks for clarifying.