Pawn
By: Miss Special
Chapter Three: The Liberator's Cause
When someone seemed to be shoving him, Hinge woke up. He'd dreamt, but he couldn't remember what the dreams were. They left him unsettled, but he couldn't say why.
"Slag, I was wondering when you'd wake up." Sylvie smiled down at him. He blinked at her. "How's the chest wound doing?"
"I don't know." Hinge transformed, glad to be back in a form he was used to. He looked down at where he'd taken the hit; there was barely a mark left.
"Good." Sylvie nodded. "While you were out, I found out what exactly the Liberators are. They're a cannibalistic cult that sacrifices wayward travelers."
Hinge stared down at Sylvie.
"I'm kidding. They're actually behind a good cause. Sit down."
Hinge obliged, not finding the joke funny, but glad it was a joke.
Sylvie sat down opposite him. "Remember how I told you about how the moon has the array on it that projects the light filters around the planet? Well, it's not really a moon."
"That's not unusual. Cybertron has a scads of fake moons."
"Yes, but those were built by Transformers."
"Then who built this one?"
"We don't know. It was stolen."
"Someone stole a moon."
"Not someone, the people who own the Emerald City."
"Why?"
"That's not important. What's important is getting the moon back to where it belongs. Hence the Liberators."
"They're trying to put the moon back?"
"Exactly!" Sylvie grinned. "And we're going to help them."
Hinge groaned. He didn't want to get involved in any plots or causes. He just wanted to go home to his nice, safe desk job.
"Hinge, come on! Don't be--"
"Don't be such a stick in the mud. I know, I know." He put his hands over his optics. Just be quiet and go along, he reminded himself. It'll all be over faster. "I don't have to do anything, do I?"
"Nothing hard." Sylvie took him by the hand and led him to where a group of Liberators, including Diablo and Rattle, were preparing for a foray.
"Have you told him?" Diablo asked Sylvie.
"He's ready," Sylvie reported.
Diablo turned to Hinge. "It's Knob, right?"
"Hinge."
"Hinge, we're taking you to meet someone."
"Some sort of initiation?" He hoped not.
"No, we need you to get something from her. We need it."
"Why can't you do it?"
Sylvie shot him a "Don't be such a stick in the mud" look.
"This femme has a few screws loose, to put it nicely," Diablo explained. "She won't hand it over to just anyone who asks, it needs to be someone ordinary."
"Sylvie's ordinary," Hinge said. "Have her do it."
"Thanks, Hinge." Sylvie's voice dripped with sarcasm.
"She's not ...ordinary enough," Diablo said. "You're the most ordinary bot we've got."
Remembering his resolution, Hinge sighed. "What is it you need me to get?"
"A lens."
"That's it? A lens?"
"It's the focusing lens for a tractor beam." It was beginning to be obvious that Diablo wasn't appreciating Hinge's questions. "They're normally expensive and hard to get, but this lens is for a tractor beam strong enough to move a moon. It's one of a kind, and costs to make another one are astronomical."
"So, you're going to take me to this lady, and I'm supposed to ask her for the lens she has."
"She was keeping it safe for us before she went loopy," Diablo explained, anticipating another question. "It's not quite that simple, but you've got the right idea."
"Lead the way," Hinge said, wishing he had stayed home and not come in the first place. Just go along, he told himself. It'll be over faster.
Diablo and Rattle led Hinge, Sylvie, and small number of Liberators through the labyrinth and exited through a munchkin house a ways outside the city. From there, they hiked over the hills until there wasn't a sign of civilization, save for a tiny munchkin house off in the distance.
Through the hike, Hinge noticed Sylvie was being uncharacteristically quiet. She was serious, even. Hinge would have asked her what was on her mind, but he was being quiet in order to make things go faster.
After awhile, it became clear to Hinge where their destination was. The munchkin house wasn't so tiny after all. The Liberators stopped a hill away, then looked at Hinge.
"You'll have to go the rest of the way by yourself," Diablo told him. "She can't know you're with us."
"Can't Sylvie come with me?" Hinge felt more reluctant than usual.
"No. She's not ordinary enough. You have to go alone."
If frowns could kill, Hinge's would have made the whole group drop dead.
"Get going," Sylvie said, though she sounded more impatient than encouraging. "We'll be here when you get it."
Hinge leadfootedly finished the journey alone, going up to the door of the Transformer-sized Munchkin house. The others were out of sight, just on the other side of a hill.
He was about to knock on the door when it opened, leaving his fist in midair.
"Good evening!" A cheery femme smiled at him and dramatically gestured for him to come inside.
By Hinge's estimate, it was late morning, or at least not evening.
"I'm called Inverse," the femme said, "but you can call me Auntie Innie."
Hinge recalled that "auntie" was human title of some sort.
"Good... evening," he said, completely unsure of how to react.
"I must apologize, for I'm completely out of suitable refreshments. The chairs are quite comfortable though. Please do take a seat."
Hinge, not seeing anything to sit on, hesitated until Inverse sat on the bare floor, and followed suit.
"Was the journey troublesome? The paths are treacherous at this time of year."
"It wasn't too bad," Hinge answered, looking around the one-room, unfurnished house.
"Please forgive my inquisitiveness, but what brings you to call, sir...?"
"Hinge," he supplied. "I'm... looking for something."
"Are you?" Inverse's friendly demeanor diminished somewhat. "I'm not sure I have what you're looking for."
Hinge didn't feel very disappointed. It just meant that the Liberators would have to find some other 'ordinary' bot.
"That's all right, I'm not sure I really want it anyways," he said, glad he could be honest about it without getting into trouble.
"How is the city, Mr. Hinge? It has been such a long time since I visited it."
"About the same as it's always been," Hinge replied, guessing he was right. "Loud, crowded, lots of lights." Inverse nodded understandingly.
"Actually," Hinge continued, taking the rare opportunity to talk freely, "I'm hoping to return home and get back to work. I'm here on vacation, only it hasn't been much of one."
When he noticed Inverse was hanging on his every word, he realized he was enjoying himself. He and Inverse chatted awhile, discussing small, unimportant things. Hinge briefly considered mentioning the Liberators' cause, but decided not to risk ruining his visit.
It took awhile for Hinge to realize he'd lost track of time. By now, the others probably took him for dead.
"I should get going homeward," he said, by now accustomed to Inverse's altered version of reality.
"So soon?" Inverse's cheery face fell. "Ah, but you're right. We've probably talked through to morning."
Actually, it was roughly late afternoon, but Hinge knew better than to say otherwise.
"I had a very nice time." Hinge went to the door to let himself out.
"Aren't you forgetting something?"
Hinge turned around and saw something in Inverse's hand.
"You mustn't let it fall into the wrong hands," she said, giving Hinge a small, thin box. "Do the right thing."
Hinge nodded. "I will."
"And take care of yourself." Inverse smiled at him, opened the door for him, and he walked out.
"Don't hesitate to stop by!" she called as he walked away.
Hinge looked at what he held in his hand. It was the lens he came for, safe and secure in its case. He put in his subspace compartment and headed for where the Liberators waited.
Don't trust them.
Hinge stopped. He looked around-- had he heard that?
Don't let them have it.
"Hello?" Hinge asked.
Hello.
"Where are you?"
...That's not important right now. But you can't give the lens to them.
"Give the lens to who?"
The Liberators, who else? And it's 'whom,' by the way.
"Why can't I?"
There'll be time for that later. Just don't give it to them!
Hinge had had enough of this. Ignoring the voice, wherever it was coming from, he resolutely trudged towards the Liberators.
"Hinge! There you are!" Sylvie waved and ran up to him. "What took you so long?"
"Auntie Inn-- Inverse was a little odd." Hinge decided to keep his visit with Inverse to himself.
"Did you get it?" Sylvie looked around him, trying to see if he had anything in his hands.
"I got it."
"Give it to me," Sylvie demanded.
"I can carry it back to the Liberators myself, thanks."
"Let me do it!" Sylvie whined.
Don't let her have it!
Hinge reminded himself of his decision to be quiet.
Has that really worked? Has being quiet actually made this whole thing end quicker?
"Hinge, what's wrong with you?" Sylvie huffed. "You're such a stick in the mud!"
"What if these Liberators aren't actually who they say they are?" Hinge asked her. "What if we're doing something we shouldn't?"
"That's silly! Why would they lie to us?"
"I don't know, but don't you think it's kind of weird that they gave someone like me such an important task? Why couldn't they do it themselves?"
"Because they're not ordinary like you! We already went over that!"
"But what about you? Aren't you ordinary?"
"Of course I am. I'm just not ordinary enough."
She's one of them.
"You aren't one of them, are you?" Hinge asked.
"And what if I am?" Sylvie folded her arms across her chestplate.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Hinge, I'm going to ask you one last time." Sylvie looked deadly serious. "Give me the lens."
You're going to have to escape before she calls her friends over. You can't fight them all at once.
Fight? Hinge thought frantically. Who said anything about a fight?
There's going to be a fight. Get away while you can.
What, was this voice reading his thoughts?
Uh... Yes, I suppose I am.
"Hinge!!!" Sylvie's voice took an edge he'd hadn't heard before. Was this really his friend?
"I don't have the slightest clue what's going on," Hinge confessed, both to the voice and Sylvie.
Sylvie looked somewhere between annoyed and downright angry as she said, "Hand over the lens." She drew a gun and aimed it at Hinge.
See? Disable her and run!
But she'd shoot him if he tried that!
It's a small gun, and you're a big guy. You'll live, trust me. I've been more up front with you than the 'Liberators.'
Hinge stood still a moment, horrified at what he was about to do. He wasn't a warrior or a fighter, or even a thug. He didn't have any love for conflict.
Do it!
Hinge grabbed Sylvie's gun, which fired into his side as he twisted it out of her hand. When she was disarmed, he shoved her as hard as he could. As Sylvie fell to the ground, Hinge dropped the gun and took off away from the Liberators and Inverse's house, running off through the hills.
You should've kept the gun!
Hinge's pace faltered. He'd need a gun?
Don't worry about that now, just keep running!
The wound in his side suddenly made itself known. He slowed down, trying to ease the pain.
Speed up! At this rate, they'll catch you in no time!
"Just who are you?" Hinge wheezed, forcing his leaden feet to move faster.
There are more important things to concentrate on right now. Like living.
"Just how far am I supposed to run?"
Until they stop chasing you. Hey, don't look back!
On cue, Hinge turned his head and looked behind him. He had half a dozen angry Transformers a ways behind him and gaining ground. He tried to block out the pain in his side as he made every effort he could to run faster.
You're going to have to break away and find cover.
"And how exactly do I do that?"
I'm working on it. You do the running and I'll do the thinking.
Shortly after Hinge mentally began resigning his life to the Matrix, a battlecry interrupted his thoughts. Ignoring the voice's pleas to not look back, he saw that behind the Liberators was a lone femme wielding a gatling gun.
Inverse let loose a barrage of bullets aimed at the Liberators, shouting about how the likes of them would never get their hands on the lens.
Hinge watched in awe of the mentally unstable femme. Even he could see she was distracting the Liberators and buying him time to get away.
So get going already! She won't be able to hold them off for long!
"But Inverse might..." Hinge protested.
Inverse knows what she's getting into. They probably won't kill her. They can't afford another death.
Hinge took off running again. The voice told him to go to the nearest Munchkin house, so he did.
Go to beast mode and enter the tunnel.
"They saw me go in, and they know the tunnels better than I do. I'm going to get lost."
The important thing right now is to get away. This is your best chance.
Hinge transformed and did as he was told, running through the labyrinth in his awkward panda form. When he felt he was lost enough, he stopped.
Good. I think you can rest now. They won't be able to search the entire underground efficiently with their small numbers.
Hinge sat down, panting. He was tired, his side hurt, and he was scared for his life. He'd never asked to get involved. He didn't even want to go on vacation in the first place.
Some vacation this turned out to be. He'd been shot twice, deceived, used, and he was hearing voices.
Ignoring the voice's warnings, Hinge shut everything out, wishing he was back home in Cybertropolis, working at his nice, safe job.