Protihex-City state

[Laser]

Laser was as still as the dead. "Understood." He had experienced these kinds of injuries before, and knew the drill.

**********

As Beam left the Death Row building, she hacked the access panels and locked every door, every window, every entry. Partly because she wanted Aeron to be her discovery, and her secret. The other reason was that she was afraid he might leave.

With a hop and a skip, Beam made her way to the transit system. "There's that old nasty bus thing. I'll just hop on and--"

Spironok emerged.

"Oh what the---shit! What the hell is your problem, dude?"

Spironok blinked at her, looking back and forth between her face and the transit bus.

"Oh...you want to know where I'm going? Laser sent you, didn't he? Well I'm going to Sector 2 to do a little developing. You wanna come?"

Spironok just walked away.

Beam was hurt. "Well, screw you too!" Hopping on the old bus, she did some patchwork and got the rust bucket to creep to sector 2...

**********

Sector 2 was surprisingly in much better shape than the first sector. There was no comm tower, just a raggedy old building that reeked of age. She found the main control room and rebooted the computer. As it turned on, it said: "Welcome to Protihex. The future of incapacitating technology."

Beam laughed. "I wonder how you would cope...", she pulled a vile from her pack, "...with a virus?" She slammed the vile into a drive, and it flooded the systems, corrupting passwords and deleting security, and replacing it with her own personal settings. She started running the entire sector's blueprint through her head--

"--Four turrets on the eastern wall, great...150 cell prison house, abandoned...laser defense? Awesome!!! Wall defenses are online...scrap--"

She lost control of the primary wall defenses and her virus went a-wall. "Ugh." She ran over to the might prison wall, kicking up dust and dirt as she went. "What is the problem...?" She noticed that the wires were burning and the generators were shot. "God, screw wires!" Plugging three small 'cheaters' into the generators, she established a wireless connection with the turrets. She ran back to the building and decided to test it out.

"Scan horizon."

Sc-sc-scanning horizon....no life sources detected---one life source detected.

"Identify." Beam was so excited that this stuff was working.

Error. The picture of what it was scanning appeared up on her projection. It was a cybercat.

"Oh my god...fire turrets!"

Firing. The feed was a success. Beam was proud of herself. She saw Spironok in the distance, watching. She tried to wave, but it walked away and fell asleep in a hole. "What a nasty little bugger. Anyway! Sector 2 is online! Which means....."

Beam whipped out another bite sized energon cube and headed back towards Death Row...

[Rexacon]

Shadow nodded to his command as he rolled over to where Tecton can operate better. Retracting his thrusters so he won't burn him, he waits for him to work his magic on him.

"I've survived worse."

[Laser]

Beam unlocked Death Row and stepped inside, quickly locking it again. She darted her eyes about the cell hold until she found Aeron's smokey containment, and she strolled up to it.

"Hi, Aeron." The pleasant, musky aroma of the smoke surrounded her. "Sector 2 is online. You owe me a backstory." She plopped her little butt down in front of the cell.

Aeron's smoke drifted from every joint in his body. "So it seems. What would ya like to know first?"

Beam was going to jam five things into one question, but she figured she would take it slow. "What's with all the tattoos?"

"Bingo." He laughed. "Million credit question, eh?" He took a break from his blunt. "Each tattoo represents a mistake I've made in my life time."

"Damn. That's a lotta tats."

"I've made a lotta mistakes," explained Aeron.

Beam cocked her head, "....."

Aeron could tell she was waiting. "I was a terrorist."

Beam's eyes turned into saucers. "A what?!"

"I started off in piracy...."

*******************

I was young. I'd do anythin' for a quick buck and I sure as hell wasn't ashamed of it. I stole from people. I murdered people. I raped women. I was a pirate, and I was pretty damn good it.

"Hey Aeron!"

Captain Fronds was my best friend and probably one of the sickest sunnava bitches you'll ever find. He recruited me out of the South. He did that with a lotta delinquents. Trust me, I'm not the typical 'born on the wrong side of the tracks' story. I was pretty well off...its just that my behavior was...questionable.

"Yeah, Cap'n?"

"Hey walk with me." We headed over to the containment center. Fronds had gotten into trafficking. Selling slaves. "I got this new girl I think you might like buddy. Check this out." He dragged a young femme out of a cell by her wires, and tossed her in front of me. "She's a keeper, eh?"

I wiped the tears from her face and brought her close. I could tell she was begging for me to let her go. But I ignored her. I slapped her, beat her, and abused her, because I was playing the role. I was 'living the dream'. Little did I know it would all be over soon.

"She's great, Cap." I grew more serious. "Hey, there is a rumor that you've been talkin' with the feds. You haven't been negotiating have you?"

"Hell no. We talked about this." Fronds was looking pissed. "I told you I got no squall with no damn feds. Now cool it or get lost."

I could tell when Fronds was mad, see? I didn't push 'em. "Sorry, Cap. Ay, did you see that guy yesterday? That was hilar--"

Suddenly, 40 federal guns blew open the ship and charged in, cutting through us like a can opener. Hostages flew out into space, but they didn't care. All they cared about was smoking us, and that's what they did. We were beheaded, kneecapped, beaten. God knows what happened to me. I was passed out.

When I awoke, I saw Fronds talking with the Feds. They were giving him something. "Fronds!" I shouted. "You filthy piece of scrap! You're with them!" I spat my words like spoiled energon.

Fronds averted his eyes and walked away.

"You were my brother, man! I looked up to you! We all did! Wha--" Some bot jammed his foot into my mouth, breaking several teeth. I kept talking, he kept doing it, telling me to shut up. I don't remember much after that, because I passed out again.

I woke up to clumsy hands fumbling my chest and face. It was Fronds, strapping me into an escape pod. "Hey!" I shouted.

Fronds punched me in the mouth so hard I thought I lost another tooth. "You wanna get shot? Listen to me--

"No you listen to me you mother--"

"Shut the hell up!" He squeezed my jaws, and I sobbed in pain, silently. "I had to do what I did. They had me pinned. I had to save the only thing I cared about man. And that was you! Screw everything else. Look a lot of shit's about to go down man and a lot of people are gonna die. I'm gonna get you outta here...."

A horrible realization came over me. "What...what are you going to escape with?" When he didn't answer, I asked forcibly: "How are you gonna get outta here, Cap?"

He looked at me for a second, and closed the hatch.

I screamed in protest as he shot me off into space. I could see the Feds gunning him down. I would have given anything to turn that glorified ball of tin around...but I was gone, and so was he. I ended up in Cybertron, just a few miles outside of Kaon....

*************

Aeron took a drag from his blunt, stopping the story. Beam frowned. "Hey no smoke breaks. What gives?"

"I think that's a good stoppin' point, eh? Why don't you head to Sector 3?"

Beam sighed. "No fair. You better stay awake, because I'll be back...."

[Cutlass Rebooted]

Tecton starts re-shifting the wires back into place, they didn't appear to be damaged so it was just a simple case of getting them back where they should be. "This shouldn't take long." While he works he keeps scanning Shadow to see if he can pick up anything out of the ordinary. So far he's detected nothing...

[Laser]

Beam's ride to Sector 3 would be a long one. She had decided to skip it and go to Sector 4. When she finally arrived, she was horrified.

There had been a fire....

"Oh my gosh..." She hopped from the transit and looked around at the flaky, burn pieces of metallic layers floating around. The smell of ash and burnt material floated throughout the atmosphere. "Dang, this must have been really bad." As she carried on, she wondered if Aeron knew about this. She also wondered if it was actually safe to keep visiting him. He seemed harmless now, and was locked up pretty tight, but he had done some horrible things. And she had yet to learn everything else.

Which is why she had to go back.

The groan of the unstable communications tower to her left almost made her jump. It was standing on three legs, when it was built to stand on four. Beam wasn't exactly the bravest bot, so she had great difficulty forcing herself to get up there. Fortunately, the fire hadn't reached this high and the controls were unharmed.

Unfortunately, the fire had burned everything the controls controlled.

"OK, what do I need to do to make this work...." She looked onward and noticed the power generators. What huge ones they were, too. And though they looked a little burnt, they were okay for the most part. One of them was missing. Something had stolen it, and Beam shrugged it off. She couldn't when them all.

Beam decided on using them as batteries, reconnecting and configuring wires to them that led to key locations: comm tower, storage, securities, and the wall. Once she got defenses online, her work was done.

"Alright that sucked. Let me turn this off....okay back to Death Row...."

[Cutlass Rebooted]

Almost finished replacing the wires Tecton does one last scan. This one picked up something unusual about the energon in him. Fortunately what he found did not display on the screen next to him as he had in fact been transmitting the information directly to his computer back on board the ship. Interesting... I'll have to look over this data more closely later. The screen continues to display basic information about his patient.
He replaces the armor on Shadow's back repairing the damage at the same time. "And that should be it." He moves aside to let Shadow get up, while switching off the screen.

[Laser]

Aeron grinned at the sight of Beam scurrying in. "You're back already? Yous gotta knack for tech work, don't ya'?"

"You bet." Beam sat down in her normal spot. "Your not gonna believe this, but I'm sort of the tech wizard of my generation."

"Dat so?"

"Yeah. Made me pretty darn rich, too. Worked with the government and stuff."

"Used to be kind of a tech wiz mysself."He blew a puff of smoke.

The cloud surrounded Beam, but she didn't mind. She was actually starting to like it. "Really?"

Aeron put out his blunt. "For all the wrong reasons, though...."

**************
After I landed in Kaon I decided to get a job and try to steer straight. Didn't want Fronds' sacrifice to be in vain, see? So I landed a gig as janitor at a nearby power plant. Except this guys were using Synergon--
**************

"Synethic energon? That's stuffs illegal!" Beam had interupted the story.

"Not at the time, short stuff. Now let me continue."
*************

Real unstable stuff, synergon. But it was more efficient, and the plant was taking chances. The only problem was that it was ruining the environment. Radioactive decay, cancer, you name it. I was fascinated by the stuff, love. Fascinated. I used to steal it and tinker with it in my apartment. Well it was my girlfriends apartment, but--

"Aeron? Aeron! Are you in there messing with that scrap again?"

"Nah, baby. Just washin' up." I was lying. I couldn't get enough of Synergon.

"I can smell that stuff from out here! Come out here now! We gotta get to work!" She worked at the plant as a clerk.

"Fine!" I slammed the door and walked out with her, upset. I'm glad I left though....because the entire top half of the apartment complex exploded. Pieces and parts from all kinds of things, living and non living, came flying upon us. Fortunately we survived. Unfortunately I was now a wanted criminal again.

I fled the scene, quickly identified by my tattoos and my body type. I was all over the news soon. Everyone was looking for me.
***************

"You blew up an apartment complex? Why didn't you tell them it was an accident?"

He stared at her with a silly smile.

"Sorry for interrupting...."

*************
I stayed on the run for weeks, until one very special day....

News

"Today the Cybertron Director of Industry Rora Ton is visiting Kaon to witness the efficiency of our very own, and the first ever, Synergon Power Plant. He and other developers put their minds together to form the future of industry in Cybertron as we know it. Depending on how efficient the plant appears today determines whether are not more will be built across the planet. He will be their today in a ceremony presenting a plaque to the city's plant. We are so very proud of them. In further news..............."

So this was it. This was the man responsible for the decay and illness spread throughout the plant's immediate area. And they were going to make more of these? I decided to take action. Doing so would change my life forever.

I strapped 4 tons of synergon together and planted it in the center of the power plant. I waited in an old motel in the Riftway and watched the speech on live television.

News

"I gather today with colleagues, developers, and engineers. All of which, are my friends." Everyone 'awwwed' at that. "We have made history today. We have gone from relying on energy, to making 'synergy', if you will. I give you, Kaonol, the world's first Synergon plant! Today, Kaon, tomorrow, the world!"

Everyone clapped. So did I. He was that good.

He began again. "We will never forget this day. It will be burned into our minds..."

"You got that right," I said.

I blew the place sky high.

I remember seeing everyone almost turn to ash, and the white flame spread like a fog across the camera screen, peeling everything back like a hot knife. The screams were deafened by the fog, and the camera man dropped his equipment, choking and dying.

News

"Nearly 400 people have been killed today in an explosion--"

"--Including Rora Ton, head of Industry--"

"--with a blast radius of 3 miles--"

"--Authorities are restricting the area and blocking traffic--"

"--Trying to find whoever did this--"

"--with no news of a bomb threat ever coming up--"

"--beginning to think that this wasn't a plant malfunction, but sabotage..."

[Rexacon]

Shadow gotten up as he stretched out himself knowing that he is in good condition. Looking over his systems, it was good to good as the self recovery process took over and began rebooting his weapon and scanner systems. Shadow optics turned bright purple before converting to red as he put his hand on Tecton shoulders. In a calm tone, he speaks.

"Thank you, feel like a new bot now. Now as promised, I shall take my leave as I clearly bring hostility around y'all."

Bowing before the autobots, Shadow head towards the door as he exits outside. The sun was going down and nightfall will soon envelop the prison. Calm before the storm and he didn't want to be in the middle of it nor make it find him.

"Time to move."

With that said, Shadow transformed into his cybertronian jet form as his thrusters roared to life. Blasting into the sky, he heads towards his next destination in which the data shows him.

~~

Vibro systems fully rebooted as he can feel his arms and legs again. Getting up for the second time, he removed the wires as he was functional again. Being near stasis lock frighten him as he didn't know what to expect. Looking over at each bot, everyone seemed to be here except for Beam.

"Nice of y'all to ignore my first question. Anyway, what is the status report? Is everyone here? Where's Beam, did she make it?"

[Laser]

Laser, staying as still as possible, growled an answer to Vibro:

"Everyone in the immediate team is present and we are currently undergoing repairs. Beam is fine, she is out tending to defensive implements around the system. Spironok is with her. You have been out for nearly a day. Now calm yourself."

*******************

Aeron took a drag on his blunt. He decided to continue.

I moved to Iacon shortly after that, in order to get out of the heated area. And, no, I didn't get there by going through the Undergrid.
**************

Beam laughed at that.

**************

However, they were looking for me in Iacon as well....

I sat in an old subway station with a few other down-n-dirties. A lot of criminals lived here, but it was mostly made up of the poor and illegitamates. We usually told stories and entertained ourselves when we weren't being massacred by soldiers trying to silently evict us. We were all watching projectovision when the big fat media jumped in with one of its annoying emergency broadcasts...

"Good evening I'm Dart Zix and your watching Iacon Tonight--your number one source of firsthand news. Tonight we have a very special guest. You may know him as the Unifier, or the Judge. I know him, as General Ptacon. Welcome sir."

I watched as the great pompous ass known as General Ptacon sashay onto the stage and take his seat. He was greatly cheered. I don't know what for. He was a murderer in my eyes.

"A-thank ya', A-thank ya'. You know somethin', Dart?"

"What's that sir?"

"I've always wawnted to be on this here show."

Everyone laughed and cooed.

"Well, I welcome you sir. Now lets get down to business, shall we? People are saying your soldiers are performing unethical and unspeakable acts to the inhabitants of the Eastern abandoned subway station. They are also saying they are only responding to your executive order. What do you have to say on this controversial and equally touchy matter?"

Ptacon had obviously rehearsed this answer with his media specialist a hundred times. "A-well, my guys are under constant pressure. They in there with crim'nals, Dart. Crim'nals. And we can try all day to negotiate with crim'nals, but at the end of it all, som'body gonna get shot. An' what you want mah boys to do? Not defend demselves?"

"Naturally I'd expect them to defend themselves."

"Well okay then, dammit." Ptacon forgot this was on live television for a second.

"We'll be switching to a break soon. Just answer me this, General. What are your thoughts on the bombings in Kaon?"

Ptacon laughed. "This lil' guy is a juvenile threat. He can do whatev' he wants in that trash pile Kaon, but this is MY city. I make the rules, and call the shots. I WILL protect my people."

Everyone cheered at this statement, and my friend Rily turned off the system. "What a jerk. We're dyin' down 'ere! No food, no nuttin'." He gestured to the surface. "An' they up there plannin' da next attack. Gonna kill 50 more of us, and act like it was a axadent or sumppin'."

Everything was spinning in my head. Mostly anger. And frustration. "Don't worry, Riles. He can't get away with dis."

"Eh? Dat so? You gonna do somethin' about it?"

"...I just know one thing....when scrapheaps like this guy try to deviate and decieve, they think they have a plan. But that plan always comes to light, and once they are exposed...it--"

Blows up in their faces.

News

"A mushroom cloud the height of the Citadel has been spotted in eastern Iacon--"

"2,000 people are reported dead on site--"

"126 people have been arrested, considered suspects for the bombing--"

"--inhabitants of the eastern station found cheering just outside the blast radius--"

"Authorities are suspecting the 'Painted Bomber' from Kaon--"

"I saw da 'splosion, it was liek hooj. An' it reach da skiez. It may kill lotta peeple, but it give us hope. Hope--"

"Could the Painted Bomber be here an Iacon? Is he an anti-hero? More on Iacon Tonight, tomorrow. Until next time, I'm Dart Zix. Be safe out there...."
******************

Beam left Death Row, locking it up behind her, on her way to Sector 3. It was time for a break, in the story and for her to hold up her part of the bargain. Aeron's history was interesting...but it was almost...familiar. She'd heard of the Painted Bomber....but according to history records....those bombings had happened...well...

1000 years ago...

[DarkXenith]

The intricacy of the task in hand meant it took Jumpstart a while to finalise and secure the damaged connections that had plagued Laser, but finally it was done. Venting a low sigh of relief, the medic retracted the tooling from the guardian and stepped back with a satisfied nod.

"That oughtta just about solve it, pal. Y'wanna cycle it up an' run a self diagnostic for me? If ya happy with the results, we'll get on with the hydraulics, get y' legs working again 'cos that ain't gonna take more' n a few klicks. Then it's just cosmetics an' we can call it a day. Thank Primus."[/b]

It had been a long day, the sort that would usually send the medic in the direction of a quart or so of highgrade at the nearest suitable establishment. Today though, that wasn't going to happen. This facility, however antiquated, needed to be fully overhauled. It was doubtless going to get pretty manic in very short order once any refugees from the attack made it into the area. In short, he had work to do and plenty of it.

Watching as Shadow took his leave, Jumpstart visibly relaxed. True, the mech hadn't caused any trouble, but the fact that he had the potential to was bad enough. The place was wrecked enough without any chaos kicking off to make it worse.