14.Oct.06
They don’t want to choose. They want to be left alone. But in war,
neutrals are the first to go...
Colors
By: Ashana
“I’m telling you, it’s a bad idea.” Spanner ruffled the synthetic blonde hair falling over her ears, tucking it away before replacing her helmet. Her burnt red armor reflected in the streetlight pooling around the corner of the alleyway, adding to the dark reflections in her emerald optics. “Cyber, are you even listening to me?”
“Yeah, yeah, shush,” Cyber replied. Her silver metal had been coated with decals of computer chips, giving a green sheen to her overall appearance. Her optics (a contrasting violet) flickered about the abandoned street. Lanky locks of black hair hung from her tattooed helmet, obscuring her vision. With an impatient snort she pushed the bangs away and peered towards the Maximal Citadel.
“How do we even know the neutrals are meeting tonight anyway?” Spanner questioned, irritated at being ignored.
Cyber gave her an impatient look. “Trust me, Spanner, the meeting is tonight, behind the Maximal Citadel.” She double checked the road. “C’mon, the coast is clear.”
“Why do we have to be so sneaky, anyway?” Spanner asked, running after Cyber as they left the safety of the dark alleyway.
“It’s just easier to avoid being asked complicated questions,” Cyber shrugged as the Citadel grew closer. Spanner looked past her, and nearly tripped over the femme when she stopped suddenly.
“Cyber—”
“Shush!” Spanner was yanked into the nearest shadows; a thin strip of space between an oil bar and datapad stand. She ducked beside her friend, optics flickering worriedly.
“What is it?”
“Nothing,” Cyber craned her neck to look around the edge of the metal stand, “Just a shadow. C’mon, we’re almost there!”
They sprinted across the metal streets towards the imposing circular building, staying away from the streetlights. It wasn’t until they were close that Spanner noticed the metal gates surrounding the Citadel were shut and locked tight.
“Cyber, the doors are—”
The femme grabbed Spanner’s hand tightly, “Hold on!” The short-spring thrusters on the bottom of her feet burst to life, and they were easily propelled over the wall. The decaled bot landed easily on her feet, a grin of triumph wreathing her face. Spanner landed uneasily and fell, landing on her back.
“You’ve got a rather klutzy friend there, Cyber,” the voice was strong and male. Hands—at least four pairs—hauled Spanner to her feet. The two femmes were surrounded by at least a score of mechs and femmes, all of their armor dimmed by charcoal and black paint.
“Lay off, Streak,” Cyber said, grasping the largest mech’s wrist in a friendly gesture. “She’s a land rover, not a flyer. Got any more paint left?”
A green-grey femme—her armor naturally dark—handed over two cans of black spray paint. Cyber shook it and nodded approvingly. “Great. C’mon Spanner, let’s get into costume.”
“Costume?” Spanner held up her hands. “Hold up, I haven’t the faintest idea of what’s going on here!” The relaxed yet alert faces around her turned hard. Streak rounded on Cyber.
“You said she was one of us!” He accused. The femme mimicked her friend and put her hands up.
“She is, she is,” Cyber reassured him, “I just haven’t filled her in on the fine details yet.”
Streak shoved a third spray paint can into her hands. “Well, you can just ‘fill her in’ while you two get ready!” He pointed to a shadowed part of the fence wall. “Now hurry up!”
Cyber grabbed Spanner and dragged her into the shadows of the wall. The red femme yanked her arm free.
“Just what is going on here?” She demanded as Cyber shoved a can in her hands.
“A game, that’s all,” was the answer, followed by a spray of black paint on Spanner’s chest.
“Cyber!”
The green bot clapped a hand over her friend’s mouth. “For the final time, shush! Look, it’s just an idea, okay. We aren’t doing anything bad. Now get this paint on you!”
It only took them a few moments to change from colorful femmes into dark shadows, barely distinguishable from the wall.
Streak looked them over approvingly as they rejoined the group.
“Much better,” he handed them both small key cards, “Those will get you anywhere in the building if we get separated.”
“Separated?” Spanner asked.
“Yeah,” Streak nodded, “You and Cyber are with me.” He turned to the others. “Remember your assignments? Good, let’s move out.”
Spanner found herself following the mech through a backdoor into the large dome-shaped citadel. With Cyber behind her, she was sandwiched into this job. She dropped back to talk with her friend.
“What are we doing sneaking into here?”
The femme grinned. “We’re just doing a little protest, that’s all. Nothing illegal, I promise.” She shoved Spanner forward down the matienence hall. “Look, there’s the hover!”
Streak was already waiting there, keeping the hover doors from closing. He waved them over. “Hurry, before we’re caught!” He ordered. The two femmes quickly joined him, smashed together as the glass hover began to rise.
They passed floor after floor; fourteen in all. The halls were dark and deserted at this hour of the night cycle, giving the building an eerie, haunting air. Spanner could have sworn she saw some other dark shapes moving about the halls, messing with the wiring panels, but the hover was rising too fast for her to get a good look.
They disembarked on the fourteenth floor. It was as high as you could go without a keycard; the levels above were all personal condos that belonged to the heads of the Maximal Government. Spanner stayed a safe distance behind Streak and Cyber as they walked calmly down the hall.
A light flooded over the three. A large, bulky bot with the mark of a security guard on his chest looked them over disapprovingly.
“Just what are you doing up here?” He demanded. “The Citadel is closed!”
He never got an answer. One swift move and Streak was on top of him. Cyber stood calmly to the side as the mech pulled the guards own gun and shot him point blank in the spark chamber. Without a mutter of disagreement, the guard fell to the ground. Dead.
“Spanner, stop screaming!”
A sharp slap brought the shocked femme from her thoughts. Streak and Cyber were both glaring at her, the former covered in mech fluids that weren’t his.
“You—you shot him!” Spanner stuttered, pointing to the dead guard.
Streak nodded, “This isn’t some joy ride, Spanner,” He said gruffly. “If we’re going to complete this mission, some are going to die.”
“Mission? Cyber, you said it was a peaceful protest!” Spanner accused.
Cyber threw her arm around her friends shoulder, forcibly dragging her down the hall, Streak in their wake. “It will be, okay. That was just one little obstacle we had to take care of.”
“You said we wouldn’t do anything illegal!”
She shook her head. “Spanner, you haven’t done anything that would get you in trouble, okay? Just leave the rest to us and enjoy the glory.”
“Gl—!”
Her question was cut off as a large hand wrapped around the back of her neck. Streak spun her around. “One word, femme, and I’ll be shooting you next,” he threatened, pointing the guards gun at her chest. She held up her hands in surprise.
“I’ll be quiet. Cross my spark and hope to expire!” She exclaimed.
“Good.”
With the mech leading the way, they moved deeper into the building, towards the center hub. Cyber and Streak conversed in low tones, and Spanner couldn’t help but notice their arms snaking around each others waist.
This is ridiculous! They killed a mech...We’re all going to rot in the cells for this!
Streak came to a halt at a set of large double doors. Without flinching, he grabbed the keypad beside the door and ripped it out. Cyber smiled approvingly.
“Well done, love,” she praised before helping him pull the door open.
Spanner couldn’t help but marvel at the room. It was fourteen stories high, a huge well that fell into Cybertron itself. A copper core rose up and out of sight, wires and other machines hanging off the sides. Unconsciously, she stepped closer.
Cyber stood beside her as they gazed over the safety railing that ran all around the wall. “Beautiful, isn’t it? The central hub of all Cybertron City.” =
“Yeah,” Spanner nodded, “but what are you going to do with it?”
Cyber took Streaks hand and gave it a light squeeze. “We’re going to fix all our problems.” She smiled sweetly at Spanner. “There are bots on every floor below us, and some at the Predacon Fortress in Kaon, all waiting for the signal.”
“What signal?” Spanner felt her wires began to spark with nerves. “What are you going to do?”
Streak pulled a small black box out of subspace. “Blow it up.”
“Are you insane?” The femme accused. “Blow up the Central Hub? That will destroy us all!”
Cyber shook her head. “Not you,” she commented, continuing before Spanner could get in a question, “You’re my best friend. That’s why I invited you. You’re going to live, and tell the others what we sacrificed to stop this silly bickering before it becomes a full scale war.”
Spanner shook her head. “You’re as bad as those earthling kamikazes!” She pointed to the bomb. “Put that thing away; we still have time to get out of here!”
Cyber wrapped her arms around the stunned femme. “It’s too late, honey. Promise me you’ll tell them, okay?”
“No! No, I won—!”
With a less-than-gentle push, Streak pushed her over the edge of the safety railing. She was falling, and above her, Cyber was giving the signal to start the count down.
10...
Is this what it’s come too?
...9...
A world divided?
...8...
Having to stop a war before it begins?
...7...
Having to give up your life to protect those of strangers from something that will never happen?
...6...
They’re all going to die; they don’t have a chance, and neither do I!
...5...
I’ll tell everybody about this! I’ll tell them what Cyber did!
...4...
Oh Primus help them! Please!
...3...
I never got the chance—
...2...
—to choose—
...1...
—my color!
The Cybertronian City Hourly
9-23-3056
Explosions Rock Both Cybertronian City and Kaon!
At approximately the hour of 2:46 of the last night cycle, both the Maximal Citadel and the Predacon Fortress were destroyed. It is suspected that the ‘Zen,’ a human-inspired group of radical neutrals, is behind the bombing. The only clue found were the charred remains of a femme resting near the edge of the Citadel’s Central Hub Well. After much examination, scientists determined that she was of no particular faction or organization, and have concluded that she was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The Maximal Leader Raconteur and the Predacon Leader Galvatron have been in meetings since the even occurred. Luckily, neither of them were in their respected buildings at the time of the explosions...
The Cybertronian City Hourly
9-26-3056
War Declared Between Maximal and Predacon Factions!