21.Jan.06

  Could have

Part fourteen

By: Rainynight

Disclaimer: Pfft, NOT MINE! Stop trying to pay me!

Depth Charge’s efforts to make a hole in the wall persisted throughout the following days. He was desperate for some task to accomplish and he was steadily becoming frantic as the date when Rampage…

When had he started calling him Rampage? He had very rarely used that name before, accidentally slipping it in between all the Xs. Well, he supposed it was simply much more descriptive than “Protoform X”…

But whatever he called him, the day when he was supposed to escape was drawing closer. The night before it Depth Charge didn’t get a minute’s sleep and morning found him kneeling in the corner of the cell, the ends of the severed wires from his arm disappearing in a narrow but deep gap. He was horrified that things might not have changed at all despite his best efforts and he was horrified of being horrified because he knew Rampage could feel it. The psychopath was probably laughing with delight at the Guardian’s fear.

Some of the time this really was the case. Rampage did laugh. When he wasn’t preoccupied with more urgent things like the excruciating pain in his limbs. Sometimes he did find the presence of his old playmate amusing and somewhat comforting. It reminded him that his life and his freedom had not been a dream. 

As for the former ray, some illogical subconscious part of him insisted that if he managed to make the hole on time and look into the killer’s cell that would somehow prevent the murders. Like a child, convinced that if you jumped over the cracks in the pavement instead of stepping on them, nothing bad would happen to you.

But before he could make a break-through several guards took Rampage somewhere. Depth Charge’s panic rose to a tremendous level. He didn’t even stop to wonder what all of Rampage’s screaming was for like he would have some other day. He simply sat there, frozen, numb, and waited for the commotion to start.   

Rampage also knew very well what day it was and as the guards were taking him to the lab he was every bit as nervous as his enemy. He couldn’t take this any longer, he just couldn’t bear it; he had to get away. And for some reason it just seemed important that it happened today. Today was the date. If he managed today he would prove that nothing had changed, that history could not really be altered. He would be able to scatter the corpses of those wretched scientists around the whole cursed facility. He would kill Dr. Clearcut with exclusive delight. And then he would wipe away the whole slagging colony. This time he would leave NO survivors. He would kill the little witch and take the piece of his spark right out of her chest. And he would kill Depth Charge and there would be no one to hunt him down and catch him and get him sealed in a stupid pod. Although… There was something out of place in this idea, like a false note on a symphony. He certainly didn’t feel any remorse or pity. He wouldn’t hesitate to tear the bot limb from limb, especially now when the Guardian had done everything to make his living hell all the more horrible.

But he had gotten so used to his playmate constantly chasing him. He felt less lonely when he knew someone would come after him, even if the reason was to kill him. Depth Charge was the constant in his life, something stable and predictable. It would be… different without him. Still, he’d better kill him. Things had gone too far.

Rampage was pinned to the lab table as always as he anxiously waited for the events to unfold. The previous time he had managed to escape because of two things. One was the fact that the guards had kept him under control for quite a while now and were growing careless and the other was a rather ridiculous accident. Captain Stunner, by the kind request of Dr. Clearcut who claimed that he was utterly useless, had decided to inspect the locks of Rampage’s cell and had successfully managed to lock himself in.

Except for the bot on the table there were only two guards in the lab since the doctors hadn’t arrived yet. As he had eagerly anticipated, at one moment they received through their comm. links an angry massage from their captain for all slagging units to come and get him out of the slagging cell, slag it. All units had obliged, he knew. All guards were gathering in front of his cell. Unable to resist the amusement of seeing their captain rescued from this situation the two who were supposed to stay with him shortly debated and decided they could afford to leave the experiment on the table. He couldn’t go anywhere with those wedges in him, could he?

Once they were out of the room Rampage sighed a small sigh of relief. So far everything was according to plan. And to think that the first time he had done this he hadn’t had a plan.

And now… He took a breath, closed his eyes and braced himself. Then he used all of his strength to jerk his right arm upwards. The agony hit him with such force, that the world around him faded for several seconds. He groaned and clenched his teeth convinced that he would burst from the effort not to scream and attract attention.

I had simply forgotten how enjoyable that first part of my escape was. 

Several deep breaths, another strong jerk and his right hand was free although it hurt like the pit. He used it to remove the wedge pinning his left and then proceeded to get rid of the other three. He had just dropped the last one to the floor when guards and doctors alike burst trough the door accompanied by Dr. Clearcut’s furious shrieks.

“How dare you leave your post, you idiots! Do you know what could…”

Everyone froze in horror at the sight of the huge robot. The experiment labeled Protoform X got up from the table dripping mech fluid and slowly advanced on them. The impossibly wicked smile on his face spoke clearly of his intention to smash and tear apart everything and everyone. He would have fulfilled that intention too if Dr. Chillcold with his usual calm indifference hadn’t used the time while everyone shrieked in terror to take the third piece of Rampage’s spark out of his subspace compartment and crush it.

The former crab dropped to the floor with a howl of anger, pain and despair. He had hoped against all hope that everyone would be too scared to think of using the spark box before he managed to get to it. And he had hoped in vain. He hadn’t made it. He felt like he had missed his only chance and he would stay here forever. Depth Charge had altered history after all.

That strange feeling in her spark again. Starlet didn’t like it one bit because she knew it had to do with him. She hated the fact that a part of him lived in her. Otherwise the sensation wasn’t exactly painful to her. Just unpleasant. But she had the vague feeling that it was rather painful for him.

Depth Charge spent the whole day staring numbly through the hole into the next cell, straining his audios to hear the screams. Anticipation drove him to the brim of insanity. He waited and waited for some sign that the massacre had begun and when there was none he simply imagined what was probably happening out of his range of hearing.

When Rampage was dragged back to his cell it took the Maximal no less than two minutes to fully register that nothing had really happened. It was like a block of ice melted around him. He felt ready to scream with relief. He had made it! He had changed things! Maybe the possibility of the killer escaping hadn’t disappeared but somehow it was vital to get through this day. The fact that no disaster had struck colony Omicron today was a proof that the course of history could be altered. What he did mattered! Unable to calm down just yet he stayed glued to the small gap to make sure Rampage was really there, coming to terms with the idea that he would see no horrors today.

What he saw next however chilled him to the very core of his spark. Even he, with all his hatred towards the robot enduring it, could not call it anything but the most ruthless and cruel torture session. He quickly gathered that Rampage had at least tried to escape and neither the guards nor the scientists were too happy about that.

Halfway through it Depth Charge turned away and tried to pretend he was temporarily deaf.

A/N: Pleeeease, show some compassion to a poor little author and comment :).