“You do you,” Backbreaker offers. “I still got my Autobot insignia on.”
Oddball weighs his options. His true intention was to do some reconnaissance for the resistance. Anything with a queen’s name on it had to be important, so the theater piqued his interest…
…but the Rat Pits were a mystery. What did they entail?
"Zwoop-zweep! he warbles to Zed, asking to see the Rat Pits.
Machbreaker and Tie-Grabber are also thrown away from the box. Though as they get back up and Clawshot complains, the box is forcibly knocked onto its face, the bottom now becoming a side. The hole burst forth larger and RAM bust through with his horns. And it is soon revealed that he is being held onto the front of Busdrive by Overclock as a makeshift battering-ram.
As the trio breaks out the chest, they skirt around the Minicons, tires squealing excited as they turn. Overclock repositions himself as to get a better seat on Busdrive, pulling RAM up while doing so. The goat fires a couple warning missiles at the ground near the Minicons as they then race forward to get elsewhere in the facility.
“Oh come on, I thought you said we were fun! And you want playtime to end so soon!” Overclock teases as they’re getting away.
Tie-Grabber swears something as he gets up and leaps to avoid the other missiles. Though the explosion does still rock him enough to stumble his landing. Tie-Grabber slams his hook at the ground in frustration and transforms. He wheels after them as fast as he can, but he never was built for speed.
Machbreaker on the other hand, always the faster one, transforms and rockets after the escaping data discs. They may have head start, but he was a literal rocket.
Railfire closed his chest, and was silent for a moment.
“Of course, there is more to this tale. Do you remember the day Optimus Prime and Megatron both fell at the other’s hand? Perhaps the biggest turning point in the war. Tell me, where were you on that day, when you were told what had happened?”
OOC: Should note, for the sake of it. Megatron and Galvatron are separate individuals in this continuity. After Megatron and Optimus died, they were succeeded by Galvatron and Ultra Magnus respectfully. While Magnus was seen as a well respected and noble leader, the decepticons looked at Galvatron as a fool, who could never hope to live up to his predecessor.
Zed looked Oddball with confusion. For he could not understand what he said.
“Well… This isn’t gonna be easy.”
He sighed.
“Alright, beep once for the pits, twice for the theater.”
Ramjet was knocked to the wall by the secondary explosions. Due to his more delicate nature he wasn’t quite able to get up this time.
Clawshot meanwhile could take it. He dove out of the way and launched his hook as soon as he could, hoping to latch on to the escaping bus before they all got too far.
Meanwhile while Quickstrike was wandering the halls, he happened to turn a corner and come face fo face with the miniature chaos. Utterly flabbergasted by the three high stack of minicons racing towards him.
“What in tarnation!”
He exclaimed.
Backbreaker looks up at the ceiling as he recalls the memory.
“Who can forget?” he says. "Me, I was in a hospital getting my legs reattached after my latest run-in with- ah, that’s not important. Tuned into the Nexis to get the news from Blaster like we always did, and that’s when we heard it.
" ‘Optimus Prime is dead’. D*mn; still feels weird saying it out loud."
“Bleep!” Oddball swears, taking advantage of the language barrier. He stifles a giggle.
"My situation was far more… Extreme. I was sent out ahead of the fleet that invaded earth. My attack was twofold in purpose. First, to reclaim the outpost, but it was also to serve as a distraction. My escort and my attack would alert the autobots’ early warning systems. While I kept them occupied, the fleet would slip by undetected.
“I fought for many hours. I opposed many, and attacked with a conviction I have not held since. For in that time I did not fear death. But then… An emergency message was broadcasted throughout the station. Optimus Prime and Megatron had both fallen. And it was then something in my spark died with them. I lost the will to fight. All I could do was lay down my swords and take a seat, while the autobots dragged me to the detention hold.”
“Alright. Rat pits it is.”
Zed replied. He turned and started walking to a smaller building not too far away. It looked a bit poorly kept. Especially compared to the immaculate nature of everything else. There was a neon sign on the front in a language Oddball wouldn’t recognize, and a design of the familiar techno-space-rat.
He used his damaged foot to kick the shovel up into his hand, leaning heavier on the other foot as he spun round in a solid attempt to clock the pesky Railgun anywhere he could hopefully distracting his feet blasting plans.
“I thought the war had ended right then and there,” Backbreaker says. “Never got that rematch I wanted.”
Oddball notes the sign, and wonders why this place looked like such a dump compared to the rest of the city.
Does maintenance just like, not know this place exists? he wonders.
“In many ways, the war did end at that moment. At least as we knew it. Galvatron couldn’t hold a candle to Megatron, despite his best efforts. And for myself, I haven’t fought since. Save for when I started training Maximus.”
“This, my round captive, is what people go to when they can’t afford colosseum tickets.”
Zed explained.
“Rat fights, rat races, rat ball, and various other rat based sports. All hosted in here.”
Overclock, who likely would have seen the hook coming while shouting back at them, manages to catch the hook. He quickly attaches it to one of RAM’s missiles and the goat fires it off and up into the air. Overclock laughing manically as the missile attempts to pull Clawshot up and away.
Busdrive blares his horn as he doesn’t attempt to move out of Quickstrike’s way.
“Hey! What do you think you’re-”
Was all Clawshot had time to say before he was sent sailing off upwards, slamming face first into the ceiling, and then being dragged off into a different part of the hall.
“No little varmit is gonna tell me what to do!”
Quickstrike said as he would up a kick, swinging his foot at the minicons full force just as they reached him.
“You were locked up the whole time, right?” Backbreaker assumes.
Rats? Oddball thinks. Seriously? What other ‘rat-based sports’ are there, anyhow? They’re rats, for spark’s sake!
Keeping his frustration confined to his thoughts, Oddball nods his head slowly.
“More or less.”
Railfire replied.
The two approach the door, and the Vex stationed there look at them. The symbols on his face blinked and shifted quizzically, as the gas behind changed a pale blue color.
“I’m a guard from the Colosseum. And this prisoner has been allowed short term leave for good performance.”
Zed explained. To which the other shrugged.
“Guess that makes sense.”
He said. His voice was low and gruff.
“But just 'cause you work for the big guy don’t mean you get a discount.”
Zed sighed in frustration.
“Fine.”
The two raised their hands, palms facing one another. Spaced just a few inches apart, circular glyphs appeared on the both of them. A number of small hard light balls flew from Zed’s hand to the other Vex’s, and once the transaction was complete, he and Oddball were let in.
The inside of the Rat Pits had a very punk neon vibe to it. It was a large open space, with walls that had doors which lead to similar spaces. Above each door was a different neon sign, none of which Oddball could read.
There were several rectangular areas, lined out by gut-high walls, with Vex crowding around them. All cheering and shouting, looking down into the pits.
Tie-Grabber mutters something and goes after Clawshot, tossing his own hook out to grab and pull him back down.
There is a deep rumbling from the bus, a mix of minor horn beeps and its engine cutting in and out, almost in a sort of challenging laughter. Overclock and RAM bail, with Overclocking going to the left while RAM goes right. Busdrive’s missile silos open up as he gets into that kicking range and fires a barrage of missiles at Quickstrike, each one trying to hit a different joint.
As Overclock gets up from his bailing roll, Machbreaker catches up. The blazing sled transforms and clocks the yellow data disc aside the head with a rocketing fist. Overclock tumbles from the blow, his only saving grace being that Machbreaker was moving so fast he couldn’t immediately turn around to deliver another thrashing.
Meanwhile, RAM gets up from his less than graceful roll and reloads. Preparing to fire more missiles at Quickstrike should Busdrive’s efforts fail.
Backbreaker nods in understanding, and waits for Railfire to continue.
Oddball looks around room, figuring that the crowds of spectators were watching rat fights.
…What are the rats like on this planet, anyway? He finds himself wondering. He tries to drag Zed after him as he heads for one of the pits.
The hook connects and with the combined weight of the two minicons, the missile is unable to hold itself up. It falls to the ground, and Clawshot falls with it.
Quickstrike is knocked to the ground. The minicon’s missiles hurt, but didn’t cause much in the way of serious damage.
“AUGH! You little varmint! I’m gonna rip you a new one!”
He transformed into his beast mode. A creature that would be the nightmares of some. A large scorpion with the head of a cobra at the end of its tail. He chased after busdrive, lashing out with his tail and claws.
Ramjet was able to give an immediate follow up attack, having partially recovered from his prior blow. He transformed into his jet mode and rammed into Overclock at top speed. Hoping to hit before the disk-bot could completely get back on steady feet.
Quickstrike would be hard to hit as he quickly ran after Busdrive.
“During my time in captivity, I lacked the will to do anything. I wouldn’t eat, sleep, I barely even moved on a daily basis. But then there was one very persistent… Very annoying autobot, that insisted on getting me to talk. Not to give information mind you, but just to say anything.”
Zed followed. The two managed to find a space at one of the less crowded pits. At the bottom were two common space-rats. Small mechanical creatures that could be found all across the galaxy.
They each had a colored dot painted on the back of its head. One had a yellow dot, while the other had a blue dot. The two fought and tussled on the ground. Each trying to get an advantage over the other.
“And that Autobot would be…?”
Oddball didn’t find the fight very entertaining; it reminded him too much of his current situation.
Poor little guys… he thinks. A lightbulb then goes off in his head- his optics actually flash as an idea forms in his mind.
It was a reckless, stupid idea, but it was the right thing to do. Rotating his head three-hundred-sixty degrees, he surveys the crowd, trying to gauge whether or not he could easily hide among the spectating Vex. He also glances at the shackle on his wrist.
“A commander named Bombatron. From what I’ve heard he’s a big deal among you autobots, but for the life of me I couldn’t see why.”
OOC: You remember Bombatron right?
The Vex around him were all seemingly occupied in watching the pits.
As for the cuff around his wrist, it was nice and secure. As is he wouldn’t be going anywhere. But as he demonstrated in his escape through the trash chute, physical restraints weren’t exactly a problem for him.
“Yeah, I might’ve heard his name once-or-twice,” Backbreaker says.
OoC;
Yup.
IC:
It would be easy for Oddball to slip out of the shackle, lose Zed in the crowds of onlookers, and free the rats from their imprisonment. But afterward, he would surely be captured again and face punishment. Iota might even find some way to take it out on everybody in the arena, and he didn’t want that.
Looking down at the floor, Oddball remains where he is. He swears to himself that, when the time comes for he and his friends to break out, he’d come back for these little creatures.
“If memory serves, he was the one who founded your Wreckers. Though I can’t imagine someone so loud and brash to earn such a reputation. But in time, his efforts prevailed. It took weeks of persistence, but he eventually got me to break my silence, if only so I could tell him to shut up.”
Zed looked down at the small bot.
“You don’t look like your enjoying yourself. What’s up?”
He asked curiously.
Tie-Grabber, more concerned about where the missile will strike and explode, reels in Clawshot. Though in such a way that it was more like cracking a whip to smash the missile into the ground as far away from them as possible.
Busdrive’s tires screech as he puts on the hard, shifting into a turn. During this process, he transforms into his disc form so that he can literally turn on a dime, shifting back into vehicle mode to race back into the other room faster. He fires off a couple other missiles in attempts to distract Quickstrike while the bus gauges his options in the room.
RAM, even though he might have difficulty hitting him, also fires a couple missiles in Quickstrike’s direction to at least district him.
Ramjet manages to smash into Overclock, who let’s out a groan in response. However, he manages to hang onto Ramjet. Once he has his wits, he smiles and tries to use the nose of the jet form as monkey bars. A large change in weight in movement from his swinging in attempts to cause Ramjet to crash.