Best Laid Plans, Chapter Eight
Title: Best Laid Plans
Series: Pre-ROTF
Rating: T
Summary: Demolisher arrives on Earth too late, and Sideways brings with him more trouble than he's worth.
Iraq
“Get away from the window,” Demolisher commanded. “And be silent.”
Sideways did not comply immediately, still craning his neck to see through the dusty window of the warehouse they were in. Once he did back away, he transformed to his alt mode, quietly parking himself between the excavator and the wall.
They hadn't made it anywhere near India. In fact, they'd barely passed the border in to Iraq before Soundwave contacted them, apparently having a change of spark and ordering them to stay put. Demolisher hadn't minded the short reprieve, if only because it allowed Sideways to continue healing in peace. Of course, what he had failed to remember was that the American military still had an active presence in Iraq, and it was with the American military that the Autobots had gone to the berth.
He had spent so long worrying about Barricade's lies, Sideways' symbiosis and the progress of his teammates that he had almost completely forgotten the Autobots were a threat. Demolisher wasn't forgetting it again any time soon, especially after running into a reconnaissance drone that was neither human nor Decepticon. It's smoking remains were about a quarter mile from their current hide out, as they hadn't had much time to run any further.
The Autobot's response time was getting faster, and Soundwave had confirmed that they and their organic friends were actively hunting Decepticons. That seemed rather backwards to Demolisher, considering the Autobots traditionally took a defensive position. Perhaps it was the humans that were pushing for the elimination of Decepticons on their little planet, and the Prime felt obligated to honor their wishes. Whatever the reason, it didn't change the fact that he and Sideways were pinned down, waiting for either a break or an attack. His only consolation now was that Soundwave had at least informed him several Constructicons had been on route to meet them.
The dusty street outside was empty and quiet, the humans having long since abandoned this area. Nothing moved, but Demolisher could hear the rumble of a powerful engine approaching. It was clearly taking its time, setting his nerves on edge as it grew ever closer without exposing itself. With Sideways tucked in behind him, the humans would probably walk right past them. If anyone looked in the windows, all they would see was a bunch of broken down, dirty construction vehicles. Demolisher could only hope that they wouldn't notice he was the only vehicle whose spare parts hadn't been gutted by opportunists.
A black pick up truck finally pulled into sight, headlights cutting through the dust as it trolled the street. It was followed by two humvees, though they gave the first vehicle a lot of breathing room. If there was only one Autobot, then the odds were in their favor. Demolisher could shrug off the human attackers with ease, and dispatch or escape from one Autobot with little trouble. He didn't get his hopes up, knowing more Autobots could be lurking just around the corner, waiting for them to step out of the shadows.
The Autobot abruptly hit the brakes, and Demolisher tensed, certain they had been spotted. Nothing happened for several long seconds, until he heard the voice of a human shouting from not too far away.
“I said let's go!” the human yelled, jogging up between the two humvees. He stopped just in front of them, as if the distance between himself and the Autobot was fraught with danger.
“There are still Decepticons here, Lennox,” the Autobot growled, not budging from where he had stopped. His distinctive voice gave away his identity; Demolisher did not fear Ironhide, but he would rather avoid a fight with the Autobot weapons specialist, knowing he would endure far more damage than was desirable.
“Yeah, and there's four confirmed Decepticons shooting up our guys five miles north of here,” the human, Lennox, snapped. “I don't care what Sideswipe says he can do, but they're getting their asses handed to them up there. We're not dealing with scouts or drones, Ironhide - these guys sound like heavy hitters.”
Ironhide responded by opening his driver's side door, and Lennox made a quick signal to the humvees. Both vehicles pulled around and drove off, while Lennox trotted over to the pick up truck.
“We'll be back once we've taken care of the Decepticon north of here,” the human said, his tone suddenly placating, like he was trying to console the Autobot. “I've already got the twins laying out a perimeter -”
Anything else the human said was cut off when he shut the driver's side door, effectively sealing off all sound. Demolisher's sensors could not penetrate the armor of another Cybertronian, let alone an Autobot like Ironhide. With much more show than the humvees, the black pick up spun around, throwing up dirt and gunning its engine, roaring as it accelerated.
“Autobots are taking orders from humans?” Sideways asked incredulously, barely waiting until the enemy was out of sight before speaking.
“Quiet,” Demolisher wasn't taking any chances; if Ironhide suspected that there were Decepticons lurking around, he was certain to be back as soon as possible. He didn't care if the human had moved them elsewhere, since for all he knew it was a trick to draw them out. Sideways said nothing else, thought Demolisher could feel hints of impatience across their link.
An hour passed before Demolisher even allowed them to consider moving. Sideways stuck close to him as he made his way to the entrance of the warehouse, before slipping in front of him to scan the streets. Giving the all clear, Sideways drove out first, followed by the excavator.
“The others are close,” Demolisher said lowly, checking his radar. Four Constructicons had been inbound for their position, and had no doubt been the ones to hit a snag with the Autobots. “With any luck they'll be here soon, but we'll have to send them coordinates to a new location. Scavenger will be able to find us, so -”
“You talk about Scavenger a lot,” Sideways said suddenly. His tone caught Demolisher off guard, sounding annoyed with a heavily suppressed hint of jealously.
“That's because he's my twin,” said Demolisher, trying to figure out what had prompted that question. Did he really bring up his brother unit that often? His thoughts were interrupted when he had to put on the brakes a second later as Sideways swerved in front of him. “You can't talk and drive, can you?”
“You have a twin?”
“Yes,” he replied. It was not the first time someone was shocked by that; after all, he had a unique body frame, and it was hard to imagine his model being used twice. Still, he and Scavenger were identical down to the lugnut, though Scrapper had long ago told them to, at the very least, have differing paint schemes.
A faint beep made Demolisher stop in his tracks, and Sideways reversed quickly as his shovel swung around to keep him back. Something small and metal popped up from beneath the sand, beeped again, and then scurried forward on six spindly legs. The second beep was answered by another small mechanism, and then another, all of them sifting out of the sand and crawling out of nearby buildings, dozens of them -
Only now did he realize what the human had said,about the twins laying out a perimeter. Of course the twins had to be Autobots, and whoever they were, it seemed they took a liking to deadly traps. Demolisher cursed himself for a such a stupid, avoidable mistake.
“Proximity mines,” Demolisher said, transforming and shaking one of them off of his hand. It took only a moment for the mine to right itself, rejoining the rest of the hoard as they honed in on Demolisher. The damned Autobots had probably left hundreds of them, making impossible for any land based Cybertronian to get past them. “Sideways, run and hide yourself - don't come out until the others arrive.”
“But-” Sideways started, even as he reversed further. Demolisher was already charging his cannon, ignoring the mines that were crawling up his wheel. They moved quickly, some of them leaping up onto his face or his arms. He swatted at those with his free hand, intending to keep them as far away from vital connections as he could.
“You can outrun them, I can't, so go!” Demolisher bellowed. Without any more persuading, Sideways turned and sped off. His departure didn't even register to the mines: they were programmed to select one target and detonate once it was suitably bogged down. A chain reaction was what made them so devastating, but Demolisher knew that it was also their weakness. Setting them off prematurely would cause the ones on the ground to detonate harmlessly, and he would have only to weather what was already on him.
One shot was all it took - the mines set each other off in quick succession, and Demolisher imagined the explosion of shrapnel and sand would be seen for miles. Even with his shields at full power, every mine that went off on his frame stung, warping and distorting his optical feed. Still, all things considered, it wasn't as bad as it could have been.
He thought as much until he felt a single stray mine furrow into his side, somehow wiggling under the armor and nestling into his wiring. Before he could consider prying it out, the mine went off and Demolisher howled. Several dozen emergency warnings flashed across his systems in panic, before cutting into oblivion as his systems crashed into stasis lock.
It was raining. The landscape lit up with a flash of lightning, deafening thunder rolling across the unfamiliar terrain. Water flooded off the rocks surrounding him, coming down so quickly it was already up to his knees. He was going to have to find higher ground before the flood swallowed him whole.
Demolisher started walking, and suddenly everything felt incredibly wrong. He didn't have knees to gauge how deep the water was, and he certainly didn't have legs that moved without him telling them to. Wherever he was, he knew he'd never been there before. He watched small hands reach out and pull him up onto a ledge, the same hands that had tried and failed to perform simple field repairs -
Oh no, thought Demolisher. Not again.
Only this was far, far worse than vague dreams. Seeing Sideways' memories was preferable to living Sideways' memories, especially when the uncomfortable emotions of fear and panic began eating at his subconscious. He had the distinct feeling that Sideways was lost, disoriented from the storm and terrified of something Demolisher didn't know about.
He - Sideways finally found a small reprieve from the rain under a rocky outcropping, hunkering down and peering out across the terrain. Whatever the geological structure of the planet, it did not absorb water in the least. Though Sideways had gotten himself out of the water, it continued to rise unhindered.
Despite the thunder and pounding rain, his - Sideways' audio receptors picked up voices nearby. An inkling of hope flickered in his mind, followed quickly by suspicion and apprehension. Cautiously, the silver 'Con maneuvered himself around the rocks, staying low and hopefully out of sight. He stopped when he spotted three other mechs, frame going rigid as irrational fear welled up inside of him.
Sideways backpedaled quickly, but not before he saw one of the mechs point at him and start shouting. Demolisher instantly recognized them as Decepticons, as one of them was none other than his own teammate, Rampage. His fellow Constructicon seemed to see the pointing as a command, and Demolisher suddenly understood why Sideways hadn't wanted to stick around. Rampage came at them - no, came at Sideways with only a few short leaps, and the silver 'Con tumbled off the ledge and into the water with one well aimed swat.
He was in the water for only a moment before Rampage grabbed his legs and hauled him out, throwing him over his head. Sideways hit the ground hard, rolling over and finding himself at the feet of the other two mechs. Demolisher did not know who one of them was, but the other he wouldn't mind killing on sight if given the chance. Sideways' overwhelming fear barely suppressed the anger Demolisher felt upon learning that Rampage was dealing with the likes of Swindle.
The nameless mech grabbed Sideways' arm roughly, dragging him up into a sitting position. Sideways did not resist, but was sputtering something about needing to leave, apologizing for bothering them, the Autobots had been after him and -
Sideways was silenced when the mech struck him hard enough to send him back to the ground. Behind him, Rampage loomed into view, towering over the shorter 'Cons with him. In his entire life, Demolisher had never been afraid of or felt threatened by Rampage, no matter how ruthless or disturbed his actions. Now, looking up at him through the rain and lightning, knowing it would be near impossible to defend himself, Demolisher knew Sideways' fears were not unfounded. He had never felt so weak and powerless in his entire life; the terror paralyzed him now just as it had paralyzed Sideways when this had happened to him.
“Mute it, you strutless coward,” the unnamed mech said, his black color scheme rendering him near invisible in the storm. “You're just in time to help us complete a very delicate business transaction.”
Any business transaction that involved Swindle was probably illegal, involved a weapon, and typically got out of hand. Perhaps that was why Rampage was present; but if Scrapper knew he was off cavorting with the likes of Swindle -
“He got a name?” Swindle asked, shaking water out of an object Demolisher could not identify. “Sidewinder or something?”
“Sideways,” the black mech corrected. “Fancies he can outrun anything. Isn't that right, Sideways?”
Whatever Sideways' response was, it was cut short when Rampage struck the ground next to him with his treads, tearing up chunks of thick rock.
“How fast do you think he can run if I break his legs?” Rampage laughed, and Sideways tried vainly to drag himself away from the others. He didn't make it far before Rampage dragged him back, claws hooking under his armor painfully.
“Where are you going? We've got something special for you,” the black mech tsked, holding out his hand and taking the tool when Swindle gave it to him. He waved it in front of Sideways' face, who recoiled, not knowing what to expect. Demolisher could not figure out what it was; besides looking medical in design, it could have been passed off as a weapon, with a thick cartridge and sharp muzzle. “Swindle knows every good business pitch includes a demo, and you've just volunteered yourself. This beauty's pretty illegal, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone that we've got it. Actually, it'll be yours in a moment, so that's even more reason to keep it on mute -”
“Quit yapping and do it already, Dead End” Swindle said, handing the black mech a canister. “I haven't got all day. First shot's a freebee - the rest you pay for up front.”
Dead End did not respond, only fixing Sideways with a piercing stare as he loaded the canister into the weapon. One last time, Sideways attempted to crawl away, but Rampage held him down with one hand. Swindle looked like he might try to help in restraining the silver 'Con, but held back, not wanting to get too close to the Constructicon.
Demolisher felt Dead End pawing around the armor of Sideways' chest, which made the silver 'Con squirm. Rampage only increased the pressure; Sideways wasn't going anywhere. He didn't hear Sideways' armor give way over all the rain, but he started kicking as soon as his chest plate was opened. His desperate attempt at self defense ended when Dead End kneeled on his legs, leaving him completely unable to move any of his limbs.
“You're going to die just like you've lived, Sideways,” Dead End said lowly, his fatal promise sending tremors of fear through the frame of the silver 'Con. “Alone and afraid.”
The barrel of the weapon vanished under his armor, and Sideways renewed his struggles. He knew it was a memory, and the outcome couldn't be changed, but Demolisher still wanted to tell Sideways to keep fighting, to escape. Above them, Rampage watched, a perverted, evil glow in his optics that Demolisher had seen time and time again, only now learning to fear it.
“Don't be so gentle,” he heard Rampage laugh. “His spark! Inject it right into the port under his spark!”
He felt the muzzle of the weapon move, panic welling up inside of himself and Sideways all over again. Thrashing was out of the question, begging did him no good, there was nothing he could do, nothing to stop what was happening -
“This is going to hurt,” Dead End said, mouth twisting into a smile of jagged dentals. Not a moment later and it did hurt, and the scream that came from Sideway's vocalizer would have been enough to curdle even Demolisher's vital fluids. He could hardly tell when the weapon was withdrawn, and the other mechs released him. It wasn't until he was pushed aside and fell into the water that everything went black, swallowed by pain and terror and a wash of unfamiliar memories.
A/N: This chapter started getting unwieldy, so I broke it into two parts. I'll have the next chapter up shortly.
Here, Swindle is channeling his G1 self rather than his movie self, and Dead End is definitely NOT channeling his G1 self.
Series: Pre-ROTF
Rating: T
Summary: Demolisher arrives on Earth too late, and Sideways brings with him more trouble than he's worth.
Iraq
“Get away from the window,” Demolisher commanded. “And be silent.”
Sideways did not comply immediately, still craning his neck to see through the dusty window of the warehouse they were in. Once he did back away, he transformed to his alt mode, quietly parking himself between the excavator and the wall.
They hadn't made it anywhere near India. In fact, they'd barely passed the border in to Iraq before Soundwave contacted them, apparently having a change of spark and ordering them to stay put. Demolisher hadn't minded the short reprieve, if only because it allowed Sideways to continue healing in peace. Of course, what he had failed to remember was that the American military still had an active presence in Iraq, and it was with the American military that the Autobots had gone to the berth.
He had spent so long worrying about Barricade's lies, Sideways' symbiosis and the progress of his teammates that he had almost completely forgotten the Autobots were a threat. Demolisher wasn't forgetting it again any time soon, especially after running into a reconnaissance drone that was neither human nor Decepticon. It's smoking remains were about a quarter mile from their current hide out, as they hadn't had much time to run any further.
The Autobot's response time was getting faster, and Soundwave had confirmed that they and their organic friends were actively hunting Decepticons. That seemed rather backwards to Demolisher, considering the Autobots traditionally took a defensive position. Perhaps it was the humans that were pushing for the elimination of Decepticons on their little planet, and the Prime felt obligated to honor their wishes. Whatever the reason, it didn't change the fact that he and Sideways were pinned down, waiting for either a break or an attack. His only consolation now was that Soundwave had at least informed him several Constructicons had been on route to meet them.
The dusty street outside was empty and quiet, the humans having long since abandoned this area. Nothing moved, but Demolisher could hear the rumble of a powerful engine approaching. It was clearly taking its time, setting his nerves on edge as it grew ever closer without exposing itself. With Sideways tucked in behind him, the humans would probably walk right past them. If anyone looked in the windows, all they would see was a bunch of broken down, dirty construction vehicles. Demolisher could only hope that they wouldn't notice he was the only vehicle whose spare parts hadn't been gutted by opportunists.
A black pick up truck finally pulled into sight, headlights cutting through the dust as it trolled the street. It was followed by two humvees, though they gave the first vehicle a lot of breathing room. If there was only one Autobot, then the odds were in their favor. Demolisher could shrug off the human attackers with ease, and dispatch or escape from one Autobot with little trouble. He didn't get his hopes up, knowing more Autobots could be lurking just around the corner, waiting for them to step out of the shadows.
The Autobot abruptly hit the brakes, and Demolisher tensed, certain they had been spotted. Nothing happened for several long seconds, until he heard the voice of a human shouting from not too far away.
“I said let's go!” the human yelled, jogging up between the two humvees. He stopped just in front of them, as if the distance between himself and the Autobot was fraught with danger.
“There are still Decepticons here, Lennox,” the Autobot growled, not budging from where he had stopped. His distinctive voice gave away his identity; Demolisher did not fear Ironhide, but he would rather avoid a fight with the Autobot weapons specialist, knowing he would endure far more damage than was desirable.
“Yeah, and there's four confirmed Decepticons shooting up our guys five miles north of here,” the human, Lennox, snapped. “I don't care what Sideswipe says he can do, but they're getting their asses handed to them up there. We're not dealing with scouts or drones, Ironhide - these guys sound like heavy hitters.”
Ironhide responded by opening his driver's side door, and Lennox made a quick signal to the humvees. Both vehicles pulled around and drove off, while Lennox trotted over to the pick up truck.
“We'll be back once we've taken care of the Decepticon north of here,” the human said, his tone suddenly placating, like he was trying to console the Autobot. “I've already got the twins laying out a perimeter -”
Anything else the human said was cut off when he shut the driver's side door, effectively sealing off all sound. Demolisher's sensors could not penetrate the armor of another Cybertronian, let alone an Autobot like Ironhide. With much more show than the humvees, the black pick up spun around, throwing up dirt and gunning its engine, roaring as it accelerated.
“Autobots are taking orders from humans?” Sideways asked incredulously, barely waiting until the enemy was out of sight before speaking.
“Quiet,” Demolisher wasn't taking any chances; if Ironhide suspected that there were Decepticons lurking around, he was certain to be back as soon as possible. He didn't care if the human had moved them elsewhere, since for all he knew it was a trick to draw them out. Sideways said nothing else, thought Demolisher could feel hints of impatience across their link.
An hour passed before Demolisher even allowed them to consider moving. Sideways stuck close to him as he made his way to the entrance of the warehouse, before slipping in front of him to scan the streets. Giving the all clear, Sideways drove out first, followed by the excavator.
“The others are close,” Demolisher said lowly, checking his radar. Four Constructicons had been inbound for their position, and had no doubt been the ones to hit a snag with the Autobots. “With any luck they'll be here soon, but we'll have to send them coordinates to a new location. Scavenger will be able to find us, so -”
“You talk about Scavenger a lot,” Sideways said suddenly. His tone caught Demolisher off guard, sounding annoyed with a heavily suppressed hint of jealously.
“That's because he's my twin,” said Demolisher, trying to figure out what had prompted that question. Did he really bring up his brother unit that often? His thoughts were interrupted when he had to put on the brakes a second later as Sideways swerved in front of him. “You can't talk and drive, can you?”
“You have a twin?”
“Yes,” he replied. It was not the first time someone was shocked by that; after all, he had a unique body frame, and it was hard to imagine his model being used twice. Still, he and Scavenger were identical down to the lugnut, though Scrapper had long ago told them to, at the very least, have differing paint schemes.
A faint beep made Demolisher stop in his tracks, and Sideways reversed quickly as his shovel swung around to keep him back. Something small and metal popped up from beneath the sand, beeped again, and then scurried forward on six spindly legs. The second beep was answered by another small mechanism, and then another, all of them sifting out of the sand and crawling out of nearby buildings, dozens of them -
Only now did he realize what the human had said,about the twins laying out a perimeter. Of course the twins had to be Autobots, and whoever they were, it seemed they took a liking to deadly traps. Demolisher cursed himself for a such a stupid, avoidable mistake.
“Proximity mines,” Demolisher said, transforming and shaking one of them off of his hand. It took only a moment for the mine to right itself, rejoining the rest of the hoard as they honed in on Demolisher. The damned Autobots had probably left hundreds of them, making impossible for any land based Cybertronian to get past them. “Sideways, run and hide yourself - don't come out until the others arrive.”
“But-” Sideways started, even as he reversed further. Demolisher was already charging his cannon, ignoring the mines that were crawling up his wheel. They moved quickly, some of them leaping up onto his face or his arms. He swatted at those with his free hand, intending to keep them as far away from vital connections as he could.
“You can outrun them, I can't, so go!” Demolisher bellowed. Without any more persuading, Sideways turned and sped off. His departure didn't even register to the mines: they were programmed to select one target and detonate once it was suitably bogged down. A chain reaction was what made them so devastating, but Demolisher knew that it was also their weakness. Setting them off prematurely would cause the ones on the ground to detonate harmlessly, and he would have only to weather what was already on him.
One shot was all it took - the mines set each other off in quick succession, and Demolisher imagined the explosion of shrapnel and sand would be seen for miles. Even with his shields at full power, every mine that went off on his frame stung, warping and distorting his optical feed. Still, all things considered, it wasn't as bad as it could have been.
He thought as much until he felt a single stray mine furrow into his side, somehow wiggling under the armor and nestling into his wiring. Before he could consider prying it out, the mine went off and Demolisher howled. Several dozen emergency warnings flashed across his systems in panic, before cutting into oblivion as his systems crashed into stasis lock.
It was raining. The landscape lit up with a flash of lightning, deafening thunder rolling across the unfamiliar terrain. Water flooded off the rocks surrounding him, coming down so quickly it was already up to his knees. He was going to have to find higher ground before the flood swallowed him whole.
Demolisher started walking, and suddenly everything felt incredibly wrong. He didn't have knees to gauge how deep the water was, and he certainly didn't have legs that moved without him telling them to. Wherever he was, he knew he'd never been there before. He watched small hands reach out and pull him up onto a ledge, the same hands that had tried and failed to perform simple field repairs -
Oh no, thought Demolisher. Not again.
Only this was far, far worse than vague dreams. Seeing Sideways' memories was preferable to living Sideways' memories, especially when the uncomfortable emotions of fear and panic began eating at his subconscious. He had the distinct feeling that Sideways was lost, disoriented from the storm and terrified of something Demolisher didn't know about.
He - Sideways finally found a small reprieve from the rain under a rocky outcropping, hunkering down and peering out across the terrain. Whatever the geological structure of the planet, it did not absorb water in the least. Though Sideways had gotten himself out of the water, it continued to rise unhindered.
Despite the thunder and pounding rain, his - Sideways' audio receptors picked up voices nearby. An inkling of hope flickered in his mind, followed quickly by suspicion and apprehension. Cautiously, the silver 'Con maneuvered himself around the rocks, staying low and hopefully out of sight. He stopped when he spotted three other mechs, frame going rigid as irrational fear welled up inside of him.
Sideways backpedaled quickly, but not before he saw one of the mechs point at him and start shouting. Demolisher instantly recognized them as Decepticons, as one of them was none other than his own teammate, Rampage. His fellow Constructicon seemed to see the pointing as a command, and Demolisher suddenly understood why Sideways hadn't wanted to stick around. Rampage came at them - no, came at Sideways with only a few short leaps, and the silver 'Con tumbled off the ledge and into the water with one well aimed swat.
He was in the water for only a moment before Rampage grabbed his legs and hauled him out, throwing him over his head. Sideways hit the ground hard, rolling over and finding himself at the feet of the other two mechs. Demolisher did not know who one of them was, but the other he wouldn't mind killing on sight if given the chance. Sideways' overwhelming fear barely suppressed the anger Demolisher felt upon learning that Rampage was dealing with the likes of Swindle.
The nameless mech grabbed Sideways' arm roughly, dragging him up into a sitting position. Sideways did not resist, but was sputtering something about needing to leave, apologizing for bothering them, the Autobots had been after him and -
Sideways was silenced when the mech struck him hard enough to send him back to the ground. Behind him, Rampage loomed into view, towering over the shorter 'Cons with him. In his entire life, Demolisher had never been afraid of or felt threatened by Rampage, no matter how ruthless or disturbed his actions. Now, looking up at him through the rain and lightning, knowing it would be near impossible to defend himself, Demolisher knew Sideways' fears were not unfounded. He had never felt so weak and powerless in his entire life; the terror paralyzed him now just as it had paralyzed Sideways when this had happened to him.
“Mute it, you strutless coward,” the unnamed mech said, his black color scheme rendering him near invisible in the storm. “You're just in time to help us complete a very delicate business transaction.”
Any business transaction that involved Swindle was probably illegal, involved a weapon, and typically got out of hand. Perhaps that was why Rampage was present; but if Scrapper knew he was off cavorting with the likes of Swindle -
“He got a name?” Swindle asked, shaking water out of an object Demolisher could not identify. “Sidewinder or something?”
“Sideways,” the black mech corrected. “Fancies he can outrun anything. Isn't that right, Sideways?”
Whatever Sideways' response was, it was cut short when Rampage struck the ground next to him with his treads, tearing up chunks of thick rock.
“How fast do you think he can run if I break his legs?” Rampage laughed, and Sideways tried vainly to drag himself away from the others. He didn't make it far before Rampage dragged him back, claws hooking under his armor painfully.
“Where are you going? We've got something special for you,” the black mech tsked, holding out his hand and taking the tool when Swindle gave it to him. He waved it in front of Sideways' face, who recoiled, not knowing what to expect. Demolisher could not figure out what it was; besides looking medical in design, it could have been passed off as a weapon, with a thick cartridge and sharp muzzle. “Swindle knows every good business pitch includes a demo, and you've just volunteered yourself. This beauty's pretty illegal, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone that we've got it. Actually, it'll be yours in a moment, so that's even more reason to keep it on mute -”
“Quit yapping and do it already, Dead End” Swindle said, handing the black mech a canister. “I haven't got all day. First shot's a freebee - the rest you pay for up front.”
Dead End did not respond, only fixing Sideways with a piercing stare as he loaded the canister into the weapon. One last time, Sideways attempted to crawl away, but Rampage held him down with one hand. Swindle looked like he might try to help in restraining the silver 'Con, but held back, not wanting to get too close to the Constructicon.
Demolisher felt Dead End pawing around the armor of Sideways' chest, which made the silver 'Con squirm. Rampage only increased the pressure; Sideways wasn't going anywhere. He didn't hear Sideways' armor give way over all the rain, but he started kicking as soon as his chest plate was opened. His desperate attempt at self defense ended when Dead End kneeled on his legs, leaving him completely unable to move any of his limbs.
“You're going to die just like you've lived, Sideways,” Dead End said lowly, his fatal promise sending tremors of fear through the frame of the silver 'Con. “Alone and afraid.”
The barrel of the weapon vanished under his armor, and Sideways renewed his struggles. He knew it was a memory, and the outcome couldn't be changed, but Demolisher still wanted to tell Sideways to keep fighting, to escape. Above them, Rampage watched, a perverted, evil glow in his optics that Demolisher had seen time and time again, only now learning to fear it.
“Don't be so gentle,” he heard Rampage laugh. “His spark! Inject it right into the port under his spark!”
He felt the muzzle of the weapon move, panic welling up inside of himself and Sideways all over again. Thrashing was out of the question, begging did him no good, there was nothing he could do, nothing to stop what was happening -
“This is going to hurt,” Dead End said, mouth twisting into a smile of jagged dentals. Not a moment later and it did hurt, and the scream that came from Sideway's vocalizer would have been enough to curdle even Demolisher's vital fluids. He could hardly tell when the weapon was withdrawn, and the other mechs released him. It wasn't until he was pushed aside and fell into the water that everything went black, swallowed by pain and terror and a wash of unfamiliar memories.
A/N: This chapter started getting unwieldy, so I broke it into two parts. I'll have the next chapter up shortly.
Here, Swindle is channeling his G1 self rather than his movie self, and Dead End is definitely NOT channeling his G1 self.