Whiplash hurries to catch up with Saberwind after having pulled her
attention away from the view in the entrance hall.
Whiplash says, "So which one is ... oh, of course, that one."
Saberwind pads across the room to where Megatron's chamber resides.
Whiplash's gaze follows the pathway of red tile toward the largest of
the doors.
Whiplash re-gathers her thoughts and follows, stopping again before
the door and reaching one hand hesitantly to touch the smooth surface.
Whiplash smiles slightly and says more to herself than to Saberwind,
"Yeah, I always knew he'd go a long way."
Saberwind taps a code into the door's electronic lock, and several
locking bolts slide out of position with an audible ka-chink.
Whiplash turns startled optics on Saberwind. "Hey -- you're not just
opening that, are you?"
Saberwind pauses and looks back up at you. "I am...did you know him
before he was leader?"
Whiplash seems to have disregarded the question in light of her more
immediate concern; she ventures, "Isn't that kind-of an invasion of
privacy?"
Saberwind says, "One of my duties is to ensure that nothing has been
removed from his quarters since he left...and the security systems here
are not as reliable as I would like them to be. Soundwave was one of
the trusted few who had access to his quarters, and he left the task of
keeping watch over them to me."
Whiplash looks dubious, but says, "Well, alright ... if you say so...."
Saberwind rasps, "If you are concerned about this, feel free to report to
Ghost. I believe she knows of this routine."
Whiplash says, "None of my business, really. I'm not part of the system here.
I just don't want any old someone lumbering into Megatron's room.
Doesn't seem respectful, somehow, after all he's accomplished."
Saberwind steps into Megatron's quarters.
The room looks like it was orignally intended to be spartan, and keeps
the general feel.
Saberwind pads around the room in a circle, meticulously checking the
contents of several shelves and the desk.
Whiplash leans in a bit more as the lights slowly come up, wanting to
get a better look.
Whiplash says, "He never was one for clutter...."
Saberwind inspects some of the wall-mounted cabinets, then closes
them back up. He seems content that nothing is out of place, and
begins heading back out, though he pauses to admire the huge bladed
weapon that's mounted above the recharge bed.
Whiplash says, "You don't mean that you seriously think someone would
come in here and take stuff, do you?"
Whiplash inadvertently steps a little across the threshold, drawn by
curiousity.
Saberwind says, "There is more here than you may realize...for
instance, the data cartridges in the wall safe."
Whiplash shoots a somewhat guilty look over her shoulder, and then
steps all the way in. "Oh hell, I honestly don't think he'd mind."
Whiplash says, "What's special about the data cartridges?"
Saberwind rasps, "I'm sorry, but I'm not at liberty to discuss what little
I know of them."
Whiplash says, "Okay, okay." She moves further in, her gaze taking in the
few bits of furniture. "Weird, really. If not for the size of this room,
you could think it belonged to anyone. You ever go into a room and
get a sense of who lived in it? Well, not here. There's not a thing that
would tell me--"
Whiplash stops abruptly as she turns and catches sight of the scimitar
hanging over the recharge bed.
Saberwind says, "There are a few more material objects...such as that
one."
Whiplash says, "Not a thing except that."
This broad-bladed scimitar is of the old, heavy type that was once used
in the gladiatorial contests of the State Games. Seemingly primitive,
even ineffective, it is actually a weapon of great destructive potential
in hand-to-hand combat, in the grip of a skilled warrior. This
particular one has been carefully polished to a mirror-like silver sheen,
as though it had some personal significance to its owner.
Whiplash gapes at it a moment. "I can't believe he kept it!"
Saberwind says, "Do you recognize it?"
Whiplash steps toward the far wall, reaching a hand to run one finger
carefully along the lower edge of the blade. "Do I recognize it? You
better believe it. When you're in the battle rings, your favorite weapon
becomes part of you, becomes identified with you. And I saw Megatron
hack down more opponants with this than I bet you ever saw him take
out with that big gun."
Whiplash traces the gleaming metal edge. "Blade's still sharp, too ... I
should have known...."
Saberwind's ears twitch in thought. "You were in the state games with
him? That was before my time..."
Saberwind pads over to your side and looks at the blade more
carefully.
Whiplash shoots Saberwind a playful smirk. "Hey, I'm not that old!
But, yeah, we were on the same fighting team."
Whiplash says, "He wouldn't have left this behind, if he'd intended to be
gone long. You don't suppose--" she looks at Saberwind with a sudden
concern -- "You don't suppose something's happened to him, do you?""
Saberwind's optics dim a bit. "I've been reluctant to consider that
something has happened, but every day the possibility becomes
greater. He has never been out of contact with Darkmount for so
long...and apparently the Autobots know nothing of what happened to
their flagship either. Every time I enter a rest cycle I hope that when I
awaken, Soundwave and Megatron will have returned--victorious or
otherwise...it is not important any more."
Whiplash pulls her hand back from the blade and regards it in silence
for a moment, sinking down to sit on the edge of the bed. "Well, it's a
possibility, I guess," she says quietly. "But if you really think about it
... wait, let me tell you a story here."
Whiplash says, "I don't know how familiar you are with arena rules and
types of combat, but there's a battle-type called a Free-For-All, usually
toward the upper divisions when it gets to be worth a lot of points..."
Whiplash says, "Basically the idea is that each team chooses its best
gladiator, and they all go out and try to do each other in until only
one's left standing."
Whiplash says, "Understand what I mean? Everyone against everyone?"
Whiplash makes herself more comfortable on the bed.
Saberwind nods. "I'm not that familiar with the games...but I
understand what you're saying."
Whiplash says, "Okay then. That's the idea, anyway. But on this particular
day, the chosen warriors from the other teams decided they were going
to gang up on the one guy who could beat them all, individually -- the
one guy who was bypassing them all in racking up points." She smiles
a bit mysteriously. "Now who do you suppose that was?"
Saberwind grins slightly. "Do I get three guesses?"
Saberwind makes himself more comfortable on the floor beside the
bed.
Whiplash says, "You're a smart fellow. You know what they called your
leader in those days? We call had our little nicknames in the arena, the
ones the announcers came up with, and Megatron was 'the Silver
Terminator.' And this pack of lugs from the other teams, you know the
type, that keep their brains in their battle-axes ... well, they decided
they were going to get the Silver Terminator."
Whiplash says, "And they tried. All of 'em at once. Megatron disappeared in
this cloud of thrashing metal and flashing blades and swinging clubs,
like you've never seen before. Pretty much all we could see was this
cloud of dust. Our manager just kept muttering 'Where am I ever
going to get another one like him?'"
Whiplash says, "And I kept saying 'Don't write him off yet, don't write him
off so quick.'"
Saberwind seems intently focused on your story, resting his head on
the edge of the bed and gazing at the wall above it.
Saberwind says, "It must have stunned your manager when the smoke
cleared..."
Whiplash shoots a glance at the scimitar again. "Well, obviously you
know what happened, because he survived. But it was impressive, let
me tell you, to see the dust clear, and a single figure standing there in
the middle of shattered bodies and pools of fuel and broken weaponry -
- half his armor missing, one optic gone, barely keeping on his feet --
but alive, and victorious. And in his hand he had that scimitar, that
one right there, and he thrust it upward into the sky as a gesture of
triumph, and ... you wouldn't have believed the cheers from the fans.
Never seen anything like it. Even old Gutcruncher said that, and he'd
been playing that game longer than any of us."
Whiplash's optics lose focus as she looks back on that particular
memory.
Saberwind says, "Megatron was so dedicated to the smooth operation
of things that it was rare to catch him recollecting. In fact...I believe
I've only witnessed that on one or two occasions. I've found myself
reminiscing about days past more often recently..."
Whiplash brings herself back to the present. "He never told you that
story? Pity. There's more of 'em. Lots of survival against the odds, lots
of comebacks from what looked hopeless. There was the time he
single-handedly got the Decimation rule thrown out of the games
because he thought it was an atrocity, but ... hell, I could prattle all
night. What I really mean is -- he's out there somewhere. Whatever
happened, whatever he ran into -- he'll survive it."
Whiplash says, "And he'll come back and thrust that fusion cannon into the
air and proclaim victory. You'll see."
Saberwind says, "You've given me something to think about...his
determination will bring him back here if there's a way. Thank you for
sharing that with me."
Whiplash smiles a bit. "I needed to hear it again myself."
Whiplash says, "You know what's crazy? I miss him. Haven't spoken to him
in years, and now I'm sorry to have lost touch. I was focused on my
career, and he-- well, we all said he'd go straight to the top, but none
of us guessed just exactly what that meant at the time."
Saberwind says, "It's inspiring to think of how far he's come, and all
he's accomplished. He has to come back."
Whiplash nods. "And when he does, maybe it's about time I come out
of the shadows and drop in for a visit again. Just to catch up, see if he's
still the same. Great Cybertron, it's been a long time. Not in years so
much as in things that happened in between."
Whiplash wraps her tentacles around herself as though suddenly cold.
Saberwind slowly rises and turns to look at the door, which
automatically shut after a time delay kicked in a while ago. Then he
returns his glance to the scimitar. "I've often wondered what
significance that had--since it's almost the only thing in here--and now
I know."
Whiplash smiles a bit again. "Well, let me tell you ... he always
claimed he had no room in his life for silly sentiment, but there was a
thing or two he'd save, a weapon or two that he'd keep with him, that
meant something to him ... I guess he was like that with his friends
too. A few here and there, he'd save, keep close. He was a good guy,
your leader. I can't really imagine he's changed that much."
Saberwind's ears twitch as his internal chronometer reminds him of
something. "Perhaps...we could return here sometime to reminisce
some more? My next patrol will begin shortly..."
Whiplash sighs, looking around the room. "I don't really belong in
here. I'm heading back out. Look, give this to Fortress, would you?"
She takes the pump mechanism out of her tentacles, disconnects it
from an access panel in her shoulder, and gives the small device, still
containing some rust neutralizer fluid, to Saberwind. "I think I'm done
with that."
Whiplash says, "It's been a strange evening. Too much in the past. I don't
think I want to come back here anytime soon."
Saberwind grasps the device in his jaw, not really knowing what it is,
and nods obligingly.
Whiplash stands, stretches, casts one more lingering look at the
scimitar. "You just remember what I told you. Megatron's going to be
back. And he'd be pretty aggravated if he heard you lost faith in his
ability to survive."
Whiplash smiles to show that while her words are serious, she means
them kindly.
Whiplash says, "Be sure you lock up on your way out...."
Saberwind nods. "Of course."
Whiplash moves toward the door and slips out, without another
backwards glance.
Saberwind follows closely.
Saberwind locks Megatron's Quarters.
Whiplash continues down the hallway.
You enter the Command Level.
Command Level
You step into this hall of heroes and are immediately struck by
the quiet solemnness of this place. From the huge Decepticon sigil
forged into the floor to the elaborate statues of great Decepticon
leaders and warriors, this room demands absolute decorum and quiet
introspection from all who pass through it.
As you stride through towards one of the connecting doorways,
you can't help but look up at those heroes who have served this great
Empire and wonder what their lives must have been like. The statues
stand in stoic silence, each commanding in its own way. Silently, these
warriors watch your progress as they have for eons and as they will for
eons to come. You can almost hear the shout, "LONG LIVE THE
EMPIRE!"
Obvious exits:
East leads to Officers' Quarters.
South leads to Command Center.
West leads to Meeting Hall.
North leads to Elevator.
Saberwind arrives from the Officers' Quarters.
Saberwind rasps, "I'll see you around."
Whiplash nods, pausing at the majestic statues on her way out.
Saberwind says, "...take care of yourself."
Whiplash says, "What? Oh, sure, right."
Whiplash vanishes into the elevator.