Ep 1.5 (AR) Down the Rabbit Hole (closed)

[Deleted]

Set sometime after Up Top


There was something to be said about solitude. Mainly that it sure sucked slag after the first few hundred vorns and yet somehow was still preferable to the madness of the Omega base. There were some good bots there, some fun ones but there were also things like rules, restrictions, probation, commanding officers and Red Alert that more than made up for all the good stuff. So, as soon as Zoom-Zoom had a scored a break in his shifts, the minibot had gunned his engine and torn out of the Omega base, taking advantage of his slightly and newly relaxed restrictions.

Away had his primary thought, as always. Far away. Somewhere where Mirage couldn't find him to settle the score for that sparring match. Somewhere preferably free of Decepticons because his first and (hopefully) last encounter with Megatron wasn't something he was looking to repeating ever again. These were the things that he wished for every time he went on an extended road trip. Zoom-Zoom would have liked to take someone else with him, if only for that added security but well. The bots that he partially genuinely did like generally were all on shift whenever he had a break like this. It also meant forced socialisation and Zoom-Zoom didn't want any of that right now. Additionally, after that encounter where Bulkhead left his back open to two Decepticons, he wasn't feeling all that charitable or trustful to the Omega base Autobots and the supposed safety they offered. It had been a reminder, a wake-up call that he really wasn't part of the team and they weren't his cohort. He couldn't trust them to keep an optic out for him.

So, the shiny red Mazda 2 had gunned down the Great Basin Highway and gotten all the way to Idaho. Check ins and updates were still a thing required of him, so he grudgingly sent off reports back to the Omega base. It was annoying, it was...aggravating to have such scrutiny hanging down above his head. Hadn't he gotten through the Exodus with no help at all? Of course, the real reason had nothing to do with Zoom-Zoom's ability to survive and more the fact of his rather dubious arrival to Earth. Tearing of his Autobrand and deleting his ID codes had seemed like a good idea at the time but Red Alert wasn't about to forget it anytime soon. His new Autobrand still weighed heavily on his frame, a declaration Zoom-Zoom wasn't all that sure of.

Boredom had him picking random routes and branching off roads for no reason other than he could. Ever since Red had dropped some of his restrictions, the minibot had taken advantage of them to go exploring. This cycle however Zoom-Zoom just wanted to go away. Further. He was not in the mood to deal with any other living sentient right now, not Cybertronian nor human. If he was honest with himself, he was pretty much looking for a place to brood since doing that at the Omega base meant setting himself up for a potential ambush by Mirage. Whilst he probably could have picked a spot somewhere in Nevada, Zoom-Zoom was itching to put as much space as possible between him and the Autobots.

Everything had been so much clearer out in deep space. Zoom-Zoom had a mission, an objective to achieve and there had been no one to answer to. Conveniently, he'd also been able to exist in a state of self-delusion. It had been a personal quest he was on and to have it interrupted left a sick feeling in his spark. Leaving Earth however wasn't an option. In fact, it would be a betrayal of that mission, even sticking around here was preventing him from completing it.

Now, however, he couldn’t tell which way was up. Those thick walls of carefully built denial were developing cracks as Zoom-Zoom was forced to examine himself and decide on what his priorities were. So, moping it was, in private, a state away from the Omega base because the minibot needed to fortify his delusions if he was going to maintain any form of sanity. His path had taken him all the way past Ada country (boring, brown, dry, slightly less rocks than Nevada) and then up to Boise national park because the internet had promised a nice scenic drive and, what the frag, he was going out of his mind, might as well see what the organics were all on about.

So far, the minibot was distinctly unimpressed. Zoom-Zoom's idea of aesthetics fell on the Cybertronian side, sharp angles, metallic, shiny. This was all...green, trees and shrubs, rocks, boulders and dull. 'Nature' as the humans would proudly put it. Zoom-Zoom drove past camp sites and pine trees, all without the slightest interest. Apparently though, there were creatures called 'moose' that lived around here and humans could easily total their cars by accidentally driving them into them. Stumbling upon that briefly caught his attention and he amused himself for a while as he contemplated how poor human construction was if their vehicles could not handle a simple organic creature.

Then, his scanners caught something that definitely caught his attention.

Energon.

The correct response would be to radio back to base immediately with this find. Zoom-Zoom was still feeling mulish about his life and current set of circumstances that he almost ignored it completely. Eventually, as the faint signal gained strength on his sensors, the further he progressed, the minibot finally decided that okay yes, there was energon and yes, he probably should do something about it. Fiiiine. The last mystery signal he'd investigated by himself turned out to be Megatron but that had been a mystery Cybertronian signal. This was just energon.

A quick glance at the internet told him there had been a landslide in the area recently. Given that the Omega base hadn't picked it up yet, Zoom-Zoom was willing to bet that the Cons hadn't either and that the landslide might be responsible for uncovering the signal. It wouldn't be this clear, the Cons would have tried to mask it if they had a mining operation going on.

Unless it was a trap.

Except, well, that would rely on an Autobot coming out this way, which was really highly unlikely. Zoom-Zoom had only been brought here by his boredom and need to drive very, very far away.

I'll just wander over and have a quick look, then call for back-up. It could be nothing at all and I don't want to call in Omega base for a false alarm because then I'll have to go back…

There was a turn coming up which he took. The rough gravel road was winding further up the mountain side and towards the signal so he figured he'd follow it for as long as possible. There were some buildings he passed, cars parked outside them. Humans. Zoom-Zoom would have to be careful when he finally abandoned the dirt road. There were plenty of the organics about.

Half way up, the road wound West. The signal Zoom-Zoom's scanners was detecting lay East. The Mazda slowed and pulled over. Zoom-Zoom cast his sensor net far and wide, picking up plenty of mammals hidden amongst the forest but nothing that corresponded to human, specifically. He pulled off the road, undercarriage rattling unpleasantly as he skidded over rugged soil and holes. His red paintjob switched to camo green, allowing him to blend into the background . Soon as the road was a distant memory, Zoom-Zoom transformed.

Behind his visor Zoom-Zoom's optics swept up the slope above him, taking in the disrupted earth, ravaged trees and carnage. Further above, his sensors tingled with the pulse of energon.

It was going to be a long climb.

[Deleted]

The unfamiliar was worth investigating. Sometimes, it was his fellow Decepticons: whoever happened to be cooped up on ship with him. Other times, it was this planet: the Internet was a great source of information on human culture.

Today it was the surroundings.

Every so often, Foresight had been flying off-base to scope out and acquaint himself with the nearby area, paying attention to the details of climate and geography and wildlife. Even though most of it he'd already read off "Wikipedia". One part of him said he trusted his own technology more than anything such primitive, small creatures could produce, while another part coughed and mentioned maybe he did just want to have a look around.

Both were true... perhaps one more than the other. He was merely orienting himself, at the foot of a mountain, until he noticed snow caps in the distance. They looked so inviting his engines were running before he even shifted to alt-mode, and soon he was soaring over dusted peaks. Kilometres away, the grey rocks gave way to greener, yellower landscapes. (Everything on this planet was so green. And/or yellow.) The settlements were difficult to make out, but they were there. The air wracked his frame; an angry cry to contrast the serene hum of his engines.

Flying was really nothing to get excited about.

Sure, the lack of restriction on all three dimensions was fun, sometimes, but the sky on this planet was vast and empty. Fun for all of 40.8 Earth seconds. And if you're alone? Eighteen. So it was with the intention of finding something, anything, that the aircraft dipped a wing and descended. Closer to sea-level, there'd be more radio signals, and on the ground he could resume observations-

- that was his initial plan, but his systems gave word of something a lot more exciting than weather and rocks. Energon.

Already, he was gliding down to the signal's source, and already, he was forming a plan. Even when it wasn't strictly necessary. What was the worst that could happen? Autobot attack? He could easily turn tail, flee, (back over the mountains was a good idea, awful terrain for land vehicles) and alert the Nemesis if need be. If it wasn't Autobots, if it was an energon deposit, he'd alert the Nemesis anyway - when it came to the blue substance, every little helped.

Foresight wasn't a particularly arrogant mech, if his personal profile was of any indication, but he had to admit: this could be one lucky find.

[Deleted]

Zoom-Zoom hauled himself up the last set of rocks and found himself on a narrow ledge. The ground was recently disturbed here and there certainly was a certain fresh earthy scent in the air. There was a small opening in the hillside that looked like the result of the landslide. There was some sort of cave hidden deeper inside that had been uncovered, though the light only travelled a couple of meters down the passageway.

The faint energon readings, of course, came from within. Zoom-Zoom exvented with resignation. He took one moment to glance back. He had a heck of a view, all the way up the mountain like this, able to see across the peaks and then down into vast valleys. The sky was clear for the cycle. Pine forest claimed most of the hillside, bringing a crisp scent to the air and those human buildings he'd passed on his way up were ever so tiny now.

Remembering what had happened last time he was in trouble, the minibot sent a update back to base with his current location. That way, if he something came up and missed his check in, at least they'd know where to start digging. Zoom-Zoom wasn't sure he'd be able to get a signal underground and it wasn't worth risking his spark simply due to carelessness.

The minibot took one last glance, then he stepped inside the cool granite tunnel. Zoom-Zoom tested his nannite configuration system, it was kinda like mentally nudging part of his frame and testing to see how pliable it was...which it wasn't at all. The system was inconvenient in that how long it took to reset could vary and there was no way of telling unless he checked. It hadn't been a long enough cool down for him to activate it again to swap out from a camo olive green more suited to the desert than to the pre-set gray camo scheme, which is what he'd prefer right now. But his sensors hadn't picked up any Cybertronian signals, so Zoom-Zoom figured the Decepticons shouldn't be a problem. He just needed to get in and out and actually confirm that there was energon, then call the Omega base if he was correct. He was a spook and infiltration happened to be a specialty of his.

Then again, Zoom-Zoom hadn't reckoned he'd stumble upon Megatron by himself. Lip plates drawn up in a thin disapproving line at the memory, the minibot pushed on in after that signal. There was the comforting increased weight in his right arm. Wheeljack had come through for him and there was now an in-built acid pellet rifle. Slow firing with limited range and low ammo capacity meant Zoom-Zoom had to ensure every shot counted but it came with the added bonus of adding face-melting acid to his arsenal of tricks. The minibot had been spending these last couple of cycles in a little secluded gully Wheeljack had directed him to. Apparently, it was a good spot for testing 'stuff' out. Zoom-Zoom wasn't certain he wanted to know what the Wrecker had been using it for nor whether it was safe to actually use the site, but he'd ventured out there, loaded with mock bullets, trying to get a handle on his new weapon in private. It had taken time to adjust to the weapon, it was mounted in his forearm and he'd never had anything installed there before. For Zoom-Zoom, it was essentially learning to aim again as the technique required was completely different to his laser pistols.

Next time, Zoom-Zoom vowed to himself darkly, next time he was trapped in a tight spot with a Con, the Decepticon wouldn't be getting off with a few light laser burns on their face.

In fact, they wouldn't be getting out with a face at all.

The passageway Zoom-Zoom was still following went for several hundreds of meters. It was narrow,, with a gentle descent down into the mountain. Eventually though...it spilt into two.

Faint energon readings came from them both.

Zoom-Zoom glared at them both, then shrugged and picked the left side. He could always come back and passageway number 2 later, after all.