Ep. 1 - Online, Off the Grid - (Closed)

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"Much better," said the voice approvingly. "No clear strikes, but a significant improvement over the last set."

There was a clatter of keys from somewhere behind Roulette. All at once the pain - disappeared.

It vanished from her limbs, from the fibres that wrapped through every mechanical and electrical system in her being. It seeped away like water through a sieve, even as the screaming in her audials died out. It was simply gone, with no more than the press of a key.

"We're dialing back the stimuli, sir." The voice of the technician ghosted up from the array of networked laptops. "Everything is neutral, nociceptors are offline. We'll finish compiling this data and then we'll be ready to begin again with the second stage slow pain tests at any time. Transmitters are standing by."

"Well done," said the voice. "Did you hear that, Roulette? It would appear you will get to enjoy a brief reprieve before we begin again. Just when your accuracy scores were showing a marked improvement again, too."

The device within her palm went quiet again, humming gently against her palm. At her feet the white-clad cameraman continued to circle her, the little hand-held camera focusing upon her face to capture her expression in crystal detail. Voices murmured behind her as the range techs dissected the information streaming into their machines.

The voice continued to speak calmly, assured and unmoved.

"Perhaps you would oblige me by answering a few questions now," he said. "It's that, or return immediately to the test. You always have the option of lying to me, might I remind you."

[Deleted]

As soon as the pain relented, Roulette dropped her head forward. After effects of the torture lingered through her body in the form of a light tremor. Even if she wanted to strike at the nearby humans, she couldn't. Her hand barely answered to her prompt to pull it away from the dormant machine. She clenched her fist, stilling the small shake, and forced herself to talk to them.

"I don't lie, human." Her voice sounded thready and strained, nearly a rough whisper. "I have some moral scruples unlike the vast majority here. Lying befits no one."

I don't want to talk to them. I just want to rest...

The luxury of peace of mind wasn't given to her for the moment. And she had no time to dwell in mental lethargy or the comforting embrace of misery. Later, if she lived, she could feel sorry for herself all she wanted. Hell, she could get shit faced and curl up on some sympathetic Autobot's lap. That thought alone made the corner of her mouth turn up in the slightest of grins.

I think I have something left in me after all.

"Ask your questions, human." She looked up with some effort and focused on the end of the room.

[Deleted]

The white lights would shine painfully into Roulette's optics, casting a staticky halo around the technicians that went briskly about their work beneath her. Their white coats trailed light; it seemed to stream off them in dizzying streaks whenever they moved. Whatever the MECH technicians had implated within her left optic burned at the intrusion, a photoreceptic lens that whir-clik-whirred inside her head as it struggled to focus through the glare.

"Excellent," said the voice. "I'm glad you are of sufficient presence of mind to understand me still."

When Roulette lifted her head, the cameraman beneath her sidled back a step. He lowered the camera and gave her an apprehensive look, his expression partially hidden by his mask. It could not disguise the widening of his eyes however. Evidently he had not expected her to be in any shape to reply, much less with clarity.

He quickly raised the camera again, adjusted the focus onto her face. Her answers were to be recorded then, her reactions scrutinized. And later, dissected.

"Let's begin, while we still have a little time," said the voice. "We are well aware that your Decepticon forces are stationed here on Earth for the purpose of gathering resources. Energy supplies. And that you have engaged in significant mining operations across the planet. What exactly are you digging for in these mines?"

[Deleted]

She would not cover her face or show how much pain she was in. The grim satisfaction of balking them that visual treat was shallow but it was all she had. They were monitoring her vitals and knew what shape she was in. They all knew. But she wouldn't weaken. Not yet.

She drooped her head again, eying the human directly in front of her. There was no hate harboring in the pained recesses of her mind. No rage across her neural net. Which was surprising. How could she not hate him? How could she stand looking into that terrified face and not want to strike him down?

You fear me. Which is good. If I'm free, I will kill you. But not because I hate you. I will kill you because it is my job. Which is why you're doing this.

No, she couldn't hate a grunt for doing his job. He was a cog in a wheel. But that voice..oh she could hate him. He was the driving force that needed to be broken. But not by her. Roulette considered herself savvy enough to know that she would never be so important in life. Someone would take this viper out and clear the next, but it wouldn't be her.

I hope I'm around when that day comes. I will gladly watch Megatron raze this place to the ground.

"Let's begin, while we still have a little time," said the voice. "We are well aware that your Decepticon forces are stationed here on Earth for the purpose of gathering resources. Energy supplies. And that you have engaged in significant mining operations across the planet. What exactly are you digging for in these mines?"

"That, I will not answer."

[Deleted]

The voice laughed.

"I suppose I must salute your loyalty to your cause and your- well, I suppose one might call them your 'people', but that designation is still up for debate as far as we're concerned," he chuckled.

His manner was light and easy as he spoke, as if it were nothing more than a casual exchange between distant associates. But behind Roulette a buzz of activity was taking place as the technicians discussed readings on the networked laptops, speaking in low, excited voices. Whatever they were prying from her even now evidently was of interest to them.

"Which brings me to another question," said the voice. "Who is your leader? I don't believe I've have the pleasure of meeting him in the field yet. Unless I have, and was simply unaware of it at the time. I gather it is not Starscream, though he assures me he is no mere grunt. And yet he is oddly reluctant to speak further upon the subject. Who commands the Decepticons here on Earth?"

[Deleted]

Sanity came in the form of watching her legs. She avoided looking at the parts of her marred body where they were so greedily jacked in. But the smooth plating and paint job kept her attention for the moment. Debating what she would look like in another color was certainly better than listening to them rustle behind her like a hive of wasps.

"If you want to meet my leader, you'll have to go about introducing yourself. That is, if you can find the manners you seem to be lacking insofar. I will not do that job for you." She shuttered her optics for a moment, hoping to alleviate the pain in her head. It didn't help one whit.

"Curious, human. You have trouble with referring to my kind as 'people' not because of our bodies. But because we're machines. It's easier to dissect an object after all. The scalpel would be harder to press down if you were cutting on something sentient and feeling." She opened her eyes and stared at the human in front of her.

"No...I think I am starting to understand you better. Can I guess again? It amused you so before. I'm betting that you're a big believer of man's domain over animal kind. Animals serve man. I'll bet you had a dog when you were a child. Sight hound or scent hound. Bet you loved that pet..." She smirked, the expression humorless. "Did you go the old yeller route? Or did daddy teach you to become a man the hard way?"

[Deleted]

This time, the voice's laughter was louder, more genuine, less dry than it had been before.

"Ha! Actually, this time I'm afraid to inform you that your guess is well off," he said. "While it is true that my men and I show little reluctance to cut into you because you are, as you say, a machine, I hold little desire to hold domain over any other creature of this planet. I have my organization, it serves as a highly functional outlet for our goals, and I am satisfied with that. Ruling through politics, money, fear - I have no interest in it."

Behind Roulette, one of the technicians cleared his throat. He spoke loudly, to be heard over the cool buzz of the lights and the clattering hum of the laptops and the network of transmitters and probes they were wired to.

"Sir?" he said. "We're ready to return to the test at any time."

"Just a moment," the voice chuckled. "Roulette! I will tell you this: you are nothing more than a machine to us. Machines break. Sometimes they are repaired, sometimes they are taken apart. Their lifespan depends on what use they can provide. Right now, the parts inside you, the technology that animates you, is of far greater worth to us than seeing you repaired and operational ever could be. So, we will strip you apart and take from you what benefits us. We are aware that you have been doing something similar to our planet, removing from it an energy source that works to your benefit. So even if I were a man to find sympathy in the plight of a machine, in this case I think I would be inclined to thrust those feelings aside. For purely professional reasons, I assure you."

[Deleted]

She wasn't surprised, really. It wasn't like she expected to convince them to have a change of heart. Humans were incredibly destructive little shits and could drop morals at the smallest inclination of "greater good". But it had been worth a shot in the dark. She'd just missed is all.

"...gods, human. You'll tell me all that but you won't give me one name." She shook her head and tsked. The movement made pain flare in her optic like an ugly flower blooming.

Still, she was learning from him. Tiny, possibly useless things. But all knowledge was appreciated in some form. Even if she didn't get a name from him, she was getting a good idea what they wanted with her kind. By now she'd amassed enough data to form a mental file on them. They were likely getting their own funding from some military branch but if they kept reverse engineering marvels from her species, they wouldn't need to rely on anyone. They weren't going to be compromised with. They didn't know that much about her kind and certainly didn't know about Megatron.

Which brought new questions to the fore. If Starscream was working with them, why hadn't he told them? That certainly would have been the first thing out of the seeker's mouth if he was trying to get MECH to take their Warlord out.

[Deleted]

"My name isn't important," said the voice. He laughed. "You know MECH's name. That's all that matters."

Somewhere behind Rumi a new machine whined into life.

This was no quiet patter of keys or the soft whir of a drive booting up. Nor was it the buzz of an electric light, coursing with current. This was this harsh, relentless shrill of a spinning drill, shrieking as it powered into high revolutions. The heat and stench of mechanical friction curled through the air a moment later, twining lazily on ventilated draughts.

"Everything's ready here," said the technician below - Kampman. He backed up into Roulette's peripheral vision and flashed a thumbs up at the observation room above. "Photoreceptic camera is booting, ready for integrated feed. We can initiate second stage testing at any time."

"Very good," said the voice. Despite his light tone a note of smiling menace crept into the words as he casually added, "I suppose I have only one more question to ask of you at the moment, Roulette. Do you typically sight-aim with your left optic... or your right?"

[Deleted]

Everything that could move on her tightened with alarm. It didn't matter what the drill was going to be used for. There was never anything good involving heavy tools. Most especially in situations such as this. This was actually the last place she'd want to see a rotary saw, diamond bit drill, and or torch.

"I will not answer that." She wasn't avoiding the answer because she was trying to be contrary. Being cooperative had actually gained her some precious time and a manner of ease (as much as one could gain). No, she wasn't going to answer because she sighted out of both optics and feared what they would do with that information.

Roulette wasn't an extremely talented being. But the few talents she had were impressive enough. Her targeting system alone was impressive. She was also ambidextrous. such skills let her aim and shoot from either side with the same level of accuracy. But if she was forced to answer, she was very partial to her right side.

[Deleted]

The voice laughed.

"No matter," he said. "We were going to carve out both eventually. I think we'll make it the right optic, so as to not tamper with the very expensive receptor unit we have already installed within the left one."

The whine increased in pitch. Now she would hear the more familiar rumble of machinery grinding into movement, joints and beams unfolding with ungraceful precision. From the corner of her right optic the apparatus itself would appear: a metal armature, stretching open like a steel arm, joined by rubber tubes carrying hydraulic fluid. The armature jerkily positioned itself in front of her face, where it hovered to a stop.

At the end of it, funnelled to a sharp point, was a fine mechanical drill, worn silvery-smooth with use. Another fine probe protruded beneath it - hollow and slim, like a needle, inside which was folded tiny precision tools for surgical exploration and pain.

"The insertion and disconnection of your right optical sensors should only take a moment," said the voice smoothly. "Please, sit back and endure it as best you can. For now, we'll simply observe how well you acquire targets with only one eye. If you are still conscious after the procedure, at least. If not, we can wait until you are again. There is not that much of a hurry. You aren't going anywhere. And I am a very patient man."

The drill advanced, creeping slowly towards her right optic, until it blurred. And then there would be - and eruption of pain, white-hot and agonizingly precise, that would nonetheless roar through her systems like shuddering toxin until it overwhelmed neural connections and -

Darkness.

[Deleted]

Ok..now was time to panic. Because when the chips fell, Roulette had to admit to herself that she didn't want this to happen. She didn't want to be held down by such...such inferior pests and experimented like some guinea pig. She couldn't scream but her intakes grew ragged as she tried to squirm away from the drill.

What did I ever do to you?! What did I do to deserve this?! What have I done?! Tell me and I'll make it right! Please, just don't-

Biting pain she couldn't escape obliterated any rational thought she had. She wasn't sure if she screamed or not. The agony eclipsed any feeling, thought, or input her body tried to send her way. Mercifully, unconsciousness claimed her overtaxed body as her right arm fell limp by her side.

[Deleted]

The last thing that Roulette would hear before the darkness swept in was the voice, cool and deliberate, buzzing with distortion as her audials failed beneath the overwhelming sensory load.

"Offline again? Ah, no matter. Install the receptor and draw what you can from the short-term data recording of the optical sensors. Yes, the algorithms are working. We'll run them though to completion a few more times to check the math and then wake her up. If we have to we'll boot up nothing more than her optical and targeting systems if the rest are unresponsive. This data..."

The voice wavered in and out amidst the background of the other human voices around her, tiny and shrill and chittering. It faded, glided away, whited out by pain as cold air flooded into her punctured optic, and then -

Nothing.



Fin!