robothell | [ INTRO LOG ]

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[ INTRO LOG ]

You don't know how you got here. One minute you were walking, sleeping, maybe dead -- then you're here, your feet suddenly carrying you down an empty street. Where's here?

Any Cybertronian would recognize this as their home planet, Cybertron, but it's not a Cybertron they've ever known. It has all the familiar hallmarks, but none of the specifics -- the city isn't one anyone here could identify, and even at a glance it's obvious that no one's set foot on the planet's surface in hundreds of years. The city and its surrounding areas all bear the marks of devastating war, of dust and rust collected over centuries. With no one in sight -- right at first, anyway -- there's plenty to explore. In fact, if you start walking, you'll find that your feet may just carry you in one particular direction.

A) The crater.
On one edge of the city is a massive crater left by some wartime weapon that seems to have taken out a large chunk of the surrounding metropolitan area. At the center of the crater it's broken through the surface of the terrain to reveal what looks like it might be a promising energon deposit. There is some strange but native vegetation growing around the edges, too, that no Cybertronian would be able to identify -- small, metallic, brittle-looking sprouts that bear a curiously organic-looking fruit of some kind that doesn't look like it's intended for consumption by any natives of the planet. In one rocky nook of the crater, light catches on the surface of a pool of water, which seems strangely out of place on Cybertron. On closer inspection, it seems that somehow an underground water source has formed a spring in the crater.

B) The center of the city.
If you follow where your feet seem to want to carry you, you'll find yourself in the middle of the ruined city. It seems that the center of the city was once home to a massive forum, and some of the pillars and structures still stand. At the very center of the forum is a massive, elaborately constructed fountain, although it has now long since run dry of whatever used to fill it. One of the low, inner walls of the forum has a terminal embedded in its surface, although it looks curiously ancient, out of place with the rest of the city, and unlike the rest of the technology still left around, there doesn't seem to be any way to power it on or operate it. There are a few scattered pools of water and a few of the strange metallic plants in the city, too, but they're not quite as plentiful as in the crater.

The planet was obviously once home to a massive network of communication relays, but those have all been long since destroyed. However, with the bits and pieces left behind and a few determined minds, it wouldn't be too hard to build a working, if rudimentary, one...

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"That was your name, last I recall."

Megatron isn't entirely sure why Pax is staring at him like he'd just sprouted a second head. But then again, not much made sense in this situation right now.

...

His suspicions were correct, then. There's a brief silence as he mulls that over, his stance shifting to a bit of a humbled one.

"It was my name, in the past. I'm now referred to as Optimus Prime."

There's a look of genuine surprise that dances across his expression. He wasn't particularly in favor of a Primal lineage at all, but if there was any glimmer of hope that their world could be turned around without violent revolution, Pax as Prime would be a good a hint as any.

"That's slightly more believable than seeing you as a cyberhound for Sentinel," he glances at the badges on Pax's shoulders,"How long have I been off-world?"

Strange. Not only were people being pulled from their world into what is clearly an alternate Cybertron, but at different points as well. There was no doubt that Megatron was not from his time--the frame was from when he was a miner, and the hazard tape was enough to further prove that.

His reaction to being a Prime? Set it in stone. There's a weary sigh as he approaches him, wondering just how far back into the past Megatron had come from. His eyes are searching, scanning every part of Megatron's face.

He'd be lying if he said he wasn't worried.

"Sentinel. As if I'd ever work for him." The tone was dark, cynical. The next part is a little more hard to admit. "It seems we're not from the same time."

It's clear enough that Megatron is from well in the past. The non-violent activist was marred - he wasn't quite that person anymore, but he lacked the bloodthirst and cynicism of the gladiator that slaughtered his enemies without a second thought.

"If what you're saying is true, and only under circumstances as bizarre as these would I consider that, then I've missed something significant."

A hand reaches out to rest on the bot's shoulder (which is funny cause Megatron is slightly taller), blue eyes searching still. He was literally looking at the past right now. At Megatron, the humble miner and aspiring writer.

The one who alerted him to everything wrong with the Senate.

"You have no idea, Megatron. It's...something we'll have to discuss."

A pause.

"You're still writing?"

"Not recently. Things got in the way."

For reasons he's not particularly proud of, either. He'd be horrified with himself if he'd known the path he'd be forced down just a few centuries earlier.

But in the end, he had to survive and see it through.

...That was enough for Optimus to tell just what point in time Megatron had come from. It wasn't exact--he had been busy with things as well. But it was a shame that Megatron had to put his true passion aside for...survival.

Fighting to live in a world that didn't want him.

"Try to find time, if you can. You have so much more to give to our people. Your words can change things."

You can change things.

"We'll see."

It was more difficult to believe his encouragement the second time around than when he first heard it in the Rodion Police HQ. Sure, he can change things. But not without an application of force behind his words. That was a simple fact of life.

He looks at the crater around them,"But shouldn't we focus on figuring out where we are?"

Simple fact of life...Optimus would argue on that. But the miner had a point--now was not the time to exchange pleasantries on the subject of what can and cannot inflict change. His eyes flick up, taking a scan of the surrounding area before turning.

Despite their history, he still put some trust into Megatron. More than anyone would recommend him doing.

"It's certainly Cybertron. Although I'm not sure when. Or if it's even ours."

"Is there a reason our Cybertron would look like this?"

Megatron starts to make his way up the crater. He'd gotten what he'd wanted from the pool of water and was ready to leave the desolate hole in the ground.

The city would probably have more answers, anyway.

Edited 2014-12-22 17:29 (UTC)

"...It's complicated."

How exactly do you tell someone that STARSCREAM was in charge of Cybertron and this could very well be the remnants of what was struggling to survive. It honestly wouldn't surprise him to learn that Starscream had ultra-failed as a leader.

It wouldn't surprise ANYONE, really.

"But much has changed since you were a miner. Dreams, ideals...everything."

Starscream has yet to enter his life yet Optimus let him be oblivious and happy just a little longer.

"I can imagine," before he'd arrived he'd been making preparations to join an underground fighting ring. He didn't expect to go through that unchanged.

He looks back at the Prime,"I understand sometimes things must be destroyed for there to be change... But, surely things worked out better than what was there before? This couldn't have been the result."

Oh that's right, isn't it. Megatron, you got a long future with that little shitheel ahead of you. Best get used to the name.

"Megatron," he starts, although where he was going with that is a bit undetermined, still. The miner deserved to know of his fate. It could deviate him from that path in the future. But time was fragile. One fix could cause disaster elsewhere.

His audials flick slightly.

"Destruction of our society was never the answer."

"But if that society's government is too broken to change? Resistant to every other form of dissent?"

He trudges on ahead.

"Should I just sit and watch it happen? I can't do that."

"No, We can't sit back and watch, Megatron."

He falls into place with him, walking just as they had when he was released from trial. As they had when they were Orion and the miner. It'd always felt 'right'. You wouldn't have known they were worst enemies at one point.

"Reform is what Shockwave wanted. Destruction only leads to more destruction."

"Tell me then, what is your plan for reform?"

It's clear enough it won't be easy to get him to budge on this one, Optimus. He doesn't have the cynicism of four million years of war and destruction on the mind.

"Completely rework the Senate. Elect new officials. Ones who care about the people, and will rid them of the class system we had."

He saw the destruction of Cybertron, and it'd brought them no closer to having an equal society than the old Senate had.

"Destruction leads to chaos."

Megatron looked about as satisfied with that answer as expected. It was his respect for an old acquaintance that kept his fire in check.

"I don't think it will be possible to touch the Senate without creating a threat they fear, Orion. They can't be reasoned with. I was misguided to believe otherwise."

He looks up at the city,"How did you find me?"

Edited 2014-12-27 04:45 (UTC)

Yeah, he didn't think it'd be all too convincing. He hesitates as they walk, looking up at the stars--at least those were familiar.

"There are ways to remove them from office other than death and destruction."

...

His head tilts down, in response.

"I'm not sure I understand."

"In this crater. How did you find me? I don't imagine you just materialized right next to me."

Looks like it was time for a change of topic before this argument got any more heated. The last thing they needed was for him to want to tear Orion's head off.

"I used my legs, Megatron."

HAHAHA...okay that was awful and he realizes it. He'll quickly answer to avoid any confusion.

"The plant life. It's connected to the Energon deposits. I'm curious as to why the foliage exists in the first place and...well, you happened to be here while following the Energon to its source."

Don't quit your day job to become a comedian, Optimus.

"You're right. None of this place makes much sense, but the plants are particularly out of place."

He goes down on one knee to brush fingers over the plump, organic fruit.

"It doesn't feel like anything I've touched before."

It's not long before Optimus is kneeling next to him, letting his fingers brush under it so the fruit sits in his palm.

"There was a planet I frequented called Earth. Their entire planet is covered in lush plants like this."

"Organic, I assume?"

He has to base of reference to compare these fruit too, so that's what he'll assume.

"This can't be Cybertron if that's the case."

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luckyfaceplate - 2015-01-09 03:48 (UTC) - Expand

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