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Part 7
Exercises in Futility
By Jeff "Bitstream" Tindall
and
Chris Lilwall
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The small, faded sign outside read simply "Neutral Ground", but it wasn't what drew most of its clientele inside anymore. Neutral Ground was, of course, a bar. Located in a rather run-down (and, at one time, neutral) part of Cybertron known as "Stakeholder's Keep", it catered to most anyone who could get in to the sector's borders. To enter, you had to put aside whatever factional disputes you might have had and just enjoy yourself, but with the Autobot occupation, few Decepticons made it in. Neutral Ground's fare was as widely varied as its customers, ranging from simple energon (all varieties), to inorganic Cybertronian delicacies, and even to human-style organics (for which the proprietor acquired a taste for some years back). For the first time in weeks, Waitstate was actually in a good mood. Work on his project was going smoothly, business was back down to a manageable level, and he hadn't had to replace any fixtures due to violence in over a week. Looking around the room, he noted most of the current regulars enjoying themselves, one way or another. Maximus seemed to be leading a group in back in singing some kind of old battle song, and several were up front at the bar. "Things sure seem to have settled down," said Waitstate to Shadowpaw. "Yep. Sure have. Hit me again," replied the unsteady-looking Shadowpaw, a noticeable buzz in her voice. Waitstate passed Shadowpaw yet another 'Cab Ride Home'. "You think it'll last a while?" "Uh-huh...," slurred Shadowpaw, just moments before her head and upper torso intersected rather loudly with the bar. Waitstate chuckled softly, then came around the bar and helped Shadowpaw into one of the large chairs sitting around the room. "I should NOT let you drink this much," said Wait to Shadowpaw's unconscious form. "Ah well... at least you don't do it all the time," he said quietly, looking towards Admiral Lilwall's usual table. Unlike most days, Lil hadn't been in the bar even for a short time that day. Wait was both worried and relieved by this. Waitstate was interrupted in his musing when the door suddenly flew open, allowing the bright light of a Cybertronian midday pour in. "Good afternoon everyone!," announced the figure in the doorway. Most in the bar were too drunk or too occupied to do more than look in that direction. Waitstate, on the other hand, took notice. "Artifice!," Waitstate exclaimed, moving towards the door to greet his friend. "How have you been?" "Good actually. I just got finished with a rather... profitable job." "Always need for a bounty hunter I guess." "Yep," said Artifice. Sitting down at the bar, Artifice said "How about the usual?" "Over-charged energon, straight up. Gotcha," said Wait, moving to fix the drink. They both were silent for a moment as Waitstate filled a tankard from one of the taps. "So," Wait began, handing the tankard over to the orange and green bounty hunter. The sentence was never completed, though, as the bartender's attention was drawn away from Artifice by the large red and blue figure entering the open door. Admiral Lilwall had quite obviously already overindulged himself on intoxicants that evening. His movements were jerky and unsteady as he approached the counter. Waitstate winced slightly as Lil nearly tipped over one of the large chairs set at a table in the bar's anteroom. Lil pushed Artifice aside slightly as he leaned unsteadily against the bar counter. "Give me the usual," he buzzed, his vocal processor illustrating his system's drink-induced instability almost as eloquently as his stumbling entrance. Without waiting for a reply, Lil staggered to his usual spot in the shadows and waited to be served. "Slag, does he look bad. He's really gone downhill since I saw you guys last," said Artifice. "What exactly IS his usual, anyway?" he said, concerned. "These days? Raw overcharged, run through a destabilizing matrix. Served in pitchers," said Waitstate in disgust. "I didn't even SERVE that stuff until he made a special request for it a few weeks ago. Well... request isn't really the right word for it. I don't think I would have liked the consequences if I hadn't filled his order." Artifice nodded in understanding as Waitstate went to work preparing the dangerous concoction. Waitstate paused his work a moment and looked around. "Uh, Wait? I don't think we're being spied on or anything," said Artifice, just a bit confused. Wait leaned close. "I just wanted to make sure he wasn't watching." "He?" Artifice looked in the direction Wait had looked in, vaguely toward a table partly covered in shadow. "Oh. Yeah, the back wall seems to have his attention at the moment." "Good," said Waitstate. He picked up a small ener-phial and surreptitiously added it into the mix. "What's that?" asked Artifice. "Something I've been working on. It should neutralize some, if not all, of the damaging effects of this stuff. I tested it on myself with some lighter fare, and it worked alright. Hopefully he won't notice it's presence." "Seriously? Hey, you should market that stuff if it really works. Though... isn't it a bit unethical for you to use that? Being a bartender and all, I mean." Waitstate looked up, his preparation complete. "This isn't an ethics issue Artifice. I'm trying to save a friend's life. Ethics can take a flying leap into Unicron's brain for all I care when it comes to that." Waitstate grabbed a mug and the pitcher and carried it to Admiral Lilwall's table. "Can you at least just sip the stuff this time? You look pretty trashed as it is," said Waitstate as he set down his cargo. "Mind your own damn business," growled Lil. "Whatever," replied Waitstate, returning to the bar. Admiral Lilwall watched the black and grey bartender leave. Why the fuck couldn't he mind his own business? All he wanted was his fucking damn drink. The punks he'd been with earlier hadn't asked him anything. So long as he shelled out the credits, they were more than happy to provide him with the hard stuff. Then the damn patrol went by and they all scattered. Bastards. At least Waitstate had a licence to sell the stuff. Damn cops couldn't arrest him for doing it. He lifted his glass, then paused to think a moment. "Why not?" he said to himself, with a small shrug. Lil took a small sip, then set his glass back down. He swallowed, waiting for that small, but oh-so-pleasurable sensation of an energon surge along his eroded and damaged circuit pathways. Nothing. Damn Waitstate and his sips anyway. He took another drink, this time much larger. Nothing. Again. Confusion ran through Lil's still drink-addled head. Then realization set in. "He's watering down my drinks," Lil thought. "I don't know how he's managed it, but his goddam WATERING DOWN MY DRINKS!" Anger boiled within him. Unconsciously, he began to crush his still-full tankard. He looked over at the bartender, who was smiling and talking amicably to a bar patron. "Look at him," he thought. "So damn smug. Probably thought I wouldn't even notice. That -I- wouldn't NOTICE!" "AUGH!" he screamed aloud, abruptly standing, and gaining the attention of everyone in the room that was still at least semi-conscious. With another outburst, he slammed his crushed tankard against the far wall. With a final scream of pure rage, Admiral Lilwall picked up his table and slammed it against the near wall, smashing the table to pieces and ruining the surrounding wall paneling. The unused portion of his pitcher ignited, starting a small fire on the floor as it crashed to the ground, triggering the fire suppression systems. Lilwall ignored this as he stormed out of the building, knocking over two chairs and a table, and nearly taking the door off it's hinges as he exited. Admiral Lilwall shakily made his way down the streets of Stakeholders Keep. The only thoughts going through his mind were that of the drink, and how much he needed another. He was outraged. Waitstate was watering his drinks! He could tell by merely tasting a drop, or so he had convinced himself. At the moment, nothing he could think could possibly anger him more, and rather than waste time in the Neutral Ground, he decided he would simply go to some other bar. Anything was better than some diluted shit that someone he thought was his friend would foist on him. The streets were busier than usual for this time of day, and Admiral Lilwall was continually bumping into the many others who traveled the streets. He was still drunk, he always was, and he was feeling more aggressive than usual. He would sometimes push others out of his way with more force than was necessary, for which he received a number of nasty looks from his victims and passers by. Not that he cared. So long as he got the drink nothing else mattered. Not anymore. His drunken gaze turned to skyline. The view of space rarely changed much, no matter where you were, and the ancient metal cities seemed to change even less often. He walked into yet another citizen, a female Autobot, who was perhaps half his size. The Autobot fell to the ground somewhat surprised. Admiral Lilwall looked on her and raised his fist. "You stupid fool! Watch where you going or--". He stopped mid sentence as the Autobot cowered in fear. He lowered his fist and walked on, only barely containing his anger. He walked on and, in his drunken state, he actually forgot he was actually searching for another bar. He had arrived at his rented room, thinking he was coming back from another drinking session. He walked past the front desk, where the hotel owner blurted something about late rent to him. Admiral Lilwall simply ignored him and entered the lift for his floor. He entered his room and crashed to the floor in a drunken slumber. "And that's it? He just wasted the table and left?" Stardrive said, viewing the damage via the bar security cameras over the comm. Waitstate sighed, looking back down at the bar counter's comm unit. "That's it. Didn't say a word, aside from a few rather nasty screams," he said as he wiped down the bar, it was nearing curfew time and soon the bar would be closed. "Be glad you weren't here," Artifice said. He finished his drink and Waitstate took the glass. "Well, I AM glad he didn't go into a frenzy. He could have killed someone," Stardrive said. "Probably me," Waitstate said, as he looked around the almost empty bar. "Should either of you see him, tell him I don't particularly want him back here." "What if he disagrees?" asked Artifice. "I doubt he will, Artifice. Chances are, he won't want to come back here anyway. I think he knows what I've been trying to do with his drinks." "I suppose so," agreed Artifice. "Listen, I'd better go. The last fine I got for violating curfew was a shocker. See you tomorrow," Artifice said, as he left the bar with a wave. "I've got go as well actually," said Stardrive. "Like I said, we've nearing completion here, and I want to make sure all the final tests and everything check out myself. I'll let you know how it all works out." "Alright Stardrive. I'll talk to you later." Waitstate switched off the comm and sighed, then turned to the few customers that were still there. "Time to head home people, curfew isn't far off now." A number of hours had passed and it was late in the night. It was silent. Curfew prevented everything. The nightclub next door, for example, had been dormant for weeks. Stakeholders Keep was probably the quietest sector on Cybertron at the moment. Admiral Lilwall lay on the floor, beginning to come to. His room was still a trashed mess; he'd never bothered to clean it up from before, not being conscious there long enough to care. As he sat up in the broken shards of something, he couldn't remember what it was anymore, he clutched his head and groaned. He had actually sobered up now, the first time in days. He looked out through his broken window, wondering how he got to his room. He vaguely recalled a small Autobot female, but couldn't remember whether she had been some strange dream or a reality. It was obviously well past curfew, but he didn't care. He wanted to have a little chat with the owner of the Neutral Ground bar. He shakily got to his feet and looked himself over. His hands were visibly shaking, and he couldn't stop them. His legs were weak, and his knees looked like they could give out at any time. Knowing the hotel keeper would alert authorities about his unauthorized exit, Admiral Lilwall opted for another mode of departure. He looked down through his window; he was four floors up. The ground didn't seem to appear stable, wavering and distorting into odd patterns. Obviously, his optics were still trying to get themselves working properly. Without much further thought, he jumped out the window. He seemed to fall forever. He hit the ground hard and rolled onto the street, making considerable noise. With some difficulty he returned to his feet and began walking to the Neutral Ground. She was terrified. It was well past curfew, very late at night, and she was somewhere she should not have been. The alley was dark, very dark, and she was in pain. The attack had moved beyond the minor bullying tactics it had started as, and now she was being hit reasonably hard. Somehow it hurt more because of the situation she was in. She was terrified, she was alone, and she was cornered. Admiral Lilwall stumbled past the alleyway. As he passed by, he noticed something down the alley. He saw three robots there, slightly smaller than he was. There was something behind them, but he couldn't see what it was. Maybe these robots were nothing but street trash getting high on Syk. He had almost forgotten about Waitstate anyway, and had heard that Syk had similar effects to being drunk. He decided it would be good enough. He walked down the alley, using the wall as an aid. He could hear the voices of the robots now, but wasn't really listening. "Hehe, don't worry sweet thing...it won't hurt if you don't move," One said. "Not much anyway!" said Another, laughing nastily. "Ya shoulda kept ya pretty little face at home darlin'. We's gonna make ya remember that," the Third said. Admiral Lilwall tapped his finger on this one's shoulder. The smaller transformer turned around and looked at the large red and blue robot. "Excuse me gentlemen," Admiral Lilwall said, grabbing the robot by the neck, "But you need a lesson in manners!" He lifted the robot into the air and slammed his head into the wall, knocking him offline. The other two robots spun around. One tried to wrestle Admiral Lilwall to the ground while the other bent down to help his comrade on the ground. Admiral and his opponent rolled on the ground, striking out at each other. The female tried to sneak past her attacker, but failed. The robot stood up and swiftly backhanded the female violently, sending her to the ground. "Who said you could move you slaggin turbo-whore!?" he yelled out. The female wept in a terrified panic, but the attacker didn't seem to notice or care. He was more interested in watching the fight. Admiral Lilwall wrapped his hand around his opponent's head and slammed it into the ground. He stood up and waited for the robot to regain himself. The robot stood up shaken, and clutching his head. "I'm gonna make ya gonna wish ya ain't never been built ya slagget!" He screamed as he charged at Admiral, who spotted the Autobot symbol on his attacker. "These scum are Autobots," he realized, suddenly feeling nothing but rage and hatred. "I already do!" he yelled in response, upper cutting the Autobot. The Autobot cried out in pain as he flew backwards, and smashed into the alley wall. The last remaining Autobot took out his laser rifle and fired several rounds at Admiral Lilwall, scoring a number of hits. None of them seem to even daze Admiral though. "Come any closer and this slaggin whore gets it! Hear me?! I'll kill her I swear!" the Autobot yelled, pointing his weapon at the female, who had risen to her feet. She cried out to Admiral Lilwall to stop, but he paid no attention. "I said stay back! Keep away!!" the Autobot screamed, but Admiral kept coming, in a stern, steady walk. It frightened the Autobot, and he was starting to lose his nerve. "If I were you...," Admiral Lilwall said with a growl, "I'd try to kill ME first." He was only a few feet away now. The Autobot panicked, and blasted the female, who dropped to the ground. Then he swung his arm to fire on Admiral Lilwall, but he was too late. Grabbing the weapon, Admiral Lilwall crushed it along with the Autobot's hand. "AAARGGH!" The Autobot screamed out in agony. Admiral Lilwall head butted him and then took him by the neck. "Are you afraid scum? ARE YOU?! ANSWER ME!" "P..please! Don't...don't hurt me... please...," the Autobot squeaked out. Admiral Lilwall rammed him against the wall and tightened his grip. "WRONG ANSWER!" "Yes!! I..I..I'm scared!! Don't hurt me! I'm scared!" "YOUR scared?! What about her?! I bet she said the same thing didn't she?! DIDN'T SHE!" He pressed harder against the wall. "YES!!" "Now you know how it feels! You shame the badge you wear Autobot. Optimus Prime will hear about this, I promise you!" He slammed the Autobot into the ground head first, rendering him unconscious. The battle over, Admiral Lilwall's knees gave out and he dropped to the ground exhausted. He turned and looked at the female robot on the ground. It was her. The one he wanted to smash on the street earlier. In his desire to waste away, he had assumed the robots were addicts on Syk. It wasn't until spotting the Autobot badge had he realized they were actually abusing another's rights. Others had tried to help him before and he shunned them. And now, when another needed his help, he shunned her too. Because he didn't care, someone could have died. His own words rang through his head over and over. Now you know how it feels... ...a lesson in manners... You shame the badge you wear... Everything stopped. His body froze. Hundreds of thoughts screamed through his mind. All this time, he had asked "why". Why him? What if this? What if that? Not once had he had an answer. Not once. Only now, in this alley, had he realized why. The real answer, was that there was no answer. Things just happen. There are no reasons why, no explanations. He stared at the symbol on his chest. It meant everything to him. Everything. He had disgraced it. So many thoughts in his head, it had nearly overloaded his brain circuits. All he was was on his chest. No, that was only a part of him. The real Admiral Lilwall was taught better than this. He threw it all away for the drink, the bottle. But no more. He would simply have to deal. He was always told life was tough. Damn right it was tough. But you don't just give in. This was not the real Admiral Lilwall, the real one was better. And never again would the real Lilwall be consumed by his shadow. He wiped the dirt and filth off his symbol and dragged himself to his feet. Bit and Waitstate were sitting in the bar's anteroom, watching the television suspended over the counter. Waitstate was watching the movie on the screen and drinking, trying to forget the events of the day. Bit was not, being there mainly as company and moral support. The movie was almost over anyway. "I suppose I should probly try and get in a few recharge cycles before I have to reopen. After all this, I'll be happy to give my mind a rest," said Wait. "I agree," said Bit. "Some downtime will likely do you a world of good." Waitstate smiled slightly. "Was that an idiom, Bit? How very unlike you." "Yes," replied Bit, not noticing the humor in Waitstate's voice. "I thought I might interact better with others if I learned to use some." Waitstate's reply was cut short by a noise from the door. Both armed themselves and took defensive positions, knowing that anyone prowling about at this hour was likely trouble. The door, not yet locked for the night, opened. A large red and blue transformer carrying an apparently unconscious Autobot female dragged himself inside. Visibly shaking, he leaned against the inside wall for support and closed the door. "Lil? What the hell are you doing here?! How did you get past curfew enforcers?" Waitstate asked with some shock. He kept his beamsabre, out just in case. Admiral Lilwall, though, was struggling just to stay standing. "Wasn't easy...", he said. His legs gave way and he dropped the floor, the Autobot falling to the ground also. Waitstate saw the damage to her and looked at Lil with anger. "You... how.. how could you?! What have you done!?" he said accusingly. "Not me...Autobots..." "Oh that's rich, you don't really expect me to believe that-" "Here...." Admiral Lilwall took out a small cartridge and handed it to Waitstate. "This will...tell you eve.. everything." Taking the cartridge, Waitstate handed it to Bit. "Check it out," he said. Bit nodded and transformed to view the data. Waitstate looked at Lil with suspicion. "Help her... please. And...," Admiral Lilwall mumbled out. "And what?" Waitstate said. "Help.. me. I.. I don't want.. to be a drunk," Lil said, just before passing out. Bit returned to robot mode. "He was telling the truth. Autobots did this to her. Admiral Lilwall most likely saved her life." Waitstate sighed. "This is gonna be a long night." Meanwhile, the movie had ended. As they spoke, a news report was being aired. "...tempers flaired tonight at a Decepticon press conference held to discuss the recent destruction of several small sectors on the edges of Autobot controlled territory. Though Decepticon officials deny culpability in the matter, many in the Autobot council believe the Decepticons are moving to violate the already tenuous peace accords..." |
Phial, noun: A bottle that contains a drug (especially a sealed sterile container for injection by needle). In this case, an ener-phial contains the energon-based equivalent of a drug or chemical.