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fanfic thing...

dec. 20 2025
dec. 25 2025
dec. 31 2025

“I don’t think you understand”, Chargelock said, looking at the camera like it was stupid, “It’s not that complicated. Megatron wants it to be complicated, because it serves his purposes. It means that less and less other mechs are able to take his spot as leader, it guarantees his necessity."

“So you’re saying that Megatron is engineering this war so that he’s an indisposable component?” The voice off camera asks.

“Sorta. It’s obviously a little more nuanced than that, but that’s pretty much the gist of it.”

“Would you ever join the Deceptions?”

“Oh Primacron no!” Chargelock laughs, a little madness in his tone. “I’d be a fragging idiot if I decided to join the Decepticons. I like what they started out fighting! Don’t get me wrong, our current government is complete garbage, but as time passes, they’re just sliding down this slope from ‘sense’ to ‘idiocy’. It stopped being about the status quo fairly early on.” Chargelock explained.

He reached over his workstation and grabbed a strange small tool. He played with it in his servos a bit before continuing.

“Revolutions and that type of shit tends to.. degenerate pretty soon. The Decepticons had some interesting and worthwhile thoughts, but it’s not about those anymore. It’s switched to just wanting to be the ones in power. They don’t care anymore. Did they ever care? I don’t know.”

“Would you say they’re worse than the current government?”

“Not yet. They could be, but that’s not happened yet. I wouldn’t be surprised if it did end up happening though.”

---

Chargelock let out a sigh of relief. The interview was finally done, and the camera was out of his face. SUre, more cameras should probably look at his handsome face, but it was nice to have a breather.

He couldn’t imagine what it would be like to be in the spotlight all the time.

The doorbell rang and he went over. He didn’t have any appointments today, so it would either be some random mech coming to bother him, or it would be a friend, maybe even Blitzshift. That guy almost never came by to visit him here, so that wasn’t the most likely candidate.

The door slid open with a loud hiss, a reminder to DW-40 it.

“Hi?” Chargelock said, not recognising the bot in front of him.

“Hi. You’re Chargelock, right?”

“Yep, that’s me. Who’re you though?”

“Hot Rod. We’ve talked on-”

“Oh yeah I know you! Nice to meet you in the metal. Come on in.”

“Thanks.”

“Yep, no problem.”

Chargelock hit the close button on the door once Hot Rod was in, and he gestured Hot Rod into the main area.

The place being where Chargelock worked, it was quite a mess, but there were some places available to sit, so the two bots sat down.

“Is there anything I can get you?” Chargelock asked.

“No, no I think I’m alright. Thanks.”

“Sure.”

“What exactly is this place?” Hot Rod said, looking around.

“Just my workshop. I do mods and some repairs. Custom work, usually.”

“Huh. Wouldn’t have thought it, for a bot like you.”

“Really? What kinda stuff would you have thought I’d do?”

“More political stuff. Or like.. related to written knowledge, I guess.”

“Intersting. I wouldn’t mind working with texts and information, à la archive or something.. I don’t think I could ever get a job in that kind of stuff. Don’t have the right education, or something.”

Chargelock played with a case of spare parts, sorting them quickly into their respective model numbers.

“What brings you round here? You’re from Nyon, right. I heard that place got raised to the ground” Chargelock asked.

“.... I’m from Nyon, yep. It’s all gone now.” Hot Rod said, a sullenness to his voice.

“I’m sorry to hear.” Chargelock said. He wasn’t actually sorry to hear, having no mental importance to Nyon, but it must have been a bummer for Hot Rod, so sorry felt like an okay word to say.

“I’m joining the Autobots. I don’t have a place to stay yet. Can I crash at your place for a few days?” Hot Rod asked.

“... Sorry, give me a sec to process that.” Chargelock said.

Hot Rod nodded, and Chargelock zoned out for a few seconds. His home had been blown up and he was joining the Autobots, and he was here asking to stay over. Who did that!

“Ok. I’m totally cool if you wanna stay over til you’ve got a place to stay. I’d ask about you joining the Autobots but I’ve just had to deal with some idiot asking me questions related to that so maybe tomorrow.”

“That’s awesome, thank you.”

“No problem. I really don’t have much going on at the moment, so the timing works out. I’ve just got to close up this place, and we can head over to my place.”

Hot Rod nodded, and Chargelock headed to the backroom to finish up closing down. It didn’t take him very long, so soon he was back in the front section.

“I’m all done, you good to head out?” He asked Hot Rod.

“Sure.”

“Noncommital. I like it.” Chargelock joked, though he was sure the tone wasn’t right. It was never right.

They made their way out of the shop, and Chargelock keyed in the passcode to lock the door. After that, he headed for the train station. He made sure that Hot Rod was still behind him, but other than that the two bots walked in silence, unknowledging of each other.

The train station smelled of rust and cheap cygars, and the train was half an hour late.

Chargelock got on the train and took a seat near the back. Hot Rod followed suit, and the two sat in silence as the train screeched out of the station.

Music played faintly, someone’s radio playing further up the train. Chargelock let his thoughts mindlessly race to the beat of the music and stared out the window. They flew past apartment block after apartment block, most of the windows still pitch dark. Rodents scurried near garbage dumps, and in the tunnels. Maybe 20 minutes later, in the dimly lit underground, the train announced the last stop.

The train slowed to a stop, and the bots still on the bus got off. Chargelock and Hot Rod went back up to the surface, where they managed to catch the bus, right before it left the station.

The bus drove recklessly through the run down city, but eventually pulled over, a few stops from the terminal, and Chargelock and Hot Rod got off. The wind was strong, the air frigid, and the sky had grown dark. The two bots finally arrived in front of Chargelock’s apartment building. They made their way up, and Chargelock unlocked the door.

“Well. This is my place. Make yourself comfortable. I’ll grab us some energon.” He said.

He walked in, and opened the windows. The cool air rushed in, and he headed to the small kitchen area. A dim light switched on, and Chargelock set about clearing the empty energon cubes from the counter. He quickly put them in the recycling, stacking them neatly. He sponged the counter top down, then grabbed a few energon cubes from one of the overhead cabinets.

Having decided he had aired out the place enough, though the quality of the air had not increased in the slightest, he closed the window. He turned on the main overhead light, illuminating the small room.

A small tv screen was hooked to the wall, an old couch positioned to face it. Hot Rod was sitting on it, zoning out. Chargelock grabbed the energon cubes and walked around to sit on the couch. He wordlessly handed one to Hot Rod, before turning the TV on.

“I hope you don’t mind refueling in front of the tv,” he said.

He got no response, so he simply turned his attention to the show currently playing, and lost himself to the glow.

---

The apartment hummed quietly, and Chargelock listened to the clock going tick-tick-tick. He turned his head to look at his roommate. They were both lying on a recharge slab not quite made for two bots, but it had been decided that it was better than having to use the couch.

He didn’t quite know what to make of Hot Rod. He had always seemed like an up-tty bot, but now that he was here… He seemed really quiet. Downbeat and exhausted. It was strange. Chargelock decided that if the other bot was strange, everything was strange. He resolved to try and get some rest for once, and turned away and shuttered his optics closed.

---

By the time Chargelock woke up for good, the other half of the recharge slab was empty. Hot Rod had disappeared.

Chargelock got up and grogily made his way to the living area. It was devoid of life too. He conducted a brief search to confirm the bot from last night was in fact real, and seeing the two empty energon cubes, reached the reasonable conclusion that he had not been hallucinating. It wouldn’t have been the first time, so it wouldn’t be a dealbreaker, but it was good to know regardless.

He went back to the other room, to make sure he wasn’t forgetting anything dreadfully important. Nope. Nothing of note. He headed back for the living room, where he picked up an energon cube and put it in his subspace. He made sure the windows were locked, that he had everything he would need, and that nothing else was amiss.

He found a note hastily scribbled onto a flimsy, and he quickly read it.

“I’m at autobot HQ. I’ll be out after 1700. See you l8tr.”

---

The bus was half an hour late. Chargelock missed his train, and some of the ones after it too. The train broke down halfway to his work, and Chargelock gave up. Today was not a great day for public transit, he supposed. He stood around like an idiot for a few minutes, before heading on his way. He watched other bots fly past him in altmode, but he could do nothing but look. He had lost his permit to use his altmode to commute a few years ago, and the time he could get his permit again was taking its sweet, sweet time in approaching.

The noise at the factory was busting his audials, but there was nothing he could do, short of rewiring his processor. He had had to rewire a few processors before, and it wasn’t really an experience he cared to repeat. So he worked in the noise, indulging in a grimace at any particularly aggravating noises. His shift would let him out late today, which was practical only for the workday free it gave him, so he had to find some time to comm Hot Rod about when he’d get home.

---

Ten minutes till lunchbreak… only ten minutes… He could do that, right? He wasn’t going to explode and die before then? He kept at his work for those last ten minutes, somehow managing to catch an imperfection in the incoming metals. That would be at least half an hour more, just for the paperwork, so he simply paused the machine and flagged it red and left. He could deal with that after he had had his break.

He quickly headed for the staff stairwell, and made his way up to the processing plant's roof. The hum of the roof top units drowning out the noises from the plant. He sat down with his back against his favourite RTU, facing the city. He loved being able to sit down and feel the hum of the machine rumble through his body, all the while being able to look over the city, and watch the lights and the passerbys, so small below. Now comfortably seated, he pulled out his small box of Pixie Dust. He broke off a small piece of it and popped it into his mouth, and let out a sigh. His break was sure to pass by quickly, but at least he would enjoy it.

---

His alarm goes off, and he jolts back to fully conscious. His head swims and the colors he sees don’t quite line up properly with reality. He squeezes his optics shut for a few seconds and opens them again, hoping that it helps. It doesn't, and he lets out a small laugh. He slowly picks himself up from his collapsed position in front of the RTU, and shakily makes his way to the maintenance door. He descends the stairs, eyes gradually adjusting to the dark interior. He quickly does the math for how many hours he’s going to have to work, landing on another ten of them. The door creaks horribly loud as he exits the stairwell. The noise is drowned out soon, however. The machines are running at full steam, and soon one more of them is going to be added to the fray.

---

The final alarm rings out building-wide, and the last few bots still working start shutting things down.

Chargelock quickly closes down his station, and leaves the building. He begins his long way home, pedes dragging against the ground as he walks. He managed to catch the train fine, which he figured was due to the train system being in much better shape than the bus system, but he had to wait a long time for the bus to arrive. He sat in the bus stop, fangs out and prying at the metal plating on his fingers. He probably shouldn’t be putting those so near such a direct way into his inner mechanisms, given the type of chemicals that made their way around his workplace, but he couldn’t find it in himself to stop. He bit down hard and the taste of energon flooded his mouth. He let out a quiet hiss and pulled his servo away from his mouth. The bus rolled up as he looked up, but it was the wrong line. He sighed sadly. No doubt he would taste much more energon before arriving home. He let out another sigh and leaned back against the shelter wall. He tilted his head back and shuttered his optics.

---

The sound of squealing brakes wakes him up with a jolt. He can barely make out the line number on the bus, his vision is swimming too much. He gets up, swaying uneasily, and gets out of the shelter. The bus screeches to a stop and Chargelock climbs on. He quickly thanked the driver and found a spot to sit. He stared out the window at the nothingness outside and the minutes passed in a daze.

---

The ding and the announcement of “last stop… please exit the bus… last stop… please exit the bus…” rings out and Chargelock leaves the warmth of the bus for the bitter outside. The wind nips at his plating, and he hunches forwards. Out here, on the edge of the city, not much keeps the wind away from forming tunnels of near freezing air, between apartment blocks and malls.

---

“You sure took your time getting back.” Hot Rod’s voice calls out from the darkness.

“Had a double shift, like I told you. Glad you found your way in regardless.” Chargelock replied.

“Come on over then. I’m dreadfully bored. Nothing’s happening on TV and I’ve got nothing to do.”

“Sure.”

Chargelock grabs an energon cube from the counter and climbs over the back of the couch. It shifts as he settles down, and he lazily pulls a tarp over himself.

“What’s with the energon on your servo?” Hot Rod asks.

“Huh?” Chargelock looked over at Hot Rod in confusion. It took him a second before he remembered. “Oh, yeah I was biting at my plating.”

“You were biting at your plating.” Hot Rod didn’t look very impressed.

“Yep.”

“Why on cybertron would you do that?”

“It’s kinda therapeutic, you know.”

“Do you wanna interface?”

Chargelock choked on the energon he was drinking and coughed. He leant forwards, servo coming up to his face.

He coughed some more, before being able to think again.

“What!??” He leant even more forwards, pieces of kibble shifting out of the way.

“Do you want to interface???” He repeated.

“Well, do you?” Hot Rod asked.

“I mean like. Sure?? But why would you ask it so out of the blue like that!”

“Well I don’t think there would be a much better time to ask then now.” Hot Rod pointed out.

“Ok fine. That’s a good point.” Chargelock admitted. “You wanna do it here. Right now?”

“Yeah.”

“Coolio. Can do.”

Chargelock took a swig of energon and put the cube down on the low table in front of the couch. He scooted over closer to Hot Rod.

from a while ago, unedited

mid 2025? probably?

Wraith plummets towards the ground, eyes wide open. They dont have the proper technology to be able to fly well.

“Cant i just fucking fly!!!” they cry out in desperation, trying, fruitlessly, to conltrol their fall.

Starscream flies downwards too, rapidly catching up to Wraith, a smirk on his face. He has the proper technology to gly (the engines, the wings…) and having found one of the seemingly few weaknesses, is quick to jump and seize the opportunity.

“So you cant fly!” he taunts wraith as soon as he is withing hearing range.

“No! You absolute piece of shit!!!” wraith lunges towards starscream only grabbing empty air.

Starscream laughs and starts shooting. Unable to dodge the lasers, wraith takes every hit, metal plating hissing.

This has wraith lookking towards the ground, hoping to be able to land properly to re gain an advantage, but thefloor is still otoo far. “Ill probably die before landing” he thinks.

He is pulled from his thoughts by starscream shooting at him again, and this time —- this time from much closer. Now this is an opportunity for wratht, and they dont hestitatte to use it. They reach out towards starscream, makig sure to extend their arm out as much as they can. Starscreams awkward movement only helps wraith out, his gun just with grabbing distance. Wraith holds on and pulls themself towards starscream, using their momentutm to get closer and gab onto starscream. Not really having a plan often leads to quite poor actions, and wraith cant help but wonder what they are doing on, as they desperatly cling onto starscreams torso, arms and legs doing ethir part to keep clampted tight.

Starscream cusses and tries to claw and pry wriath off.

Seeing no other option he decides to utilise the environment once again, to get rid of this pesky opponant. He flies staraight towards the wall, and hits it full force. The force isnt enough, as wraith is still clingking on., so he flieys upwards t, dragging wraith up against the wall.