080803 - Quiet pt 13

[koilungfish]

1/8/08 - 1784 words on Deeper Down
2/8/08 - Ill


Quiet, pt 13

         Descend spiderwise - it's good for you! Gibber thought as the Autobots did, climbing down clinging and scuffing and gasping at foot-slips and finger-slides. Gravity rejected, he stood at right-angles to them on the wall of the main corridor, feet still shuffling quick and nervous, twitchy in the rotors, twitchy in the fingers. Can't trust Autobots. Trickity sneakity 'for your own good', don't even know when they're lying. Chortle, snap fingers, make like a laugh quietly. Don't tell the Autobots. Don't tell them a thing.
         "Hey man, want to let us in on the joke?" Jazz asks, looking up at him.
         Turn an angle on attraction, jump off the wall and hang head-down - down is up, up is down, all this used to be sideways anyway, funny how nothing stays the same like that - look the dancing Autobot in the face only the wrong way up. "No joke, just life!" Pop optics - make them bulge, all five of them - clatter mouthpieces. "Going down!" and drop! Whoosh! Headfirst all the way down to the door to the bridge. Used to be people here. Not anymore.
         Hang upside-down, only the right way up with gravity standing on its head today. Whick-whack rotors from side to side, feel strange with all the weight in the wrong places. A good sort of strange. Poke the buttons on the ceiling-that-is-floor-that-was-wall. Open door. Lean back, wait for guns - no bang? Not really surprised. Just not normal - peer inside.
         Grey, grey, grey ...
         Autobots coming down now. Mirage - sneaky blue head - standing there, looking down. Don't look at me, sneaky blue head, you have gunsights in your eyes. Grey trembler follows, all tired. Walks like a victim. Could make one of him.
         Smokescreen follows - lick the voice, lick the throat, suck the vocaliser, mmm, lickable pretty car - stands well back. Knows. Sees it. Sees my optics. Sees my fingers. Hears my rotors, whickawhack! Knows what I want. Wants it too, know you do, pretty shiny car, let you know I know you soon.
         Dancing Autobot comes down last, all responsible leader but the stance can't match it. Hasn't got the shoulders, hasn't got the back, doesn't stand right. Not in charge. Where's your leader, dancing Autobot? Can he dance? Don't trust you any, oh no.
         "You want to lead the way?" says Jazz, all smiles, all polite. "Or should I?"
         Invert! Head up, let gravity put itself right, wall underfoot is a good enough floor. Make sure not to stand on the buttons. Quick dance! Pose! Remind world who is in charge. Remind world I am alive. "Autobots can go first. Have fun with the grey. Watch it." Hiss the words. Let them see the grey.
         Shrugs the Jazz. "All right. Last one in needs a tyre change!" And hoppity down and in he goes, slide and skid, standing on central console. Follow the others more cautiously. More sense or more coward. Doesn't matter. Sneaky blue head goes in, swinging from the doorframe, jumps onto pilot's chair, balances well. Watch that one. Balanced like a jet. Poise is power.
         Grey trembler follows, sliding down to join Jazz, just slumps the doors and follows. Wretched little thing. Hurt you good sometime soon. Smokescreen follows. Watch him, watch him jump and slide, all the way down to the front, hanging off the navigation console, trying to work the controls.
         "Doesn't work! All dead!" Say it loud, say it proud. "Autobots aren't going to find very much here, are they?"
         "Hey, you said your crew was here!" Jazz argue, pointing around the room. Nobody there. Empty room.
         "Were! Were there! Locked themselves in!" Rattle rotors, shift shoulders, look big! Look bigger! "Want to know where they went? Want to ask them about the grey? Want to ask them about the crazy? Talk to them! Talk to them now!"
         Stamp on buttons!
         "Hey wai-"
         Activated release levers! Bridge doors slam closed! Don't need power for that one, just little metal switch and big pistons!
         Door locked now. Can't be opened. No power. Laugh. Autobots locked in now! No getting out now!
         Lean down, turn on radio. [Autobots?]
         Quiet. Know they're there. Know they can hear.
         [Autobots listen now!]
         [We're listenin',] says Jazz.
         [Can't dance fast enough now. Can't dance through doors. Autobots can stay in there with the grey and the crazy, stay with the dead who won't stay where you leave them. Stay put! Stay there!]
         Silence. Listening, but silent. Know it.
         [Listening still? Going to find your leader now.]
         [No!] says the trembler.
         [Knew you were listening. Going to find Counterblast and then find your leader and make him talk to us. Going to find out what you want here.] Smile. Hear the silence, quiet of fear. [Then ... mmm, lickable Smokescreen ... going to lick you clean. Going to lick your paint right off.] Tune the radio. Can hear him. Hear his clock-pulse. Hear his circuit-hum. Hear his fear-silence. [Going to lick the screams right out of you. Mmmm.]

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/_silverfox/]

... never turn your back on an enemy. Especially not one as crazy as this one. What were they thinking?

[koilungfish.livejournal.com]

I am sure they will be asking themselves that in the next part, yes. Although with someone like Gibber around, there's just no safe place to put him.

Thanks for commenting. I'm never sure if anyone's reading "Quiet".

[http://users.livejournal.com/_silverfox/]

I'm reading. Honestly! *tries to look cute and in need of more fic*

[koilungfish.livejournal.com]

:: chuckle:: Ahh, cute doesn't work on me, I'm afraid. It's the tentacles ;)

[http://users.livejournal.com/_silverfox/]

*wonders where to buy fox sized tentacle costume*

[koilungfish.livejournal.com]

... that would be a very strange sight to see.

[okamichan.livejournal.com]

*delurks to facepalm* The sad thing is that I can really see this happening. As for his crazy talk about the grey, and the dead, and the crazy (as if he's one to talk! ha!) I'm looking forward to seeing what this means, or is it all just talk? hmmm. I'm kinda hoping that dear ole Prowl will be a bit more of an opposition than.


Sorry, been meaning to delurk sooner to comment on this storyline. *sheepish grin*

*goes back to lurk mode*

[koilungfish.livejournal.com]

See what happening, in particular? Yeah, it's about time we sat down and had a little exposition here. Prowl is a different kettle of fish entirely from Jazz & co, but ... we shall see.

:: waves to the lurker:: 'ullo. Please do comment, even if it's just to say "Hey, I'm reading this!" Otherwise I have no idea if anyone's actually reading - let alone enjoying - this thing.

[okamichan.livejournal.com]

See what happening, in particular?

Just the Autobots' blind faith(?)(trust? stupidity?) that the crazy Decepticon helo's not going to do anything to them when they go in first.

I've been reading this since part 8, at the least, and have been really enjoying it. I'll try to delurk more often so you know.

[koilungfish.livejournal.com]

I guess they thought the "Oh woe I am lonely last survivor and a bit cracked in the head over it" thing outweighed the "I am crazy Decepticon helicopter who shot at you yesterday" part. Autobots have many good qualities but their tendency to think the best tends to do for them.

:) Ta.

[lunatron.livejournal.com]

I read, but I'm having trouble following, so sorry, no useful comments.

[koilungfish.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I guess it's not easy to read in chunks like this.

[kamiraptor.livejournal.com]

Hey! I'm reading, and I'm enjoying it!

In the earlier parts I liked it, I think, because you conveyed the quiet to me very well, and there's almost always someone or something making noise around me, so the idea of that still quiet is subtly creepy.

And now, I really like this crazy helo because I like to read crazy. That might be a little crazy of me!

[koilungfish.livejournal.com]

Thank you :)

Heh, the story has changed a bit. Still, it's gone from Bluestreak's quiet to Gibber's quiet, so I guess it makes some sense.

Ah, people seem to like Gibber. I guess I'd better keep him alive for a while ;D

[syntia-13.livejournal.com]

///Ah, people seem to like Gibber. I guess I'd better keep him alive for a while ;D///

And break the tradition of killing your OCs? Shame on you! Must upkeep the tradition! Tradition!
;D Guess who's been listening to old musicals lately ;D

Anyway, am still reading, and enjoying each part immensely.
Poor Prowl, he sends Jazz in, and a crazy helo will come out... not looking good, that. Not looking good at all. (Is looking forward to the return of the 'misplaced distrust' thing).
Oh, and the gray, the crazy, and the dead who won't stay put... do I smell zombies? Ah, love the mystery...

[koilungfish.livejournal.com]

Hey, I haven't killed Sidewinder yet! Or any of the Light & Smile crew. Besides, I already killed most of the cast of Quiet. If I kill Gibber, who will the Autobots have to shoot at them? [Oh, yeah, Counterblast ... ]

Ta :)

Be worse than that, Prowl can't get out of that airlock unless he jumps out of the ship.

No, not zombies. Something else :)

[syntia-13.livejournal.com]

oh, yes, like being buried alive is any better... ;)
And considering the body-count of Light and Smile, letting seven chars to survive is acceptable. (or was it eight? hmm, must read the fic again....)

Ahhh... I don't think Prowl'll be to keen to go fall this hight...again!

Humm, humm humm, something else, humm *brain overheats guessing*. Guess I'll just have to wait and see, yes?

[koilungfish.livejournal.com]

Well, he's still alive ...

Eight. The Sad and Sorry Six and Misdemeanour, and Brickhouse offscreen.

Nope, I doubt he will.

[tarajcl.livejournal.com]

Was having difficulty keeping up, but having now doubled back and reread the rest in one go, I conclude that I really, really want to know what happens next. High points include Jazz, Gibber's mannerisms and how very convinced I now am that something utterly horrible is going to happen soon. Low point is that I couldn't exactly work out what was going on orientation-wise earlier, couldn't get a concrete picture going of the ship's various sections. Might just be me not paying attention.

-Trickity sneakity 'for your own good', don't even know when they're lying.-

...! I has a sudden thought. Probably entirely wrong, but it's nice to speculate. You write good suspence.

[koilungfish.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'd like to know what happens next too ;D

Thanks. Gibber's fun to write when I can get into his way of thinking, but it's like trying to get into a shirt that's two sizes too small - tricky as hell and once you're out you can't imagine how you got in there in the first place. Yeah, the orientation thing is awkward. I had a basic rule of referring to things as they normally are, but I probably forgot it all over the place and then Gibber decided to ignore that completely.

Oho? What is this sudden thought? I am interested.