The Femme Gladiator

Prologue

The screams and cheers were loud, almost deafening as onlookers watched the entertainment carrying out below them. Two battle-hardened mechs once again collided with a loud, resounding bang and the crowds' hoots and hollers got louder.

Wilder.

Curious, bright-blue optics peaked over the wall protecting the audience from the battle and the small, purple protoform pushed through the crowd to get a closer look. The protoform, a small femme, grasped the edge of the wall and hauled herself up it and her optics widened in awe at the sheer size and brute strength the two combating mechs demonstrated.

The femme flinched back as she watched the smaller of the two mechs let out a grunt of pain as the other mech's clenched servo slammed into his abdomen. The smaller mech was quick to retaliate as he drove his own clenched servo upward, driving it into the larger mech's chin and his helm snapped back from the impact and stumbled backward.

The smaller mech, Nightheap if she remembered correctly, took his opportunity and tackled the larger mech, Flashraker, who fell back while he was struggling to regain his balance. An enraged snarl came from Flashraker, the more experienced gladiator getting back to his pedes and he wiped energon off of his dermas with the back of his servo.

A dark chuckle soon came from Flashraker, glossa flicking out from between his dermas to lick off the excess energon, "That was a grave mistake you just made, rookie." He snarled and the mech raised his servos, which were now littered with sharpened spikes that were not there before, "Come here!" He then growled as his servo shot toward Nightheap, who scrambled out of the way.

The femme watched with growing interest as the large, bulky mech hauled aft after the smaller Nightheap, rage clear in his bright, crimson optics. The small protoform's optics rotated, and her interest shifted from the fight down below to up in the stands. Standing a ways behind the femme was the tall, intimidating form of Megatronus.

The mech had certainly made quite a name for himself in the pits of Kaon, and was unarguably, the champion of the ring. However, it wasn't the figure of Megatronus that acquired her interest. It was the mech beside him.

Getting up from her spot, the femme made her way up towards Megatronus, who's optics rotated to look down at her much smaller form. "Ah, Breakshift." The mech spoke gruffly, his servo reaching down to lightly pat the femme's helm. Breakshift swatted irritably at the clawed servo and a deep chuckle came from the gunmetal grey mech, "I've been looking for you."

Breakshift's helm tilted in curiosity, "I've been here the whole time." The femme spoke softly, her voice was quiet and raspy. "Stayed put, just like you asked." A frown tugged at the femme's dermas as the mech let out a low sigh.

Placing a servo on the the shoulderplating of the mech beside him, Megatronus spoke, "I wanted to introduce you to someone." He lightly patted the lanky mech, who had yet to speak, on the shoulder. "This is Soundwave, a fellow Gladiator." He introduced and the mech nodded his helm toward the femme in greeting.

Breakshift tilted her helm slightly, raising her servo with a small wave, "H-hello..." She greeted nervously, she seemed to be intimidated by the mech. She wasn't the only one, many Cybertronians feared the mech and his cold indifference toward everything and anyone and he was a fierce Gladiator.

The only one who had ever bested Soundwave was Megatronus himself, and he was spared death out of respect. It was clear that the two mechs were not friends, they were merely acquaintances. "Soundwave here," The femme shifted her gaze from her father-figure back toward the silent mech, "Has heard of your eagerness to join as a Gladiator."

The femme nodded her helm, looking from Megatronus to Soundwave, the latter of whom she could only assume was staring intently at her. Breakshift suppressed a shudder at the unnerving feeling she got from the mech and she nervously looked down at her pedes.

The femme's helm shot up back toward the lanky mech as she heard a deep, auto-tuned voice ring out, "Femme: Is it fear that I sense from you?" The mech's visor was still staring right at her, "Fear is something you will need to overcome if you ever wish to think about becoming a Gladiator." Soundwave advised before the mech turned and walked off, leaving the femme alone with Megatronus.

Breakshift tilted her helm up towards Megatronus, who's sharpened dentas were bared in a grin, "I'd heed Soundwave's advice, young one." He placed a servo on her shoulderplate, "He was the champion that preceded me." The mech chuckled, remembering that day quite clearly.

Megatronus gave a shake of his helm, turning his attention toward the ring as Nightheap let out a pained cry and a victory roar came from Flashraker. Breakshift turned her helm toward the Pit as well, her optics zeroing in on Flashraker. The mech let out another roar of victory as he slammed his pede down on the smaller mech's helm. This was a sign of dominance among the mechs of Kaon.

The announcer's voice soon boomed from somewhere in the stands, "And we have a winner!" The mech shouted, the cheers growing louder and he placed a servo to his audio receptors with a grin.

"Flashraker will be moving up in the ranks! Medics! Get Nightheap out of here, because the scrapheap is where he'll be going!" There were some chuckles from the audience at the announcer's remark to the poor mech.

The femme watched the medics grab Nightheap from the ground, pity shining in her optics as they soon dragged the beaten mech out of sight. She turned her gaze toward Flashraker, who pounded his fists together, sharpened dentas bared in a seemingly permanent snarl.

She tilted her helm, observing the burly mech as he soon stomped off to get himself treated.

A servo was placed on the top of her helm and the femme once again swatted it away, tilting her helm up to where her bright blue optics met a deep crimson.

"Soon, my dear... That will be you."