Wild Ride (Cyberverse Mech!reader X Hot Rod)

35: The Judge

"You want to do WHAT?!" I whisper-yelled at Hot Rod.

"I want to wake up this titain and use it against the Quintessons! It's our only option!"

"He's right, Y/D." Perceptor said. "Iaconus has enough firepower to overwhelm the Quintesson forces. But we will need Windblade if we are to awaken it."

"Yeah, this is a war titiain after all." Clobber added.

"Dead-end? Your thoughts?" I asked with a slightly pleading look.

"Puh, I don't care, so long as those squidface scraplets get blasted out." He said with arms crossed.

"The only one who seems to be against the idea is you Y/D. Why is that?" Perceptor asked.

"Look, there is a lot that you bots don't know about the Quintessons that I do." I said with a grim expression.

"Care to elaborate?" Dead-end asked suspiciously.

"The Quintessons are powerful beings, far more powerful than titains. Iaconus is just as deadly but highly unpredictable. He should only be used as a last resort if we are to avoid mass casualties." I said with a firm and strong tone.

"Then what do you suggest?" Hot Rod asked.

"We need to get Windblade out of the loop at the very least. That way, if we have to use Iaconus, we will be ready."

"Then let's go. Perceptor, you said you were working on some sort of device that might help?" Hot Rod asked.

"Yes, and it should help us interrupt the loop and bring Windblade out." Perceptor said.

"Clobber and I will enter the loop and find Windblade. The rest of you will find her physical body and attach the device. With any luck, we will be able to also use it to free more bots."

----

'Pits, this is creepy.' I thought as we went through the large chamber filled with bots hooked up to the loop, Perceptor, and the others ahead of me while I held up the rear. 

"Perceptor, there she is." I whispered when I spotted windblade. "Go go go." As the others got to work, I sensed that there were Quintessons approaching, and I signaled to the others to take cover. It didn't take long for the multi-limbed beings to locate us, but thanks to a trick Perceptor came up with the others were left completely alone. However, it didn't seem to work when I did it, and tentecals wrapped around my frame and hoisted me in the air.

"Hey! Let me go inkbreath!" I cried out as I struggled in its grip. "Hot Rod! Hurry!" I called through the comlink. The Quintesson then wrapped even more tentecals around me in a tight and excruciatingly painful squeeze. My vision went black, and I remembered nothing more.

"He's coming too." A voice of a Sharkticon said.

"That damn justicar really put the squeeze on him." Another said.

"You kidding? If it didn't, he'd tear us all apart."

"Nnng..." I groaned as my optics opened to find myself with my arms and wings bound tightly behind my back. "What.... where am I?"

"You are about to get judged, Anominon." The Sharkticon said as it jabbed me with a spear that forced me to a stand. "Now move it. " Reluctantly I complied and trudged through the familiar halls to the main judgement chamber where I saw the many faced Quintesson Judge in all its ugly glory, before it possibly the last bot I'd ever expect to see.

"If you do not comply with our request," the Judge threatened. "Your friend here will suffer the consequences." The bot in question turned around with a horrified expression on his face.

"Y/D?" Hot Rod whispered when he saw me. "Let him go!" Hot Rod demanded the Judge.

"Oh, I'm afraid we can't do that. You see, the one you call Y/D is guilty on 16 accounts for interference with the Quintessons." The Judge said, switching faces and speaking again.

"THE ANOMALY MUST BURN!" It switched faces again.

"No, it must be torn apart again and sealed away in unspace!"

"NO, IT DIDN'T WORK BEFORE WHAT MAKES YOU THINK IT WILL WORK AGAIN?!"

"It will work."

"THAT'S WHAT YOU SAID LAST TIME!"

"Enough! All of you!" The first face said. "Now tell us, how have you been avoiding our prosecutors?"

"Oh, that's easy." I piped up with a smirk, Hot Rod looking back at me with concern. "Despite having more optics than brains, you're too stupid to notice us. I mean, come on! We are pretty easy to spot."

"CONTEMPT!"

"What? Can't handle judgment?" I snarled. "Or perhapse you are too cowardly to actually fight!"

"Ohoho, this version of Anominon is spicy! I love it!" One of the faces said.

"Silence!" The first face said. "Answer our question, Cybertronian. How have you been avoiding us?"

"It's like what Y/D said." Hot Rod said. "You just aren't that observant."

"ENOUGH! WE FIND YOU GUILTY!" The judge bellowed. "Take this one away and terminate Anominon's physical body."

"Pah! You wish!" I said as I teleported out of my bindings and over to Hot Rod, the pair of us making a run for it.

"AFTER THEM!" The Judge shrieked.

"Why didn't you do that to begin with?" Hot Rod asked as we zipped through the corridors.

"Kinda just remembered I could do that!" I cackled as I dodged and weaved past the Quintessons. "Over here!" I called to Hot Rod. The pair of us then shifted forms and ran towards a door that led to a massive drop. "Jump!"

"Are you crazy?!"

"Yes!" I then grabbed Hot Rod and shifted forms mid-air, the grounder clinging to my wings as I barrel rolled through the air with blinding speed.

"Whoohoo!" He cheered as he held on for dear life.

"Better hang on! We are going in hot!" I then changed forms mid-air near the entrance of Macadam's and caught Hot Rod in my arms as we slid inside. "You okay?" I asked the mech that was safely nestled in my arms.

"Yeah. Thanks for the insane rescue." Hot Rod said as I helped him to his feet.

"And I should thank you," a familiar voice said from behind us, the pair of us turning around to see Soundwave standing there with Clobber and Dead-end behind him. "For rescuing me."