Auction

Kaon. A black pit of darkness, crime, and misery. Few come to Kaon to stay. And those who do rarely ever choose to stay. It is always against their own volition. 
All that aside, those who come the streets of Kaon and visit Wreckage Row frequently know the ins, outs, and quirks of the place. Word of mouth travels quickly in dark places such as these, and far and wide has the message spread about an auction that's held about every vorn. Two black marketers, would manage to snag an off world treasure and bring it (albeit illegally) to Cybertron to sell for ten times its worth. And this time around, the item in question is a tech-savvy vehicle. Fully equipped with cloaking devices and smart camo, it's exterior and interior are adaptable to most any circumstance. One simply has to pick up the keys, think, and the ship would transform to adapt to fit the owner's present need. 
Mechs from all over Kaon and the surrounding area have arrived to hopefully be the ones to take home this off world prize, and Drift along with Shiftlock and Lockdown are here, hoping to do the same.
Lockdown crosses his arms as he scans the crowd, recognizing most here, nodding in greeting to a few while ignoring others. He barely even glances at the pair with him as he turns his full attention on the familiar scene ahead. A smirk crossing his face as he studied the vehicle.
This would be the first time Shiftlock has met Lockdown.
Through Senate information files she has heard of him; she knows that some Senators have even struck deals with him, but meeting in person? No. Not until now. She keeps glancing over at him, at his paint, his spikes, his hook hand... She can't help but feel that Drift has gotten in way over his head.
Shiftlock keeps close to Drift, standing at his side, wondering what she's gotten herself into. Still, it's close to the journey's end for her, and after this auction, she'll have to let him know about the issue of her, well, -special needs-.
Drift doesn't look uncomfortable. He stays close behind Lockdown. "This competition doesn't look too bad," he comments, glancing around. "I hope you kept those grenades on you," he says to Lockdown, "you're going to need them. If you didn't already know, these auctions get pretty ugly," he says, more to Shiftlock than to Lockdown. 
All around them, stand burly mechs who look like the've been to the pits and back. They've brought big guns, swords, axes--looking for all the world like they're going to war. Few exchange glances with Lockdown, while others brush past them rudely and do not spare them a glance. Some are even missing optics, and fingers. Not the nicest looking bunch. Just up ahead are the auctioneers, looking like they're ready to start taking bids.
"Heh, not my first time here in Wreckage Row. Especially with a crowd like this, you just better be ready as well," Lockdown replies finally looking to Drift. The bounty hunter is completely calm even as others rudely move past. For now he just makes his way up closer to the auctioneers. 
Looking around the others would notice a few even glaring at the mech but not making any sort of moves. Cause at this point in time, the show has just barely begun.
"So what are we looking for?" Shiftlock asks. She's been here before, but not as herself. She never stuck around for the auctions; her work was strictly snatch-and-grab of personal data. "And... you know you're gonna have to tell me how you fell in with these guys, Drift. I think we're gonna need some time to catch up and come clean."
He smirks at Lockdown. "Didn't think so, not mine either. Hell, when am I never ready to bust some slagger's aft?" He shakes his helm. Drift laughs. "Nothing, we've found it already," he says, pointing at the vehicle that's about to be sold. "Yeah..later," he says, sounding very dismissive. 
The auction is starting. The auctioneers start low, to pull in more buyers. But they know that by the time this is over, most people will either be dead, stasis locked or offering them a large amount of shanix.
Shiftlock is not liking this a bit, and she keeps REALLY close to Drift now, reaching out to loop her arm around one of his. She knows that in this crowd it's a good idea for someone like to her to pass herself off as 'marked territory'.
"Oh they got a real beauty. One certainly worth our time," Lockdown says as he stops and crosses his arms again. He lets the two talk to themselves as he watches the crowd, letting the auction play out for a while. Though knowing this crowd, its just a matter of time before someone makes a move.
When Lockdown mentions the vehicle is a real beauty, Drift drags Shiftlock along to the front, joining Lockdown. "Slag," he mutters when he lays optics on it, "You're damn right. I'll be slagged if we don't stay until the end of this." He pauses, and checks the time. "Although this could last up to half a decacycle."
"Good thing I have plenty of time," Shiftlock adds flatly.
Lockdown nods to Drift but says nothing else as he glances to Shiftlock then back to the auctioneers. Listening to the bid and gauging the crowd. Uncrossing his arms he doesn't make any of his own yet. For preparing for when someone finally makes their move.
Various bidders are already upping the price of the vehicle. But the crowd is getting restless, and many don't look as if they are going to refrain from shooting someone for much longer. Some people are starting to give Lockdown and the others dirty and suspicious looks, because they're the one of the only groups that hasn't made a bid yet...
 
"This... looks like it's gonna get messy," Shiftlock asides, noting how everyone here seems to be rough looking, violent, and armed to the teeth. She is none of the above. "Sh-should I even be here?" she asks Drift, pressing up against him and hugging his arm as if it were life support. Or a shield.
Drift moves his arm slightly. Shiftlock is grabbing onto him like a spark eater clamps onto his prey. "Look, I'm not going to let anyone hurt you so, don't worry." He looks around at the shifty crowd. "These mechs don't look like the toughest of the bunch anyway," he says.   
Just as he says that, a tall, hefty mech with laser rifle blasts the highest bidder in the faceplates. The mech goes down with a billow of smoke, and the other groups around them start mobilizing their weapons.   
Lockdown's optics narrow as he glances about at the crowd as they glare towards his group, "Heh looks like some of the really want to get started." He lets Drift handle Shiftlock as he focuses back on the ship infront of them. Not as good as his, but could always use a spare or let the kid keep it.  Crossing his arms he listens for the latest numbers before finally making a bid.  
Shift eases up on Drift's arm just a bit as he moves. She isn't really liking any of this, so she decides to back up from Mr. Suddenly Decepticon a few steps. She doesn't know what's gotten into him, but she's not sure she likes it. She doesn't know him anymore. Looking over at Lockdown now, she studies him a moment before asking, "So you and Drift know each other?"  
Lockdown smirks as the highest bidder is shot, though doesn't go for his weapons yet, though he stays alert. The smirk widens as one idiot decides to charge him waiting a moment before quickly moving to avoid the swing of their sword. Following up with a counter move by locking his hook hand onto the fools arm and kicking out one of his opponents legs. Once offbalance he follows up by pulling to send his opponent reeling onto the ground and stomping onto their back, "You can either back off or I can add to my collection."  
Stepping off the mech, he turns to Shiftlock to finally reply, "We met recently and currently working as partners on the same job."  
The tension in the atmosphere escalates. The next two top bidders are shot down, and the group doing the assassinating is retaliated upon, and a full out brawl ensues between the two bidding groups.   
One of the mechs allied with the one who charged Lockdown a moment ago growls. "Don't let it all go to your helm, slagger, you're outnumbered, ten to three." He brandishes his katana.  And despite the violence breaking out, the price of the ship continues to skyrocket as bidders continue to get shot down.
"Damn," Drift mutters. "This is almost starting to not be worth it..." 
"Is space travel really that big of a deal?!" Shift asks incredulously as the violence begins to erupt around all of them. 
"If you want to fight that badly, come on. Though my buddy may be right, and this is getting too rich for my taste. So unless I make another bid, go to your business," Lockdown says as he stares the mech down, his arm shifting to blaster mode.  
He idly glances to Shift as he says, "Since its been banned for a long time, to these guys it is." Right now he's half tempted to call his boys but for he chose to keep some on the downlow of his group while he performs this hunt. Though Ruiner will be interested in the bodies later.
"..." the other mech gives Lockdown a dirty glare before slowly turning around. Drift stares icily at the mech's back, his grip on his blaster tightening. The head auctioneer is watching Shiftlock, smirking. He's not a Cybertronian--only Primus knows what he is, some sort of half organic, half mechanoid creature. One of his single optics is scanning Shiftlock in an eerie fashion. Drift places an arm protectively around her waist, glaring at the other alien.  
As she's pulled over near Drift, Shiftlock comes to the realization she's being scanned. One glance tells her she knows what kind of eye that alien's giving her, and a terrible terrible thought comes to her mind. She leans over and whispers in Drift's audial, "Put me on offer," she suggests. "He wants something, maybe it can get you the hook you need to get that ship you want."  
"Drift, that is up to you since your protective of her. Though surprised your willing to put yourself up like that," Lockdown says as he looks to the auctioneer, wondering what he is finding out about his partners femme friend. He doesn't put away his weapon as he watches the crowd.  
The head auctioneer isn't actually the one taking bids. He's clearly the head hauncho of the two little drone like robots heading up the auction from the rowdy bunch around them. He grins and before Drift even gets to respond to Shift's suggestion, he's approaching.
"Tell you what, I'll make a fair trade. You give me her, and I'll hand you the ship." He laughs a little, and gives Shiftlock a knowing look. He has a look in his one optic, that says he might have some twisted use for her abilities.   
Drift pulls his blaster on the alien. "Go to the pits," he snarls.   
The alien laughs. "Fine," he says, "but don't say I didn't warn you." He turns on his heel. "Boys," he says to his drones, "pack up. We're not selling here today. But never let it be said that I'm not a man of my word. We can take.. a souvenir... Get her." He points at Shiftlock.
And suddenly, the drones transform--turning into full fledged military offensive bots with enough fire power to take out two mechs in a single shot.  
"Heh, well that was predictable for both you and him," Lockdown says though doesn't seem upset as he focuses on the pair of transformed drones, "Well unless the others round here wanna make trouble we got two options. Fight or run." He looks to Drift as he says the last part, knowing the other mech most likely is willing to fight. Course right now he can always pull the ace out of his sleeve, though it would remind others of part of his past. 
"You're gonna have to learn to trust me," Shiftlock sighs at Drift as the call goes out for a snatch-and-grab. On her. 
"SCATTER!" she shouts at the top of her vocalizer, giving Drift and Lockdown the chance to beat feet before she gets to work. A noise like the crinkling of thousands of sheets of thin metal echoes from the Shifter as her form turns fluid, altering color and mass, until it's not Shiftlock standing beside Drift. 
It's Blurr. 
<Blurr> is suddenly gone in a gust of wind, reappearing a sparkbeat later - standing on top of the right most drone.  
The drone on the left swivels it's triple guns--aiming a blast at each of them, while the one carrying Shiftlock tries to shake her. Drift grumbles. "Mech, I hate that guy, why him of all mechs..."  He glances over at Lockdown, just barely managing to avoid the blast being aimed at him. "I say we do both..." And swiftly, before the alien can react, he clocks him in the jaw and knocks the keys to the ship out of his hand. Catching them, he runs for the prized vehicle. "Shift, Lockdown! Come on!"  
Lockdown blinks as Shiftlock suddenly turns into Blurr but doesn't say anything bout it as he quickly avoids the blast, pulling out a couple of grenades and tossing them at the drones, "Here, CATCH!" Not waiting for the explosion, a smirk crosses his face as Drift goes for the prize muttering to himself, "Well that saves me the trouble."  Though right now the time for words is past as he transforms and charges towards the vehicle.  
<Blurr> goes hopping from one combat mech to another, then down, then zips over to Drift. "You-know-if-we-get-stuck-and-can't-take-this-thing-I-have-another-means-of-escape-for-us-because-I-can-turn-into-a-space-shuttle-too!"
Okay so she doesn't quite have the control to slow down her Blurr-speech yet.   
The drones are momentarily pushed back. But as soon as they recover from the explosions, they get right back on track and start heading for the ship ASAP.   
Drift just grins. "Now why on Cybertron would that happen? If I can nail two turbo foxes with a single trap, why not?" He brushes a hand under her chin. But then, he stops.... because she's Blurr, and it's weirding him out. Plus, Lockdown just got onto the ship. And, it looks like the rest of the bunch bidding on the ship also want dibs on the prize which is now up for grabs. Which might explain why there is now a small drone clawing at Lockdown's helm, and another mech suddenly grabbing Drift by the neck.   
Lockdown scowls as he pulls out a knife and stabs the part of the drone thats not latched onto his helmet, "This just keeps getting better don't it." His optics start to scan all those coming their way but says nothing else as he takes a few shots with his blaster.  
<Blurr> has punched the mech grabbing Drift before the poor sod can react. "Well-then-let's-get-on-that-ship-go-go-gogogoGO!" 'He' tries to take Drift's hand and simply run with him to the vessle. Now it's -his- turn to be pulled along. Fair is fair, after all.  
Drift is trying to follow <Blurr> but, just as he is about to enter the cockpit of the vessel, another mech grabs one of his legs. "Ah, Slag!" he cries, and pulls out his blaster so as to retaliate. With his other hand he manages to toss the keys to Lockdown. "You drive!" he grunts, trying to fend off some more mechs attempting to attack him.  Lockdown catches the keys and pushes his way into the cockpit, "Just get them outta here!" He immediately activates the engines and sets course. Focusing on getting outta there, even if it means taking the pair to his personal hideout.  
Shiftlock doesn't want Drift to be hurt, and now that she doesn't have to hide it, all the limiters she places on herself are scattered to the wind. 'Blurr' dissipates away as her form turns into something silvery and fluid, like living mercury, expanding outward and gaining a little more mass before turning into....  
A primordial. 
A massive black and green Ursagryph roars a keening cry before spewing plasma flames at the crowd and Drift's attackers. The sudden appearance of something that is, frankly, mythological - and is threatening to roast their mesh into cherry-red slag - is enough to make the crowd panic and fall back. Those assaulting Drift let him go, buying him time to get onboard. 
The ursagryph flows and shrinks back down to normal, ducking into the open entrance hatch, shaken a little by what she's just done. She flops into a seat and stares at her arms and legs as if they were alien to her. "... how the frag did I -do- that?"  
Drift's current attackers sluff off the ship like dandruff. Drift heaves a sigh of relief, and takes a seat next to Shiftlock, giving her a sexy smile and her waist a flirty squeeze. "Don't know, but that was pretty hot. Literally and figuratively."  But it looks like they might have more trouble. Those dogged drones still aren't dead yet--and they're shooting at the ship.   
However, Lockdown may find navigating the vehicle somewhat difficult. It doesn't operate like a normal ship. In fact, the keys are a strange little device that attaches itself to Lockdown's helm, and reads his cerebral circuitry transmissions. If his thoughts become at all sidetracked--well, let's just say the ship does too. "What is going.... frag tell me later!", Lockdown yells as he tries to keep the ship going straight. It shifts little at his thoughts until he focuses saying, "While don't expect this to be a smooth ride and don't say anything to me till we get there. Especially bout where we're going."
The direction the bounty hunter chooses is towards the Sea of Rust, final destination the space port on the Hydrax Plateau.  Drift is getting tossed around like a piece of laundry in a dryer. "The--hell....!!!" He says as he face plants against a window. "You know those drones are still after us, right?" He grunts, just before he's forced to the back of the cabin. "...slag--do you even know how to fly a damn ship!?"  
Lockdown's optics narrow but he doesn't look to Drift as he watches the display. Course he knows how to fly a ship, but damn alien tech, "What did I say bout distracting me? Its a neural interface, so gotta stay focused. So how bout you find something to get them off our tail." The ride does start to smooth out as he calms down and focuses, pushing the throttle.  
"Ugh, why did you say that earlier," he mutters grumpily, sitting up and rubbing his helm once the ship levels out. Drift looks around for something that might help them shake their pursuers. Near the back of the ship, there's a large mounted cannon. "Heh, this doesn't look too bad," he mutters. Opening the back portal of the ship, he fires the massive cannon. 
A giant laser blast zips out of the barrel and skims one of the drones, knocking it off course. However, the cannon's backfire is something else, and Lockdown can feel the shudder all the way up in the cockpit and the ship starts fishtailing. Drift has been knocked to the ground, and he looks like he might be about to stasis lock.  
"Slag careful back there!," Lockdown yells, not noticing Drift possibly being knocked out. For now he quickly checks to see the other features on the ship. Hopefully there being a cloaking device or something, cause right now he's not bailing.  A cloaking feature is nice, especially when Lockdown thinks of it, it kicks into gear. However, just a tiny bit too late as one of drones manages to score another shot at the ship, badly singeing the cannon Drift just used.
Lockdown might get a clue when Drift doesn't respond. Lockdown shakes his head as he doesn't get a response but doesn't go to check it out as for now he just focuses on getting outta there. Quickly moving higher into the air while the cloaks active, not sure if should hit space after that last hit. But for now more focused on getting outta the area and to his desination saying to himself, "You both are going to owe me for this."  
A few kliks later, Drift comes to. "Slag..." He gets up and stumbles into the cockpit. "The laser cannon isn't in good shape, I don't think I'd risk using it again." He looks around. "Did we lose them..?"  
"Yeah we lost them as long the shot didn't short out anything else that can knock out the cloak.", Lockdown replies, "Right now got it set to auto-pilot though have to make sure to check that we hit our destination. Don't bother asking, you'll probably figure out soon enough. You just go check on your friend and make sure the shifters ok."  
Drift says "..." he pauses, tempted to ask where they were going, but decides against it. "...Good. And her name is Shiftlock. She's alright, just resting. I think shape shifting is exhausting." Another hesitation. "Thanks for piloting. I think you saved our afts...""   
"Right, Shiftlock. You certainly have something rare there as a friend," Lockdown replies before nodding, "While your welcome, but don't expect it to become a habit. Course who knows what may happen in the future."  
"...I know." He pauses. "Do the same for yourself," he says, his optics narrowing a little. "I never ask for anyone's help unless I know they're actually going to give it." And with that, he turns and heads back towards the cabin of the ship, to tend to Shiftlock while she's resting.