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Description
(This story is set in the G1/Classics Universe or some offshoot...nothing ever really jives with any other continuity...anyway, this is my attempt to bring the Animated characters into the G1 universe hence Swindle's demeanor and the presence of a certain bounty hunter.  Hope you like it)

It began with the missing protoforms.  They were to be the shells of the first of the new Cybertronians.  Maximals they were being called.  Protoforms with the ability to take on an organic alternate mode.  The next step in Pretender technology, the Science Ministry called it.

I called it theft.  Plain and simple.

The security at the Ministry of Science was tight.  Some of the top Autobot warriors were on guard when the theft took place.  So how is it possible that some mech not only was able to get in such a High Security Area, let alone get out with several protoforms?  They must have had help.  Unfortunately, all of the mechs on guard here are in stasis lock for the foreseeable future.  And with the main forces of the Autobot Army engaging Galvatron and a revived Decepticon threat, High Command had no choice but to call on me.

My name is Devcon.  I'm what is known in most circles as a bounty hunter.

I meet with the chief of Cybertron Security, the same mech who trained me in the art of warfare.

His name is Kup.

Such a simple name for such a legendary figure.  Even with my well known disdain for authority, I mind my manners around the old mech.

"Devcon," I hear him bark.  " let's get right down to business."

"Yes sir," I reply.

He tells me of the attack, how the video record only showed what appeared to be a large black blur dispatch the guards before reaching the chamber of protoforms.  As the large mech exited the chamber, he motioned off camera.  I saw a familiar blue robot for a fraction of a second and then the video feed was lost.

"Doubledealer," I said.

"I should have been here," Kup lamented. "I could've prevented this."

I hesitated, and then spoke up.

"You were otherwise engaged," I said, trying to make my former mentor feel better.  "and from what I heard, the Autobots would have lost the Battle of Charr without your leadership. Red Alert is second only to you in matters of security, and if he couldn't prevent this, chances are you wouldn't have fared much better."

"Thanks," the old mech said, with more than a hint of sarcasm.

Clearly my interpersonal skills leave much to be desired.  I bid farewell to Kup, and begin my mission.

The first thing I need to find out is who Doubledealer's mystery partner is.  No way 'Dealer would have made it to the protoforms on his own.  Whoever it was, they were big, and they were fast.  I needed information, and the best mech for information was--

"Swindle," I called to him, as I entered his shop.  "We need to talk."

"Devcon," Swindle replied.  "You old scoundrel-bot!  How's the upgraded weaponry?  Do the Rigellians know their tools of war or what?"

"I'm not here for pleasantries, Swindle," I tell him.  "Dealer's back, and he's got a new partner."

"Devcon old buddy, we've been over this," he says.  "I'm not a Decepticon anymore.  I am simply a humble arms dealer."

I grab him by his neck and lift him off the ground.

"We both know your greatest asset was'nt your vast arsenal, but your knowledge," I growl.  "You and Dealer were close at one point.  You can't tell me you know nothing about this!"

"Well," Swindle gurgled out before I dropped him to the floor.  "Dealer WAS here about three solar cycles ago.  He ordered a set of Taraxian nunchaku from me.  He was with a large mech in a poncho...I had never seen him before that day..."

"Tell me," I demand.

"Sorry," Swindle responded. "Dealer was a dear friend of mine and an even more dear customer.  I don't give that sort of information out....for free..."

"You sonovaglitch!" I go to reach for him again but I suddenly find that I can't move.

"Neat little device I picked up on Nexus Four," Swindle informs me as he fondles a  strange looking remote.  "A Nucleo-paralyzer they call it.  I call it energon in the bank.  It freezes the fuel in a mech's system causing them temporary paralysis.  Not really much on offensive weaponry, thos Nexusians, but their defensive technology cant be beat."

"Nnnnn----fine 500 energon chips," I relent.

"No...I think we could do better," Swindle says.

Dammit he's got me by the ball bearings.

"Fine!  500 cubes of energon," I say, trying to contain my anger.

"Excellent," Swindle says.  "And I just happen to have a contract handy."

He de-activates the device and hands me the contract.

"I just need your signature right here..."

"Why dont I just give you the energon," I inquire.

"Ah," he's getting nervous. "Well I need the money wired to my off world account...it's harder for my enemies to find it as well as...er some former partners.  They're nice mechs and all, they just dont have the circuits for buisiness..."

I sign the contract, and Swindle starts talking.

"The big mech purchased two of my finest X'lflaxian shoulder mounted missle launchers.  Now the X'lflaxians are artisans when it comes to crafting an arsenal, if you're ever in the X'lflaxian Quadrant, pay them a visit.  You won't regret it."

"Enough with the platitudes," I interject.  "I need a name!"

"Ah yes of course...." he pauses.  "I believe his name was...Lock-in....Padlock...Gridlock...Lockup...wait!  I remember!  It was Lockdown!"

I had to stop myself from visibly trembling.  I was known for never losing a quarry as well as a battle.  The first and only time I ran into Lockdown, I lost both.  He broke in to the prison in Iacon. Lockdown single handedly dispatched a dozen mechs before gaining control of the Master Key which was a device than unlocked all the cells at once.  He was a master of sveral Cybertronian martial arts, including some that even I had never heard of before.  I still remember his grinning skull-like face standing over me.

"Nothing personal kid," he said.  "But the big M is paying me a starship's weight in Energon to free these bots.  Im impressed with your skill but nothing stands between me and my payday."

He laughed, transformed into vehicle mode and took off.  I left Cybertron and didn't return for vorns.  But wait--the Lockdown I met wasn't as big as the mech in the security vid...hmmm

"Thanks Swindle," I say with a hint of anger in my voice.

"No problem," he responds  "anything for a valued customer such as your self.  And hey if you run into Grimlock in your travels, tell him I have his personalized reformatting chip ready for him!"

"Hn," I grumble.  "And this info better be accurate...otherwise all the Nucleo-paralyzers and X'lflaxian missle launchers in the known universe won't save you."

I transformed into my star-jet mode and took off

Description
(This story is set in the G1/Classics Universe or some offshoot...nothing ever really jives with any other continuity...anyway, this is my attempt to bring the Animated characters into the G1 universe hence Swindle's demeanor and the presence of a certain bounty hunter.  Hope you like it)

It began with the missing protoforms.  They were to be the shells of the first of the new Cybertronians.  Maximals they were being called.  Protoforms with the ability to take on an organic alternate mode.  The next step in Pretender technology, the Science Ministry called it.

I called it theft.  Plain and simple.

The security at the Ministry of Science was tight.  Some of the top Autobot warriors were on guard when the theft took place.  So how is it possible that some mech not only was able to get in such a High Security Area, let alone get out with several protoforms?  They must have had help.  Unfortunately, all of the mechs on guard here are in stasis lock for the foreseeable future.  And with the main forces of the Autobot Army engaging Galvatron and a revived Decepticon threat, High Command had no choice but to call on me.

My name is Devcon.  I'm what is known in most circles as a bounty hunter.

I meet with the chief of Cybertron Security, the same mech who trained me in the art of warfare.

His name is Kup.

Such a simple name for such a legendary figure.  Even with my well known disdain for authority, I mind my manners around the old mech.

"Devcon," I hear him bark.  " let's get right down to business."

"Yes sir," I reply.

He tells me of the attack, how the video record only showed what appeared to be a large black blur dispatch the guards before reaching the chamber of protoforms.  As the large mech exited the chamber, he motioned off camera.  I saw a familiar blue robot for a fraction of a second and then the video feed was lost.

"Doubledealer," I said.

"I should have been here," Kup lamented. "I could've prevented this."

I hesitated, and then spoke up.

"You were otherwise engaged," I said, trying to make my former mentor feel better.  "and from what I heard, the Autobots would have lost the Battle of Charr without your leadership. Red Alert is second only to you in matters of security, and if he couldn't prevent this, chances are you wouldn't have fared much better."

"Thanks," the old mech said, with more than a hint of sarcasm.

Clearly my interpersonal skills leave much to be desired.  I bid farewell to Kup, and begin my mission.

The first thing I need to find out is who Doubledealer's mystery partner is.  No way 'Dealer would have made it to the protoforms on his own.  Whoever it was, they were big, and they were fast.  I needed information, and the best mech for information was--

"Swindle," I called to him, as I entered his shop.  "We need to talk."

"Devcon," Swindle replied.  "You old scoundrel-bot!  How's the upgraded weaponry?  Do the Rigellians know their tools of war or what?"

"I'm not here for pleasantries, Swindle," I tell him.  "Dealer's back, and he's got a new partner."

"Devcon old buddy, we've been over this," he says.  "I'm not a Decepticon anymore.  I am simply a humble arms dealer."

I grab him by his neck and lift him off the ground.

"We both know your greatest asset was'nt your vast arsenal, but your knowledge," I growl.  "You and Dealer were close at one point.  You can't tell me you know nothing about this!"

"Well," Swindle gurgled out before I dropped him to the floor.  "Dealer WAS here about three solar cycles ago.  He ordered a set of Taraxian nunchaku from me.  He was with a large mech in a poncho...I had never seen him before that day..."

"Tell me," I demand.

"Sorry," Swindle responded. "Dealer was a dear friend of mine and an even more dear customer.  I don't give that sort of information out....for free..."

"You sonovaglitch!" I go to reach for him again but I suddenly find that I can't move.

"Neat little device I picked up on Nexus Four," Swindle informs me as he fondles a  strange looking remote.  "A Nucleo-paralyzer they call it.  I call it energon in the bank.  It freezes the fuel in a mech's system causing them temporary paralysis.  Not really much on offensive weaponry, thos Nexusians, but their defensive technology cant be beat."

"Nnnnn----fine 500 energon chips," I relent.

"No...I think we could do better," Swindle says.

Dammit he's got me by the ball bearings.

"Fine!  500 cubes of energon," I say, trying to contain my anger.

"Excellent," Swindle says.  "And I just happen to have a contract handy."

He de-activates the device and hands me the contract.

"I just need your signature right here..."

"Why dont I just give you the energon," I inquire.

"Ah," he's getting nervous. "Well I need the money wired to my off world account...it's harder for my enemies to find it as well as...er some former partners.  They're nice mechs and all, they just dont have the circuits for buisiness..."

I sign the contract, and Swindle starts talking.

"The big mech purchased two of my finest X'lflaxian shoulder mounted missle launchers.  Now the X'lflaxians are artisans when it comes to crafting an arsenal, if you're ever in the X'lflaxian Quadrant, pay them a visit.  You won't regret it."

"Enough with the platitudes," I interject.  "I need a name!"

"Ah yes of course...." he pauses.  "I believe his name was...Lock-in....Padlock...Gridlock...Lockup...wait!  I remember!  It was Lockdown!"

I had to stop myself from visibly trembling.  I was known for never losing a quarry as well as a battle.  The first and only time I ran into Lockdown, I lost both.  He broke in to the prison in Iacon. Lockdown single handedly dispatched a dozen mechs before gaining control of the Master Key which was a device than unlocked all the cells at once.  He was a master of sveral Cybertronian martial arts, including some that even I had never heard of before.  I still remember his grinning skull-like face standing over me.

"Nothing personal kid," he said.  "But the big M is paying me a starship's weight in Energon to free these bots.  Im impressed with your skill but nothing stands between me and my payday."

He laughed, transformed into vehicle mode and took off.  I left Cybertron and didn't return for vorns.  But wait--the Lockdown I met wasn't as big as the mech in the security vid...hmmm

"Thanks Swindle," I say with a hint of anger in my voice.

"No problem," he responds  "anything for a valued customer such as your self.  And hey if you run into Grimlock in your travels, tell him I have his personalized reformatting chip ready for him!"

"Hn," I grumble.  "And this info better be accurate...otherwise all the Nucleo-paralyzers and X'lflaxian missle launchers in the known universe won't save you."

I transformed into my star-jet mode and took off