Title: It's All About Chance
Series: The Chance Chronicles, Chapter 1
Universe: Transformers. A Juxtaposition sidestory/AU, set as an alternate of the Jux comics by Cafei and the AU Juxtaposition series by Vaeru (Dreaming of Who?). Go to Vaeru's page and read the bio to get a look at the whole thing, with handy dandy links to Cafei's Deviant Art page as well as all of Vaeru's fanfics at I highly recommend reading/viewing their work, as it will give you crucial setting and background for this series. ) (Also, the main series is a damn good read and the AU off-shot story & related comics are plain hilarious!)
Note: Thank you to Vaeru & Cafei, for the Juxtaposition Fan-Fanfic contest and their kindness in letting me expand my entry into a series.

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It's all about Chance
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He was, Ravage decided, the stealthiest, coolest cat around, no doubt about it. That the very reference to earth mammals would have sent Soundwave into paroxysms of displeasure (i.e. a vaguely disapproving look) only served to enhance the cassette's smugness. The files Laserbeak had hacked into shortly after they'd left the mudball planet they'd last stopped at had been fascinating and for all that the weird squishy organics who lived upon it were nigh incomprehensible to him, he still thought the new shape he'd worked out for himself was made of sheer and incontestable awesome.

And it made Soundwave twitch each time he saw the cassette slinking about in his new shape. Making Soundwave actually twitch (even if just slightly) was an achievement which had earned him the other cassettes approval and first dibs on near anything he might lay claim to for the next century. Including this mission, which he wasn't sure was exactly what he'd wanted to get originally, but he supposed it was a good way to prove that his alt shape had been a good idea. Or something like that. The whole concept had sounded pretty nifty when Laserbeak had first suggested it, anyway. And while all the others had been caught during the original attempt to secure the squishie with the weird energy reading, he was still quite undetected, right? Right. Or so he kept telling himself as he slunk through the various ducts and repair access ways he'd been hiding in for the past week since the Decepticon force had attempted to invade the Autobots' stupid, annoyingly sentient ship. Which he, the super stealth cat of doom, was more than able to shield himself from, when it came to being detected.

A grate beyond him gleamed invitingly, along with the faint readings of energon and Ravage nearly bolted towards the source of sustenance before slowing himself down. While he was (literally he was sure) dying for even the tiniest sip of energon, at this time, running into any sort of laboratory (which this was, he could tell because of the seared walls from obviously recent explosions and the fact that Very Odd Things were strewn about, making Even Odder Noises) was not the smartest thing to do.

The container with leftover energon rested slightly askew on a table of the darkened laboratory and Ravage found the sight too tempting to resist. After certain no one was still in the room and making free use of his own impressive skills of stealth and nigh invisibility in darkness, Ravage opened the grate and squirmed out, landing lightly on the floor before beginning to stalk the source of sustenance.

The tremors that ran through the ship on a near regular basis were nothing new – at least not for Evelyn. Her still new to the-insanity-that-were-Wheeljack's-experiments companion was another story though.

"Awk!" The cardinal "never stand near the edge of anything far off the ground" rule had been, clearly, totally forgotten by the newcomer. As Evelyn bemusedly turned around to find out what was wrong, the sight of a flailing, unbalanced girl teetering over the edge of the table (the high, robot sized table) was a bit unsettling. Maybe even panic inducing. With a side order of "ohmigodohmigodshe'sgonnadieshe'sgonnadie" at that.

I think she's gonna fall, was the idle thought from her unwilling tenant.

No kidding, Nimrod! What gave that away?!

Evelyn's expression quickly changed from flummoxed to terrified as she lunged forward, trying to catch hold of any of the wildly wind-milling appendages before the dark haired girl tipped over. And utterly failed to do so as Cafei went over the edge with a strangled sound. Screwing her eyes tightly shut, Evelyn managed to not scream too loudly as she clapped her hands to her ears. This wasn't the highest place to be mucking about in the infirmary, but it wasn't exactly just a few feet worth of falling, either.

CRUNCH!

Huh. That sound wasn't right for an organic.

With a small whimper, Evelyn ignored Sideswipe's comment and managed to make herself look over the edge. And blinked. Cafei was stirring weakly, though she seemed to be in one piece and there was a thorough lack of blood or anything resembling it anywhere near her prone form. No oddly twisted limbs. No agony or death either. The faint mutter of resentful pain Cafei emitted as she moved a bit more firmly and then slowly started to try and stand up while checking her arms and legs confirmed Evelyn's original assessment that the girl hadn't killed herself or incurred serious injury after all. Somehow.

"Huh."

Hrm. She didn't go squish. Why not?

...you sound so concerned...

Aw, c'mon! I didn't meant it in a bad way!

"Mrr."

"Mrr?" Evelyn repeated the sound reflectively, even as she leaned forward a bit more, breaking her own rule about high tables and edges.

"That wasn't me," was the pained response, as Cafei slowly pried herself off whatever had served as a landing pad. The agonized sound was repeated, even as Cafei exclaimed in dismay. Obviously ignoring the various aches and bruises she'd earned during her fall, the woman leaned down and scooped up a small form, cooing at it worriedly.

"Aw! I think I squished the kitty! And it saved my life too!"

...we mentioned insane, right?

"...kitty? Cafei, there aren't any cats here." Evelyn peered down, trying to make out what Cafei was so enthusiastically cuddling to herself.

She's nuts. You know that.

Shut up! ...I think I should go check this out. Ugh, I hate that ladder.

Hey, exercise is good for you, right?

Clearly, you're not the one who has to actually use the damn thing. I can tell, because you sound so damn cheerful each time I have to use it.

You are just so grumpy, you know that?

The trip took far too long, even if it was a far shorter proposition to head down as opposed to up the damn ladder, with Sideswipe heckling her cheerfully the entire way. Finally Evelyn reached the ground and headed towards the now curled up Cafei, who held a small form cradled in her arms.

"Aw! Poor baby... I'm so sorry!" Still cooing over the tiny black shape she held in her arms, Cafei looked up at Evelyn. "I think he's ok. He's ok, right?" Evelyn raised an eyebrow and made no mention of the spectacularly darkening vista of bruises slowly starting to adorn the visible potions of Cafei's skin.

"He?"

"He," Cafei nodded wisely. "We're gonna call him Chance." She beamed up at the linguist, and returned to her fussing and cooing, the shifting about finally giving Evelyn a look at exactly what Cafei was holding.

Um. Evelyn? That's not-

"Ohmigod! He's so cute!" The last word ended on a high-pitched squeal as Evelyn knelt down to look at the tiny black metallic kitten blinking up owlishly at her in dazed confusion, Cafei's fall and subsequent bruising utterly forgotten. "Maybe Wheeljack made him as a pet for us? He was going on about some new project of his not long ago!" Beaming, she reached down and gently petted the creature's head, before skritching it gently behind the ear. The tiny pink mouth – which had obviously been opening widely so that Chance could attempt to take a chunk out of her hand – paused and the kitten's red eyes went something like askew as she reached the Right Spot any cat lover knew about. The kitten blinked once, then twice, and suddenly twisted around, flopping further in Cafei's arms while leaning into the motion of Evelyn's hand with a bemused, rusty sounding purr. One paw reached out and flexed, slowly, as though testing the motion as utterly new and confusing.

Not a kitten, Evelyn.

Purring. Check. Tiny and cute. Check. Metallic? Oh, he gets away with it fabulously with the gloss and all.

What? HEY! I've got gloss! I'm all over the slaggin' gloss I'll have you know!

Oooh. I get it! You're just jealous cause he's way cuter than you are.

Evelyn smirked at the wordless indignation which swelled up in reaction to her comment, and it didn't take much to image the ensuing huff and flounce as the voice went deathly quiet. She returned her attention to Chance, while Cafei – still sitting down and very intently not getting up – beamed at her happily.

"Best. Surprise. Ever!"

The recently miniaturized Ravage blinked up at the human with the strange energy readings, and decided that maybe sticking around a bit longer and investigating events more in depth was a good thing to do. Even if it meant risking getting squashed again while on a mad flight to get as far away as possible from yet another Laboratory Of Evil explosion. (Why, oh why, did the Autobots have to have one of these too? Huh?) It was part of his mission and all. Soft, organic fingertips reached for that spot behind his ear again and he purred blissfully. The purring thing was fun. Maybe. He had to test it more to be sure. And he could sacrifice his dignity somewhat for the sake of the petting, er, the mission.

After all, finding out stuff was his job, right?