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Garrus-9--Mines

"So what're ya gonna do with us? Huh?" the large mining foreman, Copperhead, said as he pushed his way through a small crowd of other mechs and diaclones that were gathering around the core Insecticons. Bombshell and Kickback each turned their gaze directly toward the one who sought their attention and several diaclones responded in kind, stopping what they were doing also and watching the miner as he continued his approach.

He seemed to slow his gait just a little when he noticed that there were now multiple sets of optics watching him, but he continued.

"When do we speak to your guys' boss? When do we find out what's gonna happen to us?"

Bombshell's optics flickered as he traded a brief glance with Kickback before transforming and skittering down the rocky mound that he was standing on. When he came just within a meter or so of the foreman's feet, he transformed again and looked up at the significantly taller and broader mech.

"You wish to know your fate. How delightful. But, ehh, our lord Scorponok has other matters to which he must attend for the time being. I'm sure that when he deigns to come down here personally, you will soon have your fates determined. Until then...well....you're ours."

Copperhead's optics narrowed, but he said nothing further and turned to walk away. He then noticed Kickback coming up alongside him once more, along with several of his diaclones dragging two lifeless Cybertronians in their jaws.

"Where are you taking that trash?" Bombshell asked.

"Scorponok's pet asked for some fresh metal. These two were not overly happy with our presence here. They needed to be put down," Kickback said, before sending a signal to his diaclones to take the corpses up to the surface to rendezvous with another group of his Insecticlones that had collected several more from the war-battered hallways of the prison itself. It had been a challenge to find any in the condition that Firewire had requested, but Kickback had done his best to accommodate. These two, at least, should more than suffice.

"Ahhh. Delicious. The more compliant we appear, the less likely they are to interfere," Bombshell said, rubbing his actuators together happily.

"I am aware of this," Kickback said, smirking as he continued on, deeper in to one of the mine shafts. "I was doubting whether or not you were."

Semper Tyrannis – Hangar

Firewire followed along quietly by Scorponok's side, having to jog to keep pace with the much larger mechanoid. When the trio had arrived at the science lab modified for Scorpy's large – uh – extreme height – not like her vertically challenged self at all – Firewire took a place next to Scorponok's chair, resisting the urge to tend to some of his injuries herself. Let the chair do its work...the analyst didn't exactly relish seeing the high commander in any state of injury.

She listened – eavesdropped – in on Scorpy's and Jhiaxus's conversation. It wasn't really eavesdropping per say. Scorpy hadn't dismissed her from his presence, which was tantamount to orders to stay by his side, and Jhiaxus didn't acknowledge her as noteworthy anyway. So frag him! Grr...

>>"I agree. I see no reason to trust him. I would hear your suggestion now."<<

Firewire busied herself while she listened to Jhiaxus and Scorponok chat, lifting up her datapad and scrolling through the files idly, adding a file on Jhiaxus. Once she had collected her thoughts, she replied to the high commander through the same private channel.

>>”My lord, the wisp that I put on his spark to monitor his vitals can be reprogrammed remotely. I can program it to sever the connection between the spark and the body from within or...if you want something a little less extreme, I could probably manage that too.”<<

Firewire intensely hoped that Scorpy liked her idea and didn't shoot it down. Turning her attention down to her files, she noted that she was looking down at those Autobots' files. Hm. She wondered how they were doing. Well. She would see them again so long as they didn't do anything stupid. She didn't imagine Scorpy condoned the senseless killing of prisoners of war. Well. Kinda. Whatever. Being Decepticons didn't mean that they weren't aware of their species' dwindling numbers.

Mmm...dwindling numbers. If she could just complete her research, that wouldn't be a problem anymore. Primus, so many of them had fallen to this war and to the Senate before that. Shaking her head, Firewire turned her attention back to the conversation between Scorpy and Jhiaxus. It had taken a turn toward Cyclonus, ole pointy noggin.

Firewire could feel her cheeks puffing out as she pouted at the gobs of praise that were being thrown at Cyclonus by Jhiaxus. And they were true. Cyclonus had been nothing but loyal and competent from cycle one. Suppressing a sigh, Firewire conceded that Cyclonus was indeed a great asset to the cause. Not a lot of recognition went to the pint-sized, scientist, non-warrior types like her. Her intelligence could only get her so far in terms of standing.

Firewire didn't want all the glory that went to Cyclonus. He was Scorponok's second-in-command, and it would be very unrealistic to even hope for anything remotely similar. But...she knew what some of the others called her...Scorponok's pet. Pet. Bah. That was almost more degrading than being treated like a thing. Almost.

Not wanting to dwell, Firewire flipped idly through the files in her datapad. A lot of it was her research notes on the behavior of the spark. Heh, she probably knew more about them than most from a scientific standpoint. She could have been a specialist back in the day. Oh wait. No, she couldn't have. Slaggin' elitist Senate. Primus, she hated Jhiaxus's elitist attitude.

Firewire stared down at her datapad not really seeing the information being displayed. One of her wisps – the drones that she used to analyze sparks – alighted on the end of her stylus. Hm...small. Just like her. It's power source glowed a soothing blue – the same color as a normal spark. Maybe...she had ought to weaponize them...They didn't require hardly material to make and the creation process could be automated, and if she installed the wisp assembler on herself then...

“Hmm...”

Semper Tyrannis--Hangar

"Indeed. Indeeeed. The delay forced upon me by the Autobots must be repaid unto them tenfold. A hundredfold. The army of gestalts will accomplish that."

Ah Jhiaxus. The scientist' aloof impatience was a dangerous aspect of his brilliant mind. But it was also a driving force to be exploited. It just had to be channeled to the correct direction.

"Cyclonus...is a rare mix of elements. The Prime, Nova Prime, took hardly any notice of him until he saw that Galvatron began to utilize him in various roles. In Nova's court, Cyclonus did not scheme to advance any further than what he was given. You know your history, gladiator. You know what role Galvatron played in the tribal war. It afforded him a level of prestige and influence that few others had known or could ever hope to attain. Over time, his reactions could be characterized as notoriously....unpredictable. I found his interactions with Cyclonus to be something of a...stabilizing influence on him. Though his work rarely intersected with my own, Cyclonus was steadfastly competent in whatever circumstance Galvatron thrust him in to. Loyal to a fault even when Nova's grand ambitions clearly did not go as expected. My guess is that you and your great leader have found him to be similarly competent. If he has given that loyalty to you, your war efforts have gone better than they otherwise would have. I would put the faith of my ongoing security in no other mech and expect a better outcome. Galvatron put his faith in almost no one, but he did with Cyclonus. That is why the Prime did. It is why I do."

Fortunately enough, Scorponok's question regarding Cyclonus seemed to give the ancient Cybertronian something else to think about, if only for a short moment. Regardless, it gave Scorponok an opportune moment to deal with communique with both Cyclonus and Firewire while getting a glimpse of Jhiaxus' past through his own words.

>>"Yes my lord. Our forces are conducting corridor sweeps even as we speak, rooting out the last of the resistance and gathering Decepticon and Autobot alike. Scourge and his forces are converging on my position now. Nothing will enter the amphitheater unbidden while we continue our work on the Monstructor Six. Jhiaxus will come to no harm here."<<

Cyclonus had not wasted time to reply back to Scorponok's communique as was expected of the Fleet Commander's most capable lieutenant. Cyclonus was not only a warrior with few peers, no - he was practically an embodiment of efficiency. A quality Scorponok had utmost respect towards. And as it was only proper, Scorponok's own reply to Cyclonus was an immediate one.

>>"Very well Cyclonus. I will entrust Jhiaxus to your capable hands while I go through necessary repairs. I have also sent word to both Deadlock and Demolishor to act as the scientist's personal bodyguards. They are to stay with him at all times."<<

The bodyguards assigned to look after Jhiaxus were not a show of lack of trust in Cyclonus' abilities despite the lingering suspicions Scorponok had towards Cyclonus' past alongside Jhiaxus and the scientist's other contemporaries - Galvatron and Nova Prime. But due to the very fact that was at stake here, Scorponok simply couldn't be too careful. If something were to happen to the scientist before they had learned enough of the combiner process - well, it would be a major set back to say the least. Having to reverse engineer the technology would be a massive undertaking in comparison to having the brains behind the process working on it again. And that was something Scorponok did not want to go through if it was avoidable.

>>"One more thing. I trust you have your optics on Overlord? We will need to tread carefully, I do not need his whimsical ploys interfering with what we have accomplished. Make him busy. Give him Autobots to play with. I have no interest in wasting our precious resources to bring him down were he to turn hostile."<<

There was no need of saying more. Scorponok was ready to sacrifice a wild card like Overlord if he had to. Particularly in exchange for an army of far more controllable super soldiers. Turning a madman like Overlord into one of the Warrior's Elite had been one of the few decisions made by Megatron that Scorponok had objected. Even with the tactical blind spot and a kill switch installed, Overlord had been nothing short of an unstable asset thorough his career in the Decepticon army - a construct of this insane conflict who would have no place in Megatron's post war plans.

>>”My lord, the wisp that I put on his spark to monitor his vitals can be reprogrammed remotely. I can program it to sever the connection between the spark and the body from within or...if you want something a little less extreme, I could probably manage that too."<<

The solution Firewire offered was a sound one but not what Scorponok had in mind. She did have the means to achieve what the Decepticon leader wanted though.

>>"Something less extreme. Jhiaxus is no member of the Warrior's Elite. Crushing him underneath my heel would require little effort. His mind however, is as dangerous as it is brilliant. I need a way to ensure I can recover his mind and spark intact were he to venture beyond his place. Find a way to disable him with no damage to Rossum's trinity but be careful not to rise his suspicions. I need him working for me instead of against me."<<

Finally, having replied to Firewire, Scorponok could turn his attention back to the scientist. "I know very little of Galvatron or Nova Prime for much was lost during the reign of Nominus and his predecessors not to forget this accursed war that has erased what little was left. But Cyclonus - is without a question one of the most competent professionals I have ever worked with."

Scorponok leaned forwards on his chair, resting his chin against the tip of his right claw, "Perhaps you will have an opportunity to tell me more about your contemporaries yet but for now, I have arranged a solution that allows me to let you enter the field as you clearly desire. Reflector and his security personnel will see you back to the space bridge. Through it, you will be transported to a zone secured by Cyclonus and his forces. Firewire will naturally go with you and act as your assistant."

A private comm-link was activated between Scorponok and his tiny assistant. >>"And my eyes. Do not let him out of your sight. Record and send all the data you can recover to me for analysis."<<

Garrus 9: Southern Corridor

Pyro fell back in line, his left hand carefully placed across his battered hip for discrete support. The damaged circuits had been bypassed and power now flowed uninterrupted through the limb, but the hardware itself was still twisted and ached as burs and spars grounded against metal surfaces with each step. His optics slowly swept across the scene as the conquering Decepticon soldiers began the process of separating the Monstructor Six, and hauling them off to the deeper facilities.

Carefully his optics glanced over undamaged portions of the corridor, small patches of segmented plating embedded in the walls at regular intervals and concealed behind tattered fragments of metal and dislodged wire. Unremarkable in their appearance, designed specifically to go unnoticed by prisoner and most guards alike. Interesting, was the lone description he could muster before he broke contact as to avoid drawing attention to the objects he had spied.

He turned his attention back to Pointblank as he fell in line. "I do not believe that will be a problem for much longer. I do not foresee our Decepticon captors affording us a leisurely imprisonment. Hard labor may be the least of our trials before this is misadventure is concluded and the tables are turned."

Garrus – 9 - The Rig

Kronus stiffened when he was met with Hun-Grrr’s blood red optics. How he dreaded being the focus of those orbs. What was this creature doing? Sizing him up to be sure his entire body with fit in its gaping maw? How he wished he could swallow whatever it was that seemed to be collecting in his throat.

"Business associate it says." Hun-Grrr scoffed, "No honorrr among thieves."

A small unsure smile worked onto the thief’s face. He hoped it was the response the Terrorcon was after.

"It has secrets. Obscure little freak aren't you..." The other head chuckled in a sinister, mocking way, "It did not devourrr its associate. No. But I know yourrr secret now. The otherrrs - they may not notice but you cannot hide it from a snout of a Terrorrrcon."

Kronus’ smile dropped from his face as the dragon’s second head chimed in. How could….
He took half a step back and stared up into all four optics. “But…how…” Kronus stuttered. He jerked away when one of the heads moved in closer.

"How tasty must it be for it to feed on... hnn."

He watched as the head closest curled its mouth up into a frightening toothy grin. A cold shiver ran down the entire length of the slim mech’s spinal column. How he wished this encounter would end…with him still functioning.

"Perhaps I will find out. So delicious it has to be for it to..."

Oh sweet Primus! What did he mean? Kronus’s legs nearly gave out as the thought of this monster taking a bite out of him…and not leaving any for him. The thief was not keen on sharing.

The sound of Firewire pleading with Scorponok to allow her to include Kronus in her work caught the two-headed dragon’s attention. The slim ‘Con relaxed marginally as he looked over to the mini-femme. He’d have to thank her….in his own way. Perhaps a gentle pat to head.

"Laterr then... Laterrr." The dreaded former pit fighter growled with some level of disappointment in his voice, "Tell me then little freak. Where is it? Your associate... It reeks of high quality energon and noble metals... I would have it brought in..."

"For a feast."

Kronus jerked his attention back toward Hun-Grrr when the whereabouts of Brace’s carcass was located. At first his vocalizer hitched but with some effort he was able to respond. “He’s…ummm, that is…what’s left of Brace is in the Southern Wing. Minimum Security.” He pointed back the way he had come from… "Follow the stains on the floor. They’ll lead you right to him.”

He looked over his shoulder toward Firewire and the other Decepticons before looking back up at Hun-Grrr. “I…”

Unable, or unwilling, to continue Kronus backed away turned and made his way to Firewire’s side.

“You’re welcome! Grab the mobile lab when you come through the space bridge, huh?"

He sent the little stain a sneer as he grabbed a hold of the mobile lab. “Yeah. Sure.”

Semper Tyrannis – Hanger

The thief followed the analyst through the space bridge. It was incredible. He went from being locked away in a basement with nothing to look forward to than a visit from a pathetic young Autobot guard. Now, now he was free. Free to provide his services to the great Decepticon machine once more.

A wondrous day indeed.

With his optics roaming over every inch of the hanger Kronus paid little attention to where he was moving the mobile lab. Luckily he looked down and spotted the little cretin…right in front of the cart! He gripped the handle tight and pulled back stopping the lab before it ran over the analyst. Not a good first impression that’s for sure.

He let out a relieved sigh as he draped his upper body over the front of the cart.

Crisis averted Kronus let his optics roam around the hanger, this time he focused on its occupants. Scorponok he recognized. The Commander was never hard to miss. Massive. Frighteningly powerful. And who wouldn’t recognize the claws? A smirk formed on Kronus’ face as he turned his gaze on the other mech beside the Second Fleet Commander.

Unable to place the face Kronus inched his way to stand behind Firewire. He extended one hand and carefully flicked the back of the midget’s head. “Pssst” He motioned to her as he leaned down slightly to speak in a low tone. “Who’s the mech with the bad back?” Kronus let his optics drift up and down Jhiaxus’ frame. No, this one he didn’t know.

((OOC: Sid has given me permission to NPC Snapdragon))

Garrus 9 - Central - Med bay

"I am preparing the CR Chamber. For what type of injuries does the patient have?"

"Excessive blast damage." Flatline replied as he made his appearance in the med bay, pulling Treadshot's grav-stretcher into the medical ward with his vehicon supporters dragging Gutcruncher's grav-stretcher in behind. "And this one here, Primus knows what happened to him."

Pulling up next to a circuit slab, Flatline hoisted Treadshot onto the examination table while he instructed a few vehicons to move Gutcruncher to the CR chamber Jumpstart had prepared. After Gutcruncher was safely inside the CR chamber, the Decepticon doctor retrieved the data-pad he and Jumpstart had been looking over prior to the arrival of the DSS agents in the med bay.

"Listen, you're gonna be okay," Flatline stated to the injured Treadshot as he approached him once again, "But if you want us to be sure, I'm gonna need you to use whatever fancy DSS codes you guys have to unlock yours and some other's files." He looked up to see if Jumpstart was watching him. "Of course I won't let the Autobot doc' here see anything Banzai-tron has gathered on you guys, I just need to know how to properly address your injuries."

Garrus 9 - Southern Wing

"Counterpunch," whispered Spinister, "Do you know where do the Autobots keep all the equipment confiscated from prisoners?"

The black and cobalt Decepticon looked up from his latest kill with a furious scowl etched into his optical visor.

"How should I know?" Counterpunch retorted angrily as he nearly got up in the aerial warrior's faceplate, "I was locked up in these cells just like you were! Different wing of course, but that's beside the point!"

Grabbing a spare rifle from the hands of an offlined Autobot, Counterpunch shoved the weapon against Spinister's breast plate.

"From here on out, we have to scavenge! Gather anything we can from what remains. Now, let's get going!"

We have to see if the Decepticons breached the Last Resort...

Garrus 9 - The Aequitas Chamber

Snapdragon bellowed a horrendous roar as his dragon-like alt mode charged forward into the oncoming wave of legislators, his abundance of rage and built up frustration finally letting loose on the golden-plated drones.

"2718...2718...2718..." Muttered the first unfortunate Legislator as the engaged interceptor was living up to his function by driving his clawed talons into the chest plate of his first victim before the drone was staring down the maw of his ferocious bite.

With a mighty crunch, Snapdragon sunk his teeth deeper into the frail metal and yanked his dragon-mode head back into the air, decapitating the first Legislator in a series of more to come.

"You're allllll gonna make a nice big pool of energon for me to bathe in once I'm through with EACH and every one of ya!!" The Horrorcon roared over the constant muttering of the incoming crowd.

"2718...2718...2718...27-"

Garrus 9 Central--Amphitheater

Pride. Being entrusted to perform a specific task by High Commander Scorponok himself was a true honor to a stout Decepticon loyalist like Demolishor. A true honor. An honor bestowed only to true believers of the cause. True believers such as Demolishor himself. Not flaky drifters like...

Deadlock.

What in the name of mighty Megatron himself was that no good thrill seeker doing here with Cyclonus and Scourge? As far as Demolishor could recall, Scorponok had not spoken the name of that former drug addict. He could not but listen to the message again. And there it was. Cloud and clear. He had let his pride blind himself, to ignore what he did not want to hear. Worst kind of scum he was. A proper Decepticon soldier took heed of every single word their superiors shared. A mistake he would have to atone for.

This hardly answered to the lingering question in Demolishor's mind. Why Deadlock? Why had Scorponok decided to make him serve alongside him? Unless it was a test. Perhaps Scorponok wanted to see if Demolishor's exemplary presence would have a proper effect on Turmoil's rebellious lieutenant. That had to be it. He just had to see this ordeal through.

"Demolishor reporting for duty sir." The heavily armed Decepticon warrior hailed Cyclonus. Still hoping it was all just a coincidence and Deadlock was to be given different orders than he was to follow.

Garrus 9 – Corridors

"Glad...to be," Icepick said, no longer relying on his own strength and instead allowing his largely dead weight to be supported by Bludgeon. "You look....well."

Umbra burst out into giggles as Icepick uttered his last statement. “Oh yes, Icepick. I'm all polished and shiny. Look at this glorious finish,” Umbra said with a fairly flat voice, gesturing at her energon stained, damaged frame, “But yeah, I didn't really get into any more trouble after we were separated. I only got around to seeing Monstructor toward the end after Overlord had arrived. Still doesn't seem all real...”

Umbra's face fell slightly as her thoughts wandered onto more morose topics. Suddenly, it struck the defecting Autobot that she should probably help Bludgeon carry Icepick. Moving closer to the injured Monstercon, Umbra snaked her arm around the Monstercon and started carrying some of his weight. Given her own depleted energon levels, she probably shouldn't be doing this, but she didn't really care. What she did care about was Icepick.

With a tentative glance up to Bludgeon, Umbra opened a private communication channel with Icepick, now that both he and she had their claws off. >>”When we get where we're going...they're probably going to mess with you and the rest of your friends...”<< Umbra said with concern clear in her tone, >>”Are you...do you...”<<

A pause as Umbra looked down at her feet.

>>”Do you think you'll be okay?”<< She asked finally. The recon agent lifted her hand up to her faceplate and tried to pry it off, the caved in portion causing energon to fill up behind it. With a pained grunt, it came free. The energon behind it splattered onto the floor, and Umbra hastily lifted an arm to wipe away the energon from her face, not wanting Icepick to fret.

Garrus – 9 – Aequitas Chamber

Rung took several steps back until he was nearly flat against the console behind him. He knew the security system would help control the situation but he was unsure just how. The appearance of the Legislators was unforeseen.

"You just had to do it pencil neck..."

The psychiatrist’s attention was pulled from the advancing behemoths toward the Decepticon ape. He could rectify this. At least he believed he could.

He turned fully about as Apeface made toward him. Somersaulting and landing before Rung with a monstrous clang. Rung had little time to react as he was gripped by both arms and hoisted off the ground. He wriggled and tugged but he knew he would not break free. The act was instinctual. Survival….no matter what preserve your life in any way possible.

"How about you call off your security before I pull you in two, eh?"

The slight orange Autobot ceased his squirming in light of trying to convince the thug that nothing would come of such tactics.

“Tearing me in two will not help this situation. I do not know what happened as I did not know the Legislators were here, nor did I know they were even functional.” Rung craned his neck so he could spy Apeface form the periphery of his vision.

“Let me go so I can try and put an end to all of this….”
__________

From the far corner of the chamber Cipher took a shot at one of the Legislators’ back. The aggressive action caught the gargantuan bot’s attention causing it to turn and advance on the smaller flier.

With a gasp Cipher took off around the gold robot and transformed. He rise high above the heads of the law enforcers and landed at the opposite end of the room. He converted back to root mode and landed on one knee.

The cryptologist had no hand held weapons and his alt mode’s weaponry was just too dangerous to utilize in such close quarters.

The small slim Decepticon scientist kept an optic on the Legislator and the other on Apeface who was now holding Rung up by both arms. Cipher ground his teeth. “Let him go! He’s right! He may have been the one to start this nightmare, but he’s obviously the only one who may be able to put a stop to it as well!”

Garrus 9 – Amphitheater

"I just hope the bricks can continue to keep the focus on themselves while we work under the nasal sensors of these guys..."

“Yeah...” Nightbeat muttered, glancing about the amphitheater that they found themselves in. If they were going to be given some wiggle room in here to move around and such, there would be a chance for Nightbeat to grab the gun trigger. If he was smart. And careful. Very careful. Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, Nightbeat glanced about the amphitheater for any sort of hint or clue as to how to escape their current predicament, but he doubted it could ever be that easy.

Hm...no. No. No...That's not even remotely helpful. Oh hey. That was weird. Cyclonus and Scourge were talking about something clearly – to Nightbeat - personal. That was neat. It was probably going to concern them eventually some way or other. He wondered if he could listen in from here...Nightbeat offlined his optical visor and tried to hone in on the gruff, impassive tones of Scourge and the more smooth ones of Cyclonus.

"The rumors...true, then....was imprisoned here...” Primus, if those Decepticons could speak up a bit more...difficult to hear them over the din of everything else.

"The Autobots...fools...execute him...chance. Tyrest...exists because...beings like him."

Nightbeat rubbed his chin. Who was imprisoned here that would cause those two to react that way? It was a singular entity too...not a composite monster like Monstructor. Hrm...One of the prisoners in the Rig maybe? Scattershot might know.

”...remains function...fate of the others...known either...Prime...tron..”

Nightbeat frowned. Who were they talking about...? Optimus and Megatron? That didn't make any sense. So if it wasn't them, then...another Prime...Maybe...Wait. Wasn't Cyclonus obscenely old? That's it! Nova Prime! And Galvatron! So this prisoner was one of the Ark I's crew? Who else was there? Nightbeat ran through the list in his mind while he continued to listen.

”...gone, Cyclo...ours to conquer...Megatron's path...peace...praetor...mean to that en...Monstruct...Jhia...end this war...”

Jhia. Jhiaxus?! The ancient scientist? Of course! It made sense now! Gah, he was an idiot for not realizing sooner. But...this meant that the Decepticons had gotten their hands on one of the most dangerous mechanoids in the universe. Not only that, but he was neither Autobot nor Decepticon. He could decide to help none or either. This was bad.

Nightbeat casually moved over to Scattershot, glancing over to Lightspeed who found himself in a rather – uh- very bad position. At the end of the Butcher of the Bogs' gun. They didn't call him the butcher for nothing. Whispering to Scattershot while Nightbeat scanned the room for any stray guns or gun parts, Nightbeat did his best to appear inconspicious.

”Jhiaxus.” Nightbeat said urgently, ”They have Jhiaxus. And he's functional or those two seem to think so. I'm not disinclined to believe them.” Nightbeat frowned and wondered how on Cybertron they were going to salvage this situation. With Jhiaxus helping the Decepticons, the Autobots would have vastly inferior technology. Defeat would almost be assured.

“Ugh..” Nightbeat groaned.

Garrus 9- Med Bay

"I'm gonna need you to use whatever fancy DSS codes you guys have to unlock yours and some other's files. Of course I won't let the Autobot doc' here see anything Banzai-tron has gathered on you guys, I just need to know how to properly address your injuries."

Treadshot was wary, but complied. "Computer, access internal records."

He glanced down at Catgut, who nodded and drew back, fixing his optics on the space between Treadshot and Flatline.

"Voice code ATT override," Treadshot stated. "Passcode: Tallories."

A schematic projected from Treadshot's left optic, forming a small hologram between himself and Flatline, displaying the record for the medic. Catgut watched intensely from the floor, optic on the projection.

"Look to your spark's content, doc."

Garrus 9 - Amphitheater

"Hey! Hands off buddy! Get your motherboard-groomed claws off me!" Came a roar from corridors outside the amphitheater. "Come on! Take these shackles off, let's go for another round! I've still got plenty of fight in me!"

"That voice..." Brainstorm pondered as his attention was turned to the sound of the yelling. "It can't be..."

"You mustached freaks are lucky there was plenty of ugly on ya' to distract me long enough to toss these cuffs on me!"

"I-is t-that-"

"Yes Strafe." Brainstorm stated as a sly smile crept underneath his mouthplate. "It's-"

"WHIRL! A supreme force of nature!" The blue helicopter mech announced as he struggled in his restraint against the five-man Sweep team. His clawed "hands" shackled behind his back so prevent him from causing any sort of harm to the Sweep escort, or anyone else in a purple insignia for that matter. "You can't hold me back forever! Hey, where's your leader, Scorpo'? I've got a shiny new gun I want to put in his faceplate! Hehehehe."

The sweeper team approached Cyclonus' side and awaited for the commanding officer to finish his communication with the Decepticon Warlord.

"Commander Cyclonus," The leading Sweep began as he greeted the lithe-purple Decepticon with a hand across his chest plate and a slight bow following, "We have procured another Autobot in the corridors. He was seen fighting off our troops in the West Wing before we were able to outnumber him and restrain-"

"No no no no NO!" Whirl spoke up, "If you're gonna tell the story, tell it right! So I was in the west wing right? Its 4 vehicons vs me, easy pickings really. They die, then 3 seekers show up and this is when it REALLY gets to be a bit more of an actual fight-"

"Silence you one-eyed abomination!" The reporting Sweep barked.

"Pffft another racist, just my luck. Yeah just you wait til the cuffs come off Wookie-face! This 'one-eye' while be an image that'll forever haunt your nightmares!" The mono-optical mech looked down at the Sweep over on his left. "That goes for YOU too bub, don't think you're gonna get off easy."

"Well this should make things a little more interesting." Brainstorm commented as he looked over towards Highbrow and Nightbeat, watching the former wrecker get roweled up with his Sweep escort.

Garrus 9 - Southern Wing

Spinister remained silent as Counterpunch shoved his rifle against him. From the inside, Spinister almost laughed, it looked as if Counterpunch was offended by his question. But from the outside, Spinister was expressionless, as he always was. Spinister never showed much emotions, he did not speak much, and when he spoke it was only for something important. His cloaking device was very, very important to him. It would be a disaster if the Autobots used the technology it had.

He thought that Counterpunch might know. He could have seen the door during the many prisoner transitions. But it seems like he did not. Spinister still found his reaction quite amusing. Why was he so offended by his question? Spinister did not know, but he did not need to. It wasn't something mission critical. Little did the decipticon helicopter know about the truth behind Counterpunch, and he might never know.

The black decepticon looked among the dead bodies looking for a rifle of his own. His last one he threw away just a few feet from where he stood. It was jammed, useless. He needed to find another one. He continued to follow Counterpunch, and kept his optics wary. He might find a good weapon lying somewhere in the complex. Preferably a sniper rifle, which worked well with Spinister's sharpshooter accuracy.

Garrus-9 -- Last Resort

Rippersnapper finished devouring the last of the Autobot guards in the Last Resort. He had decided to take his time with his meal and savor every last delicious moment of it. The spark, itself, had been the best part, but the rest was still appetizing. Of course, the shark monster wanted more. He always did. But there was little left to spare. The Terrorcons had succeeded in eating just about everything that they were allowed to consume. The only things left were those sweet smelling sparks that were housed within the Rig. Unfortunately, they were not allowed to touch those let alone eat them.

“I’m all done here, Sinnertwin,” Rippersnapper said, lifting his tooth-filled maw out of his finished meal, a mere shell of the guard that it once was. The former actor gazed over at his two-headed comrade and snorted. “Still hungry, but there’s not much left here worth eating. Need to find something bigger to eat. Too bad Auto-slags so puny.” The terrorist chuckled before glancing down towards the Rig where Hun-grrr and Blot were situated. “Not going to leave here without permission, though,” the amphibious Terrorcon added as he looked back at the yellow and green hellhound.

With that said and his appetite somewhat satisfied, Rippersnapper turned and made his way down towards the Terrorcon Commander’s position. The former actor had no intention of disturbing his boss. Instead, once the shark beast had arrived at Hun-grrr's side, he simply stood there silently and patiently awaited further orders. Of course, the pleasant smell of those sparks within the Rig glided by his olfactory sensors, almost calling out to him like a ringing dinner bell. But Rippersnapper kept it together and remained in control. Devouring those sparks would not be worth the severe punishment Hun-grrr would undoubtedly give him.

Garrus-9 Central--Amphitheater

"Cyclonus! Got orders from 'Big & Clawful' himself to come meet you here. What gives?"

Cyclonus turned to regard the member of Turmoil's crew that had accompanied them on the next phase of their conquest. Why would Scorponok send him here specfically? Deadlock's arrival made little sense to Cyclonus at first, but it was not long before the mystery solved itself when the mighty 2nd Fleet Commander responded to his earlier communique.

>>"Very well Cyclonus. I will entrust Jhiaxus to your capable hands while I go through necessary repairs. I have also sent word to both Deadlock and Demolishor to act as the scientist's personal bodyguards. They are to stay with him at all times."<<

>>"Understood my lord. We will be ready,"<< Cyclonus transmitted back.

Ah, so it would be to them--specifically--that Scorponok would assign the task of ensuring Jhiaxus came to no physical harm. They, and ultimately Jhiaxus, would be his responsibility of course. But at least he would be able to focus more on establishing a working Decepticon outpost rather than accompanying Jhiaxus endlessly wherever he might need to go.

>>"One more thing. I trust you have your optics on Overlord? We will need to tread carefully, I do not need his whimsical ploys interfering with what we have accomplished. Make him busy. Give him Autobots to play with. I have no interest in wasting our precious resources to bring him down were he to turn hostile."<<

>>"That may prove....difficult; however, I will ensure that he is discretely monitored and work to make certain that his hungers are suitably satiated."<<

With those matters addressed, Cyclonus returned his attention to Deadlock

"All will be evident soon," he said evenly, wanting to wait until the other that Scorponok had decided would take part in this assignment, Demolishor, had arrived. While he waited and continued oversight of the amphitheater's lockdown, the information that he had truly been waiting for came in: nothing would be more valuable than multiple, firsthand perspectives of what exactly had transpired within the southern corridor when Monstructor formed.

>>"Cyclonus, it's Snaptrap. I am transmitting the video feeds from my men now. It appears as though Overlord targeted a weakness in Monstructor's overall structure, likely part of the connective apparatus that keeps those six conjoined. Where Overlord fractures the armor here is likely the point where the connective filaments are most exposed, seeing as the gestalt abruptly split apart afterward,"<< Snaptrap had transmitted, offering his analysis along with the hard data just as Cyclonus had requested. The lithe purple mech transferred the imagery of the southern wing battle to a series of holoscreens that were playing out in front of him. He isolated the feeds to the astroseconds immediately surrounding Overlord's critical impact with Monstructor and his subsequent disengagement. Fascinating though it was, it would obviously take a mind greater than his to identify exactly why Monstructor disengaged at that point and--much more critically--to design a way to avoid that happening in the future.

And, of course, they had access to not only one but several mechanoids who could do exactly that: the creature's original designer and the foremost technical group currently functioning in space. He had found his first potential use for the Technobots, but it would likely not be the last, so long as they continued to prove amenable. Cyclonus intended to utilize both resources to their fullest. Even so, he continued to watch the playback on the holoscreens, hoping to gain his own additional insights in to what all had happened.

>>"Excellent Snaptrap. Most excellent. Your analysis may well be accurate. We shall find out soon enough. I will relay your thoughts."<<

"Demolishor reporting for duty sir."

Ah, the other one. Excellent. Cyclonus was pleased that he did not have to wait long and could keep this operation moving. He turned to face the two warriors.

"The Decepticons have acquired several resources of great value within the last orn," Cyclonus said, his gaze shifting from Deadlock to Demolishor. "One of them will be arriving at this location in short order. It is to the two of you that our lord Scorponok has entrusted the safety of this resource. When he arrives, you are not to leave his side until either Scorponok or myself has dismissed you. You do understand, this-"

But Cyclonus could not say anything further before a new disturbance worked its way into the otherwise orderly proceedings of the amphitheater, drawing both his and Scourge's attention, as well as numerous others.

Whirl.

Cyclonus was almost surprised that this one had lived until he remembered the special conditions that Megatron had put on this particular Autobot. Nevertheless, Whirl was a wild card amongst wild cards and Cyclonus would take no chances when it came to him. Scourge's subordinates, however, at least seemed to have the situation reasonably under control for the time being. Cyclonus would ensure that it stayed that way.

"Commander Cyclonus, we have procured another Autobot in the corridors. He was seen fighting off our troops in the West Wing before we were able to outnumber him and restrain-" the pack leader began before the crazed Autobot interrupted, degenerating the conversation into a petty argument between himself and the Sweeps. The warrior would have none of it.

"Quiet!" Cyclonus barked, reaching out and seizing Whirl by whatever constituted a head and holding it still while the mech continued to struggle in the Sweeps' grasp. "You. It is only by divine intervention that you have survived this day. But you will not undo what we have accomplished. We-"

Semper Tyrannis--Hangar

"Perhaps you will have an opportunity to tell me more about your contemporaries yet but for now, I have arranged a solution that allows me to let you enter the field as you clearly desire. Reflector and his security personnel will see you back to the space bridge. Through it, you will be transported to a zone secured by Cyclonus and his forces. Firewire will naturally go with you and act as your assistant."

Jhiaxus nodded amenably in the gargantuan gladiator's direction. Clearly his words still carried sufficient resonance and were able to hold sway over even the most powerful of mechanoids. So tragic that very few of them recognized that much greater power could reside in places other than one's ability to deliver a crushing blow or absorb one. There was a greater destiny. They would simply need a new guide.

"I would tell you all that wish to know, gladiator. Find me when you have been restored, and we will talk of what was...and what will be,' Jhiaxus said, his aged features twisting into a cruel sneer.

Jhiaxus paid little attention to Scorponok's last statement. He had no doubt he would be assigned attendants of several varieties in order to more efficiently expedite his plans. So long as they did not get underfoot, he would not have to waste any time thinking about how to eliminate them.

Jhiaxus turned to the other servitor mech and proceeded to return to the bridge they had utilized to travel the short but significant distance between the facility and the ship, particularly given that the two were not directly connected. Another of the age's remarkable advancements, but also a logical one given where research was focused even during the praetor's heyday. Reflector, for his part, simply cast a briefly unsure look in Scorponok's direction before silently and dutifully obeying his master's commands. He had little doubt that the other attendant would not be fire behind.

The Cybertronians traveled wordlessly back to the space bridge device where the Reflector component saw to the task of entering the correct bounce location, Cyclonus' current whereabouts and activating the device.

>>"Prepare to receive,"<< Reflector transmitted to the Decepticons within the amphitheater. He then looked to Jhiaxus. "Cyclonus will be awaiting your return. All hail Megatron."

Jhiaxus spared Reflector a moment's glance but said nothing before looking ahead into the glowing light of the space bridge technology. The expression on his face was now noticeably more contemptual as he slowly limped forward and disappeared into the glow of the transportational technology.

Garrus 9 – Amphitheater

"Well this should make things a little more interesting."

“Oh, yessss, indubitably, Brainstorm,” Highbrow grumbled, his tone positively dripping with sarcasm, “That cycloptic lunatic is exactly what we required accompanying us!” Highbrow growled and yanked at his cuffs in frustration. “This is positively repugnant! I mean, really. To have an erudite being such as myself sharing the same space as some...some...truculent boor?! It's rather too much to bear. I have choked down my fair allotment of indignities since our apprehension, but-”

“By Primus, shut up, Highbrow!” Nightbeat snapped in exasperation, “You're giving me a migraine! Do your vocal processors have an off switch?” Highbrow looked at Nightbeat stunned for a moment, then, with as much dignity as he could muster, looked away from Nightbeat with his olfactory sensor high in the air.

“Why I never...”

Nightbeat rubbed his temples with a heavy sigh and looked at Brainstorm sidelong. “I'd actually prefer to listen to Whirl talk than Mister High and Mighty over here. At least he's entertaining to listen to,” Nightbeat muttered quietly aside to Brainstorm.

“Hm...that's rather anomalous...” Highbrow muttered aloud, “And rather inauspicious.”

“What now, Highbrow?” Nightbeat growled.

“It appears as though our colleague Lightspeed has earned the ire of the butcher of the bogs.”

Nightbeat turned to look where Highbrow indicated and realized that, yes, indeed, Lightspeed had done something to provoke their captors. What that was...well, he didn't have any idea. The detective hadn't exactly been paying attention. Guessing from Snaptrap's calm or...was it calm? He did have his gun to Lightspeed's head. If Nightbeat had to guess, he felt truly indifferent toward Lightspeed at the moment, which was weird...but...Hrm. Turning his attention away from that mystery for a moment, the blue and yellow detective looked at Brainstorm.

”Hey, you think Whirl could cause a distraction for us so we can get the parts we need?”

Garrus 9: Amphitheater

Scattershot did not respond to Cyclonus directly, he felt no need to acknowledge their precarious situation. They were surrounded, out gunned, out numbered and if one went by the visible ques of the over all screenplay, they were out classed. Scattershot inwardly only accepted the last concept in terms of tonnage and not necessarily in terms of skill or quality of available personnel. Instead the Technobot Commander turned his attention to the nervous and now rather stammering executive officer of his specialized combat engineer and front line security unit. Of course, if he were Lightspeed and in Lightspeed's current situation he probably would be stammering as well.

He stepped back a pace or two and placed himself to the forward left of his executive officer. He pulled the data collector back another pace before shouldering the barrel of Snaptrap's weapon towards an uninhabited corner of the passage. Without looking back towards Cyclonus or to Nosecone, who had become the defacto hostage for the duration, Scattershot's optics narrowed at the bog butcher.

"No less than a few micro seconds pass and you already disrespect the chain of command Snaptrap? Honestly, it surprises me that you would pick on a defenseless Autobot prisoner in no condition to even offer you a challenge. But what gives me more of a surprise is that yould openly disrespect your superior right in front of him." Scattershot crooked a half smirk. "Didn't think you had it in you."

Scattershot carefully pushed Lightspeed next to Afterburner and Strafe who were flanking Brainstorm, Rad and Pyro... only a pair of steps behind. He did not break his knowing smirking stare as his optics drilled into the semi aquatic reptile from behind his visor, showing no signs of fear or intimidation. The tension was brief as he appeared to be studying the Seacon commander... all the surface signs were present and evident that Scattershot was attempting to provoke the Decepticon grunt captain. But...

Quietly and with lightning fast action he opened up the five way sub space multiple phase communications link that each of his Technobots had been equipped with before the Farstar had been launched on its last patrol.

'Take a deep breath 'Speeder, Snaptrap won't push his luck just yet. And I am in better condition to take his wroth even if he does.' He paused briefly as his communique was transmitted to the other four under his command.

'Can I place my bets on 'Turtler? I really wanna see him take you full twenty seven.' The response was quick and irritatingly familiar as Afterburner interjected himself.

Scattershot ignored the comment, making a mental note to deliver a swift and rather painful reminder of who was in charge regardless of their position or situation. Instead the unit commander turned his attention towards the task at hand. 'Lightspeed, you've got us in the door so its time for us to put our foot in... without our hosts knowing exactly what we are up to.'

Afterburner's thoughts swiftly filled the void as Scattershot paused. 'And how do you propose we do that? Ask the Decepticreeps to give us access to this compound's TAI System? Hate to tell you this oh brilliant commander, but we're not exactly surrounded by Megatron's finest models of civility. And besides, what in the name of the matrix are you two idiots thinking anyways? Offering to help the Decepticons stabilize their pet monstrosity. Scrap if I had the...'

'Shut up Afterburner.' Scattershot's tone of voice only hinted to the imaginary visual of him rubbing the bridge of his nose and shaking his head trying desperately to rid himself of an unwanted processor surge. 'Listen to me carefully before you run off at the engine again. We are going to have to play the game by their rules... for now. And for now, we take advantage of those rules to our own ends. And as of now, you are Brainstorm and Highbrow's best friend. Stick with them like galactic adhesive.'

Afterburner only gave a mental grunt of acknowledgement, clearly unhappy with the assignment he had been given. He barely tolerated being around his brainy teammates, now he had to protoform sit two of the biggest egos on this side of a blaster... He swore he could hear Scattershot smile with satisfaction.

'Strafe, I need you to keep it together and follow these instructions carefully. You are to work with Pyro, Pointblank and Nightbeat. Your objective is to reestablish communications with the survivors of the Autobot Garrison. See if you can work with them to establish a rumor tap. If a seeker releases an electron I want it recorded and submitted for review.

'Lightspeed and I will work with the Decepticons for the time being. It is not as though we have much choice in this option, either we do or we are offlined permanently.'

The grunt was followed by acknowledgements through the subspace multiple phase link. Then Scattershot turned his entire thought to the last but perhaps the most important member of their unit. Cyclonus's personally selected hostage, the most innocent of the Technobots and from Scattershot's personal experience... the most deceptive. 'Nosecone, Cyclonus has provided you with the most unique of opportunities. While he may segregate you in another portion of the prison facility, it is also possible that he keeps you close at hand to keep the rest of us from blowing a hole in Slog's spark chamber.'

'Wait what? Why does he get all the fun jobs?'

'Cause Cyclonus is like everyone else, doesn't recognize the difference between a slow witted dullard and a methodical genius. And because Nosecone knows when to keep his vocorder on mute... thats why.' Again Scattershot mused to himself at the mental image of Afterburner folding his arms across his chest in a humph.

For Nosecone's credit the miner remained quiet, observing all around him and slowly taking in painstaking details. An millisecond passed, perhaps longer in this almost instantaneous conversation which felt as if it were nigh an hour of silence, Nosecone brought himself out of his scans and visual recordings. He almost flooded the link with unfiltered data but cancelled the transfer with an apology. 'I understand Scattershot. I shall follow Cyclonus's instructions as best to my abilities and moral algorithms allow.'

'Do not follow him as if he's your commanding officer. Just keep an optic on him.'

'Dolt...' Afterburner's voice echoed through the link as though it was meant to be hidden and under the covers of his breath.

Scattershot's few seconds stare down with Snaptrap ended, as swiftly as it had began. The Technobot commander shook his head as he looked back to Cyclonus. "I accept those terms, not as if I had a choice in the matter." With that he fell in line with the rest of his compatriots and began down the long silent path towards the surgical amphitheater.

Outside the Prison

The walk has been slow but certainly not boring for Vroom as he slowly made his way toward his target. There were Sweeps earning their name bu searching for anyone like him. In moments like this sneaky types got themselves captured by panicking but that was never a problem for Vroom. He lived for moments like this. As he got closer he saw a downed ship. Autobot, Decepticon, it did not matter. He did not know what he was going to do but, whatever it was, the first step would be survival and that debris would offer a rich selection of tools to achieve that.

Vroom continued to move slowly and carefully towards that ship. As tempting a target as it was he knew better than rush the matter. Sweeps were pretty dumb on everything except tracking. He was not about to underestimate them.

Garrus 9 - Central - Med bay

Jumpstart saw the injured that his Decepticon colleague was bringing to the Med Bay. He shook his head at the damage.

"Sheehs, you Decepticons can take a lot of damage." He said and went to set the chamber for the type of damage that was being required. Again, the temptation of sabotage came through his mind. He stopped for a moment and shook his head. He couldn't... he just couldn't and continued.

Garrus-9 Central--Amphitheater

He knew he should've said nothing. Nothing at all. Just knew it.

Why do you open your mouth? Why?

The response he got from Snaptrap was, in effect, exactly what he had expected. As conversational Decepticons went--to whatever limited degree they existed at all--Snaptrap was certainly not amongst their number.

“Do not forget your place, prisoner. There is no 'common ground'. You will cooperate, or your usefulness will come to an end, and you will all die," Snaptrap said, followed by the additionally comforting gesture of putting a gun to the mech's head.

"No less than a few micro seconds pass and you already disrespect the chain of command Snaptrap? Honestly, it surprises me that you would pick on a defenseless Autobot prisoner in no condition to even offer you a challenge. But what gives me more of a surprise is that you would openly disrespect your superior right in front of him. Didn't think you had it in you."

Oh Primus, Lightspeed huffed internally. And I was doing so well. Relatively.

To his great surprise, some calming and reassuring words came through the advanced communication technologies that the Technobots had access to. From his commander, no less. Arguably one of the least likely mechanoids ever to be associated with anything "calming". Strange. The trouble was, it was the likes of Scattershot and Afterburner that needed to remain calm in this scenario, not him.

>>"Shhhhhhh. Please, commander. Try to avoid doing anything to provoke the, um, more volatile Decepticons in our midst. There are any number of them and I'd like to remain on the outside of a cell for as long as we can manage."<<

Lightspeed quickly did his best to interject and diffuse what could already be a problematic situation in the making.

"O-Of course. Exactly what I meant to say, Commander Snaptrap. We will of course be as cooperative as our moral code will allow."

There. Hopefully that sounded cooperative without sounding unnecessarily unctuous and bootlicking.
___

"I do not believe that will be a problem for much longer. I do not foresee our Decepticon captors affording us a leisurely imprisonment. Hard labor may be the least of our trials before this is misadventure is concluded and the tables are turned."

Pointblank nodded absently, still trying his best to take in everything that was going on around him as best he could. Pyro was thankfully something of a calming and respectable influence. Hopefully it would carry over to the others who could use a little additional patience infused into their already limited reserves.

"Maybe a little more leisurely if we're actually helping them build their next atrocity. What the slag are those Technoheads thinking?" he said, still keeping his volume down as he spoke to keep the unnecessary attention directed away from him. There would be a time to act and try desperately to save themselves or go down fighting, but it wasn't now. He looked at Pyro more carefully, the Prime admirer seemed to be favoring his injuries a little more. "You holding up alright?"
___

Garrus-9--Last Resort

Gorged. Overloaded. Tanked. Whatever word a mech wanted to pick to describe a feeling of pure satisfaction, Sinnertwin had them all beat right now. He had not been this pleased by a series of kills in a long, long time. The slaughter that they had been able to inflict upon the denizens of this prison put even their raid on Ghennix to shame.

“I’m all done here, Sinnertwin. Still hungry, but there’s not much left here worth eating. Need to find something bigger to eat. Too bad Auto-slags so puny."

Two pairs of glowing, orange optics looked up from the corpse of the last Autobot to fall before Sinnertwin's own special brand of carnage as he looked to the one who had spoken.

"Done? Never done. And yet hungry still? Unnatural. What here would satisfy more than this? Maximus himself?" the Terrorcon replied, a churning rumble that came as close as anything to approximating a laugh reverberating through the Terrorcon's chest cavity.

“Not going to leave here without permission, though," Rippersnapper said.

"Never without permission," Sinnertwin echoed. He watched for a moment as Rippersnapper continued down the path to speak with their monstrous commander. Tempting as that delicious den of sparks was, Sinnertwin would not follow. Not after a meal such as this. This would last for a breem or two. Maybe less. Or until Hun-grr stirred their frenzied natures once more.
___

Garrus-9--Corridors

Icepick could not help but smile slightly, despite what he had been through, at the sound of Umbra's little giggle fit. It was refreshing somehow.

“Oh yes, Icepick. I'm all polished and shiny. Look at this glorious finish. But yeah, I didn't really get into any more trouble after we were separated. I only got around to seeing Monstructor toward the end after Overlord had arrived. Still doesn't seem all real..."

"Good," Icepick said, still somewhat weakly. He straightened his position a little more in Bludgeon's grasp. "I wish it wasn't. But...it is. He is. It will be worse next time. He will not be happy that we were divided again. Not at all."

He then paused to think for a moment, but before he could speak any further, Umbra continued her thoughts via transmission.

>>”When we get where we're going...they're probably going to mess with you and the rest of your friends...are you...do you...do you think you'll be okay?"<<

>>"I..."<< Icepick began before trailing off. >>"I don't think so. Not anymore. I thought, briefly, that the Decepticons came here to free us. But they don't want to free us. They want to free him. When they figure out what happened....why he was defeated....they'll fix it. And with Monstructor permanently reborn we....we will cease to be."<<

Garrus-9--The Aequitas Chamber

“Tearing me in two will not help this situation. I do not know what happened as I did not know the Legislators were here, nor did I know they were even functional." Rung craned his neck so he could spy Apeface form the periphery of his vision. “Let me go so I can try and put an end to all of this…."

"You know goggles..." Apeface spat out and slightly increased the amount stress he was putting Rung's body through - making the frail psychiatrist's body creak under the amount of pull the Horrorcon was applying, "I am still rather unconvinced."

A legislator headed straight towards the two, seemingly not being all that concerned of Rung's well being despite of his supposed friendly status, "Then again," Apeface snorted, dodging the legislator's slumbering assault by casually jumping over the brute and driving his foot hard against the top of the legislator's head - pretty much making its head module collapse under the impact, "These automations are certainly putting my theory to a test. Weren't they like - supposed to protect you?"

“Let him go! He’s right! He may have been the one to start this nightmare, but he’s obviously the only one who may be able to put a stop to it as well!"

"Sheesh Cipher, overreacting much?" Apeface chuckled, hurling Rung at Mindwipe's feet, "A nightmare hardly involves endangered drone species in my books. Or what you think bats? Just look how my dear reptilian friend is cutting into their diminishing ranks. But sure, you two can have Ring Rang Rung here - not that I see how the slag he is going to stop them."

"Before we run out of them anyhow." The Horrorcon added, transforming into his simian form and flashing out a wicked grin at both Cipher and Mindwipe before charging into the closest legislator with all the intention tearing it apart.

Garrus-9 Central--Amphitheater

Flytop looked back at Cyclonus intently. She knew she was unwelcome all because she is an Insecticon. As much as she enjoyed the abilities of her mode sometimes being associated with Knockback and the rest of the ilk was rather detrimental to her own advancement and cause within the Con ranks.

"Fine, since you think you have everything under control I will go. I could easily help guard of the many Autobot guests we have here crowding up the area or maybe I can help guide a few to their new homes. Does Lord Scorponok really need this many to figure out the new toy we have now? By the way, I don't always associate myself with the other Insecticons. I'm not a diaclone. In fact, I try my hardest not to associate with the Brood. I prefer to see myself in the same lines as the other beast Cons we have. Maybe one day I can learn to hunt with the Sweeps since I like to hunt for my treasures."

Flytop turns around and walks away knowing her words would fall on dead audio receptors. It irritated her so much whenever she decided to rejoin the main Con army that all they saw was her outward appearance and throw her into the lot of other bug Cons. There were times she wanted to get back at them but she knew she didn't have the power to do it especially against the likes of Scorponok. If they ogled her frame because she is one of the few she Cons, then it wouldn't phase a bit but all they see are the wings and fine scales. Maybe one day she will find someone who respects her as a Cybertronian and her unique talents.

Garrus-9--The Aequitas Chamber

In the end, it should really have come as no surprise to anyone that such a grand, historical location such as this would be guarded by a lot more than doors and codes. Tyrest wanted to preserve his legacy, that was for sure. Unfortunately for Mindwipe, his legacy was also threatening to tear him limb from limb as well. He had managed to avoid that grim fate for the time being.

Mindwipe's dark green optics looked down at the fallen and prone form of Rung as he was tossed haplessly only a short distance away. Cipher was likely correct, he did seem to be the key that had started this mess. Barring other revelations, he seemed to also be the key to ending it. Was it too much to ask to be granted access to one of the most infamous computational tools in this history of existence?

Perhaps.

Mindwipe reached down to assist the beleaguered scientist, though it was more for Cipher's benefit than anything. They had made such grand progress in coercing some productive responses out of the Autobot psychiatrist. It would be a shame to see all that effort go up in flames.

"The Horrorcons will keep the louts at bay for only so long. Rung, we need you now. Your friends need you."

Because if the Autobot continued to prove to be as situationally obstinate as he had been, Mindwipe was quite sure they were going to kill them all.

Garrus 9 – Corridors

"Yes, my lord Bludgeon," Umbra said, "I shall face you."

At Umbra's respectful reply, Bludgeon only nodded. He continued to carry the bulk of Icepick's weight. The Monstercon seemed more than content to let him do so, giving up the futile effort of trying to hold up any bit of his weight under his own power. He adjusted his grip on the Monstercon slightly as Umbra decided to bear some of the weight herself. It seemed that the aftereffects of combination were particularly draining on the energon reserves of the components. Or the battle with Overlord had also rendered considerable damage. In all likelihood, it was a combination of the two.

Inclining his head slightly, Bludgeon listened to Icepick and Umbra exchange idle chatter. He wondered what exactly was the nature of those two's relationship. Strange how willing this Autobot was to change her allegiance after four million years of continuous war. That would require further investigation later. For now, he would have a chat about his new disciple's less than impressive display of stealth.

“Umbra," Bludgeon remarked.

The black femme's head immediately jerked up to look Bludgeon in the optics, her faceshield now removed to reveal a fearful expression that had been partially concealed by it before. Bludgeon scowled. “Never show your fear, Umbra," Bludgeon chided critically, “Bare your blade at your adversaries. Never show them a moment's weakness."

“Yes, my lord..." Umbra muttered quietly in response, averting her optics slightly.

“Now as for the matter of your stealth abilities..." Bludgeon continued after he was sure the message had sunk in, “They are...less than impressive. Snaptrap apparently noticed your presence. You rely too heavily on your cloaking device. While such devices can be beneficial, they can become crutches as well. Never neglect the fundamentals."

Umbra said nothing but merely nodded her head in reply. Bludgeon considered the agent for a moment longer before turning his golden optics forward. They were nearing the amphitheater. Soon, very soon, he would be able to fully assess his disciple's skill as a master of diffusion. The prospect of such a battle...it set his optics aglow with anticipation.

Glancing up at the still rather intimidating warrior, Umbra glanced back over to Icepick as he began to speak. "I wish it wasn't. But...it is. He is. It will be worse next time. He will not be happy that we were divided again. Not at all." Umbra's faceplate fell as Icepick spoke. Icepick and his team were condemned to a hellish existence. Her friend was...

>>"I...I don't think so. Not anymore. I thought, briefly, that the Decepticons came here to free us. But they don't want to free us. They want to free him. When they figure out what happened....why he was defeated....they'll fix it. And with Monstructor permanently reborn we....we will cease to be."<<

"NO!" Umbra cried before her optics went wide, and she looked up at Bludgeon. He returned her gaze curiously. "Uh...nothing," she mumbled, "Just thinking out loud..." Bludgeon stared at his newly acquired pupil skeptically, but decided not to press the matter, shaking his head and looking forward once more.

>>"I mean...Noooo..!"<< Umbra continued silently to Icepick, >>"Icepick...That...that can't...The only reason I'm going along with the Decepticons is-"<< Umbra broke off abruptly and looked away sharply. Slag, slag, slag! Why did things...They never...worked out...

>>"I don't have...or know anyone else..."<< Umbra muttered softly over the comms. She suddenly perked up as an idea struck her, and looked at Icepick with a sort of grim, delusional hope. >>"Maybe! Maybe we could...you know, just run? Escape? Hide? Something? I just...c'mon, Icepick, let's do it!"<<

Garrus 9 - Amphitheater

"Whoa whoa whoa now! Devine intervention? Since when do I get special treatment?" The blue helicopter mech interjected as Cyclonus held his singular-optical head, "Trust me, you and your pals with the turborats-for-faces are the ones who're gonna need a 'Devine intervention' around here!"

"Arrgh! I can't take his insolence any longer!" A Sweep managing his restraints screeched as he grew frustrated with the former wrecker's insults. "Screw the orders, I say we kill 'im now!!"

"I agree with the gentlemech to my right! Take off my cuffs and let's go a few rounds! Actually let's just settle this mono-e-mono eh? I'll even be nice and leave the cuffs on for ya. It'll make my victory sound more awesome! 'Whirl the unvincible, single-handily slaughters a lowly sweep without the use of his arms.' Nah... I'll get back to ya on a better name for that."

"Dammit Skar! Leave this to Cyclonus! If word got out of his demise... Well, I don't want to be the one who answers to-"

"SHUT UP ALREADY!" Whirl interjected once more with a budge in each direction of his restraints. The sweeps holding him back kicked at his shin joints causing the former wrecker to fall to his knees. "C'mon horn-head! I knoooow you want some of this right here! Or does Scorponok just like keep his pets chained up so that don't bi-"