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Garrus 9 – Within Converging Sparks

Firewire squinted uncertainly at the consolidating shadows. One…one was Lord Scorpy’s leg! Undoubtedly. She would recognize that leg anywhere. The other huge shadow….ah…not so clear. She didn’t recognize the shape immediately. She suddenly flinched and jumped back behind Scorponok’s shadowy leg when the large shape moved abruptly, letting out a yelp of surprise. However, the large shadow struck a much smaller figure, slamming it into the wall forcefully.

The analyst’s optics nearly bulged out of her cranium as waves of disgustingly horrific pain struck her. She couldn’t help but cry out and writhe in agony. But the small shadow burst apart upon hitting the wall, and scattered into millions of small lights. The pain subsided.

“Okay…I’m not dead yet. Being dead shouldn’t hurt this much…” Firewire mumbled to herself as she glanced around at the floating lights, which bobbed and weaved around her with varying degrees of ever changing luminescence.

“Uhh...c’mon me! You got this,” she muttered uncertainly. She jumped when she saw movement in some of the orbs. She squinted at the closest one. It kinda looked like…footage playing back. So these weren’t sparks. Awesome. Good stuff to know. Didn’t help her find a way out of here though.

Garrus 9 – Within Converging Sparks

The window showed a different yet familiar scene. Soul Siren, in a slightly different body, standing beside Scorponok as usual. She was watching a strange mechanical fish monster that was accompanying her eat a mechanoid she has just questioned.

Like real stars it soon became clear that these revolved around a larger inner light. One could sense that the large one was alive, yet it was not clear it was entirely aware at the moment. Although large it seemed to flicker in weakness. It is entirely possible that it might have already become extinguished if it was not because of energy flowing from Firewire into it.

As Firewire continued her way across the stars one appeared that seemed to revolved both around the inner light and Firewire herself.

Garrus-9 Central--Amphitheater

“That remains to be seen."

Jhiaxus sneered, even though the expression could almost be seen as a smile. oh yes. It would be seen. And it would be believed. All in short order.

Scorponok, for his part, did not seem willing to contest Jhiaxus' methods any further. Sufficiently mollified, as so many with great power were so easily when it came to the prospect of providing them with even greater power.

“So what you are saying that your initial scan of Technobots was enough to identify these... embedded character traits? And this closer examination validated your initial assumption? If so, I will have the rest of the Technobots delivered here with haste."

"That is so, gladiator. Having identified specific markers possessed by each of the Six, I isolated them and programmed this facility's service equipment to be able to successfully identify it. They have returned numerous candidates. The...*grehg*...gestalt creation process involves more than internal compatibility, however. The process of Monstructor's creation was very taxing on both the body and mind. I have no doubts his afterbears will suffer similarly."

“The Technobots aside, have you found others who carry these markers? I see you have brought one of my Seacons here."

"Yesssss," Jhiaxus hissed, turning his jade optics to the prone Seacon. "There were several here who displayed the characteristics I sought. That Seacon. That crazed one over there."

Jhiaxus looked to his database.

"Cutthroat. The Terrorcon, as you call him. I may even be able to force those insectoid primitives to combine. The diaclones clearly cannot survive the process, but I believe their progenitors may."

Jhiaxus hobbled back to his workstation slowly, sitting in the chair once more and reactivating the holoscreens he had been examining previously. The chair began to slowly rise once more.

"The great evolutionary leap of our age will occur within this very room."
___

Garrus-9 Central--Corridors

Stormwrecker had never made it down to the depths of the prison like the medic had informed him. For all intents and purposes, the battle seemed to have been won. If it hadn't, he was certain he would not be the deciding factor. But the Decepticons that were milling around didn't look like there was any urgency in their actions. Not running to a firefight. Or from one.

He could hear approaching voices from one of the adjoining corridors though. They were heading for the command center. And the command center looked like it had gone through the fragger, so, might as well head some other direction.

Garrus 9 – Within Converging Sparks

“MMMmmmmmmm…” Firewire mumbled unhappily at the footage the star showed her. She was entirely uncomfortable. Pretty sure this didn’t normally happen when jumpstarting sparks. Not one hundred percent sure. But you know. Sure enough. On some level this was-

“-fascinating. Sparking…doing these things…would make for some fabulous research material. If I ever wake up! Oh Primus, I might not wake up. That would suuuuuck! Focus. Alright. Seems like this is centered around Soul Siren. There’s a large light over there. Definitely alive in some creepy, messed up way. And I’m keeping it that way with my own spark. Not a fan if it sucks me dry.”

“So…I’m jumping Soul Siren. And these are…memories. Possibly…Why am I feeling pain? Right, memories are more than just visual sensations. Great. Good. Aaaand there’s one orbiting us. Okay. Cool. Maybe…ah…it has some kind of commonality. Yes. Maybe it’s a memory with me in it! Okay. That’s logical, yes. I don’t really remember much of Siren though…we never really talked. She was kinda cold and not fun to be around in general. Kinda like Scourge…yeah…that guy’s a bit of a creep.”

Firewire nodded to herself sagely. “Arrogant too! Not at all like Lord Scorpy in all of his…clawed…claw-y…magnificence. And Cyclonus actually. Scourge is a creep with ZERO people skills…” Her optic was caught by the orbiting memory star. “Well, I mean…while I’m here…might as well see what’s so significant about me to Soul Siren. I bet it’s my brilliance. Some grand invention of mine impressed her. Yeah. Oh…but what if she hates me? Do I want to know? Ahhhh…..uhhh….”

Firewire deliberated painfully over the matter for an astrosecond or two. “Oh, what the heck. I can’t help myself, hehe!” The analyst leaned nosily forward toward the orbiting memory to try to see what secrets it he

Garrus 9 – Within Converging Sparks

Unlike the others one that allowed itself to be looked into, this one seemed to sense Firewire and darted back to avoid her. It did not go far though. Whatever gravitational hold Firewire seemed to have on it did not allow it to fullt leave.

Garrus 9 – Within Converging Sparks

“What,” was all Firewire could manage as the star darted away from her. “Hey. Hey! Wait a minute! Stoooooop! I just want to look at you! A lil’ bit!” Firewire wiggled after the ball of light, using her foot thrusters to propel her through the floating empty space. “Wait up! I’ll get you!”

Firewire reached out with both arms, fingers wiggling toward the orbiting memory.

Garrus 9 – Within Converging Sparks

The orb continued to dance around as it instinctively tried to avoid Firewire. There was sense of sadness and resolution from the orb. As Firewire and the orb continued to dance more orbs seems to get closer. Orbs that had long been hidden away at the core. From those orbs the sound of laughter came. The laughter of two young protoforms.

Garrus 9 – Within Converging Sparks

“What. Is. HAPPENING?!” Firewire sputtered as she chased the orb doggedly. Other memories came floating out from the larger living light. It seemed that pursuing this particular memory had unlocked several other related memories. Like a web and this orb that she was pursuing was somehow pivotal to the whole web. Firewire jotted a note of that aside in her mind. Would be helpful in her research of Rossum’s trinity.

Yet, finally, Firewire managed to seize the sad, resolute, elusive memory with a triumphant ha! “Gotcha!” It suddenly occurred to her. Why would the memory be sad? She hadn’t been particularly close to Soul Siren. And there was laughing in her peripheral senses. The kind she hadn’t heard in a long time. The kind that came from young mechs untouched by war.

See. War hardened people. Makes them cold. Affects some more than others. And the longer the war goes on, the less warmth someone had. It was why Cyclonus was so much colder than Scorponok. And why Lord Scorponok had grown so cold from the gladiator she’d met on Cybertron all those millions of years ago. Even she had grown colder than she used to be. Not too much though. She tried to stay upbeat. Someone had to remind others of warmth and compassion once the war was over.

And the orb’s sadness…was born from a warmth that had originated in those not so cold times.

Garrus 9 – Within Converging Sparks

The attempts by the small orb of light to run from Firewire were desperate but, ultimately, hopeless. One cannot run from something one is connected to. Eventually the chase ended.

Another memory, another Soul Siren. Even though Firewire was seeing from Soul Siren's eyes she could sense her even smaller body. It was the body of a servant not a proud Decepticon. Before her she saw a familiar female form lying on the ground. The figure on the ground was motionless, her cranial unit had been accessed. On Soul Siren's right hand she held a device which she had used to access it.

"This is for the best. It will be better for you to not know. They cannot hurt you if no one knows about us."

Soul Siren looked at the proto-Decepticon symbol she held in her her other hand then put it away. She knelt beside the form and accessed her cranium once more leaving a message.

Seek out Scorponok. He will protect you.

She closed the access point and rose once more.

"This is it then." Soul Siren said with emotion that Firewire had never heard before her utter in the few instances they had met. "We will meet again but never again as we were. This is goodbye..."

She turned and walked away.

"...sister."

She finished the sentence almost in a whisper, the words too painful to finish.

Garrus 9 – Within Converging Sparks

“Uuuuummm…” Firewire blinked. She hadn’t been expecting that. She released the memory orb and floated idly in the memory space. For once, the analyst had been rendered speechless. But it was not the fact that Soul Siren used to be her sister that bothered her. Sure, that was a surprise and all, but not particularly disturbing or shocking. It explained why Firewire was here instead of…well…having a normal spark jumpstarting experience.

But…Soul Siren had implanted a subconscious message into her brain. To seek out Scorponok. Did…did that mean….that her admiration for the arachnid warlord was artificial? That she followed him out of some…path laid out for her by Soul Siren? Was any of it even real? Her loyalty, her admiration, her dedication, her friendship? Any of it?!

Firewire didn’t know. Couldn’t know. Couldn’t ever know. Back on the Semper Tyrannis, she kept a log of her memories. Just in case she was ever captured or something and had to erase her memory to avoid disclosing information to the enemy. She could back herself up essentially. But…she hadn’t starting doing that until well into her research into Rossum’s trinity. Long after she had met and joined up with Scorponok. Was there any way to undo…what Soul Siren had done? Well. There was one way. But Firewire didn’t want to think about that right now.

Was everything about her artificial thanks to Soul Siren? Would she have been an Autobot instead had she not implanted the subliminal message? Firewire would never know. Choice seemed stripped from her. Fate. Destiny. Laid out by this…this…glitch of a femme! Okay, okay. Calm down…calm….calm down.

Firewire frowned, her usual perkiness gone, replaced by lowered shoulders and a defeated, sad expression. She wanted her life to have been real. Her own choice. She wanted her admiration for Scorpy to be real. Not…manufactured…

Garrus 9 – Mines

Snaptrap watched as Goldrush accepted his orders without question and scampered off to go accomplish them. Excellent. He would, at least, be more reliable than a seeker or sweep whose loyalties were divided. With that tended, Snaptrap could listen to the reports from his Seacons from all over the mines. They were fairly uneventful, which was satisfactory so far as the butcher was concerned.

His golden optics glanced over to the gathering of Technobots. Doing more talking than working it seemed. His optics narrowed as they began to break apart and wander off in different directions in the mines. Snaptrap did not care for that. He sent a non-verbal message to his Seacons to keep an eye on Technobots if they appeared in their area.

>>”Do not let them out of your sight. I want to know where they all are at any given moment.”<<

Scattershot. Snaptrap watched as the Technobot commander passed from his sight. How he wished that Scorponok’s use for that one in particular would come to an end shortly. His execution would be something to relish – one of the few things that gave the butcher any feeling – even if he were not the one to perform it.


Amphitheatre

“My bad, Slog... I was, uh, a little confused there."

“It’s fine, Wildfly,” Slog replied with what little strength he had. He issued a soft sigh and offlined his optics hopelessly. He did not wish to view the void above his head.

“Hey, Slog. What the Pit is gonna happen to us?"

“We’ll be perfected, most likely,” Slog replied, “And stuck as Mon-“ Slog stopped. Saying his name was like uttering something unspeakable. To summon that horror to the forefront of the mind. “-him for the rest of our lives.”

Slog looked back toward Icepick. He had not heard anything from the most cheerful member of the Monstructor Six in a while. He almost immediately saw why. Jhiaxus’s machines were torturing Icepick similarly as he been by Jhiaxus earlier. “Hang in there, Icepick,” Slog said supportively, “It’ll be over soon.”

The arrival of their ‘savior’ Scorponok into the amphitheater was not lost on the Monstercon either. He glanced over to the gargantuan form of Scorponok, feeling inclined in some way to greet him despite the circumstances. However, he and Jhiaxus were absorbed in conversation. It would not be polite to interject.


The Rig

“I bring you another helping of legislator goodness, Commander Hun-grrr," Rippersnapper said as he delivered a leg to the master. Blot sneered at him. Such a menial offering. Blot felt pride in his own offering to their master. A feast almost worthy of him. If only they were more than simple automatons.

“So, I see the master hasn’t eaten much of your offerings, Blot. Just the one so far?" The shark-former inquired in a whispered tone to his brown-nosing teammate. “Was there something wrong with what you brought him? Perhaps they were too stale, hmmm?"

“What?!” Blot growled, “I’ll crush you, shark face!” Blot transformed into his monstrous alternate mode and smashed his two humongous fists together.

“Come my Terrorrrrcons," The two-headed razorbeast growled out an order while its other head was still busy munching on the remains of a legislator, “We will go to the mines. We will find the Technobots. And we will take them to High Commanderrr Scorponok while making theirrr lives a living hell."

Blot immediately looked over to Hun-Grr as he spoke. “Yes, master!” Blot replied eagerly, moving off toward the elevator, keeping to the right. He preferred to be on the master’s right side at all times. He glared over to Rippersnapper. The foul former actor. But this still remained a good day. As long as Hun-Grr saw it so, it would definitely be.

Garrus 9 – Mines

"So where you an inmate or where you stationed here? Because your story is more opaque than Mirage when he's invisible?"

Umbra gave Roadbuster an exasperated look. She couldn’t help it. Not only that but Scattershot, the Technobot commander was ordering her off with the ex-wrecker! What could possibly be worse? Umbra slumped and followed along behind him though. What else could she really do? She was going to die. Whether by these Autobots or Bludgeon’s hands.

“I was an inmate,” Umbra said with a defeated air in reply, “An Autobot. Or used to be. I don’t know if imprisonment revokes that. I killed someone. I don’t know who. Medic I think. I was delirious at the time. When I came to, I couldn’t deal with what happened. Took someone else hostage before they took me down and sent me here. Happy now?”

Umbra scowled at Roadbuster. “I’m a ‘Bot killer. So if you have a problem with that just kill me now.”


“Oh…oh dear…” Highbrow said as he was assigned to a team with Strafe and Nosecone. Two Technobots for the price of one? “Oh dear,” he muttered troubled. He looked at his assigned compatriots.

“Ah…yes. Greetings Strafe, Nosecone. Shall we be off then?” Highbrow said with all the dignity he could muster. He would much rather spend time with more academic mechanoids like Lightspeed and Brainstorm…but alas. Things were what they were. Or perhaps…maybe he could better his situation as Lightspeed had done.

“Scattershot…a word. I do quite feel like our goals would be better and more swiftly met if Brainstorm, Lightspeed and I were grouped together. Though I don’t know why we’re splitting up in the first place really. What do you say? Perhaps?”

Garrus 9 - Amphitheater

Well that was pleasantly... Cryptic... Deadlock internalized after his inquiry about Jhiaxus' current doings were only responded in such a manner that left the Black and white warrior with more questions than answers. Scorponok's arrival into the scientist's newly established workshop needed no introduction, his booming footsteps providing the warlord with his own drum-like theme music.

A small puff of spent air escaped Deadlock's vocalizer as boredom swept over his chassis once more. Scorps was talking with the ancient scientist, Jhiaxus' prisoners were all bolted to chairs, Demolisher was just... too "by the rules". Protoform sitting was certainly not the warrior's forte, and the effects of an itchy trigger finger in combination of not partaking in much action were beginning to drive him crazy. He needed something to occupy himself with.

Deadlock slowly strolled up next to one of the terminals that had been fixated to Jhiaxus' latest project piece, no doubt it a part of a series of gifts bestowed upon him by Scorponok's "good fortune". The Crimson optics shifted in their sockets towards the direction where the gargantuan warlord and the feeble tinkerer were in the room, discussing details to some bigger and more important ploy. No longer paying a second thought to them, Deadlock looked over the terminal screen with a dull expression plastered to his faceplate. A small and lazily swipe from his index digit soon changed the information on the screen in front of him, shifting from power readings to the personal files of each individual Autobot and Decepticon fixated into Jhiaxus's mechanism.

Nautilator. swipe

Bristleback. swipe

Afterburner. swipe

Swipe... Swipe... Swipe...

The readings Deadlock were taking in weren't very informative and didn't offer the brash warrior any sort of entertainment to take his mind of his current situation. If anything, it was only adding fuel to his metaphorical fire. Nothing in this ancient text sported anything solidly interesti-

"What the scrap..." Deadlock muttered as he froze in his swiping spree. Before him on the terminal screen were Jhiaxus' notes on his last great experiment, undoubtedly his more well known and infamous of creations; The Monstructor Project.

Deadlock's optics darted back and forth over the text as he delved further into his findings. What the black and white Decepticon took in was nearly spark wrenching, he could practically feel his fuel pump turning over within his chassis. Deadlock had seen some sickening things during his time a lifeless druggie living out in the Dead End, just before the Decepticon uprising, but what he was reading here made all that seem like protoform's play. Legend had spoken of Jhiaxus' cruelty in forming the Monstructor beast, but this...this was a whole new monster within itself.

His once dull and bored expression was soon replaced with his jaw hanging agape in shock as he continued to read deeper into the series of notes.

"By the Allspark..."

Garrus 9 - Quartermaster's Locker and Armory

"YEEEAAAWWW!! KILL 'EM A-ahh...awwww...elllll...." Octopunch screeched as he followed Stranglehold into the armory, his makeshift javelin held high above his helmet before realizing the enforcer had busted his way upon some helpless sweep. The salvager looked down at his feet to notice a pool of warm energon leaking from the corpse and dribbling out further into the room. "Huh. That was extremely anti-climatic." The multicolored Decepticon commented before wadding further into the Quartermaster's room. "Well, we came here to get our gear. Let's not dwell on this disappointment of a raid now."

Octopunch rounded one of the corners and found a pair of sweeps cleaning out some of the the storage lockers and placing the contents within containment cubes. He hurried next up the container and began to wade through its contents.

"Did any of you clear out a locker with the name 'Octopunch' inscribed on it?" The salvager inquired as he continued shifting through undistinguishable weapons. One of the sweeps pointed back over his shoulder with his thumb and snarled his metallic mustache to the squid-former.

"Alphabetized, in the olden tongue. We're still working on our first-"

"Yeah, great thanks." Octopunch interjected as he pivoted on his heel and made his way towards where he believed his contents would be found. He pried open several lockers but found little to nothing that looked remotely like the gear he was acquainted with when he was imprisoned in this facility.

"Here we are!" The salvager triumphantly exclaimed, removing a small cylindrical device from a new locker. The golden rod glistened in the armory's light as Octopunch twirled it about in his grasp. Locating the small teal button fixated two-thirds up alongside the rod, the Decepticon salvager activated the weapon's deployment sequence. Two more rods hyper-extended from each end of the cylinder, the higher end itself protruding three hidden spear tips once the extension reached its full length. A snaggle-toothed grin made its home underneath Octopunch's mouthplate as he stared at his long lost weapon with a nostalgic sense of awe. "Reunited and it never felt so good..." Collapsing his familiar trident once more, Octopunch secured his weapon along his hip panel before reaching back into the locker and removing his harpoon gunner. A quick pull on the weapon's action quickly notified the Decepticon that a fresh bolt was loaded into the firing chamber.

Octopunch turned from the locker to face the enforcer who had accompanied him throughout this entire imprisonment, only to briefly catch a glimpse of the sweep-pair removing an all too familiar shape from another locker down the aisle.

"Hold it!" The squid-former called out as he quickly dashed over towards their position, "That blade... It's Bludgeon's!" The farthest sweep looked down at his datapad and only gave Octopunch a nod to confirm his inquiry. The multicolored Decepticon pivoted on his heel to face Stranglehold once more. "That means the captain hasn't been through this part of the wing yet... Which means he and the crew of our crew are elsewhere in the prison..."

"I'll need that then!" Octopunch exclaimed as he reached out and grabbed hold of the blade's sheath, his enormous strength allowing him to easily remove the sword from the Sweep's clutches. "Stranglehold, We gather what we can! This raid won't all be for nothing after all! YAR!" Magnetizing the sheath to his back, Octopunch quickly made his way down the aisle of lockers looking for names he could recall that we're apart of Bludgeon's crew before their imprisonment alongside their commander.

"Found Snarler's scrap!" The salvager informed as he bore open the locker, removing the warrior's broadsword and other tools from within before tossing the savage's collected goods over to his fellow raider "'Ere, you carry the pig's valuables."

Outside The Prisoner's Weapons Locker

Octopunch followed Stranglehold in the weapons locker without seeming to have heard the assassin's call to him, whether it was because he had moved to quickly or the assasin wasn’t loud enough was unclear. The assassin frowned. This was not good.

>>"Ask them if they're getting Bludgeon's and Snarler’s weapons. "<< Came Bomb Burst's growly reply to the question of 'what now?' Just a moment before.

The assasin sighed. >>"Well this would be a whole lot easier without you growling at me and those brutes actually hearing me and not wandering off."<< He muttered forgetting to close his comm.

One of the other assassins made his way out of the shadows and peeked into the locker.

Outside The Aequitas Chamber

The Vampire bristled as the assassin's accidental complaining came through the comm. He was well aware his team was not happy with him being in command. He was strict, demanding, short on patience with them, and harsh and quick on punishment. >>"Let me guess, you didn't realize your comm was still open?"<< This time the growl was heavily accented, indicating the part of Cybertron he came from, which he had worked so hard to remove from his speech. >>"So contact wasn't made?"<<

Clawed actuators started tapping on his arm, illustrating his annoyance.

Outside The Prisoner's Weapons Locker


"Aww scrap..." The assassin said aloud.

Laughter came from the other two assassin's nearby, dead silence was looming in the team's comm.

"Huh... his accent is from Vos. Who knew? Tell the Parasite the Sweeps weren't hiding, they were taking stock of the weapons." The one who peeked into the locker said. "And the two bolt heads got Bludgeon's and Snarler’s weapons. Gee, they figured that out on their own, Bomb Burst is such a controlling slag, even those two are bright enough to figure things out, but no, he has to tell everyone what to do... but that should distract him for a few. He likes intell."

"I'm betting we're going to be getting a visit from the Parasite..." The last assassin still lurking in the shadows, with a sigh.

"Yeah, we're not performing at his unattainably high standards." The second assasin said. "Mr No Personality will be down here seething."

"Would you two stop." The assasin who had attempted to make contact said in a nervous voice. "The Con with little tolerance who likes to suck out our energon until we're dead as a punishment is mad at me... mad enough he wasn’t careful with his speech..."

"Yeah, he really doesn't understand the term punishment does he-"

"Shut up!" The now very nervous assassin yelled and then opened his comm. >>"Sir, my deepest apologies. I thought they could clearly hear me, obviously not. We have confirmed that Octopunch has secured the weapons and the Sweeps were cataloging the locker inventory."<<<

"Now he can stop a obsessing over the Sweeps..."

"Hardly, obessing is his other favorite pastime."


Outside The Aequitas Chamber

The Predator had stopped tapping his claws on his arm and had one actuator between his fangs, biting down on it until a trickle of energon rolled down his chin. "If I absolutely didn't have to, I'd have nothing to do with Cybertronians besides eat them." He muttered his oft said phrase from earlier. He sighed and removed his actuator from his fangs. >>"Get those two here now. I don’t care what way it happens, escort them or follow them, I want them here, NOW."<<


Outside The Prisoner's Weapons Locker

"Try making contact again..." the assasin who had peeked into the locker suggested. "That might save you somewhat, give him what he wanted in the first place."

The assasin nodded. Sound suggestion. He was still in for it, but maybe the Vampire wouldn't kill him. "If the bolt heads still don't respond, we'll just follow." He agreed. "Octopunch, Stranglehold..." He called out loudly but still as unaggressively as possible. "We are here on behalf of our commanding officer, Bomb Burst. He is requesting we take you to him."

Outside the chamber - Garrus-9

Skullgrin stood next to Bomb-burst, not saying anything. He was just waiting on everyone else, because, as usual, everyone is doing things the hard way, and not thinking about what they're doing before they do it. Morons. he thought.

Outside The Aequitas Chamber

Bomb Burst looked over at the silent Skullgrin. "You going to answer my question as to why you want to know who I trust?" He growled. He motioned to Skullgrin to move and started towards the command center.

Skullgrin looked at Bomb-burst, wondering if this was a road worth going down on.

"I was asking to see just how trustworthy you can be." he said. "Things have a way of going sideways when you least expect them to, and that's when you find out who is truly on your side."

On The Way To The Command Center



Bomb Brust stopped walking at Skullgrin's answer and turned to look at his team mate. His face was reflecting inner confusion for a brief moment. "You should never trust me." He answered with brutal honesty and started walking again. "I should never be trusted, not by any of you. However, you will always have my loyalty, I will never betray any of you so long as you don't give me reason to. I can't say the same thing for anyone outside our team."

He paused his explanation long enough to load his arm mounted weapons as they went, continously watching for an ambush. It was, after all, a recently liberated Autobot complex, and they were (only technically) stragglers. Then switching to private communications so no one could over hear them.

>>"But if you're fishing to find out if I would me more loyal to one over another, the answer I would give you is yes."<< The Vampire continued. >>"Though whom is an answer I suspect you wouldn't want to hear. Foremost my loyalty lies to Bludgeon, I must do whatever he commands and will do no questions asked no matter what. If it should come to things going... as you say... sideways... I would feel more inclined to be on your side over most of the others. You... I can understand your way of thinking and am confident in you capabilities both as a fighter and a decision maker."<< He continued walking but looked over to Skullgrin. >>"Unless I was forced to choose between you and Bludgeon, then I'm sorry. But I do advise never to put me in that position for your own sake."<<

>>"The same goes for Iguanus, though I have no faith in his decision making abilities, but he has proven that he is of the same mind I am, I dare say as you are."<< He concluded. >>"Should I assume you ask me this because you feel you can 'trust' me, or something similar to trust, since trust and I do not occupy the same realm ?"<<

Garrus-9 the mines

Roadbuster listened as Umbra filled in several of the blanks in her story but it wasn't a complete story. He was sure that she wasn't telling him the full story.

“I’m a ‘Bot killer. So if you have a problem with that just kill me now."

Roadbuster did just that reaching out he first throttled her with his shackles crushing the neural links in her neck that controlled the rest of her body. Bot killers where the lowest of the low they deserved everything they got releasing Umbra he stomped on her knee joints pushing her head first into the ground. Reaching around he found a Pick axe it raised and fell in one fluid stroke destroyed Umbra's brain module.

Roadbuster's optic's flickered bringing him back to reality he was going to have to watch Umbra even more closely as he moved further into the mine's. His hulking form scraped several low bits of the ceiling bringing small chunks crashing to the ground in his wake.

"Yeah I have a problem with you, step out of line and I'll make sure you are smelted while you're still online"

He continued his march into the depths of the mines.

Skullgrin followed Bomb-burst, listening on his private comm-link. After a few moments of contemplating the Vampire's answer, he simply nodded.

"That will have to do." he said out loud. "And you'd do well to remember that answer when...if the time comes."

En Route to The Command Center


Bomb Burst chuckled disregarding the private comm for now. "Oh believe Me... there's little chance I will forget." He said as they finally made their way along the corridor to the command center. "Those are not words I speak lightly. Remember, loner by nature, I don’t just throw my loyalty behind anyone who comes along. It is all done with very careful considerations." "Bludgeon! " he called out over the team's comm. Not necessarily in a yell but no mistake he was attempting to get his master's attention. "I've got news."

He looked to Skullgrin again. "The real question is can I 'trust' you?" He asked with the slightest bit of a smirk.

Garrus-9 Corridors

Bludgeon's thoughts of more verbal barrage to Cipher was curtailed by Cyclonus speaking up and declaring instructions.

"Determine if any of the communication relays or other monitoring systems were spared during the conflict. However unlikely, this was the epicenter of much of the fighting. If not here...then....the medical bay may hold our answers. It would be the only other area in the prison we did not intentionally strike that the Autobots would desire to keep continuously powered."

Bludgeon thought for a few astro seconds about the problem then spoke in considered tones to his superior. "A device for dampening comms would require alot of power would the power plant be another viable option for tracking it down? Or even that ship that is currently resting in the roof would that have it aboard?"

As Bludgeon continued forward he saw Cyclonus turn briefly following his line of sight the electric warrior saw Mindwipe move into the light. The martial arts master raised his hand in greeting as his comm chirped and warbled before Bomburst's voice came throu.

"Bludgeon! I've got news"

Bludgeon switched to the same frequency his tone firm his displeasure still evident

"Then elaborate on this news before I consider you wasting my time"

En route to the command center

Not unsurprisingly Bludgeon's voice still had a displeased tone. Bomb Burst made point to get back into Bludgeon's good graces in the near future... he prefered not to be on the receiving end of the Warrior when he was angered by the Predator's own actions.

"As you were busy speaking with that little... umm... Decepticon.... as you passed by... and we're unable to see, Skullgrin has graciously provided us with his presence." The Predator said with a slight smirk and look out of the corner of his optic at Skullgrin. "Also... I have located Octopunch and Strangelhold. They are at the weapons locker. I'm told they have yours and Snarler's weapons. I am having them escorted to us to ensure that... they and the weapons arrive safely." He was choosing his words even more carefully than normal now. He had wasted all his patience and diplomacy for probably the next million years on today's failed efforts, but he was not about to loose his head to Bludgeon's anger. "I hope I have not overstepped my bounds by this, though to be honest, it all just happened by chance and not design, I just took the opportunity presented before it could go wrong."

He watched Bludgeon from their distance behind the larger group group of Decepticons. He sometimes (often) had a hard time reading his commanding officer's body language, but that didn’t stop him from trying, especially right now when he was hoping to not anger him even further. He quickened his pace to begin to catch up.

Mines

Highbrow's request caused the Technobot Commander to stop in his tracks. Behind his optical visor his sensors slowly swept towards the counter electronic warfare expert and quietly drove daggers into the officer. Had he just not had the same discussion with Lightspeed, Scattershot would have probably given it more thought. A matter of civility perhaps, or at least as far as he wanted to delve into such trivial things. But the facts were that he had already contemplated the teams and reconsidered them before.

"No Highbrow, I've reorganized enough. You are an officer and I expect you can handle such an assignment," he offered with only a short nod of his head as he glanced down towards Strafe and Nosecone. While they were not the scientist he was or had been, nor the engineer Afterburner had once been or the archivist and data processor Lightspeed currently was, those two were experts in their own fields. Geology and Mathematics. Add to that, they could offer different view points that even the smartest members of their burgeoning resistance could potentially overlook. It was simple logic... at least that was how he saw it. Now if Highbrow did not want to take advantage of those two resources...

He pivoted back on his heel and headed towards the path leading to the different levels. After a few paces down the line, he came to a dead stop. Scattershot drove his left fist into the wall near the passage that lead towards the furthest corners of the upper levels of the mine. The material crumpled and crumbled as he slowly withdrew his bound fingers and allowed the excavated debris to fall to the ground in a small heap. He threw the debris down the path in the opposite direction of which the teams would be travelling, leading back towards the elevators.

The final bits of dust were brushed clean from his actuators and Scattershot disappeared around a steep bend leading towards the depths. Behind him would eventually be Brainstorm and Lightspeed. Its grade was harsh, over 50 degrees if not deeper and not necessarily made for ease of access. But further in were the richer veins of minerals and potential radioactive materials that could be harvested for some sort of crude power source or... Scattershot left the thought linger in the connective ether.

Nosecone would have been valuable in these lower regions, Scattershot did not doubt that. But where he had sent Highbrow's group... well there were thick veins of a strong but malleable metal... at least seventy times stronger than refined iron. Nosecone would be the most capable of finding that lost vein before the Decepticons did. And of course, giving valuable feedback as a go between did not hamper the former miner's intrinsic value over all.

Semper Tyranis Lab
“Heh heh. Did you ever think this was what were going to do after boss bot called the attack?"
Snapdragon assisted in clamping the restraints onto the motionless wreck that was Overlord.

"I was just hoping to lounge in an oil bath for a couple of vorns"

The lab was well equipped even by Shockwave's standards the boss was going to have a party with Overlord. The elite warrior was in appalling shape Omega Supreme's weaponry had done devastation that the Horrorcon hadn't seen in years.

"Last time I saw something this messy was probably the aftermath of Black Shadow's assault on the 113th Battalion"

Snapdragon was intrigued as he poked some of the exposed endo skeleton his curiosity peaked. As he poked and prodded Apeface spoke again.

"I guess they rebuilt him well just not well enough to fight Omega Supreme" it was a grudging respect within his voice as he admitted the fact.

"So what do we do now wait here or go back and to the prison?"