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Shuttle Longevity - Bridge

"'Preciate the help Smokes'." Jazz thanked the red and blue rallycar as he made himself comfortable at the comm controls in the rear of the bridge. The black and white specialist turned back to manning the controls of the shuttle as he piloted the craft further towards the planet surface.

As he reached up to turn up the volume of his internal music player, Jazz noted how busy Smokescreen had gotten answer calls from all over. A faint smirk managed to sneak across the Special Operations Director's faceplate as he turned to watch the diversion expert answer all the communictions coming through from the Autobots stationed in Peru.

"Phoneline's getting busy when I pass it off to someone else? You must be pretty popular today Smokescreen!" Jazz joked.

Jazz take us in at safe thruster speed. As soon as we have landed and retrieved our comrades, set a course for Point K. Hand off the helm to one of the Aerialbots and join me, Prowl, and Silverbolt in the cabin.

"You got it Ultra Magnus! Locking on to Prowl's signal and readjusting speed."

Longevity - Troop Compartment

Look, Railway, I’m not really the ‘buddy’ type. No offense, but I’d rather just be left alone to mediate before I have to go into battle and rip a herald’s head off his shoulders. So, why don’t you and Blindside over here have a little chat with each other while I just sit here and brood? Okey-dokey? Thanks!

Railway dropped his hand and brought it back to his side before crossing his arms over his chest plating and leaning against the wall of the troop compartment. He respected Howlstrike's wishes to be left alone for awhile, but Primus was that a harsh way to put it to someone. He was just trying to help the former Predacon, there was no need to be so snarky about it.

"Is he normally like this?" the Terror of the Tracks curiously asked over to the blind mech sitting across from him. The Autobot warrior then let out a long sigh. The tightness of the comapartment was getting to him, making him uneasy. He gazed around the transport wondering if there was somewhere more open he could hang out at until they landed. He knew the cargo bay was large enough, but he'd be totally isolated from the rest of the crew.

Decisions, Decisions...

Peruvian Valley - Destroyed Base Camp

Prowl simply shook his cranial unit when Jazz’s vocals first came back across his comm line. Captain Personality? Really? The military strategist understood sarcasm when he heard it, but that didn’t mean he liked it. The black and white knew that he wasn’t considered the most sociable of mechs within the Autobot ranks. It wasn’t exactly his job to be sociable. However, it was his job to strategize and make sure the war effort went their way, sometimes by any means necessary. Jazz’s follow-up question regarding the weather was more appropriate if not also intended to be somewhat sarcastic. The final word from the Earth-loving ‘Bot was that the Longevity was about a breem or so out and would arrive shortly. That suited Prowl just fine. The sooner they got going to face this “god” the better.

Before the military analyst had a chance to send any kind of response to the approaching shuttle and its crew, Fireflight decided he would take it upon himself to open his own comm line to the Longevity and provide them with an additional update, one that was unnecessary. This time it was Smokescreen that responded with Fireflight then indicating that he wanted to personally talk to Ultra Magnus regarding the situation with the humans. It all seemed strange that one of the Aerialbots would not only supersede his own unit commander but also the mission leader, as well. Still, Prowl managed to hold his mechanical tongue and allow Silverbolt to handle things with his subordinate. Unfortunately, Fireflight did not take being admonished very well and threw a temper tantrum that was truly befitting of a protoform. The insubordinate Aerialbot then transformed and took to the skies, his destination unknown.

A scowl became deeply etched across Prowl’s faceplate at this annoying turn of events as he cast a stern look over at the Aerialbot Commander. “Silverbolt, I suggest that you get your man under control before I do it for you and throw him in the brig. I will not have him or anyone jeopardize our forces in the upcoming mission because of his erratic actions. Is that clearly understood?” The military strategist then paused for a moment before continuing. “As for the shuttle escort, permission granted. And bring your wayward subordinate back down when you return.”

With his new orders given, the black and white opened another comm line to the approaching shuttle craft:

>>”Smokescreen, this is Prowl again. I want you to ignore the prior rantings of Fireflight. He must have some kind of glitch in his circuits. Furthermore, I am sending up Silverbolt and two of his Aerialbots to escort you guys down to us safely. The weather down here has been rough the past couple of cycles but most of the storm has now passed. However, there could still be the chance of a stray atmospheric discharge, so be careful on approach. Prowl out.”<<

Shuttle Longevity - Bridge

Smokescreen quickly became inundated with comm chatter, mostly from Fireflight. It seemed like there was some dissension within the Aerialbot ranks as the flier was none too happy with his unit commander. The diversion expert remained silent on the matter as Fireflight’s last, raving communique was heard. “Well, I seem to be more popular than Silverbolt, anyway. Heh,” Smokey replied, glancing over at Jazz. “I wonder what crawled up his exhaust port that he would act so insubordinate like that. Seems crazy. Think I should send another response or let it be?”

Before Jazz could answer the rallybot’s question, another message from Prowl was received that somewhat clarified things for him in regards to the upset flier. A glitch would certainly explain his uncharacteristic behavior. Hopefully, Fireflight wouldn’t get into too much trouble as a result.

>>Understood, Prowl. Thanks for the clarification. We’ll be sure to keep an optic out for Silverbolt and his men. Smokescreen out.”<<

Closing the comm line, the red and blue racer turned towards both Jazz and Ultra Magnus, primarily addressing the new Autobot leader. “Sir, Prowl’s sending up an Aerialbot escort to help guide us in. We should see them soon.”

Somewhere on a plateau, Peruvian Valley


Fireflight had silently kept his comm link on. When hearing that they thought he had a glitch, he turned it off. "A glitch? No, of course not! But, that decepticon did bang me up pretty badly, maybe I-I did have a-No. I couldnt! I mean, wouldnt I know if I had one? I was just...in a bad mood, yeah..." That thought comforted Fireflight, but he knew that wasn't the truth. What if he did really have a glitch? What if he would have to be retired? Something clicked in the back of his head. He turned his comm link on. >>Hey, guys. This is Fireflight. After hearing that you guys think I have a glitch, I thought about it. I accept that I do have one, and am coming back. Since I'm a danger to the team, will someone please throw me in the brig when I'm on the shuttle? I know why I have a glitch though. A couple human hours ago, I had a scuffle with a decepticon. He banged me up pretty bad. If that glitch comes back, I could seriously hurt someone. Just, don't talk to me when I come back. Tell Ultra Magnus that I'm dangerous. To myself and to everyone else, even more. Just wanted to tell ya, I'm coming back.<<

Peruvian Valley Destroyed Camp

Silverbolt watched Fireflight fly off like a Protoform who had just sipped to much high grade energon completely dumbfounded. An outburst like that was so out of character it made him wonder if he didn’t need to see Rung or another autobot Psychiatrist asap.

Prowl interrupted his thoughts

“Silverbolt, I suggest that you get your man under control before I do it for you and throw him in the brig. I will not have him or anyone jeopardize our forces in the upcoming mission because of his erratic actions. Is that clearly understood? As for the shuttle escort, permission granted. And bring your wayward subordinate back down when you return."

“At this point sir I have no idea whats going through his mind at this point” it was a horrible admission to make but Silverbolt had never seen Fireflight act like this “I’d recommend he’s kept out of front line action until such time as a medic or psychiatrist is available for his delusions” Silverbolt knew that Fireflight had been on one of the arks for the last few breems so him being in a fight with a decepticon was a laughable excuse.

Silverbolt turned to Air Raid “Find and Escort Fireflight to the Longevities brig for his own safety”

Silverbolt then opened a comm channel to Fireflight

>>Silverbolt to Fireflight get your aft back here now soldier and stop acting like a spoilt Protoform, if you don’t comply with Air Raid’s Directions. I’ll come and drag you back to the shuttle and you shall be restrained until such time as you are seen by medical technicians<<

Silverbolt rarely did threats but this was an unusual circumstance never had the burden of leadership weighed so heavily on his shoulders. Turning to Skydive and Slingshot he spoke again his words edged with steel “ok Aerialbots lets move”

Transforming swiftly Silverbolt took to the sky his powerful engines pushing him into the clearing skies.

Air Raid watched Silverbolt leave after giving out his instruction he was swift to transforme into his F-15 mode, he thundered into the skies in the opposite direction to his colleagues intent on finding his comrade. He was faced with the prospects of having to escort a wayward colleague to the brig for having an outburst that Slingshot would be proud of. That last thought encouraged him to open a link to the more rowdy member of the aerialbots.

>>Hey slingshot didn’t think Fireflight had the bearings to slam Silverbolt like that<<

Peruvian Valley – Destroyed Base Camp

With a small nod and a quick smile Bumblebee acknowledged Nova Strike’s offer of the energon ration. It was very much appreciated. All of the excitement and hullabaloo had nearly worn the minobot out. He maybe fuel efficient but he was certainly not explosion resistant.

The though brought out a chuckle. But low enough so only he could hear.

“Much obliged, Nova.” With some finagling the yellow mech was able to pop the top and ingest a mouthful of the liquid. “Ahh. Now that makes this all worth it.” Bee looked to Rewind and then up to Hound.

His smile faded slightly at hearing Hound’s exclamation. “Um, hey, Hound…” Bee was quickly cut off by Prowl, who in his own “thoughtful” way was trying to ease the scout’s worry.

Carefully Bee placed his ration down next to him and reached out his god hand. He gripped Hound’s elbow and jostled it in order to get the green mech’s attention. “It’s okay, Hound. I’ll be good to go in no time. Once I have this,” he indicated his mangled shoulder, “…repaired I’ll join you all. There’s nothing that’ll keep me from helping our guys. Not even some supposed mythical former Prime.” He flashed his friend an uneasy smile.

After a moment’s hesitation he quickly glanced down at Rewind but turned his attention back to Prowl. “There…there is a plan, isn’t there, Prowl? I mean we’re not going in there with guns blazing and no kind of strategy, right?” If anyone, Prowl would know that answer to those questions. He had to. He was the strategist for Primus sake. Wasn’t he?

Shuttle Longevity – Hold One – Combat Casualty Care

Surprisingly the set-up of the medical unit within the Longevity’s hold went rather smoothly. Or as smoothly as anything could go with Ratchet threatening to beat you senseless with a wrench.

Veneer groaned as he finished placing a bin of surgical tools in an easy to access location. He tried, as always, to concentrate on his appointed tasks, but listening and watching the dangerous dance Axle and Ratchet performed was giving him a processor ache.

Finally with both medics off discussing who was the prettier doctor, Veneer smirked and slipped away. Quietly he palmed the door to an old weapons locker open and vanished within. The nurse pressed his back firmly against the wall, raised his head up to the ceiling and offlined his optics. He let out a heavy sigh before he slowly slid down to the floor.

He stayed like that for a while, hoping neither Ratchet or Axle would find him.

Finally, once he was actually able to think clearly again, he smiled and opened up a private comm link with Blindside.

>> “I think Ratchet and Axle are competing to outshine the other.”<< Veneer chuckled over the link. A vision of both medics standing before each other shoving the others’ shoulders popped into his head. His chuckle died down eventually until there was silence over the link.

>> “Cred for your thoughts,”<< he said lowly.

>>Hey, guys. Ignore my last message. And my prior ranting! I got uhm...a little bit...frightened? About the mythological god thingy we're going up against. I also thought about something I don't think any aerialbot has thought about in a long, loooong time. Feel free to punish me as you feel necessary, just not to much. please?<<

Peruvian Valley – Destroyed Base Camp

Skydive caught the ration from Fireflight but before he could down half of it, Fireflight went all crazy. He understood the needs of his fellow flight brothers about stretching their wings and its effects on their processors but seems things went way out of control with Fireflight. The odd reaction from the humans was tragic and unexpected but still there was protocol on how to handle it. Thankfully Silverbolt understood his second in command concern about strategies even though Skydive was hoping he and Prowl would discuss things later. Most Autobots can't stand Prowl but Skydive understands where the strategist comes from even though on a smaller scale. Silverbolt then ordered Skydive and Slingshot to assist in escorting the shuttle Longevity down. Without too much of nod, Skydive put away his ration for later and transform to follow his direct commander and Slingshot.

>>I'll see what I can come up with, sir, on the possibilities. As Commander Prowl pointed out, quite often we don't have all of the information we would like which makes things a bit more challenging. I will work on our portion of the possible operation and then submit it to Prowl's judgment. One thing which would be nice if we are allowed to somehow scout ahead once we arrive at the coordinates.<<

Peruvian Valley: Destroyed Base Camp

Slingshot scowled briefly as Nova Strike usurped his chosen duties by helping himself to the rations. Particularly because he wanted to have a little fun at the Ranger's expense. Though unlikely as it may have been, to offer a throw a point two zero zero one degrees off of center could have caused a rather hilarious collision between the ration canister and a spray of mud directed straight into Nova's face plate. Alas that did not materialize, leaving the sniper unsatisfied with the entire ordeal.

As he stood up and finally allowed the missed opportunity to fade into the background, Slingshot caught the last vestiges of a rather surprising and abrupt explosion of hormonal imbalance... or whatever it was the organics called it. Fireflight's departure was definitely something that caught him and everyone else by surprise, but where as the others were offended and decided to condemn the hapless dreamer, Slingshot offered an approving smile and nod.

He reached up, as Prowl scolded Silverbolt for Fireflight's actions, and wiped away a mock tear from underneath his right optic. "They grow up so fast... don't they?" His voice was low but could be heard by everyone.

"Huh," Slingshot's attention was broken by the abrupt orders from Silverbolt regarding playing escort to a giant tub of ground pounders. "Oh sure, lets just leave a perfectly secured air space, fly escort through another perfectly secured air space, and back again. On top of that, missing the show of a spark time."

The sharp shooter folded over his chest briefly before offering a defeated shrug as Silverbolt's own stern glare dismissed any idea of further argument. Slingshot jumped into the air and transformed into his F-31 Lightning II form. He spiraled tightly as he gained altitude, sending jet wash down into the gathered Autobots on the ground... with a spray of viscous mud and water. He swiftly ate the distance between the ground and the escort group consisting of himself, Air Raid and Silverbolt.

As he took his positing just behind Silverbolt's right rudder, Air Raid's communication came through the open frequency. "Nope, never saw it coming. I kept warning him that those delusions of his was going to agitate the breakdown of that subroutine that separated reality from imaginary universes of his. Still, got to admit it, I am proud of the little bugger." He let out a laugh and leveled off his ascent. His threat assessment radar went into overdrive as he began actively scanning the region, though he was confident that there was nothing in range to cause havoc with such a routine assignment.

Peruvian Valley: Somewhere...


Fireflight spotted Air Raid's jet form and waved to him. "Hey! Over here!" Fireflight yelled. He knew he was going to be in big, big trouble, even though he asked for a reduced punishment. "Well, I suppose I did act like Slingshot, a lot." Fireflight said to himself. At that thought, Fireflight burst out laughing. "Ahahahah! I bet Slingshot would be standing there, being all, "Ah, I taught his circuits well," He said, replicating Slingshot's vocal patterns.

above Peruvian Valley

Silverbolt’s majestic airframe thundered higher into the air Slingshot taking station under his right rudder Skydive he assumed was off his left, he heard the conversation between Slingshot and Air Raid. The Aerialbot commander was seething about the entire incident and Fireflight’s apology only fueled the anger he was feeling that was only part of it he also felt hurt and let down by his subordinates lack of control of his emotions despite being the youngest of the Aerialbots he was still one of the elite. Elite in the fact that he along with his fellow team mates where some of the few autobots able to fly Elite in that they were chosen to battle the hordes of Seekers and other aerial decepticons on their home turf.

He chose to enforce his will on a private Aerialbot only link

“Your proud of that Slingshot? Be warned anyone else pulls a stunt like that I’m tossing your skid plates into the brig faster than being shot out of one of Perceptor’s EM catapults! Do you Get Me?”

Still furious at both Fireflight and himself Silverbolt kicked his afterburners into life as he headed up towards the shuttle that was starting to come into view.

“Shuttle craft Longevity this is Silverbolt we’re approaching from below slingshot and skydive are with me”

Peruvian Valley elewhere

Air Raid saw Fireflight on the ground waving off all the stupid hair brained things he was now acting like it was all alright. As he prepared to land slingshot’s message came through

"Nope, never saw it coming. I kept warning him that those delusions of his was going to agitate the breakdown of that subroutine that separated reality from imaginary universes of his. Still, got to admit it, I am proud of the little bugger."

Air Raid was all prepared to reply when Silverbolt’s stern voice broke into the channel giving them all notice that he wasn’t going to stand for any more shenanigans. The black jet came in low transforming he didn’t bother to slow down he landed rougher than he expected sliding to a halt his rifle aimed, he had orders to follow Silverbolt’s words echoed in his audio receptors.

“Come on Fireflight you’ve managed to make the boss look like a prize exhaust vent in front of Prowl time to go face the music”

He pointed the direction in which he wanted Fireflight to head in the direction of the ruined camp. Air Raid wasn’t amused at Fireflight’s attempt at mimicking Slingshot a scowl appeared on his face as he waited for Fireflight to get moving.

above Peruvian Valley

Skydive flew into formation to the left of Silverbolt. The internal channel of the Aerialbots was getting rather heated. With all the joking around, one could maybe guess deep down they are afraid of what they might be up against. Skydive knew when things got tough, their group got its act together even if it meant a few wings got burnt on the tips. This time, though, they might need to pull their act together before anyone got burnt.

"I am hoping the joking around, Slingshot, is your way of easing any tentions. Remember, we are to be the elite of elite aerial squads even against the worst of scenarios. It is totally possible what we will be facing will be the absolute worst scenario but we will not know until we get more intel. I will try to come up with a plan for us and then submit it to Commander Prowl and maybe to Ultra Magnus if allowed. No matter what the plan will be, we need to be in our best form in order to protect those who depend on us."

Somewhere in the Peruvian Valley


"Ok, ok, I'm going," Fireflight said as he transformed into his jet form. "And I thought Air Raid, and Slingshot, would be the one that WEREN'T gonna be mad, but here I am," Fireflight mumbled as he sped through the skies, not paying attention to his surroundings, until the last minute when he jerked away. When he neared the camp, he converted to robot form, and looked at everyone, ready for the scolding of a spark-time.

Peruvian Valley - Destroyed Base Camp

Hound turned his attention back to Bumblebee as the injured minibot tugged on the green scout’s arm. The yellow mech’s words were meant to comfort the hologram specialist, but Hound still felt a sense of dread of what was to come. Even once ‘Bee was fully healed and ready for combat, how much help would he be able to provide against a demigod? In fact, what could any of them do against Unicron’s spawn? It seemed like not only an uphill battle but a losing one no matter how it was viewed. Were they all just going into a no-win situation that was simply a futile attempt of delaying the inevitable? That was quite possible, but most mechs would rather die fighting than die doing nothing at all.

“I know, Bumblebee, and I’m sure you’ll be a great help to us,” Hound replied with an uneasy smile of his own before glancing over at Prowl once the minibot began questioning the black and white regarding a strategy. “I’m sure we won’t be going in there with no plan at all, ‘Bee. However, we’ve all been down here on this scouting mission while much has happened up in orbit. I’m sure our commander needs more info before devising a strategy. Right, Prowl?”

The military strategist turned to look at both Hound and Bumblebee as they raised their concerns. There was so much happening in such a short period of time with so many things to consider. It was understandable that his subordinates wanted reassurances that everything would be all right and that they would prevail even against a supposed demigod. The idea of such a creature actually existing sent Prowl’s logic circuits for a loop. He kept it together, however, with the thought that there had to be a more rational explanation, one that hopefully Ultra Magnus could provide. The black and white knew that something was definitely amiss with Hot Rod before the scouting mission, but Prowl had no idea he thought himself to be the Fallen.

“Hound’s right, Bumblebee,” Prowl finally replied as he crossed his arms over his chest plate. “A great deal has transpired while we have all been down here scouting around and dealing with pesky humans. I did manage to download some data from the Ark-22’s logs regarding the current situation, but the damage done up there has made the signal very weak. As a result, I only have minimal information at this time. Once Ultra Magnus provides me with further details I’ll be able to devise a final strategy for the coming battle. Trust me, ‘Bee, we will NOT be going in without a solid plan. That would not only be illogical, but stupid, as well.”

Prowl’s attention was then drawn to the return of the wayward Fireflight. The Aerialbot seemed sorry for his actions and was awaiting whatever punishment would come his way. “Fireflight, I suggest you keep it together and behave yourself from here on out. I’ll leave it up to Silverbolt to discipline you accordingly. Understood?”

Shuttle Longevity - Bridge

No sooner had Smokescreen informed Ultra Magnus about the Aerialbot escort than the diversion expert received another communique, this time from Silverbolt. Apparently, he and two of his fliers were already on approach from beneath the shuttle craft. The rallybot immediately checked the radar screen that was situated directly next to the communications station just as three blips appeared on the small monitor. “There you are,” Smokey muttered to himself as he switched the comm line back on.

>>”Roger that, Silverbolt. I see you guys on the radar. Be careful out there. The turbulence is still a little rough.”<<

With his latest message sent, Smokescreen turned towards Jazz in the pilot’s seat. “Silverbolt, Slingshot and Skydive are just below us now. They should be in visual range within astroseconds,” the red and blue racer said as a smile spread across his faceplate. “Try not to hit them. Heh.”

Smokey’s sense of humor was still intact even as Tracer briefly entered his processor again. The troubled femme would always be there to some degree no matter what, but the rallybot managed to quickly push the thought of her into the background. Manning the comm station had been the best thing he could’ve done for himself right now. It kept him busy and made it easier to remain focused on what was to come and not worry as much about what had been left behind.

‘Shuttle Longevity: Bridge

The bridge had become a tomb, quiet outside the occasional report from the helm regarding navigational developments or the odd report from the ground based scouting party. A shroud of doubt hung low over each Autobot, though most tried not to acknowledge its presence, Scoop could easily read the tense body language of each member present. Whether they were on the bridge or in the cabin just beyond the bulkhead hatch, there was a decent amount of uncertainty and fear that was practically tangible. Even he felt the tinge of dread looming over him like the cold touch of eternity preparing to summon him to the ever after.

The infantryman placed a thumb and forefinger on the corner of a worn out tome, its cover an old polymer based synthetic fabric that had become frayed from eons of continual openings and use. Its pages were vibrant in parts, dulled and decayed in the corners where constant pressures of fingers bending them to and fro had aided in the turning of pages. Its spine was scorched with burn marks, its bindings melted in places due to intense heat applied during battle, deforming the cover enough to warp the names along its base.

Scoop carefully opened the cover of the book and turned to the second chapter of the tome. It was his favorite chapter, particularly because it inspired a grand hope for a bright future… if one ignored the dark price that was paid to achieve that future. The battle between Unicron the God of Chaos and Destruction and the Warrior God, Primus… it was a classic battle between two equally powerful foes and had many parallels to the constant struggle between Optimus Prime and Megatron. Unfortunately there was never an ultimate victor in that fabled clash, and that clash still lingered on though its span was over trillions of parsecs of space.

As he continued through those ancient words, taken down by the first scribes of the long lost tribes of Cybertron, his gaze turned towards a small passage at its very end. To protect the burning creation within the warrior god, he cast upon a veil of secrecy and cloistered himself within the depths of eternity. Scoop reread the passage and attempted to glean some sort of meaning that scholars had long ago over looked.

Skies above the Peruvian Valley

Slingshot tightened the formation, consuming the distance between himself and Silverbolt until he was just above the larger jet’s thrust wash. He deactivated his weapons systems and allowed Skydive and the bomber to provide the necessary imagination that would defend the shuttle as it made its last maneuvers to the designated Landing Zone. Unless Fireflight decided to make a hard bank and begin firing upon a shuttle that, judging by his own sensitive sensors, was packing enough firepower to rival a corvette twice its size, there was little present to threaten it. Still like many of his squadron mates, his weapons could go hot in a near instant, so conserving power was an optimal strategy at the moment.

However, the message he received from Silverbolt had caused the ground support flier a snag in the processor. The implication was that he had no idea how serious the situation was, and to tell the truth no one in that valley even had a clue as to what was going on. Aside from a few brief static filled communication bursts from Ultra Magnus, there was very little to go on. Something about a fallen something or other had decided to come back from the nether world to something dramatic. And while all in all it sounded ominous, Slingshot really did not even want to contemplate the gravity of the situation. What could he possibly do to help? Maybe they were right… his simple attempt to illicit a laugh from Air Raid and even possibly crack a small chink in Silverbolt’s irate armor had been met with a distinct lack of understanding.

The Aerialbot began to fall ever so slightly back in the formation as they began to surround the shuttle craft. His sensors narrowed on the flight path and the immediate area. But his mind began to gather dark clouds of self doubt. He knew he was insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Inwardly he figured out that what had happened to Fireflight could happen to him, without warning he could be rendered even more useless. Slingshot’s wings began to wobble.

He did not respond to Silverbolt’s comment. How could he? The sniper was not entirely sure he approved of the explosion, but the levity he offered as a counter… yes, the good natured or was it mean spirited, barb had been on its surface an attempt to break the unbreakable. It wasn’t even for them, but for himself. If he showed he was more stable to himself then maybe he could find some worth to bring to bear against an unimaginable foe. And before it could possibly develop beyond the initial phases, it was dashed… and Slingshot felt worse than ever.

Shuttle Longevity: Bridge

This was not a situation that Ultra Magnus could approach through traditional means. Battling Decepticons was relatively easy by comparison, matching wits against tactical genius such as Megatron, Onslaught or even Shockwave, protoforms play. Trying to counter the plans of the unholy Spawn of Unicron himself was proving to be relatively more difficult. Ultra Magnus flipped the images on his small screen again back to the fresco that had been dubbed in ancient days, ‘The Icons of the Primes’.

“Not a spawn of Unicron…” He caught himself quietly muttering a small correction to himself. It was easy to confuse the origins of Megatronus, the Fallen, with the dark god of chaos. Absently his left hand closed around the edge of the armrest. His features remained stoic as he began to reflect on an old story that had been passed to him from a distant mentor. It was an allegory, a story about how a child turned upon his father and attempted to usurp his throne. But the father, an elder king, had a family who cherished him and rose to protect their creator from the child. Through his act of defiance the child was cast out of the house and forced to wander the world alone.

Ultra Magnus leaned back into his command seat and placed his finger tips together just under his chin. He began to tap his two index fingers again as the image began to shift on the forward view screen. Clouds dispersed and thin black lines of mountains topped in water ice began to dominate the image. Swiftly the distance disappeared as the mountains were dissolved and replaced by a single lone valley in the heart of the range. At its center a moderately sized body of water that was fed by several streams from glacial runoff. Quickly the image expanded again, this time it focused on the point of the landing zone that had been established by Prowl and his team.

Within moments the tell tale vibration of the landing struts touching down upon the soft earth reverberated through the shuttle. The lights through the shuttle increased by two degrees as several sensors began automated sweeps of the region. Standard operational procedures that Magnus had declined to deactivate for their short jaunt.

He pushed himself out of his command chair and nodded over to the third ranking officer onboard. A pivot on his heel soon sent him towards the back hatch and to the cabin. The cabin itself was small, though not as such as it prevented movement for the larger mecha and it held enough seats to accommodate the newer additions to their team. It was equipped as well with necessary monitors and tactical displays for unit briefings, features that Magnus had come to rely on during his brief periods out on Liberty. He offered a curt nod to Skids and Gateway before he came to the last row of seats occupied by Blindside and his liaison to the Predacons, Howlstrike. He said nothing and only offered a commanding presence over both of them. He held no illusion that both of their tasks would be taxing, though for various reasons.

Finally he turned to face the entirety of the cabin. “As soon as we lift off, we will begin our tactical briefing and refinement. In the meantime, refine your views of this particular operation, not as one that means to destroy this corrupted entity but towards one that means to thwart it. I believe that is our best chance for success in our coming operation.” He turned again and headed towards the main belly hatch where Prowl and his team were now loading.

Shuttle Longevity - Passenger Cabin

At the sound of the City Commander’s voice, Howlstrike on-lined his optics once more and glanced up at the new Autobot leader. At least it wasn’t just any mech this time interrupting his meditation and trying to be all buddy buddy with him. The former Predacon listened as Ultra Magnus spoke. Refine my views? Yeah, okay, sure thing, Howl thought to himself as he crossed his arms over his chest. With his alt mode’s wolf head situated in the center of his robot mode’s chest plate, the hunter could only rest his forearms on top of the beast’s snout. It was a bit awkward in appearance, but it was something the lupine tracker had adjusted to ever since he had picked this animalistic alternate form.

“The only thing I need to refine is how many pieces I’m going to rip Hardhead into before he falls into stasis lock,” Howlstrike whispered quietly so that only the disabled mech next to him could hear his words. Turning his cranium towards the sightless Autobot, the ex-Predacon allowed a devious smile to creep onto his faceplate as he leaned in closer to his new partner in revenge. “So, you think you can help me do something that extreme, Blindside? I still don’t intend to kill him, but allowing me to eviscerate a former comrade might be a bit too much carnage for you to handle. Don’t you think?”

Peruvian Valley - Destroyed Base Camp

Prowl kept his optics skyward as the Longevity descended towards the location of what was once the human base camp. The Aerialbot escort had ensured the shuttle’s safety even if it had ultimately been unnecessary. Regardless, things were finally moving forward now towards a battle with a mech that called himself the Fallen. Hopefully, Ultra Magnus would have the answers that the military strategist would find useful as the thought of heading into a fight against a mythical demigod continued to twist Prowl’s logic circuits into a bind.

The black and white analyst took several steps back, giving the Longevity a wide berth as the craft landed gently on the roadway that led to the mine entrance. Within astroseconds, the shuttle’s primary hatchway opened as a ramp extended down to the ground. Prowl could see the very familiar silhouette of the City Commander standing in the opening, awaiting for the scouting team to board. Wasting no further time, the strategist turned towards his team and nodded. “All right, everyone. Let’s get on board. The sooner we can take off the sooner I can activate the hologram emitters and conceal this valley until we return.”

If we return. Prowl immediately purged the thought from his processor. Of course, they would return. This Fallen was nothing more than a short-circuiting Autobot. It could be hurt and if that was the case then it could be defeated. Whatever had happened to Hot Rod could be undone and if not, well, then he would be a necessary sacrifice to ensure the continuing safety and existence of the Autobot army and overall war machine. Their survival was most important here and nothing could jeopardize that, not even another Autobot or former ‘Bot as the case may be.

“Commander Magnus,” Prowl spoke in a firm, respectful tone as he ascended the ramp and entered into the Longevity’s passenger cabin, giving the Autobot leader a staunch salute. “Good to see you again, sir. Although, I wish it was under better circumstances. Be as it may, the valley here is now secure. We did have some trouble with the local humans who apparently had their eye on the same mine that we did. Thankfully, Hound’s holograms and Rewind’s audio recordings successfully scared them away, but not before one of the fleshlings managed to activate an explosive device as you can see by the destruction around us. All is quiet now and we were not discovered by the indigenous population. Infiltration protocols were strictly adhered to I can assure you. The only real casualty during the mission was Bumblebee, who injured his shoulder joint. He will need to be looked at if he is going to provide aid in the upcoming conflict. Otherwise, my men are good to go.”

Prowl paused a moment to let his words settle in to the imposing City Commander. The black and white made no mention of Fireflight’s previous outbursts as he didn’t want to burden Ultra Magnus with such trivial misgivings. Besides, Silverbolt was fully capable of dealing with his own subordinate. Thus, it was the Aerialbot Commander’s problem to handle, allowing the higher-ups the freedom to address far more pressing matters.

“Sir, I must admit that your prior communications regarding the Fallen has me a bit bewildered to say the least,” Prowl stated, breaking the silence between himself and Ultra Magnus. “Granted, the intense static over the comm line made it difficult to glean everything I need in order to devise an effective strategy against such an adversary. Perhaps I missed something that would explain this situation to me. As you well know I’m very logic driven. I rely on facts, not superstitions. The idea of a supernatural threat is foreign to me, and I must only conclude that there is another, more reasonable explanation to all of this. I do remember that Hot Rod was having delusions of grandeur, calling himself a Prime and all. I had ordered a medical evaluation, but I am unaware if that took place or not. Regardless, he must be suffering from some kind of glitch that would explain his erratic behavior. Is there any further information that you can provide, Commander Magnus, anything at all?”

_________

Hound raised his left hand up to shield is optics from the dirt that was kicked up as the Longevity set down on the dirt roadway. Finally, the shuttle had arrived and in once piece. If only the green scout had managed such a feat earlier instead of crashing his craft into the glacial lake at the base of the valley. Of course, it didn’t help that there had been a thunderstorm raging overhead at the time. Still, Hound felt silly for even trying such a thing when there were plenty of Aerialbots on board that could’ve possibly done far better. Thankfully, no one had been badly injured in his failure to land a simple shuttle.

Once Prowl had ordered everyone to get on onboard, Hound turned towards Bumblebee and smiled. “Well, ‘Bee looks like our ride is here. Soon you’ll be all fixed up and ready to go. Just hang on to me and I’ll get you inside.” The hologram specialist then leaned down and grabbed a hold of the injured minibot’s good arm, carefully helping him up to his feet. Gently placing an arm around the yellow mech’s upper back, Hound guided Bumblebee towards the waiting shuttle. “Watch you step, little buddy. We don’t want you falling and damaging anything else. If Ratchet is here, I’m sure he’ll be none too pleased if he has even more to fix. You know how his bedside manner can be.”

Peruvian Valley - Destroyed Base Camp

As the Shuttle Longevity landed, Skydive was not surprised but also relieved the landing went by textbook. He noticed Prowl walking up to the shuttle and a few others getting up to follow him. Skydive also saw Fireflight and Air Raid had returned from the chase. The tirade Fireflight done only cycles ago still made Skydive shake his head if he was in robot mode. Once Skydive got close enough to the ground, he transformed into his robot mode and landed a few meters away. He overheard a few things Prowl had said to Ultra Magnus but not enough to fully understand what was going on. Instead of going on board now, Skydive walked over to Air Raid and Fireflight to wait on Silverbolt and Slingshot.

"I don't know who is on the shuttle but I hope we get to pilot it this time. The size of this battle shuttle would make a large crater if it crashed like our ride down here. Hopefully we will also have a smoother ride to wherever we are going. If it is a short flight, we might end up giving escort but I would expect Commander Prowl to have issued the order. I'm still hoping for more information so I can come up with the aerial portion of the strategy but at the same time I expect Prowl to do his usual quality of planning along with whoever else being involved."

Shuttle Longevity - Interior

Blindside was content to leave Howlstrike be for the time being. The blind tactician simply smiled and shrugged when Railway asked him whether or not Howl was always like this. He didn't rightly know the bestial Autobot that well yet. Leaning back in his seat, Blindside simply relaxed and tried to enjoy the ride, letting his thoughts wander but never too far. A familiar voice popped into his head as if on cue. A smile tugged at the edge of Blindside's lips as Veneer's voice echoed through his internal comms.

>> “I think Ratchet and Axle are competing to outshine the other."<<

Veneer chuckled over the link, slowly letting it die out, and leaving Blindside with a warm smile on his faceplate directed at none of his present company.

>> “Cred for your thoughts,"<< he said lowly.

Blindside sighed with a wry smile and shook his head. Typical worrying Vee. The tactician would try his best to reassure him.

>>"Thinking about the battle ahead. Planning. Figuring out ways to keep you safe,"<< Blindside replied, smiling, before hastily adding, >>"Oh, and keep me safe too! Don't worry Vee. We'll get our guys back and make it out of this. Hey, if the Decepticons are mostly annihilated, we won't have to worry so much about the war anymore! I can retire from field work like you want me to."<<

Blindside was very aware that he had started rambling. He paused and took a moment to let Veneer reply. While he did this, he suddenly became aware of the presence of Ultra Magnus nearby. As their large commander began to speak, Blindside 'looked' at him. He suddenly realized that his head was still facing forward and turned it slightly to indicate that he was indeed acknowledging and listening to Ultra Magnus.

“The only thing I need to refine is how many pieces I’m going to rip Hardhead into before he falls into stasis lock."

Howlstrike. Back from meditation so soon? Blindside kept his quips to himself. He had a feeling that the former Predacon would not appreciate them too much. As Howlstrike turned his head toward the disabled tactician once more, Blindside followed suit. Sometimes it could be exhausting trying to remember all of the visual nuances of social interaction. Though the blind mech was highly adept at reading body language, practicing it proved to be more of a challenge than he would have ever thought.

“So, you think you can help me do something that extreme, Blindside? I still don’t intend to kill him, but allowing me to eviscerate a former comrade might be a bit too much carnage for you to handle. Don’t you think?" asked the former Predacon with a devious smile that Blindside clearly saw as he leaned in closer.

Blindside looked directly at the Predacon and smiled rather...strangely. The blind tactician did not reply for a moment, maintaining that strange smile as he quelled the demons within. "Mmm...You're going to have to do a lot better than that if you want to get rid of me, Howl," Blindside said with a grin, before continuing with a more serious expression, "I'll do what it takes. However many former comrades that I have to rip through...doesn't matter. Have to do it. Can't let sentiment stand in the way or else...we'll all die. I'll tear him to pieces myself if that's what it takes," Blindside said in a low voice so that only the former Predacon next to him could hear.


Peruvian Valley - Destroyed Base Camp

Rewind watched as the Longevity flew down to earth and landed, kicking up much of the recently disturbed earth. The archivist raised a hand to the camera bolted to the side of his side to shield it from the worse of the dirt. Dirty lenses were an archivist's worst nightmare after all. When everything settled down, Rewind wiped the soil from his chassis and faceplate. He was going to need a good cleaning after everything was over.

As Prowl ordered everyone aboard the shuttle, Rewind glanced back at Bumblebee. Hound was helping the minibot up and toward the shuttle. Rewind would've offered his assistance, but honestly....what could he really do to help Bee? Instead, Rewind picked up the remains of the destroyed medical drone. Couldn't leave this behind. They'd forget about it and then the humans could stumble onto it and bam. Breach of protocol.

Jogging up into the shuttle, Rewind glanced around briefly as its occupants. When he didn't see Blaster at the communications panel, he knew that the Voice of the Autobots was definitely not on this shuttle. But if not...then where was he? Surely he was assigned to the...battle with...a god? Prowl said something like that. Another sweep of the room was also met with some mixed disappointment and relief.

Chromedome wasn't here either. Rewind found it hard to believe that Domey would pass on this though. After all, he tended to try to 'make up for lost time' and fight as gloriously as Optimus Prime. Still...not seeing Chromedome had more of an effect of worrying Rewind. Shifting the pieces of the medical drone in his grasp, the tiny archivist made his way over to Hold One where he could deposit his burden.

As anticipated there was no threat to the newly arrived shuttle but Silverbolt wasn’t taking chances not with Ultra Magnus aboard. Skydive had already landed he could also make out a sheepish looking Fireflight behind him stood Air Raid who had obviously managed to coerce the Aerialbot back to the landing site.

Silverbolt put aside normal landing procedures instead transforming and landing in front of Fireflight using his own innate ability to fly to slow him. Folding his arms he looked down at his subordinate with a stern glare his voice lowered so Fireflight only could hear him “let me down again Fireflight and you’ll be permanently grounded! being scared is no excuse for indiscipline or putting your mouth in overdrive and brain module in neutral either can get us killed”

Air Raid was stood just behind “thanks for retrieving him Air Raid” the aerial warrior just nodded as the Aerialbot commander turned to the shuttle as he moved he turned slightly. “On the shuttle and keep your mouths shut audio receptors sharp”

Silverbolt turned and strode aboard the shuttle

Peruvian Valley - Destroyed Base Camp

Skydive watched the interaction between Silverbolt and Fireflight. It was very rare to see the Aerialbot commander get this upset. Usually it is Fireflight and sometimes Slingshot who is the laid back ones while Skydive himself was the more serious one even when it came to his favorite past time of observing aerial maneuvers. Silverbolt always seemed to keep an even mentality which probably goes with the job of unit commander. It is almost scary to see this side of his immediate commander. He then watched Silverbolt walk up into the shuttle and give the command to follow him. Skydive followed orders and was a few steps behind his unit commander.

Shuttle Longevity: Bridge
Skydive found his way up to the bridge and saw Smokescreen.

"Hey Smokes, it been a while since we've done much together. I don't know who is going to fly us wherever we are going but if you want a break, I would be more than happy to help pilot this craft. This is assuming Commander Prowl or Ultra Magnus doesn't decide something different.

Shuttle Longevity - Bridge

With the shuttle now landed at it’s intended destination, the communications station had grown silent, allowing Smokescreen a little reprieve from the job he had volunteered for. Unfortunately, the sudden quiet time had also allowed his thoughts to wander again to a certain troubled femme with a penchant for Syk. She was alone up there on the Ark-22 with only a replicator to keep her addiction under control. There was no other way, though. Smokey couldn’t stay behind with so much at stake. Besides, Tracer would be okay and if things got bad there was always Wheeljack to turn to.

Still, it wasn't just her current problems that plagued the rallybot, but what lay ahead, as well. What if they didn’t stop the Fallen? Then what? Once everyone on the surface was destroyed the demigod would turn his wrath on those in orbit. The thought of Tracer being burned to a cinder entered the diversion expert’s processor. It was an image that caused him to wince for a brief moment, off-lining his optics and turning his cranium towards the floor so that no one could see his reaction. He quickly pushed the idea from his mind and into the furthest recesses of his subconscious. Tracer was not going to die. Not like that; not like anything. She was going to live. They all were. Smokey just needed to keep focused and keep his processor on something else.

It was Skydive’s vocals that brought him back to the here and now. Smokescreen quickly on-lined his optics again and turned around to greet the Aerialbot. “Hey, Skydive! How are you doing? Did your scouting mission go well?” The rallybot forced a smile, the best he could muster under the circumstances. The Autobot flier then mentioned that Smokey could take a break and allow him to help fly the shuttle. The red and blue racer chuckled, patting the Aerialbot on the shoulder plate. “I appreciate the offer, Skydive, but I’m not piloting the craft. Jazz over there is. You could always ask him if he needs help. I’m just manning the shuttle’s communications station since we don’t have Blaster here to do so. Thanks anyway, though.”

Shuttle Longevity - Passenger Cabin

Howlstrike’s optics widened in surprise as Blindside’s words passed through his audio receptors. Could the hunter be hearing the sightless mech right? Did he really just say that he would rip through anyone, including Hardhead, if that’s what it took? At first, the former Predacon thought that Blindside may have just been pulling his leg joint as some kind of unfunny joke, but it quickly became apparent that the disabled Autobot was dead serious. He would tear Hardhead and the other heralds limb from limb if it meant surviving all of this and making them pay for their crimes. Perhaps this blind comrade was more like Howl than the lupine tracker had cared to admit before.

“Interesting,” Howlstrike finally replied in a low tone so that once again only Blindside could hear him. “This bloodthirsty and vicious persona that you are trying to convince me of doesn’t seem to match your outward appearance. Maybe you should consider changing your alt mode into something more akin to a beast. After all, there are plenty of predatory animals on Earth to chose from that could aid your more ferocious side. I can even help you if you like.” The green and black hunter flashed Blindside a toothy grin as he unstrapped himself and moved over closer to the sightless mech.

“You know, maybe I was wrong about you, Blindside,” Howlstrike cautiously admitted, placing his right arm around the tactician’s shoulders like an old friend. “If you really are as savage as you claim then we’ll get along just fine on this little mission. Of course, if you’re not, well, at least you won’t have to actually see me as I tear you to shreds for lying. Heh.” Howl paused for a moment as his toothy grin grew wider. “Kidding!” The former Predacon revealed as he patted his new buddy on the back and let out another low chuckle. This unorthodox partnership would be an interesting one, indeed.

Shuttle Longevity: Boarding Lock

The ramp’s hydraulics locked into place with a muted hiss of pressures released from hidden valves. A small blanket of steam billowed down the metallic grated surface and slowly crawled into the ash laden mud of the soaked earth. Pockets of ice formed as pressurized carbon gas escaped through condensation pipe joints and froze the ground upon contact point where the ramp burrowed into the earth.

As the final systems checks and security scans flicked red and green strobe lights along the ramp, the large towering shape of a stern and powerful sentinel. Its arms were folded across its broad chest as massive spires slowly began to coalesce from the shadows on the higher levels. Each line of its armor told volumes to the power that hid just beneath the stern and stoic surface. The effect these features combined caused even the most hardened warrior pause.

Ultra Magnus waited for a few moments more as Prowl walked up the ramp. He said nothing as Prowl made his initial reports about the transgressions on the surface. The commander remained practically unreadable as the details about how the humans had come into the vicinity and attempted to lay claim to a territory that had been concealed to them by its sheer remote location. It did not surprise him that these biologics had resorted to such destructive forces, possibly driven to such extremes by the actions of Rewind and Hound. Judging from the cultural reports he had read previously, Homo sapiens were quick to anger and even quicker to terror.

He pondered on these events carefully. “It would seem that in the future, we must understand that our knowledge of the capabilities of these humans is still relatively limited. Interaction, on a covert level, may be necessary for both our future sakes.” He stopped before extending a hand to Prowl and offered him congratulations on overcoming such limitations. The Supreme Commander allowed the strategist’s hand to draw away as he stepped to one side allowing the others to begin their boarding.

As he stepped to his left, the advanced tactical unit and combat operative designated Nova Strike, offered a salute before boarding into the cabin. “I do hope he did not cause you any more trouble than you were capable of handling. His record is a bit colorful.” As the final Autobots entered into the vessel, Magnus found himself alone with Prowl, albeit briefly.

The nanosecond of silence felt like an eternity as he had pondered through the unusual sources available to him. “Megatronus…” He finally said in response to Prowl’s inquiry regarding further information. “Our opponent is Megatronus, a child of Primus himself and one of the original. As far as tactical data goes, we do not much to go on. He attacked our ships before we could mount an appropriate reconnaissance. What I have determined however is that he is currently establishing a final stand at a place known to the humans as Ayers Rock. An unusual sand stone formation that has unique magnetic and what could be considered Tetryon Particle densities. So far as his objective goes, I am pretty certain that his vendetta has nothing to do with Cybertronians directly. Instead our very extinction is only a welcomed byproduct of what he intends to accomplish.” He pivoted on his heel tapped a command into the remote access terminal. After a few seconds two boxy drones rolled out from the wall compartment and beeped with a muted pseudo enthusiasm. Magnus explained their assignment briefly and set them off towards the lake. There they would begin salvaging the sunken shuttle craft and possibly locate an underwater entrance to the cave network where they could begin excavation for an aquatic lock. Once they vanished into the dark, Magnus gave a brief nod of satisfaction and pressed the activation button on the ramp to begin retracting the massive platform.

“Whatever that primary objective is, I believe it’s temporal in nature. Something that can only be accomplished once every tetra stellar cycle or else the window for even the most remote possibility for success is gone. I am also fairly certain that our friends, as well as those corrupted from the Decepticon ranks, are spark keys. It is these keys that are going to be necessary to unlock his objective, which also means that the Decepticons and their new Commander, Razorclaw, will be on the field as well.” Ultra Magnus allowed the final locks to cycle through before he entered his lock down codes into the remote access terminal at the top of the ramp. He then reached to a magnetic strip along his left thigh and retrieved a data pad. “All record of the events has been loaded onto this pad, as well as historical notations regarding Megatronus and past appearances and encounters. We will be allying ourselves on a temporary truce with the Decepticons, as this event is bigger than our own political notions and divisions.”

Nova Strike remained silent as he entered into the cabin and took a seat at the far end near the bulkhead dividing the cabin from the split leading towards the primary hold that had been converted into a medical infirmary. His internal diagnostics had, for the twelfth time since the refuel stop, concluded and reported back the results to the display in his left optic. Several microscopic fractures were present throughout his plate armor, a result of the concussions and over all beating he had taken underwater when the shuttle had crashed.

He declined going back to face the music with the doctors, unless so ordered by a superior, Nova Strike decided it was better to endure until he was back in a properly equipped medical facility. It was not like they had enough armor patches to repair the damage anyways. Just meant he had to endure a larger level of pain than he was accustomed to… well maybe not a larger level. Being immune to most forms of sedatives and allergic to those that did work meant that he was never quite free of pain.

Quietly, his mind pushed out the notions of discomfort and agony. Such thoughts had no place on the battlefield when focus was needed on the mission at hand. He instead turned his optics towards the bots that had come from the ships above. His shoulder cannon twitched briefly as he leaned back to at least make some fleeting effort at comfort before his assignment was decided.

Shuttle Longevity - Boarding Lock

Prowl nodded as Ultra Magnus made his comment regarding the humans and their capabilities. “Understood, sir. Covert interaction with the natives, utilizing our holomatter avatars, would likely be our best bet,” the black and white agreed as he shook the City Commander’s hand. Prowl then allowed a slight smirk to form on his faceplate when Nova Strike was mentioned. “Nova gave me no trouble at all. In fact, he was actually quite useful if not a bit water-logged through most of the mission.” Too bad I can’t say the same for some of the others on my team, the military strategist thought to himself but said nothing aloud.

Instead, Prowl remained focused as the Autobot leader moved on to more important matters, explaining the current situation to him in more detail. Confirmation of the Fallen’s presence came quickly if not unexpected. Evidently, it was in fact Megatronus, himself, that was now threatening the existence of every Cybertronian in the sector and possibly beyond. Not only that but the demigod’s ultimate goal was still mostly unknown and apparently could only be accomplished once every tetra stellar cycle, requiring spark keys to make it happen. Hardhead, Hex and the two Decepticons were those needed sparks whether they were acting on their own accord or not.

Furthermore, the location of the Fallen and his heralds had been discovered. The location was very remote and far away from prying human eyes. It was unclear if that had been Megatronus’ intention or if he simply did not care if the Earthlings knew where he was. Regardless, it would help serve to keep the infiltration protocols in place once the fiery demigod had been taken care of. The additional revelation that Razorclaw was now in charge of the Decepticons came as a bit of a surprise. Prowl fully expected Starscream or Shockwave to assume command. Logically, it could be surmised that the lion-former had the backing of the various specialty units and thus had greater support which the others lacked.

As Ultra Magnus concluded his briefing, Prowl took the datapad from him and began scrolling through all of the accumulated information regarding the Fallen and his heralds. The black and white’s logic circuits were trying to comprehend the situation as it was being described to him. It was hard to accept the supernatural elements as they were presented but if the great Ultra Magnus believed it to be true then perhaps there was something to all this mystical mumbo jumbo after all. Still, in order to rectify the Fallen within his own processor, Prowl decided to ignore the paranormal aspects which served to satisfy his logic center and thus allow him to continue operating at optimum efficiency. The Fallen was possibly just a disembodied spark that had found a home within Hot Rod, and his heralds were suffering from severe glitches or were the likely victims of reprogramming. Those theories were much easier to accept than a mythical demigod hellbent on fulfilling some kind of ancient prophecy.

“I see, Commander,” Prowl finally stated as he looked back up from the datapad and locked optics with Ultra Magnus. “Whether he is a true demigod or not, we appear to be in for the fight of our lives. I will need to consider many variables before coming to an overall workable strategy. Of course, the presence of the Decepticons on the battlefield complicates things as their true motives in this situation will be hard to gauge. One thing is certain, trust will not be something we can just hand over to them regardless of any truce we commit to. The ‘Cons will stab us in the back the first chance they get. They may even try to throw us to the wolves as the humans would say. My gut reaction is to use them, especially their vehicons, as cannon fodder and protect our forces in the process. With any luck we will not only defeat the Fallen but also bring the Decepticons to their knees joints before they even know what has happened.”

Shuttle Longevity - Bridge

"So Jazz, do you feel inclined on giving up your seat to one of us Aerialbots? I'm not doubting your flying ability but there might be something more appropriate for your talents. Are we waiting on some orders from Ultra Magnus or do we need to take our seats?"

As much as Skydive would like to pilot this shuttle, a part of him looks around and tries to take in all of who is available. The strategy will be ultimately up to Commander Prowl and Ultra Magnus but still having another opinion might be of use. It is true Skydive's area of strategy usually is for the aerial side but knowing what ground pounders they had to protect also plays a crucial role. Not having all the information is a problem for any strategist would it be the likes of Prowl or himself. One thing he probably could count on is little to no cooperation from the Cons. The hardest part will be trying to figure out what other resources the Bots have at their disposal. This isn't counting the personal issues the Aerialbots have thanks to Fireflight but hopefully he will straighten out once they get to wherever it is to face the Fallen. Skydive shook himself out of his usual thoughts and looked back down the boarding plank. He sees Prowl and Ultra Magnus talking about things and just barely inside of sight he sees the rest of his team.

"Hey Air Raid, Slingshot, and Fireflight, Silverbolt did give the order to board this thing. I doubt we will be giving air support due to the distance we will be going. I've inquired of Jazz to see if he wants to give up his pilot seat to one of us for this trip. I'm not one for a repeat performance on the last shuttle ride. This shuttle probably be able to take a little bit more of the atmosphere pounding then our previous shuttle but still why risk it."

Peruvian Valley – Destroyed Base Camp

Essentially Bumblebee knew Hound and Prowl were right. Actually he hoped they were right. Without a solid plan on ridding themselves of the Fallen and his Heralds they would be no hope for their species.

One corner of Bee’s mouth lifted in a sarcastic smile.

After a moment of silence the sound of Prowl’s announcement brought the almost morose little bot back to the present. They had a mission, and he’d be sure to be a part of it. Once his shoulder was tended to he’d be on the battlefield alongside his friends helping to take down this supernatural presence.

With the arrival of the shuttle Longevity Bumblebee breathed a sigh of relief. He rose from his seat, with the help of Hound, and both made their way into the shuttle. “Thanks, Hound. And I wouldn’t doubt that Ratch is on board. That mech has got to be in the thick of things. Heh”

Even the light chuckle brought about a sharp sting of pain. “Oh, I’ll gladly take his bedside manner. But only so far for him to get this bum shoulder repaired,” he said with a grimace.

Shuttle Longevity – Hold One – Combat Casualty Care

As time pressed on the seriousness of the situation began to sink in. Both Axle and Ratchet had quieted and actually began to work with one another as opposed to arguing about what should and shouldn’t be done.

It had also helped that they separated. Each one taking on different tasks. Ratchet, for his part, was busy mixing and concocting a potent mixture of the more powerful sedatives they planned on using on the Heralds – all the while mumbling a series of colorful profanities.

At the opposite end of the hold Axle busied himself with prepping the med slabs with their necessary equipment – all the while hoping their plan would work. Getting their guys back was of the upmost importance. Although most of his thoughts centered mainly on Hex.

Axle let out a low sigh as he tried to focus on his work.

“This would go slaggin’ faster if Aid was here,” Ratchet groused. The comment caused Axle to look over his shoulder at the annoyed CMO. “He’ll be here once we meet up with the Serenity,” the field medic said. This brought a low growl from deep within Ratchet.

Axle canted his head slightly at the red and white doctor when he saw the ever present scowl deepen. What could possibly be wrong now, Axle thought.

“Where the hell has Veneer gotten to? I swear to Primus he’s missing more than present!” Ratchet raised his optics to meet Axle’s. “Give him a break, Ratchet. He barely goes out on the field. He just needs a bit more time to get into it,” the black and green medic commented.

Ratchet grunted in response while turning back to his work. “Yeah well he best get his act together.” Axle stared at the CMO’s back for a brief moment before resuming his own work. “Find him and drag his aft back in here!” Ratchet commanded.

Axle sighed heavily before slamming down a scanner. “Fine.”
_____

Veneer was thankful he hadn’t been found just yet. Time alone was going to be difficult to come by once he found out they were pitted against the spawn of Unicron. And speaking with Blindside, even over their comms was calming. If only the blind mech were with him now.

Veneer whimpered lowly as he offlined his optics.

>>"Thinking about the battle ahead. Planning. Figuring out ways to keep you safe,"<<
The sound of Blindside’s voice brought a slight smile to his lips, but the context of his response made that smile slowly turn downward. The nurse was ready to say something when his close friend added on to his response.

>>"Oh, and keep me safe too! Don't worry Vee. We'll get our guys back and make it out of this. Hey, if the Decepticons are mostly annihilated, we won't have to worry so much about the war anymore! I can retire from field work like you want me to."<<

Veneer shook his head. He already knew all of that was added just to make him feel better. He appreciated it, of course. >>”I know you’ll keep yourself safe, Side. You’re perfectly capable of it.”<<

Veneer onlined his optics and began to stare at the wall opposite him. A deep frown formed on his face as a new thought popped into his processor. >> “I know you guys will get our mechs back. But I’m worried about what kind of shape they’ll be in, you know? Something like this…this kind of trauma, it’s going to have a toll on them. And well…”<< He stopped himself. There was really no need to worry Side with his unease. Primus knew the tactician had his own concerns.

Veneer lowered his optics to floor, a bit embarrassed that he was so anxious about the situation. He was always there for others, it was almost written in his coding, and now he wasn’t so sure he was actually that strong, not anymore. >> “I’m sorry, Side. I’m just a bit worried about this. I want it all to turn out great. You know, happy ending and all. But demigods possessed Cybertronians and ‘Cons? it’s a bit much.”<<

He sighed into the link. >> “Be safe, Side. Please. I don’t know what I’d do if…”<< he cut off just as he heard footsteps approaching his location. He got back to his feet quickly and started to make himself look busy.

The door opened with a swoosh revealing a very agitated Axle. “There you are. Ratchet’s been, well, Ratchet.” He crossed his arms over his chest as he watched the nurse try to compose himself. “Yes, sir. I’m coming right now. Sorry about vanishing for so long. I was just…” Veneer’s rambling was stopped when the field medic raised a hand. “You were just sneaking off to talk to Blindside,” Axle said matter-of-factly making Veneer take a small step back.

“You need to keep your head in the game, Veneer. We can’t afford to be caught off guard. Now let’s go. And keep focus on the task at hand.” Axle stepped aside and gestured for the young nurse to precede him. “He’ll be fine,” Axle said quietly. “Yes, sir,” Veneer said lowly as he passed the larger mech.

Shuttle Longevity - Troop Compartment

Railway onlined his optics once he felt the shuttle had touched down on the Peruvian soil. Finally, a chance to stretch out the servos and get out of this stuffy shuttle.

Railway stepped outside the hull of the Longevity and brought his arms out wide as he felt his servos and motors gently fall back into a comfortable position within his chassis. As he watched the Peruvian stationed Autobots load up into the shuttle, he noticed an offline medical drone being carried by a frail-looking Cassetteobot, one of Blaster's subordinates.

"Hey there little buddy." Railway said as he reached down to grab the disabled medical drone from the black and white Autobot, "Looks like you could use a hand there." The bulky train-former then took the medical drone from the Cassetteobot's tiny actuators and wrapped his arm around the drone and brought it under his shoulder joint. "What's a little guy like you doing down here trying to carry things twice your size?" The terror of the tracks curiously asked as he began walking back to the shuttle.

"So Jazz, do you feel inclined on giving up your seat to one of us Aerialbots? I'm not doubting your flying ability but there might be something more appropriate for your talents. Are we waiting on some orders from Ultra Magnus or do we need to take our seats?"

The Special Operations Director spun in his chair as the Aeiralbots made their presence aboard the Longevity well known, or at least just Skydive in this case.

"Yeah don't sweat it my 'Dive, I'm gonna have Slingshot take the helm on this one. Think Magnus wants Silverbolt, 'Raid, and you to escort us once we get closer to our target but ya' never know."

Jazz rose from his seat and moved himself towards the back of the passenger cabin like Commander Magnus had requested he and Smokescreen do once they had touched down on Earth. As he walked out, he gave a reminding pat on the red and blue rallybot's shoulder plating in hopes he'd remember to follow back and meet up with Magnus' strategist party.

"Welcome back aboard Prowl." Jazz greeted the Autobot Strategist as he entered the passenger cabin of the shuttle to find he and Ultra Magnus already beginning their conversation. "Everybody." The black and white Special Operations director stated as he gave a welcoming yet firm nod to the rest of Prowl's survey company as they boarded the shuttle.

"So what's the plan Magnus?"