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The Guardian served as the mobile base for the Protectobots. As such it has state of the art repair bays and equipment. Typically called in as a last ditch reinforcement or rescue team, it also boasts an impressive armament.

Bounce Chamber

Ironhide was caught off guard by the sudden feeling of being bounced from the planet to the ship. He stumbled off of the pad and towards the controls where First Aid stood.

“Get the wounded to the repair bays stat!” The doctor yelled at the collected Autobots before turning back to the control panel. A frown formed over his face as he looked at the readings. “Ironhide, I need you to see this.”

The old security mech walked over to First Aid. “What is it First Aid? I’m just ready to call this day over with and spend the next week rechargin’.”

First Aid tapped the console in front of him. “Just as everyone got out we picked up a massive explosion from the Decepticon base. It looks like a self destruct, but magnified by massive secondary explosions and seismic activity. The ship couldn’t pull Prime out in time…”

Ironhide frowned as realization dawned on him. “You mean Prime’s….” He couldn’t finish the sentence by the Protectobot knew what was left unsaid. “Yes.” The old Autobot slumped down in a chair and put his head in his hands. He had failed to protect Prime and now things were worse then ever.

OoC: I am posting on the assumption that the Autobots, including Jazz, have been bounced into the Guardian except Prime. (Hence your post.) Please tell me if I have done wrong by posting, and then changes will be made. Thank you.

Guardian, Autobot Frigate

Being suddenly bounced to an orbiting frigate, Jazz decided, was an acquired taste; for he was disoriented after transit.

Jazz looked up to see the Autobots standing around the room, but there was one towering figure that wasn't there, Optimus Prime.

He then walked over to Ironhide and First-Aid and listened in to their conversation; he was struck as hard, or harder with the sudden news than Ironhide.

"No, no," Jazz said partly to First-Aid and to himself for reassurance, "There must be s-something blocking the scanners, or f-fooling them!"

Jazz answered his own question by blowing past First-Aid, and lunging at the control panel to run his own scan; he found nothing, nothing but a huge explosion, and a smoke cloud billowing from a single location, and the previous location of the Decepticon Base.

"This...! Impossible...!" Jazz went to one knee, and watched the energon drain from his wound, and splash on the ground in front of him.

He got up, holding tightly to the wound that Ramplate gave him, and turned to First-Aid and bluntly asked, "Where is the Medical Bay? And please, don't have Hex repair me."

Bounce Chamber

Sideswipe never made it to the base after getting away from Space Case; instead he was bounced up to the Guardian along with the rest of the Bots. As he appeared on the bounce platform the red warrior stumbled forward. He kept his balance as he straightened his posture. Sideswipe scanned the room and spotted Sunstreaker still being helped by Blaster.

Sideswipe flashed his brother a dippy smile as he made his way to Sunstreaker’s side.

“Hey bro, did you get your aft handed to ya by some little Con, or did you do that to yourself?”

Sideswipe let out a hearty laugh as he slapped his twin on the back hard.

****

Perceptor materialized still in his crouched position, but his head way turned upward where the sky once was. Before the sudden bounce he had heard the telltale sound of incoming missiles, no doubt fired from the local Seekers. The sniper was about to jump for cover when he was engulfed in the light of the bounce beam. Perceptor got up on his feet and carefully placed his rifle on his back making sure the magnetic catches clicked.

Just as silently as he appeared in the chamber, Perceptor quickly took his leave. He had left in such a hurry he wanted to make sure that nothing had occurred while he and the Protectobots were off ship.

****

Hex appeared next to Ironhide , and like the old warhorse, he was also caught off guard by the disorientation of the sudden bounce to the Guardian. He recovered quickly and became curious when First Aid quickly called the elder mech over to the control console. The silver mech slunk to the Autobots’ location and listened in on their, obviously, private conversation.

The young mech’s optics grew bright with disbelief at what he bore witness to. Quickly Hex looked over the gathered mechs in the chamber and found that Prime was not present. No, no no! This can’t be! Not like this! Hex’s processor was a whirl of thoughts, none of which made any sense to the young mech. Without intending it he lunged forward knocking both First Aid and Jazz out of the way so he could get to the control console. His fingers ran over the surface as he ran every scan he could possibly think of; the entire time mumbling to himself.

After not getting the intended results Hex looked at the three mechs gathered, flabbergasted look on his face. It only lasted an astrosecond before the look melted and another took its place. Hex’s brow furrowed, optics dimmed to a deep cerulean and an enraged expression etched on his faceplate. Through clenched teeth Hex spat out to those gathered, but his ire was centered on Ironhide, Optimus Prime’s oldest friend.

“This was not supposed to happen! Not like this!”

The young mech paced back and forth in front of the red Bot trying to come to terms with what he had overheard. After a moment of silence, Hex moved to stand in front of the seated mech.
“It wasn’t supposed to go this way. It never was.” His gaze grew more intense when he didn’t receive any response. “Look at me, damnit!” Still no response, and finally Hex shoved Ironhide hard in the shoulder to get some kind of acknowledgment.

“You were his bodyguard! You were the closest to him! What did he tell you about me? That bastard never gave me the answers he promised me and now he’s gone. I want what’s owed me!”

Bounce Chamber

One moment Hardhead was trudging down a mountain side and then the next he was inside a ship’s bounce chamber high up in Earth’s orbit. He felt a little disorientation as he managed to stop himself before walking into a wall. The big green mech still had a stasis locked Prowl slung over one shoulder, so when First Aid shouted at him and the others to get the wounded down to the repair bay immediately, Hardhead saw no reason to argue. After all, he had his own damaged turret to attend to, as well.

However, before the war veteran left the chamber, he looked over at Ironhide and First Aid, who were conversing privately about something. The looks on their face plates said it all. Something bad had happened and when Hardhead took a quick glance around the room and noticed that Optimus was not there with the rest of them, he knew their leader had not made it. The green soldier hung his head as anger and sadness welled up inside him. However, it was only the anger that showed as he clenched his one free fist and punched a nearby wall, leaving a deep dent behind.

Without wanting to add to the uproar that had already begun as Hex learned of Prime’s fate, Hardhead turned and left the chamber, heading for the ship’s repair bay.

******

Smokescreen materialized on the bounce pad with everyone else and like the others he felt a bit disoriented by the sudden bounce. His low energon levels didn’t help matters as he stumbled forward only to catch himself on the front of the control console where First Aid and Ironhide were standing. It was then that the diversion expert caught the tail end of their conversation.

“No, it can’t be,” Smokescreen muttered as he let go of the controls and slumped down to the floor. He covered his face plate with both hands as a deep rush of sadness and despair consumed his circuits. Their leader was gone. Having served with Optimus for countless vorns, Smokey and the others considered him to be more than just a commander. He was a mentor and as good a friend as any mech could find.

There must be some mistake. Prime must still be alive down there. We have to go back and.... Smokescreen’s thoughts were interrupted by the sudden outburst by Hex, whose anger was directed at Ironhide. Smokey listened as the young punk demanded answers that were supposedly promised to him. It was incredible that Hex only cared about what was owed him. Prime’s apparent death was just an inconvenience to a lunatic such as himself.

Of course, the old warhorse was fully capable of dealing with Hex and would surely not put up with his tirade. If Smokescreen wasn’t so low on power, he’d tell the silver mech exactly what he thought of his attitude not to mention his recent actions. Instead, the diversion expert simply picked his battle-damaged self up off the floor and staggered across the room towards the door.

Before leaving, Smokescreen turned towards Jazz, who wanted to know where the med bay was located. “Come on, Jazz. Just follow me and Hardhead. We know the basic layout of this type of ship.” The red and blue racer then turned and exited the chamber, making his way through the corridors towards the repair bay.

Medical Facility

Hardhead arrived in the med bay first and quickly placed Prowl into a CR chamber at the far side of the room. He set the controls before moving over to another chamber nearby. The green mech’s thoughts returned to Prime. It was assumed that the Autobot leader was dead, but what if he was merely deactivated or in stasis? Perhaps he could be recovered and revived. With the combined efforts of Ratchet, Axle and First Aid that would surely be possible.

As Hardhead opened his own CR chamber, he heard someone enter the room. He turned to see Smokescreen stumble through the doorway and then immediately collapse onto the floor. “Smokey!” The green soldier hurried over to his comrade’s side and did a quick scan of his systems. The diversion specialist’s fuel cells were at 0.01%. Stasis lock was imminent.

“You’re as empty as a battlecharger’s cranial unit,” Hardhead said as he lifted Smokescreen up and carried his limp body over to the CR chamber that was originally meant for himself. The green mech placed Smokey into the device and then closed the door. Once the repair cycle was initiated, the war veteran walked over and entered into a third CR chamber. He then sat back and relaxed as the automated systems went to work on his damaged turret.

Bounce Chamber

Jazz heard a familiar voice from Smokescreen, so he turned over to look at his friend is the optics and nodded at his statement at following him.

He then turned to First-Aid and simply patted him on the shoulder and walked after the blue and red mech.

Jazz began to stumble on the way, the depth of the events that had just taken place was setting in, and he wasn't faring well.

He limped into the medical bay along side Hardhead and Smokescreen and watched his friend fall into the arms of Hardhead, Jazz felt even worse while watching him fall.

The full brunt of the news had now set in fully, and Jazz stumbled over to a bed and sat in sadness, and dropped his head into his hand out of disappointment of himself and the fact his long time standing friend, Optimus Prime, was dead.

"Can we get a medic for me, Hardhead and Smokescreen, please?" He called to any medic in the area.

Bounce Chamber

Sunstreaker sneered at Sideswipe’s comments. “Trust me, next time we spar I’ll make sure you come out looking a lot worse then I do now. Like you have anything to talk about, staying outside and screwing around with the stupid fliers. You let that jetpack go straight to your head thinking you can dogfight with them.”

The yellow warrior swung his leg up to kick his brother in the aft. “Now come on and help get me to the slagging repair bay. Its going to take forever to get my finish to what it was before, let alone the repairs I’ll need.”

*

Ironhide wasn’t hearing much. His thoughts were lost on what had happened on the planet below, the last signal from Prime, how he had failed to rescue him. It was going to haunt him until his dying day, his greatest failure in the one thing he had always been best at.

He was knocked out of his trance by Hex shoving him on the shoulder. He looked up to hear the other Autobot ranting and raving about something. Apparently he felt Prime owed him something and was demanding it from him now. The old Autobot didn’t know what he was babbling about and didn’t care. What he did know was that he was in no mood to hear some Autobot whining about his problems right now.

The security mech shot up out of his seat and grabbed Hex on the shoulders, lifting him up into the air. “Listen hear you lil’ punk! I don’t know who you are and I don’t know no secrets about you. Prime is dead, learn to live with disappointment. We got bigger things to worry about now then yer problems. Its time fer you to grow up and stop your whining and complainin’” He flung the smaller Autobot out of the way, hard enough to send him stumbling into a wall.

Ironhide turned to the other gathered Autobots. “Get repaired and recharged. We’ve got a lot of work to do.” With that Ironhide stomped out of the room, heading toward the bridge.

First Aid had been shocked into silence but now quickly recovered. “If you will follow me Autobots I’ll lead you to the repair bay and we can get to work on fixing all of you up.”

Bounce Chamber

Sideswipe’s face twisted into something that resembled mock hurt, but it quickly faded to reveal his trademark smirk.

“Hey, at least I took out two fliers ya glitch.”

The red warrior nearly fell face first on the floor from his brother’s kick, but he was able to steady himself before taking a tumble. Sideswipe turned around and shot Sunstreaker a dirty look, but that to quickly faded when the golden twin ordered to have help getting to the repair bay. Sideswipe moved to place Sunstreaker’s arm over his shoulder and hefted his brother’s weight.

“You know, if you’re not nice to me I’ll sing the song. I’m sure everyone here would love it!”

He flashed his twin an evil smirk before he started to sing lowly so only Sunstreaker could hear.

“You are my sunshine my only sunshine….Should I continue ‘Sunshine?’”

****

Hex wasn’t surprised when he was man handled by the Security Officer, but what he wasn’t ready for was the strength Ironhide had used to grab him by the shoulders and lift him up off his feet. The young mech struggled against the old warhorse’s grip, but Ironhide held fast. Hex sneered at every word the large red Bot was spewing at him, and then without so much as a warning he was flung toward the wall where he struggled to stay on his feet. Hex slammed into the facade, back first, and slid down to the floor.

The silver mech stood back up, optics boring daggers into the body of Prime’s self-proclaimed body guard. He was ready to spit back an acidic retort but decided against it when he felt a fresh stream of Energon dripping from the wound he had patched up. He placed his hand over the gash and winced slightly before he pushed himself off the wall and began to make his way out of the Bounce Chamber.

Medical Facility

Axle had arrived some time before the rest of the team and had already begun some of the repairs on Hot Spot. He focused on the Protectobot leader’s cranium when he heard the door slide open revealing the large, lumbering form of Hardhead. The warrior was carrying an unconscious Prowl slung over his shoulder. Knowing that the tactician was in capable hands leaving him free to continue his work, Axle turned his attention back to Hot Spot.

Without taking his optics off of the intricate circuitry within Hot Spot’s cranial unit, Axle overheard the arrival of Smokescreen. Thankfully Hardhead had also taken care of the diversion specialist by placing him into a CR chamber.

Axle placed a pair of magnifying spectacles over his optics and took hold of his soldering iron. The medic made quick work of the damaged wiring by re-attaching them to their respective locations. He looked up when he heard Jazz call for help.

“Everyone’s in a CR chamber Jazz. I suggest you get into one as well.”

Axle went back to work and a few minutes later Hex stormed in.

“Axle! I need you to get this damned torn Energon line fixed.”

The field medic let out a heavy sigh, but continued his work as he responded to his young ward.

“I’m a little busy right now. Here…” He tossed Hex a medi kit. “You know enough to clamp it off until I’m finished here.”

Hex caught the kit and grumbled back at his guardian. He went right to work just so he wouldn’t have to hear Axle complain about the mess he was leaving behind on the floor.

Transmission from The Ark-19

>>”Ironhide. This is Bumblebee. I’ve been trying to contact Prime, but I haven’t had any luck. The Ark-19 was bombarded and we’re taking on a lot of water. Ratchet and I have tried to seal the breaches, but there are too many for just the two us to handle. We’ve engaged the blast doors, but there are breaches in areas of the ship that don’t have blast doors. We’re going to need to get bounced out of here so a repair crew can go in and get things handled. Ironhide? Do you know why Prime hadn’t responded to my comms? Is he okay?”<<

//Hey, sorry it took me so long to post! Life has been really busy.

Medical Bay

Jazz looked up from the palms of his hand to hear Axle say that he should get into a CR Chamber.

Jazz snorted out of irritation with himself for not doing the obvious, You'd think that I could do something right one of these days, right?

"Sorry for taxing your time, Axle." Jazz apologized to the Medic half-heartedly, his strength seemingly escaping him with the loss of his best friend.

Jazz sighed as he walked across the room, if this were any other time, Jazz would be skipping or blasting some music.

Looking at the chamber, Jazz pressed a button on the side which opened the front hatch with a pneumatic hiss.

Jazz climbed into the opening and rested his back against the wall in the chamber and closed his optics in show of rest as the regeneration was activated.

Bridge

Ironhide stalked on to the bridge of the ship which appeared to be running on automatic at the moment. He settled into the command chair and began punching in commands. He had to keep things together, keep moving forward. If he stopped for a moment he was afraid he would fall into despair, and that’s not what the Autobots needed right now. They needed a firm handle on things or it would all fall apart. Heck, him just slipping a little bit had led to him chucking some young Bot across the room.

The old warhorse perked up a bit when he heard from Bumblebee. It was good to know that the little Bot was back and functioning again. It didn’t exactly heal the wound of losing Prime, but they could all use some sort of good news today.

>>”Bumblebee, its good to hear from you little buddy. We are on board the Guardian now. Can you make it to your bounce chamber or do we need to pull you out of there directly? At the very least it’ll be easier if you’re all in one room. All that water can make it tricky to bounce you out.”<<

*

Medical Bay

First Aid walked into the room, leading whatever remaining wounded there were along with him. The Protectobot quickly moved to where Axle was treating Hot Spot. “How is he? Do you need any assistance?”

*

Sunstreaker was able to shove his weight against Sideswipe, shoving him into the door frame as they walked into the room. Hopefully it would have the added benefit of shutting his idiot twin up. “If you spent half the energy you waste on being and idiot on training to fight you might someday get close to my level of skill.”

The yellow warrior glanced around the room. “Now who here is going to fix me up? I think I need a new hand and then a specially programmed CR Chamber to get me looking as perfectly as I did before getting sucked into that stupid rescue mission. I’m starting to think some Bots should just learn how to rescue themselves in the future.

Bounce Chamber

Annex stumbled out of the bounce chamber, the jarring experience of having been evacuated from the base as well as the disorientation from the bounce having frazzled his processor. Once his systems reoriented themselves he stood up straight and looked around. Many of the others had bounced up with them, those with injuries were being tended to and those without any harm were doing what they could to help. Resting his carbine against the nearest bulkhead Annex looked around.

"Anything I can do to help?"

OoC: Yet again posting on assumption and off SmokescreenGT's post in Decepticon Frigate Ultrax. If I have done wrong, please let me know.

Medical Bay, Guardian

Jazz heard an annoying beep that signaled his regeneration was complete, the noise gave him a start as he opened his optics.

Jazz sighed as he opened the hatch to the CR Chamber, and stepped out onto the floor of the Medical Bay. Jazz then looked around the Medical Bay and watched as Hex made his way to Axle and began to go on a tirade.

Jazz felt angry at Hex for his anger at Prime's death, and Jazz felt the young Autobot was angry for all the wrong reasons.

I should throttle that little-, Jazz stopped himself with a sigh, No. That is not what Optimus would want...

He then looked to Axle and sighed, he felt sorry for the medic, he had to deal with Hex 24/7!

Then Jazz felt awkward standing in the middle of the room, and decided to make himself useful.

>>Do 'ya need my help with anything, Ironhide?<< Jazz said through a newly opened comm link to Ironhide.

OOc: Sorry I'm late to the party, the demands of reality.

Bounce Chamber

Lore-lock spun and skidded as the terrain changed from a down-hill, off road dash, to the smooth deck of the a bouce chamber. He tried hard to avoid the mechs that were gathered in the area, but he was just moving to fast. He shifted into bot mode, and tumbled to a stop at Perceptor's feet.

"What the slag?!?!? One astrosecond, I'm careening down the mountain, and now I'm . . . Where am I, anyway? This isn't the Ark. Nor is it the recycling center, so I don't think my spark's been snuffed." He inquired of the red mech.

Medical Bay

Axle had just finished making the last of the remaining connection in Hot Spot’s cranial unit when First Aid walked in along with any of the remaining injured. The field medic removed the magnifying spectacles and placed them, and the soldering iron, back onto a nearby tray. Axle then placed Hot Spot’s helmet back into place when the Protectobot doctor came to stand next to him.

“He’s going to be fine, First Aid.” Axle flashed him a reassuring smile. “As a matter of fact you can give me hand rebooting his systems. Once he’s back online I’m sure he’ll have a lot of questions, and I think any explanations would probably be best if they came from you.”

That said Axle plugged the Protectobot Commander into one of the portable computer terminals and entered the reboot command code. In a few minutes Hot Spot would be back online.

****

Along with First Aid came the twins, and as expected they were already at each other and they hadn’t even been on board for one solar cycle. Axle rolled his optics as he watched the two troublemakers meander into the room.

Sideswipe grunted when Sunstreaker shoved him into the door frame upon entering the facility, but before he could retaliate his golden twin started in on his level of skill. Sideswipe growled in annoyance as he shot Sunstreaker an icy glare.

After Sunstreaker’s rather pompous announcement his red twin nearly dragged him to the edge of one of the exam tables where shoved Sunny down onto it. Optics boring daggers into his brother Sideswipe grabbed a hold of Sunstreaker’s chin.

“I am just as good as you in everything, you worthless piece of slag! You’re nothing special, never were! Just remember Sunny, without me; you’re only half as good!”

Sideswipe shoved his brother’s chin to the side and backed off, but only enough to cross his arms over his chest and flash his twin a cocky smirk.

At that instant Axle got up from his seat next to Hot Spot. “If you’ll excuse me First Aid, I think I need to defuse a situation.”

Axle moved swiftly to Sunstreaker’s side before the golden warrior could retaliate against his brother.

“Uh….okay. Sunstreaker, you mentioned something about a new hand. I think I can get you what you need, but I’ll need to take a good look at what’s left to see just how much rewiring I’ll need to do.”

Axle looked up at Sideswipe. “I think you better get into a CR chamber.” Sideswipe nodded back at the medic before he unfolded his arms and began to make his way to the chambers. As he moved he kept his optics locked on his brother and before he entered a chamber he stuck his tongue out and flickered his optic in a wink.

****

Hex had quickly repaired the torn energon lines in his side and cleaned up the mess that was left behind. After all he did not want Axle up his aft he was in no mood for the medic’s slag. The young mech had found a cozy little corner of the med bay where he could oversee everything going on from the twins’ entrance to their subsequent squabble to Jazz’s irritating mannerisms. Even the Protectobot doctor grated on his nerves. Hex grit his teeth as he watched.

Subconsciously he took out the optics he tore from the cranium of the dead Con. He rolled them around in the palm of one of his hands; the rhythmic pace began to sooth his anger. His jaw unclenched and gratified grin began to grow.

Maybe Prime not being around won’t be such a bad thing. After all I did want him gone; taken care of like I was supposed to be. Too bad I wasn't the one to do it.

Hex let out a slight grunt before he refocused his attention back on the rest of the med bay. At least he was able to take some time to think.

Message from the Ark-19

>>”Hey , Hide it’s Ratchet. Bee and Blurr are busy moving the ammo to one of the higher levels of the ship. They might be just about finished. There is no way we’ll be able to get to the bounce platform, it’s already submerged. But we can all gather on the Command Deck so you can get a lock on us from there. I’ve also got some medical supplies and tools that’ll need to be bounce as well. Contact me once the Guardian arrives.”<<

Bounce Chamber

Perceptor took a look down as he saw Lore-Lock materialize at his feet. The sniper lifted his rifle over his shoulder and placed it in its holster across his back. Without regarding his fellow Autobot, Perceptor stepped around Lore-Lock. As he did so he answered the red mech’s query.

“You are on the Guardian. We were bounced aboard right before the volcano erupted and the Decepticon base detonated.”

Perceptor stopped in his tracks before he exited the bounce chamber and looked over his shoulder at the red mech.

“I suggest you head to the Medical Bay to get repaired and recharged.”

That said the sniper exited the chamber and made his way toward the bridge.

Medical Bay

Hardhead's optics began to glow as the door to his CR chamber opened with a hiss. The repair cycle was finished and his turret was whole again for the first time since being blasted apart by Blitzwing. The various other nicks and dents in his armor had been fixed, as well, making him in tip top shape once again. Overall, the damage the war veteran had sustained had been rather minor compared to some of the other ‘Bots. He was quite lucky in that regard.

Hardhead stepped out into the med bay in time to bear witness to the twins in one of their petty squabbles. Thankfully, Axle had stepped in before anything got too out of hand, sending Sideswipe to a CR chamber to both repair and protect himself from the wrath of his brother. Sunstreaker was one of those mechs who cared only about himself and how he looked and thought very little about anyone else. The green soldier would love to see how golden boy would react to one of his diamond hard shards scraping across that precious yellow finish. Sunny would most likely become loud and boisterous as he got right up into Hardhead’s faceplate. There would be idle threats and whatnot, but ultimately the gold twin would likely back down as he had to know that fighting a ‘Bot the size of Hardhead would be a no win situation for him. Regardless, it would still be fun to watch him get all upset over a little scratched up paint job.

Of course, Hardhead had no intention of aggravating Sunstreaker any more than he already was. There was simply no point in creating more tension amongst the ranks, especially in light of the current situation with Optimus being gone and seemingly dead. The war veteran still refused to believe that it could be true and was determined to find out what really happened to the Autobot Commander down on Earth. The best place to start would be the bridge of the Guardian.

And thus Hardhead made his way past the other CR chambers and mechs that were loitering around. Without saying a word to anyone, the green soldier exited the room and headed for the command deck.

Bridge

Hardhead made the trip through the hallways of the ship without much of a problem. Being unfamiliar with the layout of the vessel did not deter him from his goal. However, he did make one wrong turn down a dead end corridor but quickly corrected the mistake and found his way to the bridge.

The veteran soldier stepped inside before the doors had the chance to fully open. He found Ironhide sitting in the command chair as he communicated with the rest of the Autobots still on board the Ark-19. Wasting no time, Hardhead quickly approached the old war horse and took a stance next to the command chair.

“I need to speak with you,” the green mech stated plainly, looking down at his old friend. He had a great deal of respect for Ironhide as the two of them had been on many missions together and had seen more than their far share of conflict in this Primus-forsaken war. If anyone would understand Hardhead’s position it would be Ironhide. “I want to bounce back down to the volcano and conduct a thorough search of the area for Prime. I know he’s still down there. He might only be in stasis lock which, if that’s the case, we’ll need to retrieve him sooner rather than later. I’m strong enough to dig through the rubble and the ash cloud from the eruption should help keep the humans at a distance, at least for the time being. But we have to act now or we’ll miss the window of opportunity.” Hardhead stopped for a moment, allowing his optics to lock onto the security officer. “Please, Ironhide. I can bring our leader back. Let me at least try.”

Bridge

>>”Roger that Ratchet, I’m movin’ the ship to a lower orbit above ya. That should help take care of any problems we might have bouncin’ you out of there.”<<

Ironhide moved to the ship’s helm. Making sure the stealth functions were still active he dropped the vessel down, holding a synchronous orbit above the massive lake that hid the other Autobot vessel.

>>”Ready when you are Ratchet. I’ve got Streetwise on stand by in the bounce chamber. Just give the word and we’ll get you up here.”<<

The old security bot stayed at the helm as he responded to Jazz’s inquiry. >>”Just make sure everyone is getting repaired and is ok down their in the repair bay Jazz. I’ll let you know if I need ya for anything else.”<<

Ironhide let out a sigh. Things still seemed to be moving along okay after what had happened on Earth. He was having a hard time even thinking about it. It all seemed so unbelievable. He had always been ready to take a laser blast or a missile for Optimus, but he couldn’t take an entire volcano exploding. He had been ready to go back in there and get Prime himself, but he had been ordered to get everyone else out. Should he have disobeyed orders and gone back for him? Should he have let those other Autobots die so he could save Optimus? Was Prime’s life worth more than theirs?

The Autobot let out another sigh and rubbed his head. He wasn’t exactly known for deep moral or philosophical thoughts like this. Ironhide just did his duty, without doubt or hesitation. Now here he was pondering the life of Prime and whether he should have disobeyed orders or not. He just needed to keep busy, to keep things moving so he wouldn’t end up stuck thinking about what might have been.

Ironhide was then glad to see Hardhead enter the bridge. There wouldn’t’ be any time to wallow in regret while there were others around and orders to give. He frowned at the other Autobot’s request though as it led him right back to where his mind had just been.

“First of all Hardhead you should see the readings we took from the base site. First Aid and I aren’t stupid ya know.” He stepped over to the science station and punched a few commands bringing the scans of the former Deception base on screen. “It was just some slagging volcanic eruption like what buried Grimlock and his group. Megatron must have activated the base self destruct, which just helped trigger the eruption. There is something more then that though, some exotic high power energy traces. The Cons must have been working on something down there we don’t know about. That added a lot to the detonation, darn near blowing the whole mountain to bits.”

He looked over at the green warrior. “I’ll send you down there Hardhead, but don’t expect to just shuffle around a few rocks and find Prime buried somewhere. At best I figure you might find some pieces of him scattered around.” He paused for a minute, not like the words that had just come from his mouth. “I wish more than anyone that you would go down there and find him, and maybe there is the slightest chance you will. That’s the only reason I’m allowing you to go down. Once we have picked up our buddies from the Ark I’ll bounce you down there, but on my terms.”

Ironhide walked back to the command chair and sat down. “The whole area is still unstable, lots of quakes and eruptions. I’m not gonna have another bot dyin’ on me today, Prime would never want that. You’ve got a short time and if thinks get too hot I’m bouncin’ ya out. Understood?”

*

Repair Bay

First Aid nodded as Axle went over to handle the rambunctious twins. The doctor turned his attention back to his patient as his optics flickered back on.

“Uhhhh, what happened? It feels like a freighter ran over me.” Hot Spot reached up and rubbed his head as he unplugged the cables and wires that had helped to reboot his systems.

First Aid moved to help his commander. “Well from what I’ve gathered you plunged your team way beyond what the mission parameters were. Then you proceeded to push yourself way beyond your limits to try and get your team out of the smelting pit you had all gotten into. All in all it was basically just another standard mission for you sir, we were just fortunate enough, I mean, Unfortunate enough to not be along for the ride this time.”

“Hahahaha, very funny First Aid. If I only had another mechanic or technician under my command I would try and get them to unload a better sense of humor into you.” The Protectobot commander glanced around. “Why is everyone on the Guardian now? What happened? What did I miss?”

The other Protectobot sighed. “That…is going to take a bit longer to explain. Suffice it to say this looks like where all of the Earth based Bots are going to be for awhile. The details need to wait until after you’ve gone through some time in the CR chamber though.” He knew that if he told him everything now he would never get him in the chamber for proper repairs. He would race up to the bridge to try and do something. “I can upload a report to you directly while you are in there if you want even.”

Hot Spot looked at First Aid. He suspected that there was something he wasn’t telling him. Then again the doctor was always trying to make sure he didn’t damage himself further by overextending himself. He typically ignored that, but if things were ugly then maybe it would be best if he were at 100%. He slowly nodded at First Aid. “Alright, but I want a complete and thorough report.” First Aid nodded as Hot Spot stepped into a chamber.

*

Sideswipe was lucky that he walked away when he did. Sunstreaker had been building up a glob of oil to spit in his face if he had stood there for another second. As it is he just glared at him as he walked off into a chamber. He was going to have to pay back his twin some other way after he was out. He obviously needed to be knocked down several pegs.

Sunstreaker settled his gaze on Axle as the medic came over to help him. He held up the arm with the injured hand. “Alright, here it is. Just be careful about fixing it. Its already going to take me forever in the CR chamber to get my paint job and finish back to what it was before, I don’t need to have to fix up some scratch or burn marks from your work too.”

Bridge

Reality began to settle in as Hardhead carefully studied the scans that Ironhide had brought up on the view screen. The old war horse was right. It hadn’t been a normal volcanic eruption. The sheer amount of devastation left behind suggested more than just molten lava coupled with a standard self destruct mechanism. The traces of exotic energy seemed to confirm that fact. Regardless, the green mech still wanted to try. He wanted to at least be able to say that he did all that he could to find Prime and bring whatever was left of him home.

Hardhead managed to crack a brief smile when Ironhide reluctantly agreed to let him go down there. Of course, there were conditions placed on him as the security officer didn’t find losing yet another Autobot in such a short span of time to be a good idea. The war veteran turned to look at the red mech seated in the command chair.

“Understood, old friend. “ Hardhead responded, his half-smile now replaced with a look of seriousness and intensity. “Whatever time you can give me will be enough. And don’t worry, ‘Hide, I won’t go dying on you. It’ll take more than a few quakes and lava pools to get rid of me.” The green warrior turned and headed for the door, but then stopped just short of the exit. “I’ll be down in the bounce chamber awaiting your go order,” Hardhead said as he looked back over his shoulder at the security chief. “And I never meant to suggest that you were stupid, ‘Hide. You’re one of the bravest and most intelligent soldiers I know. You’re also a good friend. Thank you for letting me do this. I won’t let you down.”

Without saying another word, the green mech turned and left the bridge, heading for the bounce chamber.

Medical Bay

Smokescreen awakened in his CR chamber as the repair cycle completed. The door opened with the usual hissing sound, allowing a small amount of steam to escape from the bottom of the unit. The diversion expert stepped out, his wounds completely healed and his fuel cells recharged. He did a quick systems check to make sure everything was functioning properly. It wasn’t that Smokey didn’t trust the automated drones to do their job right, it’s just that nothing could compare to the superior skills of a trained medic like Axle or First Aid. Of course, their talents were required elsewhere with those who needed their help more than he did.

Peering around the med bay, Smokescreen could see that the medics were hard at work, attempting to make the necessary repairs and get everyone back on their feet again. First Aid had managed to do just that by getting Hot Spot up and into a CR chamber, while Axle worked on fixing Sunstreaker’s hand. Of course, the golden twin was more concerned about possibly receiving additional scratches from the repair job then his hand actually functioning properly afterwards.

Typical, Smokescreen thought as he then noticed Hex sitting off in a far corner of the room, doing nothing to help out the wounded. The young mech had managed to fix his own injuries, though, proving once again that he only cared about himself and no one else. Perhaps it was for the best, however, as Hex’s bedside manner was less than desirable. Smokey knew that all too well from his own personal experience with the silver lunatic. I’m keeping my distance from that one.

The diversion expert’s thoughts then drifted back to Prime. Their leader was gone and Smokescreen was still having trouble accepting this new reality the Autobots now found themselves in. Who would assume command now? Ironhide would seem to be the likely candidate to take charge here on Earth, at least, but what about the Autobot forces as a whole? Who would become the new Prime if Optimus was truly gone forever? These questions swirled around in Smokey’s core processor like a swarm of cyber-hornets. He just didn’t have the answers, and it was a good bet that no one else did either.

Wanting to do something, anything, to get his mind off of current events, Smokescreen approached Jazz who was loitering about the med bay. "Hey, Jazz. You seem lost, buddy. Why don't you help me check the status of the currently occupied CR chambers, make sure everything's running properly. That way the medics can remain focused with their other patients. After all, the last thing we need right now is a malfunctioning CR unit making things worse for our wounded comrades."

Medical Bay

Jazz nodded to himself at Ironhide's response to his inquiry, and did-as-told.

>>Hey, just a reminder, any Autobots that are damaged, please go to the nearest CR Chamber immediately.<< Jazz said to all of the Autobots.

He then looked to Smokescreen and his statement about him being lost, and his ask for help with the CR Chambers.

"Oh, hey Smokey!" Jazz said happily, "Nah, I'm not lost, but I'll be glad to help with the CR Chambers!"

He moved to one, and ran a diagnostic of the status of the chamber. All seemed well, so he walked over to the next one, and did the same. This one looked as fine as the one before it, so he went onto the next one.

"How are you holdin' up Smokey?" Jazz asked the blue mech as he walked to a third, and the same results were there, so he looked up to Smokescreen with a concerned look, he was concerned about Smokescreen, he knew how he and Prime were close.

Repair Bay

Smokescreen moved to the CR chamber that contained Sideswipe and carefully examined the readings on the display screen. The red twin had just entered the unit a short time ago and therefore his repair cycle was in the early stages. Nevertheless, everything appeared to be running properly.

“I’m holding up as well as I can be, I suppose,” Smokey replied to Jazz’s question as he turned to look at his comrade. The diversion expert could tell that the white mech was concerned about him. The look on his face plate spoke volumes. “Considering the circumstances we now find ourselves in, I think we’re all holding up pretty well. The thought of Prime being gone for good is something that will take a lot of time to wrap my circuits around. Like many of us, I looked up to him and considered him to be not only a mentor but also a friend.” Smokescreen shook his head. “I still can’t believe what happened. I hold out hope that Prime will walk through those doors and reveal himself to be alive and well. Of course, I then realize that probably won’t happen. The whole situation is very surreal.”

The red and blue racer then moved over to Prowl’s CR chamber and glanced down at the readings. Everything checked out okay. In fact, the military strategist’s repair cycle was almost finished.

******

The last thing Prowl remembered was being in the command center of the Decepticon Base. Ravage had attacked him before he was then struck on the side of the head with his own rifle by an invisible assailant. Darkness followed before he finally awakened an unknown amount of time later inside of a CR chamber.

The military strategist leaned forward as the door hissed open, revealing an unfamiliar medical facility beyond it. Prowl stepped out of the unit and was immediately greeted by Smokescreen, who was apparently checking the status of the analyst’s repair cycle. Jazz was also nearby, conducting a diagnostic on a few neighboring CR chambers, as well. Prowl smiled at the diversion expert, but decided to dispense with the usual pleasantries associated with seeing a fellow ‘Bot fully functional again and, instead, began asking the tough questions he needed answers to.

“Smokescreen, what happened? The last thing I remember was being inside the command center of the ‘Con base and now I’m here. This doesn’t look like the medical bay of the Ark-19. Where exactly are we and is the battle over? What was the outcome?”

The diversion expert tried to process the sheer number of questions Prowl was asking. He decided to keep his answers simple and to the point. “You’re on the Guardian in Earth’s orbit. The battle ended when the ‘Con base self-destructed, which caused the volcano to erupt. We were all bounced here just in time…all but one.”

Prowl’s optics narrowed as Smokescreen finished his sentence. “What do you mean, ‘all but one’? Who didn’t make it?”

Smokey took a deep breath before continuing. It was hard for him to utter the words he needed to say, but he also knew that Prowl would not let something like this go without a definitive answer. “Optimus didn’t make it out. He was caught deep inside the ‘Con base when it detonated. His spark appears to have been extinguished.”

Prowl’s optics widened again in utter shock. He grabbed Smokescreen hard by both arms and shook him. “That’s not possible! Prime can’t be dead! It’s simply not logical to assume that! He’s far too powerful to be taken out by an explosion. He has to still be down there! He may be in stasis, but he has to still be there!”

The red and blue racer winced slightly at how hard Prowl was holding on to him. “Maybe you should speak with Ironhide, Prowl. He knows more about what happened to Prime than I do. I think he’s currently on the bridge if you want to talk to him.”

“I think I’ll do just that,” Prowl said, releasing the diversion specialist from his grip. The military strategist’s logic center could not fully comprehend what Smokescreen had just told him. It seemed illogical for Prime to be gone under the known circumstances and even more illogical to simply assume the worst without a body to confirm their leader’s death. He wanted facts, not mere assumptions before he would believe that Prime was really gone forever. Perhaps there was more to it then what Smokey was able to tell him. Hopefully, Ironhide would be able to provide a more detailed briefing that would help the analyst understand the situation completely.

Wasting no further time, Prowl turned and hurried past Jazz without even acknowledging the white mech’s presence. It was not his intention to be rude, but his cerebral circuits were in deep analysis at the moment. The strategist then exited the repair bay and headed up to the bridge.

Once Prowl was gone, Smokescreen looked over at Jazz and shrugged his shoulders. “Well, that was pretty much the reaction I expected from him. Now, let’s get back to work, shall we?”

Repair Bay

Lore-lock limped into the chamber as Smokey and Jazz were chatting about the chambers while Prowl was coming out of one.

"I think one of those units may be reserved for me." The scout half joked as he walked in. "I think I need to request some nice quiet observation gig for my next go round. Those stunticons had me pushing my systems past red line for longer than I enjoy pushing them. Just point to the CR unit that is most convenient. I don't feel like choosing." He then took up a lean on his axe, and waited, while the bright lights of the repair bay made the nicks and cuts in his armor glitter like a fresh coat of chromed threading.

OoC: Sorry this took too long, life has been catching up with me!

Medical Bay

Jazz looked over to Smokey at his response, and nodded. There really wasn't much to say to that, so he continued with his work. He moved to one and began to check systems, but was interrupted when Prowl stepped out of the CR Chamber and began asking the events of Mount St. Helen's to Smokescreen. He seemed to have no knowledge of what happened, but Jazz knew that he was unconscious during most of the battle. The white mech walked by him irritably and out of the room, as Lore-Lock stumbled in and said that he wanted a CR Chamber and he didn't want to choose.

"Oh, hey man!" Jazz said friendlily to the silver mech that probably saved him from a not-so-friendly-neighborhood Seeker Femme.

Jazz looked back to the CR Chamber and read that it was in perfect condition, so he looked back to Lore-Lock and said, "You can take this one!"

Jazz stepped forward and put a hand on his shoulder and said, "Hey, I want to thank you for your help back there. So thanks, man."

And with that, Jazz stepped back to the next CR Chamber, it looked to be OK, so he moved on to the next.

Medical Bay

"Very nice Jazz, you can fill me in on all the rest of the details after I'm done."

Being as Lore-lock wasn't all that keyed up for niceties he simply fell into the CR chamber and let the door close, and he knew peace.

However, his central processor would not shut down. It kept running through the events, out of sequence. . .

Incoming Message from the Ark-19:

>>”We’re all gathered in the Command Center. Ready to bounce on my mark…Mark!”<<

Medical Bay

Axle tried to withhold a heavy sigh when Sunstreaker began to explain his dilemma. He’d been through such complaints from other mechs, but Sunstreaker took it to the limit. The medic nodded in compliance and quickly began to detach the non-functional extremity. Once it was free and began to work on the wiring and small tubing that brought energon and lubricants to that area.

****

Hex continued to roll the optics around in the palm of his right hand; his thoughts wandering, but then he caught the optic of one of the other occupants in the area. Hex’s optics narrowed as he glared intensely at the diversion expert. The corner of the young mech’s lips curled in a disturbing smirk. He rose to his feet, putting his trophy away, and made his way to the wall just opposite to where both Smokescreen and Jazz were performing status checks on the CR chambers.

Hex placed his right foot on the wall behind his and crossed his arms over his chestplate; the entire time never taking his icy glare from the red and blue Autobot.

“Funny, I figure the situation we find ourselves in now is much better than before. And Prime being gone would be the reason.”

Hex pushed himself off the wall and slowly made his way over to both Autobots.

“It’s really too bad all you Autobots are too delusional to realize Prime was the one keeping this war going. Of course the Cons are just as much to blame, but…..heh, Prime only more so.”

Hex leaned on one of the CR chambers nonchalantly; elbows resting on top, his chin nestled in the palms of his hands.

“Now, what say we celebrate, hm?”

Hex flashed both mechs a devilish grin.

Medical Bay

As Jazz showed the newly arrived Lore-Lock into a CR chamber, Smokescreen continued monitoring the other units nearby, ensuring that the respective repair cycles were running properly. He tried to keep his processor occupied as much as possible so he wouldn’t think too much about the loss of Prime. As was the case with most of the Autobots, Smokey was acutely affected by the apparent death of their leader. However, it struck an even deeper cord within the diversion expert due to the close relationship he shared with Optimus, a relationship that most Autobots didn’t even know existed.

Long before Smokescreen had been reassigned to Earth, Prime utilized the tactician’s genuine camaraderie with the rest of the Autobots in order to gain a better insight into his own troops. Optimus always felt that his position of authority created a metaphorical barrier that separated him too much from those serving under him. He therefore asked Smokey on many occasions to use his friendly nature to ascertain the real thoughts and concerns of the other ‘Bots and then report those findings back to him. Out of all the Autobots he had at his command, Prime found Smokey to be the most devious, but that also made him perfect for a task such as this. It was something the diversion specialist performed eagerly and without regret.

The relationship with Optimus started out as strictly a working one, but it slowly grew more personal as Smokescreen’s conversations with him increased. Before long, Smokey found himself revealing his own feelings and worries to Prime, which was something the Autobot leader greatly appreciated. As vorns passed by and the war raged on, the red and blue mech’s talents were required less and less as Optimus became more open and comfortable with his troops. As a result, Smokey found himself reassigned to Earth, a transfer that was initially far away from Prime, himself.

Smokescreen never took it personally when the requests for his services diminished and eventually went away completely. He simply viewed it as having done his job to such an extent that his leader no longer needed his help. In a way, it was the perfect complement to the tactician’s cunning, but yet still very loyal abilities.

Of course, those days were long gone now, replaced with the sorrow of a commander lost and a realization that the conversations of old would never happen again. Instead, Smokescreen now found himself listening to the bizarre ramblings of Hex, who had snuck his way over to him while his thoughts were occupied elsewhere. The offensive words that emanated from the silver mech’s mouth were not only ludicrous but disrespectful of their fallen leader, as well. It was something Smokey would not stand for, especially not so soon after Prime’s apparent death.

Smokescreen turned to look at Hex, studying his facial expressions to see if the young ‘Bot was actually serious or just trying to be annoying. Smokey found both to be true as the crazy mech finished his ridiculous statement. “Are you serious? You want to celebrate? Our commander is gone, possibly for good, and all you want to do is party? Good luck finding someone to join you.” The red and blue racer tried to keep his composure as the anger inside of him began to grow. His next question was obvious and unavoidable.

“Optimus fought for peace and freedom. He fought because he had no other choice, all the while the ‘Cons did nothing but spread their malevolence across the universe. So, Hex, how exactly do you figure that it’s mostly Prime’s fault that the war has continued for so long? Since I'm so delusional and all, please explain your theory to me.”

Bridge

Prowl transversed the corridors of the Protectobot ship, arriving on the command level within a few breems. Along the way, he passed by Hardhead who seemed to be heading back down to the bounce chamber. The question as to why was left unanswered for the moment as the strategist was more content with speaking to Ironhide regarding recent events. All other answers would hopefully be forthcoming.

Finally reaching the bridge, the doors slid open and Prowl stepped inside to find the security chief sitting in the command chair. The red mech seemed preoccupied with everything that was happening as he was presumably communicating with the rest of the Autobots still aboard the Ark-19. The military analyst walked over to the old war horse and stood beside him. There was no immediate reaction from him, but time was of the essence and Prowl needed answers sooner rather than later.

“Ironhide, once you’re finished I need a full debriefing on what happened down there,” Prowl began to say, trying not to sound too aggressive in his wording. Considering the current state of affairs, it was logical to deduce that the security officer was not in the best of moods. Before Prowl continued, he noticed the main view screen adorned with recent scans of the mountain where the Decepticon Base had once been. The utter and complete devastation of the area surprised the strategist and suggested that more than just a volcanic eruption was to blame.

“Are these readings correct?” Prowl asked Ironhide as he moved closer to the view screen to get a better look at the data. “The energy signature appears to be way off the charts. Even a self-destruct mechanism coupled with an eruption couldn’t do all this. There must have been something else involved here, something very powerful. We need to find out what it was and if the ‘Cons have any more of it at their disposal.” The military analyst refused to speculate further, wanting concrete facts before determining what their next logical course of action should be.

Medical Bay

Jazz was preoccupied with showing Lore-Lock to a CR Chamber, and was happy for once after Prime's death. The happiness actually made its way to Jazz's faceplate in a small smile. The happiness was drained completely when Hex showed up and began to patronize Optimus as a mech.

Anger boiled in Jazz with every word, and he was close to the braking point.

"Hex, you need to leave," Jazz said darkly as he was controlling his anger, "Right now."

Jazz turned away from the "Medic" and walked over to Smokescreen and said, "I think that my assistance is no longer needed here, give me a shout if you need anything!"

And with that, Jazz walked out of the Medical Bay and made his way to the Bounce Chamber. On the way, Jazz stopped to talk to Hardhead who was also on his way to the Bounce Chamber.

"Hey man," He said to the large green mech, happiness returning, "Whatcha' doing?"

Medical Bay

Hex shot Smokescreen a feigned look of surprise at the diversionary specialist’s first retort, but the expression faded and turned to a sneer as Smokescreen’s features took on a much more riled. But before Hex could even comment the red and blue mech proceeded to with what seemed to be the monologue of every pathetic Autobot under the direct leadership of Optimus Prime.

Hex pushed himself away from the CR chamber that stood between him and Smokescreen. Without breaking optic contact the silver mech stalked around the Chamber so that he could stand face to face with his new ‘enemy’. His jaw clenched, his hands balled into tight fists, Hex growled out his response to Smokescreen’s query.

“Your illustrious leader has had plenty of opportunities to end this war just by killing Megatron, but every time, EVERY TIME, Prime gave in to his only weakness…compassion.”

Hex stepped even closer to Smokescreen as he continued.

“Compassion is not going to win this war, it only prolongs it!” the young mech poked his finger against the diversionary specialist’s chestplate to emphasize his statement.

The young mech stepped back and lowered his hand back to his side. After a moment of silence Hex spit a glob of oil in Smokescreen’s face.

“You Autobots are blind even when the truth is staring you right in the face. Prime was never the hero you all thought he was. He would sacrifice any of you and not even bat an optic. You and all these other hero worshipers can deny the truth, but when it comes down to it Prime had you all wrapped around his manipulative little finger.”

Jazz's 'order' went completely ignored as Hex's ire was focused only on Smokescreen.