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Forward Observation Lounge

The ride over to the Ark-22 was as comfortable as could be expected, space was generally very smooth travel as there was no turbulance unless you were being fired upon and with no Decepticons around there was no possibility of that. The Ark class ships were very impressive vessels. Freeway had idlly thought up ways to sabotage such a ship; rusting agents in engine control circuitry, viral implant in the navigation software, that kind of thing. He was prepared should there ever come a need to do it, like if Decepticons had taken control of one for instance. Hopefully that would never happen. It would be a shame to wreak havoc on such a fine vessel.

Moving through the corridors, Freeway chose to walk rather than drive simply because it offered him a better chance to study the ship and get used to its layout, where the escape pods were for instance, should anything calamitous happen between now and leaving for the planet. The Throttlebot headed for the observation lounge at the front of the ship where supposedly the best views were to be had and where they would get their final briefing. Freeway was keen to learn more about these psychotic apes that were inhabitating the planet below.

The doors swooshed open and the first thing that struck Freeway was the view. The planet Earth was certainly a beauty. Plenty of liquid, vapour and solid water. The hydro-energy potential alone was just incredible. There were clouds, big masses of them indicating storms. Storms were high winds so there was another source of potential energy. The light from the yellow star could easily be harnessed too. How much energon could be created from that alone? Then add to it the mineral wealth. Damn. And with all that energy there was also life. The green on the land surface indicating a lot of organic life. The place must have been teeming.

“If we're planning on any aquatic missions myself and Sparky are already well camoflouged for that,” said Freeway pointy to the similarly blue Nova Strike. He noted an Aerial-hotshot-bot in the room along with Prowl and Ultra Magnus.

Message from Kup

>>"Ultra Magnus, Prowl, we have a situation. It seems that Hot Rod along with several other Autobots have just bounced down to Earth. As far as I know this was an unauthorized mission. Normally I would chalk this up to some youthful mischief except I instructed Howlstrike to keep an optic on them. Now Howlstrike is not responding to my calls. In addition the group who went down with Hot Rod included Bots like Hardhead, Warpath and Ricochet. I'm sure you'll agree those are not the young mischievous types. I am guessing they have some sort of attack on Decepticons involved but I am taking the Protectobots and Ironhide down to be prepared for anything"<<

Wheeljack’s Lab

Wheeljack was disappointed when Axle revealed that the hallucinogen could not be left out of the Syk mix without the risk of grievous and possibly life threatening side effects. Tracer’s systems were already so sensitive that even the slightest alteration in the chemical compound that she’d been exposed to could cause irreparable damage to her internal mechanisms. It was for that reason that weaning her slowly off the narcotic was so important. Going cold turkey, as the humans would say, was simply not an option.

“I understand, Axle,” the mechanical engineer relented as he kept his optics on the portable replicator that was still in the process of reproducing a flask of liquid solvent. The noise it was making was a tad loud and had made the field medic more than just a little nervous. “Well, considering how old it is, I’m not surprised my invention is a bit boisterous not to mention somewhat on the clunky side.” Wheeljack cast a sideways glance towards the medic. “But I’m sure it won’t explode, so you won’t have to kill me. Heh.”

The mad scientist returned his attention to the replicator as the device’s final sequence completed, the light within slowly diminishing by the astrosecond. “I think we have something here,” Wheeljack muttered quietly, but just loud enough for Axle to hear him. With the brilliance inside now gone, all that was left was some white smoke, masking the results of the replication process. ‘Jack stepped in closer and opened the glass panel and carefully reached inside until he had found what he was looking for.

“Ah, there you are!” Wheeljack exclaimed as he withdrew his hand from the replicator and produced a flask of the solvent, which appeared to be a perfect copy of what he had just scanned moments ago. However, to be absolutely sure the solvent was exactly the same, additional tests needed to be run. “Well, it looks like solvent....” the engineer stated as he held the flash up to his nose, “...and it smells like solvent, but I need to make sure that it is solvent.”

Moving away from the replicator, which was now powering down, Wheeljack placed the new flask onto a worktable and grabbed a hand held scanner. After a quick analysis of the reproduced chemical, the engineer was able to determine that the solvent had been recreated successfully. “I have good news!” The Autobot inventor declared as he turned back around to face Axle once more. “Believe it or not, the replicator worked! Of course, solvent is a very basic chemical and no where near as complex as Syk along with whatever else Oil Slick mixed in for bad measure. The next step is to test the replicator with a more intricate solution. Perhaps a very small sample of the narcotic, itself. If that’s also a success, then we can simply replicate the rest of the vile repeatedly until we are well stocked. Agreed?”
_________

The nanite-rich fluid within the tight confines of the CR unit finally began to evacuate as Smokescreen’s optics flickered back online again. The rallybot let out a low groan as the rest of his systems began to power up, his HUD showing the progress of each until all were at a full 100%. Once the liquid that had surrounded him was completely drained, the door opened with a hiss and the diversion expert was free from the coffin-like pod. Thankfully, his stay there had not been too long and had provided him with the apt amount of rest that his new body required. Hopefully, now he would be back to his old self again, at least in the physical sense.

Climbing out of the CR unit, Smokescreen’s optics immediately located Tracer who was positioned directly next to the pod, maintaining a constant vigil until his repair cycle had been completed. Even after their intense argument, her loyalty to him had not faltered one bit. Thinking back on it, he now understood her reasoning for not being up front with him from the beginning in regards to everything she had been through. She was simply thinking of his own well being, not wanting to burden him further. The thing she hadn’t understood was that he wanted to be burdened by her. He wanted that responsibility in order to save her from the Syk and ultimately from herself. His physical strength may not be the greatest, but his mental prowess was more powerful than ever.

“Hey there, good lookin’,” Smokescreen said to Tracer as he turned to face her, his rebuilt body now fully painted with his usual red and blue color scheme as well as the 38s prominently displayed on both door wings. Smokey briefly glanced down at his newly applied paint job and smiled, but not as widely as when his attention returned to the troubled femme. “Well, I guess I’m as good as new. I feel strong, but I suppose I should still take it a bit easy for a while and not overdo it. At least I’m not naked anymore. Heh.” The rallybot chuckled as he stepped in closer to the scout, taking her left hand into his right. “Of course, I’m sure you probably preferred me in the buff, didn’t you, Trace? Don't lie now. I saw the look on your faceplate before. You couldn't take you optics off me. But, that's okay, because I couldn't take mine of you, either.”

Message from Hex

>>”Prowl! Or whoever the hell is in charge! It’s Hex! A bunch of us followed Rodimus down planet side! We found the ‘Cons but we’re takin’ a beating! You gotta send reinforcements like yesterday! These are our coordinates!”<<

Forward Observation Lounge

It seemed odd, but for a ‘Bot who had spent so much time on the surface of the planet they were currently stationed above, that Bumblebee was actually taking heavy breaths in order to express just how quickly he had been moving in order to make it to his current location.

The little yellow mech came to a stop just outside the door to the lounge and tried to catch his “breath”. After a few astroseconds Bumblebee entered the room and glanced to all the mech present. To Nova he flashed a broad smile and a nod. The ranger was a good mech if not a bit talkative…although he should be grateful Nova Strike was not Bluestreak. That thought of the gunner brought another smile to his face.

Bee quickly cleared his thoughts and made his way to stand in front of both Ultra Magnus and Prowl. He offered both mechs a crisp salute.

“Bumblebee reporting as ordered, sirs.”

Wheeljack’s Lab

Axle looked to his scientific cohort with an abundant amount of skepticism. He had heard a lot of stories…some of which were actually confirmed by the scientist himself…that a good majority of Wheeljack’s inventions usually wind up exploding in people’s faces.

“You’ll have to excuse my cynicism, but I’m just going by what I’ve heard from others…and well…from you.”

The medic quieted down…and took several steps back…when Wheeljack’s device finally completed its cycle. And once the replicator was actually complete and he decided that it was safe, Axle stepped forward and leaned in closer so as to get a good look at the flask once it was removed.

Wheeljack’s exclamation gave Axle a slight start causing the former doctor to nearly jump backwards and away from the replicator. He let out a laugh when he realized that the scientist wasn’t about to tell him that that things were about to go to the Pit and instead that the device had possibly worked.

“Okay, now I’m surprised. No offense, ‘Jack. It’s just…well…”

Axle shut his mouth in an attempt to save face and not upset the engineer.

“Yeah. I agree.”

Axle stepped up closer and took a good look at the flask containing the replicated solvent and then back down to the vial containing the Syk. There wasn’t a lot to work with and if they used too much…well if that happened so many things could go wrong.

“There isn’t a lot to keep working with. We’re gonna have to get this right the first time.”

The medic scooped up the data slate he had been taking notes on while examining the sample. The contents of the chemical mixture was broken down into its most basic elements...including the amounts of each that had been utilized. Of course those steps had already completed when Wheeljack had told him that it wouldn’t be necessary. However, the final component to make the concoction whole was hallucinogen. It was present in Tracer’s current dosage and as such it was needed in this mixture.

“Alright. Let’s get this party started.”

Axle flashed Wheeljack an uneasy smirk.
____

Tracer had stood up when the CR pod began its power down sequence. She had been sitting watch for the entire cycle but now that it was complete she wasn’t sure she was ready to face him after their last discussion. Too late now. She noticed that his optics were the first to come online and even though she couldn’t see as well as she usually could Tracer was still happy to see those blue orbs light up.

The scout met his gaze and for a moment she simply stared. She flashed him a small smile at his very first comment.

“I should be the one saying that to you.”

Tracer let out a chuckle while Smokescreen looked over himself. To her he looked…the same. Perhaps a bit more streamlined but he was still Smokescreen no matter what form he took on or what paint job he was sporting.

“Taking it easy is probably a wise choice. Besides, I can’t move as fast as I usually do…hard to see.”

Tracer offered the former ralleybot a halfhearted smirk and tapped the side of her head next to her right optic before she stepped in a bit closer to him.

“I don’t care what you look like, Smokescreen, as long as I have you.”

She paused for a moment before she flashed him a sultry smile…

“I have to admit I really didn’t mind you waiting so long to have your paint job done…”

Tracer was about to finish her statement when she suddenly realized what Smokescreen had said. She gave him a broad smile and stepped in even closer to him. The scout set her right hand on his shoulder and leaned in but stopped almost suddenly.

The blue and white femme pulled back and dropped her head in her hand.

>>”Hey Trace! It’s Sides. Just thought you should know I got Razr here and he’s real upset that I’m not you. Heh. I think he wants to see yah so how’s about you meet me outside your quarters and we’ll have a little prisoner exchange…I hand Razr over to you and you hand yourself over to me. I’ll see ya in what…10 minutes? Yeah, ten sounds good. Later sweetspark!”<<

“He has Razr.”

Front Observation Lounge

Ultra Magnus pivoted on his heel and accepted the data pad from Prowl. His optics swiftly absorbed the mission profile that Prowl and the currently absent Silverbolt had proposed. It was thorough, though he had expected that from the military strategist and flight commander. It was in their base programming, it was what made them effective at their functions. Offering a brief nod to the last arriving member of the team, Magnus set the tablet down onto the polished table surface.

"I trust all exams were without incident, as well as rearming protocols." He paused as he glanced over to Slingshot who huffed and folded his arms over his chest in a pout.

His optics returned to Bumblebee as the smaller Autobot entered the chamber. Nova Strike gave a quick greeting to his new friend. By reputation, both Autobots had been dubbed as among the toughest per size. Nova Strike took on a lot of traits his previous special units commander eons ago back on Cybertron during the early days of the war. Never give up, Never surrender sort of mechanism that Magnus appreciated. Prowl's choice for this operation in that regard was spot on. If things did get dicey then who better to have on the front than a Ranger who specialized in the unpredictable? Of course Bumblebee's abilities were well recorded throughout the historical tracks. Anyone capable of going into the heart of Kaon just to get intelligence on Megatron's next offensive or even his refueling schedule, that took barrings.

Freeway on the other hand, Magnus had worked with the Throttlebots before. Most of them were unique in their own right and tended to at least be constructive. Freeway was the odd mech out. A comedian by choice, but lacked the finesse and delivery matrix for the task. Not to mention most of the limericks or stories or one liners were lost on him anyways. Baring that however, Freeway was absolutely the most qualified at what he did best. If it weren't for him, many of the Throttlebots not to mention active Autobots would be eliminated every time a retreat had to be staged or a base had to be established and defended. So with that in mind, Ultra Magnus could endure a touch of bad comedy.

The Aerialbots were another matter. Silverbolt had come down with a mysterious infection of the fuel intake and required a few days rest. Air Raid was well probably not happy that this was nothing more than a Scouting Operation. Slingshot had been the only flier to show up. Magnus frowned with the realization that one lone military aircraft flying over the scout zone would probably raise more questions than would a trio. Counter intuitive but it made sense.

"Let us finalize the business at hand."

He stepped back and pressed a button on the table surface. A small cone of light erupted from its center and consolidated to colored mesh of landscape. The valley was elongated with a glacier lake at its lowest point near the far northern end. Ice capped peaks ringed the valley with small passes carved by narrow dried riverbeds of ice and snow. Along the downward slopes small patches of scrub brush before delving deeper into the thicker jungle that swarmed the lake further in. Chasms and gorges had been carved out through glaciers eons ago, deep and lined by sheer cliffs of mineral wealth. "This is our target area, A mountainous terrain that is arid for the most part, but lower elevations are covered in dense foliage masses. Sufficed to say that this area is populated albeit sparsely. Despite our best efforts and scans, finding a position on the surface devoid of organic life has not been very successful."

Magnus flipped the switch on the controls and narrowed the feed. "This valley here has displayed very few humanoid life signs but that is irrelevant. The reason why I have chosen this region for exploration is because of its mineral deposits that could prove vital to our coming colony." The image switched again this time to show molecular shapes of various ores and metals that Cybertronians most required and that were supposedly abundant in the abandoned region.

"This area, from scans of human historical channels, was once inhabited. So you can expect to encounter ruins and other architectural displays and monuments. Prowl, I want you to gather an Archivist for this mission as well. While this is a military survey, this is only a temporary situation. I want to be able to reconstruct this land to its natural state once the Decepticons have been forced from the sector... permanently. In the meantime. You are to locate two specific conditions. A location with suitable coverage, an off shoot gorge or even a large cavern. And secondly a readily accessible power source. We can easily deal with exposure via holographic emitters and solar towers, but those will take time to establish."

Magnus shut off the hologram and looked over towards the other officers who had gathered. "This survey is important to our long term defense of this system. Mission Limiters are standard. You are to avoid contact with the indigenous hominids of the region. You are to avoid combat where possible, If these things are unavoidable, such as interactions with the Humans, make sure your avatars have been equipped and properly adjusted for the master life forms of this planet."

As he prepared to go into the purpose of the survey, beyond the simple description of the colony, Magnus' comm terminal clicked on. He pressed the activation toggle and immediately linked with Kup. His optical guards furrowed and dimmed as the link fell silent after Kup brought him up to date. "Hot Rod?" His voice staggered briefly before he regained his composure. This was not right. This Rodimus was becoming an unwanted variable, as Perceptor would qualify him, an unknown quantity. However, Warpath nor Hardhead were known for going off the deep end, even if they were military specialists who craved action. Magnus was keenly aware that he had not played his hand of command yet... and that had cost them yet another advantage, unity. He would have to specifically rectify that himself. Even if it meant going to battle to stop this unauthorized raid. Giving a nano second of thought, he transmitted his intentions to Kup. He would bounce there as reinforcements to the Protectobots and himself. Not necessarily knocking the abilities of Hot Spot, Magnus himself had to be present. And that meant he would have to bring support to help legitimize his current position.

Once the message was complete, Magnus turned and faced the survey team. "Unfortunately I will have to keep my part in this briefing short. There are other matters of great importance that require my attention. Prowl I want you to complete the rest of this briefing in route if necessary. Bumblebee will serve as your second in command while Silverbolt is laid up. He and Air Raid will be placed on emergency dispatch should you require Air Support. In the meantime, Slingshot, your services are going to be required in another avenue of action. Prowl if necessary I want you to acquire the services of Rewind to fill that Archivist's role I originally mentioned. His capacity should prove invaluable to your current operation."

He handed Prowl a separate data pad. On it was a sensor frequency that he wanted to keep classified until they had bounced to the surface. A line on the top of the slate simply stated, 'A Request from Perceptor.' As the others stood and offered a salute to Magnus, he gave a curt nod. "Good luck fellow Autobots. We are counting on your speedy completion of this mission. The very fate of our Earth Defense Strategy may very well depend on it."

With that Magnus gave a final salute to Prowl and pulled Slingshot out of the briefing lounge. Both transformed and began a mad dash towards the nearest bounce chamber. Both Autobots wondering what exactly awaited them down below.

Wheeljack’s Lab

Wheeljack simply chuckled at Axle’s cynicism regarding the inventor’s ability to build something that didn’t blow up in one’s faceplate. He’d heard it all before from various Autobots throughout the vorns and it didn’t bother him one bit. In fact, the mechanical engineer embraced his reputation as a mad scientist of sorts, knowing full well that most of his comrades still considered him to be a valuable asset to the war effort. After all, even with all the horror stories that came out of his lab, ‘Jack still had far more successes than he did failures.

Once the field medic had agreed that the next step should be to test the replicator with a sample of actual Syk, Wheeljack took the vile from Axle and held it up to optic level. “Yes, we don’t have much to work with. However, all I need to do is scan the drug and then the replicator will do the rest. The process doesn’t use up any of what we currently have here, so there’s no risk of losing any.” The engineer then lowered the vile and walked back over to the replicator. “Although, since there’s really not a lot in this vile, I don’t see any reason not to just scan the whole thing. My invention should have no problem handling it.”

Wheeljack then placed the Syk into the replicator and repeated the same scanning process he had successfully done with the solvent. The machine thoroughly analyzed the mixture and stored the data in the hard drive. ‘Jack then removed the vile and handled back over to Axle. “Okay, it’s scanned in and everything seems to be ready to go. Now all I have to do is start the replication cycle. Ready?”

Without waiting for a response from the field medic, Wheeljack pushed the green button on the side of the replicator and carefully watched as the device powered back up and the small chamber within was consumed in the same brilliant light as before. This time, however, the machine seemed to be struggling a bit as it began to vibrate more than it had previously. This didn’t cause the scientist any real concerns as the Syk was a more potent and complex chemical than mere solvent and would undoubtedly put additional stress on the replicator. However, when his invention began emitting a small amount of smoke from a top vent, the engineer couldn’t help but take a step back.

“Ah, no need to panic. I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Wheeljack assured Axle and everyone else who was close enough to hear him. He didn’t want to pull the plug on it just yet as they likely wouldn’t get another shot at this. Hopefully, the replicator would hold out until the cycle was finished. Otherwise, they would have to rely on the field medic’s limited knowledge of chemistry to create more Syk from scratch.
_________

Smokescreen smiled even wider as Tracer admitted that she kinda liked him unpainted. Still, it was good to be complete again, considering that without his color scheme he looked more like Bluestreak than his diversionary self. And Primus knew Smokey didn’t need to be mistaken for the overly talkative gunner. “I knew it! Now, if I could only get you paintless...” His words were cut short as the troubled femme leaned in towards him. The rallybot expected another kiss, but instead she stopped suddenly as she received a message over her comm. Considering how close he was to her, it wasn’t hard to hear the communique.

“How did Sideswipe get Razr?” Smokescreen asked with a quizzical look as he took a small step back, never letting his hand flee from hers. “Did he get out while I was being rebuilt or are my memory circuits still not functioning properly and I’ve just forgotten what happened?” The diversion expert’s question was put on hold when his olfactory sensors picked up the faint smell of smoke coming from somewhere behind him. “What’s that smell? Either my smoke generators are malfunctioning or something else is....”

Smokescreen spun around and quickly determined the origin of the odor. The smoke was coming from the top of Wheeljack’s replicator unit as it worked to duplicate the Syk that Tracer so desperately needed. Without even thinking, the rallybot placed his newly built body between the troubled femme and the machine just in case the worse happened. It wasn’t a lot of smoke, but still enough to concern the former street racer. “Hey, ‘Jack! That thing’s not gonna blow is it? Maybe you should pull the plug before anything happens!”

Wheeljack turned his head towards the rallybot before responding. “Don’t worry, Smokey. I got it under control!” No sooner had the mad scientist finished assuring his comrade that everything would be fine, a series of sparks then emanated from the top of the replicator. “Oh, dear!” The mechanical engineer exclaimed as he quickly studied the external readout display to determine what was going wrong. When he couldn’t ascertain the problem, ‘Jack reached for the off switch, but paused as he noticed that the unit was finally powering down on its own from the replication cycle.

“I think we’re okay,” Wheeljack assured everyone again, all the while keeping a close optic on things as his invention entered shut down mode. Once that happened, the engineer waved his hand over top of the device to get rid of the remaining smoke that lingered in the air. The scientist then opened the side panel and carefully reached in, taking hold of a vile of what he hoped was Syk and withdrawing it from the small chamber. “Well, that could’ve gone better, but I think that it ultimately worked,” the white mech proclaimed as he closely studied the vile in his hands. Of course, only after a careful analyzation would they know for sure if the drug had been successfully reproduced. “Axle, I’m going to need you to examine this replicated Syk and determine if it’s an exact copy of the original source while I take a look at my replicator to see if any permanent damage was done to it. Okay?”

Smokescreen relaxed a bit once the replicator was no longer running and the smoke had dissipated. Glancing back around at Tracer, the rallybot gave her an uneasy smirk. “Well, that was exciting.”

Forward Observation Lounge

Once Ultra Magnus had read through the mission report that was encoded on the datapad, Prowl sat down near the head of the large table as the City Commander then commenced with the briefing. The military strategist watched as Magnus brought up a holographic display of a valley that was to be the primary target area for the upcoming scouting operation. It was located at the heart of the Central Andes within the nation-state of Peru, the same region as mentioned in the black and white’s report. It was a seemingly perfect spot to set up their new Earth base. Of course, getting down there and looking around in person would confirm if outward appearances were, in fact, correct or just a case of assumption over fact.

Prowl continued to listen as Magnus went on to describe the valley in more detail and what they could expect to find there. The City Commander also instructed the strategist to take an archivist along to document everything before also giving him two specific conditions to look for when determining the best place to set up their colony. The black and white simply nodded in understanding, already knowing exactly what factors needed to be accounted for. Ultra Magnus then established the mission’s parameters and conveyed the importance of the survey.

All of this was interrupted, however, when Kup contacted them regarding Hot Rod taking a group down to the surface to engage the ‘Cons in an unsanctioned action. That was soon followed by a message from Hex. Prowl couldn’t believe what he was hearing and simply shook his cranium in disgust. The black and white knew there had been something just not right with the way Hot Rod was acting earlier, which was the reason he had ordered those medical tests, the ones that were never carried out. If they had been administered then perhaps whatever was clearly wrong with the upgraded cavalier would’ve been ascertained and all this could’ve been avoided.

Ratchet always thinks he knows better, Prowl angrily thought to himself. Maybe I’ll go have a word with him once I’m back from this scouting mission. The military strategist put what needed to be done later to the back of his processor for the time being as Magnus had the situation well in hand. Once the City Commander’s orders were handed out, Prowl received a new datapad from his superior that simply read “A request from Perceptor”.

“Understood, Commander,” the analyst replied as he stood from his chair and returned a respectful salute to Ultra Magnus. “Don’t worry, sir. I have things under control here. Good luck to you, as well. I hope you can bring Hot Rod and his merry bunch back in one piece.”

Once Magnus and Slingshot were gone from the lounge, Prowl’s attention was drawn to what was left of his team. Originally, they were to have air support, but that was now on hold as the wayward Aerialbots were no where to be found. As it were it would only be Bumblebee, Freeway, Nova Strike and eventually Rewind along with Prowl, himself. All ground troops, of course, which would make things a bit more difficult without a skyward view, but not insurmountable by any means.

“So, it’s up to us now,” Prowl stated plainly as the holographic view of the valley shimmered in front of him. “Somewhere in this region, known as the Andes Mountains of Peru, we will find the site of our future home here on Earth. We just need to locate the best spot to set up camp. An isolated and hidden location for the base, itself, is essential. A place that is near the appropriate mineral deposits we will need to keep said base functioning is also necessary. Iron and copper are two raw materials we should look for as well as an oil or natural gas source that we can tap into and siphon power from.

“Now, without air support, we will have our jobs cut out for us, but I’m sure that each and every one of you are up for the task. Magnus was pretty thorough in describing the parameters and purpose of the mission, and I’ve just gone into a bit more detail. If there are any questions, you can ask them on our way down to the bounce chamber. In the meantime, I will contact Rewind and instruct him where to meet us. Now, let's get going.”

After he switched off the holographic display, the military strategist turned and headed for the door of the lounge, opening a secured comm line to the cassettebot archivist at the same time:

>>”Rewind, this is Prowl. Drop what you are doing and make your way immediately to the bounce chamber over on the Ark-22. You are being reassigned to an important scouting mission and your archival skills are required. You will be briefed once you have arrived.”<<

With a small metallic hiss, the panel in front of him slid upward, revealing the cool metal walls of the room. 

The world began to materialize around Sidewinder as his vision began to clear. His HUD was among the first few things to appear, showing numerous icons and meters ranging from his physical condition to time elapsed since the last time he was functioning before he dropped into stasis. After reorienting himself to his surroundings, he slowly climbed out of the pod, shaking his head an additional time. Checking his sensors, Sidewinder was pleased to see that he was in excellent condition. The bright light emanating from above blinded him for a moment, he broke his gaze from the light and down to his smooth exterior. The pale grey and blue hexagons that covered the exterior shell of his vehicle form.

Now that he was officially back online, he decided it would be best to inform the captain of his awakening, and he began to compose a message. 

Message to Captain of Ark-22 

     >>This a notification from Sidewinder. I have awoken from stasis, and I will be expecting a report on any important events I missed since we launched. I will be attaching my skill set to this message in case you have not seen my name among the passenger list. I know how difficult it can be to manage things aboard such a vessel. Please notify me when you receive this.<<

-Sidewinder: Autobot Engineer

After sending his message, he found a place to relax within the room. Sidewinder would stay in place until he was summoned, being that he was a former Decepticon, wondering the ship might not fair well with the crew. He would have tested his weapon system if cameras weren't trained on him. While the Autobots were the best chance at peace if there was any, he loathed how he was treated among them. It was all understandable, of course, but it didn't hangs the fact he would be more effeciant if more privileges were allowed to him.

Hopefully the crew wouldn't be as prejudice to him as the Autobots back on Cybertron. His hopes weren't too exceptionally high though. They always seem to have trouble with an Ex-'Con... I can't say I blame them though. He though as he passed the time and waited for a response.

Wheeljack’s Lab

The chuckle that Wheeljack had let loose did not make Axle feel any better about the device the engineer had so recently converted. But he had to give ‘Jack the benefit of the doubt…if he could survive his own mistakes…that normally presented in the form of explosions…then Axle could as well. The medic finally visibly relaxed as he handed Wheeljack the vial that was then placed directly into the replicator. Again, Axle tensed. Should anything go wrong then entire vial would be lost.

The field medic let out a low sigh before he drew in a deep intake and held it. Once the replicator had finished its scan Axle let out the breath and took hold of the proffered vial that had been removed from the device.

“Okay, ready.”

Optics wide with anticipation, Axle watched as the device’s chamber lit up to a brilliant white just as it had done before. However, the machine seemed to start vibrating. The anticipation melted from the medic as dread took its place. Benefit of the doubt be damned…I wanna live. Axle took several steps back trying to put as much distance between him and the soon to be charred mark on the counter top. It was probably the smoke that started to emit from the top of the replicator that had Axle nearly diving for cover. And it was from behind a chair that he had effectively situated in front of himself, Axle yelled out to the engineer.

“No need to panic?! Wheeljack, the damn thing is smoking!”
____

Tracer quickly lowered her gaze further to the floor as she considered what she should say about just why Razr was now in the red twin’s hands. She had finally decided to just come clean with what went on while he was unconscious when Smokescreen mentioned something about some kind of smell. Tracer quickly raised her head and looked to the rallybot but she quickly refocused her attention behind him to where Wheeljack and Axle were working on replicating the Syk and to the machine that was now spouting light puffs of smoking.

The scout was ready to push forward when Smokescreen had stepped in front of her shielding her should the volatile piece of equipment explode. Optics wide Tracer placed her hand against Smokescreen’s back and took in as much as she could. With the damage done and still being done to her optics it was difficult to make out just what was happening.

Axle took a tentative step forward, and then another, and then another until he was around the chair barrier and standing beside Wheeljack. Thankfully the replicator seemed to have completed its cycle and began to power down. The medic kept his optics glued to the device as he took hold of the replicated drug and backed up to the work station he was working at prior to the dangerous spectacle.

“Yeah. Sure. You just make sure that thing of yours doesn’t decide to blow and take us all to the Pit with it.”

Tracer let her hand slide down Smokescreen’s back as she took half a step back to give him enough room to turn fully to face her.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of exciting.”

She flashed him a weary smile before stepping back further. Her smile faded as she recalled the conversation she and Smokescreen were engaged in just prior to the aforementioned excitement. Razr in Sideswipe’s hands.

“I sent Razr out to keep Red Alert busy. If Red decided to come here to question Wheeljack anymore about the shuttle or anything else…well, I’m sure you could picture how that would have turned out, so sent Razr out to occupy Red’s time.”

Tracer let out a sigh and shrugged.

“I’m guessing he got around Red and wound up getting caught by Sideswipe. I’m just not sure h…”

The femme slapped a hand to her forehead and shook her head in realization.

“It was Sunstreaker. Razr’s always been attracted to shiny objects. It’s how he got caught in that trap on Cybertron when I found him. He must have run right to Sunstreaker giving Sideswipe the opportunity to grab him.”

She plopped down onto a stool and ran both hands down the length of her face.

“And since Razr knows Sideswipe he’s not likely to try and get away.”

Tracer quickly stood back up and took a quick look in Wheeljack’s and Axle’s direction and then back to Smokescreen.

“I have to go get him. I can’t ask Wheeljack or Axle…Razr won’t go to either of them, he doesn't know them. Look, I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Tracer turned and started to make her way toward the door. If she was lucky she could talk the red twin into giving up her pet with nothing more than an empty promise.

Forward Observation Lounge

At Ultra Magnus’ announcement that he would be Prowl’s second, Bumblebee offered a grateful nod. It seemed a bit odd that Magnus would personally put this mission together and then head off on another one. One involving Hot Rod. He had heard here and there that the cavalier was acting strangely but did that require Ultra Magnus himself? But who was he to question the way the City Commander’s processor worked.

A final look around at the small gathering and with Prowl’s order, Bee began to make his way out of the lounge and on toward the bounce chamber. Although try as he may he still couldn't get the perplexing abrupt change that Magnus had performed.

“Um, hey Prowl? This thing with Hot Rod…is it serious? I mean I heard some stuff about him acting…um, I guess funny. Did he do something Hot Rod-ish?”

Wheeljack’s Lab

“Well, I don’t plan on going to the Pit anytime soon, Axle,” Wheeljack responded with a slight chuckle to the field medic’s concerns regarding the replicator and its near fiery malfunction. “Besides, it’s in sleep mode now, so there's no chance at all of an explosion.” The mechanical engineer then returned his attention to the device, rubbing his chin guard in deep contemplation. The scientist wasn’t sure what exactly had caused the smoke, but he knew right where to start looking.

Bending over the device, Wheeljack opened up the top cover where the vent was located and peered inside, immediately noticing the source of the problem. “Ah, so that was the culprit,” the inventor muttered to himself as he reached in and removed a burnt-out circuit board. “Seems this little guy was the primary offender. Must’ve been too old to handle the extra stress of such a complex replication process. As a result, the board just overloaded which in turn caused the smoke and likely the vibration, as well. At least there doesn’t seem to be any further damage caused by the mishap, and I can easily replace the circuit with an upgraded one that should be able to handle the additional strain.”

Wheeljack tossed the charred circuit aside into a bin of junk and assorted broken parts before grabbing his trusty toolkit where he quickly found a replacement board that would be suitable for the replicator. “Perfect,” the mad scientist whispered as he moved back to the device and went to work on installing the new part that would hopefully ensure there would be no further problems. The only thing to worry about now was if the reproduced Syk was just as good as the real deal. “So, Axle, did my invention otherwise work? Is the narcotic a perfect match or are we going to have to start from scratch?”
_________

“Same ol’ Wheeljack,” Smokescreen commented with a hearty laugh that the mad scientist seemed to ignore. Seeing that everything was now safe, the rallybot turned back around to face Tracer, who was saying how she was tired of all the excitement. “I don’t blame you. You’ve been through a lot lately. I just wish I could take all that pain away, but it’s just not that simple, I’m afraid.”

The diversion expert then listened as she explained how Razr had likely ended up in Sideswipe’s hands. It all made sense. There was really no other way to get rid of a mech like Red Alert, whose paranoia was unparalleled within the Autobot ranks. It was a brilliant idea really, considering that Red’s nose would pick up the turbofox’s scent and draw him far away from the lab. Thankfully, it had been one of the twins that eventually caught the little guy and not the security director, himself.

“I understand, Trace,” Smokescreen responded with a smile, moving closer to her. “And you’re probably right about Sunny. I can just imagine ol’ golden rod’s expression when Razr tried to get close to him. I bet it was priceless. Ha ha!” The rallybot’s laughter quickly subsided once the troubled femme started towards the door, saying that she had to be the one to go and get him as Razr wouldn’t come to anyone he didn’t know. “Hey, wait an astrosec!” Smokey said as he reached out and gently grabbed a hold of Tracer’s upper arm in order to stop her from leaving. With an equally gentle tug, he managed to turn her around so that she was once again facing him.

“You can’t go get him in your condition. You’re already beginning to exhibit withdrawal symptoms and your optics look absolutely terrible. Others would take one look at you and start asking all kinds of questions. No, I’ll go and get Razr. He knows me, right? I shouldn’t have any problems getting him to come to me,” Smokescreen suggested as he reached up with his right hand and caressed the side of her faceplate. “And don’t worry about me. I feel more than strong enough, and I’ll be sure to take it easy. Besides, I really need to get out of this lab and stretch my new legs.” The diversion expert paused a moment, taking a quick glance over at Wheeljack who was still toiling away on his replicator. The rallybot then returned his gaze to the drug addicted femme. “I mean, I just got put back together. I don’t really need to be blown up and have yet another body built for me, you know? Heh.”

Corridor - Near Forward Observation Lounge

Prowl had just exited the lounge when be heard Bumblebee’s query regarding Rodimus and how he had been acting out of character before going off half-cocked to the planet below, which was definitely something the former cavalier was known for doing. Therefore, this new version really wasn’t all that different from the old Hot Rod, at least not on the surface. Of course, had those tests been performed as ordered, perhaps they would know exactly what they were dealing with. As it were, the problem belonged to Magnus now with the military strategist assigned to head up a scouting mission that would lead to the location of their new Earth base.

“Well, Bumblebee, Hot Rod, or Rodimus as he now calls himself, seems to believe that he’s been chosen by the Matrix to be the next Prime,” Prowl responded to the minibot’s question, glancing over at the brave scout who was walking next to him. “In a meeting I had with him a few cycles ago, he declared just that. His physical appearance has certainly changed. He’s bigger, stronger and seems more mature, but looks can be deceiving, of course. Thus, I ordered tests to be administered on him to determine just how this change happened, but Ratchet was too busy. Now, Rodimus has apparently convinced some other Autobots to join him on his crazy crusade, and they’ve headed down to the surface on an unauthorized mission to attack the Decepticons.”

Prowl paused for a moment to allow everything he had just said to sink in, shaking his cranial unit as he continued walking towards the bounce chamber. “I should’ve seen this coming and ordered Hot Rod quarantined the moment he made the insane claim that the Matrix had spoken to him. I guess I was just so overwhelmed with everything since Optimus disappeared that my logic circuits must’ve misfired or something. Of course, listening to Rodimus’ crazy talk didn’t help matters any. I’ll tell you one thing, ‘Bee, so help me Primus I won’t allow something like this to go unchecked again. Not ever.”

Leaving Forward Observation Lounge

The ranger gave a relieved shrug. The briefing had been relatively brief, for lack of a better observation, and had followed the prescribed dosage cure for insomnia. It pretty much laid out the whole goal of what he initially anticipated. Bounce down, and dig a hole and see what was below the surface of this blue green rock they now orbited. Of course Nova preferred the more action filled operational assignments, he did not argue with the task at hand. For the most part it left him with a rare opportunity to get off of the Guardian since coming to this pathetic rock. Being a ranger was fine, but unless there was a defined enemy presence or target, he was relegated to being a foot soldier until those skills he had honed since the early days of the war were needed.

Nova Strike pushed himself to his feet and gave himself a brief moment to stretch out his gears. His fingers popped briefly before his weapon holsters released their security locks briefly opening and then closing. Weapon systems registered fully armed and ready for activation. Another signal flashed in the corner of his optical HUD registering his bank of diversionary and offensive weapons such as smoke bombs, flash bangs and other magnetic or thermite grenades were fully stocked. Once satisfied with his stockpiles, Nova approached the gathering of Freeway, Prowl and Bumblebee.

"Attack on a con site sounds like a whole lot of fun." He quipped as he stepped from the table and made his way to the door. "Unfortunately, this newly modified Hot Rod is probably as reckless and crazy as the old model. No one in their right mind sends a raiding party down into hostile territory without first having the area surveyed by a Ranger."

He cocked a disappointed smile. "Don't beat yourself up Prowl. Everyone who was close to Optimus has been out of sorts and has allowed it to affect them, especially if they decided not to allow the grieving process to take effect." He made a nod to the mission commander. "Regardless of how things are now, I am confident that you and Magnus will put things right. This new Rodimus will learn soon enough that leading by example of bravado probably won't leave him many followers."

Nova Strike did not mention that he himself tended to lead by example and bravado. Fearlessly raiding enemy defenses and positions, thinning the potential opposition for a main Autobot strike force. But there was always a difference between leading a squad and leading an entire army. "As it is right now, Rodimus is Ultra Magnus's concern right now, ours is less thrilling but definitely more vital, as I am sure you will agree."

He accepted the role of vanguard as the doors leading to the primary corridor slid back into the recesses of the bulkhead. As the Autobot quartet exited the chamber, the day night terminus began to creep over their landing zone. Imperceptible pricks of light slowly crawled up deserted roads towards mountains ringing the hidden valley.