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Equatorial Desert - Ancient Lava Tunnels

“Next time I’m staying on the blasted ship.” Afterburner clenched his weapon tighter as the rocks and debris from Nosecone pelted him, denting what the cave in hadn’t a few minutes previous. He was impressed by the fact that Nosecone was moving so fast through the loose rock. The sound of an explosion and the ground shaking beneath his feet came from the cavern Scattershot and Lightspeed were. There wasn’t anything they could do for them, but they could still reach Strafe.

Grinding his servos Afterburner hadn’t noticed Nosecone was finished and moving along the tunnel until he received Nosecone’s transmission. Without wasting anymore time Afterburner transformed into his motorcycle alt and raced after his comrades. By secreting his trademark adhesive for traction, Afterburner took the turns faster than should’ve been possible by driving along the walls and occasional ceiling if it was needed. After a handful of kliks he saw the unmistakable form of Nosecone ahead and pulled onto the wall alongside.

“Point me in their direction Nosecone.” He didn’t add how he felt it was his fault to begin with that Strafe was taken. That was a debt he would repay when he found the mech responsible.

Mount Melanos – Workshop

As the other two Monsterbots crawled into the tunnel Repugnus took a moment to look around. He wasn’t really the sentimental type, but he had spent a good deal of time on this planet in the workshop. He would at least miss the convenience it offered him, and the relative comfort. Still, he wasn’t one to be tied down to such things. His missions always involved getting dirty, often behind enemies lines with nothing but what he could scrape up. Working here had made him a bit soft, and now it was time to get back in the swing of things.

Transforming to his monster mode he grabbed what was left of his Decepticon prisoner and strapped him to his back. Repugnus then grabbed his personal bag of supplies and made his way to the tunnel. He climbed inside, igniting his makeshift flare and throwing it into the workshop before grabbing the panel and putting it back in place. A quick blast from his mouth welded it back in place even as he heard the fire suppression devices going off on the other side. Letting out a quiet chuckle he went down the tunnel, triggering the small explosives he had planted in it, allowing it to collapse behind him. There was no turning back now, and he was happy with that. The Monsterbot scuttled down the tunnel after the other two, catching up with them in short order.

“Well gentlemechs, its time to fight our own little war,” he offered them a broad and frightening smile from his alternate mode.

Equatorial Desert - Ancient Lava Tunnels

Apeface had barely moved into the tunnels when his highly sensitive gyros began detecting weak tremors coming from depths of the caverns - likely result of an explosion or weapon fire. Placing his hand against the tunnel wall, the thuggish Decepticon made a quick composition analysis of the rock the tunnels were dug into. It was frail. Way too frail for his liking. These were ancient lava tubes. It was a death trap waiting to be sprung. They needed a new strategy. And the Horrorcon saboteur already had one in mind.

>>"Forget about it Snaps. I ain't gonna go any further. I am getting the slag out of here before I end up entombed here myself. But first, I have a little present for the Autobots."<< Apeface radioed his partner and set his sonic-boomer rifle on maximum power.

"Have fun down there Autobots!" Apeface cackled and fired several blasts from his rifle into the caverns where Skullgrin's tracks led into. As the intense sonic waves hit the walls and roof of the cavern, the tunnels began shaking violently which was almost instantly followed by chain reaction of the tunnel roof collapsing under the weight of the desert above. Only Apeface's incredible speed and agility with the addition of being near an exit, saved the Horrorcon himself from being buried alive under the desert. As for Skullgrin, Apeface was pretty sure that particular tough bot would survive his little trick. Although, they'd probably be forced to dig the seige warrior out later.

Few astroseconds later Apeface bounced out of wreckage that had been Farstar's command level escape pod, transformed into his jet form and rocketed to the skies to witness the chain reaction taking place under him.

>>"Hahaha! Look at that Snaps! It is only matter of time before the 'bots are buried or are forced to make it to the surface for us to pick them apart!"<<

Equatorial Desert: Ancient Lava Flow

"Wow...have I had better cycles," Lightspeed grunted as he maneuvered his way up through the tunnels as best he could with Scattershot's assistance. Every step sent biting pains throughout the rest of his body, but in a weird way he was thankful for them. After Skullgrin's assault, he could have just as easily been dead now.

"You know, hiding down here...might have actually been a good...gah, idea....under different circumstances," Lightspeed sputtered.

The Decepticons were just slagging all over them. From the moment they arrived in orbit until now. Had they accidentally stumbled across Megatron's vacation fortress? Primus almighty.

"Have fun down there Autobots!" some far off voice said.

Who was that?

Lightspeed stopped in his tracks. He could hear the sound of heavy blasts and then only a few moments later some powerful tremors which felt like they were growing in intensity the closer they got to the surface.

It was then that Lightspeed could clearly see the tunnels in front of their path collapsing and closing in on them.

"Oh slaggit..."
___

Koraja

Bombshell watched with increasing interest in Nightbeat's actions until the pesky little Autobot started messing around with Skyhammer's cranial unit.

"Agh!" the Insecticon cried out, holding his head briefly and attempting to maintain the link despite the interference he was now getting. What are you doing you little scraplet? Bombshell hissed internally.

"Looks like Nightbeat is trying to play surgeon with my little toy. There's no way he knows what it is but, ehh, it's still going to be a problem. We can't lose him. I'm amazed he would risk Skyhammer's life like this....what little life he has left, anyway. I hope the Autobot dies right in front of his little, heroic face. Do we take him out now?" Bombshell asked, looking to Shrapnel and Kickback.

Mount Melanos – Secret Passageway

“Oh, D.C.... You are a true gentlemech. And a handsome one at that, if I may be so bold.” Smiling, Grotusque stroked the side of his team-mate's face-plate gently. But alas!” He pivoted dramatically, arms thrown into the air, smile vanquished. “It cannot be! For I do not swing that way! Fate has bestowed upon us upon us a stark contrast in preferences—in choices, as it would appear. We have been deposited on different paths, my dear friend, and now we must travel those roads separately.”

He peered ahead, realising the exit was now visible. Either their trek had been brief or Grotusque had managed to entertain himself thoroughly by talking with Doublecross, rapidly stripping away the time. He suspected the former, but but was convinced by the latter.

“Or we could just, you know, get out of this tunnel.”

Grainy beams of sunlight stabbed through the porous mass of debris that concealed the exit. Or were they bushes? A second examination didn't offer much more evidence for either possible obstruction. Not that it mattered; whatever it was, it was doing a solid job.

Grotusque turned his cranial unit around, grinning at Repugnus. “Run out of time, energy, and credits, did ya? Not that I'm complaining. Because I don't do things like that. Oh no, not me. I don't complain, seriously! Never have, never will. No complaints from me. Not a single one.”

But it was creative. He did like that. It complemented its surroundings quite nicely.

He approached the bushes—after recognising them as such—its thick leaves surprisingly providing excellent cover. “Well, contestants.” Grotusque spun around, actuators clasped together. “Sadly, we've reached the end of our show, and amazingly enough our final segment. So are you two ready to play 'All Or Nothing'? Good! Because behind this...door, if you will, lies one thing and one thing only.”

Boring. He had to move along before he lost his audience.

“You know what? I'm not even gonna bother with the rules. The first gentlemech to guess correctly wins!”

Like Repugnus and Doublecross had no clue on what was beyond the exit.

“Contestants! Are you ready?”

Mount Melanos - Secret Tunnel

Doublecross could only shake his robot head at Grotusque’s fundamentally strange reply. He wasn’t sure if his teammate was being serious or simply joking around as always. ‘Cross had to assume the latter, but that then came into question when his Monsterbot companion reached up and touched his cheek. The duel-minded mech recoiled back slightly at the gesture, a look of surprise forming across his faceplate. “Err, yeah, let’s just get out of this tunnel. I’m not a femme you know.”

(Sometimes you act like one, though.)

And sometimes you act like a moron!

A slight tremor shook the passageway as Repugnus finally caught up with them, the tunnel behind him collapsing from the small charges he had set. “I look forward to finally bringing the war to the Decepticons and then some,” Doublecross replied, his opposing personality keeping quiet as he could not argue with the side currently in control.

Releasing his grip on the hover cart, ‘Cross assumed his two-headed dragon mode and wrapped the end of his tail around the cart’s side handle as it would be easier to pull this way. In this form, however, both minds were at the surface now, one occupying each head. Doublecross would have to be careful around his Monsterbot brethren from this point further as to not reveal his true mental condition.

Behave yourself.

(You’re awful brave for letting me have partial control. Either that or just plain stupid. I’m going with the latter.)

BEHAVE!

Doublecross moved towards the end of the tunnel where thin streams of sunlight seeped in from the outside world. Shrubbery of some kind blocked the way, effectively hiding the exit from prying optics, but it would do little to slow down the Monsterbot trio. “I'm always ready and I always win! Now, let’s not waste any more time guessing, shall we, lover-bot,” the left head growled towards Grotusque with a playful snap of his teeth that came within inches of his comrade's faceplate. The right head then cast an icy glare of disapproval in his opposite’s direction.

I swear to Primus I will bite your head off if you do that again!

(Oh, please! Spare me your idle threats of self-cannibalism. Besides, you wouldn’t know what to do with yourself without me here keeping you on your game.)

More like keeping me insane.

(Whatever. Let’s stop arguing and get out of this fraggin’ tunnel.)

Fine. Let’s just push our way through the foliage and...

Before the right head could finish its thought, the left one unleashed a ball of fire that quickly consumed the bushes blocking the tunnel exit, leaving little more than a few cinders behind. The light shown through unobstructed now, bathing the Monsterbots in a warm glow. “There, now let’s get moving already. I’m itching to tear into a ‘Con sooner rather than later!” The left head bellowed as it looked back at the other two.

I was hoping for a more discreet exit as to not attract unwanted attention from any ‘Cons that may be scouting about outside.

(You’re a wuss. Let them attack us if they’re out there. It just means we can start our war all the sooner!)

“Repugnus, where’s this cave of yours located exactly?” The right head asked, ignoring the thoughts of his other half. Doublecross stepped outside onto the face of the mountain, still dragging the hover cart behind him with his tail. He gazed around in multiple directions at once, observing that a dense forest stretched across the entire region starting about a half mile or so from the base of Mt. Melanos. “Is it far from here? We should be able to reach the trees and use them for cover until nightfall, then we can take to the skies to save time if need be.”

“Except for you, Puggy, since you can’t fly,” the left head interjected with a chuckle. “But I’m sure Grotusque won’t mind carrying you.”

Melanossus

Pyro's optics narrowed at the distant signals that appeared at the extreme edges of his weapon sensor grid. They were too far at present to determine exact numbers, but their signatures told him far more than he wanted to know. The signals were airborne, tight formation, and decidedly headed in their direction. Pointblank's exclamation only confirmed his his analysis. A perfect storm, the small band of Autobots had managed to rile the cyber bee nest and he knew it.

He stopped at the intersection of two major avenues and leveled his acid rifle at a pair of daiclones as they transformed into robot form. Both glanced back at one another as if some sort of communication had been transmitted between them. They soon raised their weapons and began pouring fire into one of the apartments behind Pyro and to the left.

The Autobot officer released a curse before he raised his own rifle and pounded the two daiclones with highly corrosive acid shells. He then spun around and switched the gauge on his weapon to activate the spray cannon. Loading on fire suppressant gel the Autobot began dumping several shells of the stuff into the burgeoning inferno.

The flames were doused and the blips on his sensors were now more pronounced. Sweeps. He and Pointblank had to hit their target now before those Sweeps swarmed their position. That supply dump had to be neutralized. Even if it was a pin prick in the hide of Trypticon, it was still a blow that would take them a few days to recover from. And in a war of attrition a day could easily be fatal.

"Pointblank. Ignore them for the moment. They will be in weapons range regardless of how we proceed. Focus on the objective at hand." He switched the gauge on his weapon again, this time loading chemicals whose properties caused intense heat upon exposure to an oxygen rich environment. "Take out the depot and then we'll focus on the Sweeps."

With that said, a half dozen Daiclones dropped from the top of a near by commercial building. With mandibles clacking they charged.

Equatorial Desert - Skies Above

Snapdragon continued to fly through the skies above the desert. Deserts made for boring views but also made it very easy to spot targets. As Apeface acted he could easily pick up the explosion and the movement of several possible targets his sensors picked up.

"Sheesh, Apey, you ignore what I say and look at the mess that you did." Snapdragon radioed with a dark chuckle. It was not what he had in mind but the thought of Autobot scurrying underground in a desperate attempt to escape what was happening to them highly amused him. Still eventually those who were not crushed by falling ceiling would make their way out of that underground area.

"Some of those worms will be making a quick run to get out from down there. Keep a close optic on your sensors and we'll take turns picking them off."

Once they made their way out to the a desert surface which did not offer much cover they would be easy pickings for the Horrorcons.

The Perdition--Bridge

Reflector's Viewfinder and Spyglass components kept a watchful series of optics on the various datascreens that were still coming up from the surface of Nebulos. The Decepticons appeared to be closing in and the Autobots, to his considerable surprise, seemed to be operating more conspicuously. He could not help but wonder what exactly had prompted their shift in strategy, unless it was nothing more complicated than desperation.

There was one area in particular that seemed to be drawing an inordinate amount of Sweep signatures in the area. Spyglass brought up the holoscreen from that specific region of the world and enlarged it as Spectro re-entered the bridge once more and took his station, having finished his business with Soul Siren for the time being. The three were one again, and Reflector could feel it, even if he could not precisely identify why.

"Vice-Commander Turmoil, increased Sweep activity detected in the region of Melanossus.Transmitting exact coordinates now."

OoC: Sorry for the delay!

Subsurface Lava Tubes

Nosecone looked back to his HUD when he heard Afterburner's call for direction.

"Ninety Degrees North-West at an elevation of Thirty Feet. They are moving North, so compensate for that on your trek." Nosecone said to Afterburner, just before he heard a voice up the tunnel.

It did not sound friendly.

Feeling the low rumble seconds before the natural cave-in, Nosecone stopped midway on his trek to find Strafe to dig into the wall several feet in, it could accommodate him and the rest of his team, maybe even Lockdown if he was willing to surrender.

Thankfully, due to the structural nature of tunnel Nosecone dug, his tunnel would be able to withstand the majority of the Cave-in, that is, unless anyone decided it was a good idea to fire a weapon in the tunnel.

>>Nosecone to Scattorshot, Afterburner and Lightspeed. I have dug a tunnel just beyond the chamber where we fought Skullgrin. It should be able to withstand enough of the Cave-In that we could be saved, other than that, this whole slagging tunnel is coming down. I hope Strafe is safe.<< Nosecone radioed the team.

He could only hope that the others could get there in time.

*****

Equatorial Forest - Four miles out of Koraja

Nightbeat tugged and pulled, but the small object wouldn't budge.

"Whew! Its jammed in there really well, isn't it?" Nightbeat stated, rubbing condensation off his forehead.

He looked on the side of Skyhammer's head and found a slash that penetrated Skyhammer's cranial unit.

"Found an incision on left side of subject's cranial unit, maybe this will provide answers." Nightbeat said to his recorder.

He peeled away at the armor just enough that he could see inside, perhaps it will show how far in the object went? Flipping down his visor at the sun setting on the horizon, he looked inside the cranial unit of Skyhammer and tried his best not to choke at the smell emanating from the cranial unit. He squinted and looked inside the incision, trying his best to see how far the object penetrated.

It looked like the object went deep into frontal lobe of the cerebral processor, used for sight and sound, also some movement.

"Object has penetrated frontal lobe, impact from bullet would have incapacitated Skyhammer. Unless..." Nightbeat said, trailing off into thought as he relaxed back from looking in the cut he had opened further.

Unless he had been incapacitated from the Javelin or Spear first, then he was shot in the Cranial Unit? That makes no sense... The Javelin or Spear would have put him into Stasis Lock immediately... Why shoot him then? Why aren't I being followed? Something is amiss. Nightbeat pondered, pacing back and forth.

It was all intriguing... First he sees Skyhammer and eludes the Insecticons, then he pulls Skyhammer down and suddenly he is being stalked? The Insecticons are not like that... They swarm their victims and devour them on sight, not stalk them.

Unless.

Unless they were under strict orders not to engage? Engage or follow? Maybe, but the Insecticons don't follow orders well... Unless they fear someone. Someone like Megatron. But Megatron wasn't here on Nebulos! There would be no Autobot left alive if he was here!

Nightbeat grunted as he looked up to the sky, darkening with the absence of the sun. He needed to move.

Activating his headlights on his wrists, he picked Skyhammer up and carried him deeper into the forest. The projectile first and foremost on his mind...

The Perdition - Bridge

Reports were coming in from all over Nebulos, updates on construction projects, energy harvesting, mining operations... even the construction of the new shipyard Scorponok had requested had finally began. However the updates from the Autobot front were still too scarce for Turmoil's liking. Seacons and the Sweeps had brought in few survivors from the destruction of the Farstar - they had managed to locate. The Horrorcons had captured a few and had moved to reinforce a team of Decepticons searching the Equatorial desert for the Autobots whose escape pods had crashed there. It even appeared that Black Shadow had for once been a mech of his word. Where the rest of Skyhammer's Autobot unit were hiding was still a problem that had to be solved though. There was just too many of them still missing and Turmoil was not seeking to deal with all the sabotage attempts they were bound to make.

Reflector's latest report however caught his attention. The more detailed instrument report confirmed that a stray unit of Insecticons diaclones had been attacked and very likely defeated by now. Thus, it was no surprise that a Sweep squad had been sent out to deal with the enemy. Nonetheless, the report spoke nothing of the Autobot numbers. The sole bot that had been identified however - had been the very reason the report had captivated Turmoil's attention. Pyro.

While Pyro was hardly on the top of the to be eliminated list of the Decepticon High Command, the young Autobot officer had already managed to carve out himself some degree of notoriety in the eyes of Decepticons Intelligence Network. A better chance to eliminate one of the rising stars of the Autobot army did not appear all that often. Having been unable to get on the field of late had began to annoy even Turmoil himself. Cyclonus was growing irritating. Questioning his orders, clearly upset that Scorponok had placed Turmoil in command instead of Cyclonus himself. If Pyro alone was not a good enough reason for Turmoil to get his hands dirty, showing Cyclonus what he was capable of was a reason that sealed his decision.

Opening up his comm-link, Turmoil contacted two of his warriors onboard the mighty battlecruiser. After all, it was hardly smart from a commanding officer to take the battlefield without any support. >>"Bomb-Burst, Horri-Bull. Prepare for an Orbital bounce."<<

Turning his emotionless visage towards Viewfinder part of Reflector, Turmoil marked himself, Bomb-Burst and Horri-Bull for an orbital bounce, "Reflector, prepare an orbital bounce for three. Target: Outskirts of Melanossus."

Melanossus

"I.....agree," Pointblank grunted out, slamming the butt of his rifle in to another diaclone cranium as another one seized on to his left leg and began to clamp down. He pivoted around and blasted the offending insecticlone square in the maw before turning to advance higher up the hill. They were functioning on borrowed time. Pointblank could feel it. But if this was to be their end then...well, so be it. Pointblank would go down having done his best to have kept the dregs of war away from this hopelessly peaceful planet.

Arriving at one edge of the outpost, Pointblank began to scale the ladder on one side, in order to get to a better vantage point. And maybe, just maybe, the Decepticons wouldn't be so quick to blast whatever it was that they had rigged up here now that there would be Autobots climbing all over it. It was a gamble, but what the slag hadn't been here lately?

___

Rad and the guys that he had linked up with could see that the strange site they had stumbled across had captured not only their attention, but that of other Cybertronians as well. Not just other Cybertronians. Other Autobots. How awesome was that?

Let's give these guys a boost, huh?" Rad said to the handful of refugees from the escape pod he had encountered earlier.

Everyone seemed to be in agreement, so they continued to ascend the other side of the hill, weapons blazing in the direction of the circling Insecticons.
___

The Perdition--Bridge

"It will be done," Reflector said, the three components again speaking in unison as the Viewfinder component set about accessing the marks that Turmoil had established and activating the ship's technology that would bounce the three individuals into the chamber itself, and then from the chamber to the surface of Nebulos.

"Initiating....now."

Fortress Tenebrous

After a few moments she could see that the first pair of Autobot prisoners were being brought in. She turned towards Cyclonus.

"I see that the prisoners have begun to arrive. I shall go and undertake my work sir." She saluted respectfully and left the room.


Fortress Tenebrous - Interrogation Room

Soul Siren stepped into the interrogation chamber and began her preparation. The room was a plain one which allowed her to fill it to meet her needs depending on who she was interrogation. The two that were coming in where of low enough stature in the Autobot ranks that she did not have much detailed information on them. That meant she kept things simple for the time being. Two chairs in the center of the room and her desk opposite them. She opened a communication line to the Reflector team.

"This is Soul Siren. I will be soon beginning my interrogation of the Autobot prisoners. Communications have been established."

It was common for her to have the Reflector team listen in on her interrogations. They could get a start on organizing the data that was received as well as secretly providing information on what the prisoners were saying. It was an old but effective tactic of making the interrogator seem infallible and all knowing thus motivating the prisoners to be truthful.

Some time later River and Vestra were brought into the room. The two prisoners were secured to chairs with limiters placed on the back of their heads to prevent them from transforming, using any special skills, and doing something truly annoying like self destructing or deleting their own files. She overlooked the proceedings with satisfaction, it looked like the Decepticons stationed here had been well trained on how to do things.

She went over to the two Autobots and ran a basic scan on their health. She was pleased that the Horrorcons had managed to hold back enough to leave these two functional enough to question. She examined their cranial units and respaired any damaged that might have been done to their vocal, visual, or audio systems. Once everyone was checked out to her satisfaction she activated both of them and walked back to her desk.

"Greeting Autobots." Soul Siren said as the two awoke. "My name is Soul Siren and I will be questioning you today. Please provide your name and rank."

The question was pointless from an informative point of view as the two already had been identified. Still, it acted as an effective way of judging just how co-operative the two were planning on being.

Koraja

Shrapnel tilted his head as he glanced at Bombshell clutching his cranium. Since they were all a long way from any battles he assumed his pain was due to his cerebro shells. It certainly wasn’t the first time they had caused feedback issues for the other Insecticon. Sometimes the shells seemed far more trouble then they were worth sometimes. Of course he was one that preferred the direct methods of physical violence or electrocution. That was his nature.

“I say we take out the annoying little Autobot now, now. Maybe then we can let your slave locate the other Autobot, bots. Once they foolishly take him in we will have them all right where we want them, them.”

*

Mount Melanos - Secret Tunnel

Repugnus could barely understand what the other two Monsterbots were yammering on about. Grotusque seemed to be in full on crazy comedian mode and Doublecross was in double personality mode. He was probably going to have to carefully explain all of his plans with small words so the two lunatics would understand. He didn’t know whether he should be depressed or annoyed that these are the only two bots around who would have followed him on this personal mission.

Stifling a sharp rebuke at Doublecross for burning away the bushes and the extra bit of concealment they offered, Repugnus explained his plan. “The cave isn’t far from here. We go into the forest and follow along the tree line for a ways. The cave is a short distance from the mountain, in some of the rocky terrain near the base. Its nicely hidden though, and the heavy metals in the rocks make it difficult to find on sensors. Only someone like me could find it, and I promise ya these cons got no one as good as me.”

Snickering, the Monsterbot climbed out of the tunnel and scurried over to the relative safety of the trees. He slowly looked around, rotating his optics through the various wavelengths he could pick up. Finally he turned back to the tunnel and waved one of his claws at his teammates, urging them to join him.

(OOC: My apologies for the late response, Smokescreen.)

Equatorial Desert

The bounty hunter kept his hook tight around Strafe’s waist as the two mechs made their way through the cooling desert. Lockdown had hoped to take the other Technobots captive, but with his hand and hook already full with the twitchy flier, it would have been neigh impossible to take out the others and not lose Strafe. One was better than nothing he thought.

The sound of jet engines caused Lockdown to stop in his tracks. He took a glance skyward and spotted Apeface and Snapdragon. The two Horrorcons seemed to be hell bent on locating something within the desert’s unforgiving vastness. Since the only location near enough was the lava tunnels, the bounty hunter knew the two triplechangers were after the remaining Technobots. Perhaps they found a way to round the annoying cretins out of their hidey hole. A cruel smile spread over Lockdown’s face as he looked down at the mech in his clutches.

“Looks like your friends are in for a big surprise once they make their way out of those tunnels. It’s a shame I couldn't be the one to capture them. They would have brought in a lot of credits.”

Shrugging slightly Lockdown opened a comm link with both circling Horrcons.

>>”Apeface, Snapdragon. The Technobots weren’t far behind me when I left those tunnels. They should be emerging at the coordinates I’m sending you now. Oh, and do be sure to give Nosecone a little extra attention. The runt needs to be taught a painful lesson.”<<

With his focus returned to his captive, Lockdown proceeded to move toward the location of Fortress Tenebrous where he knew his payment would be waiting.

“Come on you. I got a bounty to collect.”

Fortress Tenebrous

As difficult as it may have seemed Black Shadow and Blue Bacchus had been able to move Spartan and his team of merry misfits back to Fortress Tenebrous. Strewn over the Infiltration Unit Commander’s shoulder was the stasis locked form of the team leader, Spartan. The mech didn’t even put up a fight. Pity really. I’m sure he would have been an admirable opponent.

Blue Bacchus was not far behind Black Shadow as he led the rest of Spartan’s team into the Fortress. He was sure his partner was more than disappointed that he had been denied a suitable fight. Unfortunately, Black Shadow would have to accept that he’d have to wait for another opportunity to present itself.

Black Shadow stopped in front of Cyclonus and dropped Spartan at the Aerospace Commander’s feet. A deep scowl formed on the Unit Commander’s face and he looked around the immediate area for Turmoil. He turned his ire on Cyclonus when he failed to spot the Vice Commander.

“Where the slag is Turmoil?!”

Equatorial Desert: Ancient Lava Flow

Scattershot held tight onto his rifle as the first echoes of the haunting voice pierced his audio receptors. His fist clinched tight around his chest before he drove it into the rock face to stabilize his assent up the tunnel. Rocks behind he and Lightspeed were cascading down in rapid fashion as a result of his own original sonic bombardment. He suspected Skullgrin would enjoy the molten rock bath for a good amount of time, would probably even do the Decepticon scrap heap a lick of good. Unfortunately, Scattershot also realized that it was a move that literally sealed them in. With their path behind them blocked off, he and his second in command were forced to travel up towards the surface and the waiting maw of who ever held the high ground.

The first shock wave from the sonic blast tore through the rock sending tons of debris in several adjacent tunnels crashing down. Dust and small rocks began to fall on Scattershot's shoulder as his optics immediately shot up towards the ceiling. A fissure began to race along the spine of the tunnel, and sand began to pour in behind them. Ahead of them, the tunnel had already suffered damage from his own assault. If they did not react soon, this tunnel was about to become their tomb.

With out preamble, Scattershot swung his rifle over his head and began firing at the sand spout that had begun to funnel the surface down onto them. Draining one clip he soon was able to open the farthest lip of the funnel, forcing the sand to fall towards the bottom most seal. With a fluid swipe, the Technobot Commander dislodged the empty clip and slapped in a fresh container of acid pellets. As the sand fell small specks of light began to filter through from the surface. "Lightspeed, I know you're hurt, but be prepared for combat. I doubt we'll face a rather welcoming committee when we get out of here."

OOC: I'd like to apologise profusely for taking so long with this post. I realise I've been struggling with Skullgrins character for a while now, and I think the best thing for me to do would be to take a step back and try something else for a while. So I'll try to make this post so that he can either be retired, or someone else can pick him up again. Again, I'm sorry things came to this.

Equatorial Desert - Underground Lava Chamber

Skullgrin was past caring where his shots landed, the fact he was barely scratching Nosecone and Scattershot wasn't registering. There was nothing but the haze, like the light from the lava flow has filling his entire vision. Nothing but rage, nothing but hate.

Then a laser blast from Lightspeed clipped his head, staggering him a moment, and tinged with the pain of the acid pellets bursting all around him, something un-snapped in his head.

What am I doing? I can't even see whats going on, I can't fight like this! I need to get to safe ground and re-evaluate thi-

The reverberations from two sets of sonic detonations was almost too much for his over-stimilated sensors to bear, but the sound of cracking rock and the splashing torrent of magma was unmistakable. They're bringing the entire cavern down! I can't fall for an amateur trick like that!! I've got to get out of the danger zone!

[You're running?! You can't run, you are death!!]

Death does not get melted to scrap in magma!! Desperately, the half-blind siege specialist transformed to his half-functional tank mode and raced to the highest point in the chamber, the slopes leading to the far wall. Desperate, the Slagmakers spoke again, melting him a passage away from the lava flow and to relative safety....right?

Unfortunately, the weakened rock structure couldn't really support another hole being punched in it, and as Skullgrin emerged from the other end of the tunnel, the collapse began. A thousand tons of igneous rock pinned him, his tread snapping under the strain, and his internal CPU wailed in protest, beginning a forced shutdown.

This...is all your fault!

[Nay!! Its your insistence of being perfect that caused this! If you'd let me out, they'd all be dead now!!]

I'm never going to live this down... With great reluctance, the proud warrior activates a rescue beacon before going into stasis lock.

The Perdition--Bridge

>>"This is Soul Siren. I will be soon beginning my interrogation of the Autobot prisoners. Communications have been established,"<< was the updated communique from Soul Siren.

>>"Acknowledged. Observing,"<< Reflector responded, the Viewfinder component adjusting the audio reception in order to ensure that they were receiving the clearest possible signal. If Reflector had learned anything from the time that he had spent with Soundwave, ages ago now it felt like, it was that he had a certain appreciation for cries and screams himself. He could only hope that the interrogation would progress to that level.
___

Fortress Tenebrous

Cyclonus had acknowledged Soul Siren's departure with a slight nod as he himself had been preparing to leave, Scourge following silently behind him.

As he did however, he was interrupted by what was a surprisingly welcome sight. Spartan, as well as the rest of his unit, captured within the hands of Black Shadow and Blue Bacchus. Several Sweeps and stray Seekers that were milling around the general area moved to get a closer look as well.

Cyclonus looked down at Spartan as the Autobot was unceremoniously dumped at his feet.

"This one has long eluded our grasp," the sleek, purple warrior said, thinking back to the first real battle they had waged here over the skies of Koraja. This Autobot in particular had engaged Cyclonus as directly and as bravely as one could hope, given the overwhelming odds against them. Their assumption of control over this world had been a forgone conclusion in Cyclonus' mind. With the capture of Skyhammer, and now Spartan and his group, that noose was tightening beyond all hope for escape. "To the holding cells," Cyclonus then added, motioning for the small handful of Seekers nearby to secure the Autobots within the fortress' detention area.

Black Shadow's only spoken words were not that of conquest or braggadocio. Rather, simple inquiry as to the location of the Vice-Commander. Cyclonus could barely suppress a sneer.

"In the field, finally, it would seem," Cyclonus began. "Reflector has detected strange readings in the Melanossus region. It is likely further Autobot resisters. I am heading there myself."
___

Koraja

Bombshell clicked and chittered a few times, transforming into his more insect-like mode as he considered Shrapnel's words all the while keeping a close, internal eye on what was happening with Skyhammer and their other, new-found Autobot foe.

"Yes, I suppose it is the best way," Bombshell said. "Eh, we should see our handiwork firsthand, then."

The beetle-esque creature skittered across the ground before taking to the air, sending out basic, primitive commands to his directly-controlled diaclone units that they were now free to move in and engage Nightbeat directly. He would join them soon enough.

Mount Melanos – Secret Passageway

“I most certainly can do that,” Grotusque said with a smile. “It's merely one of the very many fantastic services I can provide. If I may be so bold and say so.” Smile still intact, he nudged Doublecross in the side with his elbow joint.

Not that Repugnus required his assistance to travel to their new destination. Largely owing to incoordination in his alternate form, Grotusque had plenty of trouble striving to fly successfully on his own. Acting as a mode of transportation for Repugnus would only result in pain and embarrassment. And laughs for Grotusque—a great amount of them.

Fortunately his team-mate displayed no interest in being flown. Instead he offered an explanation for his plan.

Sounded fun enough. A nice stroll in a lovely, vibrant forest was just what they needed before the entertainment truly began. Grotusque could hardly wait; reaching the cave was the sole thought residing in his core processor. After they had arrived at their new hideout, he was positive Repugnus would have a pleasant surprise in store for them.

Once his team-mate had climbed out of the tunnel, he scrutinised the surroundings to ensure the outset of their journey remained hassle free. He then waved and Grotusque, also seeking concealment under the thick foliage, quickly joined Repugnus so they could depart as soon as possible.

Mount Melanos - Outside Tunnel

Doublecross listened as Repugnus described where the cave was situated and how they would get to it from their current position. According to the bug-like Monsterbot, it would be near impossible for the ‘Cons to find the cave’s location due to the heavy metals that resided within the surrounding rocks. Once his explanation was done, Repugnus wasted no further time and quickly moved down the mountainside towards the tree line before motioning for the dual-minded mech and Grotusque to join him.

Puggy seemed annoyed with us. I think we agitated him.

(Like I care. He should be more worried about getting me agitated. That’s where the real danger lies, at least for him! Heheh.)

You do realize that we’re all on the same side, right?

(And you do realize that I don’t care, right?)

The two heads regarded one another with disgust as Grotusque’s elbow nudged Doublecross on his left side. The left head attempted to respond to the perceived attack with a more vicious bite than the playful one he had provided before, but the offending long-toothed Monsterbot had already moved down the mountain and joined Repugnus by the tree line.

“He just hit me! Did you see that?” The left head growled aloud, not having to worry about the other two mechs hearing him at this distance. He kept his dragon optics fixated on Grotusque as drool began dripping from his razor-sharp teeth. “I’m going to eat him! I swear, I’ll devour him during his rest cycle!”

“You’ll do no such thing,” the right head retorted angrily, once again having to calm down his more aggressive side. “It was only a love tap, nothing more.”

“A love tap? Seriously?” Lefty responded, looking over to his opposite. “We’re Monsterbots! We don’t love, we kill and maim and destroy! There’s no room for love in there!”

“Calm down! You’re overreacting, as usual. Let’s just get down there so Repugnus can lead us to the cave and we can get this private war of ours started. Okay?”

“Fine!” The left head grumbled under its breath. “But I’m still going to eat him....or at least some of him. Maybe just the elbow, the part that touched me.”

Giving up, the right head let out an irritated sigh before Doublecross then trudged down the mountainside and joined his Monsterbot brethren at the tree line. “I’m ready when you are,” the right head said to Repugnus as the left one glared over at Grotusque and smiled at him with hunger in his optics.

Equatorial Desert

Strafe’s sense of helplessness only increased when Lockdown mentioned how the other Technobots were in for a big surprise in the form of the two Horrocons flying overhead. It was bad enough the aerial gunner, himself, was seemingly unable to escape from the bounty hunter’s clutches but now the rest of his teammates were in for a similar fate if not worse.

“Don’t underestimate them, Lockdown,” Strafe warned as his captor radioed the two triple-changing fliers. And don’t underestimate me, either, the anxious mech thought as his processor raced to find a way out of this situation before he was delivered to whomever Lockdown was taking him to. Strafe’s heat-ray rifle was gone, and he had no way to contact his unit as his comm line and personal beacon were both nonfunctional due to the localized EMP burst his captor had been nice enough to initiate earlier.

If only I could transform, then I’d have my light-pulse blasters at my disposal, Strafe considered, knowing that with Lockdown’s tight grip around his waist it would be impossible for the nervous Technobot to fully convert into his alt mode. But what if I didn’t have to fully convert? My blasters emerge from the tops of my shoulders when I change modes. If I could manage a partial transformation, I might be able to get at least one of them to come out enough to give ol’ Lockdown here a faceplate full of laser fire!

Or die trying.

Strafe’s nervousness increased as he knew this would be his only and likely last chance at escaping. Otherwise, he would surely find himself knocked into stasis lock by an enraged Decepticon bounty hunter. Still, it wasn’t just his spark that was at stake here. His team was walking into a trap back there and he needed to do something quick in order to help them.

With his processor made up, Strafe attempted to transform his arms. He focused mainly on the left one since the other was blocked more by Lockdown’s hooked appendage that reached around his right side. The aerial gunner’s left side, however, was mostly clear of obstruction and therefore it was that arm and shoulder which would hopefully provide him with the key to his escape.

Moving quickly, Strafe forced his left arm to convert just enough, allowing that side’s light-pulse blaster to emerge from his shoulder. Without delay, the Technobot then angled his left shoulder so that his blaster was pointing directly at the side of Lockdown’s cranial unit. “Collect this, bounty hunter!” Strafe shouted as he fired his weapon at point blank range, hoping that his captor would be disoriented enough from the blast to finally release the anxious mech from his hooked grip.

Melanossos, Decepticon supply depot

Three brilliant beams of light struck the ground from the skies next to a warehouse the Insecticon diaclones had set up as a supply depot. The once empty street was now occupied by the forms of three Decepticons - the ghastly, vampiric Bomb-Burst, the brutish and revolting Horri-Bull and a dreadful giant of a Transformer, Turmoil - the acting Commander of Decepticon forces on Nebulos.

With Bomb-Burst quickly disappearing into the shadows on their left and Horri-Bull moving to secure their right flank, Turmoil transformed into his alternate mode - a tank of immense proportions and lined his turret according to the targeting data the Insecticon clones were feeding him. An astrosecond later a massive particle beam blast charged forward from Turmoil's main cannon, piercing through several buildings before striking a large Autobot bruiser known as Ironside whom had joined the battle with Rad - punching straight throught the Autobot's chest, leaving a massive hole in its wake. Unable to even scream out of pain, the light from Ironside's optics died out and the massive Autobot fell to the ground - stasis locked and likely to face his final breems of existence unless his spark was quickly extracted from his dying body.

Already tracking for another target, Turmoil's cannon soon spoke again - the blast missing Point Blank only by few feet due to the destruction of the diaclone that had been feeding Turmoil the movements of the Autobot enforcer.

Through a set of external loudspeakers, Turmoil's authoritarian voice boomed thorough the Nebulan settlement the Autobots had entered in their defiance against the Decepticons. "Autobots! Time of your eradication is at hand! Surrender or die!"

Equatorial Desert - Skies Above

>>"The messier the better I say!"<< Apeface chuckled back at Snapdragon as he observed the effects of his handiwork taking place under him. Sometimes it truly appeared like the whole war was only a one big joke to the Horrorcon saboteur. And while that was nothing more than carefully cultivated image by the sharp minded Decepticon, it did serve its purpose. And just perhaps there was a glimmer of Apeface's true personality hidden in the way he acted.

>>"Bleh. What's taking them so long to dig out anyhow? I swear if have to start shovel them out of this grave I dug I will - wait there's something..."<< Apeface transmitted his partner and took a dive towards the area where he had spotted movement. Unfortunately for the Horrorcons, the Transformer that showed up was not Autobot but another Decepticon.

>>"Pfft just Lockdown. But look what he has with him. I think we hit the jackpot Snaps."<<

Before Apeface had a chance to say they had found the Technobots, a transmission from Lockdown confirmed his assumption. The bunch of Autobots they were to face soon enough were indeed the Technobots.

>>"Heh, you think we finally get to scatter Scattershot all across this desert Snaps?"<<

Splendora

The courier practically fell on his face as he came within a few meters' distance of Galen and several other members of the Council of Peers. Llyra, who was also standing beside the Head of the World Watchers, rushed to the side of the fallen courier.

"By the lakes! Why such haste?" she asked, helping the olive-skinned courier to his feet once more.

"For you, my lady. From your father's hand. It was to touch no one else's," the courier said, producing a small letter from a waist-satchel he was carrying. Llyra looked down at the written correspondence with a slight expression of incredulity. This means of communications was so primitive. She opened the leather binding and began to read the message contained within.

"What is it, love?" Galen said, coming up next to her but not moving his head to read the letter, despite the temptation.

"Father's coming," Llyra said, her hands dropping down to her waist. He rarely ever left his home--the old fortress--unless it was to travel to one of his other business holdings. Though with Koraja being what it was now, she supposed he would have to find somewhere else to operate. But Splendora? She wondered if he had ever stepped a foot within the boundaries of this city. As she read further, the reason behind Zarak's coming became crystal clear.

"Really? That is surprising," Galen said. "But no matter. His insight will be as valuable as anyone's."

"He's not coming to advise, love. He's coming to rule."

Equatorial Desert

"Yeah, combat. Ready as I'm gonna be," Lightspeed said to Scattershot, chuckling a little even as he hacked on a bit of fluid from the blade damage he had sustained at the hands of Skullgrin.

>>"Nosecone, you gotta...you gotta get yourself up here, man. It was a good idea while it lasted b-but it's a death-trap down there now,"<< Lightspeed transmitted back, even as he readied his weapon again. If anyone would be safe from the danger of collapsing caves, it would be Nosecone, but his fellow Techno deserved the warning anyway.

As they closed the distance between the Horrorcon-induced collapse and the surface itself, Lightspeed's optics quickly had to adjust to the illumination-change. The first things to come within range of his optics, and his weapons, appeared to be the Horrorcons themselves, both of whom were occupying the skies above the desert itself.

Lightspeed didn't hesitate. Leveling his weapon at what appeared to be Apeface, the Technobot began to fire.

Equatorial Desert: Volcanic Vent

Deadlock spun his tires into the loose sand particulate that spread out before him like an unending sea. He shifted gears again and further deflated his tire pressure to increase traction on the moving ground. His sensors had continually pinged below him, sending bursts of concentrated subsonics into the black sands and allowed their reflections to generate a road map to his destination. Unfortunately, his plans began to hit snag after snag. The first being the release of molten rock into the tubes. Their fast moving rivers distorted the reflections and gave him an inaccurate picture of the underground. Soon after the sonic bursts that came first from the vent he was headed towards destroyed much of the surrounding tunnels and left whatever he could scan nothing more than a jumble of static and electromagnetic radiation. The next burst came from a different angle that finished the job.

But by this time Deadlock had made up his processor to head towards the vent where smoke and ash now began to pour. The skies were beginning to darken as the ash and crystallized micro rock particles and glass shards began to choke the air making it a hazard to not only drive, but made flight a rather risky proposition. He redirected his sensors from the electromagnetically irradiated subsurface back forward.

A burst of his own sonics soon came up with a lone figure headed away from him at a rather substantial speed. Narrowing focus, he was able to determine that the figure was slight in build, definitely not a member of his rather rude winged escorts the Horrorcons. Deadlock increased his speed and dipped his traction level to the maximum effective range. He closed his intakes to prevent volcanic glass from entering his filters and raced after the subject on his sensor screen.