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Undersea Base

"Hey Hook" Bonecrusher said as the crane truck appeared along with the ever-so-creepy Thunderwing. Bonecrusher wasn't afraid to not acknowledged Thunderwing's appearance to show that he was not planning to show Thunderwing the respect he thought he deserved. Sometimes, silence is a better insult than saying something insulting, and it's less contentious. Bonecrusher was not planning to say anything to this overrated Con.

Undersea Base

"Hey Hook," the Constructicon Demolitionist said by way of greeting. The Surgical Engineer nodded a return greeting and moved to join the more imposing member of their group.

"Bonecrusher, you look well," he said, returning the familiarity that had been long-established between the Constructicon crewmates. "I see the base is coming along nicely. I'm eager to finish it up and have someplace to set foot on this planet that actually feels like home."

Hook paused.

"So, it seems like a political hornet's nest is being stirred up again. Now Scorponok's going to wind up sniffing around? Primus, that should make things interesting. Or deadly. Hard to tell which right now."

Undersea Base:

Bonecrusher smirked at Hook. It HAD been a while since he had seen this place too, and the possibilities excited him. "Yeah Hook, I can't wait till we get back to work on this thing. Really gets my energon pumping to see what's been built so far."

"So, it seems like a political hornet's nest is being stirred up again. Now Scorponok's going to wind up sniffing around? Primus, that should make things interesting. Or deadly. Hard to tell which right now."

Bonecrusher then put a slight scowl on his face as he then proceeded to respond slightly quiet so that Thunderwing were to not hear, "I want to take no part in a Scorponok-run faction. However, I suppose there may be a possibility that such an occurrence may take place. If that were to happen, I feel we would be forced to deal with it, or else Constructicons would become renegades."

Bonecrusher then hushed his voice a bit more almost to a whisper, "I would like to convince myself that Scorponok knows the Decepticon cause as well as Megatron or Razorclaw, but I doubt that. From what I know of Scorponok, all he wants is control, and I'm not going to take part in that. I just hope more Decepticons agree also so that we're not going to be a handful of renegades against an entire army. I just don't want us, who would be great assets for the cause of the Decepticons and Razorclaw, to be wasted as slaves to some tyrant hungry for power. I've heard legends about Scorpy."

Bonecrusher then looked at Hook, "I just hope you guys feel the same way. I guess we'll have to just wait till things pan out, but if all goes south, I'll probably stay with Razorclaw."

Undersea Base

Hook looked at Bonecrusher with a curious grin on his face. He hadn't heard the other mech give this much thought or analysis to a sticky situation in a long time. It was clear the loss of Megatron and the fact that the infighting was still continuing obviously had the demolitions expert rattled. Truthfully, it rattled all of them, Hook was quite certain. It was difficult to figure out where exactly to place their allegiance.

"Well, Scrapper asked for our opinions. I'm sure he didn't do so just for laughs. He'll look out for our collective interests. He always has. I can give him that much credit, at least. Like you, I'm reluctant to side with Scorponok. We have positions of power with Razorclaw. We'll be glorified worker bees under Scorponok."

Hook moved with Bonecrusher to join Long Haul, Mixmaster and Scavenger whilst their commander conferred with the warlord.

"Strange days we're living in. Razorclaw as leader. Scorponok as a potential threat. Thunderwing interested in our work. I suppose there was probably no better time to finish Devastator than when we did."

Undersea Base:

"I suppose there was probably no better time to finish Devastator than when we did."

"...if you can even CALL that 'finished'," said Bonecrusher in response to Hook. It had been a long day for the beefy bulldozer, "Eh, we might want to get back to work on this construction. It could help get our minds off of the; this political stuff for a bit. I would prefer to speak with Scrapper in private though before we do get our hands dirty. Hopefully he'll be back soon."

Bonecrusher then said in an almost cheery tone, as he put a slight smirk on his face, "The quicker we make progress, the quicker we can get back to improving Devastator, so we can get back to ruling the galaxy haha..."

Undersea Base

"Eh, we might want to get back to work on this construction. It could help get our minds off of the; this political stuff for a bit. I would prefer to speak with Scrapper in private though before we do get our hands dirty. Hopefully he'll be back soon."

What was this? Bonecrusher taking initiative to do something other than level it to the ground? Hook was momentarily impressed. And also at least somewhat suspicious that perhaps the Autobots had found a way to take over his mind and replace him with Grapple or Hoist.

"You and me both," Hook agreed, heading off to leave their commander to his discussions with the Warlord of Valckasta. "So long as Scrapper doesn't sign us up for whatever Thunderwing did to himself, they can talk all they want."

Mixmaster and Long Haul sped past them, both in their vehicle modes.

"More raw materials comin' up up up!" the chemist chittered.

"Well, we have space and structures. I believe I'm going to start calling down some munitions encampments for us to put in place."

Undersea Base:

Bonecrusher sighed as his brothers drove back past him, and he took one last glance at Scrapper and Thunderwing, before transforming into Bulldozer mode and joining his teammates.

Bonecrusher was, for once, actually troubled. Though Bonecrusher was used to plowing through his issues, something stuck with him. The Fallen's demise was out of pure luck. Devastator is not done. He is still a BETA project. If Scorponok has something equally strong, but more intelligent, they will have quite a bit of trouble. It was almost as if the battle with the Fallen was a wake-up call for the demolitionist. Brute force only works with either luck, or intelligence behind it. Scorponok is a cunning, evil glitch. For him to want to visit, he must have a back-up plan for if everything goes south.

"We NEED to finish Devastator," said Bonecrusher randomly. For one time in his life, something troubled him just enough to distract him from a building project. I must just be tired or something, thought Bonecrusher.

"Ahh, whatever. Um, yeah. Demolition. That's what we need," said Bonecrusher trying his best to get his mind out of this nervous tizzy. Even the most tough of Transformers, if they go against something like the Fallen, there is always a trickle of paranoia afterwards.

"Uh, Hook? Mixy? Scavs? if anyone needs any help with anything I can do, just call me. I am having a hard time deciding what to do."

Bonecrusher transformed back into mech mode and sat down on a pile of steel beams for construction. He put his face in his hand. Why am I letting this get to me? I know. It must be that dream. That face. The Fallen's voice. Who was that face? It wasn't the Fallen's face. It was of a monster as powerful as Devastator. It was the face of evil.

Bonecrusher squeezed his hand into as tight of a fist as he could. No. I am not going to let it get to me. I AM in control. WE ARE in control. We are more than fearful rats. WE ARE "CONSTRUCTICONS!"

Bonecrusher realized that he had just shouted out 'Constructicons' as loud as he could. He decided to turn it into more a motivational-sounding thing. "Fellas, let's get to work!" Bonecrusher was back to his usual self. He quickly transformed into his bull-dozer again. "We will win this war, and we will win it GOOD."

The demolitionist drove and got back to work as if nothing had happened. He felt like a different Decepticon, but felt like his old self at the same time. He felt overwhelming energy inside him. It was real. He felt victory.

"We defeated the Fallen. We defeated him with OUR power. We may fall departed, but together, we are unstoppable."

Undersea Base

The sterile scents of antiseptics, lubricants and chemical polish which had assailed his olfactory sensors only moments before... were as fast in fading as the bland metallic octagonal walls that had initially surrounded. Thunderwing allowed his optical sensors to dim as they adjusted to the artificial lighting that illuminated the expansive rotunda that stretched out before him. The odor of organic salt, partially melted metals and polymers were now the dominant bouquet, a primary indicator that announced the transfer of location.

The warlord allowed the optical sensors of the carapace to slowly reactivate, and began to take into the change in scenery to be absorbed into his data tracks. Above him the telltale signs of the tried and true triangular panel shaped dome stretched far above his position, and continued further up until it reached its zenith above the central superstructure at the heart of the dome. Girders and cables held the panels in place, a rudimentary set of trusses allowed construction teams access to vulnerable areas, evidence the dome itself was still relatively new and not entirely complete. Wordlessly, he allowed his gaze to absorb his new surroundings. Buildings, in various state of construction, peppered the site. The exterior portion of the central structure offered shadows of smaller domes or construction sites in various states of completion... with precious few defensive structures evident.

With strict military barring and a presence of utter command, Thunderwing followed his Constructicon guide through the rubble, refuse and re-purposed materials dredged up as a result of building a base on the bottom of a Terran Sea. Fragments of an ancient warship made of steel and primitive rivets dotted the outer edges of the dome... elements of old Japanese Warships, at least he surmised given the contours of the hull fragments and rusted coral infested weapon emplacements. Drones silently pushed hover sledges of re-purposed rock or chemicals too and from sites around the central structure that dominated the heart of the dome. A small hint of satisfaction tugged noticeably at the edge of his forward expression. "One has to marvel as to how those are provided with so little support, can accomplish so much..." The brief shattering of deliberate silence was enough to draw his attention down towards the Constructicon Commander. "Would you not agree Scrapper?"

Undersea Base

Hook had seemed somewhat apprehensive about facilitating the meeting between Scrapper and Thunderwing, but Scrapper wasn't sure why. He didn't feel the slightest bit hesitant about it. Given their proximity to Razorclaw, these sorts of encounters were only going to increase. Scrapper;s dealings with the Valckastan Warlord had been minimal over the vorns, but he was not unfamiliar with whom he was dealing. Having lead the other mech far enough within for him to get a good visual appreciation of the work they had completed thus far, Scrapper waited for Thunderwing to speak first. He had requested this meeting, after all. Before long, he finally did.

"One has to marvel as to how those are provided with so little support, can accomplish so much...would you not agree Scrapper?"

"I've grown more than used to it," Scrapper began. "There've been times of plenty, with Megatron showered us with all the resources I could ever require. And there have been periods of extreme scarcity, such as this one; however, I'm quickly discovering what a treasure trove of mineral deposits this world is. I think our latest period of deprivation may be over. Time will tell I guess, heh."

Scrapper paused.

"That being said, I'm sure you didn't ask to speak to me so that we could chit-chat over better days."

((OOC: NPCing Snarl as needed. Also moving things along here.))

Korean Peninsula – Western Shoreline

Snarl wasted no time in following Grimlock’s orders, looking over at the Jungle Warrior first. “Come on, Sludge, let’s check the beach like the boss said.” Motioning for his dimwitted comrade to follow, the Desert Warrior drew out his energo blade and walked across the sand parallel to the waterline. Unlike the Dinobot Commander, Snarl remained in his robot mode as his fondness of his stegosaurus alt form was less than great. Besides, he could move a bit faster on two legs instead of four, stumpy ones.

Meanwhile, Grimlock kept his scanners set to the Yellow Sea just in case any Decepticons had detected their bounce beem and decided to go on the offensive before his crew could even get into the water. There was nothing thus far and also nothing from Swoop who was still out over the sea scanning for the hidden base. The mechanical T. Rex’s concentration was soon broken when the orange construction bot decided to try and contradict the Dinobot Commander’s findings in regards to the lack of auto-weapons on the beach.

Grimlock growled audibly as he swung his large dinosaur head around to glare back at Scoop. “Blank spots? What kind of scrap you talking about? There no blank spots, only what found and not found and auto-guns NOT found so me right! Me no concerned with foundations. They not weapons thus they not important! Now, get to checking those storage caves. We not got all cycle!” Grimlock then turned towards the Desert Warrior who was doing what he had been told. “Snarl, help puny ‘bots check caves. They work too slow.”

“You got it, Grim,” Snarl replied as he kept his sword at the ready while trudging back up the beach towards the closest cave.

“At least someone listens,” Grimlock muttered to himself, not missing the irony that it was Snarl who was obeying without questioning him this time. What a novelty. Perhaps the Desert Warrior no longer held a grudge against the rex-former for getting the Dinobots encased in lava for thousands of years before being dug us by the humans and held in stasis at Area 51. The others seemed to have forgiven him but Snarl had yet to do so. Instead, he sought to question Grimlock’s every order or in some way give him a hard time. Then again, this recent order was just checking an empty cave. What was there to complain about in that besides the lack of killing 'Cons?

Regardless of Snarl's current feelings regarding him, the mechanical T. Rex turned back towards the sea and immediately opened a comm line to Swoop, who had not yet checked in:

>>”Swoop, this Grimlock. You find anything yet?”<<

Over the Yellow Sea – 7 Miles from Western Shoreline

The Dinobot bombardier continued to fly low over the yellow sea, keeping his scanners attuned to what was below the surface. Unfortunately, the water was very deep this far out and thus his scanners could only penetrate so far. The swallow areas came up negative, but that was to be expected as the Decepticons wouldn’t try to build a whole base so close to the surface. No, they would build deep where it would be easier to hide such a large structure.

As Swoop made another pass over sector 4-G, he received a secured comm line from Grimlock, who wanted to know if he had found anything yet. The mechanical pteranodon sighed inwardly before opening a return channel to his commander:

>>”Nothing yet, Grimlock. Water very deep out here. It’s hard for my scanners to reach the bottom. There could be something there. I just can’t see it. I....”<<

Swoop’s response was abruptly cut off by a bright beam of light shooting down next to him and piercing through the water like a laser dagger. “Whoa, what the...!?!” The bombardier exclaimed aloud as he swiftly adjusted his course to avoid what was certainly a bounce beam. After a few astroseconds the beam receded back into the night sky.

>>”Did you see that, Grim?! I think it was a bounce beam!”<<

>>”Me saw, Swoop. Send coordinates to me and return to beach at once.”<<

>>”Roger that! Sending coordinates now.”<<

Once the secured transmission was sent back to the Dinobot Commander, Swoop circled around and headed back towards the shoreline as fast as his metal wings would take him.

Western Shoreline

Grimlock received the coordinates where the bounce beam struck the surface of the water. It certainly hadn’t been sent by the Autobots and thus it could only have come from the Decepticons. Someone was clearly making a visit to the undersea base. Perhaps it was Razorclaw coming to inspect the overall progress. With any luck the rest of his Predacons would be there, as well, as the Dinobots could then have a real battle on their hands.

Transforming back into robot mode, the rex-former walked back up the beach towards his strike force. “Dinobots, Autobots, finish searching caves and ready yourselves for battle. ‘Cons make critical error and we take advantage. Base located about seven miles out. Here exact coordinates where bounce beam hit.” Once Grimlock transmitted the coordinates to the others, he drew out his energo sword and spun back around to face the waterline. “No more time wasted. Let’s move out! We got ‘Cons to smash!!”

Pointing his sword towards the Yellow Sea, Grimlock marched forward across the sand once again, leading his Dinobots and fellow puny Autobots into the water.
____________

Snarl exited one of the storage caves that he had been searching when he heard Grimlock’s call to finish up and prepare for a fight. The 'Con base had been located and the time to attack was finally at hand. Keeping his own energo blade steady within his actuators, the Desert Warrior took up a position at the Dinobot Commander’s right flank while Swoop returned from the sea, transforming in mid-air and landing to Grimlock’s left, thermal sword at the ready. Together, the Dinobots took the lead, trudging into the water as the smaller Autobots brought up the rear.

Undersea Base

Bonecrusher had seemingly wandered off into the curious arena of talking to himself. Hook heard something about needing to "finish Devastator" and some other business about "demolitions" but paid it little heed at this point. Devastator was finished. Refined? Certainly not. But they had managed to overcome the obstacle that had eluded them since the days of Jhiaxus and Nexus Prime: actual combination of multiple mechs. Now they simply needed to perfect their achievement.

"Uh, Hook? Mixy? Scavs? if anyone needs any help with anything I can do, just call me. I am having a hard time deciding what to do."

"Hmm, how about you..." Hook began, before looking more closely at the scanner he was holding, pausing in his requisitioning of resources from the command ship for the time being as his suggestion for Bonecrusher trailed off into confused silence. After a moment or two, Mixmaster pulled up alongside him, his mixing drum turning over and over with his latest batch of raw materials.

"What'cha find, Hook?"

"I just started detecting Cybertronian energy signatures in our vicinity. They're not identifying as Decepticon."

The Constructicon Surgical Engineer quickly opened up a new comm.

>>"Scrapper, I believe we may have a problem..."<<

Undersea Base

After Bonecrusher calmed down, he regained his rationality; or at least as much as he could. It had been a while since he had gotten that excited at a time, but at least he was productive again. The demolition expert then turned his attention to his brother when he heard these odd words:

"I just started detecting Cybertronian energy signatures in our vicinity. They're not identifying as Decepticon," said Hook

Bonecrusher felt a slight raise in the rush of his already high energon vascular system pressure. It had been a minute since he had seen an Autobot, which made him even more curious to see if what Hook picked up was in fact of their opposing side.

"I have a feeling, that it may be Bot-shredding time," said Bonecrusher as he clenched his fists together, "Some stupid Autobot has gotta have a lot of nerve to be in this area. Have any idea how many?"

Undersea Base

"Uh, Hook? Mixy? Scavs? if anyone needs any help with anything I can do, just call me. I am having a hard time deciding what to do."

“Uhh, I dunno, ‘Crusher…” Scavenger said as he took a brief reprieve from his own excavation work. He transformed back into robot mode to trot up to the hulking Constructicon. “Did Scrapper give you something to do?” As Scavenger racked his mind for things for Bonecrusher to do, Hook walked up. Scavenger instantly gave up trying to think of something. Hook was a hundred times more qualified than him. However…

"I just started detecting Cybertronian energy signatures in our vicinity. They're not identifying as Decepticon."

“Not Decepticon…then…they’re Autobots?!?” Scavenger asked.

"I have a feeling, that it may be Bot-shredding time," said Bonecrusher as he clenched his fists together, "Some stupid Autobot has gotta have a lot of nerve to be in this area. Have any idea how many?"

Scavenger felt a jolt through his systems, glancing around as if the Autobots would appear at any moment. He hopped from one foot to the other in anticipation. “Let ‘em come! They don’t stand a chance against us! Not now that we’ve got Devastator!”

Korean Peninsula – Western Shoreline

After having successfully reached the caves, Blaster gestured with a sweep of his arm for the others to spread out. Divide and conquer as it were. If there happened to be any Cons in the area, the others would rush in if one of them gave a shout, so it was all good.

And, thankfully, his search through the storage caves was highly uneventful. They were exactly as they appeared to be. Caves used for storage. Though, Blaster wondered at the Decepticons for not even bothering to put up some kind of camouflage up to hide it from the natives. He shook his head. “Slaggin’ Cons…”

“Dinobots, Autobots, finish searching caves and ready yourselves for battle. ‘Cons make critical error and we take advantage. Base located about seven miles out. Here exact coordinates where bounce beam hit.”

The call came from Grimlock just as Blaster was exiting one of the caves. He glanced over toward the shoreline where he could just make out the shape of Grimlock striding up the beach in robot mode. Cons made a mistake, eh? Well, well. What a golden opportunity. Time to bust some Deceptichops as Ironhide always said.

“Time to roll!” Blaster said, drawing his blaster out and jogging over to the shoreline where Grimlock and the other Dinobots had already disappeared into the deep. Blaster sloshed through the water behind them, confident that the other two non-Dinobot Autobots would be at his side in no time. No telling what waited for them down there, but Blaster was confident with the Dinobots. He just hoped they didn’t smash what he needed to hack.

Undersea Base

"I have a feeling, that it may be Bot-shredding time, Some stupid Autobot has gotta have a lot of nerve to be in this area. Have any idea how many?"

"Who cares?!" Long Haul roared as he stretched his servos out and pounded his right fist into the palm of his left hand. "We got the rug pulled from us back at Uluru, letting everyone else take the credit for winning the fight!"

"Let ‘em come! They don’t stand a chance against us! Not now that we’ve got Devastator!”

"Yeah! There ya go Scavvers, that's the right idea! C'mon boss, let's show 'em the Constructicons' latest project!"

Korean Peninsula - Western Shoreline

The dino-head of Sludge's alternate mode was nearly tied into a knot as he was constantly having to look one way following Snarl's suggestion to search out a cave formation, and then the other way from Grimlock ordering the team to head into the sea. The Dinobot Commander's orders ultimately trumped Snarl's original idea, forcing the jungle warrior to begin his trek further down the shore and into the oncoming tide.

Each lumbering step the apatosaurus-bot took sunk deep into the wet sand, though the jungle warrior was more than used to having to traverse such terrain. Once his alternate mode's long neck sunk beneath the Earthen sea, Sludge reverted back to his robot mode and took his position trailing behind Snarl's flank, his energo-sword gripped tightly in his grip as the dino-former team lead the march further into the sea.

Undersea Base

"I have a feeling, that it may be Bot-shredding time. Some stupid Autobot has gotta have a lot of nerve to be in this area. Have any idea how many?"

Hook could not disagree with Bonecrusher on that point. It could very well be Autobots, but how in the slag had they found them all the way down here?

"Impossible to say. More than one, certainly, but I'm not getting a perfectly clear signal reading. There could be more than what's registering on my scanner."

“Not Decepticon…then…they’re Autobots?!?” Scavenger asked before continuing. “Let ‘em come! They don’t stand a chance against us! Not now that we’ve got Devastator!”

Hook smirked. Indeed they did. And they only got a taste of what he could do in Uluru, against a fallen Cybertronian demigod. If it was Autobots, the odds would be a lot more even this time.

"Who cares?! We got the rug pulled from us back at Uluru, letting everyone else take the credit for winning the fight!" Long Haul roared, pretty much echoing Hook's own internal sentiments.

"Yeah! There ya go Scavvers, that's the right idea! C'mon boss, let's show 'em the Constructicons' latest project!" Long Haul added, obviously as eager as any of them to let Devastator have another field test. Hook held up a hand as he awaited Scrapper's response. Fortunately he did not have to wait long.

>>"What sort of problem?"<< came Scrapper's audible voice on the Hook's comm. Hook then transferred the readings he was picking up to the Constructicon Commander.

Another pause.

>>"Hmm...that is odd. Take Bonecrusher with you and investigate. Shockwave could be sending assistance with Decepticons that have masked signatures...for some reason. Take your weapons with you. Keep me apprised. Scrapper out."<<

Hook click off the comm.

"Well, you heard him. Mixmaster, Long Haul, Scavenger....be ready for anything. It is odd. It has to be Autobots, but we have to be sure," he said, before turning to Bonecrusher. "You're with me."

Undersea Base

Bonerusher responded to Hook in an almost monotone voice, "ah, sure thing."

The demolitionist was calm right at this moment, but if he were to see one sign that they are in fact Autobots, he knew he would turn into a 'bull in a China shop' as humans would say.

Bonecrusher pulled out his laser pistol and reloaded it quickly before transforming once again into bulldozer mode, except with his weapons deployed.

"I'm following you, Hook."

Undersea Base

Hook nodded and headed for the displacement chamber that would allow them to exit the base without flooding it.

"Ah, sure thing. I'm following you, Hook," Bonecrusher had said, eliciting a nod from Hook. Scrapper knew his team well. Hook would approach the situation rationally, but if things took a turn for the worse, there was no one better--out of the Constructicons at least--to have at your side than Bonecrusher.

Once the multiple sets of doors closed and reopened, allowing the two Constructicons to emerged into the ocean below, Hook continued to follow the signals he was receiving, doing his best to withstand the total immersion in this planet's crude and corrosive liquid. H2O...bleh.

"There, that ridge leads up to th-the....shore.......line......" Hook trailed off, not believing what he was seeing. Not just Autobots were trudging their way down. Dinobots.

>>"Guys, the problem is bigger than I guessed..."<<

Undersea Base (toward Dinobots' location)

"There, that ridge leads up to th-the....shore.......line......" Hook trailed off, not believing what he was seeing. Not just Autobots were trudging their way down. Dinobots.

"Ehh the Autobots are more stupid than I thought. What better way to spy on Constructicons than to send clumsy, dumb, and loud Dinobots to do so."

Bonecrusher then transformed to robot mode, since his bulldozer was having a hard time in the strange Earth liquid. The water was good at drowning out his transformation sound however. Bonecrusher was smart.

As he pulled out his concussion bomb launcher, Bonecrusher said, "I hate Dinobots. Whadya say we do Hook?"

Approaching Undersea Base

Grimlock lead his strike force of Dinobots and three puny Autobots through the muck and seaweed that comprised the bottom of the Yellow Sea. It was disgustingly organic, but the rex-former had seen worse on many other worlds. His focus was not on what was beneath his feet, but what was somewhere ahead of him. The Decepticon base was close. Grimlock could feel it. He could feel the battle that was forthcoming like a soothing oil bath. It had been too long since the Dinobots had seen real action. That was about to change quickly.

After a few more meters of walking, Grimlock came to the ridge line that overlooked a steep drop-off. But that’s not all it overlooked. Down below was what they had come for: the Decepticons' newly built underwater headquarters. One large, translucent primary dome sat between two smaller secondary domes on either side. Within each were buildings and structures in various states of assembly. A good deal of progress had been made down there even when the Constructicons were off fighting the Fallen. Scrapper had obviously left a sizable crew behind to continue working during that difficult time. The base still had a ways to go before it was completed and fully operational, but what existed now was an excellent start. Too bad for the 'Cons it was going to be destroyed.

“We’re here,” Grimlock growled through the liquid that surround him. “That’s our target. Dinobots, we start with destroying smaller domes while Autobots infiltrate large one to get what computer data they need. Me...”

“Grimlock!” Swoop shouted suddenly as he focused his attention on a scanning device in his one hand. “I’m picking up two Cybertronian signals just down there near the bottom of the ridge.”

“What signals? Decepticons?” Grimlock questioned.

“Yes! Two Constructicons!” Swoop replied immediately.

“It’s Hook and Bonecrusher,” Snarl interjected as he peered through a pair of electro-binoculars. “I can see them and they can see us!”

“Then no more time to waste,” Grimlock bellowed, looking back over his shoulder at his strike force. “We need take them out before other Constructicons arrive and form Devastator. Dinobots, we handle the green fraggers while Blaster, Getaway and Scoop get inside big dome. After that we smash base. Now, let’s go!!”

With that said, Grimlock and his Dinobots leapt from the top of the ridge and allowed themselves to quickly sink to the bottom. Once they had landed, Grimlock pointed his energo sword directly at both Bonecrusher and Hook. “Dinobots, ATTACK and DESTROY them!! Leave nothing but scrapmetal!!” The rex-former roared as he then charged towards the Constructicon duo, aimed he double-barreled rifle at them and opened fire.

Snarl, of course, wasted no time in following Grimlock's lead. Charging forward, he gripped his sword in one hand while bringing his own rifle to bare in the other. With the pair of Constructicons in his sights, the Desert Warrior pulled the trigger repeatedly as laser fire pierced through the water directly at his targets.

Swoop held his thermal sword tight as he flanked the Dinobot Commander. Drawing out one of his missile launchers, the bombardier took careful aim and unleashed a rocket at the two green mechs.

The battle had finally begun.

Around Undersea Base: (combat with Dinobots)

Bonecrusher was not the least bit scared as the Dinobot buffoons jumped into the water and started the all-out war. He was however concerned that the only thing standing between the Dinobots, and the destruction of the Decepticons' precious base, was him and his brother Hook. Time to take action.

Bonecrusher dodged most of the incoming firepower from the Dinobot scums with a few laser sears, though they were not deadly. Bonecrusher opened a private com to the rest of his team as he went behind part of a ship wreckage piece to evade the incoming firepower,

>>We are under attack. Dinobots are surrounding us. We're fighting them off decently, however I am concerned that those couple smaller Autobots might have tricks up their proverbial sleeves. We have Blaster, Scoop, and some other guy. We may need troops to stay at the base. Should we combine, or stay spread?<<

As Bonecrusher talked on the com, he realized that the rockets Swoop was shooting were slightly off-target from what they were probably intended to aim for. This was probably the result of the H20 they were immersed in. Bonecrusher realized that lasers could work better than rockets. Bonecrusher took his laser blaster out and aimed a blast right at Grimlock. Bonecrusher was careful to keep in mind that the water also slowed their movability, meaning that it would be harder to dodge. As a result, brute force was the only option.

>>Do we have any other troops to hold them off from the base as we combine?<<

Bonecrusher jetted himself forward toward Swoop as the foul flier shot a rocket at them. Bonecrusher shot a few quick times before luckily laser-blasting the rocket, which then caused small shards of metal from the rocket to bolt out in all directions. Bonecrusher shielded his face in an automatic motion as a few shards hit his arm and legs.

Bonecrusher turned his trackers on to see other Dinobots firing toward him. Bonecrusher dodged as a missile darted past him and dangerously fired toward Swoop.

The demolitionist was surprisingly more elegant under water that he was on land, however the Dinobots, admittedly, also had this same advantage.

The bulldozer tore a piece of wreckage out of the seafloor and flung it toward Snarl before getting hit in the shoulder with one of Grimlock's laser blasts.

"Ow!" shouted Bonecrusher, "Okay, you have made me MAD." He took his rocket launcher off his back and fired eight or nine rockets in the Dinobots' general direction before firing his laser in a strait horizontal line to hopefully cut off a few Dinobot heads while they were distracted with his missiles and Hook's firepower. He noticed at this point that the water also seemed to spread out the laser blast slightly. This resulted in both a wider radius, but also a slightly weaker hit. It still would hurt quite badly though.

>>Alright, we need backup Scraps. Things are getting really hectic and we're; ahgg! Stupid dinobird!<<<

Undersea Base: Courtyard

Thunderwing nodded briefly as he stepped passed the Constructicon Commander. His optics absorbing the magnificence of the constructed dome. Octagonal panels, each providing strength and support to one another in order to provide shelter and protection from the oppressive salt brine and incredible pressures that threatened to inundate them. It was a perfect allegory to the technological marvel that had been unleashed upon the cosmos once again. Slowly he rubbed his chin with his right thumb and forefinger. "Your desire not to mince words commendable Scrapper. And you are, in this instance correct. I did not come here specifically to marvel at your bubble."

He allowed himself to turn in order to face the fellow engineer and scientist, of a sort, his right arm leveling off at a right angle, his palm upward. With in its fleshy creases an invisible seam opened to expose his metallic flesh. A small panel slid back and exposed another device, a cylindrical projector, and elevated it to optic level through hidden gravitational tractors. Through an encrypted frequency, the scientist activated the projector and sent it to hover between himself and Scrapper.

"You are no doubt aware of my distaste for such lowland rabble such as the current ruckus that presently infest the grand throne of Megatron. They are primitive and decidedly reaching beyond their social station, particularly their head beast that commands them." The projector flickered and finally resolved into a dread yet familiar image. "And as much as I loath Razorclaw and his rabble of mongrels... I detest the arachnid more. The only one that has a legitimate claim to Megatron's Empire, outside of my own, and the only one in the cosmos who can at present make good on that claim."

The Warlord allowed his arm to rest at his side as the holographic image of Scorponok slowly spun before the optics of the surgical engineer. "You and your... comrades have been chosen to aid me in preventing this eventual confrontation from leaning towards the insufferable arachnid. And in return, I have chosen to offer you my own assistance in refining the instrument of that salvation."

He turned his head to his right, catching a small waft of sludge and debris float towards the surface after a rusting hulk of a Japanese World War II sub shifted along the bottom of the oceanic shoal. "I do not have to tell you the ambitions of Scorponok, the thirst of power that surpasses that of even the crimson coward Starscream. Eventually, the secret of this sector will falter and he will learn of Megatron's absence..." He looked back at Scrapper, "And I intend to deny him that prize."

Through his link, Thunderwing ordered the holographic display to bring up a still frame image of Devastator, then ordered the projector to Scrapper himself. The image miniaturized as the disk spun before the engineer. "The first instrument I require is cognitive scans, of combat stresses before combination and post combination. In other words, I must know how all of your personalities are able to mesh individually and merged into one mental amalgamation."

As the words fell from his vocorder, an alert came across the comm. "Autobots are more brazen than I thought. I must indeed thank them for their fortuitous appearance." He held his council briefly as he considered his next course of action. Assuredly if he involved himself directly, the battle would be ended swiftly... but at the cost of valuable data. He could not afford to lose those scans, particularly with the work on board the Thanatos almost completed... there was precious time to spare. "It is settled then."

Along his left forearm, the synthetic flesh pealed back with a sickly sticky sound. Through the opened wound, a pair of metal panels parted and pushed the cyberganic material further back in order to reveal the hidden contents. Six circular devices were made visible through the organic flesh and were released into the waiting right palm of the warlord scientist. Once the final device was accounted for, the wound was automatically healed as the final panel slid back into place. "These micro scanners will acquire the data I require." He offered them to Scrapper, not as a request but as a wordless order.

"Set them against your cranial units and activate them. I require combat data not only of Devastator but its individual components." His cyberganic optics indicated protests would not be tolerated, particularly given the sheer ambition of what Thunderwing was going to undertake. "By the end of this skirmish, I should have the requisite information to finally stabilize Devastator's cognitive abilities... Provided you are able to thwart the advance of a few rogue Autobot infiltrators."

Around Undersea Base

With the realization that they were not dealing with Powerglide or Beachcomber or some other hapless Autobot rabble, but rather the Dinobots, Hook's mental calculations shifted real quick: they were woefully outgunned.

"I hate Dinobots. Whadya say we do Hook?" Bonecrusher said.

"Agreed. We have to get-"

But then Hook's world exploded around him, sunken debris spilling everywhere and clouding Hook's field of vision. He fired off a couple of wayward shots and began to retreat.

"Fall back!" Hook cried, still firing aimlessly as his foot thrusters left contrails of steam bubbles in his wake. Bonecrusher had the wherewithal to inform Scrapper and the others before Hook could even collect himself.

"Yes-yes, we have to form up with the others, quite literally," Hook gasped, as another round of explosions set off nearby. Great Primus, what had the dinos brought with them? Fusion cannons?
___

Scrapper listened patiently as Thunderwing began to get into the meat of why he had come. Truth be told, he was actually not aware of Thunderwing's feelings toward Razorclaw one way or the other, but he was now. He stayed silent and simply listened on, filing the information away for later. As he spoke, he moved on to address "the arachnid", which Scrapper quickly inferred was some derogatory reference to the commander of one of Megatron's expansion fleets--Scorponok. So, Thunderwing was also no fan of him either? Interesting. Decepticon command politics truly were as nefarious as he suspected. He supposed he was fortunate, in retrospect, that Megatron kept he and his unit so far away from it. Their function was to build. But more than that, their desire was to build. And under Megatron's tyrannic protection, they could build as they saw fit. Would that continue under Razoclaw or any of the others who saw fit to place themselves on Megatron's throne? Time would tell.

"You and your... comrades have been chosen to aid me in preventing this eventual confrontation from leaning towards the insufferable arachnid. And in return, I have chosen to offer you my own assistance in refining the instrument of that salvation," Thunderwing continued. "I do not have to tell you the ambitions of Scorponok, the thirst of power that surpasses that of even the crimson coward Starscream. Eventually, the secret of this sector will falter and he will learn of Megatron's absence...And I intend to deny him that prize. The first instrument I require is cognitive scans, of combat stresses before combination and post combination. In other words, I must know how all of your personalities are able to mesh individually and merged into one mental amalgamation."

Thunderwing was certainly presenting Scrapper with a lot to take in. All in all, Scrapper did not have any overt objections to sharing the science he and his unit had used to continue the eons-long work of recreating the gestalt process of old. There were more looming doubts about what he might choose to do with such knowledge, and who he might use it against, but before the Constructicon Commander could give any voice to such thoughts, a new transmission came in--one that caught both he and the Warlord's attention.

>>We are under attack. Dinobots are surrounding us. We're fighting them off decently, however I am concerned that those couple smaller Autobots might have tricks up their proverbial sleeves. We have Blaster, Scoop, and some other guy. We may need troops to stay at the base. Should we combine, or stay spread?<<

Dinobots. Dinobots? Why here? Now? What was this? Scrapper began to pace frantically.

>>"Bonecrusher, Hook, you need to fall back to the base. STAT. Devastator's no good to us if you guys get smashed. Regroup with the rest of us. We're no match for the Dinobots alone...b-but, heheh, we have someone who is. A couple of someones."<<

Scrapper then looked to Thunderwing, taking the proffered device in hand.

"As you wish, Lord Thunderwing. If you'll excuse me, it seems Devastator's presence is being requested."
___

One astrosecond, the comms were silent. The next, they were blowing up. On top of that, Mixmaster could hear muffled explosions from somewhere outside.

"We gotta go go go! Meet up with Hooker and Bones!"

Around Undersea Base:

>>"Bonecrusher, Hook, you need to fall back to the base. STAT. Devastator's no good to us if you guys get smashed. Regroup with the rest of us. We're no match for the Dinobots alone...b-but, heheh, we have someone who is. A couple of someones."<<

Bonecrusher started to get slightly more frantic,

>>But Scrapper, if we retreat, they'll push forward, and start challenging the structural integrity of this unfinished base! Shouldn't we meet in the middle someho... Ow! Stupid Dinoworms!<<

Bonecrusher then commed Hook,

>>Alright, it seems we will probably need to fall back...<<

Bonecrusher transformed to bulldozer mode as quickly as he could, and then skidded backwards in a fast fashion while firing his deployed laser in all directions. Dust kicked up in front of him as he drove the block of a vehicle backwards, making it difficult to figure out exactly what was going on.

>>Primus, we're running out of ammunition! We gotta meet fast! There's hardly any cover under here!<<

Bonecrusher then yelled,

>>Hopefully the Dinobots don't have a gestalt mode of their own. That would be a hassle!<<

Around Undersea Base

The comm chatter whipped Scavenger into a panic something fierce and swift. Dinobots? Hook and Bonecrusher in trouble?! Scavenger cast a worried glance at Mixmaster, who was already jogging off toward the others. Scavenger frantically bounced from one foot to the other in place for a moment before dashing off after him.

“Mixy, wait!” Scavenger called as an idea struck him. “Form Devastator! We got this!”

A triumphant grin formed on the Construction’s face as he transformed mid-stride. He ended up sliding across the ground as a useless right arm. He flopped around, clenching the fist that was part of his new form.

“Ha-ha! Now we’ll…Wait.”

Scavenger stopped as he slowly came to a certain realization. “AHH! WE NEED THE OTHER GUYS!” The excavator flopped around in a panic before realizing again that he needed to transform back to get to them. So he did. And sprinted at full tilt toward Mixmaster. “Scraaaaaaap!”