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Brig

“About the additional security measures you wanted to implement… How much exactly did you have in mind?” Kup heard Magnus ask, likely Red Alert, about what steps to take while Ratchet worked to ensure Optimus would hopefully not be able to go on another rampage.

"Hopefully enough measures to make sure that next time we got a big 'Con like Buckethead as a prisoner, we can keep him where we put 'im," Kup said, interjecting his two cents even though the question was not directed at him.

Bridge

Hot Spot walked out of the conference room and looked around. He didn't see his fellow Protectobots to his disappointment. He knew First Aid was working on the gestalt project still. Streetwise was probably investigating the Prime situation still. As for Blades and Groove, it must be shift change. This rescue operation will be a challenge especially with the Dinobots. He knew his team can't do it alone and having the Dinobots as a distraction will help out. The biggest concern is getting the Autobots out in one piece if at all possible. What good is a rescue if the ones you are trying to rescue get slagged in the process. Hot Spot walked through the bridge and found his way to the lift.

>>Blades and Groove, report to the bounce chamber. We are joining the Dinobots on a rescue operation using the Trion.<<

Both Protectobots sent non verbal acknowledgements back to Hot Spot.

Jetfire wanted to check up on the combiners project first hand.

"Ultra Magnus, I know it was agreed upon to make sure the first part of the project is completed well before we expand it. May I bounce over to the ark to personally check up on the process?"

Command Conference Room

Red Alert was overall pleased with the proceedings of the meeting. Matters were being addressed and tables were not being flipped--on top of him, specifically. By Prowl, specifically. With other matters tended to, Magnus returned his attention to him.

“About the additional security measures you wanted to implement… How much exactly did you have in mind?”

"Well, sir, I have several proposals that I'm forwarding to you and the other participants of this meeting. What I'm noticing is a lot of, erm, wandering. Unauthorized travel into areas where your typical Autobot should not be. We have some measures in place to curb that sort of thing, but we seem to rely a lot on trust. I'd like to try identifying more high-security areas and restricting access to said areas.

"Additionally we have a lot of transmissions being sent through subspace. To me, it seems like only a matter of time before Soundwave or someone else gets a hold of those, triangulates the position of our vessels and wipes us out! I mean, well, you get it, yes?"

Red Alert was gripping one edge of the table nervously with one hand while tapping his fingers with the other, clearly still in thought.

"I think if we begin there, we can expand outward as we see where the lapses in oversight are."

Corridors

“Hey, what’s going on around here?”

Anomaly turned around to find a heavily armoured mech (Rook) inquiring about the situation. “Sorry, uh, sir! We were only investigating the scene of this, uh, event.”

“We just wanted to help figure out, uh, the reason behind all of this. So far, we’ve collected some samples of this strange black material,” Anomaly said as he opened up his containment cylinders to reveal the small chunk of the black substance, “But I haven’t had much luck figuring out what exactly it is. Streetwise here said that he may have some ideas though.”

Anomaly looked around and put a digit to his chin. “If only we had a first hand source of information.”

Mess Hall

“I want to apologise for the way I acted. I know I’ve been behaving strangely, it’s just that I haven’t had a great deal of mental comfort. It’s… it’s…”

Arbalest paused to think. He wasn’t sure if he was feeling confused or sympathy, maybe both, but Overclock definitely seemed to be stressed. “I understand. It’s not the greatest of times. Hasn’t been for a long while, with this war and all.”

But it seemed as if he was going to break.

“It’s just I haven’t been able to sit for one fragging moment and not have to deal with my own mind for so fragging long. It tugs at my spark, and I really, really hate it. I feel so fragging alone at times, but I don’t even know where to begin to fix this problem.”

The skirmisher was wordless. He couldn’t believe that these kinds of words would be coming out of a mech of Overclock’s caliber. But you never know a mech truly until they decide to show you.

Warpath tagged in with some kind words and some drinks. Arbalest thought about what he was going to say while the red tank was saying his point of view.

“Well, listen here, I’ve got some advice for ya. We’re fightin’ a huge war of total slaggery. We’re all in this together. So unless it’s some egoshot like Tracks, yer gonna be fine. We aren’t gonna be disappointed ‘cause we KNOW that it’s not all your fault. We all got each other’s back ‘round here. Ain’t that right, Arbsy?”

“Absolutely. If there’s one thing that separates us from Cons, it’s that we always have each other’s back, no matter what. And both Warpath and I would gladly love to help you out of this shell that you’re stuck in. You just have to believe. Don’t worry about disappointing anyone else. Anyone can make mistakes, it’s only natural. And I want you to understand that, at least with the two of us, you can make mistakes and be assured that we’ll be there to help you pull through it, no matter the situation.”

Arbalest took a big swig of his drink. “We’re all in this together.”

[Corridors]

Rook nodded, taking into account the details of the situation that Streetwise and Anomaly had provided.

“I think it would be a good idea to ask someone who’s close to Prime, or someone who’s experienced the scene firsthand. And I think I might just know who…”

Rook opened up a comm-link to someone who he knew would be of great help. >>”Rook to Kup, we’re looking to gather some information about the incident involving Prime. Would you have any information on the case, or anything related to it?“<<

Corridors to Bounce Chamber

Groove drove down the corridors to rendezvous with Hot Spot and the rest of his fellow Protectobots. He didn’t want to go out right now, because he was fine just relaxing, but duty is duty. Anyhow, at least it was with his fellow squad, and not with others.

He could still use another few breems to himself, though.

[Bridge]

As Blaster left the conference room, following Grimlock and Hot Spot, he saw a small, very familiar, blue mech. And he was staring at him with what humans called sad puppy eyes. He excused himself for a moment to go talk to his little buddy Eject.

“Heyo, Eject! Why the long face?” Blaster asked as he looked up at one of the screens behind Eject. It was set to some channel, but it didn’t have one of Eject’s usual sports playing. “Ah, no wonder you’re getting yourself into a twist! Hehe,” he chuckled.

“Come on, cheer up. We’ve all got a job to do. I’m sure there’s something for you to watch!”

[Mess Hall]

Rosanna wrote:"Oh it's.. nothing. Just the whole thing that happened has me a bit shook I guess."

Alpha Bravo nodded in agreement. “It’s got everyone on the edge of their seat, I guess. There’s only so much you can do until it gets to your mind. But that’s alright, we’re all here. We’ll stick with each other… right?”

In all honesty, Alpha didn’t have a slagging clue. He could feel Rosanna’s distress, and while Bumblebee was doing his best to comfort her, somehow he felt like it was going to eventually start shooting through his head as well. But, he wanted to feel like the responsible one, the confident one for once. He was physically the largest and most combat oriented of the three at the table, so he wanted to protect them. If anything, they shouldn’t have to face trouble of any kind, physical or mental.

He shifted himself over so that he could be closer to the other two. Drink in one hand, he said, “You don’t need to intake anything in order to feel ease. That may be Beachcomber’s method, but you probably have yours. I remember this old album I used to listen to when I had a rough day, before the war. Lead Blimp’s fourth album, I believe was the name. You might like it, being a musician and all.”

Bridge – Communications Station

Blaster wrote:“Heyo, Eject! Why the long face?”

Eject didn’t answer, choosing instead to attempt to appear even more miserable as he watched understanding dawn on Blaster.

Blaster wrote: “Ah, no wonder you’re getting yourself into a twist! Hehe,” he chuckled.

“Come on, cheer up. We’ve all got a job to do. I’m sure there’s something for you to watch!”

Oh, bless his heart! He’s got to be the sickest man in America! Eject scowled at his friend’s laughter. “I didn’t lose, time ran out! No overtime or halftime show.” He sulked a little more, pressing a couple of buttons at random. A boxing match caught his attention for a moment, but he shook his head. “It’s fixed, I tell ya! The outcome’s decided!”

He sat up straighter, looking every bit enthused. “Come on, Blaster, I’m your number one ace. It’s the seventh inning stretch, you can’t keep me out of the game.”

As the detective and Anomaly stood in the corridors, another one "Rook" joined the two. Streetwise was happy to see another familiar face join the small gathering. Rook wasn't a Protectobot, but he had done some missions with them before. Streetwise almost saw him as an "honorary member" in practice, though officially Rook was simply a defense officer.

"Agreed, Anomaly," said Streetwise in response to the young chemist's wishes regarding the investigation.

“I think it would be a good idea to ask someone who’s close to Prime, or someone who’s experienced the scene firsthand. And I think I might just know who…”

"Any insight would be very welcome," said Streetwise not knowing it was Kup who Rook was referring to. Last time Streetwise had checked, Kup was just as clueless to what was happening as Streetwise, or at least mostly. At least besides Kup's situation with Megatron's escape.

Brig

Kup sensed the nuts and bolts of the command meeting were pretty much taken care of. Prime knew that Kup would be ready for whatever he might need him for, and that was really all he needed to convey for the time being.

>>”Rook to Kup, we’re looking to gather some information about the incident involving Prime. Would you have any information on the case, or anything related to it?“<<

"Scuse me fer a moment," Kup said, nodding to Prime before motioning for the cell door to be unsecured so he could step out. Ratchet needed more room to work and Prime didn't need so many mechs crowdin' him anyways.

>>"Kup here. Y'are, eh? Well, that's good. I'd like to know just as much as the next 'Bot. I told Streetwise everything I could remember at the time, but if you have other questions, I'll do the best I can."<<

Bridge – Command Conference Room

Ultra Magnus wrote:“Commence immediately. Gather up your teams and get to Sol-4. Blaster, you too. Dismissed.”

Finally! This meeting was over, at least for Grimlock. The rex-former had grown increasingly tired of talking and wanted to get down to doing. Actions spoke louder than words as far as Grimlock was concerned and action was exactly what he was going to take.

The Dinobot Commander gave Ultra Magnus a curt nod before turning and heading out of the conference room and onto the main bridge. Hot Spot and Blaster followed, quickly becoming preoccupied with other things. Grimlock then opened a shared comm link with his prehistoric subordinates:

>>”Dinobots, this Grimlock. Drop what you doing and head back to the Trion now! We have new mission. Be on bridge in no more than two breems.”<<

With his communique sent, the rex-former glanced over at Hot Spot and Blaster. “Me headed to Trion now. Meet me over there when done fooling around.” Not waiting for a response, Grimlock walked towards the door and exited out into the corridor beyond.
________________

Prowl felt more at ease once Grimlock had left the conference room. He could now concentrate on other things without someone as illogical as the Dinobot leader sending his logic circuits for a loop. Leaning back in his chair, the black and white let out a low sigh as he continued to listen to what else was being said in the room.

As Ultra Magnus gave Ratchet his response to the killswitch idea, the voice of Optimus Prime came over loud and clear: “Then do it.” There it was. Prime was onboard with Prowl’s idea. The military strategist expected nothing less. Optimus knew the risks of having no safeguards in place and a killswitch was the best option they had to prevent another unintended rampage. The City Commander then wished Prime good luck.

“Yes, good luck, Optimus,” Prowl added before Magnus turned to Red Alert and asked about the additional security measures mentioned before. The Security Director then went into detail on what he wanted to see implemented including restricting access to high security areas along with limiting excessive transmissions via subspace. The prick-bot listened intently, keeping his opinions to himself until Red Alert was finished speaking.

“Sounds like good places to start, Red,” Prowl commented as he leaned forward once more and placed his forearms on top of the table. “Restricting access is a good way to keep lower level ‘bots from going anywhere they have no business going. As for sending comms through subspace, I would suggest we use ship-wide encrypted signal dampeners to prevent our personal comms from getting beyond a certain range unless proper codes are utilized. That way a stray communique won’t find it’s way to Soundwave’s audios.”

A new beep began to emanate from Prowl’s terminal. The black and white glanced down at the screen before returning his attention to Ultra Magnus and the others. “Looks like we’re back in Earth orbit next to the Ark-22 and the Trion. If there is nothing more, Commander Magnus, I should probably get going and head down to the Autobot City site and see what’s going on with Omega Supreme and the status of the overall construction. I have to debrief the big guy and the sooner I do that the better.”

Prowl then looked back over at Red Alert. “Red, I’ll leave the additional security measures in your more than capable hands. Just keep me advised as they are implemented. If there’s anything that you require, don’t hesitate to contact me.”

Brig

Ratchet wrote:"Well, no. I suspect there is some degree of pain involved when the technology is activated, before the subject goes into involuntary stasis lock. But compared to what we had to do in order to get Optimus under control the first time, it seems like the better option. Until we know what we're dealing with, we're all feeling our way around in a dark room to some extent.”

Smokescreen didn’t like what he was hearing. Although, he also couldn’t argue with Ratchet’s logic, either. Optimus feeling pain to some degree was better than the alternative. Still, the rallybot wished there was another way.

Optimus Prime wrote:“Then do it. It’s alright. It would cause me greater pain to ever again bring harm to any of you, Autobots.”

“I…understand, Optimus,” Smokey replied as he followed Prime over to the examination table where his friend and leader laid down. “I just wish we could cure you instead of inflicting pain on you. But, I get the reasoning and I agree that this is the best option.”

Optimus then reiterated to Ratchet that this was his final decision and Ratchet nodded, saying that he hoped they never have to use the killswitch. Smokescreen couldn’t agree more, but remained silent on the matter as he kept his focus on Optimus, placing a reassuring hand on his right shoulder plate. Both Ratchet and Kup exchanged words with those in the command conference room, but the rallybot paid little mind until…

Ratchet wrote:"Maybe while I'm getting this thing in place, I'll find something else glitchy that will explain what's been happening to you, Prime. We can hope, anyway.”

“Yes, we can,” Smokey muttered quietly, casting a slight smile at Prime as Kup then excused himself from the cell.

Medical Bay

Grimlock wrote:>>”Dinobots, this Grimlock. Drop what you doing and head back to the Trion now! We have new mission. Be on bridge in no more than two breems.”<<

Snarl perked up at the sound of his commander’s voice over the shared comm line. Pushing himself away from the bulkhead he had been leaning against for awhile now, the Desert Warrior looked over at his aerial comrade who was still sitting on a med berth, admiring his new leg.

“Swoop, you heard Grimlock. Let’s go! Time to put that new leg of yours to good use,” Snarl bellowed as he motioned for the Dinobot Bombardier to follow him. Wasting no further time, the stego-former made his way out of the med bay and headed for the bounce chamber.

Autobot Frigate Gaurdian- Mess Hall

Bumblebee had some of the engex as he listened to the pink and white cassettibot. As he had thought, she had been thinking a lot about Prime's state, but she expressed that ultimately she was happy he was back and that he was going to be alright. Bumblebee smiled and nodded to this, in understanding. When she mentioned how she had played music during a battle, Bumblebee smiled more and he replied to her,

"Well, playing music in battle is either stupid or brave....but whatever it is, it's admirable for sure! Your tunes go a long way in boosting the morale of the Autobots, Rosanna. As for Beachcomber....yah he's one cool dude. The most peaceful guy on the team. I'm sure he would love to hang out with you and enjoy some music, but don't forget, you're an important part of the Autobot team. Blaster needs you. We all need you. You're a warrior as much as I am...and well...I'm more of a scout anyway.", Bumblebee said, smiling sheepishly and scratching the back of his helmet for a second.

Bumblebee also chimed in about the good choice of engex Alpha had chosen, saying, "Yah Alpha, it's good stuff."

The little yellow mech then listened to what Alpha Bravo had to say, and he replied, "Of course, Alpha. We're all in this together. Just gotta keep the faith. If ol' Big Bot's not worried, I'm not either. We just gotta keep moving forward."

Bumblebee slowly sipped at his glass of engex. Being here with friends was relaxing. It was much better than the crowded brig for sure, as much as Bee wanted to be there right next to Optimus. Ratchet and the others knew what to do, and Optimus needed more space and time to heal up. The sooner he was out of the brig and back in the bridge, the better.

"So you guys....have you heard yet? Optimus says he's gonna take a crew to go to Cybertron. Something there is calling him....maybe something to do with the glitch he had earlier, and something to do with the Matrix. I'm going with him if he allows it. I insist. What about you two? We have a lot going on now it seems.", he asked. It would be good to talk about important matters. Whatever they chose to do, their roles would play some part in the big picture of bringing peace and brotherhood to the Earth and the universe.

Guardian-Arcee's Cabin

Arcee lay on her stomach on her re-charging slab near a window. In her hands was her personal data pad. She was going through recent information headlines in the Autobot News. Of course there was the biggest headline...Optimus Prime was back, and after a horrible rampage resulting in critical injuries for several allies, especially Jazz, he was back under control and being held in the brig as Ratchet was going over his condition. There was another headline....it was safe to visit Optimus in the brig, but there was an added note, saying restrictions had been placed on brig access due to there being too many visitors.

Arcee huffed and rolled over. She had wanted to go visit their leader too, until the add-on appeared. 'Guess it can't be helped though. I don't want to be a burden by being down there if I'm not needed.', she thought to herself and sat up. 'Hot Rod is on a mission on Earth, and I couldn't bring myself to go with him. I should have....the Fallen's influence on him was horrible, and I want to give him my support. But....I have to be strong too. If everything is taken care of here on ship, and the Antarctica team are doing their job to get that Ore-13, then perhaps I can head down to Autobot City and help out there. I think Springer is there too. He should know what to do.", she thought, making up her mind. She turned her data pad off and set it on her desk, exiting the room afterwards and heading down the hall towards the orbital bounce chamber room.

Bounce Chamber Room

The pink and white fembot approached the bounce pad and initiated a bounce for herself, when nothing happened. Instead, it pinged and said, "Bounce Unauthorized. Need Approval."

"What?! You gotta be kidding me! Wait...wasn't there a discussion about security measures Kup was working on? Damn old goat!", Arcee said in annoyance, and she commed Kup,

>>Kup, it's Arcee. I'm trying to go to Autobot City, but your new security measures won't let me beam down. Could you give me the OK to go? I need something important to do.<<, she messaged Kup, and awaited his response while she folded her arms and tapped her foot.

[Corridors]

Kup wrote:>>"Kup here. Y'are, eh? Well, that's good. I'd like to know just as much as the next 'Bot. I told Streetwise everything I could remember at the time, but if you have other questions, I'll do the best I can."<<

Rook looked up at Streetwise and Anomaly while he was trading comms with Kup. He connected the comm with the Protectobot and the scientist to ensure the other two also heard the conversation. >>”I see, so Streetwise knows it all then. But perhaps we could try digging in a little bit further back? How was Optimus holding up before the incident? Anything unusual or out of the ordinary?”<<

Rook chuckled under his breath. He felt like he was doing the job for the cop in front of him. >>”And if not, would either of you have any idea on who to ask?”<<

[Mess Hall --> Corridors to Bounce Chamber]

Grimlock wrote:>>”Dinobots, this Grimlock. Drop what you doing and head back to the Trion now! We have new mission. Be on bridge in no more than two breems.”<<

“Oof,” Sludge mumbled, “Looks like it time to go Slag.” The gargantuan dinobot tried to put his canister of Energon down, but fumbled and accidentally dropped it onto the table. A very loud and audible thunk could be heard in the mess hall. “Oops…”

With that out of the way, the big boy headed out and towards the bounce chamber. He saw Snarl approaching and waved at him.

Sludge looked down at the control panel for the bounce chamber. It looked like garbled nonsense to him. He looked over to an Autotrooper on the side. “Me Sludge no understand control panel. Autorooper do oparatashun on control panel. Me want to go Trion.”

The Autotrooper tried his hardest to not let out a giggle, in fear of getting his head pummeled by the giant Dinobot. He tapped the coordinates and locked into the Trion, motioning for Sludge to step onto the pad. With a flash of bright white light, the big boy Dinobot was gone.

[Bridge – Command Conference Room]

Red Alert wrote:"Well, sir, I have several proposals that I'm forwarding to you and the other participants of this meeting. What I'm noticing is a lot of, erm, wandering. Unauthorized travel into areas where your typical Autobot should not be. We have some measures in place to curb that sort of thing, but we seem to rely a lot on trust. I'd like to try identifying more high-security areas and restricting access to said areas."

Magnus nodded. “You would be correct. We do, in fact, need to get a hold on the access levels of Autobots. I would highly recommend that we allow access to those who are genuinely working towards larger goals, such as Kup’s team of investigators, or those embarking on missions. Of course, they should only be allowed to access the areas necessary for them.”

Prowl wrote:As for sending comms through subspace, I would suggest we use ship-wide encrypted signal dampeners to prevent our personal comms from getting beyond a certain range unless proper codes are utilized. That way a stray communique won’t find it’s way to Soundwave’s audios.”

“Absolutely. Red Alert, I’ll leave it to you to set these things up. Once Blaster returns from Sol-4, I’d like you to work with him on fully setting up the signal dampeners. Additionally, though not necessary straight away, it would be of use to set up certain protocols and regulations for the way mechs around the fleet behave. As they are right now, I believe that they are too lax. Tightening up the troops would keep everyone alert and ready for if and when the moment is right.”

Prowl wrote:“Looks like we’re back in Earth orbit next to the Ark-22 and the Trion. If there is nothing more, Commander Magnus, I should probably get going and head down to the Autobot City site and see what’s going on with Omega Supreme and the status of the overall construction. I have to debrief the big guy and the sooner I do that the better.”

“Of course. I believe this should be all for the moment. Make your way to the surface, Prowl, and inform me of the happenings once you are done. Everyone, dismissed.”

Magnus stood up from his seat, making his way out of the conference room alongside the rest.

[Mess Hall]

Arbalest wrote:“Absolutely. If there’s one thing that separates us from Cons, it’s that we always have each other’s back, no matter what. And both Warpath and I would gladly love to help you out of this shell that you’re stuck in. You just have to believe. Don’t worry about disappointing anyone else. Anyone can make mistakes, it’s only natural. And I want you to understand that, at least with the two of us, you can make mistakes and be assured that we’ll be there to help you pull through it, no matter the situation.”

Overclock stopped in his tracks. Time seemed to stop as well. Everything around him felt like a surreal dream, as if he was floating in space, with hypnotic colours and shapes. And from the distance, he could hear a heavily reverberating voice repeating Arbalest and Warpath’s words. “We’re all in this together. We’re all in this together.”

When his optics snapped back to reality, he looked at the mechs around the table. A loud, bulky red tank commander, and a humble, dextrous hunter. And himself, a (usually) professional stealth operative. What a group.

“We’re all in this together,” he repeated lowly. “We’re all in this together.”

His tone of voice dramatically changed.

“Yes, we are! And I’m going to stop at nothing to make sure that my comrades - no, my friends - survive through this together.” Overclock raised his glass to the air, his optics gleaming with a newfound sense of confidence.

Warpath grinned widely and raised his drink as part of the toast. The drinks clinked upon touching each other. “Frag yeah! That’s the spirit! Clocker, Arbsy, we’re gonna have a helluva time down here!”

Everything fixed itself, didn’t it?

Yes. Yes it did.

[Bridge]

Eject wrote:“Come on, Blaster, I’m your number one ace. It’s the seventh inning stretch, you can’t keep me out of the game.”

“Alright, alright, hop along with me,” Blaster motioned for Eject to follow. He made his way to the bounce chamber, and just before he dialled the controls to go to the Trion, he looked at his little cassettobot buddy. “Are ya ready to rumble?”

[Mess Hall]

Bumblebee wrote:"Of course, Alpha. We're all in this together. Just gotta keep the faith. If ol' Big Bot's not worried, I'm not either. We just gotta keep moving forward."

“Yeah. We’ll move forward with all that we have. Sticking around on old issues is a bit… well, it doesn’t help your mind. I had to learn that the hard way.”

He looked down at Bumblebee and Rosanna, but only literally and not figuratively. In fact, figuratively, he looked up to them. Bumblebee was a well liked bot by almost any Autobot, and Rosanna was an incredibly talented musician. As for Alpha? He didn’t know. He felt as if he was forged just to… fit a purpose. Replace someone in case they weren’t capable of doing the job anymore. The depressive thoughts started settling in again, fogging out the conversation, until Bee said something that piqued his interest.

Bumblebee wrote:"So you guys… have you heard yet? Optimus says he's gonna take a crew to go to Cybertron. Something there is calling him… maybe something to do with the glitch he had earlier, and something to do with the Matrix. I'm going with him if he allows it. I insist. What about you two?"

“Cy.. Cybertron?!” Alpha had a moment of awe and surprise. “Really?”

He loved Cybertron. His love for Cybertron was above his love for all else. When the war broke out, and they had to leave… He was devastated. He couldn’t look at his world get laid to waste like that.

But now, they were talking about going to Cybertron. Alpha stood up from his chair out of pure instinct. His voice had a bold determination.

“I’m going to go as well. If it’s Cybertron, there’s no one who will stop me.”

Bridge – Communications Station/Bounce Chamber

Blaster wrote:“Alright, alright, hop along with me,” Blaster motioned for Eject to follow.

Eject leapt to his feet in the chair, his arms thrown straight above his head. “Goooooooaaaaalllll! Goooooooaaaaaallll Goooaaa…” His voice trialed off as Blaster was already at the turbo lift. Whoa, don’t want to fall too far behind. No second half in this game.

Time to go to the bull pen. He pressed the button signaling he was leaving his station and jumped from the chair and made it into the turbolift as the doors slid closed. Another coat of paint and he would’ve been caught. “Gotta keep it close for the comeback,” he said, his optics beaming. “Thanks for the chance, coach. I won’t let you down.”

As happy as he was, he refused to break into an endzone touchdown dance. The last thing he wanted was for Blaster to change his mind.



Eject’s control over his antics lasted until the turbolift opened and he followed Blaster through the corridor to the bounce chamber. He did manage to keep his energy exertion low with a brief salsa number, staying just behind Blaster, of course.

Once they reached the bounce chamber, Eject took his place on the platform and waited for his friend. He was beyond pleased at finally getting something to do that didn’t involve listening to the mundane radio chatter between the ships. It was then he realized he hadn’t a clue where they were going.

Blaster wrote: “Are ya ready to rumble?”

“As ready as ever, boss. Is it a home or away game?" This is what I get for falling asleep during team meetings.

Brig--Exterior

>>Kup, it's Arcee. I'm trying to go to Autobot City, but your new security measures won't let me beam down. Could you give me the OK to go? I need something important to do.<<

Kup grimaced as he pulled out a datapad and began looking over the bounce protocols after Arcee's transmission came through. Red Alert was working fast.

>>"Hey, ease up Pinky. There're Autobot Command's new security measures. I'm just the enforcer. Ya don't like 'em, take it up with them. That bein' said, yeh, I can clear ya,"<< Kup said before authorizing the bounce remotely. >>"There. Should be good t'go."<<

In the meantime, Rook had also responded to Kup's earlier feedback regarding the Prime situation.

>>”I see, so Streetwise knows it all then. But perhaps we could try digging in a little bit further back? How was Optimus holding up before the incident? Anything unusual or out of the ordinary? And if not, would either of you have any idea on who to ask?”<<

>>"From all the accounts I've been gettin' so far, and what I saw of Buckethead....they were both actin' completely normal. Then....I dunno, it's like a switch flipped. They weren't themselves after that. Then in the midst of that melee we had in the med bay there, it's like switch just flipped again. Now we got Prime talkin' just like the Prime we've always known again. I cut away some pieces of the wall where Megatron's black energy hit, gave it t'Swerve. Hopefully the Metallurgist on the team can identify it. That's my only lead so far."<<
___

Mess Hall--Corridors to Bounce Chamber

>>”Dinobots, this Grimlock. Drop what you doing and head back to the Trion now! We have new mission. Be on bridge in no more than two breems.”<<

Grimlock's transmission came through just as Slag had finished his latest container of engex. He was feeling good. Slaggin' good.

“Oof. Looks like it time to go Slag. Oops…” Sludge said, dropping his container as he got up. He'd obviously ingested a bit too much.

"'Bout fraggin' time," Slag grunted as he pushed himself away from the counter and followed as Sludge made his way for the bounce chamber. He moved to try and steady the bigger Dinoboat's gait, but held back. No sense in getting them both knocked over.

Once inside the bounce chamber, Slag almost short-circuited from embarassment when he heard the words "Me Sludge no understand control panel. Autorooper do oparatashun on control panel."

He needed to turn the autotrooper to molten char right then and there so there would be no record of this incident ever happening. But he thought better of it and just followed Sludge over to the bounce chamber where he too, thank Primus, was soon off the ship in a bright flash of white.

Corridors/Mess Hall

Trailbreaker had had a lot to think about, and he’d done most of it while walking along the corridors of the Guardian. As much as things had gone wrong on Earth, from his point of view, anyway, it could have been worse. They’d returned with everyone pretty much intact, but he could have done more; he knew he could’ve. There was always something more to be done, but until next time, he accepted the fact he’d been able to save those he was capable of.

Just gotta be more prepared. It’s as simple as that, he thought as he nodded to a passing mech. And that meant more training and planning, not to mention getting some lead out of his aft. He chuckled at the last part and shook his head. Never too late to plan for a better tomorrow.

The one thing he couldn’t argue with was having Prime back. He didn’t mind Ultra Magnus — in small doses — but they needed Prime. He hated the fact he hadn’t been there to help protect Jazz and a couple others when he arrived, but from the reports he’d read and the amount of Autobots waiting to see him, things were getting back to normal. He hadn’t realized just how much having Prime around boosted his mood as well as the others’. “And we can start kicking Deception’s thrusters with a purpose,” he said, chuckling once again.

That time a passing mech also laughed, earning him a smile from Trailbreaker. Yep, things are on the upswing. They have to be. Can’t get much lower than we’ve been.

He’d never utter that last part to another Autobot, or that fact he felt responsible for their failures. He was supposed to be a defensive strategist, yet he’d been caught flat-footed more than a couple of times. Not anymore, he swore silently to those around him.

He paused outside the mess hall and looked inside. He spotted a couple of ‘Bots he had a history with like Bumblebee and Rosanna right away. While he wasn’t one of those psychiatrists the humans chatted away about on their airwaves, he thought they needed some cheering up.

Some energon never hurt, either. He smacked his lips at the thought of some fresh, cold energon. Nothing like it in the universe, he thought, chuckling as he entered the mess hall.

“Bee! Rose! Hope you two aren’t causing any trouble in here without me. I might take offense to that.” He smiled at them, resting his hands on his hips as he nodded hello to Alpha Bravo and the others.

Bridge-->corridors

Hot Spot caught up to the Dinobot commander easily. He noticed the corridors were crowded. It must be all the different missions happening. Even though he fought to be on this mission with his team, a part of him missed his chair on the bridge. Things been going on so much he wondered whose chair and ship this truly belonged to. In name it was still the Protectobots but it doesn't seem for them to stay there for long. Ultimately though, the ship belonged to all Autobots so it didn't really matter who sat in what chair. Hopefully this realization will seep into the Dinobots when it comes to the Trion.

"Grimlock, I have Groove and Blades meeting us in the bounce chamber. Groove is an excellent scout while Blades may fit in your group better than you may think."


Jetfire followed everyone else out to the corridors. If he understood everything correctly, which he does 99.5% of the time, the bounce chamber will be a bit busy. He wanted to head over to the ark to check in person on how the process was going on the Aerialbots. It may be prudent to wait a cycle or two in order for the bounce chamber to clear out. Instead, he headed to the main science lab to review the designs for the gestalt phases and to work on his commander drone project. The environmental suit idea Hot Spot had in mind also intrigued him but he will need to get with Iron Fist before he delves into it. In order to do that, Superion will have to be done and tested.


Lower corridor-->bounce chamber
Blades found his way from the shared suite of the Protectobots down through the ship. He was glad to have some sort of mission to get his rotor blades started again. The down time was getting to him. Once he got into the bounce chamber, he was surprised to see Arcee there.

"Where you going, Arcee? You have a mission as well or simply seeing someone off the ship?"