The Energon Pub

Medical Bay – Secure Medical Bay Exterior

The light on the side of Rewind’s head flicked on as Kup approached the security console. The door slid open in short order. Kup motioned for Rewind to let him take the lead, something Rewind was all too willing to let the old warrior do. He followed behind Kup, noting immediately as he entered the room that security – while it had been noticeable outside of the room – was practically doubled within it.

Rewind’s visor fell on Megatron next, expecting…well…he didn’t exactly know what. But Megatron staring absently into space was not it. Weird…The archivist then noticed that there was someone besides him and Kup in the room. One of the medics…Pharma! Right, Pharma. But Rewind’s gaze didn’t linger long on the medic. He was far more concerned with the embodiment of all that the Autobots stood against for the past four million years. It was so strange…seeming him lying there passively like that.

"Never thought I'd see the day. A pile of slag on the battlefield, sure. But captured? Nah. I can't believe it."

Rewind swiveled the camera around to Kup briefly before setting it back on Megatron. “There’s the proof right there…but…It’s…a little odd that he’s just…staring like that. Can he hear us?”

Corridors

“Hey. Don’t listen to that brat, okay? Whatever he said or did. He’s not worth it.”

“Yeah I know, Blurr, but it’s hard not to,” Hot Rod replied as he kept walking towards the mess hall. “You’d think that considering everything we’ve been through, Hex would be a little more understanding. You’d think the experience of being a herald would’ve caused him to feel some kind of remorse for the stuff we were forced to do. But he doesn’t even seem affected at all by what happened to him or the rest of us. Instead, it’s just a big joke to him.” The cavalier stopped for a moment, looking over at the blue speedster. “He actually told me that he was the one controlling the Fallen. Can you believe that? He thinks it’s all funny. I have to wonder sometimes why he’s even an Autobot at all. I mean, he acts more like a ‘Con than any ‘Bot I’ve ever met. A brat is an understatement.”

Hot Rod started walking again, rounding a corner before approaching the double doors of the mess hall, which then parted down the middle and exposed the chamber beyond. “I tell ya, Blurr, I can’t wait to get drunk on high grade. I just want to forget about everything for a while. Being possessed, those dreams, Hex’s taunts, I just want to forget it all,” the cavalier said as he stepped across the threshold and entered the mess hall.

Mess Hall

Wasting no time, Hot Rod made his way across the room and took a seat at the bar, waving the bartender over. “A bottle of high grade energon please and one glass to go with it.” The drone behind the counter nodded and quickly retrieved what the red and orange Autobot had requested, placing both onto the bar top. The cavalier opened the bottle and poured the first shot into the glass before downing it quickly and pouring himself another. “Ah, now that’s good stuff!” Hot Rod commented as he downed his second shot of high grade.

“Come find us.”

Hot Rod looked up from his glass and stared at the bar-tending drone behind the counter. “Did...did you just saying something?”

”Come find us, Rodimus. Come find the light,” the bartender said as the room became enveloped in a bright white light. Everything was now gone as an ice and snow covered landscape had replaced the mess hall. Hot Rod stood up, stumbling backwards as wind-driven snow blew all around him. Was this another dream? No, it couldn’t be. He was awake before, wasn’t he? A vision perhaps? “Come find us, Rodimus, before it’s too late!”

Just then the cavalier heard a loud noise coming from above. It sounded like engines or maybe an explosion. Looking up, he saw the shadow of a ship descending through the snow storm. It roared by just overhead, forcing Hot Rod to duck down in the process. He stood back up to his full height just as the ship crashed into the ice not far away. The ground shook so violently that it caused Hot Rod to fall backwards onto his aft.

Suddenly, as quickly as the vision had appeared, it was all gone and the cavalier found himself sitting on the floor of the mess hall. The ice, the snow, the storm, the crashed ship, all were now gone. It was similar to the dreams he had while asleep in the CR chamber, but this time he was wide awake. Was it a vision of some kind? Was someone really trying to tell him something? Or was he simply going crazy?

“What the frag was that?!” Hot Rod exclaimed, picking himself up off the floor. He looked back to the bar where the drone was staring at him with a confused look on its faceplate. “You! You said something to me right?” The cavalier rushed back over to the bar, pointing accusingly at the drone. “You just spoke to me! I heard you!” The drone shook its cranium from side to side, letting out a series of beeps in response. “I know I heard it. I know I did!”

Hot Rod slowly turned around to face the others that had followed him down to the mess hall. “Did you guys just see that? Blurr, you saw that right? You heard the bar drone talk right? You saw the snow and the ice and the ship? It was some kind of hologram wasn’t it? Is Hound in here? Maybe his hologram gun malfunctioned.” The cavalier looked around the room but he did not see the green scout anywhere. Hot Rod let out a deep sigh as he placed his head into both hands and leaned back against the bar. “I must be losing it. First those dreams and now this. There’s something wrong here, something very very wrong.”


((OOC: Just to clarify, no one but Hot Rod heard the bar drone talk or saw the vision of the ship crashing into the snow and ice. The blue sections above were all in the cavalier’s head.))

Mess Hall:

“What the frag was that?!”

"Dude, CHILL!" shouted Cliffjumper with a startled look on his face, "it's the energon your ordered! Too strong?"

"Shut up Cliff!" said Clocker as he ran over to try and help Hot Rod back to his feet.

“You! You said something to me right?” The cavalier rushed back over to the bar, pointing accusingly at the drone. “You just spoke to me! I heard you!” The drone shook its cranium from side to side, letting out a series of beeps in response. “I know I heard it. I know I did!”

"...said what?" asked Clocker. This was not something energon could've done to him. Especially since he only took a couple sips.

Hot Rod slowly turned around to face the others that had followed him down to the mess hall. “Did you guys just see that? Blurr, you saw that right? You heard the bar drone talk right? You saw the snow and the ice and the ship? It was some kind of hologram wasn’t it? Is Hound in here? Maybe his hologram gun malfunctioned.”

"No, none of that happened, Roddy," said Cliffjumper simply.

-------

“I must be losing it. First those dreams and now this. There’s something wrong here, something very very wrong.”

At that moment, this event triggered something in Rosanna's mind. She knew that the common denominator between her and Hot Rod was in fact guilt. A guilt so strong that it makes them see things unseen. Her mind flashed back to when the war first began. She remembered her and a couple of her friends; Diskjam and Stagebright; being attacked by a gang of Decepticons on Cybertron. It was shortly after she and her friends decided to join the Autobot cause. Rosanna was the only one however that publicly announced what side she was on. Due to that fact, she became a target.

They died because of me. I was trying to do the right thing by publicly stating what side I am on, and ended up endangering my friends, and them being killed. I was the one who publicly said whose side I was on, why wasn't I the one who died? It's my fault that they died. Watching their sparks being torn from their chests, I might as well have been the one to do the deed. Oh Diskjam; Stagebright, why did you have to die?

Overtaken by grief, Rosanna ran out of the Mess Hall and into the corridors to try and wipe her eyes without anyone's interference. Hopefully everyone was distracted with Hot Rod enough to not notice her leave.

"Oh Stagebright, Diskjam, I never forget you," said Rosanna with her face in her hands. The dreams and echoing voices I hear every day. The screams of my friends in their final moments still imprinted in my mind, and infesting my nightmares. I can't handle this! This torturous grief. Frag it all. Rosanna felt her pistol on her side. The handle felt extra cold. She had contemplated this so many times before. She knew that since it's a sound-wave pistol, it would be quiet enough to be unnoticed. She grabbed the handle, but then felt as if something stopped her. Her arm shaking, she replaced her gun. No, they wouldn't want me to do it. That's the coward's way out of this. I have vowed a long time ago to myself that I will kill the ones who killed you. I miss you two so much. I need to stay positive. I need to stay happy.

Rosanna placed her back against the wall in this corridor she was standing in. Then she sensed that someone might have been heading her way from the Mess Hall. I really hope it's not that idiot Cliffjumper. I want to talk to Eject so badly right now.

((OOC: In case anyone is wondering, this is an open window for anyone who owns any of the related characters who have just entered the Mess Hall previously along with Rosanna to interact with her. The characters do not include Cliffjumper or Clocker; two that I own. This is meant to be a transition for anyone else's characters whom might be concerned.))

Corridors

The blue speedster listened as the cavalier vented to him about Hex. Seemed like he was just as rotten as ever. The whole herald thing having been a big joke to him. Blurr couldn’t say for sure what Hex was really feeling, but regardless of how he may actually feel, Hex was still a grade A brat. “Him controlling the Fallen? Yeah, hewishes.” Blurr rolled his optics. What else could you say about that one? Best to just leave him to Axle, honestly.

Mess Hall

Blurr followed Hot Rod in and took a seat at the counter, grateful to be able to rest his weight on something. He was still wiped out from that nasty energon plague. He waved his hand at the bartender. “Gimmesomethingthat’llput a springinmystep.” The bartender drone almost seemed to give Blurr a look before passing him a cube of energon with a curly straw in it.

Pulling the cube close, Blurr offlined his optics and ingested the energon in one continuous gulp. As the energon entered his system, he felt himself revive a bit. Mmm…so good. And so lost was Blurr in his reenergizing world that he was only brought out of it by the sound of someone landing on their aft. Hot Rod in this case.

“What the frag was that?!”

“What?”

Watching with some confusion and slight horror as Hot Rod accused the poor bartending drone of talking to him, Blurr kept sipping his energon. As the cavalier turned to him and the others, he explained more of what he meant. Only. It made no sense. And was more than a little concerning considering recent events.

Blurr patted Hot Rod lightly on the back, trying to physically reassure his friend. “Hey, trytotakeiteasy, okay?” Blurr said, “It’ll bealright. I didn’t see any shiporsnow, but youknow. You’vebeenthrough a lot lately. Takeiteasy.” He wasn’t sure how to console Hot Rod. But he didn’t want to cast doubt on him either. That wouldn’t do him any good.


Corridors Outside Mess Hall

Velocity was just about to enter the mess hall when Rosanna burst out, clearly distressed by something. It hadn’t seemed like the smaller femme had noticed her as she ran by. Velocity lingered for a moment, glancing into the mess hall to see Hot Rod and the others gathered there. She glanced back over to Rosanna who had her face in her hands.

"Oh Stagebright, Diskjam, I never forget you.”

Oh no…perhaps something one of the others had said had triggered a bad memory in Rosanna? Velocity watched the former pop star with care. As she reached for her pistol, Velocity made to intercept her. But she paused as Rosanna quickly holstered it once more. Primus. How did one go about approaching this? Well, gently perhaps.

Walking over to the smaller mech, Velocity leaned lightly on the wall Rosanna was resting against. “Are you alright, Rosanna? What was that about?”

Secured Medical Bay

“There’s the proof right there…but…It’s…a little odd that he’s just…staring like that. Can he hear us?”

Megatron stared absently at the ceiling. But at Rewind's words,a flicker of....something....seemed to pass through his optics.

"Oh, I hear you," the Slagmaker hissed softly.

Kup's optics narrowed. Of all the greetings he'd imagined receiving from a captured Megatron--invectives, death threats, promises to burn every last Autobot alive until he was immediately freed--the one he got was not on the list. It was pretty slaggin' clear that Megatron's body was here, but his mind wasn't. Not entirely at least.

Was the same true for Prime? No. Couldn't be. Optimus seemed like the same old Optimus. A little discombobulated maybe, but he certainly recognized who was speaking to him. Kup wasn't entirely sure Megatron knew what galaxy he was in.

"Yeah? Well, good. I'd hate to have this conversation twice. I got orders to make your stay a little more 'comfortable' while you're with us, Megatron. Meantime...how 'bout you tell us a little story, eh? Last we saw you, you disappeared in some sorta distortion along with Optimus. You obviously lived. You wanna tell us what happened between then'n now?"

Kup looked over at Rewind and put a hand to the side of his vocalizer.

"Make sure y'get all this, kid."

Corridors Outside Mess Hall:

"I'm... really sorry I..." Rosanna was having a hard time saying anything. She knew someone was coming, but she didn't know anyone saw the whole thing. 'At least Velocity is a medic' she thought.

Rose looked up at the caring face, and then said, "It wasn't anything anyone did to me in there or anything. In fact quite the opposite. I..." Rosanna paused and then looked at the lounge door from a distance, "Hot Rod may be having some challenges of his own in there. He said something about "snowy areas" and how he was just transported somewhere else or something. He also shouted at the bartender drone that it said something to him."

Rosanna then looked down and said, "It seems to me that it might be guilt on his part. Primus knows how much guilt I feel every day over lost colleagues, and how much it can warp one's view of reality."

She then said, "I know I should've gotten over those things a long time ago, but they were just my..." Rosanna stopped to avoid any leaks out of her optic fluid dispensers. Instead she covered her face once again with her hand.

Mess Hall:

Even with this ruckus going on, the very observant Clocker noticed Rosanna's leave.

"Hey, did any of you notice Rosanna leave? She seemed in a hurry."

Cliffjumper responded, "Idunno. She might've gone to get some help or something. I think all Hot Rod needs right now though is just some friendly company, and maybe even a game of cards."

Clocker rolled his optics at Cliffjumper, but knew that ultimately it was Hot Rod's choice.

Corridors Outside Mess Hall

"Hot Rod may be having some challenges of his own in there. He said something about "snowy areas" and how he was just transported somewhere else or something. He also shouted at the bartender drone that it said something to him."

“Hm…” Velocity glanced back at the entrance to the medical bay. That was worrying. She wanted to give Hot Rod an examination just to make sure that all was well. Given how Ratchet was preoccupied, he might not have had time to check them all out. Velocity didn’t exactly have his…ah…command of attention. But that could wait until she was sure Rosanna was alright.

"It seems to me that it might be guilt on his part. Primus knows how much guilt I feel every day over lost colleagues, and how much it can warp one's view of reality."

Velocity rested her hand on Rosanna’s shoulder as the smaller mech began to break down. “There, there…I didn’t know them, but if they were your friends, I’m sure they’d hate to see you suffering so much on their behalf. Don’t you think?”

Corridors Outside Mess Hall:

“There, there…I didn’t know them, but if they were your friends, I’m sure they’d hate to see you suffering so much on their behalf. Don’t you think?”

Rosanna sighed, and then paused for a bit. Velocity was right, but that didn't mean Rosanna was able to change her emotions permanently. She had been told similar things like 'They wouldn't want you to feel this way' and other things of the sort, but it never worked for long. That's not how emotions work. Especially ones that have been scarred in a certain way to force her in a certain mindset. Oh yes, she could definitely try to put on a smile, and of course she could try and act happy, but that only is a lying mask to tell everyone she's alright when she's not. Actual change is something that would take a long time to heal, and after millions of years of being forced into a specific view, change is not eminent. No, it's stupid.

Rosanna broke the silence with a single, short question, "Is Eject here?"

Corridors Outside the Mess Hall

Velocity could see it in Rosanna’s face. The fact that she’d been dealing with it a long time. That she had not healed. The young medic reached for Rosanna’s hand to grasp it in her own. She was not telling Rosanna to get over it. It wasn’t that simple. These sorts of things never were. But Velocity could offer her services to help her. She was no psychiatrist, but…she cared about the welfare of all of the Autobots both physical and mental.

"Is Eject here?"

“Not that I saw…let me check deployments…” Velocity rose to her full height and scrolled through her datapad. She glanced down at Rosanna. “You know I’m here for you if you ever want or need to talk.” She went back to scrolling through the datapad.

“Ah, here. He’s off on assignment with Prowl and some others down on Earth. So he’ll be back as soon as that’s done, I imagine.”

Corridors Outside the Mess Hall:

“You know I’m here for you if you ever want or need to talk.”

Rosanna could tell that Velocity truly cared. Of course, she's not a long-term friend of hers, but she is a medic nonetheless.

"Thanks... Velocity," Rosanna took a few seconds to remember the medic's name.

“Ah, here. He’s off on assignment with Prowl and some others down on Earth. So he’ll be back as soon as that’s done, I imagine.”

Rosanna frowned. It was very hard for her to let any of her friends get even out of her sight. Rosanna was in the medical bay when he went on assignment. If anything were to happen to him, I would not forgive myself.

"I hope he comes back sooner than later," said Rosanna simply.

Rosanna paused for a bit, and then grabbed her gun and handed it to Velocity, "Here, I have no good use for this right now. I don't trust myself."

Rosanna then stated, "Probably the only things keeping me above water right now are my team-mates. I know they would be devastated if anything happened to me, and I am the same way regarding them."

Corridors Outside the Mess Hall

"I hope he comes back sooner than later," said Rosanna simply.

“I’m sure he’ll be fine,” Velocity assured the little, pink femme. As Rosanna went for her gun again, Velocity tensed. But it soon become clear that Rosanna meant for her to take it. Which she did reflexively. She looked at Rosanna puzzled.

"Here, I have no good use for this right now. I don't trust myself. Probably the only things keeping me above water right now are my team-mates. I know they would be devastated if anything happened to me, and I am the same way regarding them."

Offering as much of a reassuring smile as she could muster, Velocity tucked the gun away and patted Rosanna gently on the shoulder. “I’m sure Eject, Blaster and the others are fine.” As she said that, something flashed to the forefront of her mind. Oh. Rewind. She doubled checked the logs. It seemed that he was now scheduled to rest after his surgery. “Even Rewind’s doing better after the battle with the Fallen. You have nothing to worry about.”

Corridors Outside the Mess Hall:

Rosanna started to feel more like herself again. It was odd. Somehow Velocity's way of comforting was, in a way, more comforting than Eject's way. Rosanna was used to trying to drown out the despair with distractions and games. Velocity; being a medic; seemed to know more about how to help with the root problem. Though the nurse hadn't said many things, something about her was more reassuring than many times her team-mates have tried reassuring her. At the same time, Eject was her best friend, and she really wanted to be able to spend time with him without talking about personal challenges. Maybe this was something that could help her in the long-run. Can it cure the problem? Certainly not. Can it help? Quite possibly. Maybe all this time she did need a physician to help her. Hm.

"Thanks a whole lot, Velocity," said Rosanna with almost a smile. Not quite a smile, but almost reaching one.

Rosanna then said, "You are a bigger help to me than you realize."

There was a brief pause.

Rosanna looked back at the Mess Hall doors, and then broke the temporary silence, "I believe that a certain cavalier may have some more serious concerns right now. Should we go check on em?"

Secured Medical Bay

"Yeah? Well, good. I'd hate to have this conversation twice. I got orders to make your stay a little more 'comfortable' while you're with us, Megatron. Meantime...how 'bout you tell us a little story, eh? Last we saw you, you disappeared in some sorta distortion along with Optimus. You obviously lived. You wanna tell us what happened between then'n now?" Sentinel Prime said, staring down at the incapacitated Megatron. The Slagmaker looked down at the energy shackles that were in place around nearly every flexible joint he had. He sneered. This was not 'Sentinel Prime'. He'd seen too much. Certain experiences had a shine on them that others didn't. This was one of them. He was beginning to understand how to cull his way through them. He leaned back on the slab, offlining his optics for the moment.

"We're not in a rush. I got nowhere else to be," Kup added. Kup. Not Sentinel. Megatron reactivated his optics. The room was different once more. Not extremely, but noticeably. As were those present. Now it was Kup and Rewind rather than Sentinel Prime and Ultra Magnus.

"Clearly I don't either," Megatron said, taking a moment to ponder the earlier line of questioning that seemed to be coming from Sentinel Prime. The battle on earth....yes.....Mount St. Helens. "But you know as much as I do, Autobot." Kup let out an exasperated huff in response.

"Y'see? I don't quite think that's true. We have all the records of what went on that day. But after you 'n Prime disappeared, we're kinda in the dark. You wanna enlighten us on what's gone on since then?"

"I've been to the Forge of Solus Prime. Vector Sigma. Nearly every city-state of Cybertron. The jungles of this 'Earth'. Across space and time. There have been very few constants. One of them was your precious Optimus Prime. The other? It-"

Megatron's optics suddenly went wide, his body straining against the restraints as the tyrant cried out in obvious pain and torment.

Mess Hall

"No, none of that happened, Roddy."

Hot Rod looked over at Cliffjumper. “It didn’t? No, of course, it didn’t. I really must be losing it.” Shaking his cranium, the cavalier walked back over to the bar and took a seat, glancing over at the confused bartender. “Sorry. It’s not you. It’s me. Something’s very wrong with me, I fear. The dreams, these visions I’m now having, they’re so real. Sights, sounds, smells, it’s like it’s really happening but only I can see it. Hell, I even felt it get colder in here all of the sudden, but I’m sure that didn’t happen, either.”

“Hey, trytotakeiteasy, okay? It’ll bealright. I didn’t see any shiporsnow, but youknow. You’vebeenthrough a lot lately. Takeiteasy.”

The flame-covered mech turned his attention to Blurr and cast the blue speedster a warm smile. “I’ll try to take it easy, but I know it’s not the energon. I’m either going crazy or there’s something else going on here. Whatever it is, maybe once Magnus finally destroys the Fallen’s spark I’ll feel more normal again, ya know? Until then I just have to take a deep breath and take things one step at a time.”

The entire situation Hot Rod now found himself in was very confusing for him. Were these just dreams and visions or were they something more? The realism of what he was experiencing seemed to indicate the latter was the case. But, if these visions were real, where were they actually coming from? Was the Fallen reaching out to him from the confines of that spark container Ultra Magnus still had? Was that fiery demigod still trying to torment him? Or was there something else, something good, trying to get through to the cavalier? Had his time under the control of the Fallen somehow opened Roddy’s mind to things that could only be described as paranormal? Was this some kind of psychic link to someone or something that was attempting to reach out to him?

There were too many questions and it all made Hot Rod’s processor hurt. He just wanted to forget about it and get back to the way things were before his possession. He wanted to be his old self again. But was that even possible after everything he had been through? Furthermore, if these visions continued to haunt him even after the Fallen’s spark was gone, the cavalier would need to deal with it. As much as he might want to, ignoring the problem would not make it go away. On the contrary, it might make things worse. Kup had given him that advice many times in the past. Of course, Hot Rod was a very stubborn mech and mostly did what he wanted regardless of what he was told.

"Hey, did any of you notice Rosanna leave? She seemed in a hurry," Clocker said.

"Idunno. She might've gone to get some help or something. I think all Hot Rod needs right now though is just some friendly company, and maybe even a game of cards." Cliffjumper responded.

“I didn’t see where she went,” Hot Rod interjected in regards to Rosanna. “Maybe you’re right, Cliff. Maybe a card game is just what I need to keep my mind off these visions.” The cavalier paused for a moment and turned towards the bar top. He grabbed the bottle of high grade and poured a decent amount into his shot glass. “That and another stiff drink. Hell, maybe if I get drunk enough I’ll completely forget everything that’s happened. That would be nice.”

Hot Rod then downed the shot of energon in one gulp before pouring himself another and then another after that.

Mess Hall:

Whatever it is, maybe once Magnus finally destroys the Fallen’s spark I’ll feel more normal again, ya know?

Cliffjumper interjected, "There's still a sensation of evil present in this place. Until the spark of the Fallen is fully extinguished, we're all gonna have to put up with it I suppose. It's the cruel reality I think."

“Maybe you’re right, Cliff. Maybe a card game is just what I need to keep my mind off these visions.”

“That and another stiff drink. Hell, maybe if I get drunk enough I’ll completely forget everything that’s happened. That would be nice.”

"Don't down it too fast, Hot Rod," said Cliffjumper, "I made that mistake recently and my gas chamber had to recover for a whole Mega-cycle."

Cliffjumper then grabbed a deck of cards off of a nearby table and sat down. "I'll deal," said the red Minibot.

"Maybe Rosanna will want to play too?" said Clocker as he sat down.

"She might. Hopefully she comes back soon so we can ask her," said Cliffjumper is response.

The red Minibot then lit a cigar and began to smoke as he then shuffled the cards. He didn't really have a desire to drink, himself. He just wanted to play cards and enjoy something for once. It was a rarity for him to sit down with a group of Autobots to do something and relax. I'll save the drink for when I need it.

Corridors Outside Mess Hall:

After Velocity responded to her, suddenly a familiar voice showed on Rosanna's comm:

>>Hey Rose, are you doing alright?<<

>>Eject! what are you doing?<<

>>I'm on duty. I c... chat long. I was just checking in.<<

>>On duty? Where? Doing what?<<

>>I'm on Earth. Don't worry, I... on lookout. Anyway, I only wanted to say sorry for not seeing you bef... ng on duty. I should be back at home base really soon.<<

>>Oh, okay Eject. Thanks for calling.<<

>>Of course! Now I gotta go. Seeya lat...<<

The comm went fuzzy then abruptly ended.

"I just got commed from Eject, Velocity. I'm glad he's fine."

[OOC: Eject is located in the Island of Secrets – Mission to Oahu.]

Medical Bay - Private Room

The edge of Jazz's mouth curled up with a hearty smile as the big red rig was able to pinpoint the memory. (Better than Jazz's own recollection at that too...) The black and white Porsche snapped his digits and pointed to Optimus with a "finger gun" as he began to recall where Optimus trailed off.

"That's right! Who woulda thought good ol' Maccaddam's was allowing that scrap to happen just to make a couple extra shannix per drink." The specialist shook his head in a moment of disbelief. This happened thousands, if not a million years ago, and it still grounded his gears. "Yeah, I'm just glad they kicked those fender-benders to the curb and got the old management back in place. Speaking of, you remember when we took the seventieth batch of rook's to that housing complex just above Mac's? Those circuit-speeder junkies were camping out there, then a couple of them leapt out the windows when we busted in, tumbling down towards everyone's favorite bar below." Jazz chuckled at that particular memory. "Heh. They didn't make it far from that crash now, did they?"

Corridors Near Mess Hall

Velocity smiled as Rosanna told her that she had just gotten commed by Eject. “I’m glad,” she said warmly, “But I should get back to the medical bay. Hot Rod seemed alright, and I’m sure if Ratchet wanted us to scan all of them, he would have told us to…” Velocity’s smile faded into one of worry. “Besides, we have a patient in critical condition.”

Velocity moved away from Rosanna, waving. “Rewind should be resting there too…I should check on him as well,” Velocity muttered, more to herself than Rosanna. She nodded at Rosanna and began heading back toward the medical bay.

Secured Medical Bay

"Oh, I hear you," the Slagmaker hissed softly.

A shiver went down Rewind’s spinal cord as the Slagmaker addressed him directly. Rewind adjusted the lens on his camera – more a nervous tick than anything else – and glanced to Kup without moving his head.

"Yeah? Well, good. I'd hate to have this conversation twice. I got orders to make your stay a little more 'comfortable' while you're with us, Megatron. Meantime...how 'bout you tell us a little story, eh? Last we saw you, you disappeared in some sorta distortion along with Optimus. You obviously lived. You wanna tell us what happened between then'n now?"

"Make sure y'get all this, kid." Kup said to him. Rewind centered his optics squarely on Megatron.

“Right,” Rewind whispered back, more than happy to play the cameraman role rather than ask the questions.

"We're not in a rush. I got nowhere else to be.”

"Clearly I don't either. But you know as much as I do, Autobot."

"Y'see? I don't quite think that's true. We have all the records of what went on that day. But after you 'n Prime disappeared, we're kinda in the dark. You wanna enlighten us on what's gone on since then?"

"I've been to the Forge of Solus Prime. Vector Sigma. Nearly every city-state of Cybertron. The jungles of this 'Earth'. Across space and time. There have been very few constants. One of them was your precious Optimus Prime. The other? It-"

Rewind jumped back, slamming against the wall as Megatron suddenly…what would you even call that?! Writhed in agony over nothing?! Rewind looked to Kup, clearly unsure, frightened.

“W-What do we do?! What’s happening to him?!” Rewind inched the slightest bit closer to the imprisoned tyrant. “Optimus wasn’t like this…He isn’t, right?” Rewind asked Kup uncertainly before looking back to Megatron. “Do we help him? Can we help him?”

Medical Bay – Private Room

"That's right! Who woulda thought good ol' Maccaddam's was allowing that scrap to happen just to make a couple extra shannix per drink." Jazz said, shaking his head.

Optimus looked at him. It seems that particular case was still grinding on Jazz even though how long ago it had been. Wait. Had it that long?

"Yeah, I'm just glad they kicked those fender-benders to the curb and got the old management back in place. Speaking of, you remember when we took the seventieth batch of rook's to that housing complex just above Mac's? Those circuit-speeder junkies were camping out there, then a couple of them leapt out the windows when we busted in, tumbling down towards everyone's favorite bar below." Jazz chuckled at that particular memory.

Optimus smiled beneath his mouthplate in turn. Yes, he remembered that as well. Though Zeta hadn't been particularly pleased by the aftermath.

"Heh. They didn't make it far from that crash now, did they?" asked Zeta Prime.

“No, they did not,” Orion Pax replied, “Jazz and I pursued and apprehended them and sent them to rehabilitation clinics.” Orion frowned. The orientation of the room was odd. Why was he laying down? Was he injured? Zeta looked far more at ease than he had expected at the news. Zeta usually didn’t appreciate his leniency.

Orion’s optics narrowed at Zeta. This…didn’t seem quite right, but…Orion continued with his report nonetheless. “Maccadam’s was reimbursed for the damages. You’ll find all of the appropriate paperwork in my written report.”

Corridors Near Mess Hall:

As long as Rewind was still in the ship, Rosanna didn't exactly need to go chasing him down. Who she was most concerned for now were Ramhorn and Steeljaw. She didn't bother to ask Velocity though because of her other 'patient' she spoke of, which Rosanna only could assume was Optimus from the amount of ruckus that went on earlier.

Rosanna decided to return to the Mess Hall to see how everyone was doing. She was surprised that Velocity didn't bother checking on Hot Rod very closely though. Huh, figures.

The former pop star reentered the Mess Hall.

Mess Hall:

As Rose entered, the whole room was much quieter than it had been previously when she left. Glad.

Rose sat down at the table that Cliffjumper guy seemed to be dealing cards to everyone. "Deal me in also," said Rosanna. She then called in a drink, "I'll take something strong, but something that's not going to lay me out."

Medical Bay Proper

Velocity reentered the medical bay to see that not too much had changed in her absence. Which was good. No news was good news tended to be the case. She made her way over into one of the surgical suites to check on their most critical patient. Veneer. He was hooked up to a variety of machines whose sole purpose was to keep him alive.

“Hang on, Veneer,” Velocity said, resting her hand on top of his. She checked his vital readings on the machines to see that nothing had really changed. Letting out a sigh, Velocity left the surgical suite to check on other patients in the bay at large.

Secured Medical Bay

Kup watched on as Megatron thrashed painfully in his restraints with the same look of surprise as Rewind. It lasted for only a few astroseconds, but it felt a lot longer. Without even realizing it, one of Kup's hands had started to push Rewind toward the door. This was the best technology available, but something about that fit made Kup worry just a little that Megatron might suddenly rip free of everything that was securing him in place. But the episode seemed to subside just as quickly as its onset, and Megatron's body slowly resettled into its previous position.

“W-What do we do?! What’s happening to him?! Optimus wasn’t like this…He isn’t, right? Do we help him? Can we help him?”

"Nah, kid. Optimus wasn't like this at all," Kup said, not really knowing whether that was completely true. Optimus sure hadn't acted as off-the-grid as Megatron was, but that didn't mean that whatever was affecting Megatron wasn't affecting Prime too. Kup had no idea what the two of them went through after they disappeared. None of them did.

"But it looks like our little Q & A is gonna need to hold off for a little bit until we get him transferred over to where Magnus wanted him. He's actin' too squirrelly for my likin'," the old timer added as he walked over and began attaching the monitoring devices that would allow Megatron to be securely bounced from this ship to the Ark without anyone being the wiser.

"And one for you, and one for me," Kup said as he handed another device to Rewind.

>>"Kup to Ark-22. Transferring subject D-1-M. Three for a secure bounce to the Ark's secure holding station. Priority alpha-one-seven-niner."<<

Medical Bay

Brawn opened his optics slowly, at first not realizing where he was or what was going on. He looked around tentatively, watching various Autobot medical staff pace and flow around the area. Brawn noticed that he was hooked up to something -- energon supply. "What happened to me?" Brawn thought to himself, but nothing came up. He knew where he was and what was going on, but that was pretty much it. One of the doctors came up to him, shining a light into his optics. The photo-receptors inside retracting and widening as the light moved back and forth. He wasn't tied down or restrained, but it sure felt that way. He flexed his servos, each digit moving slowly and unwillingly. Everything felt...creaky; rusty, perhaps. It just felt wrong that Brawn, a 90% physical Autobot; and perhaps the strongest of the faction, couldn't use his body for a minute. The doctor called over some more people, and although it took roughly 14 members of the staff, they were able to lift him to his feet. Brawn flexed and relaxed every part of his chassis, swiveling his neck and rolling his shoulders; feeling each piston pump and every cable spark. He likened it to what humans might feel if they just experienced sleep paralysis. It didn't really matter, all that Brawn cared about right now is his strength, and even without testing it he could feel that it was still there, in all of its glory.

Brawn was filled in on what had happened: He had been in stasis for a looong time. Something about a mission that turned into a trap, he had been hit bad. The Decepticon plan was to fire everything they had at Brawn at one time, to take him down quickly and then move on to the rest of the team. The first part had worked, but the rest of the team sprung into action. They fought off the ambush party and evacuated Brawn back to the base, where he was shipped to the Guardian's medical bay for recovery. Brawn was glad to learn that the rest of the mission team was ok, but there was a feeling of guilt that something was his fault; indirectly or not. He blamed himself for a second for not being strong enough to take the fire, but he got over it. Just a bad mission, he told himself. Nothing to get upset over. He was evaluated and it was determined that he didn't need to go through rehabilitation, everything seemed fine. He was assigned to more missions to continue his work for the team once he was cleared from the Chief Doctor's watch list.

Brawn was back.

Medical Bay - Private Bay

Jazz quickly rose to his feet when Optimus' words were starting to sound like he was slipping again. He was mentioning Zeta Prime this time, a name long gone in Cybertronian history. Whatever he was seeing was something that was really messing with his processor.

"Hey! Stay with me here buddy!" The Porsche-former was quick to rush to the Autbobot Commander's side and attempted to 'shake' the red and blue bot back into this reality. "C'mon Prime... Rivets Field; shortly after Sentinel was beaten, we began to form a strike group to combat Megatron's rise."

Private Transmission from Chromedome to Rewind

>>"Rewind that's... It's incredible! He's alive?! I mean, where has he been all this time??"<<