The Energon Pub

Corridors to Brig

“Getting rid of that wretched thing can’t come fast enough,” Hot Rod said, eliciting a nod from Ultra Magnus.

"If there's even a chance it could effect Prime....or you, again....we can't afford any more delays"

“We’ve got this, Commander. You should really save your strength until Ratchet can take a look at that back of yours,” Hot Rod added. Magnus was already turning to head back the way he had come and, ultimately, to the bridge.

"Have Ratchet send a medic to the bridge. They can work on me from there. He needs to stay with Prime," Ultra Magnus said as he continued to walk. He then reopened an earlier communication with Jetfire and a new link with Kup over on the Ark-22.

>>"Ultra Magnus to Jetfire, I need you to get to the Guardian, stat. Kup, what's the situation on the Ark-22?"<<

En Route to the Brig

"Swerve, I agree too. *sigh* It's... I'm not normally one to lose hope. I really hope Optimus will- Or even can return to his old self again. I just know that... Seeing our great leader put into our own brig is... Almost too much to bear for the more sensitive of us. Especially for those who have fought by him for so long."

“Well, yeah,” Swerve said, trotting along in the wake of those carrying Optimus to the brig. “It’s not like I enjoy seeing the big guy with a few screws loose. But at the same time, I want no part of being near him when he’s like that. Just look at what he did to Ultra Magnus! His own brother! Nope. No thanks. To the brig until he’s feeling himself again. Maybe check back in the next century or so.”

“Just stowit, Swerve! You don’thaveto tagalong,” Blurr griped at the red minibot. At this, a frown formed on Swerve’s faceplate, and he mercifully stopped talking.

For this part, Ratchet just sighed grumpily and shook his head. He had half a mind to shoo them away right now. But they were at least, helping and providing some minor form of security. So at least until they got to the brig. That was when Hoist came up to him with his repair tools already in hand. Primus. Ratchet batted him away with his good hand.

“I’m perfectly aware of that, Hoist, but I am not the one most in need of attention. I-“

Ratchet cut off as he saw Smokescreen returning with a hover gurney. Good. Good. Overseeing the transfer as they did it, Ratchet walked alongside it as it was pushed toward its destination.

"So, I just woke up from the CR, so I probably missed a lot, but, what happened right before Prime started attacking everyone else?"

Scurrying up to answer the question, Swerve stepped up behind Blackthorn. “Well, you see, Optimus-“

“Swerve,” Blurr said pleadingly before looking to Blackthorn. “We don’t know. Ratchet? You were with him. Do you know?”

Ratchet looked at them with a frown fixed on his faceplate. He wondered just how much he should disclose. The details were…well, a bit odd. He didn’t want to frighten or worry anyone unnecessarily.

“Yes, I…Optimus was acting strangely. As if he didn’t know where he was or recognize those surrounding him. However, he was quick to return to his senses when spoken to. This last time, however, he said…’We are the harbingers.’ Whatever that means. But what’s more concerning is the dark energy that came out of him. Everything in the room went offline and that was when he began his….rampage.”

Ratchet gave Magnus a look when the topic of the Fallen came up. Hot Rod was sure it wasn’t that, and Ratchet was inclined to agree. Hot Rod’s possession did not seem to have any of the symptoms that Optimus did. And yet…it was still worrying. With Optimus vulnerable like this…

"Have Ratchet send a medic to the bridge. They can work on me from there. He needs to stay with Prime," Ultra Magnus said as he continued to walk.

Turning to Hoist, Ratchet prodded the mech forward. “See to Ultra Magnus. I can take care of myself.” That taken care of, he opened a comm to Velocity.

>>”Velocity, can you see to Jazz? He’s wounded and needs to be under observation. It’s safe now.”<<

>>”Ah, yessir. You can count on me.”<<


Medical Bay

After having received orders from Ratchet, Velocity tentatively unlocked the door and peered out. The medical bay was mostly empty now. Most having fled in the wake of Optimus Prime’s rampage. It was incredibly disconcerting but she had a job to do. Stepping out, she searched for Jazz until she spotted him on a berth on life support.

Hurrying over, Velocity saw that Ratchet had tended to the most critical injuries. Taking out a laser scalpel, she leaned in to finish what Ratchet started.

“Jazz, can you hear me? It’s Lotty. You’re going to be okay.”

Comm from Streetwise to Swerve:

>>"Streetwise to Swerve: We need laboratory analysis of some metal plating in the secure holding cell of Ark-22. The piece in question was exposed to a strange fluid linked to Megatron's 'jailbreak'. Any assistance in your field would be much appreciated."<<

En Route to the Brig

“Hey, why don't I and the new guy- take care of this? You two need to take a rest.”

As Hot Rod and Smokescreen continued to maneuver Optimus Prime’s hover gurney down the corridor, the cavalier glanced over at Trailblazer who had just offered to take over for them. “We appreciate the offer, ‘Blazer,” Hot Rod replied with a warm smile. “But, Smokey and I are fine. Prime’s well-being is more important than us resting. You guys can always help Smokey guide the gurney while I continue to push if you want. I'll tell you, though, this gurney makes moving Optimus a breeze. Not much strength is needed.”

“Yeah, that’s a relief for me especially,” Smokescreen interjected with a chuckle as he kept his hand firmly on the foot of the hover slab.

“I think you need to see Wheeljack about a strength upgrade,” Roddy responded. “Even if it’s only a slight upgrade.”

“I’ll mention it to him whenever I see him next,” the rallybot said as they rounded a tight corner. The diversion expert had to use a bit more of his strength to keep the gurney from hitting one of the walls, but he managed, guiding it around the bend with the help of some others.

Speaking of Wheeljack, Hot Rod’s private comm line suddenly came to life with the engineer’s voice:

>>”Hot Rod, this is Wheeljack on the Ark-22. Perceptor and I are gearing up for a new mission planetside, and I thought you might want to stretch your legs and come along, maybe help take your mind off things. We’re heading for Antarctica to mine a large Ore-13 deposit deep under the ice. So, if don’t mind the cold, bounce on over here and meet us in the main hangar bay. Okay?”<<

Intriguing. A mission to Antarctica? An Ore-13 deposit deep under the ice? The cavalier’s mind flashed to some of the dreams and hallucinations he had previously experienced. Visions of ice and snow and something, a frigate perhaps, buried underneath it all. “Come find them. Come find the light. Come find salvation,” the voices had said. Had it all been real or was it just the crazy delusions of a really screwed up mech who was still feeling the effects of having been taken over by the Fallen not too long ago? This new mission to an icy region seemed to suggest it was not a delusion. Still, it could just be a coincidence.

Or not.

Hot Rod didn’t immediately respond to Wheeljack as he kept pushing the hover gurney to its intended destination while Burr and Swerve’s bickering echoed in the background and Ultra Magnus left for the bridge. Soon, they came upon the entrance to the Brig where they stopped and Smokescreen entered the necessary codes into the wall terminal. Shortly thereafter, the doors split down the middle and the cavalier pushed the gurney into the Brig as the rallybot continued to guide it across the threshold.

The Brig

Once inside, the group was met by two Autotroopers, fresh off the Trion, who were now serving as guards to an empty Brig. Unfortunately, it would not be empty for much longer.

“What is the meaning of this?” One of the Autotroopers demanded as he approached the hover gurney and those standing around it. “Is that…is that Optimus Prime?!”

“Yes, it is,” Smokescreen confirmed. “It’s a long story, but we need to place him in a cell for his protection and for ours. I see that you have plenty available.”

The autotrooper nodded and motioned towards the first cell on the left. The other guard deactivated the force field, allowing Hot Rod and Smokescreen, along with anyone else who was helping, to push and guide the hover gurney into the open cell. Once the gurney was situated in the center of the cell, the rallybot and cavalier exited back into the main chamber.

“He’s all yours, Ratchet. Take good care of him,” Hot Rod said, knowing full well that the CMO was likely about to throw them all out. “Now, if you’ll all excuse me, it seems Wheeljack and Perceptor need my help on a new mission. I wish I could stay longer, but duty calls.” The flame-covered mech then made his way towards the door, opening a comm line as he did so:

>>”On my way, Wheeljack. I’ll be there soon.”<<

“Wait. Mission?” Smokescreen said, inquisitively. “What kind of mission?”

Cutting his comm link, Hot Rod paused and briefly glanced back at the diversion expert. “The icy kind.” With a slight smirk on his faceplate, the cavalier then left the Brig and headed for the bounce chamber.

“An icy kind?” Smokey spoke aloud to no one in particular. “What the frag does that mean?”

The Brig:

Cliffjumper paused after Hot Rod walked off. He looked at Smokescreen, and then looked back towards Roddy's leaving figure.

"Wh- Wait, Roddy!" shouted Cliffjumper as he ran after Hot Rod, "I'm coming with! Wherever it is! For... Moral support!"

Corridors en route to Bridge

As Magnus walked onward, he noticed a smaller Autobot sidle up nearby. Designation: Overclock.

"I take it you're my designated medic?" Magnus asked absently before a reply transmission came in from Kup. Soon after, a series of video transmissions, video feeds that captured most all of Megatron's escape from the "secure" med bay.

Magnus stopped in his tracks, his fists tightening. He then opened up a secure, high-level encryption communique with Prowl and Grimlock.

--Critical situation aboard the Guardian. Command staff assembly urgent.--

Letting out a sigh of frustration, he continued on his way to the bridge.

Corridors by Brig

“We appreciate the offer, 'Blazer. But, Smokey and I are fine."

Trailblazer huffed. He felt useless, and he hated feeling useless. He took up Hot Rod's offer to assist Smokescreen.

He still felt useless.

Brig

They maneuvered the gurney with Optimus on it into a cell. Once again, Trailblazer was hit with demoralizing spirit at seeing his leader and the embodiment of his ideals trapped in a cell. He gave the Autotroopers an empathic look.

"Hang in there, guys."

The warrior followed Smokescreen and Hot Rod out of the cell, overhearing the two's exchange.

“Now, if you’ll all excuse me, it seems Wheeljack and Perceptor need my help on a new mission."

“Wait. Mission? What kind of mission?”

Hot Rod and Cliffjumper walked off, prompting 'Blazer to follow. "Please tell me I can join you two on this mission. I need to be useful."

Where ever this mission was, Trailblazer hoped it was warm.

Medical Bay

"Jazz, can you hear me? It's Lotty. You're going to be okay."

Despite being stabilized, the special operations director still felt a tremendous amount of pain. His chest felt like it was caving in on him, pressure sitting right against his spark chamber.

"Oh it feels-ah! Feels good to hear a friendly voice again." The black and white tried to speak, his ever optimistic tone returning despite the occasional outburst of pained hisses. "'Lotty, is he-Where's Optimus?"

Corridors

Ratchet shooed off Hoist with his hand. The chief medical officer was still as stubborn as always. "I’m perfectly aware of that, Hoist, but I am not the one most in need of attention." It was a good thing, however, because Ratchet really did care about the others. He turned sideways as Ratchet started to prod him. "See to Ultra Magnus. I can take care of myself." Hoist saw Ultra Magnus leaving, nodded at Hoist, and went after him.

Overclock looked up at the towering commander, Ultra Magnus, who spoke to him. "I take it you're my designated medic?" He shook his head, responding to him. "Negative, sir, I am merely here to-"

Hoist came running behind. He cut Overclock off. "Sir, it is I who is your designated medic. Overclock here is just assisting me." He motioned towards the path ahead. "It would be better for you to be in a medbay for repairs, but I understand you need to be at the bridge."

Hoist and Overclock followed Ultra Magnus to the bridge.

Bridge

"Sir, I will need you to sit down," the engineer motioned as he activated his head-mounted scanners, "The blade has cut quite deep." Several readouts appeared on Hoist's heads up display. Energon leaks. Damaged circuits. He was going to have a field day with this. "'Clock, can you help me patch that line up?" He handed Overclock a laser scalpel.

The operator activated his System Surge, adding a boost to his mental processors to make him think faster and move his digits more nimbly. A timer appeared on his interface, showing a countdown for 4 breems, after which the System Surge would expire. He took one of the scalpels that Hoist had given him and waited for Magnus to sit down.

Secured Transmission from Grimlock to Ultra Magnus:

>>”We, too, in critical situation, Magnus. ‘Con base exploded. Team down. Me get there when me can.”<<

Secured Transmission from Prowl to Ultra Magnus:

>>”Commander Magnus. I received your communique. Unfortunately, we have come under Decepticon attack and are currently attempting to return to base camp for a return bounce to the Ark-22. I will be there as soon as I can. Furthermore, it seems that Red Alert has had one of his paranoid delusional psychotic breaks again. He attacked Pinpoint and an autotrooper before stealing the data drives from our portable console and bouncing back to the Ark. You might want to warn them that he’s coming. Prowl out.”<<

Brig

Ratchet stepped inside the cell as the force shield was deactivated, taking in what was to be his makeshift operating theatre. He didn’t have any of his heavy equipment. He’d need some items to thoroughly examine Prime’s head. It was secure in here at least. He looked to Hot Rod as he spoke up.

“He’s all yours, Ratchet. Take good care of him,” Hot Rod said, knowing full well that the CMO was likely about to throw them all out.

“Harrumph,” Ratchet huffed as he marched toward them about to shoo the cavalier out. Fortunately, he had guessed Ratchet’s intent and made his exit with his usual flair. At least Hot Rod was back to his old self. Others followed after Hot Rod, including Cliffjumper, Blurr and a few others. To the remaining Autobots, Ratchet spoke.

“Alright, I need some of you to bring some equipment from the medical bay. You got that?” Ratchet wrote up a quick list and handled it over to Smokescreen. “Be quick about it!”

That was all he said before turning back to Prime who was securely fasted to his new berth. He let out a quiet sigh, looking his old friend over. It seemed like he hadn’t suffered too much damage in the scuffle, but what little he had, Ratchet set about repairing, hissing in pain as he moved his injured arm the wrong way.

“Fraggit!”


Corridors

Blurr had fled from the brig in pursuit of Hot Rod mainly because he knew Ratchet would shoo them out anyway, but also because he was a tad worried about the cavalier still. It seemed Cliffjumper was of the same mind. There was talk of a mission as well.

"Please tell me I can join you two on this mission. I need to be useful."

“Yeah, ifyou don’t mind, I’dliketo come alongtoo.”

Following along in the wake of Hot Rod’s group, Swerve looked at them with a dull expression. Geez, betray your friends and you get a fan club. Shaking his head, Swerve was about to say something about that when a comm buzzed in his head.

>>"Streetwise to Swerve: We need laboratory analysis of some metal plating in the secure holding cell of Ark-22. The piece in question was exposed to a strange fluid linked to Megatron's 'jailbreak'. Any assistance in your field would be much appreciated."<<

“Huh,” Swerve muttered. Well, that’d be something. He looked to the others, giving them a crooked smile. “I’ll tag along to the Ark-22, but I got something else to do.” He sent a comm back to Streetwise.

>>”Sure thing, Streetwise. I’ll be over in a second. We’ve been having a heck of a time here too. Optimus flipped out and went on a rampage. Crazy. You’re not safe in your own base! I tell ya, buddy, what I wouldn’t give for a breem or two of peace and quiet without hidden death lurking around every corner.”<<


Medical Bay

"Oh it feels-ah! Feels good to hear a friendly voice again."

Velocity suppressed a wince at Jazz’s pain and instead offered him a warm smile. Before she could warn him that he probably shouldn’t talk so much, Jazz got his next question out.

"'Lotty, is he-Where's Optimus?"

Velocity didn’t want to lie to him, but she didn’t want to cause him any undue worry or stress. After a moment’s deliberation, she put a hand on his arm lightly and looked him in the optics. “I don’t know,” she said with a gentle tone, “But I’m sure he’s in good hands. You need to relax for now, understand?” She gave him a long, serious look for a moment before going back to his caved in chest.

“Alright, so you’re going to feel a little discomfort when I do this. Try to stay still,” she instructed as she began the process of pushing Jazz’s chest back out to relieve the pressure on his spark chamber.

Corridors

“Wh- Wait, Roddy! I'm coming with! Wherever it is! For... Moral support!” It was Cliffjumper, having caught up to Hot Rod as he made his way towards the frigate’s bounce chamber. The cavalier just shrugged his shoulders.

“Yeah, sure thing, Cliff,” Hot Rod responded in a friendly manner. “I’m sure we can make room for you. According to Wheeljack's communique, we're going down to a place called Antarctica to mine some Ore-13 from under the ice. So, I hope your servos don't freeze easily. Heh.”

“Please tell me I can join you two on this mission. I need to be useful,” Trailblazer called out as he hurried to catch up to the duo. So, now another ‘Bot wanted to come along on a mission they knew little to nothing about. Roddy just nodded as he rounded a corner.

“Yeah, ifyou don’t mind, I’dliketo come alongtoo,” Blurr said, suddenly appearing out of nowhere, his fast moving vocals racing past Hot Rod’s audio receptors. The cavalier also noticed the presence of Swerve, who decided to tag along but apparently had something else to do once he was over on the Ark-22.

“So, I take it Ratchet threw all of you out of the Brig, huh?” Hot Rod surmised with a chuckle, glancing back at the group of mechs looking for something to do. “Sounds like him. I’m surprised Smokey isn’t here, too. I guess the hatchet had a job for him or something.” The cavalier then shook his head. “Well, guys I’m fine with all of you going, but I’m not the one in charge of this mission. That would be Wheeljack and Perceptor. So, you’ll have to check with them once we’re over on the Ark.”

With those words spoken, Hot Rod continued on through the corridors of the medical frigate until he reached his destination.

Bounce Chamber

The flame covered Autobot entered the room with his entourage behind him and found another Autotrooper manning the bounce control panel. “Oh, I guess they’ve got you guys stationed everywhere now, huh?” Hot Rod asked the ‘trooper whose stoic expression did not change. “Ahem, okay then. So, we’re all heading over to the Ark-22 for a new mission. Could you program the controls and bounce us over please?”

The autotrooper said nothing and simply ran his actuators across the console. He then looked back up at Hot Rod and the others and waited. “Well, if you want to go you all need to get your afts on the pad,” the trooper said after several astroseconds of awkward silence.

“Of course,” Roddy replied with a smile before stepping up onto the bounce pad and motioning for Cliffjumper, Trailblazer, Blurr and Swerve to join him.

The Brig

Smokescreen stood firm out in the common area of the Brig as many of the other Autobots took their quick leave. They clearly saw the writing on the wall as Ratchet marched out of Prime’s cell and approached. The rallybot fully expected to be told to get out, but instead, Ratchet had a job for him and those who had remained behind to do.

“Alright, I need some of you to bring some equipment from the medical bay. You got that? Be quick about it!”

“Sure thing, Ratchet. No problem,” Smokescreen responded as he took the datapad from the CMO. He was very surprised that he wasn’t just tossed out of the Brig on his aft plates. Of course, Smokey was also very happy that he would be able to continue to help Optimus even if it was in an indirect manner.

The diversion expert glanced down at the pad and quickly reviewed the list of items that Ratchet needed. Most of it seemed like standard stuff with only a few more advanced medical devices included. Smokescreen then looked over at the few remaining 'Bots that had been brave enough to remain in the Brig. “Well, fellas, if anyone wants to help, just follow me.”

Wasting no more time, Smokey took his leave of the Brig, transforming into his rally car alt mode and speeding away back down to the med bay. Ratchet said to hurry, after all.

Medical Bay

Outside of the medical bay things seemed to have settled. Or so Axle would think since a steady trickle of wounded ‘Bots began to arrive. Without hesitation he went to work on the first few mechs, who seemed to be only suffering from minor afflictions. He made quick repairs on those who needed it and sent the others to the medical drones on duty.

He had just finished cleaning up after one patch job when he noticed a small figure reappear. Axle tossed the rag he was using aside and strode up to the silver mech.

“Did you talk with him?” Axle questioned the smaller mech in front of him.

At the sound of Axle’s voice Hex relaxed. His shoulders lowered slightly as he slowly turned to face his guardian.

“Um, well, no...” He shrugged and gestured towards the med bay’s exit. “There was a ton of slag going on out there. And, well...” Hex sighed heavily as he pressed his back into the wall behind him. “I don’t think he’d believe me anyway.”

Axle crossed both arms over his chestplate, shaking his head he finally spoke. “You didn’t even try, Hex. You’re the one who wanted to see him...”

The younger bot pushed off from the wall, brow furrowed..."I intended to talk to him, but then...Gah! You know what whatever!” He tossed his arms up in defeat. “It doesn’t matter anyway. He’s leaving.”

"Leaving? Where?” Axle let his arms fall to his sides as he watched Hex closely.

“How the frag should I know.” This time it was Hex who crossed his arms, his face scrunched up in an angry pout.

“So...why don’t you go with him. It’ll give you a chance to talk to him and maybe….I don’t know...”

Slowly Hex looked up at the former doctor, an incredulous look plastered on his face. “You’re kidding me, right?” Hex let out a slight chuckle. “So I can make a 'friend’?” He used both hands to over-exaggerate his air quotes. “No, thanks. I’m staying right here.”

For his part Axle simply ran his hand down the length of his face. “Okay. Well, if you’re going to stay here I don’t want you loitering around. Why don’t you go and give Brakeline a hand.”

“Ugh! Brakeline?! Seriously?” Hex whined tossing his head back dramatically.

“Yes, seriously. Now go!” Axle took hold of Hex’s shoulder and guided him towards where he had last seen the nurse….

He watched for a moment as Hex dragged his feet and slowly made his way towards his intended target.

Now, with that taken care of Axle could get back to work. The former doctor caught sight of Velocity, one of the newer doctors, taking care of a severely injured Jazz.

“Velocity, right?” Axle said by way of an introduction. “Can I give you a hand with anything?”

Comm from Streetwise in response to Swerve:

>>"Explain, Swerve, is Optimus under control now?"<<

Bounce Chamber:

Cliffjumper waited for Hot Rod to get on the bounce pad first. Then he did the same. Quickly in a bright flash, Cliffjumper faded.

The Brig:

Rosanna followed Smokescreen after Ratchet threw him a list of junk that she probably had no clue what they were. But,

"Hey, maybe I can be useful? I want to help somehow," said Rosanna.

Clocker wasn't as quick to help get supplies, strangely enough.

"I'll just mess something up. You guys go ahead."

Clocker then said to Ratchet,

"I'll make myself useful and leave."

At that, Clocker left the Brig and walked in no particular direction.

Corridor outside Brig

“Hey, maybe I can be useful? I want to help somehow.”

He hadn’t made it very far when Smokescreen heard the vocals of a femme coming from behind him. The diversion expert slammed on his breaks, his vehicle mode’s tires squealing as he skidded sideways and came to a sudden stop. Smokey’s outward sensors picked up a human-sized, pink and white cassettebot coming towards him from the direction of the Brig. Even though he had not met this tiny femme before, she still seemed somewhat familiar to him. After a quick search of his memory files, her identity came to him.

“Hey, you’re that former singer, Rosanna, right? Yeah, I thought I recognized you. I’m Smokescreen, by the way. Pleased to make your acquaintance,” the red and blue racer said in a friendly tone as he opened his driver’s side door for the small femme. “Well, my dear, if you want to come along and help, hop on in and fasten your safety belt. Also, I would hurry up unless you want good ol’ Ratchet to come out here and yell at us for taking too long. You saw how he is. Heh.”

Smokescreen then noticed Clocker leaving the Brig and heading in the opposite direction. “Hey, Clocker!” The rallybot called out to the blue and grey mech. “Where you going? Come with us! We could use the extra help!”

Corridor outside Brig:

Rosanna hopped into Smokescreen's seat after he opened the door.

"Pleased to meet you too, Smokescreen," said Rosanna with a cheerful smile on her face.

"And yes, everyone knows how good ol Ratchet gets when he's waiting for something," Rosanna said with a giggle.

“Hey, Clocker! Where you going? Come with us! We could use the extra help!”

"Oh... Okay," said Clocker simply in response to Smokescreen. He then transformed and raced after Smokescreen.

Corridors approaching Bridge

"Negative, sir, I am merely here to-" Overclock began, but before he could get any further into his explanation, Hoist arrived and kept pace with the Autobot Commander.

"Sir, it is I who is your designated medic. Overclock here is just assisting me. It would be better for you to be in a medbay for repairs, but I understand you need to be at the bridge."

"Good," Magnus said, nodding. "Maybe he'll be able to assist me also." Though he had something other than medical assistance in mind.

Once they arrived on the bridge, Hoist began assessing the extent of Ultra Magnus' injuries and requested that he be seated in order to facilitate the repair process. Magnus acquiesced and took a seat in the captain's chair as transmissions from some of his senior officers began to trickle back in.

>>”We, too, in critical situation, Magnus. ‘Con base exploded. Team down. Me get there when me can.”<<

>>”Commander Magnus. I received your communique. Unfortunately, we have come under Decepticon attack and are currently attempting to return to base camp for a return bounce to the Ark-22. I will be there as soon as I can. Furthermore, it seems that Red Alert has had one of his paranoid delusional psychotic breaks again. He attacked Pinpoint and an autotrooper before stealing the data drives from our portable console and bouncing back to the Ark. You might want to warn them that he’s coming. Prowl out.”<<

Magnus sent back nonverbal acknowledgements to both of them, knowing that they would indeed be there as soon as they could manage. So much chaos stirred up in such a short amount of time. It had Decepticon handprints all over it, but whose? It almost seemed like Motormaster could be calling the shots over there, but that idea was ridiculous. Even so, with Megatron's escape, they would need to prepare for the Slagmaker to take the helm of leadership once more. And as tragic as that would be, there were still larger issues to be dealt with.

With Optimus now in the most capable possible hands, Magnus knew they had delayed dealing with the remnants of the Fallen for long enough. He began setting a course for Sol, mindful of the distance that would need to be maintained in order for the ship to remain safe but also to ensure the containment unit reached its intended destination.

"Am I going to live, Hoist?" Magnus asked dryly.

Corridors

“Pleased to meet you too, Smokescreen. And yes, everyone knows how good ol Ratchet gets when he's waiting for something,” Rosanna replied with a giggle as she hopped into the driver’s seat of the rallybot’s alt mode. The tiny femme seemed very cheerful and giddy, which was a nice change of pace from the more doom and gloom goings on as of late that Smokey and the others have had to deal with.

“Yeah, Ratchet’s a real hoot,” Smokescreen added as he closed his car door and promptly raced on down the corridor. Clocker decided to join them, as well, and zoomed after the red and blue rally car, the trio screeching around tight corners as they headed to the med bay. Well, the diversion expert and Clocker did all of the tire screeching as the small cassettebot had no choice but to hold on for dear life inside of the diversion expert. Their trip to the med bay had quickly turned into a race of sorts between the blue scout and the former street racer.

Medical Bay

As they arrived back at the medical facility, Smokescreen came to a sudden halt and immediately opened his door so that Rosanna could get out. Once she had done so, the rallybot transformed back into his robot mode and gave Clocker a friendly smile. “You’re pretty fast, Clocker,” Smokey commented with a hearty thumbs up. “Did you ever compete on the Cybertronian Raceway or maybe even on one of the underground street racing circuits? I don’t recall seeing you on either, but my memory banks could be glitching. Heh.”

Smokescreen then turned and entered the med bay, pulling out the datapad Ratchet had given him. He quickly divided the list up and transmitted the smaller stuff to the pink and white cassettebot while keeping the bigger items on his and Clocker’s to-do list. “All right, guys, lets get this done. Rosanna, I gave you the smaller things to gather. Clocker, you and I will handle the larger equipment. We should be able to find everything in the medical supply closet at the back of the room.”

With that said, Smokescreen grabbed a hover cart and headed towards the supply closet, a look of determination etched on his faceplate.

Bounce Chamber

Hot Rod waited for his group to join him up on the bounce pad. Once they had all done so, the cavalier gave a nod towards the autotrooper manning the controls. In a bright flash of light, Roddy, along with Cliffjumper, Swerve, Blurr and Trailblazer, quickly disappeared from sight.

((OOC: Moving things along here. Everyone who is part of Hot Rod’s entourage can now move over to the bounce chamber on the Ark-22.))

Medical Bay:

“You’re pretty fast, Clocker. Did you ever compete on the Cybertronian Raceway or maybe even on one of the underground street racing circuits? I don’t recall seeing you on either, but my memory banks could be glitching. Heh.”

Clocker perked up at Smokescreen's compliment. It wasn't something Clocker was used to really. He was used to being the "other mech" of sorts. But Smokescreen actually took interest in his past...

"Uh, thanks, Smokes! I... well, I always wanted to, but never got accepted in to either. But I kept at practicing in my own personal time anyway."

“All right, guys, lets get this done. Rosanna, I gave you the smaller things to gather. Clocker, you and I will handle the larger equipment. We should be able to find everything in the medical supply closet at the back of the room.”

"Rodger!" said Rosanna with a salute and a smile. Clocker then followed after Smokescreen.

Rosanna walked around the large med bay that havoc had previously been wreaked in.

Hmm... Not sure what those are...

Rosanna searched her memory for clues of what objects the strange gibberish on the data-pad corresponded with. Ah, well... Okay I've seen those thingies... That's one bit down...

Bridge

Ultra Magnus wrote:"Am I going to live, Hoist?"

"You most certainly will, sir." Hoist replied. It was clear that the city commander had things to do, places to be and much on his mind, so he would need to hasten his process. The axe wound certainly wasn't a small one.

Overclock began removing the damaged wiring from the circuits, and Hoist started replacing them as soon as they were gone. Looking back into the readouts on his head-mounted scanner, he picked up a small welding tool and started to patch the wiring together. He sent Overclock a blueprint for the part armour plating that would be needed to fit, and Overclock quickly formed it using the materials Hoist had brought along. After sawing off and welding certain parts together, he handed it to Hoist, who welded it together onto Magnus's openings. Magnus may have felt a bit of a strange tingling feeling while having the plate welded on, but he should have been fine.

"Thank you, Overclock. You are free to leave." The engineer nodded. Turning to Magnus, he said "While a CR Chamber is much more preferable, this should be fine for the moment and should last you about a good while. Please, when you get the time, spend a while in a CR Chamber for full recovery." He stepped back and awaited further orders from the commander.

Overclock nodded back and made his way out of the bridge. He rolled into his car mode and sped down the corridors. He had some business to take care of now.

Bridge

"You most certainly will, sir," Hoist replied, answering Magnus' earlier question. The Autobot Commander gave him an absent nod, having figured as much. His attention was now divided between a half-dozen holoscreens, showing him different perspectives of the bounce chamber on the Ark, the captured security footage of Megatron's escape and Optimus Prime's temporary descent into madness. It had to be temporary. By Primus, it just had to be.

As Hoist and Overclock finished the core components of their repair work and addressed the major aspects of the injuries that Ultra Magnus had sustained, he had to admit he was already feeling better. He rolled his shoulder joint a little just to be sure. Yep. Better. Not 100%, but better.

"While a CR Chamber is much more preferable, this should be fine for the moment and should last you about a good while. Please, when you get the time, spend a while in a CR Chamber for full recovery," Hoist continued.

"Understood, Hoist. Thank you. I'll get to one as soon as I can. Dismissed. Check back in with Ratchet. I'm sure there are other Autobots with more pressing injuries than mine," Magnus said, his grip tightening on the chair as he watched Megatron rip through the Ark.

Bounce Chamber

>>Ultra Magnus, sir, I will be heading your way. You have impeccable timing since my team and I got done with our discussion and plans for the titan project. After you look at them, I would like to present them to the high command officers.<<

Jetfire materialized a few moments later in the bounce chamber. He looked around the room and especially the pad. If he didn't know any better, he would have thought the other pads were cooling down from a very recent bounce. It wouldn't surprise him if the bounce chamber was recently used since they are the preferred method of transport for most mechs. A few almost demand using shuttles for one reason or another. He got off of his spot just in case someone goes coming in after him. Jetfire walked out the bounce chamber and into the hallway. If he had to guess where Ultra Magnus was at, the bridge would be the best guess.

Bounce Chamber

Red Alert appeared on the bounce pad in time to see someone else walk out. Someone white. Too tall to be Prowl though. And he had wings? So…Jetfire or one of the Aerialbots. Good. Then maybe he wasn’t too late. He rolled over to the console, transforming briefly again to lock Prowl and company out from the Guardian as well. With that accomplished, a surge of very minor relief washed over Red Alert. They…They couldn’t get him anymore. But! Prowl might still have agents on the Guardian. He couldn’t afford to let his guard down! Not when Ultra Magnus was so close! He was almost there.

Transforming again, Red Alert sped off into the corridors, passing – yes, Jetfire – along the way. He offered no words of pardon, merely zipping around the nearest corner in a sharp detour. He didn’t want Jetfire having a line of sight on him. Magnus’s signal was coming from the bridge. Just a little bit further. Just a little bit more.

Please. He could make it. Please let him make it.

…

Bridge

After what seemed like an eternity ducking passerby and taking countless isolated detours at high speed, Red Alert had made it. The bridge. In all likelihood, Magnus wouldn’t be alone, but since Red Alert was pinning all of his hopes on the current supreme commander, he couldn’t exactly afford to be doubtful at this point. He couldn’t do this alone.

The doors hissed open as Red Alert staggered through them, quickly spotting Magnus in the command chair….hurt?! How did he get injured?! Did Prowl orchestrate that? It seemed like Hoist was tending to him, so apparently, he too was on their side. Thank Primus. Red Alert stumbled up to Magnus.

“S-Sir,” Red managed anxiously before steeling his frayed nerves, “Ultra Magnus, sir, can…can we talk? There’s something I must discuss with you. Please.”

His optics trailed over to what Magnus was viewing, and Red felt his spark freeze over. Megatron. Loose. On the Ark-22. Where he had just been. “What…is this…?”

Bridge

Ultra Magnus wrote:Dismissed. Check back in with Ratchet. I'm sure there are other Autobots with more pressing injuries than mine

"Yes, sir." Hoist nodded and turned to leave. He spotted Red Alert rushing through the door. Probably in a hurry. Hoist didn't pay him much heed and headed towards the brig to check up with Ratchet.

Brig

Locating the part where Ratchet was in, he called out to the chief medical officer. "Ratchet, I've finished up on Magnus. I'll head to the medical bay to treat the others." He gave a quick wave of acknowledgement and started to leave for the medbay.