The Energon Pub

[Corridors]

Arbalest wrote:"Say, would you two gentlemechs like to head down to the pub for some refreshments?"

Warpath's clenched fist immediately shot into the air. "Frag yeah, let's go grab some of that good stuff. Drinks on me!" As the red tank followed Arbalest out of the door, Overclock's mental processors pulled him out of the outside world. As he mindlessly followed after the other two mechs, he found himself listening to a familiar yet strangely unknown voice. Why do you waste your time with these two? You should just-

No. I am here for a reason.

But is your reason worthwhile? What purpose does it serve for you to be amongst the company of other mechs? It does nothing to influence your dogma, so why bother?

YES! My reason is worthwhile! I... I... I enjoy this. I haven't been able to fragging enjoy anything for the past Primus-knows-how-long. I'm not a one dimensional entity. My beliefs can change! And I'll make sure that-

How desperate are you to be seeking company amongst the strange ones?

"Fragging glitch, they aren't strange mechs! They're good people."

Scrap, I said that out loud, didn't I?

Warpath turned to look at his fellow blue mech. "Hmm, did ya say something, 'Clocker?"

Overclock quickly shook his head and brought forth his usual professional attitude. "No, Warpath. It must have been a hallucination on your part."

The tank warrior was a bit skeptical. "Err, you sure you're good?"

Overclock was quick in his response. Almost as if he was hurrying through the conversation. "Yes. I am fine."

No you aren't.

Corridors

"Not yet. Busy as a scraplet he is no doubt, haha."

"That would be a viable prediction. Perhaps he got caught up while, uh, acquiring the sample?" The green scientist nodded at Streetwise. He looked at the kit of equipment he was carrying, wondering whether or not it would have some use at any point.

"My best bet would be that since he is not in the regular medical facilities, he would be in a place more secure and secluded. And, though it may feel horrible to say, the only place I can think of in this place such as that would be somewhere in the Brig. And that may be our best bet."

"As much as I cannot bear to hear that sentence, I too think that it would be much safer if he were in a contained location rather than somewhere with a lot of mechs. It minimises the potential collateral damage, which after having looked at the medbay, may be a bit..." Anomaly's voice trailed off. His optics shut and he had a moment of revulsion. The thought was a bit too much for him.

"If it isn't too much of a trouble for you, would you, uh, be willing to come with me to check the corridors where the... "event" took place?"

Bridge – Command Conference Room

Jetfire looked over at the Dinobot commander and shook his head. It is true the Dinobots are a powerful force individually and as a united team. If the gestalt technology did work it would increase the power of any team joined together. This was one reason why Jetfire didn't include the Dinobots in the first list out of fear of what sort of monster they would form. Jetfire's mood soured when Grimlock wasn't budging on him moving to the ship. Sure the Trion was more of a combat vessel but it was still the most advanced ship they had in orbit and probably entire fleet. Jetfire was basically done with this meeting until Hot Spot mention something about suits for the Autobots.

"What? Run that by me again, Hot Spot. You want to build suits for us?"

"Yes, exo-suits to help protect us in harsh environments. There are some mechs out there who can withstand certain environments because they are designed to. I'm thinking of suits for those who aren't designed for the real extreme environments. Iron Fist and I were only discussing the idea before the whole Fallen mess started."

"I'm all for enhancements to oneself but to add an outer skin is a new one to me. How far did Iron Fist get on the project?"

"I don't know due to how soon the Fallen had attacked after the request. I'm doubting he got too far on it. He might be willing to work on it again once the gestalt project is done."

"Possible but the challenge will be to find something which will protect us which we don't already have. If our current metallic skin would be susceptible to whatever environment then we would need to use something else. Since I'm currently done with my end of the gestalt project, this might entertain me. Would there be any other functions for this suit or just protective covering?"

"I think the protective covering would be enough right now Jetfire."

Hot Spot then turned his attention back to Prowl and Ultra Magnus.

"With all due respect, what this ship needs I doubt being here around Sol-3 will be suffice. Many parts needs replaced since they are only patched up. Supplies are getting limited in some areas. Are we going to set up some sort of factory down on Sol-3 to make whatever we need instead of having a space dock around? I guess we could strip the Trion of whatever we need but doubt Grimlock will let his new toy be touched by anyone outside of his Dinobots."

Corridors

A quirky smile rose on Bumble's lips as the "Bee" heard Alpha say "happy to help". Usually that'd be a line he'd say to another bot, as Bumblebee was known for being the caring and outgoing sort. In this case, it was nice to see that others were willing to be just as accomodating back to him. That was the magic comradery of the Autobots...working together and helping each other all in the name of the greater good.

He'd reply to the orange and white chopper-bot, " Sure, Alpha. I was just gonna go to the Mess Hall and get a drink while I think things over. Your company is much appreciated. Hmmm...say....aren't you glad Optimus is back? Besides the weird rampage of course.....but it just didn't feel right with him gone.", said Bumblebee, and as they walked towards their destination, he waited for his friend's reply.

Brig

Magnus and others voiced their immediate support for heading to Cybertron, going so far as to even suggest contacting the Decepticons on the matter. His optics swept over those assembled here. Kup. Ratchet. Smokescreen. Jazz. Bumblebee. Prowl. The unyielding support and slight apprehension in their optics. He listened as they discussed Megatron’s disappearance, feeling relieved that he hadn’t gone on a rampage as odd as that was. But it only made Optimus more sure that the effects of their affliction were similar if not the same.

"Yeah. Not a petrorabbit's chance in a cyberfox den. We ever find that ship and decide to board it, we better be sendin' a war party. But we can hope ol' Buckethead did enough damage to his own troops that we can find out where that ship is hidin'. More importantly though, after gettin' you back to prime shape, er, Prime...we gotta shut down the infiltration protocols and get the 'Cons away from this world. There's too many lives at stake down there and they have no idea how much danger they're in."

“I’ve no intention of leaving this world unprotected,” Prime stated firmly to reaffirm the notion that a journey to Cybertron was not his immediate priority. “If the Decepticons were able to rouse Megatron then it is likely that he is already proceeding with plans to advance the infiltration protocol. Despite what may befall me, we must work tirelessly to foil their plans.”

Turning to the screen of the meeting, Optimus looked to Prowl. “Prowl, I trust you to arrange some sort of appropriate safeguard against another episode.” While others may not like it, a safeguard was a necessary evil. Even one that made him weak or nonfunctional for a time. He turned to Magnus. “What measure are we taking against the Decepticons currently? What phase is it? What do we know?”

[Bridge - Command Conference Room]

Magnus shook his head and sank in his chair. There was a lot on the table to deal with at the moment. And the situation wasn’t going to clear itself out.

Hot Spot wrote:"Since my Protectobots were looked over to do a job we are designed to do and instead the Dinobots get it, I suggest the Guardian to head to Cybertron. I also suggest an idea I had in mind before the Fallen mess happen. I had mention to Ironfist for him to create suits to protect us from inhospitable worlds. Cybertronians can take a lot from planets but there are still some environments which will eat us alive. Last I knew the Ark was due to land on Sol-3 and become part of the new Autobot City. If time allows the Guardian is also way overdue on an overhaul at the shipyard Grimlock stole the Trion from."

Hot Spot seemed to also be getting unhappy. At this point, the city commander had no idea whose side to take. Both the Protectobots and the Dinobots were capable Autobots, no doubt, but Magnus wasn’t going to let this end up in a brawl. “Grimlock, Hot Spot, please, calm down. We can figure this out if everyone just takes a moment to listen,” he paused, “Grimlock, like I said before, you should take some more ‘bots along just in case. We all know how strong your Dinobots are, but does having a few extra mechs really do you so much wrong? Hot Spot, Grimlock, take who you need to, and both of you - remember, this isn’t something for your own personal gain. These are our allies we’re talking about. They’re in unknown territory with Decepticons, so really, more should be better.”

More discussion of this gestalt project was thrown around. He had no intention of rushing something of that scale and Grimlock was right in a way - if they were capable enough of taking down Devastator, they wouldn’t have to worry much about it at the moment.

Grimlock wrote:”As for coordination, me Grimlock leader! Me coordinate and lead mission! Me not answer to music bot!”

“Aye, Grimsy! Relax, haha,” Blaster responded, chuckling at the music bot remark. “You gotta have someone coverin’ comms for ya while you’re hacking and slashing!”

Hot Spot wrote:"With all due respect, what this ship needs I doubt being here around Sol-3 will be suffice. Many parts needs replaced since they are only patched up. Supplies are getting limited in some areas. Are we going to set up some sort of factory down on Sol-3 to make whatever we need instead of having a space dock around? I guess we could strip the Trion of whatever we need but doubt Grimlock will let his new toy be touched by anyone outside of his Dinobots."

“I’m sure Grapple and his team are getting something set up down on Sol-3 for the Ark. They may have some spare supplies, but we should be mainly focusing on having our resources allocated to the best places they can be. Like I said, Prowl is going to deal with that.” Magnus added.

More of Prime’s words came through the holographic viewer.

Optimus Prime wrote:“What measure are we taking against the Decepticons currently? What phase is it? What do we know?”

Magnus quickly tapped his console and brought up some data, turning his vision to Blaster, letting him talk.
“Well, you see, Prime, we’ve got some good footing for now, but it’s uneven ground. We recently went and saw the collapse of a base of theirs. I managed to grab some data from the consoles there, but they were onto us and started deleting a few things too.”

He scrolled through the logs. “Another team went down to recover a couple of Cybertronian missiles that some humans had got their hands on. We got one but blew it up, and the ‘cons probably took the other. I’d say they’re rolling with Phase 2 right now with what we know.”

[Corridors to Mess Hall

Bumblegoat wrote:"Sure, Alpha. I was just gonna go to the Mess Hall and get a drink while I think things over. Your company is much appreciated. Hmmm...say....aren't you glad Optimus is back? Besides the weird rampage of course.....but it just didn't feel right with him gone."

"I guess it's good that he's back... I haven't been awake for that long, only just before this whole mess came into play." He followed Bumblebee through the corridors. "I guess it's really strange, but I hope that they fix him soon enough, whatever the problem was."

As the duo arrived at the Mess Hall, they saw a few others there. Some Dinos, a few random mechs scattered here and there. But it wasn't too noisy, just the average conversations happening. He sat down at a table with Bee. "I don't know why things are happening and why they're happening so fast, but all I know is that eventually we'll pull through."

Brig

"I’ve no intention of leaving this world unprotected. If the Decepticons were able to rouse Megatron then it is likely that he is already proceeding with plans to advance the infiltration protocol. Despite what may befall me, we must work tirelessly to foil their plans.”

Kup nodded agreeably. He expected no less of Optimus Prime. He would do all he could to ensure life on this world continued as it always had.

"Whatever y'need, Prime," Kup said.

Kup then listened as Optimus asked about the status of infiltration protocols and Magnus' subsequent assessment. Phase Two sounded about right, given what Kup had seen on other worlds. The 'Cons were definitely still keeping their heads low.

"That hit on the undersea base was a good 'un. Grimlock and the boys set the 'Cons way back on that one. Had to've. Between Mt. St. Helens and the Yellow Sea, we've busted their efforts at establishing a ground base two different times. We just gotta stay on top of 'em."
___

“Well, you see, Prime, we’ve got some good footing for now, but it’s uneven ground. We recently went and saw the collapse of a base of theirs. I managed to grab some data from the consoles there, but they were onto us and started deleting a few things too. Another team went down to recover a couple of Cybertronian missiles that some humans had got their hands on. We got one but blew it up, and the ‘cons probably took the other. I’d say they’re rolling with Phase 2 right now with what we know.”

Ratchet rubbed his chin structure, exchanging glances between an open panel on Prime's arm, a nearby monitor and listening to the proceedings of the meeting.

"If the Decepticons advance to Phase Three, we all know what that means. The native casualty list is going on increase. Visibly."

Guardian- Mess Hall

Kebabulator wrote:"I guess it's good that he's back... I haven't been awake for that long, only just before this whole mess came into play." He followed Bumblebee through the corridors. "I guess it's really strange, but I hope that they fix him soon enough, whatever the problem was."

As the duo arrived at the Mess Hall, they saw a few others there. Some Dinos, a few random mechs scattered here and there. But it wasn't too noisy, just the average conversations happening. He sat down at a table with Bee. "I don't know why things are happening and why they're happening so fast, but all I know is that eventually we'll pull through."

After sitting down across from the orange and white chopper-bot, Bumblebee let out a sigh and said, "Your optimism is great. All we can do is do our best to serve the Autobot cause. We're at war, Alpha, and it's been that way for a long time now. System to system, planet to planet....we have to stop the Decepticons. How much longer will it go on?", Bumble said, pausing. He got up and asked Alpha, " What do you want? I'll go and order it for you." He realized the reason for wanting to come here was because he was a little famished. He didn't need much fuel....but every now and then, even he needed a refill. Still, the situation was getting more intense. Here they were at another planet with an alien race of intelligent people that needed protecting from a foe they didn't even know about. How far had the Cons' plans gone already? If Megatron went back to his ship like Optimus came back to the Autobots', he was likely already planning his next target. Bumblebee may be small and he may not have much firepower, but he was one of the most understanding bots about the situations at hand, and those involved. Surely, Optimus would see them through and they'd be able to foil the Cons' efforts. Bee had faith in that, and he always had faith in their leader.

Rosanna entered the Mess Hall with a lot on her mind. This war had caused so many horrible and strange things to happen that she hadn't imagined were even possible. Her anxiety from the whole situation with Optimus had gone through the roof. She felt her neck getting tighter almost in a choking sensation. Her arms were shaking slightly. She just needed to get away, get drunk, and forget what had happened.

As she entered, she saw at the closest table was Bumblebee and Alpha Bravo. He walked up to the table where the larger and slightly larger mechs were and asked, "Might I sit with you guys?" As she tried to steady her hands.

"If it isn't too much of a trouble for you, would you, uh, be willing to come with me to check the corridors where the... 'event' took place?"

Streetwise nodded at Anomaly before responding, "Of course. I did look around the area where he was contained in the medical bay, but not around the corridors where the battle happened. Though, you may want to prepare yourself in case there's some.. *clears throat* unsightly collateral damage."

At that, Streetwise continued on to the area in question with Anomaly in tow.


Streetwise looked around the area at all the holes in the walls and damaged equipment. It was a mess. He hoped that no Autobots died or were severely injured in the fight, but his hopes were pulled away when he saw some spilled energon on the floor around a charred dent from a blaster.

The detective then turned to Anomaly and said, "Remember, this is technically a scene for investigation, so be careful not to tamper."

Corridors

Warpath seemed to be entertaining them all with free drinks. That was nice. Arbalest smirked at him saying, "Would you have enough Shanix in your account for all of that?" The skirmisher chuckled.

As they were walking, Arbalest could've sworn he heard Overclock say something. The red tank had already inquired about it, but the blue mech had dismissed it as a hallucination. Surely, if it was a hallucination it wouldn't be heard by multiple people, would it? Arbalest shrugged it off, figuring that it would probably be best to not escalate the conversation. But somehow it felt as if Overclock seemed to be hiding something. Not in a bad way, of course, but it just seemed to be a little concerning.

Mess Hall

The mess hall wasn't too heavily crowded but there were a few people around. "Warpath, if you're really up for those free drinks, I'll just take a regular, old school canister of gas oil." He smiled and nodded at the tank warrior as he walked towards a free table. Sitting down, he turned to Overclock and asked him a simple question.

"Overclock, do you have something you want to talk about?"

Corridors

"Of course. I did look around the area where he was contained in the medical bay, but not around the corridors where the battle happened. Though, you may want to prepare yourself in case there's some.. *clears throat* unsightly collateral damage."

"The scene of the action would, uh, produce some interesting results, to say the least. And as for the, uh, collateral damage, we could... try to get it cleaned up afterward, hopefully..." The uncertainty in Anomaly's voice was audible. He tried to maintain some sort of composure in front of Streetwise, but he was a scientist, not a medic, so looking at collateral damage like that would be a bit... Yeah, he just didn't want to go there.

Arriving at the battle area, it was clear that something big had gone down. It was Prime they were talking about, so it wasn't going to be anything small. Anomaly took out some equipment and photographed, scanned and analysed the scene in as many ways as possible. "The more evidence, the better, I suppose."

"Remember, this is technically a scene for investigation, so be careful not to tamper."

"I won't, sir. I'll try to stick to the best of my behaviour." He nodded. There appeared to be no other mechs around, so it was safe to assume all of them were taken to the medical bay. "Some of this Energon, however, looks... unlike the ordinary. The angles at which these blaster marks are... It would be safe to assume that Prime really wasn't, uh, at the best of his mental capacity." He took out a viewfinder of some sort, trying to analyse the temperature of the charred dent caused by the blaster shot. "It's relatively recent but it seems to have cooled down enough."

He stepped back, standing at the same spot as the Protectobot detective, and his vocaliser let out a very soft whoa in the process.

[Mess Hall]

Bumblebee wrote:“Your optimism is great. All we can do is do our best to serve the Autobot cause. We're at war, Alpha, and it's been that way for a long time now. System to system, planet to planet....we have to stop the Decepticons. How much longer will it go on?”

“I don’t know, but I just wish that it happens with the least amount of damage possible. But there’s always people who wouldn’t want that to happen, and… Well, I can’t say much else about that.” Alpha put his hands together while talking to Bumblebee.

Bumblebee wrote:“What do you want? I'll go and order it for you.”

“I’ll just have the regular, I suppose. Nothing special.” As Bee walked away, a smaller bot, a femme, showed up, and she seemed to be really distraught. Her hands seemed to be shaking.

Rosanna wrote:“Might I sit with you guys?”

“Yes, of course! Have a seat,” Alpha retracted his faceplate and smiled at the femme (Rosanna). “Are you okay? You look a little stressed… sorry if I’m assuming wrongly.”

[Corridors]

Rook finished talking with Pinpoint. It seemed that she had to go elsewhere. He bid her a sweet farewell, hoping to meet her again some other time.

What a sweet femme she was.

The defense specialist made his way down the corridors, to find two mechs, Streetwise and Anomaly, in the middle of what looked to be a pretty messed up section of the corridor. So this must be the site of the incident everyone keeps talking about.

“Hey, what’s going on around here?”

Bridge – Command Conference Room

Ultra Magnus wrote:“Grimlock, Hot Spot, please, calm down. We can figure this out if everyone just takes a moment to listen. Grimlock, like I said before, you should take some more ‘bots along just in case. We all know how strong your Dinobots are, but does having a few extra mechs really do you so much wrong? Hot Spot, Grimlock, take who you need to, and both of you - remember, this isn’t something for your own personal gain. These are our allies we’re talking about. They’re in unknown territory with Decepticons, so really, more should be better.”

Grimlock looked at Ultra Magnus with a perplexed expression on his faceplate. “So, wait, is Hot Spot now going, too? Me thought it was just Dinobots going on rescue mission.” The rex-former shook his head in disbelief. Now, not only did he have to take other ‘bots along that would slow him and his team down, but he’d have to deal with Hot Spot and the Protectobots, as well? “Fine! Whatever! If Protectobots going, then that make ten ‘bots total. We don’t need more than that. Trion also has plenty autotroopers. We be fine.”

Blaster wrote:“Aye, Grimsy! Relax, haha. You gotta have someone coverin’ comms for ya while you’re hacking and slashing!”

Grimlock’s attention was then drawn to the communications specialist’s comment. The Dinobot Commander growled under his breath. Who was this mech to tell him to relax? “Me relax when me good and ready to,” Grimlock began to respond. “Me guess that makes eleven now. Me good to go. Just give the word, Magnus, and we be on our way.”

Hot Spot wrote:"With all due respect, what this ship needs I doubt being here around Sol-3 will be suffice. Many parts needs replaced since they are only patched up. Supplies are getting limited in some areas. Are we going to set up some sort of factory down on Sol-3 to make whatever we need instead of having a space dock around? I guess we could strip the Trion of whatever we need but doubt Grimlock will let his new toy be touched by anyone outside of his Dinobots.”

“I think you’ve annoyed Grimlock enough for one cycle, Hot Spot,” Prowl said with a low chuckle. “So, let’s just leave the Trion alone, shall we? As Magnus said, Grapple might have some supplies and resources he can spare. I won’t know until we have returned to Sol-3. Once there I will head down planetside and see what they have to use to help fix up the Guardian adequately.”

Optimus Prime’s Hologram wrote:“Prowl, I trust you to arrange some sort of appropriate safeguard against another episode.”

The military strategist turned to face the holographic image of Optimus Prime down in the Brig. “Actually, I already have an idea, Optimus. The others may not like it, but I think it’s our best option given the circumstances. Ratchet, can you install a killswitch into Prime’s head that can be remotely activated if he were to have a relapse and attempt to go on another rampage? It wouldn’t be fatal, of course. It would simply shut him down temporarily in order to bring him under control.”

Prowl knew there would be objections to this somewhat radical idea. After all, Megatron used killswitches in his phase sixers just in case they would try to turn on him. It seemed like something that only the Decepticons would do to one of their own. Of course, the black and white was not above utilizing ‘Con tactics if it furthered the Autobot cause. In this case, it would help protect his fellow ‘Bots from being dismantled by their own leader.

As the military strategist awaited a response from Ratchet, his terminal began to beep as a small light flashed on the keyboard. Prowl glanced down at the panel that was affixed to the tabletop. “Well, it seems we are approaching Sol-3," the prick-bot informed everyone present. "The Guardian should make orbit near the Trion in approximately two breems.”

Brig

Kup wrote:"Good thinkin', Rallybot. I was wonderin' the same thing back over on the 22.”

Smokescreen followed Kup as he walked over to one of the terminals outside of Optimus Prime’s cell. The old timer quickly brought up the log files from the Ark that showed Megatron’s movements through the ship until he reached the bounce chamber.

Kup wrote:"Y'see? Didn't even seem interested in our guys over there. Just made bee-line straight for the bounce chamber. Like you, I figured he bounced somewhere specific like a 'Con ship nearby and -bam- we got 'im. Not quite. See those open space coordinates right there? That's where he bounced to. And the 22's scanners didn't pick up anything out of the ordinary. Fragginest thing I've seen in a while."

“That is strange,” the rallybot responded as he watched the surveillance feeds replay in a loop on Kup’s screen. “Megatron seemed less interested in doing any damage to the Ark and more interested in just getting off the ship. You’d think he want to cause as much destruction in his wake as possible before bouncing out. And to just bounce into open space like that is...very weird. He definitely must have been under the influence of something just like Optimus.” Smokescreen stopped as he looked back at Prime who was still in his cell.

Kup wrote:"Yeah. Not a petrorabbit's chance in a cyberfox den. We ever find that ship and decide to board it, we better be sendin' a war party. But we can hope ol' Buckethead did enough damage to his own troops that we can find out where that ship is hidin'. More importantly though, after gettin' you back to prime shape, er, Prime...we gotta shut down the infiltration protocols and get the 'Cons away from this world. There's too many lives at stake down there and they have no idea how much danger they're in.”

“Yeah, it would have to be a really big war party,” Smokescreen added, agreeing with Kup’s assessment before the old timer moved on to discussing infiltration protocols. “The Decepticons have destroyed so many worlds, I would hate to see this one added to the list. But with Megatron back and Sixshot now in system I fear that the ‘Cons will only accelerate infiltration. We’ll need to act fast in order to stop them.”

Optimus Prime wrote:“I’ve no intention of leaving this world unprotected. If the Decepticons were able to rouse Megatron then it is likely that he is already proceeding with plans to advance the infiltration protocol. Despite what may befall me, we must work tirelessly to foil their plans.”

“Whatever you require of me, Optimus, I’m here,” Smokescreen said, echoing Kup’s sentiments. The red and blue racer then listened with great interest as Prime turned his attention to the command conference room and inquired about the status of infiltration. The follow-up response from Ultra Magnus provided good news about the destruction of the Decepticons’ undersea base. At least Grimlock and his Dinobots were good for something.

Ratchet wrote:"If the Decepticons advance to Phase Three, we all know what that means. The native casualty list is going on increase. Visibly.”

“We can’t let that happen,” Smokey interjected as he re-entered the cell and stood by Optimus Prime again. The diversion expert then heard Prowl’s idea to implant a killswitch into Prime’s head that would effectively deactivate him if he went crazy again.

“A killswitch?” Smokescreen said a bit surprised at what he was hearing. He shouldn’t have been, though, considering the concept came from Prowl. “Can that be done, Ratchet, without hurting Optimus?”

Brig

“Actually, I already have an idea, Optimus. The others may not like it, but I think it’s our best option given the circumstances. Ratchet, can you install a killswitch into Prime’s head that can be remotely activated if he were to have a relapse and attempt to go on another rampage? It wouldn’t be fatal, of course. It would simply shut him down temporarily in order to bring him under control.”

Ratchet had been considering various non-lethal options that could be used in order to ensure that if whatever had afflicted Optimus Prime suddenly did so again, they could have a measure of protection in place--for both him and the rest of them. He hadn't wanted to admit it out loud, but a killswitch was near the top of the list. Granted, he preferred the term incapacitation device, but now was hardly the time to quibble over semantics. The result was the same.

The trouble was, the Decepticons had far more practice installing this type of technology and seeing the results: the Autobots had never determined that one of their own was so powerful that they needed to be controlled with such technology. However, Ratchet had overseen their installation in several Decepticon prisoners over the vorns.

"Reluctantly, I would have to agree. I think it's the most effective, non-lethal option we have available to us," Ratchet said, looking towards the holos and then to Prime. "But that's your decision to make, Prime. I can't make the case that it's medically necessary. Only that it might prevent a recurrence of whatever has done this to you."

“A killswitch? Can that be done, Ratchet, without hurting Optimus?” Smokescreen interjected, asking a well-meaning question. The Chief Medical Officer's expression darkened a bit.

"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."

Bridge – Communications Console

“Annnnnd it’s intercepted.” Eject smiled to himself after relaying the distress call. Accuse me of not having enough passion, will they. Well, I just showed them.

He leaned sideways in the larger chair at the communications console, letting his right leg rest on the chair’s arm and his left dangle off the front. Duty on the bridge wasn’t his favorite as it meant the big wigs were around, but the larger chair made up for it. It was designed for a standard-sized mech like Blaster, so for one with Eject’s smallish construction, it was a lounge chair.

This it probably why I get into trouble, he thought, glancing toward the conference room where Ultra Magnus and the other officers were, including Blaster. Seeing no sign of them leaving yet, he turned his attention back to relocating the broadcast he’s been enjoying before that signal came in. The importance of the distress call wasn’t lost on him, but it wasn’t his concern anymore. Besides, it was the scraping playoffs!

After a few tries, he found the right channel, but the game had ended and had switched to a sport called curling. Not that he didn’t appreciate it, but it was like watching energon drip.

“Foul! Where’s the penalty?”

He’d leaped back into a normal sitting position at his outcry and realized he’d cried out. Glancing around, he smiled sheepishly in case anyone was watching and slowly sank back into the chair, wishing he transform into an antdroid or something smaller.

Brig

"Reluctantly, I would have to agree. I think it's the most effective, non-lethal option we have available to us," Ratchet said, looking towards the holos and then to Prime. "But that's your decision to make, Prime. I can't make the case that it's medically necessary. Only that it might prevent a recurrence of whatever has done this to you."

“Then do it,” Optimus said without any hint of hesitation. He moved over to the examination slab and laid down. Even when Ratchet mentioned that it could be painful, he was undaunted. He looked to Smokescreen. “It’s alright. It would cause me greater pain to ever again bring harm to any of you, Autobots.”

It was trying to have to resort to something like a killswitch. These were Decepticon methods. But he would take any precaution if it meant protecting his friends and comrades. It wouldn’t sit well with many, but Optimus trusted Prowl to make the choice that made the most sense, unhindered with the morality of the solution. With him making the choice, they’d have no choice but to accept it.

“This is my decision. Ratchet...” Optimus merely nodded to his old friend. The sooner this was done, the better.

[Bridge – Command Conference Room]

Grimlock wrote:“Me guess that makes eleven now. Me good to go. Just give the word, Magnus, and we be on our way.”

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

Blaster grinned widely and mouthed an Aww Yeah before getting up and following Grimlock and Hot Spot. “We’ll be back soon!”

Prowl wrote:“Actually, I already have an idea, Optimus. The others may not like it, but I think it’s our best option given the circumstances. Ratchet, can you install a killswitch into Prime’s head that can be remotely activated if he were to have a relapse and attempt to go on another rampage? It wouldn’t be fatal, of course. It would simply shut him down temporarily in order to bring him under control.”

Magnus had his concerns, but there was no doubt that it was by far the most viable non-lethal. Still, the Autobots couldn’t afford to have another one of those rampages. “Ratchet, whatever the safest solution is, please take your time with it. We can’t afford any slip ups.” Prowl most likely had a similar intention.

Optimus Prime wrote:“Then do it.”

“Good luck, Optimus. You know how we feel.”

He turned to Red Alert, who had been quiet for some time. “About the additional security measures you wanted to implement… How much exactly did you have in mind?”

Brig

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

Ratchet nodded solemnly.

"Hopefully we won't even have to use it. We'll get this affliction cured and I'll have it removed just as quickly as it was put in," Ratchet said. He didn't normally have the best of bedside manners, but when dealing with Optimus Prime he liked to try and give a little extra effort when he could.

“Ratchet, whatever the safest solution is, please take your time with it. We can’t afford any slip ups,” Ultra Magnus added.

"You know me, Magnus. Rushing procedures and slipping up all the time. But I'll do my best," Ratchet replied, a twinge more irritation and sarcasm in his voice that time as he waved off the holos of the others in the meeting. He walked over to a terminal and began to pull up intel files about incapacitation technology. He hadn't installed one in a while and wanted to be sure he was aware of any new developments.

"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."

[Mess Hall]

Arbalest wrote:"Warpath, if you're really up for those free drinks, I'll just take a regular, old school canister of gas oil."

“Gotcha, Alabaster! One canister of gas oil comin’ right up!” Warpath’s jolly voice boomed throughout the mess hall. It probably caught the attention of other nearby mechs. Sludge looked away from Slag for a second to give Warpath a look of disapproval. ಠ_ಠ

“What’s it gonna be for ya, ‘OC?” The tank inquired on his way to the bar.
“Liquid nitrogen. Thanks, Warpath.” Overclock said as he sat down with Arbalest.

Arbalest wrote:"Overclock, do you have something you want to talk about?"

“I…”
“I’m not sure how to say it, really.”

He paused. It seems he’d given in. Now he was in this predicament he didn’t know how to get out of. A No would be the easiest solution, but was it the right one? I don’t know.

“I’m sorry.”

He paused again.

“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…”

His voice started to break. He couldn’t keep up his formal, professional tone anymore. It was getting unbearable.

“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.”

Warpath’s optics were wide open. He’d been standing there for the past few kliks, and he’d heard everything. Canisters of drinks in hand, he almost dropped one of them due to the sheer surprise of what he was hearing.

He handed the mechs their respective drinks and took his seat.

“Clocker, what in blazes are you talkin’ about?”

“I’m sorry!” The operator chugged down on his drink. At least the coolness of this was enough to help pull his thoughts away from this. “I just felt really… I’m just really fragging alone and I’ve struggled with this for a long time. I’m afraid to disappoint, okay? I would fragging hate it if I disrespected or brought disappointment in. This is why I only go solo whenever I’m out on the field. I can’t bear the pressure of having others around, because I’m always worried that I’ll mess up.”

He slammed his canister on the table after the long rant. Warpath was still in surprise.

“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?”

[Mess Hall]

Alpha Bravo wrote:“I don’t know, but I just wish that it happens with the least amount of damage possible. But there’s always people who wouldn’t want that to happen, and… Well, I can’t say much else about that.” Alpha put his hands together while talking to [b]Bumblebee.

"Yah, I hear ya. There's guys that don't know when enough is enough, but maybe it's best we change the subject. Something good is bound to happen right? I mean....we got rid of the Fallen's spark. That's something, and Prime's back to normal again..."

Alpha Bravo wrote:“I’ll just have the regular, I suppose. Nothing special.”

"Alright. I'll be right back then.", the small yellow bot said, and he walked away. He was already at the bar ordering drinks when Rosanna had showed up. However, he was delighted to see their table had more company upon his return.

Bumblebee smiled softly at Rosanna, but it was obvious that she was feeling distressed. 'And who wouldn't be?', he thought to himself. He himself was doing surprisingly well under the recent circumstances. He took it upon himself now to console the others and spread a better mood. It was something he enjoyed doing, as he liked to see others doing well. You could say Bee was a very selfless bot. That was one of the best qualities to have as an Autobot. He set down a large pitcher of energon and two glasses. For their guest though, it seemed they might need another, so just in case, he went to go get another glass, and finally sat down after this, across from the other two.


"Hey Rosanna. I brought you a glass too in case you want to drink with us. Why do you look so blue? Pink definitely suits you better.", he said. He hoped she liked that little remark. If she didn't, then they needed to get to the bottom of this issue. Perhaps her issue though, was the same as everyone else's issue.

“Yes, of course! Have a seat. Are you okay? You look a little stressed… sorry if I’m assuming wrongly.”

Rosanna sat down and said "Thanks," to Alpha Bravo before also responding with, "Oh it's.. nothing. Just the whole thing that happened has me a bit shook I guess."

"Hey Rosanna. I brought you a glass too in case you want to drink with us. Why do you look so blue? Pink definitely suits you better."

"Thanks loads, Bee. I'm.. I'm just happy Optimus got himself under control again is all. See, before the war I hardly even knew how bad war truly was, and I'm still not used to what terrible things can happen during one. I'm a musician, not.. I'm not a warrior. But yah, that's obvious by now after what happened. I played music in the middle of a battle for Primus' sake."

Rosanna then picked up one of the glasses and poured some of the beverage in it with some effort (due to her small size), and then added with a chuckle, "Heh, maybe I would get along well with Beachcomber. You know he couldn't even touch a gun. I bet he smokes some stuff when he's alone to pass the time of this mess away."

Rosanna then began to smile again like her normal self. Not fully happy, but satisfied that everything was back in order again. She then sloshed her drink around a bit before sipping it.

"Mm, good choice, Alpha," she said regarding the drink. She felt like she was being rude by talking so much so soon after joining the two mechs at the table. She hoped they were okay with it.

Bridge – Communications Station

Eject’s posture slowly deteriorated until he was slouched in the communications chair with his feet resting against the edge of the console as he listened to the constant background droning of various Autobots reporting this, asking that, and ordering another. If he could, he would’ve blew a raspberry like the humans did.

How this happened, he couldn’t begin to explain. It was unfathomable that there were no sporting events anywhere. How? How could humans do this to him? It as torture, forcing him to sit there and listen to the chatter on the Guardian and the comm. channels between the ships.

It wasn’t the first time this had happened, but it was the first time since his last maintenance check where it was recommended that he refrain from recording so many sporting events.

If only the files hadn’t become corrupted…

The door to the bridge’s conference room slid open, catching his attention long enough for him to notice Blaster coming out with Grimlock and Hot Spot. Not wanting to appear too desperate to send a private communication, Eject managed to stare at the larger mech with the saddest expression he could muster. He doubted he’d look worse if he’d missed the end of the Super Bowl.

Come on, Blaster, look over here. It’s extra innings and you want to put me in the game — any game. I’m your favorite relief pitcher.