The Energon Pub

Bounce Chamber

A weak smile came over Groove's face as First Aid put his hand on the pacifist's shoulder. He appreciated his friend's reassurance that there was little he could have done, though it didn't fully relieve the Protectobot scout of his guilt toward the entire situation.

"Thank's First Aid.", Groove said honestly as he looked to his friend, though worry still showed on his face, "I don't know if that's true, but it means a lot hearing it from you."

Groove remained quiet as Blades, Kup and Ironhide entered the chamber as well. Kup explained the situation even further, though Groove was already aware of who was involved and why. Before the scout could question why Howlstrike wasn't mentioned among them, the old veteran revealed that the former Predacon had been assaulted, possibly by the group they were about to go after.

"No....", Groove slowly shook his head as the guilt within him grew even more. The scout remembered that Howlstrike had been the only other mech that had questioned Rodimus' plan, though he had remained with the group when Groove had left.

As the scout did his best to try to keep his emotions in check, his close friend First Aid brought up something that Groove hadn't truly considered. The way that Rodimus and the others had talked, he had just assumed they were restless and trying to find a release, maybe get some payback for some recent missions that hadn't exactly been successful. But as his friend wondered if there was something else, Groove's optics went wide open as he realized just how serious this was.

"You're... You're right.", Groove said softly to First Aid, but then took a step forward announced to all the Autobots in the Bounce Chamber, "There must be something else! I-"

Groove took a deep intake as he felt the optics of the assembled Autobots focus on him. He'd avoided mentioning this because he worried the others would think him crazy, but by keeping it to himself he may have let things get out of hand. He shut his optics for a moment and took another intake.

"I haven't told anyone this because I didn't think anyone would believe me, but now that things have gone this far....", Groove took another deep intake to calm his nerves, "I was with Rodimus and the others in the mess hall earlier, when Rodimus was revealing this plan he had to end the war. Of course I listened, but us soon as he mentioned attacking the Decepticons head-on I wanted no part of it. The way Rodimus was talking I thought- and I mean, I just thought, I never said or messaged this to anyone- that he was trying to stage a coup. Just before I left the Mess Hall, Rodimus sent me a message to assure me that he wasn't, telling me that what I was thinking was wrong like he read my mind or something."

Groove paused, looking around at the Autobots around him before continuing.

"What's more, before I left he messaged to me, 'don't worry about Hot Rod. He's still here.'. I don't know what happened back on Cybertron, but there's much more to Rodimus than some physical change. Everytime I talked or listened to him there just seemed to be....", Groove fidgeted his hands as he tried to come up with the right words, "...something more, I just don't know how else to describe it. To be honest, I'm not sure if this mech really is or ever was Hot Rod, but know I'm starting to realize that he had something much more than a simple attack in mind."

Corridors

Hoist send a non-verbal acknowledgement to Ratchet as he carried Howlstrike as fast as he could, paying little attention to how far behind Eject and Rewind were.

Who could have done such a thing?, the green mech wondered, I know he used to be a Decepticon, but still..... I mean, I may have been assaulted by the Dinobots a few cycles ago, but they only knocked me and the others out. To cut off a mech's head- or, both of a mech's heads, it just seems downright unheard of for an Autobot to do to one of his own, even if he used to be the enemy.

As Hoist reached a corner, he suddenly stopped himself just short of running into the Autobot CMO. Hoist took a quick exhale of small relief, as he held most of Howlstrike's body in his arms.

"Rewind and Eject have his head modules and some other parts.", Hoist explained to Ratchet, not bothering with any pleasantries given the seriousness of the situation, "He's lost a lot of energon, but there isn't any other serious damage besides his heads being cut off."

Bounce Chamber

First Aid was still trying desperately to comprehend just how any Autobot could do something so heinous to one of their own…even if Howlstrike was once affiliated with the Predacons it still didn't mean he deserved to be attacked so viciously.

“Both heads. Who could have done something like this? There’s something else…something more going on here. I can’t believe one of our own would stoop to something so low.”

First Aid kept his musings low possibly only loud enough for Groove to hear him. But it seemed that the scout was busy trying desperately to find a reasonable explanation by running through what had occurred during the past few hours that he had been privy to while accompanying Hot Rod or Rodimus as he wished to be called now.

“Don’t worry about Hot Rod. He’s still here? I don’t get it. I thought he was Hot Rod only bigger.”

The confused doctor took a look back to Groove before he spoke up once again.

“Something more…”

But it was Groove’s last analysis that caught First Aid’s full attention.

“You think he’s an impostor or that he’s being manipulated by someone else?”

First Aid took hold of his fellow pacifist’s upper arm and tugged lightly to gain Groove’s full attention. If what his brother believed was true then this mission just became much more important.

“Groove, was there anything else you noticed besides his larger appearance?”

Corridors

Ratchet had already stopped his advance before rounding the last corner. There was no need to trample over one another in all the confusion…and as much as he hated to think it…excitement. When Hoist finally arrived with Howlstrike’s headless body Ratchet knew the situation was far more serious than he had originally thought.

With an angry hiss the CMO nodded to the green mechanic and quickly approached the trio…including Rewind and Eject who were carrying both heads and other parts that might still be saved. Ratchet helped Hoist lower the body to the floor so he could get a better look at the severed connections to the necks.

“Un-friggin'-believable!”

Ratchet followed up his first angered profanity with another series that were spoken in their own native tongue. The wounds were non-fatal but they were still no less serious. As he quieted down the Autobot medic took to sealing off cut lines and severed connections. If left un-aided then Howlstrike would surly bleed out.

“Alright, Hoist. Get him in and follow me to the Med Bay. With First Aid on a mission and Axle still recovering I’m gonna need your help.”

After addressing the mechanic, Ratchet transformed to his alt mode and waited for Howlstrike’s body to be loaded into his rear compartment.

“Rewind, Eject…go back to the storage room and see if you can find anything that will give us some clue as to who might have attacked him. Howlstrike was a former Predacon, one of Megatron’s top trained killing teams…I find it hard to believe someone could attack him and actually come out unscathed.”

Corridors outside Tracer’s Quarters

Sideswipe had brought the small turbofox’s nose against his and gave it a gentle rub. He already knew Sunstreaker was in no mood to be standing outside in the hall waiting for a femme but that certainly wouldn't stop Sideswipe from doing so. The red warrior let out a low chuckle as Razr took in several good sniffs of his black helmet. The creature was content to remain in the mech’s hands since he already was familiar with Sideswipe.

He lowered the animal back down and placed him securely back under his arm and took a long look at his irritated brother.

“Oh come on Sunshine, she’ll be here soon. She and I can get reacquainted and then we can be on our way…that is of course if she doesn't invite me in.”

He gestured over his shoulder at the door with his thumb. The smile on his face made it seem that that scenario would be the obvious outcome. That smile faded, however, when Smokescreen arrived…unexpectedly at that.

Sideswipe narrowed his optics and scanned the mech from head to two taking in the new form and the fresh paint job. The red mech carefully moved Razr out of the diversion expert’s line of sight by placing the animal under his opposite arm, this time tightening his hold.

“Yeah, that’s right. I found him after he tried to get a little too close to Sunny.”

The features on Sideswipe’s visage softened as he let out a chuckle that mirrored Smokescreen’s. That chuckle soon faded into silence when he got word that Tracer had sent the ralleybot to retrieve her pet. Not likely. A vicious growl escaped his vocalizer as he stepped in closer to the newly painted mech.

“She sent you to pick Razr up because she’s busy…I find that hard to believe. This little guy is her life…she’d never send a lackey to retrieve him. Least of all you…”

A smile spread across his face as he took in Smokescreen’s new form.

“On, man. Don’t tell me she got to you.”

With Razr still tucked under his arm, Sideswipe turned so that he could place his free hand on Smokescreen’s shoulder. He then clamped down hard while shaking his head.

“Tracer’s good. I mean she got me…not recently, nah she got me vorns ago when she and I were partnered. And let me tell you she’s one femme who is good at her job…manipulative…and so fraggin’ feisty. Could always get what she wanted and needed…”

He let out a low chuckle before tightening his grip on the red and blue mech’s shoulder.

“I guess this means she’s worked her magic on you now. Well, don’t you worry little guy, I’ll have a nice talk with her. I’m sure I’ll be able to convince her to release her hold on you. Then you’ll be able to go on your merry way.”

Sideswipe finally let Smokescreen’s shoulder go and took several steps back.

“Now, why don’t you be a good mech and give Tracer a call and let her know you’re not gonna do her dirty work for her anymore and that she needs to come and pick Razr up herself.”

Corridors outside Tracer’s Quarters

Smokescreen’s usual jovial demeanor quickly disappeared as he listened to Sideswipe’s condescending response to his request to hand over Razr. It was a long and drawn out tirade, suggesting that the diversion expert had been overcome with Tracer’s femme-like, magical charms, and that he just couldn’t help himself but to do her bidding. It was almost laughable....almost. Unfortunately, the rallybot was in no mood for comedy when somebody was talking to him like he was a fraggin' idiot. After everything Smokey had been through recently, none of which the red twin would ever know about, he didn’t need to now deal with Sideswipe’s snobbish attitude.

Once the crimson warrior released his grip on Smokescreen’s shoulder and backed away, the diversion expert locked optics with the conceited mech and actually stepped towards him, closing the gap that the red twin had just created between them. “First off, Sideswipe, I’m nobody’s lackey, not now, not ever. Second, you may have known Tracer for several vorns, but she’s been a dear friend of mine since before the war even started, well before you ever came along. I’m closer to her than you’ll ever be, no magic required. Lastly, Tracer’s never going to come here to see you, and it’s not because she’s busy. You’re right about that. It’s simply because she doesn’t want to deal with your sad attempts at romancing her. That’s the real reason she asked me to come here instead. She can’t stand you, Siders. Your arrogance is overwhelming to her. Simply put, you don't stand a chance.”

Smokescreen then took another step closer to Sideswipe, invading the slightly taller mech’s personal space. The rallybot was now within arms reach of the little turbofox, but he didn’t dare try and snatch Razr from the red twin’s grip for fear of hurting him in the process. Tracer would likely not blame Smokey, but she would still become very upset if any harm came to her dear pet. Instead, the red and blue racer placed his own hand onto Sideswipe’s shoulder plate and gave him a knowing smile. “Oh, and by the way, I just recently recovered from a bad infection of Cosmic Rust. That’s why I look a bit different now. Corrostop wasn't enough to fix me, I'm afraid. I feel fine, but you never know if some stray microbe is still lurking about. So, perhaps big ol' Sidey Swipey should just give Razr over to me now before you catch something other than a harmless turbofox.”

Bounce Chamber

Kup listened as First Aid and Groove chimed in with questions and comments. It was all stuff that he had already considered himself. He wasn’t surprised to hear it brought up by others. Groove’s bit of information was interesting and helped confirm his suspicions. It definitely sounded like Hot Rod was under some sort of influence and then was possibly spreading it to the other Autobots with him. Maybe there was something about them all that made them vulnerable to whatever was happening. He had heard stranger things in his time.

For now why Hot Rod and his group had done this wasn’t his primary concern. They were going to go down there and retrieve these wayward Autobots, by force if necessary, and bring them back to the ship. Once they were locked up they would have all the time they needed to piece together what exactly was going on with them all. At least one of them was suspected of attempted murder and all of them were guilty of disobeying orders. Assuming they hadn’t gotten themselves killed they would all be coming back to the Guardian for testing and trial.

“Mind control or some other form of influence is possible. We all know something strange happened to Hot Rod, maybe he spread something to the others. I’m not a tech head so I can’t tell you one way or the other. What I do know is we are going down hot into a potentially hostile situation to extract a potentially hostile group or Autobots. I ain’t gonna lie, it’s an ugly situation. Our primary concern is getting out people out, by force if necessary. Don’t go engaging Decepticons if you can avoid it. Once we’ve got them all back we will be bouncing out.”

Kup turned to Ironhide and nodded before stepping on to the bounce pad. “Alright Autobots, lets move out!” Ironhide shouted, motioning all of the Autobots on to the pad. Hot Spot led his team on to it as Ironhide worked the controls. With the timer set the red Autobot joined the rest of them on the pad. In seconds the collected Autobots disappeared in columns of light.

(OOC: I’ll move this group to Earth in my next post, look for it in Sea of Change soon.)

*

Corridors outside Tracer’s Quarters

Sunstreaker shook his head as his idiot twin Sideswipe continued to chat with the creature as if they were friends. “Maybe you two should get a room. That way I don’t have to watch you humiliate yourself with this overgrown rodent.” He snickered at them. He was beginning to lose his patience, not that he had much to begin with.

The warrior turned as Smokescreen approached them. He wasn’t the most annoying of Autobots at least. Sunstreaker was fairly ambivalent about him. Unfortunately for the other Autobot his mood was rapidly deteriorating. He shook his head in annoyance and disgust as the two of them fought over this Tracer who could not possibly be worth this much trouble.

Finally Sunstreaker considered just punching out Smokescreen and moving on but talk of cosmic rust brought that idea to a halt. While it sounded like a bluff Smokescreen did have a different look. He wasn’t willing to test it though. Instead he spoke up.

“Listen you two idiots; I couldn’t care less about this idiot femme you’re fighting over. What I am interested in is getting restitution for this messed up wax and polish job caused by the rodent.” He pointed at Razr. “So how about you take us to this Tracer so she can pay me back. Then you two lunkheads can fight for her love and amusement or whatever. I might even watch and get a chuckle out of it.”

Corridors near the Docking Ring

Bluestreak had a cranial ache and a really bad one at that. It felt as though a scraplet was stuck somewhere inside of his processor, and it was trying to slowly gnaw its way out. The throbbing sensation stretched from one audio receptor to the other with little relief to be found in between. Of course, this was what he got for overfilling his tanks with too much high grade energon back in the Ark-22's mess hall. The gunner wasn’t one for excessive drinking, but on occasion he would try and drown away his sorrows if he found himself alone with no one to talk to. Besides his non-stop jabbering, getting drunk was the only other option that helped silence those dreadful voices of the past.

Where the slag am I? Bluestreak thought as he rubbed his head and glanced back over his shoulder down the docking tunnel he had just walked across. Oh, I guess I’m over on the Guardian now. I thought the corridors looked different. Heh. The hungover mech continued forward, making his way through the halls of the medical frigate. The black and silver Autobot had previously awakened in his personal quarters over on the Ark-22. He couldn’t exactly remember how he had gotten from the mess hall down to his own living space, but the image of Wheeljack was stuck in his mind for some reason. Perhaps the scientist had helped him, but he couldn’t be certain. All the gunner remembered was waking up several cycles later and feeling as though a Dinobot had stepped on his cranium. Actually, I think that would hurt less. Ow.

Then, after remaining in his quarters for another breem, Bluestreak decided he would try going for a walk and hope that moving around would help alleviate his pounding head. Thankfully, it had somewhat helped, but he still felt like slag. The idea to seek out Ratchet for some medical assistance came to ‘Streak when he arrived at the docking ring, which ultimately lead him to his present location. I sure hope Ratchet had some kind of pain killers for me. I don’t think I can just let this hangover run its course. Ugh.

Corridors near Tracer's Quarters

Rounding another corner, Bluestreak spotted a trio of mechs that he instantly recognized as Sideswipe, Sunstreaker and Smokescreen. The three ‘Bots seemed to be chatting it up with Sunny exhibiting his usual grumpy disposition. Not being able to resist the chance to talk to his fellow Autobots, the gunner approached them and cracked a painful smile. “Hey, guys! What’s going on?” Blue interrupted, but before anyone could answer his question, he noticed the turbofox tucked under the red twin’s arm. “Whoa! Is that a turbofox?! I haven’t seen one of those since before Cybertron was abandoned! Where’d you guys find him? I can’t believe one would be wandering around the ship. A medical frigate is supposed to be free of vermin. You should be careful, Siders, those critters can carry all sorts of contagions like rust rash or even nano-viruses which generally spread through a simple bite in most cases. I knew a mech once that got bit by a turbofox and a virus attacked his nerve receptors. Not a pleasant experience for him, let me tell you!”

Smokescreen glanced over at the black and silver mech, a frown deeply etched across the rallybot’s faceplate. “Blue, we’re kinda in the middle of something here. Do you mind?!”

“Ah, sure thing, Smokey! Whatever you say,” Bluestreak replied with a surprised expression. He didn’t expect the diversion expert to respond in such an unfriendly manner. Perhaps something was bothering him. “You okay, Smokey? You seem a bit upset? Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Being quiet would be a start,” Smokescreen shot back, not caring how his words sounded. “Or you can help me convince Sideswipe here that it would be in his best interests to hand Razr over to me so I can return the little guy to his rightful owner.” The rallybot returned his attention to the red twin, the serious look never leaving his faceplate.

“Oh, so the turbofox is a lost pet,” Bluestreak said, understanding the situation. “And he has a name! Very cute. Well, I guess that explains how he got on board. Someone brought him. At least he’s not some kind of wild animal roaming the corridors. I’m sure he’s had all his shots.” The gunner looked to Smokescreen for confirmation, but got none. “Um...he has been vacinated, right?”

Ignoring the gunner for a moment, Smokescreen regarded Sunstreaker with a disgusted look, having not forgotten the golden warrior’s prior comments just before the chatterbox had arrived on scene. All the Autobot prima donna cared about was his precious paint job. Nothing else mattered to him but outshining everyone else. “I’m not taking you anywhere, Sunny. If restitution is what you want then I’ll buy you some more wax for your finish. But only after your brother here hands Razr over to me.”

Bluestreak watched the heated exchange with stunned interest. Apparently, this was not a friendly conversation like he had initially assumed when the gunner came upon the trio. It seemed as though everyone was getting all riled up over a little turbofox, which was kind of silly considering everything that had transpired in the Sol System over the past several deca-cycles. With Prime gone and the Deceptions out there planning who knows what, worrying about someone’s pet seemed like a waste of time not to mention energon.

“Come on, guys, it’s just a turbofox,” Bluestreak interjected again, trying to calm everyone down before things got out of hand. The gunner had all but forgotten his cranial ache as the current confrontation proved to be a nice little distraction from the pain. “It’s certainly not worth fighting each other over. Why don’t you just give the little fella back to Smokey, Sideswipe? I’m sure you’d rather be fighting ‘Cons then playing with some animal. Am I right?”

Corridors outside Tracer’s Quarters

The smug smirk that had worked its way onto the red twin’s faceplates slowly melted with each word Smokescreen spewed from his miserable mouth. Soon that usual happy-go-lucky expression that always graced Sideswipe’s face had been replaced by a deep scowl and a murderous glare.

“I find it really, REALLY hard to believe that she would send someone like you to handle something like this.”

Sideswipe took a step forward closing the distance between him and his advisory with just one foot fall.

“I don’t care if you two were acquaintances while still a twinkle in Primus’ ever-loving optic… I've known her…probably known her, in more ways than you could ever hope for.”

Slowly, and almost menacingly, the warrior stepped in even closer to Smokescreen, but in this instance he was able to keep his anger in check and keep his vocalizer low even after the diversionary expert had the gall to lay his hand on his shoulder.

“You know, that slag about Cosmic Rust is pretty weak…kinda like you. Although if it does hold any truth then maybe I should call security to come and quarantine you. It’d be the best for all of us. Of course I could always take you to the med bay kicking and screaming.”

Perhaps it was the close quarters or maybe it was the nickname the rally-mech had utilized, but whatever the case Sideswipe had had it. Optics flashing a bright blue the red mech covered the remaining distance between him and Smokescreen in less than an astrosecond, but stopped just short of grabbing his slim little neck and squeezing, instead he kept his optics glued on his prey while keeping his audio receptor trained on Sunstreaker.

“Stiffle it, Sunny! You’ll get your restitution…I might even take it out of our good friend, Smokescreen’s new hide.”

Sideswipe flashed the mech he was now looming over a broad smile. Ready to pounce once more Sideswipe lifted his free hand and started for Smokescreen once more when another idiot arrived. With a heavy sigh followed closely by a deep guttural growl the red twin shot Bluestreak a sinister glare. The last thing he needed now was to be talked into submission by someone just as annoying as Prowl.

“Do yourself a favor, Blue, turn around and walk away. Me and Smokey, here have some stuff to discuss. None of this concerns you…unless you want it to.”

From the new arrival Sideswipe looked back to the blue and red mech standing just within arm’s reach. In the blink of an eye the crimson warrior lunged forward catching Smokescreen against the chest with the palm of his free hand and shoved the mech back against the wall with considerable force. With only inches between them, Sideswipe sent his victim a predatory sneer while slowly inching that free hand up toward Smokescreen’s scrawny neck.

“You know what, Bluestreak, I would rather be fighting 'Cons. But since they seem to be a bit scarce right now, I think Smokescreen would make the perfect surrogate.”

Sideswipe pulled his free hand from Smokescreen and reared back ready to deliver a devastating punch into the rallybot’s faceplate when he felt a searing pain shooting through his forearm. Sideswipe took a step back to see if he’d been hit by some kind of hidden weapon that the blue and red ‘Bot had used, but when he saw nothing he quickly turned his attention to Razr who had plunged his razor sharp teeth deep into the red warrior’s arm plating.

“AGH! Son-of a...!”

The angry, wounded ‘Bot quickly released the turbofox and grabbed ahold of his now bleeding forearm. The very moment Razr’s feet hit the ground the little animal took off down the corridor and around the corner disappearing from sight.

Sideswipe very slowly looked up from his arm and glared into Smokscreen’s optics.

“After I get this patched up…you and me finish this conversation…my way!”

This was so not over. He turned on his heal and shoved past his golden twin heading directly for the med bay where he knew Ratchet would be waiting….and none too happy.

“Let’s go, Sunny!”

Corridors - Bounce Chamber

Tires screeched as Red Alert hit the brakes, approaching the door to the bounce chamber with Blurr, which was a little disconcerting considering how easily the speedster could have sped right past him. Of course the hallways were designed for mechs to walk in robot mode and not vehicular mode traffic, so that would probably explain it. Te had yet to notice Jazz around, though.

Where is Jazz? Did he change his mind? Or was he been toying with me the entire time and now informing Prowl of my intentions? For now it may seem that Blurr is the only one I can trust.

He transformed into his robot mode, entering the command for the door to slide open, only to see the lights within the chamber dissapate with no Autobots left in the room.

"NO!", he shouted as he rushed to the chamber controls in a vain attempt to stop the process so he could get an explanation, but it was already too late, "Slaggit no!"

Taking a quick intake and setting aside his frustrations, Red Alert started going through the chamber logs to find out who it was and where they went. Occasionally he would look away from the control panel and glare at Blurr, as he considered the possibility that this was yet another trap set for him by Prowl. As he looked back to the chamber logs, he realized just how far behind he really was.

"That wasn't Hot Rod or his group.", Red Alert shook his head, looking back at Blurr again, then reading the control panel, "It was the Protectobots, Ironhide and Kup......"

The security director paused as he read further, checking for any bounces before the one he had just missed. Somewhat to his relief, he saw the record containing the mechs he had wanted to see in the first place.

"-But, Hot Rod and five other Autobots did bounce down to the planet several breems earlier, and both groups went to the same location. Perhaps...."

Red Alert worked the controls, hoping to activate another bounce for him and possibly Blurr, but he was met with harsh buzzing sounds as "Access Denied" repeatedly appeared on the control monitor. Shaking his head in frustration he slammed his fists on the panel, though he did no real damage.

"Slag! I'm don't have access!"

Red Alert lowered his head down as he started to think. What were Hot Rod and the others doing down on the planet? Were they hiding from Prowl's ever watchful eye, in the hopes of regrouping and coming up with a plan to end the strategist's reign over the Autobots? Or were they simply rebelling, taking their frustrations out on the first enemy encampment they could find? And what about Kup, Ironhide and the Protectobots? What was their part in this?

Red Alert silently shook his head as his processors again tried to make sense of all the evidence.

Wheeljack, Prowl, Inferno, Bluestreak, Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Jazz, Blurr, the missing shuttle in the Ark 22, the Dinobots taking the Ark 19, "accidental" orbital bounces that leave traces of metal, turbofoxes running about, renegade Autobots going down to the planet.... I have all these pieces in front of me, but they just don't seem to fit together!

His hands leaning on the console, he glarred at Blurr for what seemed like a breem.

If he'd been sent to kill me he could have done it over a breem ago before I even knew it.

Looking back down at the console, Red Alert asked himself out loud, "What now?"

Corridors

Hoist carefully lowered the former Predacon's body down to the floor, and watched quietly as Ratchet did his work. He still wondered just who would have done such a horrible thing. Once Ratchet was done he watched the CMO transform into his ambulance mode, as the current situation of the medical bay was assessed for him.

"Right, of course.", Hoist agreed as he carefully lifted Howlstrike into the back of Ratchet's alternate mode, "I'll do whatever I can."

Once the former predacon had been loaded in, the green mech shut the back door to the ambulance and took a couple steps away from Ratchet.

"Good luck.", Hoist turned his head and commented to Eject and Rewind, "Hopefully you find something to take us to whoever did this."

Waiting for Ratchet to go ahead of him, Hoist transformed into a green tow truck, making sure not to get too close to the ambulance in front of him.

Corridors outside Tracer’s Quarters

Smokescreen stood his ground against Sideswipe, not caring what the red twin believed or how much he claimed to know about Tracer. The rallybot didn’t even care about the name calling or other idle threats that were being thrown at him. It was all a bunch of slag as far as the diversionary tactician was concerned. The crimson warrior, like his brother, was nothing more than an egotistical bully who had now been put in his place by a mech that was smaller and admittedly weaker than himself. Naturally, Sideswipe was none too pleased with Smokey’s disrespectful tone or even Bluestreak’s intrusion into the heated conversation. Even the golden warrior was not entirely safe from his twin’s wrath.

With a quick lunge, Sideswipe shoved Smokescreen back against a nearby wall and held him there with the intent of then reaching up and grabbing him by the neck. The diversion expert grunted slightly as pain shot through his back plating by the force that the red twin had just administered. Ignoring the discomfort, the rallybot sneered back at his stronger adversary, not caring that he was about to be punched right in the faceplate. “Give it your best shot!” Smokey taunted, ready to dodge the red twin’s attack. However, that proved to be unnecessary when Razr finally got tired of being held and took a bite out of the Autobot bully.

Now bleeding, Sideswipe dropped the turbofox to the ground and grabbed his injured arm, acting as though the wound was a major one. Tracer’s pet wasted no time in scurrying away down the corridor and out of sight as the crimson brute vowed to finish what he and Smokescreen had started once his poor hurt arm was all fixed up. “Whatever,” the rallybot scoffed as Sideswipe stormed off towards the med bay, calling for Sunstreaker to follow.

Bluestreak had stood by and watched as Smokescreen and Sideswipe almost came to blows. The gunner was ready to step in and grab a hold of the red twin’s balled up fist had Razr not bitten down on the other arm, which prevented things from escalating even further. Now that the crimson warrior had left in a huff, the black and silver mech simply looked to the diversion expert with a concerned expression. “You okay, Smokey?”

“Oh sure, never better,” Smokescreen responded as his optics fell back on Sunstreaker for a moment. He thought about saying something to the golden Autobot, but quickly reconsidered. The rallybot got lucky with Sideswipe only because Razr had intervened with a well placed bite. Now that the turbofox was gone, there was nothing to prevent Sunstreaker from also becoming violent except for the presence of Bluestreak, but that would likely not be enough. Instead, the already weakened diversion expert felt that it was best to make a hasty retreat while he still could. Even at full strength, Smokescreen was not stronger than either twin and in this situation he was even weaker than usual.

Returning his gaze to Bluestreak, the red and blue mech motioned for the gunner to follow. “Come on, Blue. Help me find Razr will ya?”

“Ah, sure thing, Smokey,” Bluestreak replied as the diversion expert moved past him and headed down the corridor after Razr. The black and silver ‘Bot then glanced over at Sunstreaker and gave him a quick smile followed by a shrug of the shoulders. ‘Streak then hurried after Smokescreen who had already rounded the first corner.

Adjoining Corridor

Catching up to the rallybot, Bluestreak walked alongside him and patted his long time friend on the shoulder plate. “Well, that was certainly exciting. You know, I have no problem helping you search for little Razr, but I’m still a bit hungover from before and have this terrible cranial ache. I was actually on my way to see Ratchet for some pain meds when I came across you guys arguing. Although, I guess since Siders is heading to the medical bay now, I should probably wait a while before going down there. I don’t want to have another encounter with the twins or anything, not right away. They need to calm down first, you know? Anyway, I’m happy to help.”

“You can help more by doing less talking and more searching,” Smokescreen said, still angry over the encounter with Sideswipe. He didn’t care if things weren’t over between the two. Smokey would worry about the red twin later. At least now Razr was free of the Autobot bully’s clutches. They just had to find the little guy before he got into even more trouble. “We need to do a room to room search for him. There’s mostly storage rooms full of medical supplies along this corridor. Razr is likely hiding in one of them. Be sure to check any air vents, as well, or other tight places that a turbofox could hide in. Understood?”

“Yeah, Smokes, no problem,” Bluestreak responded with a nod. “By the way, did you really have Cosmic Rust?”

“I’m afraid so,” Smokescreen admitted, even though it was a carefully crafted lie. “My old body was ravaged by the infection before Corrostop was applied. By then it was too late to save my old framework and thus Wheeljack had to build me a new one from scratch. I’m fine now, and there’s no trace of the rust left. I was just bullscrapping with Siders back there, trying to worry him.”

“I see,” Bluestreak replied with a smile. “Well, at least you’re okay. I once knew a mech that had Cosmic Rust who literally crumbled into a pile of dust it got so bad. Needless-to-say, there was no Corrostop on hand to help him. Damn shame, too. He was a nice mech, very well liked and...”

“Blue?”

“Yeah, Smokey?”

“Please shut up and search.”

“Okay, sorry. Shutting up now.”

With Bluestreak’s vocal processor finally falling silent, Smokescreen went to open a comm line with Tracer in order to give her an update on Razr, but found that his unit was actually turned off. “Huh, I guess Jackie never activated my comm unit when he finished building my new body. Oh, well. I hope no one tried to get in touch with me,” the rallybot muttered to himself as he switched his communicator on and opened a secure line back to Tracer:

>>”Hey, Trace, it’s Smokescreen. I’m fine and you’ll be happy to know that Razr is away from Sideswipe. What an aft hole he was, but I’ll fill you in on those details later. The only unfortunate thing is that Razr has run off again, but I’ve got Bluestreak here helping me search for him so it shouldn’t be too much longer. Take it easy in the meantime and I’ll see you soon.”<<

Closing his comm link with the troubled femme, Smokescreen proceeded to open the first door on the left side of the corridor while Bluestreak had already entered a storage room on the right. Hopefully, between the two mechs they would find Razr soon before anyone else came along and began asking too many questions.

Corridors

Axle had spent the last few breems searching for Smokescreen throughout most of the Ark – 22’s halls that surrounded Wheeljack’s lab but there was no sign of the missing mech. The medic decided to try continuing his search on the Guardian. The rallybot had to be there.

“Can’t believe the little slagger had the gall to run off and not say anything to anyone...’Oh, hey, Axle I’m gonna go take a walk…you okay with that?’ I swear he’s probably worse than Hex on his good days.”

The medic continued his mumbled tirade as he took to searching several of the rooms he had come across before stopping at an intersection. Axle placed a hand on his hip as he looked from one corridor and to the other.

“Oh frag this…”

Hoping that he might be close to his query, Axle intensified his scanner in an attempt to possibly pick up Smokescreen’s energy signature. The medic perked up when he finally did come across someone…Bluestreak…it wasn't Smokey but perhaps motor-mouth would be able to shed some light on just where the rallybot might be.

Axle took off at a brisk pace toward where he read Bluestreak’s signature and halted before a closed door. He took a quick look around the hall and saw no one. It was strange…the gunner’s energy signature said he was here. With a shrug Axle made to enter the room when he noticed some movement out of the corner of his optics.

The black and green mech turned around and recognized the back of Smokescreen’s newly built body. With a deeply set scowl Axle approached the wayward mech and placed a heavy hand on Smokescreen’s shoulder and forcefully turned the mech around to face him.

“What the slag do you think you’re doing?! I don’t remember giving you permission to leave the lab!”

Axle’s hand dropped from the other mech’s shoulder only to become animated in a completely different way.

“What in Primus’ name made you think you were well enough to just up and take a walk?”

He threw his hands up dramatically at the same time tossing his head back in exasperation.

“Honestly! I feel like I’m protoform sitting except I’m not getting paid!”

He took a deep breath before letting it out with an irritated huff. Axle lowered his head…optics boring into Smokescreen’s for a moment before his features finally softened.

“She was asking for you.”

----

Once Hoist had loaded Howlstrike’s body, Ratchet quickly headed off in the direction of the Med Bay. He’d need to get the former Predacon’s robot head reattached as quickly as possible. As it was the head had been separated for far longer than he would have liked….of course he would have not liked it at all. The wound was not life threatening now, but the longer the separation the greater the risk of losing the mech altogether.

Medical Bay

Before his arrival Ratchet sent a signal to the medical drones that he would need assistance with removing the mech from his rear compartment. The CMO came to a halt just inside the doors when two drone met him and removed Howlstrike’s body before depositing it on the nearest surgical slab.

Ratchet transformed and set right to work repairing wires and hoses that would be needed to reattach the head. He’d worry about the mech’s alternate mode’s head later.

The CMO let out a grumble as his hands moved over all of the vital parts that needed tending to. When he found out who was responsible he’d personally see to it that the perpetrator be disassembled and his parts sold for scrap.

Corridors

Rewind and Eject simply nodded to the CMO as he addressed them before driving off to the medical bay to tend to Howlstrike. Rewind had been unwilling to potentially provoke the irritable CMO's ire, so he did not mention having to leave as Prowl order. The two cassettobots jogged off down the corridor as Steeljaw trailed behind the CMO and Hoist, and Ramhorn skulked away to go do whatever extremely irate rhinos did. As the Rewind and Eject made their way back to the supply room, Rewind glanced over to Eject and spoke softly.

"Hey, I gotta go. Prowl called me out on an assignment about a breem ago, and I need to start heading over there," said the archivist.

"Go ahead, buddy. I'll take this. And don't worry, I'll find out who did it!"

Rewind smiled in relief and nodded his thanks, breaking away from Eject and toward the docking ramp to the Ark-22. He wondered who could have betrayed them like that. Howlstike was an Autobot, even if he had been a Decepticon once. Things could get heated, but Rewind couldn't think of an Autobot that would do such a thing.

Were they still on the ship? Possibly, though they may have been part of the group that had bounced down. Could someone else have been attacked? There was no way of knowing unless they stumbled across it. It was unnerving. A possible traitor in their midst? Rewind shook his head. Maybe there was some way to identify the traitor? Maybe it was an insecticon cerebroshell? The possibilities raced through the diminutive autobot's mind as he passed over onto the Ark-22.

Corridors

After searching two medical supply rooms with no luck in finding Razr, Smokescreen exited into the corridor once more and made his way further down towards a third room. Before he could open the door, however, the red and blue racer felt someone’s heavy hand settle onto his shoulder plate and force him to turn around. The rallybot fully expected to see Sideswipe or even Sunstreaker standing there ready to punch his circuits out for the humiliating confrontation that left the red twin’s pride scarred. Instead, Smokey came faceplate to faceplate with Axle, who was non too happy that he had left Wheeljack’s lab without permission.

Smokescreen remained quiet as the field medic berated him for taking such a risk with his health so soon after being rebuilt from scratch. The diversion expert couldn’t blame the black and green mech as he was only doing his job and trying to look out for Smokey’s wellbeing. Once the tirade was over, the rallybot shrugged his shoulders as he began to explain his actions. “I’m sorry, Axle. Tracer received a call from Sideswipe saying that he had found her pet turbofox. Initially, she wanted to go get him, herself, but I knew that wasn’t a good idea so I volunteered. I’ve been doing okay so far. Although, Siders gave me a bit of grief over me showing up instead of Tracer. It didn’t matter as Razr ended up biting him on the arm and then scurried off. Bluestreak’s now helping me look for the little guy by going through these supply rooms one at a time.”

The diversion expert’s optics widened as Axle mentioned that Tracer had been asking for him. “She was? How is she doing? Was Wheeljack able to get his replicator working yet?” Smokescreen then glanced back down the corridor, searching for any signs of the pet turbofox before returning his attention to the annoyed field medic. “Regardless, I guess I should get back to her soon, but not before I find Razr. If I returned to the lab without him, she’d be very upset which could make her condition even worse.”

Medical Supply Room 6A

Bluestreak searched through the supply room, his scanners focused on anything small and four-legged that may be hiding somewhere behind one of the numerous storage crates or shelves. The gunner moved slowly, trying to keep his processor’s attention on the task at hand and not let it wander into the past again. His cranial ache was starting to subside a bit, but not enough to his liking. After Razr was finally located, he would still need to obtain some pain killers from Ratchet and hopefully not run into Sideswipe while in the process of getting his arm repaired. Although, considering the CMO’s grumpy disposition, the black and silver mech would surely receive an audio full about how to consume energon responsibly.

I’d rather deal with Siders instead of listening to one of Ratchet’s lectures, Bluestreak thought as his scanners suddenly picked up something small moving at the back of the room. The gunner made his way into the next aisle and followed the energy signature until he had reached the rear wall where a bunch of metal containers were neatly stacked. Turning to his left, Blue noticed a pair of glowing optics that were staring at him from a dark corner where the overhead lighting did not reach. “There you are! Come here, Razr! It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you. I’m just going to take you to Uncle Smokey and he’ll return you to your master.”

The talkative mech slowly approached the creature, its optics remaining steadfast and surrounded in darkness. As he came within a few feet of the critter, Bluestreak knelt down and carefully reached his hands out, hoping that Razr wouldn’t bite him, as well. “There you go. Just take it easy, little fella, and everything will be o.....” Before the black and silver mech could finish his sentence, the small metal animal swiftly leapt out of the shadows, landing on the Autobot’s shoulder plate. It was then that the gunner saw it was not a turbofox after all, but a cyber-rat! “Ahhh! Get off me your filthy beast!!!” Blue shouted just as the rodent jumped down from his temporary perch and scurried into an open air vent, disappearing from sight.

Bluestreak got to his feet and brushed his shoulder off just in case the rat had left any unwanted droppings behind. “Where the frag did that come from?!” The gunner asked aloud to no one in particular. After thinking for a moment, he realized that it probably came over from the Ark-22. That ship had recently been on Cybertron where there were an abundance of cyber-rats. Thankfully, it was a small one and not one of the bigger variety. “I should let someone know about that. Where there’s one there’s likely more.” After giving the room one last scan, Bluestreak determined that Razr was not present and thus made his way to the door.

Corridors

Exiting the supply room, the black and silver mech immediately spotted Smokescreen speaking with Axle just down the corridor. The field medic seemed to be upset with the diversion expert about something. Although, this situation certainly seemed far less tense than the last one with Sideswipe and Sunstreaker. Still, Bluestreak was becoming tired of getting in the middle of an argument, one that again involved the rallybot.

Approaching the two mechs with caution, the talkative gunner smiled and gave the medical officer a curt nod. “Hey, Axle. Good to see you again. It’s been a long time. Look, I hope I’m not interrupting anything too serious here. I just wanted to let you guys know that I got done checking another supply room back there and found no trace of the turbofox. I did, however, come across a small cyber-rat that scurried into an air vent. I’m thinking it came over from the 22. There were a lot of those things up on Cybertron before we left, so I’m not surprised to find that one crawled over here. We probably should send out some extermination drones to kill it and make sure there are no others hiding in the air ducts. We certainly don’t want a nest to form on a medical frigate now do we? I mean that would be really really bad, you know?”

“Blue?” Smokescreen said, casting his gaze over at the chatterbot.

“Sorry, shutting up now,” Bluestreak replied, pressing two of his actuators together and making a zipper motion across his lips. How long they would stay closed was anyone’s guess.

Corridors

After finally settling down from his mini tirade, Axle crossed his arms over his chest and listened half expecting Smokescreen to put up some kind of fight or even throw a small tantrum of his own, but when it failed to come Axle seemed to actually relax…almost feeling sorry for the way he actually approached his patient…almost.

“Alright. I get it. Just…please, don’t go running off without saying something first. I don’t want to get a call telling me you dropped into stasis somewhere. Or worse yet…you wound up in the med bay under Ratchet’s care.”

Axle let out a grunt and let his arms drop to his sides when he was told of Bluestreak’s involvement with this so call turbofox hunt. It wasn't that big a surprise, after all he did pick up on the gunner’s signature when he came looking for his initial quarry.

“Ahh perfect. Of all the mechs that could…you know what, never mind. As long as he’s not privy to anything but the existence of Tracer’s pet then Bluestreak helping out won’t be much of a problem.”

When Axle’s mentioning of Tracer having asked for the diversionary expert, the wide-eyed-surprised expression that crossed Smokescreen’s face could almost be seen as comical had it not been brought on by something so serious. Axle shook his head gently as his first response but then looked back to the worried mech.

“She’s okay. ‘Jack was able to get that contraption of his to work and we were able to replicate the sample.”

He paused for a moment as he took a quick look around. Once he was comfortable with proceeding, Axle gently rubbed his chin with his forefinger and thumb. He’d need to break the news of just what to expect for when Smokey returns to his ailing love.

“Look, I’m gonna be blunt here, Smokescreen. Tracer’s got a long way to go before she’s…well…Anyway, when we get back to the lab I want you to be prepared for what you’re gonna see.”

He placed his hand lightly on the blue and red mech’s shoulder and stepped in closer so his voice wouldn’t carry throughout the entire corridor.

“’Jack’s repairing her optics right now. He’ll be finished by the time we get back there but she’ll be unresponsive…”

The medic was ready to continue his explanation but the sudden appearance of Bluestreak made him stop. He carefully backed away from his patient and offered the new arrival a halfhearted smile and a small nod.

“Blue. Good to see you as well. I was…”

The medic’s attempt to try and get him and Smokescreen out of there failed miserably when the black and silver mech proceeded to bombard both of their audios with his inane nonstop banter. A groan passed over Axle’s lips just as he brought up a hand and face palmed. He did not need this. Not now.

To his relief Smokescreen was able to shut the mech up by just speaking his name. With a satisfied smirk on his face Axle brought his hand up and patted the gunner’s head.

“Good boy. Now, if you’re good and you keep quiet I’ll toss ya an energon goody.”

Axle then raised a finger and stared hard into Bluestreak’s optics.

“…but only IF you’re good. Got me?”

Axle looked back to the other mech and raised his chin slightly gesturing further down the corridor.

“Come on. Let’s go find this…thing…and get it back to its owner. In the meantime, Blue, why don’t you call Red and let him know there might be a possible cyber-rat infestation on both ships.”

Dealing with that scrap will certainly keep that paranoid nutcase busy and out of our plating.

Research Suite

Frightened and confused, Razr had scrambled as fast as he could away from the red twin and from the other large mechs that had been looming about. Right now all the little turbofox wanted was to find a safe and secluded location so he could reset before setting back out to search for his master. He had already picked up on her scent but with all of the unknown people obviously putting on a chase he was not going to make any kind of move.

Stepping lightly, and quietly, to a lone door, Razr hopped up on his hind legs and pawed at the keypad. After several beeps and a series of low tones indicating the improper code, the door finally slid open giving Razr full access to the room.

Very tentatively the gold colored animal stepped passed the threshold and swept his optics over the darkened space. Once he was satisfied that nothing was lurking he padded deeper into the interior and quickly found a shadowy hiding place and settled down.

Corridors

Before the chatterbot had arrived in the corridor to interrupt their conversation, Smokescreen listened to Axle’s response to his explanation as to why he left the lab without permission. The field medic seemed content with the rallybot’s answer, if not entirely pleased. The black and green mech was even less happy about the revelation that Bluestreak was assisting in the search for Razr. Unfortunately, it had been unavoidable and would’ve looked suspicious and out of character if the diversion expert had just told him to buzz off. Still some help was better than none at all.

“Again, I’m sorry, Axle,” Smokescreen said with another shrug of the shoulders. “I promise I won’t wander off again without telling you or ‘Jack. And, don’t worry, Blue doesn’t know anything specific. Besides, he wouldn’t shut up long enough for me to tell him anything. Heh.” The red and blue racer chuckled slightly as Axle went on to quietly reveal that Wheeljack had gotten the replicator to work and he was now repairing her damaged optics. However, Smokey was also quickly reminded of the fact that the troubled femme still had a very long way to go before she would be considered healed, if that was even possible after being exposed to Syk for so long.

Axle’s words were cut short not once but twice when Bluestreak finally returned from searching a storage room and interjected himself into the conversation with his non-stop talking. It amazed Smokescreen to no end how much the black and silver mech could utter from his vocal processor without so much as taking a breath. The field medic’s face palm, along with Smokey’s irritated audios, led the diversion expert to silence his friend by simply speaking half of the gunner’s name. It was comical but effective and that’s all that mattered.

Bluestreak, of course, was used to his comrades wanting him to shut up and thus he took no offensive in this situation, either. However, the gunner was not thrilled when Axle began speaking to him like he was the very pet turbofox they were all searching for. “I know I talk a lot Axle, but there’s no need to be condescending,” Blue replied as his visage turned into a slight frown. “As for contacting Red Alert, I’m not sure he’ll listen to me. The last time I saw him over on the 22, he was spouting off about some conspiracy regarding Wheeljack, a missing shuttle and Prowl being the mastermind of it all. He even accused me of being involved. Personally, I think he’s completely lost it, but that’s just my opinion.”

Smokescreen’s interest in what the chatterbot was saying had increased when he heard that Red was aware of the missing shuttle and Wheeljack’s involvement, even if the Security Director hadn’t yet put all of the pieces together. “Yeah, he sounds like he’s gone off the deep end and without any high grade to boot. Still, if there are cyber-rats on board, then he’ll need to know about it. Just provide him with your data scans which prove that you saw one, and he’ll have no choice but to accept it as fact.” The diversion expert cast a knowing look over to Axle before returning his attention to the black and silver mech. “Just do me a favor, Blue, don’t mention that me and Axle are searching for a pet turbofox. Red will likely want to quarantine it and that wouldn’t go over well with his owner. Okay?”

“Yeah, sure thing, Smokey,” Bluestreak replied as he perked up a bit. “No problem. Red’ll probably think the little fella’s part of the non-existent conspiracy anyway. No need to get him riled up even more than he already is.”

“Agreed,” Smokescreen said as he placed a gentle hand on the gunner’s shoulder. “Look, I appreciate your help in trying to find Razr, but Axle and I can handle it from here. Didn’t you say you came over here for some pain meds because of a cranial ache? I certainly don’t want to keep you from getting some relief any longer than necesasry.”

“You’re right, Smokes. My head still does hurt a lot,” Bluestreak conceded while rubbing the back of his cranium. “I’ll head down to the med bay now and leave you mechs to it. Good luck! I’m sure you’ll going to need it. Turbofoxes can be pretty evasive critters. It may take you guys a while to....”

“Blue...”

“Gotcha,” the Autobot gunner said, giving a curt nod to both of his comrades before turning on his heal and heading down the corridor for the med bay.

Once he was around the corner and out of sight, Smokescreen look over at Axle again and shook his head. “I swear he has no off button,” the rallybot commented with another chuckle as he turned to look the opposite way down the corridor. “I’m sorry, Axle, but I needed to get rid of Blue before he learned too much. If I didn’t, he’d probably want to follow us all the way back to Wheeljack’s lab. Best we just find Razr ourselves.”

Smokescreen then walked with the field medic down the hallway as the search for the turbofox continued. The diversion expert increased his scanner’s range in the hopes of picking up Razr’s signature. “You know, I’m a bit worried that Red Alert knows about the missing shuttle,” the rallybot conveyed his concerns to Axle in a whispered tone so that no one else could hear him. “Although, the paranoid nut doesn’t seem to know anything about myself or Tracer or even you being involved, which is good. I just pray to Primus that Red doesn’t eventually figure things out and learn what really happened.”

Research Suite

After turning down a side corridor, the diversion expert stopped suddenly in front of the door to the research facility, his scanner picking up a faint signature that clearly belonged to a small animal of some kind. Whether it was Razr or the cyber-rat Bluestreak had seen was difficult to determine, but hopefully it was the former. They were taking too long and needed to hurry back to Wheeljack’s lab before anyone else stumbled upon their little turbofox hunt and began asking questions. Red Alert, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker were three mechs in particular that they needed to avoid at all costs.

“I’ve got something here,” Smokescreen said as he glanced over at the field medic before activating the access pad on the wall. Once the doors had slid apart, the rallybot cautiously stepped inside and peered around the large room as the overhead lights automatically flickered on. “Axle, why don't you check the left side of the room while I take the right. We’ll meet somewhere in the middle. Okay?” With that said, Smokey wasted no further time and began to search his side of the research suite.

Corridors

Had Primus given him the ability Axle would have rolled his optics at Bluestreak and the gunner's hurt pride. He didn’t have time for this. He needed to get back to the lab…with Smokescreen and this little pest so that he could actually monitor both ‘Bots.

“Right, no problem, Blue. I’ll keep that in mind.”

The medic was already peering down the hall in search of any possible signs of the little turbofox while Bluestreak continued with his bantering, but it was what the gunner mentioned concerning Red Alert and Wheeljack and conspiracies that had Axle stop and look back to the silver and black mech. The field medic glanced in Smokescreen’s direction and then focused back on their resident chatterbox.

“Well, Red’s always been…eccentric. Probably would have been good if Rung hadn’t taken that position on G9, huh?”

Axle glanced back at the diversion expert before looking back down the corridor. Finding Razr and getting back to the lab was paramount now that they knew Red Alert was possibly still on the prowl. With one audio open for any kind of noise the turbofox made and one on Smokey and Blue; Axle was able to hear when both mechs said their peace and the gunner was sent on his way.

“No need for sorry, Smokescreen. Blue’s a good kid. He just needs reminding that there’s a time and place for his incessant banter…like when he's in his own quarters.”

The two mechs then moved down the corridor together while searching for Tracer’s beloved pet. Axle had to agree with what his patient was saying…Red did know quite a bit pertaining to the shuttle, but he still didn’t know it was Smokescreen and Tracer that had taken it.

“Well, let’s just hope that Red keeps his conspiracy theories focused on Prowl and not on any of us.”

Research Suite

The remainder of their search was conducted in relative silence as both Axle and Smokescreen kept their focus on their scanners. To his relief it appeared that the diversion expert had picked up on a very faint signature that seemed to be originating from within a research suite.

Axle gave Smokescreen a quick nod as the blue and red mech opened the door and slipped inside. The lights flashed to life and the door slid shut behind them. Without offering any kind of response Axle took to the left of the room and began the arduous task of hunting down the small critter.

Even with the lights activated they were still unable to reach the far corners which remained cloaked in the shadows. Axle had made it to one of these corners and very slowly squatted down low so he could get a better view of the small space.

The sound of a low growl caused Axle to stop his movements and take a closer look in the confined area. From the darkness two blue pinpricks appeared before another low growl was released. Convinced that this creature was Razr, the medic rose back up to his full height and began to try and coax the animal out from its hiding spot.

“Hey there little fella. Why don’t ya come on out and I’ll get ya to your owner. How’s that sound? Come on boy…”

Before he could even finish his plea Razr lunged forward and to the medic’s surprise was caught in his arms. Axle curled both arms around the small creature’s waist and held tight while Razr squirmed wildly in an attempt to try and get away.

“Agh! Damnit! Smokescreen! I’ve got him!”

The black and green mech quickly made his way to the center of the room where he stopped and struggled with keeping the turbofox under control.

“Smokescreen, come get this thing!”

Med Bay

“What a bunch of slag! I can’t believe that afthole had the nerve to show up and say he was sent…”

Sideswipe paused in his tirade and took a sidelong glance at his brother who was accompanying him through the halls on their way to the med bay.

“Any you! The least you could have done was back me up! I mean...would it have been too much to ask for you to hold him down while I beat the ever-loving slag out of him? I mean you are on my side…at least I thought you were, Sunny.”

Sideswipe removed his hand from the bite wound on his arm and took a look at the small amount of energon that stained his hand. It wasn’t too serious but what hurt more was his pride.

“Smokescreen better watch his back from now on.”

The red warrior curled both hands into tight fists and stalked past his golden twin.

“I’ve got plans for him. And he won’t even see me coming.”

With his threat made Sideswipe made his way to the med bay doors and quickly stepped inside when he was granted entrance.

Research Suite

Making his way around the right side of the room, Smokescreen kept his scanners focused towards the floor where Razr would likely be hiding. Every so often he aimed higher if he felt that the little turbofox might have jumped up onto something, but mainly he kept low and especially zeroed in on any small, dark spaces that Tracer’s pet would possibly feel safe in. The room was quiet as both the rallybot and the field medic conducted their searches with neither mech wasting time with small talk, which was something that could not have happened if Bluestreak had still been around. The silence allowed Smokey to tune his audio receptors into any unusual sounds that might come from a turbofox no matter how insignificant.

As Smokescreen slowly crept around some research equipment at the far end of the room, the stillness that had enveloped him and his comrade for so long was finally broken by the sound of Axle finding Razr and then trying to coax him out of his hiding place. The diversion expert straightened his stance and turned to watch the scene unfold. “Be careful, Axle. He doesn’t know you very.....” Before Smokey’s warning could be completed, the little turbofox had actually leapt into the field medic’s arms. Struggling to maintain control of Tracer’s pet, the black and green mech quickly made his way to the center of the room, demanding that the rallybot come and get the creature before he escaped again.

“Way ahead of you,” Smokescreen replied as he rushed to Axle’s side and bent forward slightly, carefully reaching a single hand out to the frantic turbofox in the hopes that he would recognize the rallybot’s scent. “It’s okay, Razr, it’s only me, Smokey. You remember me, don’t you? Yeah, of course you do. I’m your master’s friend. No one’s going to hurt you, little fella, I promise. We just want to take you back to Tracer, that’s all.” The red and blue racer’s words were gentle and soothing. With any luck, Razr would soon calm down and allow the diversion expert to take hold of him so that they could all get back over to the Ark-22 before anyone else found them here.

Corridors approaching Med Bay

Bluestreak strode through the corridors as he made his way down to the medical facility to finally get the painkillers he needed for his cranial ache. His head had begun to feel a little better for a short while until his encounter with the cyber-rat. It had only been brief, but it was enough to aggravate his hangover. It was his own fault, of course, as no one forced him to overflow his tanks earlier. It was an important lesson learned and one that he would hopefully not repeat if he could help it. Still, it kept the ghosts of the past at bay, so perhaps it had been worth it regardless of the pain he now felt.

Remembering that he still needed to contact Red Alert regarding the cyber-rat, Bluestreak reluctantly opened a comm link to the security director to inform him of his discovery, making sure to keep any mention of Smokescreen, Axle or Razr out of his report:

>>”Hey, Red, it’s Bluestreak. I just wanted to let you know that I found a cyber-rat scurrying around in a medical supply room here on the Guardian while I was looking for some pain meds for my cranial ache. I’m sending you the data scans that I was able to obtain before the rat disappeared into an air duct. It probably came over from the 22, but I’m not sure and I have no idea if there are any more hiding somewhere. It’s probably a good idea to send some extermination drones to look, but I leave the handling of the situation to your best judgment. Blue out.”<<

Once the Autobot gunner had transmitted the scans to Red Alert, he cut his comm link and continued onward towards his intended destination. The data was pretty straight forward and clearly showed that there was at least one cyber-rat on board the Protectobot frigate. Even the security director couldn’t question the authenticity of the information. Still, the black and silver mech fully expected Red to be overly paranoid about this, as well, and likely accuse him again of being apart of some grand conspiracy.

Bluestreak didn’t care at this point. He just wanted his cranium to stop hurting long enough for him to think clearly. Rounding a corner, the gunner spotted both Sideswipe and Sunstreaker entering the med bay, the former still complaining about his encounter with Smokescreen and the turbofox. Great. I knew I’d run into them down here. Siders will probably give me a hard time for sticking my olfactory sensors into his business, Blue thought as he stopped just down the hallway from the entrance. Still, I need something for the cranial ache, and I’m not going to let a mech with a hurt pride prevent me from getting some relief. Besides, I’m more worried about Ratchet’s reaction and subsequent lecture. If I can survive that then I can endure anything Siders and his brother throw at me. Heh.

Determined to do what he needed, Bluestreak finally approached the medical bay doors and entered the facility, keeping his distance from the Autobot twins as best he could until Ratchet or one of the other medics had a spare moment to see him.

Med Bay

Sunstreaker was still chuckling as they approached the med bay. Seeing Sideswipe humiliated by some vermin like that had almost been worth all of the trouble he’d been put through. He’d mostly been ignoring his brother’s angry tirade, not caring about the femme, or Smokescreen and whatever beef Sideswipe had with him. No one was worth this much grief and complaining that was coming from him.

The warrior finally turned to his twin when he addressed him directly. He let out a derisive sigh at his comment. “If you need my help to beat up the ‘diversionary tactician’ then you’ve got bigger problems then this stupid femme you’re fighting over. Of course you also let some overgrown rodent get the drop on you, so maybe you do need some help.” Sunstreaker let out a loud laugh as the entered the room.

He shook his head as Sideswipe vowed revenge. “How about you get patched up and give your vocalizer a rest. If it would make you feel better I can thrash you a couple of times in the training room. Maybe you’ll learn something. At the very worst it will make you get used to losing in case you have to fight turbofoxes or Smokescreen again.” The yellow Autobot laughed once again.

Sunstreaker looked up as Bluestreak entered the room. Even after the little confrontation in the corridors he had nothing against the other Autobot as long as he kept his mouth shut. Unfortunately Bluestreak rarely did that and so he often found him quite irritating. He would just have to wait and see what would happen this time.

Bounce Chamber

Blurr had been maintaining a painfully slow pace after he noticed that Jazz had not immediately followed the two. The speedster did not enjoy waiting up for anyone, but he wondered why Jazz had decided not to come. Shrugging the matter off, Blurr screeched to a stop as the two entered the bounce chamber. Transforming, he glanced back one more time to see if Jazz was just slower than he remembered, but the autobot was nowhere to be found.

"Wonder where Jazz could've gone," Blurr muttered to himself as Red Alert opened the door.

Blurr jumped at Red Alert's shout and whirled around to see the empty bounce chamber for himself. He jogged over to the console and watched Red Alert try in vain to stop the bounce. As Red scanned through the logs, Blurr found himself the object of a few glares. Blurr took a step away from the overly paranoid security director. Who knew what was going through Red's mind right now.

Finally, Red Alert did speak, setting Blurr's processors at ease for the moment, knowing that the paranoid Autobot wasn't going to be shooting him just yet. He frowned at the new information. "The Protectobots, Ironhide, and Kup? Hm. They probably went down in pursuit of Hot Rod's group if they both went to the same location. Afterall, Hot Rod was talking about finding the decepticons and bringing the fight to them, last I checked. It wouldn't be unusual for Hot Rod to go off like that."

Blurr watched the security director work the controls, thinking. There didn't seem to be much mystery left in the matter. Hot Rod had led a crusade down to Earth and Kup had gone to stop it. Simple. Yet...from watching Red Alert, there seemed to be something more involved.

Blurr found himself the subject of another long and intense glare. The speedster grew increasingly uncomfortable. He was prepared to dive out of the way if Red sent a rocket flying for him, but he wasn't sure that even he would be fast enough to avoid it at point-blank range. Finally, after what seemed like a breem of agonizing waiting. Red Alert seemed to decided that he was trustworthy.

Thank the Maker...

"Well," Blurr said, answering Red Alert's question, thinking that it was directed at him, "we could always go to the bridge or Ark-22 to figure out our next step."

Med Bay

Steeljaw had taken refuge in a corner of the med bay, keeping well out of Ratchet and Hoist's way as they went about their work. He sniffed the air in the medical bay, picking up a few interesting scents, but he resisted the urge to follow them. The irritable CMO was liable to throw a wrench at him if he made his presence blatant.

Speaking of blatant presences, Steeljaw looked up with some surprise as he saw several new mechs enter the room. Sideswipe and his brother as well as the chatterbot Bluestreak. Steeljaw felt dread wash over him as he glanced over to the surgical suite. Ratchet would be none too happy about this. The lion deliberated between simply leaving the room before Ratchet had time to notice the trio or warning them. In the end, Steeljaw chose the honorable option.

Rising to his feet, Steeljaw walked over to the Sideswipe and the others. "I would keep it down if I were you. Ratchet is operating and his patient is in critical condition."

Supply Room - C3

Eject returned to the scene of the grisly crime and began searching through the room for some clues as to the identity of Howlstrike's attacker. It was unpleasant work to say the least, since a lot of it required sifting through Howlstrike's stagnant energon on the floor. On top of that, Eject wasn't sure what he was looking for. A scrap of armor or something? He wasn't Nightbeat.

Eject sighed and continued his work, looking for something - anything - that could give him a clue. "C'mon Howlstrike, I know you went down fighting. Give me something to work with..."

Research Suite

Axle struggled to keep the small animal close to his side and its claws away from his face, not to mention his teeth. Thus far the only thing the turbofox was interested in was getting free from his captor’s grip, but that could change at any time with the golden creature taking a sizable chunk out of the medic’s arm.

After several moments of securing Razr giving Smokescreen the time he needed to approach, Axle growled out at the diversion specialist.

“He’s getting hard to control. And I have no desire to have my face sliced up or worse, bitten off.”

The turbofox’s struggling began to slow as he noticed the arrival of the red and blue mech he recognized as his master’s close friend. The Autobot had been around quite a bit while they lived on Cybertron and had gotten used to being in his company...and then they left and he was gone.

Razr flinched slightly when he saw Smokescreen extend a hand in his direction, but when no sudden movement was made to grab him Razr leaned over and took a sniff of the proffered appendage. And as he thought it was the mech he remembered from before. After a moment of catching Smokescreen’s scent the small creature pulled his back and cocked his head to one side…one ear dropping down slightly.

Axle’s mouth fell forming a slight frown. It was obvious the animal knew who Smokescreen was but the damned thing was still being apprehensive. The medic let out a low grunt and shook his head slightly. He then slowly extended his arms out toward the diversion expert.

“This is ridiculous. He obviously knows you.”

Just as soon as the red and blue mech was close enough Razr wriggled out from Axle’s arms and hopping into Smokescreen’s. Now that he was free of his burden Axle let out an annoyed sigh while taking in the scene in front of him.

“Why anyone would want a turbofox as a pet is beyond me. They’re nothing more than a sophisticated plant.”

For a few moments the medic regarded both his patient and the creature pressed against his chestplate. Another grunt escaped Axle’s vocalizer but it was followed by a small smirk. Carefully he reached out and gave the turbofox a light pat.

“He’s cute…for a plant. Come on let’s get back. Tracer’s paralysis would be wearing off soon and I’m sure she’ll wanna see the both of you.”

With a quick wave of his arm Axle stepped past Smokescreen and headed for the door.

Med Bay

A pout had set in on Sideswipe’s face as he listened to his twin chuckling even as they walked into the Med Bay. He sent Sunstreaker a heated glare before he took a quick look down at his arm. Thankfully the bite wasn’t too bad, but the amount of energon that he had lost was enough to catch some interest from nosey mechs. Something he’d rather avoid.
Sideswipe stomped his way over to one of the free slabs and flopped down with a grunt.

“Shut up, Sunny!”

The red twin sent his sibling a deadly glare before he took a quick glance around the area. No one. The red warrior rolled his head and hopped off the medical slab. He took another long look around but then stopped when he heard the all too familiar cursing from the CMO which was originating from the surgical suite.

“Hey, Sunny. I think The Hatchet’s got a critical. Let’s have a look. I wanna see who got himself slagged.”

Sideswipe let out a low chuckle as he started to move toward the doors separating the surgical theater from the main section of the Medical Bay. Unfortunately, it was at that moment that Bluestreak decided to show his mug.

To his own surprise Sideswipe had kept his own mouth shut and ignored the gunner for something much more interesting. He did, however, send the silver and black mech a hard stare before he went back to his approach.

Again the front line warrior was stopped in his tracks, but this time it happened to be Steeljaw. Little slagger must’ve been skulking in a corner. Without looking down at the cassettebot Sideswipe let out a heavy exaggerated sigh…although the golden lion confirmed his prior assumption that Ratchet was working on a critical patient only made him more curious.

“Critical, eh? No worries, pussy cat, I’ll be sure to keep it down.”

With a chuckle Sideswipe stepped up and door quietly slid open revealing an amazingly chaotic scene. A slick pool of energon on the floor right under the main surgical slab. Ratchet focused on the mech down…his hands moving in a blur while Hoist quickly assisted with providing tools and monitoring. It was like some kind of sick dance…one Sideswipe had never been privy to…although he’d been the one on the table he had never bore witness to something like this.

His optics slowly moved from both the CMO and the mechanic and stopped when they reached the blood covered form of Howlstrike, that former Predacon turned Autobot.

Sideswipe’s attention was suddenly drawn to the Ratchet who had glance up in his direction and caught him where he was clearly not supposed to be. The red twin ducked quickly when a very large, very dangerous looking took breezed by his helmet.

“Sideswipe, get the frag are you doing in here?! GET OUT! NOW!”

The warrior took a quick look at Ratchet…the CMO’s face was twisted with a deep scowl and then glance back down at Howlstrike’s body. After several moments Sideswipe offered the surgeon a nod and quickly ducked back out of the room.

“Whoa. That was…cool”

Bounce Chamber

Despite his own self-assurance about Blurr, Red Alert couldn't help but feel suspicious about the courier's relatively quiet behavour After all, this was a mech that could easily give Bluestreak a run for his money when it came to constant chatter. When Blurr finally did speak he gave some reasonable theories about the mechs they had tried to reach- reasonable, that is, if there hadn't been a conspiracy going on.

Those would be logical conclusions, Hot Rod and the others going off to fight Decepticons and the Protectobots and others following after to stop them..... Maybe a little TOO logical. Of course, that's what Prowl wants us to think! It's what any other Autobot would think he would think! But what's the angle? Why would he do all this?

As he leaned against the bounce chamber console tapping his digits, Red Alert's thoughts were interrupted as Blurr made a suggestion for their next move, either to the Guardian's bridge, or back to the Ark-22, neither of which the security director was comfortable with.

Both would be a more direct approach, but also suicide! Surely Prowl would have a number of defenses around the bridge to prevent anyone from tampering with his master plan. And now that many of the other Autobots have been transferred to the 22, my office has most assuredly been compromised. Have to consider my next move very carefully, I can't dodge lasers as well as Blurr can....

It was then that Red Alert recieved a communication from one of the last mechs he thought he'd hear from- Bluestreak. After the way he had left the gunner back in the Ark-22 mess hall, he was certain he wouldn't be hearing from him for awhile.... unless this was some part of Prowl's plan.

"Cyber-rats?!?", he said incredulously out loud, "There are cyber-rats on this ship!?!"

At first Red Alert thought this was all some ploy to distract him- he had already dismissed his earlier theory of cyber-rat infestations after discovering the pet turbofox he had been chasing earlier. He still had doubts about Bluestreak's claims even after receiving the scans- it could very easily to a fake, or a copy of a legitimate sensors sweep from another time. Still, even if it was a trap it gave Red Alert a hint toward his next move.

>>Understood..... Bluestreak...... I'll be there as soon as I can..... Red Alert out.<<

Red Alert looked to Blurr, for once without any suspicion on his face.

"I can't go to either. There's a possible cyber-rat infestation I need to look into near the medical bay. Join me if you want-"

Red Alert seemed to be looking into the distance as he thought about where he was going. By now it was senseless to go to the Ark-22 to get his rifle back, but given the current situation and any potential threats he could encounter, he couldn't continue with just his rocket launcher. He stepped up to Blurr and placed a hand on the courrier's shoulder.

"- but there's no telling what kind of danger there may be.", he looked directly into Blurr's optics in a very serious manner, before putting his hand down and walking away, "I'll need to stop at the armory first. I'm sure they won't expect me to ever set foot there."

As Red Alert was about to walk out the door, it occured to him how suspicious his last sentence must have sounded.

"The cyber-rats, I mean!", he turned around to explain to the courrier, "I'm sure those cyber-rats wouldn't expect me there- of course that's what I meant!"

Hurriedly, the security directly went out.

Med Bay

Transforming back to robot mode, Hoist quickly followed behind Ratchet as he got right to work on Howlstrike, two medical drones activated to further assist. Aside from the CMO's occasional cursing and calling out medical tools that were needed, with Hoist reading Howlstrike's vital signs every so often, no words were spoken between them. In this kind of situation there was no time for idle chit chat, every astrosecond counted and Hoist did not hesitate to provide Ratchet with whatever was needed to repair the former Predacon.

After what seemed like several cycle's the mechanic thought he could hear some mechs in the other section of the med bay. Hoist ignored it however, as he heard nothing to hint that there was any medical emergency outside the surgical suite, and continued to assist the CMO with the procedure.

Hoist was suddenly caught off guard when he saw a very angry look on Ratchet's face, followed by a shout that would put the fear of Primus into any mech directed at Sideswipe.

Hoist turned his head and managed to see the red warrior as he dashed out of the room. The mechanic sighed. If Sideswipe was snooping around then most likely his brother was there too, and there was no telling who else might be in the medical ward, or how long until something happened to further distract or interfere with the operation. . Hoist looked at the vital signs on the monitor- though not completely out of danger, they were relatively stable.

I don't want to leave Ratchet with only drones.... But there's no telling what kind of trouble will happen if no one keeps an eye out there. Who knows, there may just be further casualties before First Aid or Axle get back.

"I'll take care of Sideswipe and anyone else out there, Ratchet.", Hoist said in a tone that sounded like an apology as he activated another medical drone to take his place, "You know I'll come right back if you need an extra set of hands.", Hoist assured.

Hesitantly at first, but ultimately the green mech walked out of the surgical suite and out to the main room. He gave a disapproving glare at Sideswipe as he passed by the red warrior, though it was nowhere near as frightening as the look Ratchet had already given him. As he suspected Sideswipe's brother Sunstreaker was there as well, and looking just as annoyed as he always did, Bluestreak was there as well, and not surprisingly looked like he was keeping his distance from the yellow warrior. Steeljaw was there as well, though from the looks of it he seemed to be trying to keep some kind of order to the situation.

"ALL RIGHT!", Hoist announced sternly, but still in his typically polite manner, "You all know Ratchet is busy with a patient in critical condition right now, and it certainly doesn't look like any of you are in need of serious repair work. If you really need medical assistance I'll be happy to take a look and do what I can, if it's minor than please just use a CR chamber. Otherwise if you have no business in here than please leave so as not to disturb Ratchet during this delicate procedure. Thank you."

Hoist stood there expectantly, waiting to see who would need his help and who would leave. Given the mechs he was talking to, it was unlikely to be orderly.

Research Suite

Smokescreen’s smile widened when Razr finally settled down and jumped into his arms, snuggling up close to the very familiar red and blue racer. “Yeah, Axle, he knows me. We go way back,” Smokey said as he gently rocked the turbofox back and forth in his arms while the field medic commented on the viability of having one for a pet. Axle’s comparison of Razr to a plant made the diversion expert look up in playful shock before returning his attention to Tracer’s pet. “A plant?! Don’t listen to him, Razr. You’re not a plant. No you’re not!”

The diversionary tactician let out a light chuckle, glancing back up at the black and green Autobot. “They’re actually not so bad once they’re trained and you know how to handle them. By the time I had met Tracer back on Cybertron, Razr was already pretty well behaved. Although, even then I saw a bit of a mischievous side to the little guy, which is something he has obviously held on to even now. Heh. Still, he helps make Tracer happy and that can only be a good thing.”

Once Axle had admitted that the turbofox was, in fact, cute and patted him on the head, he suggested that they should get back over to the Ark-22, a sediment Smokescreen couldn’t agree more with. “Yeah, I’m sure she will want to see us sooner rather than later. I just wish I had been there to comfort her somehow during her eye surgery and not just after. I can’t imagine the pain she must have felt during the procedure and not being able to react in any way. I hope Wheeljack was careful. I know he means her no harm, but he’s still not a doctor. Anyway, I’m starting to ramble on like Bluestreak. Let’s get going before I turn in to the chatterbot!”

Letting out another chuckle, Smokescreen cradled Razr gently in his arms and followed after Axle as the two mechs left the research facility and entered into the corridor beyond. Soon, the troubled femme would be reunited with her pet and the rallybot, as well. Then the real challenge would begin to not only rid Tracer of her dependency on Syk but also to somehow fix her mental problems that would surely arise once the narcotic was completely flushed from her systems. The diversion expert shuddered to think of the dark times that lay ahead for her and whether or not they would be able to keep it all a secret from Prowl or any other high ranking Autobot official for that matter. The ramifications of discovery could be even worse than the addiction, itself.

Medical Bay

Bluestreak let out a sigh when he received Red Alert's response via his comm line. He just ignored it as both Sideswipe and Sunstreaker took notice of him. Thankfully, however, the Autobot siblings just ignored him with the exception of a brief hard stare from the red twin. Something else had interested them more than the gunner and whatever it was resided within the concealed confines of the surgical suite where Ratchet was apparently hard at work on someone who was gravely injured. The black and silver mech could not see what was happening from his vantage point, but he did hear the CMO suddenly yell at Sideswipe, ordering him to get the slag out immediately.

“I guess someone’s hurt pretty bad,” Bluestreak commented quietly as he glanced down at Steeljaw before moving in a little closer to the doors of the surgical theater. The gunner’s curiosity had gotten the better of him regardless of the twins’ presence. The talkative mech didn’t make it very far, however, stopping in his tracks when Hoist emerged and confirmed to the group that Ratchet was indeed very busy with a critically injured patient. The green mechanic offered his services to anyone who was damaged enough to require repairs, but suggested that anything that was not serious could be fixed with a short stay in a CR chamber. The only other option was to simply leave the med bay all together to avoid bothering the CMO while he worked.

The black and silver gunner thought for a moment, knowing that he didn't need repairs and just wanted some pain meds for his cranium. Unable to resist the urge to talk any longer, Bluestreak was the first to speak up. “Sure thing, Hoist. I certainly don’t want to get in Ratchet’s way, especially since I’m not seriously hurt. Actually, I’m not hurt at all. I just came by to see if I could get some pain killers for my cranial ache, that’s all. Unfortunately, I was stupid and overfilled my tanks with high grade earlier, and now I’m suffering from a hangover. It's my fault, of course, and I’ve learned my lesson. I just can’t seem to shake this throbbing sensation in the back of my head. It’s like a never ending pounding that just won’t stop. It just goes on and on and on. So, if you could direct me to a medicine cabinet somewhere, I’d be most appreciative.”

Medical Bay

Few Autobots had the level of patience that Hoist possessed, as was made clear by how calm he remained as he intently listened to Bluestreak. Though one would ever tell by his outward demeanor, the mechanic was quite irritated. It wasn't so much the gunner's incessant chatter that bothered him, but by the fact that he was requesting medical assistance for a self-inflicted hangover.

I'm sure Howlstrike wishes he had a headache., the green mech thought as he shook his head disapprovingly, If you're going to overfill yourself with fuel, than you should face the consequences of your actions, not bother medical personel for a quick fix. Perhaps I should make that clear to Bluestreak.

Hoist was glad that he didn't have a visible mouth, otherwise it would be impossible to hide the grin that he no doubt would have as he decided how he would deal with the hungover gunner.

"I see. You overfilled your tank with high grade and now you have a throbbing headache.", Hoist nodded his head as rubbed his chin, "That does sound like a typical hangover. Of course you know it would be completely unprofessional and unethical of me to let you rummage through our medicine supply, and it would be inappropriate to just give you something without a proper examination and diagnosis."

Hoist stepped away for a moment to grab a datapad and access Bluestrreak's medical history. He looked over it thoughtfully, nodding and shaking his head as he read, occasionally looking back to the gunner. In truth this wasn't at all necessary, but he hoped that it would look convincing to Bluestreak. After several astroseconds of this he put the pad down.

"Well Bluestreak, I'm afraid there's no easy way to do this.", Hoist informed as the laser on his left arm retracted, and a titanium scalpel took it's place, "I'm going to have to look inside your head- or I should say, examine your cranial circuits, but a simple scan just will not suffice."

Hoist brought the scalpel up to Bluestreak's forehead, "I'll have to make an incision up here-", the green mech carefully made an invisible dotted line on the gunner's cranium, careful not to actually cut or hurt him, but make just enough contact for him to feel the cold, sharp metal blade, "And I'll need to remove each component one by one to inspect them. Now, bear in mind that I'll need to keep you conscious and perform this without any anesthetic so that you and I will know if anything goes wrong immediately. So this will no doubt be quite uncomfortable, possibly painful for you. But if you really think you need medication, we can't take any risks of going at it half-aft."

Hoist lowered his arm back to his side and took a small step back from the gunner.

"Or, and this is entirely up to you.", the green mech offered in as friendly a manner as ever, "You could just bear with the pain and wait it out like any other mech with an overfilled fuel tank. But whichever you decide on, I'll do all that I can to make that headache go away."

Med Bay

After removing himself from the surgical suite and witnessing the beginnings of the operation to save Howlstrike, Sideswipe moved across to stand before his golden twin. A gigantic smile spread over his visage as he took a hold of his brother’s upper arms and gave them a tight squeeze.

“Oh man! Sunny, it’s that Pred! You know that one that transforms into a…what was it again…a wolf? Yeah that’s it!”

He took a quick glance over his shoulder at the door just to be sure the ‘Hatchet’ hadn’t followed him out of the suite in order to finish his attack. Once he was sure that the coast was clear Sideswipe turned his attention back to his twin and kept his vocalizer low so as not to attract unwanted attention.

“How much ya wanna bet it was Blue. I mean that kid hates Howlstrike…and I mean hates him! With a passion! Man, wouldn’t that be something?”

It was then that the crimson warrior recalled that the gunner was actually in the med bay. Well, if he was going to find out what actually happened to the Pred turned ‘Bot he’d have to ask…of course he’d need to keep the conversation civil…could he even do that?

Planting a much more toned down smile on his face, Sideswipe regarded the black and silver mech and then looked back to Sunstreaker who he stall held in his grip.

“I think I’m gonna go have a quick chat with my good friend Blue. You stay here…I may need you to pry me off him if he actually starts to annoy me. Be back in a jiff, Sunshine.”

With a pat to his brother’s cheek Sideswipe turned and began to move toward the gunner, but he suddenly stopped when Hoist burst through the surgical suite’s doors and made an unexpected, and very loud, announcement. Sideswipe wasn’t daunted however...instead he flashed the mechanic a dashing smile and sauntered over to where Hoist was then speaking with Bluestreak.

“Oh come on Hoist, toss the kid a bone. He hardly ever…and I mean ever…over energizes.”

Suddenly Sideswipe threw his arm around Bluestreak’s shoulder and tugged the smaller mech closer to his own chassis.

“I mean the kid’s a light-weight…but you can’t blame him for trying. Right, Blue?”

Sideswipe flashed the gunner his trademark crocked smirk and then turned to address the stand-in medic.

“I’m willing to forgo my own repairs…” He raised his arm to optic level and motioned to the bite marks. “…in order for Blue here to get the care he needs.”

Again Sideswipe tugged the slimmer mech closer to his chassis.

Hallways

Jazz was just about to recommend that someone check the security footage when Red Alert (A bit too much like Blurr, who's arrival made Jazz jump out of being startled) suddenly made off for the hanger.

"Frag." Jazz muttered under his breath as he made for the opposite direction, heading for the security camera control room.

The Special Ops Director made it to his destination and opened the door. He quickly closed it behind him and turned to the wall of monitors. He skimmed over all of them and found the locations where he remembered Rodimus being. Jazz sat down at the desk and rewound the tapes to reveal where Rodimus was going and where he had been.

Camera Depot

The results were rather disturbing. Jazz watched as Rodimus leaned over the body of another Autobot and whispered something into his ear. Suddenly, the wounds were healed and the Autobot was a staunch supporter from then on. But the mech was offlined; he couldn't have heard anything. Jazz watched as Rodimus spoke to his supporters and left the area, heading for the mess hall. The white mech fast-forwarded to where Rodimus was in the hanger.

There was a period when there was simple work going on, but it seemed Howlstrike was the target of many vocal taunts and arguments. Apparently he was not a devoted part of the group and he walked away into the deserted hallway. Jazz decided to pause the feed from the Hanger and watch the feed from where Howlstrike was going. He had been missing for a while, and Jazz wanted to know why.

His answers soon came in the form of Hardhead. He wasn't as standoffish as Jazz remembered, and that worried him. The fight insued, leaving Howlstrike injured, but still kicking. It was then when Jazz saw it. The former Predacon's sword vanished from his side and appeared in the hands of Hardhead. The white mech's optics widened to see in one fail swoop the former Predacon's head was cut clean from his body, leaving the deactivated form behind.

Jazz watched as Hardhead walked back to his allies. Jazz caught the other tape up so he may watch it chronologically. Then the Special Ops Director caught where they were going: The Bounce Chamber. He zoomed in upon the console and enhanced the image. The once grainy image of the console transformed into a clear image of the coordinates. This place was obviously where they went. Jazz fast forwarded all of the tapes to find a band of Autobots were called down to that same spot.

<<Red! I went to the Camera Depot to check out our little friends on the tapes, and I found something that you might wanna see.>> Jazz opened a private connection to Red Alert so no one could eavesdrop.

Medical Bay

Bluestreak was a bit disappointed when Hoist informed him that he could not allow the gunner to have access to one of the supply cabinets as it would supposedly be unethical. The black and silver mech didn’t really understand the mechanic’s apprehension as it was only a few painkillers that he requested where no prescription from a medic was actually required. But, be as it may, the talkative ‘Bot gave no argument. “Oh, it’s okay, Hoist. If you could just give me some that would be fine,” the chatterbot replied as the green mech read through his patient’s personal medical history via a datapad. Once he was done, Blue fully expected Hoist to retrieve some pain meds for him. However, that was not the case at all.

Instead, Hoist produced a titanium scalpel from his one arm and proceeded to explain that he would have to cut open Bluestreak’s cranium and take an actual look inside. The mechanic even went so far as to tap on the gunner’s head with the tip of the blade. Blue’s optics widened as he stepped back away from Hoist, who then suggested that he either undergo the painful procedure or just let the cranial ache run it’s course.

“Wow, I wasn’t expecting all that,” a shocked Bluestreak responded as Sideswipe then made his way over to where the black and silver mech was standing, placing an arm around him. The red twin seemed to be overly friendly and also on Blue’s side regarding the painkillers he had asked for, telling the green mechanic to give the smaller ‘Bot a break. The crimson warrior was even willing to wait for his own repairs while the gunner received his meds. “Um, thanks, Sideswipe. I really appreciate it,” Bluestreak said as he was pulled in even closer to his new found buddy. The whole situation was a bit embarrassing for ‘Streak as he had already uncharacteristically overfilled his tanks and was now a bit too close to one of the Autobot twins, the same one that had almost knocked Smokescreen clear into the next cycle. Still, any support was better than none at all.

“You know, Hoist, I know perfectly well that a head scan would be more than sufficient and that cutting me open is not required,” Bluestreak pointed out as he returned his attention over to the green mechanic. “Aside from the sarcasm, I understand your unwillingness to help me as I brought this all on myself, like I already admitted to you before. However, I still don’t think that I’m asking for too much in requesting some medicated relief. I have learned my lesson and will think twice before overfilling my tanks again. I’ve had a tough couple of cycles, and I just need a little help in getting rid of this lingering pain. Of course, if you still refuse to help me then I’ll just have to suffer with it, I guess. Primus knows I’ve been through more pain than this in the past, so no worries.”

Armory

Foolish of Prowl to leave the armory unprotected., Red Alert thought as he located a new high-energy particle beam rifle to replace the one he had left on the Ark-22, It'll be too late when he realizes his error, when I bring him to justice for trying to take control of the Autobots like this..... unless this is part of his plan! Slaggit, maybe he wanted me to come here, put me in a false sense of security while he sends his mechs to surround me! Maybe-

Red Alert's paranoid train of thought was interrupted when he received a communication from Jazz. Apparently the special ops director had taken it upon himself to look over security footage rather than chase after Rodimus and his group. Or perhaps that's what Jazz wanted him to think.

You leave me and then claim to have found something interesting. If Prowl wasn't keeping a constant eye on me I would have gone there myself, but I have to keep on the move.... Perhaps Jazz managed to neutralize security around the area, but it could also be yet another trap set for me..... And what about Bluestreak's claims of a cyber-rat infestation? I can't just abandon that....

Loading cartridges into his new rifle, Red Alert was growing increasingly restless and frustrated. Every astrosecond came new evidence, new leads, but nothing concrete to tell him the exact nature of the conspiracy, creating more and more questions and fewer answers.

If there's anywhere that would give me some concrete answers, it's the camera depot. Seeing the surveillance footage is exactly what I need to figure this all out, and hopefully come up with a plan to put an end to all of it. And if it is a trap, at least now I'm better armed.

After holstering his rilfe, Red Alert grabbed a few extra missiles for his launcher, then headed out the armory door. He opened a secure comm-line to the special ops director.

>>Understood, Jazz. I'm on my way.<<

Red Alert transformed to his car mode, and drove down the hallway.


Med Bay

After hearing Sideswipe make a case on Bluestreak's behalf, followed by the gunner's own upset response, Hoist had to nod in shameful agreement. His offer of invasive surgery had been uncalled for, even if it was intended as a joke. Even if the gunner's headache had been self-inflicted and far from life threatening, the green mech should have simply taken care of him, it would have only taken a few astroseconds after all.

"I'm terribly sorry, Bluestreak.", Hoist apologized sincerely, "These past few cycles have been rough on all of us.", though Hoist was referring mainly to Optimus Prime's disappearance, his earlier assault from the Dinobots was still fresh in his memory banks.

Giving a small nod to Sideswipe as the red warrior buddied up with Bluestreak, Hoist turned around and went to a series of compartments against the wall, where number of pharmaceuticals were kept.

"Let's see, let's see....", Hoist said to himself as he looked over the compartments, opening one of the small automated cabinets and looking over the various bottles within, "Ah there it is!"

Hoist retracted the scalpel on his left arm, and extended out a metal clamp which he used to grab one of the larger bottles, opened it and carefully poured two yellow pills into his hand. After closing the bottle, putting it back and shuttting the compartment, he went back to the gunner and handed the two yellow pills to him.

"Here you are, Bluestreak, these should relieve the pain until you've burned off that excess energon. I hope you'll forgive my earlier behavour."

Once Bluestreak had been given the pill, Hoist took a look at Sideswipe, who had already mentioned having an injury of his own. Motioning for the red warrior to seperate from his supposed new best friend, Hoist carefully took hold of the bitten arm to get a closer look.

"My word, how did this happen Sideswipe?", the mechanic asked as he scanned for any kind of infection, "I'm no expert, but it looks like either you got into a tussle with Ravage, or we may have a cyber-rat infestation here."

Hallway- Camera Depot

Red Alert was very relieved to find no resistance whatsoever as he drove down the hallways. To him it seemed that in tranferring so many mechs to the Ark-22, Prowl had left the Guardian mostly desserted and poorly guarded.

For such an intelligent mech, he's certainly been sloppy with this entire operation.

The security director screeched to a halt and transformed to his robot mode as he reached the door to the surveillance room. Giving a quick scan of the area, he opened the door and jumped in, immediately shutting the door behind it. Just in case, he entered in an overly long security code to keep the doors locked from anyone outside. He then turned to the special ops director, who was looking over the various monitors.

"All right, Jazz. What have you found?"