ArmoryBluestreak and Smokescreen rounded one final corner before approaching the armory doors, which swiftly parted down the center as the two mechs and one femme stepped inside. There were already a number of Autobots present, loading up on their weapons and ammo of choice, chattering amongst themselves as they did so. The black and silver gunner paused a moment as the rallybot settled in beside him still gripping Tracer’s hand in his right. Blue shot them both a sideways glance, a smirk forming on his faceplate. Ah, to be in love again would be such a wonderful thing especially at times likes these. Unfortunately, love could be a bad thing in war as it tended to distract oneself from more important matters. Love could get a mech killed if he or she could not remain focused on the task at hand. In this case, fighting a mythical demigod hellbent on destroying all Cybertronian life.
Bluestreak didn’t want to say anything to Smokey, especially not right in front of his lady love, but he made a mental note to talk to him about it at a later time when things weren’t so hectic. Hopefully, until then, the diversion expert could keep his focus on what needed to be done. If he couldn’t, the chatterbot might have to mention his concerns to Ultra Magnus and ‘Streak really didn’t want to take things to that level. “Well, I guess we should follow everyone’s lead and get ourselves armed and ready,” the gunner said, looking over at the rallybot again. “Don’t want everyone to take all the good stuff now do we? Heh.”
“No, we don’t,” Smokescreen replied as he broke optical contact with Bluestreak and turned to face
Tracer. “Wait here, okay? This won’t take long.” The red and blue racer smiled at the troubled femme as he let go of her hand and followed the chatterbot over to a row of lockers. Smokey opened one and immediately began loading up on cartridges for his electro-disruptor rifle along with additional ECM shells for his shoulder-mounted rocket launchers. Meanwhile, Bluestreak accessed his own locker full of goodies, grabbing as much ammunition for his ion-charged disperser rifle as he could carry in subspace storage, not to mention a variety of explosive shells for his own duel shoulder-mounted launchers. It was almost like watching two brothers mimic each others movements. Now, if only Prowl were there the doppelganger trinity would be complete.
As Smokescreen and Bluestreak finished arming themselves, the armory doors parted once again, allowing Ultra Magnus to enter the room. The duo nodded at the new Autobot leader as the City Commander made his way to the back of the room where his own weapons and ammunition were stored. Shortly thereafter, the doors opened once again. This time a mechanical wolf entered, letting out an indignant growl as he did so. “Oh, look who’s finally here,” the gunner muttered quietly to the rallybot as both mechs slammed their respective lockers shut.
“He’s all yours, Blue,” Smokescreen replied with a grin as the diversion expert quickly moved away from the impending confrontation and settled in next to
Tracer once more.
“Thanks, buddy,” Bluestreak responded with a frown before walking over to where the lupine Autobot had stopped. “Nice to see you again, Howl. I was worried you weren’t going to wake up from your encounter with Hardhead. Glad to see you made it through.”
“Of course, I made it through!” Howlstrike replied in an angry tone as he transformed back to his robot mode. “It takes more than a single possessed Autobot to put me down permanently!”
“So, I take it you’re pretty much up to speed on everything regarding the Fallen?” Bluestreak questioned.
“Yes, I saw Magnus’ message when I exited the CR chamber,” the former Predacon revealed. “I also saw both Hardhead and Drag Strip in the engine room as they were destroying things.”
“At least they let you keep your heads this time. Heh,” the gunner commented, intending to inject a bit of humor into the situation. The Autobot hunter was not amused. “Ahem, well I’m afraid there's more I need to tell you and it’s not about the Fallen. It’s about the Decepticons and who has apparently taken over as their new supreme leader since Megatron’s disappearance.”
“Tell me...” Howlstrike growled, expecting the news to be less than ideal for him.
“Well,” Blue continued, taking a hard gulp in the process, ”It seems that, um, well, Razorclaw has claimed leadership over there. I don’t know the specifics but he’s their new Supreme Commander now. Magnus didn’t actually talk to him personally, but Onslaught revealed as much during their conversation earlier before the communications grid went down. Now, I can only imagine how you feel, Howl, considering your past history with Razorclaw and all....”
“You have no idea how I feel, Tiny!” Howlstrike bellowed, his deep voice echoing throughout the armory. The former Predacon took several deep breaths and off-lined his optics in order to calm his raging circuits. Howl stood there silently, his clawed actuators wrapping around themselves into tight fists.
Bluestreak cocked his cranium to one side, a bit confused as to what Howlstrike was doing. “Um, hello? Howl? You okay?” The gunner’s query went unanswered as he turned to look at Smokescreen. “What’s going on? What’s he doing?”
The rallybot shrugged as he took hold of Tracer’s hand again. “Not sure, but I think he’s meditating. It’s something he does to keep from getting angry. Kup taught him I guess. Might be best to leave him be unless you want to end up in pieces.” Smokey chuckled slightly, hoping to alleviate some of the tension.
“Good idea,” Bluestreak replied as he backed away from the former Predacon.
It was then that
Ultra Magnus returned from the rear of the armory and addressed everyone present. The City Commander reiterated the severity of the situation they all found themselves in before outlining the main objectives - rescue their possessed comrades and send the Fallen back to the very Pit from which he came. Magnus also emphasized the need to work with the Decepticons and to use restraint in dealing with their kind. At the end, the Autobot leader allowed for questions to be asked.
Bluestreak shook his head before responding. “No question here, sir. I’ll fill Springer in on all the details once we meet up planet-side! You can count on me, sir!”
Likewise, Smokescreen gave his response, taking a single step forward while not letting go of Tracer’s hand in the process. “Understood, Commander,” the rallybot said with a respectful salute. “If I may suggest, Commander
Magnus, perhaps once we are on site my diversionary skills could be utilized in distracting the Fallen and his heralds. It’s possible they might be expecting such a move, but it still could be worth a shot.”
“Distracting a demigod? Good luck with that.” The voice belonged to Howlstrike, who had been listening to the proceedings even while meditating his anger away. The ex-Predacon then stepped forward to address the Autobot Supreme Commander, his disposition considerably better than before. “
Ultra Magnus, you have not yet assigned me anywhere. If I may suggest, I should join you on the
Longevity. I understand that my former commanding officer, Razorclaw, has taken control of the ‘Cons in Megatron’s absence. Considering that I know Razorclaw better than any Autobot in this sector, my knowledge of his command style could only benefit you by having me close by.”
The tracker paused for a long moment to let his suggestion sink in. For the first time in vorns, he would be confronting his former teammates on the field of battle. However, instead of fighting them, he would be working with them once more. It was not how he expected things to play out, but knowing Razorclaw how he did, the hunter knew things with the ‘Cons could devolve quickly, especially once the Fallen had been dealt with. And when that inevitably happened, Howlstrike would finally show Razorclaw who the better predator really was. “What say you, Commander?”
Science LabWheeljack listened to Ultra Magnus’ response with a sense of dread. Everything about this situation with the Fallen gave the mad scientist the feeling of impending doom. The others were going off to fight a demigod with no real way of defeating him. How does one beat a supernatural entity? It was a question everyone had already asked before, either aloud or in silent contemplation. However, no definitive answer had ever been given. The reason for that was because there was no answer, at least, not until Magnus had just mentioned that they should focus on fixing the transwarp projection emitters. The idea of teleporting an entire chuck of a planet into a black hole or neutron star was something unfathomable. Earth and it’s inhabitants would not survive such a catastrophe, not even the ones on the part of the planet that remained behind. Everyone would perish, human and Cybertronian alike. The thought was grievous to say the very least.
>>”Understood, Ultra Magnus. My team and I will get right on it, and if I think of any alternatives to what you have suggested, you’ll be the very first to know.”<<The mechanical engineer turned to the
rest of the team present in the lab. His face shield retracted as he began to speak. “I’ve just received new orders from Magnus that we are all to remain behind and begin repair work on the generators of both the
Ark-22 and the
Guardian. He specifically wants us to focus on the 22, particularly the transwarp projection emitters. This will be a daunting task, but I’m sure with our combined efforts we can make this happen in a timely manner.”
As Wheeljack paused to let their new orders sink in to the scientific minds present, Blaster and Eject entered. The Communications Officer handed the engineer a dataslug that was deemed for his optics only before calling over to Chromedome to join him on the shuttle
Serenity. Unfortunately, that would be one less mech to help repair the Autobot vessels. “Thanks,
Blaster,” Wheeljack replied with a defeated sigh as he looked down at the dataslug in his hand. The mad scientist had a really bad feeling as to what was on this slug and it was something ‘Jack didn’t even want to consider....ever.
Regardless, the mechanical engineer had to take a look and thus he connected the dataslug into a tiny linkage port on his wrist. Instantly, the information was uploaded into Wheeljack’s processor, appearing on his HUD:
<Data Slug: Wheeljack Optics Confirmed…
General Order 231 Delta Tau initiated. Authorization: Pending Approval of 3 Command Level Officers
Order Content – Destruction of Target Zone by means of planetary excavation.
Order Details – Should the operation fail, the target be neutralized at all costs; limitations – None.
Operation Status: Scorched Earth – Pending Approval of 3 Command Level Officers.>
“Dear Primus,” the white mech whispered as he peered down to the floor, shaking his head as what he feared most was confirmed. Ultra Magnus was considering something that went against every principle the Autobots stood for. However, it might actually be necessary if the Fallen and his heralds can’t be stopped. Sacrifice one planet to save an entire universe. On paper it sounded rational, but ‘Jack just couldn’t rationalize it within his own processor. Still, orders were orders.
As the databurst disappeared off his HUD, Wheeljack turned his attention back to his team. “Okay, time to get started.
Perceptor, you’re with me. We’re going to work on getting the 22 up and running at full capacity again. I’ll focus on the transwarp emitters while you handle the generator repairs.
Ironfist and
Jetfire, why don’t you two head over to the
Guardian and get to work on fixing those generators. Considering that a battle with a demigod is looming, I’m expecting their to be numerous casualties and we’re going to need the medical frigate operating at optimum levels. Since there are only a few of us that can work on repairs, I suggest that both teams utilize as many construction drones as needed. It’s the only way to get things done in a timely manner. Understood? Now, I know that there is a lot at stake here, but we have our assignments. So, unless there are any questions or concerns, let’s get to it, shall we?”
Transmission from Prowl to Autobot Supreme Commander Ultra Magnus:>>”Understood, Commander Magnus. My team and I will have this valley secured by the time the Longevity
arrives to pick us up. Your transmission was sporadic at best, sir. Did you say we’re facing some kind of god?”<<