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Bounce Chamber

Merely observing as Streetwise and Kup took point on the investigation, Skids stepped back and considered the possibilities. It made sense that an escaping Megatron would bounce into open space instead of in close proximity to one of their ships. It prevented the Autobots from tracking him down and launching an impromptu attack. After all, Decepticons could fly. Autobots could not. In a space battle, groundpounders like himself would be sitting ducks, and he didn’t feel comfortable sending out one or even two Autobot flyers to face Megatron.

It was Megatron, for Primus’ sake. The slagmaker. The mech that most Autobot nightmares were made out of. It could be an ambush as well. He’s had plenty of time to set one up, given the time frame in which he bounced out.

As their investigation seemed set to take them back to the secure medical bay where Rewind and Chromdome still waited, Skids trod along after them. “Rewind might have some record of the situation as well,” Skids mentioned, “We could probably review that.”

As he went along, he offered what he could muster of a friendly smile and nod to both Alpha Bravo and Groundbomber. “Quite a rude awakening, Alpha Bravo. I don’t envy it. If you’ve got any questions, I can try to bring you up to speed. You too, Groundbomber.”

Bounce Chamber:

"Sample the metal plating... Brilliant, Kup, I can't believe I didn't consider that possibility before now," said Streetwise in response. Seemed like an obvious thing to do, but yet Streetwise hadn't even considered it. Might've been all the stress of work making him forget things. Eh, whatever the case, he was gonna chug through and get this case solved, done and dusted.

Alpha Bravo then vocally agreed to Streetwise regarding the audio records. Streetwise then responded with a small issue, "I am not aware of how the chain of command runs as far as access to classified records such as that under critical situations such as this. Normally an average cop such as myself would not be allowed access to information such as that. Kup however would undoubtedly be able to, since he was actually in the room during much of it, as well as his position in the security field."

"Rewind might have some record of the situation as well,” Skids mentioned, “We could probably review that.”

"Already got that in mind, Skids. I imagine however that we will be talking a fair amount with him as we go over records, since it seems he was involved more or less than a degree. Well, that is if I can access the records myself. But I digress."

Streetwise paused his discussion as Skids spoke to this "Alpha Bravo" and Groundbomber. At this point the cop realized the odd coincidence that these two Arielbot immitations had just similarly stumbled across them at the same time with no one else behind. Especially considering Autobots weren't normally known for their fliers. Sign of the times, he supposed.

The cop 'Bot then broke the "frivolous discussion" to speak regarding the announcement to be made, "I suppose since Rewind was the one to announce this occurance, he should announce the presumed safety to everyone himself. Or, since you are a trusted security officer, Kup, those aboard the ship might recognize your authority better in this field."

Alpha Bravo chuckled a little bit when Kup had slapped his shoulder joint. He straightened up and responded to his statement, "I'll always be ready to help, sir!" and grinned back at Kup as a sign of friendliness. He still wasn't completely up and running into the situation, but at least he'd found some 'bots who weren't going to actively try to hunt him down and murder him.

The theoretician Skids had said something to Alpha Bravo in the meantime, so he moved a little bit closer to him in order to be more engaged with the conversation. Acknowledging the gesture of friendliness that Skids had given to him, he smiled back. It felt wonderful to have some friendly company. If only everyone else could get along like this. He didn't say his thoughts out loud, but he ever so slightly wished for it at the back of his processors. After all, if peace wasn't going to achieve itself, then someone has to do it.

Responding to Skids' remark, he said "Yeah, not exactly the best time to be exiting the CR Chamber, but it can't be helped. You probably shouldn't envy it. I don't think anyone would!" He laughed a little bit. What an odd thing to be jealous of!

"Anyhow, what's been going on lately? I mean, before the whole Megatron issue. Anything of interest I should know? Anything I shouldn't know?" He paused for a second, running a thought through his processors. He opened his mouth to say something, but decided against it, and kept his volume at zero. After the pause, he said, "I apologise in advance if I'm asking too much. It's just that, you know, this and all."

Bounce Chamber/Corridors

Groundbomber eyed the Bots leaving, taking position at the back of the group.

“Quite a rude awakening, Alpha Bravo. I don’t envy it. If you’ve got any questions, I can try to bring you up to speed. You too, Groundbomber.”

Groundbomber give Skids a smile and a nod of recognition back, but stayed silent as the more vocal Alpha Bravo (thankfully) spoke up. She listened in to the heli-bot's questions, while keeping an optic around them. She didn't believe there was any reason for trouble now that the Decepticon leader was gone, but experience taught her to be safer than sorry.

Corridors

"Sample the metal plating... Brilliant, Kup, I can't believe I didn't consider that possibility before now," Streetwise said. Kup just waved off the apology as he continued en route to the secure med bay where he had started his little journey on this vessel.

"Don't worry about it. Not everyday a glitched out tyrant goes stalkin' the halls. We'll get it figured out."

"I suppose since Rewind was the one to announce this occurance, he should announce the presumed safety to everyone himself. Or, since you are a trusted security officer, Kup, those aboard the ship might recognize your authority better in this field," Streetwise added to Kup's earlier order regarding the all-clear. This didn't exactly seem like the best time to be following every protocol in the book, but he wasn't going to harp on about it.

Yes, even he was surprised at that.

"Guess that works," Kup said, opening a shipwide commline. Not with the same efficiency that Blaster would do, but it worked. >>"Kup to everyone aboard the, eh, which one're we on again? Oh right, the 22! Just sendin' the word that all's clear and we can proceed to figurin' out this mess. Kup out."<<

"I'll always be ready to help, sir!" Alpha Bravo had replied as the group approached the secure med bay and its telltale signs of having been on the receiving end of some Priorty-1 offense. Kup nodded in response, knowing the lad was the type who would do just fine when called to do the hard work of winning this war. He had the right mettle for it.

As the doors slid out of the way, Kup gave a quick nod to Rewind and Chromedome.

"Well, as y'probably heard, big evil got clear of the ship. Ain't no way to track where he went as far as I can see...so far. We're gonna hafta try and make some sense of how he did it."

Main Engineering Deck--Primary Briefing Chamber

Skydive heard the announcement of Megatron and understood Air Raid’s desire to slag the slagmaker. It was every Autobot’s dream with maybe the only one who could actually do it, Optimus Prime. Their leader would prefer convincing Megatron to give up the fight and live in peace instead of turning him into pieces.

“You know it would be foolish to take on Megatron even if we had a plan. We simply don’t have the firepower between us to do so. Now depending on this new gestalt idea Ironfist has might give us the edge we would need to not just take down Devestator but also Megatron. The problem with Megatron is his intelligence as well as sheer power. We would have to be lucky to catch him off guard with whatever weapon our new form will have.”

After Ironfist was done examining Slingshot, he motion for Skydive to be next. Skydive went over to lay where his teammate was at being a little uneasy about the procedure. It didn’t look too bad on Slingshot even though Skydive was distracted for most of it thanks to the discussion he was having with Air Raid. The procedure was shorter and less painful than expected. Before Skydive knew it, Ironfist motioned for him to get off of the slab and for another one of his brothers to take their turn.

Secure Holding Cell

"Already got that in mind, Skids. I imagine however that we will be talking a fair amount with him as we go over records, since it seems he was involved more or less than a degree. Well, that is if I can access the records myself. But I digress."

At that, Skids merely raised his hands up in metaphorical surrender. Seemed like Streetwise had it well in hand. Not that Skids was particularly surprised, the Protectobot often worked in conjunction with Prowl. He supposed that he would just leave it to Streetwise and Kup then. Being a detective wasn’t exactly his area of expertise. It could be if he applied himself, to be fair.

"Anyhow, what's been going on lately? I mean, before the whole Megatron issue. Anything of interest I should know? Anything I shouldn't know? I apologise in advance if I'm asking too much. It's just that, you know, this and all."

“Don’t worry about it, Bravo, I offered didn’t I?” Skids replied with an easy smile on his faceplate. Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, he considered the question. “Well, I suppose…depends on how long you were out. A while back, Megatron and Optimus disappeared. No trace. Presumed dead. Later on, Hot Rod – you know him, the red hot headed mech – came to earth insisting that he be called Rodimus. Turns out he was possessed by some thing called the Fallen. That wrapped up recently. We had a truce with the Cons for that little battle, but that’s probably off now that the danger’s passed.”

Skids rubbed the back of his head. “And…apparently Megatron is back, which might lead one to assume…that…Prime’s back as well. That’s a guess though.”

“He is,” Rewind interjected from where he stood next to Chromedome. The archivist glanced at Kup apologetically briefly, but he looked back to the group discussing matters. “I saw him. Prime is back too. I think they’re taking care of him over on the Guardian.”

Skids’ smiled widened. “Really?! Well, that’s some good news for once! Eh, Bravo? Bomber?”


Main Engineering Deck – Primary Briefing Chamber

It took a lot to snap Fireflight out of his haze of daydreams. The mention of Megatron running amok would do that to anyone, honestly. But rather than go out and tussle with the Slagmaker, Fireflight would rather just bunker down where they were. Fortunately, he didn’t have to spell that out to Air Raid. Skydive took care of that pretty well.

Glancing to Silverbolt, Fireflight frowned as tense breems passed. He often looked to the door, half-expecting Megatron to charge through it in an instant and just slag them all where they stood. That didn’t happen. In fact, it wasn’t long before an announcement from Kup alleviated the worry. Kind of.

“Well, I guess its over?”

Main Engineering Deck--Primary Briefing Chamber

“You know it would be foolish to take on Megatron even if we had a plan. We simply don’t have the firepower between us to do so. Now depending on this new gestalt idea Ironfist has might give us the edge we would need to not just take down Devestator but also Megatron. The problem with Megatron is his intelligence as well as sheer power. We would have to be lucky to catch him off guard with whatever weapon our new form will have.”

"Yuh. I guess," Air Raid huffed as he watched the other Aerialbots undergo the examinations that would eventually allow them to become some new kind of super warrior like the Constructigoons.

Air Raid then looked up as Kup's all clear message came through.

“Well, I guess its over?” Fireflight asked.

"Yeah. Lucky for him," Air Raid said, only half-kidding. They needed their spirits lifted. And as Skydive was summarily moved out of the way by Ironfist, Air Raid was only too happy to take his spot.

"Get to work Fisto! One super-Aerialbot comin' up!"

Secure Holding Cell

“I saw him. Prime is back too. I think they’re taking care of him over on the Guardian.”

“Really?! Well, that’s some good news for once! Eh, Bravo? Bomber?”

'Bomber'? Groundbomber was taken aback by the informal use of her name, stopping for a second before rejoining the group. She hoped she hadn't allowed that little bit of weakness to show. Oh well. Answer the damn question, you idiot! she told herself.

She blinked and glanced at Skids, finally speaking to him, smile slowly forming on her faceplate.. "I'd say that's really good news. Maybe with him back, we can finally win this war."

An overly optimistic hope, but a hope nonetheless. Of anyone could end the war, it was Prime.

Secure Holding Cell

Alpha grinned back at Skids. A good deal of reassurance. Skids was being helpful by answering his questions. "Hehe, at least you did offer." He listened closely to what he had to say next. His processors tried to take in what was going on - the big two disappearing in an explosion? Surely there had to be some sort of trace left behind? Maybe an arm or a leg - or something at least to clear up the mystery? How was it possible to leave without a trace? Was the explosion that powerful?

Skids continued talking about Hot Rod being possessed by the... the WHAT? That... that couldn't have been true, could it? He'd heard myths and legends of The Fallen but... he didn't expect it to be true.

"Megatron's back, yeah. But Prime..." He added. He began to go back to thinking, but Rewind interjected immediately. "He is. His optics flung open to their maximum. "I saw him. Prime is back too." Alpha Bravo couldn't believe it! Not that he didn't trust Rewind, but he simply just had to see for himself. This was amazing news!

"Really?! Well, that’s some good news for once! Eh, Bravo?” Bravo lifted his head up and enthusiastically said "Great news? Why, that's fantastic news! It's the Prime himself!"

Groundbomber behind him added into the conversation for once. "Maybe with him back, we can finally win this war." Alpha Bravo nodded in agreement, saying "The better the morale of our fellow Autobots, the better we can push forward!"

Main Engineering Deck--Primary Briefing Chamber

Skydive heard the news of Megatron not being on the ship. It was a relief to him. There been way too many Autobots who lost their sparks to the emperor of destruction.

"In reality all we got was a reprieve from Megatron. We all know he will be back with some scheme or another. The only way it will end with that monster is for his spark to be ripped out and thrown into the deepest darkest black hole where it came from. There had to been attempts on his life throughout the many millennia by his own ranks but he probably slagged every single one unless they had proved useful still. The bigger question none of us has thought about is what effect will this have on the Cons once they realize he is back? Last I knew Razorclaw claimed the throne. Would he give it back to Megatron or would he try to fight to keep it? Having Megatron on our ships is scary enough but him back on his throne ratchets things up again."

Skydive moved his joints around to ensure the procedure didn't cause any real damage. He didn't think Ironfist would injure them on purpose but it did feel like it was rather intense for a moment or two. The sooner Ironfist was done, sooner they would be able to get back into the air.

Secure Holding Cell

Once inside the room, Kup had approached the berth that Megatron had been transferred to and, ultimately, broke free from. Various points in the room were scorched with black marks. But not scorched like fire damage. This was something else. Kup knew it when he saw it the first time.

He only passingly overheard the conversations taking place behind him as the Autobots proceeded to catch each other up on what all had happened. Walking over to a supply cabinet and reaching for a torch so he could start cutting away some samples of this scorched metal.

“And…apparently Megatron is back, which might lead one to assume…that…Prime’s back as well. That’s a guess though,”

Kup turned back to interject something into the verbal jolt that was about to be delivered. His mouth stammered open but no words came out in time.

“He is. I saw him. Prime is back too. I think they’re taking care of him over on the Guardian," Rewind added, before shooting him an apologetic glance. Kup just grinned and shrugged. It hadn't been his idea in the first place to keep Prime's return quiet. Seeing the reactions of joy and enthusiasm spread over the faces of the Autobots in this room as they heard the news was exactly why. They needed this.

"Yeh. Best news I've heard in vorns and vorns. But...he's gonna hafta recuperate. We can't just clap 'im on the shoulder joint and have him lead us back into battle like nothin's happened."
___

Main Engineering Deck--Primary Briefing Chamber

"In reality all we got was a reprieve from Megatron. We all know he will be back with some scheme or another. The only way it will end with that monster is for his spark to be ripped out and thrown into the deepest darkest black hole where it came from. There had to been attempts on his life throughout the many millennia by his own ranks but he probably slagged every single one unless they had proved useful still. The bigger question none of us has thought about is what effect will this have on the Cons once they realize he is back? Last I knew Razorclaw claimed the throne. Would he give it back to Megatron or would he try to fight to keep it? Having Megatron on our ships is scary enough but him back on his throne ratchets things up again," Skydive said.

"Agreed. I'm no particular expert on the Decepticon way of doing things, but if Razorclaw's in command and Megatron's returned....those two realities cannot coexist," Fireflight said, elaborating on Skydive's point. "No tyrant gives up power willingly. Megatron will take his seat of power back. And with it, a return to war. A change from the minor de-escalation in tensions we have seen recently. I guess in some respects the completion of this project could not have come at a better time. Earlier, perhaps."

Main Engineering Deck--Primary Briefing Chamber

Megatron will take his seat of power back. And with it, a return to war. A change from the minor de-escalation in tensions we have seen recently.

From his perch on the slab, Air Raid enthusiastically threw his fist into the air. He smiled, oblivious to the fact that he probably interrupted Ironfist's work. "If it's war Megatron wants with his return, it's a war we'll give 'im!"

Secure Holding Cell

"I'd say that's really good news. Maybe with him back, we can finally win this war."

Skids gave Groundbomber a warm grin at that. Alpha Bravo had his celebratory moment as well. Even as those two did, Skids rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Optimus Prime being back in action was certainly a relief, but Megatron had just escaped to do the same presumably with the Cons. At this point, it was almost as if the two sides were back where they started. Still, it was certainly good to have him back. There was no one else Skids would rather lead. No offense to Magnus.

"Yeh. Best news I've heard in vorns and vorns. But...he's gonna hafta recuperate. We can't just clap 'im on the shoulder joint and have him lead us back into battle like nothin's happened."

“What? Prime’s hurt?” Skids asked, looking to Kup with a hint of concern in his optics. He did his best to keep it from ruining the enthusiasm and joy in the room. “We might be at a disadvantage if Megatron is in better condition…”

“Optimus isn’t too bad. He looked worse for wear but…well, actually I have video,” Rewind mentioned, digging through the more recent entries in the archives. In the next moment, he turned toward a bare wall and projected the video minus sound of Prime on the medical berth, chatting with Ratchet and others. He was injured, but not grievously and seemed alert and like himself.

“Ratchet was prepping to do an examination,” Rewind explained, glancing to the others without turning his head. “Megatron was actually in a similar state…more or less. I have some video of that too up until the point he broke free. But, uh, Megatron…didn’t…seem right…in the head. Like he wasn’t all there. Might be why we suffered no casualties during his escape?”

“Maybe,” Skids muttered thoughtfully as he stared at the video on the wall. It was…one thing to hear Optimus was back, but to see him? Even if it wasn’t in person? Skids couldn’t help but smile. But something Rewind said gave him pause. If Megatron and Optimus had come back at the same time…had they come back at the same place? Together? In similar states. Meaning…

“If…Megatron wasn’t right in the head…do you think that might mean…” Skids left his question hanging in the air.

Secure Holding Cell

It was hard not to get caught up in the moment. Which was why Groundbomber didn't bother, dropping her usual facade for a little bit. She allowed herself the luxury of smiling, even giving Alpha Bravo a slap on the back.

Kup brought them back to reality.

"Yeh. Best news I've heard in vorns and vorns. But...he's gonna hafta recuperate. We can't just clap 'im on the shoulder joint and have him lead us back into battle like nothin's happened."

That made sense. The video that corresponded with Kup's announcement made sure to remind Groundbomber to not push her enthusiasm too far. Still, the sight of their leader, alive and well, filled the strategic bomber with hope.

Rewind and Skids went back to the subject at hand. Megatron.

“If…Megatron wasn’t right in the head…do you think that might mean…”

All the joy Groundbomber was feeling instantly dried up. That couldn't be possible. Could it? She switched back into combat mode, eyeing Rewind. "Is there any other footage of Optimus since he's returned?"

Secure Holding Cell:

"Well, as y'probably heard, big evil got clear of the ship. Ain't no way to track where he went as far as I can see...so far. We're gonna hafta try and make some sense of how he did it."

"Yes, and 'how' is what I enjoy searching for," responded Streetwise to Kup in a lighter tone.

It was a confusing mess. Especially with Streetwise not being told previously about certain things he saw as crucial for him to know.

"Optimus? He's back too? That is good news..." Streetwise said, "However I assumed I would at least know when our fraggin beloved leader was back before now. Apparently I was wrong."

Streetwise felt an element of happiness that Optimus was back, but at the same time, he couldn't help but be frustrated since he never knew previously about Megatron, nor Optimus being alive. Much less so close. But, frustrating or not, Streetwise needed to push his sense of annoyance beside to get back to the job at hand.

>>"Streetwise to Perceptor. I assume you have heard about the Megatron thing? We need some chemical analysis of a strange substance in the secure holding cell on Ark-22. Specifically, the metal plating exposed to it. Any sort of assistance from a chemist would be appreciated."<<

Secure Holding Cell

Alpha Bravo listened carefully to what was said next. Prime was on the Guardian. Okay, thankfully he was in a safe place. Recovery was the best route for him, since he was hurt, or so the others said. The Recordabot Rewind displayed a recording of Prime with the chief medical officer, Ratchet. That's good to see. He'll be patched up in no time.

But Skids and Rewind brought up more - if Megatron had returned at the same time as Prime, could they both have been inflicted with this... madness? The word didn't feel right. He couldn't bring his processors to handle it. It was too much, he simply couldn't think about it.

Groundbomber slapped him on the back. He looked back at her and gave her a nod. Wait, isn't she a flier? He looked closely and decided to speak to her. "Hey, I don't think we've introduced properly, eh?" He held out his arm for a shake. "I'm Alpha Bravo. Nice to meet you." Something about this other flier seemed to intrigue him, but he couldn't quite figure out why. Either way, he wanted to get familiar with as many people as he could. Didn't hurt to talk for a little while.

Secure Holding Cell

Groundbomber was interrupted out of her thought process by the smaller white and orange 'Bot in front of her. The one she slapped on the back.

"Hey, I don't think we've introduced properly, eh? I'm Alpha Bravo. Nice to meet you."

A look of suspicion crossed the crimson colored demolitions commando's faceplate. Who was this Alpha Bravo? She studied him, making no effort to hide her intent.

He seemed harmless enough. The smaller 'Bot looked to be a flier of some kind. Probably a helicopter. Well, he had that going for him. His weapon of choice seemed to be some kind of missiles on his arms. 'Bomber could appreciate a 'bot that used explosives.

She finally met Alpha Bravo's hand, taking care to not touch the weapons on his arms. Her grip was strong, firm. Befitting a Cybertronian of her size and strength.

"Hello, Alpha Bravo. The name's Groundbomber." She smiled, a small smile, but a smile nonetheless. "Pleasure to meet you."

Secure Holding Cell

“What? Prime’s hurt?” Skids had asked. Kup was about to answer when Rewind proceeded to give a much better answer than he could've at the moment. Images, particular those of Optimus Prime--would do them all even more good. Ultimately, however, Rewind's video led Skids to a place that Kup's own mind had gone.

“If…Megatron wasn’t right in the head…do you think that might mean…”

"Yeh. I wondered the same thing. Hopefully it just took Megatron's craziness and ramped it up. Optimus was never glitched."

"Yes, and 'how' is what I enjoy searching for. Optimus? He's back too? That is good news...However I assumed I would at least know when our fraggin beloved leader was back before now. Apparently I was wrong," Streetwise continued.

"Like I said, you don't like bein' kept in the loop, take it up with Hot Spot. Quit whinin' about it," Kup snapped back. "Let's get some sections of this metal cut away so Perceptor and Swerve and Jetfire 'n whoever else have somethin' to work with. Then we can get back to the Guardian and check in with Optimus."

Secure Holding Cell

"Is there any other footage of Optimus since he's returned?"

“No,” Rewind answered Groundbomber’s question, “Not that I have anyhow. I’m sure we would have heard something if anything was wrong.” He looked to Alpha Bravo as the mech introduced himself to Groundbomber. Hm. He checked the archives for files on the two of them. Alpha Bravo, he knew. Had plenty on. Groundbomber was a bit more reclusive but he still had some files on her.

“Rewind,” he added into their little round of introductions, “I’m what you call an archivist. I keep records on pretty much everything that’s happened since a bit before the war.” He tapped the side of his head where his camera was bolted.

“Would you two feel like interviewing later? You know, after this investigation?”

"Yeh. I wondered the same thing. Hopefully it just took Megatron's craziness and ramped it up. Optimus was never glitched."

Turning to Kup as he spoke, Rewind nodded to confirm the authenticity of his statement. “He wasn’t. He seemed fully aware. Seemed like Optimus Prime.”

Skids smiled at that. “That’s a relief,” he murmured.

"Let's get some sections of this metal cut away so Perceptor and Swerve and Jetfire 'n whoever else have somethin' to work with. Then we can get back to the Guardian and check in with Optimus."

Nodding, Skids set to work, taking out a blowtorch to cut sections of the metal free. It would set him at ease to see Optimus alive and well personally. “Let’s hurry. I’m sure everyone is anxious to check on Optimus as well. Oh,” he glanced up at Groundbomber and Alpha Bravo. “I’m Skids, if I neglected to introduce myself earlier. And if I already did, well, apologies. My memory can be spotty at times.”

“Perceptor will probably want a copy of my Megatron video too,” Rewind muttered. Saving off a copy to a data drive, he handed it over to Kup.

((ooc: Collab post between me and Trailmix))

Secure Holding Cell

Alpha Bravo's hand gripped with Groundbomber's. Her grip was firm, but Alpha wasn't a weak bot either, so the two had a firm lock of hands. She introduced herself, adding a "Pleasure to meet you" towards the end. He nodded at the taller bot, returning the greeting with a "As much of a pleasure as it is to meet you."

Groundbomber regarded the smaller flier with further suspicion. Why was he being so friendly with her? What did he want?

She cautiously pulled her hand back.

The bot smaller than them, Rewind, joined into the conversation. Alpha Bravo recognised him as one of the Cassettobots, one of Blaster's many.

“No,” Rewind answered Groundbomber’s question, “Not that I have anyhow. I’m sure we would have heard something if anything was wrong.”

That was a relief, for both of them. Bravo let it show, his optics lighting up with relief. 'Bomber, on the other hand, simply acknowledged Rewind's reply with a thankful nod.

Alpha Bravo gave Rewind a quick wave in acknowledgement as he introduced his function as an archivist.

"An archivist, eh? Well then, you sure could help me remember a lot of what happened while I was inactive in the CR chamber."

Bravo grinned at him. Rewind asked him about an interview or something. "Sure, I'll do it. I'm not really that great at talking or anything, but I'll try my best."

Groundbomber, however, gave Rewind a puzzled look. An interview? Oh scrap no! There was no way that 'Bomber would allow herself to be more of a laughing stock than she already was. She was about to make a reply when Skids spoke up.

“I’m Skids, if I neglected to introduce myself earlier. And if I already did, well, apologies. My memory can be spotty at times.”

Bravo gave Skids a nod as well. "Not to worry Skids, it was nice to meet you too. Thanks a lot for the catch-up earlier!"

Main Engineering Deck--Primary Briefing Chamber

War...something which seemed to be one of the few constants for the past millennia if not longer for the Cybertronian race. As much as Skydive enjoys taking down the Seekers out of the skies or making the ground troop Cons scatter when his team flew over, the idea of flying for the sake of flying is something none of them get too often.

"You all know I enjoy blowing Cons up as much as the rest of you. This is why I hope this new combiner idea works out. If anything we need to keep at least a balance in the technology field against the Cons and better if we can get ahead. There are times though where I want to fly just to have the air flow through my intakes. I've lost track of the number of planets and systems we have harmed during our long fight with the Cons. Is this blue ball below us the next one to suffer?"

Skydive looked around at his fellow Aerialbots and realized his words might have come across a bit strange.

"Sorry, I guess I need to go and spread my wings. Being cooped up in this room is getting to me. I surely hope it is worth it."

Hangar

There, that should be everything. The scientist-turned-sniper dusted off his hands as he finished setting the last of his equipment into the shuttle when his communicator began to ring.

>>"Streetwise to Perceptor. I assume you have heard about the Megatron thing? We need some chemical analysis of a strange substance in the secure holding cell on Ark-22. Specifically, the metal plating exposed to it. Any sort of assistance from a chemist would be appreciated."<<

>>"Yes, lucky for me I was able to finish what I was needed to do uninterrupted. Unfortunately at this time my talents as well as those of Wheeljack's are need elsewhere so I would advice forwarding your findings to Swerve since his talents in the metallurgical field are far more impressive than his 'jokes'. Perceptor out."<<

Closing the line, the red and blue Autobot clenched at the bridge of his nasal sensor where it met his brow. As nice as it was to be appreciated aboard the ship, and as willing as he is to be lending a hand, it seems like everyone was in need of some level of assistance at this very moment. Did Brainstorm ever get bombarded with requests like this?

Medical Bay/Corridors

When the alarms stopped, it was a relief to Railway. Maybe they got him? Maybe he got away? Either way, situation seemed to be under control now, otherwise the alarms would still be blaring.

"Don't worry about me 'Jackie," Railway stated as he rose to his full height and tapped against his own metal, "It'll take a lot to try and keep me down! Now, didn't you say he had a shuttle to catch?"

Not wasting anymore of the engineer's time, Railway began to lead the way out of the medical bay. Despite the all-clear, he kept his servos on the ready and his hammer nearby incase something was on the rise...

Main Engineering Deck

"Alright my fine, winged friends," Ironfist began as he ensure each of the Aerialbots were secure on their slabs, "today is history in the making! Once we have the modifications installed, we Autobots shall have a Devastator of our own!"

Silverbolt was beginning to feel even more uneasy as this plan continued forward. What all did this entail? What lasting effects could arise? Even Skydive's barrages of infodumps weren't helping ease the aerialbot commander's processor any better than Ironfist's constant reassurances. Still... if it meant being keep the Decepticons from gaining a peg or two on them, he'd be more than willing to help. Sometimes cases like this called for more severe measures.

"Let's see... There's a lot we're going to have to do with your frame here, Silverbolt." Ironfist said as he trotted over beside Silverbolt's slab. The blue and yellow mech signaled for First-Aid to come on over and lend his more qualified hands in this process of the operation. Rewriting CNA sequences and altering the chassis to take on more functionality... Both mechs certainly had their work cut out for them. "Go ahead and offline yourself there, 'Bolt. This could take awhile and I'd rather you not have to be awake for the entity of it."

Priority-1 Transmission from Ultra Magnus to Kup

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

Secure Holding Cell:

Percy's reply made sense. Frustrating because Streetwise wished for a more likable character such as Perceptor rather than Swerve, but... Desperate times call for desperate measures.

>>"Alright, Perceptor. Streetwise out."<<

Streetwise removed his hand from the side of his head and looked down at the metal plating once more.

"Hey Skids, be careful with that. You don't know what toxins are on there," Streetwise said with a slightly concerned tone as Skids used his blowtorch to cut the metal free.

Streetwise turned to Kup, "Alright, Perceptor is unavailable. Our second option besides the also unavailable Wheeljack, is Swerve."

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