The Energon Pub

The Mines

Acid Storm looked around with a bit of a frown on his face plate. This was not the situation he wanted to be in.

Sent down from Semper Tyrannus to this... This... Tiny little hole in the ground they called a mine.

Bad

Idea

They were Seekers, they belonged in the air.

He turned a bit to navigate around a bend, his wing smacking into Ion Storm who was near by. They had gotten themselves off the main mineshaft somehow and into a very tight one.

He sighed and muttered something that vaguely resembled an 'I'm sorry' to his brother.

The Mines

Ion Storm was not liking the situation that both of them found themselves in. Right now, the tight spaces were driving him nuts but for the time-being, he was desperately trying to keep his cool. It did not help much when his brother's wing whack him in his face.

He intensely glared at Acid Storm and hissed, "Really dude...watch it where you put those things...sheesh..." He somewhat heard his brother's muttered 'I'm sorry' towards him. After a bit, he muttered back, "Whatever, Acid."

He activated his hacking computer on his wrist in hope that they would be able to find their way out of this situation and back towards the main mineshaft.

Garrus 9 – Central - Corridors

“Oh slag!” Skalor stopped dead in his very forced and reluctant jog behind the Horrorcons. “It’s the boss!” He picked up the pace, hurrying over to Apeface who was at the head of the group. “Apeface! The boss was in the amphitheatre! He wants us to go there and…uh…” Skalor sent back a quick acknowledgement so that Snaptrap didn’t think he was being ignored. ”He don’t sound too happy…”

”You mean your boss.” Apeface replied laconically to Skalor’s little freak out moment while still having to keep his own pace ridiculously slow for the Seacons to keep up with him. ”He is no boss of mine but that’s we are heading anyway. Do humor me though, how does his anger compare in the four point scale of Tantrum? For purposes of this research let us omit the 20 step scale.”

Never slowing down the Horrorcon began demonstrating the before mentioned scale by listing the various stages of anger involved and emphasizing every option by the always effective method of counting one’s fingers. ”First, there’s the baseline angry. That’s relatively harmless on Tantrum scale but cannot be taken lightly. Second one being intensely angry. Which tends to be bad news. Someone will get hurt.”

”Naturally from there we go to third step of the scale: completely slagging enraged. Tends to give an indication of being manifested through steaming nostrils and burning optics. Collateral damage is unavoidable at this point,” Apeface continued, ”And finally the fourth step which needs no explanation – everybody run.”

Before possibly dumbfounded Skalor could reply, their ragtag group ran into a lone Decepticon who was so going into wrong direction as far as Apeface was concerned.

"Uh, excuse me sirs, have you by any chance seen a crazy lunatic known as Triggerhappy wondering around? He... requires attention."

”No time!” Apeface yelled and without a warning swooped Slugslinger between his arm and torso just as he was about to pass by the smaller Decepticon. Now, with Slugslinger within his grasp, the Horrorcon saboteur kept jogging forwards without his pace slowing down a notch.

To ease up Slugslinger’s worry, Apeface did decide to inform him of what he knew regarding Triggerhappy, ”Synapse is looking after him. Your firepower is needed elsewhere soldier.”

Next corner did make Apeface almost to stop on his tracks though as his group reached yet another one. A lithe femme, a bulky arms merchant, an open maintenance hatch next to the duo and a bunch of very shaky... Monstercons?

”But my my, who are you guys?” Apeface asked as he slowed his jog down to walk and released Slugslinger, ”And what did you do to the Monstercons? I was told they were rampaging through the facility in their combined form.”

Garrus 9 – Amphitheater

"He absconded from the prison as soon as he left the amphitheater. He left his two monsters behind, but thus far they have made no outwardly aggressive moves. Until that transmission, we had neither seen nor heard anything from him. I've been in private communication with Reflector aboard the Tyrannis and he doesn't know where he bounced once he accessed our technology. He covered his tracks well."

”He breached my ship?!” Scorponok roared, trashing yet another of Jhiaxus’ machines in anger. Of course. It made sense. That was exactly what he would have done himself had he tried to escape and knowing what Jhiaxus did. The spacebridge. One device in the whole cluster that could take him anywhere he wanted in a fraction of the time required for spaceflight as long as one could calculate his exit point correctly. There was a downside to that though. It was a journey of no return. Wherever Jhiaxus had traveled wouldn’t be without means for him to continue his work. One of his many hideouts. But which one?

“Where is that wretched old fool…”

”Gone.” Scorponok snarled, his optics flaring up. His anger had subsided just enough for his keen intellect to take charge. He would have his revenge but not through blindly stumbling around in the dark. No, he needed to think rationally, use logic and some intuition. Jhiaxus was as much of a slave to his obsession as any madman singlemindedly pursuing a certain goal. And having lost as much time as he had while being incarcerated there was a good likelihood of Jhiaxus being out of patience. And that opened up possibilities for impatience sow seeds of failure. ”But I have an idea where.”

“Lord Scorponok,” Snaptrap began, “I have failed you. I accept whatever punishment you choose for me. However,” he paused, his golden optics flickered malevolently, “Allow me to atone by assisting you in retrieving the scientist’s head.”

From the corner of his peripheral vision, Scorponok looked down at Snaptrap with some level of silent and calculating rage emanating from him. He did not want to hear any excuses. Not from Snaptrap. Not from Cyclonus. Not from Reflector or anyone else for that matter. They had all failed. Scorponok himself included. In his own arrogance he had been careless. While he had expected treachery, it had been Jhiaxus who had seized the opportunity to betray him before he had done the same to the ancient scientist.

”I do not want your apologies. I want to listen to his feeble screams for mercy as I crush his head between my claws,” the massive warlord seethed and let his gaze sweep over the amphitheater in order to assess the situation better. Many Decepticons were wounded, still stuck in mid-transformation or having been trampled under the combiners or apparently in Firewire’s case, by Scorponok himself as he had fallen.

”Cyclonus, organize help for the wounded and gather up our troops within the prison. Tell Reflector to send in shuttles to evacuate our forces. I want everyone back in ours ships within two cycles.” Scorponok issued out orders, ”I have no further use for Garrus-9. We will leave before the sun rises.”

”As for the rest of you present! Everyone who can fight - spread out and scout for the combiners! Call for backup once you find them! Do not engage them alone! I still want them intact!” Scorponok’s deep voice rumbled thorough the amphitheater, ”Those unable to fight, help your wounded brothers and sisters in retreating back to the fleet!”

”Let the hunt begin.”

Garrus 9 – Central - Corridors:

"Ack!" blurted Slugslinger as Apeface simply grabbed him. Classic soldier Apeface was the sniper could tell. No time to even try and get by without the hulking mass of a mech grabbing him under his arm.

Apeface did inform him however that Triggerhappy was already in care. Good. Though, he couldn't help but be concerned and think Apeface had an alternative motive to make him come along easier. However, with Slugslinger in the giant mech's grasp, why would Apeface lie?

And this "Synapse"? Slugslinger heard of him, but never had an opportunity to exactly see what kind of a mech he was. Could be a good doctor, or an evil, heartless killer of those he sees fit to if he doesn't like his patients. Whatever the case though, Slugslinger had no choice. The nervous wreck of a mech couldn't help but consider the worst case scenarios however.

"Ah! Wait we kinda, well... we..."

Then that's as the turned the corner.

Apeface saw the Monstercons on the floor. His face was... almost priceless. Though, hard to find a facial expression in the mostly covered face of the Horrorcon munky.

As Apeface released him, Slugslinger then said, "Yeah, they were torn apart with the power of love. Or something. Still confused about it. Almost makes me want to regurgitate gas tank fluids."

Garrus 9 – Central – Corridors:

"Don't treat me as a madmech, Synapse," Triggerhappy spat out, "I am not, but he? He is. My optics tell you who I am. Only be concerned when he takes control. Or rather, lack of control, in a way."

Triggerhappy's optics were remaining solid red for a while. It was becoming more and more frequent. Although he tried to make it seem as if he knew when he was about to change, he only knew as he felt it taking place.

As Triggerhappy and Synapse walked together after the Horrorcons up ahead, Triggerhappy began to speak in a more conversational tone.

"Synapse, I see you take your job seriously. It is quite blatant, and a mark of a good doctor to be sure. Of course, most would say the same."

He then put away the mouth-plate that he had always worn to hide the mouth of his maniac self. He wanted to be heard clearly, and to make it clear that his face was that of a normal mech.

"As-zzza- As you may know, I had a certain... 'accident' long ago which gave me my reputation of lack of sanity. However, you should also know it's not a matter of sanity but one of a broken mind. Connections being broken, and logic being abandoned.

"I believe you would also know that sometimes histories of mechs in our faction are only partially written in the records. Mine is that of a freak incident that only caused a normal mech to become a sad result. However, that is not even close to my whole story. I used to be similar to you in fact. Analyzing the minds of my others, however my education in the field was cut short due to... more pressing matters. However, my interest in the subject remained, and I took my interest seriously. As you do."

Mines

Acid Storm looked over at his brother. "It's tight in here, Ion." Came the exasperated reply. "There's not much I could do."

Optics drifted to what Ion Storm was doing. "Found anything useful?" He asked as he carefully navigated another turn.

---

Amphitheatre

Bludgeon didn't​ react to Scorponok's flared optics. He simply watched quietly as their leader answered his question.

Gone. That figured.

But before he could suggest options, Scorponok formed his own plan. Search for the Combiners.

Well, Bludgeon did have possibly the best trackers on this rock at his disposal.

"Snarler... You have their scent." He said as he turned towards the pig-like mech. "Find them. "Skullgrin." He said in a much more commanding voice. "Follow Snarler, Bomb Burst, you and your little minions take point from the shadows, Snarler and Skullgrin won't be quiet, I want eyes ahead of them."

--

Nightbird quietly slipped away from Bludgeon towards Bomb Burst, who simply signalled for her and Phobos (if he's still here) to follow.

Snarler snorted an affirmitive before putting nose to ground following the scent of the two massive beast, sending quick, concise directions on which way to turn to Bomb Burst.

--

Bludgeon didn't leave. He would catch up in his own time. "They will be found, Lord Scorponok." He simply said.

Garrius-9--The Mines

While Ion was working on trying to find something useful on his hacking device, he heard what Acid Storm said to him. He particularly heard his unpreferred nickname, which is Ion, but he tolerated it to an extent. Also, he heard his question, which he rolled his optics as a response.

He spoke in an irritated voice. "I am quite aware of how tight it is in this spot, Mr. Obvious." He paused a bit. "I am trying to keep my cool while down here but if one of your wings smacks me in the face again while down here; I can guarantee that I will send a bolt in-between your armor plates."

After a bit, he muttered to himself, "Slag..."

He walked slightly away from his brother in hope to slightly clear his mind and figure out some things.

Garrus 9 - Mines

Brainstorm turned towards Whirl and the others and signaled to follow the Insecticons' demand to lower their weapons. Whirl, albeit hesitant, knew to play along for now. The numbers weren't exactly stacked in their favor at the moment, and he knew he could take out a few dozen of the bugs himself, but he knew he'd be overran quickly if Hardshell was the one leading this particular swarm. If he wasn't killed right away, the cycloptic mech could be turned into another jailbird for Scorponok's forces to harass.

"We need to start moving." Brainstorm began, "The more we stand around and idly chat the cycles away, the more time we give this lunatic to either escape or come find us all sitting together in one place."

The area around the mines rumbled and quaked slightly, the sound of a distant yet heavily muffled scream reverberated about the mineshaft, Scorponok's awakened fury echoing through the facility unbeknownst to the Autobots.

"If you can get me close to the energy field that's encasing the amphitheater, I might be able to find a way to disable it. Start with getting that field down and we could possibly use that to bring down Jhiaxus' Combiners!"

Garrus 9 - Amphitheater

Pain... The twisting and churning of transistors and servos came to a halt. There was a moment of relief as metal shifted back to its proper alignment. Tentacles twitched about as Octopunch's more aquatic alternate mode lie in the debris of the room. The scavenger tried to find his bearings and assess the situation. "What in the Shattered Seas?" The multi-colored Decepticon cursed, his T-Cog shifting back properly and reverting to his robot form.



With Jhiaxus' device now offline, the restraints that held Nautilator to his slab ceased to function and the lobster-bot quickly scurried off the operating table as the amalgamation of robot limbs and crustacean shapes stubbled to the floor.

"Snaptrap!" Nautilator cried out looking for his commander, his robot form returning to its original shape, "Boss, where-what's going on?!"

Garrus-9--Corridors near Primary Mine Shaft

Pointblank quickly realized that their forward momentum was not exactly moving...forward.

As he turned back, he saw why. He certainly had no intention of making things worse for either himself or the other Autobots. Caution, and not haste, still seemed to be the order of the day.

The others who hadn't fully completed the ascent up the mine shaft were being ordered to do so. Pointblank approached the edge slowly, with both his arms raised.

"Just do what they say, guys. We'll be alright."
___

Garrus-9 Central--Corridors

“Uh…you think there’s any chance that if we met up with the rest of the Cons…they’d react poorly to me or…the Monstercons…or Skyhammer there?” Umbra had asked, looking at Icepick and Stormwrecker. Stormwrecker took the opportunity to answer.

"Them? Nah," he said, indicating the Monstercons. "Scorponok's gonna treat those guys like treasured assets, knowing what they can do and all. The rest of us? Me included. I'd say our odds are around the 50/50 mark."

Before he could say much more, new voices entered the area. More Decepticons. And some of the worst, by reputation. Horrorcons.

"And we're probably gonna find out sooner over later..." he added, his voice lowered as the new faces approached.

”But my my, who are you guys? And what did you do to the Monstercons? I was told they were rampaging through the facility in their combined form.”

"W-Well..." Stormwrecker stuttered.

"We found a weakness," Icepick interjected, before Stormwrecker or one of the others said something in the heat of the moment that might get themselves killed or slapped in the brig. Granted, they were in a giant prison, but that function had more or less been rendered null at this point.

"We'll need to inform Lord Scorponok of it, of course."

Garrus-9--Amphitheater

Scorponok's anger was palpable. It was for all of them. It permeated the room like a purifying blaze, spurring them all forward. Revenge. Few things in the universe did more to inspire action.

”I do not want your apologies. I want to listen to his feeble screams for mercy as I crush his head between my claws. Cyclonus, organize help for the wounded and gather up our troops within the prison. Tell Reflector to send in shuttles to evacuate our forces. I want everyone back in ours ships within two cycles. I have no further use for Garrus-9. We will leave before the sun rises.”

Cyclonus said nothing. There was nothing to be said, honestly. Snaptrap had effectively voiced what was going through the mind of any loyal Decepticon and Scorponok was having none of it. They had been left alive, therefore they would recover, regroup and seek the revenge they so rightly deserved. Jhiaxus had made a critical error by leaving them alive. The vice commander had no doubts he would come to realize that, just before he met his long-overdue end. Truly this was no longer the being that Cyclonus had known and once called an ally so long ago.

With a nod, Cyclonus departed Scorponok's side, still working out transformational aches in various joints as he walked.

>>"All functional medical units within the prison, report to my position immediately,"<< Cyclonus transmitted, before opening up a second communications link, this time with the Tyrannis. >>"Reflector..."<<

>>"I was listening. I'm already in the process of collecting my own incapacitated unit and recalling the second."<<

>>"I am unconcerned with your status. Dispatch the ships as Lord Scorponok has commanded."<<

>>"Of course. I only wonder if-"<<

>>"Cyclonus out,"<< the air warrior responded curtly, before closing the link altogether.
___

Semper Tyrannis--Hangar

"Attention flight crews Rho, Sigma, Tau and Upsilon--make your way to your shuttles and prepare for imminent departure," the disembodied voice of Reflector echoed throughout the vast expanse of the main hangar.

"Wussat all about?" one green and brown Seeker said, looking at a somewhat clunky driller construction Decepticon said.

"Like I would know. You guys're the flyboys."

"Yeh. I'm not Rho or Sigma though."

"You're Tau right?"

"Yeah."

"He said 'Tau'."

"He did?"

"Yeah, get yer audios checked."

"Slaggit."

And the Seeker was off in a jog, as several other hastily moving mechs were jogging towards their shuttles.

Garrus-9--Amphitheater

Seawing slowly woke up from his nap. It was taking some time for his systems to boot back online. When his optics came online, he saw Lord Scorponok standing back up straight along with others like the Butcher and Cyclonus. The next thing Seawing realized was the anger from Scorponok. It was quite understandable and his unit commmander expressed what he also wanted but for the time being Scorponok didn't want anything to do with it yet. An image of what could happen to the mad scientist after Scorponok got his claws around him came to mind. The head being smashed in the fleet commander's claw created a smile come to Seawing's face. Personally he thought dismemberment would be much more fun of torture before the head smashing it was up to Scroponok to decide punishment. While these thoughts were going through his mind, his body started to slowly and painfully transform back into robot mode. Once he was in full robot, he got himself up and walked with a slight limp to the Butcher. Once he got there, he collapsed to one knee and not by choice.

"Snaptrap, do we wait for others to hunt down the monsters Jhiaxus made or shall we hunt for them ourselves once our fellow Seacons joins us?"

Nautilator woke up a little startled which wasn't too surprising but his comrade would eventually get his bearings. It is true that for all Seacons their bearings would be easier to find in a body of liquid but it still shouldn't take long for Nautilator to find their commander. Seawing opted to stay silent and wait for the other Seacons to make it here to the amphitheater.

Garrus-9 – Amphitheatre

”I do not want your apologies. I want to listen to his feeble screams for mercy as I crush his head between my claws.”

That was all Snaptrap required. Lord Scorponok’s rage swept through all that were able. Or at least, so he thought until two of his own kind approached. Nautilator and Seawing. In another place and time, Snaptrap might have been amused that Seawing had fallen to a knee before him. Not now. Wrenching his subordinate back onto his feet, he turned to Nautilator.

“We go to hunt the scientist’s monsters,” he replied curtly, answering both of them at the same time.

Moving past them both, Snaptrap stalked toward the amphitheater entrance, seething with silent rage. He quickly transmitted Scorponok’s orders to the others in his team. It would be more efficient for them to search where they were. He briefly debated the merit of making his own group split up, but quickly dismissed the notion. He trusted neither Nautilator nor Seawing. Nautilator would likely be pulverized before he could even transmit coordinates. Seawing was a glory hound. He may do something reckless.


Garrus-9 – Central – Corridors

Frag.

Umbra just couldn’t get any breaks today, could she? It was one thing after another. Not only was Stormwrecker’s analysis of their chances less than encouraging, they’d been found already before she could even think to escape. She glanced around for Skyhammer, but somehow, someway, he’d managed to scurry away without her noticing.

Good for him.

As for her…

Thankfully, Icepick had her covered. For her part, Umbra just nodded enthusiastically, very much hoping that she wouldn’t draw much attention. She didn’t recognize these Decepticons, but that did not mean that she wouldn’t run into some that she knew. Namely, the ones that had nearly killed her during her earlier escape with Bludgeon.

“Y-Yes,” Umbra confirmed quietly, never wanting more to shrink from the spotlight than right now.

“Oh,” Synapse said, approaching the rear of the Horrorcons’ party. They had stopped for some reason, allowing himself and Triggerhappy to catch up. He patted Triggerhappy’s arm lightly. “Look there! Slugslinger!”

Skalor glanced back as he heard the good doctor’s voice behind them and rolled his optics. Great. Triggerhappy was back. He shook his head and edged around Apeface, trying to get a good look at the Monstercons. “I don’t think ‘Trap’s anger falls into the Tantrum scale,” he muttered, “It’s more of a-“

Freezing up as he heard his commander’s voice, Skalor realized after a moment that Snaptrap had not been in fact around to hear him. What came next, the resident bossy monkey needed to know. He tapped Apeface on the arm.

“Hey. Orders just came in from Lord Scorponok. He wants us to scout out and look for the combiners and call if we find one,” Skalor looked at the monstercons, “Guess we did.”

“U-um,” Umbra pitched in reflexively. Frag. Why had she done that?! Well, better get on with it. “The other one was here. It…they…went that way,” she said, pointing in the direction Logicor had wandered off in.

Grinning widely, Skalor looked at the femme who he didn’t recognize. Probably a prisoner. “Hey, that’s somethin’! I’ll let the boss know.”

Garrus-9 – Near Primary Mineshaft

>>”Already ahead of you. Autobots tend to have... a blind spot when it comes to size changing range of Insecticons.”<< Hardshell replied smugly back to Sparkstalker, continuing, >>”The situation though, has changed. I have heard reports from my brethen in the Amphitheater. Our people are waking up, Commander Scorponok, Cyclonus, few others, many are wounded though. This does rise the question. do we still need these Autobots?”<<

>>”That it does…”<< Sparkstalker mused, glancing to Hardshell, >>”If many are wounded, the extra manpower may come in handy. Better Autobots than our own. Still…I’m loathe to go to the trouble of dragging them along. Let us see what they will offer when their footing collapses out from under them.”<<

Sparkstalker looked to Brainstorm. “Watch your tone, Autobot!” he chided harshly. Smiling snidely, he crossed his arms. “I’m afraid you’ll have to do better than that. It seems you are misinformed. Our people are waking up. What need have we for you now? Better come up with a counteroffer before my patience runs out.”

He gestured to Hardshell and the other Insecticons. “My associates have a certain fondness for violence, you see.”

Garrus-9 - Central - Corridors:

Oh lookie here. It was Slugslinger. At last. A smile came to Triggerhappy's face. Though, of course, he was usually smiling maniacally when he had his yellow optics...

"Slugs! There ya are! Golly what's goin on?..."

Slugslinger looked towards the voice. He was partially relieved to see Triggerhappy was alright, but partially wishing he never had to see him again.

"Hey Triggs, glad to see ya," Slugslinger responded simply. Then, he observed Triggerhappy's odd changes...

"Slugslinger," Triggerhappy started as his optics changed once again, "Come with us. We desire your assistance,"

Slugslinger turned around once again, optics wide,

"You... N-No you, NO!" Slugslinger backed up slowly away from Triggerhappy.

Triggerhappy responded, "Oh come on, we only want to chat. Synapse is a good doctor."

"It's not him," started Slugslinger, "it's... It's you..."

Garrus-9 – Near Primary Mineshaft:

Oh no, no no no, this isn't good at all, not at all.

Highbrow heard the voice of the Insecticon and it was far from comforting. One must only imagine the terror one feels as they are surrounded, clinging on the edge of the top of a wall and being told they are unuseful enough to die.

"Ah, ah..." Highbrow didn't know what to say. Even with his complex and supurb views on the intricasies of reality and existance he couldn't find the mind-power enough to find his way out of this situation. Better let the talker; Whirl; make an attempt at sparing all of their sparks. At least this one time.

Garrus 9 – Corridors

"Yeah, they were torn apart with the power of love. Or something. Still confused about it. Almost makes me want to regurgitate gas tank fluids."

”Shut up Slugslinger.” Apeface grunted, smacking the smaller Decepticon across the back of his head. Not too hard though, he had to be careful with his strength around ordinary joes after all. Had he really tried, he could have probably been able to decapitate Slugslinger by punching.

“I don’t think ‘Trap’s anger falls into the Tantrum scale,” he muttered, “It’s more of a-“

”It was a joke. Don’t wet your tailpipe over it.” Apeface smirked at Skalor’s muttering while fixing his optics on the Monstercons and the others with them.

"W-Well..." Stormwrecker stuttered.

"We found a weakness," Icepick interjected, before Stormwrecker or one of the others said something in the heat of the moment that might get themselves killed or slapped in the brig. Granted, they were in a giant prison, but that function had more or less been rendered null at this point.

"We'll need to inform Lord Scorponok of it, of course."
“Y-Yes,” Umbra confirmed quietly, never wanting more to shrink from the spotlight than right now.

Suspicious. Why would Stormwrecker stammer over his words like that? Either he had something to hide or he was freaked out by the sudden appearance by the Horrorcons. Often the mere sight of Apeface and Snapdragon had that effect on even other Decepticons so it could be that. But Stormwrecker was a veteran of countless battles. They had even fought side by side even if they had never been more than acquaintances to each other. Nevertheless, he couldn’t jump to conclusions, especially with Icepick providing an explanation.

The femme though, Apeface hadn’t been able to immediately recognized her. Nor did she wear any faction symbols. Though she did have a suspicious patch of armor missing where such symbol usually resided. She was emitting a Decepticon IFF signal though but that wasn’t an idiot proof way to identify anyone. Who was she? Sure, not even Apeface could claim to recognize every Decepticon ever by seeing their faces but he did consider his memory being quite reliable. Had to be. In his line of work sharp eyes and keen mind were mandatory. Perhaps she was the reason for Stormwrecker’s reaction and Icepick’s quick interjection. And by the looks of it, someone had just slipped through an open maintenance hatch too. The femme’s optics had certainly been wandering around as if searching for someone for a moment. However that might be, Apeface wasn’t about to investigate that any deeper right now. Instead he memorized the femme’s physical characteristics for future investigation into the matter. If she was dangerous Stormwrecker and the Monstercons would have done something about it. There was always the possibility of her being an Autobot though, sympathized by Stormwrecker and Icepick for a reason or another.

”A weakness, huh?” Apeface smirked, walking over to Icepick and patting him on back. ”That’s great.”

Freezing up as he heard his commander’s voice, Skalor realized after a moment that Snaptrap had not been in fact around to hear him. What came next, the resident bossy monkey needed to know. He tapped Apeface on the arm.

“Hey. Orders just came in from Lord Scorponok. He wants us to scout out and look for the combiners and call if we find one,” Skalor looked at the Monstercons, “Guess we did.”

”Sure did Stinkor.” Apeface replied back to Skalor, not revealing that he had heard the orders already through private channels reserved for high-ranking officers.

“U-um,” Umbra pitched in reflexively. Frag. Why had she done that?! Well, better get on with it. “The other one was here. It…they…went that way,” she said, pointing in the direction Logicor had wandered off in.

”They did, eh?” Apeface said, his stare shifting over to Umbra again but before he had time to question the femme, Skalor opened his mouth again.

Grinning widely, Skalor looked at the femme who he didn’t recognize. Probably a prisoner. “Hey, that’s somethin’! I’ll let the boss know.”

”Do that and rendezvous with Snaptrap. I’ll secure the Monstercons with Snapdragon.” The Horrorcon saboteur spoke out, his large hand now holding Icepick’s shoulder firmly.

>>”Apeface to Commander Scorponok. I have encountered the Monstercons, they are not in their combined form anymore. One of the Monstercons is claiming that they found a weakness.”<< Apeface transmitted to Scorponok directly, though in a way that allowed Icepick to actually hear him say it rather than being private about it. It was all psychological warfare at this point. A tactic to root out the truth from Icepick.

”With Monstructor out of the picture we still have one combiner to deal with and I have a very angry Decepticon leader on the line wanting to know how this happened,” Apeface addressed Icepick again after listening to what Scorponok had to say, ”So, how about you tell him.”

"We need to start moving." Brainstorm began, "The more we stand around and idly chat the cycles away, the more time we give this lunatic to either escape or come find us all sitting together in one place."

The area around the mines rumbled and quaked slightly, the sound of a distant yet heavily muffled scream reverberated about the mineshaft, Scorponok's awakened fury echoing through the facility unbeknownst to the Autobots.

"If you can get me close to the energy field that's encasing the amphitheater, I might be able to find a way to disable it. Start with getting that field down and we could possibly use that to bring down Jhiaxus' Combiners!"

Garrius-9 Mines

Right as Ion Storm turned the corner and away from his trine-mate, he noticed what was happening between some Autobots and Hardshell as well as Sparkstalker. As he quickly listened to the conversation, he thought about if he ought to assist Hardshell and Sparkstalker. He did not necessary had to hang around Acid Storm all of the time. He continued to hear what Brainstorm said to the rest of the Autobots in the proximity. While listening in, he tried to decide what to do since he was getting rather bored down in the mines.

Garrus-9--Corridors

The Horrorcons seemed to be assessing the situation and their words. Icepick wasn't overly concerned. He was telling the truth to a superior officer, just omitting the fact that it was a weakness he was hoping would be there and could be exploited. Would it ever work again? The Monstercon had no idea.

Returning to the Decepticons in this manner ensured that they would be called upon to reform Monstructor again, and again, from this point onward, to serve in the Decepticon war machine in payment for their liberation from the prison. He just had to hope that the Decepticons' intentions for them were ultimately better than the creator of their monstrous combined form.

Apeface seemed to be reasonably satisfied with Icepick's explanation, but instead of leaving it there he decided to pass it further up the food chain right then and there. Bringing up an audible link with the high commander of this war division, Scorponok, Icepick couldn't deny that his insides felt a little glitchier all of the sudden. He couldn't allow it show outwardly, though. It would make him look like a deceiver even when he wasn't trying to be...well, apart from trying to preserve Umbra. She was the true unknown factor here. But she had been liberated from the prison just as he had. Icepick had to hope that would be enough to avoid a summary execution.

Steeling himself, Icepick approached the larger Horrorcon.

"Yes...my lord....the weakness. It would appear that-"

A tremor interrupted Icepick's words, followed by another. They seemed distant, but with every *thud* and rattle of the floor, the tremors grew gradually more intense. It was coming closer. Icepick didn't immediately recognize the sound but Stormwrecker did.

"It's the other 'un. He's comin' back!"

Garrus-9--Near Primary Mineshaft

Pointblank did his best to listen to the Decepticons' interactions without making it obvious that he was trying to get a read on their current standing. So mechs in the amphitheater weren't crippled anymore? That shifted the dynamic, to say the least.

"Well..." Pointblank began.

"No, you certainly don't need them any more. Not in the traditional sense, but I might. Erm, and, well, certainly Lord Scorponok might," a new voice said. An unfamiliar voice to some, but to those down in the mines or those that had been in the Autobot ranks on the prison itself while his establishment--the Greasepit--was functioning, Goldrush would be all too recognizable.

"They clearly want to live. Is there any harm in allowing them to live as slaves under Scorponok's command? It's surely what he intended."

For his part, Pointblank's optics narrowed as the new mech entered the area. He had seen him down in the mines and heard about his convenient jump to Snaptrap's heel as soon as the opportunity presented itself. But he seemed to be making the case to avoid killing them where they stood. Was that buying them time or easing their transition back to captivity? Pointblank couldn't yet decide.

Garrus-9--Amphitheater

With their mobility reestablished, Scorponok wasted little time in getting his forces moving once again. Bombshell expected no less, even as he stretched his limbs, had transformed in and out of his alt mode and worked to resolve any kinks that may have remained as a result of Jhiaxus' tampering.

"Mighty Scorponok!" he said, the much smaller Insecticon said, approaching the leg joint where Jhiaxus had previously embedded his device. He examined the area optically but did not yet touch. "We should ensure there are no lingering effects from the madmech's treason, on you first and foremostly."

Kickback looked from Bombshell to Scorponok but said nothing. He was not entirely sure of Bombshell's tact at this juncture. With Scorponok restored, it would of course do them good to reaffirm their ongoing value to the fleet, but he was not certain that the warlord would care to be fussed over when vengeance was clearly the primary thing on his mind. If only Venom were about, to serve as a more beneficial, sacrificial lamb to try and ascertain the commander's willingness to listen to Bombshell's sound, if perhaps ill-timed, recommendation.
___

Slowly and steadily, through all of the chaos, Fortress Maximus' internal repair systems had been steadily working, fixing what little pieces of the large mech's damage they could without him being inside of a full CR chamber.

The involuntary transformation had been painful. But the fact that its primary targets had been the Decepticons had entertained the Autobot general enough to make his abysmal circumstances almost worth it. Now that the field was down, Maximus slowly began to transform back into his bot mode, one large, injured joint at a time.

"Awww, that's adorable. He's trying to transform transform, Shrapnel tittered, ambling up alongside the oversized Autobot in his insect mode, bands of electricity traveling up and down the length of his metallic antennae. "Does he require a helpful shock shock?"

Garrius-9--The Mines

"Ugh..." Acid Storm muttered as Ion Storm growled at him.

He couldn't blame his brother though, Seekers did not do well in close spaces, so he let go of any retort he might be tempted to make and hurried after Ion Storm.

"Stormy..." He began, sternly but softly, but abruptly stopped when he realized Stormy was listening in to a conversation.

Garrus 9 – Corridors

"Yes...my lord....the weakness. It would appear that-"

Apeface both sensed and heard the footsteps as well. And one didn’t not need to be a rocket scientist to figure out what was causing them. With Omega Supreme having escaped, Monstructor rendered to its component parts, Overlord put in coma and Fortress Maximus in chains in the amphitheater where Scorponok was last located as well left really only one option available. Especially with the High Commander of the fleet coming to the very same conclusion by spitting out the culprit’s name through the open comm-link Apeface was currently sharing with him. >>”Logicor.”<<

"It's the other 'un. He's comin' back!"

”Yeah.” Apeface blurted out, his grip tightening around the handle of his gun. It was time to take command. To try to organize these people before it was too late. Snapdragon would know what to do but the Monstercons were shaken by their last ordeal and some of the others weren’t all that useful in combat situations to begin with.

”Everyone on your feet now!” Apeface barked out a command and pushed his way to what was soon to become the frontline, ”If you can fight get your slagging guns and prepare for battle! If you can’t get slag out of here now!”

”And Icepick!” Apeface shouted, ”Now would be a damn good time to tell what in the abyss that weakness was!”

Garrus-9--Near Primary Mineshaft

"Well..." Pointblank began.

"No, you certainly don't need them any more. Not in the traditional sense, but I might. Erm, and, well, certainly Lord Scorponok might," a new voice said. An unfamiliar voice to some, but to those down in the mines or those that had been in the Autobot ranks on the prison itself while his establishment--the Greasepit--was functioning, Goldrush would be all too recognizable.

"They clearly want to live. Is there any harm in allowing them to live as slaves under Scorponok's command? It's surely what he intended."

”You.” Hardshell growled, his optics targeting Goldrush but never shifting his attention fully away from Whirl. He knew the mech both from the reports he had studied prior taking on the classified mission Scorponok had given him and from personal experience through his deployment on Garrus-9 as a spy. But none of that gave him a good reason to trust this bot. His allegiances seemed shifty at best and well, staying Ransack’s and Barrage’s hands might be easier said than done even if Hardshell himself saw a point in Goldrush’s reasoning. Both where actively seeking for a reason to open fire. After all - Insecticons were hardly known for their mercy.

>>”Sparkstalker?”<< Hardshell transmitted, while gesturing the two other Insecticons to wait. >>”Do you still have use for them?”<<

Garrus 9 – Amphitheater

"Mighty Scorponok! We should ensure there are no lingering effects from the madmech's treason, on you first and foremostly."

”Logicor.” The gargantuan warlord growled out loud, clearly being more focused on a discussion with someone through a comm-link than what Bombshell had to say. As for Insecticon, all he got for his trouble was an icy glare before Scorponok – alerted by Shrapnel - left the manipulative beetle behind and headed out towards the prone form of Fortress Maximus that had began transforming.

"Awww, that's adorable. He's trying to transform transform, Shrapnel tittered, ambling up alongside the oversized Autobot in his insect mode, bands of electricity traveling up and down the length of his metallic antennae. "Does he require a helpful shock shock?"

”Help? All he needs to do is to stay the hell out of my way!” Scorponok roared in blinding anger as the giant Decepticon reached his fallen nemesis and proceeded to smash his foot down on the still damaged Fortress Maximus’ knee joint, mangling it badly.

” You will not ruin this Maximus,” Scorponok hissed and delivered another blow to the Autobot that had caused him more trouble over their seemingly endless war than any other. This time by kicking to the Autobot commander’s mid section hard in frustration, ”I will not be denied no longer!”

”Decepticons! I am projecting you coordinates of Logicor’s estimated location according to the data given by the Horrorcons! Move to intercept! Bring the Technobots to me!”