The Energon Pub

The Nemesis--Antechamber

Nautica's whistle and Roulette's words pretty much echoed Elita-1's own thoughts: she had no practical idea what they were dealing with here. Was she looking at some kind of super-weapon? A revolutionary new energy source? Their species had a penchant for giving one impression while masking an entirely different one. And though that could well be the case here, Elita didn't get the sense that they had been tasked to board the Decepticon flagship just to steal a weapon. They weren't idiots. They had competent engineers. They could build weapons. This was...this was something else altogether.

Elita moved closer, watching as Nautica tapped the obelisk with her wrench--though it was far more than that. Elita didn't even pretend to understand. Nor would she pretend to know what this was.

"I....I don't know. Can, hmm...can you open it? Is it open...able? 'Cause otherwise we're gonna hafta figure out how to bounce this whole thing back to the Garde."

The Nemesis--Antechamber

Roulette got closer to the thing and looked it over.

"Well, No matter how weird it looks, if its it holding something in then it has to have a lock of some sort. We just need to identify the lock and then we can start figuring out how to open it."

The Nemesis - Antechamber

"I...I don't know. Can, hmm...can you open it? Is it open...able? 'Cause otherwise we're going hafta to figure out how to bounce this whole thing back to the Garde."

Nautica rubbed the edge of her chin strut as she further examined the edges of strange black case in front of the femme trio. The violet and gold engineer magnetized her wrench to her hip plating before running both sets of her actuators along the length of the box to feel for a lip or seal of some kind.

... ... *clink* ... ... ... *cka-clink* ...

"Solus Prime be damned!" Nautica cheered, "Found our seal, which mean we are indeed looking at a container of some kind!" She twisted her frame to face the two other Autobots that occupied the room. "Well, apart from just being a box, ya know..."

"Anyways, we just need to find the lockbox on this bad boy if we wanna pop it open and steal the goodies inside." Standing back up to her full height and stepping a few meters back from the box, Nautica placed a digit on the side of her helm to activate the holographic visor she had installed. The blue visor flashed to life and was immediately scanning the strange device. From the outside, one could see various grids running across Nautica's faceplate as she studied the obelisk in great detail.

"Wait I think I've got something..." Nautica stated as she approached the obelisk again. Her left hand reached behind the black case that lied before the Autobots and she felt the end of a what she believed was the switch she was looking for. With a flick of her index digit, the obelisk rumbled slightly before a small keypad flashed out on the front of the black container. "Bingo!"

"So, who brought the lock breaker?"

The Nemesis-- Antechamber

Another tremor rumbled its way through the floors and walls of the antechamber. Elita looked around for a moment. Decepticons undoubtedly. Even so, there was something about this whole ship that gave her the surges. The sooner she could get off of it--or put a bolt through the brain module of its captain and take the whole wreck in for a major refit--the better. As much as she might want, she wasn't likely to get afforded the latter of those two options.

She'd have to make do.

Elita agreed with Roulette's thoughts. She hadn't wanted to endanger anyone else on the crew but...now that they were here facing this weird puzzle of a prize, she couldn't help but offer a silent whisper of thanks to Primus for Nautica having the gumption to come along on her own. She'd probably still be standing here trying to figure out how to open the blasted thing if not for Nautica's ingenuity.

As Nautica worked, Elita-1 kept a cautious eye on their surroundings. Despite the occasional tremor, there were no telltale signs of a mass of Decepticons closing in on their immediate position. Something was working in their favor, even if she couldn't immediately identify what that was. They were all skilled, but there was something larger at work here.

"Wait I think I've got something...Bingo!" Nautica said at last. Elita tensed, her optics returning to the obelisk.

"So, who brought the lock breaker?"

"That would be me," Elita said, detaching the same device from her arm that she had used to enter this room and quickly placing another attachment on top of it. Once combined, the two devices became one. A gift from Prowl, even though it was undoubtedly Brainstorm or Perceptor's handiwork at play. Whoever it came form, Elita just hoped it did whatever Prowl thought it would do. Elita attached the device to the keypad and watched intently.

The machine seemed to take on a life all its own, beeping and flashing as it interfaced with the obelisk. After a few astroseconds, the sound of metal sliding against metal could be heard, followed by the hissing of pressurized gases as they were released. The obelisk itself entered into its own kind of transformation sequence. As the process completed, Elita's optics widened in surprise. She was not staring at a weapon. She was staring at a Cybertronian. One lying upright on a black slab seemingly in perfect stasis, covered in some of the oddest markings she had ever seen.

"What in Primus'...."

Roulette watched the process unfold before her. She always kept her cool but even she was taken aback when she saw that that thing held.

"So... a female locked in stasis that Prowl did not want us knowing about but did find important enough for us to break into the most dangerous Decepticon ship ever to rescue."

She blinked and looked at the others.

"Prowl... her.... you don't think...?"

Clemency - Graveyard

"And you," The Black and Green Decepticon barked, his jade-green optics shifting over towards Chromia as he dropped down to ground-level where his Autobot captives were beginning to gather.

Chromia stiffened, folding her arms over her chest defiantly. The object of her hatred had decided to finally speak to her? Lovely.
"You and your kind I know were not apart of the Turbomasters' crew when I tracked them down to this wreckage of a planet."

Chromia's expression contorted into one of rage. “Figure that one out yourself, genius?” The chrome warrior spat out in disgust. Murderer. Sociopath. There were words to describe the Decepticons. But this one? This one ground her gears. She could barely restrain herself from doing something stupid that would get them all killed. Only her vorns and vorns of experience kept her from doing so.

"So tell me, runt, are there any more of you running about or did the rest of you die in the ship's explosion? And please, lie to me. I want to see if you're stupid enough to seal away the fate of your fellow Autoscum."

Chromia smiled a cruel twisted smile. “Really. You must be some predator if you can't track down any stragglers. If any escaped the explosion, I wish them all the luck in the world. Maybe they can go get the cavalry and take down the ship you're babysitting up there. Wouldn't that be something? What would you tell Megatron before put a hole in your chest?”


“You know, Falcon," Road Rage paused as she glanced back over her shoulder at the Predator. “My knee joint’s in pretty bad shape. I doubt I’ll be able to walk all the way back on my own."

“Oh, do regale me with your sob story, Autobot,” Falcon replied with copious amounts of sarcasm. His thoughts were elsewhere. On the Turbomasters. Thunderclash. Being demoted came with its own set of lesser duties and enjoyments. Skyquake would be the one to be able to gloat over the Turbomaster commander. Sure, Falcon would get satisfaction, but none of the...personal exchanges with him. Instead, he got this whiny Autobot brat.

Falcon watched without any trace of sympathy as his prisoner keeled over. Her screams were a pleasant sound to his audio receivers. An Autobot in pain on any day was pleasant. Sadly, it did not help to fill the void. His attention focused in on the Autobot as she laughed.

“Well, this knee joint is totally shot. I won't be able to walk on it at all now. Looks like you’re just going to have to carry me the rest of the way. Surely a big strong mech such as yourself shouldn't have a problem with little ol' me. Right?"

“None at all. Though you probably won't enjoy the ride,” Falcon said with a smirk without any feeling behind it. He grabbed her other leg and began to drag her in the direction of Skyquake unceremoniously. He used his foot thrusters here and there to lift the Autobot over some obstacles, but soon enough, Skyquake came into view. Falcon dropped Road Rage and knelt down beside the femme for a moment, grabbing her head and craning it around to look at Thunderclash under his commander's heel.

“Do you see that? That is your once great commander. Writhing in the dirt like a pathetic space slug. Abandon hope, Autobot. It will be easier for you that way.” Leaving Road Rage to contemplate that little reality, Falcon nodded to Skyquake. “Talon is finishing up with the remaining Autobots. After which, all will be captured and ready for transport, Commander.”

The Nemesis--Antechamber

"So... a female locked in stasis that Prowl did not want us knowing about but did find important enough for us to break into the most dangerous Decepticon ship ever to rescue."

Elita looked over at Roulette, wondering where exactly her train of thought was going. She didn't have to wonder long.

"Prowl... her.... you don't think...?"

Elita-1's optics widened slightly in surprise.

"What? Huh? No way," Elita stuttered out, looking back at the Cybertronian in stasis. Yeah, that just didn't make any sense. If any Autobot in their ranks would orchestrate a mission like this over something like emotion, it wouldn't be Prowl. She let the thought linger for a moment longer before shaking her head.

"Yeah. Just no. There's gotta be a better reason. I...empathy and love and conjunx endurae and all those kinds of things they're great and they make people do crazy things but...I just can't."

Elita moved closer to the Cybertronian, reaching a hand out.

"These markings though. I've never seen anything like them."

Elita's hand lingered for a moment before she quickly pulled it away. She was getting caught up in the uniqueness in the situation. And on the Decepticon flagship, that could easily get them all killed.

"Nautica, can you bounce us all off this thing and back to the Garde?"

The Nemesis--Antechamber

"Yeah, I suppose that is a little silly." Roulette said with a chuckle. Still little else seemed to make sense at the moment.

"Wait 'Lita. The odds did not look that good for our girls when we bounced in here. Before getting out of here we should leave the 'Cons a big enough problem in here to get their attention off the others."

The Nemesis--Antechamber

"Yeah, I suppose that is a little silly."

Elita-1 chuckled.

"I've heard of stranger things."

She paused.

"But not many."

When Roulette spoke of leaving behind some kind of "gift" for the Decepticons in their oh so precious flagship, Elita nodded almost instinctively. I mean, why wouldn't they? How many opportunities were they ever going to have to be aboard this thing and not be prisoners. By Elita's guesstimations, this was probably it.

"Well yeah. I wanted to scour the bridge and put a few bolts in any commander-type Decepticons I saw, but the odds are not looking good. Not that they ever did. Whatcha got in mind, Rou?"

The Nemesis - Antechamber

Nautica stared into the obelisk with her mouth lying agape. What she witnessed before her was something she nor her fellow Autobots were remotely expecting to find within the Deception Flagship, let alone be sent there by Prowl to retrieve it. She brought up her hand to cover her mouth in an attempt to prevent any sort of noise from escaping her vocalizer.

"Nautica, can you bounce us all off this thing and back to the Garde?"

"Gimme a sec." Nautica replied to her commander before turning her stare away from the imprisoned femme and back towards her holographic visor display. The sound of whatever conversation Roulette and Elita-1 were engaged in was quickly drowned out by the static filled communication system within Nautica's helm. Strange... Her signal with the ship hadn't changed frequency since she bounced aboard the Decepticon Flagship, and yet the channel was plagued by an eery silence. The violet and gold engineer then flipped open an access panel running along her forearm and began rapidly punching in commands. Signal boosters, counter scramblers, anything she could utilize to regain signal. Hard as she tried, static was still the only sound that answered her call.

"Commander, the Garde's not answering." Nautica informed her superior as she continued fiddling with her comm device. "Tried everything I've got available in my possession to get a hold of her, still nothing though. Con's might have activated a communication scrambler or something to prevent us from calling for back up. So... At the moment it's looking like we might have to carry her off in a lifeboat."

Clemency - Graveyard

Skyquake's jade green optics squinted in distaste as the blue Autobot issued her retort to the Air Commandant. Each word she ushered only added another stack of anger onto the Predator's already growing impatience with the Autobots.

"Really. You must be some predator if you can't track down any stragglers. If any escaped the explosion, I wish them all the luck in the world. Maybe they can go get the cavalry and take down the ship you're babysitting up there. Wouldn't that be something? What would you tell Megatron before put a hole in your chest?"

Without letting another second pass, Skyquake let loose a heavy side kick aimed towards the femme's temple, his massive green boot connecting with the side of her helm and sending the brash warrior crashing to the ground. Approaching Chromia's now prone form, Skyquake wrapped his actuators around the back of her processor and lifted it up so the two mechs could see optic-to-optic once again.

"My, you've got quite the vocalizer on you." Skyquake mused, "And now that foolish act of bravado has just signed the death warrant of any straggler we find." The Predator commander then slammed Chromia's faceplate back into the dirt before turning towards Stalker.

"Cuff them. We begin the bounce procedures with the next cycle and not a moment longer. I want a four mech team per one Autobot to escort to the brig."

"Very well Commander." Stalker revoked before pivoting in his heel to begin directing the vehicons and other Predators to apprehending Thunderclash's forces. Skyquake turned to face his vanquished rival before hailing the Nemesis

>>"Skyquake to Nemesis"<< his voice bellowed.

>>"Skydive reporting, Commander, how can we assist you?"<<

>>"Divert security to the bounce chambers and ready the brig. We've got what we came for."<<

Closing the comm line with the Decepticon Flagship looming overhead, Skyquake returned to where he originally stood over Thunderclash's limp chassis, digging the heel of his boot into the Turbomaster commander's back to relish in his continued agony.

Clemency - Graveyard

Chromia knew this was coming as soon as the words left her vocalizer. Still. The kick made her grunt as her head seemed to split with pain. She grit her dental plates as the bulky Air Commandant lifted her up by her head and glared into her optics. She glared back. She was vaguely tempted to spit energon into his face, but before she could decide whether or not to provoke him further he spoke up.

"My, you've got quite the vocalizer on you." Skyquake mused, "And now that foolish act of bravado has just signed the death warrant of any straggler we find."

Another slam into the ground. Chromia picked herself up slowly, spitting out energon onto the dirt and wiping her mouth. Falcon almost immediately seized her and put cuffs on her, forcing her to her feet. He returned to do the same to Road Rage. Chromia glowered at Skyquake.

You won’t find any stragglers, you spawn of a glitch. They’ll find you, Chromia thought bitterly, praying that Elita-1 and Roulette were safe. If only she had…No. No. She couldn’t succumb to ‘what ifs’ right now. The girls were relying on her. Chromia looked back at Lancer to quell any thought of resistance. A grunt from the direction of Skyquake drew her attention back to Thunderclash who Skyquake was grinding his heel into.

Thunderclash grunted, clenching his fists in pain. Apparently, his defeat was not enough. Pain. Humiliation. But he didn’t care about either. He only cared for the safety of his Autobots. “One day, Skyquake, you’ll regret this. When we are standing over you…and your men…”


Moonracer squeaked in pain as she collided with Bumper. She hastily held out open palms and tried to scuttle in front of the heroic little Autobot. “It is! It’s over! Please! We surrender, okay big guy?” Moonracer said before glancing back and giving Bumper a peck on the cheek. “My hero,” she said with a faint smile of reassurance before looking back to Talon.

The Nemesis - Antechamber

"Now that you girls mention it. You notice how all we have been dealing up to this point are the security grunts? Were all the commander types coming to give us speeches about how doomed we are and that we should totally surrender?"

Roulette asked thoughtfully.

"The fact that we have fought our way to this point without any speeches tells me that said 'Cons are likely on the planet fighting while the ones they left behind to run the ship are too busy watching the action. Seems to me that we should return the favor and ruin the ability of the 'Cons to bounce back in here. If we do it quickly enough that they can't get back it opens the door for us to do a lot more mischief. Maybe we can even break the scrambler that Nautica mentioned."

Clemency - Graveyard

Talon walked over to them in a sour mood.

"Fine, fine. You go ruin my fun."

He moved to them in order to pick each of them up by an arm. Meanwhile he opened a communication channel to Falcon.

"I got prisoners. What I do with em?"

Clemency - Graveyard

Road Rage had ignored Falcon’s previous sarcastic comment with merely a hidden frown. It was not a sob story. It was the truth thanks to his actions. In fact, everything that had happened to her was entirely his fault. And to make matters worse, Thunderclash had fallen and the Autobots were now prisoners of these Predator scum. So much for the rescue party that had arrived earlier. They were now captured, too. It was all enough to make a ‘bot purge his or her fuel tanks. Thankfully, the former bodyguard had a stronger stomach than that.

Once her knee joint had completely given out, Falcon accepted the duty of carrying her the rest of the way with surprisingly little complaint. Of course, the way he carried her had a lot to be desired. Actually, it couldn’t even be considered “carrying” as that would require one to pick the other individual up in their arms. In this case, Falcon simply grabbed a hold of Road Rage’s good leg and began dragging her across the debris-ridden landscape. She should have known better than to think he would actually do things the right way.

“Hey! I said carry me, not drag me! Ow! Watch it, Falcon!” Road Rage retorted as her cranium bumped against the uneven ground beneath her. Her already injured back scraped against the hard terrain forcing her to turn onto her side to avoid even further damage. This was humiliating to say the least. The crimson femme felt like a sack of scrapmetal being drug to a garbage bin. At least the Guerrilla Tactician was “kind enough” to use his foot thrusters to lift her over some of the bigger obstacles, but the smaller stuff simply banged against her frame, adding more scratches and dents as she went.

Finally, they had arrived back where Skyquake was waiting. Falcon quickly dropped Road Rage and knelt down beside her, taking a hold of her head and forcing her to look over at the defeated Thunderclash. Falcon’s harsh words fell on deaf audios as she looked at her commander with a deep sadness in her spark. “Thunderclash....” the former bodyguard whispered, wanting to help him. She could not, of course. Road Rage was in no shape to help anybody at the moment. And even if she could there was the minor problem of Skyquake standing right there, pressing his foot into the Regional Commander’s back.

Falcon then let go of the crimson femme in order to address Skyquake but soon returned to place cuffs on her wrists. Road Rage grimaced slightly as her arms were yanked behind her damaged back. “You know, Falcon, I will never abandon hope. None of us will. You may have won this battle, but you haven’t won the war.” She hoped her words would not elicit the same punishment Chromia had just received. However, the former bodyguard didn’t care. She would stand up for her cause and for her comrades and if that meant receiving a kick to the side of her head then so be it. She was already in a lot of pain, anyway. What would an additional kick matter?

Clemency – Graveyard

“You know, Falcon, I will never abandon hope. None of us will. You may have won this battle, but you haven’t won the war."

“Yes, yes,” Falcon replied to Road Rage dismissively. “As if I haven’t heard that from hundreds of Autobots over the vorns. And one thing I’ve learned is that Autobots can and do abandon hope once given the proper…incentive, let’s call it. What would ruin this batch of Autobots? The death of their gloriously heroic leader? Might put a damper in morale, but you Autobots seem to have a thing for martyrs.”

Falcon’s musings were interrupted by a transmission from Talon asking what he should do with his prisoners. >>”Put them in stasis cuffs and bring them to the commander’s location for transport onto the Nemesis…”<< Falcon trailed off, wondering if that particular set of instructions was a bit complicated for Talon. >>”Cuff them and bring them here, got it?”<<

The Nemesis--Antechamber

Elita nodded at Nautica's request for time. They were hardly in a situation where they could waste any, but this was hardly the definition of waste either. They had very obviously found the thing that Autobot Command had sent them after. Now it was a matter of getting off the ship alive with their prize in tow.

"Commander, the Garde's not answering."

That caught Elita's attention.

"Tried everything I've got available in my possession to get a hold of her, still nothing though. Con's might have activated a communication scrambler or something to prevent us from calling for back up. So... At the moment it's looking like we might have to carry her off in a lifeboat."

"Well, if you have one in that wrench, you let me know," Elita-1 said, as good-naturedly as she could muster under the increasingly fraggish circumstances. Their odds of success were diminishing by the astrosecond. Elita hated the idea of being this close and having to back out.

"Now that you girls mention it. You notice how all we have been dealing up to this point are the security grunts? Were all the commander types coming to give us speeches about how doomed we are and that we should totally surrender? The fact that we have fought our way to this point without any speeches tells me that said 'Cons are likely on the planet fighting while the ones they left behind to run the ship are too busy watching the action. Seems to me that we should return the favor and ruin the ability of the 'Cons to bounce back in here. If we do it quickly enough that they can't get back it opens the door for us to do a lot more mischief. Maybe we can even break the scrambler that Nautica mentioned."

It was...a plan. As strategies went, it was pretty solid. But it was going to take them off course from their original mission. Granted, their secondary objective was to do as much damage as they could, but that was only after they had accomplished the primary objective.

Fraggit.

"Good a plan as any. Where's the BC on this monster anyway?" Elita said as she sidled back up to the door, listening as best as her auditory sensors were allow. It didn't sound like there were a horde of Decepticon titan Vehicons waiting on the other side to obliterate them the astrosecond the door opened....

She hit the door panel and it whished open. To her relief, there was not the aforementioned horde waiting. The corridor was clear.

"Tell me on the way," Elita said as she dashed out of the room. Going back the way they had come would be littered with Decepticon lackeys.

So...go the other way.

The Nemesis--Antechamber

Roulette looked at Nautica and pointed at Elita.

"Better help her out. You can be our optics and audio sensors."

She followed Elita as she made her way out of the room.

"Lets try to think like these slag heads 'Lita." Roulette mentioned. "If there is a fight going on out there then the 'Cons will either be asking for reinforcements if they are losing or security to seize prisoners if they are winning. Either way there figures to be a lot of movement towards their chamber. Follow the 'Cons find the chamber."

Clemency - Graveyard

Talon scratched the side of his head and replied to Falcon.

"I didn't think we would take prisoners. I didn't bring no cuffs."

Clemency - Graveyard

Road Rage felt the cuffs dig into her wrists as Falcon responded to her proclamation that she would never abandon hope. The crimson femme had anticipated a more violent reaction from the aerial Predator but thankfully no punch nor kick was forthcoming. Perhaps it was because she was a helpless femme or maybe Falcon was simply getting soft after all these years of fighting. That last one was unlikely and the former bodyguard had no intention of asking her captor if that were true. She was damaged enough as it were and did not need any more injuries to be added to her broken frame.

“You can provide all of the incentives that you want, Falcon,” Road Rage replied as she turned her head around to look up at the vile Predator. “Nothing will change my morale. Whatever you do will only make me stronger in the long run.” Falcon’s mention of Thunderclash’s death sent a cold shiver down her spinal strut. That incentive might just be enough to destroy the morale of the others, but not her. While she would be spark-broken at her leader’s demise, the crimson warrior would ultimately use it to fuel her need for vengeance, a need that her car mode’s personality glitch would help her achieve if given the right opportunity.

“Yes, making Thunderclash a martyr here would be a bad idea,” Road Rage spat out in defiance. “But I’m sure your commander is smart enough to know that.” The femme struggled against her bounds, but it was no use. She was at the mercy of a sadistic mechanoid who would like nothing more than to see the former bodyguard and her Autobot comrades suffer and die horribly. But not before interrogation, of course. Once all of the information that could be gleaned from them was obtained, who knew what would happen. Death? Or maybe there was still hope. Yes, of course there was. Hope....and victory.

The Nemesis--Corridors

"Lets try to think like these slag heads 'Lita. If there is a fight going on out there then the 'Cons will either be asking for reinforcements if they are losing or security to seize prisoners if they are winning. Either way there figures to be a lot of movement towards their chamber. Follow the 'Cons find the chamber," Roulette said.

Just the fact that there was a fight going on somewhere and she couldn't be there to help Chromia and Firestar and the others chafed her plates real bad. But it wasn't exactly a peaceful stroll through the Helix Gardens up here either. There was no aspect of this mission that was intended to be easy for any of them.

Approaching a corridor intersection, Elita-1 could hear footsteps once more. Fast-paced and coming closer. She arched back against the side of the wall.

And then corridor she was in dimmed slightly. Almost imperceptibly except for the shift in her optics' capabilities to recognize and identify illumination levels. This ship sure had some weird glitches with technology for being the "flagship" of the Decepticon empire.

Several pairs of Decepticons ran past, conveniently just as Roulette had predicted. Elita edged her head around the corner. Yep. They were going somewhere fast.

"Soooo...that way, huh?" Elita said, smirking as she followed around the corner.

Clemency – Graveyard

>>"I didn't think we would take prisoners. I didn't bring no cuffs."<<

>>”Well, bring them here to Skyquake anyway, Talon. And good job. This is a great day for us,”<< Falcon replied to Talon before turning his attention back to his feisty captive.

“You can provide all of the incentives that you want, Falcon," Road Rage replied as she turned her head around to look up at the vile Predator. “Nothing will change my morale. Whatever you do will only make me stronger in the long run."

“Yes, yes, that old Autobot stubbornness. All of you seem to have it. That and hope. Very difficult to quash out, but not impossible…Maybe a stay in Styx, hm?” Falcon said with a bit of a smile. He sighed as the femme concurred with his assessment that killing Thunderclash would be ill advised. Falcon patted Road Rage lightly on the head. “There, there. No need to be so defiant on Thunderclash’s account. Though for some reason, anyone serving under his heel adores him. It’s disgusting. How can you stand to be around someone so…so…?”

Falcon waved his hand around, questing for the right word. “Obnoxious? No, not quite…Ah! Obnoxiously self-righteous! Yes!”

The Nemesis - Antechamber/Corridor Network

The femme cladded in violet and gold armor continued to stare onward at the offlined optical sensors of the imprisoned mech before her. While Elita and Roulette were going on about the Decepticon activity, or rather lack there of, Nautica approached the colorful femme lying within the obelisk. Her hand reached out to touch the facial paintings patterned on her gentle features, a sense of nostalgia itching away at her spark as she attempted to pinpoint that uncertain sense of familiarity.

The sound of Elita-1 and Roulette's boots kicking off back into the corridors returned Nautica back to their reality. The quantum engineer quickly spun on her heel to see the more combative femmes returning to exploring the depths of the ship. Biting her lower lip to hold back the urge to yell out to them, Nautica quickly opened a storage compartment along her upper abdominal armor and removed her transponder from its encasement. She made short work with the amount of time she was losing and placed the tracking device behind the black case before shooting the encased Autobot one final glance and finally exciting the room.

The violet and gold femme rushed after the sound of her fellow Autobots boots clicking with the metallic floor. The lights above their heads flickered rapidly for a moment as the group rounded another corner. Down the corridor they strode following the rapidly moving Decepticons. They sure were in a hurry somewhere, hopefully it wasn't to the corridor they had their last engagement with. Last thing they needed was to have the whole ship go into lockdown mode and sound the alarm.

Nautica flickered on her holographic visor once more to see if she could predict the Decepticons path. The Nemesis' schematics flashed up before her optics as she closed the gap between Elita-1 and Roulette.

[size]"Hold up!"[/size=80] She whispered to her commanding officer so that she wouldn't alert the guards to their presence. "The bounce chambers are up ahead and its a safe bet that's where they're heading. We should probably-" Nautica was cut off by the sound of distant hollering coming from the corridor the Decepticon patrol had run down into. Only now their footsteps were growing louder as if their group had tripled in size.

-

((OOC: Since the bounce sequence had already started getting underway in my last post, you can go ahead and start bringing characters back aboard the ship))

Stalker lead the way out of the bounce chamber as he pushed some of the restrained Autobots along down the corridor, the barrel of his laser pistol pressed hard against their backs and his immense strength shoving the slackers along.

"PUT IT IN GEAR!" The predator comm officer barked, his voice trailing through the quiet corridors.

Skyquake on the other hand waited at the back of the return party, heaving the vanquished Thunderclash along by the back of his collar. The Predator commander stared down line of captured Autobot prisoners and the surrounding mass of Decepticon troopers escorting them to their imprisoning cells. Another fine sight to relish in, if only Lord Megatron were here himself to witness Skyquake's triumph over his eons-old adversary.

>>"Stalker, once they are in their cells head to the Reservoir and prepare our guest for his welcoming gift."<<

>>"Understood Commander."<<

Satisfied with his subordinate's reply, the Predator commander tossed Thunderclash forward towards a pair of Decepticons Leapers, who quickly picked up on his intentions and hoisted the Turbomaster commander up over their shoulders.

"Take him to the Reservoir." Skyquake commanded, his jade optics faced forward down the corridor. "The brig for the rest of them." With that, Skyquake starting marching down the corridor towards the bridge of the ship.

-

"Elita... We need to move..." Nautica wasted no time informing her superior. "There's a room back down the hall away from the return party, a storage closet were could lie low in until the patrols settle down." Nautica turned her head around the corner of the corridor and watched as the masses of Decepticons marched along towards the brig.

"I just hope Chromia and the others made it back to the Garde okay..."

-

Skyquake halted in his step as something tickled the back of his processor, one of his heightened sensors picking up on a different reading that he could not identify. He pivoted his processor down the corridor where Elita and company occupied but saw nothing in direct sight. His optical covers now squinted to thin slits of jade as he turned his entire chassis down the corridor. He turned his head towards the left and over to his right trying to locate the source of this strange sensory fluctuation.

The flicker of the interior lights soon caught his attention. He let out a dissatisfied growl from his vocalized as he pivoted on his heel and returned to making his way towards the bridge. Skydive had some explaining to do...

The Nemesis - Antechamber/Corridor Network

"Wow... this is so not good." Roulette said calmly as she watched the Decepticons coming in. "I agree with Nauty, 'Lita. We need to back off for now and pick our battlefield."

Clemency – Graveyard

"Ok!" Talon replied then grabbed the two Autobots in front of him.

"Lets go. We need go see boss."

The Nemesis--Corridor Network

"Hold up! The bounce chambers are up ahead and its a safe bet that's where they're heading. We should probably-"

Hold up? Wha-? Why?

'Cons. And more than just a few of them, from the sounds of it. That's why.

"Elita... We need to move...There's a room back down the hall away from the return party, a storage closet were could lie low in until the patrols settle down. I just hope Chromia and the others made it back to the Garde okay..." Nautica continued.

"Wow... this is so not good. I agree with Nauty, 'Lita. We need to back off for now and pick our battlefield."

Elita-1 was already not getting to do the damage that she wanted to this little crown jewel of the Decepticon navy. But now she was having to run from the peons that piloted it? Every naturally-occurring circuit in her system told her to hunker down and fight. Training, however, told her that Nautica and Roulette were right. They couldn't win this just yet.

"Alright, move!" Elita said, nodding and heading back down the way they had come.

Finding the storage space that Nautica had mentioned, Elita-1 quickly pressured the door open and whipped herself inside, making room for the other two. She could already tell that it was not an especially roomy storage closet. What exactly did the 'Cons store in here? Scraplet kibble? She maneuvered as best she could in order to make room for the other two mechs.

"Yeah, Chromia should've checked in by now," Elita said, getting back to Nautica's earlier point. "Normally she'd be riding my aft for not checking in with her. Something's happened..."

The Nemesis - Bounce Chamber

Road Rage materialized in a flash of brilliant white light that made her sick to her stomach. Traveling via orbital bounce made most mechs queasy and the crimson femme was no exception. Sometimes she even purged her tanks as a result of the trip, but not this time. Thankfully, in this instance, she was still in a lying down position with her arms restrained behind her back, making it a bit easier for her to keep everything in her tanks from coming up. The former bodyguard also did not have to worry about falling over, which had happened to her on more than one occasion. Rage’s cranium was still spinning, however, as she kept her optics off-lined until the sensation passed.

Regardless, Falcon’s last words spoken before they had bounced still rang in her head. That and the fact the filthy Decepticon flier had dared to pat her on top of her head. What was she, his pet now? How humiliating it was to be rendered to such a lowly state. Road Rage was a warrior, a former bodyguard for senators that were long since gone. They were dead because she had failed them, and now she had failed Thunderclash. The former bodyguard was injured, having lost to the likes of Falcon. Still, better to lose and survive to fight another day. Hope was still there. Hope and honor, both of which were things these Predators would know nothing about.

Once the bounce effects had mostly worn off, Road Rage managed to sit up and let out an indignant huff while simultaneously on-lining her optics. “Don’t ever pat me on my head again, Falcon,” the crimson femme stated plainly as she gazed up at her captor. “I’m not your pet. And I will always have hope. Even a hellhole like Styx couldn’t stamp that out of me!” Her thoughts then drifted to Falcon’s words regarding Thunderclash, making her energon almost boil over. “Thunderclash is the very definition of good! He is the most trustworthy and honorable mech I’ve ever met next to Prime, himself. Only a ingrate like you would consider that to be a negative trait.”

Road Rage pulled her optics away from Falcon and looked back down at the floor. She let out a deep sigh as her brow furrowed with anger. The crimson femme twisted her wrists in their restraints but got nowhere. Only more pain that made her flinch slightly before settling down again. The Decepticons had won this battle, but they would not win the war. The Autobots would find a way to escape and when that happened the Predators would get exactly what was coming to them.

The Nemesis – Bounce Chamber/Brig

The flash of the bounce had been an unpleasant shock to Chromia’s system. When she could make out her surroundings, she took a real good look around. The Nemesis. It was dark, purple, and foreboding. Pretty much what she expected it to be on the inside. Wondering vaguely just how many other Autobots had seen this sight before meeting their untimely ends, Chromia began to get prodded along out into the corridors toward the brig. Somewhere on this ship, Roulette and Elita were carrying out their mission. She couldn’t exactly call out to them, but maybe she could warn them.

“Hey, hey! Watch it, Decepticreep!” Chromia barked in response to being shoved from behind, her voice echoing through the warship some. The Decepticon trooper just scowled and prodded her along more. “You won’t get away with this!” Chromia snarled at Skyquake’s retreating form. “YOU HEAR ME?! YOU WON’T GET AWAY WITH-“

Krak!

Falcon smashed the butt of his missile launcher into the back of Chromia’s head, having temporarily moved away from Road Rage to deal with a whole other nuisance. “We already have gotten away with it, Autobot. Now pipe down or you’ll be carried to the brig in pieces,” he growled out lowly. Moving away once more, he shot a vicious glare at the trooper who failed to silence the Autobot in the first place. Returning to Road Rage, Falcon kneeled down and was about to haul her up when she sat up herself to glare at him.

“Don’t ever pat me on my head again, Falcon," the crimson femme stated plainly as she gazed up at her captor. “I’m not your pet. And I will always have hope. Even a hellhole like Styx couldn’t stamp that out of me!"

“Brave words, little femme, but ultimately pointless,” Falcon replied.

“Thunderclash is the very definition of good! He is the most trustworthy and honorable mech I’ve ever met next to Prime, himself. Only an ingrate like you would consider that to be a negative trait."

“Well, it’s not my fault that you’re too short-sighted to see how aggravating he can be,” Falcon said with a smirk. He quite enjoyed toying with this Autobot. Full of fire. “C’mon, then. Up you get, there’s a nice comfy cell in the brig waiting for you and your friends.” Not waiting for Road Rage to actually do anything, Falcon seized her by the collar and began to drag her along unceremoniously toward the brig. He glanced over to the leapers carrying Thunderclash as they passed.

“Doesn’t look good for your hero, Skyquake is taking him to the Reservoir,” Falcon commented. Chromia, overhearing this, glanced over to Thunderclash as well, hoping that the regional commander would be able to hold out. She and the rest of the prisoners were quickly shuffled through the corridors only to arrive at the brig far too swiftly for Chromia’s tastes. Thrown into a cell, Chromia whirled about and glanced around at those near to her as the Decepticons filed the prisoners past her.

I really hope you heard me, ‘Lita, Chromia thought to herself as she scowled out at the Decepticons.

Falcon tossed Road Rage into a cell of her own across from Chromia, dusting his hands off and locking her up nice and tight. “Well, it’s been grand, dear, but I have some other duties to attend to now. Don’t worry. I’ll see you again very soon.”

Turning slightly away from her, Falcon opened a comm to Talon.

>>”Talon, just bounce up with the prisoners already and take them to the brig,”<< Falcon snapped, having not seen the large predator in the bounce chamber earlier.


Bounce Chamber/The Reservoir

Thunderclash was dimly aware of what was happening. He had been bounced. But the initial disorientation on top of his injuries had sent him into a semi-conscious state. He slowly realized that he was being dragged around by his collar and then tossed around…picked up and was now being carried, his body dangling mostly, and pain surging through it like fire. The dimly heard some chatter from their Decepticon captors and Autobot prisoners.

“Autobots…Stay…strong…” Thunderclash managed to choke out reflexively before darkness claimed him again.

When the regional commander roused again, the sound of doors hissing open greeted him. The disorientation of the bounce having worn off by now, he managed to lift his head up only to see the corridor beyond vanish before him as the door hissed shut behind him. The Decepticon leaper carrying him wrestled him off of his shoulder and tossed him onto some hard slanted surface.

Dazed and confused, Thunderclash still attempted to stand up, but one arm was almost immediately seized by one of the leapers. Clenching his fist tightly, Thunderclash threw a vicious punch at the other leaper’s head, connecting and causing the Decepticon to snarl in pain. Good, if he could subdue them then…then…he could get back to his Autobots…and..

A sharp blow to his own head sent whatever thoughts of escape that he had been entertaining to the back of his mind. One of the leapers shoved his arm down to the slab. A soft click alerted him to the securing of restraints. Still stunned from the leaper’s blow, Thunderclash was helpless as that fastened his other arm down and then his legs and torso.

His vision clearing slightly, he saw the pair backing away from him slowly, inspecting their handiwork. Thunderclash scowled at them before glancing around to get his bearings. He swiftly realized one important fact. This was no cell.

The Nemesis - Bounce Chamber / Brig

Road Rage flinched slightly at the sight of Falcon hitting Chromia on the back of her head with the butt of his weapon. He was a real piece of slag that one. Certainly not a ladies’ mech to be sure. The crimson femme wanted to shout something derogatory at Falcon but before she could he had returned his attention to her and wasted no time in continuing to bad mouth Thunderclash.

“Not as aggravating as you, Falcon. Heeeyyy!!” Road Rage exclaimed as the guerrilla tactician grabbed the former bodyguard by her collar and began dragging her down the corridor towards the brig. The Predator was kind enough to point out that Thunderclash was being taken down to the Reservoir. The red femme knew instantly what that place was, one of torture and pain. If there was such a thing as a Decepticon hell the Reservoir would be it.

Road Rage glanced over at the Regional Commander as he told them all to stay strong. “You too, Thunderclash! STAY STRONG!!” Unfortunately, her words likely had fallen on deaf audios as Thunderclash was carried away by leapers while she and the others were quickly escorted to the brig. Thankfully for Road Rage, it had been a quick trip as she was getting sick and tired of being drug around like yesterday’s scrap.

The crimson warrior was then tossed into a cell in much the same way she had been previously treated - like garbage. Letting out a deep grunt, Road Rage managed to sit up, her hands still cuffed behind her back as Falcon bid his farewells. “Hey slaghead! You gonna take these cuffs off me now that I’m inside a cell?! At the very least pretend to be a gentlemech!”

The former bodyguard then glanced over at Chromia who was in a cell across from hers. “And he wonders why no femme will give him the time of day,” Road Rage commented with a slight smirk on her faceplate in an attempt to lighten an otherwise dark mood.