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Deck 9 – Outer Corridors

Nacelle was about to respond to Slipstream's comment to him but Aegis broke the silence.

Foximus wrote:Deck 9 – Outer Corridors

“Alright…” Aegis finally managed, shaking himself from his reverie, “Let us see what more we can learn.” He said, striding after Slipstream, looking to Nacelle with his blue optics curiously. “Pardon me, I failed to greet you, Nacelle. I hope you can forgive me.”

Nacelle looked towards him and mumbled, "It is fine, Aegis."

He then followed Slipstream and Aegis. When they reached their destination, he caught sight of Slipstream's look towards him, which he could careless since he did not trust her at all.

Foximus wrote:One mech, however, stormed away from them, looking mightily displeased. Thunderwing. “Thunderwing, sir,” Aegis called out, “Did something happen?” he asked in reference to how upset the warlord appeared to be. “How fares Lord Megatron?”

He remained quiet and waited for Thunderwing to respond to Aegis' questions about Lord Megatron.

Flywheels had bickered too much to agree to go into the fight against Megatron. Instead, both sides made a truce- He'd just stand and watch the brutal fight. And watch he did.

He gasped in horror as he saw Razorclaw's sword embed itself into their leader's leg. The dread grew when they/he saw Megatron fall to the ground. He could hardly believe what was going on. The fight within him started again when Megatron fell, as the surrounding 'Cons dogpiled him. Part of him wondered what had seemed to weaken him, the other part didn't care and just wanted to get into the fight.

Finally, both of them agreed that this was too much to handle and Flywheels turned around and retreated, splitting into his to different forms. Quickly he flew and drove down the corridors back to his quarters. If Command saw a need for his help, they'd message him.

He stayed there for a little while when his comms sparked to life.

Battletrap wrote:>>Flywheels! Flywheels! Where are you my friend? Are you okay?<<

Oh, thank Primus, Battletrap.

Oh, Primus... Battletrap.

Dude, he's our friend.

You said "idiot we tolerate" wrong.

...you're the idiot.

You literally just called yourself an idiot.

...

Flywheels opened his comm. >>"Yo, dude. I'm back at corridors. We- I had to get away from the fight. What's up? We got new orders?"<<

Corridor 8

>>There is friend Flywheels. I in corridor 8 with two new friends. Come join and tell about fight. You said something about Megatron.<<

Battletrap looked at the other two Cons.

"Flywheels in his room. He said something about Megatron fight. I ask him to join us. Did I overhear you looking for someone else?"

Deck 9--Outer Corridors

The mechanoids within his immediate vicinity had cleared a path as soon as the Warlord of Valckasta had exited Shockwave's laboratory. But that did not prevent him from being addressed. The effrontery was amazing. Some casual warrior would never have thought to address him directly back in the halls of his progenitor in the glory days of Valckasta. How times had changed.

“Thunderwing, sir. Did something happen? How fares Lord Megatron?”

Thunderwing looked at the mech dismissively, almost saying nothing before thinking better of it.

"Did something happen? Look around you, warrior. Megatron almost destroyed this vessel and everyone aboard. For what reason? I do not know. There is only one thing I know to be certain at this juncture....the uncertainty of our destiny."

Thunderwing spared a brief glance at the others who were nearby before turning and stalking off in the direction of the biometics laboratory that he had carved out as something of a personal workstation.
___

Medibay

Once Scrapper and the other Constructicons had arrived within the walls of the medical bay, he saw that there were more injured mechanoids there than he had seen in some time. Scrapper made a beeline for Hook. The surgeon was clearly already torso-deep in repairs.

"Sit-rep?" Scrapper asked. Hook looked up. The expression on his face was angry, but once he recognized it was Scrapper, it softened noticeably.

"Erm...well...as you can see, we're more than a bit needed. I've got my hands full with this one. But I've got some impatient Combaticons that could use some assistance and....that Seeker over there stumbled in a short time ago and collapsed to the floor. You pick," Hook huffed.

Scrapper looked at the Combaticons.

"Alright....Scav, Mixmaster, see what you can do for our fine comrades here. Let me have a look at our Seeker friend," Scrapper said as he approached the fallen light purple and gray Seeker. "Let's see....designation Amethyst. What happened to you out there?"

Med Bay

Not much had been said by the others in the Medbay. The Constructicons seemed happy to be united. They were a bunch of mechs that Amethyst had a lot of respect for, and sure didn't want to cross their paths...Devastator could literally crush him in one hand or easily rip him into pieces, and that wasn't a fate that this Seeker desired. Amethyst sat there quietly and listened, watching intently until one of the Constructicons, Scrapper, came over to inquire what had happened to him.

Amethyst struggled for words, coughing and then managed to say with a stammer, "Weapons...malfunction. Overheated..... right gun exploded.....fire...crash.", he said. His head hurt a lot, making speech difficult for him. Wouldn't anyone who crashed from a high altitude into the far below ground have a massive headache? Definitely. He waited for Scrapper to reply.

Medibay

"Weapons malfunction, mm?" Scrapper mused out loud, rubbing the chin structure of his faceplate as he examined the extent of Amethyst's injuries.

"Well, let's get you on to a berth so I can assess these damages more directly," he said, offering a hand of assistance to the Seeker. This one wasn't as stereotypically braggadocious as most of his Seeker ilk, so he had garnered a small but additional portion of the Constructicon Commander's limited sympathy.

"Been neglecting your regularly scheduled weapons maintenance regimen?"

Doomshot came to a halt as he entered the room. He didn't transform from his alt mode at first, so as to avoid any sort of distraction from surveying the room. There were mechs flocking out, but he didn't see Megatron. At least from his angle. He transformed finally, and turned his stiff head from one side of the room to the other.

"Hmm.." Doomshot simply grunted. He then noticed a Predacon; specifically Divebomb; in the room seeming to neglect following the group of Decepticons ahead.

Divebomb turned to see the group who had just entered with Doomshot, and smirked slightly.

Doomshot walked to Divebomb, stiffly and methodically, and lowered his cold green optics down to where the Predacon could see them.

"Megatron. Where is he?" inquired Doomshot.

Divebomb looked back towards Thunderwing, and then hesitantly spoke, "Megatron is being addressed to."

Doomshot narrowed his optics. A cold hard stare. He then spoke again after a while of staring intently, and said in a deep tone, "Where is he."

Divebomb became nervous, but he was willing to fight if he needed to. He couldn't exactly dismantle Megatron before, but he would love to tear apart a traitor now for the fun of it.

"I've not been told yet if I should tell you anything," responded Divebomb, "for all I know, Megatron might kill me later if anyone else knew."

Doomshot quickly and without hesitation, grabbed Divebomb's head with his large hand.

"You're hiding something," said Doomshot.

Divebomb squinted his optics in a disgruntled sort of expression, and looked back towards Thunderwing. The latter was of higher rank, so Divebomb didn't want to say anything unless Thunderwing gave some assemblance of an "okay".

Just then however, Thunderwing spoke aloud about Megatron's rampage. Well, that was more than an okay, but Divebomb was happy he didn't have to say it himself.

"You're a smart one," said Divebomb to Doomshot, "Gonna get yourself in the brig sometime with those kind of overreactions."

Doomshot tightened his grip slightly around Divebomb's cranium. He needed more info.

"See? It wasn't so hard for Thunderwing. Tell me more about this... 'rampage' our dear leader had."

Medbay

Amethyst felt relieved and thankful to be alive after his ordeal (and in fact he could be in helluva worse condition as well), but that didn't help him from feeling foolish about his painful situation either. He was glad that the Constructicon Commander was helping him. When Scrapper offered him a hand, the Seeker accepted the assistance. It would have been a struggle to stand back up in this state otherwise, and he wasn't above getting help when he needed it. From here he'd look about for the platform in which Scrapper said about, moving towards it with stiffened joints and a it of difficulty. He clenched his teeth, gritting back the feelings of pain and sucking it up. He had no time to cry over this. He was a warrior to the Decepticon cause, and this was but a setback, and all his own fault.

"Correct, Sir. I thought...... I could go the battle.... without any malfunctions occurring.", he said. In his head to himself he thought, 'Stupid, stupid, stupid. Grrrr! Next time, I can't be so neglectful of myself.'

Combaticons were overrated. Bonecrusher snarled as he heard the slithery slags complaining about their scratched paint and dented rotor blades. Bonecrusher was a real warrior who never gave up until he was literally torn to pieces. He had no sympathy for them, especially while he was currently torn down the middle of his torso, writhing in pain.

"C- Combaticon... slags," said Bonecrusher, "You... FILTHY... FRAGS... are INSULTS to the Decepticons! Nghh..."

Bonecrusher moaned in pain and laid his head back down, letting Hook work on repairs once again.

Medical Bay

"Correct, Sir. I thought...... I could go the battle.... without any malfunctions occurring," Amethyst said, answering Scrapper's query. Typical Seeker. Head focused on the battle, not on the little things that helped make a battle more winnable besides prowess on the battlefield. Having weapons that would function as they were designed to was pretty important.

"Well, no more of that kind of thinking in the future. High Command issues maintenance regimens for a reason. Follow them. Otherwise you're going to get decomissioned, and we all know what Starscream tends to do with Seekers who have no use to him on the battlefield."

Scrapper began to remove some of the more heavily damage pieces and inoperable weapons from Amethyst's frame. He then started to seal off a fuel pump that had been damaged in the fire.

"Unfortunately, some of this equipment and armor is damaged beyond repair. Fortunately, there are a lot of Seekers in the empire, so replacements are abundant."
___

Corridors

Having recovered as well as could be hoped for from his temporary bout of bounce sickness, Ratbat soared his way through the Thanatos' winding corridors. His destination? Soundwave.

There was clearly more going on here than the Fuel Scout and former senator was aware of and he wanted to be caught up to speed with haste.

Medibay

As Amethyst lay there and let Scrapper diagnose his condition, etc, he began to panic. Some of the damage was repairable, but some was not. It was really bad news to his audio receivers. 'No, no, no, no, no!' Amethyst sat up in his panic, staring into the optic visor of the Constructicon, obviously terrified, and he said, "Isn't there anything you can do?! If there isn't, kill me now!! It was a demand. He couldn't bare to face the Air Commander knowing he would have irreparable parts. He was as good as dead if there was no way to fix him, and he'd rather die now than later if that was the case.

Corridors

Things can’t get much worse. Thrust shook his head as he made his way through the corridors toward the medical bay. It’d taken a few laps around the Thanatos to clear his processors, but he still wasn’t happy with being left out of the mission with his fellow seekers. His presence would’ve made things a lot easier.

His angst didn’t improve with the reports of Megatron’s… return? Normally the first one to jump at the chance to battle, Thrust wanted no part in subduing their leader and was grateful he hadn’t been assigned to the teams sent to contain him, though he knew it would’ve been a matter of time until he was had they not subdued Megatron.

Who in their right processor would want to face him? The thought send a power surge through his servos, causing a slight shudder.

With his mind focused on other things, he was surprised to find himself already standing in front of the medical bay entrance. Smirking, he decided to wait on the returning seekers and stepped inside as the door slid open. With any luck, he’d fine points he could point to as to why he should’ve gone and spend less time twiddling his transistors.

Medibay

As Scrapper worked, the Seeker suddenly sat up, terror in his optics.

"Isn't there anything you can do?! If there isn't, kill me now!!" Amethyst blurted out, forcing Scrapper to consider what he'd said. Oh yes. "Replacements". Amethyst must have taken that to mean replacement Seekers. And while that was certainly true, it wasn't what Scrapper had meant. Simply that the Decepticon war machine had long ago figured out the necessity of keeping Seeker parts around and/or easy to fabricate given the sheer number of them that were spread around the Decepticon empire.

"Relax," Scrapper said, holding up a hand to pause Amethyst's reaction. "Just replacement parts. A process which is easy enough for the likes of a Constructicon. You don't need to worry about being sent to the scrapheap yet. Though...miss another maintenance regimen and you might, heh."

Scrapper walked over to the fabrication bay and began entering specifications for the types of parts he would need.
___

"C- Combaticon... slags. You... FILTHY... FRAGS... are INSULTS to the Decepticons! Nghh..." Bonecrusher suddenly burst out, instantly pulling Vortex's attention in his direction.

"Yeah, frag you too, buddy," Vortex scoffed, before looking at Hook. "Did the Dinobots step on his brain module while he was down there?"

"Just shut up and get on the berth over there," Hook said, having no time for escalating, inter-Con tensions while he was trying to work. "Like Scrapper said, Scavenger and Mixmaster will get to you. They're fully capable of addressing your needs. Well....reasonably capable."

Medibay


Amethyst sat there, clenching his servos and every cog in his chassis, waiting for his "Doomsday's wish" to come true, when the nano-kliks just kept ticking by and nothing happened. He had been braced and prepared to "meet his maker", but as his audio receptors listened, his panic lessened, and he let out a deep sigh of relief.

"Just replacement parts.....parts. Heh....heheheheheh!", Amethyst spoke, his realization turning into glee and laughter. That however, was short lived, as a pain came up from his chest and up his throat, causing him to cough up static, "Ack ack kehh." The Seeker lay back down again on the berth, his mind running through what all just happened, and the "cause and effect" as they say. One thing was made very clear today, and that was the fact he NEEDED to NOT skip any more of his routine maintenance checks. "Aye, you're the doc.", Amethyst finally said towards Scrapper, adding, "I'm gonna make sure to keep up with my regimens from now on."

He watched Scrapper walk away to the fabrication bay, and that's when Amethyst's attention was drawn to the sound of the opening doors from the halls. He turned his head to face the entrance, and his optics fell upon someone familiar. He was a mostly dark red "cone-head" Seeker named Thrust. He didn't remember seeing Thrust on the Oahu mission. Where had he been? Hiding around here with his tailfins tucked between his legs? What was the point of that? Amethyst thought he'd ask. He was curious, and besides, he had nothing else better to do while being here than to talk,

"Hey Thrust...you weren't on the mission to that island on Earth. Heh....I'm lucky I could make it to the bounce spot. Anyway.....hi.", it was kind of a pathetic greeting. Then again, he was in a rather pathetic state at the moment, so it was fitting. Maybe Thrust would talk to him, maybe he wouldn't. If Thrust had been hanging around here for a long time though, maybe he could fill Amethyst in on some information he had missed.

MediBay

The sounds of complaining mechs, from both those injured and the ones repairing them, filled the air, causing Thrust to smirk again.

Few things were as Decepticon-like as repairs after a battle. Megatron didn’t tolerate weakness, and even with their pain sensors going off, many refused to show their pain. It was refreshing, in an odd sort of way. Had the mission been a failure, the tempers of those injured would have made them as dangerous as any creature in the cozmos. But since it was a success, well, they were merely cocky.

This is what happens when the plan is complicated, he mused as he moved deeper into the room. Better to strike fast and hard.

Of course, he didn’t fail to notice the lack of Seekers present. Though he had no doubt there were injuries, pride surged through him at none being damaged enough to be here already—

"Hey Thrust...you weren't on the mission to that island on Earth. Heh....I'm lucky I could make it to the bounce spot. Anyway.....hi."

Thrust turned toward the voice that addressed him. A Seeker. Well, this just means he was among the first in. I could fight alongside this one. His pride grew even more at the thought, and he crossed the room to stand by his comrade’s bedside. Though he couldn’t remember the mech’s name, he was sure it wouldn’t be long before he was celebrated along with him and the other elites.

“Warrior, your injuries do you and the cause great service. Few are brave enough to confront the enemy first.” His mood shifted slightly, at being reminded of the questionable orders. “No, I was ordered to stay behind and,” he waved a hand in the air, “miss the fun. I promise you, warrior, I would have been at your side and this would have been a far more successful victory.”

Corridors

Onslaught’s pacing slowed as Razorclaw responded to his earlier questions regarding the state of the ship. He almost froze completely as he heard the Predacon commander make mention of their former leader’s return. Megatron... He was back? And the reason for the alarms was because of him? So many questions in such a small amount of time.

>>”Un-Understood,”<< He finally responded to the Lion-former, >>”I’m en route.”<<

The Combaticon commander turned back to Off-Road, Swindle, and Brawl, his Crimson optical visor and black mouth plate hiding the puzzled look on his face.

“At ease, the alarms are no longer relevant.” He issued rather monotonously, “There have been certain... developments while we were away. You’re free to move about the ship once more but keep your comms open.”

Without another word, Onslaught spun on his heel and made a bee-line for Shockwave’s lab.

Shockwave’s Lab

Despite not being to gain any sort of further insight into Megatron’s mind earlier, the tyrant leader had explained how Cybertron, their abandoned homeworld, was some sort of established constant in these “visions” he was having. Curious... Even Flamewar began to inquire on this reasoning as well.

Before the communications specialist could further inquire, Ratbat had returned to the ship and made his way back towards Soundwave’s chest compartment. The blue and white Decepticon granted the winged senator access before opening his comm line.

>>”Welcome back, Ratbat. I take by your return that Onsalught’s mission was a success?”<<

Soundwave’s question was partially answered as he watched the Combaticon commander enter through the threshold into the lab. Onslaught’s gaze was immediately drawn to the silver-clad Emperor of Destruction as he rested beside a working Shockwave and Soundwave familiarly at his side.

“L-Lord Megatron...” Onslaught gasped in disbelief. He turned his visage towards Razorclaw, “How is he- I mean what happened? Where has he been? When did he arrive?”

Corridors

The alarms began to finally die out, which only further fueled Warwolf’s confusion. The lupine interrogator continue to scour through the ship in search of answers, but found no one who could assist him.

What’s the matter? Can’t function on your own any more?

Warwolf cringed as the voice of his other half drowned out all other thoughts that circulated in his prosessor.

I don’t need this right now.

Does she have to be the one to pull your leash?

Warwolf did what he could to ignore his obtrusive other half, the more he fed its “ego” the more he would possibly surrender control back to it. Ever since the incident at the alpha dome, his other half seemed to act differently. There was less mindlessness to its madness and it became more... methodical. The fight used be to a struggle, but now it’s like it’s trying to chip away at the foundation, only to no real anvil. Maybe it’s really trying to change...

Rounding another corridor, Warwolf soon found himself facing many a mech before him. Some recognizable faces, some not so familiar. Aegis, Doomshot, and a few seekers...

“Hey,” The former pirate began as he approached the group, “What in the pit is going on around here?”

Med Bay

Long Haul sat patiently for Hook or Scrapper to finish up with their repairs. The damage he had sustained was far less than that of Bones’, but he knew with Hook and Scrapper at the helm they’d make quick work of the damage.

When a few of the Combaticon’s rolled in, Long Haul’s visor lit up with redefined energy. The transporter had served beside them a few times when he had the chance to fight on the battlefield, but was always cut short so that he could help his team out. Part of him wished he could relive moments like that, being down in the trenches with the likes of Brawl and Onslaught again. Ah well, Combaticons don’t have Devastator.

”C- Combaticon... slags, You... FILTHY... FRAGS... are INSULTS to the Decepticons! Nghh..."

Dammit Bonecrusher, what the hell was he on about now?

“Hey! Show the mechs some respect!” Long Haul chastised his colleague bringing up a hand as if he were about to smack his injured friend on the back of the processor. Given the nature of his injuries already, Long Haul did not press his luck and opted out fo the slap mid-swing. “What’s gotten inta’ya? You get knocked down by a couple of dinos and you come back spitting on our brothers’ efforts?” The transporter shifted his gaze over to Vortex, who had just finished cursing off Bonecrusher himself.

“Heh, I’m sure he didn’t mean it. He’s a bit battle damaged at the moment.”

As he went to chuckle again, Long Haul felt a sharp pain rub down his side, forcing him to wince and lean back on his berth a bit.

“Hey Mixy’, don’t think I can wait for Scrapper or Hook any longer. Can ya lend a hand?”

The doors to the med bay slid open with a hiss and Misfire passed through its threshold. The pink jet-former’s crimson optics lit up when he took notice that all of the Constructicons were present in the area. He took a few nervous steps closer towards their respected workspaces, as such to not get too close and interrupt their repair work.

“Hey uh, so I don’t really know how to mention this,” Misfire sheepishly began as he directed his words towards Scrapper and his cohorts, his index fingers tapping together nervously, “But back down on Earth, back in the Yellow Sea... you guys were incredible down there! Devestationer... man what a feat! I’ve never seen Dinobots so scared!”

Misfire’s glance then shifted towards Thrust and Amythest, fellow fliers within the ranks.

“Whoa! Hey, long time no see you two! How have you been- holy scrap! What happened to you?”

Corridors

”Not certain I am of the circumstances, but seems it does that Lord Megatron in good hands is? Shall we see undisturbed he remains?”

“I wouldn’t bother.” Blitzwing suggested, interjecting himself into the beasties conversation after overhearing Weirdwolf’s suggestion. “Place is crowded enough as is.” He turned his visored gaze and began to exit the corridor. His next stop was probably a nice CR Chamber to repair the damage Snarl had inflicted on him. Also would be nice to get all this sand and salt water currently housed inside his systems.

[Corridors]

Onslaught wrote:“At ease, the alarms are no longer relevant. There have been certain... developments while we were away. You’re free to move about the ship once more but keep your comms open.”

"Aye, sir." He grinned widely at Onslaught. He was digging his style of command from what he'd seen at Oahu. "Let me know when I am needed. I would love to know of these... developments you speak of."

Offroad moved down the corridors, figuring that he'd go someplace where he could strike up a conversation. The green-faced daredevil checked to make sure that his comm-link was on, and when he confirmed that it was, he brought himself into the Medbay to get himself cleaned up. Sure, he hadn't done anything special on the Oahu mission, but the mudball sure was dirty and he needed his tires to stay fresh for each assignment. Gotta be prepared for the worst.

[Medbay]

The daredevil entered the medbay to find that it was very crowded. "Heh, everyone been catching bullets or something?" He joked to no one in particular. He went over to the side of the room to get the cleaning equipment. He found the Combaticons from earlier to be there. "How's it going, gentlemechs?" He raised an eyebrow and smirked at Vortex and Blast Off. "I'm sure you're doing well after all the commotion, yes?"

Technikiller's Personal Quarters

Technikiller lay there on her bed, asleep. She was dreaming. Although, it wasn't a very pleasant dream. It was sad and also full of anger. However, despite those things, she wished the place in her dream was where she was, rather than adrift at space, in the Sol System, so far from home.

A red and black fembot, similar to her own make was there beside her. She had twin flaming swords in hand, and her back was against Tech's. Tech held twin energo-sabers, glowing a deep purple. Tech was bigger and taller than Saber. Saber was the smaller, more agile one. Together they stared down their opponents, their optics fierce as their wills to win. They waited....

The giant cat beasts and their pig-like riders were done circling. They came roaring at the small group of gladiators gathered at the center of the arena. There were six gladiators in total. Mechmelter,
Dozer, Haxor, Laserbreath, Technikiller, and Saber. Tech and Saber were the only fembots they knew in this entire arena, however, it didn't make them outcasts, it made them the stars of this particular fighting pit.

>>'NOW!!'<<, everyone in the group was ordered via comm link. Without panic, with all the bravery in the world, they watched death come clawing at them with all it's weight and all the claws and fangs. Everyone knew what to do though. Each using their own fighting talents, they countered at just a few seconds before they would have been torn to shreds of scrap.

Technikiller ducked under the huge metal liger's claws as they raked past her, trimming off the tips of her armored helm. She thrust her first sword up into the creature's neck and she ran forward, slicing it's throat vertically, spilling it's energon all over her. With her second sword, she cut at the elbow joint of the second set of claws that came raking at her. Growling similar to the beast she fought, Tech cleaved through the arm, pushing all her weight on it, and rolled to the ground and out of harm's way as the massive cat came crashing down. The rider, unlucky he was...was pinned under his mount, squealing in fear and pain. He begged for help...poor thing.

"Help...well, here's your help, swine!", Tech said seriously and without remorse. She swung one of her blades down at the beast-man's fat neck and his head rolled away. Black, putrid blood spilled out onto the floor, a stench unlike anything her scent receptors had experienced before.

Surveying the arena, Tech saw that her partner and Sister Saber had done just as well as she had. However, it seemed some of the others were worse for wear, and for all the boasting he was known for, Laserbreath had been taken off-line this fight and by the looks of him, he was finished.

Tech stared into the eyes of the great Cybertronian feline she had slain. He was there still...barely hanging on, but he stared back into her eyes with an equal, primal rage...a lust for the fight that could not be quenched. He growled at her, a growl that was like a "thank you" to a worthy opponent. She had won the monster's respect, and now his optics faded and his mighty head fell. Technikiller roared a fearsome warcry of victory and her bretheren joined in, and the crowds cheered.

.....

Tech's magma colored eyes lit up and her body jolted violently as she sat up. She turned side to side quickly, fervantly searching for her, for the sister whom once shared part of her own spark. Her chest achwd deep inside...hollow...a hollow feeling of something that was missing. Technikiller screamed. She jumped off her sleeping platform in horror and realization...this was not the Kaon Underground, and none of her fellow gladiators were here, not even the Saber Tiger. Clicking and fast internal ratchets ensued as she utilized her transformation cog, assuming the form of that once mighty beast she had taken in the arena so many millenia ago. She exited her room.

Corridors

She walked silently down the halls. Mighty metal clawed paws falling with soft thuds as she tread the confines of the great war ship, Thanatos. She growled. She needed to get her mind off of the past and focus on the present. What should she do? Whom should she bother? Or....yes...she'd see if someone would dare to approach her first, and so, hearing voices in the halls ahead, she continued in that direction, waiting to be addressed.

Medibay

It wasn't long before Scrapper to return to the Seeker's side, newly-fabricated parts in hand to replace Amethyst's more egregious injuries, only to find that another Seeker had arrived. This time it was one of the coneheads: Thrust. Hmmm....well, at least he didn't look injured. He supposed he could endure the increase of braggadocio in the room in exchange for not having another body to repair. Thrust and his cohort Ramjet had crossed the Constructicons' repair bays more than a few times.

"Aye, you're the doc. I'm gonna make sure to keep up with my regimens from now on."

"You do that," Scrapper said as he went to work on reattaching the new Seeker parts. "I'll have you back fighting alongside Thrust and the others soon enough."

A short time later, another Decepticon entered. Misfire. Scrapper and Hook each gave him a quick once-over before deciding that he appeared uninjured and they could safely return to their work. Misfire needs, it seemed, were not quite medical in nature.

“Hey uh, so I don’t really know how to mention this. But back down on Earth, back in the Yellow Sea... you guys were incredible down there! Devestationer... man what a feat! I’ve never seen Dinobots so scared!”

He was practically gushing. Scrapper looked over at Hook, seeing that the Surgical Engineer had a slight grin on his face as he continued working on Bonecrusher. The same for Mixmaster. Even Scrapper himself could not deny that he wore one also, even if it was hidden behind his faceplate. Devastator had unquestionably left his mark. Once he was perfected, he would be Megatron's ultimate weapon.

"Devastator," Scrapper corrected, his tone good-natured and jocular. "And my thanks. You obviously appreciate good work when you see it. Next time, the Dinobots will stand no chance."
___

“Hey Mixy’, don’t think I can wait for Scrapper or Hook any longer. Can ya lend a hand?” Long Haul called out, pulling Mixmaster's attention away from the Combaticon he was assessing. It only made sense to make prime-functioning Constructicons a priority, he supposed.

"Sure thing thing thing, heheh," Mixmaster chuckled, walking over to Long Haul. "Thankfully you didn't get caught up like Bonecrusher did. Hook's gonna have his hands full."
___

Shockwave's Laboratory

Once Ratbat was securely in place within Soundwave's chest cavity, he quickly received one of the Communications' Officer's customary return greetings. Having just flown in, he couldn't believe what he had seen. Megatron?! How in the Pit? He wanted details--immediately. But Soundwave's query came first.

>>”Welcome back, Ratbat. I take by your return that Onslaught's mission was a success?”<<

>>"Partially. Vortex's missing ordnance was recovered. But we encountered an Autobot presence while planetside. We recovered one of the ballistics, the Autobots took possession of the other. I did my best to ensure infiltration protocol integrity was maintained. I've been monitoring newsfeeds since our departure. I appear to have been successful in that regard."<<

Ratbat proceeded to upload the mission logs and observational recordings he took while he was on the mission so that Soundwave could assess and file them accordingly.

>>"Now, do my optics deceive me? Was that Megatron? Never mind. Obtuse question. I'm just going to have a peek at your intel recordings while I'm in here, with your permission."<<

Medibay

If it was one thing that Amethyst was good at right now, it was holding back expressing his pain. Having a lot of his body damaged and removed hurt, and the lack of an arm, parts of his chest, wing parts, and other alt-mode kibble was strange. He literally felt detached from himself. However, at least he was being fixed. He trusted Scrapper with his life, and the Constructicon's care and skill were outstanding. It made him respect the mech and his team all the more. The destructive force of Devastator...who knew the huge Gestalt was formed of such skilled engineers?

Back to Thrust (whom Amethyst felt a bit embarrased about seeing right now)....

“Warrior, your injuries do you and the cause great service. Few are brave enough to confront the enemy first.” His mood shifted slightly, at being reminded of the questionable orders. “No, I was ordered to stay behind and,” he waved a hand in the air, “miss the fun. I promise you, warrior, I would have been at your side and this would have been a far more successful victory.”

Amethyst had listened, and he smirked, on the brink of laughing out loud at Thrust's assumptions. Oh...if he only knew the disheartening truth, that Amethyst had been his own demolisher on the battlefield. That would have been very interesting. However, because Amethyst was a prideful creature, much like the mech his design was based on, he would give Thrust the benefit of the doubt. What had bothered him though, was the mentioning of the very strange order he had received, and so the light purple and grey Seeker responded with concern,

"Who in their correct processor would order a guy like you to stay onboard the ship? Luckily, my friend...by the way my name is Amethyst...", he threw in so that Thrust would stop calling him warrior (he guessed he forgot his name), "the mission was completely successful."

He was glad to have Thrust's company....not that Scrapper's was unpleasant. It was nice to be around members of your combat team. Speaking of which, Thundercracker and Skywarp were still here, sitting along the wall, gazing at everything else going on in the medical hangar. The place was really starting to get crowded as a matter of fact. Without the team of Constructicons attending to all the wounded, the place would look like...well...a scrapheap.

Amethyst winced at a random pain that raced through his circuitry, once more gritting his teeth. He couldn't remember a time he had had to have this much of a makeover. It was then that the door to the medbay opened yet again. 'Sheesh you would think we all fell out of the sky together and piled up.', he thought. Looking past Thrust, he noticed though (and thankfully), that Misfire hadn't seemed to aimlessly discharge his weapon as he had. In fact, after addressing towards Scrapper ( with a hillarious mispronounciation of the Constructicon Gestalt's name), the pink Targetmaster jet-former asked Amethyst with a clear expression of loud concern,

“Whoa! Hey, long time no see you two! How have you been- holy scrap! What happened to you?”

Of in which Amethyst nearly choked and replied, "I got...a bit carried away." It wasn't a lie.

Next, thank Primus, Scrapper returned with Amethyst's new parts and began the process of reattaching his limbs and pieces that had been irrepairable.

"I'll have you back fighting alongside Thrust and the others soon enough."

"Thanks doc....I can't wait to fly again. Next time, some Autobots are gonna be barbecue.", Amethyst replied. He was totally serious. The smell of burning energon and oil mixed with the aroma of melted alloy...it was something this Seeker prided himself in....except for when it was his own body. With that thought, he sighed again, feeling humbled, but he couldn't help but grin through bared teeth anyway.

Next...Amethyst asked all three of his current companions, "So any news updates around this joint?" He wanted to be kept updated and privy. Sometimes when you were away on missions, critical events happened elsewhere.

Shockwave’s Laboratory

"It was the constant in everything I've seen," Megatron began. "Whether I was standing in the Sea of Rust, facing down an Omega Guardian, storming Iacon or back within our capital fortress, Kolkular--I was continually seeing visions of Cybertron. I have no reason to see that as a coincidence. Now....how proceeds the infiltration protocol on this world? Sixshot is here, but I find it unlikely that you all have made it that far in my absence."

Flamewar rubbed her chin thoughtfully at Megatron’s conclusion. While most mechs would have balked at such a conclusion, it came from Megatron, which lent it more credibility. Cybertron…If going there would cure Megatron’s condition, Flamewar would investigate it herself. However, his condition could be rather disruptive. However, her train of thought broke off when she realized that several long moments had passed since Megatron had requested an explanation. Her optics darted to Razorclaw. Cat got his vocalizer?

Considering herself to be briefed enough of the goings on, Flamewar stepped forward and offered her explanation.

“Currently, it seems that this world is in Phase Two of the Infiltration Protocol. Sixshot arrived shortly after myself. During the truce with the Autobots initiated by Razorclaw to fight the Fallen, it became clear during the battle that one of the Seekers knew Sixshot’s shut down code. He was in the process of telling an Autobot the code when I decided to take his execution into my own hands. From there, I can reasonably conclude that Starscream also had the codes and called him to Earth. That and Sixshot confirmed as much.”

Flamewar looked to Razorclaw. “As for the current owner of the codes, Razorclaw would possess them as he was acting commander.”

On a private line to Megatron that she opened, Flamewar clarified her information, trusting that Soundwave would keep such things private. >>”In actuality, Shockwave currently possesses the codes. Soundwave and I were to also have knowledge of them. I had made an alliance with him and Soundwave. We three would possess the actual codes and also act as advisors to Razorclaw, ensuring that the Decepticons would not fall to ruin.”<<

Her gaze returned to Megatron with a light smile on her faceplate. “Do you require more of an explanation, my lord?”

Medibay

Blast-Off refused to rise to Hook’s bait. Instead, he merely crossed his arms and ignored them. Many more mechanoids arrived in short order. It was filling up quite a good deal. Scrapper and Scavenger arrived in short order. Scavenger scurried to and fro to all of his comrades, delivering whatever parts or energon were needed with a dopey smile on his faceplate.

Seeing Scrapper finish up with Amethyst, Blast-Off saw his chance and sauntered over to the group, catching snippets of the conversation as he approached. He turned to Scrapper. “Would you go see Vortex next? He’ll be a quick fix, I’m sure.”

He turned to Amethyst and the others. “Something is going on. Onslaught went off rather perturbed. Scrapper, do you know?”

Shockwave’s Laboratory

Ravage’s ears twitched as Onslaught entered, distracting him from bumping his head into Megatron’s hand. Ratbat’s arrival hadn’t escaped his attention either. Nothing did. Still, he listened to Flamewar’s abridged explanation of the current events. She was quite brief and accurate. Well, mostly. Some things she had apparently decided to keep for herself.

That was fair. With Razorclaw and now Onslaught present, he supposed she didn’t want to burn bridges. She was fairly competent. Hmph. His tail swished back and forth.

>>”Ratbat, you’re back, are you? You missed a great deal…how was the dirtball?”<<

Deck 9 – Corridors

"Did something happen? Look around you, warrior. Megatron almost destroyed this vessel and everyone aboard. For what reason? I do not know. There is only one thing I know to be certain at this juncture....the uncertainty of our destiny."

Aegis, having received the only answer that Thunderwing would give, decided to be content and not pursue the matter any further, stepping aside as he stalked pass. Megatron’s current state and their future seemed…still a bit dire. He turned to Nacelle and Slipstream before noticing the approach of another mech. He believed he was named Warwolf.

Before that however, he noticed with no small amount of exasperation that the mech he had mech Doomshot was interrogating a Predacon. That was particularly unwise. He issued a sigh. “Megatron has rampaged,” he said to Warwolf, moving over to Doomshot and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Doomshot, right? You don’t need to strangle one of our own to find out what’s happened. Predacons aren’t ones to provoke.”

Shockwave’s Laboratory

Megatron wrote:"It was the constant in everything I've seen. Whether I was standing in the Sea of Rust, facing down an Omega Guardian, storming Iacon or back within our capital fortress, Kolkular--I was continually seeing visions of Cybertron. I have no reason to see that as a coincidence. Now....how proceeds the infiltration protocol on this world? Sixshot is here, but I find it unlikely that you all have made it that far in my absence.”

Razorclaw listened carefully to everything Lord Megatron was saying. The slagmaker was clearly referring to visions he had been suffering from during his rampage. He had seen Cybertron throughout. It had to have some sort of meaning. Their dead homeworld in all likelihood had the answers Megatron was seeking.

The Decepticon Supreme Commander then asked for an update on the infiltration protocol for Sol-3, but before Razorclaw could respond, Onslaught entered the lab.

Onslaught wrote:“L-Lord Megatron...How is he- I mean what happened? Where has he been? When did he arrive?”

The lion-former quickly turned to address his long time ally. “Lord Megatron returned a couple of cycles ago, first appearing in the hangar before rampaging through the ship. He recently regained his senses and was brought here for evaluation. As for where he has been or why this is happening, that has yet to be determined.”

Razorclaw then switched to a secured private channel with the Combaticon Commander: >>”I’m afraid that our new found place at the top of the Empire is at an end, my friend. I have no intention of challenging Lord Megatron for leadership. I hope you can understand my position.”<<

The Predacon Commander then returned his full attention back to the slagmaker with every intention of answering his inquiry. However, Flamewar had stepped forward to provide Megatron with the update he was seeking.

Flamewar wrote:“Currently, it seems that this world is in Phase Two of the Infiltration Protocol. Sixshot arrived shortly after myself. During the truce with the Autobots initiated by Razorclaw to fight the Fallen, it became clear during the battle that one of the Seekers knew Sixshot’s shut down code. He was in the process of telling an Autobot the code when I decided to take his execution into my own hands. From there, I can reasonably conclude that Starscream also had the codes and called him to Earth. That and Sixshot confirmed as much. As for the current owner of the codes, Razorclaw would possess them as he was acting commander.”

Flamewar looked over at the lion-former when she spoke that last sentence. Razorclaw had a bit of an irritated look on his faceplate as he felt it was his responsibility to give the slagmaker the necessary update. The black operative seemed more than eager to take advantage of a delay in response to try and impress Megatron with her knowledge of what had transpired. Of course, it mattered little at this point. Megatron demanded answers and he got them to a certain extent. Razorclaw's own feelings were irrelevant.

“Flamewar is correct, my lord,” Razorclaw finally spoke, keeping his optics fixated on Megatron. “Starscream was in possession of Sixshot’s shutdown code as apparently was another seeker. Although, it is unknown if that seeker knew the full code or only part of it. Regardless, he has been dealt with and the code was subsequently changed in order to remove Starscream from the equation. As for my own knowledge of the new code, I had not yet received it when your arrival in the hangar forced me to bypass Shockwave’s lab and head there, instead, my lord.”

“And I would also just like to add that when I was summoned here I did not know initially that it was Starscream calling me,” Sixshot interjected into the conversation, taking one step forward. “I was under the assumption that the communique I had received was from you, Lord Megatron. Once I arrived here I learned that Starscream was, in fact, the source of the message and he eventually established his control over me by utilizing my killswitch. I had no choice but to submit to him.”

“Indeed,” Razorclaw said, briefly glancing over at the sixchanger before returning his gaze to the slagmaker. “As for the Infiltration Protocol, Flamewar is also correct. We are in the very very early stages of Phase II, barely out of Phase I. We have a limited number of facsimiles already in place on Sol-3, some of which were used in a recent recovery mission in a region called Hawaii. Commander Onslaught here can provide you with further details in that regard, my lord.”

As Razorclaw finished responding to Megatron, Sixshot opened a private comm line with Flamewar, giving her a sideways glance in the process: >>"I think you may have irritated the Predacon Commander, my dear, when you answered Megatron's question before he had a chance to. The expression on Razorclaw's faceplate speaks volumes. Well done. Heh."<<