The Energon Pub

Lounge

Misfire smiled and nodded at Bonecrusher. He said, "You're not stupid, dude. In fact, you've given me the resolution to do something myself."

With that, he stood up, walked over to Swindle and tried to deck in right in the face, as hard as he could. Unfortunately, he missed, per his reputation, and and the momentum made him end up on the floor. However, satisfied, he got back on his feet and order the strongest thing he could.

Looking back at the Constructicons, he said, "You gonna call me stupid now? If you do, you'd be calling your friend there stupid as well, and I doubt thoughts like that will work in a gestalt mind."

Lounge

What the frag?

Feint was... surprised. He was aware that could have gone badly, but it didn't. This Constructicon was truly an idiot.

It was what the Bonecrusher said next that had him smirking inwardly more than Swindle faced blind millionaire while holding a broken battering ram.

"You're not stupid?" He asked oh so sarcastically. "On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the most intelligent, you, sir, clock in at a tenuous 3. And I can prove this statement as you just backed down from a mech half your size and considerably less than half your strength... which may or may not be an overstatement on my part."

Feint watched as Misfire also took a swing at Swindle also.

Again... what the frag?

"Well, Misfire, maybe not the brightest idea with the rest of the Combaticons present ... but... way to commit." He said. "Well, maybe we'll get a bar fight out of this...." He muttered, though a little too cautious to sit down.

Lounge:

Bonecrusher then smirked back at Misfire, and then looked at Swindle. "Um, eh hehehehe!" Bonecrusher didn't know what to say other than an awkward laugh, "Um, uh heh, I didn't really expect that Misfire but, to be honest, I rest my side with you."

Bonecrusher then looked around at all the other Combaticons, and then looked at Swindle, "Uh golly, I can pound some face but MAN, I didn't know anyone here would try to pound THAT hard on Swindle's face, though it it doesn't surprise me much."

Bonecrusher then looked at Misfire and said, "I think we can get along pretty well Misfire haha!" Bonecrusher then waved over at the bartender and said, "hey I'll have the same thing that Misfire ordered."

Bonecrusher then smirked at Feint who had a permanent look of shock on his face, "Ya know if you were a tough guy like me and Misfire, you'd want to do the same thing to Swindle's little smack mouth too."

Outside the Med Bay

Skywarp let a slight smirk escape his visage when Starscream asked him if he could procure a shuttle craft without being detected by anyone. Of course, he could. With the prankster’s unique ability he could go virtually anywhere on board without being seen and he could do so instantaneously. Although, that didn’t mean a security camera wouldn’t pick up his movements once he got to his destination, but naturally the dimwitted seeker didn’t consider the likelihood of that happening.

“Sure I can, Starscream. I’m a teleporter remember,” Skywarp replied, having allowed his smirk to develop into a full blown smile. “I can just pop on down to the hangar and warm one of the shuttles up for you. I shouldn’t have a problem with that. Heck, I could even teleport you there directly if you want.” Skywarp paused for a moment as a puzzled look overtook his faceplate. “But, sir, what do you want a shuttle for? You going somewhere?”

Skywarp then turned to look back at Nightraven, whom Starscream had just begun to speak to before being distracted by Vertigo. She had been silent throughout his conversation with their squad commander and her current expression did little to betray what she was thinking internally. As a result, Screamer probably still wasn't sure if he could trust her. “Um, if you’re concerned about Nightraven, sir, I can vouch for her. She’s a good seeker and is as loyal to you as I am,” the resident prankster said as he returned his attention to Starscream.

Lounge


"First of all..." Feint said looking at Bonecrusher his look of confusion having left his face long since. "I am not stupid enough to smack someone who has got 4 other buddies who, by virtue of their very team name, like to fight. Have you met Brawl? His name means 'to fight'.

"Further, I have no need to prove how 'tough' I am by picking a loosing fight." He looked Bonecrusher straight in the optics. "I'm more of a put a bullet between your optics kind of mech." His voice dropped a few decibels to just above a whispery growl as he delivered his threat. "If I'm feeling whimsical maybe melt your head with acid."

Lounge

Misfire crossed his arms and said, "You haven't been around Swindle for centuries. You'd do something that looks stupid, likepunch him in the face, as well. Besides, it's not like, as 'Cons, this sorta thing is frowned upon."

He sips on his drink as he speaks to Feint.

Lounge

Hook sits there throughout the ruckus, sipping at his drink either believing himself above such violence or lost in thought. He finally turns slowly to Bonecrusher, "Shockwave has shown that two dissimilar automatons can be combined into a passable Decepticon. So yes I could alter the amount of bots to form a cohesive whole. But that would alter the overall size and power of the combined form."

Another sip or two until the bullet is there and he slides the empty drink towards Swindle, "What Scrapper and I failed to take into account is the power of the bots individuality. We work together despite our differences but mentally we focus on very different parts of being a construction team." He taps his chin, "If we were to use say your team. I'd use some of the outlawed salve tech to make the combined form to force the individuality out of the equation and just utilize the spark and processor power as a pool like all natural built bots do."

Lounge:

Bonecrusher looked at the other four Combaticons, wondering if they would just randomly get up and start trying to wail on him and Misfire. Bonecrusher thought, "Ehh I personally am kinda ok about a bar fight, it would show my true fighting ability. There's a reason why people always talk about my strength."

After Hook finally answered Bonecrusher's question in the midst of the ruckus, Bonecrusher knew that this new technology was gonna get interesting. "You know fellas, I am smarter than most bots and cons give me credit for. I am no Grimlock. I understood most of what Hook said just fine."

Misfire crossed his arms and said, "You haven't been around Swindle for centuries. You'd punch him in the face as well."

"Agreed," Bonecrusher then turned to Feint and said "and plus, if someone was as scrawny as you, they'd think twice about engaging four large brutes of brothers by himself at close hand combat without pulling a trigger. Us tough guys don't need guns to get our rage out, though, Misfire is a pretty good shot too.

Bonecrusher then took a sip of his drink and said, "Since I and Misfire are probably the most sober out of all of us besides Hook, we could probably take all of you Combaticons on our selves, but we chose not to damage our own side too much."

Bonecrusher then turned to his new friend, "Ya know Misfire, if you have a need for any ammo or anything, just ask me, I always have a stash." Bonecrusher then chuckled, "you are probably the first Con to say I'm not stupid."

Lounge

In short order, the Stunticons got the drinks they had demanded. And equally quickly, it seemed like some of the other 'Cons in the room wanted to give them a run for their shanix in going for "Most Impulsive, Disruptive 'Con". Or stupid. Breakdown was certainly enjoying the entertainment either way.

“Hey. Aren’t those two over there from ole Scorpy’s bunch? Wonder what kinda mechs get sent over here...”

Who? Wha?

Oh.

"Oh...yeah, they hang around with this bat guy. Mindwipe. Or used to," Breakdown said, taking a long swig of his fuel container. His optics narrowed. "I wonder who's Scorponok's got his eyes on around here? I wonder if they still send him reports. Hmmm..."

Breakdown then turned and watched in sheer amazement as Bonecrusher just walked over slapped Swindle in the face. In. The. Face.

"Oh man! That was epic!"

He took another swig.

Lounge

Misfire smiled and nodded at Bonecrusher. "Sure, dude, that'd be nice. Though I'd probably waste any ammo given to me."

....and then the Stunticons walked in. Great, first Swindle and now the psycho squad. He thought as he got another drink. Will the horrors ever end?

Lounge:

Bonecrusher laughed and said, “I stock up so cons don’t look at me funny when I waste it on trying to get a lock open.” Bonecrusher then said in a light-hearted tone, “I usually use explosives and rockets most of the time anyhow when busting bots so I have a lot of ammo to spare."

Then the Stunticons entered the lounge.

Bonecrusher whispered in Misfire’s vocal receptors, “I actually prefer the Stunticons more than the Combaticons, at least they don’t annoy me as much, though, I would not recommend hanging out with them when they are not sober."

Bonecrusher then sat back in his seat and said, "I understand you have had a lot of trouble with your aim Misfire, would you like to have a practice buddy? Don't worry, we will use fake bullets so you don't injure yourself or anyone else."

Outside the Med Bay

Starscream nodded.

"Fine. I'll take your word." he said. "If Nightraven screws up, I'm holding you responsible. Now go down to the hangars and get a shuttle ready. But do not be conspicuous. If someone asks, tell them you're performing routine maintenance."

Starscream then turned towards Vertigo once again.

"We have to get ready. What are you doing about Feedback? Or do I need to go get him myself?" he said.

Starscream was becoming impatient. This plan needed to be set in motion.

Outside Med Bay

"We have to get ready. What are you doing about Feedback? Or do I need to go get him myself?" he said.

Lock On was stifling laughter as he watched the look on Vertigo's faceplate , the espionage expert was trying very hard not to get sarcastic and condescending with their commander. He probably would spontaneously combust if he did, after all Vertigo would never speak like that to Starscream,...

"I suppose Lock On and I could retrieve him, Starscream." Vertigo finally said. "If we can get into Shockwave's lab."

"Shouldn’t be hard." Lock On said as he could tell his partner in crime was already forming an elaborate plan, doomed to fail, to get into Shockwave's lab. "We just knock on the door and say we're there to get Feedback."

"That will never work." Vertigo grumbled.

Medical Bay – Maximum Security Wing

Orbitoclast let loose a glee filed cackle. She hadn’t even touched this guy and he was ready to drain his tank. So sad when a big bad is reduced to a sniveling, whimpering piece of slag. Her cackled died down to a chuckle as she watched Drag Strip squirm just a little more.

”Enough wasting time,” Motormaster boomed, ”I want to see him squirm.”

The femme looked over her shoulder at the towering Motormaster. She flashed the Stunticon Commander a sweet smile before she turned slightly around. “My goodness. You certainly are an impatient one.” She gave his a wink, “I like that.”

Now then. The King of the Roads wanted to see his subordinate squirm. Squirm. She could do better than that. She can make him scream for his creator.

“You know, sweetspark, I can do much better than make him squirm,” Orbitoclast smiled down at Drag Strip but it quickly faded into something more sinister. “I can make him wish he’d never been activated.”

“I’m no spawn of Unicron, please,”

She looked down the length of Drag Strip’s body, his midsection now oozing energon from the impalement. “No spawn od Unicron, huh? Then all that scrap that occurred down on that little mud ball was all you.” The doctor shook her head and tsked.

“Aaaahhhhh!!!”

“Shhhhhh. There’s no need for that…yet.”

Orbitoclast began to lower her instrument until it was just touching Drag Strip’s optical gutter. She let it linger for a moment; all the better to savor the mech’s terrified reaction, and then brought the small hammer up to the top of the probe and swung.

She burst out in laughter as she continued to hammer away.

Finally, when the probe was in place, and her mad howling at died down to only a giggle, Orbitoclast grabbed an electrical lead and inserted it directly into the port on the side of the probe.

“Okay, hon, I’ve got some sifting through to do." She then connected the free end of the lead directly into the jack on the side of her neck. If Drag Strip was hiding anything in his devious little mind she’d find out.

“This is gonna hurt…a lot.” The connection came to life and a steady stream of data began pouring in. Mostly useless slag…but then…

“Oh my, oh my, oh my. What have we here?” A broad smile grew while she looked down at the former racer. “So this is what you had in mind, eh?” After a moment Obitoclast looked to Motormaster, who was by now anxious to know what was in this mech’s head.

“Oh, sweetspark, this you gotta see.” She pursed her lips together and beckoned the gargantuan Stunticon over. “You’re gonna love this.”

Outside the Med Bay

"It won't, huh?" Starscream replied with a smirk. "We'll see about that."

He then turned around and started walking towards Shockwave's lab. He stretched out both arms sideways, and with his left hand pointed towards the Thanatos' hangar bay.

"Skywarp! That shuttle! NOW!!!"

Then with his right hand he snapped his fingers and pointed down the corridor.

"Lock On! Vertigo! With me!"

He was tired of the prattling and standing around. Things had to be done.

Corridors... Following Starscream

Vertigo was in motion the moment his name was spoken. "Coming Commander!" He said and dutifully scrambled into motion.

"Oooooo the boss is being commanding!" Lock On teased Vertigo softly. "Love it!" As he set off at Starscream's snap and command.

Medical Bay -- Maximum Security Wing

Drag Strip was at the mercy of two mechs that didn’t know the meaning of the word. He was doomed to continuous torture until both of them, but especially Motormaster, chose to finally allow him a reprieve. Unfortunately for the former herald, that would likely be a long time coming. He had done horrible things as the Fallen’s lackey, bad even by Decepticon standards, and now he was paying the very high price for it.

Pleading would get Drag Strip no where. In fact, the devious duo were relishing in his cries of pain. They wanted to hear his suffering and pleas to stop. They loved it. The yellow racer didn’t, of course, but he had come to realize that all of his begging only served to make him look weak and cowardly. What kind of a ‘Con was Drag to whine in such a manner? He had brought this all on, himself, after all. He should take his punishment, no matter how severe, like a real mech and not a pathetic little protoform who had been caught misbehaving.

As a result, Drag Strip fell silent as Orbitoclast brought the sharp probe directly onto his one optical gutter, pausing to see the fear in said eye. A maniacal laughter followed as the femme hammered the device deeper into the cavity between Drag’s optic and the outer socket. The pain was excruciating, but the yellow mech tried his best to hold the screams in. He was better than that. He was better than any of the other Stunticons for that matter. It was probably the reason why the Fallen had chosen him to begin with. He had what it took to be a herald. Unfortunately for him, the fiery demigod was not the winner of the battle and now the former race champion was left alone to suffer the consequences.

While Drag Strip managed to keep further screams of pain at bay, the expression on his faceplate betrayed him, clearly showing the agony he was in as he winced with each hammer strike. Finally, Orbitoclast stopped, the probe now in place. The pain subsided some, but not entirely. Regardless, Drag tried to maintain his composure as the femme placed an electrical lead into the port side of the probe, telling her patient that it was going to hurt a lot. Drag couldn’t imagine being in even more pain than he had already endured, but he didn’t have to imagine it as the probe came to life and invaded his mind.

Drag Strip’s optics widened as various images flashed across his HUD. These were memories and thoughts from deep inside his processor. The yellow Stunticon tried to fight back to prevent these private thoughts from escaping but it was no use. This probe was powerful and while connected to Orbitoclast’s own mind, it was even more so. The images continued to flash by in a continuous flurry until finally one was zeroed in on, the most terrible one that the femme could find let alone share with Motormaster.

It was not a memory, but a mere thought that had not come to fruition. The image showed Drag Strip down on the battlefield of Australia, standing over the writhing form of the Stunticon Commander as cosmic rust ravaged the massive mech’s entire body. This had been the yellow racer's plan had he not been taken out by Smokescreen’s sedative early on. Behind Drag Strip was the hovering visage of the Fallen, his influence ever present. However, while the demigod’s power certainly guided his herald’s actions, the former champion had not fought against it. He wanted Motormaster dead, but this was no surprise given the harsh treatment over the vorns from the King of the Road. Many of the Stunticons felt the same way deep down. With the kind of power Drag Strip had been given, it would’ve been more surprising had he not at the very least considered such an attempt. Thankfully for him, it had not become a reality as knowing Motormaster he would’ve found a way to survive and then Drag’s punishment would’ve been far and away worse than what he was now receiving.

Drag Strip’s expression remained anguished as his mind and body struggled in increasing pain, a loud groan escaping his vocals. He couldn’t hold it in anymore, letting out a fresh scream of agony. Drag did not beg for mercy again, however. Deep down he wanted it, of course, but he would not give his torturers that satisfaction. Holding on to the sides of the med birth as Motormaster's sword continued to pin him down, the yellow mech simply awaited his commander's reaction to this latest revelation and the further suffering that would surely follow.

Lounge

Misfire thought about Bonecrusher's question. He needed the practice and wanted to improve his aim. He smiled and said, "That'd be excellent."

Outside Med Bay

Skywarp nodded when Starscream told him that he would be held accountable if Nightraven screwed up. What was there to screw up really? It was simply a matter of powering up a shuttle and checking to see if the systems were all working properly. Even the prankster could manage that especially with Nightraven's help. Besides, if anyone was going to screw anything up it would be Skywarp, not the seeker femme as she was the one who would make certain that the teleporter did things right.

As Starscream began walking away, now shouting back at Skywarp to get down to the shuttle, the prankster looked over at Nightraven and cracked a half smile. “Well, I guess he really wants off this ship bad. Not sure why, though.” Skywarp noticed that Starscream had not answered his one question in regards to why he wanted a shuttle in the first place. Of course, the Seeker Commander didn’t have to answer as he was the boss and ‘Warp was the lowly subordinate who just did what he was told. Therefore, it mattered little as to the reason why.

“We should probably get down to the hangar before Screamer busts a gasket,” Skywarp whispered to Nightraven with a slight smirk on his visage before reaching out and taking a hold of the femme’s hand. “Hold on. This can be a little jarring, but not as bad as a bounce. Heh.” And with that said, both Skywarp and Nightraven teleported away in a flash of purple light.

Hangar

Astroseconds later, Skywarp and Nightraven appeared in another bright flash down in the primary hangar of the Thanatos. Immediately, the teleporter looked to Nighty with concern. “You okay?” Once ‘Warp could see that the femme was fine, he let go of her hand and made his way directly over to the nearest shuttle craft, assuming that Nightraven would follow. There were a few vehicons moving about the hangar, but none of them took notice of the two seekers. For all they knew, Skywarp and Nighty were supposed to be down there.

As he reached the shuttle, the teleporter stopped and activated the main hatch which quickly slid open, extending a ramp down to the hangar floor. Wasting no time, Skywarp ascended into the craft and took a seat in the cockpit. He then began working the controls, taking his time as he did so. The last thing he wanted was to break the shuttle as he would not only have to explain that little mishap to Starscream but likely to ‘Lord’ Razorclaw, as well. With a few more buttons pushed, the engines began to power up as the rest of the shuttle quickly came to life.

“Ah, there we go,” Skywarp said as he glanced back at Nightraven. “Well, I got the shuttle powering up, and the engines sound fine from what I can tell.” The prankster reviewed the various readouts displayed on several different holoscreens. He searched for any red-colored words or symbols that would indicate a problem, but saw none. The teleporter then checked the fuel cells and found them to be fully charged. “We seem to be all in the green, Nighty. But, could you maybe take a look for yourself to make sure I didn’t miss anything? That’d be a big help. Thanks.”

Lounge:

"Wonderful!" responded Bonecrusher after Misfire answered his offer, "I have a stock of particle blaster blanks from when some other Cons were practicing a while ago. They do shoot so you can learn to aim, but they are painless and hurt no more than a..." Bonecrusher then paused when he realized that he had accidentally crushed his shot-glass with his hand, "...than a tiny shot-glass being shattered under you hand, no, not painful at all." Bonecrusher then chuckled a bit and then asked, "wanna go to our firing practice corner now? We'll focus mostly on actual aim instead of how rapid you can shoot targets in a row for now. If you learn to aim with that gun you have, aiming with most other weapons should be mostly easy."

Medical Bay – Maximum Security Wing

“Oh, sweetspark, this you gotta see.” She pursed her lips together and beckoned the gargantuan Stunticon over. “You’re gonna love this.”

”Oh Drag Strip. You shouldn't have. I am almost flattered.” Motormaster smirked as he stood to witness the images Orbitoclast had pulled out of the yellow racer's memories. ”At the very least you have some backbone under your tin plated exterior of a coward.”

The massive Stunticon leader leaned down against the medical slab Drag Strip was bound against, his powerful digits digging into the cold steel surface of the medical slab. Optics gleaming of unrestrained glee over what he had just found out through Orbitoclast's efforts, Motormaster lowered his wickedly grinning face next to the audio receptor of his winning obsessed minion. ”You know it wouldn't have worked. You have tried before. Explosives. Hired guns. None have worked. I am merciless. I am unforgiving. I am invincible.”

”And you my dear friend,” Motormaster continued, ”Here's the best part. You are a second rate racer who wouldn't have won a single race on the major circuits were it not for me and my boys trigging the competition for you. Hear that boy? Tastes bittersweet now does it? A loser. That's what you are.”

The self-proclaimed King of the Roads stood up to his full height and effortlessly pulled his sword out of Drag Strip's chest and the med slab it had sank into. ”That's all you are ever going to be.”

”A loser.” The statement was followed by a kick that flipped the med slab to the floor and Drag Strip with it. One more wicked looking grin later, Motormaster turned his back on his victim. ”C'mon girlie. Leave him for now. The worst thing we can do the poor Dragster here is to let him live and have him find the courage to show up among the others.”

As Motormaster was about to exit the maximum security wing, he turned to give a final glance at Drag Strip. ”And don't think we are through you and I. Your payback has just began.”

”A slaggin' loser.”

Undoubtedly Motormaster's sinister laugher that followed his last words before making his exit - echoed in the head of his fallen follower long after he was gone.

Lounge

Misfire looked around at the new arrivals and stood. Smiling, he said, "Anything to get outta here."

He checked his gun and emptied it. He even checked the chamber to make sure he didn't fire an actual round into his newfound friend. Showing the gun to Bonecrusher, Misfire said, "OK, let's go."

Lounge on the way to Firing Practice Corner:

"Perfect!" said Bonecrusher, "this should be a blast... erm, no pun intended."

Firing Practice Corner:

Bonecrusher then proceeded to say a few things before they started practice, "Alright now remember Misfire, accuracy is more important than speed. Speed without accuracy can not only cause you to miss your opponent, but also cause friendly fire for one of your allies."

Bonecrusher then handed a cartridge of shot blanks to Misfire, "Aiming is more than just firing in a general direction, but you also need to try and estimate how far away your opponent is. If you are shooting from long range with a bullet-shooting gun, you need to aim slightly above where you want to fire, to account for the gravity pulling the bullet down as you shoot. Since you are using an ion blaster, this should not be an issue."

Bonecrusher then walked over to one of the targets, and proceeded to position it, "We will first practice close hand aiming. When we are doing aiming practice, close-hand aiming is the most important for a, well, almost beginner. After you master that, we will move on to multiple targets, long distance targets, moving targets, and other stuff."

Bonecrusher then patted Misfire on the back and said, "You can take as much time as you need to aim. The biggest key is not to get impatient when you are a beginner, but to learn, and over time your aim will improve, and so will your speed.

"Right here is a support wall. This is for resting your hands on as you are aiming. This will help your hands to not shake as you are trying to aim. One issue with not using some sort of support when you are a near beginner at aiming, is while you take time trying to aim, your arms start to get a bit weaker, and as a result your aim is most always off. Even now when I take a while to aim, my arms get tired, but since I don't take too long anymore it's not a huge issue. When you get the hang of aiming and firing relatively accurately and speedily with the support stand, you'll practice standing while aiming."

Bonecrusher then put some blanks in a gun, "I'll demonstrate." *pow* went the blank as he fired as accurately as he could at the target. *you were 0.5% on the bullseye, bravo!* went the little automated voice on the target after Bonecrusher shot at it. "As you can see I am no sniper, but I have had my practice. Your turn Misfire!"

Lounge

Hook continues to sit there a beacon of stability in the chaos that was the decepticon ranks. "I've forgotten what I originally came her to think about. Thanks Swindle, thats probably days of work."

Outside Shockwave's Lab

Starscream stopped at the entrance. He looked around, even up towards the ceiling, knowing that Shockwave had cameras all over the place. It didn't matter. If that dimwit Skywarp did as he was told, by the time Shockwave or anyone else discovered the damage Starscream had done, he would be far away from this wretched hulk. He looked back at the other two following him.

"Do you need me to hold your hand going in there, or can you actually get Feedback out yourselves?" he asked with a smirk. "Because I have a little extra something I want to leave for our good scientist. Shockwave is more valuable to Razorclaw than that dumb animal could ever comprehend. But without his lab, Shockwave's work can be hindered severely. And in order for me...er, us to get away and not be hunted, Shockwave's little toys need to be disabled, at least temporarily."