The Energon Pub

Interrogation Chamber

The anguish on Bumblebee’s face was delightful to the sadistic interrogator. After only a few minutes of asking his prisoner for the location of the Autobot headquarters, Darkride told him that his choice was made. He then strapped the screaming human to a table visible to his guest. The interrogator then proceeded to skin the human alive. He chuckled lightly as the human’s screams slowly died down, until finally they ended all together. Covered in his latest victim’s vital fluid Darkride turned to face the suspended Autobot. He dangled the human’s pelt in front of Bumblebee and shook his head.

“This was entirely your fault. You were the one who could have prevented this from happening. But don’t worry, Bumblebee I will make sure you never forget this human.”

Darkride turned and placed the dermis in a container on a nearby table. He then moved to the box where he took the human from and looked back at the minibot, a cruel grin on his face.

“Shall we try this again?”

Bumblebee looked up at him in horror.

“No! Please! No more! Leave the humans alone! I’ll tell you what you want to know.”

Darkride released the human in his hand and secured the box. He then walked back over to the Autobot and waited for the information. Bumblebee swallowed hard before he gave up exactly what he knew.

“The base is located at the bottom of Lake Michigan approximately 59 miles off the shore of Michigan.”

A smile formed on Darkride’s face as he placed his hand on Bumblebee’s face and gently patted it.

“Very good. Now if you’ll excuse me, I believe Megatron would like to know this bit of information.”

The interrogator moved away from the dangling Autobot and opened up a secure private channel to the Decepticon leader.

>>”Lord Megatron. I have information acquired from the Autobot that I captured during the fuel raid. The Autobots have sent a team to Cybertron after Shockwave. The group sent to consists of Ultra Magnus, Kup, Springer, Hot Rod, the Predacon traitor Howlstrike and the Dinobots. I was also able to acquire the location of the Autobots’ headquarters. They are at the bottom of Lake Michigan approximately 59 miles off the shore of Michigan. I do hope this information pleases you my Lord.”<<

Darkride left the link open as he made his way back to the yellow mech. He carefully removed him from the restraints and lowered him gently to the floor. With his grip tight around Bumblebee’s right wrist, Darkride dragged him to a darkened room. Once inside the lights activated revealing only a table with restraints in the middle of the room. Darkride placed the now struggling Autobot on the table and strapped him down. With an evil grin etched on his faceplate Darkride addressed the terrified mech.

“I’ve been waiting a long time for an opportunity to perform this new procedure. You should be proud that you are the one to being used. What I have in store could be considered nothing more than a technological breakthrough. If you don’t mind I will be taking detailed notes on the entire procedure. So please, don’t hold back on how you are feeling; after all, this is for prosperities sake.”

Bumblebee’s optics widened as the door slowly slid shut and locked.

Corridors – Outside the Hangar Bay

"Don't short circuit your wiring Wildrider, I am following right behind you." Letting out a sigh, Thundercracker gave his response to Wildrider as he followed the wackjob of a Stunticon and Skywarp into the turbo lift.

Turning to face his friend, the blue seeker tried to draw some more information out of 'Warp's mind. Afterall he did prefer to know what his insidious brother was thinking. For better or worse, Skywarp's surprises usually meant trouble. "So, got any ideas of what colors to use? Bright ones I'd imagine?"

Miles away from the Decepticon Base

The four Autobots materialized on a deserted stretch of road Mirage had specifically picked out. Scans had shown that it wasn't heavily traveled and he gambled on them being unseen here. It looked like his gamble paid off. He took a moment orienting himself as bouncing always did have a way of messing with your perception a bit right after materializing. Then, with a quick nod at his teammates he transformed and raced down the road, quickly connecting to a highway and moving toward the mountain.

As they rapidly approached it he pulled off of the main roads and drove down an access road just used by park rangers. The road was rough and rocky, a fact that annoyed Mirage. He was used to much better than this, especially back on Cybertron. Nothing could be racing on those highways. He didn't complain out loud though, now he was focused on the mission and getting out alive.

He pulled to a stop a short distance down the road. "Alright, we should be on the edge of the Decepticon's base sensors. I made sure to give out a few echo sensor readings of bounces around this planet to cover our immediate arrival so they still aren't expecting us. Now its time for Hound and Smokescreen to do your things. Blurr, you hang back until I call for you. While you guys pull the Decepticons out of the base I'll make my way towards it and inside. Once I've got the door open I'll call you Blurr and you get in, fast. If everybody is clear then lets get started."

Miles from the Decepticon Base

Smokescreen materialized on the empty roadway along with his fellow rescuers. There were no humans or vehicles of any kind in sight. Mirage had picked a good location to bounce to, and the group wasn't far from where Bumblebee was being held captive. Soon, the minibot would be back where he belonged and they would all feel a sense of satisfaction and relief that their comrade was finally safe.

The diversion expert turned and looked over at Hound. "Okay, buddy. Let's go get 'Bee back," Smokescreen said with a grin. He then transformed into his Nissan 350z alt mode and zoomed down the roadway, following closely behind Mirage as they headed onto a larger highway and quickly approached the mountain where the Decepticon base was located. Smokey followed Mirage onto a small dirt road that took them deep into the forest, bringing them closer to their destination. The Autobot spy then came to an abrupt halt and Smokey listened as Mirage gave everyone their instructions. It was finally time for the diversionary tactician to do what he did best.

"You got it, Mirage. Hound and I are on it," Smokescreen responded as he returned to robot mode and turned towards the Autobot scout. "Okay, Hound, we're up. Let's head around to the north side of the mountain and create the diversion there. That way Mirage and Blurr can sneak into the base on the south side without being noticed." Smokescreen then turned and headed northward through the forest.

As he went, Smokescreen decided to make a few suggestions to Hound regarding the diversion. "So I figured once we're there and in position, you could start by creating a hologram of the Aerialbots. This should bring out most if not all of the seekers from the base. Draw them as far away from the mountain as possible. It probably won't take too long before the 'cons realize that it's just an illusion. So, before that happens, I'll hit them with several of my ECM missiles. The explosions will shower the seekers with enough magnetic waves that their guidance systems will go haywire, thus hopefully knocking them out of the sky. They won't know what's real and what's not."

Smokescreen paused a moment before continuing. "And if we come under attack from any ground forces, I'll unleash my smoke cloud on them while you generate more holograms to make our numbers look bigger. This should give Mirage and Blurr enough time to sneak in and get to Bumblebee. Sound like a plan, Hound?"

Level 23 – Living Quarters

Nightraven was taken by surprise when Hellion made her way over and snatched the container from her hand. With her mouth agape she looked at her sister for a moment before shutting her mouth and casually addressing Hellion.

“Forget about my stuff for a minute, I wanna know what’s in that canister. Helly, I swear if it’s anything illegal you better get it the hell out of this room. I’m not being dragged out of here and sent to Styx for anything you’ve done.”

With a stern look on her face she made her way over to her sister and waited for an answer.

Command Center

The Seeker Commander was received with an extensively inimical glare, long and measured. It was evident that his belated appearance had elicited an incomparably vexed reaction from Megatron, supreme hostility thrilling the Decepticon leader's disposition. The awkward silence further punctuated his intolerance for negligence that was currently being demonstrated by the Decepticons--Starscream included, apparently.

The Seeker was well versed in the tyrant's heinous character; Megatron's temperament, especially when piqued, represented the very incarnation of rage and ferocity. He was perfectly aware that he was merely only a couple of smart comments away from being offered personal violence. It was most certainly not a scenario the red and white Decepticon could amass any degree of zestful pleasure from. So alternatively, Starscream restricted his demeanour to silence and immobility, both absolute, and waited for the quietness to desist and the words to evacuate from Megatron's vocaliser--which finally happened.

“Yes, I have indeed returned from my mission, Megatron,” Starscream echoed, a touch of condescension lurking in his tone. “But you'll have to forgive my late arrival, for I was supervising the other Decepticons. Having carried out the mission with such a favourable outcome, I couldn't afford to let their belligerence, and dare I say, contentment, overshadow the somewhat delicate procedure of transporting storage cubes. Fortunately they had completed their task just as you contacted me.”

Starscream took a few casual steps forward, designating the confidence of his recent victory. “Well, as I just plainly stated, the mission was a great success; we--or more correctly, perhaps--Darkride--managed to secure an Autobot prisoner,” he said, hoping to placate Megatron's severe gaze, if only a little. “In fact, Darkride is...interacting with his playmate as we speak. And I do believe we'll be hearing from him shortly; he always knows how to make them talk quick, doesn't he?”

The Seeker discontinued his controlled animation and placed one hand loosely on his hip. “The fuel source, while not pure Cybertronian energon as we know, will still adequately sustain our needs, and it can be utilised in whatever plans you may have, Mighty Megatron.”

"No worries, Mirage!" Hound transforms and heads after Smokescreen, following the diversionary tactician into the forest. He listens to his friends plan as they drive along. "Sounds like a good plan. Some might say its cliche, I prefer the term 'classic'."

The hologram gun unfolds from Hounds rear compartment, and rainbow light plays over it as the scout computes the needed patterns.

"Ready when you are, Smokes, just give the word!"

Miles from the Decepticon Base

The rescue team materialised on a secluded stretch of road, its solitary path void of any human activity and journeying vehicles. The seemingly neglected route's desolation deposited a distinct emphasis on its expanse: it appeared to be quite broad and impressive. The Autobot spy, assuredly, had selected an excellent venue in which to commence their vital mission from.

Composing himself from the disorientating bounce, Blurr shifted into his sports car alt form and darted along the road, placing himself next to Mirage. Blurr wasn't striving to allure Mirage into a race or reinforce his incredible speed, no--it was just the data courier's rapid movements were set at an extreme level.

Accelerating hastily, Blurr left the lonely stretch of road, now zipping along a highway that was in connection with it. A mountain, presumably concealing the Decepticon base's true position, offered a plenary view, and he followed Mirage down a narrow dirt track--which would guide them to their intended location--disappearing into the dense forest. Mirage eventually ceased to a halt, garnering the cumulative attention of the rescue team. He then issued his orders to Blurr and the others precisely.

“Okay,” Blurr replied, nodding carefully in a repeated motion, “I can do that.” Ultimately, the data courier was nervous. The mission was critical, and the slightest mistake would influence dreadful consequences, most likely lethal. In an attempt to discard his nerves, Blurr, quelling his apprehension, focused intently on the task at hand and promised himself that he'd get Bumblebee back. He could never abandon a friend; it just was not in his character to do so.

The blue and white speedster projected his optics onto Hound and Smokescreen, his features arranging into an aspect of positivity. “Good luck, guys,” he said with a reassuring smile. “And show them what you've got!”

Mount St. Helens - Outside Decepticon Headquarters

“Classic or not, as long as it works,” Smokescreen replied to Hound in a friendly tone. Smokey drove as far as he could in vehicle form until the terrain became too rugged and uneven. He wasn’t exactly built for off-road travel, after all. That was Trailbreaker’s speciality. The diversion expert came to a stop and transformed back to robot mode. “Looks like we’re going in on foot from here.”

Smokescreen carefully continued forward, looking up at the dorment volcano the humans called Mount St. Helens and that the Decepticons had made their home. It was an impressive sight to behold, but not quite as impressive as some of the sights and structures that could once be seen on their homeworld. Just thinking of Cybertron now made Smokey homesick. Better to stay focused on the task at hand. Bumblebee’s spark depended on it.

Once they had reached the northside of the mountain, Smokescreen turned and faced Hound, who was ready and waiting with his hologram projector. “Okay, buddy, let’s do it. Unleash the faux Aeiralbots.” The red and blue mech then turned his gaze to the skies and readied his shoulder-mounted rocket launchers for the Decepticon seekers to appear once the diversion commenced.

Miles from the Decepticon Base

Not long after the rescue team had materialized and moved on another flash of light and energy pulsed and then vanished leaving Hex standing next to a long deserted stretch of road. He placed his hand on the side of his head to help with the dizziness. Once he collected himself he took a look at the road and then transformed. He made his way to the highway and then onto a narrow dirt road heading toward Mount St. Helens.

It hadn’t taken the young mech long to spot Mirage and Blurr. He came to a halt just behind the two rescuers and transformed back to robot mode.

“Mirage! There’s no way you’re gonna get in there without my help.”

Command Center

Megatron sat and silently listened to Starscream give his report, if it could be called that. It was mostly ego-inflating boasting. Apparently it had all gone very well, despite Autobot interference. They had even secured a prisoner, according to Darkride and eventually confirmed through Starscream’s bragging and excuses. It was annoying having to pick out the useful bits of information from his ranting. Perhaps in the future he would have to send Soundwave along on such missions to get an actual, concise view of what happened without all of the boasting.

“Yes, Darkride has already confirmed that he has taken the prisoner. He has already gained information from him. This is either telling about his skill in interrogation or the speed at which you arrived to give your report.”

He sent out a brief message back to Darkride. >>”Very good. Keep the prisoner functional and mostly intact. We may find further use for him later.”<<

The Decepticon leader stared down at Starscream. “In the future you can file a preliminary report over communication frequencies. If I have to demand a report from you in the future I can promise you that you will no longer be in a position that needs to make them.”

At this point there was some beeping from the control console manned by Soundwave. The communications officer quickly worked the controls before turning around. “Megatron, sensors detect orbital bounce occurring with Autobot signature. Destination point: unknown, Autobots using interference to block sensors.”

Megatron sat back in his chair. “Interesting. An oddly proactive move by the Autobots, unless they have detected the Constructicons.” Megatron considered the situation for a moment. “Have Thundercracker and Skywarp begin a patrol outside the base. This move by the Autobots so soon after the raid concerns me, especially with us having one of their number as a prisoner.

Soundwave nodded silently before signaling the two seekers. >>”Thundercracker, Skywarp, begin immediate patrol of base sector. Increased Autobot activity on planet has been detected.”<<

*

Level 23 – Living Quarters

Hellion sighed. “Its nothing illegal Nighty, not there is much the Decepticons really consider illegal.” She snatched up the canister from the table before Nightraven could get to it. “I didn’t who it to you because I figured you wouldn’t like it, or be grossed out by it.” She twisted the lid of the canister and popped it off. She then tipped it over to pour some of the contents into her hand.

What spilled out of the canister was a variety of bits and parts of Transformers. There was an optic with a ripped wire hanging off the back, a few fingers with varying amounts of joints on them and even a couple of Autobot badges torn from some hapless victim. “These are some of the trophies I’ve snatched from some battles I’ve been in. I didn’t think you’d really understand so I kept it a secret.”

*

Some Distance from Mt. St. Helens

Mirage spun around, his gun pointed right at Hex’s head and his finger on the trigger. He scowled at the young Autobot for a moment before lowering the gun so that it only pointed at his chest now.

“What the slag are you doing here you stupid glitch? You better not have blown our cover or I swear I’ll feed you to the Decepticons myself.” He glared at him silently for another moment before speaking again. “What makes you think that you are so indispensable to this mission? We are the professionals and I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen you on any spy missions.”

Outside Decepticon HQ

"Ok, here goes..."

The Aerialbots streaked through the sky, and circled the mountain. Silverbolt swung low, passing close to the base of the mountain. Fireflight spun and loop-the-looped, almost crashing into Skydive. Air Raid flew close to the mountain, as if seeking entry ports or hidden installations, and Slingshot hovered over the peak, in a perfect position to overview the whole thing.

"Smokescreeen, can you spoof some sensor signals to make it look like they're scanning the mountain? Anything to make the Decepticons panic, we need to try."

Outside Decepticon Headquarters

Smokescreen watched as Hound produced detailed holograms of the Aerialbots flying in various formations over the mountain. They were more realistic than Smokey could have hoped for. “They look good, Hound,” the diversion expert commented. “As for spoofing the sensors, I could try aiming a scan of my own through one of the holograms to make it look like it was coming from an Aerialbot. However, it would have to be one that’s flying close to the ground. Otherwise, the ‘cons would realize where the scan was really coming from.”

Smokescreen watched as the faux Silverbolt flew in low near the mountain base. “He’ll do fine.” Smokey then aimed his scanner through the flying hologram and towards the mountainside. “This should get the ‘cons attention. Just keep Silverbolt flying low, Hound. If he goes too high, the jig will be up.”

Turbo Lift – Inside Decepticon Headquarters

“Oh, I have the ball bearings, Wildrider. Don’t you worry about that,” Skywarp replied to the Stunticon’s suggestion that he would be afraid to go through with the prank on Darkride. ‘Warp’s attention was then quickly drawn to Thundercracker, as his buddy asked him about the color of the paint he would use on the interrogator.

“I was thinking either neon green or perhaps a bright pink, maybe both,” Skywarp responded with a laugh. “Can you just imagine ol’ Darkride covered in bright pink paint? The Autobot prisoner would even laugh at him.” The teleporter cackled again at the mere thought of it all. However, his joy quickly ended when he received Soundwave’s monotone message. “Ah, slaggit! Just when I was getting excited, my plans are abruptly put on hold. Never fails.” Skywarp opened a comm line back to Soundwave:

>>"No problem, Soundwave. ‘Cracker and I are on our way back to the hangar bay now."<<

Skywarp sighed as he stopped the turbo lift’s descent and then punched in a few buttons, sending the lift back up to where they had just come from. “Well, buddy, looks like we should’ve just stayed put,” Skywarp said, looking over at Thundercracker. “I hope this is not just a wild cyber-goose chase. I’d rather be pranking Darkride then flying circles aimlessly around this mountain.”

Turbo Lift – Inside Decepticon Headquarters

"Would be quite a sight." Thundercracker snickered at Skywarp's comment. "Although I do feel that two colors are hardly enough for proper humiliation. More the splashes, the merrier."

However the anticipation for seeing Darkride getting what he deserved quickly died out as Soundwave's transmission came through. To which Thundercracker replied with a short message of his own. >>"Acknowledged Soundwave. Moving out."<<

The blue seeker turned towards the lone Stunticon who had been part of their prank team. "This is far from over Wildrider, just prolonged. I doubt 'Warp will mind if you prepare him some paints."

Grabbing Skywarp by shoulder, the blue seeker spoke to his friend. "Gotta be the 'bots. Wouldn't be the first time they attempt a gung-ho rescue mission after we capture one of theirs. Just teleport us out above some clouds when you are ready."

Interrogation Chamber

Darkride stepped away from the screaming form of Bumblebee and made his way to a nearby table where he scooped up another one of the tools he needed to perform his experiment. He smiled broadly as he walked back over to his prisoner and continued his work. Another round of tortured cries escaped the minibot as Darkride addressed him.

“Very good. I am very pleased that you’ve decided not to hold back how you’re feeling. Remember, the entire process is being recorded, so by all means scream all you want.”

It was then that he received a response back from Megatron. However he kept to his work and sent his response back to the Decepticon leader.

>>”Oh believe me my Lord, I intend on keeping him fully functional. I have some very interesting plans for him.”<<

He let out a maniacal laugh before closing the link. Still laughing he dove back into his work.


Level 23 – Living Quarters

Nightraven watched intently as Hellion snatched up the canister and opened it up and poured out its contents into her hand. Nightraven’s face twisted into a disgusted look as she gazed back up at her sister. She shook her head as she addressed Hellion.

“That’s sick, Helly. Why would you need trophies anyway? Isn’t it enough to know that you’ve beaten someone without defiling their bodies?”

She looked back down into Hellion’s storage box and started to pull out the last few remaining items. Thankfully they seemed to be fairly normal. Nightraven took the items and made her way to her sister’s side of the room and placed them on a nearby shelf.


Some Distance from Mount St. Helens

Hex instinctively raised his hands when Mirage spun around and pointed his weapon in his face. He narrowed his optics as the Autobot spy lowered his gun to his chest. He let out a sigh as the team commander lashed out.

“Hey, no need for name calling. And no, I didn’t blow your cover, trust me.” He finally lowered his hands back down to his sides before Mirage spoke up again. Hex looked over Mirage’s shoulder at the Con base and then back at the mech. “Well, you may be the professionals, but you’re not going to get in there by bypassing the security system. Doing that will just trigger a silent alarm.” He paused a moment before he went on. “I’m very familiar with the Cons’ security systems; I can get you in and out of there without them even knowing you were ever there.”

He grew silent and waited for Mirage’s reaction to what he had just said.

Turbo Lift – Inside Decepticon Headquarters

Skywarp nodded to Thundercracker. “You’re probably right. They wouldn’t just sit back and leave one of their own in our hands. If they’re out there, we’ll make short work of them.” The black and purple seeker then turned to Wildrider. “Mix up something bright and make sure to include a strong adhesive so it sticks to Darkride for a long time. Got it? We’ll do the prank when I get back.”

Skywarp then looked back to his blue friend. “Okay, ‘Cracker. Hang on to me. The teleportation may be a bit jarring to you since you’re not used to it like I am.” In a flash, Skywarp and Thundercracker were gone from the turbo lift.

Above Decepticon Headquarters

The two seekers appeared above the dorment volcano in a flash. Beneath them was a blanket of clouds that thinny veiled the crater and the base hidden within. Skywarp glanced over at Thundercracker with a teasing look. “You okay there, buddy? You look a little green around the servos.” The teleporter chuckled slightly, patting his friend on the shoulder. “Let’s get to work.”

Skywarp swiftly transformed into his F-22 Raptor mode and shot down through the clouds. As he cleared them, bringing the mountain and forest below into view, ‘Warp spotted Hound’s flying holograms. He quickly opened a comm to Thundercracker: >>”Cracker, we got five Aerialbots down here! Alert the other seekers! We’ll need back-up!”<< Not realizing that what he was seeing wasn’t actually there, Skywarp set his sights on Slingshot and opened fire on the Autobot illusion.

Outside Decepticon Headquarters - Groundlevel

On the ground, hiding beneath the trees, Smokescreen carefully watched the skies and witnessed the appearance of the two Decepticon seekers high up above the mountain. Only two? I was hoping for more than that, Smokey thought to himself. Perhaps they were sent out first to assess the situation and more will soon follow. If not, I may have to change our strategy.

“Hey, Hound. We got two seekers directly above the volcano. Looks like Thundercracker and Skywarp from my vantage point. I’m not sure why the ‘cons only sent out two of their fliers. Regardless, try to draw them away from the base if you can. I’m going to hold off firing my rockets until I see if more emerge from the base. If not, I may have to try something different.”

Smokescreen was greatly concerned that they weren’t doing enough to draw the ‘cons out of their base. There was no time to waste and no margin for error in this situation. Bumblebee’s life depended on them. Then the diversion expert thought of something. Reaching into subspace storage, Smokey pulled out a trio of tiny round probes he had taken from Wheeljack’s lab before the inventor left for Cybertron. They were very small and only intended to gather basic recon data. However, they could also be used to trigger more of the ‘con’s sensors and make it seem like a sizable rescue team was advancing on the northside of the mountain.

“I’ve got an idea, Hound,” Smokey said as he activated the probes and then released them into the woods. Using a remote control pad on his forearm, Smokescreen guided the miniature devices deep into the Decepticon security grid, spreading the probes out into different directions with the hopes of setting off as many sensors at once as possible. The more that were set off, the more Autobots the enemy would think were outside. If this doesn’t get their attention, nothing will, the red and blue mech thought.

“Be ready, Hound. Those probes I released should spook more of their sensors and draw them out further, including possible ground troops.”

Above Decepticon Headquarters

"Pfft. One would think you had got used to me handling these teleports of yours just fine. This was hardly the first time, I lost count hundreds of vorns ago." Thundercracker sighed at his friend and transformed into the F-22 form of his own, disappearing from radar as he did so.

Unlike Skywarp, Thundercracker did not rush blindly to attack the Aerialbots. Instead he increased his altitude to assess the situation better and to get more distance between himself the Autobots. He was not going to dive in guns blazing at the Aerialbots just to be overnumbered and shot down. Not when they could get so many other seekers on the skies in a moments notice. It was certainly easier for 'Warp to act recklessly, at least he could always teleport away if situation grew dire enough. Then again, Skywarp had always been far more simpleminded than he was.

The sudden Autobot appearence certainly gave the blue seeker something to think about. How come we did not get sensor grid alert on Aerialbots? Still, they show on radar, on visuals and the audio sensor sweep gives results coherent with their movements. Could be Hound's holomatter projections but if even one of them is real... oh slag it.

>>"'Warp, try get hits on as many of the 'bots you can to see if they are real or holomatter projections! I will keep you coordinated on their positions and inform the base!"<<

Having finished the transmission to Skywarp, Thundercracker opened comm-line to Soundwave. >>"Thundercracker to Soundwave. We have full squadron of Aerialbots inbound, attempting to scan the mountain. Skywarp is probing the enemy but we will need backup to engage."<<

Near Decepticon HQ

"Right!!" Gotta concentrate on maintaining the illusion as long as possible, and as realistically...

Slingshot vectored to one side as Skywarp opened fire. The VTOL jet spun and twisted away from the shots, but Hound wasn't used to aerial combat, and a beam clipped the holograms wing. Acting quickly, the scout imposed the picture of an explosion over the point of 'impact', and changed the hologram to show a broken wing. The VTOL jet spun downwards, transforming to robot mode to show its wounded nature. Hopefully he didn't catch the split-second delay. Skywarp isn't meant to be the sharpest of the Seekers.

The rest of the 'Aerialbots' went into the attack. Air Raid and Fireflight went after Skywarp, to 'rescue' their friend, while Skydive went after Thundercracker, and Silverbolt transformed and began shooting at the face of the mountain. Hounds mouth twisted with the concentration: He needed to ensure it looked like the holograms were attacking in earnest, but couldn't risk the false shots actually hitting their 'targets'. Illusory explosions might work on inanimate targets, but not on real mechs.

Command Center

Megatron's temperament had solidified into a capacity of riffled exasperation, despite the Seeker's positive yet ego-pleasing account. And as Starscream informed Megatron on his victorious foray, an eerie stillness, insidiously manifested by the Decepticon leader, enveloped the vicinity of their private localities, inauspicious impressions violating the red and white F-22 Raptor's presence. Starscream, however, knew full well his report, in all of its splendorous achievement, would be dominated by Megatron's fanatical intolerance for faded motivation.

Furthermore, it would sanction the tyrant--with what little opening it provided--to personally disparage the Seeker Commander; an invaluable opportunity Starscream himself, admittedly, would not decline.

The Decepticon leader transmitted a concise message to Darkride, returning his essential communication. He then looked down from his elaborate throne, fingers clasped ominously on the armrests, and glowered impetuously at the Seeker as he insinuated Starscream's position be anything but firmly cemented. Honestly, it was nothing the Seeker hadn't heard before.

With his stiff composure remaining unrattled at Megatron's ineffectual threat, Starscream responded swiftly, hoping to extinguish the miserable travesty that was the brute's unprofitable warning. And the advancing characteristic smirk that was becoming increasingly more difficult to repel from his features. “Duly noted, Mighty Megatron,” he said with a faint apparition of a sardonic smile evolving on his faceplate. “I will insure that no such...inconveniences shall force your attention again.”

Before Starscream could add anything further, the control console uttered a sequence of beeps which ensnared his attention. Soundwave, hands actively manipulating the console in a consistent fashion, alerted Megatron of an unwelcome Autobot presence.

The F-22 Raptor's expression crumpled into a spectacle of remarkable disdain. So...the Autobots think they can just waltz on in here and rescue their palm-sized, moronic Minibot, do they? Hmph! A bold move, but foolish, nonetheless. Very foolish.


Some Distance from Mount St. Helens

Blurr twirled in the direction of a placeable voice, its vocalisation requesting the dual company of himself and Mirage. To his astonishment, the data courier witnessed, in a submissive posture, due to Mirage's alarmed response, the impossible physical semblance of Hex.

“Hex!” Blurr exclaimed, his optics widening spaciously. “Wha- What are you doing here? How'd you get here? Why are you here?” The blue and white sports vehicle's developing compilation of inquiries was promptly resolved, however, as the young Autobot justified, in sharp detail, his unheralded appearance.

“That actually sounds pretty helpful. Very helpful, in fact.” Blurr then shifted his optics onto the Autobot spy; Mirage's conduct still exciting with clear agitation. “Don't you think, Mirage? Hex here would sure give us an advantage. So what do you say? Should we give him a shot?” the data courier quizzed the spy, cajoling him with a warm smile.


Turbo Lift – Inside Decepticon Headquarters

Wildrider's cheerful spirit seemed to vanish completely as the turbo lift, instigated by Skywarp's digits, froze--an unexpected motion eventuating at the most inopportune moment--and embarked on its ascent back up to the hangar bay. He had heard, and viewed, the two Seekers replying punctually to Soundwave's apparently urgent transmission. Both Skywarp's and Thundercracker's pleased dispositions quickly vacated--impeccably eradicated by the message--and an infliction of accumulated irritability now served as the disgruntled replacement.

The two Seekers, not to Wildrider's surprise, shared coinciding opinions, that the Ferrari should prepare the bright-coloured paints and the adhesive that was to be mixed in with it while they executed their aerial patrol around the base's perimeter. And while it was a monotonous task, Wildrider really had no other alternative to which he could occupy his exhausting attentive needs to.

“What?! You've got to be fraggin' kidding me! You two flyboys get to fight Autoscrap while I get to mix paint?!” The grey Ferrari was evidently rankled at this point. “Oh, alright... Frag it, I'll do it. But if there are any 'Bots out there, leave some for me! I wanna bust them up!”

The horrid sound of the Stunticon's discordant guffaw languished steadily as he began his second descent down to the storage depot on Sub-level 4.

Command Center

Soundwave turned from his console. “Megatron, multiple Autobot targets detected in base air space. Thundercracker requesting immediate reinforcements.”

Megatron frowned. First the odd orbital bounce readings and now a sudden assault on their base. It was a very aggressive move for the Autobots, and very out of character for them. This attack was likely some sort of distraction, but from what? Either way, it still had to be dealt with. The Decepticon leader turned to Starscream.

“Starscream, take Hellion and Nightraven and take control of the situation out there. I want to know exactly what is going on.”

The Decepticon leader then turned back to Soundwave. “Soundwave, send a report on Darkride’s findings from the prisoner to Shockwave, maximum encryption. I want him to have the information as soon as possible, but without the Autobots being able to crack it.”

“As you command, Megatron.” The communications officer went to work, monitoring the battle outside. For his calculating, computer like mind the multi-tasking took little effort. Within moments the highly encrypted data was on its way to Cybertron and Shockwave.

*

Level 23 – Living Quarters

Hellion shrugged as she took the canister back from Nightraven. She dumped her trophies back inside of it and sealed it up. “I don’t know Nighty. Sometimes I don’t even remember the fights I got them in. You know what I get like in the middle of a fight, with the rage and everything. If I take down some big fighter I’d like to have something to show for it, even if its just to remind me of what happened.”

She took the canister and placed it in a drawer. “And its not like I display them or anything. I was keeping them hidden from you after all. You should know that other Decepticons aren’t so shy about their souvenirs from battle. I’ve heard the Predacons mount the heads of their victims on the walls of their ship.”

*

Some Distance from Mount St. Helens

Mirage glared at the younger Autobot for a moment, considering what to do. His hand was forced, however, we he overheard the sounds of a battle taking place nearby. He grimaced as he looked at Hex, finally lowering his weapon completely. “Fine, tell me what you have and make it slagging quick. We have to get into position now for this plan to work at all.”

Some Distance from Mount St. Helens

Hex’s hands remained in the air as Mirage kept his weapon pointed at the young mech’s chest. He glared back at the spy and waited for him to respond to his offer. Once Mirage lowered his weapon Hex lowered his arms to his sides. He let out a heavy sigh of relief and then smiled. After Mirage spoke he quickly reached into subspace storage and pulled out a small hand held device.

“You can use this to get in and get around in the base. It’ll create a bubble around you causing the sensors to bounce off of your forms and back to their origin points. It worked for me, that’s why I perfected it.”

He offered the device to Mirage but held tight to it so the spy couldn’t take it from his hand. Hex’s features hardened as he spoke again.

“I just have one request. Keep the interrogator alive.”

Some Distance from Mount St. Helens

Mirage stared at Hex for a moment. He was still annoyed that the brash little Autobot had followed them on this mission, especially after having been thrown out of the meeting by Prime himself. Hopefully his bouncing down here hadn’t completely ruined their plan. The fact that Hound and Smokescreen hadn’t reported any problems gave him hope that this plan still had a chance of work.

Now Hex was offering a bit of technology that might prove quite the asset, assuming it worked. He didn’t know Hex, so he didn’t know if he was capable of creating such a device. Of course he could have just stolen it from Wheeljack’s closet for all he knew and was just taking credit for it. Either way it was too tempting to simply turn down. If it didn’t work then they were basically back to where they started. This whole operation was full of risks and gambles, what was one more added to that.

“Yeah, yeah, keep the interrogator alive, got it.” He took the device away from the other Autobot and gave it a cursory examination. It appeared easy enough to work. He looked up at Hex. “Now I suggest you either head back to base our join in with our distraction group. Having a real live Bot shooting might help make it look more convincing. Of course you’ll be putting your aft on the line in a big way.”

Mirage turned around to face Blurr. “Alright, slight change of plan. I’ll go invisible and sneak in while the door is open. You take this device and run around the base until you find where Bumblebee is being held. My cloak should keep me invisible to the interior scanners long enough for you to do that much. Come back and get me and we’ll go and rescue him. Got it? Good, now let’s move!” The Autobot spy took off at a jog towards the mountain, knowing that his presence was just likely to confuse the Decepticon sensors even more once they were in range of them.

Above Decepticon Headquarters

>>”No problem, ‘Cracker! I’ll find out if they’re real or not!"<<

Skywarp continued firing his lasers at Slingshot, one of which seemed to pass right through the Aerialbot’s wing. At first, ‘Warp thought it to be an illusion like Thundercracker had suspected, but then an explosion emanated from the point of impact, causing the wing to break off. Slingshot began to spin and lose altitude, transforming to robot mode in an apparent attempt to avoid crashing. At the same time, Air Raid and Fireflight banked towards Skywarp, coming to their comrade’s rescue.

>>”Hey, ‘Cracker, they appear to be real. I just hit one on the wing, causing some damage, and now two of the others are coming after me and another one’s on your six. Stupid Aerialbots. Do they actually think they are any match for us?”<<

As Air Raid and Fireflight came towards him, Skywarp turned upwards, easily avoiding their shots. He then vanished in a flash of light and quickly reappeared directly behind the faux Autobot fliers. “Take this, slaggers!!” The teleporter unleashed four missiles directly at the two Aerialbot illusions.

Outside Decepticon Headquarters – Ground Level

Smokescreen kept an optic on the "battle" in the skies as he continued to guide the two small probes through the Decepticon sensor net on the ground. “That’s good, Hound, keep it going. Try to lure them as far away from the base as you can. More seekers should emerge soon.” I hope. Things weren’t going exactly how Smokey had anticipated. Only two seekers had appeared thus far, and it would soon be apparent that the Aerialbots weren’t real. Even Skywarp would figure it out eventually.

The diversion expert decided to open an encrypted comm line to Mirage and Blurr to let them know what was going on:

>>”Distraction team to rescue team, the diversion has commenced. Hound has created holomatter Aerialbots to draw the 'cons out. However, so far only two seekers, Skywarp and Thundercracker, have emerged from the base. I don’t know why the others haven’t come out yet. It’s possible they might suspect something is up. I’ve simultaneously released a pair of probes to trigger multiple ground sensors at our location so that it appears the rescue attempt is on the north side of the mountain. This should keep the Decepticons’ attention away from you guys. Good luck and be careful.”<<

Smokescreen then closed the secured channel and turned his attention skywards again. “Careful, Hound. Skywarp just teleported behind your guys and has fired four missiles. You’re going to have to have Air Raid and Fireflight avoid them somehow. I don’t think fake explosions will be enough to trick the seekers this time. If those missiles make contact with your holograms and then keep on going, the jig will be up.” Smokey readied his shoulder-mounted ECM rockets in case the seekers discovered the Aerialbot’s illusionary nature.

Above the Decepticon Headquarters

To Thundercracker's chagrin of all the possible Autobots going after him it had to Skydive. While he could fly circles around pretty much any other Autobot, he had no advantage of flight skills over this particular Aerialbot. However, on a whole Thundercracker did have two advantages over perhaps the best flyer the 'bots had. One was the superior seeker design for Skydive could replicate almost every move Thundercracker could try in order to shake Skydive off his tail except for those the Autobot's design limited him from replicating. The other advantage was mental. Skydive simply didn't understand how good he was and respected the seekers too much for their flying skills.

Still, Thundercracker was not convinced of the all Autobots he had spotted being there for real. Not even after Skywarp's report. Nevertheless, he was not going take the risk of even one of the Aerialbots being there for real. The blue seeker started a series of extremely difficult manouvers that Skydive could follow but an imposter was not going to be able to react to properly and opened comm-link to his wingmate. >>"Check your sensor records 'Warp. Did your sensors register heat and pressure waves from the explosions? You were close enough to get the data."<<

Some Distance from Mount St. Helens

Hex listened as Mirage gave Blurr the run down on what was going to happen from then on. As the spy and the data courier jogged off toward the base Hex continued to watch until they were finally out of site. He sighed heavily as he turned toward the location of Smokescreen and Hound. He took off and soon the diversion expert came into view.

“Smokescreen! What can I do to help out?”