The Energon Pub

Interrogation Chamber

Skywarp did not hear nor did he feel the presence of Darkride standing behind him concealed in the blackness of the main chamber. It wasn’t until the interrogator switched on the overhead lights did ‘Warp realize that he was no longer alone. The sudden change from pitch darkness to shining brightness startled the seeker, causing him to briefly cover his optics until they had adjusted accordingly.

“A little warning next time!” Skywarp shouted as his vision began to clear. Darkride then spoke to him, apologizing for not granting him access to the chamber sooner and then going on to explain what had kept him busy. “I don’t care what you were doing, Darkride. I’ve got work to do!” The seeker looked over at the smaller mech and did not see what he had expected.

“Hey, how come you’re not…” The seeker’s words trailed off as his mouth curled into a frown of displeasure. There were no signs of neon colored paint anywhere on the interrogator’s body. It was apparent that Darkride had managed to clean himself up somehow as he was sporting a newly applied paint job. Piece of scrap! He must’ve used acid to wash that sticky substance off. Probably enjoyed the pain, too. Filthy slagger!

Skywarp’s attention was then drawn to the glass bottle that Darkride was holding up. The torturer claimed that it contained pure energon, which was the very substance the Decepticons had recently failed to retrieve from the crashed shuttle. “Pure energon? Really? That’s very interesting considering we just fought a battle where we tried to acquire some from the Autobots and here you are with a secret stash all your own.” The seeker leaned down closer to Darkride, a smile forming on his face plate. “Tell me, does Megatron know you have that? I’ll bet he doesn’t. I’m sure he’d be very angry if he found out you’ve been hiding a commodity as important as pure energon from him. Perhaps I should tell our supreme commander so that we can all benefit from the extra power.”

Skywarp went to open his comm link, but then stopped short from doing so. “Unless, of course, you’d be willing to share some of your energon stash with me. Then I might just look the other way. What do you say, Darkride? Interested?”

Corridor outside the Med Bay

Nightraven flashed a small smile at Hellion’s comment about Blitzwing. She was probably right; the commando certainly does have a swelled head when it comes to his fighting prowess. However, the black seeker was glad not to have had a run in with him. Nightraven’s smile faded when Hellion commented on her absence from the past mission. Without even thinking, she looked away from Hellion, a tell-tale sign she was keeping something from her.

“Well…I…I had something else come up and….”

As she looked back up to her sister, Nightraven spotted Starscream. At once the young Seeker femme grew silent as the Seeker Commander stalked past the two of them and continued down the corridor. Once he had disappeared around the corner, Nightraven let out a relieved sigh.

“Look, Helly, I don’t think I can really talk about the specifics. So, let’s just say I was transportation for Ratbat, and leave it at that.”

Command Center

Megatron sat and silently listened as Baneblade gave his analysis. The other Decepticon confirmed everything he had suspected, even if he was longwinded about it. He allowed him to indulge himself in his lecturing. His input was valued and he did not want any details missed. There had already been more mistakes on this world then he would have liked when it came to this infiltration mission. As Baneblade finished his report Megatron saw Starscream enter the room out of the corner of his optics. It was just as well as he had orders for him as well.

“Very good Baneblade. I want you to take what technical info you have on this northern nation to Scrapper and have him begin construction of a nuclear explosive device consistent with there technological level. The detonation will cause chaos but some nations might push for an investigation. I want the plan to be foolproof.”

The Decepticon leader shifted his focus to Starscream. The seeker had been the commander of this operation prior to his arrival. While he did not have his team performing up to a standard that was acceptable to his optics, he was a capable commander and soldier. It was time to put his abilities to use more effectively. This operation would require some more direct command influence and the seeker was still more familiar with this world then he was.

“Starscream, I want you to locate and begin construction of a remote forward base somewhere near this peninsula. We are remaining under infiltration protocols so keep it out of sight of the humans. I want full communication, scanners and jamming abilities set up there. You may take the Constructicons with you along with Thundercracker and Ramjet to serve as security.”

Megatron leaned forward in the chair. “This base will be a staging ground for our next major operation. Troops will be funneled in and out of it to help prevent a direct trace of our orbital bounces. I expect the mission to be completed efficiently and completely. Is this understood?”

*

Corridor outside the Med Bay

Hellion rolled her optics at Nightraven’s reply. “Yeah, yeah, some top secret thing as always. I don’t know how you handle having all of those secrets. Don’t you just want to tell someone about them all? It just seems so boring to go on all of these important missions and not be able to brag about them.” She gave her sister a crooked smile before Starscream strolled past. Both of the femmes clammed up with him around, only to resume once he was out of range.

The seeker snickered at her sister’s vague explanation of her mission. “Ok, well maybe if that was my mission I could keep it a secret all right.” She let out a sigh. “Not that my mission was any better. I got involved in another fight without ending any Autobots. This time that slagger Ironhide encased my face in molten metal.” She ran her hand over her face, still checking for any damage left. “Had to get my optics replaced. I ended up just flailing around in the water like an idiot for most of the fight. Next time someone is going to get their spark ripped out and show to them before I crush it in my hands!” She pounded her right fist into her left palm. “I swear Nighty, I’m going crazy sitting around this base. Then when I go on missions they end up like that! I just can’t win!”

CR Chambers

The first thing that went through Ramjet’s head as consciousness returned was “I’m going to KILL him.” It was also the second… and the third… and the forth. The words became a virtual litany running in the background of his processor as bolted from the CR chamber.

The chant didn’t stop the whole while as he strode angrily through the base and down to the armory where he disengaged the railguns that had been foisted off on him for the earlier mission, and reengaged his usual weaponry. The laser cannons felt familiar on his arms, like the embrace of an absent lover. He patted them lovingly, and then painstakingly checked every connection to make sure it was all copacetic. The whole while he worked, he muttered under his breath “I’m going to kill him.”

With that done, Ramjet fired off a few rounds on the practice range, just to make sure, then he set off through the hallways. He wasn’t sure exactly where Starscream was, but he’d find him. He could have probably queried the base computer, but the odds were that Screamer would have programmed the system to alert him if Ramjet was looking for him. That’s what Ramjet would have done. It wasn’t paranoia, just enlightened self-interest. In any case, Ramjet couldn’t risk it. He’d find him the old fashioned way.

The conehead came back past the med-bay, and ran up on Hellion and Nightraven still standing in the corridors talking. “Where’s Starscream,” he demanded, rudely interrupting their discussion. Anyone looking at him could tell at a glance that he was on edge. His optics were glowing far more brightly than normal, and a sneer marred his visage. Everything about his stance was aggressive and combative. He was obviously spoiling for a fight.

Corridor outside the Med Bay

Hooligan was just coming up to the med bay when he spotted Hellion, Nightraven and a very angry Ramjet. Somehow he knew this was fate working, Ramjet was about to allow him some measure of payback against Starscream and provide some entertainment. "Whoa Rammenstein, keep your afterburners cool. Don't wanna haul off on our lovely and lethal ladies here. They're not the fembot you're after are they?" Hooligan says with a sarcasticly joking tone to try and get his comrade calmed down. "I'm not his biggest fan either right now so it might be in both our interests if you told me what he did to you and...how can I help with the payback?"

Command Center

Baneblade listened carefully and entered in the information on his datapad as Megatron laid out his instructions.

"I will see to the Constructicons recieve their instructions personally Lord Megatron."

The massive Decepticon saluted and bow slightly in respect to the Decepticon leader before he departed the command center. He made his way through the corridors of the Decepticon base towards the lab facilities where the Constructicons spent much of their time. The hulking analyst entered the room and scanned his optics across it, spotting Scrapper he made his way over to the teams leader. He presented the data pad to him.

"I have orders from Megatron himself. He desires you to construct a nuclear device on the same scale of this worlds technology for use in a future operation. The specifics on the device are contained on my datapad. Additionally; your teams expertise will be required to construct a staging base for this operation, Starscream will contact you once he has selected a location for the base."

*

Starscream watched Baneblade leave the room before he walked forward and stood in front of the map of the region that Megatron had targeted.

"I believe a base of operations in the Yellow Sea would be the best place." He pointed to an area off the coast of the peninsula. "A sub surface base would be best, lower chances of detection and this particular region does not seem to see much military or commercial traffic. At worst we might have to sink a small vessel the locals use to harvest the life forms that dwell with in the waters of this world. It is my understanding such small craft occasionally go missing and although it will prompt a search of the area, I doubt a base on the floor of this water mass will be easily detected. I shall forward the coordinates to the Constructicons at once."

Starscream hit a few buttons on a near by console to send the information to the team of engineers.

Lab Facilities

With the main part of the work on the Ultra-Energon done with, Scrapper had continued some casual experiments and refiner designs, using the remainder of their samples while waiting for word from Shockwave. The other Constructicons were mainly lazing about, though Mixmaster was eagerly examining the various liquid extracts, giggling as he produced endless derivatives and byproducts.

As Baneblade entered, Scrapper sat up to face the large Decepticon. He took the datapad and nodded as Baneblade explained the situation. Using one of the natives own weapons to cause conflicts, a classic strategem.

"Understood, we'll begin immediately." Scrapper frowned as he saw what he was being asked to make. "Hmm...Their fusion technology is even more primitive than I thought. They use Atomic Fission reactions to create the required pressure, rather than plasma, fields, or antimatter. Slag...We're going to need Plutonium to replicate this weapon, otherwise it won't have the right radiation byproducts, and they'll be able to tell. Trying to synthesise plutonium here will take too long, we'll need to acquire some. I'll need to talk to Starscream, I fear."

Noting the message he just recieved from the Seeker Commander, Scrapper compiles a list of the materials they'll need to complete it. Any standard metal or alloy, they can take from the base or synthesise using Mixmaster. But the nuclear material, that would require more. And if the organics controlled it properly, it wouldn't be trivial to get.

Corridor outside the Med Bay

Hellion had just finished venting her frustrations with Nightraven when Ramjet came running down the corridor. The fact that the conehead was upright meant that he must have gotten all of his systems patched up. Seeing him and Starscream slug it out for a bit had probably been the best part of the mission for her. Of course that wasn’t saying much. Ramjet was a dolt with delusions of grandeur while Starscream was a nuisance with delusions of grandeur. Ideally they would have just slagged each other. At least they had put on an entertaining show.

She snickered at the conehead. “What, you feel like getting shot up again? You come charging at him and that’s what you’ll get.”

Then another Decepticon joined them. Hellion only vaguely recognized him as one of the non-seeker fliers, Hooligan. That’s pretty much all she needed to know, He was one of the wannabes, and she didn’t want any part of him or whatever plotting he was going to try and do with Ramjet. “Yeah, I’m sure the two of you will come up with some great plan to take out Starscream,” she rolled her optics. “Just leave me out of it.”


*

Command Center

Megatron listened as Starscream outlined his plans. The seeker seemed to quickly grasp the importance of the mission and some of his desires for what this staging post would consist of. Still, he wanted to emphasize certain points to them. He would make sure this mission would be conducted correctly, quickly and efficiently.

“I leave the details to you Starscream, but I want this outpost set up quickly. Motormaster’s team has already arrived on Earth in typical fashion.” He pressed a button on his command chair to bring up footage of the destruction in Detroit. “I allow them this bit of carnage to avoid it in this base, but I have no desire for them to remain idle for long. I do not want to waste energy having to keep them contained for any considerable amount of time. The Stunticons are agents of destruction, but they must be carefully applied before they backfire on their wielder.”

The Decepticon leader sat back in his throne. “Conduct the mission as you see fit, but inordinate delays will not be tolerated. The Constructicons do have a second project to conduct, but removing one or even two of them should not substantially slow you down. The Stunticons may be useful as manual labor but will have to be monitored if used. Gather your team and begin your mission. Send regular status updates to Soundwave.”

Command Center

Starscream nodded at Megatron after his orders were given.

"Of course Megatron, I will see to it immediately."

Walking away towards the door he keyed in his com link.

>>"Scrapper, this is Starscream. I have need of your teams expertise. Megatron has tasked me with establishing a forward base of operations for a critically important, and I have selected a location below one of this worlds oceans."<< He paused for a second and uploaded the details to Scrapper. >>"I just sent you the details. I will require any of your team that you can spare, labour will likely not be an issue as the Stunticons will be on hand to do the grunt work. Report back to me as soon as you are able."<<

After contacting scrapper he switched his coms over again.

>>"Thundercracker, Ramjet this is Starscream. Megatron has requested you assist me on a mission of critical importance. Meet me in the hangar as soon as possible for a briefing.<<

After issuing his orders Starscream switched off his coms and made his way towards the bases hangar bay.

Decepticon HQ - Corridors/Hangar

Looks like 'Warp has survive on his own. Thundercracker thought as he received a message from Starscream and immediately headed out towards the hangar, which was not too far away from his current position. He was rather confused on why Ramjet was assigned for the mission though. After all, the conehead was problematic and headstrong - and he had just received a trashing from Starscream, one he was very likely trying to avenge. No matter, Thundercracker was going to follow the orders. And if it came to it - he was going to help the seeker commander against Ramjet.

>>"Acknowledged commander. I am already in the hangar."<< He reported back to Starscream as soon as he reached the hangar.

Lab Facilities

Scrapper noted as yet another message came through from Starscream. Behind his faceplate, the engineer twisted his lip. It seemed that Starscream was intent on micromanaging this operation, and wouldn't be content until he got his answers. He began composing his reply, in order to get them all past this issue fast.

>>Starscream, I'll have Long Haul collect what materials we can spare from this base. He and Bonecrusher, working with the Stunticons, should be enough mechpower to build the needed facilities. However, because Mixmaster and Hook will have to remain at the main base to continue work on the Ore, it would be more efficient to procure building materials nearby. Also, the nuclear device will require some exotic elements to be made properly, most likely from a human power facility. We'll need to get those as well.<<

Scrapper wanted to sigh as he dispatched the message. This was going to annoy Starscream to no end, he could tell already. And when your commander was annoyed from the very start of the mission, that didn't bode well.

Corridors

"Glitch," Ramjet muttered, before turning his back on Hellion and focusing in on Hooligan. "What did he do to me? Screamer jumped me after we got back and just started shooting. I was wounded already and the dirty derelict got me right in the fuel pump. Knew he couldn't take me in a stand up fight, so he went for the guns when I wasn't expecting it. As for a plan I don't have one. I was just gonna grab him and pound him until there wasn't anything left but a spot of lubricant and some metal scrap."

He paused then added, "Unless you've got a better idea?"

Lab Facilities

It had taken longer than anticipated to clean up the labs, but finally Long Haul had dumped the last load of junk down the garbage chute before stopping by the mess hall to grab a quick drink of energon. He finished the glowing beverage on his way back to the main lab, entering the facility just in time to catch most of Scrapper's response to Starscream. Apparently, the Constructicon transport's services would be needed on an upcoming mission.

Long Haul approached Scrapper, tucking the now empty energon container away into subspace storage. "Hey, boss! I couldn't help but overhear. So, you want me to gather some stuff up for a new operation? Anything in particular we're going to need, sir?"

Corridors

"Oh of course I do silly man. I got plenty, in fact I heard that overrated aerodrone's little dispatch to you. I can talk someone into covering for me so that I might...pursue other things." Hooligan chortled with eager anticipation. "Rammeister, it's time you and TC to steal Screamer's thunder, no pun intended. All I need is mission details and a few nanos to get a few things together and well...like any date Screamer's has been on he'll have a few performance issues. When we're through with him it'll be Megatron dirtying his servos with Screamer's fuel while you reap the rewards." His mind was already planning some basics he could come up with.

Corridor outside the Med Bay

Nightraven let out a sigh as she listened to Hellion vent her frustrations over the results of the recent mission. The young femme had empathy for her sister’s plight, but she just didn’t feel the need to get overly sympathetic. After all she wasn’t so sure war was the answer in the first place.

The black Seeker femme was just about to address Hellion when Ramjet made his way to them and demanded they tell him where Starscream was. Nightraven was taken aback at Ramjet’s demeanor, not to say it was any better at any other time, but now he just looked mad with fury. She never got a chance to speak, instead the flier Hooligan showed up and attempted to calm and co-conspire with the conehead.

Nightraven nodded in agreement with her sister’s comment on leaving her out of whatever the two were planning for the Seeker Commander. It was then that Ramjet threw an expletive in Hellion’s direction.

The young femme took a hold of Hellion’s hand and tugged firmly as she addressed the two mechs.

“Well, you two have fun with that. Hellion and I have some business to take care of. Just make sure when you do get caught we had nothing to do with it.”

Nightraven then began to pull harder on Hellion's hand incurring her to follow her away from the idiots plotting revenge.

Corridor

"So if we're busted you don't want me to tell Megatron that you failed to stop us when you had the chance?" Hooligan taunts. "Girlies...don't mock me. I'm not the guy with the soundest judgment but I'm no idiot. However I'll play the fool if you arrange for my patrol route to be covered. I'd ask one of my fellow Cyberjets but Skyjack bailed on me the last time I asked him and Space Case put 11 Decepticons in the repair bay thinking they were intruders. I'm under orders from Scrapper and Hook to never sub with him again." Hooligan would smile if he had a mouth. Blackmail was almost as fun as pranking people. "Oh and if you fail to do so after saying yes then watch yourselves because I will repay you for it." He cautions Hellion and Nightraven. "I do think that's fair enough for our silence don't you Ramjet?"

Lab Facilities

Scrapper turns to Long Haul as the transporter re-enters the lab. "Ah, perfect timing. Try to gather up remote construction equipment, metal extractors that'll work in the planets water ocean, along with some essential parts from this list." The engineers hands Long Haul a datapad. "Try to pick stuff thats sturdy, the kind of thing we let Bonecrusher use. We'll be using other 'Cons for labor, so we need to be careful. And see if you can't find a scanner to pick up gamma radiation, we may need to go sniffing and I'm not sure if Scavenger will be coming with us." He pats the other mech on the shoulder. "If we get our prep done right, this should be an easy assignment once we're actually there. Now head along."

Corridors

Yeah... this was all getting a bit complicated. Hooligan talked so fast that Ramjet had a bit of trouble keeping up, one minute they were talking about some sort of revenge on Starscream and the next there was something about a blackmail attempt on the Seeker Sisters. Ramjet just found himself nodding along dumbly, and hoping he didn't look quite as blank as he felt. Hooligan wasn't exactly the brightest mech around, but once he got started on one of his pranks, there was nothing that could slow him down.

The one good thing was this little exchange had, momentarily at least, allowed Ramjet to shift gears mentally. He was coming to realize that a headlong charge at the object of his ire would probably only lead to more trouble. A more convoluted path was probably necessary, and few were more convoluted in their thinking than Hooligan, at least when it came to creative ways to cause havoc. Besides, he could always cut the Cyberjet loose if it looked like things were going to go wrong.

Ramjet decided he was willing to wait. He'd play along and see how things went, and if they didn't go to his liking he'd bail, or maybe just go back to his original plan and beat Starscream to death. That was the great thing about revenge, it didn't matter how long it took, it would always be there waiting for you.

Corridor

Hellion’s eyes lit up as Hooligan replied to her and Nightraven’s dismissal of him. She pulled her hand away from Nightraven's and walked back over to the other Decepticon. “Are you threatening me little Cyberjet? You think you can just threaten and blackmail me like some little drone?” She stepped closer to him, looming over him. “I don’t give a slag about you, your plans, or Starscream. I doubt Megatron cares about any of that either. If you somehow manage to do something to Starscream, then hurray for you. If you fail then hurray for Starscream. I don’t care either way.”

“But…” she leaned in closer to look him in the optic. “If you do anything to me or my sister, any more threats or stupid pranks, I’ll come for you and I will rip you apart with my bare hands. Not you or any of your little cyberjet buddies are going to sop me either. If I even so much as trip on something, or get paint splattered on me, I’m going to assume it was you and one of your pranks. Then the last thing you’ll see is my hand reaching down to yank your optics out of your malfunctioning little head.”

She shifted to stand up straight again. “If you doubt I’ll do it then ask Ramjet there. He’s seen me angry. I tend to lose control when I’m angry and smash things to little pieces, whether they be friend or foe, for or against orders. You remember all of that little Hooligan next time you try and mess with me or Nightraven.” With that the femme spun around and marched back down the corridor where Nightraven waited.

Interrogation Chamber

Darkride flashed his Seeker guest a toothy grin when Skywarp mentioned the recent battle over some pure Energon. Surly the Seeker wasn’t so dense that he believed that the interrogator had gotten a hold of the very Energon Starscream’s team was unable to acquire. Darkride nearly laughed with glee at the Seeker’s delicious assumption.

“Well, I’ve had this little stash for quite some time. Besides, it is such a minute amount, I’m sure Lord Megatron would find the information meaningless.”

The interrogator moved away from Skywarp and made his way to a movable tray. He snatched up two glasses and turned them over in order to pour out their contents. The thick liquid dripped onto the floor as Darkride walked back over to Skywarp. He placed the glasses on a counter and carefully poured the priceless fluid. Of course Darkride knew that the teleporter would be hesitant to drink first, therefore Darkride took the lead.

The bright pink liquid slid down his throat leaving a well-defined aftertaste in its wake. Darkride’s optics closed as if on instinct. The best way to savor such a delicacy was to shut all of one’s senses down and let the vital fluid entice the entire being.

After a moment Darkride opened his optics and focused on the taller Seeker. He smiled and gestured for Skywarp to take a drink. As soon as he did Skywarp would begin to feel the effects of the tranquilizer that he added to the Energon. Fortunately, Darkride had taken the precautions long ago to build up an immunity to any substances that he, or anyone else in his profession, might use.

Once Skywarp was fully under, Darkride would be able to do just about anything he wished, and when the Seeker finally did regain consciousness Darkride had the perfect rendition of the cause of the loss of time.

With his optics transfixed on the black and purple Seeker, Darkride brought his glass up to his lips for another drink, anticipation setting in.

Corridor

"Yeah, whatever. I survived Megatron, you fail to impress when compared to him Hellion." Hooligan noted her name on the long term list in his head. He wasn't scared of her, but it would be wiser to await a better time to strike. "Just keep this on the down low then for both our sakes." Hooligan said.

"Women." He shakes his head. "If she didn't want attitude she shouldn't have given it. Whatever...let's mosey Ramjet. I know a feeb who will fill in for me. Unlike that halogen harpy he knows his place. A low end flunky who keep having problems with his brakes." Hooligan says with a snicker that implied his guilt. "Once that's done we'll go for broke and make Starscream fall hard."

Interrogation Chamber

Skywarp kept his optics closely fixated on Darkride as the interrogator gave his excuse for not telling anyone about his little stash. Even if the amount of pure energon the torturer currently possessed was only a small amount, ‘Warp still felt that Megatron would be quite upset if he found out about it. “A minute amount, huh? I’m surprised you haven’t drunk it all by now. Pure energon is a hard substance to pass up even for a disciplined mech.”

Skywarp watched as Darkride walked over to a tray and quickly returned with two empty glasses which he placed on a nearby countertop. The interrogator then poured the energon into both glasses as ‘Warp began to salivate. Still, he wasn’t quick to grab one of the glasses as he didn’t trust Darkride, a mech who had previously attacked him, embarrassing him in front of the other seekers. Darkride was lucky that the only consequence thus far had been a colorful and sticky prank. Next time the torturer would not get off so easily.

Darkride then drank from one of the glasses, showing no ill effects from the energon he had consumed. The interrogator then gestured for Skywarp to have a drink. A half smile formed on the seeker’s face plate as he reached for the other glass and picked it up. It was unlikely that there was anything wrong with the energon as Darkride would not have been able to drink it, himself. Skywarp studied the glowing pink liquid a moment longer, watching as it swirled around in the clear glass. Then he looked down at Darkride.

“Don’t mind if I do.” Skywarp finally said, raising the glass to his mouth piece and downing the energon all in one gulp. A small droplet of pink fluid dripped down from the corner of his mouth. ‘Warp wiped it away with his hand as he enjoyed the taste of the real stuff he had gone without for so long.

“Mmmmm, I had forgotten how good pure energon tasted. Much better than…” Skywarp’s words trailed off as the tranquilizer had already begun to take effect. “Um… much better than that fake stuff we’re so often forced to consume….” The seeker lowered his glass and attempted to place it back on the counter. He set it on the edge, but it was too close and immediately fell to the floor, shattering into several pieces. “Oh, I’m sorry…..I’ll just….clean….that….up…..”

Skywarp leaned forward with the intention of picking up the broken glass, but instead he lost his balance and fell forward to the floor. Within astroseconds, ‘Warp was completely unconscious and at the mercy of Darkride.

Lab Facilities

Long Haul listened carefully to everything that Scrapper told him. It seemed that he would be gathering stuff up and carrying it around as usual. It was not a glamorous job, but it was one that was essential to the team’s function. The transport took the datapad from his commander and nodded several times as an indication that he understood what he needed to procure for the upcoming mission. “You got it, boss! I’ll head on down to the storage depot and grab the stuff that we need. It shouldn’t take me too long.” Long Haul then turned and headed out of the main lab.

Storage Depot

Long Haul entered the storage facility and looked around at all the equipment and tools that were stockpiled there. For an operation on a tiny backwater world such as Earth, there was certainly a lot of stuff to go through. Unfortunately, Long Haul didn’t have time to search the entire room for everything that he needed. So, instead, he activated a series of robot drones and set them to work gathering up the parts and equipment on Scrapper’s datapad. Long Haul then transformed into vehicle mode and soon the mindless automations began filling his dump truck’s bed with the required items.

Interrogation Chamber

As Skywarp gulped down the entire contents of the glass, Darkride simply watched; a broad smile etched on his faceplate. To his delight the tranquilizer took effect rather quickly causing the Seeker to become unsteady. The interrogator made no attempt to help the Seeker as he placed the glass on the edge of the table, and then letting it fall to the floor. When Skywarp finally fell over unconscious Darkride finally addressed his guest.

“Shame. We’re going to have to work on your Energon tolerance. But first thing's first.”

Darkride drank down the last of the Energon in his glass and then placed it on a nearby table. He then made his way back to the downed body of Skywarp. He circled him slowly only to come to a stop in front of the Seeker’s head. Darkride carefully nudged his foot beneath Skywarp’s cheek and lifted up his head only to drop it back to the floor.

The interrogator let out a sigh as he bent down and picked up the much larger mech. He carefully placed him on one of his examination tables and strapped him down. After all, one couldn’t be too careful. Darkride then hooked up some wires into the ports on the side of Skywarp’s cranial unit. Once the wiring was connected he began his search through the Seeker’s memory banks.

While his downloading was in progress Darkride quickly grabbed a hose from a locker nearby. He then opened up Skywarp’s chest plate and located his Energon fuel line. With an evil smirk on his face Darkride bypassed the line with the hose and began to syphon off some of the Seeker’s own Energon. After all he had to replenish his stock.

The dark purple mech made his way back to the computer terminal and glanced at the download of information. A devilish grin made its way back onto his face as he looked down at his ‘patient'.

"I never considered you to be the jealous type. Your mind, my dear Seeker, is an absolute treasure trove. Thank you, Skywarp”

It didn’t take long before the download was complete, and when it was the interrogator made sure to delete Skywarp’s memory of arriving and of having the drink of Energon. He made sure to keep Skywarp’s memory blank, that way the interrogator could feed him his own story.

Darkride, then, begrudgingly disconnected the wiring and then made his way to the syphoning hose. He disconnected it, making sure to reattach the Seeker’s own line. He was sure not to take an exorbitant amount of the vital fluid; after all he didn’t want Skywarp to catch on to what he had done.

Now, with the Seeker’s body back to normal and the restraints removed, Darkride simply had to sit back and wait for Skywarp to regain consciousness.

Corridors

Throwing Nightraven and Hellion an apologetic shrug and a wink, Ramjet fell in with Hooligan on his way down the hall. Ramjet seemed, for all intents and purposes, a different mech than the rampaging maniac that had been there only a few moments before. He was caught up in Hooligan's enthusiasm, and had gotten a grip on his rage. He knew he had to be smart this time and make Screamer pay.

"So where are we headed?" he asked. "After we railroad someone into covering your patrol I mean."

Corridor

"We're going on your mission. I'll come along uninvited as I usually do, saying I aim to brown nose a bit to get Screamer to forgive me. Skyjack put me up to it or something...anyways...we'll find out what's going on and well...wing it. Basically we're going to make Screamer sabotage himself and try not to get caught doing it. When you get your moment you're gonna save the mission and get the win over the red white and blue bozo...with my help of course." Hooligan explains to Ramjet. "I know it sounds like we're flying blindly into this but trust me, I work well with sudden inspiration. Recall that time I cleaned Blot AND Horri-Bull. I was just gonna do Blot but I had leftover cleaning stuff...and partially charged stun ray. Man that was fun. I was a hero to the others that day. Think I made Rippersnapper cry out of sheer relief."