The Energon Pub

Bridge

Prowl's words reached Blaster practically immediately. He was going to need to switch up his Transforming out of his boombox mode, he turned to Prowl.

"I'm putting more focus on scanning Iran, see if I can get a clearer picture of what sort of mess we're dealing with. I'll have their little act figured out in no time, pal!" Blaster commented. His chest compartment opened, all 4 cassettes popping out. He only wanted two of them to help him out for this- he just wanted to get Ramhorn and Steeljaw some air.

"Eject, Rewind, help me go through these radio waves!" The two humanoid cassettes complied with nods, going to a pair of smaller consoles near the main monitor. Their clicking of keys quickly accompanied Blaster's own.

"Steeljaw, Ramhorn...I'm just giving you guys some air. Feel free to do whatever." Steeljaw nodded in return. Picking up a very faint scent, the lion cassette walked out of the room, on the trail of some scent- the relatively fresh scent of Saferoute. Ramhorn simply wandered into a corner- his corner- and eyed the other Autobots with suspicion, making sure none of them went near his area. Blaster kept half an optic on him- though he figured as long as no one else went near him, he'd be fine. Sitting down once more, Blaster focused on the screen, trying to glean any information about this attack he could possibly find.

Medical Bay

Eventually, Steeljaw found himself wandering into the Med Bay. He had lost track of where exactly he was, but that didn't matter anymore. He had found the source of the scent he was looking for- Saferoute.

Silently, Steeljaw advanced slowly towards his "prey" He got closer, and closer, her scent overwhelming his sensors. Finally, he pounced, attempting to latch onto her left shoulder with magnetized front paws, and trying to attach his hind legs onto her back. It was an incredible thrill for the cassette- there was nothing that compared to catching prey in terms of excitement in his mind.

"Groawr." Steeljaw let out a roar of success.

Bounce Chamber

Ironhide materialized in the room with a frown on his face, and it wasn’t just from the disorientation of bouncing. He didn’t see any of his team waiting for him there, despite Prowl’s assurances. It was looking like without him around kicking some bots in the afts to get going things weren’t running quite like they should. Well he was going to have to fix that, starting with the team assigned to him.

>>” Silverbolt, Hardhead, Warpath, Ratchet, get yer afts in gear and get to the bounce chamber. I was on the slaggin’ planet below and got here before all of you did, and you just have to walk down some corridors.”<<

Hopefully that would quicken their pace. Time wasted was time for the Cons to accomplish whatever they were doing down there.

(OOC: Em asked me to NPC 'Bolt and Sling until sumo returns to take them on full-time again.)

Bounce Chamber

Acquiring a transmission from Ironhide essentially telling Silverbolt to pick up the pace was not something he considered ideal. It was embarrassing, if anything. Ironhide had been on Earth, engrossed in the recovery of the Ark-19, when Prowl had arranged the mission to Iran, yet he was the first Autobot to reach the bounce chamber. Silverbolt shook his cranial unit, the action fastened with disappointment.

Although it had only taken a breem—two at most—to arrive at the bounce chamber the journey felt much longer. With Ironhide's swift appearance and subsequent transmission and Slingshot's extravagant fund of irritating boastings savaging his audio modules during their trip, there was no other alternative to describe it. Still, the two Aerialbots confirmed second place by emerging into the chamber.

Silverbolt nodded at the security officer. “Ironhide.” He waited for Slingshot to enter the chamber, hoping good behaviour would supersede the need to perform in an obnoxious manner. “Slingshot will be accompanying us on the mission. There's no telling how many Decepticons we may encounter. And knowing how many fliers they have, Slingshot's assistance will increase our chance in the air. However we must be prepared for anything.”

Slingshot held up an actuator, dispelling any concerns Silverbolt had. “Hey, hey—hold on. I got this sorted out, all right? No need for you lot to worry about a couple of Seekers or whoever. I'll take care of 'em.” He folded his arms across his chest-plate, sweeping the chamber with his gaze. “The frag is everybody anyway?”

Just once Silverbolt wished Slingshot would omit the offensive remarks swarming around in his vocaliser.

Bounce Chamber

Warpath walked into the chamber about a breem after Silverbolt and Slingshot. He had never been one of the quicker 'bots, even in robot mode. The warrior felt no shame or embarassment arriving when he did, especially since he felt he had used his time wisely.

"I got here as ZOOM fast as I could, Ironhide. Had to stop at the armoury and BLAM make sure I had enough shells.", the warrior hollered as he walked onto the bounce pad.


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Medical Bay

Saferoute was waiting for a response from Ratchet when she suddenly something magnetically attached to her left shoulder, then heard a triumphant roar- most definitely from a mechanical feline. While most bots might have frantically tried to remove the "attacker" in a panic, or tried to shoot or punch it off in anger, Saferoute knew better. If anything, she was glad to be attacked in this sort of way. It was very unlikely an enemy would attack her in such a nonlethal way, so here was a cybernetic animal she could play with.

"Oh, never mind, sir. I think I've found something to occupy my time." she said with a smirk, purposely looking away to the right, away from her "passenger".

"You know it's weird, I thought I heard something." she said out loud to no one in particular, "But I guess my audio receptors just need to be checked- but wait a second, what's this on my shoulder?"

She playfully felt around her back with her right hand, as if she couldn't find something. After a few seconds she finally "found" Steeljaw, her hand gently petting his back. Then slowly she turned her head around to look at him. As soon as she made eye contact she faked a horrified look.

"OH NO! I've been attacked by a bot-eating lion! AAAAGH!", she yelled as she threw herself to the floor, as if the lion had taken her down.

Armory

Hardhead grabbed as many explosive shells off of the racks that he could load into his back-mounted cannon. He wanted to be prepared for any eventuality when it came to the Decepticons. They were likely desperate and willing to go beyond what one might normally expect. He was unsure of who exactly he would face or how many. Would they be ground-based forces, the elite seekers or perhaps a little of both? It didn’t matter as his shells and diamond-hard shards would do the job regardless of the type of foe he faced.

Hardhead took his time picking out just the right kind of ammunition in just the right quantity for his weapons. He armed his shatterblasters with one ammo clip each, locking them securely into place, while storing several other clips in a subspace compartment for later use. Primus knows he would need them considering he went through more diamond shards in a single battle then Trailbreaker did in fuel.

Unfortunately, too much time had passed before the green warrior realized that everyone else had already moved on ahead of him. He had started as the first mech out of the training room and would now end up as the last one to arrive at the bounce chamber. “Slaggit,” the stubborn Autobot muttered under his breath. “Ironhide’s not gonna like me being late. Better get moving.”

Grabbing one last incendiary shell from the racks, the war veteran stomped out of the armory and made he way down to the bounce chamber.

Bounce Chamber

As he had expected, Hardhead was one of the last members of the team to arrive. Warpath, Silverbolt and Slingshot were already there waiting as the green mech entered the chamber, a bit out of breath from trying to rush his huge bulk down there in time. Better late than never, the large warrior thought as he gave a respectful salute to Ironhide before joining the others on the bounce pad. “Sorry I’m late, guys. Got hung up in the armory picking out a variety of shells for my cannon. You know how it is. You think you’ve got just what you need and then you see something else you want to bring. It’s an endless cycle.”

Hardhead allowed a grin to fill his faceplate as he clutched his shatterblasters in both hands. “But, I’m ready now. So, let’s get on down there and crush some ‘Cons!”

Medical Bay

Ratchet had taken the opportunity to get a few reports done. Since leaving the Ark-19 he hardly had a chance to catch up on any of his ‘paperwork’ as the humans tended to call it. Medical reports needed to be filed and subsequent medical check-ups needed to be scheduled to those who had not seen a medic in Primus knew how long.

The medic had just placed a datapad down and was ready to pick another one up when he received Ironhide’s second comm. He was so engrossed with his work that the call to meet him and the others in the bounce chamber had slipped his processor. Ratchet slammed the pad down on the table and stood up. He mumbled a few choice Cybertronian curse words before he looked back at Saferoute. Thankfully the femme had found something to do. Offering her a nod and a slight smirk he turned his attention to First Aid and Axle.

“Alright you two. I’ve been called to join Ironhide on some kind of mission on the planet. Primus knows what those ‘Cons are up to. Keep an eye on things. 'Aid, you’re in charge until I get back. And when I do I wanna see that desk free of all datapads or I’m crackin’ skulls!”

Axle flinched slightly, but relaxed once Ratchet had stomped off to one of the supply cabinets. He rummage through the shelves picking a few items here and there, slammed the cabinet doors shut and stalked off out of the med bay.

Axle looked to First Aid and shrugged his shoulders.

“I’m glad he didn’t have a wrench to throw at our heads.”

Bounce Chamber

Ratchet made his way into the bounce chamber and took up a position next to the other gathered mechs. There was a long moment of silence as he looked at each one of them. He let out a annoyed grunt before looked to Ironhide.

“What? I had some important work that needed to be done!”

He crossed his arms over his chest and put his weight on his left leg.

“Alright, we’re all here now. Let’s get this party started, ‘Hide.”

Silverbolt thought it was still a bit light on the fliers with only him and Slingshot on the mission but he understood why Prowl would split them up. At least the rest of his squad was up here especially when Skydive could keep tabs on Air Raid.

"Looks like everyone is here, Ironhide. Do we have any intel on what to expect down there? Last I knew, this part of Earth was mostly desert and oil with the occassional nomad tribe wandering about."

Silverbolt then looked at Slingshot.

"Slingshot, stay at my side until further notified. I don't want us to be split up since we are the only air support this group has. No unneeded target practice either since we just got done in the practice room."

"Ah come on now, Bolt, that was just a warm up. Warpath and Hardhead would agree with me. We probably had another two or three rounds in us but the way we were ratcheting up the difficulty, old Ratchet here probably would have seen all of us in the med bay and then we would have had our sound actuators needing replacing after he yelled at us."

Silverbolt shakes his head in disgust and then turns to Ratchet.

"I'm guessing I don't want to know which one of my crew you have seen the most even though I can probably get a good guess."

Bounce Chamber

Ironhide maintained a frown on his face even as his team quickly filed in after he had given them a little push. No need for them to know that he was pleased at their quick response. He wanted them on their toes and maybe just a little bit angry going into this fight. He certainly had a few things he wanted to take out on some unlucky Cons, hopefully the rest of them would too.

“Alright, the Cons are hitting one of the humans’ fossil fuel collection centers on the surface. This particular location is fairly remote, probably why they picked it. It is located in a desert region like Silverbolt said. The local government ain’t exactly known for being the nicest one around. I figure they’re probably scramblin’ some planes to get over there. It’s a bit too remote for any ground forces though so we probably won’t have to worry about that at least.”

The red Autobot moved over to the control console and began inputting the coordinates. “As fer the Cons, it sounds like its mostly air forces down there. Silverbolt, Slingshot, your liable to be outnumbered in the skies, but that shouldn’t be anything new to ya. If you can lure the cons down low, lead ‘em to Warpath and Hardhead here. Our two tanks ain’t the fastest around but they can take it and dish it out harder then any seeker I know. Ratchet and me here are a bit more maneuverable and faster, which ain’t sayin’ much but we can figure out what to do ourselves.”

Ironhide finished putting the coordinates into the computer and stepped over to the pad. “I’m bouncin’ us down a short distance out. I’ll tell ya right now this mission stinks a bit ta me. Maybe the Cons are just desperate but this feels like one too many blatant fuel raids in a row to me. I imagine at the very least they’ll be expecting us, but probably not with this much power. Silverbolt, Slingshot, I want you two to transform right off the bat and move out ahead of the rest of us, see if you can’t stir up the hornet’s nest and start dragging some back to our big guns. We’ll all be heading towards you as well so hopefully we’ll meet in the middle and take out a Con or two before they realize what all their up against.”

The security mech stepped on to the pad along with the rest of his team. He sent a signal to the ships computer and they disappeared in a beam of light.

OOC: Ironhide’s team can now move to the thread in Iran

Bounce Chamber

The light that always appeared with every orbital bounce quickly dissipated leaving behind three figures in its wake. Once fully materialized Perceptor brought a hand to his head in an attempt to ward off the dizzying effects, with no luck, of course. Tracer, however did not seem to have a problem; perhaps it was a side effect of the Syk. I'll have to make note of it and let Oil Slick know.

“Tracer. Did you hear me?”

Tracer shook her head and quickly looked over at Perceptor. He said something? What did he say? Gah!

“Sorry, Perceptor. That bounce must have scrambled my audios as well as my gyro stabalizers.”

The scientist smirked lightly before he offered her a datapad. Tracer looked at it and then back up at the scientist.

“Please take this to the bridge and give it to Prowl. It is my report.”

Tracer took the pad and nodded. Perceptor then walked off the bounce platform and made his way to the door. He stopped before exiting and looked back to the scout.

“Also, tell Prowl that I will be analyzing the ore I’ve obtained in my lab. And thank you.”

A moment later he was gone leaving the femme alone with her turbofox.

“Come on Razr, let’s get this to Prowl. After that I’m gonna need your help. We’ll be heading for Prowl’s quarters. With him busy trying to run things it should be easy to slip in get the info I need and get out. Not having Red Alert on board is a big help too.”

That said both master and pet left the bounce chamber.

Bridge

The trip between the bounce chamber and the bridge was not long. Tracer let the door slide open and then confidently stepped through the threshold. She made her way directly to command chair where Prowl was seated.

“Sir. I’ve been asked to give you this. It’s Perceptor’s report regarding the acquisition of the ore samples.”

Tracer held out the datapad for the black and white to take hold of.

“Do you require anything more from me, sir?”

Bridge

Prowl remained fixated on the main view screen as Ironhide and his team departed via orbital bounce to the nation-state of Iran. The computer registered their signatures as they arrived on the surface, giving the military strategist a sense of relief. While he had no video feed to keep watch on the wayward Autobots, he made sure the comm lines remained open to make it easier for the team to contact him quickly should the need arise for any reason. There was always the potential necessity for reinforcements if things got too hot down there. As the humans would say, help is only a phone call away.

Prowl had the upmost confidence in Ironhide and the other team members, of course. Therefore, he didn’t expect there to be any real issues that they could not overcome themselves. With heavy hitters like Hardhead and Warpath and aerial support in the form of Silverbolt and Slingshot, the ‘Cons would certainly have their hands full. This was not to mention the assistance of Ratchet, who would surely keep the team functional throughout the battle that lay ahead. The ‘Cons likely had no field medic of their own present and would therefore remain damaged as the fighting intensified.

All part of the strategy, the black and white mech thought as he leaned back in his chair. It was then that the doors to the bridge slid open, revealing the form of Tracer. The femme stepped inside and approached Prowl, who turned his head to look over at her. She had possession of Perceptor’s report regarding the acquisition of the ore sample and had been asked to deliver it to the strategist promptly.

Standing from the command chair, Prowl turned towards Tracer and took the datapad from her outstretched hand. “Thank you, Tracer,” he replied with a smile. The analyst looked down at the device as his fingers tapped a few buttons which allowed the data therein to fill the tiny screen. He studied it for a few moments before looking back up at the femme to address her question. “As of right now, I have nothing for you. However, I have just dispatched a team to the surface to combat a Decepticon attack on an oil field. There may be a need to deploy reinforcements. If that need arises, I may call upon you as well as others. Until then enjoy the downtime while it lasts. Dismissed.”

With his words spoken, Prowl took a seat in the command chair and connected the datapad into the arm console. Before Tracer had a chance to leave, the black and white mech suddenly turned around in the rotating chair to ask the femme one additional inquiry. “Tracer, do you happen to know where Perceptor is now? Did he go to his lab to analyze the sample?”

Bridge

Tracer felt a sense of relief in that she was finally able to think through everything she wanted to say and or do before she did it, and nothing seemed complicated. She had no doubts about her decisions and no qualms about her past.

After addressing Prowl and handing him the data pad from Perceptor, and ultimately dismissed, the scout turned and began to make her way toward exit when the military strategist turned his chair around and called out to her.

Tracer froze; her back to the impromptu leader, Razr stood staring from the femme to the black and white and back again. Oh no. What did I do now? Was he monitoring me on the surface? Did he notice I left the area? The femme slowly turned around to face the Praxian, a look of apprehension plastered on her face.

It was only after Prowl addressed her that she realized his query had nothing to do with her at all. Tracer physically relaxed letting her shoulders slump slightly. Her disquieted expression melted away revealing a much more lighthearted demeanor. She stepped a bit closer to him, Razr close on her heels.

“Yes. Percy said he wanted to get to work right away. That’s why he gave me the data pad to give to you, sir. He said if you needed him to contact him in the lab, but to tell you the truth, I doubt he’ll even pay any attention to a call. He seemed really excited about getting a good look at those samples.”

Realizing she had spoken a little too freely she quickly stood at attention, her slight smile turning more serious.

“I apologize, sir. If that’s all you require of me, I think I’ll head off to my quarters now.”

Bridge

Prowl’s audio receptors registered Tracer’s slightly elongated answer to his question. She had been a little too forthcoming with her words, but it did not matter nor did it bother the black and white mech. The important thing was that Perceptor had already begun analyzing the ore sample. The sooner the Autobot scientist was finished understanding the composition of the substance the sooner they could gain a possible advantage over the enemy. This would be especially true if Percy could somehow figure out how to stabilize this potential new power source before the Decepticons succeeded in such an endeavor.

“It’s all right, Tracer. I'm sure Perceptor will alert me once he's finished with his work. If I require anything further, I’ll be sure to contact you. You’re dismissed,” Prowl spoke gently to the femme, not wanting to incite any unwelcome reactions from her. She seemed much more relaxed and happy now and he wanted her to remain that way.

Returning his attention to the command chair’s arm console, Prowl accessed Perceptor’s report that was stored on the connected datapad, bringing the desired information up on a private display screen that only the military strategist could view. As he carefully studied the report, Prowl could see that the mission had gone off without a hitch. Percy had successfully located a sample of the desired ore within the Yucca Mountain at an abandoned installation that once served as a nuclear waste repository. It had only taken what amounted to a few Earth hours to complete, a time frame the black and white mech was more than pleased with.

Sitting back once again in the command chair, Prowl returned his optics to the main view screen directly ahead of him. Data had begun pouring in from the ship’s scans of the Iranian Desert. While there were no visual pictures, the intensity of the energy signatures detected down on the surface clearly indicated that the battle was in high gear now. Hopefully, Ironhide and his team would be able to neutralize the Decepticons quickly before they caused too much damage or the loss of native life became too great.

Bridge

Blaster generally ignored Tracer, focusing more so on listening to transmissions. The only one of the 4 in the room that seemingly even noticed Tracer was Ramhorn, who simply snorted and stared at the newcomer. During this, however, Blaster heard a very interesting transmission. It was from somewhere near a refinery in Kansas. Specifically, it was near El Dorado, Kansas.

"Hey, Prowl!" Blaster yelled. "I picked up something interesting here. According to some reports I've been getting some cars have been ramming through and smashing up other Earth vehicles on a highway near El Dorado, Kansas. Sounds like to me a certain group of 'cons are up to no good!"

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Medical Bay

Steeljaw let out a roar of success as Saferoute fell to the ground. He had successfully tracked down the animal loving Autobot- though when he noticed Ratchet leaving, considered tracking him down before remembering the call Prowl made. Knowing that he had "won"- though he knew Saferoute had fallen down on purpose- Steeljaw demagnetized himself from her back, and hopped off onto the medical bay floor

Bridge

Prowl looked over to the communications station as Blaster informed him of a another possible Decepticon incursion. This time it was in a place called El Dorado, Kansas which was located half way around the world from the Iranian assault. The military strategist leaned forward, a look of both surprise and concern clearly evident on his face plate. “The Stunticons? By your description it sure sounds like their M.O. They created a similar pattern of destruction not long ago which ultimately lead to the battle of Mount St. Helens and eventually to our current situation.”

The black and white mech tapped a few keys on his chair’s console, brining up a map of the Kansas region on the main view screen. The small city in question was in the heart of the United States, a very different nation from the one Ironhide and his team were currently fighting in. News reports were not suppressed from the general public and were easy to access through a variety of means including radio waves, TV and the internet. For a communications expert like Blaster, it was as easy as taking energon away from a turbofox.

Prowl stood and approached the detailed map on the display. Blaster had mentioned a refinery, specifically the Frontier Refinery in the center of El Dorado. The reports had the rampaging vehicles moving towards the installation rapidly, causing all sorts of chaos in their wake. “Another fuel raid conducted simultaneously as the one in Iran? Seems suspicious to me. Either the ‘Cons are hurting more than we had initially suspected or there’s something else afoot here,” the logic-driven Autobot said aloud to no one in particular. Yes, the enemy had lost most of their energon reserves when their base was destroyed, but surely two fuel raids were a bit excessive if not overreactive. Of course, if Starscream was currently in charge of the ‘Cons, it could explain a lot as he was hardly guided by logic or reason. Still, the analyst felt that something wasn’t right. He just couldn’t place an actuator on it...yet.

“Regardless of their reasoning, we can’t allow the Stunticons to run rampant across the globe unchecked. If they are attempting to stockpile energon, or whatever it is they are up to, then we must stop them in their tracks,” Prowl said as he turned to face the Protectobot leader. “Hot Spot, assemble a team of your choosing and get down there as quickly as possible. I’ll coordinate things from up here as best as I can.”

The black and white mech then returned his attention to the communications expert. “Blaster, I want you to keep your sensors attuned to everything going on down below. Try to gather as much information as you can on both the Iranian and Kansas locations. I want to know if there is anything special about these installations that would peak the enemy’s interest to such a degree that they felt the need to attack them both at the same time. I also want you to continue monitoring the rest of the planet for any other possible signs of Decepticon activity. This whole situation feels wrong to me. We’re missing a piece of a bigger puzzle here. Therefore, if you find anything out of the ordinary, no matter how small or insignificant, I want to know about it immediately. Understood?”

Bridge

After her apology, Tracer was surprised at Prowl’s gentle response; it nearly made her rethink her plans to break into his quarters and access his computer terminal for the information she would need to supply Oil Slick. Almost. Tracer nodded before a slight smile crossed her features.

As quickly as she had accepted her dismissal, Blaster had announced that the Decepticons were in the process of attacking a refinery in the United States. The scout paid no mind to the new prattle taking place; instead she caught the attention of Razr and silently slipped out of the Bridge.

Once in the corridor Tracer led her pet to the room across from the Bridge. The captain’s quarters were the only living accommodations on this deck so the possibility of another ‘Bot, other than Prowl himself, entering the room was next to nil. With the strategist’s attention focused solely on the Decepticons and their currently activities, she’d have no trouble getting in and out.

Tracer stopped at the panel to the right of the sealed door and quickly went to work removing the outer casing. She took a cursory glance at the wires and the connections before she took out a small tool kit. She picked out two of the wires and set to work bypassing them in order to ensure the security alarm would not give her away.

With the security situation taken care of, Tracer then cut through the wires powering the locks. With a low hiss the doors slid apart revealing a large darkened space within. Before the ‘Bots on Earth were brought aboard the room belonged to Hot Spot, but the Protectobot leader hardly used it. In fact, Tracer didn’t even think he ever even took up residence.

The bright blue scout tentatively stepped past the threshold letting the doors slide shut behind her and Razr. She quickly made her way to the desk at the far end of the room. Tracer pulled the chair out and sat down. Her next step was to hack into the terminal without raising any red flags, complicated, but not impossible. Her fingers danced over the keys as she went to work.

Medical Bay

After Ratchet had left the medical bay Axle visibly relaxed. The field medic was always intimidated by the CMO; after all he was the ‘Bot that nearly all medics, doctors and physicians model themselves after. Axle returned to his duties, First Aid had taken to Ratchet’s office leaving just the field medic, Saferoute and Steeljaw, who had taken to keeping each other busy.

Axle spared the two a glance as Steeljaw ‘took down’ the femme, a smile formed on his face before he went back to his work. He never heard the doors open.

Hex entered the facility after spending some time alone….mostly venting, but also sulking. He needed something to do and being cooped up on a ship orbiting a planet was boding well with the young mech. Already agitated, Hex stepped past the threshold only to have his optics assaulted by the sight of Saferoute and Steeljaw together on the floor.

“Oh, for the love of…can’t you two find another place to perform your twisted mating ritual?!”

Hex sneered down at both ‘Bots before shaking his head in disgust and making his way to Axle’s side. The medic let out a heavy sigh before looking up from his work. He glared up at his ward before sending both the femme and lion-bot an apologetic half smirk.

Axle’s attention returned to his previous task, but he did address the young mech.

“I thought you were with Bumblebee.”

Hex shrugged even though Axle could not see. He then moved to the workbench to the medic’s right and began to remove a toolkit and supplies before sitting down on the stool.

“I was. I took him to the mess hall. He had half a cube before he said he wanted to go to his room. I walked him there. I’m guessing he’s in recharge now.”

Axle kept his optics glued to the microscope as Hex explained what had happened after he and Bee left the med bay. He was relieved that Hex would now relate to someone, but the circumstances under which they found one another were less than desirable.

“That’s good. Hopefully in time he’ll be able to cope and get past it.” Axle finally looked up and glanced over at Hex, who was glaring directly at his guardian.

“Frag you, Axle! You’re a slaggin’ aft!”

Axle let out a sigh and shook his head. “It wasn’t meant to upset you. Just forget it. If you need any more supplies you can raid the closet. I’m sure there are some chemicals you can saturate your arrow tips and bolts with, just be careful.”

Bridge

Despite his best efforts and his highest hopes, Groove had found nothing. He had tried dozens of different articial satellites to ricochet the scanners off of, and none of them had works in finding the Ultrax. But after hearing of the two attacks the Decepticons had already made on Earth, Groove felt that to continue to search for the ship was pointless.

You hope that removing one bad influence will change them, but they just prove you wrong, and that everyone else was right in expecting the worst in them. This war will never end, even without the one who started it. I should have just kept my vocalizer shut.

Groove continued to work, if only because that was what his commander expected. After hearing the orders from Prowl, he kept his audio sensors open for Hot Spot. He was fairly certain that he would want to put all the Protectobots, even the pacifist scout, on his team.

-----------------------

Medical Bay

"You really got me there, Steeljaw", Saferoute giggled as she got to here knees and started petting the robot lion, "The best robot hunter in the galaxy!"

The femme-bus stopped for a moment when Hex entered and made yet another derogatory comment about her. She scowled for a moment, but let it pass when Axle gave her a quick look, most likely as an apology for the younger 'bot. Though she appreciated the gesture, it wasn't necessary. She wasn't going to let the smaller scout get the better of her.

"So what brings the mighty Steeljaw down here?", Saferoute happily asked as she massaged his head, "Did Blaster send you here for something, are did he let you free to roam about? I bet this is much better than being crammed in that stuffy chest compartment of his, right?"

Bridge

Hot Spot listened intently as Blaster detailed another Stunticon attack going on down on Earth. It all sounded just like his last mission, almost too like it. While that battle had certainly had some twists and turns that he could not have even remotely imagined. What had happened then didn’t change the fact that Motormaster and his crew were among the worst the Decepticons had, and he was one of the best qualified Bots out there to take care of them. He couldn’t deny that it was getting a bit personal, but that would just be further motivation to push himself harder.

The Protectobot was pleased to hear Prowl selecting him to lead the mission. It meant that the events of the last mission weren’t being held against him and that he wouldn’t have to waste any time convincing Prowl to send him. Hot Spot stood up and offered a sharp salute to the current Autobot Commander before heading to the door. He sent out a quick signal as he did so. >>”Groove, Blades, Hex, Axle, Saferoute, Steeljaw, Ramhorn, report to the Bounce Chamber immediately. Our friends the Stunticons are causing some mayhem again and this time we are going to take them out for good.”<< The doors slid shut behind him as he made his way to the chamber himself.

Bridge

Groove entered in a few last minute commands into the computer console to keep the scanners running while he was gone. It wouldn't be as effective or as thorough as having an Autobot running them, but at least it would continue the search for the Ultrax, just in case.

As he got up from his chair he took one last look at the monitors. He had just spent the past cycle trying to find them, hoping for a peaceful solution. And now he and the other Autobots were going into yet another conflict. With the Stunticons involved there would no doubt be collateral damage for the humans, their property and most likely their lives, let alone the lives of the Autobots he was going into battle with.

"It never ends.", the scout sighed to himself. With that he walked across the bridge, out through the sliding door behind his commander.

---------------------

Medical Bay

The smile on Saferoute's face as she petted Steeljaw vanished as soon as she got the order from Hot Spot. Where just an astrosecond before she was content to spend her time playing with the Autobot lion, she now had the stern look of a bot determined. She stood up with our fists clenched.

"Slagging Stunticons!", she shouted angrily to herself, "I'm not gonna let them hurt anyone down there! Come on, Steeljaw, it looks like the humans need our help!"

She walked out of the Med-bay as fast as her bulky body would take her. As she was about to walk through the sliding doors she turned her head around, looking at Axle and Hex

"Let's go, you two!" she said impatiently, "There's no telling what damage those 'Cons have done! We need to stop them right away!"

Without waiting for them she immediately walked into the corridor.

Corridors

Sprints finally gave up on trying to amuse himself on the Guardian. He'd been bored his entire time here, and didn't want to go to the training room anymore. Wandering the corridors, he bumped into a few different other 'Bots, walking in his own little world.

Bridge

Sprints entered the bridge just in time to see Hot Spot leave to gather his team. The young Autobot stood, aghast that he hadn't been alerted of plans for a mission down to Earth. He dashed over to Prowl, oblivious to the CO's work.

"Hey, Prowl, what's going on? You're sending out teams, why didn't you tell me? Come on man, give me something to do!"

Medical Bay

Hex had taken Axle up on his offer to raid the supply closet and brought a few chemicals over to the workbench. One container held a strong sedative while the other held a powerful corrosive. The young mech doused several arrow tips in the sedative as he inserted a measured amount of the corrosive in the bolts. While Hex kept busy, Axle continued with his own work.

After a considerable amount of time, without so much as a word between the two, they received a communique from Hot Spot. Axle looked to his ward; who in turn gathered up his arsenal and stored them. Axle had just risen from his stool and was about to address Hex when Saferoute shouted to them before heading out of the med bay and into the corridor.

“That femme’s slaggin’ glitched. Remind me to stay away from that slag.”

Axle let out a snort before he headed to the medical supply closet. With all of his arrows and bolts stored Hex headed to the door.

“Whoa! You’re not going anywhere just yet.”

Hex turned around to face the medic, an angry scowl plastered on his youthful visage.

“The hell are you talkin’ about?”

“I need your help gathering some supplies. Don’t worry, Hot Spot won’t leave without us. Now, give me a hand and grab those over there.”

Hex let out a loud, heavy sigh as he stomped over to the items Axle had pointed out. The young mech gathered his burden and gave Axle an annoyed glare.

“Can we get going now?”

Axle stored a few extra supplies and grabbed a med kit before he glanced over at Hex and nodded. Hex jogged to the door and just barely slipped through it as it opened up. Axle waited until the doors were fully open before walking through and heading to the bounce chamber.

Bounce Chamber

Hex had jogged past Saferoute in the corridor as he headed to the bounce chamber. Axle came up behind the youth but slowed when he spotted the busformer. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d have to apologize for something Hex had done, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last.

“Um, Saferoute, right? I….I just wanted to apologize for Hex. He’s still young and, well, he’s still working on his attitude and, to tell you the truth, he’s not catching on. Heh. Anyway, I’m sorry for his outburst.”

Prowl’s Quarters

It had taken Tracer some time before she finally hacked into the terminal while simultaneously hiding her signal and status. She had thrown up several firewalls that would mask her work ensuring that even if Prowl logged onto his terminal there would be no trace of her hacking.

After setting up the necessary protection, Tracer began her search for a roster of all the Autobots who were stationed on Earth, including the crew of the Guardian. She was also sure to locate the list of Autobots who had been sent to Cybertron, after all they were headed back to Earth in order to fortify the masses.

“Finally.” She whispered when she located the list she needed.

She removed a small data slug from a storage compartment and inserted the device into the bus interface. Once the terminal recognized the storage device, Tracer began the download of the roster lists. She had already spent too much time in here, and downloading all of the information at once would just be too risky. No, the roster would be fine for now.

There was an acknowledgement once the download was complete prompting the scout to remove it and place it back into the storage compartment. She then put together a source code that would make it easier for her to hack into the terminal again on a later date.

Once everything was finished Tracer shut down the terminal and placed everything she had moved back in its place. Razr stood up when the scout made her way to the door. She took one final look around, and once she was satisfied she opened the door.

“Razr, go to the end of the corridor and let me know if you see anyone headed this way. Go.”

The turbofox quickly made his way to the end of the hall, and peeked around the corner. He would remain there until Tracer came to get him. When Razr was in position the femme went to work putting the door control panel back together. It didn’t take long and once she was done she trotted to where the turbofox was and gently touched his ear.

“Alright. Let’s go.” She smiled down at him. “I sure could use something to drink, whaddaya say?”

Razr’s ears perked at the suggestion and excitedly ran down the corridor toward the mess hall. Tracer followed quickly after.

Training Facility

Metal crashed against metal in a contest for dominance, the resulting clangs reverberating throughout the training facility, congesting the air with its harsh sounds. The furious activity occupied a period of close to fifteen breems before a lull intervened and claimed control. Blades took a few steps back, the training sword grasped firmly in his actuators. The pause supplied him with a good opportunity to evaluate his—and his opponent's—actions thus far, permitting his following attacks to be adjusted accordingly.

Blades dashed forward, ejecting the silence from its position. He swung the sword at his opponent, a considerable amount of force propelling the strike. A heavily plated arm rose to block it, metal colliding against metal once again. As the auto-combatant thwarted Blades' attempt, the Protectobot performed a front kick, causing it to stagger backwards. As it struggled to recover its balance, Blades advanced on it with rapidity, preparing to deliver another strike.

It was at that precise moment he received a transmission from Hot Spot, informing him of the Stunticons' presence on Earth. Blades smiled. It was the best news he'd heard all solar cycle. And it was made even better when Hot Spot explicitly stated their elimination was to be their primary objective. Honestly, the mission could not have ignited his excitement any further.

He jogged out of the training facility, making his way to the bounce chamber. The auto-combatant, now left in isolation, posed no concerns. Blades had activated it for a joor's worth of training, that time nearly reaching its expiration.

Bounce Chamber

Emerging into the chamber Blades' view beheld most of the Autobots selected for the mission. He was slightly irritated he couldn't have produced a quicker arrival, but it seemed as if the majority had entered the chamber only moments ago. It was nothing that could have been labelled as an issue, so he folded his arms and waited, summoning the patience necessary for the remaining Autobots to make their appearances.

Blades hoped that would be sooner rather than later.

Medical Bay

Steeljaw scowled at Hex as he snarked at the duo. He was about to call him out on it, but something far more important blared over the comm system. And, truth be told, he didn't mind being petted by Saferoute, enough to mostly ignore Hex.

"Well, there's something more important we need to do than listen to someone not get it." Steeljaw responded, a response clearly aimed at Hex. Working under Hot Spot against the Stunticons should be pretty interesting. No one he couldn't work with, though. Ramhorn tagging along was interesting as well, though it would be nice to not be the only cassette on the mission.

"Right, let's roll." Steeljaw responded, prodding out of the chamber with Saferoute.

>>Hey, Steeljaw!<< Blaster's voice crackled through Steeljaw's personal com. >>Good luck little dude, Ramhorn's on his way to the bounce chamber as well. Rock those Stunticons through the next few stellar cycles!<<

>>You know it, Blaster<< Steeljaw responded. The little cassette bot ran alongside Saferoute, hearing Axle's apology.

"Don't see why you're the one that needs to apologize." Steeljaw commented. "Though I'm sure he's not so inclined to do so himself."

Bounce Chamber
Ramhorn sprinted into the chamber, having a bit of a head start on Steeljaw and co. Slowing down a bit as he entered, he only spotted Blades. At first, he silently observed the Protectobot. Blades attitude was nearly as infamous as his own. And, considering no one else but them was quite there yet, it wouldn't kill them to chat a bit- maybe. Ramhorn was getting impatient already. Steeljaw was normally the first one here, the temperamental cassette was beginning to wonder what was taking him.

"Aren't we just shining beacons of great attitude." Ramhorn commented.

Bounce Chamber

When Saferoute knew that innocent creatures were in danger, not much else entered her mind. As far as she was concerned, the safety and well being of the humans and other Earth animals that the Stunticons threatened were far more important than whatever problems Hex was trying to start, which was why she let the faster mech pass by her without incident. As she wondered just how many she would have to safely transport out of the danger zone, she heard Axle's apology.

"Look, it's not necessary.", she said as politely as she could, "And Steeljaw is right, you shouldn't be the one telling me this. But right now it doesn't matter what was said and done. We have a job to do."

She looked around at the other gathering Autobots and remembered the names that Hot Spot had announced. She knew there was nothing to worry about with the Protectobots, even their more aggressive members valued and protected life above all else. She had nothing to worry about with Axle either, as he was one of the most compassionate Autobots there were. She was fairly certain that with their smaller size, Ramhorn and Steeljaw wouldn't be too much of a problem to anyone other than the Decepticons. So that left just one member of the team she had to worry about, the one that Axle had just apologized for. She calmly walked over to Hex.

"Look, I'm not here to start a fight, but I need to make something clear." the civilian transport said, looking down at the smaller Autobot, "I don't care what problems you have with anyone, while we're down there you remember that there's innocent creatures around us that have nothing to do with this fight. You watch where you shoot and you watch where you step, got it?"


-------------------

Knowing what Hot Spot expected of him, Groove hurried as fast as he could, passing by his commander and making it to the Bounce Chamber ahead of him. Already most of the team had arrived, but Groove didn't address any of them yet as he pondered what kind of options he might have that would result in less violence.

Motormaster will never listen to reason, that I know for sure, but maybe the other Stunticons can be persuaded. Motormaster's abuse of his troops is well known, perhaps they would surrender themselves for the promise of protection from their bullying commander.

As the scout thought to himself he noticed his fellow Protectobot, Blades. Given the Autobot helicopter's more... brutal means of accomplishing objectives, Groove kept his distance from Blades more than the other Protectobots. Feeling awkward, but knowing he would have to work with him, Groove reluctantly addressed his fellow Protectobot.

"Blades", the scout said as he tried to think of something to say, "From what I've heard about the Decepticons we'll be.... facing down there, you'll be the only flyer. That's a.... nice change of pace, isn't it?"

Bounce Chamber

With Steeljaw yet to complete the team, Blades used the opportunity to respond to Ramhorn's general comment directed at the group. Given how the rhino darted through the chamber's door advertising enthusiasm equal to his own, Blades squatted next to Ramhorn, arms hanging over his knee joints as he offered his own reply. He liked the little guy—his violent conduct was a trait Blades appreciated greatly.

“You wanna make things interesting? Fifty shanix goes to whoever causes more damage to the 'Cons.” He smiled. “What do you say? You game?”

Groove then approached Blades, a hint of hesitation fastened to his features and his movements. While all the Protectobots got along well the relationship between Blades and Groove was a rather erratic one, highlighted with fraught moments easily granted life by either. But that didn't discourage potential conversation when it surfaced. Yes, Groove did get on Blades' circuits due to their conflicting natures, but he never disregarded his team-mate in any respect.

“Nah, not really.” Blades rose from his hunched position. “Since none of those losers are flyers I'm hoping I'll get to mix it up with them on ground level.” He shrugged, expelling a sigh. “But if Hot Spot needs me up there, then that's what I'll do.”

Corridors

Hot Spot could only watch with slight annoyance as Groove zipped past him, the benefits of having a smaller, lighter frame. He just did his best to make up for his lack of speed with sheer determination. He might not get somewhere first, but he would always make it there. His heavy footfalls echoed throughout the ship as he jogged down the hallways towards the bounce chamber. Battle plans buzzed in his head as he approached the room. He wouldn’t admit it to anyone openly, but this was definitely a battle he was going to relish.

Bounce Chamber

The Protectobot leader strode into the room, offering a quick nod at the assembled team he was leading down to Earth. “Alright everyone, you know what we are up against. The Stunticons are some of the worst scum the Decepticons have to offer, and that’s saying a lot. They’ve already caused a lot of chaos on this planet and many others, so we are going to take put that to a stop once and for all today.” He glanced around the room as he spoke, meeting each of the Autobots with his optics.

“We will bounce down to a deserted parking lot a short distance from the refinery that appears to be their target. Once we are down, Blades, I want you to transform and take off. You will reconnoiter the refinery. I want to know who all we are up against and where they are. All indications are they have no fliers so you should be pretty free to do this, and don’t worry, I will get you on the ground fighting soon enough.” He offered the other Protectobot a quick grin before moving on.

“At the same time we will be driving over to the refinery. Once we get there, Saferoute, you will herd any humans away and help form a perimeter. Do the best you can, but I am going to need you in the main fight. None of us wants to see the humans hurt, and the best way to do that is to put the Sunticons down, and that can mean terminated or captured,” he glanced over at Groove, knowing what he was thinking. “The rest of us can take the fight right to the Cons. Now, any questions before we move out?”