The Energon Pub

(OOC: This was a tough post to finish. Sorry for the HUGE delay, guys.)

Equatorial Desert – Underground Lava Chamber

Always on high alert for the inevitable, Lockdown never took a prisoner for granted. After all, their livelihood depended on them escaping him before they were delivered to his employer. Strafe was exception. His struggling only caused the bounty hunter to pull the mech in closer to him in order to stop his squirming. At Strafe’s question Lockdown let out a low chuckle.

“You can’t be that dimwitted. I’m a bounty hunter. I work for the highest bidder so that’s who I’m taking you to.”

Another low chuckle escaped Lockdown’s vocalizer at the Technobot’s false bravado.

“You really are dimwitted. And here I thought you lot were the intelligent ones. I’m no interrogator. I don’t want anything from you. Probably because you have nothing I need. So, for now, all I want is my payment. Now shut up and enjoy the trip.”

The sound of a missile caused the bounty hunter to pause in his trek. He quickly noticed That Nosecone had it aimed toward the ceiling directly ahead of him. With a sinister smile etched on his faceplate, Lockdown utilized his supercharger sending him past the point of the impact. The missile collided with the ceiling he and his prisoner had just been under, only to have it come crumbling down in a rain of rock and dust effectively blocking off the Autobots from his escape.

The kinetic energy he had used helped to end his trip by sending him to the very end of the tunnel. Disengaging his supercharger, Lockdown cast his gaze down at Strafe who he still held tightly in his hooked grip. A baleful chuckle sounded in the green and black mech’s throat before he addressed his captive.

“I was wrong. You’re not the only dimwitted mech on your team. It’ll take some time before your friend drills his way through the mess he’s made. And when he does, I’m afraid you’ll already be in the hands of my employer.”

Lockdown patted the gunner on the head before he dragged him away.

“I wouldn’t be too upset. Your friends will be joining you soon enough.”

Along the way Lockdown emitted a localized EMP burst disabling Strafe’s internal comm. system and homing beacon.

Once the Technobot was delivered he’d be able to head back and gather up the remaining four. The prospect of his payment brought a small smirk to Lockdown’s face.

(OOC - sorry about delay)

Equatorial Desert - Underground Lava Chamber

The blast from Lightspeeds weapon wasn't well aimed, clipping the oncoming warrior but doing little harm. The snarl became a roar of triumph as his blade bit home, forcing the Autobot up to the wall. Skullgrin chuckled as he put a leg to the technobots chest and wrenched out the blade, preparing for a second, lethal stroke.

The burst of x-rays struck his back, penetrating his armor and causing system shock. The Decepticon howled in fury, and turned to face the new threat, but spotted Scattershot charging in. He raised his arms to try to swing, but that only served to block the larger Autobots blow from striking him full on. The augmented force threw him several meters back, against another outcropping, the rock cracking beneath him, his sword dropped from his dented arm.

A sensible Skullgrin would have considered his position too risky, retreated to find another attack point, or tried something unconventional to turn the tables. This Skullgrin had no concept of rethinking things, as the single thought in his cortex was to fight and win. As the Acid pellets flew towards him, he grabbed the largest chunk of the broken stalagmites and tossed it, bursting the pellets into a noxious cloud. Then, barking incoherently, he opened fire with a Slagmaker Laser in each hand, in the directions of both Nosecone and Scattershot, even though he is half-blinded by acid spatter, rock dust, and the blazing pools of lava still seeping into the room to cast a hellish light on the chaotic battle.

OoC: Fuzzy, you hit the wrong button there for boldness...

Equatorial Desert - Subsurface Lava Tubes

Nosecone cursed under his breath as the smoke and dust cleared to reveal that Lockdown wasn't there.

More skilled than I figured. Scrap. Nosecone thought as he drove forward and began to drill into the rock. All he needed was a small opening and he could fire his weapon through.

He drilled through the rock and rubble with ease at high speeds, considering, and he punched through the other side, lights peeking through a pile of stones that rest on top of him and falling to rest behind him. The shots from Skullgrin didn't faze him, but it did damage his cabin that rested on top his Alternate mode. In fact, it shattered the glass and punched through the metal Rollcage that held the roof up to his cabin.

He transformed and looked around to see Lockdown whisk Strafe away into darkness.

>>Strafe? Do you read? This is Nosecone, come in! Strafe?<< Nosecone tried to comm his partner, but there was an electrical buzz and static over the line.

He checked if a Homing Beacon was online.

Drat. Nothing whatsoever.

"Strafe! Hello? Fraggit, where are you?" Nosecone yelled, only to receive his own voice back to him due to the terrible acoustics of the Lava Tubes.

Nosecone wasn't surprised, but he was getting irritated. He had an idea, his Geographical Imaging System could detect metal, maybe if he calibrated it correctly he could see if his friend and captor were nearby. He began to work on calibrating the GIS to compensate for depth and type of metal, not to mention the unusual static in the air. It would take a while.

*****

Koraja Courtyard

Nightbeat quickly carried Skyhammer in the direction of the woods; he had no time to waste!

Nightbeat's neck felt static, his nerves more on edge. He stopped and listened.

Nothing. Not a single sound. Not a bird chirp or an Insecticlone chomping metal. Something was amiss. Nightbeat placed Skyhammer down in the courtyard and turned back to the center of the city.

He stepped back into the shadows just in case he was wrong and stared out, long and hard. Something was glinting in the sunlight on the top of the building to the far right. Nightbeat blinked and it was gone. What was that?

Curious, Nightbeat thought, Perhaps it was the building glinting in the sun? Or was it something more sinister?

Mere questions. Nothing more, but it peaked his interest nevertheless. He flipped down his visor and squinted in the sunlight for anything more. Instead of seeing something, he heard a can get kicked in an alley, his scrutinizing gaze was cast to that spot as he began to move again toward Skyhammer. There was a shape in the darkness... And then it disappeared almost as soon as it came.

He was being watched.

He quickly picked up Skyhammer and dashed for the forest, it was his only chance! He looked behind him a fragment of a second and quickly disappeared into the forest. He was certain that he was being watched, certain of it! He leaped over a fallen branch and dashed as far away from that wretched city.

He wasn't used to fleeing from something, but he was certain that he could not handle the Insecticon Swarm by himself.

An Unnamed Swamp

The unmistakable sounds of Cybertronian helicopter blades cutting through the air and the boom of jet engines marked the presence of both Black Shadow and his ever present partner, Blue Bacchus. The two degenerates had spent the past few joors searching nearly every location Spartan and his team could have escaped to. The irritation that was building in the Infiltration Unit Commander was barely being held under control. Had the desperate Autobot’s left some kind of trail, perhaps then they would be able to…

Black Shadow’s thoughts ended abruptly when his sensors picked up an area that they had yet to search. Bordering the Folassian forest was a swamp. Accessing his databanks on the region he could find no mention of this particular patch of disgusting muck. Relying on a hunch, Black Shadow transformed and landed in a mixture of soil, native vegetation and water. The stench of rotting organic plant life assaulted the hulking mech’s olfactory sensors causing him to bring the back of his hand to his nasal protrusion.

“Absolutely repulsive. How can the natives tolerate such a miasma?”

The question was not aimed at Blue, as the copter-former had yet to touch down in the swamp alongside his partner. As if on cue Blue Bacchus transformed in midair and landed just to the side of Black Shadow.

“So., what was it that drew you to this...”

The sapphire mech gestured to their location.

“…putrid locale?”

Black Shadow paid no mind to his associate as he began to scan the immediate area for any Autobot signatures. Blue let out an exasperated sigh, but before he could get the entire sound out, Black Shadow was behind him, his hand clamped around Blue's mouth. The Commander leaned in close and whispered into Blue’s audio.

“Quiet. Listen.”

Unable to fully turn his head to focus on any one location, Blue Bacchus simply did as he was told and grew quiet. After a few moments he shrugged in defeat. He then took hold of Black Shadow’s hand and removed it from his mouth. Not wanting to draw ire from the black and crimson mech for speaking too loudly, Blue whispered back to Black Shadow.

“I hear nothing.”

With his optics transfixed on a mangrove just beyond their current location, Black Shadow gestured with his chin that what he had heard came from the thicket. Blue focused on the area and engaged all of his sensors. It did not take long before they picked up on five Autobot signatures. It seemed that Spartan and his team had reassembled and were now heading out of the swamp.

Without saying a word Black Shadow drew his shadow gun and shoved past Blue Bacchus who and just drawn his own weapon. Engaging his Dark Shroud, Black Shadow proceeded deeper into the grove of waterlogged trees. Now one with the darkened umbra of the swamp, Black Shadow moved in on the Autobots who finally appeared in his sights.

Blue had fallen into step behind Black Shadow before he initiated his shroud, which meant that if the copter-former wanted to avoid walking into his associate he would have to tread carefully.

The sound of the lone shot Black Shadow fired from his weapon announced to Blue that their prey would be consumed by darkness and now was the time to strike. Bacchus acted quickly lunging forward and tackling Vulcan into the marshy water. Both mechs fought for the upper hand as the rest of the tactical response team began to scatter and take cover.

Spartan cursed himself for not being more vigilant, but instead of mentally chiding himself he proceeded to bark out orders to the remainder of his team. They had to get the ‘Con off of Vulcan and beat a hasty retreat. Back pressed against a tree, Spartan brought his head around its trunk but spotted no other assailants. The team commander opened a comm. channel to Artemis and gave an order to flank Blue Bacchus while he tried to sneak up from behind and snatch his engineer from the Decepticon’s hands.

Artemis didn’t bother with a response, instead he made his move. Spartan spared another look around the tree and spotted Artemis heading in. He silently cursed the warrior as he stepped away from his hiding place only to collide with a solid mass in front of him. The Autobot let out a grunt as he splashed down in the muck. He wiped off the mixture of water and decaying organic matter that had splashed onto his optics. Desperate to see what he had smashed into, Spartan quickly scrambled to his feet only to be shoved back down from behind.

With the tactical team’s commander occupied by his partner, and the rest of the team making their way out of the swamp, Blue decided to take things to the next level. Grabbing hold of the engineer by the seam where his neck and chest plating met, the ‘Con began to pound into his head unrelentingly.

Artemis gritted his teeth at the sight of Vulcan getting pummeled. Disregarding the plan Spartan had laid out, Artemis let out a feral scream and ran toward Blue Bacchus. The second to the Infiltration Unit Commander was ready for the attack and quickly hefted Vulcan up using him as a shield against Artemis’ raised, spiked gauntlets.

The look of shock that crossed the warrior’s face brought a sadistic smirk to Blue’s own faceplate. The impact from the massive punch concaved Vulcan’s chest causing the unfortunate engineer to scream out in agony. Artemis pulled his fist from is teammate and stepped back, still not believing what had just happened. Weapon drawn and placed at Vulcan’s temple Blue Bacchus offered the warrior two options.

“Surrender, of I spatter the contents of his cranial until all over this swamp.”

Not wanting to be the cause of his teammate demise, Artemis complied.

Spartan was still battling the unseen force that was Black Shadow when two remaining team members arrived to back up the three mechs of the team. But by the time they arrived Black Shadow had finally dropped his shroud, leaving Spartan staring up at the ‘Con, a disgusted sneer on his faceplate.

“I would order your brood to stand down if I were you, Spartan.”

The onyx and crimson Decepticon gestured behind him to his comrade who was now holding both Artemis and Vulcan at gunpoint. The Autobot commander waved off the femme’s advance and told them to stand down. The lives of his engineer and the warrior were far too important than trying to fight their way out of the situation.

Spartan finally conceded to defeat and raised his hands above his head. The remainder of his team soon followed suit.

“Excellent. I’m so glad we could conclude this without any more violence.”

The sardonic smirk on Black Shadow’s face vanished as he bent down in front of Spartan.

“Unfortunately for you, I’m not one to end things peacefully.”

The last thing Spartan saw was Black Shadow’s fist headed for the side of his head. The sound of Athena’s and Aphros’ pleas to stop grew silent as he finally slipped into stasis.

Rainforest of Patalappu

Deadlock blew a puff of air from his filters over the smoking barrel of his weapon. His optics still fixed on the seething captive female Autobot prisoner. He really didn't care what she thought of him or what vile epitaphs she wished to vomit forth. This pseudo battle had been tiring in itself, and even the Horrorcons could recognize the facts that stared them in the optics. Such an elite pair simply put the heels to the electrical pumps of two Autobot Fleet Engineers and a paramedic.

He spun his weapon around his trigger finger once before he slid it onto his hip holster strap. "One less pain in the rear axle." He quipped before he kicked up a glob of muck onto the chest and face plate of the Autobot Medic. He stepped onto the sandy gravel bar near the shore.

The communique link between them and Perdition gave the officer a small slice of hope for some entertainment. "So much for the vaunted sense of humor Snapdragon. Still, you have to admit, such a legend regardless of its validity definitely adds to your notoriety." He cocked his head to the left before allowing a pair of air compressors to blow out several pounds of fluid that had accumulated though various micro seals that were in need of replacement. He made a mental note to submit himself for physical examination when he returned to the Severance.

Not that it made a difference for this current waste of time. He doubted the survivors had anything of value to offer and in fact were it not for the standing orders of the fleet commander, Turmoil, he would have probably given a slight more interest in their formal execution. He held no particular malice towards them as individuals. For all he knew they were caring mechanoids who went to the alters of Primus and never kicked their pet turbo foxes. But they were Autobots. Reminders of the old order, the order that forgot him and left him to...

Deadlock shook his head as his optics narrowed on the two Horrorcons. "So where to next. This place is getting a bit to quiet for my tastes."

The Plains of Thok

"The old-fashioned way would appear to be our only alternative. Execute the remainder. We return to Tenebrous."

Scourge nodded, content to complete the task of assisting with the transport of the captives to the Fortress. While the sweep leader was fully capable of taking command in his own right, over the cycles he had come to see Cyclonus as something of an equal - at least in the manner of respecting him enough to not argue or debate methods.

"Let's gather them up and move them," Scourge said, watching as his sweeps began taking their respective captives. "If we force march to Tenebrous, it shouldn't be too long before we arrive..."


Fortress Tenebrous

The fortress was clearly made to repel enemy attack, with various defensive positions for the military force within, and a large number of Decepticons walking on security detail. Scourge felt sorry for any attacking force that tried to invade the fortress, knowing that there were several key points that could be held for extended periods of time against opposing military units. But, as the group of Decepticon and Autobot captives arrived, Scourge put the thoughts from his processors and focused on getting the group through the main gate.

"Who goes there?" One of the gate guards said, loudly, as he peered into the gloom with his optics.

The group stopped, Scourge stepping forward. He glowered at the guard, annoyed by the long walk and the tedious task he had endured. At that moment, Scourge didn't feel like answering to a lowly guard, especially one that didn't recognize who a commanding officer was...

"Step aside, or I'll rip you limb from limb," the sweep leader said simply, his voice low and filled with threat. "We bring captives, and that's all you need to know!"

The guard flinched, suddenly very aware of the Decepticons standing before him. With a salute, the guard rushed from his position, activating a communicator console, and sent the request through. A quick scanner at the gate proper processed the individuals waiting without, before giving both Scourge and Cyclonus the appropriate access to enter.

"Move it," Scourge barked, jabbing his rifle end into one of the Autobots. "We haven't got all day!"

Glancing to his fellow Decepticon, Scourge smirked as he spoke to Cyclonus.

"Well, this should make the commander happy," He said, indicating to the captives. "It's not every cycle that one gets Autobot informants delivered on a platter."

Mount Melanos – Workshop

Repugnus had finished packing his own equipment, consisting of various tools, explosives and other devices useful for constructive and destructive purposes, depending on one’s imagination, when Doublecross returned, followed shortly by Grotusque. He nodded at the two Monsterbots. “Good, that should all be more then enough. If we need anything else we can take it from dead Decepticons, or soon to be dead Decepticons.” He flashed a cruel smirk before walking over to a back wall panel. He carefully pried it off, revealing the tunnel he had fashioned behind it.

“It starts out small but widens after a ways so you’ll have more room to move. Go ahead of me and take the second tunnel on the right. I’ll follow shortly after, just have to make sure our tracks are completely covered. If and when these clowns get captured I don’t want them ratting us out.”

He turned to one of his work tables and began fashioning a crude flare. The Monsterbot was well aware of the sensitivity of Autobot base sensors and the penchant for overactive security measures. Using the flare he would start what the computers would think was a fire. The room would immediately be dowsed with a fire retardant foam that would completely smoother any energy readings they had left behind. Not even Scourge and his bearded freaks would be able to pick up their signatures through that. They would truly be on their own, and Repugnus couldn’t wait. Now worries about command or morals or rules, just brutal warfare, bringing it right to the Decepticon’s door. That was how wars were supposed to be fought.

*

Koraja

Shrapnel didn’t even make the token effort to continue the search that Kickback did. Bombshell had things safely in hand now. If he continued the pursuit he was more likely to simply attack in all of the excitement and ruin everything. Transforming to his alternate mode he seized upon a piece of rubble and biting into it. It wasn’t bad, better then most consumables they often found on these worlds. The natives were at least somewhat advanced, able to create alloys that at least had some moderately strong flavor. Too often the primitive victims of the Decepticons could offer only crude alloys and metals, often tasting burnt or of an excess of chemicals they had been treated with. Perhaps these Nebulans would indeed find themselves some value as slaves for them all.

“Yes, the Autobots will soon be in our clutches, clutches. They will be captured not by Scourge and his trackers, trackers,” his voice dripped with scorn for the Sweeps, “but by the machinations of the Inseticons, cons.” He transformed back to robot mode, tossing away the remainder of his meal. “Then perhaps we will be treated with the respect we deserve, deserve.” A smile formed on his face. “A feast made of the remains of the Autobots we now hunt would be a good start, start.”

The Perdition - Corridors

The mighty Decepticon battlecruiser, Perdition approached Nebulos with a smaller, wounded destroyer Rancor in tow of its tractor beams. A terrible wound entrenched where the bridge of the Rancor had once been. How many Decepticons had lost their lives in Farstar's swan song was still to be determined. Even the number of the wounded was vague at best. The ship's captain - Death-Grip was missing. The question was whether he had been a casualty of the Autobot attack or had he just escaped to avoid the shame of being defeated by an inferior enemy vessel. The destroyer could be repaired, even the Decepticons lost in the battle could be replaced, yet it did not ease the conscience of the Vice-Commander of the Decepticon 2nd Fleet. Loss of lives was ultimately a tragedy, one that many Decepticons had become too used of.

For Turmoil, bringing the war to a quick and decisive end the driving force behind his actions. He had accepted the fact that the war could not be won without sacrifices a long time ago. Justice would be served. Autobot High Command and their co-conspirators would be brought to justice. And while Turmoil knew what their fate would be in the hands of Megatron, he was still determined to give the majority of Autobots a fair trial. Until the day the Autobots were defeated he just would have to keep crushing them under his feet and lock the survivors into various Decepticon penal colonies until the war was brought to its ultimate end.

As Turmoil marched towards the bridge of the Perdition, his main interrogator, a femme known as Soul Siren had decided to tag along given all the current prisoners had been dealt with. Interrogation was an ugly but necessary aspect of the war and Turmoil preferred to leave it to others. Some of the interrogators on Decepticon ranks like Darkride, were stains on Cybertronian society that would have to be taken care of once the war was over - perhaps even Soul Siren. Until then they just had to be tolerated.

"The lack of strategic cohesion between the Autobots still plaguing this planet is all too clear." The large Decepticon commander, twice the height of his charge - replied back to the interrogator. "But I have to give it to the Autobots. They have always known how to hide."

"Scourge and the Sweeps will find them. It is only matter of time. Your bath however will have to wait." Turmoil added as he made his way into the bridge. "Reflector! You reported new prisoners from the Horrorcons, give the details to Soul Siren and prepare the Perdition for landing."


Rainforest of Patalappu

"What's next? Waste of time. Boohoo. I am so full of myself that I could take on Prime all alone." Apeface smirked at Deadlock as he bounced down from a large tree branch where he had used a massive vine to tie Vestra and River to hang upside down from their feet.

A devious grin formed of the face of the Horrorcon in his primate mode. "Next we're gonna get your ugly mug clogged with dust, heh."

Having said that, Apeface transformed back into robot mode and inserted the coordinates given by Reflector into an orbital bounce control unit embedded into his forearm. Such units were given only to select few like unit commanders or special operations agents. It allowed the Horrorcons to bounce around without confirming every bounce from the orbital fleet.

Summoning up his semi-automatic sonic boomer gun, Apeface activated the bounce sequence and in less than an astrosecond later, a brilliant flash of light enfulged both Horrorcons and Deadlock.

Equatorial Desert

As suddenly as the trio of Decepticons had been removed from the rainforest of Patalappu, they appeared on the barren landscape of Nebulos' Equatorial Desert. While Deadlock was still pulling himself together from the aftershock of the orbital bounce, Apeface had already blasted to the skies in his jet form to scout their immidiate surroundings.

>>"We are few miles away from the known coordinates of Skullgrin. Crashed command level escape pod 7 miles to the west. Are your olfactory sensors getting any readings Snapdragon?"<<

Equatorial Desert

Snapdragon chuckled at Apeface's reply to Deadlock. The Horrorcons were never good at playing with others and that was unlikely to change. Still he did not bother replying as he could guess they were moving soon. As one of the rare teams made up of only two members the Horrorcons knew each other extremely well to the point where they could accurately guess what the other was about to do. When they arrived at their next destination Snapdragon transformed into his dragon mode as Apeface switched to his jet mode knowing that he would have the ground search duties without having to ask.

"Hold on to your afterburners for a click, Apeface. My olfactory sensors need to adjust to all this blasted sand. Wait, yeah got something. I am sniffing a lot of smoke and fluids in the direction of the coordinates we were given. Seems to fit in with the kind of landing one would expect from an escape pod. Go ahead and check that out. I'm going to sniff around a bit more in dragon mode to see if I can pick up anything else."

Snapdragon knew he was a bit faster than his partner so he could catch up with him if it was needed.

"You gonna make yourself useful slag head?" He said to Deadlock.

The Perdition - Bridge


Soul Siren nodded. "Of course Commander Turmoil. I hope that this new batch holds more promise than the other ones." Soul Siren enjoyed the act of breaking another Transformer but not getting any useful information from that act really took away from her sense of satisfaction. She was beginning to get tired of fruitless interrogations.

She looked at her arms once more. She was disappointed not to have that bath but she could still turn these stains into her advantage. She awaited for the details she would need to get back to work.

Koraja

"He keeps running," Bombshell hissed softly. "But he doesn't know what from."

In his mind's eye, via the cerebro-shell, Bombshell could see the stone metropolis of Koraja giving way to one of the nearby forested areas and its continuous greenery.

Bombshell began to manually recall the portion of Diaclones that were under his immediate control. They needed to let the Autobot think that he had successfully managed to escape with his prize. With no facilities anywhere in the area capable of repairing the severe injuries that Skyhammer suffered, the Autobot was going to have to take him somewhere in order to do just that. Once that had happened, they could move.

Sparing a brief glance in Kickback's direction, Bombshell watched as he sampled some of the native fare. Transforming, Bombshell gathered up a small amount for himself. He had deprived himself of a proper snack for far too long.

"Ehh, the texture's a little mealy. But I've ingested worse. The sulfides on Athenia felt like they were going to rot me from the inside out."
___

The Perdition--Corridors

The Spectro component offered Turmoil a slight bow before taking a microsecond to access the information regarding Autobot activity that the other two Reflector units had been gathering on the bridge.

The ship began to noticeably alter course as they had also simultaneously registered Turmoil's latest command and began preparing the ship for orbital entry and landing. Spectro, meanwhile, followed after Soul Siren.

"The Horrorcons have managed to subdue a small group of Autobots within the range of this native rainforest," Reflector said, detaching a small device from his right forearm which then transformed in to a datapad for Soul Siren's examination. "Perhaps they will have access to information that these did not."

The Perdition - Bridge

"Thank you." She said to the Reflector unit. "I can only hope so. I am beginning to think there are no Autobots with useful knowledge on this planet."

She looked over the file that she was given.

"Vestra and River is it? Well then, we shall see just what these two Autobots hold soon enough."

She turned to Turmoil.

"Since Reflector has already so capably specified the exact co-ordinates of these two bound Autobots I believe they should be bounced to this ship with guards waiting to take them to interrogations rooms. I would like to keep them separate at first."

She bowed.

"With the Commander's approval, of course."

Mount Melanos – Workshop

Having returned from his short trip from the armoury, selecting an assortment of weapons that would offer a multitude of destructive solutions to any Decepticons they encountered, Grotusque found Repugnus all set and prepared to leave. His team-mate then approached the back of the workshop and peeled away a wall panel. Concealed behind it was a tunnel, no doubt crafted by the Monsterbot himself.

“My, oh my, Repugnus!” Grotusque entered the mouth of the tunnel, positioning himself in a way so that his wings would avoid picking up damage. “You've certainly outdone yourself this time. I gotta say this tunnel puts everything that the Constructicons have ever built to shame.”

He slowly progressed through the underground passage, each meticulous step carrying him closer to the outside world. Too bad the Monsterbots couldn't have been more like normal Autobots and exited the Beta Site using ordinary methods—but they had never been distinguished as normal in any respect. Ever. But it mattered little. Normality was dreary and the adventures—or misadventures as everyone else typically saw them as—Grotusque embarked on promised anything but.

“Come on, D.C.! Get a wriggle on. We have sites to see, mechs to meet, and apparently a planet to save.”

Fortress Tenebrous

The dark, metallic halls of Tenebrous greeted them once again. Cyclonus had let Scourge see to the prisoners' transfer to their new living accomodations without any interference on his part. In truth, he was a little surprised to see that Scourge had spared as many as he had. He had thought the temptation to eliminate them might prove too great. His ability to exercise restraint in the face of being handed such a vulnerable group of Autobots was commendable.

"It's not every cycle that one gets Autobot informants delivered on a platter," had been Scourge's latest comment, and the only one that had been directed to him specifically. As the two of them broke away from the grouping of guards that would now lead the Autobots to their cells, Cyclonus nodded.

"It would seem everything has been handed to Turmoil on a platter as of late," Cyclonus said as the two rounded a corner and now approached the command center itself. "Even command of this fleet, in Scorponok's absence. Were he not actually in the field somewhere now, I would have begun to worry whether or not he was still physically capable of motion."

Despite the fact that they had captured some Autobots, he knew that there were more out there. They were proving to be more elusive than he would have originally given credit for. He was determined to find the rest. It would be that much harder to finish the construction of their shipyards on this world if they constantly had Autobots nipping at their heels.

Entering the command center, Cyclonus proceeded directly towards the primary monitoring system. The Seeker that had been standing there backed away as he saw Cyclonus and Scourge approach. Despite Cyclonus' less than ideal estimation of Turmoil's effectiveness, the other Decepticon had still charged him with certain useful tasks, one of which had been the continuous monitoring of the supposed "leader" of these green-skinned natives. Now was as good a time as any to see what he had been up to. Bringing up an auxiliary holoscreen, Cyclonus looked over to Scourge.

"This Autobot elusiveness is becoming frustrating. I want all of your Sweeps in the air. Track the slightest out of place signal. We're not dealing with a deeply-embedded commando unit. This is a science team. If anything interesting appears...well...we can take to the field once more, old friend."

The Perdition - Command Bridge

"No." Turmoil replied to Soul Siren's suggestion while watching at a datagrid marking the current positions of the fleet their various planetside teams.

"I will not risk any ships in the fleet, as insignificant a chance of escape for any of the Autobots is." The massive Decepticon continued, his gaze never leaving the datagrid before him. "All prisoners are to be moved to fortress Tenebrous."

After a short pause, Turmoil continued, "Given how Cyclonus and Scourge have already brought new prisoners there, you will be busy for the foreseeable future. If you go now, both River and Vestra should be arriving there roughly at the same time as you."

The Perdition - Command Bridge

"As you wish Commander Turmoil. I will go to the Bounce Chamber immediately."

Externally Soul Siren remained cool but internally she was taken aback by Turmoil's words. Everything in the report she was handed said that they had little to fear from these Autobots and even less considering the condition the Horrorcons likely left them in. To not want them brought here suggested a degree of paranoia by their commander or a total lack of confidence in the ship crews. Both suggested a possible danger and something she would need to be aware off. Still, she had learned long ago that it was never wise to share such concerns and her experience as an interrogator had given her a good poker face to keep such thoughts hidden behind a stoic exterior.

She turned towards Spectro.

"Please prepare the appropriate co-ordinates."

She bowed politely and made her way from the Bridge.

Equatorial Desert

The light faded only to be replaced by the overbearing heat and light from the planet's rising stellar body. Intense enough to force Deadlock to shield his optics with his left arm as his optical sensors polarized. "A little more warning would have been appreciated." He snarled as the terrain went from blinding white to a more neutral dusk.

He lowered his arms and checked the ammunition levels in each weapon. Under the shade created by his rifle he took note of the grainy particles that spread out to the infinity. Lowering his weapons to their holsters, Deadlock kicked at the sand and sneered. "We are being dispatched to Turmoil's personal golf course. Just what I needed to make this day complete, being a caddie in this pit."

Shrugging his shoulders Deadlock transformed into his vehicle form and activated special modifications to enhance his traction on the loose sediment. "Alright fine, lets just get this over with. I'll be as useful as you two slagheads." He smirked in vehicle form. He extended his sensors and activated his engine in pulsing fashion. Tuning his receivers to pick up faint rebounds from under ground, he was able to slowly patch together a small grainy map of the desolate region.

"Lets just follow your nose and beat on whatever is at the other end." Deadlock stabilized his engine and drove along the surface following a filling magma river back towards its source.

Mount Melanos - Workshop

Doublecross grinned as he watched Repugnus pull away a huge piece of the back wall to reveal the entrance of a tunnel that lead away from the Autobot’s Beta Site. It was effectively a secret escape route that would allow the trio of Monsterbots to maneuver unseen and undetected until they reached their new base of operations somewhere in an underground cave. From there they could launch attacks on the Decepticon hordes that were swarming over Nebulos and possibly save the tiny green inhabitants from becoming slave labor for the rest of their lives. Although, somehow the duel-minded ‘Bot thought it would take more than the three of them to liberate the entire world.

(It would take a miracle!)

Would you at least try to be more positive?

(No.)

“I agree, the tunnel’s well built, Repugnus,” Doublecross said, agreeing with his other comrade. “I don’t know if it’s better than what the Constructicons could build, but with the limited time and resources available to you, it’s a satisfactory exit.”

(Oh, please! It’s just a filthy hole in the wall! A cyber-rat could do better!)

Bite your tongue, cretan! It will serve our needs well enough. Now let’s go!

With the right region of his processor in control, Doublecross followed Grotusque into the tight tunnel, having to bend down while pulling his hover cart full of supplies behind him. As he continued onward, the tunnel grew larger just as Repugnus had said it would. Soon, the second pathway on the right was upon them and Doublecross walked up beside Grotusque, now able to stand up to his full height. “After you, gorgeous.”

(Gorgeous?! Are you fraggin’ serious? I’ve seen prettier face plates on a Terrorcon!)

Actually, I was just kidding, moron. Grow a sense of humor.

Doublecross uttered a low growl, but not at anything or anyone around him. The sound originated from the left hemisphere of his processor, the side that usually took a back seat to the proceedings when in robot mode. Sometimes, though, that darker half emerged a little bit at a time or even completely to take back control over the right, more pleasant side. In this case, the left had managed a growl as the opposite struggled internally to remain in control. It was a near constant battle as the two personalities ever rarely agreed on anything other than destroying Decepticons. Hopefully, they would get the chance to do just that soon before their mental conflicts became physical ones.

Equatorial Desert - Underground Lava Tunnel

Strafe was truly helpless in the clutches of Lockdown, whose hooked grip grew tighter and tighter to prevent any further squirming from the nervous Technobot. The bounty hunter’s response to his query was cryptic at best. Of course he was taking the Autobot to the highest bidder, but who was that bidder? That’s the question Strafe wanted answered, but he was clearly not going to get it. The red and white mech would simply have to wait and see. It probably wouldn’t be too long to learn the employer’s identity. Perhaps the high strung ‘Bot would have a better chance at escaping once he had been handed over, or perhaps he would be in no better a position than he currently was. It couldn’t be any worse, could it?

After being insulted for a second time, Strafe simply did what Lockdown had told him and that was to be quiet and enjoy the ride. Although, “enjoy” really wasn’t the right term, more like “survive” or maybe “endure”. Regardless, the Autobot prisoner had little to no options left as he was weaponless and overmatched. His Technobot comrades tried to mount a rescue attempt, launching a missle at the ceiling, but to no avail as the bounty hunter simply used his supercharger which sent them both rocketing to the far end of the lava tunnel as the tube caved in behind them. Lockdown’s words that followed only confirmed what Strafe already knew. He was alone with little chance that his teammates could reach him let alone save him. The following EMP burst pretty much sealed the deal as now the nervous ‘Bot had no way of activating his internal comm or homing beacon. He was helpless, at the mercy of Lockdown and whomever his employer turned out to be.

Melanossus

Pyro stored the conical projector in a storage compartment. He shifted his weight as a pair of winged insect clones flew over head. His optics narrowed as one of them exploded as a burst of energy exploded from Pointblank's weapon. "Scrap." He muttered as he pushed himself back against the facade of a four story building with enough force of impact that caused the glass to shatter and the supports to buckle.

Instinctively his right hand took hold of his chemical cannon. He flipped over the internal switches over to a corrosive chemical. "So much for the concept of surprise. Pointblank, we need to split their forces and hit that warehouse from the flanks."

He spun around from cover and poured fire into one of the clones that most resembled Bombshell. Its head almost immediately began to bubble and dissolve under the impact of three shells. Pyro wasted no time and turned his attention to its flanking partners and repeated the effort sending two more clones into bubbling pools of corroded metal.

Finally his position was no longer covered by surprising interlopers. Checking his ammunition status again, Pyro dashed into the streets and marched to the nearest intersection. He swept across the streets covering any approach. "Advance. Team one to the right, the rest flank to the west. Lets roll." He waved on as another squadron of clones arrived from the station defensive perimeter.

Equatorial Desert

>>"Yah. You follow yer snout Snaps. And tell that pesky lil' whinerbot to knock himself out if he can't handle the heat, hah!" Apeface transmitted back to Snapdragon as he soared towards the crashed escape pod.

The pod was giving no signs of life or electrical charge visible on his sensors. While powerful, the Horrorcons were also far more intelligent than their behavior indicated. Apeface was not one to rush directly into a trap if it could be avoided. However, judging by the tracks near the crashed pod and leftover energy residue - had there been a trap it had been triggered already.

Transforming into his primate form in mid-air, Apeface landed next to the crashed pod and peeked into a hole in it created likely by Skullgrin and Lockdown. That one look gave him all the data he needed.

>>"Oooh. The itty bitty bots have gone diggin'. We have a driller Snaps. Either Twin Twist or Nosecone, I am betting on the latter."<< Apeface sent another message to his partner in crime and swung himself into the remains of the escape pod, transforming into robot mode just before his feet would have touched the ground.

Pulling up his sonic boomer gun, Apeface fired a weak sonic barrier into the cavern opening listened to how it echoed thorough the cave network under the desert. After silently listening to the echo of his sonic blast for no more than couple of minutes, Apeface contacted Snapdragon again.

>>"I have roughly echographed the caverns under the desert, sending you a 3D-map I pulled together. This area is huge even without whatever new holes the 'bots have dug there. I can't tell where the slaggin' bots are through echolocating. They are too deep in there for me to evaluate whether these fragged spots of the map are just rocks or Autobots. Anyhow, I am moving in."<<

Entering the tunnel, Apeface kept his robot form and pulled out his electron shield as well. Before moving too far ahead however, he sent a Decepticon feeler signal into the cave network. If Skullgrin was within range, he'd bounce the signal back to the Horrorcon.

Equatorial Desert--Underground Lava Tubes

The distraction that one of Lightspeed's Technobot brothers had provided which distracted Skullgrin enough to keep him from going for a killing blow was just one more reason that Lightspeed had to think that Primus' hand really was at work somewhere, somehow in his life. Maybe it was just coincidence. The timing just seemed to perfect, though.

In any case it was a nice thought and an altogether brief one before the reality of the spark-shattering pain as the blade had been withdrawn from his torso caused a surge of glitched readings within every corner of the Technobot's optics as he fell to his knee joints.

He could hear the magma flowing and weapons firing, but it took a few astroseconds for Lightspeed to orient himself to his surroundings again.

"We're not.....done," Lightspeed sputtered out as he attempted to follow after Skullgrin, fluids trailing from the vicious wound in his chest. He fired off a blast from his rifle. Maybe it would distract the brutal Decepticon, just as the other Technobot's had earlier. Maybe it would be the last, valiant act of a defeated Autobot. Lightspeed hadn't been one of those lusting after the idea of going down in a blaze of glory, but impaled in some tunnel? He could think of a lot better ways to die.
___

The Perdition--Bounce Chamber

The Spectro unit had cast Soul Siren a brief, inquisitive gaze as she presumed to order him around like some kind of drone. He said nothing for the moment however, as she appeared to have curried the favor of Turmoil.

"It will be done," the unit said before turning and heading off towards another area of the ship entirely. Upon arriving within the halls of the bounce chamber, Spectro took up the control station and began entering the coordinates of the primary Decepticon fortress on Nebulos.

"You may proceed at your leisure," the Spectro unit said as Soul Siren approached.
___

Melanossus

Flanking the bugs seemed as good a strategy as any. Pointblank didn't suspect these buggy clones had much in the way of either defensive or offensive tactics.

And right he was.

Slamming his fist in to the first Diaclone he came within reach of hitting, Pointblank then proceeded to fire off targeted rounds in to three others.

Backing up against one side of the energy transfer relay station, Pointblank continued to fire at anything that even closely resembled an insectoid shape. Looking in to the distance, he could see a dark cloud in the skies. Only it was far too small to be a cloud. And far too dark. Nebulan tech?

No.

Slag, Pointblank cursed as the shapes began to get more distinctive, the closer they got.

Sweeps.

Equatorial Desert

Snapdragon receives the information from his partner and responds to Apeface.

"Yeah, I am starting to pick up Autobot scents as I get closer. Kinda faded so they definitely went somewhere. The puppyoid that was following us went off to do whatever he considers useful. Now we can really get to work."

Having an idea where this cavern was, Snapdragon transformed into his jet form and took to the air, quickly heading to the area that his partner had pointed out.

"No reason to just wonder through the caverns blind Apey. Now that you gave me a map I'll just fly over the area, boost my scanners, and look for energon signals. Can't be too much in the way of energy in this dead area."


Snapdragon flew over the area combining his great speed and enhanced central processing system to cover the area quickly and to analyze the results he was getting with equal speed. This was the real reason he was such an effective interceptor. More than his formidable armament and strength, his ability to move quickly and make the most of that advantage with his intelligence is what allowed him to be so good.

"I got some blips on the map Apey. I'm sending you the coordinates. I'll keep flying over head and keep an eye on what happens. When you find em let me know and I'll find the nearest access to join in the fun."

It was classic Horrorcon tactics. Snapdragon identifies a target, Apeface sabotages it, then both Horrorcons combine to finish whatever is left standing.

The Perdition--Bounce Chamber

Soul Siren nodded to Reflector. "Thank you." She said and then vanished.

Fortress Tenebrous

Soul Siren arrived at the Fortress Tenebrous and took a moment to adjust to her surroundings. Bouncing was always a jarring experience to one's senses as suddenly everything changed. She took a moment to download the schematics of the location and identified the Command Center. Before she questioned any of the Autobots she wanted to check in with the ranking Decepticon in the Fortress to avoid any unpleasantness especially when the figure was such a powerful one within Decepticon ranks.

She walked to the Command Center and entered. She spotted Cyclonus and saluted politely.

"Greetings sir. I have been sent by Commander Turmoil to question the Autobot captives that you have in this facility."

She stood there until acknowledged by Cyclonus. She knew he was all soldier which she could honestly respect him for. It also meant she was not going to take any changes on being even the slightest bit disrespectful to him. Such is the lot in life for a physically weak Decepticon.

Fortress Tenebrous

Cyclonus had noted the new Decepticon arrival on one of the control screens. He turned to acknowledge her arrival, taking note of her show of decorum.

"Proceed," Cyclonus said. "The noose on this insignificant little resistance is tightening. We'll have more for you to interrogate soon enough."

The lithe, purple Decepticon then turned to address an incoming comm notification. It was one of Scourge's Sweeps. Finally, it seemed, they were making real progress.

>>"We followed Diaclone signals to the Nebulan city of Melanossus. The insects seem to have constructed some kind of energy siphoning station there. But now there's more. Now there are Autobots!"<<

Cyclonus' attention perked up at the Sweep's last statement. He wasn't concerned with whatever tiny little constructs the Insecticons saw fit to establish on this world. The word of an Autobot presence however? That most definitely had his attention.

"Do you have visuals?"

>>"Yes. Transmitting,"<< the Huntsman said. One of the command screens was then filled with raw imagery of a battle of some kind. The Sweep's visual scanning systems zoomed in further, to where both Cyclonus and Scourge could see the distinct presence of Cybertronians. Cybertronians that were certainly not aligned with the Decepticons.

"Pyro...," Cyclonus began, his voice trailing off as he recognized one of the distinct physical designs. He looked upward for a moment, considering his various options before turning to leave the command center.

"Contain them. Reinforcements are en route."

Fortress Tenebrous

Soul Siren relaxed a little once she had been acknowledged. Hopefully she had made a good first impression. In the Decepticon ranks failing to do so was often a death sentence especially when one was physically weak.

"Thank you sir. I will extract whatever information they may have as soon as they arrive."

Soul Siren became silent when the message came. She saw the scene that was broadcasted by the Sweeps and Cyclonus' words. Her optics glew at the sight as her interrogator's instincts became alert to the opportunity this represented.

"At last someone who might have some useful information to extract."

She said and took our her datapad and began to access her files on known Autobots.

OoC: Sorry for the delay!

Equatorial Forest - Four miles out from Koraja

Nightbeat was beginning to feel the weight of Skyhammer as he ran from the city. Nightbeat loathed use of that word to describe himself. Nightbeat was usually one to stroll around an enemy-infested area.

Nightbeat slowed down to listen if he was being followed, to his surprise he was not. No whine and buzz of Insecticons and no snaps of twigs or crunch of leaves other than his own.

He placed Skyhammer down on the ground and took a seat against a tree, panting. Nightbeat looked at the sky and he could tell that the sun was setting. Technically, the planet's rotation was giving the illusion of the sun setting, but it was going to get dark soon nevertheless.

Nightbeat, after a few minutes of rest, leaned forward to examine the body of Skyhammer. He turned the mech onto his stomach to examine the back, simultaneously activating a voice recorder for his personal logs. He needed to find out what happened to Skyhammer. There could only be speculation at this point, but his curiosity was too great.

"Personal investigation log, subject: Skyhammer." Nightbeat said as he leaned forward and let his digits fall into the scratches, burns and holes on Skyhammer's back, "Subject has multiple lacerations on his back, most likely caused from that of a claw or tooth, that span from small cuts to large gouges in the Subject's back. There is a large, gaping hole on our Subject that goes through-and-through. This could be the wound left by the Murder Weapon. There is no residual plasma burns, so I doubt that this was a firearm. More like a spear or javelin. Must have been a very large Spear though."

Nightbeat turned the body on his back to examine the front.

"More lacerations and burns, this suggests that whatever happened to his back wasn't unique. Hole is consistent with back wound, spear or Javelin. There are defensive wounds on his arms and hands," Nightbeat said as he lifted the hands and rotated them left and right, "Moving on to the head. Faceplate ripped, consistent with tooth or claw, most likely a product of the same culprit that caused the damage to the other parts of the body. There seems to be a puncture wound on the forehead... Hang on..."

Nightbeat found a small, almost projectile-like object in the middle. Nightbeat tried to pull it out with his hand using little force, but it wouldn't budge!

"It seems there is a small object in the cranium... Trying to remove."

Nightbeat began to try to gouge it out, completely unaware that this was the Cerebro Shell that Bombshell planted beforehand, exposed by whatever happened to Skyhammer.

*****

Subsurface Lava Tubes

Nosecone finally tweaked his Geo sensors to accommodate for depth and to show some metals that were known armor materials.

He saw on his HUD what seemed to be small magma pockets around the area and off in the distance was a wriggling shape. Nosecone looked closer, it was Strafe and Lockdown!

>>Afterburner, Scattershot, Lightspeed, I have found Strafe and Lockdown further down the tunnel. My speed will limit me, I could use some backup.<< Nosecone stated as he transformed into his driller and began to crank up to top speed at 55 mph.

He turned around a corner, still keeping the Geomap up on his HUD. He left a small trace of dripping oil as a "Breadcrumb Trail" for the others to follow.

Equatorial Desert: Ancient Lava Flow

Scattershot knelt down as bursts of the Slag Maker laser tore through the claustrophobic confines of the magma chamber. Bits of super heated rock pummeled him from on high, causing deep scorches to be traced along his thick armor plate. The Technobot Commander ignored the intense pain as a burst of diffused acid and laser fire emerged unseen from the cloud of concentrated volcanic gas and slammed into his left shoulder. He could feel the outer layers of his armor peal away and burn closed almost immediately preventing the loss of vital fluids.

Scattershot switched his weapon from his left hand to his right, and snapped off another hundred rounds of acid pellets at Skullgrin. "Lightspeed." He muttered as the smaller Technobot managed to stagger back into the battle. It did his energon pump good to see the tenacity of his teammates. Still, even he know that the damage received at the hands of their rather rude uninvited guest had border lined on the critical. Scattershot knew he needed to end this battle swiftly in order to affect repairs on Lightspeed. It was against his craw, to hasten the battle to its conclusion before he had had his fill. It rubbed him the wrong way.

Breaking from his position of relatively lax coverage, Scattershot bolted over towards the tunnel that had swallowed Afterburner, Nosecone and the kidnapped Strafe almost a few cycles before. With his Acid Pellet Rifle, he added a large volume of acidic fire to Lightspeed's charge. "Hate to do this Lightspeed. But we got to withdraw. Up the tunnel." He positioned himself as a breakwater to ensure his orders were not misconstrued. They needed a better position to fight, and while their defensive position had been strong. With several covering fire positions, fallen rocks and stalagmites as well as other ancient rock formations. The problem was, a worm had managed to sneak in and erode their foundation before it had ever been fully established.

Scattershot swore he'd return the favor ten fold before this adventure was over.

Another burst of Slag Maker laser tore through his armor plate. Scattershot refused to acknowledge the damage or the intense pain that surged through his super structure. Instead he continued to herd Lightspeed back up the safety of the Tunnel.

Once they were both clear, Scattershot transformed into his artillery piece form and loaded a pair of sonic shells into his breach. "Enjoy the bath Skullgrin. You really need it." With that he leveled off the muzzle of the powerful gun at the damaged Magma vain. Once satisfied with the range and angle, Scattershot fired his two shells straight into the rock face.

Reverting to robot form he dashed into the tunnel as sonic waves began to cause the vain to crack and vomit more of the damaging magma. With weapon in hand, Scattershot managed to avoid the first splashes of thick burning orange rock as it began to cascade down. He had lost sight of Skullgrin, but he doubted he had finished the Decepticon off. If anything that mechanism was already digging an escape route. Of course the Technobot could not confirm the flood of magma was even in danger of burying the con. All he knew was the river of molten rock would buy he and Lightspeed time to catch up with the others.