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The Semper Tyrannis – Hangar

Brief as it was, their bout had already accumulated quite the audience eager to glimpse two Terrorcons fighting it out. An assortment of Seekers, Vehicons, and other warriors had assembled in a rough circle, at a distance. Smart thinking. To venture too closely would be to risk an instant trip to the repair bay.

Sinnertwin didn’t know if the Terrorcons were watching from somewhere within the circle, but if he hazarded a guess, the first head would say, “Yes,” and the second, “Indeed.” However, he couldn’t afford to indulge his curiosity by searching for them; Cutthroat, the berserk bastard, warranted all of his focus.

And if they were, his fellow Terrorcons, that meant Hun-Grrr was watching. And if Hun-Grrr was watching, that meant Sinnertwin’s urge to rip Cutthroat open need not be sated but restricted. There were still orders to await, and wrecking Cutthroat while he was supposed to be standing by obediently would only bring him trouble from the master. This scuffle would have to be postponed.

Sinnertwin hadn’t intended to immerse himself in a death match with Cutthroat. He blamed the viewscreen for offering the tantalising treat it showcased on LV-117—the chaosteros and the opportunity to battle it. That had proved overwhelming. So had Cutthroat’s challenge. Neither had been ignored.

He let out a pair of hisses as he took several step towards Cutthroat, feeling the gouges his team-mate had left in his back. The avian Terrorcon’s tenacity, coupled with his talons, coerced Sinnertwin’s love for destruction to narrow, laser-thin, on Cutthroat. He wanted to make the runt pay for that. And with the vulnerable position Cutthroat was in, Sinnertwin’s central processor compiled acts of violence—tear his wings off, bite his vocaliser out, burn his optics to ashes—he had to fulfil.

Had to. Wanted to. Didn’t matter, ultimately, because he couldn’t. One reason: Hun-Grrr.

Sinnertwin shrieked his displeasure at Cutthroat. “When the hunt is over...we’ll continue our fun. You better save your strength.” He snarled. “You’ll need it for when we finish this.”

You threatened a pack-mate, you tussled, you promised to kill him later on. Rinse, repeat. An average day for a Terrorcon, really.

"ENOUGH!! Control your troops Terrorcon!”

The voice thundering across the hangar belonged to none other than the mighty Scorponok himself, who had grown tired of the petty infighting between the Terrorcons Cutthroat and Sinnertwin. Taking the hint from their supreme leader, the terrifying and now ashamed leader of the Terrorcons – Hun-Gurrr, finally shifted the focus of his greedy stare away from the Chaosteros and acted. Swiftly and decisively. Still standing on his hind legs with his dragonic heads high above the other Decepticon’s in the hangar’s floor level, Hun-Grrr’s both heads sent two separate streams of searing flaming at Cutthroat and Sinnertwin with enough head to make them both squirm in anguish. He could have done so much worse but turning his own minions into smoldering wreckages just prior being deployed in battle was far from intelligent course of action to take.

The Terrorcon leader did not speak, he just stared at the duo of blackened troublemakers with seething optics and cutting fluid dripping from his half open maws. His body language did the talking. Continue and I will feast on you.

With Hun-Garr enforcing order back to his troops, Scorponok turned his optics away from the distraction his overanxious warriors had caused.

It appeared that the naval unit led by Snaptrap had already made their way through the space bridge and the force field controlled temporary air lock had been drained of the water that had poured in from the underwater portal they had opened. The bridge was ready to be deployed again as soon as the leader of the Second Expansion Fleet would issue the order to do so.

Now, as Reflector was going through with attack options against the Chaosteros, it was as good time as any to deal with Lockdown.

>>Lord Scorponok, I’m happy to be of service, assuming we can reach a suitable agreement. <<

Scorponok did not reply back to the bounty hunter yet. He was not interested in artifical pleasantries. If Lockdown had something to offer, he’d do it eventually and offer his terms. As it was, Lockdown was nothing put an indifferent gnat in the grand plan of things. His ship stood no chance against the might of the Semper Tyrannis or any other ships of the fleet present were he to wear out his welcome. Scorponok could wait for Lockdown had far less to offer to this particular bargain than he did.

>>Lord Scorponok, Given the state of your initial deployment team, I have decided it would be in both of our interests if I accepted your offer. To a degree. Since your ‘forces’ are dealing with the chaosteros, I shall apprehend who or what it is protecting and who you are looking for. That is what I do best, don’t you agree? And only for the fair price of ten thousand credits and refueling my ship afterwards. Otherwise, I am more than happy to wait this out. There are plenty of marks with a bounty on their heads.<<

>>”If you will be able to achieve what you suggest, you are going to be fully compensated with what you are asking for. But only if you are able to deliver what you promise without getting in my way. Scorponok out.”<< The gargantuan warlord replied back to the bounty hunter with unhidden bluntness in his voice. Perhaps Lockdown could deliver but he was not counting on it. Yet, by all means – let him try. Sending some credits and fuel to his direction was a small price to pay if he was able to capture Jhiaxus alive.

>>"Jhiaxus.....he's not inside the fortress....he's.....inside....."<<

The next message that got through from planetside into the Tyrannis though… it changed everything.

”Jhiaxus is inside that thing?!” Scorponok growled, jumping down into the hangar proper from the command platform with fury rarely seen in him and thus sending dozens of Decepticons scattering out of his way.

”Cyclonus! Mobilize your air forces! Reflector, open a sky bridge for him!” Scorponok roared out commands while marching towards the center of the hangar. ”Everyone else prepare to move through!”

Scorponok stopped next to a safe distance from the space bridge and let his gaze circle the hangar, taking a good look at his troops. Some eager for battle whether it was for energon lust, glory or vengeance - some afraid of the enormous beast Jhiaxus had risen - yet all ready to follow his lead.

”Once Reflector opens the ground bridge the Terrorcons will move in first and act as our vanguard as we move in for the kill! No one betrays the Decepticons and goes unpunished!” Scorponok kept rallying his troops as the space bridged shifted into position and activated, revealing the stormy skies of the planet below. There was no need of issuing further orders to Bludgeon. The electric warrior was intelligent enough to make his own conclusions once the ground bridge would open.

”Cyclonus!”

”ATTACK!”

Semper Tyrannis – Hanger

Cutthroat waited for the attack. Sinnertwin was a magnificent fighter, but he was too brash, too eager to jump in without being prepared. That was the one thing Cutthroat had that made him equal to the two-headed hound sentry. He knew the element of surprise, how to use it, and how to turn the tables should a prey prove to be too powerful or lucky to fall early in the conflict.

In his own way, Sinnertwin was as formidable as any of the Terrorcons except for Hun-Grrr. It was the wrath that their leader would launch at them that had kept them from going to kill shots thus far, but it was hard to control what happened when the energon lust was upon them.

It was times like these than made Cutthroat proud, even happy to be with this group of mechs. Each were worthy of the upcoming hunt, which made dispatching Sinnertwin a regrettable action, but such was the way of things in the Terrorcon team. Still, he’d lost out on several tasty morsels over the last few cycles, and Sinnertwin would rectify that.

But the attack never came. Instead, he watched as his Terrorcon brother not just ceased his attack, but submitted entirely.

Sinnertwin wrote: “When the hunt is over...we’ll continue our fun. You better save your strength.” He snarled. “You’ll need it for when we finish this.”

Confused and wondering what kind of trick Sinnertwin was playing at, Cutthroat got to his feet, careful to pull back any hint of his flamethrower being primed and ready. Did he know of my trap? How could he?

A low, hissing laugh escaped from Cutthroat. “Very well, brother, we shall finish this once we finish dining on those waiting for us below.”

Scorponok wrote: "ENOUGH!! Control your troops Terrorcon!”

Their fleet commander’s voice caught Cutthroat’s attention. Looking up toward the command platform, he responded with a low growl that was more of a compliant sound than not. He knew there was no chance of him surviving a confrontation with their commander.

Before he could turn back to Sinnertwin, flames engulfed him. Pain seared through him as the flames charred and burned off a good deal of the organic covering from the CR chamber, torching circuitry and sensors running underneath his armored skin. Warnings flashed in his optics as his processor tried to reroute power and other circuits automatically, all the while working to keep him functional.

None of that mattered to him, though, as he thrashed about, trying to angle himself so the flames burned some of his better armored areas instead of vital sections. He knew this pain, had felt it many times before when he’d overstepped the line Hun-Grrr had drawn. He refused to scream out, refused to give his leader the satisfaction of hearing his pain vocalized. Instead, he compartmentalized it for future use. He would need to remember this and other humiliations when he stood over Hun-Grrr’s deactivated chassis, devouring his core.

When the flames eventually burned themselves out, Cutthroat was prostrate on the hanger floor, some molten metal from his amour dripped on the floor. He pushed himself up and locked his optics on Hun-Grrr’s. He knew the routine. Too well, some would say, so he did as expected.

Scorponok wrote: ”Once Reflector opens the ground bridge the Terrorcons will move in first and act as our vanguard as we move in for the kill! No one betrays the Decepticons and goes unpunished!”

His battle with Sinnertwin partially forgotten for the moment, Cutthroat pushed himself to his feet. Exhilaration flowed through him, causing him to ignore his injuries, which were relatively minor compared to what they would have been had Hun-Grrr not been lenient for the moment. He didn’t know about being able to transform yet, but that wasn’t a priority.

“Yes, kill. Kill or be killed, the mark of the hunter,” he said, not caring that he was blackened and charred. The now hunt begins. Soon, leader, and you, brother, will have more to worry about than what we’re facing. His hissing laugh spoke volumes of his energon lust, causing more than a few to give him wary looks as they moved out of the Terrocons way so they could transport to the planet and begin what they were built for.

The Semper Tyrannis--Hangar

Cyclonus registered Bombshell's message much like the others seemed to: an initial wave of confusion, followed by the anticipation of a strike. Scorponok did not disappoint in that regard.

”Jhiaxus is inside that thing?! Cyclonus! Mobilize your air forces! Reflector, open a sky bridge for him! Everyone else prepare to move through!”

"At once, my lord," Cyclonus said. As the second Reflector unit accessed the spacebridge technology, there was a tear in the space above the soldiers in the hangar. As he locked in the destination coordinates, he opened a second one that was accessible to the ground units.

>>"All aerial units, on me,"<< Cyclonus transmitted, stepping off the platform, leaping and then transforming in mid-air before shooting through the spacebridge.
___

Mindwipe watched as Scorponok decidedly called his troops into action. The spectacle below was entrancing, but the Decepticon hypnotist knew that he had a duty to perform.

He then looked up as Cyclonus and other aerial units began to transform and race into the spacebridge. He could fly, yes, but he never really considered himself a part of the air strike ranks. Not like a Seeker or a Sweep. No, by all means, let them proceed. He would proceed forward with the ground forces just fine.

The Death’s Head

Scorponok wrote:>>”If you will be able to achieve what you suggest, you are going to be compensated with what you are asking for. But only if you deliver what you promise. Scorponok out.”<<

So, this is important to you. So much the better. Lockdown smiled at the closed channel and thought over their conversation. It was good to have a motivated client, since it left little doubt Scorponok would pay him. Unlike other mechs, he treated those he dealt with fairly. Or as fairly as one could expect from a Decepticon.

He hadn’t expected the deal to be closed to quickly, but that only seemed to prove his belief in the goal of their mission. The few communication transmissions he was able to decipher (the downside of not being one of Megatron’s flock) had given him the name Jhiaxus and that he was inside. Had that not been on a standard Decepticon comm channel, he wouldn’t have heard that much. He made a note to upgrade his passcode so he could eavesdrop in the future. He just had to find the right Decepticon that wouldn’t mind exchanging the information if Lockdown made it worth their while.

But that was a concern for another time. Right now, he had a bounty to collect.

His actuators danced across his controls and The Death’s Head shot forward, angling to enter the planet’s atmosphere on the far side and approach the mountain where it wasn’t being attacked. It wouldn’t take long, but the itch of the hunt was starting to buzz through his circuits. It also gave him time to download what he could on this Jhiaxus… assuming it was the correct name. He felt confident of that, and from the bits of information he had, it looked correct.

He let out a low growl at having overplayed his hand with Scorponok. Instead, he was starting to realize the fleet commander hadn’t bothered to send over any relative information, which meant Lockdown was going into this blind and dumb. Two things that meant failure nearly every time.

It also meant he had to reevaluate his outlook and deal with the commander. Not that it was the first time for him.

He thought the name Jhiaxus was familiar, and at first he was surprised there was so much unprotected information about the mech, but as he scanned through the files, he was shocked to learn that that this was the Jhiaxus. The mech was legendary and known to be above most others when it came to theoretical sciences and strategies. If this was indeed who Lockdown had agreed to apprehend, he would be receiving a hundred times less than the mark was worth. That realization was nearly enough for him to put his hook through his viewscreen and bombard the mountain from orbit just to be done with the deal.

But that would play into Scorponok’s hands, would it not? Lockdown’s anger had nearly twisted itself into something that had overridden his logic circuits. No, he couldn’t allow that to happen, and he couldn’t allow Scorponok or the others to get Jhiaxus first. If that meant stasis locking any Decepticons that got in his way, so be it. They should consider themselves lucky that’s all he’d do to them.

He turned his attention to his viewscreen and the Autotbots currently fighting for their lives.

Such a pity to allow so much potential rewards to rust. He tapped the viewscreen with his hook before deciding against helping them. For now.

If this Jhiaxus was the one Scorponok and company were looking for, and if he was indeed a scientist of some repute, then his mountain base would have plenty of items Lockdown could acquire to enhance himself and his ship as payment he allowed himself to be robbed of.

He made a note to check if Scorponok had a price on his head somewhere. If so, he may just send them in the right direction.

Hangar:

Bugly's attention... In fact all of his commrades' attentions... Went to Scorponok as the giant Decepticon flew into a rage.

A wicked smile crept on to Bugly's faceplate. An angry Scorponok would want Jhiaxus...

CryHavok wrote:”Cyclonus! Mobilize your air forces! Reflector, open a sky bridge for him!” Scorponok roared out commands while marching towards the center of the hangar. ”Everyone else prepare to move through!”

...Oh yes... There was the order to attack. Glorious.

"I'm going with the air units." he suddenly said to his teammates. "Far more useful that way."

With that he transformed and took off after Cyclonus' troops.

---

Iguanus and the rest stood standing and watching Bugly depart.

"Well..." Iguanus said finally. "So much for stick together. He's probably right though."

--

Carnivac nodded. "He is." He muttered. "We'd be too slow."

His optics drifted over to the Terrorcons, waiting for them to move out so they could follow. "Betcha Bomb Burst is going to have his fans in a bunch over this." A positively evil smirk crept across Carnivac's faceplate at the thought of Bomb Burst not getting to carry out his plans. Oh how much fun it will be to poke at the Vampire.....

The Semper Tyrannis--Hangar

Once more, unto the breach, Stormwrecker thought as he watched dozens, then hundreds, of aerial units follow after Cyclonus into the skybridge and another one had opened for the ground units.
___

"I really, really would rather not be eaten. If that can be a thing, I'd like to make that a thing," Goldrush said, prompting chuckles and nods of agreement from several surrounding Decepticons.

LV-117 Ocean

“Eyes up Seacons! We are not alone in these waters!”

“Aye aye Captain!” Skalor quickly dove underwater to see the giant aquatic beast for himself. It was rather large for anything he had ever seen, so it was most likely inflated in size by the madmech. “Here comes the big ol’ fishie!”

The smelly fish plunged downward, bringing himself to a lower depth than the giant shark. Pointing his guns upwards, he fired off his slimy projectiles, in attempts to slow down the beast.

Semper Tyrannis - Hangar

>>Does anyone recognize that? Is it an EMP blast or something else?”<<

Slog asked a question that Bristleback didn’t quite know the answer to. “Eh, doesn’t look like any sorta fraggin’ EMP to me, it would’ve fried the slagging scrap outta all the spawns of glitches down there.”

There was no doubt that Slog and the rest of the team was sharing the same sentiment. They all wanted to take down the FRAGGING SLAGHEAD THAT DID THIS TO THEM. Bristleback in particular wanted to crush his skull personally, following it up by ripping out his spark casings and GRINDING THAT FRAGGER’S SPARK UNTIL IT WAS NOTHING BUT FRAGGING SCRAPS AND RUBBLE. He’d done nothing to them but cause pain and suffering and there was no way Bristleback was going to let go of the SLAGGER until his systems shut down completely.

Semper Tyrannis – Hanger

Bristlback wrote:“Eh, doesn’t look like any sorta fraggin’ EMP to me, it would’ve fried the slagging scrap outta all the spawns of glitches down there.”

Slog nodded, replying through their comm., >>Jhaixus hasn’t used his best weaponry yet. He’s saving it for a desperation strike. I’m sure of it.<< He didn’t know what made him utter those words, but he felt his Monstercons needed to hear the words vocalized instead of through their comm units.

While Bristleback’s argument made sense, he couldn’t help but wonder what else was in store for those below.

Scorponok wrote: ”Everyone else prepare to move through!”

Time at last. Opening a channel to his team and Umbra, Slog said, >>Monstercons, prepare yourselves. Our justice is upon us. Remember what you’ve seen thus far. Don’t let your guard down.<<

Scorponok wrote:”Once Reflector opens the ground bridge the Terrorcons will move in first and act as our vanguard as we move in for the kill! No one betrays the Decepticons and goes unpunished!”

Slog’s servos started shaking from the strain of him forcing himself not to march up to Scorponok to demand they go first while he tried to think of a tactical way around this newly developed problem. He had known this would happen and had been making plans for it, but having his assumptions come true had been a shock. It took every bit of his self control to not call out to Scorponok and proclaim his team’s right of finding and eliminating Jhiaxus.

Slowly, he reverse-engineered their situation to their benefit and over his team’s private comm channel, he added, >>The Terrorcons will not get in our way.<< He tried not to say they would combine if needed, but he felt it was implied. As horrible as the experience was, would it not be poetic justice for Jhiaxus to fall at the hands of his own creation?

This was what he'd been hoping not to happen, and he wondered if this wasn't what Scorponok intended? He'd never thought of the mech as being a master manipulator, but it was possible. To the Monstercons, he asked, >>Any suggestions not involving our combining?<< He surprised himself at sounding calm and collected.

Semper Tyrannis - Hangar

Umbra had stuck close to the Monstercons, trying to avoid attention whenever possible. They were her friends and also her guards. They were probably the only reason why she wasn’t in chains or eaten or chopped up into pieces already. Umbra owed them. She would do whatever it took to pay them back.

>>Any suggestions not involving our combining?<<

>>”Well...since the Terrorcons are going in first...Why don’t we use them as a distraction and circle around that thing? There has to be some way to get inside...I used to be a scout so I’m pretty decent at spotting weaknesses. If someone else could blow a hole in it...we could get inside potentially? And then you guys go berserk? Maybe? I’ll do my best to help too but I’m not packing a lot of firepower.”<<

Umbra put her hands together to make little ripping and tearing motions. She didn’t like to imply that they had to combine. It seemed awfully traumatic for them. No doubt they could do a lot of damage inside the behemoth uncombined too. Still, she was ready to go with them until the end. She smiled uncertainly at her friends, glancing over to Icepick in particular.

Semper Tyrannis - Command Platform over the Hangar

Firewire finished helping to open the space bridge for the ground troops. When she looked up little to her surprise, there were two half baked Terrorcons on the floor with half of their coating scorched off. Ugh. She’d just sprayed everyone too. Her fingers danced over the controls as more acid resistant coating spurted out onto Cutthroat and Sinnertwin. A bit too much really. They were covered in globs of it, but she was too annoyed to care. Anyway, it was good if that embarrassed them. He’d made the mistake of pissing off Lord Scorpy.

“All troops have been sprayed down with coating, Lord Scorponok,” Firewire droned mechanically, moving to the next task she’d assigned to herself.

Firewire continued to monitor the read-outs from both space bridges while searching for an appropriate armament of theirs to provide adequate air support to their fighters. A lot of them really did have too much bang for their buck. Still, she saw some that were okay and others still that they could use for suppression that wouldn’t set them back too badly.

“Here, Reflector, use the auxiliary laser cannons for pinpointed strikes...and...hm...we could probably use these bombs...for a broader attack. Even if they don’t make a direct hit, they could still do damage with the explosions. I’d just time them so they don’t blow our troops up too.”

[LV-117 - Waters]

Snaptrap wrote:“Eyes up Seacons! We are not alone in these waters!”

Tentakil diverted his attention from the hulking land-dwelling gargantuan to the similar (but somewhat smaller) sea gargantuan. It had its fair share of resemblances to a fellow Seacon’s alt mode. “Overbite, look! It’s your sparkmate,” he joked. The beast was large, but surely it wasn’t very dextrous. That was one fight that the demolitionist knew he could win. Bursting sideways to portside, he shifted into his squid form. Jettisoning himself around to the megalocon’s side, he opened his tentacles up wide. At the very least, he could attempt to electrocute it.

“Over there, Octopunch! Let’s see if we can hold this beast down!” Skalor had already begun firing his slimy weapons, attempting to slow the gargantuan down. The demolitionist attempted to dig his electrically charged tentacles into the body of the beast. This one won’t get any pleasantries.

LV-117 - The Death’s Head/Cyberformed Mountain[/i]

Where to begin? Lockdown thought as he studied his scanners.

Nothing new had developed aside from Cyclonus and his fleet, armada, whatever he wished to call them, attacking the chaosteros.

“Better them than me. I’m after the real prize,” he muttered as the computer refreshed the new data with each passing astrosecond. The Death’s Head’s course remained constant as it flew through the atmosphere. His plan to come in behind the combatants appeared like it would work, he just needed to find a way in, and that was the hardest thing at the moment.

You can’t hide from me, you scraplet. Not for long.

After a few seconds, the computer beeped, signaling that it had found something. A flurry of actuators over the controls, and the screen split in two. On the left, if showed the Technobots attempting to drill into the mountain, and on the right was what appeared to be a cave system with Fort Maximus standing in its opening.

“Hmm… interesting… what have you gentlemechs found, hmm?”

He could wait for the Technobots and follow them, but since he was the one that had captured them initially, he doubted they’d cooperate without being offlined. And Fortress Maximus was, well, Fortress Maximus. In many ways, he was the equivalent of Scorponok, except fairer. But he was also a prisoner being forced to fight for his existence.

Oh, Lockdown didn’t like either of those scenarios, especially considering Scorponok wouldn’t be thrilled if he worked with the Autobots. But then, wasn’t that what the warlord was doing himself? Besides, he had something to offer the Autobots that they desired. Assuming Fortress Maximus wasn’t too corrupted by being near to Scorponok for so long.

Those that adjust, thrive. A smile worked across his faceplate as he settled on his course of action.

With a flick of a handful of controls, he programmed the automatic pilot and firing mechanism, then readied himself to disembark.

He wouldn’t get a second chance at this, so he had to make sure he was ready.

He watched the viewscreen for a few seconds, waiting for The Death’s Head to draw close enough. When the laser canons started firing on the chaosteros, he pressed the control to open the escape hatch and leaped out.

His ship was programmed for a single attack run, then it’d circle back to the other side of the mountain and land in a location he programmed in.

He’d timed his jump so he’d be as close to the mountainside as possible while avoiding the current conflict. It would also give him a chance to enter the cave system unnoticed by Jhiaxus, assuming he was in his laboratory.

He grabbed hold of a cyberformatted tree with his hook to slow his descent, leaving a deep gouge in its side before he pushed off and dropped the rest of the way as The Death’s Head finished its attack and banked. It was programmed for the one attack then to land in a location at the base of the mountain near enough to the cave system he’d seen Fortress Maximus at to make a quick getaway, but far enough away that it should remain safe from the battle. Even if someone approached it, it was programmed to fire on any mech that didn’t have this transponder signal.

He landed with a loud thunk and slowly straightened as he took in his surroundings. His internal systems registered some micro stress cracks from his landing, but they were already working to fix them. They’d be repaired before he started moving. The sounds of the battle echoed all around him, but he wasn’t worried about that. He had a mark to retrieve, and that took priority.

He carefully made his way along the mountainside as quickly as he could, pausing only when he spotted Fortress Maximus.

With a slight smile at the turn of events, he sent a private comm to the former prison warden. >>Attention, Autobot. I believe we share the same enemy in this. Perhaps, we can work out a deal to save your fellows’ metallic hides and deal with this Jhiaxus.<<

[Semper Tyrannis - Hangar]

Slog wrote:>>"Any suggestions not involving our combining?"<<

>>”Eh, let the Terrorcons and the buggers distract the monster. We can swoop onto him right after.”<< It was apparent that Wildfly couldn’t contain his energy anymore. He needed a release, and he saw the greatest release of them all in front of his very optics. It only added fuel to his already torn mind.

[LV-117 - Distant Mountains]

Wheelie wrote:"Owwww....Let's just say Wheelie's been better, but at least he's not gone forever. How are you Skyfall? Are you hurt at all?"

“I think I’ll be fine for now… Wheelie! What happened to your arm?” Skyfall was kind of saying the blatant obvious at this point. His head was still spinning from the vertigo, and he didn’t know what to do anymore. “Here, let me see if I can put it together temporarily.” He took Wheelie’s arm and attempted to clear out some of the mess in the socket. “Blagh, you need a medic for this.” He’d managed to put it in so that it was stable, but it wasn’t going to be functional anytime soon.

“I don’t think I have it in me to sustain another big blast. We’ll have to take the long route back. It might take a while.”

Skyfall folded back into jet mode, letting out a faint cry of pain. “Agh! Ouch… that kinda hurts actually. Wheelie, hop on. We’re getting out of here.”

When the minibot had gotten on, he took off, albeit very roughly. Struggling to maintain his balance, he flew toward the north east, the furthest direction from the chaosteros. “Okay Wheelie, here’s the plan. I’m gonna flying all the way around this mountain range. Hang on tight, okay? I’ll try to keep us safe from the big beast.”

He flew as well as he could, which in this situation wasn’t all that great. There was no way he could try to pull anything crazy now. If he did, all that remained between their demise and the skies were thirty thousand feet of nothing but air.

Primus, save me…

LV-117 Distant Mountains

“I think I’ll be fine for now… Wheelie! What happened to your arm?”

Wheelie had a pained expression on his face as he was fighting the pain. Energon slowly trickled from his wound and it hurt like hell having had it severed, and so suddenly. It was slightly better to handle now though then when his arm had been ripped from it's socket. The little minibot said to his larger friend, "It was already damaged from Cutthroat back on the Decepticon ship. When we crashed, I was trying to hold on, but the impact threw me and this....happened.", he said. He usually rhymed. This was the first time in a long time the little bot hadn't rhymed. Rhyming was a trait he'd picked up from his "motherly" figure back on the ship known as the Tempo, before it was taken over by Decepticons and Wheelie was forced to flee in an escape pod. Rhyming came from song, and it gave himself an empowerment to keep going, and to bring good cheer to others, but right now....everything was beginning to look bleak, even to the young survivalist.

'How will we make it out of here?', he thought to himself as Skyfall looked at his wound and took his arm, re-attaching it for him in a makeshift way. It was painful, but at least he couldn't feel anything in his arm, just the stump. Afterwards, his arm just dangled there uselessly, but at least it was back where it was supposed to be. The little orange bot looked up at Skyfall with bright little blue optics despite his worries, and said to Skyfall, "Thank you my friend, for the little mend." He rhymed again. He liked rhyming. Still, Wheelie was trying really hard right now not to cry. He was depressed, scared....no...terrified of what could happen. However, they just couldn't give up. They had to keep trying. Trying to live for what though? To be back as prisoners when this was over, if they even survived? He'd rather be slag than kept as a prisoner. At least then his spark would be free.

“I don’t think I have it in me to sustain another big blast. We’ll have to take the long route back. It might take a while.”

Skyfall folded back into jet mode, letting out a faint cry of pain. “Agh! Ouch… that kinda hurts actually. Wheelie, hop on. We’re getting out of here.”

"Okay, you know the way. No need to hurry, we're both in dismay.", Wheelie said somberly, and climbed up on Skyfall's jet mode. It was hard to do with one usable arm, and he had to tell his friend, "Be careful please as you fly, Wheelie doesn't want to fall into the sky."

When he was secured as best as he could be, Skyfall took off. Wheelie held on tightly with his good hand. He positioned himself in a way where if he would fall, he could likely catch onto a wing or a tail fin and not fall to his doom. As they flew, he didn't have much to say, as he was still worried, wondering what was going to happen. How could they escape this? Was it fate for them to lose? Surely...somehow, there was a way to win, but the odds were GREATLY stacked against them. All they could do for now was hope to live.

“Okay Wheelie, here’s the plan. I’m gonna flying all the way around this mountain range. Hang on tight, okay? I’ll try to keep us safe from the big beast.”

"Okay, will do, Captain. You can make it happen.", he said. Then Wheelie asked him, "What's our destination? Our station of operation?"

Tempting as it was, Hun-Gurrr refrained from slashing Cutthroat open on the spot and leaving him to die of energon loss. The shock trooper had been increasingly difficult as of late, nearly resulting in Hun-Grrr ending his pathetic existence twice now within a mere orn. Pathetic cybergnat. Cutthroat’s ferocious lust for spilling energon nor his sadistic cruelty would never make up for his lack of control. Not that it mattered. The smaller Terrorcon could never hope to challenge his master and triumph. Their level power, their combat prowess and even their ferocity were simply on the different scale. He would always dominate Cutthroat. The rapid pet that he was. Always. Until the cycle Hun-Garr would finally grow tired of the rapid dog’s antics and proceeded to put him down for good. This, however – was not that moment.

Scorponok had finally given the order. It had taken far longer than the Terrorcon leader would have preferred but he had not reason to question the fleet Commander’s reasoning. If anything, Scorponok might have acted recklessly. That though, suited Hun-Gurr just fine.

As Cyclonus led his aerial squadrons into the battle, Hun-Grrr could feel his anticipation thickening. He could practically taste Jhiaxus’ monster in his mouths already. The size difference between the Decepticons and their prey meant nothing more than the hunt being a greater challenge. And the Terrorcons relished on challenges. Besides, in the universe ruled by a simple law of kill or be killed - were they to fail bringing the beast down, they were simply not fit to survive.

When the bridge was finally brought to floor level, Hun-Gurr’s optics were lit. It was time. One of Hun-Garr’s head turned to look at Scorponok while the other never left its gaze wander away from the portal before him. The nod from the fleet Commander was all the validation he needed.

”GRRR! DECEPTICONS!” The two-headed monstrosity roared, taking the position to lead Scorponok’s ground forces to battle like he had done so many times before, ”MOVE IN FORRR THE KILL! ATTACK! ATTACK!”

Semper Tyrannis – Hanger

Despite his injuries, including any oil seepage being burned away, more slowly found its way to Cutthroat’s maw and dripped onto the floor. To those that didn’t know him or hadn’t witnessed his habits, the glistening fluid looked like a leak caused by Hun-Grrr’s attack.

The truth was, he didn’t feel the pain anymore. He’d grown accustomed to it during his existence. Killing was life, and pain came with the killing. Few prey didn’t fight back; if they had a chance. As much as he enjoyed surprising his prey, the occasional skirmish made their metal and energon taste so much sweeter.

He could already taste the chaosteros. It would be a pleasant feast following the Autobot appetizers waiting for him. Even his ongoing battle with Hun-Grrr was forgotten as he watched the viewscreen. Cyclonus and his minions weren’t worth his time. Until they got in his way.

So many standing between us and our conquest. A hissing laugh escaped from him as he tried to smile as much as his charred beak allowed. “So many tasty morsels to choose from. I wonder which will taste better today: Decepticon, Autobot, or… other,” he said, to no one in particular.

Hun-Grrr wrote:”GRRR! DECEPTICONS!”

Cutthroat’s hissing laughter increased in volume and he flapped his wings as his anticipation reached its peak as his leader roared and moved into his lead position..

Hun-Grrr wrote:”MOVE IN FORRR THE KILL! ATTACK! ATTACK!”

Cutthroat shifted from one foot to another as he barely held his urge to leap through the space bridge and begin the hunt on his own. As much as it pained him, he intended to wait until their entrance to take to the air. Let the others be the focus of their prey. It would only be better for him.

Umbra wrote:>>”Well...since the Terrorcons are going in first...Why don’t we use them as a distraction and circle around that thing? There has to be some way to get inside...I used to be a scout so I’m pretty decent at spotting weaknesses. If someone else could blow a hole in it...we could get inside potentially? And then you guys go berserk? Maybe? I’ll do my best to help too but I’m not packing a lot of firepower.”<<

The voice of reason since introduced to the Monstercons, Umbra offered an insight that Slog hadn’t considered. Given their recent history, he wasn’t as surprised as those outside of their team would have been, It wasn’t every cycle a former Autobot was so trusted, but she had earned his and more.

>>You raise a valid point, Umbra. If any of our forces are capable of providing both opportunity and a distractions, it’s them. Especially given how they seem to have become ravenous waiting.<<

Wildfly wrote:>>”Eh, let the Terrorcons and the buggers distract the monster. We can swoop onto him right after.”<<

Hearing two of his team make the same suggestion only entrenched the idea in Slog’s processor. It was a sound plan that would both limit their own risk and allow them to achieve the justice they deserved. More than that, he found himself surprised that Wildfly would be offering a sensible approach given how agitated he appeared. It was something Slog could appreciate, and he nodded. >>You’re correct, Wildfly. That would be prudent. I believe you both have offered a valid plan of action. Prepare yourselves, Monstercons, our time is upon us.<<

Despite the confidence he now showed, he didn’t help the sudden thought that Umbra’s comment about going berserk brought up. The question is, can we control ourselves?

Semper Tyrannus: Hangar

"Oh hey... The dragon is ready to stomp." Iguanus said as Hun-Gurrr bellowed to begin the assult.

They had been sprayed down with the fleshy stuff as soon as they got in the hangar, and none of them were looking particularly pleased about it. But it would be a lot better than the Insecticons and Bludgeon's team who were down there in the acid rain nearly naked in comparison to them.

Not that Iguanus liked it one bit. He could tell Carnivac wasn't too thrilled about either, though Snarler seemed... Sort of happy with it. Such an odd mech.

"I suppose we could start calling ourselves Mayhem Attack Squad again... " Iguanus mused outloud.

---

"You just want to make acronym puns." Carnivac muttered.

---

"Well it is MASsively fun." Igunas said with a smirk.

--

"I'm going to shoot you." Carnivac muttered.

---

"Ummm.." Iguanus said softly mostly just ignoring Carnivac. His smirk grew bigger. "Let's go!" He shouted over the din of the assembled 'Cons and readied his weapon to move out.

LV117: Forest

Bludgeon had been contemplating sending Bomb Burst back to the Semper Tyrannus for repairs, the Vampire's annoying habit of shutting off his system diagnostic warnings meant Bludgeon would have to make a visiual assessment though, he had no idea how much damage had been done.

And then the sky opened... Or at least a protal which produced Cyclonus and his air troops. His sensors detected another one opening on the ground as well.

Bomb Burst made it back into the clearing, joining Bludgeon, Nightbird and Hardshell. He transformed mid-air and dropped to the ground.

He had made it back with little time to spare, some bubbling was starting to show on some of his paint and one of his tilt-fans was looking a little corroded. It didn't appear too much had been compromised by the acid rain.

But it didn't look like sending Bomb Burst back was necessary at the moment... Or feasible. Judging from the ground bridge and Cyclonus' arrival, Scorponok had run out of patience for waiting.

Well, Bludgeon wasn't such a respected warrior because he stood around wondering what to do next. He would waste no time getting his small band moving.

The Insecticons, of course, did not need orders from him. They were the Insecticons.

Bludgeon's armor could hold against the acid rain for quite awhile. It would be uncomfortable, but that mattered not. His focus would be on the fight. Nightbird and Bomb Burst would have limited use though... However, Nightbird had her sniper rifle, it was time to gauge her usefulness.

"It appears Scorponok has called out the attack. Therefore we shall be moving in." Bludgeon stated. "Bomb Burst, there is limited cover on the mountainside. Make the best use of it as you can. Your sole purpose it to keep Nightbird able to fire her rifle. When this is over and we return to the Semper Tyrannus, have your fan looked at."

His optics turned to Nightbird. "We know where the weak spots are on the Chaosteros." He stated. "You would last only slightly longer than Bomb Burst did in the rain, so keep to cover as much as possible and use the range on your rifle."

He transformed into his tank mode and begun the trip to the mountain. As far as he was concenred,orders had been given. Bomb Burst could figure out any details.

---

Bomb Burst nodded slightly at Bludgeon's orders and Nightbird had let out a soft "Yes Master Bludgeon.".

"My fan is fine, Bludgeon." He said firmly to Bludgeon (uncharacteristically, one might add, as he rarely used that tone with Bludgeon... Everyone else... Got it all the time).

"Ready Birdie?" Bomb Burst asked, knowing that Bludgeon would ignore his remark (for now). He was not keen on this thought, between the light armor and lack of a powerful ranged attack, he was limited.

--

Nightbird nodded to Bomb Burst. She wasn't the greatest shot with her rifle... a little better than average. A sniper she was not, though.

So once again Bomb Burst transformed and took to the air. As he hovered above her, Nightbird shot out her grappling hook, securing it to the back of his fuselage. He began to lift up, she took in her line until she was close to his underside.

---

Carefully Bomb Burst increased his speed and forward motion. Not that Nightbird was all that heavy, but she did add weight, and with the winds as they were, it made him rather unstable. >>>"Too much drag, Birdie."<<< He cautioned her.

--

>>"Gotcha."<< Nightbird acknowledged and flipped herself upside down and hooked her foot around the grapple line. She then swung herself up, catching a hand right under his tail fin and pressed up her back to his fuselage as much as she could to reduce drag. "You make a nice umbrella, boss!" She shouted above the weather, but off the comms as she didn't want Bludgeon to hear her teasing. >>Warn me before you fire your engines, Bomb Burst, don't want to lose a hand to an afterburner."<< She asked over the comms as she grabbed a hold of one of his engines exhaust.

---

"You'll make a nice snack when we get back, Nightbird." Bomb Burst shouted back and sent an non verbal acknowledgement over the comms to her request of a warning.

---

Nightbird laughed heartily. "You'd have to find me first." She shouted.

LV-117--Mountainside

Something had triggered Scorponok's ire. Two different bridges had opened up, one in the sky and one on the ground and Decepticon forces were pouring through both in an effort to counterattack the creature that Jhiaxus had manipulated into another one of his monstrosities. He wondered what that trigger might be. He could have simply used his ship's weapons systems on the creature if he so chose. Something was preventing him from doing so.

For better or worse, the Autobot General had little time to dwell on the matter. He simply added some more firepower to the incoming attacks, mainly trying to give his fellow Autobots cover moreso than directly attack the chaosteros.

>>"Autobots, be wary of your positions. Scorponok has deployed his forces. I don't want any of you being caught in the crossfire!"<< Max called out over the open Autobot comm channel. As he turned to look back at the opening to the cave network, another comm came through. Definitely one he was not expecting.

>>Attention, Autobot. I believe we share the same enemy in this. Perhaps, we can work out a deal to save your fellows’ metallic hides and deal with this Jhiaxus,<< Lockdown said. Maximus was familiar with Lockdown's modus operandi. His words might have sounded agreeable but his intentions were surely not.

>>"Lockdown. I know you. Maybe not well, but enough. I find it highly unlikely we share the same enemy. You're welcome to convince me otherwise. Right now, I'm executing my part of a deal as it is."<<
___

The Semper Tyrannis--Hangar

>>Any suggestions not involving our combining?<< Slog asked, eliciting a nod from Icepick. Not combining would be just fine by him.

Unsurprisingly, Umbra spoke up. He had definitely chosen wisely when he had befriended that strange little mech, in the rec yard of Garrus-9 what seemed like a lifetime ago now.

>>”Well...since the Terrorcons are going in first...Why don’t we use them as a distraction and circle around that thing? There has to be some way to get inside...I used to be a scout so I’m pretty decent at spotting weaknesses. If someone else could blow a hole in it...we could get inside potentially? And then you guys go berserk? Maybe? I’ll do my best to help too but I’m not packing a lot of firepower.”<<

"That sounds as good a strategy as we're likely to get in this clusterfrag. I'm for it," Icepick said, looking from Umbra to the other Monstercons. Wildfly and the others seemed to agree. There wasn't much room for debate anyway.

The horde was lurching forward into the gaping maw of the ground bridge.

There was no turning back even if you wanted to.

LV-117--Ocean

Above, the torrential storm was causing waves to rise and fall in mighty towers. Below, it was becoming just as violent.

The selachimorphesque creature that Jhiaxus had modified well beyond its natural limits bore down on the seagoing Decepticons. Its great maw opened, revealing row after row after row of titanium-infused teeth.

“Overbite, look! It’s your sparkmate,” Tentakil teased. Overbite, for his part, was impressed. He couldn't help but wonder if he could ask for an upgrade to his own alt mode. He wanted this one.

"I think I'm in love," Overbite called out as he dove deeper, before circling back and launching a few missiles. Along with Skalor's attack, there were ripples of energy with each impact but it was difficult to tell if it had done any damage.

Tentakil seemed to have other plans in mind.

>>"You goin' for a ride?!?"<<
___

Within the Chaosteros

Jhiaxus stood within a metallic chamber, surrounded by dimly-glowing wires and dripping fluids. He watched as the bridges opened, releasing Scorponok's forces.

"Good. Come. I have waited too long for you to disappoint me now."

Semper Tyrannis – Hangar

Rippersnapper had largely ignored the fighting between Cutthroat and Sinnertwin. Those two were acting like a couple of disobedient protoforms. They both should have know better than to act out at a time such as this. The former actor knew that Hun-Grrr would intervene at some point and the punishment he dished out would be one that his two comrades would not soon forget. To make matters worse, Lord Scorponok, himself, had ordered the Terrorcon Commander to control his troops.

Well, that’s not good, the shark monster thought as he watched a very agitated two-headed razorbeast breathe fire onto both Cutthroat and Sinnertwin, leaving both of them scorched and blackened. Rippersnapper stifled a chuckle as to not draw the ire of Hun-Grrr, as well. Instead, the terrorist simply shook his shark-like head as Scorponok then leapt down from the command platform.

Scorponok wrote:”Everyone else prepare to move through! Once Reflector opens the ground bridge the Terrorcons will move in first and act as our vanguard as we move in for the kill! No one betrays the Decepticons and goes unpunished!”

Ah, finally the Terrorcons would see some action. They had been waiting in the hangar for too long as far as Rippersnapper was concerned. But he was not in charge so he remained silent and watched the proceedings on the planet below through the portal ahead of him. Now that the fleet commander had given the order to attack, the former actor waited patiently for Hun-Grrr to give his own go-ahead to begin the assault.

Hun-Grrr wrote:”GRRR! DECEPTICONS! MOVE IN FORRR THE KILL! ATTACK! ATTACK!”

And there it was. Rippersnapper wasted no time in moving in behind the Terrorcon Commander as Hun-Grrr lead not just his own squad but all of Scorponok’s forces through the ground bridge, as well. The shark monster roared in anticipation of the carnage to come. He wondered what a cybernetically enhanced chaosteros tasted like. Hopefully, it would taste as good as it sounded.

Regardless, Rippersnapper followed Hun-Grrr through the ground bridge, charging into the heat of battle on the surface of LV-117.

LV-117 - The Death’s Head/Cyberformed Mountain[/i]

Fortress Maximus wrote:>>"Lockdown. I know you. Maybe not well, but enough. I find it highly unlikely we share the same enemy. You're welcome to convince me otherwise. Right now, I'm executing my part of a deal as it is."<<

Ah, the trust I engender is awe inspiring.

Lockdown would have been insulted had he not been known. After all, he had worked for a few Autobots over the millennia, though those opportunities didn’t come along often. Few Autobots weren’t afraid to acknowledge it was better to have others do the work they were afraid of. It was an interesting contrast between them and the Decepticons. While the ‘Cons utilized his skills, the Autobots preferred their own to maintain their uppity sainthood. Whatever that was worth wasn’t enough to refuel his ship.

>>Are we not on the same world, facing the same foe, Autotbot? The difference between us is I’m here of my own accord while you’re hoping Scorponok will honor his part of the agreement. Tell me, do you really expect him to leave you in peace? Or inform your fellow ‘Bots of your presence here?<<

Lockdown chuckled as he allowed his words to register with the former warden. >>I can see to it others learn of your being here. All I ask is a limited partnership to apprehend Jhiaxus. To be clear, what he’s done or what he hasn’t isn’t my concern, just as your well being isn’t. If you prefer to be left to your own devices, who am I to argue?<<

He shrugged as his optics glowed a brighter red. >>This is as fair as I get, Autobot. The decision is yours to make.<<

As he sent the comm, he linked with The Death’s Head to get an update on the ship’s scanners. The Technobots hadn’t made much headway yet, but what did he expect? Half the mountain to disappear?

That may not be a bad idea. Though I doubt it’ll be that simple. Still, he sent a command to search for the weakest part of the mountain for a possible attack. If he couldn’t strike a deal, then creating his own doorway was the only option he could think of. On second thought, he sent the command to power up the ship’s weapons to fire on the location remotely. Having an escape route was even better.

Icepick wrote:"That sounds as good a strategy as we're likely to get in this clusterfrag. I'm for it."

Slog nodded, feeling better about things now that they had a plan of attack. He had little qualms about letting the Terrorcons do what they do best. With any luck, they’d be inside that monstrosity before Jhaixus knew it. His servos tightened and his energon flowed at an increased rate as they moved forward.

This is it. Time to see how far we’ve come. Despite his reservations about the outcome of the coming fight, he couldn’t help but enjoy the surge of emotion. It was oddly empowering.