"More Than Meets The Eye: Part II"

[Night-Hunter]

Sonar could have laughed at his luck, he had actually escaped from the Maximal base without resistance! Even though he had escaped, he had flapped hard to put as many wing beats between him and that base, getting captured again would prove to be counterproductive.

Flapping as hard as he did had been foolish, he should have conserved his energy that way he would be able to make it to his hidden jungle lair. Seeing how he hadn't that, he wouldn't be able to make it. His only option would be the Darksyde, it was a gamble, no doubt Megatron would be angry with his disobedience and likely punish or possibily kill him.

I suppose I can always beg for his forgiveness. Sonar thought with a roll of his eyes as he angled his wings and headed for the Darksyde. But if that doesn't work, I can always use my trump card, providing that I'm still alive that is.

[Mystrea]

Things had calmed down in the medical bay. Ironclaw walked in with dirt on his feet and hands from him briefly tracking the mad scientist. His gaze landed on Aurora, he had heard what had happened but was still angered by the sight of her damaged form and the circumstances from which this happened. "Maybe you should be less concerned for those Predacons. Do us all a favour" the badger said through gritted teeth as he looked up towards Whitegrazer. He stared at her for a few seconds then his head fell down again. "I'm sorry Aurora but I think your faith in Optimus is misplaced. Ironclaw turned away from the medical table, frustrated with the situation he kicked a chair across the room. The Maximals had been brought to a stand still because their so called leader and been taken prisoner by the enemy. He was convinced it was down to poor decision making on the Maximals side. He stood there for a moment, his back to the females.

......

Dirge marched up behind his master and their current associates. He was already in robot mode, anticipating retaliation from the stranded Maximals. The sniper wielding member of the group took the shot and had taken one of the small Maximals. His large singular optic zoomed out, resetting his vision to normal. The first sign of trouble was a small sharp projectile inbeding itself in the ground not no too far away from him. Like the others he realised that the source of these knives was up in the sky.

"Yes my lord" he responded in a deep reverberating voice. Dirge lifted his cannon up and pointed in the general direction where this entity seemed to concealing itself. He fired a dozen missiles into area, exploding to at least force their oponent out.

[starshadow]

((OOC: Sorry guys. I'm too busy and suffered writer's block.))

Banshee heard the sounds of incoming missles clearly while she was concealed in the clouds. Readjusting the frequency of her vocal weapon, she let out a sonic scream which messed with the missles' targeting system, causing them to collide onto each other with explosions. The femme dived past through the thick smoke and the clouds before receiving a radio call from Rattrap.

"Cheetor, Landslide, Banshee, de Preds should be retreatin' soon. Let 'em go if they do an' keep me posted."

"I highly doubt that. One of the just fired a cluster of missles at me. Either he's dumb as he looks, not knowing a retreat order has been given, or he's slow," she replied and took out her battle rifle and fired at the large Predacon's cannon.

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

Starshadow had been flying for quite sometime. Judging from the terrain changes, she was near the Maximal's territory.

"Hmm...I'm getting close.." She descended below the clouds and did a personal system check.

ENERGY LEVELS AT 50 PERCENT.

"Acknowledged. I have to hurry."

WARNING, PREDACON ENERGY SIGNATURE DETECTED.

How did they caught up to her?! Even if Terrorsaur and Waspinator recovered from their injuries, they would not know where she was headed or even follow her in the first place since Megatron's attention was already directed to Optimus! It couldn not be their mercenary either..No matter, she could handle a few more of his lackeys again, "Coordin-" BAM! Starshadow was so distracted about whose energy signature it belonged to that she ran into something...or someone... It felt furry and leathery..XYCHONA?! It took a few seconds for her to recover and push away whatever was infront of her and charged up her claws. Once she regained a clear vision, it turned out to be Sonar who looked like he was in a tragic mess.

"You again?!" she snarled at him with her optics glowing red.

[Phoenix]

(ooc: We're one of the lucky ones here.. A blizzard swept the area so many of the towns nearby got up to 7-8 feet of snow. We only got 8 inches at my house. It's still been chaotic, with travel bans through many areas, work calling to get me to come in because staff members aren't able to get to work, and stores being out of a lot of items.. Like milk. There was NO milk other than the specialty kinds available at walmart.)


Nemesis didn't bother answering the taunting remark Darkwind left lingering for her. In fact it barely even registered as her mind was too focused on the task at hand. She was on the offensive, one hand clutching her three pronged sai while the other held her sword, her attacks against the male slicing through the air repeatedly. Her attacks were swift and relentless, but much to her dismay her opponent was prepared enough to read her every move. Time and time again he moved out of the way just as her sword was about to slash across his chest, his reflexes and speeds matching her own. He obviously knew her quite well..

What was it he had called her? Sister?

Her weapons still in her hands, Nemesis paused for a moment, her optics narrowing at the male as she pierced him with her gaze.

"It's evident that you're a fellow survivor.. So why not level with me, why not show me who you really are?"

The smirk she got in return told her more than words ever could, bringing her back to a time that felt like a lifetime ago. She was in a relatively small room with simple furnishing, barely big enough to give her a little bit of room to move about. The force field walls made the room a cage, preventing any chance at escape. The occasional guard made their rounds, casting quick glances into each cell to assure that none of the occupants were missing or were attempting suicide. The latter was certainly not unheard of, desperate screams frequently breaking the silence. She'd gotten used to them, barely even noticing them anymore, and occasionally she'd even joined them.. Still her desire to live was too strong, preventing her from taking the steps necessary to assure they wouldn't be coming for her next.

Pain.. suffering.. endurance.. waiting..

"I heard them talking..," came the exhausted voice of the occupant in the cell next to hers. A young male around her own age, having spent much of his life here as well. She pulled her legs up where she sat on the uncomfortable cot they had given her to sleep on, staring straight ahead seemingly unaffected by the male's words. Still he continued, having known her long enough to know that she was listening even though she didn't show it.

"989 died yesterday. It was violent, I heard, but not completely disadvantageous. They're saying they're getting closer to a breakthrough. "

His voice, although low as not to arouse suspicion from the guards, held a certain edge of excitement to it. And there was something else too, something the female couldn't quite put her finger on. Then again the male had always had hopes for the project, whereas her own had faded once she realized how much torture was involved. She wanted to tell him not to get his hopes up too much, not wanting him to be disappointed later when he realized that nothing was going to change for them, but she said nothing. Instead she glanced over at him, a slight smile on her face. He returned it with an all-knowing smirk.

....

Darkwind's smirk grew a little wider as he noticed the gleam of recognition in her optics and she stood as if frozen, staring at him. It was then Night Terror's voice cut in. Evidently his comrade didn't share his goals this time around.

"No. I think not. You will fall back immediately. We are returning to the Darksyde."

Not.. a .. chance. And who did Night Terror think he was addressing anyway? Zodiac certainly didn't take orders from him.. or anyone else for that sake. But his friend had been known to forget these little details from time to time, so much so that Zodiac had long since given up on correcting him on his error. Oh well, he didn't need the others to finish up here. Darkwind scratched and tapped his radiotransmitter a few times, causing it to make a noise similar to static on Night Terror's end. Of course he doubted his long-time friend would believe their transmission was breaking up, if even for a moment, but he believed the message he was trying to get across would come through loud and clear. Afterwards he turned his attention back to his opponent.

"Well then.. I was starting to wonder if I had left such a small impression on you that you'd never remember. Glad to see that isn't the case."


As he spoke, his arms started glowing. They grew longer, flatter, forming a blade sharp enough to cut through most metals. Nemesis watched in silence, the memories of this fellow soldier who had even saved her life on one occasion fading away once more. He looked vastly different now, his voice much more confident to the point of being cocky, but the smirk and that look in his eyes remained the same no matter what his appearance was.

"Why?," she hissed, unable to hold back the disappointment at his betrayal. They had been so close at one point.

The male merely tilted his head to the side, seemingly unaffected by her display. This time he was the one that remained silent, merely gesturing for her to attack using his sword shaped arms. Nemesis did not wait, angling herself as she rammed into him and caused them both to crash down onto the ground. She quickly leaped up, but not fast enough to avoid the sword cutting against her chest and abdomen, leaving a long gash in its wake. The avian Predacon growled from the pain, taking a staggering step back. Darkwind followed, bringing his right sword-arm down on her again. But the female dodged this one, twirling around quickly before bringing her sai down against his arm so swiftly he had no chance to avoid it. The sharp long pointy tip cut straight through the armor and she kept pushing it down until it was buried in the ground, the two other spikes effectively locking his arm in place.

Again they looked at each other, Nemesis clutching her sword whereas Darkwind cut a grimace as he attempted to yank his arm back to no avail. The sai was buried too deep, leaving his wrist effectively useless for the time being. The female's gash already had the familiar blue glow emanating from it, whereas his arm changed back to his usual form. This was evidently going to be a fun encounter.

But alas.. Megatron's annoyed voice cut through his communication channel.

"Your carelessness almost cost me dearly Zodiac, yyyessss. However, you can atone by adopting your Nexus persona again long enough to convince the maximals that he and Primal are well for the moment. There will be no visual feed if I can help it, they only asked to hear from you two, so that is what they shall get...Unless you feel like adopting the role of Optimus himself as well? That would certainly compensate for any awkwardness or hasty split decisions that may occur if the maximals saw the state of their true leader, don't you agree? I'm sure I can trust you to provide your best performance in either case, so be sure to return to base on the double with your team in tow, I doubt the deception will work if they pick up your transmission from anywhere other than my base. Out of curiosity, did you at least manage to ascertain the identity of Primal's psychic friend? The maximals seem determined to keep up the pretense that Primal lacks any such spiritual assistance but given the questions they've asked it seems all but obvious that this psychic does exist."

Such shortsightedness.. and impatience. His plans were still only in their beginning stages and once that little brat had finally succumbed to her wounds, he felt confident that Whitegrazer would simply lose it. All the conflicting emotions that would seep through her link with Optimus, would surely leave them both disabled. Maintaining Megatron's favor held a higher priority for the time being, at least until the Maximals were completely broken down, so it was with a sigh that Darkwind suddenly converted to his beast mode and proceeded to retreat, leaving Nemesis staring after him.

"Optimus is unusually close with Whitegrazer, the female I believe has those capabilities," Darkwind responded to Megatron's hail, suddenly changing into a flight mode as he noticed Nemesis chasing him down. "Returning as ordered."

His speed picked up tremendously once his jets set in, leaving even Nemesis falling behind. Or perhaps she'd turned back, he couldn't really tell from this distance. He'd be back at the Darksyde very shortly at the speeds he was going at.

[DarkSpark]

Phoenix wrote: Such shortsightedness.. and impatience. His plans were still only in their beginning stages and once that little brat had finally succumbed to her wounds, he felt confident that Whitegrazer would simply lose it. All the conflicting emotions that would seep through her link with Optimus, would surely leave them both disabled. Maintaining Megatron's favor held a higher priority for the time being, at least until the Maximals were completely broken down, so it was with a sigh that Darkwind suddenly converted to his beast mode and proceeded to retreat, leaving Nemesis staring after him.

"Optimus is unusually close with Whitegrazer, the female I believe has those capabilities," Darkwind responded to Megatron's hail, suddenly changing into a flight mode as he noticed Nemesis chasing him down. "Returning as ordered."

His speed picked up tremendously once his jets set in, leaving even Nemesis falling behind. Or perhaps she'd turned back, he couldn't really tell from this distance. He'd be back at the Darksyde very shortly at the speeds he was going at.

Megatron grinned deviously as the name of Primal's psychic confidant caressed his audio receptors, the name of the one person in all the universe more important to his mortal enemy than anyone else on his ragtag crew of maximal misfits...The one person who's demise would hurt him more than any other.

"All is forgiven, I eagerly await your next performance, yyyyesssssss" Megatron replied to Zodiac, rising from his throne with his arms reaching out to the heavens, clenching his fists as if he could literally grasp victory in this fashion, and turned to his troops gathered before him and said "What Primus can giveth he can taketh away, unless of course you seize it back from him, my impending triumph for example, oh yesss indeed! Look alive everyone, I need all of you at your best, or at least what passes for your best."

Megatron cast a sidelong glance at Terrorsaur, Quickstrike, Waspinator, and the least skillful of the spider trio in his eyes, Arachnitron, as he said that last sentence, he'd tolerate no foul ups this time, not when absolution was SO CLOSE, so soon after Primal's return from the grave had ruined his last power play. This time, victory would be his!

"Terrorsaur, Quickstrike, Waspinator, stop slacking off and return to your posts, I need every bit of mech power I can muster to ensure things go smoothly from this point onward. As for you spiders, while we still have the time to spare awaiting Zodiac's return, how about you provide me with the details on our former comrade Starshadow's medical condition, hhhm?" Megatron said, things having settled down enough for him to turn his attention back to the "little matter" of Starshadow's apparent vampirism.

Una wrote: Instead, it was she who convulsed. Her whole entire body struggling to keep the gun aimed at Optimus, watching as it's aiming changed and tried to point at her own skull. Her sneer was now towards the spider inside her mind. Her other hand tried to hold the arm in place in attempt to make sure that spider didn't have a funny ideas. Of course, she knew better than to expect Tarantulas to destroy the precious information she had in her mind. The information that if the Maximals gave it to Megatron, her days of usefulness were sorely numbered.

"All right!" She screamed throwing the weapon against the nearest wall, "You made your point," Those few words came out with a spitting venom towards Tarantulas.

"I know I did, but its gratifying to hear my point sank in. Good girl, you're learning, bwahahahahaha!" Tarantulas sneered, his cruel cackles echoing through her mind, masking his attempts to break into the quarantined section of her mind that he so dearly desired to crack open like a walnut to see what secrets lay inside.

Una wrote: She growled at Megatron. She really wanted to kill him and Tarantulas in one single swoop. She was tired of taking orders. It was fun when she could fool around and play with the Maximal leader's mind, but now, the other stuff they forced her to do while they were securing her death sentence left her under a dark cloud, "Don't worry. I will make sure the Maximals can't use Optimus' injuries against us. Before they will reestablish a connection, Optimus would be so squeaking clean that the Maximals might even thank us for being such good hosts."

Her optics twinkled with mischief towards the Maximal ape, giggling and poking the Maximal's only working optic with her pincher, "Lucky me." She rolled the leader over and looked him over.

Squeaking clean may have been an overestimation. Oh well.

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Nurse" Tarantulas laughed, soaking in the sight of Primal's battered and beaten form through Blackarachnia's eyes, knowing he would relish this memory forever long after the maximal's spark was put out...As such, he couldn't resist using Blackarachnia's leg to deliver one last good kick to Primal's side, not enough to do anymore real damage, but enough to satisfy his need to do him harm...Whoever said it wasn't sporting to kick a bot when he's down?

"Hehehehahaha, couldn't resist" Tarantulas said to Blackarachnia, scowling in irritation as Tarantulas addressing him and Arachnitron personally called his attention back to the throne room for the time being.

Turning to face Arachnitron, giving her a look that said "you know what to do" before facing Megatron again and saying "But of course Megatron, I think you'll be pleased with what we managed to dig up on our mysterious friend. Arachnitron, put the data we compiled on the viewing screen would you?"

"Hmph, this had better be good" Megatron growled, arms folded across his chest as he awaited their diagnosis on his latest turncoat.

"This ought to be good, heh heh" Terrorsaur said with a smirk as he manned his post, keeping his optics & audio receptors peeled for the juicy details on Starshadow's true nature, even if the truth turned out to be boring, unlikely though it seemed given the fact that she was a vampire, gossip such as this was a great way to pass the time in between missions, schemes, or Megatron's tantrums.

[Night-Hunter]

Sonar was debating on whether or not he should go hunting, perhaps that would give him the extra boost he needed.

Better not, He decided. I'll most likely waste more energy looking, besides the base- WHAT THE FRAG!?!

He tried to to avoid the creature coming at it, but it was no use, he collided with it.

Great, just what I needed. A slagging head ache. He thought with a growl as he back pedaled in mid air.

"You again!?"

"Scrap," He muttered then raised his voice so she could hear him, his tone dripping with annoyance and sarcasm. "We haven't seen each other in a while, so I wouldn't say again. Oh, put your claws away, I'm not in the mood to play."

[Optimal Optimus Primal]

(( OOC: at NK's photo for una's editing addiction. ))

No, Optimus, no... This war... didn't need to happen if I hadn't screwed up in the first place

Primal grew confused in his daze on the Darksyde's floor. What did Whitegrazer have anything to do with this war? As much as he wanted to know and understand, he didn't have the energy to carry on with their "conversation".

I can't ignore your pain just as I can't ignore hers.

Perhaps the only way he could have her ignore his would be to cut the link again, but since it was already fluttering about like a butterfly because of his weakened body and spark, Optimus let it be. After all, it was the only communication he had with his Maximals. Although there was still shock reverberating from Whitegrazer with Aurora being shot, he could also sense some relief. Whatever they were doing to save her must have been working. He wished he could be there to help, to wrap his arms around Aurora and return to her with his protection and guidance like he said he would. ...Again. ...Or that he could find who hurt her so badly and do the same to them. An eye for an eye. But he couldn't. At least not right now. He knew she was in good hands. Unfortunately, he had learned the hard way a few times now that he can't be there to save everyone every time. That was a more helpless and vulnerable feeling than him laying where he was without any hands, a busted face, a crushed chest, and paralyzed legs.

Optimus... she will be okay. So will you. So will we all.

Thank Primus, he thought, and he suddenly felt an entire load of worry and concern lift off his chest for the ermine Fuzor. And the sun finally broke through the ominous clouds of his defeat. So will I? he repeated rhetorically. No... No, he didn't think so but he didn't concentrate on that. Primal exhaled lightly with liberation, turning his head and closing his good optic, ignoring the aim Blackarachnia was holding him with her weapon. ...Until her struggling movements grabbed his attention.

"All right!"

Looking at the widow, the Maximal Commander watched her awkwardly take aim at herself instead of him. It was rather unnatural the way it looked, as if she wasn't in control of her own body. Was she? Puzzled, he cringed a little from her scream that penetrated his audio sensors and watched her throw her weapon into a wall. ...How odd.

"You made your point,"

Was she talking to him? No, it had to be someone else. He wondered who before Megatron's voice rang on her comm. link broke his thoughts.

"Blackarachnia! I trust that you have Primal stabilized? If so, he better be able to speak, his precious maximals wish to have a few words with him before we continue negotiations. I have other options left open to me, but have him ready by the time we reestablish contact in case said options fail to deliver, is that clear?!"

Maybe there was still light at the end of this very dark and narrow tunnel that he was in. Optimus found himself anxious to speak with his Maximals once more, but more importantly to hear their voices. But would Megatron really grant him that opportunity given his current state? He had a feeling this had something to do with the disks. He knew his Maximals would find more meaning to saving his life than keeping those golden disks. Was his life worth it? If they kept them, then Megatron would do whatever it took to get them back, which likely meant more loss of life. Why risk that when they could exchange them to save his life and Nexus's? Speaking of which, where was Nexus? He still didn't know about his fate. Alive? Dead?

"Don't worry. I will make sure the Maximals can't use Optimus' injuries against us. Before they will reestablish a connection, Optimus would be so squeaking clean that the Maximals might even thank us for being such good hosts."

Far from it. And he doubted Megatron bought her words. Granted, she had been able to patch up his tubes that were dribbling all over so he wouldn't "bleed" to death, but he was certain he still looked like a train wreck. There was nothing she could do to fix 98% of his injuries. Nevertheless, he was thankful to still be alive. It was a miracle that Megatron hadn't killed him already.

"Lucky me."

Optimus blinked, pulled his head away from her pincer and swatted at it with his forearm when she playfully tapped on the glass that was protecting his only functioning optic sensor, growling deep in his throat toward her rude conduct. He was down and almost out, was it really necessary to continue taking jabs at him? She was like a little girl tapping on a fish tank and it was beginning to infuriate him. Then he felt her arms slide underneath him and with some effort, she rolled him over onto his chest to examine his back side. He coughed in the process and shuttered from the pain when his face hit the floor, the fluid from his gashed lip drooling on to the cold, metal ground. Instinctively, he tried using his hands to brace himself but they weren't there and his forearms jammed into the floor instead, causing a great deal of pain that sent shock waves up his arms. The worst of his back had been the constant crushing and constricting from the energy bonds, mutilating and distorting his armor and paint. It was so much pain. He tried moving his legs but they refused to comply. Then Primal tried lifting himself up with his elbows tucked under his chest. One slipped out on the slippery floor but he caught himself and used his forearms for balance as he slowly rolled back onto his back and laid there.

"You're... You're not helping," he let Blackarachnia know with a soft voice even though he was certain she knew that already, but he was hoping she'd stop rolling him over and poking him. "What's it... What's it like being... under... someone else's control?" he asked her, reminding the widow that even in his current situation, he was still free, and he didn't treat any of his Maximals the way Megatron ruled over his Predacons. Clearly she seemed bothered by that with Megatron's last call to her.

-----

"I will not move her until I know she is stable enough."

Rattrap grumbled under his breath at Whitegrazer's response and watched the monitors while he impatiently waited for Megatron's return call.

"I highly doubt that. One of the just fired a cluster of missles at me. Either he's dumb as he looks, not knowing a retreat order has been given, or he's slow,"

"Well, he ain't gonna retreat if you keep shootin' at 'im, so back off safely for a second an' see what he does! Dat's an order!" the rodent demanded with an irritated tone toward Banshee. Admittedly, she was gathering information on one of the new Predacons they knew very little about but he didn't want her risking getting injured when they were going to need everyone to be on the defensive when they'd exchange the disks for Optimus and Nexus.

-----

Rhinox stopped what he was doing when he saw Whitegrazer enter the medical bay with Aurora limp in her arms. As much as he wanted to smile back at the mare it was as if he didn't even notice her with all of his attention immediately drawn to the critically injured young Maximal. Whitegrazer appeared more like Aurora's guardian angel, whisking in on a gliding-like stroll before gently setting the Fuzor down on the operating table where the engineer had all of his equipment and tools ready. Frowning, he examined Aurora's wounds. They were deep, the bullet was still inside, and there was a lot of damage, except for a section that looked almost brand new. His expression was a puzzled one before he looked at Aurora's face and gave her reassuring smile. "This is going to take some time, but all you need to do is lay still for me, alright, Aurora?" Grabbing a needle from a nearby table, he held it up for her to see and said, "This will numb the entire area so I can work on retrieving the bullet and its fragments without you flinching." Gently, he poked the tip of the syringe into her armor near the wound and injected the liquid that quickly rushed to all of the severed wires, armor, and pierced skin, numbing everything surrounding them.

"Landslide, can you confirm Nemesis' status? Is she all right?"

"Maybe you should be less concerned for those Predacons. Do us all a favour"

Glancing at Ironclaw's words and taking note of his tone, he ignored the badger and looked at Whitegrazer. The scientist asked her curiously, "What did you do here?" as he pointed to the area on Aurora that already looked repaired. Rhinox preferred knowing what he was dealing with and to him that particular area looked abnormal considering everything else underneath it was quite damaged.

"I'm sorry Aurora but I think your faith in Optimus is misplaced.

The rhinoceros grew angry when Ironclaw kicked a chair across the room, scraping and banging loudly as it skidded across the metal floor and slammed into a wall. "As far as I'm concerned, we're in this mess because you failed to obey Dinobot's orders that caused Cheetor and Banshee's capture. And now you've failed to protect Aurora and offer any assistance to the Maximals facing the Predacons outside. If she should lose her faith in anyone, it should be with you. You're walking on thin ice, Ironclaw," Rhinox warned him in his deep voice. "I don't need your aggression in here while I'm trying to concentrate on Aurora's injury. Report to Rattrap in the command center," he ordered him as he turned back to Aurora and brought over a bright light that hung over her body from a couple feet above it so he could see better inside the wound by her spark.

Grabbing some sensors, he attached them to her head and body and turned on a console so he could monitor her vitals. There was a loss of energon and her temperature was colder than it should have been but nothing life threatening. ...For the time being. Whatever Whitegrazer had done with Landslide's help definitely saved Aurora's life. Well, as long as Rhinox could finish the job. Understanding that her life was in his hands now, he calmed himself after his words with the TransMetal badger and focused. Rhinox gingerly touched Aurora around her wound that should have been completely numb by now and asked her, "Can you feel that?" just to make sure and also to keep her alert and awake. Neither of them could afford any mistakes. The slightest slip from him or the tiniest jerk from Aurora could be costly since he was working so close to her spark.

[NaitoKage]

Landslide altered his thrusters position as he started to fly backwards hearing Rattrap on the radio.

"Cheetor, Landslide, Banshee, de Preds should be retreatin' soon. Let 'em go if they do an' keep me posted."

Landslide then responded Understood.

Cheetor then started to turn following Landslide making it back towards the Axalon. As they moved, Landslide noticed Whitegrazer had managed to get Aurora back inside, then heard a call on his radio from Whitegrazer.

"Landslide, can you confirm Nemesis' status? Is she all right?"

Landslide altered his course, extending his wings as he started to fly over to Nemesis's direction, he then noticed missiles flying up and then exploding in mid air. Landslide looked puzzled for a moment, then came flying above Nemesis's location as he noticed Darkwind take off in a burst of speed into the sky. Glancing down towards Nem he activated his comlink She looks alright though.. the shooter got away..

Landslide then altered his course, flying down low as he scooped up his shield and reattached it to his left arm, flying back towards the Axalon he came to a landing, then entered into the cargobay, seeing Cheetor already inside.

Attaching his shield to his back, Landslide made his way down the hall towards the medical bay, looking inside he looked at the chair on the floor which lead to a dent in the wall. Landslide glanced towards Ironclaw, then towards Whitegrazer Alright.. I'm done with yer squabble.. Both of you out an' follow me to the bridge.. This gets settled now. Cheetor, assist Rhinox.

Cheetor made his way past Landslide into the Medical bay, looking at Aurora on the table as Rhinox operated. Wow, that Nanogel is really something. Cheetor said now able to see her a bit better.

_______________________________________

"Umbra, new orders from Megatron. We are to abort. Fall...fall back."

Umbra responded Thought so.. Understood, heading back now. Perhaps this exercise wasn't a total waste however.. he then said as he watched Whitegrazer run off with Aurora. shifting his camouflage into a more basic pattern he stood up, then started to walk away through the woods towards the Darksyde's location. Sliding his rifle away into storage, he pondered thinking of the scene he just witnessed.

As he made his way, he suddenly turned to hear crashing trees. Walking quietly towards the the sound of broken branches, he then heard voices.

"You again?!"

"Scrap," "We haven't seen each other in a while, so I wouldn't say again. Oh, put your claws away, I'm not in the mood to play."

He crossed his arms leaning against a tree looking towards Starshadow and Sonar as he observed the two, his camouflage pattern changing to his normal black and gold color scheme. At first he thought Sonar might had been Night Terror, however his body was smaller, reminding him of the file on record about the scientist. Perhaps you two are in the mood for talking then.. Because I believe you two have alot to answer for..


_______________________________

"Terrorsaur, Quickstrike, Waspinator, stop slacking off and return to your posts, I need every bit of mech power I can muster to ensure things go smoothly from this point onward. As for you spiders, while we still have the time to spare awaiting Zodiac's return, how about you provide me with the details on our former comrade Starshadow's medical condition, hhhm?"

Quickstrike gave a quick salute Sure thing Boss!, then walked away towards his post.

Waspinator rose from his tank slowly, still a bit messed up as he buzzed towards one of the computer monitors.

[una]

((OOC: I did love that pic, NK. Awesome posts! ))

"This is going to take some time, but all you need to do is lay still for me, alright, Aurora?" Grabbing a needle from a nearby table, he held it up for her to see and said, "This will numb the entire area so I can work on retrieving the bullet and its fragments without you flinching."

Whitegrazer rubbed Aurora's head gently, watching as Rhinox was talking to her. She smiled at the little one, knowing that she was in good hands and there was no need to worry anymore. All the shock and horror she had experienced when Aurora had been shot subsided to a mess of a exhaustion for her. Of course, she kept herself standing, making a show of strength and perseverance for those around her and the one she was bonded with in this moment. She could feel Optimus' own relief release the emotions she too had experienced. She had felt Optimus' confusion in her earlier statement. The only thing she could do was smile and nod her head. I will explain why when the time is right. For both of us.

"What did you do here?"

"The Nanogel," Whitegrazer stared at the fixed portion of Aurora' chest area, "I had no choice. I had to use it in order to stabilize her enough to get her here." It seemed the nanoites weren't working anymore. Since Rhinox was working on her, it didn't seem that she needed them anymore anyway. Though, she wondered what would happen to the nanobots now? Would they just dissolve and come out of her systems during a purge or stay? She just hoped they helped and there were no lasting effects. Even if there were, she had no doubt they would do what they could to help her.

She looks alright though.. the shooter got away..

"Maybe you should be less concerned for those Predacons. Do us all a favour"

She expressed relief that Nemesis was okay. She wondered if Nemesis got what she wanted? Surprised that Darkwind was still alive with knowing how much Nemesis really wanted to get him for framing her and placing her in this predicament. Ironclaw's comment towards her got no reaction. She kept her focus on Aurora and feeling through the thin threads of her connection to Optimus to breath out warmth and comfort after the sudden surge of her own emotions that Optimus had felt. Due to her own mistake.

But she couldn't beat herself over this. Aurora was going to be okay. They reacted fast enough to know that she would survive this.

"I'm sorry Aurora but I think your faith in Optimus is misplaced.

Whitegrazer looked at Ironclaw's turned back and watched as he kicked a chair into a nearby wall. His comment towards Aurora made her shook her head in disapproval. This was not the time to discuss Optimus' leadership decisions, "Ironclaw, I believe if you wish to discuss Optimus' leadership choices, you should talk to him when he returns and has fully recovered. Not when he is fighting for his life in enemy hands." Her tone was calm and collected. Soft. But she really thought it was cruel of Ironclaw to speak such things in front of Aurora.

"As far as I'm concerned, we're in this mess because you failed to obey Dinobot's orders that caused Cheetor and Banshee's capture. And now you've failed to protect Aurora and offer any assistance to the Maximals facing the Predacons outside. If she should lose her faith in anyone, it should be with you. You're walking on thin ice, Ironclaw," Rhinox warned him in his deep voice. "I don't need your aggression in here while I'm trying to concentrate on Aurora's injury. Report to Rattrap in the command center,"

She never knew what happened that had Cheetor and Banshee captured. Was this really true? Rhinox's warning... the expression on his face... She was about to say something when Landslide entered the room...

Alright.. I'm done with yer squabble.. Both of you out an' follow me to the bridge.. This gets settled now. Cheetor, assist Rhinox.

The word squabble was appropriate, yet she thought it was unwise of them to take this matter to Rattrap now. She stood up and followed Landslide outside the medbay, but still in front of the medbay, she spoke, "Landslide, I understand what you are doing here, but I believe it should wait until after this is done. Your choice to call this a squabble is appropriate. Rattrap needs all his energy focused on Megatron and making sure these negotiations go right. I don't want to distract Rattrap with anymore of my choices." She closed her optics and took her breath before she continued, "When Optimus returns and the situation has been averted, I will gladly take this to Rattrap with your supervision. I promise." She hoped Landslide agreed. They didn't need to deal with this right now. Not with the negotiations going on. Rattrap didn't need to hear about any more problems in their own team. Especially in front of Megatron.

No. They needed to keep focus on getting their leader back. But there was something she wanted to say to Rattrap. she hit her comlink, "Rattrap, I just wanted to let you know that Aurora is stable and Rhinox is working on her now. She will be fine."

Since Aurora was in good hands, she wanted to make sure Nemesis returned to the Axalon safely.

((OOC: I will add BA later on today if I can. ))

[Mystrea]

The badger scoffed and turned around. "You still don't know what happened. And what I did had nothing to do with their capture, Dinobot didn't have the bearings to get the job done" Ironclaw took a few paces towards the old fool. "I was trying to pursue the Predacon that put you on your ass or have you already forgotten that. The real reason that Aurora is in this state is sat right there!" He ended in anger pointing at Whitegrazer who was still sat by Aurora. He did not take his focus off Rhinox as he worked on the young injured Maximal. Aurora did follow Whitegrazer out there. To Ironlcaw this failure lay with her but he could not help put frustrated with the way these Maximals operated. The tension in the room was climbing. Dismissing the rhinos's warning and order he turned his attention to the one he currently thought would be the end of them all. "Don't worry I will speak with him. However I don't think he will listen since you're pretty much in bed with each other. This is the second time, isn't it Whitegrazer? Playing all nice with the Preds'. And now two more have just slipped away. You don't get it, do you. The less of them there are, the less likely this will happen" he said gesturing towards Aurora with his palm up. Ironclaw turned away from them and headed for the exit, he was calm and confident when a moment of weakness over came him. He punched the wall by the door, denting it with his fist. His head hung low for his next words. "She may not have faith in me, but.... This is what happens when you have faith in Optimus Pimal" The badger left the medical bay and headed for the hanger to be alone.

[una]

((OOC: I'm so sorry, OOP! The last few days had been so hectic, getting ready for this week. Also, had to help in taking care of two birthdays. Lots of sugar!

Edit: I forgot to mention this, but I edited my last post. I just added a few more sentences inbetween two quotes. ))

"I know I did, but its gratifying to hear my point sank in. Good girl, you're learning, bwahahahahaha!"

Blackarachnia growled and fidgeted with her hands. She wasn't a good girl....

Don't make promises you can't keep, Nurse" "Hehehehahaha, couldn't resist".

Nor a nurse. She let out a yell as Tarantulas used one of her own leg to give Optimus another lick of her heel. Her face twisted in disgust of her lost of control. Her eyes brightened with a fury. Tarantulas just kept pushing her, testing her. He wouldn't like to see what she could do. She had her own plans and he was going to be one that she would love to take out immediately.

"You're... You're not helping," he let Blackarachnia know with a soft voice even though he was certain she knew that already, but he was hoping she'd stop rolling him over and poking him. "What's it... What's it like being... under... someone else's control?"

She glared at the downed Maximal leader, "Why do you care?" Her fury burned even more. Optimus saw her weakness and now, what was he trying to pull on her? She really wanted to give him a kick, but Tarantulas ruined her fun and mood, "I rather be dead." She couldn't believe she said that out loud in front of Optimus. Which made her even more disgusted. The only thing she could do was make sure she was on Megatron's good graces.

[NaitoKage]

"Landslide, I understand what you are doing here, but I believe it should wait until after this is done. Your choice to call this a squabble is appropriate. Rattrap needs all his energy focused on Megatron and making sure these negotiations go right. I don't want to distract Rattrap with anymore of my choices.""When Optimus returns and the situation has been averted, I will gladly take this to Rattrap with your supervision. I promise."

The real reason that Aurora is in this state is sat right there!""She may not have faith in me, but.... This is what happens when you have faith in Optimus Primal"

Landslide watched as Ironclaw went to the hanger, glancing back towards Whitegrazer Then we'll take it to the hanger. But as it stands, you two need to wake up.. Lets go.

Landslide followed Ironclaw down into the hanger, he crossed his arms letting out a sigh as he spoke to the two bots. Now, I don't know what yer major malfunction is.. but last I checked you two were supposed to be soldiers.. But that clearly isn't the case from what I can see infront of me and a break down like this can screw the whole team over. You should already know that.

Landslide looked towards Whitegrazer I don't know much about you and yer hippy arts an' powers, but what I saw out there wasn't the thinking of a soldier.. or even someone with common sense. It was someone playin' the martyr. You didn't think fer a moment that Aurora or Cheetor would go after you after you made yourself a target? You knew the enemy was comin' and even if you were the one shot, did you not think that wouldn't destroy Optimus when he came home?! Did you think the Predacons would just stop fer you?!
No, they wont. You need to start thinkin' about survival and using better tactics lass.. If not fer you, then do it fer those that care about you.

Landslide walked towards one of the walls picking up one of the typical riot shields usually seen on the ship, then walked towards Whitegrazer handing it to her. If yer not going to go to cover, then you better start carrying it.

Landslide then looks towards Ironclaw As fer you, all I've seen lately is you moppin' around like someone took a leak in yer energon-os. You may have some points but yer just diggin' a hole you wont be able to climb outta lad. If this was really the Maximal military do you think you'd be standing here after provoking and threatening yer own teammates,causing that ruckus in the middle of surgery,and breaking things everywhere you go?! No, you'd be in the brig. You need to shape up and get the brillo pad out, otherwise you'll just end up with no one wanting to work with you. Especially if they think yer just going to hurt them like the Predacons.. Now If you have a problem with Optimus, then discuss it with him..

[starshadow]

((OOC: Gehhhh...I won't wait any longer.))

"Well, he ain't gonna retreat if you keep shootin' at 'im, so back off safely for a second an' see what he does! Dat's an order!"

Banshee sighed, keeping away her rifle and returned to the Axalon as ordered. Her large ears perked up as she heard the commotion, following it.

"You still don't know what happened. And what I did had nothing to do with their capture, Dinobot didn't have the bearings to get the job done. I was trying to pursue the Predacon that put you on your ass or have you already forgotten that. The real reason that Aurora is in this state is sat right there! She may not have faith in me, but.... This is what happens when you have faith in Optimus Pimal!"

Clearly Banshee was not happy with his attitude. She had seen impulsive rookies among the Maximal ranks before, but it was quite surprising that Optimus still kept him, but why? She leaned against the wall and listened to what Landslide was saying.

Now, I don't know what yer major malfunction is.. but last I checked you two were supposed to be soldiers.. But that clearly isn't the case from what I can see infront of me and a break down like this can screw the whole team over. You should already know that. I don't know much about you and yer hippy arts an' powers, but what I saw out there wasn't the thinking of a soldier.. or even someone with common sense. It was someone playin' the martyr. You didn't think fer a moment that Aurora or Cheetor would go after you after you made yourself a target? You knew the enemy was comin' and even if you were the one shot, did you not think that wouldn't destroy Optimus when he came home?! Did you think the Predacons would just stop fer you?!
No, they wont. You need to start thinkin' about survival and using better tactics lass.. If not fer you, then do it fer those that care about you. If yer not going to go to cover, then you better start carrying it. As fer you, all I've seen lately is you moppin' around like someone took a leak in yer energon-os. You may have some points but yer just diggin' a hole you wont be able to climb outta lad. If this was really the Maximal military do you think you'd be standing here after provoking and threatening yer own teammates,causing that ruckus in the middle of surgery,and breaking things everywhere you go?! No, you'd be in the brig. You need to shape up and get the brillo pad out, otherwise you'll just end up with no one wanting to work with you. Especially if they think yer just going to hurt them like the Predacons.. Now If you have a problem with Optimus, then discuss it with him..

So that what was happening in the med bay. So this Ironclaw must have been good at insubordination and throwing tantrums, "That's true. Ironclaw, if you keep this immature attitude up, I will make sure I'll throw you in the brig myself and you can't protest because you lost the right to. It's basic military protocols," her yellow optics narrowed , her expression turning grim like a war veteran, "we're in the middle of a war soldier. Your petty complaints and unecessary tantrums won't get us anywhere or Optimus back. If you want to help, Sit down, be silent and calm yourself!"

If he intends to lay a hand on her, she will give him what he deserves. A fight he would never forget. And just when she thought she would escape violence.

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

"We haven't seen each other in a while, so I wouldn't say again. Oh, put your claws away, I'm not in the mood to play."

"Please....Who the heck wants to play with you anymore? I mistaken you for my new dance partner. You can have Saber...I'm sick of her. I have new "friends" to play with."

Perhaps you two are in the mood for talking then.. Because I believe you two have alot to answer for..

Starshadow hissed when she heard Umbra after she lowered her deactivated claws, "Umbra..not surprising to see you here. Did Megatron sent you for a bounty hunting trip? Hmmm...oh, and this is Sonar. The Predacon's most useless flying bag of fur and happiness who let himself disappear for months. Tsk tsk tsk...such...disappointment...that I almost cried.." she added the last few words a dash of complete sarcasm.

She licked the back of her hand like a cat then she turned facing the octopus mech, "I don't have to answer for anything. Blame Megatron for being such a paranoid leader, not me for being...me. But if you really want information, what can you offer me?"

[DarkSpark]

OOC: Sorry for not waiting longer Phoenix and Blackrose, but I wanted to get my post out of the way before Thanksgiving and the holiday weekend, PLUS, it might be snowing in my neck of the woods tomorrow (I likely won't be in the mood for writing after wearing my back out shoveling lol). Hope my post checks out, this might be the longest conversation with "myself" I've ever had XD.

DarkSpark wrote: Turning to face Arachnitron, giving her a look that said "you know what to do" before facing Megatron again and saying "But of course Megatron, I think you'll be pleased with what we managed to dig up on our mysterious friend. Arachnitron, put the data we compiled on the viewing screen would you?"

"Hmph, this had better be good" Megatron growled, arms folded across his chest as he awaited their diagnosis on his latest turncoat.

"This ought to be good, heh heh" Terrorsaur said with a smirk as he manned his post, keeping his optics & audio receptors peeled for the juicy details on Starshadow's true nature, even if the truth turned out to be boring, unlikely though it seemed given the fact that she was a vampire, gossip such as this was a great way to pass the time in between missions, schemes, or Megatron's tantrums.

"I'm waiting Spider" Megatron growled, cracking his neck in a mix of boredom and irritation as he awaited the answers he sought.

"Patience my liege, all shall be made clear" Tarantulas replied, almost retching on the word "liege," as he pointed out the information he and Arachnitron had gathered, altered for his own sake of course.

"My analysis of the mech fluid samples taken from Starshadow indeed prove that she is not merely an eccentric with an odd taste in upgrades, but is in fact a mutant, as evidenced by her unusual jaw structure and what appear to be "microbots" living in her mech fluid" Tarantulas explained, showing close ups of the microbots in question, though again the data was tampered with to hide their true nature.

"Microbots? Is there a connection between Starshadow, Nemesis, and Zodiac then?" Megatron inquired, his interest peaked, his keen optics taking in every detail displayed on the viewing screens.

"Possibly, but I doubt it, more likely Starshadow is the product of a similar experiment delving into the applications of nanotechnology, a far less successful one given the design of these microbots, as you can see they are fragmented, which is likely the cause of the subject's deformity, instead of shape-shifting or accelerated healing she gained an abnormal jaw structure. She could be a prototype I suppose, but she would have to be a VERY early model, the differences between her nanotech designs and Nemesis are too great" Tarantulas said, comparing the Starshadow samples with samples of Nemesis acquired during her earlier beating by Megatron, before adding "Studying samples taken from Zodiac may shed some light on this matter given he's the most advanced of the three, but I'd wager she's simply the result of a less competent scientist's dead end research."

"Never mind where she came from, is she a threat?" Megatron inquired, getting straight to the point.

"Yeah, do we need to worry about being bled dry in our sleep? Or worse, turned into her mindless minions of the undead?" Terrorsaur interrupted, recollecting old human horror films about vampires, werewolves, and zombies...Fleshlings had such disturbing interests in undead freaks who could infect others with a single bite for some reason.

"Please, putting aside the fact I discovered no sign of infectious agents in her mech fluid, if she were capable of spreading her condition to others, let alone turn them into "mindless minions," she would have done so to all of us long ago before we caught on to her true nature...Though given what I've heard about you two she may have gotten to you at least" Tarantulas jeered, Terrorsaur's eyes blazing with indignation over the spider's taunts.

"Back to your post!" Megatron barked at Terrorsaur, the angry pterosaur doing as he was told, before turning back to Tarantulas and saying "So she's not a biohazard, what of her vampiric inclinations?"

"She does indeed need to ingest mech fluid to function, though not to the degree that she would need to kill any of us to get what she needs. The proof of this lies in both what I discovered studying these defective microbots, as well as, again, if she did have such gluttonous needs she would have turned on us long ago and given herself away far sooner" Tarantulas reasoned, his words clear and tone sincere, his lies as intricate as a spider's web.

"Well done Spider, at least one crisis has been put to rest. Starshadow may yet have a place amongst us, assuming of course she survives the punishment I have in store for her, yyyyessssss" Megatron mused, vampire or not, Starshadow had crossed the line and would have to suffer for it one way or the other, though her fate could wait for now while he dealt with acquiring the golden disks.

"I live to serve, Mighty Megatron" Tarantulas lied with a bow, pleased that he had gotten one over on the transmetal tyrant.

"Of course you do" Megatron replied with a smile, suspecting there was more going on here than Tarantulas let on, the samples looking a tad suspicious to him, but he at least trusted that the spider wouldn't be foolish enough to let a potential threat to his own wretched existence roam free, so he was satisfied to let the matter rest for now.

"Eight legged suck up" Terrorsaur grumbled, disgusted by Tarantulas' performance, Megatron sneaking up behind him to deliver a hard smack to the back of his head before saying "You could stand to learn from his example, back to your task, skulker."

"Yes Megatron" Terrorsaur muttered, imagining his leader's head in a vice as he rubbed the back of his head from the pain, half wishing some maximals would invade their turf so he could have someone to take out his frustrations on.

"Blackarachnia, I trust your patient is doing well?" Megatron asked of the second she-spider over the comms, before turning his attention to Quickstrike and Waspinator, asking "Any signs of our troops returning?"

He was growing impatient, every moment Zodiac wasted of his time the odds of the maximals doing something unseemly to his golden disks out of spite grew. Where was that slagging rogue?

[DarkSpark]

(ooc: I'll post later today. Been kinda crazy here lately with first that blizzard and travel bans, then it warmed up and flooded.. Then I had to make a quick stop by NYC. Back home now so I'll catch up today. Great posts all!)

OOC: thanks Phoenix, good luck to ya , and Happy Thanksgiving everyone! IN ADVANCE!