"More Than Meets The Eye: Part II"

[Optimal Optimus Primal]

(( OOC: Welcome back, Wintersong! Great post, Blackrose. ))

"Quoting Prime himself now are you? You do love playing the hero don't you Primal? Cheer up, not like there's anyone named "Hot Rod" on your crew to hurt your chances now is there?"

Playing the hero? Was that some kind of a compliment? But wasn't that the role Megatron was playing his own story? Optimus never tried being the "hero", he just did his job which happened to include sacrifices and doing dangerous missions that he would never allow anyone else to handle if he wasn't willing to do them himself. And he certainly found nothing funny about that statement so he remained quiet, letting the Predacons make themselves look like jerks, and tried to look at Nexus to see how he was fairing as he laid on the floor. He had also taken notice of Blackarachnia failing to join in with the rest of her comrades on the so-called joke. If only she could realize and accept that she didn't belong with this group in the first place. As for Nexus, he didn't know how he could still be putting on such a show of defiance and wit. Primal had had enough, physically and mentally. Enough.

"We will do what we must to protect and defend ourselves and those we love, Optimus."

Optimus faintly felt her warm and gentle touch on his face as their bond blinked every so often. Whitegrazer's slender fingers caressing and nurturing with each stroke along his cheeks. He tried to lay his palm on her cheek but his hands had been rendered useless, one of which was completely gone. Gone because of Megatron. And his legs were paralyzed because of Megatron. His chest squeezed and crushed. His face smashed. He screamed with anger and pain in their void with them laying in the green meadow together, and then a loud clap of thunder shook their connection as the imaginary ground quaked beneath them. A large crack of great depth split the space between the mare and the TransMetal gorilla, pulling them away from each other as other pieces of the ground surrounding them shot up like steep peaks into the sky, gray skies suffocating the warm sun while the green grass shriveled to a dry, dead brown and a strike of lightning set it ablaze. Fire and chaos.

-----

That is Optimus. No question about it.

Upon receiving Whitegrazer's message, Rattrap glanced at the mare and nodded. Lucky for Megatron, he wasn't trying to pull another fast one on the rat this time. Then he glanced at Wintersong, and at Banshee as she entered the bridge while Ironclaw and Dinobot left quietly in accordance with his text message, handing him back the golden disk which Rattrap set on the floor propped up vertically against the console.

"Alive.. Can't.. complain.. about the.. service.. here.."

"You don't gotta be polite or dishonest, Nexus. They sure ain't. We all know what poor and rude hosts dey are." He still couldn't be sure if this was the real Nexus Prime or not, but it sounded like him with his undefeated and proud voice despite the anguish he could also hear in it, which was quite similar to the pain he heard in the ape's just moments before. He wasn't sure he wanted to see their physical conditions. Judging by their weakened tones and the way Whitegrazer had been acting when the Preds must have been torturing Optimus, they were both likely in very bad shape. They'd probably get them back hanging to life by a thread and would be lucky to get them to the Axalon before they slipped into stasis lock or their sparks expired. Thinking positively about the outcome wasn't really Rattrap's style, and they were going to lose something when this was over, but hopefully it would just be the disks.

"If you want to lose Primal as well, go right ahead, damage my property, see what so much as a single scratch to my disk costs you, vermin. I have two of your own in my care, I lose a disk, you lose your precious captain. I lose both disks, and you have the death of the greatest living hero your faction has yet to produce on your conscience as well. Could you really live with that burden? I think not, nnnnnooooo. So spare me the hollow threats and say what you want to say to your friends so we can get down to business, yesssss?"

"I don't got a conscience, so good luck makin' me regret anythin'," Rattrap told Megatron. "And hollow threats? You got a real problem underestimating some of us."

"Don't make promises you cannot keep rodent, you haven't even paid for this call yet"

"You know, technically, you owed me dis call 'cause the video you showed me earlier was inaccurate an' a sleazy trick, so I don't owe you nothin'. You'll get the two disks when we meet so as long as we get Optimus and Nexus back alive. Unlike you fathead Preds, our word is good." He watched Megatron deal with some distractions on his end with his subtle movements. He didn't know who he was motioning to or for what, but he could faintly pick up some of the others' voices in the background. "You hear me, Megadump?" Rattrap asked impatiently in search of regaining his attention. Like Primal, Rattrap failed to find the humor in the Predacon leader's tasteless joke about Hot Rod that had sent the rest of the ignorant Predacon clan into a riot of laughter. However, deep down, Rattrap did consider Optimus a hero because of his accomplishments so far and his consistent leadership. "I'm satisfied with dese results this time. So let's meet an' get dis over with, eh? Coordinates Nu-zero-zero-two-one."

-----

"And you think that bond will save them? Or any of you?,"

Rhinox shook his head at Nemesis as his answer. He never said it would save anyone. It was really only valuable to them.

"Perhaps it's time for a reality check here, but let's face it.. Megatron has the upper hand. He's in control over Optimus and Nexus' fate. Handing over the golden disks isn't going to make him give up this advantage, he'll merely double cross you and you're then going to be left with nothing."

"Not that you care, though, right?" the engineer reminded the Predacon female. "We know what his desires are. The trick is to outwit him and use his and his Predacons' weaknesses against them. We haven't gotten this far in this war by sheer luck," he pointed out.

"That's not his name,"

This bit of news peaked his interest.

"He never did tell anyone his real name. Instead he went by the alias Zodiac, a name he felt reflected his endless ambition and power."

Zodiac? It sounded vaguely familiar, and that expression appeared on Rhinox's face; the one as if he knew something or pondered deeply about it. He might have been thinking of someone else, though. He couldn't be certain. But there wasn't much time for that now as he watched Aurora having a difficult time taking herself to the CR, so he quickly joined the Fuzor's side as he squeezed by Nemesis in the doorway to escort her safely to one of the repair chambers. Whether or not Nemesis chose to follow was up to her. The rhinoceros had a feeling she was withholding more information about this Zodiac character but he didn't think she would be willing to share it.

"Take it easy, Aurora. One step at a time," Rhinox encouraged her, ready to catch her if she stumbled in her weakened state.

[Mystrea]

Ironclaw arrived just after landslide and took a look around. He did not like the look of his surroundings, his eyes narrowed and he sniffed, it didn't feel right. The badger began to transform, his body swung round, robotic fists slammed into the ground and then his legs supported his weight so he could stand, badger no more. "Dinobot knows where it is" he grumbled as he waited for the criminal to arrive.

[DarkSpark]

OOC: Hey guys, I came up with the idea of Megatron limiting the number of troops either side could bring to the exchange, partially because its in character for Megs to stack the odds in his favor, & partially because it makes sense to limit the potential firepower that could end up destroying everyone's precious cargo if things go sour, not to mention the whole "not leaving your base unguarded" aspect. However, if this idea is not okay, I can easily alter my post to increase the number of soldiers that can attend the proceedings or just abandon the idea altogether, just felt Megs needed to end the negotiations on an evil note XD.

So lemme know if I need to alter my post or if its fine as is

OOP wrote: "You don't gotta be polite or dishonest, Nexus. They sure ain't. We all know what poor and rude hosts dey are." He still couldn't be sure if this was the real Nexus Prime or not, but it sounded like him with his undefeated and proud voice despite the anguish he could also hear in it, which was quite similar to the pain he heard in the ape's just moments before. He wasn't sure he wanted to see their physical conditions. Judging by their weakened tones and the way Whitegrazer had been acting when the Preds must have been torturing Optimus, they were both likely in very bad shape. They'd probably get them back hanging to life by a thread and would be lucky to get them to the Axalon before they slipped into stasis lock or their sparks expired. Thinking positively about the outcome wasn't really Rattrap's style, and they were going to lose something when this was over, but hopefully it would just be the disks.

Megatron pretend winced, placing a hand over his spark chamber as though Rattrap's words had truly hurt him, replying "Vermin, you wound me! So little faith in my sense of hospitality, really now, you should know me better than that by now....Or at least have learned how to pronounce words correctly after all this time."

With that last remark towards Rattrap's thick accent and poor grammar the laughter amongst the predacons returned anew, Terrorsaur the loudest out of all of them by far.

"Heheheheh! Oh slag, I gotta remember that one" Terrorsaur crowed, stomping his clawed feet as he clutched his stomach in cruel laughter.

Even Tarantulas, who had been silently watching the scene unfold, permitted himself to indulge in his classic maniacal chuckles, especially if it was at the rat's expense.

"Hehehehehahahahahahahaha!" Tarantulas cackled evilly, placing a hand over his mouthparts to control himself.

Megatron allowed this to continue a moment longer then motioned with his hands for the rabble to simmer down finally before returning his attention to Rattrap.

OOP wrote: "I don't got a conscience, so good luck makin' me regret anythin'," Rattrap told Megatron. "And hollow threats? You got a real problem underestimating some of us."

Megatron shook his head in amusement and smirked "No, I HAD a problem underestimating Primal, then I got over it, which is why he is my prisoner now, but you and your crew? I can always count on you to do the "right thing" as you maximals would call it. Primal and Nexus are too precious to you to risk acting practical for once...I mean really, some of you have put down your arms when faced with a "moral quandary" as simple as "is saving a wild animal worth the price of losing a stasis pod?" You are soft, vermin, more so than you let on, or care to admit, at least when it comes to Primal, otherwise I'd say your attitude towards predacons in general, including your own so-called allies, is rather typical of the true face of maximal kind."

OOP wrote: "You know, technically, you owed me dis call 'cause the video you showed me earlier was inaccurate an' a sleazy trick, so I don't owe you nothin'. You'll get the two disks when we meet so as long as we get Optimus and Nexus back alive. Unlike you fathead Preds, our word is good." He watched Megatron deal with some distractions on his end with his subtle movements. He didn't know who he was motioning to or for what, but he could faintly pick up some of the others' voices in the background. "You hear me, Megadump?" Rattrap asked impatiently in search of regaining his attention. Like Primal, Rattrap failed to find the humor in the Predacon leader's tasteless joke about Hot Rod that had sent the rest of the ignorant Predacon clan into a riot of laughter. However, deep down, Rattrap did consider Optimus a hero because of his accomplishments so far and his consistent leadership. "I'm satisfied with dese results this time. So let's meet an' get dis over with, eh? Coordinates Nu-zero-zero-two-one."

"Hmm? Oh yes, my apologies rodent, just waiting for you to finish up the usual self-righteous maximal ranting, to be honest, Primal is better at it than you. But I am pleased you are satisfied with the results of our dialogues, and those coordinates are acceptable to me, neutral territory, best for us all to feel more comfortable, yessss? However, I fear I must insist you only bring six of your number to the meeting, along with BOTH disks of course, and I shall do the same, with my prisoners in tow. Last thing either of us want is for our precious cargo to get damaged in an unfortunate skirmish...And I suppose it would be a shame if Primal and Nexus were harmed as well. I'll be monitoring for signs of unwelcome extra additions to your ranks, if I detect so much as one sign of more than six maximals, you will be scavenging the wilds for Nexus and Primal's remains for weeks, yyyyessss. I'll see you there, Megatron out" the tyrant said, cutting communications before Rattrap could protest, knowing the mammal would have to cooperate with his terms or else risk the lives of their hostages.

"That went well, now then..." Megatron said with a satisfied look on his face as he turned to address the return of Starshadow and Sonar, his expression becoming darker as he added "Look who's come crawling back...Any flimsy excuses to offer or pathetic pleas for as to why I shouldn't slag you here and now?"

Megatron snapped his fingers and several of the other preds raised their weapons towards Sonar, Tarantulas and Terrorsaur being amongst their ranks, suspicious of the bat who'd been missing in action forever and only now returned after presumably escaping maximal custody. Regardless of the depth of their loyalty, the predacons would always fall in line when Megatron was present and at full strength, even if only to avoid his ire themselves.

[una]

Whitegrazer got confirmation from Rattrap that he got her message. She closed her optics, listening for Nexus' message when, as she reached out for Optimus, she watched as the green meadow she tried her best to use as a safe space for Optimus. The ground separating Optimus from her, watching as the sky went dark. No. She reached out for Optimus when his powerful screams of anguish shook her own spark with his own pain. Since Predacons were watching, she kept still, trying to keep herself from gripping her spark, which was grasping for relief. Optimus... The gray skies got even darker as fire rose like a curtain from the cracks, separating them. Rain started pouring from the skies, feeling the sorrow of her spark. And it kept pouring harder and harder.

"Alive.. Can't.. complain.. about the.. service.. here.."

That wasn't Nexus. It couldn't be Nexus. All evidence piled against him. That wasn't Nexus. Some part of her was still shook up from Aurora's situation that she didn't know what to believe anymore. But she balled her hands in defiance. No. She must trust what she feels. That shapeshifter... he pulled a fast one on her. On all of those she cared for. He tried to destroy the emotional bond between Optimus and her. He wanted them to suffer in his scheme. How dare he harm the sweet and innocent. How dare he. She could take almost anything, but when innocent blood is shred, some form of justice needed to be held. But Aurora didn't die. The shapeshifter failed. That put a smile on her face.

But she shook off that smile. They needed to formulate some sort of plan to deal with him. What could they do to finally defeat this bot? They needed to be smart about it too. After what that shapeshifter did, they needed to be ready for anything.

Also, sadly, she knew that Nexus couldn't be Nexus, but the problem that arose was that. It still wasn't enough.

She sent Rattrap another message: "It is still uncertain whether or not that is Nexus. I'm sorry. I would need to be in his presence in order to determine that. "

Her thoughts returned to the meadow now drenched in the pain and turmoil Optimus is going through. TyCross came up behind her in his purple and black form. Kill him. You have to. She turned to stare at him. There must be another way. His crimson optics narrowed at her. All right, let me try this a different way. It would be better for you, a soldier who was killed many, to live with it than to have another with blood on their hands. Look around, Whitegrazer! Look at what is happening! If you really want this to end, someone has to make the sacrifice. Do you want him or they to make another one? She looked at the wall of fire between Optimus and her. the conversation between her and her mentor was blocked from Optimus. I never expected to be saved. For the pain I have caused, I deserve no mercy. Only a true sacrifice of self can save them... but it is a sacrifice I can't allow anyone else to take except for me. They deserve life. I must salvage that as much as I can. Good. Remember that when the time comes. And it will come. TyCross vanished, leaving her alone.

"Hmm? Oh yes, my apologies rodent, just waiting for you to finish up the usual self-righteous maximal ranting, to be honest, Primal is better at it than you. But I am pleased you are satisfied with the results of our dialogues, and those coordinates are acceptable to me, neutral territory, best for us all to feel more comfortable, yessss? However, I fear I must insist you only bring six of your number to the meeting, along with BOTH disks of course, and I shall do the same, with my prisoners in tow. Last thing either of us want is for our precious cargo to get damaged in an unfortunate skirmish...And I suppose it would be a shame if Primal and Nexus were harmed as well. I'll be monitoring for signs of unwelcome extra additions to your ranks, if I detect so much as one sign of more than six maximals, you will be scavenging the wilds for Nexus and Primal's remains for weeks, yyyyessss. I'll see you there, Megatron out"

As Megatron signed out, Whitegrazer was actually feeling a little relieved that they were getting Primal back. Optimus... we are coming. We're coming.

"May I be one of those that accompanies you, Rattrap?"

((OOC: Man! I had a hard time writing this post. My neck has hurt all day. Not as bad as it was, but I can't move my head much. XD ))

[Night-Hunter]

"That went well, now then..." Megatron said with a satisfied look on his face as he turned to address the return of Starshadow and Sonar, his expression becoming darker as he added "Look who's come crawling back...Any flimsy excuses to offer or pathetic pleas for as to why I shouldn't slag you here and now?"

Sonar had expected this but it was still daunting and spark stopping. He tried not to flinch when every weapon in the Predacon arsenal was pointed at him, he calmed his racing before going to one and knee and speaking clearly so everyone could here him. He had to chose his words carefully.

"Lord Megatron, please do not act to hastily. Yes, I ignored your summons, only because I was scouting the Maximal base for possible weaknesses. Getting captured was unexpected, but I have always been loyal to you."

If this doesn't work, I'll need to use my trump card. Sonar thought, hoping it wouldn't come to that, but he was ready to use it none the less.

[Wintersong]

For a little while Spineback listened to the exchanges, being silent as ever and listening intently to everything she could. But still it seemed interruptions happened and she happened to be the one Megatron motioned to with handling the situation. Nodding quietly she moved to the three bots but it seemed Umbra was quickly handling the situation with Starshadow. "I'd recommend you three try to keep it down until this is over." She said calmly, but there was a glare in her eyes that would have made a few bots cringe, though likely not flinch away under like that of her new leader's. It was here she stood for the remainder of negotiations, smiling in slight amusement at Megatron's next joke and had to admit he could have a way with words. Made her wonder sometimes if the first Megatron was just as choosing with his words and had a sense of humor, even if it was dark. But she never knew the Megatron of the Great War, having been elsewhere during his ruling before she became downgraded to what she was now.

Before long those negotiations were ended and finally the dino-femme raised her wrist, her Plasma Ball Shooter being ready to fire at any time. She wasn't above shooting a comrade, and though she held no respect to the likes of Tarantulas and barely knew the others, so made it all the more of a pleasure to punish insubordinance. But she awaited to see if Megatron would give the order or not before she went trigger crazy.

---------

The longer the chat went the more it took Wintersong not to burst out angrily towards Megatron and his seeming humor among his troops. But she bit her tongue and only clenched her fists, beig careful of her clawed fingers. Still, it was a lot of will power to not do something against Rattrap's orders. Yet, the rodent was trying to get Optimus and this Nexus safely out of harms way and one angry outburst would likely be costly to their lives. So, it wasn't worth the risk. And she could only pain stakingly listen as their chat seemed semi-pleasant and maybe could go according to plan. But you couldn't trust a Predacon.

"I wish to come along as well, we got to get them back." Wintersong immediately, wanting to be there to see for herself if Megatron meant well to his word. If not, she would ahe no quarrel of letting loose upon the tyrant and his troops if given the order. Wintersong though knew she had to respect Rattrap's attempts for a peaceful exchange and hope to Primus they could actually avoid the chances of ending up in an exchange of gunfire.

[NaitoKage]

"That went well, now then..." "Look who's come crawling back...Any flimsy excuses to offer or pathetic pleas for as to why I shouldn't slag you here and now?"

"Lord Megatron, please do not act to hastily. Yes, I ignored your summons, only because I was scouting the Maximal base for possible weaknesses. Getting captured was unexpected, but I have always been loyal to you."

Umbra set Starshadow's unconscious body down, he crossed his arms as he spoke up Pardon the interruption.. but if I may state my Lord.. You've already lost Nemesis and Cecaelia.. While you have gained some new troops, it might be wise to still keep your strength in numbers up.. specially with predictable elements. "To know the enemy and know yourself.. you need not fear the outcome of a hundred battles", after all.

Umbra then pointed towards Starshadow as he spoke up As for this gift, I assumed you probably wanted her back.. though alive or dead is up for you to decide. I also come bearing some news.. The Maximals seem to have some trick up their sleeves.. After Zodiac inflicted a fatal wound, his target was able to regenerate the damage with the aid of a blue gel that caused similar regeneration to the likes we've seen Nemesis perform..From that, I believe we can determine they've found a way to utilize Nemesis's Nanotechnology to aid them, but to what extent is still unknown. Also the Maximals have a new Maximal among their rank, some large arthropod with heavy defenses capable of flight.

___________________________________

Cheetor walked over to Aurora with a smile holding out his hand If you want, I'll go with you to the CR chamber.


_______________________

"Dinobot knows where it is"

Landslide nodded his giant horned head. Aye, that he does. Landslide, Maximize! he gave a strange hiss as he swung back transforming to his robot mode, drawing his heavy shield. He scanned the horizon looking for threats, though the area still seemed clear. Looks clear fer now..

Landslide then looked towards Ironclaw This may sound a bit odd, but I've been wonderin' lad, what is yer vehicle mode? I think yer the only transmetal I've seen that doesn't use it much.

[Blackrosefencer]

OOC: Sorry for the wait...when I was out the other night and expecting to be back in time to post, we never ended up coming back until later at night. We had an emergency call from my fiance's job. Everything was down- we ended up having to go in and troubleshoot everything.

Optimus doesn't suspect Nexus of being anyone other than who he claims to be...

I think I remember the Maximals at the base suggesting that Nexus wasn't who he said he was. Optimus doesn't suspect him of being anyone else, but the others do.

BIC:

Dinobot raced to catch up to Landslide and Ironclaw. He arrived at the location a few moments after they did and watched as they struggled to search for the golden disk amongst the other boulders.

“Under a rock huh?.. It's like a screw in the bolt drawer..”

Dinobot heard Landslide mumble. Dinobot ducked behind some of the bigger boulders and edged his way over to the rock where the disk was hidden. He crouched down to lift the rock and pulled the disk out from under it. He hesitated though before taking it to Landslide. How quickly could he download all of its contents to his data tracks? He had only a few moments.....

“Computer,” he said out loud allowing a stream of infrared lasers to shoot out from his optics and scan the disk. “Estimate time for download of all data.”

“Acknowledged.” Slight pause. “Completion of data download estimated at four clicks.”

(OOC: I have no idea what a click actually is. I'm thinking if a nano-click is about a second then a click must be about a minute right? A cycle is an hour maybe? A mega-cycle is a....I dunno....day? Year? Or is a cycle a minute.....I have no idea....but I'm thinking in terms of minutes here.)

“Slag!” Dinobot cursed. A few nano-clicks (ooc: think seconds) he could spare, but a few clicks (ooc: think minutes) he couldn't risk. Not with Ironclaw the self-righteous about. He was sure to notice Dinobot's absence before long.

Dinobot sighed. He would have to give up the second disk without saving any of the data. Once the disks were out of his possession, they were gone for good. Megatron would surely double the security surrounding the golden disks so he'd never be able to steal them back. And if Megatron had downloaded the contents to his ship's computer, he wouldn't be so desperate to get the actual disks back so there was no way to hack into the Darksyde computers and steal the data.

Dinobot knows where it is" he grumbled as he waited for the criminal to arrive.

Dinobot heard Ironclaw announce. He sighed once again and rose to his feet emerging from behind the boulder.

“Indeed I do,” Dinobot confirmed stepping towards the others. He leaned over his messaging system and, not sure if Megatron was still conversing with the others on the bridge, sent a text message to Rattrap. It read:

MESSAGE TO RATTRAP FROM DINOBOT: We have secured the disk. Awaiting further orders. END TEXT.

Dinobot stood siltently waiting for a response from Rattrap. He continued to hold on to the disks, not yet willing to give up his only chance at discovering answers he so desperately sought.

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

Finally, after discussing the terms to the hostage rescue, Megatron shut off the transmission with the Maximals and turned to his crew. He noticed the return of Starshadow and Sonar and snapped his fingers, a gesture most of the other Predacons seemed to understand to mean to raise their weapons on the possible traitor.

Arachnitron looked around at the room at the others and noticed Tarantulas had obeyed. She didn't feel any pressing need to obey Megatron, but she did understand that her duties to Tarantulas were to blend in as best as possible- don't stand out and do whatever Megatron says to do. Since Tarantulas had followed suit with the others, Arachnitron did as well. She slowly lifted her energon pistol out of its holster and took aim on Sonar like the others had done.

They listened to Sonar's reason for being absent and then turned their attention to Starshadow, another would-be traitor. They just needed Nemesis in the room and they would have the entire trifecta! She listened, uninterested in what was going on. That is, until Umbra spoke up. Umbra's words made an impression on Arachnitron.

“I also come bearing some news.. The Maximals seem to have some trick up their sleeves.. After Zodiac inflicted a fatal wound, his target was able to regenerate the damage with the aid of a blue gel that caused similar regeneration to the likes we've seen Nemesis perform..From that, I believe we can determine they've found a way to utilize Nemesis's Nanotechnology to aid them, but to what extent is still unknown....”

Arachnitron's optics widened in surprise and she couldn't help but sneak a glance at Tarantulas. The Maximals had been experimenting with Nemesis' regeneration technology....what Umbra called “Nanotechnology”...Starshadow appeared to have some similar nanotechnology as well. Arachnitron was intrigued to learn more about how the Maximals had secured this nanotechnology for themselves and what they were doing to create the blue gel. Could she and Tarantulas replicate the gel? More importantly, could a similar gel be made using Starshadow's nanobots?

(OOC: Didn't sleep well last night so I'm hoping to head to bed on the earlier side than last night so I'll have to post for Inferno later.)

[DarkSpark]

OOC: I picked out at least two preds to accompany Meg's team on this mission so far, but left the other slots open for players who may wanna volunteer and be part of the action (as opposed to filling up the ranks with my three preds lol). We'll see what happens though, Megs is a sneaky pred after all, and I know some of us can't post as frequently as others due to responsibilities this month like busy season at work or classes etc. Just leaving things open for now.

Night-Hunter wrote:
Sonar had expected this but it was still daunting and spark stopping. He tried not to flinch when every weapon in the Predacon arsenal was pointed at him, he calmed his racing before going to one and knee and speaking clearly so everyone could here him. He had to chose his words carefully.

"Lord Megatron, please do not act to hastily. Yes, I ignored your summons, only because I was scouting the Maximal base for possible weaknesses. Getting captured was unexpected, but I have always been loyal to you."

If this doesn't work, I'll need to use my trump card. Sonar thought, hoping it wouldn't come to that, but he was ready to use it none the less.

Megatron gaze grew colder as he listened to Sonar's pathetic pleas for mercy, the coward not even having the nerve to come clean with his true motivations, hiding behind the thinnest of excuses.

"Oh really? And do you have anything to show for your noble efforts, my faithful follower? Do you?" Megatron growled, charging his tail cannon, seriously considering blowing the bat's head clean off, did he honestly believe he would buy this tripe? That feigning loyalty now would be enough to make up for blatant insubordination?

Wintersong wrote: For a little while Spineback listened to the exchanges, being silent as ever and listening intently to everything she could. But still it seemed interruptions happened and she happened to be the one Megatron motioned to with handling the situation. Nodding quietly she moved to the three bots but it seemed Umbra was quickly handling the situation with Starshadow. "I'd recommend you three try to keep it down until this is over." She said calmly, but there was a glare in her eyes that would have made a few bots cringe, though likely not flinch away under like that of her new leader's. It was here she stood for the remainder of negotiations, smiling in slight amusement at Megatron's next joke and had to admit he could have a way with words. Made her wonder sometimes if the first Megatron was just as choosing with his words and had a sense of humor, even if it was dark. But she never knew the Megatron of the Great War, having been elsewhere during his ruling before she became downgraded to what she was now.

Before long those negotiations were ended and finally the dino-femme raised her wrist, her Plasma Ball Shooter being ready to fire at any time. She wasn't above shooting a comrade, and though she held no respect to the likes of Tarantulas and barely knew the others, so made it all the more of a pleasure to punish insubordinance. But she awaited to see if Megatron would give the order or not before she went trigger crazy.

Terrorsaur sneered at Spineback, annoyed that the newbie thought she could boss him around, a veteran of the Beast Wars who'd been part of the crew since the beginning, and by all rights SHOULD be the one in charge instead of that brute Megatron.

However, things began to look up as everyone turned their attention to Sonar, who'd disobeyed Megatron and only now came crawling back just as victory seemed to be at hand...Oooo...Bad call. Terrorsaur suddenly had flashbacks to the time he'd returned home to base after the maximals had destroyed his flying island, leaving him helpless before the wrath of Megatron, who he had left for dead. The beating that had followed was one of many reasons why he did not miss Scorponok, and why he'd refused to help carry Waspinator's parts back to base for several weeks before finally forgiving the accident prone bug. Point was, Sonar was in deep trouble and he was glad not to be the one singled out for treasonous actions for once, his eyes glowing, ready to fire on the bat should Megatron give the order.

Naitokage wrote: Umbra set Starshadow's unconscious body down, he crossed his arms as he spoke up Pardon the interruption.. but if I may state my Lord.. You've already lost Nemesis and Cecaelia.. While you have gained some new troops, it might be wise to still keep your strength in numbers up.. specially with predictable elements. "To know the enemy and know yourself.. you need not fear the outcome of a hundred battles", after all.

Umbra then pointed towards Starshadow as he spoke up As for this gift, I assumed you probably wanted her back.. though alive or dead is up for you to decide. I also come bearing some news.. The Maximals seem to have some trick up their sleeves.. After Zodiac inflicted a fatal wound, his target was able to regenerate the damage with the aid of a blue gel that caused similar regeneration to the likes we've seen Nemesis perform..From that, I believe we can determine they've found a way to utilize Nemesis's Nanotechnology to aid them, but to what extent is still unknown. Also the Maximals have a new Maximal among their rank, some large arthropod with heavy defenses capable of flight.

Megatron gritted his teeth as he listened to Umbra, never taking his penetrating gaze off of Sonar, his fully charged gun seething with destructive energy...But finally relented, powering his weapon down, odd that such wise council could come from a petty mercenary rather than a devout acolyte, but regardless, Umbra made a good point, Sonar still had his uses for now, at least until after the maximals were no longer an issue & then he could purge the unfaithful from his flock and replenish his ranks with the stasis pods that remained to be claimed.

"Logical as always Umbra" Megatron complimented, nodding at his hired hand in approval...Before proceeding to shoot Umbra with his shoulder cannons, much to the mixed surprise and amusement of everyone gathered.

"What? He gets to live, just not without some scars to remind him of the consequences of his insolence, yyyesss" Megatron mused, the shoulder blasts being low yield so as not to kill the bat, but enough to leave some nasty marks as he'd described.

Megatron listened to the rest of Umbra's report, not at all pleased with the prospect of the maximals harnessing nanotechnology in the slightest, replying "Starshadow has been determined not to be a biohazard as previously suspected, but I may yet decide to make use of her, put her in power bonds and keep her sedated in the new brig for now, we'll be moving Primal and Nexus shortly. As for the maximals dabbling in nanotechnology, I had suspected something similar from my own observations of Primal during our, heh heh, alone time together, regardless, though this war shall be drawing to a close soon we should not afford the maximals any advantages, so if Nemesis is spotted she is to be taken in, dead or alive, but preferably dead if she's been sharing her secrets with maximals and not us, yyyyessss. As for the new insect you mentioned..."

Terrorsaur spoke up now and said "Rawk! I know the guy, the big lout is armored like a tank but slow as slug, Waspinator and I can fly circles around him, no problem!"

Megatron frowned at the interruption and Terrorsaur understandably backed down as the tyrant replied "Be that as it may, the arrival of a new maximal flyer is not something to be taken lightly, as you should know by now Terrorsaur, and if he's as well armed as you say he'll likely be in attendance at the exchange site. Good work Umbra, see to any injuries you may have and rearm, you shall be among those accompanying me to the exchange."

Megatron then opened a comm to the brig and said "Inferno, Blackarachnia, ready the two prisoners for transport, we'll be taking them on a little jaunt to see their friends soon. Inferno, you shall be part of the squad for this mission, so don't doddle"

Megatron grinned knowing the simple but loyal ant would enjoy the notion of joining his leader in battle, oh if only he had more like him, just a tad bit smarter and more sane of course. He then took note of who he had to work with and began to strategize on who he would be taking with him and who the maximals would likely bring to the party. The maximals would no doubt follow the rules out of misguided honor and fear of what could become of the prisoners if they tried to pull a fast one, but he at least would have an extra addition to his "six bot squad" thanks to Zodiac, and with that extra advantage they would overwhelm the maximals, finish off Primal, and take the golden disks back before marching on the Axalon to finish off what was left of their pitiful forces.

Inferno, the ever loyal, and Umbra, the professional, were an obvious given, but who else should he bring along?

"Decisions, decisions..." Megatron pondered aloud as he considered his options and waited for Inferno and Blackarachnia to arrive with his prisoners.

Blackrose wrote: Arachnitron's optics widened in surprise and she couldn't help but sneak a glance at Tarantulas. The Maximals had been experimenting with Nemesis' regeneration technology....what Umbra called “Nanotechnology”...Starshadow appeared to have some similar nanotechnology as well. Arachnitron was intrigued to learn more about how the Maximals had secured this nanotechnology for themselves and what they were doing to create the blue gel. Could she and Tarantulas replicate the gel? More importantly, could a similar gel be made using Starshadow's nanobots?

Tarantulas was pleased that his assistant was catching on so quickly to what was necessary to keep up appearances amongst the Darksyde crew, yes it meant swallowing a great deal of pride at times to appease Megatron and maintain the pretense of obedience, but in this instance it was easy to do since Sonar meant nothing to either of them. However, what had seemingly begun as a simple execution had now brought up numerous possibilities and opportunities to exploit, from recovering the coveted golden disks to the prospect of reverse engineering the nanotechnology of Nemesis, an excellent consolation prize should the disks tragically slip through his fingers.

"I would like to volunteer my services for this mission Megatron, you may require my expertise in more ways than one given what Umbra's brought to our attention" the spider offered, Megatron raising an eyebrow skeptically as he replied "Duly noted Tarantulas, I'll get back to you shortly."

The spider's stealth tactics could prove helpful, as well as his scientific expertise and venom, but he was also potentially the most dangerous of his would be usurpers, his motives never being as blatant or obvious as the others in his crew. Megatron needed to pick his team carefully to guarantee victory this time, that much was certain, but thankfully he had time to consider his options, at least if only for a while.

[Phoenix]

"Not that you care, though, right?" the engineer reminded the Predacon female. "We know what his desires are. The trick is to outwit him and use his and his Predacons' weaknesses against them. We haven't gotten this far in this war by sheer luck,"

Nemesis merely crossed her arms and folded her wings back as she stepped slightly to the side to allow the little fuzor to get by. The smaller Maximal looked very weak but it was a wonder and testament to Maximal ingenuity that she had even survived. The avian female had seen stronger bots than Aurora fall from less severe injuries, so perhaps she wasn't as frail as she came across.

There was no point in correcting the rhino on his statement, not that he was terribly mistaken or anything. He seemed far more concerned about the well-being of his patient than listening to what she had to say at the moment anyway. Oh well, they'd just have to learn for themselves..

"Take it easy, Aurora. One step at a time,"

If you want, I'll go with you to the CR chamber.

Aurora attempted a smile in return as her fellow Maximals came to assist her, but all her efforts were going towards trying to keep herself upright and walking at the moment. Still it warmed her spark to see them so attentive towards her and she almost a bit grudgingly accepted Cheetor's outreached hand.

"Yeah.. I am feeling a bit woozy. Stinkin' Preds..," she admitted, mimicking Rattrap's speech pattern for a moment while completely ignoring the fact Nemesis was still within earshot. The Predacon, however, wasn't phased. Instead she took the opportunity to glance around the lab now that everyone were busy with Aurora. After a brief search she decided it best to come back for a more thorough one later and went to check up on the progress on the bridge.

(ooc: I dread to imagine what kinda gel the spiders would make out of Starshadow's nanotech since it seems to be vastly different than Nem's..)

Nexus' one functioning optic wandered over to Optimus, who seemed to be holding up fairly well all things considering. Surely whatever patching job the female spider had done had kept him out of stasis. Good, for he had no desire to give up tormenting the Maximal commander just yet. Oh, it wasn't that Zodiac hated Optimus specifically, but rather the position he stood for. A glimpse of a time long gone flashed through his head, his own wounded form being held up by Maximal guards while another declared what his sentence was going to be. He could almost feel the guards' grip tightening on his arms, as if expecting him to make a futile attempt at escape. They had every right to suspect it, of course, anything less would have been an insult. Still.. they should have known he'd wait until the time was right.. or at least more opportune that it was right now while wounded, the guards training their weapons on him.

Just a short distance away he felt the optics of the older soldier, his self-righteousness burning into his armor, piercing his very soul. The old fool had witnessed against him, using his rank as leverage to make the rest of the court listen. And listen they did, for nobody was brave enough to speak up against an admiral.

Hypocritical nonsense, all of it. It was at that moment that the game had gotten personal, that what Zodiac had considered a relatively innocent scheme for resources had turned serious. He certainly couldn't understand how the admiral valued the insignificant lives of his soldiers over his own.. He was a prodigy, after all, one of a kind!

"You don't gotta be polite or dishonest, Nexus. They sure ain't. We all know what poor and rude hosts dey are."

Rattrap's words brought on a slight chuckle from the wounded admiral, one that quickly quieted down as Nexus twitched from what appeared to be pain brought on by the laughter. "We can.. discuss it.. over.. an energon.. drink.. if you.. can get.. us out of .. here..," came the jovial response, his hand clutching an open wound on his abdomen.

[Mystrea]

Ironclaw was still scanning his surroundings when Landslide asked about his vehicle form, his third form, the form which he had yet been able to transform into. This had been on his mind but he did not let it trouble him now, he carried on looking around and just simply said "I don't know what it is"

Moments later Dinobot popped from the rocks with the golden disk in hand. The badger noticed the raptor's fixation on the disk betray him. He had a personal stake tied to the disk which may cause a problem for the team. It was a strategic asset that needed to be secured. Ironclaw folded his hands and tilted his head waiting for Dinobot.

[una]

Inferno, Blackarachnia, ready the two prisoners for transport, we'll be taking them on a little jaunt to see their friends soon. Inferno, you shall be part of the squad for this mission, so don't doddle"

Blackarachnia just shook her head before she looked at Optimus. Her thoughts went back to why she originally came here. If she killed Optimus, the Maximals would never hand over the disks and probably fight the Predacons. It would be overwhelming chaos. But at least, she will still have an edge over everyone. An advantage she could use to kill anyone in her way. Anyone who wanted to destroy her or try to control her. She will be in control. She would have the power to do so.

But she couldn't... Not with Inferno, Megatron's loyal drone, or Night Terror near her.

"Night Terror, place the bonds back on Nexus. I will do the same for Optimus," she walked over where the bonds were laid and started reattaching them to Optimus, not before she made him stand up. She took the controller and gave Optimus a death glare, "Don't make me have to use it." Her frustration was apparent but masked with a threatening stance, so that the others didn't think it was anything else other than her making sure Optimus understood his role here. She couldn't have the others think she was pulling anything. She couldn't anyway.

With the control in her hand, she motioned for Optimus to take the lead while she pulled out her weapon just in case. She keep an optic out as they made their way to the bridge. As they reached the bridge, she made sure Megatron had his attention towards them, "We are all set here."

She really wanted to be one of those who would accompany Megatron to neutral territory, "Should I be one of those who accompanies you, Lord Megatron?"

If Megatron said no, she would come away. She will find a way. This transaction couldn't happen. She WILL make sure of it.

[admiralgrim]

((OOC: Sorry for the lack of post guys, but there has not been much for Night Terror. I would like Night Terror to be at the meeting, but I am not sure Megatron would trust him enough to join. On the other hand, now that Dirge is back, would he trust him back at base with a heavy armed companion? ))

Nexus said: "And.. such ignorance.. is why.. you shall never.. have such a title.. bestowed.. upon you."

Night Terror held back a smirk as he watched Zodiac play his part as a Maximal. He could not help but find it amusing that someone who hated the Maximal's as much as he, could play one so well. Night Terror listen to the negotiations carefully. He wanted to pick up anything that might be useful.

When Primal quoted the Prime, Night Terror at first thought he was signaling Rattrap. But why would he do that if he had a telepathic link. Which he just confirmed for us. It did not make sense to him. The bat could not shake off the feeling that the Maximal's either knew something or were planning some daring rescue. He decided to ignore the thought for now. It mostly likely just some faint paranoia.

Blackarachnia said: "Night Terror, place the bonds back on Nexus. I will do the same for Optimus,"

"Gladly madame. Well, it would seem that you shall be leaving our humble home. I do so hope you gentlemen enjoyed you stay.I do know that our accomedations are some times considered ...uncomfortable for the more delicate bots." he said as he put the binds back on Nexus.

He made it look like he was struggling to pick up the larger form of the admiral. When Blackarachnia had moved Primal out the door and out of ear shot, Night Terror took his chance to inform his old friend of his concerns. While picking Zodiac up Night Terror lent in.

"Something is not right here. They may suspect. Be on your guard old friend." he whispered before handing him over to Inferno and following them to the bridge.

[Optimal Optimus Primal]

(( OOC: I agree, DarkSpark. I'd prefer it if Optimus couldn't walk, just to show how physically damaged he is. So maybe someone could get Optimus on a hover platform or carry him who can manage his size and weight, if that's how Megatron would want to transport him. ))

"We can.. discuss it.. over.. an energon.. drink.. if you.. can get.. us out of .. here..,"

Listening to Nexus who was probably disguising his injuries better than he could, Optimus wavered in and out of his connection with Whitegrazer. He thought he felt another presence, likely TyCross, but couldn't comprehend what was going on between them. They seemed to take advantage of the wall of distractions that Primal had created out of his anger, anguish, and mental and emotional instability, and blocked him. Angrier now, he was on the edge ready to jump off. The ground shook, and the leader appeared to deliberately throw himself down a ravine, vanishing from their once green meadow of peace before TyCross had left the mare alone as well.

"Inferno, Blackarachnia, ready the two prisoners for transport, we'll be taking them on a little jaunt to see their friends soon. Inferno, you shall be part of the squad for this mission, so don't doddle"

He didn't really want to move. It hurt too much. The energon Blackarachnia fed him was enough to keep him coherent and awake from loss he had suffered earlier as it continued to dry on him and all around him, but there was nothing she could do to actually take the pain away and mend his broken body. Not even Whitegrazer could heal him at this point. The nanobots in the gel were still but Primal almost felt like he wanted them back; back to scurrying and crawling around, eager to fulfill that hunger, to be a distraction. Could they be... an addiction? His orange optic with some dry fluid splattered across the glass lens looked from Nexus, who seemed awfully lost in his own thoughts for a moment - what could he possibly be so focused on at a time like this when nothing else seemed to bother him? - , to Blackarachnia, making eye contact with her bottomless, black voids that were her optic sensors. She, too, looked thoughtful about the entire situation. Was it at all possible that there could still be a Maximal buried deep within her somewhere? Optimus wanted to care and hope but something prevented him from doing so.

"Night Terror, place the bonds back on Nexus. I will do the same for Optimus,"

The Maximal leader squirmed a little recalling how uncomfortable those bonds were. Not again, he groaned inside. Where was he going to go? What was he going to do? Nothing. He was helpless and useless now, so why the restraints? With great reluctance he watched the widow walk over, grab the energy bonds and return to put them on him. He made little effort to refuse them simply because he could barely move, but he really, really didn't want to wear them again. After Blackarachnia slipped them on, she had them set a comfortable setting; not too loose but not too tight either, just enough to remind him that they were there.

"Don't make me have to use it."

Ignoring her "death glare" that didn't threaten him at all, the broken ape gave her a perplexed look that read, "And just what am I going to do"? Then she tried lifting him up to his feet but Optimus cried out in pain and violently pulled his arm away from her to make her stop. "Have you seen... my legs?" he bluntly pointed out. "I can't... stand... let alone walk." And she thought she was frustrated.

"Gladly madame. Well, it would seem that you shall be leaving our humble home. I do so hope you gentlemen enjoyed you stay.I do know that our accomedations are some times considered ...uncomfortable for the more delicate bots."

Finally, a name for the new Predacon addition. Night Terror. He actually seemed somewhat well-mannered even if it was in a condescending tone and intelligent. Perhaps even... honorable? But it was far too early to tell when he knew so little about him. "I'd like to... to give all of you... the same hospitality... that you've shown us... and see if you'd still... be singing the same tune," Optimus said coldly to Night Terror. To give them all a taste of their own medicine in cruelty and brutality, that would be fair. That would be justice.

Optimus... we are coming. We're coming.

Getting back in touch with Whitegrazer, he failed to recognize her optimistic vibes and desperation and seemed to distance himself when he merely returned with a strong indication of Megatron and Inferno as a way of informing her who he knew would be attending the exchange at the moment. At least he could offer his Maximals that much to give them a heads up. Other than that, everything else was pretty much out of his hands. Although, he didn't even have those! He growled in outrage.

-----

"We can.. discuss it.. over.. an energon.. drink.. if you.. can get.. us out of .. here..,"

Oh, how he'd love a drink right now. "Don't worry, we're gettin' you guys out," the Maximal Spy returned.

"Vermin, you wound me! So little faith in my sense of hospitality, really now, you should know me better than that by now....Or at least have learned how to pronounce words correctly after all this time."

Rattrap made a face at Megatron's last statement; he couldn't care less how he spoke as long as he got his sarcastic points across. Hearing the Predacons laughing behind their egotistical leader's mockery made them look so juvenile so he gave them no satisfaction of his words bothering him enough to retaliate. As for having faith in his hospitality, really? He did know him better than that, and despite how much he wanted to get through this so both sides would "win", he still doubted himself about Primal's and Nexus's survival.

"Heheheheh! Oh slag, I gotta remember that one"

Well, Terrorsaur was one to talk. He had the most annoying voice out of all of them. "Yeah, you remember that, Birdbrain. You do know that yer voice sounds like a hundred nails scratchin' across a black board, right?" He shuddered.

"No, I HAD a problem underestimating Primal, then I got over it, which is why he is my prisoner now,

"Only because he handed himself over. Otherwise, you'd still be graspin' fer straws tryin' ta gain control over him," the rodent threw in. Someone surrendering themselves wasn't exactly anything to boast about in a war, it simply made it easier for the imbecile so eager to over throw the good guy who couldn't make it happen any other way. There was nothing brilliant about it except for the good guy selflessly sacrificing himself to save other crew members under his command.

but you and your crew? I can always count on you to do the "right thing" as you maximals would call it. Primal and Nexus are too precious to you to risk acting practical for once...I mean really, some of you have put down your arms when faced with a "moral quandary" as simple as "is saving a wild animal worth the price of losing a stasis pod?" You are soft, vermin, more so than you let on, or care to admit, at least when it comes to Primal, otherwise I'd say your attitude towards predacons in general, including your own so-called allies, is rather typical of the true face of maximal kind."

Rattrap merely gave Megatron an undesirably cool smile. Increasingly bored with his terrible presumptuous speech, however, he picked up the golden disk next to his feet and held it within view of the monitor, yawned, and then exhaled his breath on it and gently rubbed the condensation on the disk with his forearm until it was squeaky clean. Then he laid it on top of the console's keyboard.

"Hmm? Oh yes, my apologies rodent, just waiting for you to finish up the usual self-righteous maximal ranting, to be honest, Primal is better at it than you.

Well, duh! He actually cares about this stuff, the Spy thought, ignoring the rest of the bully's words.

But I am pleased you are satisfied with the results of our dialogues, and those coordinates are acceptable to me, neutral territory, best for us all to feel more comfortable, yessss?

This was getting easier than he had thought it would be. Suddenly Megatron was so agreeable. ...And then came the catch.

However, I fear I must insist you only bring six of your number to the meeting, along with BOTH disks of course, and I shall do the same, with my prisoners in tow. Last thing either of us want is for our precious cargo to get damaged in an unfortunate skirmish...

Only six? Half of them were already on their way to the territory. Well, at least they were three he probably would have chosen anyway. Who else...? And should he have more hang back just out of range in case, or keep them at the base if there was to be an attack from the rest of the Preds? Rattrap knew better than to trust Megatron, who more than likely would have more of his minions show up in the shadows, but he did have a point. Rattrap didn't want a battle that could likely do more harm than good. The less that were involved, the better. But would Megatron anticipate Rattrap's compliance and then show up outnumbering the Maximals? If so, at least he could still call for back-up which could show up in a reasonable time to help before all was lost. Now he was feeling the pressure that Optimus often dealt with. How did he make these decisions all the time?

And I suppose it would be a shame if Primal and Nexus were harmed as well.

You mean more so than dey are already? thought the TransMetal rat.

I'll be monitoring for signs of unwelcome extra additions to your ranks, if I detect so much as one sign of more than six maximals, you will be scavenging the wilds for Nexus and Primal's remains for weeks, yyyyessss. I'll see you there, Megatron out"

"And you can expect the same from me," Rattrap said after Megatron abruptly ended the transmission. "He thinks he's so powerful but all he's got is a big mouth and a big ego," he said in irritation to no one in particular and turned around in his chair to face the others that had gathered around him.

"May I be one of those that accompanies you, Rattrap?"

"I wish to come along as well, we got to get them back."

At least it was always easy to get volunteers around here. He looked at Whitegrazer, Wintersong and Banshee. Whitegrazer could be a liability with her connection with Optimus now that the Preds finally figured that out, which was pretty embarrassing on their end. However, the mare would be the best choice to assist Optimus and Nexus with their wounds since Aurora probably needed some time in the CR. Wintersong had her mistakes in the past but she had shaped up to be a reliable comrade now, and she had more experience against these Predacons than the doctor did. Banshee was a flier, which they could probably use with the exchange since Landslide was the only aerial bot there at the moment and the Preds were likely to have a couple fliers present as well. What about Rhinox? Maybe he should stay at the base, as usual, in case things go south and he's their last hope of defense. And Nemesis? Well, who cared? Technically, she could do whatever she wanted and he couldn't rely on her or expect her to help them at all. Who knew if that Darkwind bot would also be there. His options were very limited.

If you want, I'll go with you to the CR chamber.

"Yeah.. I am feeling a bit woozy. Stinkin' Preds..,"

Rhinox smiled softly at Cheetor's offer of assistance and Aurora's Rattrap-like comment as he allowed the TransMetal cheetah to be her escort instead. She was quite the trooper, and there was no where else he'd rather be than with this compassionate and loyal crew despite all of their obstacles and squabbles. At least it gave him the opportunity to keep an eye on Nemesis, making sure she wasn't messing with anything in the medical bay that she shouldn't be. He stood there in the corridor waiting for her to appear, and would have gone in after her had she made him wait a moment longer, but she exited the room and headed for the command center. He fell in behind her and entered the bridge in her wake.

"Cheetor is helping Aurora to the CR. She'll be fine but she needs some time in there," Big Green explained. "What's the situation, Rattrap?"

Rattrap was so relieved to hear about Aurora's status. No doubt it had been a tricky and risky task with her surgery but Rhinox was a miracle worker. Hopefully it will have all been worth it by the end of the day. "Just finished negotiations with ol' grape face. Only a maximum of six of us can be present an' I already sent Dinobot, Landslide and Ironclaw to the location to retrieve the other golden disk before they show up." He paused when he received a message from the velociraptor.

MESSAGE TO RATTRAP FROM DINOBOT: We have secured the disk. Awaiting further orders. END TEXT.

"Copy dat, Choppah Face," he said via his comm. link, letting him know it was safe to speak. "Just sit tight and stay vigilant. Everybody's gonna be there soon. Keep the disk hidden an' safe with Landslide. Only six Preds should be showin' up. Six of dem, six of us," Rattrap clarified.

"Okay. Winter and 'Grazer, you come with me," the rodent finally decided. "Rhinox, you stay with Cheetor, Banshee and Aurora. I need you guys here in case de Preds decide ta send an ambush, so keep an eye on the scanners, and de communications if we need back up. And Banshee needs ta get more familiar with the ship's systems and territory." Standing up, he grabbed the disk and stored it carefully in his subspace. "'Grazer, rendezvous with Landslide as soon as we get dere. You're gonna have ta try and keep 'em stable on their transport back ta base and make sure Optimus gets de cure." (( OOC: Assuming Landslide can carry both Optimus and Nexus. Not sure but it would be convenient. Haha )) "Nemesis, you can either go back to the Preds and risk certain death, or hang out here an' make yourself useful." He didn't care which because so far she hadn't offered them much, not that he had expected her to in the first place. However, to have another number on "their side" and a flier who was practically indestructible, a very teenie tiny part of him would prefer her to stay. "Let's get movin'," Rattrap ordered as he headed for the lift, stepped on it and was lowered outside. From there, he reverted to his vehicle mode and drove off toward their destination.

[starshadow]

"Rhinox, you stay with Cheetor, Banshee and Aurora. I need you guys here in case de Preds decide ta send an ambush, so keep an eye on the scanners, and de communications if we need back up. And Banshee needs ta get more familiar with the ship's systems and territory."

Banshee nodded and walked towards a monitor and sat on a chair, looking at the screen.

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

Meanwhile, Starshadow was unconcious due to Umbra's venom. While she was "asleep", visions of her past started playing in her mind.

FLASHBACK:

In the darkest night in Cybertropolis, a group of seven Hellfang soldiers were on an assassination mission the Council Citadael. "Our intel was right. This place is infested with those pest guards. What do we do now?" Nightstar looked towards Neurotox. A holographic image was projected from Neurotox's arm and began zooming in to the given location where Magnaboss is in.

"I've sent Banshee on a earlier to take out as many guards on our path ahead of us. We'll meet her at the west side on the way to Magnaboss himself. Let's move!" As time passes by, the team were outside the last door to their final destination with Banshee catching up to them, but suspicions arose among them.

"It's too easy...and quiet.." Verde said while scanning the area for energy signatures, "Yup..too quiet. Do you think it's a trap?"
Neurotox's expression became grim for he too sensed that something wasn't quite right, "it definitely is a trap, but what..?" he pressed a few buttons, browsing the data given to him, "Hmm...standing here won't help. Verde, bring this door down. Might as well face it head on."

Verde planted a bomb on the door and took cover with the rest of her teammates before it detonated, sounding the alarm. Nightstar coughed from the smoke and spoke, "so much for keeping a low profile on an assassination mission," she stood up with the rest and walked in to the room with Magnaboss waiting who turned around to face the group.

"I'm afraid your mission has some to an end so soon. For the good of Cybertron, I must cut this short and bring justice upon you terrorists," he said and to Neurotox's surprise, Banshee, one of the most trusted members in Hellfang, crippled him and Verde by stabbing his vital points with her knives. Nightstar looked at her in horror, remembering that her mentor and her had a brief meeting about a traitor in their ranks. Why would she be the one of all bots? She was one of the most trusted elite soldiers in the whole organization! "Banshee...you're the traitor?!"

"I'm sorry Nightstar.. but as a soldier of the Predacon army, I have sworn to protect Cybertron from its traitors like Hellfang. Yes, I was the one secretly giving information to the Maximal Imperium about your organization. It's a shame I didn't get all of it because of you. You hindered my mission for quite some time," she said as the Maximal elite guards surrounded them, pointing their gun barrels at the helpless group, "You and your comrades are under arrest for treason, assassinations and its attempts and mass murder. The other teams should join yours shortly."

The flashback darkened and ended.

((OOC: Actually there's nothing to post for Star but I feel bad if I just post a sentence or two for Banban so I'm just winging it.))