(( OOC: Nasty Hobbitsses! They tricksed us! My Precious!
))
Giving up? No. No, I understand. I know of such feelings, Optimus. I... I had them before
Optimus seemed to calm himself ever so slightly when Whitegrazer shared that defeat with him. It didn't surprise him that she had already crossed this bridge of suffering and torture, she had previously shared fragments of it and he had yearned to learn more about her past, but this had never happened to him before. This was a whole new experience. What had damaged her and put her through the fires of the Pit had made her stronger. Of course, that didn't mean it would have the same effect on him. He had been safe on Cybertron, surrounded by security and authority during his job and duties... and "subjects". On Earth, he was vulnerable, and he was leading the front line. There were no rules here, no doors with locks to keep crooks out, no protection. It was a free-for-all. Hunt or be hunted. And this torrential torturing that the Predacons were relishing in so much was completely foreign to Primal. He had never felt so much pain like this, so much abuse, both physically and emotionally. He feared he wasn't strong enough to handle it.
But if you give up now, the Predacons will win. And losing you... We can't. We can't lose you. Not now. Not when you are so close to us. Please, just hold on. It's almost over. You can do it. I know you can
Yesss, "Unicron's" voice lingered in his mind, agreeing with Whitegrazer on one of the parts she sent.
It's almost over. All of this. Your life and theirs. You will lose and take your Maximals with you. Do not fret, for the pain will pass soon. Very soon. Ha ha ha ha ha ha!
Primal struggled inside, fighting against the virus and trying to grasp Whitegrazer, his hand on her shoulder fading. It was true, he wanted this pain gone, but he realized that what he was going through right now might be similar to everything Arachnitron was dealing with on a daily basis. Well, except for whatever Tarantulas did to control her.
I'm trying, Whitegrazer, he finally sent the mare, though it was weak and not very convincing.
...I'm trying so hard...
Optimus, remember what I said in the meadow? We will do what we must to protect and defend ourselves and those we love. Remember that despite all that you feel right now.
You know what you must do yet you hesitate to take that step every time and now look at the position you're in. Look at the Maximals you've already lost. Fool! There's only one way to stop them and decrease their numbers. You have the power but you lack the will and courage! Now they claim you to be the weaker one. Prove them wrong! Off with their heads!
My priority is the safety of my Maximals, he told the virus and Whitegrazer in a cold, brainwashed-like voice.
If they are threatened, then I must stand, I must fight. I must protect them... he clutched both of Whitegrazer's shoulders with his hands this time while he faced her as flames flashed in his fiery optics of fury, staring into her eyes before adding,
...no matter the cost. Granted, he was confused, getting lost in the deeper, darker of the voices that was taking advantage of his weakened state and giving him simpler solutions. Just kill the Predacons. Kill them all. And a very small, devious smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"Tsk tsk, no one likes a sore loser monkey, especially one too damn dumb to keep his mouth shut when he has so much left to lose!"
The Maximal Commander huffed under his breath but tried not letting Terrorsaur's words get to him. After all, the Predacon was merely retaliating against what Optimus had said, which must have bothered him for such a reaction. Then he felt the bird's hand around his neck, squeezing and pulling him upward. Bending his body so quickly sent waves of agony throughout it, and the motion caused Primal to gag in his coughs. His blurry optic faltered with its focusing as he tried to make out the sun reflecting on the TransMetal Predacon's fingers while he pulled that hand back, ready to pile drive it into his face. One more punch like that would knock him out for certain. But another voice broke in and stopped Terrorsaur.
... Business before pleasure Terrorsaur..
Umbra, he thought, not really conscious of relaying that information to Whitegrazer but he had. Trying to see where the unique Predacon was was useless, so Primal's audios told him his general location. Hopefully his presence will keep Terrorsaur's temper at bay.
"Yeah yeah yeah, I know the drill, killjoy"
Releasing his neck, Optimus was about to breathe a sigh of relief until Terrorsaur's hand whacked the back of his head. The Maximal cringed on the hover platform and grasped desperately onto the slippery slope of remaining conscious. Darkness then light, darkness again and then light.
"That's okay, I can wait, and so can you, can't you Primal? Good day to be a Predacon, bad day to be a maximal, heheheheheheheh!"
Yes... I can wait, the TransMetal ape thoughtfully agreed.
I can wait for the day when you're begging for your life, staring into the barrel of my gun. I wonder... I wonder if I could grant you the same generosity that you've so graciously given me. There was darkness in his thought. Great darkness.
Off with his head! the virus joyfully jeered within him.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
Nexus had fallen silent for some time now. Was he still awake? Where was he? Optimus couldn't see well enough around him to find his old mentor, not with one optic that didn't even work and one that had a lot of trouble focusing with distance and then up close. Not to mention it hurt to move his head or do anything with it. He had never felt so weak and useless in his entire life. ...But maybe this is what he deserved. If this was punishment, then he should embrace it, shouldn't he? Take it and make it redemption.
Nexus will be dead soon and so will you. All of the descendants of the Primes will be gone forever. Their and the Elders' oppression over the Predacons and Decepticons will crumble and a new chapter of Cybertron will begin! You can't stop it. Megatron will wear the crown!
-----
"Affirmative, Rodent," "Standing by," "Fine,"
Aye.. that they are.. This is the thing Megatron wants so bad? I guess macguffin's do come in small packages.. Hrm.. seems to be math on the cover..
"Dere's gotta be pretty significant information on 'em for Megatron ta want them so badly," Rattrap explained as he walked up the hill toward Landslide, Dinobot and Ironclaw.
"Too bad we ain't gonna find out for ourselves, but we gotta get Optimus and Nexus back. Without them, we're gonna lose no matter what and the disks'll be pointless fer us." Turning around, Rattrap took in their surroundings, seemingly thoughtful before glancing at Whitegrazer.
"They really are dragging this out, but they should be here shortly. I know of Megatron, Inferno, and Terrorsaur's approach, but Optimus... he is having a hard time."
The rodent took a mental note of the names she listed.
"Well, tell 'im ta hang in there. Tough it out. We're gonna save his monkey butt this time." He sounded confident enough but he had no idea what Nexus and Primal had been through; his confidence might shatter as soon as he sees them.
"This is a good vantage point fer us," the Spy said in his surveillance as all of them stood on the higher elevation.
"Kind of a rocky terrain." There was grass but big boulders and rocks littered the ground, both above and probably deep below. From here they'd be able to spot the Predacons easily if they were coming from the
Darksyde's direction.
"Ironclaw, didn't you say somethin' about havin' a plan?" he asked the badger, still curious to hear about it to see if it was actually going to be beneficial for them or put others' lives in danger.
-----
"You're smarter than you look,"
Rhinox narrowed his optics at Nemesis for a moment while she wrapped her wings around herself, slightly insulted by her words even if she was just teasing.
"Because I knew him,"
Now she admits it. Or finally remembered from any way that Zodiac might have told her or triggered a memory. Either way, he eagerly anticipated more information about this mysterious bot.
"Do you honestly believe that everything is as black and white as your precious leaders want you think? That Maximal history is as pure and free of blemishes as your leaders proclaim?"
"No," he told the Predacon straight up. Like Optimus, Rhinox was suspicious and disagreeable of the Elders' and their "ways" with control, experiments and oppression. He wasn't fond of how others were treated, especially if it was against their will, no matter their allegiance.
"At least the Predacons are honest about their underhandedness, whereas the Maximals kept their secrets buried so deep they were never meant to resurface again. All records simply disappear."
Well, she was right about that. Still, what some Predacons did and were doing was no better than the High Council, even if they were doing it in retaliation because of the Council's actions. It was an endless cycle that hardly seemed worth fighting so long as the corruption continued.
"Many Decepticons and even some Autobots opposed the Maximal Council's enforcement of the implementation of smaller and more energy efficient technology, so much so that they colonized other worlds where they could live on as they were and had always been. Zodiac and myself were both created in one of these colonies as part of a project to empower the Decepticon race through the implementation of technology of our own." "During what was supposed to have been a routine training exercise, Zodiac was captured by the Maximals. He disappeared for a long time and was.. different.. when he eventually resurfaced. He told me horror stories involving forced reprogramming and alterations made to his form so that he could serve as a soldier in their ranks. He said he was not alone. Apparently the savagery and fierceness of a Decepticon was a welcome addition in their armies.."
Rhinox's face grew somber and there was empathy in his crimson optics as he listened. Clearly there were many horrors that he wasn't aware of. In his earlier years, the rhinoceros worked off of the grid as a mechanic and an engineer for some innocent crews and some pretty shady ones, sometimes getting mixed up in the wrong crowds. Fortunately, his robust stature usually deterred aggressors away from him, but there were some small battles that he been involved with. Rhinox dreamed of a day to join an exploration crew and see the worlds beyond Cybertron; the places to go were endless in his curious mind for new ideas and technology that were discovered or developed elsewhere given the means and materials that were provided by the planets and their inhabitants. But in order to do that, he had to join the academy where he honed his skills, acquired new ones like medical and science engineering, and inevitably met a younger recruit in the Science and Technology Development department named Optimus. Both having a lot in common, their friendship bonded quickly. It was a highly classified area where his new friend had already been deeply involved in certain projects. Rhinox had only just touched the surface of what was going on there before Optimus was assigned to his own ship and a crew to partake in a secret mission that only he and his younger friend were burdened with the knowledge of knowing. And to this day, neither of them had spoken of it to any of their crew members. Did it even matter now that all the pods had been dispersed across the planet? What were the chances of that protoform's survival? In Rhinox's opinion, highly probable. And the secret would show itself eventually; it was only a matter of time. In any case, Rhinox was somewhat familiar with the experiments, tests, and the reprogramming that the Elder's forced upon those who didn't want it. However, Zodiac's and her name didn't register with him, so they must have been subjugated to their horrors long before he had joined the academy.
...Just how long has this been going on? he pondered with some sadness... and concern. Now he understood why Nemesis behaved the way she did and wondered if she would have been different had she not been put through such torture and heartless experiments. Perhaps this was why Optimus allowed her to seek shelter with them because she had already told him some of this back when they were holding her prisoner and he sought pity on her or wanted to prove that not all Maximals followed the Elders and condemned all Predacons. If there was anyone who could take entrusted secrets to their grave, it was Optimus. He was a vault, it seemed.
The engineer wanted to express his apologies to her for everything that she had been through, but he didn't think she'd care too much for it or bother acknowledging something like that from a Maximal.
"So, what... or who brought him here? I can't imagine that you're the only reason, or that he just enjoys cruising the universe and wreaking havoc on every planet he comes across. After all, no one seems to know where and when we are. Not even a probe from Cybertron found us before." Rhinox paused, wondering if that was all a conspiracy, too. Did someone on their home planet actually know exactly where they were? It couldn't have just been a coincidence for all of these ships to keep showing up and crashing on prehistoric Earth in the exact day and year they were in causing more problems for them. Did it have anything to do with the Vok, too? But if Zodiac wasn't hunting her, who else could he be after? Or what? Maybe the answer was on those golden disks.
))
