"More Than Meets The Eye: Part III"

[Phoenix]

"Optimus..."

The pretender.. or whatever he was right now given his mixture of true and copied traits, turned his head to glare at the white mare as she dared to address the real Optimus. Her voice was so soft, so caring, it was quite sickening to him in his current state of rage.

"He's right," he finally said calmly, still staring at the remote in his hand. "Zodiac is right. I'm no better than him."

Zodiac's optics wandered from Whitegrazer to Optimus, the latter not finding any absolution on the shapeshifter's face. If anything he felt like correcting the primate yet again, to remind him that he was far beneath him.

"We've all made mistakes, Optimus. Those of us who learn from them differ from those who do not. You aren't that bot anymore,"

"Isn't he?," the shapeshifter questioned rhetorically, "Does the passage of time somehow undo the mistakes of the past?"

"Then stop this." She stared at Zodiac. Her face calm and eyes resolute. "No more mind games. No more deceptions. If you have a story to tell, then tell us. Tell us about yourself."

His optics narrowed at her,one a mixture of crimson and red while the other was a shimmering shade of black that seemed to change over time, a faint trace of a sneer briefly appearing on his face. "And the corpse speaks..," he snorted at the female, still using Optimus' voice. "Sure.. I'll talk.. Talk about how I plan to kill each of you in turn while the other Maximals watch." He paused briefly, the part of his face that showed his true appearance seemingly shimmering a bit as the nanomachines swept across his features. He was thinking about changing his form fully back to match Optimus, if only because he knew the Maximals found it unnerving.

"But do not worry, my dear.. For I'll be most happy with finishing the job on you first." The sneer changed to a smile, albeit a rather wicked one. His face then suddenly changed to that of Aurora's, wide eyed and looking quite frightened. "Please don't hurt me..," said the freakish figure with the body of part Optimus, part stranger and now the head of Aurora if a bit upsized to match the body's scale. The real Aurora could not help but shiver a bit at the vicious words even as she attempted to keep her eyes on BlackArachnia like she'd been told.

He chuckled a bit as he transformed back to his own appearance, the nanomachines sweeping down his form like a wave and changing the armor in their wake. Zodiac's real form was somewhat taller than Primal's had been, the same size as Ironclaw's in fact. Albeit he was a bit less bulky than Optimus, his body built for speed and agility, that certainly didn't take away from the menacing appearance of the blackish scales making up his dragon components and the sharp talons forming on his wings.

"What did they do to you? What happened to you?"

"Why don't you ask your precious Optimus of that?," the stranger snapped back at her before sending Primal an accusing glare. "He knows.. In fact in a way you could say he and his dear mentor made me.."

"I wouldn't be making threats like that if I were at the mercy of the one in control of the electrocutions,"

The shapeshifter tilted his head, seemingly not very impressed even if Primal's words did get him to calm down a tad. "You have yet to cross that bridge and commit murder, remember? You're too weak, too merciful, too.. Maximal. So what do I really have to fear?" He hid the slight hesitation that came with those words as well as he could. Albeit he knew Optimus couldn't kill him, he'd already proven that he was willing to use the remote to give the shapeshifter a nasty shock. Twice. And that wasn't something he really wanted to experience again so he backed down. For now.

"I am happy to hear it, it is of vital importance. Now, as for how we shall uncover these long lost decepticons, particularly given how they have not shown up as so much of a blip on our scanners since we've landed here, fortunately my namesake once again thought of everything. The disk includes design schematics for a portable external scanner that can home in on decepticon energy signatures no matter how well hidden they might be...Understandably, you must be sure NOT to lose it, or to destroy it completely should a maximal get their rusty hands on it. The device itself is a bit archaic but that can be forgiven considering the date of its design and was clearly meant to be user friendly for future generations, and allows me to take the liberty of adding some improvements to modernize it of course. I might be tempted to entrust its construction to Tarantulas but...I don't want him to know about this until AFTER its too late for him muddle up the works as it were, yyyyyeeesssss. So feel free to return to your quarters and prepare yourself for the mission at hand while I finish building your D-Tracer, relax even, I'll need you at your best for this mission, thank you for your assistance Nemesis, and your digression"

Nemesis nodded. "Rest assured, Megatron,your command shall be done."

In fact she would be glad to do it. Even though she looked like a Predacon now, she still felt like a Decepticon.. And the thought of finding others of her kin, even if Megatron planned to have them changed to Predacon format, would be quite welcome.

She then smiled briefly as she stood up and made her way to the door, leaving Megatron to finish his work on the tracking device.

[DarkSpark]

Phoenix wrote: Nemesis nodded. "Rest assured, Megatron,your command shall be done."

In fact she would be glad to do it. Even though she looked like a Predacon now, she still felt like a Decepticon.. And the thought of finding others of her kin, even if Megatron planned to have them changed to Predacon format, would be quite welcome.

She then smiled briefly as she stood up and made her way to the door, leaving Megatron to finish his work on the tracking device.

Megatron returned her smile as she left, pleased that Nemesis appeared to be onboard with his plans despite everything that had transpired as of late. He continued to work on his invention, hiding his excitement over this latest endeavor he had decided upon but barely able to contain himself...If all went well, he would have a new source of troops recruit, one Optimus would be unable to compete with him for, and one which was far more likely to produce the sort of soldiers he needed and wanted to carry out his plans, not merely reprogrammed maximal riffraff, but dedicated warriors of decepticon origin who would see him as their rightful leader and their only hope of leaving this planet and time period behind, the second coming of Megatron! Oh, how glorious his return home would be...All would cheer and welcome his arrival, or beg for mercy as his new predacon forces set right everything the maximals and the Tripredacus Council had set wrong, all would be well on Cybertron once more, and they would have him to thank for it.

"All hail Megatron, Lord and savior of Cybertron, has a nice ring to it, doesn't it ancestor?" Megatron asked himself, as though his namesake could hear him as he pieced together the D-Tracer.

Wintersong wrote: "We'll do what we can to get this place in working order Inferno, but I can tell you...this isn't going to be a one night job," Spineback told him, her voice serious and downright honest. The damage was extensive and Primus only knew how many of their systems in this room alone needed repairs, especially their monitors which seemed to taking a beating all the time in her short tenure there thus far. They would have to make do though for the next few days until most of the repairs could hopefully be along enough progress could prove to be useful for them in this situation.

Glancing back though as she saw Umbra dragging a rather badly damaged looking Starshadow, Spineback couldn't help shaking her head. "Did everyone have a mental breakdown or something?" She said in exasperation, unable to wrap her processor around the fact all this had gone down hill so quickly and she didn't remember part of it following her brief confrontation against the ant and pteradon. Sighing she could only hope to hear what exactly went down as she began working on more repairs after moving away some debris.

"No worries Spineback, every job for the Royalty is a gift! And no doubt he shall be most pleased with his loyal troops for repairing his command deck when we are finished" the ant replied cheerfully, which made him sound even more terrifying and insane than usual...Inferno was simply one of those bots who was always making others uneasy even when he wasn't deliberately trying to be intimidating, he was a giant, sharp toothed insectoid fanatic who lived only for the benefit of Megatron, nothing else and no one else...At times his behavior could be humorous, other times...Downright disturbing.

In answer to Spineback's inquiry, Inferno replied "We were infected by a virus introduced to the Colony by the traitor Night Terror! He infected our Royalty and then the rest of us...But the Royalty's greatness can never be extinguished! He survived the plague and made us all well again! GLORY TO THE ROYALTY! AND DEATH TO ALL WHO OPPOSE HIM!"

Again, Inferno could switch from laughable to horrifying in a an instant, and the ant's zeal was the only thing more terrifying than his visage, durability, and raw firepower...He didn't even bring up how it had been Nemesis who had brought them the missing components for the antidote for the plague that ultimately cured them all, while Megatron and the others struggled in vain to keep their sanity. As far as Inferno was concerned, the Royalty was infallible.

Naitokage wrote:
Umbra shakes his head, rubbing the wound on his neck from Starshadow's bite. Ah, no. Not yet. I just arrived. I'll head there now, I'll need to discuss with him certain details on Miss Shadow.

Umbra made his way towards Megatron's quarters, then knocked on the door. Lord Megatron, Miss Shadow has been dealt with.. again. If you have the time, I will need to discuss a matter about her with you.

"For the Glory of the Royalty!" Inferno said with a salute as Umbra departed to see their master, as though he meant to say "good luck" or "godspeed" to the transmetal octopus.

Meanwhile, back at Megatron's quarters, the tyrant heard Umbra's request to enter his room and said "Ah, more good news, well done Umbra, you may come in, and report."

Megatron ironically had a little more faith in Umbra than he probably should allow himself given how the octopus was ultimately a mercenary for hire rather than a true blue devotee like Inferno, or even Nemesis, who was loyal to the cause if not solely to himself, but the octopus had proven himself useful and his greed had not yet led him to betray him hastily, thus far. As such, Megatron continued to work on the D-Tracer rather than hide it from Umbra's eyes, for even if he guessed what it was he was not likely to use such information against him, or share it with others, so long as Umbra was paid for his hard work, he would remain loyal...Not like Megatron had much competition for the cephalopod's services on ancient earth of all places.

[una]

"He's right," he finally said calmly, still staring at the remote in his hand. "Zodiac is right. I'm no better than him."

"We've all made mistakes, Optimus. Those of us who learn from them differ from those who do not. You aren't that bot anymore," he assured him.

"Isn't he?," the shapeshifter questioned rhetorically, "Does the passage of time somehow undo the mistakes of the past?"

I fear... it might be too late

Whitegrazer stared at Zodiac. She looked at his mixed features of Optimus and himself. Then gazed at Optimus. It worried her a bit, sensing Optimus trying to remember something from his past. She sensed his worry for his mentor, Nexus. She could feel it was bothering him. To try and remember something you done, that you don't even remember, it was bothering him. She felt it. Driving the determination she had to try and get Zodiac to spill, so Optimus could find the answers and end this. Seeing the rage Zodiac gave towards Optimus, and herself but that was expected, what had Optimus done to Zodiac that warranted such a fiery glare? Was it so trivial as revenge? Betrayal? Zodiac seemed to act like Optimus took something from him. She saw that sniff, that whiff of contempt and superiority. Was it just because of his abilities or did he really think he was actually higher, above than Optimus? Zodiac's plot really drive home that he didn't just want Optimus to die, but to suffer, physically and emotionally. He wanted to break Optimus down. He wanted Optimus to die a fate worse than death. He wanted to destroy Optimus' own sense of self and being. And it looked like it was succeeding.

She would not stand for this type of attack. Especially, when Optimus was trying desperately to remember. She didn't know what happened yet, but she did know something about Zodiac's actions as well as Optimus this far.

"Optimus, you are better than him." Whitegrazer said just as calmly to Optimus as he said those words. "He is doing what he has always done since he came here. Don't succumb to his words. "

She closed her optics. No. Optimus, it is never too late. Never. In every fiber of her being, she knew that. She believed it and deep down, she felt Optimus really did as well. She didn't want him to lose faith in himself. No matter what a person has done, it was never too late to fix, to change, to understand, and to grow from horrible experiences.

Even such a person like Zodiac could too. And she believed that. That must be a way to get through to the shapeshifter. It may be difficult, but it wasn't impossible. She did notice how he responded towards Optimus when he used the remote, but she never would result to such a thing. She needed to be strong, focused, calm, and collected. For Optimus. She wanted to give that strength to him.

"And the corpse speaks..," he snorted at the female, still using Optimus' voice. "Sure.. I'll talk.. Talk about how I plan to kill each of you in turn while the other Maximals watch."

"But do not worry, my dear.. For I'll be most happy with finishing the job on you first."

"Please don't hurt me..,"

She was undeterred by Zodiac changing his face to that of Aurora's. She looked down at the real Aurora, making sure she was all right. Placing a hand on the young one's shoulder before her attention went back to Zodiac. Her face remained solemn, calm. Her stance firm. "You failed to kill me twice, Zodiac. You had your chance back when I was vulnerable outside the Axalon. I was at your mercy then. If you shot me at that moment, you would had won. But you, instead, chose to shoot Aurora. To cause a ripping effect of agony through me to Optimus, your real target. You tricked me, you used me, but Aurora survived."

She looked down at the Maximal ermine again, smiled briefly at her before she turned her attention towards Zodiac once more.

"So did I. I saw through you, Zodiac. And not just because of the nanomachines. I saw through your disguise. It took me awhile, I admit, but that doesn't matter now. The fact remains that I did. I was able to expose you because you let your lust for making Optimus suffer overrule your judgement and get in the way of your own plan. You tried to kill me out of desperation and anger. Desperation to reclaim, to salvage what you could of your doomed plan. Anger towards me and towards yourself for not killing me when you had the opportunity. But, again, you failed. I still live. And so do Optimus and our friends. You won't have a third chance, Zodiac. I--We see you now, and we will not allow your mission to succeed. "

"Why don't you ask your precious Optimus of that?," the stranger snapped back at her before sending Primal an accusing glare. "He knows.. In fact in a way you could say he and his dear mentor made me.."

"No." Whitegrazer said simply and gently. "I asked you. All you have done... since I been here of course... is thrown Optimus accusations with no context. The burden of proof is on you." She shook her head. Remembering all the events that transpired that led them to this. Zodiac, no doubt, had a plan to escape. She knew that. Probably help from Dirge or Night Terror. She really did what to know how Zodiac came to be and what led him to become what he is today.

"Zodiac, despite every thing you have done, I don't hate you. I'm willing to listen to what you have to say. You went through all this effort. Why?"

[NaitoKage]

"He wasn't out there at the lake or having a scuffle with Dirge?" "Yes, keep searching for him with Banshee, if you aren't injured. Try to establish communication." "How is Cheetor?"

Landslide moved towards one of the computers, bringing up Cheetor's status. He then activated his comlink Physically.. the lad's mangled bad, but his vitals are fine. Looks like he hit stasis lock before going in the water. He'll come out of the CR chamber fine, but it'll be awhile. I'm going to pick up my shield and head back out.

Landslide looked towards his hand again for a moment, then made his way down to the hanger, picking up his shield. He then activated his comlink Banshee, Rhinox wants us to look fer Ironclaw. Don't go too far on yer own though lass, that grub is still out there.

Landslide exited out the hanger door closing it behind him, he looked towards his right arm, extending his grenade launcher, then started to unload the cylinder's acid rounds and reload limpet grenades. Not sure what good these will do, but better then nothin' he muttered to himself. He then activated his thrusters and took off into the air once again.

_____________
(Oddly enough, Umbra isn't a transmetal. )

"Ah, more good news, well done Umbra, you may come in, and report."

Umbra gave a nod to Nemesis as she exited, then stepped inside and gave a polite bow to Megatron. Thank you. Currently Starshadow is in stasis lock in one of the CR tanks, unfortunately even cured she still was rather mad. I don't recall reading in her personnel file if she had any history of mental illness, but some of her mannerisms and actions make me question it. In anycase, though this was probably too forward, I decided to enforce some "obedience" on our trouble making vampire..

Umbra pulled out a small collar like device from his leg compartment, handing it to Megatron This collar is designed to inflict pain on the victim attached to it, and if that isn't enough.. it has a remote controlled demo charge built in with enough power to end any nuisances. The cord and center of it are rather durable, so short of.. tearing her own head off, she wont be able to take the collar off.

I hope this is to your liking. Umbra then said.

[Optimal Optimus Primal]

"Isn't he?," "Does the passage of time somehow undo the mistakes of the past?"

"It's called redemption," Rhinox told Zodiac in his deep voice. "Perhaps you're unfamiliar with the term." Although he knew what Zodiac meant. No, no one can change the past, but they can change who they were and be better. They could learn from their mistakes and do right, redeeming themselves. "You're just holding onto a petty grudge, and after all these years of seeking revenge, you couldn't move on instead of being forgivable, letting go, and being the better bot."

"Everything seems fine for now Rhinox, I'll keep in touch if anything comes up."

"Copy, Wintersong," the engineer responded.

"Optimus, you are better than him." "He is doing what he has always done since he came here. Don't succumb to his words."

Primal's gaze shifted from Rhinox's wise words to Whitegrazer's attempt to reassure him. But she didn't know. She didn't quite understand. It was easier for her to tell him that when she hadn't been a part of the horrible experiments that he had partaken in back on Cybertron. Granted, she had been involved with plenty of hurtful, traumatic experiences in her days long before he even knew she existed, which was awful to think about those happening to her. He still couldn't comprehend how sweet, kind and forgiving she was now after everything she had been through. But this was different for Optimus. This was foreign to him. He never had anyone hunt him down for something he did that he couldn't even remember being a part of. Someone who had almost flawlessly pretended to be his mentor and used him to get as close to Primal as possible only to ultimately make him kill his own crew, watching them die before him in a flash of fire before he would soon be executed himself. He feared the Vok and he used to fear Megatron, but this was a situation he had never encountered before.

No. Optimus, it is never too late. Never.

He lowered his head for a moment, looking at the remote in his hand with distant optics, lost in thought as he felt her words. How could she be so certain? An eye for an eye, Optimus. It's kill or be killed, fool! The odds are against you. At this rate, your survival is minimal at best. All of your Maximals' lives depend on you and you're on the verge of extermination. Zodiac and Megatron are steps ahead of you. Your hope lingers by a single thread, the whispers told him. You might as well sever it and let go. "No!" he suddenly shouted without realizing that he said it out loud. His head shot up at Zodiac when he heard the cruel comment that was smothered in his condescending tone.

"And the corpse speaks..,"

A soft growl escaped through the gap in Primal's lips that the scar across his mouth made, glaring upon the disfigured fraud in front of him.

"Sure.. I'll talk.. Talk about how I plan to kill each of you in turn while the other Maximals watch." "But do not worry, my dear.. For I'll be most happy with finishing the job on you first."

"You aren't going to touch any of these Maximals!" Optimus stepped forward with his limp, clenching his jaw and speaking angrily toward the shape shifter. He was very close to electrocuting him again but refrained himself.

"Please don't hurt me..,"

This time the Maximal leader couldn't hide the disgust he found with the construed pretender using Aurora's head and voice now with his messed up, mismatched body. His top lip curled upward a little as his brows furrowed. It was like looking at the humans' fictional character of Frankenstein. The real Aurora, on the other hand, was very disturbed by the nightmare before them. Optimus noticed this when he glanced over at her, frowning as he contemplated throwing her out. She didn't need to see any of this. There was no reason to keep her there.

"You failed to kill me twice, Zodiac. You had your chance back when I was vulnerable outside the Axalon. I was at your mercy then. If you shot me at that moment, you would had won. But you, instead, chose to shoot Aurora. To cause a ripping effect of agony through me to Optimus, your real target. You tricked me, you used me, but Aurora survived." "So did I. I saw through you, Zodiac. And not just because of the nanomachines. I saw through your disguise. It took me awhile, I admit, but that doesn't matter now. The fact remains that I did. I was able to expose you because you let your lust for making Optimus suffer overrule your judgement and get in the way of your own plan. You tried to kill me out of desperation and anger. Desperation to reclaim, to salvage what you could of your doomed plan. Anger towards me and towards yourself for not killing me when you had the opportunity. But, again, you failed. I still live. And so do Optimus and our friends. You won't have a third chance, Zodiac. I--We see you now, and we will not allow your mission to succeed."

Whitegrazer seemed to be trying the shape shifter's strategy now, using his failures against him in her own words to get under his armor. He wasn't sure it would work. Nothing seemed to phase him, except of course the voltage he sent to him in his cage. Zodiac's menacing chuckle grabbed his attention, turning his head back to him behind the energy bars. He observed him as he finally returned to his natural form. Well, what he assumed was his "natural" form. He didn't know. He had to tilt his head upward a little bit to peer into his optic sensors now.

"What did they do to you? What happened to you?"

"Why don't you ask your precious Optimus of that?," "He knows.. In fact in a way you could say he and his dear mentor made me.."

The Commander was going to dispute the changeling's remarks but remained silent. He assisted Nexus with this demented creation? Is that what he was implying? It was rather annoying that he didn't just say what he claimed to know. Allegedly Optimus was supposed to know everything? Someone had clearly blocked all of this from his memory. He suddenly saw a data pad in his hand inside his mind. The information was too blurry to decipher in the memory but he was speaking with Nexus Prime, asking him to sign it.

"No." "I asked you. All you have done... since I been here of course... is thrown Optimus accusations with no context. The burden of proof is on you."

"I was there, Whitegrazer..." Optimus interrupted them in a calm voice. His head was slow to turn toward her and face her, some of his sharp teeth showing through the gap of his lips from the scar. "I just... I just can't remember everything. I know I was there but... I don't know what I was doing. It's like someone had these memories erased... or blocked." He shook his head in frustration. "Just let me think for a moment... Let me try to piece it together..." He wasn't entirely sure that he wanted to. What if he was directly involved like he was with X? Of course, he had more control over that protoform's endeavor. He had a feeling he was just learning things when he was with Nexus and Zodiac's creation. It was there. It was so close to surfacing...

"Zodiac, despite every thing you have done, I don't hate you. I'm willing to listen to what you have to say. You went through all this effort. Why?"

Lost in his own mind, Optimus didn't even hear what the equine said to Zodiac. He was far too busy rummaging through the fragments he apparently had stowed away all this time. It was a little overwhelming to suddenly have these terrible memories seemingly out of no where after so many years only to face them in a matter of minutes. It was as if he was recalling someone else's life, not his own. It was complicating and emotional.

-----

"Oh you know Rat, the usual processor ache, couple of battle scars, the usual." "And Primal is trying to get answers now from what I could see. But if he does escape, I can give our sneaky shifter four going away presents." "But in all honesty Rattrap, Optimus seems to be trying and definitely seen him in better moods."

"Yeah," Rattrap said with some uncertainty. "If we all get outta dis alive, Optimus'll be takin' the brunt of the force. He's gonna need a lotta help... I mean, hopefully he won't be too far gone after everything. But it's good ta have ya back, Winter. We could use the extra hands and fire power around here."

"Can say Cheetor has definitely seen better days."

The TransMetal Spy nodded at the tigress. "Me and Banshee didn't get dere in time ta prevent more injuries. Poor kid. But at least Landslide was able ta rescue 'im. I'm guessin' he's gonna need a lot of time in the CR."

(( OOC: Sorry, guys, I kind of rushed through the ending portion of this. ))

[DarkSpark]

Naito Wrote: Umbra gave a nod to Nemesis as she exited, then stepped inside and gave a polite bow to Megatron. Thank you. Currently Starshadow is in stasis lock in one of the CR tanks, unfortunately even cured she still was rather mad. I don't recall reading in her personnel file if she had any history of mental illness, but some of her mannerisms and actions make me question it. In anycase, though this was probably too forward, I decided to enforce some "obedience" on our trouble making vampire..

Umbra pulled out a small collar like device from his leg compartment, handing it to Megatron This collar is designed to inflict pain on the victim attached to it, and if that isn't enough.. it has a remote controlled demo charge built in with enough power to end any nuisances. The cord and center of it are rather durable, so short of.. tearing her own head off, she wont be able to take the collar off.

I hope this is to your liking. Umbra then said.

Megatron growled in annoyance over the thought of Starshadow's growing insanity and recently revealed mutation, replying "Well there was nothing in her file regarding her vampiric ailment either, and yet lo and behold, we've apparently been harboring a mutant in our midst all this time."

Megatron didn't regret his skirmishes with her earlier, she had been keeping secrets and plotting against him long before the plague had struck and turned every infected Predacon against one another. She was still an issue, infected or not, and quite possibly the one predacon besides Zodiac & his crew who needed to be made an example out of to restore order around the base.

Megatron then looked Umbra in the optic curiously at what he'd said last and said "What sort of obedience?"

Megatron accepted the device and examined it carefully, pleased by what he saw, and amused by the notion of the out of control beast that was Starshadow being forced under his thrall so definitively and permanently, the power mad tyrant already considering the idea of using such a device on the others for good measure, but then said to Umbra "I like your iniciative Umbra, and appreciate the gift, if it works Starshadow can remain part of the fold and prove herself a valuable asset to the Predacon cause, whether she wants to or not, yyyyeessss. However, how long may I ask have you had such a device in your possession?"

Megatron was grateful for the easy solution to his problem, allowing him to retain control over Starshadow and punish her without having to sacrifice another of his own and giving Primal a numerical edge, but the wise tyrant in him couldn't help but wonder how long Umbra had been holding on to such a device and why he hadn't used them sooner, the T-Rex reaffirming how wise he was to always be alert for betrayal no matter how unlikely it might be, fools who let their guards down deserved whatever cruel fate befell them.

[NaitoKage]

"Well there was nothing in her file regarding her vampiric ailment either, and yet lo and behold, we've apparently been harboring a mutant in our midst all this time.""What sort of obedience?""I like your initiative Umbra, and appreciate the gift, if it works Starshadow can remain part of the fold and prove herself a valuable asset to the Predacon cause, whether she wants to or not, yyyyeessss. However, how long may I ask have you had such a device in your possession?"

One of Umbra's tentacles touched the ground and coiled slightly as he stand down on it pondering for a moment It's been a great many years I've had such a device to be honest.. You see, as a mercenary I've done all sorts of wet work in my day, on both sides of the curtain.. Assassinations, covert operations, theft, kidnapping,bodyguard.. You get the idea. These devices were something I picked up during one of my ventures, and used them during kidnapping operations.. Go to a remote sector or planet, grab the target, and program the collar with a range limit so they'd explode if they got too far from my radio signal. As for why.. I forgot I had such a device on hand, even when my memory was better I didn't use them that often..

Umbra pulled out another device from his leg compartment and activated it, displaying a holographic image of a young woman. When I landed on this planet,the pod crashed rather hard.. for a long time, I'd lost certain memories.. even now I don't have them all, but that virus awaken some of them.. in it's "attempt" to inflict guilt on me. For awhile I didn't even know who this was. This was my mentor when I was learning cyber ninjutsu long ago, the original owner of my swords. Umbra then turned the hologram off and put the device away with a smile. But I wont bore you with such details. I will however request to have myself guard the CR tanks, upon her awakening I will immediately begin her "obedience" training to prevent her from causing further trouble in the ship. I'll also work on a means of allowing you to control the collar. I could have Tarantulas make it, but I doubt you'd want him access to such technology.

[Phoenix]

(ooc: Sorry for delay.. Combination of family, work and school has left me very tired and last couple of nights when I intended to post I ended up just sleeping instead.)

"Optimus, you are better than him."

The shapeshifter raised an optic ridge at the persistence of the white female, the one he was growing a serious dislike for due to her constant interference. Even now after it had become abundantly clear that the shapeshifter was far superior to the likes of the Maximals, she still insisted on assuring her beloved Optimus that he was better. Zodiac snorted at that since clearly he was far more advanced in every way. Nor was Optimus the picture of innocence she seemed convinced that he was, the difference was really that the pretender was oddly more honest about his own past actions and didn't try to hide them.

"He is doing what he has always done since he came here. Don't succumb to his words. "

"We didn't ask for your opinion," the changeling snapped at the female, hoping she would finally shut her mouth. Of course deep down he knew she wouldn't.

"No!"

Optimus' sudden outburst was unexpected, drawing Zodiac's attention to him. Aurora, as well, looked up from her guard duties, glancing past the shapeshifter that had been wearing her face mere moments ago with a certain look of disapproval on her face, before settling concerned optics on Optimus. Their poor leader did not look to be in good shape and the awful words coming out of their captured foe's mouth certainly weren't helping. The fuzor almost spoke up when Whitegrazer's soothing hand on her shoulder instantly calmed her down. Although she could tell the shapeshifter wanted nothing more than to see Whitegrazer dead at his feet, Aurora for one couldn't be more happy that the other female was there to calm frizzled nerves down. She didn't have to be a psychiatrist to know that Optimus was barely holding it together right now.

"You aren't going to touch any of these Maximals!"

Slowly that smug and mischevious grin crept back on Zodiac's face, Optimus' anger fueling his desire to torment the hapless Maximal.

"Perhaps I won't have to given your recent track record in leadership. How long could it possibly take to let you lead them into oblivion on your own accord, Optimus? You've already come close a few times." He wasn't lying. In addition to the most recent time when he had urged Optimus' hand, the Maximal leader had given himself up to Megatron and gotten himself blown up in space. Both times the Maximals had started crumbling.

"You failed to kill me twice, Zodiac. You had your chance back when I was vulnerable outside the Axalon. I was at your mercy then. If you shot me at that moment, you would had won. But you, instead, chose to shoot Aurora. To cause a ripping effect of agony through me to Optimus, your real target. You tricked me, you used me, but Aurora survived."

That smugness on the shapeshifter's face didn't falter even as Whitegrazer blasted him with her words of hope.. Hope to win a futile battle they were doomed to lose even before he had set foot on this forsaken planet. Shimmering dark optics settled on the equine female, studying here intently.

"And still you have no clue what my true intentions were when selecting my target that fateful day.. No, my dear, I did not fail to kill you twice."

"So did I. I saw through you, Zodiac. And not just because of the nanomachines. I saw through your disguise. It took me awhile, I admit, but that doesn't matter now. The fact remains that I did. I was able to expose you because you let your lust for making Optimus suffer overrule your judgement and get in the way of your own plan. You tried to kill me out of desperation and anger. Desperation to reclaim, to salvage what you could of your doomed plan. Anger towards me and towards yourself for not killing me when you had the opportunity. But, again, you failed. I still live. And so do Optimus and our friends. You won't have a third chance, Zodiac. I--We see you now, and we will not allow your mission to succeed. "

My mission.. The shapeshifter pondered those words for a moment. Truthfully he had abandoned his original mission before even arriving on this planet, finding an opportunity that he simply couldn't resist. He had always been opportunistic in nature and wasn't one to pass up on a chance when it presented itself.

"Do not pretend to know where I come from, horse, for that could prove to be a very grave mistake... And your downfall should you insist on pushing me far enough. You assume too much yet know nothing." His voice was low, dangerous, like an animal waiting for the moment to strike. Had she not realized by now that he always struck where it would hurt the most?

"No."

Zodiac shot the female another glare, annoyed by her persistence.. her very presence had proved to be enough to keep Optimus mentally stable. Well, stable was a relative term in this case. The shapeshifter did take notice of the way Optimus had such a hard time remembering him. He could only assume that Nexus had something to do with it given his obvious fondness for his underling now-turned-leader-figure. But there had been no records of it, no solid proof of the months of therapy Optimus had gone through to assure those memories wouldn't resurface.

"I asked you. All you have done... since I been here of course... is thrown Optimus accusations with no context. The burden of proof is on you."

"I was there, Whitegrazer..."

Again Aurora peered back at them, still finding the situation a little awkward, but the part about Optimus having something to do with that awful caged creature peaked her interest.

"I just... I just can't remember everything. I know I was there but... I don't know what I was doing. It's like someone had these memories erased... or blocked." He shook his head in frustration. "Just let me think for a moment... Let me try to piece it together..."

"Go ahead," the shapeshifter told him, finding amusement in the fact Primal was so desperate to remember what Nexus so clearly tried to keep from him. "See your precious Nexus for the hypocrite he truly could be."

"Zodiac, despite every thing you have done, I don't hate you. I'm willing to listen to what you have to say. You went through all this effort. Why?"

And there was that annoying voice interrupting yet again. Probably the one thing that annoyed him more than anything about her voice was that she always sounded so caring when clearly she had no reason to be. At least Nexus had always made his intentions towards the shapeshifter obvious whereas this female took an entirely different approach. It was more than a little unnerving.

"Because they took everything from me!," the shapeshifter snapped back.

[DarkSpark]

NaitoKage wrote:
One of Umbra's tentacles touched the ground and coiled slightly as he stand down on it pondering for a moment It's been a great many years I've had such a device to be honest.. You see, as a mercenary I've done all sorts of wet work in my day, on both sides of the curtain.. Assassinations, covert operations, theft, kidnapping,bodyguard.. You get the idea. These devices were something I picked up during one of my ventures, and used them during kidnapping operations.. Go to a remote sector or planet, grab the target, and program the collar with a range limit so they'd explode if they got too far from my radio signal. As for why.. I forgot I had such a device on hand, even when my memory was better I didn't use them that often..

Umbra pulled out another device from his leg compartment and activated it, displaying a holographic image of a young woman. When I landed on this planet,the pod crashed rather hard.. for a long time, I'd lost certain memories.. even now I don't have them all, but that virus awaken some of them.. in it's "attempt" to inflict guilt on me. For awhile I didn't even know who this was. This was my mentor when I was learning cyber ninjutsu long ago, the original owner of my swords. Umbra then turned the hologram off and put the device away with a smile. But I wont bore you with such details. I will however request to have myself guard the CR tanks, upon her awakening I will immediately begin her "obedience" training to prevent her from causing further trouble in the ship. I'll also work on a means of allowing you to control the collar. I could have Tarantulas make it, but I doubt you'd want him access to such technology.

Megatron listened as he worked, surprised the usually secretive cephalopod was being so open with him about his past, most intriguing. It could have been due to their recent issues with the virus, but Umbra had always been one of his more cooperative troops, even if his admission of having worked for both sides in the past didn't exactly inspire confidence, and only reaffirmed the truth that Umbra was a fair weather friend at best, someone who'd remain loyal so long as he was paid, and so long as a better offer didn't come along, though thankfully he doubted either Primal nor Zodiac could afford Umbra's services, nor did he think Umbra would work for either of them after everything that had occurred over the course of the war. As morbid as it sounded, Umbra was someone he could expect to act in his own best interest because it was ultimately his own best interest, not really genuine loyalty alas but better than him being a clueless fool like Manterror or Waspinator, loyal only due to lack of imagination or ambition, or a perpetual traitor like sadly so many others of his ranks, those who served him only out of fear of his might or of being cast out to face the maximals alone.

"Well now, its never a dull moment with you Umbra now is it? Regardless of how your memory returned to you its a good thing that it did, this device of yours will certainly help to curb that lunatic's less savory tendencies, I shall look forward to trying it out when Starshadow awakens, yyyyyesssss...I don't suppose you have anymore of these?" Megatron said with an insidious smile, unable to resist imagining Tarantulas, Terrorsaur, Blackarachnia, and all the rest of the would be usurpers collared and under his thrall under penalty of torture or death twenty four seven...Ah, a tyrant could dream could he not?

Megatron continued to diligently pay attention as Umbra then showed him an image of a femme who apparently was his former mentor and the owner of his blades, the tyrant wondering if he had killed her for them or if they had been a gift, either way he didn't necessarily care about such trifles, but he did always like to know as much information about those around him as possible, one never knew when such minor details could prove useful, but he did not object when Umbra ended his little trip down memory lane and returned to business.

"Indeed, the virus proved itself to be rather creative in its attempts to break us all, luckily it failed, and instead inspired us to pursue new advantages in this war we may not have considered before otherwise, what does not kill you makes you stronger, yyyyesss. As for your request, consider it granted, I want your new pet to understand her place in the pecking order sooner rather than later, with the base in shambles I would rather not a repeat of her last outburst, nnnnoooo. As for Tarantulas...Put off requesting his involvement for now and see if you can figure it out on your own, or seek Spineback's aid. If need be you can bring it back to me to tinker with later, but for now I'd rather our eight legged science officer be left in the dark about such technology. Pity, he's likely the second most brilliant mind on this planet after my own, and yet I'd sooner trust a Sharkticon not to bite my arm off than trust him with a device with such...Obvious potential, yyyyeeesss. Dismissed Umbra, your efforts are appreciated, as always" Megatron stated as he withdrew a rather sizable looking payment that would have made many of the greedier predacons drool and placed it on the desk for Umbra to claim.

Megatron then waited for Umbra to leave and looked down to discover he had actually finished his work during their discussion.

"Ah yes, sometimes I cannot help but marvel at my own brilliance" Megatron bragged to himself as he opened a comm channel to Nemesis and said "Megatron to Nemesis, you may return to my chambers now, your errand for me begins shortly, yyyyesss."

Megatron then admired his creation, an unusual mix of predacon and decepticon technology that oddly enough went well together, a gift to him from his ancestor across the centuries, a gift that would see to it that the war would soon turn back in HIS favor, and not his enemies.

OOC: What does Megatron pay Umbra in? Galactic Credits? Shanix? Energon? Or upgrades like Lockdown? Transformers seem to have a wide variety of inconsistent payment methods XD

[NaitoKage]

(

OOC: What does Megatron pay Umbra in? Galactic Credits? Shanix? Energon? Or upgrades like Lockdown? Transformers seem to have a wide variety of inconsistent payment methods XD

A variety of Shanix, energon, and upgrades. When Umbra was first made he was limited on equipment for partially that reason. As he gains victories, he becomes stronger through equipment and stealing enemy techniques to incorporate into his own fighting style. So far he's earned a Gauss rifle,Echo location goggles, and explosive throwing blades. )

"Well now, its never a dull moment with you Umbra now is it? Regardless of how your memory returned to you its a good thing that it did, this device of yours will certainly help to curb that lunatic's less savory tendencies, I shall look forward to trying it out when Starshadow awakens, yyyyyesssss...I don't suppose you have anymore of these?"

Umbra shook his head Not at the moment, no.

"Indeed, the virus proved itself to be rather creative in its attempts to break us all, luckily it failed, and instead inspired us to pursue new advantages in this war we may not have considered before otherwise, what does not kill you makes you stronger, yyyyesss. As for your request, consider it granted, I want your new pet to understand her place in the pecking order sooner rather than later, with the base in shambles I would rather not a repeat of her last outburst, nnnnoooo. As for Tarantulas...Put off requesting his involvement for now and see if you can figure it out on your own, or seek Spineback's aid. If need be you can bring it back to me to tinker with later, but for now I'd rather our eight legged science officer be left in the dark about such technology. Pity, he's likely the second most brilliant mind on this planet after my own, and yet I'd sooner trust a Sharkticon not to bite my arm off than trust him with a device with such...Obvious potential, yyyyeeesss. Dismissed Umbra, your efforts are appreciated, as always"

Umbra gave a nod, looking towards the shanix, then shook his head No, I'll request a different payment.. I have some equipment I'll need Spineback's assistance with, her services should be equal to that amount. As for the device, should be able to put it together myself,it'll just take time. Good day Lord Megatron. Umbra stood up as his tentacle he was seated on raised and coiled to his back, then gave a polite bow.

Heading to the CR tanks, Umbra hopped up grabbing the ceiling with his tentacles, then transformed to his octopus mode, flattening out against the ceiling and activating his camouflage to blend in, his internal repair systems kicking in as he quietly observed the CR tanks and his surroundings. He pondered to himself silently thinking over the words of his mentor, as well as the events that had transpired in the Maximal base. He could never allow his guard down like that again..

[Wintersong]

((Sorry for slowness on my part guys, this past weekend was rather busy and Mondays and Tuesdays are gonna be busy as well for a little while.))

"We'll get through this Rattrap, even if this situation is difficult enough we still are moving and functioning. Long as we are nothing is going to bring us down that easily." Wintersong assured him, or at least trying to be as reassuring as she could be. The Maximals had faced a lot of problems in this war, from deaths of friends to losing battles and nearly being executed by the strange Vok, hardships they had managed to push through and come out stronger each time, closer as a team. Of course, they still had their occasional internal conflicts but that seemed to always be moot situations that they could resolve without almost tearing one another apart compared to the Predacons who'd willingly snuff the spark of their own.

Though she had to admit she wondered if they really could pull Optimus back from the darker path he had seemed to be taking. Wintersong being who she was had no qualms of harming someone in vengeance, having come to be quite use to it back during her days running about on the dank, run down streets of the less then favorable parts of Cybertron. If you weren't tough or couldn't prove your mettle you might as well have just not functioned. "As for Primal, I think we can only do the best we can to pull the big monkey from his stupor. Even this is uncharacteristic of him, and downright concerning." She had to agreed, knowing it was best she was here rather then having stuck around the brig since her own dislike of the shapeshifter might have proven to counter things Rhinox and Whitegrazer were trying to do now.

That's why she pushed aside those negative feelings to avoid causing more trouble then they already needed. "More then willing to lend a hand Rattrap and hopefully Cheetor pulls through soon. Think we've had more then enough concerns in the last few days, don't need another worry on our plates." Wintersong sighed, hoping the injuries weren't too extensive for the young cheetah.

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

'Someone really needs their logic circuits checked.' Spineback thought, eyeing the ant for a long moment. She didn't know whether to be amused, frightened, or just find this personality quirk a nuisance, maybe just a mix of all three. It was obvious Inferno came out of his pod with some serious processor damage or some wires crossed, making him literally insanely strong mech, emphasis on the insane. Though his devoted loyalty was far beyond anything she had ever seen before, maybe better spoken of downright obsession and something of a halo effect going on. Not that Spineback didn't hold great respect and loyalty herself but this...this was something on an entirely different level.

Now, the saurian femme was in now ways a psychologist but someone with half a processor could obviously agree this was a rather unhealthy devotion, as if Megatron might as well be above Primus and Unicron in the optics of the ant. "Sure, whatever you say Sub-commander." Spineback said, quite uncertain of how else to respond. How did one respond to such words being spewed by a lunatic soldier? Probably there was no way to. Shaking her head slightly Spineback returned to her own task at hand, going about repairing the consoles and monitors which would likely be more vital then something like the damaged walls.

Quite frankly, just having given the room a quick scan she could see a lot of the equipment needed extensive repairs in a short amount of time since they might prove to be rather important for later missions and situations to come. Yet, looking at the damage done just to the main console made her less then assured that it would be in working order within a day, two at best. "Going to be an all nighter." Spineback sighed, pulling out some wires, cables, and other components that were completely fired or destroyed, making them less then ideal to be used and the insides needing a lot of time and energy to be worked on.

[una]

"It's called redemption," Rhinox told Zodiac in his deep voice. "Perhaps you're unfamiliar with the term." Although he knew what Zodiac meant. No, no one can change the past, but they can change who they were and be better. They could learn from their mistakes and do right, redeeming themselves. "You're just holding onto a petty grudge, and after all these years of seeking revenge, you couldn't move on instead of being forgivable, letting go, and being the better bot."

Redemption. Being the better bot. That's what all this was about, wasn't it? She still felt hesitant as Zodiac seemed to still be vague and accuse without saying why. Without actually telling them, why he wanted to go after Optimus so badly. Why did he believe it necessary to drag those Optimus cared about in the line of fire just because he knew he cared about them, taking advantage of Optimus' own virtues twisting them into bringing death, and Zodiac showed he was willing to kill those who never actually heard of him nor had anything to do. Zodiac targeted them because of their association. Innocent beings. Especially nearly killing Aurora. Aurora had nothing to do with what went on between Optimus and him. Only used to hurt Optimus, making him feel guilty.

Did he really hate Optimus that much to consider their deaths right?

Zodiac... She wondered, if through all of this, could he see what he did? Truly did? Realized what he was doing? Or would he continue avoiding responsibility, blaming it all on Optimus? Justifying it. It was such an easy path to take.

But she really wanted to give Zodiac the benefit of the doubt despite it all. She was truthful when she spoke out,saying she didn't hate him. She didn't. She wanted to give Zodiac the same thing she gave Nemesis. A chance to speak. To speak to them about what he has been through. Optimus and Zodiac's experiences were both validated even if they went through separate paths.

Your first duty is to this crew, Whitegrazer. You can try to offer your hand, but if Zodiac keeps slapping it or blasting it away, you would have no choice.

TyCross did make a point. But right now, she wanted to see what Zodiac had to say. She wanted to try to lead him down a different path.

An eye for an eye, Optimus. It's kill or be killed, fool! The odds are against you. At this rate, your survival is minimal at best. All of your Maximals' lives depend on you and you're on the verge of extermination. Zodiac and Megatron are steps ahead of you. Your hope lingers by a single thread, the whispers told him. You might as well sever it and let go.

"No!"

The flash of the green meadow came into her mind. Sometimes, our pasts have a way of catching up with us. In many forms. The ones that hurt the most are the ones that come to us in the form of metal, reopening wounds or adding more. She bent over, feeling the grass, before she gazed up at the sky then towards Optimus. It places a face of what our decisions have done. Though, I know you are still trying to figure it out. What Zodiac is holding against you.

It was one thing to know what you done. A whole other thing when you don't even remember. She wasn't going to pretend she knew what Optimus went through, but she did know something about facing the truth, the reality she created. As a soldier, she understood how her actions were felt through the war. How, after the war, her actions were listed on the pad, read off in front of a military tribunal. Her actions condemned. No time for explanations. No apologies were good enough. Though, she didn't give them any. She had a lot of time to think about what happened in the war. She finally took responsibility, facing whatever punishment fit her actions. If it weren't for the recommendations from her former Generals, Obsidian and Strika, she would be in prison. Or terminated.

Optimus... She understood the hesitation, wondering what he did. This unknown action that brought this upon him. She knew what she wrought and paid for it. The only thing she could do is to help whatever decision Optimus made and offer her advice as always. You don't have to face this if you don't wish to, but you do want to know, don't you? I would too if I were in your same shoes. But Optimus, no matter what Zodiac says or what you uncover, remain steadfast. Know Nexus. Know yourself.

"You aren't going to touch any of these Maximals!"

Zodiac calling her a corpse did nothing. She wasn't a corpse. She was alive. So was Aurora and everyone else.

Perhaps I won't have to given your recent track record in leadership. How long could it possibly take to let you lead them into oblivion on your own accord, Optimus? You've already come close a few times."

"Everyone makes mistakes. Sometimes, no matter what actions we take, we still lose. But no matter the losses we suffered, we bounced back." She gazed at Optimus. You did too. And you will bounce back from this.

"And still you have no clue what my true intentions were when selecting my target that fateful day.. No, my dear, I did not fail to kill you twice."

"You figured out that Optimus must have possessed something which alerted him to your tricks back at the Darksyde. You wanted confirmation. " She could still remember the images she was forced to relive when Aurora laid down, bleeding profusely on her. She had led many younglings to their deaths back in the war. No one should have to suffer such a sight or see one by one of those under their care be slaughtered like that. "If you weren't planning on killing me then, as you seem to imply, then your action suggests to me that you wanted to break me and Optimus. Am I wrong?"

Whitegrazer studied Zodiac just as intently as he was studying her. Her face didn't change nor her stance. She was as still as the quiet water. As calming as the green meadow she stored within her own subconscious and gentle as the breeze. If she was wrong, she would figure it out by talking to him. But she felt that her line of reasoning was sound. Yet, she would rather verify than be solely mistaken.

"Do not pretend to know where I come from, horse, for that could prove to be a very grave mistake... And your downfall should you insist on pushing me far enough. You assume too much yet know nothing."

"I don't assume anything, Zodiac." She shook her head. "You have shown us your character by the actions you have taken this far. Your ruthlessness, calculating, yet feeding on the pain you cause others." She could see those smirks and Zodiac's clear joy in watching Optimus' struggle and trauma. The anger in his face when expressed at her when he grabbed her throat and used his spiky arms' to stab her. If he wanetd to continue to be vague, she would speculate and ask questions. Wrong or not, it didn't matter. She only expressed what she had witnessed by the shapeshifter's own words and what he had done. His threats didn't faze her.

But as she witnessed Optimus' struggle, so too she saw Zodiac's reactions as well. Did he not know if Optimus's memory was tampered with? If so, then maybe Zodiac didn't know as much as he thought.

"I was there, Whitegrazer..." Optimus interrupted them in a calm voice. His head was slow to turn toward her and face her, some of his sharp teeth showing through the gap of his lips from the scar. "I just... I just can't remember everything. I know I was there but... I don't know what I was doing. It's like someone had these memories erased... or blocked." He shook his head in frustration. "Just let me think for a moment... Let me try to piece it together..."

"Go ahead," the shapeshifter told him, finding amusement in the fact Primal was so desperate to remember what Nexus so clearly tried to keep from him. "See your precious Nexus for the hypocrite he truly could be."

She gazed at Optimus, seeing the wounds around his mouth area where she saw those sharp teeth. Ignoring what Zodiac was saying as she knew he was only trying to fuel Optimus' despair over memories he didn't know he lost or been removed. Optimus, you don't have to continue this now. You could come back later. We could try and sort out all of these memories together or alone if you that's what you want. You don't have to do this in front of Zodiac.

"Because they took everything from me!,"

She gave her attention back to Zodiac. Were they getting somewhere with him now? She could sense he seemed a bit on edge or was it because of her? "What is it? What was stolen from you?" She asked Zodiac calmly.

[Phoenix]

(ooc: Making a brief response since I won't have a chance to do so again until Monday evening. Also I noticed something that I had meant to respond to in my initial post but when I took my overnight break, I sadly forgot and left it out.)

"It's called redemption,"

When the scientist Maximal and Primal's best friend had told him those words, the shapeshifter had merely ignored them. But as time progressed and there was still no sign of Dirge, the words started to dwell in his mind a bit. He was so angry with them, furious in fact, with Optimus and the white mare in particular, that no matter what they told him he wouldn't let the words penetrate that shell he had put up. They were, after all, insignificant.. Pawns to be torn down in a massive gave of chess he had set up. Of course in none of his planning stages had he even considered the possibility of ending up in a cage, much less getting electrocuted by his target.

Redemption..

The word left a bitter taste in his mouth. There was no redemption for the likes of Optimus and Nexus Prime. They were both deserving of whatever twisted fate they got, the more gruesome the better.

"Perhaps you're unfamiliar with the term."

In a way the shapeshifter was. Kindness, forgiveness, and redemption weren't exactly common phrases where he had been. Most of his life he'd been used as a weapon, for one side or the other. Only recently had he broken completely free of the chains and answered to nobody anymore, even if he'd still pretend to be loyal as long as it suited his purposes. It kept them from chasing him down, at least, from punishing him for his disobedience, from usurping his freedom.

"You're just holding onto a petty grudge, and after all these years of seeking revenge, you couldn't move on instead of being forgivable, letting go, and being the better bot."

That last part had made the shapeshifter growl in annoyance. Why was this puny Maximal so eager to sputter his nonsense of taking the higher road? The shapeshifter was not Maximal in nature, and the only reason he had ever fought by their side was because he'd been forced to do so. Forced by them. They had invaded his innermost sanctum and turned him into their weapon. And for that they were going to pay with their lives.

The bulky scientist then went quiet for a bit. Zodiac was relieved by this fact, finding it much easier to hold onto his rage than to show any sign of weakness in front of these Maximals.. his enemies. Of course that didn't prevent Whitegrazer from speaking up, continuing in her own way where Rhinox had left off.

"Everyone makes mistakes. Sometimes, no matter what actions we take, we still lose. But no matter the losses we suffered, we bounced back."

"What do I care about your losses?," the changeling growled back at her, "When you are about to lose so much more?"

"You figured out that Optimus must have possessed something which alerted him to your tricks back at the Darksyde. You wanted confirmation. "

For the briefest of moments, the shapeshifter broke eye contact with the female. He was used to reading other's faces to figure out what their motives were, but it left him feeling almost a bit vulnerable in a sense that someone else was now doing it to him. Fortunately he quickly caught himself and returned his gaze to meet hers.

"I don't assume anything, Zodiac." She shook her head. "You have shown us your character by the actions you have taken this far. Your ruthlessness, calculating, yet feeding on the pain you cause others."

Being raised a slave could harden anyone.. No, not a slave, it had been his choice. Always a choice, even those first long years of captivity and painful experimentation. He had never broken down then, never in front of anyone else at least, always rising to the challenge.. Or at least that's what he had been telling himself for years. So many of his fellow group members had succumbed to the experiments or to the guards when they tried to get away. They had died from weakness as far as the shapeshifter was concerned. He had endured with his head held high, at least in public, and in the end he was the only one that had survived the entire process. At least that he knew of. He was unique, the first of a new breed of Cybertronians. And he had gotten to where he was by being strong, ruthless and calculating. It was how he had survived all this time and how he would continue to do so. Those weaker than him would perish where he would prevail, much like what would happen with these pathetic Maximals. Their compassion was a weakness, one that was incompatible with life in the long run. He was superior to them so why should he show them any mercy? Especially not after what Nexus and Optimus had done to him.

"What is it? What was stolen from you?"

And still she persisted.. Questioning his motives, his right to feel betrayed. A deep growl met her inquiry, his shimmering black optics flashing before settling on a more yellow tinge.

"They took my very identity!," he finally told her in an accusing tone, hoping that the truth would not only satisfy her apparent endless curiosity but also make her finally question her beloved Optimus' integrity. ".. They tried to make me in their own image, shoved something else in that was more compliant.. Easier for them to control."

He paused abruptly, regretting his outburst as soon as he had made it. So he turned away from them. Had he not, he might have mistakenly told them about the arrival he received when he returned back to his own kind after that period of captivity. It had not been a warm welcome but rather that of a traitor who had gone to work for the enemy. They cared very little for the fact he had left the Maximals in shambles when he made his escape. In that sense he merely traded one prison for another, only this time he wasn't even allowed out of his cell for a very long time. During that time his hatred for the Maximals who had done this to him grew, the ones who had turned him into an outcast that was only allowed to live due to his unique abilities that they had been unable to replicate. Their failure had been his salvation. Of course that hadn't stopped them from torturing him worse than he ever had been. Again his abilities had been the only thing that saved him.

Once his heavy breathing settled down a bit, his mind slowly clearing, he turned back to face them. His voice was a lot quieter when he continued with his finger pointing accusingly at Primal. "You destroyed my life.. and for that I vowed to destroy yours."

"Megatron to Nemesis, you may return to my chambers now, your errand for me begins shortly, yyyyesss."

Nemesis had just gotten to relax a bit in her private quarters when Megatron's transmission requested her to return. Well, requested was perhaps not the correct phrase in this case as she was fairly certain Megatron would not tolerate being kept waiting. So she decided her lengthy rest would simply have to wait a bit and exited her quarters on her way back to Megatron's. "I trust your modifications went well?," she responded via the private channel a mere moment or two before reaching Megatron's chambers again. She tapped the door a single time before entering, simply to alert him of her presence, then waited patiently for Megatron to update her on her new orders.

[DarkSpark]

NaitoKage wrote:
Umbra gave a nod, looking towards the shanix, then shook his head No, I'll request a different payment.. I have some equipment I'll need Spineback's assistance with, her services should be equal to that amount. As for the device, should be able to put it together myself,it'll just take time. Good day Lord Megatron. Umbra stood up as his tentacle he was seated on raised and coiled to his back, then gave a polite bow.

"If that is all you require Umbra, consider it granted. I know I can count on your best efforts" Megatron replied civilly as he reclaimed his shanix, watching Umbra leave as he wondered what the assassin could need Spineback for...Most likely a new upgrade or weapon, something that would hopefully make him even more useful to him in the long run...Umbra was one of the few Predacons who's pet projects didn't usually turn out to be a power play against him, and it spared him from having to waste any of his private hoard of shanix as well.

Wintersong wrote: Now, the saurian femme was in now ways a psychologist but someone with half a processor could obviously agree this was a rather unhealthy devotion, as if Megatron might as well be above Primus and Unicron in the optics of the ant. "Sure, whatever you say Sub-commander." Spineback said, quite uncertain of how else to respond. How did one respond to such words being spewed by a lunatic soldier? Probably there was no way to. Shaking her head slightly Spineback returned to her own task at hand, going about repairing the consoles and monitors which would likely be more vital then something like the damaged walls.

Quite frankly, just having given the room a quick scan she could see a lot of the equipment needed extensive repairs in a short amount of time since they might prove to be rather important for later missions and situations to come. Yet, looking at the damage done just to the main console made her less then assured that it would be in working order within a day, two at best. "Going to be an all nighter." Spineback sighed, pulling out some wires, cables, and other components that were completely fired or destroyed, making them less then ideal to be used and the insides needing a lot of time and energy to be worked on.

"Exactly!" Inferno replied, pleased that Spineback was proving to be so agreeable in all of this, drones that did as they were bidden were a welcome change from the unworthy worms he usually had to overseer on his master's behalf.

"I certainly hope so, such a glorious undertaking for the Royalty!" Inferno added, pleased at the prospect of performing a chore for the Royalty that could go well into the evening, such an undertaking had to surely be important for the glory of the colony!

Phoenix wrote: Nemesis had just gotten to relax a bit in her private quarters when Megatron's transmission requested her to return. Well, requested was perhaps not the correct phrase in this case as she was fairly certain Megatron would not tolerate being kept waiting. So she decided her lengthy rest would simply have to wait a bit and exited her quarters on her way back to Megatron's. "I trust your modifications went well?," she responded via the private channel a mere moment or two before reaching Megatron's chambers again. She tapped the door a single time before entering, simply to alert him of her presence, then waited patiently for Megatron to update her on her new orders.

"Indeed they did, Predacon and Decepticon technology blend together surprising well despite the time gap between them" Megatron said, first over the private channel and then switching to in person as Nemesis entered his room.

He held out his creation, the D-Tracer, a device akin to a wrist band with a spherical mechanism in the center, an elegant device yet one could tell it was a fusion of two technologies, but ones that complimented each other, a mix of purple metals blending in with green.

"Wear this around your wrist and command keys surrounding the center to change the settings, the center itself shall serve as a map of the planet, as well as indicate where a sleeping Decepticon may lay, which will be represented as dots on the map if they are within range of the D-Tracer's sensors" Megatron explained, handing his precious creation to Nemesis carefully, as though it were a precious shard of the rarest energon.

"As I've said before, the D-Tracer's original schematics were designed to be as simple and user friendly as possible, to allow for technological innovations to be implemented into its design. As such I've taken the liberty of adding some defenses against Maximal tampering, namely that it can sense the difference between our energy signatures and their's, and thus will not work for them, but that will not stop them from trying to take it apart to learn its secrets of course, so it also comes equipped with some, heheheh, most decidedly unfriendly software that their onboard computers and Sentinel may not find compatible, to say the least. Fear not, that last resort will not harm anyone of Decepticon lineage, but despite my safeguards, do endeavor not to let it fall into their hands, best to not let them think we're on to something so important, or else they will of course strive to impede our efforts at every turn as they always do" Megatron stated, confident that he had incorporated as many safeguards into the device as he could to defend its secrets while also allowing it to still serve its primary purpose.

"All you need to do now is take the D-Tracer out for a test drive, search our own territories first for signs of Decepticon activity, and assuming nothing turns up, move on to the neutral territories next, better to operate under Primal's radar for now, with luck he'll be too busy dealing with Zodiac to pay us any mind outside their borders" Megatron stated, eager to get this operation underway and unearth his sleeping army!

OOC: I picture the D-Tracer looking akin to a wrist watch crossed with a dragon radar, with green and purple as its primary colors, to match the Nemesis & Darksyde.

[starshadow]

Banshee was outside the hangar waiting for further orders. With Zodiac restrained, the base should be safe for now. Her large ears perked up when Landslide spoke.

Banshee, Rhinox wants us to look fer Ironclaw. Don't go too far on yer own though lass, that grub is still out there.

So that was what they were facing earlier, "Alright. We will find him," she replied through the radio and took off to the skies. The last location Cheetor and Landslide were was at the lake. Maybe if she went out a little further starting from the lake, she could find that impulsive soldier. He still has to answer for his actions.