"Okay, yeah, thanks for the topographic and physics lesson," the Spy said sarcastically. "I'm sorry, I'm still tryin' ta figure out how you have this vast knowledge of everythin' about dis alien machine and dis whole area seemingly crawlin' with tunnels underneath us when, as far as I know, you've never stepped foot on dis planet before." The Spy shook his head in frustration and irritation. "...Unless you're in cahoots with the Vok," he accused him.
Oh that rat was annoying.. Yet he was oddly astute in his observations.
It was true that Zodiac had certain dealings with the Vok in the past, but those dealings weren't something he felt the need to disclose at this very moment. His relationship with the Vok had quickly soured when he'd taken advantage and had stolen information from them. Potential consequences hadn't seemed like a very big deal at the time since he never thought the Vok would find out about his whereabouts, at least not until long after his plans of extracting revenge had come to fruition. Ideally he would have been long gone by now, never having had to activate the alien machine and thus alerting them of his presence here. And certainly not without his powers. Right now he was effectively stranded here just like everyone else. The main difference was that he was wanted by both sides, a common foe to both Maximal and Predacon.
Zodiac had avoided responding to Rattrap's accusation. Again. For he had glimpsed an opportunity, however remote, to escape his current predicament. It was true that surrendering to the Maximals seemed like a better choice with a less severe outcome than the fate that awaited him from the Predacons. Yet the thought of going back to prison did not sit well with him. Sure, he played along to save his own hide but ultimately he was merely buying his time. He was, after all, opportunistic in nature like few.
"Yer wastin' your time, 'Grazer. I'm pretty sure Zodiac is just plain evil, just like Megatron. Ain't nothin' worth redeeming about him."
Evil.. such a loaded word. It was a common misconception among Maximals that the two factions were all
good and
evil. Predacons certainly viewed themselves as heroes in their own way. The underdog fighting not only for survival but to reclaim what they believed to be rightfully theirs. Despite his physical similarities to a Predacon, he didn't really consider himself one. Predacons were misguided, ultimately ruled by a council that would stop at nothing to achieve their goals. The Maximal elders weren't much better, often resorting to extreme measures and leaving the dirty work to their trusted agents. Like Ironclaw.
"We can only open the door, Zodiac. It is you who have to walk through it."
The white female interfered again, arguing on his behalf. Would she ever give this up? Give him up? He had a feeling the answer to that was
no. Sending her an exasperated look, he spoke up.
"Open up the door of my prison cell? How generous of you!"
He followed up with a bit of a grimace. Well, he wasn't behind locked doors just yet. Perhaps there was still a way out of this situation.
You are correct. My abilities weren't just used on the battlefields. The High Council used me for other tasks.
What a shocker. Although at least he now had a confirmation on how the female seemed able to relate to his own experiences. Not that he wanted someone to bond with, but rather he saw the opportunity of using Whitegrazer's experiences to manipulate her.
Then you understand what it's like having to do things against your own will. To be held accountable for crimes you were forced to commit..
His mental message to her sounded so pitiful it almost made him a bit queasy, but he was genuinely curious to find out how easily he'd be able to manipulate her. Yes, a lot of his socalled crimes had been done while under orders, but often he would take things farther than he had to simply for enjoyment. And sometimes what he did had been done purely out of his own free will and desire to do so.
I don't want to break you, Zodiac. I want to be your guide.
To light our darkest hour? Wasn't that what the original Optimus Prime had told his Autobots near the end? At least that's what he'd heard from the stories told to him by captive descendants of those Autobots. Ever naive, believing in some sort of salvation to the very end. Nexus Prime had done the same.
They would shoot me down immediately, Zodiac told Whitegrazer via their link. And then focus their attention on the rest of you.
We won't let them.
Unless you possess the power to control all of them at once, that is a very big promise to make..
It was true that Whitegrazer's powers were impressive. More so now that his own nanomachines had awakened something in her. But somehow the renegade doubted that the white female possessed powers that immense that she'd be able to do such feats. There would have been wars made to kill or enslave her had that been the case but instead she had been working in the shadows much of her life, somewhat like him in fact.
We have all been used. The world is merely a stage, and we are just the players, but yet, we can still influence the play. I no longer pull a trigger for anyone. You don't have to either.
He mulled over her words for a moment while he contemplated his next approach. The ground underneath them shook violently again, a good indicator that the pressure within the mountain was starting to rise and that the explosion could come at any moment. Zodiac stared off into the distance, towards the mountain which was mostly obscured by the falling snow. The tunnels he had mentioned could offer him a way out if he played his cards right. He was well aware of how the system of tunnels worked, and how some of them had been left unfinished and as such not connected to the others. One such tunnel was nearby, in fact, so if he could just get to it unnoticed he would be safe from the blast. With any luck the Maximals and Predacons would all perish while he remained safe underground. Right now it seemed like the best option.
"Releasing me won't be necessary," he told them in a lower than usual voice, "But I suggest you decide on the rest of it rather quickly.
There had been a certain hope in his words as he started running. The roll on the ground to free up his arms had been almost an afterthought, a way to at least gain some functionality of his arms. The Maximals would now simply fire in his direction and he'd briefly pretend to be hit and thus lure the Predacons in. After the two factions started fighting, he'd be free to escape unscathed and could then make his way to the tunnels. The others would be none-the-wiser until it was too late for them.
Again the ground shook as he sprinted towards the tunnels. He knew there were hidden openings connecting the tunnels to the terrain above ground, placed there by the aliens as a shelter in case something went wrong. Having read the layout, carefully memorizing them, he knew where to go. A quick glance behind him revealed Rattrap aiming his weapon at him. Zodiac was aware of the rodent's reputation as a sharp shooter, after all he had obtained access to Sentinel and all the computer files at the Axalon. But would the rat actually shoot him? Somehow he doubted it but he made a few swift rolls on the ground to make it much more difficult for the Maximal to take aim just in case. As far as they were concerned, he was only going by their suggestion so they could trick the Predacons into revealing themselves.
"Hey!"
"No! Don't!"
He heard Whitegrazer's surprised shout as well as the rodent's protest but did not slow down. With his arms now in front of him, even if they were still cuffed together at the wrist, it was much easier for him to maneuver. Although he could simply spread his wings and fly, he decided against it since it would make him an easier target.
From her ledge above Nemesis was watching the spectacle take place. Zodiac made a run for it and the Maximals seemed to be spreading out and retreating. Her focus remained on the traitor, however, as he was the one she really didn't want to lose sight of.
" By all means do, try to herd him towards our ambush site, the maximals shall no doubt follow and we shall crush them all at once, yyyyeeesssss. Do keep me informed Commander, and while I would very much like to do the deed myself, if things go wrong, do see to it that Zodiac shall meet his early end"
Megatron's response left the avian female with a grin on her face.
"It will be my pleasure!," she told the Predacon leader, spreading her wings out and swooping down towards her target below. As she did her avian form changed to more of a jet form to allow for her weapons to drop down. Once in place, she took aim at the ground just a short distance in front of the traitorous pretender's path.
Zodiac was too preoccupied with keeping track of Rattrap's movements to notice the new threat swooping in from above. He ducked and rolled to avoid the first shot just in case Rattrap truly was as good as his file said and in the event he was actually aiming right at the renegade. A wall of fire that suddenly hit the snowy ground only a short distance in front of him forced him to slow down considerably the moment he jumped back up after his roll, however, allowing the second shot to penetrate through his right wing before lodging itself into his shoulder. The former shapeshifter howled out from the pain of the unexpected shot and fell forward, seemingly still in the snow. Every instinct in him was telling him to flee, but the unexpected arrival of another combatant prevented him from doing so. Thus his best choice at the moment was to go along with the Maximals' plan to play dead, at least until the immediate danger was over.
Nemesis had been prepared to fire again, wanting to force the traitor to make a change in direction and simply run straight into the trap set by Megatron a bit further up the pass. But before she could implement it, her foe made a painful noise and grabbed for his shoulder with his cuffed hands before collapsing on the ground. The newly appointed Predacon commander hissed at the interruption, glaring in Rattrap's direction as she landed on the ground only a few feet away from her target. Zodiac remained still, so much so that she had a genuine concern Rattrap's shot had actually killed him and thus taken away her prize.
She had to make sure..
Now in robot form, she took the few steps separating her from Zodiac's still form. No movements, no acknowledgement of her presence.. Of course now that her foe wasn't able to heal himself or change his shape, he wouldn't be able to keep the charade up if he was faking it. And somehow she doubted a single shot from a Maximal would be enough to kill him, even in this weakened format without his abilities.
"Get up," she told him coldly, waiting for only a moment before kicking him harshly in the side of his chest.
"I said get up!"
As much as Zodiac attempted to ignore the female standing next to her, spending every bit of his concentration on blocking out the pain radiating from his shoulder and on keeping perfectly still, he was not able to ignore the sharp pain of the kick. A second kick, even harder than the first, sent him rolling onto his backside with a pained gasp.
"You really.. need to work.. on your bedside manners..," he told her between gasps for air.
The female merely glared back at him, saying nothing for a moment. She then pulled out her sword and pointed it at his chest. For now she didn't activate the flames, preferring to keep him alive until Megatron had a chance to say his piece.
"You could have avoided this if you hadn't tried to kill me off alongside the Maximals," she finally told him, her voice cold as ice and still it revealed the hurt she had felt. For but a moment Zodiac's gaze fell to the snowy ground.
"I had no choice," he told her, his voice a bit more quiet than normal.
"Don't lie to me!," she screamed back at him, grabbing for his throat with her free hand.
"We were partners! We looked out for each other, protected each other! And you were just going to have me killed in a fiery blaze!"
Zodiac twisted to try to force her to break the choke hold on his throat, finally forced to use his own still cuffed arms to do it.
"And you left me behind to a fate even worse than death!," he accused her back, returning her glare once more. And for a moment the two merely stared at each other before Nemesis followed up with a punch to the side of the face that was hard enough to slam Zodiac's head against the ground.
"I will not repeat myself again..," she warned,
"Let's go!"
"I'm not sure," Rhinox admitted. "Probably Predacon trouble. They could be chasing them if they want Zodiac. Not to mention it's just typical Predacon behavior to pick more than one fight. We'll ask them for another update soon,"
Aurora nodded, continuing the patch-up job they were doing on the giant hole left behind by Dirge.
"Hopefully not too much Predacon trouble," she said, eager to see her fellow Maximals again. Even Ironclaw. Hopefully the others were bringing him back too since they had located him at the volcano. She grabbed a welding device and started to secure one plate until Rhinox instructed her to hold another, larger one in place. This one Rhinox bolted and welded shut and in all fairness he was doing a better job of it than she had been.
She paused for a moment, merely holding the plate in place and letting Rhinox work on it, before suddenly breaking the silence again.
"Do you think Optimus will get the answers he's been looking for?"
Albeit she used Optimus as an excuse, she too was curious to find out what had happened to the real Nexus Prime. Since the pretender had managed to fool Optimus with his disguise, he must have acted a lot like the real Nexus Prime. So much so that Aurora had actually started to care about the old guy.. A Maximal it would turn out she'd never even met. It was all so confusing.
Hey guys, I hope my post is all right. It was a bit of struggle for some odd reason for me. ))
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Surely Terrorsaur would disobey Megatron and take advantage of Optimus being alone. 
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