The Intergalactic Highway

( Uh.. I don't think anyone is going to let Blackarachnia out for awhile. *LOL* )

Landslide observed as Rhinox made his way up the stairs, starting to pull Whitegrazer out. He started to walk towards the stairs when he noticed the scanner kick back on, his optics narrowed, turning his body at the waist and pointing his right arm up towards the ceiling, his forearm opened with his electro laser cannon extending from his arm compartment shining two lasers at the scanner for a brief second while he turned up the voltage of the weapon.

a Thunderous boom was heard with a flash as a bolt of electricity slammed into the scanner, followed by a small explosion from inside the scanner as the electrical surge overloaded it's circuits.

Aurora wrote:"Let.. me.. go..," "Please don't make me use this.."

Cheetor's optics narrowed. Snap out of it, you'd only get yourself hurt! Rhinox is going to need your help.

Landslide walks past Cheetor and Aurora Aye, Rhinox will need as much help as he can get.. I'll see what I can do fer Optimus. Save the bugzapper fer if I fail..

Landslide looked towards the Stairway as he saw Rhinox clear Whitegrazer from the room, he then leaped up with his thrusters, coming down at the doorway with a heavy thud, pointing his arm at Zodiac, then fired off a fired off a electrical blast into his backside.

After which, Cheetor made his way towards the hole made by Ironclaw earlier, squeezing through and transforming to his beast mode. As he ran down the hall, he started to notice the drones coming towards his location and start opening fire. He made a sudden hop out of the way with a wild cat like roar, landing and springing off the wall he altered his course jumping out through the hole Ironclaw had made. Falling through the air, Cheetor's cyber thrust wings flipped out and fired up. He swiftly soared into the air.

Banshee wrote:"I'm fine..Had it worse than this," "I have to get back in there..Will you cover me?"

Umbra cocked a lid glancing at the bat, then transformed to his robot mode You're going to ask for cover at a choke point with limited mobility against an enemy made of nanomachines.. Not to mention that room has your allies in it. Here's a better solution..

Umbra transformed to his robot mode, his hip compartments opening. He pulled out one of his Demo charges, noticing a hole through it, then set it down pulling out two other ones. He pulled out a few Cartridges, then squeezed one of the demo charges in his hand and stuck the cartridge to the adhesive side of the explosive. Tapping a button for 2 seconds, he then passed the explosive to Banshee Wait for him to get out of the room and hit his backside with this. Make sure no one is standing near him, it'll explode in 2 seconds after you squeeze and throw it and shower him in acid.I'll take a different vantage point to increase the odds. After that.. hit him with whatever you got.

Umbra set a second makeshift acid bomb down, then transformed to his octopus mode picking up the bomb. His camouflage activated, though he had many obvious bullet holes in him still. He then started to slither out from behind the cargo containers and around a pile of scrap metal.

Snap out of it, you'd only get yourself hurt! Rhinox is going to need your help.

Aurora glared at Cheetor for making that remark, only really interested in making sure Whitegrazer was going to be okay. Yet she remained clear-headed enough to realize that the cheetah had a point so she lowered her taser, if ever so slowly. Landslide also arrived, making his way by them. Apparently she was the only one being held back which didn't exactly help her mood any.

Aye, Rhinox will need as much help as he can get.. I'll see what I can do fer Optimus. Save the bugzapper fer if I fail..

The fuzor stared after him for a brief moment before again directing her attention at Cheetor.
"I'm going to check on Whitegrazer," she snapped back, forcefully squeezing herself by Cheetor. "I won't get involved in the fight, I just want to help stabilize her..," she added as she started running up the steps. Of course if the cheetah really wanted to stop her, he could catch up easily enough. On land nobody could match his speed after all.

Now that he had gotten over the initial shock after Optimus had started pummeling him with shots and the scanner was once again running thanks to his own intervention, Zodiac-in-Nexus'-form was able to devote more time to the struggle at hand. Optimus was still firing at him, but given his rage and his still very much so severe injuries, the Maximal had a hard time keeping his aim straight. The shapeshifter didn't delay in taking advantage of this fact, using his speed to outmaneuver as many of the incoming shots as he could. Even in this form he was capable of tapping into his true excessive speed boosts even if he wasn't able to take complete advantage of them given Nexus' build. The shots that hit him embedded into his chest and arms for the most part which left for an easy enough task for the nanomachines to heal. Granted they didn't have time to fully repair the superficial cosmetic damages but that was hardly a concern right now.

While still firing his own shoulder mounted cannons back at Primal, he ordered his nanomachines to focus on modifying his weapon to that of the fusion cannon he wielded in his original form. This weapon was able to cause far more damage than Nexus' cannons and would be quite lethal especially at this close range. With any luck Primal would be nothing more than a puddle of molten metal on the ground within moments. The shoulder cannons started shimmering as the plates shifted, changed places, and expanded to take on the shape of the larger, more menacingly looking weapon. Zodiac himself remained in Nexus' form for now since changing to his regular form would take up too much concentration and he could not afford to be distracted right now. As soon as the fusion cannon was ready it started powering on, targeting Primal's spark chamber.

The sound of a weapon being discharged right outside the control room caught his attention. A split second later an alert sounded from the control panel, indicating that the scanner was once again offline. It was then Zodiac made the mistake of turning away to investigate the alert, exposing his backside to the doorway as he did. The impact of Landslide's powerful electric blast against his back sent him crashing into the nearby wall and then onto the floor. Zodiac cringed from the pain overwhelming his circuits, smoke rising from the scorched area of his armor and a few sparks appearing as well. The armor remained intact but alas it couldn't protect him from the electrical surge that now raced through his circuits, wrecking havoc on the intricate nanomachines within him. The shapeshifter tried to push himself up, only to collapse again as the sudden surge in power caused his nanites to overload. His form appeared to change, the coloration of his armor taking on a blackish hue, and what looked like a malformed pair of wings suddenly burst out of his backside. As he turned his head towards Optimus, his facial features changed rapidly. The color and shape of his optics as well, his face changing from Nexus' to Optimus' to a number of other known and unknown faces. Again Zodiac attempted to aim his weapon, only to find that it had changed shape as well into something not even resembling a weapon at all, and a number of smaller, all malformed limbs started growing out of every single part of his body. This went on for about a minute before the nanomachines all started shutting down, all rebooting all at once which literally left Zodiac feeling as if he'd just been hit by a massive object. He groaned in pain, unable to bring up the strength to get up.. Slowly, as the crazed nanomachines shut off, the additional limbs and malformations decreased and finally disappeared, leaving him with his regular mostly black armor and dragonesque appearance.

(( OOC: NK, it's fine if your characters choose to ignore Primal's orders, but you could at least mention doing so instead of not addressing them at all. ))

"You are a fool..," "I merely took advantage of the weak link in the chain."

Zodiac was right, he was a fool. This had never been written in his job description. Unlike Zodiac and Megatron, Optimus was not witty or cunning enough to get even one step ahead of either of them, and now he was against them both in this war. Still, his hurtful words fueled Primal's temper to heighten even more, causing him to fire his weapon as much as his trigger finger would allow. In his fury, he seemed to lose his sense of reasoning and logic. It wasn't that he was trying to kill the pretender, he just wanted to knock him down, but it was clear that the shapeshifter's nanobot tech wasn't going to make that easy, at least not with the ape's weapon. Recognizing the bluish hue of the glow from the advanced armor that immediately started healing the wounds he received, Optimus realized that this wasn't going to go anywhere but him likely ending up on the floor in a heap of scrap metal instead. But he didn't have anything within his reach that was strong enough to electrocute the intruder.

"Sentinel.. Activate self-defense protocols. Destroy anyone that leave the hangar. In fact extend that order to include all the Maximals."

"Acknowledged."

"Belay those orders, Sentinel! Access security override, commanding officer Optimus Primal. Stand down, Sentinel!" the injured gorilla ordered the computer in rage over the gun fire. He wasn't sure it would comply, but he had to try. The last thing he wanted was their own defense system attacking his Maximals, who had already been through so much, and either chasing them outside and leaving them vulnerable to any Predacon attacks, or shooting them down inside their own base of operations like a canned hunt.

The fake Prime's return fire distracted Optimus from stopping him reaching for the button that activated the scanner again. Why was he so determined to use it? There was no reason for it anymore. ...Unless he had an alternative motive with the scan. Unfortunately, he didn't have time to think it through. A couple of his opponent's shots narrowly missed Primal simply because they were off target. But one hammered his left knee, nearly blowing it off entirely, leaving him with a yelp of pain. In such close proximity and his already weakened state, he was too slow to dodge it. His leg buckled but he twisted his torso so his arms could catch the console next to him and hold him up. Changing his gun from one hand to the other, he continued firing at "Nexus" while holding onto the console. If he couldn't take him down on his own, then he would distract him long enough for his Maximals to think of a way to help and carry it out.

A bright flash of light in the hangar blinded Optimus for a moment, and then he heard a boom, and the scanner had stopped. Peering down, he saw Landslide had taken it out indefinitely and was now making his way toward the observatory room. The leader continued firing at the shapeshifter from his slouch on the console, only his right leg managing to hold him up against it, keeping him occupied. More of Zodiac's shots whizzed by him until another hit his shoulder, throwing his arm backward and the pain causing him to drop his gun and roll him onto his back across the computer console. Primal watched part of the fraud's body change into a larger, more powerful weapon which then targeted his exposed chest and abdomen that were still very weak and unable to take any substantial hits without serious consequences. Optimus merely glared at him, knowing there was nothing left he could do to fight him off but that he wasn't alone either. Landslide was there now, standing at the entrance, targeting the impostor.

"R-R-Rhinox."

Pulling her all the way out of the room and to the top landing of the stairs, a trail of her fluids following across the floor, Rhinox moved her to the side out of the way, holding up his weapon to keep her protected just in case someone would attack her, and looked at her as she spoke.

"Help him."

"Don't speak, Whitegrazer," he told her. He could see that it was painful for her to do so and he frowned slightly. He started to look over her wounds, mindfully categorizing her in critical condition. Of course he wanted to help his friend, but she also needed immediate medical assistance, and if they lost her, Primal's entire world would probably implode. However, he couldn't give both backup to Optimus and tend to Whitegrazer's injuries, so he was going to need help. And just like that, help came. Landslide made his way to the observatory room, landing just feet away from him and the equine and shaking the stairs with the vibration, blocking the entrance and firing off an electrical blast at the shapeshifter. It was exactly what they needed to take him down.

"Needs...you. Needs a friend right now. Nemesis, too.... if she wants to. If she hasn't left yet..." "But you have to..." "I don't want him to... do... something. Don't want...energon on his hands. Not now. Not like this. Even if the shapeshifter may deserve it."

"He'll be alright, Whitegrazer," he tried assuring her. "Landslide is here, he's helping Optimus. You need to sit still and calm down." Then, two other voices nearby caught the engineer's attention, and looked at them.

How are you holding up, miss?

"Whitegrazer.." "I'm fine..Had it worse than this," "I have to get back in there..Will you cover me?"

You're going to ask for cover at a choke point with limited mobility against an enemy made of nanomachines.. Not to mention that room has your allies in it. Here's a better solution.. Wait for him to get out of the room and hit his backside with this. Make sure no one is standing near him, it'll explode in 2 seconds after you squeeze and throw it and shower him in acid.I'll take a different vantage point to increase the odds. After that.. hit him with whatever you got.

"Wait!" Rhinox called out to Umbra and Banshee. "We don't want to kill him or disintegrate him when we still have questions that need answers. We know electrocution stops the nanobots and Landslide is providing that offense right now. I have a tranquilizer dose heavy enough to keep him sedated if I can administer it." Pulling out some medical equipment from his subspace with his free hand, he glanced down the stairs to see Aurora squabbling with Cheetor, even threatening him with a taser.

"Cheetor, let her pass. I need her to help me patch up Whitegrazer's potentially lethal wounds. There's no time to waste!" he insisted while she had managed to push past him anyway.

In his small pouch of first-aid equipment was a small spot welder. "Aurora, we need to stop her from bleeding out; she has already lost a lot of fluids," the chief medical officer instructed her. "Start welding the larger holes on her abdomen to close them."

"Hold on, Whitegrazer, I'm just going to roll you on to your side so I can see your back," he warned her. He moved her slowly and gently to examine her backside which also consisted of holes and leaking fluids. Rhinox sighed quietly to himself, taking a breath since he was exhausted and without rest for some time now. He was beginning to grow groggy and sluggish just operating on Optimus earlier and now there was all of this to deal with. But he had to push it aside somehow and focus on the life that was in his and Aurora's hands.

"Some of these holes have penetrated all the way through her body," Rhinox told Aurora. "There are damaged internal wires, tubes, circuitry, and nerves," he examined.

Optimus, awkwardly smiling at Zodiac before he had turned away as if he knew something that he didn't, watched him suddenly fly across the room, hitting a wall and then falling to the floor after Landslide zapped him. Rolling over onto his side draped on the console to see what was happening next, Primal's footing slipped and he slid down on to the floor with a little thud. Sitting up, he watched Zodiac smoking and starting to change. He tried to look strong and defiant as the shapeshifter turned his head to look at him. Their optics locked, and before his eyes, Optimus recognized what the nanobots were doing as they lost control, succumbing to the voltage of electricity that the beetle had shocked them with. They were going through the bots that they had mimicked like Nemesis, Aurora, himself (which was a bit unsettling, to say the least), Ironclaw and ones he wasn't familiar with. It was a rapid succession that Zodiac had clearly lost all control over, even his weapon, until they finally settled into a stable form. Unfortunately, as he stared at him, he still wasn't sure who he was. Nothing but his name and what he was triggered anything. But he obviously had a personal vendetta against him. "Thank you, Landslide," he said gratefully, looking up at him from the floor. "Rhinox!" he called for him.

Upon hearing his name called, Rhinox told Aurora, "Stay here with her," and got up, grabbing the tranquilizer from the kit and squeezing in past the larger beetle. His crimson optics scanned the room quickly, finding Optimus and Zodiac on the floor.

"Hurry... While he's unable to move," the TransMetal gorilla ordered his friend.

The engineer nodded and made his way to Zodiac, cautious at first since he wasn't entirely sure what a shock like that would do to someone who seemed so powerful and almost invincible. Kneeling down, he stabbed the shapeshifter with the syringe and then injected the heavy tranquilizer. He stood back to make sure it would take effect on him.

When he was fairly certain that the situation was finally under control, Primal relaxed, causing him to involuntarily tremble for a few minutes, trying to process everything. "Whitegrazer?!" he suddenly asked.

"She's with Aurora. She's going to need a lot of time for repairs," he answered him, standing by Zodiac with his large chain gun targeting him in case the sedation wasn't going to work.

Optimus only nodded, searching for her in their connection as he sat there, looking somewhat bewildered, every so often glancing at Zodiac as if he were expecting him to jump up and attack.

Meanwhile, Rattrap hurried along through the hallways until Sentinel had apparently been ordered to track him and attack him. Any guns that had been spared from the earlier chaos were now targeting him. "Slag!" he said and reached back, detaching one of his hubcaps to use as a shield while wielding his gun in his other hand. As the turret fired at him, he blocked with his hubcap which ricocheted the shot and then returned fire, scrapping the gun. He moved on as quickly as he could before encountering another one and more after that. "Come on, Sentinel. We've already been through dis before, remember? I thought we were friends now," he joked. It was unlikely that a program he helped design and knew everything about could stop him. Take that, Zodiac. "I ain't the enemy!" Taking down gun after gun with his master marksmanship, he continued for the command center where more controls would be accessible to him.

"Hello?! Repairs done! Let me out!" "Yo! If anyone can hear me, can I help or maybe join in?"

Rattrap was jogging by the room when he heard Blackarachnia calling out from inside the CR chamber that Optimus had placed her in. He stopped and backtracked, entering the room where the guns had already been taken out by the fake Ironclaw. "Ain't nobody lettin' you out, she-spider. We got enough problems of our own right now and don't need you makin' 'em worse. Capeesh? So just sit tight and shut up."

(Sorry, I was pondering exactly how to do that situation for my next post, since Nemesis was barricading the hallway and Aurora was pointing a tazer at him, but since you were mad I was like "Ah screw it" and just had Cheetor slip out before Nemesis barricaded the hallway. )

Ironclaw wasn't the type for peaceful deliberation or majestic views however he was finding the lake in front of him quite serene. Most likely due to recent events. Specifically the electric shock he received which caused him to go on that short lived rampage. It also returned some of the memories he had lost when he went into stasis lock. He hadn't spoken of it to anyone because he was not sure who he could trust. He remembered why he was here, why he was sent here. He knew he had purpose. True Predacons. To his surprise, several decrypted files suddenly appeared on his heads up display. They opened up to show him his targets and their dossiers. Zodiac... The primary target and his known associates Night-Terror and Dirge. Secondary target, Megatron and his band of criminals Tertiary target... Nemesis. The images went out of focus as Ironclaw stared into the distance. Memories of his past now came rushing back to him. The training, the academy, the council and the mission... His optics narrowed and refocused on his objectives. Conditional: take comm-

While the badger was distracted the water in front of him exploded spectacularly. All the images and information disappeared as his face was covered in water. A large dark figure stood in the foreground, water pouring down from him like hundreds of little waterfalls. Once Ironclaw realised who it was, he gave him nothing but grimace and stood ready. "Monster..."

As Dirge rose to his full height, the plates that made up his armour shifted and shunted. It clinked and clanked but then suddenly became silent. The single red optic glaring over the Maximal. 'Target acquired' appeared on his heads up display. It flickered to 'Terminate' and without warning he lunged forward with his cannon arm.

Ironclaw swiftly stepped to the side and brought both arms up only to slam them down on Dirge's cannon, causing him to tip forwards into the pebbles on the ground. The badger followed up by deploying his right forearm cannon and took several shots at the giant. Within seconds multiple plates rushed up to defend Dirge's head and chest as the previous were destroyed.

Dirge had enough of being shot and grabbed Ironclaw by the back of his head. Lifting him up, the badger struggled bringing both his clawed hands up to his to attempt to free himself. The true Predacon allowed for no such squirming and forced Ironclaw into the ground with terrific strength.

The badger grunted with a face full of pebbles. After taking that heavy his he tried to get up but took a blow to the abdomen which turned him onto his back. His optics widened as his hands instinctively shot up to stop the large foot coming down towards him. Both foot and hands clashed. Ironclaw put all his strength into resisting the crushing force of Dirge's foot. A moment of struggling ended by the soldier managing to push the foot to one side. Ironclaw wasted no time and got to his and immediately shoving his giant foe towards the water. The badger punched Dirge’s knee then swung for his head when it came closer due to the previous attack. He took his chances and leapt up at the True Predacon.

Dirge responded by grabbing the badger with the only hand he had and throwing him over his head.

Ironclaw wasn’t in control of his flight path as he was hurled into the air. He desperately looked around only to see himself closing in on the water. With no options he smashed into the water and began to sink. He wasn’t designed to fight under the water, first thing to do was get out of the water. He moved to make himself up right while he sank. His optics scanned the area in front of him, looking for his enemy. After not seeing him he looked up to see the light on the surface of the water, his salvation. Ironclaw let out a muffled yelp as he was clamped by the waist and pushed down. A large set of jaws attached an enormous body had closed round him.

Dirge gripped harder and plunged his victim down to the depths of the lake. Eventually they came to the bed of the lake where they impacted. Dirt was kicked up the bottom, it made the water murky. The enormous hellgrammite body flexed like a snake

Ironclaw wrestled with Dirge for a while, unable to loosen his grip. He desperately grabbed for anything around him, luckily he came across a rock the size of his hand. He hefted it and slammed it against one of Dirges optics.

Dirge let go of his prey and shook violently in response to his optic lens being smashed.

While Dirge was distracted Ironclaw made for his escape. He managed to get further away than he anticipated. He even saw the edge of the lake with renewed hope. Suddenly his head burst out of the water and he made his last few strides before falling on all four’s. He cough a bit then looked back at the lake; the monster’s advantage. He struggled to his feet then left, not wanting to spend another second there.

Rhinox wrote: "Wait! "We don't want to kill him or disintegrate him when we still have questions that need answers. We know electrocution stops the nanobots and Landslide is providing that offense right now. I have a tranquilizer dose heavy enough to keep him sedated if I can administer it."

Umbra looked puzzled as he heard Rhinox, looking up and hearing the firing had stopped. He slid out from behind the pile of metal. Whatever you say. Can't say I'd trust he can be contained for long.. Umbra was also not sure one or two acid bombs would do anything more then slow Zodiac down, perhaps long enough for him to attempt to find his spark.. if he even contained such a thing.

Umbra then looked around the room, noticing Landslide's workstation. He slithered over to the station and started going through some of the materials. After a moment he started to collect supplies and slither back over to Whitegrazer, setting down a roll of fuel line, a roll of wire, and various tools and fittings next to Aurora.

____________

Optimus Primal wrote:"Thank you, Landslide," "Rhinox!"

Landslide gave a nod as he observed Zodiac keeping his weapon drawn on him. You'd do the same, don't worry about it. he responded, knowing Optimus and most the maximals in the group would try to help each other whenever possible.

Optimus Primal wrote:"Hurry... While he's unable to move," "Whitegrazer?!"

Rhinox wrote:"She's with Aurora. She's going to need a lot of time for repairs,"

Landslide moved out of the way of the doorway as Rhinox came in, keeping his weapon drawn on Zodiac. Check my workstation if you need to.. take and use whatever you can on Grazer'. He said, observing Zodiac. The brig wouldn't be able to hold Zodiac, and while Landslide knew means of holding him, none of them had the time to build such a structure.

___________

Cheetor barrel rolled to the side as the Axalon started firing at him, swiftly changing course behind some of the massive stone columns around the Axalon. While the area may have been a desert, the Maximals had owed their lives to the luck of all the cover they had around their ship.

Cheetor sniffs the ground, attempting to find a scent trail of Ironclaw, though Cheetah mostly hunt by their sight rather then sense of smell, so compared to Silverbolt, Tigatron, or Rattrap.. this was not a skill he was adept at.

After finally making her way past Cheetor, Aurora wasted no time rushing to Whitegrazer's side. Rhinox was already there, attempting to stabilize her. The fuzor made a quick survey of the situation, quickly realizing that the ground surrounding the white mare was covered in mech fluid and she was losing more for every passing nanoclick. The other female looked pale but at least she was still conscious.. for now.

"Aurora, we need to stop her from bleeding out; she has already lost a lot of fluids,"

Aurora swallowed, fearing the worst, but she still got to work on applying pressure to the gaping wound she could see. Even so fluid was squeezing through between her fingers, her hands already covered by the sticky substance.

"Hold on, Whitegrazer, just stay with us..," the fuzor pleaded with the apparently dying female while struggling to keep the mech fluid from oozing out. Fortunately Rhinox was an ever-calming presence, able to keep his cool under pressure no matter the circumstances. It was a trait that he alone possessed among the Maximals and a quite admirable one at that.

"Start welding the larger holes on her abdomen to close them."

Aurora nodded, grabbed the welding tool from the supplies and got to work. When dealing with the finer repairs around the edges of the armor and when re-connecting some wires and circuits just inside the opening, her smaller size turned out to be an advantage. She was able to reach areas Rhinox may not have been able to so with the welding tool in hand she worked as quickly as she could to stop the bleeding. Using some metal plates, she was able to weld them into place to cover cover the abdominal wounds.

A mere moment later Rhinox rolled Whitegrazer over to expose her backside, which looked pretty bad as well. The spikes that had impaled her through the upper abdomen had seemingly traveled all the way through her body at an upward angle before coming out the other side. Her damage was extensive, making it abundantly clear that the shapeshifter had just made an attempt on Whitegrazer's life. Had she not been as strong as she was, she would surely have been dead already. And alas, given the massive blood loss and internal injuries, the outcome was still somewhat up in the air.

"Some of these holes have penetrated all the way through her body," Rhinox told Aurora. "There are damaged internal wires, tubes, circuitry, and nerves,"

She nodded and held up the welder before getting to work on that side as well. "We can stabilize her, but she is going to need a CR chamber soon..," the fuzor muttered, secretly hoping that Rattrap was able to take Sentinel out of this equation. Soon after she heard Optimus' voice calling for Rhinox. The chief medical officer and engineer then told her to stay with Whitegrazer, something Aurora certainly had every intention of doing. She continued working with the welder, trying her best to stop the bleeding.

Zodiac could do little more than return Optimus' defiant look as he lay there on the floor, his nanomachines temporarily inoperative. It is very easy to take something you use all the time for granted and only realize how much you rely on whatever it is when it is no longer accessible to you, something that was becoming abundantly clear to the shapeshifter now. He relied so heavily his symbiotic relationship with the nanites that he felt absolutely helpless without them, a strange and unknown sensation for someone who had spent his entire adult life being able to change into whoever he wanted to be. Well.. even without his ability to change and heal he could still take out Primal, he was confident of that, if only the powerful surge hadn't stunned his system as well. His backside where the beam had hit him still ached and for a moment he pondered when the last time he had felt so much pain was. He quickly dismissed the thought, knowing well that the answer was not something he wished to dwell on. That part of his history was better off forgotten, hidden away like all his secrets.

Primal called for his scientist friend just as Zodiac finally lowered his gaze, his optics instead focusing on his hand. He felt a tingling sensation in his otherwise numb fingers and soon discovered that a few of them were twitching a little bit. Relatively quickly the twitching turned into more controlled movements and slowly, very carefully, he opened and closed his hand a few times. Testing his other limbs he noticed that his control over them was returning as well. With any luck he would have full control by the time Optimus realized it, or at the very least enough to escape.

No such luck unfortunately. Optimus' good friend walked over, holding something in his hand.. The shapeshifter couldn't quite make out what it was before he felt the sharp sting of the needle stabbing through the thinner portion of his armor on his upper arm. He shot Rhinox a glare while the engineer finished his injection then focused his attention on Primal again. Although he didn't say anything, that hateful gleam in his eyes probably revealed what he was thinking at that moment. This was supposed to have been his moment of triumph, with Primal whimpering on the ground in front of the remains of his fallen comrades.. Yet somehow the situation had been reversed and he was now at their mercy. Oddly he was still alive. He'd halfway been expecting one of the Maximals to place a bullet.. or ten.. through his head by now. Instead they merely.. injected him.. with...

It started getting more difficult to think as the fast acting tranquilizer spread through his body, infiltrating every single one of his circuits with each pulsation of his spark. He was getting groggy, sleepy.. More than a little dazed.

So they drugged him.

Typical.. Maximal.. sentimentality.

Sleep.. He really had not had a chance to rest since he had arrived on this planet. Had the timing not been so terrible, he might even have welcomed the opportunity to finally rest. His head, the only part of his body that he had been able to move, hit the floor as he went unconscious.

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

"Restrain him!"

The frantic voice of the scientist echoed between the walls of the small room. He was sitting up on the examination table, staring at his now free wrist with an expression of mixed shock and awe on his face. The remainder of the chain that had kept him securely fastened to the table mere moments ago now laying in pieces on the floor. His arm was glowing in a blue hue as the new technology they had fused with him finished devouring the metal of the cuff that had decorated his wrist just a few seconds ago. It all felt so strange, so.. surreal..

Had he really been able to get them to free him from those chains..? He remembered he had been thinking the thought and all of a sudden it happened, the useless chain snapping easily after the brutal attack by the nanomachines. So he could actually control them and bend them to his will..? Oh the possibilities for what he could do when he learned to control this new power..!

Rapidly approaching footsteps caught his attention and a moment later a strong arm slammed him back down on the table. He couldn't even see who it was but he didn't especially care. It was one of the guards, that much he could be sure of, just another nameless face protecting the scientists..

"Let go of me!," the youngster demanded, struggling against this guard and the numerous others that were arriving as well, "I said let go!" He could see their weapons getting trained on him, his struggles only increasing tenfold as the guard next to him violently grabbed his free arm.

"Restrain him," the scientist repeated, sounding a little calmer now that he was surrounded by highly trained soldiers. What happened next the young male could not have predicted. He heard the guard nearest him scream out in pure agony and terror. As he looked at him he could see the hand of the guard glowing in the same bluish hue as his own arm had been only a few nanoclicks prior, the horrified guard screaming as he realized that his hand was literally being disassembled while he stood there screaming. The young male stared at the scenario that was unfolding right beside him, fascinated and horrified at the same time. So engrossed was he, in fact, that he didn't even notice the taser before it was too late.

Optimal Optimus Primal wrote:"Don't speak, Whitegrazer,"

She just smiled. Though, it looked more pained than a smile because of her injuries. But she had to know...

Optimal Optimus Primal wrote:"He'll be alright, Whitegrazer," he tried assuring her. "Landslide is here, he's helping Optimus. You need to sit still and calm down."

"Good... Thank you," the words kept out with a heavy sigh. Every breath she took was like a rock coming down on her. She was barely conscious now. Empty. The world around her was more static, mumbles, sparks, and crackles than anything. She felt really tired. She wanted to go to sleep really bad, but that was a bad sign. She couldn't go to sleep now. Not until she was sure it was safe. Once you close your eyes on the battlefield, you may not have a chance to reopen them again.

Though, she admitted to herself, it was difficult.

A blade of grass entered her vision for a second.

Optimal Optimus Primal wrote:"Aurora, we need to stop her from bleeding out; she has already lost a lot of fluids," the chief medical officer instructed her. "Start welding the larger holes on her abdomen to close them."

"Hold on, Whitegrazer, just stay with us..,"

The voice was close to her. The smaller, white fuzz beside her. No doubt in her mind. "Aurora...?" Yet again, she was reminded about the time Aurora got shot in the spark. Poor thing. She recovered well, though. She was strong one. Aurora beat the shapeshifter by living, so would she. How ironic that the situation changed, and it was now her that was bleeding on the ground. "D-d-don't worry, I'm not... going... anywhere."

She smiled at the white fuzz. Then she saw some purple and black... Purple and black? Was that Umbra? It looked like he laid something beside Aurora. Must been to help the young ermine in fixing her wounds. She smiled a bit more.

Optimal Optimus Primal wrote:"Hold on, Whitegrazer, I'm just going to roll you on to your side so I can see your back,"

Rhinox, as gently as he could, turned her body to see the holes on her back. Her body throbbed horribly by the turn. Her optics flinched and went white. The green meadow. Endless. It was a endless sea of green and dark clouds. Her thoughts went towards what had happened in the last few days. Dark clouds. The events that happened here weren't going to be easily erased. Even she was effected greatly by such as well, her mind raced with what she failed to do. Optimus's torture, the betrayal and deception of the shapeshifter, Ironclaw's behavior and Aurora's injuries. She must assessed and helped those who needed it. Despite the darkness that loomed, she knew she must not give in.

"W-we... all need some time for introspection and healing."

She flinched abit, tilting her head to look at her spark. Her optics widened. Oh, she wasn't unaware. Optimus' block was gone. He felt her injuries. The moment Zodiac stabbed through her. Optimus... I'm sorry. I thought the connection was severed. If I had known, I would have shield you from such pain. Everything was so... swift. Is Zodiac... incapacitated?

You'd do the same, don't worry about it.

The leader nodded to the beetle with respect.

"I have no idea how long that will keep him sedated," Rhinox confessed, putting his weapon away in his subspace since Landslide was keeping his trained on the intruder, and looking at Optimus who was still sitting on the floor. His optics briefly shifted to Landslide before his friend spoke up.

"Is Banshee all right?" Primal asked with concern.

The engineer nodded, saying, "Her arm was hit pretty badly but Umbra was able to take her out of the room and get her to safety. However, I don't think she was pleased with his action. I think he's assisting Aurora with Whitegrazer now."

Probably not. Banshee could be feisty at times. Courageous but too quick to jump to violence. What mattered most to Optimus was that she hadn't been severely injured like Whitegrazer had been. And to learn that Umbra was helping with their wounded was a bit of a surprise. Was he going to ask for something in return? Or was he simply doing it out of the kindness of his heart since Megatron wasn't around? A part of him wanted both Nemesis and Umbra kicked out of his broken vessel as soon as possible because he had had enough of being around Predacons. But he had to remind himself that not all of them were like the ones who tortured him. And just as they had gotten to learn more about Nemesis, now they could get to know Umbra a little better. Primal's gaze fell back down to Zodiac who laid motionless on the floor. "We can't just lock him up in the brig. With his kind of advanced nanotech, he can become anyone and possibly even manipulate anything made out of metal. We'll need to confine him to something else... Some kind of energy," he said thoughtfully. "A force field of sorts? One that can shock him if he gets out of hand since we know electrocution is his greatest weakness."

Rhinox thought about it for a moment before nodding in agreement. "I think that's doable. Landslide, can you help me with that?" he asked the large beetle. "By the way, Optimus, Landslide was the one who gave you your new hands. Not bad, huh?"

Optimus lifted his right hand while his left one propped him up from the floor and looked at it. "Not bad at all," he said gratefully, looking at Landslide. He was a little taken aback since he didn't know that a miner with such a large stature could create something so delicate in such a short amount of time. He truly had the best Maximals he could ever ask for.

Check my workstation if you need to.. take and use whatever you can on Grazer'.

"We can stabilize her, but she is going to need a CR chamber soon..,"

"Stabilize her first, then place her in the CR. You can use the one right here in the hangar," Rhinox agreed and suggested to Aurora and Umbra. "You need some time in one as well, Optimus. My medical skills can only go so far on someone as damaged as you and Whitegazer."

"Not until I know everything is under control," he stubbornly objected.

"Landslide and I will handle Zodiac. Aurora and Umbra are tending to Whitegrazer. Cheetor is searching for Ironclaw, and Rattrap is working on Sentinel. I'd say we have everything under control," Rhinox tried convincing the gorilla. He motioned Landslide to take Zodiac while he went to Primal's side.

Optimus tried getting to his feet on his own, but he was too damaged and in agony to stand. His busted leg and injured shoulder left him crumble to the floor again with a groan. He licked the fluid from the gash across his split lips and sighed.

The green meadow. Endless. It was a endless sea of green and dark clouds.

The Maximal leader couldn't see it as easily or clearly as the mare did. It flashed in and out like lightning, but then again, he wasn't really trying to hold on to it. The meadow was green and peaceful, but there were more black, ominous clouds on the horizon that were slowly engulfing the other lighter grey clouds. They were tall, overwhelming thunderheads, reaching to 60,000 feet in the sky, and they were emitting from Optimus.

Optimus... I'm sorry. I thought the connection was severed. If I had known, I would have shield you from such pain.

The Commander seemed to touch his abdomen gingerly, with just his finger tips on his right hand, as if he was trying to feel something that was somewhat phantom-like. He wasn't aware that he was subtly absorbing Whitegrazer's pain, much like how she did for him during his horrible stay at the Darksyde to relieve him. He wasn't even aware that he was capable of doing so, and perhaps it was simply accidental from his "explosion" earlier which had nothing to do with him feeling her anguish, but everything to do with him coming to a breaking point. She didn't have to apologize. She needed him now but he was failing with the lack of compassion and control. Something about him was still cold and distant, and he didn't bother to comment until what the mare asked next.

Is Zodiac... incapacitated?

For the moment, he sent her. His energy was darker than normal; direct and to the point. Not as warm as it once was. Not even her own positivity seemed to have an effect on it. He wanted to stop Zodiac for good. Get rid of him. Destroy him. He couldn't bear the thought of him escaping and killing someone when he had already come so close to doing so. ...But he also had questions that needed answers. That was Primal's typical curiosity getting the better of him.

Watching their commanding officer cautiously probing his bent, dented, crimped, scratched abs, Rhinox approached him and leaned down, grabbing his right arm and pulling him up off of the floor to his feet. He wrapped his around his shoulders so Optimus could lean on him with some of his weight. Primal groaned with the pain of standing up and every other movement his body was forced to make, but he coped and used his friend as a crutch. Stepping out of the room past Landslide, Optimus limping with the rhinoceros who was holding him up, they immediately came to Whitegrazer, Aurora and Umbra, and he nudged Rhinox to stop walking. Primal's orange optics examined the white mare in their hands as they frantically tended to her critical injuries. There was little emotion to be read on his face that was still battered, much of his body still covered in dry, crusty fluids from his own wounds and Megatron's, and now Whitegrazer, whose were still damp, but inside he was broken to see the Empath so brutally impaled. It angered him, and it wore him down. She meant so much to him, as they all did, but he was having a difficult time showing that now. He didn't know what he looked like to them as shredded as he was, but for him, they were all angels with wings. Well, maybe not Nemesis and Umbra, but his own Maximals right there. Aurora, so sweet and kind but who had just been shot not too much earlier, working so diligently on Whitegrazer, cooperating with Umbra whom they knew little about and had just "run" from the Predacons and broke into the Axalon. It was quite a scene at the top of the stairs. Banshee was also nearby, hurt but functional. Her actions earlier meant well, perhaps overprotective of Optimus and Whitegrazer, but how could you punish someone for a trait like that? Yes, it was reckless, and perhaps he needed time to think about it before addressing it right at that moment.

"Why was he so determined to keep the scanner running? What did you see?" Primal asked Whitegrazer, practically unintentionally demanding her for an answer. He could tell she had seen or known something when she came knocking on the observatory's door but never explained herself. If there was still a threat within his base, then he wanted to get rid of it.

Rhinox came a halt like the leader had gestured and listened to the conservation.

Rattrap left the room containing the two repair chambers near the command center, and carefully entered the bridge to avoid being gunned down. It was quiet. Nothing moved or targeted him, so he stepped in and placed his hubcap back on his shoulder but kept his gun in his hand. Sitting down at the appropriate console, the expert infiltrator laid his weapon on his lap and immediately started working on gaining control over Sentinel again. After a few override procedures and commands, he told the computer program to stop targeting Maximals, and reluctantly included Nemesis and Umbra's signatures to the list.

"Confirmed," Sentinel confirmed out loud on the bridge.

Unfortunately, the rat didn't know the extent of damage or manipulation that was done to the defense program, so he started digging around and sorting things out. "Sentinel, restore radio communication," he ordered it.

"Acknowledged. Radio frequencies and communications restored."

"Rattrap ta Optimus and Rhinox," he called over his comm. link. "Radios are workin' and Sentinel knows we're the good guys again."

"Copy that, Rattrap. See what else you can find out, and let's upgrade the system's defenses from other viruses and intruders to keep this from happening again," Rhinox responded.

"Way ahead of ya, Big Green," he said. "How's everybody else?"

"We're alright. Zodiac has been apprehended. Whitegrazer and Banshee are wounded but they're being tended to. I'll be taking Optimus to a CR soon," he informed him. "Stay in contact with Cheetor. He's vulnerable out there on his own searching for Ironclaw. Who knows if there are anymore infected Predacons coming in search of the antidote."

"You got it," Rattrap said before turning his channel to the TransMetal cheetah's. "How's it goin' out dere, kid? Find the badger yet? We're slowly gettin' everything back tagether here."

Optimus Primal wrote:"We can't just lock him up in the brig. With his kind of advanced nanotech, he can become anyone and possibly even manipulate anything made out of metal. We'll need to confine him to something else... Some kind of energy,""A force field of sorts? One that can shock him if he gets out of hand since we know electrocution is his greatest weakness."

Rhinox wrote:"I think that's doable. Landslide, can you help me with that?"

Landslide gave a nod, keeping his weapon trained on Zodiac still Aye, that should be manageable to build a box fer im'. With the spare parts I have layin' around, I should be able to assemble a electrical transformer and make somethin' similar to an electric fence with an isolated sandwich floor.. if he tries to eat the floor to escape, he'll be fried.
(Note: Electrical transformer as in something that steps up or down electrical voltages, not a robot.)

Rhinox wrote:"By the way, Optimus, Landslide was the one who gave you your new hands. Not bad, huh?"

Optimus Primal wrote:"Not bad at all,"

Aye.. well, I've worked with metals fer as long as I can remember. Landslide responded, thinking to himself that he'd probably have to start gathering more materials soon, to keep up with the demand of repairs on the ship.

Rhinox wrote:"Stabilize her first, then place her in the CR. You can use the one right here in the hangar," Rhinox agreed and suggested to Aurora and Umbra. "You need some time in one as well, Optimus. My medical skills can only go so far on someone as damaged as you and Whitegazer."

Optimus Primal wrote:"Not until I know everything is under control,"

Rhinox wrote: "Landslide and I will handle Zodiac. Aurora and Umbra are tending to Whitegrazer. Cheetor is searching for Ironclaw, and Rattrap is working on Sentinel. I'd say we have everything under control,"

Landslide leaned down by Zodiac as the claws popped out from his shield, normally used for carrying pipes or other cargo, they were also useful for a number of other things from catching enemy weapons, or in this case an improvised restraint. The claws compressed around Zodiac's arms, chest, and legs locking him to the shield. Landslide removed his hand from the shield's handle, then grabbed it by both ends lifting it and Zodiac up with a grunt. He then looked around the room, then made his way out down the stairs.

With the tools on hand, Umbra examined Whitegrazer's injuried. he wasn't nearly as skilled at repairs compared to Aurora or Rhinox, but he had done field repairs on himself, and had a good understanding of anatomy from his skill set. Picking up some vice grips, a blade, and some hosing with his tentacles, he started work replacing some of the damaged lines in Whitegrazer, making sure to keep out of Aurora's way.

Rattrap wrote:"How's it goin' out dere, kid? Find the badger yet? We're slowly gettin' everything back tagether here."

Cheetor blinked, then stepped out from behind cover slightly, waving his tail to see if sentinel would start shooting. It wasn't. Stepping out from cover fully, he walked towards the opening Ironclaw had made and started to look around, noticing foot prints on the ground. Not yet, just found some tracks. I'll keep you posted Rattrap.

Cheetor then started to follow the tracks on land.

The young male was walking down a long hallway, accompanied by the two guards that had been assigned to him for today. He allowed them to set the pace, just this once, and as a result they were almost going easy on him.. Their walk barely more than a casual stroll, a pace he was more than able to keep up with even though he still felt sore and weak from the earlier treatment he had been given. Any evidence of such treatment had since vanished, his body displaying an uncanny ability to heal up quite rapidly. His hands were shackled in front of him but this additional precaution didn't phase him much.. Not anymore. For the remainder of today the torment was over, he had survived.. No, he hadn't just survived, he had excelled way beyond their expectations. Their first and thus far only perfect specimen, a fact he oddly did not take pride in as much as he felt reassured that he wouldn't be deemed as expendable now. Did that mean they were going to start treating him better now? Somehow he doubted it but still he knew that he would now be able to bend the rules a little bit further without risking his life.

So it was with somewhat unsteady but still confident steps that he followed suit, paying little heed to the cells that they were starting to pass by on the way to his. Many of them were empty now, their occupants having succumbed to the experiments or perhaps during an escape attempt. Or a combination of the two. Fear was a powerful motivator, one perfectly capable of turning even the bravest of soldier into a whimpering mess.. Or send them running. As far as the young male knew, nobody had escaped this place thus far.

A right turn and continuing on straight, the male started slowing down a little bit. The cell up ahead belonged to someone he'd gotten to know quite well during his time here.. A young female Decepticon that he had spent many nights talking to through the wall. Thus far she, too, was one of the few survivors. The scientists spoke highly of her as well, the male had heard them, saying that they believed they could duplicate their success with her. She had the same genetic mutation in her spark that he did, a fact the male believed had allowed both of them to survive the implementation of the nanomachine technology. If nothing else at least that would explain how they had been able to tolerate, even benefit, from the new technology when so many others had died in the process.

Oh he had heard their frantic screams of agony and horror before the sudden silence after their bodies gave in. Neither subject nor technology survived if the host proved to be incompatible with the nanomachines. Judging by the noises he'd heard, it was not a pleasant death. In fact he had come close to shutting down as well in the beginning but somehow he had survived. At some point he had overheard the scientists call it a spark mutation. Honestly he couldn't be sure. The scientists weren't exactly eager to give out information. Over time he had learned to just take the abuse and not try to fight them openly. At least not overly much. It had paid off in that today he had been able to control the nanomachines to a point. Part of him couldn't wait to tell the female in the next cell about it later tonight after the lights had been shut off and they were alone. With any luck she'd be able to control hers soon also.

As he passed her cell, he made sure to straighten his back and walk a little straighter. He'd made it a point to appear strong around her, never to let her see him in a moment of weakness. He wanted to appear strong for her to help her along as well. She had not been taking the treatment well, often whispering her thoughts about escape to him at night when they were alone. Truthfully he was not opposed to the idea, but he wanted to hold off until she had gained the ability to control hers as well. And hopefully he would be a little better at it than he was right now also. After that happened they could escape, together, the first two transformers of a new breed.

She sat curled up in the corner, the expression on her face looked so.. lost.. alone.. saddened. The young male stopped to look at her, even going so far as to reach his cuffed arms towards her. That's when one of the guards pushed him forward quite hard, obviously not having the patience to wait. A bit hesitantly the young male followed, deciding to talk to the female about whatever was bothering her when nighttime came.

------

Nemesis merely watched as the cheetah Maximal moved aside her little barricade that she had placed in front of the door to prevent Sentinel's drones from gaining access. A moment later she heard the giant beetle discharge that odd weapon of his at first the scanner and then into the control room. She glanced up at the window just in time to take note of Zodiac collapsing on the floor, seemingly taking on different shapes as he did. She immediately recognized her own even though it flashed by in an instant, her fists curling up into balls as she saw that. It looked like the Maximals would be dealing with her shapeshifting foe, a fact that could lead to a rather uncomfortable situation for her should the male choose to talk to them. After all she hadn't been entirely honest with the Maximals about her past. And why would she be? If they knew the whole story, she had no doubt in her mind that she'd end up sharing that cage they were now talking about putting him in.

She honestly wasn't quite sure how she felt right now. Her emotions ran high, that much was certain, but they ranged from anger and relief to sadness. Zodiac was a bit of a sore spot for her, always had been, ever since they would talk to each other long into the night from their respective cells. He had been different then, a rock for her to lean on, a.. friend. Had things been different he could have been even more than that. Maybe. Everything had changed so quickly. She recalled their keepers talking about a breakthrough which usually meant that the torture was about to get intensified. They had already started sending the subjects out on missions in preparation for the bigger ones that were to come. Of course they took their precautions to make sure the subjects stayed loyal for the duration. Attempts at brainwashing them often in combination with physical and sometimes emotional punishment. There had been an incident where she hadn't followed orders to the dot and had been told she was being transferred into solitary confinement for a while. Just around the same time of this socalled 'breakthrough' of theirs actually. They had left her in the usual cell while they prepared the confinement unit for her and that's where she was sitting when her friend returned. They never did get to have their usual talk that night.

With a sigh Nemesis attempted to contact Predacon base to inform them that she'd be returning with the cure for the virus. But instead of the normal answer, all she got was static. A cold chill was climbing down her back. Were they already dead at the hand of the virus, was that why she couldn't establish radio contact? Or was it perhaps something in this room that was jamming it.. Either way she was starting to feel a bit claustrophobic in this place so she decided it was time to leave while the Maximals were preoccupied with Zodiac and the injured. Nemesis shifted her gaze to the wounded white female currently being worked on by the little fuzor and.. Umbra of all things. Whitegrazer was always standing up for her and still Nemesis could not fathom why. And as she watched her getting worked on, the others frantically trying to save her life, Nemesis again wasn't sure how she felt. It was confusing for sure. Deciding there was no point in waiting around, she started moving the rest of the barricade out of the way so she could get out. From the sound of it Sentinel's drones weren't there anymore anyway, the rodent having drawn their fire away as he made his way to the bridge. After clearing the doorway she stopped, casting another glance back at the white mare who was fighting for her life.

Aurora had attempted to be strong as she kept working diligently, but seeing how Whitegrazer looked paler by the second and was now fighting to even stay awake, the little fuzor could not help the tears that were building up in her optics and were blocking her vision. Oddly enough Umbra was helping her with the repairs. Normally the fuzor would object to such a thing but knowing that the Predacon had nothing to gain by sabotaging her efforts, she just let him be. Whitegrazer needed as much help as she could get right now.

"Aurora...?"

"I'm here.. We're all here for you ," the ermine fuzor responded as reassuringly as she could, her hands diligently trying to weld the spare plates in place to stop as much of the bleeding as she could.

"D-d-don't worry, I'm not... going... anywhere."

You better not be, Aurora thought to herself, a twinge of anger towards what the shapeshifter had done showing on her face. Well, at least Landslide, Rhinox and Optimus seemed to have that situation well in hand.

"Stabilize her first, then place her in the CR. You can use the one right here in the hangar,"

Aurora glanced over at Rhinox and Optimus as they passed by, grateful to see that they were both all right. Well, for the most part at least. Optimus looked even worse than he had been if that was even possible. In fact the fuzor was surprised he was even still awake. Hopefully he had the common sense to listen to Rhinox and get some much needed time in the CR chamber.

She heard someone land close by and looked up, just in time to see Nemesis crouch down to Whitegrazer's level. The avian Predacon scanned he area, noting the large pools of mech fluid surrounding the white mare. "She's lost too much blood," the Predacon female said shortly, "She'll die if you don't replace it soon." An immediate protest was building up in Aurora's throat but she swallowed it down, knowing the other female was right. There really was blood everywhere despite their best efforts, they were all standing in it. "She needs a transfusion.. Either from one of you, or you can use your CR chamber to duplicate some of the fluid she's already lost and simply administer that." She was no expert on CR chambers since she never required one herself but it was a fair assumption to make that the chamber was able to duplicate tissue in order to do repairs.

((OOC: Loving the little snippets of what Zodiac went through, Phoenix. ))

Optimal Optimus Primal wrote:"Ain't nobody lettin' you out, she-spider. We got enough problems of our own right now and don't need you makin' 'em worse. Capeesh? So just sit tight and shut up."

"Party pooper," Blackarachnia spat at the rat, who seemed to be racing back. She growled. She hated not knowing what was happening around her. Part of her wondered about the Predacons here as well as those in the Darksyde. She didn't really care for them, especially Tarantulas and Arachnitron. But if she, Umbra and Nemesis (if they were still around) were the only ones alive, the Maximals were never going to let them leave and she wasn't going to stay in a cell here and flown to Cybertron just to be locked up in another cell.

She banged against the door, trying to find some weak point. She needed to get out of here. She WANTED out of here!

__________________________________________________________________________

Phoenix wrote:"I'm here.. We're all here for you ,"

Optimal Optimus Primal wrote:"Stabilize her first, then place her in the CR. You can use the one right here in the hangar," Rhinox agreed and suggested to Aurora and Umbra. "You need some time in one as well, Optimus. My medical skills can only go so far on someone as damaged as you and Whitegazer."

"Yes... Need time. Healing... all of us." She said to everyone, including herself. Like she said earlier, everyone here needed some healing. They all needed a break. Some time to think about recent events. She wondered if she should request that everyone take a meditation session. She chuckled. Meditation was not for everyone, and she knew everyone had their own ways of relaxing. But she really wanted to have one with Optimus... if he agreed, of course.

Optimal Optimus Primal wrote:For the moment

The green meadow and dark clouds came into her vision once more. She was glad that Zodiac was defeated for now. So what happens now? What were they going to do with him? What would Nemesis have to say? Nemesis might not want to show it, but Whitegrazer could sense certain emotions. Complicated. That's what it seemed. She wanted to have a chat with Zodiac when she was healed. Wanted to hear what he had to say now that he was himself and not someone else. Though, she wanted to really think about what she wanted to say. Optimus seemed to be thinking the same thing. She still wished she hadn't had exposed him to such pain. Those dark clouds above her. They were as much as his as they were hers. Hanging above her. So ominous... So foreboding. War. So much she hated about war. So much she didn't want this crew or everyone to experience... like her former comrades, enemies, and she had to go through. Megatron... what he did was inexcusable. So did Tarantulas.

But no matter how the tough situations got, she learned to force herself to smile. Learned to smile despite how bad a situation got. It was something she told Optimus before. The moment before she felt his life exploded from her spark. When it seems hopeless, when it seems bleak, when it seems no light can shine, that was when people will have to force their biggest smiles. It seemed odd thing to do when death and destruction laid everywhere.

She had to smile. She had to smile for him... for everyone. She had to let them know that everything was going to be okay. For her and everyone around her. It took a bit as she was in bad shape, but she curled her lips into a smile. It was pained and tired. Her fingers were cold and felt wet. It was probably hers. Still leaking. She needed to hang in there a little longer.

Phoenix wrote: "She's lost too much blood," the Predacon female said shortly, "She'll die if you don't replace it soon." An immediate protest was building up in Aurora's throat but she swallowed it down, knowing the other female was right. There really was blood everywhere despite their best efforts, they were all standing in it. "She needs a transfusion.. Either from one of you, or you can use your CR chamber to duplicate some of the fluid she's already lost and simply administer that."

Optimal Optimus Primal wrote:"Why was he so determined to keep the scanner running? What did you see?"

Was that Nemesis? Her vision was all but gone. Hardly could she hear what Optimus was asking of her. Something about the scanner? Oh, that's right. She never did tell Optimus what she saw. She was so focused on getting Optimus to turn it off and expose Zodiac, but she left out why she was so adamant on the scanner being a danger. She tried to think, remembering what she had saw through the vision. Despite how the event was over, her face flinched, and her body quivered at what she saw clearly.

"I saw...an... an explosion..." she tried to focus on the vision. Once more, she could see the scanner go through everyone. It went over the pod. Then the room exploded. Bodies. It was painful to watch again. Crack of thunder! Pain... So painful. She find it difficult just to breath normally. To sleep right now, that's all she wanted. But she couldn't. But it was getting so hard to keep herself awake. Was she still awake? She could be sleeping now. It was hard to tell with her vision all white. Auditory sensors ringing. Something else... something else.

"Bomb..." it was like she was rewinding a tape over and over again in her head. She was missing some important detail. Scanner went over the pod and then an explosion. Went over the pod... explosion. Went over the pod... The pod. "The pod... Check the pod."

Aye, that should be manageable to build a box fer im'. With the spare parts I have layin' around, I should be able to assemble a electrical transformer and make somethin' similar to an electric fence with an isolated sandwich floor.. if he tries to eat the floor to escape, he'll be fried.

Rhinox nodded to Landslide, unwilling to discuss ideas and suggestions at the moment considering everything that had just transpired and keeping his focus on Optimus and Whitegrazer. Obviously they needed a quick solution to detain Zodiac, but hopefully the tranquilizer would be enough to keep him down for a while. And if not, then they would simply administer another dose.

While they stood there on the top landing near Whitegrazer, Optimus watched Aurora and Umbra, wondering just what kind of skills did the octopus possess. Espionage? Tactical infiltration? Spy? Medic? At least he seemed to be allowing Aurora to control most of the situation. He wasn't quite comfortable with Umbra handling someone he cared very deeply for, but Whitegrazer would probably object to his opinion. After all, having two people work on her was better than one so long as they were both trying to help her and not sabotage her, and he supposed it had to be Umbra since Rhinox was busy holding him up, a tall and heavy TransMetal as he was and unable to walk on his own.

"I saw...an... an explosion..."

The mare was clearly in a lot of anguish, and a big part of Optimus felt her pain still tingling inside of him, but another part of him needed to know. She had to stay awake long enough to tell him what she saw. An explosion? Primus, from what? He didn't quite understand. The scanner would have caused an explosion? The scanner he had just minutes earlier been determined to finish running? Hopefully she could stay with them just a little longer to elaborate. He was patient as he stood there basically on one leg, holding himself up against the rhinoceros, his orange optics looming over Whitegrazer laying on the floor.

"Bomb..." "The pod... Check the pod."

What pod? An expression full of confusion washed over Primal's beaten face. He lifted his head to look over the railing and across the room, visually searching for the alleged stasis pod that was a bomb. Swift flashes from Whitegrazer's memory replaying her vision over and over in her mind transferred to the leader through their connection in such close proximity and he choked in horror. If she was having difficulty speaking because of this and not entirely because her injuries, he could certainly understand. Optimus trembled a little seeing the bodies and body parts, the faint screams and gasps, death everywhere. She had seen Zodiac's true intentions of this operation? This manipulation? And he had placed Primal's hand right at the helm? It... It made him sick inside. It made him feel so ashamed and foolish to have trusted him in his disguise in the first place. He almost... He almost killed all of his Maximals because of him. Yet, he was the one pressing the button. He was the one who gathered all of them there in one room to be murdered in one enormous blast, all while he was meant to stand on the sidelines and helplessly watch. The very idea of someone even considering doing this - let alone managing to play it out like the shapeshifter had - shook him and quenched his spark. Going weak, he would have fallen to his knees if Rhinox hadn't been so quick to catch him in his arms.

"Optimus? Are you alright?" the engineer asked, concerned, holding his upper body up.

Primal was only able to mumble something incoherently, seemingly staring off in the direction of the pod that Whitegrazer had indicated in her vision. His breathing labored, he slowly came back around to his surroundings and looked at Rhinox, dazed for a moment, before pulling himself back up right against him. Zodiac had played him like a puppet with strings, his hand dangling over Optimus and calculating his every move. He wanted to claw out his eyes and rip his spark out of his chest, clenching it in his hand and squeezing the life out of it until it was extinguished. Everyone thought they could tear him down? Everyone wanted to kill him for getting in the way? Blast them all! They had another thing coming! His fist balled up and he licked the "blood" from the gash on his mouth again, gingerly as if it wasn't his fluid that he was tasting but someone else's. Those dark, ominous clouds hanging over his and Whitegrazer's meadow were diluting to a sea-green color, and the air suddenly became very still.

"She's lost too much blood," "She'll die if you don't replace it soon." "She needs a transfusion.. Either from one of you, or you can use your CR chamber to duplicate some of the fluid she's already lost and simply administer that."

While the female Predacon spoke, the seemingly distracted Maximal Commander's head slowly lowered to the pool of blood that was gradually spreading outward from the mare's body as if he were curiously studying it while it touched his closest foot to her now. "Aurora knows what she's doing," he said bluntly with little emotion. "But she needs someone to help her carry her to the repair chamber," Optimus added, looking into Nemesis's optics now as a suggestion that she help the ermine Fuzor who was too small to pick her up. "And when you give Megatron that antidote, tell him I said he's welcome." There was a sneer across his face, his voice cold and unforgiving toward that name he spoke which he would much rather spit on. Although, it might hurt Nemesis if she delivered that message since it might suggest that she had been working with the Maximals in order to obtain it instead of stealing it like Blackarachnia and Umbra were trying to do and returning as soon as possible as a "hero". Did he care? At this point, no, not really. Did it really matter if Megatron knew where it came from or from whom? In the long run, probably not since nothing seemed to be in Primal's favor in this wretched war. Besides, Megatron wouldn't care, but it would be such satisfaction for Optimus to know that the t-rex knew they had saved his life despite how evil and merciless he was.

Hold on, Whitegrazer, just a little longer, he told her quietly, distantly. I know you've been through a lot already, some far worse... And there is probably more to come... I still need you. I need you. I can't... Optimus stopped himself and turned away with Rhinox as they started carefully making their way down the stairs.

"Banshee, secure that pod over there and guard it, but do not touch it. Do you understand me? Do NOT touch it! And don't allow anyone else near it. I'll send Rattrap in shortly to take care of it," Primal sternly told the bat, glancing at her arm as a very small, almost unnoticeable frown pulled on his face - blaming himself for the injury she obtained from Zodiac - before he turned away from her and simply glared at Zodiac while Landslide carried him away out of the hangar.

Not yet, just found some tracks. I'll keep you posted Rattrap.

"All right. I'm gonna try contacting him," Rattrap informed the cheetah.

Using the Axalon's radio transmission, the rodent opened a link to the badger. "Ironclaw, dis is Rattrap. Do you read me? We got Sentinel under control and we know yer innocent. Ya copy?" Having no idea how far the TransMetal hothead had gotten, at least their base had the strongest range to reach out with. And once Cheetor expands his search, he could reach some areas even further than the ship.

Umbra finished up what he could on Whitegrazer, his tentacles slithering back, he then slithered back to give some room as he spoke up Field repairs are the best I can do in this situation.. As it stands I suppose the contract is now complete, I'll begin departing. I will offer taking Blackarachnia off your hands as I imagine keeping her as a "guest" could be troublesome, ofcourse that's up to you.

Umbra turned slightly, glancing at Zodiac I don't think you'll be able to keep him alive forever.. His skill set is similar to my own or Nemesis. He'll get out again..

Landslide frowned slightly listening as he started to visualize the construction in his head with the materials he had on hand. Looking over Zodiac he made some estimates of the size he'd need to make the box, he set the restrained Zodiac up against a wall near his work station, then walked towards a pile of square tube picking up the pieces and taking measurements, then walking over to a metal saw and started chopping the metal down to size for various pieces, the upper set of optics in his head shifting a few times to glance at Zodiac to make sure he wasn't moving.

Rattrap wrote:"All right. I'm gonna try contacting him,"

Cheetor gave a nod and continued on his way following Ironclaw's trail, towards the edge of the cliff. He looked around, but couldn't see Ironclaw near by Must of went down this way? he said to himself.

You're going to ask for cover at a choke point with limited mobility against an enemy made of nanomachines.. Not to mention that room has your allies in it. Here's a better solution.. Wait for him to get out of the room and hit his backside with this. Make sure no one is standing near him, it'll explode in 2 seconds after you squeeze and throw it and shower him in acid.I'll take a different vantage point to increase the odds. After that.. hit him with whatever you got.

That sounded extreme to watch your enemies melt in pain. Though they had no choice. Zodiac has to be put down like a rabid dog.

"Wait! We don't want to kill him or disintegrate him when we still have questions that need answers. We know electrocution stops the nanobots and Landslide is providing that offense right now. I have a tranquilizer dose heavy enough to keep him sedated if I can administer it."

Banshee nodded in agreement. At least it was not as violent as Umbra suggested. The female bat became more alert when Optimus arrived.

"Banshee, secure that pod over there and guard it, but do not touch it. Do you understand me? Do NOT touch it! And don't allow anyone else near it. I'll send Rattrap in shortly to take care of it,"

Pod? Why a pod? Banshee wanted to ask about it but his voice seemed it was an urgent issue so she kept silent and nodded in acknowledgement. "Understood," she used the wall to support herself to stand up and ran towards the pod Optimus talked about. With only one good arm made her feel slightly uneasy. Not only she didn't know how strong this Zodiac is, she was worried that if her injury would hinder her movements if she were ever to fight a hand to hand combat with him.