The Intergalactic Highway

(Hm.. Random question, should we have someone take over as Silverbolt or just leave him out for the rest of the episode? I might leave Waspinator and Quickstrike in the CR tanks if it makes it a bit easier.)

Rattrap wrote: "Nice job, 'Slider. We don't need ta melt anybody," "just make 'em stand out with the UV dye."

Landslide shrugged Just call it a bonus.

He then listened as the others spoke, and planned,as the group talked, he turned noticing Wintersong exiting the CR chamber. He then looked towards Ironclaw's face, then back towards Wintersong. (With this playing in the background.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urAmcQePaSY ) Landslide raised an optic ridge and simply looked away, ah to be young.. he thought to himself with an internal laugh.

Rattrap wrote:"'Cause we're de good guys," "Wintersong! It's about time! Nothin' like milkin' the CR when somebody else needs it,"

Wintersong wrote: "Geez, I need to keep track of my lives, think I'm on number six by now."

Rattrap wrote:"You an' Cheetor both,"

Cheetor responded a bit sheepishly ... Might be three now.. He wasn't exactly the luckiest of the Maximals.

Landslide laughed and patted Cheetor on the back Dun worry about it lad. You just need ta slow down a wee bit.

Banshee wrote: "I suggest putting him down like a rabid dog just like what we should do with Nightstar. He's too dangerous to be around."

Rattrap wrote:"What she said,"

Landslide gave a nod Noted.. Chainsword to the gut it is. While Landslide wasn't exactly sure how Darkwind's body worked, he'd yet to meet anything that could live through a few swings from his chainsword with the blade on. Though the mess that would be made might be a bit too gruesome even for a predacon. It did bring a bit of a moral dilemma in a sense.. as a Maximal they really shouldn't try to cause maximum harm.. yet the most logical thing would be to slaughter them brutally.. but that would just make them as bad as the Predacons.. Such philosophical thinking was a bit much for the old bug, as he'd much rather deal with nuts n' bolts or digging holes then ponder life and it's eternal struggles.

The discussion then soon came to the conclusion.

Rattrap wrote: "Okay. We'll suggest neutral territory 'cause we don't need 'em beatin' up our base like dey always do, an' hopefully the disks will be enough fer Megatron ta agree leavin' the Darksyde behind and bringin' our ape with 'im. He'll likely try ta kill Optimus anyway dependin' on what shape he'll be in so we'll need a group ta swoop in and secure him from anymore injuries... I'm thinkin' Landslide essentially as de ambulance and defense, Dinobot an' Banshee for offense an' protection, and Aurora with de cure in case Optimus shows signs of the virus. The rest of us'll practice assault and flanking maneuvers until we can pull out of the area safely." He'd hate to lose the disks and give Megatron the upper hand he had before Dinobot stole them but Primal's life was far more important than the data that was stored on them. "If we gotta deal with Darkwind, we can use Banshee's password idea that she suggested since not all our senses of smell are as sensitive as mine,"

Landslide rubbed his chin as he listened to Rattrap, then spoke up Aye, I can haul Optimus away safely, even have Aurora in the back patchin' him up on the way home.. he made a gesture with his thumb to the massive container on his back Not so sure on the swoop in part.. Not exactly the fastest after all lad, but I can probably accompany you if Megatron is that desperate fer the disks..

Cheetor looked towards Banshee Come on, I'll show you around the armory and get you re-armed. he then started making his way into the hall to the armory.

((OOC: Hands down NK knows how to glorify his post with fitting music. ))

"We are far too outnumbered to hold off a diversion attack. As we said before, we should lure a few out and reduce their numbers before we attack outright.""But that plan is not wise. As I already stated....I have seen the virus in action. Innocent bystanders, for example US, could be seriously injured by the Predacons in their delusioned state...more importantly, the very Maximals we are trying to SAVE could be put in extreme danger. It will be a difficult task enough to take on the unafflicted Predacons with all of our missing comrades, but to try to take on delusioned Predacons would be suicide. Once the virus takes hold, you have no idea how it will affect Megatron."

As the pressure was getting to Banshee, she was starting to lose her patience with Dinobot as well.

"I disagree with the plan to use the virus as Banshee suggested. If it can be altered to inflict paralysis then it may be safer to use that way. Inflicting fear and hallucinations on the Predacons would only amount to more blood shed and greater losses."

"Dinobot, I hate to argue but it seems you're not willing to take risks. I said..the assault team should not carry any weapons that are infected with the virus. Optimus is in the hands of the Predacons because of my failure! Giving the disks won't solve anything!" her with fur was bristled but immediately calmed down as soon as she realized her anger was getting to her, "Risks...must be taken...otherwise, you won't get anywhere. There might be a small chance that we may succeed, even if Megatron goes berserk or not."

"But who's Nightstar?"

How could they not know? She was on the news as an infamous terrorist. "Nightstar is Starshadow's true name. She is the leader of a massive terrorist organization called Hellfang. I was almost killed by them during my undercover mission. Somehow years later, her organization was crumbled to nothing, leaving only few members alive on Cybertron and was imprisoned for the rest of her life but there were rumors that she escaped after the great massacre on Colony Omicron. She does not deserve a lifetime imprisonment. She deserves a swift death."

"As much as I'd love ta watch 'em squirm in deir own fears, we gotta take what Dinobot witnessed with the virus inta consideration. None of us have seen its effects like he has, except for de aftermath around here, and Optimus is already infected with it. Wouldn't surprise me if Nexus is immune to it if he's a shapeshifter and was the one who started dis whole mess in de first place. But we still don't know if it's contagious, and we still need a cure before we tamper with it, so our greatest leverage right now are the golden disks."

"But there's no need-"

"What, uh, what kind of doctor did you say you were?"

She sighed, "a psychologist."

"Look, the virus is a last resort, guys, and something we could implement after we've rescued our fearless leader. Our priority is gettin' Optimus back in one piece and the disks might be enough in exchange for his life. ...If we ain't too late. No offense, Banban, but you just got here. Dis ain't exactly an attempted assassination, it's a hostage situation with our highest ranking officer who's been nothin' but a constant nuisance to one of the worst and most ruthless Predacons ever since we crashed here. We gotta approach it delicately 'cause we're only gonna get one shot at dis. One slip up and dey're gonna kill Optimus, defeat us, and take the disks. Our ship's computer has everythin' logged up ta date on all of 'em except the two newbies."

She heaved a sigh, nodding in agreement then walked towards the computers, checking the reports of her "teammates".

Come on, I'll show you around the armory and get you re-armed.

She turned around and smiled and the young one, "Thank you for the offer Cheetor but I know my way around this place. Get yourself prepared or maybe take a break from our earlier shindig."

As Wintersong patiently waited Rattrap was the one to answer, and she couldn't imagine that everything that transpired would be this grim. Her optics widened slightly upon hearing Optimus and this Nexus person, whoever he was, to be captured and Cheetor and Banshee certainly were some lucky bots that was for sure. But this definitely proved she had missed more then she realized and with these new Predacons, especially the shapeshifter, that meant more trouble for them. But who would have thought Nemesis would be helping them to get back at possibly Nexus and the two other Preds. Not to mention a nasty virus which she definitely was not so keen to become infected with.

This day certainly couldn't get any worse, hopefully. For the time being as Wintersong mulled over everything she listened to the exchanged going on as they planned what to do. And at this rate she wouldn't mind trying to do something to get Optimus out of the clutches of their enemies. "Well, at this point any plan is better then none. Just direct me to where to strike next." Wintersong said, eager to get back into the fight but chuckled at Cheetor's sheepish response of only being on his third life. "I think I'm on number five by now." She admitted jokingly, but she probably was on further then that since her recklessness earlier in the war and her bad luck had been at play. Hopefully that would change...eventually.

Her attention though was soon drawn away from Aurora, Nemesis, and Whitegrazer's arrival along with the honey badger she knew well. Smiling a bit towards Ironclaw she gave him a soft smile in greeting before glancing at the others, ready to go when they were.

(ooc: Ugh.. Sorry for delay. I was essentially comatose yesterday after a whoopin' 18 hour shift on Thursday and then not nearly enough sleep overnight.)

"Maybe, depending on how long you stay, I can prove you wrong in that statement."

Nemesis briefly glanced at the other female as she let out an exasperated sigh. Was this Maximal ever going to give up her futile quest? What was her game anyway, offering a chance at redemption to someone who had taken so many lives? Annoyed, Nemesis spread her wings apart enough to push into the other female as she forced her way by her, the other female's gaze making her uncomfortable. Brief flashes of the tip of a sword resting against an exposed spark occupied her mind, a deep, penetrating, and quite sickening feeling of vulnerability left a foul taste in her mouth. Even though she managed to maintain a calm demeanor in the presence of this Maximal, on the inside her thoughts and emotions regarding this female were in turmoil. If anything Nemesis felt like finishing what she had started that faithful moment and had not been able to finish and for that brief nanoclick or two it took every bit of self-constraint Nemesis possessed not to plunge her sai into the female's chest.

"Don't waste your time trying," Nemesis snorted back just as Aurora took off down the hallway again. What were these Maximals high on anyway, running from one place to the next like they were on some treasure hunt or something? As she turned back to Whitegrazer, she took note of the painful expression on the mare's face and could only assume something was going on at the Predacon base. Oh how she wished she could see it for herself..

"Nemesis, we were correct in our assumptions that Darkwind is a shapeshifter."

Nemesis shrugged at that statement, pretending not to be phased by the now almost confirmed assumption about Darkwind's abilities. Truthfully, though, this possibility-turned-fact was a lot more troubling than she cared to admit. She already knew that Darkwind had her ability to heal himself, that much had been made evident during their brief spat in the field, but the very thought that the deceptive bastard was capable of controlling the nanotechnology they had implanted within him and use it to modify his appearance was unsettling at best.. At worst it had the potential to make Darkwind the most dangerous foe any of them had ever been up against. What, exactly, were the limitations of his abilities? Did he have any? Well, of course he did or he wouldn't have to play this game with them. Still his powers evidently surpassed her own, a fact that really hurt her pride.

"So he is at the Darksyde now then, in Optimus' presence,"

Nemesis responded matter-of-factly but her voice remained calm even though her hands were balling into fists as her anger levels started rising.

"Aurora, Ironclaw, I have Sonar secured again,"

The fuzor had barely even rounded the corner when Rhinox' reassuring message came through. Ironclaw had already passed by her and continued on, as was certainly not a problem for someone so much taller than her. In fact the badger's transmetal upgrade had left him as the second tallest of all the Maximals, but given the fact he never really transformed she still didn't know what other upgrades he had been given as well. Most of the Maximals had changed as a result of the quantum surge that hit them, leaving only a few of them unaffected. Aurora briefly wondered how such a change would have affected her, given her diminutive size and unique combination of animal modes. In a way Aurora felt blessed, to be honest, since she had never had her alternative form thrust upon her but had instead been given the opportunity to select her own. Still part of her was a little curious about what it was like being a transmetal since she'd not been given the chance to explore it for herself.

Slowing to a stop just before reaching the corner, Aurora felt both relieved that the imminent danger was over for now but also a bit annoyed because there was no telling when another attack would occur and put them all in danger again. She honestly didn't know if they'd even be able to stop this virus or merely slow down its effects, but regardless she had no choice but to try.

"Okay, we'll be right there," Aurora replied to Rhinox before glancing down the hallway to see Ironclaw frozen in his tracks, as if mesmerized by Wintersong's presence. Aurora hadn't seen the white tigress for a while and gave her a quick nod and smile from down the hall, not that she expected the other female to notice her with the male standing between them. "Well, make that Whitegrazer and myself.. I suppose Nemesis can tag along too. But I think Ironclaw is otherwise preoccupied at the moment," she added. She then returned to the lab and made her way inside. Nemesis followed, if a bit grudgingly, since she couldn't help be a bit curious what the fuzor intended to do with that sample she had collected from her. Once inside, Aurora hurried over to the other side of the lab so she could analyze the sample so she could perhaps extract and multiply whatever traits the Predacon's mech fluid sample contained that supposedly made her immune to the effects of the virus. Nemesis, on the other hand, turned her attention to her fellow Predacon, Sonar, who did not look to be in very good shape right now.

"So you've been partying with the Maximals all this time?," she asked with a slight smirk.

Aurora stared at Optimus with wide, frightened optics, flinching ever so little every time Megatron slid his hand over her furry head. Her ears lay flat and she almost sounded like she was barely able to hold back a half-choked gasp. Indeed, Zodiac was putting on a great show, easily proven by Megatron's ever widening grin and more so by the utter devastation clearly visible on Primal's face. In fact this was the first time during his time with Optimus that he had seen the Maximal commander so anguished, so completely broken, and Zodiac was loving it. His job came with many perks and could be very rewarding at times, especially when he got to wreck havoc with someone's mind and emotions like this. Seeing Optimus in tears, so lost, was truly beautiful.

"Darkwind."

Aurora tilted her head in confusion, ears immediately perking up a bit in surprise. Optimus was staring directly at them, apparently having recaptured some of his normally calm state of mind. There was still confusion on his face, but also determination and relief. Optimus' reveal had been quite surprising, yet mere moments before the Maximal had been on the verge of giving up his deepest secrets to spare the life of his friend.. of her. What gave it away?

The ermine felt Megatron's grip on her neck tighten ever so slightly, forcing a genuine squirm out of the fuzor. "Optimus..?," she asked hesitantly, in that same sweet, childish voice of the fuzor.

"Interesting choice of access code Primal, though I suppose its more clever than simply "password."

Whereas Zodiac maintained the perfect image of a frightened youngster pleading for help, his mind was racing as he thought back to all the time he had spent with Primal and if anything he had said or done could have lead the Maximal to such a conclusion. And he came up empty. There was absolutely nothing he had done that could have alerted him of the fact. Primal had called him out by the name Darkwind, though, someone he had never even met. Nemesis had shown up at the Maximal base shortly before their departure from there and had accused Darkwind of her troubles, but there was still nothing that could have given him away in this form. No, nothing could have alerted the Maximal, but perhaps someone did.

"No. That... That isn't Aurora."

The fuzor's optics narrowed ever so slightly at those words and she watched as Optimus forced himself back to his feet, his strength inexplicably having returned to him. Well, there was hardly any point to keeping up the charade now as Primal's conviction on this was set in stone. Aurora's optics locked with Optimus, the fright having faded away for both of them, until Optimus' eyes wandered over to Megatron's instead. His voice sounded a lot more confident as he spoke up again.

"I told you... I told you you haven't thought... of everything,"

Zodiac had gone into this mission without very negative feelings towards his prey. Hatred was such a powerful emotion, one that could so very easily interfere with the goals he was trying to accomplish here. But at this very moment, for the first time, he actually felt something resembling hate towards his Maximal foe. Primal was supposed to be defeated, to be a groveling mess right about now, and yet.. he was not. It was infuriating at best. Yet Aurora kept her cool, for now, instead focusing on trying to figure out what could have revealed the truth to Primal.

It didn't take long before a female voice came back to him, a little fuzzy at first but it soon cleared up in his head. The voice had delivered a warning to Nexus of someone she couldn't possibly have seen being present.

Whitegrazer wrote: "Someone else is here."

Intriguing.. Zodiac hadn't really taken this into account before as he'd been a lot more preoccupied with everything else that had been going on, and Whitegrazer had seemed fairly harmless at the time.

Whitegrazer wrote:"Does Darkwind sound familar to you, Nexus?"

Harmless indeed..

He suddenly remembered the look on Optimus' face when the white mare had approached him, the way he eased up with a mere glance from her.

I sense nothing but truth in Nemesis

A Maximal with telepathic abilities, how very.. quaint. And that certainly explained a thing or two. Zodiac was just upset with himself for not realizing it sooner so that he wouldn't have wasted this glorious opportunity he had just witnessed going down the pit. Well.. Perhaps he could still salvage something from this.

"Very well, Optimus," he said in an almost eerily calm tone, still in Aurora's voice and appearance as he started closing the gap between the two of them. "If you don't wish to play my little game, I might just have to force you."

((OOC: Oooooooooooooooo Tarantulas, you creepy spider. XD And I love the reactions towards Optimus's change in demeanor! Yeah! Glad to see Wintersong has come back! YAY! And oh, Nemesis, Whitegrazer isn't going to give up.

I will have my post tomorrow for Whitegrazer at least. Phoenix, I did have Whitegrazer say something else to Nemesis at the end of my last post. Did you miss it or was it the intent of Nemesis to ignore it? Just wanted to make sure. I can't wait to see how Zodiac's reaction! ))

(ooc: Post has been updated. And I readded my response to Whitegrazer's final comment too. I had accidentally left it out when I moved parts of my post around a bit.)

((OOC: It's cool! I do that too sometimes. Oooooo! What is Zodiac going to do? ))

Phoenix wrote:"Don't waste your time trying,"

Whitegrazer just let Nemesis push right past her, smiling as she watched the female walk towards the bridge. I don't easily give up on people, Nemesis. You are going to grow to realize that. She then started walking. There was a time when it was her who had pushed someone away. Angry. Violent. Just wanted to have people let her be and let her do a duty she had grown accustomed to over decades and decades. She really wasn't a nice person back then. But her past self soon grew and realized that there was more to life than killing and harm.

She closed her optics for a moment, feeling strength being relifted to Optimus... and herself. It was relaxing and relieving that Optimus had something they couldn't take away. And even if they did, she will fight nut and bolt to keep them from tearing it away.

Phoenix wrote:"So he is at the Darksyde now then, in Optimus' presence,"

She nodded when she caught up to Nemesis' side, watching her balling her fists, "Maybe you will be able to confront this bot soon and get the answers you seek. Whatever they may be."

When they got to the bridge, Rattrap, Banshee, Landslide, and Dinobot were still discuss the plan. She did feel uneasy in putting up the disks to ransom both Optimus and Nexus back, but disks could be recoverable. Lives couldn't. She noticed Ironclaw watching over Wintersong. Wintersong came out. She looked refreshed and ready to go. She smiled with a warmth and contentment, "It's good to see you are back on your feet, Wintersong. "

She opened her mouth. She wanted to tell Ironclaw. Tell him what had gone on between Steelclaw and her. Ease this tension. But she wanted them alone to protect Steelclaw's identity. Steelclaw, she still wondered what happened to him. Where was he? Was there still a point in what she did? Did it matter anymore now? Questions were still unanswered, so she rather be safe than sorry. Though, as always, as she watched Aurora make a beeline back to the lab, her duty came first and discussions were later. Always later. She sighed to herself and followed Nemesis and Aurora.

Phoenix wrote:"So you've been partying with the Maximals all this time?,"

Once she entered the lab along with those two, she smiled at Rhinox. He seemed to be fighting the effects of the virus very well. Better than Sonar was. But since they were here, hopefully, they will be able to help in any capacity. Though, Rhinox, Aurora, and Sonar were the three who were in their element here. She was more of a spiritual healer than the healing they were focusing on. Of course, if she had her abilities at full, she would be able to. But all she could do was help with what little she could give. And that was okay.

No, it is not okay! If you had what you had in the past, you wouldn't be so... limited. Don't worry, though, I will soon change that!

TyCross, it's all right. You made a mistake. You are not infallible.

No, don't give me that. I never could let that go. But soon, I will show you and give it back to... no, you will regain it back yourself

TyCross?

She was worried about what her master was saying. He almost sounded maniac, but he always did. Well, when his emotions were on overdrive. She hoped he will give himself some space.

She shook her head to get herself back at the task at hand, looking at Aurora, Rhinox, and Sonar, "Nemesis and I will offer any assistance any way we can," she looked at Nemesis, "Won't we?" she smiled inwardly when she waited for the response.

Whitegrazer, keep yourself prepared. I fear Optimus would need your spiritual healing and abilities in optimal condition.

What's going on?

I can't say! But all I can tell you is, be ready...for anything. And do what must be done in order to keep Optimus from letting those monsters win!

TyCross' warning towards her made her dread, but she swiped it away. No matter what happens, she will do whatever it took to make sure Optimus stayed alive and calm. Even if it meant she had to be strain on her spark. She wasn't going to allow any of those Predacons to win.

Naitokage wrote: Umbra turned as one of his tentacles brought up Waspinator's head and examined it He appears to be in stasis lock.

"Ugh, well, at least some things around here haven't changed" Terrorsaur grumbled, shaking his head at his comatose partner.

Naitokage wrote:
Umbra's optic raises Er.. well, from reading the combat reports left over by the previous Sub commander.. Glowstick I believe his name was, he did note some unusual feeding habits of hers.. including draining energon from the scientist Sonar to have enough energy to blast at the maximal titan Ocariner.. further more she did make unusual noises from her quarters at night.. and if you've seen the room.. it's a bit of a stye filled with torn up garbage and blood smeared on the walls.. Documents also stated you two had a flirtatious relationship.. but I suppose nothing was brought to light of that if you don't know anything.. As it stands with Glowstick and Cecaelia dead, our only lead as to what miss Starshadow is.. currently lies with the bat we just released to the Maximals.

"Typical, its always something like that isn't it? Primus forbid anything be simple for us" Terrorsaur growled, his mood getting worse by the second, made worse by Umbra's mention of his past flirtatious relationship with Starshadow, its not like he was bonded to that freak or anything!

Wintersong wrote:
While she waited she ran a full systems diagnostic, triple checking to be certain her systems were fully functional and after a few minutes she was satisfied fully that nothing else was still wrong from Frilla's Electro Scrambler. Though it wasn't long before Umbra was arriving with the likes of Terrorsaur, Quickstrike, and Waspinator, the former Decepticon noting that the wasp Transmetal had seen better days, but then again she had heard hear and there that among the crew Waspinator had the worse of luck, rotten probably best describing it. "Seems compared to those two this shouldn't take long. Least long as he doesn't squirm so much, then I just might have to put him to sleep the old fashioned way." Spineback stated as she took out some of her medical tools rolling her optics at Terrorsaur's annoyance of her lateness to return. "You get hit with a shot or two of an Electro Scrambler and let's see how your flying goes bird brain. Sure your fancy aerial navigational systems wouldn't be so helpful then now would they?" She remarked in return calmly as she came to Terrorsaur, seeing he likely would be the easiest to repair. But if she had been repairing the other two downed mechs they might take much longer.

"Don't even try it Doc, you can't imagine half the slag I've lived through on this wretched rock of a planet" Terrorsaur hissed in response to Spineback's threats, but grudgingly allowing her to examine him as they made their way inside and walked down the halls, eager to reach the CR Tanks, the predacon certain all he needed was a quick dip in the CR Tank to recover anyway.

Wintersong wrote:
"Now hold still you featherless airhead, I'm not above knocking your sorry processor out long enough so I can make these repairs then repair the dent to your helm afterwards." She said in a rather stern voice, though there was certainly an edge of seriousness to her threat as she went to making the repairs to Terrosaur's armor, shaking her head at the damage. "Hm, and here I thought transmetals were tougher then us non-transmetals, but guess even with alien technological upgrades you can be as vulnerable as a sparkling given the right amount of power." She commented, partly to herself.

"Hey! You try fighting a slagging vampire and falling from midair into volcanic rock and see how your armor looks afterwards! And YES, we DO have one of those on the loose now, welcome to Planet Weird" Terrorsaur spat back, clenching his fists and baring his fangs in anger, eyes blazing at the thought of Starshadow.

OOP wrote: Optimus squinted a little, unable to determine if Megatron recognized the name or not. For all he knew, Megatron might have thought that it really was Aurora and not an imitator. Or he did know and was just playing along. Shaking his damaged head lightly, Primal said, "No. That... That isn't Aurora." And then, to taunt the Predacon leader and the impostor, a very small smile started to tug at the corner of his wounded mouth. The tears had since stopped falling from his orange optics and his posture grew a little taller as he painfully straightened his back with a groan. He obviously knew this was a trick but how? None of them would know. "I told you... I told you you haven't thought... of everything," he said, confidently locking his optics with Megatron's.

Megatron wanted to shoot that growing smile right off Primal's face in that moment, furious that the feeble ape had seen through their ruse or somehow suspected all wasn't as it appeared, WHICH SHOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE! His handling of "Aurora" became rougher, partly out of rage and partly in an attempt to make Primal doubt his suspicions.

However, he would not be the one to give away this deception, so instead he redirected his ire towards the spiders, something he loved to do anyway, and snarled "What exactly did you spiders do to him? He's delusional, more so than usual! How am I to extract any reliable intel from him when he's spouting nonsense such as this?!"

Tarantulas, as Megatron hoped he would to make the act appear more genuine, became indignant and retorted "I did nothing you yourself didn't authorize Megatron, its not my fault the mammal couldn't take it!"

"Yessss, I'm sure you did nothing I would not have approved of" Megatron replied coldly, glaring back at the spider, who wisely took a few steps back as the transmetal tyrant stared him down.

Phoenix wrote: A Maximal with telepathic abilities, how very.. quaint. And that certainly explained a thing or two. Zodiac was just upset with himself for not realizing it sooner so that he wouldn't have wasted this glorious opportunity he had just witnessed going down the pit. Well.. Perhaps he could still salvage something from this.

"Very well, Optimus," he said in an almost eerily calm tone, still in Aurora's voice and appearance as he started closing the gap between the two of them. "If you don't wish to play my little game, I might just have to force you."

Megatron growled as Zodiac hopped out of his grasp and more or less gave himself away despite remaining in Aurora's form and keeping her voice.

"Sigh, well so much for your performance, what in blazes gave you away?" Megatron inquired impatiently, annoyed by this development and wishing to get this over with so he could move on to finish off the last of his enemies and begin his conquest of Cybertron.

Terrorsaur wrote:"Typical, its always something like that isn't it? Primus forbid anything be simple for us"

Spineback wrote:"Seems compared to those two this shouldn't take long. Least long as he doesn't squirm so much, then I just might have to put him to sleep the old fashioned way."

Terrorsaur wrote:"Don't even try it Doc, you can't imagine half the slag I've lived through on this wretched rock of a planet"

Spineback wrote:"You get hit with a shot or two of an Electro Scrambler and let's see how your flying goes bird brain. Sure your fancy aerial navigational systems wouldn't be so helpful then now would they?"

Terrorsaur wrote:"Hey! You try fighting a slagging vampire and falling from midair into volcanic rock and see how your armor looks afterwards! And YES, we DO have one of those on the loose now, welcome to Planet Weird"

Umbra loaded Waspinator's parts and Quickstrke into the CR tanks as he observed Terrorsaur and Spineback arguing. He looked up tilting his head slightly Perhaps it's just my programming.. but.. should you two be bickering at a time like this? While we have the Maximal commander as our prisoner.. but we have lost allies reducing our combat strength considerably. As it stands, you and Inferno are our only active fliers left Terrorsaur. We may have gained some new troops from your prisoners, but that doesn't necessarily mean we understand their full potential strengths either..

Umbra then walked over to Terrorsaur and Spineback. Unfortunately we don't have enough CR tanks for repairing more crew members.. this may be something to rectify in the future.. but for now just bear with it... Umbra then sat down on a box, in the light his wounded side could be easily seen showing some of his internal workings, though Umbra wasn't bothered even from running 3 missions in a day. He was used to it. He rubbed his chin as started to think about the vampire. Though.. it is interesting that she is a vampire.. She can't be a "dedicated" vampire as we'd of had more reports of her consuming mech fluid often..As well as how inefficient that would be.. specially with how much energy Starshadow can throw around. In the past.. I have taken on some with similar draining capabilities.. however they didn't have such unusual mandibles. Normally a method like that would be used to compensate for high energy expenditure.. For instance like a flier using external fuel tanks to increase their flight range. The Spiders took some samples of her,so I suppose we'll have to wait and see from those tests but..

Umbra's leg compartment opened as he pulled out a small computer device, typing into it he then held up the screen showing a security image of Starshadow in the hallway with her mandibles exposed in a ghastly manner. Have you seen anything like this in your years Doctor?

(( OOC: NK, we can just leave 'Bolt out of this episode. And possibly ther est of the game unless someone else wants to take him under their wing. Warwulf has been gone long enough on his own RL adventures that we either leave his characters behind or someone takes control of them because I don't see him coming back any time soon if ever. ))

"Optimus..?,"

Primal simply stared at "Aurora" and Megatron, unconvinced of this act despite this impostor's continued attempt to make him doubt himself because he trusted Whitegrazer, his light smile fading away, waiting to get on with what was next for him. He was getting tired of standing there, weakened and exhausted.

"What exactly did you spiders do to him? He's delusional, more so than usual! How am I to extract any reliable intel from him when he's spouting nonsense such as this?!"

"I did nothing you yourself didn't authorize Megatron, its not my fault the mammal couldn't take it!"

"Yessss, I'm sure you did nothing I would not have approved of"

The Maximal's gaze slowly leaped back and forth between Megatron and Tarantulas, remaining silent except for his raspy breathing.

"Very well, Optimus," "If you don't wish to play my little game, I might just have to force you."

His orange optics darted to the fake Fuzor as "she" left the Predacon leader's grasp and began walking toward him. Optimus cautiously took a step backwards along the wall, glaring at the impersonator and uncertain as to what "she" was going to do next. "Where's Nexus?" he inquired as a distraction, but also wanting to know what had happened to his mentor. As convincing as this bot's act was, he couldn't help but wonder how "she" would have known Aurora so well to have pulled off such an accurate and flawless impersonation of the young Maximal. ...It sort of frightened him. Whoever this was had obviously spent time around the real Aurora he cared so much about and knew how it would effect him. Which meant "she" probably had been around the other Maximals, too. ...Darkwind... Had it not been for Whitegrazer, he would have easily fallen for this trick because it was so believable, especially in his worn condition, and he would given them all his secrets.

"Sigh, well so much for your performance, what in blazes gave you away?"

"I thought... you... were running this... show, Megatron," Primal mentioned seeing as though this "Aurora" was taking matters into "her" own hands right now, much like Tarantulas was about to do earlier. And, of course, Megatron opposed anyone who threatened to step on his toes and over power him. "It's no secret... how... disorganized your crew... is," the Maximal Commander started to taunt the t-rex between breaths and through his bent teeth. "I'd be more... than happy... to... give you some... helpful advice... on successful management... and teamwork." The ape's words may or may not a hit a nerve with his long-time nemesis; he hoped they would. After all, it was no secret how well his Maximals worked together and stopped Megatron every single time. Meanwhile, Optimus felt Whitegrazer's distractions but it didn't matter right now since his new Predacon "friends" were merely conversing with him. It wouldn't last long but it was a nice break from the torturous energy bonds, kicks and punches.

-----

Just call it a bonus.

"Oh. Okay!" Rattrap happily agreed.

"Well, at this point any plan is better then none. Just direct me to where to strike next."

"I might have ya on a flank, Winter, considerin' you're pretty stealthy and can sneak up on somebody for an ambush."

... Might be three now..

"I think I'm on number five by now."

"Stop countin'! It ain't a competition," the rodent lightly scolded Cheetor and Wintersong.

Dun worry about it lad. You just need ta slow down a wee bit.

Ugh, you have no idea, Landslide, he thought.

Noted.. Chainsword to the gut it is.

Rattrap blinked up at the beetle from his seat. "You know I was kiddin', right?" He couldn't tell, but just to clarify things, he made sure Landslide knew that he wasn't being serious about Darkwind's death, despite how much he'd probably deserve it. But he had to ask himself, WWOD?

Aye, I can haul Optimus away safely, even have Aurora in the back patchin' him up on the way home..

"Exactly," Rattrap agreed. "'Cause he's gonna need immediate medical attention."

Not so sure on the swoop in part.. Not exactly the fastest after all lad, but I can probably accompany you if Megatron is that desperate fer the disks..

"Eh... I was speakin' metaphorically." The Spy-turned-Commander knew Landslide wasn't very fast but since he was one of the few last on their team that could fly, he figured the word "swoop" would explain what he was looking for; a flier with the ability to take heavy hits and jump in to grab their fearless leader.

"Dinobot, I hate to argue but it seems you're not willing to take risks. I said..the assault team should not carry any weapons that are infected with the virus.

Rattrap blinked at Banshee and looked at Dinobot.

Optimus is in the hands of the Predacons because of my failure!

"Thaaat's debatable but we ain't gonna waste time pointin' fingers," he said, putting an end to any arguments with her confession from Ironclaw and Dinobot.

Giving the disks won't solve anything!" "Risks...must be taken...otherwise, you won't get anywhere. There might be a small chance that we may succeed, even if Megatron goes berserk or not."

"The disks are all we got right now," Rattrap told Banshee calmly. "Besides all of us surrendering, it's the only thing valuable ta Megadump, an' we'll be lucky if he actually accepts a trade with them fer Optimus. I mean, we all know how badly he wants ta kill the monkey. ...Again. So we gotta use 'em before it's too late. We can always try gettin' dem back later, but if we lose Optimus this time, we won't be gettin' him back." He failed to realize that Banshee probably had no idea what he was talking about. Well, she could read up on it in the ship's logs of events. "We're not gonna use the virus at all if Aurora can't figure out a cure for it."

"But there's no need-"

"Cure first, infect Preds later," he finalized.

"Nightstar is Starshadow's true name. She is the leader of a massive terrorist organization called Hellfang.

"A leader?" the rodent repeated and then burst out in laughter. He couldn't even imagine. She was so insane! "Yeah right!" He suddenly fell silent as Banshee went on to explain more. He remembered reading about Hellfang back on Cybertron. So, Starshadow is Nightstar. Why the disguise? he pondered

I was almost killed by them during my undercover mission. Somehow years later, her organization was crumbled to nothing, leaving only few members alive on Cybertron and was imprisoned for the rest of her life but there were rumors that she escaped after the great massacre on Colony Omicron. She does not deserve a lifetime imprisonment. She deserves a swift death."

"Huh. So you two got a history together?" he inquired curiously.

"a psychologist."

"Right. You figure out a way ta get inside Megatron's mind, let us know. But you haven't been dealin' with him an' his thugs fer as long as we have, so you might wanna take a back seat and start studyin'." It wasn't that he didn't value her input, so Rattrap meant that as a wise recommendation because it was a tactical advantage to know one's enemies and their weapons, and he wanted her to start learning about them and her new comrades in arms before the showdown. "We're gonna need everybody on your toes and ready ta go." He was on the verge of giving Megatron a call but he had to wait and make sure that their miracle-worker-in-training could find a cure, not just for Rhinox and wherever Saber-Fang was, but for Optimus, too.

Come on, I'll show you around the armory and get you re-armed.

"Thank you for the offer Cheetor but I know my way around this place. Get yourself prepared or maybe take a break from our earlier shindig."

"Actually, kid, could you grab me one o' my spare hubcaps? I'd feel a lot better if I had both an' not just de one," he pointed over his shoulders to his missing red, shiny wheel cap. They did come in handy for him many times.

-----

"Okay, we'll be right there," "Well, make that Whitegrazer and myself.. I suppose Nemesis can tag along too. But I think Ironclaw is otherwise preoccupied at the moment,"

What could Ironclaw possibly be preoccupied with now when he was supposed to be guarding the door? Well, maybe Aurora had directed him elsewhere since Rhinox had Sonar under control. At least for the time being. For that matter, he though Aurora and Nemesis had been right outside the door anyway. He remembered hearing their voices. Where had they gone? The engineer patiently waited for their return as he stood beside Sonar strapped to the cot, but he didn't have to wait long when three of them, Aurora, Whitegrazer and Nemesis entered the medical bay.

"Just stay clear of this puddle here," he pointed out with his index finger toward the floor by his feet. ...Or at least in the general direction since he was looking a little cross-eyed at the moment. "Sonar bit himself. It could be contagious."

"So you've been partying with the Maximals all this time?,"

Rhinox looked from Nemesis to Sonar. At least she had a sense of humor, albeit usually dark and twisted, but she was still dangerous, so he kept a close eye on her as she followed Aurora and the mare followed them both at the tail end. Big Green had smiled at Whitegrazer upon her arrival as she did to him, but it was quickly replaced by concern as he observed her silent distractions.

"Whitegrazer," Rhinox began with worry. "How is Optimus?"

Rattrap wrote:"You know I was kiddin', right?" "Exactly," "'Cause he's gonna need immediate medical attention."
"Eh... I was speakin' metaphorically."

Landslide gave a nod Ofcourse you were kidding. I may look a bit intimidating, but I'd rather not be loppin' preds apart if I can avoid it.

Banshee wrote:"Thank you for the offer Cheetor but I know my way around this place. Get yourself prepared or maybe take a break from our earlier shindig."

Rattrap wrote:"Actually, kid, could you grab me one o' my spare hubcaps? I'd feel a lot better if I had both an' not just de one,"

Cheetor gave a nod and waved his arm to Rattrap Sure thing! he then walked away towards Rattrap's room, which came to a bit of a surprise to Cheetor as he came across Orcariner still unconscious through the wall of Rattrap's quarters near a corner. Sliding the door open Cheetor quietly stepped past Orcariner as he made certain not to touch him as he made it to the other side of the room, picking up the hubcap/buckler hanging on the wall, then made his way carefully again past Orcariner heading out into the hall towards the bridge.

Cheetor handed the hubcap to Rattrap I hope that cure is made soon.. your room is a wreck more so then unusual and Big O is sleeping in the middle of it.

Dirge was about continue following the escaping Predacon when his newly recovered master recalled him. He disengaged from his target and turned around to mark his way back into the base. Not that he realised it but the task below him, to aprehend a crazed poor excuse for a Predacon. The other unworthy combatants would handle the situation, besides it was unlikely that Dirge could have brought her down without completely destroying her. He slowly thudded back through he ship to his master ready to receive his next orders. One of his priorities was to select an alternative form, he had yet to do that.

Ironclaw was fixated for a moment when Wintersong emerged from the CR chamber. He barely noticed the conversation going on near him, but then Rhinox called over the com which he did notice. However the badger was still looking over to the white tigress, she gave him a smile and then got involved with the others. At that point Ironclaw had realised what Rhinox had actually said and then thought about Aurora. He turned around to look down and empty hallway. It concerned him slightly, she was down there with two Predacons. He had to go back for her at some point. For now he moved over to the others knowing that he may have drawn attention to himself. He stood behind one of the chairs at the centre table with his hands resting on the head rest. He gave one last look at Wintersonh then stood in silence.

Megatron wrote:"Sigh, well so much for your performance, what in blazes gave you away?"

Zodiac wasn't really phased by the disappointment in Megatron's voice nor did he reply to his question with more than a slight shrug of his shoulders.

The question wasn't so much what but rather who had given him away. Of course he couldn't say anything about it in Optimus' presence, given the fact that if the Maximal did indeed have a telepathic link with one of his friends, chances were that the link allowed the telepath to read his thoughts and emotions as well. True telepaths were exceedingly rare, almost unheard of, but once in a while they did surface. Kind of like true shapeshifters, an individual with those kind of powers were often looked upon with confusion and sometimes dread since others had trouble understanding them. In turn the empowered individual would often seclude themselves, hide their abilities from all but those few closest to them. As was surely the case here.

Aurora tilted her head ever so slightly as Optimus backed away until the nearby wall prevent him from moving any further, intense green optics studying the Maximal's every move.

"Where's Nexus?"

The voice revealed a great concern for his mentor, extracting a puzzling smile from the smaller fuzor.

"Your aging companion, you mean? Oh you'd be proud of the sentimental fool. Even near death he refuses to give up on your kind. Oh well, his loss I suppose."


Even in Aurora's voice, the words sounded cold, calculating, spiteful, and still held some truth to them. Indeed, the real Nexus did stay loyal to the very end. Of course that was something Primal did not need to know about just yet. Zodiac wasn't one to give away his trump cards, especially since Nexus could still be useful.

"I thought... you... were running this... show, Megatron,"

Not surprisingly Optimus now turned to the only weapon he still had at his disposal.. His words. Zodiac trusted the Predacon commander to be stronger than to fall for such a puny attempt at causing disarray. Not that he felt inferior to the tyrant, not at all. If there was anything Zodiac had an abundance of, it was self-esteem. And for good reason. So Primal's pathetic and ultimately futile insult towards the Predacon leader would mean absolutely nothing in the end.

"It's no secret... how... disorganized your crew... is," the Maximal Commander started to taunt the t-rex between breaths and through his bent teeth. "I'd be more... than happy... to... give you some... helpful advice... on successful management... and teamwork."

That last one almost caused the fuzor to bust out laughing. It was true that he hadn't had much time available to study the movements of the remaining Maximals on their own cameras, but the little he had seen had hardly impressed him.

"Oh ever the blind one," the pretender said with a light chuckle as he took a step closer still, "Allow me to give you some advice on knowing your place."

He then suddenly brought a powerful fist straight into the wounded Maximal's abdomen, making it obvious that he possessed a great deal more strength than the real Aurora did. He would have aimed higher, but the midsection was as high as he could reach in this form. With a smugness visible on his face that was unheard of in the original fuzor, he took a step back and watched the Maximal stumble.

Without taking his optics off Primal, he then addressed Megatron.

"There is some urgent business I need to tend to. A full report will be available on your private console. I trust you will keep our guest entertained in the meanwhile? " The fuzor finally turned towards the tyrant, smiling a bit as he gave a quick, courteous nod. "Have fun."

With those words he turned his back and headed out the room, his form starting to shift to the familiar shape of Terrorsaur. He chose this form because it would allow him to move about without arousing suspicion, he didn't exactly feel like explaining who he was to those that hadn't seen in his real form, and given the recent fallout of a couple of the other Predacons he didn't exactly have an indefinite amount of them to pick between. The door closed behind him just as the final details shifted into place, yet he kept his regular voice as he opened his channel to Night Terror.

"Enjoying your newfound freedom? Well. Time to head out. We have a prior engagement to attend to, so if you could gather our oversized friend and meet me outside the base.."

(ooc: I'll post for Nem and Aurora tomorrow. Giving Sonar a chance to catch up.)

Optimal Optimus Primal wrote:"Unfortunate... for you since... it would have... been the only... kind... you could have... ever found,"

She narrowed her optics towards the sassy ape. Everything can be brought. Well, except loyalty in Inferno's case. What did she need of love? Love was more destructive than Optimus might care to admit. Love to a Predacon was giving your spark to a person and watching as they squeezed it. Squeezed it until there was nothing left of the individual but to surrender themselves. Maximal saw as a beautiful thing. Fools.

"Well Primal, how about you show me your sincerity by giving me the access codes to Sentinel? As well as any files or portions of your ship's systems which may not be under Sentinel's influence, hmm? A fair trade for the continued well being of this precious ball of fluff wouldn't you say? Yesssss"

"Please," "Please stop this.. Just let him be!" "Don't.." "Don't.."

Blackarachnia was eagering waiting for Optimus to spill the beans, "Well, well, well, you are not so tough after all, are you Optimus? I can't wait to see the Maximals' faces when we pay them a visit." She smirked. She actually couldn't believe it how this was going. Part of her wanted to see Megatron crush that little Maximal's throat just to see if Optimus would break. Was this it? Was this truly the end of the Beast Wars? Optimus giving them what they wanted? HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! Why didn't they do this sooner?!

"Darkwind."

When he said the name Darkwind, there seemed to be a glimmer of a smile in his optics, she widened her optics. What? Maybe she had spoken too soon.

"What exactly did you spiders do to him? He's delusional, more so than usual! How am I to extract any reliable intel from him when he's spouting nonsense such as this?!"

What the slag was going on? Optimus was submitting one second and defiant the next! Could he really be delusional or was this all a front. Was he hiding something?

What the little Maximal said next peaked her attention.

"Very well, Optimus," he said in an almost eerily calm tone, still in Aurora's voice and appearance as he started closing the gap between the two of them. "If you don't wish to play my little game, I might just have to force you.'

"Sigh, well so much for your performance, what in blazes gave you away?" Megatron inquired impatiently, annoyed by this development and wishing to get this over with so he could move on to finish off the last of his enemies and begin his conquest of Cybertron.

So this really wasn't a Maximal after all? Who was it then? All she knew none of the Predacons were shapeshifters. Only weird thing she saw was Starshadow. She still shivered at the sight. Then the new person most be a new recruit, but when did he come in here? And that still didn't explained how Optimus knew that was Aurora unless... Oh the Pit do tell her. Did no one actually check to see if Optimus wasn't bugged or anything.

"Are you sure you didn't miss something when you bought him and his old companion here?" She asked towards Megatron and Tarantulas.

It had to be that. Anything else was nonsense or delusions.