The Intergalactic Highway

OOC: Hope this post checks out with everyone, I'll be away this weekend at a bachelor party for my soon to be brother in law, so probably won't be able to post again til Monday. See then gang

As the missles came flying towards her, Banshee's optics were widened as she could not react quickly enough to avoid them. Once she stopped her sonic cry, the missles came in contact with her, exploding on her which sent her flying to a tree. Her body slid down to the ground, her armor burnt and damaged, her fur from white to gray and black with a strong scent of smoke, her wing membranes torn and tattered. She was grounded. The cybervenom that was "given" to her earlier just made it worse as her wing mechanism went offline and one of her optics went glitchy. She could feel that it was starting to affect one of her legs, the pain on her body was starting to increase and her breathing was affected. Banshee glared at the spider mech while she sat on the ground, defenseless. Was she going to die just after finding her crew member? Probably so.


((OOC: Tarantulas shall be pleaaaassseeddd! Banshee didn't set her cry's frequency to mess with the missles so yeah...feel free to do stuff to her. Prisoners, test subject, torture etc.))

"Hehehehehehahahahaha! That'll teach her to keep her big mouth shut!" Tarantulas cackled as he approached the fallen pred turned maximal and gave her a few swift kicks to the midsection as punishment for her earlier treatment of him and her holier than though attitude.

Blackrose wrote: Suddenly, the bat went down! Arachnitron kept one hand over her audio receptors and pulled out her energon pistol. She was surprised to find that the feelings she had were suddenly gone. Whatever the bat had been doing before had stopped. With her pistol drawn, she took a few steps out of the brush and approached Tarantulas and Banshee no longer needing to stay hidden.

Taking notice of Arachnitron's arrival, Tarantulas pointed to her and said "Quickly! Wrap the feline up in webbing while I take care of this one, even Megatron won't be able to complain about us failing to reach the protoform first if we bring him two prisoners to make up for it! We may even be able to reprogram this deluded bat to our side...It'll require some not so gentle tampering with her core processor rather than a simple alteration of her program but it is possible, and if not, her suffering should be quite gratifying to watch, don't you think? Hehehehahaha!"

Returning to the task at hand and leaving Arachnitron to her own task, Tarantulas switched to spider mode and spun the thickest webbing he could around the unconscious chiropteran, leaving her arms, legs, and wings immobile. For the finishing touch, he gagged her as well so if she did wake up she couldn't use her sonic scream again. Loading her onto his back and activating his wheels, he opened up a com to Spineback and Umbra and said "Attention Predacons! There's no reason to let this drag out any further, we have two prisoners to bring back to Megatron, that should be more than enough to appease him. Umbra, Spineback, give us some cover fire while Arachnitron and I make off with the prisoners, follow us shortly. Back to base!"

With that said, Tarantulas began to race off with his prize, kicking up a cloud of dust and muck as he sped off back into the forest before any maximal pursuers could try to stop him, and he knew they would try to stop him, so predictably and irritably heroic. Hopefully the merc and the war vet would be able to keep the maximals off their backs long enough for them to escape with their prizes, he honestly didn't care what Megatron thought or what he'd do with the bat, but he knew this little "peace offering" would ease the lingering tensions between the two and make him forget about the mine, HIS new lair. Having Megatron off his back, even for a little while, was well worth racing over rough terrain with maximals on his heels with an out cold maximal on his back.

Phoenix wrote: Merely changing her direction a tad as they continued on their way back to the Predacon base, Nemesis also thought with about Megatron's reaction with some dread lingering in the back of her mind. It was true the Predacon leader had a rather terrible temper at times, but in a situation like this leaving the otherwise useless broken pod behind seemed like the only logical choice. Otherwise they would be putting themselves at risk for further attacks by the Maximals, perhaps even capture. It hardly seemed worth the risk just to bring back a broken piece of equipment.

"True.. He might throw a bit of a fit for a little while, but with any luck the third team had more success on their mission which should ease him up a bit. Even if the day has turned out to be a complete loss, all we have to do is stay out of his way for a little while until he decides on a new scheme to implement."

Nemesis couldn't blame the red flier for being a bit nervous. He'd been on the receiving end of Megatron's fury more than once, and certainly more than she had. Now that she'd started taking more of a front line position among the Predacons, she, too, would have the displeasure of dealing with their moody commander's rage. Oh joy.

Up ahead the Predacon base came into view and Nemesis started her descent.

"True, though it would have to be something REALLY impressive to cheer Megatron up after losing a stasis pod, and we'll still have to endure his mad ranting if we get home before Tarantulas and his cronies do...If I were in charge, I'd treat my subordinates much better, yyyessss" Terrorsaur said in a mocking imitation of Megatron's voice and habit of talking to himself, following Nemesis in her descent, groaning as he painfully returned to robot mode and immediately regretted that decision, considering if it would be worth the extra pain if he just changed back to beast mode and flew to the CR tanks as he lurched forward into base with a hand over his gut wound.

Phoenix wrote: The black and silver male remained still, maintaining his calm demeanor even as Megatron trained his weapons on him. If anything he merely raised his arms ever so slightly to show that he had not come here to fight.

"My apologies for the interruption, Commander. The name is Darkwind," he said as way of introduction, "There's no need to be alarmed."

Noticing that the tyrant was impatient for answer and was dangerously close to pulling the trigger, he quickly went on with his explanation.

"Allow me to explain.. Upon learning that Nexus Prime was heading out to find Optimus and therefor also you, I stowed away upon his ship in a stasis pod. As soon as I had a chance, I sabotaged the Akira in an attempt to destroy it and its occupant prior to arriving here. I then used the pod to escape, leaving the Akira to its fate. The old fool never knew what happened."


Following up with a reassuring smile, Darkwind tilted his head ever so slightly. "There are still Predacons living on Cybertron who believe in you and what you're trying to accomplish. That's why I'm here to offer my humble services."

He then paused, giving the commander a chance to speak. Or act. Whichever he deemed necessary.

Megatron, still seriously considering just blowing the newcomer's head off for interrupting his bath & to vent his rage over recent events, forced himself to refrain from the simple pleasure of killing him on the spot and instead rose from the CR tank to his full height, never taking his sights off of him, and exited the tub, the silvery substance sliding off his transmetal form as he approached the newcomer, his every footstep sounding like that of an angry giant, which he honestly was.

Looming over Darkwind, Megatron smiled as he placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, then grasped his jaw with his tail gun's pincer, charging it up as he said "Well well well, while it certainly pleases me to know that I have secret admirers back home, assuming you are speaking the truth and not merely telling me what I want to hear, I regret to inform you that your assassination attempt, good intentions aside, not only failed, but has given my enemies a considerable strategic advantage in the form of a skilled war veteran. Now, I'm a fair tyrant, tell me Darkwind, why should I trust your story? And even if your spark is true, why should I accept you into my ranks after what your blunder has cost me?"

While Megatron could use a new recruit right now, and while he was pleased by the thought of Nexus being sabotaged by a stowaway fanboy of his, as well as the notion of predacons back home rallying under his banner despite the Tripredacus Council's efforts, Megatron was never one to take things at face value, deception kept the mind sharp and thus he always kept his optics open for signs of treachery. Darkwind could be on the level, but it all seemed a little too good to be true, so he'd test him first to see if he'd crack under pressure or could actually manage to back up his story...And if he couldn't, his head would replace his rubber duck as his new favorite bath toy, yyyyessss.

Whitegrazer watched Nexus, just like Optimus, as he made his way down the corridor. Despite his protests, he was pretty damaged. She knew how that felt, but at least, she went to the CR Chamber. Hmm. She listened with interest in Rhinox and Optimus' conversation about Feralnight. Unlike the others, she didn't need any CR Chamber as she never saw much heavy action. She left the CR Chambers for Silverbolt and Orcariner. Optimus needed one too, but she knew he won't do it until everyone got their repairs.

Something kept her preoccupied anyway. As she saw Aurora and Optimus, she made her way to her quarters and mediated on what she had felt after the battles had ended as well as keep herself ready if she was needed.

((OOC: I know a crappy post, but didn't know what to do and it has been awhile since I posted. So off she goes to mediate! XDDD ))

The tables had turned. Ironclaw wasn't able to pull off his death worthy punch and was now underneath the mercenary. The badger watched as a fist was raised into the air ready to slam down on his face. It then proceeded to do so, a few quick smacks damaging his face. His optics fuzzed slightly with each blow. The last hit collided with the side of his head and took a chunk of metal off and into the air. Ironclaw got angry and reached with his hand for the octobots' neck, gripping it tightly. He forced his pinned hand to grab hold of the tentacles pinning it down. For a moment he stayed like this, struggle of strength. The badger roared loud enough for the forest to hear. This rage built up to him bring his leg up and throwing the merc' off and over his head. Though Ironclaw never let go of the tentacles, he gripped hard, with both hands and began to swing him. He gained enough momentum to throw his enemy into what happened to be the direction of his team mates.

The Maximal soldier persued his thrown target, stomping through bushes and trees at a considerable speed. He burst out of the foilage and lept upon the first target he saw. This turned out to be a small female spider. Without much thought he grabbed her by the neck and lifted her off her feet. Ironclaw took a quick look around saw dust kicked up into the air and both Cheetor and Airazor down. This only fuelled his emotions as he attempted to squeeze the life out of the Predacon, not realising that they may need her alive. He bared his teeth as he lost some control.

(I know this post is a bit heavy and I might get some flak for it. But I thought it old be best if we had some direction to go in, rather than just stumbling through as we usually do. Anything I have posted can be changed, I'm happy to do so, mostly directed at you Blackrose, I know I've assumed a lot there but Arachnitron can always escape? I just thought if Turantulas escapes with one of theirs maybe the Maximals could keep hold of her? The only bit I'm not sure about is where this virus thing is going?)

"Is something wrong?,"

Primal glanced down at Aurora by his side as they walked to the infirmary. When isn't something wrong? he thought, almost bitterly, but that was uncharacteristic of him to be thinking so negatively. Switching gears, he gave her a small, reassuring smile, and said, "Not anymore."

Entering the medical bay, Optimus stopped and asked the smaller Maximal, "How are you fairing through all of this so far, Aurora?" With his mentor's arrival it had dawned on him that he never really asked this of his Maximals. It was important to him to know where their mentality was. Were they okay? Had they been traumatized by anything like friends' deaths and combat? Did they experience nightmares? Were they feeling anxious or a great deal of fear? On the outside, it was easy for anyone to disguise these issues like Optimus often did, but were they holding together on the inside or falling apart? He wasn't a therapist by far but he still cared for his crew a great deal and wanted to make sure he was doing the best he could for them in this war. Perhaps Whitegrazer would do better at "healing" them and their thoughts, but Aurora was like a daughter to him, and like Cheetor, his fatherly affection often showed around them. Both were so young and innocent and deserved better than to be involved in this war but this was all there was. This was all Aurora had known so far since her activation or "birth" and that saddened him. How did it effect bots at their age and inexperience?

"Tell me about it while you give me a hand with this scratch," he said lightheartedly as he pointed at the gash under his left arm, which was, in fact, a lot worse than a scratch. But the Commander was certain that she had the skills to patch it up. Tossing the now dirty rag aside that Rhinox had given him, the taller Maximal hopped up onto a cot with a slight cringe from stretching his wound and laid down on his back, patiently waiting to be operated on.

-----

Rattrap was still feeling foggy as he propped himself up with the help of the mangled pod. As his optics focused more clearly, he looked over at Landslide while the big bug placed Saber-Fang into his cargo bay back. What had happened to her? Was she all right?

Aye.. Nothing a bit of repairs back at the wont fix lad. I just tranqed Fangs..

Phew, thought Rattrap. Nothing serious then, just putting the beast "under". And fortunately, Landslide was still functioning fairly well after his first brutal onslaught.

Looks like we may need to do some dentistry on er'. We'll be there soon.

Dentistry? What the heck did that mean? Did she lose her teeth? Her fangs? Was he now going to call her Saber-Fangless? Teehee.

I loaded er' in the back, how are you doing.. and Uh.. What do we do with this thing lad? You want me to take this back too?

"Whoa, beetle, one question at a time, eh?" Rattrap desired as his head continued to throb. Standing up straight, he looked at Landslide and tapped the pod, saying, "Nah, I got dis. You got enough cargo in dere as it is. Let's get back ta base an' get some sleep. ...I mean, repairs. ...And sleep." The Spy transformed to his vehicle mode, which was now missing a hubcap, and hooked his tail on to the pod so that he could tow it back with him to the Axalon. It might lose a few pieces along the way from the bumpy ride but that didn't matter since the main body was still in tact and that's all he and Rhinox wanted in order to examine its mysterious origins. As his exhaust sputtered from being damaged in Nemesis' fall, Rattrap slowly accelerated and headed to their home-sweet-home.

(( OOC: I think we can safely assume that Wintersong comes back with RT and LS as well. ))

Banshee gritted her teeth as the spider kicked her wounds, causing her to slowly slip into unconciousness. The next thing she felt before the darkness blinds her was lots of sticky substances on her body. What were they? What are they made of? She hoped that she would live to learn more about this unknown planet.

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

Starshadow growled at the Maximal and stood up, activating her thrusters and flew towards Blackarachnia, grabbing her arm, lifting her up to the skies and followed her fellow predacons reluctantly.

((Not much to post.))

Optimus Primal wrote:"Not anymore."

Aurora glanced at Optimus as they walked together towards the medical facility where Aurora had been spending more and more time lately. She had been finding that she had an uncanny ability to understand and implement medical procedures, as if she had inherited this talent without having a clue where this part of her came from. She did feel somewhat honored that Optimus trusted her enough to work on his wounds, even if he still preferred not to open up about how he was truly feeling. The ermine caught the concerned look in his optics, and that little crease that seemed to appear on the monkey's forehead when something was troubling him. Yet she said nothing about it, hoping Whitegrazer would be able to heal the leader's internal wounds.

Optimus Primal wrote: "How are you fairing through all of this so far, Aurora?"

The question wasn't entirely unexpected. Optimus usually cared more for the well being of his troops than himself, and had been known to put his own needs and desires aside so that those he surrounded himself with could fulfill their instead. Smiling a bit, Aurora brushed a lock of white fur out of her face before she responded.

"It goes a little easier with every day that passes by," she told him. She was being honest. Yes, there had been some huge changes since she'd first come online, and some of them had been very traumatic. Icebreaker's death was something she would probably never get truly over, and there were times she felt like just curling up into a ball by herself in her room. Fortunately those moments were starting to get more rare now, and in between all the drama there were actually glimmers of hope. Such as the arrival of Nexus Prime, someone she personally had no idea who was but he certainly seemed to mean a lot to Optimus. And Aurora welcomed him with open arms for that very reason.

"Not going to lie and say it doesn't hurt anymore, but ever since you came back to us at least things have started normalizing a bit. We've gained new friends who may never be able to fill the void of those we lost completely, but at least they bring new hope with them."

She looked at him with large green optics which showed a wisdom far beyond what her age would indicate. Aurora, albeit keeping that childlike charm, was maturing, a bit prematurely perhaps, but growing up in a war tended to enforce that.

Optimus Primal wrote:"Tell me about it while you give me a hand with this scratch,"

Her gaze immediately moved to the open gash on Optimus' arm, some concern showing on her face before she suddenly lit up.

Briefly placing her hand on his, she tugged lightly at her lower lip while pondering something for a brief moment.

"Yeah, I can fix this," she said, "In fact.. There's something I've been working on that I would love to show you and this is the perfect chance to do so."


She smiled excitedly, not even waiting for a response before quickly moving over to a table where she picked up a glass vial containing a bluish gel. She brought the vial back and put it down while she straightened Optimus' arm so that the gash portion was facing up. Expecting a protest, she merely gave him a reassuring no-nonsense look as she poured the blue gel into the gash, filling it. She then grabbed the end of an electrode where the other end was plugged into a console, turning the console on with her free hand.

"Prepare to be amazed," she told him, trying to maintain a confident tone of voice. Giggling a bit at how that sounded, she then dipped the electrode into the gel which suddenly started glowing as if coming to life. Within moments the gash developed a glowing hue which spread throughout the entire wounded area but remained contained within that area.

"You may feel a tingling sensation, in fact.. you probably will."


Just then, the gash started healing, bringing about a big smile on the ermine's face. "Yes!," she exclaimed excitedly, the healing accelerating rapidly until the entire area was completely regenerating to the state it had been when Optimus was first created. As soon as it was done, she withdrew the electrode and looked up to see the baffled expression on Primal's face.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't tell you about the project I've been working on? Well, it's quite simple in a way but very complex as well. You see.. I managed to salvage some of that nanotechnology from Valkyrie's remains. I just wanted to see how it worked. But unfortunately they seem to die off outside of their host's body, so I put them in this conductive gel where they remained in suspended animation. The only way to temporarily wake them up is to add low voltage electricity to the gel and the sudden burst of energy makes them come around. Unfortunately the effects are temporary and as soon as I remove the electricity, they merely go offline."

She looked like she was about to blush for a moment. "Please don't be mad.. I've just been wanting to test it out on a living subject and couldn't resist. I've done countless of tests in the lab, always with the same result, but never got the chance to do a real test. Neat little toy though.. right?"

Darkwind remained seemingly unaffected when Megatron got out of his bath to approach him, only withdrawing ever so slightly as the tyrant got a little too close for comfort. Not wishing to appear disrespectful, Darkwind cast his view down at the ground as the Predacon leader placed a hand on his shoulder, only to bring it back up as the pincer grip on his jaw tightened.

Megatron wrote:"Well well well, while it certainly pleases me to know that I have secret admirers back home, assuming you are speaking the truth and not merely telling me what I want to hear, I regret to inform you that your assassination attempt, good intentions aside, not only failed, but has given my enemies a considerable strategic advantage in the form of a skilled war veteran. Now, I'm a fair tyrant, tell me Darkwind, why should I trust your story? And even if your spark is true, why should I accept you into my ranks after what your blunder has cost me?"

Fighting down the urge to protest, the transmetal feline attempted to reason with the infuriated Predacon.

"As unfortunate as it may be that my attempts to sabotage the admiral's ship did not produce the desired results, would the outcome have been any better had I not done so? Would Nexus then have been unable to seek out his comrades and offer them his services as well as that of his vessel?"


Darkwind swallowed as the grip on his chin tightened still but he did not attempt to push Megatron away. They were of similar height, although the tyrant appeared more muscular.

"I came alone to see you when I had every opportunity to sabotage your ship with you inside had I wanted to do so," he continued, "The mere fact that I'm standing here proves that I'm telling the truth."

He paused, obviously getting uncomfortable with being effectively pinned.

"My motivation is quite simple. I wish to serve within your ranks when you return victorious to Cybertron. Call it self-preservation, if you will, but I'm convinced you will bring about the change our home world so desperately needs. And if you will allow it, I will obey your every command and fight to earn a name for myself within the Predacons. A fair chance is all I ask."

OOC: Back from the bachelor party, had a great time! Any who, hope this post checks out, I can never tell if I'm going too over the top with Megs or playing him just right, gotta love a villain who can be charismatic one second and ranting mad the next lol.


Tarantulas continued to speed over the dirt and muck of the forest, his victim strapped to his back with nowhere to go and her comrades far behind them. He'd be out of the woods in no time if he kept up this pace, but despite it not really being part of his nature to look out for others, he figured he should call in to see how the rest were fairing, particularly Arachnitron, the only one worth keeping alive given her affiliation to him.

"Tarantulas to troops, return to base! Make sure Arachnitron makes it out with the feline prisoner and move out now! I have the bat, keep me posted on your status, Tarantulas out" the spider said over the coms, feeling he'd fulfilled his obligations as team leader by acknowledging they were still alive and he expected them to escape with the prisoner, he doubted Megatron would have granted them more care.


Meanwhile, back at the predacon base, Terrorsaur lurched to the CR tanks, glad that Megatron was not already waiting to rage on them before they even had a chance to recover from the battle.

"We're lucky he's not here yet, better grab a tank and heal up while you can, before the others show up and start fighting for dibs...Megatron will probably take out his frustrations on whoever he sees first, so take your time, heheh" Terrorsaur said to Nemesis as he slid into the nearest CR tank, sighing in relief as it began to heal his wounds...And praying to Primus or Unicron or whoever was listening that Megatron would vent his fury on someone else besides him by the time he recovered.

Phoenix wrote: Fighting down the urge to protest, the transmetal feline attempted to reason with the infuriated Predacon.

"As unfortunate as it may be that my attempts to sabotage the admiral's ship did not produce the desired results, would the outcome have been any better had I not done so? Would Nexus then have been unable to seek out his comrades and offer them his services as well as that of his vessel?"


Darkwind swallowed as the grip on his chin tightened still but he did not attempt to push Megatron away. They were of similar height, although the tyrant appeared more muscular.

Megatron tightened his grip in response to Darkwind's pathetic excuses, still unimpressed by his attempts to weasel his way out of being decapitated.

"I would have had the vessel destroyed long before it could be used against me, its not the first time the maximals nearly received aid from Cybertron, keeping them grounded and cutoff from home is one task my forces have never failed to accomplish. Do better stranger, for YOUR sake" Megatron threatened.

Phoenix wrote: "I came alone to see you when I had every opportunity to sabotage your ship with you inside had I wanted to do so," he continued, "The mere fact that I'm standing here proves that I'm telling the truth."

He paused, obviously getting uncomfortable with being effectively pinned.

"My motivation is quite simple. I wish to serve within your ranks when you return victorious to Cybertron. Call it self-preservation, if you will, but I'm convinced you will bring about the change our home world so desperately needs. And if you will allow it, I will obey your every command and fight to earn a name for myself within the Predacons. A fair chance is all I ask."

Megatron glared into Darkwind's optics, his own so angry that they appeared cold and uncaring, in sharp contrast to the raging volcano of emotions boiling beneath the surface.

"...You have a way with words Darkwind, I'll give you that, and self interest is an emotion I can trust, as is predacon patriotism, assuming its genuine of course. Very well, I shall give you a chance to prove yourself a loyal soldier to the cause, and me, but be warned, this war has been long and arduous, and what little patience I had with overly ambitious subordinates who forgot their place in the pecking order has long been exhausted, yyyeessss. I've survived every plot and crushed the dreams of every would be usurper who's crossed me underfoot, even those of Starscream's ghost! This world is treacherous but full of opportunities, serve me well and there will be a place for you by my side when we return to conquer Cybertron, betray my trust, and you'll find yourself taking a magma bath. So DO NOT disappoint me, Nnnooo..." Megatron warned, finally releasing his grip on Darkwind's throat.

"Now then, follow me to the throne room, I'll introduce you to the rest of your crewmates and you can fill me in more about yourself and how you may best serve me. Oh, and any reliable intel you can give me on Cybertron's current political situation would be helpful as well, yesss" Megatron said, already walking out the door, his mood improving at the prospect of predacons back home rising up against the Tripredacus Council and maximals alike in support of himself, their one true lord and savior, yyyyessss!

(Wow, Terrorsaur might even pray to Unicron? Thats.. pretty desperate.

Mystrea: Probably. I don't think any of the Predacons know Ironclaw's name oddly enough.. though the last time Umbra did that Whitegrazer refused to give her name. *LOL*

OOP: yes, I think we'll just go with Wintersong sent herself back home to base or hitched a ride. Either works. )

Rattrap wrote:"Nah, I got dis. You got enough cargo in dere as it is. Let's get back ta base an' get some sleep. ...I mean, repairs. ...And sleep."

Landslide tilted his head, as carrying Saberfang weighed next to nothing even with only five legs. The extra load in the back would probably even help him with balancing carrying the pod, but he simply shrugged his front legs watching as Rattrap towed the pod away. Aye.. I'll probably be spending a few cycles making repairs to my shield and leg servos.. a little dinner an' a nap sounds pretty good though.

Landslide transformed to his vehicle mode, his damaged leg hanging out in a strange fashion as he activated his engines, taking off into the air and heading in the direction of the maximal base. While he was damaged, he probably wouldn't head straight into the CR chamber,except for his destroyed wings, he could do most of his repairs himself, which would save the CR chamber for anyone more seriously injured.

As they made their way to the Maximal base, Landslide opened up a radio com to hail the Axalon Maximal HQ, this is Landslide. Comin' in fer a landing by the cargobay. Hope ya kept those CR chambers warm.. gonna need to use them.

He made his approach coming around and then softly landed behind the Axalon, transforming out of his vehicle mode he then started to back up into the Axalon, tilting his head to look at a broken mirror on the side of one of his horns as he backed himself into the cargobay. He muttered to himself Ug, need ta get one of those cameras back there..

Coming to a stop, he spread his broken wing shell and opened his cargobay, with two internal arms unloading Saberfang onto the floor, her broken fang then sliding out next to her.

(( OOC: A minor clarification, Primal's gash from the Akira's debris is actually across the side of his upper chest, just below his armpit, not actually on his arm. ))

"It goes a little easier with every day that passes by,"

Optimus couldn't agree more with Aurora. All of them were learning and coping through the tragedies and hardships of war. As long as they had each other, there was always hope and support. Having Nexus arrive was an enormous beacon of light that suddenly shined through the darkest of shadows that constantly loomed over Primal. But now he was underestimating himself again, wasn't he? as he recalled the Admiral's words on his student's leadership thus far. For Aurora's sake, he wished Icebreaker was still there, that he could've done more to prevent his death. Or that Rhinox could've built the machine again to bring the penguin back like he and Whitegrazer had miraculously done so with their leader. But it was not to be. Optimus could still see the sorrow and pain in the little Fuzor's eyes but she seemed to have been better at moving forward with the terrible loss of her friend than Orcariner was.

"Not going to lie and say it doesn't hurt anymore, but ever since you came back to us at least things have started normalizing a bit. We've gained new friends who may never be able to fill the void of those we lost completely, but at least they bring new hope with them."

While laying on his back, the Commander smiled with the strength and wisdom in her words as he reached over and gently ran his hand over that lock of fur on her head that she was always brushing away out of her face. "I couldn't have said it better myself."

"Yeah, I can fix this," "In fact.. There's something I've been working on that I would love to show you and this is the perfect chance to do so."

Feeling Aurora's hand on his, even just briefly, was a somewhat rare awareness. Aside from Whitegrazer, Optimus didn't receive a lot of physical affection or comfort from his crew for obvious reasons; one being most of them were males, and another being his job description. Even though her touch was light, it was warm and gentle. A medic's touch. A healer. ...Much similar to Nightmist's. But it suddenly ended when she grew excited about something that she had been working on. Ever curious, the leader was eager to find out what it was but he patiently laid there as she moved away to grab something from another table. When she returned to his side and lifted his arm out of the way, Primal didn't have time to suppress the groan he made from the pain as the movement stretched and pulled his injury. The wound was dirty with torn and jagged edges and a dry stream of fluid down to his torso. Where did her gentle touch go? he wondered for a second.

The Commander lifted his head to see what Aurora was doing. She had some kind of blue gel in a flask and dribbled it into his wound. It felt cold but refreshing as it filled the large, deep cut.

"Prepare to be amazed,"

With a puzzled expression, Optimus looked at the electrode that she had picked up, his optics following its cord that was plugged into a console. As much as he trusted her, he was a bit vexed by all of this and thus a little concerned. ...And then she had activated the power source. "Wait, Aurora," he objected. "What are you doing? What is this?" But it was too late, she had touched the mysterious gel with the electrode. After a gasp from the odd sensation, he grew quiet with dazed optics that stared forward for a moment.

"You may feel a tingling sensation, in fact.. you probably will."

He wasn't sure "tingling" was the right word to describe it. Primal's gaze slowly lowered to the glowing of the gel that swallowed his injury. It felt like a million ants anxiously crawling and stirring around under, inside and on top of his armor, each with an individual purpose and duty, fixing and repairing. His startled experience may have even interrupted Whitegrazer's meditation, to which he also felt with his spark and it helped him calm himself. As it abruptly ended when Aurora deactivated the electrode, he sat up and looked at the side of his chest. Taken aback, he had been completely healed and it was the cleanest and most perfect area on his entire body considering the rest of it was still covered in scratches, dents and burns. Moving his arm and shoulder in a circular motion, he felt no pain whatsoever. Demanding an explanation, Optimus settled his yellow-orange optics on Aurora.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't tell you about the project I've been working on? Well, it's quite simple in a way but very complex as well. You see.. I managed to salvage some of that nanotechnology from Valkyrie's remains. I just wanted to see how it worked. But unfortunately they seem to die off outside of their host's body, so I put them in this conductive gel where they remained in suspended animation. The only way to temporarily wake them up is to add low voltage electricity to the gel and the sudden burst of energy makes them come around. Unfortunately the effects are temporary and as soon as I remove the electricity, they merely go offline."

I managed to salvage some of that nanotechnology from Valkyrie's remains... was all that kept repeating in the Maximal leader's head with Aurora's voice. And then he had suddenly slipped back to the memories of Valkyrie's death and feeling that helpless responsibility again that Rhinox had talked him out of at the time. Optimus had to pull himself out of his trans so that he could catch up to the rest of what the ermine/butterfly Fuzor was saying.

"Please don't be mad.. I've just been wanting to test it out on a living subject and couldn't resist. I've done countless of tests in the lab, always with the same result, but never got the chance to do a real test. Neat little toy though.. right?"

Mad... Was he angry? No. He would have sooner been her first guinea pig before anyone else just in case anything would go terribly wrong with a delicate experiment like this. "Aurora... while I'm impressed with your genius to turn this technology into a possibly tremendous advantage for us, I can't help but wonder about the dangers or side effects it may still hold." For example, what if Starshadow electrocuted him? Could that reactivate the nanobots and make them dominate his body and lose control or deteriorate where they had just repaired him? If he came into close proximity with Nemesis, could her nanotech communicate with the nanobots on him and reactivate them? And then what? Could she control him? Oddly enough, the scientist in him wanted to find out, so he kept those inquiries to himself. "I want to run a few more tests on this procedure before you start using it on anyone else. Is that understood? But if it's successful... then, Aurora, you may have given us something that can finally turn the tables in this war." What started out as a firm, serious tone in his voice ended up with hope and enthusiasm for her discovery by the end of his statement. Optimus turned his body toward her and got off the cot as his feet clanged against the metal floor and stood before her, offering her a smile of confidence and encouragement for her incredible work.

(( OOC: I will catch up with Rattrap and Rhinox tomorrow, and try to think of something to post in the Tangled Webs episode. ))

Optimus Primal wrote: "Aurora... while I'm impressed with your genius to turn this technology into a possibly tremendous advantage for us, I can't help but wonder about the dangers or side effects it may still hold."

Aurora paused, the excitement literally washing off her face as she looked into the stern and extremely concerned look in Optimus' optics. She tilted her head a bit, fighting back a pout, as that annoying lock of white fur again dropped down into her face.

He didn't approve.. In her eagerness to show off her hard work, she hadn't even considered that he might not agree with her methods.

"I did thorough testing, I assure you," she insisted, but her voice had gotten quieter than it was, "And the results were always the same. After removing the power source, the nanotechnology died. Adding more power to it later had no effect. So I really don't think.."


Realizing that all her tests before had been on inanimate, non-living objects and not a live subject like Optimus, a brief moment of doubt caused her to pause abruptly. Deciding not to give Optimus reason to dwell on it further, she then added,

"The results have been quite astounding, really, those little buggers are able to recreate almost anything. Unfortunately they're not able to return someone who is already dead, which would have been way cool."

She paused again for a brief moment, looking away. "I tried.."

Optimus Primal wrote:"I want to run a few more tests on this procedure before you start using it on anyone else. Is that understood?

The ermine fuzor inadvertently sighed upon hearing those words, muttering an even quieter "Yes sir.." as a response, looking down at the floor as she spoke.

Optimus Primal wrote: But if it's successful...then, Aurora, you may have given us something that can finally turn the tables in this war."

Looking up again, some of that hopeful expression returning, she met his gaze yet again.

"I appreciate that.. But you should know that I only have a very limited supply of those things. I'm fairly certain they regenerate within the host's body, but I haven't found a way to duplicate this process. Every attempt at that failed. It seems to be a symbiotic relationship between host and this technology. They feed off the host's energy reserves when they make repairs, not by a lot, but I imagine continuous repairs will get tiresome after a short while. They also seem to utilize environmental resources to make improvements. And they seem to be programmed to alter the appearance of whatever they're working on to match that of the host, but this tendency fades as more time passes without being inside the host's body. Like I said.. they really are not designed to live outside of the host and will die if left behind. I only managed to keep these alive by putting them in the gel and applying a little electricity to it. To get them to actually do something, I have to turn up the power."

Deciding she'd been ranting enough about her discovery for a bit, she paused again and merely twirled her fingers. Hopefully Optimus realized her intentions were good.

Megatron wrote:"I would have had the vessel destroyed long before it could be used against me, its not the first time the maximals nearly received aid from Cybertron, keeping them grounded and cutoff from home is one task my forces have never failed to accomplish. Do better stranger, for YOUR sake"

Darkwind narrowed his optics at that statement yet still refrained from squirming regardless of how uncomfortable he was getting. He had caught onto the fact that if Megatron truly wanted him dead, he would have shot him already, and that this was merely a display of power. Although he was starting to worry about the lasting effects on his flawless visage if Megatron kept applying so much pressure to his chin and throat. A gasp escaped him as Megatron finally released his grip after a giving him a long lecture followed by an all too clear warning, and he immediately brought his hand up to rub his neck to assure it was indeed still attached to his body. Darkwind narrowed his optics a bit as he eyed his commander, unable to keep his annoyance in check. It quickly faded, however, as Megatron welcomed him into his ranks and started making his tour around the base.

Darkwind followed Megatron out as he spoke, sharing his story.

"My apologies, mighty Megatron. I don't expect you to remember me since I was merely one of many young recruits back then.. But I once served under you during your days as a field commander. I fought alongside of you during the Hiacon revolt, and rejected the Council's vote to hunt you down later on. They locked me away for a while after that until a fateful day when I persuaded a guard to release me. It was shortly after that when I found out about the Akira going after you and those foolish Maximals who attempted to stop you. I failed to aid you in your quest when you first left, I intend to make that up to you now that I'm here."

Terrorsaur wrote:"We're lucky he's not here yet, better grab a tank and heal up while you can, before the others show up and start fighting for dibs...Megatron will probably take out his frustrations on whoever he sees first, so take your time, heheh"

Nemesis could not hold back a faint, genuine smile as her fellow flyer flopped into his bath in an attempt to heal up. And better yet, he was encouraging her to do the same.

"I don't require cryoregeneration. Got that all built in, after all, and mine's more effective. Although a nice warm bath might be tempting.. after a few.. make that a lot.. of drinks."

She took the opportunity to wink at him, letting him take that statement any way he wanted to. It was then she noticed the heavy thuds of footsteps approaching.

Well.. seemed they weren't as alone as they originally thought.

(( OOC: Seems we've lost Warwulf... again. And Alak...? ))

"I did thorough testing, I assure you," "And the results were always the same. After removing the power source, the nanotechnology died. Adding more power to it later had no effect. So I really don't think.."

Optimus listened and understood what Aurora was saying in her quiet voice, obviously disappointed or distraught by his reaction, but he waited patiently for her to continue before interrupting her.

"The results have been quite astounding, really, those little buggers are able to recreate almost anything. Unfortunately they're not able to return someone who is already dead, which would have been way cool."

A soft smile with a hint of sorrow crossed his face at her last statement. If only it were that easy to bring someone back. Of course, it was how Aurora came to be and how he had lost Nightmist. Nanotechnology was a bit confusing.

"I tried.." "Yes sir.."

Primal frowned and gently placed his hand on her shoulder. Was she alluring that she had tried to revive Icebreaker with the nanobots? Sweet, innocent Aurora... If he could, he would have traded his life for the penguin's. He opened his mouth to speak but she suddenly broke into a bigger explanation, so he closed it, took his hand away and looked at her with his undivided attention.

"I appreciate that.. But you should know that I only have a very limited supply of those things. I'm fairly certain they regenerate within the host's body, but I haven't found a way to duplicate this process. Every attempt at that failed. It seems to be a symbiotic relationship between host and this technology. They feed off the host's energy reserves when they make repairs, not by a lot, but I imagine continuous repairs will get tiresome after a short while. They also seem to utilize environmental resources to make improvements. And they seem to be programmed to alter the appearance of whatever they're working on to match that of the host, but this tendency fades as more time passes without being inside the host's body. Like I said.. they really are not designed to live outside of the host and will die if left behind. I only managed to keep these alive by putting them in the gel and applying a little electricity to it. To get them to actually do something, I have to turn up the power."

She brought up a valid point that almost disappointed him; the limited supply she had. IF this did work as perfectly as she had hoped and endlessly tested, then the Maximals would have a huge advantage in battle. They could heal their wounds faster and keep fighting while the Predacons would have to admit defeat or succumb to their own injuries and stasis lock; except for Nemesis, of course. But the supply Aurora had would have to be used sparingly, so it brought Optimus back down to the ground, metaphorically speaking.

"Aurora, please don't mistake my concern for under-appreciating what you have accomplished here. Your intelligence and exploration is exactly what we need in this war, and what you've done here is nothing short of extraordinary," Primal explained with a grateful tone in his voice as he knelt on one knee before her in order to not seem so commanding and distant toward her. "Other than your research and what we've gathered with our encounters against Nemesis, we know very little about this technology and what it's capable of. I simply want to be careful with it until we're certain that it's harmless. Now, you say I'm the first living subject to test your 'nano-gel' on and that they need energy or electricity from their host to function and survive, but can't they feed off of my energy? Can I not be their new host? Can they adapt and evolve?" His concern for the situation obviously started to filter away as his curiosity replaced it with his scientific questions and ideas. Optimus was more intrigued now. It wasn't often that he could play the scientist he had once began this journey as. While he spoke, he reached over and ran his hand over the area that she had repaired with the nanobots, feeling for any inconsistencies or weird sensations. On the outside, it felt every bit as normal and tough as the rest of the armor on his body, but on the inside he thought it felt "phantom-like", as if something was there but really wasn't. But perhaps it was just his own paranoia and that he was thinking about it too much. Perhaps there was still debris in his gears, or there were still a couple loose wires inside. He didn't know how much they could've repaired before she cut the power to them, leaving them to "die" or simply deactivate. ...In theory.

Maximal HQ, this is Landslide. Comin' in fer a landing by the cargobay. Hope ya kept those CR chambers warm.. gonna need to use them.

"Copy that, Landslide," Rhinox responded over the Axalon's radio from the command center. "Repair chambers are ready. Welcome back."

Ug, need ta get one of those cameras back there..

Having followed not far behind the giant beetle, Rattrap pulled up to the hangar with the empty stasis pod and waited for Landslide to back in. "You're crooked," he said bluntly but was joking just to make him look for nothing. After the big TransMetal bug parked, the rat-with-wheels rolled on by, still towing the pod until he found a good spot for it in a corner. Unhooking his tail, Rattrap maximized and walked over to Saber-Fang where Landslide had just laid her on the floor along with her broken tooth.

"Not sure what ta do with her," Rattrap puzzled. "Get 'er to a CR? What if she wakes up an' the beast is still in control? I can probably super-glue her fang back on," he smirked.

"Optimus, this is Rhinox. Rattrap and his team have returned but I suspect they need repairs," Rhinox transmitted to their Commander, briefly interrupting his and Aurora's conversation in the medical bay. "I'm still waiting to hear back from Dinobot."

"All right. Thank you, Rhinox," was all he replied with as he waited to learn more information from Aurora's experiments. He was clearly relieved to know there were no casualties with Rattrap's group, even if the pod was found empty, but it worried him a little not hearing from Dinobot and his team yet.

The cold floor of the cargo bay was the first thing Saber felt as she slowly regained consciousness.

"I can probably super glue her fang back on."

"No one is super gluing in anything." She groaned before opening her eyes.

As always when the transformation wore off she was back to her original form and as well as exhausted. Her eyes widened when she spotted Landslide's busted knee, she immediately thought she had done that to him while the beast had taken over.

Oh, no... She thought with dread then pushed herself to a sitting position then pushed herself warely to her paws where she swayed a little.

"Where's Optimus? I... I need to speak with him... Now." She said, shaking her head to clear her bluring vision.

( Wulf has been lost in minecraft performing cannon experiments, but Phoenix or I could poke him to post more if you want. )

Rattrap wrote: "You're crooked,"

Slag.. Landslide muttered

Rattrap wrote:"Not sure what ta do with her," "Get 'er to a CR? What if she wakes up an' the beast is still in control? I can probably super-glue her fang back on,"

The large beetle turned, transforming to his robot mode, then sat down. Oof.. Aye.. Dunno much about her condition myself lad, I just know nuts and bolts. he responded, then observed as Saberfang started to wake up.

Saberfang wrote:"No one is super gluing in anything." She groaned before opening her eyes.

Aw.. I coulda gold plated it fer ya lass. he gave a light chuckle.

Saberfang wrote:"Where's Optimus? I... I need to speak with him... Now."

Landslide observed Saber. Dunno,we just got here. Call im' up.. and while yer at it, ya might wanna get checked out lass.. yer looking a bit peaked. I'd do it myself.. but I'm not qualified.. or really in the shape fer it.

Landslide then pulled out some tools Well, I'll get to patchin' myself up.. Ug.. bloody Nano bird.. What is she anyway? Some renominate of a Jhiaxus experiment or somethin'? Landslide then asked, opening up his shin as lubricant started to leak out. Ah good.. the lubricant diluted her acid. Not so bad.. just some blown servos, a destroyed foot, broken wings, an' I over heated my guns. About the same as a night out with the boys after a trip to Maccadam's oil house.. Landslide then gave a light laugh.

OOC: Yeah, I agree that we probably can't count on Frilla since New Moon's posting has been so sporadic. But I think Dinobot might be a good choice anyway considering his code of honor....

Hope this works for everyone especially Mystrea. Hope I'm not interpreting your character wrong......and sorry for the graphic flashback....

BIC:

As Arachnitron approached Tarantulas, he continued his attacks on the fallen bat kicking her over and over again.

Quickly! Wrap the feline up in webbing while I take care of this one, even Megatron won't be able to complain about us failing to reach the protoform first if we bring him two prisoners to make up for it! We may even be able to reprogram this deluded bat to our side...It'll require some not so gentle tampering with her core processor rather than a simple alteration of her program but it is possible, and if not, her suffering should be quite gratifying to watch, don't you think? Hehehehahaha!"

"What about the bird?" she almost questioned, but stopped herself. A traitor and a Maximal transmetal was surely a good enough catch to bring to Megatron. Tarantulas must have already considered the bird and decided that there were more reasons to leave her behind than take her as prisoner. A non-transmetal prisoner wouldn't amount to much. At least with Cheetor, they could figure out the limitations of the new Transmetal form without having to use one of their own for target practice. It would have been wrong to question the team leader in front of the Maximals anyway.

Arachnitron set out to do as commanded. She placed her energon pistol on the ground and began using her webbing to wrap Cheetor carefully for transport back to the Predacon base. Tarantulas finished his work, loaded up the bat, and headed back to the base expecting her to catch up once she was finished. She was just about to begin, what would certainly be a long trek back to base dragging the heavier Maximal when, out of nowhere, noises from the brush behind her caused her to snap to attention. She turned around to see Umbra sail out of the bushes off to her left.

Arachnitron grabbed her pistol and jumped up just in time to be grabbed by the badger Maximal around the throat. She dropped her weapon in surprise and her green optics widened in shock at the sudden turn of events. The badger tightened his grip on her neck. She reached up where his hands were and tried in vain to slip her fingers in between his hands and her neck. As his grip tightened, Arachnitron's optics dimmed....

The big oaf's hands were on her again. He pulled her roughly in the direction of her cell. The touch of his hands was enough to make her sick. The Predacon absolutely hated him.

"Let's go you little freak! Tests done for the day," he said gruffly leading her by the arm. She narrowed her optics angrily. She didn't plan to go back to the cell without a fight.

"Really? I can think of one last test," the Predacon sassed.

He slapped her across the face. "I know your tricks, Freak! Tests done. Back to your room."

"Actually my lease is up."

The guard snapped...it was so easy. He grabbed her around the neck, lifted her off the floor and slammed her against the wall.

"You think you're funny, Freak!? I'll beat you 'till you're leaking mech fluid! I'll beat you 'till you scream!"

The Predacon laughed at that.

"Only Maximals scream," she stated.

She raised her arms up over her head in one swift movement and squeezed his hands between her chin and shoulder blades until she was pinching him. Eventually, he dropped his hold of her and she landed to the floor with a thud. She let her anger take control of her as she escaped his grip. She didn't have a weapon; the scientists would have been disturbingly stupid to have given her one....so she used the next best thing: Whatever she could throw. She lifted one chair after another and threw them in the guard's direction. Then she used one of the chairs in place of a billy club. She raised it over her head and slammed it down over his back shouting various obscenities as she did.

Her anger mounted as more guards entered the room with tasers and other equipment to subdue her. Finally, there were two many to keep track of. She found herself on the floor of the exam room being kicked repeatedly and slapped across the back with an energon whip.....

Suddenly, Arachnitron's optics flickered back on again. She didn't speak but looked the Maximal square in the optics. She wasn't frozen in terror like she had been just a few moments before....she merely cocked her head to the side and sneered. She even had the gall to send Ironclaw a wink with one of her bright red optics.....

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

Dinobot engaged in battle with the Predacon female dinosaur when a loud, screaching sound reached Dinobot's audio sensors. He cringed in pain and watched as the world greyed in front of him. He couldn't keep his balance and landed onto the soft dirt below him gracelessly. He let out a small "oof" as he hit the dirt. But, after a few moments, the noise stopped and the world righted itself. He noticed that Frilla and Spineback hadn't quite recovered from the mysterious scream yet, so he took a moment or two to regain his composure.

The next sound that hit his audio sensors was weapons fire from the direction of the bat Predacon turned Maximal and Tarantulas. Dinobot struggled to get to his feet since the dizziness he had been feeling hadn't quite subsided completely. He lumbered noisely towards the shots he had heard, but by the time he had reached the clearing, Tarantulas had already left having taken Banshee hostage and Arachnitron was busy tying up Cheetor to take him prisoner as well. Dinobot unsheathed his tail sword and prepared to use his eye lasers to take down the she spider.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Umbra came flying out of the bushes followed closely by Ironclaw who foolishly decided to take on Arachnitron and Umbra by himself! He grabbed the small arachnid by the throat, her optics widened in fear and suddenly her optics dimmed as Ironclaw gripped her neck tighter. It was only just for a second...once her optics flicked back on, Dinobot noticed that they were now red instead of green.

"Just finish her! Now! do it!" the words were there in his head, but he stopped himself. He was torn beween wanting all of this to finally change here and now and knowing how disappointed in himself he would be if he let it happen this way. He was in control here....he could do what he always claimed that Optimus couldn't...take the first Predacon life in this war. It was about time the Maximals showed their mettle....showed what they were really made of....showed that they could win this. And hadn't Arachnitron expressed a wish to die anyway? She had said it with her own words...."that is what the Predacon scientists would have done...it's the only cure for what I have." But he couldn't allow it. Although he wanted to allow it after the way she had dismissed Ironclaw's death and used it in attempts to down play her own actions, avoid the consequences of such and point the blame at others. He eyed her gun lying on the ground by her feet where she dropped it in surprise. No. Dinobot had a rule. A victory is only a victory if it is a fair fight. A life may only be taken in a fair fight.

Dinobot burst out of the bushes. "Ironclaw, this is not the way," the raptor advised. He approached the badger calmly and slowly. "Arachnitron is defenseless. She is unarmed. That is no way for a warrior to defeat his enemies. Put her down and allow her to pick up her weapon and fight back."

Dinobot stepped a few steps away from what was about to ensue in front of him and opened up a communication to the Maximal base.

"Dinobot to the Axalon. The protoform is working with us," he explained, though the situation was much more complicated than that, but he'd explain later. "Ironclaw and I are engaged in a battle near the stasis pod. The rest of our party is injured. Tarantulas has taken the new soldier hostage. Someone needs to attempt to stop him before he reaches the Predacon base and rescue our comrade! Dinobot out."

Dinobot knew Optimus would have ordered him to leave the battle altogether, but the badger was going to do what he wanted. Maybe it was important for him to face the consequences of his actions without Optimus coddeling and babying him. And right now, Dinobot suspected that the badger wasn't really in control of his actions. He appeared to be in an uncontrollable rage.

Dinobot, on the other hand, eyed Arachnitron....she wasn't speaking, she wasn't fighting back, she was just staring at the large Maximal who was holding her in his grasp. But Dinobot distinctly noticed a change in her expression. Where there was fear moments ago, there was now a cold, hard, defiant expression. It was nothing like he had seen from the personality that was supposedly in control thanks to Tarantulas, but Tarantulas was full of tricks. Could he and Arachnitron have tricked the Maimals into believing one of the more docile personalities was in control in order to unleash the Predacon when they least expected it?

The change in Arachnitron's demeanor was apparent to Dinobot, but he wondered if Ironclaw had noticed it or if he was letting his emotions get the better of him.

After a few strikes, Umbra was taken by surprise as Ironclaw had broken free, pumped on adrenalin and full of rage, he attempted to strangle Umbra, then swung and tossed him by the tentacles into the distance. He bounced on the ground a few times stopping against a tree, then leaned up rubbing his head a bit dazed. Ug.. hits like a truck. he muttered to himself.

Standing up, Umbra looked towards Ironclaw, still in his berserk enraged state, now strangling the life out of Arachnitron as he then heard Tarantulas on the radio.

Tarantulas wrote:"Tarantulas to troops, return to base! Make sure Arachnitron makes it out with the feline prisoner and move out now! I have the bat, keep me posted on your status, Tarantulas out"

Umbra shook his head as he walked towards Ironclaw, hearing Dinobot speak up.

Dinobot wrote: "Ironclaw, this is not the way,"

Dinobot wrote: "Arachnitron is defenseless. She is unarmed. That is no way for a warrior to defeat his enemies. Put her down and allow her to pick up her weapon and fight back."

Umbra simply started to laugh at the scene. What nonsense is this? Clearly this isn't a warrior to begin with. he spoke up, then spoke again.. surprisingly in Ironclaw's own voice. "I'm loyal to more than my next pay check. I have greater purpose than you" Is what you said is it not? For a moment I almost believed you had believed in the lies from the academy..So this is it.. Your greater purpose? To indulge in your primal programming..

Umbra drew both his short swords from his back holding them in a strange reverse grip, his optics focused on Ironclaw, while his octopus eyes observed Dinobot. You know what the difference been an assassin and a killer is.. Ironclaw? One is an occupation.. the other is a mental illness. You might just get along better with the Predacons then Dinobot or I do..