The Intergalactic Highway

OOP wrote: That request was to be expected, and Rattrap had no problem with it, but they only had one of the disks on hand and he didn't want Megatron to know that just yet. "Fine. But we also want proof dat Optimus an' Nexus are still alive and will remain dat way when we meet for the exchange." Sure they could rely on Whitegrazer's bond to let them know about Optimus, but he wasn't sure that Megatron knew about that. Besides, they still wanted Nexus back to answer for his actions, so he might as well ask for both of them. Although, he wasn't sure if he wanted to see the condition Optimus was probably in. "And speakin' o' which, we'll be meetin' in neutral territory. And that ain't negotiable."

Megatron continued to smile smugly and nodded at Rattrap as he gave his own conditions, almost like a parent smiling in amusement at a child's humorous actions.

"Primal and Nexus are both alive and well for the moment, as you can plainly see" Megatron explained, briefly showing Rattrap old footage from the cameras of Primal's and Nexus' earlier incarceration, back when they were still intact and together, showing the maximals some, but not the worst, of the abuse they had suffered, before switching off the feed.

If the maximals had a link to Primal then they knew he was still alive and that an imposter was in his service, so there was no need to give them more than that. They would see with their own optics what he had done to Primal soon enough...Before joining him in death Primus willing.

"I was about to propose the very same notion, I would not have it any other way" Megatron replied, still all smiles and niceties as he then urged "Now rodent, its your turn. Show me the disks, and commence the data purge on your computers. Make the process visible so I may watch your progress."

OOP wrote: Are you kiddin' me? thought Rattrap, annoyed when he received Cheetor's text message. Didn't anybody listen to him? No! Nobody did! What if it was a trick? If Darkwind wasn't alone, they could be walking right into a trap! Rattrap knew all too well about these techniques. Why didn't anyone listen to him? He glanced at the monitor that was tracking all of the signatures outside now that were in range. Why the heck were Aurora and Landslide out there? He grumbled to himself in irritation.

At least for the moment, he could show Megatron that they had in fact never tampered with the disks and never downloaded anything into their computer system from either of them. He went ahead and did that for the evil Predacon and waited for his satisfied response on the matter.

"Excellent" Megatron said as he viewed that the maximals had not downloaded any of the disks contents into their systems, memorizing as much as he could as before, but satisfied that his secrets were still, in fact, his secrets.

His eyes lit up evilly as he was shown one of the two golden disks, pleased to see his prize intact and looking forward to having it back in his possession soon, but frowned a bit as he noticed one little detail "Do you not know how to count vermin? Where's the other disk?"

AdmiralGrim wrote: "My Lord, I regret to inform you that the attack has already commenced. We are currently in the process of eliminating our target. Night Terror then braced himself for what was certain to be a very loud response.

Megatron grimaced in annoyance as he heard Night Terror's incoming communication over his private line, forcing a smile on his face as he said "A moment if you will" to Rattrap and shut off the feed as he yelled "OF ALL THE IMBECILIC, INSUBORDINATE THINGS TO DO! I gave explicit orders not to act until further notice, I am literally in the middle of negotiations for possession of the golden disks, THE GOLDEN DISKS! How long do you think the maximals will be willing to deal with me when they learn you idiots terminated one of their own while we were talking?! Even the maximals may reconsider trading the disks for Primal if you fools kill too many of their comrades to be worth the price, retreat now before you make things worse. So help me Night Terror, if that rodent destroys the golden disks and I lose access to their knowledge and power forever because of your carelessness, HEADS WILL ROLL. From now on I better hear from Umbra or Zodiac rather than a clueless grunt like YOU. Megatron out."

With that said, Megatron took a deep breath, took a quick drink of energon to calm his nerves, and motioned at his minions to bring back the feed to the maximals, his mask of pleasantries back on his face as he said "My apologies, technical difficulties, good help is so hard to find these days. Now then, about that second disk, show me if you would be so kind?"

Megatron expected somesort of maximal rebuttal for what his less than capable troops actions, but he trusted that they still wanted Primal back, and perhaps Nexus if they hadn't already caught on to him yet, or perhaps because they had, and would not allow the loss of one measly foot soldier to cloud their judgement and do something foolish, maximals and their emotional baggage could be such a bother sometimes.

Una wrote:
Blackarachnia tightened another energon line when Tarantulas' voice entered into her mind like a whisper, a fly going through her auditory sensors. She looked at the nursemaid's outfit with a sniff of disgust. So humilating. She made the note that ever since the incident between them in that cave Tarantulas had been more hesitant and less frequent with his little psychic taunts. It made her wonder if he wasn't in the mood or if he didn't know how strong the link was between them. Based on the fact that she had less nightmares and mazes surfacing into her dreams, the link was weakened.

Only to make him well enough for another round of torment? she said with a coy face and winked. She didn't actually care if he knew the true reason she was helping with Optimus medical treatment.

"Is that so? Well, in that case you should probably hop to it then, your patient does not appear to be doing well. We wouldn't want him to question the quality of predacon medical care now would we?" Tarantulas messaged back to her psychically, not believing her words and wiles even for a nanoklik.

Una wrote: The overgrown monkey blew a gasket. She was hit hard against the walls of the cell, flown by Optimus' arms. Her vision went blurry for a moment before she shook her head, growling at the Maximal leader who was pounding the floor, "Whatever is going on, it would be the last thing you will ever know, Maximal!" She had her cybervenom ready for the Maximal leader who was now laying helplessly on the ground.

"Now now, mustn't lose our patience with the patient Nurse, that's how accidents happen" Tarantulas warned, seizing control of her motor functions painfully to get his point across, and slowly forcing her pincer to point her cybervenom launcher at her own head.

"Unfortunate accidents, understand?" Tarantulas cued, reveling in her frustration and helplessness as he crept around her mind, giving her shakes and shivers as he discreetly dug up the blackbox she had buried deep within her mind, wondering what secrets it held as he scratched at its surface, actions masked by the painful sensations he was giving Blackarachnia at the moment.

Naitokage wrote: As Terrorsaur lifted Waspinator up, his body could be seen still being reassembled by mechanical arms raised from the CR tank's fluids as Waspinator woke up in a scream of terror with a loud buzzing sound coming from parts being welded back together, Waspinator being completely unaware of his surroundings at the moment.

A few moments later Quickstrike's CR tank platform started to rise, he looked a bit groggy as he then looked towards Waspinator and Terrorsaur with wide optics seeming to lean back What in tarnation?!

"Sssssssssssshhhh! You'll miss the good parts!" Terrorsaur whispered to Quickstrike, Megatron's negociation session turning out to be more entertaining than a prime time drama series, between him sticking it to the maximal mouse and chewing out the newbies, classic stuff!

Aurora trembled, her arms grasping for Whitegrazer but what would once have been a firm embrace was now reduced to a mere trace of one. The fuzor felt so tired, so extremely tired, her vision blurring a bit as she gasped for air. The pain was overwhelming, she'd go as far as to say excrutiating in fact.. Certainly far worse than she could ever imagine.

And cold.. oh so cold..

Her hand was laying limply in a puddle of something sticky. Dazed as she was, it took her a moment to realize it was he own mech fluid that was pooling on the ground next to her. Aurora twitched at the notion, using an excessive amount of what little strength she had to place the arm back on her chest. When Whitegrazer placed her own hand on top, the fuzor smiled faintly. Or at least she tried to, she couldn't really be sure what her expression looked like. In truth she didn't want to even think about it. And yet her thoughts were all over the place, fleeting from her current predicament to Optimus, to the female holding her so softly, to Rattrap and the others..

For the first time since she had come outside, her dimmed optics locked with Whitegrazer, the other female literally fighting to keep her own emotions in check. And failing. In a normal situation Aurora would have minded the overprotective nature of the other female, but right now she cherished it, holding on for dear life.

"Aurora... keep your optics on mine. Listen to my voice, okay?"

Oh she was.. The fuzor did everything in her power to concentrate solely on that soft voice and those caring eyes. Even as her own optics faded a bit more, the severe loss of mech fluids forcing her closer to..

"I need you to not close them, you hear me? Don't. Please."

Death.. It was such a strange concept, so frighteningly.. definite. Unless your name was Optimus, of course, but for anyone else it was a single direction of travel. But at least she'd have someone waiting for her on the other side, a belief that carried a great deal of comfort for the young fuzor.

Aurora's trembling had decreased a bit, the overwhelming pain subsiding as well.. now replaced by an almost welcome numbness. Although still frightened, she looked a bit more peaceful. But she could tell by the changing expressions on Whitegrazer's face that the other female was not about to let her let go.

"You are strong, Aurora. I have always known that. Now, be strong. Fight. I won't let you die here. Not here."

Attempting to respond, Aurora ended up coughing up a bit of mech fluid. As the liquid dripped down her chin, Aurora almost chuckled at the absurdness of everything that had happened over the course of mere days. And only a few nanoclicks before, she'd been the one fearing for Whitegrazer's life. Which part of her still was, given the fact they were still out in the open and Whitegrazer was using herself as a shield to protect them both.

Oh what a fool she was for not taking more precautions..

"We need to get the bullet out, but it would be too dangerous to do it. You can do this, Aurora. I need you to keep yourself awake and to remain calm."

Calm.. Interesting choice of words. Aurora was barely even awake, much less had the energy to move much. Death certainly had a strong grip, pulling on her with every gasp for air she made. And this talk about removing the bullet.. There was no way. The thing had lodged deep within he spark and was killing her with every pulsation, although she truly appreciated Whitegrazer's attempt at raising her spirits.. Even if it was futile at this point. It would require a miracle to save her now.

"Follow my breathing. I know it is hard, but you must. Don't shut your optics. Keep focused on me. Focus on me. "

If only it was that easy. But Aurora still attempted to comply, struggling to maintain a regular breathing pattern and to keep her so very tired optics online. It was then her thoughts drifted to how convenient it would be be able to heal oneself right now.

Wait..


"Use.. the nanogel..," the fuzor whimpered, her voice barely more than a whisper, "..in the.. lab."

She looked up at Whitegrazer expectantly, hoping the other female would understand. She really didn't have the energy left to go through an elaborate explanation.

Zodiac in Darkwind's form's smile grew a little wider as he watched his target through the scope of his sniper rife, reveling in her pain as she so desperately attempted to save the life of the younger, smaller female. He felt confident that as soon as the little female succumbed to her injuries, Whitegrazer's will would be broken along with her heart. Any telepathic powers she possessed would be useless then and she'd be an easy target. It was a type of warfare that only the few strong-willed and fearless enough to take whatever steps were necessary were capable of. He truly had the potential to be ruthless, and it had served him well in the past. Some may not agree with his methods, effective as they were, and quite frankly.. Zodiac didn't care about that. He got the job done through any means necessary. And if he managed to inflict even more pain, fear and devastation into his enemy before finally pulling the trigger, well, that only made watching their suffering more enjoyable.

The sound of metal impaling itself into the ground only a short distance from where he was, drew his attention away from his target's sorrow for a moment. A quick glance down at the dirt by his feet revealed what looked like.. a throwing knife?

Darkwind looked up just in time to see a few more of them coming straight at him, but not soon enough to avoid them. The first one impacted his shoulder, cutting through the armor until the knife came to a rest with about half of it sticking out. The sniper grimaced at the sharp pain, taking a step back just as another knife sliced into his thigh. Through the corner of his optic he caught sight of the origin of these somewhat peculiar weapons, that same female bat he had seen earlier. Darkwind's optics narrowed at her nerves for attacking him so openly, a slight groan escaping him as he straightened out despite the objects impaling him. He was certainly not about to let this has-been doctor, or whatever she was, ruin his fun.

"It appears we have some unwanted visitors, Night Terror. Take care of her for me, will you?"

He wasn't equipped to handle a flying opponent in this form, and he wasn't about to give away his secrets just yet. Besides.. he still wanted to witness Whitegrazer's reaction when the young one died in her arms, despite her best efforts to save her. Oh it would be beautiful.

Two thuds could be heard as the remnants of the throwing knives impacted with the ground, his nanites having effectively consumed the rest of them and healed him in the process. A slight smirk on his face, Darkwind resumed his position by the rifle.

He couldn't be sure what came first, whether it was the female's infuriated roar or the pain as her sai stabbed through his back armor plating, barely missing his spark as she yanked the weapon back and went in for a second blow. Darkwind's response was equally furious, his body twisting in a fluent and almost desperate move, turning him face to face with.. her.

Nemesis put her rage to good use, bringing her leg up to kick the male hard to the side of his head, wanting to leave him dazed and unable to counter her attacks. This was not the time to be subtle, not after what he had done to her earlier.

The foot impacted so hard it felt as if the side of his face was about to crumble, the force sending the male staggering to the side before he managed to regain his balance briefly. That didn't help much as another, equally powerful, kick to his legs sent him crashing down on his back. Darkwind blinked up at her as he came towards him, sai raised once more with the intent to leave another three holes neatly lined up somewhere in his armor. Fortunately this time Darkwind was prepared, swiftly rolling out of her path just as she plunged the three prongs into the ground where he had been laying a mere second prior.

Her optics flashed fire as she stood up to face him once more, sai in one hand, her sword in the other. Darkwind, having put a little distance between the two, crossed his arms as he eyed her, his optics revealing just how unimpressed he was. His wounds were already healing, so he was almost.. comfortable again.. If a little annoyed by the constant interruptions.

He fixed her with his gaze, matching her sleek movements with his own as she approached him in a circular pattern. It had been no great effort to defeat her the last time they met so he wasn't very concerned. Besides.. he had an advantage she did not. Even so, their motion was nearly synchronized, revealing to anyone watching that they shared a common history.. In fact their ties were almost familial in nature.

Darkwind smiled, even if it was not a friendly one.

"Now is that any way to say hello.. sister?"

(ooc: Too tired to clean up the last part of this post right now. And I have a 17 hour shift tomorrow. Yay..)

NaitoKage wrote: ... This is bad.. I'll.. see what I can do.. Cheetor, get me Rhinox and get some support. Keep an eye out for Preds too!

Cheetor to Rhinox, this is code red! Aurora's down! Landslide's here but.. it's.. her spark..

If there was anyone who could pull the bullet out, it was Rhinox. Thank goodness Aurora had given him the cure beforehand. He might never have been able to do this. She didn't know if Rhinox knew how to do spark surgery, but she had faith that the Maximal could do it.

Aurora was getting worse by the moment. Mech fluid was flowing down upon the sandy surface of the Savannah the Axalon had landed on, leaving a great puddle of misery below the young one. Some of it was actually getting on her knees and the hand, which she was holding Aurora's. She was losing too much and the fact that even this much made it outside made her optics water even more. A face of excruciating agony could be seen all of over the little one's face as the lodged bullet seemed to be ciphering the spark's energy. Too much. Too much. Too much pain for the young one to be experiencing. There had to be something she could do to ease this pain until Rhinox arrived.

Of course, she could.

The other hand that was left with hovering over Aurora's spark, shaking with no knowledge of what and how to remove the bullet, maneuvered around the spark. She concentrated hard, focusing on matching Aurora's energy. As she went in slowly, she could feel the bullet inside of Aurora. Inside of her. She was feeling Aurora's pain in more strongly. She couldn't take the bullet out. No. But she could share in the little one's physical and mental pain like she always did. Like she always wanted. Her own spark began to ache in the little one's pain. It quivered. If only she could... heal physically like she used to do. But she squandered it. Her failing to not use it and instead, used her powers destructively and self-destructively to begin more pain and harm into this world. She forgave herself but others haven't.

Aurora's entire body was losing the heat of her own systems. They were cooling down to the point of a massive shut down. That wasn't good. She squeezed her optics hard. Her right hand moved around and around like she was caressing the young ermine's body. Despite her own emotional pain, pushing it aside, she focused on warming Aurora up with her own aura. Aurora... there is still a fighting spirit in you. I can feel it. She really wanted to wrap her arms around the little one and hold her until everything was okay, but she was hesitated due to Aurora's condition. I am here for you, Aurora. I have and always will be. I feel your pain. I know it is so hard...but I need you to focus She also needed to focus. It almost felt like if she let go, Aurora would too. Just as Optimus was being tortured and he wanted her to let go, she couldn't let Aurora die, she couldn't let go. Not like this. She wanted Aurora to hold on. Just as she was holding on to her. I know you can do it... I know you can.

Where was Rhinox? Why wasn't he here yet? Don't tell her that something else was going on and she didn't sense it? Did the Predacons use this as a distraction to get inside the base? Was this all...?

She looked at Landslide and Cheetor, "What is going on? Is Rhinox com-"

Aurora!

Her watery, scratched and stabbed optics widened. Optimus?! Sharing her aura with Aurora was soon crushed. Without hesitation, she stopped what she was doing... and it seemed to be a good decision. As what she was feeling next... Aurora might have died from the overwhelming waves of emotions that flooded her now. Tears flew down, burning streams on her cheeks. Sorrow for the thought that Optimus knew of what was going on with Aurora. Sharing the image of the young one's broken and bleeding form that was right in front of her. Right in front of him. Her silent cries were the combination of hers and his. The tears he couldn't shred right in front of the Predacons. Tears he couldn't shred for the thought of wasting the only fluid he had left in him. Tears fell down her cheeks harder and faster, changing into tears of horrific agony. She not only had the image of Aurora's body stamped into her mind, but now, she could see the painful image of Optimus' own broken, bleeding body stamped inside of her as well.

Phoenix wrote:"Use.. the nanogel..," the fuzor whimpered, her voice barely more than a whisper, "..in the.. lab."

Aurora's voice was so soft, so low that she only could hear a couple of words: nanogel and lab. Nanogel! The same nanogel she used on Optimus? But wasn't she still experimenting on it? But what else was there? "All right," she squeezed Aurora's hand, despite the numb feelings in her fingers, to let her know she understood what she meant, "I will get it. Keep yourself awake."

She looked at Landslide and Cheetor, "Landslide, do the best you can to stop the bleeding. Cheetor, watch his back if the Predacons try to get cross here." The last words she had spoken were squeezed through the thin lines of her teeth, struggling to try and keep focus on her task as waves of pain were shooting through her entire body.

Oh, Optimus... I feel your pain. She raced towards the Axalon, tripping on her own legs and fell on her knees. They felt like someone had ripped through them. Her fingers were aching and throbbing. So much that she couldn't even pull herself up. Optimus... this was my fault.

"RRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

The white and blue plates of her armor strung with a blazing fire. Her spark boiling with a consuming inferno. No, this wasn't her. This was Optimus. She felt his need to go off on the ones who were torturing him, the anger of what was happening to those he cared for, and the need to be there with them. She wanted him there too. Out of that cell. Back at the Axalon among them where he belonged.

They should have never had let him go. Cheetor and Banshee... they should have found another way to save them. But she would have done the same thing. That was different, though. It was she who was a threat, not Optimus, not the Maximals. It was all her fault.

This war was all her fault. Her mistake. THEIR mistake. She had pushed herself up and continued to the Axalon. She activated the lift and didn't even wait for it to come fully down when she jumped inside. The anger that was raging inside of Optimus was fueling everything she was doing. She wanted to tear them apart. Megatron. The spiders. The shapeshifter. All those who caused harm to those she loved and cared for very much. She wanted them to feel her pain. She wanted to do what her mentor and she used to do: take the pain and give it out to everyone who deserved it. The feelings were rising and rising to high levels. She didn't want it. She didn't want it! She had to focus on saving a life, not destroying!

Single-mindedly, she raced down the hallway to the medical bay and saw Rhinox's unconscious body. No wonder he didn't come. Sonar was missing. He probably took the time to escape. She checked Rhinox out and hit her com, "Rattrap, Sonar escaped and Rhinox is out cold. He will be all right just needs some cycle in the CR chamber. Aurora's been shot. But don't worry, I will fix that." She ended her message before she went inside the medbay and spotted the blue gel. She grabbed it and raced off, going back down the lift as fast as she did when she came.

Whitegrazer...

She wiped her optics then closed them. The green meadow... It is my fault The only thing she could see in that meadow was Optimus' broken and bleeding form laying down on it. She was still shaking as she reached out to him, reaching towards Aurora. Optimus...You don't deserve this. Neither does Aurora or the rest. She wanted to hold him just like she wanted to hold Aurora. She wanted to take his broken body and cradle it to try and take some of that pain away. Caress both of their faces. To shield them from anymore pain and agony.

As she raced back to Aurora, opening her optics, she looked at the blue gel. She didn't like it. These nanos were the ones who caused problems for Nemesis and for Optimus. They would do the job, but Aurora might have to live with some consequences. Could she really do it? But what other choice did she have? Her spiritual healing only could do so much and it was now too risky to take the bullet out without Aurora dying from the trauma.

"I'm here, Aurora, I'm here!"

She crouched down above the little one and showed the blue gel to the little one. She placed the blue gel on her chest. As she watched, she shook her head. Why wasn't it working? Why weren't the nanos doing anything? She looked at Aurora and back at the gel. Wait a minute! Her tasar! Optimus... she saw him tasar himself to get those nanoites to do their thing. She took her tasar out and gave a shock to the blue gel.

And she waited...

((OOC: I'm unsure about the ending. If you guys believe it is too much, I will fix it. ))

( Don't edit it 100 times, it's fine as is. )

Rattrap wrote:"Cheetor, report,"

Cheetor responded on his comlink This is Cheetor. We're under attack, Aurora is hurt bad,and I can't get ahold of Rhinox!

Banshee wrote: "Sniper at 12 o' clock! Take cover, get Aurora to safety! I'll distract them!"

Whitegrazer wrote:"What is going on? Is Rhinox com-"

Aurora wrote:"Use.. the nanogel..," "..in the.. lab."

Whitegrazer wrote:"All right,""I will get it. Keep yourself awake." "Landslide, do the best you can to stop the bleeding. Cheetor, watch his back if the Predacons try to get cross here."

Cheetor gave a nod as he started to look around the area, bringing his arms together in their gun configuration.

Landslide gave a nod towards Whitegrazer, then started to examine the wound, looking for the source of the leak. The top of his container opened as a roll of what appeared to be fuel line came up. Cutting off a small section of the line, he trimmed the damaged line's frayed material, then slid the fuel line over both ends and attached a pipe clamp on both ends to secure the line. It's not vacuum rated, but it'll do.

Landslide looked up as he noticed Whitegrazer return.

Whitegrazer wrote: "I'm here, Aurora, I'm here!"

Landslide observed as Whitegrazer poured the nano gel onto Aurora, then used a tazer to zap the gel. Make sure to stay back until it's done, it might try to eat you to fix her. Landslide then reached into his back pulling out a small container with a straw and set it down on the ground next to Aurora When she's stable, give her that Energon to drink and get her in the base. There's no cover out here so it's far too dangerous.

Landslide's hands started to retract their tools, he then got up onto his feet with a low grunt. I'll leave my shield here fer cover fer you two. You can use it or leave it, either way theres two other preds out there and it'd be better if you stay with her. Come on Cheetor.

Landslide started to walk away, activating his thrusters he blew up some dust as he took off into the sky, observing the area for the preds Banshee mentioned. Cheetor then transformed and took to the air following Landslide up.

_________________________________________________

Night Terror wrote: "Night Terror to Umbra. Take the shot! Dirge, incoming flyer take the Maximal out and cover our retreat if necessary!"

Umbra raised an optic ridge as he heard Night Terror on the radio, his tone of voice.. was he panicking? he thought to himself.


The Ninja simply observed through his scope quietly, with Landslide in the way he didn't really have a shot. He could shoot Cheetor, but that'd just give his position away. For now, he'd wait for his chance. He then noticed Whitegrazer running towards the Maximal base and run back. In that time he was surprised that she hadn't been shot by Zodiac.

After her return, Landslide and Cheetor seemed to head away, noticing a strange blue glow come from Aurora's body.. the same glow Nemesis had. He looked at Whitegrazer for a moment through his scope, then back towards Aurora.

Something seemed very off about the situation at hand.

OOC: So so sorry......I was more behind in my homework than I originally thought. I'm caught up now with everything....school related and posting related...so I'm ready to get back into the game. So sorry.

BIC:

Inferno had been standing guard outside the room where Optimus was being held prisoner for what seemed like forever. It had been several cycles since Megatron and the others went in...and still more cycles when the spiders and the new recruits had come out. He was most surprised to see a small, furry, winged maximal enter the room with them as a prisoner, but then she left unguarded and unchained. (OOC: I do not remember if Zodiac/Darkwind changed shape before he left...but it'll take like less than a second to edit that if I'm wrong).

After a few more cycles, Megatron walked out of the room.

"Go in there and watch him until I return, do him no harm, he's already incurred my wrath and shall not require another lesson. Understood subcommander? Good."

Inferno saluted, understanding the importance of the task at hand.

"Yes, my Queen!"

Inferno entered the room as instructed and was surprised to see how damaged Optimus was. He overheard Optimus' computer warning him about imminent stasis lock. He checked and doubled checked the lock on Optimus' cage....he wasn't having a repeat of the Banshee/Cheetor situation. Then, he proceeded to stand guard on Optimus' cage.

A moment or two later, Blackarachnia and Spineback entered intending to tend to Optimus' injuries, as Spineback explained was commanded by the Royalty himself (OOC: I realize she didn't actually say that....but Megatron told her too and since she won't be back for a bit, I'll just assume she did what he asked).

Inferno gave them a skeptical look. "Okay," he agreed. "But the Royalty instructed that no harm was to come to him. If you harm him, I will have to remove you from the room," he warned.

Inferno stepped aside to allow them to do their work.
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Dinobot entered his quarters to retrieve the golden disk. He hated taking orders from that little furball, but he knew how important this was. He was not interested in letting Optimus down- he was about the only one who Dinobot felt compelled to please. So he did as Rattrap requested.

He picked up the golden disk and held it in his hand. He couldn't believe how fleeting his possession of the disks had been. He had been so relieved to have them- sensing that the answers to his many questions were close at hand. There was so much he wanted to know- no, needed to know! But the time had come to see that they go to their rightful owner. Would he ever discover their secrets?

Dinobot couldn't give the disks up without making sure that the data he had extracted off of them had made it to his own personal computer. No one needed to know that he had his own copy of the information for his own personal study. Rhinox would no doubt copy the information off of the disk himself and Dinobot was fine with that. He recognized Rhinox as a gifted technological expert. Any insight the green Maximal could give to him would be much appreciated. It would help his own investigations greatly!

Dinobot sighed as he raised himself from his computer console. That data had copied to his drives successfully and just as an extra precaution, he had a hard copy of the information on a disk that he stored in a secret compartment in his quarters. Then, just to be doubly sure, he encrypted the data on his computer. His only regret was that he had taken the time to hide the other disk. He wouldn't be able to get the information off of that disk. They were supposed to be exact copies so it shouldn't matter, but now he would never know for sure.
Dinobot grabbed the golden disk and returned to the bridge just in time to catch the end of Rattrap's conversation with the darksyde.

Amusing speculations aside, you offer an exchange, yesss? Hhhhmmm, interesting proposal. I would of course like to see both disks to know they are in fact still intact, PERFECTLY intact, and that you haven't destroyed or damaged them out of spite.I also request, oh pardon me, what I thinking? I INSIST that you purge all data on the disks from your own systems and make it visible to me here and now, information tends to lose its value if both sides have it after all. Otherwise, I'll kill both Nexus and Primal right now, march on your home, slag everyone, and proceed onward to conquer all of known space with or without the disks, bitter though their loss would be I confess."

"Fine. But we also want proof dat Optimus an' Nexus are still alive and will remain dat way when we meet for the exchange." "And speakin' o' which, we'll be meetin' in neutral territory. And that ain't negotiable."

Dinobot handed the disk to Rattrap so that he could let Megatron know they were following his demands, but they did not accomplish what they had hoped. Megatron immediately noticed the missing disk.

"Do you not know how to count vermin? Where's the other disk?"

Dinobot froze, but before Rattrap was able to respond, Megatron spoke again.

"A moment if you will"

Megatron abruptly shut off the feed. Dinobot turned to Rattrap. "Perhaps we can stall for time by asking to speak to Optimus before we show him the other disk?" Dinobot suggested, but he didn't know what good that would do. They still wouldn't have the other golden disk in their possession once Megatron complied with their request.

"My apologies, technical difficulties, good help is so hard to find these days. Now then, about that second disk, show me if you would be so kind?"

Dinobot looked over at Rattrap wondering what the vermin would do.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You have outdone yourself my dear, this will do quite nicely, we can worry about acquiring fresh samples later, for now I want to study what we have and from there I shall decide whether Starshadow and her "condition" is of use to us or something to be purged before she becomes an impediment to our plans. Keep watch and make sure no comes near this station while I work, no need for anyone else to know about this until I decide what to do about our vampiric friend, nnnnnooo"

Arachnitron smiled, again, proud to have pleased Tarantulas. He praised her work and her plan to keep the information from Megatron. She was glad to have performed beyond his expectations!

Suddenly, there was an incoming transmission from the Axalon. Tarantulas answered it and spoke to Rattrap with uncharacteristic kindness to his voice.

She and the others on the bridge were surprised to hear that they were interested in bargaining for the golden disks. So...the other maximals knew about the disks? She looked over at Tarantulas, but seeing as there were others in the room, he didn't let on as to what he thought about the situation. Instead, he did, as Rattrap requested and radioed for Megatron to discuss the deal.

"I shall be with you shortly, and keep alert for intruders should this be another one of their famous distractions. Megatron out"

Arachnitron went over to the computer consoles to do as Megatron had asked. Hoping the fact that she was working would cause Megatron to overlook her presence and keep her under the radar. Even though she kept a continual scan going of the area, looking for Maximal signatures, she listened intently to the conversation.

When Megatron mentioned that the Maximals only had one of the golden disks, Arachnitron looked over to Tarantulas to see what his expression was. But again, so many others were in the room, so he kept his reactions to a minimum. How she wished they were alone so she could find out what he was thinking! Did Dinobot not share the other disks with his comrades? Or were they trying to pull something over on Megatron? Her jealousy of Blackarachnia grew a thousand fold at the thought that SHE could communicate with Tarantulas from afar, but Arachnitron could not....even though she thought Tarantulas favored her over the other widow. If that were so, why was it that she could not share his thoughts the same way as Blackarachnia?

(OOC: Poor Night Terror, he has had the worst luck since arriving on this planet. I don't really have much to post, but I thought I should go ahead and get a post in.))

Megatron said: OF ALL THE IMBECILIC, INSUBORDINATE THINGS TO DO! I gave explicit orders not to act until further notice, I am literally in the middle of negotiations for possession of the golden disks, THE GOLDEN DISKS! How long do you think the maximals will be willing to deal with me when they learn you idiots terminated one of their own while we were talking?! Even the maximals may reconsider trading the disks for Primal if you fools kill too many of their comrades to be worth the price, retreat now before you make things worse. So help me Night Terror, if that rodent destroys the golden disks and I lose access to their knowledge and power forever because of your carelessness, HEADS WILL ROLL. From now on I better hear from Umbra or Zodiac rather than a clueless grunt like YOU. Megatron out.

Night Terror flinched as Megatron yelled at him over the comms. For a moment he thought his audio receptors may have been blown out from the tyrant's rage filled screams.

Night Terror was not happy. The Maximals had moved too fast. He had lost his ship. Zodiac had taken out the wrong target before the order was even given to fire. And now, he was being talked down to by a rogue general turn criminal!

"Umbra, new orders from Megatron. We are to abort. Fall...fall back." Those last words disgusted him. Night Terror never liked retreating. However, it was now necessary. This little mission of theirs had gone very wrong, very quickly.

Darkwind said: "It appears we have some unwanted visitors, Night Terror. Take care of her for me, will you?"

Night Terror listen his comrade's request for assistance as he watched Aurora being carried back inside.

"No. I think not. You will fall back immediately. We are returning to the Darksyde." Night Terror turning.

Night Terror understood the reason for assassinating Whitegrazer. She was tactical advantage that needed to be taken out. There was no need to take out Aurora. No honor. No glory. Shaking his head, he began to make his way back to base.

"Oh, what's going on? Do tell?"

Optimus didn't bother satisfying Blackarachnia with the details she sought. If she had cared at all and showed some sign of remorse or guilt for what she had done, then he might have, but since that was not the case he didn't waste his breath.

"Whatever is going on, it would be the last thing you will ever know, Maximal!"

His coughing subsided, breathing heavily, and he only gave a glance to the widow and Inferno after he had accidentally hit her. She didn't deserve an apology so he never gave her one. Primal simply let her think it was done on purpose because he didn't care. It didn't matter. Laying there helpless, most of the re-attachments she had given him had helped greatly; there were no more big leaks but he still couldn't stand or move much at all. Quiet now, his thoughts drifted as he tried to ignore the pain.

Optimus?!

Whitegrazer... What had happened to Aurora that had the equine in shambles? What did the Predacons do? There was so much panic coming from her. In a flash, he saw what was before her in her arms. A bullet. Aurora's penetrated spark. Aurora growing weak and cold. No... She had been shot? NOOOOOOOOOOOO! Aurora! Fury erupted inside of him but it was quickly doused by fear and sadness; sadness to know what she was going through, possibly facing death, and how she didn't deserve this. So innocent. These Predacons were even lower than he thought. Whoever had shot her, Optimus wanted to rip their spark out and crush it with his hand. Squeeze the life out of them. An eye for an eye. A few tears escaped his only functioning optic sensor, dripping onto the floor into his own fluids that he was laying in on his back.

Oh, Optimus... I feel your pain. Optimus... this was my fault. It is my fault. Optimus...You don't deserve this. Neither does Aurora or the rest.

It's not... your fault, Whitegrazer. It's mine. I should have... never followed orders to... to chase Megatron. I should have... never trusted the Elders. This war has been... way out of my league. Save her... Whitegrazer. Ignore my pain. I... I can d-... I'll cope. Save Aurora. ...I cannot. Their connection fluttered like winks from his own weakness and loss of energy. There was nothing Optimus could do but lay there and reserve as much power as he possibly could. If Aurora did succumb to death, he couldn't blame her. That was far easier to do than to continue fighting in this merciless and meaningless war every day. Maybe she'd even see Icebreaker again just as he had. He hoped she wouldn't give up, though. She was like a daughter to him just as Cheetor was like a son. They were valuable in so many ways. They were young, forcefully thrown into this disaster and risking their lives all the time because of these Predacons. These Predacons. Because of Megatron.

-----

"Primal and Nexus are both alive and well for the moment, as you can plainly see"

Rattrap narrowed his optics at the footage, trying to study it as carefully as he could before it was gone. He was not satisfied. Judging by Whitegrazer's earlier reactions to what they were doing to Optimus, this supposed "present" footage didn't match. And Megatron made it too quick. He hated this Predacon so much.

"Excellent"

At least one of them was happy with their results. When Dinobot returned to the bridge, he handed the disk over to the rodent who then showed it to Megatron, front and back, so he could see it wasn't damaged in any way. However, he was not aware of the data the lizard had copied off of it.

"Do you not know how to count vermin? Where's the other disk?" "A moment if you will"

Just as Megatron rudely but temporarily cut him off, Rattrap muted his mic in case Megatron could listen without the video and looked at Dinobot who spoke up.

"Perhaps we can stall for time by asking to speak to Optimus before we show him the other disk?"

He nodded in agreement, giving the raptor a dismissive wave as if he had this covered before he finally received reports from Cheetor and Whitegrazer. And they were not good.

This is Cheetor. We're under attack, Aurora is hurt bad,and I can't get ahold of Rhinox!

"Rattrap, Sonar escaped and Rhinox is out cold. He will be all right just needs some cycle in the CR chamber. Aurora's been shot. But don't worry, I will fix that."

SHOT?! This was exactly why he HATED it when no one listened to him! "These slaggin' Predacons...!" Rattrap muttered angrily to no one in particular. Had Aurora been the intended target? Or did she simply get in the way? It didn't matter right now, but this could actually work in their favor. His favorite Fuzor better be all right, though, or so help him... Unaware of just how serious the situation was, the rat was still angry and Megatron might regret the stunt his idiotic Predacons just pulled. And now Sonar was loose? He punched in some commands to locate his signature as well as Rhinox's but the computers went on a temporary fritz because of the bat's annoying sonic blasts. When they rebooted and re-calibrated, the Predacon was gone. Good riddance. Maybe he'd waste his time tracking down Saber-Fang, but hopefully she wouldn't be in danger. They couldn't spare anymore Maximals to chase Sonar down or search for the former General.

"Banshee!" Rattrap called after her when she suddenly took it upon herself to join the danger outside. Ignoring him, she was already out the door. The Spy grumbled to himself having giving her no order to go out there and help as she just went ahead and did as she pleased. Didn't anybody take him seriously as a stand-in Commander? He guessed not. This wasn't the time for everyone to do a free-for-all.

"Whitegrazer, get Aurora in here immediately!" Rattrap ordered her. Getting the young Fuzor out of harm's way, and the mare at the same time, was the best solution. He feared for Landslide being out there as well because he was their only means of transporting Optimus back to the Axalon once they acquired him but this battle wasn't going to last long.

"My apologies, technical difficulties, good help is so hard to find these days. Now then, about that second disk, show me if you would be so kind?"

Rattrap looked at Megatron when he reappeared on the monitor and unmuted his mic. Jee, I wonder what coulda happened, he thought with a glare thinking that Megatron might have been dealing with the Preds on the other line who were attacking them. He glared at the tyrant and spoke with some anger. "Speakin' of technical difficulties, the footage you showed me seemed a little... eh... inaccurate. I wanna hear from Optimus and Nexus. You get nothin' else from us until dat happens an' you call off your hounds!" The golden disk that Rattrap still held in his hands he tossed at Dinobot without looking at the warrior expecting him to catch it but the action was to show Megatron how careless he could be with his precious artifacts just like how careless his Predacons were by attacking and critically injuring one of his Maximals. The TransMetal rodent cut off their transmission before Megatron could see whether Dinobot caught the disk or fumbled, hoping to make the t-rex sweat a little and expecting a call back soon with Primal's and his fake mentor's voice on the other line.

"Rattrap ta Rhinox. Come in, Big Green," he called over his comm. link. "Wake up, Rhinox. Stop layin' down on the job."

A familiar voice caused the engineer to finally stir back to consciousness while he laid there in the corridor. Grumbling, Rhinox cautiously pushed himself to his feet and looked around taking notice of his solitude. Sonar was long gone but at least he hadn't inflicted any real damage to him. Disappointed with himself for letting him sneak up on him like that and taking him down so easily, he tried to push it aside and focus on what was going on. "I copy, Rattrap. I'm all right. ...Sonar escaped."

Rattrap heard his apologetic voice but disregarded it. "Don't worry 'bout him, big guy, we got bigger problems. Aurora's been shot. Sounds bad. I think 'Grazer's tryin' ta help but I ordered her ta come back in with 'er. We might need yer medical expertise so get ready."

Sighing, Rhinox rubbed the back of his neck and returned to the medical bay to start prepping things he might need for Aurora's likely operation. Without knowing how serious her condition was or what kind of bullet had penetrated her armor and where, he was working with a blindfold on, so to speak. "Who shot her?" he inquired. He was gravely concerned for the little Fuzor's well being. And she had just worked so hard to find a cure for them, too. Despite all of the sorrow and heartbreak that Aurora had gone through during this war so far, he knew she was still strong and he hoped she would fight for her own life.

"Don't know yet other dan it was a Pred. Megajerk should be callin' 'em off, though," as if that made their predicament any better. In a way it did since it was one less thing to worry about and one less battle avoided but they still had to work fast to save Aurora's life. Really fast. And with steady hands. If anyone had either of those under control in such dire situations, it was Rhinox.

"Cheetor, Landslide, Banshee, de Preds should be retreatin' soon. Let 'em go if they do an' keep me posted." With their enemy still out of the Axalon's range, Rattrap couldn't tell where they were and if they were coming or going, so he had to rely on the other Maximals' visuals on them. If they had them in sight.

"Whitegrazer, get Aurora to the med bay ASAP. Rhinox's waitin' for you guys there." The rodent in robot mode finally sat back in his chair for a moment to breathe and mentally assess everything that was occurring all at once. He hoped Aurora would be all right. She had to. He shook his head to himself as everything unfolded. Whatever Nemesis was up to, Rattrap didn't seem to care at the moment. If she had found Darkwind, then at least it would keep both of them occupied, which would be one less thing for him to worry about.

Aurora twitched slightly under Whitegrazer's gentle touch, the other female feeling so warm against her own cool armor. Even though the ermine was barely conscious, she still felt.. something.. a flicker of the white mare's wide range of emotions penetrating that barrier she tried to uphold to protect the younger female. There was anger, sorrow, confusion, sadness, hope, pain.. and love.. The feelings were fleeting and difficult to separate in her current weakened state. Yet sensing that connection, however brief, helped give her some strength to hold on. At least for a little while longer, even as she started slipping in and out of consciousness.

"I will get it. Keep yourself awake."

Too weakened to return the soft hand squeeze, Aurora's gaze followed Whitegrazer as she took off and Landslide took her place, applying pressure to reduce the bleeding. For a brief moment she considered how lucky she was to have such good friends that were willing to risk their own lives to protect her, even now, and she also wondered if Predacons got to experience that.. or if they were forced to die alone with nobody to guide them to the afterlife. It was a strange thought that left an odd taste in her mouth.. or maybe that was just the remnants of mech fluid. She couldn't really tell.

She slipped into unconsciousness for a few moments, long enough not to even notice the work that Landslide was doing on her. In fact it was Whitegrazer's voice that brought her back from her slumber.

"I'm here, Aurora, I'm here!"

The voice sounded faded to her, like the female Maximal was far away, but the renewed touch was all too clear. Something cool was being poured into her gaping hole, that much she could tell, but then.. nothing. Nanoclicks ticked by before a sudden electric shock caused her entire body to jerk.

What was that..?

The sudden burst of electricity was all the enforcement the nanogel needed, the tiny robots suddenly returning to life and beginning repairs as if they had never been inactive. A blue hue visible as they worked. The first thing they did was to dissolve the shrapnel that was lodged inside the spark, leaving the spark itself intact. The nanites required metal to work, after all. Once the shrapnel was no more, Aurora's spark immediately glowed a little more brightly, no longer being poisoned by the foreign objects. The nanites then continued on with more of the repairs, working their way out, leaving Aurora with a very peculiar tingling sensation in her chest as they efficiently reconnected her severed wires and regenerated pieces of metal. They worked diligently, efficiently, devoted only to the task at hand. Unfortunately there had only been a very limited supply of the nanogel left, not enough to repair all of the carnage left behind by the explosive round that had embedded into her chest. But it was, however, enough to stabilize her, at least temporarily, before the glow faded and the nanites went back to sleep.

(ooc: I'll add rest later..)

OOC: Okay! Here's my post gang, if I forgot anyone lemme know, but I think I got everything covered here lol

OOP wrote: Rattrap looked at Megatron when he reappeared on the monitor and unmuted his mic. Jee, I wonder what coulda happened, he thought with a glare thinking that Megatron might have been dealing with the Preds on the other line who were attacking them. He glared at the tyrant and spoke with some anger. "Speakin' of technical difficulties, the footage you showed me seemed a little... eh... inaccurate. I wanna hear from Optimus and Nexus. You get nothin' else from us until dat happens an' you call off your hounds!" The golden disk that Rattrap still held in his hands he tossed at Dinobot without looking at the warrior expecting him to catch it but the action was to show Megatron how careless he could be with his precious artifacts just like how careless his Predacons were by attacking and critically injuring one of his Maximals. The TransMetal rodent cut off their transmission before Megatron could see whether Dinobot caught the disk or fumbled, hoping to make the t-rex sweat a little and expecting a call back soon with Primal's and his fake mentor's voice on the other line.

Megatron snarled in irritation as Rattrap made demands of him, HIM, demands he no doubt would not have had the ball bearings to make if his bumbling rookies hadn't stirred up trouble with their short sighted antics.

The last sight Megatron saw before Rattrap cut the feed was of the Golden Disk being tossed carelessly like a Frisbee, the tyrant reaching instinctively out to save it even though it was miles away, hissing to himself as if bracing for the sound of a precious piece of antique China being shattered, before slamming his fist into his throne's armrest in anger as he yelled "SLAG!!! I'll have all their heads on spikes if that insolent vermin destroyed MY Golden Disk!"

"You mean the maximals or the dumb newbs who jumped the gun?" Terrorsaur inquired smugly, amused by all the chaos going on under Megatron's watch despite the stakes, even more amused by the thoughts of mechs losing their heads, silently vowing he'd have Rattrap's, Airazor's, & Dinobot's heads as his own personal decorations if this threat came to pass.

"BOTH!" Megatron bellowed, throwing a nearby datascreen at Terrorsaur, knocking him right into Waspinator's CR tank, the transmetal pterodactyl resurfacing with a sputter, replying "Good call," as he dragged himself out again, dripping wet.


Megatron then angrily contacted the brig and said "Blackarachnia! I trust that you have Primal stabilized? If so, he better be able to speak, his precious maximals wish to have a few words with him before we continue negotiations. I have other options left open to me, but have him ready by the time we reestablish contact in case said options fail to deliver, is that clear?!"

"Yes my dear, is that clear?" Tarantulas telepathically whispered to Blackarachnia, conjuring in her mind the image of his face looming over her like the visage of Unicron himself, a dark specter only she could see and feel the presence of if she didn't do as she was told.

He continued to covertly examine the blackbox inside her head in the meanwhile, hoping to find a way to access her encrypted information while she was busy appeasing the two tyrants who held her life in their hands.

Meanwhile, Megatron then opened a communication to Zodiac and said "Your carelessness almost cost me dearly Zodiac, yyyessss. However, you can atone by adopting your Nexus persona again long enough to convince the maximals that he and Primal are well for the moment. There will be no visual feed if I can help it, they only asked to hear from you two, so that is what they shall get...Unless you feel like adopting the role of Optimus himself as well? That would certainly compensate for any awkwardness or hasty split decisions that may occur if the maximals saw the state of their true leader, don't you agree? I'm sure I can trust you to provide your best performance in either case, so be sure to return to base on the double with your team in tow, I doubt the deception will work if they pick up your transmission from anywhere other than my base. Out of curiosity, did you at least manage to ascertain the identity of Primal's psychic friend? The maximals seem determined to keep up the pretense that Primal lacks any such spiritual assistance but given the questions they've asked it seems all but obvious that this psychic does exist."

Megatron suspected the maximals knew something was up just as he did with them, but neither side seemed willing to tip their hand as of yet, whether it be the true identity of Nexus Prime or the existence of the psychic link between Primal and his mystery maximal. He could keep up this charade longer than they could however as long as he had need of it, he doubt the maximals in turn could stomach it if push came to shove. He would allow Zodiac to speak as Nexus first since as long as the newcomer sought his favor he could count on him to keep up appearances, if he betrayed him now all bets were off and he'd be hunted down and killed by one side or the other, either way his days on this planet would be numbered. Primal on the other hand would no doubt spill his guts on how he'd been treated up to this point with or without a visual feed, or urge his loyal crew not to go through with any sort of trade for the disk, being the shamelessly self-less sap that he was...Fortunately his new shape-shifting subordinate could hopefully remedy that situation.

((OOC: Nice posts! Here are both Blackarachnia's and Whitegrazer's post. I was only going to post for BA, but since everyone has responded to Whitegrazer, I might as well include her. ))

Blackarachnia sneered at the downed Maximal leader's form. Her weapon ready to fill him with a fatal dose of cybervenom that would make him convulse in his own overload of fluids and systems...

DarkSpark wrote:Now now, mustn't lose our patience with the patient Nurse, that's how accidents happen" "Unfortunate accidents, understand?"

Instead, it was she who convulsed. Her whole entire body struggling to keep the gun aimed at Optimus, watching as it's aiming changed and tried to point at her own skull. Her sneer was now towards the spider inside her mind. Her other hand tried to hold the arm in place in attempt to make sure that spider didn't have a funny ideas. Of course, she knew better than to expect Tarantulas to destroy the precious information she had in her mind. The information that if the Maximals gave it to Megatron, her days of usefulness were sorely numbered.

"All right!" She screamed throwing the weapon against the nearest wall, "You made your point," Those few words came out with a spitting venom towards Tarantulas.

DarkSpark wrote:"Blackarachnia! I trust that you have Primal stabilized? If so, he better be able to speak, his precious maximals wish to have a few words with him before we continue negotiations. I have other options left open to me, but have him ready by the time we reestablish contact in case said options fail to deliver, is that clear?!"

"Yes my dear, is that clear?"

She growled at Megatron. She really wanted to kill him and Tarantulas in one single swoop. She was tired of taking orders. It was fun when she could fool around and play with the Maximal leader's mind, but now, the other stuff they forced her to do while they were securing her death sentence left her under a dark cloud, "Don't worry. I will make sure the Maximals can't use Optimus' injuries against us. Before they will reestablish a connection, Optimus would be so squeaking clean that the Maximals might even thank us for being such good hosts."

Her optics twinkled with mischief towards the Maximal ape, giggling and poking the Maximal's only working optic with her pincher, "Lucky me." She rolled the leader over and looked him over.

Squeaking clean may have been an overestimation. Oh well.

****

NaitoKage wrote:Make sure to stay back until it's done, it might try to eat you to fix her. Landslide then reached into his back pulling out a small container with a straw and set it down on the ground next to Aurora When she's stable, give her that Energon to drink and get her in the base. There's no cover out here so it's far too dangerous.

NaitoKage wrote: I'll leave my shield here fer cover fer you two. You can use it or leave it, either way theres two other preds out there and it'd be better if you stay with her. Come on Cheetor.

Whitegrazer rubbed her optics, still trying to clear out the water from her tears when she took the container of Energon, "I will make sure to give it to her. Thank you, Landslide. And thank you for looking after her. Both of you." She smiled at both of the male bots.

Optimal Optimus Primal wrote:It's not... your fault, Whitegrazer. It's mine. I should have... never followed orders to... to chase Megatron. I should have... never trusted the Elders. This war has been... way out of my league. Save her... Whitegrazer. Ignore my pain. I... I can d-... I'll cope. Save Aurora. ...I cannot.

No, Optimus, no...She watched intently at Aurora's wounds, seeing some of the shrapnel evaporate and wounds being sealed. A smile brightened her with relief. Though, she was still solemn and full of sorrow inwardly, listening to what Optimus was telling her. This war... didn't need to happen if I hadn't screwed up in the first place She couldn't let Optimus feel guilty here. No. He did what he had to do. She respected that so did the rest. Optimus... the others... They didn't know. They didn't know what happened in the tail end of the war.

And she couldn't... As the full story laid within not just her actions, but those of the Elders.

Even to this day, before she was captured by the Predacons and for so long thought she was left to waste away in that fighting circle, she didn't understand. What happened behind closed doors? What happened?

She shook her head softly to and fro, feeling still the agony of what Optimus was going through. I can't ignore your pain just as I can't ignore hers. She couldn't ignore it. It was against everything she taught herself to do after the war she partaken in. She will never forget... never ignore... and just as she wasn't leaving Aurora's side, she wasn't going to leave Optimus. Because she wanted to be there and here. She wanted to protect. She wanted to heal.

Optimal Optimus Primal wrote:"Whitegrazer, get Aurora to the med bay ASAP. Rhinox's waitin' for you guys there."

She hit her own comlink to respond, watching as the nanos continued to work, "I will not move her until I know she is stable enough."

Aurora's body seemed to slowly come back. She grasped Aurora's hand and gently squeezed it again. The young one's spark was getting brighter and brighter, but the nanogel was weakening. She gave it another shock, but she could tell after that... it was all up to Rhinox. She held the container towards Aurora's mouth after she carefully tilted her small head, "Here is some energon for you. Drink it slow now. Easy." She let the young one get as much as she could.

As Aurora was refueling some of the energy she lost, Whitegrazer looked at afar. Despite noises of guns, there wasn't much happening. Were the Predacons retreating? Nemesis... she hadn't forgotten.

She stared at Aurora's optics. She could see the life slowly come back to her. Her optics brightened at the sight. "Okay, I'm going to take you back to the Axalon." She smiled warmlyat Aurora. Taking the container away, Aurora still needed more repairs, but she was better than she was moments ago. Carefully and gently, she picked up Aurora's body, one hand was on her head and the other made sure it had a good grip on her body before she started walking back to the Axalon.

Optimus... she will be okay. So will you. So will we all. She got on the lift slowly, smiling down at Aurora. She moved her way towards the medbay and sat Aurora down on the bed. She was glad to see Rhinox was all right, giving him a smile. She wondered if she should stay or should she leave? If the Predacons were retreating... Nemesis. Nemesis might still need her help. Nemesis...

She hit her com-link to communicate to Landslide, "Landslide, can you confirm Nemesis' status? Is she all right?"

(( OOC: It's going to take a lot more than Blackarchnia's lack of medical skills to fix up and polish Optimus. Too much has fallen off of him, too much paint peeled and flaked off, and too many joints and wires have been severed or bent. I purposely had Rattrap only ask for live audio hoping it would refrain Megatron from using the idea of the shapeshifter instead of the real Optimus (but if Megs does use Zodiac in OP's place, then I have an idea for that), so don't worry about what Optimus looks like. Not even a CR will make him look remotely presentable. He needs Rhinox and/or Aurora. Stopping the "bleeding" was sufficient, me thinks. Great post, though, una. I like that Optimus can witness what's happening to BA.

at Megs and Terry. I love the Predacon squabbles. ))

((OOC: Very true! At least, she could try. She needs to keep herself occupied or she might just start killing everyone. I edited a bit on my post. Nothing major! Just had Whitegrazer shock Aurora one more time and added some more to the ending.

(( OOC: I see you, una, still editing your post. Five times now! It's good, let it be! ))

((OOC: NO! I'm just cleaning it up... abit. *shiftyeyes*

Edit: I just added a bit more details in. Hopefully, seven is enough. Eight1 LOL ))

(OOC: Una.. I think you have a problem. )