"More Than Meets The Eye: Part III"

[Optimal Optimus Primal]

Sometimes, our pasts have a way of catching up with us. In many forms. The ones that hurt the most are the ones that come to us in the form of metal, reopening wounds or adding more. It places a face of what our decisions have done. Though, I know you are still trying to figure it out. What Zodiac is holding against you.

Optimus merely gave Whitegrazer an intentionally exasperated huff through his nose like an irritated gorilla flashing a subtle warning to an intruder. The whole situation was getting on his nerves. Zodiac continued pulling him in one direction to squeeze his spark, the whispers encouraged him to just get it over with, and the white mare was pulling him down another completely different path to maintain his compassion and stability.

"Perhaps I won't have to given your recent track record in leadership. How long could it possibly take to let you lead them into oblivion on your own accord, Optimus? You've already come close a few times."

"And yet, after everything, here we are," Primal bluntly pointed out while Zodiac interrupted his thoughts. "I still stand. And you're at my mercy." A slight smile appeared as his thumb gently rubbed the control of the remote in his hand by his side.

Do it. Don't taunt, just do it. Show him you're not a squeamish coward, a voice told Primal.

"Everyone makes mistakes. Sometimes, no matter what actions we take, we still lose. But no matter the losses we suffered, we bounced back."

You did too. And you will bounce back from this.

You make it sound so easy and natural. It can't be that simple, Whitegrazer, he told her. But I could end all of this right now with a push of a finger, just like he wanted to do in the hangar. Only this time, he'll be the only one to perish. What do I need answers for? I can't trust him anyway.

"What do I care about your losses?," "When you are about to lose so much more?"

"We won't be losing anything if I simply delete the threat from the equation," Primal growled.

"You failed to kill me twice, Zodiac. You had your chance back when I was vulnerable outside the Axalon. I was at your mercy then. If you shot me at that moment, you would had won. But you, instead, chose to shoot Aurora. To cause a ripping effect of agony through me to Optimus, your real target. You tricked me, you used me, but Aurora survived."

"And still you have no clue what my true intentions were when selecting my target that fateful day.. No, my dear, I did not fail to kill you twice."

"You figured out that Optimus must have possessed something which alerted him to your tricks back at the Darksyde. You wanted confirmation." "If you weren't planning on killing me then, as you seem to imply, then your action suggests to me that you wanted to break me and Optimus. Am I wrong?"

The Maximal Commander watched Zodiac carefully. Something Whitegrazer said actually made him flinch, which was interesting.

"Do not pretend to know where I come from, horse, for that could prove to be a very grave mistake... And your downfall should you insist on pushing me far enough. You assume too much yet know nothing."

"I don't assume anything, Zodiac." "You have shown us your character by the actions you have taken this far. Your ruthlessness, calculating, yet feeding on the pain you cause others."

Zodiac grew quiet momentarily, but Primal doubted it was because her words meant something to him. He was probably just ignoring them and thinking about any possible escape route. Meanwhile, it gave Optimus some time to go back to his memory records, digging deeper and deeper, following the bread crumbs that had been buried many years ago.

Optimus, you don't have to continue this now. You could come back later. We could try and sort out all of these memories together or alone if you that's what you want. You don't have to do this in front of Zodiac.

He gave Whitegrazer a dismissive wave, which probably gave away their empathetic communication but he couldn't care less at that point. Everyone knew about it now anyway. I will figure it out, he emphasized. It's now or never. He's obviously not going to tell us, and quite frankly, even if he did, I doubt I could trust his words. I've had enough of this dance, so we're going to get to the bottom of this. Now. No matter what kind of monster it would make Optimus out to be. A liar? A hypocrite? A terrible, unforgivable, untrustworthy leader? Would he lose his entire crew's respect? Probably all of the above.

"Go ahead," "See your precious Nexus for the hypocrite he truly could be."

"You're not helping," he warned the shape shifter dryly, nearly pressing the button on the remote to electrocute him again. Fortunately, Whitegrazer's next question, which also gained a result, helped deter him from doing so.

"Zodiac, despite every thing you have done, I don't hate you. I'm willing to listen to what you have to say. You went through all this effort. Why?"

"Because they took everything from me!,"

"What is it? What was stolen from you?"

During the silence of the highly anticipated, climatic answers, there were a couple loud clangs heard on the metal floor. By his feet laid the remote to the cage that had just fallen out of his hand. "His freedom... His very being..." Optimus muttered almost inaudibly as more remembrance suddenly came back to him now while he was staring off into space. He was there, in a bigger way than he could have previously imagined. Protoform X, which was also a horrible experiment, wasn't the only project he had been involved with, and that devastated him. After all this time, he had done even more wrong than he had thought. He tried remaining composed during this revelation...

"They took my very identity!," ".. They tried to make me in their own image, shoved something else in that was more compliant.. Easier for them to control." "You destroyed my life.. and for that I vowed to destroy yours."

"I did," Primal confessed, his gaze slowly returning to Zodiac's. Suddenly, to the leader, it was just him and the shape shifter in the room. "I didn't want to," he then clarified. "I thought it was wrong. I was more of the pencil-pusher then, a data logger, simply overseeing the progress and procedures. I didn't enjoy watching you suffer. But I was young and naive, and I was told that what we were doing to you was in our best interest. Like a fool I believed them... I trusted them. ...Against my better judgment and morals. Instinct told me that it wasn't going to work but no one listened. And then it happened. Outpost 62. I remember, you disobeyed your orders and programming. You slaughtered all of those bots, taking their lives." He paused briefly recalling the hit on the back of his head which knocked him out that fiery, chaotic night when he was alone, surrounded by screaming and whimpering, blood and devastation. "Why didn't you just kill me then?" he inquired curiously. Optimus appeared calm and guilty on the outside now, but inside he was confused, his confidence slipping and crumbling, upset, disappointed with himself, angry, sad, lost, alone. What more could Zodiac want?

-----

"We'll get through this Rattrap, even if this situation is difficult enough we still are moving and functioning. Long as we are nothing is going to bring us down that easily."

"Eh, I ain't so sure about dat..." he politely disagreed with Wintersong.

"As for Primal, I think we can only do the best we can to pull the big monkey from his stupor. Even this is uncharacteristic of him, and downright concerning."

"Exactly. There may be no comin' back for him, Winter. You realize how serious dat is, right? A bot can only take so much, even one as stoic, stubborn and compassionate as Optimus. He ain't invincible. Everybody's got a breaking point, and he's been tested physically, mentally and emotionally. I think somethin' happened to him at the Darksyde. Somethin' was disconnected," Rattrap explained with concern and paranoia.

"More then willing to lend a hand Rattrap and hopefully Cheetor pulls through soon. Think we've had more then enough concerns in the last few days, don't need another worry on our plates."

"Nope. Definitely don't need dat," he agreed with the TransMetal tigress.

[NaitoKage]

"Alright. We will find him,"

Landslide flew along behind Banshee, soon catching up with the area Cheetor and Dirge were at before. Coming down towards the ground, Landslide transformed to his atlas beetle mode and landed. While Landslide wasn't a specialist at tracting, he did have a advantage over Cheetor. Landslide's beetle mode didn't have the best optics like Cheetor, but his sense of smell was such that he was capable of detecting energon and metal deposits through or under the ground, often how he would navigate to find materials while mining in caverns.

Landslide lowered his head and started to walk around in a slow lumbering circular like motion, his antenna twitching about just slightly above the ground taking in the scents, then started to filter the background smells of the environment out, detecting the odor of Cheetor, Dirge, and finally Ironclaw.

Landslide then turned and followed the smell, pointing his head in a direction I picked up a scent lass. Keep an ear out fer trouble an' lets go. Landslide then said as he started to make his way in Ironclaw's direction, while also making a note of the direction Dirge had headed.

[una]

Whitegrazer heard Optimus' exasperated huff. Clearly agitated from what was going on. She take a space back. Giving him more space yet keeping her connection with him. She didn't want her connection to be... overwhelming him. She wanted to be gentle, helping him maintain focus, remain calm and collected. It was getting harder and harder for her to help him with that, as Optimus was clearly reaching his end. But she wasn't going to give up. She would help him by maintaining her own focus, calm and collected nature. Patience. Sympathy. Compassion. She wanted to prove to him... that no more energon had to be shred today. No more pain.

You make it sound so easy and natural. It can't be that simple, Whitegrazer, he told her. But I could end all of this right now with a push of a finger, just like he wanted to do in the hangar. Only this time, he'll be the only one to perish. What do I need answers for? I can't trust him anyway.

I never said it would be easy. Or simple, Optimus. It would hard, difficult. Not impossible, though. And I would always be at your side along way as well as the rest of your crew. I won't abandon you. Never. Whitegrazer closed her optics. She had wished that she been able to suggest to Optimus to not talk to Zodiac yet. She should of. Her failing, but would Optimus continued on anyway? Maybe. She sensed him wanting answers, demanding to know why Zodiac wanted to do such a thing. He had the right. As a leader. As the one Zodiac seemed to be adamant on tormenting.

She felt the cold metal against her fingertips. Optimus showing defiance at Zodiac, showing him. He had control of his fate. Yes, you do. You do have the power to end his life. Is that what you really want, Optimus? Do you want to end his life? Despite the whispers, you haven't made a move. She gazed at him. She was actually proud of him, expressing it through the connection. The whispers in his mind kept nagging him, but yet, he didn't listen to them. She knew it was difficult, she noticed his fingers twitches often, but he was powering through. I know you don't trust him. After everything he has done to you, lied and manipulated, I don't blame you. No one blames you. No matter his justification here today, I know, his actions are inexcusable. And he will have to answer for them.

She bowed her head. All I ask...is that you allow him to speak his peace. All I ever wish for you is to know and understand what happened that day... and then find a way to move past it. So you can have peace.

"What do I care about your losses?," the changeling growled back at her, "When you are about to lose so much more?"

"We won't be losing anything if I simply delete the threat from the equation,"

She noticed Optimus' finger head towards the button, but her discussion with Zodiac was having an affect of some sort. She was glad her questions were getting somewhere. She stared at Zodiac, wondering about the question he asked. Was he just threatening as usual? Or was there something else? Could there be more going on or was this only to just trick them? He broke eye contact from her when she talked about his reasons for coming after them. Her statement must have been true then. She had been right about that line of thought as to why he came out towards the Axalon. Also, he remained silent when she called him ruthless, calculating, and reveling in the destruction he caused. She continued on looking Zodiac over. Thinking about what Nemesis must have gone through to get her nanomachines, and hers were more chaotic than what she sensed from Zodiac. More in control. Articulate. He must have went through large amounts of experimentation from scientists to achieve such a more stable process.

She wondered if Zodiac held any resentment towards those who created him. Though, it didn't seemed so by his actions. Especially him feeding off of the pain he caused others. Nemesis... Nemesis was different. She never got the impression of Nemesis feeding off any of her opponent's pain when she remember her encounters with the Decepticon-turned-Predacon female. She was ferocious, brutal. Her intentions were clear and in a way, pure. Pure brutality, and yet, Nemesis showed mercy in one of more occasions. Even when she didn't want to. Zodiac... never showed mercy. Only opportunities. He might have coped through what he went through by learning to embrace and find joy in what he was being created for. Maybe by surviving and becoming what he was, he grew vindicated and came to the conclusion that if the others before him failed, then it must have been because they weren't strong enough. His reaction to her showing compassion to him or others was a a face of disgust and outright hatred for such displays of emotion. Nemesis did too, but Zodiac seemed to take it as an insult.

Nemesis left whatever horrors she experienced, but Zodiac... Zodiac stayed. Whether his choice or not, that was something she was just have to find out.

I will figure it out, he emphasized. It's now or never. He's obviously not going to tell us, and quite frankly, even if he did, I doubt I could trust his words. I've had enough of this dance, so we're going to get to the bottom of this. Now.

Okay. If you wish to continue, it is your choice, and I support you. Zodiac might be vague, but I think we can still get through to him. She stood firm, and waited to see what Zodiac had to say about her last questions. But she was concerned over Optimus' well-being over this.

"His freedom... His very being..."

"They took my very identity!," he finally told her in an accusing tone, hoping that the truth would not only satisfy her apparent endless curiosity but also make her finally question her beloved Optimus' integrity. ".. They tried to make me in their own image, shoved something else in that was more compliant.. Easier for them to control."

"You destroyed my life.. and for that I vowed to destroy yours."

She could sense the shapeshifter's fury. She gazed at Optimus again, watching as the remote fell from his hand. Before she could ask anything, Optimus spoke again. His voice it really seemed so distant. He was remembering and it hurt him deeply. Her spark began to ache, and she remained silent. To listen. To understand. So she could heal him. And maybe, just maybe, she could heal Zodiac too.

"I did," Primal confessed, his gaze slowly returning to Zodiac's. Suddenly, to the leader, it was just him and the shape shifter in the room. "I didn't want to," he then clarified. "I thought it was wrong. I was more of the pencil-pusher then, a data logger, simply overseeing the progress and procedures. I didn't enjoy watching you suffer. But I was young and naive, and I was told that what we were doing to you was in our best interest. Like a fool I believed them... I trusted them. ...Against my better judgment and morals. Instinct told me that it wasn't going to work but no one listened. And then it happened. Outpost 62. I remember, you disobeyed your orders and programming. You slaughtered all of those bots, taking their lives." He paused briefly recalling the hit on the back of his head which knocked him out that fiery, chaotic night when he was alone, surrounded by screaming and whimpering, blood and devastation. "Why didn't you just kill me then?

Whitegrazer listened to Zodiac's accusations and Optimus' confession intently. The emotions through it was like Optimus said. He didn't enjoy it nor liked it. Words... left unspoken. Optimus wanted to speak out, but he thought... He thought everyone knew what they were doing. Whitegrazer knew how it felt like. She might not have been a desk person like Optimus in her early years, but her first days in the war were eye-openers to how war hardened those who been at it longer. Those decorated with medals of bravery and honor. She never actually wanted medals. She didn't believe in awards or stuff like that. She soon learned those medals meant have said bravery and honor, but some were created by the smoldering metals of their enemies. How those hardened and cynical souls went back into the fires of battle. Some despised it yet felt obligated. Others... some... it was the only thing they knew. She was outspoken in many of the decisions of her commanders. Commanding. Her commanders didn't like that at all, believing she knew nothing of war like they did. Optimus... She felt his guilt in not speaking up, not trusting his instincts. Whitegrazer understood that, but she knew Optimus' guilt was in not trying. After all, even if he did, would those above him actually have listened to him?

Probably not.

Outpost 62. Where did she remember that from?

She felt Optimus' emotions, remembering something. A blow to the head. The fear and confusion of what happened around him. That must have been frightening for him. To experience something, witness something he wasn't prepared for or wished to see in his line of work. His question towards Zodiac matched hers as well. She wondered who knocked Optimus out right there. Was it Zodiac himself? Whitegrazer closed her optics, bowing her head once more. Optimus wasn't directly involved in whatever they tried to do. Clearly, there were others. Maybe Nexus, and yet, he went after Optimus. Why Optimus? She knew what a data logger was, and they never got their hands dirty. She could understand why Zodiac might have resentment, but this much hate and contempt? Why he didn't kill Optimus there if he hated him so much?

"What exactly happened at Outpost 62?" She asked softly and calmly to both Zodiac and Optimus. She really wanted to know. Optimus... She kept her optics on Optimus. He might be looking like almost as he as does, but she felt all those swirls of emotion. She tried to soothe his soul. She shared her warmth. She wanted to reassure Optimus. That she and the others were still here. He wasn't alone. She might still be ignorant on the full details, but one thing was for certain. Nothing said here today was going to change her view of Optimus. No matter what. And she was sure Rhinox and Aurora felt the same way.

((OOC: I just want to let you guys know that I edited a bit on the dialogue. That's all. Also, added a bit more at the end.))

[Mystrea]

Dirge had travelled quite some distance, enough to be certain that he was not followed. Even if he was followed he would simply adjust the plan. For him it was just a set of logical choices that would lead to his eventual goal. He stood like a statue, caluating the exact steps of the next phase. By this point he assumed that he had no pursuers so he would make his way to the Maximal base. It did not really matter how many adversaries there were. It would not stop him. He started making his way slowly on foot. The trail he had left and a sudden had a sudden detour in it due to him changing direction.

After a while of walking he came to a halt. The Axalon was within his sights, his single eye adjusting as he scanned the hull. Then began the long process of his transformation. The plates on forming his armour moved as one like a swarm as his internal skeleton bent and parted. His mass went lower to the ground and a long shape extended outward from the centre of the mass. It soon resembled a gun barrel as he finished transforming into his turret form. His sights then lined up with a specific part of the ship.

[Phoenix]

"And yet, after everything, here we are," Primal bluntly pointed out while Zodiac interrupted his thoughts. "I still stand. And you're at my mercy."

"We won't be losing anything if I simply delete the threat from the equation,"

There was no mistaking the glare the shapeshifter shot back at Primal for his spiteful words, a look that showed every bit as much defiance as Primal had done a few moments before. He was not about to let this once paper-pusher-turned-leader intimidate him, at least not visibly so, for as long as he was still functional his pride prevented it. He would not be broken.. Not by the likes of these Maximals. And certainly not by Optimus himself.

Oh spare me your self-righteousness and threats. I'm growing as tired of them as I am of you. He so badly wanted to utter those words but a flicker of hesitation prevented it. The Maximal had already shocked him twice, after all, and that was not an experience the changeling wished to repeat so soon. So he merely let his eyes show his defiance, deciding it wiser to not provoke Primal further on this topic.

Of course keeping his mouth shut turned out to be more difficult than he initially thought, especially when the white female kept pushing and digging.. Seemingly wanting to know everything about his past.. and about him. But unlike Optimus she did not resort to threats, in fact she remained perfectly calm throughout it all. No matter what he said, no matter what he'd done, she did not take on the role of judge, jury and potentially executioner. Not like Optimus. Not like.. himself. It was most frustrating that no matter how many times he lost control over his own temper, no matter how many times he snapped at her, threatened her and those she loved, or just plainly insulted her, she still didn't flinch. Uncanny.

Unable to hold back the verbal attacks any longer, he'd told Optimus off while the Maximal was trying to concentrate on remembering.

"You're not helping,"

"I wasn't trying to," came the response, which was abruptly cut shorter than originally intended when he saw Primal's finger dangerously close to the button. Albeit the shapeshifter was smarter than to deliberately push further when the most likely result was himself getting shocked again, he also hated the fact that his foe had found a means to control him.. Or rather persuade him to mind his behavior. And of course that's when the female continued asking him questions, finally pushing him to the breaking point.

"What is it? What was stolen from you?"

"His freedom... His very being..."

"I did,"

The discussion had gotten rather heated until Optimus said those words. Two simple words that acknowledged his responsibility for what had gone down. There was a sudden noise as something small and compact hit the floor. Zodiac's optics drifted briefly at the remote on the floor then back to lock with Optimus' again. And for a moment everyone went silent, merely staring at each other.

"I didn't want to,"

The shapeshifter snuffed at that, not caring one way or the other what Primal had wanted to do. The fact of the matter was that he was involved, so his motives for doing so were unimportant.

"I thought it was wrong. I was more of the pencil-pusher then, a data logger, simply overseeing the progress and procedures. I didn't enjoy watching you suffer. But I was young and naive, and I was told that what we were doing to you was in our best interest. Like a fool I believed them... I trusted them. ...Against my better judgment and morals. Instinct told me that it wasn't going to work but no one listened. And then it happened. Outpost 62. I remember, you disobeyed your orders and programming. You slaughtered all of those bots, taking their lives."

Oddly enough the accusing tone had left Optimus' voice as he recounted his memories. It was strange, really, to think that the Maximal had not thought of the events of that day since it had first happened, whereas the shapeshifter had lived with those memories every single day of his life. Still he didn't flinch when Optimus revealed their shared past. That wasn't the case for Aurora, on the other hand, whose ears had perked up as much as they would go during the conversation until this point and all of a sudden now flattened against the fur on her head. Her green optics darted between the three participants in the conversation before she finally turned towards Rhinox, hoping the older mech would have some words of wisdom.

The shapeshifter said nothing, not until..

"Why didn't you just kill me then?"

"I was going to," Zodiac responded, almost defensively as if he had just been accused of something, "But I was interrupted."

During his time with the Maximals, often in the company of Nexus Prime himself, that was the only time the shapeshifter had seen fear on the aging admiral's face. That moment as he ran as fast as his wounded leg would carry him, desperate to get to Optimus. The shapeshifter had sneaked away at the time, having heard Nexus' calls for Optimus long before he came into visual range. He had contemplated attacking Nexus at the time too, but somehow he didn't think the admiral was there by himself and he couldn't risk being captured again. Of course at the time he had no idea that he would end up being treated even worse when he returned to what he had come to consider his home.

"What exactly happened at Outpost 62?"

The shapeshifter crossed his arms, torn between the desire to further torment his enemy and the need to keep his history private. He didn't feel like he owed the Maximals an explanation for his actions given the torment they had put him through. It was common for transformers of Decepticon and Predacon origin to view themselves as more important than their enemies, that way of thinking had been embedded into their minds since they were first created after all. And in the shapeshifter's case he actually had something to back this belief up with. He was unique, one of a kind, after all. Of course his abilities couldn't really help him in his current predicament, not without outside help anyway.. Where was Dirge? It had been quite a while since he had summoned the larger warrior and still there had been no sign of him. Could Megatron actually have incapacitated him..? And if so he would have to find a way out of this cage on his own, something that wouldn't be easy to do with those electric bars preventing him from moving much.

Deciding to stall a little while longer, the shapeshifter feigned compliance and finally spoke up.

"Fractions of my memory had been coming back from time to time during the period leading up to the Outpost 62 incident," the shapeshifter admitted, shifting his weight uncomfortably as he spoke. "Eventually I remembered who I was and what they had taken from me, but I still kept up the pretense of being under their control until I got a chance to break free. Outpost 62 gave me that chance."

There were no regrets noticeable in the admission nor much emotion at all.

"Indeed they did, Predacon and Decepticon technology blend together surprising well despite the time gap between them" Megatron said, first over the private channel and then switching to in person as Nemesis entered his room.

He held out his creation, the D-Tracer, a device akin to a wrist band with a spherical mechanism in the center, an elegant device yet one could tell it was a fusion of two technologies, but ones that complimented each other, a mix of purple metals blending in with green.

"Wear this around your wrist and command keys surrounding the center to change the settings, the center itself shall serve as a map of the planet, as well as indicate where a sleeping Decepticon may lay, which will be represented as dots on the map if they are within range of the D-Tracer's sensors" Megatron explained, handing his precious creation to Nemesis carefully, as though it were a precious shard of the rarest energon.

"As I've said before, the D-Tracer's original schematics were designed to be as simple and user friendly as possible, to allow for technological innovations to be implemented into its design. As such I've taken the liberty of adding some defenses against Maximal tampering, namely that it can sense the difference between our energy signatures and their's, and thus will not work for them, but that will not stop them from trying to take it apart to learn its secrets of course, so it also comes equipped with some, heheheh, most decidedly unfriendly software that their onboard computers and Sentinel may not find compatible, to say the least. Fear not, that last resort will not harm anyone of Decepticon lineage, but despite my safeguards, do endeavor not to let it fall into their hands, best to not let them think we're on to something so important, or else they will of course strive to impede our efforts at every turn as they always do" Megatron stated, confident that he had incorporated as many safeguards into the device as he could to defend its secrets while also allowing it to still serve its primary purpose.

"All you need to do now is take the D-Tracer out for a test drive, search our own territories first for signs of Decepticon activity, and assuming nothing turns up, move on to the neutral territories next, better to operate under Primal's radar for now, with luck he'll be too busy dealing with Zodiac to pay us any mind outside their borders" Megatron stated, eager to get this operation underway and unearth his sleeping army!

Nemesis' optics lit up ever so briefly as she held back the excitement when her new toy was handed to her. She could certainly recognize some of the Decepticon technology in it, albeit that part of it looked somewhat outdated compared to the more modernized Decepticon technology she had grown up with. Regardless it had been a very important part of her history and from the looks of it, it could serve an important purpose yet again.

She wrapped her fingers around the device very carefully, not wanting to damage it. Granted she was certain the device could take more of a beating than it seemed to, since Decepticon technology had always been sturdy. If anything she was more expecting the Predacon technology also incorporated into the device to be the part that would break, finding a lot of weaknesses with Predacon and Maximal builds compared to that of the old days. Looking the device over, she quickly figured out how it worked and even turned it on ever so briefly for a swift test run. She was, after all, once a Decepticon. And even though her nanomachines had adapted her to the technology of this world, thus changing her form to that of a Predacon in the process, she had never been reprogrammed or changed her activation codes in any way. The machine should still read her signal as that of a Decepticon or at the very least partly so.

It was with great pleasure that the device did just that, picking up her Decepticon signal immediately. Nemesis smiled at that. "And it would appear the device works perfectly," she told Megatron. "I'm certain your creation will not disappoint." Much like she wouldn't. For it had been a longtime dream of hers to be able to find kindred spirits in this place, even if they would be from another era than what she grew up with. She was a Decepticon after all, even if she'd been created away from Cybertron a long time after the original Megatron had launched his attack from his new base on Earth. Their spirit still flowed through her.

[DarkSpark]

Phoenix wrote:
Nemesis' optics lit up ever so briefly as she held back the excitement when her new toy was handed to her. She could certainly recognize some of the Decepticon technology in it, albeit that part of it looked somewhat outdated compared to the more modernized Decepticon technology she had grown up with. Regardless it had been a very important part of her history and from the looks of it, it could serve an important purpose yet again.

She wrapped her fingers around the device very carefully, not wanting to damage it. Granted she was certain the device could take more of a beating than it seemed to, since Decepticon technology had always been sturdy. If anything she was more expecting the Predacon technology also incorporated into the device to be the part that would break, finding a lot of weaknesses with Predacon and Maximal builds compared to that of the old days. Looking the device over, she quickly figured out how it worked and even turned it on ever so briefly for a swift test run. She was, after all, once a Decepticon. And even though her nanomachines had adapted her to the technology of this world, thus changing her form to that of a Predacon in the process, she had never been reprogrammed or changed her activation codes in any way. The machine should still read her signal as that of a Decepticon or at the very least partly so.

It was with great pleasure that the device did just that, picking up her Decepticon signal immediately. Nemesis smiled at that. "And it would appear the device works perfectly," she told Megatron. "I'm certain your creation will not disappoint." Much like she wouldn't. For it had been a longtime dream of hers to be able to find kindred spirits in this place, even if they would be from another era than what she grew up with. She was a Decepticon after all, even if she'd been created away from Cybertron a long time after the original Megatron had launched his attack from his new base on Earth. Their spirit still flowed through her.

Megatron was pleased to see the excitement plastered all over the face of Nemesis, she was truly committed to this latest endeavor of his and thus he trusted that she would not fail or betray him, for she was as determined to see his namesake's ambitions fulfilled after all this time as he was, though perhaps for slightly different reasons.

"Your confidence in my work is much appreciated, yyyyeeessss, just as I am confident in your ability to use my creation to its full potential and recruit more of our fallen ancestors into the fold so they may have their second chance at glory! Now then, you may depart when ready Nemesis, avoid maximal contact if possible, but you may of course terminate them with extreme prejudice if they get between you and one of our sleeping allies. On your way out make sure none of our less savory comrades spot you or the D Tracer, unlike Terrorsaur I'm wise enough not to show my hand until the cards are ready to be put into play. If you require backup you may take a few of my more dependable troops with you, perhaps Inferno or Spineback, but in truth I'd prefer it if this mission was kept as secretive as possible for now. Succeed Nemesis, and your reward shall be great, this I can assure you" Megatron promised, offering his hand to Nemesis for her to shake, as if to officialize their new understanding of one another.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the base, Terrorsaur stalked the halls, on his way back to the command room after having finished his work repairing the brig, which the escaped prisoner Dirge had left in shambles, but thankfully their other prisoner had not fled as well.

"Ugh, what a complete and utter waste of my skills! I should be leading our forces against the Maximals right now while they're busy with that stupid shapeshifter, not here doing the labor of a common maintenance bot! But nnnnnnoooo, Megatron is too busy licking his own wounds and slacking off after the little rampage he went on to take advantage of the situation! Sometimes I think you and me are the only sane bots on this entire ship Wasp, you know what I mean?" Terrorsaur inquired of his partner in crime, using him as a means by which to vent his frustrations as usual.

OOC: Edits have been made, sorry for the wait!

[Mystrea]

Dirge was ready to commence the second phase of the plan. He was still quite a distance from the Maximal base, but not too far. He had scanned the hull, making estimations of where certain core systems were located and approximately the positions of those inside. He settled on a target and started to charge his cannon. When the blast hits the shield, the Maximals will know what hit them, he didn't doubt that. The impact will shake the ship even before the shields are broken. As the turret charged it made a whining sound, it got higher and higher pitched before it let loose a purple energy blast which impacted the Axalon shields with tremendous force. This followed by two quick shots afterwards, aimed with disrupting the Axalon's power. The giant began to transform to press his attack.

[Optimal Optimus Primal]

While Optimus was distracted by explaining what he suddenly remembered about Zodiac and Nexus, Rhinox walked over and bent down to the floor, picking up the remote that his friend had finally released and stepping back to his position which kept it out of Primal's reach. He frowned not knowing so much in full detail about this. Optimus had no doubt been sworn to secrecy with such a project, like they had been with Protoform X, but rumors had been bounced around and leaked to certain individuals. No names or specifics but that something severely unethical had been going on behind locked doors, especially when so many lives had been taken on Outpost 62. The engineer had been placed into a different department of sciences but had become good friends with the Optimus Prime look-alike. Although he carried the name and facial resemblances, he was nothing like the Optimus from the Great War. He was softer with little military background and much, much younger but enthusiastic and trustworthy. One thing both Optimuses definitely had in common was compassion. While both Rhinox and Optimus had been involved with X's creation to a certain extent, neither of them had told anyone else about it thus far nor the Axalon's secret mission to dispose of it, although the rhinoceros was certain Banshee knew a part of it. But now it turned out that Primal had taken part in something even before Protoform X, something that not even he had remembered. So, had it been purposely blocked from his memory by someone else? By even Nexus Prime...? Funny enough, Rhinox had met him through Optimus when he wanted to hire him for the organic sciences. He liked the veteran, and the bond between the two was quite apparent. It wouldn't surprise him if Nexus had deliberately tried sweeping what happened at Outpost 62 under the rug, so to speak, so as not to "scar" Optimus who was very inexperienced at the time of the slaughter and everything that wrong with Zodiac in order to protect his protege. Whether or not it was the right thing to do, or if Nexus even had that right to hide it from him, it was what it was now. Rhinox could not know what Optimus was thinking and feeling by this point. He hoped Whitegrazer was doing her best to guide him down this slippery slope of despair.

I never said it would be easy. Or simple, Optimus. It would hard, difficult. Not impossible, though. And I would always be at your side along way as well as the rest of your crew. I won't abandon you. Never. Yes, you do. You do have the power to end his life. Is that what you really want, Optimus? Do you want to end his life? Despite the whispers, you haven't made a move. I know you don't trust him. After everything he has done to you, lied and manipulated, I don't blame you. No one blames you. No matter his justification here today, I know, his actions are inexcusable. And he will have to answer for them.

To whom?! Primal questioned Whitegrazer. There's no one here to put him on trial! There are no officials or authorities. It's just us! We have no way to get back to Cybertron. So what are we supposed to do with him? Convince him to be a better bot and let go of the past and spare our lives? That's working real well with Megatron so far, he ended with heavy sarcasm. Optimus hadn't even noticed Rhinox step around him and grab the remote to Zodiac's cage.

All I ask...is that you allow him to speak his peace. All I ever wish for you is to know and understand what happened that day... and then find a way to move past it. So you can have peace.

The leader let out a sigh knowing she was right. Whitegrazer... Ever the calm and collected one. Like Rhinox. Wise, peaceful, warm, positive. She was far better at interrogations than he was. Of course, this was far more personal for him than it was for her. Or not considering how Zodiac had effortlessly stabbed her earlier, nearly killing her. And him shooting Aurora which nearly took her life as well. Still, both of those instances were still somewhat targeted to Optimus since Zodiac was well aware how much Optimus cared for his crew, so he took advantage of his emotions.

Okay. If you wish to continue, it is your choice, and I support you. Zodiac might be vague, but I think we can still get through to him.

Optimus disagreed with the equine about "getting through to him". Although, there was a brief moment earlier when her words caused him to falter... In any case, he was deeply appreciative of her support. He knew that. He knew she was probably the most forgiving bot present. As for the others... they may not be so easy to accept the dark truth of his past. That thought caused him to shift his gaze to Aurora who was standing a little further back and still guarding Blackarachnia. As soon as his optics met hers, her ears were already turned back and she quickly looked away to Rhinox instead. Optimus apologetically bowed his head with shame and disappointment. Sheer disappointment. He had let her down. All of them. Everything they thought he was probably appeared to be a lie and a disguise to them. The truth was out now. Well, part of it. He imagined he would lose even more respect from his crew if they found out about X. All the pain he caused others with these experiments... He was far from being a saint. He was just as tainted as the High Council. He was not a good Maximal.

"I was going to," "But I was interrupted."

Primal's orange optics settled back on Zodiac while he tried not dwelling on the inevitable hopelessness that was probably filling inside of Aurora. He nodded as he recalled more from that night. "Nexus had arrived," he simply said upon realizing that he had saved his life that night. Nexus... He wished he really was there. Then he would know that he was alive and in one piece. Then he would have the guidance and expertise that he so desperately wanted right now in this war. "You lost your chance that night so you've spent all of these years searching in hopes of fixing your mistake. I'm not sure if I should be flattered or disturbed."

"What exactly happened at Outpost 62?"

"Fractions of my memory had been coming back from time to time during the period leading up to the Outpost 62 incident," "Eventually I remembered who I was and what they had taken from me, but I still kept up the pretense of being under their control until I got a chance to break free. Outpost 62 gave me that chance."

The Maximal Commander studied Zodiac's response. His words were so stoic and cold. No regrets. No remorse. Not a care that he had murdered all of those bots. "There was no reason for you to take all of those lives. And there's no reason for you to take mine or my crews'. You survived through the trauma, you're still alive. What's the logic in more murders? Those people on 62 had nothing to do with your experiment. I admit that I indirectly partook in your torture and suffering, now that I can remember a lot of it, but I have not taken a single life. What you did on your killing spree was your choice and your choice alone. Take responsibility for your actions, Zodiac. Unlike you, I'm trying to redeem myself by doing everything I can to help those who went through similar experiments as you did and are still suffering from the effects. You're not the only one. Your seeking revenge or justice for what happened to you is the wrong road to take." For the time being, Optimus seemed more like himself again as he spoke. He was feeding off of Whitegrazer's energy as she tried to steady him and the chaos within.

Don't you get it? He doesn't care! He's not going to turn around help anyone. He wants to kill you! Your mercy is going to get you killed! If not by him, then by Megatron. These maniacs can't be reasoned with! You must dispose of him! Stop him before he takes more lives! the whispers told Optimus. You can't deal with both of them and survive. You know this. It's kill or be killed.

No! Nobody has to die, Primal argued with the voices that sounded like distant echos.

Someone does! And they will! You're such a blind monkey. Such a fool. Whether you let him go or he escapes, which is the most likely outcome, he will come after you and end it. He won't make the same mistake twice. And neither will Megatron. Do you understand how little hope there is for you? You won't be going home. You and your Maximals will end up dying here and be forever forgotten.

Optimus couldn't help but visualize all of his Maximals perishing like they almost had before they caught Zodiac and detained him. His optics almost swelled with tears as he saw Whitegrazer's body punctured again and oozing from the holes with her last breath, Aurora shot and bleeding to death, Cheetor, Rattrap, Rhinox, Wintersong, Banshee, Landslide and Ironclaw blown to pieces with their body parts scattered about. But he fought back the water works and then avoided eye contact with Zodiac and everyone else in the room until he could erase those vivid, nightmarish visions.

Suddenly, there was a loud explosion outside of the hull of the ship. The alarms immediately sounded with the red lights flashing throughout the corridors. The entire vessel shook. Optimus maintained his balance and looked at the others within the brig. "Wintersong, Rattrap, report!" he demanded.

Rattrap's smaller body nearly bounced about but his lower center of gravity kept him upright as he panicked and hurried to Wintersong's side at the console to check the readings on the monitor. "It's a Predacon attack, Optimus! Shields at 75% and falling!" Holy swiss cheese! Am I readin' dat right? He did a double-take at that reading as he wondered what or who was powerful enough to knock their shields down by 25%. But what he saw was right. "Looks like it's Dirge again. Still appears ta be alone accordin' to our scanners." The base shook again as the gross Predacon fired more shots.

"Warning: Shields at 68% and falling," Sentinel announced.

"We're really takin' a pounding here!" the rodent said with concern. Quickly he programmed their power supply to divert more to the shields without sacrificing too much from the CR chamber that Cheetor was using and the brig where they needed to keep Zodiac from escaping.

"Rhinox, you and Whitegrazer stay here with Zodiac and Blackarachnia. Aurora, you're with me," Primal ordered. He didn't bother wasting another second looking back at the shapeshifter as he hurried out of the brig with his limp toward the command center. Since Rhinox had the remote, he was certain he would keep the pretender under control. There would be no escape for him if that was Dirge's intention for his second attack. He was hesitant to end their conversation but he probably knew just about everything he was going to get out of him. Maybe Whitegrazer and Rhinox would have better luck with less hostility in the room.

As soon as Optimus arrived on the bridge, Rattrap reported, "His aiming suggests dat he's targeting our power supply. Somebody's gotta take him down before he depletes our shields." He paused when he noticed the scar across Primal's mouth and the gap it produced between his lips. He also picked up the slight limp he had when he hurried in. Surely Optimus wasn't too happy about those seemingly permanent injuries so he avoided mentioning anything about them.

Primal's attention on the scanners was drawn from Dirge to Landslide and Banshee's positions who were a little further out in search of Ironclaw. "Landslide, you and Banshee return to base. We're under attack again by Dirge," he called to the beetle with his comm. link. "Rattrap, you and Wintersong stay here. Watch those cameras in the brig if anything happens." "Aurora," he simply said to make sure he had her attention and that she followed him outside to assess the situation. Optimus took the lift that lowered him down to the outdoors. He immediately transformed to his hover board and flew off down toward the lake to get a visual on Dirge. Unfortunately, in this mode, he had no offensive weapons to use. Even his clubs wouldn't be able to deflect firepower that strong from the Predacon, but he could use himself to distract Dirge while the others engaged him with their weapons. The big brute was probably too slow to aim quickly enough at Optimus in order to get rid of him like a pesky fly.

[NaitoKage]

"Ugh, what a complete and utter waste of my skills! I should be leading our forces against the Maximals right now while they're busy with that stupid shapeshifter, not here doing the labor of a common maintenance bot! But nnnnnnoooo, Megatron is too busy licking his own wounds and slacking off after the little rampage he went on to take advantage of the situation! Sometimes I think you and me are the only sane bots on this entire ship Wasp, you know what I mean?"

Waspinator crooked an optic lid looking at Terrorsaur for a moment Yezzz.. Sane. Waspinator responded, then looked around. Umbra's purple octopus eyes opened, seeming to descend out from his flat camouflaged spot on the ceiling, then glanced at Waspinator and Terrorsaur. Waspinator stepped back a little in a panic Eek! Waspinator then stopped, recognizing that shade of purple Ninjabot? What izz Ninjabot doing up there?

Umbra responded Guard duty. Starshadow is in the CR tanks bellow, after she awakens her punishment will begin.

Waspinator cringed slightly upon hearing Starshadow's name mentioned Ick.. Wazzpinator want nothing to do with vampire bot.

Umbra's octopus eyes close sinking into the ceiling as if he wasn't even there I can't blame you. he responded, considering how badly the cat had attacked the fliers earlier.

_________________________________________

Landslide tilted his head as he suddenly heard the thunderous shots of Dirge's gun behind him.

"Landslide, you and Banshee return to base. We're under attack again by Dirge,"

On it! Landslide then responded, transforming to his vehicle mode. His thrusters pointed straight down and started to power up as he took to the air, pivoting in place he then started to fly back towards the Axalon. It didn't take long for the beetle to notice the Dirge on the ground, with Optimus flying infront of Dirge. Strafing to the side as he closed in to keep on Dirge's back, Landslide's horns adjusted as his two anti air guns started to spin up, then fire two rapid streams of gatling gun fire at Dirge's backside.

[Phoenix]

"Your confidence in my work is much appreciated, yyyyeeessss, just as I am confident in your ability to use my creation to its full potential and recruit more of our fallen ancestors into the fold so they may have their second chance at glory! Now then, you may depart when ready Nemesis, avoid maximal contact if possible, but you may of course terminate them with extreme prejudice if they get between you and one of our sleeping allies. On your way out make sure none of our less savory comrades spot you or the D Tracer, unlike Terrorsaur I'm wise enough not to show my hand until the cards are ready to be put into play. If you require backup you may take a few of my more dependable troops with you, perhaps Inferno or Spineback, but in truth I'd prefer it if this mission was kept as secretive as possible for now. Succeed Nemesis, and your reward shall be great, this I can assure you" Megatron promised, offering his hand to Nemesis for her to shake, as if to officialize their new understanding of one another.

Nemesis listened to Megatron's words even though her gaze remained on the device in her hand, memories of a time long gone bubbling to the surface of her mind. If there was anything she missed after she had awoken on this planet and subsequently having to reform it was the power she had possessed in her old body. Infinite power compared to this smaller body. She had not quite given up on the dream of regaining that power at some point even if it had to wait until she was off this planet. For she was a Decepticon underneath this Predacon shell, and could truly be a foe to be feared now that a majority on Cybertron had undergone the transformation should she ever manage to regain her old body. With the prospect of this new device being able to track down that technology, she saw the opportunity of harvesting some of it for herself so that when the time was right she could merge with it and reform back to her old self.

Oh, Megatron would get his soldiers, of course, that wasn't an issue. She still wasn't desperate enough to be willing to use slumbering Decepticons as fuel for herself, much preferring to use inanimate objects containing the technology without making her feel like a monster. Yes, she was fully aware that she had taken lives by absorbing them. And quite frankly the thought made her sick down to her very core. She was far from innocent, she knew that fact well, but she had no intention of being the monster they had created her to be. There was a difference, however subtle. But if Megatron's invention truly was capable of tracking down Decepticons, there was always the chance that she could get her hands on some of their technology. Megatron would get his loyal troops, she would get the opportunity to regain all that power in a world that was no longer prepared to oppose someone of such might. Yes, there were still a few Decepticons roaming around. But they were not on Cybertron which is where she planned to ultimately go when they managed to escape this planet.

"It is a pity we did not get the chance to meet when I first arrived on this planet," she told Megatron with a slight smile as she took his outstretched hand and shook it. It felt somewhat reassuring that Megatron didn't view Decepticons as outcasts but rather as the powerful forces of nature they were. She had been considerably bigger then, quite formidable. But destiny had sent her down a different path, her nanomachines forcing the downgrade upon her to preserve her life and thus themselves. In the end that was all they did.. Self-preservation by protecting their host. In that sense she sort of envied Zodiac for being able to actually control them, make them do his bidding. It was only after she had been reformatted to her Predacon form that she had sought out Megatron and his crew.

"And do not worry. I won't let you down."


Her smile grew a little wider as she secured the device at her hip and spread her transmetal feathery wings out wide before folding them around herself like a cape, covering the device with sleek metallic feathers. She then released Megatron's hand and proceeded to leave, eager to get started on her search.

(ooc: Holding off on posting for the others until after Una has posted.)

[DarkSpark]

Naitokage wrote: Waspinator crooked an optic lid looking at Terrorsaur for a moment Yezzz.. Sane. Waspinator responded, then looked around. Umbra's purple octopus eyes opened, seeming to descend out from his flat camouflaged spot on the ceiling, then glanced at Waspinator and Terrorsaur. Waspinator stepped back a little in a panic Eek! Waspinator then stopped, recognizing that shade of purple Ninjabot? What izz Ninjabot doing up there?

Umbra responded Guard duty. Starshadow is in the CR tanks bellow, after she awakens her punishment will begin.

Waspinator cringed slightly upon hearing Starshadow's name mentioned Ick.. Wazzpinator want nothing to do with vampire bot.

Umbra's octopus eyes close sinking into the ceiling as if he wasn't even there I can't blame you. he responded, considering how badly the cat had attacked the fliers earlier.

"Sheesh Umbra, save the Invisible Bot routine for the maximals why don't you?" Terrorsaur chided, also taken by surprise like Waspinator, though perhaps not quite as badly, but still annoyed nonetheless.

Terrorsaur glanced at the CR Tanks, scowling at the thought of the ghoul that had tried to kill them all earlier recuperating inside their tanks.

"Lovely, how are you planning to punish her? Send her to her room without supper?" Terrorsaur said sarcastically, before agreeing with both Wasp and Umbra regarding not wanting anything to do with Starshadow "Ditto, in all seriousness, how exactly are we gonna deal with Sleeping Beauty? I'm guessing curing her of her vampirism isn't in the cards? If so, why bother healing her if she's just gonna try to bleed us all dry as soon as she's healed?"

Phoenix wrote: "It is a pity we did not get the chance to meet when I first arrived on this planet," she told Megatron with a slight smile as she took his outstretched hand and shook it. It felt somewhat reassuring that Megatron didn't view Decepticons as outcasts but rather as the powerful forces of nature they were. She had been considerably bigger then, quite formidable. But destiny had sent her down a different path, her nanomachines forcing the downgrade upon her to preserve her life and thus themselves. In the end that was all they did.. Self-preservation by protecting their host. In that sense she sort of envied Zodiac for being able to actually control them, make them do his bidding. It was only after she had been reformatted to her Predacon form that she had sought out Megatron and his crew.

"Indeed, probably would have made a great many things go simpler for us both" Megatron agreed amicably, feeling reassured that he had picked the right soldier for the job, even if as always he would always remain vigilant, he believed Nemesis would come through for him, and may prove herself worthy of greater station within the ranks, but he didn't come to be the wise tyrant that he was by taking stupid risks or letting his guard down.

Phoenix wrote: "And do not worry. I won't let you down."


Her smile grew a little wider as she secured the device at her hip and spread her transmetal feathery wings out wide before folding them around herself like a cape, covering the device with sleek metallic feathers. She then released Megatron's hand and proceeded to leave, eager to get started on her search.

"No, I don't suspect you will" Megatron said with a smile of his own as she left his quarters with the device secured to her hip, the tyrant already anticipating what manner of warrior Nemesis would bring back for him, hopefully someone who would truly put the fear of Primus into the maximals, as well as be of greater service to him and his cause than the rabble he'd been forced to tolerate over the course of the Beast Wars.

"Computer, status report of the D-Tracer" Megatron inquired of his own onboard computer, the familiar feminine voice of the CPU replying to him "Status of D-Tracer is optimal, currently in transit away from Darksyde."

"Excellent, yyyeeesssss" Megatron gloated to himself, having thought to safeguard his tracker by putting a tracker in it ironically enough, always paid to be prepared, even when dealing with the more reliable members of his merry band of freedom fighters, yyyyessss indeed.

"Attention to bridge cleanup crew, this is Megatron. How go the repairs?" Megatron inquired over the comms, returning to his attention to other important matters, namely the repair and maintenance of his base, his beloved Darksyde having seen better days after all this hassle.

Hearing his lord's voice over the comms, Inferno replied "Repairs are going smoothly Royalty! We should have your throne room up and operational again shortly."

"I will have to be the judge of that" Megatron thought inwardly as he replied "Excellent news Inferno, I shall check on your progress shortly, Megatron out."

"You heard the Royalty! He shall be checking on our work shortly, pick up the pace!" Inferno shouted to his fellow predacons, the ant returning to his own workload shortly thereafter.

With that, Megatron rose to his feet and said to himself "Well, time to assess the damage I suppose, sigh...What would they do without me? Best not to dwell on it I suppose, nnnnoooo."

So began his trek down the halls to the bridge, and to what he hoped would be his command center in a somewhat better state of repair than it was before.

[una]

To whom?! Primal questioned Whitegrazer. There's no one here to put him on trial! There are no officials or authorities. It's just us! We have no way to get back to Cybertron. So what are we supposed to do with him? Convince him to be a better bot and let go of the past and spare our lives? That's working real well with Megatron so far,

No, we don't. We have no courts, no judges, or any legal authority. True, this was a war... to them, though. Whitegrazer still believed they would return home. In that return to home, she hoped to avoid her friends and especially, Optimus, from being in tangled in political interrogative nonsense that they would all no doubt be subjected to when they arrived home. But we can try to give those on a destructive path a chance. A hand. To turn away. We can only offer it them, Optimus. Open that door, but it is they that have to walk through it. If Zodiac takes it, then we will see where that road leads. If he doesn't, then we at least know that we tried. It was always difficult to do the right thing sometimes. It would be much easier just to kill Zodiac. No, no it wouldn't be. She didn't want Optimus to be responsible for Zodiac. Despite their history, she didn't want Optimus, especially during a time where he is supposed to be recovering from his stay at the Darksyde, to let Zodiac's words drag him into a category for the likes of him or below. Zodiac might try to say how better he is than Optimus. But deep down, she knew that wasn't true. Optimus, she knew, had a past and show her that his hands were unclean by a dark tragedy. But he has tried to make reparations. Zodiac was just so focused on revenge.

No matter how Zodiac wanted to settle this matter with Optimus. When he tried to kill Aurora and bomb the rest of their crew, it did involve them now. Zodiac dragged them into this darkness. Now, it was time to bring it to light.

Whitegrazer noticed that Zodiac was being more silent then usual. In the beginning, he was ready for threats. He was ready to go after Optimus through his words, antagonizing Optimus over the past events as well as their history. Now, he seemed to be quiet. His optics still burned with defiance, though, as well as his continuing contempt towards Optimus as well as Rhinox, Aurora, and herself. But the glare was more at Optimus.

Though, she did notice how unnerved he was towards her now. Was it the fact that she was willing to listen despite what he had done? And that was maybe new to him? Was it the fact that she seemed undeterred by his threats or torments? Well, she was. She had heard all kinds of threats and torments to the point it was a broken record to her. She had learned to phrase the stuff out, in order to get to the heart of any matter. After all, that;s all threats and torments were to her. But it still didn't mean she underestimated the shapeshifter in front of her. She knew darn well that he was capable of whatever he said. He didn't seem like the bluffing type. She was only showing that she wasn't going to allow his threats or his tormenting words towards Optimus faze her. These things were literally beaten out of her after many deca-cycles of harsh training.

Optimus looked at Aurora. She could feel his disappointment towards himself, feeling that he let Aurora down. But she knew Aurora wouldn't. she is young and some of these events are new to her, it may take her time to assess or adjust to this information, but she knew Aurora would put more trust into Optimus than the words of the person who nearly killed almost everyone aboard. Things just needed time. Everyone just needed time and distance from such a rough few days. They seemed so long.

"I was going to," Zodiac responded, almost defensively as if he had just been accused of something, "But I was interrupted."

So Zodiac was going to kill him? Zodiac still looked uneasy, especially towards Optimus. He seemed to be hesitant still. Maybe because of the two times Optimus shocked him. But Optimus had let go of the remote in his realization. And Rhinox has the remote now, so Zodiac didn't have to worry about that.

"Nexus had arrived," he simply said upon realizing that he had saved his life that night. Nexus... He wished he really was there. Then he would know that he was alive and in one piece. Then he would have the guidance and expertise that he so desperately wanted right now in this war. "You lost your chance that night so you've spent all of these years searching in hopes of fixing your mistake. I'm not sure if I should be flattered or disturbed."

She felt Optimus' emotions towards his mentor. Nexus Prime. She really wanted to meet him. The real him. She could feel Optimus missing him, wanting him here. Whitegrazer, herself, had her mentor. Occasionally. She could communicate with him, but Ooptimus had no way to communicate or connect his. But she did know about losing touch and connections. Wanting to establish them again.

"Fractions of my memory had been coming back from time to time during the period leading up to the Outpost 62 incident," the shapeshifter admitted, shifting his weight uncomfortably as he spoke. "Eventually I remembered who I was and what they had taken from me, but I still kept up the pretense of being under their control until I got a chance to break free. Outpost 62 gave me that chance."

"And you reacted." She said simply and empathized with him. "I can't say if either of us were in your same shoes that we wouldn't have had reacted the same way. I'm sure those involved had their reasons for what they tried to do. " Since Nexus Prime was a respected Prime and admiral, his actions were to save those of his people from a threat. He would believe it was his civil duty and obligation. No doubt, that was the reasoning he gave towards Optimus. Maybe another reason why Optimus might have kept his feelings to himself. She couldn't blame Nexus for that, even if she couldn't fully agree with such doing. "Though, I don't condone brainwashing or reprogramming Cybertronians, Maximal or Predacon or Neither. Nor the idea of someone's own existence being just a weapon for either side's own use. " Something that was used on her during the war as well. Something she could actually empathized and sympathized Zodiac with. And to think, despite the war being over, another war masked as peace gripped Cybertron: a cold one.

The incident at Outpost 62 seemed to be a mess, but she still needed to hear from Optimus first before she could say anything else about it.

"There was no reason for you to take all of those lives. And there's no reason for you to take mine or my crews'. You survived through the trauma, you're still alive. What's the logic in more murders? Those people on 62 had nothing to do with your experiment. I admit that I indirectly partook in your torture and suffering, now that I can remember a lot of it, but I have not taken a single life. What you did on your killing spree was your choice and your choice alone. Take responsibility for your actions, Zodiac. Unlike you, I'm trying to redeem myself by doing everything I can to help those who went through similar experiments as you did and are still suffering from the effects. You're not the only one. Your seeking revenge or justice for what happened to you is the wrong road to take."

That is right, Optimus. She was proud of Optimus' little speech towards Zodiac. Optimus... she felt it. He was slowly becoming himself again. She agreed wholeheartedly with his statements. Zodiac didn't have the right to take the lives of those hostages. And she didn't know if those in Outpost 62 had anything to do with what happened with Zodiac or not. But the hostages.... She couldn't condone their deaths, even if she empathized with Zodiac's plight.

Optimus' own demons were whispering to him again. The image of her own self bleeding on the floor due to the stab wounds on her front and back side. Aurora being shot, laying in her own fluid just like she had been. She could see the flashes of what would have happened if the Maximal crew didn't find out in time. She could feel the deep sadness, the horror of such images. She wished she could had shield him from those images, especially the visions that he felt, before he saw them. Optimus... She could see those tears that were swelling, that he kept inward. Away from sight. Optimus, we are alive.

It was then she felt the Axalon shake violently, which didn't help with her back injuries. She watched Aurora as well, placing a hand close just in case the little one couldn't keep her balance from the shakes. She took a breath despite the sharp pain and maintained her balance. She looked at Zodiac and shook her head, "It is your companions, isn't it?"

"Wintersong, Rattrap, report!"

She looked at Optimus, reading the expression on his face as well as what she felt from inside. Trying to get the gist, but something inside her knew her guess was correct.

"Rhinox, you and Whitegrazer stay here with Zodiac and Blackarachnia. Aurora, you're with me,"

She watched as Optimus made his command and made his way to the bridge. Part of her was still concern about him. Especially what had transpired between him and Zodiac as well. Part of her wanted to persuade him to remain here. She really didn't want Optimus to go out there and fight. She wanted him to take some time away from the battles, away from the Predacons and Zodiac. Yet she could feel that he was slowly becoming more like himself. The fight wasn't over yet, Optimus needed more time and healing, but she had hope. She would be monitoring and helping Optimus through their connection if something went awry. Stay safe, Optimus.

She looked at Aurora. She wondered what Optimus wanted Aurora to do, but she extended the same farewell to the young one, "You stay safe too, Aurora." Smiling at the little one.

When Optimus and Aurora left, Whitegrazer stepped forward. Slowly. Her back still ached a bit from the sudden movement. She gazed at Rhinox then at the remote. She only wanted to ask and listen. She trusted that whoever was attacking the Axalon was going to have a fight on their hands. "Zodiac, I just have one question to ask you. Who do you see yourself as?"

[NaitoKage]

(Joint post!)

Before Umbra had a chance to respond to Terrorsaur's inquiry, the CR tank started to raise it's platform, revealing the snow white panther's body resting on the grating. Umbra remained silent, observing Starshadow from above.

Starshadow woke up from stasis and felt sore from the earlier battles. So much for recovery... She do not know how she got into the CR tank. All she know was that Waspinator and Terrorsaur were infront of her and it could only mean one thing, deep trouble. The panther quickly rolled off and away from the CR tank and sprinted off.

"This again.." Umbra muttered as he watched Starshadow, as she attempted to escape. He activated the radio signal to Starshadow's collar, causing an overwhelming surge of pain to overcome her pain receptors, an effect like purple electricity seen discharging across her body. Umbra descended from the ceiling transforming to his robot mode, then made his way towards Starshadow "Not this time.. There will be no more running or hiding for you."

A surge of pain ran through the femme like electricity, causing her the fall and cry out in agony. A menacing red glare was shot at Umbra while Starshadow slowly catches her breath, "What did you do to me..?!"

"That is irrelevant at this time.. all you need to know is your life is in my hands. You have caused alot of trouble miss Shadow..You were going to be accepted back into the fold normally, but you kept attacking and destroying everything around you. You forced my hand, so now it would be wise for you to hold your fangs and stop running blindly for once.. Perhaps in time you could even earn your freedom, if you cooperate." Umbra stopped looking down at Starshadow unphased by her menacing glare, perhaps even too calm given the situation.

Starshadow growled after hearing that and stood up. They will not keep her prisoned here. Not now, not ever. "You cannot keep me here forever!" she roared, rushing towards him on her fours with blue electricity dancing around her frame.

Umbra activated the collar again without flinching, causing a surge of crippling pain to rush through her body once again. "That remains to be seen. But if you'd prefer, I could end your life right now.. without even touching you. The choice is yours, based off your actions miss Shadow.. Not that you could get anywhere on your own." Umbra smirked slightly observing Starshadow.

"What do you mean...killing me without even touching me..?" she narrowed her optics. The situation was clearly not in her favor. The priority now is to find out what was causing the rush of pain every time Umbra wills it.
Umbra crossed his arms "Isn't it obvious? You're rigged with explosives. A simple shock or blast wont detonate them, but when triggered.. the explosion will be enough to leave nothing of you. "

Starshadow's optics widened. There are no ways to escape without getting herself in pieces. A lot of things were in her mind and not the happy ones.
Her blue optics dimmed, sighed in her ultimate defeat, "I yield..."

Umbra smiled in a disturbingly warm fashion, patting Starshadow's cheek. "Welcome to the Predacons miss Shadow. "

[Phoenix]

Zodiac did his best to avoid looking at the remote that had dropped to the ground and bounced a few feet before settling a short distance away from Optimus, not wanting to draw Primal's attention back to the infernal device. It wasn't that Optimus had caused any real damage when using it to torment him, but it still hurt a great deal. So it was with some relief that he noticed Rhinox picking it off the ground and keeping it for himself. He had spent enough time around the Maximals to know that as things were, Rhinox was a far safer keeper. However with any luck he wouldn't have to concern himself with their trivial makeshift prison much longer.

"Nexus had arrived,"

The shapeshifter's optics returned to Optimus, an involuntary twitch revealing that he did remember that night all too clearly. Nexus had indeed arrived and raced to the rescue, and at the time the shapeshifter had chosen to make his escape rather than risk another confrontation. He had assumed that Nexus had arrived with reinforcements, a suspicion that at the time he felt had been confirmed when he thought he heard voices. Still the only one he ever saw was Nexus himself, the old soldier going out of his way to get his young apprentice to safety while the shapeshifter had disappeared into the shadows. Nexus more than likely would have sent every soldier at his command after him had he known, so Zodiac chose to stay hidden.

"You lost your chance that night so you've spent all of these years searching in hopes of fixing your mistake. I'm not sure if I should be flattered or disturbed."

The changeling's optics narrowed a bit at that statement and he immediately wanted to protest the accusation. Still upon opening his mouth, the protest died in his throat. He realized that he'd be giving away more than he felt comfortable with if he said anything to deny the claims. Nor would it change anything if Optimus knew that he had spent many of those years in someone else's captivity, unable to get out and certainly not able to spend that time 'searching to correct a mistake' as Optimus put it. So instead the changeling merely drew a deep breath, his hands briefly balling into fists as he let the protest go.

"There was no reason for you to take all of those lives. And there's no reason for you to take mine or my crews'. You survived through the trauma, you're still alive. What's the logic in more murders? Those people on 62 had nothing to do with your experiment. I admit that I indirectly partook in your torture and suffering, now that I can remember a lot of it, but I have not taken a single life. What you did on your killing spree was your choice and your choice alone. Take responsibility for your actions, Zodiac. Unlike you, I'm trying to redeem myself by doing everything I can to help those who went through similar experiments as you did and are still suffering from the effects. You're not the only one. Your seeking revenge or justice for what happened to you is the wrong road to take."

"You claim not to have taken a life, yet what you and Nexus did to me was even worse than that. So who are you to judge my actions as wrong?" the shapeshifter spat back with contempt and hatred dripping in his voice. Oh, he planned to make Optimus eat those words before he was done with him.. When he finally got out of this cage. It annoyed him greatly that the Maximals had taken such precautions and even more so that they were proving so effective at restraining him. Still no sign of Dirge either. Zodiac had no regrets about leaving Night Terror at Megatron's mercy. The arrogant fool had served his purpose well but at this point he was of no further use to Megatron. It was true that it was Zodiac that had provided him with the vial containing the virus, but he had not given instructions on when to use it. Night Terror had chosen to do so while within range of Megatron's clutches, a foolish mistake that he had no doubt suffered greatly for. For all Zodiac knew and cared Night Terror was already dead but Dirge, on the other hand, was still out there.. Simple minded yet so powerful Dirge. Now if only his over-sized power train of a lackey would heed his call.

"And you reacted." She said simply and empathized with him. "I can't say if either of us were in your same shoes that we wouldn't have had reacted the same way. I'm sure those involved had their reasons for what they tried to do. "
"Though, I don't condone brainwashing or reprogramming Cybertronians, Maximal or Predacon or Neither. Nor the idea of someone's own existence being just a weapon for either side's own use. "

Zodiac sent her a warning glare, wishing she would refrain from speaking to him. This female did indeed make him feel uncomfortable, as she had this uncanny ability to read others like they were mere words on a page. For someone who spent most of his life pretending to be someone else, this fact made him feel uneasy. But perhaps worst of all was the fact that her voice was so infuriatingly forgiving. He had just attempted to take her life and those of everyone she loved. He'd attempted to push Optimus to a mental breakdown and trick him into killing them all. Still she refused to condemn him, instead she functioned as the voice of reason. It was unforgivable.

"I'd rather be a weapon than a victim," the changeling snapped back at her before immediately regretting his words and going silent once more. Hopefully she wouldn't think any more of it, but if past experiences were any indication there was a chance, however slim, that she could read into his words and conclude how he'd never really had a choice in determining who he would become. He had simply made the best of the situation, taken advantage of it.

A sudden explosion that shook the ship swiftly brought the shapeshifter back from his thoughts. Another shot followed, causing a deep rumble to spread throughout the hull, as well as a mischievous grin to appear on the changeling's face as he realized what must be causing the noise. Of course the sudden frantic look on the Maximals' faces only heightened his own mood. "Something the matter, Optimus?," he inquired, well knowing the leader was no longer listening to him.

"Wintersong, Rattrap, report!"

Aurora staggered forward before managing to catch herself, the sudden shaking of the ship taking her by surprise.

Just great.., she thought, already more than a little spooked out by the vicious shapeshifter and his cruel words and actions, and now they were under attack as well?? Her optics darted over to Whitegrazer and then Optimus, avoiding to look at the shapeshifter as much as she could. Something about those eyes just seemed to peer into her very soul and she felt so extremely uncomfortable around the one she until recently thought was Nexus Prime.

"Rhinox, you and Whitegrazer stay here with Zodiac and Blackarachnia. Aurora, you're with me,"

"You stay safe too, Aurora."

Honestly happy to get away from the smirking jerk, Aurora did not need to be asked twice. She immediately followed Optimus, even passing him in her haste to leave the brig. Before leaving, however, she did extend a grateful smile to Whitegrazer, whispering the words "I wish you were coming too.." as she disappeared out the door. She followed him outside, albeit she made sure to keep a few steps back just in case there was an ambush waiting out there. And an ambush it sure was, even though their attacker turned out to be a single individual. Didn't change much when it turned out to be someone as powerful and frightening as Dirge though.

"Aurora,"

"Right behind you," she replied as she climbed up on Optimus' hover board. Given the commander's recent mental breakdown, she was a little weary of going with him alone but for now he seemed to be in control of what he was doing. She hoped..

Zodiac merely watched the two of them go, a slight chuckle heard from his cage as they departed. The hope he was starting to lose mere moments before once again restored. Zodiac had spent too long of his life in a cage and he had no intention of spending even a nanoclick more in this one, surrounded by foes he despised.

"It is your companions, isn't it?"

A light shrug of the shoulders followed her question as he let it linger in the air for a bit. "Whatever makes you think that? I'm sure Optimus has no shortage of enemies," he then responded, every bit as defiant as before.

Her response, however, was not what he expected.. Instead of a snappy comeback or an empty threat, she responded with a simple question.

"Zodiac, I just have one question to ask you. Who do you see yourself as?"

For a brief moment he dropped the cockiness, instead confusion replaced it. And perhaps it wasn't an as simple question as it initially seemed, given the many answers he could give her.

He was the first of a new breed of Cybertronians, unlike anyone else. He was unique but also alone, a light to guide and a shadow to fear. He was a weapon, lethal as he was mysterious, powerful as he was intelligent.. And still the question perplexed him. "What do you mean?," he eventually asked her.

Nemesis continued on her search for Decepticon signals, soaring through the sky away from the Darksyde. For the first time in a while she felt truly free and allowed herself to enjoy the breeze against her fuselage, the wind across her wings. She was enjoying it so much, in fact, that she barely even noticed the faint beep coming from the D-tracer. Only as she got closer and the sound intensified did she notice it, and in surprise she transformed and landed in the partially wooden terrain with the apparatus in hand.

[Mystrea]

Dirge had successfully transformed before any resistance had been mounted against him. The giant 'ran' towards the Maximal base, well to others it may not seem like running but he was moving at maximum speed. The ground shook as he charged the base. Lowering his shoulder he readied himself to impact the shield. And then it happened, he slammed into the ship protective barrie. It shimmered and rippled outwardly from the point of impact as it desperately tried to absorb the blow and remain. Dirge straitened up and saw two Maximals descend from the base. He identified one of them as Optimus Primal and he couldn't quite see the other, she was small and riding along side the ape. The didn't seem to be functioning at 100% therefore Dirge determined that they were a minimal threat to him. He continued to hit the shield his arms until it broke before him. It failed with a low pitched whirring sound as it powered down. Before he could press his attack the Predacon targeted Optimus. He was moving quickly, it too long to acquire a shot so Dirge simply shot close to the two of them and hoped area of affect may disrupt them. The Axalon was nearing, he was only a few away steps when another interruption halted his progress. Round after round hit his back causing some of the plates to break and fall to the ground. He'd felt that before. Drive let out a strange alien sound in annoyance as he loaded his arm weapon specifically. He swung around and shot a dozen missiles towards the aerial Maximal. Satisfied that would buy him some time, he faced the ship, which from his height was straight in front of him. He pulled back the only fist he had and plunged it into the wall of what he thought was the brig. Statistics were in his favour. As he pulled his arm out of the gaping hole, the edges scraped down his arm pulling off more of his armour plates. They landed within the ship with a dull thud and did nothing for a while. Then they suddenly sprang to life, sprouting legs and then began attacking the ships consoles and power conduits. Some went after the Maximals inside the base to keep them busy, likewise with the ones outside which went after Optimus and Aurora.