(( OOC: Phoenix and I worked on a joint post a little while ago, so my post here is going to lead into it, and it might be a bit lengthy. In fact, it's so long that I have to split it into two posts because of a 60,000 character limit.
Enjoy reading! ))
"Rattrap!!,"
"Hey, kid!" Rattrap happily greeted Aurora. He would have hugged her but she still looked fragile from her injuries and he didn't want to interrupt her examination of Optimus.
As gentle as Rhinox was for such a large individual with big hands, there was something different with Aurora's own touch to her medical skills. Her hands much more petite, but she had that feminine warmth and attention to detail. Not that the way she examined him was better or worse than Rhinox's, it was simply different. But females typically had that softer touch, didn't they? They were nurturers and care-givers. Like Whitegrazer. And Optimus always felt like her protector and warrior. In any case, he was very appreciative of Aurora's and Rhinox's care. Just his Maximals surrounding him was enough to boost his energy and ignore his wounds.
"Yer cuffs worked like a charm," he told her.
"We woulda never gotten dis far without 'em. Hopefully you can make more though since, uh, dey're broken now," he admitted, though not by him. Some how Zodiac had slipped out of one and then the other. Nevertheless, they were quite durable against the shape shifter.
"Nobody's putting you on trial," "The explosives brought down the ship, no matter who did it."
"Yeah... Yer right," he agreed with her. Still, the unscheduled detonation had put their leader's life in danger, and he just wanted everyone to know that it wasn't his fault even though all of them knew by now how reliable and trustworthy the rodent was despite being a rat.
Rhinox had glanced at Aurora with a light smile since he couldn't have said it better himself. What was important here was that no one was going to leave the planet with that ship even if that included the Maximals. And everyone had survived this ordeal. Well, they couldn't say for sure yet about Zodiac, but he seemed just as invincible as Rampage.
"Thank you..,"
"You're welcome," Optimus said softly to his younger medic-in-training as he watched her smaller hand take the chip from his palm, tracing the edges of it thoughtfully with her finger tips before storing it away safely.
"Yeah. I might just leave that part in his expert hands."
The engineer looked between both of them and nodded.
"It would be my pleasure." Compared to the surgery he had already done on Aurora with Whitegrazer's help, installing her I.D. chip would be a cinch.
“Just the seatbelts? Figured you would add a comfy chair too if you could..”
"Nah. A chair's too bulky. Maybe a saddle with some cup holders," Rattrap teased Tigerhawk.
“But to be fair, flying doesn’t exactly come second nature to me either, I usually have myself to the ground where I know where my feet will go next.”
"Coulda fooled me. That was some fine flyin' up there all things considered," the Spy complimented his teammate before he noticed the others looking at him and suddenly felt awkward. So, he quickly added,
"'Course, you could probably use a few lessons from Optimus," and cleared his throat.
“I think we can all be reliable in a pinch Rattrap, and you took your chances with me today. Maybe I will win you over yet.”
"Eh, maybe. You are a cat, after all," he smirked.
“Think Rattrap about covered the whole thing. The avian Pred came out shortly after the ship started detonating and while we were waiting on Optimus. Saw it with my own two optics, Rattrap was waiting on Primal’s signal.”
"And den Tigerhawk flew like a bat outta the Pit ta catch ya, Boss Monkey," the rodent added.
Primal finally got to his feet, a little shaky at first, and Rhinox was ready to catch him, but he managed on his own and maintained his balance and coordination. His abdomen was still in a lot of pain, but otherwise he was alright. He had to be because this wasn't over yet. He reached his right hand out to the larger Fuzor's to shake it with a firm grip as he said,
"Thank you, Tigerhawk. It's good to have you back."
"We really should get you back to base for some repairs. In fact a few of us could use some rest in the CR chambers, I think.."
While he agreed with Aurora's assessment for repairs, he disagreed on retreating. Not just yet. They had to make sure of Zodiac's condition first.
Rattrap would have been happy to go back to the base at that point, but he knew better. It was never that easy.
“Optimus, I do not mean to press you on the matter, but what of this renegade, Zodiac? Should we make sure he’s really down for the count?”
"Yes," Optimus answered as his optics seemed to glaze over with anger and frustration and stare through Tigerhawk for a moment. Zodiac. He still had Nexus's journal and Rampage's spark. And now the ship was lost to them. He shook off his rage toward the renegade when Wintersong got a hold of his attention with her voice.
“Oh you know, just galavanting around a Vok underground maze, no where special.”
Primal knew she was just hiding behind her sense of humor, so he looked at her quietly with concern instead of a smile or a chuckle. He thought he had lost her to the Vok, so it was a big deal to him to see her there now. And he knew she meant well with her lighthearted comment to help ease the situation, but he took everything that involved the alien species quite seriously and simply couldn't muster a laugh.
“I’ll be fine, physically I’m unharmed Optimus, nothing a little wash up and sleep won’t fix.”
"Physically," he repeated her interesting choice of word with skepticism as he raised a brow at the tigress as though he knew there was something else going on. It wasn't through Whitegrazer, however. Not exactly. It was like a separate plane from her with the Vok; something Optimus and Wintersong shared now. They were an invasion in their minds. Wintersong's body language and the tone in her voice suggested that she wanted to avoid the topic. Perhaps Whitegrazer had already drilled her about it. Well, Optimus would respect her silence. For now. But he knew well enough with the affects he suffered from the Vok and she was likely dealing with them as well because of whatever trauma they had subjected her to. Hopefully she would be willing to discuss more on the matter later with him.
“You and Aurora need the CR chamber more than me right now, looks like you’ve more than had your fair share of misadventures yourselves."
"We're not finished here yet," he remarked in a firmer voice as he turned his gaze toward the wreckage on the horizon not too far from them and the Predacons.
"We need to investigate the wreckage and search for Zodiac. Wintersong, you and Aurora can hang back from a safe distance. The rest of us will converge on what's left of the Viper and salvage anything we can use." Primal began walking with his faint, permanent limp, leading his Maximals toward the dying fire in the distance as they fell in line with him.
"Fortunate enough Terrorsaur decided to have a shining moment of brilliance to catch you."
"I might as well have plummeted the entire decent the way Terrorsaur so gracefully dropped me," Megatron grumbled angrily, refusing to give the TransMetal flier any credit for saving his hide.
"Whoa! Easy my liege, you're in no shape to be moving so suddenly, or at all really."
"The Viper crashed just over the hill from here,"
Megatron, gently forced to lay back down with Spineback's guidance pressing on his chest, merely tried swatting her hand away from him irritably. As much as he wanted to get to the
Viper's wreckage before the Maximals did, it would have been a wiser decision to allow his medic to do her job so he could function much better in case there were going to be more confrontations at the site. So, he laid there without causing anymore trouble for Spineback.
"As for the traitor.. We're not positive of his demise yet. There's no signs of life from the vessel, but it would likely be best if we send a search party to make sure."
"Indeed," he agreed with Nemesis while peering up at her from the ground. How humiliating. By the Pit, his head throbbed!
"We will maintain the cease-fire with the Maximals for now," Megatron reminded his troops.
"As for out here, we managed to get Rampage subdued, temporarily at least. The Maximal tranquilizers and that damage he took won't last forever." "If Rampage's spark is as indestructible enough to be sliced into pieces, we may have to take the risk to reclaim his spark in the process, otherwise restraining him is going to be a challenge all its own."
"It will fall back into my hands," Megatron assured Spineback and the rest of his Predacons with great confidence.
"His abilities are too valuable and beneficial to allow him to slip away."
While Spineback continued assessing the Predacon warlord, he could feel some of his pain subsiding and several of his wounds were repaired thanks to her skills and experience. Aside from Blackarachnia and Starshadow, why was it that the females under his dictatorship were more reliable and loyal than the majority of the males, except for Inferno of course?
"Your workmanship is satisfactory, Spineback," her commanding officer determined as he gave her a dismissive wave to end her diligence and allow him to get up. He wasn't 100%, but it was good enough. After all, he didn't necessarily plan on performing a full frontal assault on the Maximals or Zodiac, if he was still alive. That's what he had henchman for, so he could stand on the sidelines and let them do all the work for him. Besides, he could hear the Maximals making their departure. It was time for the Predacons to follow them.
"Inferno, remain here with Rampage and keep him subdued until I reacquire his spark. The rest of us will venture to the crash site." He could trust the ant to follow his orders unequivocally and never lose his focus.
"As you command, Royalty!" Inferno saluted him and kept his large weapon targeted at Rampage's neck.
Quickstrike was glad to get away from that maniac crab. Maybe now he could finally kick some skidplate! So he hurried on over to the rest of the Predacons and started following them.
((Joint post))
The sound as the Viper impacted hard with the ground was deafening, and the impact itself sent large quantities of dust, soil, pieces of plants, and debris from the once sturdy ship flying in all directions. As strong as the hull of the ship had been, it couldn't survive the forces at work as it plowed itself into the ground. The ship broke into several pieces, and the flames that had been raging within after the explosion now had free reign of the outer hull as well.
A strange creaking sound could be heard as the remaining fuselage strained from the extreme heat and forces exerted upon it, threatening to collapse the remainder of the ship as well. But aside from this noise, the raging fire, and the sound of the debris settling as it fell back to the ground, the Viper itself seemed awfully quiet. The alarms that had been raging before the ship crashed were now silenced, the blinking lights that had illuminated the hallways had darkened as well, and the female voice of the computer was once again no more. In fact the Viper looked like an inferno to anyone watching it in what presumably would be its final resting place, and it certainly didn't look like anyone could emerge from such a scene alive.
A few minutes passed by without anything more happening. It wasn't before some burning debris from the hull started raining down around him that the quiet figure within finally stirred. His body ached, his armor was scorched and covered in soot, and several wounds in his armor were still getting repairs. The blue glow wasn't quite as bright as normal, likely due to the excessive repairs he'd have to have done to merely keep him alive. By now he was mostly numb to the pain.. But there was something else as well. An instinct needed for survival.
Hunger..
-----
Optimus and Megatron led their troops across the terrain to the wreckage where the plume of smoke marked the
Viper’s final resting place.
Although he walked with strength and confidence despite his limp and injuries, Optimus was almost hesitant to examine the catastrophe. Not only had it been their last hope to go home to Cybertron, but it had been the last project that was tied to Nexus Prime’s legacy. Now, it was time to find Zodiac, dead or alive. Primal preferred if he was alive if only to gain that journal.
Megatron, of course, preferred that he expired so he could just pillage what was left of his carcass and the items in his subspace that rightfully belonged to him.
“Create a perimeter around the wreckage,” Optimus told everyone, Maximal and Predacon alike.
“And be careful. Zodiac may still be functional.” Wherever he was. He had a hunch that he was buried under some of the larger debris, and that was where Optimus headed.
Those Preds who looked to Megatron for confirmation of the Maximal leader’s order were told with a gesture of his hand to oblige and fan out while he remained a couple steps behind Primal. Both started to climb over the large pieces, kicking and pushing obstacles aside.
Optimus wielded his gun from his hip just in case there was an ambush. So far though it was quiet other than the cracking of small fires, and the sound of steel shifting with wires snapping and sparking.
-----
Some of the burning wreckage shifted and finally moved as the shapeshifter started forcing his way up. He drew a deep sigh as he straightened out, or at least attempted to until a stake that had partially impaled him prevented him from moving any further. Grimacing a bit, he grabbed for the offending object and wrapped his fingers around it before letting his nanomachines consume it to use as fuel for his repairs. Unfortunate he'd need more food for this hunger that was raging within him, blocking his senses with its intensity. His nanomachines were demanding more, so now that he was free to move around he turned to look around for something.. anything.. that wasn't completely mangled or scorched.
The Viper was barely even recognizable as a ship anymore, the fire having burned so intensely that much of the metal had warped or simply crumbled. Zodiac's optics narrowed as he eyed the destruction of not only his ship, but also any means he had to get back to Cybertron and to complete his plans there.
How had it come to this?
The hunger was making it difficult to concentrate on anything other than what he could do to satisfy the will of his nanomachines, ever striving to complete his repairs. He started wading through the wreckage, making his way towards the large opening left behind where the once magnificent ship had ripped in half. His senses were at an all high, his survival instincts having kicked in. And that's when he heard voices coming from outside.
Suddenly it all came back to him. Every painful detail from the moment he had noticed the rodent flee from the engine room. Those were his explosives Nemesis had set off. Rattrap was the one ultimately responsible!
He peered through the gaping hole in the wreckage, rage now burning within him with almost the intensity of the hunger he was feeling. He could see the Maximals and Predacons coming, but irrational as his mind was at this moment he only focused on a single entity.. The rat who had caused him his victory.
And there he was, approaching the ship with the others. Zodiac glared in his direction for a moment before he started his transformation process.
From the outside, the Viper seemed abandoned and devoid of life. Smoke still rising from the wreckage, and a big chunk of the ship was still on fire, giving it a rather grim appearance. It was from this seemingly lifeless wreck that the dragon emerged, still covered in soot and partially glowing blue where his repairs were still ongoing, and if anything the creature looked like something out of nightmares right now as he suddenly jumped down and proceeded to run with long and fast steps in Rattrap's direction. His tail swinging menacingly behind him, talons leaving marks on the ground as he picked up speed.
-----
Optimus and Megatron avoided the heat from the larger fire as they made their way around it and toward the center of the ravaged vessel. Quite possibly the most technologically advanced ship in Cybertron’s fleet completely destroyed now. No communication, no transwarp cell, nothing to salvage but scrap metal. It was a pretty depressing reality. On the other hand, they had stopped Zodiac from escaping and interrupting the signing of the treaty on Cybertron by who knew what means he was planning. Likely more murder and mayhem.
Rattrap gripped his gun as well as he surveyed the damage and ventured out around the perimeter of the shallow crater that had been created by the impact of the doomed vessel that the shape shifter had tried stealing. His index finger gently tapped the trigger of his gun as he looked about and kicked away some smaller debris.
“Nothin’ but scrap now,” he sighed.
“So much fer a ride home.”
Some noise caught his attention not too far from where the ship had broken in half, and he soon spotted the form of the dreaded pretender in his normal appearance. Well, “normal” even with the blue glowing that was still healing his wounds, and the tarnished and burnt armor. Immediately, he raised his weapon and fired repeatedly at Zodiac. He could detect the rage in his optics, and the hunger in his body language that he craved to quench by likely taking his life. And this made Rattrap panic. Still, his aim was on target, but he knew full well that he couldn’t stop him on his own.
“Optimus!” he called fearfully for his commanding officer.
Hearing Rattrap’s plea suddenly grabbed Primal’s attention as he peered in his Spy’s voice’s direction.
“Rattrap!” Could it have been Zodiac? Or did he stumble upon something else? Either way, he hurried across the wreckage toward his location.
Megatron hesitated to follow Primal while he dug around some debris, but he stopped rummaging and eventually gave into his curiosity. If it was Zodiac, and he was about to kill the annoying vermin, then he wouldn’t mind observing the carnage.
-----
Even Rattrap's expert marksmanship wasn't enough to slow the enraged shapeshifter down. He'd already been in so much pain from getting burns alive and then the impact with the ground, the shots that hit him and pierced through his wings and strafed his chest were but mere nuisances now. The dragon growled as he suddenly made a leap through the air, his wings too shredded still to be able to fly just yet, but his legs still held enough strength to be able to jump far enough to close the distance between him and his prey.
"You just don't know when to stop, rodent..," the dragon hissed, using one of his clawed and large feet to wrap his talons around the pitiful rodent in order to slam him to the ground.
Upon feeling the squirming creature within his grasp, Zodiac immediately closed his taloned grip and pressed the leg down as to trap the rat between the hard ground and himself. He then leaned down, his dragon's head mere inches away from Rattrap's face, eyeing him hungrily for a moment.
"And now you will pay for your treachery with your pathetic life."
It was less of a threat than a promise. After all, this creature had been responsible for destroying the shapeshifter's plans. Yes, he'd been under orders to do so, no doubt, but Zodiac only had one thing on his mind right now. Revenge.
He applied more pressure to his leg, eager to see the rat squirm and whimper before he finished him off by biting his head off.. Or perhaps he'd simply kill him more slowly by crushing him.. Or even burning him? Yess.. Burning him alive seemed fitting of the crime. After all, Zodiac still had that flamethrower he had stolen integrated into his systems. He hadn't gotten to use it while fighting Megatron and Optimus, not wanting to risk burning the Viper.
How ironic..
On the inside, following the renegade's whim, the nanomachines proceeded to reassemble the flamethrower at the point where the dragon's mouth met his throat so that he'd be able to breathe fire, much like the form he had selected for himself. A hint of flames were visible between his sharp teeth, his dragon face looking if at all possible even more menacing than before.
-----
Gasping as his shots seemed worthless, Rattrap suddenly found himself on his back after a thud to the ground with the dragon’s foot on his chest, pinning him to the ground.
“Look who’s talkin’!” spat back at Zodiac first remark. His hand frantically searched for his gun that had been knocked out of his grasp. He blindly felt around the ground but his finger tips were just out of reach it.
The small Maximal’s eyes gazed back into Zodiac’s, a stark contrast between their emotions inside of them. He wrapped his hands around the shape shifter’s clawed foot and desperately tried to force it off of him. Treachery?
“What treachery? You did dis to yerself!” he bluntly pointed out to him. With his mouth so close to his face, Rattrap could see the fire rising in the back of his throat. Since when did he have THIS ability?! He wiggled his body that was trapped under his foot, but made little to no progress regaining his freedom. Is this how it was going to end? Was Rattrap finally going to die in this war? He had no options left. Where was-
Seemingly out of nowhere from Rattrap’s perspective on the dirt, Optimus flew in and flanked Zodiac from his right side, with the intention of wrapping his arms around the dragon’s neck and using his weight and momentum to pull him off of Rattrap as he dived over his Maximal in the maneuver. If they tumbled to the ground, he quickly tried putting him in a headlock.
-----
The pure rage in the dragon's optics only intensified as the rodent spoke up, arguing with him, and then proceeded to attempt to reach for his weapon. Zodiac merely huffed at his statement before lifting Rattrap up off the ground only to slam him back down, harder this time, as if trying to break him before scorching him alive.
"As far as last words go, yours are as pitiful as your very existence," the dragon growled, opening his mouth wider as the flames within grew. He then gave the struggling vermin a wicked grin.
"Consider yourself fortunate.. At least I plan to kill you before I devour you.. Hopefully the flames will sear the taste of garbage away.."
His claws seemed to grow as he spoke, scraping at Rattrap's armor, denting it in places, as if to hold him still as he prepared the main course. Again he opened his mouth, this time fully intent to finish the little beast once and for all.
Something.. or someone.. suddenly grabbed a hold of the dragon, yanking him backwards in a fierce move. Zodiac gasped for air as his neck got squeezed, and in desperation he flung himself backwards as to knock his attacker off. Both bots then went crashing onto the ground, the attacker still holding a tight grip around the dragon's neck.
Lacking the maneuverability needed to free himself in this form, Zodiac quickly converted back to his regular robot form. As soon as he was able to, he jammed his elbow hard into the mech who was holding him, then again.. Hoping he could break free and put some distance between his attacker and himself.
Slamming the back of his head against the other mech on the ground, Zodiac was finally able to gain enough freedom to twist around and look at his attacker. And his optics flashed in anger upon seeing who it was that dared try to stop him.
Optimus!
"What does it take for you to die??," the dragon demanded, taking a step backwards as he did.
-----
Rattrap was probably going to have nightmares about this moment for a long time. The wind was almost knocked out of him when Zodiac hoisted him up only to angrily slam his back against the hard ground again. And his words were quite hurtful to the rodent. How did Optimus, Megatron and Nemesis put up with this guy as often as they encountered him? They must be fed up with him by now!
“You ain’t eatin’ nothin’, ya adolescent freak!” Besides Rattrap was pretty sure that nothing could get rid of his garbage-flavored seasoning. He could feel his claws digging deeper into his chest at that point, almost puncturing through his armor. It was painful. All he could do was hope for a miracle. And it was answered when his fearless leader intervened.
Optimus growled in their struggle, desperately trying to hold on to Zodiac’s neck as he flailed and jabbed him twice with his elbow. It hurt, especially when one jab hit his abdomen which was still full of holes from the spikes that had appeared on Zodiac’s knee earlier, but he refused to let go.
Then the renegade’s head slammed into Primal’s. Nearly knocking him unconscious, he had no choice but to loosen his grip and release his arms around his opponent’s neck. Dizzy, he took a moment to allow his systems to quickly recalibrate before he stood up and faced Zodiac.
“Does it matter?” he asked him rhetorically.
“Because we Optimuses always come back.” One corner of his scarred mouth lifted in a small side-smile to taunt the pretender and keep his focus on him.
“It’s over, Zodiac,” he announced coldly as the smile vanished.
Rattrap was quick to get to his feet, grab his gun and put some space between him and them.
Zodiac. So, he had survived the crash after all. And yet, he wasn't the least bit surprised. Megatron remained on the sideline quiet as he observed, although he desperately wanted to rip that renegade's head off.
So close to losing that wretched rodent... A pity. Now, as for Zodiac. This should prove to be an interesting dual, he thought. Sure, he wanted to slowly squeeze the death out of Zodiac by strangulation or tearing his spark out, but maybe Zodiac could get rid of Primal, and then Megatron, and Nemesis, could get rid of Zodiac. Then no one would stand in Megatron’s way!
-----
"Always come back.. like an insecticon," the renegade replied with a taunt. Of course that's as far as the similarities between Optimus and the once dreaded insecticons went.
"But you are wrong. This is not over. Not by a long shot," the renegade continued, trying to make his words sound intimidating. Of course it would have helped if he wasn't still damaged, his nanomachines stretched to the limit of their capabilities.
He still ached. Fortunately it wasn't anywhere near as bad as it could have been and had been. And he was still hungry, the rod he had already consumed not providing much in the way of energy. And frankly if it wasn't for the fact his fight or flight response was working overtime right now, he'd probably feel tired on top of it all. Neither of these sensations were good to keep his focus where it needed to be.
After attempting to summon the rest of his weapons to no avail, Zodiac came to the startling realization that most of his weapon systems were offline right now. Even the flamethrower was producing less than satisfactory results and didn't seem capable of doing much damage. He was simply not strong enough to do much about it right now.
'Warning; power levels at 60%' his internal monitor system warned him. Great.. He didn't have very long before the rest of his systems started shutting down.
He took another step backwards, wanting to put a bit more space between the two of them. And through the corner of his optic he became aware of Megatron's presence as well, the tyrant watching the two of them struggle with keen interest. There was no sign of Nemesis as of yet, but surely she wasn't far away either. Just great.. Not only would he have to find a way to deal with Primal.. without most of his weapons and abilities that were not nearly up to par.. but those Predacons were watching like the hungry buzzards they were. Just waiting for him to slip up and show some vulnerability..
Turning his attention back to Primal, Zodiac pondered his options. He might just have to give them an incentive to end this. In his favor.
-----
Optimus narrowed his orange optics at Zodiac’s stubbornness. He visually examined his injuries which looked pretty extensive even with his nanobots frantically scrambling to repair them. As Zodiac continued to move backward one step at a time, Optimus stepped toward him to maintain that close proximity that the renegade obviously didn’t want, and to deliberately intimidate him.
“No, I’m not,” he corrected him firmly.
“You’re exhausted, weakened by your injuries and surrounded. You have no ship, no disguise to fool us with, no reinforcements. It’s over!” he suddenly hollered angrily at the shape shifter.
Rattrap, rubbing his chest a little bit with his free hand as if to caress the pain out of the dents on his armor, remained in his position with his other hand targeting Zodiac with his gun.
-----
Zodiac's optics narrowed ever so slightly as well as Primal merely followed suit as he attempted to backtrack to gain some distance between them. Although his repairs were still ongoing, it was slower than normal since many of his nanomachines had gotten knocked out from the intense heat and were undergoing a complete system reboot. When they came back online he should be okay.. whenever that would be.. But in the meanwhile he needed to stall for a little bit of time.
At the very least he was now repaired enough that he had mostly regained his clarity of mind, although some of that lingering hunger still remained. Surely it would have been far worse if so many of the tiny nanobots within him weren't currently offline, so while the rest of them were still screaming for energy he could at least focus on his own thoughts.
He still took a few more steps backwards, however, only stopping when his audioreceptors noticed the sound of a weapon being loaded and no doubt aimed at him. Sighing, the renegade stopped his movements and raised his arms up just enough to show he wasn't currently armed or anywhere near his weapons. He then tilted his head a tad before addressing Primal again.
"All right, I see your point," he started, inwardly telling his remaining nanomachines to hurry up with the repairs. That, of course, didn't happen as their abilities were already stretched to the limit of what they could do without some serious supply of food being provided to them.
"In light of the situation, I'm prepared to make you an offer.."
He paused to glance over at where Megatron was standing, wanting him to be aware of the contents of this offer as well.
"In exchange for my freedom, I will return the items I stole," he then told them while trying to appear stronger than he honestly felt. In all truthfulness, he felt pretty awful still. And it wasn't just the pain and the lack of energy anymore, but more so the nagging realization that Primal was right in his assumptions. He really didn't have many options left.
After making a gesture signaling them not to shoot as he pulled the items out, he proceeded to remove the items from his storage. One by one. The first stolen item he pulled out was the golden disk, which he held in his hands for a moment to glance at it before dropping it on the ground a short distance from his feet. He then glanced at the two leaders again before pulling the next item, Rampage's spark, out as well. This item he held in his hand a little longer, watching the vibrant pulsations of the immortal spark, before taking another step back and then letting the spark drop to the ground a few paces away from the disk. He deliberately spaced them out so that if the leaders went to pick them up, they wouldn't be able to grab both items at once. That way he'd have a little more time to get away while they were busy.
And finally, after stepping backwards yet again, he pulled out the all too familiar journal that ironically had been responsible for most of his plans for coming here. As much as he hated Nexus Prime for what he was and had done to him, he also found the old man intriguing and compelling in a way. Of all the items, the journal was easily the one that he'd have the hardest time letting go of. So as the seconds dragged on, he found himself still holding onto it while keeping Primal in view.
When he pulled out the journal before, the mere sight of Nexus Prime had been enough to stop Primal in his tracks. Perhaps that would be the case yet again?
Unlike the other items that the pretender threw a few steps away from himself, he dropped the journal right at his own feet. After looking down at it for a moment more, making sure he'd memorized its exact location so he'd be able to find it without actually looking at it again, he shifted his gaze back to Optimus yet again. His voice sounded a lot more humbled, much to the renegade's dismay, as he addressed the Maximal again.
"I won't bother any of you again, and I've given you what you wanted.. So just let me go."
-----
Primal’s optics narrowed again accusingly when Zodiac agreed with his assessment. How quaint. But Optimus wasn’t falling for his tricks. He stopped closing in on him when the shape shifter halted and put his hands up as if to surrender.
“An offer? NOW you want to make a deal?” The Maximal leader’s voice was full of impatience and intolerance.
“We already presented one to you earlier, and you declined. THAT was your last chance.”
Megatron, intrigued by this offering of Zodiac’s and seeing Primal teetering on the brink of losing his cool, watched quietly and raised a curious brow at them both.
Zodiac’s motioning them not to shoot as he proceeded to pull out the stolen goods made Optimus reach for his holstered gun on his hip. He didn’t trust him, of course. For all he knew, he was reaching for a weapon. His stomach still ached from the holes in it with dried streaks of blood running down his abdomen.
Megatron’s face turned more serious once he saw the golden disk flash in the sun light as Zodiac took it out and dropped it carelessly on the ground. As much as he wanted Primal to know that that belonged to him, he refrained himself from moving in just in case Zodiac had a trick up his sleeve. He wasn’t going to be fooled by his current state of vulnerability.
The Maximal’s commanding officer didn’t seem too interested in either the disk or Rampage’s spark as his expression never faltered from the stoic and cold appearance it had taken. That wasn’t to say that he didn’t want them or didn’t care about them, but he knew Zodiac thrived on his sorrow and words so he could feed off of his thoughts and take advantage of his emotions.
The t-Rex, however, almost made a dash for the spark. It was very tempting to take those objects now. But if he did, he would make himself an easy target, and he didn’t want to interfere with the tension between them.
Then came the journal. Not just any journal though, Nexus Prime’s. That was what Optimus desired the most, and Zodiac knew that. Even he appeared very hesitant to let it go. But the gorilla in robot mode still didn’t change his body language or facial expression. It was difficult for him as so many memories and emotions about his mentor flooded inside of him, but he maintained his position. Optimus was angry and fed up with these juvenile games of Zodiac’s. If he wanted justice for the part that Optimus played in his creation and torture, then he would have to wait until they returned to Cybertron to get his day in court and file charges against him. That’s what he could tried with everyone he killed. Instead, he went down the darker path that was going to be very difficult to recover from if he could be salvaged at all. Until then, his crimes and killing-sprees were over.
Grabbing his gun from his hip, Primal lifted it and targeted Zodiac.
“Step away from the journal,” he demanded with his finger resting on the trigger ready to squeeze it.
“You’ve lost your freedom, Zodiac. You lost it to revenge and allowed your hatred and jealousy towards others to consume your spark. No, we won’t be letting you go. But we’ll spare your life," which had to mean something to the pretender because both Megatron and Nemesis wanted to destroy him. And right now, Optimus was sure they would succeed. He might have been the only one that could save his life.
“Megatron won’t let you walk away from this. You’re too vulnerable, and he will take advantage of it in order to exterminate your spark. You’ve become too much of an interference to him. Surrender.” Optimus slowly moved toward him with his gun still trained on him.
Megatron glared at them as they spoke and silently told his Predacons to begin converging on Zodiac by a motion of his hand. This was going to be the end of that incompetent and careless imbecile. And those artifacts were going to be his!
-----
Zodiac merely gave a slight shrug of the shoulders when Primal questioned his willingness to make a deal. There just hadn't been a point in agreeing to any deals before now, since frankly the renegade had presumed, however incorrectly, that he held all the trump cards. Why would he have agreed to make a deal that wouldn't benefit him in any way? Clearly Primal didn't see it that way, however, and he seemed less than eager to jump at the opportunity to make a deal now.
Still.. Zodiac had no choice but to try anyway. Perhaps seeing the offers he was willing to make in person would make the Maximal more willing to listen..
In fact the Maximal leader was at the brink of losing his temper, that much was blatantly obvious to anyone watching him. If anyone should be angry right now, it should have been Zodiac. He had clearly suffered the greatest loss here and stood to lose so much more, but he at least tried to maintain a civilized approach as not to enrage his would-be attackers even more. Yes, he was well aware that Megatron wanted nothing more than to torture and kill him. As was the tyrant's way, as well as that of a number of his makeshift crew. Of the two of them, Primal still seemed like the more logical and approachable option. Even while angered.
Zodiac, while still angered by what had just happened and how these fools had somehow destroyed his great plans and taken the Viper out of the equation, was still able to keep his behavior at least mostly civil. Whether that was from his own extensive training, the seemingly hopeless nature of the situation he was faced with, or that small hope he still had that it would work out. True, the Viper was gone, but perhaps something could still be salvaged from this .. travesty.
"That was my last chance?," the renegade then repeated, not bothering to hide the annoyance in his voice.
"You got what you wanted, and I'm still willing to offer you more. I've already lost everything."
He lowered his gaze a bit as he contemplated the words he had just used. They were true, at least to an extent. He really had lost everything, aside from his life.
"Come now, Optimus, we both know you had already made arrangements to have the Viper blown out of the sky when you made that offer in the first place. Which means you had no intention of honoring it if I had agreed to your terms then."
There was a certain bitterness in his words.
"But since nothing can undo the damage that's already been done, I will maintain this actual genuine offer. And to prove it.."
He had started taking out the stolen items as he spoke, showing them each of them in turn before dropping them on the ground. For each item, the renegade glanced ever so briefly at Primal and then back at Megatron who remained lingering in the background, looking for a sign they were willing to deal after all. Optimus remained as stoic as ever, whereas Megatron looked a lot more eager to lunge himself at the offerings.
As he dropped the final item on the ground, the journal with the most distinguished and recognizable appearance, Primal pulled out his weapon and demanded that Zodiac moved away from it. The renegade failed to do so, instead he held his ground at least for a moment longer.
"I'm unarmed," he informed the Maximal, raising his arms a tad to prove it,
"So why the hostility?" He almost added some snippy remark about Nexus, but one glance at the look on Primal's face caused him to reconsider.
It wasn't that he actually wondered. He wasn't stupid, after all, or insane. So he knew why Primal had reacted the way he did, but he still didn't have to approve of it.
But Primal then proceeded to explain, at least partially, focusing mainly on his intention to not let the renegade go. And now it was Zodiac's turn to narrow his optics in anger and growing frustration.
They'd spare his life? How very gracious of them.. Thanks to Primal and his little cohort, Zodiac's ship had gotten blown out of the sky.. with him still aboard. Thanks to them he had nearly burned to death, his armor still covered in soot to prove it. While Optimus spoke, Zodiac slowly edged his foot closer to the journal until it was resting on top of it, ready to crush it if he only applied enough pressure on his leg.
And he likely would have done so, had Primal not brought the topic of Megatron and Nemesis up in the lecture. Unfortunately the Maximal monkey did have a valid point.. Megatron would never let him just walk away, even with the offerings he had just laid out for them taken into consideration. No, the tyrant would want revenge more than anything.. And then he would no doubt pry those items out of the dying, bleeding hands of his foe. It's what the renegade would do, at least.
The Maximal told him to surrender and was coming closer with his weapon still trained on him. Zodiac sighed briefly as he shifted his focus from the approaching Primal to the still very much so displeased looking tyrant lingering in the background. He caught the signal Megatron gave his troops, however subtle it may have appeared to be. And the response from the surrounding Predacons who suddenly seemed to turn their attention to him proved it. Zodiac inclined his head before slowly taking a step back, leaving the journal intact if covered in a bit of sand and soot.
"And so this bewildering truce between the Maximals and the Predacons seem to be about to come to an end," the renegade remarked dryly while dropping to his knees in the dirt. His wings folded down and draped across his back, his hands moving to the back of his neck where he let them rest in the least threatening position he could imagine. After letting out another sigh, he glanced over at Primal.
"What is it with you and your willingness to take a pounding.. or worse.. for someone else? Is that the legacy Nexus bestowed upon you?" He grimaced a bit upon saying the name, as if it somehow disturbed him to do so. The relationship between those two was truly bizzare to him. Predacons did things differently. And at his core, Zodiac was a Predacon. He just didn't consider himself to be like the motley crew he'd encountered on Earth. Or anywhere else for that sake.
It was becoming clear the Predacons surrounding them were starting to move into position. If only the shapeshifter was stronger right now.. Or had retained his powers. But alas his nanomachines were still shutting down.
Directing his attention to Primal again, Zodiac tried making him one final offer.
"You know... If you could equip me with a weapon, I can help you fight them."
-----
"That was my last chance?," "You got what you wanted, and I'm still willing to offer you more. I've already lost everything."
We've both lost something, Optimus thought. However, he didn't want to make this about him. It was true that Zodiac had literally lost everything when Optimus had merely lost Nexus Prime. Of course, to Primal, Nexus had been his closest family, and Zodiac took him away from him, but it was them who made Zodiac who he was, and they were responsible for the anguish and torture, and the lack of nurturing with the sense of belonging, that he had endured for so many years. Revenge wasn't the answer here though, and that's what bothered Optimus the most. The hatred toward Nexus and Optimus was consuming Zodiac, but something told the Maximal gorilla that it went a little further than that. There was something more to his extreme desire to wipe both of them from the universe. Besides revenge, what could motivate someone to go to this much trouble and suffering only to take more lives, even those who had done him no wrong?
Primal's stature seemed to soften a little as these thoughts and his endless compassion went through his mind, but by no means did he lower his weapon or break his eye contact with Zodiac. Would he fire an allegedly unarmed bot? It was highly unlikely given his reputation. But maybe the appearance of the weapon wasn't just for Zodiac. Maybe it was so that he was ready to defend the shapeshifter if Megatron or any of his Predacons decided to attack.
"Come now, Optimus, we both know you had already made arrangements to have the Viper blown out of the sky when you made that offer in the first place. Which means you had no intention of honoring it if I had agreed to your terms then."
"That's not entirely true, Zodiac. Destroying it was a last resort. With you at the helm, you were a threat to us and the fate of Cybertron. If you had given me your cooperation, I wouldn't have blown it up," Optimus explained even if Zodiac didn't care to hear it.
"But since nothing can undo the damage that's already been done, I will maintain this actual genuine offer. And to prove it.."
While he was, indeed, surrendering everything he had stolen - that Optimus and Megatron were aware of - and the pretender was sounding quite sincere, they still couldn't trust him. Time and time again Zodiac fooled them, nearly killing them, and he had wreaked havoc on their crews. Most recently, he had nearly killed Aurora without a second thought. As much as Optimus wanted to believe him, he second-guessed his normally too-trusting nature and remained diligently cautious. He wasn't going to just run up to him and grab all of the items, shake his hand and let him go.
"I'm unarmed," "So why the hostility?"
Primal's expression shifted to one of disbelief. Did he really wonder why? Or was he just stalling or trying to keep Optimus occupied with petty questions that Zodiac should know the answers to. Maybe it was completely innocent. Most likely, it wasn't. He couldn't quite tell even if with his raised hands that were devoid of threatening objects. Although his armor could forge stabbing weapons, like the spikes that had impaled Primal's stomach.
"It's just a precaution given our past encounters," he commented firmly. His orange optics subtly shifted to the Predacons' movements around them that caught his attention. He lowered his voice a little bit as he added,
"And because of your vulnerability, you're going to need a defense."
The Maximal leader's stance of defiance nearly faltered as he watched Zodiac shift his foot and place it on top of the journal. He knew he wanted it. How could Optimus not resist? The deepest, most emotional thoughts and secrets of his mentor were in that personal notebook. The very last of Nexus Prime's existence was right there in front of him. And now the pretender was toying with the motion to crush it and destroy it, no doubt in retribution of Primal and Rattrap decimating the Viper, even though it had never belonged to Zodiac in the first place. With the shape shifter willing to return the golden disk, Rampage's spark and the journal, and with his escape plan foiled, taking him into custody wasn't entirely necessary, although it would give most of them peace of mind knowing where he was and that he wasn't disguised as someone else and infiltrating either base. But the truth of the matter was, whether he realized this or not, Megatron wasn't going to let him go, nor was he going to take him prisoner. He was prepared to kill Zodiac. So, even if Optimus had let him runaway, the Predacons were going to stalk him like prey, run him down and rip him apart. He hoped his previous statement had alerted him to that fact.
"And so this bewildering truce between the Maximals and the Predacons seem to be about to come to an end,"
As Zodiac fell to his knees and laced his fingers behind his head, Optimus slowly moved in toward him with that permanent limp in his step, passing the disk and the spark that were laying on the ground. Obviously he was more concerned about reaching Zodiac than he was for those objects. Or was he more concerned about the journal? No. Despite it's sentimental value to him, Primal was not materialistic, and he wouldn't jeopardize someone life's over an inanimate object. Although it wouldn't hurt if he could have both. Actually, it would be nice to have Nexus's I.D. chip as well, but Optimus didn't have time to negotiate for that considering their situation.
"I don't expect you to choose a side, but it would increase your chance of survival right now if you fought beside me." Quite a risk after everything and knowing how dangerous Zodiac was even in his weakened state. But Primal was willing to take it. He wasn't boasting, instead he was implying that if he didn't harm Optimus, then Zodiac would not only have his protection but his Maximals' as well. And then they might just all make it out of this impending stand-off alive.
"What is it with you and your willingness to take a pounding.. or worse.. for someone else? Is that the legacy Nexus bestowed upon you?"
"No," Optimus answered calmly as he walked up to him and stood over the renegade. That kind of selflessness and leadership couldn't be taught. He glanced among Megatron and his Predacons who were converging on their position before he knelt down in front of his shape-shifting enemy.
"I've come a long way on my own, Zodiac. I'm not who I used to be, and I have a lot of regrets. Now, I try to lead by example. And you've taught me some valuable lessons." There was remorse in the merciful leader's voice and optics.
"In many ways, you have actually helped me. And I want to return the favor." It might have sounded completely absurd to Zodiac, but Optimus was being honest. Even though he had murdered his father-like figure, there were things that had transpired between both him and Optimus that lead their destinies to this very moment and which had taught Optimus a lot about ethics and empathy. Primal was one to forgive and forget even if he couldn't be sure that it would help his situation. Yes, losing Nexus still hurt, and it was very difficult to ignore the fact that his murderer was right in front of him, and everything Zodiac had put his Maximals through was still quite fresh in his mind and theirs no doubt, but seeing how that hatred and obsession had affected Zodiac so negatively, it just wasn't worth it to Optimus to do that to himself. He did hope, however, that they could have a civilized conversation sometime, to learn from each other and help one another. Of course, a lot of that depended on Zodiac's willingness to agree to such conversations.
"Target your weapons on the treacherous shape-shifter, as well as Optimus!" Megatron demanded over his comm. link to all of his Predacons. If that Maximal was going to attempt to assist that low-life pretender, then he couldn't allow that to happen. Not when Megatron was so close to terminating him!
"FIRE!" he ordered his troops while he ran into the fray, immediately heading for the disk and the spark.
"You know... If you could equip me with a weapon, I can help you fight them."
Just as the gunfire erupted, Primal didn't seem to hesitate when he handed Zodiac his own gun. If he was going to shoot him in the back, then that's what was meant to happen. But something told Optimus that they would work together for once and reverse Megatron's truce turning his partnership with the Predacon warlord against him while allying with the shapeshifter instead. Only then did he reach down to he ground and pick up Nexus Prime's journal. He barely gave it a good look for any damage before he safely stowed it in his subspace. Quickly returning to his feet, Primal activated his "backpack" which lifted up over his shoulders and started firing at the Predacons with his mini plasma cannons before they got too close to them. ...
