"More Than Meets The Eye: Part II"

[NaitoKage]

(I'm not exactly impartial to either character as I don't technically have them,so sending Waspinator is fine. I just fill empty spaces. )

Quickstrike returned to his post transforming to robot mode and checked the monitors as he leaned back in his chair. He was slightly annoyed he wasn't going into the battlefield, but after just waking up from the CR tank not too long ago, maybe it'd be fine to sit this one out.. Looking at the monitor he noticed Starshadow punching the forcefield wall in her cell, then turned on a microphone as he spoke up Pipe down in there!

[Optimal Optimus Primal]

The fresh air was very welcoming to Primal. Being outside now despite his restraints and present company meant that there was a much greater hope to being freed than when he was trapped inside the Darksyde's dark, cold, lifeless dungeon. Even if that freedom would be death. The refreshing sunlight warmed his crushed and bent armor, while the rush of the wind in the air peeled of more cracked paint from his body, the pieces barreling through the air and carried off into the breeze never to be seen again.

Optimus? Who else is with you besides the ones I know already? Please, do the best you can. Who else do you see?

Whitegrazer again. She was still hanging on, still trying to help him, but she was fading away from him, or rather he was fading from her.

"You as excited as I am Wasp?"

Waspinator, thought Optimus tiredly as he briefly pictured the TransMetal wasp in his mind and shared it with the mare. That was all he was aware of. I can't see, he corrected her. I've lost one optic's functionality... And the other is damaged. It's difficult to focus with it.

It doesn't matter what you tell her. You will die at this exchange. You and your Maximals. Death. Bodies shredded and scattered all over the place, the virus's voice told him.

No... Leave me alone! Primal shouted in his mind.

"We'll be reaching our destination soon my predacons, I suggest you are be on your best behavior during these proceedings unless I bid you otherwise. The recovery of the disks is a small price to pay for these two failures, yyyyyesssss."

Ha ha ha ha ha ha! Yes, failures! You and Nexus and your entire crew! Failures! You've failed your mission! You've lead your entire crew to their deaths!

It's not over yet... It's not over yet! Shut up! I still have a chance. They still have a chance!

No. No, you don't. You're finished. And without you, your Maximals will crumble and follow you to your demise. You've failed them, Optimus Primal. And you've shamed your name. You are no Optimus. Worthless.

I... "Unicron's" words hurt. Optimus didn't know what to say now.

Optimus, I know it is difficult. This can really help us. To prepare ourselves if anything happens. Who else is with you? What is going on around you?

I don't know. I can't concentrate. I can't help. I have nothing.

That's right.

Optimus...I want to heal. I want to save. I want... Let me. Let me be the voice of your anguish. Let me show the Predacons want they did to you. Let me stop them. Save your energy. Focus.

I can't allow you to do that. They will get what's coming to them. It's only a matter of time.

Let her take them down for you! That way you won't have the guilt of their deaths on your conscience, the voice told Primal.

I will handle this!

How? With what? You're on death's doorstep as it is, and you have no hands or use in your legs. Give up already, Primal! There is nothing left for you! No legacy, no redemption, no hope! No one will care and no one will remember you. The Elders threw you away, quite magnificently, I might add, knowing you'd never return to Cybertron and that Protoform X would probably eat you and your crew alive. Remember what happened on Omicron? Yes, that was handled real well, it said sarcastically. Haven't you done enough damage? Haven't you ruined enough lives? Let yours end here and be done with it.

No... There's still hope. I can make it right.

No, you can't. What's done is done. It's over, Primal. It's over.

-----

"It is hard... It is hard for him, Rattrap."

Rattrap noticed the sincerity in Whitegrazer's voice and the grave concern in her optics before she closed them and a tear trickled down her cheek, realizing that their leader's condition was likely much worse than he previously thought. As she seemed to grow distracted with herself, the badger broke in and stole his attention

"The disk is no mere trinket" "I suspect Megatron will bring more with him to secure disk. Which most likely means there will be a fight. I think we should all prepare for combat, there's plenty of cover here to provide support for a small team.. or even one to go in rescue Optimus, and Nexus" "I volunteer"

"Of course he's gonna cheat and bring more with 'im," Rattrap agreed with Ironclaw. "Doin' so might jeopardize the quality of his disks, but that's his own doing. Look, I wanna avoid a battle if it's possible. I haven't even been repaired since my last encounter with these Preda-scumbags," he said as he gently rubbed the damage on his chest that Terrorsaur had left, "we're all tired, and we don't wanna risk any more injuries ta Optimus and Nexus. So let's try not bein' so hostile during this exchange, eh?"

Well, if you can get to them without them noticing.. But we don't know how bad their condition is..If they're too injured ta walk, you can't carry them both and protect yourself. That's why Rattrap wanted me ta come along since I can carry both of them.. but if you want to do yer plan lad.. it'd be best if you worked with someone.. like Dinobot or Whitegrazer. They should be strong enough to carry Optimus or this Nexus fella while you got yer hands full. You'll also need to make sure ta inject Optimus with this before you touch him, otherwise you'll end up infected like the others.

"Whitegrazer, Wintersong and Dinobot, you guys will hang back here. Have yer weapons drawn in case things get ugly but don't target anybody. Dinobot," he addressed the raptor specifically as he recalled his laser optics, "keep yer eyes trained on the disks when we hold them up ta hand 'em over. If the Preds try anythin' dat harms us or Optimus and Nexus, then fire at the disks. We'll hand 'em over one at a time so you can keep aim on 'em individually."

"Landslide and Ironclaw, you'll approach the Preds with me. Landslide, you'll exchange the disk you have fer Nexus and be sure ta keep it in Dinobot's line of fire but don't make it too obvious. After him, Ironclaw, you take one of those syringes with the cure and discretely inject Optimus with it while I take my time handing over the other disk ta Megatron and keep him distracted. Then you take Optimus and you guys back off immediately, keepin' yerselves between Optimus and Nexus and the Preds in case they start attackin'." He emphasized "discretely" because if the Preds were to get infected with the virus, he didn't want to them knowing that they had a cure. Not yet.

Hrm.. Would you like me to move some of these boulders closer together lad? Shouldn't be any trouble in my beast mode.

"Yeah, go ahead," the Maximal Spy nodded at the beetle.

"Umbra... he is also coming."

"Yay, everyone's favorite cephalopod," Rattrap said sarcastically as he glanced at Whitegrazer. He wasn't quite sure what to make of Umbra. He was odd and could be bought for the right price to have on your team. On the other hand, he and Rattrap probably had a few things in common. Alright, Megatron, Inferno, Terrorsaur and Umbra so far. Who else was coming to the party?

After some time had passed, looking in the distance the rodent spied some movement coming toward them, most of it in the sky. "Here comes the cavalry," he alerted his comrades as he walked down the hill about 30 yards to meet Megatron, expecting Landslide and Ironclaw to follow him and leaving the mare, velociraptor and white tigress behind where they had just been congregating. As the Predacons came closer, Rattrap stood as confidently as he could with no weapons drawn and the golden disk still hidden in his subspace, reluctant to be put in this position every time their leader was taken from them, and facing these evil, dangerous Predacons head on. He took a deep breath and watched Megatron lower his altitude, land and then transform.

"MEGATRON! TERRORIZE!"

It still amazed Rattrap how Megatron could go from super scary in beast mode to super ugly in robot mode. He squinted a little at the t-rex's roar as it reverberated in his sensitive audio sensors. And everyone thought the rat had bad breath? Arachnitron, Umbra, Terrorsaur, Waspinator and one of the newbies accompanied him. One, two, three, four, five, six, he counted in his head. A slight puzzled expression may have crossed his face. "Uh, Whitegrazer, where's Inferno?" he asked quietly into his comm. link as he momentarily and slightly turned away from the Preds to make his call before looking back at them and peering past them and their nasty weapons to see Optimus and Nexus. Had Optimus mistaken him for someone else? Had there been a chance of plans in the Predacon ranks? No, Optimus should have alerted Whitegrazer if there was. Rattrap immediately fell silent. He could barely recognize the two Maximals on the other side. Were they still alive? Mixed emotions of horror, disgust, anger, and worry collided inside of him. He couldn't even imagine the pain that they must have been in and for how long they had been enduring it. He wanted to hold his hand to his mouth in fear of gasping out loud at the sight of their mangled bodies but he refrained himself and swallowed instead, trying to maintain his composure.

"A lovely day for a trade, wouldn't you say, Rodent?"

"Not a scratch on yer disks and dis is what I get in return?" Rattrap asked with a sneer and outrage at Megatron. Standing there with his fists clenched into balls, he wanted to take out the disk he had right then and there and break it in half over his knee right in front of Megajerk.

"One of you take a picture of this, I want to mount this moment on my wall to immortalize it forever"

"This is how it's gonna work, Megatron," Rattrap said angrily, trying hard to keep calm and deliberately taking point. "Since you're givin' me damaged goods dat are barely alive, you're gonna hand over Nexus first and then we'll give you one of the disks. If we manage ta get that far without any incidents, then you're gonna hand over Optimus and then you'll get the other disk." He wasn't willing to negotiate since he had taken much better care of the disks than Megatron had of their Maximal comrades. Of course, Megatron would have to take his word for it since neither disk was in sight at the moment. But Rattrap knew Megatron would know that the Maximals would have kept their word; he always took advantage of that quality. The t-rex was the one who always went back on his word. Speaking of deception, where was Darkwind? Where was the shapeshifter? One of these Predacons in disguise? Rattrap knew Optimus was himself, and Nexus he could smell was himself, and Megatron, Terrorsaur and Waspinator. Maybe he wasn't there...

Primal stirred a little on his hovering platform, still wrapped in the energy bonds. Hearing Rattrap's voice was a tremendous relief. It was as though he could feel the other Maximals standing around him, right beside him, a strong sense of companionship and determination to get him and Nexus back. Whitegrazer was there, he knew that although he couldn't see her. Her spark pulled at his like a magnet. It was a great comfort to know she was present, although he had no idea what might transpire. There was something mysterious brewing inside of her. ...And TyCross had spoken with her.

This is going to be interesting, the voice told Optimus. You watch. You'll be the last one to go, and Megatron and his forces will simply mow down your Maximals right in front of you. It will be such a triumph.

You're going to see how wrong you are, thought Primal, angry and bitter.

-----

"He isn't here for me, that much I'm sure of. As far as they know, I'm dead after all.."

Rhinox studied Nemesis thoughtfully.

"And don't sound so dumbfounded," "There are surveillance bases far beyond the borders of Cybertronian space. Perhaps one of them picked up signals from that quantum surge Optimus set off. Explosions are not limited to a single direction, after all, and who knows what that surge was capable of. Perhaps it crossed time as well as space, through means similar to what brought us all here to this planet."

The engineer raised a gold brow at her insight of the quantum surge with curiosity. "What brought us here in the first place was a transwarp drive and a stolen disk," he mentioned, uncertain if she was even aware of that since her discovery and "accidental" activation. "It still doesn't explain why he would choose to follow it or be drawn here unless he was searching for someone he already knew was here." Which still left their options wide open. "The surge no doubt damages or interrupts electrical equipment to what ever is caught in its path; outpost stations, ships, probes and so forth. One would have to trace it and analyze it to find it's origin, which is easier said than done."

(( OOC: I don't know where I'm going with this for Rhinox, so I'm going to stop there. I've used up most of my time and motivation with Rattrap's part anyway. Time to get off the computer and be more productive. ))

[admiralgrim]

((OOC: Ok, so we decided to have Night Terror join Megatron at the meeting. For now I am just going to post with him already there. I know DarkSpark has not posted anything for Megs calling in Night Terror, but I wanted to go ahead and get a post in before we get too far.))

Dirge received his orders from his acting commander and proceeded to slowly make his way to the exit. He made subtle click sound to let his true master know that they were leaving. He readied himself, his plate like armour shifting round him preparing to transform.

Night Terror nodded slightly towards Dirge. He knew beyond a doubt, that his ever faithful soldier, was more than capable of the task Megatron had given him. Transforming into beast mode, he followed the rest out of the Darksyde.

Remaining in his bat form for the journey to the neutral zone, Night Terror was able to gain an excellent vantage point of the soon-to-be battlefield. Megatron's plan was clever, although not without great risks. The diggers could easily be gunned down while they emerged from the tunnels. The plan would be dependent upon the flyers to pin the Maximals down while the surprise forces gain the upper hand.

With his enhanced sensors he was able to see that the Maximals were already at the agreed upon location. They had kept their word, as was expected. Only six were present. He studied each of them and identified them with the files he had looked over back at the base. Already, he was judging their tactical capabilities.

Rattrap. A saboteur, a spy, demolitions expert and extraordinary marksman, acting as a temporary leader. He is a high priority target. We should take him out first. If for no other reason than to get rid of that horrific sound he makes whenever he talks. Night Terror thought, remembering the earlier negotiations.

Iron Claw. Rather large fellow. Shock Trooper, if my memory serves. He will probably need to be pinned down by the flyers. Landslide. By the Pit! He is even bigger than Iron Claw. Well, Dirge is going to have care of that one. Wintersong. Close combat fighter. Files show she used to be a ranged combatant. Hmmm. Interesting. I wonder how well trained she is with her new weapons. The last thought brought a crooked smile to his face.

Ah and Dinobot. The turncoat. Traitor to the Predacons. Close combat expert. Warrior. How he thinks he has any sense of honor is beyond me! He betrayed his own kind! We shall have to make him pay for his transgressions.

Transforming into robot mode, Night Terror adopted his usual arrogant stance. He decided to stay close to the prisoners. Not only to keep an eye on Optimus, but to also ensure that Zodiac did not go rogue like he had done on the last mission. He listened quietly as the negotiations began. Megatron's opening pleasantries and the vermin's demands were entertaining. All he had to do now was wait. For soon this peaceful talk would end and battle would commence.

[una]

Waspinator, thought Optimus tiredly as he briefly pictured the TransMetal wasp in his mind and shared it with the mare. That was all he was aware of. I can't see, he corrected her. I've lost one optic's functionality... And the other is damaged. It's difficult to focus with it.

It doesn't matter what you tell her. You will die at this exchange. You and your Maximals. Death. Bodies shredded and scattered all over the place, the virus's voice told him.

That voice... That voice she couldn't hear clearly yet sensed its words.

I don't know. I can't concentrate. I can't help. I have nothing.

No, no, you did great, Optimus. Thank you. she gratefully told Optimus. It was all right. She will find out soon enough which Predacons were going to be besides the ones she had mentioned already.

I can't allow you to do that. They will get what's coming to them. It's only a matter of time.

Let her take them down for you! That way you won't have the guilt of their deaths on your conscience, the voice told Primal.

I will handle this!

How? With what? You're on death's doorstep as it is, and you have no hands or use in your legs. Give up already, Primal! There is nothing left for you! No legacy, no redemption, no hope! No one will care and no one will remember you. The Elders threw you away, quite magnificently, I might add, knowing you'd never return to Cybertron and that Protoform X would probably eat you and your crew alive. Remember what happened on Omicron? Yes, that was handled real well, it said sarcastically. Haven't you done enough damage? Haven't you ruined enough lives? Let yours end here and be done with it.

'

Protoform X? Omicron? Those two words sounded familiar to her. All she could muster from bits and pieces of information from sources back on Cybertron was that Colony Omicron was destroyed by an accident. Some speculated a Predacon attack that was covered up, but if it truly was, why the High Council of Maximal Elders hide that? No, something happened at that colony. If it was an accident, then what was the cause.... or who? Maybe this Protoform X?

X.

If she could recall, she saw that once... in the flash of visions that were caused by the spar Optimus and her had several weeks ago. If Optimus... No, no, too close. This was too much. Too much information she needed to hear. She shouldn't had heard it. Optimus probably didn't want her to hear it, and it would be dishonorable of her to take such information from him in such a way. She should hear it from him voluntarily, not by some shallow voice of fear.

No... There's still hope. I can make it right.

No, you can't. What's done is done. It's over, Primal. It's over.

No, you are wrong,she stepped in between Optimus and that voice. She felt it. Optimus was getting closer to her. The connection between them was getting even stronger now. It's not over. It's never over until one gives up. You are strong, Optimus. Stronger than this voice. I'm here and so are your comrades. We will get you out of this mess. There is, and always will be, hope for those who wish it.

"Whitegrazer, Wintersong and Dinobot, you guys will hang back here. Have yer weapons drawn in case things get ugly but don't target anybody. Dinobot," he addressed the raptor specifically as he recalled his laser optics, "keep yer eyes trained on the disks when we hold them up ta hand 'em over. If the Preds try anythin' dat harms us or Optimus and Nexus, then fire at the disks. We'll hand 'em over one at a time so you can keep aim on 'em individually."

Whitegrazer did as she was told, stepping back as she gathered some smoke grenades and kept her freezing shotgun very closeby. Though, she kept it holstered.

"MEGATRON! TERRORIZE!"

Megatron made his entrance known like an actor in a play. So did Umbra. Arachnitron. Terrorsaur. Waspinator. Night Terror. She looked upon the state Optimus was in. His face was smashed. His chest area was.... shredded of every bit of the bronze color. It looked grey... the color that bots take when no soul was left. Indents of the bonds they placed on him scarred the perimeter around his body. Legs were broken ten times over just like the arms. She didn't look away. She... had seen bots in the same condition that Optimus and Nexus both were in during the war. Her face remained solemn yet her eyes were clearly sad. No one should have to go through that. They didn't. She didn't. No one.

"Uh, Whitegrazer, where's Inferno?"

Wait a minute, where was Inferno? She whispered into her comlink, "Optimus wouldn't get me false data. Something is up. Wintersong, Dinobot, and I will keep on our toes." She looked at the two and nodded, whispering to the comlink "Keep your eyes peeled."

Optimus clearly told her Inferno would be with them. Optimus would have mentioned if something underhanded would occur... unless he didn't know of it. And that wasn't his fault. It would make sense since they were now aware of the link... but there were certain things they weren't aware of... But those were things... She was scared to do.

Whitegrazer, you are going to have to do it if everything goes to the Pit. You can't allow them to get those disks. Nor... I hate to say this... Let them win over Optimus and Nexus. You were right when you told Landslide that you were different. Yes, you are. More than you realize. But in time, you will know. Right now... I suggest you act.

"One of you take a picture of this, I want to mount this moment on my wall to immortalize it forever" Megatron whispered to his troops, half serious and half joking.

She didn't pay attention to Megatron's gloating. Let him gloat. Let him get complacent. Rattrap was giving out what was going to happen. She smiled inwardly. Though, her mind was elsewhere. Where was Inferno? She kept her sensors on high alert. She needed to focus.

This is going to be interesting, the voice told Optimus. You watch. You'll be the last one to go, and Megatron and his forces will simply mow down your Maximals right in front of you. It will be such a triumph.

You're going to see how wrong you are, thought Primal, angry and bitter.

Yes, he is because... We are going to leave here in triumph, Optimus. If we have you back, disks or no disks, we will be victorious. The Predacons, they might think that we are broken, weakened.

Their connection was now at its peak. It was like a tremor changing into a gigantic earthquake covering her entire body. Everything that Optimus had gone through... She knew what that was like. Felt like. She felt like her entire shell was cracked...just as crack and smoldered in black and grey. Her legs just as broken. Her soul shook in such pain and agony. It begged for release. She held her body close and had to go down on one knee, one hand went onto the ground.

What the Predacons have done to you, Optimus. It is downright dishonorable and shameful. Torture. I remembered when the Predacons first started doing it. At first, they were honorable, but as those honorable generals and soldiers seem to dwindle, the most sadistic and vile started it. I still remembered when I was tortured. I was disgusted. I was horrified by their cruelty. Their beatings. Even more horrified when... our side started doing it. She didn't realize until now, but if she remembered correctly, it was torture that started the fall she experienced during the war. A slow, painful fall and death of self. But she never participate in such despite how cold she gotten. As a Maximal, as a Cybertronian who believes all life is sacred, I hate it. With every fiber of my being. It's intimidation. It's a fear tactic. And those who do such...it just proves how desperate they are to win. To win at any cost or life.

She closed her optics, hugging her body as she embraced Optimus through the bond they shared. Optimus... whatever happens, we are going to make sure the Predacons don't win here. You are coming home with us. TyCross... he wants me to act... But I can't. Not now. The Predacons... I'm going to let them make their move first. I know they are, but when? Hard to guess. But... when they do, they will have to live with the consequences of their actions.

Whitegrazer, you are hesitant. I know what happened during the war. What you did... but it would be a good test for you. A test to see if... if you really have changed.

[Night-Hunter]

((OOC: Sorry for being absent. Been kinda busy where I live.))

Sonar landed on his knees with a gasping cough when Megatron finally released him, the Transmetal T-Rex was letting him live for now anyway. He watched as Megatron barked out orders before leaving The Darksyde.

A means by which to control her? Sonar thought as he rubbed his throat, he had to prove his loyalty to Megatron somehow, he rather liked being alive.

Movement caught his attention and he blinked as a Spider drone scuttled past him, he raised an eye brow then smiled a little before reaching out and snatching it.

No harm in starting off small. He mused before standing and heading to the lab to get started, while ignoring the crazyness that suddenly exploded all around him.

[Phoenix]

"What brought us here in the first place was a transwarp drive and a stolen disk,"

Nemesis' lip curled up into the slightest of smiles, her arms crossing albeit they were partially hidden by her folded wings. Ah yes, the infamous golden disk.. Nemesis had heard the stories of how the original Megatron had put details entailing his visit to Earth and his true agenda on it, it had been a rumor circulating among the Decepticons long after the original Megatron had met his demise. The avian female had never had the pleasure of meeting the ruthless tyrant personally, for his body had been laid to rest a lifetime before she had even been created. Still the legend of his feats was very much alive, forming an achievement every ambitious leader figure following in his wake would strive for. The current Predacon leader was certainly no exception.

"I read the file," she responded somewhat bluntly, "Granted the Predacon version of the story was a little muddled at best. We're.. "

Brief pause.

"They're not exactly known for their skills in book keeping," she finally finished.

"It still doesn't explain why he would choose to follow it or be drawn here unless he was searching for someone he already knew was here."

"He could have followed Nexus Prime here," the female suggested with a shrug, still not entirely sure how the two were connected. Yes, she had caught that the Maximals were suspicious, but at the same time Nexus had shown up on his ship, Akira, a fact that couldn't easily be explained away by somebody posing.

"The surge no doubt damages or interrupts electrical equipment to what ever is caught in its path; outpost stations, ships, probes and so forth. One would have to trace it and analyze it to find it's origin, which is easier said than done."

Dropping the smile altogether, Nemesis let her gaze wander over to one of the computer monitors.

"Indeed," she responded a bit more quietly, "But if someone was already looking, then it could have been the sign they needed to look for the origin."

Another pause, a bit longer this time. In fact Nemesis looked as if she was lost in thought, and only snapped out of it as the camera image on the monitor changed.

"This is not the first quantum surge our race has encountered," she then said, glancing around briefly to make sure they were really alone. For some reason the rhino was a soothing presence, someone who didn't really judge someone based on their past.. no matter how violent it had been.

"A while back there was an outpost in sector 285 centuri that went missing. After all radio contact went offline, they sent a search part to investigate. What they found was rather astonishing, or so I was told anyway. Turned out all their computer systems had been fried and the colony was left a husk of its old self.. Burned to crisp by some alien technology. Or so the rumors claimed. The few survivors were changed, physically, much like some of us were turned transmetal by this quantum surge."


She had been on her way to this outpost to meet up with an old friend when all the added attention after the incident had prevented her from going. It was the last she had heard of Zodiac prior to him showing up here, on Earth, holding a grudge for something that had been way out of her control. She'd assumed he had died there, in the flaming inferno left in the wake of the alien weapon.

Nexus' optic flickered on for a brief moment, flashing a little more brightly as he gazed upon the beauty of the golden disk being held up by the rat. It was almost as if he could reach out his hand and touch it, but for the time being he feigned disinterest. The rat was barking out demands to Megatron, oddly enough offering the first disk for Nexus' freedom.

How peculiar.. He thought for sure Primal would be first. Not that it mattered much. Primal was still alive, if barely. So he'd still be able to have his revenge.

A breeze carrying the scent of mech fluid, obviously from the wounded Maximal not far from him. It tickled Nexus' nostrils with its aroma, for a moment threatening to bring out the savage beast that lurked within him. Indeed, it had been a while since he had allowed himself to feast and the dragon lurking within him had a hunter's instinct. Not long now.. He wouldn't have to conceal himself for much longer..

He twitched ever so slightly, listening to Rattrap and Megatron exchange pleasantries.

(ooc: Happy birthday OOP!!!!!)

[NaitoKage]

( Hm.. the Blackarachnia thing is a bit of a problem. Guess the only one that can do anything at the moment is Quickstrike.. Though Quickstrike can't attack Blackarachnia.. As for the rest.. Spineback is mia, Starshadow is trying to break out of her cell, and Sonar wont listen to anyone other then Megatron. As for the Spider drone, it's assumed they wander everywhere as Tarantulas has hundreds of them as security,scouts, and labor.)

"Well, what are you fools doing?! She means to ruin the exchange! STOP HER!"

Quickstrike looked up from the monitor with a sigh Lazy sassafras.. he muttered to himself as he got up and transformed to his beast mode, attempting to follow Blackarachnia into the tunnel system she escaped into. He looked around confused in the tunnel system as he spoke up Uh.. Sugar bot? he said as his Snake head looked around independently from his Scorpion head.


_____________________________

"Of course he's gonna cheat and bring more with 'im," "Doin' so might jeopardize the quality of his disks, but that's his own doing. Look, I wanna avoid a battle if it's possible. I haven't even been repaired since my last encounter with these Preda-scumbags," "we're all tired, and we don't wanna risk any more injuries ta Optimus and Nexus. So let's try not bein' so hostile during this exchange, eh?"

"Whitegrazer, Wintersong and Dinobot, you guys will hang back here. Have yer weapons drawn in case things get ugly but don't target anybody. Dinobot," "keep yer eyes trained on the disks when we hold them up ta hand 'em over. If the Preds try anythin' dat harms us or Optimus and Nexus, then fire at the disks. We'll hand 'em over one at a time so you can keep aim on 'em individually."
"Landslide and Ironclaw, you'll approach the Preds with me. Landslide, you'll exchange the disk you have fer Nexus and be sure ta keep it in Dinobot's line of fire but don't make it too obvious. After him, Ironclaw, you take one of those syringes with the cure and discretely inject Optimus with it while I take my time handing over the other disk ta Megatron and keep him distracted. Then you take Optimus and you guys back off immediately, keepin' yerselves between Optimus and Nexus and the Preds in case they start attackin'."

Landslide gave a nod as he heard Rattrap, then handed Ironclaw the syringe.

"Yeah, go ahead," "Yay, everyone's favorite cephalopod,"

Giving another silent nod, Landslide walked towards one of the boulders transforming to his beast mode. He pressed his massive lower horn into the ground, feeling over the boulder as he moved in closer, burrying his face into the dirt for a moment, then lifted up as the boulder raised up gripped between his three horns, tearing up the ground around the boulder he slowly walked over towards the nearest boulder and set it down next to it, the two large enough to act as a wall for cover.

"Here comes the cavalry,"

"You as excited as I am Wasp?"

Waspinator looked towards Terrorsaur with a nod Yeessss!

Landslide turned his head glancing towards the group of Predacons. He walked a short distance in his beast mode, then transformed to robot mode walking along side Rattrap, brushing a bit of sod from his shoulder in a direction away from Rattrap.

"A lovely day for a trade, wouldn't you say, Rodent?"

Landslide looked Megatron over, then glanced towards the rest of the Predacon crew. Other then Megatron, most of them were lightly built, however the large number of fliers would probably be a problem to the giant if they decided to attack, though the new weapon built might turn that around..

"Not a scratch on yer disks and dis is what I get in return?"

Landslide glanced towards Optimus and Nexus, the two battered and seemingly barely alive. What he wouldn't give to have had Rhinox or Aurora with them..He wasn't even sure Optimus would survive the trip back home even with the supplies he carried with him. His clawed hand balling into a fist with the slits on his visor narrowing.

"One of you take a picture of this, I want to mount this moment on my wall to immortalize it forever"

"This is how it's gonna work, Megatron," "Since you're givin' me damaged goods dat are barely alive, you're gonna hand over Nexus first and then we'll give you one of the disks. If we manage ta get that far without any incidents, then you're gonna hand over Optimus and then you'll get the other disk."

Landslide looked over towards Nexus Prime, his optics seeming to flicker. There was a strong smell of mech fluid in the air to Landslide, but from what he could tell, it mostly smelled like Optimus, though it was clearly visible that Nexus Prime was injured. The beetle found it strange, but shrugged it off to the back of his mind assuming Nexus Prime was just not as badly injured as Optimus was.

Meanwhile, Umbra stood next to Megatron with his arms crossed, observing the Maximals. He glanced towards Whitegrazer, pondering whether or not she really did have psychic powers.. it wasn't an impossibility, but fairly rare to say the least.

[una]

STOP HER!

Blackarachnia had enjoyed the look on his face when she shot him. She couldn't help but wickedly laugh. Tarantulas probably thought her act was foolish and desperate. Perhaps. But a spider like her couldn't be sneaky when the time was running out. Her time. She couldn't allow those disks to be transferred into Megatron's hands. She didn't want to destroy them, though. They still contained information that was highly valuable. Something she would love to have. Something she could bestow upon herself. A way to leave Megatron's ranks and build her own army or even better, a ship to escape this miserable planet. Giving to the Maximals was something she didn't want to do, but if she could, she could find a way to get them back herself. Maybe pretend to be a turncoat? The Maximals weren't that smart with them anyway . If they were, they wouldn't give them up so easily.

Uh.. Sugar bot?

She heard the voice of the Predacon fuzor. She stopped, which she thought might be stupid. But it seemed Quickstrike was alone. She turned around and fluttered all her eight eyes towards him, "Oh! Quickstrike! I didn't realize you were so close by. I would have stopped sooner."

[DarkSpark]

OOC: Here's my post gang! I forget which of the preds was transporting Nexus, so I trust whichever player was carting him around to go ahead and do that lol. Sorry, but a busy tyrant cannot be bothered with every little detail you know "goes back to the important business of playing with his rubber ducky"

OOP wrote: "Not a scratch on yer disks and dis is what I get in return?" Rattrap asked with a sneer and outrage at Megatron. Standing there with his fists clenched into balls, he wanted to take out the disk he had right then and there and break it in half over his knee right in front of Megajerk.

Megatron simply shrugged indifferently at the vermin's outrage and replied "Is it my fault you took so long to contact me for an exchange? Besides, there are these marvelous machines called "CR Chambers," I'm sure even you've heard of them, if not I'm sure the Rhinoceros could explain it to you. Your friends will recover, assuming you remembered to bring me my payment, yyyyesssss."


Terrorsaur laughed evilly, enjoying the expressions of shock and horror on the maximals faces over their leader's condition, saying to his partner "Doesn't get much better than this, does it Wasp? Heheheheheheh!"

OOP wrote: "This is how it's gonna work, Megatron," Rattrap said angrily, trying hard to keep calm and deliberately taking point. "Since you're givin' me damaged goods dat are barely alive, you're gonna hand over Nexus first and then we'll give you one of the disks. If we manage ta get that far without any incidents, then you're gonna hand over Optimus and then you'll get the other disk." He wasn't willing to negotiate since he had taken much better care of the disks than Megatron had of their Maximal comrades. Of course, Megatron would have to take his word for it since neither disk was in sight at the moment. But Rattrap knew Megatron would know that the Maximals would have kept their word; he always took advantage of that quality. The t-rex was the one who always went back on his word. Speaking of deception, where was Darkwind? Where was the shapeshifter? One of these Predacons in disguise? Rattrap knew Optimus was himself, and Nexus he could smell was himself, and Megatron, Terrorsaur and Waspinator. Maybe he wasn't there...

Primal stirred a little on his hovering platform, still wrapped in the energy bonds. Hearing Rattrap's voice was a tremendous relief. It was as though he could feel the other Maximals standing around him, right beside him, a strong sense of companionship and determination to get him and Nexus back. Whitegrazer was there, he knew that although he couldn't see her. Her spark pulled at his like a magnet. It was a great comfort to know she was present, although he had no idea what might transpire. There was something mysterious brewing inside of her. ...And TyCross had spoken with her.

Megatron stared at Rattrap for a moment, studying him curiously like someone watching a pet perform an amusing trick, all smiles, before replying "Hhhhmmm...Okay."

"What? Seriously?" Terrorsaur began to protest before a withering glare from Megatron silenced him immediately.

"Take him, with my blessing" Megatron replied, snapping his fingers at the one in charge of Nexus' transport to commence with the exchange, eager to have one of the disks back in his possession.

Terrorsaur & many of the others may have been too shortsighted to understand this, but Megatron knew the maximals wouldn't risk playing with the lives of their loved ones by not bringing the disks, or going back on their word for that matter. Even the rat wouldn't sink that low, and he in many ways was the "least maximal" out of all of them. Besides, if they did pull something or figured out the true identity of Nexus, he still had Primal hostage, who he knew for a fact was worth both golden disks so far as these fools were concerned, so he still held control of the situation, so long as Primal was his prisoner.

Una wrote:
Megatron made his entrance known like an actor in a play. So did Umbra. Arachnitron. Terrorsaur. Waspinator. Night Terror. She looked upon the state Optimus was in. His face was smashed. His chest area was.... shredded of every bit of the bronze color. It looked grey... the color that bots take when no soul was left. Indents of the bonds they placed on him scarred the perimeter around his body. Legs were broken ten times over just like the arms. She didn't look away. She... had seen bots in the same condition that Optimus and Nexus both were in during the war. Her face remained solemn yet her eyes were clearly sad. No one should have to go through that. They didn't. She didn't. No one.

While Megatron made a point of making it seem as though he wasn't focusing on anyone maximal in particular, he took in the sight of Primal's paramour, Whitegrazer, the one with the psychic link...She would have to die this day, her link with Primal had complicated matters earlier and was not something he wanted to remain in play. Granted, as long as one of them died the link wouldn't be an issue anymore, and the thought of the foolish equine having shared in Primal's suffering all this time almost made it worth it that she'd been keeping tabs on them through him. While he waited with growing excitement for the first of his golden disks, he pondered whether to kill Primal or Whitegrazer first, who's look of despair would be more satisfying upon the demise of their "spark mate?" Decisions, decisions....

[Mystrea]

Ironclaw, Rattrap and Landslide made their way to the agreed exchange position. Both forces had arrived and were equal in number. This situation did not smell right to the badger. Why would Megatron just agree to one when he could take both, he must have a different angle. He was a deviant as well as a tyrant. Megatron roared as he transformed, it might have intimidated some but he bared his teeth balled his hands into fist in response. Ironclaw stood firm, unwilling to show any weakness that he may or may not have. He took a quick scan of the Maximals, their faces betrayed them. Unlike them he wouldn't let Optimus' state affect him, there was no fear on his face. His eyes were drawn to the small acting commander that was to his side. While it did not surprise him, he was concerned to see Rattrap's reluctance. It wasn't fair on him, he should not be in that position. The whole situation wasn't ideal but perhaps things needed to change for the better. Ironclaw took a step forward, pushing his chest out and showing off the dissimilar Maximal symbol that was branded upon it. "I know you don't want to fight... Rattrap. But one of us has to be ready for that eventuality" The badger said whilst looking at his enemies. He didn't look at the rat while he said it, nor did he expect a response. Gripping the syringe in his hand, he prepared to do what he had to.

[Optimal Optimus Primal]

(( OOC: Thank you, Phoenix! I hope you're having a well-deserved, relaxing vacation.

If for no other reason than to get rid of that horrific sound he makes whenever he talks.

I LoLed at that when I read it, admiral. Poor Rattrap. XD ))

The acting Maximal leader, who just may continue holding that title for a long time judging by Primal's brutal injuries, observed the newbie Predacon for a moment when he had transformed and posed as if he was the all-knowing boss and not Megatron. Rattrap recognized him as one of the Preds who had landed not too far from the Axalon, the same one Nexus had so "casually" approached and spoke with. He was still very suspicious about that conversation despite Nexus Prime's typical behavior of letting nothing and no one stand in his way. Optimus was clearly the more cautious type of leader, but could anyone blame him after all of this? While this new Pred was studying them, the rodent was doing the same.

"Optimus wouldn't get me false data. Something is up. Wintersong, Dinobot, and I will keep on our toes."

Rattrap agreed with Whitegrazer's words but he kept his attention on the Predacons in front of him.

"Is it my fault you took so long to contact me for an exchange? Besides, there are these marvelous machines called "CR Chambers," I'm sure even you've heard of them, if not I'm sure the Rhinoceros could explain it to you. Your friends will recover, assuming you remembered to bring me my payment, yyyyesssss."

The Spy rolled his eyes optics at the tyrant's condescending words. "We've had the disks just as long as you've had Optimus an' Nexus, so don't give me dat lame excuse. And CR's can only do so much. They'll be lucky if dey even survive the trip back. I knew I shoulda smashed 'em inta pieces, after all, there's dis marvelous bonding agent called 'glue' dat you coulda used ta piece 'em back together," he mocked the TransMetal t-rex.

"Doesn't get much better than this, does it Wasp? Heheheheheheh!"

That ugly bird's voice made Rattrap cringe every time he heard it. He was so cocky, even cockier than the rat. He wished he could tear his head off and play kickball with it for the rest of his spark's life. He had a huge collection of Waspinator's parts, why couldn't he start collecting Terrorsaur's?

"Hhhhmmm...Okay."

"What? Seriously?"

"Take him, with my blessing"

Rattrap would have smirked at the glare that made Terrorsaur shut his trap so quickly had the situation not been so serious. Despite Megatron's almost-too-good-to-be-true co-operation, his suspicions didn't lessen any. As the opposing leader commanded Nexus Prime's transporter to move forward with the exchange, Rattrap motioned Landslide to step forward, help Nexus off of the platform and then take out the disk he had to hand over to Megatron. It was hard for him to take his optics off of Nexus who looked terribly beaten. Hopefully all he would need was a CR because it looked like Optimus would need Rhinox's help for the majority of his injuries. Unbeknownst to the Preds, Dinobot would have his laser optics targeting the disk in Landslide's hand while he handed it over. One wrong move, Megajerk, and it'll be shattered inta itty, bitty pieces, he thought. He wished he could do it anyway simply because of what they had done to their fearless leader and his old teacher but he couldn't risk losing Optimus, not when they were so close to getting him back.

"I know you don't want to fight... Rattrap. But one of us has to be ready for that eventuality"

Glancing at Ironclaw as he abruptly stepped forward, Rattrap's confidence wavered a little. What was he doing? He was breaking formation. He spoke lightly to the TransMetal badger off to the side, re-enforcing, "I said I wanna avoid a fight 'cause it puts their lives in danger, not ta mention ours'. If one breaks out, it don't mean I'm gonna high-tail it outta here. Just keep calm and get ready; yer next." Just because he hadn't drawn his weapons didn't mean he wasn't ready. Rattrap was quicker and a smaller target to hit, so he'd have more time to react than someone Ironclaw's or Landslide's sizes did. For once, the rodent was far more concerned for the others' well being over of his own. Just breathe... We got dis, he told himself as he inhaled deeply to calm his nerves that weren't showing on the outside but were giving him butterflies on the inside.

No, no, you did great, Optimus. Thank you.

Primal shook his aching and throbbing head in frustration. His mouth and his entire face hurt so much. A dry, stained trickle of energon was a leak that had finally stopped seeping from the gash on his lip. He tried listening to the conversations around him, his one optic trying to focus on the faces surrounding him; Terrorsaur, Night Terror, Waspinator, Umbra, Megatron. He couldn't see where Arachnitron was; probably just out of his line of sight. He didn't even realize that Inferno wasn't present. ...There was so much evil and gratification at his expense.

You failed doing that, too! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! the voice tormented him in his head. Failure!

No, you are wrong, It's not over. It's never over until one gives up. You are strong, Optimus. Stronger than this voice. I'm here and so are your comrades. We will get you out of this mess. There is, and always will be, hope for those who wish it.

It's hopeless to hope. We all know where this war is headed, to death. Your death. Her death. All of you. She speaks such nonsense. I speak the truth. This is the reality, Optimus, and you know it.

Whitegrazer could hear the voice, too? Primal squirmed and groaned a little on his platform, coughing lightly, irritated with both his overactive mind and his physical pain. If it's death we face, then we'll face it fighting! he defiantly told the virus with the help of the mare's bond pushing back.

Yes, he is because... We are going to leave here in triumph, Optimus. If we have you back, disks or no disks, we will be victorious. The Predacons, they might think that we are broken, weakened.

Because you are! This is the end of line for all of you! Don't be so delusional, the voice argued. They don't pity you. All they want to do is be victorious and take everything they want, including your lives. It's so easy for them! You and your fools only make it harder on yourselves without taking their lives. isn't that what you've been saying, Optimus? An eye for an eye. Kill or be killed. That's the way it is. Those are the rules they play by.

Kill or be killed... Optimus repeated, sounding agreeable with the voice.

What the Predacons have done to you, Optimus. It is downright dishonorable and shameful. Torture. I remembered when the Predacons first started doing it. At first, they were honorable, but as those honorable generals and soldiers seem to dwindle, the most sadistic and vile started it. I still remembered when I was tortured. I was disgusted. I was horrified by their cruelty. Their beatings. Even more horrified when... our side started doing it. As a Maximal, as a Cybertronian who believes all life is sacred, I hate it. With every fiber of my being. It's intimidation. It's a fear tactic. And those who do such...it just proves how desperate they are to win. To win at any cost or life.

In the beginning of Whitegrazer's little lecture, Primal was fighting back a tear to learn more about her pain. To know that she had suffered like he was suffering now - she who was so delicate, compassionate and kind - was simply horrible and nearly unimaginable. Despite how long ago it had happened and even though he didn't know her then, it made him even angrier about all of this. As she went on, the tear had subsided and he agreed with her words.

Even if it doesn't work in terms of getting the desired information from the one being held captive, they still get their satisfaction from beating them relentlessly, the virus broke in again. They don't care. And neither should you. Wouldn't you like to do the same to them after all they put you through? Wouldn't that be fair?

It would be fair, Primal agreed darkly. They have no idea what I'm capable of. He tried squeezing his fists forgetting that he didn't have hands anymore. It made him growl in pain and breathe heavily, trying to cope with the agony. It seemed like an eternity with this exchange. The sun shining on him brought out the severity of his battered and broken body. It was a wonder he was still conscious, but that was mostly due to Blackarachnia's minor repairs and the energon she had given him. He wanted to black out and succumb to his injuries to take this pain away. Just take it away.

Optimus... whatever happens, we are going to make sure the Predacons don't win here. You are coming home with us. TyCross... he wants me to act... But I can't. Not now. The Predacons... I'm going to let them make their move first. I know they are, but when? Hard to guess. But... when they do, they will have to live with the consequences of their actions.

They've already won. Optimus sounded defeated again. They'll gain the knowledge on the disks and be ten steps ahead of us. We won't be able to stop them. Megatron will have too much power. Don't give them the disks, Whitegrazer, let them take me away. I deserve it for what I've done. It was my choice to save Banshee and Cheetor.

Yes, you deserve it. You know you do. You haven't told her, have you? You haven't told any of your crew. Oh ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Optimus Primal's deep, dark secrets locked away in the depth of the shadows in his mind. If they only knew. Do you think they would still look up to you the way they do now? I can see the disappointment in Aurora's eyes already, and the rest losing their faith in you. You certainly don't live up to your name.

The Commander fell silent just in time for Landslide to take Nexus and hand one of the disks over to Megatron. A part of him would have liked to have researched those artifacts and discover their secrets but it seemed he had lost his opportunity. The other part wanted nothing more than to be with his Maximals again and be fully functional again. And to be fully functioning would mean replenished strength and ammunition, a worthy adversary against the Predacons again and a greater chance to take them down and do to them what they did to him.

-----

"I read the file," "Granted the Predacon version of the story was a little muddled at best. We're.. " "They're not exactly known for their skills in book keeping,"

That didn't come as any surprise to Rhinox. Her little stammer was interesting as she corrected herself, almost as if she was correcting her identity. It was likely that Nexus didn't want anything to do with that particular group of Predacons, just like she didn't want anything to do with the Maximals, but she had no where else to go.

"He could have followed Nexus Prime here,"

True. But what was Nexus Prime doing there? Just following the origin of the transwarp wave explosion and flying into the unknown? How likely could that be... Something just didn't sit right with the rhinoceros about all of this.

"Indeed," "But if someone was already looking, then it could have been the sign they needed to look for the origin."

The green and gold Maximal nodded thoughtfully at Nemesis. But who...?

"This is not the first quantum surge our race has encountered," "A while back there was an outpost in sector 285 centuri that went missing. After all radio contact went offline, they sent a search part to investigate. What they found was rather astonishing, or so I was told anyway. Turned out all their computer systems had been fried and the colony was left a husk of its old self.. Burned to crisp by some alien technology. Or so the rumors claimed. The few survivors were changed, physically, much like some of us were turned transmetal by this quantum surge."

He didn't recall hearing about this before. Was this a different quantum surge or from the same explosion they had just created with their leader's death in that stasis pod? After all, they were currently in the past. What if that surge that Nemesis was talking about was the same one from the Vok trying to destroy the planet that crossed paths with that outpost station much later on? ...What if it wasn't? How long have these aliens been around? ...And who exactly were they? Where were they? "I suppose we can't really know some of these answers until we can speak with Nexus. ...And Zodiac." Rhinox was glad Nemesis appeared to be calmer and surprisingly a little more open and conversational than he could remember. Taking a seat, he gestured with his hand to offer her one as well, while asking, "How did you end up here, Nemesis?" Maybe, just maybe, she was getting comfortable enough to share a little more of her past with him. He was curious and genuinely interested in learning what had happened to her and what kind of "procedures", or experiments, she had been put through against her will. Granted, it was probably a very touchy subject for her, so he wouldn't be surprised if she'd immediately put up her guard again and would refuse to answer. But maybe learning more about her might help them understand Zodiac.

[NaitoKage]

"Take him, with my blessing"

Landslide nearly rolled all four of his optics hearing Megatron, the ego on this walking anachronism was something Landslide had not seen in a long time, even from Decepticons..

"I know you don't want to fight... Rattrap. But one of us has to be ready for that eventuality"

"I said I wanna avoid a fight 'cause it puts their lives in danger, not ta mention ours'. If one breaks out, it don't mean I'm gonna high-tail it outta here. Just keep calm and get ready; yer next."

Landslide walked forward as his back compartment opened from the top with a small mechanical arm holding up the disk, which he reached for with his right arm,pulling the disk out carefully, he placed it into Megatron's hands, then stepped back and to the left as he made his way to Nexus, his lower set of optics examining him closely to access from his injuries how to help him get out of the danger zone. Leaning down the Beetle lifted Nexus up with little difficulty, then turned keeping his ridiculously armored back to the Predacons. Normally such a thing would not be done, but considering the armor on his back,plus his heavy tower shield.. Landslide seriously doubted the Predacons could shoot through him to get to Nexus. It would simply be easier to move ahead of him, though that would pose the risk to them of being shot in the face with two Gatling guns equipped to his shoulders.

Making his way towards the boulders acting as cover, Landslide set Nexus down as he spoke up How bad are yer injuries? I have equipment and energon on hand if you feel you need it.

________________________________________

"Oh! Quickstrike! I didn't realize you were so close by. I would have stopped sooner."

Quickstrike scratched his cheek with one his claws as he watched her Uh.. ye-yeah. What are ya doin' down here Sugarbot? That good fer nothin' above seems ta think yer plannin' against Bossbot or somethin'.

[Blackrosefencer]

OOC: Okay, here you go....saying I needed one day was a mistake. It took a bit longer than that to get caught up...and also, it was our anniversary...I made my fiance a nice dinner, but preparations were a lot more involved than I was expecting without a proper electric mixer. Anyway....here goes....I did skip over some stuff...if I skipped anything you feel should have been mentioned, just let me know. I also skipped a large chunk for Arachnitron and Inferno since they were basically just standing guard and standing around earlier- I jumped ahead to the delegation of duties and prisoner exchange.

BIC:

Dinobot handed over the disk in his hand to Landslide reluctantly. He watched as Landslide examined it carefully musing over it's importance.

"This is the thing Megatron wants so bad? I guess macguffin's do come in small packages.. "

Dinobot hid a smile as he watched Landslide take a snapshot of the cover and the back of the disk. Perhaps Landslide could be pursuaded somehow to give up those snapshots. It wasn't much, but he could add it to the data he had so far on the disks. He could use it to compare the symbols of the other disk. Dinobot didn't respond to Landslide's questions about the importance of the disks. He had only known what he had been told about the disks. He sensed there was more to it than what Megatron had shared with him, but he hadn't had time to study the disks in great detail so, even he, didn't really know what Megatron wanted with the disks.

After a few moments, Rattrap and the others arrived at the rendevous point. Rattrap had heard Landslide's thoughts on the disks and offered up his own input as he walked up to the three Maximals.

"Too bad we ain't gonna find out for ourselves, but we gotta get Optimus and Nexus back. Without them, we're gonna lose no matter what and the disks'll be pointless fer us."

Dinobot wasn't sure if he agreed with that sentiment. Surely, losing Optimus and Nexus would be tragic, but they couldn't afford to just give up and let Megatron win! The disks were important enough to be worth continuing to fight even after Optimus' death. He was convinced that the disks held some valuable information and some well-kept secrets of the universe and he wouldn't quit until he knew what they were.

Whitegrazer stood with the group to alert them about which Predacons would be joining them. Inferno's presence did not surprise him in the least. Terrorsaur also was an understandable choice. He noticed that they had not brought any of their own fliers....at least, not any of them who could fly in their robot mode....which would put them at a disadvantage once the Predacons arrived.

"Ironclaw, didn't you say somethin' about havin' a plan?"

"The disk is no mere trinket.....I suspect Megatron will bring more with him to secure disk. Which most likely means there will be a fight. I think we should all prepare for combat, there's plenty of cover here to provide support for a small team.. or even one to go in rescue Optimus, and Nexus" Ironclaw momentarily paused to look at all the faces.

"Of course he's gonna cheat and bring more with 'im," Rattrap agreed with Ironclaw. "Doin' so might jeopardize the quality of his disks, but that's his own doing. Look, I wanna avoid a battle if it's possible. I haven't even been repaired since my last encounter with these Preda-scumbags.....we're all tired, and we don't wanna risk any more injuries ta Optimus and Nexus. So let's try not bein' so hostile during this exchange, eh?"

Ironclaw did have one thing right....the Predacons would not stick to their agreement....a fact that Dinobot had also pointed out earlier to Rattrap while they were on the bridge discussing the plan. They should have also brought back up. Or they should have back up at the ready near by just in case! While he disagreed with Ironclaw's tactics, he did agree with Ironclaw about one thing: They were about to be sorely outnumbered.

"Whitegrazer, Wintersong and Dinobot, you guys will hang back here. Have yer weapons drawn in case things get ugly but don't target anybody. Dinobot," he addressed the raptor specifically as he recalled his laser optics, "keep yer eyes trained on the disks when we hold them up ta hand 'em over. If the Preds try anythin' dat harms us or Optimus and Nexus, then fire at the disks. We'll hand 'em over one at a time so you can keep aim on 'em individually."

Dinobot was surprised to hear Rattrap thinking ahead to the negative inevitable instead of just fooling himself into thinking everything would work out okay as some Maximals were wont to do, yet he snarled at the rodent's plan in case things went awry.

"Destroy them!!!! Do you realize the importance of these disks!?" he shouted, but he stopped himself and sighed. "Fine....I will.....damage the disks if need be...." Though he wanted the disks whole and in perfect, mint condition....he reallized that it was better for the disks to be destroyed than in the hands of the Predacons. For the sake of the safety of Optimus and Nexus, they had no choice but to let them have the disks, but once any of the Maximals got hurt in the process, he had to do his duty. All bets were off, he would have to destroy the disks. He continued to glare at Rattrap as he continued with his planning.

"Landslide and Ironclaw, you'll approach the Preds with me. Landslide, you'll exchange the disk you have fer Nexus and be sure ta keep it in Dinobot's line of fire but don't make it too obvious. After him, Ironclaw, you take one of those syringes with the cure and discretely inject Optimus with it while I take my time handing over the other disk ta Megatron and keep him distracted. Then you take Optimus and you guys back off immediately, keepin' yerselves between Optimus and Nexus and the Preds in case they start attackin'."

Everyone got into formation as the Predacons arrived.

"A lovely day for a trade, wouldn't you say, Rodent?" Megatron asked casually, ignoring the mixed looks of absolute terror, despair, and hatred the maximals wore on their faces over the sight of their leaders' ruined frames, almost scrap.

Dinobot was not at all shocked at the condition of the two Maximal prisoners. As a former Predacon soldier he was very familiar with Predacon interrogation tactics. Dinobot laid his gaze on Nexus Prime. He was curious to find out if their suspicions had been right about him being the shapeshifter.

Suddenly, Whitegrazer spoke up over the comms.

"Wait a minute, where was Inferno? She whispered into her comlink, "Optimus wouldn't get me false data. Something is up. Wintersong, Dinobot, and I will keep on our toes." She looked at the two and nodded, whispering to the comlink "Keep your eyes peeled."

"Affirmative," Dinobot responded back to her over the comms as Rattrap and Megatron negotiated the terms of the trade.

"This is how it's gonna work, Megatron," Rattrap said angrily, trying hard to keep calm and deliberately taking point. "Since you're givin' me damaged goods dat are barely alive, you're gonna hand over Nexus first and then we'll give you one of the disks. If we manage ta get that far without any incidents, then you're gonna hand over Optimus and then you'll get the other disk."

Another surprise.....Megatron agreed to the terms that Rattrap set up. Not without his usual snide comments, but he agreed nonetheless.

Landslide moved to carry out the first trade, Nexus Prime for the first Golden Disk.....he watched Landslide approach the platform with Nexus Prime on it, take out the disk and handed it to Megatron.....he kept his eyes trained on the disk ready to fire his eye lasers if anything went wrong........

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

After the prisoners were readied for transport, Inferno returned to the bridge to receive more direction as to the plan for handing over the prisoners. He couldn't help but feel intense excitement as they discussed the plan. He was always ready, willing, and able to take on a few Maximals!

" Before we arrive at the meeting place, Inferno and Dirge shall burrow underground, masking their energy signatures from the maximals and creating the illusion that there are indeed only six of us, but when I give the signal, a simple blip they'll receive on their communicators and theirs alone, they shall both strike from the ground below, taking the maximals by surprise and giving us yet another edge to ensure our grandest victory yet!" Megatron explained, already imagining the looks on the faces of the maximals when he sprung his trap.

Inferno saluted at the Royalty's ingenious plans!

"Enough time has been wasted, Predacons, transform and rise up!" Megatron bellowed, switching to robot mode and taking off through the roof hatch to reach the outside, expecting his troops to obey and follow him however they could.

"As you command,Royalty!" Inferno replied still saluting.

He followed the others out of the base and helped to lead the platforms of prisoners to the meeting spot.

Once they arrived, before they were in sight of the Maximals, The Royalty reminded Inferno and Dirge of the plan.

"Inferno, Dirge, submerge yourselves before we reach within range of their sensors or optics, and remember, do not spring our subterranean ambush until I give you the signal. Now go."

"Yes, my Queen," Inferno responded and proceeded to burrow under the ground out of sight, but followed the sound of the Predacons' footsteps underground to the meeting site. He waited patiently for his signal....
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
After securing the prisoners for transport, Arachnitron returned to, what she assumed was always her task, monitor duty on the bridge. She had very little in the ways of skills having had virutally no contact with anyone in the outside world while she was held captive at the research center. Tarantulas had instructed her on carrying out monitor duty so that she would just blend in with the others while she helped him to carry out his own agenda.

She thought she was doing well with monitor duty and blending in and not being noticed until she heard her name listed as one of the ones front lining the prisoner exchange.

"With that taken care of, the rest of the lucky few who shall be accompanying me on this historic mission shall be Waspinator and Terrorsaur, don't look so surprised we need the air support, Arachnitron, Quickstrike, and Dirge"

She hung her head solemnly. She was disappointed that Tarantulas wasn't going.

Tarantulas listened to Megatron's words and suppressed the urge to chuckle, instead whispering to Arachnitron while Megatron took off "Try your best to acquire at least one of the golden disks for me, do not let anyone catch you in the act or else it will be the end of you. Now go!"

Arachnitron nodded. "I'll do everything I can," she promised. She joined the others as they headed out of base. She knew it was still important to fit in so she did everything Megatron asked of the troops.

"We'll be reaching our destination soon my predacons, I suggest you are be on your best behavior during these proceedings unless I bid you otherwise. The recovery of the disks is a small price to pay for these two failures, yyyyyesssss."

Taking her cues from the way others addressed Megatron, Arachnitron approached the Tyrant with a suggestion as they approached the rendevous spot. "If you wish, my Lord, I can guard one of the disks during the exchange once they are back in Predacon possession. That way," she reasoned. "If you are compromised, you will not lose both disks again."

While she awaited her answer, Megatron and the other Predacons arrived at the place agreed upon for the prisoner exchange. They listened intently to the Maximals and Megatron arrive on an agreed method of exchange and then observed the exchange of Nexus for one of the golden disks......

(OOC: Hope this works! Let me know if I need to change anything!)

[DarkSpark]

OOC: Just so you guys know, I probably won't be able to post again until after Tuesday, I have family matters to take care of, but afterward I should be available again.

Blackrose wrote:
Taking her cues from the way others addressed Megatron, Arachnitron approached the Tyrant with a suggestion as they approached the rendevous spot. "If you wish, my Lord, I can guard one of the disks during the exchange once they are back in Predacon possession. That way," she reasoned. "If you are compromised, you will not lose both disks again."

While she awaited her answer, Megatron and the other Predacons arrived at the place agreed upon for the prisoner exchange. They listened intently to the Maximals and Megatron arrive on an agreed method of exchange and then observed the exchange of Nexus for one of the golden disks......

Megatron merely laughed at Arachnitron's suggestion and replied "While I appreciate your desire to be helpful Arachnitron, believe me when I say that the Golden Disks will be more than safe in my capable hands. Consider the subject closed."

Megatron didn't deem Arachnitron as grave of a threat as the other two spiders under his command, but he still had no intention of ever allowing his golden disks to slip out of his grasp ever again, their theft should not have happened in the first place and they were too important to his plans and too much of a liability should they fall into the possession of his enemies to entrust to someone else. The only other predacons Megatron would even consider allowing to lay their digits on his disks were those as steadfastly loyal as Infernom, and alas, his ilk were in rare supply, and even then the ant was hardly known for his delicate touch...No, he and he alone was the only one worthy of caring for the disks, or understanding the true weight of their power and how to use them properly for the sake of all predacons, anyone else would likely be too shortsighted to bring out their full potential, or worse, fail to use their knowledge and power properly and bring about a great cataclysm instead of victory, or failing to do that, would break them in their clumsiness and lose the disk's wisdom forevermore.

Terrorsaur took that opportunity to whisper to the she spider "Nice try newbie, you might as well try convincing Optimus Prime himself to hand you the Matrix, heheheheh."

Seriously, did she really think Megatron would trust ANYONE with his oh so precious golden disks? After Dinobot broke into their base to steal them and destroyed the backups? Even he knew it would require more subtlety to acquire the disks than that, especially in this situation...Besides, with or without the disks, he was still destined to one day replace Megatron, he just needed to bide his time until then, yes, that's the ticket...No need to rush matters, he had all the time in the world to take his place at the top, patience was what he needed, patience! Opportunity would knock eventually, and he would be there to answer, yes yes...

OOP wrote: The Spy rolled his eyes optics at the tyrant's condescending words. "We've had the disks just as long as you've had Optimus an' Nexus, so don't give me dat lame excuse. And CR's can only do so much. They'll be lucky if dey even survive the trip back. I knew I shoulda smashed 'em inta pieces, after all, there's dis marvelous bonding agent called 'glue' dat you coulda used ta piece 'em back together," he mocked the TransMetal t-rex.

Megatron allowed himself a hearty laugh at that, wiping away a false tear as he replied "Those two dying on the way back? Pft, if only I could be so lucky, but alas, my faith in your irksome leaders' ability to survive such a "perilous journey" is surprisingly greater than your own, Primus simply isn't kind enough to do me such a favor...And believe me, trading these two for the disks was not nearly as easy of a decision to make as you may think, but in the long run I decided reclaiming my property was worth the distasteful prospect of seeing them back on their feet again. As for your miracle bonding agent...Why hasn't one of your comrades used it to close your mouth yet?"

Megatron did enjoy the occasional verbal sparring match, even if the rat was far cruder and less skilled with his words than Primal...The tyrant may actually miss his conversations with that blasted ape when this was all over, intelligent conversation was so hard to come by, even if it had to come from a filthy maximal wretch like him.

Naitokage wrote:
Landslide walked forward as his back compartment opened from the top with a small mechanical arm holding up the disk, which he reached for with his right arm,pulling the disk out carefully, he placed it into Megatron's hands, then stepped back and to the left as he made his way to Nexus, his lower set of optics examining him closely to access from his injuries how to help him get out of the danger zone. Leaning down the Beetle lifted Nexus up with little difficulty, then turned keeping his ridiculously armored back to the Predacons. Normally such a thing would not be done, but considering the armor on his back,plus his heavy tower shield.. Landslide seriously doubted the Predacons could shoot through him to get to Nexus. It would simply be easier to move ahead of him, though that would pose the risk to them of being shot in the face with two Gatling guns equipped to his shoulders.

Making his way towards the boulders acting as cover, Landslide set Nexus down as he spoke up How bad are yer injuries? I have equipment and energon on hand if you feel you need it.

Megatron face was a mask of victorious smug, but inside he was burning with excitement as the maximal Landslide surrender the first golden disk to him, the bug placing it with surprising care into his hands despite his brutish appearance.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaawwwww, yyyyyeesssssss" Megatron moaned with satisfaction not even bothering to thank the beetle or spare him a parting glance as he carefully admired his prize, admiring its beauty in the light, carefully examining it for signs of damage or ill treatment, ensuring that this was indeed one of his disks and not just a counterfeit the maximals had cooked up to deceive him....But no, this was it, that which was rightfully his was finally in his possession again, and for a time, his greed was satisfied...Before returning with even greater passion.

Safely depositing the disk he had in his personal subspace for safe keeping, from both sides, Megatron then said with a smile "Now then, the second disk, if you please."

[una]

Uh.. ye-yeah. What are ya doin' down here Sugarbot? That good fer nothin' above seems ta think yer plannin' against Bossbot or somethin'.

"Oh, I'm not planning on ruining anything." Depending how everything went, for all she knew, she was just going to see Megatron fall flat on his face in his plans, but she had to make sure those disks are far away from Predacon hands as quickly as possible. "Quickstrike, how about you and I have some fun? I know you don't like being cooked up in this stuffy base for so long. I know how monitor duty can be such a bore. You might even get a chance to slag some Maximals. Also..." She became closer to Quickstrike. One of her front legs caressed the side of Quickstrike's face, "I know a strong, handsome bot like you would not let any of those Maxis lay a finger on me."

((OOC: An attempt at seduction. I'm not a good seducer. LOL))

"Come on! Let go." She giggled and dragged Quickstrike along with her.

*********************************************************************************************************

You failed doing that, too! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! the voice tormented him in his head. Failure!

He isn't.

It's hopeless to hope. We all know where this war is headed, to death. Your death. Her death. All of you. She speaks such nonsense. I speak the truth. This is the reality, Optimus, and you know it.

If it's death we face, then we'll face it fighting!

Yes, she smiled at Optimus. He was fighting back! We will fight. We will keep fighting, no matter what happens.

Because you are! This is the end of line for all of you! Don't be so delusional, the voice argued. They don't pity you. All they want to do is be victorious and take everything they want, including your lives. It's so easy for them! You and your fools only make it harder on yourselves without taking their lives. isn't that what you've been saying, Optimus? An eye for an eye. Kill or be killed. That's the way it is. Those are the rules they play by.

Kill or be killed...

She noticed how Optimus tried to fight back a tear when she was talking about her experiences. She wiped the tear away and smiled at him. She didn't want him to be angry nor did she want him to be sad. She only wanted him to know that she too had been in similar circumstances before. Empathy. She had accepted what happened to her in the past. She had moved on. Despite the fact there were still pieces of her past she has yet to understand.

Even if it doesn't work in terms of getting the desired information from the one being held captive, they still get their satisfaction from beating them relentlessly, the virus broke in again. They don't care. And neither should you. Wouldn't you like to do the same to them after all they put you through? Wouldn't that be fair?

It would be fair, Primal agreed darkly. They have no idea what I'm capable of.

Listen to me, Optimus,she didn't like the fact that the voice was winning out. Of course, the voice was only the virus within Optimus, making all those dark emotions, which Optimus either tried to defend himself against or held in secretly, increase tenfold. She will not allow this voice to win. She needed to help Optimus fight back, gain control of himself. To not let this inner voice of darkness, aggravated by the actions of the Predacons, make him do something he will regret. what you are feeling right now. You can't act upon it. I know... I know you want to. I know you want to make them pay for what they did to you. They will pay, Optimus. People like them... always in the end. But don't let them pay at the expense of who you are. I know they took much away from you already, but don't let them destroy who you are. They wanted to destroy you, wear your ideals and good nature down. They laughed at you and treated you like an animal to make themselves feel better. To make you believe that you are no better than them. But you are. You are better than them. A better bot than all of them.

They've already won. Optimus sounded defeated again. They'll gain the knowledge on the disks and be ten steps ahead of us. We won't be able to stop them. Megatron will have too much power. Don't give them the disks, Whitegrazer, let them take me away. I deserve it for what I've done. It was my choice to save Banshee and Cheetor.

No, they haven't won yet.

You still have one disk. Do it, Whitegrazer. You are not being smart. This is dumb!

We are saving the life of our leader. I think it is a smart, but most important of all, the right decision.

Being right doesn't always mean smart, Whitegrazer. I think you are blind by your ideals and your choices.

My ideals are who I am. My choices are my own.

Stupid child! He is right! He did this upon himself. He shouldn't had sacrificed himself to the Predacons. Stupid! Stupid! Cheetor and Banshee were foolish to let themselves get captured. But he is even more foolish to allow himself to get caught in this situation.

Yes, you deserve it. You know you do. You haven't told her, have you? You haven't told any of your crew. Oh ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Optimus Primal's deep, dark secrets locked away in the depth of the shadows in his mind. If they only knew. Do you think they would still look up to you the way they do now? I can see the disappointment in Aurora's eyes already, and the rest losing their faith in you. You certainly don't live up to your name.

TyCross, you may be right, but you are also wrong. Wrong. And so are you, voice of darkness.

Whitegrazer wouldn't stand to allow such talk from the voice or her master. Optimus, if I was in your situation, I would have said and done the same thing. As I know you will do the same thing if I... was the one tortured and captured. You would save my life even at the expense of the disks. Yes, they are valuable, but so are you. You are life, Optimus. And all life is sacred. The dark secrets of your past aren't going to go away if you allow yourself to be destroyed. Whatever you have done, you still have time to fix. You can't undo the past, but you can learn and grow from your mistakes. Which you are doing. I know... I can feel it. I may not know the what or the extent, but I do know you are trying. Aurora is proud of you. I am proud. So are the others. We will never lose faith in you. Never.

She watched as Nexus was coming over and one of the disks was being given to Megatron. It's almost over, Optimus. You will be with us again.

Whitegrazer, you are gullible and foolish.