The Intergalactic Highway

"My my...Our little Cecaelia has a sense of humor..First Glowstick, then Icebreaker and now my whale steak-to-be..keep clinging on them and I'll have to drag your tentacles away in a corner." Starshadow looked at her mech fluid-stained nail which was now emitting a dim glow including the bite marks on her wrist.

Slag.... she thought and licked the dripping mech fluid on her wrist.

Cecaelia crossed her tentacles and narrowed her optics at her partner. "Well...you liked Sonar than the giant psychotic maniac you told me about, aaaannnddd...I still can't believe you've shrunk into protoform size." the blue femme giggled.

"....No wonder you're still a low ranked soldier in our old band of troublemakers. Oh wait...I forgot! You were in the rookie squad the last few months!" Starshadow just gave her a glare.

"HEY! THAT'S NOT NICE! I heard you were slacking around like a lazy fat bot who only eats and sleeps while I am the one in the base cleaning up your slagging mess whenever you came back from your lair. CONFESS! What were you doing outside?" Cecaelia's face got closer to Starshadow's with an unpleasant facial expression.

Starshadow sighed and spoke, "Nothing much...training in the jungle, hunting, sight-seeing, exploring, looking at new found species and others in the planet, writing my journal of my discoveries and thinking how to get out of this primus-forsaken dirtball before the others get on my nerves that I would kill them with my own bare hands...especially "Wonderbat" and his ex grandma girlfriend Saber.."

"You said he "rescued" you from Saber from being chewed up and ripped into pieces...That means..." it took the octopus girl to think before she let out a gasp, "I'm sorry to say this but...Sonar is fond of you. The supporting evidence I have says so." she grined at the cat.

Starshadow just put a claw on her face with words screaming 'Not this again..'

Steelclaw listened to different members of the group talk about their impending escape. It was a good thing- the transwarp signal had to have been a trick from the very beginning, and he hadn't felt comfortable about traveling closer to the source of that trick. As Orcariner had said, that's where the most traps would be.

But some small part of him wasn't ready to let it go. Perhaps it was because of his experience in the intelligence field, or maybe just an ingrained part of his personality, but there was a piece of information he didn't know- a question he hadn't gotten answered yet- and he hated leaving the question unanswered. He wanted to know for certain whether the transwarp signal came from a usable piece of technology or not.

Icebreaker wrote:Bad choice of words there buddy, that's what he usually does.

Steelclaw laughed briefly, turning to Icebreaker. "True," he replied.

Looking back to Orcariner, he was about to speak again when he heard Starshadow and Cecaelia arguing out of the blue. He decided to listen to the entire conversation.

"I'm lost...," he muttered quietly. "Anyways, how's the knee?" he asked Orcariner.

* * *

Cheetor put the flare sideways in his mouth. It was bright, but as long as he could see what he was climbing, he was good. He scaled the line with some difficulty given his injured state, but eventually he made it to the tunnel Icebreaker, Starshadow and Cecaelia had fallen from. He climbed carefully up the slope that they had slid down and when he came to level ground, he saw the mech fluid on the walls.

"That cat is crazy," he remarked. Then he called down to the others below. "It's safe, at least up to this part. Come on!"

"Foreign specimen- didn't both sides in your strange conflict come here today because of a transwarp signature?"

"The sooner you 'bots get up here, the sooner we don't have to listen to this guy," Cheetor called again. He tried to stay calm, but if he got called a "foreign specimen" again...

* * *

Dinobot was grateful for Optimus Primal's understanding. He was surprised by Saber Fang's humble gesture for Optimus, but he appreciated that, too.

And he was a bit unsettled by Primal's lack of an answer for the situation. Dinobot, of course, didn't have an answer either, so he didn't blame Optimus, but he was used to seeing the leader's superb tactical ability. Now he seemed like he was despairing, or like there was something else weighing on his processor which he couldn't take his focus off of. Either way, it brought the severity of the situation home for Dinobot.

As the others discussed amongst themselves, Dinobot stood close by and watched the surrounding area for any signs of Predacon activity.

Wintersong growled looking back at the console,"The lives of our teammates are more valuable then a device that might not even exist."She growled back considering of drawing her rifles but decided against it and turned to the web as she started to climb up, then turned and unsheathed her claws to grip the sides. There was a problem now of lifting the stasis locked Glowstick, "This might be a tricky part. We'll have to tie the stretcher with a few webs to get Glowstick up here."She said to the others seeing no other way.

(( OOC: Yeah, sorry about OP there, Blazemane. I hadn't put enough thought into it to post a somewhat ligitimate plan for them. And then I ran out of time. I didn't want it to seem like he was falling down on the job, but in his (and my) defense, it has been a very long day, no? ))

"Not a peep yet."

Watching Whitegrazer transform and settle in the somewhat awkward position she put herself in, Optimus could see she had been damaged heavily, moreso than he. Were her legs broken? He couldn't help but feel responsible for her injuries. He had been a primary target in the battle for most of the Predacons, but his Maximals had to protect him. With half of his crew still under ground, the rest of them were exhausted and most of them wounded. To split up might not be the wisest of options; to have a couple Maximals stay with the clone and terminate the link while the others track down the transwarp device. His crew's health and well being was a priority first, especially now while the Predacons were quiet and pulling themselves together; many of them were just as injured as the Maximals, if not worse in stasis lock.

"Wouldn't that cause more harm then good?"

The gorilla climbed down off of Saber-Fang and walked over upright closer toward Whitegrazer, Tigatron and the clone, his hand gripping his sword. Looking up at Tigatron, Primal demanded, "Wake him."

Hesitant, Tigatron blinked and glanced past Optimus to the mare laying on the ground before looking back at his leader. "Are you certain, Optimus?"

"I can not lead my team to safety if I'm being controlled by someone else. I myself am a weapon. Need I remind you what has transpired here today?" Primal asked Tigatron, a little impatient with him questioning his orders. "He knows how to disengage the link, and he will do so. I c-c-can no longer tolerate what his actions, and mine, have done to all of you. It's time to end this." His voice as cold as steel, Optimus commanded the white tiger one more time, "Wake him."

Tigatron nodded and kneeled down near the clone's side. Adjusting his gun's settings again, he set it to a fine mist of cool but not frozen moisture and sprayed it over the alien's head as an attempt to awaken him like a bucket of cold water.

I'll take a watch from the air, if my wings are functional." "Alright if I see anything you guys will get a report."

Turning his attention to Feralnight, the Maximal commander gave her a nod, acknowledging her suggestion, and watched the Fuzor test her wings before she lifted off of the ground and flew into the sky. To have a bird's eye-view on the area was a good idea, especially since Predacons were still in the vacinity. Unfortunately, they moved to cover while the Maximals were still in the open with the frozen alien. They were easy targets.

"Dinobot, you and Saber-Fang must be ready for anything this clone might do with himself or with me," Optimus told them. "Restrain me if I physically get out of control," he ordered them firmly. "Do not hesitate."

Looking at the white mare, he said to her, "Whitegrazer, I have no doubt he may try to overpower me again when he awakens. Your strategy earlier almost prevented him from succeeding. Guide me through it again if you notice my demeanor change with my sword, and I promise you I will do everything I c-c-can to restrict his control." Primal lowered his blade directly over "Clear Convoy's" neck, grasping it with the hand on his good arm so it barely touched his throat. He tried keeping it as steady as he could while he still felt frozen on his chest, shoulders and arms. He certainly didn't intend on slicing his head off, although he was quite capable of defending himself and his Maximals to extremes if needed, as Whitegrazer was surely aware of, but if it looked like the clone would gain control over Optimus and have him lift the blade away against Primal's will and lunge it toward one of the other Maximals, then that would be a clear indicator to Whitegrazer to help him before Dinobot and Saber-Fang would need to move in and detain him. Either that, or when the clone's optics turn white. The Maximal leader was fully aware of how risky this was going to be. They could worry about the transwarp device later.

"Optimus," Tigatron said when he saw a slight movement from the alien. He pulled his gun away and stood up.

The Vok's red optics finally flickered on-line as he stirred and slowly grew aware of his surroundings. Systems rebooting and recalibrating, he took in their faces until he quickly noticed the sharp blade over his throat. And his upper body was still frozen. Not much he could do in this state. That bothered him greatly. Information from the statuses of the alien traps below the ground surface came pouring in on his data as well.

"Terminate the link between us," Optimus Primal demanded, getting straight to the point and glaring down at the alien being who stole his appearance.

"Still alive, are you?" the alien said in his voice.

"Disappointed?" Optimus asked in a rhetorical manner, maintaining his glare and his sword over his neck. "The link."

"That would require me to be released," the Vok answered, emotionless of the subject.

Was it a trick? Did he just want to be freed from the ice in order to attack them all over again? Or did he truly need to be free to move in order to end the corruption effecting Primal's systems? "Dinobot, your lasers," Optimus finally said without taking his brown eyes off of the clone. Dinobot could partially melt the ice, perhaps free one of his arms and shoulders along with the alien's torso if he needed to sit up. His back and other arm and shoulder could remain frozen.

(( OOC: Sorry it's getting too late now for me to post for Rattrap. Very tired. I'll catch up with him tomorrow! ))

Saber would have laid down so Optimus could easily get off her back, but he simply climbed off. She followed him over to the half frozen clone, the fur along her spine rose at the sight of him.

"Wake him."

"Are you certain, Optimus?"

By the determined look on Primal's face he was more then certain.

"I can not lead my team to safety if I'm being controlled by someone else. I myself am a weapon. Need I remind you what has transpired here today?"

Saber flinched slightly at Primal's voice, she could hear how impatient he was, so not to aggravate him further she remained silent.

"He knows how to disengage the link, and he will do so. I c-c-can no longer tolerate what his actions, and mine, have done to all of you. It's time to end this." "Wake him."

Saber knew that tone a voice, he had used it on her when she had transformed into the beast. Her ear's twitched when Feral Night took flight to keep a look out.

"Dinobot, you and Saber-Fang must be ready for anything this clone might do with himself or with me," "Restrain me if I physically get out of control," he ordered them firmly. "Do not hesitate."

Saber nodded determination blazing her dark green eyes, she would all her strength to hold him down and keep him from hurting the other.

"Whitegrazer, I have no doubt he may try to overpower me again when he awakens. Your strategy earlier almost prevented him from succeeding. Guide me through it again if you notice my demeanor change with my sword, and I promise you I will do everything I c-c-can to restrict his control."

"Optimus,"

Saber unsheathed her claws, baring her teeth in a silent snarl as the clone opened his red optics.

"Terminate the link between us,"

"Still alive, are you?"

She shivered slightly at the sound of his voice sounding so like Optimus.

"Disappointed?" "The link."

"That would require me to be released,"

Not a chance! She thought with an audible snarl.

"Dinobot, your lasers,"

Saber crouched ready to attack either the clone or Primal, hopefully it would be the clone she would have to attack, she didn't want to attack Primal but she knew that she would have to choice.

Frilla watched as her teammates climbed but looked at the Predacons and the stretcher really wondering how they would get it up and if even a few webs would do it. Thinking of earlier of what Icebreaker said to follow the mech fluid and paint she wondered if they could get a flier from above to return and help,"Wait what if we get a flier to come help us?" She called up to Wintersong and Cheetor,"Cheetor you can follow the path back to the cave and find the nearest team."She said finding it easier then using some webs that might be unstable to carry Glowstick and possibly toss him off instead.

Besides it might give them a little break for the already tired team.

Watching Whitegrazer transform and settle in the somewhat awkward position she put herself in, Optimus could see she had been damaged heavily, moreso than he. Were her legs broken? He couldn't help but feel responsible for her injuries. He had been a primary target in the battle for most of the Predacons, but his Maximals had to protect him. With half of his crew still under ground, the rest of them were exhausted and most of them wounded. To split up might not be the wisest of options; to have a couple Maximals stay with the clone and terminate the link while the others track down the transwarp device. His crew's health and well being was a priority first, especially now while the Predacons were quiet and pulling themselves together; many of them were just as injured as the Maximals, if not worse in stasis lock.

She could feel Optimus watching her. She knew he probably felt responsible for her damages but she was all right. They were all all right. here was no one to blame but the clone. All her comrades--Optimus' crew altogether would do anything to help their commander when in trouble even sacifices their lives to save his. Something Optimus didn't want to happen. She understood that. It made her want to follow him even more because of that though including his warm yet firm personality.

"Whitegrazer, I have no doubt he may try to overpower me again when he awakens. Your strategy earlier almost prevented him from succeeding. Guide me through it again if you notice my demeanor change with my sword, and I promise you I will do everything I c-c-can to restrict his control."

Whitegrazer was glad to know that she did get through to him. She chuckled inwardly. She thought she lost touch but looks like she still got it.

She nodded in acknowledgement at Optimus, "I will be keeping a close eye. Just keep your mind clear, focused, in peace." She said calmly, knowing Optimus was getting alittle impatient and flustered which was understandable because of the link but he had to keep himself in check or it will just get worse.

As the clone awaken, Whitegrazer looked between the blade, the clone, and Optimus then back to the blade. She wasn't going to take her eyes off of each. She was going to make sure that the clone wouldn't try anything.

((OOC: I wasn't saying your post was bad, OOP. I liked seeing Optimus act like that. I just don't think Dinobot would have.))

Optimus Primal wrote:Dinobot, you and Saber-Fang must be ready for anything this clone might do with himself or with me. Restrain me if I physically get out of control. Do not hesitate.

Dinobot took his eyes off the surrounding terrain and nodded silently.

Optimus seemed to have a good grasp on the situation once he and the clone were talking. But then things became unsettling...

Clear Convoy wrote:"That would require me to be released,"

No! If he would not relinquish his control on Optimus voluntarily, then the best course of action would be to destroy the link with force. Perhaps Rhinox would figure out how, or the combined thinking off all the Maximals could find a way. In asking for his freedom, it was clear that the alien was attempting to become an active threat again.

Optimus Primal wrote:Dinobot, your lasers.

"Are you insane!" Dinobot only narrowly avoided shouting out. But now was not the time to show disunity in the Maximal group- the alien could take advantage of it. And, furthermore, the last thing Optimus needed was a stern lecture.

Growling quietly, Dinobot gave a silent command to his systems, and the next moment, he was transformed.

Dinobot stared balefully into the aliens optics and charged up his lasers. At the last moment, he changed his aim and melted the ice off of his chest and arms. Then he moved his lasers down and melted the rest off his body. If the alien himself was scorched a little in the process- too bad. Optimus would feel a little pain, but the clone would have the real damage.

Producing his sword, he pointed it directly in the clone's face.

"One false move, and you will be offline."

In spite of the clone's impressive capabilities, Dinobot had full confidence in his threat. He could still detect him when he turned invisible, and Tigatron was standing by with his freezing weapon.

(( OOC: Oh, I see, Blazemane. No worries then. Thanks.

Sorry I didn't get a chance to post yesterday like I thought I would. ...Seems like the game died today. Is everyone really waiting for Rattrap? ))

Pretty high up, might be easier if Orcariner or Airazor give you a boost Rattrap.

Standing below their possible exit, Rattrap studied the ceiling with his arms folded over his chest. Glancing at Icebreaker and watching his feather float on the current, he nodded and whistled over to Orcariner. "Hey, Big O. Mind givin' me a lift?"

(( OOC: Hm... Thought that would have been longer... XD ))

-----

"I will be keeping a close eye. Just keep your mind clear, focused, in peace."

Optimus nodded at Whitegrazer and took a deep breath to calm himself and focus.

The leader's eyes didn't leave his clone's as he heard Dinobot transform to his robot mode and watched him begin melting the ice. Already he could feel his body warming up, and his grasp on the sword grew much more steady.

The Vok observed the former Predacon hesitation with Optimus's order and almost smiled, but he remained neutral and still. He simply watched Dinobot the entire time, as if mocking him silently, while his lasers warmed the ice and his body, the frozen water dripping off on to the grass he laid on. There were a couple close calls with the weapons that nearly made him jump out of reflex as they singed his armor a little but nothing serious.

Optimus gave a small twitch from the first cut that his clone felt, but after that, he recalled Whitegrazer's earlier teachings and cleared his mind, listening to his spark and feeling it pulsate, sending a warmth throughout his body. It was much easier to do now without the constant shivering.

"One false move, and you will be offline."

Agreeing with Dinobot, Tigatron gave a low growl and kept his weapon ready to freeze the alien again.

"Clear Convoy" looked from Dinobot to Tigatron before settling his gaze back on Primal. Seeing as he was greatly outnumbered, despite their injuries, they had the upper hand and it would be foolish of him to try anything. At the moment. So with his hands open and palms up, as if to say he was surrendering and was unarmed, he made a slight notion of asking Optimus to remove the blade and allow him to stand up.

Baring his teeth, only for a moment as a warning to the alien clone, the gorilla slowly lifted his sword from his throat and took a step back to allow him the space to get up. Optimus also gave Whitegrazer and Saber-Fang a reassuring nod to let them know he was still in control of himself.

Surprisingly, without any sudden movements, the Vok got to his feet and stood before the Maximal commander, the one they chose so often to scan and communicate with. Why? Perhaps it was his ability to listen or understand. Or because of his patience and tolerance of such torture they performed on him. Or his naive sense of protecting this planet and his Maximals who were already doomed, along with the Predacons. Or maybe it was the significance of his name in relation to his namesake, Optimus Prime. Why Prime? These fools obviously didn't even know when or where they were. The answer to that would probably shock most of them. Megatron, on the other hand, would take advantage of such knowledge. He was not to find out. None of them were. Since nothing else had worked, extermination was the next and final step.

"The link was not accidental," the Vok actually confessed, but with little to know emotion. What did he care? "Termination requires no interruptions," he warned those surrounding him. Interrupting the link termination might cause disastrous complications. Whether or not they heeded his warning no matter what their leader might go through didn't really phase him; more damage would be caused to Primal than himself. As his chest began to glow that same bright white light and the somewhat translucent tentacles extended from there, raveling down his shoulder and his arm to his hand, he stepped toward Optimus and said, "Remain still."

Watching him, Optimus had to admit to himself that he was experiencing some fear. After all, every time something of these aliens' touched him, it brought a lot of pain. But if this meant that it would get rid of the link between them, then it would be worth it. Lowering the sword to his side, he braced himself for the worst as the clone's glowing open hand came toward him. He knew his crew was standing near by. Should anything go wrong, they would do what they needed to do.

The "Phantom" placed his palm on the mended wound Primal had received from their previous encounter with the alien's sword, on the side of his stomach, precisely where this problem had emerged for the Maximal some time ago now. The contact sent a jolt through the gorilla's body. Slowly pulling his hand a couple inches away from the leader's side, the illuminated tentacles could be seen merged into one and was extending from his hand into Primal's body, as if transmitting something into him or pulling it out.

"Aaaaahhhhrrrgh!" the Maximal commander cried out in agony. White light shined through his eyes and open mouth, much like what had happened to him, Dinobot, Megatron and Waspinator when that probe had landed at the Standing Stones. Eventually, even though the process was still taking place, Optimus just couldn't scream anymore. He lost touch with everything and couldn't regain his focus like Whitegrazer had taught. He stood there, seemingly frozen with his back arched a little, while the clone continued cleansing his systems. The virus had run deeper than was anticipated but all of it would be removed.

The Vok's expression was still neutral, unreadable. He simply stood there "disinfecting" the leader, as it were, and ignoring everyone else around him. This wouldn't take too much longer...

Hoisting Rattrap up on his shoulders, Orcariner replied.

"Knee is doing well," he said, assuming Steelclaw was referring to the same knee that was sniped many missions ago, "My beast mode is used to heavy reparations, so the dink in the side of my joint was patched up in no time."

The grinding of sand and mud within his joints was actually quite noticeable at that moment. Orcariner tried to ignore the sensation but the Predacon's question brought his attention back to the rattling.

Thank Primus I was built like this, he thought.

The heavy structure that had helped him fall into his tank role usually dulled his bodily sense of touch. This allowed him to endure afflictions which would normally be painful to the average soldier without even losing stride. It was due to this engineering that Orcariner was able to push through the tremors and vibrations in his ankles and knees. The feeling was annoying beyond belief like endlessly scratching one's fingers on a rock, but at least he could still walk.

"Thanks for asking," he added.

Whether it was through genuine concern or curiosity of his weapon's potency, Orcariner did not know Steelclaw's intention of such a simple question. Regardless, there was no harm in answering. The bear was far more intelligent than he let on. He would have figured the answer himself even if the killer whale lied. It was this lack of reveal in Steelclaw's true character that led Orcariner to believe that the Predacon had a secret agenda. Again, the questions burned through his mind.

What's he doing with the Predacons? Is he really going to follow Megatron to the end? Did the high council send this guy to infiltrate the Darksyde's crew?

The duplicity of this individual baffled Orcariner. Steelclaw seemed too confident with his current situation within the Predacon lines. Yet, everything the orca learned about him this day contradicted the characters of those he had fought against thus far.

"Here you go," Orcariner said to Rattrap, arriving at the breach Airazor was referring to, "Do what you do best."

Checking his scanners, the Maximal was disappointed that even the slightest window in the ceiling did not restore his full radar capabilities.

What's the point of having an array as large as the average Maximal if I can't even scan through a few walls? he angrily thought.

He was able to pick up signatures of those nearby, but what was the point of needing the radar when he could just see those a few feet away from him. In fact, the only thing he was picking up that was not in visible range was...

"The transwarp signal," he said aloud, "The transwarp signal is still active. They have us down here already, so why haven't these aliens turned it off?"

There was always the possibility that it was real, but given what he had experience today, Orcariner was confident it was simply a fake. Still, something had to be projecting this beacon. The technology to send out false signals throughout the globe would be priceless in the right hands. The giant was tempted to recover this artifact, and the good news was that it was nearby. Only the quicksand stood in his way, but Orcariner figured his legs would be strong enough to broad jump past it.

"You know what guys?" he said to the Maximals, "Go on ahead and get out. I'm going to investigate that anomaly while it's still going. It's pretty close and I can find my way back, especially since I have pretty good lights."

He held up his still glowing energo-swords with a smile.

"Don't worry about me. Just take care of yourselves and the others up top for now."

Saber knew that Dinobot wanted to protest at Optimus' command but held his tongue and fired his lasers melting the armor, once the armor was melted the Warrior took out his sword.

"One false move, and you will be offline."

Saber growled in agreement, her claws digging into the ground. She watched him like a hawk as the clone got to his feet, out of the corner of her eye she saw Optimus give her and Whitegrazer a reassuring nod. She relaxed but only slightly at his nod.

"The link was not accidental," "Termination requires no interruptions,"

Of course this link wasn't accidental, they want some thing from us. But what? She wondered.

Her ears went back on the fur along her spine rose as he took a step forward, but she didn't make a move to stop him.

"Remain still."

All Saber could do was watch as The clone began to remove the link between them.

"Aaaaahhhhrrrgh!"

Her eyes flashed neon green for a moment as the need to protect Optimus from the clone became stronger but she forced down the urge, she couldn't risk attacking the clone, he was Primal's only chance to remove the link. She had no idea what would should she break the clones concentration, she feared that would be disastrous for Primal.

((OOC: I have had the worse, screwed up day ever. Just glad it's nearly over for me but I'm so drained and tired from the heat and stress through. I fell asleep on the couch and had some very weird dreams. Okay okay, enough of my rambling. Time to post! ))

Whitegrazer watched as the clone got up with harmless intent, still with that neutral expression he wore but his body language...

Everything seemed well. The alien clone seem to be cooperative...for now anyway--she wasn't going to ease up yet though. Despite how the aliens were and their fascination with destroying them all, it made her wonder who these aliens really were, what they are, their intentions with this planet and reasons for their overly protectiveness of it. If only, they weren't trying to destory them...such a waste. It would have been a delight to see what they looked like.

Baring his teeth, only for a moment as a warning to the alien clone, the gorilla slowly lifted his sword from his throat and took a step back to allow him the space to get up. Optimus also gave Whitegrazer and Saber-Fang a reassuring nod to let them know he was still in control of himself.

Whitegrazer smiled, hopeful that everything will flow. It all just rested on the clone...

"The link was not accidental," the Vok actually confessed, but with little to know emotion. What did he care? "Termination requires no interruptions," he warned those surrounding him. Interrupting the link termination might cause disastrous complications. Whether or not they heeded his warning no matter what their leader might go through didn't really phase him; more damage would be caused to Primal than himself. As his chest began to glow that same bright white light and the somewhat translucent tentacles extended from there, raveling down his shoulder and his arm to his hand, he stepped toward Optimus and said, "Remain still."

She wasn't mad when the alien clone confessed that the link wasn't accidental. These aliens would do anything to rid their existence and why not use the leader? It made perfect sense they would do that especially on a bot they had clone and knew so much about. It was just bad that they used Optimus to help hurt his crew. The anger from him was totally understandable. No one liked being used. A puppet. But everyone...in some point of their lives gets their strings dancing from a conniving, powerful force or being. It's sad but it happens.

When the alien gave them a warning, she knew this could turn around. What if the clone tried something but they were too afraid to do because of the warning. If they did, then it could post harm towards Optimus.

Risky but the clone seemed to be true to his word. She will keep watching.

"Aaaaahhhhrrrgh!" the Maximal commander cried out in agony. White light shined through his eyes and open mouth, much like what had happened to him, Dinobot, Megatron and Waspinator when that probe had landed at the Standing Stones. Eventually, even though the process was still taking place, Optimus just couldn't scream anymore. He lost touch with everything and couldn't regain his focus like Whitegrazer had taught. He stood there, seemingly frozen with his back arched a little, while the clone continued cleansing his systems. The virus had run deeper than was anticipated but all of it would be removed.

The Vok's expression was still neutral, unreadable. He simply stood there "disinfecting" the leader, as it were, and ignoring everyone else around him. This wouldn't take too much longer...

Her eyes widened at the sudden whitelight illuminated from his eyes and mouth. Hang in there, Optimus. It should be over soon. She hoped it was. She just wanted that link out of him, all of them did.

Staring at the clone, she could see how concentrated he was. It begged a question in her head though. Why?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"A flier might be more stable as if I used my webbing on him combined with these walls, I might inadvertantly cause more harm towards him." Blackarachnia stated enforcing the former Predacon lizard's point.

"At least, I can still use my webbing to pull everyone else up."

Wintersong hadn't considered a flier though wondered if there were any fliers still standing, who knows what could have occurred while they had been down here. "Alright you two prove a good point, probably best to start heading up. Hopefully there is a flier still standing since we've been down here." She said before looking back,"hey Cheetor mind checking for any fliers that might be outside? We need one of them to get Glowstick out safely." She called up hoping the cheetah would hear her.

Wintersong wrote:Hey Cheetor mind checking for any fliers that might be outside? We need one of them to get Glowstick out safely.

"I'm on it!" Cheetor shouted. He immediately turned around and ran down the hall. Hopefully, since Icebreaker and the two Preds had already gone through that part of the tunnel, there wouldn't be any more traps left to trip.

As he picked up speed, he kept a lookout for the spray paint and mech fluid. All of a sudden, three energy blasts shot off from the wall just behind him. He panicked for a nano-click, but he was already running so fast that he had gone past the area the energy blasts were set to shoot through, so he narrowly avoided getting hit.

After running a little more, he suddenly found a stone wall in front of him. Unable to stop, he slammed straight into it.

Groaning, he stepped backwards and looked at the walls. The mech fluid and paint were still there, and they led right to the dead end, so the others must have come from somewhere near the dead end.

After moving his flare close, he saw that the stone was actually a pair of doors.

Jamming his fingertips in between, he barely managed to pull the two doors apart. He ran through them and then down the tunnel until he finally saw light and came out of the cavern system.

He looked over the battlefield and noticed that by some strange luck, Feralnight was coming towards him.

"Hey, Feral'!" he shouted. "We need some help lifting 'bots down in the tunnels. How're things up here? Can you help?"

* * *

Orcariner wrote:Knee is doing well. My beast mode is used to heavy reparations, so the dink in the side of my joint was patched up in no time.

Steelclaw stood silent in response to that. He figured Orcariner's joint had healed up quickly. But what did his systems end up doing to the bullet? Did Orcariner have to remove it manually? If he did, did he keep the round? Steelclaw had known it was a long shot to get Orcariner to mention such things as a result of talking about his knee, but he'd figured he may as well try. Oh well.

Orcariner wrote:Thanks for asking.

Slag.

Orcariner wrote:The transwarp signal. The transwarp signal is still active. They have us down here already, so why haven't these aliens turned it off?

...You know what guys? Go on ahead and get out. I'm going to investigate that anomaly while it's still going. It's pretty close and I can find my way back, especially since I have pretty good lights.

...Don't worry about me. Just take care of yourselves and the others up top for now.

That made up Steelclaw's mind.

"I'm coming with," he said. "I came for here for a purpose, too."

Orcariner seemed to have the same desire for answers, which Steelclaw found fascinating. He knew from the files from the Maximal base that Orcariner had been training under (and probably to become) an Imperial Peace Marshall. But what had happened to that goal? Why did he choose to take on a job aboard an exploration vessel? The Axalon hadn't been diverted to intercept the Darksyde until after it had begun its voyage, so the Predacons weren't the reason.

Steelclaw's processor drifted back to the encrypted material from the Maximal base which had all but self-destructed when he tried to read it. Perhaps there was something to the Axalon's journey which merited the protection of an up-and-coming Marshall. And maybe Orcariner's current curiosity was another indication that in joining the Maximal's crew, he'd never truly left his guardian life behind.

Or maybe that was all wrong, and Orcariner wanted something different, and the curiosity was a part of his old life which had never left him, or a part of his personality which never would, or both. But Steelclaw was beginning to get a feeling for some undisclosed issue involving the Maximal and his entire crew that deserved more attention.

At any rate, Steelclaw had no idea how Orcariner would react to his desire to go with him. Since both Maximals and Predacons wanted the transwarp device, it would be strange to have a representative (or maybe even more than one) from each group walk peacefully onwards to it. The dangerous situation they had all been in was the only obvious reason for being peaceful, and now they were being provided a rescue from that situation.

All the same, to refuse Steelclaw's request would be to accept the risk of a violent confrontation. And they weren't out of the caverns just yet. Furthermore, there had been a very noticeable air of understanding in the tunnels so far, so perhaps Orcariner would just feel like it was right in some way to have Steelclaw come.

Whatever the Maximal's answer was going to be, Steelcaw would be ready.

Icebreaker's optics dimmed closing slightly as he heard Cecaelia and Starshadow fighting. He then raised an optic ridge at the mention of "whale steak", the feathers on the back of his robot head flattening a bit as the more likely answer came to mind, Starshadow's habits of biting her allies and enemies, she may in fact partake in acts of cannibalism. It did make him wonder why Cecaelia stuck around the preds, but he'd probably never know her true side, as she exhibited a more friendly manner around those with aquatic alt modes. He'd hate to imagine how things could of turned out if he was a flyer rather then a sea bird.

Icebreaker turned his head, listening to Orcariner, while noticing the mech fuild dripping from Starshadow's arm still. I don't think that's a good idea Orcariner. Down bellow when we came in here, there were monitors, we had contact with the aliens.. They.. appear to look similar to the creatures you fought, Skulls with tentacles, like Glowstick's cousins or something. From what I can figure, this whole dungeon is a test to see your limits and then finish you at your weakest. Considering their technology.. If the transwarp device is real, I'm not even sure either side could use it..Could they? he looked towards Rhinox.

Rhinox shrugged That is a likely possiblity.. we really don't know how their technology functions. It mostly just appears organic in nature..

Icebreaker then walked over to Starshadow Still leaking hm?.. Do you want me to repair it for you?