The Intergalactic Highway

OOC: Well crap, last time I try to shame Terrorsaur into silence with a group cheer of evil , thought it would be epic

Phoenix wrote: As the new and former subcommanders started praising Megatron, Nemesis merely watched in silence. Despite the fact the commander, or lord as he now referred to himself as, was certainly not above a bit of flattery, she knew he didn't require such attention to remain confident in his abilities.

"Alright! Alright! ENOUGH!" Terrorsaur yelled as loud as he could over Deathroll's & Inferno's fanatical cheers, saying "Its gonna take more than an impromptu group cheer session to convince me that gator mech here is qualified to be in charge, seriously, he's just another dumb thug like Scorponok! Just sucking up because that's all he has going for him!"

Deathroll halted his revelry, not because of Terrorsaur's whining, but out of disgust for the lack of unity here, the lack of respect for their master...Back in what he supposed were the good old days now, the majority of his comrades took pride in proclaiming Lord Megatron's name, the leader behind which they could all rally and be proud of, and yet these Predacons didn't even join in out of fear of their Lord's wrath...What the Pit was wrong with these weaklings? Did they have NO pride in their cause or sense of patriotism whatsoever? The ant was the only one who joined in, and he clearly had some faulty circuitry.

"The only dumb thug I see here is you, runt" Deathroll snarled as this time he backhanded the little loudmouth with the same ease Inferno had done with Waspinator as he added "Too dumb to understand when to shut your mouth!"

"That always was a problem of his, yyyyyesssss" Megatron agreed, a little disappointed that his loyalist's praise had been interrupted, and making mental notes of every predacon who had failed to join in, including his new second in command...But he wasn't truly angry with her, flattery was welcome but not essential so long as she fulfilled her duty, and she had proved herself to him thus far, he merely liked to keep track of who truly believed in him & his cause and who was just here for the perks as it were.

Terrorsaur was sent flying through the air with considerable force, and may have fallen into the lava below as Scorponok had done before him, had he not regained his baring in midair & flown back.

"Thats it! Inferno is bad enough, but I'm not gonna let this two ton toadie take over one of the top ranks over someone who actually DESERVES to take command, namely ME!" Terrorsaur spat, floating overhead and speaking in a defiant tone that Megatron had not heard since the time he'd been super charged.

"Is that a challenge? Little Flyer?" Deathroll growled, cracking his knuckles loudly, unimpressed by Terrorsaur's flight abilities, the arrogant fool but a pale shadow of the Seeker squadrons the original Megatron had commanded, no match for a Decepticon soldier.

"You bet your spark chamber it is! Winner takes the Subcommander position, loser..." Terrorsaur began to say before Megatron interrupted at last "Has their fate decided by ME, understood?"

Deathroll and Terrorsaur exchanged bloodthirsty glares with one another before nodding at Megatron and saying in unison "Agreed!"

"Splendid! I could use some amusement, as could the rest of you I imagine after the trying times we've had as of late. Everyone who isn't busy with something vital is invited to enjoy the match, it should be...Illuminating, yyyyeeessss" Megatron said as he rose from his seat and flew outside to the combat area via the roof's opening while those who could not fly took the hover platforms and regular exits, the base now a stir of excitement and activity at the prospect of watching two transmetals do battle, possibly to the death!

((OOC: Sorry for taking so long, guys. I know this isn't my best, but hopefully, it works. Especially, the flashbacks, Phoenix. ))

Optimal Optimus Primal wrote:"It's not mutiny because, as it turns out, you were technically never under my command," Primal corrected them. "You are not my superior officer, Ironclaw. The only ones I answer to are the ones who entrusted me with this mission to retrieve the golden disk, the High Council. There is no one in between. Since we're not on Cybertron, and the Council isn't here and have no control over this war, I am the commanding officer for this Axalon crew. You do not have the right to disrupt my chain of command because you are the outcast. We don't know anything about you. For all I know, you could be a Predacon spy. You've certainly acted like one ever since you arrived."

Phoenix wrote:"Come on.. ," Aurora finally said, gesturing towards the Axalon as she did, "Let's meet up with the others and decide where we go from here."

Whitegrazer nodded. That was what she suggested a few moments ago. She watched as Ironclaw just walked away towards Dirge's dead body. She sighed heavily, looking at Optimus with a concerned expression. She didn't want Ironclaw to feel like the bad guy. He had his orders and was choosing to follow them.

He just needed to accept that those rules have changed.

Phoenix wrote:"I am very aware!,"

Whitegrazer walked to catch up with Optimus and Aurora. Watching as Optimus limped away, making part of her even more saddened by the events that had happened, she tried to ignore Zodiac's own personality when the very last sentence he yelled at her made her head pound fiercely. Zodiac's nanomachines inside of her burned inside her, for a second her eyes went white again.

A flashback entered her mind. Not Zodiac's. A flashback from her past.

A strange anomaly hovers over a protoform pod. Empty. Devoid of life. Awakened by her sheer own force of will. The bot was colored in white and blue. Eyes as white as the bright light blinding her. There was gunfire around her. People yelling. Her eyes narrowed at those attacking unarmed beings and she filled their sparks with terror, making those with a purple insignia dropping their weapons and running away.

She put her hand to her chest area, which felt like someone had stabbed something within.

Doctors. No. Not doctors. Abandoned. Exile. They were scientists. "I know your faces." Slurred. The High Council sent them. She was too weakened. Too dazed. Where was TyCross? She tried to fight but the restraints were melted to her arms and feet. They opened her chest plate and stick a needle into her spark. They were stealing her abilities! No No! The bots in maskplates nodded and left. One stood over her. "The High Council thanks you for contribution. There is a notice for you on the desk." And they left. Restraints lifted off her. She walked to the nearest counter. The notice was a court hearing. She balled her damaged hand into a fist, crippling the paper. And screamed at the ceiling. No power within the scream. Just noise.

Whitegrazer gripped her chestplate harder.

Why? Why? Why have you forsaken me, One?

"Rhinox, what happened between Whitegrazer and Zodiac?" Primal asked him.

"You noticed the glowing," the engineer deduced. "I'm not sure exactly, but Zodiac had a good hold on her neck before I separated them. I imagine only she can answer that for you."

"Among other questions," Optimus muttered to himself as he grew thoughtful, recalling something that she wanted to speak with him about before he had ignored it and focused on Ironclaw's callous decision to murder Dirge. In any case, he would ask the mare his inquiries had she followed him inside but she was still absent, as was Aurora. Glancing around, he sighed inwardly at the mess. Not just the base's but himself and the badger and Zodiac.

"What about Ironclaw?"

Peering past his friend and out the hole he had been working on, Primal nodded in that direction and said, "That's your call, if he decides to come back. I've had enough of this for one day." Faintly, they could hear Aurora calling after the badger outside.

"You know, dis reminds me of the time when Chopper Face wanted ta kick your skidplate so he could play leader, but in de end, it didn't quite work out for 'im. You guys remember dat? Good times," Rattrap smirked as he continued working. "I ain't comfortable with the idea of somebody I hardly know takin' leadership at a time like this. All he wants it ta use us. He just killed a Predacon, which isn't what we do despite what you guys might think of me, and he's got his own agenda. He's gonna get somebody killed. Does he even know how ta lead? Has he ever been in dat position? 'Cause I tell ya what, it ain't a walk in de park."

Rhinox considered Rattrap's words and remained silent in thought. "We'll handle it. But you had better get repaired."

"What's Cheetor's status?"

"I kept as much power as we could spare durin' the attack ta fuel his CR. He's stable, his stats are improving. Don't worry, boss monkey, we got it covered."

But he did worry. All the time. There was so much out of his control, so much at stake, so much that could go wrong. Whitegrazer was still blocking him, so he could read and feel nothing from her. Maybe she remained out there to go after Aurora and Ironclaw. Whatever the case, the pain must have been pretty severe or something else far greater was distracting her to keep him at a distance for this long. Thinking that nothing too serious was wrong with Whitegrazer's decision to remain outside, he took the opportunity to seek repairs in one of the chambers near the command center, limping off in that direction, reluctant to leave the others.

"What's wrong with 'Grazer?" asked Rattrap when Optimus left the room.

"I'm certain Zodiac transferred some of his nano tech into her system. If there is anything more beyond that, I don't know," the rhinoceros answered. With Optimus finally taking care of himself, he opened his comm. to the white mare. "Whitegrazer, is everything all right out there?" He couldn't see her from where he was while he grabbed his tools and went back to work.

Things are almost set down here, how's the situation over there? Do you need help with repairs, or do you want to give me a shopping list,location, n' we'll head out?

"We're managing, Landslide," Rhinox assured him over his transmission. Then he sent him the coordinates for the Akira and the ship Night Terror and Dirge had arrived on, as well as a list of materials for reinforcing infrastructure, metal for the hull breaches, ammunition, electronics, wiring, and any kind of spare fuel and energon. "Good luck with the salvaging. Contact us immediately if you run into trouble."

((OOC: That's all right, Phoenix. I will post for Blackarchnia for now. Man, I'm glad this week is over. Battling the flu and dealing with some other stuff, scary stuff, I didn't expect was very tiring. I'm slowly trying to get back to normal and in the swing of things. It's hard, but I'm doing it. Though, lots and lots of things I have to catch up on. Lovely. So I'm sorry for taking so long with my posts. ))

NaitoKage wrote:Aye,the grenade launcher is trashed. But I have the electro laser as backup fer now. I guess later I could build a new one.. As fer Poison.. Dinobot probably has some Rat poison.. but fer stuff I usually use is this. Landslide finished bolting his torso, then set down the ratchet and leaned down, picking up a large keg sized drum, setting it down on the table. It's a tranquilizer. Pretty potent stuff normally. I mix it with oil to bring it down a little..but I might need to start increasing the dosages..

Blackarachnia was nearly done with replacing the wires on Landslides. Just two more... She looked at the keg Landslide brought over. Tranquilizer? Not really want she used. "Hmmm.... I usually don't use stuff like that. Though, I guess I could use it for the time being. Until get my program back up and running

Maybe when she was able to go outside or maybe during the little scavenging mission she was going on would hit two birds with one stone. Or three. After all, she probably needed to get room and find a good place to web and Maybe during our little trek, I can drag some animal carcaresses over here?She looked at the giant Maximal, smirking, wondering how he would feel with her bring animals. She must uses some for food sources also, if she got hungry. Though, at least, she wasn't gluttonous like Tarantulas.

NaitoKage wrote:Things are almost set down here, how's the situation over there? Do you need help with repairs, or do you want to give me a shopping list,location, n' we'll head out?

Blackarachnia hoped the mission was still on. She needed some supplies of her own. Not just stuff she had to borrow because they belonged to the Maximals. she needed her own stuff and her own area to work on thing without people watching her every few moments.

( That's okay. I just found it a bit strange myself. )

Blackarachnia wrote: "Hmmm.... I usually don't use stuff like that. Though, I guess I could use it for the time being. Until get my program back up and running

Landslide shrugged Just an idea anyway. Cyber venom was sometimes used in medicine, so the idea of using a tranquilizer was the closest he could think of at the time.

Rhinox wrote:"We're managing, Landslide,""Good luck with the salvaging. Contact us immediately if you run into trouble."

Understood.

Blackarachnia wrote:Maybe during our little trek, I can drag some animal carcasses over here?

Depends on how slow we'll be going I guess? I know Dinobot's done things like that, but I think Optimus might frown on it. We'll be flying to the first ship and seeing how the wreckage is.. if it isn't too bad, might be able to get the landing gear set up and have me drag it here.

With repairs on Landslide's arm finished, he moved his arm, sliding the electro laser into it and plugged in the wires. He then started to go over the list and locations Rhinox had given him,surprised to see fuel listed. Perhaps he'd have to gather more energon at some point. Looks like that ship isn't too far away, If we fly, it should only take 10 or 20 minutes tops. Landslide then looked towards Blackarachnia Now, I don't know much on helpin' yer condition.. but yer pretty smart, so if you have any ideas I'd be interested in hearin' them. Only ones I know that'd have some idea are probably Rhinox and maybe Whitegrazer.. While Landslide was fine with doing repairs, psychics and the mental programming of cybertronians was far out of his field of understanding.

(ooc: Issue has been fixed!! Woot! )

"Its gonna take more than an impromptu group cheer session to convince me that gator mech here is qualified to be in charge, seriously, he's just another dumb thug like Scorponok! Just sucking up because that's all he has going for him!"

Nemesis cast a glance over in Terrorsaur's general direction. His outburst was far from unexpected and frankly.. not entirely unjustified either. It had been a rash move on Megatron's part to name someone he'd only known for a few moments as his subcommander. And it would have been a move Nemesis would have warned against had she been dealing with anyone other than Megatron himself. But alas, their leader, or lord as he seemed to fancy being called now, was not one to listen to others. And given his other options to fill the position, Deathroll at least seemed loyal enough. A trait someone like Terrorsaur did not share in the least.

Inferno was loyal, blindly so, but lacked the intellect needed for such a position. Deathroll, albeit powerful, may not be as intelligent as a few of the others, but he certainly was more so than Inferno. As far as his loyalty went, Nemesis trusted the new subcommander would remain loyal to the cause. He was a Decepticon after all, loyal to the original Megatron and as such willing to go to great lengths to see his kind rise from the ashes. Their kind, as Nemesis still considered herself a Decepticon at spark.

"The only dumb thug I see here is you, runt" Deathroll snarled as this time he backhanded the little loudmouth with the same ease Inferno had done with Waspinator as he added "Too dumb to understand when to shut your mouth!"

It was quickly becoming obvious that the tension between Terrorsaur and Deathroll was rising to the point that a confrontation was becoming inevitable. It had only been a few moments since Nemesis had witnessed the transmetal alligator in action against Megatron so she was well aware that Terrorsaur could be in trouble if he chose to pursue this argument. He might have the advantage of speed and flight, but he lacked much of the raw power Deathroll had proven to be capable of.

"Thats it! Inferno is bad enough, but I'm not gonna let this two ton toadie take over one of the top ranks over someone who actually DESERVES to take command, namely ME!"

"Is that a challenge? Little Flyer?"

"Has their fate decided by ME, understood?"

Nemesis crossed her arms, fully aware that there was no way Megatron would ever appoint Terrorsaur into the subcommander position. In that aspect he differed from the original Megatron who had allowed Starscream to remain in the position despite his many attempts at usurping power at the expense of his leader. She had never actually met either of the two as they both had met their demise before her creation, but she could only speculate why a renowned leader such as the original Megatron had let Starscream's treachery slip under his radar again and again. Was it his skills in the battle field or some other reason? The female couldn't tell..

"May the best fighter win," Nemesis then said with a gleam in her optics, knowing better than to interfere. She did by no means wish harm upon her fellow flyer, but this confrontation seemed inevitable.

OOC: For the record, they're fighting in the same area where Dinobot & Quickstrike had their duel in the TV series, just to clarify

The predacons all gathered outside the base, some honestly curious to see who would emerge triumphant as the new subcommander of the predacons, while others just desperate for any manner of distraction they could get on this backwater planet, especially if it involved spilling two bots spilling each other's mech fluid for their entertainment.

"Not too late to give up new guy, no one will think less of you for it...Except me of course, heh heh heh" Terrorsaur jeered, convinced he had this battle in the bag already, no one, least of all Megatron's latest addition to his collection of brainless goons, was going to deny him his rightful place in the pecking order, this time, someone who DESERVED to be in charge would be promoted.

"Hmph, I wonder..." Deathroll began to say, scratching his chin idly as though deep in thought as Terrorsaur replied irritably "Wonder what?"

"I wonder if you'll beg for your spark as passionately as you brag" Deathroll answered, thumping his tail against the blackened earth of the lava fields as he did, leaving a sizable indent as Terrorsaur glared back at him indignantly.

It was then that Megatron clapped his hands together to get everyone's attention, Nemesis & Inferno at his side as he said "The rules of this bout are simple, survivor wins. On my mark..."

With that, Megatron's tail gun began to glow, charging with energy as he raised it to the sky, Deathroll and Terrorsaur staring each other down, ready and eager to rip one another to pieces, to strike down what they each perceived the other to be, an obstacle in their path.

"Begin!" Megatron proclaimed as he fired his weapon into the sky to signal the beginning of the battle, Deathroll lunging forward with a surprising burst of speed, only for Terrorsaur to rocket away into the sky even faster, the decepticon gator creating a massive crater impact crater in the ground from his attempt to bodyslam the pterodactyl.

Phoenix wrote: "May the best fighter win," Nemesis then said with a gleam in her optics, knowing better than to interfere. She did by no means wish harm upon her fellow flyer, but this confrontation seemed inevitable.

"I have no doubt he will" Megatron replied with a smirk as he watched the battle unfold, the other predacons cheering the combatants on, no doubt taking bets on who would emerge the victor.

"Hah, nice try, but a big lugnut like you can't keep pace with a flyer like me!" Terrorsaur taunted, looking down on Deathroll from on high, safely out of his reach.

"Is that your way of saying "I'm too scared to fight you face to face?" Deathroll replied dryly, watching as Terrorsaur circled him overhead like a big buzzard.

"No, its my way of saying GOODBYE!" Terrorsaur retorted as he activated his shoulder cannons and fired a grand total of six missiles down upon his flightless target, the decepticon growling irritably as he raised his arms to shield himself, knowing he wasn't fast enough to dodge such attacks as they struck him one after the other, the following explosions kicking up massive clouds of dust and debris everywhere, obscuring everyone's view of the battlefield.

"Eheheheh! EHEHEHEHEHEH! Shortest tenure as Subcommander EVER!" Terrorsaur crowed, rolling over in midair as he delighted in his enemy's destruction

"Does this mean I'm Subcommander again, Royalty?" Inferno inquired hopefully, his master replying "No Inferno, it means Terrorsaur is an overconfident fool, yyyyyeeeesss."

And sure enough, Terrorsaur soon found himself under heavy laser fire, barely avoiding being shot down as the smoke cleared, revealing Deathroll, unscathed and wielding a double barreled beam blaster!

"How?!" Terrorsaur exclaimed, Deathroll replying "Thick skin" as he continued firing at the annoying flyer, the obnoxious pterosaur proving himself to be quite evasive.

Aurora waited. She waited for Ironclaw to turn around, to acknowledge her, to speak up about his side of the story, to come back.. But in the end he did none of these actions. Instead he merely continued walking, dragging Dirge's corpse behind him as he went. Slowly Aurora lowered her outstretched arm, a growing feeling inside her alerting her that the transmetal badger had made his choice.

The little fuzor sighed as she watched the larger male disappear into the distance.

Well.. he clearly didn't want to be bothered right now. Who knew what was going through his mind but whatever his thoughts and reasons were, something told her it was a choice Ironclaw had to make for himself.

Her ears flattened against the white and messy fur on her head as she slowly turned around and headed back inside to join up with the other Maximals. She had to check up on Optimus, and find out what they were doing from this point on. What about Zodiac? They knew Dirge was dead, killed by someone she thought had been one of the Maximals. And judging by the fact that Night Terror had not been seen since that fateful day they exchanged Nexus and Optimus for the golden disks, she could only assume he was dead too.. No doubt killed by Megatron or one of his lackeys. Thus the shapeshifter was now alone, a fact that ironically made him an even greater threat. Now he had nothing to lose after all, no reason to hold back, nothing to bargain for, and an even greater lust for revenge.

Aurora considered all these things as she took the lift up to join the others. She arrived just in time to see Optimus limp off to the repair chamber. For a moment she almost went after him, but she decided he could use the rest. Rattrap and Rhinox remained, both looking a little tired but otherwise in good shape. The fuzor seemed lost in thought as she joined them, although she did come around a bit after a few nanoclicks.

"Sorry I'm late, I needed a moment to..," she paused, tugging slightly at her lower lip before continuing, "..think."

"I'm certain Zodiac transferred some of his nano tech into her system. If there is anything more beyond that, I don't know,"

She heard Rhinox' words to Rattrap even though it took a moment for the meaning to truly sink in. And when it did, it felt like a punch to the gut. True, she had experimented on a nanogel containing remnants of Nemesis' nanomachines left behind on one of her devoured victims, but that technology was barely viable and required a surge of electricity to work. And even so she wasn't sure how long they would last before they simply died out on their own, since they weren't designed to live without their host body. The fuzor had no idea how exposure to stronger, more durable nanomachines would react, machines that had not been cleansed during the gel application process. If Whitegrazer truly had been exposed like that, they would have to disable the nanomachines before they could corrupt her system. They would..

Aurora's green optics widened as she looked up at Rattrap and Rhinox, as of yet unaware of Whitegrazer approaching from behind them. Her mouth dropped open as well as she pondered the thought that was now grinding in her head.

"I think I know how to stop him..," she finally said before trailing off for a moment. Of course! The solution to their problem with the shapeshifter had been there all along!

"Zodiac, I mean," she clarified next, "We have a way to stop him."

Meanwhile Zodiac had managed to wake one of the large machines to life, a humming noise alerting him of this fact. A strained smile appeared briefly on his face as he quickly moved over to the next console. His head was still throbbing but not quite as severely as it had moments before, perhaps due to the fact that he was starting to make progress now despite the interference of the white female.

"Your little mind game is going to fail," he told the female confidently, the shape of his fingers appearing to blur as his nanomachines interacted with the similar technology inside the alien console. He paid no heed to the occasional moments of discomfort that made it through the link, his mind too focused on his own task at hand. With any luck the Maximals would be foolish enough to ignore the small earthquakes that would soon hit their base, quakes that would grow stronger as the machine got ready to fire. He couldn't very well let them try to escape as he engulfed their precious base, their very home, in flames as the ground itself gobbled them up.

The vision of a pod, seemingly devoid of life, halted his progress for a moment. He paused, seeing the lifeless being as vividly as if he had been the one there. Closing his optics didn't help, the sparkless creature was still there.. only..so was he. But he wasn't himself, he was.. different.. Still feared among his peers, but different.

The image faded away, only to be replaced by another, slightly more familiar one. Scientists were working on him. No, it wasn't him. It was her. The color of her hands betrayed her. They took something..

"The High Council thanks you for contribution. There is a notice for you on the desk."

A court hearing.

Zodiac's arms slowly lowered to his sides, the shimmer from his nanomachines fading.

His tormentor was suddenly becoming a lot more intriguing to him.

The visions she witnessed still flashed through her mind. It was the past to her. A different her. But that person... who she was... changed. That person... wasn't her anymore. She knew it deep down, but she wondered why this flashes of her past were surfacing now. Was it because of her forced connection with Zodiac? The nanomachines... Yes, there was something familiar about them. The way they did things... From what she saw from Nemesis, the regeneration and the pain the nanomachines brought. Zodiac's nanomachines being articulated and precise mirror her abilities need of focus and complete utter stillness. The pain from the nanomachines was similar to what she felt with her abilities. They didn't hurt before, but when she entered the pod, the pain started. That was what she thought was the true reason.

Phoenix wrote:"Your little mind game is going to fail,"

I'm not playing any game with you, Whitegrazer honestly said to the shapeshifter. I want you to stop whatever it is that you are doing. She didn't have time for games. She placed her hand off of her chest and head. She needed to continue her way to the Axalon. She saw Aurora going to the lift. Ironclaw seemed to be still going his own way. She started walking when she felt the tremor. It was a tiny tremor. Something that normally she would ignore it. After all, this planet sometimes produced them or the Energon storms, when energon was in large amounts before the Planet Buster hit, did. But because of her connection with Zodiac, she could felt the sense of triumphant. Satisfaction. She realized the earthquakes were more than that.

Zodiac, you need to cease and desist.

Whitegrazer quickened her pace to the Axalon. She got on the lift.

Phoenix wrote:I think I know how to stop him..,""Zodiac, I mean," she clarified next, "We have a way to stop him."

"I'm glad because we are going to need it soon, Aurora." She looked at the little one. Gave her a smile. "Did you guys feel that tremor? Can we trace it to its point of origin?"

Something told her it wouldn't be that simple, probably. But she had to try something. Whitegrazer looked around. No Optimus. He must be in the CR Chambers. As he should be. He needed the rest and healing time. They could handle this. It may be the best course of action for them to handle Zodiac.

Optimus stood before the CR, facing it. He heard the voices from the others nearby originating from the bridge but paid no mind to what they were saying. Instead he stared at his reflection, wishing for alternative circumstances. He wanted things to be so different, for them to be doing what they first set out to do years ago; explore. Especially Aurora, who was so young, thrown into this grave situation of survival with zero experience. Granted, she was strong and she was thriving. She found specific interests and was applying herself. But this wasn't the life he wanted for her or for any of them. Whitegrazer seemed to have been hoping for a life of peace after all she had been through in her life, but instead she found herself fighting another war. Why did things turn out this way? Why couldn't it have been easier? Primal reached up and lightly brushed his index and middle finger tips across the deep scar that ran over his mouth, eerily watching himself in his reflection as he did so.

Opening the door, the ape stepped inside the repair chamber with his damaged and burnt body, sore jaw and permanent limp. He sat down as the door closed behind him and closed his eyes. He sought after those whispers in his mind. To confront them? Embrace them? He didn't know just yet. Were they still there? Was he still mentally wounded? Maybe that's all he really want to find out. Whitegrazer was still blocking him. Why? It was so unusual to go on this long without her offering her positive energy and calmness. Was she all right? He didn't understand but perhaps it was best to grant her her privacy and solitude. The unwavering silence inside of the chamber wrapped itself around him like a blanket, swallowing him, and although he fought the fatigue, it embraced him and he slipped away into unconsciousness as his repairs began.

Understood.

Good. At least things were running smoothly for Landslide, and Blackarachnia was behaving. They seemed like an unlikely pair but one thing they both had in common was scavenging. So Rhinox didn't worry too much about them. After all, Landslide was capable of handling himself. The engineer still had a lot to do with the black widow, but it was uncertain when he'd get the opportunity and if she still was interested in his help.

"Sorry I'm late, I needed a moment to..," "..think."

"You all right, Aurora?" Rattrap asked her. "It ain't the easiest thing ta witness somebody kill somebody else," he empathized while he paused his work to look at her. She looked fine, like she was coping, but everyone was capable of finding a way to disguise their emotions.

Rhinox grabbed more sheets of scrap metal, shaping them to properly to patch up the hole in the command center and started welding them on. They were thin and wouldn't stand a chance against any fire power, but at least it was something to keep the elements of the weather outside and to temporarily plug up the vulnerability from their enemies until Landslide and Blackarachnia could return with sturdier reinforcements.

"I think I know how to stop him..,"

Big Green stopped welding to look at the Fuzor and ask, "Who?" She looked... excited, which caused his expression to shift to a curious one.

"Zodiac, I mean," "We have a way to stop him."

"What?" Rattrap inquired, looking surprised.

"How?" asked Rhinox with eager anticipation. What was she thinking? He wanted to know. By the this point, he was opened to any suggestions, but Aurora seemed to be confident, like she just had a revelation to a solution; a solution to their problem of the shapeshifter.

"I'm glad because we are going to need it soon, Aurora."

Both Rattrap and Rhinox looked at Whitegrazer when she finally arrived in the bridge. "What do you mean by that, Whitegrazer?" the chief medical officer asked. And then there was a slight vibration that both of them could feel through the flooring. It was a small tremble that shook the base just enough to feel it. Rhinox appeared vexed, peering down at the floor and then looking at everyone else.

"Did you guys feel that tremor? Can we trace it to its point of origin?"

It simply felt like an earthquake, which wasn't too big a deal, they happened once in a while considering the age of the earth when they had landed on the planet back in time. Continents and tectonic plates were still shifting and settling, not to mention all of the raw energon deposits that the Vok had ignited with their moon-sized weapon not too long ago. However, Whitegrazer's expression and urgency in her voice suggested that it was more than an earthquake, as if she knew something about it. So Rhinox put his tools down and immediately sat at one of the consoles to trace the tremor's origin like she had asked. The monitor brought up the coordinates and he sent them to center console to make a three-dimensional holographic map. He got up and went to the large, round console projecting the mountain range that was covered in snow as it rotated 360 degrees and continued to do so. It blinked and scrambled once in a while with the unsteady power that Rattrap was still finalizing to repair completely. "Right here," he said, pointing to the blinking red beacon that identified the mountain. If it was a dormant volcano growing active, a tremor wouldn't have been uncommon. But again, the mare was more concerned about the location than a mere earthquake. She knew something... And Aurora knew something about stopping Zodiac. Were the tables finally turning in their favor? "What's going on?" he asked the females while Rattrap stood up and looked at them as well.

"The rules of this bout are simple, survivor wins. On my mark..."

Nemesis watched as the two combatants prepared to tear into each other like ravaging beasts. It would certainly be an interesting fight, as both of them had proved themselves as skilled fighters yet they had never actually seen the other's style or abilities. Terrorsaur was certainly the faster and more agile of the two. Like her he was designed for aerial combat, someone who could be a force to be reckoned with in his own element. These traits came at the expense of a heavier, denser armor, however, a fact that gave Deathroll an advantage in these limited quarters.

As her role as the Predacons' second in command was brand new to her, she hadn't had much time to contemplate how she wanted to use her newfound power. One of the things she desired to do, however, was to strengthen the Predacons' aerial forces. Despite all of Terrorsaur's faults, he was still one of the stronger flyers on the team, so she could only hope that he had not gotten himself in a situation he wouldn't be able to walk away from. Megatron's disdain for anyone who opposed his leadership was perfectly understandable, but at times it could cloud his judgement. Deathroll was formidable, indeed, but as far as she was concerned he was still a stranger.. and placing so much faith in a brand new recruit was certainly a debatable prospect. Still.. Deathroll was a Decepticon and as such she knew that his motives towards their common goal could be trusted.

Despite how conflicted she felt by this battle to the death, as Megatron had announced it to be, she hid her emotions well. Like she always did. She glanced over at Megatron as she found a good spot from which to watch the fight unfold, an unreadable smile on her face. "This ought to be interesting," she commented briefly before the starting battle caught her attention again.

Terrorsaur was the first one on the offensive, blasting Deathroll with everything he had at his disposal. Nemesis crossed her arms as the flyer declared himself victorious, having seen for herself just how much punishment the new recruit was able to take. And sure enough.. moments later the new subcommander made his presence known and retaliated in full. Obviously neither of them were willing to make this a short fight.

Zodiac, you need to cease and desist.

The shapeshifter responded with a taunting laugh, not having any desire to follow her warning. Sure, she may have found a way to communicate with him but that little nuisance would soon be nothing but a bad memory. The alien machines would make sure of that.

"No, my dear..," he replied once his taunting laughter had died down, "It is you that will cease and desist."

He was nobody's puppet anymore, let alone the Maximals'. They would all learn that lesson soon. And surely they would then come to realize that his original plan, to kill them with a bomb, would have been quick and relatively painless compared to the horrors they were now about to experience. Indeed, the alien technology had left quite an imprint on those unfortunate enough to get in the way. Zodiac had seen it when he first arrived at Outpost 62.. Optimus had been spared from the vivid memories by his precious Nexus, no doubt, but no matter. There was much the Maximals had yet to learn about the aliens and their presence on this world.. about their technology, their motives..

His thoughts drifted briefly to the memory Whitegrazer inadvertently had shared with him, pondering if he should try to discover more about her past when all of this was over. He was certainly not above ruining someone's reputation, even after they were dead. Perhaps he could find time for it at some point.. Of course it might have to wait until after he could rid himself of the pesky Maximal Council of Elders.. The fact that they had sent Ironclaw to kill him put them right back on the shapeshifter's radar.

"You all right, Aurora?" Rattrap asked her. "It ain't the easiest thing ta witness somebody kill somebody else,"

Aurora paused briefly, brushing the pesky lock of white fur that kept slipping down into her face away as she struggled to forget the dreadful images of Dirge being killed right in front of her. No, truthfully she wasn't what she'd call 'all right' but she would have to let it go for the time being. Dirge was dead. Ironclaw was a coldhearted killer. It simply wasn't something she'd be able to process fully for a while.

"Yeah, I'm okay," she said in what was at least a partial lie. She was dealing with it in her own way, but it had certainly affected her.

"What?"

"How?"

"I'm glad because we are going to need it soon, Aurora."

"We could subject him to a virus, much the same way organic creatures get sick from their own varieties. Like he tried to do to us in order to incapacitate us," Aurora blurted out before realizing she had to explain her reasoning behind it.

"But we cannot use the same virus he tried to wipe us out with. It would have been too risky for him to potentially subject himself to a substance he had no immunity against. Nemesis told us as much before she left for who knows where. However.."

Aurora paused for a split nanoclick to gather her thoughts before continuing.

"His advanced technology might actually be his undoing as well. My theory is that if we manage to infect him with a similar technology from a different source, the results would be devastating to him. I should be able to synthesize the nanogel to do this."


Just then a small tremor could be felt underneath their feet. It wasn't strong enough to shake the base or anything, but it was a little unnerving.

OOC: Sorry of this isn't as good as my last post, I've been shoveling snow all day >_<

Phoenix wrote: Despite how conflicted she felt by this battle to the death, as Megatron had announced it to be, she hid her emotions well. Like she always did. She glanced over at Megatron as she found a good spot from which to watch the fight unfold, an unreadable smile on her face. "This ought to be interesting," she commented briefly before the starting battle caught her attention again.

"Indeed, but perhaps for not much longer, noooo" Megatron replied smugly as he watched Terrorsaur struggle to avoid being shot out of the sky by Deathroll's guns.

"Hah! You couldn't hit the broadside of a stasis pod!" Terrorsaur mocked as he rained laser fire down on Deathroll, who in turn shielded himself from the lasers with his forearm, looking more annoyed by the flyer's attacks than hurt by them.

"And I've officially grown tired of you" Deathroll growled as he tried to target the fast moving flyer yet again, only this time his new predacon onboard computer chimed in and made him aware of a weapon he possessed that would be better suited to downing the talkative fool.

"Well now, this new body is just full of welcome surprises" Deathroll said to himself, grinning with his eyes as his new targeting system kicked in and he locked on to the speedy flyer.

"Heheheheh! Given up already? Good, better to know your place in the grand...WHAT?!" Terrorsaur exclaimed as the transmetal gator's shoulder armor, consisting of his beast mode's jaws, unleashed a swarm of tooth missiles into the air after him!

"Slag, slag, slag, SLAG!" Terrorsaur cursed to himself over and over again as he tried to evade the missiles, desperately shooting several down with his eye beams, but not nearly enough to stop them from hitting their mark...Himself!

"RRAAAARRRRRRWWWK!" Terrorsaur shrieked as the missiles hit him one after the other, the proud flyer falling from the sky like a shooting star and hitting the ground just as hard.

"Beast mode" was all Deathroll said as he than crawled on all fours towards his fallen victim, who struggled to rise despite being horribly damaged, flames still burning from exposed circuitry and wires hanging out of him.

"Ugh...Not so..." Terrorsaur tried to say as he raised a wing blade to defend himself, only for the gator to sink his teeth into it and begin to shake the flyer back and forth like a rag doll, Terrorsaur's arm actually popping out of its socket as he was tossed aside...Only for Deathroll to bite into his torso next and live up to his namesake as he rolled in the dirt over and over with Terrorsaur helpless in his jaws, helpless as water bird caught in the jaws of a wild gator.

Deathroll didn't know why he had chosen this form in particular to finish off the pterodactyl, perhaps it was to send the message that he was one of them for better or worse, both predacon and decepticon, and he could play by their games and win. Maybe it was merely curiosity, wishing to try out his exotic new alt mode, which were rare back on Cybertron, at least back in his day, or...Maybe he simply couldn't resist the urge to take a bite out of this hapless fool, and if so it was a desire he had never had before he became partially organic...It was new to him...All of this...

"That's enough Deathroll, I believe he's thoroughly beaten, wouldn't you agree Commander? Yyyyeessss" Megatron said as he enjoyed the sight of Terrorsaur's mangled frame, twisted and contorted and burnt beyond recognition...Only his face was still recognizable as belonging to that of Terrorsaur, and he looked more than frightened by what he had just experienced.

"As you wish Milord" Deathroll said, immediately releasing Terrorsaur from his grip, not that it helped the flyer much given the state he was in...Even less so when Deathroll returned to robot mode and stepped on Terrorsaur's body, like a knight who'd just slain a dragon, and said "Shall I finish him, Lord Megatron?"

Terrorsaur moaned in pain and fear as he watched and listened, helpless to defend himself as Megatron, the least merciful mech on the planet decided his fate.

Megatron simply looked down on Terrorsaur, by far one of his least favorite minions, one who despite his aerial prowess had failed him at every turn thus far and worse still, was always plotting against him...At least Tarantulas was a challenge in his power game, Terrorsaur wasn't even a player, just an underhanded opportunist who'd exploit ANY advantage he could find even if he liked the means by which to keep it, let alone know what to DO with an army once he had one. Terrorsaur desired to be in charge, desired power, but like many pretenders out there he simply did not have what it took to be a leader, nor the knowledge or wisdom to know what he could do with such power once he had it. Megatron's life would be so much simpler, so much easier if he just snuffed the flyer's spark out here and now, let him be the latest example to those who would defy his will.

"Tell me...Commander, Subcommander...What do you think should be the fate of the brave and loyal Terrorsaur?" Megatron asked of his two top officers, giving them a chance to impress him, or at least give them the feeling that their opinions actually mattered to him.

The original Megatron had possessed trusted officers to serve and advise him, the new Megatron wanted the same, but when all was said and done, only Megatron's word would matter in the end, yyyyyeessssss.

NaitoKage wrote:Just an idea anyway.

NaitoKage wrote:Depends on how slow we'll be going I guess? I know Dinobot's done things like that, but I think Optimus might frown on it. We'll be flying to the first ship and seeing how the wreckage is.. if it isn't too bad, might be able to get the landing gear set up and have me drag it here.

"Well, unlike Dinobot's, mine would be cleaner." Blackarachnia put her pinchers on her hips. Her repair job with Landslide was done. Also, even if I did make a bloody mess, you guys wouldn't be aware of it. That was true. Blackarachnia learned a lot of things in the Darksyde. She knew how to fight, to kill, and to hide what she didn't want her Predacon comrades to know about. That wasn't going to change for the Maximals. Actually, quite opposite, she would have to be more alert and try to keep herself in check.

Looks like that ship isn't too far away, If we fly, it should only take 10 or 20 minutes tops. Landslide then looked towards Blackarachnia Now, I don't know much on helpin' yer condition.. but yer pretty smart, so if you have any ideas I'd be interested in hearin' them. Only ones I know that'd have some idea are probably Rhinox and maybe Whitegrazer..

Blackarachnia jumped off the counter. She knew of Rhinox's technical abilities. So she might... if she was willing to let him look over her. She didn't want to leave herself in Maximal hands, but if she wanted to get Tarantulas out of her mind, she was going to need another set of hands. Especially for brain surgeon. She wasn't stupid enough to try it herself. Though, she was desperate enough to do it. About Whitegrazer? She didn't know what or who that Maximal was or what to make of her. But she knew she wasn't going to let a Maximal make a connection with her. She already had one voice in her head other than hers. She didn't want to gain another.

"I will figure something out. Blackarachnia winked then she slapped his shoulder. It was something she did with some Predacons. Though, she would hit them over the head. Well, come on, we better get a move on. Hopefully, no one has got there before us.

Phoenix wrote:"No, my dear..," he replied once his taunting laughter had died down, "It is you that will cease and desist."

Whitegrazer shook her head. Her attempts to reason with Zodiac were falling on deaf ears. She didn't want to try anything more than what she already had. So she realized that the only way to stop Zodiac was to find him and stop that alien machine. Before he did something worse than small tremors.

Optimal Optimus Primal wrote:What do you mean by that, Whitegrazer?"

"Zodiac has found some kind of device. I believe it is of an alien origin." Whitegrazer said to Rhinox as well as to everyone else.

Optimal Optimus Primal wrote:"Right here,"

Optimal Optimus Primal wrote: "What's going on?"

"Those tremors we are feeling aren't natural. Zodiac is creating them with that device." She looked at the point of origin. She rubbed her chin a bit, studying the snowy region. Then she nodded when Rhinox pointed at the snowy mountain, " That's where Zodiac is. But still, since we are dealing with an alien machine, no doubt that is a dormant alien site. Maybe Blackarachnia could help us? Where is she now?"

Phoenix wrote:"We could subject him to a virus, much the same way organic creatures get sick from their own varieties. Like he tried to do to us in order to incapacitate us,"

Phoenix wrote:"But we cannot use the same virus he tried to wipe us out with. It would have been too risky for him to potentially subject himself to a substance he had no immunity against. Nemesis told us as much before she left for who knows where. However.."

Phoenix wrote:"His advanced technology might actually be his undoing as well. My theory is that if we manage to infect him with a similar technology from a different source, the results would be devastating to him. I should be able to synthesize the nanogel to do this."

Whitegrazer listened intently to what Aurora was suggesting about how to defeat Zodiac, "If you need some more of his nanomachines to help you create this virus, I would probably be a perfect candidate for that." She smiled at the little one and looked at Rhinox and Rattrap. She probably should tell everyone what happened, "Zodiac tried to absorb me by using his nanomachines. Rhinox interrupted the process, but many of his nanomachines still are inside of me. And that's not all. Because of what Zodiac tried to do, accidentally, a connection has been formed between us. That's why I know what Zodiac is doing now."

Her optics turned white again. Static. Her head started hurting again as well as her spark.

Oh no. She knew what this meant. Another flashback.

She was standing in the middle of a dark room. Her hands and legs weren't restrained like normal protocols dictated, but they were unnecessary. Because she willing came here. Two Imperial Peace Marshals were standing right beside her. They had followed her every move ever since she entered the citadel and showed her to the chambers where the High Council were going to pass judgement on her. Lights came on and there they were.... The Maximal High Council of Elders standing behind large white podiums, looking down at her like they were gods or something. Except she was surprised at General Obsidian and Strika's appearance. Though, maybe she shouldn't be as she was a soldier of the military under their command.

"Do you know why you are here?"

"I do."

"Do you wish to read your own charges or should we?"

"I know what I have done. I-

Whitegrazer shook her head. That was a flashback she didn't want Zodiac to see. Too classified. Her optics continued to be white for a moment. Though she shook her flashback away, there were flashes of her being tied up. No wait... She was in some type of facility. Scientists were around poking and prodding her. They were trying different stuff on her.... No wait, she didn't remember any of this in her lifetime. Someone came from the corridor. a black and grey bot with the face that looked like the legendary Optimus Prime. Primal. Optimus. This wasn't her. This was Zodiac's. Anger. Trying desperately to get free from the bonds. Asking questions of who she-he was. No. No. She-No, he knew who was he. He was holding on to it. He knew what they were doing. He wanted them to stop. He wanted to break them. Tear them apart. Especially, him. HIM! Optimus! NEXUS! Them all! How dare they!

Whitegrazer rubbed her head. Breathed in. Breathed out. Her other hand balled into a fist. The quake of anger inside Zodiac's memories were intense. It kept much of her controlled nature just to keep the memory for making her act upon on something. Also, she needed to be careful. To make sure none of her flashbacks revealed anything she was forced to silence on. That would be a disaster. not just on her but the people around her.

Optimus?!

The voice of his teacher, his mentor, awoke him as if he was searching for him. It was dark but he wasn't in the CR chamber on board the Axalon. Primal was laying on his back outside at Outpost 62 and there were fires around him. He was about to sit up when the force of another familiar and loud voice some how kept him down.

PRIMAL!

It was Zodiac, but he couldn't see him. He swore he felt his breath on his face and the vibration of his bellow bounce off. As he would have back then, young and inexperienced, Optimus started to panic. His breathing increased and he looked around. He tried to move but an invisible force restrained him.

What you've done is irreversible. The damage, the pain, the suffering, the seclusion. We were treated like laboratory animals!

He frantically looked around for the voice, and then heard a chuckle in the shadows from Protoform X and a hiss from Nemesis. No, wait! I can fix this, he pleaded. Questions began clouding his thoughts. He wasn't even a part of what happened to Nemesis, just X and Zodiac. Why was he being blamed for her experimentation? Was he indirectly involved? Why was he even here? How did he get captured? Where were his Maximals? Where was Whitegrazer?! Suddenly, there were straps around his wrists and ankles, and the ground beneath him fell away like an earthquake. Optimus gasped in surprise, feeling weightless and vulnerable. It was like he was reliving his encounter with the Vok inside of that large alien dome but Zodiac was in control.

The shape shifter's voice gradually grew deeper and slower, quite similar to that of Unicron's which the Vok had used to communicate with him before they had activated their fake moon. It is too late. You have already contaminated the projects. There is no way out of this. You and Nexus will be trialed and judged... by me. And I will exterminate you and your precious Maximals.

No! You can't do this! he struggled to free himself.

I can, and I will. Begin termination sequence.

Termination sequence? For what? What did he mean? Coming out of no where, Protoform X appeared in front of him draped in chains that rattled and clanged bumping into each other, lifting a long, sharp blade like a machete, and swinging downward into Primal's abdomen, slicing through his armored abs and straight into his spark. Optimus gave a long, exasperated exhale, the blade feeling so real as if it were penetrating his very life force in reality.

Optimus...

A whisper from Nexus calling his name again, but this time it was more of a warning. It sounded so real, so close, as if he was right next to him talking into his audio sensor. It prompted the Maximal explorer to wake up from his nightmare and immediately check his lower stomach with his hand for any evidence of a stabbing. No hole, no wound. Nothing. He was right where he remembered, being repaired in one of the chambers. It was a just a dream. A sigh of relief escaped his mouth as he leaned back in the chair. Silence, until...

See? a whisper said, as if it had shared the nightmare with Optimus.

See what? he asked, like it was normal now bickering with these other "personalities".

What's in store.

What are you talking about? It was just a dream. X could be extinguished by now.

Unlikely. And there is still the matter of the Vok and Zodiac and Megatron. Oh, Megatron. What has he been up to lately, I wonder?

Primal fell quiet because he didn't know but he wondered the same the thing.

Ooooh, you don't know either. Left in the dark, always a step behind his scheming. Am I right? I'm willing to bet that whatever it is it isn't good.

I'll deal with it... the leader said, unconvincingly.

Hah ha ha ha ha ha! another voice spontaneously chimed in with laughter.

Ha ha ha ha ha! Like you did with Ironclaw? And Zodiac? And how you let Megatron and the other Predacons beat you into nonrecognition? Yes, I'm sure your Maximals have all their confidence in you, the whisper sarcastically added.

We'll stop Zodiac! Optimus argued. There is always a way.

Sure there is, Failure. Just don't forget that the aliens may have been quiet but they're still out there.

They were, some where. As much as it was a frightening thought of reality, there was nothing he could do about it so he simply kept them on the back burner. More recently he was focused on Zodiac and Megatron. Of course, it didn't even matter now because he was no longer in command. I'm not a failure...

Nexus lied to you.

"I know!" Primal shouted out loud angrily, balling a fist and slamming it down on his own thigh. But I can't blame him. He was protecting me.

Well, it doesn't seem to have worked out, the voice happily observed. Now his mistake has caught up with you, and you can't deny your involvement anymore. For everything you've stood for, you're no better than Megatron.

You're wrong. I've done wrong, I've made mistakes, but I've learned and I'm trying to do right. "I'm trying to do right!" he yelled out loud at the whispers.

-----

"Yeah, I'm okay,"

Rattrap squinted an optic at Aurora, not convinced. It wasn't as devastating as Icebreaker's death had been to her and to most of them, but it was the principal of seeing someone's life snuffed out right in front of her. Of course it affected her, it just wasn't the same kind of circumstance. At any rate, she was still thinking on her feet, so that was a good sign.

"We could subject him to a virus, much the same way organic creatures get sick from their own varieties. Like he tried to do to us in order to incapacitate us,"

Rhinox grew more intrigued, listening closely to the young, opportunistic Fuzor. Although, for a brief moment, he noticed Whitegrazer shake her head, seemingly distracted with someone. Was it Optimus?

"But we cannot use the same virus he tried to wipe us out with. It would have been too risky for him to potentially subject himself to a substance he had no immunity against. Nemesis told us as much before she left for who knows where. However.." "His advanced technology might actually be his undoing as well. My theory is that if we manage to infect him with a similar technology from a different source, the results would be devastating to him. I should be able to synthesize the nanogel to do this."

"Of course," Rhinox said, nearly face-palming at the idea that should have been so obvious. "Genius, Aurora. It shouldn't be enough to kill him just immobilize him and minimize him as a threat. I think it could work," he assured her, supporting her idea and gently placing his large hand on her shoulder for a moment.

"If you need some more of his nanomachines to help you create this virus, I would probably be a perfect candidate for that."

Both the rat's and rhino's optics, brightened by Aurora's clever idea, shifted from her to Whitegrazer in search of more information.

"Zodiac tried to absorb me by using his nanomachines. Rhinox interrupted the process, but many of his nanomachines still are inside of me. And that's not all. Because of what Zodiac tried to do, accidentally, a connection has been formed between us. That's why I know what Zodiac is doing now." "Zodiac has found some kind of device. I believe it is of an alien origin." "Those tremors we are feeling aren't natural. Zodiac is creating them with that device." "That's where Zodiac is. But still, since we are dealing with an alien machine, no doubt that is a dormant alien site. Maybe Blackarachnia could help us? Where is she now?"

"Wait. So now you got two guys talkin' inside yer head?" Rattrap curiously asked the mare.

"Is that all you took away from their explanations?" Rhinox said, shaking his head at his smaller friend. He assumed it could be dangerous for Whitegrazer to have a connection with Zodiac, reading each others' thoughts and seeing things Zodiac didn't want to share. Did she share it with Optimus as well? Was she even communicating with him anymore or was she blocking him to protect him from Zodiac? "Aurora, how long will it take you to develop that vile with the nanobots?" since, as it would seem, they wouldn't have a lot of time to spare until Zodiac had control of whatever that device was.

"It must be of Vok technology whatever he has found. We can't possibly know what it or he is capable of with it in his hands," Rhinox said sincerely and with great concern. This was not good. "Blackarachnia is about to embark with Landslide to do some much-needed scavenging," he answered the equine's question. "Is there anything more specific you can tell us about the device, Whitegrazer? Is it a weapon? A ship? Or just another trap?" Surely it was dangerous for her to have this connection with the shape shifting renegade, but so long as it wasn't harming her, why not take advantage? Then again, watching her optics change color and suddenly becoming quiet, he grew worried about her well being. Was it because of Zodiac? "Whitegrazer...?" he called to her calmly, trying to get her attention.

Blackarachnia wrote:"Well, unlike Dinobot's, mine would be cleaner." " Also, even if I did make a bloody mess, you guys wouldn't be aware of it."

Landslide's visor flexed slightly listening. Thats.. um.. good?

Blackarachnia wrote:"I will figure something out. Well, come on, we better get a move on. Hopefully, no one has got there before us.

Landslide stood up and nodded, then felt the earthquake for a moment. What the slag is going on now? Landslide then said, activating his comlink Landslide to Rhinox, what was that shaking just now? Are we under attack again?

____________________________

Waspinator observed the battle, cringing as he watched Terrorsaur being chewed on by Deathroll. He'll probably need alot of time in the CR chamber after this, he thought to himself.

Deathroll wrote: "Shall I finish him, Lord Megatron?"

Megatron wrote:"Tell me...Commander, Subcommander...What do you think should be the fate of the brave and loyal Terrorsaur?"

Waspinator's optics widen as he watched. Eh? The possibility they'd lose another Predacon, even if Terrorsaur was a pain in the butt to Megatron.. Was a bit surprising to Waspinator. At the going rate, Megatron seems to have lead to more Predacon death then any of the Maximals had.