The Intergalactic Highway

I thought you didn't want any distractions, the voice interrupted.

Primus, can I ever have my mind to myself anymore?! Back off! I need Whitegrazer, Primal yelled at it.

You don't need her. That feeling of necessity has long since passed. She abandoned you when you needed her most, just like Nexus did. Are we going to have abandonment issues?

Whitegrazer made her presence known, but said nothing. She remembered from before how her talking seemed to not be doing much good, but she stood there. Also, she didn't want to distract Optimus' focus from the task at hand. Predacons were still around. She didn't sense them, but her soldier instincts kicked in, telling her that they were around. For the moment, she sensed Optimus' emotions and his thoughts about his deceased mentor, Nexus. Sorrow over the lives lost. The thought that he wouldn't see his mentor ever again. The thought that the last thing his mentor saw was a deception from Zodiac, who disguised himself as Nexus' favorite student for sadistic irony. This was going to take awhile for Optimus to move on from. He might never, especially with how Nexus was murdered. She wished she could give him something for closure. Anything. The smile she gave him seemed to lift his spirits a bit. The only thing she could do was to do what it took to make sure the Predacons don't take anymore lives. To be by Optimus' side and do the best she can, no, use all of her power to safeguard her friends. Defend them. Protect them. She nodded, smiled up at Optimus. Channeling her focus, concentration towards him as well as her warmth. He needed to push those emotions aside for now, at least, and focus on the environment around him. She didn't want him to get injured or hurt or anyone else to be lost here.

What are you?,

Whitegrazer knew that was a question she couldn't, no, wouldn't answer. Despite what Zodiac has done, there are worst things in this world then prison or death. She would know. As she has experienced such, or threatened with such.

That is a question I can't answer without putting you in danger. You would be much safer if I don't.

"What's the hold up, 'Grazer?"

"We are being followed."

"Correction: YOU are bein' followed," the rodent bluntly pointed out for him as he glanced around. But there wasn't much in his line of sight that he could see. The snowfall was not as heavy anymore but the wind was still blowing. There were drifts a few feet high surrounding them, tiny snowballs rolling off of them as they collected more of the frozen precipitation and grew in size while the mountain shook. Looking upward, he could barely make out Optimus who was flying just below the cloud ceiling."Everybody be on alert. The Preds are followin' us,"

"He is right. They are around here. Hiding. Waiting. Trap." Whitegrazer closed her optics. She felt an enormous presence or presences converging. A mixture of passion, psychotic fury, sadistic pleasure, bloodlust, and swirling eagerness for destruction. Malice. Pain. Torment. A huge energy, which meant the Predacons or some of their were together. Hmm, did they forget about her known ability to sense them? Was Megatron that forgetful or was he not caring at all, believing he would win. As Megatron is cunning, and with much support from above, she wasn't going to take the few moves lightly. The fact that she could do certain actions she couldn't do before made her realize she could offer more assistance in this fight. Not fighting, per se, or explosions, but her Empath abilities have grown. Her perception has become sharper. Larger. Greater. But she didn't what to test her capabilities if she doesn't know what would work or not. She would have to test the waters. Most about of all protect those she cares about. Though, there was much hesitation on attacking Nemesis, who she saw at a great distance, or Umbra. Umbra helped save her life. But he would no doubt held no qualms to do what he was sent to do.

"No... I don't think I have ever said that,"

Blackarachnia just smirked, putting her free hand on her hip, "Well, good, because if you did, you would be delusional."

She turned to look at the white mare, who seemed so far away. What was she doing? "Well, if you can feel them, then why not tell us where they are?" Blackarachnia whispered to her.

"Where do you think?" She looked at the black widow. Staring out the mountain pass. The mountain was still in a process on coming on top of them. They need to act and fast. "I fear, if we don't come up with a strategy, we are going to be in a tight mess. And since we have Zodiac, I have no doubt the Predacons might do their darnest to kill him...if they can't capture him." An idea popped into her head. Zodiac, can you play dead?

It was then she felt a tightness. Optimus. A shadow. Optimus, watch your left!

((OOC: DarkSpark, hope you have a great time. Hey guys, I hope my post is all right. It was a bit of struggle for some odd reason for me. ))

(ooc: Aaand yet again I'm working the weekend of mother's day. Happens every year. Hope everyone else has a good time at least. On the positive side, I made it through the semester!)

"Continue your observation of the enemy's movements Commander, report any changes in their direction, otherwise just be ready to cut off their escape when myself and the others spring the trap. Meanwhile, I shall dispatch Umbra after Primal, his new flight mode combined with his camouflage and cyber venom should enable him to catch my old friend off guard even in the air, yyyyeessssss. Megatron out."

Nemesis remained in her avian form, merely watching the Maximals and their prisoner from afar like Megatron had ordered. It made little sense to her to have a far less experienced and slower flyer like Umbra go up against Optimus, but given her own history with the Maximal commander she supposed she should be grateful. Primal had shown her mercy during their past encounters. She hadn't forgotten. Still that didn't change the fact that she was a Predacon and as such had different goals, but it did put her in the awkward situation that she had a great deal of respect for Optimus. Of course some of that respect was dwindling now that Primal was prepared to show the same mercy to the traitor who had attempted to kill them all off. And that was something Nemesis could not accept.

"As you command," she told Megatron to acknowledge his command, keeping a keen set of eyes on the activities of the Maximals below. And especially on the traitorous renegade, whom she had caught staring directly at her. Did he recognize her in this form? Perhaps he realized there were no natural predatory birds of her size found in this area. It hardly mattered. Soon enough the traitor would be nothing more than a pile of melted rubble.

"You must know,"

The captive renegade let out a sigh as the rodent made his opinion quite clear in three little words. Almost a bit grudgingly, Zodiac shifted his focus from the bird in the sky to the rat behind him. The rodent, as annoying as the former shapeshifter found him to be, was not wrong in his assumptions. It was true that Zodiac knew exactly what had happened to Optimus, he had even encouraged some parts of it. But he certainly was not about to apologize for it.

"You were there, pretendin' ta be the one person who meant everythin' to him, and watchin' Megatron rip him apart, probably even laughin' while he did it." The last jab was a bit harder into his lower back, emphasizing his hatred for the former shapeshifter and what he had done. "If it were up ta me, I'd hand ya over ta Megatron and watch 'im unravel you piece by piece. You don't have the guts ta admit it but dat crazy ape is yer best bet for survival now."

The sharp jab of a weapon against his backside was an all too familiar sensation for the renegade, bringing about some very unpleasant memories of the guards doing similar acts to assure his cooperation.. And worse. Zodiac's hands balled into fists again and he jerked against the restraints once again. Despite his nanomachines remaining offline, some of his strength was returning to him. Unfortunately it was not enough to break the cuffs that were keeping his wrists tied together. His next response was to try to free his wings that had been tucked underneath his arms, but that too only had some limited success due to the size of his dragon form's wings.

"Before you continue that threat..," Zodiac finally said, having to resort to words now that his abilities had been rendered useless, "..do consider that you will require information only I'll be able to provide. Recent events have set certain things in motion. You have no idea what you are up against."

He paused before he went any further. Instead he went back to what Rattrap had accused him of.

"I'm not denying my involvement in Primal's.. treatment. And consequently his insanity issues. But please don't insult me further by insinuating that Optimus and Nexus were innocent in all of it. In fact I suggest you ask Primal yourself about what the two of them did."


Although his words were filled with anger, his voice still managed conceal most of that rage.

"Correction: YOU are bein' followed,"

Again the former shapeshifter sighed at the Maximal's shortsightedness.

"We are all being followed," he corrected the rodent's correction. "Or are you honestly naive enough to believe that the Predacons won't make your Maximals targets as well?"

It was then he felt the white mare responding to him via their connection. She'd been a little more quiet than usual lately, a fact he had attributed to her attempting to reconnect with Primal. Or at least that's what he presumed she was doing.

That is a question I can't answer without putting you in danger. You would be much safer if I don't.

He let her words sit for a moment, contemplating what she was telling him by not sharing what would seem like a trivial question under normal circumstances. But as he had learned, there was nothing normal about the white mare.

You've already shared that you were connected to the experiment where they created the nanomachines. They took something from you.. Technology they later implemented in me.


He could not help the smile that formed at the corners of his mouth.

I wonder what your friends would say if they knew of your connection to the aliens..? After all, the nanomachines were derived from Vok technology.


He left the question lingering, curious if she'd reveal anything more.

Zodiac, can you play dead?

Now what kind of question was that?!

Do you honestly think they won't place a few extra bullets in me to make sure?, he snorted back at her.

"Aurora, will you see to the brig? I'll take care of energon and make sure it's secure.

"Sure," the fuzor responded, leaving her post to head back inside the base. She had converted to beast form to allow herself to heal. Fortunately she'd still be able to perform her work duties in her beast mode. Making her way down to the brig, she was relieved to find that the damage in that part of the ship wasn't as bad as she had initially feared.

"How secure does this cell need to be?," she asked Rhinox via radio as she started the repairs. "Do I need to make a similar set-up to what you guys did before or do you think a normal cell will be enough to hold him?"

Phoenix wrote:
"As you command," she told Megatron to acknowledge his command, keeping a keen set of eyes on the activities of the Maximals below. And especially on the traitorous renegade, whom she had caught staring directly at her. Did he recognize her in this form? Perhaps he realized there were no natural predatory birds of her size found in this area. It hardly mattered. Soon enough the traitor would be nothing more than a pile of melted rubble.

"Excellent" Megatron said to himself from his hiding place, his mood improving even further as his flyers arrived, the tyrant making his presence known to them just long enough to command "Its about time. Now conceal yourselves until the maximals are within range, on the double!"

"At once Royalty!" Inferno replied with a salute as he proceeded to bury himself in the snow until he was hidden from view, while Terrorsaur merely shrugged his shoulders and said "Here we go again" as he picked out a hiding place for himself within the mountainside as Megatron had done, brandishing his swords in anticipation of slitting some maximal throats, the only thing that could really make this day for him at this point.

"Lord Megatron, I have reached the ambush area, shall I surface or remain submerged?" Deathroll inquired via the predacon comm channels, his leader answering "Remain submerged Deathroll, the maximals have no defense against an attack from below, even if they know of your burrowing capabilities now...But feel free to get creative, Subcommander."

"Affirmative, Lord Megatron" Deathroll replied as he burrowed into the mountainside, intending to attack from a direction they wouldn't except him to strike from.

OOC: Hope this is okay, wanted to get a post in before the festivities this evening, thanks for the well wishes gang!

His hands tight around the handles of his twin clubs, Optimus remained silent, desperately trying to pick up any noise from the Predacon fliers. But it was quiet. Maybe they hadn't noticed him wrapped up in the clouds above. Well, he couldn't hang out up there forever while they could be attacking his Maximals much farther below. Just as he was about to descend, he felt a warning from Whitegrazer, but he wasn't prepared to find out who his attacker was.

Optimus, watch your left!

Primal suddenly felt suction cups on his shoulders and back, and legs wrap around his torso, and watched more tentacles reach for his weapons. Since the Empath had already warned him about the threat approaching from his left, he had immediately pulled that arm away from Umbra first so he'd at least have one hand free from his hold while the Predacon latched on to his right arm. Instinctively, he lifted his free left arm upward to his head to deflect Umbra's tentacle that was reaching for his face. Whether that tentacle stuck on to his arm or not, the Maximal suddenly ignited his thrust to maximum burn and flew them upward through the clouds. "Let's go for a ride!" He started to spin in quick, tight rotations. As a bot built for flight, Optimus had the right sensory for navigation and reduction in dizziness and g-force, but he doubted the squid did as well. Let's see how well Umbra can handle high velocity into thinner air and not lose consciousness, Optimus thought, determined to get his attacker off of him one way or another. He didn't want to damage him too much but he was prepared to defend himself against whatever Umbra had planned to take him down. If he was just a distraction, then the blue and silver ape wanted him off of him as soon as possible. Hopefully the aquatic Predacon would get dizzy and just release him, or involuntarily slip into unconsciousness from his speed, or freeze from colder, thinner air. Of course, Primal was uncertain as to how this would affect someone with a beast mode which could withstand very deep depths of the ocean and its pressure. Maybe it wouldn't affect him at all. If not, he had a different approach he could try if Umbra was unwilling to let go while they spun rapidly upward, Optimus easily maintaining his trajectory and awareness. After all, there was only one very experienced flier here, and he would use his expertise to his advantage as long as Umbra didn't get the opportunity to paralyze or poison him. Hopefully the spinning prevented the Pred from doing whatever he had planned to disable him. Primal didn't have enough time to count how many tentacles he had seen and if any of them had weapons before he went into his spiraling maneuver.

-----

"Well, good, because if you did, you would be delusional."

"Den we just established dat I ain't crazy. Can't say the same for you, though. At least dat's one positive outta dis pointless conversation," Rattrap returned to Blackarachnia.

"We are all being followed," "Or are you honestly naive enough to believe that the Predacons won't make your Maximals targets as well?"

"Oh we're always targets; dat's old hats, pal," Rattrap told Zodiac. "But I'm willin' ta bet that if we just left you here in dese cuffs as bait while the rest of us retreated, they wouldn't bother to follow us too far before satisfyingly takin' you into their custody and returnin' ta base ta finish you off. Megs would just save us for a rainy day."

"Before you continue that threat..," "..do consider that you will require information only I'll be able to provide. Recent events have set certain things in motion. You have no idea what you are up against."

"Right. And yer just gonna spill the beans and tell us the truth about everythin' because you've been so good at it so far with all of yer disguises, manipulations and compulsive lying," he threw in, rolling his optics behind him.

"I'm not denying my involvement in Primal's.. treatment. And consequently his insanity issues. But please don't insult me further by insinuating that Optimus and Nexus were innocent in all of it. In fact I suggest you ask Primal yourself about what the two of them did."

"I will, but only because I'm growin' tired of listenin' to yer voice, and I don't trust a word dat comes spewin' outta yer mouth."

"He is right. They are around here. Hiding. Waiting. Trap."

Rattrap looked around from his position behind the taller former shapeshifter, his optics glancing upward and finding Optimus was out of sight now into the clouds. Great. Was he under attack? He didn't notice any fire power flashes if he was battling some Preds up there. "I say we leave Zodiac here alone and hide until the Preds show up and we flank 'em," the rodent suggested to the others, half joking. He hated being out in the open like this as such easy targets for their ruthless enemies. He also hated playing the leader. His finger remained steady resting over the trigger of his gun. "So what're they waitin' for?" Rattrap asked, looking in Whitegrazer's direction. He wanted to plant some explosives behind them but he doubted he had time for that now.

-----

"How secure does this cell need to be?," "Do I need to make a similar set-up to what you guys did before or do you think a normal cell will be enough to hold him?"

"A standard cell should suffice," Rhinox answered Aurora. "Enough to hold a large Predacon. We can make adjustments later if we need to, but it should have a functioning camera and at least two functioning auto-guns. We can't risk Zodiac escaping again, although it shouldn't be easy for him to do so anymore." He went on about his business with their stocked energon, making sure everything was unharmed from all of the violent vibrations earlier.

Optimus Primal wrote:"Let's go for a ride!"

Umbra's optics narrowed as Optimus deflected his hand from grabbing his face, then instinctively grabbed Optimus's backpack section with his left hand as Optimus started to take off higher into the air. This was a bit of a surprise, but Umbra wasn't sure Optimus's own flight limits even though they used completely different methods of flight. Optimus then soon flew up to the edge of the troposphere. The Octopus ninja's own internal sensors displaying a rapidly lower temperature.

Optimus then started to spin rapidly, seeming obvious that he intended to use Centrifugal force to knock Umbra free. While the spinning wasn't really making him dizzy as his body had three fuelpumps and he was used to 3d movement from the sea, the cold air was starting to form ice crystals on the slime on his body.If he remained too much longer, he'd probably have ice crystals forming inside of himself, which could wreck havoc with his systems. Hope you don't mind a detour! Gripping Optimus tighter with his limbs, Umbra activated his back rocket engine, then had it start to tilt and change it's direction randomly, to throw Optimus's spin off and force the two wildly out of control in the sky.

Phoenix wrote:"Before you continue that threat..," Zodiac finally said, having to resort to words now that his abilities had been rendered useless, "..do consider that you will require information only I'll be able to provide. Recent events have set certain things in motion. You have no idea what you are up against."

"Zodiac is right. He does have knowledge that might help us dealing with what the Vok might have in store for us."

Phoenix wrote:"I'm not denying my involvement in Primal's.. treatment. And consequently his insanity issues. But please don't insult me further by insinuating that Optimus and Nexus were innocent in all of it. In fact I suggest you ask Primal yourself about what the two of them did."

"He isn't insane." It wasn't a defensive statement. She said it in a calm yet firm tone towards Zodiac. He might be a victim and right about Nexus and Optimus' involvement, but his vengeance doesn't invalidate the emotional torment he caused towards Optimus and how many people he hurt in order to do it. "They might not be innocent, but they aren't evil either. Neither are you. You were hurt, but in your quest to get back, you have hurt others. Some who were innocent. If you can't forgive, how can you expect to be forgiven? Optimus is making his choice. It remains to be seen what your choice would be."

She turned around, looking out at the distance. Thinking about what she just implied towards Zodiac. It would be hard, but she wanted to still help Zodiac go a different road. But he could only walk it.

Phoenix wrote:"We are all being followed," he corrected the rodent's correction. "Or are you honestly naive enough to believe that the Predacons won't make your Maximals targets as well?"

"We need to figure out a plan. A plan, hopefully, in which we can avoid conflict and get out of danger unharmed. Even if we need to distract for one second. " Think. Think. She tried to figure out someway. There might not be a way to avoid conflict. But they don't have to go out and slaughter. She looked up at the sky. Feeling Optimus from above, she sensed Optimus wasn't in total danger, and he as handling himself well. Though, she knew how sneaky and clever Umbra was. No doubt he was making his own move to play against Optimus. She felt a dizzy sensation as well as the feeling of her whole entire body being thrown up in the air, falling back down.

"Den we just established dat I ain't crazy. Can't say the same for you, though. At least dat's one positive outta dis pointless conversation,"

"It could be worse. Tarantulas could have been in my place, and you would be a tasty meal for him. You should be flattered that I limit my eating habits. You are too stinky for my tastes. Blackarachnia waved her hand in front of her face to make her point.

"I say we leave Zodiac here alone and hide until the Preds show up and we flank 'em," the rodent suggested to the others, half joking. He hated being out in the open like this as such easy targets for their ruthless enemies. He also hated playing the leader. His finger remained steady resting over the trigger of his gun. "So what're they waitin' for?"

Whitegrazer was about to say something, but her thoughts were interrupted by Zodiac.

You've already shared that you were connected to the experiment where they created the nanomachines. They took something from you.. Technology they later implemented in me.

I wonder what your friends would say if they knew of your connection to the aliens..? After all, the nanomachines were derived from Vok technology.

It's not my friends I worry about.

That was true. Except for Ironclaw. No doubt he had records about her from the High Council. If he looked deep enough, he would probably start connecting the dots. It wasn't him himself, but what he would do with such information. He already was distrustful of her. But the High Council promised they weren't kill her. They told her her termination was suspended. Suspended. That was the key term there. Suspension could be lifted, and they could one day fed her to the wolves. The Tripedicus Council... If they ever figured it out... She would suffer a fate worse than death. And that was a fate she didn't want.

Do you honestly think they won't place a few extra bullets in me to make sure?,

We wouldn't give them the chance. Whitegrazer rubbed her chin. Then walked back to Rattrap. They needed to make a decision and fast. the Predacons awere waiting for them, and if they take too much time, the Predacons could just attack them anyway. "Rattrap, the Predacons will expect us to protect Zodiac. What if... for a moment... We make them believe we killed him. They wouldn't expect that, but we will have to make it believable. They probably won't believe I could do it." She looked at Rattrap. "You make a command decision to kill him. Deny them their prize. It might be a good distraction, bringing them out from their hiding places. Giving Landslide, Blackarachnia, and I time to quickly dispatch as many of them as we can." Landslide might have to held the flyers.

She might not be fully equipped. But with her few smoke grenades and her ice shotgun, she might just make a quick and clean attack work.

Blackarachnia tapped her foot impatiently while she reloaded her weapon, "So how are we going to do this? Shoot him? Stab him? While they can't see us? Or put on a little show for them. Maybe release Zodiac from his bonds in an attempt to make them think he was trying to escape and we shoot him? Though she smirked. Predacons always love a good show.

NaitoKage wrote: Primal suddenly felt suction cups on his shoulders and back, and legs wrap around his torso, and watched more tentacles reach for his weapons. Since the Empath had already warned him about the threat approaching from his left, he had immediately pulled that arm away from Umbra first so he'd at least have one hand free from his hold while the Predacon latched on to his right arm. Instinctively, he lifted his free left arm upward to his head to deflect Umbra's tentacle that was reaching for his face. Whether that tentacle stuck on to his arm or not, the Maximal suddenly ignited his thrust to maximum burn and flew them upward through the clouds. "Let's go for a ride!" He started to spin in quick, tight rotations. As a bot built for flight, Optimus had the right sensory for navigation and reduction in dizziness and g-force, but he doubted the squid did as well. Let's see how well Umbra can handle high velocity into thinner air and not lose consciousness, Optimus thought, determined to get his attacker off of him one way or another. He didn't want to damage him too much but he was prepared to defend himself against whatever Umbra had planned to take him down. If he was just a distraction, then the blue and silver ape wanted him off of him as soon as possible. Hopefully the aquatic Predacon would get dizzy and just release him, or involuntarily slip into unconsciousness from his speed, or freeze from colder, thinner air. Of course, Primal was uncertain as to how this would affect someone with a beast mode which could withstand very deep depths of the ocean and its pressure. Maybe it wouldn't affect him at all. If not, he had a different approach he could try if Umbra was unwilling to let go while they spun rapidly upward, Optimus easily maintaining his trajectory and awareness. After all, there was only one very experienced flier here, and he would use his expertise to his advantage as long as Umbra didn't get the opportunity to paralyze or poison him. Hopefully the spinning prevented the Pred from doing whatever he had planned to disable him. Primal didn't have enough time to count how many tentacles he had seen and if any of them had weapons before he went into his spiraling maneuver.

Megatron waited with as much patience as he could muster for his enemies to walk into his trap, the transmetal tyrant was eager to resolve this matter once and for all, but did not wish to jump the gun either...Regardless, he would be lying if he claimed he wasn't feeling as restless as the rest of his crew apparently did.

"How much longer do we have to wait? I'm bored now" Terrorsaur complained over the comms, the flyer quite lucky Megatron could not reach his scrawny neck from where he was hidden.

"As long as it takes drone! The Royalty commands!" Inferno replied back with his usual fanatical zeal, but with a hint of "Well duh!" to his tone.

"The Royalty commands this! The Royalty commands THAT! For the love of Primus, Unicron, and the very fabric of the universe itself, IS THAT YOUR ANSWER FOR EVERYTHING?!" Terrorsaur snapped, wishing the ant had been destroyed along with the alien weapon.

"....Yes, why wouldn't it be?" Inferno replied with genuine confusion in his voice, as if Terrorsaur had just asked what energon was for or where ant larva came from....Could the pterodactyl truly be that stupid?

"AAAHHHH! You're hopeless!" Terrorsaur screamed, Megatron snarling in frustration as he prepared to give the whole lot of them a verbal whiplashing the likes of which they'd never recover from, until, most welcomely, Deathroll intervened and said "SILENCE BOTH OF YOU! You will maintain radio silence until Lord Megatron gives the order to attack and not a klick sooner, that's an order! UNDERSTAND?!"

"Understood Subcommander" Inferno said, sounding like a child who'd been scolded, while Terrorsaur retorted "Oh, I'll tell you where you can stick your orders, leather face!"

"Terrorsaur, you realize I can burrow over to where you are hiding correct? And given the situation at hand you can't fly away without giving away your position to the maximals...You REALLY want me to give you the order again in person?" Deathroll replied coldly, the sound of his drill spinning over the comm channel for emphasis.

"...No Subcommander" Terrorsaur answered after a moment, remaining silent from that moment onward.

"Thank you, Subcommander, most appreciated" Megatron stated, pleased that he had a taskmaster under his employ that could whip this lot into shape without him having to tell him to do it.

"My pleasure, Milord" Deathroll answered, pleased that his leader approved of his actions and didn't see it as overstepping his authority as third in command...It was a miracle Megatron hadn't lost his mind from years alone with this lot.

"Nemesis, Umbra, status report if you please" Megatron inquired over the comms, curious as to how his two agents out in the field were doing and if all was going according to plan, he wanted these maximals and their prisoner dead sooner rather than later.

(ooc: Sorry for the delay. Finishing up the semester in school, work and the usual stuff. Hope I don't miss anything here.

Also.. what is Ironclaw doing during all of this?

And finally.. LOL@ Terrorsaur and Inferno squabbling!)

"Its about time. Now conceal yourselves until the maximals are within range, on the double!"

Nemesis was more than happy to oblige and found herself a convenient perch overlooking the mountain pass below. They had put a little distance between themselves and the active volcano, enough so that she figured they'd be safe in the event the volcano was to erupt or the aliens intervened by destroying the machine itself.

As she sat there, waiting for Megatron's signal to attack, her mind wandered a bit to what she had witnessed earlier. Zodiac had as much as admitted to having a connection to the aliens, to these Vok, yet Nemesis still didn't know how that could have happened. Zodiac was like her, a prisoner that underwent experiments to alter his abilities. She had never encountered the Vok herself so she would very much like to find out how the former shapeshifter had. Hopefully they'd be able to capture him alive and keep him that way for long enough for him to answer their questions. Then, and only then, would she be more than happy to take his life.

The squabble between Terrorsaur and Inferno soon cut in on all of their channels, causing the female bird of prey to shake her head with some amusement. It was almost fascinating to witness how badly the former subcommander clashed with the pteradactyl, or at the very least humorous. Their little argument continued until Deathroll intervened, much to Megatron's relief she was sure. The female chuckled lightly to herself as she sat on her perch, watching the Maximals, waiting..

In the valley below, the renegade had lost sight of Nemesis in the sky above. For that sake Optimus had disappeared as well. Although Zodiac was certain the Predacons had merely gone into hiding, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. It wasn't like them to merely give up, especially not when he was an easy target. Being bound and grounded, no weapons or abilities left, the Maximals could just as well have painted a target on his chest. Still, at least some of his strength was returning to him, even though he still couldn't sense his nanomachines anymore. Even the machines that had survived the transference into Whitegrazer had gone dormant, he could feel it via their link. It had been a long time since he'd felt this way, honestly, not since before his body had accepted the new technology all those years ago.

It was almost strange just how many of his functions relied on the use of the alien technology. He couldn't access his weapon systems, his transformation circuits were offline, as were his ability to heal, flight thrusters, and of course his unique shapeshifting skills. He had not yet tested his voice adaption technology but he presumed that was offline too. Oh, he felt like a mess. Even if he was able to get away by some small miracle, he would only be able to fly by using his wings to do so. Most of the others would be able to catch up to him quite easily like that. No, he'd need a different plan.

"Oh we're always targets; dat's old hats, pal," Rattrap told Zodiac. "But I'm willin' ta bet that if we just left you here in dese cuffs as bait while the rest of us retreated, they wouldn't bother to follow us too far before satisfyingly takin' you into their custody and returnin' ta base ta finish you off. Megs would just save us for a rainy day."

Oh the arrogance.. The rat was really starting to get on the renegade's nerves by now.

"Right. And yer just gonna spill the beans and tell us the truth about everythin' because you've been so good at it so far with all of yer disguises, manipulations and compulsive lying,"

The former shapeshifter had tried his best to accommodate these Maximals since they seemed like his best option to get out of this situation with his life, if not abilities, intact. Where he would go from there, he wasn't quite sure yet. But this rodent in particular was making him regret his decision to surrender himself.

Keep pushing, rat, keep pushing..

"Zodiac is right. He does have knowledge that might help us dealing with what the Vok might have in store for us."

Surprisingly, or perhaps not so much so anymore now that he was starting to get to know the white female, Whitegrazer was the one to speak up on his behalf. It was surprising in the sense that the Maximals he had hurt the most had been the ones closest to her, yet she was still the first to offer some sort of forgiveness. Even with her thoughts penetrating his own mind, he had a hard time understanding the philosophy she seemed to live by. Although she hadn't always done so from what he had learned.

"You really think it will be that simple?," the former shapeshifter challenged the rodent, "Lest you forget that the Predacons are not your only concern. That volcano back there.." He nodded in the general direction they had come from. "When that thing blows, it won't be only the machine itself that will be destroyed. Or did you honestly think that tunnel that links the location of the machine to the plateau the Axalon rests on is the only path the weapon can take?"

He let the question linger for but a moment.

"Of course it isn't. This entire area we're standing on consists of a network of tunnels, all connected to the machine. When the machine and the mountain in which it's housed goes, there's a high risk that the aftermath will travel a few hundred miles through those tunnels. And I really don't think you wish to be near any of them when that happens."


He sent the rodent a brief glare as if to make his point, to prove to them that they still needed him to guide them safely out of this place.

"He isn't insane."

Nor is he mentally stable, the renegade reminded the female through their connection. Everyone has a breaking point and I do believe your beloved Optimus is dangerously close to crossing his.

"I will, but only because I'm growin' tired of listenin' to yer voice, and I don't trust a word dat comes spewin' outta yer mouth."

The renegade responded with a sigh. Given his background as a specialist, the renegade shared the rodent's lack of trust towards others. And he certainly understood the distrust against himself given recent events. What he did trust, however, was the motivation that fueled each and every one of them. Part of his training involved interpreting those motives to better understand how to take advantage of them.. To further persuade his target he had their best interest in mind. Of course this time things were a bit different since this time, he was the target.

"They might not be innocent, but they aren't evil either. Neither are you. You were hurt, but in your quest to get back, you have hurt others. Some who were innocent. If you can't forgive, how can you expect to be forgiven? Optimus is making his choice. It remains to be seen what your choice would be."

He jerked a little harder at his cuffs upon hearing her say those words, finding them insulting at best.

"Did I ever ask for forgiveness?," he snorted back at her, verbally this time. "I'm well aware of the actions I took, however justified you may deem them. And I will accept the consequences thereof. But don't try to persuade me your sense of morality can or should be transferred onto others."

The renegade then turned to face her, locking his optics with hers.

I get the impression you know what it's like to work as a specialist. As the one they turned to for those impossible missions nobody else could either stomach or had the abilities to perform. If that is true, you know they prepare you for every possible outcome.. for every scenario imaginable. The Maximals will not break me. Nor will you.

His voice in her head sounded so determined, so confident. Yet for but a moment the voice faltered. There was one scenario they had not prepared him for and that was the loss of his nanomachines. Everything had changed the moment Optimus stabbed him with that needle, even if he wasn't willing to admit it to himself or the world just yet.

"I say we leave Zodiac here alone and hide until the Preds show up and we flank 'em,"

Zodiac sent Rattrap a grimace.

"I see Maximal treatment of their prisoners hasn't changed much," he muttered, memories of the torments Nexus Prime had put him through flashing through his mind. He had a feeling the Predacons would merely focus their combined firepower on him if they got the chance to do so.

"We need to figure out a plan. A plan, hopefully, in which we can avoid conflict and get out of danger unharmed. Even if we need to distract for one second. "

They would shoot me down immediately, Zodiac told Whitegrazer via their link. And then focus their attention on the rest of you.

It's not my friends I worry about.

Then you know what it's like to be a weapon, he responded back to her while withholding as much emotion as he could.

It doesn't matter who pulls the trigger. You're still being used to further someone's goals.

It had been the story of his life. Indeed. He had found himself working for a few different individuals. Never by choice.

We wouldn't give them the chance.

Can you truly say that on behalf of all your fellow Maximals?


It was true. There was no doubt in his mind that most of them would gladly sacrifice him to save their own skid plates. He wouldn't have hesitated either had the roles been reversed.

"Rattrap, the Predacons will expect us to protect Zodiac. What if... for a moment... We make them believe we killed him. They wouldn't expect that, but we will have to make it believable. They probably won't believe I could do it." She looked at Rattrap. "You make a command decision to kill him. Deny them their prize. It might be a good distraction, bringing them out from their hiding places. Giving Landslide, Blackarachnia, and I time to quickly dispatch as many of them as we can."

Zodiac paused, glancing between Rattrap and Whitegrazer. All things considering, the female's idea wasn't terrible. It could potentially work if executed just right.

Of course the female spider, whom in his honest opinion should be in chains right alongside him yet still retained her freedom somehow, spoke up next.

"So how are we going to do this? Shoot him? Stab him? While they can't see us? Or put on a little show for them. Maybe release Zodiac from his bonds in an attempt to make them think he was trying to escape and we shoot him? Though she smirked. Predacons always love a good show.

The renegade tilted his head as he tugged at his restraints once more, his wings pushing against the cuffs and his arms as well. A slight smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Releasing me won't be necessary," he told them in a lower than usual voice, "But I suggest you decide on the rest of it rather quickly."

He cast one last glance at the Maximals present. Then he suddenly took off running, gaining speed surprisingly quickly. A moment later he tossed himself partially sideways, partially backwards into a roll on the ground. He moved his cuffed arms underneath himself and pulled his legs out between his arms in a fluent motion, enabling him to move his still cuffed arms out in front of him and granting him at least some use of his arms. In the process he also freed up his wings. At least he still had his agility, a fact that he put to good use as he leaped back to his feet and continued sprinting away from them.

"A standard cell should suffice," Rhinox answered Aurora. "Enough to hold a large Predacon. We can make adjustments later if we need to, but it should have a functioning camera and at least two functioning auto-guns. We can't risk Zodiac escaping again, although it shouldn't be easy for him to do so anymore."

"Not a problem," the fuzor responded back, having grabbed a tool bag along the way so that she could at least be prepared for whatever sight greeted her when she arrived at the brig. Fortunately the situation there didn't look nearly as bad as she initially feared. For the most part the cells were intact, with only some minor repairs needing to be done. It only took her a few minutes to get everything set up.

"I think we're ready," she told Rhinox, "Now we just need our team to get back safely. What do you think is taking them so long?"

Hopefully nothing serious.

"Nemesis, Umbra, status report if you please"

Nemesis had been watching the commotion below with a certain amount of entertainment. She saw Zodiac take off running in what appeared to be a desperate and ultimately futile attempt at escape.

"Umbra is presently engaged in battle with Optimus," Nemesis responded back, "And the traitor is attempting escape. Want me to pursue?"

It was beginning to get cold for Optimus and it wouldn't be too much longer before he could no longer tolerate it. And, unfortunately, this attempt to shake Umbra off wasn't entirely a success. While he struggled to free his arms, pulling on them as hard as he could, he felt the Predacon squeeze him even more, his tentacles wrapping tighter than he had expected.

Hope you don't mind a detour!

Now what, oh great wise one? his conscience asked, poking him in the back of his mind. Why does this guy even have the ability of aviation? He's a sea creature! Don't the Predacons have enough fliers?

Apparently not, Primal answered, stretching his shoulders just a little bit and slightly twisting his torso to see how much flexibility and room he had with the squid latched on. Immediately, they started to tumble uncontrollably through the air because of Umbra igniting his rocket engine, causing the ape to growl a little in frustration. The blue gorilla didn't panic, however, there were plenty of miles between them and the ground to not worry about hitting it any time soon. The barrel rolling, somersaulting, and spiraling probably would have had anyone else in their position throwing up, but Optimus followed his navigation system to stay focused on the horizon's orientation and remain calm. We don't have time for this, he finally decided, presuming that Umbra was just a distraction to separate him from his Maximals and keep him occupied. Being a little taller than his opponent - at least in robot mode - and more robust, Primal assumed that Umbra wouldn't be able to carry the both of them with his rocket engine alone, and if he could, hopefully for not a great distance. So, Optimus cut all the power to his thrust and hovering engines, leaving the Predacon to either resume the flying on his own while attached to a heavy passenger, or to release Optimus and save himself. Just in case that didn't work, after a few moments of letting Umbra figure out his dilemma, the Maximal made an attempt to maximize and test the Predacon's strength. Perhaps his transformation would would rip off some of his limbs if he didn't let go, or some of his tentacles would get pinched and he'd be stuck. Either way, Primal's intention was just to get the bot off of him. He was prepared to free-fall as close to the ground as possible. Would Umbra accept that dare and challenge him?

"Be ... alert, Rattrap," Optimus said over his comm. link with some interference in the distance between them suggesting he was flying or falling with great speed or under turbulence. "I- ... under attack ... Umbra and doing ... best to shake him off."

-----

"It could be worse. Tarantulas could have been in my place, and you would be a tasty meal for him. You should be flattered that I limit my eating habits. You are too stinky for my tastes.

"Nothin' about you flatters me, widow," the rodent bluntly objected to the spider's statement. "And if Tarantulas knew about the places I've been, not even boiling me in lava would make me safe ta eat, if ya know what I mean," he smirked.

"Zodiac is right. He does have knowledge that might help us dealing with what the Vok might have in store for us."

"Only if he's honest about it. Otherwise, his so-called 'valuable' information could do us more harm dan good," Rattrap pointed out, skeptically.

"You really think it will be that simple?," "Lest you forget that the Predacons are not your only concern. That volcano back there.." "When that thing blows, it won't be only the machine itself that will be destroyed. Or did you honestly think that tunnel that links the location of the machine to the plateau the Axalon rests on is the only path the weapon can take?" "Of course it isn't. This entire area we're standing on consists of a network of tunnels, all connected to the machine. When the machine and the mountain in which it's housed goes, there's a high risk that the aftermath will travel a few hundred miles through those tunnels. And I really don't think you wish to be near any of them when that happens."

"Okay, yeah, thanks for the topographic and physics lesson," the Spy said sarcastically. "I'm sorry, I'm still tryin' ta figure out how you have this vast knowledge of everythin' about dis alien machine and dis whole area seemingly crawlin' with tunnels underneath us when, as far as I know, you've never stepped foot on dis planet before." The Spy shook his head in frustration and irritation. "...Unless you're in cahoots with the Vok," he accused him.

"They might not be innocent, but they aren't evil either. Neither are you. You were hurt, but in your quest to get back, you have hurt others. Some who were innocent. If you can't forgive, how can you expect to be forgiven? Optimus is making his choice. It remains to be seen what your choice would be."

"Did I ever ask for forgiveness?," "I'm well aware of the actions I took, however justified you may deem them. And I will accept the consequences thereof. But don't try to persuade me your sense of morality can or should be transferred onto others."

"Yer wastin' your time, 'Grazer. I'm pretty sure Zodiac is just plain evil, just like Megatron. Ain't nothin' worth redeeming about him."

"I see Maximal treatment of their prisoners hasn't changed much,"

"Please. We haven't even hurt ya. Yet," he quickly added.

"We need to figure out a plan. A plan, hopefully, in which we can avoid conflict and get out of danger unharmed. Even if we need to distract for one second." "Rattrap, the Predacons will expect us to protect Zodiac. What if... for a moment... We make them believe we killed him. They wouldn't expect that, but we will have to make it believable. They probably won't believe I could do it." "You make a command decision to kill him. Deny them their prize. It might be a good distraction, bringing them out from their hiding places. Giving Landslide, Blackarachnia, and I time to quickly dispatch as many of them as we can."

"So how are we going to do this? Shoot him? Stab him? While they can't see us? Or put on a little show for them. Maybe release Zodiac from his bonds in an attempt to make them think he was trying to escape and we shoot him? Predacons always love a good show.

"You forgot decapitation," Rattrap added to Blackarachnia's list while he took Whitegrazer's suggestion into consideration.

"Releasing me won't be necessary," "But I suggest you decide on the rest of it rather quickly."

"Hey!" the acting Commander called after Zodiac, followed by some stammering in his surprise. Rattrap immediately targeted him with his weapon, his aim keeping up with his movements but hesitated to fire. Was the rogue purposely giving him a reason to shoot him, accepting their plan of shooting him down and using him as bait? Or was he actually trying to escape right now? His aim was steady despite the blustery wind as his index finger lingered on the trigger. To shoot or not ta shoot, dat is the question, he thought undecided. The volcano shook and the Predacons were nearby as Optimus soon confirmed.

"Be ... alert, Rattrap," "I- ... under attack ... Umbra and doing ... best to shake him off."

"Copy dat, Optimus," the TransMetal rat returned while maintaining his target on Zodiac who continued to run away from the group into the blowing snow. He certainly hoped the monkey was capable of holding his own considering what he was dealing with. He refrained from sending Landslide after him since the Predacons were likely to converge on all of them on the ground and he'd need the beetle's fire power there to prevent Megatron and Nemesis from abducting Zodiac. "All right, guys, we're gonna pull off Whitegrazer's plan," he alerted the mare, Blackarachnia and Landslide. "Everybody start running and scatter for cover or a hidin' place. If dey got fliers in the air watchin', make it seem like you're retreating; dey can't watch us all at once in dis snow storm so hopefully they'll lose track so we can surround 'em when they approach. I'm gonna take Zodiac down, which'll hopefully draw 'em ta me and him. I'm the most likely here ta go to the extreme to stop him from fleein' despite Optimus's orders, and I don't trust Blackarachnia ta not fatally shoot 'im. Go now!" he urged them as he remained in his position, his weapon trained on the renegade, essentially leaving himself as bait as well, which wasn't the greatest feeling but he could be quick if he had to make an escape from Predacon fire.

Focusing on his aim again before Zodiac got too far away, the master marksman fired two shots with reluctant care but hopefully that was not obvious to anyone who was certainly watching from afar; anyone who might have seen this turn of events as chaos among their group while the snow came down, the mountain shook and Primal was still missing. One shot was intended for his right shoulder, the other was for one of his legs. He wished he could have made them more lethal but he respected the gorilla's request to keep him alive for questioning and Whitegrazer's seemingly hopeless attempt at finding redemption for this horrible bot. Come out, come out wherever you are... he taunted in his head, hoping their plan would force the Predacons to take action.

-----

"Not a problem,"

Rhinox noted Aurora's cooperation and optimism despite the current situation. And it was nice that he wasn't left at the base alone this time, as was the case during the majority of their missions.

"I think we're ready," "Now we just need our team to get back safely. What do you think is taking them so long?"

The engineer finished up his work as well and made his way to the brig to double check her progress. Not that he doubted her abilities but it wouldn't hurt to have a second pair of eyes to look everything over and make sure it was secure and inescapable. Plus, there was a large hole in the hull that needed to be patched up so no Predacons could sneak inside. "I'm not sure," Rhinox admitted. "Probably Predacon trouble. They could be chasing them if they want Zodiac. Not to mention it's just typical Predacon behavior to pick more than one fight. We'll ask them for another update soon," he assured her.

Arriving at the brig, he looked over the cell she prepared with satisfaction. "Well done, Aurora. Everything looks secure." He checked the cameras and guns, all functioning. He nodded and looked at her, saying, "Mind helping me with this next?" He walked over to a nearby wall and picked up a large sheet of thick metal, then he placed it over part of the hole of the exterior wall where Dirge had ripped it open, covering half of it. "Hold that there," he instructed the Fuzor while he grabbed another sheet and laid it next to the one she was helping hold in place, overlapping their ends. He began bolting them and welding them against the rest of the wall and where they touched each other.

Umbra observed as Optimus struggled under his grip, his efforts to force Optimus out of control seemed to be working.As they continued, he then noticed Optimus turn off his thrusters. Raising his arm again with his poisonous short sword held with a death grip, he attempted going for a stab, then stopped as he felt Optimus transforming under him. His tentacles, arms and legs gripped Optimus even harder to resist. While most of Optimus's transformation wouldn't of gotten in the way, the backpack part moved pressing against Umbra.

Optimus Primal wrote:"Be ... alert, Rattrap," "I- ... under attack ... Umbra and doing ... best to shake him off."

Umbra's optics narrowed as his objective had now failed, loosening his grip some he allowed Optimus's backpack part to lift partially, then twisted his wrist slamming the poisonous blade into Optimus's side partially and pulled it out, he then released his grip on Optimus shifting his thruster and cutting the thrust for a moment, falling free from him.

Falling in the air Umbra heard Megatron on his comlink

Megatron wrote:"Nemesis, Umbra, status report if you please"

He sent out a signal. Currently in engaged close combat in free fall. I'll keep you posted.

With Optimus now transformed to robot mode infront of him, Umbra seemed rather calm considering he was falling at terminal velocity,flipping out a throwing blade from his wrist compartment into his free hand. Guess I wont be getting a bonus on this job. Optimus Primal.. Why did you let him live? He's tried to kill you countless times, even assaulted a child and nearly killed Whitegrazer. He isn't worthy of your mercy and nothing will redeem him.

___________________________

Landslide listened to the conversation of the others, keeping a look out as they moved. He then saw Zodiac make a break for it Slagging..!

Rattrap wrote: "All right, guys, we're gonna pull off Whitegrazer's plan," "Everybody start running and scatter for cover or a hidin' place. If dey got fliers in the air watchin', make it seem like you're retreating; dey can't watch us all at once in dis snow storm so hopefully they'll lose track so we can surround 'em when they approach. I'm gonna take Zodiac down, which'll hopefully draw 'em ta me and him. I'm the most likely here ta go to the extreme to stop him from fleein' despite Optimus's orders, and I don't trust Blackarachnia ta not fatally shoot 'im. Go now!"

Landslide blinked I ain't exactly stealthy lad, but I'll give it a go. Good luck! he then said to Rattrap. Lowering his landing gear and turning his thrusters, Landslide started to roll along dragging through the snow in an attempt to find some sort of cover or area large enough to hide the giant beetle. He wondered if either side really had time for this, as the volcano would probably blow as Zodiac said, and even if it didn't.. just being in a few mile radius of the volcano was a bad idea as it would rain debris and ash down on them.

Phoenix wrote: Nemesis had been watching the commotion below with a certain amount of entertainment. She saw Zodiac take off running in what appeared to be a desperate and ultimately futile attempt at escape.

"Umbra is presently engaged in battle with Optimus," Nemesis responded back, "And the traitor is attempting escape. Want me to pursue?"

Megatron could not let this opportunity slide, even if it gave away his intentions, if Nemesis could neutralize Zodiac here and now he and his forces could go home triumphant even if the rest of the maximals would have to wait until another day with the area becoming more dangerous to remain in with the volcano growing progressively more active...However, perhaps he could still have destroy them all in one fell swoop if he played his cards right.

" By all means do, try to herd him towards our ambush site, the maximals shall no doubt follow and we shall crush them all at once, yyyyeeesssss. Do keep me informed Commander, and while I would very much like to do the deed myself, if things go wrong, do see to it that Zodiac shall meet his early end" Megatron replied, meaning what he said, for as much as he'd like to do the deed himself, Zodiac's destruction was ultimately all that mattered to him in the end.

NaitoKage wrote: He sent out a signal. Currently in engaged close combat in free fall. I'll keep you posted.

With Optimus now transformed to robot mode infront of him, Umbra seemed rather calm considering he was falling at terminal velocity,flipping out a throwing blade from his wrist compartment into his free hand. Guess I wont be getting a bonus on this job. Optimus Primal.. Why did you let him live? He's tried to kill you countless times, even assaulted a child and nearly killed Whitegrazer. He isn't worthy of your mercy and nothing will redeem him.

"Very well, best of luck to you" Megatron replied to Umbra, hoping the octopus would at least render Primal too weakened to interfere in his plans, that fool seemed to enjoy meddling in his affairs even when he was clearly acting in both of their best interests, a disgusting thought but true nonetheless, Zodiac was too much of a wild card to be left alive after he'd nearly destroyed them AND thrown their combined histories into absolute chaos.

"Prepare yourselves everyone, Nemesis shall be bringing us guests to entertain very soon, yyyyessss" Megatron laughed, his troops joining in their leader's evil mirth, even the more rigid Deathroll and the usually rebellious Terrorsaur...The thought of killing maximal scum did ALL their sparks good.

((OOc: I rarely post at night, but I hope I got everything despite being so sleepy. Probably in the morning or afternoon, I will clear my post up abit. Hopefully, I haven't made any big errors. Now, since I finnaly posted, I can sleep. ))

"Only if he's honest about it. Otherwise, his so-called 'valuable' information could do us more harm dan good,"

Blackarachnia sniffed, "Well, I didn't know about the weapon, and yet he did. He must have been somewhere before with the same aliens.

She just hoped his knowledge didn't make her useless. Some part of her actually wanted this to blow up in the Maximals' faces. She still couldn't believe they were actually going to let this guy live another day.

"Nothin' about you flatters me, widow," the rodent bluntly objected to the spider's statement. "And if Tarantulas knew about the places I've been, not even boiling me in lava would make me safe ta eat, if ya know what I mean," he smirked.

Blackarachnia shook her head. Shook her shoulders, trying to hold back laughter, "Are you sure? Tarantulas isn't a picky eater like Megatron. I have seen his lair. Beleve me, he would still find you appetizer. After all, rats are his favorite.

"You really think it will be that simple?," the former shapeshifter challenged the rodent, "Lest you forget that the Predacons are not your only concern. That volcano back there.." He nodded in the general direction they had come from. "When that thing blows, it won't be only the machine itself that will be destroyed. Or did you honestly think that tunnel that links the location of the machine to the plateau the Axalon rests on is the only path the weapon can take?"

"Of course it isn't. This entire area we're standing on consists of a network of tunnels, all connected to the machine. When the machine and the mountain in which it's housed goes, there's a high risk that the aftermath will travel a few hundred miles through those tunnels. And I really don't think you wish to be near any of them when that happens."

"Then whatever we plan to do, we must do it quickly." Whitegrazer simply said. Though, this information should have already been known. They should have known that the aliens would have had that alein device hooked up in a way where it's power could be separated and scattered across different areas if they so choose to.

Nor is he mentally stable, the renegade reminded the female through their connection. Everyone has a breaking point and I do believe your beloved Optimus is dangerously close to crossing his.

Whitegrazer knew that Zodiac was right. Optimus hasn't been himself since all this started, but nonetheless, she had faith that with time, patience, and persistence on both sides, Optimus will learn to cope. It would be difficult. The death of his mentor was going to take more time than others. Sometimes, the loss of someone close, especially in the matter as Optimus lost Nexus, it might never heal. Not until there was some sort of closure. Maybe... Maybe Optimus could when they got back to Cybertron. She would make sure to help him with that, if he wished for it.

"Did I ever ask for forgiveness?," he snorted back at her, verbally this time. "I'm well aware of the actions I took, however justified you may deem them. And I will accept the consequences thereof. But don't try to persuade me your sense of morality can or should be transferred onto others."

"Yer wastin' your time, 'Grazer. I'm pretty sure Zodiac is just plain evil, just like Megatron. Ain't nothin' worth redeeming about him."

She didn't think so. Didn't see Zodiac as evil. "We can only open the door, Zodiac. It is you who have to walk through it."

I get the impression you know what it's like to work as a specialist. As the one they turned to for those impossible missions nobody else could either stomach or had the abilities to perform. If that is true, you know they prepare you for every possible outcome.. for every scenario imaginable. The Maximals will not break me. Nor will you.

You are correct. My abilities weren't just used on the battlefields. The High Council used me for other tasks. That was true. Despite the fact she was ordered to be part of a unit, most of her work consisted more of the silent and deadly type of wet work for a time. Because of her connections, her ability to be more attuned to the surrounding around her, she was able to become a ghost and be able to take what the High Council wanted her to get. In those mission, she saw things. Everything. Secrets. Lies. Political power struggles. Experiments. What Zodiac told her reminded her times WarSpark used her to interrogate Predacon criminals and spies. No one could lie to her. Made her a prime target for assassinations. Or capturing because of her....power and knowledge. Break him? No. She wasn't going to break him. She shook her head. I don't want to break you, Zodiac. I want to be your guide.

They would shoot me down immediately, Zodiac told Whitegrazer via their link. And then focus their attention on the rest of you.

We won't let them.

Then you know what it's like to be a weapon,

It doesn't matter who pulls the trigger. You're still being used to further someone's goals.

We have all been used. The world is merely a stage, and we are just the players, but yet, we can still influence the play. I no longer pull a trigger for anyone. You don't have to either.

She wondered who Zodiac worked for. A few names popped into her mind, but she would need more information.

Can you truly say that on behalf of all your fellow Maximals?

She could. Rattrap might not be the most forgiving or diplomatic, but he always tried to lead by Primal's example, even if he pulled his own style into it. He respected Primal despite their differences.

"You forgot decapitation,"

Blackarachnia nodded at Rattrap's addition to her list of what to dos to Zodiac.

"Releasing me won't be necessary," he told them in a lower than usual voice, "But I suggest you decide on the rest of it rather quickly.

Zodiac started running. It caught Whitegrazer by surprise for real. Especially when Rattrap pulled out his weapon. So Rattrap was going for her idea? "No! Don't!" If they were going to do this right, she didn't want the Predacons to get any suspicion right off the bat. She wasn't one to actually agree with this sort of thing, but if she didn't react or say something, it might not like authentic. Whitegrazer felt her body stiffen. Tightened because of the fight between Umbra and Optimus. She felt the sword stab into her side. She placed her hand on the area. They needed to get out of here now.

"All right, guys, we're gonna pull off Whitegrazer's plan," he alerted the mare, Blackarachnia and Landslide. "Everybody start running and scatter for cover or a hidin' place. If dey got fliers in the air watchin', make it seem like you're retreating; dey can't watch us all at once in dis snow storm so hopefully they'll lose track so we can surround 'em when they approach. I'm gonna take Zodiac down, which'll hopefully draw 'em ta me and him. I'm the most likely here ta go to the extreme to stop him from fleein' despite Optimus's orders, and I don't trust Blackarachnia ta not fatally shoot 'im. Go now!"

Blackarachnia rolled her optics.

Whitegrazer watched as Rattrap fired at Zodiac.

"And I thought you Maximals didn't shoot bots in the back?"

Whitegrazer knew she would probably be the most invisible of them. After all, the snow was camouflaging her pretty quicker. She kept her optics and other senses peeled as she moved away. Made it look like she was fleeing before she stopped, dropped and watched as she felt the presences of others. Waiting for the Predacons to make their move.Making sure the Predacons didn't do any damage towards Zodiac. Also, she felt an optic on Optimus, who she felt was falling. They needed to secure and help Optimus quickly after the PRedacons make themselves known.

"Okay, yeah, thanks for the topographic and physics lesson," the Spy said sarcastically. "I'm sorry, I'm still tryin' ta figure out how you have this vast knowledge of everythin' about dis alien machine and dis whole area seemingly crawlin' with tunnels underneath us when, as far as I know, you've never stepped foot on dis planet before." The Spy shook his head in frustration and irritation. "...Unless you're in cahoots with the Vok," he accused him.

Oh that rat was annoying.. Yet he was oddly astute in his observations.

It was true that Zodiac had certain dealings with the Vok in the past, but those dealings weren't something he felt the need to disclose at this very moment. His relationship with the Vok had quickly soured when he'd taken advantage and had stolen information from them. Potential consequences hadn't seemed like a very big deal at the time since he never thought the Vok would find out about his whereabouts, at least not until long after his plans of extracting revenge had come to fruition. Ideally he would have been long gone by now, never having had to activate the alien machine and thus alerting them of his presence here. And certainly not without his powers. Right now he was effectively stranded here just like everyone else. The main difference was that he was wanted by both sides, a common foe to both Maximal and Predacon.

Zodiac had avoided responding to Rattrap's accusation. Again. For he had glimpsed an opportunity, however remote, to escape his current predicament. It was true that surrendering to the Maximals seemed like a better choice with a less severe outcome than the fate that awaited him from the Predacons. Yet the thought of going back to prison did not sit well with him. Sure, he played along to save his own hide but ultimately he was merely buying his time. He was, after all, opportunistic in nature like few.

"Yer wastin' your time, 'Grazer. I'm pretty sure Zodiac is just plain evil, just like Megatron. Ain't nothin' worth redeeming about him."

Evil.. such a loaded word. It was a common misconception among Maximals that the two factions were all good and evil. Predacons certainly viewed themselves as heroes in their own way. The underdog fighting not only for survival but to reclaim what they believed to be rightfully theirs. Despite his physical similarities to a Predacon, he didn't really consider himself one. Predacons were misguided, ultimately ruled by a council that would stop at nothing to achieve their goals. The Maximal elders weren't much better, often resorting to extreme measures and leaving the dirty work to their trusted agents. Like Ironclaw.

"We can only open the door, Zodiac. It is you who have to walk through it."

The white female interfered again, arguing on his behalf. Would she ever give this up? Give him up? He had a feeling the answer to that was no. Sending her an exasperated look, he spoke up. "Open up the door of my prison cell? How generous of you!"

He followed up with a bit of a grimace. Well, he wasn't behind locked doors just yet. Perhaps there was still a way out of this situation.

You are correct. My abilities weren't just used on the battlefields. The High Council used me for other tasks.

What a shocker. Although at least he now had a confirmation on how the female seemed able to relate to his own experiences. Not that he wanted someone to bond with, but rather he saw the opportunity of using Whitegrazer's experiences to manipulate her.

Then you understand what it's like having to do things against your own will. To be held accountable for crimes you were forced to commit..


His mental message to her sounded so pitiful it almost made him a bit queasy, but he was genuinely curious to find out how easily he'd be able to manipulate her. Yes, a lot of his socalled crimes had been done while under orders, but often he would take things farther than he had to simply for enjoyment. And sometimes what he did had been done purely out of his own free will and desire to do so.

I don't want to break you, Zodiac. I want to be your guide.

To light our darkest hour? Wasn't that what the original Optimus Prime had told his Autobots near the end? At least that's what he'd heard from the stories told to him by captive descendants of those Autobots. Ever naive, believing in some sort of salvation to the very end. Nexus Prime had done the same.

They would shoot me down immediately, Zodiac told Whitegrazer via their link. And then focus their attention on the rest of you.

We won't let them.

Unless you possess the power to control all of them at once, that is a very big promise to make..


It was true that Whitegrazer's powers were impressive. More so now that his own nanomachines had awakened something in her. But somehow the renegade doubted that the white female possessed powers that immense that she'd be able to do such feats. There would have been wars made to kill or enslave her had that been the case but instead she had been working in the shadows much of her life, somewhat like him in fact.

We have all been used. The world is merely a stage, and we are just the players, but yet, we can still influence the play. I no longer pull a trigger for anyone. You don't have to either.

He mulled over her words for a moment while he contemplated his next approach. The ground underneath them shook violently again, a good indicator that the pressure within the mountain was starting to rise and that the explosion could come at any moment. Zodiac stared off into the distance, towards the mountain which was mostly obscured by the falling snow. The tunnels he had mentioned could offer him a way out if he played his cards right. He was well aware of how the system of tunnels worked, and how some of them had been left unfinished and as such not connected to the others. One such tunnel was nearby, in fact, so if he could just get to it unnoticed he would be safe from the blast. With any luck the Maximals and Predacons would all perish while he remained safe underground. Right now it seemed like the best option.

"Releasing me won't be necessary," he told them in a lower than usual voice, "But I suggest you decide on the rest of it rather quickly.

There had been a certain hope in his words as he started running. The roll on the ground to free up his arms had been almost an afterthought, a way to at least gain some functionality of his arms. The Maximals would now simply fire in his direction and he'd briefly pretend to be hit and thus lure the Predacons in. After the two factions started fighting, he'd be free to escape unscathed and could then make his way to the tunnels. The others would be none-the-wiser until it was too late for them.

Again the ground shook as he sprinted towards the tunnels. He knew there were hidden openings connecting the tunnels to the terrain above ground, placed there by the aliens as a shelter in case something went wrong. Having read the layout, carefully memorizing them, he knew where to go. A quick glance behind him revealed Rattrap aiming his weapon at him. Zodiac was aware of the rodent's reputation as a sharp shooter, after all he had obtained access to Sentinel and all the computer files at the Axalon. But would the rat actually shoot him? Somehow he doubted it but he made a few swift rolls on the ground to make it much more difficult for the Maximal to take aim just in case. As far as they were concerned, he was only going by their suggestion so they could trick the Predacons into revealing themselves.

"Hey!"

"No! Don't!"

He heard Whitegrazer's surprised shout as well as the rodent's protest but did not slow down. With his arms now in front of him, even if they were still cuffed together at the wrist, it was much easier for him to maneuver. Although he could simply spread his wings and fly, he decided against it since it would make him an easier target.

From her ledge above Nemesis was watching the spectacle take place. Zodiac made a run for it and the Maximals seemed to be spreading out and retreating. Her focus remained on the traitor, however, as he was the one she really didn't want to lose sight of.

" By all means do, try to herd him towards our ambush site, the maximals shall no doubt follow and we shall crush them all at once, yyyyeeesssss. Do keep me informed Commander, and while I would very much like to do the deed myself, if things go wrong, do see to it that Zodiac shall meet his early end"

Megatron's response left the avian female with a grin on her face. "It will be my pleasure!," she told the Predacon leader, spreading her wings out and swooping down towards her target below. As she did her avian form changed to more of a jet form to allow for her weapons to drop down. Once in place, she took aim at the ground just a short distance in front of the traitorous pretender's path.

Zodiac was too preoccupied with keeping track of Rattrap's movements to notice the new threat swooping in from above. He ducked and rolled to avoid the first shot just in case Rattrap truly was as good as his file said and in the event he was actually aiming right at the renegade. A wall of fire that suddenly hit the snowy ground only a short distance in front of him forced him to slow down considerably the moment he jumped back up after his roll, however, allowing the second shot to penetrate through his right wing before lodging itself into his shoulder. The former shapeshifter howled out from the pain of the unexpected shot and fell forward, seemingly still in the snow. Every instinct in him was telling him to flee, but the unexpected arrival of another combatant prevented him from doing so. Thus his best choice at the moment was to go along with the Maximals' plan to play dead, at least until the immediate danger was over.

Nemesis had been prepared to fire again, wanting to force the traitor to make a change in direction and simply run straight into the trap set by Megatron a bit further up the pass. But before she could implement it, her foe made a painful noise and grabbed for his shoulder with his cuffed hands before collapsing on the ground. The newly appointed Predacon commander hissed at the interruption, glaring in Rattrap's direction as she landed on the ground only a few feet away from her target. Zodiac remained still, so much so that she had a genuine concern Rattrap's shot had actually killed him and thus taken away her prize.

She had to make sure..

Now in robot form, she took the few steps separating her from Zodiac's still form. No movements, no acknowledgement of her presence.. Of course now that her foe wasn't able to heal himself or change his shape, he wouldn't be able to keep the charade up if he was faking it. And somehow she doubted a single shot from a Maximal would be enough to kill him, even in this weakened format without his abilities.

"Get up," she told him coldly, waiting for only a moment before kicking him harshly in the side of his chest. "I said get up!"

As much as Zodiac attempted to ignore the female standing next to her, spending every bit of his concentration on blocking out the pain radiating from his shoulder and on keeping perfectly still, he was not able to ignore the sharp pain of the kick. A second kick, even harder than the first, sent him rolling onto his backside with a pained gasp.

"You really.. need to work.. on your bedside manners..," he told her between gasps for air.

The female merely glared back at him, saying nothing for a moment. She then pulled out her sword and pointed it at his chest. For now she didn't activate the flames, preferring to keep him alive until Megatron had a chance to say his piece. "You could have avoided this if you hadn't tried to kill me off alongside the Maximals," she finally told him, her voice cold as ice and still it revealed the hurt she had felt. For but a moment Zodiac's gaze fell to the snowy ground. "I had no choice," he told her, his voice a bit more quiet than normal.

"Don't lie to me!," she screamed back at him, grabbing for his throat with her free hand. "We were partners! We looked out for each other, protected each other! And you were just going to have me killed in a fiery blaze!"

Zodiac twisted to try to force her to break the choke hold on his throat, finally forced to use his own still cuffed arms to do it. "And you left me behind to a fate even worse than death!," he accused her back, returning her glare once more. And for a moment the two merely stared at each other before Nemesis followed up with a punch to the side of the face that was hard enough to slam Zodiac's head against the ground. "I will not repeat myself again..," she warned, "Let's go!"

"I'm not sure," Rhinox admitted. "Probably Predacon trouble. They could be chasing them if they want Zodiac. Not to mention it's just typical Predacon behavior to pick more than one fight. We'll ask them for another update soon,"

Aurora nodded, continuing the patch-up job they were doing on the giant hole left behind by Dirge. "Hopefully not too much Predacon trouble," she said, eager to see her fellow Maximals again. Even Ironclaw. Hopefully the others were bringing him back too since they had located him at the volcano. She grabbed a welding device and started to secure one plate until Rhinox instructed her to hold another, larger one in place. This one Rhinox bolted and welded shut and in all fairness he was doing a better job of it than she had been.

She paused for a moment, merely holding the plate in place and letting Rhinox work on it, before suddenly breaking the silence again.

"Do you think Optimus will get the answers he's been looking for?"

Albeit she used Optimus as an excuse, she too was curious to find out what had happened to the real Nexus Prime. Since the pretender had managed to fool Optimus with his disguise, he must have acted a lot like the real Nexus Prime. So much so that Aurora had actually started to care about the old guy.. A Maximal it would turn out she'd never even met. It was all so confusing.

During his transformation, Primal felt a sharp penetration through his armor on his side. It felt like a blade slicing right through, but he had been unaware of Umbra having any knives or swords. Then again, the Maximals' dealings with him had been short and not very knowledgeable about the Predacon who kept a low profile. It was a mistake on Primal's part that might prove costly. Immediately, he moved himself away from the squid as he free-fell in the air and looked down at the side of his abdomen to see it bleeding. Now he had lacerations across his chest from Zodiac and a stab wound from Umbra, he had been electrocuted by lightning from Landslide's weapon, and his spirit had been crushed when he found out that Nexus died believing Optimus was the one who killed him. What else could possibly go wrong?

Covering his wound with his hands as if applying pressure to stop the bleeding, he looked at Umbra with some slight desperation and disbelief.

Guess I wont be getting a bonus on this job. Optimus Primal.. Why did you let him live? He's tried to kill you countless times, even assaulted a child and nearly killed Whitegrazer. He isn't worthy of your mercy and nothing will redeem him.

Now he was glaring a bit at his opponent, carefree of falling and instead more concerned about what he was starting to feel from the stabbing; sluggish and slightly blurred vision. Was it poison? "Thanks for keeping track..." he said with some sarcasm as Umbra's words reminded him of all the pain and suffering he and his Maximals had been put through ever since Zodiac showed up. On the bright side, it had also made them stronger. Well, maybe not for Optimus, but hopefully for the others. He wanted to tell Umbra how he might not ever understand how Primal does things and how he differed so much from Megatron, but now wasn't the time for a lecture. He couldn't keep wasting time. Then the gorilla thought that in case Zodiac was captured by the Predacons, maybe he could buy himself some time to retrieve him if he offered them some doubt and hesitation on executing him as quickly as he thought Megatron might. "I have questions that need answers," he told Umbra in a serious tone. "He has valuable information that I intend to obtain." Hopefully that would be enough for the squid to forward to Megatron, who might be curious enough to know what Optimus knew what Zodiac might know thus delaying Zodiac's death if he were to fall into Megatron's clutches. Glancing at Umbra's hand which now held another weapon in it, as much as he wanted to know what he had done to him when he stabbed him, Primal opted to get out of there as quickly as he could, especially since his systems were slurred and slower at reacting now.

Grabbing his gun from his hip, he fired a few shots at the squid without the intention of actually hitting him, just as a distraction, and then quickly put his body into a dive to purposely fall even faster; head first and his arms straight against his sides. The speed through the air stung his wounds and he cringed, droplets of his blood slipping off his TransMetal armor and seemingly floating into the air as he out-fell them. Optimus dealt with the pain and tried remaining focused as the poison pulsed throughout his body. However, he hadn't realized how much further ahead that he had flown and placed himself because now he was falling through the snowy clouds right toward where the Predacons were waiting to ambush his Maximal team. He hadn't spotted any of them yet, and they might not have spotted him, but he pulled his body forward more in a belly-flop position and spread out his arms and legs to slow his fall as he tried gaining his surroundings.

(( OOC: That should get the Preds moving. Surely Terrorsaur would disobey Megatron and take advantage of Optimus being alone. ))

-----

"And I thought you Maximals didn't shoot bots in the back?"

"We're just full of surprises, aren't we?" the rodent dryly joked. "I'm just waitin' for you ta give me a reason," Rattrap informed Blackarachnia.

Slagging..! I ain't exactly stealthy lad, but I'll give it a go. Good luck!

"Yer resourceful, 'Slider, I'm sure you'll think of somethin'," the Spy commented with a short grin. "...And... thanks."

"No! Don't!"

"Whoops. My finger slipped," he lied to Whitegrazer as if it had been an accident while he vigilantly watched his shots to see what would happen. Unfortunately, it didn't quite go as planned. Zodiac, who had turned to see his firepower, dodged one shot while the other hit his wing, piercing it and hitting his shoulder. Direct hit! And this time, he wouldn't be able to heal. He was happy to see him go down but that happiness was quickly stripped away when he saw Nemesis swoop in, spraying a wall of gunfire along the frozen ground that stopped Zodiac in his tracks. Slag! he cursed. But was Zodiac going to do? Play dead? He hesitated from interfering to see what happened next.

Playing "possum" seemed to be exactly what the former shapeshifter was doing, to his surprise, but it didn't last long while Nemesis closed in, kicking him repeatedly, and stood over him. They then seemed to be engaged in conversation although Rattrap couldn't make out what they were saying considering the distance and the wind blowing their voices around in all different directions. What do I do now? She's messin' up everythin'! Then her sword came out. If he lost Zodiac to her now Optimus might never forgive him. Ugh! He decided to make a dash for them.

"Let's go!"

"He ain't goin' no where with you!" Rattrap shouted as he ran toward them, firing his gun at Nemesis.

"Whitegrazer, where are the other Preds?!" he pleaded to her over his comm. link which was opened to all of the Maximals present so they could hear what was going on. "Can you sense them er what? Nemesis is interferin' with our plan," he added angrily.

-----

"Hopefully not too much Predacon trouble,"

Rhinox hoped for that as well but he doubted it. Of course, he wasn't going to say that to Aurora. He simply continued working on the hull while she helped him.

"Do you think Optimus will get the answers he's been looking for?"

"Perhaps. But how can one trust anything Zodiac says?" he asked rhetorically. "And even if he does get the answers he seeks, I'm more concerned about how he will handle the information. He has been put through a lot, as we all have, but everyone has a tipping point. I have known Optimus for a long time, but this is nothing he has ever been through before. Nothing could have prepared him for this war," the engineer explained as he finished up covering the hole and reinforcing it with more metal sheets. "He's strong and he has a pure spark, but even this is beyond all of our expertise combined. If we ever make it home, none of us will be the same." He didn't mean to sound so doom-and-gloom but it wasn't healthy to pretend that things were all rainbows and butterflies, or trying to hide the hardships from someone as young as Aurora. She needed to keep her mind in reality, no matter how difficult it might be some times, and sugar coating certain things - to an extent - wasn't going to keep her prepared for whatever was in their future. It didn't cross Rhinox's mind how Aurora might have felt about Cybertron since she probably considered this planet her home; it was all she knew. He was too focused on holding on to that hope that one day they would make it back, hopefully with Megatron in tow... assuming he doesn't let his own ambitions and hunger for power destroy himself.

Optimal Optimus Primal wrote: "Thanks for keeping track...""I have questions that need answers," "He has valuable information that I intend to obtain."

Umbra rolled his optics listening to Optimus, it was the same excuse he gave before. The monkey was wasting his time clearly. Umbra then observed as Optimus reached for his gun, though in the air the Ninja wasn't sure he'd be able to deflect the shots like usual, he'd have to dodge. Shifting the direction of the thruster on his back, he let out a short burst and darted to the side as the shots flew. Noticing Optimus started to go into a dive, Umbra sheathed away his short sword and slipped away the throwing knife. It'd be pointless to attempt a range attack as all he had was throwing weapons at the moment. While Umbra could follow Optimus in pursuit, he pondered exactly what to do about him. He doubted Megatron would ever command him to destroy Optimus, that was clearly a "pleasure" he reserved to himself. Otherwise he would of commanded him to do so and be done with Optimus already..

Activating his comlink he reported to Megatron He's poisoned and falling fast, I doubt it was enough to take him out but he should be alot weaker. Should I continue pursuit Lord Megatron?


______________________________________

Landslide continued moving along the ground, turning his head as he looked in Rattrap's direction noticing the sudden hail of gunfire from the air. It's started.. he said to himself, then saw Nemesis come down ontop of Zodiac. Landslide cut his thrusters and dug his feet into the ground as he came to a stop, then lifted his shield infront of himself and propped his rifle ontop of his shield, aiming towards Nemesis,then started to open fire just shortly after Rattrap. With Zodiac prone on the ground, he probably wasn't going to get hit Landslide thought to himself.

_________________________________

Waspinator gave a nod as he listened to Megatron, he then looked up towards the sky. Noticing something falling quickly. There! There'zz something falling! Waspinator pointed, his optics squinting as he attempted to zoom in.