"More Than Meets The Eye: Part III"

[Optimal Optimus Primal]

Optimus ricocheted as much of Megatron's shots as he could with one of his clubs, but many still collided with his armor all over his body. He tried ignoring the pain, coping with it like the voice told him to. He refused to fail. Not this time. His determination to stand against Megatron and keep him distracted from Zodiac was all he could concentrate on. Until the tyrant noticed Whitegrazer. It wasn't that Primal had verbally said anything to bring him aware of her dangerously dangling off of his foot, so it must have been his optics which had been drawn to her predicament. It prompted Megatron's onslaught to pause, the ape's metallic body smoking and clearly damaged.

"Ah, yyyyeesssss...Thank you Primal, sometimes you really do bring out the best in me"

FOOL! Fool, fool, fool! he cursed himself.

Optimus, ignore him. Let me deal with Megatron. Rattrap may need help in securing Zodiac's safety.

The TransMetal gorilla ignored the mare. He recognized this unhitched rage and fury in Megatron and thought it would be a terrible idea to leave her alone with him when he was set on taking life. Did Rattrap need help? He didn't have time to check. Until Whitegrazer had more back-up, he was unwilling to leave her side. Megatron's shoulder guns forced Primal to fly backwards, putting space between him and the t-rex's hitchhiker, while he was able to deflect one shot with his club, sending it through the air in an upward angle, but received the other in his shoulder. He tried absorbing it as if it were merely a bug bite, but the force of the shot pushed his shoulder back. It nearly spun him around, but Optimus managed to maintain control with his hoverboard.

"Sorry dear, this is flight is first class, you want coach, let me show you to your seat"

Primal swore he could feel the impact on Whitegrazer's face from Megatron's foot through the Empath, albeit it was faint but it was like a strange warmth that covered his face for a moment, even though he hadn't witnessed the initial hit since he had been recovering from the Predacon's attack himself.

Optimus... You might need to catch me.

Immediately, he looked to Whitegrazer with much concern.

No!

Seeing her hand slip, he was about to dive for her. Of course, he may have been too far away to catch her in time. That was when he saw from the corner of his eye a gold flash fly in out of no where. He could only assume that it was Cheetor to the rescue. But that was all he saw when at the same time he heard Megatron mutter something in the background...

"Now, where were we? Oh yes, me killing you, silly me. Shall we?"

...And that familiar sound of his humming tail gun as it charged made Optimus look at him, catching a glimpse of what would soon be gratification in Megatron's carnivorous optics. All he could do was cross his arms in a minuscule attempt to protect himself, as if it would help reduce any damage he was about to take. Megatron's first shot had killed Primal's ability of flight, and he dropped from the sky immediately as Whitegrazer's smoke grenade inhibited both Primal's and Megatron's vision, effectively providing cover for the Maximal at the same time. Since he was no longer in the same spot where the Predacon leader's tail gun was first aiming for, the gorilla hit the ground hard from his fall but got up as quickly as he could, moaning slightly with his injuries and wounds. He didn't want to waste the cover of the smoke as it started to waft eastward with the windy snow.

Gotta.. make it!

Whoa! Hey thanks big guy!

Takin' flying lessons from the lad? Might wanna get some wings first.

Not too far away, he could hear Cheetor and Landslide's voices, sounding as though they were alright and had succeeded in helping Whitegrazer and perhaps defeating their opponents. Thank Primus. He loved his crew; always looking out for each other and working together. He was proud of them and that gave him the strength to keep fighting. Optimus maximized to his robot mode, but instead of returning fire to Megatron who was still obscured in the smoke higher above, he looked toward Rattrap and Nemesis. Zodiac was not in sight...

Rattrap's optics frantically looked around below in search of Zodiac but he couldn't spot him, nor did the former shapeshifter respond to his call. Was he truly gone? Was that it? Had Rattrap failed Optimus in obtaining him and keeping him safe so he could question him? He didn't have time to think about it long when he felt one of Nemesis's gun shots ricochet off of one of his hubcaps on his back, slightly pushing him forward but not enough to knock him over the edge. He was also unaware of Umbra making his way toward him. Without even looking back at Nemesis, he ducked and laid on the ground, rolling to the side as the rest of her shots followed him. He hadn't rolled too far when he stopped and felt the ground shake, only to feel it suddenly fall away underneath him. Thinking quickly, trying not to panic, he swung his legs around in wake of the falling rocks and grabbed the ledge with his free hand, hanging off the cliff and looking down at the lava below. Great place ta be in, Rattrap, he told himself sarcastically. I'm gonna die! He put his gun away so he could hold onto the edge with both hands, hoping that Nemesis wouldn't come over and finish him off by stepping on his fingers or shooting him in the face. What a way to go.

Hey! Tentacles! You want to practice your flying skills? I would be happy to help.

Everything was happening so fast. While Rattrap may not have witnessed Blackarachnia's attempt to help him by firing at Umbra with her grappling hook as the squid approached the Spy appearing to have the intent of harming him, Optimus did and he certainly took note of it, grateful for her actions even if Rattrap wouldn't be. Beyond them, however, he watched Nemesis attack the rodent. Rattrap! He prayed he was alright as he peered through the smoke which was lifting up from the cracks of the ground that was quickly breaking apart all around everyone. As the wind cleared it, he saw Rattrap was missing. NO! RATTRAP! Optimus sprinted with his permanent slight limp toward the area where he was last seen, leaping over the crevasses. "Cheetor, Landslide, Whitegrazer, give Megatron a taste of his own medicine and force him to retreat!" he told them over his comm. link. The ground shook violently, and a plume of smoke and lava exploded out of the volcano as it began erupting. The loud booms of thunder created by the lightning in the plumage spewing out of the top of the mountain made Primal glance up at its immense power while he ran. "We're out of time!" he told his Maximals.

Primal was bleeding all over from Megatron's attacks, with dented and scratched armor, and the lacerations across his chest were still quite evident; a reminder of Zodiac's ruthlessness. His legs and his arms hurt. His back hurt where Megatron's tail gun had hammered it. He pushed all of it aside. He pushed aside the pain of losing Nexus. Everything was suppressed.

That's right. Now is not the time for emotions and anguish, the voice told him. You can cry later, assuming we ever leave the vicinity of this volcano. Stop wasting time and do what what needs to be done, coward!

Primal licked the scar across his lips as he stopped running, pulling his "back pack" up over his shoulders and placing it in front of him. He fired several powerful shots in Nemesis's direction to keep her away before deactivating it and finishing his run to the general area of where he witnessed his smaller comrade disappear. "Rattrap?!" Optimus desperately called for him as he slid across the snowy ground up to the edge where any snow had long since melted, peering over it as his face felt the heat coming off of the molten rock below. "Zodiac?!" he then hollered for. He looked all around for both of them.

"Optimus!" Rattrap called to the monkey, desperately hanging on after that last quake of the volcano eruption. He was so glad to hear him. But where was Nemesis?

"Rattrap!" The taller Maximal heard him to his left. He stood up and quickly made his way toward his voice, spotting his small hands hanging on for life.

The ground shook again, almost knocking Optimus off balance, but more importantly, it was too much for Rattrap to hold on to. Just as his hands felt the rocky ledge crumble, the most helpless feeling came over him. The beginnings of shock and fear appeared on his face just as he started to fall, as if it were all in slow motion. He figured this was it, this was how he was finally going to die, yet he knew Optimus was nearby, and he somehow maintained hope for his rescue.

Optimus dived to the edge where Rattrap was, seemingly not caring if he went over it himself, his long arm reaching down and grabbing a hold of Rattrap's wrist that was still reaching for the air. With the damage that his arm had already taken from Megatron, Rattrap's weight, although small in size, nearly pulled it out of its socket. Optimus growled in pain but clenched his jaws and stopped himself from going any further off of the ledge, the Spy hanging by a thread over the lava.

Looking up, Rattrap grinned with relief despite how uncomfortably tight the Maximals' fearless leader's grip was. That was better than falling to his death! "Thanks fer droppin' in."

Not in the mood for puns or smiling, Primal simply gave him a slight nod. "It would be great... if you watched your step...," he said with some pain, referring to the rodent falling into these pits three times now during this battle.

"You know how clumsy I am," he smirked. "Why didn't ya just fly in and gimme a ride?" the rat asked.

"Megatron took out my flight," he told him. And then his orange optics seemed to look past Rattrap further down, as if noticing something. A pile of rocks that looked out of place and possibly an ebony figure underneath. "Zodiac...?"

"Wait, where?" Rattrap inquired, trying to see what Optimus saw. "I was lookin' for 'im before Nemesis tried killin' me!" he explained.

"I know," Optimus acknowledged, almost dismissively. "Zodiac!" he called down to him. Was he alright? Was he injured? He still needed him. He needed him. He needed answers.

Becoming quite obsessive, aren't we? the voice taunted him.

I don't care! We need him! He might be able to help us prepare for the Vok. He needs to give me closure about Nexus and the rest of the lives he took. He has to answer for his crimes!

To whom?! You?! Under what authority?!

Yes, to me! If he doesn't come with us, Megatron or Nemesis will kill him.

And what will you do once you acquire the information you seek? Kill him yourself? Turn him loose so someone else can clean up your mess?

Optimus didn't answer. He laid there with his lacerated chest against the rocky ground, holding tightly onto Rattrap while looking down at what might have been an unconscious Zodiac, watching the lava level rising.

Who's it gonna be? You can't save them both.

(( OOC: In case anyone hasn't noticed, we're going to wrap this episode up soon. ))

[Phoenix]

Nemesis continued firing at Rattrap as the puny Maximal attempted to roll out of reach of her shots. It was actually rather entertaining in a way, rather like being at a shooting gallery where the ultimate prize was just one well placed shot out of reach. Moments later, however, the ground started shaking violently again and there was a loud explosion coming from the volcano. The sound distracted her enough to make her glance over at the source just in time to see the mountain spew up lava and partially molten rocks with a tremendous force. Deciding not to linger any longer than she had to, the avian female turned her attention back to Rattrap.. only to discover he was gone!

In his place a hole in the ground had opened up, an extension to the tomb she had created for Zodiac. For a moment she lowered her weapon, a bit disappointed she hadn't gotten to see the pesky loudmouthed rat go over, before her scanning optics caught sight of something small moving at the very edge of the hole.

A hand.

The puny rat simply refused to die, didn't he? Well, Nemesis would just have to fix that issue right now. Again she took aim, this time at the edge where the hand was frantically trying to hold on.

A sudden gunshot strafed by her left wing, causing her to roll to the side to avoid any further sneak attacks. The shot hadn't damaged her even though she must have been an easy target while so preoccupied with the rodent, leaving her wondering if she was dealing with the worst shot the Maximals had to offer or someone who was deliberately trying to avoid hurting her.

She got her answer a mere second later.

"Rattrap?!"

Optimus.. Nemesis growled slightly at that observation. Of course it had to be Optimus. The one Maximal she had no desire to fight, not after he had been the first one to treat her with respect after her arrival on this planet. The first one to peer into her very soul, and even though they were enemies, technically, he had kept their conversation private. She respected him for that.

"Zodiac?!"

Whether it was the hot fumes from the molten lava underneath the platform, the discomfort of the weight from the rocks slowly crushing his armor, the sensation of a powerful kick against his face that echoed through their link, or the voice of his sworn enemy shouting his name.. He couldn't tell for sure, but something caused the former shapeshifter to finally stir. And as soon as he did, Whitegrazer's voice cut into his mind like a hungry insecticon through a scrapyard.

He was still groggy as he took in his surroundings before even attempting to move. A failed attempt at that, since he was virtually covered by rocks and dirt. Yet he was clear headed enough to make out the female's voice in his head, much to his dismay.

Then tell me, Zodiac, what does lay in front of you after all of this is over with? What life awaits you?

Zodiac hesitated. Being at a loss for words was not common for him, but at that very moment he really didn't know what to say. No snippy remarks, no clever comebacks, he simply didn't know the answer to her inquiry. And surely his silence told her more than any words could. They both knew he was at the end of his rope, a schemer without a long term plan. A killer fighting for his own survival.

Not knowing what is to come doesn't mean there's nothing, he finally told her via their link but he sounded far less confident than he normally would.

We would do what we must, but I suggest you don't try to drop anymore of us down any crevices.

He had it coming.., Zodiac responded, doing little to hide his dislike of the rodent.

It's in your best interest to cooperate with us, not hinder. Hindering or harming us in any way would prove more trouble than you can handle. As you are now finally aware.

He inadvertently cringed at how much Whitegrazer was reminding him of a parent lecturing a misbehaving child. It was humiliating in so many ways but he could do so very little about it. He had no desire to die but surely even death was better than having this female stuck in his head.

Why do I get the impression I'm not the first one you've attempted to put on a 'better' path in life? Of course 'better' was a relative term.

Did you have more success with the others?

Although he mostly just wanted to mock her, there was some genuine curiosity in his words.

"Zodiac...?"

Primal's voice was clearer this time, and oddly enough not as unwelcome as the renegade had expected.

"Clearly I'm not dead yet..," he responded while moving enough to make some of the rocks roll off him. His entire body was aching and the hot fumes were starting to bother him a little. "..Because surely the gods wouldn't be cruel enough to send you to greet me in the afterlife.."

He wiggled some more, trying to free himself, yet he was very careful as not to disturb the already fragile ledge he was precariously laying on. With every shake of the ground, the ledge threatened to collapse and send him straight into the lava.

Managing to free his still cuffed arms from the rubble, Zodiac made an attempt at sitting up so that he could better see the foolish Maximal who was willing to risk himself for the life of an enemy.. Someone who'd gone to great lengths to try to not only kill the Maximal but utterly destroy his will to live first. Yet even now Optimus was trying to help him. What a sentimental fool..

The rodent was there too, hanging off the edge and would likely have ended his days in the lava if Primal hadn't caught him. Zodiac chose to ignore the rat for now, quickly realizing that Primal was his only way out of here alive.

Slowly, unsteadily, he attempted to stand up. He was shaky, in pain, his wings full of scorch marks and with a number of holes decorating them, his shoulder, his thigh.. All painful reminders of what he had lost. All because of this Maximal who was now trying to save him. Oh the irony..

Zodiac slowly shook his head as he raised his cuffed arms up towards Primal. "You truly are.. incorruptible aren't you?" He paused for a brief moment, feeling the ground underneath him shake yet again. Debris from the volcano had started raining down upon them as well, making this predicament feel like it had been taken straight out of the worst of nightmares.

"Never willing to take a life.. no matter who they are." Zodiac smiled briefly, or at least tried to, although in his present condition it could have looked as anything but.. Had it been someone else, he might have been grateful. No, that wasn't entirely true.. Part of him was, in way. It was foolish of Primal to even attempt to save him and he most certainly wouldn't have done the same if the roles were reversed. But even his pride had to succumb to this undying desire to live.

"Nexus.. would have been proud."


He meant it. The old admiral's admiration and love for his protege was obvious to anyone around them. Part of Zodiac had always resented the connection those two had since it was one he'd never gotten to experience. His own life had been one of captivity, torture, and taking orders without question.

Taking a step forward he tried to get close enough to reach Primal's arm, the ground shaking more violently with every passing moment. Zodiac felt the ledge crumble underneath his feet, small holes appearing in the ledge as he tried to maneuver by them. He was so concerned with where he was stepping that he didn't even think to watch the sky above. It would prove to be a terrible mistake. A fast moving large rock came raining down, hitting the renegade square in the back of the head. The impact was powerful enough to knock him out instantly and send him crashing back down onto the ledge with enough force to finally cause its collapse. Several tons of rock and other debris came crashing down at the same time, Zodiac's figure disappearing among it as he fell towards the lava. On his way down he slammed against the rocky wall of the tunnel. The heat of the lava below just got worse and worse and the pain was intense until suddenly his connection with Whitegrazer appeared to simply shatter.

[DarkSpark]

OOC: If Deathroll's landing isn't okay I can edit it to match what Rhinox did during season two when the Maximals raided the Predacon Base with Ravage, i.e. just transform in midair and land on the ground feet first, LIKE A BOSS. I just figured what I wrote might be more original lol.

OOP Wrote: ...And that familiar sound of his humming tail gun as it charged made Optimus look at him, catching a glimpse of what would soon be gratification in Megatron's carnivorous optics. All he could do was cross his arms in a minuscule attempt to protect himself, as if it would help reduce any damage he was about to take. Megatron's first shot had killed Primal's ability of flight, and he dropped from the sky immediately as Whitegrazer's smoke grenade inhibited both Primal's and Megatron's vision, effectively providing cover for the Maximal at the same time. Since he was no longer in the same spot where the Predacon leader's tail gun was first aiming for, the gorilla hit the ground hard from his fall but got up as quickly as he could, moaning slightly with his injuries and wounds. He didn't want to waste the cover of the smoke as it started to waft eastward with the windy snow.

Megatron had been whittling away at Primal's defenses for some time now, but the sight of the tyrant kicking Primal's one true love to the unfriendly earth below had apparently been all he needed to distract the maximal leader from the shot that stripped him of his flight capabilities. Truly, sentimentality was a sickness with no cure.

"And now Primal, I say farewell, for the last...Oh for the love of Kaon" Megatron cursed as the maximal witch's smoke grenade obscured his vision, the Predacon leader continuing to fire where he had last seen Primal in the hopes of still hitting him. Fortunately however Megatron knew how to do away with this trick already, the tyrant spinning around quickly to blow away the smokescreen with his VTOL thrusters like before, keeping his weapon charged and his optics alert in case one of Primal's flunkies tried to take advantage of his temporary blindness.

Unfortunately, when Whitegrazer's smokescreen cleared Megatron spotted smoke from a different source, the erupting volcano off in the distance! It was too late, the area had finally become too unstable and the alien site was about to blow! Megatron looked downward and spotted Primal on the ground, wounded, flightless, and struggling alongside the vermin Rattrap even as the very ground beneath their feet betrayed them, the ape actually looking to AID Zodiac!

"Your foolishness knows no limits Primal" Megatron chided, legitimately disappointed in his long time rival's crippling weakness, truly someone who had caused him this much trouble for so long could not possibly be this naive?

Megatron contemplated continuing his assault on the transmetal ape, finish the job once and for all, but as he surveyed the battlefield he spied a downed Waspinator, a poisoned Terrorsaur, Umbra struggling against the traitor Blackarchnia, and a dazed Inferno struggling to return to his feet...If he didn't call off his crew now many of them, too many of them to be precise, might not be able to survive the eruption's effects, whether they be swallowed up by the earth or simply be unable to fly away in time to escape the volcanic fallout. While Megatron wasn't above sacrificing an expendable pawn for the sake of a grander goal, losing this many of his forces all at once was unacceptable, plus the maximals were in the same boat as well in regards to needing to evacuate soon if they were to survive.

However, there was still the matter of Zodiac...

Naito wrote: Eh.. something like that. Landslide said in response. As he gained altitude, he then felt Deathroll shake. Not so much trembling in fear, but shake like a jackhammer sending vibrations through Landslide as if he was a car on a pothole littered road. The shaking jarred against his head the worst, causing Landslide to perceive the world as if it was shaking, starting to fly out of control.

Opening his horns he released Deathroll, letting him plummet to the ground. Gah! That party trick must be a hit with the ladies! he quipped.The beetle then started to make adjustments with his thrusters to keep himself from crashing, flying downward. As he came down, Landslide looked towards Cheetor struggling with Whitegrazer above the crevasse that had opened. Altering his heading he flew down towards the two, flying under Whitegrazer scooping her and Cheetor up with his horns.
Whoa! Hey thanks big guy! Cheetor responded as he released Whitegrazer, flying up into the air.

Landslide flew down to the ground near Optimus setting Whitegrazer down Takin' flying lessons from the lad? Might wanna get some wings first. Landslide joked transforming to his robot mode, his shield and sword drawn.

Deathroll had both good news and bad news going for him. Good news, his new vibrational armor ability had successfully shaken the beetle enough to force him to release his grip. Bad news, he was still plummeting to the ground like a rock. He'd managed to pull this off before they had gotten too high up, but still, a fall from this height could still hurt or worse if he didn't take action soon, and he was not a flyer.

"Well, Sub-Commander, how are you gonna get yourself out of this mess?" Deathroll chided himself, vainly hoping that he had a secret flight mode to go with his unexpected tremor generation ability, but he correctly guessed he was probably not that lucky.

"I didn't survive buried in a swamp for millions of years just to be dropped like a sack of used energon cubes!" Deathroll growled in stubborn determination as he pointed his drill downwards and started to spin it in conjunction with his new tremor generation ability...The end result being that when he finally reached the ground he passed right through it like a diver dropping gracefully into a swimming pool!

Well, it was not perhaps THAT smooth of a landing but it might as well have been considering the alternative, and after diving several dozen feet downward he managed to get himself under control again and drill upwards once more, finding that he could burrow much more quickly than before...And sensing that the seismic activity of the area had gotten much worse...And that it was getting HOT.

Phoenix wrote: Taking a step forward he tried to get close enough to reach Primal's arm, the ground shaking more violently with every passing moment. Zodiac felt the ledge crumble underneath his feet, small holes appearing in the ledge as he tried to maneuver by them. He was so concerned with where he was stepping that he didn't even think to watch the sky above. It would prove to be a terrible mistake. A fast moving large rock came raining down, hitting the renegade square in the back of the head. The impact was powerful enough to knock him out instantly and send him crashing back down onto the ledge with enough force to finally cause its collapse. Several tons of rock and other debris came crashing down at the same time, Zodiac's figure disappearing among it as he fell towards the lava. On his way down he slammed against the rocky wall of the tunnel. The heat of the lava below just got worse and worse and the pain was intense until suddenly his connection with Whitegrazer appeared to simply shatter.

Fortunately for Megatron, fortune had once again smiled upon him as Zodiac was knocked out and fell into the bowels of the earth, where he would surely be crushed to death by shifting rock or melted by lava, either way, the traitor was dead and his primary mission complete. Time to go home and plan his next move.

"Attention all Predacons, this is Megatron, retreat! We've achieved our primary objective and the area has become too unstable to remain, pick up whoever cannot move on their own and return to base on the double!" Megatron commanded to his forces over the comm, the Predacon Lord feeling triumphant rather than beaten, especially with the maximals having failed to capture Zodiac for themselves and the likelihood of some of their number meeting an early end via volcanic eruption seeming quite likely.

"As you command...Royalty!" Inferno gasped as he struggled to his feet, the ant running off to pick up both Terrorsaur and Waspinator, activating his thrusters with a groan of discomfort from the damage Cheetor had done but still managing to get airborne again, far from gracefully but enough to get himself away from the danger zone.

"As you wish, Lord Megatron" Deathroll replied, burrowing away from the heat of the volcano as it's activity ravaged the area around it, disappointed he had failed to kill any maximals but pleased he had mastered more of his new form's functions and held his own in battle against the autobot's descendants...Next time, he would do better!

Before taking off himself, Megatron contacted Nemesis and said "We're leaving Commander, if any survive the volcano's fury they shall not survive ours later, yyyyeessss" and then looked down on Primal and said "Farewell Optimus! If this is by chance the last I ever see of you, know this...Thank you for failing Zodiac, mahahahahahahaha!"

[NaitoKage]

As Umbra sneaked towards Rattrap, he suddenly stopped as one of the octopus eyes on his leg shift glancing towards the sudden movement of Blackarachnia firing her grappling hook. What the? He said to himself quietly as the grappling hook pasted by him, then was jerked to force the cord to coil around him.

Hey! Tentacles! You want to practice your flying skills? I would be happy to help.

Umbra looked towards Blackarachnia with a almost bored expression as he was turned, swiftly slicing through the webline in one swift motion. I imagine I'd be more qualified to teach you how to swim compared to you teaching me how to fly ma'am.

"Attention all Predacons, this is Megatron, retreat! We've achieved our primary objective and the area has become too unstable to remain, pick up whoever cannot move on their own and return to base on the double!"

Umbra spun his poison blade into a reverse grip, then sheathed it away. His other hand twist as the throwing blade he was holding slipped away. Looks like we'll have to save those lessons for later.

After which, Umbra sprung up into the air with all three of his rocket engines activating, his tentacles opening out with their webbing expanding as he flew off into the air. Looking around, he noticed Inferno carrying Terrorsaur and Waspinator, Umbra made his way towards the fireant lifting up Waspinator from his grasp I'll help with the load, lets get them to the CR tanks. he then said, as it would improve Inferno's flight speed not having to carry both of the predacons, the faster they got out of the area the better off they'd be after all.

__________________________________________

"Cheetor, Landslide, Whitegrazer, give Megatron a taste of his own medicine and force him to retreat!" "We're out of time!"

Landslide glanced towards Megatron, only to hear Megatron then say.

"Attention all Predacons, this is Megatron, retreat! We've achieved our primary objective and the area has become too unstable to remain, pick up whoever cannot move on their own and return to base on the double!"

"Farewell Optimus! If this is by chance the last I ever see of you, know this...Thank you for failing Zodiac, mahahahahahahaha!"

Landslide put away his sword and shield and looked around the area for a moment Alright, lets move! Cheetor, go recover Blackarachnia! Landslide then said, turning towards the direction Optimus ran off, he lowered his landing gear and activated his thrusters, skidding along the ground towards Optimus, his thrusters turning in reverse to let out a short burst of thrust as his brakes kicked in to slow him down.

Cheetor gave a nod to Landslide, then flew off towards Blackarachnia.

Landslide glanced towards Nemesis standing nearby, then looked back towards Rattrap and Optimus. The Predacons are retreating. We'd better do the same.

Landslide transformed to his vehicle mode, the wing shell on his back popping off landing infront of him, he then scooped and attached it with his front horns, his Cargobay opening. Alright, all aboard.


Cheetor watched as Umbra suddenly flew off from Blackarachnia, he then came down landing near her. This place is gonna blow, we need to hightail it! Get on! Cheetor then said, though he wasn't built for carrying passengers, someone Blackarachnia or Rattrap's size wouldn't be much of a problem for him.

[Optimal Optimus Primal]

(( OOC: FYI, Optimus was holding onto Rattrap, he just hadn't lifted him up yet because I was using Zodiac as a dramatic distraction, yadda, yadda, yadda. I wasn't done yet with that scenario. Also, I will be opening the new episode up on Tuesday, after the holiday but will keep this one open a little while longer for any loose ends players might want to wrap up. ))

[una]

No! Cheetor shouted transforming to his vehicle mode as swiftly as possible, running towards Megatron and Whitegrazer with his thrusters increasing his already phenomenal speed. His optics widen as the world almost felt like slow motion, watching Whitegrazer being kicked in the face and fall free from Megatron. Cheetor's afterburners kicked in as he thought to himself Gotta.. make it!

Whitegrazer watched Megatron hammer Optimus down with his tail gun. She hated the sight and felt the powerful pounding of lasers against her own back. She grimaced. Watched as Megatron took out Optimus' flight capabilities. Not good. He won't be able to catch her like she thought. And she didn't know if the other Maximals were still busy with the other Predacons. All she could hope for was the best landing, and hopefully, she wouldn't fall into a hole with a river of lava in it. It was then she saw Cheetor make a beeline towards her. The next thing she felt was a huge, painful jolt to her right arm as the young Maximal feline clenched her right arm into his jaws. Sparks popped as the sudden stop in force and her sheer weight compared to Cheetor's caused her shoulder to tear at the socket. All ready, she could tell that the young one didn't have the strength to hold her despite his efforts. She shook her head as to motion Cheetor to let her go, so she wouldn't drag himself down along with her.

That was when Landslide came to both of their rescues.

Whoa! Hey thanks big guy!

Whitegrazer smiled, "Thank you, Landslide." As she was settled down upon the Maximal beetle. She observed her torn shoulder, rotating and moving it to see how damaged it was. Not too bad, but it needed to be repaired and it would hinder her if she needed to fight right now.

"Cheetor, Landslide, Whitegrazer, give Megatron a taste of his own medicine and force him to retreat!"

"We're out of time!"

Whitegrazer looked down below and witnessed the chaos below. Optimus was right. They did need to get out of there. And fast! The whole area around the mountain was changed from a snowy ground field to a blazing red and yellow! If they didn't move quickly, their comrades were in deep trouble. The flyers would be all right, but the grounded ones wouldn't have the time to run from this mess. They needed to have their flyers Landslide and Cheetor took who they can. Despite her shoulder, she would carry someone if she had to.

Not knowing what is to come doesn't mean there's nothing,

No. Though, that wasn't what I meant. I meant what life do you expect to find when you return?

Why do I get the impression I'm not the first one you've attempted to put on a 'better' path in life? Of course 'better' was a relative term.

Did you have more success with the others?

Whitegrazer didn't answer Zodiac as the question was complicated. The answer was still pending. It wasn't like she made people switch sides. Only tried to persuade them a course of action that would get them what they needed and desired without the harm or destruction of others if needed be. She wasn't trying to convert Zodiac to Maximal type of life nor did she ask Nemesis the same way. They chose to be a Predacon, and if they are proud of that, then she wasn't going to tell them not to be. If they wanted to be Maximal, then she would gladly help them. But her entire purpose wasn't conversion to one's own side. Though, people always seemed to think she was. Zodiac was fine, but his revenge towards Optimus and the others.... All that passion, rage, and aggression could be put to better use, a use that wasn't so destructive. Maybe something beneficial for himself and others. She wanted to give Zodiac an opportunity to have a life, a second chance of one like she had been given. He deserved that much. It wasn't his fault nor was it Nemesis when they were tortured, maimed, and pushed through horrific experiments from scientists who hoped to capture the power of beings they couldn't begin to grasp the nature and reason of existence. Fools. Trying to play god was futile, and yet, many have done it. The fact that they used her own power for such a thing disgusted her. If she had known, she would have.... She would have freed them from such horror and burned that facility to the ground along with those who so wanted her power. How dare they use her to cause harm and more destruction.

It doesn't matter, Zodiac. I wanted to try and give you life away from what you ad experienced. If you let me.

There was nothing she could see or do on the ground. She hoped Optimus got Zodiac and Rattrap.

But then... the link between Zodiac and her shattered to pieces. Shards of the link pierced her soul. Her hands balled into fists. Her entire body felt like it was dripped into molten lava. She felt Zodiac's emotions. There was no pride, or vengeful pettiness, but only a solemn regret and want for a life he couldn't have, and might not have now. It hurt. It hurt so deeply for her. Unlike Aurora's, where she felt tears sting her cheeks, there were no tears, but she screamed. It was a painful yet intense scream. Full of anguish, but also, full of rage. It was uncharacteristic of her. But it was her. She didn't feel any happiness towards Zodiac's death. Though, she held no ill will towards Nemesis or the others. Zodiac might have done this to himself, but if she hadn't been here, Zodiac might not have had the path he took. That was her sin. A death on her conscience, and another death stamped on her.

She took a deep breath. Used Landslide as leverage. The others probably didn't understand why she would scream like for this bot, especially since the bot almost succeeded in killing those she loved dearly especially Optimus and Aurora, but that was something no one could understand. Or maybe they could if she talked about it. They didn't know. Right now, she just wanted to get out of this pit.

"Attention all Predacons, this is Megatron, retreat! We've achieved our primary objective and the area has become too unstable to remain, pick up whoever cannot move on their own and return to base on the double!"

The Predacons were leaving, so should they.

Alright, all aboard.

This place is gonna blow, we need to hightail it! Get on!

She got onboard Landslide, but she couldn't see Optimus and Rattrap. "Optimus! Rattrap!" Holding her sore chest, she was feeling for Optimus. Optimus? Where are you and Rattrap? We are coming aboard Landslide. We are coming to get you.

Also, she wondered about Nemesis. She didn't see her.

((OOC: I would post for BA later this evening, but I think I was wrong last night. Not my last post. Silly me. ))

[Optimal Optimus Primal]

(( OOC: No worries, DarkSpark. I went along with it anyway. Thanks, NK. ))

"Clearly I'm not dead yet..," "..Because surely the gods wouldn't be cruel enough to send you to greet me in the afterlife.."

"He's alive!" Optimus said, relieved.

"Great. Pull me up!" Rattrap demanded as he dangled there.

Primal seemed to ignore his smaller comrade as he watched Zodiac below starting to move and shake off the rocks that had been covering him. He was even more of a mess than Optimus was. He looked very weak, exhausted and heavily wounded.

Optimus? Where are you and Rattrap? We are coming aboard Landslide. We are coming to get you.

I can't let him go. He's right here. If he could just get closer, he sent Whitegrazer, which had probably sounded confusing to her.

He deserves the mess he's in, the voice assured the ape.

Optimus ignored it. He watched Zodiac stand up carefully on the ledge he was on, his wings clearly too damaged to lift him out of there.

"You truly are.. incorruptible aren't you?" "Never willing to take a life.. no matter who they are."

"I guess it just isn't in my programming." The Maximal tried to dismiss his words, focusing on their dire situation, although it was a welcoming admission that an enemy finally observed and accepted about him. However, he was corruptible to an extent. Megatron had done a number on him and his mind was all screwed up. Fortunately it wasn't enough to make him go to far when it came to sparing lives. Carefully, Primal pulled Rattrap up over the ledge, his arm and shoulder aching from doing so. He wasn't even certain if he could lift Zodiac but he would try as long as he would reach for him. Again, he laid over the edge, both of his arms hanging down for the former shapeshifter.

Rattrap was still as Optimus lifted him up so as not to give him any more pain in doing so with his injured arm. He scrambled over and got up as soon he was on the ground, keeping an eye on Nemesis was not too far away from them, making sure she wouldn't try anything stupid.

"Nexus.. would have been proud."

Primal's spark sank. He didn't know what to say to that. Zodiac actually sounded very... sincere. But he was the one who killed Nexus Prime. What would provoke him to say such a thing and actually mean it? Was there still hope for this tortured soul like Whitegrazer seemed to think? A tear escaped one of Optimus's orange optics and rolled down his cheek as the dragon's words touched him deeper than he could know. Nexus... He'll never see him again. He'll never get to share his stories with him of his own war against Megatron. All that was left of him was the last person who saw him alive, and he was right in front of Optimus now, fighting for his life. Primal tried keeping himself composed. "Hurry!" he told Zodiac as he watched him step forward, reaching down to him as far as he could stretch. It hurt his shoulders to do so but he fought against it. Another violent shaking caused Optimus to immediately lift one of his arms back up to the ledge he was laying on to keep him from falling over.

"Come on, we gotta go!" Rattrap said.

"Not without Zodiac!" It wasn't that he wanted him alive just for answers anymore, Optimus now thought that there was a slight chance of redemption for both of them after what they did to each other, and he truly wanted to save his life. "Come on!" he hollered down at the black dragon but to no avail. He watched with horror as the ground broke apart underneath Zodiac's feet. But then out of no where came a large rock from the spewing volcano, and it hit Zodiac directly in the head, knocking him unconscious and right off of his feet as the rest came crumbling down. "NOOO!" Primal reached over the ledge even further. He would have fallen off in pursuit of Zodiac had Rattrap not grabbed the clubs on his back and hold him back with as much as strength as he could considering the leader's size and weight compared to the rat's.

"It's too late, Optimus!" he told him. "And I ain't gonna let you fall in after 'im!"

Just like that, Zodiac was gone. Primal's optics frantically searched for any sign of his survival. But he was gone. Lost among the falling rocks, the collapsing mountain side and lava. Gone. Primal laid there a moment longer, devastated and taken aback, nearly incoherent of the impending destruction all around him. This was not how any of this was supposed to happen. Thanks to Megatron.

"Farewell Optimus! If this is by chance the last I ever see of you, know this...Thank you for failing Zodiac, mahahahahahahaha!"

Megatron's comments angrily grabbed Primal's attention, and he lifted himself up as Rattrap stepped back, wielded his gun in a heartbeat and fired several shots at the Predacon's back as he departed the area. "RRRAAAAAAARRRGH!" he screamed after the t-rex in retaliation. But Megatron was right. He failed Zodiac. And he failed himself.

"We gotta go, Optimus," Rattrap said more calmly, glancing warily over at Nemesis.

Primal ended his onslaught and looked at Rattrap then to Landslide who flew in and opened his cargo bay for them.

The Predacons are retreating. We'd better do the same. Alright, all aboard.

The gorilla in robot mode gave one last look behind him as if he was hoping to see Zodiac climbing up over the ledge. But he didn't. He was gone. Then his gaze peered over to Nemesis, his face expressionless. He was done. Done with this day. Putting his gun back on his hip, he slowly turned away from her and climbed onto Landslide with his limp, glancing up at Whitegrazer. He sat his battered and bleeding body down beside her but remained silent, thinking about everything he just lost, and Nexus who he had lost some time ago without even knowing, and what could have been, what might have been... His optics took in the Empath's injuries and he frowned at her, gently wrapping his shot-up arm around her shoulders and pulling her close to him. His mind kept repeating Zodiac slipping away and falling like a bad nightmare. Helpless. And his words stuck with him: "Nexus would have been proud. Nexus would have been proud." He almost told Landslide to go back, refusing to believe that the renegade was gone, but he had to accept it and he couldn't put his crew in danger while they could still escape this catastrophe.

Rattrap watched Cheetor retrieve Blackarachnia and then hurried inside of the beetle's cargo bay and gave him a few bangs of his fist to tell him to go. "Everybody's accounted for. Let's get de heck outta here, 'Slider!"

[Phoenix]

Zodiac did not hear Optimus' desperate cry as he fell into the depths of the tunnel. After all he had endured, losing his nanomachines that he relied on so heavily, being shot multiple times and burned by that insane Predacon ant, he was simply too exhausted and wounded to fight back when the volcano itself seemingly decided to take his life. The rock that hit him and knocked him out left him blissfully unaware of his surroundings as he plummeted towards the pool of molten rocks below.

Despite his earlier comment about how the gods were vindictive if they let Primal be the one to greet him in the afterlife, the renegade was not overly religious by nature. He didn't know what, if anything, came after death nor had he really cared. In fact he hadn't really given a second thought to the prospect of death in a very long time.

And why would he? With the nanomachines he had been virtually indestructible so there had been no reason for him to contemplate such things. Yet now the lines between life and death had become a lot more blurred. Fortunately he was not awake to suffer those terrible last few seconds as the pit came closer and closer.

Nemesis stood a short distance away, watching as Optimus came to not only the rat's rescue but to Zodiac's as well. She frowned slightly as she heard the maximal leader struggle to save someone entirely unworthy of his compassion, yet she did nothing but stand there and watch them in silence.

"Not without Zodiac!"

"NOOO!"

Her gaze fell to the still shaking ground, now covered in holes as more and more of the tunnels underneath them collapsed.

So that was it. Zodiac was gone without as much as a whimper.. And no apologies or pleads for his life like she had been hoping for. But at least he was gone. She should have been happy, yet all she felt was a sense of emptiness inside. Now she truly was alone, the last of her kind, with no way to figure out how Zodiac had obtained control over his nanomachines.

Her hand tugged at her firearm, for a moment contemplating if she should take this opportunity to end the war and earn Megatron's respect by dropping the rodent and Optimus into the pit alongside the traitor they had fought to save.

She thought about it for a moment before deciding against making such a move. This area had become way unstable and if she didn't move out, she would likely end up like Zodiac. And from the looks of it, the Maximals were at risk of that too.

"We're leaving Commander, if any survive the volcano's fury they shall not survive ours later, yyyyeessss"

"As you command," she responded before taking to the sky, following the other Predacons as they retreated away from this hellish place.

[DarkSpark]

NaitoKage wrote: After which, Umbra sprung up into the air with all three of his rocket engines activating, his tentacles opening out with their webbing expanding as he flew off into the air. Looking around, he noticed Inferno carrying Terrorsaur and Waspinator, Umbra made his way towards the fireant lifting up Waspinator from his grasp I'll help with the load, lets get them to the CR tanks. he then said, as it would improve Inferno's flight speed not having to carry both of the predacons, the faster they got out of the area the better off they'd be after all.

Inferno did not hesitate to allow the flying octopus to take Waspinator off his hands, leaving him with Terrorsaur to carry, though truth be told, if the ant had a choice he would have selected the more loyal of the two over the treacherous loudmouth.

"You serve the Royalty well Umbra, come, our Queen awaits!" Inferno complimented as he flew ahead more quickly now without Waspinator holding him back, the ant ignoring the pain as best he could, as well as endeavoring to fly as quickly as he could while compensating for the damage Cheetor had done to his flight gear.

OOP wrote: Megatron's comments angrily grabbed Primal's attention, and he lifted himself up as Rattrap stepped back, wielded his gun in a heartbeat and fired several shots at the Predacon's back as he departed the area. "RRRAAAAAAARRRGH!" he screamed after the t-rex in retaliation. But Megatron was right. He failed Zodiac. And he failed himself.

Megatron laughed as he flew out of reach, the sound of Primal shooting in vain after him amusing him even more.

"Now you know what it feels like Primal" Megatron mused in recollection of similar instances in which the blasted ape and his cohorts had fled from him despite his best efforts to shoot them from the sky.

Megatron wished he could stay behind to personally make sure of the maximal's demise, but if he lingered any longer he was liable to be caught in the volcanic eruption that was growing in destructive power by the limit, smoke and fire filling the sky as the ground below shook and cracked with the force of the volcano's rumbling. It was times such as this that he was grateful for his transmetal flight capabilities, his original form would have been out of luck running on foot away from this natural disaster in the making, and he had survived an energon explosion large enough to wipe out a mountain at the very beginning of the war.

"Royalty! We've made it!" Inferno said, as always adept at stating the obvious, as he and Umbra joined him in formation, carrying Terrorsaur and Waspinator, both flyers looking worse for wear.

"A tad early to celebrate Inferno, we still must escape the blast radius. Time to quicken the pace I think, yyyyeesssss" Megatron ordered as he did so, Inferno following suit.

"We'll follow you to the Pit and back, Royalty!" Inferno promised as the battle damaged fire ant kept pace with his master, his blind devotion to Megatron inspiring him to keep on going despite the injuries he endured.

"Good to know" Megatron quipped, knowing the ant likely would follow him to the underworld and back if it existed, and appreciating that level of servitude, but for now only being concerned with getting himself and his troops out of harms way...He'd survived worst than a volcano's fury before and he be damned if his story was cut short now by such mundane means.

Phoenix wrote: "As you command," she responded before taking to the sky, following the other Predacons as they retreated away from this hellish place.

"Ah, Commander, how good of you to join us" Megatron greeted friendlily despite his hurry as Nemesis flew in beside him, appropriately at his right hand no less, "I trust you're feeling better?"

Smalltalk helped to keep the edge of the impending danger at hand while also serving to deepen the alliance he had forged with Nemesis as of late, she was proving herself a more capable righthand than Scorponok, Inferno, or gods be damned, Dinobot before he'd gone traitor, in spite of a few small hiccups along the way. As for Deathroll, he was on his own burrowing beneath the earth, and Megatron would have to trust his latest recruit to able to get himself to safety without his assistance...After all, it would be a pity for such a valuable piece to be removed from the board before the game that was the Beast Wars was over, yyyyyessss.

[una]

((OOC: I'm posting for BA really quickly, but Whitegrazer will be coming in a joint post. ))

I imagine I'd be more qualified to teach you how to swim compared to you teaching me how to fly ma'am.

Blackarachnia just smirked and was about ready to attack when Umbra seemed distracted.

Looks like we'll have to save those lessons for later.

She watched as Umbra went to join Inferno who was holding the unconscious bodies of Terrorsaur and Waspinator. Megatron must have issued a retreat, and by the looks of things where she was standing, she better high-ball it too. The entire ground was being split apart and replaced by the stream of lava. Part of te ground cracked between her legs. She shrieked a little bit and wondered where she should head. She couldn't just run away. She heard that loud scream coming from the white mare or that's who it sounded like. What was she screaming about?

This place is gonna blow, we need to hightail it! Get on!

Didn't have to tell her twice. She immediately jumped on the back of Cheetor. Watched as Landslide picked up the rest like Rattrap and Optimus. But no Zodiac.

"Zodiac didn't make it, huh? Well, can't say I feel bad about that." Blackarachnia admitted. More to herself than anyone else. Unlike the others, she didn't interact with the shapeshifter that much. She didn't trust him nor did she actually have any intense emotions. Indifferent. Well, now that all this mess was done, she needed to get back to work on her own little agenda.

[NaitoKage]

"Zodiac didn't make it, huh? Well, can't say I feel bad about that."

Cheetor gave a slight nod as she jumped on. Alright, hang on! Cheetor started to run up to speed with the ground crumbling under his feet, his cyber thrust wings activated soaring up into the sky swiftly.

"Everybody's accounted for. Let's get de heck outta here, 'Slider!"

Landslide gave a slight nod, flying straight up into the air, his nacelles altering their direction as he flew off in the direction of the Axalon, Cheetor flying up along side him. Phew.. what a day. the giant beetle said, though for him it still wasn't over. He'd be working on repairs on the ship for weeks probably.. Not alone ofcourse, but even with everyone else it was a huge project.

________________________________________

"You serve the Royalty well Umbra, come, our Queen awaits!"

Umbra watched as Inferno rushed off, Umbra having a false smile as he watches the ant as he thought to himself I don't think he likes being called a queen... Well, whatever. he wasn't going to argue semantics with a confused bot like Inferno who's logic circuits were more influenced by his ant programming then anyone else on the crew's beast modes.

Noticing Nemesis fly along side them, Umbra gave a nod, then flew along silently carrying his poisoned ally back to the darksyde.

[Phoenix]

"Ah, Commander, how good of you to join us" Megatron greeted friendlily despite his hurry as Nemesis flew in beside him, appropriately at his right hand no less, "I trust you're feeling better?"

Nemesis converted to her avian form in midflight, assuming flight formation and flying alongside Megatron and the other Predacons on their way back to the Darksyde. She resisted the urge to simply transform to her jetform, the third mode granted to her when she became a transmetal, despite the temptation it was to leave this volcano far behind her faster.

Seeing Zodiac disappear into a pool of lava should have been far more gratifying than it truly felt. The traitor was dead, killed by the very weapon he attempted to use on all of them. She should feel thrilled, yet she felt a bit empty.. cheated perhaps. Was it because she'd now not be able to drive her sword into his spark? To watch his life end slowly.. painfully.. To finally feel vindicated. To hear his plea for mercy only to grant none of it. Was that what she truly wanted?

Maybe.

Hearing Megatron's voice.. his friendly voice.. did little to soothe her ire. But she kept her true feelings hidden like always.

"My apologies for being unable to bring you the traitor's head before he drowned in the lava," she apologized, sounding as respectful as she knew how to. Or some other trophy. "But at least he won't be causing any more trouble."

[una]

((OOC: Sorry for taking so long on this, but here is my and OOP's joint post! ))

Whitegrazer felt it. She felt the link between her and Zodiac shatter. Right now, she felt nothing, and it made her go to a tragic yet inevitable conclusion that Zodiac had fallen into the molten lava below and has now joined the Matrix. Maybe... Maybe he could find something there. Experienced more up there than he experienced here in this life. Already, she seemed to draw some peace with that fact despite her not wanting Zodiac to perish here. But she knew Optimus wouldn't. He wanted Zodiac here right now. He had questions he wanted answered. About Nexus. About what really happened back there. She understood his yearning for answers, and the frustration and anger at not getting some form of closure. Especially as she watched Optimus shoot at Megatron as he was making his retreat with the Predacons.

Nemesis flew away, which she was glad the Decepticon-turned-Predacon was able to escape. Wondered how she felt about all of this.

She watched as Optimus and Rattrap made their way towards them. She could feel his guilt for failing to save Zodiac's life. She didn't know what happened in those moments, but she knew Optimus would have tried his best to save Zodiac. A lot of things... just didn't go the way they wanted to. What they planned. It has been a mantra for the last few days, and it has taken it's toll on everyone. Including herself. As Optimus sat beside her and placed his shot up arm around her, she looked over Optimus' state. He was battered and bleeding from the chest area. There was still that scratch on his mouth. Cheeks strained with tears. Some were fresh. At first, she wondered if she should ask or say something. Maybe there wasn't much to say. Maybe just platitudes, but she just wanted to say something towards him.

I'm sorry about Nexus, Optimus. I may be able to speak to my mentor, but I have lost people I cared about before. In many horrific ways. Things left unsaid. It hurts. But I have no doubt in my mind that Nexus loved you. Nexus would be proud of you. she said after a great deal of thought. I'm also sorry about Zodiac. That you couldn't get some of the answers you have hoped. But it isn't over yet. You may not have the answers you seek now, but that doesn't mean you won't get them. Maybe when we get back to Cybertron... You can found them.


You truly are incorruptible. Nexus would have been proud. Over and over again Zodiac's words replayed in Primal's mind as well as watching him fall, especially when Whitegrazer said the same thing, causing him to miss a lot of what she was saying. Everything came full frontal then, all the emotions and the sobbing that he had suppressed earlier because of the battle. He covered his face with his hand and leaned forward a little. He forgot everything else at that moment, all of his injuries and the pain they caused. All he saw was Nexus and Nexus seeing who he thought was him before his death. He was gone. Nothing could be changed. Nothing could be answered. "Zodiac said the same thing..." he muttered to Whitegrazer.

He hopelessly shook his head at her words. Right now, he couldn't fathom a way off of Earth. He couldn't think of a way to ever reach Cybertron again. He'd never get his answers, and they would never know what Zodiac might have known about the Vok. And most assuredly, the aliens would be notified soon and on their way back. It was all a complete mess.

Pretty much a failure at everything, right? the voice smirked.

Optimus wanted to punch that voice out of his head despite its correct observation. Instead, he sat there next to the Empath, quietly sobbing. Her words helped a little bit but it was not enough at that moment. He felt lost and vulnerable, and he was exhausted from trying to be strong all the time, pretending that no one could wear him down, that he couldn't be stopped. This war... He never realized what the real heroes of war went through until he was stranded on this planet with his crew and Megatron.

After a few minutes, he calmed down and wiped his face. "Everyone... did well today. We did our best... All things considered," Primal commended them. "I mean... we survived to live another day, right? Landslide, if you could give me a report later on your encounter with Deathroll, I would appreciate it. And, Rattrap, another job well done leading this team. By the way, Blackarachnia had your six back there. Umbra was coming toward you while you were fending off Nemesis but she stopped him."

Primal's orange optics finally settled back onto Whitegrazer's, searching for something; comfort perhaps. Then they drifted to her wounds and he reached toward her severely damaged shoulder with his blood-stained hand but he stopped himself and pulled his arm back, shaking his head. "You can't feel him anymore... can you?" he asked her quietly, ever hopeful that Zodiac might still be alive. "You might have been right about him," he added before his thoughts shifted. "How did you... How did you make those missiles explode...?" Optimus softly recalled.

Rattrap heard what he said about the black widow and didn't want to believe him. Even if she did do that, it was probably just to benefit herself in some way, to make him let his guard down. Surely she hadn't done it out of the kindness of her spark since they didn't like each other, or being a team player on team that she didn't want to be on. He rolled his optics, yet the thought lingered that maybe, just maybe, Blackarachnia was still a Maximal deep down no matter how much she denied it. "Well, hopefully you'll get better soon so I won't have ta keep playing dis leadership role," he said calmly, accepting the ape's first compliment.


"I didn't know..." She watched as Optimus cover his face with his hands. She didn't know what Zodiac said to him during those last few moments. But if Zodiac said that, she wondered... Did Zodiac really mean that? As she searched through those last few moments where she still carried her link towards the former shapeshifter, the shapeshifter's prideful nature seemed to be beaten down, especially after he lost his abilities, and it made her believe that Zodiac might have meant what he said. Looking at Optimus once more, she wondered if she should express what she felt from Zodiac. Zodiac... I think, despite it all, he was envious of you. He watched you and Nexus, seeing what type of relationship you two had, something that he might never have. It angered him. Maybe, maybe in those last few moments, Zodiac realized that, and maybe said it to you because it was true.

Optimus started to sob. All the weight on his shoulders. All the loss and pain he went through today. Everything was spilling out in his tears. She had heard what that inner voice said to Optimus. The feeling of anger that was quickly subsided because of his overwhelming sorrow. It pained her to see him like this, but he needed this. He needed to let it all out. To not keep it in. To let it all out in the comfort of those who loved him. Who understood this pain and loss. But letting himself open up in this way would help in his recovery, even if it hurts so deeply. She wanted to touch... To hug him. But she didn't want to touch him without his permission.

Whitegrazer said nothing, but she smiled. At Optimus. at the others with them. Despite the harrowing days, everyone did good. They did the best they could under circumstances that some weren't even trained for. Especially Optimus. It hurt her to see that these people, these good people, had to continue this bloody war because of her failure. If they did their jobs properly, maybe these people weren't have had to go through this. She gave her hand to Optimus, if he wished to hold her hand for comfort. She noticed his hand reaching for her shoulder, which she didn't mind. But his hand stopped. She kept her hand out though. You did good, Optimus. A weaker bot would have been dead or worse, like Zodiac, given in to the angry and hate. You... you are stronger than you realize. It might not seem like it now, but you are.

"No... I felt an intense pain then there was nothing." she answered him sadly. Optimus' comment made her realize what she suspected that Zodiac did have hope. It was a shame that hope for a better life for him... Died with him. When Optimus asked her about the exploding missiles, she looked a bit embarrassed like she was caught doing something bad, but the feeling dissipated. After all, she used it on missiles, not Cybertronian. "Depending upon the situation, sometimes, when, if, the pain inside me, physical and or emotional, the force of it can be compounded into the physical realm. A long time ago, that would have manifested into a big aura, which would have affected those around me, but with intense training, I learned to focus and channel such an occurrence.

"That's the sign of a good leader." She looked at both Optimus and Rattrap. "The ones who take it because it is the right thing to do, and know what they must give it up, temporary or permanent." She smiled, glancing at Optimus. "You will get better. It will take time, but you will. Because no matter what, you will always be our leader."


Optimus nodded slightly.

He listened to her quietly. Was that really part of it? It could have been. It sounded like it might have been... Nexus would have been proud, Zodiac's voice repeated again in his mind.

Am I? he asked with uncertainty. Primal didn't feel like he deserved her praise or positive reinforcement. He was still guilty for what had happened, for being involved in creating such a troubled soul who was hell-bent on killing everyone. He seemed to take a moment to look himself over. Perhaps physically he was stronger than he looked, taking everything that Megatron had thrown at him and then some. But he was mentally haunted and emotionally compromised. Right now he was a complete mess. However, looking deeper, perhaps Whitegrazer's words held some truth. He was still alive, and his crew was still alive. Everything they had been through, maybe they could survive a little longer after all. Despite his own contradicting thoughts, he leaned toward Whitegrazer and wrapped his arms around her. She meant well with her endless support and optimism, he knew, and he cared about her so much. The love he had for her for was unlike he had ever felt before. He held her close in their embrace, his dismantled energy desperately, aggressively reaching for her's to absorb and to feel "normal" again. It was difficult to let her go, but he did so slowly.

Optimus bowed his head for a moment, as if taking a moment of silence for Zodiac and accepting that he must have expired if she could no longer feel him. At least... he wasn't in pain anymore. Then, what she explained next peaked his interest.

His depressed and somber expression took one of curiosity now as he looked into her optics, her poor, beautiful face damaged from Megatron's kick earlier. "I've never seen anything like it before," he confessed softly. "It's quite extraordinary." She was extraordinary. How did one acquire such an ability? Was it only for Empaths like her? He understood the risks, though, like she mentioned, and would hesitate to ask her to ever do it again.

"You know what would be great, 'Grazer?" Rattrap interrupted. "If you could just make all of de Preds' weapons explode at the next battle so we'd out-gun 'em fer once." He grinned with hope and eagerness despite how unrealistic it sounded. He just wanted an advantage over them from now on.

"Come on, yer makin' me blush," Rattrap joked, but he appreciated what she said. "It's still my least favorite job."

Primal's reaction was far different from the rat's. "I am no saint," he proclaimed. "Now everyone knows the darkness in my past. A darkness I carelessly forgot which put all of you in danger." Then he looked at Whitegrazer, and privately added to her alone, Zodiac was not the only one I was a part of torturing. There were others... Though he continue explaining, there was a sudden scream of an unknown voice to her that she might have felt before through their connection, but was all too familiar to Optimus. A flash of the tormented's face, too quick to make out the details, and the loud sound of rattling chains. Optimus blocked the rest of it with a large red "X" being the last thing she saw. He looked away, ashamed. "I fooled everyone into thinking I was innocent and pure, but I'm not." He shook his head with disappointment. "The way I see Cheetor and Aurora look up to me is the same as how I saw Nexus, who was not so innocent himself. It's a devastating feeling... What we had done was immoral and unethical. He should have known better, and I should have known better, too."


She believed so. As Optimus wrapped her in his embrace, feeling his soul calling for her warmth and comfort, feeling that he didn't deserve her compassion, which wasn't true at all, he did deserve it, her head gently rested on his shoulder and her hand gently placed over one of Optimus'. As he let her go from his embrace, she also bowed her head for Zodiac. She wished he was finally finding some peace, some life free from what he had went through. Part of her carried a motherly sorrow for Zodiac. After all, his nanomachines... his abilities were forged through her own abilities. In a way, he was created from her. Just like Aurora was created in process from Nemesis' nanomachines within Nightmist's body. Another parallel it seemed they shared together.

"Extraordinary." She smiled at the descirption Optimus used. She never heard anyone see that with a wonder and amazement. Always the phrasing came out with a dark curiosity and obsession. Jealousy. Anger. Fear. To have someone say it in a way that made her feel like these abilities were a force of good rather than something to be exploited made her content.

She looked at Rattrap and nodded, "Yes, you are correct. Though.." She smiled, trying to suppress a chuckle. "If you want that to happen, I might have to ask everyone from the Axalon to give me one good punch before I leave for battle."

She chuckled at Rattrap, but her playfulness changed to concern towards Optimus when he spoke. She was about to say something when Optimus spoke through her bond.

A scream echoed from Optimus, but it didn't sound like Optimus. There was something painfully haunting about it. It shook her. Surprised her. She was trying to decipher what she heard, trying to see if she could recall anything about that scream. But nothing was familiar. Shaking off the sudden surprise and shock of hearing such a sound, she spoke through the bond she shared with Optimus. You don't have to talk about this now, if you don't want to. Sometimes, we must deal with things one at a time. Don't try to overwhelm yourself, Optimus.

"It's always hard to try to match the pedestal people put us on. Hurts when we don't actually live up to it. No one is a saint. I think anyone who thinks they can do the right thing all the time just set themselves up for a fall." She lowered her optics for a time. Same with her. She wasn't a saint. They were imperfect beings. They make mistakes, but Optimus owned up to his and saw what he did was wrong, and was trying to redeem himself. A good man would have done the same thing. For which Optimus was. She looked back up at Optimus. "Cheetor and Aurora are still coming into terms about what they witnessed today. They are young like we were. Still learning the world around them. It took them off guard, but that doesn't mean they see you differently. They are just worried about you. They want you to be okay. Nothing that happened today hasn't made them lose any respect or admiration for you. They love you."


Optimus managed to smile back at Whitegrazer despite everything, taking one of her hands in his and holding it casually but feeling her energy and feeding off of their small but effective physical contact. He absorbed her positivism and serenity like a sponge, which subdued the whisper in his tortured mind. Unknowingly, his grip on her hand grew a little tighter, somewhat in desperation, but not so much that it was uncomfortable to her. The way she repeated his compliment made him feel as though no one had ever categorized her Empath abilities in the pros column, it was always in the cons. He couldn't even imagine everything she must have endured in her life to make it where she was now, stranded on this planet with the rest of them.

Rattrap suddenly gave her a shocked look, thinking, Uh, no! No way! Is that what it would take for her to do that trick again? He immediately thought against his suggestion and appeared a little bashful. Slightly, anyway.

Primal's optics widened at her's like he had just made a mistake. The memory happened so quickly and naturally that he didn't realize she would have seen or felt it, too. I don't, he said with haste and looked away form her. I mean, I do... Just... At a later time, perhaps... Of course, he would have to confess to his doing sooner or later. He could have been out there somewhere... any where... And if he survived, which was very likely, then they were sure to bump into him at some point.

She was right. She was absolutely right. And her words captured his orange optics again as he listened and nodded thoughtfully.

And I love them... I love my entire crew, Optimus told her sincerely as he bowed his head again and wiped away another tear with his free hand. While her kind words calmed him, he started to feel his body ache as well as some of her injuries. It wasn't a bad thing, it was just him coming to terms with reality and his adrenaline rush wearing off from the battle. And he realized it was better for him to move forward with everything that had happened, to learn from it and grow stronger from the losses, and to be there for his Maximals instead of wallowing in self pity and depression. "And I love you, Whitegrazer. Thank you," he said with great gratitude. "I'm afraid you and Banshee might have your hands full with me, but I will do everything it takes to get back to being myself. I have to. I can't be distracted when Megatron is on the loose and the Vok are likely to return." Nexus would have been proud, the renegade's voice repeated again. "I won't be stopped," Optimus told himself out loud and defiantly. "I will not give up."


Whitegrazer had been a little worried about her physical contact towards Optimus. She forgotten about his trauma and tried to not make any contact he didn't like. But it seemed Optimus wanted her contact, her embrace. That he yearned for it. Something she missed. It wasn't until she felt Optimus' hand squeeze her tighter that she realized such a thing. Didn;t want it to end. Part of her just wanted to stay in this moment. To soak it up. As long as lasts. She felt Optimus' absorb her positivity and calmness. Thoughts about her repeating the same word he used to describe her abilities. His thoughts about her here, and a part of just for one second wanted to explain something in the back of her mind. But she realized she couldn't. She just smiled, looking at Rattrap who took her little playfulness seriously due to his shocked face.

"It's okay, Rattrap. I'm a big girl. I can take a few hits. " She just kept her warm smile as she reassured her comrade. "And it s a useful ability on the battlefield. I mean... you should have seen the looks of the Predacons' faces when I did that."

She must have heard something she wasn't supposed to. It does happen, especially with the connection she shared with. It made sense that there were other things in Optimus' life. Just as there were certain things in her life she wasn't ready to share. Not yet. Also, there were things... she couldn't share. For the protection of those around her. As well as her own. So she wasn't going to badger Optimus about it. It would be hypocritical of her to do so. Whenever you are ready. She looked at him and smiled.

Whitegrazer started to feel the aches of past battles as well as Optimus'. It seemed the adrenaline from the last battle for their lives worn off. Now, just as Optimus was feeling her pain as well as his, she was feeling it vice versa. More aware of the skid marks, thansk to Megatron's roller blades, still stinging her face. The part of her body smoldered almost completely black. Again, thanks to Megatron. But it was just physical marks. She paid them no mind. Optimus and the rest of their crew really needed some R&R when they got back.

"It will be hard work for all of us, but it would be worth it. You are worth it." She really wanted to let Optimus know that. "We will handle Megatron and The Vok whatever they throw at us. We all have learned so much. And with the help of Blackarachnia, we may yet have chance to stop what the Vok plan to do. But as for right now, we will wait and see. Take things one at a time." She was proud of Optimus' defiance towards what had happened. It was a first step towards recovery. He needed to believe in himself.

I love you too.

No matter what happens next, she was going to make sure she helped Optimus and the others deal with Megatron and the Vok. Especially the Vok. Whatever they planned, she will stop them. There wasn't going to be a repeat of last time where Optimus was almost sacrificed, thanks to Megatron's interference. No one was going to be sacrificed. This time. She would make sure of that.