"More Than Meets The Eye: Part II"

[Optimal Optimus Primal]

There hadn't been much Optimus could do with the energy bonds restricting his arms, which also disrupted his balance and other maneuvers. During his charge at Blackarachnia, it was embarrassingly simple for Umbra to interfere who grabbed a hold of the ape's face and threw him against the wall in the back of his cell. It had happened so quickly that he had no time to try and kick Umbra or step on a tentacle, just something, anything, that could have distracted him with his propulsion. Instead, he had face-planted into the wall and fell to the floor on his knees, briefly dizzy but otherwise okay, not even noticing the indent that the force of the impact had created in the wall.

Personally.. I'd have no problem with releasing you from those bonds.. but business comes first in my business.

Primal, growling lightly under his breath as the pain in his face slowly subsided, didn't quite understand bots like this octopus who only worked for trades in his best interest and didn't necessarily have a side to fight for. Did he fight for anything besides his own life? What did he believe in? At the present time, Optimus could care less.

You should have taken my offer sir.. you lack the discipline and skill with that body to do anything in this state.. I'd rather not take the lives of anymore helpless maximals.. Aerostriker atleast didn't suffer as much as you will..

The Maximal sank for a moment when Umbra mentioned Aerostriker, and he thought about the piece of yellow armor that Nemesis had handed him. But in a way it was almost comforting to know that he hadn't suffered, or at least not as much as the Predacon was leading on about how much Optimus would suffer at the hands of Megatron. He really didn't care because the rest of his Maximals were safe, for now, and that's all that mattered to him. But he didn't expect the likes of this bot or any Predacon there to understand that. Torture me all you want, you'll get nothing from me, he swore to himself as a glare crossed his face and he stood back up with defiance.

Well.. it would seem he has learned his place my Liege.. shall I clean that up for you?

My liege? Primus help us all... Primal thought. He made no motion to follow Umbra, standing where he was at the back of his cell with his bonds glowing around him, but his gaze shifted to Megatron and Nexus who was still underneath him. Grave concern for the Admiral showed on his face, and he swallowed when it appeared he had gone limp under the tyrant's rampage of brutality. Nexus... That was his teacher, his mentor, being beaten to death and there was nothing Optimus could do to stop it and save him. He had never felt so helpless. When Megatron finally moved off of him, all he could hear were faint whimpers from the once insulting and impenetrable Admiral and it nearly brought Primal to tears. He fought them back, however, and stood there in outrage. "Nexus!" he screamed.

"The Pit wouldn't know what to do with me Primal"

"You're delusional," Optimus angrily told Megatron straight up from his cell.

"Learned his place, Umbra? I think not, nnnooo, not quite yet, but he will shortly"

Confusion quickly crossed Primal's face when he noticed Megatron start to drag Nexus toward his cell and then inside of it and then toward him. He refused to step backward upon his enemy's approach because that would have been a sign of fear and submission, but then the renegade knocked him down anyway with a hard kick. Optimus landed on his back with a thud and then felt pressure on his chest between the bonds as Megatron placed a foot on him, pinning him to the floor like he had with Nexus. Looking up, all he could see was the Admiral's limp body dangling above him, some of his fluid and loosened pieces of armor dripping on to the Commander below. He studied Nexus Prime's condition in horror, noticing the large gash across his back, and that he appeared to be unconscious. Unconscious, but still alive. I'm so sorry, Nexus...

"Lo and behold, the last Prime, he goes out not with a bang, but a whimper...Take a good look Primal, this likely will be the last you shall see of him. Tarantulas, assuming you still function, begin Primal's interrogation while Inferno and I take out the trash, I trust you can manage that? Blackarachnia, assist him. Inferno, stay on guard to ensure Primal doesn't try to copy his mentor's ill-fated stunt would you? I realize shackled unarmed prisoners can be quite the hassle but I like to think you three should be able to handle the task without further difficulties. Here's a hint, closing the door might help. Umbra..." "Carry that slagheap to my chambers would you? I'm not quite done with him yet, nnnnnooo...."

Megatron was a true monster. Optimus Primal had never quite seen this side of him before, like the dark side of the moon that as an occupant on Earth you never saw; it was mysterious, unknown and unexplored. This rage that had escaped Megatron was the worst he had ever seen, it was almost a different personality, and he wasn't even sure if his Predacons had witnessed it before either. Perhaps it was the same fate that Glowstick had succumbed to. The t-rex had held nothing back, completely uncontrollable, and not even Primal's voice could divert him from his obsessiveness of murder and power. As the Maximal laid there under his foe's foot that was still covered in Nexus's fluids, he watched him carelessly toss the Admiral out of his cell who rolled and whose limbs flopped about lifelessly across the floor, and for a moment he wondered what was coming for himself next.

"I'll be back for you"

Lifted up by Megatron, Optimus squirmed a little in a poor attempt to get free from his grip but simply ended up spitting in the egotistical maniac's face as a show of his udder disgust for the Predacon leader. As a result, he suddenly found Megatron's fist connecting with his face and then everything went black for a moment. Coming around soon after, Primal found himself laying on the floor again, his face numb from the ruthless punch, accompanied by a headache.

"Oh, and Tarantulas...Make it painful, yyyyyeeessssss"

Those were the last words he heard from his adversary before he continued walking down that long, dark, eerie corridor and vanishing into the shadows. Optimus was "alone" now with his teacher being carried away. One could only imagine what was going to happen to him next. He didn't want to think about it but it was the reality. ...He may not see him again... He couldn't help but blame himself. No... I refuse to believe it... We can still get out of this alive... together. Moving his jaw around as the feeling of his face was gradually returning, he felt a tooth was missing along with a few others that were bent out of place and he had a split lip with a tiny bit of fluid trickling out of his mouth. He sat up slowly, laying his back against the wall in his cell and used it to help himself get back onto his feet. His stance of incomparable strength and will wouldn't last long, however...

"Trust me Megatron...I WILL"

The Maximal Commander glared at Tarantulas as he limped toward Blackarachnia and took the remote back from her control. He took deep breaths, preparing for what was obviously coming next.

"Tell me Primal, where does it hurt?"

He gave a gasp as he felt his bonds constricting again, squeezing him in some anguish. The pressure was great, forcing his arms inward toward his stomach and tightening around his sides, back and chest. He tried fighting against it, pushing back outward, but it was to no avail. "Arrrgggh..." he growled, struggling to stay on his feet but his efforts were quickly depleting. With a gasp and a cough, he fell to his knees and then laid on his side with his legs bent up toward his chest desperately trying to cope. He frantically searched for Whitegrazer and tried breathing the same way as they were before together but it was tougher this time.

(( OOC: I'll wait for more responses before I post for Rattrap and Rhinox again. ))

[una]

((OOC: Dang it! I was about to post! I will edit my post.

Edited: Oh, silly me, no, I can still keep it. I just have to add to alittle bit at the end. ))

"You're a puppet, Blackarachnia, easily manipulated by selfish fools like Tarantulas and Megatron,"

Blackarachnia growled at him in anger and was about to kick him in the side when he lunged at her. She let of a yelp of surprise and shouted in pain when the Transmetal Ape bashed her against the adjacent wall, letting the remote slip from her fingers. The same event that she mocked Tarantulas for.

She had enough of the Maximal leader. When Umbra had him in his grasps, Blackarachnia punched Optimus Primal in the face with her pinchers, giving him swift kicks to his gut in his comments towards her, "Just keep talking, ape! I can't wait to see what Megatron does to you when he is done with your elderly friend. I hope he makes you beg for mercy!" With extreme hatred yet monstrous glee, she gave Optimus a roundhouse kick to the face.

I trust you can manage that? Blackarachnia, assist him. Inferno, stay on guard to ensure Primal doesn't try to copy his mentor's ill-fated stunt would you? I realize shackled unarmed prisoners can be quite the hassle but I like to think you three should be able to handle the task without further difficulties. Here's a hint, closing the door might help.

"Oh, with pleasure, Megatron," she smiled at Megatron than sneered at Primal for all the trouble he caused. Megatron wasn't in the mood for failure and if this Maximal made her a target of Megatron's scorn, well, he was going to be a target of THIS GIRL's fury!

"Oh, and Tarantulas...Make it painful, yyyyyeeessssss"

"Trust me Megatron...I WILL"

"Tell me Primal, where does it hurt?"

She stood next to Tarantulas. She wanted to watch this Maximal suffer! She closed the door behind them. No escape now for him. She smirked, ready to make them sweat.

********************
She had felt a burning anger rising from Optimus. It was very overwhelming and counter-intuitive than what she had told Optimus, but something bad must be happening there. So bad it was shaking his very spark. The only reason he would feel that way is if someone's life was very much in danger.

Nexus.

For a moment, her face twisted into horror as Rattrap and Nemesis were talking, but she shook it off. She needed to focus.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, 'Grazer. Are you sayin' he's a shape-shifter? I doubt that." They were fairly rare but it wasn't impossible, he just didn't want to jump to any conclusions. "He's gotta have some kinda device he's usin' ta block our sensors and ta tamper with our video feed 'cause he didn't register on Sentinel's scanners and neither did Nemesis but here she is, clear as an energon cube, leavin' our base."

"It sounds crazy, I know. But wouldn't have our sensors or any diagnostics pick up something afoot? A foreign device no matter how small?" She asked Rattrap curiously, but then gritted her teeth as the side of her head felt like it had been knocked into a wall. "He-" she was struggling to form her sentence, head becoming dizzy blow by blow of kicks and punches, losing concentration, "he framed Nemesis with treason. That's..." She felt the squeezing again and nearly tripped over the center station, but she caught herself with both hands, " Many Predacons value treachery, but if a Predacon betrays their own to Maximals, crimelords like Megatron would have her killed ten times over." She took deep breaths to try and keep herself from succumbing from the same overwhelming emotions as Optimus had, "Darkwind knew this and used it. He wanted her dead, but he failed. We need-" she grunted abit. Pain still lingered within-"to see what we can find about him in our databases if we can. Maybe something will jog your memory, Nemesis."

It was then she felt like she had been punched in the face, still holding on to the table.

Optimus... Optimus... She kept herself steady, focusing on Optimus' turmoil and fought through those emotions she felt from Optimus that tried to silence her words. She wasn't yelling, shouting over them, but she communicated with the same calming, soothing voice she always had, You are letting anger overwhelm you. Listen to me. Whatever is happening to Nexus, I can't feel it, but I can feel yours. You mustn't succumb. You mustn't feed them. Nexus, I saw him talk down the Predacons close to our base. I'm sure he can talk himself out whatever mess is happening. Remember, no matter what they say in petty threats and do in a bloodlust rage, they still need you two alive. That is your greatest advantage that will buy you time. She bowed her head, putting her hands together, Save your strength.

She felt him getting squeezed again. Even gasped and coughed like he did. It was so tougher than before, but she focused on their connection like they were underwater with Optimus sinking and her swimming to try and grab his outstretched hand. Follow my patterns. Focus on the beating of your spark, follow that trail to our connection. She breathed in and out slow and deep just like before. Hear both of our sparks beat together. I'm here. Always here. I will not let you drown.

[Night-Hunter]

((OOC: Sorry for the wait, been kinda crazy over here.))

"Predacons truly are strange.."

"That's the understatement of the year,"

"I'm actually the most sane Predacon you'll ever meet." Sonar chuckled.

"You only get one shot at this, Sonar. Blow it and I'll make sure you suffer with this hallucinogen for a very long time,"

"Yeah, yeah, calm down before you have a spark attack or something."

"So.. He somehow got his hands on this substance and broke out.. and for some reason infected himself?"

"Not the brightest of ideas for a scientist,"

Sonar growled again, the fur along his shoulders rising.

"It was given to him," "I... I'm not sure by whom at the moment..."

"Join the club." The bat muttered.

He resisted the urge to claw the green maximal's optics out when he grabbed his arm and lead him toward the young fuzor.

"All right. First we need to establish for sure what we're up against here.. I suspect it's some sort of modified virus given the quick infection rate and onset. But to be sure, I'll need a sample from as many infected crew members as possible so I can compare them and hopefully work on a cure. If our friend here wishes to help, okay, but please keep the insanity to a minimum."

Sonar chuckled softly. "I'll see what I can do, young one. But I can't make promises that I can't keep. And perhaps I could get samples of none infected blood? we might be able to come up with something resembling an answer."

[NaitoKage]

( Er.. Not sure what to tell you, Umbra was ordered to do something about Optimus, Optimus tried to lunge past Umbra for Blackarachnia who was holding the device that was keeping him helpless.. That's more then enough to trigger an attack for resisting.. But admittedly, I could of just had Optimus grabbed by a bunch of tentacles considering Umbra has a 12 foot range on those things.. Also not sure why Blackarachnia decided it was wise to get near Optimus with that device.. but I think that's more Bond villain logic. )

"Just keep talking, ape! I can't wait to see what Megatron does to you when he is done with your elderly friend. I hope he makes you beg for mercy!"

Umbra observed behind him as Blackarachnia seemed to let out a tantrum on Optimus's body, making Umbra almost wonder if the widow had snapped for a bit, he then heard Megatron respond.

"Learned his place, Umbra? I think not, nnnooo, not quite yet, but he will shortly"

Umbra watched, crossing his arms and standing out of the way as Megatron dangled Nexus like a piece of meat.

"Lo and behold, the last Prime, he goes out not with a bang, but a whimper...Take a good look Primal, this likely will be the last you shall see of him. Tarantulas, assuming you still function, begin Primal's interrogation while Inferno and I take out the trash, I trust you can manage that? Blackarachnia, assist him. Inferno, stay on guard to ensure Primal doesn't try to copy his mentor's ill-fated stunt would you? I realize shackled unarmed prisoners can be quite the hassle but I like to think you three should be able to handle the task without further difficulties. Here's a hint, closing the door might help. Umbra..." "Carry that slagheap to my chambers would you? I'm not quite done with him yet, nnnnnooo...."

Umbra looked towards Nexus on the floor, the tentacles on his right side extending and coiling around Nexus's body, suction cups gripping at multiple points as they worked in unison lifting Nexus from the floor over Umbra's shoulder, he looked over at Optimus as Megatron punched him in the face. He seeming to cringe slightly, then followed Megatron out.

__________________________________

"Perfect, we're coming in, Terrorsaur out" "Here's the first catch of the day Quickstrike, Tantrum and Buster are over there have the other one in tow, he's a big one. Where do we put these guys?"

Quickstrike looked at Terrorsaur with Waspinator in tow, then looked towards Night Terror. Uh.. He looked towards Megatron as he was heading towards his room with Umbra and Inferno in tow Hey boss, the fliers are back with prisoners.. Uh.. what do ya want done with em?

[Phoenix]

(ooc: Oooh! I get busy for a couple of days and there's suddenly so many awesome posts to respond to! Loving the exchange, truly! And BlackRose, I could not hold back a laugh at your final remark for Dinobot. It was just too perfect. Also, DS, Megs had gotten quite dark and mean, great stuff!)

"You only get one shot at this, Sonar. Blow it and I'll make sure you suffer with this hallucinogen for a very long time,"

"I'll see what I can do, young one. But I can't make promises that I can't keep. And perhaps I could get samples of none infected blood? we might be able to come up with something resembling an answer."

Large, suspicious green optics glanced up at Sonar as he spoke before returning to the task at hand. The bat was among the smaller Predacons, yet he still towered over Aurora, not that this was a problem for a mere sample extraction from his arm. However the idea of letting this guy run lose, with a sharp object no less, was unsettling at best, making Aurora hesitant about letting the bat touch even the needles.

"I have no problem with that idea, although I'd feel a bit better if I could gather my own sample.. or perhaps Ironclaw is willing? No offense to you or anything, but I don't exactly have good experiences when it comes to Predacons.."

As she spoke, she also inserted the needle into the arm, swiftly drawing back the mech fluid sample she required and then safely inserting it into a container. "I'd like a sample of yours as well, Rhinox, for comparison.. The last thing we need is a mutating virus on our hands." She discarded the used syringe, grabbing for another one on the table next to them.

"Since you have a scientific background, perhaps you'd like to do the honors of comparing the samples?," Aurora asked of Sonar, drawing up a sample of her own unaffected mech fluid as well and repeating the process from earlier. All-the-while she was doing her best to keep busy so she wouldn't think about the situation with Optimus being held captive.

"Okay, 'Grazer, you just volunteered yourself,"

"Thank you,"

Nemesis had rolled her eyes at the exchange between the rodent and the mare, debating her baby-sitting duties of all things. She wasn't at all surprised by the rat's persistence of keeping an eye on her, but more so of the white female's willingness and even eagerness to do the job. Letting out an exasperated sigh, Nemesis spoke up.

"Now that it's settled.."


She was about to continue when she took note of Whitegrazer's face writhed as if in agony, causing Nemesis to tilt her head in interest. She knew this female had some rather peculiar powers, she'd even witnessed them herself, but the true nature of those powers and the extent of them escaped her.. for now. Watching the other female's pain level decrease back to normal, the black and red avian listened intently. What intrigued her even more than the abrupt onset of pain was the conversation the rodent and the female were about to have.

"He is already drained from the past two days. He is hanging in there. But since he isn't a soldier-- well, I mean, it wasn't his life choice,"

Optimus..

So this female, her Maximal counterpart in almost every way, had established a mental link with the Maximals' lost leader.. And she seemed fond of him, her voice softening ever so slightly when she spoke of him. There had been rumors buzzing about the Predacon base about Primal having a mate, but thus far there had been no real evidence to prove it one way or another. This information could prove useful indeed.

"On the pod we recovered when your team fled the battle yesterday. We think it came from the Akira, which may likely be how your bounty hunter buddy Darkwind got here."

"That is the story he gave us when he first showed up at the Darksyde," Nemesis confirmed, although she didn't sound entirely convinced.

"Created on one of those colonies as a Decepticreep with dis nanotech and you've never seen or heard of Darkwind before? Yeah right. And then you happily came to Earth in a floating basket with an umbrella attached to it, landing in the icy waters and freezin' yourself inta stasis. So much information is missin' in there,"

That rodent was truly beginning to irk her.. No, that would be deluding herself.. He most definitely had been nothing but a smelly pain in the afterburners since the moment she set foot on Maximal territory. Nemesis sent the rodent another glare when the silent figure in the back spoke up.

"Is it not possible that Nemesis left the colony before Darkwind arrived?" Dinobot interrupted growing tired of the rat's incessant paranoia. Then he turned to Nemesis. "Or is it possible, Nemesis, that he has disguised himself so that you do not recognize him or that he is going by an assumed name?"

She thought about it for a moment.

"I doubt I left before he arrived or he wouldn't have known me as intimately as he obviously does.. However it is quite possible that he has been rebuilt with a different appearance."

It was true. Many agents went to extreme lengths to complete their assignments, including having their bodies completely reassembled. The avian female had been so caught up in her anger of Darkwind's betrayal that she hadn't really considered how he had accomplished it.

"You are correct. There are only two reasons why Sentinel couldn't pick him up." She looked at Rattrap, Dinobot, and Nemesis, "Either this individual has the technology to cloak himself to our sensors or... Sentinel registered his signature as a friendly." She looked at Nemesis with concern, "He must have known about your abilities. That is why he targetted you. It was easy for him to disguise himself as you. And that means... you're his primary target."

Wait.. what?

Nemesis balked a bit at that statement. It was fairly evident that Darkwind knew who she was, but why would he go through all this trouble to frame her when he could so very easily have just killed her when she lay unconscious in that field..? Opening her mouth to protest, the winged female then suddenly closed it again upon realizing that there was a very good chance that she had played straight into Darkwind's palm. The reason he had let her live was not because he wanted Megatron to finish the job, but rather that he knew that if.. no.. when.. she escaped, she would go straight to the source for answers. To the Maximals. And thus proving Darkwind's words to be true.. Making her the traitor he had proclaimed her as. And in doing so, making it impossible for her to return to the Predacon ranks. He wanted to humiliate her, to break her down, before delivering the finishing blow.

The female Predacon shifted uncomfortably where she stood, her red optics meeting Whitegrazer's for a brief moment before she averted her gaze, not wanting to share the realization she had just made. But part of her knew it was likely too late, the emotions having spread across her face and they would be fairly easy for someone with empathetic powers to read. At this precise moment, Nemesis felt extremely vulnerable.. stripped down to her innermost layers and exposed. It was rather disconcerting, honestly.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, 'Grazer. Are you sayin' he's a shape-shifter? I doubt that." They were fairly rare but it wasn't impossible, he just didn't want to jump to any conclusions. "He's gotta have some kinda device he's usin' ta block our sensors and ta tamper with our video feed 'cause he didn't register on Sentinel's scanners and neither did Nemesis but here she is, clear as an energon cube, leavin' our base."

"Is there any way that the alarms could have been tampered with?" Dinobot paused. He finally added hesitantly for he knew at once what the outcome of his suggestion would be. "Perhaps Darkwind had an accomplice among the Maximals? Perhaps someone helped him enter the base undetected and turned off the alarms."

Watching them speculate, Nemesis managed to pull herself back together. Granted, that smug grin that so frequently decorated her face was nowhere to be seen now, replaced by a much more serious and also confused look.

"It sounds crazy, I know. But wouldn't have our sensors or any diagnostics pick up something afoot? A foreign device no matter how small?" She asked Rattrap curiously, but then gritted her teeth as the side of her head felt like it had been knocked into a wall. "He-" she was struggling to form her sentence, head becoming dizzy blow by blow of kicks and punches, losing concentration, "he framed Nemesis with treason. That's..." She felt the squeezing again and nearly tripped over the center station, but she caught herself with both hands, " Many Predacons value treachery, but if a Predacon betrays their own to Maximals, crimelords like Megatron would have her killed ten times over." She took deep breaths to try and keep herself from succumbing from the same overwhelming emotions as Optimus had, "Darkwind knew this and used it. He wanted her dead, but he failed. We need-" she grunted abit. Pain still lingered within-"to see what we can find about him in our databases if we can. Maybe something will jog your memory, Nemesis."

She shook her head, trying to clear it. The white mare was twitching again, the pain seemingly nearing excruciating levels this time, causing Nemesis to briefly wonder what was going on at the Predacon base. It lasted for a longer period of time also, the other female struggling to finish her sentence between the waves of pain. Nemesis studied her, taking note of how different the two of them were, physically and mentally. One is black and red with a few white details, the other mostly white, one designed for a life in the sky while the other was Earth bound, Predacon and Maximal, but both with abilities that were invisible to the naked eye. One physical, the other emotional. And this Maximal had now been assigned to watch her? It was a disaster waiting to happen..

Turning her attention back to the two males, Nemesis decided she had stalled long enough. Not that the others would have noticed in the midst of Whitegrazer's obvious torment.

"Shape-shifting down to that detail is simply impossible.. That kind of technology doesn't exist. Yes, he has my healing capabilities, but that's really all they are.. They are limited to restoring an individual back to his or her original state, nothing more and nothing less. It's far more likely that your toothy friend here is correct and that someone on the inside assisted Darkwind with his mission. I'd be happy to assist you in checking your databases for information, though."

"You know, you're kinda old. Are you sure you don't remember him? You could be suffering from memory loss." Rattrap's smile didn't last long as he went on. "I don't get why he's after you just because of your nanotech. Big whoop. I'd ask if you did anything ta anyone who would cause them ta hunt you down but we'd never know where to begin. Can those things shape shift a whole bot? You know, I'm really beginnin' ta think that this guy had somethin' ta do with Sonar escaping."

Settling her fiery optics on the rodent again, Nemesis merely grabbed the back of his swivel chair and gave it a sudden and powerful twirl to send the chair spinning. With Rattrap in it.


Nexus' body lay limp and immovable after Megatron's harsh treatment, the large gash in his backside seemingly widening from the continued abuse. Dents, cuts and more cracks appearing in the armor with every assault. And the longer the brutality went on, the more strained the situation got, the pain starting to overwhelm him to the point where he had trouble maintaining this charade of being defeated and wounded beyond repair. His unique physiology protected him from the brunt of the blows, and a majority of the weakened whimpers he let out were done on purpose to reinforce the idea that he truly was near death. Still it annoyed him greatly that occasionally an involuntary grunt escaped, his body feeling sore and he was actually starting to take some damage.

Ugh.. Was Megatron ever going to stop this or would he be forced to reveal his true nature in front of Optimus to bring an end to this?

"Nexus!"

He caught the brief bickering between Megatron and Optimus, the latter sounding more and more desperate to end this. Oh Maximals, such sentimental fools they were..

Nexus let out a half choked gasp when Megatron seized his thrashing and grabbed him by the throat to lift him off the floor. Nexus was a little taller than the tyrant, but the purple self-proclaimed warlord seemed to have no great trouble lifting him up and dragging him over to where Primal was standing.

"Learned his place, Umbra? I think not, nnnooo, not quite yet, but he will shortly"

Megatron jerked his head up enough for Primal to get a good look at his face, all the gory details on full display. One of his optics had cracked and finally shattered, a crushing injury to the eye socket and cheek, the ruined optic flashing yellow a few times before that too faded away, and mech fluid dripping down the face, covering it. He surely looked a mess, a fact Nexus was quite proud of, due to the complexity of getting his nanites to mimic such severe injuries. His lips quivered as he looked directly at Optimus with his one functioning eye, his body hanging limp and would certainly crash into a pile on the floor was Megatron not holding him up. "Forgive.. me," he whispered to Optimus, his voice sounding weak and defeated. Surely he deserved a medal for such a flawless presentation.

"Lo and behold, the last Prime, he goes out not with a bang, but a whimper...Take a good look Primal, this likely will be the last you shall see of him. Tarantulas, assuming you still function, begin Primal's interrogation while Inferno and I take out the trash, I trust you can manage that? Blackarachnia, assist him. Inferno, stay on guard to ensure Primal doesn't try to copy his mentor's ill-fated stunt would you? I realize shackled unarmed prisoners can be quite the hassle but I like to think you three should be able to handle the task without further difficulties. Here's a hint, closing the door might help. Umbra..." Megatron said as he then ruthlessly tossed Nexus out of the brig and head over heels across the floor "Carry that slagheap to my chambers would you? I'm not quite done with him yet, nnnnnooo...."

As Nexus again went crashing to the floor with a loud thud, he ignored the urge to groan out his displeasure. Instead he let his body go flaccid, feigning unconsciousness. Within moments the tentacles of the hired gun, whose name he'd learned to be Umbra, wrapped around him in an almost delicate fashion before proceeding to haul his still form back to Megatron's private chambers.

[Mystrea]

Dirge did as he was commanded and stood down. He saw his master being lifted into the air taken in a certain direction. Dirge followed after him knowing that the other flyers would not be able to carry him.

[Optimal Optimus Primal]

"I concur," "Bear in mind, Megatron's forces are, as far as we know, unaffected by the virus. We have lost two comrades to Megatron's prison cells, but we have lost three comrades to the virus. Rhinox and the others who have been infected are not fit to fight."

I concur...? Dinobot agreed with Nemesis? Once a Pred, always a Pred! "And lest we forget that we're outnumbered now, too. Dey just gained two more Preds," Rattrap purposely pointed out, adding to the raptor's obvious observation.

"Is it not possible that Nemesis left the colony before Darkwind arrived?" "Or is it possible, Nemesis, that he has disguised himself so that you do not recognize him or that he is going by an assumed name?"

Isn't it possible dat she's makin' this all up and yer her Predhead friend? thought Rattrap bitterly. Though, he didn't really mean it, which was why he didn't say it out loud. It wouldn't have helped their situation at all. With Dinobot and Whitegrazer gradually gravitating to Nemesis's side and her crazy talk about a fiend that some how disguised himself to look and act exactly like her, Rattrap felt alone. Ugh, please.

"That does appear to be Nemesis,"

"Yeah... You keepin' up with us, Chopper Face?" the rodent teased.

"Rattrap,"

Dinobot's voice saying his name actually made Rattrap stop what he was doing. Briefly. And then the carnivorous dinosaur went on.

"Is there any way that the alarms could have been tampered with?" "Perhaps Darkwind had an accomplice among the Maximals? Perhaps someone helped him enter the base undetected and turned off the alarms."

"An accomplice?! Are your wires crossed?" he rhetorically asked Dinobot when he glanced over his shoulder at him. "Who de heck was gonna help him when nobody else knows who he is?" Rattrap stopped asking questions to finally answer the ex-Pred's. "Maybe. But it'll take a while to dig through the data an' system. You wanna start on that, Lizard Lips, and see if you can find anythin'?" he suggested to the warrior, not that Dinobot was too familiar with the system or digging around in endless strips of nonsense but Rattrap was too busy with the video to take on another job that would also require his full attention. For a moment, Rattrap wondered how Landslide was doing with the new weapon, and how Banshee and Spots were doing in the CR's, and Aurora and Rhinox with the virus. How did Optimus do this all the time again...? Speaking of which, the rat glanced over at Whitegrazer when she tried speaking.

"It sounds crazy, I know. But wouldn't have our sensors or any diagnostics pick up something afoot? A foreign device no matter how small?" "He-"

He was about to answer her when he watched her cringe and struggle with an invisible force. He frowned as he assumed she was feeling what their leader was experiencing through their connection and it didn't look pleasant. Of course, it made Rattrap even more determined to get Optimus back.

"he framed Nemesis with treason. That's..." "Many Predacons value treachery, but if a Predacon betrays their own to Maximals, crimelords like Megatron would have her killed ten times over." "Darkwind knew this and used it. He wanted her dead, but he failed. We need-" "to see what we can find about him in our databases if we can. Maybe something will jog your memory, Nemesis."

"If Darkwind really disguised himself as Nemesis to a tee," he still sounded skeptical about that, "it's a whole heck of a lot easier ta trick our scanners and sensors dat yer a friendly signature and not a foe. So why go to all dat trouble just ta frame her and get Megatron to kick her out of his horrible and ugly band of misfits? And if he somehow tampered with Sentinel, den dis guy knows his electronics and knows how our ship's computer systems work. Maybe..." Rattrap found it more difficult to say it than to admit it to himself, so he struggled to let it escape his mouth in his voice. "Maybe you're right, Dinobot. Somebody had to've helped 'im. Somebody with the knowledge of Sentinel's programming. And Nemesis ain't got dat knowledge," he deliberately pointed out, as if he was trying to embarrass her since he happily dabbled in that kind of stuff and knew a lot about it. On the other hand, it could almost make him a suspect.

When Whitegrazer almost tripped around the center console, Rattrap almost jumped out of his chair to help her, but it was unnecessary when he saw her catch herself and so he remained in his seat. But he looked very concerned for her as well as their fearless leader. What were they doing to him? Was he holding up okay? Those slaggin' Preds are gonna pay for what dey're doin'! he thought angrily. And poor Whitegrazer was feeling the after effects.

"That is the story he gave us when he first showed up at the Darksyde,"

"Yeah? Well, he left de scene of the accident, so I don't believe 'im. It bugs me dat he showed up the same time as Nexus on the de same ship. And den these other two Preds coincidentally show up later and land here? I didn't like the way Nexus was conversin' with dose Preds either. Somebody's lyin' to us, I can smell it. And I don't mean Chopper Face 'ere," he joked in a serious manner.

"I doubt I left before he arrived or he wouldn't have known me as intimately as he obviously does.. However it is quite possible that he has been rebuilt with a different appearance."

Now, that was possible. Wait. Was he agreeing with her? Rattrap gagged at himself for that. This guy did seem to like different disguises... Supposedly. It still couldn't explain everything else, though. If he was working with someone, who was it? Sonar? The bat may not have known intimate details of Sentinel, but he might have been able to figure it out. And he was the only Pred on the Axalon that might have helped Darkwind in exchange for his release. But that still didn't explain how Darkwind would have gotten Sonar out with the extreme security measures that Optimus implemented with their brig, and how Darkwind's presence hadn't been detected by Sentinel beforehand. Rattrap was getting frustrated.

"Shape-shifting down to that detail is simply impossible.. That kind of technology doesn't exist. Yes, he has my healing capabilities, but that's really all they are.. They are limited to restoring an individual back to his or her original state, nothing more and nothing less. It's far more likely that your toothy friend here is correct and that someone on the inside assisted Darkwind with his mission. I'd be happy to assist you in checking your databases for information, though."

"Hah! No way, Blemishes. Dinobot's got it covered. You just stand there an' don't touch anything," Rattrap told Nemesis without looking at her, his optics glued to the monitor. Suddenly, he felt her grab his chair and he was spinning uncontrollably in it with his legs and arms flailing about and his voice giving a yell that carried along in his quick 360º spins. Getting dizzy, he finally reached forward and grabbed the console to stop himself, and dug around in a nearby drawer in search of his taser but it was missing. Why was it missing?! In a panic, he then grabbed his gun on his lap and held it up, thinking he was aiming at Nemesis when he was actually aiming at Dinobot. With his index finger on the trigger, he gave a glare until he realized who he was targeting when his vision straightened out and became clear. "Meh," he shrugged, as if he would have fired at Dinobot anyway. But that was just outward appearance that Rattrap had to maintain. He wouldn't have shot him. But he would have liked to have fired at Nemesis for that little stunt. Repeatedly. Until her head fell off. "Hands off the chair... and pretty much everythin' else," he warned her as he aimed the barrel of his gun at her, not that she would have taken him seriously but he didn't want to make it easy for her. Rattrap shifted his gaze at Whitegrazer, disappointed that she hadn't stopped Nemesis from causing that distraction, before he sat back down and resumed his video surveillance.

And then, there was a loud gasp that exhaled from his mouth. He paused the fast-forwarding video with wide optics and then rewound it back when he saw it. Or rather him. At the brig. He didn't know what to say as his mouth hanged open, agape. "I..." Rattrap was speechless. "Uh..." He swallowed. "Guys? You, uh... you wanna take a look at dis...? 'Cause if I just tell ya about it, you ain't gonna believe me." As soon as he thought the other three were watching since he couldn't take his eyes off of the screen, he played the footage. It showed Optimus entering the brig, approaching Sonar's cell, stepping inside his cell, saying something to each other, handing him something, and then turning to walk out leaving Sonar's cell wide open as well as the brig. Rattrap's spark started to race. It couldn't be... Could it? No way! Optimus would have never done this! ...Would he...? He was pretty willing to obey Megatron's demands for his surrender... No! This was crazy! He slowly shook his head in disbelief. What if Optimus was the one who had helped Darkwind? NO! What was he thinking?! Accusing their fearless leader of aiding someone the likes of Darkwind? "I think we just found out how Sonar got dat hallucinogen, and how he escaped. But... It couldn't be. Darkwind musta tampered with this feed, too!" he tried convincing himself. That was the only explanation.

"Rhinox...?" Rattrap called Big Green over his comm. link. "Has Sonar said anything about, uh, how he got out?"

"I'm actually the most sane Predacon you'll ever meet."

No, that would have been Steelclaw, Rhinox disagreed with the bat. But they hadn't seen the bear in a very long time. For all they knew, he had been killed by Megatron's hands just like Glowstick.

"Yeah, yeah, calm down before you have a spark attack or something."

Rhinox was too healthy to have a spark attack, and he was offended by Sonar's remark, but he quickly brushed it off his shoulders.

"Join the club."

The green and brown Maximal raised a golden brow at Sonar's mutter, surprised that he didn't go further into detail. He was silently grateful, but then again maybe the Pred just didn't care.

"I'll see what I can do, young one. But I can't make promises that I can't keep. And perhaps I could get samples of none infected blood? we might be able to come up with something resembling an answer."

Rhinox nodded to both Sonar and Aurora, agreeing that that was the route to take at this time.

"I have no problem with that idea, although I'd feel a bit better if I could gather my own sample.. or perhaps Ironclaw is willing? No offense to you or anything, but I don't exactly have good experiences when it comes to Predacons.."

Just relax, Aurora. You're doing fine, the engineer thought. Don't let him intimidate you.

"I'd like a sample of yours as well, Rhinox, for comparison.. The last thing we need is a mutating virus on our hands."

He nodded again and held out the arm that wasn't holding Sonar in his place. He'd have done the sample extraction himself, however, he probably would have stabbed his arm a hundred times before he found the right spot to draw any fluids. Or he'd have missed his arm completely with the syringe. This slagging hallucinogen... he grumbled to himself.

"Since you have a scientific background, perhaps you'd like to do the honors of comparing the samples?,"

Interesting. Well, let's see if Sonar could behave after all. The rhinoceros released his grip on the Predacon's arm to allow him to move freely for Aurora's offer. But he remained standing close at his side. Then he heard Rattrap's voice.

"Rhinox...?" "Has Sonar said anything about, uh, how he got out?"

What? It sounded as though his smaller friend might have found something to back up the bat's proclamation. "As a matter of fact, he did," he replied.

"Uh... That it was... Optimus who helped him?" Rattrap had his comm. link's volume high enough for the others around him to hear Rhinox on the other end.

"Yes," he said, not very surprised by the news but also trying to keep things calm for Aurora's sake. "But he claims it wasn't Optimus because his demeanor was off, as well as his scent."

Well, that was pretty interesting. "Soooo, either the Vok are back with another clone or somebody is better at pulling off pranks and Halloween costumes dan me. Who wants ta go back to the disguise idea?" Rattrap asked the others surrounding him as he raised his hand. "Some how dis guy was able ta be everything that Optimus is in order ta open our brig. Do you realize how much detail dat would take?" He looked at Nemesis, almost accusingly, as if he expected an explanation for her disregarding the earlier shape-shifting discussion.

"How did you know?" Rhinox inquired.

"We got it on video, clear as day. Optimus strolling inta the brig and lettin' Sonar out. We also got Nemesis on surveillance leavin' our base just like Darkwind said she did. ...According to her."

"Remarkable," Big Green said thoughtfully. He felt that Darkwind had been behind the whole thing but he didn't know how. But right now that wasn't his job to find out.

"Remarkable? Dat ain't the word I'd use..." Rattrap constantly rewound the footage and played it again, looking for anything out of place. Anything that would give him a clue or that this guy would have failed to impersonate or that would prove that it wasn't actually Optimus because it scared the rodent to even consider the possibility. Cameras from the other corridors nearby didn't show anything suspicious beforehand. But they didn't show Optimus walking around either. "Wait a minute. How did he get to the brig without being seen here?" he said as he pointed at the screen that was showing the one of the corridors that lead to their vessel's prison that never saw their leader. Frustrated, he placed both of his hands on his head.

[DarkSpark]

OOP wrote: He gave a gasp as he felt his bonds constricting again, squeezing him in some anguish. The pressure was great, forcing his arms inward toward his stomach and tightening around his sides, back and chest. He tried fighting against it, pushing back outward, but it was to no avail. "Arrrgggh..." he growled, struggling to stay on his feet but his efforts were quickly depleting. With a gasp and a cough, he fell to his knees and then laid on his side with his legs bent up toward his chest desperately trying to cope. He frantically searched for Whitegrazer and tried breathing the same way as they were before together but it was tougher this time.

"Comfortable I trust?" Tarantulas inquired, feigning concern for Primal's well being even as he imagined and longed for the sight of his ruined remains decorating the floor, "Or would you prefer looser? Because that can be arranged, if you'd be willing to answer a few questions for us, fair trade don't you think? Hehehehehehahahahahah!"

Tarantulas' chuckles were every bit like the creepy cackle of a fairytale witch, only far worse since he was real and could do actual bodily harm rather than just frighten you. His arachnid like face was a mask of pure cruelty, his words dripping with sadism, he relished every moment of Primal's suffering, perhaps far too much even by predacon standards.

"Lets start with something simple shall we? Where are the golden disks?" Tarantulas asked, wanting to be the first to know what the traitor Dinobot had done with them before Megatron did, perhaps give him enough of an edge to reacquire them first, and thus render the intel locked away in Blackarachnia's mind unnecessary, and herself as well.

Primal may resist at first, but he was ready to break him to get the intel, and sooner or later, he ALWAYS broke them...

"Ah, just like old times" Tarantulas mused inwardly as he recollected all the culprits he'd tortured for information over the years back on Cybertron, always such rewarding work.

Naitokage wrote: Quickstrike looked at Terrorsaur with Waspinator in tow, then looked towards Night Terror. Uh.. He looked towards Megatron as he was heading towards his room with Umbra and Inferno in tow Hey boss, the fliers are back with prisoners.. Uh.. what do ya want done with em?

Megatron gave Quickstrike a look that said "I will kill you if you piss me off right now," but then redirected his gaze to the two newcomers, the ones from Cybertron. Tilting his head to the side in curiousity, wondering who these mystery bots were, how they had tracked him here, millions of solar cycles in the past on an alien planet, and most importantly, who they served. Oh, how simple it would be if they were mere outlaws, pirates who'd lost their way, escaped cons, or ambitious bounty hunters, but neither was very likely alas, the odds of someone stumbling across an anomaly capable of sending them here to this place and time was astronomically unlikely, by accident or design, and few had the skill or guile to do what he had done, relieve the Tripredacus Council of one of their very own experimental transwarp ships. In short, if these two had come here, they had to be serving someone with the power and resources to give them a vessel capable of transwarp travel, something no one would entrust to another without a purpose in mind. They were confirmed as Predacons, so they weren't a maximal rescue team here to help Primal's crew and punish himself, no, they were likely Tripredacus agents, though had they been hunting for him all this time and had only just now found him by chance? Or did the Council itself know his location and would send others once they realized this team had failed? If he could discern one possibility or the other he'd gladly kill these two Tripredacus puppets now and be done with it, but if he guessed wrong he'd have more pursuers sooner or later and they would be better equipped than these two failures were...He needed to know more about them before they died.

"Acquire power bonds from Tarantulas and the others in his lab, but lock these strangers up in the old brig for now, AND WATCH THEM CLOSELY, I shall deal with them later. Quickstrike, return to monitor duty" Megatron growled, annoyed by all these new variables that kept interfering with his plans, upsetting an otherwise flawless victory, like a bad series of subplots weakening an otherwise flawless epic, HIS epic.

"As you command Megatron, but surely first you'll wish to congratulate us on our success, which wouldn't have been possible without my skill..." Terrorsaur began to say, until the coldest, most scathing look he had ever been given by the transmetal tyrant pierced his spark like a red hot poker and he immediately said "....But I can you're busy now so we'll talk about that later."

"Wise call" was all Megatron said in reply, still staring the pterosaur down like he was an unwelcome speck on a once perfect painting.

"Move it losers!" Terrorsaur squawked at his captives as he shoved them along with Waspinator and the rest in tow and put as much distance between himself and Megatron as he possibly could, angry that he wasn't getting the credit he deserved but also fighting the urge to shiver with fear...Megatron hadn't come close to looking as angry with him as that since his ill-fated return home from his lost battle against Primal for control of the floating mountain...Someone had seriously put Megatron in a bad mood, and he didn't feel like being his outlet for it, no sir.

"Good help is so hard to find these days, but I'm sure you're well aware of that given the situation, Nexus" Megatron bragged, improving his mood by mocking the damaged maximal as Umbra dragged him along on the way to his private chambers.

Once there, Megatron strode inside and took a seat, pulling out a cloth from his subspace pocket to begin wiping off the maximal's blood, starting with his tailgun, making a show of it for his maximal prisoner and said "Well old timer, you survived a beating that frankly would have killed most bots half your age, and you finally have me alone, which I suspect was your goal all along or else you would have known better than to push me as hard as you did. Don't worry about Umbra, he's a well paid professional, you may speak freely here, assuming you still can, that being said, I advise you to make your intentions known, or I'll fulfill my promise to Optimus and finish you right now. He may see you again after all, but it would be as a severed head on a spike, so this had BETTER be good."

Now that Megatron's head had cleared he had realized Nexus Prime had been pushing him far too hard for even a stubborn old maximal with a "never say die" attitude would have done, he'd wanted this audience and he had wanted it in relative privacy, away from his wide eyed trusting pupil, but for what purpose, he had no idea.

"This should be interesting" Megatron pondered inwardly, watching Nexus with great scrutiny, eying him like a viper ready to strike even though the extent of his damage was so bad it was possible even a CR bath couldn't fully repair him.

[Optimal Optimus Primal]

"Forgive.. me,"

Primal's optics were filled with worry and sadness for Nexus when he muttered those words before Megatron had tossed him out of his cell. What did he have to forgive him for? It was Optimus who should be asking for him for his forgiveness; he got him into this. Well, technically, Megatron did, but because the Maximal Commander couldn't allow Cheetor and Banshee to suffer the way they were already, or be killed, it was all he could do to comply with the Predacon's demands.

"Just keep talking, ape! I can't wait to see what Megatron does to you when he is done with your elderly friend. I hope he makes you beg for mercy!"

What exactly did these arachnids have against Optimus? As far as he was concerned, all of them had their own agendas and just put on pathetic acts to keep Megatron happy or to avoid him killing them. Where was Arachnitron? She might have shown more mercy toward him than these two. Blackarachnia's repetitive kicks to his abdomen hit their target every time but fortunately for him her feet weren't very destructive to his TransMetal armor. Her strikes had merely left scratches on his paint which got lost among the many other small dents and cuts that he still had from the Akira's explosion the day before. Primal was surprised that he had managed to tackle her in the first place considering how agile she was, but it hadn't worked out the way he had planned anyway. It was her roundhouse kick to his face that snapped his head to the side, stretching his neck, and gave him some pain before Megatron had added to it soon after with his monstrous punch.

"Oh, with pleasure, Megatron,"

Optimus... Optimus...

He heard her again, her voice trying to sooth him and comfort him in the situation he was in despite the constricting bonds. He could imagine her face, touching her cheek with his thumb, and her kind optics.

You are letting anger overwhelm you.

Yes, because of what Megatron is doing to Nexus! And now he has taken him away and there's nothing I can do, he argued with sorrow, thinking his aggression would work in his favor to give him more strength.

Listen to me. Whatever is happening to Nexus, I can't feel it, but I can feel yours. You mustn't succumb. You mustn't feed them. Nexus, I saw him talk down the Predacons close to our base. I'm sure he can talk himself out whatever mess is happening.

She might have been sure about it but he wasn't. I have never seen Megatron like this before, Primal thought, warning Whitegrazer how different this situation was and that he may very well kill them both. Soon.

Remember, no matter what they say in petty threats and do in a bloodlust rage, they still need you two alive. That is your greatest advantage that will buy you time. Save your strength.

Whitegrazer was right, but it wasn't going to be easy. Seeing the condition Nexus was in moments ago was already haunting him as he writhed on the floor from the pressure of the bonds, releasing small gasps of exhales and growls of anguish. It was then when Tarantulas's voice broke his concentration.

"Comfortable I trust?"

Seriously? Predacons and their relentless taunting...

"Or would you prefer looser? Because that can be arranged, if you'd be willing to answer a few questions for us, fair trade don't you think? Hehehehehehahahahahah!"

Primus, just get on with the interrogation, you treacherous spider! Also, that depended on what they wanted to know, but he wasn't planning on telling them anything anyway. Tarantulas and Blackarachnia didn't have the authority or permission to kill him, so he would easily be able to fight through their torturing. Well, maybe not easily or gracefully, but he would manage. Just take the pain... Just take the pain... Optimus told himself. Don't give them any advantages. Because his Maximals needed all the help they could get. It sickened him how much both spiders were standing there smiling and cackling at his dismay.

"Lets start with something simple shall we? Where are the golden disks?"

What...? Authentic confusion suddenly overwhelmed the Maximal's face in response to the spider's inquiry. Is this a trick question? But then he thought about disguising what he did or didn't actually know. "You... lost them?" Optimus struggled to ask and actually managed some laughing at them to return the taunting and embarrassment that he and Megatron must have been feeling about losing the disks so easily. If they truly lost both disks, then who had them? If they thought he knew, then it must have been someone among his crew who managed to infiltrate their base and acquire them and then handed them over to him. But this was all news to Primal. At the moment, under the pain and discomfort he was in, he couldn't think of who. ...And he had a feeling his answer wasn't going to satisfy the TransMetal tarantula.

[una]

Whitegrazer was the only one who saw Nemesis' vulnerability. A side probably only a couple of people have seen or refuse to see it. Her vulnerability made her even more determined to help her no matter what Darkwind planned for her. Nemesis and her had more in common than she might not know of. Based on how the Decepticon turned Predacon looked at her, maybe she now saw it too?

They were both bots in pain.

Yes, because of what Megatron is doing to Nexus! And now he has taken him away and there's nothing I can do,

She placed her hand on her cheek like someone had placed a hand there. And she knew whose hand it was. I understand. I worry about him too. But you are wrong. You are not as helpless as the Predacons make you out to be. You may be a captive, but you have power. More than you realize.

I have never seen Megatron like this before,

Optimus...you are worried about Nexus. Worried of what they might do to him, but you can't despair yourself over the unknown fate of your mentor. And since you two are separated, don't trust their words about Nexus. No matter what they say or show you. She caressed the hand with a comfortable stroke.

"Hands off the chair... and pretty much everythin' else,"

She saw Rattrap twirling around and around. She reached towards the chair with her hands to try and slow it down when Rattrap aimed his weapon at Dinobot instead of Nemesis. She had both of her hands in front of her, signaling for Rattrap to take it easy, but the disappointment he shot towards made her realize a mistake she made. I'm sorry, Rattrap. My mind is at two places and I volunteered to watch Nemesis. I let my guard down. It was her fault. It had been awhile since she ever had such a connection and Optimus was a... very commanding presence. If he were a bot of ruthlessness, he could use her connection to influence her own will. But Optimus wasn't and she was glad of that fact.

Maybe she needed to get Nemesis to some place elsewhere. With Rattrap being trigger-happy, paranoid, and bickering towards the Predacon, it may be just a matter of time before they both get tired of each others' words. They done enough of that already. The both of them. It might do some good for her as well. She needed to focus on Optimus and Nemesis, helping them as they figure out what must be done in order to find where and who Darkwind was impersonating now.

"Rattrap, with your permission, may I take Nemesis to the Holonet?" The holonet was a place of practice and training yet it may be useful in helping them solve their problem, and as far as she knew, it wasn't an area where Nemesis would be considered a security risk. Also, it may ease Nemesis to not be around some many Maximals. "With a visual representation of data we have collected or will collect, it may be easier for us to see the truth we seek. Nemesis and I can oversee such a program while Dinobot and you can keep a com-link open to relay any new information you two may see. We can't let Darkwind confuse us or second guess each other. That is what he wants." The Maximal commander held his hands on his hand. She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Would that be all right, Rattrap?"

((OOC: I'm assuming the holonet is just like the hologram room we see in Star Trek shows? If I'm wrong, I edit this. ))

Primus, just get on with the interrogation, you treacherous spider! Also, that depended on what they wanted to know, but he wasn't planning on telling them anything anyway. Tarantulas and Blackarachnia didn't have the authority or permission to kill him, so he would easily be able to fight through their torturing. Well, maybe not easily or gracefully, but he would manage. Just take the pain... Just take the pain... Optimus told himself. Don't give them any advantages.

She closed her optics, I'm taking the pain with you, Optimus. You have an advantage. Our meditation sessions. Remember one of our first sessions together? We were outside and sitting down...well, I was laying down on the green meadow? We heard the singing of the birds and howl of the gentle wind? Remember the green meadow when the pain becomes too great. Ignore what the Predacons are asking of you. Be as calm as the wind yet as alert as an animal on the prowl, gathering the information by what the Predacons ask of you. Ignore their taunts yet be mindful of their questions. What they ask of you may be more beneficial to you than they realize. Just as Optimus imagined her, she imagined him, knowing that he must in so much agonizing pain already. She held that image, wrapping her arms around him.

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

"Comfortable I trust?

Blackarachnia was quite pleased of herself for inflicting pain to the Maximal ape and smirked as the ape was being suffocated, "Oh, I believe he enjoys it, don't you Optimus?" She winked at him then took a tone of mock sympathy, "Too bad you have to sleep alone. If your friend hadn't caused trouble, you two might have a better chance at a fight, but Maximals work better in groups, don't they? But you are alone. Like a lost puppy. Vulnerable."

Her pinchers scratched the barriers lightly, cooing, "Aww, don't worry, we are here to keep you company. If you behave, I may be able to ask Tarantulas to go easy on you. "

"Lets start with something simple shall we? Where are the golden disks?" "Ah, just like old times"

She narrowed her optics at what Tarantulas' was pulling. Right in front of her and the Maximal? Pfft. She wasn't going to play his game, but she will PLAY it when she had more of an upperhand, but as for right now, she listened to Optimus' answer.

"You... lost them?"

Interesting. He didn't know and Dinobot didn't tell him. Her optics lit up, "You don't know? And they didn't tell you, did they? Awww poor baby. I guess even Maximals are attracted to the allure of treachery! Can you guess who did it? Was it one? Or maybe a group of dissatisfied Maximals want to commit a mutiny?"

She smiled big, "Maybe... they don't care if you are here. Maybe they don't care if you live or die. They could be celebrating right this very moment." She placed her face on the barrier to see how Optimus might react, "Come on! Surrender to us and we can make them pay! Every. Last. One of them."

[Blackrosefencer]

OOC: Sorry....really long post. Figured I should bring Arachnitron and Infereno back into play now that I've had a chance to get caught up on posts, but I'm a bit confused about where Inferno was ordered to be. I think he was told to stay with Optimus......I think Umbra went with Megatron....

BIC:

"And lest we forget that we're outnumbered now, too. Dey just gained two more Preds,"

Ah yes, the recent crash landing of another ship. It had happened just before he had stepped into the CR chamber. He had forgotten about the ship...Rattrap's comment confirmed that the passengers had added themselves to the Predacon forces.

"I see," Dinobot mused. "All the more reason to lure the Predacons out a few at a time to reduce their numbers instead of taking on the whole group head on."

"An accomplice?! Are your wires crossed? Who de heck was gonna help him when nobody else knows who he is?"

Dinobot snarled at Rattrap. "Well, he got in the base somehow, Vermin! Either someone does know him and helped him or he has an intimate knowledge of Sentinel and disarmed the alarms!" Both options, to the rodent, were so unthinkable so he was refusing to believe them, but what is it Arachnitron had said when she accused some of the Maximals of ASKING her to leave with the Predacons? Just because you don't like what you're hearing, doesn't mean it isn't true. Everything sounded so unlikely and so impossible, but there was video evidence of Nemesis leaving the base and no evidence of the alarms sounding her presence. So either it wasn't her or she was very very clever about changing her activation code and a very good actress to boot. Could there be a third option....could she have been forced to do it and her memory tracks erased....even still, the alarms would have sounded so it was unlikely.

Nemesis spoke up then.

"I doubt I left before he arrived or he wouldn't have known me as intimately as he obviously does.. However it is quite possible that he has been rebuilt with a different appearance."

"Hmmm..." Dinobot said thoughtfully. She did have a point. Darkwind obviously knew Nemesis from before.....so Nemesis must know him too. He was either rebuilt as she suggested or..... "Could "Darkwind" also be a disguise? If he were able to disguise himself as you perhaps he disguised himself from you as well."

Rattrap finally took a moment to take Dinobot's suggestions seriously about being able to find evidence that the alarms were deactivated.

"Maybe. But it'll take a while to dig through the data an' system. You wanna start on that, Lizard Lips, and see if you can find anythin'?"

Dinobot snarled. No he did not want to start on that! There were others who were better at using Sentinel and her operating systems than he, but he'd never outwardly express that.

"It sounds crazy, I know. But wouldn't have our sensors or any diagnostics pick up something afoot? A foreign device no matter how small?" "He...."he framed Nemesis with treason. That's..." "Many Predacons value treachery, but if a Predacon betrays their own to Maximals, crimelords like Megatron would have her killed ten times over." "Darkwind knew this and used it. He wanted her dead, but he failed. We need-" "to see what we can find about him in our databases if we can. Maybe something will jog your memory, Nemesis."

Dinobot shook his head. "I don't think he has tried to kill her yet. He knocked her out," Dinobot said recalling Nemesis' story. "He could have killed her then. Why not just do so with her unconscious and unable to fight back and get it over with?" It was not something Dinobot would do, but any other Predacon? An easy victory? Why not!? But, to Dinobot, it seemed like Darkwind wanted her to be driven away from the Predacons and seek out the Maximals for sanctuary; thus, confirming his story about her treachery. Then he wanted her to wonder who he was....and he wanted her to figure it out.....before he killed her. But still....why not just tell her....why the game? "What would be the point of doing all of this if all he wanted was her dead? There must be something else he wants from her first....."

"If Darkwind really disguised himself as Nemesis to a tee," he still sounded skeptical about that, "it's a whole heck of a lot easier ta trick our scanners and sensors dat yer a friendly signature and not a foe. So why go to all dat trouble just ta frame her and get Megatron to kick her out of his horrible and ugly band of misfits? And if he somehow tampered with Sentinel, den dis guy knows his electronics and knows how our ship's computer systems work. Maybe..."Rattrap found it more difficult to say it than to admit it to himself, so he struggled to let it escape his mouth in his voice. "Maybe you're right, Dinobot. Somebody had to've helped 'im. Somebody with the knowledge of Sentinel's programming. And Nemesis ain't got dat knowledge,"

Dinobot tried to think of who did have technical knowledge...Tarantulas was the first that sprung to his mind. Or Blackarachnia....of course, with Tarantulas' guidance, Arachnitron could pull something like this off as well. Megatron, himself? Perhaps....Umbra seemed to serve the highest bidder. Perhaps Darkwind gave him an offer he couldn't refuse. Not to mention, he could disguise himself as just about anyone he wanted....but how good was he? And did any of these have knowledge of Sentinel? Doesn't that mean it must be a Maximal who helped Darkwind? Couldn't be! Dinobot was more likely to betray the Maximals before any of the others would!

"It bugs me dat he showed up the same time as Nexus on the de same ship. And den these other two Preds coincidentally show up later and land here? I didn't like the way Nexus was conversin' with dose Preds either. Somebody's lyin' to us, I can smell it. And I don't mean Chopper Face 'ere,"

Dinobot snarled again. "Oh....ho ho. Would you like an applause for that clever little quip, furball??!" Dinobot gave Rattrap a fake round of applause.

"Shape-shifting down to that detail is simply impossible.. That kind of technology doesn't exist. Yes, he has my healing capabilities, but that's really all they are.. They are limited to restoring an individual back to his or her original state, nothing more and nothing less. It's far more likely that your toothy friend here is correct and that someone on the inside assisted Darkwind with his mission. I'd be happy to assist you in checking your databases for information, though."

Unless Darkwind's abilities were more advanced than Nemesis'.....perhaps healing is just the start of these abilities....

"Hah! No way, Blemishes. Dinobot's got it covered. You just stand there an' don't touch anything,"

Suddenly, Nemesis grabbed hold of the chair and spun Rattrap around in a circle. Dinobot couldn't help but smirk. Even when Rattrap dizzily held up his weapon to threaten Nemesis, but ended up aiming at Dinobot by mistake. The rat shrugged it off, but Dinobot couldn't help but hold up his claws in a mock surrender.

"Oh no, Rattrap......" Dinobot said sarcastically. "Don't shoot! Unless....." Dinobot said slowly. "Maybe it is Rattrap who is the culprit. After all he knows the most about Sentinel."

Dinobot didn't honestly believe that, but he enjoyed teasing the little mouse.

But a gasp came from Rattrap's mouth. At first, Dinobot thought it was because of what he had said to him, but he had been watching the screen of the computer...staring intently at what he saw. Dinobot looked over his shoulder to watch the screen too. There, right there, on the screen was Optimus entering Sonar's cell and allowing him to escape. But....Optimus? It couldn't be! Dinobot's jaw dropped.

"I think we just found out how Sonar got dat hallucinogen, and how he escaped. But... It couldn't be. Darkwind musta tampered with this feed, too!"

Rattrap radioed Rhinox over the comms to try and make sense of everything. Rhinox said that Sonar admitted to getting the halucinogen from Optimus himself, but that he didn't believe it was really him.

"he claims it wasn't Optimus because his demeanor was off, as well as his scent."

Intriguing, but quite a relief as well. It was one thing to suspect Rattrap, but Optimus betraying them was even less believable!

"Soooo, either the Vok are back with another clone or somebody is better at pulling off pranks and Halloween costumes dan me. Who wants ta go back to the disguise idea? Some how dis guy was able ta be everything that Optimus is in order ta open our brig. Do you realize how much detail dat would take? Wait a minute. How did he get to the brig without being seen here?"

"I think we can all agree....he is very good. Perhaps he was walking around disguised at Optimus for a long time. Perhaps he is still disguised as Optimus now. Or.....he is disguised as......one of us." Dinobot suggested. But Whitegrazer had said something when she offered to take Nemesis somewhere else away from Rattrap, sensing his growing irritation with the Predacon's presence. It hit Dinobot hard just then.

"We can't let Darkwind confuse us or second guess each other. That is what he wants."

Dinobot sighed. She was right. They couldn't keep pointing fingers at each other....even in jest. It was this fear, this pandemonium, this chaos, this confusion....all of it is what Darkwind wanted to accomplish. More so than Nemesis' death. He wanted to tear apart the Maximals, make them trust no one. "Whitegrazer was right," Dinobot said. "We can't keep accusing each other of being Darkwind. We should assume that whomever he is disguised as now, isn't here in the Maximal base. Hopefully he is disguised as one of the Predacons...."

Dinobot leaned over to the console nearest him and typed in a few buttons resigning himself to do as Rattrap requested. "Beginning a scan of Sentinel's systems now. Perhaps there is some evidence of Sentinel being tampered with or of a malfunction with the alarms." But Dinobot didn't actually expect to find anything. Not now that they've seen the extent of Darkwind's skills. They may have to actually believe that Darkwind does have the skills necesary to flawlessly disguise himself as anyone he wanted right down to the energy signature.

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

Inferno followed Megatron, Tarantulas, Umbra and the Maximal prisoners into the base. He stood guard as directed with his rocket launcher weapon at the ready. He watched everything that was happening quietly. He flinched slightly as Megatron showed his true self to the Maximals. He was in a rage. Angry at the insolence of the Maximals especially the older one. But Megatron soon prevailed. He was quick to shut the outspoken Maximal admiral up while Umbra and Tarantulas handled the other.

"Lo and behold, the last Prime, he goes out not with a bang, but a whimper...Take a good look Primal, this likely will be the last you shall see of him. Tarantulas, assuming you still function, begin Primal's interrogation while Inferno and I take out the trash, I trust you can manage that? Blackarachnia, assist him. Inferno, stay on guard to ensure Primal doesn't try to copy his mentor's ill-fated stunt would you? I realize shackled unarmed prisoners can be quite the hassle but I like to think you three should be able to handle the task without further difficulties. Here's a hint, closing the door might help. Umbra..." Megatron said as he then ruthlessly tossed Nexus out of the brig and head over heels across the floor "Carry that slagheap to my chambers would you? I'm not quite done with him yet, nnnnnooo...."

"Yes, Megatron. He nodded and watched the tyrant leave with Umbra grabbing the prisoner in his tentacles.

Inferno nodded to Tarantulas once the others were gone.

"You may begin," he said.

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

As Arachnitron watched over the scan of Starshadow's mech fluid, Megatron's voice came over the comms.

"Arachnitron, be a dear and keep watch on our departing friends until they're out of our territory, just in case they get lost, yyyyessss."

Arachnitron rolled her optics since no one was around to see, but said over the comms. "Yes, Megatron,"

She clicked off her comm link and brought the Maximals up on the monitor. Both Maximals left the Predacon territory quickly and without any other trouble. They more than likely met up with other Maximals after the fact, but that didn't much matter to her. She was only required to watch them until they got out of Predacon territory.

Since she was still alone, she ran a quick search through the Darksyde computers. She wanted to verify Blackarachnia's story that there had been no back ups of the golden disks on the ship's computer. She didn't doubt that the other widow had been very thorough in her search for the golden disks, but she wanted to make sure Blackarachnia hadn't missed anything. She knew how important the disks were to Tarantulas and wanted nothing more than to please him. She also wanted to check the ship's computers for any other information it might have of the golden disks which didn't amount to much, but she made a copy of what she found for Tarantulas anyway.

She stored the information she got on a small disk and placed it all in her wrist compartment. She was just about to leave when Quickstrike returned to the monitor room.

"I've been ordered to take the information I found of Starshadow's mech fluid to the lab for further testing," she lied needing an excuse to leave that Quickstrike would never dream of questioning.

She left without another word and Quickstrike answered a hail from Terrorsaur regarding other prisoners. She did, indeed, head to the lab to do some more testing of Starshadow's mech fluid, but on her way she passed by the location where Megatron and the others had taken Optimus and Nexus Prime. She overeheard Megatron give the order to begin interrogating Optimus. She could only guess that they were to be questioning him about the golden disks. She should be there to assist Tarantulas with the interrogation, but she couldn't do that without the express permission from Megatron.

Suddenly, she saw her chance. Megatron was, in fact, leaving the room with the other prisoner in tow! But Terrorsaur and Quickstrike and the others entered the hallway with their prisoners. Maybe she wouldn't be able to assist Tarantulas after all. She decided to head back to the lab once the coast was clear, but then she heard Megatron give the orders for the prisoners to be taken to the other cells. Quickstrike returned to monitor duty, Megatron and Umbra headed off to Megatron's quarters....Terrorsaur and the others left the hall as well to head to the prison lock ups. The coast was clear again! And the opportunity to assist Tarantulas had returned.

She quietly entered the room happy to see Tarantulas already at work, but disappointed to see Inferno standing guard. He saw her immediately and made a bee line to her side grabbing her by the arm and directing her to the door.

"What are you doing?! Get off me!" she struggled in his grasp, but let him lead her out to the hall.

"What are you doing here, spider?"

"Megatron wants me to stand guard!" she lied. "You're to stay here in the hall and make sure Tarantulas' interrogation isn't disrupted. I am to guard the prisoner inside the room. Megatron just told me that himself. He was just here!"

Inferno looked at her suspiciously.

"You can ask him yourself, if you want to question the royalty," Arachnitron dared knowing Inferno would be too afraid to question him.

Inferno hesitated. Megatron had been in a terrible rage. If he questioned the Royalty, he'd be severely punished. He nodded his head. "Go," he instructed. "but draw your weapon and keep a close eye on the prisoner."

"I know. Let us not forget who left the other prisoners escape," Arachnitron reminded him. "Perhaps that is why Megatron entrusted this duty to me and not you." Arachnitron walked away from Inferno, drew her energon pistol, and entered the room.

She found her place alongside Tarantulas as Blackarachnia bullied Primal.

"Too bad you have to sleep alone. If your friend hadn't caused trouble, you two might have a better chance at a fight, but Maximals work better in groups, don't they? But you are alone. Like a lost puppy. Vulnerable."

"Lets start with something simple shall we? Where are the golden disks?" "Ah, just like old times"

"You... lost them?"

"You don't know? And they didn't tell you, did they? Awww poor baby. I guess even Maximals are attracted to the allure of treachery! Can you guess who did it? Was it one? Or maybe a group of dissatisfied Maximals want to commit a mutiny?"

She smiled big, "Maybe... they don't care if you are here. Maybe they don't care if you live or die. They could be celebrating right this very moment." She placed her face on the barrier to see how Optimus might react, "Come on! Surrender to us and we can make them pay! Every. Last. One of them."

"Blackarachnia was right," Arachnitron whispered to Tarantulas as Blackarachnia took over acosting Optimus. "There are no longer any copies of the golden disks on the ship's computers. I did find some hisotrical notes, but it is just lore and superstition, nothing helpful."

Arachnitron turned to Blackarachnia egging her on.

"Come on, Blackarachnia. You don't really believe him! He's lying! He knows exactly who it was who stole the golden disks!" She turned her attention to Optimus. "The Maximals don't do anythiing without your permission. So stop playing around. Tell Tarantulas where they are!"

OOC: Hope this works.....if it changes plans you guys have let me know. Tarantulas is rubbing off on her....

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

After Arachnitron returned to the room, Inferno lowered his head in shame. The she-spider was right, of course. If Inferno had been more careful about securing the prisoners before, he would have been entrusted with guarding Optimus.

He sighed. He really couldn't stand spiders and now, his jealousy of Umbra intensified. He had been allowed to follow Megatron to his quarters to deal with what must be highly sensitive information and Inferno's abilities were doubted. He must make amends! He raised his head proudly and stood guard outside the door paying close attention to the hallway ensuring that no one disturbs the spiders in their interrogation.

[NaitoKage]

(

OOC: Sorry....really long post. Figured I should bring Arachnitron and Infereno back into play now that I've had a chance to get caught up on posts, but I'm a bit confused about where Inferno was ordered to be. I think he was told to stay with Optimus......I think Umbra went with Megatron....

Yep, that's correct. Umbra just carried Nexus away. )

"Acquire power bonds from Tarantulas and the others in his lab, but lock these strangers up in the old brig for now, AND WATCH THEM CLOSELY, I shall deal with them later. Quickstrike, return to monitor duty

Quickstrike nodded and turned back to paying attention to the monitor rather quickly.

"As you command Megatron, but surely first you'll wish to congratulate us on our success, which wouldn't have been possible without my skill..." "....But I can you're busy now so we'll talk about that later."

"Wise call"

"Move it losers!"

Waspinator nodded and followed Terrorsaur along.

_____________________________________________________________________

"Good help is so hard to find these days, but I'm sure you're well aware of that given the situation, Nexus"

Umbra followed Megatron into the room and set Nexus Prime down up against a wall, then stepped away from the bot crossing his arms as he leaned against the wall, his camouflage system unconsciously activating causing Umbra's exterior to shift to the color and texture of the wall, his optics turning black. While not invisible, it did make him seem to fade away into the darkness of the room making it difficult to see the Ninja.

"Well old timer, you survived a beating that frankly would have killed most bots half your age, and you finally have me alone, which I suspect was your goal all along or else you would have known better than to push me as hard as you did. Don't worry about Umbra, he's a well paid professional, you may speak freely here, assuming you still can, that being said, I advise you to make your intentions known, or I'll fulfill my promise to Optimus and finish you right now. He may see you again after all, but it would be as a severed head on a spike, so this had BETTER be good."

____________________________________________________

Landslide continued working on his project, the gun starting to take shape as he bent some metal for the frame that would hold the components, drilling and bolting parts down. While he was limited for time, he still had to make something that he could take apart as he would have to do a few trials before getting the timing right on the laser, as well as just general maintenance on the weapon if it was kept around.

Finishing up the frame, his clawed fingertip opened up as a small soldering laser extended, starting to work on wiring up the components.

[Night-Hunter]

"I'd like a sample of yours as well, Rhinox, for comparison... The last thing we need is a mutating virus on our hands."

Sonar raised an eye brow at the thought of the virus mutating then resisted the urge to shudder.

"Since you have a scientific background, perhaps you'd like to do the honors of comparing the samples?"

Sonar glanced at Rhinox as he let go of his arm before looking back at the young Maximal.

"I don't know about honor, but it would be a pleasure." Sonar replied with a small smile, trying to be charming.

[Phoenix]

(ooc: Working on a post now.. It's been a HELL of a day. I truly despise Mondays with every cell in my body. Didn't help that I worked pretty much the entire weekend. I so need a vacation.. )

"Good help is so hard to find these days, but I'm sure you're well aware of that given the situation, Nexus"

Nexus barely made any effort to lift his head as Megatron spoke, deciding it best to maintain his cover until they were in private. Most Predacons weren't exactly known for being discrete so he couldn't risk one of them informing Optimus. Not yet. So he barely even glanced at his own crew members as he was dragged past them, knowing fully well that they were capable of handling the situation. If nothing else Dirge could simply punch his way out of any cell.

They entered Megatron's chambers, one that Nexus had already familiarized himself with during his time aboard as Darkwind. Compared to the other private rooms aboard the Darksyde, this one was fairly large and well equipped. Not to the extent that he'd occupied himself, of course, but certainly not bad in any shape or form.

Umbra lowered him to the ground and Nexus could feel Megatron's piercing eyes upon him as he lay on the floor. The cephalopod disappeared into the distance, fading out of view against a nearby wall.

"Well old timer, you survived a beating that frankly would have killed most bots half your age, and you finally have me alone, which I suspect was your goal all along or else you would have known better than to push me as hard as you did. Don't worry about Umbra, he's a well paid professional, you may speak freely here, assuming you still can, that being said, I advise you to make your intentions known, or I'll fulfill my promise to Optimus and finish you right now. He may see you again after all, but it would be as a severed head on a spike, so this had BETTER be good."

The aging warrior chuckled slightly at the tyrant's observation as he met his gaze, unable to use his arms due to the constricting restraints so he merely sat up before using his legs to force himself back to his feet. Once in a standing position, he sent Umbra a warning look. "Leave us." It was not a request.

His voice changed, it was no longer Nexus speaking, but someone far more menacing. In fact his entire demeanor changed, his stature, his confidence.. Even though his physical appearance remained the same, he seemed younger, certainly not like someone who'd been near death mere moments ago. The many bumps and scratches he had sustained, even the long gash on his backside, briefly shimmered before disappearing into nothingness.

He waited impatiently for a response, but when he didn't receive the reaction he'd been hoping for, Nexus spoke again, only this time his voice had changed to match Megatron's.

"Your commander and I have much to discuss, yessssss..."


As he spoke in calculated words, his facial features started changing as well, plates shifting and colors adjusting. When he turned back to Megatron a mere moment later, it was the tyrant's own face that stared back at him. The rest of his body remained in Nexus' form. For now.

"Now that I have your attention, know that this little demonstration is but a fraction of what I'm capable of. "


He smiled, if a bit wickedly, Megatron's characteristic grin copied down to the finest detail of a mirror image. As if to prove his point, the metallic joints of the restraints suddenly appeared engulfed in a shimmering substance, ripping them apart within seconds and letting the useless device clatter to the floor. Nexus shrugged his shoulders and stretched out a bit after, enjoying his new found freedom.

"But I have not come here merely to show you my little tricks..," the stranger in Nexus' body continued, "But rather offer you a proposition.."

Pulling up a chair and taking a seat, Nexus leaned forward a bit while folding his arms on his lap. "Having Primal locked up is all fine and dandy... But my proposal is that you expand on your strategy." He allowed himself a brief pause, giving Megatron the chance to digest what he had already said and more importantly.. what he was about to say.

"Why focus on killing only a single Maximal when it’s within your grasp to destroy them all?"


(ooc: Rest tomorrow.. too sleepy.)

[DarkSpark]

OOC: Hey guys, I began my post but stuff got in the way for me today so I'll try to finish my post tonight or tomorrow, I think I'm good with Megatron at least, but will have to edit this post to include stuff for Tarantulas and Terrorsaur as well when I get back from work. Sorry for the delay & thanks for your patience.

Phoenix wrote: The aging warrior chuckled slightly at the tyrant's observation as he met his gaze, unable to use his arms due to the constricting restraints so he merely sat up before using his legs to force himself back to his feet. Once in a standing position, he sent Umbra a warning look. "Leave us." It was not a request.

His voice changed, it was no longer Nexus speaking, but someone far more menacing. In fact his entire demeanor changed, his stature, his confidence.. Even though his physical appearance remained the same, he seemed younger, certainly not like someone who'd been near death mere moments ago. The many bumps and scratches he had sustained, even the long gash on his backside, briefly shimmered before disappearing into nothingness.

He waited impatiently for a response, but when he didn't receive the reaction he'd been hoping for, Nexus spoke again, only this time his voice had changed to match Megatron's.

"Your commander and I have much to discuss, yessssss..."

Megatron raised a brow as Nexus got to his feet despite his condition and dared to bark orders at one of his own minions, more surprising however was how his voice had changed along with his demeanor, no longer did he sound or act like the proud old maximal war veteran, but now seemed more like a predacon in his tone and mannerisms. He actually sounded younger...However, the surprises would not stop there as the injuries Megatron had inflicted upon him repaired themselves right before his optics, seemingly vanishing into thin air and showing no signs at all that his shell had ever been damaged to begin with, something that should have been impossible without a CR chamber.

"Just like Nemesis..." Megatron thought to himself, optics narrowing as he heard "Nexus Prime" now speak to Umbra with HIS voice.

Phoenix wrote: As he spoke in calculated words, his facial features started changing as well, plates shifting and colors adjusting. When he turned back to Megatron a mere moment later, it was the tyrant's own face that stared back at him. The rest of his body remained in Nexus' form. For now.

"Now that I have your attention, know that this little demonstration is but a fraction of what I'm capable of. "

"What?!" Megatron growled, teeth bared and optics blazing, as the freak now copied his face as well, Megatron instinctively raising and charging his tailgun, ready to vaporize this shape-shifting abomination that had sneaked into his lair like a cockroach under a door.

Listening to his words, Megatron spitefully replied "You don't say? Can you do card tricks as well? Or pull a sharkticon out of a hat?"

Megatron now knew that he'd been tricked, this faceless fiend had been the one who'd appeared on the videotape of Nemesis' seeming betrayal, the question was, why? Well, logically speaking since he and Nemesis possessed similar abilities, though his were clearly the more advanced of the two, chances were he feared she'd see through his disguise somehow...He didn't feel sorry for his past actions of course, Nemesis had neither been overly treacherous or particularly loyal to him, but he resented the deception and the thought that he'd possibly thrown away a valuable pawn over some cheap par-lour trick, something that could come back to undermine him later. What possible purpose could this stranger have for going to such over the top lengths just to be alone with him?

Phoenix wrote: He smiled, if a bit wickedly, Megatron's characteristic grin copied down to the finest detail of a mirror image. As if to prove his point, the metallic joints of the restraints suddenly appeared engulfed in a shimmering substance, ripping them apart within seconds and letting the useless device clatter to the floor. Nexus shrugged his shoulders and stretched out a bit after, enjoying his new found freedom.

"But I have not come here merely to show you my little tricks..," the stranger in Nexus' body continued, "But rather offer you a proposition.."

Megatron's expression was now a cold mask of loathing, optics narrowed as Nexus destroyed his restraints and now calmly appeared to be offering him a deal after all the trouble he had caused for him and his operation.

"I trust this proposition of yours will somehow explain and justify why you've been playing games with me and my forces this whole time instead of going through the proper channels, Darkwind. He is another one of your many identities is he not? Providing me with your true identity might be a good way to convince me listening to your offers is a better idea than simply vaporizing you here and now, yyyyeeeesssss."

Phoenix wrote: Pulling up a chair and taking a seat, Nexus leaned forward a bit while folding his arms on his lap. "Having Primal locked up is all fine and dandy... But my proposal is that you expand on your strategy." He allowed himself a brief pause, giving Megatron the chance to digest what he had already said and more importantly.. what he was about to say.

"Why focus on killing only a single Maximal when it’s within your grasp to destroy them all?"

Megatron scowled at the annoying doppelganger and said "It is already within my grasp to destroy them all, they won't dare risk a hasty rescue attempt too soon with the lives of both their leader and who they THINK is his mentor on the line, and once Primal is dead they'll be lost without him. Believe me, I know, I've fought them long enough to know he is the glue that holds them together, he seemingly died once already and his army would have fallen had he not returned at the last possible moment. Killing Primal and his merry band of misfits is a foregone conclusion, but first I must extract whatever intel I can from him before marching on his base to finish the rest of them. His base may hide certain items I'd rather not be damaged in the ensuing attack, or at the very least information that will make taking down the Axalon, an unfortunately well defended vessel, a tad bit easier, such as the defense codes for their security system, Sentinel. I suggest you explain how my strategy can be expanded upon stranger, my patience with your cloak and dagger games grows thinner by the click."