The Intergalactic Highway

Tarantulas, being the giggling sadistic spider that he was and will always will be, injected the web wrapped around her, keeping her trapped, and as well as herself more cybervenom. The venom burned and stabbed throughout her entire body, making her internal computer scream loudly in her own head, alarming her to the damage the venom was causing to her systems, wanting her to go to stasis lock and repair her systems, but she couldn't sleep, must stay awake. As Tarantulas dragged her into the open field where the battle, which once filled the air with gunfire and screams and chaos and smoke, grew eerily quiet, except for the pats on the back the Predacons were giving themselves for a job well done, she tried to contact Aurora and Wintersong, wanting to let them know, so they could let everyone know what was going on, but all she could hear was static. Great. Her mind and body still too focused on the venom inside her systems. She needed to contact them. She would have to contact Optimus through the link, but he would feel her pain, not as bad as she did, but it wasn't something she liked people to feel, and yet, her only way to contact anyone now was through her link.

She made eye contact to Nemesis, and despite it all, she couldn't stop a small smile, it had to be smile for the position she was in, and the Tarantulas's cybervenom was making it difficult for her to emote, but that small smile quickly changed when Megatron loomed over her, smirking, give off a cold and menacing presence which really didn't bother her nor did it frighten her. More than anything, she didn't like him, a feeling she knew that was mutual, she was a thorn in his side with her abilities, and no doubt he would gleefully terminate her to cause Optimus pain, if he didn't need her for anything useful for his plans. Even if the cybervenom wasn't keeping her from talking, or at least talking properly, she kept her mouth shut, remaining calm and stoic, hoping that Tigratron, Blackrachnia and Cheetor made it all right, making their way back to the Axalon.

Remaining conscious, she hoped to listened in on the Predacons and try and piece together what their goal is, but Megatron knew he couldn't talk right in front of her, and she could tell by how he was holding back, only relaying for Quickstrike to stay and guard her and poor Tigerhawk who was unconscious.

She had no choice, but to open her link and tell Optimus what she knew, at least, he could prepare the others. Before she did that, though, she closed her optics, centering herself, ignoring the pain, Pain is only temporary. Pain, a flooding river, a river which I will calm and halt, for at least a few moments. Once she numbed herself to her own pain, she contacted Optimus through the link. "Optimus, The Predacons have taken Rattrap, Airazor, Tigerhawk and I hostage. Megatron left Tigerhawk and I here where the pod landed being guarded by Quickstrike." She took a shuddering breath as some pain tried to leak through her concentration, but she just counted to three and resumed, "Tigratron and Cheetor should be heading back as well as Blackarachnia. Hopefully." That was the truth she was unaware of how Blackarachnia was holding up or her status. She wasn't a hostage, but she could see the black widow. She hoped she retreated like everyone else. I don't know their plans, but... whatever they are, we need to... stop them... save our friends." She blocked the link temprorary as the pain overhwlemed her body, sezing it a bit, and hoped this would all be over shortly.

Still, a small piece of dread washed over her, as Quickstrike was left alone with Tigerhawk and herself, an eerie quiet still lingered around, and that didn't bode well.




Tigratron was appalled by such ruthlessness and disregard for life Nemesis displayed to him, causing more pain to Airazor, even though the his lover couldn't defend herself, making him even question what Optimus and Whitegrazer saw in the female former Decepticon that was redeemable, but the battlefield still quiver through systems, the adrenaline rush still beckoning, the exhaustion from what has happened, maybe he was letting the stink of battle and the concern for his friends and his lover cloud his judgement, wouldn't be the first time it happened to him, and probably wouldn't be the last, as he always favored his wilder side, his tiger form more than his Cybertronian one. Even Spineback was trying to calm down Nemesis, making what he previously believed confirmed, that this wasn't normal for Nemesis. Why? Why was she acting this way? He might never get his answer as he forced himself to retreat in order to keep his friends and lover from being injured even further than they already were. "I honor my words." Tigratron said, with a slight growl, only slight like a wounded, frustrated tiger. "You better pray to Primus that you honor yours." He would love to have said more but he let it go, despite the fact he despised retreating, retreating away while others were going to be prisoners, hostages to people who didn't care if they come back in one piece or pieces, lived or died.

His only solace, though, was the fact that after he mentioned Optimus and Whitegrazer, something about the former Decepticon changed. He couldn't linger on the thought as he witnessed his younger, and injured, counterpart attack Megatron, but he couldn't help but see the change in demeanor in Nemesis as confirmation that maybe, maybe, that statement got to her.

"I can't do that, little cat. There would be another time," Tigratron said, reassuring Cheetor as best he could as he let go of the young one, and kept his optics on Megatron, just in case he tried to fire on Cheetor or himself, but the purple tyrant was more focused on his mission rather than getting a fire on him or the little cat. Good, at least, he thought it was good. Cheetor relayed a plan to him, which he nodded his head. Just like Cheetor, he didn't want to abandon his comrades. "We must make sure the Predacons are all gone. Like you said, Quickstrike is the only one guarding Whitegrazer and Tigerhawk." And Quickstrike wasn't the smallest of the bunch.

Blackarachnia had joined the two as they made conversation and the little cat involved her, "I could prove a welcoming distraction to Quickstrike, and then you kitty cat, could get the drop on him."

Tigatron tried to contact the others. "I can't seem to contact the others. Tarantulas must have a jammer somewhere. Hopefully, Whitegrazer can contact Optimus through the link and warn him."

"I don't see any jamming towers nearby and if he did erect one, we would have seen something. I mean, it's a tower, for a reason." Maybe it was a small jammer device of limit range, but it that was true, then Tarantulas would have it on his person, and that would be difficult to get to. "After we rescue Whitegrazer and tigerhawk, we will take a look around."

Tigratron nodded, "Follow me until it is safe, and then go and save Whitegrazer and Tigerhawk. We can't allow the Predacons to use friends like this. Not again." Whitegrazer and Tigerhawk might be the easiest to help but Rattrap and Airazor? It would be difficult, especially with Megatron, Rampage, and Tarantulas around. "You be careful, Little Cat, remember your training, Tigratron smiled at the young cat before he glanced at the black widow. "You too, Blackarachnia, good luck."

Blackarachnia just snickered, "I make my own luck, pussy cat."

Tigratron transformed into his beast mode and made his way towards the Axalon with Cheetor and Blackarachnia tagging along, until they should separate and help the captured Whitegrazer and Tigerhawk.

((OOC: I might start playing as Dinobot in my next post. I just been wondering where and when to start him in. ))

Zodiac remained still, seemingly quite solemn, as he patiently waited for Primal to either accept or irrefutably decline his offer. After having spent several days cooped up in this cell, which had proven to be surprisingly effective at keeping him contained within even without the use of electricity, he was genuinely starting to feel as if he was running out options. When he had first arrived on this planet, he had done so with an elaborate plan in mind and a couple of troops of his own to back him up. But now all that was gone.. And his soldiers were now little more than rusting carcasses that hadn't even been given a proper burial..

For a moment he considered how close he had come to join his comrades' fate, a destiny it had oddly been Primal and his Maximals who had prevented. What an interesting turn of events..

"Yes," said Optimus. "I owe it to you."

No sooner had Primal confirmed that there was still an opportunity for the renegade to improve his chances, did Zodiac's gaze return to the camera for a moment before settling back on the hands in his lap as he sat there on the cot they had provided him with. Although he didn't say anything for another moment or two, his mind was racing frantically trying to process the implications of what the Maximal leader had just told him.

He owed it to him..

It felt odd hearing those words come from Optimus' mouth considering everything that had happened between the two of them. It certainly wasn't that Zodiac disagreed, since his very intent when coming here had been to make Primal suffer for the wrongs he had committed. But for some reason hearing him say those words left the shapeshifter feeling somewhat bewildered.

Perhaps it was due to a little time having passed since his incarceration or maybe it was due to his own perspective on things changing, Zodiac couldn't really be sure either way, but his initial response came in the form of an understanding nod. He remained calm, conflicted as his mind was right now, a fact that reflected in the tone of his voice when he finally spoke up again.

"Alright.. How can I prove myself?," he asked, genuinely a bit curious how Primal could be so forgiving after everything that had happened, but more so interested in regaining his freedom before it was too late. At least Primal seemed a little more willing to talk, which offered the renegade the only chance he was likely to get to escape. Now freedom was his goal, his only goal, that craving for revenge having faded into the background as his priorities shifted.

Of course Primal was no fool, the renegade knew that, but he still made an attempt to get the Maximal commander to lower his guard by offering to comply to whatever security measures they wanted.

Then Primal went silent for about a minute or so by this planet's time, leaving Zodiac no choice but to wait. He didn't budge from his spot on the cot, however, as he had faith Optimus was .. well.. ever the optimist who always wanted to help no matter who he was dealing with. Any moment now those doors would open..

And open they did a mere few seconds later, the hissing sound as the door started moving immediately drawing the renegade's attention. Primal entered the room through the partially opened door, almost having to squeeze himself past the doorway to get inside. Zodiac looked at him as he entered, their optics locking for a brief moment until the renegade's gaze drifted to the items in each of Primal's hands. But as soon as he realized what presents Primal brought with him, his neutral expression changed to the slightest of frowns.

"Is this really necessary?," the renegade asked of his captor, still not having budged from his spot on the cot. He had never seen a weapon quite like the one Primal was wielding, but it didn't take much imagination to realize the rifle like weapon had been altered so it would be much more effective against the likes of Zodiac's nanomachines. "I'm not going anywhere," he then added, trying to reassure the ape.

Much to the shape shifting hybrid's dismay, however, Primal remained close to the door and was effectively blocking his way out. If he tried to attack him to force his way past him, he would surely get shot in the process, so he stayed where he was and hoped Primal would come closer. It wasn't that he had a specific plan to get out as much as just taking the opportunistic route when the Maximal came close enough. Although he didn't especially want to harm Primal as things were, he was still willing to consider it if that turned out to be the only way out of this place. Even if Optimus did somehow manage to keep him safe against the Predacons, the Vok, and the many who wanted him dead back on Cybertron, he still couldn't imagine spending the next few years locked up in this prison. And from the look of the items in Primal's hands, the Commander certainly hadn't come to set him free yet either.

If Optimus came close enough, perhaps he could manage to take him hostage by using his nanomachines as a weapon and thus force the other Maximals to let him go free. Yeah.. that seemed like a possible solution, provided Primal could be persuaded to move closer. There was no doubt in the renegade's mind that Optimus hadn't come alone, even though he couldn't see Rhinox from his spot across the makeshift prison cell, but surely the remaining Maximals wouldn't offer much resistance with their leader's life in the balance. He hoped. But with his weapon systems offline, he would need his captor to be much closer in order to inflict any form of damage to him.

"It would seem we're asking for the same thing from each other; to be heard."

The leader's statement further fueled the renegade's hopes of getting out of this place soon. Was this newfound optimism a bit premature and perhaps even a bit childish? Perhaps. But the thought of perhaps spending the next several years locked up here, alone, was maddening at best, so Zodiac allowed himself to place some faith in Primal's ignorance and forgiving nature.

"I've made mistakes.. Terrible mistakes.. and I realize I have to own up to them," he told his captor, attempting to sound as truthful as he could to further entice his trust enough to come closer. His expression and body language seemed genuine, hopefully enough so for Primal to take the bait. All the while he kept a keen optic on Primal's demeanor as well, especially any movement he might make with the hand that was holding the weapon.

That hope quickly shattered, however, when Optimus suddenly tossed the object in his other hand through the air so it landed on the cot next to where Zodiac was sitting. The renegade glanced down at the object and let out a sigh when he realized it was a pair of energy cuffs, as he knew from experience he wouldn't be able to break free from them. These cuffs were designed so that the energy restraints would power up when the connection was made between the two base components of the cuffs, which would effectively constrain the wearer's movements.. His movements.. Regardless of what form he took on.

"Restrain yourself,"

Zodiac watched the cuffs somewhat dispassionately, temporarily considering throwing them back at Primal or even using them as a blunt force weapon. But he quickly realized how stupid of an idea the latter was given Primal's weapon, and frankly.. any hostile act would likely prompt the Commander to leave the room and seal him inside, alone, for the foreseeable future. Either way it was clear Primal had no intention of giving him even an inch of trust right now.

"Come on..," the renegade muttered while glancing from the energy bonds to Primal before finally inclining his head. He hesitated for another few nanoclicks, perhaps partly still clinging to the hope that Optimus would grow impatient and approach him. Of course it was much more likely that the Maximal leader would simply leave, so Zodiac eventually decided to just comply. He placed his wrists inside the contraption and manipulated the two halves so that the audible click was heard and the energy bonds activated. Then he raised his now restrained hands for Primal to see that he had indeed obeyed the order.

"Are you satisfied?," he asked in a disgruntled tone.

"Of all the times for her to be stubborn."

True.. But then again Whitegrazer was often the very definition of stubbornness. She was always taking things into her own hands.. or hooves.. depending on which mode she was in at the time.

"Sometimes I wonder if she's not part donkey," the fuzor responded to indicate just how stubborn Whitegrazer often acted. Fortunately Optimus wasn't there right then to overhear her say that. Of course she loved Whitegrazer, dearly in fact, but the two of them often clashed on a personal level due to their different opinions.

"Well, the Predacons have been stopped by simple methods before, suppose we could do it again and slow their advance."

"Hopefully we'll know for sure what their plans are soon so we can figure out a way to sabotage them."


Hopefully, indeed. Of course they were rapidly running out of troops now that most of them were in the field getting.. whatever they were doing there.

"Radio communication?"

Aurora nodded before realizing Rhinox wouldn't be able to see her, so she then quickly clarified herself. "Yeah, something is jamming it. It came out of nowhere."

Hopefully a simple radio transmission jam was all there was to it, and not something even more sinister.. Truthfully Aurora was getting quite worried since even before they lost communication with their team, the latest reports didn't sound all that great.

"Keep trying,"

What do you think I'm doing? Taking a nap?, Aurora thought to herself without verbalizing it, flicking a few more switches on the monitor just in case there was some error in the equipment on their end. But there didn't seem to be..

"I am, I am," she transmitted back as way of reassurance, if one could call it that. "But what do we do if it's not possible to re-establish communications?" Not that she didn't already highly suspect what the answer would be, and from the look of it Wintersong was thinking along the same lines.

"If you can't get through, send Wintersong to investigate; recon only,"

Aurora shot a glance at the other female, who was already preparing to head out despite not having gotten any explicit order to do so yet since Aurora was still trying to break through whatever signal was jamming them. But that was Wintersong's type, she supposed, and the little fuzor could only hope the other female would take better care of herself than certain of the other Maximals had been doing.

"From the looks of it you won't have to ask her twice," Aurora messaged Rhinox back to give him a head's up Wintersong was already on her way there. Of course Wintersong then went on to confirm it for herself. But the sight of the other female leaving didn't do much to ease the fuzor's concerns. Truthfully she hated feeling so helpless, since she wasn't able to do much to help the others in the field from here. And just standing by with the communications felt kind of futile right now. How did Rhinox stand it as often as he did this..? He was like the Axalon's resident dispatch, on top of everything else he did around here. If it wasn't for him, the Axalon and its crew would surely crumble in the matter of hours..

"Keep trying kid, I'm sure someone was able to get themselves away from the battle. If not, I will contact you the moment I get the chance."

"Just.. be more careful than usual," the fuzor replied, the memories of Wintersong's recent traumatic events still clear in her mind.

"Keep Sentinel on alert,"

Sentinel? Oh, of course! Aurora waited until Wintersong had departed and then informed Sentinel to bring up the shields and to remain on high alert. It wasn't quite clear what the Predacons were up to yet, but whatever it was the fuzor was certain they would find out soon enough.

"Shields are up and Sentinel is ready," she told Rhinox before glancing back to the monitor that showed Primal entering the brig. "Eh.. what are you guys doing?"

Nemesis watched in silence as Tigatron, the often seclusive tiger whom had inherited the burden of leadership now that his two superior officers present were both captured and unconscious, called for a retreat for his remaining Maximals. Considering how outmatched the Maximals had been, the tiger hadn't had a choice in this matter. Or at least not a favorable one..

"I honor my words."

That remained to be seen.. Nemesis hadn't known a Maximal yet who was willing to leave his comrades behind. But she still had hopes they had a little time before the fleeing Maximals doubled back.

"You better pray to Primus that you honor yours."

"Oh not to worry," Nemesis muttered under her breath, "You'll get your precious comrades back.. But whether or not they'll be in one piece when you do, will be decided upon by what action you Maximals take next."

The avian female had also taken Spineback's word of advice to spark and had calmed down considerably now that the Maximals were finally willing to listen to her demands. Not that she didn't expect them to stay true to their word and come back for their captured friends, but with any luck they would take some time to rest up before doing so which would give the Predacons the opportunity to both obtain their true agenda as well as make it back in time to deal with the remaining Maximals prisoners.

On the other hand, Nemesis was a little weary of the fact that Primal hadn't been there for the attack. More than likely he was at the Axalon, meaning they would no doubt have to deal with him when they got there. Well, Nemesis would try to avoid the Maximal leader as best she could since she had no desire to explain her actions to him or see the look of disappointment in his optics. Much less having to face Megatron's wrath should he ever learn how she truly felt about his Maximal counterpart.

Spineback lingered near her, faithfully guarding the prisoner as she had been instructed to do, yet wise enough not to attempt to physically hold Nemesis back when the transmetal avian had taken her anger out on the other female. Nemesis had only barely noticed how Spineback had been assaulted mere moments before, but the tough former Decepticon seemed capable of handling a fair bit of physical punishment. Now calmer, Nemesis finally moved away from the Maximal falcon, taking a moment to gather herself before Megatron made his presence known.

“Sentiment and heroic programming must run deeper than I thought in Autobot descendants, go figure.”

Shaking her head, Nemesis replied in agreement; "Indeed, not much has changed in that area." Yet to some degree Nemesis respected the Maximals for that exact reason. They were a much more close bunch than the Predacons, although she hoped that would change in time. She watched as Spineback followed Megatron's lead without question and administered another dose of sedatives to the captured Maximals. The female medic had become a valued member of the team, that's for sure, now if only everyone else could follow her lead..

Nemesis' optics drifted to Terrorsaur who had entered the scene as well, and who certainly wasn't doing anything to keep low key.

"Well done, Nemesis,"

She gave a brief nod to show her appreciation for the tyrant's unusually kind words, happy to know he was pleased with her progress.

"But a bit more than you bargained for?"

"Perhaps, but I'm sure we can find a suitable use for them," she replied, only letting her optics linger ever so quickly on Whitegrazer who lay motionless inside Tarantulas' web. The female confused her, and of course she hadn't forgotten the inevitable outcome when the two of them had engaged each other in battle. Nemesis had been unable to make the final blow, for reasons she couldn't quite explain, and ever since she hadn't quite viewed the white mare the same. She was.. unique.. Different from the other Maximals. And always seemed to want to try to lecture those who did what she viewed as wrong. And her powers were confusing to Nemesis as well. In a way she felt as if there was a connection between the white mare and herself, even though she knew that to be impossible.

Even now, after receiving two doses of cyber venom, the equine female remained conscious even though she was paralyzed. Her optics seemed to follow Nemesis' movements for a moment, and for the fraction of a nanoclick the avian female thought she detected a smile on the other femme. That smile, however, faded away quickly enough when Megatron started looming over the captured Vok-Maximal.

“She wouldn’t have quite a big catch if not for my plan to scatter them in the first place.”

Terrorsaur was apparently feeling a bit left out, his ego craving attention as per norm. Nemesis merely crossed her arms and watched him scoop up AirRazor for the trip to the Axalon. "Is your self confidence truly so frail you need your ego boosted at every turn?," she asked the pteradactyl with a slight smugness as he passed by. Sure, she could have offered a pat on the back, but she had attempted that approach so many times yet his attitude still hadn't changed in the least. So now she was just going to treat Terrorsaur the way he treated everyone else.

While Megatron ordered them to split up the hostages and for the small fuzor to remain behind to guard them, Nemesis made her way over to the remaining hostage that they were going to bring with them. The rodent hadn't moved since he had been one of the first to go down at the start of the battle. The avian female eyed him somewhat suspiciously, dispassionately, but she didn't wish to linger for too long. After Spineback had made sure the rodent wouldn't wake up during the trip to Axalon, the avian female transformed to her transmetal hawk form and grabbed Rattrap between her talons. She then flapped her wings repeatedly and took to the sky, changing her direction to the Axalon.

Meanwhile Tarantulas snickered his usual creepy way while Megatron admired his recent catch. Ah yes, he couldn't wait to sink his talons into the white mare, although that would have to wait until after he had .. persuaded.. her to reveal her deepest, darkest secrets. All in good time, however, since another prize awaited them at the Axalon. Oh the fun he could have when he got to examine both of these freaks of nature.

"Alright.. How can I prove myself?,"

Optimus hadn't answered Zodiac's inquiry because he wasn't sure himself how he could do it. How could Primal ever trust him after everything? It would take time... Years even for the shape shifter to earn his trust. Years of consistency and reliability. Years that they probably didn't have. Even so, did Zodiac mean what he said? Or was he simply trying to buy himself time and waiting for the perfect opportunity to escape? Perhaps the only individual that would be able to successfully work with him would be his own mother, Whitegrazer.

"Is this really necessary?,"

The Maximal Commander nodded. Although his prisoner didn't move from the narrow bed and appeared to behave for now, these were precautions that Primal was going to take no matter who he had captured. He watched the renegade eye the weapon in his hand which Optimus kept at his side not even threatening to use it against him for the time being.

"I'm not going anywhere,"

"We'll see," he told him implying that he wasn't convinced, and he obviously didn't trust him, nor should it be expected already.

"I've made mistakes.. Terrible mistakes.. and I realize I have to own up to them,"

Primal narrowed his optics at him with extreme skepticism. Now he was suddenly recognizing the bad things he did? Did he honestly consider them mistakes? Optimus didn't think so. Nexus Prime called Optimus's name in the back of his mind. He could see the Admiral's face and hear his voice as clear as day. But he was gone. Long gone. He would never see his mentor again. He no longer had his support. If Optimus was to ever confront the corruption on Cybertron, he was going to be on his own. Zodiac didn't realize the impact he had made when he murdered Nexus. The decorated war hero would have had a lot more pull to set things straight on Cybertron, including ending experiments on bots like Zodiac, than Optimus was going to. The leader tried hard not to look at the chip on the floor to avoid getting distracted and emotional.

"Come on..,"

The scarred Maximal standing tall while blocking the doorway remained silent as he stared at Zodiac, patiently waiting for him to cuff himself. Surprisingly, although clearly reluctant to do so, Zodiac complied and activated the energy bonds. Only then did Primal's appearance soften ever so slightly as he watched him hold up his bound wrists.

"Are you satisfied?,"

"This isn't 'special treatment', Zodiac," Optimus clarified for him. "These are security measures I would take with any prisoner in my possession. You have shelter, food, and protection," he pointed out. "I've even given you freedom within your cell. But my generosity only extends so far."

"Yeah, something is jamming it. It came out of nowhere."

Rhinox's brows furrowed with Aurora's explanation. Lack of communication between them and their comrades in battle was a serious disadvantage. And it only made him worry even more.

"I am, I am,"

Of course, it was the obvious troubleshooting, but sometimes some bots didn't think clearly if they were in a panic, and by the sound of it, Aurora was growing a little distressed over the situation. Well, the engineer couldn't deny that he was as well, but Rhinox was better at disguising it and keeping calm until the situation called for his muscle and ammunition. He was tempted to tell Optimus to pull out of his conversation with Zodiac and instead focus on his crew out in the field who were likely struggling.

"But what do we do if it's not possible to re-establish communications?"

That was when he proceeded to tell the young Fuzor to send Wintersong. Aurora returned with:

"From the looks of it you won't have to ask her twice,"

"Sorry Rhinox, we've been waiting too long as it is. Like you said, they should have been back by now which means we can't keep sitting around waiting."

Rhinox wasn't surprised. Despite the tigress's normal eagerness to jump into the fray of battle and help her comrades, she had appeared earlier to be itching to get outside as if the internal walls of the Axalon were closing in on her. Hopefully she was clear enough in her mind to focus on the mission at hand, but the unusual readings he discovered earlier during her incubation in the CR chamber still had him a little concerned. Stay safe, Wintersong. And watch your back, he prayed for her.

"Shields are up and Sentinel is ready,"

That was the best they could do for now with their numbers stretched thin and without knowing what the Predacons were up to. And they might not even be on their way to Maximal HQ. Now, without communication, they couldn't know what Megatron was scheming this time, unless Whitegrazer knew and could tell Optimus through their bond. ((OOC: No, una, I don't want Whitegrazer to actually know what's going on and warning the other Maximals ahead of time. XD )) "Copy that, Aurora," Rhinox confirmed with her update. If the Predacons did attack them at their base, at least Sentinel would give them a warning.

"Eh.. what are you guys doing?"

The rhinoceros had almost forgotten that Aurora could see everything going on in Zodiac's cell and was no doubt concerned about their leader entering it with who she would probably refer to as a psychopath. And rightly so considering Zodiac had nearly killed her just days earlier. "What Optimus does best," Rhinox answered Aurora with his own weary tone, "Talking." He obviously wasn't too thrilled about it either.

Optimus could hear Rhinox's deep voice behind him conversing with Aurora over his comm. link not far from the room's entrance. Their team hadn't returned yet? And now it sounded like they sent Wintersong to investigate. He couldn't hide the concern on his face as he stood there before the restrained pretender. And just then he felt that burning and stabbing sensation again. It was stronger this time making him cringe as he tightened his shoulders and tilted his head a little away from Zodiac. Whitegrazer...

Optimus, The Predacons have taken Rattrap, Airazor, Tigerhawk and I hostage. Megatron left Tigerhawk and I here where the pod landed being guarded by Quickstrike." "Tigratron and Cheetor should be heading back as well as Blackarachnia. Hopefully." I don't know their plans, but... whatever they are, we need to... stop them... save our friends."

It was worse than he thought. Much worse. How did it come to that? The pain he felt for her being in trouble was worse than the cyber venom he was receiving through their connection because of her injuries despite how much of it she was trying to cope with. Hang in there, Whitegrazer, he tried assuring her. We've sent Winter- Whitegrazer? Primal tried sending but he felt their link blocked by her possibly due to the pain she was in, or she had fallen unconscious. He was going to force his way through the blockade like kicking down a closed, locked door, but he thought better against doing so. If she was blocking their link because of her wounds, he didn't want to make it worse by plowing through it and catching her off guard. As worried as he was for Whitegrazer and the rest of his Maximals who were now hostages or terribly injured, he could no longer loiter with Zodiac and their conversation.

"I'm afraid I have to cut my visit short with you today, Zodiac," Optimus told him with a little disappointment. But he didn't want to leave Nexus's identification chip behind while he still had the chance to recover it. If he wanted to retrieve it, he would have to step away from the opened doorway which was Zodiac's only way to escape. For all Optimus knew, Zodiac might have strategically placed the chip where he had to lure Optimus away from the exit. Even though he was restrained, the renegade might still be able to do considerable harm to him and Rhinox. The weapon in his hand was enough to scramble the shape shifter's nanobots and slow him down should he attack, but it might not necessarily stop him in his tracks. Rhinox hadn't been able to test it on the technology like Zodiac had, only the dormant nanobots that had been left on Primal from Aurora's nano gel, and they worked differently than both Zodiac's and Nemesis's. Of course, Zodiac didn't know what the weapon was capable of at all, so the Maximal hoped to keep up the illusion of its possible effectiveness without actually having to use it.

Optimus then said to Zodiac quite firmly, "This would be a good opportunity for you to prove to me that I can begin trusting you." He was about to leave his post guarding the doorway, which might have put him and Rhinox in a dangerous situation, until he recalled the promise he made to Aurora earlier about limiting his self-sacrifices. So, he changed his mind about getting the object himself. "Pick up the chip and hand it to me. Please," he asked the shape shifter politely, although there was a hint of urgency in his voice. While he was risking Zodiac damaging the very last piece of his father figure's existence, he felt it wasn't as important as risking his own life from an attack by Zodiac blindsiding him if he was retrieving the chip himself, thus essentially putting the importance of his crew ahead of his own desires and keeping his promise to Aurora by searching for better solutions. Not to mention, he still had Nexus's journal, which would offer him a lot more closure than the Admiral's chip, whenever he gathered the courage to listen to it.

-----

"Let go! I can take him!"

Megatron had smirked mockingly at the cheetah's protest before he departed from their potentially pathetic match. Such a young fool. Cheetor's fantasy to somehow outwit and overpower the TransMetal t-rex was both embarrassing and comical. The cat had so much to learn. It was a shame he wouldn't get the opportunity once Megatron was done fulfilling his destiny. What was Primal teaching him, anyway, for the cheetah to be so over-confident?

“This isn’t over by a long shot.”

It most certainly is, the warlord thought proudly to himself as he had heard Cheetor's bellow to him after he had already flown off to join his Predacons and captive Maximals.

“They’re pretty battered sir, but...”

Yes, I can see that, Megatron thought bluntly toward Spineback but allowed her to continue without interrupting her while she took out her sedatives and started to administer them to the Maximals.

“That should last until we get to our next destination.”

Rattrap was just starting to wake up, again, when he heard their nightmarish voices talking over him. His head was pounding from Inferno clobbering him with his weapon, and his entire body ached from the explosions that had knocked him out in the first place. Unlike Tigerhawk, he was far from stasis lock, so he could still fight if he was given the chance to regain his awareness and system calibrations, but that would not be the case for him. He felt an object pierce his neck and he gave a flinch before the sedative quickly took affect and subdued his internal computer and consciousness against his control. Spineback's voice was the last he heard before blacking out once more.

"Excellent," Megatron grinned at the Predacon doctor.

"Perhaps, but I'm sure we can find a suitable use for them,"

"Of course," he semi agreed with his second-in-command. But he didn't really care if they just as easily killed the Maximals that they weren't going to take with them at that moment. Surely, Rampage was starving by now. However, just in case things would some how go awry at the Maximal base, perhaps they should hold on to them. That is, if Tigerhawk was going to make it since he required extensive repairs, and his spark was holding on for dear life.

“She wouldn’t have quite a big catch if not for my plan to scatter them in the first place.”

Then came the ever jealous voice of Terrorsaur to put a damper on Megatron's good mood. Interestingly enough, Nemesis was able to jump in and counter his verbal obnoxiousness before the tyrant could.

"Is your self confidence truly so frail you need your ego boosted at every turn?,"

Megatron chuckled before addressing the TransMetal 'dactyl himself and actually contradicting his own boasting. But who would dare question it to his face? "She has a point, Terrorsaur. And I believe each of us would benefit from it if you practiced a bit more modesty with your over-achievements." A snide smile pulled at one corner of Megatron's purple mouth.

“Lets get a move on already then.”

The Predacon leader abruptly and very loudly snapped his finger at Terrorsaur as he draped Airazor over his shoulder signaling to the flier that he had just made the wrong move. "I think not." He turned to the ant calling his name, "Inferno!" and gestured with his hand for the pyro to take the female Maximal bird from Terrorsaur.

The tall Predacon immediately put his weapon away and approached Terrorsaur to forcefully take Airazor from him and cradle her in his arms.

"You will go with Nemesis and Spineback," Megatron ordered Terrorsaur.

"Rampage, you will follow Inferno, Tarantulas and myself," he told the crab. "Your dinner awaits," he smirked while also implying that he hadn't forgotten about having a meal waiting for him today during their excursions. As Nemesis took off with the rodent in her grasp, Megatron reverted to his beast mode and then activated his twin turbines lifting off of the ground and taking to the sky.

Quickstrike silently watched everyone start to depart. He sighed and turned around to look at the Maximal prisoners and make sure they weren't waking up, although the large Fuzor appeared to be out for good. He eyed the weird looking horse because of the rumors he had heard about her getting into others' heads or sparks or some kind of nonsense. As skeptical as he was about such abilities, he was certain he could keep anyone from compromising him. So, for now it just seemed that he had to worry about the rest of the Maxis who had retreated. It probably wasn't wise to sit there guarding them out in the open, so he decided to shift to his beast mode and scurry away behind some thick brush where he could still keep an eye on the prisoners but be out of sight from anyone who might come and rescue them.

As the Predacons began their journey to the Axalon, Megatron contacted his team - Inferno, Rampage and Tarantulas - when they were far enough away from any Maximals trying to eavesdrop on their radio transmissions. "Predacons, remain in beast mode once we are within Maximal territory to avoid being detected. Nemesis's team will distract them and force them to lower their defenses with her hostage. Inferno and I will attack on the southwest sector of their base with our hostage. Rampage, you will make your way through the hangar and meet Inferno and me in the brig, thus unexpectedly cornering Primal who will no doubt try to protect the target I am after. I trust that you will have no trouble keeping him preoccupied while I abduct the shape shifter. With the rest of the Maximal fools rushing off to aid their comrades from our onslaught, that will leave only three guarding the base," he surmised. "Tarantulas, you will linger on the perimeter until I require your assistance. Is that understood?" he asked of them.

As the mountains came into sight, Wintersong pressed her boosters to their fullest until she was certain she was close enough before shifting out of her vehicle mode. It would be better to move on foot from here, avoid any of the Predacons immediately discovering her presence there.

So, the transmetal tigress resorted to moving along any cover she could find, ears twitching on occasion from the sounds around her before she heard the distant sounds of different engines and rumbling. The Predacons most likely. But, she didn't stop to see for sure when her teammates were her top priority, her optics scanning the landscape for signs of the presence until movement nearby made her narrow her optics to zoom in on the moving forms. Yes! There was three of them! Not the greatest odds, but it was something causing Wintersong to finally straighten herself and sprint off to meet Tigatron, Cheetor, and Blackarachnia.

"Then its settled. We'll wait until the bozos leave, get those two, and get back as quickly as we can." Cheetor said with a decisive nod. But he did fear deep down if they would be able to accomplish all this as swiftly as possible. Whitegrazer had been doused in cybervenom which meant it might take time for her to recover, and Tigerhawk was larger than the three present, slowing their progress if he didn't awaken at some point. 'I hope the others can hold on until we return.' Cheetor thought grimly.

He followed Tigatron for some distance until he spotted the group of Predacons at last leaving the area, perking his ears forward for a moment. "Alright, it looks like they're-Wintersong!" Before Cheetor could finish his sentence he was surprised to be greeted with the sight of their fellow feline. He was amazed Rhinox or Optimus would have let her come to investigate things considering recent events.

"Sorry I'm late, we were trying to get back in contact but no one was picking up." Wintersong spoke, panting slightly as she stopped in front of the three, optic ridges furrowing slightly at seeing their present state. Yea, that definitely had to have been a rough battle and there was no telling what shape the hostages were in at this rate. "What's the situation? Where are the others?" "Megatron took Airazor and Rattrap with him, but Whitegrazer and Tigerhawk are back in the trees on the other side." Cheetor turned to gesture behind them, "We were planning to go help them while Tigatron went back to the Axalon. At this rate we may have no choice but to split."

Wintersong glanced behind the three, wondering how bad the battle had gone. Something she was probably fixing to see herself. But seeing their condition, the transmetal tigress was rather skeptical Cheetor could handle another beating while Tigatron was in slightly better shape. But that still didn't take away her concerns, "Perhaps." She spoke. But if the rest of the Predacons were heading to the Axalon that meant there were few there to protect the base! "No you three should stay and help them. In your present states you would be too slow." Wintersong told them after some thought, seeing Cheetor beginning to protest. "Cheetor, your jets are toast so shut it. One or two Predacons shouldn't be a big problem after a prolonged battle, I can get back faster, maybe buy you three some time to catch up." Wintersong told them, eyeing her fellow tiger and the she-spider to hear their thoughts.

++++++++++++++++

Terrorsaur shot a glare towards Nemesis at her words, trying not to bristle at her mockery. And Megatron only stepped in to further wound his pride, his biting words making the transmetal flier snarl slightly under his breathe. He would love more than anything to tear the smirks off their faces, throw them in the lava pits that doted their base to meet the same fate as Scorponok had once and a fate Megatron gave Glowstrike. Now wouldn't that be poetic irony...

'You're one to talk Mighty Megatron, and maybe one day your great ambitions will bite you in the skid plate. Maybe even today.' Though Terrorsaur had the sense to not speak such words out loud, merely releasing his hold on Airazor for Inferno to take, never taking his cold glare off the tyrant or his avian second-in-command. "I suppose I spoke out of frustration for the battle. All that rush...my mouth speaks faster than my processor you know." Terrorsaur muttered a half-hearted excuse, knowing there wasn't much he could say to alleviate Megatron's annoyance.

Transforming to beast mode, Terrorsaur flapped his wings to follow the rest of the Predacons, maintaining his silence as he followed the two Predacon females, seething on the inside.

"Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing." Spineback responded to Nemesis. She had fought Autobots for many years during the Great War and it had proven to be the downfall of her faction, many who had been loose allies and friends. She did wonder at times if the Predacons spent too much time underestimating their enemy as the Decepticons had the Autobots.

Setting such a thought aside for the time being, the veteran stepped back to allow Nemesis and initially Terrorsaur to take the two hostages, until once again the pterodactyl had to be set straight. He was just digging his own grave with such an attitude. Any other time Spineback might have felt sorry for the poor sap, but given their own conflicts she merely rolled her optics as she transformed to beast mode, wincing slightly due to her side injury. But, she would endure. Her self-repair systems could handle some of the damage on their journey to the Axalon. "Hmph, I haven't heard laborers complain as much as Terrorsaur does. Even the newbies had more dignity."

With that, the former Decepticon followed after the tyrant, listening closely to the next phase of the plan. A three-way assault, no wonder Nemesis took the risk of hostages. It seemed to all be falling into place, "Now this should be interesting."

Rampage crossed his arms as he watched the events unfold, smirking a little at the show of dominance the other Predacons quickly established over the whiner of a flier. He probably could eliminate their problems then and there if they wanted to, but Rampage refrained from making the offer. For now at least. As Megatron once said they appeared to need the numbers and flight advantage, so for now the transmetal crab would leave it be.

Turning his gaze to the t-rex, his smirk quickly turned to a grin, "I look forward to the poor sap who falls prey to my pincers." He cackled darkly, clenching his fists in anticipation for the battle to come, and his next meal. That is if everything went according to Megatron's plans. In retrospect, the tyrant was no different from that of Terrorsaur, perhaps even more boastful and ambitious, but he also was no fool compared to the flier. Rampage had witnessed this first hand that day, leaving him uneasy and having more than considered that his previous threats of using his spark against him were quite true. No matter, it would be something to worry about for another day as Rampage transformed to beast mode and followed his "comrades". "Understood."

Whitegrazer wondered if Nemesis was aware of the fact that the nanomachines were alien in origin, due to the fact they came from her, a Vok. Zodiac did, but what about her? How would Nemesis react to that? That the nanomachines came from her? Or how Nemesis would react to the fact that Zodiac was her son? Would there come a time when she would have to ask or plead for the woman to steady her hand against Zodiac? Would she listen or would she have to fight the woman in order to save Zodiac? She wondered about these hypothetical scenarios swirling inside her mind right this minute. She, even wondered, despite how foolish, if she would have a chance to talk to the woman during her capture? Heh. No. She had a feeling she would stay imprisoned for long, and if Optimus, Aurora or the others catch such thoughts from her, they would call her crazy. Well, she knew how stubborn and crazy she seemed to her friends sometimes. She went to the battlefield naked, mostly, and always, chatted, unless of course her friends were in danger, and then she threw her life away to go and save them. Heh.

"I will, Optimus," she answered through the link. She shook away her thoughts for a moments, trying to find ways to ignore her pain as she spoke to Optimus. Although the pain wasn't great, but it was a continuous loop of spasming stabbing burns and floods of burning sensations that continued to pass through her systems. "But it isn't me that I'm concerned about." That was the only thing she could muster to talk when the bond severed because of her body's ever-increasing pain.

Her concern laid with Optimus, Aurora, Rhinox, Wintersong, and the rest, and...

Zodiac...



Tigratron and Blackarachnia nodded at what Cheetor said. When the coast was clear and the Predacons were too busy going forward, Blackarachnia and the little cat would make their way back and save Whitegrazer and Tigerhawk. It seemed like the Predacons were far away, heading towards the direction of the Axalon, he better hurry and get out of the jammer's range so he can communicate with his fellow Maximals, "All right, we should- Just as he was about to wave them off, Cheetor shouted Wintersong's name. He turned to see the white tigress and waved, smiling. Cheetor explained the situation to her, and Wintersong gave her thoughts as well. Blackarachnia leaned herself against a tree, waiting for them three to get their act together. "Wintersong has made a good point.

"Yeah, I think the cats and I can handle Quickstrike." Of course, they outnumbered the Predacons during the battle, and yet, with help of hostages, the Predacons won, so numbers aren't always a guarantee. "Also, I do have a few cases of an antidote for the white mare, so that will flush out the venom in her systems. I don't know the state of condition Tigerhawk is in, but maybe, Cheetor, Tigratron, and I can do what we can with repairs on hand while you alert the others."

"Yes, if Megatron and the rest of the Predacons plan on attacking the Axalon, I have no doubt that they will use our comrades as shields, knowing we won't shoot our comrades, making their job easier." Tigratron nodded. "Cheetor, Blackarachnia, and I will deal with Quickstrike and help our comrades anyway we can and meet with the rest of our comrades back in the Axalon and help out."

"We maybe can given them a surprise attack on them."

"Right,"Tigratron agreed. "Wintersong, you and the others be safe and try to hold on. We will return shortly with reinforcements."

Tigratron motioned for Cheetor and Blackarachnia to follow him. He transformed into his beast form. So did Blackarachnia. Tigrtaron looked back at Blackarachnia and Cheetor, whispering, "Little Cat and I will spread out. Blackarachnia..."

"Distract? I got him."Blackarachnia winked all of her eyes.



Whitegrazer struggled a bit on her web, looking at Quickstrike, and only Quickstrike it seems, who guarded Tigerhawk and herself, "Tigerhawk? Tigerhawk?" Her voice soft, but a bit strained due to the continous pain she endured, as she tried to assess her friend, trying to wake him.


Dinobot had been in the holo room, practicing his battle prowess against bots that looked like his former cormades as well as musing all the predicable he had been thrown into. Now, that the disks were out in the open, due to the fact that he had to disclose them to the Maximals in order to save Optimus life when he had been captured, he began to regret how things turned out. He may never know if his fate was predestined or not, and that feeling still gnawed at him, as well as the feeling of betrayal towards his former comrades, and that he throw way his chance of knowing the truth to save Optimus' life. He didn't regret that. He respected Optimus, and that respect grew. He didn't always agree with his Maximal ideology, but Maximal or Predacon, Optimus showed him more honor and respect than Megatron. In his anger, his tore off the head of the fake Megatron, casted it aside with a loud growl, and stomped into smithereens before ending the program and leaving the holoroom. Tense, but some aggression was release. Some.

He made his way to the bridge.

As they were preparing to depart for their destination, Megatron had taken the time to address his troops ever so briefly. The tyrant seemed overall pleased with their progress so far this mission, perhaps especially in his newly appointed second in command having carried out his orders with the results having been even better than expected. This fact did not bode well for the Maximals, but Nemesis was still determined to see the plan come to fruition even if she may not agree completely with every aspect of it. In the end it would all be worthwhile and they would have the revenge they desired, as well as be a lot closer to winning the war.

The end result justified the means of getting there, right?

"Of course,"

Nemesis nodded to acknowledge Megatron's response, although their leader seemed to be otherwise a bit distracted right now. Which was understandable, really.

"They will all learn the consequences of opposing you this day," she told Megatron with a simple nod before gesturing for the Predacons to gather around for further instructions.

"She has a point, Terrorsaur. And I believe each of us would benefit from it if you practiced a bit more modesty with your over-achievements."

"I suppose I spoke out of frustration for the battle. All that rush...my mouth speaks faster than my processor you know."

After giving a slight smirk at the look of indignation that Terrorsaur offered Megatron and herself, not that she was overly worried about any repercussions the pteradactyl might think up. Her fellow transmetal flyer often spoke up faster than he could think, but after a number of beat downs from their leader in the past he knew that openly defying the tyrant was a bad idea. So aside from a bit of attitude and bickering, that was really as far as it went where Terrorsaur was concerned.

"Come on, just stay on my flank and enjoy the fun!," she told the pteradactyl after Megatron had corrected him yet again and informed him he was coming along with her instead. By now she already had the annoying rodent in her claws so there was no point in lingering here. The sooner they got their prize from the Axalon, the faster they could get back here and decide what to do with the remaining hostages.

Just before they left, Megatron decided to fill his troops in on at least a part of the plan. The female medic seemed pleased with what she was being told as she joined them. The spider scientist, however, remained a short distance away with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Tarantulas, you will linger on the perimeter until I require your assistance. Is that understood?"

Like I'm going to let you hog my prize, the spider thought to himself before verbalizing; "I will eagerly be awaiting your signal, heheheh." He then followed the tyrant and his team.

"Now this should be interesting."

"Indeed, hope you still have some firepower ready for when we arrive," Nemesis replied as she took to the sky with the still unconscious rodent hanging from her claws.

The air underneath felt wonderful as the breeze got more intense quickly while she picked up speed. There really wasn't any time to waste since they didn't want to give the Maximals a chance to prepare for their arrival, although part of the avian second in command was hoping she'd be able to pull this off the way they intended it. Hopefully she'd be able to stay strong, even when she inevitably had to face Primal, but she felt mentally prepared for this now. And the thrill of their recent victory and coming one as well was still coursing through her system, further giving her confidence and the strength to pull this off.

As they came closer to the Axalon, she suddenly started shaking her rodent cargo a bit more roughly, wanting him to be conscious for what was to come. It would certainly make the Maximals inside the base more cooperative knowing what danger their friend was in. "Wake up, rat," she told the rodent firmly as she dug her claws just a little deeper into him. "Rise and shine. I'm bringing you home."

Zodiac paid close attention to every movement his captor made, every change in his demeanor, every passing glance.. He took note of the Maximal commander's silent stare as he hesitated to place the cuffs around his own wrists, as well as the way the tension seemed to ease up a bit when he eventually did as he'd been told to do and activated the restraints. Ever analyzing, ever looking for some sign of hesitation or weakness that could be exploited.

Unfortunately Optimus seemed to have hardened a bit.. He was no longer so easily fooled or distracted as he had been only a few months prior when the renegade and his crew first arrived on this planet. So catching him off guard wouldn't be as easy..

"We'll see,"

The renegade tilted his head ever so slightly but then averted his gaze to maintain the more submissive stance he was going for in order to stay on Primal's good side.

Gently applying some pressure to the restraints that were now keeping his wrists bound together, in part to test their strength but also to further prove to Optimus that he was not a threat right now, Zodiac then let out a sigh before speaking up.

"You have every reason to be angry and distrustful, and I certainly don't deny my involvement and how my actions warrants those feelings. But.."

His voice lowered a bit, his words slowing as if he was contemplating how to best phrase himself.

".. please understand I had my reasons for doing what I did. I realize you probably won't believe me, still.. There's some information in the journal that might help you understand. Use the chip to gain access to the restricted parts of the journal that you will hopefully find most enlightening."


He deliberately left Nexus' name out, having seen the effect just mentioning the name had on Primal. Right now he was trying to lower Primal's defenses, not ire him. Did he truly want Primal to read the journal? Not really.. But if it could give him a chance at freedom before being put on trial or turned over to someone more likely to kill him for what he'd done, it would be well worth it.

"Did you already access it?," he then inquired with some genuine curiosity, his optics yet again drifting to Optimus. The Maximal's expression had softened a little bit after the renegade had obeyed his instructions and applied the cuffs to himself, but there was something else.. a sense of hesitancy whenever Nexus was mentioned.. which ultimately lead Zodiac to his own conclusion.

"You haven't yet, have you?," he asked with some confidence. "Why?"

Yet on some level, he thought he already knew the answer. Primal was tormented by the ultimate demise of Nexus, but also by the knowledge that his beloved father figure did not have as squeaky clean of a record as most seemed to believe. Even Nexus Prime held some dark secrets hidden from those around him. Then, of course, there was the sentimental impact it would be on Primal to actually see Nexus' hologram, to hear his voice address Primal himself.. Yes, after having forced himself to go through the journal Zodiac was fairly certain that Nexus had intended for Optimus to have it. It was a complete record of his legacy, meant to help his young apprentice make the right choice for himself and for the Maximals Nexus had been so confident Optimus was going to lead in the future.

"This isn't 'special treatment', Zodiac,"

Slowly lowering his cuffed arms upon hearing those words, the renegade let his hands rest on his lap as he listened to what Primal had to say.

"These are security measures I would take with any prisoner in my possession. You have shelter, food, and protection," he pointed out. "I've even given you freedom within your cell. But my generosity only extends so far."

Shelter..

Zodiac couldn't help the quick glance around his newly assigned quarters, from the barren walls devoid or any decorations aside from the security cameras and some lighting fixtures that had hastily been put up. Still, his cell was more roomy than ones he'd been given in the past.

Food..

Yeah, granted they were feeding him. Even if he was too proud to eat much of it. Or perhaps it was some misguided notion that not eating would force the Maximals to come check up on him? Honestly, Zodiac wasn't quite sure anymore.

Protection..

Now that one still remained to be seen. Yes, Primal had oddly enough stepped in to protect him when Megatron had ordered his Predacons to attack the two of them right after the Viper had crashed, but such willingness to sacrifice himself didn't really hold any long term implications for the shape shifter. Or perhaps they did, but it still wasn't enough for him to be willing to mend his ways over or to accept incarceration for possibly years to come. He valued his freedom too much for that, and even though Primal had, in a sense, proved himself through his actions, his Maximal lackeys no doubt felt differently about it.

So how safe was he truly while locked up in their brig? In all honesty, Zodiac kind of felt as if he had a massive target on him at all times now. He was trapped in a location both Maximals and Predacons knew where was, and at the mercy of someone who really had more reason to condemn him than anyone.

"While I certainly appreciate everything you've done for me," the renegade started, appearing humbled and defeated in his voice and demeanor, "I do hope to some day be able to prove that I possess other qualities than what you've placed me in this cell for." While speaking, he finally scooted to the edge of the bed to let his legs rest on the floor, his confidence starting to build a bit that he would be able to mentally disarm his captor.

Much to his disappointment, however, Primal seemed otherwise distracted. As if he was busy conversing with someone else. The renegade had heard Rhinox saying something from outside the room, but since he was further away than Primal he could only pick up a word here and there. So it wasn't until Primal spoke up again that he finally pieced it together.

"I'm afraid I have to cut my visit short with you today, Zodiac,"

Looking a bit disappointed, Zodiac was running possible scenarios in his head as to why Primal would change his priorities so suddenly. But the only thing he could think of was that there could be some situation going on with some of his Maximals. After all, Primal was infamous for his deep compassion for his team. It had been the very foundation of the shape shifter's original plan when he first arrived while disguised as Nexus Prime. So what could be happening now?

He didn't ask, however, knowing full well that the Commander would never share such details with him. He was, after all, still a prisoner.

"That's unfortunate," he then said as way of response, waiting to see if Primal would slip up or offer any additional information.

He felt the Commander's optics linger on him for a moment longer before Primal spoke up again, again sounding quite firm.

"This would be a good opportunity for you to prove to me that I can begin trusting you."

Zodiac lifted his head ever so slightly, remaining in his position on the cot until Primal had finished laying out his terms. Or until the Maximal would move from his spot blocking the door.

"Pick up the chip and hand it to me. Please,"

The renegade's optics drifted to the tiny chip on the floor, only a short distance away from Primal. It was quite clear that there were some serious trust issues going on here, where Primal refused to leave the chip but still didn't want to step away from the door to pick it up, nor did he want to risk shutting the door and thus turning his back ever so briefly. The conundrum the Maximal commander was facing managed to bring a smile, however slight, to the renegade's face.

"As you wish, since you asked so nicely and all," Zodiac replied as he pushed himself up from the cot and made his way over to the chip on the floor. He kept his movements casual, not exactly slow, but still wasn't rushing to complete his rather simple task. And since his wrists were restrained in the front, he still had use of his hands, even if his range of motion was more limited than normal. Stopping in front of the chip, he then leaned over and grabbed it with his fingertips, before taking those last few steps over towards Primal's location. All the while he kept his movements slowed, his hands visible, as not to trigger the armed male blocking his path.

He then dropped the chip in Primal's awaiting hand, sounding almost friendly as he asked; "So did I pass your little test?"

Did he care if he did, of course not. His only intent was for Primal to look away at the chip in his hand, and when the Maximal lowered his guard to do just that Zodiac finally made his move. With a sudden burst of speed towards the other male, he angled himself so that his shoulder would ram straight into the side of his chest, as forcefully as he possibly could with such little room to move. With any luck he'd knock the weapon out of Optimus' hand, perhaps even knock him off balance in the process, at which point the renegade could slam his own tied arms down upon Primal and knock him to the ground. After that he would bolt out through the open door and make his way to the freedom outside.

In the control room, Aurora was still trying to re-establish contact with the other Maximals. But much to her frustration, she wasn't having much luck in doing so. Whatever scrambling device the Predacons were using, it was doing a fairly effective job of making sure the communications remained offline. So it caught her completely off guard when Sentinel's voice suddenly chimed in.

"Unit Rattrap's energy signature detected near the Axalon."

Aurora immediately looked up at the outdoor cameras, scanning the perimeter for any visual confirmation that the rodent had indeed returned to them. But she couldn't see him anywhere, or at least not yet.

"Confirm whereabouts of Rattrap?," she asked with newfound hope and excitement in her voice.

"Confirmed. Unit Rattrap is approaching from a south-eastern direction."

Her mouth dropping open for a moment, Aurora then quickly opened a channel to Rhinox and Primal with the news.

"Guys, Sentinel just reported that Rattrap is returning to base!," she exclaimed excitedly. And just then she thought she could see something speeding towards them through one of the cameras, but.. he was coming through the air..?

Upon approaching the Axalon, Nemesis suddenly transformed from her beast form to her robot form while still holding Rattrap in something of a choke hold while she made her final descent to the ground. She landed rather roughly on the ground, skidding to a halt while whirling up dust and debris into the air from the sudden impact. In one hand she held onto the back of Rattrap's neck, not wanting to give the rodent any leverage should he try anything foolish.

"See?," she told the rodent, almost sounding a bit triumphant as she did, "You're home. Now let's see if your comrades are wise enough to not do anything to risk your safety.. or life.. during our visit here."


Still holding him by the neck to restrict as much movement as she could, she started the short walk up to the already activated shields that were keeping them from entering the Axalon.

In the control room, Aurora was still squinting to see what, or whom, the cameras had picked up alongside Rattrap. But it was Sentinel, again, that made the announcement first by putting out a warning throughout the entire ship.

"Warning, Predacon signature detected. Activating auto-defenses!"


Aurora watched in disbelief as Nemesis, now clearly visible on the cameras, walked calmly and confidently up to the shields with Rattrap in her hand. "By Primus.. they have Rattrap..," she muttered, not even realizing that her message was being transmitted throughout all of the Axalon since the proximity alarms had been triggered. "They are holding Rattrap hostage right outside, Optimus!," she then told Optimus, still unaware of what was transpiring in the brig, considerably louder with a much more frantic tone this time.

Nemesis halted right in front of the shields, holding Rattrap up towards the camera nearest her. Several auto guns had popped into place and were targeting her, but she seemingly didn't appear overly concerned about this fact. "Maximals!," she called out to get their attention, "If you value the life of your little friend here, you will deactivate the auto guns right now. Or I promise you he will suffer unimaginably!"


Inside the brig, Zodiac couldn't help but overhear the warning put out by Sentinel and it caused him to stop in his tracks. The Predacons were here..? Already..?

Just then Dinobot suddenly entered the bridge and Aurora looked over at him with large, obviously concerned optics. At the same time Sentinel reported that more Predacon signatures were detected nearby. "Dinobot..," Aurora said, really wishing the others hadn't left her by herself to handle this mess. "The Predacons are here, and they have Rattrap. They just showed up out of nowhere with him, but I don't know what they want."

Still inside the brig, Zodiac had entirely seized his attack on Optimus as he brought his cuffed hands up to his face to brush away some of the dreadlocks that were blocking his vision. He heard Aurora's message since it was being broadcasted throughout the ship, forcing him to quickly re-evaluate his chances of escape.

"They're here for me..," he said quietly, the grave severity of the situation hitting him like a brick wall.

"They will all learn the consequences of opposing you this day,"

Megatron had given a hesitant glance to Nemesis's words, but eventually accepted them with authenticity considering her success and loyalty as of late. Indeed, they will, he egotistically agreed in his mind.

"I will eagerly be awaiting your signal, heheheh."

Tarantulas, on the other hand, the tyrant didn't trust a single word that slipped out of his treacherous mouth. Sure, he appeared to be playing on the same side in Megatron's scheme, but he was known to have his own agenda which often failed to include the t-rex. And that irked him greatly. all he could muster up in response was a somewhat upper lip that had lifted with some disgust.

"I suppose I spoke out of frustration for the battle. All that rush...my mouth speaks faster than my processor you know."

And Terrorsaur, another back-stabbing, mutiny-provoking buffoon. Had it not been for his firepower and superior aerial combat, the Predacon warlord would be more than happy to end his life and be rid of his poor attitude and endless upstaging nonsense. The words he had just spewed merely gave Megatron an ear ache, and he was hardly convinced by them. However, as it stood, Megatron needed the numbers against the Maximals, and for this mission to be a success so that Zodiac was one less cog to interfere with his ultimate goal.

"Hmph, I haven't heard laborers complain as much as Terrorsaur does. Even the newbies had more dignity."

Spineback's dark sense of humor was actually welcomed by the dictator. Although Megatron wasn't known to have a great sense of humor, some of the medic's comments were rather humorous when it came to belittling other Predacons and Maximals. Had managed a smirk toward her words while keeping his gaze on Terrorsaur to make sure he would surrender Airazor willingly to the fire ant.

"I look forward to the poor sap who falls prey to my pincers."

"As do I," Megatron had smiled slightly but no less deviously toward Rampage while he imagined him squeezing Optimus Primal's torso between his large claw to the point of snapping his back while the Predacon leader would slither away with Zodiac as his prisoner.

Inferno had stepped up to retrieve Airazor from Terrorsaur, surprisingly without any backlash or crude comments, and then departed with his Queen as instructed.

"Understood."

Appreciating the crab's continued cooperation, his captor didn't see it necessary to threaten him with his spark and thus kept it tucked away in his subspace along with the golden disk and the alien orb as they made their way toward the Axalon.

"Wake up, rat,"

As Spineback's sedative began wearing off, Rattrap started to regain consciousness. He felt... no gravity? No... There was gravity. He was in the air. Yes, that made more sense. Why was he in the air? Was that Airazor talking? Was she carrying him? What happened back there in the battle? No, the falcon would never address him as "rat". Who was it? What was going on? His carrier shook his body and rattled him more to help him gain his composure more quickly. This made him realize that his wrists had been restrained, and he was a prisoner to Nemesis. Oh, great. Peering down toward the ground that was so far away, he swallowed a little bit with some anxiety since he had always hated to fly. But, suddenly, he thought about the rest of his team. Where were they?! What had happened to them?! Cheetor, Tigerhawk, Onyx and Airazor! And Tigatron, he was sure he remember hearing his voice. No, no, no, no! He struggled in Nemesis' talons despite how much they dug into his armor and began scratching it.

"Rise and shine. I'm bringing you home."

Yeah right! She was probably flying him right into the Darksyde! He squirmed more as he tried to bounce his body in her grip. Of course, if she was to release him, he would have a very unpleasant landing, but he didn't seem to care so long as he got away from her, even if that meant killing himself! A bit drastic, yes, but right now the maximal Spy was beginning to panic. He was still injured from battle, he was bound, and he had lost his gun.

Hold up. Judging by the scenery below and on the horizon, it actually did appear as though she was returning him to Maximal HQ. Was she actually... helping him? But if she was, then why was he still restrained? No, this wasn't making sense. Was he her hostage? "Dis is Rattrap ta Maximal Base! Anybody copy?!" he tried contacting them but his comm. link had been scrambled by Tarantulas's device before they had left the battle scene. Nothing but static. "Does anybody read me?!" he tried again. Static.

"Lemme go, ya nanobot-infested freak!" he tried insulting her as he struggled again in her talons. "What did you do to de rest of my team?!" he demanded to know.

"I will, Optimus," "But it isn't me that I'm concerned about."

When is it ever? he had thought to himself lightheartedly before their link was severed. But what did Whitegrazer mean? Him? The others? Everyone who wasn't accounted for yet? He really needed to get out there and figure out what was going on. She clearly wasn't in the best of care either.

"You have every reason to be angry and distrustful, and I certainly don't deny my involvement and how my actions warrants those feelings. But.." ".. please understand I had my reasons for doing what I did. I realize you probably won't believe me, still.. There's some information in the journal that might help you understand. Use the chip to gain access to the restricted parts of the journal that you will hopefully find most enlightening."

"You have no idea what you've done, Zodiac." Optimus's voice suddenly turned quite cold and ominous and seemingly ignoring his mentioning of Nexus Prime's I.D. chip granting more access to the Admiral's journal. He had indeed heard him but now he had hardened his appearance again as he grew frustrated with the shape shifter's lack of responsibility. "You can not fathom the ramifications of your actions. You've done far greater damage to others and the future of Cybertron than to me alone." As firm as he was at that moment, what Zodiac asked next almost caught him off guard.

"Did you already access it?,"

Primal tried to maintain his stoic posture and avoided giving him any indication of an answer, but doing just that was probably enough to tell him.

"You haven't yet, have you?," "Why?"

Again, Optimus didn't answer. It was none of his business. It wasn't that he was afraid per say. He certainly wasn't afraid of what might be revealed with Nexus's skeletons in his closet since Primal had his own share of those. He was more afraid of the emotional aspect of seeing and hearing his teacher again... As if he was a ghost. He was afraid he might lose his mind by interacting with the dead Admiral's holographic recordings and expecting answers and guidance. He was afraid he had disappointed his teacher.

"While I certainly appreciate everything you've done for me,"

The Maximal leader slightly lifted his chin with skepticism toward Zodiac's so-called "gratitude". Although his voice suggested he was being genuine, all of this was just too much of what he wanted to hear too soon. Was he trying to play him like a fiddle? Or was Optimus being way too paranoid? He simply couldn't risk letting his guard down, not when it could potentially get others harmed or even killed.

"I do hope to some day be able to prove that I possess other qualities than what you've placed me in this cell for."

"Well, Zodiac, that's exactly what I'm willing to help you do," he finally spoke bluntly. Had he not been listening to him earlier through the intercom? Cautiously, Optimus watched the pretender move to the edge of his bed with his hand still resting on the trigger of the weapon being held at his side.

"That's unfortunate,"

The gorilla failed to comment and then made a motion with his free hand held with its palm up and curling his fingers toward himself a couple times as an indication for Zodiac to speed up his nominal movements to get the chip and hand it to him.

"As you wish, since you asked so nicely and all,"

He thought he noticed a faint smile appear on his face while the renegade left his bed and strolled to the chip. On alert, Optimus lifted the rifle in his hand and had the barrel of it following his every movement.

"So did I pass your little test?"

To his surprise, Zodiac did everything correctly so as not to set him off, but wasn't that was he trained to do? "Not quite," Primal answered him. "You missed the point. It wasn't meant to be seen as a 'test'." But he didn't explain it further. With the slightest glance to his open hand where the dragon safely placed the very fragile and small object, he couldn't deny himself the inevitable emotional attachment he clung to with that last physical piece of his father-figure. And despite having his new weapon trained on Zodiac which he had hoped would have made Zodiac think twice about making any wrong moves, he took advantage of his averted optics anyway and threw his shoulder into the side of the Maximal's chest. With an, "Oof!" of exhaled air, Optimus stumbled backwards until his back slammed into the wall next to the opened doorway. Instinctively, his hand with the chip had balled into a fist to protect it without even thinking about it while his other hand managed to keep hold of the rifle.

"Hey!" Rhinox hollered at Zodiac when he saw the commotion inside of the cell. He immediately stepped around the control console and drew one of his chain guns, targeting Zodiac as it was ready to fire while he carefully approached the room. He halted when both him and Optimus heard Aurora's voice on their comm. links.

Primal, with his chest aching, had fallen to a knee when Zodiac's sudden collision had nearly out-winded him from the angle and force of his deliberate hit. After a quick examination to make sure it hadn't been damaged, he carefully put Nexus Prime's chip into his subspace and then got back up to his feet with a seething glare upon Zodiac who was still near him.

"Are you alright, Optimus?" the engineer asked while maintaining his aim on the renegade who still managed to cause trouble.

"Guys, Sentinel just reported that Rattrap is returning to base!,"

"What about the rest of them?" Rhinox asked Aurora quizzically with concern in his deep voice as he stood defiantly facing Zodiac who was attempting to escape before he was stopped dead in his tracks with this development. None of their signatures had shown up along with Rattrap's?

"See?,"

Dat was weird, Rattrap admitted, almost both bewildered and intrigued, while Nemesis somehow managed to keep a hold on him during her transformation without dropping him. But now he found himself in a choke hold. Still, he struggled again against her.

"You're home. Now let's see if your comrades are wise enough to not do anything to risk your safety.. or life.. during our visit here."

Well, for once, she hadn't lied. There it was; the Axalon, as they descended. Now what? "Eh, visit?" he inquired while wiggling his legs trying to get away with her hand around the back of his neck now, albeit his will was futile. "What do ya want, Nemesis?!" the rodent demanded to know. But something told him that he was about to find out. Rattrap's optics warily eyed each of the external auto-guns that came on-line because of her presence, but she proceeded to walk toward the shield. What was she...?

"By Primus.. they have Rattrap..,"

Rhinox's threatening appearance toward Zodiac suddenly faded to grave concern upon hearing Aurora's update. What...?!

"Argh... Yes," he answered Rhinox. Giving a soft groan of pain from the shape shifter's attack, Optimus straightened himself up and was tempted to ram the barrel of the rifle into Zodiac's back for his aggressive misdemeanor, or even shoot him to see how well it worked, but if this was a Predacon attack, then he might need to keep Zodiac functional for a possible escape just to keep him alive. So, he merely kept it aimed at the black dragon in hopes of preventing any further attempts of violence. "One more wrong move, Zodiac, and you won't get a second chance."

"They are holding Rattrap hostage right outside, Optimus!,"

"Rhinox, bring it up on the monitor," he told his friend after Aurora's frantic plea. He needed to see what exactly was going on.

The engineer didn't hesitate as he immediately withdrew his weapon from Zodiac once Optimus had control over the situation again and went back to the controls to switch the video feed on the monitor to that of what Aurora was seeing outside. With desperation in his crimson optic sensors, he looked at his commanding officer.

Primal narrowed his optics at the screen as he saw Nemesis holding Rattrap hostage and approaching their base. What was the meaning of this? "Stay calm, Aurora," he told her with his own steady voice. "I'll handle it," he assured her to ease any anxiety and worry that she may have been overwhelmed with.

"Everyone, arm yourselves," he warned all of the Maximals within the base over his comm. link as a precaution since they had no idea yet what was triggering Nemesis with her appearance.

"Maximals!," "If you value the life of your little friend here, you will deactivate the auto guns right now. Or I promise you he will suffer unimaginably!"

"Hey, uh, Nem, de jokes on you, okay? Everybody knows dat I ain't got no friends, alright?" Rattrap tried humorously reasoning with her as his body came dangerously close to the shields. "I mean, you picked de wrong hostage here." He was torn inside though. Part of him didn't want them to lower the shields because Nemesis was obviously after something, and he didn't want his comrades to get hurt like how badly the battle went under his poor leadership and everyone who was injured from it... wherever they were. But another part of him didn't really want to become a fried rat by being forced into the energy shield. That's not how he imagined dying in this war. By now, of course, he had stopped squirming in her grasp because any wrong move and he'd feel the very painful effects of the shield.

"They're here for me..,"

"Probably," Optimus bluntly succumbed to Zodiac's revelation, "But we don't know that for sure. So far, it's just Nemesis." Maybe she was seeking asylum again after another fall-out with Megatron, or she had something to offer to them, and using Rattrap was her best way to get their attention... Or she was being watched... This wasn't Nemesis. Primal wanted to call her bluff but at the risk of Rattrap's life, it wasn't worth it. Maybe he could try talking to her, although that hadn't particularly gone well with Zodiac.

Further away out of Sentinel's scanning range, Megatron and Inferno had landed along with Airazor in their possession at their intended destination somewhat behind the Axalon's stern on higher elevation than Nemesis. Inferno converting to his beast mode for the time being while laying Airazor on the ground. "Strategically position yourselves," Megatron quietly instructed everyone over his secured comm. link, including Rampage, who should have been waiting near the hangar in beast mode or even wading in the water to disguise himself above the waterfall. "Inferno, concentrate on the exterior infrastructure of the brig."

"Yes, Royalty," the pyro happily obeyed as he remained by the TransMetal t-rex and awaited further commands. As soon as he was able to transform, he would be more than ready to wield his weapon and fire. But for now, he knew better than to jump the gun and remained in his beast mode to avoid detection.

"Terrorsaur, Spineback, target their automated weapons," Megatron told them in preparation. "Patience, now," he added to all of the Predacons.

"Rattrap, do you copy?" Primal tried his comm. link to him, but all he received was static. Why was it just him and Nemesis? Where was the rest of Rattrap's team?

"Nemesis, this is Optimus," he announced over a direct transmission to her comm. link through the Axalon so that all of the Maximal could listen as well while trying to keep his attention from drifting away off of Zodiac. "Release Rattrap, state your business, and we will lower our defenses so that we may speak with less hostility," he attempted to negotiate with her. What did she want? Or who. Zodiac? This seemed rather extreme and unnecessary.

-----

"Tigerhawk? Tigerhawk?"

"Quiet, missy, or I'll pump you an' yer friend there with more venom," Quickstrike warned Whitegrazer before he had taken cover in the thick brush in his shiny, Fuzor beast mode. I hate loiterin' around and babysittin' Maximal scum, he thought while keeping his senses on alert, as well as his cobra head that sometimes seemed to act on its own. The area was quite calm after such a damaging battle. He still didn't spot any Maximals coming to their rescue, or Sugarbot whom he was fully aware might try to seduce him or woo him again. That slaggin' spider... Boss-bot was right about her. She can't be trusted.

((I will be posting tomorrow guys, just been busy the past couple of days.))

“Alright, good luck you three.” Wintersong told them once they had figured out the plan. Given their states, the transmetal tigress felt it might give them more time to heal up as well from their self-repair systems in the long run.

She lingered long enough to watch them return to the forest cover before she turned tail and took off the direction she had come. “Wintersong to the Axalon,” Nothing but static. “Aurora do you copy? Anyone?” Once more she was greeted with an earful of static, by then racing back towards the Axalon in her vehicle mode. Much to her dismay the signal was still jammed which meant the Predacons were already near...or worse. She knew she probably shouldn’t have taken off like she did, yet they had to know something, anything, about their missing friends.

Was it at a cost however?

In a time such as this, Wintersong began to consider the link Optimus had mentioned and if she should have taken the time for Whitegrazer to teach her more about them. ‘Me and my suspicion.’ Her weariness of the Vok had caused her to ignore the help a good friend could have offered. “Hang in there guys, help will be on the way.” She murmured as she pushed for her boosters to go as fast they would allow.

++++++++++++

Cheetor nodded his agreement, “We do this right we’ll knock Quickstrike from the game and get them out. At this point we don’t have a choice.” Though Cheetor held back his reservations of not going ahead to the Axalon instead to give aid to the others. It seemed almost selfish to the cheetah to let those at the ship suffer or their friends here, but it wasn’t exactly an easy choice.

Nevertheless, Cheetor steeler his nerve and followed after Tigatron and Blackarachnia, having remained in his beast mode the entire time to allow for some repairs. Slowly making their way through the forest cover, Cheetor paused within the thick bushes covering the area, “Seems eerie now with them gone.” The younger feline remarked before turning his gaze towards the two, “Alright BA, you’re up. And while she does that I’ll take the right side Big Cat.” Cheetor told them, offering a quick encouraging smile to both before he crept along the trees towards the right.

But, unlike Tigatron or Blackarachnia, his transmetal form tended to stick out in these sort of situations.

It had taken sometime for Tigerhawk’s systems to go through a reboot process, having shut down from the physical trauma done to his frame. Even now his systems were slow to come online, only the faintest twitch of his wings being a sign he was remotely coming to, optics giving a faint flicker before showing signs of life.

Still, he was in no shape to move by much, a faint groan coming from the large fuzor as the throbbing began to register to his processor. It was only the quiet insistence from Whitegrazer that made him realize he wasn’t alone but his vision didn’t fully focus quite yet, somewhat blurred from the sluggish awakening he was going through. “I hear you...” He spoke in a quietly pained voice, “I just cannot do much. Not right now.” But what he was really concerned about was what had happened in the time he had been out.

++++++++++++

Upon arriving close to the Axalon, Spineback and Terrorsaur followed Nemesis as previously instructed, yet they remained just out of Sentinel’s scanning range for the time being.

Spineback transformed to her robot mode by then, crouched just behind some cover but with the auto-guns clear in her sights. Just from the presence of one Predacon the Maximals were already on alert, or perhaps they already were suspicious of something happening. Enough to be on their guard which made the Chief Medic wonder if perhaps the mare had had some power in her yet to warn them of their impending attack.

No matter. The veteran remained where she was regardless of what happened, her Plasma Sphere Shooter aimed and ready, “Locked on and ready.” Spineback confirmed, only able to await if the Maximals would take the bait or not.

Likewise, the transmetal flier hovered just outside the sensors of the Axalon’s security measures. Interesting that the shields were already up and the auto-guns were now focused upon Nemesis, at the present moment the only Predacon to approach the shields and nearly risking frying the unfortunate rodent. ‘Guess you weren’t as sly as you thought Megatron.’ He thought venomously to himself, knowing better than to voice such a thought out loud at the present moment, not after he had gotten chewed out more than once.

Instead, he kept his focus on the auto-guns, ready to blast them at a moments notice.

As Megatron might have guessed, the transmetal crab had broken from the group to take advantage of the nearby water. It would serve its purpose to leave him out of sight and get the drop in on anyone who might be near the hanger. A part of him hoped some unfortunate soul would be but he sensed no one close tot hat area much to his disappointment. Oh well, he would have to be patient, sooner or later someone would slip up and allow him a chance to act on his quota of violence soon enough.

For now, the crab could only watch from beneath the water’s surface, eyeing the shields preventing them from entering the Maximal dwelling anyhow. The moment it was down he was ready to go, his pincers opening and closing beneath the surface in anticipation and slightly impatience. They just needed to take the bait....

Airazor groaned softly as the tranquilizer began to fade in her systems, allowing herself to once again awaken from being unconscious. It felt like the hundredth time that day she had been knocked it cold. Though this time it wasn’t from a beat down like before, something she was thankful for since she wasn’t exactly confident her frame could take more abuse that Terrorsaur, Spineback, and Nemesis had already inflicted during the battle.

Much to her dismay however she recognized the terrain, and the voices speaking above her no less. This was near the Axalon, which meant Megatron was making his move and she was helpless to stop it. A quick scan of the surroundings with her optics told her they were somewhat out of the distance Sentinel could pick up their signals by near enough Airazor picked up on what was being said by Nemesis, and thankfully Rattrap. He had been out most of the battle himself so she was somewhat relieved to hear he was functioning.

Unfortunately, the falcon femme was in a position she could do little to try and help him. She desperately wanted to call out to the rodent, tell him to cooperate for the time being or assure him he wasn’t alone. But doing so...A quick glance revealed she wasn’t within the grasp of Inferno and Megatron nearby so attempting to do something too foolish could result in more than a damaged knee joint, “Can’t just ever be a cordial neighbor and ask for a cup of sugar like everyone else? Maybe a kind favor or two? Might change the dynamics a little bit don’t you think?” Airazor addressed her captors, more so Megatron.

Tigerhawk's pained voice matched the state his body was in, but she didn't say anything more as Quickstrike warned her to not speak, or he would hurt Tigerhawk, and Tigerhawk was all ready in enough pain, adding venom to his systems, or a kick, or any action against his body, would not be helpful. So she remained silent, trying to move her legs a bit. The venom started numbing her body, making it hard to move her legs or arms, because she couldn't feel them there, but they were there, she mentally told herself. Her left leg moved a bit upward. Well, progress, slow progress, but progress nonetheless. For a moment, she felt a pain, a dull, faraway pain, but one that felt like a punch in the gut, a surprise groan. Was it from Optimus? Were the Predacons attacking already? Just as she worried for Tigerhawk, she continued to worry for those she loved in the Axalon, but killing herself over worry would do nothing to install confidence in herself or friends, so she tried to focus on what was going on right now.

Quickstrike had left, hiding behind some bushes, expecting their comrades to save them, which she as well predicted, no, knew, feeling warm and relief at familiar and friendly presence nearby. Since Quickstrike went hiding, she looked and gazed up at Tigerhawk, whispering softly, "Hang in there, friend, we will get through this. Just let your systems repair what they can." They will need it.


"You too, Wintersong," Tigratron nodded, "May Primus watch over us all." Tigratron agreed with Cheetor and whispered to him, "Yes, a little too quiet." Cheetor took the right side, Tigratron went the opposite direction, returning the same encouraging smile that the Little Cat gave to both of them, transforming into his beast mode, activating his stealth mode, keeping himself alert for Quickstrike or any other Predacons, just in case they were being fooled. His thoughts wavered a bit, though, as he thought of Airazor. Hopefully, she and the others can be rescued. But he had to remain focused on Whitegrazer and Tigerhawk's safety for now. They needed their help. His nose sniffed, a foul smell, and he followed it steadily, keeping himself distant and covered by the wild jungle.

Blackarachnia rolled her eyes, inwardly, of course. She didn't trust any deity to help them in this matter. She relied on her own abilities, and hoped she could count on Big and Little Cat to do their jobs. "I'm counting on you boys." She dashed to a tree and hid behind it, looking around the area where Whitegrazer and Tigerhawk laid there. "Huh? Leaving you two so vulnerable? Big mistake." She made sure to keep one of her antivenom vials handy for the white mare and herself, of course, as Quickstrike's venom did pack a stabbing kick to it. As dumb as the half-snake, half-scorpion robocowboy was, he was just as sadistic as the others. But she planned to used that to her advantage. As both the Little and Big Cat were in position, Blackarachnia moved her move and ran out into the open, towards Whitegrazer and Tigerhawk.

She looked around, seeing no sign of Predacons, "Huh? I guess you two are in their priority list right now. Imagine that. Makes my job ten times easier," and walked over towards Whitegrazer, who was covered in web and looked all right, and Tigerhawk, who looked like he had been put through the Pit and back. She put her pinchers to her hips with a wry smile, "You both look awful. Especially with you, Tigerhawk. I can't carry you both, but with this, you will be good as new again, horsey."

"Watch out, Quickstrike is here," Whitegrazer nodded up at the thick bushes ahead of them.


Dinobot heard Optimus' voice through the base commlink. Were the Predacons attacking? He wondered what happened during his off-duty hours. He growled, his sword ready to be unsheathed, his mind and body reinvigorated by the battles he did recently, and he entered the command center, "What is happening? Sentinel is on full alert." It was the little rodent who answered him. Rattrap was a hostage? What the Pit happened while he was off? As Aurora seemed to noticed more Predacon signatures heading their way, so did he? "Where are the others?" The voice of Nemesis echoed through their systems, threatening to spill the rodent's energon if they didn't concede to whatever the Predacons demanded. No one would spill the rodent's energon. That was his job. Dinobot went to a monitor and tried to see what the outside looked like. All he could see was Nemesis holding to the rat. He wanted to go and search the area, but he remained at the bridge, since the only one there was the little rodent, and she wasn't much a fighter, more a tech and medical person, if Predacons happen to sneak aboard and try to capture teh command center, so he remained until he was needed elsewhere. When Optimus answered Nemesis' demands, Dinobot couldn't help but interject himself, contacting Optimus through his personal com, "Optimus, you can't lower the shields. Aurora and I detected other Predacon signatures." Dinobot knew Optimus would probably lower them, so Rattrap wouldn't harm, but Optimus must know that doing so may lead into an ambush.

After the deed was done, when the once seemingly untouchable Nexus Prime lay broken in a heap on the floor and the last pulsations of his spark had ceased, Zodiac had lingered for only a few moments before shedding his Optimus disguise for another, less conspicuous appearance as he made his departure. His own spark was still racing and he had to fight to keep his hands from trembling so badly they threatened to crush the tiny souvenir he had brought with him, Nexus Prime's identification chip, and his legs felt weak and threatened to give out on him as he hastily left the room.

He had chosen the guise of one of Cryotek's guards for the occasion, as he simply needed to be able to slip away unnoticed for long enough that he and his small team of renegades could escape with a couple of ships to call their own. Ideally he would have wanted a larger crew now that he knew for sure he was going to go through with the plan he had developed over the past several weeks, but since he was out of time his two recruits would have to do.

Night Terror, as he called himself, was the egoistical one. Although Zodiac had ultimately been the one to devise the plan, Night Terror had convinced himself that he was the one in charge. He did prove himself useful, however, when he managed to acquire a smaller ship to follow the trail of the larger and more impressive Akira, which would be helmed by the pretender. Honestly, Zodiac hadn't cared much about Night Terror's holier than thou attitude since he was more than used to it. He merely figured the would-be squad leader felt uncomfortable with the idea of a rogue teenager calling the shots, even if the shape shifter had been the one to come up with the plan and initiate it by killing Nexus Prime.

The other team member, Dirge, had a much more clear cut role to play. He was to provide the muscle, to be the enforcer of the team. In all truthfulness that was probably as far as his usefulness went, since he didn't exactly impress anyone with his insightful ideas. If anything Dirge's mind left something to be desired, but his imposing stature and brute strength was certainly something Zodiac could appreciate. The plan was solid, his team would suffice. And within a short amount of time, he would be able to extract revenge on everyone who had wronged him and treated him poorly. And when it was all done, he would have altered the course of history itself.

He made sure to lock the door behind him as he exited the room and headed down the hallway, hoping to buy himself more time to acquire the Akira and make his escape in that. After all, Cryotek would surely not be overly pleased when he realized what the young changeling had done. The warlord had made his intentions of using the captive admiral against the Maximal council quite clear, so even though part of Zodiac would have loved to be a witness to the horror when the truth got out, he was also wise enough to realize his actions would be considered to be the ultimate treachery by his creators. It was a fact he had been keenly aware of while formulating this plan in his head and in truth he had hesitated about going through with it for that very reason.

But he still did it, while disguised as Nexus' own pupil even. It was almost the very definition of poetic justice.

Some guards hastily walking in the direction he had come from was the first warning he got that his escape may end up a bit more complicated than he initially thought. To avoid raising suspicion but also to satisfy his own curiosity , he had briefly followed them as they talked among themselves. "The boss is furious!," one of them said to the others. "Apparently the cameras showed that Maximal the admiral was searching for, Optimus was it, entering his cell a short while ago."

"So this.. Optimus did it?," the first guard chimed in.

"Don't be an idiot. Optimus has been missing ever since the Maximal Council sent him and his crew on some mission somewhere,"
a third guard reprimanded.

That's when the enraged warlord came barging down the hallway, his entire demeanor even more menacing than he normally was, leaving Zodiac thankful he was in disguise. "You morons!," Cryotek shouted at them before grabbing the closest guard and slamming him roughly against the nearest wall. "Surround the perimeter. And I want to see Zodiac right now, for we have much to discuss!"

"You have no idea what you've done, Zodiac."

The shape shifter looked up briefly from his spot on the bed before his gaze drifted back to the restrained hands on his lap. Primal's words were harsh, and at that precise moment the Maximal Commander sounded a bit too much like certain other authoritarian figures Zodiac had grown up with. And the renegade hated it. He couldn't stand this feeling that was starting to manifest within him, this .. sensation of.. not guilt, exactly, but certainly something resembling it. Hesitation, perhaps? A lingering doubt that he had indeed messed up.

He remembered seeing the look in Cryotek's optics in the hallway right after the war criminal found out about Nexus dying. At the time he had written it off as pure anger, but now that he contemplated it there might have been something else hidden within the optics as well. A realization that the Pit was about to break loose and that everything he had been working towards had been shattered by the actions of one bot.

Or maybe he was just imagining it. It wasn't as if the young renegade had lingered around to find out what happened next. He had honestly been too afraid of Cryotek's wrath if he had been discovered to do so. And for good reason. Cryotek's talks almost always got physical when he was angry, and frankly Zodiac had never seen him more so than at that exact moment.

The young changeling sighed, fighting the urge to keep up a defiant attitude. At the moment he knew that wouldn't accomplish anything, and he needed Primal to show some leniency if he was going to get out of here.

"I don't suppose an apology for killing the old man will suffice?," he then muttered before closing his mouth tightly upon realizing how disrespectful the words sounded when they came out. During their prior confrontations, Zodiac still had plans in motion so he had actively been able to keep himself strong, to give the appearance of being a confident adult. It's what he had been trained to do his entire life. Yet now that he no longer had anyone pulling his strings, nobody telling him what to do.. not even himself.. he felt a lot more doubtful of himself. And it showed.

"You can not fathom the ramifications of your actions. You've done far greater damage to others and the future of Cybertron than to me alone."

Another sigh, although this one was a little louder.

"You don't think I know that?," Zodiac then replied without meeting Primal's gaze. "My actions left me a fugitive from my own kin. I was .. consumed.. by my own selfish needs. And when the opportunity came up, after Cryotek's forces had overwhelmed Nexus' and he was taken prisoner, I went against my orders so I could deliver those final blows."

He paused for a nanoclick before finally letting his gaze meet Primal's.

"If it wasn't for my actions, Cryotek would have used Nexus Prime against the Maximal Council. He wanted to end their rule, to turn the tide in favor of a Predacon governing body. I don't know what would have happened to your precious Nexus after that, but I can't imagine it would have been pleasant."


The words came flowing out more freely now, each one throwing a bit of a punch even though that wasn't really the renegade's intent. He was merely hoping to take some of the blame off himself by making it seem like Nexus was doomed either way.

"Well, Zodiac, that's exactly what I'm willing to help you do,"

The pretender's expression looked like he was a bit surprised by Primal's words, nevertheless he seemed pleased with the overall answer he got. Enough so to offer a slight, almost apologetic smile. "I can see why your Maximals are so fond of you.. and why Megatron seems to fear you in a sense." Indeed, the tyrant's hatred towards his enemy went beyond a mere difference of ideological opinions. Of course his own carefully selected words weren't meant purely as praise to his captor, but more so to help ease the tension between them.

His thoughts then drifted back to another sentimental moment he had shared with the commander. Back on the volcano, right before the renegade had fallen to what in all truthfulness should have been his demise.. And ironically it had been the cuffs that had ultimately snagged on something and prevented him from ending his days in the lava. "Nexus once called you inspirational. I guess you really did make him proud."

The words sounded genuine as they came out. Zodiac hoped they would have an effect on the Maximal, that they would help him put aside those doubts and hesitations he so rightfully held against his captive. Yet still Primal kept one hand lingering awfully close to the weapon, whereas the other hand was indicating for him to stop wasting time in the form of his gesture.

So Zodiac obliged him, deciding it better to sacrifice the chip than risk getting locked up for the unforeseen future.

"Not quite," Primal answered him. "You missed the point. It wasn't meant to be seen as a 'test'."

Perhaps not. But it had provided Zodiac with the opportunity he needed to get close to his Maximal captor without getting shot in the process. And he acted on that too, shoving Primal so hard that he lost his balance and slammed into the nearby wall with an audible "Oof!". Zodiac wasted no time when he saw the now open doorway, quickly stepping over Primal to get outside of the room. Only to hear another voice that he had temporarily forgotten about protest his most recent action.

"Hey!"

The sight of Rhinox wielding one of his machine guns was enough to stop the renegade in his tracks, and he took a step backwards into the room again. It wasn't that the rhinoceros' weapon was likely to inflict any permanent damage, since the shape shifter could heal the physical wounds easily enough, but it would still hurt a great deal and would definitely slow him down. And since he was already in restraints, it was unlikely he'd be able to escape the combined efforts of Primal and Rhinox alike.

Not like this, while still weakened from his mostly self-imposed lack of sleep and eating.

Raising his cuffed arms a bit to try to discourage Rhinox from opening fire, Zodiac briefly caught the angered glare from the now standing Optimus. Upon noting the way the Maximal leader was clutching the weapon in his hand, the renegade quickly capitulated and stepped back a few more paces. It wasn't that he had completely given up, not exactly anyway, but his own sense of self-preservation kicked in. Especially when the alarms sounded right about then, alerting everyone that Predacon signature had been detected within the vicinity of the Axalon.

"One more wrong move, Zodiac, and you won't get a second chance."

Despite his rather aggressive assault only moments before, Zodiac now looked like the very picture of innocence. Emulating facial expressions was a trait he had picked up on very early in his existence and his ability to act out both the physical and emotional state of those he was pretending to be had certainly come in handy in the job he had been assigned to do.

"Can't blame a bot for trying," he then responded rather sheepishly, but he kept his distance from both of the Maximals present and didn't make any threatening moves.

Meanwhile Aurora had been desperately trying to restore communications with the Maximals, but all she got was static. "Come on.. work, you stupid piece of technology...!," she muttered in frustration before the sudden appearance of Rattrap's signal and then Nemesis' drew her attention away. Dinobot had arrived on the bridge as well, no doubt wanting an update on everything that had been going on. Although the fuzor didn't have time to go over everything, she at the very least acknowledged the larger bot with a nod and a slight smile.

"What is happening? Sentinel is on full alert."

"We have company," she told him, sounding calmer than she felt, while indicating the camera feed showing the outside of the Axalon.

"Where are the others?"

"The Predacons set up an ambush and we're not sure what the status of the others are right now. Rattrap is the first one to return," she filled him in quickly, leaving out many details since frankly she didn't even know where to begin.

The rodent's abrupt appearance didn't catch only her off guard, but seemingly the other Maximals as well. Rhinox' voice did little to hide his concern when he replied to her message moments later.

"What about the rest of them?"

"No sign of them.. Sentinel reported an additional Predacon signal also, but it might have been just an echo on our scanners because it's gone now," she clarified while trying, and somewhat failing, at staying calm. She was obviously very concerned about Rattrap's safety now that he was clearly being held hostage. Who knew what Nemesis intended to do with him? Fortunately Optimus took charge of the situation so Aurora didn't have to address the intruder directly.

"Stay calm, Aurora," he told her with his own steady voice. "I'll handle it,"

Please do.., the fuzor secretly pleaded without verbalizing it. Oh Rattrap, what did you get yourself into now..?

She tried opening a channel to Rattrap as well but, as was starting to get all too familiar by now, all she got in return was more static.

"Everyone, arm yourselves,"

Aurora did as instructed, and for good measure she made sure to load up on a few chemical sedatives. It really seemed doubtful that Nemesis was here to surrender herself or to seek asylum. If she was, however, she certainly was going about it in an interesting, and potentially deadly, fashion. The fuzor's optics were now entranced with the video display coming through on the monitor, showing Rattrap dangling helplessly very close to the shields.

"Probably," Optimus bluntly succumbed to Zodiac's revelation, "But we don't know that for sure. So far, it's just Nemesis."

Zodiac slowly shook his head while attempting to peer over Primal's shoulder to catch a glimpse of the monitor that was showing the live video feed.

"She's not here for diplomacy, you know," Zodiac retaliated, doing his best to stay calm despite knowing that there was no way Nemesis just happened upon the Axalon without having backup nearby. "Megatron may not have told you all the details, but I kind of messed him up before the entire Viper incident. Obviously I should have checked my work better before leaving him..," he added, indicating he had left the tyrant for dead.

And forgiveness wasn't exactly a trait the tyrant was known for possessing..

Outside the Axalon, Nemesis still maintained a firm grip on her struggling hostage while she waited for the Maximals within to officially acknowledge her presence. They were obviously keenly aware of the situation, since the auto guns had yet to fire upon her, which had been exactly what she had expected would happen. Maximals were so predictable..

When the rat had first started waking up, he had attempted to fight his way free even more fiercely than he was now.

"Lemme go, ya nanobot-infested freak!"

His feeble attempt at an insult had made her chuckle ever so slightly, especially since she could so very easily have just dropped the rodent to his death as she flew high overhead in the direction of the Axalon.

"Be careful what you wish for," she had responded while pretending to loosen her grip on him before tightening it again. "It's a long way down."

"What did you do to de rest of my team?!"

"Perhaps we let Rampage eat them?," she had responded in a dark humorous tone. "I would be more worried about what our intentions are for you, little rat."

And now they were here, standing in plain view directly in front of the Axalon shields.

"What do ya want, Nemesis?!"

"Peace on Cybertron?," she replied in a mocking tone as she held her hostage up against the camera while impatiently waiting for the inevitable reaction from the Maximals within. While she waited, she heard Spineback's private response that she was ready and waiting. Not wanting to give away her companions' positions, Nemesis refrained from replying at this time.

And when that response came from the Axalon, it was in Optimus' voice. Hardly unexpected, although Nemesis admittedly had hoped it would have been anyone else since she did hold a profound respect towards Optimus and felt it was harder to maintain the attitude towards him. Still, with Megatron watching her every move she didn't have many options other than remaining tough.

"Nemesis, this is Optimus,"

The avian female straightened out a bit, but she didn't waver from her position.

"Release Rattrap, state your business, and we will lower our defenses so that we may speak with less hostility,"

Well.. that almost sounded a bit too easy. Unless, of course, he was merely trying to drag this out until they had some counter measures ready. Yet to her surprise the auto guns retracted at that time, courtesy of Aurora instructing Sentinel to do so in the hopes that it would prompt Nemesis to let Rattrap go. Yet the shields remained active.

"Isn't it obvious, Primal?," Nemesis replied after a brief pause. "I'm here to collect the traitor so Megatron can have a word with him." She sounded calm enough, but inside the brig Zodiac shifted his weight uncomfortably upon hearing the avian female's response. It wasn't a surprise, but it still left him feeling very uneasy.

"I'm dead if you let them have me..," he told Primal in a quiet voice. Just then Aurora offered her suggestion privately to Optimus as well. "We can't risk Rattrap's safety," she said, "Just let them have Zodiac. Please, Optimus." She was obviously scared and didn't want to see anything bad happen to her dear friend who was like an uncle to her.

Nemesis waited impatiently for a response, but upon not receiving one within a few nanoclicks she started to feel more than a little nervous that Megatron would run out of patience and would take matters into his own hands. And that had the potential of being even worse, for both the Maximals and herself. So after contemplating it for only a moment longer, she made her decision and proceeded to slam the side of Rattrap's face and torso against the still active shields. Having planned ahead for the occasion, she'd made sure to wear a large plastic glove on the hand that was holding onto Rattrap so that the electricity from the shield wouldn't travel through him and into her own body. She held the helpless rodent in place there against the shield, watching him writhe in agony while the shields flickered from the added strain, for only a couple of seconds before retracting her hand with Rattrap still dangling from it.

"What is your decision?," she then said, clearly implying that she would gladly put Rattrap through such torment again unless the Maximals dropped the shields.

Aurora screamed upon seeing her rodent friend literally fry against the powerful surge of the shields, and she had been in the process of deactivating them when Nemesis then suddenly pulled Rattrap back once more. Feeling more helpless than she probably ever had, the fuzor desperately tried to hold back the tears that were forcing their way down her cheeks.

(( OOC: Hopefully I didn't jump too far ahead here. I might've gotten carried away. If anyone wants me to change anything, just let me know or correct it in your post with your characters. I didn't want anyone to get bored while waiting for the next battle. XD ))

"Be careful what you wish for," "It's a long way down."

Rattrap obviously hadn't cared as he struggled. Of course, when she toyed with him by loosening her talons, he instinctively wanted to hold on to her, but he couldn't with his hands restrained.

"Perhaps we let Rampage eat them?," "I would be more worried about what our intentions are for you, little rat."

The Spy sneered at her words. He didn't care about himself at that moment, he just worried about his team who were no where in sight even during the altitude they had been flying at. Oh man, Optimus's selflessness is wearin' off on me, he whined to himself as if it was a bad thing or an inconvenience for him.

"I don't suppose an apology for killing the old man will suffice?,"

Primal had narrowed his optics at Zodiac's lack of remorse. Even if he was capable of apologizing, it would have been empty and meaningless because the shape shifter still didn't understand nor did he truly accept accountability for his actions. Not yet anyway. He did, however, seem to recognize that he had just said the wrong thing when he quickly shut his mouth, which might have been an indication of the beginnings if a "new" Zodiac.

"You don't think I know that?,"

No, Optimus answered in his mind. The shape shifter wasn't seeing the bigger picture. He was too focused on himself. But surprisingly enough, he said a lot more than the Maximal leader had anticipated, and it was about to give him more insight on what had happened. If it was true.

"My actions left me a fugitive from my own kin. I was .. consumed.. by my own selfish needs. And when the opportunity came up, after Cryotek's forces had overwhelmed Nexus' and he was taken prisoner, I went against my orders so I could deliver those final blows."

Was Primal supposed to have pity for him about that? So what? He went against his orders to kill Nexus which was supposed to somehow spare the Admiral from further torture or death by Cryotek's hands? What difference did that make? He could have saved Nexus instead from both of them. "By disguising yourself as me," Optimus slipped in during Zodiac's pause having recalled him saying and threw back at Zodiac to remind him how he felt about that. On the other hand, for Zodiac to recognize his selfishness of what he had done, there might have been hope for him yet...

"If it wasn't for my actions, Cryotek would have used Nexus Prime against the Maximal Council. He wanted to end their rule, to turn the tide in favor of a Predacon governing body. I don't know what would have happened to your precious Nexus after that, but I can't imagine it would have been pleasant."

My 'precious' Nexus? he reiterated Zodiac's choice of words as he was irritated by them. "He could have survived. He could have been rescued. And then he could have found me. And we could have returned to Cybertron to end all of this corruption and subjecting other bots like yourself to this madness." Primal's voice grew a little angrier as he went on until he stopped for a breath and calmed down. "But you took all of those possibilities out of the equation when you murdered him." Again, pointing out to Zodiac that despite him trying to put the blame on Cryotek, he was still responsible for taking the Admiral's life. Nevertheless, what the pretender had explained was a little enlightening to Optimus because he hadn't been made aware of Cryotek's intentions until now. He knew none of this because it had happened after he had departed Cybertron with his first exploration ship, the Axalon, and his crew. So, assuming Zodiac was being honest about any of it, and since there was no way to bring Nexus back, he might as well tried gathering all of the information he could get. "There's nothing we can do about that now. I fear Megatron may have bigger plans that would rival and outmatch even Cryotek's," he commented somewhat thoughtfully and dangerously. "And that's what I need to be concerned about."

"I can see why your Maximals are so fond of you.. and why Megatron seems to fear you in a sense."

Primal grew quiet and studied the shape-shifting dragon with his bound wrists. He had said things like that before to gain his trust and manipulate him, so it was difficult for him to distinguish any merit behind his words, or if he was just trying to get on his good side seeing the current predicament he was in. Fear me? he thought. Megatron feared no one. Not even the Vok. As curious as he was to understand what Zodiac meant by that so that he could potentially use it to his advantage, he didn't have the time to discuss it further with him.

"Nexus once called you inspirational. I guess you really did make him proud."

"Please stop telling me what Nexus said," Optimus asked of Zodiac as the alleged compliments that he kept forwarding to him like that hurt him more than it eased his emotional pain. "I would have rather wanted to hear them from Nexus himself." And that was the only explanation he offered about it. Had he really though of him as inspirational? There wasn't much Optimus had done in his life at that point while working as the Admiral's apprentice that would have made him inspirational to anyone. At least not that he could think of. Maybe his journal elaborated on it. He supposed that he really should listen to it. After all, it might offer him some insight and advice on matters that he was dealing with on his own now with his Maximals.

“Can’t just ever be a cordial neighbor and ask for a cup of sugar like everyone else? Maybe a kind favor or two? Might change the dynamics a little bit don’t you think?”

Upon hearing the female falcon stir and speak sooner than he had anticipated, Megatron tilted his TransMetal t-rex head to peer down at her and decided to entertain her with a response in a rather lighthearted tone. With her age, agility and sense of humor, she was one of few Maximals that he somewhat tolerated if that was the correct term for it. She was one of the few that didn't irritate him as much. Their engagements in the past, albeit very few, had actually been fairly docile and underwhelming. Of course, that was not to say that the tyrant would spare her from his end game. Not at all. No one would stand in his way, and no Maximal would be left untouched. "My dear Airazor, first of all, I am unlike anyone else," he proudly stated his individuality to her in his deep voice. And it was true. Even as bad guys go, including his namesake, this Megatron was a force to be reckoned with, and once his ultimate conquest would come to fruition, he would be known as the greatest Predacon in Cybertronian history. "Secondly, I should think that my sparing your life thus far during this encounter is quite as cordial and neighborly as I can be. Now, if you wouldn't mind reverting to your beast mode," he asked of the Maximal rather politely. Then he sent a silent glance to Inferno with narrowed eyes that suggested he keep her quiet by any means necessary without transforming just yet.

The large, red ant had curiously watched the interaction between the Maximal bird and his Queen. Although he didn't quite understand why he was being so "nice" to her. She was the enemy! But he didn't dare interrupt the Royalty and question it while he spoke. When the warlord seemed to end their conversation, Inferno recognized his commanding officer's order and returned a nod in acknowledgement as he readied himself to place a foot or two on Airazor that would remind her that she was their hostage, and if she did anything to try and escape or alert her kin, there would be consequences.

“Locked on and ready.”

Excellent, thought Megatron toward Spineback's confirmation. He remained patient with the others while Nemesis made her attempt by forcing the Maximals to lower their shields.

"Can't blame a bot for trying,"

"And what did you gain?" he asked him rhetorically. "So much for good behavior," Optimus concluded with Zodiac's poor attempt of escape. His hardened response suggested to the renegade that he just lost any privileges that he might have been granted had he not just pulled that stunt.

"No sign of them.. Sentinel reported an additional Predacon signal also, but it might have been just an echo on our scanners because it's gone now,"

Rhinox had narrowed his crimson optics with Aurora's update. What the slag was going on?! He shifted his gaze back to Optimus once more. "I doubt it," he told the ermine Fuzor who was located in the command center.

"She's not here for diplomacy, you know,"

You don't know her like I do, thought Primal but was wise enough to keep it to himself considering his mutual respect with the former Decepticon that most weren't aware of, especially her faction. Nemesis very well could be seeking refuge again, or she may even had a change of spark if there was anything Megatron may have threatened her with, or perhaps that she was overly concerned about. He wasn't as quick to judge as Zodiac was.

"Megatron may not have told you all the details, but I kind of messed him up before the entire Viper incident. Obviously I should have checked my work better before leaving him..,"

Granted, had he been successful with murdering Megatron, it would have saved them all a lot of trouble. However, that's not the ending Optimus wanted for the dictator. Megatron needed to be held responsible for his crimes and murders, but not through death. That wasn't what Primal was about. "I know enough to understand his desire for capturing you," he commented. Megatron never took it lightly when someone made an attempt on his life. Zodiac was his number one target right now.

"Peace on Cybertron?,"

Rattrap pretended to laugh with a curled upper lip at Nemesis's joke to show how much he wasn't buying her false dream. He was still, now, in her grip as he faced the shields just mere inches away from him, swallowing with a gulp.

"Isn't it obvious, Primal?," "I'm here to collect the traitor so Megatron can have a word with him."

That's what this was about? Fer bootin' up cold! "All dis was for him? This is bad comedy, Nem," Rattrap quoted Galvatron as if he were comparing her to Starscream's nonsense back during the Great War as it had been reported by witnesses.

Optimus watched closely on the monitor from the brig with Rhinox and Zodiac while he listened to Nemesis and her demand, which was rather disappointing for him. Zodiac was right after all. Why didn't Megatron just come himself? Or maybe he had... Suddenly, everyone else's pleas came flooding into his comm. link, including Zodiac standing nearby.

"I'm dead if you let them have me..,"

"Perhaps you understand now what Nexus felt when he was at your mercy, as well as the others whose lives you stole." His words were harsher than he had intended them to be, but there was a disconnection that Zodiac had been taught in his youth that Optimus was trying to reconnect for him. And part of it was empathy and compassion. He was well aware of Megatron's intentions for the shape shifter, so he wasn't about to hand him over to Nemesis. However, Rattrap's life was in danger, and he couldn't help himself escape her clutches. Would Nemesis really go through with her threat though? Would she risk damaging the mutual respect and trust that they had developed over the years?

"We can't risk Rattrap's safety," "Just let them have Zodiac. Please, Optimus."

Oh, Aurora... If only she could understand. He couldn't just hand him over knowing what they were going to do to him. Even if Zodiac deserved it by creating his own mess. If he handed him over to the Predacons, Optimus might as well kill the shape shifter himself. And he couldn't do that. ...But, nor could he allow them to harm or even terminate Rattrap. Primal quickly found himself between a rock and a hard place.

"Optimus, you can't lower the shields. Aurora and I detected other Predacon signatures."

Then Dinobot also chimed in. As an experienced soldier, and one who had spent time under Megatron's command within the Darksyde's ranks, Optimus always considered his advice. However, in this particular case, he didn't agree with him. And it wasn't about the squabbling that the raptor and the rat often contributed to his crew. They could seemingly agree to Nemesis's demands, and they could also prepare themselves for an ambush, hence Primal's order to everyone to arm themselves. It was unlikely that Nemesis was alone, Optimus was no fool to that, and not knowing what exactly she and possibly the rest of the Predacons were up to was enough to keep him on guard and expect a battle here. Despite their thinned numbers, the Maximals who weren't accounted for could still return as reinforcements assuming they weren't terribly injured, so, Optimus was confident that they would be able to defend their base, rescue Rattrap, keep Zodiac safe and chase the Predacons away. Then again, the earlier team out in the field had suffered despite them outnumbering the Predacons.

Without even giving Optimus the chance to respond to her, he and everyone else observing the situation unfolding outside of the Axalon watched in horror when Nemesis made good on her threat. Rattrap! No! Aurora's outburst could be heard throughout the entire vessel, and it pained his spark to hear it.

Rattrap closed his optics when Nemesis forced his small, TransMetal body into the active shield as if it would lessen the physical anguish by not seeing it. Knowing that it wasn't going to be a pretty site he hoped Aurora hadn't been watching and was busy else where... His frame involuntarily shook and spazzed, and he cried out in pain as it sent unbearable voltage throughout his systems and singed his armor and paint that had already been damaged earlier by the battle. When Nemesis pulled his body back away, he was still breathing but his body was limp as he barely held on to consciousness.

It took a lot for Rhinox to hold back and not charge out there with his guns blazing to rescue his little friend. His optics full of desperation looked to Optimus to save him.

Primal immediately felt betrayed by Nemesis. Sure, Rattrap could be a pain in the skidplate, but he was a valuable player on their team, and he had proven himself less selfish than he had initially appeared to be in the beginning of this war. Optimus thought Nemesis was better than this. Clearly, he was wrong. Even if she was doing this for Megatron's approval, it was one of the worst things she could do to dismantle everything that had been gradually built between them. He simply couldn't stand by and allow this to happen. The only bit of redemption that she might obtain with him would be if she left Rattrap alone once they complied.

"What is your decision?,"

Although she couldn't see him, the gorilla glared angrily at her through the monitor. "Lower the shields, Rhinox," he ordered the engineer.

He gave a look of uncertainty toward Optimus but understood his decision. After all, Rattrap appeared to be restrained and now terribly wounded, and unarmed. He had nothing to use to his advantage except perhaps his mouth and wit. Well, those could also be disadvantages when it came to the residential rat. "Lowering shields," Rhinox confirmed as he did so from diverting the controls from the bridge to the station in the brig. However, he left the auto-guns on-line for targeting, but for the time being they did not fire.

This was too easy. It was a wonder the Maximals had survived this long! As soon as the shields were deactivated, Megatron terrorized to his robot mode, with Inferno following him, and ordered his troops over his comm. link, "PREDACONS, FIRE AT WILL!" He and his loyal pyromaniac fired their powerful weapons relentlessly at the base until they destroyed their intended part of the hull and blasted their way through to the brig. As Inferno picked up Airazor, both of the Predacons immediately took to the air and flew toward the new opening while some of the other Predacons provided them with cover by targeting the auto-guns that had then activated and started firing at all of the Predacon signatures within range as they emerged on the scanners.

The entire ship shook under the heavy fire power. And with most of it concentrated at the brig, Optimus and Rhinox found themselves in trouble. The powerful explosions blew Rhinox off of his feet, slamming his side into the wall and dropped his weapon as his body hit the floor.

Optimus crouched in Zodiac's cell to avoid being wounded as smoke and fire filled the brig. He heard the thuds from Rhinox's heavy body but wasn't sure what had happened to him. "Rhinox?!" he called to his friend, but the rhinoceros didn't answer. There was daylight that filled the previously dim room now with the smoke beginning to filter out of the new hole. He knew Zodiac couldn't stay there. Standing up, he grabbed the shape shifter's arm with his free hand and pulled him with. "Come on!" Heading out of the cell that had been specifically designed to keep Zodiac from escaping it thanks to Aurora and Whitegrazer, Primal stumbled upon Rhinox's body which caused him to stop and kneel down to quickly examine him. "Rhinox, are you alright?" But he had been knocked out cold. Suddenly, that strange Vok orb appeared in his head again, which inadvertently filtered to Wintersong in their alien-related link along with some incomprehensible whispers. It caused Optimus to stand up and turn to face the new opening in the brig to the outside because he knew what the orb meant. The only time he saw that vision was when his nemesis was close by, as long as he was carrying the spherical object on him.

Sure enough, Megatron descended through the hole, his dark shadow casting across the wafting smoke with Inferno and Airazor in tow settling behind him so they couldn't be seen as easily with the warlord in the way. The Predacons landed on their feet over the debris on the metal floor as the tyrant grinned at Primal and Zodiac. "Just as I suspected, yesss." Now, if only Rampage could be successful in making his way through the base to the brig as well. Clearing his throat, Megatron joyfully declared, "Greetings, Primal!"

The Maximal Commander glared at Megatron subtly setting the rifle down on a shelf nearby that had been intended for Zodiac and instead wielding the gun from his hip and targeting the tyrant in defense of Zodiac and Rhinox as he kept himself in between the intruders and his prisoner and friend. "You could have tried knocking," he said angry now that his base had been in shambles yet again from a Predacon attack, and the constant repairs were wearing thin on his tolerance.

"When have I ever been that predictable?" he returned rhetorically withe a smirk. "Do be careful with your weapon, Primal. We wouldn't want anything to happen to your comrade here," Megatron grinned as he took a step to the side to reveal Inferno who was holding the barrel of his large weapon against Airazor's chest in one hand and dangling her by one of her wings with his other hand.

"Airazor!" Optimus called to her with worry. What had they done to her?! Was she alright?! The concern for her, Rhinox, Zodiac, Rattrap and everyone else was overwhelming.

"Indeed," Megatron confirmed in a tone that suggested it was a real shame. But then he quickly got to business proving that he didn't actually care. "I propose a fair trade. Your wounded flier here for Zodiac, whom you have so graciously gift-wrapped for me," he smiled upon seeing the shape shifter's wrists in energy bonds.

On the floor, Rhinox's systems began to reboot.

-----

"Huh? I guess you two are in their priority list right now. Imagine that. Makes my job ten times easier,"

Sugar-bot? Seriously? They sent her to retrieve the Maximals? What a joke! He excitedly and anxiously opened and closed his pincers as he watched her approach them from his hidden position. Although, like Cheetor, his bright and shiny yellow and turquoise armor didn't exactly assist him with blending in with the brush. The only thing that helped him more than the young cat was how low he was to the ground in his beast mode.

"You both look awful. Especially with you, Tigerhawk. I can't carry you both, but with this, you will be good as new again, horsey."

Quickstrike used the momentum of his transformation to burst out of from his cover and surprise the traitor immediately targeting her with his cobra head weapon. "Well, well, well! Lookie here! If it ain't the lyin' she-spider!" he proclaimed in his southern drawl as he couldn't himself facing her. "Step away from the prisoners before I pump 'em full of venom," he warned her as he shifted his aim onto them completely unaware of Tigatron and Cheetor who were ready to pounce on him. "You really have gotten soft if you came here ta rescue them," he insulted her. He pretended to spit to the side with his disgust and disrespect toward her. "Ain't nothin' worse than bein' a traitor."

((Hope you guys don't mind me doing a little touch on Airazor's past. Well, glimpses that is since I thought it might be interesting to have her have more of those occasional recollections without knowing why.))

Her progress was slowed by the growing throbbing in her chest.

Wintersong wasn't suppose to be pushing her body this far right now, not when her surgery had only been a short time ago. Under normal circumstances she was pretty sure Rhinox would give her an audio full for pressing herself beyond what she should be, especially when the pain had begun earlier but had gone down when she came across Tigatron, Cheetor, and Blackarachnia. And now it had returned, causing her to slow in pace, wincing every so often. But she couldn't stop now when the Axalon might be in trouble.

As if on cue from such a thought, the image of the spherical object along with those distant whispers caused Wintersong to slam on the breaks as they filtered through the link she shared with Optimus. What in the name of Cybertron was that? Did it have something to do with the Vok? Was it somehow linked to the Predacons and their plans in this moment? Whatever the case it did little to alleviate her growing worry and guilt, and in fact only seemed to fuel her anger with the Predacons and drove her to continue her path.

She wasn't far off now, the ship coming into view in the distance along with a sound she had feared to hear, cannon and gunfire. "Slag! Too late!" She cursed under her breathe, transforming the moment she was arriving towards the perimeter and far too focused on trying to get to the ship to consider someone might be watching outside the ship.

"I wouldn't call this much of a step up from our previous encounters." Airazor responded dryly, "But then I guess anything is better than a buzz saw in your face." Wait, where did that come from? Airazor was well aware part of her identity had been effectively damaged and erased due to the complications of her pod a few years ago when she first came online, but there were those rare moments she could pop off about something or have random recollections of experiences she shouldn't recall.

The falcon was almost about to say something else despite Megatron obviously just indulging her usual dry humor before she heard Nemesis once more, tilting her head to see what her avian counterpart was doing now. Much to Airazor's horror, and those of her teammates within the ship no doubt, Nemesis proceeded to shove the rat against the shield, "Rattrap!" Airazor called out in horror, feeling a sense of deep helplessness and rare instance of anger surging through her spark. Did the Predacons have no shame or limit to their cruelty? It infuriated the falcon femme, more so that she could do nothing without risking being blown to bits even with her speed and agility.

Jaw tightening, she complied with Megatron's demand, shifting to her beast mode, helplessly watching as the tyrant ordered the Predacons to make their move. But they were far from done with using her, grunting softly as she was dragged along for the ride, squinting her eyes through the smoke that temporarily blinded her vision and only able to hear Megatron speaking with Optimus. The moment of Megatron focusing on his addressing Primal gave her a chance to examine her options, hissing under her breathe as Inferno held her by a single wing, the light swaying from her dangling causing her damaged knee joint to throb somewhat.

"Optimus, I'm alright! Don't worry about me!" Airazor assured her commanding officer, spying Rhinox out cold behind the transmetal gorilla. This is not exactly how she imagined meeting back up later with the mech she considered an uncle figure and made it possible for her to be there today at all. But with Inferno having a grip of her wing the avian knew it left her an opportunity, albeit a risky one. "You know bug boy, with all the times we've clashed holding my wing is probably the worst place you could hold." Airazor spoke coldly but calmly, taking the risk to maximize to her robot mode to fire two of her mini-missles at his chest and face.

Once the shields had dropped and the order given, Spineback gave a slight sneer and began firing upon the Axalon as she stepped away from her cover. She raised her shield arm to take some of the hits from the auto-guns while she used her cannon arm to aim and fire on the ones that aimed towards herself and her comrades. "Got to say Nemesis, I admire your methods of handling our enemies." The veteran praised, offering a fanged grin, "If only the rest of this team was just as confident and competent, maybe we could really get somewhere." She remarked.

If anything, it probably would have saved them a lot of trouble in the long run as she advanced towards the ship, putting much of her face on taking out the auto-guns and tearing up the outside of the ship.

"Hmph, should have kept him frying on the shields, be one less mouthy Maximal to worry about." Terrorsaur chimed in, focusing his eye lasers on cutting through the auto-guns, wincing as some still hit their mark. It had been almost too easy though, thoughts he actually shared with Megatron without knowing it. The Maximals really were far too concerned about the safety of their comrades than their own preservation. Pretty sad in his opinion, they probably would have lived a lot longer.

Mentally shrugging, Terrorsaur dove down towards an opening in the hull made by their attacks, transforming to land nearby, giving a quick inspection before he blasted it open a bit more. "Time to see whose home." He snickered as he dropped into the ship, drawing his wing-blades in hand, optics still glowing brightly in case he needed to strike from a distance at a moments notice.

With the order given, Rampage laughed manically at finally being able to move from his position.

Transforming and launching himself from the water, the transmetal crab made his way towards the hanger nearby as his green optics scanned the area for signs of enemies. During the course of waiting he had kept himself on alert, more so with his capability to sense emotions much like the Vok horse, especially the fear, pain, and terror of those around him. Though he was drawn to the mixed sense of anguish and anger coming from the ship, a slight twisted grin coming to his face, "That's it Maximals, feel the pain and misery your resistance causes, let me feed on your emotions." He cackled, speaking to no one in particular as he made his way through the hanger, pausing only briefly at the door of which he made quick work of thanks to his handheld missile launcher.

Once in the hall, Rampage glanced back and forth cautiously at first, making sure none of the Maximals had made their way towards his location before following the sound of where most of the voices were congregated and the smoke rising from the nearby bridge.

+++++++++++++++

"I've lived this long, I don't intend to go out that easily now." Tigerhawk assured the white mare, his vision finally returning to normal and getting a better look at their surroundings. From the looks of it the battle had ended on a nasty note and all that remained was him and Whitegrazer with a single Predacon keeping an optic on them. Why only a single one though? Was it Megatron's intention all this time to thin out their numbers? He wouldn't put it past the tyrant to do such a thing despite his short time in this secluded war.

For now, he could only be patient and wait, eyeing the nearby bushes and preparing himself mentally and physically for possibly having to put up a fight.

Cheetor kept as quiet and low as he could among the forest cover, part of him wishing he still had the dull golden yellow and black spots of his pre-transmetal form. At least then he wouldn't have stood out so much. But, given the training he had had from Tigatron and Optimus over the past few years, the young cheetah made do with what he had, carefully crouched among some bushes to watch as Blackarachnia made her approach.

Sure enough, Quickstrike had revealed himself in his eagerness to stop the she-spider, leaving himself open and vulnerable. With a snarl, Cheetor launched himself from his hiding spot, aiming to knock the robo-cowboy to the ground, pressing one of his front paws down onto the jaws of the cobra side of the fuzor's form, "Not happening cowboy." Cheetor growled, keeping his weight on the shiny armored fuzor, "Maybe you should learn to be more aware of your surroundings Pred, your trigger happy attitude isn't exactly helping you." He taunted slightly, giving a side glance to make sure their friends were safe.

Tigerhawk perked up when Blackarachnia came forward, giving an exhausted fanged smile, "I don't know, I might be popular with the ladies back home. I hear they like the scarred, rugged type." He joked weakly, trying to keep the situation light but narrowed his optics as Quickstrike revealed himself. Probably the worst possible move he could make without some caution as shortly after revealing himself his fellow felines made their move to pounce and disarm the smaller fuzor. "Maybe you should worry about enhancing your common sense more than your scorn for traitors little mech." Tigerhawk growled softly, slowly pushing himself to a single knee, inching closer to the web covering Whitegrazer to spread his wing so the edges of his feathers sliced through the webbing as he kept a hand on his damaged chest and maintain his balance.

"But good to see friendly faces." The larger fuzor said with relief.

((OOC: Nah, you are good, OOP. I just hoped I got everyone and didn't do too much myself. Also, Wintersong, is Rampage and/or Terrorsaur heading towards the bridge or close to it. Just wanting to make sure I read your post right. XD ))

"What?" Dinobot sneered then growled, not at the little ermine, but at what was going on. He remembered before he made his way to the holonet that a pod had landed, and Optimus sent a team. Obviously, Megatron would have sent a team in himself to capture and turn them into a Predacon. But since he didn't see any new faces, and also he noted that a few Maximals were missing, either the protoform was killed or back with the others, which Aurora stated they didn't know the status of. It didn't matter now. What mattered now was that Maximals were being held captive, and no doubt, Megatron and the rest of his former comrades would used them as hostages and shields, lowering their resolve or bloodlust to fight back against them. Dinobot felt trapped for a moment, wondering how Optimus was going to handle what has happened. Dinobot hoped Optimus wouldn't lower the shields like he told him not to do. Whatever Megatron wanted, he shouldn't get, whatever he wanted. Dinobot listened in on the conversation between Optimus and Nemesis. Nemesis announced that they wanted the shapeshifter. As the little ermine pleaded to Optimus that they should just let them have Zodiac, Dinobot disagreed, "We can;t allow them to have Zodiac," It wasn't for concern for the shapeshifter as Dinobot saw him as a threat and didn't trust anyone who could change into their faces and body at will, showing how two-faced they can be. "If Megatron gets Zodiac, no doubt, the shapeshifter would be tore apart bit by bit and analyzed so Megatron can harness his technology for his own ends. An advantage we cannot allow."

Nemesis made herself perfectly clear to them all that she wasn't bluffing, watching as Nemesis pushed the unconsciousness rat onto the very shields that would protect him. Dinobot, alongside Aurora, watched in horror at the display, "Dishonorable coward." Dinobot unsheathed his sword. Only he would kill the rodent. No one else. Of course, despite how many times he said it, he never did, but that was because Megatron was the bigger threat. Or that was just what he kept telling himself, trying to make excuses for the fact that maybe just maybe he respected and found comradrie with the rodent. But he will die before he would admit to himself and kill anyone who pointed it out to him. Ridiculous!

When Optimus ordered Rhinox to lower the shields, the Axalon was immediately attacked as he feared his former comrades would the moment Optimus gave that command. The Axalon shook at a large explosion. It wasn't anywhere near him or Aurora, but judging by the distance, it must have been close to the brig, and then another followed it, closer than the one before, the hang bay. Tiny explosions decorated around the outer hull, the sound of metal shearing, squealing from the sights of missiles and laser guns. Dinobot went to the console nearby Aurora, and looked at the camera at the brig first. Megatron held Airazor hostage. No doubt trying to get Optimus to hand over the shapeshifter. At the hangar bay, the cannibal, serial killer king crab made his presence known, and the direction he headed was towards him and Aurora. Outside, Terrosuar was being an annoying buzzer. As much as Dinobot wanted to blast that annoying predactyl to the Pit, the best course of action was to take care of the Predacons inside the base first, and since Rampage was heading their way, he might as well welcome him warmly, dinobot thought with a spat, "Aurora, try to take out as many of teh Predacons you can with the autoguns, or what's left of them anyway. I will deal with any Predacons approaching here." The moment he said that, Terrorsuar had blasted his way in, with his wing swords out. Dinobot shot at him with his eye lasers before charged at the predacytral, raising his sword ready to clash with him, wondering if the flyer had grown more proficient in using his blades in close combat.


Whitegrazer smiled at Tigerhawk, glad to see that her friend was all right. But her spark ached. An image, a terrible image of Megatron holding Airazor, Zodiac being tortured, the images left her sick to her stomach. She wanted out, wanted out of this webbing, and go towards the Axalon and make sure that Zodiac didn't get put in the hands of Megatron or any other Predacon. Zodiac being with the Maximals was her only chance to help and guide the one who she now found out was her son. She couldn't lose him, not like the way she lost the others, not wanting to go through that pain again. Not again. Never again.

She needed to do what she must in order to protect him from Megatron, Tarantulas, and even Nemesis, but through the other two she had no qualms in facing, Nemesis was someone she hoped she didn't have to.

For a brief moment, she saw it. Faded. Almost transparent. A spherical shaped object that flashed in front of her optics and flashed away just as it appeared. She wondered if she imagined it. Primus, she hoped she just imagined it.


Blackarachnia had finished injecting the antidote within the white mare. The antivenom did it's job, and slowly, the paralysing, numbing sensation disappeared. Whitegrazer could finally feel her arms and legs again.

Blackarachnia lifted her hands up, feigning surrender, taking two steps away from the prisoners but keeping herself close. "Ah, Quickstrike, lovely to see you again." She smirked, as she laid her pinchers against her hips, "I see Megatron trusts you in babysitting a few Maximals, and yet, he keeps you away from the real battlefield. I must say Quickstrike, why not just go and fight the Maximals? Who cares about these two Maximals anyway when you could be helping Megatron and proving to him once and for all how much mettle you got." She feigned pouting, "It's a pity." She hoped the kitty cats would pounce soon, when her hopes were announced. Cheetor pounced right at the cowboy fuzor.

When Cheetor made his move, Tigratron followed right beside him. His gun cocked and aimed at the fuzor's head, "Maybe we can use him as a hostage. Turnabout is fair play."

"Won't work, Big Cat,"Blackarachnia shook her head, "The last time someone pulled that, Megatron just shot the hostage. Maybe if he was Inferno, but he isn't nothing but cannon fodder."

"Well, we can't leave him here."

Blackarachnia just smiled, "And none of you have the stomach to kill him, so... only leaves one thing." She gathered some of her webbing, motioning for the cats to allow her to grab and hold Quickstrike.

"Don't even try it, snake,"Tigratron warned the fuzor, "Try anything, and Cheetor and I would blow your head off. Both of them." Blackarachnia proceeded to pull and then push Quickstrike upon a tree trunk, wrapping a tight, sticky webbing around the fuzor, doubling it to make it harder for him to escape.

With the help of Tigerhawk's sharp ends of his wings cutting through some of the webbing, Whitegrazer was able to rip the webbing off of her and threw the webbing away, "We need to get back to the Axalon, and help our friends." But despite the dread and horror in her soul, she remained focused. She kneel right next to Tigerhawk, "Is there anything we do to help in getting him repaired." Because obviously, they wont be able to use the Cr Chambers. Not during a firefight. "Anyone have a med-kit?"

Tigratron nodded, "I have one. I don't know how much it can do, but I bet it is better than nothing." The white tiger knelt beside Tigerhawk joining Whitegrazer. "I can repair as much as I can. You guys can go and help our friends. Tigerhawk and I will join you all shortly."

Blackarachnia smirked at Tigerhawk comment about scars, "It adds character." She winked at the wounded Maximal before she got serious again. "We need to be careful, if they are still using hostages. I might be able to lead you guys to a tunnel that leads under the Axalon, and then we can assess and hopefully, get a surprise attack of our own." Blackarachnia suggested to the others.

Whitegrazer agreed with that idea, her spark itching to go and make sure everyone was okay, that Zodiac was okay.

((OOC: I hoped my post is all right.))

"By disguising yourself as me,"

Again Zodiac went silent for a moment while trying to collect his thoughts as to best explain himself. It was clear that Primal was quite irritated with him for doing what he did, but as things were he had nothing to gain by lying about it. And being honest about his own role in all of it wasn't easy, not for someone who had spent so much of his life pretending to be someone else. Yet now that he was trying to be honest, his last ditch effort to gain some semblance of trust from the Maximal commander, his past deceptions were coming back to haunt his credibility.

With a sigh and a low, defeated voice, Zodiac responded with a resolute "Yes."

He let the admission linger for a moment longer before he lifted his gaze to look at Primal again.

"I did that on my own accord. It was.. cruel and unnecessary of me to do that. A childish need to make him suffer, to prove myself stronger.. better."

It had become evident that Optimus was looking for him to take responsibility for his own actions, since every time he tried to deflect them onto others Primal would almost immediately shut him down. So Zodiac tried a different tactic to get the Maximal to lower his guard. Of course he realized it was a long shot since Optimus had developed some serious trust issues as far as the shape shifter was concerned. And Zodiac didn't blame him for it at all. He may have some difficulty owning up to his own responsibilities, but he wasn't completely oblivious to this fact either.

"He could have survived. He could have been rescued. And then he could have found me. And we could have returned to Cybertron to end all of this corruption and subjecting other bots like yourself to this madness."

He tried.. Oh how he tried.. to look and act like the repenting sinner he felt Primal was looking for. Although he was, at least visibly, making a fairly good impression of one with his carefully selected words and gestures, Primal just wasn't having any of it.

Finally Zodiac couldn't help the slight smile creeping up on his face as he listened to Optimus' words and thought back at what had happened, however it was more of a solemn smile than his usual smug ones.

"We were at war..," he then said, "While the Maximals may have called it a truce, I think we both know what was going on behind the scenes. There is no truce with oppression. Both sides wanting to come out on top. The situation was becoming desperate, so much so that the top players in this political game were willing to go to extreme lengths to obtain a better position for themselves."

"But you took all of those possibilities out of the equation when you murdered him."

He sighed as he folded his cuffed hands in his lap, his voice taking on a sincere tone as he continued.

"Maybe you will ultimately be the one to expose the rotten politics at the very core, but I think you may be kidding yourself if you believe Nexus Prime would be able to do that. He was more of a soldier, respected for his capabilities in the battlefield. Sure, he had many followers and I'm sure the Council feared his popularity. But ultimately he was grooming you to take his place and to bring about that change you speak of."


Pausing again to give his words a chance to sink in, Zodiac then added;

"I can only imagine you were given the Axalon and sent on this suicide mission both since it would devastate and distract Nexus, but also because the Council must have known of Nexus' intentions for you. They have spies everywhere.. We had two of them executed just in the short time we held Nexus captive."

He honestly didn't care anymore if he was making himself into an even bigger traitor by telling Primal about all of this. If he was brought back to Cybertron in chains, he was dead anyway. So his sense of self preservation was fueling his desire to gain Optimus' trust. And since lying or 'half-truths' didn't seem to work, he had now resorted to the truth in its entirety and brutal honesty.

"There's nothing we can do about that now. I fear Megatron may have bigger plans that would rival and outmatch even Cryotek's,"

Zodiac shrugged his shoulders ever so slightly at that remark. While it was true Cryotek had always been fond of and in some ways even admired Megatron for his gumption, intellect, and the length he was willing to go to achieve his goals, Zodiac had always been left as feeling like the unwanted younger brother. Cryotek would often talk of his protege, usually using high praise in his descriptions of him, whereas Zodiac was never viewed as more than a tool to be used and never received that same praise for his own intellect and abilities. Which in his own opinion rivaled and in some cases surpassed that of Megatron. Yet he could never prove himself or gain a similar level of respect.

Was it his age? His limited experience? Or that he simply couldn't live up to the legacy left in the wake of Megatron's theft of the golden disk and subsequent trip to Earth? Whatever the reason, Zodiac had grown up hating Megatron for it.

In turn that had been the reason behind the shape shifter's brutal attack on the tyrant back when he needed to acquire Rampage's spark for himself. Sure, he needed the tyrant disposed of so he couldn't intervene, but the relentless taunting and the decision to try to kill him off in the most painful way imaginable had been because of that hatred. He wanted the tyrant to suffer for the undignified way the shape shifter had been treated, even though the two of them had never actually met before Zodiac came to this planet and disguised himself as one of Megatron's recruits.

But the tyrant had lived. And now he was yet another name on the growing list of individuals who wanted the renegade dead for his actions. And frankly he was the most dangerous one within reach.

"And that's what I need to be concerned about."

"It seems we have that in common..," Zodiac replied with a humorless chuckle. It was true. And to be frank, the realization scared the renegade a bit. He knew Megatron's revenge would be brutal, possibly even more so than Cryotek's should the warlord ever get his hands on him.

"Please stop telling me what Nexus said,"

Zodiac tilted his head while studying the visible and less than subtle changes in Primal's expression when he agonized over what the aging admiral had gone through during his last few days. It would appear they were both haunted by the memories, even though their perspectives were somewhat different.

"I would have rather wanted to hear them from Nexus himself."

Whether it was the longing desperation in Primal's voice, or that flicker of sadness in his optics that prompted it, Zodiac couldn't really tell, but for a the following moment, however briefly, his black armor with silver, scarlet red, and indigo details shimmered as his frame seemed to grow a bit to reflect the bulkier appearance of Nexus himself. And a moment later it was the admiral, or at least his visual image, sitting there on the bed with his hands still cuffed in front of him. The pretender gave Primal a very uncharacteristic wink.

"That could be arranged," he then said in the admiral's own voice, before his form started to change shape again to return to his normal appearance.

But the expression on Primal's face made it blatantly obvious he didn't appreciate such juvenile attempts at humor, so the shape shifter quickly lowered his gaze again.

"Sorry..," he muttered, having realized his mistake. He very much so needed Primal right now, if only to be willing to let him go.

It wasn't that he had never displayed such behaviors of immaturity in the past, but he hadn't exactly done it with any ill intentions this time whereas when he'd deliberately used his abilities like that in Primal's presence before it had more been to taunt him. Now his feelings had changed a bit from when he first arrived here with the intent to make Optimus suffer and then ultimately kill him. Oddly he no longer craved to see the Maximal commander dead, perhaps in part from the realization that he actually needed his cooperation if the renegade was going to survive.

Even as he settled back down into a seemingly compliant mindset, he couldn't help but notice the look that Primal was giving him until that, too, settled down. It seemed Optimus was willing to give him one more chance to prove himself when he got called away by his duties as the Maximal leader. Primal asked him to hand over the identification chip that until now had remained untouched on the floor. And Zodiac complied.. If only to buy himself a little more time and make one more attempt to gain freedom. How it would play out, he really didn't know. Even if he did manage to get by Optimus, he'd still have to make his way through the Axalon with his hands still cuffed without getting caught. And then somehow make it somewhere he felt safe so he could work on getting the use of his hands back. It was a long shot, he realized it, and as fate would have it he soon discovered just how futile it had been after he barely even made it past Primal before he was stopped in his tracks.

"And what did you gain?"

The disappointment in Primal's voice was quite revealing. Not that Zodiac was overly concerned about hurting the Maximal's feelings, but more what this fact represented for his own chance to regain his freedom. What did he gain? Nothing, apparently.

"So much for good behavior,"

"I could have done worse," the renegade snapped back.

A lot worse.

But the fact that he was going to such lengths to try to appease the commander instead of his usual tactics of intimidation, spoke louder than any words the pretender could have chosen. He felt weaker than he had for a long time, and it wasn't just physically. Gone was the vengeful determination and his eagerness to extract revenge over something that Primal had done to him at a time in his life that felt like forever ago now. So much had happened, so many.. changes.

But worst of all he was changing. For so long he had been fueled by his hatred and found strength in it, yet now he felt lost. Alone and deserted, and in a sense kind of helpless despite his abilities. But his once rebellious nature had faded, the raging fire within him had been reduced to a mere ember.. and he couldn't stand it.

"I know enough to understand his desire for capturing you,"

Capturing? Oh, Zodiac had no doubt the tyrant's intentions went way beyond just capturing him. Predacons didn't hold threats locked up for the sake of keeping them alive, no, if the winner felt merciful he would arrange for a swift execution. But a more likely outcome was hours of torture designed to break the victim in body and mind alike before that final killing blow.

"You saw what he did to my friend, right?," Zodiac inquired after a brief but all-telling pause, the image of the mangled remains of Night-Terror still fresh in his mind. He had no doubt the once so talkative Predacon renegade had been tortured for hours, perhaps days, before Megatron finally executed him before dumping his remains outside the Darksyde as a warning to the world. "After what I did to Megatron, I have no doubt my fate would be far worse."

And there it was. A hint of dread in his voice despite his best efforts to keep it neutral. It was at that moment that Whitegrazer's warning from all those weeks ago, when she tried to use Megatron's reputation to get to the shape shifter, re-emerged in his mind. He had dismissed her then, his arrogance too great to even consider Megatron a threat. Yet now that the Predacons had come for him, he felt genuinely afraid of what future awaited him.

"Perhaps you understand now what Nexus felt when he was at your mercy, as well as the others whose lives you stole."

Zodiac's hands clenched into fists and for the first time since the cuffs came on, he made a genuine albeit futile attempt at wiggling the restraints off his arms. "Yes, you've made your point," he told his adversary while not making any attempts at hiding his efforts to free himself. "But let me ask you this.. Will my death somehow undo the pain I inflicted upon others?"

Finally giving up, he paused to look at Primal again as he held his arms out for the other male. "Please.. Release me and I'll disappear from this place. The Predacons will not have a reason to attack you then, and I can just slip away. Or reactivate my weapon systems and I will help you fight them. Just.. give me a chance."

He hated the desperation clearly audible in his voice, but he knew the Predacons wouldn't give up and just leave without him. They had hostages after all, so the renegade's chances were quickly stacking up against him. Primal would no doubt side with his Maximals, of course he would, as his troops meant everything to the commander.

Outside the Axalon, Nemesis had been waiting impatiently for the Maximals to make a decision. Of course there was only one choice they could possibly make if they wanted to save the life of their companion, the small rodent who was hanging helplessly from her gloved hand at this very moment.

"All dis was for him? This is bad comedy, Nem,"

A slight sneer appeared on the female's face when the rodent dared question her motives, and her grip on his neck only tightened as she inched the rat closer to the active shields.

"You should be pleased we're taking the teen menace off your plate.. Besides, don't you have more important things to worry about right now?"


On the inside she was in a bit more emotional turmoil, however. While it was true there was no love lost between herself and the rodent dangling from her hand, she was also well aware of the fact that she was being watched intently right now. Somewhere in the distance, out of sight, Megatron was no doubt judging her every move at this moment. Especially at this moment.

If the tyrant had any doubts about her loyalty towards him and their cause, this was her chance to put those doubts to rest. If she hesitated for too long before carrying out her threat, the Predacon leader would no doubt question her motives. But on the other side of the shield, somewhere within the Axalon, Optimus was watching her as well. And when she fried the rodent against the shield, she would no doubt make a true enemy of the Maximal she had considered an ally on more than one occasion. The ape knew more about her past than Megatron himself did, as she had told him during a moment of weakness that had resulted in a mutual understanding between the two of them.

She continued to dwell on her decision for a moment longer before deciding she really had no real option here, at which point she forced the rodent's squirming body against the shields. His reaction came within an instant as the powerful voltage caused a massive surge within his small frame, leaving the rodent twitching from the spasms and then he screamed. Afterwards, as she pulled him back, his body was merely hanging limply from her hand. Some smoke was rising from the barely conscious rat and the smell of it was tickling her nostrils in a most unpleasant way. She sighed a bit to herself as she held the small frame up again and made her demand one more time.

This time the Maximals complied and the shields flickered for a moment before they faded away. Nemesis gestured to the camera with a slight nod before taking a step back and placing her hostage on the ground in what seemed to be a safe enough spot where he wasn't likely to suffer any additional damage from the incoming blasts from the other Predacons that was about to erupt. Before standing back up again, she gave the scorched rodent something of a dispassionate look, more so because he looked quite the mess. In a sense it would almost have been easier had the rodent perished from his experience, but since he had survived the avian female actually felt a little guilty knowing how extreme the pain must have been and still was for him.

"I just want you to know it wasn't personal," she mumbled, almost whispered, to the rat while in a crouched position in front of him before getting back to her feet. She cast one last glance down at the rodent before making her way inside the now exposed Axalon. "But for what it's worth, know that what our shapeshifting friend is about to endure will be even more horrifying."

Just then, as she was about to leave and the first barrage of incoming fire started, Spineback's voice came through on the comlink.

"Got to say Nemesis, I admire your methods of handling our enemies."

Admire? If circumstances were different, Nemesis might have used the same words to describe it. But as things were, she didn't exactly feel too proud at this very moment. Of course she'd never admit that, so she maintained the attitude that was expected of her.

"That's high praise coming from you," the second in command responded with some gratitude noted in her voice before adding; "Sometimes you just have to make sure the enemy doesn't have time to assemble any counter measures."

The Axalon shook as more and more attacks hit their targets, most of them focused on the area which housed the brig. Nemesis stayed clear of that area, at least for now, instead making her way to the opposite side of the ship. There were a few reasons as to shy she was shying away from the brig for now, the main one being that she had no intention of facing Optimus right now. She knew he would no doubt be very upset with her, and that he wouldn't understand her reasons for doing what she had done. So it was easier to simply avoid the confrontation than having to answer for her actions.. actions she wasn't entirely proud of at that.

"If only the rest of this... team was just as ....confident and competent,... maybe we could really get somewhere."

Some parts of Spineback's message came across as a bit broken up, likely to the interference from the ongoing attacks on the hull of the Axalon. Nemesis smiled ever so slightly as she responded again;

"Then set a good example for the rest," Nemesis encouraged, now moving more quickly throughout the halls of the Axalon. Her destination was coming up just a short distance ahead.

At the bridge, Aurora had casually been glancing over at Dinobot to see his reactions to what the Predacons were up to. She didn't really spend much time around the raptor ex-Predacon, since frankly he wasn't the most social of the bunch and he only rarely decided to hang out with the Maximals he was now living with.

"What?"

And from the look of it, he wasn't overly impressed with what was going on. Indeed, the raptor's sense of honor was quite different from most Predacons.. and even certain Maximals'.

"It'll be okay," the fuzor tried to convince herself more than anything, ".. Because Optimus will come up with something to save our friends and the day while at it. He always does!"

Unfortunately her voice revealed that she felt more uncertain about their chances than she initially seemed to, and her optics kept drifting back to the camera showing Rattrap being held hostage in front of the shields. Come on, Optimus, she begged him through her mind, hoping their leader would simply agree to the Predacons' terms and exchange the renegade for the other prisoners.

"We can;t allow them to have Zodiac,"

Her mouth fell agape for a moment when Dinobot disagreed, thus putting even more pressure on the ape.

"What do you mean?," she demanded to know, not seeing how they could even be having this discussion when clearly they had to save Rattrap and the others at any cost.

"If Megatron gets Zodiac, no doubt, the shapeshifter would be tore apart bit by bit and analyzed so Megatron can harness his technology for his own ends. An advantage we cannot allow."

"That hardly matters if our own team is at risk of losing their lives!," Aurora blurted out via the open comlink, growing more desperate by the moment.

And then it happened. Aurora watched in horror through the camera's view as Nemesis electrocuted Rattrap on the shields, and as soon as her mind managed to decipher what she was actually witnessing the fuzor screamed out in horror. Around them the lights started to dim ever so slightly as the massive electric surge going through the shield as Rattrap was disrupting the circuit drained an excessive amount of power from the ship, at least for that moment before Nemesis pulled the now seemingly lifeless body back.

"No.. no no, Rattrap..," Aurora whimpered with a quiver on her lip, her hand now placed on the monitor as if she wanted to yank Rattrap back to safety via the screen. She couldn't even tell if her friend, mentor, and uncle figure was even still alive, and her spark ached as a result.

"Dishonorable coward."

The disapproving words coming from Dinobot didn't even register in the distraught fuzor's mind, as she was too focused on the still form on the ground outside the base. She didn't even notice that Primal had ordered the shields to go down, so at the very least Rattrap wouldn't have to endure such treatment again.

But the sudden shaking and noise caused by the impacts of shots being fired at them finally helped her snap back to reality and she looked back at Dinobot with some confusion in her tearful optics. The shaking got worse as the impacts intensified, yet it wasn't just a random strike at any part of the Axalon. Instead the shots seemed to be concentrated on one area in particular, the very one where Optimus and Rhinox were at with Zodiac.

"Optimus, you have to get out of there!," she tried urging him via com link, but there seemed to be some interference in the transmission. Did their radio transmitter get damaged in the attack? Or was something else happening..?

"Aurora, try to take out as many of teh Predacons you can with the autoguns, or what's left of them anyway. I will deal with any Predacons approaching here."

Right.. The autoguns. Truthfully Aurora had almost forgotten about them. Trying to focus herself, she quickly got back on the computer and started typing in messages for the defense system.

"They seem to be mainly targeting the brig so we should..," she started, only to get interrupted by Terrorsaur's screechy voice as the transmetal pteradactyl forced his way inside. Aurora gasped and could but hope that Dinobot would be able to keep the winged Predacon distracted for long enough for the autoguns to help reduce the seemingly overwhelming odds against them.

Meanwhile Tarantulas had watched, and cackled in delight, as the shields went down and the attack on the Axalon commenced. Of course he joined in as well, taking advantage of several of the many toys he had brought with him for the occasion, firing blasts and rockets against their target. A short while later Megatron made his intentions clear when he, too, approached the Axalon. And Tarantulas was quick to follow suit as well, not wanting to risk losing his new test subject before being able to learn his secrets. Remaining in spider mode, the scientist crawled into the Axalon after sending a few of his tiny spider bots ahead to investigate as well..

"Lower the shields, Rhinox,"

Zodiac had also gone quiet when witnessing the extremes the Predacons, or in this case Nemesis herself, was willing to go to in order to obtain a meeting with him. Yet the moment Rattrap impacted with the shields, Zodiac knew that Primal would agree to their terms. There simply was no other solution to this confrontation than to give them what they wanted.. him.

His shoulders dropped in quiet defeat as Primal took on his role as leader with renewed vigor, and Rhinox complied with the order and allowed the shields to drop. The renegade let out a sigh as he witnessed the shields fade away, well knowing that wasn't the end of it. Oh no, this was only the beginning of the tortures Megatron would put him through.

"Let me go," he begged Primal one final time, only to nearly fall over as the first impacts from the Predacons' massive fire power hit their marks. The Axalon seemed to tremble as the attacks only intensified, sparks erupting from the areas that were getting blasted and smoke seeping out from some of the smoldering metal. Loud bangs echoed through the ship with each impact, and within moments the hull started to fail from the ongoing attacks. Furniture was getting knocked over from the intense shaking, as was the case for Primal's bulky friend as well. Zodiac, too, found himself losing his balance and falling onto his hands and knees on the floor while bits and pieces of the Axalon rained down around him.

They were targeting the brig.. They had to be!, Zodiac found himself thinking as he tried to use his wings to protect himself from the falling debris. There was no way Megatron had this much firepower if he wasn't concentrating it on one spot. Zodiac glanced up at the chaotic scene around him, not really seeing anyone through all the dust and smoke and flickering emergency lights surrounding him. Yet a voice cut through the chaos and made it clear he wasn't alone, and that voice was Optimus' who was calling out for his friend. Zodiac took note of the fact the rhino wasn't responding, but there was little he could do about it now.

And then he felt a pair of strong hands tugging at his arm, pulling him back up to his feet.

"Come on!"

Zodiac's reaction was immediate, and he got up and followed the Maximal commander through the chaotic scene. But no sooner had the two of them escaped the fortified cell the shape shifter had called his home for the past few days, did they both realize the situation was even more grim than they had anticipated. Rhinox lay unconscious on the floor and while Optimus checked on him, the renegade's optics drifted to a large hole that had definitely not been in the brig before. He could see something moving through that hole, a fact that caused Zodiac to stop in his tracks and stay close by Optimus since the renegade was very limited in his powers right now given the fact he had no weapons and the cuffs effectively prevented him from changing his shape into anything that would help him escape this place.

And just then Megatron and his blindly loyal minion descended through the hole, landing on the floor only a short distance from Primal and his prisoner. Zodiac temporarily froze upon seeing the tyrant this close, their roles now completely reversed from their previous encounter at the Darksyde. Now the renegade was the hunted and Megatron the hunter. Zodiac shifted his weight somewhat uncomfortably, but attempted to look strong and defiant still, even though he honestly felt like anything but those things right now.

"Just as I suspected, yesss."

Zodiac could feel the tyrant's fiery gaze upon him, but Primal thankfully stepped between the two of them as to protect him. After all this, all the things Zodiac had done, and Optimus still felt the need to keep him safe.. This act wasn't lost on the shape shifter, even though he knew it would likely be just as futile as his own escape attempt not long before.

"Greetings, Primal!"

So cocky, arrogant, and full of himself. Zodiac recognized it well, especially since he had been the same way only a few weeks prior. Yet for the time being the teenaged renegade said nothing as he peered out from behind Primal who had placed himself as a shield between Megatron and his target.

"You could have tried knocking,"

Primal sounded quite upset and rightfully so. However it seemed unlikely a wounded pride was going to help much in resolving this altercation. So Zodiac took the opportunity look around, searching for another route of escape for himself. But unfortunately the only one he could see lead through Megatron and his cohorts.

"When have I ever been that predictable?"

"I seem to recall you acted quite predictably during our little chat in your quarters," Zodiac finally said, hoping to be able to cause some self-doubt in the tyrant however unlikely that seemed at the moment.

Of course he couldn't have anticipated the additional player Megatron had decided to bring to the party, someone the Predacon was more than happy to introduce.

"Airazor!"

Well.. great.. They had more hostages, of course. This was just looking worse by the nanoclick. Surely there was a limit to even Primal's seemingly undying desire to protect him. How far would the Maximal leader be willing to go to spare his life? Although to his surprise, the captured female still held enough spunk in her to attack the ant and keep him distracted for a bit. A fact Zodiac gladly took advantage of to try to dissuade Megatron from doing what he surely intended to do.

"I propose a fair trade. Your wounded flier here for Zodiac, whom you have so graciously gift-wrapped for me,"

Zodiac's optics narrowed a tad upon hearing those words and he took a step out from behind Primal so that he wasn't being concealed as much, not wanting to give Megatron the satisfaction of knowing how scared he had been of this very moment. Even if Megatron likely wouldn't agree to the challenge he was about to propose, he could at least attack his ego.

"If you are interested in fair, how about releasing me from these restraints and facing me in battle. Just you and me. Or are you afraid I'd best you again, and perhaps even kill you this time?," he challenged, almost surprising himself with how confident he sounded.

Meanwhile Nemesis had reached the bridge where Terrorsaur and Dinobot were already engaged in combat, and Aurora was busy getting the auto guns that had been knocked offline back in working condition. Which wasn't easy to do remotely. Nemesis took the opportunity to fire a few of her explosive tip rounds at Dinobot while he had his back turned to her. She was less concerned about honor than he was..

(( OOC: Of course not, Wintersong! That's a great idea to touch upon her past. You can pretty much make it whatever you want. I'd love to see what you come up with! ))

"Yes." "I did that on my own accord. It was.. cruel and unnecessary of me to do that. A childish need to make him suffer, to prove myself stronger.. better."

Optimus wasn't looking for an explanation or an apology after his statement about the shape shifter using his identity when he murdered Nexus Prime. However, since he was hoping for Zodiac to begin reflecting on his poor and callous decisions during his solitude in his cell, perhaps he should be more open to listening to what he had to say in hopes that he was indeed being genuine with his words, which had made sense considering the circumstances Zodiac had found himself in when he had confronted the Admiral. For Optimus, it made it no less painful, but in a way, perhaps as a desire for closure, he needed to hear it.

"We were at war..," "While the Maximals may have called it a truce, I think we both know what was going on behind the scenes. There is no truce with oppression. Both sides wanting to come out on top. The situation was becoming desperate, so much so that the top players in this political game were willing to go to extreme lengths to obtain a better position for themselves."

For once, they agreed on something. Zodiac had summed it up nicely with Cybertron and the silent turmoil that had been brewing on their planet like a seemingly dormant volcano on the verge of erupting. At least neither of them were blind to the corruption and politics. The pretender may have been even more knowledgeable about it than Primal was, which could be advantageous.

"Maybe you will ultimately be the one to expose the rotten politics at the very core, but I think you may be kidding yourself if you believe Nexus Prime would be able to do that. He was more of a soldier, respected for his capabilities in the battlefield. Sure, he had many followers and I'm sure the Council feared his popularity. But ultimately he was grooming you to take his place and to bring about that change you speak of."

The Maximal Commander grew quiet and very thoughtful with his comments. Had that been Nexus's intent the whole time? He could only assume that Zodiac knew about this by reading the war hero's journal. And that gave Optimus a little more push when it came to listening to it himself. But talk about pressure. How could Nexus have bestowed so much confidence in Primal standing up against the Maximal Elders and their immoral, selfish ambitions? How could he have known the direction he was meant to take? Was he supposed to be a "savior" for both Maximals and Predacons? Primal almost laughed at himself with that thought. How silly. How foolish. Unlike Megatron, he didn't seem himself as a savior or a prodigy. He was nothing like Optimus Prime, the admirable Autobot leader from the Great War who had gained so much respect for his duty and sacrifices. On the other hand, he could have never foreseen where his life was at this very moment, stranded on prehistoric Earth so far from home, leading a small group of Maximals in a war against Megatron and his Predacons, all of it likely derived from the High Council's doing and conspiracies. Optimus was in deep water; deeper than he could know. It went over his head. He wished he had his teacher there to guide him and help him, to show him the way. But he didn't. All he could rely on was what he was taught by Nexus and his own intuition and moral compass. Now, he was the mentor and the leader. Primal couldn't be Optimus Prime or Nexus Prime. He hadn't ascended to a Prime at all, and he didn't have to in order to make a difference. All he could be was himself, and maybe, just maybe, Nexus was right about him.

"I can only imagine you were given the Axalon and sent on this suicide mission both since it would devastate and distract Nexus, but also because the Council must have known of Nexus' intentions for you. They have spies everywhere.. We had two of them executed just in the short time we held Nexus captive."

Optimus had merely nodded in agreement toward Zodiac as he tried to avoid imagining his father-figure being held captive and going through what he might have experienced as their prisoner along with his death. It was too painful. But that was basically the entire scenario in a nutshell. And it only made him want to return home even more to confront them and set things straight. Not without a plan, of course, and making sure his Maximals would be safe. But first, he needed a way back to Cybertron, and right now functioning ships capable of space and time travel were nonexistent. So, in the mean time, he needed to deal with these situations on Earth first. And possibly even protect the future...

"It seems we have that in common..,"

The Maximal had narrowed a quizzical optic at Zodiac's chuckle, obviously disagreeing with the moment he chose to be inappropriately humorous.

"That could be arranged," "Sorry..,"

Primal watched in horror and anguish when Zodiac shifted his appearance to Nexus and spoke in his voice in order to toy with the notion of Optimus longing to hear and see the Admiral again. That wasn't what he had in mind. And yet, as immature as Zodiac could be at times despite all of his training and past experiences, perhaps it was his way of consoling the Maximal. Clearly, he wasn't thinking before he reacted, but he might not have done it to be funny or to purposefully hurt him emotionally. Was he actually trying to... help? It wasn't the right way in doing so, but the intention of expressing his empathy or sympathy was there which was something Optimus sought from the shape shifter. So, as angry as he was at first with the appearance he wasn't expecting, it was quickly shadowed by sorrow.

"I could have done worse,"

"True," Primal agreed with Zodiac, assuming he could have actually done more harm with his restraints, but he then added to him, "And you could have behaved by not doing anything at all." He almost shrugged at the most obvious solution.

"You saw what he did to my friend, right?," "After what I did to Megatron, I have no doubt my fate would be far worse."

The gorilla in robot mode nodded again at Zodiac more solemnly this time. Yes, he had seen his friend's remains. It was interesting that the renegade could experience sorrow with one of his own, but he couldn't quite have empathy for those he wasn't attached to, like what he had done to Nexus and the others he killed along the way. That was how revenge and hatred consumed and twisted one's spark. If and when they do have a revelation, it was usually too late. Lives that could have been spared were mere memories and lessons often in vain and sometimes not. "I'm sorry about Night Terror, Zodiac," he said quietly, offering his sincerest condolences without realizing that no one else probably had for the shape shifter and his team considering their intentions when they had arrived on the planet. He went on to say, "I'm certain of what Megatron has in store for you should he capture you." Death, of course, as they were both on the same page. "And it would merely be the consequence of your actions." Didn't Zodiac understand? "You didn't think it through if he would've survived what you did to him. You reap what you sow, Zodiac," Optimus pointed out to him, but he used a kinder tone. And after a pause, he added, "Unless I have something to say about it," implying that he was prepared to protect him since Zodiac was showing him that he could be more remorseful than Megatron, and to him that was worth protecting and nurturing into something greater.

"Yes, you've made your point," "But let me ask you this.. Will my death somehow undo the pain I inflicted upon others?"

Now, that was interesting. "Would mine undo the pain I inflicted upon you?" Optimus quickly returned to put it into perspective for the shape shifter whom just days ago was more than willing to take his life, which was the whole reason why Zodiac was on the planet in the first place. "Megatron may want you dead for what you did to him, but it's not what I want, Zodiac, even after everything you've put my crew and me through," he wanted to make clear.

"Please.. Release me and I'll disappear from this place. The Predacons will not have a reason to attack you then, and I can just slip away. Or reactivate my weapon systems and I will help you fight them. Just.. give me a chance."

Primal had peered down at his bound wrists that he held out before himself before lifting his gaze back up to settle his optics upon Zodiac's once more. He wished he could trust him enough to do that... But not yet. He was still too much of a threat. And if anything happened to his Maximals because of his flaw for trusting too much with this individual who had a record of blood and violence on his hands, he would never be able to forgive himself. Maybe Zodiac just wanted his freedom and would actually leave everyone alone if he set him free, but that was a risk Optimus wasn't willing to take. There was a slightly apologetic look in his orange optics toward the shape shifter that suggested that he wouldn't be retracting the bonds from him.

"Let me go,"

Zodiac's plea almost took advantage of Primal's merciful nature, but he had stood his ground and shook his head at him.

After giving the order to deactivate the Axalon's shields, Optimus had turned his attention back to the monitor where he witnessed Nemesis nodding at the camera and uncharacteristically and gently place Rattrap's beaten and scorched body in a somewhat safe place before exiting the view of the video feed. He shook his head a couple times in utter disappointment with her for what she did to force his hand. And now, chaos ensued...

-----

"I wouldn't call this much of a step up from our previous encounters." "But then I guess anything is better than a buzz saw in your face."

Megatron had made a small sneer at Airazor's words, although he didn't understand her last reference and merely shrugged it off.

"Rattrap!"

"I know, it is simply unfathomable," the t-rex had said to the older flier with fake sorrow and a shake of his head while he watched Nemesis do her job and do it well. He had no remorse whatsoever when it came to the rodent. His life meant nothing to Megatron; just a nuisance with a sarcastic and disrespectful personality that often got in his way. "Sometimes sacrifices must be made in order to obtain our desires. Let us see how your fate plays out in the brig, shall we?" he grinned when he and Inferno escorted her inside of the Axalon...

-----

"You should be pleased we're taking the teen menace off your plate.. Besides, don't you have more important things to worry about right now?"

Okay, yes, all of that was true. Rattrap didn't want Zodiac in or any where near their base despite the "sanctuary" Optimus wanted to provide the murderer. And, yes, there were more things for him to worry about, like the team he was forced to leave behind, and his own life. But it would seem that all of it was out of his control now.

The Maximal Spy could feel his damaged body being lowered to the ground. Weakened and suffering with the pain as his systems frantically tried to compensate for the powerful electrocution, he heard Nemesis speak softly nearly him and involuntarily shuddered.

"I just want you to know it wasn't personal,"

It was personal ta me! Laying on his side, there was some incomprehensible mumbling coming from Rattrap's mouth. He tried to talk but he couldn't form his words as his roasted, little body jerked and sparked out of some of his joints. There might have been some cursing toward her but one couldn't tell unless they could read his mind.

"But for what it's worth, know that what our shape shifting friend is about to endure will be even more horrifying."

Rattrap only grew angrier at Nemesis. He didn't care what she or Megatron was going to do to Zodiac. All he cared about was how evil she had just been to him and the pain she put him through. He coughed a little as he choked on his inaudible words. Hearing her footsteps moving away from him, he finally rolled on to his stomach and lifted his head to see that the shields had been lowered and there was heavy gunfire all over. He faintly shook his head in disappointment that someone exposed their base to the ambush, but there was nothing that could be done about it now. He was a sitting duck where he was, exposed and vulnerable, while the heavy ammunition hammered the base and its auto-guns.

"Rattrap!"

He could have sown that he had heard Airazor, but he had no idea where she was or if she was okay. He couldn't see her anywhere. But her voice was enough to make him do more than helplessly lay there. The rodent tried pushing himself up with his arms, but they trembled, and he fell back on to his stomach and chin hitting the dirt hard.

"Optimus, you have to get out of there!,"

It was too late for that as he stood there facing Megatron and Inferno in the heavily damaged brig that now had a gaping hole in it. "Aurora, help Rattrap!" he urged the medic-in-training over his transmission with her before any Predacons might take advantage of his weakened state and finish him off. Fortunately, he was fairly close to the Axalon near the command center, so she shouldn't have too much trouble providing him with medical attention. Although he wasn't aware at that time where the other Predacons were.

"Indeed," "I propose a fair trade. Your wounded flier here for Zodiac, whom you have so graciously gift-wrapped for me,"

Optimus kept his weapon trained on the opposing leader but didn't answer him.

"Come, now, Optimus. We wouldn't want you to lose another crew member under your leadership," he smirked at him to add insult to injury knowing how much he cared for his Maximals. "Surely, Zodiac's insignificant life isn't worth sacrificing Airazor whom, if I recall correctly, would not even exist if not for Rhinox's quick-thinking and hard labor under the dire strain of raw energon build-up. So, I would imagine her life is more valuable than that coward hiding behind you."

"Optimus, I'm alright! Don't worry about me!"

His orange optics narrowed at the tyrant before they filled up with concern when he shifted his gaze past him and toward Airazor in Inferno's grasp and held at gun-point. While it was true that he couldn't bare to lose another Maximal, he tried not to let his emotions get the better of him since Megatron was obviously trying to take advantage of that while he attempted to think of something that could alleviate the situation. Fortunately, with some relief to see that she was okay, Airazor had enough energy left in her to fight back against her captures and cause a distraction.

"You know bug boy, with all the times we've clashed holding my wing is probably the worst place you could hold."

"Huh?" Inferno managed to slip out of his mouth as she suddenly did her transformation and managed to fire her small missiles directly into his face and chest. As he was forced to let go of her wing, his blown backwards and lost his balance, but not before he managed to squeeze the trigger of his weapon which fired off a shot no longer had its proper aim.

Watching this unfold behind Megatron, Optimus took the opportunity to fire at him, but the tyrant immediately ducked by falling to a knee, narrowly missing being hit by the Maximal's plasma. He returned fire at Primal as a distraction before suddenly turning his tail gun onto Airazor's badly injured knee that he remembered Nemesis stomping on and firing one shot at it.

Primal had grabbed one of his clubs from his back and deflected Megatron's plasma shot at him and Zodiac, ricocheting it as it slammed into a wall near Zodiac's cell.

"Enough!" Megatron demanded in a loud, cold voice while his powerful weapon now targeted Airazor's face. "The next shot I deliver will blast a hole straight through her head," he threatened Primal so he would stop shooting at him.

Clenching his jaws, Optimus slightly lowered his weapons but kept them ready for another shoot-out. He couldn't risk any more harm to the falcon.

"On your feet, Inferno," he ordered the pathetic ant who had been foolishly caught off guard. "My tolerance wears thin on your inability to control a wounded Maximal," he growled from his throat.

With his blackened face, a cracked optic sensor and some missing teeth, as well as a burnt chest that, due to his beast mode's impressive exoskeleton, didn't suffer from a hole despite the close range of her missiles, Inferno stood up as quickly as he could upon his Queen's request albeit still a little woozy. He could hear the disappointment and anger in his tone, which made the lean and red Predacon ashamed and embarrassed of his mistake but determined to make it up to him. Groaning a little and shaking his rattled head, he returned aiming his large weapon on the Maximal flier so that the Royalty could focus on the Maximal ape and the shape shifter again.

"I seem to recall you acted quite predictably during our little chat in your quarters,"

Megatron growled deeply, seething with pure hatred at Zodiac as he remembered their encounter in his quarters quite vividly with him nearly killing him. The tyrant still wore the scar on his chest where the pretender had driven his sword through him and left him for dead. The pain was unimaginable, and he was determined to return the favor. And then some by terminating his existence.

Quiet, Zodiac, thought Optimus without looking over his shoulder at him. We don't need to make him any angrier than he already is. Megatron could just as easily take his frustration out on Airazor and critically or even fatally wound her.

"If you are interested in fair, how about releasing me from these restraints and facing me in battle. Just you and me. Or are you afraid I'd best you again, and perhaps even kill you this time?,"

The Predacon leader managed to keep himself in check and even appeared to have calmed down despite Zodiac's attempt in baiting him. "I am not interested in your insolent bantering, nor am I interested in your fantasy for correcting your past mistakes and missed opportunities," he told Zodiac directly as the shape shifter had stepped to the side a little bit from behind the TransMetal gorilla. "You will comply," he demanded.

Fearlessly taking a step toward the tyrant, Optimus said, "You'll have to go through me first, Megatron."

Upon hearing Rampage's footsteps echoing in the corridor as his approached the brig, or so he assumed they belonged to the crab, Megatron smirked a little and said with great confidence, "No, I won't. I have not come here for you, Optimus. But he has." With a nod and his carnivorous optics glancing past the Maximal leader, he indicated that someone was coming up behind him, Zodiac, and Rhinox who was still laying on the floor unconscious.

As much as Primal didn't want to take his eyes off of his opponent, he couldn't help but follow his nod, gaze, and the footsteps he was picking up in his audio sensors now to see who it was that was going to pin them there...

-----

"Ah, Quickstrike, lovely to see you again."

"Well, that feelin' definitely ain't mutual," Quickstrike protested as he readied his venom to fire at Whitegrazer.

"I see Megatron trusts you in babysitting a few Maximals, and yet, he keeps you away from the real battlefield. I must say Quickstrike, why not just go and fight the Maximals? Who cares about these two Maximals anyway when you could be helping Megatron and proving to him once and for all how much mettle you got." "It's a pity."

"Yeah, well, everybody's got a job ta do," he spat back at her trying to hide his embarrassment. "At least I ain't off gallivantin' with the enemy!"

The small, Predacon Fuzor turned his head toward the snarl he suddenly heard only to find out that the Maximal cats had flanked him. "What in tarnation?!" Cheetor plowed right into his body easily knocking him over with his back to the ground. He squirmed and tried to clamp his cobra head onto the TransMetal's cheetah's neck before he put one of his smelly, metal paws on its neck and pinned it down.

"Not happening cowboy."

A couple of random shots of venom were released from his cobra head weapon in a panic as he kept squirming trying to get free. No, no, no! Megatron was going to kill him for falling for this dumb trick!

"Maybe you should learn to be more aware of your surroundings Pred, your trigger happy attitude isn't exactly helping you."

"Yer one ta talk, kitten!" Quickstrike tried insulting Cheetor and his age. "Yeah, that was some real fine leadership you had back there!" he sarcastically complimented him and laughed while he thrashed his shoulders back and forth to try and loosen the cat's weight on top of him and slip away from under his paws. But it was to no avail.

"Maybe you should worry about enhancing your common sense more than your scorn for traitors little mech."

AHHHH! He was surrounded by flea-bag felines! He pretended to spit at Tigerhawk with disgust considering that his mouth couldn't actually open. "I ain't takin' advice from you filthy Maximals, and that back-stabbing traitor!" he defiantly proclaimed. He seemed to calm down a little so he could listen to their conversation as he was surrounded by the three cats, horse, and spider.

"Maybe we can use him as a hostage. Turnabout is fair play."

"Won't work, Big Cat," "The last time someone pulled that, Megatron just shot the hostage. Maybe if he was Inferno, but he isn't nothing but cannon fodder."

"Well, we can't leave him here."

"And none of you have the stomach to kill him, so... only leaves one thing."

His bright red optics changed from glaring at them back and forth as he laid facing up on the ground to searching for some kind of mercy from them as he realized that his life was in their hands now since he couldn't escape.

"Don't even try it, snake," "Try anything, and Cheetor and I would blow your head off. Both of them."

He vigorously shook his head to tell them he wouldn't, but of course he did. As soon as Cheetor stepped off of him, he jumped to his feet and tried to make a dash for it, but he quickly found himself wrapped in webbing with his "arms" to his sides from his former sugar-bot which stopped him in his tracks and toppled his little body over with an audible "oof" to the ground. Then he felt Blackarachnia yank on him a couple times as she dragged him to a tree and began hoisting him up along its trunk. He struggled to get free but it was futile as she added another layer of webbing around him, encasing his body entirely. "Lemme down!" he demanded as he hung upside down and slowly swayed back and forth. But they seemed to ignore him as they moved forward with their plan.

"We need to get back to the Axalon, and help our friends." "Is there anything we do to help in getting him repaired." "Anyone have a med-kit?"

"I have one. I don't know how much it can do, but I bet it is better than nothing." "I can repair as much as I can. You guys can go and help our friends. Tigerhawk and I will join you all shortly."

"We need to be careful, if they are still using hostages. I might be able to lead you guys to a tunnel that leads under the Axalon, and then we can assess and hopefully, get a surprise attack of our own."

"Hey. Hey! Don't leave me here like this!" he told the Maximals. "If, if, if Megatron finds me like this, he'll gut me like a fish!" he started to beg them only to try and take advantage of their emotions. "Come on now! Get me down!"