The Intergalactic Highway

((OOC: Nah, it's cool, Wintersong. I was taking too long in responding.

Also, just want to say, loved the conversation between Aurora and Optimus, and also, that little twist there. ))

"Ah," Whitegrazer nodded in understanding. When Wintersong continued on, it seems Wintersong and her had more common than she believed. "To tell you the truth, Wintersong, I am the same way. Back on Cybertron, I didn't really have anyone close. I lost most of my comrades during the war, and after the war, my actions didn't make me any friends either. Even when I was teaching at the Maximal Military Academy, the only people I interacted with were my students and other teachers, but nothing that developed farther. I mostly was alone with my studies and meditations." She didn't mention TyCross, her mentor. But after everything that has happened, their relationship had now become strained and almost antagonistic. "Like you I wasn't supposed to be here either, and when I was assigned to this mission at the very last minute, I, at first, flat out refused." Refusal to the fact that the High Council wanted her to be there so badly. "But I felt stagnant in my purpose, so I thought maybe a change of scenery would help clear my mind." She smiled and shook her head. "Everyone on this crew, you all are the only people I have grown close to in ...stellar cycles." And in those relationships, she had found something she never thought she desired, and in that desire, it gave her determination to make sure to keep those relationships, these people, alive. "I am glad that you came, Wintersong." The female tigress point about Cybertron didn't fall on deaf ears. A part of her wondered what the state of affairs back on Cybertron, and how everyone here would be greeted. By the expression on Wintersong's face, she shred the same fear. "We learned a lot about certain dealings here, certain secrets that I bet the High Council didn't want anyone to find out, that is something that we will have to prepare for when we returned. Lots of debriefings, loaded with questions and accusations, threats about keeping our mouths shut I suppose, and among other things, but despite how well or ill-received our return is, we will all have each other and just like we have each other's back here in the battlefield, we will have each other's back when we face the music at home."

"I gained a greater wisdom and understanding due to my decision to become a Cybertronian, and in that decision, I have committed an evil on Cybertron, but I learned many things, experienced so much that if my brethren were in my shoes' right now, I wonder if their tune would change." Whitegrazer contemplated her words as Wintersong explained the link between her and Optimus as well as telling her about the Vok's view of her. "Usually, a sharp pain can meaning anything from an emotional upheaval to experiencing physical pain." Whitegrazer said, explaining to Wintersong what that pain she felt might have stirred from. "Traitor, huh? Well, I guess I am, in their own heads. But I wondered if The One would see it the same way. And I am part of The One just like they are." Would they, if they had the chance, destroy her? Would they break the sacred oath? Kill one of their own? If they do, they have fallen farther than she realized. "If there is any new developments on the link, please let me know, Wintersong, I will do whatever I can to help understand what a link does and can feel. Is Optimus aware of the link as well?"

Whitegrazer just smiled warmly. There was no need for Wintersong to feel the need to apologize to her. She could understand how uncomfortable and downright revolting such thing can be viewed, if pushed on someone who didn't want it. "I understand, Wintersong, but I am always here if you need me." She noticed something crawling, seeping inside Wintersong's own inner circuits, watched as the female tigeress grimaced in pain, "Wintersong?" She looked concerned at the female tigress.

Optimus contacted her, and, by the way he sounded, even if he tried to mask it, he seemed he had been punched in the gut. Though, she couldn't understand why, but at the same time, she couldn't focus on that right now as what she witnessed just now happen called for her attention.

"Like Optimus said, we could try persuading him. He seems to know more about him than we do," he rebutted her suggestions. "But we don't know their situation. The Predacons could be there already. At which point they should just pull out and retreat if they're able to,"

"Oh? So you think that the Predacons will just leave with their new comrade and everyone gets to go home happy right?" She shook her head. "Please, please tell me that they are not naive." She knew Rattrap wouldn't be, but the others? Oh dear the Pit.

"I told you to keep an eye on him."

"Like he could go anywhere? Blackarchnia felt a bit embarrassed about her sudden fright about the fact that she might have had let the shapeshifter slip from her fingers. She crossed her arms, glaring at the monitor, mumbling about how things were simple without the added baggage of a bot with shapeshifting capabilities.

"Here," the robust Maximal handed the joystick off to her. "Just keep moving the camera around until you notice some movement. He could be out of frame, but he won't be able to sit still for long. He's tired and hungry."

Blackarachnia gave out a little pout as she sat back down and took the joystick Rhinox offered her, but there was no need to use it as Zodiac reappeared."There he is!" She narrowed her eyes, not letting him out of her optics for a moment. "Many you should have added an electric shock inside the brig for when he does stunt like that." Especially since that seems to be the only type of weapon that could hurt him.

"The risks I take are the ones I won't put on anyone else's shoulders but they still need to be conveyed in order to achieve our survival as a whole,"

Aurora's face twisted into a pout when she heard Primal say those things, since yet again he was putting himself down compared to the Maximals under his command. She really disliked it when he did that since she, as well as all the other Maximals, thought quite differently about their leader.

"But you're the glue that holds it all together..," she whispered after a brief pause, not willing to let this go just yet. "Please.. just please try to understand that. You're always putting yourself down, making yourself seem less important.. When in truth none of us would still be here if it wasn't for you."

The words just kept flowing out of her mouth, and she found herself hoping he would listen and understand. Deep down, however, she doubted he would truly listen to her. It simply wasn't in Optimus' character to place the value he deserved upon himself. It was, if at all possible, his most annoying trait.

"They are the ones with dire consequences."

So is losing your family, she thought bitterly but avoided speaking the words.. If barely.

"If it's important to you, Aurora, then I will try to do better to avoid those circumstances."

But his final words held some hope to them. The little fuzor just wanted them to be true. For her sake as well as his.. and everyone else she held dear in this world. And for that sake the fate of the planet as well, since she really didn't know if the Maximals stood a chance if they were to lose Optimus again.

"Important..? It would mean everything to all of us," she told him somewhat bluntly. Hopefully he truly would take it to spark this time. Yet his constant willingness to sacrifice himself for the rest of them ran deep within his very core, so as much as she wanted to believe his words to be truthful, she still had some doubts about their validity.

"It's almost inevitable when your enemy knows how much you mean to their crew,"

"And how little their own crew means to them," the fuzor replied in an obvious taunt towards the Predacon leader. She squeezed Primal's hand ever so slightly when she said it, as if to emphasize on it. Her green optics then locked with Optimus'.

"Look.. Unity between the crew and their leader is supposed to be a strength, not a weakness. And that is why you'll eventually come out on top in this conflict we're locked in with the Predacons. "

She sounded quite confident in her prediction. It would take time, of course, and more than likely more aching sparks and tears, sure, but she still believed in Primal and what he was trying to accomplish here. Sure, the Predacons could potentially be brutal, but she doubted a majority of them would be willing to lay down their lives for their leader like any of the Maximals would. Megatron ruled through fear, something even the fuzor had taken note of.

No.. Optimus would win in the end. If he could just stop sacrificing himself left and right.

"I'm far from a 'perfect' leader, Aurora," he admitted, "but... with the lack of military training for war against a warlord whose ambitions are often unpredictable... I'm doing my best. Believe me when I say that it is never my intention to commit suicide, but it is my job to lead all of you to the best of my ability, and if that means putting my life on the line in more instances than I'd prefer, then I will do so, so that no one else has to make that decision or possibly lose their life over it."

Aurora listened to his words, intently so, but while part of her wanted to scrutinize him for his willingness to sacrifice himself, another part of her understood what he was trying to tell her. Not that she agreed with his reasoning, at least not entirely. And part of her was a little bit concerned he would change his mind about revoking her confinement to base, but she still felt compelled to tell him;

"Just don't forget what almost happened to the rest of us after you did sacrifice yourself.."

She didn't say it to be disrespectful and she hoped it didn't come across that way, but she wanted Primal to take her words to spark regardless.

"Aurora, you're absolutely right about that,"

For the first time in a while, Aurora smiled a little. It was always a nice feeling when someone, particularly someone she looked up to the way she did Optimus, recognized her for her opinions and work. While it was true the Predacons and those creepy aliens that called themselves the Vok complicated the serenity of this planet, she still very much loved this world and all its inhabitants. And that wasn't likely to ever change.

"I began taking on bigger responsibilities for these experiments when I was an apprentice under Nexus Prime," he began, "when he was in charge of Zodiac's development. I was mostly an adviser with the paperwork, and I had suggested some theories, but I had also witnessed some of Zodiac's suffering. I knew then that what was going on was wrong, but I was so consumed in pleasing Nexus and the High Council and climbing my ladder for higher achievement that I had decided to overlook it and continue my work. I was so selfish," he said with a lot of self-disappointment in his voice. "I didn't even learn my lesson when Zodiac had escaped and nearly killed me."

Their conversation drifted to some of the darker aspects of Primal's life.. Those secrets he really didn't share with his crew much, aside from the select few. Aurora hadn't really looked into this information, mainly out of respect for Optimus, so she had avoided using her hacking skills to obtain more information about his past. If the info was even stored on the Axalon computers..

Aurora had clutched the tiny object in her hand a little more tightly when Primal went on to explain his role in the renegade's experimentation and time with the Maximals. And for that brief moment she pondered if sharing what she had found out was the right thing to do.. Clearly Optimus had other things to concern himself with..

"It wasn't your fault," she told him softly. "From what I understand there was a lot of chaos back on Cybertron back then. Still is, I suppose. Maximals and Predacons are constantly at odds with each other, trying to steal and develop technology initiated by the other side, anything to gain an advantage.. Nobody here blames you for following through with what was expected of you."

She deliberately left out the imprisoned renegade from that statement, knowing he would never agree. No, they'd be better off letting him rot in the brig. Well, for as long as possible.

"Look.. No matter what you did, you didn't do anything wrong. Sure, the system is corrupt and the leadership along with it, but a single individual cannot be held accountable for merely following orders."

She sighed, unsure if she truly believed her words as much as she wanted to appear to.

"Yes, there were victims. But consider who they are before you feel too bad for them."

"For my hard work and recognition, I quickly climbed my ladder with the help of Nexus Prime's recommendations, and I soon found myself fully in charge of the development of Protoform X's spark. ...Rampage, as he's now known as. I oversaw everything. I helped create his indestructible spark."

The fuzor went silent for a moment, thinking.

Rampage seemed so.. invincible.. And frightening. Whatever they had done to his spark to make it that way, whoever he had been before they started experimenting on him, she was certain Optimus hadn't done what he did out of malice. Or even curiosity.

"Maybe sometime you can share the story behind that one," she said, trying to sound supportive. And to her surprise, Optimus proceeded to give her the story. Or at least some of it. And there it was. Somehow their conversation had gone full circle, with the Council of Elders again sounding like worse enemies than even the Predacons. At least grape face and his gang were honest about their intention to wipe out the Maximals, something the Council never was. Or at least that's the impression she was getting.

Not knowing what words to use to soothe him, Aurora let her hand slide across Optimus' arm again.

"With Rhinox and Rattrap's help, we might be able to formulate a way to disperse the information publicly but keep it encrypted so it isn't traceable,"

She nodded, taking the opportunity to give the disk in her hand to her leader. So many secrets.. indeed. Optimus himself, the council, even.. Whitegrazer. Primal was right. It was time to get the information out in the open.

The leader looked over the data, his facial features revealing how his spark must have sunk a bit upon learning that even his beloved hadn't been entirely honest with him. Granted the nature of this relationship between Whitegrazer and Zodiac was still unknown, but they still shared some of their core genetics. How that had happened was hopefully something Whitegrazer would be able to shed some light on.

"Thank you, Aurora,"

The fuzor nodded and attempted to give a reassuring smile, only to fail miserably at it.

"I'll be in the lab if you need me..," she told him, feeling she should leave before Whitegrazer responded to the summons. As interesting as it would be to listen in, this seemed to be the kind of conversation that should remain private.

Meanwhile the individual who had caused so much drama for the Maximals and Predacons alike sighed as he made his way across the personalized cell he had been granted, his movements now clearly visible on the cameras. Upon reaching the other side, Zodiac stopped for a moment before suddenly slamming his fist hard against the wall.

It wasn't that he expected the strange substance they had used to coat the walls to crack under the rough handling, that hypothesis he had already tested several times during the first day or so he was trapped in here, but instead more so as an outlet for the frustration he felt that the Maximals were seemingly just going to leave him alone for the unforeseeable future. Or at least until someone else who most certainly wanted the renegade dead decided he had waited long enough. Yes, the hybrid feared the consequences if he was ever brought back to Cybertron as a prisoner, but Megatron's wrath certainly seemed a more immediate threat.

And the longer he stayed locked up, the more that dread infested his thoughts.. haunting him. Perhaps in due part to the fact he hadn't allowed himself to sleep since those few hours in the cave after he had first recovered Nexus' journal. Before he made his move against the tyrant, which ultimately resulted in failure when the chosen favorite of Cryotek had survived. Somehow. Zodiac didn't really care too much about the details at this point, since frankly it wouldn't change anything.

So here he was.. Imprisoned by the very same Maximals he had attempted to kill. At their mercy.. No.. At Optimus' mercy. It was no small miracle that the Maximal commander still had any, if he truly did. The shapeshifting renegade didn't share those same philosophies and would certainly not have done the same if the roles were reversed. No, his solution would have been swifter.. and brutal. Not unlike how he imagined Megatron would deal with an unwanted problem.

With another sigh the renegade slowly turned around and pressed his back up against the wall he had punched mere moments before, before slowly letting himself slide down to the floor. He felt so tired.. and exhausted.. But at least that aching sensation of hunger had stopped now that he had gone for several days without eating. The most recent supply of food the Maximals had provided for him still remained untouched in the corner, perhaps in due part to him still hoping they would foolishly send someone to check on him and thus give him the chance to escape. Yet the more time passed, the more unlikely that possibility seemed.

He considered eating the food from time to time, to keep his strength up at the very least, but the longer he went the less appetizing it appeared to him. The Maximals were generous to offer a new supply every day, of course, through a convoluted system that assured he wouldn't have direct contact with any of them when the food was brought into his cell. Optimus wasn't taking any chances this time, obviously having learned his lesson from their past encounters.

Zodiac pulled his legs up from his position on the floor, using his bent knees as a pillow of sort to rest his tired head and arms. He glanced up at the cameras, briefly wondering who was watching him on the other end, while also pondering his remaining options.. if there were any. Frankly he was no longer so sure. He had no weapons right now, his weapon systems and battle armor had been disabled upon his incarceration, and it was becoming increasingly more clear that the Maximals weren't going to fall for his remaining little tricks. Even the vok female, the one he'd fought so hard to keep out of his thoughts, had abandoned him now. More surprising was the fact he almost missed her. At least she'd be able to offer some insight into what was going on in the outside world, but alas.. he was alone.

Feeling increasingly sleepy, the renegade finally closed his optics and gave in to his exhausted body's desire to rest.

"He ain't lost. He's just 'ill informed',"

"As much could also be said about the rest of you Maximals," Nemesis retorted back to the rodent who had been nothing but a thorn in her side since the first time they met. While it was true she held some genuine respect towards certain of the Maximals, Optimus in particular, the rodent wasn't one of them. But with any luck she'd be able to teach him some much needed lessons about humility before this day was over.

All in good time, however..

Nemesis took her place next to the new Predacon, leading him away before the showdown just in case he was to change his mind or reveal that his true colors were not that of a real Predacon. Besides.. she might as well let her trigger-happy companions do the dirty work this time.

"I agree with the flying reptile,"

The avian second in command shook her head, placing her hand on the new recruit's shoulder as she guided him away. Only when they were out of reach of the Maximals' audio receptors did she clarify her plan with the Predacons.

"Wait until we have the hostage.. Then feel free to let the rest of them burn," she told the fire ant to re-enforce her earlier instructions.

“Well, that confirmed what Rhinox just told me.”

Considering the rhino hadn't been present among the Maximals who had showed up for the protoform, Nemesis could only assume he had been communicating with the new recruit via comlink. Although she didn't have to ask to know what the Maximals had no doubt tried to persuade the young mech of.

"It is interesting that you are so eager to meet our leader when you emerged from a Maximal pod," she commented, wanting to make sure the new recruit didn't try anything foolish and that he was aware of whom he was dealing with. Although what the young raptor was about to tell her next, did cause her to slow down her movements quite a bit.

“As for why I ask ma’am it’s because I actually somewhat know Megatron; I use to be part of Cryotek’s gang when Megatron was his pupil.”

Now that was rather interesting. Nemesis, too, served under Cryotek, albeit she had been a part of a program the warlord had instigated to try to develop a new type of soldier. Or at least that's what she'd been told when she was first recruited for the experiments. Cryotek had only occasionally stopped by to oversee the progress of the program, so she vaguely knew him from those visits. The warlord had taken more of an interest in a young male who, as far as Nemesis had been able to tell, had been designed and created as part of the process involving using the nanotechnology to improve the cybertronian design. Indeed, Zodiac's dragon form came from Cryotek's own favored alternative mode.

Yet to her knowledge, Megatron had never partaken in the experiments. Or at least she had never seen him there, nor had he been aware of her abilities when they first met. So chances were Cryotek had kept certain parts of his operation a secret even from his favorite pupil. So it was interesting that yet another of Cryotek's underlings had found his way here.. via a Maximal pod none-the-less.

“Oh, and I’m Quickfix, medic and hacker.”

His abrupt introduction pulled Nemesis' attention back to the present, and she stopped to give the new recruit a lookover before finally responding to all this information he had just provided.

"Medic and hacker..," she repeated, pondering what other similarities this young raptor shared with a specific member of the Maximals. "Well, you certainly sound like you'll make a capable member of our team. I'm Nemesis," she replied while trying to ignore the sound of gunfire from the Predacons who were currently busy shooting at the rocky formation near the Maximals. Why they couldn't just grab the hostage and go, but instead decided it would be a better approach to try to scatter the Maximals with some falling rocks.. well.. truthfully she wasn't overly surprised.

Well.. as long as it worked, she wouldn't complain too much.

She was just about to address the information given about Quickfix' past in Cryotek's gang, a fact that made her ponder why the young raptor was so interested in Megatron specifically.. especially given the terms he and Cryotek had been on when Megatron had taken off in the Darksyde. With several items that belonged to Cryotek first stowed away on board.. When a most unexpected private message arrived..

“Nemesis, it’s not too late to change your mind. You’re not an impulsive moron like the rest of these psychopaths, you know Megatron is going to only lead us all to our doom.”

Onyx..

It had been a while since she had heard his voice, much less actually had a conversation with him, but for good reason. The stallion had abandoned the Predacons to form a new alliance with the Maximals. He was a traitor, much like Dinobot before him. His crimes against the Predacons may not have been quite as severe as those committed by the shapeshifting renegade, but he certainly was someone Megatron would want to have words with regardless..

"You got some nerve coming here with these Maximals and trying to lecture me about where my loyalties should be," she transmitted back via the same secure channel. "Just count your blessings I don't order your head on a plate to be delivered to Megatron."

While her words may have come across as harsh, she oddly didn't have as much animosity towards the stallion as her threat may have implied. She knew of Megatron's tendencies, of course, and had in fact been on the receiving end of them a time or two. But she also held a firm belief that the tyrant was right in his beliefs. And from the looks of it, he also held the power to change the future for their kind.

Turning her attention back to the young Predacon at her side, she forced a smile, however slight, and squeezed his shoulder a bit.

"Regardless of how you got here.. You're making the right choice by joining up with Megatron. He will be expecting us when we return to base, so until then allow me to welcome you to the Predacons."

"But you're the glue that holds it all together..," "Please.. just please try to understand that. You're always putting yourself down, making yourself seem less important.. When in truth none of us would still be here if it wasn't for you."

Did he put himself down? Optimus thought he just put the others before himself; their safety and survival was his priority. It wasn't that he thought less of himself despite his mistakes and flaws. What Aurora had said, however, was something he didn't hear very often. Not that he expected it, of course, but if this was how all of them truly felt, and if her observation was accurate, then perhaps he really should do better to consider the importance of his existence to his crew even though he was sure they could still carry on without him. They had done it before in previous situations, albeit that one happenstance after he had died and the Predacons had nearly finished them off, but they were still able to devise a back-up plan which had miraculously brought him back from the dead and turned their entire situation around. It would seem he needed them and they needed him. "You're right, Aurora," he agreed again as he looked into her green, pleading optics. "I'm sorry. I will do my best to avoid those circumstances and remind myself how we all need each other in order to survive this war." His eye contact never wavered and his voice was stern but soft.

"Important..? It would mean everything to all of us,"

Primal nodded to his Chief Biologist as he understood. "Alright," he tried assuring her with a small but meaningful smile, and he took her words to heart.

"And how little their own crew means to them,"

Feeling her petite hand squeeze his the Maximal leader managed a light chuckle before he added a little more solemnly, "Which is unfortunate." He really didn't understand how Megatron operated with bestowing fear upon his troops in order to get them to obey and to do his bidding. His approach to leadership was the complete opposite from Optimus's. He grew quiet when her expression and optics implied that she wanted his full attention for what she was going to say next.

"Look.. Unity between the crew and their leader is supposed to be a strength, not a weakness.

He couldn't agree more with her.

And that is why you'll eventually come out on top in this conflict we're locked in with the Predacons."

Primal raised a brow at that statement as he was a little taken aback by Aurora's confidence, but again, he agreed. "We'll come out on top," he corrected her with some emphasis and just as much confidence as she had shown him. Hopefully it would boost the Maximals' moral for this long, grueling war of survival that they had already been trapped in for a couple years now.

"Just don't forget what almost happened to the rest of us after you did sacrifice yourself.."

"We certainly need each other," he established. "All of us." It wasn't like he intended to die up there against the Vok's weapon. The pod malfunctioning wasn't his fault, and while it had cost him his life, it had saved everyone else's. Fortunately, he had a very unique crew with incredible skills and abilities, and together they were able to bring him back while defending their base. He couldn't have done it without them and they couldn't have done it without him. "I have the greatest crew any leader could ask for," he commented with pure appreciation.

"It wasn't your fault," "From what I understand there was a lot of chaos back on Cybertron back then. Still is, I suppose. Maximals and Predacons are constantly at odds with each other, trying to steal and develop technology initiated by the other side, anything to gain an advantage.. Nobody here blames you for following through with what was expected of you." "Look.. No matter what you did, you didn't do anything wrong. Sure, the system is corrupt and the leadership along with it, but a single individual cannot be held accountable for merely following orders."

Optimus shook his head in disagreement. True, there was a lot of chaos, but that was no excuse for his actions. "I feel that I did do wrong. I partook in something that went against my morals. I didn't have to follow orders, Aurora. I didn't have to be there at all. I could have worked on something else somewhere else. I could have done something to help Zodiac and Rampage instead of making it worse for them. I could have taken a stand against the injustices at the time instead of regretting it now when there's nothing I can do. I could have-!" He stopped himself to take a breath and calm down. There was no point in dwelling on the past, just like he had told her earlier, but he did have a point to all of this besides blaming himself. "I just want you to understand... I see a little bit of myself in you, Aurora; your curiosity and creativeness. Whatever you do with your research and innovations, never use it against someone's will and well-being. If it feels wrong to you, then it is, and you always have the option not to act on it. Because if you follow through with it, it will weigh on your mind every day, and in the end it may catch up to you. Rampage exists because of me, and now he's a threat to all of us. Zodiac is here because of my involvement and his ability to track me down, and he nearly killed you... almost all of you. I implore you, don't make the same mistakes I have. Do you understand?"

Even though the Fuzor had applied her experimental nanogel on him without his consent, which had crossed his mind on this subject, it had been as an attempt to help him at the time with his significant wound. The only reason he condoned it was because he didn't mind being her guinea pig since he trusted her, and because it could have been beneficial to their entire team in battle had it been successful and if they had more access to the substance that made it what it was. Still, it had been a borderline creation to the exact point he was trying to make, and apparently it also seemed to be a permanent part of him now.

"Yes, there were victims. But consider who they are before you feel too bad for them."

Optimus studied Aurora for a moment concerned about her words. "No one deserves what they've been through," he replied compassionately. Zodiac's cries and pleas for help back on Cybertron, along with X's screams and terror, still haunted Primal. Their anguish and suffering had been completely ignored, and that wasn't right. No matter who they were, what was done to them wasn't right. Slowly, he had pulled his arm away from her hand and focused on this new development with Whitegrazer that she had just presented to him.

"I'll be in the lab if you need me..,"

Waiting for the equine to respond to his transmission, he nodded to Aurora who took her leave from his quarters and he watched her thoughtfully before glancing at the engraving of the alien orb on his wall and then down to the precious journal on his desk. For the most part, he felt that their meeting had been a little emotional but also quite productive. They were both able to say the things they needed to, which was good. With his free hand, Optimus picked it up and stored it in his subspace before he looked at his data pad again with her findings. Growing impatient with Whitegrazer not responding, he decided to look up her signature on the computer instead of using their link to locate her since he felt that as being a little intrusive or pushing personal boundaries. With Sentinel, that information was public to anyone who had permission to access the scanners. She's in her quarters with Wintersong, he thought when their energy signatures came up. That works. Exiting his room with the door securing itself behind him, Primal made his way to the Empath's quarters and knocked gently on her door. "Whitegrazer? I hailed for you."

-----

"Oh? So you think that the Predacons will just leave with their new comrade and everyone gets to go home happy right?" "Please, please tell me that they are not naive."

"It's nice to see how much you care about your new comrades now," Rhinox retorted to Blackarachnia lightheartedly. Of course the Maximals weren't that naive, but the rhinoceros and the black widow didn't know the situation or which Predacons were involved. However, he was confident in the team he assembled, and they would make it back in one piece. Not with their new Maximal, or Predacon, but in one piece, nonetheless.

"Like he could go anywhere?

The engineer raised his brows at her comment. "We all know how tricky and manipulative he can be," he reminded her to not underestimate him. As soon as they would, that's when disaster would strike. Zodiac was almost a magician of sorts.

"There he is!"

Rhinox immediately looked at her monitor and sighed to himself with relief when he saw Zodiac reappear and settle himself once more. But he still wasn't eating. His brows furrowed to that and he faintly shook his head. Was him starving himself supposed to be some kind of protest, or a trick to lure someone down there?

"Many you should have added an electric shock inside the brig for when he does stunt like that."

"We don't need to torture him," said Rhinox. "I think we've taken enough precautions to keep him entrapped in there." He hoped. was the shape shifter finally starting to sleep? It looked like it. A bot's body can only endure so much before their energy drains and their internal computer needs time to recharge and reboot systems no matter how inactive they are.

-----

“Feeling a little trigger happy yourself rodent?” “Don’t think Primal or Rhinox would appreciate their little friend causing a scene when none of us have made any attempts to fire, yet.”

"You Preds gimme plenty of reasons to. And don't presume ta know my friends," the Spy spat back at the female Predacon medic. He wasn't even aiming at them yet! He was just... casually holding his weapon to his side... with his finger casually resting on its trigger...

“Its conflicts such as these are why neither side can get home, or ever will.”

Yeah, ya jerks! the rat thought as he naturally sided with Airazor.

“Go home Predacons, our conflict is over for the day.”

If only it was that easy...

“Can never trust these guys to go away that easy.”

Rattrap had nodded to Cheetor, but so far, it seemed they might be able to leave unscathed after all... for once.

"As much could also be said about the rest of you Maximals,"

Rattrap had only rolled his optics at Nemesis who, of course, was incorrect in his opinion, before he had turned and started walking away.

"Wait until we have the hostage.. Then feel free to let the rest of them burn,"

Inferno had grinned to the female's order, and he was barely able to contain himself from jumping the gun, but he continued his route in flight while he waited for Terrorsaur's attack.

“So what do we tell Rhinox and Big Bot?”

“Let us hope today we can avoid further problems.” “If they aren’t already aware of the situation young one, we tell them as it is; the pod is intact but the occupant is lost today.”

"They'll be disappointed but glad dat we're okay," Rattrap assured Cheetor as he agreed with Tigerhawk's assessment as all of them had started retreating from the area. He glanced over his shoulder back at Onyx, almost suspiciously, and motioned him to move along with the group.

“Insects, doctor, focus your firepower on the slope above the Maximals, send them scattering. They’ll be easy pickings from there.”

Inferno's toothy, devious grin grew even wider and he abruptly turned around in the air to start flying back toward the Maximals. He swung his large weapon out before him and began firing his rockets at the same mountain side that Terrorsaur and Spineback had targeted. An avalanche of huge chunks of rocks and boulders blew out into the air, slamming down onto the ground and rolling uncontrollably toward the pack of Maximals far below him. He laughed cruelly as he watched them scatter.

Gasping, Rattrap looked up to see where the commotion was coming from. He heard several explosives and the loud collapsing of rocks. And as they flew down at his team like meteorites, he turned to see who caused it. Spotting Terrorsaur and Inferno incoming he glared at them. Dose lousy liars!

"Take cover!" the TransMetal rodent hollered to Onyx as he started to run from the rolling rocks that could easily squish his tiny frame. Many landed beside him and right in front of him, but he would watch them before making the wrong move so he could dodge their impacts.

"Fliers, evasive maneuvers!" he told Airazor, Cheetor and Tigerhawk. As he ran, he lifted his gun and targeted the Predacons who were attacking them. Although he didn't have time to make them as accurate as he wanted, he returned repetitive fire in their direction to try and keep them back while his team tried gaining their bearings in this sudden turn of events. Finding a large rock formation to hide behind, Rattrap caught his breath and peered around it to see if any of his Maximals needed help, or if he could get a good shot on any of the Predacons who were currently attack them.

Inferno laughed at their enemy scrambling about and shot more rockets at them, specifically at Onyx and Rattrap who were the easiest to attack since they were stuck on the ground and Inferno had the advantage of altitude on them.

-----

“Hmm, I suppose your claims were not all folly after all.”

Rampage's lack of enthusiasm bothered Megatron a little bit, but not enough to make it a verbal dispute. At least he understood how real and reliable he was with his ambitions. However, he missed the crab's expression of weariness since he was too consumed in himself and his findings at the moment to notice.

"I am always ready. I haven’t been fulfilled since Colony Omnicron, so I could use a good appetizer now."

"Most excellent, yesss," the tyrant was overjoyed to hear.

“And I have no reason to divulge information to the simpletons of a crew you assembled.”

The Predacon leader chuckled at that. "Simpletons with powerful ammunition no less," he commented. Although he was not proud of his Predacons' simple minds, most of them anyway, it also made it easier to control them, and they had a barrage of weapons at their disposal that often outmatched the Maximals' defenses. Of course, it wasn't just his own crew of misfits that Megatron was worried about gaining this knowledge about the golden disk, it was the Maximals and Zodiac as well. No one could know. "Let us rendezvous with our comrades and prepare for the next phase of my plan." With that, Megatron reverted to his beast mode and began walking toward the pod's location. His pace was quicker this time, and he was more quiet.

Once they were in range, Megatron opened a secured transmission to the one he entrusted the recovery mission to. "Nemesis, have you successfully procured the new protoform?" he inquired. She certainly should have by now, even if the Maximals were interfering. He wanted no excuses or failures.

((Yes today for sure! I was in the middle of catching up with everything so far then work decided to call me in to cover two shifts yesterday on my day off. A few people called in sick so it was a last minute call I couldn’t avoid.))

Quickfix wasn’t quite sure whether to feel embarrassed about emerging from a Maximal pod or defensive. Especially since he hadn’t exactly expected to awaken in the middle of an isolated conflict.

“Not with the better part not knowing there would be conflict when I joined this expedition.” The younger Predacon defended himself in a light tone. “I was no longer part of Cryotek’s gang at the time, Nemesis. He had some of the others leave me high and dry after hacking into a Maximal data facility, and it was not a life I wanted any part of when I realized the full extent of what Cryotek and his goons were doing.” He explained with bitterness clear in his tone, “I asked to see Megatron because his name has been the only one I recognized since attempting to start anew.” It probably wouldn’t satisfy their suspicion of him, but the young Predacon has no reason to not be sincere or lie.

Unlike most he was not one for glory and carving a name for himself, he simply wanted to do his part for the Predacons, something that would take time.

Though the young mech turned as he heard the explosions, watching the area they had just come from. “You guys really don’t waste time to act do you.” He observed, glancing back at the avian female, curious to what their end game was with this mission aside from recruiting him.

Quickstrike left the transport the moment he spotted the fliers and Spineback turn back to enact their plans for the Maximals. Though the fuzor decided to allow his more heavily armed teammates to handle the dirty work of scattering the Maximals, well aware his firepower would hardly contribute much to causing a landslide right on top of their heads.

Instead, he waited impatiently for the Maximals to be aware of what was going on, his venom blaster prepped and ready...

“Yea, guess you two are right.” Cheetor agreed with a soft sigh, wishing they would have some luck on their side. With all the death and mayhem they had been facing, or even the near losses of loved ones it was a wonder how they remained optimistic enough to keep trudging along. There were days it just felt they were fighting a losing battle.

Though the sudden sound of something above them caused the Transmetal feline to glance up, only just spotting the combined attack by the Predacons to the mountain side. “I knew it was too easy!” Cheetor yelled with shock as he just avoided becoming a cat pancake as the rocks came tumbling, getting a few leaps in before kicking his rockets into maximum burn to avoid further chances of being squashed. “Everyone alright?!” Cheetor called over the comlinks, veering back around to try and find his teammates while avoiding ending up blasted from the sky himself.

At last he saw his chance, Quickstrike letting out an over enthusiastic “Yee-haw!” As he jumped into the mayhem and began blasting the Maximals at random. He had no specific target in mind, only to strike their foes and slow down their attempts to fight or run. “Losin’ your bearings Maxies?! Haha!” The small fuzor called out gleefully, waiting for one of the Maximals to fall from feeling the sting of his cybervenom.

Shaking his head in disappoint and sighing slightly, he merely responded in kind, “Then you are more of a coward and fool than I gave you credit for Nemesis.” Onyx held no ill-will or animosity towards her himself, only disappointed one of the few sane of mind Predacons could not see the decision would only lead them all to their destruction. Onyx didn’t need to know the full extent of Megatron’s plans to know that.

But so distracted by his attempts to sway Nemesis from her present path, Onyx failed to initially register what was happening compared to his new allies. It was only when some of the rocks had nearly collided with him did he snap to attention, failing to see the suspicion Rattrap had shot his way. Cursing under his breathe, Onyx attempted to outrun the landslide the Predacons had caused, moving far slower than the Maximals had due to his error in not paying more attention to his surroundings or what had occurred, something he was mentally kicking himself for. And his pace was more than enough for some of those boulders to overtake the tall Predacon, his sounds of shock muffled as he became buried beneath the rubble.

All the remained visible as the dust settled was Onyx’s upper body, disoriented, winded, and battered.

((Skipping Tarantulas for the time being. When the others start making their way back then the creepy spider will return in his usual fashion. ))

((Sorry guys, things have been really crazy on my end recently. My grandfather is in the hospital and I've had to help at home with things along with trying to get back into the groove of school these past two weeks so its thrown me all off recently.

I was also going to clarify something with una but realized I goofed somewhere. I plan on making my post tonight, just trying to get some school stuff out of the way.))

Hearing Whitegrazer explain her own position on Cybertron, Wintersong was surprised how much they seemed to have in common. For the most part anyway. They had both been shunned from society in one way or another, no true purpose or goal in life to work towards. The only difference was Whitegrazer at one point did have individuals she could rely on, to remember, but Wintersong has never had companionship like that until she became a stow away and joined the Avalon crew officially. “You know what they say, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.” The tigress remarked, sometimes wondering if the higher ends of Cybertron had far more issues than anything of what she had seen in the slums of Cybertron.

Perhaps not exactly the same concerns, but nevertheless there were issues they didn’t want known.

Wintersong wished she could say more, agree that the crew had not only become companions she could rely upon and trust, but cherished, practically family as many of them had expressed before. But words were lost to her as the pain lingered, a small but distracting throbbing that left her speechless, the feeling of needing to return to the site of the Metal Hunter tugging at the edges of her being. After a minute or two however, the pain and feeling slowly subsided, causing her to take a couple of deep intakes to get air circulating through her frame again, “I-it’s nothing Whitegrazer, I just need some air I think. Being cooped up in the shop just has me edgy and the surgery we just got is still sore.” She lied, quite terribly in fact. The white mare probably could already tell something was wrong but the Transmetal feline was unwilling to express it verbally.

Not that she would be able to just lie her way out of talking further on the matter when a knock came on the door followed by a voice she had dreaded to hear since they had returned. It was Optimus coming to seek Whitegrazer when the femme had not answered his hails. “You should answer Optimus Whitegrazer, I will just leave you two to talk.” Wintersong spoke as she pushed herself to her feet, waiting for the mare to answer the door and preparing to make her leave.

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

Hearing something from above them, Tigerhawk looked up with enough time to see the missiles and additional shots colliding with the mountain side, optics widening behind his visor as he immediately took the skies in reaction. He only heard the sound of Rattrap's warning over the tumbling of rocks, focusing on avoiding in becoming stuck under the rubble. But in the process, he didn't have time to spot where the rest of the Maximals had gone or have a moment to take a look.

Immediately following the landslide came a barrage of cannon fire their way, hissing as he got struck a few times while his attention had been on the immediate danger. "Doing as well as can be expected in an ambush Cheetor." Tigerhawk answered, having to take evasive action and firing at random moments to try and get the Predacons off his tail and regroup with the others. "Can never be this simple just once can it." He muttered under his breathe.

Airazor likewise reacted, shooting upwards to avoid the rocks rushing their way, only catching glimpses of Cheetor and Tigerhawk getting away but catching no sight of Rattrap or Onyx right off the bat. "Well, this mission could have gone better." Feeling she had gone high enough before she veered back around, trying to figure out what all was going on since she had gone a different direct than her fellow fliers. Unfortunately, she didn't recover fast enough before one of Quickstrike's venom shots caught her in the abdomen, causing her to let out a pained cry and stop in her tracks to catch herself from being thrown from the air, missing Terrorsaur catching her from behind while he had the chance, "Too slow this time feathers!" He cackled as he hit her with a spare rocket causing the falcon femme to get blown from the sky.

Smirking with seeing his self-proclaimed nemesis taken out and his plan so far working to perfection, Terrorsaur quickly turned his attention back to the rodent whose shots he had been dodging and taking pot shots in return while he tracked his movements. "Doctor, take the falcon, I'm grabbing the rodent." Terrorsaur commed, getting a "On it" in response. "Inferno, Quickstrike, keep the felines off my thrusters, I'm going in for our next target." Terrorsaur added towards the two insects as he dove towards where Rattrap had taken refuge, "You can't hide forever vermin! Your team are falling like flies out here while you cower behind a rock." The transmetal Pterodactyl sneered, firing his optic lasers at the formation to try and force Rattrap to duck down.

The moment he felt he would be able to cover the distance in no time, he reverted to beast mode and went into a steeper dive, talons outstretched and making a grab for the transmetal rat.

The moment she had seen the Maximals scatter, Spineback wasted no time in beginning to fire upon each of them with her Plasma Sphere Shooter. The only one who seemed unlucky enough not to escape the tumbling boulders had been the traitor Onyx. Karma at its finest in her opinion. ‘And that is why you don’t turn your back on a cause you dedicated yourself to.’

Turning her attention fully to the situation at hand, the former Decepticon has to raised her shield arm to take some of the return fire, Tigerhawk’s own blasts making her his softly from the shock, but enduring it regardless. Her main focus though turned to the fliers, keeping them at bay the best she could to allow Terrorsaur or Inferno make a move to get a target. Though her optics soon followed the falling Airazor, flinching a little when the Maximal crashed into the riverbank, no doubt stunned and in pain from what she had just endured, “On it.” She answered towards Terrorsaur, making a move towards the falcon as she continued firing on the fliers and the rock formation Rattrap has taken refuge until she reached Airazor, looming over her for a moment. “First day back on the job, doesn’t seem to be going well.” She remarked with a fanged grin.

But she let out a pained grunt as two shots came from Airazor and into her stomach. Despite the pain she was in and the fall, Airazor was pushing through it enough to have transformed and got in a few shots, “Not before I leave a few marks on you, Predacon.” She retorted, movement slow from the cyber venom, something Spineback noted right away, “Shame it’s not enough.” With a well-placed right hook to the same spot she had just been shot before, the veteran knocked the wind from Airazor, causing her to fall to her knees and gagging from the violent blow. One single blow with her knee to the Maximal’s head was more than enough to knock the flier out of commission then.

“I have secured the falcon in my possession. If we can’t get Rattrap, we have an alternative.” Spineback commed to the rest of the team, hauling the unconscious Airazor over her shoulder.

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

“Great firepower for the Maximals maybe.” Rampage scoffed, having found their firepower rather meager in comparison to any others he had faced in the past. Even the scientists back on Cybertron who had put him through so much torture and pain had proven to be more of a challenge. But then again, if the two Maximal medics hadn’t drugged him so heavily he likely would have done far more damage or even left Megatron lacking a Predacon or two a few days prior.

Leaving it at that though, Rampage followed after Megatron, remaining in his robot mode where he could keep a better stride with the transmetal t-rex. Thankfully, their trip to meet up with the remaining team was quiet and allowed Rampage some time to process what he had witnessed. Occasionally he would give a sidelong glance towards the Predacon commander, wondering what went through that twisted mind of his. By no means was Megatron entirely a fool that tried to talk big. His cunning and threats were something to take seriously, more than the crab would have figured. ‘I just have to keep playing his games, sooner or later even the most brilliant of mine slip up.’ The mech thought to himself as they drew closer to where the other team had gone off to.

Once they were close, Rampage finally shifted to his crab mode, “A new player to add to our little game I hope?” Rampage inquired, focusing ahead of them towards where the pod was indicated to have landed earlier.

"Whatever happens, we are all in this together," Whitegrazer said, and she wasn't just implying what happens when they all returned to Cybertron, but whatever the Predacons or her people planned on doing in the near future, she knew, and wanted Wintersong to know, that they had each other's backs. They were a team, they were a family now, and family stuck together.

Wintersong seemed a bit fidgety. Probably because they had been sitting and talking for a bit, and she knew how difficult and uncomfortable this could be for the female tigress. She wasn't used to this nor did she know to handle the Vok or know what they did to her when she was in the cocoon, but it was quite clear that the Vok, her people, have some type of connection with Wintersong, especially if she could hear them. Not mention, the female tigress now had connections. Something she didn't have before. Something inside her, though, and something she hoped she was mistaken with was the fact that the Vok could be subtly, suggestively, control her friend's actions. As Wintersong seemed to be on edge, trying to keep herself settle, as she tried to assure her, and maybe herself also, that she was all right, Whitegrazer just smiled, "I understand." Then she looked apologetically towards the female tigress as another thought entered her mind. The female tigress had been stuck in a small, suffocating space for weeks, and even though her quarters weren't too small, they weren't spacious either. "Maybe next time, I hold our little chats outdoors. These walls can be too constricting even for meditations, sometimes," she chuckled

There was a knock on her door, and it was Optimus. She didn't mean to ignore him. She was just worried about Wintersong, but also, deeper down, part of her felt dread. What did Optimus want to speak to her about? Well, why was she asking herself? He was already there. She stood up, "Wintersong, I know things have been rough, but try and take it one step at a time. And remember, my door is always open both literally and...." she pointed to her spark, reminding Wintersong about what they talked about earlier, with a warm smile and nod. "Figuratively, but, as I said, and promised you earlier, it is your choice." She bowed, and made her way to the entrance and exit of her quarters, opening the door, but sidestepped to allow Wintersong to exit.

Once Wintersong made her exit, Whitegrazer kept a glance at the female tigress. She was still concerned and the talk they both shared only heightened her senses that her people were pulling something and using Wintersong as their puppet. The problem is... what they were planning and how Wintersong fit into those plans. But that had to wait for another time.

"I'm sorry for not answering you earlier, Optimus," she gazed at Optimus, her entire expression looked at him apologetically. Then she looked back at Wintersong, who was probably gone already, remembering the moment the female tigress felt some sort of pain. Her face riddled with concern towards the female tigeress. She gazed back at Optimus, stepping aside, "Do you wish to come in?"

"It's nice to see how much you care about your new comrades now,"

Blackarachnia stared at the Maximal rhino, noticing that his statement was more in a lighthearted tone than derisive. So she returned the lightheartedness in kind. "Well, I'm the Predacon, well, one of the Predacon experts in here, and since I'm the only one around at the moment, I believe it is one of my primary duties to make sure you Maximals keep your daggers sharpened." And she closed that statement with a wink.

"We all know how tricky and manipulative he can be,"

"Can't be all that tricky and manipulative if we can watch and listen to everything he does and says, can he?" She was no fool, though, and due to her experience with working with and under manipulative, treacherous, calculating planners, she knew not to underestimate what those types of people didn't or did know or what they said and what they didn't say. It's all about details and what has been said inbetween the lines and lies spurted out of snakes' mouths. "He does seem to be all tucked out, though. Maybe this is the perfect opportunity to have a little chat with him. Hmm?"

"We don't need to torture him," said Rhinox. "I think we've taken enough precautions to keep him entrapped in there."

"Well, I think someone should talk to him either Optimus or that white mare who loves to talk and make peace before he starts up again or gets wise." Blackarachnia said stretching her arms and legs a bit. "If I was in that same position, being tortured or at least interrogated would at least keep me from keeping myself out of boredom."

"You're right, Aurora," he agreed again as he looked into her green, pleading optics. "I'm sorry. I will do my best to avoid those circumstances and remind myself how we all need each other in order to survive this war."

The fuzor had to fight to hold back a tear when Optimus uttered those words, as the memories and emotions she associated with the particular instance she had been referencing were still very much so alive.. Just.. buried. And now they were all threatening to come out, and to overwhelm her with their intensity.

Wiping her optics with her her arm to clear off any tears that may have been gathering, the little fuzor drew a silent sigh of relief that Optimus wouldn't so readily jump at the next opportunity to sacrifice himself for the rest of them. Yes, it was admirable of him to do so, to be willing to give himself up for the rest of them, but it felt good to know that he was at last somewhat taking her words to his spark.

"You better honor that promise," she told him, forcing a bit of a smile as she did, "Because if you don't, I'll be forced to give you a stern talking to the next time we have to bring you back to life."

Of course there wasn't likely to be a next time. How they had managed it the first time was something of a miracle, and Aurora couldn't bring herself to believe such a feat could be accomplished more than once.

After comparing notes about their thoughts on the Predacons, it was obvious they both shared a similar view on how Megatron wouldn't be able to sustain the loyalty of a majority of his troops. Aurora firmly believed it was that loyalty among the Maximals that would ultimately lead them to victory in the end.

"We'll come out on top,"

Aurora had squeezed his hand a little tighter as he reaffirmed her statement about unity, her smile growing more genuine.

"Yeah.. We will. And we'll kick some major skidplate getting there too."

Obviously she had been influenced by everyone's favorite rodent, not that this was entirely a bad thing. Aurora had been a lot more shy when she first came online, but now she could talk dirt with .. almost.. the best of them.

"We certainly need each other," he established. "All of us."

Comforted by the sincere tone in his voice, Aurora felt reassured Primal meant it. And she agreed. Mostly. The only thing was that she still wasn't quite sure if a majority of the Predacons would be willing to listen to reason, and it was doubtful they'd be able to form any lasting alliance with them. Even if a few Predacons had come seeking shelter with the Maximals, it still seemed to be the exception more so than the rule.

"I hope we can convince the Predacons of that some day..," she said, her tone a bit more serious.

"I have the greatest crew any leader could ask for,"

The fuzor nodded in agreement, ignoring the unruly lock of white fur that always seemed to fall into her face whenever she moved it certain ways. "Because you made us into a well functioning team," she concurred, "Yeah, I kinda snooped in the computer files from back when the Axalon initially crashed here. I know things didn't always run so smoothly." And at times they still didn't, especially with all the trouble makers the Maximals had to deal with on a regular basis.

"I feel that I did do wrong. I partook in something that went against my morals. I didn't have to follow orders, Aurora. I didn't have to be there at all. I could have worked on something else somewhere else. I could have done something to help Zodiac and Rampage instead of making it worse for them. I could have taken a stand against the injustices at the time instead of regretting it now when there's nothing I can do. I could have-!"

Aurora listened to the commander still blaming himself for something nobody else blamed him for.. Well, mostly nobody else. It was fairly obvious the socalled victims still very much so held a grudge. But at least one of them was locked up in the brig with no means of escaping justice this time, while the other.. Well.. Rampage had made his choice, she felt, not quite knowing the details about the crab's spark issue.

"And where would you have been if you had disobeyed those orders?," she questioned when the leader paused in his explanation. "And if you hadn't done it, I'm sure someone else would have been assigned to do it for you. I'm not saying what happened was right, but I'd like to think it was the exception rather than the rule.."

She paused as Optimus continued explaining.

"I just want you to understand... I see a little bit of myself in you, Aurora; your curiosity and creativeness. Whatever you do with your research and innovations, never use it against someone's will and well-being. If it feels wrong to you, then it is, and you always have the option not to act on it. Because if you follow through with it, it will weigh on your mind every day, and in the end it may catch up to you. Rampage exists because of me, and now he's a threat to all of us. Zodiac is here because of my involvement and his ability to track me down, and he nearly killed you... almost all of you. I implore you, don't make the same mistakes I have. Do you understand?"

The fuzor couldn't help blushing a bit at the comparison Optimus first made, since in her opinion it was actually quite flattering to hear him say that. While it was true she didn't know too much about Optimus' days as a scientist, she knew how smart and devoted he was to pretty much anything he set his mind to, so there were certainly far worse individuals she could be compared to.

"I would never..," she started before remembering that she had applied the nanogel to Optimus without actually asking for permission. Although in her defense she had honestly not considered her invention to be dangerous in any form. "I mean.. my plant subjects haven't complained much," she added with a slightly teasing tone. But after thinking about it for a moment or two, she agreed.

"I understand," she told him sincerely. "But don't worry, I will heed your warning. I promise."

Of course Primal did bring up a valid point. Rampage and Zodiac were both still very much alive and they were both still around. But what could be done to help solve that issue, she wasn't sure.. Still, her primary concern was keeping her Maximal family safe. Sure, it was a pity those two had to have suffered, but it still didn't justify what they were attempting to do now in her opinion.

"No one deserves what they've been through,"

"Do you have any possible solutions in mind for those two?," she inquired with some hesitancy. Really, was there anything they could do to help? Zodiac had attempted to kill them, repeatedly, and Rampage.. well.. he seemed quite crazy from what she'd heard from those who'd gotten to see the crab in action.

"Maybe you are able to get some answers about Zodiac at least..," she then concluded as they finished up their little meeting. The fuzor took her leave and headed to the lab like promised. Perhaps a little later she'd try to get a nap, but first she had some work to do. As she walked down the hallway, she could hear Optimus leave his quarters to join Whitegrazer in hers no doubt, the leader having been unable to keep the seriousness of her latest reveal off his face from the moment he saw the evidence the fuzor had gathered. Hopefully the white mare would be able to shed some light on what had happened there, since the fuzor was honestly at a loss about how their trusted female vok hybrid could share so many genetic markers with the shapeshifting renegade who had attempted to kill them all.

In a different part of the downed vessel, another individual was indeed attempting to catch up on some much needed sleep. Zodiac had finally settled down enough to drift off into what was apparently a restless sleep to anyone who happened to be still watching him on the cameras. He seemed to startle a few times, his body twitching as he almost woke up, before his exhausted state forced him to drift off again.

It never lasted long, however, only until his mind entered a dream state. His dreams were very vivid, frightening.. real. They consisted of a continuous influx of memories mixed with his own fears and guilt, often twisting the dreams into unspeakable horrors. A constant reminder of how little control he had over his chaotic life. They were the reason he avoided sleep as often as he did, that he would force himself to stay awake to the point of exhaustion when his body would simply force him to rest. It wasn't abnormal for him to go days without sleeping, and when he finally did it was only for a few hours at the most. It was never peaceful, never welcome..

"I gave you an order."

The voice was stern, authoritarian, impatient.. It was also familiar.. and demanded immediate obedience and promised severe consequences if the demands were not met.

Cryotek.

A young male, still without a proper name, stood before him with his gaze lowered to the ground. His long wings, vaguely similar to those Cryotek himself sported, were dragging on the ground behind him, his arms hanging at his sides, and the look on his face reflecting the severity of the situation. At his feet lay another figure, trembling in pain and fear, his open wounds slowly draining his mech fluid onto the floor. The young male was avoiding looking straight at the downed male, not wanting to see the fear in his optics. Or perhaps what he really feared was that the other male would look back at him when he carried out the order he'd been given. After all, he knew the other male. If circumstances were different, perhaps they would have been friends.

"Surely I don't need to remind you of what happens when you disobey me," the authoritarian figure continued as he gestured to the weapon on the ground. The young male shook his head and hesitantly grabbed for the weapon, a dull bladed sword. No doubt they had chosen this particular weapon as their preferred method of execution to make sure the death would be painful and slower than it had to be.

He fought the shaking in his hand that threatened to knock the sword back to the ground, as well as their piercing optics that followed his every move, and even the sound of the guards present raising their weapons just in case he was to disobey and try something foolish. And finally he tried to ignore the faint whimpers and pleading from his victim, a fellow prisoner who had for some reason been deemed expendable. Truth be told the young male didn't know why the other male had been sentenced to death, whether the technology just didn't work on him or if he had done something to actually warrant such drastic measures. And it didn't matter. So what if he knew this guy? It didn't change anything. Those times the whimpering figure at his feet had attempted to help the young male keep up his spirit didn't matter. None of it did.

"Well?"

Cryotek's voice was growing more impatient, the single word presenting a warning to the young male who was a mere child by Cybertronian standards. And so the young male did his bidding, clenching the dull sword in his hand as he stepped over the other male and placed the tip at his throat. And then proceeded to trace the sword to the partially cracked chest plate covering his spark chamber. He would at least grant his fellow prisoner as quick a death as he could, and bleeding out on the floor was not it.

He cast one last glance at the warlord, hoping for some form of signal that he had already passed their test and didn't have to do this. But upon not receiving it, the young male held his breath and looked away as he started to apply more and more pressure to the sword. He felt the already damaged armor crack further under the forces exerted upon it, the dull blade pushing deeper and deeper. The other male's groans grew a little louder, then fainter again, then one final gasp as the chest plate finally cracked open and allowed the sword to plunge through it and into the spark chamber underneath. There was one final sound, a sickening one the young male couldn't quite place, as the spark itself got impaled. And then .. nothing. He looked down in time to see the already weakened spark sputter and then fade away into nothingness.

Zodiac awoke with a gasp, feeling his own spark race, and he looked around frantically for a moment before his sense of orientation returned to him. Calming down, he let out a frustrated sigh and adjusted his position against the uneven wall behind him.

Meanwhile Nemesis kept leading the new recruit away from the inevitable fighting, hoping not to entice him to get involved since she still had some slight doubts about his credibility as a Predacon. It all just seemed a little too convenient, unless of course the young raptor had stowed away with the Maximals in hopes of meeting up with Megatron to begin with. The avian female felt it wasn't in her place to make that judgement call, that honor belonged to the tyrant.

"Nemesis, have you successfully procured the new protoform?"

Speaking of which.. Just then the tyrant's private message came through, causing Nemesis to signal for Quickfix to stop for a moment. She briefly looked at him while Megatron was inquiring about the prototype, only replying when the Predacon leader had finished.

"I have indeed. He was most keen to join up as soon as one of the Maximals mentioned your name, in fact, and he claims he knew you from his days running for Cryotek. He calls himself Quickfix," she reported back, curious if the tyrant would be willing to shed some more information on their newest member.

While she waited for the tyrant to process the information and tell her more, if it pleased him of course as Nemesis knew better than to push him for it, she turned her attention back to the younger male.

“Not with the better part not knowing there would be conflict when I joined this expedition.” The younger Predacon defended himself in a light tone. “I was no longer part of Cryotek’s gang at the time, Nemesis. He had some of the others leave me high and dry after hacking into a Maximal data facility, and it was not a life I wanted any part of when I realized the full extent of what Cryotek and his goons were doing.” He explained with bitterness clear in his tone, “I asked to see Megatron because his name has been the only one I recognized since attempting to start anew.”

Well then.. That certainly sounds like an approach Cryotek would have made if caught in an uncomfortable situation like that. As menacing as the crimelord could be behind the scenes, he wasn't one to really take charge and be upfront about his ambitions. In that regards Megatron was far superior. Cryotek preferred to run his operations from the shadows and to pretend that his own hands were clean.. even though everyone knew that wasn't the case.

"The full extent of what Cryotek and his goons were doing..," she repeated thoughtfully, appearing genuinely interested to find out more. Granted she already knew a great deal about some of Cryotek's more shadowy operations, having once been a part of one of the experiments he funded. Of course she didn't know or trust this newcomer enough to share that tidbit of info.

"Fortunate for us that you made the choices you did then," she then added with a bit of a smile. After all, should Quickfix' claims prove to be legit he held a much needed skill set for the Predacons. And most of them required frequent repairs, after all.

“You guys really don’t waste time to act do you.”

A shrug of the shoulders followed that comment, but she did briefly glance back to see how the rest of the Predacons were doing. If necessary she would grab the hostage herself, but that would require her to leave Quickfix in someone else's care. Which didn't really seem ideal considering the group she'd taken here excluding the single other female among them. No, she'd give them a chance to manage without her help. One chance.

"When it's necessary," she told the young male to reassure him. "I wouldn't worry overly much about it right now, but there are certain loose ends we need to take care of soon."

“Then you are more of a coward and fool than I gave you credit for Nemesis.”

The female let out an annoyed huff when Onyx' response then came through on the private channel, but she let it go for now. She hardly needed his approval, and if he thought her a coward and a fool.. well.. for one he was sorely mistaken.. and secondly .. it could be beneficial if he indeed thought of her that way. After all cowards and fools tended to be underestimated. Soon she'd make the black stallion eat his words, but first there were more pressing concerns she needed to focus her attention on.


What happened next only went to prove that when they set their minds to it, the Predacons could truly be a force to be reckoned with. Nemesis turned her head towards the sound of boulders breaking off and forming a rock slide, an unreadable smile on her face when she noticed Onyx, or at least someone with his colors, get trapped underneath the falling rocks.

Aah, karma.. Such a wonderful thing.

She reached her arm out, using it to pat the young raptor on the back to urge him to turn around and take in the view in the distance. Sure, there were some trees shielding some of the action from their view, but they could still make out some details. "You made a wise choice by sticking to your Predacon roots," she told the new recruit. Just then Spineback's message came through as well.

“I have secured the falcon in my possession. If we can’t get Rattrap, we have an alternative.”

Well then.. Nemesis' smile turned a little wider, a hint of pride visible. "Excellent work, doctor, I knew I could count on you," she complemented the other female. Now if only Terrorsaur could complete his mission as well, since the rodent had always been a pest in the avian female's side.

"Great work, Predacons! Keep the pressure on them and don't let them regroup! And Terrorsaur.. you've got your instructions," she told all of them before turning her attention to the young raptor again.

"We'll be joining up with Megatron shortly.. But in the meanwhile, let's join our brethren and show the Maximals what they're up against."

"You better honor that promise,"

Optimus had tried not to notice the Fuzor's watery optics in case he might trigger an uncontrollable fountain of tears before she quickly wiped them herself, but it was clear to him how much Aurora cared about him and all of them, and he knew he would have to make good on his promise.

"Because if you don't, I'll be forced to give you a stern talking to the next time we have to bring you back to life."

He had given her a light chuckle to that. "Let's hope it won't come to that," he smiled lightly. Sweet, innocent Aurora. If he could make this war disappear and this world a happier, care-free place with a snap of his fingers, he would. Unfortunately, it was not that easy, and there were still going to be difficult times ahead of them.

"Yeah.. We will. And we'll kick some major skidplate getting there too."

Optimus managed a laugh that time as he agreed with his Chief Biologist. Her words had obviously been influenced by Rattrap, but even though he was often a pain in everyone's skidplates, he was loyal, good for comic relief and even uplifting the team's moral, and Aurora clearly looked up to him in a positive way. The Spy had been able to build her confidence and bring her out of her shell, and they shared an affinity for creative weapons and tools.

"I hope we can convince the Predacons of that some day..,"

"As do I, Aurora," Primal had concurred with a voice that almost sounded exasperated about the whole idea and his purpose of life being able to bring everyone together while Megatron was still trying to divide and conquer.

"Because you made us into a well functioning team,"

The gorilla in robot mode had grew speechless when she said that because he hadn't thought of it that way before. Back on Cybertron, he had higher-ranking Maximals like Nexus who provided him with feedback, constructive criticism and leadership. He received recognition for his accomplishments and successes so he knew how to improve himself and so forth. Here on Earth, sometime in the past, there wasn't anyone present with higher authority. There was no one more experienced and knowledgeable to pat him on the back or to teach him the do's and don'ts of war. The fact that they were still there battling the Predacons and the Vok was the only way he could validate his leadership and know that he was at least doing enough to keep them moving forward despite how bleak it seemed at times. But when Aurora spoke those words, it gave him a boost in his confidence like no other, perhaps not even comparable to Nexus Prime. "Thank you, Aurora..." he said quietly but sincerely because of the impact her honesty had on him.

"Yeah, I kinda snooped in the computer files from back when the Axalon initially crashed here. I know things didn't always run so smoothly."

Optimus had almost slipped into a sheepish or embarrassed appearance then as he recalled their earlier encounters with the Preds and their own squabbles and mistakes among themselves, but he quickly recovered from it, seemingly ignoring her "snooping" around in the data files no doubt taught to her by their professional infiltrator and local rat. "Well, I was young and inexperienced," he tried defending himself with a lighter tone in his voice, "And we were just starting to get to know each other. It was a lot to take in with a new crew and suddenly being thrown into chaos."

"And where would you have been if you had disobeyed those orders?,"

His gaze had faltered from her's as he thought about that, but he wasn't sure of the answer. Prison, perhaps, just to keep him quiet. Or maybe he would have just been given a different job. Who knew.

"And if you hadn't done it, I'm sure someone else would have been assigned to do it for you. I'm not saying what happened was right, but I'd like to think it was the exception rather than the rule.."

Then at least I wouldn't be responsible for their suffering, and they wouldn't have bothered to threaten all of you, thought Primal.

"I would never..,"

He was bit a more assured about her being careful and following her own moral compass.

"I mean.. my plant subjects haven't complained much,"

Optimus had sent her a small smile appreciating her sense of humor even if it was more of a touchy subject for him. He knew she meant well.

"I understand," "But don't worry, I will heed your warning. I promise."

"Good," he said with a nod pleased to hear her statement. Now, they both had promises to keep so as not to disappoint each other.

"Do you have any possible solutions in mind for those two?,"

The Commander sighed thoughtfully before he shook his head. "Not at the moment." It may not have been what she wanted to hear considering everything Zodiac had recently put her through, but at least he was being honest. And maybe his uncertainty would inspire her to come up with some suggestions.

"Maybe you are able to get some answers about Zodiac at least..,"

"We'll see." And that was all he could offer on that subject. Although he did hope that Zodiac would be willing to both talk and listen, but as things stood between them now, tensions would be quite high.

-----

Meanwhile in the present...
The Maximal leader stood there before the equine's quarters with his data pad in one hand and the scar across his mouth, waiting for the door open.

"I'm sorry for not answering you earlier, Optimus,"

When it finally did after a few moments, Optimus seemed to look past Whitegrazer's apologetic smile and simply nodded at her as he acknowledged her words. Although he was a tad bit annoyed for being ignored over his comm. link, he took one glance at the abnormal glowing on Wintersong which immediately reminded him of their newly established link as well as the tigress' current state of mind and well being ever since she had returned to them on her own. He hadn't even been debriefed on that yet because of her surgery and recovery time in the CR.

"Do you wish to come in?"

"No, thank you, not just yet," his attitude adjusting to a more polite tone.

"Don't go anywhere, Wintersong," Primal told her since both her and Whitegrazer's actions implied that she was being excused. Instinct and the exchange of glances between them suggested to the Commander that they had already been privately discussing something personal, and that was most likely what Wintersong had endured with the Vok. Of course Whitegrazer was probably the best person to speak with about the aliens since she was one herself, but her relationship and involvement with them might warrant some apprehension from Wintersong fully trusting her and asking her for help. Because of Optimus's encounters with them and his detachment from any relations with them, he might be able to relate to her pain in a different way than Whitegrazer could. Either way, no matter who Wintersong wanted to confide in, if anyone at this point, he just hoped that she would be open to talk about it sometime so they might be able to help her cope and not be fearful or so willing to keep secrets from them. Whitegrazer tended to hold no ill will toward them while Optimus wasn't exactly the welcoming type for everything they had put him through. His tolerance for their callousness and unreasonable ways was at its limit, especially now with the trauma they bequeathed to yet another Maximal of his.

"Whitegrazer, I need an explanation for this," Optimus said as he handed her his data pad that showed the similar genetic make-up she had with Zodiac. He purposely didn't say who he got the information from. As far as he was concerned, that was the least of her worries at the moment. "Privately, if you wish," he added the allowance.

"But first, Wintersong," Primal returned his attention to the TransMetal tigress, "I haven't even had the opportunity to ask if you're alright. I'm glad to see you've recovered from your injuries, but this does concern me," he said with compassion very evident in his voice as his orange optics lowered slightly and his hand gestured to the strange anomaly illuminating across her chest. As he mentioned it, some inaudible, soft whispers crossed his mind and he subtly glanced at both of them without causing for alarm as if he was searching their expressions to see if they had heard them too. Only Wintersong might have though. Normally such occurrences would be easily suppressed by Optimus, but they were certainly more frequent now with Wintersong back. Rhinox's findings with her new abnormalities lingered in his thoughts as well, but he didn't bother bringing them up at that moment. He left the discussion open for her to comment further on the matter if she wanted to, including her abduction.

"And I believe there was something you wanted to discuss with me a little while ago, Whitegrazer," he reminded her. But he could only surmise that it might have been about his spark and how he had no idea how to control the odd occurrences it performed sometimes without him knowing. Primus, none of them were ever going to be the same after this war. It was constantly one change after another when it came to their bodies, sparks, emotional anguish and mental stability. Wintersong, however, was his biggest concern right now.

-----

"Well, I'm the Predacon, well, one of the Predacon experts in here, and since I'm the only one around at the moment, I believe it is one of my primary duties to make sure you Maximals keep your daggers sharpened."

That was an interesting interpretation from the black widow. Was she in denial and the Maximals were beginning to grow on her, or was she being honest and sincere? It was difficult for Rhinox to discern. Either way, it was beneficial having her there because of her Predacon background. She knew how most of them worked, which might have been what Megatron feared the most about his traitors; their transfer of knowledge to his enemies.

"Can't be all that tricky and manipulative if we can watch and listen to everything he does and says, can he?" "He does seem to be all tucked out, though. Maybe this is the perfect opportunity to have a little chat with him. Hmm?"

The engineer glanced over at Blackarachnia with a little skepticism. "In time. He could use the rest." Being nice to their prisoner, the very one who tried killing all of them, was probably quite foreign to her, and he didn't expect her to understand. Could they keep Zodiac awake and hungry on purpose just to punish him and make sure he remained weak? Of course, but that wasn't the "Maximal way".

"Well, I think someone should talk to him either Optimus or that white mare who loves to talk and make peace before he starts up again or gets wise." "If I was in that same position, being tortured or at least interrogated would at least keep me from keeping myself out of boredom."

"Letting him sleep will also give you a break," Rhinox pointed out to her to try and get her mind off of being so adamant about someone speaking with the shape shifter. Maybe she just wanted some excitement by watching Zodiac attack Optimus or Whitegrazer. Could she be that cynical or sinister? He hoped not. If she was bored, then now was a good time for her to find something else to do while managing to stay out of trouble.

Even in his slumber, however, the pretender was still restless, Rhinox observed. It didn't seem like a pleasant dream either. Had it been about guilt, or fear? It was hard to tell through the video feed. The rhinoceros couldn't help but wonder what or who he had dreamed of as he took the slightest pity on him considering the purpose and longevity of the torture he had endured in the past.

"Rattrap, what's your status report?" Big Green attempted to communicate with his friend out in the field...

-----

“I knew it was too easy!” “Everyone alright?!”

“Losin’ your bearings Maxies?! Haha!”

Voices and gun fire seemed to ring in from every direction now. Rattrap tried to desperately keep track of his team, but they had scattered everywhere, especially the Maximal fliers. Ducking behind his boulder to avoid the onslaught of gun fire from the Predacons, he looked back over his shoulder for the ebony horse but all he found was a large pile of rubble. Oh no... Was he under that? He had to have been, he was no where else to be found as he quickly scanned the area near himself. Slag! He decided he needed to help him because he needed reinforcements, but first he needed to give himself some cover fire.

"Too slow this time feathers!"

Peering beyond his boulder just enough to view some of the terrain and the sky, he was about to return fire again at Quickstrike, Terrorsaur and Inferno, until he spotted the peregrine falcon go down. "Airazor!" he cried out for her with concern over the noise. He knew she could handle herself, she was quite the fighter, but if she and Onyx were down, the Maximals were quickly becoming outnumbered and outgunned. "Tigerhawk, help her!" he called over his comm. link since he was too far away to get to Airazor from his position and it had looked like Spineback was closing in on her. He was about to call for Cheetor as well when a barrage of gun fire from the other Preds pummeled his location. A lot of it shredded his cover and forced him to duck lower to the ground, covering his head with his gun and other hand from the rocky debris. He had make a run for it. He was a sitting duck if he didn't. If he could just get to Onyx...

"You can't hide forever vermin! Your team are falling like flies out here while you cower behind a rock."

Man, I hate dat bird! His voice is like scratching on a chalk board! the Spy thought bitterly. When the opportunity arose, the master marksman stood up and took the time - albeit he was quicker than most - to make his shots count as he fired at Terrorsaur and Inferno who were incoming, the 'dactyl in beast mode now with his talons extended. What the heck was he planning on doing? Picking him up and dropping him? It seemed a little out of character for ol' Needle-nose, but Rattrap didn't have much time to ponder about it. As soon as he fired off his shots at the fliers, he ran for the pile of debris that had buried the stallion. Sliding across the dirt and smaller rocks, he reached it and used some of it for cover as he set his gun down and started to roll off and pick up and drop as many rocks as he could and as quickly as he could. "Onyx!" he hollered for him. "Hang on!" With the fliers drawing nearer, he grabbed his gun and fired upward at them again, but by now he had lost track of Quickstrike, and that mistake would be the rodent's downfall. One of the Fuzor's shots of venom nailed him in the shoulder, and his entire arm and upper chest was suddenly paralyzed and glowing bright green. Now, Rattrap was beginning to panic. He swapped his gun to his functional arm and hand and fired at Quickstrike across the way, but it was too late.

A rocket barreled down from Inferno and exploded on the ground right between Rattrap and Onyx disintegrating most of the rocks that had decorated the traitor. The ant laughed uncontrollably as he immediately decreased his altitude and landed on his feet near the crater that his weapon had created with great satisfactory.

The force of the explosion in such close proximity easily blew Rattrap right off his feet. All he could remember was the intense heat that his whole front frame had felt, and a big, bright flash accompanied with a deafening bang. His small body laid lifelessly several feet away on his back.

"Who gets the last laugh now, rrrrrodent!" Inferno happily jeered while rolling the "r". That'll show that cocky, little rat. "Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha!" It may have been hard to believe that the Predacons were taking this mission by storm. Surely, their Queen would be pleased with their results! While the arsonist stood there mocking Rattrap and fantasizing about the Royalty rewarding them, he had forgotten about Onyx laying on ground off to the side, merely assuming that he didn't have to worry about him. The rodent, on the other hand, was known for his tricks and opportunistic nature, so he kept his weapon and attention trained on the smallest of the Maximals that were present while Terrorsaur handled the rest of his capture.

"Rattrap, what's your status report?"

As Rhinox's voice came through Rattrap's comm. link, there was no response.

Although his silence worried the rhinoceros a little, he assumed that he might not have heard him over the sound of his engine if they were traveling back to Base. So, he tried again. "Come in, Rattrap. Do you copy?" Nothing. He decided to try someone else.

"Airazor, this is Rhinox. Do you read me?" He gave her a moment to reply, waiting patiently.

-----

“Great firepower for the Maximals maybe.”

The shiny t-rex glanced at Rampage but didn't respond. Megatron's firepower was plenty powerful, but he did admire the crab's weapon as well as his strength and allegedly immortal spark. Compared to the Maximals, he felt that he and his Predacons greatly outmatched them.

“A new player to add to our little game I hope?”

"You 'hope'?" Megatron repeated the word, almost taken aback by Rampage utilizing it. "I had not realized that optimism was an attitude you would associate yourself with." It was difficult to tell if the Predacon was being sincere or merely mocking him. "Nevertheless," he moved on, "let us hope," and grinned a bit deviously as he waited for the Decepticon-turned-Predacon's update.

"I have indeed.

Excellent, yesss, he thought excitedly. Finally, his Predacons managed to succeed with stealing another protoform from those foolish Maximals. What a glorious day this was turning into!

He was most keen to join up as soon as one of the Maximals mentioned your name, in fact,

He laughed inside of himself. Those Maximals truly were incompetent sometimes. No doubt they were attempting to warn this newcomer of Megatron, but instead they had encouraged him to seek the tyrant out! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

and he claims he knew you from his days running for Cryotek.

Well, now. That was intriguing... Megatron's curiosity peaked a bit at that. Who was it...?

He calls himself Quickfix,"

Quickfix? He was thoughtful for a moment about the familiar name before he finally responded to Nemesis in his deep voice, or rather anyone in general who could hear him. "So, the rumors held some truth to them after all. I once thought him a coward, but let us see where his loyalty truly lies," he implied with a number of tests and in battle. He was sure he didn't have to spell it out for Nemesis.

In the distance, he and Rampage could hear the gun fire in the direction that the others were located, so he continued walking toward it without bothering to rush into the fray. Instead, he would rather sneak up on the battle and observe from the side line before they were to attack the Axalon. "Have we any cooperation from Tarantulas lately?" he inquisitively asked Nemesis over their transmission.

((Sorry guys, life is still hectic right now. New Years didn’t equal getting my life in order, but working on it. Sorry for the delays.))

The way Nemesis spoke made Quickfix regard her curiously for a moment. Had he said something that was of interest to her? The young mech wanted to inquire about it and figure that out, but thought better of it. With her suspicions towards him and having yet to prove his claims she might not take kindly to prying into something that was possibly personal.

“I was often involved with his surface operations, but I heard rumors there was more to what Cryotek did than what a newcomer like me knew about.” Quickfix explained, “But I never thought to look deeper into the rumors without risking something far worse than being a scapegoat. I already foolishly got myself dragged into the criminal underground and I found the hard way it was not a life I wanted.” It was a hard lesson to learn, one he had gotten off lightly with compared to most others.

He returned Nemesis’ smile with a faint one of his own, “I left Cryotek but not my faction. Being a Predacon is everything that makes me who I am ma’am.” Perhaps rather cliche, but the young raptor spoke with the upmost pride for his heritage and greatest respect towards Nemesis. But the pat on his back inviting him to observe the situation behind them caused him to turn, Quickfix taking in the chaos of the situation fully at last. These Predacons were a little more on the chaotic, crazy side but proved effective in tackling the Maximals head on without remorse or second thoughts, something Quickfix admittedly could admire.

“I am not heavily armed,” Quickfix drew his only firearm then, prepping the EMP shotgun, “But EMP rounds tend to cause some havoc.” He expressed his readiness to jump in when Nemesis was ready, mentally preparing himself for the trials to come if he was to prove his usefulness.

——————————

Cheetor had had to improvise with much for the battle.

He had been dodging, free falling, and firing at any of the Predacons he could aim at with his hand cannon. Unlike Tigerhawk, Airazor, and Optimus he was not a flier who could manage flight and use his weapons at the same time. Not unless it was in close quarters involving his claws and fangs. It was annoying and frustrating all at the same time knowing he was rather limited in the air save for getting in quickly at his opponents and striking from above when they least expected it.

However, his attention was drawn towards Airazor falling from the sky, gasping in concern for the the femme he strangle found as almost like a sister figure. “Airazor!” Cheetor had started to make a beeline for the falcon before a beam of bright green crossed his path, causing the transmetal cheetah to have to stop in his tracks, growling at seeing Quickstrike interfering in trying to rescue his friend. Another beam shot towards him forced the young Maximal to backtrack, having to divert his attention elsewhere, just in time to see Rattrap forcing Terrorsaur away from attacking him.

“You’re going down you featherless freak!” If he couldn’t save Airazor, he could certainly get revenge for her! Relying on the chance one of the others could get her in time, Cheetor dove towards Terrorsaur who he assumed was trying to get his bearings back and immediately going for the attack. When he was sure he had leveled out enough, the mech transformed with the intent on dropping right on top of the flier and striking him down with his tail sword.

Onyx gave a low groan as he began coming to, feeling a heavy weight on his frame. It took a few minutes to process that he was buried beneath much of the rubble, and another minute or two to realize someone had called his name. Was that the rodent? And he was helping him?

The last thing Onyx would have expected was Rattrap to even consider his safety above his fellow Maximals, the ones he had known for far longer than the stallion. Well, save for the fuzor Tigerhawk. Slowly but surely however the weight began to lessen as Rattrap worked at the rubble, silently thanking the Maximal for the help he surely would repay. Though it was short lived as one of Inferno’s rockets blasted the area, causing Onyx to close his optics and cough up some dust, having to take a moment to wave away the dust, yet feeling himself at last capable of movement.

With a soft grunt, Onyx wiggled his arms free and pressed hard against the remaining rocks, making more space for him to at last crawl out from, digging himself to the top of the rubble while coughing up more dust along the way. Blinking a few times to focus his optics, he focused on the Predacon ant mockingly standing over an unconscious Rattrap and seemingly having forgotten about him. “You forgot the number one rule in combat Inferno.” Rhe stallion spoke, having gotten to his feet and lifting the biggest boulder among the pile he could manage, resting it against his shoulder, “Never turn your back on an enemy.” With a loud heave, the black stallion lobbed the boulder at the ant in attempt to knock him away from Rattrap, jumping down from the pile as he grabbed his weapon that had slid from his grasp and making his way towards the downed Maximal.

Quickstrike winced as he took some shots from the rodent before he had dove for cover, rubbing his chest with his insect leg hand for a moment. His plating was scorched and sore but didn’t deter the fuzor from staying in the fight. His attention quickly returned to the battle, putting his focus on the fliers as Terrorsaur had asked, one of the few times he would remotely consider taking orders from the flier.

His first target had been Cheetor, firing a few shots in the cat’s path to force him to take another direction while giving Spineback the needed time to get Airazor. Next appeared to be Tigerhawk who had seemed to concentrate his firepower where he could. The fuzor was larger than him and would be a challenge but if they were to keep any prisoner the scorpion/cobra fuzor would have to get more into the action. “[b]I don’t think so flea bag![/b]” Quickstrike rushes to meet his fellow fuzor, red optics narrowed with a crazed look, “Ya got to go through me first fur all!” He sneered, firing more shots towards the tiger/hawk fuzor, trying to draw the larger male towards him or keep him at a distance.

——————————————

“If I didn’t know any better scales, you almost miss me.” Tarantulas cackled as he crawled along towards the tyrant and immortal crab. Or so the rumor went.

The crazed spider had been waiting long enough near the base for the others to return. But given the amount of time that had passed the mad scientist had grown impatient with sitting around, deciding to follow where the signals were coming from until he happened upon Megatron and Rampage at last, eyeing the chaotic situation laid out before them. These pod retrieval missions were always a mess, but hardly the norm any longer. But, it did offer a good bit of entertainment.

Whitegrazer’s final words seemed to register something in the tigeress’ head then. An epiphany really. Being so confined to a small space made her feel uncomfortable being in a confined space for far too long, even if it was the Avalon that she had previously held no problems with before. It brought the same feeling back for when the now deceased Glowstrike has nearly drowned her a few years back due to her impulsiveness to tear into him. Now there was the matter of being in an enclosed space for weeks, even months that had left her stricken with similar panic to escape.

It wasn’t the water she had become uncomfortable with, it was an onset of claustrophobia that had plagued her for so long. ‘Thanks skull faces for making life the Pit further, just what I needed.’ She thought bitterly.

Trying to push such a though aside, Wintersong focused on the white mare, giving a stiff nod about the link the Vok hybrid graciously offered. One she likely would never take up unless absolutely necessary. The moment the door was open the transmetal feline had taken a single step forward before Optimus addressed her after holding off on stepping inside as Whitegrazer has offered. “Yes sir.” Wintersong stepped back where she had been before, trying to hold back her irritation of the timing, though that didn’t stop that irritation from being reflected in her amber optics. She wanted to so badly to get out of the confines of Whitegrazer’s room, step outside the ship and get her head on right. Maybe she could return to the site...

No! Stay focused! Shaking her head Wintersong looked at the exchange between Optimus and Whitegrazer, raising an optic ridge in wonder at what Optimus had found. She hadn’t seen him speak so curtly and dismissive with the mare in a long while so it wasn’t difficult to wonder what could possibly happen now. Not that her curiosity remained when Optimus’ gaze shifted to her, mentioning they hadn’t had a chance to speak since the Viper. Still embarrassed by the marking she could not easily hide, Wintersong reacted in the only way she could think of, crossing her arms across her chest and shifting so her right side was no longer visible and she was no longer fully facing the transmetal ape and white mare.

“We’ve all had a rough few days Optimus, don’t worry about it.” Wintersong spoke softly, trying to ignore the soft whispers that began the moment Optimus arrived, her grip tightening on her upper arms slightly. At least it wasn’t at the back of her processor. But it didn’t stop her from giving a side long glance towards Primal, wondering if her heard them as well. “I was just telling Whitegrazer what I remember when I was in the cocoon, but it isn’t much.”

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

With all the concentrated firepower towards the rodent’s location, Terrorssur had hoped he could get the drop on Rattrap. But this was why Terrorsaur wasn’t a fan of trying to use sneak attacks unless it was clear opportunity presented itself, which he was paying for with this gamble.

Rattrap’s trigger finger was faster than the flier could swoop this time, causing him to squawk and have to pull up, growling at the sting from the shots to his chest. “Really hate that rodent.” He grumbled, the irritated flier veering back around in attempt to salvage his mission. He knew what his mission was, having to bite back a snarky remark on Nemesis not needing to remind him. With the rat’s smaller size however, he was far trickier and harder to capture than it appeared, Terrorsaur even losing sight of the transmetal rat until he spotted his fellow flier handling the situation, “Hang on Inferno I’m coming to...RAWK!”

Before he had gotten far, Terrorsaur felt a heavy weight drop on his back, nearly causing him to fall from the sky. Not that the extra weight was much of the problem so much as someone beginning to continuously beat on his back, neck, and head, causing Terrorsaur to squawk in rage, barely able to see Cheetor perched on his back without being clubbed isn’t he face. “Get off you rotten furball!” He snapped, barrel rolling to try to throw his unwanted passenger from his back.

“I’m trying!” Tigerhawk responded to Rattrap, waiting for the right moment when a small lull came from the cannons and rockets from their foes. Seeing most of their enemies preoccupied, the large fuzor took a chance and dove for Spineback, dodging some of her oncoming plasma spheres in attempt to force him away or become shot down like his companion. The fuzor opted for the possibility of being shot down, firing some of his electrical blasts that she proceeded to block with her shield arm.

Flaring our his wings, Tigerhawk slowed himself down and began firing more towards the spinosuarus’ feet where she was more vulneable, causing her to growl and back away instead. “Give her back Predacon!” Tigerhawk demanded with a glare. “Not a chance Maximal.” Spineback retorted, clutching Airazor firmly to her shoulder. It was enough that Tigerhawk began to fly closer...until one of the venom shots struck his left arm and wing, causing him to growl and dropped to his feet, arm and wing glowing a bright green and paralyzed.

Turning to see their source, Tigerhawk was met by the sight of the overeager Quickstrike and the retreating form of Spineback, “If I must insect, go through you I shall.” The larger male spoke jumping back to avoid the blasts, his capability to fly presently handicapped due to the cybervenom, shifting his electro cannons for his shoulder-mounted machine gun, firing a few shots towards Quickstrike. But given the situation, Tigerhawk decided to contact the Axalon, not knowing Rhinox was already trying to do the same, “This is Tigerhawk to base, the pod is lost to us and we’re being taken down one by one or here. And the Preds have Airazor.”

In the meantime, Spineback fell back when Quickstrike was able to cover her brief retreat, using the cover of the small patch of trees to her advantage. She gave the area a quick scan to be sure before kneeling to one knee and laying the falcon femme on the ground, drawing a small syringe of tranquilizer from her subspace with her free hand, “Just a little something to keep you under for a while.” Injecting the tranquilizer into the unconscious Airazor’s neck, she made sure it was completely empty before stowing it away once more, pausing briefly once she heard the Maximal medic trying to get through to his teammate.

Chuckling softly to herself, the veteran lifted Airazor onto her shoulder once more before making her way towards where she had spotted Nemesis and the new comer, Quickfix. “One hostage confirmed so far.” Spineback reported over the Predacon comm links.

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

“What can I say, the prospect of a good meal gives me some motivation.” Rampage responded with a slight shrug, seeming in higher spirits than when they had left the Darksyde. He even put his weariness of the discovery about the Golden Disc to the back of his mind for the time being.

There was no reason to linger on the matter in this moment, not when the massacre of the Maximals seemed so close at hand. Rampage was eager for payback and even more so at the possibility of finding Primal to feast one his agonizing spark. Drawing out the slightest bit of fear or discomfort would be a thrill to his twisted spark, or feeding upon the guilt and remorse he had felt for his part in the experiments that made Rampage who he was to this day.

His fantasizing however was cut short upon hearing Tarantulas, turning to face the creepy crawler in wonder for the moment. This mech’s spark too was dark, twisted, insane, perhaps more so than his own. And he appeared to be feeling particularly eager about something, an emotion Rampage couldn’t quite place.

((OOC: Okay, I might take them. But first, I will post my responses. Sorry for the holdup.))

She did notice how increasing aggravated and suffocated Wintersong looked the longer she was in here. So Whitegrazer hoped that Witersong would be given a chance to breathe. She needed it, but it seems more Optimus wanted to talk to her also.

When Optimus handed over to her a datapad, she looked at it with a puzzled expression, wondering what it was, but it seemed Optimus was going to let her figure that out for herself it seems. She began to look at it. That was her... and Zodiac.... but what were these genetic markers on Zodiac? They were similar to what she held within her. She glanced up, looking at Optimus, still puzzled, "These genetic markers are mine. But it is due to the fact of the nanomachines, right? Right?" It had to be. Zodiac's genetics could have been changed due to the nanomachines, but if she dig deep back into her limited study of biology, the nanomachines couldn't do that, and if they couldn't change a bot's genetics, then that would mean-"No. It can't be." Back during the war between the Maximals and Predacons, when it was becoming a bit dire, the High Council pressured her into using her Vok abilities, mainly her species ability to asexually reproduce, almost similar to the budding system, but not as violent, but just as tiring of a process, she didn't reproduce that many. Only thirty of those protoforms were hers. All of them transported to the last battlefield of the war, the protoforms that perished when a Predacon, who she now know was Tarantulas, destroyed the facility that held them. But they were all there. They all perished in the blast. None of them survived. None. But Zodiac had the same markers as they once did. "They lied to me. They told me that they all perished in Gaila. All thirty of them. That's what they told me, the High Council. They-" she stopped herself and took a deep breath, leaning against the wall, looking up at the ceiling, "Why am I still surprised and shocked to the fact that they lied to me again?" She sighed and gazed at Optimus, "I didn't know."

Optimus did say she could discuss it privately, but what was the point? Was there?

She pondered that thought for moment when she heard the whispers, but she wasn't the only one. Optimus seemed to have noticed, and Wintersong? Did she? She glanced at Wintersong for a moment before her optics gazed up at Optimus' once more. "Yes, there was something I have been meaning to talk to you about ever since the Metal Hunter." The light, that warmth, that split second of purity that captivated and awed her, Optimus, and the others. "But there is something I believe I should tell you. TyCross gave me a short visit earlier." She pulled herself away from the wall. "It seems my people have completely disowned me now. Whatever they are planning now, if they are planning our destruction once more, it is clear I will share in the same fate. No more mercy." Whitegrazer lowered her gaze, staring at the skeleton hand. "No more forgiveness, it seems."

"Letting him sleep will also give you a break,"

"Well, he could be pretending. I thought we were being all suspicious and wary?" She smirked at Rhinox then stretched her legs, all of them as well as her arms. Rhinox seemed to stare at her longer than usual. Probably trying to figure out what her game was here. Was there a game? She wasn't paying attention. Or was she? Got to keep them on their toes. She winked at Rhinox. She just thought that it would be entertaining to watch as those three had an... interesting relationship. She continued to watch Zodiac for a bit though, noticing that whatever he was dreaming about wasn't so pleasant, "Maybe he wouldn't be asleep much longer, if he is having nightmares."

As Rhinox was communicating to Rattrap, Tigerhawk spoke out and it seemed the Maximals were having some problems. Blackarachnia wondered if she should stretch her legs, but she wasn't the only one.


Tigratron had been patrolling a certain section when he had noticed the pod, but it hd been too far away for him to reach and when he did, he heard nothing but gunfire. In his beast form, he stalked around, not wanting to give away his poistion to the enemy nor did he want to enter into a situation he had no knowledge of. Playing it safe, he was still too farther away to be noticed or see what was happening, so he contacted Rhinox. "Tigratron to base. I had seen a pod crash, but due to my location, it took me awhile to get here. Maybe too long. What is happening?"


((OOC: I will think of something for Dinobot later, but I wanted to do at least one of them, if you wanted another combatant in the field. ))

(ooc: Wow, 30 mini Whitegrazers that almost could have been..)

Thus far blissfully unaware of the intricate situation he was causing for the certain of the Maximals by simply having been created, Zodiac changed his position a few times in an attempt to get comfortable while leaned up against the wall. Of course there was a more comfortable bed available to him, this was a Maximal prison after all, but he had never been accustomed to using one so he merely glanced in its general direction from time to time without making any attempt to actually use it. Would it be nice to actually sleep the way most of them did? Sure. But something told him even the most comfortable of beds wouldn't be able to drive away the dreams that haunted him.

Glancing up at the cameras, the hybrid renegade took note of how one of the cameras seemed to be focused on him. So they were watching him.. No doubt. Resisting the urge to make some rude gesture at the camera, he briefly entertained himself by imagining what he would do to torment the Maximals watching him when he got out of here. Yet even fantasizing about ripping them apart couldn't change the fact that he was still trapped. And frankly, when it all came down to it, a harsh reality was starting to set in.

There was a chance they would never come to see him in person. He could be trapped here until the end of time, or at least until the Maximals figured out a way to return to Cybertron. At least under Cryotek's cruel guard they would usually send someone to check on him, or at the very least to bring him out of his cell at regular intervals to either be experimented on or to be assigned a mission if he was lucky. Yet from the looks of it Primal intended to bore him to death.

Left with nothing to do aside from try to entertain himself with his dwindling imagination, Zodiac drew a deep sigh and stood up before walking across the room before settling down on the other side. This time without the camera directly facing him. If the Maximals wanted to watch his every move, fine, but he'd much rather they try to do so in person.

As he slid back down to the ground and let his thoughts start to wander again.

"Well, I was young and inexperienced," he tried defending himself with a lighter tone in his voice, "And we were just starting to get to know each other. It was a lot to take in with a new crew and suddenly being thrown into chaos."

Optimus' explanation repeated itself in the fuzor's head as she walked towards the lab she spent so much time in. Honestly she wasn't hurrying there by any means, and she even rerouted a couple of times so that she could be a little closer to where Optimus was headed next. Of course she was curious about what he would tell Whitegrazer, and even more so what the mare would respond. But at the same time the fuzor didn't want to get caught snooping again, not making it that obvious, so she made sure to stay far enough away not to get noticed.

Unfortunately Whitegrazer's quarters wasn't exactly near the lab and the hallway leading to her room was straight and oddly barren.. So the fuzor soon gave up that idea. Continuing on her way, her ears were still perked in the event she would pick up any loud noises or shouting, but true to his nature Optimus seemed to have kept the whole thing rather.. civil.

She hadn't quite made it all the way to the lab yet, however, when another pair of voices caught her attention. Since many of the Maximals were out on patrol.. or wherever they were right now.. the base was more quiet than usual, which is likely why the fuzor couldn't help but notice Rhinox' and the she-spider's voices. Which wasn't as concerning, in and of itself, but the words coming out in Rhinox' ever calm voice gave cause for alarm.

"Come in, Rattrap. Do you copy?"

Rattrap..? Aurora moved closer, only to quickly realize the rodent hadn't responded to the rhinoceros' hail.

"Airazor, this is Rhinox. Do you read me?"

Still nothing. By now Aurora was standing in the doorway, her optics widened in concern as they drifted from Rhinox to BlackArachnia looking for answers. She got her answer quickly enough when Tigerhawk's voice patched through the communicator, but it was not an answer the fuzor wanted..

“This is Tigerhawk to base, the pod is lost to us and we’re being taken down one by one or here. And the Preds have Airazor.”

"Wait.. what?!," the fuzor demanded, immediately rushing towards the computer station. She'd gone straight from her state of slumber to her meeting with Optimus, so she had no idea about any pods and much less a Predacon ambush.. or whatever was going on.

“I was often involved with his surface operations, but I heard rumors there was more to what Cryotek did than what a newcomer like me knew about.” Quickfix explained, “But I never thought to look deeper into the rumors without risking something far worse than being a scapegoat. I already foolishly got myself dragged into the criminal underground and I found the hard way it was not a life I wanted.”

Nemesis listened as the new recruit explained about his experiences with Cryotek, but she avoided visibly reacting to what she was being told. None of it was news to her, anyway, and she had spent much of her life trying to forget all about Cryotek and the operations he ran. Of course her relationship with the crimelord had been fleeting at best. She'd only met him a few times when he came to make his rounds and check for progress on his pet project. And even so, he had taken more of an interest in the then as of yet unnamed young male dragon. At the time she hadn't really known why, since they had kept the true extent of Zodiac's abilities a secret from those around him. Truthfully Nemesis had believed the true reason being that the rumors had been true.. And that the one who'd become known as Zodiac was originally of Maximal origin. Some of the other test subjects had overheard a few of the scientists and guards whisper about it, that the new kid had been created in part from a stolen Maximal protoform. Whether it was true? Who knew..

"Cryotek has many secrets, no doubt," she eventually responded upon realizing the young raptor was looking at her. "And I doubt he shared all of them with anyone. Even your friend Megatron," she concluded, eyeing the male for a reaction. Maybe some day she would share a bit more insight into Cryotek's operations, but that time wasn't now.

“I left Cryotek but not my faction. Being a Predacon is everything that makes me who I am ma’am.”

"How foolish of the Maximals not to realize it," she replied before adding, with a smile, "But they will learn soon enough."

Up ahead she could see the familiar shape of Spineback coming towards them while dragging what looked like the unconscious form of the annoying falcon. Nemesis' smile grew a little wider upon seeing this, and wider still when the other female messaged her fellow Predacons.

“One hostage confirmed so far.”

"My my, aren't we productive today," Nemesis responded while gesturing for the other female to come closer still. "Secure the prisoner, we will be heading out shortly as soon as we have at least one more.."

She then paused as Megatron's private message chimed in, raising her hand in a gesture to stop Quickfix' movements before he got too far ahead while she was distracted.

"So, the rumors held some truth to them after all. I once thought him a coward, but let us see where his loyalty truly lies,"

Rumors? As usual she hadn't been enlightened about the extent of the Axalon's cargo. First Rampage and now this young raptor. Figures.

"I will certainly test him," she replied back privately, "Of course there may not be many Maximals left for the picking at this rate. We have one confirmed capture thus far, another one should be in our grasps momentarily. So we're almost ready to begin the next phase."

"Have we any cooperation from Tarantulas lately?"

"Indeed we have. He should be joining us shortly with the fruits of his labor."

After waiting for a response from their leader, the avian female then turned her full attention back to the new recruit at her side.

“I am not heavily armed,” Quickfix drew his only firearm then, prepping the EMP shotgun, “But EMP rounds tend to cause some havoc.”

Nemesis took a moment to admire the weapon in the new recruit's possession, always having enjoyed a good firearm, before placing her hand on his shoulder again in order to turn his attention towards his target. And sure enough, the target emerged as a dark shadow from his would-be tomb he had been buried under. "That is your target," she told the ground based raptor as she pointed out the traitor Onyx to him. She then lightly squeezed his shoulder before letting him go. And her next words sounded almost as a challenge, even though they were meant to be words of encouragement.

"Impress me."

While she waited for Quickfix to do just that, she took out her own automatic assault rifle and proceeded to target the remaining Maximal flyers, namely Tigerhawk and Cheetor, in hopes she'd be able to shoot them out of the sky without having to leave the recruit's side. Of course if that turned out to be impossible, well, she'd just have to get up close and personal.

Quickly taking aim and changing the ammunition to the explosive tip variety, she proceeded to fire a few rounds at each of the remaining Maximal flyers in turn.

“Yes sir.”

Sometimes Optimus still couldn't get used to being addressed as "sir". Wintersong was one of the few that maintained that kind of militant respect toward her commanding officer, so at least that much about her remained the same after her horrible ordeal inside the cocoon with the Vok. But he was quite concerned about that odd and obvious abnormality across her chest plate. Unfortunately, she still appeared hesitant to discuss it and what she had experienced, assuming she really couldn't remember. Optimus wasn't so sure. He could sense in her optics some annoyance or resistance toward him keeping her there a little longer when his briefly met her's. Her body language suggested that she was experiencing some anxiety or nervousness. She didn't want to be there but he wasn't sure if it was because of his presence or if it was something she and Whitegrazer had just discussed.

“We’ve all had a rough few days Optimus, don’t worry about it.”

Primal's orange optics were now planted on her, and his brows furrowed thoughtfully and somewhat remorsefully. That wasn't the answer he expected, nor did it really tell him how she was feeling or what she was going through mentally and emotionally. Wintersong simply avoided being honest with him and instead made a general observation about everyone to get his attention off of her. Or rather he assumed that that was her intent. But this wasn't about everyone else. He genuinely wanted to know how she was doing. Should he push the matter further, or give her some space? Well, he needed to know so he could make better judgments for future endeavors that might involve her, so he revisited his question even though she could very well lie. "That's not what I asked, Wintersong," he said with a firmer tone but at the same time maintained his patience with her. After all, no one else's chests were glowing like her's, and no one else had just been through what she had. Even her duration with the Vok while she was encased in that cocoon had been far longer than any of his dealings with the aliens, so it was likely that she was going to suffer from permanent damage by them. And she was clearly angry about it no matter how much she tried disguising it. He couldn't blame her. He had been angry with them as well, and he was deeply unnerved by what she was going through now.

It was evident on the tigress's face and in her optics that the alien whispers he had heard had also been present within her mind. A brief moment of concern filled his eyes as they silently lingered on Wintersong, the both of them recognizing each other's helplessness and vulnerability to the Vok because of their past encounters with the alien race. It was like an invisible invasion on their very being where they couldn't touch them, and it was alarming.

“I was just telling Whitegrazer what I remember when I was in the cocoon, but it isn’t much.”

Primal glanced at Whitegrazer when Wintersong touched upon their private conversation disappointed that the TransMetal tigress was so adamant about remaining reserved about her very traumatic ordeal. Empathetic, he knew how she felt and could relate to what she was going through as he remembered his own regression after his encounters, so perhaps it would be better for him to step back and leave her to her own thoughts that were as tainted as his sometimes. For now. If things progressed worse with her, he would have to push the matter further. "I see," he simply stated with a narrowed, quizzical eye on her while withholding as much disappointment as he could only because it seemed as though she didn't trust him. Then again, maybe she truly couldn't remember anything, but that was never the case with Primal's dealings with the Vok. They enjoyed leaving things behind, taunting him, terrifying him, mentally abusing him, and his sleepless nights full of nightmares only sealed their torment. "Every little bit, no matter how insignificant, can help us help you, Wintersong," he advised her softly, but just as quickly, he seemed to drop the subject as she tightened the grip on herself. "You look like you could use some fresh air," Optimus observed with her behavior, and he granted her permission with, "You're dismissed," albeit a little reluctantly.

"These genetic markers are mine. But it is due to the fact of the nanomachines, right? Right?"

He then turned his attention to Whitegrazer as she read through the information on his data pad. He shook his head.

"No. It can't be."

"The comparisons were tested several times, and every time the results were the same." Optimus studied the mare closely who appeared both flustered and distraught about Aurora's discovery, although he still kept the Fuzor's involvement to himself.

"They lied to me. They told me that they all perished in Gaila. All thirty of them. That's what they told me, the High Council. They-"

The High Council lied to her? What a surprise, he thought sarcastically. It seemed they had a habit of lying to everyone. How could they be so deceitful and conniving? And what about 'all thirty of them'? Thirty of what? He suspected that she was talking about... about... Primus, it was difficult to comprehend. Thirty?

"Why am I still surprised and shocked to the fact that they lied to me again?"

Optimus didn't seem as worried about the Council anymore so much as he was about what she was feeling at that moment. Of course, he was upset because this certainly complicated things, but he could only imagine what she was going through. Betrayal, sadness, abandonment, even anger perhaps... A plethora of emotions. And he just needed to be there for her since she was always there for him through his most difficult travesties and challenges. He couldn't make this about him even though it was a little bit of a strain on their relationship. They could work through it though...

"I didn't know."

His orange optics studied her's for a long moment with some confusion and sorrow. Her voice and gaze implied that she was being honest about it, which probably only made this situation worse and even more surprising, for both of them, but mostly for Whitegrazer. "I believe you," he finally confirmed and gently laid his hand on her shoulder to comfort her for a moment or so. More quietly, he added, "Thirty...? So... Zodiac is technically your..." Bewildered, he didn't seem able to finish his sentence. But then Primal shook it off and gazed into her optics once more when he asked softly with sincerity, "Are you alright, Whitegrazer?" This obviously had to affect her.

"Yes, there was something I have been meaning to talk to you about ever since the Metal Hunter."

Just as he had suspected, and he was curious to hear her take on it. Maybe she could even help him develop it or control it, but that felt a bit dangerous considering he didn't even know what it was, or if he should even be capable of doing something with it or about it or... who knew! It was all so fleeting at this point.

"But there is something I believe I should tell you.

Primus, now what? he thought beginning to feel overwhelmed with all of these recent developments while he was still greatly concerned about Wintersong's well being.

TyCross gave me a short visit earlier."

Him again. There was some resentment that temporarily hit Optimus whenever she spoke that name. He did, however, appreciate her honesty in informing him of this. He couldn't help but wonder how that conversation went.

"It seems my people have completely disowned me now. Whatever they are planning now, if they are planning our destruction once more, it is clear I will share in the same fate. No more mercy." "No more forgiveness, it seems."

The Maximal leader probably appeared confused. "I don't understand," he admitted. "I thought you were mending the tension between them and us. What happened?" Not that he was surprised. No more mercy and forgiveness. It's not like they had shown much of that in the first place toward them and the entire planet. As the reality of it him though, he realized that this was not good, and his thoughtful gaze fell away from her's for a moment.

"Well, he could be pretending. I thought we were being all suspicious and wary?"

Rhinox narrowed his optics at Blackarachnia who teasingly winked at him before he sighed and looked away. "Considering he hasn't slept since the whole Viper incident, I'm willing to bet that he's incredibly exhausted," he explained. But surprisingly enough, the widow remained in her seat.

"Maybe he wouldn't be asleep much longer, if he is having nightmares."

The engineer glanced at her monitor to see Zodiac moving around a little bit. It was interesting to notice that he avoided using the bed that they had so graciously provided for him, but then again, he was still avoiding the food as well. Frustrated just watching him and unable to decipher his motives, Rhinox shook his head to himself thinking how foolish the shape shifter was being when he could have been increasing his health and energy levels. Instead, he chose to keep himself weakened and restless.

“This is Tigerhawk to base, the pod is lost to us and we’re being taken down one by one or here. And the Preds have Airazor.”

"Wait.. what?!,"

Rhinox was just as startled to hear this information from Tigerhawk as Aurora was who seemed to have appeared out of no where. Airazor! he thought with worry. What had gone wrong?! They already knew they lost the new protoform to the Predacons, which Rhinox still blamed himself for, but the Maximal team should have headed back at that point to avoid a pointless battle. His suspicions were on the Predacons taking advantage of the situation and attacking his friends. Now, it sounded like they were in trouble. He was just about to respond to the large Fuzor when another one of their fellow felines' voices rang in over the Axalon's transmissions.

"Tigratron to base. I had seen a pod crash, but due to my location, it took me awhile to get here. Maybe too long. What is happening?"

Tigatron! Thank Primus he showed up, but the rhinoceros skipped the pleasantries, and at the same time updated Aurora while he responded to the white tiger. "Tigatron, we sent a team to recover one of our pods that was recently activated, but it turned out that the protoform wished to join the Predacons. Beyond that, I'm not sure, except that Tigerhawk is reporting that they're under attack by the Predacons. ...And they've captured Airazor." He was hesitant to add that part since he and everyone else knew of his relationship with the peregrine falcon. And although Tigatron was a pretty level-headed, wise and older Maximal, much like Airazor, Rhinox didn't want his emotions to get the better of him. "See if you can offer Rattrap's team some assistance. We're going to send reinforcements." But would they arrive in time? And little did the Maximals know about the Predacons' next phase of their plan. Thinning them out from the base would work even better into Megatron's scheme.

"Optimus, we've got a situation with our team out in the field," he reported over his comm. link with a worrisome voice. "Airazor has been captured, and they're taking on heavy fire. I can't seem to reach Rattrap, but Tigatron just arrived, and I've instructed him to intervene."

What? How did this happen?! Not Airazor! Almost feeling defeated now with one thing after another, Primal had brought up his hand to his forehead and thought about who else they could send that wasn't already compromised, but who was fast enough to get there in time to help. He lowered his hand when he said, "Whitegrazer, I know we're not finished here, and this has probably been a lot to take in, but I need you to go with Blackarachnia and retrieve our team."

"Copy that, Rhinox. Have Blackarachnia join Whitegrazer for retrieval," Optimus ordered deliberately keeping Wintersong out of the fray, as well as Aurora.

Turning to the black widow, the rhinoceros said, "You heard him!" urging her to get moving and not waste time.

"Tigerhawk, reinforcements are on the way," Rhinox informed him. "Where's Rattrap?!" he reiterated since he still hadn't established communication with his smaller friend. As much as he wanted to pull the Maximals out of there, they couldn't just leave Airazor's life in their enemy's hands.

-----

“What can I say, the prospect of a good meal gives me some motivation.”

Megatron gave a smirk at Rampage's remark. "Then perhaps we can assemble a three-course feast for you," implying the consumption of three Maximals.

"I will certainly test him," "Of course there may not be many Maximals left for the picking at this rate. We have one confirmed capture thus far, another one should be in our grasps momentarily. So we're almost ready to begin the next phase."

"Most excellent, Nemesis," the t-rex joyfully replied. This was certainly turning into a glorious day for him and his Predacons! Although it was disappointing that they weren't this successful all of the time. Nevertheless, today was their day for victory. First, his successful test of his theory with the golden disk, gaining yet another Predacon among his ranks, and now the capture of possibly two Maximals while bringing down the rest. Everything was going to according to plan, yessss. "We are not far from your position. Injure the rest, and we shall embark with our prisoners to the Axalon." Just when he was feeling good about everything, a raspy, slimy voice caught his audio receptors, and he turned to see its origin.

“If I didn’t know any better scales, you almost miss me.”

How he loathed that treacherous arachnid! As much as he wanted to rip off all of his legs and crush his body by stomping on it, the Predacon warlord still had some use for the crazy and elusive scientist so long as the spider gained something out of it as well since that seemed to be the only way for the tarantula to cooperate. "Why, Tarantulas, how kind of you to join us today," Megatron falsely smiled at him in his beast mode pretending that he was actually grateful for his participation.

"Indeed we have. He should be joining us shortly with the fruits of his labor."

"So, I have gathered," the warlord announced to Nemesis indicating to her in his somewhat infamously cryptic way that Tarantulas was already present with him as he had just arrived. At least it confirmed to him that the sneaky spider was supposed to be there and not just snooping around. Of course, he was probably doing that anyway, seeking something he might want to grab or take advantage of, or just waiting for the opportunity to arise at some point during these expeditions.

"Come," Megatron instructed the both of them. "Let us loiter closer to the battlefield in case they require our assistance. Once the Maximals are defeated, we will turn our attention elsewhere. Perhaps then Tarantulas can offer us his unique services." With a small but devious chuckle, the TransMetal dinosaur began venturing toward the battle that ensued nearby. He remained in beast mode so he wouldn't be detected by anyone's sensors, and he purposely sought for some forestry cover with trees' canopies so any fliers wouldn't spot them from above.

“You forgot the number one rule in combat Inferno.” “Never turn your back on an enemy.”

What?! Inferno turned to see Onyx standing and hurling a huge rock at him. It smashed into the ant's body forcing him to stumble a little, but thanks to his beast mode's impressive exoskeleton, he had incredibly durable armor despite how thin or weak it may appear, so some of the boulder actually shattered into a few smaller pieces. "Blaaaaaahhhhh!" he screamed at the horse. "You are no match for me, TRAITOR!" He began blowing a steady stream of fire from his flame thrower to keep him away from rescuing the rodent, but even Inferno was growing impatient with Terrorsaur's inability to extract the vermin.

“Hang on Inferno I’m coming to...RAWK!”

Glancing up to see his partner being pathetically overrun by the kid cat - of all Maximals - now was the pyro's chance to prove that he was more reliable and valuable to the Queen and to Nemesis than Terrorsaur was! With Quickfix's aim on the unsuspecting Onyx beyond the stallion's shoulder, Inferno switched his ammunition again and fired a few fiery blasts at the black horse to distract him before he bent over and picked up the small, lifeless Maximal with one arm and maintaining his aim on Onyx while doing so.

((Sorry OOP, school stuff took up a lot of my time the past two days than I expected and I actually had to think on this next post of where to go with it since Wildfire’s departure was rather sudden. But I have mostly been preoccupied with catching up on stuff I have behind on and on a time crunch with my thesis project stuff, so I apologize greatly in advance, it’s just leaving me mentally drained right now in terms of writing.

Think the plan will be to keep Cheetor because I’m getting nothing for Quickstrike at the moment.))

She knew that wasn’t what he asked and she genuinely wanted to tell Optimus then and there. He knew what it was like dealing with Whitegrazer’s people, knew what it was like for them to probe his very being. He was probably the only other one who would understand the animosity she held towards the Vok and what they had done.

As much as Wintersong wanted to completely open up than she already had towards the white mare a part of her couldn’t bring herself to do so. Not when Whitegrazer seemed sympathetic towards her people despite everything, despite them disowning her. “I...” The transmetal feline hesitated for a moment, lingering there despite Optimis eventually dismissing her to address something of importance dealing with Whitegrazer and apparently something of another lie by the Maximal High Council. A matter that didn’t seem her business but couldn’t help listening for a moment.

Nanomachines? Did this have to do with Zodiac yet again in some way? And what were these “thirty of them” the mare spoke of. As much as Wintersong wanted to know more she decided against it and finally nodded, “I will step out for a little bit Optimus, just to clear my head. Perhaps we can speak after since...” Wintersong gave an apologetic look at Whitegrazer for her next words, “Since I feel more comfortable discussing matters privately with you when you have the time.” With that she gave the transmetal gorilla a quick bow of her head in apology as well before making her leave to allow the two to discuss whatever they needed to.

Though she didn’t quite head for the bridge just yet, taking one last side trip to the armory to hijack a small dagger. If there was anything she took away from the talk she had with Whitegrazer it was the mention of the carving Optimus seemed drawn to doing often thanks to the Vok. Such a thought gave her an idea to do something similar to get her jumbled thoughts in order. But such a thought left her processor when she heard the urgency in the bridge, quickening her pace as she hid the dagger away in her sub space, “What’s going on?” The tigress inquired with concern once she arrived.

+++++++++++

Once Tigerhawk’s shots had finally forced the smaller male fuzor into retreat, allowing himself a chance to get some distance away, he took that moment to make light of where his previous target had gone with his fallen comrade. But the tree line had by now already hidden Spineback and Airazor from his line of sight. ‘Slag it!’

A quick check of his paralyzed wing and arm indicated it would be a couple more minutes before he would be capable of flight once more. Nevertheless, he wasn’t about to let that stop him from trying to regroup with the others to try and change the outcome of this fight. And thankfully Rhinox sent some possible good news, “Hopefully they move swift, we were scattered and the Predacons appear to be getting the advantage.” Tigerhawk spoke grimly, trying to still spot the Predacon medic and see where Cheetor and Rattrap has gone. It was only then did he realize the transmetal rodent was in trouble while Cheetos was handling Terrorsaur.

“I just found him! He-” The large fuzor’s next words were abruptly cut short. A few explosive shots from Nemesis met their mark, causing the large fuzor to snarl in pain as he was blasted back with enough force to cause him to stumble, his thick armor taking the full brunt of the explosions that left visible dents and a few cracks at their impact areas. Shaking his head, Tigerhawk turned his attention towards Nemesis, “We really should stop meeting like this, Predacon.”

“Only two? With this effort we may have the whole squad for bargaining chips.” Spineback commented, "Especially the rodent and the little kitten." It seemed their success today had been one of their best in sometime, and it had yet to come full circle of what exactly was the next step in this plan. Taking prisoners could mean anything and she was curious to see what Nemesis or Megatron had in store for the Maximals.

Leaving Nemesis to do what she needed, Spineback turned back to handle binding Airazor with some energy cuffs on the off chance she would awaken before the battle was won. Productive day indeed.

Terrorsaur felt humiliated having to try and shake off one of the younger Maximals from his back who seemed to refuse to let go. Even in the barrel roll Cheetor had tightened his hold on the flier, preventing himself from being thrown off so easily. It had been a nuisance when the feline use to chase the Predacons around from the ground and happened to be a lucky shot most times with the fliers, but not that he could fly it was a bigger pain in the neck dealing with him.

Growling in annoyance, Terrorsaur tried everything he could to shake the Maximal loose of his frame, ramming into and through the tree canopy and branches, slamming against the mountain side, loops, sharp turns, sudden stops, the stubborn Maximal refused to release his grip. "Going to have to do better than that beakface! You're going down for hurting my friend." The young feline growled, determined to take Terrorsaur out of the sky, even if that meant taking him with. The feline's words only seemed to spurn the transmetal flier who had to bite back a sharp remark in response until he took notice of Nemesis deciding to join in, seemingly ready to handle any Maximals that were still giving them trouble. "You'll be eating your words soon enough Maximal." He sneered as he dove sharply in Nemesis' direction. "Hey!"

Having to stop his attempts at beating on Terrorsaur, the youngest feline of the crew gripped onto the Predacon flier tightly once more, mostly with his legs to avoid being thrown off. But Cheetor grew tired of trying to force Terrorsaur down with a simple beating, deciding to go for a more direct spot rather than wear him down. Releasing his grip on the mech's shoulders he directed his hand cannon towards the thrusters on Terrorsaur's back, taking aim as he decided to release the grip his legs had and firing two point-blank range shots directly against his back, causing Terrorsaur to yowl in pain as he veered away to avoid crashing into any of the other Predacons and instead slamming into the river below. But Cheetor had made the mistake of leaving himself vulnerable, yelling as the explosive rounds blasted him right from the sky and crashing into some trees, knocking the wind right out of his frame.

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

Quietly Rampage observed the interaction of Tarantulas and Megatron, their long seeded hatred of one another coming off in waves to the transmetal crab. A delightful feeling of deep animosity and loathing that fueled his desire to feed, for now bringing the hints of a twisted grin, or what appeared to be one in his beast mode.

Perhaps he didn't quite need to feast on the empty shells of the Maximals to keep him sustained. The negative, dark emotions offered by the mere presence of the Predacons was more than enough to urge his dark, hungry spark to draw upon, drawing out a hunger he had not had in many years since Depthcharge arresting him for his crimes. "Long as there is enough of these Maximals left behind in the attack they will serve well as the entree. Preferably alive, otherwise what is a meal if one cannot enjoy the best and most flavorful part of it." Rampage chuckled darkly, once more painting a rather horrifically vivid image of just where his twisted, psychopathic mind went to without missing a bit.

These Maximals would just be the appetizer to the main course that was to come. Unless his ideal meal decided to become mobile fast food, then it was all just coming right to the Predacons and into his claws. For now though, Rampage remained patient as he could be as he flanked Megatron on one side, likewise using the cover of the forest to avoid potential prying optics.

((Ugh, I know this is not my best post. But just something I threw together for now on a tired and stressed mind on top of a severe migraine. My next round should be better since by then I should be back on track.))

((OOC: Aw, I'm sorry to hear that, Wildfire. Good luck to you as well and here's hoping you can return. ))

Whitegrazer was still in shock about this sudden realization. When Optimus placed a hand on her shoulder, she placed her hand over it with a smile, "I'm still in a bit of a shock, but yes, undeniably, Zodiac is my child." She looked at Optimus for a moment, wondering what was going through Optimus' own head when he found out about it. Especially, the past he and Zodiac shared. Optimus probably thought she was aware of it. Probably why he was so distant and curt with her eariler. He didn't know she didn't know. Not his fault. She had kept things from him, like what she really was, and to find out about this, it really didn't help in fixing a little crack in their relationship. And she knew it was her own fault.

"Back during the last half of the war, we were losing. Predacons had destroyed many factories where protoforms were grown, so we were losing soldiers. The High Council were aware of the Vok's natural ability to asexually reproduce, and persuaded me to use my ability to bring in more soldiers. It is skill carried over from our origins, the budding system, but due to the Matrix's purification, it isn't as violent and none of the protoforms come out with side effects. At first, I was hesitant to do so. It is an exhausting process, especially with a Cybertronian form. But we were losing, and I made a vow to help. So they brought in thirty empty protoform pods, and I created thirty innocent protoforms into a warzone..." a look of disgust and disdain towards herself for such a thing, especially at the urging of the Elders, who used her naive nature to get what they wanted from her "within my own spark., by myself" She remembered it clear as day. Maximals scientists hooking up protoform pods one by one after she produced, from her own spark, her own being, a fresh protoform within. She didn't want them there, but they had to be there in order to make sure the pods didn't malfunction or reject the protoforms. Also, they wanted to make sure that the protoforms were... loyal to the Maximal cause. It took her a lot out of her, but she didn't have time to rest. She had been called to the frontlines and her protoforms right behind her. Her body shivered. They didn't even get the chance to awaken.

"No, I am not all right, Optimus," she said truthfully. "But I will be. I will be in time." She smiled at Optimus. "Now, I wonder if that was the reason why Zodiac survived, if that was the reason I had a connection with him?" There was another question that lingered inside her. Should she tell Zodiac? And how would he react to such a revelation? Then she gazed at Optimus, "What bout you? This threw you for a loop as well. Are you okay?"

When the conversation turn back to her people, she could only shake her head. She thought so too. "It is clear to me that they see me as a traitor, but now that you mention it, I wonder if they are just trying to scare me off, trying to manipulate my actions in a way. It is so sudden a change. I had been trying to mend things, and it seem like they were at least listening. Maybe they were and were just humoring me? Which doesn't seem liking. Something has changed, and we need to figure it out."

As she let that thought linger, she glanced at Wintersong. She knew that the femal tigeress was holding something back, but Whitegrazer understood. She understood that her relation with her own people was complicated and utterly intolerable, and she knew how the others were incredulocus about he seeming forgiving nature towards people who have not only tried to them, but showed no mercy towards her and used her own body, violating her own free will, to use her to hurt those she loved. It was just something she had to do. Despite it all. "Of course, Wintersong, I hope the fresh air will do you some good. You take care of yourself." Whitegrazer returned the bow that Wintersong gave her.


Blackarachnia agreed with Rhinox. Zodiac did seem all tucked out from his little stunt, "Tht shapeshifter is so full of surprises, isn't he? Even I was shocked when the existence of that ship." If she had known about it's existence eariler, she might had have chance to spare it's destruction and use it for herself. She was still bummed, but like the defeat she suffered after losing control and all the power of that lien island, it would pass. She would find another opportunity. Opportunities are fruitful around here, it seems.

Rhinox looked at her screen, seeing how Zodiac wasn't even eating what they gave him, "Someone needs to mentally give him a spanking before he collapsed in hunger and sleep deprivation."

Tigerhawk explained the situation to Rhinox, and when the hybrid said Airazor had been captured, she could see how Rhinox took it hard. She remembered the dy that sassy falcon entered this war. She didn't see the female Maximal as she had been whipped by the kiddy kit, still something that haunted her pride to this day, but she did see the aftermath of what Airazor did to Terrorsaur. Well, she had always thought that pterodactyl needed a kick in his arrogant airboy persona. Due to reports, and the small interactions Rhinox and Airazor shared, she could see an almost fatherly or uncley type of relationship between the two since rhinox was one of the Maximals who helped the falcon.

She just remained silent as Rhinox contacted Optimus, explaining the situation to him, and when she heard her name, she immediately stood up, And here I thought I will die of eyestrain." Blackarachnia cocked her weapons and headed over to the platform, waiting for the white mare to join her.


Whitegrazer expressed concern as she heard Rhinox's words. No. Not again. But she wasn't going to succumb to despair as Optimus ordered her and Blackarachnia to go and retrieve team. Putting everything that had been revealed and said behind her for now, she simply nodded, "I will go and help our friends. We can rely on us."

She made a quick stop to the armory and got some more smoke and stun grenades and a pistol, just in case. Then she went to the bridge and quickly joined Blackarachnia on the lift. The she-spider smirked at her. "Going down."

They turned into their best mode. Whitegrazer galloped and Blackarachnia scattered not that far behind.


Tigratron kept himself in stealth mode, but he stalked closer and closer towards the battlefield. Rhinox explained the situation through the comm link, but as he neared, he saw it firsthand. By Primus no... Airazor was unconscious and was about to be cuffed. Rattrp hd been knocked out by Inferno, who seemed ready to grab him as well. The little cat had been fighting Terrorsaur successfully by a pack of explosives rounds knocked him out! Despite the ache in his spark and burning anger towards the callous and bloody battle which was hurting those he cared about, he used his tiger instincts. He stepped back farther away. He whispered into his comlink, Don't worry, rhinox, I will make sure none of our comrades are in the hands of the Predacons." He then turned, "Tigratron, maxmize. Stealth mode." As soon as he stood at his own two feet, he kept himself hidden behind some trees. As Inferno made a grab for Rattrap, Tigeratron shot a blast from his gut gun towards the destructive, maniac ant, and after he did that, he rolled and hid behind some boulders, and fired his next shot at Spineback.