The Intergalactic Highway

((OOC: I'm wih Blackrosefencer. *grabs the popcorn and drinks in anticipation* ))

(ooc: lol.. Yay, we have cheerleaders! And here I'm in a hurry since we're going to a dinner place out of town with a few friends.. Well, I'll type something up real quick. )

Nemesis was staring intently at the massive locked door across the room, as if mere thoughts could somehow knock it off its hinges. A pity she had not been created with eye lasers or anything like that. Everything was so quiet, no sound, movements, or even light to disturb the solitude of her confinement. The Predacon had no idea how much time had passed, the only clue to her answer was the fact that her wounds were still not all the way repaired. The nanobots' repairs were ongoing, sure enough, but their activity level slowed due to the frigid temperatures of this place.

The female sighed. She wondered if she would ever see the clear skies and feel the fresh breeze under her wings again. Even Megatron's ugly purple mug would be a welcome sight right about now. She closed her eyes for a moment. In her mind she went over how she would dismember and kill each of the Maximals in turn, saving their precious leader for last so he could watch the suffering of his followers. The thought brought on a slight smile to her face, if even for a moment before the harsh reality of the situation overwhelmed her again. It truly was an act of torture of them to lock her up like this. Surely they intended to break her.

Did they know?

She truly hated the confinement. It reminded her of a past she had tried so hard to forget. The female finally lowered her gaze to the floor in front of her, where the remnants of ice were still scattered across the floor due to the freezing temperatures, ruffling her feathers as she did in an attempt to keep warm. It didn't help much.

After a while she noticed that the chips of ice had begun to melt a bit. The nanites also started picking up their pace just a little. It felt warmer. Although the change was very slight, it was most welcome nevertheless.

Again the female focused her attention on the door.

Did this change mean that they were coming for her? Or did someone mess up the controls? Perhaps they had a power outage?

She got her answer when she heard the almost creaking sound of the large metal door opening. Her initial instincts were to jump up, to rush that door for her chance to taste freedom again, yet she did not move yet. Thinking rationally was proving to be a challenge right now, but Nemesis was certain they would have guards posted and probably some weapons ready to fire on her if she simply tried to run off in an act of panic. No.. She would wait just a little while longer. She would get her chance.

More and more light entered the cell as the gap in the door widened. Nemesis narrowed her optics and tilted her head, holding back a faint smile as she saw who it was who had come to pay his respects.

"Optimus..," she said, calling the Maximal commander by his first name for the first time. "I'm honored you decided to lead the execution squad yourself."

It was impossible to tell if the female was serious or not.

She pushed herself up on shaky legs, not wanting to appear weak in front of the Maximals. If she was to die within moments, she would not go out curled up into a ball in the corner. That would simply be too weak and pathetic.

Yet as she took a couple of steps she noticed Optimus was not aiming his weapon at her. Unknowingly rubbing her wrist with the '1047' etched into the armor, she gave Primal a quizzical look.

"You're not here to kill me," she stated quietly as she moved closer. The voice did not show any signs of relief, nor did she seem upset. In fact she appeared surprisingly calm.

She moved close enough to be able to glance through the gap in the door, seeing the guards posted down the hall. Smiling a little wider she turned back to Optimus, "Why, you had all of this arranged for little ol' me? How flattering. However if you had something you wished to discuss, I would rather do so one on one, without the lackeys."

"Optimus..," "I'm honored you decided to lead the execution squad yourself."

Remaining by the doorway, Primal raised a brow at Nemesis addressing him by his first name. Was that some sort of trickery? Judging by the small scrapes on the walls, the scattered ice across the floor that was now slowly beginning to melt, and a wary tone hidden very deep in her calm voice, something had been troubling this former Decepticon greatly. Execution? thought Optimus, pondering her words, but he didn't reply. What kind of Maximals did Nemesis think they were? He was about to protest her accusation when he recalled Rattrap's deriefing only minutes ago, claiming he had killed Starshadow. It would be hypocritical of him now to tell her otherwise, whether it was accidental or not. Perhaps it would be better to leave her in doubt whether the Maximals would carry out her execution or not. They wouldn't, of course, but she didn't know that. For Predacons like her and Manterror, Optimus wondered who these other Maximals were that threatened to take their lives to make them think that all Maximals were that way. Or maybe it was some kind of brainwashing, or lies, done by pychotic Predacons who drilled it into their heads so they'd kill any Maximals that they'd cross paths with.

"You're not here to kill me,"

The Maximal leader did not stir as Nemesis approached. He watched her as closely as he could in the dim light, taking in her demeanor and her hand rubbing her wrist.

"Why, you had all of this arranged for little ol' me? How flattering. However if you had something you wished to discuss, I would rather do so one on one, without the lackeys."

With Primal having not even said a word yet to her, the Decepticon-turned-Predacon almost seemed like she was giving him the opportunity for a possibly calm discussion without violence. While Optimus came in with all of his weapons in tow even though they were hidden, Nemesis was unarmed. That didn't necessarily make her any less of a threat, but when it came to using firepower to defend himself, he had the advantage. However, he would not use his swords in this situation because those were a weapon she could confiscate from him easily, especially with one of his currently handicapped hands. Fortunately, for his stronger firepower, they didn't require hand-held operation. So, if she was going to actually speak to him peacefully, Optimus was willing to take the chance.

"Lights!" Primal hollered but did not take his red optics off of Nemesis.

Hearing Optimus, Rattrap went over to the monitor and controls, which were located out of Nemesis' view between the opened door's gap, and turned on the lights for her cell.

As soon as the small, dark room was brightly illuminated, Primal closed the door and secured it with his only working hand, leaving himself alone inside the cell with Nemesis. He turned to face her again, his arms at his sides unthreateningly.

"Is he nuts?!" Rattrap asked Orcariner angrily. "Now we can't hear if anythin' goes wrong!" He looked back at the monitor and watched Nemesis and Optimus on the screen with the video feed provided by the camera inside her cell.

"Are you aware that a Maximal under my command spared your life while you were in stasis lock after you crashed here?" Optimus asked Nemesis with a casual tone, intentionally leaving out Orcariner's name and where this had taken place in case she was not aware of the past circumstances or didn't recall. "Yet you come here to my base and terrorize us, attempting to murder my crew and me. Twice now." He was excluding Nightmist's death. "Why? This isn't your war. Your war ended eons ago. Are you simply bored because you can't find a means off of this planet?" All of her attacks on the Axalon so far had been solo, telling Primal that she secluded herself often from the Predacons. He wondered why. Did she think she was more evil than them? That she was more successful on her own than they were as a team? Both of her attempts had failed so far, although her last attack was very close to killing another Maximal, the reality was that she still failed to kill anyone. On purpose, that is, since he still believed Nightmist's death to have been accidental. And as long as Optimus was around, he would stop her by any means necessary to protect his Maximals from her if this behavior continued.

As Rattrap cried at, Orcariner could not help but agree with him. The giant could not understand why Optimus Primal would meet her demands in the first place, especially since Nemesis was the prisoner. The Maximal was unsure of how to react due to the unorthodox actions of his leader. As Rattrap scurried back towards the monitor, Orcariner looked at the door in dismay.

"We can't open it," he said, mostly to himself, "Only Primal has the authority as well as Rhinox but he's not here."

Both energo-swords violently flashed with a ocean-blue spark. Orcariner glared as he knew he could not muscle open the cell door. It was designed to prevent such means of breach, even by those as physically powerful as himself. Regardless, the orca knew that this steel would not last long against his weapons. The battles against all three Vok skulls in the underground labyrinth were enough proof that his energo-swords could not be stopped by any armor.

"Tell me if Nemesis tries to pull one of her tricks," he coldly told Rattrap, "We have to make sure this door gets shredded to pieces as soon as she lays a finger on Optimus."

Orcariner was clueless with what was going through Optimus' mind. The only thing holding him back at the moment was trust.

Wildfire94 wrote:"I've seen some strange things in my function but this definitely takes the cake."

Glowstick snickered slightly while he continued course towards the Darksyde Strange is fairly common here.. Between Evil alien clones, A Maximal that mutates into a monster, and alien ruins filled with deathtraps.. Not to mention some of our own schemes.. This is only Tuesday. Though.. as more or less main medical staff.. this is somewhat my fault for not taking care of it sooner..Well, you wont have to worry about it. When we get to base, I'll have you report to our leader, Megatron. After that, just settle into your bunk.. I'll take care of this infection before it spreads further..

His optics narrowed as he started to think to himself. If it was a game of battle, he might have a hard time, specifically if he wanted to keep Cecaelia and Starshadow alive. Otherwise unlocking his sword or using the full capabilities of his lasers would end the battle swiftly. If it was a game of intellect, it would be more amusing, but while Visia spoke in an arrogant and flamboyant tone, the creature probably couldn't back it up completely.

As they came towards the Predacon base, the Leviathan suddenly displayed a monitor visual on Megatron, seeming to look rather displeased as he leaned his head on his left hand. Glowstick, Report. Why did you bring that thing here? And what happened to the Stasis pods?

Glowstick's shifted for a moment Er.. this ship is heavily damaged, but I can use parts off it for the Leviathan, so I wont have to go into our energon supply any further to keep the ship running.. As for the pilot, it turned out to be a Maximal and for the Stasis pod, that appeared to be Onyx here. Our new Predacon.

Megatron leaned up with a smile Well done, Yesss.. I look forward to greeting our new Predacon. the monitor then turned black.

Glowstick shook his head, Megatron was smart and knew alot of what was going on, but sometimes it was best to word things a certain way to avoid his wraith.

The Leviathan then soon lowered in altitude, landing in the hanger of the Darksyde. His tentacles moving towards the manipulator's controls, having the ship set the Starhopper down behind it. He powered down the vessel and climbed out of the pilot seat, then floated out of the bridge. He stopped in front of the cabin of the ship, moving to the side of the door and pressing the unlock button causing a green light to shine inside of the room Visia was in. He then actived his comlink Now then.. what was this "game" you had in mind?

_______________________

Icebreaker smiled towards Aurora, then walked off towards the Crew quarters of the ship. He stopped infront of one door down the hall, then slid it open revealing a empty room with a simple bed. He flipped the switch for a light to come on It isn't much, but for now you can call this home. And if you want, you can check out my room, though be careful of some of the things hanging on the wall. They can be dangerous.. And.. don't drink anything in there. He then took her from his shoulders setting her onto the floor. It could give you a tummy-ache. he then said with a smile.

((I'm in school to tell everyone I'm grounded.))

After some time Wintersong began to awaken, though it was a short nap she hadn't wanted to stay down for long, wanting to keep somewhat alert just in case of an unexpected event to happen which seemed quite common around the crew. Standing a bit the tigeress cautiously stretched, wincing a bit as she felt some of the stiff plating move and looked at her wounds. Most of it was healed but there would be need for a short time in the CR chamber when Arachnitron and Whitegrazer were healed, if they survived. The thought made Wintersong cringe at the thought of losing another teammate so she quickly pushed that to the back of her mind and not wanting another reminder from the arctic mission a while ago. Though she never showed it WIntersong regretted that recklessness that had nearly costed her life and endangered her fellow tiger Tigatron, going a little out of her league against an opponent more then able to finish her. It wasn't really something to have run into hard headedly.

Shaking her head Wintersong headed to the door of her quarters and stepped out, hearing Icebreaker's voice nearby and guessed he was showing one of the new bots their quarters. Heading that way anyway the tigeress paused, seeing Aurora was with him and smiled a bit,"Hey Icebreaker, Aurora." She greeted and luckily she had lost the edge of pain in her voice, now the areas were more like an annoying stiffness in the joins in a few places.

Now then.. what was this "game" you had in mind?

"Your task is to rescue the sparks before I destroy or claim them." Visia replied in the comlinks, revealing two sparks from her spark chamber, pulling them out, "I stretched their life span a little to make things exciting. "

She kept the sparks back into her chamber and walked out of the room.(if the door is unlocked) "Once I released them, the game begins. Are you ready?"

((It's short .... >.> really short...I'm in the library now...rushing my slag and stuff. I'll try my best to post as much as I can.))

((EDITED.....))

After hearing all of what was pretty much summarized to expect when officially joining these Predacons Onyx didn't know how to react. Problem was there was nothing to do but accept this fact. "Well this will be an interesting war." He remarked and stood after the ship had landed. But he wondered what he would really say to the leader of these Predacons and went over his thoughts for a long moment before coming down to the lower cargo area. He heard Visia and Glowstick but wasn't looking to dealing with the odd femme again and just touched the puncture wounds on his neck from her fangs. What an odd 'parasite'.

Shaking his head Onyx finally opened the door to the back of the Levianthan and stepped out, taking a quick look around a but impressed by the ship. Though it was obvious that it had taken quite a beating in a crash. Heading to the interior of the ship it took a moment to really find his way around before he came across the control room and looked at the lava below then at a hover board and stepped on to one of them."Quite a convent way to deal with avoiding falling in the pits." He muttered and carefully moved the controls to get a better look at the room and seeing if Megatron was perhaps there as well.

(ooc: My brain is pretty fried right now.. I had a psych nursing exam today so my head is still spinning.)

As Optimus proceeded to close the door behind him, the Predacon immediately tossed herself at the door in an attempt to squeeze out before it closed completely. She was too late. The door had already shut tightly, leaving her no way to get out still. Nemesis proceeded to pound and scratch at the thick metal a few times. It was a desperate and futile act, of course, but her claustrophobia could completely overwhelm her at times. The intense reaction was due to a mixture of fury and despair over Primal rather joining her inside than sending his troops away, a move she did not think the Maximal commander would have done. She had hoped he would merely dismiss his troops, leaving the two of them with the entire brig for their conversation.

So close.. she had been so close..

After slamming her fist against the closed door one last time, she slowly turned around to face him once more. Her eyes were glowing bright red, but the color faded a bit as she started calming down. For a long moment she merely looked at him, not saying anything, while contemplating the fact the Maximal commander had just witnessed her reaction.

After what seemed like close to a minute, she finally spoke.

"We all have our demons," she said quietly, not caring to elaborate further on the topic. She then let herself sink to the floor once more, wrapping her wings tightly around herself and supporting her head with her hands and only briefly glancing up at Optimus as he spoke.

Optimus Primal wrote:"Are you aware that a Maximal under my command spared your life while you were in stasis lock after you crashed here?"

If his words phased her, she hid it well. Nemesis had no recollection of encountering any Maximals, or anyone else for that matter, from the time she had gone offline after the battle in space until waking up on that blasted Predacon ship. So any actions, or lack of action as seemed to be the case here, that occurred during that time period would not have registered in her data banks.

She paused for a moment, letting him continue.

Optimus Primal wrote:"Yet you come here to my base and terrorize us, attempting to murder my crew and me. Twice now. Why? This isn't your war. Your war ended eons ago. Are you simply bored because you can't find a means off of this planet?"

Nemesis' optics narrowed briskly. Within a split second she was back on her feet again, grabbing the Maximal by the throat. Her fingers gracing against the mark left behind when she held her sword to his throat a few hours earlier. She tightened her grip a little, but then let go as swiftly as she had grabbed him in the first place.

"Do not be so quick to judge that which you cannot understand," she hissed.

She stepped back, giving the Maximal a bit of personal space again. Although he was a Maximal and therefor an enemy, he was her only hope of freedom presently. So she fought hard with her own instincts that were telling her to attack and maul him, and make replacement duckies for Megatron out of the remains. Yet as strong as those urges for destruction were, his company also offered a strange but nevertheless comforting presence while locked up.

"What makes you so convinced I came here intending on attacking your precious Maximals?"

She started circling around the Maximal, maintaining a short distance from him.

"My first trip out here I was seeking something, but your crew members got in my way. What went down was as much your fault as it was mine!"


Eyeing Primal closely, Nemesis stopped pacing and crossed her arms.

"And the most recent events could have been avoided as well, if you had let the Predacon go. She does not belong here any more than I do."

Pausing for a moment to reflect on what had happened to the Predacon spider, Nemesis could only hope the Predacon had survived the ordeal.

"She's different from the rest of them," she continued, lowering her voice. Almost as an afterthought she added, albeit barely more than a whisper, ".. We're the same.."

The hawk immediately regretted saying that and turned away.

(( OOC: No worries, Phoenix. I hope you'll be able to relax now, and that you did well on your exam. You wrote a great post! That's exactly why I had OP close the door instead of dismissing Orcariner and Rattrap.

@ una: Ooooh, I see. Awe. I hope today was better for you. ))

Primal had simply stood there, watching Nemesis make a desperate attempt to get through the impenetrable door. Did she take him for a fool? He was not going to send his "guards" away and give her the opportunity to escape through the opened cell door. If she wanted out, she would need Optimus. Alive. This way she was still confined, his Maximals on the Axalon were still safe, and he was still breathing. However, the longer Nemesis carried on, the more her actions looked like a panic instead of an attempt to free herself. This was peculiar to the leader. Did she dislike confined spaces?

When Nemesis was done throwing her fists around, his optcs met her's and he returned the quiet stare before she finally spoke.

"We all have our demons,"

Hm. Hadn't Whitegrazer said something similar to him earlier? And was it spoken figuritively? Were demons like flaws? Imperfections? Weaknesses? Fears, perhaps? After her sudden lashing at the closed door, maybe she had just inadvertantly revealed one of her fears; claustrophobia.

Suddenly, Nemesis sprang to her feet and took hold of Primal's neck with her hand. He felt her fingers apply pressure over the tear she had given him earlier across his throat but he made no reaction to defend himself. Optimus was all she had right now, and he was certain she knew this.

"Do not be so quick to judge that which you cannot understand,"

"It can't be understood if it's kept hidden," Optimus returned softly, relaxing after she released his neck and stepped away. He would like to understand but he doubted she would open up to him in even the slightest. ...Still, he held on to that tiny bit of optimism. In the back of his mind, he pictured Rattrap panicking as he watched what was happening on the monitor. Hopefully he and Orcariner trusted him enough to know what he was doing and wouldn't try interrupting. Not yet. Everything was all right.

"What makes you so convinced I came here intending on attacking your precious Maximals?"

The Maximal leader watched her begin circling him while she turned the questions on him. He wasn't convinced, actually, he just threw out the scenario to find another answer, and he was about to get it. Primal knew there had been a reason for her attack on him and Arachnitron and he assumed it was to get closer to the new black widow, not him. But why have so much interest in her?

"My first trip out here I was seeking something, but your crew members got in my way. What went down was as much your fault as it was mine!" "And the most recent events could have been avoided as well, if you had let the Predacon go. She does not belong here any more than I do."

"She was not forced to follow us back to our base; she came on her own accord, Nemesis," Optimus explained calmly, maintaining their eye contact. Playing the blame game? "I can see how the situation might have looked from your perspective, but if I had truly intended on harming her to defend myself, I'd have used my firepower, not my hands. Had I felt threatened, I'd have called for reinforcements, which, as you are fully aware of by now, would've arrived within seconds to apprehend her. She chose to speak with me in private and I granted her wish. I only wanted to speak with her. My actions didn't cause any damage to anyone; I was not the threat. Your actions interrupted our discussion and my attempt to understand what was happening with her. You struck fear into a spark that is already so fragile and uncertain, then you rendered my hand useless," lifting his mangled hand up for a moment that was wrapped in bandages to remind her the extreme pain she inflicted on him, "wreaked havoc on her, Whitegrazer and myself, denied her of immediate shelter from the energon fields because she was unable to transform to her beast mode which caused her even more damage, and on top of it all, you fired your grenades on everyone surrounding you, intentionally hoping, hoping to if not terminate us, then knock us into stasis lock because we refused to hand her over to such a sadistic Predacon. Your reckless and violent behavior is precisely why those events occured, not mine. That's why you belong here. She is free to come and go as she pleases. The only thing I am guilty of is lending a helping hand to a complete stranger, who has very unfortunately crashed on this dangerous planet and thrown unwillingly into this war and survival, and offering her my assistance to help save her life. You're guilty of nearly taking four lives, including your own." He said with a deep growl in his voice, not that he was angry or trying to scare her, it was merely to add emphasis to his point. Did every Predacon truly believe that everything violent that happened was not their fault? That the Maximals were the ones who started it all the time? Unbelievable. Did none of them take responsibility for their actions? "No, Nemesis. These events could have been avoided had you minded your own business or approached us peacefully. What negatively transpired was no one's fault but your own." That was the reality, whether she could admit it or not. She had proven his point again just seconds ago when she grabbed his throat even though he had made no threat whatsoever to harm her.

"She's different from the rest of them," ".. We're the same.."

Calming down, Optimus narrowed his optics at her in suspicion when she turned away from him. "She is extraordinarily different," he agreed with the Predacon with a much softer voice. Nemesis had no idea who they were dealing with. Optimus didn't even fully understand who they were dealing with. Arachnitron was so complex, so unpredictable... Did that make her a perfect friend or ally for Nemesis? What would she think of Arachnitron if she knew about her Maximal programming? Would she tolerate it? Or would she just encourage her Predacon side to take full control? If she did, how was that fair to the Maximal side? Would one controlling the other cause permanent damage to Arachnitron? In any case, what could they possible have in common that would make the female before him utter those last words. "How are you the same?" Primal inquired with a surprisingly caring tone. He had his assumptions, but he wanted to hear her say it. While he was fully aware of Arachnitron's past, Nemesis could not have been unless there were signs she recognized and compared with her own. Besides, would that have meant that they shared a similar history? There were some similarities between her behavior and Arachnitron's Predacon programming's behavior, Primal took notice, but on his word, he would not reveal any of Arachnitron's past.

-----

"We can't open it," "Only Primal has the authority as well as Rhinox but he's not here."

"Yeah, I know," Rattrap muttered impatiently, watching the Pred throw a fit on the door before grabbing their leader by his throat. Gasping, Rattrap was about to holler at Orcariner to slice and dice the door down with his flashy swords but he hesitated when he realized that Optimus wasn't even defending himself. Curious, the rat began thinking more about the ape's decision to lock himself in there with her.

"Tell me if Nemesis tries to pull one of her tricks," "We have to make sure this door gets shredded to pieces as soon as she lays a finger on Optimus."

"She backed away from him," Rattrap calmly informed Orcariner. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say she hates to be locked up. We wouldn't even have to talk to her, just leavin' her in dere by herself would be enough ta drive her insane," he was beginning to piece together. "Optimus is her only way out now. She can't harm him if she wants another chance to escape." Giving a light smirk with a memory he recalled, the rodent repeated it outloud, "Sometimes crazy works."

Glowstick would of frowned if his face was capable of visibly showing it, he looked towards Visia and nodded Very well, lets start this..

Six minutes wasn't alot of time, but he'd try the best he could. He atleast knew of methods to keep sparks alive, and had some means, but they were still risky all the same. Some more so then others. He let out a low sigh After this I should look into a vacation.. he muttered to himself quietly.

(Ooc: didn't have time to respond for Aurora earlier so here goes. Sorry for quotes not being copied. It's just too comfy underneath the warm covers to want to get up and on a real computer, so the smartphone will do for now.)

Aurora nodded approvingly as Icebreaker showed her the quarters she had been assidned. Sure enough, the room was pretty bare, but the little ermine welcomed the fun, and challenge, of decorating it according to her own desires. Which would surely include a computer at the corner desk and a ton of music and other items on the floor making up a carpet.

"Looks fine to me!," she insisted. Besides if she was to grow tired of her own room it appeared the others' were just down the hall. Though she didn't quite want to know what were in those bottles Icebreaker mentioned...

As Wintersong stepped out and greeted them, Aurora was quite happy to see the white cat had been repaired for the most part. The female seemed llike quite the adventurous type, so the ermine was sure the two of them could have fun together. "Hey, how are you feeling?," she called back and waved from her lookout point perched on Icebreaker's shoulders.

Looking around she saw several other rooms as well. Perhaps Ironclaw's quarters were nearby too. Maybe they could all have a big party once everyone had gotten their repairs in order. Aurora pondered the situation with Ironclaw for a bit. She hoped he hadn't gotten offended at her and that he would still be willing to teach her more about engines.

(Ooc: will post for Nemesis later.. sleepy still, and smartphone is harder to type on.)

Visia walked exited the Leviathan and pulled out the sparks. "Three, two, one, go!" she released the sparks and watched as they went in different directions. One was going to the quarters, the other to the lab.

"Let the game begin!!" she went after the spark that was heading to the lab.

Optimus Primal wrote:"It can't be understood if it's kept hidden,"

Again Nemesis paused while she looked over her armor. Her mutation was indeed hidden beneath the smooth surface of her armor. The many cuts, indentations, and other wounds she had gotten during the battle were now nowhere to be seen. In fact her appearance was that of someone who'd just been assembled, with not even a scratch to show for the many times she had come close to death. There were times she missed being able to 'age' like the rest of them, finding the many scars and scratches other seasoned warriors had to be quite admirable as it was a physical sign of their many battles.

Yet she was a clean slate, never changing, aside from the beast parts that had been integrated into her now. Why the nanites had deviated from their regular programming and not changed the protoform technology to that of her old armor, she did not know. Perhaps they had deemed it necessary in order to preserve her life on this planet, or perhaps the protoform technology had proven incompatible somehow so the nanobots making up her circuitry had altered her physical attributes to match. Either way she was stuck in this smaller frame now, although she was starting to get used to having feathered wings.

As Optimus continued talking, explaining his intentions with Arachnitron, the Predacon merely listened without saying anything. Not until he brought up the topic of his hand. Nemesis looked over at the wounded and bandaged hand. She watched the primate's wounded limb with a look of bewildering amusement. Although she remembered every detail of how she had rammed her sai through the hand, she'd been unaware of how severe the injuries were. Not that she cared much, nor could she quite understand the point Primal was trying to make. He was still fully functional otherwise, enough so to be standing there speaking with her right now.

Was he expecting an apology?

She started reaching her own hand out and placed it on top of the Maximal leader's bandaged hand, slowly unwrapping the soaked bandage to expose the wound bit by bit. As she did, she spoke as calmly as she could manage. For the time being she was focusing only on Primal and herself, so she managed to keep her fears of being imprisoned under wraps for now.

"I was not always this way," she explained. "I started out like everyone else, but they changed all that."

She smiled ever so slightly when she saw just how damaged the Maximal's hand indeed was, yet it was apparent she had seen far worse in her lifetime because the sight did not even make her flinch. Instead she merely stood there while Primal continued explaining the error of her ways. Judging by his lecturing tone of voice, it was quite apparent that he viewed himself as the good, or the hero if you will, while she was the evil villain who had to be set straight. It was quite amusing for her to hear him talk. Good and evil were notions the predacon simply did not care about. In Nemesis' opinion every act of cruelty could be justified as means to an end. Yet she never considered herself evil nor her foes good.

"That Predacon is strong. She'll survive," she responded when the Maximal appeared to be finishing up his speech. The female had almost asked if he intended to bore her to death with his lectures, but decided not to since part of her oddly enough enjoyed his company. It was better than being trapped by herself, alone with her thoughts..

Finally releasing his arm, she took a step back again so that she could look the Maximal in the eyes. As much as he had been talking about Arachnitron and how he did not intend to harm her, Nemesis could not help noticing the parts he had not told her.

"There is no reason to attempt to hide the truth from me, Optimus. I was watching you and the spider talk for a while before making my presence known. I'm well aware of her dual personality and how the two are at war with each other."

She stopped for a moment, contemplating how to explain the gut feeling she had that told her Arachnitron too was an experiment. Nemesis gathered that if it had been a mere programming error or an incident that occurred when she crashed on this planet that caused the arachnid to be this way, chances were she would have already been deactivated or had the physical injuries to show for the ordeal. Since neither was the case, the Predacon was leaning more towards the arachnid hybrid was the way she was because someone had designed her to be that way. Just like Nemesis herself.

Why she did what she did next, the Predacon did not know for certain. Perhaps part of her had spent so many years in solitude that she was yearning for some release from the loneliness, or perhaps being confined here with no other way out than the Maximal in front of her was making her experience a sense of vulnerability she had not felt in a very long time, or maybe there was some other reason altogether for it. Regardless, without saying a word, Nemesis reached out her arm and tilted it so that the subject number embedded in her wrist was in clear view of the Maximal commander. Whether he'd understand, she wasn't sure, but it was a gesture of faith for her nevertheless.