[G1 RPG] Terminus: The Tempest (Protihex), Part II

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Blackjack
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Post by Blackjack »

Hoist's Shuttle

"Fishing is nice." Searchlight told Sludge. "Rollbar always liked to explore faraway fishing holes." The Throttlebot chuckled. "Rodimus always liked these... well, stranger ideas. Nice to have ponds, though. I liked them."

Searchlight shrugged, "Swerve or Wheeljack or someone coated a console with friction-resistant something or other to help Blurr play. Swerve dipped it in baby blue paint so Blurr can tell it apart. Mostly it kept glitching because the paint kept getting inside the controller itself."
_______________________________________

Constructicon Hospital

"And we-" Brawl replied to Snarl, "need to continue searching for survivors and executing-"

"Apprehending." Blast Off said.

"That's what I said. Apprehending Imperial survivors." Brawl finished. "Still, nice talk."

Grimstone hopped off the crate he was sitting on. "I'll help you gather around the B-team, Snarl. I'm definitely going to stick around Protihex, being Combaticon and all, but I'm still technically a Dinobot. 'Least until Road Hugger gives us the next set of orders, anyway."
_______________________________________

"Yes, I brought one from Chaar!" Long Haul yelled at Hook, grateful to have something to distract the conversation away from his little paint fiasco.

"The contraption you brought was not fit to be used as a strut support, let alone a power distributor!" Hook yelled snobbishly, before turning to Mixmaster. "And you!"

"What? You said you wanted an Energon infusion, I gave you an Energon infusion!" Mixmaster brought his hands up defensively.

"That doesn't mean you blow the damn thing up, you stupid lab assistant!" Long Haul yelled again. Meanwhile, at Scrapper's unexpected compliment, Scavenger mumbled bashfully as he shuffled his feet.

Windcharger shrugged. "Hook's like Gears then. Complaining little bastard who never get any work done. And then there's all the suspicion floating around. Idiots like Brawn who hate Perceptor for being smarter, or Cliffjumper who one day decides without any measure that Mirage is suddenly a Decepticon traitor." Windcharger shrugs, "If it makes you any better, Dirge is still filming everything all the time. Grimlock kept roaring at Optimus Prime to bring down the wrath of Primus down on you Decepticons, Trailbreaker's our Skywarp equivalent, Siren KEEPS SHOUTING AS WELL, Grapple and Hoist trying to build random little replicas of stuff, Bluestreak never shutting up..."

Windcharger trailed off. "Wait, back up. You guys have health insurance?"
_______________________________________

Battlefield

"Mm." Bludgeon told Octopunch noncommittally. "Still, he died for the Decepticon cause, even if he will not be missed." Bludgeon watched where Drift had disappeared. "The idiot had talent. It is a pity our paths had not crossed each other after his defection, or I would have given him the death he deserved."

Bludgeon shook his head. "The Mayhem Attack Squad, as it seems is down to only the three of us again. I sense that we may be needed elsewhere, however. Follow me." Bludgeon began to walk away, towards the location of the Lunatic Fringe.
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Northern Border

"Inhumane, putting him down would be." Slog told Birdbrain. "Tempting, though. After a lifetime of depravities, no harm will one more immoral act be..."
______________________________________

The Lunatic Fringe

Misfire shrugged. "Neither did I. And I thought having extra-powerful weaponry would mean that someone can help me aim. Good thing Aimless died on the Death Star, good riddance I say. No offence to actually good Targetmaster Nebulans."

Misfire transformed and landed next to Spinister. "Um... yo?" he said uncertainly.
_______________________________________

"Yes." Blitzwing replied to Cyclonus. "They will be dealt with in time."

Blitzwing shrugged at Optimus Prime, "That's what I implied just now, Prime. Yeah. If only not to let Astrotrain's good work all go to waste." The triple-changer shrugged, "Besides, assuming Bludgeon will follow Cyclonus off-planet, I'm about the only sensible ranking officer the Decepticons have anyway."

The triple-changer shrugged. "The Micromaster? Why not? And Spinister... knowing him, he's standing behind me just as I'm about to make some sarcastic glib about his paintjob." Blitzwing turned around just as Spinister and Misfire landed. "Right on cue! Everything is as it should be."

Misfire shrugged, "Not Buzzsaw or Ravage? Last I heard, Ravage was sulking after Soundwave's dead, though. I'll put out a general call for Wingspan and Tracer if they're still around. As for Skystalker... the little scraplet's basically a new Starscream, isn't he? And last I heard he was still in space." Blitzwing sighed. "Yes, we have, Cyclonus. This campaign... has taken its toll."
_______________________________________

"How do I choose?" Sixshot replied to Ultra Magnus, a slight hint of resentment in his voice. "I know nothing outside of battle. I have no other skills, I am unable to find anything to do with my life. Coming with the rest of you is the only thing left to me, other than shutting down and waiting to be reactivated for the next great war."

Sixshot turned to Prowl. "I can help with the corpse-decimating. I know how to get rid of a body without leaving anything but a crater. I daresay none of us in the room hold any love for Thunderwing."
_______________________________________

Hate Plague Danger Zone

Moonjet and Darkjet hovered behind Shockwave. "Right." Darkjet said, and the two Predators dispersed as Shockwave had ordered, towards the coordinates the former Decepticon leader had given them. Who are they to question Shockwave, after all?

When Shockwave gave the order, the two Predators dropped their pods with unnatural efficiency. It was one thing being independent, it was another being able to remove all the hive-mind coordination they had.
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Warcry
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Post by Warcry »

Hoist's Shuttle

Sludge laughed. "That not Wheeljack," he told Searchlight. "Wheeljack not use simple idea. If it Wheeljack, he build timewarp to slow Blurr down to normal speed."

Then the Dinobot looked up at Hoist, a questioning expression on his face. "Me Sludge fixed yet?"
_______________________________________

Constructicon Hospital

"Right," Snarl said to Grimstone, nodding to the smaller Dinobot. "Well, I'll see you around, in that case."
_______________________________________

Scrapper turned his back, ignoring the other Constructicons' bickering. "Of course we have health insurance," he said to Windcharger, evidently surprised. "You don't? Ratbat got us a good deal with a Skuxxoid firm. Nasty creatures, Skuxxoids, but nice and gullible too. They think we're 'Deception Inc.', some sort of human company. Apparently they have no idea why they've been paying for replacement gears and wiring for so long."
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Battlefield

"Whatever you say," Octopunch said to Bludgeon, clearly not feeling as much appreciation for Fangry's sacrifice as his commander.
_______________________________________

Hate Plague Danger Zone

His work done, Acid Storm shot out of the cloud at full thrust. He wasn't sure exactly what Shockwave was doing with it, but he wasn't sure that he wanted to stick around to find out.
_______________________________________

Northern Border

Birdbrain frowned. "Yeah, I suppose."

He glanced over his shoulder at Wildfly, who was currently doing his best to rip down a light standard.

"I'll distract him by having my shell trip over itself, if you want to shoot him. I guess the only other alternative would be to find out if Rung is taking Decepticon patients now that the war's over."
______________________________________

The Lunatic Fringe

Cyclonus pondered Prowl's suggestion, then shook his head. "I appreciate the offer," he told the Autobot, "but Thunderwing is my people's mess, both literally and figuratively. He was the Decepticons' albatross, and we should be the ones to dispose of him. Consider it a...catharsis, of sorts."

Anticipating the frown that surely would be spreading over Prowl's face any second now, he continued. "But since you don't trust us, and rightly so, you can of course send along an Autobot observer to ensure that the job is done correctly."

Glancing over to the newly-returned Spinister, he said, "Ready your men, please. I have one last job for my loyal Targetmasters today."
_______________________________________

"Well, we're not going to Nebulos to find you a new one," Spinister told Misfire. "And we're not changing the unit name either, because I don't want to get all that letterhead reprinted. So if anyone asks, just tell them that your new gun turns into a Micromaster or something."

Then he told Cyclonus, "Acknowledged." He briefly glanced down at Thunderwing's corpse, then sent Slugslinger off to retrieve their shuttle. "We'll take care of it."

Cyclonus shook his head. "You'll need to stay here," he told Spinister, "for the Decepticon senior staff meeting."

"Needlenose can handle things, in that case."

"Oh, I'll handle things," Needlenose agreed. "I know just where to put him..." He gave Sixshot a grin. "Come with us, big guy. If anyone owes ol T-wing one, I figure it's you."
_______________________________________

With that settled, Cyclonus turned to Blitzwing. "If we can set up a hololink, Ravage and Buzzsaw should be there too. But they're in orbit, the last I checked."
_______________________________________

"Then I would be honoured to accompany you," Ultra Magnus told Prime. "I'll just have to find a way to break it to Hot Rod that he'll have to find someone else to help him with the paperwork. He was...not especially fond of the bureaucratic part of the job last time, and I doubt that's changed."

Then he scowled at Sixshot. "Listen to yourself! By even thinking what you just said, you're spitting on the graves of all the Autobots -- and Decepticons -- that you've killed. And last I checked, respect was a big thing for you. You owe it to them to make something of yourself."
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Blackjack
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Post by Blackjack »

Hoist's Shuttle

"No, Wheeljack offered to build a kinetic amplifier to bring us all up to Blurr's speed. But then it wasn't compatible with the Playstation's systems, so I Pipes and Swerve came up with the friction grease thing." Searchlight shrugged. "I miss them all."
_______________________________________

Constructicon Hospital

Grimstone nodded. "You take that side, I take this side, we meet back in front of the hospital in a couple of hours with whoever we found?"
_______________________________________

"Nah. Freedom is the right of all sentient beings, not health insurance." Windcharger laughed. "Ratchet, Hoist and the others are happy to fix us, but only during wartime. Peacetime, our health problem is all broken. Not the fault of our medics, of course, but then they needed to get their salaries from somewhere."

Windcharger shrugged, "I think the Dinobots and the Wreckers broke it by themselves after being more bashed up than the rest of the army combined between any given time."
_______________________________________

Northern Border

Slog shook his head. "Dignity, I still have... and besides, a shell I do not." Slog shrugged, "Take me down, he would, if missed I did. Alive, Rung is?"
______________________________________

The Lunatic Fringe

Misfire shrugged, "I've had enough of Nebulon fleshbags, present company excluded. Your guns are pretty good. And, well, I'm assuming I'm a literal target master now, so there's that." Misfire grinned as he saluted at Cyclonus. "Oh you bet we'll take good care of the corpse. Do you want us to take care of Starscream too?"

"Be nice." Blitzwing scolded Misfire. "For all we know, Starscream died in the line of duty." The triple-changer paused. "Or in an attempt to wring the Matrix's power to assume Thunderwing's role, if I know Starscream well. But still, mewling worm that he is, he still died with Decepticon pride, unlike Thunderwing."

"Oh, okay then." Misfire shrugged.

Blitzwing turned back to Cyclonus. "I will arrange for the summoning of the rest of the Decepticon senior staff, once you have decided on a place to meet."
_______________________________________

Sixshot nodded at Needlenose, very grateful that they had asked him to come with. Meetings were never his thing, and he did, as Needlenose had said, owed Thunderwing 'one'. "Thank you, Needlenose. I appreciate it." Sixshot said. "Thunderwing... owes us a lot. Which one of you pulled the trigger that killed him?"

Sixshot turned to regard Ultra Magnus, and shook his head. "I have my honour as a warrior, but, like you said, there is nothing to be gained here for me, not when the world shuns me as a weapon. I would serve our race -- and the memory of those I have slain -- better if I depart from here and accompany you into outer space."
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Warcry
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Post by Warcry »

Hoist's Shuttle

Sludge frowned. "Most them still alive, no?" he asked Searchlight. "Me Sludge no keep track of Minibots, but me not think me hear too many of them die in last few years."
_______________________________________

Constructicon Hospital

Snarl gave Grimstone a nod. "Sounds like a plan to me," he told the smaller Dinobot. "See you around."
_______________________________________

Scrapper shrugged. "Yeah, Megatron was never big on paying for repairs either. But Ratbat, bless his greedy fuel pump, figured out it cost less to scam the Skuxxoids into paying for repairs than it did to build replacements after letting us die. I have to say, morale improved quite a bit after that. Really helped the troops get over the shame of taking orders from a cassette."

Then he winced. "Just a word of warning, though. When you're on a Decepticon base, it's probably not a good idea to use the word 'Wrecker' casually. Eventually someone will panic and start shooting. We're pretty jumpy that way. Imagine Strafe, except a whole room full of him."
_______________________________________

Northern Border

Birdbrain sighed. "Do I look like I'm familiar with the Autobots' personnel database?" he asked rhetorically. "I just tossed out the name of the most famous psychiatrist I could think of. But my point stands. Wildfly needs someone who can teach him to express his feelings without using rocket launchers, not impatient teammates who feel like babysitters."
______________________________________

The Lunatic Fringe

Cyclonus returned Misfire's salute. "Better safe than sorry," he told the other Decepticon. "I can't picture anyone foolish enough to idolize Starscream of all people, but who knows what the future holds?"

Turning to Blitzwing, he frowned for a moment as he downloaded a current map of Protihex from what little remained of the Decepticons' orbital satellite network.

"The Flats appears to be relatively unscathed," he told the Triplechanger. "There's a decent-sized forum there that we should be able to co-opt. Let's meet there."
_______________________________________

Needlenose thought about bragging to Sixshot about how he'd been the one to end Thunderwing's life, but decided not to. "You know...it doesn't really matter," he said at last. "What's important is we stopped him, not who fired the last bullet."

Grabbing Thunderwing's corpse by the shoulder, he started dragging it to the exit where Slugslinger was waiting with the ship that Spinister and his crew had arrived in. "Misfire, Triggerhappy, could you guys grab the shells? And Sixshot, if you'd take Starscream that'd be perfect."
_______________________________________

Ultra Magnus gave Sixshot a nod. "Then we'll take you," he told the sixchanger, trying not to show that he was still more than a little unsettled by the prospect. "But behave. If I hear about you trying to work out that warrior's instincts on the crew we'll have to leave you on the first asteroid we pass."
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Post by Blackjack »

Hoist's Shuttle

"Pretty sure Gears and Warpath bit the dust today, Primus rest their souls. Saw Windcharger just now. Chase is helping Hot Rod run for mayor or something. Freeway's well... you know. Bumblebee's on trial for some thing or other." Searchlight told Sludge. "Really not sure how the rest of the gang's doing. But yeah, I do hope not too many of them died the past few years."
_______________________________________

Constructicon Hospital

"Despite being a total dipstick, Ratbat's a very effective Decepticon leader, isn't he?" Windcharger shrugged. "I have to admit, that attack on us on the Moon was devastating on us. Should be good for the cassette's pocketbook."

Windcharger glanced around, and smiled amusedly when a couple of Decepticons (and ex-Decepticons) had flinched or taken a rather hostile stance at the word 'Wrecker'.

"Yeah, I can see that. 'Bludgeon' gave us the same effect as well." Windcharger grinned as he watched Bonecrusher trying to extract Scavenger, who had been so spooked he was clinging comically onto the demolition specialist's back.
_______________________________________

Northern Border

Slog shrugged. "Pity that someone, I do. Emotions, not sure I am if Wildfly has them. Hate, excepted. Big ball of hate, he is."
______________________________________

The Lunatic Fringe

Misfire snorted. "Find that hard to believe myself, sir, because it's Starscream and all." The Targetmaster then moved to take one of Thunderwing's shells, dragging it by the leg towards Slugslinger's ship.

"I still think Starscream deserves a proper Decepticon burial." Blitzwing said out loud, "But I don't really mind either way." The triple-changer nodded. "I shall summon the rest of the Decepticon forces, then." He opened a communications channel, broadcasting it to Bludgeon, Blackjack, Shrapnel, Shockwave, Rage, Hun-Grr, Razorclaw, Wingspan, Venom, Scrapper, Skystalker and Howlback, as well as a holoconference feed to Buzzsaw and Ravage.

"Decepticon officers, this is Blitzwing." The triple-changer said. "Cyclonus, Spinister and myself are meeting at these coordinates in order to discuss the future of the Decepticon faction. If you are able, please make yourself present there."
_______________________________________

Sixshot nodded. "You speak wisely, Needlenose. He is dead. That is all."

Sixshot gave Ultra Magnus an incredulous expression. "Why, you treat me as if I am Motormaster or Fangry. Despite my reputation, I am no barely-controlled rage-monster itching for a fight. Battle may be my purpose, but I approach it with the exact same methodicalness as you do, Ultra Magnus. You do not have to fear me losing control and causing a killing spree through your crew. There is no honour in that."

Sixshot knelt down beside Starscream's corpse, and lifted it with one hand by the leg. "What do you have in mind, Needlenose?
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Post by Warcry »

Hoist's Shuttle

Sludge shrugged. "If them dead, me sure them died good. Me Sludge think that a good end. Grimlock, Slag, Swoop...them die like Dinobots. Me miss them, but me proud." He looked at Searchlight and said, "But me know not all Autobots think like Dinobots."
_______________________________________

Constructicon Hospital

"Was," Scrapper told Windcharger. "Squeezeplay killed him for some reason. Or so we thought, anyway. Soundwave eventually bought his head back on eBay. Once he talked to me about it, but funny thing. That big body he was walking around in for a few years? A transtector, apparently. It had copies of his datatracks, enough to operate on it's own for extended periods and fool people, but it wasn't actually alive. The real Ratbat was driving the thing around in tape mode. We got Barricade to do some digging -- You remember Barricade? Not the dwarf, the other one -- and it turns out that the whole thing was a scam. The little bastard is on Earth somewhere, running an oil company and living like a king. Last I heard Soundwave was using the fake head as a calculator and working with the real thing to sneak Energon past the embargo on Earth."

Scrapper turned toward Scavenger and sighed. "You can get down. I promise you there aren't any living Wreckers anywhere near the building."
_______________________________________

Northern Border

Birdbrain shook his head. "I don't agree," he told Slog. "He's a destructive menace, sure, but I never really thought it was about hate. He's like a human kid smashing stuff because he doesn't know any better. If someone could help him grow up, maybe he'd stop."
______________________________________

The Lunatic Fringe

"I would agree," Cyclonus told Blitzwing, "if not for his nasty habit of not staying dead. If nothing else I want to make sure he's got nowhere to go back to if being blasted by the Matrix wasn't enough to kill him off for good."

Once the Triplechanger had summoned the rest of their depleted leadership group, Cyclonus gave a final nod to Optimus and said, "I'm afraid I must take my leave of you now, but I'll be in touch shortly."

Then he told Blitzwing, "I'll meet you there. I've got one last stop to make first."
_______________________________________

Needlenose just nodded to Sixshot, trying not to express smug satisfaction at his own maturity.

"The Acid Wastes," he said at last. "They're already a nasty mess of radiation, enough to make it impossible to spot Thunders here with sensors. We sink 'em to the bottom of one of the acid lakes, and let nature do it's thing. No one'll find 'em, and in a few years there ain't gonna be nothin' to find anyway."

Triggerhappy dragged his shell out the door, nodding along with the other Targetmaster. "When'd you get to be so smart, anyway?"

"Must be the company I keep," Needlenose shrugged. "And no, I don't mean you guys."
_______________________________________

"Perhaps," Ultra Magnus told Sixshot. "Perhaps not. If we didn't trust you to act like a civilized Transformer we wouldn't have invited you to start with. But we'll definitely take precautions. We're not stupid."
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Post by Blackjack »

Hoist's Shuttle

Searchlight sighed. "Good death or no, I'd rather all of them -- Dinobots and Minibots -- are alive here. But yeah, they had... good... ends, I suppose, if you can call dying good. They'd think it's good ones, I suppose."
_______________________________________

Constructicon Hospital

Windcharger shook his head in disbelief. "Soundwave... bought his head back... on eBay. That's not a very Soundwavey thing to do." Windcharger's amused smile grew larger and larger as he listened to Scrapper's story about Ratbat's body being a Transtector. "Damn bastard." Windcharger laughed. "Well, I suppose since he's not hurting anyone there, we'll just leave him be. But you Decepticons sure tell rather... interesting stories. Interesting being a mild way of saying things, of course."

"Are you sure there won't be any Wreckers?" Scavenger mewled as he let go of Bonecrusher.

Long Haul laughed in a raucous manner. "What do you think, idiot? We're having a truce! A truce! Don't you know what that meansWHOAAHOLYMOTHERBOARD"

Long Haul dived under a table almost comically, knocking Mixmaster off-balance and sending the chemist toppling onto Bonecrusher and Scavenger, all three landing in a surprised, screaming and shouting pile of green and purple. Hook roared at the other Constructicons furiously, shouting obscenities and insults at them.

Leaning in the doorway, barely fitting, was a very surprised Broadside, red optic band opened wide. "Um, did I come at a bad time? We kind of brought wounded and... uh..."

By that point, Windcharger had added to the ruckus by laughing at the Constructicons.
_______________________________________

Shrapnel got up from where he was sitting, and shook his head. That was enough depression for a day. Needler chirped at the motion, and scuttled up Shrapnel's leg.

The Insecticon walked towards Scrapper, arms crossed against his chest. "Scrapper, I assume you've heard the call, call. Are you coming, or, well, no offense to you or your leadership, but..." Shrapnel gestured vaguely at the Constructicon rabble. "Will you be staying here instead to keep an eye on things, things?"
_______________________________________

En Route

Bludgeon had no expression as Blitzwing contacted him, but he turned abruptly to Stranglehold and Octopunch. "Our destination has changed. We are going to these coordinates... it appears our presence is no longer required in battle. Instead..." Bludgeon all but spat the next sentence, "We discuss politics."
_______________________________________

Northern Border

"Someone else, better, than me." Slog replied to Birdbrain. "Desire to be beaten up, I have none. Expensive, repairing gold finish is."
______________________________________

The Lunatic Fringe

Blitzwing snorted. "Didn't stop him from using other Decepticons as his vessel the last two or three times he came back. Your old boss atomized him into dust and that didn't stop him. But if you say so."

Blitzwing nodded to Optimus Prime and the rest of the Autobots. "Likewise myself." The triple-changer glanced quizzically at Cyclonus, but didn't question the Unicron-spawned Decepticon. "As you wish. I'll try to stop the others from killing each other. Or the Autobots."
_______________________________________

Sixshot gave Ultra Magnus a withering glare. "And I repeat myself: I am as civilized as you are. We both merely do our jobs. I merely happen to be more engrossed in it than you are. I do politely request that you stop insulting me."

Sixshot sighed as he walked out of the building, muttering at Needlenose. "Autobots. I swear. I'd expect this from our kind, but they're supposedly all about equality."

The sixchanger nodded. "We're not going to blow them up or tear them apart first? Makes dissolving quicker. But it'd be uncivilized, admittedly."
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Post by zigzagger »

The Lunatic Fringe

"But since you don't trust us, and rightly so," said Cyclonus, "you can of course send along an Autobot observer to ensure that the job is done correctly."

"We understand each other," Prowl answered, making no attempt to hide his suspicion. "Good. I will have someone in place."

---

Cyclonus gave a final nod to Optimus and said, "I'm afraid I must take my leave of you now, but I'll be in touch shortly."

"Of course, by all means," the Autobot Leader kindly replied. "Put your affairs in order, first. I will be waiting."

---

Prowl silently watched as the Decepticons departed, before piping up in typical fashion. "We are allowing them to leave with the Decepticon Matrix and with Thunderwing's remains, then?"

"I trust Cyclonus, Prowl," Optimus replied. "Besides, the alliance is too beneficial to both sides to be broken. I believe he will do the right thing."

"That is all well and good, but--" The General stopped short, though he had made it patently clear that he disagreed with the Autobot Leader's decision. "Hn, my apologies. Do as you will."

He then started for the exit. "If our business here is finished, I will contact our forces--"

"Prime. Ultra Magnus," Prowl regarded the two Autobots as he departed.
_______________________

Hoist's Shuttle

Hoist busied himself over Sludge's leg, content to remain silent and lose himself in his work while Searchlight and the Dinobot passed the time reminiscing.

"Sorry," he told Sludge. "I was 'in the zone', as they say." The Autobot mechanic shut the compartment on the larger Autobot's shin and continued. "At any rate, it'll take some time until I can draw up parts for your Dino-form," he said. "The components are not exactly...conventional, and thus not readily available--

"Mechanoid form's in working order, though," Hoist assured him. "You should be able to move about without any pain."

________________________

Hate Plague Danger Zone

With a flash of his optic, Shockwave signaled the electrical firing circuits inside the three modified stasis pods. And simultaneously, they ignited inside the induced storm.

The resulting force wave scattered the enzymes within, seeding the cloud formations just as the former-Decepticon had calculated.

Shockwave probed the storm and waited for the counteragent to take affect. And he waited...

Until finally, Hook's enzymes began to take. The red haze was fading. They had succeeded.

"Objective achieved," he eventually spoke up.

The former-Decepticon looked to the west and east edges of the storm where Darkjet and Moonjet were positioned.

"Inform the Constructicons that the virus has been neutralized," he said, "Additional seeding however may be necessary to ensure its complete eradication--"

"You are dismissed," he concluded. "For now. I may still have use for you."

--

Shockwave had shifted his attention back to storm when he received Blitzwing's summon. The cyclopean considered declining the triplechanger's offer. He had resigned, after all, and no longer considered himself Decepticon...

Still, as their once-commander, the new guard could benefit from Shockwave's input and experience.

"I will arbitrate the proceedings, if I am permitted to," he answered Blitzwing. "That is all I can do. If that is acceptable, then we shall convene at the coordinates you have provided."
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Post by Blackjack »

Hate Plague Danger Zone

Moonjet and Darkjet transformed into robot mode and watched as the Hate Plague began to dissipate slightly. "We didn't know about this." Darkjet said out loud. "If it matters. I mean, we knew Skydive and Thunderwing were cooking up old super-weapons, but we didn't know the Hate Plague was going to be released."

"Indiscriminately." Moonjet piped up.

"We shall get going, then." Darkjet told Shockwave. "You know where to find us." The two Predators transformed and shot off back towards the Constructicon hospital.
_____________________________________

En Route

"We'd be happy to have you around." Blitzwing replied to Shockwave. And to keep the more unruly members of our faction in check, Blitzwing added silently. "Still sure you're not coming back to the fold? We could really use someone like you."
_____________________________________

Combaticon Warehouse

Road Hugger screeched to a stop where their base is, and sighed. The battle had not been kind. The Combaticons with him -- Thunderhead, Chopsaw, Undertow, Brimstone, Breacher, Blowpipe and several others not currently searching for wounded -- as well as Detour. Road Hugger wasn't sure whether his old friend would want to be a Combaticon, or continue being a Decepticon now that the Civil War has ended, or a simple civilian (Detour'd like that) but he's glad that Detour was with him.

Blackjack was with them too, but he's been called back to duty by the Decepticons. Road Hugger hoped that whoever took charge of this mess, Gigatron or Bludgeon or Scorponok or whomever, would not take the initiative and loot Protihex.

They don't have the manpower to hold off a second army.

They don't even have a proper base, now that half the building has caved in, most likely from an air bombing. Road Hugger was thankful it wasn't the half with their weapon supplies, or the explosion would've been catastrophic. "Spread out. Keep your weapons ready in case someone decides to try and steal our stuff. Somebody please find out what happened to Scoutstinger and his team." Road Hugger said. "Load any medical supplies to Blowpipe. Breacher, Brimstone, you'll guard Blowpipe as he makes a convoy back to the Constructicon Hospital. Once you guys get there, tell Blast Off and Brawl to get off their skidplates and help out."

Road Hugger watched as his Combaticons entered the ruined buildings, and sighed as he followed them in, Detour perched on a shoulder. They didn't take four steps in before Thunderhead boomed out. "BOSS WE FOUND THEM."

The Combaticon leader walked up to where Thunderhead and Undertow were crouching near a pile of rubble and winced at the barely recognizable body below it. Three more were strewn around in the general vicinity, crushed by rubble in various positions. "Guess we know why they went radio silent." Undertow sighed.

Road Hugger sighed. "Get them- their bodies- out. Get them to Scrapper, they might still be useful to save the other wounded." Four more Combaticons dead, and their only fault was to patrol the wrong half of their base when the bombing happened.

They might have won the war, but to continue on... would be difficult.
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Post by zigzagger »

Hate Plague Danger Zone

"I am committed to Protihex and its people, Blitzwing," Shockwave told the triplechanger. "I will not betray their confidence. Not now. I participate in this council solely in an advisory capacity."

The purple cyclopean shifted into laser gun mode. "We shall meet at the specified rendezvous point."

Shockwave ignited his thrusters and shot off.
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Post by Warcry »

Hoist's Shuttle

"That what important, then," Sludge told Searchlight. "If them die good, then them happy at end. That best any of us hope for, Sludge think.
_______________________________________

Constructicon Hospital

"Oh, he used proxies, of course," Scrapper told Windcharger. "Hacked some human's account and charged it to his Paypal." He shrugged. "Soundwave gets bored, sometimes."

When Broadside arrived, Scrapper just sighed. "You'll have to excuse them," he told the Autobot. "They're existentially terrified of you Wreckers for some reason. Now, I've got to go to some sort of time-wasting staff meeting, but...Scavenger," he picked the nearby Constructicon who looked the least terrified, "can help you triage the wounded. Hook will treat anyone who needs urgent care." He sighed. "It would probably help their peace of mind if you promise not to slaughter them like dogs."

Glancing over at Windcharger, he said, "I told you so. If we're going to see a lot more Wreckers, it might be a good idea to have that medical frigate of yours land in the courtyard outside so that they can take in the Autobot patients."
_______________________________________

Northern Border

"Well then, that's settled," Birdbrain told Slog. "We'll find him a good psychiatrist as soon as we get back to civilization."
______________________________________

The Lunatic Fringe

"I appreciate the effort," Cyclonus told Blitzwing. Then with a final nod to Optimus he exited the building, transformed and shot off into the sky.
_______________________________________

Needlenose gave Sixshot a shrug. "Right. And we're all moustache-twirling baddies who live to kick puppies and eat protoforms. It's all just stereotypes, man. All just stereotypes. Forget 'em, and deal with the 'Bots like they're people."

Entering the shuttle, he dropped the body he'd been carrying and headed for the cockpit.

"You do that, and it's no prob to figure out why Maggy's got it in for you."
_______________________________________

Ultra Magnus watched Prowl depart, shooting Optimus a troubled glance. Once the other Autobot was out of earshot, he said, "Prowl's going to be trouble, isn't he? I don't think he'll adjust to peacetime at all well. I trust Cyclonus far more than I trust him, right now."
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Post by Blackjack »

The Flats

"We wouldn't expect any less." Blitzwing told Shockwave. "That would be... illogical, to quote you. See you there, then."

Blitzwing transformed into robot mode as he landed near the Flats. The Triple-Changer unsheathed his electro-scimitar, and it flared to life, and he planted it blade-first onto the ground, hands resting over the handle. It was a passive pose, but one in which he can defend himself easily should a surprise attack come. Never underestimate how many power-hungry Starscream wannabes are in the Decepticon army.

"Ah, good. You're here."

Blitzwing turned around, optics scanning for the source of the voice, and looked down to see Blackjack, sitting on top of a dead Imperial. "Blackjack."

"Yeah, I was with Ro- with the Combaticons. We happened to be nearby, ergo I'm the first here." The Micromaster shrugged. "Checked the area for traps and ambushes, seems clean."

Blitzwing nodded. "Good work. We need more competent people in the Decepticon cause. Less... less angry thugs and more people like you."

"Yeah, I think the war took out most of our angry thugs." Blackjack sighed, looking at the ground, expression instantly sullen.

Blitzwing bit his lip. Oops. "Didn't mean to offend."

"Knew you didn't. What you said was true... but I'd rather have my angry thug alive and on a leash than dead and scrounged for spare parts." Blackjack sighed. "I wasn't even there at his death."

"War's killed people close to us." Blitzwing shook his head. "Astrotrain... Octane... hell, I know I'm going to miss idiots like Skywarp and the Cassette Twins. But we have to endure. That's what makes us Decepticons. Our strength."

"I am enduring. That's why I'm here."
_______________________________________

Hoist's Shuttle

Searchlight nodded. "I think you may be right. I still wish we can all enjoy peacetime together, though."
_______________________________________

Constructicon Hospital

Windcharger chuckled. "Poor human. Hoped Ratbat didn't cost much, although that would be ironic, considering things." The Autobot arched an eyebrow. "Ol' soulless can get bored? The other Minibots and I have a pet theory that Soundwave is a highly sophisticated AI and the Cassettes are the real brains behind the outfit."

The Autobot shrugged, and opened his comm. "Hoist, this is Windcharger. Can you have your shuttle land a wee bit closer to the Constructicon hospital? Our resident big-boned triple-changer showed up and spooked the scrap out of the Constructicons."

"Scrap's one of the two Constructicons not scared by the Wrecker." Tinker cooed from one end as he and a Combaticon dragged a gurney carrying a wounded Autobot.

"Spooked the crap, then." Windcharger amended. "I'm well-versed in human curse words that somehow sound like our own."
_______________________________________

"They should be." Broadside chuckled. "I'll have Roadbuster fire our PR officer if the weaker half of the Decepticon army isn't afraid of us." Broadside frowned. "No, wait, Blocker's dead anyway. Imp bombers got him."

Scavenger peeled himself off of a terrified Bonecrusher, and nodded, still trembling a little (which is much better, considering Bonecrusher, Long Haul and Mixmaster were still sprawled on the ground). "Right, boss. Will do."

"Eager to please, are you not?" Hook, who was unaffected by Broadside's presence, walked up towards Scavenger. "Come, Scrounge. Leave these imbeciles on the ground. I swear to whatever non-existent creator our race believes in if we don't need these three buffoons I'd shoot them all in the head."

"Eh, I'm not going to slaughter y'all. Not now, anyway." Broadside said as he moved away from the doorway, allowing the two Constructicons to shuffle through.
_______________________________________

Targetmaster Shuttle

"I shall try to." Sixshot replied to Needlenose, and paused. "Stranglehold kicks puppies." The six-changer said out loud, a hint of confusion in his voice. "And twirls his mustache."

"Eh, big guy, just think that the Autobots are Decepticons with red badges and you'll be fine." Misfire said cheerily.

Sixshot shook his head. "He should not be. He seems to trust Cyclonus. I am as much an honourable warrior as he is, or as Ultra Magnus is. They have as much blood on their hands as I do, they both have the same reputation and sense of duty as I do."

"Politics, Sixshot." Misfire shrug. "No matter how nice we are the Autobots will never trust us flunkies."
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Post by Warcry »

The Flats

Rage walked toward Blitzwing and Blackjack, naked contempt on his face.

"Oh, boo hoo. Slagging wussies. I had to kill my own Stormtroopers to keep them from spreading the Hate Plague, and you don't see me crying."

He shoved past them so that he could get a better look at the stadium they were meeting in, his expression growing more disgusted as he saw the pathetic real estate the Decepticon high command was reduced to meeting in.

"But if I'd realized that someplace like this would be all we were left with, I might have let them kill me. Seriously Blitzwing, couldn't you have found something better? This one doesn't even have a scoreboard or a football coach!"
_______________________________________

Hoist's Shuttle

Sludge shrugged. "Maybe there not be peace if them not die to make it," he told Searchlight. "But me feel better now. Suppose Hoist done. Me go, find Snarl and decide what do next. Nice talking to you, though."

Hopping off the table, Sludge transformed to dino mode and waddled out of the room with a pensive expression on his face.
_______________________________________

Constructicon Hospital

Cyclonus landed outside, walking into the hospital and casting a steely gaze around the room until he spotted a familiar face.

"Yo boss!" Nightstick dropped down off a table and jogged over to his side. "You made it!"

"I did," he acknowledged. "And so did you. But what of our Imperials? I don't see them here."

Scrapper looked up, joining the conversation. "Your...prisoners? Defectors? Apostles? Whatever. We fixed them and sent them on their way. Last I heard they were helping Shockwave cure the Hate Plague."

"Good," Cyclonus admitted. "Good. If only more of their Imperial brethren choose the same path, the world will be well on it's way to being fixed. But I have another task for them -- and you too, Nightstick." He scooped up the Nebulan. "Did you get their comm frequencies?"

"Of course," the smaller Decepticon said.

"Call them. I'll want to speak before I meet with the Decepticon leadership." He waved to Scrapper. "You get going. I'll be there shortly."

"Aye, sir." The Constructicon leader transformed to vehicle mode and rolled away.

Nightstick, meanwhile, queued up the two former Imperials' comm frequencies and called, "Darkjet, Moonjet, are you two out there? I've got Cyclonus with me. He'd like to have a chat if you're free."
______________________________________

The Lunatic Fringe

"Stranglehold dresses up as a gigantic, nearly-naked human," Needlenose reminded Sixshot. "And the one time we tried to get him to wear pants, he set them on fire. While he was still wearing them. He ain't a good example, is all I'm sayin'. No fashion sense at all, and even fewer brains."

Needlenose sighed.

"You're missin' the big picture, Sixshot. Maggy and Cyc, they go back a long way. Long history together, worthy opponents, all that. The one time you and Maggy got together and did something memorable, you fragged him. You really expect the guy to think happy thoughts when you're around? You're lucky he don't try to shoot you every time you walk in the room."
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Post by Blackjack »

The Flats

Blitzwing and Blackjack turned to face Rage, then turned back to face each other in an almost comedic fashion, and silently agreed it's better not to push Rage on any further, despite the Stormtrooper's insult on those who had fallen that day.

"We could help out with that, if you'd like." Blitzwing told Rage, tone dark, then scowled. "Again with the football coach. Can everybody please stop bringing that up?"

"It's like your trademark feature, Blitzwing. Everybody knows you asked a human sports coach for strategic advice." Blackjack quipped. "You have to admit, if it happened to anyone but you..."

"Okay, okay, so my translated screwed up, okay? My Earthenese isn't that good back then, and apparently 'coach' and 'strategist' had the same root word in Modern Kaonese." Blitzwing shook his head.
_______________________________________

Hoist's Shuttle

"Maybe so." Searchlight replied to Sludge. "It's nice talking to you too, Sludge."

The Throttlebot watched as Sludge waddled away, then turned to Hoist. "Hoist, if you need me for anything, anything at all... otherwise, well, I think I'll be accompanying Freeway here."
_______________________________________

Constructicon Hospital

"We're kind of above you, actually." Darkjet and Moonjet transformed and dropped out of the sky, landing with loud thumps on their feet next to Cyclonus and Nightstick, powerful suspensions in their feet absorbing the impact of the landing. "How may we be of service, sir?" Darkjet said, head lowered as a gesture of respect.
______________________________________

Shrapnel walked out of the Hospital, and gave Cyclonus a slight salute. "Commander. I shall see you soon, soon." The Insecticon then transformed into his insect mode, Needler ending up on his cockpit, and shot off towards the meeting zone, flying over Scrapper, keeping pace with the Constructicon.

Shrapnel was not sure why he did so... he was never close with Scrapper -- hell, he wasn't close with anyone that's not an Insecticon -- but Shrapnel supposed that the Constructicon's relatively familiar presence made him feel inclined not to just zoom past Scrapper.

Even if he's not going to start up any fake-chummy conversations.
______________________________________

The Lunatic Fringe

Sixshot tilted his head. "He set his pants on fire while wearing them." The sixchanger's optics dimmed. "I do not know much about Pretender technology, or human physiology, but what I do know is that Pretenders feel the pain that their shells do. And male humans are extremely sensitive to pain in the groin area. I imagine it would be painful."

The six-changer paused. "And hilarious, I would add."

Sixshot frowned, and nodded. "I think you raise a point. Ultra Magnus should have known better, that I am merely doing my duty as much as he is -- arguably better for I triumphed in our encounter -- but since I do feel an intense hatred towards Thunderwing..." Sixshot gestured at the shells nearby, "I think I understand why he hates me."

Sixshot frowned. "And I do believe I understand what you are getting at. I can name... Chromedome, Pointblank and Quick Switch as those who I have clashed with often, and whom I consider worthy opponents." The sixchanger folded his arms. "Quick Switch's got worse colours than me, though, Needlenose, wouldn't you agree?"
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Post by zigzagger »

Ground Zero

(OOC: Claiming Ironhide now. Need him for the forthcoming epilogue.)

The Calabi Yau settled down along the rim of the combat zone, just outside Uptown Protihex. The Autobots had come to collect their fallen.

A steady rain hissed over the battlefield. The Decepticons found a way to combat Thunderwing's virus, they were told, and that the sudden rainfall was Acid Storm's doing. Until now, it had been near-impossible to approach the site without risking infection.

Ironhide watched the search party from the Autobot shuttle's boarding ramp. "Careful out there, guys," he called out to the group. "Rad sensors on. That red haze may be gone, but let's not chance it, alright."

---

Lunatic Fringe

"Wait, this was on Cheyne?" Backstreet asked.

"Yeah," said Dogfight. "Thunderwing was totally there."

"You sure it wasn't just that shape-shifting Vrobian guy messing with your head? Hub, was it?"

"Hud," Dogfight corrected. "Heh. Vrobian. Sounds made up, doesn't it? Like 'Lovetopia', or something."

"Actually, Lovetopia is a real planet."

"Whuu--are you kidding me?!"

"No, it's near Rigel V. Or Rigel IV. Or VII. I don't remember. There's a lot of Rigels," said Backstreet. "So what did he want? Thunderwing, I mean?"

"What do you think? The same thing he's always--" Dogfight stopped short when Prowl reappeared from the hideout. "Uh oh, it's the General. Look stoic."

The other Triggerbot took his compatriot's cue and stood up straight. Albeit clumsily, which the General took notice.

"Nothing to report, sir. Awaiting further instructions."

Prowl would not berate them for lollygagging this time, but he nonetheless held his gaze. "No further instructions," he told them. "You are dismissed." He glanced over to the rest of the response team, still keeping watch around the building. "All of you are dismissed. Return to the Trion."

Saying nothing more, the General strode past the Triggerbot duo, no doubt appreciative of Prowl's brevity, and placed his hand over his audio receiver.

--

"Attention: All Autobots," the General broadcasted on an open frequency. "The day is ours. The Imperial threat has been comprehensively repelled from Protihex. You have fought well. All infantry units should make preparations to return to the Trion. Aerial and medical units; continue surveillance and personnel recovery. That is all."

Prowl then switched to a closed channel. "Colonel Ironhide?"

"Comprehensively repelled, eh? Fancy way of puttin' it," Ironhide radioed back. "So whaddaya need me to do?"

"Fortress Maximus's crew is scattered. I want you to select a disaster response unit to assist them with civilians."

"Gotta look good for all them glory-hoggin' Decepticons that're watchin', after all."

"We are obligated to aide the people of Protihex in--"

"Aw, fer bootin' up cold, Prowl! Ah was just teasin' ya!"

Prowl scowled. "Please do not make light of the situation."

The Colonel groaned. "Alright, alright. Yeah, think ah can spare a few bodies," Ironhide answered. "Where's Prime, by the way? He with you? You know ah gotta ask."

"He is attending to other pressing matters."

Ironhide chuckled. "Heh, that's, uh...vague. You wanna elaborate on that?"

"I have no doubt Optimus will explain it to you back at the Trion." A tinge of annoyance was clear in Prowl's tone.

"Somethin' wrong?"

The General frowned. "No, Ironhide," he assured him. "Nothing at all."

---

Thunderwing's Former-Hideout, Lunatic Fringe

Optimus Prime looked away from the exit. "The thought had crossed my mind, yes," he admitted to Ultra Magnus. "The military branch has become more independent these past several stellar cycles under Prowl's watch. As a figurehead in the most unconventional sense, I can influence only so much. Iacon is not an autocracy, nor should it ever be. But, the path Prowl has taken the Autobots. It worries me--"

"That...army he built," The Autobot Leader said under his breath. "I never would have done anything like that."

"And the truth is, I am to blame." His optics meet Ultra Magnus'. "I am the war, old friend. And Prowl, he has broke under the weight of it. Because of me. Which is all the more reason I must step down if we ever hope to move past this conflict. I had hoped that Prowl would willingly resign with me."

----

Hoist's Shuttle

"You're more than welcome to stick around, Searchlight," said Hoist. "Like I said before, comatose patients sometimes respond to emotional triggers. I'm not saying it'll cure Freeway. His condition is quite serious, I'm afraid. But, there's no harm in trying. And I'm sure he won't object to the company--"

The Autobot mechanic turned away and started for the cockpit. "I'll be right back," he told the Throttlebot. "Windcharger wants me to move the shuttle closer to the encampment. Broadside is, err, scaring the Constructicons...? Yeah, I didn't understand what he meant, either."

---

Hoist plopped down in the pilot's seat and promptly worked the terminal. He had been flicking switches and turning knobs when a much larger vessel, visible from the outer pane, very slowly rumbled overhead.

"Hm? Who's this now?"

The ship was simple, but sturdy. It was long and rectangular in shape, with a cluster of engines at its end. A red line streaked across its port and starboard, indicating that it was a medical frigate.

The vessel spun around and gradually lowered down onto the lot across from the Constructicon's field hospital.

"Huh. Well all right then." Hoist opened his comlink. "Scratch that request, Windcharger. The Aescalapius just arrived. Ambulon must've received Prowl's transmission."
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Post by Blackjack »

Hoist's Shuttle

Searchlight nodded. "I'll keep both him and you company, Hoist. I think Freeway'd enjoy it." Searchlight shrugged. "I kind of get it. I'm still afraid of Shockwave even with the truce. I guess the Wreckers or Dinobots bring out that same reaction with the Decepticons... even though Sludge is a big lovable lug and Broadside is a big neurotic lug."
__________________________________

Constructicon Hospital

Windcharger shrugged, "If you're talking about the big ship that just landed nearby, yeah, that's it." Windcharger walked out next to Broadside, Hook and Scavenger. "Well?"

"Well, what? If your Autobot medics want to help themselves to their own wounded so badly, you will not see me fighting to treat them." Hook snapped at Windcharger as he kept working on an Autobot bleeding from the neck. "But I will not see them die under my watch before treatment or otherwise- damn it, Scavenger, there's a scraplet hidden under the wires. Get me some of that acid-"

Windcharger turned around and looked at Broadside, and sighed. "Guess I'm going to have to act all ambassadory, I suppose. Whoop-ee." Windcharger opened a comm channel to Ambulon, "This is Windcharger hailing... the Aesculapius, is it? The Constructicons have their hands full-"

"We are perfectly fine of handling ourselves!" Hook yelled.

"But we could use some more CR chambers to store the wounded!" Scavenger chimed in.

"-and would appreciate your help." Windcharger finished.
__________________________________

Aesculapius

Springer blinked, and felt the tinge of fluids against his optics.

Where-

The last thing he remembered was being in the afterlife, with that bar with Whirl... then blue- Matrix blue- washed all over him... and he felt peace. Whirl said it wasn't his time yet, though.

And he supposed he was back in the land of the living.

And for once in his life, Springer felt very much free from all the guilt he was carrying... even those whose lives he let slip through his fingers that day. He had risen to the challenge and did not falter. He had fought Thunderwing, and while he did not deal the killing blow, victory had been theirs.

Apparently.

But as Springer's systems rebooted he couldn't really feel the limbs torn off during the engagement -- no surprise there, even if whoever patched him up had the spare limbs to spare, reintegration of new electrical nerves normally took some time. He could, however, access the Autobot communication frequencies, and he heard Prowl's message.

Ah, yes, Prowl. Hopefully he didn't want to press the matter on... well, everything. After all, the alliance between the Autobots and Gigatron's Decepticons didn't exactly turn out the way it did because of him.

Perhaps it's for the best, though, since Springer remembered fighting alongside Spinister and the rest of his Targetmasters.

Springer began to regain feeling on his neck, and he angled it downwards as feeling began to reappear on his extremities. His entire lower body, and the half of his torso that has been torn apart (and he supposed his face as well) had been rather roughly patched up with spare parts -- not Ratchet's workmanship, but it would suffice. Certainly Springer had seen worse repairs.

The former Wrecker found movement in his one remaining arm, and moved it, and knocked on the window of the CR chamber, attempting to gain the attention of whoever's outside.
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Post by Warcry »

The Flats

"No," Rage told Blitzwing, not even trying to hide how much he enjoyed winding up the triplechanger. "We're not going to stop bringing that up. It's hilarious. For it's own sake, and also because the little flesh thing was still a way, way better second in command that Starscream." He laughed, then shook his head. "Oh, I only wish I'd been there to see it."

Spinister arrived then, landing and transforming from helicopter to robot.

"Look on the bright side, Blitzwing. You didn't cut off your head and get the human to turn into it, so you're ahead of Scorponok at least."

Rage stared at him. "That was a joke."

"Yes."

"Who are you and what have you done with Spinister?"
_______________________________________

Constructicon Hospital

"No bowing," Cyclonus told the two former Imperials. "I make no claim at being your master, only your friend." He looked from Darkjet to Moonjet, making sure to make eye contact with both. "So you are free to say 'no' to what I'm about to ask. Shortly, I will be making a journey into space. We plan to dispose of the Decepticon Matrix permanently, but after that we have many, many other smaller objectives. Along the way we're sure to run into many current or former Imperials like yourself. I want the two of you to come along, so that we've got someone who can speak to them in their own language, so to speak. As today has shown clearly, peace on Cybertron will require peace with your kind as well."
______________________________________

"Shrapnel," Scrapper said to the Insecticon, acknowledging his presence but not doing anything to engage the other Decepticon. Even after all the time they'd fought side-by-side, he couldn't deny just how much the Insecticons creeped him out.
______________________________________

The Acid Wastes

"Now you're beginning to understand," Needlenose agreed with Sixshot. "I tell you, the best thing about Carnivac eating me was that I didn't have to put up with Stranglehold's antics anymore."

He shrugged. "You ain't ever been killed, have you? I don't think me an' Carny'd ever get along real well after all that's happened, same side or not. So think of your feels for ol'Thunders here and multiply 'em by two or three. Then be a boring noble goody-two-shoes like Magnus, constantly struggling to repress stuff like that. Eh, I totally get why he's snippy with you, Six."

The Targetmaster chuckled. "Quick Switch's colours reflect his personality, I think. All over the place."

The shuttle veered toward one of the more prominent acid lakes, where it slowed until it was hovering in place.

"Well, here we go," Needlenose said. "Time to say bye-bye to Thunderwing." He looked over his shoulder. "Any of you want to say a few words? Or, you know, dance on his proverbial grave or somethin'? We got a bit of a wait until the 'Bots join up with us to watch."
______________________________________

The Lunatic Fringe

Ultra Magnus nodded, agreeing with Optimus. "That would be idea, I agree," he said. "You and I, Prowl and the rest, are symbolic of the old way of doing things. The Decepticons are going to be ruled by a new generation, but if we want a lasting peace we need the same thing on our side. I don't see Prowl stepping down by choice, though. And I don't see him adapting healthily to his new life if Rodimus and the new prime minster ask for his resignation, either."
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Post by Blackjack »

The Flats

"He's right, you know." Blackjack chuckled. "It is hilarious."

"I concede the point. About Starscream, I mean." Blitzwing scowled. However, given the choice of listening to Rage badmouth the sacrifices of dead Decepticons or badmouth an old mistake of his, he'd settle for this one. Thankfully, Spinister landed and defended him... but then he made a joke. Spinister made a joke.

"This makes me feel all uncomfortable inside." Blackjack said, an amused expression on his face.

Blitzwing shook his head as he pulled his scimitar out of the ground, and walked towards Spinister, the blade pointing downwards. "Good to see you around, Air Commander... but like Rage said... is that a joke?"

"The world is coming to an end. Thunderwing has won." Blackjack said, a mock-shocked expression on his face.
_______________________________________

Constructicon Hospital

Darkjet looked up from his bowed positions at Cyclonus. "You spared us, Lord Cyclonus. You spared us and claimed we are your friends, despite being lowly underlings of your enemy. We are forever in your debt."

"We are?"

"Shut up, Moonjet." Darkjet said, although his voice was more playful than angry. The Predator considered. "We will be unwelcome on this planet. The two Decepticon jets I have been around with -- Shuttle Gunner and Tinker -- befriended me, but some others made it clear we are not exactly that welcome."

Moonjet nodded vigorously. "Yeah. We're Predators, so that means not every Imperial will listen to us, but I'm happy to help. Darkjet, are you-"

"Myself likewise." Darkjet told Cyclonus. "There is nothing for us here, really. We would be grateful to serve- accompany you along your journey."
______________________________________

"Scrapper. Scrapper." Shrapnel replied to the Constructicon, grateful that the other Decepticon made no attempt to strike up a conversation, yet was polite enough to greet him.

It wasn't until the Flats came into view until he said, "There is the meeting point, point." The Insecticon said, before transforming and landing, and walking towards the amphitheater where the other Decepticon leaders are supposed to be.

Scrapper would be able to see that Shrapnel's right hand had retracted into his wrist, which meant that Shrapnel was ready in case this was an ambush.
______________________________________

The Acid Wastes

Sixshot mulled over the feelings in his mind as Needlenose explained it to him. "Now that you mentioned it... no. I have not been killed. And if your description is accurate... which I do not doubt..." Sixshot shook his head. "Do you think I should apologize to Ultra Magnus? I do not want this to affect the voyage we will be making into space, yet I do not want to wound his warrior's pride."

"Trust me, keep it to yourself." Misfire called out from the copilot seat. "You'll only embarrass Magnus, and make things even more awkward. Earn his trust by saving his skidplate."

Sixshot nodded, optics beaming slightly as Needlenose laughed, as if he was happy that his small joke made someone else laugh.

Misfire hopped off the copilot seat and walked up. "I've got something to say, Needles." The Targetmaster knelt down next to Thunderwing's real body. "O, captain, my captain... you led the Decepticon cause during it's darkest hour. You rose to prominence when there was none to take up the mantle. You were one of our strongest, you had the bloodline of leaders fit to take the throne. And you turned our darkest hour... into an even darker one, you selfish arrogant prick. Your precious bloodline, who nobody acknowledges, ends with you. You killed friends and enemies of mine, all of whom I'd rather have around than you. No one will miss you when you're gone, and frankly I'm disappointed it isn't sooner. I do hope you meet Galvatron and Scorponok on the other side and get totally bullied around by them." Misfire paused. "And for the love of all that is bright and shiny, your inner robot looks very very derpy."

Sixshot looked at Misfire, expression deadpan, then began to applaud slowly.
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Warcry
Posts: 13934
Joined: Fri Aug 23, 2002 4:10 am
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Post by Warcry »

The Flats

"I'm not Shockwave," an exasperated Spinister said to Blitzwing and Blackjack. "I do have a sense of humour."

"You could have fooled me," Rage opined.

"Can you blame me for not finding much to laugh about in the middle of four million years of war?" the Targetmaster asked.

"Yes," Rage said flatly. "People getting hurt is hilarious. Especially when it's people I don't like. And, you know, there are a lot of people I don't like." He cocked his head to one side, mock-thoughtfully. "Though a lot fewer than they used to be. It must be all the hurting..."
_______________________________________

Scrapper rolled up, transforming to robot mode and deploying his combat wing. He didn't really expect any trouble, but he figured he might as well humour Shrapnel's Insecticon paranoia.
_______________________________________

Constructicon Hospital

Cyclonus sighed. "Please don't call me 'lord'," he told Darkjet. "I'm not Thunderwing. I don't get validation from titles or glorification." He smiled. "Well, not much validation, anyway. But regardless, I'll be very happy to have the two of you accompanying me on my journey. I'll do my best to make sure that even if you don't feel welcome at the start of the trip, you will by the end."

He nodded to the two Imperials. "But I'm afraid I'm late for a meeting with my fellow Decepticon leaders. We shall have to discuss the details of it later."

Transforming to jet mode, Cyclonus rocketed up into the air and headed toward the stadium.
______________________________________

The Acid Wastes

"Oh, hell, you better not apologize," Needlenose told Sixshot. "Maggy'll probably just think you're mocking him. Misfire's right -- and you'd better record that, Missy, 'cause I'll never say it again. Just let it be, and eventually you'll prove to him that you're a trustworthy mech. Or you'll have to kill him again, but either way it'll be interesting to watch."

He made a point of not saying anything about Misfire's rather unique farewell speech.
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zigzagger
Posts: 3453
Joined: Wed Oct 25, 2006 12:40 am

Post by zigzagger »

Lunatic Fringe

"I hope to spare him the humiliation," said Optimus Prime. "I haven't given up on Prowl, in spite of his choices."

The Autobot Leader started for his trailer. It had wedged itself into the wall, when Optimus launched it at an unsuspecting Thunderwing. It was an impromptu maneuver, but after all the work Minerva and Wheeljack had put into reconstructing it, he would not leave it behind.

"And, I realize," he continued, "that he's not the most...popular among the Autobots these cycles. Their reasoning is not entirely unfounded, I must confess," he admitted to Ultra Magnus. "But, our quest is important and Prowl should be a part of it--

He gripped the sides of the trailer and wrenched it free. "I may convince him yet."
________________

Aesculapius, Across from the Constructicon Field Hospital

Ambulon strode down the loading ramp. A throng of Autobot medical officers and MARBS accompanied him to the encampment.

"Well, we wouldn't be honoring the IMR's code of medical ethics if we didn't," he told Windcharger." We'll provide them with whatever supplies and equipment they need. But, that's not the reason why I brought the frigate by. We're here to pick up our own. Prowl's orders."

---

Intensive Care Unit, Aesculapius

"Ready?" Doc asked.

Centrifuge nodded. "Ready. One, two..."

On three, they lifted an offline soldier off from his bed and lowered him down into a waiting stasis pod.

"Phew! Okay, let's get him over to--"

Centrifuge perked up his head when Springer, roused awake, knocked from inside his CR chamber. "Uh, Doc?" He pointed to the Wrecker.

Doc looked up from the patient. "It's fine," he told his colleague. "I have things covered on my end."

The young assistant waved back at other Transformer behind the glass tube. "Just a moment," he called out and dashed over to the CR chamber.

Centrifuge worked the control panel and drained the lubricating fluids. The pod disconnected from its base and titled back, stopping to rest on its hydraulic prop at a diagonal angle.

Air hissed free as the vessel cracked open.

The medical officer waved a diagnostic scanner over Springer. "Huh. Weird," he said. "You're not supposed to be awake for a least a couple more hours. How do you feel?"
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