Once the system finished synthesizing the cyber-venom for her she was able to proceed with the next phase of her weapon, the delivery system. Her request, though concentrated, still came out larger than she had hoped. It would be easier to get a smaller point between his scales, but the vessel that she would have to use for a single dose would be too big for her to be able to use efficiently, so she adapted her original idea into six, needle tipped projectiles that could be hand thrown or loaded into her gatling gun and one larger one to shove into the belly of the beast once he was down.
Her hands had been steadily working on her newest weapon as she waited for the crew to join her that morning on the bridge, the cyber-venom safely tucked away in her room once it had been completed. Rhinox, as usual, had more scans and figures to run, but he did not request her to do her usual scan of Grid Omega. Rattrap was up bright and early to run his usual border patrol of the Maximal's territory. Silverbolt, Cheetor, and Optimus had quickly headed out on their usual scout patrols and no-one dared mention Dinobot in front of Ruby.
Rattrap, having returned after a rather uneventful roll around the area, greeted Rhinox and Ruby as the pair sat on the bridge. The engineer was busy working at his calculations and mumbling thoughtfully to himself while Ruby was working away at the command table, using the seat from the station to the left of Rhinox's. He was admiring the most impressive turnaround of spare parts that the infiltrator had ever seen. Giving a whistle, Rattrap picked up one of the completed projectiles, moving it around in the overhead light to take in the complex remodel. She was almost as good as Rhinox into turning junk into something viable, if not better.
"Dis is impressive, kiddo," he complemented, "but, uh… what is it?"
Ruby looked up at him and tried to smile, "A fluid injection projectile."
"Oh! Like en emergency Energon shot."
"I… guess so," she mumbled as she took it from his hands and set it back on the table with the others.
Rattrap only shrugged and walked over to the station on the other side of hers to file in his report. Eventually more mumblings from Rhinox led to the large Maximal to call their commanding officer back to the base. Whatever it was that he found with his calculations was important enough to pull Primal off of his patrol route. It took time, but eventually Optimus Primal entered the ship via lift. Looking over at the one that called him back to base he inquired, "So, what is it?"
Turning to face his commander, Rhionx asked him, "Remember that Transwarp Cell explosion?" The only sound in the room was a snort from Ruby as she struggled to keep from laughing as both Optimus and Rattrap turned a rather sharp look at Rhinox, both unable to believe he asked what he did. "Ok, stupid question," the engineer admitted before turning back to his station. "Anyway, I've been calculating its path. The temporal wave front is moving into the future at an accelerated rate. It'll reach Cybertron in approximately 2.218 Deca-cycles." Rhinox looked up at Primal, "They're going to know where we are."
"The question is, has Megatron made the same calculations?" Primal asked thoughtfully.
Rattrap at this point focused back on the others in the room. "Well, if I was a bettin' rodent, which I am… ooooh yeah."
Nodding to acknowledge his second-in-command's words, Primal glanced at Ruby. She had not looked up from her work and had calmed down rather quickly as she focused back on it, switching tools out as she needed. She was preparing for something big, they should be as well. Optimus turned back to look at the chart on Rhinox's screen. "We better start increasing the base defenses."
Ruby shut her optics tightly for a moment and struggled to keep her mouth shut. She could tell Optimus what was going to happen. Tell Rattrap or Rhinox as well. One of them could save the day. Rattrap could save Dinobot. If she would only speak up it would save them all a terrible loss. But doing so would open up so many questions that she could not answer and go against what her grand-sparker told her before he sent her here.
How can I let him die? It was someone putting a hand on her right shoulder that made her look up.
"I know you and Big Green over dere an't gettin' along right now," Rattrap began quietly, "but he's just tryin' to look out for ya. We all are."
It took every ounce of her will power to not blurt out what was really on her mind. Shaking with the frustration that had been building up recently, Ruby got to her feet and gathered her project. "I know, Rattrap, but I just wish the whole lot of you would trust my judgment."
The three bots on the bridge watched her march down the hallway to her quarters, sharing a look with one another before they began to discuss what defenses needed to be focused on first. Rattrap's mind was working on two different problems at that moment, however. He gave his input when asked, but he was also trying to figure out how to fix Dinobot and Ruby's situation. Ruby was a good kid, even though she too easily put her spark in the wrong claws, and Dinobot… well, he'd have to straighten out that sorry piece of saurian before he could let the former Predacon near the tiny Maximal again.
It was just under two mega-cycles later that Ruby had finally finished her new projectiles and had them filled. A glance out of the window indicated that the sun was already at its high point in the sky which meant that she was running out of time. Her Uncle Rattrap had told her about this day in so much detail that she could have sworn she lived it all before. There had been so much regret and remorse in his voice as he shared his painful memories with her that she knew that if he could have changed any of it at all he would have.
"If you were in my place, knowing everything that you do, would you have gone with Dinobot?" she whispered knowing that she would not get a reply.
Having loaded the larger container into her subspace pocket, Ruby was placing the six smaller dart-like projectiles onto a harness when something out in the hallway got her attention. With the harness in her hand, only having placed three of the projectiles in it, Ruby stepped out into the hallway and quietly headed towards the voices. Peeking around the corner she saw Dinobot and Rattrap staring each other down, hard.
"Go ahead, rodent," Dinobot demanded, tapping Rattrap's chin with a couple of the words to drive his point home, "push it one more inch."
After a very tense moment, Rattrap suddenly shoved Dinobot away, surprising the warrior with not only the move but the force the rodent put behind it. "Ya know, I useta figure I had you pegged," the Transmetal fighter stated, waving his ratchet around as emphasis. "Oh, yeah! He's a slag spoutin' saurian, but at least you know where he stands!" Turning the section of the wall that he had been working on, Rattrap tapped the switch to close it back into place with a sigh. "Guess we live 'n learn."
Ruby didn't bother to hide herself as Rattrap passed; the other bot so lost in his thoughts that he was actually startled a bit as he saw her, her arms crossed and her face firm. The first thing that went through his processor was how much Ruby looked like Rhinox when the big lugnut was angry about something and by that look she must have overheard most of, if not all of, their conversation. The second thing was that he had not sensed her at all nearby until he had almost run into her. The third thing Rattrap thought of was that had to get away from the pair before he actually lost his temper. When she didn't speak he continued to walk to the lift and let it shut.
Quietly Ruby peeked around the corner again, fighting the urge to rush to Dinobot's side as he transformed and walked away, speaking to himself as he went. This was the moment Rattrap had told her that he had last seen Dinobot before the valley. Rushing back to her room she grabbed the last three darts and rushed out again, but in her haste she left one spinning slowly on her desk. She was almost on the bridge shoving the last one in when she realized her mistake, but she didn't have time to run back to get it.
"Dinobot, wait!" she called out, hearing the lift door open and close, the machinery coming to life as the lift lowered. Optimus and Rhinox were on the bridge, neither one of them looking particularly happy about Dinobot just leaving the base like he had, but Rhinox wasn't thrilled to see Ruby chasing after him. As she rushed to open the overhead doors the engineer grabbed her wrist to stop her. "Let me go, Rhinox."
"Rattrap just reported that he and Dinobot had a verbal confrontation and I think Dinobot just wants to be left alone to think," he told her calmly.
Snapping her wrist out of his grip she tightened both of her hands into fists, the strap squeaking in protest of the abuse. "I heard it and I'm going with Dinobot."
"No."
Even Optimus was surprised by the rather dark look Ruby gave Rhinox. "The day you become my grand-sparker is the day you can order me around." Her fist slammed the button the next moment as she still stared up at the much taller bot. Suddenly she was transformed and flying out of it before the doors had opened completely.
Not much made the Maximal engineer mad, at least not much that he would openly show, but this was one of them. Apparently he spoils Ruby a bit too much as she grows up. It was Optimus sighing at the open hatch that drew his attention back to the room.
"That's one fire-cracker you've got there," Primal stated quietly as the overhead doors shut back into place, "but she had that twitch you mentioned."
"You think something's going to happen?" Rhinox asked, calming down a bit.
"Isn't it always something?" Optimus asked as he waved a hand to the screen that still held the data points from earlier in the day.
Ruby had forgotten how fast Dinobot could actually run in his beast mode, having gotten so use to him keeping his pace to her own. High in the sky she was searching the area below, looking for a predator that blended in too well with his surroundings and the danger that hunted him. It was as she was flying over a herd of gazelle that she spotted her intended target, paused on an over looking ridge. Careful not to disturb the natural creatures of the area, since they were calm in Dinobot's presence already, Ruby landed some distance away and ran up to her friend.
The saurian based fighter spotted her in the bright sky and moved purposefully closer to her as she climbed up onto one of the nearby rocks, throwing the piece of cyber-webbing he had found to the side. "What are you doing here?"
"Isn't it obvious?" she replied powerfully as she transformed. "I'm following you."
"You shouldn't be here," he told her quietly, turning around before he began to slowly walk away. "You should be focused on your mission."
"Dinobot," Ruby whispered.
He heard how tight her voice was; the pain that threaded through it, the tears. Turning to face her again he took in the tiny femme before him, how she stood her ground and yet look absolutely terrified. In all the time they had spent together, even when they faced down the danger in the cave, she had never looked so… vulnerable. As he made his way back to her, Dinobot transformed himself into his robot mode before he stopped before her. Taking in the strip that crossed her torso his mind recalled the most terrifying images he had in his databanks: the memories of her damaged form in Primal's arms from the last battle she fought, the one where Megatron had decided that he was done toying with the tiny Maximal.
"You have no guarantee that you will fight him this day," he whispered, close enough to lift the strap off of her slightly with a claw as he looked it over.
"Today… history hangs in a delicate balance." She was struggling with not blurting everything out. "I know he will be there to try to stop his loss."
Looking back up into her optics, Dinobot could only frown at the faint glowing blue there. There was something more that she wasn't saying. "Tell me, Ruby," he pleaded gently with a soft snarl, "was Tigatron and Airazor's fate what truly what had happened?"
"Yes," she whispered. "The Vok took them originally. They never got a warning, never got a chance to fight back."
"And you tried to stop it from happening? Is that why you were at the valley?" When she could only nod, closing her optics in the process which sent two tiny trails of Energon down her cheeks. Dinobot snarled softly as he gently brushed one of the tears away with his thumb. "Megatron was there, too. He tried to prevent the same thing from happening."
"I don't think he would have allowed them to live past that day." Ruby opened her optics again, looking up into his own.
"No, he wouldn't have risked that," Dinobot agreed. "Tell me, Ruby. Tell me what's breaking your spark?"
Fresh Energon welled into her optics, "I can't."
"Please."
A shuttering intake of air into her cooling system did a poor job in steadying her nerves, but as she was about to speak the truth their comm-links crackled to life, the caller sounding panicked.
"Cheetor to anybody! Come in!"
Snarling in agitation Dinobot activated his communicator. "This is Dinobot. Speak feline!"
"I'm teaching a solo lesson to Megatron and Rampage. Trouble is they're slow learners and…," Cheetor had been cut off as he had been hit.
"Cheeteor! Are you injured?" He might have been given the cold shoulder by the Maximals as of late, but they were still his comrades and he was concerned for their well being.
"Yeah, I'll survive. But somebody's gotta follow up on Megatron, find out what he's up to."
Dinobot started to march back towards the pack of gazelles just over the ridge. "Fear not. Someone most assuredly will."
Ruby hopped off of her rock and ran after the warrior. "Dinobot," she squeaked out as she reached for him. When he turned to face her, she stumbled to a halt. "Come what may, I love you."
The way he just stared at her for too long made her afraid of what she had said. It was a huge chance that he didn't reciprocate the feelings, only using her, befriending her for her knowledge of the future, so she was naturally fearful when he just marched up to her, but instead of telling her that he did not feel the same Dinobot gently cupped her cheek, turned her face towards his, and kissed her gently on the lips.
She was blinking her optics clear as Dinobot pulled away. "And I you. Go fight your battle Ruby, be victorious."
"I promise I'll be at the valley as soon as I can." She had to win and she couldn't waste time in doing so. I can't let you die tonight. I won't let you die tonight!
Dinobot turned to focus on the gazelles again as Ruby transformed and took to the air. He had found plenty of evidence that Tarantulas was nearby. If anyone knew anything about what was going on in Megatron's fold, it would be the spider.
Between his discovery that morning and Ruby's rush after Dinobot that afternoon, Rhinox felt rather helpless. Sure there was plenty to keep him occupied in preparation of any attack Megatron would make upon them, but his processor was far from the chance to go home. Ruby very rarely acted out of anger since he had known her here, the engineer always thought that she did a remarkable job in keeping her emotions as in check as her mission. True, they were all still a bit raw over the loss of Tigatron and Airazor, but Ruby's actions spoke of more and recalling what Optimus had told him the night after she and Dinobot returned the Golden Disk to Megatron there was no doubt now what was driving her.
"You would know better than I about him, wouldn't you my little one?" Rhinox whispered as he stepped into her room. Sunlight was slowly fading from the window as the sun began its decent on the other side of the ship, but it illuminated something. Frowning, Rhinox stopped at her desk and picked up the lone dart that caught the last dim glimmers of light. He recalled her working on them earlier but he grew curious as to the fluid that was inside, the glowing swirl of dark blues and greens making him wonder exactly what she had done with the information he had given her the night before. He made his way back to the bridge, Rhinox having walked in at the tail end of Cheetor's report to Optimus before the scout hit the CR chamber for a quick set of repairs.
"…and Dinobot said that he'd keep an eye on things."
"Did he mention Ruby being with him?" Primal asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.
Cheetor shook his head, "Not a word, Big Bot, and she never replied to the call."
Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, Optimus nodded. "Get yourself repaired. We'll head that direction as soon as you're done." As his scout nodded and followed orders, the Maximal leader turned his attention to his closest friend.
Rhinox had already sat himself down at his usual station, the needle tipped projectile he had carried in bobbing gently in the scanning system beside him as he had the computer run its program over its contents.
"Analysis complete," the monotone voice said as it gave a read out. "Substance matches blend reproduced eighteen mega-cycles prior."
Optimus raised an optic ridge at the read out. "She made a rather sizable batch of it, but why?"
"This is an endgame move," Rhinox whispered.
Turning to the station beside them, Primal opened all channels of communication. "Rattrap, Silverbolt, get to the bridge now."
"Dinobot to Optimus Primal!"
Optimus walked over to the command table and with a press of a few buttons had the computer tracking the transmission so they would have a precise location in case they had moved from Cheetor's last reported sighting. "Optimus here. What is it, Dinobot?"
A pained groan echoed through the transmission. "Code red. Situation extreme!"
Silverbolt and Rattrap rushed onto the bridge, Cheetor out of the CR chamber, and Rhinox getting up to his feet as Dinobot filled Primal in on the situation. Megatron had the Golden Disk with him and had begun to attack the valley in an attempt to wipe out the human race. "We'll be there as soon as we can. In the meantime fall back and wait for us." Turning away from the table to issue orders, Primal jerked back in surprise at Dinobot's reply.
"Negative!" was all they heard before the communications broke up.
"Let's move!" Primal ordered. The overhead doors opened up, giving access for Primal, Silverbolt, and Cheetor to fly through as Rattrap and Rhinox took the lift. All five pushed themselves as hard as they could, but in the pit of their Energon pumps knew that something was wrong.
Author's Note: I don't own the show. Thanks for reading!
