Here are your usual beginning of story notifications: I, nor roudyredd own any of the Transformers characters (though we may have various objects or animals that may hold their names). All of that belong to Hasbro and all the buyers of the names and rights and all that rot. Definitely not us.
This story revolves around OC's. If you don't care for OC's, this is probably not a fic for you.
Scatterblade and Charlie and Nate: belong to roudyredd
Illusory: belongs to me
Introducing Nightwarp: a guest character played by nightwarp
Others to come.
-NOTE! I've just realized that FFnet formatting removes some of my page brakes when uploading my chapters...I've tried to put them back in place, but I do not promise that I caught all of them, so I am sorry for any disjointed reading you may receive. I hope you can enjoy it anyway.-
Event Twenty-One
Reality...shattered. Illusions...torture.
Illusory slipped from Scatterblade's quarters after a few breems of pretending to be settling down for recharge. Wherever he had gone, he had surely gotten there by now and wouldn't see her. She moved quietly, sticking close to buildings and acting as natural as she could hoping to avoid unwanted attention. She returned to the same place she had made her vanishing act previously. 'If only the Autobots knew about this...' but then, if they did, how would she slip out unnoticed?
She was quiet until she was a good distance away from the base, then she took on her Tiburon alt mode and hit the highest speeds she dared to as she raced for the rendezvous point.
'I cannot believe I am doing this,' she thought as the night air whipped over her. How could she even be thinking of betraying Scatterblade? 'I am not! I have not done anything yet...' but she would, if the price was good, and she knew it. 'No, I will not,' she corrected herself. 'I will find a way around it. It is just like before, business and nothing more. I do not have to tell him where Scatterblade is, or how to find him.'
Nightwarp transformed for the first time since arriving on this mud ball and took on his sleek purple motorcycle alternate mode. The air felt different here. Life forms were all around him, none intelligent or dangerous so he paid them no attention. This was awkward, this planet was very different from Cybertron. He rolled into the large canyon he had designated as the meeting place, few natives were anywhere in the general area at this time of the planet's cycle. A check on his internal chronometer told him he was early so he scanned for a good vantage point. Finding a ledge not too far that could provide concealment, he leaped his way to it and settled down to wait. Dimming his signature and extending his sensors ranger to maximum he watched for any possible threats; he hadn't lived through the war this long by being careless.
Illusory pushed her speeds and cut every corner she could find; including not traveling on roads at all, and found herself approaching the canyon long before she should have been. She could feel the strain in her system – especially after such a vigorous workout – but she knew that time would be important. She had to get there before the mech had too much of it, or she was more likely to be driving into a trap than a business exchange.
A beep on his internal sensor warned him of an incoming vehicle, he narrowed his red optics, studying the signature carefully. The chances of it being native were low and the vehicle had a certain...marker to his sensor.
A smirk quickly formed on his faceplates. 'Let's see how the dice fall, oh shadow one,' he thought eagerly. He activated his battle routine but no weapons armed just yet, it always paid to be careful. He saw a rather luxurious looking car roll along the road. He zoomed in and noticed the clear give away that this was no native on a late drive; no driver sat within the vehicle. "Sloppy sloppy," he muttered and waited until the vehicle passed just under the ledge before jumped down, landing mere meters behind the passing car. "Sloppy!" He shouted at her.
Illusory cursed herself as she jumped into her bipedal mode to face the larger mech. He was right, she had been completely sloppy coming into this exchange. Still, she managed to put on an air of confidence about her. "I simply wish to make sure you are aware that I am here for nothing more than to see what you have to offer. No reason for sneaking around with that, now is there?"
He smiled, the femme was a lovely creature. She always had been to his recollection. "Always be on your guard on an hostile world, you should know that, spy," he half mocked and stood to his full height, well above the femme's own slight form. "Had I been a Decepticon intent on your spark, I could have destroyed you without effort...we wouldn't want that to happen now would we, Illusory?" He crooned. Then suddenly grew serious. "Down to business I guess then...the pet, Scatterblade. I must find him," he punctuated the last part by making a fist and shaking it. "Do you know his location, spy?"
"Scatterblade?" The femme made the appearance of searching her memory banks for the designation. "I cannot say it comes directly to mind. Details, please."
He transmitted the details of the mech to her without hesitation. It wasn't information that was hard to come by and if it helped lead to his prey, it was worth the time it took. "Let's just say my employers want him...badly. Preferably functioning but if not..." he shrugged, "same to me. I hunt whoever they tell me, whoever pays for my time. As you have proven resourceful in the past, I came to you to speed up this hunt...if not I'll find him myself." He narrowed his optics at her, intending to look menacing to help her understand his point. He didn't need her to complete his mission, he just chose to use her for what she was known for to make it all go swifter.
"Hn," the femme nodded. There was an opportunity here. She could mislead this mech's hunt for Scatterblade, perhaps saving her friend another fight – or worse. "The description meets some information I have access to. Tell me more of what you have to offer and I will see about obtaining an appropriate amount of data."
He pondered for a few kliks before nodding in agreement. "A Decepticon scout ship picked up an beacon for an Autobot ship set adrift a few stellar cycle ago, the information is... fragmented at best," he growled. "The ship was named the Zeta Prime; science vessel, crew of twenty sparks. The Decepticon picked up the request for assistance and relayed it. The message back was to ignore their beacon and continue on. How...sad...don't you think?" He raised one optic ridge at her, scrutinizing her for a reaction.
"I am sure they were searching for more lands to carry your foul war to," she griped in her standard nature. Her distaste for the war was renowned amongst those that knew her, there was no sense in hiding her first thoughts. "However, twenty sparks is a great number. If you have more precise coordinates for that ship, I can provide a region of the described mech. If you can provide more detailed information of those on board, including designations and whether they still function or not, I will obtain more specific information."
"Not so fast, spy. If I'm going to potentially let go twenty ex-enemies, I want solid information first. I don't have their designations, just the ship name and its location. The rest is up to you. How much are twenty Autobots worth to you, spy? Worth one lowly escaped Autobot? Twenty for one seems a more than generous ratio to my taste." He extended an hand outward invitingly. "The information...and if it pans out, you ll have the location."
The femme did not move. "Twenty Autobots, twenty Decepticons. It makes no difference to me, you are all warmongers bent on destruction. I care little if twenty Autobots die. It is a shame should so many sparks be lost, but that will be fewer players in your wretched war. Do not attempt to appeal to my 'softer side', Nightwarp. You should know that in business, there is no softer side.
"What those sparks mean to me is currency, nothing more. Without designations, their worth is by far, less. I must find buyers for the information, and as it is a stranded ship with likely no resources to sustain the crew, that is a very limited amount of time to find someone willing to purchase such information.
"Give me the location and I will provide you with the region your described Autobot has been reported in."
He growled, displeased his tactic had failed. "I hardly care if twenty puny Autobot scum die, Decepticons or Autobot it means little to me, I help whichever pays me the most, today its the 'Cons, tomorrow...who knows?" He smiled at his own inner joke but it faded just as quick. "Finding a buyer however should not be THAT difficult; seeings how there are half a dozen of those Autobrats on this mudball. Don't take me for a fool femme!"
"Hn," the femme nodded. "That is true. The information is sell-able; that is the only reason I offer you trade for such information as it is. If there were none here to sell the information to, there would be no value to it at all."
"Indeed. When was my prey last seen? I don't care for dozens of planetary rotation old intel, he could have traveled anywhere since then. I need most recent."
"The information I have is less than an orn old; however, considering the limitations of a ground-bound mech, it is unlikely he has left the region he was originally spotted in." This time she held out her own hand. "To acquire any further information from me, you will have to pay forward the information you have offered."
Nightwarp observed the femme, looking for signs of deceit. She wasn't known for such things; she was a Neutral jaded by war that only looked out for herself. "Fine," he growled. A mini data disk appeared in his hand, he step forward and slapped it lightly in her palm. "Now, my information on my prey, dear shadowy one," his optics never left hers. He didn't trust her fully.
Illusory tucked the disk away quickly before assembling a data package of her own. She included a map of the mech's travels near Salt Lake City and everything that showed him going north-east, away from Logan and not directly toward the Autobot's Nevadan base. "I believe your target is running," she advised smoothly, never daring to let her own optics wander from his. She knew that the once Decepticon was suspicious of her to say the least and anything that could be construed as fraudulence could mean her deactivation. She sent him the data in a quick burst packet through a specially designed information link that could only transfer in a single direction and was practically untraceable. "You have your information. Our dealings are complete." She did not dare turn her back on the mech as she took on her alt form once more.
The ex-Decepticon received the package and went over it in an instant. "Interesting..." was all he said as he watched her transform. "'Til next time, shadowy one. I hope your intel is good. The penalty otherwise is...not pleasant," he concluded, smoothly transforming and speeding away in a cloud of dust and smoke.
The femme vented in deep relief as the mech disappeared into the distance. 'I just did that...Primus, Scatterblade, forgive me.'
Turning to the west, distinctly away from the base, the femme drove off at a subdued pace until she was several miles away and tucked into some decent wooded area. Taking out the small disk she had been provided, she tentatively inspected it. 'Data disk...' she vented. 'Trap.'
With careful practice, the femme accessed the disks information, storing it away with just as much care in a part of her processor specifically designed for such things.
A light tapping at Ratchet's door alerted the medic to someone requesting his attention.
"Ah thought ya were gunna go recharge." Wheeljack leaned against the door frame with a reproachful look on his friendly face. "This don't count, ya know that."
"Oh," Ratchet looked over the data pads he had sorted through. He really hadn't intended to take so long, but one thing tended to lead to the next. "Well, it is too late now. My shift begins again in less than a joor."
The inventor huffed with some annoyance. "Ya never can take yer own advice, can ya?"
"What are you getting at?"
"Nothin'. Since yer not gonna get ta yer berth, ya wanna resume on that pretender? Ah been thinkin' about it sense we left it, an' Ah think Ah have an idea about that weird reaction we got."
"Is that so?" The medic was up and stretching, prepared to head back to their investigation.
"Yeah; Decepticons built it. Since when do they not take th' chance ta implant somethin' inside somethin' that seems harmless enough?"
Ratchet looked stunned by the thought, then panicked. He rushed out of his office to where the pretender form had been kept, only to find the room empty. ::Scatterblade! Tell me you have control of your pretender.:: There was more demand than request in the medic's tone, but the clear amount of distress made it almost begging.
Scatterblade had been in the common area resting when the comm came to him. He jolted awake instantly in fight mode. ::No I don't. What's going on?:: He asked trying to keep the panic from sweeping his systems.
::It's gone,:: Ratchet informed him. ::Can you connect with it? Find it?:: The medic had a sinking feeling as he turned to consider the rest of the med bay. "How long has it been active," he asked futilely.
"Since we activated it," Wheeljack answered with a measure of despair. "It could be anywhere by now..."
::Yeah,:: the mech started connecting to it. 'What?' He wasn't getting...he wasn't getting in; but it was more than that. He couldn't sense anything from the pretender. That connection was...gone. ::Ratchet,:: he sounded a bit strangled, ::I-I have no idea where it is. I c-can't find it... I can't...:: Suddenly the fear was gone. It was replaced with anger and he bolted for the med bay.
Ratchet rushed through the halls. Scatterblade's confirmation of disconnection was a clear sign that things were not in their hands anymore – if they ever had been in the first place. He reached the patient quarters in record time. He checked on every patient until he reached the one room he knew should have a resident within, but found to be empty. "No..."
The black mech rushed into the building. He skidded around a corner nearly knocking a hole in the wall. He halted when he saw Ratchet's still frame in Charlie's doorway. His rage flared consuming the fear that the scene sent through him. He transformed right there in the hallway and turned his scans to their farthest reaches. He pealed out, letting his engine roar.
::Illusory!:: he barked over the comm, ::where are you?::
The femme jerked at the call. 'Slag!' ::What is going on?:: She asked, not sure how to answer him. His tone was enough to alert her to the fact something was wrong.
Ratchet sent out a general comm telling everyone to be on alert, looking for an individual that didn't belong on base, or Charlie...whichever they saw first.
::Charlie's missing. That Pit spawned pretender is too. I can't find it! I can't feel it! I-:: He cut off the comm before he started yelling at her. ::I need your help,:: he said simply unable to keep the pain from his voice.
Deep regret laced the femme as she looked around. She was so far away! ::Scatterblade...:: sorrow and fear laced her voice. ::I will be there as quickly as I can...:: She gave the disk in her hand one last look before crushing it and tucking the remains under a large rock.
His first thought was where was she? His next processes were much more proactive due to the announcement that snapped him from his thoughts. One of the gates had been attacked – from the inside – and there were several wounded. There were two that left the base in a vehicle. The only reason no one was firing at them was because one of the occupants had been identified as the new human, Charlie.
Scatterblade raced toward the downed gate, trying to catch a glimpse of the fast fading vehicle on his scanners.
Illusory dumped what energy she had left into speed to get back to the base. She had failed to protect Charlie again, how could she? 'I am so sorry,' she repeated over and over again as she raced back over the land at speeds that would be deadly should she hit anything, or miss a turn, or not see a crevice in the earth as she sped by.
Sideswipe, Sunstreaker and Dino joined Scatterblade as he rushed through the gates. They poured on their own speed trying to catch up to the fleeing vehicle before it was too late. The young front-liner barely noticed his companions as he raced to catch up. He could barely keep the blip on the edge of his scanner's reach. It was slow going but he was getting closer.
By the time the base was just reaching the edge of her sensors, the others had been on the chase for quite some time. Illusory didn't even pause as she zipped by, leaving those that witnessed her passing choking on dust and grasping for exactly what they had just seen. She was locked on Scatterblade's signature and that was her sole focus. Scatterblade would be chasing Charlie and that's where she wanted to be.
The mechs sped on and Scatterblade poured more and more of himself into the speed. He was so close. He just needed to get the fraggin' Con tech to slow the car down. One car wreck in a human's life was too many by his standards. ::We gotta slow 'em down,:: he commed to the mechs behind him. ::We have to do it without getting the human hurt. Any ideas?::
::Frag,:: Sideswipe growled on Scatterblade's right. ::At this speed, anything we do will risk the human.::
Sunstreaker pulled up on the black mech's other side. ::If we could get ahead of him,:: he offered with a similar snarl to his voice.
::Mech's got too much speed for us,:: Dino pointed out as he too tried to push a little harder. ::Need someone faster.::
Illusory could see the mechs in front of her. She was gaining on them quickly, her spark pulsing overtime as she pushed her limits even harder. ::I can,:: she stated as she came up on their tails.
::Try to box him in in toward us,:: Scatterblade told the femme, ::We've got to slow him down.::
::Done.:: Using the mechs in front of her to draft, the femme came around and shot forward in a slingshot motion, launching ahead of the other car just enough to clear his front bumper. She started slowing her pace, preparing for the others to make their move.
Charlie had long since strapped a seat belt on. When she saw the 'bots coming for her, she whooped excitedly sticking her tongue out at the Pretender. The Con tech swung his hand out and connected with her face. Blood spurted out of her nose as Charlie yelped. The thing just broke her nose! Holding her injury she tried to keep an eye on the mechs behind them. Through pained tears she saw a white shimmering behind the pack of mechs. She smiled broadly underneath her hand as the femme sped to the front. The pretender tried to maneuver the car around the femme, even trying to ram her out of his way.
Illusory took the hit, using the contact to force the mech to slow. She shifted just enough to ensure her rear bumper locked with his front and then began to apply her breaks – not fast enough to cause the car to lose control, or to jolt the human within too much, but still enough to ram the two together. The femme grunted with the effort, her systems burning with the heat of overuse but she refused to quit until Charlie was safe.
Scatterblade was nearly in contact with the car. It was working. He latched onto the back of it, priming his cannon to blast the Pit spawn out of the car.
What happened next made him shut down his weapons.
::Release the vehicle or I kill her.:: It wasn't the threat that made him freeze. The little fragger had stolen his voice.
"No!" The femme roared as she transformed into her bipedal mode, landing on the car's hood. She bashed at the window once to gain the pretender's attention. "Touch her and I will rip you apart!"
Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, and Dino did their best surrounding the car, but hesitated to take action with the human trapped within and the femme on top of it.
"Little late for that," the pretender grinned jerking a thumb at the human's bloodied face.
Charlie wasn't sure where it came from, but with a hard swing she brought her right fist into the pretender's face, catching him right between the eyes. It screamed as it lost its sight for all of a few seconds but that was all that was needed. Charlie opened the door and tried to climb out of the car. Their speed wasn't nearly as high as it had been before but as the red head watched the ground race past her, she wished she hadn't had this wonderful idea.
Illusory looked a little faint at the sight of the blood on the human girl, but when Charlie made for her escape, she pulled herself together. "Charlie!" She called, reaching out for her.
Charlie inched her way out the window. The Con tech grabbed for the girl's leg and missed. It couldn't let go of the wheel or they would crash. Then again...maybe it could. It would survive. It's hostage wouldn't but it would be able to escape as the Autobots mourned their loss. The pretender lunged for the human again letting the car do as it may.
Scatterblade felt the car begin to lose control. 'No.' He steadied the car as much as he could in his alt mode. With the pretender no longer controlling the car it was slowing down much faster, but still not fast enough.
As the car lurched, Illusory lost her balance on the hood. In a last bid to save Charlie, the femme pushed off, grabbing the human and pulling her close to her chest and wrapping herself around the fragile body. Hitting the ground jarred all of her senses; she lost what was up or down, or even where her own limbs were as she bounced and rolled.
When she finally came to a stop, she couldn't even make sense enough of herself to move. "Charlie?" She tried to call to the human, but her voice came as nothing more than static and screeches. Her processor was so out of sync at the moment, she didn't even realize it.
Charlie pulled her hands away from her eyes. "Lu?" She asked, her voice tight and small. She sighed with relief and laid her head back down on the femme's chassis.
The femme churred in soft contentment. Charlie was there, she could hear her. Her processor was still struggling to catch up with the rest of the world, but she had Charlie and that was all that mattered.
Seeing the opportunity for a strike, the front-liners moved in, slamming into the car to drive it where they wanted it and finally bringing it to a stop.
Scatterblade ripped the top off the car and grabbed the pretender in both hands. "Give me a reason not to pop your head off," he growled.
The pretender said nothing, simply grinned up at him sadistically.
Once the pretender was safely captured, Sideswipe broke away to check on Illusory and Charlie. "Hey, femme, you still function?"
Illusory screeched something unintelligible, but nodded.
"Ugh, sounds like your speech protocols are scrambled. Next time you decide to dive off a moving vehicle, try not to land on your head."
Scatterblade kept his optics on the 'Con tech but kept an audio open to see if the girls were alright. "Let's get everyone back to base," the black mech said with a distinct growl. "We'll figure this mess out there." He eyed the pretender angrily and in forethought he took metal from the destroyed car and bound it tight within.
Sideswipe offered a hand to the femme, but as she reached for the offered limb, it was apparent that more than just her speech was scrambled. "Well, frag, femme," the mech chuckled humorously. "Charlie, you functional?" He asked as he scooped the human up so that he could haul the femme to her unsteady feet without endangering the woman.
"Here," Dino offered, coming up behind the silver front-liner. He took the human from him so the mech had both hands to steady the femme.
Charlie nodded. "Yeah. I'm okay," she said though her voice sounded stuffy. "Gonna get your names later?" She asked with a grin.
"Eh, I'm Dino," the red mech introduced easily enough. "That one there is Sideswipe. His brother over there is Sunstreaker." He shrugged, bringing the human closer to his optics. "You're damaged. Ratch'll want ta see to that."
Sideswipe tried hard to steady the uncoordinated femme, but soon dubbed it pointless and picked her up. "This one too," he vented. "I don't envy either of you about now, but at least you're both alive."
With one more check over the area, the mechs turned to head back to base. It was going to be a long walk.
It was a pretty silent walk back and it gave Scatterblade some time to think over the pretender issue. Why hadn't he felt it when the two had become separated? More importantly, why did it feel like this...thing was now its own consciousness? It shouldn't have been. With all that he knew, and figured out, about the pretender he had always known that it was merely an avatar. He knew he didn't know everything about the thing, but this seemed to go way too far above his head.
Illusory's senses started to come back to her but she was beyond exhausted. ::Scatterblade?:: She asked over a private link, hoping that at least that was coming out halfway understandable. ::Are you okay?::
He jerked from his thoughts. ::I'm okay,:: he said shortly.
The femme balked somewhat at his answer. ::I am sorry,:: she offered apologetically.
Scatterblade vented softly, ::No. I'm not- I'm not mad at you. I'm just-:: he vented.
"Having trouble with you're girlfriend?"
The question startled him. He looked down at the Pretender. It was looking up at him its eyebrow raised. The mech glared at it. "Shut up."
The pretender simply chuckled. Scatterblade growled at it. ::Cut that out.::
::Cut what out?:: It asked innocently.
::That's my voice.::
::Would you rather I use this one?:: it asked but this time in one he hadn't heard in a while. Scatterblade nearly dropped the thing. He gripped the thing tighter refusing to answer the Pit spawn.
Sunstreaker heard the pretender's odd question. "Little slagger's gonna talk enough later," he growled, glaring pure death at the little form. "Can't believe you had that inside of you." The mech shuddered with revulsion.
"Sunny!" The silver twin admonished.
"What?"
"Remember that thing about crass things not to say? That was one of them."
Sunstreaker grumbled something, but offered Scatterblade a quiet 'sorry'.
::Talk to me?:: The femme practically begged.
Scatterblade brushed the comment off and put the pretender by his side, not wanting to look at it anymore. He vented slowly trying to focus his processor on making sure Illusory was alright. ::I don't understand how this happened. How I didn't know...:: he told her honestly.
::You said even you did not know everything about it,:: the femme tried to console the mech. ::This was likely one of the Decepticon's traps...like they are prone to do.::
::I guess, I'm just trying to grasp the concept. He...it's alive,:: he vented again. ::What else is gonna happen today?::
::That is a question I advise you do not ask...:: the femme felt a wash of guilt for what she had done. True, she had lead the ex-Decepticon hunter Nightwarp away from Scatterblade – as far as she knew – but she had still sold information on her friend. She felt too vulnerable being carried around. "Put me down, please," she asked, pushing away from Sideswipe. "Thank you for your assistance, but I believe I am recovered enough to walk on my own."
Sideswipe complied, but kept one hand on her arm as the femme stumbled a bit. Illusory straightened and took a few determined steps of her own. She was weak, but if she concentrated and went slow, she could walk just fine.
When they reached the base it was hectic and Scatterblade could barely register who was talking to him. He had been exhausted before this little chase and now he barely had enough left in him to walk straight.
Ironhide was the first to hassle them, taking the pretender into custody and honing in on Illusory. "Where were you?" He demanded of the femme.
Ratchet was the next in line, scanning Scatterblade, Illusory, and Charlie, then shuffling them off to the med bay. "Later Ironhide, let me make sure they're functional first."
Charlie gaped at the big black mech but before she could say anything she and her friends were whisked away. When Scatterblade finally found himself settled down on a berth his first instinct was to just go straight into recharge.
"Rest," Ratchet encouraged the mech. "You're systems are strained, you need recharge."
Scatterblade nodded and let his system shut down.
The medic's attention went to Illusory next. The femme's tanks were low again, but this time all of her systems clearly showed she had burned through the energon. "Dare I ask what you were up to?"
"No," the femme stated blandly. She too wanted recharge, but for the moment refused to take part. She had to know what she was going to wake up to first.
Ratchet studied the femme carefully, but moved on to make sure Charlie was alright before he decided to investigate further. "You should rest," he told Illusory.
"Later," she grumbled watching him look over Charlie. Guilt wracked her as she looked on; she should have been there.
Charlie pushed the medic away as much as she could. "It's just a broken nose. Gotta get it set and I'm good."
"I will be the judge of that," the medic lectured, insisting on making sure the human was alright from head to toe. He moved quickly, before Charlie could react small tools formed from his fingertips that allowed him to reset her nose and had it taped in place in mere seconds. "Now, you should rest too," he advised, placing the girl on a human sized bed setting in clear view of his office.
The red head grunted in the slight pain and discomfort but obliged.
"Now, for you, femme..." the medic squared off in front of Illusory, an unwavering commanding look about his features. "What exactly happened with you?"
Illusory looked over the room, to Scatterblade and to Charlie. ::I went to meet with another client,:: she informed the medic silently. She wasn't even entirely sure she wanted to do what she was about to do. ::I obtained some information about a ship that is supposedly Autobot; twenty sparks aboard, set adrift in Hooks quadrant.::
Ratchet looked shocked, then suspicious. ::And what did you sell for it?::
::That is my concern, not yours.::
The medic adopted a rather disdainful glare; one that would normally be directed to his patients that claimed they needed no repairs despite their leaking internals. ::I suppose you're looking to sell it to us then,:: he all but growled.
Illusory's expression remained steady, unblinking and unfazed by the unspoken accusations from the medic. "No," she stated verbally. She sent the data packet to the medic without a second thought. Well, that wasn't entirely true – she did lament briefly over the profit she could have made, but that was only momentary and compared to the benefit she might gain by sparing such information without a price was worth it in the long run. "There are too few clients in this area that would be looking to buy that at any rate. Maybe you lot can save your comrades before it is too late."
Stunned to say the very least, Ratchet noted that the information was not first hand. "Where is the original?"
"I destroyed it. Cannot claim that my client might not have tried to trace it."
Ratchet studied the femme for a minute. "Is this your bid to keep Ironhide off your aft?"
The femme gave the medic a rather sardonic look. "As if that would help. It is as I said, there are few I could hope to sell it to here anyway, and I am already contracted with you lot."
Ratchet nodded, accepting the offer for what it was. "Rest. I'll see about Ironhide."
Illusory vented deeply. "Thank you." She was in recharge before her head was laying upon the berth.
No matter how hard he tried Scatterblade couldn't not think even in stasis. He had wanted so badly to pop the pretender's head off. That thing had dredged up memories that were almost healed. He dared to steal Speedrunner's voice. Oh great, he was personifying it again. How the slag had that happened? Where did a consciousness come from?
Illusory recharged hard, but came online long before she was ready. She opened her optics to find she was not in a holding cell, as she figured she might wake to, nor was she being watched. Instead, she was where she had laid down and the lights were dimmed to offer some comfort to those resting there. She could see the light of Ratchet's office shining and suspected the medic was there doing something or other, but chose to ignore his presence. She slid from her berth, checking on Charlie first then approaching Scatterblade. "I am sorry," she whispered as softly as she was able.
The mech stirred. "What?"
"Oh, I didn't mean to wake you," she whispered still. "Recharge. I...just wanted ta make sure you were okay."
"I'm fine. Tired but I'm fine. Why are you sorry?" He pushed, even in this hazy state of processor recognizing the guilt pouring off the femme.
Illusory vented softly. She wanted to tell him what she had done, she wanted to know that he would forgive her for it; but how could she? She had betrayed him, even if she had done her best to throw the mech off his trail, she had sold information on his location. "I...am sorry I was not here when I should have been." She backed away as if she intended to go back to her berth. "Go back into recharge. You should rest..."
"You rest too," he said as he drifted back into fitful rest.
"Sure..." she agreed, sitting on her berth and watching the mech for a few breems. Once she was sure he was sound in recharge once more, she slid from her place and made to leave the med bay.
"Where are you going?" Ratchet asked tiredly from his office.
"Just to walk..."
"Walk? Don't you think you've run all the 'walking' out of your system for the orn?" The medic got up and went to his door. "You need to recharge."
"I cannot, there is just too much on my processor. I am not comfortable here." She spared the medic a pleading look. "I just wish to walk, I will not go anywhere."
Ratchet vented. "You know that you will be watched."
"Of course..." the femme hadn't thought of it, but was not surprised. "I understand." With that she turned from the CMO and left the med bay. She walked as far as she dared to remain within sight of the base and started a slow circle of it. She watched the stars above and the way the horizon changed colors depending on the time of night until it turned day. The sun found her back where she had watched the previous day come into life standing beside Scatterblade. She still had that impending sense of something just beyond sight there, but couldn't say what it was.
Scatterblade wasn't prone to recharging longer than he needed and surprisingly he was able to slip out of the med bay and just outside. There was no need to go any further. He wanted to enjoy the cool morning before the sun rose.
Spotting the front-liner's appearance, Ironhide made his way to the smaller mech. "Your femme is over there," he pointed to the just seen plateau and the small gleam of white on top of it. "She's been pacing the place most of the off-cycle."
"She's not-" Scatterblade clammed his mouth shut. "Oh. Thanks," he muttered.
With a short nod, the larger mech left Scatterblade to himself, though he kept a wary optic on the femme. Something just seemed out of place with her, even for who she was, and he wasn't sure he trusted it.
Scatterblade walked to the femme taking in her still form and almost lost look. "Hey. You doing okay?"
Startled by his seemingly sudden appearance, Illusory jerked as she looked up at him. "Oh! I...um...I am fine," she shook herself, trying to come back to her senses.
Scatterblade chuckled. "That doesn't sound like someone who's fine," he accused.
"Scatterblade," she vented, finally unable to deal with her own conscious anymore, "there is another Decepticon on the planet hunting you...well, ex-Decepticon but he still works for them when they pay him. I..." she turned away from the mech, not willing to look at him when she told him the truth. "I met with him, that is where I was when Charlie was taken. He was a good client back on Cybertron; we traded information and credits quite often...I did not tell him where you are..." she didn't add that his information was not of a high enough quality for her to even be tempted – or that she could have been tempted should the information been worth it – but she felt as if the truth were branded on her plating.
The mech took an involuntary step back. "Okay...wasn't expecting that. Why didn't you-" he paused composing himself so he didn't sound the way he was feeling. "Why did you talk to him in the first place?" He asked calmly.
"He offered me information on the location of a ship. Twenty Autobots lost drifting in Hook's region." She shrugged, still not looking at him. "Old habits die hard."
"He did?" the mech asked surprised.
"Location only, there was no verification of function. I do not know if the 'bots are even still online."
Scatterblade vented to himself. "Why is everyone after me?" Then he refocused on her. "What did you tell him?"
Illusory drew into herself as much as possible. "Where you've been, excluding Logan and here...I am sorry, I really am. I do not blame you for whatever you do to me for this betrayal."
The mech didn't say anything. He knew if he did he'd just let angry words do more damage than anything he could dish out. "Just...just don't tell anyone." He paused shaking his head slightly, "I need to be alone." He walked away back to the base. He was more hurt than angry but it wasn't too far behind. He needed to keep his mouth shut until he calmed down.
The femme keened mournfully once the mech walked away. It wasn't loud but it was full of misery.
Charlie was so sick of being cooped up before the whole pretender incident, now she was glad she had some time to rest. She wasn't nearly as tough as she had been when Ratchet fixed her nose. With plenty of rest she wondered if she could wander. Slipping on her jacket she entered the hallway and out of the med bay.
Jolt saw the human passing and stepped out to greet her. "Where are you going?"
"I'm just taking a look around. I don't want to be stuck in that room forever."
"You cannot just walk around without an escort. Where are your guardians?" The medic looked at the distinctly empty med bay and then back to the human.
Charlie shrugged. "I don't know. How am I supposed contact them? I don't have little internal comm links," she smirked up at him.
The mech looked a little put back by that. All the humans on base carried radios that would allow them to keep in contact with their Autobot partners, or they had phones to do the same. "I will contact them for you," he said with a slight nod. ::Scatterblade, Illusory; where are you?::
Illusory groaned at the call, but since it was one of the medics she thought she should at least see what he wanted. ::Out, what do you want?::
::In my quarters,:: Scatterblade answered shortly.
Jolt was not impressed with either of their responses and had half a processor to tell them where they could take their attitudes, but for the humans sake decided not to. ::One of you needs to come attend your human. She is awake and would like to walk around.::
::On my way,:: Illusory vented softly.
Scatterblade softened a bit. He didn't want to take his frustration out on the human but he still needed space. Since Illusory was taking care of Charlie he thought he would just sit this one out.
Illusory arrived in the med bay a few minutes later. She tried to hide her hurt and smiled at Charlie. "Good to see you up."
"Thanks," she gave a small wave, "I just couldn't stay in there any longer."
"I can sympathize with that. Where would you like to go?" The femme offered Jolt a brisk wave farewell as she followed Charlie out of the med bay.
"Anywhere," she sighed. She paused, seeing that someone was missing. "Where's 'Blade?"
Illusory could not hide the look of guilt that washed over her, but quickly shoved it off for another smile. "In his quarters."
"Oh," she sighed. "Are you okay?"
"Of course, just a little...concerned. After everything that has happened." The femme looked around the base. It was sizable, even for her. "After so long in the med bay, I think the recreational building might be of most interest to you. There will likely be other humans there you can interact with if you so desire."
Charlie grimaced at the femme's answer, but let it go. "That sounds great."
Illusory lead the way to the buildings. She knew them well enough to know where not to go, but that was about the extent of it. Once inside she gave Charlie as good of a tour as she knew to give and then let the woman choose her entertainment. "If you need anything," the femme offered softly, "I think I need to just sit for a while." She indicated the area where she could be found if needed.
Charlie was fascinated at the chance to talk to more of the bots. She turned back to Illusory to agree but hesitated. The femme looked so defeated. "Are you sure you wouldn't like to talk? We could go some place else. Some place quiet."
"No," the femme shook her head slowly. "I am just fine. You enjoy yourself."
The young woman nodded, though unsure her friend was telling the truth.
Illusory smiled, then found a seat near a corner where she could almost melt into the shadows – well could have if her armor wasn't quite so light colored. Her processor instantly turned to what Scatterblade would do now; she had revealed herself, and as such, he should go directly to Prime and have her arrested for her betrayal. A part of her wanted him to do that so that she could feel at least like he was getting some kind of vindication out of it, yet a larger part knew that if he did, she would run and likely never see him again. The thoughts kept turning in her processor over and over, never coming to any kind of good conclusion, but she kept her optics on Charlie. Even if she might have to vanish soon, she would keep the human safe – no matter what.
Charlie found herself in no lack for willing company. Apparently many of the Autobots on base had been told to let her be until she came out of the med bay, but after that she was essentially free game.
The first to approach her was a mostly gray colored mech with a yellow crest on his head. "Hi! I'm Bluestreak, though most 'bots call me 'Blue', it's nice to meet you, Charlie! Oh, I suppose I should have given you the chance to introduce yourself, but I already know who you are so thought maybe you should know who I am. I'm so excited for you to be the first human to get Cybertronian enhancements. Not that humans aren't good for what they are but everything can always be better. Not that we're better..." The mech smiled with embarrassment. "Sorry...I get carried away sometimes. It's nice to meet you."
"Wow. You've got a motor mouth," Charlie laughed. "Sorry. Didn't mean that to sound mean. Just kinda fit," she grinned up at the 'bot.
"Heheh...yeah, lots of people tell me that. 'Bots too...well, everyone really. I like to talk I guess."
"That's alright. I can get talking and not stop, too."
"Glad you understand. So...everyone really wants to meet you, mind if I show you around?"
The mech glanced up at Illusory, the femme looked suspicious for a klik, then vented and tipped her head slightly; giving into the unasked question. "I'll take care of you," he promised.
Charlie looked back to the femme and gave her a reassuring grin. Turning back to Bluestreak she nodded. "Yeah. I'd like that."
With a grin that could not nearly be contained by the mech's facial plates, he offered a hand to the human, to carry her as they went. "Unless you'd rather walk, but this would be faster...it's up to you."
"I'm getting over my fear of heights," she said eagerly climbing onto his hand.
Bluestreak happily took the girl and his endless chatter began. He eagerly introduced her to every 'bot they came across, managing to silence himself for at least a breem at a time so the other 'bots could talk to her, but it never lasted much longer than that. The mech seemed more than thrilled to have a human to talk to; or maybe it was just to have someone to talk to. Either way, he completely occupied the girl's time.
Scatterblade spent a long time just running over what Illusory had told him. Why would she go back to that life? She had tried absolutely everything to convince the Autobots that she was no longer a spy. Why pull herself back into it? To save potential lives when she had no proof of their still being alive? What she did was extremely foolish, let alone dangerous.
He vented cooling his over worked systems. 'I need to find her, talk to her,' he thought. 'I'm not mad anymore just...hurt.' He pushed himself off his berth and went in search of her.
Scatterblade had looked in several different places until he finally came to the rec room. He spotted Illusory by the wall. "Hey, Lu," he said softly.
Illusory stiffed at the call. When she looked up at Scatterblade there was fear and guilt in her optics. She wasn't sure if she wanted to run or to see what he was going to say. "I will not be a prisoner again," she warned quietly.
He vented softly, shaking his head, partially disappointed that she had jumped to such a conclusion. "That's not what I want to talk about. Not getting you in trouble."
She looked suspicious and somewhat hopeful. "Then what?" The tension didn't leave her frame, but she no longer looked as though she might bolt.
::I just want to know why,:: he said over a private comm so it wouldn't be as awkward out loud. ::Why risk something like that? Even when you did lie about where I was, why risk that?::
Everything fled Illusory in that moment. She had been asking herself the same question over and over again. Why had she done it? Would she do it again? ::I...:: she vented. ::It was habit,:: she admitted shamefully, ::when he contacted me, I instantly went back to who I was and the opportunity for profit just seemed too good. It was not. It was not good enough for the hurt I caused you...but I...:: She pushed herself away from the table, turning so she didn't have to look at Scatterblade. ::I regret it, but I cannot claim that I would not do it again. When I arrived, I knew I would mislead him. I do not want to see you captured. I hoped that maybe if I mislead him the others that were searching for you might be mislead for a time as well. I know that is no excuse.::
Scatterblade stood there staring at the ground. ::I want to be able to count on you. I need to be able to trust you. I-:: he stopped himself. This wasn't the time or place. This wasn't how he wanted to tell her. He began again; ::Can I trust you? If something like that happens again, can you try to just ignore it?:: He asked, pleaded of her.
::Trust?:: The femme looked up finally, pure confusion on her face plates. "You want to trust me?" She asked aloud, though the sound of her own voice startled her. ::I...well...I mean I wish to say that you can trust me...:: Her processor spun; could she promise? Could she stop herself from jumping at the old game of intel trade? Her livelihood? ::I promise to use better discretion when it happens again. That is...that is the best I can do. I will not turn you over to them. I can promise that as well.::
::I do want to trust you,:: he said simply.
::But you cannot,:: she summed up quickly enough. It was only fair after all, she couldn't blame him one bit. ::I understand.:: She fidgeted for a moment before standing. "I should go find Charlie. I left her to the whims of Bluestreak."
Scatterblade felt his as if his mass had doubled. His shoulders slumped. "Okay," he said following after her.
The femme tried to ignore her own discomfort and set to the task of finding Bluestreak and the human he held captive. She paused for a moment as she came up to Sideswipe. "Have you seen Bluestreak?"
"Yeah, he has your human."
"I know that, I am looking for them to save her from his relentless babbling," she almost snapped her words, but managed to keep them a slight growl instead.
"Hey, now, mech's taken good care of her. No need to be so grumpy." Sideswipe looked the femme over closely, noting her tenseness and the shadow in her optics, then turned his optics to the mech standing behind her. "Something happen?"
"No!" This time she did snap and turned immediately away from the silver front-liner. She stormed off with no further words.
"Touchy..." Sideswipe looked to Scatterblade for some answer. "What happened?"
"I can't. Sorry," he shook his head.
"Can't? Why not?"
"Not really your business," the black mech stated more matter-of-factually.
Sideswipe was stunned at first, then a sly little half grin crept across his face. "Ah...lover's spat." He started laughing. "Word of advice? Don't let her go to recharge angry at you. You might not come back online."
Scatterblade glared at the mech. "None of your business also means keeping your comments to yourself."
The front-liner shook his head, still laughing as he walked away leaving the pair to their feud.
Scatterblade looked to Illusory out of the corner of his optic. "Let's go rescue Charlie."
With a slight nod, the femme continued about her way. It wasn't long before they had proper directions to where Bluestreak had hijacked the human to. As they approached, Illusory took a moment to pull herself together, stuff her uncomfortable feelings away, and put on a smile. "Bluestreak? I believe it is time for us to take Charlie now."
Charlie looked up as she recognized the voice. "Already?" She practically whined.
"You have enjoyed yourself then?" The femme laughed a little, though not nearly as amused as she tried to sound.
"Yeah it's been fun," Charlie said. "We even had a small contest to see who could speak faster. Blue won of course but it was still really funny," Charlie giggled.
"I...can imagine..." she really couldn't but the idea had her processor feeling rather odd. "You should probably rest."
"I think that's smart." Charlie eyed both of her friends. "Sheesh, who died?" She joked.
"It's nothing. We'll talk later," Scatterblade said softly.
Illusory glanced at Scatterblade nervously, but smiled for Charlie. "No one has offlined that I am currently aware of."
"It's a joke, Lu," she muttered, nodding to the mech. When the three were walking again and out of ear shot of the others Charlie asked the question that was teetering on the edge of her tongue. "What's going on?"
"Nothing for you to worry about..." Illusory murmured softly.
Charlie looked between the two. "What did you do?" She asked Scatterblade.
"Just...drop it," the mech said.
She raised her eyebrows up in concern.
Illusory vented. "He did not do anything," the femme corrected softly.
The red head shot them both glances but soon gave up. "I'm gonna get some sleep. You guys have got to figure things out. I don't know if I know what's going on but figure it out," she said slipping off the mech's hand when he lowered it in her room.
The femme watched the human go, guilt building in her once more. 'This is why spies do not make friends...' she lectured herself. "Slag," she muttered before turning to find someplace to clear her processor. She had spent far too much time thinking in circles and she was exhausted on top of that.
"Lu," Scatterblade began, wanting to stop her before she ran off. "This isn't over. I need you to- try and understand something."
"It will never be over," she grumbled, but paused to hear the mech out.
"I don't know how to say it other than straight out. And I'm still not sure...no, I am sure, I just...It's..." he vented, already feeling like he should delay it once again.
"You would rather I go away?" Illusory was sure that's what the mech was getting at; though his assignment as her 'guard' would make it complicated. "I am sure I can tell Optimus I would prefer someone else to work with me if that is the case. You do not need to feel trapped."
"No!" He blurted, fear that she would bolt in that moment consuming him. "No. No. That-that's not what it was at all!" He chuckled in half relief, half wanting to assure her that he wasn't going to shove her off. At least the ice was broken. "I've been wanting to tell you something. I...you know that I like you... right?"
::Oh shadowy one, think I have forgotten about you? I have not. Interesting places you sent me to, but you have withheld the most interesting one of them all.:: He sent her a set of coordinates... hers. ::Prey tell, what are you up to there?::
The femme literally jumped at the transmission. "No...no! NO!" She looked at Scatterblade with complete terror. "Scatterblade..." what was she to do? He was tracking her? How? She scanned her systems and found a infinitesimal error. 'A tracker...' "Primus," her vents pulled air in desperately, her fans kicking on high as she realized her blunder. She had not taken the oh-so-precious time to search for trackers before she had returned to base. Charlie's endangerment having driven her to make hasty choices. She reached under her plating, barely within reach of her fingertips on her back, and plucked the small device from its parasitic grip on her interior. "He tagged me..." she breathed, staring at the thing with complete, utter disbelief.
At first the mech had been horrified, then was again for a completely different reason. "What? Illusory, talk to me," he said grasping her by the shoulders.
A pleased cackle came on her private comm. ::Hehehhe got you...and your precious Autobot. Now, are you willing to deal, shadowy one? Or do I send those coordinates to Cybertron?:: Truth was he wasn't very far from the location, but far enough to not be detected by patrols.
::Your suspicions are aggressive, hunter. What game are you playing?:: She tried to keep the panic from her voice, layering the tons of anger she was feeling over it in a rather believable cover. "He tagged me!" The femme held up the little device, crushed between her fingers so it could cause no more damage to her; though she knew the damage had already been dealt. "He knows where I am!" Her panic gripped her tightly. How was she going to get out of this?
Scatterblade's anger flared once again this time no hindrance was in the way. "We have to tell Prime," he said taking her hand and guiding her along.
::What I want? Oh how gracious of you to ask! I've already stated my initial demands, but..I think I'll have new one, yes. Oh and don't think to get your little friends involved, or that data-pack WILL get into the hands of Decepticon intelligence and you know whats gonna happen then don't you? They will send dozens and dozens of warriors here and level this planet to dust to find your precious friend,:: he taunted her. He had gone off road was was now on top of a ridge, where far into the distance the light of a military installation could be seen.
::You intend to sway me by threatening...what?:: She clung to her Neutral status like a lifeline. If he was going to threaten the base, there was little she could do for that, but maybe she could buy some time.
She pulled her hand away from Scatterblade. "I have to go stop him...he has this location and is going to hand it over to the Decepticons. You go to Prime, tell him...tell him everything I have done, it doesn't matter now. I have to go stop him!" ::Send me your location and we will discuss this new demand in person.::
"Wait, no! You don't have to do this alone," he said firmly. "Don't go out against him. Not by yourself."
"Scatterblade..." there was the oddest sensation in her spark as she looked at the mech. Was he concerned? No, more than that...maybe a little scared? "This is what I do...this is who I am. I have to go out there or he is likely to bring the Decepticons down on this base. I have to delay him at the very least and if anyone comes with me it will increase the chances that he will betray the deal he is offering and reveal this place to the Decepticons before any of you can be properly prepared to face them...not to mention it will endanger whomever comes with me...and me. Likely he would shoot first and never look back if I came to face him with anyone nearby." She tried to convey her sincerity as clearly as she could. "I have done enough damage, let me do this at least. Get the Autobot's prepared for if I cannot get him to uphold his bargain."
"Illusory, we really need to let the others in on this. They can help you," Scatterblade protested. "Let me help you," he pleaded.
She was at a loss. A part of her was overjoyed that Scatterblade wanted to help her, but another was terrified. "He is after you, Scatterblade! Ah can't let...I cannot put you in any more danger than I already have. Go tell Prime." With this she turned away from the mech and started running for the edge of the base. She had to get to Nightwarp before the mech got any closer.
A set of coordinates was transmitted to Illusory, another canyon valley maybe a thirty breem drive at top speed. ::Meet me there in two planetary hours, or the data goes...and in case you think of bringing friends, or should I be deactivated, I've encoded the data into a transmitter that will emit unless I return to deactivate it, the data burst will be sent. You play my way or you loose femme::
::You threaten me as if you have something I need to hide, mech. It is not my base, what should I care for it?:: She lied, even as she turned toward the designated canyon. ::You are the one who has betrayed our deal, why do you attempt to menace me, hunter?::
Scatterblade started to chase after her but stopped. He vented, he needed her to let her go. Turning back around he rushed to the Prime's office, sending him all the information he had gathered. ::She went after him. To further deter him. I couldn't stop her.::
Optimus was surprised by the sudden transference of information and everything it implied. ::This...does not bode well...:: the Autobot leader said through his shock. ::I will call a meeting, report to conference room three.::
A very select broadcast went out, calling certain 'bots to the meeting. When Scatterblade arrived, Ironhide, Ratchet, Jazz, Prowl, Mirage and a handful of mechs he had not directly met yet stood waiting; Optimus being the center of the collection. "I believe we may have a very unfortunate situation on our hands," the large leader stated before handing the floor over to Scatterblade.
"An old client contacted Illusory wanting information for some intel on an Autobot ship, twenty sparks aboard. She accepted, but gave him false information. He contacted her again and she realized there was a bug on her. He has the coordinates for the base and is threatening to share it with the 'Cons. She's going out right now to make sure he doesn't," he explained though a tad too forcefully toward the end. He vented silently to calm himself as he awaited group's eruption.
It was only a few kliks before the inevitable.
"I knew it!" Ironhide roared. "I knew that femme was no good!"
"Ironhide, wait," Ratchet demanded, stopping the weapons specialist's rant before it got going in full. "Illusory already gave us the information she had acquired...no cost to us. It is the information I transmitted to you, Optimus," he glanced at the Autobot leader as he spoke.
"Yes," Optimus agreed. "A ship was sent to investigate. They confirmed that there was indeed a stranded Autobot science vessel there, but the number of survivors has yet to be counted. I expect to hear back any breem about it."
Ironhide looked between Ratchet, Optimus and Scatterblade. "She just gave up the information? Without asking for anything in return?"
"What did she sell fer it?" It was Jazz that spoke up this time, a dark look in his shaded optics. He knew Illusory better than anyone else in the room. He knew she had to of given something that they would have to pay for and that was why the information was given up so easily.
Scatterblade shuttered his optics in annoyance. "The client was looking for me. She gave him false information. Pointed him in the wrong direction."
Now the room went silent. No one spoke for a long while.
"You?" Jazz practically whispered. "She sold intel on you?" He couldn't believe what he was saying, what he had heard. He never would have thought the femme would do anything like that.
"She mislead him?" Ironhide sounded doubtful. "Then why bother at all?"
"For the chance to save lives," Ratchet defended quickly.
"It seems like a tactical advantage, aside from the fact she allowed herself to be traced," Prowl interjected, speaking for the first time.
"She was trying to protect me," Scatterblade said firmly. "Are we just going to sit here and see what happens? I have no idea what kind of 'bot she's meeting. We have no clue about what she's going up against."
"We have to prepare the base for a possible attack before we can do anything else," Prowl stated, already making plans in his head. "I will contact Red Alert and have him get as much of the emergency security systems up as he possibly can. We should alert the humans and ensure all stations are manned."
"Very well," Optimus agreed. "Prowl, Ironhide, see to it." The mech then looked to Scatterblade, knowing what the front-liner would say. "We have to trust that Illusory knows what she is doing. If we do not take advantage of what time she is gaining us, we would be foolish and her efforts would have been futile."
Scatterblade vented hard, giving Prime a nod.
The moment the information was delivered, the base came alive like wildfire. Humans and 'bots alike rushed to get to their designated station, double checked all of their supplies, locked down everything that had to be. Everything went very smoothly, as if they had worked together forever – it was almost awe inspiring to watch, disregarding the fact that they were preparing for a possible attack.
Scatterblade helped where he could and staying out of the way where he couldn't but not knowing what was going on with Illusory was eating at him.
Once everything was settled, everyone sat waiting; the base nearly falling into silence as all eyes turned toward the horizon and the sky above them, searching for any sign of the Decepticons.
Illusory approached the meeting point with far more caution this time; her sensors on high seeking the hunter she knew would likely be laying in wait for her. She stuck close to the foliage and overhangs, keeping her from sight.
Nightwarp was no fool, he knew this time the shadowy one would be on her guard, but he hadn't lived this long by being careless either. He sent her to the location he provided, yet he was not to be there. He was some distance away, near the entrance to the canyon, and let her pass him. She wouldn't expect him to let her pass, unlike last time. He watched her go, then transformed and stalked forward. He followed a long distance behind.
A faint sound alerted the femme that all was not right and she stiffened. "Very well," she muttered to herself dashing to the rendezvous point. If she were to be followed, then let him keep pace with her.
'How cute,' he thought and also dashed out, opening a comm to her ::How cute, your working out for me, but the fun time is over. Time for business femme, I thought that's how you dealt?::
::I deal faceplate to faceplate, hunter. Not to those that stalk me to an arranged meeting.::
::Had to make sure you weren't bringing friends now didn't I? Since your now friendly friendly with everyone or so I've heard,:: sarcasm dripped from every word he spoke. ::Now, come here femme and let us talk.::
::You treat me with disrespect, hunter. I see your Decepticon roots are still firmly implanted in your processor. Have I ever dealt you poor business? Have I ever lead a client into ambush? You are a fool, Nightwarp for treating me this way. What business do you have now.:: The femme found an easily escape-able perch to stand on and glared at the approaching mech. ::You threaten me with exposing my current location...but for what purpose?::
As he stalked through the foliage he spoke aloud. "Comes with being an ex-Decepticon, I do what I must to stay alive femme, and that means no trusting anyone and to be very, VERY careful." He came to the bottom of the overhang she was on. "Your location? Your location means nothing to me, spy. Disrespect you? HA! I am a ...was...a Decepticon, I don't care for your feelings or your respect, or friendship. You are a means to an end, spy. A tool to be used. And a tool in this case, that needed to be...properly motivated." He grew more angry then. "I know you know where my target is... either you tell me where he is, OR the Decepticons will ravage this world looking for his sorry aft!"
"Sure, another world sacrificed to your foolish war..." the femme vented heavily. "I do not claim to know where your target is, but I have not claimed to not know either. I have information that I sell and I have imparted upon you a worthy amount for the sparse piece of slag you sold me. If I am your tool, ex-Decepticon...than perhaps you should be more wary of how you use me. What more will you sell me for more information?" Inside the femme was heaving with pure rage. She was used to being treated poorly by the Decepticons – it was practically their programming – but she despised being dragged into the war. Even if she cared for the small organic creatures of this planet, and even though she had sworn to protect them with everything she had, there was no cause or reason for her to be manipulated by the pitting of one side upon the other. "You should make it good, hunter. My prices just went up."
"Your price just went up? HAHAHAHHAHAHA! Your price is the continued functioning of those fleshbags, and of your new Autobots friends on this world. I know you are lying to me, and that just fuels my rage more! Give me HIS LOCATION OR THEY ALL DIE!" He screamed, making a cutting motion with his arm to prove the point.
"I care nothing for the Autobots. You make assumptions, hunter." Still, what was she going to do to stop him? "If your precious Decepticons choose to destroy this planet, I will simply move on." It was a lie. A big one, but she had to remain aloof, especially with the mech's rising ire. "Give me something better."
"I'm not here to trade with you, I'm here for you to give me what I need or they will all perish, I care not for them, or for the Autobot, you do. I know you were on that military base, so you're obviously working with the humans, and the Autobots or do you take me for a COMPLETE FOOL, FEMME?" At that moment, a car motor was heard, a Park ranger was driving home after his shift, he could see the car some distance off and a mischievous glint came to his optics. He took out his rifle and fired a salvo at the car. "NOW THEIR DEATHS ARE ON YOUR SPARK!" The plasma discharge stuck the car; astro-seconds later it became a pile of metals and plasma. The occupant incinerated before he could even comprehend anything, the fire lit up the road. "Now do I have you attention femme?"
Illusory was outraged, beyond outraged. "Mech, you are a fool." She stuffed down her urge to leap upon him and strike him for what he had just so sparklessly done, but she knew that would be her own death. "I go where the currency is. Autobots and human military alike are very willing to purchase the information I possess...and I benefit greatly from their deep reserves. You mistake business for something more." She vented, adding a huff of disapproval for Nightwarp's benefit. ::Scatterblade,:: she transmitted over a private comm. ::This is not going so very well, I hope your Autobots are prepared for a fight.::
The mech jumped in relief at her transmission. 'Thank Primus.' ::We are. You faring alright?::
"That may be so, but I have a feeling you are LIEING to me to protect someone, or something. You KNOW where my prey is, yet you deny me...so you must choose...your friend...or the people of this planet, which has more value to you, hmm? Think about this femme. He is but one spark. Or I could BLAST YOU RIGHT NOW" he screamed as he leveled the rifle at her "and extract the information from your memory banks!"
Illusory tensed, taking a step back. ::I...do not think this is going to last much longer. He has degraded to threats. I am sorry, Scatterblade, but I do not think I can deter him from revealing the base.:: "You could try," she said slyly as she turned from her perch and ducked into the cover the forest offered her. ::He has already destroyed one human vehicle...I do not know how many were inside, but I believe it may have only been the park ranger.:: She tried to keep the panic from her voice as she transmitted, but with her focus split as it was it was almost a lost effort.
Scatterblade's circuits nearly froze. "Oh Primus...Prime..? The 'Con just attacked a human. I don't think they made it out..."
"Oh I like it when my femmes play hard to get," he crooned with a smirk and leaped after her. He quickly switched to thermal vision to help track her signature through the foliage. He activated his wrist daggers on his free arm to help cut through obstacles that his much larger frame couldn't navigate.
Illusory called upon all of her skills of maneuverability, dodging through the trees almost as if they didn't exist and finding ways through the canyon walls that were small, but not too small for her slight frame. She could hear Nightwarp chasing her and her spark raced. She had little clue as to where to run to here – this was not like Cybertron where she knew the ins and outs of nearly every meeting place she'd ever dared go to. 'Not good, not good!' She chanted to herself as she pushed her limits as hard as she could.
The ex-con transformed to his motorcycle mode, the narrow form allowing him to maneuver and the added speed helping to catch up to the femme ::Stop playing games, femme. Tell me what I want and you will walk out of here! And so will the fleshies, AND even your Autobots friends! Delay me too long and the automatic transmission of the coordinates will happen! Be reasonable or be a foolish femme, either way I will get what I need and I'll get paid!:: He shouted at her as he darted left and right and over boulders.
::I give nothing away for free, hunter!:: She snarled back. Finally finding a place she deemed safe enough, the femme stopped. ::I will give you what you search for, but you will give me something worthy in return.:: She brought her venting down to a steady pace, cooling her systems. Again she called out on her private comm with the Autobot front-liner.
With short orders a group of Autobots and humans were gathered to chase after the mysterious client Illusory had met with.
"One problem," Sunstreaker pointed out restlessly, "we don't know where to find them."
All optics turned to Scatterblade.
He sent out the coordinates he was getting from the private comm to the officers.
With the coordinates set, the small band of interceptors headed out at top speed.
"Try to recover him alive – we may need to know what he knows," Optimus ordered as he watched the team go. Normally he would have been a part of it, but with an attack on the base still pending, he knew his skills were far better served there.
Scatterblade tried hard not to speed ahead of everyone. He knew his job and when he needed to follow orders. Now seemed like exactly one of those times.
::That's where your wrong, I give you something. I give you safety for your friends and the pathetic fleshlings of this world, and you reject it? I don't understand you femme!:: He stopped near her signature. All though lower in temperature she was still much hotter than the surrounding forest. He switched to higher gear and vaulted over a boulder, transforming in mid air and landing a few feet from her. "Time's up femme!" He growled looking right into her optics.
Fear was apparent in the femme's optics. She never was one for confrontation. "Ah don't give uh slag about them," she growled venomously. "That is why you do not understand, hunter!" Still, with the mech so close, she had one last card to play.
Grabbing the mech's chest plating, she clung to him like some pearl colored parasite and allowed one of her tap wires to slither from its normal protected hiding place. With an ease that felt far too practiced to be natural, the femme tapped the mech's systems and began a rapid download. Her entire frame ceased as the program hacked through the mech's memory banks, locking her completely to his frame, and trapping her within her own processor.
The mech roared in pain and shock, this he had not expected. He tried helplessly to pull the femme off him but half the input commands he sent weren't reaching his limbs. "WHAT... DO...T..E FEE?" He screamed. The coordination in his arms too weakened by the hack to be effective, his energon daggers leaving only nicks on his and her chassis as he tried to cut his way out from the femme's death lock.
Illusory was nothing as she downloaded every tic of information she came across. Everything she wanted and didn't want to know being rapidly stored in her own processor for later sorting. She was as stiff as a statue and as heavy as dead weight.