Before I begin my story, a little news to share with you. On Saturday, July 12, 2014, I went to a hair transplant doctor to help fix my little balding issue. I had this issue since my mid twenties and I'm starting to look like someone in my forties or fifties. Since Rogain had proven to be less effective and the powder for my hair is temporary, my only option is a hair transplant. Now it wasn't a serious surgery, they just took a strip of hair from the back of my head and transferred it to the front. Wish they would've added more in the back, but I can't complain. Maybe in the near future I can finish the rest, but until then, it is what it is. Now I had some anesthesia from the procedure to help numb the back of my head and I've been taking some vitamins and other remedies to help me heal. So there's a chance that I might feel a little woozy during my writing. So allow me to apologize in advance for what I wrote. Wish me luck on my recovery.

Now in my last chapter, still the same thing so far. I got three straight review and 136 hits. Still feels a little bland giving that I have a lot of reviews and hits on my own version of Season 3. But I'm still going to do this since one of the episodes has to do with John and Elsa returning and I have to get this taken care of before I reach the end. Hope I can do that in time. Going back to the story, the Agency is trying to figure out who would breach their security very easily and took sensitive information. Meanwhile, the Cons discovered something about the SWA and would use that knowledge to their advantage. All they needed is a test subject.

Chapter Notes

Dreadwing is going to make an appearance in this chapter, first as an introduction and then getting to the action in the next, if I can do that. Now I know that Dreadwing got killed off near the end of Season 2 and I find it quite shocking because he looked like the type that is looking for some redemption. I'm hoping that in the next few chapters, I could flesh him out a little more then what the series had done to the poor guy. Fingers crossed here.

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers Prime or Gunslinger Girls

Chapter Twenty-Five: Dreadwing

Back at the Social Welfare Agency, just hours after the breach in security, every agent has gathered around the board meeting, waiting for Lorenzo to come. After a few short minutes, Lorenzo walked in and sat behind a board with papers and pictures of the incident. The moment he sat down, he looked to the group and told them about what happened.

Lorenzo: "Good afternoon everyone. Thank you for coming at short notice. For those of you who don't know, we had a breach in our database systems."

There was a bit of murmurs all over the place as people were surprised by the unexpected news. Lorenzo though calmed them down as he continued.

Lorenzo: "Calm down everyone, let's not panic. Everything is back up and in working order, but this incident lead to some serious problems. During the hack, this person managed to freeze up all of our computers, preventing us from gaining any access what so ever. During that time, they secretly downloaded files that were kept under wraps without us knowing it until our technician managed to fix the screen freeze. We're already working on what this unknown assailant managed to gather but what we know is that it isn't good."

Marco listened to it and wondered about one thing…

Marco: "You think this has something to do with the Republican Faction, or someone hired by the RF to breach our system?"

The boss looked to him and shook his head.

Lorenzo: "That's what we all thought. But giving how professional this person is, it was impossible to think that the RF is the responsible party. Jean, explain."

Jean, who was sitting at the corner of Lorenzo's end, stood up and showed the board filled with papers. Approaching it, he explained further about the situation.

Jean: "The hack happened instantly and without warning. It started with all the screens freezing and going blank. During that time, there was a face of some kind showing on the screen. This is the face that appeared on the screen."

He pointed to the picture of the Decepticon insignia and continued with his explanation.

Jean: "We don't know much about this logo or where it came from. Our solid guess is that it could be some new faction we're dealing with. Our technicians were looking into that code that the hacker inputted and didn't know what to think. The algorithms this individual added is extremely complex and isn't from any language we know of. All we know so far is that this unknown language is somewhat alien in nature. These individuals then piggyback the system and passed through the multiple firewalls, accessing the sensitive files from our servers. Our own computer experts try to trace where the hack took place but it was impossible. Whoever broke into our databanks has cleaned their trail. From what we can understand is that source moves from one location to the next, making it difficult in pinpointing the exact spot of the hack."

Lorenzo then finishes what Jean was saying.

Lorenzo: "Long story short, whoever we're dealing with here know their stuff. Our guess is that it must be a third party of some kind. Yet given the information we gathered so far, we don't know much about these new assailants."

Just as he said that, Jose raised his hand and interrupted the boss.

Jose: "Actually, I think we got a clue as to who they are."

Everyone immediately turned to Jose and had a suspicious look to their faces.

Lorenzo: "Really? Do explain Jose."

Jose cleared his throat and started to talk about his two cents.

Jose: "I've talked to John about the situation and told him to come back to the Agency. He called me back and told me that he might know who was responsible for the breach."

Lorenzo: "Did he now… So what does he know about them."

Jose shook his head and explained it as much as he could.

Jose: "He doesn't say. All he told me is that whoever broke into our database is a complicated bunch. But he met up with people in his hometown that have a history with them. I'm certain they can help us with our situation."

Lorenzo: "And do you know who they are as well?"

Jose: "No, he said nothing."

Lorenzo rubbed the temples of his head and finds that to be a bit aggravating.

Lorenzo: "So John knows people that knows who these attackers are, but he won't tell us anything about it? Either he's not telling us what we need to know or it's a good enough excuse to stay at his hometown."

As he said that, another voice came in the distance.

Pietro: "My guess, it could be none of the above."

Lorenzo looked onward and notice two people he had never seen before. One is a man in his thirties with dark hair in a stylish parting and has a bit of a dirty look with a beard and mustache. The other is a young woman in her late twenties with short light colored hair holding a notebook of some kind, jutting down notes. The chief operating officer looks to the two and was suspicious about their unexpected presence.

Lorenzo: "Funny, I don't remember inviting the two of you here. Who are you?

The man stepped forward and decided to give it a little straight.

Pietro: "Forgive my manners. Never really thought that you didn't know about us. I am Pietro Fermi. This is my assistant, Elenora Gabrielli. We are with Sector 1 and sent by Draghi to investigate the incident that happened recently."

Lorenzo raised an eyebrow and knew this news have already spread throughout the agency.

Lorenzo: "So Sector 1 is aware of the situation."

Pietro nodded and explained how serious the situation is.

Pietro: "If there was a breach in Sector 2 how long will it take for Sector 1 to be compromised? Giving the gist of the problem, Draghi is worried that your sector isn't as secure as he thought."

Lorenzo lowered his brow and finds that to be suspicious in his point of view.

Lorenzo: "Are you implying that Sector 2 has grown weak with their security measures?"

Pietro: "When it comes to having your system attacked by a bunch of unknowns, the entire organization could get a little weary. Our boss thinks that the agency isn't living to its expectations and thinks that the Italian government should be informed of this unexpected dilemma."

Now Lorenzo felt a little worried as he told the agent that everything is under control.

Lorenzo: "Well you better tell Draghi to now worry too much. We've got this matter resolved."

The Sector 1 agent raised an eyebrow and was curious about that.

Pietro: "Do you now? Elenora, care to repeat what they said?"

Elenora, who was writing on her notes the whole time, looked to him and nodded in approval.

Elenora: "Of course. In the event of today's breach, Sector 2 believes that the people responsible are a third party group of unknown origin. Though they don't have to clue who they are or what they took from the database. But one of the agents, Jonathan Darby (who is currently out on vacation), states they he knows some people that have a grudge with these mysterious saboteurs and would assist in the matter. However, these individuals are also a mystery, as the agent would like to keep their identity a secret. So it would seem that the agency has no clue on the enemy or this group that John knows."

Pietro then decided to finish up what she was saying.

Pietro: "Long story short, Sector 2 doesn't know what they're up against."

The group remained silent, as they never thought they would figure out too quickly. But Lorenzo could see it and knew that they could sum it all up.

Lorenzo: "I'm surprised that you two managed to gather all you could. Though you might be right on one thing, none of us don't know this new enemy nor do we know who they work for or if they're a solo group. However, if John said was true, this team he found in Jasper could help out in our little predicament. I'm hoping what they will do save this agency."

Peitro: "I hope you're right on that one. Cause if what this new enemy took is important, then the Social Welfare Agency is in serious trouble."

Just as he said that, the technician that was in charge of the databanks went through the door and approached the chief operating officer of Sector 2 to give him the bad news.

Technician: "Sorry to interrupt sir, but we managed to pinpoint what the hacker took from our databanks."

Lorenzo looked to him and at least he managed to have one lead out of this case.

Lorenzo: "What did you find out?"

To that, the technician gave him the report in his hand and placed it on the desk. Lorenzo looked at the report and quickly skimmed it to see what the eggheads have found out. After a quick read though, he remained silent and had no emotion on his face. Pietro looked on and wondered what he was reading about and why the chief was so quiet.

Pietro: "Something the matter Lorenzo."

After sitting there for quite a while, he looked up to Sector 1's agent and responded with a straight face.

Lorenzo: "No, nothing is wrong. I'm just in deep thought. Just tell your boss that everything is being taken care of and he has nothing to worry about. Ferro, do you mind escorting these two out of the building and make sure they don't come back until the matter is at hand."

Ferro looked to him and nodded in agreement.

Ferro: "Understood sir."

She then turned to them and walked away, insisting them to follow her.

Ferro: "If you two can come with me."

The starred at her and wondered what this was all about. Letting it slide, they follow her out of the board meeting and headed to the exit. But before Pietro could leave, he turned and decided to say his farewell.

Pietro: "By the way, if you find anything about this new threat, would you let us know? As far as I'm concerned, we're all in this together now."

Lorenzo nodded and responded to his little favor.

Lorenzo: "But of course. We'll update you when we learn more about up we're up against."

With a simple smile, Pietro left the room as the two were being escorted out of the building very casually. The moment they left, Lorenzo slouched his chair back and rubbed the temples of his head in worry. The others looked on and wondered what their leader had discovered. That's when Hillshire broke and silence and asked him a simple question.

Hillshire: "Sir, is there something wrong?"

With his eyes closed, Lorenzo told the group what he had just discovered.

Lorenzo: "One of our technicians managed to file a report on what our mysterious hacker managed obtained in our databanks, and it is as we feared. Not only did this group took from us previous mission assignments of the past but also…"

He then opened his eyes and told everyone the cold hard truth.

Lorenzo: "Schematics of the cybernetics and the list of girls we've recruited into the agency…"

A harsh silence was spread throughout the room, as everyone was shocked to hear it from their own boss. Jose then continued with his conversation.

Jose: "What?! You mean to tell me that this new threat now holds in their possession our most sensitive of files?"

The person in charge got back to his seating position and admitted to them the truth.

Lorenzo: "I'm afraid so. The moment their breached our network, they went straight to the source and copied the files into their own databanks. Now they have all of the Agency's well kept secrets from the public."

Marco: "What do you think they are going to do with them?"

He turned to Lorenzo and thought of multiple worse case scenarios.

Lorenzo: "It's hard to tell. With that much information they can do whatever they want. They can sell our schematics to the black market at the highest bidder, leak those secrets out into the public eye through multiple networking devices, or with the list of the girls, they could hunt them down take them out in their little black list. The possibilities are endless to them."

The group remained silent and didn't know what to think of next. But Jean thought about Peitro and Elenora from Sector 1 and asked about them.

Jean: "Is that the reason why you forced the two agents at Sector 1 out of our building?"

He peered his eyes to one of the agents and told him why he did that.

Lorenzo: "Sector 1 is getting suspicious about what had transpired today and those two could be trouble. If Draghi finds out about what was actually taken from our archives, he will discuss this to the Italian government and would shut us down. We cannot let that slip to them. We have to pretend that nothing has happened."

Hillshire: "So what's the plan this time?"

Lorenzo give it some thought and decided break out the emergency plan.

Lorenzo: "Effective immediately, this place is under heavy lockdown until this matter is under control. No one leaves this facility until further notice. Make sure that anyone form Sector 1 doesn't go near this area. If they start asking questions involving the incident, tell them that it's still under investigation and we're doing everything we can to repair the damage caused by these individuals. Meanwhile, we must keep searching and pinpointing the location where the hack took place and stop this new threat from exposing our secret. I don't care how advance they are, we need to stop them before they could use our secrets to their advantage."

He then turned to Jose and talked about John's end of the business.

Lorenzo: "Jose, you better contact John and tell him what we have just discovered. It's best he and this group he found knows about it too. If these individuals know about who attacked us, they need to be informed of our recent findings."

Jose nodded as Lorenzo finishes.

Lorenzo: "Meeting dismissed. And God help us…"

As the meeting finished, the Nemesis flew across the planet, lowering the atmosphere slowly to start gathering more energon from its huge cargo. Inside the comm. room, Soundwave was looking through the SWA's most private files as Knockout and Breakdown look at it with intrigue. As they were watching, the automatic doors opened behind them and both Megatron and Airachnid entered the room, checking on the Intel's officer's progress.

Megatron: "Soundwave, I hope that you were able to discover the vast secrets that this Social Welfare Agency has been hiding from us."

As soon as he said it, the medic turned to the warlord and told him what the Cons eyes and ears found.

Knockout: "Funny you should ask my liege. After Soundwave gathered the information before the connection was severed, he looked into the files the Agency's been keeping from us. So far, what we found is that this little charity organization is somewhat of an anti-terrorist organization. There appears to be some form of documentation of missions involving a group of radicals called the Republican Faction."

Megatron listened to that and was completely intrigued.

Megatron: "So this agency is some form of military program. Interesting…."

Knockout: "Aw, but there's more to this then you think. Soundwave?"

The Con nodded and pushed a few key sequences to show the leader more information. Just then, another window opened up and it showed something the leader didn't expect. One the window is some kind of blueprint showcasing the inside and out of a small cyborg with a variety of parts specific for that it. There were also a few video screens of a girl testing out each part of the body. Of course, that was Claes since she's being used as a guinea pick trying out upgraded parts. Megatron looked to this picture and was a little skeptic.

Megatron: "Knockout, what is it I'm looking at?"

The medic looked back at the screen and let him know what he was seeing.

Knockout: "That, my lord, is what appears to be schismatic for what appears to be a cybernetic soldier. The details are a little sketchy, but it would seem that this little agency seems to have perfected creating these cyborgs. Take a look at what these cyborgs have. Synthetic muscles to enhance both strength, agility, and speed. A strengthened skeletal structure that's comprised of metallic alloy to prevent breakage after falling. Sophisticated body armor underneath the skin and blood to protect them from bullet fire to knife impalement. Optical modifications to make them see from incredibly farther distance. They sound like complete killing machines. They also took part in a bit of a brain washing technique they call 'Conditioning', wiping away all memories of their past to make them loyal a group of teachers called 'Handlers'. The one side effect is that the condition could also shorten the individual's life span; depending on how much brainwashing they would endure. But here's the real catcher. These cyborg soldiers are actually little girls in disguise."

There was a harsh silence within the room and Airachnid couldn't believe what she had faced at the weapons depot.

Airachnid: "You've got to be kidding me! You mean to tell me that the little runt I faced was actually some cybernetic super soldier?!"

Knockout: "Yep. Pretty much…"

Breakdown then chuckled and could imagine her getting beat by a little robot girl.

Breakdown: "You just got beat by a small robot girl you could easily squish. Your start as the replacement of Starscream has really gone off to a rough start."

The spider bot glared at the heavy Con and threatened him.

Airachnid: "Can it Cyclops, or you're going to loose more then just your eye."

Breakdown looked to her and was a little pissed off by that threat.

Breakdown: "Is that a threat I hear?"

He then switched his servo into a hammer and was ready to fight. The commander looked to him and smirked evilly.

Airachnid: "No, but I'll show you one…"

She then extended her many spider legs attached to her back and was about to duke it out with the Knockout's assistant. But just when things got ugly, the warlord decided to break it up before it gets too heated.

Megatron: "Enough! I will have this insubordination destroying this armada!"

The two looked to their leader and decided to calm down, knowing that this wasn't the time to fight. Megatron then looked at the screen and was curious about these cybernetic girls.

Megatron: "Regardless of Airachnid's encounter with one of these girls, it would seem that these humans are as well resourceful then we thought. And if that's the case, I fear that the Autobots would begin to make an alliance with this agency. Something must be done about this."

Knockout looked to the screens and could tell that with this agency and its advance technologies, it could spell trouble for the Cons. But then looking at the schematics, an idea came into his processor and he told his leader about it.

Knockout: "My liege, perhaps we can use this to our advantage."

Megs look to him and was curious as to what he was saying.

Megatron: "Whatever do you mean Knockout?"

Knockout: "Hear me out for a second Lord Megatron. The indigenous life on this rock managed to create cybernetic humanoids out of young girls and trained them to become potential killers. Now what we have their schismatic, we can create our own army of humanoids. Decepticons disguised as humans if you will. If we can get a better look at one of them, see how the humans managed to do something like that, we can create and army of them and use that to change the tides of the war. Think about the possibilities. Human Decepticon spies that can gather Intel for us, or assassins that can strike without warning. Think what they can do against the Autobots since their main goal on his planet is to not harm any humans."

Megatron rubbed his chin and finds that to be quite interesting.

Megatron: "Hmm… An army of humanoid Decepticons at my control, ready to follow my orders. That is… Promising…"

The medic though cleared his throat to tell him the bad news.

Knockout: "Yes, well we can't create that army without one key factor. Schematics alone won't help us in making them, so we need a live girl to get to understand what makes them tick. Fortunately, Soundwave was able to help locate one of the girls."

He turned to Soundwave and gestured to show the leader what he found. Nodding back, the Intel Officer typed in a few key sequences and opened up a new window, this one showing what appears to be a profile list showing the girls in the agency. The red medic then turned back and explained what the Con was showing.

Knockout: "As you can see, there's a list of these girls on the SWA's database. Their profiles, pictures, names of handlers, everything we need to know is right here. Sadly some of the profiles have to be black out, probably because the girl's previous life needs to be in the dark. But their pictures are, as clear as day, so we will get to know what they look like and when we will capture them. Now all there is left is the choosing."

The group watched on as Soundwave skimmed through the list of possible patients for Knockout. There were a lot of great candidates from Henrietta, Rico, Triella, Angelica, and plenty more. There was one girl in particular in Claes that had a stamp over the face that says she's 'Inactive for Duty'. So they leave that aside and continued with the search. But during the search, Airachnid noticed one girl in particular and told Soundwave to get back to that picture.

Airachnid: "Wait! Go back."

The Intel officer looked to her a little confused and decided to follow her words. The list stopped at one of the girls as Airachnid pointed to it.

Airachnid: "There. That's her… That's the one that attacked me back at the warehouse. I would never forget a face like that."

Knockout turned to the file Airachnid was looking at and read the name out loud.

Knockout: "Elsa de Sica. Age: nine. Handler: Jonathan Darby. Says here she's a loner that likes to work alone with the exception of her handler. She also has a mean streak in her. Sort of like Arcee if she was human."

Megatron looked at the girl and could tell that it was the girl they're looking for.

Megatron: "This girl will make an excellent test subject for my army of Humanoid Cons."

There was a bit of silence within the room as Knockout explained about that.

Knockout: "Um… Yes, she might do, but she's with the Autobots. It would be impossible for us to retrieve her since she's under their protection."

The warlord turned to him and explains his plan to him.

Megatron: "That might be true Knockout, but then there's the chance that she might be separate from the others, regardless of who is with her. We get her out in the opening, without any Autobot nearby, then we shall nab her. And if there are any with her, well, we can always do it the hard way."

Airachnid over heard all of that and since she had experience with the girl, it would be her to retrieve the prize to the leader. Approaching his front, she began to share her proposal.

Airachnid: "Lord Megatron, if I may, I would like to be in charge on capturing this girl and bringing her to you. I faced her before and understood what she's capable of. Besides, I want to pay her back for what she had done to me."

The leader looks to her in a deep glare and didn't like her plan.

Megatron: "And fail me again? Sorry Airachnid, but even if you have experience, your payback would get in the way of my goals. I'm thinking right down the line of one that will succeed without hesitation, one who is 100% loyal to my cause."

The spider bot listened to him and was a little confused on what he meant by that. But after a few short seconds, her optics grew wide and realized what he was talking about.

Airachnid: "Surely you're not talking about him, are you? I know he has experience in the battlefield, but let's face it he's new to this planet and has just started on the Nemesis. I don't know if he's ready to take on a simple task like that."

Megatron: "Indeed you right Airachnid. But he has proven to me many times during the war that he will get the job done. After all, he needed a mission in a long time."

In a dark secluded room within the Con's flagship, a lone figure was doing his annual weapon check, preparing himself for battle. The light was shown over the table filled with a variety of weapons and explosives as he went through them one by one to see if they were operational. The light was partly showing this Con as he had a look of determination. It was a big and burly Con with a blue and yellow paintjob, a yellow and red glow in some places, yellow protoform skin on his face, a horned helm, and huge downward wings on his back. This Cone was none other then Dreadwing, the Decepticon's demolition expert and twin brother of the late Skyquake. He arrived on Earth when he was pursued by Wheeljack and wanted to find the Autobot responsible for his twin brother's termination. There was a bit of a scuffle and complication when he had to disarm a charge on Bulkhead's chest or get blown up with the Autobots. After that minor mishap, he decided to follow his leader's orders and not go off on his own for another revenge plot. But he had been cooped up in the ship for a while; it was driving his patience thin. Thankfully, his weapon prep is the only thing that would keep him sane. However, if he didn't get any action soon, he might use the drones as living target practice. Just as he was thinking about it, the screen behind him flickered to life, first showing the Decepticon insignia and then the face of Megatron.

Megatron: "Dreadwing, I have an important assignment for you."

Dreadwing heard his master's voice and turned around to obey him.

Dreadwing: "I am at you beck and calling my lord. What is it do you want me to do?"

Megatron: "My medic is working on a special project that would involve humanoid cyborgs, but he's in need of a patient to work on. I want you to search of a young human girl that was augmented into a cybernetic soldier."

Immediately, a window popped up to show Elsa's record on the Social Welfare Agency's list while Megatron continued.

Megatron: "This is the girl I want you to find. We have reason to believe that she's with the Autobots. Be for warned, this girl isn't as what she seems. She possess some strong qualities and with the help of one of the Autobots, taken down my commander quite easily."

The demolition expert looked at the picture and study it thoroughly. After looking into it, he turned to his leader and asked about his orders.

Dreadwing: "What is it you want me to do my liege?"

Megatron: "Search for the girl and bring her to me alive. Start in the area where Airachnid encounter her last time and fan out from there. I need her here so that Knockout would begin with his experimentations."

Dreadwing: "And if there are any Autobots that get in the way, what shall I do with them?"

There was a bit of silence until the Decepticon leader said that one thing that drives the Cons to victory.

Megatron: "Destroy them, with extreme prejudice…."

End of another short, yet sweet, chapter. Gotta say, it was quite a good one. I had other ideas regarding this chapter, but I decided to leave it here as it would break the flow of the chapter and won't make any form of sense. But will see what I can do on the next chapter, which will involve John visiting the grave of his brother and the military complex where Bryce is while Jack and Elsa go out for a drive with Arcee by their side. What none of them didn't know was that trouble was a brewing and a certain Con was searching. Please Review.