[2060]

Wow. Look at this incredibly long chapter! 0.0 Did I write this?

Yes. Yes I did.

(I have nothing against Megatron... and does anyone know what kind of car Dead Ends has for an alt-mode? All I know is it's a red sports car...)

name: comm talk

[name]:bond talk


He looked up! Who the frag looks up?

I start moving through the vents towards the entrance as fast as I can, Rumble right behind me and quietly swearing in languages I don't recognize. (I'm assuming it's swearing, because, you know, it's Rumble... it's not like he'd learn actual words that could be useful in really obscure languages.)

[Frenzy]: Sorry Beaky, we're gonna have to leave ahead of schedule and with a lot more noise than planned. Is it possible you could help us a bit more?:

I abruptly dive left, Rumble's swearing getting louder as he has to scramble to follow me. I honestly don't know where I'm going, hoping that my lack of direction will confuse the Autobots more than it's confusing me.

[Laserbeak]: Wheeljack's lab isn't far from your current position. I'm sure there's something in there you could use.:

I skid around another corner, shouting as I find myself sliding downwards. And echoing shout tells me Rumble has unwillingly followed me, and I can feel Laserbeak's irritation over the bond.

[Laserbeak]: Wheeljack's lab wasn't very far from your location. You just hit the energon chute. You're going to be falling for a while now, since you're dropping about three levels via a very twisty and, really quite stupidly designed chute.:

I swear as I hit the wall, sparks flying as I'm scraped against it at high speeds.

[Frenzy]: How is it possible the chute is this long when it's only dropping three levels?!:

I suddenly slow down as I hit an upward slope.

[Frenzy]: Nevermind...:

I'm about to sigh in relief as I come to a stop on a blessedly flat portion, but then something, most likely Rumble if the incoherent snarling is anything to go by, hits me from behind and we go plunging down again in a tangle of limbs.

[Laserbeak]: Yeah. Shame you can't fly. Good news is it looks like you've lost the Autobots. Bad news is the entrance is now locked down. Oh, by the way, I suggest you brace yourself.:

I don't have time to wonder about Laserbeak's warning as Rumble and I burst through a rectangular opening and slide across a dusty surface, only coming to a halt when we slam into the opposing wall.

My legs are up against the wall, pedes towards the ceiling, and Rumble is somehow underneath me face first on the ground.

[Rumble]: Thank for the advance warning, Beaky. Frenzy. If you don't get your aft off my back I'm gonna-:

[Frenzy]: You're gonna what? Spank it?:

Rumble snarls and surges off the ground, throwing me violently from his back and across the small room. I hit the wall with a thud and slide to the floor. Quickly getting up I brace for a follow up from Rumble, but he's staring past me in shock. I turn around slowly, ready for anything that might signal a trick on Rumble's part, but he doesn't move.

I finally turn all the way around to see what exactly has captured my twin's attention, and come face plate to faceplate with a massive pile of energon.

"Primus," I can't even see the top of the pile from where I'm standing it's so big. The dull glow from the cubes plays across my frame, and I turn to look at Rumble. "We have to tell Boss about this."

[Frenzy]: Hey beaky, you're never gonna guess what I found!:

First though, I get to brag to Laserbeak. I mean, come on! She's been stuck in the Ark for how long and she never found this place?

[Laserbeak]: A massive stockpile of energon?:

...Or maybe she did? But, why wouldn't she tell anyone?

Rumble and I exchange a glance full of mutual curiosity and suspicion.

[Rumble]: Yeah, Beaky, that's right. Why do you know of this and we don't?:

I walk along the pile of Energon, trying to see if there are any gaps in what must be a pile of hundreds of cubes brimming with energon.

[Laserbeak]: Because it's getting sent back to Cybertron. I reported to Soundwave, who reported to Shockwave. We are prepared to seize the cubes when the Autobots try to transport them, and distribute them as needed throughout the ranks.:

I pause, standing in front of a pile of Energon that could keep the Decepticons running for a long time (depending on how big the room is), and I have to wonder about that reasoning.

[Frenzy]: But, why not tell Megatron?:

An angry snort echoes across the bond.

[Laserbeak]: Maybe because he's insane?:

That brings me up short. Apparently Rumble's having a hard time comprehending it too.

[Rumble]: What?:

I hear Laserbeak mutter something about... not hiding the truth from us? What?

[Laserbeak]: Megatron is insane and power hungry. If he truly had Cybertron and its inhabitants in his best interests, we would have never attacked the Autobots upon leaving Cybertron. We still would have left, mind you, there was hardly anything left there for us, but we certainly wouldn't have attacked the Autobots. Following them would have been a much smarter course of action, Pit, we didn't even have to follow them! We could have gone a completely different direction to look for energy! And even now, Megatron is still Pit bent on destroying the Autobots when we could be co-operating! As it is, Prime is nearly desperate enough to negotiate a cease-fire or some kind of long-lasting truce that we could ask for Cybertron itself and he'd give it to us! And Megatron still won't stop this damn war! Starscream has the right idea, Megatron needs to be disposed of. All the officers have a plan, we're just waiting for this energon to be shipped out before we can move.:

I turn around slowly to look at Rumble. He's sitting on the floor with his helm in his hands, and I follow suit. How could Laserbeak and Soundwave have kept this from us? Something that is so important it will determine the future of our entire species?

[Rumble]: Why weren't we told.:

Laserbeak hesitates, and I can feel her uncertainty.

[Laserbeak]: You two are, unfortunately, most likely to be targets if Megatron chooses to act against Soundwave.:

What? Oh... oh.

[Rumble]: You serious?:

[Laserbeak]: Yeah. I don't think he likes your attitude.:

Rumble snorts.

[Rumble]: You mean our swag?:

Leave it to Rumble to make light of this so quickly. Might as well follow suit.

[Frenzy]: I don't know, bro. I usually think of it more as spunk.:

Rumble looks up at me incredulously.

[Rumble]: Spunk? Who are you? Someone's creator trying to sound cool?:

I glare at him.

[Frenzy]: Pfft. Spunk is way better than swag!:

An exasperated but relieved sigh filters through the bond.

[Laserbeak]: So... you two aren't mad?:

I pause to think about that, and answer as honestly as I can.

[Frenzy]: Well, you said you were doing to keep us safe, right? So, really, getting mad at you would be stupid since you were just looking out for us. Honestly, I've thought Megs was crazy for a while now. You should hear some of the things Rumble and I have called him...:

Rumble stands up slowly and walks back over to the chute entrance we slid out of.

[Rumble]: You really don't want to know, regardless of what Frenzy says. Now, I hate to break up the whole serious-revelation-and-subsequent-touchingly-honest-moment-where-everyone-realizes-they-really-do-love-each-other thing-:

[Laserbeak]: You've been watching too many movies lately, Rumble.:

[Rumble]:- but we still need to get out of the Ark.:

[Frenzy]: Yeah, we finished the original mission before we were spotted. We still need to report that part back to Megatron.:

Laserbeak withdraws a bit, and I can tell she's checking possible escape routes.

[Laserbeak]: Okay, you should be able to get to 'Jack's lab fairly easily now. I'll send you a map with the route highlighted.:

[Frenzy]: Thanks, Beaky.:

[Laserbeak]: No problem brothers.:

[Rumble]: We have to go up that chute now, don't we?:

[Laserbeak]: Yup.:

[Frenzy]: Frag it!:

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I glance over my shoulder quickly, my momentum never slowing, in time to see Rumble round the corner after me. He almost loses his balance, sliding into the wall and stumbling, but he somehow managed to keep his pedes underneath him and follow me.

The entrance of the Ark is in sight, the painfully orange walls giving way to brilliant sunshine and soothing blue skies.

A slightly dusty red car sits idling just outside the entrance, and for a moment I fear it's an Autobot. Then I get a comm. request.

Dead End: Why are you running? You are simply prolonging the inevitable.

I snarl, pushing myself to run faster. I can hear the wordless shouts of rage echoing from where the Autobots are stumbling around, blinded by the funny looking sphere I managed to snatch from Wheeljack's lab before Rumble and I were spotted. We don't know how long the effects last, or if any Autobots weren't effected.

Hence the running.

Rumble, ever the hacker, buts in on my comm. line.

Rumble: Well, we were just trying out this "exercise" thing the humans do. You know, for fun. You have heard of fun, right?

I burst out of the Ark and slide to a stop next to Dead End. He obligingly opens a door, and I climb in gratefully, ignoring his depressed sigh.

Dead End: Of course I have heard of fun. I simply don't see the point in it. Why bother exerting so much energy when you are someday going to either offline or die?

Frenzy slides to a halt next to Dead End's open door, quickly jumping in after me and sinking into the comfortable seats of Dead End's interior.

Frenzy: Well, we'd rather not offline any time soon because we just got a whole lot of information from the Autobots that needs to be delivered to the officers back at HQ.

Dead End guns his engine, expertly speeding away from the Ark.

Dead End: Really now? How do they not notice you guys? And isn't Laserbeak still in there? Why did you have to do this when she's still in there?

Rumble and I exchange a glance. Dead End is taking an interest in something? Did something happen while we were in the Ark? This could be bad.

Rumble: You're pretty inquisitive for a mech that doesn't care much for anything.

Dead End easily pulls onto a large human highway and starts speeding towards the extraction point where Astrotrain is going to meet us.

Dead End: I'm just wondering how, if the Autobots still don't recognize your alt-modes, we haven't won this war already. I mean, can't you just go in and offline them all while they recharge? Or sedate them so we can offline them?

I look thoughtfully at the Decepticon symbol imprinted on the center of Dead End's steering wheel. Maybe he's the smart Stunticon?

Frenzy: Well, I think it's because Megatron's got a thing for Prime and wants to offline him himself in glorious combat, or some kind of weird slag like that.

Rumble shoots me a look.

[Rumble]: You know that's not the real reason.:

I avoid looking at him. No need to have Dead End suspicious of the Decepticon Command Staff. Not now.

[Frenzy]: Mute it.:

We spend the rest of the trip in silence. I wonder what Dead End's thinking. If he's half as smart as he just let on, then I don't doubt he can see the numerous flaws in my explanation. Luckily we make good time, and quickly pull up to the extraction point.

It's empty.

No Astrotrain within sight or scanner range.

Frag, is it too much to ask that we have at least one mission where something goes right?


Bah. That ending .

Anyways... I finally wrote a chapter that is over 2 000 words! There is, unfortunately, lots more serious stuff than I would like... and I really don't think a sequel will be happening (please don't ask, writing a successful mission was already hard enough, but a complicated one? pfft...)

I was asked if I would write a mission for the gang that would be, you know, successful. The answer is yes. Here it is. Watch me go die from overusing my brain now.

So... Thoughts?