"Lord Galvatron, we have another mech contaminated. MRK-45. He's reacting differently though. He seems to be taking it more like some sort fuel tank bug." Knockout commed the bridge.
"Are you sure it's the same one?" Swindle asked skeptically.
"Yeah. It's the same contagion. I found out its not highly contagious though. It's only spread by oral lubricant so far. That's the only link. Make sure no one shares energon cubes."
"Will do, doc." Swindle closed the comm.
Galvatron made no response, he paced the Command Deck, a vicious snarl on his faceplates, muttering incoherently.
"Swindle, how many mechs were assigned to the clean-up crew in the Tarn lab?" Onslaught asked. Since Lord Galvatron wasn't taking any initiative with the contagion, Onslaught would do what he had to to keep his gesalt and other Decepticons alive and uninfected.
Pulling up the files, Swindle answered. "Twenty-five, only LRY-22 and MRK-45 have come back with it."
"No Swin, only LRY-22 and MRK-45 have come back."
Swindle slowly turned his helm towards Onslaught. "Ons, you think the others are dead?"
"Could be and by the contagion, or these two we don't know. And I'm Pit sure damned not sending anymore mechs into that place. Send out a comm to Airachnid, we need her back here, if for no other reason than to keep Lord Galvatron settled. Use the emergency channel, she can't block that."
"Done and done."
"Sir, is there anything I can do?" a Vehicon asked.
Onslaught looked at the unknown Vehicon. "Not unless you know where Shockwave is."
"I do not, Sir. But I can go planetside and search. He had been on board when Megatron made his last stand against the Autobots." Copycat said easily.
"Go then, see if you can find any trace."
The Vehicon nodded and left the Command Deck.
Blocking his comm ID, Copycat pinged the Nemesis.
::Onslaught wants you to return, Lord Galvatron has need of you.:: Swindle said, unsure if Airachnid was even listening.
A second ping was his only reply.
~~That is one creepy aft bitch~~ he said to Onslaught over the gesalt bond.
~~That is the understatement of the millennia.~~
Copycat stepped through the groundbridge. Back on Earth he opened a comm to the Autobots.
::Yes, Copycat, this is Ratchet.::
::Doc, I want to talk to Prime.::
::Optimus is not available, what news do you have?::
Copycat shook his helm. Optimus was never around when Copycat needed him. Fragger.
::Where's the stick up the aft Praxian?::
::Prowl is unavailable as well.::
::Look, just ask ole Shockers what he was brewing in Tarn. Two mechs are infected. One is drooling and stalking something only he sees, the other is purging his tanks all over the place. Contagion is passed by oral lubricants. An entire section of the Nemesis is quarantined. I'm heading back to the Nemesis as Airachnid, Galvie is cracking at the seams. He might be crazier than Megatron, and running the Decepticons, but he is no leader. He is losing it.::
::Understood-and Copycat, be careful.::
The shapeshifter was momentarily surprised by the medic's concerned warning. Shaking his helm, he shifted back to Airachnid and returned to the Nemesis.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o 0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Turning from the main console Ratchet fixed Shockwave with a burning glare. Psi-boss stepping away from the mech she called carrier. Copycat's message having rung loud and clear through the main hall in the Autobot base. For a mech with no face, Shockwave looked decidedly uncomfortable.
Magnus watched cautiously, taking Thundercrash from Starscream as the Seeker hissed angrily at Shockwave.
"Why don't we take the bitlets back to our room, Star. Things are about get ugly here."
Giving a jerky nod, the Seeker hurried away with his mate and sparklings. Shockwave turned to Psi-boss but she backed away until she bumped into Steve.
"Shockwave, what have you done?" She asked, her voice quiet but hard.
Shockwave. She had never called him anything but carrier.
"What is Primus' core were you concocting in Tarn." Ratchet demanded.
Looking back into the confused optics of his creation, Shockwave answered. "Lord Megatron demanded the ultimate mechalogical weapon, I was creating a cybonic plague cosmic rust hybrid."
"You created what?" Ratchet gasped.
"What's cybonic plague and cosmic rust?" Psi-boss asked, the two speaking at the same time.
"It was not successful. The two contagions proved incompatible to be fused together. An anomaly contagion occurred instead." Shockwave chose to answer Ratchet. He would explain everything to Psi-boss later.
"What kind of anomaly?" Wheeljack asked, running a comforting servo down Ratchet's backplates. Trying desperately to calm the medic as his ventilations increased.
"An incurable contagion that starts of as little more than distressed tanks and descends its victim into madness, while his spark continually feeds upon itself resulting in the subject offlining."
The emotionless way Shockwave spoke unnerved everybot.
"What a minute." It took Psi-boss a moment to fully comprehend the magnitude of her creator's words.
"You know this exactly why?" She asked, already knowing the answer.
"Test subjects."
"How many, and what is cybonic plague and cosmic rust?" her vocals were becoming higher and more agitated.
"I will explain everything to you later, my creation."
"Don't you call me that!" she shrieked, "and you will tell me now."
Psi-boss pushed her way into Shockwave's processor, smashing through every mental block he had. His history as Megatron's chief science officer played out before her. The cybonic plague he created, the millions dead as a result. The horrific experiments conducted on helpless victims. The death and carnage wrought by each of Shockwave's new mechalogical weapon.
Her psychic attack was so brutal it dropped Shockwave into stasis. Only Steve tugging her backwards and shaking her pulled her out of his processor and back to herself.
"He is every bit as vile as Starscream said. I should kill him as I killed Soundwave," she gasped.
No one knew what to say to the young femme. They had all lived with the horrors of their war for longer than they wanted to remember. For Psi-boss the war was new and learning the truth of her creator's role in it overwhelming.
"Come on, let's go talk to Predaking," Steve said, holding his servo out.
"Why? He and I were only created to be their latest weapons. We weren't wanted for any other reason than to kill. The two of them. Filthy, vile-" without even knowing it, Psi-boss began muttering and ranting in Seeker cant as Starscream did when he was angry.
"Then we'll go talk to Starscream. You respect him and his opinion."
Nodding Psi-boss followed Steve out of the main room.
"Jackie, did you catch what she said before she broke off into Seeker cant?" Ratchet asked, running a scan over the still unconscious Shockwave.
"Which part?"
"The part where she said 'their' and 'the two of them' "
"Boss bot is in for an ugly reception when he returns," Wheeljack said, looking from the now empty corridor to Shockwave.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o o0o0o0o0o00o
"We're here exactly why?" Prowl asked, surveying the decrepit abandoned island.
"Wow, what a pit. Are you sure the 'Cons didn't already trash this place?" Sideswipe asked, as he and Sunstreaker trailed behind. Sunstreaker remaining silent, a foul sneer on his faceplates.
"This place is wrecked beyond measure. Where are we?" Arcee asked.
"Hashima Island, Japan. For decades it was used for coal mining. Once gas and oil became the preferred fuel source, the island was abandoned. The humans will let us have it as a temporary base to lure the Decepticons in."
"And there will be no human wandering humans to deal with?"
"No, there are rumors the island is haunted."
"Seriously?" came the snide comment from Sunstreaker.
::If it keeps the humans away, they don't get hurt.:: Bee beeped.
"Arcee, Bumblebee, full recon with scans and schematics, Sunstreaker, Sideswipe search out resources the humans left behind," Prowl ordered, his tact-net already running probabilities and preliminary plans.
"Done." Arcee and Bumblebee nodded, and headed off.
"On it." The twins departed toward the old coal processing plant.
"Give me a decacycle and I will have a plan in place, plus multiple contingencies."
"I have no doubt you will."
Prowl's field was tight and his doorwings high.
"You may say whatever it is you're thinking," Prime said quietly.
"I can end this if you'll let me. We are too few as a whole to let this continue." Prowl's optics were cold.
"I know how much you dislike me, Prowl, as I know how many times you could have ended this war if I had only agreed to your plans. I will forever carry the burden of the decisions I've made and I regret more than you will ever know."
"At least you still can. The dead do not have the luxury of regret. I gave you the end of the this war after the razing of Praxus and do you remember what you said to me?" Prowl didn't give Prime a chance to answer as he continued; his voice disturbingly calm. "'Prowl, this is nothing more than revenge. I cannot condone the loss of so many lives.' Yes, had you listened to me half of Cybertron's population could have died, meaning half could have survived. Now to the best of any of our knowledge we are all that is left. A handful of broken mechs, and one equally broken femme." Prowl started to walk away, stopped and turned back toward Prime. "And no, you will never know how much I hate you."
Prime made no response as his Second walked in the direction the twins had gone. A ping on his comm unit stopped him from lamenting his Second's words.
::Yes::
::Prime we have a serious situation developing here I want you to be aware of:: Ratchet said.
::Go on.:: Foreboding filled Optimus.
::We received a comm from Copycat. There could be the beginning of a plague among the Decepticons. Its origins is one of Shockwave's experiments. Psi-boss was present and forced her way into Shockwave's processor. To say she is displeased with both of you would be an understatement. She knocked Shockwave into stasis.::
Prime rubbed his optics. "I will talk to Psi-boss when I return."
"Understood."
Optimus cut the comm and brushed his consciousness along the Matrix. How would he explain himself to his creation? He mulled over this receiving reassuring pulses from the Matrix until his team returned.
"I have all the information I need," Prowl said.
Optimus didn't answer, he just commed Ratchet for a groundbridge. The scouting team returned in heavy silence.
O0o0o0o0o0o0o0o o0o0o0o0o0o0o0