And here we go, my next Beast Wars chapter. An original one too. I'll admit, I wasn't planning to write an original content chapter here but I sort of wrote myself into a bit of a corner on the last chapter, so here you go instead! Hopefully you'll all enjoy what I've got.
Lycanok: And what do you have here exactly?
Leaf Ranger: You and everyone else will have to wait and see.
Vixtrion: Oh c'mon, can't you tell us?
LR: Not without spoiling, no. Just sit back and enjoy.
Nightwing: It is reasonable to assume it involves me, considering what you said here already.
LR: So, not going to spoil.
Ripfang: TELL US! *Draws out his axe*
LR: Oh c'mon, you can't attack me. Then the chapter won't be written.
RagingStar19: He's got you there.
Ripfang: But I can attack your precious Ranger Lair! *laughs maniacally as he rushes to swing at a wall*
Specter: That looks like fun! *rushes off to join him*
LR:...okay then. While that's going on, I have a single anonymous review to address. To guest reviewer Machala, thank you for your review! Glad you're enjoying the fanfic, and my use of Sauria and keeping Airazor in it! And I hope you continue to enjoy the fnafic! Now, with that out of the way-*Is interrupted by the sound of a wall caving in*
Ripfang: TAKE THAT STUPID WALL!
LR: …why me? *huddles in corner again*
Disclaimer: I do not own Beast Wars. It is the property of Hasbro and Mainframe Entertainment. This is a non-profit work of fan made fiction. Please support the official release.
Chapter 33
The Rescue
On the bridge of the Axalon, Rhinox was frowning as he studied a screen in front of him before turning to the command table to bring up a different image. He quickly began running an analysis program as Optimus came to join him. "What have you got old friend?" He asked.
"I've been running a series of sensor scans utilizing the data we got from Tarantulas, back when that alien ship arrived here," Rhinox said. "It's been helping me pinpoint a few of the alien sites left over."
Optimus frowned as he immediately focused his optics on the screen. "Anything we should be worried about?"
The large engineer shook his helm. "Not so far, thankfully. While I have discovered a few sites on the scanners, they seem to have been powered down or self-destructed. I think the aliens are trying to prevent another incident like with the island…or the ship."
"However…I have found one potential problem," Rhinox added, indicating the hologram. "There's an anomalous energy source located here at these coordinates. It's not Predacon or Cybertronian, but it's not natural either. It does somewhat resemble the alien energy signatures, but it's distorted. I can't be certain what it is exactly."
Optimus frowned as he studied the energy signature and its location. "It's not too far from where that plant ship landed. Do you think it's perhaps connected to that ship?"
"I certainly hope not. Unfortunately the scanners can't get a clearer reading from this distance. We'll need to send someone in to take a look…a very careful look," Rhinox stated.
"I agree," Optimus said, checking who was out on patrol. "…Lycanok and Airazor are the closest, and they can get their quickly. But…I'm hesitant to send Airazor in given what happened to her," he said quietly. "I could call her in; send Cheetor or Rattrap out there to replace her."
Rhinox shook his head. "Rattrap's busy working on the new scanners to prevent something like that cloaking Predacon from sneaking in again. And Cheetor's on patrol in Quadrant Xacton. Even with his speed it'll take him at least four decacycles to get up there to them."
Optimus studied the map before letting out a resigned vent. "You're right…hopefully Airazor can handle this then," he said, moving to the communication's console.
Darksyde
Onboard the Predacon ship, Megatron watched as Terrok approached him. "Have you finished Nightwing's scans?" He demanded. The Fuzor looked up from the data pad before nodding.
"Yes Lord Megatron. It took me a while but I was finally able to pinpoint the problem. The Predacon Shell Program installed in Nightwing has been degrading for some time now," Terrok stated.
Megatron leaned forward, frowning. "But what caused it? And why did the Restoration Vat fix the problemwhen she used it?" He demanded.
"Apparently it was caused by exposure to the same transwarp energy that affected us," Terrork said as he indicated Megatron and himself. "According to her memory files she came into direct contact with your frame as it was being altered, but the energy wasn't able to mutate her frame like it did ours. However a portion of it affected her programming, causing the Predacon Shell Programming to begin degrading. As for why the Restoration Vat didn't fix it, I theorize that the problem was masked by the transwarp radiation that caused the problem in the first place. The scanners in the Restoration Vat, as well as her own internal sensors, would not be able to detect it."
He looked back to the pad. "As it stands, the situation must be dealt with soon. The degradation is reaching a point where her Predacon programming will not be recoverable and will eventually be overwhelmed by her Maximal programming. Though if it's any consolation, her own Maximal programming would then be infected as well and she'd soon suffer a total core consciousness failure," he added.
"And how do we fix this problem?" Megatron demanded.
"There are two possible solutions. The first would be to sever her Predacon Shell Program and install a new one. However, I would assume that Tarantulas left safeguards behind to protect it. Without him we would not be able to proceed. The second solution would be to simply wipe her core consciousness entirely, rendering any safeguards Tarantulas left behind as harmless. We remove the shell program at that point, install a new one, and download a back up of her core consciousness, or start with a brand new one," Terrok stated.
Megatron did not answer immediately, instead sitting there and quietly contemplating what he had been told. "…we shall go with the latter option but…not yet. There is potential here. Yyeeeessss…potential here to seriously hurt the Maximals, if not end the Beast Wars. Bring the others, but leave Nightwing in her quarters. She must not know of what is going to happen, lest her Maximal side take over and ruin this plan," he ordered.
Terrok nodded and left, leaving Megatron to further formulate his plan, completely unaware of a small drone continuing to listen to his every word; a small arachnid drone sending the information to its master.
In his lair Tarantulas grimaced as he gingerly tested his limbs. In the aftermath of his encounter with Rampage, the failsafe he had constructed after going solo had kicked in, summoning a swarm of recovery arachnoids that gathered his components together and made the basic repairs necessary to get him functioning again. Once that was done he had been able to return to his lair to finish repairs and recuperation.
Even now though, he could still vividly remember the feeling of his own limbs being torn from his body. He resolved not to get in the way of the now named Rampage, at least without some guarantee of putting him down.
As he heard the other Predacons begin to assemble in the control room, he began to listen intently. And as he heard Megatron's plan, he could only grin. It seemed an opportunity was presenting itself to get back at Megatron and his Predacons. He carefully recorded everything being uttered, intending to send this information off to those who would put it to good use.
Sector Zyphon
Airazor hovered in the air, riding a thermal as she scoured the ground below. She was high above the valley that had been the site of the alien ship's arrival, the place where Tigertron had been taken and she had been transformed. The valley floor now was teeming with young plant life. Young trees dotted the floor in droves, while she could hear the noises of various animals that had moved in and caught brief glimpses of them as they moved through the trees.
Yet she could feel no joy at the sight of this new life. All she could feel was anger, sadness, and fear. She turned her gaze away from the growing forest on the valley floor and instead focused off in the direction of the anomaly that Rhinox had detected. It was further along the valley, past where the rock walls narrowed. She headed in that direction, coasting on the air as she began a visual scan of the area.
Once over the area, her optics were able to pick up the anomalous energy. The growth below, however, blocked any visual of whatever was causing it. She wheeled around a few times as she examined the area from different angles, but her view was blocked from every direction by a large clump of trees. Whatever it was mostly likely was hidden within those trees.
She turned and began to power her way back in the direction of the cliff top where Lycanok waited. She dropped into a shallow dive, eventually flaring and flapping her wings to slow her descent and allow her to land. "I found the location, but I couldn't see anything. There was a large clump of trees blocking any aerial views," she reported.
Lycanok, in bot form, turned to look in the direction Airazor had come from. "Meaning we'll have to get closer if we want to get a view. Which I definitely don't think is a good idea," he said quietly, turning to look at her. "Did you notice anything abnormal around that area? Anything that might be alien in origin?"
Airazor, transforming into robot form as well, shook her helm. "No, nothing out of the ordinary. Then again the last time we were here…we were attacked by vines. So for all we know…," she said, trailing off as the memories and emotions hit her.
Lycanok nodded in understanding, to prevent her from continuing. "So there could be nothing beyond whatever this anomalous energy is, or we could be walking right into another trap," he stated, looking down at the valley. "…I want to move to the cliff top above the anomaly. See if we can't get a better scan from there at least. Then we'll contact base," he said.
"Are you sure that's a good idea? If we get too close, we might trigger whatever it is," she said.
"We'll go in beast form. With any luck, both that and our transmetal energy signatures will confuse or keep us hidden from their scanners. It seemed to work with the alien ship. And if not…well at least we'll be able to get out of there faster," Lycanok reasoned.
Airazor still appeared hesitant, but eventually nodded and transformed back into her falcon form, taking off with Lycanok following behind in wolf form.
Within a few cycles they were at the cliff top, with Lycanok peering down towards the clump of trees surrounding the anomalous source. He frowned as he, like Airazor, found his view blocked by the tree tops, unable to make out anything. "It looks like the only way to find out what that source is will be to go down there," he said quietly.
Airazor, who landed next to him, shook her head. "We can't. Not with just the two of us. Something will happen," she said, the worry and fear evident in her voice.
"You're right. I'll contact the base and-," he started to say; only to be interrupted as they heard a soft whirring noise. Immediately the two hunkered down, peering down at the clump of trees.
From within the middle of the clump of trees, a glow began to emanate, slowly growing. Lycanok's optics widened before surging to all four of his paws. "We need to go now!"
Airazor was just starting to flap her wings to take off when the glow suddenly turned into a blinding pulse of light that shot outwards in a massive wave, quickly overcoming the two Maximals. Both of them screamed in pain as glowing yellow currents ran up and down their beast forms, causing them to fall to the ground as their frames contorted uncontrollably. They soon both fell silent as a dome of energy encompassed them and the valley, shielding it from any and all outside views.
Darksyde
In her quarters on the Darksyde, Blackarachnia paced back and forth in thought. Megatron had revealed his plans to the other Predacons, to attempt to use the malfunctioning Nightwing to their advantage. And Blackarachnia was currently debating what to do with this information.
The plan was simple: they were going to use Nightwing to lure the Maximals into an ambush and wipe them out. Megatron would allow Nightwing's Maximal side to warn the Maximals of their intent to wipe out her core personality, no doubt galvanizing the Maximals into launching a rescue attempt. They could not know, however, that the Predacons would be waiting for such an attack and that they would fall right into an ambush. Depending on how many Maximals were committed to the assault, they could potentially wipe out at least the majority of the Maximals in a single battle.
And there was the crux of Blackarachnia's problem. For her own plans, that she had been formulating ever since she had gained the information from Megatron's personal databanks, she needed the Maximals around to wear down Megatron and keep his forces off balance. She needed time to finalize her own plans. If the Maximals were wiped out or defeated nothing would stop Megatron and she'd have no allies that could help her execute her own plan.
She knew she needed Megatron's plan to fail and to ensure that happened, she needed to warn the Maximals. The question was how to do so without being detected. And how to prove to the Maximals she wasn't lying to them in turn. She paused for a moment, a smirk appearing on her faceplate. She could send the message to Silverbolt. He would trust her. And it would certainly help put her in his good graces. Something she knew could be advantageous for a number of reasons. She knew the Maximals might question Silverbolt about the validity of her words, so perhaps she could simply say it was her way of repaying him for what happened in the jungle. She paused again, this time shuddering in fear as she remembered seeing that monster of a Cybertronian now stomping through the halls of the base, restrained from destroying them all only by the leash Megatron had collared it with.
She shook her helm, getting back to thinking. She knew who to send the message too, and what to say. The problem was sending it without being detected. She paused for a moment, an idea striking her before she quickly rushed off.
Elsewhere, another femme was pacing restlessly, though unlike Blackarachnia she was doing so while trapped in her quarters. Nightwing continued to pace back and forth as she struggled to handle the chaos that was now within her processor.
The voice of the so called 'Maximal' Nightwing was ever present in her CPU now, and she could not silence it. But what was worse was how she was losing control. The other Nightwing would suddenly strike without warning and seize control, quickly attempting some form of escape. She would try to hotwire the door or gain access to the ventilation system. She had even tried modifying their communication systems to send a call to the Maximals. Each time she, the Predacon Nightwing, would struggle for control and attempt to undo everything this other side did.
She let out a shuddering vent, holding her helm in her hands before looking up as the door opened and there stood Terrok with Quickstrike and Inferno behind him. "Which Nightwing am I addressing?" The fusion of Terrorsaur and Scorponok asked as Nightwing slowly stepped forward.
"I am in control for the moment," Nightwing said, her usual stoic voice strained though. Terrok nodded with a smile, stepping back and indicating she should follow him. She hesitantly did so as he began to lead her towards his lab with the two other Predacons behind her.
"We have finally decided on a course of action to handle this situation. It will take some time but we feel it is the best for this situation," Terrok said as they made their way to his lab, where he indicated a table. "Lay down and I will explain," he ordered.
Nightwing did so, only for restraints to wrap around her wrist and ankle joints. Terrok was pulling a machine closer to the table as she turned to look at him. "The procedure is going to be simple. We are going to make a copy of your Predacon core personality. After which we will simply wipe your core personality out in its entirety, both Maximal and Predacon. We will fix the infected circuitry within, re-upload your Predacon core personality, and you shall be good as new. Understand?"
Nightwing began to nod, only for her frame to spasm as she let out a cry while inside she felt now more desperate attacks from the Maximal Nightwing. 'No! You can't do that! You can't just erase me like that!'
Terrok watched her until she finally settled down, causing him to shake his helm ruefully. "I take it your Maximal infection did not take kindly to hearing she will be erased from existence?"
"Y-You…must hurry," Nightwing barely got out, venting heavily from the exertion. "Her attacks…are harder to contain each time."
"I can imagine. Thankfully you won't have to deal with that problem for much longer. You will need to be offline while I copy your core personality however. Don't worry Nightwing. You'll be yourself soon enough," Terrok said with a smile, a touch of irony in his tone at his words.
Nightwing simply nodded as Terrok connected the machine he had rolled over to her, and her optics soon dimmed as her frame slumped over. Terrok could only chuckle mirthlessly as he began the process of copying her core consciousness while Quickstrike twitched a bit.
"Can yeh hurry that up? I wants ta get to the part where we gets ta fight dem Maximals," he said.
"Patience Quickstrike, patience. Remember, we have to play our part in allowing her Maximal self to escape long enough to get a communication away, don't we?" Terrok said, before turning on his comlink. "Lord Megatron, phase one of the plan is underway. It will take at least two decacycles for it to finish."
"Keep me informed Terrok. I will have everyone else begin preparations for phase two. Yyyeeessssss," Megatron replied, before cutting off the comlink.
Terrok nodded before smiling as he monitored the machine as it continued to copy Nightwing's Predacon core personality.
Axalon
Optimus stared at the holographic image of the valley where Lycanok and Airazor were currently investigating the strange energy readings. They had lost all contact with them and couldn't get any kind of reading from the area. Every attempt to communicate with them had failed, leaving the Maximal leader on edge. He looked back to Vixtrion at the communications console. "Any word yet?"
She shook her helm, looking up at him. "Nothing. No communication from them, and I can't reach them with a signal. Something is preventing our signals from reaching them."
"I don't like this. Not one bit. Contact Cheetor and-," Optimus started to order, only to be interrupted by a beep from the communications console.
Vixtrion quickly turned back to it, rapidly typing in a few commands. "A transmission…from…Tarantulas?" She said, her voice ending in surprise.
"…let's hear it," Optimus said, optics narrowing slightly.
Vixtrion quickly opened the communication line, and within moments they heard Tarnatulas speaking. "Maximals, I shall be brief. The Predacons are planning to use your former comrade Nightwing as bait in order to try and wipe you out."
Rhinox, who had been at the sensor station, whirled around at that with his optics going wide in surprise. Optimus quickly moved closer to the communications console. "What do you mean Tarantulas?"
"Aah, Optimus. What I mean is that they know about the malfunctions she's suffering from. They intend to use that to their advantage. They're going to allow her to escape long enough to send a transmission to you, warning that they're going to wipe her core. They want you to come charging in to rescue her, where they can proceed to wipe you out. Since you are so predictable that way, after all," Tarantulas mockingly said, his voice turning into a contemptuous sneer at the end.
No one noticed though, as those on the bridge were frozen in horror at hearing the news that the Predacons intended to wipe Nightwing's core personality. Rhinox was shaking his helm, his faceplate showing the sheer agony and fear he felt at such a possibility.
Optimus recovered first, grabbing the microphone connected to the communication console. "How do I know this isn't trap? That you're not setting us up?"
"I would say you don't, but I'll be frank. I have no love for you, but I have more hatred towards Megatron then you Maximals at the moment. And I have no wish to be denied my entertainment at watching you both fight and try to kill each other. So rest assured, I'm not trying to lead you into a trap. I'm doing this because it benefits me to do so. Whether or not you choose to believe me is entirely up to you. But can you really risk the welfare of your precious fellow Maximal like that?" He asked, his voice breaking into malicious cackles as he did so. "I'm sending a data packet to you now with additional information. Ta-ta for now, Minimals."
The communication cut off, leaving the entire bridge silent. Optimus turned to Rhinox, who looked lost as he seemingly stared at nothing. Optimus quickly clasped a servo on Rhinox's shoulder, drawing the engineer back to the present. "We'll save her, Rhinox…I promised you we would," Optimus said, before turning back to Vixtrion. "Contact every Maximal and tell them to get back to base immediately. Keep trying to contact Lycanok and Airazor. Send up smoke signals if you have to. But get everyone back to base now," he ordered. "Rhinox, get that data packet and analyze it."
The two Maximals quickly set to work as Optimus brought up the Predacon base on the central command table, already starting to formulate plans to counter Megatron.
Sector Zyphon
Lycanok slowly opened his optics, finding himself in a void of darkness. He could see nothing at all, save for his servos as he raised them up in front of him. He felt like he was floating, drifting helplessly in a black void.
He struggled to understand what was going on, to remember what happened. His memory banks and processor both felt fuzzy, running sluggishly as he tried to recall the data. It slowly came back to him, bit by bit. He and Airazor had been exploring the valley, searching for the source of the strange energy reading. And then suddenly they had been engulfed by a wave of energy. Lycanok remembered the pain and agony from it, before he had fallen offline.
With that came a surge of panic as he realized he couldn't see Airazor anywhere. "Airazor!? Airazor, can you hear me?! AIRAZOR?!"
"She cannot hear you. Not at the moment," spoke a voice that seemed to emanate from everywhere at once. Lycanok tried to turn, to look all around him, but the weightless sensation prevented him from doing so.
"Who's there?! What's going on?!" He demanded, only to be blinded as a light did appear in front of him. A light that was slowly taking the form of a Cybertronian.
"She is separate from you while we ascertain your intentions," the voice spoke, now coming from the glowing golden figure in front of him. Lycanok's optics widened as he saw the form of Tigertron 'stand' before him.
"…you can't be Tigertron…you must be the aliens then," he said quietly. The figure nodded slightly in response.
"Yes…and no. I am an AI overseeing the reclamation of this world. I serve the Masters and speak to them. And in this instance…I speak for them," the now identified AI said. "I chose this form as it is a familiar one to you and your companion."
Lycanok just stared at the figure before finally speaking. "So where are we? I'm guessing we're not still in our frames."
"I have pulled your core consciousness from your frame into this realm, in order to ascertain whether or not you are a direct threat to me, my mission, and my Masters. Should you prove to be not be a threat, you shall be returned to your frame. The same for your companion," the AI said before the blackness around them changed, turning into a grassy field.
Lycanok found his pedes now touching what felt like solid ground, slowly turning and looking around. "…and if you do find us to be a threat?"
"Then I will erase your core consciousness and destroy your frame." Lycanok turned back to the AI, optics narrowed slightly at that.
"Well…wonderful," he said quietly. "So while I wait to find out whether or not I'll face oblivion…may I ask some questions?"
"You may. It will perhaps help me to find the answers I seek," the AI responded, watching as Lycanok tilted his helm back in thought.
"…what do you mean by reclamation?" He finally asked.
"I have been growing new flora and fauna on the parts of the planet negatively affected by the efforts to purge the experiment. I will also attempt to reestablish my Master's full control over the planet in time. Whether or not that means your destruction is uncertain at this time," the AI said, speaking calmly.
Lycanok nodded at that. "I don't think you'll have problems with my side. We simply want to stop Megatron and return home. His side is the one you'll probably need to worry about," he said, trying to assure the AI.
"We know of the Violator, he who has corrupted much of my Masters' creations. Both my Masters and I learned much when he took control of the Sentinel and attempted to use it to return to your planet. He and his ilk are enemies that we will need to destroy in time. But I cannot say your side is not our enemy either. You have done your own damage to this planet as well," the AI countered.
Before Lycanok could respond the AI turned, as if staring off into the distance. "…your companion is becoming erratic," it said.
"What's going on? Is she alright?" Lycanok asked, only to suddenly find Airazor next to him. The two Maximals flinched in surprise at the sudden appearance of the other before Airazor threw her arms around him.
"You're safe…I thought something had happened…thank Primus," she whispered as she hugged him tightly, burying her faceplate against his chestplate.
Lycanok slowly wrapped his arms around her as he felt her clinging to him. The AI watched the two of them as Lycanok did his best to comfort Airazor. "...ah, I see. She was present when the other one, Tigertron, was taken. My actions have triggered an overly emotional response from her," it stated, having found that information while going through Airazor's memories.
Airazor shuddered in Lycanok's arms, causing the mech to look up at the AI with a glare. "Yeah, you could say that. Mind leaving us alone here for a few moments so I can try to help her? I don't think your presence is helping any."
The AI tilted its head to the side in a quizzical manner before speaking. "Very well then. I need to finish my examinations," it said before vanishing, leaving the two Maximals alone in the grassy field.
Lycanok just continued to hold onto Airazor, who was trembling and sobbing quietly against him. He gently stroked her back, trying to comfort her and not ponder over their potential fate. For now she needed him, and he'd do his best for her.
Axalon
Silverbolt felt some apprehension as he neared the Maximal base, a cyber-bee clutched in one of his beast form's talons. The reason for his apprehension being the message that had been conveyed to him by the cyber-bee, a message from a certain arachnid Predacon femme that had constantly been on his CPU since their journey through the jungle together.
He had been on patrol when the cyber-bee had found him, and initially he had been prepared to shoot it down. He had stopped though when it sent a burst transmission to him as it approached, indicating its non-aggressive intent. He had allowed it to land, at which point it had conveyed Blackarachnia's message to him about the Predacon's plans concerning Nightwing and using her as bait for an ambush to wipe out the Maximals.
Silverbolt was not entirely sure if he could believe such information, yet when she had told him it was her way of 'thanking' him again for saving her in the jungle, he had decided to share the news with the others. Shortly afterwards he had been called back to base anyways, and told to use all speed to get back.
He transformed as he drew near, shifting the cyber-bee under his arm as his front talons became his robot form's pedes. He quickly accessed the ship elevator and rode it up to the bridge, 'blinking' when he saw the flurry of activity. "Silverbolt reporting in," he said, quickly drawing Optimus' attention to him.
"Silverbolt, good. We…what's that?" He asked, pointing to the cyber-bee.
Silverbolt quickly held it out to Rhinox. "It found me while on patrol. It delivered a message to me from the Predacon Blackarachnia. She told me about a plan concerning Nightwing," he said, only to see everyone's attention immediately drawn to him.
"A plan to use her as bait to draw us into an ambush?" Vixtrion asked him. Silverbolt started at the femmes words, resulting in everyone nodding at that.
"Dat's two sources sayin' da same ding," Rattrap said. "I don't know if I like trustin' da arachnids, but if dey're both sayin' da same ding…"
"They've worked together in the past. This could still be an elaborate ruse," Sauria cautioned, only for Silverbolt to shake his helm.
"I believe Blackarachnia is doing this on her own, for her own reasons. She told me it was her way of 'thanking' me for my actions in the jungle, but she could possibly have other motivations," he said. "She did, however, provide us with some intel on the Predacon's defenses that we might be able to use."
Rhinox quickly took the cyber-bee and began accessing it to retrieve the information while Optimus crossed his arms, helm lowered in thought. "…I don't doubt Blackarachnia and Tarantulas both have something to gain out of this. The question is 'what' exactly. Thoughts?"
"Tarantulas did help me out when I was retrieving that cannon Terrok used on Rattrap and Sauria. He told me he was doing it though because he hated Megatron more and it benefited his plans to see him hurt. Maybe this is the same?" Vixtrion offered.
"And I'm betting Blackarachnia has her own plans as well. If we do this, we're likely playing into her servos," Rhinox added.
"Yeah but…this is our chance to save Nightwing. Your friend. Aren't we going to take it?" Cheetor asked, looking from Rhinox to the others.
The Maximals all looked at each other, before Optimus finally spoke. "Rhinox, get that information. Vixtrion, try one more time to contact Lycanok and Airazor. If not…we're going to have to move without them."
Vixtrion nodded and moved to the communications console, while Rattrap leaned forward. "So what's da plan Pop Op?"
Optimus gave him a grim smile. "Megatron thinks he's going to lure us into an ambush. We'll see what he thinks when we're there early," he said simply.
Darksyde
Terrok watched as the computer finally finished copying Nightwing's personality matrix before turning to activate the intercom. "Lord Megatron, we have finished copying Nightwing's personality. Shall I begin the next phase?"
"Begin at once. All Predacon forces, prepare for the next phase of the plan," Megatron ordered, his voice booming throughout the ship. Terrok watched as Quickstrike hurried off, leaving him and Inferno in the room with Nightwing. Terrok turned to the computer and began submitting a program into Nightwing's systems that would temporarily suppress her Predacon core consciousness, allowing the Maximal side to take control. Once that was done he began to bring Nightwing back online.
The femme stirred, her optics dimly glowing before they slowly lit back up. She groaned a few times, slowly looking around before her optics widened and she surged against the restraints.
"Now now, calm down. We can't have you damaging your frame, can we?" Terrok said, moving to adjust the restraints to ensure Nightwing was secured. At least, that's what it looked like, as he instead subtly lessened the restraints.
Nightwing glared at him, a glare that was a mixture of defiance and fear. He just merely smirked at her, moving away. "We're all set to begin the process of erasing your core consciousness entirely. I just thought I'd give you a chance to give me any last cycle messages you'd want me to perhaps deliver to someone you care about. Your soon to be former Maximal compatriots, perhaps?"
Nightwing kept glaring, even as she felt the restraints on her arms were somewhat looser. She subtly began working her arms free as she kept glaring at him. "You can tell Megatron and the rest of your Predacon friends to go to the inferno," she spat out.
Terrok chuckled at her words. "Defiant to the end. Admirable. Foolish and stupid…but admirable. If that's all…then I suppose it's time to begin," he said, turning to her to insert a probe into her helm.
Yet as he drew closer her arm shot up, free of its restraint as she grabbed his helm and slammed it into the edge of the table. She quickly pushed him right at Inferno, the two Predacons stumbling into each other as she quickly ripped away the rest of her restraints. Before either of them could get up she was on them, slamming her clenched servos into their helms, sending them crashing to the floor. She quickly grabbed Inferno's rifle, since her own weapon systems were offline, and made her way out the door.
What she didn't notice was the slight distortion following her. Specter did his best to stop himself from giggling at this new game, knowing that silence was the key to success. He still grinned though as he followed Nightwing, to ensure that when the time came, she was quickly captured.
Unknown location
Airazor had finally calmed down as now she and Lycanok sat together on the grass, though she had refused to pull away from him. She felt the tiniest bit of safety and comfort knowing she wasn't alone here. Yet still the fear, the grief, the pain from her memories of losing Tigertron, reawakened in full by their current situation, weren't gone. She could still feel them threatening to overwhelm her.
After several silent moments, she finally spoke. "I…I'm sorry…I…when I realized we weren't in our frames and…you weren't by me…I started to panic. And when that…that thing took Tigertron's form I…I couldn't…" she managed to choke out, trying not to break down again.
"I understand," Lycanok said simply, supporting her. "If I had experienced everything you had…I probably would have reacted the same way too," he said, not wanting to admit that in a way, he had. Hearing about Airazor's death had hurt him, because while he had never admitted it, he had grown to care for the femme flier. She was witty, adventurous, compassionate, and was quite fun to be around. But she also had an interest in Tigertron, one which Lycanok had no wish to interfere with. And even when she returned, Lycanok knew she was hurting badly and so had done his best to help her.
Airazor just nodded quietly against him before speaking. "We're going to die here, aren't we?" She asked him quietly.
"I don't think we will…but I can't say for certain. Did the AI tell you what it's doing?" He asked her. She shook her helm quietly, and Lycanok decided to continue. "Its checking our data banks to ascertain whether we're a threat to it or not. If we aren't, it'll let us go. If we are…well then it'll destroy us. But I don't think it'll consider us a threat," he said softly.
She let out a bitter chuckle. "If only it had done that with Tigertron," she whispered in a strained, nearly broken voice. Only for them to be interrupted.
"That was, unfortunately, an automated defense response. Your presence in the valley triggered both that defense and a signal to the Masters to send the Sentinel." They both looked up to see the AI there, standing a respectful distance away. "At the time I did not have enough information regarding you to know if you meant harm or not. Given what had been done to the experiment already, I allowed the defenses to do their work. I apologize for that now, as I can see the pain and distress it has caused."
"Why would you care?" Airazor spat out, anger growing in her now. Lycanok gently squeezed her to try and calm her down, but she pulled away, getting to her pedes. "Why should you care how angry or upset or traumatized or murderous I feel right now?"
"Because I have seen the pain you have felt," the AI said. "I cannot understand it, I cannot feel it, but I have seen it. My actions have caused that. At the time I feel my decision was warranted as I was defending my Master's creation. But I still am sorry for being the cause of your pain."
Airazor was about to angrily retort when she felt Lycanok grab her hand, causing her to stop and look at him. The two of them stared at each other, her angry optics meeting his filled with empathy but also caution, before she finally turned away, refusing to look at either of them as she looked at the ground. Lycanok looked to the AI now.
"So what now?" He asked.
"I have finished my investigation. I find myself in something of a quandary. You, Lycanok, are no threat to me or my Masters unless we make ourselves a threat to you. Airazor though…is a potential danger. I have seen the anger and hatred within her. She would take vengeance against us if she could. Yet they stem from a loss caused by my Masters. So I must ask you a question, Airazor. If given the chance…would you attempt to destroy me? Would you try to destroy my Masters if you could?"
Airazor looked at him, her optics blazing with emotion. Yet she remained silent for a few moments. She finally spoke. "…if you're a threat to my comrades…or if it meant I could rescue Tigertron…yes," she said truthfully.
The AI tilted its head to the side again, before speaking. "I find myself…intrigued by you Cybertronians. You are machines like myself, but you have something I will never have: the ability to feel…the ability to care for one another. Even the ability to defy logic and self preservation in defense of those you care about. I wish that I could truly feel and understand such things. Allow me to say this now, Airazor. Your statement confirmed that which I learned from your memories. You wish to rescue Tigertron. That cannot happen. There is no way for you to reach where he his held. And my Masters will not return him. Not yet, if at all. They believe they have use for him. But I can request that my Masters allow you to speak to him."
Airazor trembled at that, her optics wide as her mouth hung open. She couldn't speak at all but finally was able to nod slowly.
"Very well. I will return with their answer," The AI said before disappearing. Airazor just stood there dumbly, staring at the empty space the AI had occupied as Lycanok moved next to her. He quietly placed a hand on her shoulder, ready to support her as they waited for a response from the AI.
Darksyde
Nightwing peered around a corner, making sure there were no signs of any Predacons before quickly making her way down the ship hallway, all the while trying to keep panic from settling into her Spark. Her attempts to escape so far had been stymied by Predacons and defenses seemingly at each exit point of the ship. She couldn't help but feel something was up, that something was wrong. She would have thought the Predacons would put more effort into catching her, instead of seemingly just stopping her from escaping and herding her along.
She crouched down in a shadowy corner, peering around it to make sure there were no signs of any Predacons. Seeing none she began planning what she would do. It seemed escape wasn't likely to happen. The only thing she could do now was send a call for help. But she paused as she considered that idea. There'd be no way for her to mask it. Not without at least a decacycle of work, time that she didn't have. The moment she did that, the Predacons would know where she was. And the Maximals…if they came, it'd be too late.
She trembled a bit, her optics dimming. She couldn't send a call for help. It would ensure the destruction of her Maximal crewmates. The only thing she could do…was say goodbye. She trembled more at the thought of that before standing up and checking again for any signs of the Predacons. Seeing none she continued onwards, now heading for a new destination.
It took her some time as she had a few close calls with some of the Predacons, but she soon reached the computer core. Stepping in she quickly closed the door before jury-rigging the locking mechanism to keep the door jammed shut. She did the same for another door before turning to the computer core. Accessing it, she quickly began to reroute communications down to her, while also accessing the base's main power core.
On the bridge, Megatron smirked as the command globe showed him the communications control being rerouted. "Quite clever, taking over the computer core. Yyyeeessss. Perhaps we can save you technical skills before erasing you," he murmured.
Nightwing quickly finished the rerouting before taking a deep vent. "…communications…open a line, all Maximal frequencies," she said quietly.
"Communications line open. Broadcasting to all known Maximal frequencies."
Nightwing nodded before speaking. "This is Engineer Nightwing of the Maximal ship Axalon. I have momentarily escaped my captors and am currently in control of my form. The Predacon core consciousness within me has been temporarily suppressed. My Predacon captors intend to wipe both our core consciousnesses so that they can remove residual energy from the transwarp wave that is corrupting my Predacon core consciousness."
She paused here for a moment, trying to regain her composure and prevent her voice from breaking. "I say this to my fellow Maximals…do not come for me. Do not try to rescue me. I fear that any attempt to do so may only serve to put you in danger. I will instead ensure that the Predacons do not get their 'prize'. To my crewmates…thank you all for being my comrades and allies…to Rhinox…I'm sorry Big Green…I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough…I'm sorry for what I've put you through," she said.
She turned as immediately she could hear banging at the door to the room, along with yells and curses. She quickly turned back to the console. "Please…remember me well...this is Nightwing…signing off," she said before cutting the communications. "Computer, begin supercharging the Energon convertors connected to the main power generators," she ordered.
Immediately alarms began going off throughout the ship. Nightwing slowly stepped away from the console, gripping Inferno's rifle. She slowly began to raise it up, the barrel under her chin. She wouldn't let them take her. Not again. She would be free, one way or another. She dimmed her optics, preparing to bid a final farewell, when the ship rocked slightly from some impact and new alarms began going off.
Inside the command room, Megatron gripped his command chair as it swayed from the ship shaking. "What was that?! Report!" He ordered.
"Weaponz fire! Maximal zignaturez detected!" Waspinator cried out in fear as yet another round hit the ship and caused it to rumble.
Megatron cursed as he brought up the command globe, a map of the base and the surrounding area appearing. His optics widened as he saw several Maximal energy signatures well within the defense perimeter, and the repeated impacts against the base indicated they were hitting it with everything they had. "How did they get so close without us detecting them?!" He demanded.
Blackarachnia, at the weapons control console, tried to bring the defenses online. "They must have found a gap in the sensor grid! I'm trying to bring the defensive cannons online!" She called out, even as she mentally smirked. It seemed her plan was working perfectly.
Megatron quickly brought up the ship's intercom. "Terrok, get to engineering and stop whatever that Maximal has done to the power core! Rampage, drag her out here! I don't care how many pieces, so long as she's functioning! All other Predacons, prepare to engage the enemy!" He shouted, angry and desperate as he saw his plan falling apart around him.
Outside, the Maximals were attacking in full force, armed with as many weapons and as much ammo as they could carry. They would normally avoid such aggressive action unless absolutely necessary due to the way the Predacon base was defended. Unlike the Axalon, the Predacons had no way to shield the base to protect it, as their shield generators were destroyed during the crash. So instead the Predacons relied on overwhelming firepower in the form of layers of defensive turrets encircling the Predacon position.
However, thanks to the information provided by Blackarachnia, the Maximals had been able to exploit a previously unknown gap in the defensive layers and scanners, reaching the base itself.
Optimus watched as rounds from Rhinox's twin mini-guns, combined with more accurate fire from Lycanok, ripped through some of the defensive turrets mounted on the Darksyde. Sauria was using her shield to block shots as she carefully worked to snipe other turrets, while Silverbolt and Cheetor provided aerial fire. All of this though was to cover Vixtrion and Rattrap, who as the smallest of the Maximals were able to quickly make their way towards the base. They quickly hid near the main entranceway as several of the Predacons stormed out, roaring as they started to fire on the Maximals. The Maximals quickly took up better defensive positions, switching fire back and forth between defensive turrets and the Predacons.
Rattrap, seeing the distraction, quickly slipped through the same entrance with Vixtrion on his tail. "Right. Now we just gotta find Nightwing and get her outta here," he said.
"Where would she be?" Vixtrion said, only to watch as Rattrap quickly pried open an access port and jacked himself into it.
"Leave dat ta me. Just keep meh covered," he said as he quickly began accessing the ship's systems while Vixtrion covered him.
Nightwing, in the computer core, couldn't believe what she was seeing. She had managed to gain shared access to the sensors, and now was receiving the same data the Predacons were. She couldn't believe that the others were already here. They were fighting to rescue her.
She was drawn away from the data when something heavy slammed into one of the sealed doors, actually putting a dent into it. This was followed by a second blow that left a massive indentation in it. Nightwing immediately backed away from it, raising Inferno's rifle as she readied herself to fight.
However, when the door was hit a third time and crashed into the room, any thought of fighting left her as she saw the monstrous figure enter. Her optics widened as she recognized the form of the most recent Predacon recruit, Rampage. She trembled as he looked at her with sadistic glee.
"So must fear coming from you. Yes, I can sense it. How lovely. How marvelous," he said, taking a step forward, only to receive a flaming projectile to the chestplate. He grunted a bit, taking one step back as he swiped one massive arm down his chestplate to wipe away the flames before looking up at her. "Was that supposed to do something?" He asked, preparing to step forward again. This time he received a second projectile to the faceplate, actually causing him to let out a growl of pain as he again swiped the flames away.
Nightwing could only back away, optics wide in horror. She had briefly seen Rampage when he had been brought in, and she had heard some of what he could do, what his abilities were. But actually seeing him so effectively ward off these attacks drove home just how much of a monster he was. She dropped the useless rifle, stumbling back as he began to advance upon her.
"Megatron ordered me to get you. While I hate listening to him drone on and on, he did at least say he didn't care what condition you were in so long as you were functional," he said, a sadistic 'grin' showing on his faceplate. "So I hope you don't mind if I indulge a little before we are done here."
He started reaching out towards her, only to stop as they both heard a soft clank followed by another. Rampage turned enough to look back behind him, stopping as he saw the small Rattrap backing up from him and giving him a cheeky wave.
"Hey uhhh…Nightwing? Might wanna take cover," he said before diving behind some boxes. Nightwing, seeing the two explosives placed on Rampage's back thanks to him turning, quickly turned and dove for the ground as the two explosives went off, causing Rampage to roar out in agonizing pain as he was hurled right into the computer core by the explosion. His massive frame slammed into it, causing the computer core to spark as it partially caved in from the blow. Almost immediately, the lights began to flicker as alarms went on and off throughout the base. Rattrap shot up from his cover and quickly rushed over to Nightwing with Vixtrion entering the room, checking on what was going on.
"No time tah be sleepin', we gotta jet!" Rattrap told Nightwing, holding out a servo to her. She grabbed it, letting him help her up.
"Let's move it before sleeping ugly gets back up!" Vixtrion shouted, moving back into the hallway. Rattrap and Nightwing began to follow her when rapid fire hit the ground in front of them.
"Sorry, can't let you take our friend!" Specter yelled, leaping from the ceiling and firing at them both. The two Maximals jumped apart as Specter landed between them, spinning to smack Rattrap with his tail as he prepared to leap at Nightwing. However he was blasted from behind by a powerful sniper round that sent him smashing into a wall, as Vixtrion lowered her weapon in its sniper configuration.
"Sorry mate, no time for fun and games!" She said cheekily as Nightwing helped Rattrap up this time, the rat Maximal grumbling about 'sneaky slaggin' psycho Preds'. The trio quickly left before Specter or Rampage could recover and pursue.
On the bridge, Megatron cursed as around him the systems flickered on and off. "Computer, report!" He demanded.
"E-Error! Error! System not responsive…power levels nomial…Energon radiation at intolerable levels…system error! System error!" The computer sputtered out, the synthetic voice stuttering and breaking as it spouted off random reports.
Megatron dropped out of his chair, rushing over to a maintenance alcove. From there, he was able to begin rerouting systems to the backup computer core. Whatever had happened with Nightwing in the computer core had disrupted the main core, leaving all their systems on the fritz. He let out a angry growl, swearing that he would simply destroy Nightwing at this point. She was proving too costly now.
Outside, the Predacons found themselves at a disadvantage as their entire defense network went on the fritz. The guns stopped firing, or began firing randomly and wildly in any direction, a few of the rounds even almost hitting the Predacons. This forced many of them to keep switching positions to avoid being hit by their own guns, putting them under fire from the Maximals as they left their positions. Though of course the random shots also sometimes headed for the Maximals as well, forcing them to be on the alert for any cannon that might suddenly fire at them.
Sauria, seeing the changing situation, quickly moved over to Optimus. "Optimus, this is our chance. We should storm their base and end this war now," she told him.
"No. There's no guarantee we can break through and secure the base. All this would be for nothing. We'll get Nightwing and fall back," he said while using his large heavy dual cannons to blast away at Ripfang, preventing the large Predacon from using his heavy cannon as he dodged fire from Optimus.
"If we do not act soon, Megatron will surely-," Sauria tried to reason, only to be cut off by Optimus.
"We will deal with that problem later Sauria. Rescuing Nightwing is the goal," he said tersely. His optics trailed up when he saw a flare fired off in the distance. "That's it! Maximals, fall back!" He shouted, retracting the two heavy cannons back onto his backplate.
Sauria let out a soft growl but complied, falling back with the others as they began a fighting withdrawal, keeping the Predacon's helms down with covering fire as they retreated.
The Predacons, seeing them falling back, did not pursue. They instead simply fired at the retreating Maximals while dodging return fire. Soon enough the Maximals were gone and they were left in front of their base.
On the bridge, Megatron glowered as the last of the systems returned to normal, now that the backup core was handling the systems. "Rampage, report," he snapped angrily.
"…the Maximals escaped with the prisoner. The computer core was damaged in the process," the abominable Cybertronian reported, only to scream in agony as Megatron drew out the half of Rampage's Spark he held and squeezed the chamber it was in.
"I do not tolerate failure, Rampage," Megatron snarled before switching the comm line over. "Terrok, report."
"I manually shut down the Energon convertors. They were being supercharged, leading to a core overload. Beginning repairs now," the mutant Fuzor stated.
Megatron just let out another growl of anger. "See to it quickly, and then head to the computer core. It must be repaired and quickly," he snapped, before turning away. With a sudden roar he slammed his left servo into the screen of one of the command consoles before swinging his tail with the other arm, smashing another screen as well. He began to rage and trash the entire command bridge as the fury overtook him.
Outside, Blackarachnia heard Megatron's angry roars and couldn't help but smile slightly to herself. "You owe me one now, Bowser Boy," she murmured, giggling a bit to herself.
Unknown Location
For what had felt like many solar cycles, Airazor and Lycanok had waited for a response from the alien AI. Airazor especially could hardly contain her hope and fear as she waited for a response from the AI.
And just as suddenly as it had disappeared the golden AI appeared, but he was not alone. A second Tigertron stood with him in his normal colors. Yet he was also semi-transparent, almost like a ghost. The second Tigertron slowly shook his helm and glanced around, only to freeze as he saw the two Maximals. "…Airazor…is that you?" He asked.
Airazor's servos went to her mouth before she slowly stepped forward. "T-Tigertron…it's you," she whispered. She rushed forward, attempting to hug him, only for her arms to go through him.
"I'm sorry. I am not able to help him take a corporeal form here. It is quite draining to maintain the connection as is," the AI said regretfully.
Airazor gave a sad nod before looking up at Tigertron. "Tigertron…I…I…I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough to save you," she whispered. "I tried…I tried to save you, but I…I-," She said, trying not to break down again.
Tigertron nodded in understanding. "Do not apologize. I know you tried. I am sorry I left you alone, but…I had to save you," he said. "I didn't know what would happen but…whatever it was; I didn't want you to suffer through it."
She trembled at his words. "I would have faced whatever it was with you," she whispered softly. "We'd be together, no matter what."
The feline Maximal gave sad nod. "I know…and a part of me wishes nothing more than for us to still be together. But when I had the chance to save you…I took it. Because I didn't want to see you hurt. It was selfish of me, but…it's what we do for those we care about," he told her quietly. "I would love nothing more than to be by your side, my lady. But I hope that…I hope you will not waste your chance at life. I saved you so you could live. So please…my love…live."
Airazor sniffled a bit, wiping some lubricant from her eyes. "I…I don't know what to do," she whispered. "I feel so…lost…so angry and hurt and...I…I don't know what to do Tigertron."
He gave her a soft, sad smile as he gently reached up, as if to cup her face. "Trust in our friends. They will help you. And try to find happiness Airazor. Wherever you can." She gave a quiet nod, wishing she could actually touch him. She reached up slowly, stopping her servo just shy of his face plate, smiling at him.
"…I am sorry…I must cut the connection soon," the AI said, the barest trace of regret in its voice. Airazor nodded and slowly stepped back as Tigertron slowly looked past her to Lycanok.
The wolf mech stepped forward, looking to Tigertron. "I'm sorry we weren't able to save you in time, Tigertron," he said, his voice filled with regret. "If we can find a way to rescue you, we will take it. We don't leave comrades behind."
Tigertron gave him a smile, nodding. "I know you will. Give my regards to our fellow Maximals," he said, before looking back to Airazor. "Farewell."
And with that he faded away, leaving the three of them standing there. Airazor simply stared at the space he had occupied while Lycanok looked to the AI. Said AI quickly spoke up. "I shall be returning you two to your frames momentarily. I shall also be shielding my presence here from now on. Please tell your comrades that so long as they do not venture too close to my location, they should be safe. They have nothing to fear from me."
"I understand. And…thank you…for giving her that," Lycanok said, nodding to Airazor.
The AI simply nodded before the entire world faded to black.
Lycanok suddenly sat up, sucking in air as he lurched up onto all four paws. The wolf mech found himself back in beast form atop the cliff overlooking the valley, as Airazor shot up as well, panting heavily. The two Maximals looked at each other for a few moments before Airazor finally spoke. "W-We're back."
Lycanok, nodded, quickly running a diagnostic and finding nothing wrong with his systems. Airazor, doing the same, managed to push herself up onto her talons and turned away, staring off into the sky. Lycanok, seeing her do that, moved over to her side.
"Are you okay?" He asked her softly. She didn't do or say anything for several minutes before looking at him.
"I don't…honestly know," she said softly. "I…I was able to see him again. And that was wonderful. But now…I know he's alive out there still. But I don't know if I'll ever see him again." She slowly turned back to the sky. "…but…I do feel…different…in a good way. I don't know if I would say better but…I feel…like something within me has been…lifted."
Lycanok gave a nod at that. "I understand," he assured her, before looking over his shoulder. "We should head back to base and-."
"Transform…please," she said as she herself quickly did so. Lycanok blinked but transformed into his robot form, only for his optics to go wide as she kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you for…helping me…for being there for me," she told him before turning and blasting off into the sky.
Lycanok stood there, watching her go as he gently touched his cheek. "…you're welcome," he said quietly, before transforming back to beast form, deploying his wheels and quickly following after her.
Maximal Base
Nightwing sat on the edge of the repair table, watching Rhinox look over the information he had gathered from scanning her. It had been three decacycles since the others had rescued her and she still couldn't believe it. She was here, safe and sound onboard the Axalon with her real comrades, her friends. She was free of the Predacons. Finally free, finally back in control of her frame. Even since she had begun to awaken, her core consciousness trapped within her own circuits and unable to do anything, she had dreamt of this day. And now it was finally here. She felt joy and elation, but also uncertainty and fear, a mass of confusing emotions she was trying to handle.
Yet she also knew her problems were not over yet. Rhinox had managed to further extend the programming that was keeping the Predacon Nightwing suppressed, yet it was a temporary measure. They still needed to remove that programming altogether. But before that, there was also the problem of the transwarp energy infecting her.
Rhinox vented softly as he looked over the data. "I see it. This residual radiation is corrupting the shell program they installed in you, and it'll eventually reach your core consciousness. We'll need to remove the shell program and reprogram the CR chamber to eradicate any remaining radiation within your circuits," he said quietly, looking at her. He was absolutely overjoyed to see his friend returned, after having failed to save her in the first place and being forced to fight her for well over a solar cycle now. But that joy was now buried beneath a saddening truth.
"You can do that…right?" Nightwing asked him quietly.
"…I don't know if I can," he said regretfully, feeling like he was failing Nightwing yet again. "It's never been tried before. And I don't know if we have the proper technology on hand to accomplish it. I'll need to do a lot of research and test out a few prototypes before I'd say we could try to remove the shell program. And that's time we don't have."
"O-oh," Nightwing said, looking down a bit.
Optimus, who had been in the room as well, now moved to Nightwing. "We're not giving up. Can't we remove the corruption now?" He asked Rhinox.
The green engineer shook his helm. "Not without removing the Predacon shell programming. It's the source of the radiation at this point. If we try to remove the radiation without removing it, it'll just come back. Even if we could, we still would need to remove the Predacon shell program. We can only suppress the Predacon programming for so long before it begins to do to her what her Maximal programming was doing to it."
He moved to Nightwing, gently grabbing her shoulder and causing her to look up at him. He marveled at how strange and also relieving it was to see the actual worry and sadness on her faceplate, rather than the normal stoic, emotionless appearance it usually took when she had been a Predacon. "But I'm not giving up Nightwing. I failed to save you once, I won't do it again. You can count on it," he told her.
She gave him a weak grin and nod. "So what do we do then?" She asked him.
"I have...a solution, for now. I don't like it, but it's the only one we've got at the moment. If we put you into a stasis pod, going into stasis will stop the spread of the corruption. It'll buy me the time I need to get everything ready to remove your Predacon shell program and the transwarp radiation. And it'll keep your Predacon programming suppressed as well. Once everything is ready to go…we'll bring you out of stasis and begin the procedure," he told her.
She trembled a bit, standing up. "I...go back into stasis? I just…I barely got back," she said. "I can't…I don't know if I can just go into stasis. T-The last time…I woke up to find myself trapped in my own frame as some Predacon programming used it to hurt you all."
"That won't happen this time. You'll be secure here inside the base. We'll make sure they never get you. And when everything is ready, we'll be able to fix you up and you'll be back with us," Optimus said, trying to reassure her.
"And I'll do everything I can to get things ready as quickly as possible," Rhinox told her, moving back to her side. "I'm not going to fail you again Nightwing."
She looked back at him, the weak smile reappearing. "…I know you won't Rhinox. I never lost faith in you. But I'm…I'm so scared…I'm scared of this all being a dream…of something happening…I don't want to…go to sleep and wake up and find out I'm a Predacon again."
"You won't Nightwing. I promise," Rhinox said empathically, getting her to look him in the optics. "I swear on my Spark that when I wake you up, it'll be to fully restore you. That's a promise," he said.
Nightwing looked him in the optics, before nodding. "I know," she said, taking a deep vent. "But…can I have some time please? To spend with you and the others? Just to get ready. Get acclimated to everyone, for when I can join you all full time."
Optimus nodded at that. "Of course. I'll see to it that a stasis pod is set up and whenever you feel ready, we'll get you into it," he said, stepping away to do that.
As soon as he was gone, Nightwing hugged Rhinox. "I'm so sorry. I nearly…I don't know how many times I fought you, nearly killed you. I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough, sorry I couldn't fight back, I-!" She babbled out, till Rhinox silenced her with a single digit.
"You saved me Nightwing. When your Predacon programming had me dead to rights…I think it was your influence, your memories that stopped her. So you saved me. You're stronger then you think," he told her.
She just held onto him, looking away. "I just…I don't know what to even think right now. I'm so happy and scared and guilty and terrified and angry and…I just…I…"
"I think you need a few decacycles rest. And then you can meet everyone," he told her. Nightwing nodded at that, looking to the repair table. Rhinox stopped her though. "No…in your quarters," he said.
Her optics widened as he led her towards the crew quarters, undoing the security lock on the door. It opened and she slowly entered, looking around. Her quarters was similar to the rest of the regular crew's, a simple desk and recharging berth. She had decorated it with some schematics of things she loved to tinker with in her spare time, some pictures of family and friends, especially one of her and Rhinox together. The quarters were somewhat a mess though, due to some things being knocked around by previous Predacon attacks and no one going in to pick them up. But it'd be easy enough to fix it all up.
She couldn't help but turn to Rhinox. "…it's….it's good to be home," she said softly.
Rhino just gave her a nod with a smile on his faceplate. "It's good to have you home," he said, watching her move to start picking things up. He went to help her, relief and joy spreading through him. His friend was finally home.
So yeah, this chapter is VERY late, and I'm very sorry for that. Some…things popped up on my end. A couple of rather emotional moments that stopped me from being able to write. But also…there were days I was feeling just too lazy to write. So I'm very sorry it took this long to get this chapter out. But I'm HOPING that you all like it and find it worth the wait.
Lycanok:…..
Nightwing:….
LR: Hmmmm?
Lycanok: I certainly didn't mind this chapter. *Blushing slightly*
Nightwing: I am…so confused and lost right now. What do I do out here now? Do I act like the Predacon half? Do I start acting like my Maximal self?
LR: Just…do what's comfortable for you?
Specter: No fair! You took away my new playmate!
LR: Unfortunately I kind of had to. I wrote myself into this corner with Nightwing. I originally had planned for her to sort of disappear into the wilds for a while, and eventually return to the Maximals, begging for their help regarding her growing malfunction. But I couldn't realistically think of a way to pull it off. Predacon Nightwing was too loyal to the Preds to stay away, and Maximal Nightwing, with the way things were going, was growing too strong. She'd have gone to the Maximals first chance she got. That being said, I don't want her to just automatically be kicking butt with the Maximals. So she's going to be out of commission for a while. Plus, I was able to neatly tie all this into something else that'll happen down the line.
Vixtrion; Planning ahead, are we?
LR: Well I thought it'd be a great way to more realistically explain something that happens in canon. Won't spoil beyond that though.
Ripfang: gaahhhhh, you stopped me from getting to have a really awesome fight! I'm so annoyed now!
LR: Look, it's Wrex! Go spar with him!
Wrex: RIPFANG!
Ripfang: WREX!
LR: *watches the two charge at each other* …I'm going to regret this.
Anyways, thanks for reading everyone. Hope you're staying safe and having fun. Till next time!