Unleash the Beast!

Chapter 3: Home Is Where Your Leviacon Is (Part 3)

*Note: I'm using a more removed "third-person" for this big battle. Let me know if its more coherent this way! This fight won't be very long though, for reasons that will become painfully obvious. XD

Siltswell spoke into her comm. link as she ran for the south shore, informing the others of the situation. Windstorm added in what information he knew about Corrupticons and Dark Energon. This would not be an easy battle, he warned. A Corrupticon on their own was bad enough; one with an army of undead and an undead Leviacon notorious for eating whole ships was arguably catastrophic. Luckily, Siltswell was on the same page as he was. She snipped into the common channel for Gust to take her Leviacon, Gale Force, and scout: enemy position and enemy headcount were the two main requests. She would join her with Turbid to scout out any weaknesses in the enemy's ranks from below.

"You aren't worried about being spotted?" he demanded as she dove into the water.

"Pfft! Not a chance! Keel doesn't call me "Lady Lurk" for nothing, Windstorm!" she winked.

[Don't leave us out of the fight!] came Wayfinder's voice. [Mizzenmast just told us what's going on. Colchis is willing to lend his big guns.]

"Good," he confirmed. "I expect we'll be needing them."

"I'll see if I can convince Deep Rush to help," whispered Depth Charge. "You go get Maelstrom."

Depth Charge dove into the water and disappeared too.

[Meet at Berm to the southwest, everyone!] ordered Tsunami. [If he's laying siege to Nautilus, we'll gather our forces outside for an ambush.]

[Copy that, ma'am.] grunted Colchis. [We'll give you a distraction so he doesn't catch on.]

[Don't make it too convincing, captain. He may catch on if it is,] warned Tsunami. [Fire some wide warning shots, nothing more.]

Windstorm waded into the water to the sound of the Matador launching for its diversion. He hoped Colchis knew to stay high up.

Once he hit the continental shelf, he dove. Upon hitting a depth of about a thousand feet, he leveled off and, after being certain he was in the open ocean, he began calling for Maelstrom across the link. Soon enough, the monsoon in his mind returned. He met up with Maelstrom en route to the rendezvous. After spending a week around him, his preliminary skittishness was effectively gone. Maelstrom allowed him to grab hold of his dorsal spines and hitch a ride. En route, they bumped into the manta titan, Flotsam, with her manta-like speaker Dredger hitch-hiking. They then ran into the multi-eyed, sail-finned Ripper, with Keel clinging to his stubby snout horn. Ripper didn't seem too enthused to be so close to Flotsam but a low growl and near bite from Maelstrom soon had him following them like an obedient puppy.

Berm itself was a large ring of islands with a wide, deep bay (probably all that remained of a massive super-volcano's caldera) already occupied by Nekton and an even bigger, kelp-colored reptilian beast: the old Reef Crusher, Skerry's Leviacon – the only Leviacon other than Nekton who was truly amphibious. While Ripper and Flotsam could fit into the already semi-crowded bay, there wasn't enough space for Maelstrom.

"Circle the island," he ordered as he disembarked. "Keep a look out for us."

Maelstrom let out a low grumble, pulled back, and swam out to commence his patrol.

Windstorm joined Skerry, Dredger, Keel, Trawler, and Tsunami on shore. Already Tsunami was mapping out battle plans in the sand based on data coming in from Gust and Gale Force. Undertow was at the head of the formation with the re-animated husks of the shipwreck victims horded around him like a swarm. Those husks wouldn't be so much a challenge with the aid of the aquatic titans as much as an intentional nuisance to get past. It was a flimsy wall but a wall nonetheless.

"The last thing we want is anyone being swarmed," Tsunami said. "We need a way to remove his cannon fodder so the Leviacons can focus."

"Leave that to me and Silt," proclaimed Trawler with a confident grin. "Can undead get sea-sick, do you think?" he hinted playfully.

"Windstorm. You said the only way to truly defeat an infected creature is to dismember it, correct?" Tsunami demanded of him.

"Yes. Our medic Charity explained that if the Dark Energon flow is disrupted it will cease working. Cut off the power source, and you lose power."

"Good. Keel, you will work with Outrigger to start that process. Once your side is clear, go for fins and the tail; that will destroy his mobility. Windstorm, you and Maelstrom will assist them only once the horde has been cleared. If we have too many Leviacons in one place it will become too crowded and hectic to operate effectively."

Windstorm nodded stiffly. "Understood. Do keep in mind that the longer the Leviacons are exposed to the Dark Energon, the more likely they are to suffer ill-effects. All those injuries will surely leak an unfathomable amount of the substance into the water."

"I can help keep the water clear," offered the manta-mech, Dredger. "Flotsam's turbines are perfect for that sort of thing."

['Nami, Deep Rush is willing to help but only once you guys have Undertow weakened. He will make sure the Ship-Swallower stays down.]

"Thank you, Depth Charge," she clipped. "Remain on standby, then."

[Roger, 'Nami. Over and out.]

"What of you, Tsunami?" Windstorm wondered.

Tsunami's bright pink optics pulled up from the sand. "Tidal Wave and I will finish the fight, just as we did last time. He's the only one big enough and strong enough to inflict fatal damage on his body. Undertow's body still has damage from last time, too, so it might be easier to hurt him. We'll see."

"We're sure this jerk doesn't know about the last time, right?" chirped Skerry. "He's not going to counter us?"

"Corrupticons can't read the minds of those they control, can they, Windstorm?" demanded Tsunami through flashing optics.

The engineer shrugged, "There has been no evidence thus far indicating they can."

"And Scour cannot connect to Undertow the way a speaker can. So I don't think that will be a concern, Skerry," she assured the little mini-con.

"Phew! You hear that, Crusher?" she cheerfully called.

The big reptilian creature slowly nodded his horned head. Skerry offered him a bright smile and a thumbs up in return.

"I'd advise Reef Crusher stay out of this to begin with, Skerry. He's older. He could be weaker to Dark Energon than the others."

Skerry wasn't bothered being grounded. "Okay! Go kick his butt for us!"

['Nami, I've got an update.] came Siltswell's voice.

"Report," the lead sea-speaker clipped briskly.

Siltswell reported that Scour's defenses below the water were minimal – all his forces were on the water's surface. Further, they seemed to be acting in unison, like a school of fish, rather than independently or even as individual branches like she'd thought they would. That matched up with Windstorm's own data; the lesser Corrupticons Optimus and Vector had fought in the mountains had acted similarly to a swarm or a hive, with only the more powerful ones like Setback or Malice acting as independent commanders. Siltswell's data also lined up with how Dark Energon re-animation worked: anything re-animated was merely a pawn to the one in command.

But, Windstorm wondered, did Scour have the capacity to command both the swarm and Undertow? Even for a Corrupticon, that might be pushing it. Was there a way to strain the control enough so his minions rebelled?

"It's an idea worth testing out," Trawler acceded, scratching his chin. "Not that I'm sure how we'd test that though, if I'm honest."

Tsunami nodded. "Out of curiosity, Siltswell, are they affected by Turbid's song?"

[It's hard to tell with how quiet he's keeping it. Turbid's too skittish right now to try it louder, and that may just tip the enemy off that we're prodding his defenses. This guy's dumb, not deaf.]

"Wise. Retreat, then. We have what we need. Prepare for the assault."

[You got it!]

"How will we approach?" asked Dredger.

Tsunami pointed back at the battle map. "His forces seem to be focused on the front and sides. He's clearly not anticipating an attack from behind. He will that regret that cockiness quickly. Outrigger, is that clear?"

[Chomp on some zombie tail? Copy that. I think Wave Cutter missed breakfast this morning,] The grouchy Outrigger actually sounded happy, even eager, for once. Had Scour been able to hear her, Windstorm was certain he would be second-guessing his decision to fight.

"Don't let her consume it," hissed Windstorm. "That could make her ill, or worse, render her capable of being controlled by Scour."

[Copy that, nerd boy. Just chomp, no eat.]

"Good. You know your roles. Partner up, then, and remember the old adage that this invader ignores: Anger the Leviacons –"

"Anger the seas!" cheered the other speakers with gusto.

All save Tsunami rushed back into the water where their titans were waiting. When Windstorm gave her a curious look, she gestured to the southern portion of the atoll. Windstorm understood, and thus drove to the western hook of the island where Maelstrom was waiting about two klicks off shore. The titan assured him he had encountered no trouble, which really only served to exemplify how bad at this Scour really was. No combat training at all, it looked like, not even an understanding of basic strategy or reconnaissance. It was rather surprising that Scour was so haughty when he was so under-prepared. Numbers weren't going to help if you were bad at using them.

'Trickery?' grumbled Maelstrom.

He hemmed. No, not trickery. Corrupticons were functionally immortal – resilient and able to mend otherwise fatal injuries due to their bodies being pumped full of potent Dark Energon. It explained his eagerness to do battle against literal titans: Scour thought himself utterly immune from harm.

Maelstrom's huge glowing eyes flashed. 'Prove him wrong.'

Windstorm grinned. "Quite. Shall we, then?"

The sea-faring titan's maw yawned open. The rush of a connection, this time, not only felt right – it was two-way. Torrents of each mind met in the middle of the chasm to fuse into a single crashing storm.

The water was calm – calmer than perhaps it had any right to be when it was buoying an undead horde. On Undertow's head, Scour waited, his patience dwindling.

Deep below, near the ocean floor, the signal from Turbid and Siltswell was broadcast: begin.

Scour was too focused on the Matador in the distance to bother looking behind. He didn't see the water breach twice in unison – the first breach that of a huge, rhino-like horn far bigger than a terrestrial passenger plane wing, and the second breach an equally massive dorsal fin with a small platform encircling the top where Outrigger stood. After the horn came the head: a deadly predatory triangle cutting through the waves like a ship's bow, hence the Leviacon's name.

"Alright, big girl. Best Jaws impression! Let's go!" barked Outrigger.

There came a creaking groan as Wave Cutter's maw opened while she rushed forward. Inside that maw was a nightmarish, whirling forest of giant teeth arranged in circular bands that buzzed around like sawblades. By the time Scour noticed the Leviacon's swift approach, it was too late to have the massive, sluggish Undertow react: Wave Cutter snapped down with her outer set of giant teeth, and a violent, discordant whine said that the inner teeth were already cutting away at Undertow's tail.

"Finally! I was wondering when you would show up!" shouted Scour. "I was beginning to get bored!"

The horde all around began to shift. A few began trying to climb up onto Wave Cutter's fins, but a hefty jerk saw them dismounted.

That was the cue for Trawler and Siltswell. Nekton and Turbid roused out of the ocean floor in a plume of sediment. Trawler urged him in a straight, snout-first ascent.

"You ready for this, guys?" the blue-grey giant grinned.

Nekton gave a happy chirp that needed no translation.

*Ready, Trawler!*

Trawler laughed, "Let's do this!"

"Belly-flop breach!" they both cried.

Nekton thus breached out of the water into the port-side horde, and, chirping, fell sideways in a massive plume of water. Turbid did the same on the starboard side. Some of the tiny horde members were outright flung into the air with the disturbed water, while the waves sloshed and scattered them back. Scour had Undertow try to turn, but Wave Cutter clamped down even harder on the giant's tail and yanked. Undertow, under Scour's command, strained against her pull.

"Splish-splash, Nekton! Splish-splash!" Trawler told him, flapping his arms.

Nekton understood. Siltswell had Turbid do the same. Again and again their giant flippers struck the ocean's surface to generate even more turbulent waves. Any unfortunate to be beneath those flippers were crushed. Unable to coordinate in the tumult, the two side hordes began to fragment. Scour tried to compensate, re-organizing them, but it seemed the waters were too wild by then for his efforts to really matter. And Keel made sure things stayed wild. In the water's beyond Undertow's starboard side, Ripper rushed in like a mad storm. His sail cut their ranks; claws rent into the ocean, fangs snapped onto Undertow's flipper, and the titan beast began to rabidly thrash about in his efforts to rend the clawed fin.

"Fight back, you overgrown cargo hauler!" snapped Scour. "I command it!"

Undertow's head swung, ramming one of his massive front-facing horns sideways into the much smaller Ripper. Ripper, however, gamely clung on, gladly taking the opportunity to slash back with his claws. In the end, another swing of Undertow's horns wound up giving the final push on Ripper that rent the rotten flipper clear of its joint. On Keel's order, it was quickly spat out. Moments later, Wave Cutter bit through Undertow's tail at last.

"Nowhere to run now, jerk!" shouted Outrigger. "Your ride can't swim!"

Ripper, Turbid, and Wave Cutter, however, started to behave strangely as the purple grunge inside Undertow seeped out into the water.

Scour laughed, "You honestly thought it would be that easy? Didn't your Relkan friend tell you that Dark Energon has degenerative effects on the body?"

[Dredger! Your turn!] barked Tsunami.

[Everybody hold on!]

Dredger piloted Flotsam into position just below Undertow yet behind Wave Cutter. A veritable hurricane was whipped up underwater by Flotsam's titanic turbines. Tons upon tons of tainted sea water (and unfortunate, sinking undead) was violently ejected from the battlefield. As the waters cleared, the Leviacons started to perk up again, enough to continue with the attack.

A giant, six-legged shadow descended out of the sky. Gale Force's plane-like wings, outfitted with even bigger turbines than Flotsam, dwarfed any Terran aircraft that they happened to mimic. Scour, taken aback by the awesome sight, looked like he was starting to reconsider fighting them – his dropped jaw and wide optics plainly said he'd had no idea one of the titans could fly. How was he supposed to fight something if he couldn't reach it?

[Blow him away, Double G!] laughed Trawler.

[Blowing him away, Trawler!] cried Gust.

The Leviacons ducked below the water to avoid what was about to come. Gale Force's wings re-oriented, allowing her to hover. With a thundering screech, her turbines roared into overdrive. Sheets of water were kicked up as the screaming winds rushed past. Any remaining undead were sent flying into the distance, some torn apart by the wind outright. Not even Undertow's plating was immune to the terrible winds. Scour barely had time to duck behind one of Undertow's small (relatively) dorsal spines to avoid a large segment of plating that hurtled past him. Unfortunately for Scour, even that started to creak and loosen under the onslaught; Undertow's decades at the sea-floor quietly rusting had left him fragile, more so than Scour had anticipated.

And then came the storm: Maelstrom, with Windstorm at the helm. The angry behemoth rammed into Undertow from the side with such brutal force that it knocked Scour clear of his hiding place and sent him careening across Undertow's back. Maelstrom began to bite down on Undertow's head, puncturing it with his outer row of teeth. Undertow snapped back with his own forest of nightmare fangs. Maelstrom bit back even harder. On Windstorm's order, his massive claws began to rip into Undertow's metal hide. The resulting gaping wounds gushed even more Dark Energon into the water. But their enemy still kept functioning. Undertow swung sideways to clamp his bigger jaws down on Maelstrom's snout.

Maelstrom writhed and eventually, with help from Ripper and Turbid, broke free – now with a few new scars swiping across his head.

Windstorm was stunned and fascinated he could feel the scars on his own face. Ghost pains, medics called them.

Windstorm, grimacing through the pain, focused, closed his optics, and re-opened them. He was not looking out from his own optics but those of Maelstrom. And what he could see was encouraging: thousands of invisible energy tethers from the undead horde had snapped. The large chain like one connecting Scour to Undertow was looking quite frayed. All the missing Dark Energon was severing Scour's connection to Undertow.

Far out to the east, Maelstrom saw something: a wave.

"Everyone! Down, down!" Windstorm cried.

While Gale Force flew up into the clouds, every other Leviacon dove.

"Running away, are you?" gloated Scour. "Had enough, then?!"

When no one answered, his expression changed. "...They aren't running from me, are they?" Scour realized aloud.

Scour tried to have Undertow dive to chase after them. Stripped of his tail and fins, though, all Undertow could do was float.

Annoyed, frustrated, the Corrupticon looked in all directions for a means to strike back – and saw what was coming. The wave on the horizon had became a monstrous tsunami. Forcing it ahead was the mighty King of the Leviacons: the truly mountainous Tidal Wave.

"Drown him, Tidal Wave!" Tsunami shouted from her harness.

Right as the wave threatened to crash down on Undertow, Tidal Wave leapt through it, roaring a roar loud enough to rupture human ear drums, and rammed himself into Undertow. His two heavy tusks buried themselves into Undertow's face while his massive maw ripped and tore into his head. As the wave came down on them all, Undertow (and Scour with him) was dragged helplessly below in a wild writhe of limbs and fins. The two titans engaged in a rather one-side fight on the way down, and the water was stained purple by even more of the seeping purple grunge. Dredger and Flotsam worked posthaste to clear it. Undertow was then dragged horizontally towards a huge underwater rift valley where Tidal Wave relinquished his death hold.

[Finish him!] clipped Tsunami to Depth Charge.

The Leviacons and their speakers backed away from the chasm. Out of the cavernous trench below, the reclusive eel-like behemoth Deep Rush emerged head first to sink his fangs into what was left of Undertow's tail, and promptly pulled him into the deep. Scour, however, did not go down with his metaphorical ship; he clumsily launched free, barely able to fight the clashing currents swirling around him.

[Hey, hey, HEY! Perp's trying to make a break for it!] Dredger alerted them.

Windstorm emerged from Maelstrom's maw. He couldn't help being somewhat amused at Scour's frantic (and poor) attempt to swim. He hovered effortlessly in the water near him.

"Pity you don't have an aquatic mode," he noted lightly, "or any means of propulsion, really."

"Are you mocking me?!"

"Not mocking. Observing. I observe that you are spectacularly bad at this. So spectacular I am amazed you were even inducted."

"Just watch!" snarled Scour. "I'll raise another army and invade you on land! Your sea titans won't be any help there! Then see about that superior attitude, Relkan!"

"You realize at least three of them are amphibious," he noted dryly. "And even if you did attack on land, I can merely –"

Ripper cut everything short by snapping his teeth into Scour. One tooth punctured right through him, skewering him. Windstorm was so taken aback at the sudden snap (and its gruesome end result) he could only stare.

[Sorry! Sorry! I couldn't stop him!] Keel gasped.

"Just don't let Ripper eat him," urged Windstorm flatly. "I'm sure Colchis will have some place to keep him on the Matador."

[Keep him? He looks pretty dead to me, dude.]

Windstorm eyed the Corrupticon's purple optics. "He's not. Trust me, Keel. Killing a Corrupticon is never that easy. I blew up a ship with one it; not even that was sufficient."

[Oh-hoh-kay wow!] gasped Keel. [Tha-that's actually kinda terrifying. How the heck're you supposed to get rid of them if they don't stay dead?]

"We simply don't know yet. That's why our best option is to contain him."

Tsunami agreed such a course of action was a wise one.

A tiny form emerged from the chasm. In the glow of his angler-fish-lure light, Depth Charge merely nodded.

[Good work.] Tsunami told him.

Windstorm returned to Maelstrom.

Tidal Wave gave a low grumble before releasing Tsunami. Nekton happily offered her a ride instead while Tidal Wave disappeared into the open ocean. Even at a slower pace, giant waves formed in the wake of the King's manta-like wings.

The Leviacons re-convened in formation. With Maelstrom in the lead and Ripper in the middle, they made their way back to the bay of Nautilus. But the only two to physically enter the bay were Flotsam and Ripper; everyone else was content to linger in the deeper waters beyond. Keel guided Ripper up onto the beach, much to Windstorm's surprise, after which Keel leapt out and tried to get Scour free of the tooth. With the enlisted strength of Trawler, they eventually succeeded. Keel nearly yelped when Scour struck Trawler and staggered away, somehow not bleeding to death from the gaping hole in his chest. Trawler had no problem grabbing the unruly Corrupticon and slinging over his shoulder like a sack of gears. Scour seemed too weak to fight back at that point. He was strong enough to loudly complain though.

Colchis's security officers quickly met them on the beach. They cuffed Scour, wrapped a few chains around him for good measure, and hauled him into the ship where a pod was waiting for him.

From the head of Reef Crusher, little Skerry cheered.

The cheer didn't last long. Admiral Gondola, standing on the shore, looked out into the bay where Maelstrom was and simply frowned.

Windstorm knew what it meant. For now, he decided to appease her. Colchis would have to talk her out of it; if it meant a few additional days to learn, he was willing to tolerate her ruling.

Was that really it?

Windstorm couldn't help but feel a touch suspicious. He trusted Colchis, of course, but there was no way to tell for certain if his precautions would hold against a supernatural threat like Scour. What if he got loose and infected the crew or, Primus forbid, the ship itself? Then again, keeping him on Aquatron wouldn't be any less dangerous. If he could infect Nautilus with debilitating side-effects as he had with the Leviacons, he'd have an opportune moment to rush off and raise another army to attack while they were weak.

"Dear me, I'm beginning to sound like Zodiac," he muttered lightly.

A wordless question from Maelstrom hung in his mind.

"Goodness, did I forget to tell you about her? Zodiac is a fellow scientist, a planetary astronomer for the CERF. You wou–"

"WINDSTORM!" shrieked a familiar voice.

Even Maelstrom couldn't help but flinch at the volume.

"Zodiac! Please, calm yourself. I'm quite alright." He paused. "Wait, how are you conversing with me right now? Aren't you back at the salvage yard?"

A low scream forced Maelstrom's attention up. A ship was just coming out of its atmospheric descent: an Aquatronian cargo hauler. Colchis, he remembered then, had sent out an alert that they were stranded on the off chance the Matador's repairs hadn't been finished in time. That message seemed to have gone through smoothly, so why was Zodiac sounding so panicked?

"Where are you?" she demanded nervously. "I don't see you."

"If you are looking for me on shore, you are looking in the wrong place," he teased calmly.

Gust waved them down from the semi-submerged Gale Force where the other speakers were gathered. Whoever was captaining the cargo hauler thus bridged Zodiac, Optimus, and Bumblebee onto what they must have assumed was a strange ship. He did admit that, currently, Gale Force did bear a passing resemblance to an aircraft carrier. Her long, near perfectly flat back could probably serve as one, really.

Maelstrom understood the new arrivals were friends. Without asking him to, he lunged up out of the water, much to the fright of his allies. Maelstrom's enormous tongue came up to catch him as he dropped from the N-TIH unit. When Maelstrom opened his maw to let him exit, Zodiac and Bumblebee first reacted with more fright; then, they reacted in shocked confusion as they stared, speechless, at the sight of him calmly hopping from Maelstrom's giant metal tongue onto deck.

"Why thank you, Maelstrom!" he said cheerfully.

The titan emitted a low rumble after his maw closed. His head sank back below the waves.

"Windstorm?!" cried Bumblebee. "What?! What were you doing inside that thing's mouth?!"

He cocked a brow ridge at him. "That is where the N-TIH unit is."

Shock started to ebb more into confusion. "The what now?"

"The N-TIH unit," he repeated. "The most direct means for a speaker to translate."

Bumblebee remained lost for a few more moments. At that point, shock gave way to a smile. "So I'm guessing your study abroad vacation went okay? Is Aquatron starting to feel a little more like home now?"

Windstorm's optic twitched. Something about his tone simply made all his frustration snap taught.

"Smoothly?" he scoffed. "Smoothly?! I was given a mere week to learn about an entire culture's history and the complexities of sea-speaking. I've been threatened and forcibly detained here by the Admirals – which will undoubtedly lead to a diplomatic incident that I am helpless to stop – and as if that wasn't enough – oh no, because of course it wasn't! – I was attacked by a Corrupticon and an undead Leviacon just yesterday!"

He stood there panting. Optimus stared in return, quite taken aback by what no doubt came across as uncharacteristic temper.

Annoyingly, Bumblebee's friendly smile didn't dissipate. "So? Does it feel a little more like home?"

He sighed, unable to stop a faint smile from forming. "You know what? Yes. In a strange way, yes."

Bumblebee then took notice of the little gathering (minus Skerry) that had welcomed them aboard Gale Force. "Who are these guys?"

Windstorm's smile became more amiable. "These are...well, I suppose you could say they are the extended family that I...never knew I had."

"The other speakers?" Optimus guessed correctly.

"Indeed, sir."

"Care to introduce us then?" grinned Zodiac.

He did. He managed to introduce everyone in order right up until heard a happy shriek, almost perfectly on cue with him bringing up the one who made it.

"Oh my gosh you're bright yellow! EEeeeeEEeee!"

Skerry zipped over to Bumblebee, grabbed his leg, and refused to let go. "So pretty," she muttered.

"Uh...who're you?" the former scout wondered.

"I'm Skerry!" the little mini-con greeted.

"What? No you're not," Bumblebee chuckled. "You're anything but scary."

Skerry rolled her optics in good humor. "No, silly! Not 'Scary'! Skerry! S-K-E-R-R-Y!"

"Oooooh. You mean like a reef skerry, not appearance scary. Yeah, that makes more sense. You're another speaker?"

"Yep! I speak for Reef Crusher! Say hi, Crusher!" she cried, waving out across the bay.

Reef Crusher's head emerged above water to snort a friendly cloud of mist in their direction. To both his and Skerry's surprise, that wasn't the end of it. Something (or someone) caught the old Leviacon's interest, so he galumphed out into the bay to investigate. Even more surprising, that point of interest turned out to be none other than Optimus himself. Reef Crusher loomed in so close to them all it was possible to see the algae and coral growing between his giant metal scales. Optimus, however, showed no alarm; recognition of all things glittered in his blue optics.

"...You remember me," he rumbled quietly.

Reef Crusher rumbled gently back.

"You've met Reef Crusher before?" demanded Windstorm, shocked.

"Once. A long time ago, though I was not aware of his name then. If not for his intervention I may not have been standing here telling you so."

"You got saved by a Leviacon?" gasped Bumblebee.

"So that's how you knew what a Leviacon was without Waves ever clarifying!" realized Zodiac.

Skerry snapped her digits, "Oh, yeah! Crusher mentioned once he saved a couple of you wheely-types when their ship got shot down!"

"He did," the Prime confirmed, "though it was not the most...orthodox rescue; he caught us in his mouth in order to ferry us to shore. Jazz and Jetfire were convinced he was going to devour us. Perceptor was skeptical of that, and proceeded to prove his skepticism was founded – in perhaps not the safest way."

Bumblebee laughed, "Percy started doing scientific fate-tempting, didn't he?"

"Yes," the Prime smiled. "Much to Jetfire's profound horror."

(Had it been his imagination or had he detected a little spurt of humor in his voice?)

Not even the outwardly cold Tsunami or the grouchy Outrigger could hold back a laugh at the image that evoked. Not even he could. The sight of one of the most respected scientists ever created by Cybertron purposefully tempting fate to prove his theory, while his allies panicked and tried to get him to stop, was a laughable one knowing Reef Crusher's personality now. Perceptor had probably wound up annoying him in the end, as the old King would have wondered why the tiny little outsider was trying to provoke him for, in his eyes, no good reason.

"Speaking of rescues," Siltswell smiled, "do you think you could pay old Crusher's rescue forward? Your boy needs an assist. The Admirals have detained him."

"Illegally, I might add," Windstorm hissed.

"Of course," Optimus nodded.

"Can't we just smuggle him out while no one's looking?" asked Zodiac.

Outrigger frowned and jerked a thumb back to shore. "They are looking. Even if they weren't, they'd check your ships with a fine-toothed comb. That's how paranoid these jerks are about taking off our leashes."

"You mean Gondola," Dredger corrected.

"Yeah. Mainly her. Glitch," Outrigger huffed.

Zodiac shrugged, "Legal argument it is, then."

"We can't let you take him back," said Gondola flatly.

At his side, Bumblebee was flabbergasted. "What? Why not? He's a registered citizen of Crystal City. If you detain him, you're functionally kidnapping him!"

"He was forged here. His spark came from our Well. That makes him by default a creation of Aquatron," another Admiral, Halyard, reminded him.

"Oh, Tidal Wave drown you both!" spat Mizzenmast. "It's like you want to start an incident! We have no right to claim him as ours! He has a whole life back on Cybertron and you'd yank him away from that for, what, baseless paranoia?"

"Admirals, if I may," Optimus began, "there is a good reason you should let him leave freely: the Corrupticon who attacked your planet."

"What about him?" wondered the heavyset Broadsides.

"You think Scour will be the last? Windstorm is one of seven new Relkana. The Corrupted will discover he is here, alone. They will flock to him with the sole intent to kill him, and they will slaughter anyone who tries to impede that goal. That is not exaggeration; that is fact. Many will be far, far more capable and dangerous than Scour was. Detaining Windstorm here will not only endanger him – stranding him away from his allies – it will endanger you in the process. Are you truly willing to place your people at risk of future attacks, all for the sake of keeping one of your speakers here against his will?"

Gondola, for once, seemed to bend to his logic. "Your point is a strong one."

"But?" Zodiac prompted.

"You have to understand our wariness here, Prime," Halyard stated. "The last time Windstorm left the planet, Maelstrom went on a decade-long rampage as a result."

"Sure, but this time he knows where he's going," Bumblebee noted. "He's got way less of a reason to flip out."

"You would be excused for thinking that, but I'm afraid it's not so simple," Broadsides argued. "Leviacons bear a tight psychological bond with their speakers. The farther away a sea-speaker is, the fainter that connection. Windstorm is going to be light-years away; that re-established bond will snap at that distance – there will be no more two-way feed. If they are apart for too long, stress could mount until either lashes out. I think this goes without saying that a Leviacon suffering a stress-induced mental breakdown is dangerous. Windstorm suffering one as a Relkan could be just as dangerous."

Windstorm's processor lit up in realization. "If communication is the root of the problem, but the link I have now has a limited radius, then I see a rather simple solution: I can create a quantum communicator that will allow us both to remain in contact. Is that sufficient enough to negate this problem, Admirals?"

Gondola blinked. "Well, I – I suppose that would work. But who would translate for Maelstrom in your absence? That was half the reason for his rampage."

"That I admit I do not have an obvious answer for."

"If you cannot offer a solution to that, you cannot leave."

For once in his life, Windstorm exasperatedly rolled his optics. "You are treating Maelstrom like a temperamental toddler. He is aware of the fact I cannot stay. He has expressed no issue with my inability to translate for him while absent. Honestly, his main concern was being unable to speak to me, a problem I have already proposed a ready solution for. Or would like to continue subtly insulting the Storm-Wracker's intelligence?"

Gondola was visibly impressed by his confrontational tone – in a "you-have-some-nerve" way.

"Fine," she yielded. "You have presented a decent case against forcing you to stay. I am not one to argue against Maelstrom himself. If he accepts this –"

"Which he has," he sniffed back.

"–then I will surrender to his ruling."

"Thank you," he nodded. "I will create this communicator before I leave, if that will placate your temper?"

"How long will that take?" whispered Bumblebee.

"Not long. A few hours at worst," he whispered back.

"Any supplies or people we can give for this project, just ask," Mizzenmast urged. "I suspect you will be needing more than usual to make a jumbo-sized one."

"I appreciate it. But it will be no larger than a standard unit. I only need access to Maelstrom's processor to install it."

"...Are you qualified to do that?" Zodiac skeptically questioned.

"I may not be. Siltswell is," he told her.

Windstorm felt a little regretful, truth to be told, as the Matador readied for its atmospheric launch. He barely felt he knew Maelstrom or Aquatron enough to warrant the twinge in his spark, but leaving them now – it was hard. The link with Maelstrom tugged at his psyche; the exterior feed of Maelstrom himself staring after the ship only made that tug painful.

'Please try not to cause a ruckus while I'm gone,' he urged his Leviacon.

'Return when?'

He wasn't sure; there was no way to be sure. Getting back to Aquatron would be difficult if not impossible while two crises were playing out on Earth. But he promised once more that he would speak to Maelstrom over the quantum link as often as he needed. For reassurance of his continued functionality if nothing else.

The Matador's engine kicked into high gear. The last he saw of the great Leviacon was him rearing his head out of the water to roar his farewell – or, perhaps, to cry.

He was forced to look away from the feed as Maelstrom's psyche pounded into his processor in one last desperate attempt to connect before the snap. He didn't feel it happen though. There was no indication of the break when they passed through the spacebridge, only a profound, empty silence in his mind that he had not noticed before, a silence he had never realized was a sign of something wrong.

This, he understood then, was how Windblade felt.

Bumblebee put a hand on his shoulder. "The next opportunity we get, we'll try to arrange another visit."

"Thank you," he said. "But I must focus on a greater problem. Did I miss anything of note during my absence?"

Zodiac got a look on her face. "Uhhh...a bit," she admitted slowly.

Author's Note: This is probably the last chapter post for a while. Finals crunch is here and I gotta hunker down to get through it.

Character note: Yeah, Tsunami really lives up to her name. She will destroy you so thoroughly there's basically no way for you to retaliate. Even if Scour was more competent he still wouldn't have fared any better. XD