Author's Note: Man! I've been working on this chapter since July 2nd! Talk about dragging stuff out!... Actually, I've just had a serious abundance of writer's block ; But I overcame it! And I've decided to stop the bloopers until the end of the fic. Hope ya guys enjoy the next chapter!
That day, much like so many others, was one I'd never forget. We were almost destroyed, wiped out... all of us... Until... He came...
Rodimus Prime
Chapter 10: Beyond Programmed Limits
A few more weeks passed since Blurr's death, and the Autobots were even more down than before. Rodimus was still inside the Matrix, trying to bring Optimus back. Fortunately, there had been no activity from the Decepticons; nothing in the least. However, their doom approached, as Unicron was nearing Earth by the day.
Jetfire was leaning back in a seat by a monitor, feet propped up on the consol. His hands rested behind his head, which was leaned back along with the rest of his body. The commander sighed. He, and the rest of the Autobots, had lost two dear comrades and friends, and the loss was obviously affecting them all. Jetfire placed his feet on the ground, and leaned forward. There was nothing to do, and moping around wouldn't help. He stood up, and headed for the med bay.
Red Alert was hunched over an incomplete body. Its torso was made up of a futuristic semi truck, made with the colors navy blue and silver. It had an Autobot insignia on its right, blocky shoulder, and on its left was seemingly a viewing window. Inside of it was a silver crystal, with a smaller version of the Autobot symbol carved into it. It's head and face strongly resembled Optimus', but it had a gap in the center of the faceplate, showing a grey mouth. It only had one leg attached, but the second was currently being worked on by the medic.
Jetfire walked into the med bay without knocking, a habit he accidentally picked up. "You still working on the body?" The commander asked. Oddly, Red Alert didn't jump at the sudden voice. He, too, was obviously bothered by the loss of his comrade, Blurr.
"Yes." He replied. "I need to keep busy; and besides," He said, while turning to Jetfire. "You told me to work on it anyways." He smiled slightly. "An order is an order."
Jetfire chuckled slightly, and walked up to the body. "How is it coming along?" He asked, while looking at the face. It was so much like Optimus', it wasn't even funny. It had the same, golden optics, the nose, even the crest on his helmet. It, too, was very similar to the original.
"Pretty good." Red Alert replied. "I'm using the same technology I used to make the OP Drones to make this body for him." He said.
Jetfire looked to him oddly. "Why not use something new to rebuild Optimus?"
"Because," Red Alert began. "I was thinking... If I made his new body out of the same technology and components as the OP Drones, then he could interface with them. They could become limbs for him, and form a 'Super Mode' if you will." Red Alert grinned slightly. "Not only that, but Optimus could control the drones mentally, meaning that he could use them to go places where he cant, like underground, or in the air."
"I see." Jetfire said while nodding. "That's pretty smart, Red Alert." He said. The commander glanced back down to the empty body. "How long until it's done?"
"Well, I've already modified the OP Drones so they can merge with Optimus, so they're all set. As for Optimus himself, I just need to finish his leg, and then all we need is his spark." Red Alert's look turned slightly serious. "How is Rodimus doing on that, by the way?"
Jetfire sighed, and shook his head. "I dunno. I tried to snap him out of it a few times, but he keeps that dazed look on his face."
Before Red Alert could reply, however, Jetfire's comlink came to life.
"Jetfire!" Hot Shot said through the communicator. "Come to the command center, there's something here I think you need to see."
"What is it?" The commander replied.
"That's just it! We don't know what it is."
"Hmm... Alright, I'll be there right away." Jetfire replied. He cut off the transmission, and looked to Red Alert. "Keep working on Optimus' new body, Red Alert. I'll check out the situation."
Red Alert nodded. "Yes sir." He said, then turned back around, and continued working on the body.
Jetfire ran through the doorways which lead to the control room. He slowed his run to a quick walk, and came up to Hot Shot.
"Alright, what's this unknown thing?" He asked the yellow Autobot. Hot Shot turned to a nearby monitor, and pointed at it.
"The computer has picked up an unknown signature." He said. "Its north of sector 7G, in the Rocky Mountains."
Jetfire tapped his chin. He remained silent for a few moments. It could be a trap, but it could also be something else... There were too many 'what ifs'. The commander looked up to Hot Shot.
"Alright, we'll investigate it, but I want all available Autobots to accompany us for backup, I don't feel like losing any more friends." Jetfire replied. He cast a glance to Rodimus Prime, who was still sitting down on the ground, still holding the Matrix in front of his open spark chamber. His optics were still dimmed, and his face, as Jetfire said, still had the dazed look.
The commander turned back to Hot Shot. "Have them meet me outside the base in five cycles." He said, while walking out of the control room. Hot Shot nodded, and turned back to the consol.
As Hot Shot went about to call for the Autobots over the intercom, Rodimus twitched slightly. Moments later, his spark, the Matrix, and his optics all lit up, with a bright light reaching out from all three. The future Autobot suddenly grinned.
"Optimus..." He softly whispered.
The Rocky Mountains
Jetfire soared overhead, while Sideswipe, Scavenger, Smokescreen, and Hot Shot followed by ground below. They were heading towards The Rocky Mountains, as the humans have named them, in search of the unknown energy source. No one uttered a word to each other, still a bit shaken up by their losses.
Landing, Jetfire's parts rotated and shifted as his robot mode became known, and the Autobots following him transformed as well. He looked around, while taking a few steps forward.
"Alright, Autobots," Jetfire began. "Scan for the energy source, but stay on alert."
"Yes sir!" The soldiers replied. Almost immediately, they all spread out, searching for anything unusual.
Minutes passed like hours, as each and every Autobot scanned the area. They looked to the most obvious places, to the most absurd places.
The time passed still, before a voice called out. "Hey! I found something!" Hot Shot shouted.
Jetfire was the first to arrive, followed by Scavenger, then Sideswipe, and soon, all the Autobots were with Hot Shot and his discovery.
"What is it?" Sideswipe asked.
"Its... A transmitter." Hot Shot said. Before him was a fairly large consol, with several red dots beeping, and several purple dots near the red ones. "This is what's been giving off the signal."
"What's a consol doing out in the middle of nowhere?" Scavenger asked.
"Does it really matter?... Because if that thing's been giving off the signal, and those dots represent what I think..." Jetfire began.
"It means you've been cornered like rats." A voice from behind them finished. All the Autobots turned around, and gasped.
"ATTACK!!" Jhiaxus exclaimed.
Cyclonus' trademark laughter erupted through the air as he flew out from his hiding place, lasers blazing. Wheeljack sped out in vehicle mode, while Demolishor, also in vehicle mode, crushed several trees under his tank's powerful treads. Skywarp and Warhawk both flew out from opposing sides, swords gripped tightly, while Thrust appeared above the Autobots, guns aimed directly at them.
Needless to say, the Autobots all ran off in different directions in a desperate attempt to escape the assault. Scavenger ran to his left, but found Demolishor pointing his guns at him. Sideswipe ran off to his right, but discovered Cyclonus already beat him there, giggling madly. All the Autobots slowly edged backwards, until they were all back-to-back to each other, forming a sloppy circle.
The Decepticons had them surrounded.
Jhiaxus calmly walked towards Jetfire, arms crossed, and a smirk plastered on his face. "Did you really think we forgot about you, Autobots?" He asked. Jetfire emitted a low growl before the Decepticon continued. "On the contrary, you're all we could think about." Jhiaxus chuckled. "I've been training my troops. What do you think?" He asked.
"I think they can all go suck a petrorabbit." Jetfire sarcastically said.
Autobot Base, Earth
Red Alert remained hunched over Optimus' new body, using the tool for his left hand as a wielder. Sparks flew off of the body, and the light reflected off of the medic's face as the two pieces of metal were melted into one. He grinned, as the tool automatically shut down. With his one hand, Red Alert closed the right chest panel, followed by the left.
"Done." He wearily said. Though he was extremely tired and worn out, he was proud. He constructed a body superior than that of the original Optimus, and, should Jetfire's plan work, Optimus would be better than before!
"Red Alert." A voice from behind said. The medic jumped at the sudden voice, and quickly spun around. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Rodimus standing in the doorway, with his hands behind his back... Wait a sec...
"Rodimus?" Red Alert asked. "I thought you were inside the Matrix?"
"I was." Rodimus said, as a grin slowly crept across his face. "I found what I was looking for." He slowly pulled his hands out, and in his right hand, was a pulsating blue spark.
Red Alert gasped. "Is that...?"
Rodimus nodded in response. "It is. This is Optimus Prime's spark."
Red Alert stared at it, in total shock. "You actually got Optimus out of the Matrix?" He asked.
The future Autobot nodded again, and grinned. "It wasn't easy, but it was worth the effort."
"How do you know that's Optimus' spark?" The medic asked.
"Simple," Rodimus began. "Prime sparks give off different energy than that of normal Autobots. All I had to do was find a Prime spark, and see if its signature matched that of Optimus."
"Interesting..." Red Alert replied. He motioned to Optimus' new body. "Well, Optimus' new body is ready to receive his spark."
"Hold on." Rodimus interrupted. "Before you do that... There's something I want you to install." Rodimus shifted his hands, so Optimus' spark rested in his left hand, and pulled out a disk from supspace in his right.
"What's that?" Red Alert asked.
Rodimus grinned, while handing him both the disk, and Optimus' spark. "It's a technology you created. Upload this to Optimus' body before giving it his spark. I'm off to help the others." He said, then turned around, and rushed towards the door.
"Wait!" Red Alert called out just before Rodimus got away. The future Prime turned around, and looked to Red Alert. "What is it called?" The medic asked.
Rodimus smiled. "The Spark of Combination." He replied. He then continued on his way to help the other Autobots.
Rocky Mountains, Earth
"UGH!!" Jetfire cried out as Jhiaxus slammed him into a rocky wall. The Decepticon commander grinned as he kept pressing the Autobot against it, causing the wall to crack under the great pressure.
"How does it feel?" Jhiaxus asked, grinning. "To know that your time is up?" Jetfire made no response, and tried his hardest not to cry out in pain. His armor moaned and groaned as it slowly bent under Jhiaxus' palm.
Elsewhere on the battlefield...
Hot Shot took a step back, blaster at his side. He continued glancing around. Whoever this Decepticon was, he was using some sort of teleporting device.
"Behind you!" A familiar voice whispered. Hot Shot snapped around, but only briefly saw a black sports car, just before it disappeared.
"Who are you?!" Hot Shot called out.
He gagged. Hot Shot felt a pole-like object being pulled tightly against his throat. Instinctively, he quickly raised his hands in an attempt to pull it away, but only managed to stop it from being pulled tighter. The Autobot struggled to turn his head around, and look at his assailant. The familiar face of an old comrade was staring back at him, grinning.
"An old friend." Wheeljack said, chuckling.
"Wheeljack?!" Hot Shot choked. "What're you-"
"Shutup!" The ex-Autobot snapped. "Just shutup and accept your fate!" He then proceeded to pull tighter on Hot Shot's neck.
Scavenger was having no better luck. He was swinging, wildly at this point, at Demolishor, but somehow, he was dodging the attacks! Scavenger growled lowly, and swung his right fist at the Decepticon; but like all the other attacks, he dodged it! It's as if he were built for speed, and not for strength.
Demolishor grinned. "My turn." He said, as he gave Scavenger a swift uppercut to the chin. Scavenger stumbled backwards, but caught his footing, and stood tall. He frowned, as a small trail of mech fluid oozed down his bottom lip. He raised his left hand, and wiped the liquid off of his face. He dropped down into his own unique stance, and spoke.
"Let's dance, Decepticon!"
"With pleasure!" Demolishor replied, grinning. In one swift motion, his arms swung around backwards, and transformed into gun turrets. Scavenger gasped as Demolishor unleashed a torrent of blasts upon him, and quickly swung his arm up to defend against the shots. His armor quickly got burned in several areas, and he found himself struggling to endure the attack.
Sideswipe was currently running from Cyclonus' airborne onslaught. The Decepticon was following him in his vehicle mode, and his laughter didn't keep it a secret. Blasts from Cyclonus' quad-cannons ceaselessly fired upon the young Autobot, who in turn, struggled to keep ahead of the discharges striking the ground he was running on seconds ago.
"You can't get away from me, punk!" Cyclonus exclaimed. His laughter howled through the air as he suddenly drove himself further ahead, and in result, the blasts still firing from his cannons heavily rained on Sideswipe's backside.
Sideswipe cried out as he tripped over his own feet, and fell to the ground. Cyclonus actually stopped firing, and flew ahead. Quickly turning around, The insane Decepticon flew back, and began strafing the fallen Autobot. Sideswipe's head shot up, and he forced himself to roll away from the attack. However, that didn't stop Cyclonus, as he once again stopped firing.
"Transform!" He called out. His body began plummeting towards the ground, as parts shifted into his robot mode. Landing in a straddling position on Sideswipe's torso, Cyclonus roughly grabbed the Autobot's neck, and started squeezing it tightly, chuckling.
Smokescreen cursed under his breath as he sped away in vehicle mode. He found himself being stalked by THREE Decepticons! Warhawk, Thrust, and Skywarp weren't showing any signs of letting up, either. Skywarp and Thrust drove ahead, but Warhawk seemed to be falling behind...
Thrust sped ahead, and converted into his blue and brown robot mode. He flew down, and pointed his hands out at Smokescreen. They started rotating, and opened fire upon the Autobot, mini gun style. The blasts quickly caught up to Smokescreen, and popped his two back tires. He began to swerve on the ground, and quickly lost control of himself. He spun around, and in the process, flipped over.
"Ugnh..." Smokescreen groaned. He looked up towards the three advancing Decepticons, and gasped. "Transf-OOF!" Was all he managed to get out, as Skywarp landed on him, and pinned him to the ground.
"No transforming for you!" Skywarp said, while grinning behind his vented faceplate. He looked up to Thrust and Warhawk. "I want his head! What parts do you guys want?" He said jokingly.
Warhawk looked down to Smokescreen. He looked so helpless, so weak... It... It didn't feel right. This whole situation he was in didn't feel right... He turned around, and started to walk off.
"Warhawk!" Thrust called out. "Where are you going?"
"I'm going back to base... Something came up." He replied. "You two are more than enough to take care of Smokescreen." And with that, the image of him stretched out of view.
Jhiaxus kept Jetfire pinned against the rocky wall, still grinning at him. "You're precious Autobots are losing." He said tauntingly. "They're all going to die... Where is your savoir, hmmm?"
"Screw you!" Jetfire spat.
"I don't like your tone." Jhiaxus replied, while chuckling. "I'll soon remedy that!" He said, as he pulled back his free hand, and curled it into a fist. Jetfire tensed, and braced himself for the strike...
"Hands off!" A voice from afar said.
Both faction leaders looked over, and through all the commotion, saw a red semi truck, sporting a flame paintjob. "Transform!" The truck exclaimed; parts shifted and twisted, revealing a familiar form.
"Rodimus!" Jetfire exclaimed.
"Hmph." Jhiaxus scoffed. "I see another bug has come to get squashed."
"Think again!" Rodimus exclaimed as he yanked out his engine-like blaster. He squeezed the trigger several times, launching a number of discharges towards the Decepticon commander. The blasts struck his armor, and left deep burn marks, but Jhiaxus seemingly didn't notice. He grinned.
"Nice try, Autobot." He said, as he pulled out his Uzi-like gun. "My turn." He pulled on the trigger, and the weapon fired off shot after shot after shot in a machinegun like manner. Reacting quickly, Rodimus darted around the shots, but Jhiaxus kept the blasts trailing the Autobot's feet. Rodimus glared at the Decepticon, who was still firmly holding Jetfire in place. The shots still following Rodimus slowly gained on him, but suddenly, Rodimus halted his sprint, and leaped backwards, and over Jhiaxus' blasts.
"Huh?" Jhiaxus said. He found Rodimus unexpectedly rushing towards him, preparing for an attack. The Decepticon frowned, dropped his weapon to the ground, and waited for Rodimus, unmoving.
Rodimus, though surprised by the move Jhiaxus just made, continued his running. He reared back his hand, ready to embed it into the Decepticon's face. He yelled out, and... found Jhiaxus' hand clamped tightly around his face. The said Decepticon then lifted Rodimus up off of the ground, and grinned up at him.
"You shouldn't make yourself so obvious, Autobot." Jhiaxus joked, chuckling. Rodimus' muffled curses only caused the 'Con to laugh harder. He then proceeded to slam the future Autobot against the rocky wall, right next to where Jetfire was still pinned.
"Tell me," Jhiaxus began. "Where is your precious Optimus Prime?" He taunted.
A deep gunshot was heard in the distance. Jhiaxus looked over, only to receive a large blast in his face, effectively knocking him on his skidplate, and releasing Rodimus and Jetfire. The two said Autobots looked up at their savior, and couldn't help but gasp.
There, standing in the distance, was a familiar figure. His torso was made up of a futuristic semi, and his arms were red and white. His stomach was silver, while his legs were blue. He was surrounded by a white helicopter, a red firetruck, a yellow drill, and a blue submarine. But unmistakably, his head, and his optics, showed that their dreams and hopes had come true.
"Right here!" Optimus replied.
"Optimus Prime?!" Jhiaxus shouted. He forced himself onto his feet, and stared at his new opponent. "But how?!... You... You're dead!" Optimus only chuckled in response.
"I was, but a good friend helped me back on my feet." Prime replied.
"Tch... No matter." Jhiaxus replied, finally getting a grip. "I hope you made yourself comfortable in the pit, because you're going back! Decepticons!" He exclaimed. "Scrap him!" Almost immediately, the Decepticon troops left their Autobot opponents, some more hesitant than others, and charged towards the newly revived Optimus Prime.
"You're all mine, Prime!" Skywarp exclaimed, while flying towards the Autobot's backside. He drew closer and closer, and came so close to hitting Optimus' backside, but found that Optimus had leapt up, and was riding on his backside.
"Hey!" Skywarp exclaimed. "Get off me!"
"My pleasure." Optimus replied. However, instead of getting off of Skywarp, he ripped open a panel on his back. Sticking his hand in there, the Autobot ripped out several wires, and then jumped off of Skywarp's back.
"No!" Skywarp cried out. "My flying mechanism!" His back started to smoke, and his flying became that of a drunk pilot, as he fell out of the sky, and into the forest below.
Optimus landed in a crouching position, and looked up. Wheeljack was running towards him, weapons drawn. The Autobot stood back up, just as the ex-Autobot swung his beat-down stick at him. Optimus raised his arm, effectively blocking Wheeljack's assault. Optimus then pushed Wheeljack's weapon aside, and embedded his fist into the Decepticon's chest. The ex-Autobot coughed, and gasped for air, while stumbling backwards, clutching his chest. Optimus, however, ran up to Wheeljack, and grabbed one of his shoulders, swung him around, and threw him into the advancing Thrust, knocking the two 'Cons into stasis lock.
Optimus' optics scanned the area. Skywarp, Wheeljack, and Thrust were out of commission... Cyclonus, Demolishor, and Jhiaxus remain... But where's Warhawk...?
Yelling from behind caught Optimus' attention. He swung around, and found Demolishor, in tank mode, firing ceaselessly upon him. Prime quickly raised his arm, and shielded his face from the onslaught. Pulling out his own blaster, and flinching a bit at each blast that hit, Optimus peered over his arm, and aimed, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Opportunity soon arose, as Demolishor's blasters stopped firing from being overheated. Optimus quickly lowered his arm, and aimed carefully.
"C'mon, work!" Demolishor cried out. "Pieces of crap!" It was then he noticed Optimus aiming at him.
Optimus pulled the trigger of his blaster, sending a shot sizzling through the air, and towards Demolishor. The Decepticon struggled to get his cannons to fire again, and smiled to himself when they finally lit up, signifying that they were about to shoot. However, the blast from Optimus shot right into one of Demolishor's cannon barrels, causing it to backfire, and explode.
Demolishor cried out in pain; but when he looked up, he found that Optimus had closed the gap between them. The Autobot grabbed the two top barrels of the Decepticon, and in one swift motion, jumped, and flipped over Demolishor, and slammed him in the ground facing him. Demolishor once again cried out, and this time, it caught someone's attention.
"Hang on, Demolishor!" Cyclonus called out. "I'm comin' for ya, buddy!"
Optimus looked over his shoulder, and found Cyclonus flying towards him and Demolishor. Gripping the tank's cannons once again, he slowly started turning around, taking Demolishor with him. Soon, he was swinging Demolishor around in the air, and he was threatening to slip away from Optimus' grip at any second.
"WoOOooOOooAAaaAAaaAAHH!!!!" Demolishor yelled out as Optimus let go of him, and sent him flying into Cyclonus. The two Decepticons collided, and both plummeted to the ground.
Optimus panted slightly, as he looked around at most of the Decepticons. All of them, save for Jhiaxus, were down for the count. The Autobot pressed a button on his chest plate, and the four OP Drones, which were previously helping the wounded Autobots, all came back to their master.
"Combine!" Optimus exclaimed. He leaped up into the air, arms and legs all spread out. OP-1 slammed itself onto Optimus' right arm, forming a larger, orange arm. OP-2 merged with his left arm, making a large, white arm. OP-3 fused with his right leg, giving him a larger, yellow leg. OP-4 combined with the left leg, making it larger, and blue. A helmet from the backside of Optimus unfolded, and wrapped itself around his head, as his chest opened up.
Optimus, now in super mode, landed back on the ground, and once again, looked around. Most of the Decepticons had, or were attempting to, warp away. But Jhiaxus was nowhere to be seen.
Click click. Optimus tensed as he heard a weapon reload behind him; Jhiaxus was standing there, weapon pointed at the back of his head.
"I will not let you take away my victory, Optimus Prime." Jhiaxus spoke, frowning.
"You brought this on yourself." Optimus said, without moving an inch.
"Shutup!" Jhiaxus snapped, his anger getting the better of him. "I don't know how you came back, but I hope you're ready to return!"
"Actually..." Optimus began. "I'd much rather stay here with my troops."
"Go to hell." Jhiaxus seethed, as he pulled the trigger.
Optimus, predicting this, quickly ducked and twirled around, kicking Jhiaxus' feet out from below him. The Decepticon yelled, more out of frustration than anything, and slammed his hand down on the ground, stopping him from falling any further. He swung around, and jumped to his feet, as did Optimus. The two faction commanders mirrored each other, and drew back their fists. The two fists met, and opened up, clutching each other tightly.
Jhiaxus frowned, and drew back his free hand, forming it into a fist as well. He threw it at Optimus' new face, only to find his opponent's other hand holding it inches from his face. Optimus grinned, and unexpectedly pulled Jhiaxus towards him. Letting go of the first fist, Optimus curled his hand up, and slammed it into the Decepticon's cheek, knocking him to the ground. Jhiaxus frowned deeply at Optimus from his position on the ground, and wiped the thin trail of mech fluid draining down his lower lip.
"You've gotten stronger, Optimus." Jhiaxus commented. "However... You need to do better than that if you hope to defeat me!"
The Decepticon then curled up, and kicked his feet into the air, taking his body with him, and up righting himself back onto his feet. Without waiting, Jhiaxus spun around, and kicked Optimus hard in his chest. The Autobot leader groaned, and stumbled backwards. Jhiaxus grinned, and jumped up; he curled both his hands into one, and slammed it down on the back of Optimus' head, knocking him down to his knees. Optimus supported himself with one hand, and cradling his chest with the other. He looked up to Jhiaxus, panting heavily.
"Giving up already?" Jhiaxus asked. "What a shame. I expected much more from the legendary Optimus Prime."
"On the contrary..." Optimus said through pants and gasps. "I have much more to give!" At that moment, he shot up into the air, and kneed Jhiaxus in his stomach.
Jhiaxus yelled out, and coughed up mech fluid. The Decepticon glared up at Optimus, and saw him visibly grinning through the hole in his faceplate. Footsteps from all around caught his attention, and Jhiaxus found himself at the opposite ends of all the Autobots' weapons, and the Autobots holding those weapons at him. He glared back at Optimus, and spat on the ground.
"Mark my words, Prime, this is far from over!" Jhiaxus seethed, as his warp drive kicked in, and disappeared from the battlefield. Several moments of silence passed, with each Autobot thinking the same thing...
Is that really Optimus?
Before he knew it, Prime found himself suddenly surrounded by all the others, with them all asking questions. He laughed, and answered all, unknowing to the twin crimson optics watching him from above...
Unknown, Unknown
Nemesis Prime sat alone in his quarters, cross-legged, and hovering slightly in the air. In his lap, his hands rested, both open, with both thumbs making contact with each other. His optics were dimmed, and his head was tilted down slightly. His mind was fully focused on observing the fight between Optimus and Jhiaxus.
"Hhnnn..." Nemesis breathed. In his mind, he saw Optimus, living, and all the Autobots talking to him at once. His optics came back on, and behind his faceplate, he grinned.
"Excellent. All is going according to plan."