Big thank you again to everyone who has reviewed Chameleon so far
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Cybertron did not revolve, so the constellations appeared unchanged, year after year.
"And Earth has a natural moon?" Moonracer asked eagerly.
They'd finished dissecting the tactician's award-winning performance (and assuring him that once the rest of the Autobots were aware of why he'd behaved as he did, they'd be glad to have him back)
The females always devoured the Earth data sent to them by Teletran, fascinated by the living planet.
Prowl had told them about the Autobots' human friends, and then begun trying to satisfy their curiousity about the Earth itself.
History, geography, geology, palaeontology, astronomy - the tactician could not mention one facet of Earth's splendour without including another.
So involved they were, that no one noticed the female commander quietly approach.
Elita-One listened with a slight smile, as the mech described the ethereal light cast by a full moon on the rise, then spoke up.
"Girls, I hate to break this up, but we're on borrowed time here," Elita pointed out quietly, analysis in hand.
The three females turned silent, brought back to the seriousness of the situation.
Prowl stood up.
"Where is it?" he asked calmly.
"I'll show you. Chromia, monitor communications. Tell me immediately if you pick up anything even remotely Decepticon. Firestar, Moonracer: surveillance. Go and see if Shockwave's running any kind of diagnostic...anything at all that might help him realize our diversion was just that...and if he is, distract him,"
The attractive pink commander glanced at Prowl as the females scattered to their assignments,
She saw that he wanted to go with Moonracer and Firestar, or better yet, instead of them, even though he didn't say a word.
"They'll be fine Prowl," Elita assured him softly, "They don't need protecting,"
"I know," the black and white mech admitted.
The female commander studied him.
"Prowl, how many Autobots do you keep under your wing back on Earth?" she asked candidly.
Prowl paused in surprise.
"Ah..."
"And don't lie to me Prowl,"
The tactician gazed at his feet.
"Well...Bluestreak," he confessed.
"And?"
"Uh..." Prowl shifted uncomfortably.
Elita could see through him just as well as Optimus Prime.
"I hate sending anyone out on a dangerous mission. I'd rather do them all myself," he blurted.
"And that's why you're second in command," Elita said serenely.
She gestured to the darkened corridor, and they made their way to the small research lab.
Prowl glanced around.
This was a heavily shielded section -almost as protected as the miniscule sleeping quarters.
It was brightly lit, but empty of any personnel.
Elita paused, and Prowl saw the anxiety in her optics.
"It must be destroyed at all costs. Optimus Prime has got the best scientists to do it...I shudder to think what would eventuate should it fall into Megatron's hands," she whispered.
"That won't happen, Elita-One," Prowl said, quietly but firmly, pausing to face her.
"I hope not Prowl, for all our sakes."
She moved to a computer console and activated it.
"This is it. The virus that could kill every remaining Transformer."
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Prowl eyed the sinister microcircuit in its containment cylinder.
"Elita, where did it come from?"
"We discovered a hidden under surface laboratory, seven or eight levels down.
We were attempting to sabotage one of Shockwave's armouries.
The lab hadn't been touched for centuries Prowl. Someone had been experimenting with viral warfare,"
Prowl felt a shiver go through him and put down the cylinder.
Elita-One gestured him to her console.
"We've made copies of it, and infected several of the non-sentient maintenance droids with them,"
She brought up the data and watched Prowl skim through it.
"Prowl...it's horrifying."
She showed him the symptoms, recorded in various stages, from first contact to death.
Prowl studied them silently, and Elita-One watched as the colour drained from the cool-headed mech's optics.
"Oh Primus..."
"It's difficult to really know anything for certain, but the droids are cybernetic beings like ourselves. I imagine a Transformer would suffer similarly,"
"Yes," Prowl agreed slowly, "But Elita...this data...if I'm interpreting it correctly, it would seem that even when the host system no longer lives, the virus still does...and is still infectious,"
Elita looked at him.
"That's correct Prowl," she said with enormous control, "One needs only to come into contact with a sufferer's electrofield -not even into actual physical contact- to become infected. Weapons fire is even worse. We tried disposing of some of the infected droids like that, but that spreads the virus even more effectively,"
Elita-One watched the black and white door-panels draw slightly upward in apprehension.
"How in the Universe are we going to destroy it," Prowl whispered.
The female commander could not answer that.
"We have the virus's schematics. It can be duplicated from either those, or the main microcircuit. When your scientists have destroyed it, we'll do the same to the copies. The microcircuit itself has not been activated. That is our only safeguard."
Prowl nodded, once again studying the cylinder.
Had someone hoped to bring the war to a speedy end?
Autobot scientist?
Decepticon scientist?
It may have been a extremist splinter group wishing to further only themselves.
Whoever it had been, (and Prowl realized they'd never know, to the chagrin of his curiousity circuits) thank Primus it had never gotten any further than the lab doors.
"Prowl...a thought crossed my CPU. Once released among the Decepticons, this virus could dispose of them all," Elita said, barely above a whisper.
"But how could anyone say it would not infect an Autobot? One infected means all infected..."
"We couldn't," Prowl said, low, "A dishonour to us...to Alpha Trion, and Cybertron itself. I cannot envision a more heinous way to fight than with viral warfare."
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Shockwave once again watched Laserbeak's desert footage.
Megatron had sent it to him, highly amused and gloating over the fact that Optimus Prime had finally lost control of his second in command.
Megatron had been relaying all of Ravage's and Laserbeak's findings since the strategist's bizarre behaviour had begun.
Shockwave studied the other black and white Autobot, Prime's saboteur, as they circled each other in the canyon.
"Computer, go back two frames and freeze. Magnify."
The big Decepticon stared at both Prowl and Jazz.
He loathed the Autobot strategist's cool logic and unshakeable character, but held a grudging admiration for him at the same time.
They'd gone head to head strategically countless times during the war, before Optimus Prime had taken his troops in search of new Energon reserves.
And Shockwave had never had a more worthy opponent.
But this time the logical Decepticon was one step ahead.
Autobots who were seriously threatening each other did not point deactivated weapons at one other.
It all fell into place, along with Prowl taking off so suddenly and not being able to be traced, the pointless scuffle with the two females last cycle that had left the control room unattended, and the detection of the same two females just a while ago, hanging about spying.
Cybertron's guardian activated communications.
"Shockwave to Megatron: the renegade Autobot is with the females."
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The Decepticon commander ended the transmission from Cybertron, seething.
He gathered his troops, even pulling the Constructicons away from the space bridge.
"Bring me the Autobot Prowl," Megatron ordered, and his subordinates heard the ice in his tone.
Everyone but Starscream had the sense not to question him when he sounded like that.
"How are we supposed to manage that, Leader? Those Autobots stick together like magnetized ore. How can we possibly corral just one?" Starscream grizzled.
"You blundering fool. We'll capture the Autobot at the spacebridge. He is on Cybertron, and will soon be slinking back to Optimus Prime," Megatron explained contemptuously.
He glared around.
"Skywarp, Thundercracker, Thrust, Soundwave, and the Stunticons. Come with me."
"Holy Cybertron Skywarp, I wouldn't want to be in that mech's casing," Thundercracker said in an undertone with a shudder as they moved out.
"Whatever they're hiding must be big."
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"I suggest embedding the dormant microcircuit in my system," Prowl said calmly.
Elita, Chromia, Moonracer and Firestar looked at him as though he'd just said he was defecting to the Decepticons.
"Prowl, no one is removing this thing until you get it back to the Ark," Chromia said, finding her vocalizer and holding up the cylinder.
Prowl sighed silently.
"It's not something I want to just stow in a subspace pocket Chromia," he explained quietly.
"If I do run into trouble with any of the Decepticons, where's the first place they're going to look? That's standard. 'Disarm, then check subspace pockets',"
He looked round at the concerned faces.
"You've all seen the data. You know I can't be infected unless it is activated, nor can anyone else,"
He turned to the female commander, silently appealing to her.
Elita sighed.
"You're right Prowl. But what if Ratchet can't remove it? Or worse, activates it?"
Prowl glanced out of the control room's observation space, at the stars he hadn't seen for several millennia.
And possibly might not ever see again.
He faced the female.
"Elita, I have the utmost faith in our scientists," he said evenly.
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"Prowl for the love of Primus be careful," Firestar said anxiously.
Prowl gave her a slight smile.
"I will. But-"
"Just be careful," Chromia ordered, interrupting sharply.
Their medic had implanted the microcircuit in his chest with infinite care, hoping desperately the Ark scientists could remove it with little difficulty.
The comm console chirped, to Prowl's relief.
The females stopped staring at him in dire concern and rushed for the console.
Prime's transmission, right on schedule.
"This is Elita-One, please come in,"
They waited with the same tenseness as they'd been experiencing for the last several weeks.
"Elita, this is Prime. What's going on out there?"
The females relaxed in relief.
"Everything is ok so far Optimus," Elita informed him, and Prowl noted how the tension in her features eased at his commander's rich tone.
"Prowl?"
"I have the microcircuit Prime," Prowl told him.
"Prowl, for Primus's sake be careful with it," Jazz put in anxiously.
Prowl smiled slightly.
"Will do Jazz."
"Once you're back here, I'll inform everyone of your behaviour Prowl," Optimus Prime said, knowing that was bothering his tactician a great deal.
"Prime, will you play escort and armed guard?" Prowl asked, not jokingly.
"Prowl man, once everyone knows what you did and that it was all under orders, they won't think twice of it,"
"That's what we told him Jazz," Firestar spoke up.
"I admire your confidence," Prowl said dryly, and Prime couldn't help a chuckle.
"Man, I'll make sure no one thinks twice of it,"
Jazz said firmly.
"Prowl, I look forward to having you back. As my tactician and as my friend," Prime said warmly, "I'm proud of you. No one could have asked any more of you."
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Optimus Prime ended communications as the satellite moved out of range, and glanced at the saboteur.
Jazz wore his trademark dazzling grin, the one Prime hadn't seen for quite a while.
"What are you so happy about?"
The commander teased as he returned to regular transmissions.
"Powerglide, this is Optimus Prime. Please state your location,"
"Just approaching the Decepticon's desert base Prime,"
"Ok. Change course to the spacebridge. Tell me as soon as you're in visual range. I need to know if there are any Decepticons near it, understood?"
"No problem! Powerglide out! And awaa-ay we go!"
The red mech's characteristic catchphrase slipped through before he ended transmission.
Jazz laughed, then laughed harder at the look in Prime's optics.
"He's a happy guy Prime," Jazz shrugged.
"I'd be a happy guy too, if we could turn up some evidence of what the Constructicons are up to Jazz," Prime said.
He took a seat in front of his comm console as the reconnaissance teams began checking in.
"Hound to Optimus Prime: we haven't sniffed out a thing-"
"And we've been over most of North-West Oregon Prime,"
Cliffjumper grouched.
The Aerialbots reported much the same, and they'd been over a far, far greater distance.
Even Cosmos hadn't detected anything.
Prime sighed and thanked his teams, telling them to come home.
"What do you think that means Jazz?"
He asked, turning to his saboteur.
"I'm not sure Prime," the Porsche said thoughtfully.
"Powerglide to Optimus Prime; the spacebridge is unguarded,"
Jazz and Prime exchanged a glance.
"Is that good or bad?" Jazz asked in an undertone.
"I don't know Jazz," the commander said slowly.
"Thank you Powerglide. Return to the Ark."
"At least Prowl can get back to the base without harrassment,"
He added, looking at Jazz.
"Prime, should I meet him halfway, just in case?"
Jazz suggested.
Optimus hesitated, tempted to say yes.
"Jazz, I'd rather you didn't, just until Ratchet and Skyfire check this microcircuit he's carrying. In fact, I better make sure no one comes into contact with Prowl until then."
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"Ready?" Moonracer asked in a whisper.
"Go for it," Firestar hissed.
"Good luck Prowl," she added before they sent a barrage of firepower into the midst of a group of Seekers.
Shockwave's minions returned fire as Prowl and Chromia slipped into the Decepticon's main control room out of sight, barely dodging Shockwave as he rushed out to assist his troops.
"That was easy," Prowl speculated as he sealed the door.
Chromia reached the spacebridge controls.
"Maybe a little too easy," she muttered, "Look Prowl -it's already set for the desert coordinates,"
"Special delivery," Prowl said, surveying the items ready and waiting in the transport module.
Clearly, the finishing touches for a lethal device.
So that's what the Constructicons have been up to.
And I know exactly where they're intending to aim it too,
Prowl thought grimly, quickly taking a mental inventory, Straight at our headquarters.
He shook his head, momentarily overwhelmed at the dangers facing the Autobots.
Prowl knew Prime had had teams searching round the clock, without success.
Obviously it wouldn't be long before it was completed.
Prowl looked the components over again, and had a flash of certainty as to where the device was located.
"Chromia, contact the Ark as soon as possible," Prowl said urgently, "The Constructicon weapon..."
He trailed off as the vague sounds of weapons fire ceased.
"Chromia, get down!"
Prowl threw himself at the female second in command as a Seeker winged through the transmetal wall above them, splintering it and firing shots that ricocheted wildly.
"Prowl, go!" Chromia shrieked, giving him a mighty shove into the transporter, and diving to activate it.
An astrosecond later the spacebridge launch opened above the control room, and a wave of light arrowed into space.