Author's Note: We have an action-packed chapter this week as our team try not to get ripped apart by Predacons! Always a good time. As always, enjoy and drop a comment! I love hearing everyone's feedback and ideas!
Location: Upper Iacon, Council Building
New Council Member, Prowl
The explosion outside the Capital sent shockwaves rippling through the debate room. It knocked over almost every member present and effectively ended the debate.
Prowl's heightened instincts kicked in, and he was one of the few still on his peds when the first quake started. He reached out to catch the elderly leader Sigil before he could crash into the table.
"What in Primus's name was that?" Decimus spat from his place on the floor where the shockwave had sent him. Being the youngest Bot on the New Council, Prowl went to help him too, grudgingly. He didn't like Decimus, and he hinted towards that sentiment very often. But it would be too much of a blatant statement if he assisted everyone but Decimus off the floor.
"It felt like an explosion." Prowl offered to the room. "Twenty kliks away at least."
"How in the Pits would you know that?" Decimus demanded, sounding unconvinced.
Prowl scowled at the elder bot. He had seen battle for most of his life. He knew what an explosion felt like.
"Council members! We are under attack!" One of their guards shouted when he appeared frazzled in the entrance.
'I told ya so' almost passed Prowl's mouth plates, but he bit it back. The room trembled again, debris chipping from the ceiling. It was more than a single bomb. "Do you have a visual on the attackers?" Prowl demanded of the guard.
"Is it the Con Leader again?" Decimus said with a panicked intake. He fumbled with the energy shield on his belt, prepared to activate it at a moment's notice. It was as if he feared Soundwave would personally crash through the room's large window and shoot him down.
"It is Predacons!" the Guard explained, motioning for their esteemed group to follow him to safety. Prowl took the lead, helping Sigil along as Decimus sputtered.
"Our Predacons?" Decimus snarled. "But they are leashed!"
"No sir. It is a pack led by the wanted convict, Predaking." The guard continued to explain. He ushered them through a reinforced safe room. Within the bunker the quaking was not as violent, but Prowl could still hear the shouts outside. The Energon turned in his tanks, the blades in his servos throbbing. He knew he could help if he could just get outside.
He had taken the Council seat as a favor to Ultra Magnus…and in a way, the late Optimus Prime. Since the war was over, his skills on the battlefield could be used in more subtle, insightful ways. That was at least what Ultra Magnus had told him. He could laugh at the concept now as he watched the thick doors close him in with the others. He was useless here, among these bots who refused to even listen to him on a good cycle. He could be helping his fellow soldiers outside or assisting refugees... Or talking Predaking out of the rampage. All which would be easier tasks then convincing this Council of anything reasonable.
Unable to do any of that in his current predicament, Prowl turned his frustration onto Decimus. "I warned you this was a possibility!" He snapped. Decimus shot him a sneer for the comment, which Prowl hardly noticed. "We are using Predaking's people as tools. It was only a matter of time before he came for recompence!"
"Bah, what are you complaining about?" Decimus said with a dismissive wave. "You aren't even on the Predacon project."
"Yes, because it is madness!" Prowl finally shouted.
"Wanting to protect Cybertron from threat is madness?" Decimus huffed as indignantly as he could manage.
Prowl fought every instinct not to shove Decimus into the wall. It would be well within his abilities. "Imagined threats! The Predacons were non hostile before and the Decepticon forces pacified! Your massive show of force with that botched execution rekindled everything!"
"Again, with the execution." Decimus grumbled. "If not for Soundwave's interference-"
"If not for you!" Prowl clarified. "I voted against that idiotic plan. Then you went ahead with it anyway by having another vote with me off world at the time!"
"But what of Arachnid?" another Council member pointed out. "She attacked us first. We had to have some show of force to keep her at bay."
Prowl scowled. Unfortunately, force did seem to be the only thing the Spider Bot responded to. Their short-lived peace went up in flames when she appeared on Cybertron. Stowed away on one of their own moon scouting ships. This was the only reason Prowl hadn't gone out of his mind when he found out about the Predacon cloning project. (Yet another vote he had not been present for.) The Predacons were the only things that could take on Arachnid's infected army.
"Fighting will get us nowhere." Sigil said softly. Always the voice of pacifism among them. "We knew the risks of this cloning project. We deemed it worth those risks. Now we must trust in our cloned army to fend off Predaking."
"What if more of Predaking's forces come from the tunnels under Iacon?" Another member of the large Council worried.
"We should send more Predacons to protect the Laboratories." Decimus stated to the company. "If most of our forces are on the surface, what if more sneak into the tunnels? There are only a few dozen left down there to watch Shockwave and the others!"
"We can monitor the tunnels." Sigil offered. "But it would be wise to keep most of the Predacon forces up here to stave off Predaking."
"I'll do that now." Prowl volunteered. He knew the surveillance tech much better than any of the other members present. He had been on the Cybertronian police force after all. It gave him something useful to do, other than glare at Decimus.
As he brought his arm readout up, the tunnel's silent flashing alarm appeared on his screens. It seemed his timing was impeccable.
"What is it?" Decimus demanded and failed to hide the fearful edge that crept into his voice box.
"Tunnel proximity alarm." Prowl explained. He pulled up the feed before his optics as the others stared at him and waited. He was the only one who could see the video feed from his perspective. The scene in the tunnels caught him completely off guard. It was chaos. Their thinned Predacon forces down below were fighting a small army of Decepticons. "It's-" A flash of familiar yellow coloring caught his focus.
Bumblebee?
He watched the silent video feed of the Autobots from Team Prime as they fought alongside the Cons. What was going on? Why was Bumblebee assisting Soundwave to break into the Labs? He didn't have to consider the question long before the answer struck him. They were going for Shockwave. That still didn't answer why?
"Well?" Decimus snapped. "What is it?"
Prowl startled. He gazed up from the image of his comrades shown on his arm readouts. "Um…" He glanced back down. Both groups struggled to bypass the Predacons. Optimus's team knew something Prowl didn't. The Council he was a part of may understand as well. But much like so many other topics, they deemed Prowl unworthy to know. Something was wrong. He knew that from the start.
"It, is only a few Predacons that stumbled in." Prowl said before he registered the fact he was lying. "It's nothing our forces can't handle. I wouldn't send any more Predacons underground." He assured them all, closing the feed and hiding his servo behind his back.
There was a quick knock on the reinforced door before it opened. Prowl was thankful this pulled the attention off himself. "Council Members, we need to move you farther into the facility! They are through the first entrance!"
Prowl broke away from the group the moment they were out of the bunker.
"Prowl?" Sigil inquired worriedly.
"I need something from my office! I'll be at the second location shortly!" he promised. The moment he was around the corner and out of his fellow Councilbot's sights, he sprinted, and not to his office.
Location: Iacon's Underground Laboratories
Soundwave
Soundwave managed to dodge the fire blast hurled at him and Bumblebee. The Predacon guards snarled, closing the short distance between them with massive strides. Soundwave unleashed a barrage of fire at one of the looming beasts. His target shook off his attack as if they were meagre annoyances.
A quick survey of his troops revealed to Soundwave vital intel regarding their dire situation. Decepticon and Autobots scattered in every which direction to avoid the Predacon's blasts. At this rate, they would be picked off one by one.
"The back of their necks!" Bumblebee yelled to him across the chaos. Soundwave risked a glance, not knowing what the Scout was trying to convey. Bumblebee's blaster fire targeted along the long neck of another Predacon guard. "There are devices on their necks that control them! Destroy those and they stop!" It was all he managed to say before his targeted Predacon swiped its tail at him, hurling him backwards. This provided Soundwave with two vital pieces of information. First: there could be a weakness to exploit on their massive opponents. Second: The Predacons were attacking not only his Decepticon troops, but the Autobots as well. These beasts had their orders to terminate anyone who entered their line of sight.
He took a moment more, studying the Predacons as they closed in on their pray. Soundwave zeroed in on the matching metallic devices adorning each Predacon. He didn't have any reason to not heed Bumblebee's advice. It was the best option they had at present.
"The devices on the back of the Predacon's necks!" Soundwave ordered to his troops through their commlinks and out loud. "Concentrate fire there!"
The first to follow his order was Sharpshot. They transformed into their jet form and zoomed into the chaos without hesitation. They bypassed the Predacon guards on the ground, evading their swipes. Sharpshot transformed in the air and shifted both their servos into blasters. They fired at one of the Predacon's devices. The pointed attack left the device damaged and the Predacon stumbling. But it was still functional.
Sharpshot transformed again before they hit the ground and flew back at the beasts. The Predacon's remained distracted with the constant movement overhead. It allowed Sharpshot's troops to move in and continue firing.
"Hell yeah!" Smokescreen cheered over the snarls of beasts. "Go Vehicons! Who taught you all how to fight like that?"
"I did!" Sharpshot informed him with visible pride. Still in jet mode they unleashed another volley of blaster fire onto the Predacons.
Soundwave deployed Laserbeak, "Provide a distraction to draw fire alongside the Vehicons." Laserbeak zoomed off to assist Sharpshot's group with a chirp. Soundwave moved into the blind spot of the stumbling Predacon. With a damaged device, its movements were sluggish. It flailed its limbs in every direction to try and hit anything, even other Predacons.
He jumped to avoid one such sweeping claw. He grasped onto the side of the Predacon and climbed up its thick plating towards the smoking device. The Predacon slammed its tail into itself trying to dislodge him. Soundwave avoided the hits, but his grip was slipping. Then something heavy smashed into the beast, making it stumble back and drawing its focus.
"You vant a taste of Decepticons, beast boy?" Blitzwing roared, his tank form slamming into the Predacon again. "Here I am, nice and juicy! Try getting a drop on me a second time!"
Another tank, Demolisher, hit the same Predacon from the other side. "You're as crazy as they say, and I love that about you." Demolisher laughed, and with their combined strength pushed the Predacon against the wall.
With the distraction, Soundwave continued to climb up. Once on the beast's back, he soon found he wasn't alone in his efforts. Bumblebee yanked himself up on the other side, catching Soundwave's gaze. It appeared they had the same idea.
Bumblebee only smiled, then shifted his blaster out. Together they both aimed at the device and fired. What remained of the device exploded, and the Predacon under them smashed down with a groan.
One down, far more than they could handle still present. The Predacons pushed both forces back into the tunnels. Blitzwing's tank mode was even flipped over. Demolisher only managed to transform and help him out of the way because Laserbeak drew the Predacon's focus. Soundwave spotted Starscream, who had lodged himself in a fissure above the fight. The vantage point supplied him cover and a semi clear shot at the back of the Predacon's necks. Starscream yelled between blasts from his shielded fissure. "That's right, eat this! This is for everything I had to go through because of your brutish king you mindless beasts!"
"We're going to lose if we keep fighting them head on." Bumblebee said beside Soundwave.
Soundwave watched the Predacons slash at their targets, studying them. Their bulky wings got in each other's way in the cramped tunnels. "Then we won't fight them…" he said. He connected to his team's comlinks, then yelled so the Autobots could hear. "Transform and continue down the tunnels!"
There was notable confusion. But soon both Decepticon and Autobot transformed and zipped between, over, or under the Predacons. The beasts struggled to turn around in the cramped area. As Soundwave suspected, they didn't have enough space to spread their wings to fly.
Soundwave transformed as well. He flew through the massive doors into Iacon's underground bunkers. The walls were wide enough for his wingtips to graze, scattering sparks in his wake. He ignored the discomfort in favor of checking on his company. Laserbeak was by his side, Sharpshot and Starscream right behind him in the air. A yellow and black muscle car drove under him, with the other Autobots rolling behind. Demolisher and Blitzwing's slower tank forms took up the rear. Even flying as slow as the space forced him to, they were still outrunning the Predacons.
Soundwave led the way, knowing the Iacon bunkers like the back of his servo. It hadn't changed at all since he last worked here. The labs Shockwave was held captive were only a few tunnels ahead. More snarling echoed in their way just out of sight. Soundwave scanned forward and read the large bodies of more Predacons. Most of the New Council's army was tope side fighting Predaking. But even this smaller force would be a formidable challenge.
"We are at the forefront." Soundwave informed Bumblebee under him. "We could continue forward."
"But-" began to say.
"We'll keep the Predacon's busy." Arcee insisted to Bumblebee. "Get shockwave."
With no better option, Bumblebee didn't argue. They turned a sharp corner and were met with three Predacons ready to attack. Soundwave relayed his orders via his commlink, then blasted through. He weaved between two of the Predacons. Laserbeak even managed to get a lucky shot into one of their optics as they flew by. Bumblebee's engine revved hard. A blur of yellow swerved under a Predacon's tail to catch up to Soundwave.
The sounds of battle faded as their teams remained behind. Soundwave knew the bunkers ahead would become even smaller. They could no longer accommodate his arial form. He transformed and skid to a stop on his peds. Bumblebee hit his brakes before transforming as well. It wasn't far now. They ran into the even smaller tunnels, no longer accosted by any foe, bot or beast.
They raced past door after door and only glancing each room's labeled number. As long as nothing major had changed since he was last here, Soundwave knew where he was going. His confidence was high in that regard. Decimus and the Senate didn't like change of any kind. To much work.
Soundwave stopped before the massive, reinforced doors labeled "Laboratory 3". The Autobot code they originally used did nothing to make this door yield. Everything must have been in lockdown because of their attack. There was no time to hack the door. "We need to blast our way through." Soundwave stated, shifting out his blaster. Bumblebee joined him, their combined assault slowly chipping away at the door. Their progress was still slow. Sounds of their comrades fighting the Predacons was getting closer. They were losing ground. Soon enough the fight would be upon them again.
"Bumblebee."
Soundwave didn't recognize the voice of the bot who spoke, so he turned his blaster to its source.
"Wait!" Bumblebee protested.
Soundwave did but was not happy about it. Because he didn't fire, he saw the bot responsible for the interruption. A tall Autobot general from the looks of him. Blue optics wide as he took in Soundwave.
"Prowl?" Bumblebee spoke.
"An ally?" Soundwave demanded to know.
Bumblebee's hesitation was not a comfort. "He's a member of the New Council." He said at last.
Soundwave's blaster came back up to point at the Autobot general again. Bumblebee stood in the way. The Scout sure did have a great amount of confidence in Soundwave to not fire into his back because he had made a habit of stepping in the way of his blaster. That habit was wearing on Soundwave's patience even in the face of their alliance.
"What are you doing here?" The Council Bot, Prowl asked.
"We…" Bumblebee glanced between the high-ranking bot and the still smoldering door. "We have to do this. What the New Council is doing is wrong."
"If he lives you will be marked traitors." Soundwave warned Bumblebee, his blaster still ready to take the New Councilman's helm off.
Prowl considered them both. He radiated uncertainty. "I know it is wrong." He said simply before he made his way over to the doors control panel. He typed in an override, and the door slid open despite its damage. Bumblebee stood stunned. Soundwave remained suspicious.
"Every decision, they have outvoted me." Prowl explained, sorrow pulling his features downward towards the dirty floor. "The Council swayed because they let bitterness from the war darken their Sparks. Just as Megatron did, they have turned to retribution and called it justice. In my optics, we are the Autobot traitors, not you, Soldier." He stepped out of the way. "I have deleted the tunnel's security feeds, but you have little time left before reinforcements arrive. There is more going on behind the scenes involving the New Council I don't even know. You see it too?"
Bumblebee nodded.
"Then I trust you to remove Shockwave from their control. And I will continue to delve deeper into this conspiracy." He promised before hurrying away from them.
"Prowl, wait!" Bumblebee protested, but the bot had already vanished around a second hall.
"We must go." Soundwave informed him, all but dragging Bumblebee into the open doors.
They could process what happened later. They still had a mission to complete.
A massive laboratory greeted them. Near endless rows of squirming Predacons in incubation tanks lined the pathway. Even Soundwave hesitated at the sight, Bumblebee by his side, mouth plate hanging open. There were hundreds of clones. A literal army.
"Scrap." Bumblebee managed to say.
"We need to destroy them." Soundwave said. Not even Arachnid's contagious force stood a chance against the might of so many Predacons.
"And bring down Predaking's wrath?" Bumblebee reminded. "I'll tell him they're here, and he'll handle it." He ran down the rows of tanks, spinning around to take in the massive facility. "Shockwave!" he called out.
Only his echo answered at the moment. "He could assume you are here to terminate him." Soundwave offered, then ran a scan for Decepticon life signals. He found one. He sent out a pulse on the Decepticon frequency, and then swiftly got one in return. Soundwave followed the signal with Bumblebee close behind. There was a final door, which Soundwave blasted through. Along the far wall, typing away as if the base was not under attack, was Soundwave's old comrade.
Shockwave turned to behold them in the door, his demeanor still calm. "I did not calculate an Autobot and Decepticon alliance." Shockwave said, flat and monotone as ever.
A quick scan of his comrade revealed many reasons Shockwave did not liberate himself. The link to his arm cannon severed and stasis cuffs clasped around his servos. Soundwave was also willing to bet his Transformation-Cog was nonfunctional. Shockwave was victim to his own device the Council made him create.
"Stranger things have happened. Now let's go." Bumblebee said and motioned to the door.
"I must retrieve my research." Shockwave informed him. "I already started when the alarm went off. The download is almost complete."
Bumblebee blinked at him. "Are you fragging kidding me? Shockwave, we need to GO."
"Is your research vital?" Soundwave inquired.
"It is irreplaceable." Shockwave said.
Soundwave turned to Bumblebee. "If he deems it worth saving, even over his own freedom, then it is. Trust me."
The sounds of chaos outside the lab made Bumblebee fidget. "Then help him hurry. I'm going back to give my team backup." He rushed out towards the blaster fire that grew closer with each passing moment. Soundwave arrived at Shockwave's side to hack into his stasis cuffs. He guessed they would activate if Shockwave left the lab.
"You were already prepared to flee at a moment's notice?" Soundwave assumed when he noted the massive download almost complete.
Shockwave only nodded. "I calculated it was only a matter of time before you came to collect me. I assume my services are required?"
"In more ways than one." Soundwave confirmed.
The monitor pinged, and Shockwave pulled out the data stick and stored it away. With a few taps at the terminal, he erased everything from the laboratory files. He left nothing for the New Council to use. "I am ready."
Soundwave pulled the deactivated stasis cuffs from Shockwave and they fled. Shockwave did not spare a glance at the multitude of Predacons he had created. They rushed through the rows of incubators and endless machinery. They left the laboratory behind just as the brawl had come around the corner. The Predacon guards had gained a considerable amount of ground and done even more damage to the Decepticon and Autobots parties. Most everyone leaked Energon from bite wounds or scratches. Many looked ready to fall into unconsciousness.
"Took you both long enough!" Smokescreen complained, avoiding a claw trying to rip open his torso.
"Retreat!" Soundwave ordered, pointing towards another tunnel he knew led out. He could only hope there would be no other Predacons in their way.
As he assumed, Shockwave could not transform. Their group was forced to flee on ped. Once they got out from under Iacon's high frequency disrupter shield, he would be able to Bridge them away. Their group stopped often to fire a barrage at the beasts snapping at their backs. Soundwave took each moment to hack a large bay door to shut behind them. He set a timer to erect the barrier after everyone made it through. They gained more ground with the strategy, as the Predacons had to stop and rip down the door to continue their chase.
Running alongside him, Soundwave saw Bumblebee press a digit to his auditory. "Predaking, we have Shockwave, retreat back to Kaon!"
Said Decepticon Scientist suddenly stumbled. Demolisher kept him from falling, but the delay made everyone stop. "They limited my Energon significantly while in captivity." Shockwave said to explain his sudden weakness.
Soundwave looked to Demolisher and Blitzwing. "Help him the rest of the way. Sharpshot, you and your unit scout ahead to the Bridge location to make sure there are no more Predacons."
"I will hurry ahead to hack the next door to close in front of the Predacons, Master!" Starscream volunteered, a little too eager. Strange, but Soundwave accepted the offer with a nod. His troops carried on as he focused on the bay doors before them.
The Autobots remained with him, firing at the approaching swarm to buy him more time.
"Will you require a Bridge?" Soundwave offered when he slammed the door shut. The Predacons pounded hard from the other side, dents in the metal already forming.
"Kind, but we can head up from the tunnels." Bumblebee said with a smirk. "We need to make sure no one was hurt during Predaking's distraction."
The Bridging location was close at hand and there was no word from Sharpshot. Everything had gone according to plan. Both parties would have ample time to escape the Predacons once they made it through the final door Starscream was currently hacking up ahead. Soundwave took a moment as they ran to shake his helm at Bumblebee. "Going into combat with the intention of avoiding any casualties is unrealistic. It will only bring about disaster for your own team." He felt the need to warn the Autobot.
Bumblebee smirked. "Fair. But I think it's worth the risk."
A roar echoed down the hall, fire licking at their heel struts. Soundwave spotted the final door to close ahead, his team waiting for him to open a Bridge. With the Predacons so close he didn't waste time. He crossed the edge of the high frequency disrupter field. Then he activated the Spacebridge to the Renegade.
Demolisher and Blitzwing helped Shockwave limp through the vortex. The rest of his crew followed soon after. Laserbeak chirped and reattached to his torso as he passed the final timed limited door. He raced through the portal alongside Starscream, the latter of whom snickered. "A successful mission, my Lord! Shockwave recovered, and the pesky Autobots finally dealt with." Starscream carried on towards the Renegade, laughing at his own wit. Soundwave stopped.
Unsure what Starscream had meant, he turned around in the portal. The Autobots were right behind him, shooting to keep the fastest beasts back. Making it to the large bay door before the allotted time ran out.
Soundwave caught Bumblebee's shocked optics before the door slammed in his face. Starscream had set the door timer much shorter. The Autobots were trapped in the tunnels with a pack of Predacons at their backs.
Soundwave didn't think. As his own portal was closing, he opened another one beyond the sealed bay door. Right where he calculated the Autobots to be standing.
He appeared on the Bridge of the Renegade behind his crew as the other portal opened over them. The startled Autobots fell through the portal and hit the deck amongst the others. Soundwave closed the Spacebridge before the Predacons could crash through after them.
