Alpha stuck out her tongue. She pulled the rag away and then smiled a bit as she saw her markings had stopped bleeding. "Thank you." The femme said softly, putting the rag away. "For the rag and the painkiller...they both helped..."
"Yeah..well... Just don't go all mushy on me." HT growled and fetched his own energon cube. He leaned back in the pilot's chair and started playing a card game on the computer.
"He hurt my sister...I'm going to kill him..." Omega growled.
"We have to rescue your sister before we can fight Hammertread. Otherwise he could..." Driveby trailed off, knowing he caught her meaning.
Cap jumped in. "Well, we got a spot, we got a plan, why not try it out. I'm a tough little tank. "Cap puffed himself up. "I can handle him."
Driveby shuffled slightly. I can't ask one of my team to put their life in danger, but if you volunteer, I guess. If it's the only thing we can come up with." she looked at Prime. He nodded.
Omega growled. He looked at the ground and whispered, "You guys don't know what happens if only one of us dies..."
Alpha sat back and then grabbed the energon cube she had thrown away. the femme sniffed it and then drank a bit. She made a copy appear next to Ht.
"Watcha playin'?" the copy blinked.
The tank almost jumped, but managed to reign in the reaction. He glared up at the copy.
"Would you mind NOT DOING THAT!"
He growled something unintelligible under his breath. "Blackjack. It's a terran game I learned."
Sandi glanced down and noticed she had glitter on her hands. She quickly hid them behind her back and nudged Kit, hoping the twins hadn't seen.
Prime pressed a comm switch. Sunstreaker,Sideswipe,Hound, report to the main control room at once." Prime hoped Sideswipe had rid himself of his 'decoration'. Prime was passing by the rec. room right before DriveBy arrived, and noticed it.
Sunstreaker glanced down at the white tiger cub. Kit yelped and hid her hands.
Sandi watched as Sideswipe and Sunstreaker walked past, both glowering.
The copy rolled her optics. "Excuse me just because she's trapped in a force field you put her in and she's curious. Jeez." She looked at Alpha. "Well, he sure is cranky."
Alpha laughed, almost spewing the energon from her mouth.
the copy smirked. "Blackjack, huh? How'd ya play?"
Alpha stood up and walked over as far as the force field would let her, trying to get a good look at the game.
The copy put her hand on the tank's shoulder and leaned over so she could see what he was doing.
"That's it." the tank stood up at the contact, picking the copy up off the floor, and stomped back to the forcewall. He turned it off and threw her inside, then whapped the panel to turn it back on again. Enough is enough. I don't appreciate sarcasm, backtalk, especially from little femmes with big mouths. And another thing." He raised his volume slightly.
"Dont' ever touch me!"
He stomped over to one of the side storage cabinets, looking for something. "Aha." he pulled it out. He pulled the pin of the grenade, and turned off the field long enough to toss it in. The white sleeping gas billowed out, being held back by the forcefield.
Driveby took one look at Sideswipe and blinked. Jade clapped a hand over her mouth to hide the smile and muffle the laughter. Her wings bobbed up and down slightly, giving it away that she was laughing.
Cap just guffawed. and pointed. Driveby turned her head so he wouldn't see her chuckle. Across the room, Beacon laughed, trying to hide it too. "Barbie?"... he trailed off.
The two looked at him and then another copy quickly appeared. She flickered, but looked at the tank, hurt. "We were just trying to talk...after all, she somewhat considers you a friend, but," The copy smirked, "Then again, she always had had trouble picking her friends. Stupid femme..." The copy flickered again. "Oh frag. Stupid thing's falling asleep." She rolled her optics. "I sometimes wonder why I must suffer through being one of her egos."
The copy disappeared as Alpha let out a soft moan and fell to the ground.
"I don't need friends, they only wind up betraying you, anyway." the tank answered softly. He went back to his seat and sat down, ignoring the game on the screen.
Sunstreaker and Sideswipe both growled. They glared at the two sparklings, and suddenly got the impression they were the pranksters behind it.
Beacon walked over.
"What's a Barbie?"
more peals of laughter. Cap was laughing so hard he had to lean on Driveby, who shrugged him off, almost making the small mech fall over.
"We have planning to do." she told him. "Oh, right." he cleared the static from his vocaliser and tried to look serious.
He glanced at Sideswipe and started snickering again.
"Sideswipe" Prime was trying to keep a laugh out of his voice. "Go get yourself...in order."
Sideswipe growled.
Sunstreaker growled. "What about me?!"
Kit squirmed into Sidespie's grip.
Sandi looked at Kit and mouthed 'what are you doing?'
Kit yelped as she tried to wipe the pink paint off her hands.
Sandi stared at her friend for a moment, then swallowed as Sunstreaker looked down at her and tried to smile innocently.
"Yeah. Jus' like her boyfriend did her." The remaining copy whispered as it fought to stay. "You think you're the only person that's ever been betrayed? You're not." It flickered. "Hang on, Alpha. Please..."
Alpha let out a whimper.
Hammertread stared at the screen, but wasn't reallt paying attention to it.
The copy flickered agian. "Fraggit, Al...come on." She crawled over to the real thing and tapped her gently. "Come on, stay awake...you don't have to be fully awake, but as long as you are somewhat I can talk..." She looked at HT. "And protect you if needed."
Alpha mumbled something.
Prowl blinked. "Hounds hologram emitter is wired directly into his circuitry," he stated. "It would be virtually impossible to extranct it without causing harm to him."
"Oh." Jade facepalmed. "The only other alternative would be to have Prowl himself there." Prime said, looking over at the white Datsun. "It is your desicion." he stated.
Prowl nodded. "It would be logical for me to go."
Hammertread heard Alpha's copy, and cast a glance in her direction. "Don't make me get the second one of those." he warned. But the look on his face said otherwise. He glared at the screen, and pretended to be paying attention, but he was actually watching her in the reflection of the screen.
"I'm not supposed to care." he thought.
"What am I saying? I don't care." he frowned.
The copy frowned, but held Alpha close. "C'mon, Al. Please stay awake...you can't sleep...you'll be vanurable..."
"Trying..." Alpha mumbled.
"Good...talk...that'll keep you awake..." The copy said, looking at HT. "Don't worry...anything happens, I'll help you..."
"Tank you..."
"I would say rest, but that's what I'm trying to make you NOT do."
Alpha smiled.
"Sunstreaker, I want you to go with Prowl, Driveby, Omega, Cap, Beacon, Cable, and Jade." Driveby walked over. "I'll radio Gunlock and Ty to meet us nearby." Prime nodded. "I'll radio Ratchet and Wheeljack to go with you. If Alpha is as hurt as you say she is, she may need immediate medical attention."
Driveby tapped a couple buttons and the screen flickered. "Driveby to base. Do you read?"
A light grey face framed by a black helmet and yellow optics appeared.
"Ty here, sir. What's your status?"
"I'm safely at the Autobot base, but we have a problem..."
Sandi sighed in relief and squeeked as the yellow mech picked her up.
Sunstreaker looked down at Sandi.
"Sure. I'll go." he shrugged.
Prime tapped his comlink. "Prime to Ratchet. Are you there?"
Hammertread checked the time again. Half an orn (hour). He glanced back at the femme and her twin, who were whispering quietly between themselves.
"ah. finally, some silence." He turned the computer back on and propped his feet up on the console, crisscrossing them at the ankles. The console groaned under the weight, but still held. He brought up his game, and waited for the Autobots to reply.
Sandi flattened her ears and did her best to hide her hands.
Sunstreaker set her down. "I'll talk to you about this later." He said, eying the paint on her hands.
Sandi grinned and bolted. She didn't like the sound of Sunstreaker's 'talk'.
Daze blinked slowly. Whatever Ratchet had given her was making her feel kind of sleepy, and slightly warm. But it was better than the overwelming dread she had felt after that evil 'con with a wherewolf alt. mode had attacked her. Orcas had tried to cut her chestplate open and squeeze her spark. Just because her torcher amused him. She shook away the feeling, and the memory quickly faded to fuzziness around the chemicals.
"Ratchet here." the CMO gave her a glance.
Prime's voice came over the comm. "I need you and Wheeljack to report to the command center."
"On our way." Ratchet glanced at the femme, and called Wheeljack.
Driveby finished her explanation, and Ty nodded. "We'll meet you at the Ark, that way we can all plan our movements before we leave."
Driveby nodded and cut the link.
HT jumped when his comm dinged, and Prime's face appeared. "Ah, I didn't think you'd reply so soon." the camoflauge-colored tank chuckled darkly. Prime looked unamused. In fact, he was very serious.
"We have decided to accept your tems. We will meet you in the flat desert near devils'creek at sunset." the red-and blue Autobot leader said.
Hammertread snorted. "what, do you take me for, some kind of fool? lead me out into the open where your snipers can shoot at me? I don't think so. Meet me at Boondock lake in half an hour." He snarled.
Prime nodded. "It seems I have no choice." Prime nodded. HT grinned.
"Very well. We will be there."
"Oh, and one more thing." HT added. "I want Dri and Prowl to come alone. If I spot any of your fliers, or so even much as a bird, the only way you see your little femme-friend again is in spare parts. Do you understand!?"
Prime nodded. "Understood."
Hammertread cut the link, and glanced back at Alpha.
In the control room, Prime breathed a sigh of relief. "I knew he would fall for it." Driveby commented. "Yes, but we still have to carry out the rest of our plan, now." Prime replied. Driveby nodded.
HT got up, and wet over to the small sideroom, dissapearing for a second. noises could be heard coming from the room, along with loud grumbling. "Now where did I put that?" something was thrown agaist the wall. "Aha!" he came back out with a bos of stuff, including a pistol, and some other junk sticking out of the box. He went over to the fiel and turned it off. "Here." he shoved another vial at the copy. "Make her drink this. It'll wake her up."
He turned the field back on and stomped back over to his box, going through it again.
The Alpha copy took the vial and stared suspiciously at it, then fed it to the real Alpha.
Sunstreaker wished Sideswipe could come along. But someone had to go and paint him up. "better him than me." he thought. He glared at Sandi's retreating form, then smirked. It was kinda funny, seeing the 'king of pranks' get dethroned by having one played on him.
Daze blinked at Ratchet and stood up from her position that he'd knocked her into to give her the drug. She couldn't seem to stop thinking about warm fuzzies
Daze blinked again as Ratchet started getting ready to leave.
"What's happening?" she asked.
Prime's sending a rescue party for Alpha." he said simply. Wheeljack packed the rest of his tools in the travel case and subspaced it. "Let's go." He followed Ratchet out the door.
Daze tilted her head slightly, but followed.
Driveby checked the charge on her rifle to make sure it was fully operational. She checked the other two she had stowed in subspace.
Cap brought out a large box and started going through it, making sure he had supplies enough. "Let's see... flash grenades... shrapnel... hmm..those wouldn't work. He's too well-armored..."
Sunstreaker cracked his knuckles in anticipation, and Beacon paced back and forth. "Do you want me to fly over and spy on him?" he asked. Driveby shook her head. "You're not good with high altitudes, Beacon. You know that. We'll have to use the comm uplink from the drifter sattellite."
Prowl frowned, checking to make sure his guns were operational, and looked around, Sunstreaker's new paintjob catching his optic.
Prime sighed, noticing, too. "Remind me to have a talk with those two youngsters about their practical jokes."
Omega grumbled something about beating the slag out of the mech that had his siter, and Sunstreaker looked down the hall, really hoping Prime wouldn't make him go out in public all painted up like this.
"Sunstreaker," Prime shook his head. "Go get rid of that...decoration.
"Sunstreaker nodded and hurried off.
"Are you guys almost ready?" Driveby asked. "Cap nodded. Beacon looked depressed at not being able to do his job, but nodded anyway. Cable looked over from where he was listening to something by the medbay doors and nodded.
The doors swished open and Ratchet and Wheeljack strode through, followed by a somewhat-woozy acting femme.
Daze noticed everyone, smiled and waved.
"Hiya," she said.
Prowl blinked at Daze then looked at Ratchet.
"What did you do?" he asked the CMO.
"Nothing. It's just a mild drug. The initial effects are a bit strong, but they should wear down, and she'll be herself again in no time. Minus the paranoia and depression, of course." Ratchet smirked. Jade glanced at the jet. Cable walked back over, following behind behind Daze.
Prowl raised an optic ridge.
"Did she consent to take the drug?"
"Well..." Ratchet glanced over at the half-dazed looking flier femme.
"Didn't think so." Prowl intervend.
"We should all find somewhere in the valley to hide. Preferably out of sight but close enough to attack if the need comes."
Daze fell over.
Cable grabbed her as she fell "Woah, hey. Carefull." he helped her get upright again. "Maybe you should get some rest, huh?"
Prime nodded. "You should go now if you want to make it to the valley before Hammertread."
Everyone nodded back, and transformed. Driveby took a deep breath. "I just hope we can get Alpha and get out safely."
Prime walked up and put a hand on her shoulder. "I will have backup ready here at the ark in case you run into any trouble. It's close enough we can reach it quickly. You'll do fine." he patted her shoulder lightly in encouragement.
"You're sure she'll be okay?" Cable called from across the room, glancing at Daze.
Said femme smiled faintly and sat down.
Alpha groaned as she opened her optics. The femme looked at her copy and then at HT. She shook her head. "Wha' happened?"
"C'mon." The copy started to help Alpha to her feet, but then gasped as the femme's markings started to glow. She bent down as Alpha let out a scream of pain. "Al! Al, what's going on?"
"I don't know!" Alpha screamed as she arched her back. The femme clenched her fists.
The copy bit her lip. "The markings have never done this before...Alpha, do you know what's going on?"
Alpha shook her head furiously as the markings continued to glow brighter. "HELP!!"
The copy whimpered. "I don't know what to do!"
HT took notice, and walked over. He mumbled something under his breath and went to a cabinet, looking for some kind of painkiller, or anything to get rid of the screaming. It was starting to hurt his audios. And he couldn't even hear that well to begin with. The copy ran her hand over the markings as they glowed bright.
"Primus help us all..."
Alpha finally stopped screaming after a minute and panted, wrapping her arms around her. "What's...what's wrong with me?"
"I don't know..." The copy sighed.
"Your powers...something...Primus...the world...I don't know!"
"You're supposed to!" Alpha yelled, sitting up. She had tears in her optics. "You're supossed to know exactly why my markings do the things they do!"
"Well I don't!"
Alpha growled.
"Easy there, we can figure something out..."
"What if this happened to Omega? What if he's...oh Primus...what if we're supposed to die NOW?"
"Can't think like that." The copy muttered as Alpha's markings continued to glow.
"Maybe we should leave a little early, then." HT strode over. "You'd be no good to me dead, now would you?"
The vehicles and three jets zoomed out of the Ark towards the valley, Prowl in the lead, and Wheeljack beside him. Behind him were Ratchet and Driveby, followed by Cable and Cap, who was swerving back and forth, trying to run through every mud puddle he could find.
Yet another spray of mudddy water hit Cable's windhield. The ford festiva turned on his windshield wipers. "Would you please quit! I'm getting all muddy!" he complained.
A black chevy Blazer roared up to meet the from one side, and a dark blue and black delta-wing jet flew overhead.
Alpha muttered something under her breath, but stood up. She stumbled, but then recovered quickly. "I guess not. I wouldn't be good to Primus either if I died here." The femme looked around and then at her copy, who quickly disappeared. "Let's just get this over with. Not that I don't mind your company, I just don't like being a damsel in distress." She sighed.
Hammertread nodded and paused for a second. "I'll be right back" He dissapeared into his room for a second, and Alpha sat back down, shaking.
There's what looks like some small caves to the west." Beacon reported from overhead. "I'm not getting any energy signals other than our own."
"We could conceal ourselves there." Driveby suggested. "Omega, did you see which way Hammertread went after he grabbed Alpha?"
"No...I didn't..." Omega whimpered. "I've gotta find Alpha...she's in pain..."
Compass groaned as he laid on the cold floor. There was something heavy on his wrists, and it was preventing him from moving very far. Every part of him ached, and for some reason, he couldn't see.
Something was wrong.
Then he heard a faint sound. The noise started out as a mild thumping, but grew louder until it sounded like footsteps. Very heavy footsteps. Oart of the back wall of the cave slid open to reveal what seemed to be a hallway, and beyond it a ship of some sort. A large, blocky figure stepped out, shutting the door behind him, and casting the cave back into darkness. The mech brought out an energon cube and tossed it at compasses feet.
"Here."
Compass looked up warily at the Energon cube, then up at the figure. He didn't move, whether it was because his arms seemed magnetically stuck to the floor, or out of fear. He didn't move, he just stared at the Energon cube.
The figure opened the door. "Don't drink it all at once, kid." and the door shut behind him.
Alpha swallowed and then looked at her glowing markings. "Frag I hate being me right now."
"I would to."
"Shut the Frag up!" Alpha growled, punching her copy.
The copy stumbled. "Fine. You're on your own with this psycho."
"He's better than you."
The copy gasped, but disappeared.
"Jerk! Primus f-ing take me now!!"
HT walked back in. The tank shook his head at her argument with her twin. He just stood there for a minute, watching her argue with herself.
Compass heard the door shut and sat up slowly, grunting. He looked at the energon cube, but didn't touch it. He was tired, but he'd watched too many movies with the twins to think it wasn't poisoned or had some sort of medicinal device in it. So he left it there, and stared at it.
"What are you looking at?" Alpha growled, glaring at HT. She folded her arms and then looked at herself as her markings stopped glowing. "Finally." she thought. She concentrated on her link to Omega...
"Bro?" she tried
"Sis?" the answer sounded suprised, and woried, and happy, all at the same time.
"BRO!" Alpha smiled. "Bro!"
The voice laughed. "SIS!"
Alpha laughed. She clapped her hands together.
"You okay?"
"Oh I'm fine, but my markings...well..."
"I know...I felt..."
Alpha smiled.
"Alright, let's go." The tank grabbed her by the arm, the energy rope in his other hand.
Alpha muttered something, but followed him. The tank walked up to a door on the left side of the room, across from where Alpha had been. He moved between Alpha and the code panel next to the door and typed something. The door slid open, leading further back into the ship. Alpa realised she hadn't even seen it when she was sitting there. She kept an optic on the rope as she hurried to keep up with him as he hurried toward the back of the ship.
"Ya okay?" Omega sent.
"I'm fine, bro. So...how ya doing? Your markings glowing?"
"Nope."
"Good. It HURTS!"
Omega's mind-voice laughed.
"Why is it everyone seems to laugh at my pain?" Alpha sighed.
"Sorry sis."
"Whatever."
The tank quickly turned off one of the monitors, which had a darkened cave on the display.
He grabbed the femme and quickly bound her wrists together, and used the other peice for her ankles. He opened the ship's side hatch and transformed, taking off towards the meeting place with Alpha on top of him.
Alpha muttered something as she struggled to untie herself. "Why do I always scare off the people that can help me?"
"Because you do."
"Bro..." Alpha sighed. "I hate you."
"No you don't."
"You're right. I hate myself."
"Sis."
"Bite me and HELP!! Fraggit, these things..." Alpha struggled even more. She then realized something.
"That cave...I could have sworn I saw..."
"COMPASS!!"
"who?" Hammertread played dumb. She was really starting to get on his nerves again. He wished he'd sleep-gassed her again, but that wouldn't be any fun. He bumped over a pile of rocks, and sped up.
"Compass! My...boyfriend..." Alpha started to struggled. "where is he? What did yo do to him?"
Jade swooped down and landed, eying the cave not too far off. "I am not going in there!" she said, folding her arms. Knowing there was a certain wherewolf lurking out ehre somewhere.
"Okay... There's some trees over there." Beacon pointed. "Good idea. You coming with me?" she asked. "I guess." Beacon still sounded a bit dissapointed at not being allowed to stay in the air, but followed her down
Compass looked groggily at the energon, his energy levels lowering significantly. He perked up only slightly when he swore he heard Alpha. "...Alpha...?" He mumbled drowsily.
Prowl walked over to stand beside Driveby, and looked around at the area. He turned back to Beacon. "Are you sure, this area is clear?" He inquired.
"I haven't detected anything at all." the white jet circled again, then dropped down to land. "We should find someplace to hide." Jade had allready found a small clump of trees and was trying to wedge her wings in-between two pines. Cable ran over. "Here, lemme help." He took hold of one tree and bent it over a bit so the jet could fit. Then he jumped over a bit of shrubbery and peeked out from beside the jet.
"Dibs on the cave!" Cap yelled, sprinting for the small cave.
Compass tried to pull himself to his feet, but dropped to his knees again. He looked at the cube. He was exhausted, but he wasn't stupid, unless that's what their entire plan was, whoever 'they' were. He reached for the cube and picked it up, trying to do a scan over it. There had to of been something wrong with it.
Hammertread sped up, noticing the blue femme on top of him seemed to be taking to someone. Herself, maybe?
Alpha whimpered and started to struggle. "Let me go! I have to help him! He saved my life so many times!"
Ratchet picked at a rock that had lodged itself in his heel, and finally dislodged it, tossing it aside and looking around the area.
Prowl eyed the area. Ratchet followed behind him. "He's right you know, we really should find a place to at least wade out the fight until it's in our favor." Prowl frowned as the medic began heading towards the area of trees.
"We aren't here to fight..."
"HT rolled over another rough patch of rock, then crossed a dry area, kicking up dust in his wake. "You know why I have him?" he asked. He didn't even wait for her to reply. "In case you do something stupid. Or your friends do." He sped up a little more, hoping to get there before the Autobots did.
"Please let him go!" Alpha begged, "He's one of the few that hasn't tried to hurt me...please let him go!" She continued to struggle.
"I love him...you can't do this! You can't bring him into this... he... he didn't do anything to you!"
A dark shadow overcast HT as it followed over him, but its shape was undefinable for the time being. It was unusually silent, except for a light humming.
Prowl stood in the center of the bowl-shaped indention, and looked up at the trees. Then down at the valley. "Driveby, help me get rid of these prints. We can't give him any hints anyone else was here. ." He began kicking at the ground, to make it look as if he'd walked around out of boredom.
The tank noticed some sort of shadow, but figured Prowl would bring someone with him. "He's not a stupid adversary after all." he thought.
He turned his attention to the femme, who was squirming and yelling about her boyfriend, or something like that.
"Isn't that too bad. But that's life. One minute your'e in love and the next minute, poof. everything goes up in smoke. That's why I want my revenge on Prowl. I lost my memory. I lost my life. Because he tried to kill me.
If I have to keep your little boyfriend around to ensure UI get my revenge, fine. Nothing will stand in the way of that!" He yelled the last part, and ramped over a pile of rocks, landing at the edge of the valley. "Well, well, well. what have we here? he scanned down in the valley, seeing the figures there.
Gunlock swooped down. "He's here!" he yelled over his comm. Driveby put a hand over her audio. "Please, there's no need to yell." she turned to the others. "find places to hide. hurry. He might not have seen you yet."
Prowl glanced at Gunlock as he transformed and landed. "Get to a spot, immediately." He began heading back towards the center of the area, keeping his audio sensors alert for any sound of the tank. Instead, he picked up what seemed to be a low humming. He turned to Driveby. "Do you hear that?"