"Take no prisoners!" Megatron cackled from a nearby rooftop. Hammertread rolled forward, his turret firing bolts of yellow enery at anything and everything that moved. he cackled with glee as an unmarked mech tripped and was crushed under his treads. He counted as he fired. "One blown to smithereens, two (ran over one), three (one melted alive). He continued on...
The tank transformed finally, after two more. he'd gotten bored with using his gun. He grabbed for one, and her teenage creation ran to hide. "No...please.." she begged him. The Decepticon only cackled around her screams, as he ripped her limbs off, one by one..
he heard Alpha whimper in front of him. it's in the past. he stated.
once finished with that one, he went looking for the sparkling. Instead he saw two white forms coming out of an alley. He fired.
The femmcar swerved and hit a nearby half-crumpled wall. The black and white mech was quickly trapped under a pile of rubble the tank brought down. "I'll save him for last." he grinned, transforming to walk up. He heard the mech shout something, but the femme couldn't make it to her feet. He walked up. Something hit him... He looked up at the blue-opticed Autobot.. and fell.
HT opened his eyes. "Good enough? he asked. Because that'sd exactly what I'm going to do to YOU!" he jumped up at the last word, seizing Indy around the throat.
Klutch fired his stun weapon at him...
"NO!" Alpha yelled, giving HT a huge headache. She ran over to his side hugged him. "HT, I'm sorry!" She whimpered, "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you! I just..." The femme stated as she continued to hurt him.
"I don't want to do this! Put Indy down...please...save it for Klutch..." She added the last part in his audios.
Hammertread snarled at the pain and backhanded Alpha out of the cell. He threw Indy into Klutch, sending them both sprawling. "Don't ever touch me agian." he seethed at Alpha. "I trusted you to get into my mind and you returned it with pain!" he held the sides of his head. "LEAVE ME ALONE!" he yelled, turning his back on them.
He went to swat Jade away, but the jet just ducked and ran out of the cell.
"I'm sorry." Alpha crawled over to him. She looked up at him with tears in her optics. "I would never hurt you for anything. I..." She trailed off, not knowing what to say. She wanted to tell him how she felt...but...Compass...and he was pissed at her...should she do it? "I care about you. I would never hurt you. Ever."
Alpha stood up and looked at him. "I wouldn't hurt you for anything...I'm sorry I did...I just...I don't want you to get in trouble..."
he turned to her, red optics blazing. "I'm allready in trouble. Don't you get it!? I'm a Decepticon. alright? The least I can do is give the blue twit and his little girlfriend a little pain for all they've given all of us." he motioned to the entirety of the cells. "So leave me alone and quit pretending you like them one minute, and want me to scrap them the next!" he shoved her back.
Alpha looked at him and then wrapped her arms around him. She closed her optics. "You don't get it, do you? I do this to protect you. I've never wanted to scrap you. Never. Even when you kidnapped me." She whispered.
"I didn't say that." the tank retorted, refusing to hug her back.
After a minute, he realised she wasn't going to let go, and rolled his eyes at the cieling, as though looking for help there. he sighed.
"fine. just..get off me. you're embarrasing me.." he mumbled.
Klutch slammed his hand onto the doorswitch. "Fine. you can both stay in there for the night. After tomorow morning, you'll probably never see each other again." he smirked. HT glared at him, and put his arm around Alpha. Jade went quietly with Prowl over to where Cap was sitting alone, having been teturned somewhere in the midst of all this drama, and went inside.
Compass sat in the rec room, and let out a heavy sigh that seemed to have weighed him down all day. His wings drooped, and flickered every so often as his optics dimmed in an out. He was more than exhausted, but he wasn't in the mood to recharge. He wasn't even in the mood to move, but he forced himself to at least stay awake to lay on one of the tables next to several empty glasses of energon, the last one, nearest him, half empty.
Jazz walked in, and went to the dispenser. "hey, why the long face?" he asked
Compass' optics brightened, but only enough to visualize the porsche as he came in. "...Huh? Oh...nothing. Just tired, I guess."
The black and white nodded. "You should get some rest, then. I'd think Alpha wants you ta be with her tomorrow." he said. he came over and sat down. "You heard, right?"
Alpha growled a bit. She looked at Klutch and then flipped him off. "Bite my aft, you slag sucker." She growled.
Omega ran over. He spotted Alpha and Ht and blinked. "Alright...I'm confused...wasn't she supposed to come back to her cell right now?"
Prowl turned to him. "I guess she's stuck with Hammertread." he watched Klutch and Indy walk out.
Omega blinked. He sighed. "Al, ya'll be okay?"
"Yeah..." Alpha nodded. She sighed and smirked. "felt good to flip that bastard off."
Jade sat down next to Cap. After a minute she sighed, and put her head down on his shoulder. "not you, too?" he mock-whined. "why do I allways get stuck with the whiny ones?" he faux-dramatically wondered aloud. Jade smacked him.
Whack!
"OWW! what was that for?"
he grinned though. "I know, I know..."
"Shut up." Beacon, Gunlock, and Cable all chorused along with him.
Alpha smirked and sat down. She sighed and rubbed where HT had backhanded her. She winced and then looked up, sighing again. "So...the trial's tomorrow..." She muttered. "I'm sorry..."
HT growled. "Doesn't matter. I'll rejoin Megatron rather than let that blue idiot shoot me." he looked at her. "And no, you are not coming with me. That's waht got us into this mess in the first place."
Alpha sighed. She then looked at him, emerald optics hard. "Like I care. That monster forced me to kill...forced me to cause pain on others...forced me to test on other bots that would have followed him to the ends of the Universe..."
She growled, "I would DIE before I served him again."
Omega sighed. "Al...it was in the past..."
"I don't care! He used us against each other!" Alpha snarled. She sighed and looked away.
The doors opened, and Jazz strolled through, with a pile of energon cubes. "hidey ho everybody. How are things down here in the cube." he said cheerily, setting down the cubes and going over to where Driveby was. He handed her one, then went to where HT and Alpha were.
Alpha looked up. She smiled at the mech. "hiyas, Jazz." She smiled, walking over to the bars. "So what's up? How's things out there?" She asked, taking two of the cubes. She handed HT his.
he shook his head. "I think the media's been campin' out on the lawn, Compass has been up without sleep. I finally sent him to his quarters.. Got a lil' suprise fer Klutch, though. Skyfire's supposed ta be her tomorow mornin' wit him, early." he said. "Whatyou guys been up to, other than annoyin the slag outta the gaurds." he grinned.
"Erm..." Alpha looked down. "Nothing...much..."
Omega laughed and told Jazz EVERYTHING that happened.
"Erm...okay...so I forgot a few things..." Alpha said, looking down.
the saboteur nodded. "So, how'you guys holdin up down here?" he asked, glancing at the other cells. he noticed the look on Alpha's face. "C'mon, it can't be that bad, can it? at least y'aint hung upside down by yer' rear axles." he joked.
Alpha glared at Jazz and walked over to the bench. She plopped down.
"It's that bad." Omega blinked. He sighed.
Jazz blinked. "okay. sorry..." he glanced at her.
"At least da blue twit got a major headache. That's the best thing ta happen 'round here since..." he thought for a second. "Since da Lambo twins superglued giant vulcan ears on Prowl's audios for April fools day." he hoped that would at least give the moping carfemme a mental image.
"Not going...Not going...I don'tneed to go...So I do...but who cares..." Compass mumbled to himself as he trudged along from the rec room towards his quarters. He didn't feel like sleeping. He didn't want to sleep. He stopped in mid step and looked down a branch of the hallway, that supposedly lead towards the holding quarters, dungeon, whatever someone wanted to call it. He raised his optic ridges, and made a face towards his usual path to the quarters, and decided to walk a different way. He turned into the branch, his heavy foot steps clanking through the Ark.
Alpha couldn't help but smiled. She laughed a bit. "Yep...he got two major headaches, but..." She glanced at HT and sighed, shaking her head.
Omega laughed at the joke.
"what's wrong, tank-man?"he said, then thought for a second. "They didn't tie yer shoelaces together so ya can't get away, did they? 'cause I definitely know that's annoying." he said. Cable laughed down the row. "hey, I'm gonna have to remember that one."
wack!
"Ow..what was that for?"
Jazz chuckled, and Hammetread shook his head. "What's a shoe-lace? he asked, bewildered
Compass ran a finger along the wall as he made his way down towards the cells, coming to a slower walk at the entrance as he pushed the door open. He stopped and looked back at his hand, which had gathered an enormous amount of shedding from it, and caused it to cling to the door frame. He mumbled and wrenched it from the wall with a bit of effort, before letting the door shut behind him.
Alpha smiled. "humans have to wear shoes on thier feet because their feet are too soft. So some of their shoes require them to tie them so they'll stay on. They use strings called shoe laces." Alpha shrugged. She looked at him and then smiled a bit, lying her head back. "Dang I'm tired..." She looked up. "Compass?" the femme heard him and smiled.
"Hey, Compass." Jazz greeted. "I thought you were gonna get some rest?" he queried.
Compass looked up towards Jazz, almost stumbling over his own two feet at Alpha's voice. "Egh...I'm not...well, I am tired, but I don't feel like recharging. Dunno why." He stepped forward towards the porsche and looked for the source of Alpha's voice.
"Compass!" Alpha ran over to the bars. She smiled at him. "Compass! You're okay"
Compass squinted as he stopped before the cell. He cocked his head gently, his wings drooping more. "Alpha, you have stripes on your fa---" He realized what he was looking at after he focused. He looked towards Jazz. "Why is she..."
Alpha covered her face. "What're you talkin' 'bout?" She asked, realizing his was very sleepy...maybe he would think he was dreaming it?
Compass narrowed his eyes and dimmed his optics for a moment before they brightened. "Jazz." His voice seemed considerably more stable. "Why." He turned and looked at the Porsche sternly.
"long story, m'man." Jazz placed a hand on his shoulder. "she's in a bit of trouble." he said, and turned to hand out the other cubes. "The code is 1436." he called over his shoulder. "Jus' don't make any escape attempts, kay?" he turned and gave him a grin. He handed out the rest of the cubes, and turned the fields back on after he'd handed the cubes to the occupants. he stepped into where Jade and Cap were.
Compass stared at the Porsche. "14...3...No. No, why is she in a cell? What proof?" He stared at Jazz, shaking his head, before backing up and falling as the back of his knees hit a bench. He sat down abruptly and shook his head, putting it into his hands, not caring about the sheddings. "Why. Why does it matter"
Alpha reached out and tried to grab his hand. "Compass...come here..." She muttered, reaching for him.
Cap took a cube, and Jade looked pointedly away from the Porsche.
Compass looked up at Alpha, then at her hand. He stood, wobbily, before making his way over. He took her hand, and with his free hand he dialed the code in, and left the cell open. He stepped between the cut that seperated the cell from the hallway, so if Jazz had wanted to, he wouldn't be able to without slicing a hole through Compass' chest with the bars. He leaned against the wall and gave a heavy sigh, looking at Alpha
Alpha looked at the ground. "I...I didn't do anything...I swear...none of us did." She sighed, looking at him. The femme hugged Compass. "I swear. We're all innocent"
Compass looked down at Alpha, and frowned, before returning the hug, although it was half-heartedly due to the lack of energy. "Let them go, Jazz. All of them"
"He can't." Alpha whispered, "Belive me, I want to teleport out of here, but I couldn't do that without everyone being in the same room and holding hands." She kissed his cheek. "I'm sorry if I worried you, Comp."
HT looked over at Compass. "The shrimp thinks we've done something wrong. All of us. If ever we've done anything wrong in the past, that makes us crimnals to him." he growled.
"It'll be over tomorrow, though." he added.
Compass pulled away from her. "Who said he can't." He said as a matter-of-factly, and made his way to the other cells, reaching to type in the codes. "What's it going to matter? What are they going to do? Accuse me of being a Decepticon too? We're no different from them." He said, a bit angry, but too tired to put anymore force on the numbers as he typed in the code.
Cap took a cube and shrugged. "It's just been a long day." Jade looked at the floor, taking the cube. she glanced at him, then looked away.
Jazz smirked. "Oh come on, it can't be that bad!" He smiled.
Jade set the cube down and pulled her knees up. Cap stared at his cube.
Alpha nodded. "What HT said. Stop, Comp! You can't"
He pushed on the last keypad, opening the last cell, before slumping against the wall, looking at Jazz. "You going to stop me"
Driveby folded her arms as he typed the code. "as much as we hate this, Klutch has the humans on his side. If we leave, the entire Autobot force here will be compromised." she stated.
"I'm sorry about him...he's half asleep." Alpha muttered, walking over to Compass. She helped him stand up. "Easy now...you need some sleep." She whispered.
Compass pulled his knees up, mimicing Jade, and shook his head, leaning against the wall. "Klutch is blind, and an idiot. They all are. We are. What's it matter? We're Transformers. We're from Cybertron. We want peace. The only reason we have these," He pointed to the Autobot logo on his wrist. "is because one of us wants peace by domination, and one of us wants peace by equal compromise." He pushed his back against the wall and stood up slowly. "If we leave, the entire Autobot force will be nothing but stronger if you even understand a word I'm saying."
He looked at Alpha. "If you're so innocent, then you know I'm right."
Alpha was hurt. "Compass...tell me you didn't mean that as an insult..." She muttered, looking at him. The femme sighed and leaned him against the wall then headed for her cell.
the others (who were awake) came out of their cells, to meet in the center of the room. namely Driveby, Beacon, Cable, Cap, Jade, and Alpha.
"I know what you mean, Compass. But we have no place to go. no place to hide. It is better to see what fate holds for us first. Then, if we are condemned by the ones we call our allies, then we will run." Driveby stated.
the others agreed. Jade stayed silent.
Alpha sighed and looked at the others. "Omega and I could escape at any time, Compass, but we want to see the look on Klutch's face when he looses...or HT rips him apart." She shrugged.
Hammertread grinned and cracked his knuckles in reply.
Compass looked at Alpha, then at the others. He shook his head.
"You're not being condemned by anyone but a minibot who wants nothing more than to be a hero and the reason the Decepticons are gone. I don't mean it as an insult," He looked towards Alpha. "But you can't be so desperate as to let a minibot's grudge be the end of your lives. I know I wouldn't, even if I am at a critical for energy." His optics dimmed considerably, and he mumbled something, his head lowered, before he backed up and hit the wall again, sliding down. "Why do you need to hide if they truly are your allies..." He whispered.
Alpha laughed. She nodded. "HT'd rip him apart in a sparkbeat." She grinned. "Compass?" The femme bent down next to him and held him close. "Goodnight, Compass." She whispered, kissing him gently.
Jade looked up, and walked over to Jazz. "I need to talk to you." she whispered.
Jazz nodded. "Alright, what is it, hon?"
"And he's not a minibot. He's just short." Jade added before walking towards the back of the room.
"And even if we are condemned," Driveby put in."we will know whether we can trust Prime or not. If we are condemned, it will not be the end of us." her blue optics lit brighter. "That, I promise you."
"Yeah!" the others yelled their agreement. "It is better to have some allies then be enemies to all." she put in.
more agreement.
Alpha muttered something as she held the sleeping Compass close. She closed her optics and hugged the mech.
Compass leaned against Alpha, his optics dimming. "...Suit yourself...traitor..." He replied to Driveby before his optics turned black. In a few moments they were slightly lit, but died out again, the last remains of his energy depleted. Alpha kissed him gently. She held him close and then looked up. The femme yawned and closed her optics, leaning her head on Compass'. She slipped into recharge.
Jade went to the farmost cell, and glanced at the group, then at Jazz. "eh..um..." she looked at the floor, not sure how to say it.
"You remember the time Syus and all of us tried to get ahold of Spike and Wyldkat wound up letting him get rescued?" she said
Jazz nodded. "Yeah, so?" He asked.
"Well...um..."she glanced up at him. "you remember Windstriker dragged you into our base at gunpoint?" she glanced at him, hoping he remembered. then winced, hoping he didn't remember that much of it.
Jazz blinked, but nodded. "Yeah..." He muttered.
"um..."
Jade thought back to how Syus had dragged him into the main cavern and thrown him in a heap, demanding the Autobot commander surrender or their black and white would be turned into scrap metal. When they went to meet Prime, the entire Ark had shown up. they simply dumped Jazz and the box of scrap metal and left, praying the Autobots wouldn't follow.
They were like a nest of angry hornets...
"KlutchhasthememoriesaboutwhathappenedwhenyouwereinthebaseI'msosorry" Jade blurted and looked away. She regretted causing him pain, but she had been so naieve then, and thought about only the good of the group, not the Autobots, who were their enemies at the time.
Jazz blinked. "hehaswhat?!how?Imean...oh frag..." He muttered, looking at the femme. "That's bad..."
the jet threw her arms around him. "I don't think he can use it without your permission, though. At least that's the plan he's been working on so far... But maybe you should go talk to Indy? I'm sorry! I tried to block it from her, but I couldn't.." she felt tears start to build up in her optics.
"It's okay, Jade." Jazz said softly. He hugged her and then smiled. "I'll go talk to her, okay? he gave her a rerassuring smile, and she only nodded." He glanced at the bots that were out of their cells and rolled his optics.
Jade looked at them and sniffled. "I'm scared...I don't want a repeat of last time." her wings quivered.
Jazz hugged her. "don't worry, Jade. that won't happen." he promised.
The mech looked at the others and then sighed. "If Prime or Prowl or...Klutch...comes in here and sees y'all out...well...it won't do us any favors..." He looked at her, "I'm sorry, Jade, but I think you should head back to your cells." He hugged her warmly, "Don't worry, I won't let nothin happen to ya."
She nodded, and looked over at Alpha and Compass. "So, are you gonna let Compass sleep where he is?" she wondered.
"I don't know..." Jazz muttered. He bent down, after smirking for a bit, and then shook alpha's shoulder. "Alpha?"
"Hmm...five more minutes, Master..." Alpha muttered, snuggling into Compass.
Jazz sighed and shook his head. "Alpha..." He picked the femme up and carried her into the cell. He laid her down on the bench and then walked out. "I'm gonna go talk to Indy and Klutch...y'all had better go 'head and get back in your cells so I can hurry an' talk to 'em."
Jade nodded, and Driveby and the others also headed back. Once everyone was in, the Porsche turned the fields back on. Jade nodded and sat down, still giving him a sorrowfull look.
Jazz sighed. "Sorry, Jade..." He said and then headed towards Klutch and Indy's room.
Snow crouched down next to Terra.
"Who's he?" she asked cautiously.
"He's Cyberfin...one of us..." Terra showed Snow the mech's brand.
"Oh..." Snow blinked.
Terra picked Cyberfin up. "Heyas...bro..." She muttered, carrying him inside.
Snow glanced around and followed.
Terra laid him down in the med bay and then went to find Ratchet.
Ratchet glared at Daze again and turned when he heard someone come in.
"Ratchet..." terra said quietly, "Can you help? My brother's hurt..."
Ratchet frowned. "Who are you?" he asked, but someone being injured was someone he had to fix, so he followed the femme out.
"I'm Terra...SnowFeather's...sister..." Terra muttered. She led Ratchet to Cyberfin. Ratchet raied an optic ridge, but started work on the mech.
Terra flew over his shoulder and watched. Ratchet growled and batted her away.
"I need space."
Terra growled, but flew over to the other side of Cyberfin. She looked at him and sighed
"He's just energy depleated. He should be OK in a few Earth-days."
Terra nodded. She landed next to Cyberfin and sighed. "CF...ya okay?" She asked softly, but doubted that the mech could hear her much less respond.
Snow walked over nervously and looked down at the mech. She recognised him now..
Terra bent down and swallowed. The femme sighed
Cyberfin groaned quietly, making Snow jump back.
"Cyberfin?" Terra asked softly.
The mech activated his optics.
"Terra?" he mumbled. "You OK?"
Terra nodded. "Yeah...you?"
Cyberfin managed to smile slightly and lifted his arm a fraction.
" 'Course," he told her. "Always a fighter, eh?"
"Yeah...glad you're okay, bro." Terra smiled. "What happened?" she asked, hugging her "brother" gently.
Cyber swallowed, and hugged back weakly.
"...I mean...why are so hurt?" Terra asked, looking him over.
"I tried to escape. They caught me, but I managed to get away."
"I'm just you're okay, Cyber." Terra said softly, looking at the mech.
"Thanks," he smiled, optics dimming.
"No problem." Terra stroked his forehead gently. "Get some rest."
Cyber nodded and started to shut down.
Terra smiled and stroked his forehead until he went to sleep. She looked up at Snow. "Poor guy..."
Snow nodded, still looking own at Cyber.
"He won't bite, ya know." Terra said, looking at her brother, "He's like my brother..."
Snow smiled and took a few steps forward.
Terra smiled and moved over some, but continued to stroke the mech's forehead.
Snow looked down at Cyberfin, opening her wings slightly.
"Come on, Snow. He won't hurt you." Terra smiled
The femme nodded and closed her wings, shuffling them so they could settle.
Terra flapped her bat wings and smiled.
Snow tilted her head.
"Is he the one you shared a cell with?"
"He and the youngest one, yes."
"Oh."
"Why?" Terra asked. "What's wrong, Snow?" The femme asked, looking at her friend
Snow swallowed and smiled.
"Nothing, I'm fine."
"Okay...ya say so..." Terra muttered and then looked at Fin.
Sighing, Snow shut off her optics.
Terra looked up at snow and shook her head, leaning against the wall. She tucked her legs under her and laid Cyberfin's head on them. She closed her optics, stroking his head gently.
"Don' worry, Jade. He'll straighten things up." Alpha muttered as she opened an optic.
Jade mumbled somethign under her vocaliser about hoping the Porsche really had forgiven her...
"He has, Jade." Alpha mumbled as she shook her head. "Ooh...next time I fall asleep with my head on Compass' shoulder...shoot me..." She held her head. "Sorry about that last dip in your mind, Jade...it was an accident..."
Jazz walked out of the room towards Klutch's and Indy's.
Indy was reading a datapad, while Klutch looked over the data when the doorchime rang.
Klutch mumbled something and walked back into the room. Indy looked up.
Jazz walked in. "Ya can't use dose memories from Jade." He said, looking at the mech.
Klutch looked up, and leaned back in his chair. "oh, an' why not?"
The Porsche folded his arms semi-defiantly. "Because I'm in 'em, and I say no. That's why."
Klutch steepled his fingers. "They are Her memories, and she gave consent for them to be used. "
And those memories have things I'd really rather not have the entire poulation of this planet see." the black and white responded.
"Fine. If you can get her to let Indy get a few more things from her, co-operatively, we'll se what we can do." the blue car smirked.
"It's three in the morning. I doubt she's even awake."
"Then tomorow morning, before we head out."
"Can't. final meetings."
Klutch's smirk dissapeared. "Fine. Indy can read her thoughts in her sleep for all I care."
"Not gonna happen. You want me ta call Prime?" Jazz threatened.
"Tomorow morning." Klutch stated, as though fact.
the black and white Autobot glared behind his visor, but simply walked out. Prime and Prowl would see to it none of their friends were bothered before leaving the Ark.