The Nemesis, Data Room
Miko rubbed her hands together, looking at all the buttons and switches ready to be pushed. She raised her hands dramatically and wriggled her fingers in anticipation.
"Not yet," Orion said before comming the base. "Team O infiltration successful. Rafael, begin distraction protocols and send in remaining teams."
"I'm on it," he replied, then laughed shortly after. "Well, that got Soundwave's attention all right. Sending in stealth teams… now!"
"Miko, Jack, begin your sabotage."
"Sorry to interrupt the party," Agent Fowler came through, sounding panicky. "But I've got a con on my rear. The plan was leaked!"
"Impossible," Orion replied as Miko giggled quietly but gleefully and began shoving all the buttons she could reach. Some of them were difficult for humans to move without the strength of a machine, but she had already set off multiple alarms.
"And they call Unicron the chaos bringer," Orion muttered before returning to the conversation. "I do not believe that is the case Agent. We have breached successfully."
"Hmm," he said, then added, "maybe you're right. He just sped off without me. The only thing that concerns me is that there was a young lady in that car."
Jack went about his panel a little more reservedly, keeping his phone at his ear so he could listen in.
"We will have to look into that at another time, Agent. Are you nearly at the army base?"
"Yeah, hope I don't hear from you later," he said before hanging up and leaving the lines less crowded.
"Orion, Megatron is moving toward your position," Raf said with a hint of fear in his voice. "I'm going to try and mess with the autopilot programming next, so you might all want to find something to hold onto."
Now that they could see through the Nemesis' shielding, all of the Decepticon life signals were visible to Raf. Unfortunately this worked both ways, given there was no Autobot base shielding either.
"Team A, status?" Orion requested. Megatron would pass them before he reached the Data Room, but he also guessed the tyrant would be more interested in confronting him than them.
"Just hanging out in a storage closet avoiding Megatron," Arcee muttered. "Oh calm down, Ratchet. He'll hear your knees clanking at this rate."
"Hem-hem, hiding is just a little nerve-wracking…"
"Megatron is still on a beeline for the Data Room, you guys should be able to move up now," Raf added.
Orion heard a door open and close as they followed Raf's advice and moved into another room. "Payload!" Arcee whispered triumphantly. "What kind of dunce keeps all their relics in the same place?"
Orion vented his relief. "Switch priority to obtaining relics and extracting before Megatron learns where you are. Team B, status?"
"Team Bee is undetected," Bumblebee buzzed as quietly as he could. "Want us to move to your position?"
"Yes, this data is too valuable to abandon now. Don't put yourselves in danger, but try to buy me some time."
"Team Bee is on the job," he replied, and Bulkhead grumbled something about changing their name.
"Um, guys, Soundwave has noticed the relics have left the ship. Megatron has picked up his pace," Raf transmitted with some trepidation. "He's blocking me from the ship controls, and the panels Miko and Jack are at aren't connected to those."
Orion deliberated with some panic. Should he pull out now and abandon the data? Was it worth the risk?
"Team B has found the refuelling centre, we're going to distract Megatron by sabotaging it," Bulkhead updated them.
Then they still had time, Orion decided. "Rafael, bridge out Jack and Miko. Then call in Agent Fowler's squad, but only for one pass. They don't need to be targeted by Seekers."
"Got it," Raf said. "Oh, what's going on? I think Soundwave is messing with my equipment because I can see five Starscreams on the ship." He paused for a little longer. "No, Soundwave would be more subtle than that. I can also see a hundred or so Insecticons approaching!"
There was terrible screech, echoed by the harmonics characteristic of Soundwave's communication. All any of them could hear through the comm now was static.
"No," Orion murmured. Back to square one again. What should he do?
He copied the remaining coordinates and decided that would have to be the end of the mission. The terminal blew up in his face a second later, and Soundwave had decided for him anyway.
A ground bridge opened and Jack and Miko ran for it, Orion moving after them as soon as they had cleared out. He didn't want to accidentally step on one of them with an oversized pede.
"Rafael!" he said as soon as they appeared on the other side. "Bridge back Bumblebee and Bulkhead before Soundwave updates their cloaking! Agent Fowler, cancel that airstrike!"
"I see our work has been done for us," he joked. "Returning to base."
Raf typed desperately and Bumblebee and Bulkhead soon joined them. "In true Wrecker style!" Bulkhead yelled, fist-bumping Bumblebee. "The Nemesis should be grounded for quite some time."
Orion relaxed now that his entire team was back to safety. Raf groaned in disappointment as the life signals disappeared from their map again. All he could see was the edges of the swarm of Insecticons.
"Hey, don't worry about it," Arcee said as she held up the Spark Extractor and the Energon Shield. "We have these now." Ratchet leant the forge of Solus Prime against the wall. "But still, permission to try and eradicate Airachnid?"
"Thankfully Megatron does not have the Spark Extractor anymore," Orion began, "Not to mention, they shouldn't be moving very far for quite some time. But I think you're right Arcee, the battle isn't quite over. Ratchet, bridge us to Airachnid's current position."
"Orion, I don't think you should come," Arcee said, folding her arms. "Airachnid has wiped out enough bots in her time. The team doesn't need you to be one of them."
"O-oh," Orion replied, having to remind his hurt feelings that Arcee was always frank.
Bumblebee patted his elbow, since reaching up to his shoulder would have made the action unnatural. "Don't worry Pax, leave it to the professionals. You should do what you do best."
"All right then, I will begin decoding the coordinates I downloaded," he agreed, and they parted ways.
Nemesis Ruins
"AUTOBOTS!" was the first thing Viviana and Knockout heard as they boarded the ship through the portal. It seemed Megatron was not amused by whatever they had done now.
Knockout pulled up near his central workbench before realising the familiar hum of engines was not under his wheels. "Oh dear…"
"How did this happen Soundwave? All three of the artefacts are GONE! As well as the coded coordinates for THE REST of them!"
"I seriously missed being rescued in an Autobot invasion?" Viviana groaned as quietly as possible.
"Given Lord Megatron's current mood, even I feel a little like that," Knockout agreed, glad that Soundwave had transported them straight to the lab instead of onto the bridge where Megatron was raging right now.
"I will not underestimate you again, Orion Pax!"
"Oh, I see," Knockout murmured as he opened his door, "touchy subject. We'd better get straight back to work. You can recharge and refuel later."
He transformed and placed the load that had been in his boot in what was now Viviana's corner. "We'll ask Soundwave to set up a power outlet for your devices, er, shortly," he said, glancing over his shoulder worriedly. He pulled out a sample of synthetic Energon and set up his sanitised lab equipment.
"Hmm," he murmured as he picked up a dirty petri dish. "Have you seen Breakd-?" He was cut off by another bridge opening, and Dreadwing and Breakdown stumbling through.
"Right… here…" he groaned.
"What on this filthy planet happened to you?" he demanded before immediately asking, "Where does it hurt the most?"
Breakdown shifted his hand so that the slice through his gut and chest became visible. "It's only thanks to Dreadwing that I'm even in one piece, fragging Airachnid…"
Megatron's yelling finally stopped as he stomped into another part of the ship. Soundwave entered the lab shortly afterwards. He nodded at the cons before approaching Viviana in her corner. Her phone vibrated, and she noticed the battery said it was charging.
The message said, "Wireless charging has been set up for all of your devices as long as you are on the Nemesis."
"Oh, uh, thank you," she replied, not knowing how to respond.
"You will both need to work quickly. The workers will install the other amenities necessary for your health in due course. We need synthetic Energon production yesterday."
Viviana laughed hesitantly at what she thought was a joke as Soundwave left to attend whatever other business he had. A lot, from the sound of recent events.
"Humph, easy for him to say! He doesn't have Megatron up his exhaust pipes…" Knockout trailed off. "Come on imbecile, I'll patch you up."
The three cons moved across the room, and Dreadwing helped strap Breakdown to the medical table. Knockout poked and prodded for a few moments before yelling in shock. "Why are half your organs missing? How are you still functioning?"
Dreadwing glanced to the side guiltily. "I had to deal with Airachnid before I could return to him. It seems that was enough time for those opportunistic scavengers."
Knockout shook his head in disbelief. "At any rate, I need to clean this out before I can do anything. Viviana, come here."
She put down the protective equipment she had been about to use to handle the SynthEn before complying. "What is it?"
He picked her up and tried to place her on Breakdown's chest, but he flinched away. "Keep that thing away from me!"
"Hmph, ruuude!" she complained, not realising how much she sounded like Knockout.
Knockout rolled his eyes, but didn't put her down yet. "This isn't MECH, Breakdown. It'll be fine. She's the only one with small enough servos to clean your injuries without exacerbating them."
"MECH?" she asked. "As in M-E-C-H and psycho Sylas?"
"How do you know?" Knockout demanded as Breakdown flinched away again.
"Um, they sponsored my doctorate research?" she said with more of a questioning tone while three giant angry robots glared down at her suspiciously. "Why, what did they do?" she asked in a small voice.
"They tore Breakdown apart and made him watch! What did you do for them?"
"W-what? I just looked at the theory of isolating and temporarily blocking synapses responsible for causing pain. That was over a year ago though!"
Breakdown started before hissing from his injuries. "So it was your research that let them do that!?"
"Oh calm down you big oaf!" Knockout said crossly. "Her research meant you didn't feel it. Now stop being ridiculous and let her clean the wound before you bleed out in my med bay."
He glared down at her, waiting. "What? I thought it would be used by field medics and emergency response teams! I didn't know it was even applicable to robots," she said before taking the scrap of cloth Knockout handed her.
"I don't know how your fleshy plating will handle this corrosive substance, so be careful," Knockout warned.
"Yep, we're just the model of lab safety up here," she muttered, wishing she had kept her gloves and safety glasses. She dipped a corner of the rag in the giant jar of solvent Knockout proffered before turning to the ugly open wound in Breakdown's chest. "This might, uh, sting a little?" she sought confirmation, not really knowing how it would affect him at all.
"He knows what it feels like," Knockout said dismissively, not seeming to understand why she had said it.
"Oh, of course," she said as she began rubbing the cleanser inside his scar. He hissed, but knew better than to actually move. "Nurse Breakdown is a pro at this huh?"
A smile peeked through his grimace at this one. "You're right, I'm basically qualified to be a nurse." He looked at Knockout. "Start introducing me as Nurse Breakdown."
"Would you stop putting ridiculous ideas into that empty skull," he said to Viviana, reaching out for what must have been a welding device.
Knockout inspected Viviana's work as she went along. "Good job, maybe you can take over as medic instead? I do like tearing things apart rather more."
Viviana shook her head as she finished on the nastiest looking cut. "I get the feeling my size would slow me down a little."
"Well, isn't that what Breakdown is for?" He shifted her so she could start working on his arm next. He activated the flame of the welder.
"Whoa wait a minute, you can't do that while I'm so close. I'll go blind!"
"Fine," he sighed and put her on the floor. "Don't go too far." He started welding at the injury as Viviana turned her back.
He gave her the ok a short time later as he started drilling plates into him. At her horrified face he explained, "If his torso is ever going to return to its former glory, the parts need to be lined up when the regrowing process begins. But I don't want the regrowth to get too enthusiastic until we retrieve the rest of his organs."
"Your metal regrows? Freaky," she replied, wondering if the SynthEn mystery would be solved more easily if she only knew more about Cybertronian biology. "Too bad your paint job doesn't do the same thing."
Before Knockout could retort, the ship shook and the lights glowed purple over their heads. The engines sounded like they had started up again. "This is not normal," Knockout muttered. "Come back here," he said sharply, offering his hand.
She quickly climbed on as he tightened the final screw.
"Be careful Breakdown," he added when the large con started to stand up. "You're still Energon deficient and almost falling apart."
They slowly moved back to the bridge so that he could keep up. As they went, they received a text message sent out to all personnel. "Dark Energon powering ship."
"What? That is how Lord Megatron is fixing…" Knockout trailed off as they entered the room.
"Do not interfere!" a deep voice echoed around them.
"Is that… the ship?" one of the minions asked.
"YES!" it replied, and sent a shock through Soundwave, who had been connected to the console. He twitched a few times before becoming as limp as a bot could. She guessed he had shut down.
"No Soundwave on a sentient ship that seems to hate us?" Breakdown rumbled nervously.
"Well, it seems to be doing a better job than us at decoding the coordinates," Knockout noted, pointing out something else written in Cybertronian.
Megatron growled at him and Knockout took a few slow steps back. "All units! Disconnect the ship from its power core at any cost!"