RID- Out of Focus
"I think I've earned the right to make more of my own decisions in the field." Strongarm states.
"If that means Strongarm can decide to tell me what to do I officially request a transfer." Sides adds.
"I'm tired of stayin' behind when we have missions near humans." Grimlock adds his two cents.
I just stand by and watch all this unfold.
"The center of the storm is always still and its easiest to find the solution from there." Bee states.
Everyone just stares at him dumbfoundly. "Beg your pardon?" Grimlock asks.
Bee sighs. "Optimus used to say that. When your feeling overwhelmed find your focus." He replies.
"So true. So true, but how does that get Strongarm off my bumper?" Sides exclaims.
I sigh at his immaturity.
Suddenly an alarm goes off. "Lieutenant Bumblebee I have four Decepticon signals a few miles from here, just look at all this flashing." Fixit announces.
"Looks like the team meeting will have to wait. Too bad so sad. Okay Autobots, lets hit the trail." Bee states.
"Cause Bee wants to bail." Sides mutters.
"Hey, I do the rallying cry." Bee groans.
"Not well though." I mutter to everyone else. They get a chuckle at that.
"I hear that." Bee says to me.
We drive towards our destination and its proving to be difficult with Sides swerving and Strongarm being unable to resist. "Stay in formation."
"Afraid I'll get there first?"
"Afraid you might blow a strut trying to keep up." She replies.
He speeds in front of her, jumps in the air and lands in front of her creating a cloud of dust. "Was that really necessary Sides?" I ask sarcastically.
"Sure was babe, and completely worth it." He replies.
"Remember, this is a mission and not a race." Bee adds.
We pull to a stop when we get to where the stasis pods are. "Each pod appears to have been opened from the inside, violently." Strongarm suggest.
"Fixit, I have a hunch. Run a check on the Alchomors prisoner manifest." Bee asks. "See if any four bot criminal organizations were imprisioned together on the ship."
"Right away Lieutenant...Skunkticons sir led by Malador. They spray liquid from their tails that temporarly disorientates a bots sensory receptors and they use this ability to keep officers at bay while the rest of the gang burrowed into businesses and robbed them." Fixit explains.
"Those stinkers." Sides says jokingly.
"Boo." I reply.
"Aww come on that was a good one." He replies.
"Nope. It stunk." I reply cheekly.
Sides laughs and says, "Ha! My girlfriends awesome!"
"Focus you two." Bee interrputs. "Stay on point everyone." He exams something in the ground. "A print."
"Pointing north."
"Isn't that the automated dam where Steeljaw and his pack set up shop north of here?" Bee asks.
"Steeljaw lettin four more Cons into his club? Thats a party that definetly needs crashing." Grimlock states.
"Wait, we should go back for gear to protect us from the Skunks toxin."
"Bee, do I look like a go back for protective gear wearing Dinobot or a punch happy dino demolisher." Grimlock replies before running off.
Strongarm follows." Grimlock, your violating team protocol!"
Sides is next. "Keep going Grim! She's just mad your ahead of her!"
I turn to Bee. "Shall we?"
He sighs. "Might as well...its like herding domestic felines." We follow after the others. "Hope are you sure you want to continue?"
"Why wouldn't I?" I ask.
"Just incase we run into Steeljaw."
"Im fine Bee. I can't hide away forever." I reply.
"I just worry. I need to look after you for your creators, and so far I haven't been excelling at that." He replies sadly.
"It's not your fault and for what its worth your doing a good job."
"Thanks." He replies with a smile.
Before long we're at the enterance to the steel mill. "On my mark...go." At Bee's word we go inside.
"Fixit we're at the dam." Bee says. "Are you reading any decepticon activity in our immidate area?"
"Negative sir, but I should remind you Steeljaw and his pack disabled their signals and even if their near you the Skunkticons might be masked by the electricity generated by the dam."
"It looks like Steeljaws crew might have abandoned this place after the last time we fought." Bee states.
"Wouldn't doubt it. Would actually be smart on their part to relocate." I comment. I notice Grimlock staring at something behind him. I turn and see Sides leaning against one of the turbines.
"I stuck my hand in one of those once. Wanna know what happened?" He asks. "...This!" He holds up his hand in a way that makes it look like his digits are missing.
Grimlock jumps back in fright at that.
Bee walks up to Sides and grabs said hand. "Will all of you knock it off. We should be using this time to make a plan. We're still on a mission."
"We've been on a bunch of em already Bee, and we've done ok. You can loosen our leashes a little." Sides argues.
"Yeah but remember theres a time to kid and a time to be serious." I add.
"Who says I can't do both at the same time." Sides asks.
A noise from behind us interrputs the conversation. We turn and see that its the Skunkticons. "We got here faster than the SKunks?" Strongarm asks.
"We may not be built for speed primitive one but we are built for the dismantiling of Autobots." Malador replies. Then he and the others turn around and point their tails at us and then shoot their spray at us.
However, before it can hit us Grimlock blocks it, getting the full brunt of it. "Where'd everybody go?!"
I rush to his side. "Grimlock, we're right her-AH!" I'm interrupted by the Skunks spraying me in the face. I try to rub it off but it does no good. I can barely hear whats going on. Apparently this spray attacks your senses. Instead of trying to move around I just take a seat where I'm at. It's not like I'd make any progress anyway, but thankfully it wears off after a few minutes and I can see again, and so can everyone else.
"Wheres Grimlock?" Strongarm asks. "Did the Decepticons take him? Go that way!" She points to the elevator.
"Maybe I wanna go that way." Sides says pointing in the opposite direction.
"Stop!" Bee yells. "Your fighting about things that dont matter and being distracted is what got us into this mess in the first place. Now, instead of running everywhere and hoping we get lucky lets see if we can find any clues as to where the Skunkticons might be headed."
Everyone scatters to look for clues and when I get closer to the elevator I also see a line scratched into the floor, where something heavy looks like its been drug. "Hey Bee! I think I found something."
He walks over and looks at the scratches. "Grimlock left us a trail...good work Hope."
"Allow me. " Sides offers to get the elevator door open. When he presses the button theres a crash.
Bee opens the door and looks inside. "Somebot didn't want us following them, but theres only one floor above this." He blows a hole in the celieng of the elevator and jumps up. The rest of us follow his example. When I jump up Sides is there to steady me." Thanks."
"Anytime."
Strongarm has trouble so I kneel down and help her up." Nice to know one of you is helpful." She comments.
"You should have known better than to expect it from Sides." I reply.
"Everyone grab onto a cable and start pulling." Bee orders.
We all do so and before long we're at the second floor. "Stay alert. We know the SKunkticons are on this floor somewhere. Sideswipe I want you over here-"
"Sideswipe flank the stairwell door!" Strongarm tries to order.
"You flank it flankenstein. Seriously, shes a monster and you need to do something about it."
"Didn't you hear me downstairs? I said we can't let anything distract us from the-
"Skunkticons?" Malador interrrupts as he and the others walk up with Grimlock. "Keep moving back. You don't want to find out how many blasts it takes to permanetly damage your massive friend."
"No we don't. " BEe says as we move back. "We can figure this out Malador. No bot has to get hurt."
"Bee!" Grimlock yells before getting up, taking the Skunks by surprise. "Bee, can you hear me?! I am over here! Bee? Come to my voice!"
Strongarm and Sideswipe charge forward.
"Whats the plan? There is no plan." Bee sights in exasperation. "Come on Hope."
We join the others and charge at the Skunks. We each attack one as Grimlock stumbles around. He even breaks the window. He then hits one of the control panels.
"Emergency flood release activated. Dam lock opening initiated. Please ensure that all downstream residents are safetly evacuated." The automated voice says.
'Scrap." That dstracts me long enough for the Skunk to spray me. Now I can't see or hear so I just sit down and wait for the affects to wear off...I hate those Skunks.
Before long the affects wear off and I hear Bee ask, "Everyone back to normal?"
"Yep."
"Sure am."
Bee leads us over to the tunnels the Skunks went through. "The Skunks took this tube so we'll take this one."
"Why?" Strongarm asks.
"Because I remember the schematics for this facility and this tube runs parallel to this one." Bee replies.
"So." Sides says boredly. At Bees glare he straightens up. "Focus, right. Sorry."
We all drive down the tunnels racing to reach the Skunks. "I hear the Skunkticons coming. We can trap em if we can time it right, and focus. Grimlock, when I give the order smash the part of the wall beside you.'
"I don't like small dark places. You don't think they have any of those Earth cats here do ya?" Grimlock asks worridly.
"Grimlock?"
"Sorry. Focused and ready to rip."
Bee focuses a moment before saying, "Now!"
Grimlock smashes the wall and we run through and charge at the Skunks. One tries to get away but Grimlock smashes the wall beside him. The Skunks then spray him...again.
Sides charges at him and kicks him in the helm, knocking him out.
"That's how we do it team." Bee praises. "If we just maintain our focus we can accomplish anything we set our minds to."
"Mayday! Mayday! Dinobot down! Help!" Grimlock exclaims.
"I'll say it again for Grimlock when the toxin wears off." Bee adds.