Hello everybody! Again, I'm sorry I took so long to write another long winded chapter. By long winded, I mean that this is longest chapter I have written so far. What is usually a ten pager, turned into a sixteen pager and I hope it makes up for the delay a little bit... What can I say. My job really sucks…

Anyway, about this chapter. I'm sure a lot of you are still chomping at the bit to find out what Cass has been up to this whole time. So far, nothing all that good, but I'm sure Breakdown can find away to make things easier… Maybe…

This one is set during the episode 'Stronger, Faster', but I changed the out come of that scene with Breakdown and the drone he was talking to in the mines. I won't give away too much detail though because I don't want to spoil anything. Enjoy!

Before I get to the special shout outs I would just like to say WOW! I was so not expecting the reaction I received from my last posting. I am so glad so many people enjoyed and got a good kick out of what I wrote. For a while I was worried I made the reveal for Soundwave and Cass too early, but then I worried that maybe I was starting to drag it out a little too long. So now I'm glad I found the right balance and I didn't entirely M. Night Shyamalan it… You know, 'Vat a twist!' XD

So, special shout outs too (and I apologize if I leave anyone out, there was a lot comments… Not that I'm complaining): Gajeel-rocks, Vampgirliegirl, Cao dreams in books, Guest, maria-ioanna984, CreepyLolita, and Neko no Kami. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! Everyone that took the time to read and review. It's comments like these that motivate me to keep writing, but because I got so many this time I'm just going to address the reviews that had questions in them this time. But please don't be discouraged from reviewing again.

To Cao, technically you did really ask this as a question, but since your curious I thought I'd let you know that I can't really give you a lot of details about what's going on between Knockout, Breakdown, and Soundwave. But lets just say Soundwave has more of an open processor. To Guest, not that I'm trying to spoil anything for anyone, but yes I do have plans for both Dreadwing and Predaking. And no I won't be pairing them, but you're right I think they would make a good match. Something like a loyal knight and his off the handle dragon familiar… That would be fun. To CreepyLolita, as mention in your PM I don't have a real definitive answer. Comparing Soundwave's height with any other mech is a bit difficult considering how the communications officer is never fully standing up right. His knee-joints bend backwards like a stork, so he's always crouching down. It would be easier to compare Cass's height with Megatron, and I'd say the tiny drone stands at about eye level with the center of the warlord's chest. Maybe a smidgen taller.

Remember, don't be afraid to review and ask questions. I love to hear from my readers. And again I'm sorry I didn't get to everyone this time. I promise to do better in the next chapter.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any stocks, trades, or licensing from the Transformers franchise. All rights are reserved for HASBRO entertainment.

MERCY

Chapter 21

A realization arrives,

A shovel strikes the earth above,

I'm being buried alive.

-The Tell Tale Heart, Edger Allan Poe

The small drone tip-toed into the communications bridge slowly. During this time of day his commander would usually be in his quarters getting some recharge, but Cass still didn't want to risk running into him. The Vehicon just really wanted to be alone for a time while he fixed his battle visor. There was no way that was going to happen if he went back to his own resting area. He shared it with three other drones, and he was bound to run into one of them. There would be no avoiding the immediate questions of how he got the scratch on his face, or why his mask was damaged. Coming to the bridge was his best shot at being left alone.

There wasn't a whole lot of thought to Cass's plan. He just didn't know what to do next after he fixed his mask. He couldn't go back to his dorm, he couldn't linger in the communications bridge, and anywhere else on the ship was a high risk of running into Megatron. So, for the time being the little drone was trapped like a cornered mouse. Except this mouse was being chased by more then one cat and it was only a matter of time before one of them finally pounced. Cass shook his helm as he placed his visor on the work station in the corner of the room. He knew that he needed to find away to calm himself, before Soundwave decided to show up for his duties early. The silent mech has been known to do that rather frequently, and it seemed like today was going to be no different. As soon as Cass sat in front of the work station the bay doors hissed open behind him. He rose so quickly from his seat he knocked over his chair, but he didn't bother picking it up. Instead, the flustered young mech fumbled with his broken mask and held it in place while he spun around to face his commander.

Soundwave entered the room slowly. He was still feeling a little groggy from his anxiety episode, and the jolt of electricity Knockout used to revive him was still throbbing on the back of his neck cables. It took the Communications Officer longer then he would ever admit noticing Cass standing in the corner of the room.

"Vehicon Drone CA-591-AN?" He addressed his assistant. "Query: Arrival to communications bridge?"

"I only stepped in for a moment, Commander." Cass replied rather sternly, which was odd for him. "I have finished my task. I'll be on my way." He held his servo under his chin and tilted his helm down as he tried to pass by the telepath, but Soundwave stopped him. It didn't take too much effort on his part. All the third in command needed to do was hold up his servo and meet the drone half way through his stride.

"Why are you holding your mask like that?" Soundwave slid back the bottom half of his mask; his lip-plates curled in a worried pout. "Caspian? Is something wrong?"

Sometimes he really hated how observant Soundwave was, and because of it he didn't respond to him in any way. He just continued to stare down and off to the side, hoping if he remained silent long enough his commander's patients would dissolve, and he would allow Cass to leave without much explanation. But he knew his commander better then that. The taller mech was never going to let up on him until he received an answer that satisfied him. Not that he was trying to interrogate his favorite drone, he was just concerned for his young ward.

"Did something happen during your meeting with Megatron?"

There was still no answer. Cass hardly moved or made a sound. For some reason the Vehicon thought if he stood still long enough, he just might disappear. If only he was lucky enough. Soundwave sighed and gently lured Cass to the resting area. The smaller mech followed without protest, but he refused to let go of his mask so the walk towards the chairs was a little clumsy.

"Have a seat Caspian." Soundwave didn't order him, but he was still guided to his seat. Once Cass was settled the third in command knelt in front of him and carefully traced his servos over the smaller mech's knee joints. He in turn said nothing and just waited patiently for Cass to open-up. Laserbeak also cooed and quietly chirped in response to Soundwave's affection towards the young model. She really wanted to detach from her master's chest and curl under Cass's arms and coax him into stroking her haul. But in response to her master's restraint she stayed where she was and waited for an invitation.

"Caspian…" Soundwave said as he cautiously reached up for the servo under Cass's chin. "Is your mask damaged?"

"Yes…!" The still shaken drone flinched away. Pushing himself deeper into the chair. "I-It's just a damaged clasp. I can fix it on my own…"

"Then why are you leaving it on?" His commander patted his chassis when the out stretched servo missed his intended target. "It is not like I have never seen your faceplate before."

"I just…" Cass wavered. His defensive demeanor began to deteriorate. "I-I just…"

"Hush…" The telepath soothed and again reached for the broken battle visor. "It is alright… You are safe here with me… It is alright…"

"Commander please…" The drone whimpered. It became clear that he was crying when Soundwave felt optical tears seep through the base of the mask. "Please… I can't…"

As soon as Soundwave's spindly digits slid under the loose mask, he delicately pulled it away, while he continued to emulate his soothing shushing whispers. Cass closed his optics tightly and covered his dermas with his servos. He was expecting to hear a multitude of questions. Questions he knew the answers too but just didn't want to answer. He was just too embarrassed to admit that he had been so foolish and neglectful, but the evidence of his mistakes was evident in abundance. The broken clasp on his mask, the scratches across his cheek, his uncontrollable sobbing… All of it was proof of his shame.

Cass waited for Soundwave to start gushing and doting over him like all his friends did. Jumping to an automatic conclusion and hovering over him like he was still a youngling, and he just didn't know any better. The young model was more then capable of learning from his mistakes, but he just couldn't stand to be patronized. Not anymore, or at least he didn't have the patience for it this time… But after a long period of time had passed nothing happened. Slowly he opened his bright optics, and he gazed upon a very placid expression on his Commander's face. Although Cass could not see Soundwave's optics, he could tell the third in command was still very worried. Yet he still just stayed there gazing at him and remained silent. But why? What was Soundwave waiting for?

"Commander…?" The young model whispered. "Are you not going to ask me any more questions?"

"Are you ready to answer them?" Soundwave replied just as softly while he set the battle visor aside. There was yet another brief pause before Cass shook his helm.

"No…"

"It can wait." The telepath nodded in understanding. "I can wait… Whenever you're ready. No pressure…"

Cass thought to himself that the other mech had no idea how relieved he felt to hear that. In one swift motion, the small drone leaned forward and embraced his Commander tightly over his shoulders. He sobbed in the crook of Soundwave's neck and pulled him as close to his chassis as possible.

"Oh Commander!" He cried. "I am such a fool! I was so stupid! I never should've…! I just…!" Cass was so upset he could no longer formulate any words, but Soundwave still didn't push the issue. He knew that the last thing the young model needed right now was someone to try and fix his problem for him. All Cass really needed was a shoulder to cry on and some ready audios to listen. Of course, Soundwave could not resist his somewhat paternal instincts for the small Vehicon, and he returned Cass's hug with a soft hum in his vocalizer.

"Shhhh…" Soundwave hushed and caressed his arms around the distraught drone's back. He even smiled a little; glad to know that Cass was safe in his embrace. "Go ahead and cry… I am here young one… And though right now it seems impossible… Everything is going to be alright… Shhhh… You are safe… You are safe…"

"C-Commander…!" The shaking drone sighed heavily and relaxed into Soundwave's subtle rocking. He cried some more and slowly began to calm himself, but before he could really say anything else the third in command suddenly stopped moving. He could feel Soundwave's arms and helm against his frame, but somehow, he couldn't register his presence. "Commander Soundwave?"

The very second Cass pushed himself away from the taller mech, he found himself alone. Soundwave literally disappeared in front of him, and the room around him dissipated into nothingness. When he stood even his chair evaporated into blackness, and there was no visible horizon for him to follow so he could find his way out of it.

"Commander Soundwave?! Where are you?!" He called out. His voice coiled in apprehensive static. "W-What is happening?! Hello?!"

"Where is Megatron?" An unfamiliar voice rose from the void, and Cass spun in each direction. He didn't know where it was coming from, but he knew he didn't want to get anywhere near its source. He quickly picked a direction to escape in and then ran as fast as he could, but the voice seemed to follow him from all sides. "Why the big rush?!" It echoed around the edges of his audio fins and it became clear that there was no chance Cass was going to be able to escape it.

"Get melted, wheel-grinder!" Another voice revealed itself out of nowhere, but this one was familiar. It was the minor drone 5AL-3M. It was Salem, but whom was he talking too?

"Melted…?" The stranger's voice rumbled from behind Cass's back, causing the small Vehicon to shake in fear. "Now there's a concept…"

Right after that statement, Cass heard the clicking sound of a welding torch igniting. He quickly turned around and took a large step back. There was a bright and hot light luminating over his faceplate, but behind the brief blindness Cass was able to make out the distinct shape of glowing optics… Green, angry optics.

"I won't ask you a second time…" The green-eyed monster threatened as the welding torch got alarmingly closer to Cass's faceplate. "Where… Is… Megatron?!"

"I… I don't know!" Cass cringed under the searing light. "Please! Please! Leave me alone!"

His pleas went unheeded and the torch maneuvered directly over the right side of his face.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The terrified small drone leapt from his resting place in a panic; screaming as if his frame was ablaze. He struggled and swung his arms around his helm trying to fight off his invisible assailant. Eventually he realized his random swinging was not finding any mark, so as he slowed down his arms, he cautiously opened his optics one at a time. Cass found himself alone in the small cavern he had stopped to rest in that night.

"Haaaah…" He sighed as cooling condensation rolled down his violet plating. "Oh Primus… It was just another flux…" Cass had been experiencing a lot of fluxes like his now most recent, and almost all of them were the same. The one he had the night before was a bit different. Salem wasn't in it for one, but the green optics would always show up, yet never speak to him. The only real difference was the repeated image of an energon mine cave-in. It was always the same place too, but he couldn't really tell where.

The Vehicon had volunteered for the assigned task of organizing the Sevier Energon trail, as the Decepticons called it. It was a very difficult trail for one mech to scale on his own not only because it was the largest collection of energon mines in the army faction, but because of the great lengths the Decepticons went through to keep it hidden. There was a total of six mines strung together and stretched almost the entire length of the Utah desert. Because these Energon deposits were so close together, Cons that were assigned to manage them were forbidden to contact the Nemesis unless it was an absolute emergency… And it needed to be a good emergency. Using comm links had a ridiculous list of rules. On top of not being allowed to contact the Nemesis without good probable cause, any Con in the mines were only allowed to use private comms between them. So, if a drone really needed to speak to another drone from across the caverns and he didn't know what their PM link was, he would be scrap out of luck. This made things very difficult for Minors to properly maneuver their daily work schedule.

Drones were also not permitted to use ground bridges unless they were scheduled or ordered to return the battleship, which was usually a privilege reserved for security drones or the higher ups (often Starscream). Even if a drone did manage to get permission to use a ground bridge through the mines, they were still forbidden from using it to travel between the trail itself. It was a one-way travel plan between the mines and the Nemesis, and if for some odd reason if anyone wanted to return to the mines, they would have to wait one month to be cleared to travel. Eradicons were not even allowed to fly there without clearance from Soundwave, because there was a risk an Autobot scout could spot them in route. The best way to get from point A to B on the earth level was for Vehicon drones to travel in their alt-mode across the desert mountain ranges. That is what Cass was attempting to do anyway. He was originally scheduled to organize only three of the mines, as his Commander had first instructed him, but the young model was very good at his occupation. What would normally take any other mech three weeks, Cass finished sorting the data within half that time. Once it was all finished, he could've gone back to the ship right away, but the small Vehicon wasn't quite ready to face everyone aboard yet. Particularly Megatron.

Again, Cass shook his helm to rid himself of his last memories of his master. He didn't want to think of how angry and horrifying Megatron had acted in front of him, but he also wanted to forget everything that had happened before that. His kindness, his voice, his warmth… His touch.

"No Cass…!" He scolded himself. "Don't let yourself get lost again. Time to move." He stood and brushed the dirt from his frame before he cautiously stepped outside the entrance of the small cavern. Cass was on the last stretch of the trail, but it had almost been a full three weeks since he started at the first cavern. He would've been finished with all six mines a lot sooner if it wasn't for the odd ache in the base of his gut. He thought maybe it was just a small case of sunken tanks. The small Vehicon hadn't been feeding very well since his last full glass of energon, but this heavy feeling in his fuel tank was slightly different from just a simple ailment. For one thing the black plating on the front of his torso had slightly expanded. It was hardly noticeable if Cass stood up right, but because of this abnormality it was becoming very difficult to transform into his alt-mode. He would have to try multiple times before his body finally gave into the orders from his CPU, then he would have to try just as hard to change back. Today it was just as bad. Before he tried, the drone took in two deep intakes and then he pushed his frame to move in the right mechanical sequence. It took him three tries before his body finally gave him lead way and he transformed into his alt-mode.

"Ow…" He whimpered, but he revved his engines anyway. "Almost done… Once this is over you can see the double digits on the Nemesis and find out what is wrong with you… Almost done…"

Quickly he sped off into the distance with a high trail of dust winding behind him. He momentarily thought to himself that perhaps he had made a mistake continuing with the trail. Maybe he should've just done as his Commander instructed him to do in the first place and returned to the Nemesis after he finished with his first set. But then he compared the physical pain he felt now to the emotional pain he felt the last time he saw his master… So, he convinced himself he could tolerate what he was going through now rather than relive what he endured before.

Breakdown and Knockout had arrived at the last cavern of the Energon trial nearly an hour ago with the hopes they would quickly run into Cass and bring him back to the Nemesis. Poor Soundwave was just beside himself with worry that he could barely concentrate on his work. The medic couldn't help but feel partially responsible for the communications officer's sudden spike in anxiety, and he debated with himself continuously for the past three weeks. Did he do the right thing by showing Soundwave the core pulse data so soon? Should he have waited until Cass had returned? What would he do if Soundwave stumbled upon the data during a sleuth mission for Megatron? He wouldn't be very happy to find out that such a discovery was hidden from him for so long. Either way it was done, and now the last thing that needed to be done was to tell Cass what had happened.

Soundwave had waited impatiently for the small drone to finally return to the ship, and when Cass didn't hale for a ground bridge during his scheduled time the silent mech nearly malfunctioned. So, to finally put his processor at ease, Knockout reassured him that he and his partner would retrieve the young model for him. He and Breakdown needed to follow up on a possible fault line increase in the finale energon cavern. There was a strong mention of protest to this, in the regard that Soundwave wanted to find and recover Cass himself, but he was convinced by both the red mech and his symbiote that he was just to distort to travel anywhere.

It was very beneficial for two lovers' anyway. After nearly failing a mission in the Nevadan desert the other day they had caught the attention of Megatron, and lately the warlord had been in a particularly nasty mood. More so than his usual pleasant self. All the more reason for the medic to find the young mech quickly, and before Megatron. Of course, they didn't anticipate the tyrant would actually follow them to the mines, but when he showed up unexpectedly before the medic and his assistant the two had to make the split-second decision to split up. Knockout would deal with Megatron in the depth of the cavern and Breakdown would head for the entrance and search for Cass.

Stealth was never the giant blue mech's forte, but with a little help from his lover he was able to slip away without alerting Megatron to his presence. Breakdown didn't waste any time and he immediately went to work asking random Minor drones and security Eradicons if they had seen Cass anywhere. One of the soldiers at the south entrance of the mine was able to confirm that the little drone had sent a comm link message the day before, alerting security he would be arriving there by midday. But he was running late, and he hadn't shown up yet. Lucky for the former wrecker, Cass had instructed that he would arrive outside the south entrance, which was the exact place Breakdown chose to search first, and he was barely near the mouth of the cavern before he heard the clanking and clunking of someone transforming. Or at least they were trying too.

Shur-shur-shunk! Shur-shur-shunk! The noise repeated and Breakdown approached the racket with abundant caution. For all he knew there was an Autobot setting up for an unexpected ambush, and when he leered around the cave wall, he was surprised to see an ATV. Breakdown might not be the smartest of mechs, but it didn't take him long to realize the small all-terrain vehicle was Cass. It made sense considering how tiny the young model was that his frame wouldn't be able to accommodate the standard sports car design designated for the drones.

"Ow!" The small drone whined when he tried for the fifth time to change back into his biped mode. Yet every time he tried; he would just recoil back onto all four wheels with a snap. His exhaust fans rattled from the stress, but he wasn't ready to give up. "Okay…" Cass huffed aggressively. "One more time… Count of three… One… Two… Three!"

Success. The young model managed to finally entice himself to his pedes with enough momentum left over to fling himself backwards. He was close enough to the cave entrance that Breakdown was able to reach out and catch the drone before he fell over. Cass landed in the crook of the larger mech's arm and he gently coughed from exhaustion.

"Are you alright Cass?" Breakdown asked while he carefully set the weak Vehicon on a boulder next to the cave. "Geez… Your metal is hot to the touch. Have you been ill this whole time?"

"O-Officer Breakdown…?" Cass's optical slit fluttered low when he met his superiors concerning gaze. His vocals were wispy and dry, like he hadn't consumed any fuel in days. "What…? What are you doing here?"

"When you didn't return to the ship during your scheduled time, Soundwave began to worry." The blue mech knelt beside him. "Knockout and I offered to retrieve you and bring you back to the Nemesis."

"Oh…" The small mech wheezed on hitched intakes. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry the two of you went through so much trouble. You really didn't need to come all this way to get me."

"It's a good thing we did." The medical assistant snorted while he felt the sides of Cass's helm. "When was the last time you refueled? I'm barely getting a pulse through your cable lines."

"I consumed my daily rations before I left the previous mine yesterday." Cass closed his optics under his mask and sighed. This was the most relaxed he had been in a long time. Breakdown's kindness towards the young model had that kind of effect on him. The small drone even thought to himself that he was rather glad Breakdown had come to get him. He was also glad to see the gentle giant was also up on his pedes. It was then he noticed the optical plate over his right socket. Cass frowned and even lifted his arm slightly, but he didn't reach up to touch the taller mech's faceplate. "Your optic…?"

"Don't worry about me." Breakdown smiled and patted the teeny digits he took in his servo. "I hear you're the reason Starscream bothered to come to my rescue in the first place. I owe you big time kid." He didn't bother going into details of his 'rescue'. He was still very grateful for all the trouble Cass went through to help, so he didn't really need to know that the giant mech was rescued by an Autobot… Or he just really didn't want anyone to know.

"I really didn't do much." Cass blushed as he sat up right and his frame started to cool. "I was just following the data commander Soundwave had collected for you. You should be thanking him."

"That's the other reason I'm here. Like I said, he is very worried about you." The blue mech's smile faded when Cass hunched his shoulders in guilt, but it reappeared so the young model didn't feel so dismayed. "But enough about me. Your mission is over, and you are here by ordered to return to the Nemesis immediately upon retrieval."

"But I'm not finished." The Vehicon's optical slit fluttered. "I still need to analyze the data in the final cavern. I understand that the Commander is concerned for me, but I have done a lot of work to get to this point. I am almost done, and all of my hard work would just be wasted if I didn't finish what I started." He held his servo to his chassis and gazed up at Breakdown. It was as if his wide optics were somehow peering through the metal of his mask. "Please Officer… Allow me to finish. The moment I am done I'll return, I promise."

Breakdown also blushed but didn't understand why and his curiosity was beginning to the best of him. With a gentle tilt of his helm he casually asked Cass, "Feel free to say no, but may I see your faceplate?"

"M-My faceplate?" The drone whispered, but carefully considered the request. It's not like Breakdown tried to order the smaller mech to take off his mask. He gave Cass the choice to say no, and it was very reassuring for him. He really felt he could trust this higher officer, so he complied. "If you insist." He took his servos up to his helm and undid his recently fixed clasp. Once the battle visor was set in his lap Cass lifted his helm back up to meet the surprised look on his superior's face, and he immediately felt timid. "Is… Is something wrong?"

"What?" Breakdown blinked. "Oh! No! No, no, no, no… It's just… Wow! You are just gorgeous! I can see why Megatron fell for you so quickly."

The violet mech gasped lightly and looked down at his pedes. Just the sound of Megatron's name was enough to make him shudder. Of course, he couldn't tell if he was shaking from fear or yearning, and that startled him. He quickly replaced his visor and turned away from Breakdown, and the giant mech palmed the top of his helm.

"Oh geez…" He shook his helm with his servo covering the top of his faceplate. "I'm sure that's the last thing you really want to be thinking about. I'm sorry Cass."

Cass still didn't look back at Breakdown. All he did was cross his arms and stare at the ground. A little time went by before he decided he wanted to try and stand. He fumbled over his pedes for a moment, causing the blue mech to reach out for the weak drone, but Cass assured him he could manage on his own with a light tap of his servo. Breakdown stood with him anyways, just to be sure he wouldn't fall over.

"You should probably know Cass… Megatron is here." The former Wrecker frowned as the drone shivered and looked further away to the side. "If you want, I can hail a ground-bridge for you right now, but if you still insist on finishing archiving the data here, I can escort you inside. I can help you avoid running into him."

"No…" The sad drone sighed. "Whether it's here in the caves or back on the Nemesis… I am bound to run into our master sooner or later. It's not like I can blend in with the rest of the Vehicon's and hide forever."

"You have no idea." Breakdown said under his breath, but quickly coughed it away when Cass quirked at him curiously. To further distract the Vehicon, he gently gestured him to walk with him into the cave. He even offered Cass his arm to hold. "Either way, the sooner you finish, the sooner you can get back to the ship. There's a lot you missed out on. It's going to take you some time to catch up with it all."

"Such as?" Cass excepted the higher officer's arm and stepped with him in unison through the slightly narrow cavern. This made the blue mech smile and he was glad the drone was beginning to feel well enough to strike up a conversation.

"Well, to start, Knockout and I are planning to pitch a petition to Megatron to change the Decepticon interfacing laws."

"Really? How do you plan to do that?" The Vehicon was very intrigued by this announcement. "What brought this on?"

"That's really all I can say of the matter for now." Breakdown was showing obvious signs that he was excited about his confession but let out an enthused intake and smiled his usual warm smile. "Trust me, you'll be one of the first to know what's going on as soon as we get all of the answers we need."

"If you say so." Cass shrugged when they came to a turn in the cave system. After studying and memorizing the cavern maps, he knew they were close to the core mining area. When they got there, Cass would have to take a loft to the fourth level to the main computer systems. He was very happy that the mission he pushed himself so hard to finish was almost over, but the thought of running into Megatron was still heightening his anxiety. So, he kept asking Breakdown more random questions and kept talking with him for at least a five-minute walk. Soon, the former Wrecker brought up an odd conversation about Arachnid. Cass knew all about the spider like feme. To him she was worse than Megatron, because when she was still apart of the Decepticon cause, she had a knack of finding the small drone and bully him relentlessly. She would hiss, scare, scratch, and for no real reason at all, hit Cass for her own amusement. But what made this conversation so weird was how Breakdown was speaking almost fondly of her.

"Yeah she's kinda' domineering and the extra arms are weird," the giant blue mech snickered as if he was joking, "but I find myself intrigued by her."

Cass hoped he was joking, but he never had the chance to ask him how Knockout felt about that. Both mech's were alerted to a whistling and clicking sound to their left. Immediately Breakdown pushed the smaller drone behind him and stood menacingly before the source of the distraction. Of course, the young model behind him couldn't help his curiosity and he peered his helm out from under the higher officer's arm.

"Hah!" He gasped as softly as he could, shocked to see a bulky white and light red mech slowly marching towards them. "Th-The green-eyed monster…! From my dreams…!"

"Cass… Get out of here." Breakdown shooed the Vehicon further behind him, making sure he obscured Cass from the intruder's view. "Find a security drone and tell him to hail you a ground-bridge back to the ship. That's an order."

He was both frightened and hesitant, but Cass obeyed his superior and fled down the corridor they originally came from. This time at the second fork from the entrance he dashed down the opposite direction he and Breakdown arrived in. Cass knew there would be a security post not too far from there, but when he was just around the corner from the station he stopped at another fork. He knew he had to go right. The posting station was to the right, but his spark pulsed fervently. A voice in his CPU called out to him. It wasn't his voice, and it didn't belong to anyone he knew, but he knew it was telling him the truth.

'The left…' It whispered. 'Go to the left…'

He needed to stop and think for a minute. What was to the left of the security post? Cass recalled the maps and schematics he studied, then he remembered from where he is now there was a storage room to the left of him, and at this time of day it would be jam packed with Minor drones sorting through the crates. After he figured it out, the voice whispered to him again and he immediately ran to the left in horror.

'Your dream… Remember your dream…'

"The cave-in!" Cass cried. "It's going to happen here! Today!" He ran as fast as he could since he could no longer transform with ease. By the time he reached the storage area he could hear battle clatter deeper in the mine. It must've been an Autobot ambush, and nobody in the mine would receive any warning until it was too late. Cass could not and would not let that happen. As soon as he was there, he didn't need to work too hard to convince the troops to leave. Almost everyone there knew whom Cass was and that he wasn't a liar. Plus, once he was there the room already started to tremble.

"Everyone out now!" He shouted. "This section of the mine is unstable! You all need to leave!"

Even if there was a mech in the room that didn't know a single thing about Cass, they still had no reason to doubt his word. Everyone either ran or transformed as they sped away. The smaller Vehicon clung to the wall to give his colleagues space to escape. The trembling got worse and the ceiling began to crack. The room wasn't going to stay stable for long and Cass was just about to turn the other way and run, but noticed a Minor still struggling to leave. His ped was damaged so he couldn't keep up with everyone else. Without a second thought, Cass leapt from the wall and hurried to the other mech's side.

"Come on brother!" He said as he pushed his frame under the Minor's shoulder. "You need to hurry! I've got you now! Come on!"

"Don't put yourself in danger on my account Caspian!" The Minor argued but leaned against the smaller drone for support. "You can get killed!"

"So can you! So, stop arguing and keep running!"

As the walls began to crumble the two drones were nearly at the end of the storage room entrance. They were so close to getting out that their pace foolishly slowed in a false sense of security. Cass was the first to notice the large boulders careening towards them from above. In a last-ditch effort to save the Minor, the Vehicon pushed him forward as hard as he could. "Tuck and roll!" He shouted and happily watched his comrade tumble away. Unfortunately, it was the last thing he saw before a large rock blocked his escape. Cass turned and twisted in every direction he could reach, but very quickly there was nowhere for the tiny drone to run. The only thing he could do now was shout and ball up his frame as small as he could make himself… Then wait.

"NO!" The Minor screamed from the other side of the large rocks where he just barely escaped his own impending doom. A handful of security Eradicons ran back to the cave-in when they realized not everyone made it out of the storage room, and their sparks nearly burst from the sight in front of them. They found the injured Minor struggling to reach the boulders and desperately, but helplessly began to claw at the tough rock face. "NO! NO! NO! CASPIAN! CASPIAN! SAY SOMETHING! PLEASE!"

There was no reply, no sound, no struggle, and no sign of life. Everyone feared the worse, but there was no way anyone was going to give up. With whatever tools and weapons they had with them, the drones went straight to work to clear away all the debris… But one Eradicon had a crazy thought, and he momentarily turned away to call someone on his comm links.

"Lord Megatron! Do you have a copy!" He held in his urgency as best he could, but he couldn't hide his apprehension.

"I copy…" Megatron replied surprisingly casual. "Whom is addressing me?"

"Eradicon drone JA-50-N!" The drone was both terrified and glad the warlord had answered him. "I'm requesting immediate assistance at the South entrance storage room in the sixth cavern of the Sevier Desert Energon trail! There has been a major cave-in and one of our comrades has been caught under the onslaught! Are you still currently residing in the cavern?!"

"Yes, I was just preparing to leave before you so foolishly contacted me." The tyrant huffed as the Eradicon suspected he would. "Why should I waste rescuing an expendable drone? And why can't you just use a digger to tunnel him out?"

"Because the walls are both too narrow and unstable to use in here! Our best and only option is to dig him out by hand!" The drone bit back the urge to cry over the comm link, because if he did, he knew that Megatron would stop taking him seriously. "Please my Lord! Please! We as your faithful troops have hardly ever asked you for anything in our long functions, but you are the only mech here that is strong enough to quickly remove heavy debris!"

His vocals crackled from the strain of trying to control his emotions, but he was already taking a risk calling his unpredictable master. So, the Eradicon stopped trying to hold back and started sobbing. "Please…! Please my Liege…! He is the best of any of us on the Nemesis… He is sweet, kind, innocent…" He needed to be quicker now, because he was now starting to blubber. "Please… Help us save Caspian…!"

After he said that there was nothing over the link but light static. JA-50-N's fears were met with reality when he thought Megatron cut off their connection. For some time, the Eradicon thought they were on their own. He even spun back around to go back to helping his colleagues remove as much earth as possible, until his audios rang with the strange sound of a confused Megatron.

"Did you say… Caspian?" He mumbled in a tone of disbelief.

"Yes!" JA-50-N replied with hope. "Yes, Lord Megatron! Mid-digit Vehicon drone CA-591-AN! A mid-digit like me!"

There was another brief pause, but Megatron never replied over the comm link again. Instead, he broke all his own rules and regulations, and ordered Soundwave to ground-bridge him to the scene of the cave-in. He marched through the vortex posing his intimidation with his chest puffed out. With steel optics and tightly pressed lip-plates he stared down every mech in his presence. He walked over to the rock pile, and as he raised his arm over his shoulder, he issued only one warning to his troops.

"Stand aside…"

-END-