Updated - 18~08~2023
Second chapter, here we go!
Enjoy!
2
Bulkhead stared at the opposite wall completely clueless. He had no idea why all Autobot's presence had been immediately requested at the main hall. All he knew was one click they had been having fun with the kids and the next one Ultra Magnus had stomped into the main hall, choleric.
"How is this even possible!" The second in command had vehemently bellowed. "It's unacceptable!"
None of the warriors knew yet what was all about, but they quietly awaited for the commander to inform them about the issue. They could only guess it had too be something serious enough for Ultra Magnus to lose his composure and for Optimus to be concerned.
"What happened?" The seasoned medic decidedly voiced everyone's doubts, hoping it would shade some light over the matter. "Why are we all gathered here?"
"The Apex Armor." Optimus replied to his old friend. His tone remained calm yet it did carry uneasiness. "It has gone missing from our vaults."
*Missing?* Bumblebee echoed, interchanging few nervous gazes with his comrades. Murmurs filled the stance. *But how? There's no way of picking a relic without Ratchet knowing it.* The young scout shook his helm with his arms wide spread, not believing the news.
"Someone must have conned the security system I installed after Smokescreen borrowed the Phase Shifter sans permission." The white and orange mech pondered, covering his mouth, thoughtful.
"Yeah, the question is who?" Wheeljack gestured a servo forwards. "There might be an impostor among us…" The white Wrecker directed a distrustful look to the crimson mech. Despite the time being and the truce they had made along the way, he still couldn't help to feel wary about him.
The younger medic snorted, all gazes falling on him.
"Ohh, sure, let's blame the Decepticon! I thought we all were over this hackneyed idea already… " Knockout mocked, exaggeratedly raising his servos. "Although there's still the chance you're blaming me to divert suspicions away from you!" He snapped back, pointing a sharp claw at him.
The Wrecker scoffed and replied with snickered words.
"And why would I?"
"Someone's getting old… I would not doubt the need of a relic to keep at the edge of your game…" The crimson medic's provocation had the desired effect on the white mech, as he irately puffed his plates.
Bulkhead had to hold his buddy close to avoid him engaging into a fight. In turn, Arcee placed a servo on Knockout's chest and applied some pressure, indicating him to step down on his quarrel. He was about to complained for it, but a single warning gaze from her was enough to make him quiet.
"Enough." Prime intervened before the argument could escalate. He stepped forwards, until he was in front of his team. "We won't solve anything by fighting each other. We must investigate the issue to ensure we clear up the occurrence." The leader stated. "Measures will be taken once we figure out who the responsible is."
"Optimus, could have happened Decepticons found our base?" Smokescreen exposed his worries.
"And only seize the Apex Armor?" It was the azure femme the one replying to him, crossing her arms. "Highly unlikely." She denied. "The Spark Extractor would have been a very much coveted relic to use against us. If they had been responsible, none of us would still be here right now. It had to be an inside job. The question is, why?"
"We will find out." Prime nodded. "For now, whoever decides to leave the base, whichever the reason, will have to do it in pairs, keep their radio trackable and notify Ratchet of the destination before leaving." His gaze was then moved onto his trusted chief medical officer and spoke with the same gentle yet firm tone. "Ratchet, acknowledging when did the security program fail might give us a starting point."
"Immediately." The medic assured, turning to his computer.
"The rest of you, report back to duty." The leader ordered, directing to his Team. They slowly began dispersing, but before they could all leave, Optimus called both his lieutenants. "Ultra Magnus, Arcee, come with me. I would like to talk to you both."
Arcee, as well as Manus, weren't sure of what their leader wanted to discuss with them, but did not hesitate to walk after him. Prime advanced unhurriedly, yet, it was notorious there was something troubling him. He guided them to his personal quarters and unlocked the door. It hissed open and he invited them in.
The room wasn't luxurious but rather the opposite. It wasn't too big, barely enough to accommodate an old berth and an improvised desk. Optimus never considered high ranked officer should hold the privileges for themselves, and that room was the exact reflections of his ideals. It was just as humble as its owner.
"Please, take a seat." He offered them, gesturing towards his berth. They did as told, occupying the relatively small space left.
"Why are we here, Optimus?" Arcee asked, meeting his gaze. "Why not discuss the matter in front of the others?"
Prime took few clicks to answer.
"I'm afraid that, if one of our members was determined enough to take the Apex Armor for personal purpose, they might be engaged into something they don't want us to know." He began. "And if they were good enough to acquire it without leaving a trace, I fear, whoever it was, they might try get other relics too." His voice filled with concern, as well as his gaze. "Letting them know our next step will only result on been fooled around once again."
"What action course do you suggest against future infractions, Sir?" The blue and red mech with tall shoulder pads leaned forwards, serious.
"In view of what has happened, measures need to be taken." The leader sat down on the crate he used as chair and stared into his lieutenant's optics. "Ultra Magnus, I'm assigning you guarding duty. Your mission will consist on securing the hallway with the vaults containing the other relics. No one without authorization shall access said corridor." He instructed him. "Take someone of trust with you and share the relevant intel only with them."
"Yes, Sir." The mech under his command replied, straightening up.
"Arcee." Optimus turned then to the azure femme. "What I am about to ask you is something you might not want to carry out. You are on your right to decline."
"What is it?" She determinately inquired, never parting her gaze from his.
"I have a couple of tasks for you." He explained. "First one, I want you to stay alert, see if you can gather any proof that might expose the thief."
"And the second one?"
Optimus heavily sighed.
"There's a high chance the Apex Armor still remains somewhere hidden in base. It is essential for us to recover it before any damage is caused with it." He paused for few clicks, staring right into her. "You are the stealthiest warrior I know, Arcee. You are the only one capable of accessing places most of us cannot. It is thus that I entrust you the duty of searching in quarters. Mine shall be first."
"Our teammates' personal quarters?" The femme's surprise was notorious in her arched opticbrows.
"Indeed."
There was a short silence, in which she pondered his words.
"I'll see what I can find."
A sudden knock on he door made the three of them alert. Prime stood up and walked up to it to receive the newcomer. At the other side, Ratchet awaited, a data pad in servos. The medic was invited in and he proceeded to inform his discoveries.
"Optimus, I do have some bad news. I checked what you asked me to and found out few things." The white and orange medic announced, tending the data pad to him. "The security system I installed suffered no malfunction. It was neither inhibited. It was manually deactivated with the same code I inserted on it for activation."
"Someone managed to acquire the secret encoding." Magnus concluded, frowning further. "We must reset it immediately."
"I already set it up." Ratchet replied. "I considered it wise to immediately restore the system."
"Well done, old friend." The leader praised him.
"What was the other thing you discovered?" Arcee posed her question. The medic's words made her tense.
"The relic was stolen two cycles ago. The system had been disconnected since."
A cold silence settled in the room. The words of the medic had only further spread their initial worries through their frames.
"The thief has advantage over us now." Optimus broke the silence, raising his optics form the data pad. "It is essential we hurry up before it's too late."