Song: Enter Sandman - Metallica

Arcee looked at her weapon swatted away and peered up frightened but maliciously at the Metal Head who stood bipedal. A big rhinoceros-like being...a Rozarian? Her mind raced to find answers and she suddenly had hers when she remembered Bolt had mentioned Tigressa had two subordinates. One was Kor, the designated Metal Head Leader. The second was a Rozarian-turned-bad, one of Xerophorus' kind...

"Captain Silos?"

Silos grinned with his fanged teeth and horrid golden-orange, slit-pupiled eyes before speaking in the same unknown accent she had heard on the isle. "So, you know who I am. Ain't that a surprise?"

He looked more beastly than Xerophorus, thicker with more muscles and covered in jagged spikes alongside his back and forearms. Metal blended with dark blue organic flesh with a tainted bluish grey underbelly. A skull gem lied on his chest encapsulated by six barbs growing out of him. He wore some sort of helmet designed specifically for his former species. It had plenty of faded markings and there were holes for his large snout horns and ears. It covered most of his upper face but only his cheeks and the back of his head were protected otherwise. Straps similar to Xerophorus' acted as a belt to hold a few items as well as straps going up over his shoulders to hold the swords, which she could see the handles of, behind him. It seemed Rozarians favored melee weapons.

"You point a blaster at me again, I will break every limb off your body and use them to make a light stand," he threatened. "I'm sure one of my customers would pay good for Cybertronian furniture."

Arcee knew a bluff when she heard one...Silos was dead serious. However, instead of attacking or drawing his own weapon, he simply turned back around like she wasn't even there. She could reach for her gun easily and shoot him, yet he believed she wouldn't, but there was a part of her that sensed it was better not to do so. There was something off about him and she couldn't say what.

"If you're just going to stand there, why don't you make yourself useful and clean up? Or are you going to buy something? I don't have time for your personal drama, whatever it may be."

The gears in her head stopped turning and she was taken aback. "That's it? No bragging about how I can't stop your Metal Heads or-?"

"My Metal Heads?!" He laughed, turning around with genuine confusion. "My dear, you are very much mistaken. I have nothing to do with the Metal Head hive now. Even ask them."

Silos leaned back, crossed his legs, rested his elbow on the table and pointed backwards still with his prominent smirk. Arcee followed the claws and saw in a room dead Horaquan carcasses and several skull gems in a basket humming with their contained energy. Stunned, she started looking around the shop and saw trinkets, weapons, and even trophies made of Metal Heads among other questionable things.

"I am not the reason why they are here, if that's your biggest concern," he mused. "The Metal Heads are a virus. They spread by infecting others mutating them into monsters, and their only goal is to kill unless controlled and told otherwise. Well, without a leader, they have been getting anxious and they aren't creatures you can pen up at a zoo. Cunning, deceitful, and cruel, they will destroy until they are destroyed while their victim's minds are entombed in a never-ending and painful nightmare watching themselves hurt others and wish for someone to kill them to save them from their misery."

"Then why are you here if...?"

Silos chuckled, "To make a living. I travel the galaxy selling anything I deem profitable. Now, why is it I am here when the Horaquan are? You probably won't believe me, but I sensed the Metal Heads here and decided to investigate while also running a business. As you have seen, many people find Metal Heads quite cool trophies, especially skull gems. Figured why not get rid of them but also turn a profit? It's a win for everyone."

Arcee was a bit upset upon hearing Silos was hunting his own kind. She made a small grimace and asked, "What made you leave them, if you don't mind me asking?"

The captain of the Metal Heads hesitated to answer, not to hide anything but more like it seemed he didn't know where to start. He tinkered with a box he got off the shelf, turning cog and listened to the soft music that played as a miniature carousel of alien animals popped out and paraded around it. He stared at the striped animal the most.

"I dedicated much time to Tigressa. We had a goal together, but ideals can be corrupted when one prioritizes their desires over another's. She became unyielding in her quest to destroy, and it left many of us unable to keep up. This wasn't the heartless army I knew back then; this wasn't the young warrior I...cared about anymore. I finally had enough and left years ago. Now, I did find the sudden deaths of Tigressa and Kor alarming but, at the same time, can't say I didn't expect it to happen eventually."

That made Arcee defensive. "How do you know-?!"

Silos put down the music box and nonchalantly tapped his skull gem on his chest with a raised brow, not at all peeved by the hostility. "The Metal Heads are a hive mind; what I sense, they feel and vice versa. Tigressa created the virus so, obviously, if anything happens to her, we would all know about it. Kor too, which is funny because this is the second time he died."

Arcee couldn't help but smile knowing the bastard was killed twice. "Really?"

"Yes. Tigressa created a specialized bridge that could go through dimensions and other universes. During a war on her home planet with corrupted Kor by her side as well as I, her younger brother overloaded the bridge and sent Kor, along with half the army, to the other universe where he sought to terrorize an ancient civilization and was stopped finally by a boy and his weird pet rat, so I heard at least. We all felt that one and, admittedly, I laughed my ass off hearing about. Tigressa not so much. That was until I felt his unnatural return long after leaving her army, then he died recently...again. And then Tigressa passed less than a day later."

"By me," Arcee muttered.

The dead silence between them so abruptly made her internally panic. Silos' posture was stiff.

"You did it? You...killed Kor...and Tigressa?" He asked slightly surprised by the tone of his voice. When she gave a small nod, his brow ridges went up, but his expression never changed from a neutral stance. "Wow, that's...impressive. That's really unexpected. I'll give credit to where credit is due, my dear."

His thick reptilian tail wagged which she didn't know whether that was a good or bad sign but still held some humor over the realization. Then he said, "Well, that certainly changes things. Sounds you owe me, little one."

She stared at him bewildered. "Owe you? For what?!"

"For killing Tigressa. Kor? I don't give a damn about him, but Tigressa...it was one thing for me to leave her. It is another thing entirely to kill her. As fascinating as it is that you managed to do so, that was not supposed to happen. She is still a valued friend of mine regardless of what disagreements we had. So, here's the deal. You will pay off what you have done by doing whatever I ask of you. Failure to do so, and I might just alert the Metal Heads through our natural link of your little stunt. Maybe they are mindless, maybe they don't like me for abandoning them, but they are very respectful of their rightful master the same as I enough to where they will hunt you down wherever you go."

"I'm not doing a damn thing for you!" Arcee snarled.

Silos approached her and gestured down to her in anger. "But you will! Or I could instead tip them off that it was someone from Cybertron. They won't go after you but everyone else in your world they will. You have no idea how fast that virus can spread, especially in a world so ill-prepared for them and recovering no doubt. Cybertron is virtually defenseless, and the Metal Heads love conflict. I did overhear something about a takeover a while back that didn't do Cybertron's revival any favors."

"You wouldn't," she said narrowing her optics.

He peered back into them with a growl, "Try me. I betrayed my birth kind once, left my current kind to die and now kill them myself. What makes you think your reputation has anything of value to me among any species?"

Arcee couldn't find anything to bite back with. Silos had tied her servos in this one. If the Metal Heads went after her, everyone around her would be in danger. If they went after Cybertron, it would be entirely her fault. Silos knew he won as he smirked at her submissive falling expression.

"We have a deal. And don't try to tell your friends about me unless you want bad things to happen, and we both know you wouldn't want that. I run a tight business; I'm not going to let you ruin anything else. But perhaps, in exchange for your participation, I can help you get the Metal Heads off Velocitron, and possibly get Override to reason with you."

She perked up slightly at the mention of Override.

Captain Silos checked out his claws casually, flicking off a few loose layers of nail. "Before the Metal Heads came to Velocitron, or at least before the Velocitronians had to deal with anything regarding them, Override was working on a lead with a grueling trafficking ring. It's been on her mind for quite some time trying to close in on it. I would say the fastest way to help her is by busting this ring because it has haunted her how many lives have been stolen by it. I know who's in charge of the ring, but I need a favor from you in exchange for this information."

Arcee glared at him but said nothing as he continued. "There's a base not far from the city that has the Energon Core, a weaponry core for military use. A client of mine wants to use it to empower a weapon and sell it to the highest bidder in the Vox sector. You get it and I'll provide a name as well as a location of notable activity. Simple enough?"

She frowned, "Wait, wait, that means breaking and entering in a military base!"

"If you can kill Tigressa and survived up to now in a war, I assume you have some sort of ability to sneak around a mere base, do you not?"

"Old dancer skills and an assassin's past. Fine, but I hate this just so you know. You help me fix this Metal Head mess, I help you stay out of everyone's way."

Captain Silos said nothing as she sighed frustrated and left the shop, but his smile somewhat faded as he looked back at the skull gems he had torn out of the Horaquan corpses. The bellbat she had forgotten about flew down and Silos snagged it midair using his tail without looking away from the bodies before peering towards the door. He bit the head off the bellbat that frantically squealed with a thoughtful hum.

Bolt examined the bellbat as it hissed at Moonhunter who reacted by nearly swatting it.

"Careful, don't hurt the poor creature. It's just reacting as any captured animal would."

Megatron peered around concerned, "Arcee hasn't come back yet."

Bolt sighed, "She'll appear when she gets a chance. She is her own person after all, can't stop her from getting sidetracked or exploring. Besides, I think I have the data I need so I don't need any more bellbats."

He pet the little creature before standing and throwing it upward so it could fly away. "Be free!"

The bellbat fluttered to regain control before climbing...a bird-like screech sounded and sped by, leaving remnants of light metal to float down. Bolt and Moonhunter grimaced equally while Megatron slightly raised his brows before growing concerned.

"I guess not..." Bolt scoffed. Moonhunter perked up as Arcee walked by them with a whimper and both bots were quick to call her name. When she didn't stop, Bolt rushed in front of her and held up his servos. "Whoa, whoa, can I ask where the battle is? Where did you go? We missed you...did you lose the bellbat?"

Arcee shook her head, "I lost it and no, I just need to...know if there's some sort of base around here. Maybe a military base or lab?"

Megatron blinked and growled somewhat amused, "That's an odd question, Arcee. Why would that have anything to do with the Metal Heads?"

"I think it can help and I could talk to Override about maybe a defense system if they have one," she lied.

Bolt shrugged, "That's good thinking. I believe there's a base named Robex not far out to the north, but I don't know its precise functions. So, are you going to talk to her now?"

Arcee quickly shook her head, feeling a little guilty about having to keep silent about Silos. But if it helped Velocitron, would it be so bad to keep her actions anonymous? Maybe she could break the news to them sometime later but what Silos threatened in retaliation was still fresh in her mind, and she didn't want to test if his mental link to the Horaquan worked as he claimed or not.

"Yes...I'll be back. Just watch the city, boys, and alert me if anything else happens," she said.

Transforming, she sped off towards the north end of the city. As she did so, Megatron watched her with slight frustration. "Does she seem a little off to you?"

Bolt merely replied, "Yeah. Maybe something just has her spooked?"

Megatron was thinking of something along the lines of the same thing but only frowned. "Perhaps."

Arcee found the highway that went north to another city and took it across one of the many canyons of Velocitron. The view was a massive stretch of land but not much cyber-vegetation. As she cruised in the slower lane knowing she would hold up traffic pretending to be a Velocitronian, she kept an eye out for any signs of a base. The drive without anyone following her did calm her.

"Well, aren't you a little far from your friends?" Silos' husky voice came through her commlink. "And here I thought you would try and tell them, especially that daring mate of yours. You can be trusted after all."

"How did you get my frequency, Silos?"

"Played with a few frequencies that don't match the norm here and knew one of them was bound to be yours. I've imprinted on it now so I can stay in communication with you. But more so I wish to simply make sure everything works out for you, Arcee."

Although Silos didn't emphasize her name in syllables like Xerophorus did, there was a roll of the "R" that made it sound like a purr which unsettled her. Xerophorus said it with malice; Silos said it in an unknown manner, and she didn't like not knowing what he was thinking.

Arcee scoffed, "How noble. I want to ask how you found out my name, but I get the feeling you've done your research. Nothing gets past you, does it?"

She could hear an amused hiss on his end. "I like control; I like knowledge. It doesn't pay to be oblivious, Queen Arcee, or do you prefer just your name? So, yes, I investigated the recent events in Cybertron and I know all about that chaos. You surprise me yet again; Megatron is quite lucky to have a warrior like you."

"Flattery gets you nowhere, Captain."

"But I know you prefer to be seen as a warrior than a queen. I can tell in your voice. The Robex Base is off the Rolling Steep Canyon, not far off from where you probably are. It's hidden behind a small cliffside off the flatlands. Do be careful. The guards there are very trigger-happy."

"Tell me this, Silos," she started, "why are you monitoring my every move? That's not how these types of deals are done if you can't even give your mercenary space to do the job on their own terms."

The captain laughed, "Because I would rather know and help you out of any situation than let anyone, including the Metal Heads, get the best of you. Yes, it's a little creepy as you no doubt believe but I've done this to everyone because I don't like people getting hurt under my watch. My old noble roots, yes, but my own interests ride on the success of all I hire as well and being a former mercenary and guard myself, I know how deadly these jobs can be as I know you do too, assassin. The Robex Base is only a few miles from your position, by the way. Take the second exit from the next and follow it to the overlook about the cliff. Make me proud."

She did as she was told and took the second exit which diverted to an unused road. Signs posted up warning her confirmed she was indeed near a restricted area. Right as she turned a corner, a gunshot went off and she skidded to a halt as she heard a voice shout, "Stupid vermin!"

Arcee transformed and saw two mechs and one femme holding their blasters staring up at what looked to be gliding animals. The animals in question were a mixture of some type of iguana and a squirrel appearance-wise with extended metallic flaps between their limbs. The ones on the ground sprinted up a nearby formation before leaping high and suddenly gliding across the horizon to wherever their peers could be found. Back and forth they moved.

The grey femme clicked her glossa annoyed, "I hate these things. Every year they do this right in front of our property."

"Silverstreak, I bet I can shoot down five of these little bastards in one go," the blue mech said.

"No, you can't, Zoomkill," she snickered, "because you're the worst shot out of all of us. Ain't that right, Rockahilly?"

Rockahilly, the yellow mech with faint orange stripes or scars, Arcee couldn't tell, sneered, "You talk a lot for a bot who can't back up that yap of yours, boy."

Zoomkill waved them off with a scoff, "You don't know talent."

"I know talent...it ain't you," Silversteak hissed back.

Arcee was about to leave when Rockahilly spotted her and shouted, "Hey, little darlin', can we help you?"

"Uh, I'm just looking for...Robex Base," she quickly said, hoping they wouldn't question it.

Zoomkill pushed past Silverstreak's shoulder, who growled at him, to gesture to Arcee to come closer. "I ain't never seen you before in these parts. Why would you be so interested in that place? That's no tourist destination."

Arcee simply answered, "Trust me, it's more complicated than that. Could you point me in the direction of it please?"

Rockahilly, whom Arcee was beginning to believe was the leader of the pack, smirked as he walked up to her, "No can do, little darlin', because this is all my property north of Delta and it spans over fifty miles everywhere except that bridge you just crossed. I don't go spillin' directions to every bot that comes around these parts. I let Override keep her base operational on my land in exchange for a hefty sum and good exports. A fair trade considering, but I also keep its location secure from pryin' optics and won't hesitate in removin' unwanted company. Yes, that means you too unfortunately, missy. I don't discriminate. So, I'll ask Zoomkill's question again: why are you so interested in that base over yonder?"

Given all three were taller than her, she knew they weren't joking as Silverstreak leaned against her blaster nozzle by her elbow with a snarling expression and Zoomkill bared a sadistic grin. Rockahilly was neutral but she could tell his patience wouldn't last long. Finally, she sighed and thought up a quick excuse.

"I just wanted to see what it looked like, and Road Rage said I could explore. She told me to know every major area in and near the city because I'm helping her and Override with one of their problems, an infestation. She believes if I know where Robex Base is, I can navigate to it easier if I ever need to go there in an emergency. Happy?"

The lie was presentable, but she had no clue where Rockahilly would take it. Just then, the yellow mech laughed, "Road Rage makes the strangest friends, I swear. Alright, little darlin', Robex Base is five miles down this road and there's a hidden path between the two mesas you can see over there. Take that and it'll lead you to the base itself."

"Thank you," she said but right as she was turning around, Zoomkill interrupted her brief happiness.

"What's the rush? A friend of Road Rage's should be able to pop one of these gill-gliders easily unless it's too hard for a city-dweller like you," he taunted.

Arcee folded her arms across her chest. "City-dweller? You think it wise throwing a word around like that? You don't know what I've done and living in a city doesn't make you soft. You've killed lizards? I've killed people."

Silverstreak hit Zoomkill's arm as his face dropped in surprise. "Oooo, don't be starting what you can't finish, Zoomer."

Rockahilly was equally amused. "Perhaps we can settle this like proper bots, Zoomkill. How about this, little darlin'? You show the rookie here some moves and put his misplaced ego back into check. Show me city style and I'll tip my helm to you for being a good shot and finally shuttin' him up. Boy, pick your jaw off that ground and respect the lady."

Arcee cracked her knuckles before pulling out one of her arm blasters. The ricochet ray would be a bit unfair in this situation so she figured it would be better to even out the odds as best she could, not that she intended to lose regardless. Zoomkill kicked up his rifle and aimed right as she did.

"Silverstreak, keep score. Alright, on my mark. One, two, three, go!"

As the gill-gliders made their rounds, Arcee tracked one and immediately shot it. It nosedived down to the ground with a small thumping sound. Zoomkill hit his mark too which prompted Arcee to scour for more targets. One by one she blasted the small animals gliding and many fell to her marksmanship. She didn't pay attention to Zoomkill's streak, only focused on her own.

"Time! Woo, little darlin's got some aim! Look at that!"

Zoomkill seemed a little dejected and sneered, "Lucky shot, girl."

"Shots. There's an 's' at the end of that word," Arcee smirked.

"Whatever. Silverstreak, what did we score?"

Silverstreak grinned, "17 to 10, visitor's rights. You lost, boy."

Rockahilly chuckled as the blue mech scowled at hearing that. "Maybe a rematch another time. So, little darlin', got one more challenge if you're interested before you head out. Shootin' gliders in a time frame is one thing, but can you blind shoot? No aim and no missing once. The hardest of the hard. Neither Zoomkill nor Silverstreak can pull that off, but I'd like to see you at least attempt it. Are you up to it, missy?"

Arcee met his smile and said, "Now you're speaking my language."

"Shoot five of them down in less than twenty seconds if you dare. That's as challengin' as I can possibly make it aside from lowerin' the deadline. Ready, go!"

Arcee took the first five seconds to quickly deduce where the gliders in the air were heading before planning out her strategy. Lifting her blaster, she shot at them without hesitating to align herself as she normally would. She got four of them but missed the fifth. She stepped back for a second as Rockahilly called it.

"That was close. You want to try again? And don't worry about the gill-glider population. They breed like mad out here. In fact, we try and keep them from overgrowin' the area. Every season we hunt these vermin."

Arcee nodded, "Ready."

"Go!"

She used her same strategy eyeing out the gilders' movements and which one would be where. When she had her plan, she shot at them. One, two, three, and four of them were down and as she shifted to the fifth, she adjusted on a dime to go slightly farther than last time to catch it moving away. She fired and with luck, her angle was spot on. The fifth glider fell, and she huffed. She peered back to see Zoomkill gawking at her and Silverstreak was amazed.

"Fifteen seconds! Damn, girl, when you said you killed people...?"

Arcee kept her smile, "War-front. Former assassin then lieutenant of an entire faction."

Rockahilly was impressed to say the least. He threw up his eyebrows stunned, "Kudos to you, little darlin'. Sometimes to take the best shots, you must take a moment to observe instead of rushing through. Not many people do that. Well, I hope you find the base interestin'. I appreciate you spendin' some time with us. Hopefully, we'll cross paths again?"

"We'll see. Nice meeting you all!" She said running backwards before turning and transforming into a motorcycle to speed down the lonesome road. She heard them wish her well though Zoomkill said little, still staring awestruck. They were nice people and certainly had their charm. The target practice was much appreciated.

The two mesas that overlooked a small valley were in sight. However, she knew going straight into the base wasn't an option so when she got to one of them, she peered around to make sure no one was watching her before climbing up it. As she did so, she saw a faint glow reflecting off the rocks and knew Dagger Prima was trying to warn her.

"I know, this isn't the best route but we're doing this."

Flipping on the last ledge to the top, she took a second to pause and keep her surroundings in check. It was all flat from here. Running across it, she didn't use her vehicle form as the echo could alert anyone hiding in the valley or the base. She slowed near the end as she heard voices and carefully lay on her front to peek over. Half-buried in the wall of the second mesa, the base entrance was right there with nearly twenty active members moving supplies into it. Although Velocitron didn't seem like a military planet, she assumed that the coup with Ransack made Override precautious and adjusted to prevent such uprisings.

She noticed several crates in a transport just pulling up and got an idea. Jumping off the right out of sight, she landed and crawled behind a boulder. While everyone was looking away, she snuck to the side of the truck and carefully slid within a small part of the hull, her small stature making it easy. Once she was in, she found a perfect hiding spot in a large crate that seemed to have some sort of generator.

Arcee waited until they started loading and prepared a weapon in case they found her. She felt her crate being lifted out and several voices remarking to put in the base storage for the time being. Perfect. She could see through cracks that she was entering the base. Bio lights of blue were most common. After a brief elevator ride, she found herself looking at the Energon Core which was attached to some sort of machine. The crate was moved, and she lost visual. When they reached the storage room, she was set down abruptly and bit down an uncomfortable groan. The soldiers left and she was alone.

"Time to get started," she hissed.

Kicking the crate's side out from within, she rolled upright and kept crouched low to the floor. It had been some time since she last did something like this. It got her engine revving with excitement. She kept an audio out for any movement as she snuck out of the storage area and hid behind a pillar as two guards passed. She knew walking into the chamber with the Energon Core was suicide, so she decided to go in with style. Attaching herself to the ceiling by crawling along the beams, she found vents that allowed her to cross into the room unseen. Below her was the Energon Core itself.

It felt wrong doing this but if it got Silos out of her hair and kept Cybertron safe while also helping Velocitron, so be it. She just hoped it wouldn't hurt Override. She tracked and studied one femme who approached the core and typed in a specific combination to unlock it. Holding the core, the bot seemed to be checking for any wear or cracks on it. Once finished, she put the core back and left. Arcee waited until she saw many of the bots in the room leave on break before making her move. Hopping down, she typed in the same sequence she saw a scientist do and opened the container.

The core shivered in her grasp, vibrating with pure energy. She could only imagine what it could be used for in terms of weaponry. "Intruder Alert!"

She froze and saw the flashing lights across the lab. Knowing she had to book it, she placed the core in her subspace and quickly ran to the elevator. Preparing her double-bladed sword, she didn't wait for the elevator to stop before taking a battle-ready pose. Sure enough, several bots were armed and ready. She refused to give them a moment to remember her face. Jumping on the nearest, she began her assault.

Arcee rotated the double blade behind her back before bringing it forward and slicing through a mech's abdomen. She quickly blocked their attempt to return the favor and kicked their jaw before sending one of the blades into their throat. Blasts aimed at her forced her to dodge and weave before hiding behind one of their transports. While she was thinking of a quick way to escape, far too many soldiers were pouring out of the base. If she didn't get out soon, she would be dead. Then she heard the harsh voice of Silos.

"So, you have the Energon Core. Good. Not one moment later or you might have been full of bullet holes, eh? Hahahahahahaha!"

"Yes, and I'm about to be that way now because of you!"

Silos still held some amusement. "Now, why would I let my new favorite errand girl be shot down? I'll send a ground bridge to you that will take you back to Delta's plaza. Keep the Energon Core for the time being until my client arrives. I'll tell you the information of the trafficking ring soon, but I need to take care of a few things first."

True to his word, a ground bridge opened right as a blast nearly hit her. She didn't hesitate to run into it, finding herself nearly running into a mech with a youngling who scowled at her. "Watch it!"

Arcee realized she had her weapon out in an unauthorized space and quickly sheathed it. The looks she received were a reminder that the worlds away from Cybertron probably tried not to use weapons unless provoked inside city limits. She didn't know what to do with the Energon Core stolen and if anyone found out she had it, she was a dead bot.

Suddenly, her commlink pinged. "Arcee, I need you at the Speedia 500 raceway. That alien fungus has covered the tracks and is growing fast. You're one of the only bots I trust to take care of it."

Override saying that pulled at Arcee's spark for what she did. But the more she helped Override out, the easier it would be to pretend it didn't happen. Using an internal map she downloaded for Delta, the main track for the Speedia 500 was located to the south. It had a giant stadium and the track spanned almost the entire length of the city as well as the outskirts of it. The champion's track no doubt.

"Arcee, how's everything going over there?" Haywire's voice came through. It startled her but she began smiling.

"Hey, Haywire. We've, uh, had a few bumps in the road but this place is nice. I think you and Scythe would like it," she said as she began walking in the direction of the raceway. "How's Cybertron?"

"The Allspark won't shut up with its riddles, Bumblebee is working with Ultra Magnus to keep the peace, and both Grimlock and Predaking have been pulling a few stunts together in their version of humor and I'm about to shoot them. Optimus is currently the throne holder as, you know, we don't want a repeat of what happened last time. The usual. The planet is...fine. But that's not why I contacted you."

"Something come up?"

"More like an uncertainty. Just recently, our scanners have been picking up weird signals at the edge of our solar system. It's stagnant and doesn't seem to be doing anything concerning. It's not radio waves or broken communication feeds. It's just weird. Most of us think it's the Nexus as it hasn't been active since forever and it might be drawing energy that can read loose signals, but Perceptor thinks it's something else. What exactly, I can't tell you because you know how Perceptor explains things, hehehe. Just thought I'd let you know and if anything else happens, I'll be the first to inform you."

Arcee nodded to herself, "Thank you, Haywire, for everything."

"Anything for you, my Queen."

When he finally cut communications, Arcee rolled her shoulder with a sigh before transforming and speeding off the raceway. Traffic was getting thicker the closer she got. It was without a doubt a popular place, home to the finest racetrack ever built on Velocitron. Even as she approached it, the map did little to express just how grand it was. Floating platforms with stands for the audience were currently in their resting bays while the track itself was monstrous. If she had a difficult time on Dreadnaught, she knew that this track was not something she could do. One massive loop, three times bigger than Dreadnaught's largest left a sizable shadow over the stands but the sun happened to be right in the middle of it like a framed picture she couldn't help but admire as it set. She had a feeling some of the races were at dusk just for the visual alone.

"Largest raceway in the world!" Road Rage cheerily said, "This is the same track Override used to beat the competition for the title of the Velocitronian Leader, and what an epic race that was. The fastest bots raced, and she won. Ransack got close last time, before all the chaos regarding him, of course, but couldn't get the edge on her. She has a wicked tactic on the last loop she uses."

Arcee grinned, "Oh? What about you? How close did you get?"

The light red femme snickered, "Nah, I didn't race that one. A maximum of thirty racers are allowed on the track. I didn't qualify and didn't expect to. What I lack in speed, I make up for in...well, I may have had some little, itty-bitty accidents on the previous tracks. Mmhmm! But I never minded watching! I love seeing the leadership races!"

The Cybertronian queen just kept smiling with a tilt of her helm and a considerate expression. The "accidents" in question still stunned her that such a small femme, though slightly taller than Arcee, could do so much. Although Arcee herself was strong, she wasn't in vehicle form. That took a whole different type of strength, and she respected Road Rage for being able to do such a thing.

Override appeared and Road Rage quickly waved at her with a giant, giggly grin. The leader merely acknowledged the smaller femme and addressed Arcee. "You made it. Good. You see over near the beginning line? The infestation is growing. I don't know where it's coming from or why it's feeding on our tracks of all things. The problem is we don't have any hot water over here, I'm afraid. If you could find another means to get rid of them, I would be grateful."

Arcee looked where she had been pointing. The line on the track that marked the beginning and end of a race was covered in alien growths that twitched and snaked along the road. They were creepy if anything, but she didn't want to find out if they could consume a bot. She peered around for anything hot she could use to burn them off.

Then she immediately asked, "Does anybody you know carry flamethrowers or something than can produce fire?"

Override didn't seem to know but Road Rage put up her servo and hopped up and down. She raised a brow. "Road Rage?"

"Slickskate! I saw his arm turn into a raging fireball once!"

Override made a distasteful but attempted smile. "That's...because his arm exploded when he overheated his blaster, Road Rage. That wasn't his actual power. It was a thought though, I appreciate that."

"Oh...never mind! He was okay!" She said to Arcee proudly.

Arcee looked at Override for what to make of that and the red and write femme whispered, "She's a great senator. I just shrug and accept the unusual remarks. It makes her who she is, and I wouldn't have it any other way, to be honest."

Arcee nodded before saying, "So, heat? There's got to be something hot enough around here, maybe a furnace, smelting pit, or weapon capable of it? Energon flows faster with heat, right?"

"You're not suggesting cutting an Energon line and pouring it on the fungus?"

"If it's heated, it'll do the job, would it not? There should be an outlet for each pipe just in case. Common maintenance requirement. All we would have to do is use a controlled supply of it, not too much. Granted, I don't know what Energon alone would do to the growths...but it might be our only option."

She could tell Override knew exactly what she was talking about but was hesitant to do it. Pushing past her doubts, the larger femme sighed, "Whatever it takes. Trackstar, Raveline! Spray Energon from the outflow Energon pipe onto the track!"

The bots in question looked confused for a second but did as they were told. Hooking up hoses, they checked the temperature of the Energon and showed it to Arcee as she approached. It was over 400 degrees and the direct pipe to the track's power. Excellent. Grabbing one of the hoses, she attached it to a spray cleaner machine in the pits, ripping out the other line to make room for it. She steered it manually towards the track line covered.

Arcee hit the nozzle's trigger as Trackstar turned the valve to redirect the Energon. The Energon hissed as it coursed through the hose before making the machine rumble. A sudden burst of steam erupted as Energon shot out onto the track. The growths burned, twitching madly as she went in a horizontal pattern up the side to get all of it. Back and forth, the Energon left its mark not only scorching the growths, but the blast's power ripped them off the track itself. What once was stained a horrid blackish color now looked like a regular road and once all traces of the fungus were gone, Arcee finally turned off the sprayer.

Bots were quick to use long-handled sweepers to push the remaining Energon toward a drain so it wouldn't linger and so the fungus couldn't fester if it cooled. Override looked proudly at her as the track shined in its glory again.

"I thank you. This raceway is very dear to me, to everyone. It is more than just a way to decide leadership; it is a symbol of our heritage and our history. I will do everything to protect it as it represents Velocitron and its people. I don't know why this is happening now," she said, "but I guess we can't always be free of the conflicts the galaxy will bring. I'm glad you're here. Take this."

Override handed Arcee another Radiant Core as she continued, "When you're ready, I might have something else for you to do, something Blurr is working on that he may need help with."

Arcee smirked as she put the Radiant Core in her subspace while Road Rage cheered happily at her success. Just then, she heard jet engines and saw Megatron fly past the stadium before turning towards her, transforming and transitioning to walking in one swoop. He gestured to Arcee concerned.

"There you are, Bolt and I have been wondering where you've gone to. You left us a bit worried," he said.

"Ah, sorry, it's just...I was overwhelmed by the fact we have to deal with the Metal Heads and all that."

Megatron's expression lightened, "A valid concern but remember, you aren't doing this alone. Just try to keep Bolt and I informed because we don't want to be either a burden or unhelpful to you."

Arcee immediately shook her head, "No, no, that was my bad. I shouldn't have jumped into my concerns without talking to you guys first. I'll try to do better next time."

Override was quick to interrupt. "Metal Heads? What are those?"

"Alien invaders to put it lightly. The fungus is a biproduct of the virus that makes them. If they're here, it'll follow but Si...I don't get why they're here to begin with. There is nothing to take unless they want to feed on Velocitron itself," Arcee said.

Megatron frowned, "Whatever the case, we aren't going to let that happen."

"Wait, these Metal Heads are living creatures, you say?"

"Yes," the blue femme assured.

"That explains the weird creatures Blurr said he saw in Red Run Canyon an hour ago," Override muttered. "Arcee, I need you to go to the canyon and meet up with Blurr. He's been tracking the Metal Heads, assuming that's what he's been describing. I sent him after you had that little race of yours. Find out if those are the creatures and kill them if necessary. Megatron, I need you to investigate the power plant with me. We've detected a foreign entity feeding on the power there. Is that alright?"

Arcee and Megatron exchanged looks before both agreed and the former stated, "Yeah, that's fine. Wait, what about Bolt?"

"I talked with Bolt, and he thinks he'll only get in the way. He and Moonhunter will be around for support but otherwise will be focusing on working on the missing pieces of information regarding Velocitron. Moonhunter wants to explore too so don't panic if you don't hear from them much."

"Then it's settled. You stay in the city and try not to start a war and I'll go riding in the canyon hoping I don't get eaten."

Megatron chuckled, "No promises."

AN: Don't know why but my doc wouldn't submit as normal so hopefully this looks not too different from the previous layouts...

Anyways, welcome to the universe, Captain Silos! It's been years since I've used this character and he's coming back with a brand new start. You can find very old drawn pictures of him on my DeviantArt if you want a better idea of what he looks like. If you don't know how old this character is, he's been around since 2008 but he was a little different. This was back when Tigressa was the eldest sibling of only Demon and Phantasmos who were designed initially as twins. He was their greatest ally. I honestly like how I made him here; he's one of my favorite characters to have merged into the Transformers universe after having so many updates. I wasn't initially going to bring him specifically for this role but he ended up being the better option, especially with all his past with the Metal Heads so I hope you like him.