Chapter Sixteen:
Into the Monster's Den
"... coding is a bit lopsided, but…," Pyrus scrunched her brow in thought, "... it is stable and strong… It has bonded well with Cerberus' base programming. Cybertronian code is rigid… not much flex… I'll have to fix that later… shouldn't inhibit the viral or protective protocols… might even enhance the shielding capabilities… though some of the algorithms are a bit off… nothing that will cause issues at the moment," she continued to mumble to herself as she worked on her laptops.
"But it will work, right?" Optimus asked.
"Work. Yes," she confirmed with a sigh, "I'm just not happy with how… wonky… it is. Cerberus deserves better than this patch job. But there's really nothing more I can do," she growled as she stared at her screen.
"Poor Cerberus," Sari looked sadly at the screen.
It was a bit of a strange sight that Optimus was witnessing. He even thought that maybe the Downgrade was causing him to see things, but Ratchet assured him that what he was seeing was real. Pyrus was sitting cross legged on the floor with Sari in her lap, which surprisingly she allowed. She didn't even put up a fight as Sari made herself comfortable. It was a bit more surprising that Sari was so quiet as Pyrus worked diligently to fix her program. For all the chaos that had happened over the past few days, it was nice to see some form of harmony between the two organics.
"Downgrade is downloaded," Ratchet unhooked the wire from Optimus' head, "Anything feeling off?"
"No. Everything seems normal," Optimus confirmed.
"Good," Ratchet sighed, "One less thing to worry about," he grumbled as went back to his console, "Looks like it's fully integrated. You two are about as ready as you can. Pyrus?"
"... Cerberus is about as functional as I can get it," Pyrus confirmed, "The imprints of Optimus and Prowl are recognized and accepted. I just need to set up my terminal," she picked Sari out of her lap, "Got to get to work kid."
Sari understood and quickly gave room for Pyrus to get up herself. She was slow to move and seemed a bit stiff. Sari could swear that the hacker was shaking. She wanted to ask if she was alright, but she wasn't sure which Pyrus would answer. Either it would be the aloof one that would just give a one or two answer. Or it would be the grumpy one that would hiss and growl. Sari took a shot.
"You okay?" she asked.
"...," Pyrus paused for a moment, "… I'm not okay. I'm anxious. I feel like I'm about to throw up. I'm doubting every code I've written… that hasn't happened in a very long time… I'm afraid…"
Sari took hold of Pyrus' gloved hand, "I'm scared too," she made sure to give a reassuring squeeze.
Pyrus smiled, "Thanks kid… Though I think I'm still going to go and throw up. Excuse me," she quickly exited from Medbay.
She didn't make it far as the sounds of her emptying her stomach filled the air. She appeared shortly after that, wiping her mouth.
"I'm better now," she snorted as she headed for her equipment, "Let me just settle in and then we can start this disaster in the making."
"Need to keep positive," Sari tried to encourage her.
"That is me being positive," Pyrus snorted, "You don't want to know the statistics I calculated for our success rate," she pulled up several holomonitors, "... Okay… Cerberus has imprinted on Optimus and Prowl… should not attack them. Downgrade is downloaded and responding," Pyrus went over her checklist, "Sari? Do you remember what you're supposed to do if my vitals go outside of the acceptable parameters?"
"The alarms will sound which means push this button," Sar recited as she pointed to a particular button on Pyrus' computer.
Pyrus patted her on the head, "Good. I'm trusting you to do this for me. Since Cerberus can't right now… Alright," she let out another sigh as she sat down, "The plan is for me to go in first and make a breach point without alerting Hydra," she brought up a holo image of Bumblebee, "Once that has been secured, you two," she looked over to Optimus and Prowl, "Will enter. From there, Ratchet and I will direct you down the safest and least infected pathway to Bumblebee's spark. Downgrade will protect your systems while Cerberus will cloak your presence. Once we reach the spark, we have to clear it manually. After a sufficient amount of Hydra has been clear, Ratchet can download the Downgrade. That's when the true offensive will start," Pyrus grew serious, "We will have to fight for every system. We cannot give even a single nanometer of circuitry. This will be Hydra's final stand and it will do everything in its abilities to stop and destroy us. You've seen what it is willing to do when cornered," she tightened her fists, "If we fail, you know the consequences."
"I understand," Optimus affirmed.
Prowl nodded his head.
"Good. Ratchet…," she looked up at him, "I'm going in. Like I explained before," she pulled back her hood and placed a strange device on her head, "I will appear to be asleep and will not be moving. DO NOT disturb me or it could cause sudden disconnection which would not be good for my brain," she explained, "Only use the ejection system," she sighed, "Let's do this."
With a wave of her hand several holomonitors appeared. Some had flowing bits of data. Others were blank. Pyrus relaxed her body and let her head drupe. It appeared like she was meditating or something similar to what Prowl did. Her system went dark for a moment, but soon came alive with blues, greens and purples flowing across the holomonitors. They came to rest on a single monitor that showed her vitals.
"Mental assimilation complete," a synthetic voice came for the monitor.
"Pyrus?" Sari was confused as she looked at the hacker's unmoving body.
"Affirmative," she answered in the robotic tone, "Partial merging has been successful. Cerberus is responsive. Seeking entry point. Please standby."
"Understood. Standing by," Ratchet went into medic mode, "Prime. Prowl. Prepare for initialization of the VR system."
Without a word, both laid down on the makeshift beds. It had been awhile since Optimus had done VR training at the academy. He kind of forgot what it felt like in a simulation. It felt real, but it also didn't. It was strange. His sensors said that everything around him was real and truthly happening, but his processors knew better. It was always a battle between what he was seeing and what he knew was actually happening. A bit of a conflict between his systems.
"Insertion point found. Securing… Halberd inactive… Hydra unaware… Sending coordinates…," Pyrus' voice filled the air.
"I've got them… looks like one of the secondary power regulation systems," Ratchet thought for a moment, "It was one of the less infected areas… looks like a good spot. The VR is primed and ready."
"Understood. Pathway is clear. Ready to receive Optimus Prime and Prowl. Begin immersion sequence," Pyrus confirmed, "Will await for further instructions."
"Time to go you two," Ratchet looked over at them.
"Good luck. Come back safe and save Bumblebee," Sari wished them off.
That was the last thing Optimus heard before everything went dark. His body went numb and his sensors became dull. He was expecting a brilliant flash of light as the situation would come online. That didn't happen though. Instead his optics were greeted by a dimly lit circular hallway that was pulsing with a red light. His mind instantly went on high alert.
Everything felt wrong.
The pulsing light not only was disorienting, but there was low humming that reverberated throughout his chassis. He felt it to his very spark. It was so unbearable that he fell to his knees. He felt like his body would be torn apart by the humming.
"Syncing incomplete… reintegrating… parameters corrupted… repairing… resyncing…," Pyrus' hollow voice filled his auditory sensors, "Syncing complete. All systems: functional. Minimal damage to processor and databanks. Assessment: Optimus Prime is able to continue with the mission."
"Pyrus? Is that you?" Optimus let his sensors settle down as everything began to go back to normal.
"Affirmative. Systems desynced while you merged. It has been corrected and recalibrated. Minimal damage sustained," she explained in a monotone voice.
"Are you okay?" Optimus was confused.
"Affirmative. My drone-like mannerism is a side effect of the biological and technical aspects merging of mind and processor. I am me. Do not misunderstand, but the additional orderly composition that is natural to processors helps with processing functions and calculating threats, errors and improvements," a hologram of her appeared before him, "Incoming: Prowl," she looked to the left.
Just as she said, Prowl materialized. But he didn't look the same. He was back in his original Cybertronian form. Prowl must have noticed this as well as he began to inspect himself.
"Interesting," he commented.
Optimus looked down at himself. He too was back in his Cybertronian form.
Pyrus must have understood their confusion, "Resetting back to original forms was expected. Warning should have been issued. Apologies."
"It's fine," Optimus was still marveling at being in his old form.
"Systems are functioning normally. Immersion into Bumblebee's systems are complete and synced. Awaiting path confirmation from Ratchet," the holographic Pyrus brought up an image of Bumblebee, "Status: Difficult to determine proper path. Hydra has entrenched itself too deeply into many systems for a clear path to be established. Smaller pathways discovered… standby," she studied the image, "Confirmation. Divide and Conquer tactics approved."
"Divide and Conquer?" Optimus asked.
"Affirmative. Plans shifting. There are no pathways that would allow for both of you to pass through," Pyrus highlighted paths that lead to Bumblebee's spark, "Hydra would be alerted. High probability it would begin to attack not only us, but begin to purge Bumblebee's systems. To avoid this," she focused in on the spark, "moving separately is advised. Move with precision and stealth… Standby…," she paused, "Ratchet has identified two paths that lead directly to the Spark and has a high probability of concealing your presence from Hydra."
"What about you?" Prowl was curious as to why she was only worried about their presence.
She seemed to understand what he was thinking, "I am here, but not. Hydra should not be able to detect my biological functions. Technological ones are masked and not a normal target of Hydra. Travel will consist of moving along circuits. My presence will be sensed as a normal pulse produced by Bumblebee's systems. Time is limited," she reminded them, "Are you ready to proceed?"
They both nodded their heads.
"Confirmation of pathways," she waved her hand and the dim hallway became illuminated with a bluish purple path on the ground, "Follow the lit path. Do not deviate from the path. It will divide just ahead. Do not engage Hydra. I will divert its attention if it begins to stir. Objective: rendezvous and establish breach point in spark chamber," the holo image faded into the wall.
"Understood," Optimus transformed into his vehicle mode.
It was a very strange feeling to be back in his Cybertronian vehicle mode. But he had to ignore this as there were more important things to worry about. He and Prowl headed down the illuminated path. Just as Pyrus had said, there was a divide up ahead. Optimus headed right as Prowl went left. It was unnerving as Optimus made his way down the dark corridors. The only light that was available was the pathway. It was like he was moving through an unending tunnel. It was claustrophobic and felt like it was closing in on him. He was starting to lose focus as the tunnel continued on and on. It was almost like it was going in an endless loop.
"Optimus. Prowl. Converging on the Spark. Signs of resistance," Pyrus warned them, "Intercepting. Continue on the path."
"Understood," the Autobots answered in unison.
The tunnel grew wider, but it also grew darker. The pulse bluish purple light was steadily being consumed. The space was filled with harsh red light that made it difficult to see. Optimus could barely keep his optics open as he came to what looked like a very secure and old hatch door. It appeared ancient. He had never seen anything like it before. Nothing even from the history holos looked similar. From what he could see, Optimus could make out what looked like Cybertronian. But it was strange. Familiar and yet he couldn't read a single word of it. The sound of Prowl pulling up and transforming caused Optimus to jump as he was concentrating on the odd Cybertronian language.
"Good to see that you made it," Optimus greeted him quietly, "Did you run into any trouble?"
"It appears that we still haven't been detected by Hydra," Prowl looked around cautiously.
"Correction. Hydra is investigating. Ratchet is keeping it distracted with Cerberus. I have set up protection protocols around the Spark," Pyrus' hologram appeared before them, "Status. Hydra is stirring. We must proceed with the download. Now."
"How do we get in?" Optimus asked as he looked for some sort of pad or latch.
Pyrus studied the door for a moment, "... Interpretation. One Spark that binds all. All Sparks return to the source. The source is the one that gave life to all…," she thought for a moment, "Conferring. Ratchet does not understand either. Determination. Unimportant at the moment. Downgrade is needed now," she held out her hollow hand towards the door.
Before Optimus could ask how she knew what the writing said, a bluish purple energy with a green aura surrounded her. It shot from her outstretched hand and began to seep into every available crevice in the door. The metal sounded like it was shrieking in pain as the energy dug in. It was very unsettling to listen to. Optimus could swear he could hear Bumblebee's wails of pain mixed with the squealing of the metal. It was so unnerving. Just as the doors began to creak open, a scream filled the air. It caused Optimus and Prowl to fall to their knees as every servo and gear felt like they were being crushed. Pyrus' hologram stuttered and blinked in and out. Optimus felt his consciousness slipping.
"Da..da…danger… Desynchro…nization. Re…re… sync…chronizing. Hydra…dra…dra fu…lly… a…ware. Attac…king. Intianating Cer…berus Pro…tection Protocols," Pyrus could barely speak.
An orb of energy surrounded them. It no longer felt like they would be torn apart from the inside out. The Autobots could barely move and were struggling to get up. Pyrus was trying her hardest to protect them and still open the door. Optimus was thankful for the shield. To his horror, he watched as the surrounding walls that were bathed in red light began to twitch and twist into monstrous creatures. They had a serpent like appearance, but seemed incomplete. Chunks missing. Frayed portions with broken bits of data. What eyes were visible looked angry and glared at the group with contempt and vitriol.
"What are those creatures?!" Prowl didn't like the look of them.
"Assessment. Hydra's failed copies. Hydra is drawing all resources to the Spark. Converving on our coordinates," Pyrus warned them, "Ratchet. Hydra knows. Begin hit and run tactics… Understood… Things… do not look good… understood… We will," she turned to Optimus and Prowl, "Status. Not good. We must move quickly," she began to concentrate on the slowly opening door, "Prepare for a fight."
Optimus and Prowl didn't need to be told twice. They drew their weapons as the broken serpents began to throw themselves at the protective bubble. Pyrus was flinching with each attack. She was fighting on two fronts and it looked like she was losing on the door front. It was beginning to close. The more she concentrated on shielding them, the faster the doors closed. If she tried to open the doors wider, the failed Hydra copies would start to fracture the shield. Optimus knew that he had to do something.
"Prowl!" Optimus called to him, "We've got to help with the doors!"
Prowl understood and took hold of one of the hatch closest to him. Optimus did the same and began to pull. The doors refused to budge, but Optimus refused to give up. Pouring every ounce of strength he had, he pulled with all his might. Little by little the doors began to creep open. It felt like they were about to give.
"Just a bit more!" Optimus was sure that it was about to open.
GRAAAAAAARRR! A monstrous roar came from inside.
"What was that?" Optimus looked at Prowl.
"Something not good," Prowl surmised.
"Oh no…," Pyrus' eyes filled with fear.
Tentacles of throbbing red and black sludge whipped out from behind the doors. They moved like serpents hunting for their prey. Quickly grabbing all three, the tentacles pulled them inside. Nothing could be seen pitch blackness that surrounded them. Just the occasional pulsing red light. It gave everything an eerie appearance. It made Optimus' processor fill with dread and his servos shiver. He felt so helpless as he looked upon the beast that had a hold of him and the others.
It was a grotesque amorphous creature. Nothing but a huge blob of black that pulsated with cracked codes of red data. Long whip like tentacles emerging from every spot possible. They whipped and twisted about with an angry motion. The sound of growling and hissing filled the air. From the central point of the blob rose a singular tentacle. It pulled and shifted until it formed the head of a water serpent. It let out a high pitched shriek that paralyzed the trio. They couldn't even struggle against the grip of the tentacles. Red sparks started to fly up the tentacles. The energy surged through their bodies. They screamed out in pain as the electricity filled them.
"RATCHET! WARNING!" Pyrus yelled, "MISSION STATUS: FAILURE!"