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The Nemesis – Brig

“Uhh, can't say I do….I’m no doctor, but I'm sure we can jury-rig something for ya! As for getting you lot out of here let's see what I can do-“

Road Rage wasn’t all that surprised that Nautica didn’t have a spare knee joint on her. It was wishful thinking at best. However, that didn’t stop the crimson femme from letting out a disappointed sigh as her shoulders slumped forward. “No problem, Nauty, I under….”

The former bodyguard’s whispered comment was cut off by a sudden tremor that shook the entire ship, which was soon followed up by a second one. Neither quake lasted very long but they were enough to make Road Rage a bit concerned. “What the frag was that?”

“I’ll try and be quick!”

That wasn’t exactly the answer the crimson warrior had been looking for but she was hardly in a position to protest. Instead, Road Rage waited patiently for Nautica to reappear and free them, keeping her optics fixated on the locked door. The former bodyguard assumed that's where their prospective rescuer would gain entrance to the brig, but how Nautica would get by the guards outside was anyone’s guess.

Astroseconds later, the door opened with a loud hiss.

“Alright, line up and let's see what we can do about those claws! And leg, for the missus in need of a knee. Or rather, in kneed. Heh…”

The worried feeling Road Rage had just been experiencing was quickly replaced with a renewed sense of relief at the sight of the violet and gold femme standing there within the cell block. How had she managed such a feat and what happened to the guards out in the corridor? It mattered little at this point. All the crimson femme wanted was to get out of her cell and off this slaggin’ ship as quickly as possible. And if she could blast a few Predators along the way, especially Falcon, then all the better.

“Well, I’m about as lined up as I’m going to be, Nauty,” Road Rage replied as she remained seated on the floor at the front of her cell even after the plasma barrier had dispersed. This Nautica apparently had a sense of humor, as well, one that made the former bodyguard smile just a little bit. “Yes, I kneed a new knee, but I'll take whatever I can get at this point. Thanks.”

Nemesis – Brig

Chromia had waited with extreme anticipation as Nautica disappeared. When she reappeared through the entrance to the brig – not escorted by Decepticons – Chromia could relax a few degrees. The barriers dissipated thanks to Nautica, allowing Chromia out into the brig proper. She stretched a bit and quickly glanced around for Elita-1. Nowhere to be found.

When Moonracer volunteered to be first to be fixed up, Chromia shook her head curtly. “No, Moonie,” she snapped, “If the Cons don’t already suspect something’s up, they soon will when they see Autobots waltzing around the Brig on their security feeds. Nautica, tend to Road Rage’s knee. The claws can be fiddled with as we move. We can’t piddle around here. We have to link up with Elita.”

Stalking over to the brig door, Chromia took cover beside it, listening for the footsteps beyond it.


Bridge

"Then we shall have to investigate." Skyquake retorted coldly. "Manually."

With a sharpness to his step, Falcon strode over to Skyquake. His salute was equally as sharp. “Please allow me to investigate with a small team, sir. We can perform an examination of the outer hull. Although…part of me suspects the Autobots of some sort of foul play. One last pitiful attempt to spite us in our moment of victory.”

Falcon scowled. It would be just like them. Clinging to hope as foolishly as ever. Imbeciles the lot of them. It filled Falcon with rage just to think about them. That they had the gall to spoil their finest hour. “Perhaps we should hasten the executions.”

Nemesis -- Vents

Windblade sat as Roulette spoke to her, reassuring her that whereas their mission was to rescue Windblade, it also put them in a position to rescue their comrades. Which also begged the question of what their comrades were doing to get captured, but a war was a war.

As Roulette jumped down from the vent at Elita's beckoned call, so, too, did Windblade. Reassured, at least for the moment, she decided that it was probably for the best that she put aside her own problems for the moment and sought to help her rescuers through theirs. After all, she got the general idea that it wasn't the best idea to hang around the "Decepticons" that she heard so much about. But then again, she didn't really have a say in the matter, anyway.

As she landed softly upon the ground with a glide from her wings, Windblade noticed the freed, massive figure that was Thunderclash. He seemed to have been tortured and interrogated, weakened by the custody he found himself in. As Windblade looked up from guiding her feet to the ground, her pearly blue optics met with Thunderclash's and she gave a courteous nod out of reflex.

"H--" she began, but as soon as she opened her mouth to speak she was nearly tossed to the floor as the ship shifted and shuddered, the whole ship rumbling as if some sort of tremor was quaking the ship.

As everyone in the room seemed to panic for a moment, and through the flurry of activity, she felt an unnatural feeling... It was... Unimportant at the moment. She tried pressing the suppressed memories in the back of her mind, but to no avail. And she wasn't about to bring up her "odd feelings" to her escorts.

All she could do was stand back and observe.

The Nemesis – The Reservoir

"Of sure, don't help a lady up..." Roulette grumbled as Thunderclash walked to the door. She got up and looked at Elita.

"So Boss-bot what do we do now?"

The Nemesis--The Reservoir

“I don’t know. But what I do know is that now is our opportunity,” Thunderclash offered Elita-1 one of his trademark, confident smiles, “C’mon. Let’s go find our people and get out of here. Maybe we can wreak a little havoc of our own as we do.”

"Ok...that's the 'Clash I know. Let's go."

Having steadied herself with Thunderclash's assistance, Elita-1 quickly moved to assist Roulette who had apparently been knocked from her perch by the tremor. Before she could, the other was already back to her feet, chiding Thunderclash.

"So Boss-bot what do we do now?" Roulette asked.

"There's something wrong with this ship. Now that we have her and him," she said, indicating Windblade and Thunderclash, respectively, "we need to link up with the others and get the slag outta here."

Elita could feel another aftershock building. The liquid energon in the reservoir was beginning to slosh more violently.

"We make for the brig."
___

Corridors

The pair of Vehicons closed the panel they were working on and began to reseal it.

As they did, another violent tremor rocked the ship, this one big enough to send one careening into the other.

As the first Vehicon started to clamber to its feet, a portion of the wall behind them shifted and then plunged forward, smashing the two Cybertronian constructs into oblivion.
___

A pair of Seekers strode out of the armory, checking their ammunition levels. Before they had made it even a few meters away, a huge section of the black-metal floor underneath them gave, allowing them to drop.

Before either of the two fliers could activate their flight modes, the interior walls caved in on them, their screams echoing in the corridors as the illumination began to fail, shipwide.
___

On the engineering deck, a technician walked too close to a plasma coil and was suddenly consumed by escaping energy tendrils.
___

Bridge

On the bridge, various console screens began to blink out of existence as the power failed and the expansive room went dim--save for small divots of purple-hued light dotted around the area.

"Megatron would dare to bring a cityspeaker aboard?" a disembodied voice intoned throughout the entirety of the bridge.

"This....is the final insult."

The slow-building tremor suddenly rocked the massive vessel again. Shipwide changes were now underway, regardless of what those aboard might want.

"A price will be paid."

The Nemesis – The Reservoir

"Of sure, don't help a lady up..."

“Apologies, thoughtless of me,” Thunderclash uttered, moving over to Roulette, but she was already up by the time he got to her. As the ladies discussed their next course of action, something caught Thunderclash’s optics. He moved over to retrieve the article. One of the Vehicon’s weapons. Ought to be useful in their escape.

"We make for the brig."

“At last,” Thunderclash cheered, moving back to the door. He braced himself as yet another violent tremor shook the ship. What in the world was going on here? No matter. They had to move. He opened the door, stepping into the corridor only to see them shifting before his very optics. Yes, it was definitely time to go.

“We mustn’t delay any longer, I’m afraid. Something is terribly wrong.”

The Nemesis – The Reservoir

Roulette chuckled and punched Thunderclash on the arm as he came back from grabbing the weapon. "Glad your in one piece big guy. Even though you were mean to me." She said in a light-hearted tone. "By the way, Thunderclash, this is our new friend Windblade. Windblade this is Thunderclash."

Then the room began to shake.

"No kidding, like my instincts were not screaming at me already." She armed her sniper rifle to its full length after having to store it for the vents. She placed it on her back and drew her pistol again.

"Alright. Ready."

Reservoir

Windblade paused as Roulette introduced her to Thunderclash, looking as though a doe in headlights as her name was brought up, wings at alert position. The mech was large and imposing, but oddly, she didn't find him intimidating. It was as if he had a good-natured energy about him that she could feel.

"Hello, Thunderclash. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Windblade gave formal greeting with a slight bow, pressing her hands to her sides as she does so, though didn't elaborate on her current amnesiac condition.

The woman relaxed for a moment, turning to follow her newfound friends. But then she heard something eerily familiar. Groans, pops, hissing, grinding, the slamming of metal against metal... It was a staggeringly familiar sound, and the rumbling beneath her feet seemed to rattle thoughts and memories in the darkest reaches of her mind.

She didn't like it.

It was eerie, foreboding, and wholly unfriendly. The familiar feeling was... Similar, yet different than this new sensation. It was as if hearing the same words recited by another, just with a far angrier voice. Her pulse quickened. She could, for a moment, feel a sensation that was not her own.

"I can... We should move quickly. We are no longer welcome."

The Nemesis--Corridors

“We mustn’t delay any longer, I’m afraid. Something is terribly wrong.”

"Very wrong," Elita agreed

When Elita exited the Reservoir, she saw all manner of mechanoids running in different directions. Not a one of them was paying the slightest bit of attention to her or her party. The ship felt like it was coming apart at the seams. She'd be only too glad if it was, she just had no idea why.

"I can... We should move quickly. We are no longer welcome," Windblade said. "Welcome"? What did that mean? This was the Decepticon flagship, of course they weren't welcome. But, there was something deeper in what she'd said. She'd have to pry a little deeper when she got the chance.

"Brig's that way," Elita pointed, before taking off in a sprint. Maybe they'd just blend right in at this point.

The Nemesis – Brig:

"Ah, no! I didn't mean that, Chromia!" snapped Moonracer back, "I only was gonna be guarding from a distance! Like, sniper rifle at the ready, you know?"

"This is not the time to argue, young lady," said Boss to Moonracer, "We have better things to get wound up about, and we're not doing that anyway, are we?"

"Hm. Rude," said Moonracer under her breath-

Then, another shake raddled the brig. It was strange. Not destructive it seemed, but more... functional almost. Vibrations under the floor rather than sounds of explosions or alarms. Yet, others sounds of shifting and crushing was heard from a distance. Boss felt it was more than just some glitches. Something was- It was... Oh no. Could it be?

"Mechs, we need to get out of here. NOW. We will carry Roadrage if necessary, but now's not the time to sit around. Something is wrong. Very wrong."

Nemesis – Corridors

When Windblade made mention of them no longer being welcome, Thunderclash frowned. What had given her the impression that they were at all welcome within the Decepticon flagship. Perhaps her words had a deeper meaning, but there was no time to press her about that. Elita led the way, bustling out of the Reservoir at a sprint.

Thunderclash frowned. He couldn’t match that pace. Not with the state he was in. Bah! This was no time for that sort of talk. His crew needed him. He shot out of the Reservoir with purpose, jogging along in his best hobbling limp, not willing to let pain slow him down one micron.

Brig

Chromia was about to come down hard on Moonracer for talking back to her, especially in this situation, but Boss beat her to it. Bracing herself as another shake rocked the vessel, the chrome warrior frowned. This was weird. And wrong. But hey, if it was distracting the Decepticons? Oh, you bet Chromia would take it.

Boss suggested carrying Road Rage, and honesty, Chromia didn’t hate that idea. The longer they lingered here, the worse things would get for them. But they couldn’t exactly leave without Elita and Roulette and the rest of their bunch. It wouldn’t be easy for them to find each other in the chaos if they didn’t stay put. “Hrm…”

Chromia’s optics widened and flicked up to the door as it opened. She leaped forward, putting herself in between the door and the others. Slaggit all! She would be scrapped if the Cons were going to lay a digit on them. But, fear soon turned into a smile as she saw who it was behind the door.

“’Lita!”

And behind her, the unmistakable form of Thunderclash. He pushed his way into the brig, optics quickly scanning the freed prisoners. Moving to Road Rage’s side, he laid a hand on her shoulder. “Forgive me, Road Rage. Everyone. I’ve failed you,” he said somberly, “But now is not the time to dwell on it.”

“We need to move now,” he said, glancing to Road Rage, “Once we’ve escaped, we’ll get your knee tended to, for now, I’ll carry you.” He glanced to Elita-1. “We need to find the hangar and steal a shuttle. Do you have any idea where that might be?”

Nemesis - Brig:

As the door of the brig opened, Boss stood ready. Startled, but ready for anything. If needed, he'd tear apart whatever was behind the door bit by bit with his bare hands if it was unfriendly.

But, as the door opened, he saw feet of one he surely recognized. It was Thunderclash!

"Sir! Ahh you tough slagger you! Knew you'd get out of that fine and dandy! Well, mostly anyway, heh!"

Also in the doorway was this "Elita" Boss had heard so much about. And another two he didn't recognize, though they were obviously with them.

Boss stood up straight as he then said to Thunderclash, "Sir, I can carry the lady. You need to focus on your walking. You've been through a lot I can tell."

---

Moonracer perked up as the brig door began to open, but that first fearful perk turned into a joyful perk.

"'Lita! Roulette! You guys made it! YAY!"

She felt a bit foolish after that sudden loud yell, since they were trying to remain unnoticed, but then again, the ship was going all crazy. Pretty sure the 'Cons aren't worried with us that much if they think we're all gonna die anyway.

Moonracer then walked over to the new one in the group; Windblade; and proceeded to ask, "Uh, hi... Who are you?"

Nemesis – Brig

Another violent quake rocked the ship, this one much worse than any that had come before it. Something was very wrong here. Were they under attack from someone on the outside? Was the Nemesis malfunctioning from within? Had Chromia’s friends sabotaged the ship somehow? All were sound questions, but there were no immediate answers forthcoming. Instead, there were more tremors and the arrival of Thunderclash, himself.

“Thunderclash!” Road Rage exclaimed, almost trying to stand, but quickly remembering that her broken knee would not allow it. She settled back down into a seated position as the Regional Commander approached her, kneeling by her side and placing a gentle hand on her shoulder plate.

“Forgive me, Road Rage. Everyone. I’ve failed you. But now is not the time to dwell on it. We need to move now. Once we’ve escaped, we’ll get your knee tended to, for now, I’ll carry you.”

Road Rage looked at her commander with compassionate optics. “There’s nothing to forgive, ‘Clash. You did all that you could, and I’m grateful that you’re still functioning. As for carrying me, are you sure you’re strong enough in your condition? You’ve been through so much. I don’t want to be a further burden on you.”

"Sir, I can carry the lady. You need to focus on your walking. You've been through a lot I can tell.”

The crimson femme’s attention was drawn to Boss’s words. She looked at the subcommander and then back at Thunderclash. “Perhaps Boss is right, sir. You should save your strength for when we encounter the Decepticons again, which we likely will as we try to get down to the hangar of this wretched....”

Another intense quake shook the whole vessel, causing many of the mechs around her to brace themselves. “We need to get off this ship ASAP,” Road Rage said, stating the obvious. “Boss is right. There’s something seriously wrong with the Nemesis.”

Nemesis -- Corridors

Windblade followed close behind her newfound allies. They seemed like good people, and quite frankly, she felt uneasy, and it was nice to be near to someone whose name that she knew. She could barely say the same about herself. But as the floor quaked and the ship screamed and roared with each panel rattling and shifting, she felt the need to jump forward and... Just keep going. Fly away, as if a sparrow from a falling tree, or a bat from a collapsing cave.

Her sudden statement about the nature of their visit fell on ignorant ears. She didn't expect them to understand. Heck, even she didn't really understand all that much. Flashes returned to her as she strode along, every footfall another image of somewhere familiar. Someone familiar. But this new place was ominous, not like what she remembered. She remembered only flashes, but what she remembered was enough to know one simple fact:

The Autobots had no idea what they were standing inside of.

"I..." Windblade was about to explain herself, but was cut off.

It was another woman, this one more perky and clearly sunny by nature, seemed to have noticed Windblade as the group approached their destination.

"I'm W-Windblade." she was unsure of her own words, but she said them with enough conviction that it was passable by her standards. Names were easy. But what if her name wasn't even Windblade? What if she just remembered someone mention a Wind-Blade as an off-hand comment about a plane or something and the femme just thought it was her name?

But now wasn't the time for such things. Even if she turned out to have adopted a brand name as her own name, a name was a name, and she wasn't going to question Providence.

A red woman suddenly stated that something was very wrong with the Nemesis, and perhaps that was true, but even still, she couldn't shake the feeling that everything was working as intended.

Brig

Even as she sprinted forward, Elita spared a glance every so often to her rear. She wasn't going to leave anyone behind. They fortunately made it to the brig without losing anyone or getting into the middle of a major firefight.

“’Lita!” Chromia burst as Elita-1 and the others entered the brig.

"Chromes!" Elita burst right back, quickly gripping the other's forearm and pulling her into a friendly embrace. "Well...as missions go we coulda done better, but I think Prowl will be happy with that."

She indicated Windblade, and the fact that they had at least accomplished their primary objective. Disabling the Decepticon's flagship might have been nice, but from the sounds of it, something was happening to this beast that the Decepticons had not planned on. Good.

“We need to find the hangar and steal a shuttle. Do you have any idea where that might be?” Thunderclash asked.

"I've got way more familiar with this monstrosity of a ship than I ever wanted to be," Elita said, transmitting the layout that she and Roulette had mapped out thus far. "I'm marking the hangar for all of you. This ship feels like it's about to self-destruct. As much as I'd like that to be true, I know we're not that lucky. But I fully recommend we not be here when whatever's happening finishes happening."

Nemesis – Brig

Chromia returned Elita’s friendly embrace, glancing back at Windblade. A smile worked its way onto her faceplate before both a bit of confusion and reality sank in. “It’s not over yet, ‘Lita. We still gotta get off this Primus-forsaken boat,” she added before looking back to their motley crew. Fortunately, Elita had managed to come through yet again.

“I’ll drink to that. Let’s move out,” Chromia said, looking to the others. Moving over to their prize, she patted her on the back. “Windblade, yeah? Don’t worry, we’ve been in worse scrapes than this.”


Thunderclash looked to Boss as he protested, frowning as he saw some odd bit of metal welded to his head. “You don’t look you’re particularly dandy yourself, chum,” he retorted. As Road Rage chimed in, however, he was forced to reconsider his course of action. Another tremor rocked the warship, causing Thunderclash to fall over slightly. He managed to catch himself, but it was a firm reminder that he was not in the best of shape.

“Fine. Boss, take care of her, won’t you?”

Rising to his feet, he nodded to Elita-1 and looked to the mixed remains of his own and Elita’s crew. “Autobots, move out!”

Marching forward, he paused as he looked to Elita. “Take point. I’ll cover our rear.”

Nemesis - Brig:

Thunderclash didn't even pretend he didn't notice the unfortunate patching job on Boss' head. Not worse than two damaged legs however. No sir.

"A numb arm is nothing compared to a couple damaged legs, big guy," said Boss, "I insist."

After another rattle of the ship, Thunderclash finally gave in. Good. For all of their sakes.

Boss quickly scooped Roadrage up with this fully funcional arm, but then asked her,

"Over the shoulder, or on my back, m'lady?" Boss smirked a bit under his mask, though he wouldn't wait long for an answer. Both would do, and both let his arm rest a bit.

Nemesis - Brig:

Roulette had been covering the movements of the others as they made it to the Brig. When she made it she waved at their lost friends. While she was glad to see them they now had to get them out. Seeing Windblade was with the others, she moved and placed her hand on Elita's right shoulder.

"'Lita, if this place really is self-destructing then there will be plenty of 'Cons running to the hangar too. We should move ahead and make sure the path is clear for the wounded."

The Nemesis--Corridors

“Take point. I’ll cover our rear.”

"No heroics. Don't fall behind," Elita had said with a grin as she surged forward.

As the group progressed down the corridors of the Decepticon flagship, the tremors were intensifying. Every often Elita-1 got knocked off her gait and at least twice now had been sent reeling into a wall. Were she not as adept on her feet as she was, she'd probably have sustained an injury or two. She'd hate to think how Ironhide or Kup would be handling this.

"'Lita, if this place really is self-destructing then there will be plenty of 'Cons running to the hangar too. We should move ahead and make sure the path is clear for the wounded," Roulette said.

"That's just it," Elita said as another tremor rocked the corridors. "I don't think it is self-destructing. But someone messed up something. Probably some code Shockwave put in and now it's giving them fits. That said...I agree. We should make the path as clear as possible. I don't want any of our wounded becoming more wounded."

Not stopping as she said any of that, Elita watched as Decepticons on upper ramps ran from one room to another, not paying a lick of attention to them. Good. She'd use that advantage for as long as she had it.

"We turn right up at that junction. Hangar will be a straight shot from there."

The Nemesis--Corridors

Roulette ran alongside Elita as they took point.

"Well, if it's not blowing up then what is it doing?" She asked as she thought about it. She could hear the steps above them and show what Elita did.

"I know the priority now is getting these 'Bots out of here but whatever this ship is doing might be a threat to us when we leave. I think that as we are clearing the path we should grab a 'Con and get some information as to what is happening."

The Nemesis--Corridors

When Elita and Roulette reached the intersecting corridor that would lead the group to the hangar, she stopped momentarily and looked to make sure this next corridor was equally as free of entanglements as this one had been.

"Well, if it's not blowing up then what is it doing?" Roulette asked.

"Ha!" Elita barked out a chuckle, more a tension release than anything, given the number of ways this could all go really bad for them. "Beyond my stab at the programming code thing, I have no idea. Definitely a Wheeljack or Perceptor question. Alas."

"I know the priority now is getting these 'Bots out of here but whatever this ship is doing might be a threat to us when we leave. I think that as we are clearing the path we should grab a 'Con and get some information as to what is happening."

Elita-1 appeared to mull over Roulette's suggestion for a microbreem before nodding.

"Actually...that's not a bad idea. We spot a weak one between here and the hangar, we take it with us."

And she was off again. As her gait picked up, she opened a channel with the others.

>>"If anyone falters and needs us to double back, let me know. We're just clearing a path for you all."<<

Nemesis - Bridge

Falcon's words were lost on the Sky Commandant as the voice rang out through the bridge. What madness was this? Skyquake thought as the lights in the bridge flickered wildly following the sound of the disembodied voice. The Predator commander had a fair guess as to what, after being given command over Megatron's prized vessel and learning of it's rather "unorthodox" systems shortly before talking its helm, but he had still been ensured that such secrets were kept locked away and safeguards be set as to not break free from its restraints.

"Commander! We've lost all control of the ship! It's not responding to our commands!" A vehicon cried out, rising from his chair and turning to face the black and green air commandant.

>>"Skyquake!"<< came another frantic plea over his comm line >>"We've got emergency airlocks opening on several of the sub-decks! Some of our men were lost trying to reach the maintenance areas!"<<

This was no accident, Megatron's secret weapon had awoken. Ignoring the calls and the pleas from his subordinates, the Sky Commandant pivoted on his heel and made his way out the bridge. He alone held the key to bringing the ship under his control, and he had to move fast before it had full reign again.

"This is no Autobot trick." Skyquake stated coldly, finally responding to his second-in-command, expecting the former Predator commander to follow in behind him. "This is something far worse." As he continued to match through the corridors, tremors continued to rupture throughout the ship. While vehicons and seekers seemed to stumble with each quake, the black and green Decepticon continued his pace uninterrupted.

"Do you know what's happening with the ship?" Skydive inquired as he caught up with Skyquake, nearly tripping over the last quake. Skyquake did not bother to answer his subordinate, instead keeping his jade optics focused on the path ahead of him.

>>"Stalker, the Nemesis Protocol is engaged. Drop whatever you're doing and meet me at the central core! Snare, Talon, gather yourselves and rendezvous on my signal!"<<

Corridors

"Something's not right..." Nautica questioned with a hush to her tone. Her bright blue optics flickered about as she studied the holographic HUD that illuminated over her faceplate, all while trying to remove the inhibitor claw off Chromia's back. 'Lita was right about the Hangar being up ahead, but the transponder she had dropped off in the ventilation system was stating otherwise, saying it was behind them now. As the group of femmes and Turbomasters rounded another corner, the signal bounced again, this time above-no now it was to their left!

"Okay this is going to sound crazy- okay, no this is crazy, but the transponder I left back in the ducts around the Hangar bay is bouncing around like an mecha-flea on Styx!"

"Hey!" A distant voice cried from down intersecting corridor. Firestar turned her head as she noticed an squadron of seekers staring them down. "Hold it there!"

"Oh scrap..." The bright red femme uttered under her breath as the winged warriors began to hurry after them. Before the squadron could take another step, the paneling of the roof above them came crashing down upon the floor, instantly squashing the approaching seekers before a new corridor took its place.

"Primus above!!" Nautica cried out in shock.

"WHAT IN THE PIT?!" Firestar added in equal befuddlement.

Corridors:

"Alright, this is rediculous," said Boss, "We cannot risk getting split up again, Elita. And we also can't risk even being seen by a..."

Then, Seekers came in.

"Well, hello friends," said Boss as he was holding Roadrage on his right side, which was the side his good arm was on. He contemplated attempting to shoot with his limp arm, but then...

*CRASH*

The roof came down and crushed the Seekers in front of them!

"Uh, mechs, I," Boss paused as his mind began to flash back to earlier days of the war, when ships and cities transformed, and killed those inside. Horrible memories of horrible tales he remembered. It was no accident. This was intentional by someone or something. He looked around at bits of the wall shifting around them, "I believe this place is transforming. Or going through a purger protocol. And anyone who says otherwise is a premature protoform."

Boss got a good grip on Roadrage and began to run the opposite direction.

"Oh oh no no no!" Shouted Moonracer as she also began running behind Boss, "This is really not normal! What's gonna happen?!"

"TWO options, darling," Boss started, "we make it out, or we're crushed!"

Corridors

Windblade trotted lightly behind the group, who seemed to be just as confused and panicked as she was when she emerged from her cocoon. Egg. Obelisk? Stasis chamber? Her cocoon. The group was running and turning sharply whenever a new hallway slammed shut, diverting them like water coursing through pipes.

"Hey! Hold it there!" an angry, metallic voice barked -- no doubt one of the Decepticons seeing the escaping Autobots.

Just as Windblade turned to face them, hands once more reaching back, grasping at something along her leg, she watched in awe as the walls careened into the unsuspecting mechs. Energon spewed, carried by their agonizing screams as their lives were cut short. Windblade's mouth fell open and her eyes sagged in horror. Dear god... That's how death looked... She knew the words, knew the meaning, but she had never seen it before, and she didn't care to see it again, despite her instincts to arm herself.

"This place is transforming, and anyone who says otherwise is a premature protoform." Windblade heard one of her newfound compatriots say as they jogged down a corridor.

"Finally, someone who understands." she muttered to herself as she trotted behind the group.

Then Moonracer began to wail about the unnatural circumstances, to which Windblade responded, "That is a matter of perspective."

But as she ran, the hallway before them seemed to tense. But it didn't move, it was as if she could feel the walls tense as though they were her own. It was a truly peculiar feeling, but with all that had happened to Windblade, she didn't exactly question it. But as she felt them tense, she could feel something about to happen. She could feel the ceiling about to slam to the ground.

Rotors whirred to life and she kicked her legs underneath her, blowing her forward and past her group, to where she kicked her heels into the ground, skidding to a halt.

"Stop!!" she shouted with a steely, powerful voice, reaching her arms out to stop her charging friends from proceeding, "Wait!"

Within a second of her coming to a halt, the floor opened and the ceiling dropped down, slamming into position, and their most certain doom if she had been just a moment slower.

"Sorry, but I think we should probably go to the right." Windblade returned to her more relaxed, timid stance as she pointed to the right wall.

The wall, within moments of being called upon, opened to reveal another hallway, which she promptly turned and began to jog down without waiting on her allies.

The Nemesis – Corridors

As the situation grew increasingly dire, Skyquake exited the bridge with Falcon right at his heels. His commander’s answer, however, only served to breed more unease within him. As tremors rippled through the Nemesis’s frame, Falcon kept a somewhat staggered gait. Unlike his commander’s gait, which seemed smooth and precise.

Skydive was quick to catch up to them, echoing Falcon’s own thoughts. Skyquake seemed to have a bit more than an inkling. Falcon surmised that some kind of privileged information that Lord Megatron had only deigned inform Skyquake of hid the truth of their current predicament. Rather than voice his questions, he kept to himself. He had a suspicion that all would be revealed shortly.

That voice had given him chills down to his very spinal strut. Glancing down one of the hallways that they passed, Falcon tensed as he saw it shift and move as if…the Nemesis was changing its layout. Why? How? If it continued to change, their path may well become obstructed and prevent their advance. Or escape. Not a particularly pleasant prospect at all. In fact, they may never find their way out.

Shoving unpleasant thoughts aside, Falcon looked to Skyquake. “Orders, sir?”


Grumbling to herself about the utter ridiculousness of their present situation, Chromia jogged along in the group behind the vanguard, which was made up of Roulette and Elita-1. Firstly, she should be up there with them. Truthfully, they weren’t that far up, but she couldn’t really do anything with the twice slagged inhibitor claw on. Then there was the fact that this monster of a Decepticon warship was having some catastrophic glitch at the moment. It reminded her of two very particular Cybertronians but that was impossible. Well, three really. But still impossible. One had been destroyed and the other two…well either lost or permanently dormant.

Chromia issued something that was half-growl, half-sigh as their newest recruit, Windblade and Boss began to come to similar guesses. Windblade ran ahead before Chromia could grab her. Good thing too because she saved them from something rather unfortunate. But it only raised more questions about their odd new addition.

After that little display, Chromia was all too happy to let the kid take point. But not without back-up. That was when she felt a weight drop from her back. Chromia glanced back to see the inhibitor claw now on the floor. Smiling broadly, Chromia lightly punched Nautica in the shoulder.

“Good work, kid!” she said before diving forward and transforming briefly to catch up to Windblade before reverting.

“Kid, er, Windblade. Don’t run off without us,” Chromia said, “You know, I don’t know how you did that, but you think you could lead us to the hangar? I’m afraid the path to it is getting more convoluted by the astrosecond.” Chromia glanced back to Elita-1. “I mean, unless you’re still sure where we’re going.”


At the very rear of the rag tag group of Autobots was Thunderclash, limping along as best he could. Energon still spilled freely from his wounds, which was only further aggravated by his movements. Yet still, he kept going, keeping his optics sharp for Decepticon movement to their rear. It was difficult to keep going, but Thunderclash would show no outward sign of his fatigue.

In truth, the edges of his vision were darkening ever so slightly. Bother. He couldn’t falter now. No, he needed to put on a brave face for those around him. As the corridors shifted and killed some Decepticons ahead of them, Thunderclash looked to those who could only watch with shock.

“It matters not what’s happening. We need only take care not to fall victim ourselves. Press on, Autobots! We’ll make it to the hangar yet.”