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Bridge

Once Silverbolt had left to prep the Aerialbots for whatever future deployment might be required, Prowl settled in to the command chair and continued studying the new readings that Perceptor had managed to obtain from the decimated Decepticon base before he had been seriously injured. The military strategist was only roused from his deep contemplation by the voice of the scientist turned sniper, himself.

“Perceptor,” Prowl responded, turning towards the red mech who was now standing next to him. “I didn’t even hear you enter the bridge. It’s good to see that you’re no worse for wear after your little excursion to Earth. The risk you took is greatly appreciated and will not be forgotten.” The black and white ‘Bot smiled and stood from the command chair, approaching the view screen where the new energy readings continued to be displayed prominently.

“And to answer your question, yes, I have been able to decipher these scans to a certain extent. However, I require your assistance to fully understand what I am seeing here,” Prowl continued as he glanced over the findings once again before turning back to face the Autobot scientist. “It appears to me that the Decepticons had somehow obtained a new raw and very potent form of energon. It’s clearly unrefined and very unstable in nature, which would explain the sheer devastation created when their base exploded. Although, where they obtained it or how it exactly formed are questions I am unable to answer at this point in time. I have my theories, but nothing concrete. Being that I’m not a scientist like yourself, maybe there is something in these readings that you can help me to better identify. Is there anything that I am overlooking?”

Med Bay

The door to the CR Chamber slid open and Sunstreaker carefully stepped out. He did a quick examination of himself, checking to make sure that his paintjob was satisfactory and there weren’t any scratches or scuffs. He was pleased to see it all looked good, the chamber even doing a decent job of waxing and polishing him. He was going to have to remember to use that particular chamber from now on. Maybe he could lock it down to his own personal security code. It was something the Autobot would have to look into.

The yellow warrior glanced over at Sideswipe, a smirk forming on his face. “You like my little greeting for when you got out of the chamber? I bet you also liked how I locked down my chamber too. You should remember that you are just an amateur at this stuff Sideswipe. I am, and always will be better at it then you, among many other things.”

*

Bounce Chamber

Ironhide nodded at Ricochet, as he agreed to join them on the mission in a round about sort of way. He didn’t exactly seem enthusiastic about it but he could help with the heavy lifting at least. He probably wouldn’t like it but there wasn’t much going on anywhere that particular Bot was going to like. At least this would keep him busy and out of trouble.

The old security mech walked over to the control panel, scanning the planet surface near where the Ark-19 was hidden. Once he located an appropriate spot, clear of any humans, he locked the coordinates into the computer and programmed a timed bounce. He sent a quick message to Prowl informing him they were leaving. He then stepped on to the pad and the team bounced down to the surface

OOC: Autobot repair team move to the Ark-19 thread

Shooting Range

After a few cycles of target practice, the Aerialbots turn to Silverbolt.

"Is there any way that we can get off this ship?"

"As I tried to tell you all earlier, we can't get off the ship unless we have a mission. I'm sorry, Fireflight, but until Prowl gives us orders we have to stay up here. We've been through enough with the Ark-19 being attacked and the mess at the Decepticon base. This is a time for relaxation and recouping."

"Commander, there is only so much relaxation we can do. You know that we actually relax better when we are up in the air. Being on board this ship and not knowing when we'll get off is the major stressor. It is correct that the attack on the Ark-19 took a toll on us but I think we would be better off taking our aggression out on some Seekers or other Cons. Is there anything at all that you can tell us to keep our processors busy instead of staring at these walls and targets?"

"Well, Skydive, I do know there is a team heading down to repair the Ark-19 which I volunteered our services to help defend them but Prowl didn't like that idea. There is also a strong possiblity that the Cons are up here in orbit with us on their own ship somewhere which we are trying to find right now. I know we aren't built for space but maybe we would be involved as foot soldiers. It would surprise me highly if their ship be too much bigger then ours which means no flying there either. I doubt we or the Seekers would have room to do much besides hover in place and shoot."

"So what you are saying, Silverbolt, is that we are still stuck here looking at each other and I think what the humans would say 'twidle our thumbs'. That phrase never made sense to me but right now that is what I feel like all we can do."

Silverbolt sighs heavily as he looks at his bored and becoming disgruntle unit.

"Slingshot and the rest of you, it is possible for you to go and find others to visit with. We do have a reputation of being rather seperate from the rest of the Autobots. Part of that is due to our function is quite a bit different then the rest of the army but in times like these, we need to break our solitude mentality and socialize. Sometimes we need to understand who we are giving air support to and what they are capable of so we can function better as a whole army instead of just our unit. While you four are out trying to be social, I'll check up with Commander Prowl to see if we've located the Decepticon ship and about the Ark-19."

Mess Hall

Warpath nodded his head in agreement with Hardhead, especially about Prowl. Just about every Autobot respected the strategist, but he was well known to rub a lot of 'bots the wrong way. Warpath himself had more than once wanted to throw a punch or two at Prowl when he didn't see optic-to-optic with orders based around "logical reasoning".

"Yeah, Prowl can be a real WHAM mecha-jerk sometimes, him and his ZOWEY logic and all. I remember this one bot I knew who KAPOW once called him 'Two-handed Shockwave' right to his face, ended up in the brig for several cycles."

Warpath looked at the table, now badly damaged from Hardhead's burst of anger. The warrior got in close and put his arm around the larger 'bot's shoulder all friendly-like.


"But I'm sure BAM he's got a good reason for keeping you here. With Prime missing, there's no telling when ZAP those Decepti-goons will attack us or the humans. And when they do BLAM, we're gonna need our biggest, strongest, and toughest 'bot to slag 'em into scraplets."

Warpath gave Hardhead a few more hardy pats on the back and gave a little chuckle.

"And he may just need the WHAM second biggest and strongest 'bot, who also happens to have the best cannon, the best shot, and the best looks, HA HA HA!"

Mess Hall

Skydive, Air Raid, Slingshot, and Fireflight were walking around at Silverbolt's suggestion in order to be more social. They find their way to the Mess Hall.

"With the number of mechs that were bounced, you would have thought there be more mechs around. I'm wondering if they aren't all on the bridge or out on this repair mission that Silverbolt mention."

"It is totally possible, Air Raid, that there are still several in the medbay being repaired with Ratchet and First Aid. We did take some serious damage with the most recent attacks."

"Yeah but they still have us, Skydive, and we could make a mess of the Cons in a hurry."

"I know what we can do, Slingshot, but we would also have little support at the moment."

"Look here, Skydive, we have two good ground support mechs here in the Mess Hall by the names of Warpath and Hardhead."

"I see that we do, Fireflight. So what are you two ground pounders doing here besides being bored out of your cranial units?"


Bridge

Silverbolt walks up and stands a few feet away from Prowl and Perceptor.

"Commander Prowl, my unit is as ready as they will be. Even after some time at the shooting range, they are still wanting to head down. I am wondering though of the Con ship that should be in orbit. Have we heard from Cybertron lately on any updates on their end?"

Tracer’s Room

Days had turned into weeks since the Autobot femme had even left her room. The mechs assigned to the Guardian had likely forgotten she was even amongst the crew. But she wasn’t hiding out, she wasn’t avoiding her duty and she wasn’t afraid to be part of an upcoming fight. None of that was an issue. The problem surfaced weeks ago when Tracer had finished a recharge and had that oh so familiar feeling that she could do anything. She began to write and continued to do so without stopping until now.

The scout placed the datapad down on the table with the unkempt pile to the right. Tracer looked around the room desperately for another empty pad, but she soon realized that she had filled her last one. Still feeling the effects of one of her manic episodes, Tracer decided to finally leave her room and venture to the bridge to speak with Hot Spot.

Bridge

The scientist turned sniper nodded at Prowl’s appreciation for his role in gaining the readings from the decimated Decpticon base.

“The need for information and intelligence is something I do not take lightly. If we are truly to win this war than we must gain the upper hand, and if we are forced to use the same meadn as the Decpticons then so be it.”

Perceptor took a step forward as he studied the view screen that displayed the scanned readings. With his optics focused on the information he kept his audios open so he could hear everything that Prowl had to say. After a few minutes of quiet observation Perceptor brought his hand up and began rubbing his chin in deep thought.

The reading had indeed showed significant signs of some sort of mutated energy signatures. Some time went by as Perceptor contemplated on how to address what he was looking at. Finally his hand dropped from his chin as he turned to look at Prowl.

“You are correct in that the readings are from an enhanced form of energon, almost mutated to be exact. It is, of course, unrefined and therefore extremely unstable, but weather that is a result of its natural growing process or the cause of the mutant enhancement, is unknown.”

Perceptor grew quiet once again as he looked back at the readings.

“I believe the energon is similar to the energon that was mined on Cybertron however; this terrene form had help during its growth period. In other words, Shockwave had his hand in this process. I will, of course, need samples to prove this theory. Prowl, I cannot stress how important it is that we acquire some as soon as possible so that I can determine if we can refine it into something usable.”

****

Tracer had made the trek from her room down to the Bridge in almost record time. She had been so wound up about finding something to do she hadn’t realized that she practically ran the entire way. She stopped short in front of the door and quickly entered her security code. When the doors finally slid open Tracer burst in and called out for Hot Spot.

“Hot Spot! Have you got anything for me? I’ve been so engrossed in finishing my writing I blew through that entire pile of datapads you gave me….uh, what was it, a few days ago? Anyhow, I thought I’d stop by to see what you have…..”

She stopped when she caught sight of Perceptor and Silverbolt talking with Prowl . Tracer shook her head and closed her slackened jaw before she spoke.

“Uhm, where did you come from, Prowl? I thought you were on Earth.”

Her question was rather timid and almost lost.

“Did I miss something?”

Bridge

Prowl listened as Perceptor confirmed his initial hypothesis regarding the source of the strange readings, adding that the energon in question appeared to be mutated either by design or by the natural exposure to Earth’s environment. Either way it seemed likely that Shockwave was responsible, but that theory still needed to be proven. Otherwise, it was simple conjecture at this point.

“Yes, ol’ one-eye is the probable culprit here, but like you said we must be certain,” Prowl agreed with the Autobot scientist before glancing back at the view screen again. “I, too, share your opinion that we must acquire a sample of this energon for further study. The problem is where to look. What the Decepticons had was obliterated along with their base. However, I’m sure there has to be additional veins of this mineral somewhere on the planet.”

The military strategist thought for a moment and considered what he already knew regarding Shockwave’s previous activities on Earth. “Let’s assume for a moment that Shockwave is responsible for this new energon. If that’s the case, then perhaps we might find a sample near the last place he was thousands of years ago when he and the Dinobots fell into stasis. I’m sure Grimlock and his crew interrupted his experiment when they confronted him. We know that both the Dinobots and Shockwave were recovered at the human installation known as Area 51, but I’m sure that’s not where they were initially discovered. Being that they were in the possession of the United States government, it is logical to assume that they were found on U.S. soil. That, at least, narrows down the search area for us.”

Prowl looked back at Perceptor before continuing. “I am placing you in charge of locating and extracting a sample of the new energon. I would start your scans first near Area 51 and then expand them outward from there. Use whatever resources that you require to get the job done as this should be considered a top priority.”

As the black and white mech finished speaking, he was approached once again by Silverbolt, who started by letting him know the readiness of the Aerialbots and then finishing with questions regarding the ‘Con ship and the Autobots still on Cybertron. “No, Silverbolt, I haven’t heard anything from Kup as of yet. I’m sure he will be on his way soon if he’s not already. As for the Ultrax, we’ve had no luck locating her so far, although I’m sure Hot Spot is working hard on it. As for going down to Earth, I have reconsidered your idea of patrolling over Lake Michigan. You may select two members of your team and send them down, but no more. We have limited resources and we can’t afford to expend any more energon than is absolutely necessary. Also, make sure they fly below human radar to avoid detection. Full infiltration protocols are in effect. As for yourself and the other pair of Aerialbots, you three will remain on board for the time being until you are needed. Understood, Silverbolt?”

Prowl then became distracted by the sudden appearance of Tracer, who apparently was unaware of recent events. He knew very little about this particular femmebot, except that she suffered from occasional bouts of some kind of depression. The analyst approached her, placing a steady hand on her shoulder. “Yes, I was on Earth, but the Ark was damaged so now I’m here with the rest of the infiltration unit.” Prowl then took a deep breath before continuing with the really bad news. “But, I’m afraid there’s more. During a recent battle with the Decepticons, Prime was lost in a massive explosion that leveled the ‘Con base. He and Megatron are presumed dead. I’m surprised you haven’t heard yet. I’m sorry you found out like this.”

Prowl kept his optics locked on Tracer, anticipating that she wouldn’t take the news very well. But, then an idea entered his logic center. Perhaps there was a way to help both Tracer cope with the loss of Prime and to also assist Perceptor in his work. Removing his hand from the femmebot’s shoulder, the strategist turned back to the scientist/sniper. “Perceptor, I want you to take Tracer with you. Her vehicle mode will enable you to conduct your scans more quickly over a wider area, and your microscope mode should be small enough to allow you to ride inside of her if need be. She can also help with anything else that you require."

Prowl then looked back at Tracer and smiled. “Go with Perceptor. You’ll be a great help to him and I always find that keeping busy helps to deal with things more than just loitering around a ship.”

Mess Hall

Hardhead chuckled at Warpath’s comments regarding Prowl. It was the first time he felt like laughing in a while and he appreciated his fellow tank-former’s attempts to cheer him up. “Ha! Two-handed Shockwave! That’s a good one! Wish I’d thought of that. I’d love to see him try and put me in the brig. That would not end well….for him anyway. Heh.”

The green warrior then relaxed a bit more as Warpath put an arm around his broad shoulders and patted him on the back, reassuring him that his strength and talents would be needed soon enough. “Yeah, yeah. I’m big and I’m tough. So what? I still want to search for Prime, slaggit!” Hardhead then paused as he caught the tail end of Warpath’s last sentence. “Hey, wait an astrosec! Did you just say you’re prettier than me, ‘Path?”

Before the crimson tank-former could answer, a quartet of Aerialbots entered the mess hall and made their way over to Hardhead and Warpath’s table. Skydive asked them what they were doing and the war veteran had no problem in telling them. “Being bored and ticked off is all I'm doing right now. That and I have indigestion from the disgusting energon I just drank.” Hardhead then glanced over at his buddy next to him. “Plus, I’m apparently not as good looking as some.”

Bridge

Perceptor crossed his left arm over his chestplate and rubbed his chin with his right hand in thought. The assumption that Shockwave and the Dinobots had been moved from another location by the humans when they were unearthed was very plausible. The scientist/sniper moved to one of the terminals and sat down. His servos glided over the keyboard as he began to search for the best location to begin his search.

While Perceptor worked Prowl addressed Silverbolt and when he was done he turned his attention to Tracer who had just entered the Bridge. The scout had been so engrossed with her own endeavors that she missed most of the Guardian’s missions.

Tracer was taken aback at the sudden physical contact from the military strategist; it wasn’t unwelcomed simply surprising. She locked optics with Prowl as he explained what had happened that caused the rest of the Earth team and him to bounce up to the Guardian. Tracer nodded at his explanation but quickly retuned her gaze to his optics when he told her about Optimus Prime’s and Megatron’s demise in the explosion at the Decepticon base.

Tracer’s optics traveled from Prowl’s form and settled on the floor. She remained silent as she processed everything that was told to her. Her focus was drawn from the floor when Razr stepped in just below her. The gold and chrome turbofox sat down at her feet and looked up. Tracer smiled down at him and then looked back up to Prowl.

Perceptor turned in his chair when he heard the strategist call to him. The scientist/sniper nodded in acceptance at the assigned help and quickly turned back to his terminal.
When Prowl turned his attention back on Tracer the femmebot smiled, but it quickly faded when his comment registered.

“With all due respect, Prowl, I have been keeping busy, and it never helps. I also don’t appreciate you pussyfooting. I may not be ‘normal’ by your standards, but I am capable of handling devastating news.”

Tracer moved past Prowl and headed toward Perceptor. She stopped and looked over her shoulder at the black and white.

“You know, I wish I had the opportunity to meet him just one time. Knowing that it’ll never happen is what hurts the most.”

She let out a sigh and moved to stand next to Perceptor. Razr simply sat and watched the entire exchange. When Tracer moved away from Prowl Razr looked up at the strategist and cocked his head to one side; he then stood and followed the femme to the scientist turned sniper.

Med Bay

Bumblebee had done most of the talking when he and Hex moved to the far side of the Med Bay to speak in private. The minibot hadn’t been in the interrogator’s chamber as long as Hex had, but the amount of time Bumblebee did spend there was more than enough. Still, he wanted to know what had happened to the young mech while he was in the Decepticons’ hands.

“I’m sorry. I’ve been doing all the talking. I’m kindda curious to know what happened to you; if that’s okay of course.”

Hex looked at the smaller mech for a moment before he lowered his gaze to his folded hands between his knees. It took a few minutes before Hex finally spoke, and when he did his voice was low and somber.

“I was on a recon mission with a few other ‘Bots when we were ambushed. None of us saw it coming and never knew what hit us. We all came back online in a cell. It was really dark, not much light at all, just the illumination from our optics. I remember there was a smell. It was horrible; like rancid oil and stale energon. It was so bad I purged more than once. After a few minutes of getting our bearings we tried to figure out how we could escape.”

Hex finally looked up at Bumblebee and continued on.

“I was the first one to hear it. After I finally got everyone else to quiet down they heard it too. That audio shattering, pain ridden scream. The pleading for whatever was happening to stop. Those sounds nearly made my fuel run cold.”

Bumblebee listened intently to every detail of Hex’s rendition. The minibot shuddered as he too remembered his own ordeal.

“It had taken a few days before that interrogator finally came. He took the senior member of our team, but instead of keeping the door to the cell room closed he left it wide open. We all had to watch while he tortured and then killed our senior officer. Once he was done he tossed the deactivated and partially dismembered body back into the cell with the rest of us. One by one the same thing happened to the rest until I was the last one left.”

Hex stood up and walked to the large window behind him and stared out while he pressed on.

“I was able to escape because I used some of my teammates’ body parts to put together a signature cloak. Once I shorted out the cell’s lock I used that device to mask my signature. I was able to make it out of the Decepticons’ territory when the cloak finally lost power. I activated my homing beacon right before I felt this white hot pain shoot up my back. After that I collapsed on the ground and looked up to see that same interrogator standing above me with an energo dagger dripping with a mix of energon and fuel. The last thing I remember before I woke up in the Med Bay was him laughing. I’ll never forget that laugh.”

Bumblebee had stood up and moved in next to the young mech during his retelling. Hex looked down at him and let out a heavy sigh.

“I was told that my spinal structure had been severed in half and I had lost all function to my entire lower body. Most of me was torn to shreds including my face. I was in the Med Bay for two vorns. Most of that time I was in and out of the CR Chambers because the staff had to conserve energy plus they needed all the CR Chambers for wounded soldiers.”

Bumblebee nodded in understanding before he made his way back to his chair. Hex followed suit.

“You know, I think you and I are the only two to every escape that nutjob.”

Hex let out a chuckle while Bumblebee smirked in satisfaction.

Mess Hall

"Ha ha, there's no shame in WHAM being second, Hardhead.", Warpath hardily laughed, "Maybe if you got yourself a real 'bots weapon-"

The crimson warrior stood up and proudly showed off his cannon to the green mech and the Aerialbots nearby.

"-You might BAM pull off that look better, ha ha."

Warpath then looked over at the Aerialbots who had gathered. It seemed a little odd that they were looking for his and Hardhead's company. Normally the warrior had noticed the group keeping to themselves, to the point where the warrior sometimes thought they were looking down at all the other 'bots who were "stuck to the ground".

Silverbolt isn't with them, did he order them here? Aw well, there's no need to be a stranger.

"Come on and BOOM have a seat, there's always room for high-flying friends." Warpath said, motioning the Aerialbots to some surrounding chairs, "You can have a drink, but BANG you're taste receptors will hate it."

-------------------------

Bridge

As Groove waited for Hot Spot's reply, he became somewhat distracted by the newest arrivals on the bridge, particularly Tracer and her pet.

Is that a turbofox? I never knew they could be domesticated. I can't say I blame him for being so far away from his natural habitat- there must not be a home for him on whatever's left of Cybertron. He's very lucky. Despite being an innocent victim of a seemingly endless conflict he knows nothing about, he's managed to find some level of comfort and protection from Tracer there.

As Groove considered going over to try to pet the creature, his thoughts went back to his commander, who still hadn't said anything. The scout looked over the monitors and scanners- Hot Spot was trying to locate a ship of some kind. Though Groove knew the Protectobot commander knew how to operate the controls, it had more often been Groove or Streetwise who worked the navigation station, and he had learned a few tricks from experience.

"Have you tried bouncing a signal off some of the human's derelict satellites?" the scout inquired Hot Spot, "That would allow you to scan around the planet without having to move the ship out of orbit it's current orbit."

Bridge

"Thank you, Commander Prowl. I'll be sending Skydive and Fireflight down shortly."

Silverbolt once again walked off the bridge and back down toward his troops.

Mess Hall

Skydive takes the chair that was offered to the Aerialbots signaling the rest to do likewise.

"Thanks for the chair and warning, Warpath. Hopefully some cycle soon someone will figure out a way to make better synthetic energon or a large secured supply of the real stuff."

"Not to bash any hopes of yours, Warpath, but the only pretty mechs that I know about are Elita-1 and her group of fembots. Sunstreaker would argue that but that mech always had an issue of his paint job being just right. I think he spends more time polishing himself instead of shooting at Cons."

Air Raid looks over at Slingshot funny. Usually he is so full of himself that it is rare to give praise to anyone else or notice others who are really full of themselves. At that time, Silverbolt walks in.

"Skydive and Fireflight, report to the bounce chamber. Commander Prowl has given permission to send only two of you down there. Before anyone argues, I know that we aren't used to being split up but Prowl still wants us to be dispatched against any Seekers who are acting up. When such an occurence happens, I'll let you two know so you can join us if you are free to do so."

Silverbolt then notices the other two Autobots that the Aerialbots were talking to.

"Nice to see you Warpath and Hardhead. By the looks of your faces, I'm guessing you don't like being stuck on this ship any more then us Aerialbots."

Mess Hall

Air Raid really wanted to be at that mission, but he understood Silverbot.
Air Raid watched as Firefight and Skydive left.

''Do you think we should sit with those Mechs, Slingshot?'' said Air Raid.

Bridge

Prowl’s optics flickered slightly as Tracer reacted negatively to his suggestion. The femmebot apparently didn’t want to be coddled like a protoform just because she was a bit different from the rest. Her response was abrasive and direct, but still maintained a certain degree of respect for her superior officer. “Duly noted,” the strategist replied calmly as Tracer moved past him. She stopped briefly and looked back to address the black and white mech once more, mentioning how she wished she had the chance to meet Prime, but now it was too late. The logic-driven ‘Bot simply nodded and was about to return to the command chair when he noticed something near his feet.

Prowl glanced down and was surprised to see a turbofox sitting on the floor, looking up at him. The small metal creature cocked its head to one side before heading off after the femmebot. The strategist shook his head in disbelief as he walked back to the command chair and sat down. Great, that’s all I need, a pet getting under my feet while I’m trying to work.

Prowl sighed as he turned his attention to the Protectobot Commander, who was apparently getting some advice from his subordinate, Groove. “Hot Spot, status report. Any luck finding the Decepticon vessel?” The black and white mech knew that it would be a long shot finding the ship in question as the ‘Cons were very capable of hiding their signal from detection. Still, it was worth a shot in the off chance the enemy had let their guard down in the aftermath of recent events.

Mess Hall

“A real weapon?” Hardhead questioned as he stood up from his seat, his imposing form clearly evident. “My 120mm laser-guided cannon is a real weapon, Warpath.” The green mech brought his back-mounted artillery piece up over one shoulder to show it off to the red tank-former. “I can fire all kinds of explosive and incendiary shells out of this thing. Not to mention I’ve also got these babies.” The war veteran pulled out his two shatterblasters and held them up in plain sight. “These fraggers will tear a hole through a steel wall with ease. It takes a lot of armored plating to stop my diamond-hard shards from penetrating through to a ‘Con’s spark core that's for sure.”

Hardhead then placed his weapons away and shot a friendly grin over at Warpath, as the tank-former invited the Aerialbots to join them. The green warrior sat back down and listened as some of the Autobot fliers made small talk, mostly towards Warpath. Soon, Silverbolt entered the room and ordered Skydive and Fireflight to the bounce chamber. They were being sent down to Earth on a mission. The Aerialbot leader then regarded both ground mechs with a friendly greeting, but Hardhead wasn’t interested in greetings.

“So, Prowl’s letting two of your guys go down on some mission, but it’s too dangerous for me to remain planet bound?” The war veteran asked Silverbolt, as his circuits began to heat up. It was a rhetorical question that didn’t really need answering. It was simply a way for Hardhead to express his disgust at the situation he found himself in. Maintaining control, the green mech let out a heavy sigh that was filled with a lot of pent up aggression. He had every right mind to head back up to the command deck and have it out with Prowl, this time not backing down. Of course, that would only serve to get him thrown into the brig where he’d be even more cooped up in a much more confined space.

Looking over at Warpath again, Hardhead thought of a way to keep himself occupied and out of trouble. “Hey, does this place have a training facility, ‘Path? I need to blow off some steam and the only way to help me do that is to obliterate some holo-cons.” The green warrior leaned in closer to the red tank-former, a smile returning to his face plate. “Maybe we could find out who really has the better cannon, huh? See how much destruction each of our weapons can actually do. What da ya say, buddy?”

Bridge

Hot Spot got a bit lost with everything that was going on around him all of a sudden. Groove was asking him a question, Prowl and Perceptor were discussing the odd energy readings and then Tracer came in. Before he could update her on what was going on Prowl went ahead and did it. He winced a bit at how he did it, a bad mix of bluntness combined with a little too much sympathy. He had a feeling that it wouldn’t go over really well, and it didn’t, but the moment passed.

He brought his attention back to Groove. He nodded and smiled behind his mouthplate at the other Protectobot. “I’m trying to find the Decepticon ship that’s out there, somewhere. I’d appreciate any help you could give me Groove. That satellite idea sounds like a good start.”

When Prowl asked for a report the Protectobot leader turned in his seat to address him. “It appears that they have shifted orbit a few times now sir. I’m guessing that with leadership on board other then Motormaster that they are taking better care to hide themselves. I’m not sure if we will be able to track them at all. Maybe if we can detect some orbital bounces we might get lucky, but I wouldn’t count on it.”

Mess Hall

Warpath gave a hardy laugh as Hardhead described his weapons. Truth be told, the warrior started to think that maybe the green mech's weapons were better than his. But he would never say it out loud.

"You wanna BLAM put those little peashooter against the best gun this side of Cybertron? Slag, you're on! I think there might be a shooting range on this ship, let me think...."

Warpath tried to remember- though he didn't want to admit it, he may have had one too many drinks of that disgusting energon substitute, and it might have affected his memory banks for a breem or two. He looked to the Aerialbots, now joined by their commander Silverbot.

"WHAM, BAM, good to see ya, pal. You wouldn't happen to know where the training room is on this ship, do ya?"

Warpath then looked over to Slingshot and Air Raid, who seemed a little timid.

"Why don't you guys BANG join us? You can judge which 'bot's got the best guns."

----------------------------

Bridge

Groove winced for a moment upon hearing from his commander that they were looking for a Decepticon ship- probably the Ultrax, which sent a shiver down his circuits. Though he didn't like the prospects of finding an enemy ship, the scout had already offered his help and he wasn't about to back out on his commander.

"I'll do the best I can, Hot Spot." Groove replied.

The scout took a seat at a console next to the Protectobot commander and he started looking for an appropriate artificial satellite to use. Satellites that were no longer in use were ideal since the humans wouldn't notice any interference caused by their scanning signal, plus their being in a graveyard orbit put them in a better angle to bounce the signal to the other side of the planet. Fortunately the humans had left plenty for Groove to choose from.

"This one should work, Hot Spot," the scout reported to his commander as human-made satellite was magnified on one of the monitors, it's location highlighted on another, "It looks like it was used for space observation, so it should work."

Mess Hall

Slingshot looked at Warpath and Bulkhead. He laughed to himself when they both thought they had the best weapon. Sure, they probably could blow a hole a big as their own heads but could they hit from two miles out?

"Yeah, we actually just came from there. Like you, us Aerialbots had to blow off or in this case shoot off our frustrations. Silverbolt here has been busy chatting with Prowl to actually enjoy any shooting. The challenge I propose to you two is I don't doubt you can blow up a hole as big as your head if not the size of old Screamer's ego but how accurate can you hit at a distance?"

Silverbolt wasn't surprised at the challenge that Slingshot put up against the two ground troops Autobots. The one thing that would be of major benefit is if the ship had big enough training exercise room for them to transform into alt modes and practice a bit of team work with each other.

"I think everyone wants to get back on the ground. I know there been some who wanted to go hunting for Prime but the ones who did came back damaged so Prowl had called off anymore of those missions. Ironhide took his initial group down to repair the Ark and only after a second asking on my part did Prowl agree to let two of my units down there. Until the Cons make an obvious move, we really can't do much plus we do have to conserve was fuel we have on this ship. From what I can tell of you two, you fully understand that with the artificial stuff we have here."

Bridge

When Tracer approached Perceptor the scientist spared a short glance at the scout before returning his attention to the terminal in front of him. Tracer remained silent but she did take a good look at what was already on the monitor.

“He’s trying, you know.”

Tracer was surprised when she heard Perceptor finally speak, but his vocalizations were kept low so that she was the only one who could heard him. The femme’s face contorted slightly as she looked down at the seated mech.

“What’re you talking about?”

Perceptor looked up at her but remained quiet. Instead of telling her what he meant he simply nodded in Prowl’s direction.

“Not only does he have to figure out what needs to be done now, but he also must fill the shoes of Optimus Prime. Neither will be an easy task. Besides those facts, Prowl is not an easy mech to even get along with.”

Tracer’s neutral expression melted but it was soon replaced by a frown.

“And this affects me how?”

Perceptor regarded her one last time before turning his attention back to the terminal.

“I only wished to inform you that you are not the only one on this ship that requires someone to understand them.”

The scout was about to give a retort when she closed her mouth and looked over her shoulder and peered at the black and white now seated in the command chair. Tracer let out a heavy sigh before looked back down at the scientist.

“I’ll be right back.”

Perceptor nodded as Tracer moved away from his side Razr close on her heels.

****

Tracer stepped up in front of the Command chair where Prowl was seated and offered her superior officer a crisp salute. Razr stood next to the scout, but he promptly sat when she saluted the mech in the large chair in front of them.

“Sir. I would like to apologize for my prior outburst. I understand that I’m not the only one affected by the current events. However, it’s very difficult for me to understand what others are feeling when I have not had the opportunity to experience what they have.”

Tracer let out a sigh before her shoulders slumped and she gave Prowl a melancholy expression.

“Look, Prowl, I just want to be able to feel what everyone else is feeling now that Optimus is…not with us. I need to know more about him. What he was like on and off the battle field. Reading about him is not the same as actually knowing him.”

Tracer crossed her arms loosely in front of her abdomen and looked away.

Mess Hall


Air Raid heard the two Mech's started to brag about their weapon. Air Raid was surprised when Warpath asked them to join and judge their weapons, Slingshot was the first to react while the other airealbot kept his mouth silenced.

Air Raid started to think about sitting with the two mech's he didn't have something else to do and he also thought that having a chat wouldn't hurt and it's better then staying still like statue.

Air Raid walked slowly towards the chair next Warpath, when he was close enough he pulled the chair and sat on it.

Bridge

“I was afraid of that,” Prowl responded to Hot Spot with a sound of disappointment in his voice. He knew the probability of finding the Ultrax would go down once a new leader had stepped forward. That was likely Starscream and while he wasn’t exactly leadership material in Prowl’s opinion, he did have other Decepticons around him to ensure the safety of their vessel. Specifically, Soundwave sprang to mind. “Keep on it for now, but if you determine it to be a lost cause then move on to whatever else needs to be done. I don’t want you wasting too much of your time on a wild mech chase.”

The military strategist then returned his gaze to the view screen in front of him where the strange energy readings were still ever present. He stared ahead for several astroseconds before his view was disrupted by the form of Tracer. She gave him a respectful salute before apologizing for her little outburst a short while ago. The femmebot went on to explain how she was having difficulty feeling what everyone else did due to the fact that she did not know Prime beyond what she had simply read about him and she wanted to know more.

Prowl sat back in the command chair with his actuators interlaced together, listening to every word Tracer spoke. He understood where she was coming from as he had experienced similar feelings in the past, himself. Once she finished speaking, the femme looked away as if she was ashamed and Prowl leaned forward once again to address her.

“Apology accepted,” the black and white mech began in a soft voice. “It’s hard to feel for someone you barely knew or did not know at all. I’ve lost ‘Bots under my watch whom I didn’t even know by name, only by faceplate. When I would receive word of their extinguished sparks, I wasn’t sure what to feel sometimes as I had no personal relationship to them. And when I did lose someone I knew well, I wasn’t sure if I was feeling sadness because I had lost a close friend or because I now had one less soldier to help fight this never ending war. That may seem harsh, but it’s true. My logic center is programmed to analyze any given situation on or off the battlefield in order for me to determine the best course of action. That’s what I do. Feelings and emotions have always been a difficult road for me to travel, but it’s one that I’ve tried not to neglect.”

Prowl stood from his chair and looked at Tracer hoping her optics would find his own. “I knew Optimus since before he was a Prime. He was a good, caring mech who would give his own spark to save his troops, which is exactly what happened. I didn’t always agree with his decisions, but he had my utmost respect and admiration. Now, I could tell you numerous stories about his bravery and courage, but that would really be no different than if you were just reading about him. To truly know him was to fight alongside him down in the trenches as he led us in both victories and even defeats. Now, I could provide you with some holovids of Prime in action to help you better understand the loss we all feel, but beyond that there’s not much more I can do, I’m afraid.”

The military strategist smiled in the hopes that his words had provided some help to Tracer. He wasn’t exactly a cranial health specialist, after all. Prowl just hoped he hadn’t inadvertently said something else that would trigger another outburst.

Mess Hall

Hardhead took issue with Warpath calling his weapons ‘peashooters’ even though he knew that the tank former was only joking around. "They're not peashooters, 'Path, they're called shatterblasters. That's a big difference! And don't forget I still have my back-mounted cannon!" The big green mech boomed, standing from his chair and placing a firm hand on the other ground trooper's shoulder as he tried to remember if there was a shooting range on board the Guardian. Unable to come up with a definitive answer, Warpath turned to the Aerialbots for help.

Slingshot’s response was exactly what Hardhead wanted to hear, but then Silverbolt chimed in with his own comments regarding Prowl and the decision to send two of the Aerialbots down planet side. The mention of the attempt to find Optimus got the war veteran a bit more agitated as he felt the need to clarify a few things. “Yeah, I was one of the two mechs that went looking for Prime. Perceptor was the other and only he got hurt. I was fine, and I could’ve kept going if I hadn’t been overruled by an analytical prick.”

Hardhead took a deep breath to bring his seething circuits back down to cooler levels. “As for your challenge, Slingshot, I’m game. Now, let’s get down to the shooting range. The sooner I can blow slag up the better.”

Mess Hall

Air Raid couldn't stay quite, and he could not resist a chance to test his weapons.

''Well i always have time to blow up stuff, so i'm coming with you to the shooting range, i will watch you two heat up the place, and then have i could have some training. Who said shooting your weapons ammo until it's empty is not fun?''

Air Raid stood from his chair. "now who knows how we will get there?'' asked air raid

Bridge

The kona blue femme kept her optics averted as Prowl spoke. It made perfect sense, but Tracer now felt slightly awkward that she had even approached the back and white, especially now with so much happening. The femme heard him rise from the command chair, but she still had no desire to raise her head and look him in the optics.

When Prowl mentioned he could provide her with some holovids of Optimus in action she simply nodded. After a few moments she spared him a slight glance and spoke in a low tone.

“Thank you. I would really appreciate looking at those holovids, but I can’t, not right now.”

Tracer finally raised her head and looked up and into Prowl’s optics. She quickly turned away and finished where she left off.

“I…I’d better help Perceptor.”

Without another word Tracer made her way to Perceptor’s side and began looking over what the scientist had up on his monitor.

****

Still stationed near the command chair beside Prowl, Razr watched intently as Tracer spoke to the black and white mech. The turbofox’s ears twitched when he noticed her whole demeanor change. He had been with her long enough to notice the signs that she was experiencing one of her lows. Razr took a quick look up at Prowl and back at Tracer.

With his friend seemingly slipping into depression, Razr looked back up to the Prowl and placed his paw on the mech’s foot in order to get his attention. In order to exert his anxiety he let out a low yip and quickly looked back at Tracer, and, once again, back up at Prowl.

****

“Have you located the possible area where we can find that energy source?”

Perceptor didn’t answer right away; instead he brought up map of Area 51 and its surrounding area. The scientist typed in a few commands and the Nevada Test Site came into view on the screen, but it did not stop there. Seconds later the view focused in on a mountain approximately 44 miles southwest of the dry lake bed on Area 51’s site.

Perceptor looked over his shoulder and pointed at the mountain as he spoke to the scout.

“This is the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository. The humans began studying the mountain in the year 1978 to determine if it would be suitable for the nation’s first geological repository. Once that determination was made the humans set a date to finally store their nuclear waste, but it never happened. I find that strange, however this species has a tendency to blame their Government on issues of this magnitude. My theory is that while the mountain was being surveyed the Dinobots and Shockwave were discovered. They were then moved to Area 51 for further study. And since the mountain is derived of welded tuff and semi-welded tuff, the site provides a natural barrier to the radiation, hence our inability to actually locate the Dinobots with our scanners when we first arrived on this planet.”

Perceptor turned around in his chair to look at Tracer.

“I believe the source of that strange energy reading is within Yucca Mountain. The readings are intense meaning the source has a much higher concentration of radiation that the geological material in unable to block.”

The scientist stood from his chair and placed a hand on Tracer’s shoulder.

“I need to pick up some equipment from the lab. I would like to you to study this location and then meet me in the Bounce Chamber.”

Tracer nodded in response and sat down in the chair Perceptor had just vacated. As he walked out of the bridge Tracer looked over her shoulder and watched him leave. With a heavy sigh the scout turned back to the monitor and began studying the maps.

Annex had felt completely lost with all that was going on him. He was not the kind of Autobot who was used to being confined inside the hull of a ship for long periods of time, worst of all he was not very familair with the mechs he was here with. Sure most of them were legends in their own right, but he was just an unknown ranger. He was often alone relying on no one else but himself, and since most of these guys clearly knew each other well he felt oddly out of place. Normally he relished to be back in the company of others given how much time he spent a lone he always embraced getting social again. Yet with everything going on around here he just felt lost. He drifted from the bounce chamber to the armoury where he checked his weapons, though he felt he was overstaying after the third time he checked his carbine. Eventually he packed up and left.

He meandered about the corridors as other bots rushed past him to tend to other tasks. Eventually he found himself in the mess hall, where the many other of the others had gathered. They seemed to be embroiled in their own discussions, they were just background noise to him as he found a seat in the back. He leaned his seat against the back of the wall and raised his foot and placed it against the edge of the table. He listened for a time. Most were upset about Prime, he did not blame them, he felt much the same way. Annex had never served with Prime until arriving at Earth and his first mission here saw the valiant leader go missing, or worse perish. Annex figured he was still trying to come to grips with what was happening that he was silent.

After sitting the back for a few breems Annex got up from his seat and once more began to wander the halls. He was unusually restless and he wanted to get out and hit some open terrain. Maybe the ranger in him was working up his restlessness, he wanted to get out there and do something useful. Recce a Con position, explore a forest, something, anything that would make himself feel useful. When he finally looked up from his thoughts Annex found himself in the bounce chamber. Maybe he just navigated himself here without thinking because he was just so desperate to get out. Whatever the reason he sighed and leaned his back against the wall of the chamber and slumped down to the ground.

Maybe he would just sit here for a while, maybe he would start feeling a bit centered.

Mess Hall

"HA HA HA, BAM there isn't an Autobot here who can out-shoot me!" Warpath gloated as he gave Air Raid and Slingshot a light jab to the arm, "But if you two ZOOM fly guys wanna challenge the best sharpshooter to ever roll, you're on!"

By this point Warpath couldn't wait anymore, so he headed to the mess hall door. The door slid open and the tank-former took a step out, looking back at the others.

"WHAM Hardhead, ZAP Aerialbots, it's time to put your energon chips where your vocalizer is."

Mess Hall

Slingshot gave a chuckle as he followed and went past Warpath down the hallway. Silverbolt followed shaking his head knowing that his troops just got out of the shooting range. At least this time they were shooting with other Autobots instead of themselves.

"Here is a thought, Warpath, with your big shots, can you actually hit a pinpoint shot and nothing else? I can hit anything from two miles out. My commander Silverbolt here uses me for those really hard shots. If you want crazy stunst without thinking, Air Raid here can do those."

As the group walked down the hallway, Silverbolt let Slingshot keep the lead knowing that he is very anxious to show off his skills. Oddly enough, Slingshot is a blow hard in almost all aspects but this area is a legitimate area that he can brag and back it up.

Bridge

Groove spent almost a breem of recalibrating the scanner beam to bounce off the human's satellite.

"I may not be as thorough as Streetwise, but I'm pretty sure I've done enough to make it work." the scout informed Hot Spot as he made a few last calculations, "The beam won't be able to scan over the entire hemisphere, but it will show us more than we can see now. If it works and we find the Ultrax, they would be somewhere over Asia or eastern Europe."

Groove pushed one last button, activating the modified scanner. The whole idea of looking for the Stunticon's ship gave Groove mixed emotions. There was a good chance the Decepticons would be looking for a fight, especially after the destruction of their base on Earth and the possible loss of Megatron. But Groove held some hope that with the founder and driving force of the Decepticon cause gone, cooler heads would possibly prevail.

"I just hope that without Megatron, they are willing to listen to reason for once. Maybe some of their more intellectual, less aggressive members will see the error in their ways and give peace a chance." the scout said to his commander.

Mess Hall / Corridor

Hardhead followed Warpath to the door of the mess hall as he and the three Aerialbots entered into the corridor beyond. “Energon chips are for pansy bots, ‘Path. How about I put one of my explosive shells right in the center of a target before blowing it to pieces?” The green warrior chuckled loudly, trying to forget everything that had been bothering him recently. With Prime gone and Prowl being such a jerk, it was becoming very difficult to remain positive not to mention calm. It was best for the veteran soldier to blow off some steam. Otherwise, he’d end up wrecking something more than just a drone or target. Hopefully, the training room would be the perfect place for the big mech to unleash all of his pent up aggression.

Hardhead continued following behind the others as he listened to Slingshot boast to Warpath about his own skills as well as the abilities of both Silverbolt and Air Raid. The green ‘Bot was not impressed but remained silent as he knew his weapons and skills would speak volumes once they finally arrived at the training facility. “Hey, hot stuff!” A growingly impatient Hardhead yelled up to Slingshot, who had taken the lead. “How much further is it? I’d like to show you guys how it's done sometime this deca-cycle.”

Bridge

Tracer acknowledged Prowl’s offer with a nod, but still avoided optical contact with the interim commander except for a timid glance. She thanked him vocally but also noted that she did not have time at the moment to watch holovids. Then, for one brief astrosecond, Tracer’s optics met his own before she quickly looked away again like a shy, young protoform just out of the academy. The kona blue femme then simply excused herself and went to help Perceptor.

“No problem, Tracer,” Prowl responded as she walked away from him. “Perhaps another time.” The military strategist sighed and took a seat in the command chair again. Before he could lean back, the black and white mech felt something gently touching his foot followed by a small yipping sound. Prowl curiously leaned forward and looked down to find Razr sitting on the floor with its paw resting on his foot. The turbofox clearly was trying to get his attention for some unknown reason. The usually stoic mech managed to smile slightly as Tracer’s pet looked back and forth between its master and the logic-driven ‘Bot. It somewhat amused the analyst that this tiny critter seemed to like him when most others found him to be barely tolerable and couldn’t wait to get away from him.

Prowl considered simply ignoring the small creature so that he could do his work, but logic suggested that Razr would just continue whining and making noise until the strategist paid attention to it. Therefore, a different approach would be required in this slightly awkward situation. “What’s wrong, boy?” Prowl finally asked in a low, gentle tone as he reached down to actually pet the turbofox. “You hungry or something, fella?”