CHAPTER EIGHT
"I must admit, kid," Kup said to Crosshairs. "For an escape plan, this one wasn't half bad."
"Even though we're now cornered by Decepticons?"
"I didn't say it was perfect."
Crosshairs grimaced as he fired at a Vehicon trooper. At first, the plan had been going smoothly: the captured Mini-Cons had used their weapon forms to blast open their cage and free the Wreckers from their restraints. Then, once Kup and the others were back online, they made their way out of the lab, carrying Recoil and the rest as weapons, and set off to find Mindset.
Then they ran into a bunch of Decepticons down a corridor. Figures.
Carrying the Mini-Con Haywire in gun form, Scattorshot shot down two more Vehicons before switching to his arm-mounted cannon barrel to dispatch a trooper of the Eradicon model. Just as he was about to fire at another Vehicon, his face fell as he saw an unmistakable figure approaching them.
"Aw, frag," he muttered. "It's Lugnut and his ilk again."
"Good thing we've got extra firepower then," said Flareup, carrying Firebolt's gun form in one hand and her crossbow in the other. "Let's see that Decepti-fem try to out-sharpshoot me now."
"Now don't get all happy-go-lucky on me, kid," Kup snapped. "We ain't out of the woods yet."
The firefight went on for nearly a half-hour, with neither side getting any closer to gunning down the other. It soon became clear that neither side was willing to relent, and the Wreckers' Mini-Con companions were running low on ammo.
"Well, that does it," Brainstorm said as he released Spoilsport from his grasp. He then reached behind his back and brought out a round object. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to use this- and it probably won't work anyway- but it's all we've got."
"What is that?" Seaspray asked.
"A prototype bomb," Brainstorm replied. "This is gonna be the first time I've ever tested it, so if I were you guys, I'd stand back and expect the worse."
He then reeled his arm back and threw the bomb.
* * *
"Get down!" Treadshot cried.
The Decepticons dived for cover as a round, gold bomb flew threw the air and landed right in front of them. They all braced for the explosion... and nothing happened. The panicked Decepticons looked at the object bemusedly before all bursting out in laughter.
"Oh, that's just rich," Oil Slick said. "They throw us a bomb as a last resort and don't even press it to set it off!"
"I'll say," Treadshot said, picking up the dud bomb. "What say we give them a taste of their own medicine?"
However, as he pressed the bomb, Treadshot suddenly felt... strange. The whole world seemed to warp around him, becoming surreal. He looked and saw that the others appeared to be just as confused as he was.
"Does any one else here feel... weird?"
"Yeah," Dropshot murmured. "Kind of."
"Me too," Oil Slick said. "Its almost as if this- all of this- is some sort of... I dunno, play?"
Nightracer nodded. "Like our every action is being dictated by someone else, even the very words we speak. It's like we're all characters in a story."
"Yeah, exactly," Treadshot said. "And it's an ongoing story, which ours is in the middle of and won't have much impact on events to come."
"It's a sign," Lugnut murmured. "Lord Megatron is beckoning us to return to him, to abandon Thunderwing and his insane machinations."
"That... surprisingly makes sense," Oil Slick said. "All in favor of ditching our general?"
The others said aye in unison, Lugnut being the most enthusiastic.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Dropshot asked. "Let's get off this rock."
* * *
"Well, that was... awkward," Flareup said as she and the others watched the Decepticons leave the battle.
Kup turned to Brainstorm and raised a skeptical eyebrow. "What kind of bomb was that, anyway?"
"A meta-bomb," the inventor replied. "It makes the victim think they're in someone else's narrative and thus lose the will to fight. I'm surprised it worked as well as it did."
"Then we'd better get a move on before it wears off," Seaspray said. "Where could Mindset be anyway?"
"Most likely in the prison complex," Kup said. "This wouldn't be a Decepticon base if it didn't have one. Let's go."
* * *
"Mayhem Attack Squad has fled, sir."
Those had been the hapless Vehicon's last words before Thunderwing swiftly executed him for delivering the bad news. His talon fingers bloodied with energon, the general snarled as he turned to one of the command center's security cameras. The seven Wreckers were well on their way towards the prison complex, leaving trails of scrapped Decepticons in their wake.
Thunderwing clenched his fists. This endeavor was quickly calling for drastic measures.
"Kickback! Shrapnel! Bombshell!"
The three Insecticons came at once, descending from the ceiling while chattering in their unique language.
"Our Autobot guests are making their way towards the prison complex," Thunderwing informed them. "All of the Mayhem Attack Squad, save for Bombshock, have fled from Styx, leaving it you to handle them."
The tall and lanky Kickback chuckled. "Who needed those guzzlers anyway? The Insecticons will get the job done."
Thunderwing smirked. "That remains to be seen. Go."
Once the Insecticons had left, Thunderwing turned and opened a comlink channel to Rossum and Scalpel, who had taken Bombshock to the secondary lab.
"Report."
"Ze subject iz almost ready!" Scalpel replied. "Ze drones are vunctioning properly."
The general smiled. "In that case, be ready to unleash him when I give the signal."
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