CHAPTER TWELVE
"Are you serious?"
"As I'll ever be," Kup grunted as he spat out a loose screw from his mouth.
Impactor's expression was as hard as a rock. "You're sure?"
"Kid, we've scoured every inch of the base- Roadbuster even tore out a wall- and there's no sign of Mindset at all."
The Wrecker leader snarled and kicked up a cloud of dust. "Slag! All of this for nothing."
"Eh, I wouldn't call it a total loss," Kup said. "With Rossum, Scalpel, and Bombshock captured, we can grill 'em about whatever it was Thunderwing was doing here... and maybe find out where Mindset is."
Impactor grunted. "And if they don't talk?"
Kup smirked. "Leave it to me, kid. I'll get somethin' out of 'em."
"You know I hate it when you call me that," Impactor snapped. "I outrank you here."
"On the battlefield, maybe," Kup muttered as he headed back for the Xantium. "Experience wise, you've still got a ways to go."
* * *
"So, who here's staying with the Wreckers?"
Seated in the Xantium's lobby room with the other five recruits, Flareup immediately said, "I'm not. I mean, blowing stuff up may be my thing, but I don't think I'm cut out for the Wreckers."
"Me neither," Crosshairs said. "When I got the call, I envisioned myself parachuting down with guns ablaze. Now I can just see myself getting shot down in five seconds."
"You're saying that as if someone died," Scattorshot said. "Which, as far as I know, no one did. As for me, I'm staying."
"So am I," Bulkhead said. "I think I've finally found a job where breaking stuff is pretty much required."
"Good for you," Brainstorm said dryly. "I'm going back to Kimia. I miss my briefcase."
All eyes now turned to Seaspray, who had been silent ever since the battle ended. The white and blue Autobot sighed.
"My mind's telling me that I don't belong here, that I'm not cut out for this line of work like Flareup. But my spark's telling me something else... that I do belong here."
"Why is that?" Crosshairs asked.
Seaspray shrugged. "Beats me. I guess it's kind of like why Bulkhead's staying: because I feel like I wouldn't be accepted anywhere else. Even the Hydrobots wouldn't accept my application."
"So you're staying then?" Flareup asked.
"I guess so, at least for the time being." He then smiled through his eyes. "And who knows? Maybe the Wreckers will be given a water mission one day."
* * *
"So three of them have bailed out and the other three are staying." Kup sighed as he put away his datapad. "Not exactly my best record."
"At least they're still alive," Springer said as he walked with the veteran to the bridge. "That's gotta be a first."
Kup snorted. "Yeah? How long til they go down?"
Springer didn't answer. He was fully aware that it was a rare miracle that the Wreckers did not suffer any casualties today.
As the two of them stepped onto the bridge, they found Topspin, Twin Twist, and Scoop preparing the Xantium for take off while Impactor stood in the center, staring at three holographic visages.
"More recruits, Impactor?" Springer asked.
The Wrecker leader curtly nodded. "I heard about the news," he muttered. "Figured I might as well compensate for our 'losses.'"
Kup smirked. "Anybody I'd recognize?"
"You tell me," Impactor said as he stepped away to give the veteran a clear view of the screen. To his mild surprise, the three visages were actually four. The one on the farthest left he recognized as the Heliobot Rotorstorm, and the two in the middle he was not familiar with. It was the fourth one on the right that gave him pause.
"That's not... who I think it is, is it?" he asked.
Impactor quickly shook his head. "No, don't worry. Similar face but totally different body type. Rung says he suffers from a disease called primus apotheosis. Nothing fatal, though."
Kup grunted as he observed the potential recruits' names. Rotorstorm, Guzzle, Breacher, and Pyro.
Anything's fatal when it comes to us.
* * *
Having flown several miles away from the base, Thunderwing transformed from his jet mode and landed at the entrance of an underground passage. He went down it and eventually ended up in a small chamber, lit by primitive torches and occupied by a single figure.
Coming to a stop before the figure, Thunderwing growled, "The experiment failed."
'So I've noticed," came the reply. "Otherwise, you'd have an army of Terrorcons following you."
The general glared. "What now then? Do I go groveling back to Megatron and provide him with a pathetic cover story?"
The figure turned and Thunderwing could make out his blue and gray color scheme in the dim light.
"Do however you please. Just as long as you keep our operations here quiet."
Thunderwing smiled mirthlessly. "Of course, Mindset. I wouldn't have it any other way. And what will you do in the meantime?"
"I will bide my time and scheme while I wait," Mindset replied. "If your services are required again, I will summon you. For the time being, you are free to go."
With a mere huff, Thunderwing turned on his heel and strode out of the chamber, his work done. Not long after he had left, the torches were suddenly extinguished and Mindset felt a cold presence fill the air.
"He knows too much," a cool, quiet voice whispered into his ear. "Powered by Dark Energon, he may be able to stop us."
"He won't," Mindset curtly replied. "You know that as well as I do."
"Do I?" the voice hissed softly. "I am risking a lot in placing my trust in you."
Mindset mentally pushed back the fear creeping up inside of him. "I've been working for you for nearly fifteen years."
"And you've been with the Decepticons for just as long. How do I know you are not playing more than one side of the coin?"
"You tell me, since you are able to contact me like this."
A shrill laugh filled his audio receptors. He would have found this uncharacteristic of his benefactor, but since he knew very little about them, he shrugged the thought off.
"Oh, you are so funny!" Returning to its colder voice, the being said, "Return to work. We shall speak again."
And so it left, leaving Mindset once more in complete solitude.
TO BE CONTINUED
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