Transformers Regenerated: Lost Light V, Epilogue

EDITED 1/19/2021 Removed Over-Run from the final scene; since he hasn't turned up since and I don't plan on bringing him back.

EPILOGUE

--The Lost Light, Swerve's--

    "You look like you could use a drink."

    "Actually, Swerve, what I could use is a planet-sized jug of engex to make up for the day I just had," Skids said as he took a seat at the bar counter. "But I don't suppose you have one those."

    "'Fraid not." Swerve scowled. "What I do have is a fanboy clingier than an energy leech. I swear, that Clutch fellow is following me everywhere I go, either wanting some sort of impromptu interview or taking my picture with Sprocket's camera."

    "I would think you'd be flattered by that sort of thing."

    "I would! I totally would be if it wasn't so fraggin' creepy! I mean, he even knows what spark-type I am! That's something only I and doctors should know."

    "Ask Ultra Magnus to give him a restraining order then," Skids suggested. "Or have Red Alert install security cams in your hab suite, or something."

    "Believe me, I've tried," Swerve muttered. "But you tell me: when has anyone taken me seriously?"

    "Point taken," Skids admitted. After giving Swerve his order, he started looking around the bar, searching for familiar faces. Getaway was sitting nearby with Tailgate and Pipes, Whirl was in an arm-wrestling match with Brawn, and Windblade was speaking with Nightbeat. From the looks of it, it appeared everyone had recovered just fine from what had taken place at Garrus-16.

    Well, almost everyone. Ariel was still under Rung's care, as would Fortress Maximus once Ratchet and the medics had fixed him up. And then there was Nautica....

    As soon as Swerve returned with his drink, Skids got to his feet. "I'm sorry, but I have to go. There's someone I need to see."

    "Hey, no problem," Swerve said. "Your engex will still be here when you get back."

    Skids nodded his thanks before leaving the bar. As soon as he was gone, Swerve slid the drink over to Trailbreaker, passed out on Nightmare Fuel.

    "Like I'm letting good fuel go to waste."

*  *  *

    "Nautica?" Skids gently rapped his fist on the hab suite door. "It's me, Skids. Can I come in?"

    A few silent minutes ticked by. Then, the door slid open, revealing an impassive-looking Nautica, her optics no longer filled with the brightness they usually showed.

    "What do you want?" she asked coolly.

    "I wanted to talk to you -- about the data slug Viral gave you."

    Nautica said nothing at first. Then, she stepped aside and motioned him to enter. As Skids walked into the hab suite, he noticed it was completely devoid of any personal belongings save for two hologram projectors: one which showed her, Windblade, and Chromia, and the other which was switched off.

    Once Skids had found something to sit on, Nautica sighed as she picked up the data slug, which had been lying on a table. "It's my fault he's gone," she finally said quietly.

    "What do you mean?" Skids asked. "Who's gone?"

    "Brainstorm," she murmured. "When I found out he was a Decepticon, I practically ignored everything else he had told me -- about his intentions for trying to change the universe. I never once stopped to think about what mattered the most."

    "You're losing me here."

    Nautica turned to look at him. "Tell me: what's the one thing that we benefited from the war, from Megatron's rise to power? What's the one thing some 'bots like Riptide or Getaway owe to him?"

    Those two names jogged something in Skids' memory. "He was an M.T.O.?"

    Nautica nodded. "He was one of the first Made-To-Order soldiers, built on Optronix's command when he led a campaign against the Destructons a century before the war. Back then he was called Genitus; 'Brainstorm' was a nickname he earned for his intellect."

    "So... how does this change things exactly?"

    Nautica closed her eyes as she pinched the rim of her helmet. "If Megatron -- or Optronix, rather -- had never been built, then neither would Brainstorm. He was willing to erase himself from existence to preserve the life of the bot he loved -- and those of billions across the universe."

    "And now you feel lousy for being mad at him?"

    "Exactly." She crossed her arms and let out another sigh. "And now he's gone, because I made him feel unaccepted here."

    "How?" Skids asked. "I mean, the trial went in his favor and he was allowed to stay on board. And even knowing what would have become of Earth in the Megatron-less future, some of us were willing to give him the benefit of the doubt for wanting to save so many lives."

    Nautica looked away from him, a solemn look in her optics. "He wasn't looking for favor from you or anyone else... but from me."

    Skids tilted his head. "Did he say that in his message?"

    She nodded. "He... he said I was one of only two people who understood him, who thought the way he did -- well, maybe not exactly, but...."

    "He care for you, didn't he?"

    "That's what he said," she said quietly. "To be honest, I had never got the impression he did... but maybe that was deliberate. Maybe he was afraid of getting too attached in case he lost me like he did Quark."

    "And what about you? Do you feel the same way?"

    "I don't know," Nautica said, shaking her head. "I don't know what to think anymore. Who else is on board with a Decepticon symbol hidden under their armor plating or with a time machine on their hands. We never had these sort of things on Caminus."

    "You're from Caminus? I always thought you were from Cybertron."

    She shook her head again. "I was forged there and didn't leave until thirteen hundred years ago, when Windblade, Chromia, and I volunteered to join a visiting Thunderclash's crew."

    "Do you ever wish you had stayed behind?" Skids asked quietly. "That you had never went to Cybertron and met any of us?"

    "When you say it like that, it feels like you're trying to guilt me into saying 'no.'"

    "Hey, I won't give you any flak for it. Just be honest."

    Nautica was silent as she looked at the holo with her and the other two femmes. Then, in a voice as low as a whisper, she said, "No. Not at all."

--Talrus--

    Viral trudged through the rocky plains of Talrus, the rising moon beaming down on him. The servo motors in his legs were starting to slow down and grind; in a few minutes, he was going to give out and become completely immobile.

    He wish it hadn't have to come to this. He wish he had never come back online after being knocked out by that sonic scream. Maybe then he would no longer have to suffer this fate called life.

    But if Primus truly existed, then he had no love for his children. If something such as the Afterspark truly existed, then he was not wanted there. He was forever condemned to this living chaos.

    The sound of crunching pebbles brought Viral to a stop. The sound continued for a minute before a large shadow fell over him.

    "Hello again," a familiar voice hissed softly. "Fancy seeing you here at this time of night."

    "Overlord." Viral let out a sigh. "Just get it over with. I'm sick of playing this game."

    "Oh, but I'm not. For the stunt you pulled, you deserve a nice, prolonged death." The roar of a chainsaw filled Viral's audio sensors. "Which limb shall I start with, hm? How about the right arm -- that seems like a good choice."

    Viral saw the shadow of the chainsaw rise over his own, pointed directly at his right shoulder. Seeing his only chance, he dived in and took it.

    He stepped to the right.

*  *  *

    The sole remaining online Autobot on Talrus let out a huff as he dropped the offline Skyfall onto the ground. Rubbing his helmet crest, he looked up towards the moon-lit sky.

    The Lost Light was long gone. Gigatron and the other Decepticons had gone off to parts unknown. The only hope he had to get off-planet was the emergency signal he had been broadcasting for the past few hours, hoping that some wandering Autobot ship would get it.

    The sudden sight of a large, white and blue vessel appearing in the dark sky and heading towards his position was enough assurance for him.

    With a smile, Pharma picked up the two offline Autobots and headed for the landing point.

LEFT TO THEIR OWN DEVICES: CONCLUDED

Transformers Regenerated: Lost Light V, Chapter Nine

CHAPTER NINE

--Garrus-16--

    It was at times like these that Skids wish he had a backup plan -- or any sort of backup.

    True, he had taken on things bigger than these Decepticons, such as Tyrest's Legislators -- but those things had lacked brain modules. These bots, on the other hand, knew what they were doing and had everything coordinated.

    As Skids performed a backflip to avoid a charging Buffaloid, he was suddenly pouunded on in midair by a toad-like Amphiboid. As the frog Decepticon had him pinned down, a quilled porcupine-type bot came forward holding some sort of syringe. Before he could inject it into Skids, Ratchet lunged at the brown Decepticon and socked him in the face. Distracted by this, the Amphiboid loosened his hold on Skids, allowing the Autobot to push him away.

    Just as he got back to his feet, Skids saw a large, primate-like mech charging towards him, smashing the floor with his massive fists. Jumping to the side, Skids narrowly dodged the brute's swinging arm and launched a flurry of missiles as the Decepticon. Although they didn't bring him down, it was enough the stall the 'Con, buying Skids enough time to grab the porcupinebot's syringe-quill and hurl it at the brute.

    The results weren't quite what Skids had been expecting. While the quill succeeded in halting the Decepticon's assault, it did so by inexplicably rendering him into a simpering mess, making sounds and gestures usually found in very primitive species.

    Before Skids could marvel at this, a tentacle suddenly wrapped around him from behind and he soon found himself being hoisted up in the air. Looking to his left, he saw that Ratchet was similarly encoiled.

    While the octopus-like Decepticon had them ensnared, Overlord walked up to the two Autobots with a humorless smirk. "That was fun while it lasted. It's a shame you two lost so easily; it was just starting to get interesting."

    He then motioned to a nearby Skunkticon, who handed him a chainsaw. "Now then," he said as it roared to life, "I believe it is time we ended our little game. You two can sit back and relax while I kill your comrades. Then, we can draw energon sticks to decide which one of you dies next. Does that sound good to you?"

    "No."

    The response had not come from Skids or Ratchet, but rather from Ariel, who had been hiding in a corner throughout the entire conflict. The defiant look in her optics would have looked convincing were it not for her shaking body.

    Turning to face her, Overlord let out a mirthless chuckle. "Oh, now this is just precious. The little one thinks she can take on a dozen Decepticons, all twice her size. It's like a Mini-Con trying to pick a fight with a Titan."

    Ariel's optics narrowed as she clenched her trembling hands. "No hurt friends."

    "Oh, I'm going to hurt them all right. And you're going to have the honor of watching it all up close and personal."

    "I said...." Ariel opened her mouth and Skids could see a pinprick of blue light glowing withing, growing larger by the second. "No -- hurt -- friends!"

    She screamed the last word and that was the last Skids heard before a sonic scream assaulted his audio sensors and turned his vision white.

--The Lost Light--

    "Sweet motherboard of Primus, what is going on?!"

    Blaster had taken the words straight out of everyone's mouths as everyone on the bridge stared in astonishment at the light show going on down below. Mainframe zoomed in on the spectacle and they all watched as Garrus-16 was shredded apart by an invisible force.

    Noticing that Blaster had suddenly clamped his hands over his audio receptors, Ultra Magnus asked him, "What's wrong?"

    "I'm picking up this... massive frequency," Blaster said through gritted teeth. "I think it's some sort of... sonic bomb that's tearing that place apart."

    Ultra Magnus frowned as he looked back down at the prison facility. "Bring us down," he eventually said to Mainframe.

    "Are you sure?" the pilot asked. "I mean, if both Rodimus and Drift are gone, then--"

    "I said bring us down."

    The sharpness in Magnus' tone was enough to get Mainframe to obey as he piloted the ship towards Talrus' surface, prepared for whatever they would find.

--Garrus-16--

    Drift groaned as he came back to his senses. Static roared in his ears and his optics were taking their own sweet time to readjust from the blinding light they had just experienced. Once his motor systems had returned to him, he clumsily got back to his feet, at which point his vision finally cleared.

    What he saw next almost made him wish he had stayed asleep.

    The mech standing before him had to be at least the size of Ultra Magnus, maybe even bigger. Adorned in rusted yellow and teal armor plating, his scarred and pitted chassis indicated that he had seen his fair share of destruction, and no doubt had a number of casualties on his hand. The visible Decepticon insignia on his chest was Drift's final incentive to draw his sword.

    However, the massive Decepticon did not seem to even notice him, his gaze focused on the sky instead. With glowing red optics, the mech uttered a single word:

    "Shockwave."

    And with that, he was gone in a flash of light.

    Before Drift had time to process what had just happened, he heard Hound call his name. As he turned around, he realized that something was off; he didn't recall his feet being on the ground earlier. Than he looked back up.

    "What the spark just happened?" Drift exclaimed as he looked upon the wreckage which used to be Garrus-16. The facility had been all but torn apart, shredded to the point of non-recognition.

    "Believe me, I've been wondering the same thing," Hound said as he rushed up to Drift. "But that's besides the point; Rewind says he's spotted Rodimus and the others... they're with Overlord."

    "Overlord? You mean Caldoon-4 Overlord?"

    Hound nodded. "It looks like he's been knocked out, so if we hurry--"

    Drift did not need to hear anymore, already running as fast as he could for his fellow comrades.

*  *  *

    Skids could not believe he was alive. Of course, he had found himself feeling that way at more than one point in his life, but this time, what with the destroyed facility and unconscious Decepticons all around, he found it very much a miracle that he was still functioning.

    The next thing his mind went to was Ariel. Seeing the young femme laying amidst a pile of rubble, he rushed over to her and started inspecting her damaged body. To his relief, she was still alive, albeit barely. If he didn't get her to a medibay soon, he wasn't sure how much longer she would have.

    As he gently picked her up in his arms, he turned around to see Ratchet getting back up as well. Rodimus and others were also waking up, now free from their entrapments thanks to the blast Ariel had unleashed.

    "That... was a dream I never want to have again," Rodimus muttered.

    "Be grateful that it was just a dream," Skids said dryly. "I just lived through a nightmare -- it's a wonder I'm even still alive."

    "I'll say," Nautica murmured, looking at the wreckage surrounding them all. "What just happened?"

    "And here I was about to ask the same thing."

    Everyone turned to see Drift rushing up to them, followed closely by Hound, Chromedome, and others. "What could have caused this much damage and yet not any casualties?" Drift asked.

    "If I had to wager a guess: a sonic scream." Skids nodded at the unconscious Ariel in his arms. "I don't know the exact science of it, but my theory is that she unleashed a sound wave strong enough to tear down walls but not Cybertronians. But I'm no Perceptor or Brainstorm."

    "Speaking of which," Getaway said as he looked around. "Where is Brainstorm?"

    "Search me. I didn't see him when I woke up, and I didn't run into him at any point."

    "Wait, I see someone," Hound said, pointing at two figures stumbling towards them through the wreckage. "Neither of them look like Brainstorm though...."

    Without warning, Getaway suddenly got to his feet and charged towards the two newcomers, one of which Skids realized was Viral.

    "You slag-licking backstabber!" Getaway exclaimed as he reached Viral and delivered a punch into the Decepticon's visor. "Turning on us like that... I ought to turn you into a heaping pile of scrap!"

    "Oh, don't tell me you've never been used by your superiors," Viral said coldly. "But before you take out your frustration out on me, shouldn't you get your friend here some medical attention?"

    Getaway looked at the other mech with Viral, realizing that he was relying on the Decepticon for physical support. "Wait... Fortress Maximus? It's Fortress Maximus, right?"

    "Don't expect him to answer you; he's been tortured and traumatized to the point of muteness. He was only of any use when your scientist had a remote control on him."

    "Our scientist?" Rodimus repeated. "You mean Brainstorm? Have you seen him? Where is he?"

    "I saw him a minute ago, just before I came to you." With his free hand, Viral produced what appeared to be a data slug. "All he told me was to give this to someone named Nautica."

    "Me?" Nautica stepped forward and tentatively took the data slug from Viral. "Do... do you know why he wouldn't give it to me in person?"

    "No, and I honestly couldn't care less." Viral let go of Fortress Maximus and Rodimus and Drift rushed over to support him themselves. "I've done my part. Now, what is it going to be? Are you going to let me free, or are you going to make me a prisoner again?"

    Rodimus gave Viral a long and careful look. Finally, he said, "Magnus is probably going to lecture me for this, but I'm going to let you go. If you cross any lines, I'm sure there'll be other Autobots out there to deal with you."

    "And what about the other Decepticons?" Skids asked. "Are we just going to let them go free?"

    "Same case scenario; it's not our job to serve as Decepticon wranglers. We have a quest on our hands, after all. We'll just send Cybertron a message and ask them to deal with it."

    Windblade frowned at this. "You're taking a big risk, leaving 'Cons like Overlord and Gigatron at large."

    "We'd be taking an even greater risk keeping them on board," Rodimus replied. "Come on; let's get back to the Rodpod -- provided it hasn't been destroyed."

    "Wait," Skids said. "Earlier I ran into three other Autobots: Kick-Off, Skyfall, and Over-Run. We should find them and take them with us."

    "Kick-Off is most likely dead," Viral said quietly. "I... saw him take a blade to the abdomen. The sonic blast might very well have taken him offline."

    "And the other two?"

    "I wouldn't keep my hopes up. If they haven't rejoined us by now, then odds are they both met their fates."

    "Then we're probably wasting our time staying here any longer," Ratchet said. "Let's get going."

    "Right." Turning back to Viral, Rodimus gave the Decepticon a parting nod. "Thank you for your help."

    "I do not need your thanks," Viral said sharply. "But... I accept it, nonetheless."

    "Enjoy it while you can," Getaway said darkly. "'Cos you're not gonna get any from me."

    Viral tilted his head at him. "I'd watch where you step, Autobot. You never know what will kill you."

    "All right, enough with the banter," Rodimus said, already headed for the Rodpod with Drift and Fortress Maximus. "It's by time we got off this rock."

Transformers Regenerated: Lost Light V, Chapter Eight

EDITED 6/13/2018 Reworked some of Viral's speech to patch a continuity conflict with the previous part.

CHAPTER EIGHT

--Garrus-16, outside--

    "I don't mean to freak anyone out," Hound said as he and the others stood atop the prison facility. "But according to this scanner, we're standing directly over the source of the energy reading."

    "I've found a hatch nearby," Rewind said. "So whenever you guys are--"

    "Hold it," Trailbreaker said, getting down and pressing audio sensor against the roof. "I hear noises. Bad noises."

    "Please be more specific," Drift said exasperatedly. 

    "I hear a voice -- a big, deep, growling voice -- and it's saying something over and over."

    "Can you just tell us already?" Riptide snapped. "I hate it when people act all vague and cryptic."

    "I'm sorry, it's too muffled. Can't make it out." Trailbreaker got back to his feet and looked at Drift. "What do you think? Do we take the risk or just go in the other way?"

    "You do realize that with each second we waste here, the more likely it is that Rodimus and the others are dead by now," Cyclonus said pointedly. "I'm not disapproving, mind you, but I thought you Autobots were more willing to risk your lives than this."

    "He has a point," Chromedome said, disgruntled. "By killing time, we could be killing Rodimus and the others. We have to make a choice, and fast."

    The group of eight were silent for a moment. Then, with a shrug of the shoulders, Trailbreaker said, "Blame it on the Nightmare Fuel, but I say we go into the attic. YOLO."

    "'Yo-lo?'" Riptide asked.

    "You only live once. Human phrase."

    "Ah. In no way is that reassuring."

    "I don't think it was supposed to." Walking over to the hatch, Trailbreaker opened it and turned to the others. "So who's with me?"

    The others looked at each other for a moment before, with some reluctance on Riptide's part, following Trailbreaker into the attic.

--Inside--

    "Wait just a spark-slaggin' second," Skids said, which was pretty much the only thing he could do now that he, Ratchet, and Ariel were surrounded by Decepticons. "Do you mean to tell me that 'Tap-Out' had been a 'Con all along -- even when we first encountered him?"

    Overlord chuckled. "We needed something to distract you with, to keep you all in one place. Otherwise, Viral would not have been able to play his part."

    "But the message... Tap-Out said he had been trying to warn us away from here."

    "The original Tap-Out, yes. When we found out about his transmissions, we decided to use it to our advantage, resending them after breaking them up enough to lure you here."A sadistic grin crossed the Decepticon's face. "A lovely tribute to his memory, wouldn't you agree?"

    Skids scowled as he racked his mind for an escape plan. Unlike the three he had defeated earlier, the Decepticons Overlord had brought with him were nothing short of intimidating. Resembling fearsome creatures from Buffaloids to Sharkticons, Skids knew that they would be more than enough of a challenge for him, especially when Ratchet and Ariel were unarmed.

    "Well?" Overlord said, bringing Skids' attention back to him. "Any last quips before you die?"

    "Quip this."

    Aiming his guns, Skids fired them at Overlord, only to see the plasma pellets bounce off of him harmlessly.

    "Adorable." With a raise of his hand, Overlord's Decepticons bared their claws and weapons. "My turn now."

*  *  *

    "Your inaction speaks volumes, Viral," the floating hand that was Gigatron said, tightening its deadly grip on Kick-Off. "Do you not care for the life of this Autobot?"

    "Why would I?" Viral asked. "His life means nothing to me."

    A dark laugh emitted from the hand as Kick-Off's chassis strained against its pressing fingers."Of course it doesn't. No one's life matters to you, Viral. You are the genesis of what the likes of Megatron and Shockwave ended up being: you care for nothing in the world but power, and everyone is merely your pawn -- a tool to get what you want.

    "And you know what? I can respect that. I see myself in you. You have the makings of a great Decepticon. With the right amount of ambition and intelligence, you could have all the power in the universe."

    "Except power isn't what I want," Viral muttered.

    "Then what? Why else would you play Windtrail to betray Shockwave? What else were you planning to do with a fleet of dreadnoughts if not to conquer Cybertron?"

    "Because it was never about betraying Shockwave. It was about impressing him."

    At this, Gigatron lessened his grip on Kick-Off, who managed a bemused look at Viral. "What?" the warlord said.

    "Out of all the students at the Academy of Advanced Technologies, I was perhaps the least popular," Viral went on. "My abilities as an outlier were looked over in favor of someone with similar powers over electricity and I was expected to simply follow his lead. I was always in somebody's shadow, whether it be Shockwave's or Damus'.

    "I only joined the Decepticons because it was the only place I could find a sense of belonging. When I found out that Shockwave had joined, I once again made fruitless attempts to gain favor from him. But the only time he noticed me was when he needed cannon fodder for Windtrail's endeavor. It was by then that I had had enough of being ignored and hijacked the operation so that Shockwave would at last acknowledge me."

    "I see," Gigatron murmured. "Such a pity. I had expected great things from you, Viral. But it would appear you are not the prospective Decepticon I had hoped you to be. Tell me, have you gained anything from telling me your life story?"

    "As it happens, yes," Viral said. "I bought myself some time."

    Before Gigatron had time to react, a blaster shot struck his giant hand form, causing him to release Kick-Off as he growled in pain. The warlord then took on the appearance of a two-headed dragon, pinning the Autobot down while his dual heads roared furiously. 

    "Who dares fire on Gigatron? Who dares trifle with the Dark God of Destruction?"

    "I do."

    Stumbling into the room, his body covered in patchworks and exposed exoskeleton, was Fortress Maximus. Two giant guns were in his hands and his crimson optics glowed cold and empty.

    "Wh--what?" Gigatron stuttered. "How... how could this be? How are you still functioning?"

    "See, this is what bugs me." Noticing that Maximus' mouth wasn't moving, Viral realized that the voice belonged to the Autobot Brainstorm, standing out of sight. "I can get people not trusting me for 'switching sides.' I can understand it if they hate me for nearly destroying the universe just because I lost someone I loved. But if for one second someone underestimates my genius...."

    Fortress Maximus raised both of his guns and fired them at Gigatron, sending the dragon sprawling back.

    "Then there will be Chaos to pay."

    Gigatron growled as he got back up, now in robot mode. Baring his claws, he lunged at Fortress Maximus, who shielded himself with his arms. As the warlord proceeded to claw at the Autobot, Viral turned back to the computer stations and started what he had set out to do.

    As he went through the security footage in search of the prison blocks, he landed on one transmitting from a room he had not been aware of: an attic, home to a single Cybertronian lifeform. However, it was no ordinary Cybertronian, and just who exactly it was left him staring at the screen, horrified beyond belief.

    He hungers....

    "Hey, what are you waiting for, 'Con?" Kick-Off said from behind him, back on his feet. "Get the frikkin' cells open!"

    Thinks himself as the reincarnation of an Animatronian figure....

    "You know what? Just let me do it." Kick-Off stepped forward and pushed Viral aside.

    Dark God of Destruction....

    Kick-Off's hands moved towards the controls to the cells... only to stop midway towards them. After taking a few minutes to process what had just happened, the Autobot looked down at the energon-drenched blade-like arm jutting from his midsection. He then looked at Viral, coughing up energon which splattered across the Decepticon's visor.

    "Frag... you...."

    Viral said nothing as he extracted his arm, letting Kick-Off's body crumple to the floor. Then, turning towards Gigatron -- still preoccupied with Fortress Maximus -- he made his move.

    This may very well end in tears, Viral thought as he lunged for Gigatron's back. But I never had anything to lose anyway.

    He landed onto the oblivious warlord... and then the world went white.

Transformers Regenerated: Lost Light V, Chapter Seven

CHAPTER SEVEN

--The Leading Light--

    "I see the Rodpod down below," Riptide said as he piloted the shuttle towards Garrus-16. "Should I land next to it or do we go in a different way?"

    Drift leaned over the Hydrobot's station, rubbing his chin. "The schematics Magnus showed me of the facility showed an attic of some sort. Maybe we could land on the rooftop and go through there."

    "Hold up a moment," Hound said from his station. "I'm picking up a huge energon signature -- enough to be six different lifeform reading, but it's all coming in as one."

    "There must be something big in the attic," Trailbreaker muttered, standing nearby with Cyclonus, Atomizer, Chromedome, and Rewind. "Something big and scary, I'm willing to bet."

    "I wouldn't expect any less from these 'Cons," Drift said. "Land us on the rooftop, Riptide. Whatever's there, we'll deal with it somehow."

    "Yeah, sure," Riptide grunted. "Deal with it by dying horribly probably."

--Garrus-16--

    To the surprise and confusion of Skids and his group, the Chompazoid the former had encountered were nowhere to be seen. As they had planned, they split up into three teams of two, with Skids and Ariel using the foot indentures left behind by Underbite to take them back to where Rodimus and the others were being held.

    Since Ariel was unable to transform (at least according to Over-Run), the two opted to walk instead, silently creeping down the hallway. Upon reaching the end of the trail -- at the site where he first ran into the Chompazoid -- Skids signaled Ariel to stay behind while he scouted ahead.

    Peering around the corner, down which he could see the chamber the others were in, he spotted three Decepticon standing guard, talking amongst themselves.

    "--miss Sky-Byte being with us," a blue winged mech was saying. "The guys Gigatron's got here aren't nearly as fun to heckle."

    "No kidding," a crimson one said. "Most of them are too stupid to know they're being made fun of or they nearly bite your head off if you so much as ask them the time."

    "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I also miss how he kissed Gigatron's feet," said the tallest of them, a black and yellow mech. "It was just so pathetic that you couldn't help but laugh hysterically. Why did he leave us again?"

    "I dunno, somethin' to do with the Constructicons," the red one said. "Something they did on Varas Centralus traumatized him or something."

    "Huh. Y'know, I always gave him better credit than that."

    Skids tuned out the rest of their conversation. It was clear to him that these three Decepticons were some of the lousiest he had ever met. Gigatron must have had not much care for security. Maybe this plan would go off easier than he thought.

    He quickly perished that thought. Plans like these never went smoothly.

    Turning back to Ariel, he said, "Stay where you are. I'll handle these three."

    Ariel nodded obediently and Skids moved into the hallway, stepping into plain view of the bumbling trio.

    "Hey, you there!" the red one said. "You're no Decepticon I recognize!"

    "That's because he isn't, you lug nut," the black one snapped. "He's one of the escaped Autobots!"

    "Oh, sweet Primus!" the blue one whimpered. "I didn't think he'd come after us! We're all gonna die!"

    "Shut up, Dark Scream! This guy is going down!" Stepping forward, the black one angled his left shoulder and an orb-shaped crystal glowed in its center. "Left Las--!"

    A single blast from Skids' shoulder cannons sent the Decepticon sprawling back into the chamber. The one known as Dark Scream shrieked out of terror while the red one brandished his own crystal, hidden in his large shoulder pad.

    "No one messes with my brother and gets away with it! Right La--!"

    A shot delivered to the head knocked the red mech out. Horrified by what he was seeing, Dark Scream converted into his beast mode -- a flying squirrel -- and shot past Skids. Deciding he was not worth the trouble, Skids let the Decepticon go and signaled Ariel over to him.

    As the two entered the chamber, Skids was relieved to see that Rodimus and the others were still there -- comatose, but otherwise alive. However, he quickly realized that they were not alone, seeing movement behind Whirl's cocoon. As soon as Skids took aim with his weapons, a pair of arms shot up.

    "Don't shoot!" a familiar voice said. "It's me!"

    Skids blinked as he lowered his guns. "Ratchet?"

    The Autobot medic emerged from behind the cocoon, a disgruntled look on his face. "Can't I help my fellow bots out without being shot at?"

    "I'm sorry," Skids said. "I thought you were a Decepticon. There were two in here earlier, when I escaped." He then tilted his head quizzically. "Where have you been? I didn't see you or Brainstorm when I woke up."

    "I don't know about Brainstorm, but I had a run-in with Pharma," Ratchet muttered. "If it weren't for Tap-Out here, I'd probably be dead."

    "Tap-Out who?" Skids then saw a green Autobot appear from behind Windblade, immediately recognizing him from the cell block when he and the others had first arrived. "Oh, yeah, you. How did you get free? You were in a cell when we met."

    Tap-Out said nothing. Instead, a grin slowly started to cross his face as a disembodied voice spoke out of nowhere.

    "What do they teach at the academies these days?"

    Suddenly, before the three Autobots' horrified optics, Tap-Out's green chassis started to peel away, slowly being replaced by an all-black, red-eyed serpentine creature.

    "Don't you know to never judge a book by its cover?"

    Before anyone could react, a large figure appeared in the doorway, a manic grin on his face. At least half a dozen Decepticons were behind him, all looking eager to tear the Autobots apart.

    "Thank you for that wise lesson, Pseudo," Overlord said as he brandished a gun. "Now I think is the time to demonstrate one of my own: don't pick a fight you know you can't win."

*  *  *

    "You sure is the security center?"

    "Do you not trust me, Autobot?" Viral said wryly as he and Kick-Off stepped into a room filled with monitors.

    "Of course I don't," Kick-Off grunted. "But I don't have much of a choice, now do I? Now answer my question."

    "Yes, I do believe this is the security center," Viral replied, scanning the room. He soon landed his gaze on a lifeless chassis sprawled before the monitor station, fresh innermost energon still leaking from the corpse. "And I have the distinct feeling this plan is not going to go as smoothly as Skids had hoped."

    Kick-Off took one look at the body and simply snorted. "Don't tell me you're freaked out by one corpse. I've seen enough to populate an entire planet. Just get the cell doors open and--"

    Viral had his back turned when Kick-Off was abruptly cut off. When he turned around, he saw the cause of that to be a giant floating hand holding the Autobot in a death grip.

    It was moments like now that made Viral wish he had stayed in his coffin.

Transformers Regenerated: Lost Light V, Chapter Six

CHAPTER SIX

--Garrus-16--

    "It would appear we both have an escapee on our hands."

    Gigatron scowled to himself as he heard Overlord enter the room behind him. The Decepticon warlord currently had his optics on a set of viewscreens connected to security cameras throughout the facility. He had had a Decepticon watching these screens, but their laziness had led to the escapes go unnoticed and to their own demise.

    As Overlord came to stand beside him, Gigatron turned to him and said, "Would I be wasting my time if I asked if Viral was able to get anything from Fortress Maximus?"

    "Since you're asking: yes. He claimed that there was nothing to be found -- whether he was telling the truth or not, only he knows."

    Gigatron bared his fanged teeth as he growled. "I would have been better off tearing out Maximus' processor myself." Tuning into the facility's intercom, the warlord snarled, "Attention, all Decepticons: we have two rogues -- an Autobot and a Decepticon -- on the loose. Whichever one of you brings me their heads is free to leave Garrus-16."

    One the viewscreens, the numerous Decepticons under Gigatron's command could be seen looking around in a mixture of confusion and eagerness. Overlord then took the loudspeaker from Gigatron.

    "What are you waiting for? A starting gun?"

    At once, the Decepticons scattered and the two generals stepped back to enjoy the show.

*  *  *

    "Oh, you have got to be kidding me," Skids muttered as he raised his hands at the three Autobots pointing guns at him. "Let me guess: you guys think I led him here."

    "The hatch you used to get in here closes automatically," Kick-Off said darkly. "The only way he could have gotten in was if he was with you and Ariel in the closet and followed you in."

    "I am normally not one to come to an Autobot's defense," Viral said. "But I feel that I should mention to you that there was a large Chompazoid out there punching holes into the door. I disabled him momentarily so I could get here, but I imagine that he's gotten back up by now and more angry than ever."

    "And why should we trust you, Decepticon?" Over-Run growled.

    "You know, I'm really starting to grow sick of hearing that," Viral muttered.

    "Look," Skids said sternly to everyone. "If we are to get ourselves out of this predicament, we're gonna have to trust each other -- however grudgingly -- and come up with a plan."

    "Are you kidding?" Skyfall said. "Six of us against hundreds of them? We'd fare better in a Buffaloid stampede."

    "I didn't come here alone: seven of my friends have been captured and I know where five of them are. Once we free them, we might have a better chance--"

    "If we free them, you mean," Kick-Off said pointedly. "I'm willing to bet my Shanix on two things: either the 'Cons have strengthened their security on all their prisoners... or they've decided to just kill them instead."

    "I'm not ruling out the possibility," Skids admitted solemnly. "But I'm also not ruling out that they might still be alive. It's either do something or do nothing; chances of death are still about the same."

    A moment of silence passed among the mechs. Finally, Kick-Off said, "All right," earning surprised looks from Skyfall and Over-Run. "It's stupid and dangerous, and will probably end in tears, but all right. What do we do first?"

    "Well, first of all, there's the Chompazoid outside to deal with. Anyone know how to put one out?"

    "I know that they are weakened by materials other than metal," Viral said. "Unfortunately, metal is all that we and this place are made out of."

    "We could just feed you to him and make out getaway while he's enjoying his meal," Over-Run said snidely. 

    "Trust me: that would not be a good idea."

    "Wait, you said earlier that you disabled," Skyfall said. "Couldn't you do it again?"

    "It would be a lot more difficult, since he would be more aware this time," Viral muttered. "But, seeing as we're low on other options...."

    "Great, glad to have you on board," Skids said dryly. "After that's taken care of, we'll split up to make it hard for any 'Cons on the lookout to catch us. I'll take Ariel with me to where my teammates are. Kick-Off, you and Viral go find the security center and open the cells on the first level. Once you do that, Skyfall and Over-Run will help any surviving and mentally stable prisoners get free and hopefully by then we'll have the numbers to face off against the 'Cons."

    "This is crazy," Over-Run muttered. "There's no way in Pit that we're going to survive this."

    "Believe me," Skids said. "I've told myself that countless times and yet I'm still here."

    Over-Run scoffed. "There's a first time for everything."

*  *  *

    "Ha! Found an Autobot, found an Autobot!"

    "He was already here to begin with, you louse," snapped the tall blue Decepticon as he followed his skittish, crab-like companion into the room which held Fortress Maximus. "Although it woulda still helped if dey had given us some pics of the blokes...."

    "Maybe Gigatron won't know the difference!" Clampdown said, already cutting Maximus' restraints with his claws. "I mean, all Autobots look the same, right? I don't think he could tell this guy's head apart from someone like Grimlock--"

    "Pipe it down, will ya?" Thunderhoof said brusquely. "I hear somethin'...."

    Clampdown froze mid-snap, his eye stalks wide with fear as he hear the sound of footsteps. "Is it Gigatron?" he whispered. "Oh, spark, I hope he didn't hear me. If he did, please tell him I didn't mean anything by it. I was just-- just--"

    The footsteps eventually reached the doorway and, to both 'Cons relief, was not Gigatron but rather a teal, winged mech with an Autobot symbol. Thunderhoof grinned savagely as he drew his gun.

    "Well, well, well. Look who decided to bite off more than he could chew."

    "Not so fast," the Autobot said as he unclipped his mouthplate, showing Thunderhoof the Decepticon insignia underneath. "I'm one of you. I'm undercover. You put away the gun now."

    Thunderhoof narrowed his optics. "Undercover, eh? Nice ploy, but anyone can paint a logo inside their mouthplate."

    "That's true. They can." The mech smirked. "But not everyone knows about the raid on Harmonex, or the Malware Brigade Riot of Cycle 8269."

    Thunderhoof blinked, taking a step back. "You -- you know about all that?"

    "Of course I do. Banzai-Tron's files aren't public to everyone, but I've been given the privilege of reading some of them. It'd be a shame if Gigatron found out about your exploits on Dormanus."

    "Please," Thunderhoof found himself pleading, in spite of his dignity. "Don't tell him--"

    "Oh, I won't. Just so long as you get out of my way."

    "Y--yeh, sure, no problem." Thunderhoof curtly signaled Clampdown to follow him and the two Decepticon scurried out of the room. Left alone with the inert Fortress Maximus, Brainstorm walked up to him and undid his last restraints.

    "Right then," he muttered to himself. "Time to put my genius to work."

Transformers Regenerated: Lost Light V, Chapter Five

CHAPTER FIVE

--The Vis Vitalis--

    "Captain, come over here quick."

    Firestar sighed as she strode down the bridge towards her crewmate's station. "For the last time, Javelin, I'm not the captain. I'm just acting in Thunderclash's--"

    "Yeah, okay, whatever," Javelin said flippantly. "I've been trying to track down Cybertronian medics for a while now and I've found one just a few systems away."

    "As long as they're Autobot and have a Nominus Prize for Medicine, then I'm all for seeking them out."

    "Here, let me bring up his file." Javelin pressed a few commands into her computer and brought up the profile of a white, red, and blue mech. "Pharma of Upper Petrohex. Receiver of the Nominus Prize for Medicine, as well as the Rossum Award for Delicate Operations and the Cogwheel Medal. Served at the Deltaran Medical Facility and as Chief Medical Officer at the Delphi facility on Messatine."

    "Those are some impressive credentials," Firestar noted. "I think I might have heard Nautica mention him before in the messages she's sent me."

    "Nautica? Spark, it's been forever, hasn't it. Have you spoken to her recently?"

    Firestar opened her mouth to answer but stopped herself, thinking twice on her response. "It's... been a while," she said, trying to keep it vague.

    "I mean, she is your Amica Endura and all. I would think the two of you would still be in touch especially with the war over."

    Firestar shifted slightly as she looked away towards the stars outside. "Well, we've both been busy, you know. I've been serving as first mate here and she's been... doing her own thing."

    "You don't even know what she does for a living?" Javelin asked.

    "Of course I do," Firestar said hastily. "I'm just... look, just take us to Pharma so we can get Thunderclash back to health. This... this topic can wait."

    Javelin frowned as she watched Firestar turn and leave, a bit more hastily than was professionally acceptable. "As you wish."

--The Lost Light, shuttle bay--

    "For the last time, Rewind, you're not coming with me."

    "Don't be ridiculous," Rewind retorted as he ran after Chromedome into the shuttle bay. "If you think for one nano-second that I'm letting you go down there by yourself--"

    "I'm not putting you in danger," Chromedome said sternly. "No one knows what's down there, but if it was enough to cut us off from Rodimus and the others--"

    Rewind cut him off by grabbing his arm and forcing his partner to look at him. "You listen here: there is no way in Pit am I going to let you go down there and -- and die or vanish without me knowing. I couldn't possibly be able to bear that pain all over again."

    "Rewind," Chromedome started to say but stopped himself as he saw Trailbreaker and Atomizer approaching, giving odd looks in their direction. The last thing he needed right now was awkwardness to add to the tension.

    "All right," he finally said, trying not to sound exasperated. "Just promise me that you'll stay close by me."

    "You have my word," Rewind said, less terse now.

    "Good. Let's get going then."

--Garrus-16--

    "I don't mean to sound rude or anything," Skids grunted as he crawled after the mysterious femme, having just hit his head on a pipe for the seventh time. "But are we getting any closer to wherever it is you're taking me?"

    The femme said nothing, but as it turned out she didn't need to answer. The two of them came before a steel grate, which the femme gently and quietly removed from its bolts. After pushing it aside, she and Skids emerged into a dark, somewhat cramped room, which quickly became a lit one as three small lights went off in separate directions, all emitting from three mechs with guns.

    "Ariel," one of them said, his orange-yellow face scowling. "What did I say about bringing home strangers?"

    "Not stranger," the femme called Ariel said. "Friend."

    The mech looked up at Skids and gave him a skeptical look. "Friend, huh? Are you two associated or something?"

    "I've only just met her," Skids said. "But why all the frowning faces? Don't you see the Autobot badge--"

    "Badges mean nothing here," snapped a red mech. "For all we know, you could be another Pharma."

    "Okay, I'll give you that," Skids admitted. "But from my perspective, wouldn't the same apply to you?"

    "I'm getting bad vibes from this guy, Kick-Off," the third mech said to the first. "I say we just shoot him and--"

    "Hold your fire, Over-Run," the one called Kick-Off said. "Let's not jump to conclusions just yet. Skyfall, scan him for any tracking devices or disguise modules. I want to be sure blue is his real color."

    The red mech brought out a scanning device and waved it across Skids. It then pinged with a green light.

    "He's clean, double agent-wise," Skyfall reported. "He's armed to the teeth, though: shoulder cannons, arm cannons, missiles... what are you, a Wrecker?"

    "I'm a theoretician," Skids said.

    "That's a shame. We could use a Wrecker right about now."

    Skids looked from Ariel to the three mechs, scratching his head. "So what's the story here? How have you bots been able to avoid capture?"

    "Sheer dumb luck, mostly," Kick-Off grunted. "The three of us-- Skyfall, Over-Run, and myself-- were among those on Garrus-9 under Fortress Maximus' command when Overlord attacked. When he and Gigatron formed their alliance two months ago, we were brought along to either serve as test subjects or for entertainment purposes."

    "What kind of entertainment?" Skids asked.

    "Gladiatorial, Overlord's favorite kind. I was probably his favorite fight, for I didn't show any qualms in killing my own teammates."

    Skids looked at him in surprise. "You... what?"

    "I didn't enjoy it," Kick-Off snapped. "Of course I didn't. But I needed to do what I could to survive, and to learn whatever I could about the 'Cons security measures. Luckily, Gigatron barely has any here at Garrus-16, which is how we were able to evade capture."

    "And Ariel? What's her story?"

    "We found her the same as you probably did," Skyfall said. "We were hiding in a closet when we encountered her and she led us into this little chamber. We send her out frequently to keep an audio sensor for noises outside."

    "And if a Decepticon were to walk in? Does she have any means for protecting herself?"

    "Makes no difference to us," Over-Run muttered. "No loss if she gets herself killed--"

    "Whoa, whoa, back up," Skids said, not hiding the incredulity in his voice. "What do you mean it's 'no loss?' How could you say that of another Autobot?"

    "She's absolutely useless! She can't transform, she always gets distracted, she's as clumsy as a Nosoron...."

    As Over-Run went on with his rant, Skids glanced at Ariel, who had moved to the corner of the room, sitting against the wall with her knees up to her chest. He then turned back to Over-Run and held up his hand to silence him.

    "Enough," he said curtly. "Forget I even asked. You know, I've seen my fair share of Autobots who cross the line once or twice, or go completely bonkers, but never have I met one who stays at the line and yet makes me want to punch their lights out for being such a complete skidplate."

    "See, this is why I joined the Decepticons."

    All four Autobots all brought out their guns at the spindly mech standing in the open grate leading into the room. Viral, for his part, did not look the least bit intimidated.

    "Because at least with them, there is no line for you to cross."

    As one, Kick-Off, Skyfall, and Over-Run raised their weapons... and pointed them at Skids.

Transformers Regenerated: Lost Light V, Chapter Four

CHAPTER FOUR

--Garrus-16--

    Although he wasn't a mnemosurgeon like Fearstorm had been, Viral figured it wasn't that complicated to get into a Cybertronian's processor. Of course, it was a bit messier having to manually open up the victim's head to access their brain module, but it was hardly a difficult process when one had servos as slender as Viral's.

    Once he was in, he began to sift through Fortress Maximus' processor, scouring every corner of his mind for what he sought. Apparently Maximus had taken the precautionary measures to place firewalls in his mind to protect the Aequitas codes. But no firewall was a match for someone with Viral's skills.

    What was, however, was the fact that the Aequitas codes were nowhere to be found.

    Viral checked and double-checked, peeling away every last mental barrier Fortress Maximus had. Still nothing. In every place where Aequitas was prominent in his memory, the codes were simply not there... making Viral wonder if they ever were in the first place.

    Extracting his fingers from Maximus' head, Viral looked up at Overlord, who was standing nearby, waiting with great expectancy.

    "I can't find them," he said. "They don't appear to be--"

    "Keep searching," Overlord growled. "Surely one as skilled as you can break through even Fortress Maximus' mind."

    "I'm not a mnemosurgeon, my liege," Viral retorted. "I can extract codes from people's processors, but that's it. And there aren't any codes for me to extract."

    Overlord sneered as he leaned in menacingly. "Oh, really? How do I know, then, that you're not keeping the codes for yourself?"

    Viral hesitated, knowing that nothing he could say would convince someone like Overlord. Of course, that one moment of hesitation was exactly what Overlord was looking for.

    "Ah, Viral," the former Warrior Elite said with feigned reluctance. "I had such high hopes for you. But if you plan on being difficult--"

    It had not been his plan, but Viral decided to be difficult. Dashing past Overlord, he lunged for the controls to the room's lights and jammed his slender hands into them, draining it of power and plunging the chamber into darkness.

    Overlord's laughter rang out from the shadows while Viral made his way towards the door. "You think the darkness can help you? You think you can use it to save yourself?"

    Viral turned him out as he finally found the door and opened it. Just before he transformed and took off into the hallway, he heard Overlord's voice follow after him.

    "Run as fast as you can, Viral. That just makes things more interesting."

*  *  *

    Skids only had a handful of seconds to think of an escape. Luckily, quick thinking was a requirement for someone like him.

    As Nightstrike started to approach him, murder in his eyes, Skids spun his transformation cog as fast as he could. The technique was known as instantaneous conversion, allowing one to transform from one mode to the next in the blink of an eye. If he did it here fast enough, he could possibly break from from the cocoon he was in.

    Centuries worth of special training did not disappoint.

    Nightstrike let out a shriek as Skids burst out of his cage in car mode and made his way for the door. He could hear Gigatron's screams of rage as he sped out of the room, but they were soon well behind him.

    It was only at this point that Skids realized that he knew nothing about the facility other than what Viral had showed him and the others. One wrong turn and he could end up in the maw of a Chompazoid.

    He soon found himself swearing by all five deities of the Guiding Hand when that exact thing happened.

    Slamming on his brakes, Skids' wheels screeched against the floor as he skidded right underneath the quadruped beast before it had even registered his sudden appearance. Once Skids had ended up behind the Chompazoid, he hit on the accelerator again and sped down the corridor, praying the beast would not follow.

    It did, of course. Angrily so.

    "Get back here, varmint!" it called after him. "Come and get what's comin' to ya! Do you know who I am?!"

    Skids decided to ignore the fact that the Chompazoid could talk (and in a very specific Terran accent) and simply drove faster. He went through a wild maze of corridors, taking turns at random in the hopes of losing the Chompazoid. When the beast's thundering footsteps had become distant enough, Skids converted to robot mode and found an empty storage closet to hide in, where he could gather his thoughts.

    First thing was first: he had to find Viral. As much as he dislike the Decepticon, he was still the only one who knew the facility's layout. And even though he had turned on the group, Skids had the hunch that it had not been Viral's intention to do so.

    Of course, Primus knew where Viral had even gotten to. Or if he was even still alive....

    Suddenly, he heard the sound of movement very close to him. Moving in its direction, he brandished his guns again just as a glowtorch lit up the closet, revealing a slender tan and green femme.

    "No!" she shrieked, covering her face with the arm not holding a torch. "Don't hurt! Please!"

    The femme's meekness gave Skids enough pause to notice the small faded Autobot symbol in her collar area. As he put his weapons away, he held up his hands calmly.

    "Calm down. I'm not going to hurt you," he said. "I'm an Autobot, just like you."

    "Not like me," she whimpered. "No one like me. Too different. Too strange."

    Ho boy, Skids thought to himself. Seems like everyone's got psychological problems these days.

    "Look," he said aloud. "Can you tell me what happened? Are you all right? How did you escape?"

    "Told me to hide in closet. Said to not come out or talk to anyone unless they have red badge."

    "Who told -- you know what? Forget it." Skids let out an exasperated sigh. "It can wait. Tell me, do you know how to get around this place? I'm trying to free my friends and I could really--"

    Before he could finish, the femme grabbed him by the arm and pulled him aside just as a giant fist smashed through the door.

    "Ha! There you are!" came the Chompazoid's unmistakable voice. "Thought you could hide from ol' Underbite, diddja? Well, my two friends have a few words to say about that!"

    "I'm not in any hurry to hear them out," Skids muttered as he flipped out his shoulder cannons. However, the femme continued to pull on his arm, as if trying to get him to follow her.

    "Come," she hissed. "Not safe here."

    "Of course it's not; we're practically cornered. Where are you trying to take me if he's blocking the door?"

    A small hatch opening in the wall answered him.

    "Oh," he said as the femme started to crawl into it. "Figures."

*  *  *

    The sound of raged yelling brought Viral to a scene that, had he retained any of his emotions, would have looked humorous to him.

    The Chompazoid known as Underbite appeared to have his arm stuck in a storage closet's door, as if he was trying to reach for something. The obscenities he was shouting indicated that he wasn't having much progress.

    "Blasted varmint!" he roared. "When I get my hands on you, I'm gonna twist your tailpipes into a knot and shove your servos so far down your mouth that... that, uh... ah, blast it, I'm just gonna slag you so bad that--!"

    Sneaking up behind the unsuspecting Chompazoid, Viral lunged at Underbite and plunged his fingers into the beast's thick neck. As the large Decepticon's systems shut down and Underbite went into stasis, Viral slipped into the closet and caught sight of a slightly open hatch.

    Whoever this "varmint" was, Viral had an idea or two on who they could be as he opened the hatch and crawled into the small tunnel.

Transformers Regenerated: Lost Light V, Chapter Three

CHAPTER THREE

--The Vis Vitalis--

    "He's dead."

    "Velocity, I don't want you to take this the wrong way," Firestar said as she stood over the offline body of Peritus Maximus. "But I'm pretty sure anyone with a working set of optics would have gathered as much. What I want to know is how he died."

    "That's the problem," Velocity replied. "There aren't any signs of damage at all: no open wounds, no blast marks. It's the same as with Rocket and Photon; it's like their spark just gave up."

    "And is that a regular occurrence?"

    "It's rare but not unheard of. Spontaneous spark failure usually come about if one's contracted a number of diseases or is very long-lived. Peritus was old, but not ancient like Kup -- and Rocket and Photon were only forged recently." 

    Firestar pinched the edge of her helmet crest, closing her eyes as she let out an exasperated noise. "Great. This is just great. We've got some sort of... lethal force on board and we don't what it is or why it's only targeting certain bots. Sooner or later, this ship is going to become a flying plague ship."

    "Have the security cameras shown anything?"

    "I had Skimmer review the footage, but it always seems to cut out right before the death occurs."

    Velocity frowned at this. "Sound to me this is more than just a plague going around."

    "I agree," Firestar murmured, turning to leave the medibay. "I'll have Roadmaster and Javelin put Peritus into cold storage. In the meantime, I want you to give Thunderclash another checkup, make sure he's okay."

    "Given his current condition, I'm not sure how 'okay' he's going to be for much longer."

    "Have some faith, Velocity. After all, he is the one and only Thunderclash."

--Garrus-16--

    "I must give credit where credit's due: you have quite the bearings to show your face here again."

    Viral said nothing as he followed the massive Decepticon in front of him, keeping his gaze to the floor.

    "I mean, after faking your death to get off-planet... surely you realized that to return would have been suicide."

    "Of course I realized that," Viral retorted. "It was never my intention to return here. The Autobots--"

    "Don't tell me: the Autobots forced you to lead them here? Hilarious. Surely imprisonment would have been a better fate."

    If Viral had visible optics, he would have glared with them. "There's no point in obfuscating stupidity, Overlord. I know it was that drone you had installed into me that influenced my choices. That's why I tried to stay locked up in that blasted coffin; I knew it would lead me back here one way or another."

    Overlord looked down at Viral and gave him a grin that the smaller Decepticon found very unsettling. "My, no wonder Gigatron kept you around for your intellect. It's a good thing, then, that he still has use for you."

    Viral looked up at Overlord, surprised. "He does? For what?"

    "During your absence, we were finally able to break our special guest. All we need now are your skills to extract the codes from his brain module."

    "The codes to what?"

    "Aequitas, of course," Overlord said matter-of-factly. "The Autobots' judgment machine. Their greatest shame."

    "And what possible use would you or Gigatron have for it?"

    The Warrior Elite chuckled darkly as he and Viral came to a stop before a steel door. "For Aequitas itself? None at all. It's what's underneath Aequitas -- what it was built to hide -- that is of greater interest."

    Overlord then pulled the door open, which made a grinding creak as it revealed the mutilated mech which it held. Viral had never been much fond of Autobots, but even he would not wish his greatest enemy the condition Fortress Maximus was presently in.

    "Just think," Overlord said as he gingerly pushed Viral towards the comatose warden. "Do this and all charges will be dropped. You will be welcomed back into the fold."

    "What makes you think I want that?" Viral asked.

    Overlord flashed him another grin. "I think you and I both know that the alternative would be much, much worse."

*  *  *

    The first thing Skids knew was that he was awake; whether that was a good thing or not, he was not sure of yet.

    The second thing he knew was that he was trapped in some kind of cocoon. That, he could tell, was definitely not a good thing. Looking around the dark chamber, he saw that he wasn't the only one; nearby in similar predicaments were Rodimus, Nautica, Whirl, Getaway, and Windblade, all five of them unconscious. Brainstorm and Ratchet were nowhere to be seen, which made him even more uneasy. After what he had seen earlier in Garrus-16's rooms, he didn't dare imagine what fates had befallen them.

    Finally, there was the third thing to attract his notice: the sound of music. Right away, he knew it was the tune of the Empyrean Suite. The same tune those mutilated Autobots had been forced to sing to. The same tune that was in his head....

    Hearing voices coming from nearby, Skids thought fast and feigned unconsciousness, dimming his optics enough so that he could still see who was entering the room.

    "--is the most vulnerable of the six," a winged, bat-like mech was saying as he followed a monstrous one into the room. "Her introverted and self-depreciate nature makes her ripe for psychological torture."

    "Nightstrike, I could not care less about your own personal experiments," the other Decepticon growled. "You can play as many 'games' with these Autobots as you want, so long as they're dealt with."

    "Ah, I understand that, Lord Gigatron. However...." Nightstrike's blue optics briefly darted to Skids and the theoretician felt himself tense. "One of the Autobots has proven to be an... interesting case subject."

    "Explain," Gigatron demanded.

    "The fear center of his processor is not projecting any stasis visions of his greatest fears -- or any visions at all. He's not dreaming, so to speak."

    "And why do you think that is?"

    "Well, I'm no mnemosurgeon, but from my readings of his brain wave patterns, there appears to be gaps in his memory. It is a possibility that his greatest fear is what's missing--"

    "Do you intend on going somewhere with this, Nightstrike? Otherwise, you have succeeded only in wasting my time."

    "Please, my lord, let me finish," Nightstrike pleaded. "While his processor didn't project any dreams, they did produce a sound -- or a song, I should say."

    "And what song was that?"

    "The Empyrean Suite."

    A cold silence fell upon the room, one which Skids did not dare break. Gigatron said nothing for what seemed like forever before slowly turning to Nightstrike.

    "Are you sure?"

    "Positive. I would recognize it anywhere."

    Gigatron fell silent again as he appeared to mull over this revelation. Finally, he looked towards Skids, his face devoid of emotion but his eyes full of held back rage.

    "Execute him. Immediately."