CHAPTER SEVEN
--Delphi--
"The only place he could have gotten to are the C.R. chambers," First Aid said as the seven Autobots ran down a narrow corridor. "He wouldn't have a good hiding place, though; all of them are filled up with patients."
They eventually reached the C.R. chambers and saw that the repair bays were indeed all occupied... save for one which Nightbeat opened, revealing a downward tunnel in place of a floor.
The others stared at him in awe. "How did you know that was there?" Ambulon exclaimed.
Nightbeat pointed at the chamber's base. "The rivets for the floor are missing, meaning it had been taken out to make a secret passage, which Pharma has most likely gone through."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Windblade asked. "Time's a-wasting; let's go."
--Clemency--
"Didyouseethat?! Didyouseethat?! Didyousee--"
"Yes, Misfire, we all see it!" Krok snapped as the six Scavengers flew away from the fully-morphed Trypticon. "But I don't believe it!"
Looming over the graveyard of Clemency, the saurian Decepticon let out a tremendous, earth-shaking roar. Apparently unfazed by this, the D.J.D. ship continued to advance forward, releasing a hail of missiles. Those that hit Trypticon did little to harm in, and in retaliation, he fired a duo of rockets, which sent the enemy ship spiraling out of control.
Once on the ground, the Scavengers took cover behind a large rock and watched the rest of the battle unfold. Emerging from the wreck of the ship was Tarn, leader of the D.J.D. In one arm he cradled a blaster rifle, while a double-barreled fusion cannon was attached to the other. He fired a shot from the former to attract Trypticon's attention.
As the massive Decepticon lowered its gaze at its attacker, Tarn spread his arms out in greeting. "Trypticon! I cannot tell you how honored I am to be in you presence! You are quite revered as the greatest rouge Decepticon of them all."
Trypticon growled. "Your attempts at flattery are pathetic, to say the least. Besides, your fates have already been decided."
"As has yours." Tarn lifted the blaster rifle again and fired it at Trypticon's optics. The massive saurian's right eye shattered from the shot and he recoiled in pain. At the same time, a small gun slid out from a panel in his head and fired a ray of energy at the D.J.D. leader. Tarn dove for cover as he fired his double-barreled fusion cannon, scoring a few direct hits on Trypticon's chest plate. But this only served to further anger him.
Watching the battle, Fulcrum murmured to the other Scavengers, "I don't know about you guys, but I'm not gonna be here when these two finish. I think we should bolt now before it's too late."
Misfire scoffed. "You're kidding, right? The good stuff's just started."
The moment those words left his mouth, another shape emerged from the wreck of the Peaceful Tyranny, shooting up several feet in the air. Larger than even Tarn, Tesarus descended upon Trypticon and brought his large fists onto the giant Decepticon's head. Disoriented by the sudden attack, Trypticon let out a guttural moan as he began to stagger.
All of the Scavengers looked on in horror. "Okay, now we bail," Misfire said.
However, just as the magenta flier turned to flee, a large shadow fell over him. All optics looked up fearfully to see a large, blue and purple mech.
"Oh, Misfire," Helex muttered. "If only your timing was better than your targeting."
--Delphi--
"It's about time you found me. A dramatic escape is meaningless without witnesses."
The way Pharma spoke, so eerily calm without even turning to face his pursuers, made Windblade and the others feel uneasy. Gun in hand, the Autobot medic turned to confront them, a mad gleam in his optics.
"Come on. You've probably all figured it out by now; otherwise you wouldn't be chasing me. Besides, there's a detective in your group."
Nightbeat, the said detective, stepped forward with his arms crossed. "You created the virus."
"Bravo!" Pharma exclaimed, his voice thick with sarcasm. "Points for Captain Obvious. Anything else you'd like to add?"
"Those two Decepticons-- Sonic and Boom-- you hired them to infiltrate Delphi and used their sound-based powers to generate a soundbomb laced with the virus. A sonic-boom of death."
"Yes, yes, well done! Are you finished yet?"
Nightbeat smirked. "Finished? I'm just getting started. Show me your jet mode."
Pharma blinked. "What-- no! Why should I?"
"Because the virus is triggered by reconfiguration. First Aid, Ambulon, and I have all been infected but have yet to show symptoms because we haven't transformed since becoming so."
First Aid looked at him in surprise. "Wait, the only reason I'm not dead after all this time is because--"
"You haven't transformed, yes. And because you can't. I can tell from your weight distribution and the way you walk that you have a malfunctioning T-cog. And Ambulon hasn't transformed because he turns into a leg-- a result from a failed Decepticon combiner project."
"Okay, wonderful, you've solved the mystery," Pharma said flippantly. "Now if you don't mind, I have placed to be and--"
"I'm not finished yet," Nightbeat interrupted coolly. "One question remains: why did you do it? Why create a virus that would kill dozens?"
A crazed grin plastered itself on Pharma's face. "Do you know the real reason why the D.J.D. has let Delphi be? No, I don't imagine you do. You see, I made a little deal with them.
"The leader of the D.J.D., he's obsessed with transforming. Extremely obsessed. Addicted, even. He goes through ten T-cogs a day. So we made an arrangement: I would provide him with T-cogs harvested from... incurable patients, and the D.J.D. would allows us to live in peace."
First Aid was beginning to shake in fury as he glared at Pharma. "You... sacrificed patients... just so you could pay a debt?"
"It was either us or them, and they were dying in the first place. Anyway, after news came that the Decepticons had won, I decided the best way to get out of the deal was to just kill everyone."
Windblade stared at him in repulsion. "You're insane."
Pharma shrugged nonchalantly. "Nobody's perfect. Now then, if you're quite done, I'll be taking my leave-- with the only antidote for the virus-- while you're either doomed to be trapped in robot mode or to transform and--"
The deranged doctor was cut off as Windblade lunged at him and thrust her sword into his shoulder. Screaming in pain, he deployed a pair of cannons from his shoulders and fired them wildly. As the others dove for cover, Nautica flung her wrench at Pharma's head, knocking him off balance and allowing Windblade to topple him to the floor, pinning him there with her blade.
"Well, that was anticlimactic," Skids said. "With all that buildup, I was expecting something big to happen."
Pharma suddenly cackled, as if completely forgetting his predicament. "Be careful what you wish for."
Before any of the Autobots could question him, the ground began to shake. Before anyone knew it, the roof of both the chamber and the room above had been torn off and a duo of giant gold robots loomed over them, speaking a single phrase over and over again.
"Twenty fourteen."
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