CHAPTER FOUR
--The Lost Light, hab suite 208--
Nightbeat had barely knocked once when the door to Chromedome's room instantly slid open and the detective was quickly pulled inside by the mnemosurgeon, who then quickly closed the door shut behind him.
"You didn't see Rewind on your way here, did you?" Chromedome asked as he hurried over to a computer in the corner of the room.
"No," Nightbeat said, baffled by how the other Autobot was acting. "Where is Rewind, anyway?"
"Studying planets with Glyph. I don't know when he'll be back, so I have to make this quick."
"Make what quick?"
Chromedome returned from the computer and returned with a data slug. "You know that Rewind and I are... close, right?"
The detective slowly nodded. "Yes, I do. What, you guys aren't speaking to each other or something?"
"No. At least, not...." Chromedome sighed. "Look, just take this. Please."
Nightbeat took the data slug and scrutinized it closely. "What's on it?"
"Something that... Rewind will have to know, eventually. If anything happens to me... say, if I die... I want you to give it to him."
Nightbeat stared at the chip for a moment before looking at Chromedome and giving him an affirmative nod. "All right. But why are you entrusting me with this?"
"Because you're the only one I can trust with this type of information."
"Right. I, um, guess I'll see you later."
With that, Nightbeat left the hab suite, not to look back at the brooding mnemosurgeon.
--Swerve's--
"So... why did you leave the Circle of Light?"
Sitting in a corner at Swerve's bar, Sta Saber had been completely silent ever since boarding the ship-- not to mention completely ignored. As such, he was rather surprised to have someone addressing him now... thought less so when he saw it was a fellow "social outcast."
Looking away from Drift, Star Saber simply muttered, "None of your business."
Drift pulled out a chair opposite of him and seated himself, folding his arms over the table. "You can tell me. I was once a member of the Circle as well."
"Doesn't matter," Star Saber gruffly replied. "It's still none of your business."
Drift sighed. "If it's any comfort to you, I didn't exactly part on good terms with them. My relationship with Dai Atlas was shaky, and others like Ginrai hardly trusted me at all. Axe and Wing Dagger were my only true friends within the Circle."
Star Saber was silent for a while before quietly saying, "That was the same for me as well. Dai Atlas and I... never exactly saw optic-to-optic. That was part of the reason why I left."
"What was the other part?"
Before Star Saber could respond, the Lost Light suddenly lurched to a stop and the bar plunged into darkness.
"What the heck!" Swerve exclaimed. "I thought I just had those lights fixed!"
The bartender immediately went quiet when he and everyone else heard footsteps clanging on the roof of the ship....
--The bridge--
"What's going on?" Elita spoke into the darkness. "Is something wrong with the engines again?"
"I couldn't tell you," Windblade replied. "All systems are down; I can't even get the emergency systems to work."
"Communications are still online," said Hubcap, the Lost Light's new communications officer. "We're being hailed."
At that moment, a grave voice crackled through the comm system, eerily echoing all around the bridge.
"Attention Autobot vessel: This is the Decepticon Justice Division. It has come to our knowledge that someone among your crew is a Decepticon deserter. If he does not turn himself in-- or if you do not do so instead-- in five minutes, we will personally handle him ourselves... as well as kill everyone else on board. We eagerly await your response."
The entire crew fell silent once the connection had ended. After a few minutes, Ultra Magnus broke the silence by saying, "Do we have any defenses?"
"Not many effective ones," Elita said bitterly. "All we can rely on are our own weapons when the D.J.D. board us."
"What?" Windblade said. "You mean we're not going to turn in Drift?"
Elita turned her head towards Windblade. "Why would we turn in Drift?"
"Isn't it obvious? He's the deserter the D.J.D. is after. If we don't turn him in, they'll slaughter us."
"And just why would we give up one of our own like that?" Elita asked, disapproval clear in her voice.
"He's not one of us," Windblade objected. "He's killed many of our own, he's never officially received the Rite of the Autobrand--"
"True as those things may be, it is against the Autobot Code to turn in a fellow Autobot-- officially branded or not-- to the enemy," Ultra Magnus said. "If the D.J.D. want an answer from us, they're going to get the abbreviated version."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Red Alert asked.
"Er, I was making a reference to us fighting them, which takes less words than talking, thus--" Magnus quickly stopped himself, realizing that his explanation was not going anywhere. "So... how much time do we have left?"
"Two minutes," Hubcap said. "And just to let everyone know, I have no idea how to fight in the dark."
Elita thought on these words for a moment. "Perhaps we don't necessarily have to fight them."
"Are you saying we should turn in Drift?" Magnus asked skeptically.
"No, of course not. I'm saying we should play by their game. If the 'Cons are such big fans of using deception, we'll see just how much they like it."
--The Peaceful Tyranny--
"Five minutes are up." Tarn let out a soft sigh, looking down in mock mournfulness at the Lost Light down below. "I will always admire Autobots for their bravery, however reckless and stupid it may be."
Charging up his double-barreled fusion cannon, the D.J.D. leader stepped onto the Peaceful Tyranny's ramp and fired his weapon at the Autobot vessel, tearing open a large hole into its roof. The five Decepticon enforcers jumped through the opening before the emergency seal could close them off.
As the D.J.D. stood in the darkness of the ship, Helex said, "Should I bring the lights back on?"
"No, no," Tarn said. "It's more fun and challenging this way."
"Tarn, I'm picking up a transmission," Kaon reported. "It's from Lord Megatron."
"It will have to wait. I'm sure our glorious leader will understand if we take our time finishing a mission." Charging his fusion cannon again, Tarn peered gleefully into the darkness. "Let the games begins."
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