CHAPTER EIGHT
--Garrus-16--
"Does anyone else hear music?" Skids asked the others as they turned a corner and arrived in another dark hallway.
"That's, like, the second time you've asked me that," Getaway said.
"No, no, seriously." Skids brought the others to a halt. "There's music coming from somewhere up ahead. I think... I think it's the same one I hear in my head all the time."
"It's the Empyrean Suite," Viral replied. "Eucryphia's ode to the Citadel of Light."
"And why in Primus' good name would Decepticons be listening to that?" Rodimus asked.
"Perhaps because they are believers?" Viral retorted. "Why do you assume that Decepticons do not practice religion?"
"Because I thought being a Decepticon was your religion. I can't imagine someone with as big an ego as Megatron would tolerate another idol or deity being worshiped."
Viral looked away sullenly. "You are closer to the truth than you think, Autobot...."
"Oi, enough with the chatter," Whirl said. "Are we gonna keep movin' or just listen to scrappy music?"
"Depends on what's waiting for us," Rodimus muttered. "How well do you know the 'Cons stationed here, Viral? Know anyone who listens to much music?"
"I'm not much of a socialist," the Decepticon said. "Besides, I left not long after Gigatron took over, after seeing what he was doing to both the Autobots stationed here and the freed prisoners."
"In that case, we'll have to take our chances. Weapons ready, guys."
Following the sound of the music, Viral led the Autobots towards the dark open room from which it was playing. Signaling the others to stop and keep quiet, Rodimus crept froward and peered through the doorway.
What he saw caused him to immediately look away, his oil churning.
"What did you see?" Nautica whispered.
"You don't want to know," Rodimus murmured. "You really, really don't."
"Let me take a look." Windblade pushed past him and looked for herself. While she didn't recoil right away, she did have a look of utter horror and disgust.
"What is it?" Nautica pressed her. "What do you see?"
"Severed heads dangling from the ceiling. Torsos stacked up in a corner. Limbs lying on top of shelves."
"Okay, I don't think I need any more details," Getaway said, on the verge of passing out.
"And they're still alive."
"What?!" everyone except Viral exclaimed.
"That's where the music's coming from," Windblade said. "They're singing it."
"Y'know," Whirl said, uncharacteristically quiet. "Getaway's idea of going back to the Rodpod doesn't sound half bad right now."
"I did warn you," Viral said. "If we get caught, that's what fate awaits us. Death is a mercy that is not dispensed here."
"Well, we can't just leave them here like this," Rodimus said. "We have to do something."
"Nothing short of a mercy kill is wasting you time. Either we leave now or--"
"You know," Skids said, "it would be an awful shame if something happened to that nice visor of yours, especially after just getting it fixed."
Viral bristled from the threat but kept silent this time.
"I suggest we keep moving," Windblade said to Rodimus. "We should get down to the bottom of this and put a stop to it. Then we can come back for them."
Rodimus sighed, visibly reluctant. "All right. Lead the way again, Viral -- and this time, keep your comments to yourself."
They continued their exploration of the facility, passing more rooms filled with horrors and hearing more sounds of movement. Eventually, they reached the first cell block and, before entering, Whirl was the first to point out an oddity.
"There aren't any guards around," the ex-Wrecker said. "Are there just no prisoners or are 'Cons just that dumb?"
"Oh, no, there are prisoners," Viral said. "It's just that Gigatron made sure to remove their transformation cogs to make escape more difficult. Besides, it's not like there are any means to leave Talrus."
"Are any of them alive?" Rodimus asked. "Alive as in, you know, alive alive and not like... what we just saw."
"There's bodies are still intact, if that's what you're asking. But having bore witness to everything that's happened to their comrades, they have since lost every last shred of their sanity."
The Decepticon guide led the Autobot further into the cell block. To either side were Autobot prisoners, displaying various states of madness: rambling gibberish, pacing wildly, sitting in a vegetative state, or scribbling meaningless symbols. None of them seemed to acknowledge the newcomers' presence... save for one sitting in a cell near the end of the hall.
"Wait, stop!" the teal-colored mech said, scrambling to his feet. "You're not Decepticons, are you?"
"One of us is, but the rest of us aren't," Rodimus said. "And you are...?"
"Tap-Out," the mech murmured, starting to shake his head. "No, no, no... you shouldn't be... what the slag are you doing here?"
"Um, rescuing you?"
"No... no, no, no! Slaggit!" Tap-Out punched the wall and the sound of it echoed throughout the cell block. "Didn't you get the message? You're doing everything I warned you not to!"
"The message?" Rodimus asked. "We thought you were calling for help--"
"I was warning you to not come here! It must have broken up...." Tap-Out then looked at Viral and said, "You. You were in the coffin. Why didn't you warn them?"
"I did, believe me," Viral said. "Unfortunately, even with the war over, Decepticons are still subject to prejudice."
"Hang on," Nautica said. "What's the deal with coffins? How do you two know each other?"
"Before he left, Viral gave me the equipment I needed to create a communications array, from which I sent the message," Tap-Out said. "In order to avoid suspicion, he played dead and the 'Cons placed him in a coffin, which they then launched into space."
"It was just my luck that I ended up in the sights of a salvage collector ship on its way to Hedonia," Viral said. "Otherwise, I would have been left peacefully floating out in space and no one would have opened the coffin."
"Why?" Rodimus asked. "So no one would come here?"
"That," the Decepticon said, "and because of this."
Suddenly, Viral's chestplate detached itself , morphing into an avian robot, and flew at the Autobots as it unleashed a sonic scream. All seven of them collapsed to their knees, clutching their audio receptors in pain.
"What... the... smelt?!" Rodimus managed to grit out. "We... had a deal!"
"You and I, yes. But my little 'friend' here was not a part of it." Viral held out an arm and the bird-like drone landed on it, still emitting its sonic scream. "I'm sorry, Rodimus, but I did try to warn you. If only you had listened."
The room started to spin and Rodimus knew he was going to shut down. Before he did, a thought crossed his mind as he looked at all six of his companions.
Wasn't there an eighth one of us?
Before he could think of who was missing, the world went black.
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