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.