TRANSFORMERS REGENERATED
THE PRIME WARS
----
CHAPTER ONE
--Velocitron--
"How did I do?"
Clocker blinked, staring at the tall, sleek blue mech standing in front of him. He then glanced down at his chronometer, which had only counted five seconds since he had last looked at it.
"Um, about four or five seconds."
"What?!" Blurr exclaimed. "That can't be right." He snatched the chrono from Clocker's hands and studied it. He then looked down at the smaller bot and frowned. "You didn't even stop it. It's still counting."
Clocker's face fell. "Oh. Sorry. I... I hadn't even realized you'd taken off."
"You said 'go,' didn't you? When someone say 'go,' I go. Why do we think we're here? To twiddle our thumbs?"
"Sorry, sir, I--"
Blurr cut him off as he handed him back the chrono. "Let's try again."
As Clocker took the device, both bots heard the roar of engines as a pair of cars drove up to them on the highway: one red, the other aqua green. Blurr frowned as they drove up, although he was quick to hide it as the two vehicles converted to robot mode.
"Knock Out," he said to the former. "What brings you out here?"
The red one called Knock Out smirked as he planted a hand on his hip. "I should be asking you the same, old timer. I thought you were retired."
"I don't recall ever saying as much...."
"Oh, forgive me. I just assumed opening a bar on Cybertron was your way of saying 'I'm done with racing.'"
"A bot can have more than one interest!" Blurr retorted. "Besides, I'm fast enough to switch between them."
Knock Out chuckled dryly. "I guess I can't argue with that. Anyway, to answer your question..." He gestured to the aqua-green femme standing next to him. "I was just showing Moonracer around. She's a new arrival from Cybertron, like myself."
Moonracer stepped forward and extended her hand to Blurr. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Blurr. I've been an avid fan of yours for years."
Blurr smiled warmly as he shook her hand. "Are you? Well, Moonracer, it's a pleasure to meet--"
"Hold it," Clocker said. "Someone else is driving up."
The other three bots all turned to see a small red and white pickup truck rapidly approaching them. As the vehicle got closer, Blurr's optics went wide.
"Oh, no. Please no."
"Hey, Blurr!" the pickup shouted. "It's me, Swerve! Your biggest fan! Remember?!"
Knock Out raised an optic as he turned to Blurr. "Do you know him?"
But Blurr was already gone, leaving behind nothing but a blue streak as he raced down the highway. As Swerve zoomed past the others after the speedster, Clocker back looked down at his chrono.
"Wow. 0.0001 seconds. I didn't even know this thing could register numbers like that."
* * *
"Don't you think this is slightly overblown?"
Rodimus glanced at Minimus Ambus as he drank from his can of engex. "What is?"
"This." Minimus gestured widely at the crowded bar, filled to the brim with Lost Lighters, Camiens, and Velocitronians. All talking, laughing, arguing, and even singing. The only thing keeping it from being the best party in the history of everything was the lack of dancing -- there was hardly any room for it!
Rodimus grinned at his little green friend. "Not at all, old pal. This is definitely, supremely overblown. That's how we do things."
Minimus sighed. "I suppose I can't argue with that. I just hope we're not annoying the Velocitronians too much with this."
Rodimus looked a few tables over, where he saw Trailbreaker partaking in a drinking contest with a large blue Velocitronian, with several others cheering them on.
"I wouldn't worry about that," he said as he downed the last of his fuel.
As he set the emptied can down, Minimus leaned forward slightly in his seat. "I trust you have a plan, once we're all done here?"
"Well, first of all, we need to find Cyclonus. Whirl told me that he was captured by his old Unicron buddies." Upon seeing the dour look on Minimus' face, Rodimus added, "I know you're not too fond on him, but he's a part of our crew nonetheless. We have to look out for our own."
"No, no, I agree," Minimus said. "I'm just concerned by the mention of 'old Unicron buddies.' Are we sure Cyclonus was actually captured?"
"That's how it sounded, from how Whirl told it," Rodimus said. "Feel free to ask him yourself."
Minimus looked over to the ex-Wrecker in question, who was in the middle of a blazing row with a very large green Velocitronian. Drift and another speedster stood between them, trying to separate the two mechs before a fight could break out.
"I'll pass, thank you," Minimus said quietly.
* * *
"...And you have no idea where Pharma is with your body?"
Ratchet shook his head, a grim expression on his -- or rather, Pharma's -- face. "I wish I did. Last we saw him was on Caminus, before Afterburner turned on us."
First Aid and Ambulon sat across from him at the table, both visibly unsettled by the appearance of their former colleague, who had snapped and started killing patients at Delphi less than a year ago. It had taken some time to convince the two medics, as well as the rest of the crew, of what had happened to Ratchet and that it was not a deception of any sort. Ambulon in particular seemed the most wary, as he and Pharma had never gotten along due to the former's Decepticon past.
While First Aid silently mulled over Ratchet's words, Ambulon spoke up. "You said there was a Decepticon with Pharma as well? A serpentine one?"
"Yeah, I did," Ratchet replied. "Why?"
Ambulon frowned. "From the way you describe him, he sounds like a Decepticon scientist I knew from my time with them. He was part of the team that created me and the rest of the Combicons. His name was Vertebrake, I think."
"Well, he certainly seemed experienced in experimenting on Cybertronian bodies," Ratchet muttered. "I only hope that we have someone with a similar specialty when we finally find my old body."
First Aid raised a hand to his head. "Hey, there's a new... never mind."
Both medics looked at him. "What is it?" Ambulon asked.
"It's nothing. Just... I know you two don't follow Wreckers: Declassified. It's just a useless hobby, I know--"
"Are you kidding?" Ratchet said. "I've been a subscriber since datalog 13."
"Really?" First Aid exclaimed. Ambulon looked incredulous as well. "So you got the alert as well?"
"Well, no." Ratchet frowned. "I probably would have if I still had my old body. I guess Pharma's not a subscriber."
"I thought I heard Fisitron had canceled the series," Ambulon commented. "What with the Wreckers no longer being needed for peacetime."
"Well, it certainly seems like a short entry. Let me read--" First Aid suddenly fell silent, frozen in place. The other two medics looked at him in concern.
"What is it?" Ratchet asked. "Is everything all right?"
"No," First Aid murmured. "Things most certainly aren't." He suddenly rose from the table. "We have to talk to Rodimus. Now."
* * *
Brainstorm shifted uncomfortable in his seat, as did Nautica. The two of them sat on opposite sides of the table, along with Skids and Quickshadow. Very few words had been exchanged in the short time they had been together, mainly because no one knew how they were going to break the silence.
While he already knew why Nautica was acting nervous, he didn't quite understand the deal with Skids and Quickshadow. He didn't know why the latter was glaring daggers at the former, nor did he know why Skids was avoiding optic contact with him.
Although he dreaded it, if there was anything Brainstorm hated more than awkward conversations, it was awkward silences, and he decided he had had enough of this one.
Setting his optics on Nautica, he said, "So did you get my message?"
Startled by the question, Nautica cleared her vocal processor. "I, um... yes. Yes, I did."
"Pop quiz: what was my birth name?"
Nautica huffed, visibly flustered. "Genitus."
"And my construction date?"
"Cycle 8714."
"And for the grand prize: who was my commanding officer?"
"I don't--" Nautica shook her head. "You didn't mention that bit."
"Correct! Congratulations: You did watch my message!" Brainstorm gave a mock applause before staring back at her. "So now you understand, right? Why I did the things I did?"
"Yes," Nautica murmured.
"And that Arcana was the one responsible for me going off path?"
"Yes."
Quickshadow looked confusedly between the two. "I'm lost here."
"Good. Stay lost." Sighing, Brainstorm took a quick refuel before looking between Nautica and Skids. "So what have you guys been up to?"
Before either of the two could respond, a red and white pickup suddenly sped into the bar and drove up to them, transforming into a very panicked Swerve.
"Skids! Skids! Ohmigod! Ohmigod!"
"Calm down, buddy," Skids said exasperatedly. "It's not like this is the first time you've been to--"
"It's Fisitron!" the Minibot cried. "Fisitron's in danger, man! We've gotta help him!"
"Fisitron?" Brainstorm said. "You mean Ironfist?"
"Yes! He's just published a new Wreckers entry! He says he's been captured and taken to a place called Outpost One! Now I don't know about you guys but that sounds very, very bad!"
Brainstorm glanced at Quickshadow, who met his optics. Sighing again, the scientist said, "Out of the frying pan...."
Quickshadow finished, "And into the fire."
THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL
Part 1: A Tangled Web
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