EDITED 8/17/2019 Made the Mach mentioned here separate from the Victory character (in case I want to introduce the Multiforce later)
CHAPTER TWO
--Fortress Maximus--
"I'm not saying I don't appreciate the effort to come rescue us," Rodimus Prime said as he, Elita-One, Orion Pax and Star Saber stood near the Xantium, watching as their assorted crews and the Scavengers intermingled. "But did you really need to bring nearly everyone."
"They all volunteered, Rodimus," Elita said. "They all have a connection to one of the bots who got abducted. Roller and myself for Orion, Skids and Velocity for Nautica, Rewind for Chromedome, the Wreckers for Kup...."
"Hey, I'm not complaining! Better to have more help than not enough. Now we just need to figure out who's leaving in what ship."
"I don't think we should leave just yet," Orion said. "When Apex was controlling me, I saw glimpses of what he and his Titan Masters were planning. I don't know the details, but it involves Earth somehow. Until we find out what his plans were, we should stay here until further notice."
"Well, Vector's still having his chat with them. And since we're on the subject...." Rodimus glanced at Star Saber. "Have you spoken to Ginrai yet?"
Star Saber shook his head. "I tried approaching him but he wasn't receptive to any of my questions. I knew he had been a Cyberdroid when we set off, but... I didn't think it would ever come to something like this."
"Cerebros seems to be a bit more than meets the eye as well," Rodimus murmured.
"You mean besides the fact that he's suddenly not dead?" Elita asked.
"Yeah, that too."
"Well, in any case, we should find out as much as we can before proceeding anywhere else," Orion said. "I feel that this is just the beginning."
Rodimus smirked. "For me, it feels like just another Davisol."
* * *
"You doing all right?"
"Huh?" Brainstorm lifted his head up to see Chromedome and Rewind standing in the entrance to one of the medbay. Other than the body that laid in front of him, Brainstorm was the only other bot in the room. "Oh. Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine."
"I had no idea Titans had medical centers," Rewind said, trying to make small talk to distract Brainstorm from his grief. He appreciated the thought behind it, but it did little good.
"I guess it makes sense," the archivist went on. "I mean, they are supposed to be cities and everything...."
"Brainstorm...." Chromedome stepped over to the scientist. "I'm sorry about Doomshot."
"Yeah." Brainstorm bowed his head again. "Me, too."
Rewind cleared his vocal processor. "If it's any comfort, I know what it's like to lose someone close. I spent centuries looking for Dominus Ambus only to find what the D.J.D. had done to him. It... it was harrowing. Like someone had just torn my spark out."
"Yeah," Chromedome murmured. "I can't imagine what I would do if I lost Rewind."
Brainstorm sighed. "I do."
The mnemosurgeon shook his head, confused. "Sorry?"
The scientist looked up at him. "Remember Pivot?"
"Remember who? I don't know anyone by that--"
"How about Mach then? Charming fellow from the Aerial Corps."
"Brainstorm, what are you--"
"Or what about Scattergun? Surely you remember Scattergun."
Chromedome shook his head. "I'm sorry, Brainstorm, I really don't know what you're talking about. I don't know any of those people."
"S'what I though." Brainstorm got up to his feet, not meeting the other Autobots' gazes. "If you need me, I'll be doing science stuff. All I've got now, it seems."
"Brainstorm," Rewind called out, but the scientist was already gone.
* * *
"And... that should do it!" Velocity said cheerily as she finished patching up Getaway. "You should be as good as new."
"Thanks, doc," Getaway said as he sat up on the medslab. "No thanks to the 'Con who dealt me in in the first place."
"Stuff it, Autobot," snapped the Decepticon doctor Nickel, who was in the middle of fixing up Skullcruncher. "There's more where that came from, in case you ever--"
"Okay, that will be all now!" Velocity interjected in an overly-cheerful tone. "If you need anything else, Getaway, just let me know!"
"Uh, yeah, sure." The white Autobot got down from his medical slab and was about to head out when a large purple shape appeared in the doorway. "Cyclonus?"
"Where's Ratchet?" the purple flier asked.
"He's busy in Bay-2, fixing up Kup and Windblade." Velocity frowned. "Is your Vehicon body acting up again? You know, Kaput's been offering to help you--"
"It's not me," Cyclonus said. "It's Whirl."
"Uh...." Getaway tilted his head. "I thought Whirl died last year. We had to leave him behind on Luna One before it blew up."
Cyclonus shook his head. "That wasn't Whirl. It couldn't have been, not when he's been with us this entire time."
"How do you mean?" Velocity asked.
Cyclonus stepped aside to reveal a blue helicopter-type Vehicon hovering behind him. "I am convinced that Rotorbolt here is in fact Whirl."
"And I'm convinced that you're a massive idiot," Rotorbolt shot back. "Newsflash, horn-head! There can be more than one blue helicopter! Just because I look like your friend doesn't mean I am him!"
Velocity rubbed her chin. "I... can see where you'd get that impression. Still, what would you have me do?"
"When I was turned into a Vehicon, our captors attempted to override my personality with a shell program," Cyclonus said. "My belief is that Whirl's true self is buried beneath such a device."
"Not buried as deep as your brain," Rotorbolt sniped.
Getaway smirked. "How would we tell the difference?"
"I can't say I have much experience with shell programs," Velocity said. "I'm not sure if I would be able to reverse it."
"I might be able to," Nickel murmured.
The others looked to the Mini-Con in surprise. "You can?" Velocity asked. "But... how?"
Nickel sighed as she finished her work on Skullcruncher. After dismissing him, she rolled over to the others. "When we... when Tarn found out that Vos -- the original Vos -- was an Autobot spy, he forced him into his turbofox form and lobotomized him."
"Yes, I believe Chromedome told us about it after he found out," Velocity remarked. "Ratchet called it domestication. Such an awful thing to do to a bot."
"I know," Nickel said softly. "And I was the one who had to do it."
"And you continued to think the D.J.D. were a cool gang to hang out with despite this?" Getaway asked, bitterness thick in his voice.
"Tarn had done everything to convince me that the Autobots were oppressive monsters who deserved a fate worse than death. It's only now, after seeing the horrors wrought upon my own kind, that I've come to see some of the D.J.D.'s actions for what they truly were...."
"Better later than never," Getaway muttered.
"So you think you can fix him?" Cyclonus asked, dragging Rotorbolt forward.
"I imagine so," Nickel said. "Tarn had me use a device that worked like a shell program. It shouldn't be too difficult to figure out."
"You're all wasting your time," Rotorbolt snarled. "Whoever it is you think I am, they're gone for good. There is only Rotorbolt; nothing more!"
"Honestly, if this doesn't pan out, at least we can keep him as a substitute Whirl or whatever," Getaway said. "He's already two thirds there."
Cyclonus helped the two medics move Rotorbolt to the slab where Skullcruncher had been laying while Nickel got into position over the Vehicon's head. Rotorbolt tried to struggle but was pinned down by Cyclonus' hand.
"I should warn you," Nickel said as she deployed her tools. "I haven't done this in seven years."
Velocity gave her an encouraging smile. "I have faith in you."
"Well," Getaway muttered, "that makes one of us."
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