Published November 18th, 2013
Chapter Twenty-Six: Breakout
Fireburst grinned in satisfaction as the pod before him opened. He had tried so many times to outdo the Autobots, and now, in a state of desperation, he had finally succeeded. They had opened themselves wide for a power strike, and he had taken the opportunity to its fullest. Some intimidation and a pair of well-formed programs, and he had single-handedly brought multiple protoforms under Decepticon control and incapacitated one of their most powerful allies. He returned his attention to the pod as the protoform revealed itself from the coolant cloud, his spark filled with confidence. The creature that stepped out, though, surprised him.
"Another manticore, hm? Well, nobody said they all have to be different," he muttered to himself. He stepped forward as the two Changelings hid behind him, and introduced himself. "Hello, sparkling. I am Fireburst. I'm not sure how much you're aware of yet, though, so why don't you tell me how much you already know about yourself." The manticore looked at him suspiciously for a moment, then nodded. It stood up on its hind legs as its tail and spine lifted up. Its front legs closed together, and then swung to the right as the tail moved to the left. The new Decepticon's beast head then rotated down onto its chest, and its robot head - a simple, crested dome taking up the top while a faceplate covered his mouth - rose up, allowing the beast head to recess into the torso. His legs folded, and he turned his lower body around as what used to be his beast mode's knees moved up, and the paws separated into large, stabilizing feet. His right hand rotated out from his beast mode forelegs, and his tail laid flat against what was his back as it spun around, revealing his left hand beneath that.
"My name is Harvester. I was designed for Energon extraction and relocation." He opened a panel on his right arm, revealing an Energon storage tank. "I would guess that you'll be using that to full effect, yes?" Fireburst grinned again.
----------------------------------------
"Heehee! It tickles!" Skybreaker's optics widened further as the scanner passed over the unicorn, then stopped and folded back up. He knew he was in trouble. There was a reason for them to be disguised, after all. Unfortunately, the unicorn didn't seem to be aware of that, as she trotted right up to him and started looking him over. "So what are you, anyway? Ooh! Are you an alien? I've always wanted to meet an alien! But you're made of metal. Are you one of the alien's robot workers!? Ooh, this is so exciting!" Skybreaker decided he needed to do something about this, and fast, so he clamped her mouth shut so he could speak. "Mm mmm hmmm HHNNSS!"
"Listen, I don't have time for this right now. There's too much going on, and this place is way too dangerous for you to be here. But since I know you aren't going to leave me alone without answers, here's the deal; you leave right now, go home, keep everything you saw here a secret, and I'll tell you whatever you want later. Alright?" The unicorn suddenly went stiff in his hands, and she looked at him with huge eyes. He cringed away slightly at how big they were, and how unnatural her lack of blinking was, letting go of her muzzle just enough for her to speak.
"Promise?" She said it so fast, Skybreaker jolted in surprise. He collected himself quickly, and nodded. He got another huge smile out of her for this. "Eeeeee! I'm gonna meet an al-i-en, I'm gonna meet an al-i-en." She continued singing to herself as she bounced away.
"Ok, I'll deal with that later."
"Deal with what later?"
"GAH!" Skybreaker spun back around to see a blue unicorn with a floppy red mane and tail standing on the open stasis pod. "Primus, that scared me. Look, we don't really have time to chat right now. So let's do the short introductions, and we can get to the in-depth stuff when we aren't in mortal danger. Sound good?" The unicorn shrugged.
"I guess. The name's Crackshot. I was designed more for combat. Long-range guard duty, overwatch, that sort of thing."
"That's perfect, actually. We need some more firepower. I'm Skybreaker. High-speed reconnaissance. Dark Lance is the commander. He should be here soon, but for now we need to get back to the Star Runner. Everyone else will be headed there as well, so let's go." Crackshot nodded, and followed Skybreaker as he transformed and flew deeper into the forest.
----------------------------------------
"Wheeee!"
"Gah! Will you stop squirming, already?!"
"Sorry, it's just so much fun!"
"Look, Detpack, I know you just came online, and I know this is all very exciting, - trust me on that one, I haven't been here for very long myself - but we need to focus. It's just like Bunker said; always watch the goal, or else it will be gone when you look again. Right now, there are four other protoforms out there, and Fireburst could have already gotten to one of them." The blue-furred diamond dog looked up from where he dangled by Firefall's talons.
"Who's Fireburst, again?" Firefall sighed.
"He's the Decepticon who dragged you and four other protoforms out of orbit to try and reprogram you to join his side." Detpack nodded.
"And just so we're on the same page, remind me; what's a Decepticon?" Firefall nearly dropped out of the sky in shock.
"How can you be this absent-minded?! Did your processor get damaged on impact, or did you fry your circuits somewhere? I mean, really! The Decepticons are warmongers and conquerors. They have no mercy, and no compassion. They destroyed our homeworld, and if they aren't stopped, they'll destroy every other world they come across, too. Now do you understand why we need to move quickly?" Detpack nodded enthusiastically.
"Oh, yeah! Don't want anyone like that running around by themselves. Just one more question, though."
"What?" Firefall grunted.
"Where are we going?" She briefly considered simply dropping him and retrieving him later.
----------------------------------------
Dark Lance began descending as he closed in on the stasis pod's location. There was a relatively short clearing, and he followed it to find a small area littered with bits of wood. On the far side, two Changelings were cowering as a wolf made of wood circled them. Both of them were grounded, sporting several tears in their wings, and numerous injuries on the rest of their bodies. The wolf snarled, a low, stuttering sound that seemed almost like laughter.
"Protoform!" The wolf snapped around at the sound of Dark Lance's voice. "While it is obvious from the damage you have caused here that your programming has been overwritten by Fireburst's corrupter chip, I'll still give you a chance to stop now. I'd rather not end yet another life, if possible." The wolf laughed again.
"And what makes you so sure you'll win? I was designed for battle. I'm a soldier. How do you expect to win against an opponent who was built for fighting, hmmm?" Dark Lance glared.
"Call it a hunch."
"Very well, then. Let's see how long you survive!" He stood up on his hind legs, and his feet slid back, allowing the back half to fold forward, creating a pair of thick, clawed feet. His torso spun around, and his forearms turned outward, switching the positions of his paws and elbows to reveal his hands. His head tilted away from Dark Lance, then split and refolded into its robot form. His tail unfolded, and extended onto his back, allowing him to reach over his shoulder and pull it out as it reformed itself into a rifle. He shifted it into a firing position, and grinned maliciously. "Prepare to be annihilated at the hands of Fangcrusher!"
----------------------------------------
Fireburst walked out into the next clearing, and quickly took stock of the situation. Two statues of Changelings frozen in terror, one open stasis pod with a corrupter chip attached, and the bloody remains of what appeared to be a giant snake. Not what he was expecting to find. He moved into the clearing, inspecting the ground for clues as to what happened, while Harvester checked the pod and the Changelings that were with him looked over their stony brethren. He switched to his sonic vision, using the compressed dirt trails to find movement patterns.
^Hmmm. They came in, but something followed them. Looks like it was this snake, here. But how did they turn to stone? Whatever. That's not important now. Let's see... Looks like the protoform woke up without incident, then transformed... into another snake? Well, that could be interesting. But where did you go, little sparkling?^ He followed the trail to the edge of the trees, turning his head back and forth as he switched to detect Cybertronians. He noticed the signature immediately, apparently looking right at him from a high tree branch, but he continued sweeping his head back and forth, like he didn't know where his target was. After another second of making a show of searching, he turned back around with a grin. As he expected, a hiss emanated from the trees. He immediately transformed, smacking the disguised Cybertronian with his rear legs as they swung upward. Turning around, he regarded his newest acquisition with a condescending smile.
"Did you actually think you would take me off-guard? Come now, no need for that. We're on the same side. In fact, I'm your commander. Now why don't you let me see your true form?" The snake stared up at him, sizing him up. It hissed again, then broke apart as the sound of a t-cog filled the clearing. The lower jaw split to the sides, and the neck twisted, pulling each half to the side into a pair of slender arms. The rest of the snake body twisted, allowing the midsection to push back slightly, while the tail split into equally slender legs, the sides splitting into various armor flaps. The snake head then turned down into a chest plate, revealing a smooth, slicked head. Once again, Fireburst found himself looking at a femme. ^Utterly pointless.^
"So," the new Decepticon interrupted his thoughts before he could lose track, "if you're my leader, then what's your name?" She folded her arms, apparently not impressed.
"My name is Fireburst," he stated, bringing himself to his full height, "and you are now under Decepticon command." She seemed to consider the idea for a moment.
"How about... no?" She jumped away and transformed, laughing as she disappeared into the brush. Fireburst took an instinctive step forward to try and stop her, but she was gone. He recomposed himself, then returned his attention to the others as he transformed again.
"Unimportant. We have better things to do than run off and try to find fools who can't take orders. You two!" The Changelings snapped to attention, anticipating the Decepticon's order. "Contact the rest of your agents. It's time to start phase two."
----------------------------------------
In the Star Runner, Burnout worked furiously at the auto-turret control board. She wasn't trained for this, but Skybreaker wasn't around, Bunker was still heading back, and with Wingshift in a recovery pod and Dark Lance Primus-knows-where, no one else was available to take care of it. So she did the best she could, setting the weapons systems to simply fire at anything that didn't respond with an Autobot code, or leave at the first warning shot. Hopefully no ponies would need them for anything. She returned to her lab, having nothing particularly useful to do other than work on her usual projects, since she didn't have any usable combat gear available to her. Sure, there were a couple of heavy blasters in the cargo bay, but that didn't mean she knew how to use them. The eyes of her beast mode head slid open, revealing a pair of canisters hidden in her tool gauntlet. She looked at them for a few seconds, then sighed and shook her head as the eyes returned to their original position.
^No. Even if I could use that here, it wouldn't affect Fireburst, which means it would be pretty much useless, anyway.^ She sighed again, and flipped her blade into ready position, studying it for a moment. ^I need to get another weapon.^ Her musings were cut off by the rumbling of blaster fire. She rushed back to the bridge, entering just as the door was ripped open with the sound of shrieking metal. She readied her blade as a red claw stepped into view, followed by the rest of the body of Fireburst. ^Well, scrap.^
"Ah, Burnout, so nice to see you again. What, no welcome party? And no Wingshift, either? My, my, you Autobots really have lost your knack for entertaining guests, haven't you?" His teeth bared in a wide smile as Harvester followed him in, trailed by several Changelings. "I'll tell you what: you show me where Bloodwing and the others are, and I won't kill you right now. How's that sound?" He transformed, towering over the Autobot medic, even from across the room. "Or, you could try to fight me, and I'll just cut you a little, then let you rust. Either way, I'm going to get what I want." Burnout glanced at the door to the cell area to make sure it was locked. It was, but Fireburst noticed the movement of her optics and started moving for the portal anyway.
"No way!" Burnout rushed him, attempting to stab him in the chest, but he easily parried the strike with one of his own blades, then used his claw to stab through her gauntlet. He ripped out several bits and pieces upon removal of his limb, and Burnout fell to the floor, clutching her injured arm in agony.
"Let's be honest here; we both knew that wasn't going to work." He strode to the door, and drew his other blade. He drove both swords into the thick metal, then twisted, cutting a large hole in the barrier. He tossed the scrap metal aside, and stepped through. Down the hall, the blast doors were still shut, but the panel on the wall was easy enough for him to find. He yanked the entire protective cover off, but instead of simply trying to hack into it, he decided to try something else. "Harvester, come here." The other Decpticon came up and transformed, readying his tools. "See if you can simply drain the power from the door mechanism, unlock it that way. The rest of you, search the ship for the others' weapons. They'll want them soon enough." The Changelings scattered, and Harvester stepped up, jamming his stinger into the control console and beginning the syphoning process. A few seconds later, a dull *thunk* sounded as the magnetic locks disengaged, and Fireburst stood in front of the first door. He squatted down, hooked his claws under the door, and heaved upward. The door itself was heavy, and designed with almost no room to move, making it a tight fit into its storage space. Inside, Sharpedge looked up as Fireburst grunted a little from exertion. He jerked his head outside, and she quickly gathered her wits and scrambled out. Fireburst stepped back and let go, letting the door fall loudly back into place. He moved to the next, and lifted it to find Crosswire, ready to exit as soon as the door cleared his shoulders. Letting that door fall back into place as well, he moved to the third door, and Sharpedge stood on the other side. They both lifted, revealing Bloodwing standing tall, waiting for the barrier to lift high enough that he could walk out unhindered.
"I'm impressed, Fireburst. You managed to bring low the Autobots with nothing but fleshlings, scrap, and some ingenuity. That's going to make all of us look good." Fireburst smiled.
"Yes, sir." The door slammed back down, and Bloodwing walked over to the individual he didn't recognize.
"You must be one of the protoforms Fireburst brought down from orbit. And you've already proven your usefulness. What's your name?"
"Harvester. Sir." Bloodwing grinned in satisfaction at having another subordinate.
"Well, then, Harvester, welcome to the Decepticon cause. We'll give you a full briefing later, right now I wish to retrieve my property." Fireburst stepped forward.
"I've already sent the Changelings to find it, sir. They shouldn't be too long."
"Excellent. In that case, let's find out what our dear Autobot friends have left for us to play with." He strolled down the hall toward the bridge, and casually ducked through the impromptu opening Fireburst had made. On the other side, Bloodwing saw Burnout stumbling against the wall, obviously heading for the communications room. He walked up next to her.
"Burnout, what's gotten into you?!" He said with as much mock-concern as possible. "With wounds like these, you shouldn't be wandering around the ship!" He grabbed her bad arm, and began not-so-gently pulling her toward the med-lab. "We need to get you in a recovery pod right now! Come on, you're a doctor! You should know better!" His false concern fell with every step, quickly fading into a cruel smile. He hauled her into the med-lab, and shoved her into one of the pods, closing it and setting it to the maximum settings before she could get back out. The pod filled, and she began hitting the glass, futilely attempting to break it and escape. Bloodwing watched her gleefully for a moment before addressing his subordinates.
"You know, I asked her once why we never used the highest settings on these things. She told me they were only for the most grievous of wounds, and that putting in a mostly-healthy Cybertronian would cause the nanobots in the tank to 'repair' too much, interfering with motor functions, Energon flow, and lots of other things, effectively putting whoever is inside into a state of immobilization. A waking death." He grinned maliciously as a Changeling appeared from one of the hallways. He looked to see what it had, and his optics lit up at seeing his sword and shield. "Ah! More good news. This is a fine day, indeed." He went over and recovered his weapons,immediately putting his shield on and drawing his sword to give it a few experimental swings. "Just like I remember it. Now-"
*KABOOM*
Bloodwing spun around to see Burnout collapse out of the destroyed recovery pod, coughing and sputtering as Crosswire picked himself up off the floor across the room, where he impacted the wall. He looked up, and gaped at the sight of Dark Lance standing in the door, his left arm changed into a cannon and his right arm carrying what appeared to be an unconscious Cybertronian.
"Now," Dark Lance began, "who's up next?"