Transformers: Steel Reign

[Cynical Cat]

"I wasn't speaking of accidents," said Deathstrike. Autobots. "I was thinking of shooting him and extracting his memory banks."

[frigidmagi]

Breakout was not amused to have his judgement questioned by a civiebot who spent more time in deep space then in combat. He wouldn't question her on how to dig for energon after all.

"Rodimus led a resistance against Shockwave and survived. Rodimus planned and led the raid that got Overload his new body. Rodimus has managed to have intell assets within the Con Empire. It is my suggestion that you trust me in my call as I would trust you in a search for energon." He said bluntly.

[Charon]

"I wasn't speaking of accidents," said Deathstrike. Autobots. "I was thinking of shooting him and extracting his memory banks."

Shellshock rubbed his eyes again. Decepticons. "It pains me to think that there was a time I thought that was a good idea too, no wonder you didn't get along well with Megatron and his group of backstabbers. No, we cannot do that unless we are feeling particularly suicidal. Any of us shoot him, especially you, and we'll be swiss cheese, understand? At least if it looks like an accident we can get to the information and display it before they shoot us for being traitors, or insane, which I'm not ruling out yet."

[LadyTevar]

Crimson was either blessed or cursed with an expressive set of facial features. Right now, her vocal apeture had dropped open and her optics were wide as she looked from DeathStrike to Shellshock.

"We... we... We Can't Do That!" she exclaimed in shock. "Even with Shiftshot, Prime demanded proof first!"

[Cynical Cat]

Deathstrike growled. "My relationship with Lord Megatron was excellent until I betrayed him," said Deathstrike. "You would do well to remember that it was my error and my flaws that lead me from the Decepticon ranks. And that if we were Decepticons, this matter would be easy to handle. Contempt for your enemy in a matter where your procedures are inferior is both arrogant and stupid.

"What about isolating him and then shooting him? No witnesses. Then bring the evidence to Prime."

[frigidmagi]

"Again we should speak to Rodimus!" Breakout turned to Shellshock, he was a little shocked in all honesty, a warmachine should know better.

"Rodimus may be considered reckless, but most Autobot commanders are to cautious! He led a successful cell against Shockwave on Cybertron, he survived the experience. I submit that without competence that would be impossible. Also without Rodimus Overload would still be in the repair bay! Without him we would not have gotten the needed protoform." Breakout near snarled. It made sense to at least try informing command before going on a fragging run didn't it!?!

[Cynical Cat]

"If you're so opposed to shooting him, I don't see why not," said Deathstrike as he continued to glare at Shellshock.

[LadyTevar]

Crimson was just slowly backing away from the Warbots. Maybe she should contact Overload. Maybe he would make sense of this....

[frigidmagi]

"Shooting him means we cannot find out how compromised our operations are. Also, the Autobots are more likely to believe that you are attempting to serve Megatron by this action, instead of the truth. It is a failing of theirs. Killing Gridlock only serves to remove you, a valuable warrior from our roster and covers up any futher spies that may be in our ranks. Therefore it is not a good idea to shot him and take the memory banks, as the majority of Autobots will believe the data to be faked." Breakout explained. He was a warmachine and not a civilian model and so did not share the same behaviors or thought process. Over millions of years he had however learned to work with the system that his fellow Autobots had created, however flawed he considered it.

[LadyTevar]

Ok.. it was time to get some sanity back.

"Crimson to Overload," she sub-vocalized into her comm. "Please join us at the TargetRange? Your partner is glitching."

[SirNitram]

Far above the Ark, Overload gently eased himself into a turn for final approach. Glitching? What was Crimson on about? "Affirmative. Coming in for a landing.. I hope I get this right.."

Even as he did so, he opened the internal comm that led directly to Shellshock and no one else. "Alright, what've you done that's got Crimson spooked, brother?"

Right, landing gear out, speed to minimum, nose up... ohprimusIhopeIdidthisright...

[General Havoc]

He was a warmachine and not a civilian model and so did not share the same behaviors or thought process. Over millions of years he had however learned to work with the system that his fellow Autobots had created, however flawed he considered it.

Hornet was also a warmachine (technically), but his behaviors and thought processes were all his own, and right now they stood in dumbstruck shock as the others casually bandied about the idea that not only was Gridlock a traitor, but that they should SHOOT HIM and RIP OUT HIS MEMORY CORE.

The only thing stopping him from running screaming to warn Gridlock was the certainty that this couldn't actually be happening.

"We... can't just shoot another Autobot!" exclaimed Hornet out loud. "I don't care WHAT the Decepticons did when this sort of thing happened, WE'RE NOT DECEPTICONS!"

The last line was aimed at Deathstryke, whose last conversation with Hornet had not been forgotten.

[Charon]

Shellshock was pushed to the edge by the Decepticon. It was never a smart thing to push an old bot who remembered the start of the war on issues involving Megatron.

It was nearly suicidal to do so with one of the ones that was a Military model.

"Megatron, for all the good ideas he may have had, was an absolute psychopath! His idea of warfare is disgusting to say the least, like far too many of your kind, he enjoys the slaughter. Not the honor of battle. I've fought you before, child, and I know that you do have some sense of what the word may mean, and that is why you left Megatron and his genocidal lackeys. Honor in combat is what is important, and that is why, unlike you, who will run as you always have, I will die fighting here beside the humans that your kind despise so much, because they know how to fight!"

Shellshock had stalked closer and closer to Deathstrike until he was towering over him, leaning down enough to be faceplate to faceplate with the former Decepticon.

Shellshock didn't seem to have heard what Breakout had said, but then he spoke softly. "I see, Breakout, I may have judged Rodimus too quickly, I was only familiar with his actions before I left Cybertron." Despite the words, none of the hate and anger had left the old warbot's eyes as he stared at Deathstrike.

Overload had heard every last word, Shellshock not having the presense of mind to shut off his internal comm.

[SirNitram]

The squeal of wheels was also a new sensation for Overload. When he finally came to a halt, he transformed, walking in. The entire tirade of Shellshock's had gone into his brainbox. Great. Someone had pushed his buttons. Crimson's comm chimed in her mind. "Alright. What's going on that's gotten Shellshock so angry?"

[LadyTevar]

If anyone was going to run, it was Crimson, who had backed up to stand beside Hornet. When Hornet made his outburst (finally!), she once again took his shoulder and pulled him back slightly.

When Overload asked for the sit-rep, she did manage to keep her reply sub-vocalized. "We ... think we know why Maximal Base fell so quickly. A traitor. Deathstrike wants to .... to shot Gridlock and pull ... pull out his memory core. Shellshock and BreakOut are... ... not disagreeing. Are they all GLITCHED?!"

[SirNitram]

"Our tactical analysis suggested infiltration. I'm not surprised." Overload's voice was sad over the comms. "I need you to contact Prime and get him to pull up my service records. I'll go have a.. chat with Gridlock. I'd prefer there to be no violence." Yet the sadness suggested he expected lots of it.

"Shellshock," His other internal comm spoke up. "I'm going to be restraining the infiltrator and disarming him. If it gets bad, I'll call you. Until then, keep your safety engaged. And don't think less of me for what I'm about to do."

Teletraan was contacted. Overload made his way for Gridlock's current location. He knew this too well; he had lost friends to Megatron's first attempt to convert Autobots. He didn't know if a new Robosmasher had been constructed, or what had happened. But he wasn't going to lose any more friends like this.

Honour was important. But he was willing to stain his, and this was a time that called for it.

[LadyTevar]

"Me?! Contact Prime?! Overload, he won't see me!"

Unfortunately, that wasn't sub-vocalized, and Crimson didn't realize it until a little too late.

[Agent Fisher]

Stryke strolled through the base, wondering where everyone was. He opened a private comm channel to Crimson. "Hey Crim, where are you at?" The warbot asked the fembot.

[Cynical Cat]

Deathstrike addressed Crimson. "I said nothing of killing him. I said shoot Gridlock and take out his memory banks. He's a physically powerful robot, the best method of immobilizing him is a surprise attack with a gun, targeting his vulnerable areas. That way if I am wrong, he can be repaired. Termination would occur after confirmation, of course.

Then he turned back to Shellshock, his eyes blazing. "You call Megatron a psychopath and claim to know him? That alone makes your claims worthless. And you clearly do not understand why I betrayed him. I was weak. I lost faith in his leadership, in his ability to lead us into the future. I let my fear of a future that did not come to pass master me. I betrayed my leader, who had again and again placed his trust in me, rewarded me, and risked his own life to save mine. My treason was not principled. It was cowardly. My weakness killed my friends, because they followed me.

"In that moment I turned away from what I was built to be, from everything I had accomplished. I laid out the path of my downfall and my friends destruction by betraying everyone else who had ever stood by me. I cannot take back that moment, I cannot remove the stain on my honour, but I can choose to live the rest of my life as a warrior and a mechanism of honour, come what may.

"The Decepticons hold too many advantages. To allow dangerous traitors to do more damage is to fail the cause I swore to defend, no matter how much or how little I believe in it."

[LadyTevar]

"Strike!" Crimson exclaimed, latching onto some measure of logic and sanity at the moment. She did at least remember to sub-vocalize this private line. "The rest of the convoy's glitching! They're convinced that Gridlock's the reason why Shiftshot got free, why the base defenses went down so quickly, and now they're talking about shooting Gridlock and pulling his memory banks! Overload's looking for Gridlock NOW!"

[Agent Fisher]

Shaking his head, Stryke replied over the comm. "You do know they have a point. But I'll try to find Overload and keep him from shooting Gridlock, if that helps." Stryke said. He had every intention of finding Overload, just not stopping him.

[LadyTevar]

Shaking his head, Stryke replied over the comm. "You do know they have a point. But I'll try to find Overload and keep him from shooting Gridlock, if that helps." Stryke said. He had every intention of finding Overload, just not stopping him.

"We need to get Ironhide, or Jazz, or someone to discuss it with first," Crimson protested to Stryke. "We don't have enough proof to move on our own!"

[Agent Fisher]

Stryke sighed, responding. "Ok, what do you want me to do? Should I find Overload, or should we go get Ironhide or Jazz or what?"

[LadyTevar]

Stryke sighed, responding. "Ok, what do you want me to do? Should I find Overload, or should we go get Ironhide or Jazz or what?"

"How should I know!" Crimson shouted in his audio circuits. "I'm just the civ-bot, you're the warbot!" Obviously she was about to go glitchy as well.

[Agent Fisher]

"Calm down, Crim. Tell you what, come find me," he said, telling her his location. "We'll go find Ironhide and you can explain whats going on, ok? No need to go glitchy."