[ti]Ep 2.5[/ti]Cruor [Closed]

[Breakdown]

     Breakdown was able to keep his footing at least, even as the ship had something of what could be compared to a mech when they had FAR more high grade rounds than they should have. He was busy assisting the Vehicon who had run into him, keeping the much smaller one steady while things were trying to level out.

     Chaos was beginning to be a nice word for what the frag was going on around the ship. The sounds of the yells actually hurt him and it wasn't just because of the fact it was loud. No, the voices were of the Vehicons he knew and befriended, and seeing them in such a state was bad enough. Hearing them? Knowing he wasn't where they were to keep them safe and help them to fight? It tore him apart. Enough that he would have left Knock Out's side if he hadn't thought that urgency was greater. Though his pedes did shift, hinting that his spark was pulling him to go see what was happening with the Vehicons, aware that no one else would. He had to. He WANTED to.

     But Knock Out was on the move again and Breakdown had no chance to think things through. His processor was spinning as he attempted to figure things out, but he wasn't the one with smarts. He was made to break things, not solve puzzles. That was his partner's job, and even the cherry red medic seemed to be failing with that. Or maybe he had succeeded and that's why he was running again, because he definitely wasn't going in the direction of where the apparent issue was happening.

     "Be safe. Go to your siblings and for frags sake, keep me informed on what is going on," Breakdown said to the Vehicon as he rested a large servo on his helm. "If keeping safe means to stay out of sight and retreat, then by Primus all of you DO it. Understood? I'll handle any punishment that may come from that. Go."

     He pulled his servo away then took off after Knock Out like an obedient puppy who needn't have the words of his master to be at his heels.

[Deleted]

Much to Skywarp's disappointment, Flatline did not stay conscious for long. This meant he was released from the agony of having part of Skywarp's considerable weight resting on top of him. There was a whine, then Flatline's body went slack underneath his foot.

Utterly disappointing.

It meant that there was no further point to damaging Flatline - the mech wouldn't feel it all. It also meant that standing over an unconscious body was going to be a boring task. Skywarp frowned at Flatline's frame, then raised his head and looked down the hallway.

Maybe he should follow…

"What is going on?!"

Megatron's voice, bellowing down the hallway in the direction that Knock Out and Breakdown had gone. Skywarp's budding desire to go after the other two mechs was promptly squashed. He recognised that tone. That was Megatron in a rage and not a single Decepticon wanted to be in his path or face his wrath, not even Skywarp.

Not going there, nope, things were fine over here. Skywarp was now glad to be left behind to stand guard over Flatline. There was a twisted part of him that hoped that Knock Out and Breakdown would be caught in the warlord's path. Serve them right, for leaving him behind with such a boring job!

However…he couldn't hear those heavy footsteps thundering down a hallway. Perhaps Megatron was further than he thought and his voice had carried louder than the rest of him. Skywarp wasn't given long to ponder over this discrepancy - suddenly the speakers crackled and gave a metallic groan. It sounded like the intercom system was malfunctioning - there was soft clicks then a sudden bang and loud static.

Skywarp didn't startle, but he did lean backwards and gave the speakers a puzzled look. Especially when the primary broadcast suddenly was overrode with the Vehicon comm channel.

Even Skywarp could tell that this night was getting weirder.

He didn't care much for Vehicons, in fact, he couldn't care less about them. That they were panicking and it sounded like they being attacked? Skywarp only felt curious about what was doing the attacking. Maybe he could have another fight tonight, that could be fun! He didn't even consider his injury as a hindrance.

However, while Skywarp stood atop Flatline's unconscious form during the chaotic outbursts, he would receive a comm from Knock Out, the easily recognizable voice broken and static laden like the Vehicons yelling over the speakers.

::Something has happened! // BREAKDOWN // ATTACKED ME!!::

Skywarp quirked an optic at the message. Much like with the Vehicons, he didn't care all that much that the chief medical officer had been attacked, only that it offered the possibility of a fight with Breakdown. He did think it was weird for Breakdown to have turned on the medic but it had been a night of weirdness all round, so who knew. Perhaps he'd earn another favour with Knock Out if he saved him from the other grounder. However, there were too many different things vying for his attention and rather than respond quickly, the seeker opted to take his time instead.

He finally removed his foot from Flatline, then swung his uninjured hand down and hauled the unconscious medic up, onto his shoulder. Skywarp wasn't done with Flatline and while he doubted the medic would go absolutely nowhere even if he did wake up, he didn't quite feel like having to chase the spindly mech down again when there could be other things he could be beating into a pulp. Better to have Flatline closed by.

Just as he did that, Skywarp felt a shift in equilibrium, the ship's flight path changing slightly. There was the distant roar of the Nemesis's engines. The seeker's brow furrowed, ugh, whatever was going on?

With Flatline sprawled over his shoulder and his left hand holding the mech there, Skywarp calmly headed off, down the hallway which Knock Out and Breakdown had headed down earlier. He'd turn the corner just in time to see Breakdown bolt for the command centre, leaving a Vehicon behind. Knock Out was nowhere in sight. Maybe the medic had fled when he'd been attacked?

Whatever. Skywarp's pace picked up a little as he followed Breakdown but he hadn't broken into a run. He could do so, quite easily actually, Flatline wasn't slowing him down. It was just that there were too many things going on and the seeker was still trying to figure out which one he was meant to be dealing with first.

[Zercon]

The banking turn was severe, much sharper than was normal for the warship that tended to favor the medical and science wing of things. Gradual, calm, more often than not the movement of the massive spacecraft wasn't even able to be felt unless you were intentionally trying to notice it, the tiny humming vibrations of the engines deep in the bowls of its system being most notable. But not this time. No. this was abrupt and hooking, meaning that there was likely chaos in working rooms where rounded tools and components would tilt and slide down to the floor below.

All in all, for how tight this turn was, it wasn’t anything that should THROW anyone down off their feet, the only ones to fall being those that were looking at the angle of the hallways to orient themselves, and not rely upon their internal gyroscopes and other balancing tools. What looked to be up wasn’t actually up, and that was the real killer. Despite this easy fix, RGE-529 was grateful Breakdown helped, for not only did his grip keep him from sliding or stumbling, it helped to try to root him down so he could attempt to pull himself from the fear he was experiencing.

He was stronger than this! He wasn't like the others! He was a fighter, and he knew what he was doing! But this was a situation he had never faced before, and the frantic yells of his siblings was starting to bother him. He had heard so many of them dying before, but this... what was happening!?

"Is it the Autobots!?"

He finally cried out, though felt foolish after he had done so. The Autobots were participants in this so called truce, and they were too goodie goodie to tear up this long desired cease fire for a sneak attack. Then again, if they were devious enough to do this... it would be a crippling blow that would even out their numbers. They would have had plenty of time to track and plan, without Megatron impairing their progress actively, and they would have opportunity to actually WIN for a change. The truce was going to kill them all! Only... the roar wasn't any Autobot he knew, and what happened with Flatline wasn't their doing...

RGE-529's inner thoughts were snapped away when Breakdown addressed him, his bright red visor looking up to the large mech for guidance and direction. He could hear Knock Out running off down the hall and away, but his attention remained locked while he took in what new directives were being dollied out. Really... what Breakdown said conflicted him. It was their job to serve the Decepticons, to serve the warship. It was their purpose to fight for their Warlord! And to hide away like that...? It didn't make sense, and clashed with what they knew to do. But... organizing themselves wasn't working, as the cries and yells continued.

"I need someone to report for the hanger!"

"Frag! Get down!"

"Hanger is clear."

"Unit two location request."

"What is going on?"

"Hanger is NOT clear!"

"Where did unit four go!?"

"I got separated from my team!"

"Shots in east quadrant."

"Shockwaves lab clear."

"Shots are EVERYWHERE you moron!"

RGE-529 seemed to deflate when Breakdown's hand rested over his helm. It was a childish gesture, one he would normally swat away to retain pride and ego, but he didn’t so much at flinch, watching until the hand was removed so he could salute.

He didn't want to be alone...

Sadly his new company wasn't ideal either.

The Vehicon looked over when Breakdown departed, seeing Skywarp following with Flatline draped over a shoulder. He was going to ask something, a crackle of his voice box activating, but he didn't have a chance to do so before the seeker's form turned its back on him to continue after Breakdown at a notable pace.

o-oh... ok...

RGE-529 watched their backs for a moment in dismay, before he turned down a path and disappeared.

--------------

The door to the Control Room was a reasonable distance away, but seemed even longer due to the panic and chaos of the moment. The hallway was still canted at an angle, the Nemesis growling in protest as it's hooking turn continued with no end in immediate sight. Other than this, nothing was out of place, nothing was wrong. The path was clear for them up until the last stretch where the pair of Eradicon guards that had been stationed at the door were cast aside into a crumpled heap. Their frames twitched minimally, electrical charges flicking through their system to create the involuntary spazzums. Alas, the newcomers wouldn't have a chance to really absorb this fact, for the doors automatically spiraled open, to make way for the Control Room just as the ship started to level out and stop its rotation.

The Control Room was both a functional place that served as the heart of the Nemesis, while also being an architectural piece of art. It yawned open instantly beyond the door, the circular room dropping down multiple levels, while a suspended platform stretched out into its centermost point. At each level where the floor dipped deeper to create another work area, purple lighting streaked in a soft glow, framing the hole in delicate rings that faded away into jagged shadows at its deepest point.

At the outermost ring on ground level sat multiple terminals and work areas that typically held numerous soldiers, all manning and monitoring the sections of the ships functions. Each purple screen however was left empty, glyphs and information readouts left blinking and chirping for attention they were not able to receive. Red glyphs and etches marked in-between each station served as sharp contrast, but the largest contrast however, was the streaking light that flowed in from the front shudders that were slid open and away to see where the ship was heading.

Jagged shadows, piercing darkness, the gloom and dread of the Control Room was cut into violently by orange and golds that sliced through dusty air in visible beams. It made it hard to see straight ahead from the ship, eyes needing time to actually adjust and cope with the lighting, but if they were able to focus out into the searing sky, the other Decepticons would be able to see they were over the ocean, the distant roll of large swells and rich blue water curling below with ragged activity.

Soundwave was standing right in the middle of all this, his frame traced in light which pushed his navy and black body to look like a solid shadow with the harsh contrast. Scythe like shoulders hooked up on either side, and slender arms hung down in front of him at rest, helm steadily angled in their direction to observe and watch. Spooled out from his lower 'ribcage' were two thick cables that snaked down to the ground, before draping up to connect with the computer terminal at the head of the ship. He was still, unmoving, the only motion on his frame being soft magenta lights pulsing in a rhythm down the data cables to indicate an upload currently in progress.

He just stared, waiting, watching, didn’t relay anything, and didn’t make an action.

[Knock Out]

Knock Out was so focused on getting from where he was to the Control Room, that the turning of the ship did little to affect his balance. He could think fast, and was small and agile enough to go with the flow – adjusting to things as they happened. It was still beyond concerning though at how severe the actual turn was – it was almost like they'd changed course, or were starting a destination to somewhere else.

As Knock Out ran, he heard the Vehicon's question from behind him and he tsk'd softly. As if the Autobots had the technology to do something like this. He'd turn the corner and be out of sight, intending to follow through with this plan on getting to the Control Room even if Breakdown decided not to come with him. He didn't know at this point what he was going to actually do once he got there – but he'd work it out when he did.

There were more yells over the speakers. It was so loud, so noisy and unnerving, that he wondered why more of the higher-ups hadn't started wandering the corridors screaming to know what was going on. To get some order back into the hallways and the ranks of the troops. Surely this had drawn the attention of Starscream? Or even Megatron? Where was he? That yell before...

He shook his head, growling out in frustration as he ran – listening to the many voices as he kept a grip on the Energon Prod – he had a feeling he'd need it.

Hanger is clear. Hanger is not clear. Shots are everywhere.

Well... They weren't here. He found it odd that this area... Aside from the yell from Megatron and whatever the frag that thing was that roared earlier? Was eerily quiet. With something so huge like this, he expected Vehicons to be rushing around everywhere as they scrambled to make sense of everything. But there was nobody. Just him, and... Finally, the familiar footfalls of Breakdown as he followed the cherry-red mech.

Knock Out saw the two bodies of the Eradicons, a servo leaning on the wall to steady himself as the ship continued in its dramatic turn. Sadly, though, he didn't have time to check them out to see if they were actually still online. They were twitching, but that didn't help him much. Even if he did have the time? The door spiraled open in front of him as if urging him inside.

Here goes nothing. He'd push himself off the wall as the Nemesis seemed to straighten out and stabilize, and would move inside the room.

His gaze immediately went to Soundwave. How could it not? He was such an imposing figure against the darkness of the room, highlighted by the orange and golds lighting that pierced through the air. Plus it didn't help that Soundwave seemed to be looking right at him. Then again, he couldn't tell given his visor. Then, his optics noticed the snakelike cables that came from Soundwave's frame and would follow them... Into the terminal.

It was Soundwave doing this.

Or at least, that was his first thought. Where the hell was Megatron? That was his second. Their Warlord wouldn't allow the frantic yelling over the speakers to happen as long as it had, surely? He liked order. This was chaos!

He'd just have to... Play hero. Or do what he thought was right, which at this point was to get Soundwave away from doing whatever the hell it was that he was doing. Knock Out wasn't sure if Soundwave was helping or hindering this situation. Was he controlling the ship? Was he steering them away from something terrible? Maybe if he talked or reacted, then Knock Out would give him the benefit of the doubt... But... He'd been so unresponsive to everything tonight. Surely any normal mech would've at least reacted to something this evening.

He didn't have time to stand here and think about it though. Fight or flight mode kicked in, and he would charge forward – thumb sliding to turn the Energon Prod on, and would lunge at Soundwave before Breakdown would make his way fully into the room and stop him. The big blue mech would arrive just in time to see his cherry-red partner making an attempt to attack Soundwave, and would stop dead in his tracks, dumbfounded as to what was going on – ready to step in if needed, which he no doubt would since Knock Out was going up against an ex-gladiator, second only to Megatron...

There was a 50/50 chance that Knock Out was making the right move, but he'd rather get into trouble for assuming and being overly cautious and taking some initiative than not doing anything and having things end up a hundred times worse.

Best case scenario was that this was, in fact, nothing more than a terrible nightmare, and that he'd wake up soon.

[Deleted]

The floor beneath Skywarp's feet tilted as the ship turned. The big seeker frowned but kept going, his pace was slow enough to allow him to adjust to the change in angle. Everything was just so strange. He'd thought that all that taking down Flatline was all that needed to be. Now the Vehicons were panicking, the comm channels flooded with utter chaos and confusion, Breakdown had attacked Knock Out, the ship was changing course…it didn't seem to end.

And his injury was making itself known again, throbbing in agony. Before, he'd been standing around, not doing much. Now every step jostled the harpoon and what had once been a slow drip of energon had become a much steadier flow.p. His repair nannites were unable to work fast enough, they could not block the lines that were being constantly sheered away by the moving piece of metal embedded in his hand. Energon splattered on the floor as Skywarp followed Breakdown, ignoring the Vehicon as he thundered by. He left a trail that would span from the junction up and into the command centre.

A pair of Eradicons lay in a defeated pile beside the door to the command room. Skywarp continued on, past them without a second look. He caught sight of Breakdown standing inside the room and began to slow down. Now Skywarp had an opportunity to finish what had been first started when the mech had run into him earlier tonight. And best of all? Knock Out had been the one to call for help!

Skywarp had only one functioning hand and right now it was preoccupied with keeping Flatline steady on his shoulder. He needed to free it.

He also needed to put down Flatline if he was going to fight Breakdown properly.

Deciding to do two things at once, Skywarp grabbed Flatline by the back of his neck and then would fling him at the grounder just after Knock Out reached Soundwave. There, that solved two problems and served as a distraction. Three things at once, amazing!

Skywarp would then finally pick up his pace, cover the remaining ground between them. His free hand would be curled in a fist, arm cocked back, ready to throw a punch. He didn't care if he hit Breakdown or Flatline or both.

[Zercon]

Knock Out. Cocky, arrogant, sass and flair with a need to be the center of attention. Greedy just as them all, superficial to a fault. Medic by training, combatant out of necessity. Bold enough to have surges of bravery, cowardly enough to flee from the rest. Relies upon partner, crutch, boon, liability.

Breakdown. Emotional, wild opposite. Folds into background. Aggressive in battle with skill and power, passive and caring on the warship. Interacts with Vehicons, treats as independents. Helps build budding culture within rank and file. Over attached to partner, crutch, boon, liability. Lion.

Soundwave's helm rose ever so slightly when the two flowed into the room, the black visor no longer holding any imagery projected across its surface. The two newcomers both looked bewildered, confused, trying to piece together what was happening, and that was ok. Wait. Don’t move. Observe. No... they decided to move anyway, or at least one did.

Knock Out was charging, taking up the role the larger blue mech typically claimed as his own. It was uncommon to see the smaller individual grasp the lead like this, but at the same time he was taking initiative and acting brave ever since chaos erupted in pulsing waves. Chased down Flatline himself, didn't hide from Megatron, charged to the Control Room on his own, and now charged at him. At Soundwave. Perhaps it was the high grade; perhaps he was adapting and changing among his peers. Whatever the source, whatever the inspiration, it was folly, and foolish.

Suicidal.

Soundwave didn't move until the very last moment, and by that point it was far too late for Knock Out to change his actions, or reconsider just what it was he brought down upon himself. Instantly the Energon Prod snapped forward while the spymaster shifted to the side minimally, causing the crackling prongs to slide beneath his arm and harmlessly jut out behind him just shy of the control panel. The moment the prod reached the pinnacle of how far it would stretch, his slender limb slammed down to pin and trap the weapon between his arm and body, locking it in place.

Swooping forward, the inky black visor swung down mere inches from Knock Out's faceplate, overbearing, looming, his static laden field crackling with warning and threat. The posture shift caused none of the rising sun's light to touch the red mech, casting him in the jagged shadows of the larger gladiatorial figure. This only held for a fraction of a second, the briefest flicker of time, before he inclined his helm just enough to see Skywarp and just what was happening there.

Skywarp. Childish, throttled, loyal, but impulsive. Acts without rhyme or reason, with only drive being personal gain and serving Megatron. Questionable morals. Teleporter by skill, brawler by choice, front-liner with eager zeal. Distractible, resilient. Keep away from Shockwave.

Flatline. Arrogant, sarcastic, aims to help on own terms. Striving medic, forced scientist, schemer. Scrounger. Rat. Combat skills none, field ability minimal. Prideful, counter to Knock Out. Unrealistic ambition.

While Soundwave could see what was happening, and just what Skywarp was doing with Flatline, the visor was still mostly angled towards and visible to Knock Out, and it flickered to life with an image.

It was a wire topographical map, but it did not show a landmass, or a city, it looking more like a sound field that undulated up and down in even rolling hills. Glyphs and icons jittered out, coordinates, while a red reticle flicked and spiraled in at a point above the map's image. It locked down then, a tiny click, before there was a rupture of light across the way, and... the floor that Breakdown had just moments prior was... it was gone...

Breakdown was gone.

A snarled spiral of the ground bridge closing shut, the hurling mass of Flatline's unconscious form narrowly avoid hitting the falling Breakdown. Soundwave did not falter, and with precision of timing and action, his free hand reached up, grabbed onto Knock Out's shoulder, and using strength one would not expect from such a narrow mech, he hurled the CMO at Flatline, their paths destined to make a mid air collision.

Whatever the outcome, he did not watch, helm inclining then to peer directly at Skywarp and the confusion that was likely in play for the poor seeker, making pseudo 'eye contact' just as the ship's systems roared instantly to life and his peds locked down in place with a magnetic clutch.

The Nemesis was a powerful space faring vessel. It could travel galaxies, and has done so under its own propulsion. To be on Earth, to roam its orbit or hover as low as it was to its surface or waves, was down-playing its capabilities. But now, now noises that have not been heard in some time booted up, as the true engines of the Warship roared active with a trembling snarl of planetary travel.

A blip, a relay was sent out to every individual on the Nemesis.

Every soldier, every trooper, and every individual on the grand vessel would suddenly receive a tiny glyph of a smile...

...Just as the ship's tail end heaved violently up towards the sky.

[Knock Out]

So far? Everything was going okay.

Well, as okay as they could've, considering the circumstances.

He was charging Soundwave, and the spymaster wasn't moving, or reacting at all to his movements. Maybe he was so focused on whatever it was that he was doing to the computer terminal that he was completely unaware of Knock Out and the imminent attack.

Knock Out wasn't a fighter. He had moments of bravery now and then when he knew that Breakdown was around to back him up, but he lacked the combat skill to actually be much use – especially without his Energon Prod. He was a distraction. An agile fast blow or shock to stun his opponent, while Breakdown followed through with a powerful attack to down whoever it was they were fighting.

The pair didn't need to communicate out loud to co-ordinate their attacks or movements. They'd been together since during the war and had perfected the art of working together in harmony. They could read each other's movements, even ones that were so subtle that others may not notice. Some weren't subtle but were still confusing to an outsider – Knock Out flashing his lights in a form of code, for example. This was what he would do now – only not the lights on his chassis, no... Instead, the red bio-lights on his back would glow twice – signaling Breakdown to help once he'd struck the first blow.

Sadly Breakdown wouldn't get that chance.

Knock Out had been so focused on what he was doing that he hadn't heard Skywarp enter the room. He wasn't aware what was going on behind him – and he had every confidence that this attack would hit and that Breakdown was paying attention and would follow through to attack Soundwave.

Everything was going okay.

Until it wasn't.

A subtle movement at the last second, which left Knock Out with no time to readjust his aim or path. Regret flooded into his field as the Energon Prod missed the taller mech entirely and slid harmlessly beneath his arm in horrible slow motion. Then Soundwave slammed his arm down, pinning the weapon and rendering it useless.

Soundwave was creepy at the best of times, but now that he'd swooped down into Knock Out's personal space and was all up in his faceplate with his field crackling with warning? Knock Out could do nothing more than attempt to flinch back and away – letting go of the only defense he had.

Hopefully, Breakdown was seeing this. He was going to charge in and save the day any second now. He was going to save Knock Out from this no doubt imminent death, and things would be alright. Sadly for Knock Out? He wasn't aware that Breakdown was no longer even on the ship. He saw Soundwave's visor change, he saw the topographical map... coordinates... But it didn't click he was doing something. He didn't know how to read Soundwave's visor! It could've been the current location for all he knew! He heard the ground bridge. Or at least he thought he did. He didn't know. Everything was so confusing and happening so fast.

It still hadn't clicked.

Not that he had time to dwell or ponder the situation at hand, for a split-second later he had been grabbed and found himself being flung through the air toward the door. He'd been expecting to hit a wall, and had started to curl his frame – ready to brace himself for the impact.

Which came a lot sooner than it should've. He hit Flatline mid-air, gasping out as metal collided against metal – and fell in a rather ungraceful heap onto the floor.

Where had Flatline come from? What was going on?

Weakly, he'd lift his helm and made a half-attempt at pushing himself up with his arms. He saw Skywarp, but no Breakdown.

And then it clicked. The sound of the ground bridge. The map, and the coordinates.

Breakdown was gone.

Before he could question, before he could even react in horror to what could've possibly happened to his partner? There were more terrifying noises from the Nemesis – ones that Knock Out hadn't heard in a long, long time, and didn't expect to hear again for a long time yet. The normal whir and hum of the engines were nothing more than background noise that most drowned out – but this... It caught him off guard, and the violent movement that followed made him lose his grip and balance, any attempt he had at scrambling to his pedes was gone – and he'd fall back once more.

...Breakdown was really gone.

He saw the relay. The smile. Rage flooded his field, but... What could he do? He'd lost his weapon, and Breakdown was Primus even knows where at this point. He was defenseless. Aside from Skywarp, that is... But he couldn't even focus on him right now.

::M-Megatron my Liege! The command room! Hurry!::

He called over the public comms. His voice pleading. Pathetic almost. He wasn't ordering Megatron, but begging him for help. This wasn't him being dramatic like before. The fact that the speakers had gone absolutely haywire with Vehicon voices and the fact the ship was now in motion and flying almost vertically? That showed that he wasn't just being a whiny crybaby. It showed that things were terribly, terribly wrong. He didn't know what else to do. He'd get perceived as being weak, maybe punished later for it – but right now? He didn't care.

[Deleted]

What the-

It wasn't the flash of light that alerted Skywarp to the ground bridge that would whisk Breakdown away. Half a moment prior to it opening, there was a pressure in his head as time and space got distorted. There was instant repulsion, Skywarp never knew the why behind it but he knew he hated being near or inside a portal that wasn't his. This slowed his charge down before it had even began to build up momentum.

One moment, Flatline had been flying towards Breakdown. The next moment, Breakdown had vanished, whisked away by a ground bridge. Confused, the seeker began to draw to a stop. He watched as Flatline's flight was suddenly interrupted by Knock Out-

Knock Out? Where had he come from? And why had he been thrown into the air?

Finally looking around and taking in the command room, Skywarp saw Soundwave down by the central computer console. The shutters behind him were wide open, allowing in light that was normally sealed away. The spymaster's cables were out and plugged into the console next to him, while Knock Out's energon prod was tucked under the mech's arm.

…

…

…

Yeah, no, this wasn't making any sense to him. Had Knock Out attacked Soundwave? …why had Knock Out attacked Soundwave? The Decepticon spymaster was a loyal subject of Megatron and it was currently beyond Skywarp's realm of comprehension to imagine that Soundwave was at fault. Soundwave was pretty much a living extension and embodiment of Megatron's will. Whatever he was doing, it had to be for the Decepticon cause. It had to be authorised…surely?

He wasn't given long to gawp dumbly at the scene. The Nemesis creaked and shuddered, the floor tilted once again beneath Skywarp's feet. The seeker stumbled and tried to regain his balance as he heard the main engines fire up. Skywarp hadn't heard the Nemesis's inter-planetary engines before but he'd been stationed on smaller warships and the sound was familiar - if louder than he'd ever heard before in his life. His comm channel suddenly blipped with a message - a smiley face- what???

Another mech might have attacked by now. Another mech might have put together that Soundwave had highjacked the Nemesis and that whatever he was planning, he needed to be stopped. Skywarp wasn't that mech and far too many things had changed on him in a few fleeting seconds for him to keep up.

The floor tilted again, this time pitching forward at a far more severe angle than before. Skywarp had to grab a nearby workstation to prevent himself from sliding forth. His other hand flailed through the air, energon dripping with every wild lurch.

What…?

It was when Knock Out called out for help to Megatron over the comms that the seriousness began to sink in for Skywarp. That this, whatever it was, that Soundwave was out of control. If there was one thing Megatron valued highly, it was his personal warship and there was no way that he'd allow anyone to pilot it into the ocean, not even Soundwave.

Something clattered behind Skywarp. One of the Eradicons had slipped through the doorway and was now skidding downwards towards him. The seeker frowned, he had only one good hand and it was holding on to a terminal.

Ah well.

Impact. The Eradicon collided with him and caught on the seeker's bulky frame. He rocked a little with the blow but his grip on the workstation was strong and thus Skywarp did not budge. He had no idea if the guard was alive or not, but didn't care. What it was right now was useful. Skywarp let go of the workstation, then grabbed the Eradicon as he begun to slide downwards.

He would throw the Eradicon towards Soundwave as a distraction. Then Skywarp would vanish and reappear - not behind him, as the ship's angle would work against him - but beside Soundwave. Unlike earlier, Skywarp could not prepare a kick as the footing was treacherous. But he would have his free arm already snaking out, ready to grab whatever bit of Soundwave he could reach.

[Zercon]

As the spaceship canted up at a severe angle with no reprieve in sight, Soundwave's mass rolled back, and his slender hands reached behind him to brace against the master control to keep from tipping completely backwards. His peds were magnetized, using the inbuilt systems to be able to walk in areas with zero gravity that many of their kind possessed, but that didn’t mean gravity would not affect the rest of him, and it also didn’t mean that they would solve everything with what was going on. But hey... now that the objective was essentially reached, he could now put his focus entirely upon Knock Out and Skywarp and what they were trying to accomplish.

Calling for help. Seeking higher rank and power.

Soundwave watched motionlessly while the ship started to cant at a severe angle, his helm rotating up to peer some at the ceiling above more so than directly at the larger Cybertronian. It was while he relaxed and simply waited, that he let his arm pull away from his chest, where the Energon Prod had been safely tucked. The weapon slipped free and fell behind him from the changing angle of the ship, whacking solidly into one of the multiple display screens to cause it to burst and fracture into a useless spider web of a black panel. The weapon couldn't remain in contact for long however, falling completely free from all obstacles, and starting to spin into the abyss below the viewing panels. Once the tilt of the warship hit this level, those that wouldn't be holding onto things would find themselves sliding, the body of the Eradicon being the first new visitor to the room.

Already dealt with. Inoperable.

A clang, a crash, it collided into Skywarp once the ship was reaching vertical, and snagged on the multitude of sharp plates and angled armor. Perhaps Skywarp was predictable, or perhaps Soundwave could just sense the glint of thought in the brute's mind with the way he looked to the body, whatever the case, the throw was no surprise to the spymaster, and he gingerly dipped and rocked his mass down towards the now sideways floor panel, to permit the corpse to swoop behind him harmlessly.

Despite how slickly he maneuvered, it was still a large movement, Soundwave typically making a more graceful twisted step to the side to avoid such attacks instead of more swooping gestures. But... with the current situation that wasn't feasible, so he had to crouch and lean while using his handholds behind him to keep him perpendicular to the floor plate. The Eradicon smacked into the rightmost monitor, and spun down to fall to where the Energon Prod and found itself.

Skywarp was gone.

Soundwave's visor snapped active again, a new wire frame forming. This time, it wasn’t the rolling shape of the waves below, yet it still wasn’t earth or any Cybertronian surface. Instead to depicted the Control Room itself, where he snapped his sensors into high gear to try to detect the ripple in space where the seeker was going to appear. There was only one blip of the scan that was permitted to occur, before the teleporter appeared by the slender mech.

While Soundwave could loom over Knock Out, the opposite was true here, the black visor looking up ((over?)) to the much larger Skywarp who's hand was swooping out with obvious intent to try to grab onto him. The strike was successful, though... perhaps only half way, as his fist would curl and clutch onto the sharp flaring of armor that protruded over the slender mech's chest and 'collar bone' region. The second it was grabbed onto, before immense weight could be put behind it to tear it from his body, it pulled away with an angry squeal, and transformed abruptly.

A flurry of movement, a twist, Laserbeak's transformation from dock to motion caused multiple plates to slide and scissor together. This movement normally was just to be able to engage in flight, but while the small cassette wanted to pull free, the transformation was also trying to clip into Skywarp's fingers and startle him enough to let go.

The ship continued to turn, not stopping in its action, reaching a point where it was truly vertical, and the hallway that they had entered in on, was now pointed straight above as a deadly drop. The true reality of this drop became apparent, when additional yells and screams ripped out that weren't courtesy of the Vehicons live chatter that still roared up the chute. A scrabble, a cry, a zipping movement of something falling. Two troopers slammed into the sideways control room, one whacking one of the spiky protrusions of the main platform to have its back snapped instantly, while the other swung past to ram into the front panels of the ship, sparks and fluids rupturing upon impact.

It wasn't stopping, it wasn't halting, and Soundwave didn't even seem to be connected to the ship any longer, the system set, and things simply... were going to be what they were... and what that was?... well, it was rather obvious if either of the others were to look... down... and see that the water's surface was growing nearer at an alarming pace.



The impact was horrific and jarring, the ship's front spikes spearing through the water's surface to try to pierce the veil between sky and sea. The angle of collision was problematic though, for the moment the protrusions sliced down, it tried to halt the turning, which didn't fare well when momentum of such a large vessel was saying otherwise. Everything lurched with a screaming roar of twisted metal and breaking connectors, the broken screen Knock Out's Energon Prod had hit now snapping clean off, as well as a few other screens on the outer edge of the room.

Vast emptiness. Darkness. The gold and yellow sky and light blue that had once visible and lit up the room was instantly gone, the waters impact on the front panels causing a massive fracture to spiral and split up its surface in angry protest. The ship plummeted into the ocean, and torque and momentum twisted it so that what was now vertical, was starting to turn upside down, the vehicon's corpses sliding now towards the ceiling, the one on the front panel leaving a smear of Energon in its wake.

[Knock Out]

Something had to happen, and something had to happen fast.

Thankfully, and almost surprisingly, the childish Seeker behind him seemed to have his wits about him at this moment – and Knock Out could only watch as the fallen Eradicon was thrown. He watched as it made contact with Soundwave, and for the briefest glimmer of a moment as he saw Skywarp vanish? He thought everything would work out. They could get back control of the ship and prevent what was going to be a very imminent and devastating crash. He would make Skywarp a HUNDRED drones if he managed to pull this off! In whatever colors he damn well wanted!

Skywarp appeared beside Soundwave. This was it. They were going to win!

Yes! Good! He saw the fist being thrown and... And...

Then movement from Soundwave at the last second, just like before. Laserbeak.

He couldn't watch. Then again, it was hard to pay attention while he was oh so very aware of everything sliding – himself included – as the ship continued on its very fast and very terrifying descent into the abyss. The noise of the engines straining as the ship continued to angle itself vertically were frightening and horribly distracting. It was all he could seem to focus on. The haunting noise. The impending doom.

Knock Out shook his helm quickly as if snapping himself out of it. This was the opportune time to help stop things! He didn't want to die! Why was he just laying here watching!? While he didn't have Breakdown to back him up, Soundwave was distracted, and that was all Knock Out needed to make another attempt at fixing this situation. But he didn't have long. They didn't have long. He'd have to move fast. The ship was going to stall out and be impossible to right if it kept going the way it was – and there had been no reply from Megatron, so it seemed they were sadly on their own.

He scrambled to his pedes, arms outstretched to try and hold onto anything he could to keep his balance and to try and stop himself from sliding. He had the ability to magnetize his pedes like most of their kind – but what good would that do? He'd be able to move, sure, but at the speed of molasses which would do NOTHING. He had to get to the command console he ha-

More movement. Fast movement. Almost blur like.

Two more Eradicons tumbled into the room with a frantic, panicked yell – these ones were alive, at least, unlike the two unfortunate souls who'd been stationed outside the room. Although it would not last long as the ship continued to turn in its descent. The noise of the first one's backstrut snapping harshly against one of the spiky protrusions made Knock Out freeze in absolute horror. Then, the second landed with a heavy splat – being offlined in an instant.

Knock Out didn't care for the Eradicons. He didn't know their designations. He didn't care to speak with them or waste his time on them unless it was ordering them around, or asking questions in the Medical Bay. That was as far as Knock Out cared to offer in terms of effort.

But seeing two being horribly offlined in front of him? So quickly? And how nothing they could've done could've prevented it?

It made the reality of the situation really sink in, and he quickly realized just how very powerless he actually was. How one wrong move or step? And he could end up like them. Even if he did manage to get to the command console, the likelihood that he could do anything to stop what was happening was slim. They'd gone too far, and too fast. There was no turning back now. He wouldn't even know how to override whatever Soundwave had done. He didn't know how to right the wrongs that'd been inflicted. It wasn't like a shuttle with a damn steering wheel!

Everything was happening so quickly and he could barely think of what to do. Every movement and action counted. The ship was now vertical, and sadly, the inevitable happened - Knock Out slipped and fell – unable to keep his balance. His arm twisted behind himself awkwardly as he clung to a railing – the only thing stopping him from ending up like the two Eradicons.

More movement. Sliding.

Flatline.

Another that Knock Out did not care for. This whole mess was Flatline's fault somehow. They'd been rivals since Flatline had arrived. Working together briefly one time to fix Roulette's optic, but even that'd been a stretch, and they'd bickered and argued the entire time – trying to prove a point as to who was better. They stole from each other. Berated each other. What may have been a friendly rivalry was anything but if you looked under the surface and past the petty cattiness. Everyone knew not to mention their names around the other. Everyone knew that the two Medics did not get along.

He didn't like Flatline, and after the events of tonight? Probably never would.

And yet?

He found himself using his free servo to reach out and grab ahold of the other mech. It was a scrambled, frantic attempt, and as Flatline had already begun to slide – and was unconscious so he could not stop himself or hold onto Knock Out – it was a grip that would no doubt soon break. But Knock Out held on. He wasn't sure why. He wasn't sure why that'd been his first reaction and instinctive thought, rather than using his free servo to only strengthen his own grip on the railing. Maybe part of him wanted Flatline to survive this so he could see what he had done. Part of him, perhaps, wanted Flatline's help in fixing things. There were going to be a lot of casualties – and while Knock Out had dealt with many injured before at one time, that'd been when he'd had the equipment to deal with it. Once the ship had... Crashed, and if they survived? It would be up to Knock Out to fix everyone with practically nothing. Up to him to work out why Flatline was feral. It'd be up to him to work out why Soundwave was a traitor and had turned on them and done this. Was it the same thing Flatline had? He wasn't sure where Breakdown was. Breakdown could help assist with the repairs of the many Vehicons that were now doubt injured. 

But it would just be him.

He didn't want to be alone.

He clung on to Flatline as hard as he could. For as long as he could – even if it felt like he was clinging with nothing more than the tips of his fingers.

But then the ship made contact with the water, and he let go. He had no choice. He had to.

The noise of the impact was deafening, and the room was plunged into darkness. There was a sickening crack noise as the front panels fractured. The sheer force of the impact meant that the awkward grip Knock Out had on the railing was broken – and he was flung forwards and down.

Silence.

: 27605F0 ERR1 : 037AX002 ERR2 : 0X0P0380 ERR3 : 0862Vf32 ERR4 : 

E R R O R

Systems Restarting.

...

...

E R R O R

...

Systems Online.

Knock Out hit something. Hard. He wasn't sure what. He couldn't see what. Everything was dark except the error code after error code that flooded his HUD. He couldn't move, not while his systems restarted. He was only out for a moment, like slipping into recharge and jolting awake a split-second later, but it was a terrifyingly long split-second. He was sprawled out, twisted, and in pain. But he was online. And once his systems had fully rebooted themselves? He could move. Some good had come from the fall at least, he could see – and reach – his Energon Prod, and would stretch out to grab it.

There were more groans and creaks, metal twisting in protest as the ship began turning upside down. Noises that would no doubt haunt Knock Out for many days to come.

Fight or flight mode once again kicked in, and unfortunately for Skywarp and Flatline? It was flight mode that'd won this time. Skywarp could teleport out of here, and Flatline... Well, it was nice knowing you buddy. He'd gone out of his way to save him moments earlier, despite the fact Flatline was feral and had attacked him. That was his good deed for the day. Now? It was all about saving himself.

Knock Out would begin clambering upwards, making an attempt to get out of here – and to his Medical Bay – before the whole damn ship flipped over and ultimately sank.

[Deleted]

Skywarp's entire world had narrowed down to stopping Soundwave. Not that there was anything that the seeker could do realistically to alter the Nemesis's course but the seeker wasn't aware of that. To him, beating Soundwave would fix everything! It was as simple as that and he was going to do his best to accomplish this.

He came out of warp beside Soundwave. Skywarp's arm stretched out and managed to grab onto the thin spymaster. Almost as soon as the seeker's large fingers came into contact with Soundwave's frame, it seemed to split apart at contact.

Laserbeak - attempting to transform. The interlocking plates snapping and clipping Skywarp's fingers? They did little in the way of convincing the seeker to let go - in fact his first instinct was to crush whatever it was in his hand, not quite realising that it was the symbiote. His fingers would tighten, applying crushing force before releasing.

At the same time, however the Nemesis had completely turned vertical. Skywarp's feet had never touched the floor, he'd come out of warp trying to grab onto Soundwave and had failed, all in mid-air. Magnetised as Soundwave was, the spymaster was pulled away as the floor swung in a parabolic arc.

And Skywarp? The seeker would curl his legs so they were underneath him as he began to fall towards the front panel of the control room which now lay at the bottom. He engaged his thrusters quickly to stop his fall. It took a bit of adjusting, tipping his feet up and down before he got the balance right.

The thought to escape -to teleport away to safety- never occurred to Skywarp. He paid no attention to Knock Out or Flatline or the two Vehicons who had just met an unfortunate end. The seeker had a limited amount of manoeuvrability when using his thrusters like this, not aided by the fact that he was not very flexible.

So he didn't go for anything complicated. As soon as Skywarp had corrected himself and stopped falling, he simply angled his thrusters to propel himself at Soundwave, curling his arms in front of him as a shield.

[Zercon]

Flatline may be lighter than he looks, with his broad shoulders and notable height, but it didn't mean he was an easy grab, the weight jerking to an abrupt stop into Knock Out's arm to threaten to drag him down. A rattled clatter, loose armor clicking in limp sockets, the quills on his spine along with other spiky protrusions clinked lightly while he hung like a wind chime, it was nothing but dead weight, and there was only so much that could be done. While futile as it may be, Knock Out's actions did stop his momentum for the moment, meaning that when he did fall once the ship lurched into the sea? Well... he didn’t have as much of a distance to build up a terminal velocity.

A hard whack, a crackled impact, Flatline's unconscious form rammed into what once was the front panel of the ship, but now served as the temporary floor. The impact was loud, but was still drowned out by the cacophony of other sounds as the ship metaphorically cried out in pain. Groaning metal, distant cracking and booming rumbles, the Nemesis plunged like a javelin into the sea, and swiftly all of the loud sheering noises became hollow and muted, mere rumbling vibrations than real noises as the sea began to consume it in full.

Darkness overcame the immediate area after the impact, before the emergency lights flickered online, coating the room and halls in a deep burgundy red.

So much happened so fast.

Laserbeak twisted violently in Skywarp's hand, the sheering plates of the cassete's wings attempting to clip and pinch at the larger Cybertronian's grip. It was futile however, the avian could only do so much, as one of the delicate wings collapsed within the brute's crushing grip, before being let go. Despite being freed however, there was very little that could be done. Laserbeak floundered, a loud squealing sound made while its flight systems tried to compensate for the crippling damage. The frantic attempt ended ungracefully with a spiral towards the new ground pane, only to be clutched out of the air by one of Soundwave's data cables that unreeled for its defense.

The cable gripped onto the Cassette tightly, reeling back towards Soundwave abruptly while Skywarp tried to orient himself with his thrusters. It all was a bit surreal of a situation, near dreamlike in a way as the ship continued to turn, Skywarp suspended free from its grasp, while Soundwave's position started to angle upside down, magnetized in place securely upon the bridge that angled to the center of the room. Knock Out sliding towards the ceiling, the corpses of the Eradicons quickly following...

Abruptly Knock Out would find his leg snagged onto during his retreat, something sharp clutching onto the ark of his wheel to hold him down and in place. Looking back, he would see that the fall not only had rebooted his systems, but also jolted Flatline awake, the black and red mech staring over at him with searing white eyes, and evidently no concept of the horrors that were going on around him. It did not matter that water started to leak through the fracture in the front panel, it didn’t matter that everything was sliding to the ceiling and new floor pane, none of it registered in the feral Cybertronian's mind, as he started to try to drag the medic back at him, letting out a pained raked rasp of a snarl while doing so.

Soundwave meanwhile, was trying to angle himself, judging, attempting to figure out what direction Skywarp was coming exactly. His visor illuminated again, a tell, a snitch of what was going to come, as a topographical map displayed in a thin delicate wireframe with coordinates and glyphs. It appeared to be mountainous wherever it was, sharp spires jutting up in a ragged landscape, but it never even remotely had a chance to happen.

The Nemesis was built to go through space, and when it was in a gravitational field, there was a definitive up and down to it. Things were meant to be how they were, and while it could handle sharp banking maneuvers and turns, being upside down and lurched sharply was another bucket of problems all together. Just as Skywarp was about to collide where a Space Bridge was going to open, there was a sharp cracking boom, and the platform that was suspended in the center of the room? Well... it wasn't really supported any longer.

Soundwave's screen snapped black instantly, while his arms fanned out on either side in a vain attempt to grasp his balance while he lurched down towards the new floor of the room, making it so that Skywarp's trajectory was thrown off enough to ram into the now much lower upside down panel. The bridge crackled, hitching momentarily, before it snapped free entirely and the two vanished underneath its mass as it came collapsing down.

Sheering chunks of metal speared in front of Knock Out followed by a rain of sparks that cascaded down atop him with flecks of gold. If he was any further forward? Well... the Decepticons would have needed to train or call in a new medic right quick... But if he could get free of his current dilemma, he now had to contend with the path being blocked by a ragged terrain of the underside of the platform, thick cables stringing up to the ceiling, supported beams twisted off, and a myriad of wires, many of them snapped and sparking in protest.

Now upside down screens that remained in place on the upper walls blinked warnings and errors, a sea of issues flowing in long strings of text. On one of the screens though, there would be a diagram of the Nemesis, and some red dots flecked on its flank that were blinking.

[Starscream]

Megatron was dead.

It was something that still hadn't sunk in yet, despite the fact Starscream had been the one to end him. He'd finally won and gotten what he so rightfully deserved - which was to rule the Decepticons for himself. Something he'd tried for millennium to achieve. He'd planned and plotted, scheming and biding his time ever so patiently. So who would've thought it would be as simple as leading their Warlord into a mineshaft rigged with explosives to finally dispose of him. Starscream still couldn't believe that was all it took, and that it'd actually worked. Good things came to those who waited, and he'd done more than his fair share of waiting.

All that'd remained of Megatron was half his helm, and a few twisted and mangled pieces that wouldn't even be considered shrapnel - which Starscream had regretfully taken back to the Nemesis to reveal the bad news. He'd sorrowfully blamed the explosion on the Autobots, and gotten himself caught in the tail end of it on purpose, as if to show it were an ambush against the pair. A feigned limp, a few nasty dents to his frame and the temporary mangling of one wing were more than worth the fact he now ruled.

They cheered for him. The thunderous applause and the victorious stamping of pedes were always deafening - but oh so very welcome to hear. He had plans to build himself a throne, atop it would sit the half-mangled helm of his former Master. There would be another space up there next to him for when Starscream lay conquest and defeated the Prime himself. While he could never gloat out loud that he had been the one to kill Megatron, the wicked grins and taunting whispers he mocked the mangled helm with in private were more than enough to sate his urge to brag, as well as keeping his ego fed.

Not that it needed it. The Decepticons adored him. Worshiped him. They bowed to him. They respected him and would give their very lives for him. Finally, they had their rightful leader.

He, Lord Starscream, had finally gotten what he deserved. He was going to lead the Decepticons to victory. He was in his rightful place. He was going to do what Megatron couldn't! He was...

...

...Awake. And laying on the floor of his quarters. A groggy vent of a sigh left him and he'd smear a servo down his faceplate. A dream. It'd been a dream.

Starscream was usually a light sleeper. The tiniest of noises would rouse him from recharge, which was understandable with how little he trusted others. But after many weeks it'd started to have a negative effect on his systems, Knock Out had given him something akin to a light sedative just to give him a decent night sleep for once - after he'd locked and barricaded his room, of course.

He lay still for a moment, disappointment oozed into his field as he realized that this was, in fact, the reality, and he had yet to defeat Megatron. Although looking back, it had been far too easy to lead his master into a trap.

Wearily he would sit up and… it didn't take him long to realize it wasn't the floor he was sat on. No. He hadn't toppled out of the berth like a child… Instead, he found himself sitting on the ceiling, the room was most definitely upside down. The disappointment left him, and now he was both confused and alarmed.

It was then he heard the muffled cries of the Vehicons over the speakers in the distance, and outside his room. The panic in their voices. There was also the unmistakable noise of groaning and twisting metal. They hadn't been cheering for him at all! His processor simply translating that noise into what he had wanted to hear. The pain in his wing? Him slamming into the wall. The stamping of pedes and thunderous applause? The crashing and flopping over of the ship!

Wait. The crashing of the ship.

He'd scramble to his pedes, sliding a moment before he found his footing - inching along the… Ceiling… as he made his way over to the door. Thankfully, the things that he'd pushed in front of the door to barricade himself in had been shifted in the impact, and so it was only a matter of unlocking the door and leaving the room.

Chaos was an understatement for the scene that he was greeted with – and any sleepy haze that remained was gone as the reality set in that something awful had happened while he'd been dreaming of his victories. Vehicons who were positioned to guard the high Command living quarters were sliding around, scrambling and toppling over each other in a frantic urge to not only stay upright and at their posts, but panic had flooded their fields as they quickly realized that maybe they should abandon and flee as the ship was now upside down. An alarm had started blaring and the lights in the corridor were flickering, the main power threatening to give at any moment.

“Stop scrambling around like fools and get to the escape shuttles!” He growled at the Vehicons who seemed to be in some kind of dazed shock. Why hadn't they left yet?! It was so evident what was going on! They stammered an affirmation and would clumsily begin making their way down to where the pods were docked. Idiots. He didn't feel any remorse or sympathy for the poor grounders, and yet knew that they were the ones who needed the escape pods the most – it wasn't like they could fly out of here to safety like the majority of the Decepticon forces. Why anyone would choose a groundmode was beyond him... Then again, if he knew exactly where they had crashed, and that they were inevitably sinking? He may have held off on that order.

He planned to follow them off the ship – all in due time. While there was still power and people on board, he wanted to do his best to find out just what'd happened, and maybe gather what little he could to help himself once off the ship. Was it those pesky Autobots? Had they managed to come aboard the ship and crash it? His dream only stung him more – this never would've happened if he were in charge.

Speaking of? Where were the people in charge – or at least those others of rank? Other than himself, that was. Had Megatron already abandoned ship? While he knew his Warlord cared very little for him – he would've at least had the common decency to wake him – if only to somehow blame him for what'd happened, surely.

Which was another question. Just what, exactly, had happened? The Nemesis was basically a floating fortress! It wouldn't just crash!

Foregoing the urge to flee with the Vehicons for right now, as much as he wanted to - because if Megatron caught him running away it would not end well - Starscream would begin inching his way down the corridor ceiling. The door to Megatron's quarters was close by, and while part of him had a glimmer of a thought that maybe he should check to see if Megatron had vacated his room and had gotten to safety? It would be no loss if he was trapped in there and too injured to move.

He'd walk straight past it, scrambling down the ceiling of the corridor as he made his way to the Control Room. He would get answers here as to what'd happened, surely.

An answer that he wasn't quite expecting.

The Control Room was plunged in darkness, aside from the eerie red of the emergency lighting and flickers of golden sparks coming from torn cables. Where there was once a platform in the middle of the room... There was now nothing but a few mangled, twisted support beams where it'd given way and collapsed. He clung to the edge of the doorway, standing awkwardly on the ceiling-turned-floor - sputtering out in confusion as his gaze darted around. He saw the smears of Energon on the front panes, the cracked glass... It was too dark to tell just where they had crashed, but it didn't take him long to work it out. If they had impacted something solid like a mountain or the ground? There would've been more damage, explosions, ship-wide power failures – the Control Room would simply not be here at all, as it would've crumpled up against rock.

No. They hadn't hit something solid. They'd crashed into water – the ocean, probably, given it seemed the front of the ship was submerged as the ship had slowly toppled. It was only a matter of moments before the cracked glass gave way and this room would begin to flood.

Movement caused his gaze to drift, and he saw the tell-tale signs of bright cherry-red somewhere behind the chunks of metal and cables that sparked and jolted. Knock Out.

“Starscream! Help me!” Came the frantic cry of the Chief Medical Officer, before he was cut off with a terrified yelp – and while Starscream couldn't see what had made the other mech cry out? He didn't really want to stick around and find out.

It was now survival of the fittest and smartest, and it wasn't beneficial to Starscream to even attempt stepping into the Control Room to save Knock Out at this point – the sheering chunks of metal and sparking, live cables, meant it was hazardous enough, without the fact they were shortly going to be sinking into the ocean at any second.

Taking his own advice from before, he would push off the wall without a word to Knock Out, and would half-stumble half-slide down the upside-down corridor toward where the emergency shuttles were located. He didn't have the time to navigate his way to one of the airlocks and fly out – and opening one wouldn't have ended well regardless – he was built for flying, not swimming, and it would've made water pour into the ship – thus speeding up the sinking process.

There were Vehicons scrambling to get into the shuttles, some were fighting and shoving others aside just so they could escape first – a good plan.

“Out of my way!” Starscream yelled as he grabbed one unlucky Vehicon about to enter one of the shuttles, throwing the poor trooper down and onto the ground – climbing into the shuttle and slamming the door shut behind himself, before launching himself off into safety - wherever safety may be.

The ship was going down. And he was most certainly not going down with it.

[Knock Out]

So far, things were going alright – considering the ship was now totally upside down and they were probably about to sink and die. Knock Out was agile on his feet, and he'd pre-plotted out the path he was going to take in getting out of here. He wasn't paying attention to Soundwave or Skywarp or what they were doing, he was focusing on himself and staying alive. As the ship finally rolled over onto its 'back' and seemed to settle – Knock Out slid just slightly but it was no harm done, at least now it wasn't at such a terrible angle – and should be an easier escape route.

His path hadn't changed much – there was, after all, only one exit to this room - now it was just a manner of climbing over the many support beams that littered the ceiling turned floor.

He would again start to move forwards, grip held tightly on the Energon Prod which he had reclaimed, and his other arm out for balance. While his movements weren't slow, they were overly cautious – and he'd glance down to watch his pedes as he moved, before casting the occasional glance to the doorway.

At his second glance up, he saw someone lurking in the hallway looking in through the door.

Starscream.

“Starscream! Help me!” He called out, hoping that the Seeker would rush to his aid. Not that Knock Out would've done the same, probably, but he was the Medic here, and therefore the most important person on this ship! It was going to be up to him to assess and fix the damage to the troops once everyone escaped! It was up to him to--

Knock Out was stuck. Well. More to the point, something had snagged onto his leg. It was sharp, whatever it was, and so he'd quickly swivel around to see what it was so he could free himself. What he saw made him shriek out in shock – Flatline!

“Argh!”

This reminded him of a terrible B-Grade movie he'd once seen, a zombie had grabbed some girls ankle as she tried to flee and ended up biting into her Achilles Tendon so she couldn't walk or get away. That was not going to happen to Knock Out, and as such he would instinctively shake his leg as hard as he could, kicking out at Flatline desperately. He started to regret attempting to save the other medic only moments earlier, talk about Flatline being ungrateful! Then again, he hadn't forgotten that Flatline was completely batshit crazy despite everything going on – and probably should've expected him to still be savage and attack him once he woke up.

Thankfully, it seemed that Flatline had just as good a grip on Knock Out as Knock Out had on him earlier – which was to say, not a very good one. One hefty kick to the face later meant Knock Out was free, and he would scramble forwards once more.

His gaze shifted back to the doorway – hoping to see Starscream making his way into the room to help... But the Seeker was gone.

This pause to internally curse Starscream probably saved his life – as sheering chunks of metal speared down in front of him with sickening thuds, which was where he would've been stood if he had kept going forwards. The entire platform had given way and crashed down onto the ceiling. All the more reason to get out of here faster! It really was a race against time, as water had begun leaking through the fractures of the front panels – and the pressure against them would only grow until the whole thing shattered.

His path wasn't clear anymore, thanks to the fallen platform – and there were live cables and wires that twisted and flailed wildly as they sparked. Still, he would traverse his way over and through. The sound of rushing water and Flatline being creepy below only spurring him on – and he would ignore any cables that he happened to brush past, because a little zap here or there was nothing compared to getting stuck in this room when the entire ship sank.

What felt like an eternity later, he had scrambled and pulled himself through the doorway and out of the Control Room – Vehicons were rushing past him in a mad dash to escape, and if Knock Out were smart, he would've, and probably should've, followed.

He would, soon. Instead, he'd turn the opposite direction and make a beeline back toward his Medical Bay. The ship was sinking, and there would be injured troops to deal with and fix once they got out of here and to safety – he wanted to make his life easier by grabbing at least some basic equipment. Numbing agents, pain suppressants, a handheld scanner, a couple of datapads... He didn't need much, just enough to keep him going.

He made it to the Medical Bay without much issue, although once he was in the room and saw the upside down disarray of everything inside – his processor immediately went blank – no doubt out of the sheer shock of seeing his Medical Bay in such a state.

What did he come here for again?

Ah, right. Important things. Things he couldn't live a day without.

Immediately he would navigate his way over to the cabinets at the far side of the room, and some awkward shifting later he had pulled them open – retrieving a small, rather plain looking box. This. This was all he needed. He'd open it quickly to check the contents were all where they were supposed to be – favorite buffer, several different buffing pads, and all his best waxes. They were all here, and he'd be damned if he was leaving this thing behind! It was the end of the world but he still had to look his absolute best!

Now, with his Energon Prod and box of valuables, he would begin to make his way down toward where he should've been going ten minutes ago – the escape shuttles. Just like Starscream had done only moments earlier, he would shove a Vehicon aside and clamber into one of the few remaining shuttles – because, after all, he had rank and was more important than a few cannon fodder soldiers.

A couple of button presses later, and Knock Out was launched from the doomed ship and towards... Well, wherever this thing wanted to land.

-End-