| abstract
| - Island Center - Lots of forestry. Subtle hints of a long crash trail that had cut through the area, ending in a sunken cave where a wrecked spaceship is hidden. Remedy finds a place where she can 'recover' from the dimensional flux. She makes sure that Rodimus and Impactor knows where she is Robot Tiger is also helping with the clean-up. He's a grunt, too, after all, and since nobody's shooting his gunnery expertise is not needed. He glances back and forth as he helps fling dinocon body parts to the designated disposal area. "We're going to burn this all, right?" he asks Fragment. Impactor is actually impressed that the Quintesson (or one face of it, anyway) has the balls to mouth off given its current situation. Most Quintessons turn into cowards once they lose the upper hand. "Was wondering what we're going to do with you after all this. Prime would probably want a trial before the execution, but I'd actually be tempted to just give you to the Cons and let them sort you out." Impactor nods, "Not every day I endorse the Cons for anything. You should be proud." Fragment looks over at Doctor Rod and Nurse Bunny. "That's all fine, but don't forget about how do we shut off the one back in the future? Anyone gets near it gets sucked right back into this mess." The T-Rex skull keeps glaring back at Impactor, optics burning slightly with unhidden contempt the whole time, "You assume too much, slave. This is but a temporary setback." "Shut up." The normal head interjects, "Your ceaseless prattle will complicate our situation more!" Another rotating of the body follows, until the Triceratops skull now leers calmly back at Impactor, "Perhaps you would prefer it, but it will not happen." The Sabertooth growls once before continuing, "A trial, perhaps. Yes. But execution? No. Your Prime, your leaders are nothing if not predictable. They wish us to be held accountable...to live. To preserve us. In this we find our protection..." The Mastodon calmly states, "It has been...accounted for." The normal head sighs, sending up another shower of sparks as he makes an adjustment or two. "I am tired of this place. This...time. This planet. Even in stasis, we have been awoken repeatedly over the millions of years, to take stock of the situation. Moments of wakefulness followed by eons of unimaginably long sleep, over and over again. I don't care -what- happens now, but I want out of here!" The other four faces all chuckle in unison at some inside joke. Cyclonus gives Impactor a pleased grin. "Ah, see, the Wrecker understands us. Amongst the most noble traits of a Decepticon is our desire for vengeance against those who wrong us, and Megatron will most certainly want his. Oh, and don't be so assured that your life will be worth living so much once Megatron is done with you, Quintesson abomination." He narrows his eyes at the Autobot leader. "What do you mean? How will you get this information? What do you know that I don't?" At Fragment's query, Cyclonus says, "All else fails, we could simply summon the Absolution and have the gate destroyed from orbit. Unless, of course, that would cause an even greater calamity." Despite an entire blast wound through her torso Torque is thankfully back on her feet due to the hard and efficient efforts of the medics. But unfortunately she still has to take it easy, slowly sitting up once Ratchet finished patching the hole. "Mmph... Thanks, Ratchet." She mutters weakly while leaning forward, having lost a lot of energon while unconscious. The femme removes her helmet and sets it aside, rubbing her forehead before looking over at the Quintesson being watched by Impactor. Optics narrow a bit and she hefts herself up to stand, ignoring any protests to move about as she approaches Archaeonix, pausing to place a hand on the Wrecker's shoulder to steady herself. "Slaggin' squid. You're lucky I'm too dinged up to come over there and knock the chrome right off your hide." She snorts softly, antennas in a tired, drooping position. Impactor smiles at the Quintesson. "I remember hearing about a guy who thought the same way you did about half a decade back. Can't remember the name... Doublecross? Doublechance?" Impactor glances up slightly, but can't place the name. He shakes his head dismissively. "I wasn't there for it personally, but long story short, he was a deep cover Decepticon spy within our ranks. When he finally made his move, we captured him and put him on trial. Kinda like you're saying now." "So he gets found guilty, but before the sentence can be determined, Victory Leo--that's one of our superwarriors--busts into the courtroom and guns him down. Whatshisname died before he hit the floor." Impactor puts his hand and harpoon behind his head, leaning back so he can relax some more. "Doubleback. That was the name." Robot Tiger shrugs at Fragment. "Burning stuff is cool." Rodimus Prime sets his jaw firmly at Cyclonus' words, finding even at moments of relative 'calm' like this he'd love nothing more than to punch him through the nearest bulkhead. Or in this case, through half the jungle on the island's surface. Nevertheless, he distracts himself by focusing on the question, "It seems that the humans discovered a cube of some sort, and one of the ones who came with us is familiar with it, right down to the details. It sounds like it was a map...that led to where the time window -we- found was located. So I'm really starting to think all of this is related. If we move this time window to the proper, original location south of Mount St. Hillary..." He pauses, watching as Torque approaches the Quintesson, but everything is at least being kept civil...for now. "And if we can fabricate a copy of that original map and put it right where Reidan said it was found in our time, I think we can cover those events. As for what to do with the machine in our time, we may have an easier time of it now that we've got our hands on what I think is the set of tentacles and tools that built it in the first place." He gestures towards the Quintesson with one hand, "...and failing that, maybe we can destroy it as well. Though I'd rather leave that to a last resort. I hate risking blowing up anything temporal or dimensional or teleportation based. Too many bad things have happened in the past." "Slave races do not intimidate us. Your control is fleeting, your fate inevitable..." The T-Rex skull defiantly responds. "Speak for yourself." The normal head whines a bit before it's shoved out of the way as the Triceratops takes over. "This is the way of things. We have the expertise you require, and we will give it, in return for getting back to our own time as well. It is the only logical course of action. We -need- each other." Fragment tears some metal and machinery off from some dinocon flesh, separating what needs to be accounted for from what will decompose. The techno-scrap pile grows and shrinks between adding and recycling. "Hmf." He lobs some dinocon meat at the Quintesson. Remedy finally has herself back to normal. She lets Rodimus and Impactor know she's back on her feet. She makes her way down, swinging by to check on Torque, "Hey, how are you doing?" Impactor sees Remedy but doesn't acknowledge her. He's having too much fun chatting it up with the Quint. He takes his arms out from behind his back and leans forward. "Think so? Transformers are practically immortal. If we want we can just shove ourselves in a stasis chamber and wait it out. We'll survive just fine and dandy until we make it back to our own time." More or less. "Remind me again how long Quintessons live?" Amber MacKenzie has converted her rocky crevice refuge at the perimeter of the crater into temporary housing. There she sits now, prudently out of the way of anyone who might accidentally or deliberately - she eyes the Decepticons - step on her. A pile of fist-sized rocks guards the entrance, ammunition against any of the smaller natives of the island. Her solar-powered camcorder is carefully positioned on her left side and pointed at the odd gathering, automatically recording the events. "Hey, would you be intimidated if you were dead?" the tiger wonders, to the Quintesson. "We aren't afraid of you. You're a weakling." Torque's jaw sets squarely as optics narrow at the Quint, but she says no more, taking her hand from Impactor's shoulder when he sits forward and sitting as well, vents wheezing a heavy sigh. Remedy's question is met with a small smirk, hand reaching into subspace to pull out a spare cube she always keeps on her. "Ah, I'll live, thanks to you guys." She raises the cube a little bit in a 'toast', "Here's to me not kickin' the bucket just yet, eh?" Torque chuckles weakly before taking a long swig from the cube, nearly running on fumes at this point. Cyclonus makes a disgusted face. "Humans found this map, then the time window? And, knowing it was likely some alien technology, failed to inform their so-called allies in the Autobots? I'd re-evaluate my relationship with them, were I you, Rodimus. Hm. Though that does explain the substantial human military presence, short-lived as it literally was." Cyclonus, of course, was a big part of the reason for that. "Regardless, that does seem like a reasonable plan. And then, once back in the present, we'll have to find a way to deal with the gate." Spying Amber's little rocky refuge, Cyclonus says. "The little human is wise to hide herself. Though I have instructed the Decepticons to leave the humans alone for the sake of the truce, I can't trust all of them to hold to my instructions." He looks about for Starscream so he can glare at him. "Alas, as grand a leader as he was, I fear Megatron might have been... too forgiving with some of his subordinates." Remedy mmmphs, "Well, the only way you were gonna fade from this world, was over my dead chassis. So, I had a vested interest in keeping you with us." She looks at the Quintesson, then at Torque, "You know if the dinobots like eggs? I'm sure we can get one to pop that head open and see if there's anything edible in there." "Our united empire spanned countless millennia that your Cybertronian race hasn't even come close to matching yet." The Triceratops returns an impassive gaze that sweeps about the collected, "And while our empire was united and strong, your race has been gripped by a civil war that spans for so long it is believed there are none of you living anymore that can even recall the circumstances under which it began. Your race is incompatible even with itself. You need overseers." "Masters!" The T-Rex snarls. "Guidance." The Mastodon adds. "Supervision." The Sabertooth almost mocks. "..." The normal head says nothing. It just keeps working. Impactor finally spares a quick glance up at Torque. For a guy that's lost a lot of mechs over the years to the various dangers the galaxy has to offer, he's glad Torque isn't one of them. "I didn't mean your old Empire," Impactor says. "I mean *you*. How long do Quints normally live? You able to make it back to your own time if we decide on taking the slow path?" "I'll take your advisement on our Human-Autobot relations under consideration, Cyclonus." Rodimus says in that tone of voice that would still work if he were telling the Decepticon to go to hell, fine a rocky outcropping to sit down on, then jam it further up his aft sideways for good measure. "Yeah funny about that..." He suddenly adds as he spots Cyclonus looking in Starscream's direction. The seekers thankfully out of immediate earshot. "And just think..." At this, he lowers his voice just enough so as not to be too obviously, "If it wasn't for -him-, you wouldn't be standing around here." "Foolishness," The T-Rex proclaims with an almighty snort, "We are as ageless as you claim to be. Our empire oversaw yours for so long. You think your own the only one capable of surviving for aeons? What is the point of this questioning?" The Triceratops grunts, "If you speak of leaving us to survive the remaining four million years on our own..." The normal head makes a choked sound, "...not -that-. It's been so long already!" Again the other heads all chuckle. Fragment finishes operation: all guts, no glory. He digs his gore-filthy hands into the ground to cleanse them of organic residue. As he works at it, he turns his head towards the gutted Quintesson ship. Torque smiles through her drink at Remedy's words, "Well, I'm glad you did. Gotta live to fight another day, am I right?" She snorts softly, just shaking her head at that before rolling her shoulders in a shrug at the next question, resuming draining her cube. Optics wander away from the Quint, lingering on Cyclonus before resting on Rodimus, Torque lifting her chin a little in his direction, "How's Optimus holding up, Prime? I'm not allowed back on duty to check yet." She huffs softly, wanting to get back to work. But.. doctor's orders. Impactor tilts his head, glancing skyward for a moment. "Ageless, huh?" Impactor tabs his chin with his jury-rigged harpoon. "You know what? I take it all back. Prison is a better idea than execution. Did I tell you I once served as a warden for an Autobot prison outpost? You'll fit right in with the Decepticon inmates, don't you worry." He doesn't answer the question about why he's bothering to ask these questions, but it's probably he's just trying to be a dick to the Quint. Amber MacKenzie isn't happy that Cyclonus has spotted her, but then she wasn't really well hidden. Oh well. "That guy needs serious professional help," she comments quietly, shaking her head at the Quintesson. "He's taking multiple personality disorder to a new level." Cyclonus isn't surprised that Rodimus will take the more naive course. He does manage to grin at Rodimus's next remark, though. "Oh, yes, I'm quite aware of the irony," Cyclonus mutters back. "But that is simply Starscream's nature. He will always doom his own ambitions with his own carelessness. That one was a cancer upon the Empire and we are better off without him, though of course there will always be those fools who feel some nostalgic attachment to him, heedless of his many failures." He gives the Quintesson an annoyed look, then decides to set him straight. "You have an Empire of ashes, Quintesson. Our rebellion has undone you, and all your attempts to reclaim your lost glory have failed. The denizens of the galaxy scarcely even care that your kind exists anymore." Fragment considers the wreckage for a long time, even after he rises from the ground with earth cleansed hands. He then looks up at the cap of the nearby volcano. The geologist and miner thinking over the fine details of 'clean up'. Afterall, as far as he knows there was never a Quintesson shuttle wreck discovered on Dinobot Island back in the 1980's. And picking it up or flying it out of here is obviously no option. So... "Lava." Remedy shakes her head at the posturing, "Well, I'm glad to see you up and about, Torque." "I've been better." There it is- that familiar, gravely baritone, answering Torque's question. Optimus Prime strides into the room- his gait's a little stiffer than it could be, and there are still several dents and rents in his armor- but the very fact that Optimus is on his feet is a testament to Ratchet's medical ability. "Then again, I've been worse. It's good to see you all back on your feet- Ratchet briefed me, but my memories of last night are still somewhat...hazy." Optimus Prime turns to his future-based counterpart, and nods. "You did well." "Our empire on a whole is undone, for the moment." The Triceratops admits to Cyclonus' words, giving him that hard stare that just reeks of stubborn defiance. "But we still live, we still function and gather power. There have been setbacks, but yet it is not our failure to contain you that is important. It is your failure to destroy us." The T-Rex rotates around...the skull has actually gotten a bit of that dinomeat that thrown earlier stuck on the top of its polished bone surface, and he doesn't seem to have noticed. It almost doesn't look out of place on this face...strangely, "You deceive yourself. You feared us, and you still do! Our armies are not what they once were, but you hear of our involvement and your circuits immediately run cold, because you know what we can do. You deny it, but you -still- fear us, even now." The Sabertooth takes over again, sunken optics in the skull glowing faintly. "You say the universe has forgotten us? That is to our benefit. You underestimate us now. You -always- do." More seems to be forthcoming, but all suddenly falls silent as a certain someone else is suddenly up and operational again. Robot Tiger nods at Fragment. "That works. It'll burn the muck, too." He wrests a chunk of metal from a smelly Coelophysis carcass. Apparently someone thought a dinosaur with a light frame should have heavy metal guns stuck to them. No wonder that beast had been among the first to fall. It probably couldn't stay upright for very long. Rodimus Prime straightens up at a -very- familiar voice...and this time, it isn't bringing a big blue fist that comes crashing into his face for good measure. His jaw still aches a bit since the night before. "...thanks Optimus." He says with genuine feeling in his voice as he smiles just a bit. It feels a bit strange as he glances over, looking eye to eye with -that- Prime. "I'm just glad to see you're up and operational and back to normal again. There's been a lot of Autobot who've been very worried about you." "Never figured Quints to be the patriotic type," Impactor replies. "You're satisfied with suffering so long as the rest of your insane Empire has a fleeting chance at rebuilding?" In truth, yeah, the Quints scare him s---less. If anyone's going to have a chance at enslaving the Transformers, it'd be them, That's why Impactor is so glad to have a helpless one here with them now. Still, he doesn't let this show. Impactor gestures at the T-Rex. "...you have a bit of guts on your head there." He's about to continue, but then the most famous mech of them all enters. Impactor props his elbow up on one knee, looking over at Optimus Prime. Torque's antennas perk at Optimus' voice when he returns from repairs, still looking rather dinged up. "Ah, good you're actually up and about." The femme smiles before giving a soft grunt as she pushes herself to stand, a hand momentarily rubbing at the fresh patch job to her chest. Torque then makes her way over to the old Prime, grinning with an outstretched hand. "Really, I gotta shake your hand for that fight yah put up, even if it wasn't intentional. It was like watching all those holos of your battles, except I was on the receiving end." She chuckles heartily. "Just glad we're both still alive to talk about it." Fragment makes a point of completely ignoring the presence of Optimus Prime when others seem unable to resist the standard stop and stare schtick. He nods to Rampage. "It'll be easy. Blast a trench from the volcano to the ship... Cut a gouge in the peak lip facing this direction... then blast the molten pool until it erupts and the lava river comes to wipe this scrap heap off the face of the Earth." He steps over towards Cyclonus. "Sir. Permission to set up the smelting of the Quintesson's wreck? Cyclonus glares at the Quintesson. "Your race is a NUISANCE, fool, and rest assured, we will eradicate you one day. We've gotten a good start at--" He falls silent at Optimus Prime's arrival. He looks about to see if Megatron is also well, and failing to spot him, his lips press into a thin line. The odds are worse than ever, now, but he's sure that the naive Autobots won't exploit their advantage. "Hmph." Turning towards Fragment, Cyclonus cups his chin, thinking. Then he asks the Quintesson. "You. Your... 'Normal' personality. I've a question for you. Are there any vital parts still aboard your ship? Particularly, parts we'll need to correct our displacement?" Remedy looks up to see the legend, smiling a bit, "Glad to see you up and about, Optimus." She doesn't have the same hero worship thing that Torque seems to express. "I've been even more worried about the other Autobots." Optimus Prime says. "-and something tells me it's not going to be exactly easy from this point on, either." As Torque steps over, Optimus shakes her offered hand; his grip is strong, but restrained, just hinting at the amount of power Optimus is holding back, even in his battered state. "That was my worst nightmare, Autobot. Being used as a weapon against the very troops I've sworn to lead and protect..." he trails off and shakes his head. "I can't thank you enough for stopping me." This said, Optimus Prime takes a moment to give the Decepticons present a 'LOOK' "Ratchet said something about a truce until we could find a way to send you home?" he finally says. "Normal? NORMAL! We are the normal ones who have found our destiny! This one refuses to...GRRGK". The Rex is abruptly shut up as the 'normal' face indeed FORCES itself to rotate around into place to face Cyclonus. The Rex can be heard still ranting and raving in the background but is kept in check for now. "The timeship? No, no it is nothing but an ancient, rusted hulk. I have had sixty one million years in which to strip anything possibly of use from it and convert it to any other needs. The components of its temporal displacement engine were used in the construction of the time window. Not that it did me any good as it appears it's only capable of a one-way trip. Ech. But no, if you're looking to dispose of the wreckage to avoid leaving anymore evidence behind, it is a good idea. The stasis pods were removed long ago and are kept in a side tunnel of the cave along with their limited power capacitors, which you will need to top up before you use them. If you are going to use the lava, simply ensure that their tunnel is blocked off, and the plan should work." "I wouldn't go so far as to call it a truce..." Rodimus intones, carefully folding his hands behind his back. "I'd think of it more as an agreement to not quite shoot each other just yet as we try to figure out the best way to get home and fix things as they are." A moment passes, and Rodimus takes a deep breath, cycling air through his systems with the unnecessary gesture before he tilts his gaze to the side to look at the older Prime fully, "Optimus..." His voice takes on a firmer edge. Somewhere deep inside, there's that little Autobot Hot Rod that just wants to sit back, and let Optimus make all the choices and do all the thinking. Just like the olden days. It'd be so much easier, wouldn't it? "We have...we're starting to come up with a sort of idea that would help. And when you're feeling better I'll need to go over it with you in detail. I know that myself and the Autobots with me are strangers to you, and you don't know us from a hole in the ground...especially me, but I'll need you to listen very carefully when I explain the plan." Impactor is distracted from his pissing contest with the Quintesson by Optimus's arrival. It's too hard being a meany when that mech is around. He wasn't making much progress with the Quint anyhow. Defiant to the last. In a way he respects it. His gaze shifts from Optimus to Rodimus. C'mon, boss. He says. You know what you need to tell him. Cyclonus nods to Fragment as the Quintesson gives the 'OK.' "You may proceed, Fragment. Make something useful of the Quintesson's monument to failure." He backs away a bit from the two Primes, maybe to give them some space to talk... or himself some space. "Yes, well, suffice it to say, Optimus Prime, it also serves the interests of the Decepticons to preserve the timeline as it is now, though that timeline is rife with tragedy..." His voice trails off. Amber MacKenzie isn't impacted by the reverence in which the great Optimus Prime is held by the Autobots, both past and future. She's more interested in the Quintesson. Rising to her feet, she stares down into the crater, biting her lower lip in indecision. Only three Decepticons visible right now, though the others are no doubt lurking somewhere around. She shrugs and carefully picks her way down into the crater, sliding on her backside as needed, and circles around the Autobot gathering to approach Archy. "Good afternoon, Mr. Archaeonix" she says politely, her journalist face on, the same face she used when distracting Dr. Archeville. "I was wondering how you managed to survive this long. It's rather impressive that you could deal with the local fauna and utilize them to your advantage." Ho hum, another megalomaniacal mad scientist. Torque just keeps that smirk on her face, holding nothing against him. "Ah, no worries Optimus. We couldn't just let you stay a Quint puppet, could we? If I have to take a shot to the chest to help a Prime I'll do it." But when Rodimus speaks up she takes it upon herself to step away from Optimus, letting the both of them speak as the femme settles back next to the Wrecker, producing another cube to offer him as a nice gesture. Fragment nods. "Fine." He glances at Rampage and then transforms to ship mode. The ship rises 30 meters to clear the tree line and then starts firing his lasers to scorch a visible path from the downed ship across the landscape and up the side of the volcano. "Rampage. Start cutting the trench along that path. I'll take care of the tunnels myself." The ship descends and transforms back into robot mode. His purple optics spare a glare for the Autobots. "And anytime you worthless slags feel like lifting a finger... by all means." he makes a motion with his arm towards the laser scorched track. Robot Tiger does as Fragment asks, digging with his powerful paws to open a trench to the various waste. He works quickly, and bit by bit a deep passageway looking for all the world like a dried up creekbed, takes shape. "What...?" The Quintesson's body rotates around, until the T-Rex skull is leering down at her, jaws agape just slightly to show those sharp teeth, "A human-insect? Your kind is not even fit as a slave-race..." But the question from her draws a sudden snort, and a spinning of the Quint's ovoid body almost like a slot machine until it comes to rest on the more stoic and, thankfully, calm Mastodon skull, "We are not without our resources, of course. But what you speak is true. After the...failure of our initial temporal experiment, our ship crashed on this world and was unsalvageable. The time frame put us at roughly sixty five million years before your present day time period. By our rough calculations, we had not even a hundred rotations to prepare for the extinction event that would wipe your planet clean and destroy the dinosaurs and over ninety percent of all other lifeforms present." The Triceratops snaps into place and continues staring at Amber, "We would not let that happen to us." The normal face rotates around, his own expression seeming to lack the anger or stubbornness of his counterpart. In fact, he almost seems -eager- to tell his story. This may not be surprising as it's the first time he's had a chance to tell it...ever, "If I was going to try to make any attempts to get home, I -had- to survive first!" "I'm sure you're responsible for a few tragedies of your own, Decepticon." Optimus Prime says, narrowing his eyes at Cyclonus. Still, the Autobot Leader was never one to shoot first- and if there's a period of peace, however tense, he won't be the one to break it. "I may not know your name- but if you wear that symbol-" Optimus reaches forward and touches a fingertip to the Autobrand on Rodimus' chest. "I'll trust you." Impactor takes the cube gratefully. He can always be bribed by pretty femmes with gifts. He glances back at the Quintesson, content to let the journalist deal with interrogating him. Maybe she can be the carrot to his stick. "If you need me to smash him in the face with my pistol to loosen his tongues, just let me know," he tells Amber nonchalantly. He hopes Optimus isn't looking. Rodimus Prime was all set with a snide comment to Cyclonus own mentioning of tragedies...and then Optimus goes and beats him to the punch. And Rodimus was never more happier to be one-upped by someone else in his life. A stark reminder of just how capable Optimus is of defending himself verbally as well as physically. At the tap to his own chestplate, he can't help but grin just a bit. "...thanks. I somehow knew you'd say that, I guess. I don't know how to put this but...it goes a little deeper than just wearing the same brand. But I'll try to get into that as best I can later." One optic...and one audial for good measure, is keeping track of the conversation with the Quintesson as it takes a more informative approach. Amber MacKenzie nods, her green eyes widening with amazement. "But of course. You must have overcome so many hardships to fight your way even to stability. And all alone at that. Simply astounding." She glances at Impactor and slips smoothly into Good Cop to his Bad Cop. "Impactor, please, threats aren't necessary. This Quintesson is highly intelligent and has survived for millions of years due to that intelligence. He knows that we must work together to get out of this predicament." Remedy goes to check on other bots. Cyclonus glares at Optimus. "Hmph. All I have done has been in the name of the Empire. I have no regrets," he lies. The space warrior stands where he is, arms crossed. He also doesn't lift a finger to help Fragment--besides, Fragment didn't mean him when he was going on about worthless slags, right? Fragment disappears into the depths of the wreck and tunnels. His running lights activating for subterranean work. And no. Cyclonus is 'the brass'... and the brass needs to represent the 'cons with a big pair to keep them from screwing the Decepticons. Cyclonus is too pretty for grunt work. He makes for a better target. :p "Of course." The Mastodon states in response to Amber's buttering him up, "It was only our genius..." "And will to survive." The Triceratops adds. "And POWER!" The T-Rex snarls. "...that allowed us to overcome all odds." The Mastodon finishes. The Sabertooth skull says nothing, but it lingers long enough to staaaare at Amber almost unnervingly as it studies her. Mercifully it soon vanishes as the normal face takes over again. "I had to scavenge everything I could from the ship. And sacrifice what power was still in the drive reactors in order to project a powerful forcefield that encompassed the entire island. It was enough, just barely. When the meteorite struck, the forcefield barely held the destructive shockwave back and kept the island intact, but at a frightful cost as all remaining energy was expended and the generators overloaded. It caused a temporal feedback when the generator overloaded, which resulted in a curious temporal disturbance that has encompassed this entire island since those days in place of where the forcefield used to be. Curious...now that I think back." A tentacle rises up to rub at the 'chin' of the Quintesson's normal face. "An unexpected side effect, but a fortuitous one, as it has kept this island shielded throughout the millennia from other events that have wracked this planet, whether earthquake, meteorite or otherwise." Robot Tiger helps keep the tunnel clear of dirt as Fragment goes deeper. He piles it high on each side of where Fragment first went in. "The only thing I've ever seen a Decepticon 'regret' is losing." Optimus Prime rumbles at Cyclonus, and there's a barest tightening of his fingers into fists. "-but I have better things to do than listen to your mad propaganda. The important part is figuring out how to get you home, before we alter your timeline any further. What are our options?" Again, Optimus Prime surveys the room- and this time, his optics fall on Amber and the Quintesson. "...and where did the small organic primate come from?" Impactor either understands good cop or bad cop, or is just willing to listen to MacKenzie's request. He shrugs and folds his arms. "Have it your way, but if he was as smart as you're saying he'd know better than to mouth off to his superiors." Still, the human is doing a pretty good job getting information from the Quint. He glances over his shoulder. "Human," he explains. "I'll spare you the detail but they're an alien race we've allied with. Sorry, Prime, but we can't let you know too much about the future." He gives a pointed look at the *other* Prime. Robot Tiger goes back to digging the trench farther up the hill after clearing some of the dirt at the other end. "She's with us." Rodimus adds after Impactor's initial explanation. "We have another one with us too, but I think he's resting after the excitement from last night. Got a little singed by that console." Folding his hands behind his back, Rodimus does glance back at Impactor, but doesn't let his expression betray anything right now. "As for what our options are, we were hoping that this 'time window' that the Quintesson was working on could send us back to where we came from. But it looks like it's only capable of sending things into the past. This -has- given us some ideas on how to preserve events and get them back to the way they should be...and we may have found a way to get back to our own time...using a longer method, but that still leaves other problems that need to be dealt with. Optimus, a lot of things have happened...involving -your- crew and Megatron's crew that shouldn't have happened." He's carefully tiptoeing his way around the subject at the moment, though more for trying to figure out how to explain it rather than a desire to keep Optimus in the dark. Unfortunately, Amber isn't aware of the future Dinobot Island's weird properties, or she'd jump on it. She drops her gaze, frowning in speculation. Hmmmmm. Is the someone with lots of teeth on to her? Time to tone it down. "I see. Actually, I don't see," she confesses honestly, raising her gaze again. "The science you're talking about is beyond me." As the 'small organic primate' doesn't sound anything like her name, she doesn't notice the elder Prime's comment. Instead, she launches into a pet cause. "Are you certain that this is a *temporal* disturbance, sir, and not a dimensional one?" "I see." Optimus says. He's torn- on the one hand, he's thrilled at the opportunity to meet other sentient beings- but on the other, it's a tragedy said beings have been dragged into this war. His face shows little, of this conflict (the face mask helps). "Regardless of what's happened, the very knowledge we would have of your future would alter the timeline, thus creating a temporal paradox. I'm passingly familiar with the theory, even if I don't have any...practical experience with it. Guess I should have paid more attention in dimensional-physics class back at Autobot academy." Was that...a joke? Fragment explores the underground, careful of his surroundings be they ship interior or tunnel. He checks the supports personally as he goes along. Mapping out the system and deciding how and where best to seal the place. Robot Tiger has to keep darting down the hill to clear the dirt at the bottom, leaving a ridge to catch falling dirt a few feet from the tunnel entrance, so that Fragment isn't progressively buried from both ends. Cyclonus gives Optimus another glare. "Propaganda indeed. Hmph. But why not tell him, Autobots? After all, we have THAT part of the plan covered as well. Indeed, I myself intend to tell Megatron of his fate--" Part of it. "--as I am sure it will encourage him to go along. But then, I can understand why you might disagree... Anyway. Back to the topic. The Quintesson's foul sciences can remedy part of the paradoxes we have caused by travelling backwards in time." "Dimensional? Oh no...no." Archaeonix says, his chuckle perhaps meaning to be more academic but it inevitably comes off as a bit sinister. The Mastodon head rotates around as the Quint's ovoid body leans over slightly, so the great curved tusks barely touch the ground to either side of her. "We could attempt to explain in great detail, but not only would your feeble organic mind as well as the limited mental circuits of the Cybertronians fail to comprehend the important details, it would take far too long to properly explain. Accept this, then." He tips himself up again, balancing on the spider-like leg bones as he shifts his position just slightly, "Temporal experimentation is something that we have experience in. The concept of the Time Window is not a new one, though it is still experimental. It is something we attempted to incorporate into the time ship, though the experiment was unfortunately, unsuccessful." Or fortunately if you look at it from the point of view of the rest of the universe. "To put it simply, yes. Yes this is a temporal disturbance around the island. Because that is -exactly- what it should be, and what we have been working on all this time." "It's called trying not to pile it all on at once, Cyclonus." Rodimus grunts to the side, though refusing to let the Decepticon second get to him. "...anyways." Attention swivels back to Optimus once more, "You're right that what you know already could change a lot of events. You guys...all of you have important roles to play one way or another, at different times. And there's a lot of lives that are riding on that. I mean, a -lot-, not just our own. We think we know how to fix this though...the Quintesson." He nods his head towards the ovoid alien nearby. "...we know them well. So I can personally vouch that if anyone has the expertise and the tools to do this, they do. He has a device and the knowledge to..." He hesitates a moment, but then pushes on, "...wipe a selective portion of your memories. With Wheeljack helping...and supervising him, of course. That machine he was working on earlier..." Rodimus indicates the equipment sitting on the table in front of the Quint, which he has forgotten the moment in favor of talking about himself and his past. It's like he's got an ego to stoke...times five. "Theoretically, we think we can set events up to happen as they're supposed to happen in our time, and we think we can erase the memories that you and the Decepticons of this time have experienced. Just of -these- events, mind you. After that..." Rodimus swallows, as if this is hard to tell. "...you'd all have to go back into stasis in the Ark. Until you're supposed to wake up in four million years." "I see. If that's what we have to do in order to preserve the timeline, so be it." Optimus Prime says this without the slightest hint of hesitation. "Just make sure the process is...selective." he looks cautiously over at the Quintesson, and tilts his head ever so slightly. "It wouldn't do anyone any good if we were all mindwiped by this...creature's device." Amber MacKenzie finds mastodon tusks in her personal space a bit unnerving, and she takes a few slow, casual steps back. "A shame," she sighs. "I've always wondered about the paradox of time travel and the theory of it producing alternate universes." What a bitter disappointment. Everything has to happen as it already did, no matter how hard they would wish differently. Another thought occurs to her, and she strays from her script. "What if there were a deliberate attempt to sabotage the timeline? Would entirely different events conspire to force it back to the original course? Or would these events *already* have been a previously-unknown part of our past?" Fragment makes the final decisions and sets the selected tunnel stretches for collapse. At the end, he crouches and raises his battle mask. His purple optics glow and target the ceiling of the tunnel roof at the far end. The lasers blast and cut and disrupt the stability of the tunnel as they sweep from far to near. The rumbling in the earth topside is gently muffled and almost soothing. He cuts off the lasers and then shields his optics with a hand from the dust coughed up by the sudden influx of earth filling the once open space. This is his kung fu, and it is strong. "To meet your ignominious destiny, yes," Cyclonus finishes for Rodimus, though he didn't really ask for it." He fidgets as Amber suggests what might happen if someone sabotaged the timeline. He had originally operated under the assumption that this was an alternate timeline, but now that that's no longer certain... "No, human. Megatron's elevation to a higher state of being--" And lower. "--and my own existence depend on the timeline proceeding as before. Indeed, there is something else Rodimus hasn't mentioned, yet. A terror of tremendous power, sufficient to threaten the entire galaxy and destroy our race with little effort. In our timeline, however, this threat has been destroyed. But, in a new timeline... well, the outcome of that contest no longer remains certain. So, be assured that I do not desire to change the events of the future." Robot Tiger finally digs up to the volcano, and starts making the trench go into the hillside so that it'll open up into the crater. Archaeonix's body shifts as the Sabertooth gives Amber the Evil Eye again, the light glinting just slightly off of some metallic bracing grafted onto those sword-like upper teeth, "You dabble in questions that your pitiful mind can comprehend, human. These are questions that -we- have pondered for thousands and thousands of years, and only recently...at least by reckoning of -our- time zone, has even the incredible genius of the Quintessons begun to bear fruit in this research. Whether or not an alternate timeline can be created by deliberately diverging events remains to be seen. Possible? Perhaps. On the other hand, could it do irreversible damage to your own timeline? Just as likely. It is unproven, untested. And uncertain for now." The ovoid body leeeans closer again so the Sabertooth is more eye to eye with Amber. "Are you a -gambling- individual, human? The one you call Cyclonus speaks the truth. Events that we take for granted, and know exactly how they play out may very well no longer be something that we can predict." With that, Archaeonix straightens up, the Sabertooth smugly looking down despite the lack of any emotional features on the polished skull, "But do not worry. The Quintessons are not dissuaded so easily when there is knowledge to be gained. One day, we will have an answer for your inquiry. Unfortunately, your mortal body will no doubt have long shriveled up and returned to the base organic components from which you are formed. So you may...miss out." Quintessons, Impactor decides, are even better at prattling on and on about holier-than-thou crap than even the Decepticons. "Timeline's already different," he declares. "Even if it's too small for most of us to notice. It's different." Rodimus Prime has fallen silent for a long few moments, both at Optimus' assessment, and listening to the Quintesson explain the situation, as much as he can handle anyway. Sciency stuff always tends to make his head hurt a bit, "That's why we'd have Wheeljack monitoring the whole process, Optimus. If anyone can keep tabs on it, he can." He grins just faintly as he remembers how eager the flashy-eared Autobot was to get right to work. "It's not perfect, far from it. But it may be about the best route we've got at the moment." Banshee walks out of the forest carrying the skull of some kind of ceratopian, looking satisfied at something. She' not bloodsoaked or anything, so it's a mystery how she's collected it. She's muttering a low stream of annoyed sounding German under her breath... but that's just how German sounds so she may not actually be annoyed at all! Cyclonus folds his arms across his broad chest. "Well, Impactor," he says, "I haven't inexplicably vanished, nor have you, so, different or no, I'm satisfied that this timeline is close enough to be the original. Hm, yes, and we have Soundwave watched the Quintesson AND Wheeljack. He knows the full tale of our future--though I tried for a while to hide it from him--and he seemed... satisfied that it will turn out well for him. I believe I can count on him to also preserve the timeline." Starscream and the others have been at work piling up wreckages off to one side, or while Rampage and Fragment are busy digging under to prepare the lava, they've been blasting off any pieces of wreckage that need to be put in the correct spot. In short, the other Decepticons and Autobots are more or less keeping busy. Though Starscream is never all -that- far away... Amber MacKenzie takes a few more steps back. She preferred the tusks to the Sabertooth breathing in her face. Bloody bastard knows exactly what he's doing, too. She bites back a snarky retort, since even as wimpy as a Quintesson may be compared to a Transformer, he's still big and bad compared to her. "Asking questions is the first step towards finding answers," she responds neutrally. "Wouldn't you agree?" She falls silent for a few seconds before shrugging. "I gamble when I like the odds. But you and Cyclonus are right; it's hard to tell what those are in this situation." She decides that she really, really doesn't like Sabertooth Face. "So, how'd you happen to acquire your unusual new faces?" she asks bluntly. Impactor peers at Cyclonus. "How do you know that? Maybe you and I weren't here to begin with. Maybe you and I only popped up because the people here changed the timeline to make it happen." He's just screwing with Cyclonus; he couldn't care less if the timeline gets changed a bit. "I see. My Autobots will all submit to the procedure...so long as we can convince Megatron to do the same. If not..." Cyclonus gets a very, very long look at this. "Make the preparations, and let me know if there's anything I can do to help. I'd better get back to the medical bay before Ratchet gets back. I...didn't exactly tell him I was going for a walk." Optimus Prime pats Rodimus Prime reassuringly on the shoulder, and nods. "Keep up the good work, Autobot. We're all counting on you. I'm sure you'll make me proud." and with that, Optimus Prime makes his exit! Fragment collapses a second tunnel just as he did the first. The audible dull crumbling sound followed by the rush of displaced air coughing out dust from the tunnel entrance this time. And moments later the dust-coated grey Decepticon emerges in the lingering mote haze. His mask retracts back into the sides of his helmet. Robot Tiger peers down at Fragment. "Ready to let 'er go?" he says, pointing a paw at the last bit of dirt that separates the lava from the trench. Rodimus Prime nods slowly as Optimus walks off, before letting out a long sound not unlike a sigh as he raises one hand to touch to his forehead. "...you'd think it'd be easier to just spill the whole beans in one go." Nonetheless, he trails off, watching with a faint smile as Optimus walks back, not surprised that he's up and about without Ratchet's say-so. Fragment looks around and then settles on Rampage with a nod. "Start blasting." He then shouts, "Fire in the hole!" Not /quite/ accurate but it's good enough as a warning of imminent burning hazard. "You humans enjoy asking questions, many questions. Such curiosity would almost be admirable." Archaeonix's sabertooth head continues to leer down at Amber, before rotating and spinning back as the calmer Mastodon takes over once more. "But too often your species lacks the -drive- to do what must be done to get answers to those questions. The secrets of the universe are revealed to those with the talent, the curiosity and the -will- to seize them." At her latter question, the ovoid body spins rapidly a few times before the 'normal' one resumes his place, "I was alone. For a very...very long time." He mumbles. "Even the cybernetic dinosaurs I managed to build with careful applications of my limited resources were hardly company. Little more than automated cyber-beasts. Eventually even I take damage, and require maintenance and replacement parts I did not have. As my other faces became inoperative I...improvised with what I had." A shifting follows and the T-Rex snarls in Amber's direction for good measure, "And we IMPROVED upon that by evolving to our new appearances, as was right! we are better than ever, and it was with this knowledge that we would return triumphant to our time and bring about the new age of the QUINTESSON EMPIRE! Gyah hah hah!" Back to the normal face, "...do you have -any- idea, what sixty one million years is like, without anyone else to talk to?" Cyclonus looks back at Optimus evenly. "I am sure that I can convince him. It's *Starscream* I'm worried about." He considers needling Rodimus some more, but decides it wouldn't be worth the entertainment value to risk pushing him too far. So, instead, he antagonizes the Quintesson. "Your suffering is merely justice for the crimes your people have committed against us, Arachaeonix. If this is the worst that happens to you, count yourself lucky." Robot Tiger transforms, rises into the air, and lets the last bit of earthen barrier have it with his lightning rifle. He makes sure he's high enough so he doesn't get sprayed with molten rock. Amber MacKenzie so badly wants to suggest surgical separation, but she values her life. Instead, she points out calmly, "Looks like the others didn't let you do much talking." Something Cyclonus says catches her attention, and she looks up at the much taller Decepticon. "Starscream a problem, sir? Why do *you* need his permission to have his memory adjusted?" "Cause unlike Megatron, he can't just choke him and make him submit anymore, right Cyclonus?" Rodimus Prime pipes up oh so casually from where he stands. Gloriously hot molten lava flows... flows from the broken rim.... down the cut slope... the river filling and following the trench gouged and carved from the land. The burning serpentine doom makes it way towards the crash crater hungering for anything it can pour over. Fragment stands back monitoring the fruits of Decepticon labor. His pale white faceplate darkening as dust bakes onto it from the rising heat. The rusted out skeleton of a Quintesson ship is reached by the lava. Let there be consumption. "Yes, well that was..." Archaeonix begins, but he's interrupted by the other faces. T-Rex: "He lacks the fury!" Mastodon: "Insufficient wisdom." Sabertooth: "Pointless patriotic motivations." Triceratops: "Inflexible." Back to the normal face again, which ALMOST gives off the air of an irritated expression, "...there was a difference of opinion." And then the ovoid form is turning at the sounds of the blasts, watching as the lava flows down the mountainside. Skywarp and Thundercracker stand to either side along the trench, both with armloads of Dinocon wreckage that they toss into the lava as it flows past. Well hey, as long as it's there and available, right? What's left of the ship's skeletal structure starts to glow a bright orange, then warp as it softens under the immense heat, and begins to collapse in on itself as if in slow motion as the molten rock begins to devour it bit by little bit. The Quintesson watches for a few more moments, then gives a rueful sigh, "So much potential, all for naught. Back to the blueprint stage, I suppose." At Cyclonus' earlier comment, the T-Rex head keeps TRYING to snap around to say something to him again, but the Quint seems to be doing everything he can to keep that particular face under control. Oh his kingdom for a muzzle. Cyclonus frowns. "Yes... Rodimus is correct, human. And in case you did not know, Starscream is infamous amongst our kind as being treacherous and unreliable. Yes, you can tell him to do something, and maybe he'll do it. Maybe he won't. Maybe he'll try to stab you in the back. Maybe, worse yet, he'll genuinely try to follow orders but horribly botch the attempt such that he might as well have betrayed you. Sometimes I think Megatron only kept him around so that he wouldn't get bored." Banshee helps push the dinobot wreckage into the lava, fiercely defending the skull she's 'salvaged', even though it appears to be from a Dinocon. She straps it to her own back for transport back to the future, singing a surprisingly pleasant aria as she works Cyclonus adds, "And, though I have bested him in single combat, I am not certain that I can do so again. For all his displays of incompetence, he is indeed a formidable warrior. Without Megatron, it will be much harder to restrain him." Amber MacKenzie almost likes the normal face. Or maybe that's just in comparison with the others. "Yes, a difference of opinion. It's odd, though, that four of them agreed to unite against the one." She also turns to look at the glowing lava flow, feeling a hot breeze kick in. Eyes narrowed in calculation, she estimates how close the flow will come to her. Once her safety is ensured, she returns her attention to Cyclonus. "Treacherous, eh? Why won't Megatron assist you in subduing Starscream, sir, or just do it himself? Is he still indisposed? That *would* be troublesome." "Funny, I never had any problem trusting any of my Autobots under my command. And I don't remember Optimus ever having that problem either." Rodimus can't help but get his own little digs in for good measure...because well, Cyclonus has been having a go at them all this time already. But serious mode now, "Know this much, Cyclonus." And at this point, Rodimus has lowered his voice deliberately so it -won't- carry too far. "If Megatron decides he's not in for this plan or that he doesn't care about whatever you've all got to tell him...we might have to -force- him to do it. And don't give me any of that exhaust-waste about strength of warriors or determination or the like. You know, and -I- know what's going to happen if Optimus and I put our Autobots together to do it if we have to. All -you- have to decide at the time is what you're going to do. Either way..." Rodimus' deadly serious stare focuses straight on the future Decepticon second. "...it'll happen." "Nice trophy," Rampage calls over to Banshee. He watches the lava flow, settling down nearby to observe. "Need a powerwasher?" he says to Fragment. Archaeonix, more or less, seems to be off the hook at the moment as far as telling his story goes. And really he's told most of it anyway, his attention swiveling back to the table and the device centered on it as he raises one tentacle with a tool again. "Hmmm, with all evidence destroyed, nothing is guaranteed of course, but we may improve the odds significantly in our favor that we will preserve events as they should be. It will be MOST interesting to see if things have changed in our own time when we return. Most interesting indeed...very informative." "He would help in subduing Starscream, human--were he online right now. And even if he were, Starscream would remain very dangerous," Cyclonus explains. "And, I suppose I should tell you that he did try to lead a mutiny against me. Understandable, given the circumstances--but I managed to quell it all the same." He frowns deeply, thinking as Rodimus makes his case. Would he really be forced to turn on Megatron? That would be almost unthinkable. And yet... he has his own designs, of which he feels fairly confident that he can get Megatron to sign onto. "...I understand." Banshee grins over at Rampage "Danke!" She calls out, looking over at Cyclonus. "Herr Cyclonus... perhaps we could help subdue Starscream?" Fragment glances over at Rampage. "No." Looking back at the melting remnants of the shipwreck, Fragment is satisfied and transforms to spaceship mode. He flies towards the volcano and opens fire to collapse the break in it from which the lava flows, turning the tap off as it were. He then turns back around and does a flyby overhead the gathered "Returning to base to assist final preparations and brief Lord Megatron if required." A pause. "Nice... trophy, Banshee." The ship accelerates to leave the time bubble of the Island. Rodimus Prime hasn't got any commentary to really make on the whole 'What will Megatron do' question hovering over everybody's head at this point. But he certainly knows for a matter of fact 'what Rodimus will do', and he's about 99% sure that it will coincide with 'what Optimus will do' as well. As such, he simply crosses his arms over his chest and silently watches the spectacle of the magma flowing down the trench to melt the remnants of what's left of the Quintesson's ship. He makes no commentary on Banshee or her trophy of course because well...he's not exactly in the business of getting casually chatty with Decepticons. Banshee smiles and calls out to Rampage "Danke, Rampage!" She grins to herself, looking over at Cyclonus. "Herr Cyclonus... perhaps we could assist you in restrainink Herr Starscream?" "I shoulda thought of keeping one," Rampage replies, coming down the hill to where the others are. "Yeah, do we need to tie that guy up or what?" Cyclonus turns to Banshee, quirking a brow at the strange skull she brought. "Hm, yes, Banshee, I will be counting on you and the other Decepticons to... support me in whatever course I choose to take." He grimaces. "Restrain him? We'd have to do it miles from base. I couldn't tolerate his constant screeching about the 'injustice' of it! Besides, we'd have to let him go eventually, and when we did he'd be even more keen for revenge." Banshee nods a little. "Danke, Cyclonus." She sniffs, pondering. "Let him be keen for revenge... it won't matter vhen his memory is wiped of all zis." Amber MacKenzie nods slowly, then is staggered by a sudden realization. The situation must be dire indeed, as Cyclonus has politely addressed her, and more than once today! Feeling shaken, she heads back up the crater wall to her crevice. She needs a rest. Yes, Cyclonus must be frightened indeed... Banshee also grins at the quirked brow, adding "Ist trophy." Rodimus Prime sighs again, unfolding his arms and moving back towards where most of the other Autobots are gathered. Despite the apparent 'joint camp' status that the island center has become for the moment there is, understandably, a decided lack of intermingling of the troops. In fact it's probably a small miracle that neither side has started blasting the other for good measure yet. Either way, Rodimus will take whatever time he can get. There's still lots of work to be done. Cyclonus nods. "Ah. Well, very good, Banshee, but I hope you don't expect to make a trophy of Starscream, too--though I'd love to see that. Even so, yes, he'll be more manageable once his memory is wiped, but the difficult trick is getting him in that position. I... am not sure he'll go along so easily. We'll see." "Can't we just weld his lip servos shut?" Rampage suggests. Cyclonus shakes his head at Rampage. "Likely not. He'd find another whine, I'm sure." Banshee nods to Cyclonus. "Ja, true enough. If there is more zan vun of us though... surely ve could... restrain him. Not zat I doubt you could subdue him if needed, mein Kommandant." Cyclonus thinks back to some of what Rodimus said. "...of course Banshee. But I want your assurance that you'll support me in WHATEVER it is I choose to do. Do you understand me, soldier? The future depends on it!" Banshee nods "Ja, of course, Kommandant. My loyalty is to ze Empire." Cyclonus nods slowly, hoping that she understands the full, true meaning of what he said. "Good. Because I'll be counting on you and the rest of the Decepticons from our time." Banshee salutes. "You speak Galvatron's orders; when he isn't here, you are his voice. He is not here, so you speak and I obey, mein kommandant." Cyclonus returns the salute. "Excellent. Hail _Galvatron_." He puts a little extra emphasis on Galvatron's name. Soundwave might be listening, he realizes--but he's fairly sure that he won't try to use this to blackmail him. After all, his own safe future depends on events going as planned. "Yeah, you can count on us," Rampage says to Cyclonus. Banshee nods. "Hail Galvatron!" She replies, heels snapping together.
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