Chapter 5 - Feeling Stealthy

Gygax

''I don't believe it. None of it.'' Gundog said as he helped Deadmetal hold one of the large metal pipes upright.
''I can.'' Deadmetal replied.
''It's not like a Decepticon to just roll over and take a beating.'' Gundog continued with a dismissive shake of his of head. ''I mean, why?! They could've at least put a fight!''
''You obviously haven't had much contact with Krusher, have you?'' Flashpoint asked as he welded the pipe into place.
''Hardly heard of the bot until we scrounged a lift with you guys.'' Gundog admitted.
''Okay, you can let go now.'' The medic said.
Deadmetal and Gundog carefully relinquished their grip on the pipe and took a hasty step back incase Flashpoint's welds didn't hold. The steadily growing structure creaked then settled.
''They fear Krusher more than they fear us.'' Flashpoint said. ''That's why it was so easy to take the Space Bridge parts they were transporting.''
''More scared of him than us?'' Gundog muttered. ''We'll have to see about changing that.''
The three of them looked up at the base structure of the Space Bridge. The basin had been fastened back together and the two main support pylons had been erected. Several of the computers that helped run it were in place and ready to be fused with the rest of the structure.
''Now all we gotta do is retrieve the other half of the Bridge.'' Deadmetal said.
''Any ideas on how we're gonna do that?'' Gundog asked.
''I'm hoping we'll kick them while they're down.'' Flashpoint replied. ''With three members of his crew down, Krusher's a relatively easy target.''

''Uh, with Raid still unable to see, we're also at a major disadvantage in the fact that we have a blind leader who's vehicle mode is a dirty great tank! Now, I dunno 'bout you, but I ain't keen on the idea of being in the same area as him during a fire fight...'' Gundog said bluntly.
''I'm hoping to remedy that very soon. I'm waiting for Speeder and Blue Falcon to get back from the protoform hospital with his new set of optical sensors. I just hope they make it back in one piece.''
''And once you get his new optics working, we can invade their base?'' Gundog asked hopefully.
''Depends how quick I can do it and what Raid's thoughts are on the idea.'' Flashpoint admitted. ''And also on how cooperative he's feeling...'' He added in a mutter.
''We best go find out, then, right?'' Gundog said and walked from the Space Bridge chamber.
''And here's me thinking he wouldn't fit in anytime soon...'' Flashpoint mused and followed, Deadmetal trailing behind.


Nymex 3 - Moto-Motel

Three red lights pierced the darkness of the shabby motel room, focusing on the lone, bedraggled figure that lay sprawled on the single bed, snoring loudly. Spinner continued to watch for a few moments longer, debating on what he should do next. Waking the sleeping organic right now would be somewhat amusing. So would tormenting him for a short time. It would keep the Decepticon amused whilst he searched Carjack's body which had been secreted away in the bowels of the faceless building that George worked within. Eventually, his optics fell upon the Fox's luggage. Spinner crept toward them and carefully unzipped one. He rummaged silently. Nothing. Nothing but clothes. George grunted and rolled over, almost falling out of bed. Spinner froze mid-way zip-up. When the organic didn't awaken, Spinner proceeded to un-zip the second bag. Inside was a washbag and a leather wallet. Long, nimble fingers that were forged on a distant planet pried the pouch open and flipped through what was inside. He pulled an ID card out and flipped it over in his sharp fingers. There was a small photo of George laminated to the paper's top right corner. Covering the rest of the pale blue paper was his details. Spinner flipped the card over again and inspected the black strip that ran across its bottom. The Decepticon cast a look at the slumbering George and sneered quietly. He had an idea. Spinner turned neatly on the ball of his foot and made his way back outside, locking the door quietly behind him. Sunrise was still a few hours away, and the laborotories were lurking just beyond the thick treeline across the wide, neglected road.


Spinner scuttled through the shadows, his movements making the barest of noises against the tarmac. He halted at a corner of a squat, brown bricked building and eyed up the security light. At the other end of the yard, there was a short, white Bull Terrier in a guard's uniform seemingly aimlessly wandering around and looking utterly bored. A small weapon was brought to bear, Spinner's fingers rearranging into the tiny, but lethal gun. He lifted his arm and took aim. A small pop and the sensor on the security light was shattered. The pieces of plastic and bare wiring glittered beneath the moonlight and stars as they lay spread about on the black ground. The guard looked over his shoulder, pale eyes scanning the area behind him, paw on holstered revolver. He squinted into the dark, then, with a soft grunt, he carried on with his patrol. Spinner kept his weapon to hand and scuttled up against the opposite building, sidling silently toward an emergency exit door. He stepped onto the concrete step, looked around again and exchanged his gun for a thin blade. He turned around, slipping the blade into the narrow gap between door and frame, and started harrassing the lock. As he looked to his left, there was a click. Not the click that would accompany the unlocking of a door. But the click that accompanied the cocking of a small weapon. Spinner slowly withdrew his blade and tilted his head to one side, red optics rotating to look upon the startled Bull Terrier. His eyes were wide, his stance defensive and his revolver trained nervously on the Decepticon. Spinner stepped from the door, going into a crouching stance as if ready to pounce, a low, electronic hiss emanating from a hidden mouth. The guard took a step back, bracing his gun in both paws, eyes fixed upon the mechanical creature that was slowly creeping toward him, head jutted out toward him on the end of a long, flexible neck. The guard took another step back and collided with a chainlink fence. He let out a soft whimper. A paw tentavely reached toward the radio attached to his belt. Spinner lept forward, two blades at the ready. The guard shrieked in dismay as he bore down on him, alien silver grinting sharply under the security lights and the moon. The guard's screams were quickly cut off, lowering into a mumbling gurlge as Spinner sliced through his neck, spilling his blood on the ground. The guard didn't even get a chance to use his gun. Spinner wiped his blades on the guard's shirt and got back to work on the door.

When the door finally clicked open, Spinner stuck his head inside. The hallway beyond was dark with a single striplight at the end, illuminating another door. He slipped silently in, letting the door close behind him. He moved carefully down the hallway and pried the other door open. Beyond was the main lobby. Leading off from that area were two wide, finely decorated hallways. Spinner took a thorough look at his surroundings, scrutinizing everything with all his senses. There were several security cameras, but he found their blind spots easily. Each one moved, surveying a specific area. Spinner moved into the blind spot of one and followed it around as it swept it's designated area, searching for any signs of intruders. He sprinted into the blind spot of the next camera until he was in the hallway. He pressed himself against the floor and scuttled beneath the chairs and tables that were lined neatly against the walls. When he came to the end, he pulled George's ID from a small cavity within his armour plating and swiped it through the card reader on the door frame. The small machine bleeped informatively and the doors swung open, inviting the small Decepticon in. Beyond, the lights were harsh and bright and everything was stainless steel and sterile white. It was an easy place for him to blend in. He proceeded carefully into the depths of the labs, all senses on high alert, listening and searching for any signs of life that were comming in his direction. Spinner skittered around another corner, hiding in the blind spot of another security camera. He then scurried across the white linoleum to the opposite end of the corridoor and braced himself beneath a chaotic looking stainless steel trolley as a short, female Terrier walked past, clipboard in paw. Spinner sighed lightly. Why did some organics insist on working during the night and the stupid hours of the morning? It still made no sense to him, especially since they needed constant re-fuelling. Such awkward creatures. It's a wonder they survived at all. He thought bitterly. He stuck his head out into the open and looked around. From beyond the double doors to his right, the sound of voices came. Spinner tuned in on the voices and stuck to his cramped hiding place.

''We're still searching for the other parts.'' Said a soft female voice.
There was grunt of acknowledgement.
''Yes, that's understandable. It was one hell of a mess, but we need those final parts. This, thing, whatever it was, appears to be purely mechanical. If we can somehow figure out a way to put it back together and possibly even reactivate it, we could learn so much more!'' Said the other voice. ''Like, where it came from, who created it, what its purpose was...''
There was a wistful sigh. Then the woman cleared her throat in a polite manner.
''But we still need to locate those final parts before we can even consider trying to stick it back together, let alone reactivate it.'' She said. ''And the workings of it is so complicated... There's so many pieces to it...'' She trailed off. There was a moment's silence in the hyper active conversation. ''I've seen a piece of its brain. Or, processor, rather. Whatever you wanna call it. It's the most complicated thing I've ever seen. More complicated even, than an organic brain. There's a strange, almost see-through outer casing surrounding it. We think that this outer casing may have been in a liquified state before it uh, blew up.''
''What caused it's neck to explode anyway?'' The male queried interestedly.
''Not sure at the moment. The news reports at the time show three more, much smaller mechanical creatures attacking it. One of which made a direct attack on the news chopper. We're not sure if they were the direct cause of the explosion, or if they merely triggered it by over-angering the beast. But from the footage, we do know that they can change shape. That strange looking military chopper that kept going after the news crew? It changed its shape. When the news crew went down, the cameras were still recording. That police car also changed its shape. As did that black jet. Everything was caught on tape.''
''Shapeshifting machines....'' He mused slowly. ''You think they're sentient?'' The male asked after a moment.
There was a briefe pause.
''From the way they were maneuvering on the tapes, yes. It' a high possibility. But, whether that sentience comes through some kind of pilot or whether it's self motivated, I don't know. Our best chance is to try and get our specimen back online.''

Spinner continued to listen to the conversation as it moved away. He slowly and carefully peeled himself from beneath the metal trolley and kept his distance as he followed the two scientists. They kept discussing what he'd figured to be Carjack's remains. He continued to listen to them babble and spectulate over the massive Decepticon's origins and his basic motor functions.
''And the markings on it's armour?'' The woman asked. ''Definately unlike anything I've ever seen.''
''Same. After months of studying them, the conclusion I came to was alien. Nothing in any historical records I've looked at and studied have mentioned anything about markings like that.''
''So it's definately alien. Something we both agree on.''
''Mmm-hmm. If we can figure out a way to create something of our own from this creature's body, maybed even it's own components, and incorporate it into a machine of our own, saaay.... A space shuttle, maybe we can find the world it came from? We could explore beyond our own solar system!''
The woman laughed heartily.
''Ooohhh.... S-sorry.'' She chuckled, obviously having gained herself a sour look. ''That's the funniest thing I've heard all week.''
''But incorporating this alien technology into our own is a feasible idea, you must agree.'' He said bluntly.
''Mmmm, yes. We've discovered a few components in its body that represent something akin to a basic computer's components.''
Spinner shook his head slowly. Although he admired their ambition, he still thought they were a ridiculous race. The two scientists then vanished through a door. Spinner flattened himself against the wall then took a peek through the long window he was crouched beneath. Inside, a set of heavy white curtains sealed off one side of the room. The room itself was big. Massive infact. The ceiling was tall and there was very few features. Just four, solid walls, a ceiling, a floor and a couple of doors, all of which were painted in hues of white and grey. Spinner clicked a fingertip against his alloyed chin. How far had he come into the labs? He had descended a flight of stairs. Several, actually. He must be in a basement level, because he had a strong idea of who was lay just out of sight, beyond that curtain.

Upon that realisation, he decided he needed a plan. A diversion. Something to relocate the organic's attentions and remove them from the room for several minutes. Several minutes is all he'd need. He knew where the Space Bridge node would be located on Carjack's body, as warped as it had become. He looked around himself. His immediate surroundings were bare and pale. Then a small red box on the wall a little further down the corridoor caught his attention. He sprinted across to it and inspected it. A fire alarm. Perfect. He thought. He touched the thin glass with the tip of a sharp finger. He continued pushing against the glass with his finger tip. The thin glass splintered and small cracks crawled out from where his finger was boring into the material, forming a strange spider web pattern. The button on the otherside of the glass was depressed. Alarms shrieked and a single red light in the corner above the far door flashed. Spinner removed his finger quickly. The doors to his target room swung open and four organics, all dressed in long white coats, white shirts and black trousers hurried out and headed down the hall. None payed any heed to the lone Decepticon stood out in the open. Spinner seized the moment and darted into the room. He cautiously made his way over to the heavy curtains. He had one last look at his surroundings, just to make sure no one had risked staying put before lifting the bottom of the curtains up and ducking beneath them. On the other side, he was greeted by a grim sight. The warped body of Carjack lay on a set of massive white sheets. His head had been partially pieced together, and within the biggest chunk, a charred piece of central processor was visible. Indeed, Carjack's fluids had solidified. Most had dried up and turned to a powdery substance in his tubes. It was a natural reaction of his kind's body. It took a while to achieve, and no one was quite sure why, but the Energon usually dried up if it couldn't leak from the body after a certain amount of time. Spinner put his musings aside and clambered up onto the offline corpse. He scrabbled about at Carjack's dented and scuffed chest armour. Once he found sufficient purchase on a seam, he tugged with all his strength. The alien metal gave a weak groan and nothing more. Spinner sat on his haunches and huffed, a finger tapping his chin thoughtfully.

He'd need to go about this another way. He made his way further down Carjack's body and started tugging at the weaker abdominal plating. Much to his relief, they came away, but not without protest. Spinner peeled one back, then another and another until he could see clearly into Carjack's chest cavity. The upgrade had severly warped his innards. Wiring was bunched and twisted unnaturally together, entangled upon inner support strutts. Spinner pushed some wires and thin pipes aside, cutting some away just so he could climb in. It was a morbid thing to do, even by Decepticon standards, but if he couldn't get to the Space Bridge node via the chest plating, then he had to use other options or be stranded on Nymex for many more years to come. He wanted to go home. He wanted to be surrounded by his own kind so much it almost hurt. He wriggled in and continued cutting away at wiring until he came to what he was looking for. Just beneath the intricately set up spherical Spark Chamber, was the device he'd been after. He carefully un-hooked it from its moorings, keeping all the neccessary wiring intact, greatful that the upgrade hadn't damaged or even changed the device. He held it close for a moment, inspecting it, turning it over and over in his spindly hands. He gave slight squeek of appreciation and proceeded to wriggle out of the confines of Carjack's body. Once outside, he admired the device once more. It was quite amazing at how much power such a small device could contain. All he had to do now, was to attach it to himself. A task easier said than done without the correct equiptment. Spinner tucked it away within his armour plating and made for the door. He needed to find a lab that contained some aspect of decent tools for his use. As he reached for the door handle, he paused. There were no sounds. He wasn't picking up any activity on his radar. But it wasn't that that made him stop. He slowly looked over his shoulder and at the drawn curtains. He hurried back under them and made his way towards where Carjack's head lay in pieces. Four more pairs of optics had developed during his mutation, the smallest out of the six pairs being the size of an organic's head. One of the smallest optics, protective lense intact, was completely detached from the rest of the head. Thin wiring trailed from behind it, covered in the same, semi-solidified liquid that encased the larger Decepticon's central processor. A few lengths of black metal jutted from around the semi-intact socket that had once housed the lense. Spinner gingerly touched it, running a finger across the scarred surface of the lense. He picked the loose optic up and made for the door once more, this time not stopping. He'd got what he'd come for. Now he needed to complete the next part of his task.

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