Edge of My Life

Blast Off sits in a prison cell in Kolkular and stares at his hands. Stares at the servos and screws, the pivots and gears. Each black finger moves slowly, sometimes one at a time, sometimes all at once. His violet optics stare down at this and try to drink it all in... because he knows that in a short time he will not be able to do even this simple thing. He may never be able to do it again. He's spent the last half-cycle being as \*aware\* of his body as he can possibly be- scraping a hand against the wall, feeling the hard surface of the bench he sits on, brushing a finger against the rough ceramic tiles of his heat shields.

Why? Pharma came to his cell the cycle before and informed him of exactly what he had dreaded all along- the powers-that-be in the Senate don't /want/ him to go to trial. They want him /silenced/- and spark extraction is their method of choice. He's going to wind up back in a white-out cell like the one he was in on Garrus-1.... The mind-prison- that eternal limbo where he had only his own thoughts and loneliness for company for millions of years. In a short time he will only be a cerebro cortex, a spark and a T-cog. This body- this already poor-substitute for his original forged body- is going to be taken from him, probably destroyed. And he was just getting used to it. The cloud of despair over the thought of returning to that hell is unlike anything the shuttle has ever known. If he could just will himself to die right now, rather than face that torment once more, he gladly would. He just can't... do this again. It's... breaking him. And the worst part is... no one knows he's gone. There's no one to care.

Meanwhile, unknown to the Combaticon- his brethren DO know. Thanks to the surveillance efforts of Soundwave, the Decepticons have learned of Blast off's predicament.... and decided this is the time to make a statement about what happens when you grind Kaon citizens- Decepticons and their allies- under your heel for too long. Eventually they strike back. Kaon will not stay silent and submissive forever. Megatron had called for a strike- and what better time than now?

Leading the charge is Blast Off's old team. Once Onslaught and the other Combaticons learned of Blast Off's fate, they set to work on a rescue. For they may bicker and fight and seem to be at each other's throats at times, but in the end they are a team- and they have each other's backs. Even now... they may think Blast Off can be a pompous aft, but he's THEIR pompous aft, and no one's keeping him imprisoned- or worse- not if they have anything to say about it!

So now Soundwave stands on a spot near the fortress that is Kolkular with a contingent of Decepticons. Onslaught passes out datapads, indicating weak spots in the prison defenses. Soundwave looks out and speaks. "Decepticons. The time has come to make a stand. The government thinks that they can simply imprison and persecute us because we do not toe their line. They think they can dictate to us, grind us under their heel because we dare think for ourselves and question their actions. And now they hold several of us here under threat of death... or worse. It is time we put en end to that. We are here to free the Combaticon's teammate. We are here to free anyone wrongly held. You have friends here? It is time to break them out, bring them home." His optic visor flickers. "We will fight- and we will grow stronger. Take what you want- take their weapons, too. This prison cannot hold our kind any longer."

Skywarp checks the datapad but it is a bit tedious for his attention span, still he tries to memorize the layout most of all as he might need to use his talent blindly and on faith alone. Dangerous but powerful. Skywarp does not take alot of things seriously but his health is pretty much at the top. The seeker makes a note of where the primary target is and hands the datapad back. "Got it."

Rumble has joined this breakout effort because he believes Blast Off \*was\* wronged, and that he doesn't deserve imprisonment at all! He certainly doesn't deserve to get swept under the rug, and the Senate will find a way to do that if they wait too long on this.

"I'm ready to knock down these walls," Rumble exclaims, as he stares in the fortress-prison's general direction.

Brawl is so ready it's taking orders from Onslaught to make him stay still. "I WANNA BLAST SOMETHIN' BOSS, JUST LEMME AT 'EM!" he shouts. Element of surprise? AHAHAHA. Not with Brawl. It's even in his techspecs. The big green tankformer pounds one fist into his hand and crouches forward, like an attack dog waiting to be let off the chain.

Starscream brings up the rear, flying in fashionably late, as he always does whenever Soundwave calls. Protoforming with a dramatic sigh. He glances flippantly at the data pad before subspacing it. "Calm down, I didn't bring you into this assignment so you could botch it," the seeker addresses the lower ranking Decepticons.

He glances over at Soundwave. "Yeah, yeah, get off your soapbox already. Time's wasting," he says waving dismissively at the communications officer. "Skywarp, you're with me. We'll take an aerial perspective on the structure's weaknesses before we move in. Soundwave--you manage the ..other two. Make sure they don't cause the place to crumble before the prisoners get out." Did he just boss Soundwave, like a boss? The seeker's ego must have experienced a boost the past couple cycles..

Skywarp nods and walks over to Starscream. "Ready when you are." He starts pondering mean pranks to pull on the guards. He finds one and starts giggling like an idiot.

The datapads show the Decepticon strategy, courtesy of Onslaught, naturally. They will come at the prison on two fronts. Team A is distraction- a frontal assault led by most of the Combaticons in order to focus the attention of the guards and draw in most of the security forces. Meanwhile, Team B is the Rescue Party. Their job- slip in and grab Blast Off (plus anyone else they can) and get out before the Prison knows what hit them. Swindle has already worked his magic, and Team B is armed with access codes- they'll just have to hope the codes are good. But hey- Swindle may be a bit sleazy but he's very good at it!

Soundwave takes the datapad back from Skywarp and nods. "We are counting on your unique talents to break through their final defenses. They will not expect someone who can teleport into a cell." He turns to Brawl and Rumble. "You will provide our distraction- for now. You know what to do."

Soundwave turns to look at Starscream, and if he has a reaction, it doesn't show. He's just ...hard to read that way. "Move quickly then. We do not have much time."

Rumble grins cheerfully. And he gets to work with \*Brawl\*? This is about as good as it gets for the little mining mech. "It's distractin' time!"

Skywarp chuckles at Soundwave "They will expect even less being teleported into an empty cell. By the time they make it out we will be long gone."

The rescue party had better hurry, because time -is- indeed a-wastin'. Pharma arrives at Blast Off's cell, a twisted grin that can only mean one thing on his face. It's time for the -operation-. He opens the cell and starts to drag the Combaticon out. "Heheh, guess what time it is? That's right, it's time for your -procedure-. Look on the bright side--maybe it won't be as long as before, or as long as you thought. It's just until they figure out your complex legal situation, that's all!" He encourages, as he shoves Blast Off along toward an extraction chamber.

Onslaught nods to Soundwave and then turns towards his most eager soldier. "Brawl? -Go get them-."

It doesn't take a second order. Brawl transforms into tank mode and turns his cannon towards one of the outer defenses of Kolkular. Charging up a blast, motes of light swirl and crackle around his turret until--

Ka-BOOOOOM!!

Brawl's chassis jerks backwards on its treads from the force of the plasma shell, which sails through the air like a white-hot comet. It impacts the side of Kolkular, right at a defensive gun nest. A massive explosion lights up the sky and rips open a hole in the fortress. Alarms go off as the burning bodies of the guards fall several stories to the ground.

Rumble chooses a place that isn't directly in front of Brawl, but perhaps a bit off to one side. He transforms his pylons out, and begins getting to work on the prison bulwark. It's rather remarkable how much property damage the small mech can accomplish with his pylons alone, which smash great cracks into the edifice.

Starscream grabs Skywarp and drags him up and away from the guard, scowling in annoyance as he flies upwards. "/Very funny/," he says derisively, "but this isn't the time to be trying out new pranks." He flies over the complex, his optics scanning for a way in. Rumble and Brawl are providing a substantial distraction, which is working in their favor, so it isn't long before the seeker identifies a gap in the security he can squeeze in through.

He shoves Skywarp forwards with a scowl, "Teleport in, I'll be right behind you." And with that he transforms into his full alternate jet mode and zooms straight into the complex, mobilizing his guns along the way.

Blast Off looks up as Pharma appears- and his circuits run cold. Everything is cold... he's not sure he'll ever feel warm again. No, wait.... he won't feel anything at /all/ very soon. He tries to fight Pharma off, but it's to no avail... he's handcuffed and not phsyically very strong to begin with. He still resists... he does NOT want to go there. He's going to make it as difficult as possible. The shuttleformer keeps his head up- trying to remain as dignified as he can. He doesn't dignify Pharma with a response, either, beyond a \*huffff\* of his vents. For old time's sake, if nothing else. Soon even his characteristic HUFFF is going to be silenced, too. He knows very well that they have no intention of getting him out of there any time soon- if ever.

Meanwhile, Brawl and Rumble are indeed getting noticed. The sirens blare, red lights flashing as bright strobes sweep the area- focusing on the oncoming Decepticons. The doors of the Fortress open, and a horde of Enforcers come streaming out. These guys are here because they can look the meanest, nastiest mechs on the planet in the optic- and laugh- then PUNCH their optics out. These are NOT nice mechs. And now, as they approach, some raises their weapons and fire at BRawl- who is really hard to miss, after all. The other Combaticons meet them quickly- Onslaught leading the charge, Vortex flying overhead. Swindle is nearby, but he's working access codes and monitoring things with Soundwave- who is also hanging back. He can't afford to be seen, so he's working at a distance while the others charge in.

One armed gaurd- the lead one, raises a serious-looking rocket launcher (these massive dudes don't play around) and fires it at the tank's center.

Skywarp shrugs Starscream'S hand off "Yeah yeah I know." With the usual flash of purple light and slight noise. Skywarp disappears from sight and appears inside the hallway behind Pharma and Blast Off. A few seconds to take in his surroundings. Just like on the datapad. Skywarp raises his arm gun at Pharma "Stop right there like a good mech."

Rumble continues to work on shattering the wall. He's small enough that he's probably difficult to pinpoint with the Combaticons being the bigger targets. He just wants to do as much damage as possible, in the hopes he can break through to the cells and begin the total chaos of freeing an entire wing or two. The enforcers may be formidable, but can they deal with a massive jailbreak?

Pharma had arrived in front of the door of the extraction chamber when Skywarp showed up. "Oh, this'll be fun!" he laughs, as a blaster emerges from his own arm. He pulls Blast Off close, pinning him with his elbow with the weapon up against the side of his head. "But I think you know as well as I do that -neither- of us are what you would call 'good mechs'." He doesn't have to explain that if Skywarp takes another step, the Combaticon's brains are toast.

Brawl shows off all that wonderful military training that was pumped into him from his ignition on Combatron millennia ago. Transforming into root mode after shelling the prison, he focuses on that incoming RPG. This is what every bit of his engineered new body is made for: Fighting. It's why he's dumb as a brick, because all of his sensors, motors and processor functions are rooted and tailored into pure killing efficiency.

Brawl leans back and grabs the RPG out of the air, turning on his feet with it and hurling it back at his attackers like a discus shot. He roars with laughter, at last in his element.

And then Starscream flies in, laughing as he approaches Pharma and Blast Off from the front, protoforming into a graceful hover just before dropping to the floor. He gives Pharma a half smirk. "Oh calm down doctor, you don't have to get all defensive. You're selling yourself short, saying you're not a good mech. After all, there's nothing wrong with taking the necessary steps to fulfill your hopes and dreams, is there?" He grins, and waves a hand dismissively at Skywarp. "<Leave the premises for now. But when I call you back, I want you teleport directly behind him and attack>"

"I have a certain specimen of yours you might want back. The Insecticon with the mind controlling powers? I can deliver him right to your door. But, you'll have to let the Combaticon go." Another smirk.

Skywarp nods at Starscream and heads away from Pharma and Blast Off "Finally here. I will leave the doctor to you while I go work on freeing the others." The Seeker jogs away towards another cell block.

Blast Off is fighting sheer and utter panic as he gets pushed towards the extraction chamber... the urge to scream and claw and rage against the (medical) machine wars with his realization that there's nothing he can do... and the very last thing he wants to give them is his \*dignity\*. That thought keeps his head up. No, they can take everything else... but they'll never take his \*dignity\*. He's shoved towards the door- and then suddenly- a voice. A...slightly familiar one. It causes him to blink, but before he can look Pharma's got him pinned with a gun to his head. The Combaticon stiffens- watches- and waits. But he KNOWS that mech.... that was someone he fought in the pits...Skywarp. And wait... he had quite a... unique talent! For the very first time, Blast Off experiences a tiny shred of hope.

And then there's more hope.. well, if the sight of Starscream is hopeful. The Combaticon stares... he's been so isolated, so mentally messed with already, and so certain of his demise- it's right here in front of him- that this is still a bit hard to even quite comprehend.

Outside, Rumble isn't quite noticed yet, but several guards are running in his general direction on their way to other combatants. One stands and yells orders not to far from him.

The hefty front guard stares as Brawl performs a feat he didn't even think was POSSIBLE. In fact- he experiences a brief moment of...admiration. That was... amazing. Then he realizes the RPG is coming RIGHT back AT HIM and his own military training kicks in. He lunges to the left, narrowly avoiding the blow, then rolls with a thud as he lands, turns, and fires off another strike at the tank's turrets.

Rumble pauses in his work and glares at the closest enforcer addressing him, as if he were the biggest annoyance to his happiness. "Scuse me, loser, but I gotta JOB to do," he exclaims, pulling a standard laser-rifle from subspace and firing in the enforcer's direction. "I ain't got time for you today, scraphead!"

Pharma considers Starscream. What the slag is -he- doing here? "Really." He smirks right back. "What do you want with him, anyway, hm? You don't seem the type to try to bargain for a prisoner, or to participate in some kind of brutish jailbreak. I rather thought you were more -dignified- than that." He lowers his weapon, but doesn't let go of Blast Off. Though his interest seems piqued at Starscream's offer. "Mind-controlling powers. Bombshell, then?"

Brawl jumps backwards and out of the way of that second shot while in root mode; quickly he transforms back into tank mode. From the rear of the vehicle two sonic amplifiers rise and take aim at the group of enforcers. The ground around Brawl starts to tremble and shake; the air around Brawl's sonic cannons warps and distorts as he shoots a mega-decible shockwave of sound towards the guards.

"Oh, I know," Starscream says airily, gesturing blandly in boredom and feigned irritation. "Somehow, I get roped into these things. It's /so/ unfortunate." He shrugs. "Mm, well, it really shouldn't be of any concern of yours why I am striking this bargain, but if you must know, an Insecticon with an ability like that who absolutely will not cooperate with any of my goals is utterly useless and also dangerous. He is an animal. And if I can trade him in for someone a little more.. cooperative and reasonable, well, why not? Blast Off will be indebted to me after this, won't he?" He smirks.

The Enforcer near Rumble spots the flash of a weapon a little too late, but his heavy armor protects him from major damage. He grunts, taking a step back from the blow, then stands straight again. A broad, wicked grin seeps across his scarred face. "Oh, you wanna fight, do you, pipsqueak? Whatcha gonna do, plink at me with that peashooter of yours?" He comes towards Rumble, smacking one fist into the other menacingly. "Oooh, I'm gonna enjoy breaking you like the twig you ARE!" With that, he lunges down, trying to pummel the small mech with his fist.

Blast Off remains in Pharma's clutches, and with handcuffs and inhibitor locks he's not going to easily get out of them, either. But still... now that the weapon's been lowered, his processor finally kicks in again and he starts watching for an opportunity. Maybe if the medic is distracted, Blast Off can elbow him at just the right moment and get away. But first, he waits to see what Starscream's up to. And unlike Pharma, he KNOWS about Skywarp and his teleportation trick.... Starscream's comment about "owing" him sends another cold chill through his circuits... but at this point, OK, that'll work. He'd rather owe Starscream than go back to the torment of endless Limbo.

The Head Guard watches Brawl, motioning to his men to start trying to surround the tank. But as Brawl launches the audial attack he pulls them back quickly. "Slag..." He mutters, then fires off another RGB as a distraction while once again motioning his troops to start trying to surround Brawl.

Skywarp hides near at the intersection out of Pharma's sight but still close enough to teleport when the moment comes. << I am in position and waiting for your signal. Do not take too long guards will probably be swarming this place soon. >>

"Mmm. I suppose that makes sense." Pharma replies. "Fine. You have a deal. You bring Bombshell to me, and I'll let you have this one." There's a moment's pause, and suddenly he dives into a gravlift at the end of the cellblock. "But you'll have to come -get- him first!" he taunts, just before the doors shut and the elevator begins to descend into the fortress' subbasement levels--wherein a labyrinth of narrow, twisting corridors to get lost in can be found.

"I ain't scared a'you!" Rumble bellows at the Enforcer. He's either every bit as crazy as he looks, or maybe he's used to lying just a bit in order to seem 'menacing'. "I've finished energex drinks bigger than you are tall! An' now, I'm gonna see if you fall as easy as this wall just did!" With that, he transforms his pylons back out, and leaps toward the Enforcer, all prepared to begin smashing his head in.

"<Don't rush me>" Starscream sasses Skywarp. "<This takes delicate manipulation. You wouldn't understand>"

Then Pharma takes off and Starscream gives a tired sigh. "Primus, why must everyone insist one making /everything/ so difficult for me.." He plates a hand on his helm, before transforming and flying out of the complex, circling it until he finds a back entrance to the lower levels of the structure. "<Focus on freeing the other prisoners and leave Pharma to me>" The seeker enters the labyrinth like hallways, scanning the premises for any sign of Pharma. "Come now, why can't we do this peacefully, /without/ a fight.." A devious laugh before he releases a sonic boom that demolishes some of the surrounding walls.

Brawl is hit solidly by the RPG this time, blowing off... well a little bit of armor but not /much/. He is a -tank- after all, and he's built to last. It's gonna take more than just a few rocket launchers to take down the Cybertronian equivalent of the Hulk.

Fixed in place due to tread damage, since that seems to be where he's being shot at frequently, Brawl happily kicks out a huge, empty mortar shell from his primary cannon, locks, loads and fires into the main group of enforcers again.

Skywarp shakes his head and starts working on freeing random people just to annoy the 'Establishment'. << If you had just Null-Rayed his aft we would be on our way out by now. >> Mechs are happy at being sprung free but do not quite understand. Skywarp herds them away so they can escape.

Blast Off is just starting to think this might be going well well suddenly GRAVLIFT and SHUT DOOR. He tries to fight, but sadly, Blast Off has the strength of a wet noodle- and that's on a GOOD day. This is after being forced to subsist on meager rations and subjected to mental hallucinations. Slag, this might be one now. "You won't get away with this, you know..." He finally speaks to Pharma, while still looking for a way out.. "You'd do better going back and making a deal with him..."

The nasty-looking guard does not look happy at missing Rumble. "WHAT? Come back 'ere, you!" He bellows, whirling around to see Rumble jumping at him! With one sweep of a broad hand, his makes sure Rumble meets his arm shield instead of HIM. He grunts, then laughs a cruel laugh. "I don't fall easy, pipsqueak! Except when I'm pummeling the likes 'a you!" And this time he clasps his fists together and swings them around to try knocking the small mech into the dirt.

The guards around Brawl rush in, weapons and fists swinging- only for some of them to fall back like bowling pins as Brawl launches a mortar shell at them. But more come from behind those, swinging battle axes and aiming for his treads. "Ye'r goin' DOWWWN!"

From his position farther away, Soundwave reminds the others, <<Grab whatever weapons you can while you free those prisoners.>>

Rumble flails a bit, flumping to the ground as he runs into the Enforcer's shield. Then, as he gets up, he just barely manages to miss getting thumped back down into the ground. Glaring defiantly at the guard, he goes this time for the knee-joint. When pylons meet knee-joints, amazing things happen. He's learned this from several millenia worth of drunken altercations.

Brawl is still capable of transformation, and as the soldiers come at him he roars with laughter. One of his combatants slices at him with an axe that strikes him in the chest, the weapon becoming lodged there, stuck fast. The Combaticon shunts away the damage metrics scrolling across his visor, using his attacker's loss of balance to his own aims. He grabs the mech by his free arm and hauls him up and off his feat, using him as a makeshift cudgle to smash him against more oncoming attackers, bowling three off their feet. He grabs one that has fallen and uses him as a shield against the axes of his fellows as Brawl charges forward into the fray.

Pharma doesn't dignify Starscream with a reply, as he's much too busy preparing Blast Off for spark extraction in one of the operating rooms down there. "Get away with this?" he laughs. "This is what I'm -supposed- to do. I'm hardly in a position to bargain with something that doesn't even belong to me!" He clamps the Combaticon to a berth, and a drone hovers over him with a bright light over his chest. There's a series of monstrous looking (to Blast Off) equipment moving down toward him out of the ceiling, presumably spark extraction tools. "Ha...oh I am going to enjoy this."

The walls of the room shake precariously when Starscream assaults the area with sonic booms. Pharma glances up briefly but doesn't pay it much mind. "Oh dear, it's too bad your friends don't realize that their attacks might land you in an even -worse- predicament than spark extract if they keep this up!"

"<Heh>" the seeker says, "<You simple fool, if I had done that, Blast Off might be dead right now. But perhaps there is some truth in what you say>"

Starscream laughs. "This is hardly a fair game of hide and seek, doctor." He lets loose a couple of heat seeking missiles, which of course, have no trouble locking onto Pharma in this dark cold sub-level. And Blast Off, too, unless Starscream manages to intervene at the last second.

Starscream transforms and follows the missiles as they lead him towards the mad doctor and his hostage.

The battle-scarred Guard snarls as he misses the small miner once again. "Would you STAND STILL ALREADY?!?!" He swirls around, catching Rumble's move just in time. "AW NO YOU DON'T!" And once again he swings his arm, with the shield on it, so that it blocks Rumble's blows. It causes him to stagger back a bit, though, but then he uses the shield like a club, swinging it down towards Rumble.

The waves of guards rise and fall like a tide. But just like the ocean, when one wave dies another takes its place. Guards scream and moan but more follow. One huge hulk comes running up with a shotgun and aims at Brawl's arm, trying to disable him.

Blast Off... is going from some feeling of Hope to the worst day of his life. His optics widen at the sight that befalls him. The shuttle struggles, trying to wrest every second of delay that he can, but again to no avail. He gets clamped to the table. "Get...OFF ...me!" His cultured voice finally starts to crack as the sheer desperation he's feeling slips through it. "LISTEN to them! But the... the Senate didn't know you were going to get an offer like that!! At least ASK the Senate first!!" That equipment starts lowering down... and the Combaticon freezes in fear. Even the ice cold of space can't compare to what he's feeling now. "You...I...." He finally whispers, almost too low to hear, "/No/..." His wing elevons twitch uselessly, and he starts almost mentally detaching... from everything. He's going into shock.... and if he can't have distance and safety he's just going to detach from everything. He barely notices the sonic booms at this point.

Going for the Enforcer's kneecap leaves Rumble wide open for the counterattack, which sends his little form tumbling end-over-end, eventually disappearing over the edge of the now-breached outer wall. He doesn't return for another round, which could mean a number of things...

The missiles don't quite hit Pharma, though they do manage to shake the foundation a little more, causing bits of the ceiling to fall. But Pharma continues, unfazed by the chaos. The claws lower, and drones begin to cut his chassis open as the tools pry and hold the armor apart. And since when did -Starscream- care about fairness? Hah.

When and if Starscream arrives in the room, he will find Pharma just about to pull Blast Off's spark right out of his chest.

Brawl takes that shot like a trooper, but he's blessed with thick padding. There's denting and injuries that slow him down, but not enough to stop him. He continues to draw aggro outside while buying time for everyone inside to get their end of the job done - he won't retreat until he's dead or Onslaught has called him back. There's a reason this guy is destined to be one of Megatron's favorite murdermachines.

Brawl is now grabbing anyone he can catch and simply -pulling them in half- like fresh, warm breadsticks. Made of metal. Anyways - he's upped the carnage level to the point where more sensitive viewers of the future news reports may want to look away.

But of course, the seeker was only referencing Pharma--it was hardly fair for /him/, who could ever dare defeat the great and mighty Starscream? He flies into the room just in time, protoforming, an arm outstretched as he reaches for the tool cutting Blast Off open.

His fingers close around the excising device and he rips it from its root, his booster still blazing as he attempts to fork the doctor with the very tool that had been at his fingertips moments before.

The battle-scarred Guard sneers as he knocks Rumble away, and begins stepping forward to go make sure he's finished the job. But then Brawl goes into overdrive on the battlefield, and all nearby Enforcers are called to deal with this powerhouse. So away he charges to join the crowd surging towards the tank. He is fighting like a turbo-lion- but can he withstand so many? Fortunately, he's not alone. Onslaught fires missiles into the crowd and Vortex shoots a glue gun, impeding some of their progress as he cackles in the sky above them. And yet more come surging forth, swinging battle axes and firing lasers.

Blast Off is retreating inside himself mentally, ventilation systems cycling heavily as he tries to keep himself from screaming. Having a /panic attack/ be his very last action here on the planet is NOT how he wants to go out. It's not how he wants to be remembered... if anyone even does. His last action is going to be to keep his DIGNITY. His pride demands it. But the pain of getting cut and PRIED open with NO PAINKILLERS does get a gasp of pain from the shuttle. His optics start blazing a deep purple... then begin to go completely white. The light is intense- it's the last light as the body prepares for dying. This is interrupted by Starscream: The Hero. Blast Off is dimly aware that something is happening, but it's a little hard to see right now.

Well Starscream certainly isn't the subtle type. When the Vosian bursts in dramatically and just -rips- the tool out of the ceiling, he jumps out of the way, narrowly avoiding being clocked by it himself. There's a click as shoulder-mounted cannons flip out from behind his wings and lock into place to fire upon Starscream.

Meanwhile, the drones seem unaware of what is going on, and continue drilling away at Blast Off's armor even though the extractor is no longer operational.

Starscream barely manages to dodge, and the shots from the cannons graze Starscream's armor, partially burning through his armor. "Ugh," Starscream grumbles, "now I'll have to get re-waxed." But he doesn't immediately retaliate. Instead, he whips around and blasts the restraints holding Blast Off down. Then he tosses a blaster produced from his subspace compartment to the Combaticon. "Happy birthday," he says dryly, "now help me."

Brawl meanwhile is a KILLING MACHINE. Oh the press will have a field day...

Blast Off groans with pain as the drones continue to cut into him... now instead of Feint, it's HIM being flayed alive. Oh the irony. Then the pain stops. There is a reprieve? He hears Starscream, he ..he FEELS those restraints being blasted away. He can still feel... he can't see well, but he CAN yank his arm away. And that's what he does. He starts knocking and waving, anything to move and push away the drones. He grabs hold of his chest plate and shoves it back in... the best he can, at least. It's enough to stabilize his systems so he can see once more.

He blinks.... and looks up at Starscream. Realizing his new chance at life is at hand, he pushes himself from the table - and catches that blaster. OH YES. NOW we are TALKING. The Combaticon swings around at aims at Pharma. "Oh... now I get to THANK you for what you were trying to do to me... Here's what I think of you- and the people who sent you!!!" He sounds nearly giddy with relief- and delight at turning the tables. He wastes no time firing off a shot right at the medic who just nearly flayed him alive.

The battle rages on outside, probably providing a lot of great footage for TV crews. Soundwave makes sure to work from the shadows and NOT be seen, but he directs the Decepticons on the field to grab all the weapons they can.

Blast Off manages to score a hit that bores into Pharma's right shoulder. The medic winces, and decides that this isn't worth it. Besides, the sky spy drones have gotten -plenty- of good footage of the carnage outside. Without another word he transforms and flies off, leaving to the two of them in the now-collapsing basement.

"I hope you're well enough to fly," Starscream huffs, transforming and flying to escape the crumbling structure.

Starscream doesn't pursue Pharma, but he laughs as he watches the doctor fly off. "Ooh, you forgot your /goodbye/ present," the seeker taunts, sending a last couple heat seeking missiles in Pharma's direction. He laughs, and increases his altitude, dodging falling debris. "<Decepticons, this mission is complete. Retreat as necessary>" Starscrem comms all Decepticons outside the complex.

Blast Off fires off a few more shots as Pharma retreats, too. He's ANGRY. But it's cold anger, and the shuttle is oddly focused about it. He relishes the ability he has to lift his arms and touch the trigger of the blaster, sending another pinpoint of destruction the medic's way. But as Starscream mentions flying, he looks up at the crumbling structure and realizes- yes, it's time to leave. He has never been more ready to leave a place. He doesn't say anything, just transforms (rather painful in his state) and uses the last reserves of his energy to rocket out of there, trailing energon from his wounds as he goes. Though Torque's repairs help save his life as his thrusters have the power they need to propel him to freedom- finally. Sweet, sweet freedom. He never wants to lose it again.

Meanwhile, the other Decepticons hear Starscream's commands and follow suite. The Combaticons retreat, launching several more missiles into the crowd of Guards, and Soundwave slips away into the shadows- after making sure Rumble got out safely, of course.

It's been a good day- several prisoners were freed, a good deal of weapons amassed, and their mission was a success. The world will now know what happens when you mess with the DECEPTICONS.