An Unknown Prime

All Must Stand II

In the Nemesis, the rec room was in a frenzy with the newcomers having to catch up with each other. Tracer was hugging Deadheat and was having an excited one-side conversation with a rather peeved Velocitronian. Depthcharge was talking with Lightstreak and Dreadwing regarding the current situation of the Decepticons. Fuser and Advent were talking about Cybertronian engineering and inventing.

"Hey Deadheat!" Tracer said after stopping to have an intake. "I heard from the underground that there's a holoform procedure that makes it so you can eat human food in your holoform. Without a groundbridge, it's damn hard to get the procedure."

Advent perked from Tracer's statement. "Procedure?" Advent said out loud, facing the scout. Tracer turned towards the young Prime.

"Yeah," Tracer said. "I talking to the out-of-town 'bots when I was hanging in Detroit during the yearly Auto Show there. They were from Europe and the Asia Mainland. They were talking about this 'bot in England that was doing this procedure that can make holoform process human food into the equivalent amounts of Energon. The procedure itself is several thousand of the local currency. The plans itself cost half a million of the currency."

Advent whistled. "Damn, that's expensive."

"I know right," Tracer said, letting go of Deadheat and leaning back. "I understand the thousands in the procedure. Materials and all."

"Understandable," Advent said. "Deadheat, are you familiar with Tracer? You two seem close."

"Me and Deadheat met before the war. I used to be his pit crew member back on Velocitron, and a bartender at Torrent's."

"Are you two together?"

"We are! We're sparkmates. We knew we were on the same planet; I was in the wrong state."

"You never just live at your basecamp," Deadheat muttered.

"You were on the other side of the continent!" Tracer said with an adorable pout and his bright orange puppy eyes. Deadheat was trying to ignore his lover's antics.

"We were in the same country," the Velocitronian said coolly, his voice starting cracking to the cute antics.

"I was living in the mountains too! I let that place vacant." Trace pleaded, hugging the Velocitronian. "You know how I am."

Deadheat sighed. "You and your basecamps," he said in a low voice, leaning in his sparkmate's hug. "That's what I love about you."

"You should've seen the Energon I had stockpiled," Tracer said dreamily. "It was a lot. I scored some Red Energon too! Still have it with me just in case of an emergency."

"As a scout, you may need it," Deadheat said. "You will be running from the Autobots more than any of us."

Advent looked around, making his gesture noticeable. Everyone, including the Vehicons, went silent. "Keep the information to yourselves. We don't need Starscream or Airachnid to take it away from you or your dead body. I can't have you dead. We just got scouts with you and Deadheat."

"Airachnid?" Fuser said with shivers. "That glitch creation is here?! On Earth?!"

"Unfortunately, yes," Steve the Vehicon said depressingly.

"See what I'm dealing with here?" Advent said in exasperation. "I sometimes wonder how Father deals with...insubordinate crew while facing the Autobots."

"Fear is not something to be underestimated," Fuser said to Advent in a low voice. "They all had their ulterior motives."

Advent sighed. "What would they gain anyway? Grounding the Decepticon to the ground, to dust, for their own gain."