The briefing room is bright, antiseptic white all around, oddly
contrasting with the gold-orange of most of the rest of the Ark.  It is
predominantly a large circular forum with bench seating along the walls,
and in the center is a slightly raised platform, complete with a holotable
and a computer terminal, upon which the pertinent Autobot officers stand
and present the assignments.

   As the Autobots pour into the room and take their seats, Thundercracker
glances up to the platform and sees Prowl waving for him to join the
higher-ups in the center of the room.  Thundercracker feels suddenly
relieved to be able to forego the humiliation of having to find someone
who will let him sit next to them.  

   Prowl leans over to Thundercracker and speaks softly.  "All right,
Thundercracker, we have been going over the plans you gave us, and they
seem legitimate.  But there are a few minor details that you will have to
clarify due to the Decepticon terminology involved."

   "No problem at all, Prowl," Thundercracker replies.  "You are aware,
though, that they might have altered the battle plan somewhat since I
escaped, right?"

   "Affirmative," Prowl asserts.  "We have considered that possibility,
yes.  But it seems to us that your specific instructions were not integral
enough to the overall Decepticon assault strategy to warrant any drastic
alterations.  Now, if you will be so good as to stand over there, we will
bring this meeting to order."

   "Yes sir."  Thundercracker salutes Prowl, bringing a smile to the
Autobot's face, and moves to his position.

   --*This is so much different than the Decepticon way.  It's amazing. 
Soundwave would never have asked me to "be so good as to" do something. 
He would have just knocked me over to wherever he wanted me.  Maybe I can
learn to like it here.  If only I could get them all to stop staring at
me...*--

   The glares of the Autobot audience fall heavily upon Thundercracker,
forcing him to squirm under their weight.  Their intense distrust begins
to affect him again, causing him to quiver with doubt as to whether or not
he is doing the right thing until suddenly, he is soothed by the
unlikeliest of sources--the voice of Optimus Prime.

   "Autobots, welcome." booms the Autobot commander.  "We have no time to
waste, so we will get right down to business."  The Autobots slowly but
obediently turn their optics away from the former Decepticon and towards
their leader.  

   "From the information we have gleaned from Thundercracker here, we have
learned that the Decepticons plan to launch an assault on the Autobot City
construction site."

   "An assault that we have been expecting sooner or later," adds Prowl.

   "True enough,"  Optimus Prime acknowledges.  "Yet, due to the
circumstances under which we obtained this data, we are unable to
determine with any amount of certainty whether or not these battle plans
have been altered.  Therefore, we must proceed in our countermeasures with
extreme caution."

   "Excuse me, Prime," a small, blue robot interjects from the crowd. 
"May I ask a question here?"

   "Go ahead, Freeway," comes the response.

   "Thank you," the Throttlebot says.  "Now, I'm not sure if I'm
one-hundered-percent totally spotless shiny sparkling just-like-brand-new
crystal clear on our little course of action here.  Correct me if I'm
wrong, and I sure hope that I am, but from what you guys are saying up
there, it seems to li'l ol' me that, give or take a suspicion, we are
going to actively TRUST Mr. Bluebird here, a noted evildoer and confirmed
Decepticon."

   "Former Decepticon," Thundercracker blurts.

   "You are correct, Freeway," Optimus Prime answers.

   Freeway stands silently stunned for a moment.  "Uh, please, feel free
to clear up any part of this plan that could, ah, possibly have some sort
of, mmm, faulty logic working for it..."

   Optimus Prime's left optic widens slightly in the Cybertronian
equivalent of a cocked eyebrow.  "Stranger things have happened in this
war than a Decepticon defector."

   "Yeah," Sunstreaker spits, "but Prime, stop being so damn idealistic
for once and look at the REALITY of the situation here.  One of our sworn
enemies waltzes into our midst out of nowhere, gives us this bullshit
story about his 'daring escape' from the Temple Of Doom and his 'heartfelt
desire to do what's right' or whatever, forces me to send my perfect
manicure into total disarray, and we jump at the chance to throw down our
weapons and shower him with hugs and greeting cards!"

   "LISTEN, you stuck-up bastard!" Thundercracker jumps in, pointing an
accusing finger at Sunstreaker.  "I've had about as much as I can take of
this toxic waste everyone is heaping on me.  Everything I've told you is
FACT!  FACT, you self-righteous fuck!  And I'd hardly refer to the way
that I've been treated as a warm hug, or even a hearty handshake!  Here's
the deal!  I've finally gotten away from all that Decepticon bullshit and
I'm trying to DO something with myself, but if you Autobots aren't the
good guys that I thought you were, maybe I don't belong here!"

   "That's right, you DON'T belong here, punk!"  Sunstreaker fires back,
moving aggressively towards Thundercracker.  "And if you think I'm gonna
let a fuckin' DECEPTICON question MY integrity, you've got--"

   Optimus Prime makes a move to intercede, but the argument is cut short
by a bleating alarm throughout the Ark.  The Autobots all look quickly at
the viewscreen as the panicked face of Ultra Magnus materializes upon it.

   "Prime, the Decepticons are on us!  We need backup and we need it NOW!"

   Thundercracker stops, startled.  "That's how they changed it.  They
stepped it up!"

   "AUTOBOTS!  ROLL OUT!"  Optimus Prime bellows sharply.  At his command,
the assembled Autobots race out of the room, transforming and heading
towards the exits.  

   "Can I help?"  Thundercracker shouts at the Autobot commander as he
leaves.  Prowl then leaps past him and answers,  "You'd better.  We'll
need your help to pinpoint their weaknesses.  And you're not being left
alone here."

   Thundercracker mixes a smirk with a frown at this, and leaps off the
platform to follow the convoy.     

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