Infected

Chapter 51

Flare P.O.V.

"We'll leave for the landing pad tonight. After the guards fall into recharge." I suggested after we found a private corner to talk. There was no way we could stay on board. In my personal opinion, we should be leaving now. The risk was too much though... But I guess it's exciting if you like a ship full of death everywhere you look! NOT!

"We'll have to move on our own. Contact Solar only when we're in the air." Siege sighed, still nervous about our com-chatter.

"Do they know we're on the ship?" My sister's wings twitched from her anxiety.

"I don't think so. But if we stay any longer they will." Siege shook his helm. He was on edge and paranoid. Our eldest wouldn't show it, but he was.

"Where do we hide until then?" I peeked behind my shoulder to make sure no other bot was coming up behind us.

"Where we have been. The rafters." Siege looked back as well.

"Rafters will work. Again." Eclipse sighed as well. Our wings were starting to feel cramped from being up there.

"They'll have- someone's coming." Siege froze.

I pulled out a deck of cards I snagged from one of the crew members and started dealing a game.

"That works..." Siege muttered and took his cards.

The bot walked past before pausing. The three of us focused on the cards and kept our helms down. My wings felt tense when they didn't leave.

"We have orders in the hanger bay. I can keep my intake shut about your absence if you hand over your rations?" The bot snickered, clearly entertained with their deal offer.

"What orders? How are we to know you aren't stealing from us?" I didn't look up as I shuffled my cards. It was a nervous tick of mine, playing with something in my servos when things were tense.

"Ship prep. Darkondor has orders from the Captian to prep for phase three." The bot snickered. Was he amused I asked? Did he have a plan? Did I get us caught...?

"No. Our rations aren't up for grabs. We'll be there." Siege revved his engine to a low hum.

"Don't get caught being late~" The bot sauntered off, more than likely to rat us out for their own gain anyway.

"Phase three?" Eclipse looked up from her cards when we were clear.

"We have until tonight. Meaning any information still here we should try to get." Siege handed me back the cards, as did Eclipse.

"So what's the plan?" I stuff the deck back into my subspace.

"We go the hangar and help prep." Siege double-checked our surroundings.

"Where half the crew could be?" Eclipse frowned.

"Better than doing nothing. Or being hunted room by room." I shrug.

"Let's go." Siege nodded and started walking.

I look over to Eclipse and we both nod. We could do this. We were a trin. That meant the three of us were side by side in every adventure and mission. Siege led the way into one of the hangers and we made our way to a back corner. The bot from earlier wasn't here. So either he did rat us out or we ended up at different hangers. Personally, I hope it's the latter. Pirates were running about and shoving each other out of the way. It was a mess in here! I could smell spilled fuel somewhere in the massive room. Different shuttles were being repaired and upgraded. Better thrusters, advanced firearms, better navigations, and/or better shields. Yikes... I need to talk to Wavelength about upgrading the Golden Partner somehow.

"It's like they're getting ready for an assault." I whisper.

"Yeah but for what?" Eclipse looked out into the room. "An attack clearly but on who?"

"My guess is whoever else is out here." Siege frowned.

"That's a terrifying thought." I shutter as we start pretending to help. "That whoever else could mean us."

"So what now? We went from inevitable death to caught between a mini war? Or preemptively learning about an attack meant for us?" Eclipse huffed.

"It's not our best position..." I sigh and flick my wings. I wanted out of here. Out and back into open and clean air.

"No, it's not." Siege looked over his shoulder before looking back at us. "Who can guess but he just walked in."

"He? The bot from earlier or yesterday?" I lower my wings to make the red less obvious.

"No. Darkondor." Siege hissed.

"The quartermaster?" Eclipse shifted her peds.

"Yeah. We might have had better luck being hunted room by room..." Siege scanned the room for a way out.

"He may see us..." Eclipse watched where the mech was.

"We can't break out right now. The entire ship will gun us down!" My wings twitch against my back.

"It's weird for three seekers to be huddled into a corner. Especially now." Eclipse turned to Siege.

"We've made a mistake... We have to leave." Siege stepped back and into somebot...

"Hey!?" The mech turned around and Siege froze. That was, ah joy... Of all bots where do we always run into these two...?

"You new to the crew?" The bot frowned and looked at all three of us.

"Um. Yeah. We were picked up a while ago." Siege lied, hoping the bot would leave.

"Huh... Thought I knew you? Designations is Glunk! Darkondor wants you in his office." The idiot pirate grinned.

My spark sinks. Selective smarts... That's how his processor works...?

"Right... His office." Siege looked over to the large Mech who stood in the room. He was looking right at us. So it was more than likely Glunk was pointed towards us and had no idea we were in here.

"Siege?" Eclipse flicked her wings a few times, a signal asking for the game plan.

"No. No we've been caught..." Siege shook hos helm.

:Don't teleport yet. I don't know if they know about that yet. We might need that.: Siege typed into our group chat.

:And if they do?: Eclipse typed back.

:Disappear like um. Like Batguy. Or whoever!: I add to the conversation. :We'll need that later.3

"Glunk. You had secondary orders." Darkondor walked up to the four of us. You couldn't read him in the slightest. Yikes he was creepy...

"Don't worry. We'll walk on our own." Siege stepped to the side as Darkondor watched.

"Siege? What now?" I whisper as Darkondor make sure we walk to his office and nowhere else.

"I'm thinking. Uncle Thundercracker wasn't able to train us for this yet... Just fight, flight, and survive." Siege clenched his jaw.

The office doors closed and locked.

"Now then." Darkondor glanced over our frames, probably checking for hidden weapons. Or my stolen deck of cards? "How long have you three been here?"

Siege didn't say anything. That was our cue to keep quiet as well. Knowing our brother he's already sent something to Solar about our capture. All that was left was to wait and try to escape ourselves...