Chapter 23: The Alien is Revealed

"I watched you being built here, just as I was" the mysterious female told him.

"Look I wasn't built here, and I have no idea who you are" Ruse replied.

Ruse suddenly remembered the story Scamp had told him on board the LSS Freedom. He ran in internal systems check. His entire body was rebuilt.

"I was built on Cybertron, but apparently I was rebuilt here" Ruse told her.

"Oh, but you are the one who saved me from the Autobot Database Junk Files right?" the female asked him.

"Of course, that's where I remember you from! How did you know that I saved you? For that matter, how did you even get built?" Ruse asked excitedly.

"I built her from the plans you stole" said a voice that seemed to come from everywhere at once. "I am the very ship you are currently on. You and the female are going to assist me on a very important mission."

"Whoa, back up a second there. You think you can just abduct me, mess with my body, then expect me to do whatever you want me to?" a very angry Ruse said.

"Yes. Your only options are to serve me, or to risk death at the hands of the LSS Freedom's resident interrogator." Blackie told him.

Ruse remembered Maximus Prime's reputation. "Okay, what do I have to do?"

"I'll let you and the others know when the time comes" Blackie said. "Until then you shall stay on the LSS Freedom."

"Why not here?" Ruse asked.

"You and the female give off life signs a will jeopardize my plan if you stay much longer. I will keep you here a little longer so as not to alert the LSS Freedom's crew members too early. " Blackie finished.

Before Ruse could reply, everything seemed to go black.

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"Waitstate, Format has found another anomaly in the readings. It appears that our new friend Ruse has just taken on board a play mate" Cirrus replied.

"No transport activity?" Waitstate asked.

Cirrus shook his head "Just like last time . . . nothing."

"The he's got to be the one behind this. I want him and his new found friend in the interrogation room immediately" Waitstate ordered.

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In the interrogation room Ruse was re-examined. After about an hour Ruse started to lose his grip.

"I'm telling you I don't know what happened to me, I'm here one minute, gone the next, then back again with a new body! As for her, I have no idea how she got here!" Ruse yelled at Maximus Prime.

"Then I guess we're gonna be here for a few more hours!" Maximus shouted back.

Waitstate, who was quite uncharacteristically in the interrogation room, received a message from the bridge of the LSS Freedom.

"Wait, remember the anomalies? You won't believe this!" Cirrus was very excited. He had been working with Format on the problem day and night.

"Let me know if he cracks" Waitstate told Maximus as he left the room.

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As Waitstate entered the bridge, Cirrus motioned for him eagerly to look at his computer console.

Cirrus pushed a few buttons on his console. "See, this is when the anomaly first appeared. The cause couldn't be detected at first, but then Format discovered that something took control of our outgoing signals.

Format, unable to form audible dialog printed his thoughts on the computer monitor. "Whatever it was used some programming I've never seen before."

Waitstate was very eager. "And?"

"Well, most outgoing signals appeared to go through, except when I directed them off of the starboard side of the ship. So I tried a few things and eventually redirected signals off of the starboard side, nearly overloading our systems, and THIS is what came up" Format finished.

Waitstate grew stunned as he saw an image slowly develop on screen. He had never seen anything quite like it in a very long time. "It's huge!"