GOAL ACCEPTED

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Something was definitely afoot. Gem had had her eyes on the Black Guard patrols all day, looking for anomalies. She was ready to leave the city and begin her scouting of the Sea of Simulation, but she wasn't one to invite trouble and draw attention to her exit. She drove her modified roadster on the heavily trafficked roads, careful to stay hidden in the traffic until she made it to the edge of the transformers district. Then, she slowed to a crawl when she saw several black guards on light cycles converging towards her. She squashed down her panic as the closest one passed by.

They were not after her. Good.

But they were after someone. Interesting.

 Unable to ignore a potential lead on what CLUs forces were up to in his absence she quietly wove between the steadily more dilapidated buildings in the district. She powered down her engine and skulked up onto a nearby building. She allowed herself a pleased smirk at her excellent vantage point of the three squads of guards converging on an unassuming warehouse. They swiftly dismounted and converged on the door, unceremoniously blowing it open. The blockheads.

The final black guard derezzed his cycle and skulked towards the now open door. Gem pulled her viewfinders from her waist to get a closer look. For some reason that guard's gait seemed oddly familiar.

With a rotten feeling in her stomach she realized why it was familiar.

Pavel.

Her lips curled back from her teeth with disgust. Gem hated all of Clu's Generals and Governers. Every one of them was a special brand of vile. But Pavel had the distinction of making her skin crawl. She had seen her kind slaughtered by the thousands back during the ISO wars. But Pavel was one of the few that laughed as he slaughtered.

The piece of walking filth swaggered into the warehouse, seeming to talk to the few shadowed figures inside. Someone had drawn Pavels attention. Someone was very unlucky indeed.

Gem decided it was time to disappear, there was absolutely no benefit in tangling with Pavel. But some grim fascination kept her eyes glued on events as they unfolded. Which was very fortunate for her indeed.

Midway through some rant a flash of green light appeared over Pavels head. Then suddenly he and the three or so guards standing nearest to him were flattened by a light cycle. A strangled gasp escaped Gem, mixed with surprised laughter. Someone had rezzed a light cycle on top of Pavels head. She slapped a hand over her mouth to hold in the sudden humor. Inside the warehouse a light runner flared to life and started spinning around inside the warehouse, bowling over black guards as two of the shadowed figures derezzed the rest.

The light runner sped out of the warehouse and Gem found herself cheering for these audacious programs.

Her jubilation quickly died though. While the weight of the light cycle had derezzed the black guards Pavel tossed the weight off himself like it was hollow. He turned and sprinted after the fleeing light runner, becoming a blur of light.

Horror mounted in Gem. Since when had Pavel become this strong?

He body slammed the light runner and sent it skidding into some crates. Gem saw the momentum swing a figure free, who disappeared into the shadows of an alley. Pavel advanced on the stalled runner, which revved back to life and sped away, with the General in pursuit. Gem clutched her viewfinders, already in motion down the side of the building.

"What am I doing?" She asked herself, already kicking the roadster to life and speeding towards the alley where she saw the figure fly.

"They probably derezzed on impact. I shouldn't get involved anyway" she muttered, pulling up to the mouth of the alley and vaulting out of the car, into the shadows.

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