Disclaimer: I do not own GoBots nor its characters. Just this strange plot.

author's notes: Okay, I'm kinda extending this out a little longer than I thought I would. Kinda enjoying 'toying' with these characters a little more and fleshing out some of the mainstays in the GoBot series. Most obvious by now, is my new rendition of Leader-1. Honestly, all that goody-goodyness from the series is kinda sickening even if he is one of my favorite characters. Gotta make him more realistic. Heck, even Optimus Prime in the Transformers Universe isn't as 'clean' and pristine in goodness! I may also work on some of the others. So many opportunities to explore since the series was so shallow in character development. I hope you enjoy.

Leader-1 arrived at his Command Center with Crasher and temporarily threw her in a detention cell. He then met with Matt to discuss battle plans. Satisfied that all was well with that, he sent Matt to brief the other team on the Star Ray, then entered the bridge.

"Scooter! What's Fitor's status?"

"Still out cold Leader-1. He's responding to treatment, but you gave him a serious pouncing. He won't be talking for some time."

Leader-1 sighed. "Guess I'll have to work on Crasher then. She's our best chance to finding Cy-Kill's whereabouts anyway. "

"Want me to come along? I can be pretty uhh, persuasive." Turbo offered.

"I know you can Turbo, but in a way that will probably only make her more defiant and unwilling to give us what we need. No, this requires a little more finesse...as much as it may disgust me to do so. Stay alert and inform me should any Renegade activity nearby become a threat OR if you happen to see Snoop anywhere around. I have a haunch that with two of his high ranking officers missing from the same region, Cy-Kill will send a scout to check out this place. Snoop would be his most logical selection." And with that, Leader-1 turned about and entered the bowels of the Command Center once again.

elsewhere...hidden in a volcanic cavern...

"WHAT IN GOBOTRON'S NAME IS GOING ON THERE?!" Cy-Kill exclaimed. "TWO RENEGADE OFFICERS NO LONGER COMMUNICATING AND NO LONGER GIVING OFF THEIR LOCATOR BEACONS IN THE SAME AREA! Cop-Tur, I want Snoop here THIS INSTANT!"

"Yes, Cy-Kill." Cop-Tur slowly replied as he turned back towards the commuincations equipment to summon the Renegade Recon Specialist.

Within moments, Snoop arrived and Cy-Kill briefed her on the situation at hand.

"And above all else, DO NOT DISAPPEAR like the other two! Understand?"

"Yes, Cy-Kill!"

" I cannot afford another disappearing Renegade. First sign of trouble or anything strange, report back. Do not engage. Do not investigate. Do not go anywhere near it. Follow that?"

"As good as done Cy-Kill." and with that Snoop turned and exited the volcano. Converting to her sleek jet form, she shot upward for extreme altitude and turned in the direction of the last known coordinates of both Fitor and Crasher.

back on the Command Center...

Leader-1 stopped briefly into his on-board office and poured a hot brew of his own making. It was a concoction of a few ingredients from GoBotron combined with a few from Earth. A type of 'tea' as he called it though those who tried it would almost guess a type of makeshift alcohol. Matt had once commented that it reminded him of a drink known as 'moonshine' on Earth. To make it even more of an enigma, Leader-1 would never reveal the ingredients either. He simply stated, 'a little of this and a tad bit of that' with a smirk that just didn't seem meant to be worn by the usually straight and true, seemingly always good, Guardian Commander. Sipping it casually, he sighed, then with cup in-hand, he made his way to the detention block.

Crasher was just sitting there upon the cell's only feature, a slab of metal that served the purpose of a bench. It was quite apparent that she was utterly bored and disinterested in her surroundings. Upon the swoosh of the door into the room however, she peered towards the oncoming 'visitor' but revealed no interest nor emotion whatsoever.

"Why the long face Renegade? It isn't THAT bad is it? Enemy or not, I treat all with respect."

Crasher wanted to respond, but held firm and remained quiet. Leader-1 wasn't one of the finest tacticians to ever grace GoBotron's grounds for nothing.

"I'm not going to harm you, Crasher. I'm only seeking information."

"It's a two way street Guardian." Crasher spat defiantly.

Leader-1 remained calm and kept his voice low and gentle. "Yes, you're correct there. Reciprocity is generally the better approach. Though what a Renegade would know of it remains to be seen, at least from my optical receptors." he stated as he brought his cup to his mouth for another sip. As he did, he noticed a reaction from Crasher. With the slight lift of a brow, Leader-1 found another door to try.

"Thirsty? Not sure it's your type of brew Renegade."

"What is it, water?"

"Heh, hardly. It would probably make that high octane fuel of yours seem like water though."

"You drink something potent? Don't make me laugh."

"Have it your way." Leader-1 stepped over to the prisoner serving station, found a disposable cup and poured a small bit into it. He then sent it through the rations hatch in the cell for Crasher. She was initially hesitant, but took the cup and emptied it in one swift gulp. She nearly choked having been unprepared for the jolting burn as it snaked down her throat.

Leader-1 chuckled lightly. "I warned you it was strong."

"Would never think of YOU of all Guardians drinking some home-made brew. This has got to be illegal on some front, Guardian."

"Probably is. Guess that's why it remains my secret recipe."

"YOU made this!?"

Crasher shook her head in disbelief. Leader-1 just showed a side of him that she hadn't ever seen before. On top of that, he was actually carrying a civil, friendly conversation with her. She wasn't sure if she was pleased or completely disgusted!

Leader-1 could tell her mind was racing somewhere emotionally, but he was going to take her down a road that the Renegade female hadn't driven on before. HE was doing the driving THIS time. "Look, the information I want from you isn't even all that serious. I'm not seeking the blue prints to your Stealth Device or even surrender of your forces or locations of your staging bases. All I want to know is the whereabouts of one of your own."

"It's still give and take Guardian. What would I get in return for this information? I know you Guardians don't deal with life or death threats so what do I get? Don't say freedom. It's cliche and has never worked."

"Wow, you have us Guardians down quite well...or so you think. I'm not just any Guardian though. Aside from Xemon and the Guardian Council, I am next in line." Leader-1 spoke. Using terms of power and authority...he could relate directly to some of the things Renegades wanted most. What is it you seek Renegade? Wait, don't answer...I have a clue." Leader-1 replied as he dropped his voice to a low, soft tone and drew nearer to the captured Renegade until he was kneeling at the bars. His face was as close as the bars would permit. "Something from the past perhaps?" he whispered seductively. "Nobody has to know."

Okay, THIS time Crasher was indeed taken aback. What was this Guardian up to!? "I don't play that easily Leader-1. It's some Guardian trick or ploy."

Leader-1 stepped back and took a seat just outside of the bars. "Haven't you wondered just once? What life would be like without sides, without war? Personally, I'd rather enjoy returning to my old job in planetary security rather than chasing worthless Renegade chassis' all over this galaxy. It's getting old and getting nowhere. Eventually your forces will simply become what it was before...outcast terrorists causing trouble because you know no other way to get attention. Not much different from adolescent bots really."

"In your dreams Guardian! Cy-Kill will---"

"Not live forever. And without him, you have no true leadership nor mastermind. Fitor? He's a follower, not a leader. He's been sucking up to Cy-Kill and before that, the Guardian Council so much that he has no idea what's outside of the exhaust pipe of whomever is his superior at any given time. You? You led these forces before and got no where. Zero? Now there's comic relief. The Master Renegade...a GoBate has-been who's too obsessed with the Last Engineer to care about running something of GoBot nature. All the while, Guardian ranks have strengthened. There are several who could replace me or even Xemon. We have a next generation. Do you?" In truth though, Leader-1 knew that even the Guardian ranks were flawed. There was NO suitable replacement for him as of yet.

Crasher's mouth moved in defiance, but no words came forth. Leader-1 had struck a nerve...a very correct assessment though. But there WAS one flaw and it was through this flaw that she found words to speak. "But Cy-Kill still lives. So until he ceases to exist, your theory is useless."

Leader-1 knelt by the bars again..."But, that's the point my dear Renegade. Wouldn't it be nice to return to those demolition derbies, live on GoBotron, have a social life once again hmm? Even I can be a little more warming to those whom I do not consider my enemy. Ever wonder what a date with me would be like?"

"You flatter yourself and you give empty promises. Any bot who was once a known Renegade will only see the outside through the walls of a Guardian prison. Don't take me for a fool."

"Oh, you're no fool, Crasher. But, I do have the power of authority to give pardons. And without a war with Renegades, I will have more time on my hands to pursue well...other things. Think about what I've offered. I expect a decision when I next return." Leader-1 stated before standing and departing. Crasher watched him depart. Eventhough he was a do-good Guardian, he was still one fine looking GoBot. As the door swished shut, she smacked her own head. The headache throbbing within her organic brain was growing ever worse.

As Leader-1 returned to the bridge, he was flooded with information hitting him in all directions.

"Whoa...one at a time please. I can't leave one minute and you busy-bodies give me a flood eh?" he lightly joked.

It was then that Aurora stepped forward from the shadows with a silent grace that appeared in slow motion to Leader-1's optical receptors. He blinked a few times to try and shake the feelings overwhelming his systems. It was time for action and work, not personal interests. That would come later...if he lived through the next few days.

"Leader-1, WHAT in GoBotron's name are you up to?!" she asked. If there was one thing this female Commander hated, it was being left in the dark when something was going on right before her very optical receptors.

Leader-1 gave her a nonchalant expression. "What do you mean? Everything's under control."

"By your standards I suppose. But I do have a team here as well. We've been doing nothing but watching the snow fall for the past several hours while there are Renegades to be had all over this planet."

"Did anyone ever tell you that you are one sexy bot when you're upset?" Leader-1 returned in a soft murmur. He just couldn't help himself!

"GoBotron to Leader-1, Come in Leader-1 and I mean the one that is NOT between his legs." Aurora steamed.

Matt and the other humans and Guardians could only watch on in stunned disbelief. Nobody EVER dared defy Leader-1 in such a manner as to refer to whatever private parts a GoBot had.

"Look Aurora...all of you...I am in process of getting the information we require. Crasher may prove a useful pawn, but only if done with the right approach. Fitor is still a useless one. We have two of the Renegades' highest ranking officers as our prisoners. This can be potential disaster for the Renegades. And we still maintain the element of surprise. There IS a plan, but we can only move when the time is right. Mess this up and we will face an entire armada of Thrusters and Renegades of which few of us, if any, will return from. Our numbers and our firepower are far too small for any sort of direct assualt. The Renegades will band back together at the first hint of a threat and there's too many of them. At this point in time, the Renegades have nothing to lose. Rogue Star is destroyed. They have no established local base of operations to return to. Which do you prefer? Being in the dark a little longer or being Renegade splatter marks all over the snow? All I ask of all of you is to trust me. I am aware of more than I'm letting on at the moment."

There was logic in the esteemed Guardian's words. Then again, there always was. He was the finest tactician and strategist the Guardians had ever known. But he was also usually relatively predicatble. His recent actions were so, un-Leader-1-like. And after his capture and torture, the others weren't entirely sure he was still in his right mind. But, he was who he was and for that, they'd give him the benefit of the doubt.

"Accept my apologies Leader-1, I was out of line. We're just all itching for some action, that's all. " Aurora replied as the others nodded in agreement.

"And you'll get more than your share of it. Just be patient a little while longer. And Aurora?"

"Yes, Leader-1?"

"In my office now, please?"

The others whistled and wished her well. Nick even asked what she would like to see in her obituary.

She gulped, but stood firm and followed Leader-1 off the bridge for whatever fate would befall her.

to be continued...