Predacon Headquarters : a station in far orbit around
Cybertron
You kneel in fealty before the three Predacons that stand atop the steps in front of you. You don't recognize their bodies, but there can be no doubt of who they are.
The greenish one with pearlescent insect wings steps forward, "Hornet, the Tripredicus council has summoned you to accompany us to a planet on a mission of dire consequence.
We have assumed new forms in this time of need, and will now be referred to as Cicadon," the council head, "SeaClamp, " the war council, "and Ramhorn." the defense council, "You will go with us to a planet called Earth. There, we will attempt to stop the rising of the Decepticon forces under the leadership of the ancient robot, Megatron."
As shock set in, questions spring to your mind. Could it really be the original Megatron? He was only myth. Where was this Earth, and why did it sound familiar? The Decepticons have been disbanded and outlawed for centuries... Surely there's none who still pledge allegiance to that
ancient group?
"We will be taking our personal ship and visiting the Autobot city on Earth, Metroplex."
"What!?" you could no longer contain yourself, "The Autobots disbanded at the same time as the Decepticons!"
Cicadon's eyes glittered in amusement, "The Autobots only agreed to no longer represent a military force. Their 'disbandment' was only an act of faith for the Pax Cybertronia. A few of the outdated warriors left here to live in peace on this planet that they had come to know as home."
"But, why is Megatron alive? Why raise the Decepticons now? What danger are they to us?"
"The Decepticons threaten the plans we have laid. We have been at peace for too long, and it will soon be time for our warriors to rise and claim Cybertron as their own. If Megatron puts the Maximals and Cybertrons in a state of war, the Destrons may well join him, and Then we would have a war of epic proportions to wage. While we are the superior, and undoubtably the most prepared, we still find our previous lack of involvement in these issues disturbing. We have proven ourselves to be lazy. We have let fools like Galvatron and Megatron slip through our fingers, and now, we stand precariously on the edge of total civil war. We must find Megatron and use him to our own advantage... in any way that we can."
"And that's where I come in." Understanding starts to dawn. They need your telepathic and fix-it skills to reprogram him if he doesn't join you.
"Indeed," Ramhorn speaks, " but our time is short. We must make a Transwarp jump back a few days as it is. The longer we wait, the more energy will be displaced and the more likely it will be for us to be noticed. Discretion is our ally for now."
SeaClamp steps forward, "And our strength is in the sheer force that we will bring to bear on the unsuspecting Megatron."
You stand and bow, "Then I am pleased to do your bidding, my Council."
At the same time, you wonder what good even your skills will be against a legend...
Predacon Headquarters : a ship
You flip switches on the comfortable control panel and lean back in your chair. The Tripredicus Council sure knows how to take things easy. This was the plushiest cruiser you've ever been in. The seats and control panels seemed to be molded to your body requirements. The
computer panels were smooth black screens that altered on touch, with biomorphic qualities creating new panels when called upon!
You look at your co-pilot. The heavy black and orange insect was introduced to you shortly after you're meeting with the council. His name was Powerpinch, and from what you can gather, he was to be your muscle in this assignment. He seemed to be all muscle. A thug with a powerful set of pinchers strapped to his back.
The final preparations for take off were ready. It had only taken a matter of minutes, and for a ship of this design and reported capabilities, that was incredible. No more than the fact that you and Powerpinch were the only two needed to run the automated cruiser.
"Council, we are set to take off." you speak into a comm panel that forms up to listen.
"Very well, proceed immediately. We are making final preparations for the trip and will join you on the bridge soon."
"Hah," laughed the burly bug, "'final preparations.' Sure, just means their in their lounging back in their easy chair sippin' electron mixes!"
"Like it matters?" you inquire, "We don't exactly have it hard up here either."
"Yeah, but what the inferno are we doin' in this mission any way? You don't know what all this top-secret hush hush is all about do you?"
You realize the bug really hadn't been told anything, "No, it is none of our business. You are only to do what you are told and be ready to use those pinchers of your's in case of trouble."
"Yeah, whatever. Just wish we weren't so much in the dark."
You tentatively probe out with your mind. His psyche is a rough lump of anger and laziness. Easy to mold if the need arises. He may make a useful minion if the time comes where the council has an 'accident.'
You smile to yourself and touch a red spot on the computer panel. "Engaging engines, clear moorings."
"Moorings clear, take her into space, Hornet."
The ship lurches and clears the docks on the satellite station. It's smooth black form lurches forward through the crisp starry fields of space.
Powerpinch taps a few buttons, "Preparing the engines for Transwarp cycle, say, how far back are we supposed to go at any rate?"
"Far enough, " You smirk as you tap in space and time coordinates and hit the execution panel.
"Hey I thought you didn'...."
A blue field erupts in front of the ship shimmering and swirling as it seems to reach out and grasp you. The ship seems to become an eerie silent mass of inert metal for a second. All time seemed to be stopped, but at the same time moving at a hectic pace.
Then, as if a bubble was popped, it was over. Time settled and your scanners cleared.
"...t know," finished Powerpinch.
The door behind you opened and in walked the three members of the council.
"Status." ordered Cicadon.
"Sensors read normal, and the time shift was complete. We have arrived."
Ramhorn sat down at a plush command chair that had appeared along with two others on the raised back section of the bridge, "Then send out the hailing signal with the proper landing codes. Make no doubt about who we are and that our presence is important."
"Hailing Autobot City." you respond, and are gratified to see Powerpinch's eyes widen with shock.
You begin the landing sequence.
##This is Hound at Autobot City. To 'what' do we owe this honor from Cybertron?##
"We have interest in a robot that was recently found by one of your Autobots." answers SeaClamp.
"He is important to us and he must answer for crimes in his past. We ask that he be turned over to us immediately."
##Whoa, you must mean Megaplex. He's on Earth, and I can bring him here, but until we have the story, there's no turning anyone over for anything. You're on our home land now...##
"No, this planet is NOT your 'homeland.' And the Autobots are NOT a recognized political faction. Unless there is someone there of rank, 'Megaplex' will be turned over to me. SeaClamp out."
Cicadon gave a contemplative hum, "So, he calls himself Megaplex? Well, his smokescreen will only serve to aide us in quick extraction. The foolish Autobots will never know who they had in their hands."
"Who do they have in their hands?" Powerpinch asked.
Ramhorn snorted, "why none other than Megatron, leader of the Decepticons."
You again get to see Powerpinch's jaw drop nearly to the floor.
You speak up, "But what if they do have someone of rank there?"
"There hasn't been anyone of rank on this planet since Optimus Prime led the Autobots here. He is only a legend now. None here can claim ANY authority."
You look out the screen at the massive city below you, almost like a snapshot of Cybertron, yet with small, fleshy creatures running about it. And in the center, massive white buildings are collected, the capitol and heart of the city. Metroplex.
Earth : Metroplex
Metroplex...
You look on the city of legend with a slight bit of apprehension. You recognized the name from tech logs on Cybertron. It was one of the massive city transformers that was created during the Great Wars.
You turn to the council, "They have the power to refuse us if they wish."
Powerpinch looks over at you and you feel a surge of anticipation swell within him as he thinks of the possible upcoming fight.
Cicadon walks forward to you, "Do you think that you can keep Megaplex subdued until we reach our destination?"
You think for a moment... A robot three times your size, and with Megatron's legendary power levels?
"Not a problem, he is old tech at any rate. If you can keep the Autobots off my back, I will handle Megaplex."
Cicadon nods grimly and the five of you leave the ship...
Hound greets you at the landing ramp, "Greetings," he calls out, "Welcome to Autobot city..."
"Where is the one called 'Megaplex." commands SeaClamp.
"He isn't here yet, but he and Flood are on their way." stammers the larger green Transformer.
"He had best arrive soon, Hound. We can not express the danger of this situation, he is an escapee and a lunatic. He must return before he can cause any more harm."
"I still don't..."
"You still have no choice, unless there is a Cybertron here on Earth with political standing that I don't know about?"
"Well... no, I mean."
"Very well, then we shall take Megaplex with us, and you and your disbanded group of outcasts can go about your petty lives."
The green one named Hound was obviously boiling at this last remark, but he
merely swivels and muttered, "Follow me."
Hound leads you to a lounge where he tells you, that you may await their arrival. A serving bot takes your orders and brings you drinks.
After a few minutes, a small flesh creature walks into the lounge, a very distressed robot was following it, "No, master Aaron, you mustn't enter the lounge right now..." He ends off with a strange urking noise as his primitive sensors lands on the awaiting council.
"Whoa, it really is you isn't it," mutters the young child, his hair is sandy brown, and his left leg is a cybernetic prosthetic.
You look at the strange creature, "What business is it of your's who we are, and what right do you have to be here?"
"Oh please, this isn't a restricted zone, this isn't even a military base. You're lucky the place isn't crawling with news reporters."
"And how did you find us then?"
"Who me, I'm just an 'innocent kid on a tour of this great big city' I had no ideal that the Tripredicus council and some Predacon bruisers were sitting around having a quick drink... before taking Megaplex on home in chains for something."
You're not sure whether to hate this kid, or congratulate him on his bravado.
Suddenly, an internal alarm sensor goes off, someone is on the ship. You spin toward Cicadon, "Someone is aboard the ship."
"Investigate, take Powerpinch with you."
You and Powerpinch head toward the door, and the fleshling is quick on your heels. you spin, "Where do you think you're going?"
"Free country. Free planet, thought I'd see who's stupid enough to break into an E123 class mega cruiser."
You snort and spin, the human seems to know an awful lot, perhaps he may be useful, but right now you don't have the time to squash him or fillet his mind. Now you wish to see just what your net caught.
Earth : Metroplex
You charge out of the Autobot base, Powerpinch lagging behind with the human child. Just as you reach the bay doors to your ship, a silver shape flies out. Instinct takes over and you shoot your stinger dart into the mirrorlike underside as it streaks past you.
Instantly the transformer drops down, transforming and shifting color. The mirror-lie surface turns black and red, a single, red eye takes place of a face, and a red-crystal bubble-cockpit makes up his chest.
The dart had hit home though, and he lands with a thud.
Powerpinch runs over and grasps him in the powerful pincher weapon that was on his back.
"A Cybertronian!" he exclaims.
"What did you expect? The Quintesson's returned to hijack our ship, or maybe a human renegade thought he could fly it away?"
You walk over to the larger Transformer.
The Tripredicus council walk out onto the platform, followed closely by Hound.
Cicadon speaks, "Hornet, find out why he was sent here."
You reach over and place a hand on the black bot. His mind was already in turmoil from the hallucinogen in your dart, but he was smart. His mind would soon purge the faulty programming streams being spread through his processors. You'd have to do this quickly.
You plunge into his subconscious and begin to guide him.
-- The shadows around you are lit only by the occasional lightning strike of the stormy nebulae outside. You recognize this chamber, the Destron High Command.
A voice comes from the darkness, a large shape can be seen in the pitch, "And what did you find on your mission?"
Yeah, your mission. You remember a time warp, a ship, the Tripredicus
council's ship. You followed it to a planet through the warp. An Autobot city.
Autobots, but nothing more. It's as if you didn't finish your mission, as if
you died?--
His mind snaps free of the link and the hallucinogens.
"Mind leech! I will spit you on my blade for your intrusion!"
You turn to relate what you saw. The council listens, "He knows nothing, he's a spy and a mercenary."
Cicadon nods and SeaClamp steps forward, "Then in the name of the Tripredicus council I pronounce the sentence of de..."
SeaClamp's attention is jerked away from the Destron at his feet, as a huge slate blue robot lands in the midst of the group. A smaller, sea blue robot lands as well.
Something in you tells you that you've found Megatron.
The smaller blue one looks around, "What the... Hound! What's going on around here. I haven't seen this many Preds since..."
Cicadon speaks up, his voice in a commanding tone, "We are the Tripredicus council, " the Autobot's jaw sagged at that, "We have come here to take the one called Megaplex into custody."
"What?" the small robot spurts out.
The slate robot interrupted, "And by what authority do you have to take me into custody when no crime has been committed?"
Cicadon gave him a knowing look, "We know exactly what crimes have been committed. Banter not the relevancies of our jurisdiction. We are the highest ranking officials present, and as such, the only ones present to give commands. We are not to be questioned."
"And I am not a fool to be trifled with. You're only intention is to silence me before I can cause your plans any troubles. I know how the trappings of power work. I've dealt with many ploys and plots that make you as transparent as crystal to me. 'An enemy that appears to be
peaceful may only be biding his time, waiting to strike!'"
"True, but the debate is over, there are none here to hold your argument against us, and none here that will break the treaty Cybertronia to help you escape. I assume I am correct Autobots?"
Silence.
Then a rolling sound, an engines roar. A black shape darts in and transforms. A smooth, black vehicle. Molding free as if from the shadows, and changing into a winged robot with large, dark eyes.
Close on it's heels a modern rig. Grey front, with blue windows and red on the cab's sides. A grey trailer with two large missile launchers on top, and a set of blue and white stripes down it's side, ending in the ancient Autobot symbol.
The black robot looks over at the rig, "Like I said... well, gotta go. You now me."
The robot melts into the growing darkness of the evening.
The rig sits for second, as if contemplating. The sky turning a deep red as the sun begins to fall behind the horizon, outlining the shape as it finally transforms.
The Autobot has a youthful look to him. A new body. The cab front turns into wings behind him, the top comes down as his chest, a winged Autobot symbol emblazoned on it. His arms are white and khaki, and his legs blue. His face draws every eye to it. Two, blue eyes set above a steel maskplate, and a blue helmet He is big and powerful looking, and something in his eyes seems to look straight into your being.
You feel a surge of anxiety well up from the council, immediately followed by a torrent of uncertainty.
The robot steps over to Megaplex/Megatron. The two look each other in the eyes, and an understanding seems to pass between them.
"There is one here who can speak against you." The voice rumbles from the newcomer.
There is no doubt left in your mind.
It is Optimus Prime.
Earth : Metroplex
You look upon the imposing figure of Optimus Prime... You had always expected someone looking a little... older. Normally, you wouldn't worry about some other large dolt interfering with your plans, but his wasn't just some normal idiot.
You find yourself slowly backing up, until your leg hits something on the ground. Looking down, you see Powerpinch, or what's left of him. He can still be repaired, but someone made sure a CR chamber would have to do it. The transformer called Bladewing had disappeared. You curse yourself for your lack of attention... after all, it's not like a legendary figure just rolled up and said hi.
You turn, the Destron will have to be dealt with later. Now, you focus your attention on the Tripredicus council.
Optimus Prime speaks up, "I, Optimus Prime, am empowered with the right to offer refuge to any I deem fit. Your plans for... Megaplex... are unacceptable."
Cicadon steps forward, but you can feel the fear roll off his exoskeleton, "You know nothing of our plans, nor do you realize the extent of what this one has done. He has attacked countless outpos..."
"Enough, I know more than you think... Cicadon was it? And if he to seek sanctuary here, than I would hear his request." He looks expectantly at Megaplex/Megatron.
"Prime, " the slate blue transformer begins slowly, "You have known me for millennia, and you know better than anyone what crimes have been committed. But I tell you that I no longer wish to fight. The wars are over, let them stay in the past."
The smaller blue one, Flood, interrupts, "Optimus Prime, I've heard the accusations here of some past that is not revealed, but I know what I have seen. Megaplex has saved, not only my life, but those of two humans that were threatened by a mad Predacon. I stand by him, and ask
on my honor as an Autobot, protect him from the council's wishes."
"Well put, Flood." He looks down at the diminutive Autobot, "And for what it's worth, I am willing to give Megaplex a chance. That means that the council will be allowed to stay or go, but Megaplex may stay."
You stew over this. The odds were distinctly against you at the moment. Two ancient leaders, two Autobots, a Destron in the shadows that is none to happy, and one Predacon already lying slagged on the floor.
You look around for the human. Best to have a handy shield, just in case. Only then do you realize the human's absence! You re-curse your circuits. Oh well, then...
An explosion disrupts your line of thought. A box-like shuttle can be seen over the city, and a new reddening has replaced the sunset's last rays.
A glow can be seen in the outlying city, in the opposite direction from the incoming shuttle, and you can sense several Cybertronians dropping from the shuttle itself.
An attack on Metroplex??!
Ludicrous! But then, this may be just the break you need.
Prime begins to bark orders, "Megaplex, investigate that flyer... Flood, go with him. Hound, with me, let's see what caused that explosion! Metroplex, battle ready! Move out Autobots!"
Earth : Metroplex
Optimus Prime rolled away with Hound in tow. Flood and Megaplex had taken to the air.
The platform has eerie red shadows cast by the fires in the city. The first wave of falling ash scatters across the ground, leaving a powdery white ash coating everything.
"Hornet," you turn towards Cicadon,"you have your commands, now do your work."
"But the Autobots?"
"Will have enough on their hands within a few minutes."
You notice SeaClamp turn toward the ship. Your sensors register a quick activation signal sent from him.
You turn and leap into the air, "Hornet, beast mode."
You shift and change into the form of a large metallic insect. Your wings begin to hum with a metallic sound as you climb steadily into the sky.
As you near the shuttle, you see that Megaplex has already encountered another Cybertronian, and the two were locked in battle. They were trading some powerful blasts, so, you decided that it would be more prudent to stay back and let the two bot's battle it out.
You get a clear look at his opponent between blasts. He was huge! Nearly three times the size of Megaplex. He was black and silver, and seemed to have an impressive arsenal.
Not impressive enough, the battle was quickly over, the newcomer was falling, smoking, toward the ground.
Suddenly, the box-like shuttle banked hard, and swooped under the falling bot. It scooped him up and blasted away in an incredible burst of speed.
Megaplex fires several shots, but they fall short of their target.
Now was your chance, while his attention was on the ship. You speed forward and land on Megaplex's back.
Before he can react, you dig your stinger deep into his metallic armor.
Through your spindly legs, you can feel the oppressive weight of his mind. You pray to Primus that you didn't underestimate what it would take to knock him under.
Then you feel it breaking and his mind begins to wander.
Abruptly, you feel a heavy hand close around you and pluck you off as if you were weightless.
You snap to the present and reactivate your externals to look around. You find yourself trapped in between several huge fingers.
They are applying a crushing pain that is unbearable. You can hear a voice above the screeching of your metallic exoframe, "You shall not lay hand upon Lord Megatron."
The voice was heavy and brutish, and you react in the only way you could.
You exert the incredible forces to link your mind from a distance to Megatron's again. The pain giving you the added momentum needed to close the gap.
Megatron raises his cannon and lets loose with several blasts into the giant. You are released and fall a short distance before catching yourself.
You transform and shake you head to clear your mind. Just then, a sharp pain
shoots through you shoulder and spins you around. You can see the bot called
Flood. He is on a hover board. You notice a sharp looking harpoon jutting
through your shoulder. Then your systems have had enough. You fall unconscious.
THUD!
Earth : Metroplex
You head is spinning and you feel VERY woozy. You're sensors are fading in and out, but you do sense being picked up. You activate your optics for a micro-cycle and see Ramhorn hoisting your body over his shoulder.
A few minutes later you awaken again to being placed into a CR chamber.
The waves of energon sweep over you, you feel consciousness slipping into a lightened state.
--You see the world through silver eyes. Scenes pass before your eyes. Ancient wars and nightmarish battles. Unlike any fight you've ever seen. Legions of Cybertronians lying crushed on the ground. Sparks dying, never to be repaired. You see the sky above you and the
rest of Primus' moons spread across the sky... Primus' moons?
You see a comrade, Optimus, with him you know this war will soon end.
Time passes...
You feel the heat of Nemesis' blast sear through your body and the shock as you feel your spark obliterated.
But you are not left to rest.
You jolt forward in life, resurrected by one of Nemesis' troops... Soundwave?
The world is red, as the deep anger of your death burns in your heart, so it does in your eyes.
A new campaign, a new conquest... Now millennia old.
Battles as nightmarish as those against Legion. New planets conquered and enslaved... Peace through tyranny.
But the war grows stale. The armies win... loose... and win again. An eternal cycle. Death again is welcomed.
Then, from the warm darkness a powerful light comes forth... the hatred and anger seem useless.
From a CR chamber you step. New, refreshed, re-vigorated. A new body and it is powerful.
You explore this world with silver gleaming from your optics...
For the first time since the dawning of ages, your mind is clear. Is peace
finally at hand?--
The whir and click of the CR chamber releases you. You feel disoriented. You should be a slate blue plane... But you look down to see your blue-green exoskeleton. Reality rushes back to you. Your name... Hornet.
Then you realize what must have happened. A link to Megatron exists. You stand in awe of what you had just witnessed. A thousand lifetimes of war and conquest...
You look around, a Predacon sits looking at you. One you don't recognize. He is a peach color, parts of his exostructure almost translucent. Bright green highlights his upper arms and legs. His face is monstrous, and two wings stretch from his back. Some kind of
mantis-like head is on his torso.
"What the slag are you...?"
"My name is BuzzClaw. You are needed in the council room. A few things have happened since you took your nap."
"How long..."
"About an hour. Hurry, we have some new planning to do."
You follow the strange Predacon down the corridors of the Tripredicus' ship. He was some kind of mutate. You realize that there must have been stasis pods on the ship. That would explain the activation signal. If the pods had hatched then there was a whole army on this planet!
You enter the council chambers, the Tripredicus council themselves sat at the end of a long table. Powerpinch was also sitting at the table.
Cicadon motions for the two of you to take a seat at the table.
"Hornet, your failed attempt at controlling Megatron has brought us to a dire point."
You broil, it wasn't your fault that the gestalt showed up, but you are smart enough to know to keep your mouth shut.
Ramhorn picks up, "The human that followed you onto the platform managed to sneak inside of the ship and damage the stasis pods that we carried. Five stasis pods hatched, but now, only one stands here as a Predacon. One has gone missing, and three are now Maximals. Needless to say that this is a setback of great proportions."
Seaclamp speaks,"Now, Megatron has an accompaniment of five other Decepticons, and all are under the protection of the newly re-appeared Optimus Prime."
"What of the city, and the attackers." you question.
"The shuttle was manned by Starscream. It is know that he has been attempting to resurrect the ashes of the Decepticon empire for quite some time, and it is speculated that his spy net rivals even our own. His presence only serves to complicate matters even further. There is also another present. His allegiance is Predacon, but we have yet to see him. We only know that he nearly burned down a quarter of the city around Metroplex, and managed to elude Optimus Prime, Hound, and the Combaticons as well."
You ponder this for a moment, "Then what course of action do we now take?"
"We repair the stasis pods, "Ramhorn answers, "and activate our army, but that will take time. The damage was extensive."
"Then you want me to fix..."
"Negative, " Cicadon interrupts," Powerpinch will be able to repair them with our assistance. You and the new Predacon will go to the planet as our representatives to Metroplex. We also have another operative in the city as we speak. You are to deal with the problems there as you see fit, and be cautious. Megatron knows we mean him harm now, and you will not catch him unawares again. Now, we must use diplomacy to keep the enemy immobile."
"Understood."
Earth : Metroplex
GENERAL EPISODE:
The Predacon called Hornet surveys the group with large, insectoid eyes. Close at his side is one of the mutant berserkers, peach colored with green pieces.
The assembly quiets down as they begin to take their seats. The conference tables form a large U shape. Optimus Prime and Megatron are at the center, and the others who were in the CR chambers join the already assembled group. The room was filled, including, BlackShadow, Nocturro, Torca, the Combaticons, Hound, Flood, Aaron, the two great leaders, and the two Predacons.
As they all take their seats, the doors swing open again. A earth forces mech stands in the doorway. This one is a little fancier though. It's shell is a pearlescent white, and gold trim lines the edges. The armor looks heavier and denser than the other ones. It steps into the room, "I am Force Commander Charles O'Bryant. I have come to take seat as representative of the Earth alliance in these proceeding."
Optimus Prime stood,"Greetings Commander, we were not aware that the Earth alliance was to be involved, but you are welcome."
"The Earth alliance isn't sure how we wouldn't be involve, Optimus Prime. It's been a long time since you slept, things have changed. We don't have the armaments we used to, but we've learned to take care of ourselves in your absence."
"My apologies for any inferences that may have offended you. I merely meant..."
"I know what you meant, and I apologize as well. I'm no diplomat, I'm a field commander, and I'm not too happy for the position I've been placed. High command felt I would be the best choice as I was in the city at the time of the attack."
"Then let us begin..."
Some time of bickering and arguing ensues. Not much is decided. Hornet and Buzzclaw claim that the Predacon's merely tried to launch the stasis pods to defend themselves from the attacking forces. They blamed the break in of their ship on the humans, and the consequent berserking of the proto forms. They also claimed no knowledge of the phantom firebug that attacked the city in the midst of the fight.
Demands were also made for the spy that escaped during the fighting, and the return of the other proto form. Nocturro, Torca, and Blackshadow were safe, as they now had their own free will to decide their fates, but the Predacons wanted the fith proto form back.
The Predacon's also wanted Megatron and the Combaticons placed under custody. Optimus held to the fact that they helped in repelling the destructive forces unleashed on the human city, and the Earth council agreed. The Predacon's began to threaten treaty breaking and all out war, but Prime held firm and they began to relent.
Then the topic of Starscream was broached, and Prime signaled for the prisoner to be brought in.
Hooligan looked around at the gathered Maximals, Predacons, Decepticons, and Autobots and a variety of emotions passed over his face too quickly for anyone to interpret.
"Hooligan, you were thrown from the shuttle that Starscream was in. Due to the nature of your fall, I will not hold you prisoner for any longer than this questioning takes, but we must know what happened up there."
Hooligan looked at Prime, eyes narrowing as he thought. Then Megatron stood up, "Hooligan, you once served in my forces. If you hold any memory of the pledges you once made, then you MUST answer the question."
Hooligan dropped to his knees, "Lord Megatron, I have not forgotten my pledges, and it was for those pledges that I was killed. I now once again pledge my loyalty to your new Decepticon forces and empire."
Megatron face was unreadable, but a fire of anger seemed to burn from his silver, cold eyes. "Stand up, " he almost spits, Hooligan looks startled, but rises, "All I've wanted since I was blasted to scrap centuries ago was peace. I tried to destroy myself to ensure the end of the empire, but I was brought back. I tried to hide myself, for I knew what my presence would do to the peace that has lasted since my death, but I was sought out. I do not want loyalty now I WANT ANSWERS!" His voice echoes off the hall in his vehemence. Prime gave him an odd,
contemplative look, his eyes narrowing.
Immediately Hooligan began to spill out the story of his ship and Starscream's betrayal.
When he was finished, Prime stood up. "Then I would propose a four pronged search. First, we must find Starscream. He is a threat to us all. Hooligan, if you would, I would like you to go with the Combaticons to find him if possible.
I would like then like Flood, Megatron and Buzzclaw to search for the one who is causing the fires. I believe it to be the same Predacon that Flood and Megatron faced earlier, and if there is a Predacon along, perhaps he will have a better clue as to who it is."
Hornet interrupts, "I believe I would be the better choice for the mission, Buzzclaw is new, and does not have as much knowledge of the Predacon ranks as I do."
"Very well, then Blackshadow, I would like you, and Nocturro to seek out Bladewing. Torca and Hound will look for the Predacon proto form. I will stay here with Buzzclaw as the Predacon representative and the Commander as Earth's rep. We will work on what to do about the
situation. Agreed?"
Everyone agrees, but the Commander stands up, "Optimus, I believe I would best be serving if I too went with the team to find the firebug. My presence here really only involves that at the moment."
"Very well, then I suggest we all get moving. I want reports every five Earth hours. you will each be given a specific signal code, and I expect each of you to report. That will ensure no creative elimination of other forces."
The groups begin to split and prepare for departure.
Earth : Metroplex
The chance to stay near Megatron was to opportunistic to let by. Even if it left the job of ambassador in the hands of a newborn.
Flood walked over to the fleshling's mech and began talking to him. He saw you and nodded his head in your direction.
You turn and walk over to the main communications consol. Optimus gives you a frequency to send in your report so that 'in good faith' no one slagged anyone else without anyone noticing.
As soon as you get your frequency, you head out onto the platform. Megatron was there awaiting the arrival of the others. He turned to look at you, malice in his eyes.
"You think I don't know what you've tried?"
"I think there's nothing you can do about it, now."
"Hmph, everyone seems so interested in my taking up my old role. All I want is peace."
"Stow your 'give peace a chance' speech. I'm not interested. I'm here to do a job."
"Take my mind over, or terminate me?"
You look up at him with a smirk behind your mandibles.
Flood and the Earth commander step outside onto the platform at that moment.
The blue green Autobot speaks up, "I can ride on Megatron's back, but what about you?" he waves at the Earth mech.
"Vehicle mode." was the only response.
The Earth forces mech folded up and shifted into a hover tank, "Ready to go!"
Megatron looks down at him, he had been lost in thought, "Indeed, we shall search the city area where the fires burned the worst. If we can track down where they started, maybe we would have a starting point for our search."
The city itself had cooled off, and the air had cleared of smoke. More Earth mechs could be seen walking amongst the wreckage, searching for survivors.
Your scanners could see that there were five in the immediate area, but the melted metal of the buildings had formed together to provide interference for most regular sensors. They probably wouldn't be found in time.
A white and blue Earth mech approached the group.
"What have you found?" asked the Commander.
"Sir! It looks like there are distinct 'trenches where the fires began. Almost like something just walked along spreading fires where it stepped."
Impatient to get going you spoke, "Transfer all data on the trench patterns."
The Earth mech looks down at you.
"Do it. " commanded Megatron.
"Transferring data."
You scan the data for a minute, "The pattern is sprawling and inconsistent. If it was by walking, he could control when he burned the ground and when not."
"Then try scanning for the age," the Autobot commands.
"Foolish, the char marks would only be minutes apart. The scan's would have to be very precise to do such work."
Megatron head swivels in your direction, and a buzzing fills your head,
--But your scanners are more than capable, aren't they Predacon?--
You take a step back, your mind is reeling. You hadn't considered the link to be two ways. Your mandibles work spasmodically, and you stutters, "B..but maybe given a few moments of silence I can figure it out."
That'll buy you a few moment to regroup your thoughts.
So, it's a challenge of wills. So be it. You've been doing just that all your life. See if that relic of a robot can keep from becoming your slave.
You take a few minutes and regain your composure. "I found the oldest set, they stop over there."
The group of you walk over to where indicated. You can see the deep furrow in the ground where the fire had begun.
Flood mumbles, "There's nothing here. Could he have flown away?"
You bite back, "Without ANYONE getting a visual on him. Even with YOUR outdated Autobot technology, the Predacon command ship was overlooking the city, and they didn't see anyone leave." Autobots could be so dumb.
"Then could he still be here?"
Megatron spoke, "Unlikely. Why suddenly just stop and stand still. According to Prime, no one even caught a glimpse of him. Hound and Onslaught were hit from behind, and the only Earth mechs to encounter it were slagged in short order as well."
You look around for a possible clue or idea...
Earth : Toronado
Several hours in this stupid city. Toronado has bored you to rust.
You've walked from all over the town, searching the streets, and hearing nothing. You've even had to watch that gimpy Autobot rescue a little fleshies
cat from a tree...
The police force mechs were set and ready. Itchy trigger fingers ready to shoot at any transgressors of the peace, and you have the feeling that they'd
include your group as well.
You walk up to Flood and glare up at him.
"Can I help you?" he asks with acid dripping off his voice.
"We are wasting our time and resources in these searches of yours. I suggest that we do something more proactive in our hunt."
"LIKE WHAT! I'm not a detective. You tell me what YOU in ALL YOUR INFINITE Predacon wisdom would DO!"
The contempt you felt for this lower based Cybertronian was overwhelming. How dare an Autobot talk to a new age Cybertronian like that. They were
outdated and pitiful. You fought the urge to fillet the robots mind, knowing that Megatron would use it as an excuse to vaporize you.
"I would suggest we start with the radio transmission. It is possible that it is in the back logs of Metroplex's databanks. He would have probably picked
it up on a carrier wave, or from one of the towers. There may have been too many signals at the moment to sort through, but time has passed now, and with
that time comes understanding. He should be able to search his records for some sign of that signal, and once found... Even your outdated Autobot
processors should be able to decode the signal used."
The Autobot gave you a blank stare. He wanted to discredit your plan... but he couldn't. You are right, and you know it.
You patiently await the Autobot's response.
Earth : Toronado
Flood turned away with a grumble into his comm unit, you stalk off to wait AGAIN.
Several hours pass with nothing to do in this bloody city. Megatron sat not far from the others, and you still were not quite ready to try a test of wills, but perhaps you could try more subtle methods.
You spread your awareness into his, softly and quietly, making sure not to press to hard.
--The fire of a hundred worlds burns within your soul. You had been the commander and leader, but that time was long past. Now peace teetered in your hands. You were being propelled toward a destiny that you no longer wished. Or did you... You find a lust hidden deep within, but it's strange. As though it were an unsteady light. Blinking on and off, a weak connection that was nearly trying it's best to stay alive. Only anger seems to fuel....--
As if a door slams shut in your face, the images disappear. As you look up you see Megatron fixing you with a hard glare.
--INSECT, INVADE MY MIND AGAIN AND I WILL STRIP YOUR CIRCUITS CLEAN--
The reply was strong, and under that strength slipped some small amount of light. The lust for battle had grown.
You shook your head looking into the sky. You notice something strange, a light that seemed to be growning. As if a star was coming toward the planet....
Earth: Toronado
Your group makes it's way toward the distant horizon.
You radio Flood, "So where IS this meeting place?"
"Looks like it's in the lower Southeast of this continent. A place the human's call the Everglades. It's one of this worlds largest swamps."
"Why would they be in a swamp?"
"Dunno, that's what we're gonna figure out."
"And what do we do if they ARE there?"
You hear Flood activate his comm, "Flood to Metroplex. Are there any backup units in the vicinity of our destination?"
"This is Prime, Metro's computers read that there is an Autobot by name of SwampVine in the area. I'll radio her to meet you."
"Gotcha Prime, what's the status on the other searches?"
"We...." the transmission terminates suddenly with a wave of static.
"Prime!? What the slag's going..."
Suddenly a brilliant wash of energy cascades down on the group, knocking
your systems off-line.
You come to a few seconds later. Your exoframe is battered from the fall, and you find yourself in a large pile of thorn bushes. You grumble as you pull yourself free and go to join Flood and the fleshy commander's mech in a clearing.
Then, a strange sounding cry of a hawk is heard ringing through the skies. It had a metallic quality to it that caught your sensor's attention.
The four of you back together in a circle, watching the sky.
Then, a cascading flash catches your optics. The flutter of white wings comes toward you through the treeline, and a creature that could only be described as stunningly beautiful lands in the clearing.
"Airrazor Maximize!" calls the female robot as she converts into her robot mode.
--great a slaggin Maximal...--
Megatron seems the most unaffected by the Maximal's entrance, "Who are you, and why are you here?"
"I am from the past AND the future, and I have come with a warning and to offer aide. You hunt no mortal Predacon. The one you seek is called Terrorsaur, and he has the power to destroy us ALL."
Earth : The Predacon command ship
Darkness rolls over you as the lust and drive for
conquest seeps into your spark. The tidal wave of history seems to crash
againstyou, buffeting you and tearing down your resolve.
You stand on a precipices overlooking the raging
waters of the sea. The foam flecks that crash up from the water bears
striking semblance to the floating ashes and sparks of war. In the howl
of the ocean's winds, you hear the sounds of battle, the scrams of death.
You know you stare at your destiny.
You bolt upright on your flat. The room
around you is dark and empty, and you feel the web of terrible isolation
hanging over your circuits.
The dream fades into memory, but its feelings of
urgency and inevitability still plague your spark. It's been this way for
days. Ever since you were rebuilt, after being trashed during your last
attempt to take over Megatron.
You should have never even tried it.
You look down at your new metallic skin. It was
shinier, stronger than the old. You had gained a third mode too. A
vehicle mode, but you were still as of yet unsure what it was. Somehow
the CR chambers had been reconfigure in a wash of energy this week, so, when
they repaired you, they rebuilt you.
The others call it Transmetal.
Ever since waking up, the dreams have plagued
you. Feelings swept over you as if your senses were out of control.
You reach toward the alarm shutoff button...
The alarm klaxon starts blaring, just as you hit the
shutoff switch.
You stare at the floor for a second in silence, then
get up and head for the bridge.
The bridge was full of activity. Powerpinch
was seated at the pilots seat as usual. Seaclamp was barking orders at the
assembled Predacons. The whole crew was present, except for Snapper and
Manterror who had been left in the Everglades.
"Cicadon will lead the air assault as soon as
Trypticon leaves the water. With him will go Jetstorm, Buzzclaw, and
Skarem.
Ramhorn will remain here with Powerpinch and Hornet to
run the ship.
I will lead an underwater squad containing Spittor,
Retrax, and Scanvenger. Retrax, Scavenger, rig for underwater duty. We
will attempt to recover the body of the Predacon Terrorsaur."
The groups moved off the bridge.
You sit down at the console and look out at the vast
waters of the Earthen Ocean. The Atlantic stretches below you, and
beneath it's tranquil surface lies the massive form of the new Trypticon.
Not far off the Predacon ship's bow hovered the
Autobot City, Metroplex. It too was newly rebuilt with the transmetal
technology. Ramhorn leaned forward in his command chair, "Let the
attack commence."
You had watched disinterestedly as Powerpinch had
gleefully launched attack after attack at the submerged Trypticon.
It had only been a few minutes, and since the attack
began you had learned that you had actually been hovering above the Atlantic
for several minutes, waiting for Terrorsaur to be safely subdued by the
Autobots.
He had apparently been beaten by Flood and a squad of
Maximals, one of whom was the turned spark Torca.
The Autobots had so far refrained from entering the
battle, but Cicadon and his forces were at ready in case that had changed.
Your attacks had only succeeded in keeping Trypticon from
launching any of it's own forces. It still lay beneath the waters.
Then a signal flashed on the console, "Incoming
blast."
The ship shook faintly from the hit, and energy blast
that had been diluted by the waters. You glanced down at the shields,
"Sheilds at 20%!?!?"
"What? There's no way that blast held that
kind of power."
You turn toward him, an ominous feeling building in
the back of your carapace, "It's transmetal technology, there's no telling
what kind of power we are dealing with."
He looks at you, and you can feel a growing fear,
"Divert more systems to shields!"
Earth : The Predacon command ship
Darkness rolls over you as the lust and drive for
conquest seeps into your spark. The tidal wave of history seems to crash
against
you, buffeting you and tearing down your resolve.
You stand on a precipices overlooking the raging
waters of the sea. The foam flecks that crash up from the water bears
striking
semblance to the floating ashes and sparks of war. In the howl of the
ocean's winds, you hear the sounds of battle, the scrams of
death.
You know you stare at your destiny.
You bolt upright on your flat. The room
around you is dark and empty, and you feel the web of terrible isolation
hanging over your circuits.
The dream fades into memory, but its feelings of
urgency and inevitability still plague your spark. It's been this way for
days. Ever since you
were rebuilt, after being trashed during your last attempt to take over
Megatron.
You should have never even tried it.
You look down at your new metallic skin. It was
shinier, stronger than the old. You had gained a third mode too. A
vehicle mode, but you
were still as of yet unsure what it was. Somehow the CR chambers had been
reconfigure in a wash of energy this week, so, when they repaired
you, they rebuilt you.
The others call it Transmetal.
Ever since waking up, the dreams have plagued
you. Feelings swept over you as if your senses were out of control.
You reach toward the alarm shutoff button...
The alarm klaxon starts blaring, just as you hit the
shutoff switch.
You stare at the floor for a second in silence, then
get up and head for the bridge.
The bridge was full of activity. Powerpinch
was seated at the pilots seat as usual. Seaclamp was barking orders at the
assembled
Predacons. The whole crew was present, except for Snapper and Manterror
who had been left in the Everglades.
"Cicadon will lead the air assault as soon as
Trypticon leaves the water. With him will go Jetstorm, Buzzclaw, and
Skarem.
Ramhorn will remain here with Powerpinch and Hornet to
run the ship.
I will lead an underwater squad containing Spittor,
Retrax, and Scanvenger. Retrax, Scavenger, rig for underwater duty. We
will attempt to
recover the body of the Predacon Terrorsaur."
The groups moved off the bridge.
You sit down at the console and look out at the vast
waters of the Earthen Ocean. The Atlantic stretches below you, and
beneath it's
tranquil surface lies the massive form of the new Trypticon.
Not far off the Predacon ship's bow hovered the
Autobot City, Metroplex. It too was newly rebuilt with the transmetal
technology.
Ramhorn leaned forward in his command chair, "Let the attack
commence."
You had watched disinterestedly as Powerpinch had
gleefully launched attack after attack at the submerged Trypticon.
It had only been a few minutes, and since the attack
began you had learned that you had actually been hovering above the Atlantic
for several
minutes, waiting for Terrorsaur to be safely subdued by the Autobots.
He had apparently been beaten by Flood and a squad of
Maximals, one of whom was the turned spark Torca.
The Autobots had so far refrained from entering the
battle, but Cicadon and his forces were at ready in case that had changed.
Your attacks had only succeeded in keeping Trypticon
from launching any of it's own forces. It still lay beneath the waters.
Then a signal flashed on the console, "Incoming
blast."
The ship shook faintly from the hit, and energy blast
that had been diluted by the waters. You glanced down at the shields,
"Sheilds at
20%!?!?"
"What? There's no way that blast held that
kind of power."
You turn toward him, an ominous feeling building in
the back of your carapace, "It's transmetal technology, there's no telling
what kind of
power we are dealing with."
He looks at you, and you can feel a growing fear,
"Divert more systems to shields!"
Earth : The Predacon Command Ship
The new Transmetal Trypticon unleashes another
blast against your ship. Sparks fly from the control panels, and there is
a sudden, sickening
lurch as you begin to fall forward.
"I said all power to the shields!"
"I PUT all power toward shields, shields are
gone! We're falling toward the ocean!"
"Pull out, thrusters in reverse!"
You shift the main thrusters into reverse, but only
find the ship spinning slowly sideways.
"No good, we're crashing!"
"Pressure stabilizers activate!"
The ship splashes into the water with a heavy,
thunderous thud. Suddenly, the fire safety systems kick on. Foam
starts pouring into the ship.
"What the slag?"
Then, with chilling certainty, you know what had
happened. You grab a circuit panel and pull it free, in
seconds you see the circuits that
have been remotely crossed.
Someone had hacked into the system, setting the
controls haywire, but it was too late to fix.
"Abandon ship!" roars Ramhorn.
You and Powerpinch jump up and head for the emergency
exit.
Quickly, the ship is abandoned.
The three of you feel the shockwave from behind you as
the ship crashes in the water below. You turn to see the form of
Trypticon rise up
and uncurl on the bottom of the ocean. He is wreathed in a fiery light as
your command ship cracks against the Transmetal monstrosity.
The three of you swim towards the surface of the
waters as debris floats past you. As you break the surface, you see a
battle forming in the
air. Cicadon and the other Predacons were clashing with two black
forms. One you recognize as Bladewing...
Earth: The Atlantic
You sputter out a spurt of water from your
mandibles. It was thick with ash and dust from Terrorsaur’s rampage as
well as the destruction
of your ship.
Ramhorn came up beside you, closely followed by
Powerpinch.
"Return to the shore, we will need to regroup
with the others." Commanded the Tripredicus member.
But your attention was riveted toward the sky.
There a battle was progressing. Cicadon was chopping up the other
Predacon’s! But, there
was more. You could see a second spirit inhabiting his structure.
Cicadon was possessed!
You watched as he sliced through the other Predacons
and then pulled a gun and shot himself in the head. As he did, you could
clearly make
out the glittering path of a spark as it left the body and dove into the depths
of the water. As it did so, you had the overwhelming feeling that it
looked directly at you… And knew you were watching it.
"What are you waiting for, Hornet!" Roared
Ramhorn.
You looked at him and began to tread water again.
Then you felt something. Something dark and
ominous, and more powerful than anything that you had felt before. It was
only there for an
instant, then was gone. It had felt like a swirling sea of chaos that had
been opening up in the fabric of the universe for a brief second. And
with
it’s opening, you knew with unerring certainty that something had been left
behind.
Earth : The Atlantic
The sensation passes, you swim after Ramhorn, towards the nearby beach…
As you sit upon a rock near the sea cliffs, you
ponder what it was that you may have felt.
--What could be that powerful, and what did it
leave behind?--
The questions race through your diodes, but to no
avail.
It had been some time, and your comrades had been
gathered together again. You, Ramhorn, and Powerpinch were now joined by
a rather
slagged gathering of Jetstorm, Buzzclaw who came in with pieces of Insecticon,
Skarem and a headless Cicadon. Spittor, Retrax, Drillbit, and
Scavenger had returned, but they had lost sign of Seaclamp. Manterror and
Snapper also had not reported back from the Everglades, where
they had been left to follow the main ship.
The group sat now watching Ramhorn sulk, while
Buzzclaw and Skarem worked on Cicadon’s head.
"I knew this was foolishness. Seaclamp’s
pomposity has lead us…"
"I believe you were the one left to guard the
ship, Ramhorn…" all eyes turned to see Seaclamp stomp his way up
from the waters. In one
claw was cradles a rather crushed purple and gold lump of a bot.
"I at least have fulfilled my part of the
attack." He tosses the pile of scrap down at Ramhorn’s feet.
"What is this?"
"The Predacon Terrorsaur. An Autobot threw
him down in a chasm thinking that he was the only one who could withstand the
pressures of
the deep. I recovered the body without any true difficulties."
"But he’s useless to us. Him, Cicadon, and
these other piles of scrap!! We have no repair chambers…."
"Always you fail to grasp the whole of the
battle." Seaclamp activates his commlink, "Manterror.
Deactivate your shielding."
The forest behind you shifts and swirls, resolving
into the form of a large shuttlecraft.
A hatch on the side opens and out steps a black and
dark blue transformer. Sizeably larger than any of the Predacons, and
with a
Decepticon sigil on his shoulders.
"Meet our new… Ally."
"Greetings Predacons. It will be my honor
to aid you in the termination of Megatron."
Ramhorn sputters, "Who is this!??!"
"My name… is Starscream."
Soon, after, the CR chamber onboard the shuttle had
been used to repair the damage caused to most of the worse off Predacons.
You watch as the chamber does it’s work, rebuilding
the crushed Terrorsaur, "I’ve never seen a CR move that fast…" you
comment to
yourself.
"I have made some, special
modifications." The grating voice of the Decepticon Starscream
startled you.
You turn, "Why would a Decepticon help us?"
"Very simple, Hornet. My history speaks for
itself. I have always despised Megatron. His resurgence is an
affront I can not ignore."
You felt sincere loathing from the large Con, but
there was more… A hunger for power. And there was something else,
his presence was
diffuse, surrounding. It was almost as if he WAS the shuttle.
You turn and feel a surge of madness and an odd
connection between you and the robot…
Earth : The Shuttle
You walk away troubled. You knew that your
telepathy powers had been enhanced by whatever the new Transmetal technology
did to your structure, but why would it link so
strongly with Starscream. More importantly, why did it seem that
Starscream had such a strong connection to the ship around you. It was
almost as if he was part of the ship.
Still the strength of your connection troubled
you. Haunting images seemed on the verge of revealing themselves to you.
You walked back into the other room, the main bridge.
The shuttle was large, due to being structured for use by other bots. So,
there was enough room, albeit cramped room, for the
Predacon’s and Starscream.
Some of the panels were removed from the large control
panels, and wires hung loose. There had been some damage from Starscream,
Manterror, and Snapper’s first meeting, but
Powerpinch and Manterror had been working steadily on repairs for several hours
now.
"The ship has superior levels of power."
Seaclamp was commenting to Ramhorn, "It’s stealth technology is cutting
edge…"
"Yes," Ramhorn picked up the thought,
"I have to hand it to the Combaticons, they researched this shell
well."
"Shell?" you blurted out as you walked
by.
Ramhorns head turns toward you, "Yes, it appears
the ship was built to house Megatron’s spark. Possibly it could be used
as a prison to transport his spark back to Cybertron."
This had your attention, "A prison?"
Seaclamp motioned you closer, and lowered his voice,
"Yes, Hornet. Due to your previous experience with Megatron, and
your expertise in such manners of the mind, we wish you
to investigate the chambers below. Learn as much as possible,
discretely. We don’t wish Starscream to know too much. Find out how
the hold is set to contain a spark and to what
purpose. Find out how we can use it."
--Hmm, perhaps this project will help me clear
myself of Megatron’s memories.—
You leave the two council members and move to the
accessway for the lower chambers. It was a small hatch near the control
console for the shuttle. It lead down into the underguts
and wiring of the shuttles drive and stealth systems.
You walked through the tunnel leading toward the back
of the shuttle, and stepped out in the dark chamber. Wires, tubing,
engines, all set about in a fairly cluttered mass. A bot like
Starscream would have a hard time even thinking of trying to make their way
down here. You looked around, the clutter of the room reminding you of
something…
--The wires clustered around the
shells of the new lifeforms. Several had previously been given life,
but now, you were the controlling force here.
Universes of knowledge
lay bare before you. And with that knowledge came the power of creation.
You feel your mind spin
as you feel the dizzying power of a god. The power of life.
But something else was
there. You were not alone.
The floor of your mind
and beliefs dropped away before you at a dizzying pace.
Suddenly, you felt
infinitesimal. For a moment, madness gripped you and you lost control.
Then it passed.
And in the mass of wires, you felt movement…--
You were flat on your back, staring up at the
wires.
--What the PITT was THAT!!!--
You pushed yourself up and looked at the wires in
front of you. There was a large module in front of the main drive
engines. The engines themselves dragged your attention away for
a moment.
The output ability would be amazing, but the power it
would take to run them was minute!! You had never seen an engine that was this
clean running, except in…
Except in a Cybernetic being… A transformers
engine relays currently ran at a capacity and with a turnover that would be
comparable to this!!
You turn and look at the module. With your
previous revelation, the module was easy to identify.
It was an empty spark containment unit. Just
like what holds the spark of every Cybertronian lifeform…
Earth : The shuttle
Your mind begins to work frantically…
--Has Starscream extinguished the spark of another
and using the body as a transport by linking his spark to the extro structure?
And if so, who?—
But something didn’t ring true with that. You
ran a quick scan of the receptacle. There was no energy residue, no trace
of charged ions, nothing. You scanned the power settings,
there was something weird there. Starscream shouldn’t have enough
strength of spark to fill this receptacle. It would drain him down to a
gibbering mass…. Slag, it would drain anyone.
Someone had screwed up when they built it!!
But there was still something strange… something was
pulling on the circuits.
You stand back staring at the receptacle while your
motherboard processed.
You make a decision. With a deep breath, you
release your mind, letting it be overwhelmed with the inrush of thoughts and
feelings that surround you.
You see….
--The pulse of your
spark slowly beats down. You feel the energon leaking from your body, and
know that this bodies time has come.
You’ve been here
before, over and over again. But this boy had lasted for centuries.
No matter, you’ll just
possess some unwilling lackeys until a permanent body can be found.
The pulse was weak and
slow. Almost gone.
Slaggin’ Combaticons.
It was done, the body
was dead.
Your spark floats out
of it’s shell. No longer needing form or energy, it would pulse forever.
Something tugs at you…
Suddenly, your spark is
hurtling through the walls of Trypticon and out into the swamps beyond.
You struggle, but it’s
as if a black hole was drawing you ever nearer into it’s suffocating center.
You see a shuttle, half
covered in mud and vines. Your shuttle, the one you took from those two
losers, Hooligan and Icefang.
Your spark slams into
the shuttle, and everything is shattered. You’re spark is twisted and
pulled, stretched too thin.
And then darkness.--
You stagger back, severing your connection to the
frame. You piece together the kaleidescope of images. Starscream
must have died in Trypticon for some reason, yet his spark
managed to live on! He was drawn to this shuttle where his spark was
sucked into the frame. But it still doesn’t make sense. How did he
come upon the body he has now. His spark
should have been rendered useless by the over stretched factors in the
computers!
One thing was sure… The console acted like a leech to
draw in sparks that were free floating. If you could draw Megatron’s
spark out, it would be stretched and trapped in the
same way that Starscream’s was…. Or should have been.
You ponder on your next move…
Earth : The shuttle
The comm unit crackled, "Hornet, we’re
lifting off." It was Powerpinch’s voice, "The council is
outside and we’re mounting an offensive on Trypticon!"
"What!?"
"Some Autobot slag found us and reported before
we could silence. Did you find anything out about the shuttle."
"Yeah, but I’m not sure what to do with it."
"Great, we’re piling out for a full assault
directly on the city."
"Ok, I’m on my way."
As you turn, you notice a panel with an odd set of
controls on it. You peer down at it and try to discern it’s function.
It appeared to be some kind of spark attraction port
on the shuttle. It appeared to consist of a handy cutting blast followed
by a field of tractor ions that should give the spark a path
directly into the shuttle where it would transfer directly into the chamber.
Quickly you rig them for remote operation.
--Now, if I run across Megatron, maybe I can get
his spark and get him the slag out of my head!—
You make your way to join the fight outside.
Earth: The Atlantic Shoreline
You drop out of the shuttle with the other Pred’s
around you: Manterror with Powerpinch on his back, Buzzclaw, Terrorsaur,
Skarem, Insecticon, and Jetstorm
with Snapper in tow.
Ahead, the massive form of Trypticon thrashed in the
water as the shuttle continued to fire heavy rounds at his shields.
Smoke was pouring from the Autobot City, and it
appeared to be tilting into the waters below it. The Tripredicus council had
merged, and now formed a larger
robot, Tripredicus. They now fought against the Decepticon warrior
Bruticus, and appeared to be ripping him in shreds. There was no sign of
Megatron amidst the
chaos however.
Blasts started spattering around you as three jets
streaked upward from Trypticon. One appeared to be a strange triangular
craft, black with red markings on it.
The other was a V-winged white jet, with a rather annoying cross pattern of
blue thatch markings and lightning bolts on his back.
The third jet was completely different from anything you had
ever seen. It’s wings were spread out and looked like the skeletal frame
of a bat’s wings. And as
you looked at them, you realized that they were in fact made of bone, as was a
large portion of the jet. He was all white and black, except for the
purple of the
Decepticon sigil, and strange Cybertronian writings in red that marked his
body.
They dove directly into the group of Predacon’s, sending you
scattering with their speed.
Instinctively you transformed, but to your surprise, you
changed into a jet form. Engines roared from you and you peeled off
toward one of the attackers.
The change in dynamics and speed startled you, but you found
yourself rapidly getting used to the new challenge of jet propelled flight.
Your weapons blazed a trail in the sky behind the white
jet. Realizing that he couldn’t outrun you like this, the jet
spun, "Spacecase, transform!!" and changed
into a white and red robot mode. He threw a missile at you that exploded
underneath you. The shock waves of the violent explosion knocked you
upward, forcing
you to transform as well.
You dodge as another blast rips open the air with a thunderous
crack beside you.
You pull a rifle from behind you and square off with your
opponent.
"So little bug, you’ve got yourself a new body and
think you’re bad enough to play with the men?!" Cackles Spacecase.
"I don’t know why don’t you ask my friends?"
With that, you stretch your consciousness out towards
the robot. The new Transmetal technology bolstering your power and limits
beyond anything you had
known before.
His mind is pitifully simple, and projecting a vision
of a swarm of Predacon’s surrounding him is surprisingly simple.
"AHHH!!!! The Decepticon spins, and begins
to launch missiles in every direction possible.
You aim carefully with your rifle and land a hit,
square in his face, sending him spiraling downward. As the Decepticon
plummets, you transform to your vehicle
mode, roaring down after him. As you near him, you change to beast mode
again and grab the flailing robot.
With a yank, you pull him free of the downward spiral
and begin to work, accessing his core thought process…
Earth : The Atlantic ocean
Within a few segments, you had the Decepticon jet up and
running, completely under your control.
You look around, hovering near the Decepticon’s
shoulder. You see that the white Decepticon was sparring with Scavenger,
and the black bomber was harrying
the others.
"Now for a quick test, SpaceCase, deal with that
black jet!"
"Spacecase, flight mode!" he
transforms into the v-wing jet fighter and roars into the skies after the other
jet.
Again you look around at the battlegrounds, and see
that the Tripredicus council has turned Bruticus into spare bolts.
You look over at the shuttle, and notice something
odd. Bladewing and the orange bot, Hooligan you believe, were leaving the
shuttle, and Starscream stood on
top of the shuttle, watching them, and allowing them to leave!
As you look at the shuttle, you also become aware of the
bonds between it and Starscream. Somethng falls into place, and you
realize why they seemed
connected!
They were ONE. Somehow, Starscream WAS the shuttle!!
You turned at the sound of a large explosion and see
Spacecase blowing the slag out of the black Decepticon jet.
So, Starscream was up to playing games…
Earth: The Atlantic Ocean
You transform into insect mode and head toward the
shuttle, "Spacecase, go after your friend. Blow him out of the
sky. I have some business to attend to…"
Dodging and weaving the multitude of flak fire that
fills the air, you make your way toward the shuttle.
--There’s Starscream, still standing on top of the
shuttle like the proud rooster he thinks he is.—
Behind you, you can see Trypticon taking a pummeling
from Tripredicus. But now, you see Optimus Prime moving in to attack the
council, and you also see
Megatron himself leave the shelter of the mighty battle fortress.
--Hmm, this could be interesting…--
You reach out with your mind, reaching into
Starscream’s subconscious. Again, you sense the link between him and the
shuttle, but this time you’re after
something.
You carefully and masterfully tweak his ego, sending
him into a fury, a fury that is easily directed toward Megatron.
"You bots duke it out while I take another looksee
inside the shuttle!"
You trasform and land in the open side doors of the
shuttle.
Quickly, you make your way toward the main bridge
area. Gunfire echoes off the walls as you near the entry door.
You look around the corner, and see Hooligan sitting
at the controls of the bridge, you can see the smoldering form of Powerpinch
lying to the side.
--Moron, musta let that Decepticon get the drop on
him!!—
You begin to move into the room, pulling your weapon,
when , suddenly, the whole ship pitches downward in an steep descent.
You loose your footing and your weapon as you tumble
backwards.
Then, the ship pitches upward, the controls shifting
back on and the automatic-righting systems causing it to climb back to it'’ former
position.
There is the squeal of metal from the bridge and the
sound of tumbling comes from the room.
You recover your rifle and jump back into the bridge.
Hooligan, the command chairs, and Powerpinch all lay
in a tangle of arms and legs at the back of the room as you climbed in through
the door.
The ship begins righting itself, and you stand up and
fire at Hooligan, who had begun to extract himself from the mess.
You hear blaster fire from the roof, and feel the ship
shaking. Lights dim and red flashing warning beacons began to wail.
The viewscreens blink back on, and Megatron could be
seen pummeling Starscream.
"That’s it, Predacon." Hooligan
sneers, "Megatron will rip Starscream’s processors out and send this game
will be over!!"
You turn and nail him with your rifle, sparks fly as
he falls back, toxins pouring over his system.
"Starscream can go to back to the Pitt for all I
care!" you move toward the controls.
Then a sharp pain and an odd disorientation seems to
cover your sensors.
There is a sense of tumbling up and hitting the ground
as a haze of static fills your optics.
You realize that you are looking up at your body from
somewhere near your ankles. Standing beside you is Bladewing, sword still
in position from where he had
severed your head from it’s body.
"That’s for messing with my head." Whispers
the Decepticon as your body slumps to the ground beside you.
He looks down at your head, "Guess you Predacon’s
loose this battle after all, eh?"
As more static overtakes your optics, you choke out a
reply, "Nnn…o…no..tt ye… t…"
With a herculean effort, you send out one final
command before you fall into stasis lock.
The command to activate the spark chamber below, and
to fire it at Megatron.
Earth: the Atlantic shoreline
Darkness swirls around
you. You know your body is in stasis lock, the sudden loss of your head
forcing it into a form of shock, but somehow, you now floated
free, after a fashion.
You find yourself
wandering along pathways of thought and sound, spreading your mind out into
those around you.
Megatron’s was the easiest
to pick up on.
That is… Megatron and
Starscream’s?!?!
The two appeared as one
around you, joined together in a lock of silent submission.
--The spark chamber, it
must have pulled Megatron in and joined him somehow to Starscream!!!—
Part of you found this
deeply amusing. But their submissive state surprised you. The
joining must have somehow rendered the two into one personality.
You probe deeper
unraveling the mystery that binds them together.
They seemed entwined, but
you sense that they inhabit two different bodies. You ponder on this and
on the changes you might make.
Seperation, melting
together, substitution… control?
The realization comes over
you that from where you were, the possibilities may be endless…
Earth: The Atlantic beach
The massive robot stretches out an arm and looks at
it, "Fascinating."
The group of Cybertronians facing it, look at each
other apprehensively.
Optimus Prime, scuff and damaged from his tussle with
the monstrous Tripredicus was the first to react, "Megatron?"
The large robots head snapped up at the name, his eyes
glowing red for a brief second, then slowly shifting to a sparkling silver hue,
"Yes, and more…"
The smaller, aqua colored Autobot, Flood, spoke up,
"Megatron, what happened?"
The robots eyes glittered above the black faceplate,
"The shuttle… it was created to house my spark?"
A derisive snort came from a orange and rust colored
robot that sat, hunkered down on a large rock on the beach. Oil and mech
fluid dripped slowly from a
wound in his stomach. As he clenched at the exposed wires, Hooligan
looked up at the others, "Yeah, that was how all this got started,
sorta…"
Optimus looked over at the old Decepticon,
"Explain?"
Hooligan gives a laborious sigh, "Well, at least
that was where my part started here. You see, the Combaticons built that
shuttle to try to reclaim the spark of
Megatron. Then, to get it to Earth without Starscream knowing about it,
they sold it to… to this Predacon cat that I hired on with to get off of
Cybertron."
"How did the Decepticons know about
Megatron?"
Hooligan shrugged, "How did the Predacon’s
know?"
Flood shook his head, "The Predacon’s knew
because of Razorclaw. He was working for them the whole time. He
was on Earth as a Predacon scientist and
has been running tests on the water environments. In the confusion
with the Tripredicus council we forgot about him AND that he had the access
codes we were
using here on Earth! He snuck on board Metroplex and detonated the bombs
at the beginning of the battle today."
Megatron looked over, "That explains the Predacon
side of things, but still gives us no idea how the Combaticons knew where to
find me."
A lanky black robot with a red eye and huge silver
wings shakes his head, "It appears that none of you are two adept at
intrigue."
All eyes turn back as he leans against one of the
white Earth Defense Force tanks, the setting sun glinted off the red cockpit
bubble on his chest, "If you want to
know how, why don’t you just ask someone who IS adept."
"Who?" Flood gives Bladewing a stubborn
look.
The black and silver robot only raises a sword to
point at the smaller of the paired robots standing on the beach. The
formerly blue and black Starsream, now
hunkered in the shadow of his enormous counterpart, Megatron. His gray
and green camouflage making his nearly invisible in the slanting light.
"Soundwave." He states grumpily.
Bladewing nods, "Soundwave, an ancient
Decepticon adept in telepathy. He must have sensed where Megatron’s spark
was."
Prime looked dubious, "Then why not come earlier
than three centuries?"
Flood’s eyes got wider, "He couldn’t sense
Megatron until I rebuilt him! When I found him and threw him into a CR
chamber I started all of this off." He leans
back hard against another of the EDF tanks.
Prime looks over his shoulder at the smaller bot, the
sun shining through a crack in the glass crystal of his door-wing, "Don’t
blame yourself, Flood. You only did
what was right."
Megtron’s eyes glinted red, "Yes, ‘don’t blame
yourself’. The only danger that has been caused was by the Predacon’s
interference!" He spun toward the
crouched robot that sat slightly apart from the rest of the group, a black and
orange carapaced robot with a slew of gun blast wounds across his back.
He looked
up from the decapitated body that he was working on, stemming the flow of mech
fluids from its gaping neck wound.
Megatron’s gun raised, but Prime moved in front,
"NO! It is over Megatron. The council has lost, and are
defeated."
"Spare me your idealistic ways Optimus. One
does not leave a enemy in his tent hoping that he will not slit your throat in
the night."
Flood moved to Megatron’s side, "No, he’s
right. Remember what you told me! Remember how you just wanted to
be left alone. Now is your chance! End
the wars here and now!!"
Megatron seemed to consider this for a moment, then
lowered his cannon.
The Predacon, Powerpinch, was visibly relieved.
He stood up, setting Hornet’s carcass down, "Now what."
Prime sighed, placing his hand on the larger
Megatron’s shoulder, "Now, we rebuild."
The next week was spent with a combined effort
at reconstructing Metroplex’s hull. It ended up being easier than expected,
as his new technology
seemed to have a fairly advanced restructuring ability.
The Predacon’s were all rebuilt, weapon’s
deactivated, except for the Tripredicus council. It was by joint
agreement that until they could be returned
to Cybertron that their bodies would remain in stasis lock.
Megatron becomes listless as the days go
by. When approached he seemed agitated and angry. Even
Optimus and Flood could not drag out of him
the reason. The strange duality of his voice did fade as a few days
passed, however, and once again he and Starscream seemed to operate almost
independently.
Extensive cleanup and geological repair began as
soon as Metroplex was rebuilt. The ocean floor had taken considerable
damage from Terrorsaur’s
attack, not to mention the several cities that had been slagged by the mad
Predacon. The attack on Tripredicus didn’t help either. Around a
hundred
miles of ocean shoreline suffered due to the battle, but with the
combination of the Autobots, Maximals, Decepticons, and Predacons, repair
efforts were
very successful.
Bumblebee leaned back in the cushy chair in
Metroplex’s main bridge. He was the only one on duty, and he was nearly
ready to be relieved. It had been a quiet
night. Outside, Metroplex was working on a geological fault line that had
been severely shaken by Terrorsaur, but the work he was doing required little
or no help
from the smaller Cybertronians. The viewscreens were set to show the
ocean depths. A beautiful coral reef was not too far off, and Bumblebee
had early on set the
zoom to show the reef exclusively.
Life swam across the massive screen in sharp relief as
the computers on board Metroplex lit the area with a form of virutal
definition. Colors were vivid and
sharp, and the seen was breathtaking.
Or at least it was six hours ago when Bumblebee had
first brought it up.
Now, the golden robot sat cleaning his chromed
gun. He had come a long way from the bubble-like body he first had on
Earth. He was now a sleek car,
powerful, fast, and armed.
He clicked his gun together with a resounding snap and
holstered it back in his leg. He leaned back looking out into the blue
waters again, nearly powering down
in boredom.
The door behind him hisses open. In the glare of
the control panel, Bublebee sees Rapido walk up and look over his shoulder.
"Beautiful, ain’t it Rap?"
"You were falling asleep."
"Yeah, but let’s see how you do after six hours
of waterworld."
"Ok, get up. I know how to turn on the link
to Earth’s holo vids. It’s a movie night tonight!" the red robot
chided.
Suddenly a small beep attracted both the robot’s
attentions. Bumblebee hits a button and a star map of the local solar
system appears in the center of the kelp
bed. On the edge of the system, a large blinking ship appeared on
the scanner.
The two Autobots looked at each other in disbelief and
worry.
Then a screen panel blinked. A large rust
colored, and slightly charred looking Cybertronian face appeared in the panel.
"This is Backdraft, Captain of the Cybertron ship
Soulfire. We are in a state of emergency and war. If there are any
Cybertronians on Earth, please reply."
Earth: a city
Yet again, you had been rebuilt. After the
rebuild, you found that the council had fallen, and were now kept prisoners, in
stasis lock. The rest of the Predacons were repaired and given the offer of activation
if you promised to behave until you were returned to Cybertron.
Without any leaders to spur you on, it seemed like a
fair deal.
Part of the behaving included work
detail, rebuilding some of the slagged cities that Terrorsaur had destroyed in
his mad rampage.
Now, you sat on top of a building, watching the Earth
star fall below the horizon. It was an odd place, this Earth, and your
spark longed to return to the beautiful vistas of Cybertron.
A Decepticon Jet streaked overhead, Spacecase, the one
you had mind-zonked. You had made sure to erase any memory of that. Little
incident. before releasing total control.
Well, actually, you never released total
control. As with your other victims of late, you could feel a sort of
empathic connection with him, as well as a certainty that reestablishing
control might be a fairly easy feat.
The Decepticon circles back and lands next to you,
transforming into his robot mode. which was about twice your size.
"We have to return to Trypticon."
He was extremely agitated.
"What's going on?"
"There's a ship. A Cybertronian ship.
It's docking in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and Megatron wants everyone to
pull up stakes and return to the base. I hear Optimus Prime is doing the
same with his cronies."
You stand, flexing your bluish wings.
"What's he planning, a mass exodus? I
thought he was staying here at any rate?"
"Well, according to a transmission that hit Earth
about a mega-cycle ago, there's a war on Cybertron!"
"A war?!? Who!?!?"
"Don't know, the transmission only stated the
captain's name, gave a request for any Cybertronians on the planet to return
the call, and that there was a state of war on Cybertron!"
"How come I didn't know?!?"
"No one could find you!"
"Hornet, FLIGHT MODE!!"
With that you burn a path towards the Altlantic ocean.
Earth: Trypticon
You
make it back to Trypticon nano-cycles before the meeting begins.
Apparently,
all transformers were invited to hear the Cybertron Captain’s statement on the
attack on Cybertron…
A long table ran along the
walls and sat all the others assembled here. At the forefront was Optimus Prime. Megatron sat beside him and the Earth President beside
him.
The crew of the ship, the
Soulfire, stood in the center of the gathered crowd.
Optimus
spoke, “Autobot, Decepticon, Maximal, Predacon, Cybertron, Destron, and
Human. For the first time in
perhaps all of our history do we all stand side by side, joined in peace and
united through a common danger.
For those of you who do not yet know why we are here, Cybertron has
again fallen under attack. Our
homeworld has become the target of conquest from an outside force, and now
calls to us to stand against it’s would be enslavers. Captain Backdraft is the first ship to reach us, to ask for
our assistance in this new fight.
He will now, hopefully, shed some light on what has happened on our
homeworld.”
Silence reigns in the room. With a heavy sigh, Captain Backdraft squared his shoulders and began…
GENERAL STATEMENT, New Wars New Gods, Statement #2