The end of the perfect gestalt team
(A tie in to the Chronicles of Bass)
Chapter 1: The final mission
~ Ten Years before Chris met Bass and the Autobots. ~
"Predacons, Soundwave has just brought to my attention a new vain of energon located in the mountain range the organics call the Andes Mountains. I want you to find and secure its precise location so that I can send vehicon miners there to extract as much as possible before the Autobots can detect it."
As Megatron's message finished playing, Razorclaw, the leader of the Predacons, started devise a plan on how the could accomplish their assignment quickly so that he could get back to his afternoon recharge. Rampage, the team's resident nutcase, was practically bouncing of the walls from the thought of possibly maiming some unlucky Autobot. Divebomb, the team's aerial combat specialist, could stop rambling about taking to the sky once again. Tantrum, the team's demolitions specialist, just wanted to do something to show off his strength. The only mech who wasn't getting ramped up for their mission was the team's medic and resident recluse, Headstrong. He just wanted to be back in his personal berth room and be left to his own devices.
"So, here's the plan," Razorclaw said. "We're going to need an eye-in-the-sky to make sure that we aren't interrupted by those Auto-scums, that's you Divebomb. Secondly we'll need two mechs to guard the perimeter of the area, that'll be Tantrum and Rampage. Rampage, if you run into trouble, comm. Tantrum immediately. Don't try to take on the enemy alone, got it. Lastly Headstrong and I will map out the vein's total length. Once we've done that, I'll give you the signal. This will mean that everyone will meet me back at the start of the vain. From there we will send Megatron the exact coordinates and the total length of the vain. Until the vehicons arrive, we are not to leave that position without a partner so that the enemy won't be able to ambush us."
With that, Razorclaw led them to the ground bridge. Rampage was just about to follow their leader when he noticed Headstrong's depressed look.
"What's the matter with you, Strong? You look like somebody just offlined right in front of you." Rampage asked his teammate with a hint of general concern. "Something just doesn't feel right about this mission. I can feel it in my tanks that this may be my last mission." Headstrong replied in a sullen tone.
"Just ignore it. If any of us should be worried it should be Divebomb since he's going to be alone for most of the mission. Plus you're going to be with Claw the whole time, so even if you run in to the Bots, you'll be safe." Rampage reassured him as the made their way to the others. "Yeah, I guess your right. But it's still a little unsettling." the rhino said to himself.
Once the duo reached the ground bridge platform, a vehicon activated it and all five Predacons transformed into their beast modes and jumped through, not knowing that only four of them would make the return trip.
The ground bridge closed once Headstrong exited it, leaving the Predacons alone at the base of one of the mountains. 'This isn't gonna be as easy as Razorclaw thought.' Headstrong thought to himself when he saw his leader's disgruntled look.
After a few seconds had past, Razorclaw got over this unexpected miscalculation and decided it would be best to remind everyone of the plan. "Now Divebomb, remember to alert Tantrum and Rampage if you see ANYTHING suspicious. Don't just assume that it's nothing. Tantrum, Rampage; remember to alert me if any Autobots manage to get passed you. Headstrong…" Razorclaw paused as he turned his helm to address the rhino, "Just stick close to me at all times." He concluded before he started to make his way into the first of many cave systems, with Headstrong following close behind him.
It had taken three long and exhausting hours for both the lion and the rhino mechs to finally locate the entrance to the cave where the energon vein was located. However, the two mechs weren't happy to find out that the Autobots had managed to locate it before them.
"Well look who the cyber-cats dragged in," a black mech with a visor said when he saw the to beast-formers walk in. "If it isn't the leader of the Preda-dorks and their medic."
"Bass, it's been a while," Razorclaw sneered as he retrieved his blasters from his subspace. He then pointed one at Bass and the other at the other Autobot. "And hello to you too, X-Brawn, how's Sideburn doing? Last time I saw him, he was missing his lower half."
"Shut it Simba, or you're gonna' online tomorrow in the Emergency medbay!" the white and green mech retorted in a cowboy-like accent angrily, as both Autobots took aim at the 'Cons.
Headstrong was just about to say something when Bass let loose the first shot. 'Leave it to a wrecker to start a firefight.' He said to him self, while firing his own cannons back as he dove out of bullets path, not realizing that he had been standing in front of an exposed energon crystal.
"OH SCRAP, RUN!" Bass yelled in terror as he saw his shot going on a collision course towards said crystal. All four mechs did just that, however, Headstrong wasn't fast enough to make it out of the initial blast radius.
The rhino was hurtled into the wall of cave causing a miniature rockslide, which buries him alive. Having heard the explosion, Tantrum, Rampage, and Divebomb all enter the cave just in time to see X-Brawn and Bass turn around to go back and start digging into a pile of rubble. When Razorclaw sprints past them, Rampage realizes that Headstrong isn't with their leader. Pouncing onto the fleeing lion's back, the tiger pins his leader to the ground, causing the lion to yelp in pain.
"Where is 'Strong Razorclaw? He was supposed to be with you!" Rampage demanded.
"I don't know, and right now I'm more worried about making it out of this fragging cave, which is SLAGGING collapsing!" their leader growled as he threw the tiger off of him. And before Rampage could protest further, Razorclaw commed Soundwave requesting an emergency evacuation, then grabbed the fuming tiger by his tail and dragged him through the swirling green portal, with Divebomb and Tantrum following close behind.
To Be Continued…
A/N: This is the first chapter of the first of many tie-ins that I plan on writing. This story has already been completed and is on my Deviantart account, however, I may make changes to some of the chapters that may alter the story. I'm not sure on how often I can post the chapters, but I will make sure to post all of this story's chapters.