Author's Note: This story begins shortly after "Coming of the Fuzors" pt. 2, but before "Tangled Web".
Spice and Dice (1 of 2)
By: Xavier (xavier319@hotmail.com)
Lightning crackles through a dark sky as the silvery pod touches down. The computer's digital voice vainly tries to cut through the thunder, "Beginning startup program Exon. Three cycles predicted until complete download." The pod hums and blinks until the allotted time expires, then the computer's voice crackles once again, "Scanning terrain for acceptable life forms...... Life form located, beginning replication." The pod's top inches up a bit and a metallic hand pushes it the rest of the way open. A small shadowy form darts from the pod to a nearby patch of foliage, and waits...
* * *
Water drips unceasingly from the ceiling to a metallic lump on the floor. At every drop the lump shifts around and mutters to itself.
"Ahhh! Why is it I always get the slag quarters?" it complains.
The lump then unfolds into an enormous metal rat with strangely penetrating eyes. It paces around the room for a while, then decides to take the matter of his quarters up with the Boss Monkey himself. The automatic door opens as he passes and transforms into robot mode. Even the metallic clang of his footsteps fails to alert the duo arguing in the next room.
* * *
A tall blue and brown robot paces up and down a com room while nonchalantly swinging a sword to-and-fro. The sword narrowly misses a delicate twist of wire that a huge green robot is working on.
"Watch it Dinobot! This cross neuron scanner is a very delicate instrument!" protests the large green robot, "If you damage it, I'll never finish it in time for the predicted energon storm!"
Dinobot gives the larger robot a despising look and replies with a sneer, "What I don't understand, is how this little machine of yours is going to help us defeat the Predacons!" The sentence is punctuated by Dinobot tapping the scanner disdainfully with one fore-claw.
The argument is interrupted by the voice of the rat, "Well you never did understand much of anything, did ya chopper face?" Dinobot whirls to face the rat upon hearing him.
"What you won't understand vermin, is how I'm going to scrap you in less that a nanocycle!" replies Dinobot as he lunges for the rat. The smaller 'bot ducks the first clumsy swipe of the sword, but gets caught by a blue and brown knee to the gut. The smaller robot doubles up in pain as Dinobot prepares for the final strike, but the blow is interrupted by a huge green fist.
"Dinobot, Rattrap, stop this at once! How do you expect me to get any work done with you two fighting?" The two combatants stare on dumbfounded as the green robot calmly waits for a reply. "Well?"
"Uh. We's was just playin' Rhinox. Honest!" pleads Rattrap whiningly.
"Yes, the rat is right." confirms Dinobot, "'We's was just playin.' As he so excellently put it." The two sigh in relief as Rhinox nods and turns back to his work, they both know that it is a very bad idea to anger the rhino.
At that moment a monitor on one of the computer consoles begins to beep. "Eh? What's this?" asks Rhinox with curiosity. The computer layout is a three-dimensional map, and there are three symbols on it. A purple dot, a red dot and a grey dot. Purple meaning Maximal, red meaning Predacon, and grey meaning a stasis pod.
Rhinox's red eyes glow even brighter as he calls over to Rattrap, who is still trading insults with Dinobot. "Yo! Rattrap! Get over here!"
The rat reluctantly brakes his banter with Dinobot and trots over, "What's up Big Green?"
Rhinox looks up long enough to catch Rattrap's eye, and then motions to the screen. "A stasis pod landed in grid Zion."
"But that's in Pred territory!" protests Rattrap, "How 'er we gonna get it?" Rattrap looks up for an answer, and catches a look in Rhinox's eyes. "Oh, no! No! I am not goin' out there! Nope, count me out!" Rhinox continues to stare at Rattrap and finally the rat gives in, "All right! All right! I'll do it." Rattrap transforms into beast mode and heads for the lift. It carries him into the storm outside.
Rhinox then turns to Dinobot, the raptor throws his arms up in exasperation and follows the transmetal into the storm. Rhinox, satisfied that they will succeed, turns back to his scanner.
* * *
Waspinator buzzes noisily down a darkened hall of the Darkseid on his way to Megatron's chambers. The motion activated doors slide open as the confused Predacon flies into the immense 'throne room'. "Waaaazzzpinator reporting for duty, Megatron."
Megatron looks up and smiled, "Ah, my loyal Predacon! I have a job for you. Yesss!" The large purple robot turns and motions to another side of the room, "Inferno, you and Waspinator will go to grid Arakis. A stasis pod has landed there. I want it to return as a Predacon. Now go!" The sentence is punctuated by Megatron pointing to the exit.
Inferno drops what he is doing and salutes Megatron, "At once, my Queen!"
Waspinator follows Inferno out into the storm, all the while grumbling about always getting the slag assignments.
* * *
"Slag!" exclaims Rattrap as he stands over the empty stasis pod, "It's gone!"
Dinobot, who had caught up with Rattrap while he was 'en route', yells over the raging storm, "Well, where is it vermin?"
Rattrap turns and yells back at the raptor, "It's gone! The Preds must have gotten it!" Dinobot nods in agreement as large raindrops spatter off his armor.
"I assume you will tell Optimus." he yells at the rat.
"Me?" asks Rattrap indignantly, "Why should I tell him?" Dinobot replies with and acidic remark and the two begin arguing. Because of which, neither of them notice the shadowy form that darts out into the storm and runs up to Rattrap. Dinobot notices it at the last moment, and yells a warning. The warning comes to late, because the shadow stabs Rattrap in the back of the neck with something and darts away.
"Yeow!" screams the transmetal as he reaches his hand behind his neck and pulls a small black dart out of his armor. "What in the Pitt is this?"
Dinobot looks alarmed and is studying the surrounding landscape for an attack. "Are you injured?" he asked the smaller Maximal.
Rattrap looks puzzled, like he is hard in thought, "No, I don't think so. It penetrated my armor, but I think.. I'm... all...." Rattrap's head lolls crazily to one side and he collapses in a limp heap, and begins to quietly snore.
Dinobot moves quickly over to his fallen comrade and shakes him in a vain attempt to wake him, "Vermin, get up! Did you hear me? Rattrap! Are you all right?" After getting no response except snores, he gives up and slings Rattrap over his shoulders.
"Now, now. Leaving in such a hurry? Hmmmm?" a quiet voice cuts through the storm like a knife. It belongs to the shadow, which now has one glowing green eye. "Not very civil of you."
Dinobot's only reply is to fire his eye lasers at the voice. It moves easily out of the way and continues talking. "Why are you here? And more importantly, why are you trying to find me?"
Dinobot fires another volley of eye lasers and continues moving away from the pod, and back to the Maximal base. The shadow keeps pace with them and the green eye continuously winks in and out of view. The game of cat and mouse is cut short however by a familiar voice.
"Move away from the pod Maximals! The royalty has claimed it!" Inferno swoops down to the pod with Waspinator in tow. "*Gasp!* You!" he exclaims pointing to Dinobot, "Have activated the pod! For this you shall buuuuurrrrrrn, traitor!" Dinobot drops the sleeping Rattrap and prepares for battle, but is caught in the neck by another of the mysterious black darts. He quickly gets woozy and collapses in slumber.
Inferno stops short and scratches his head, "Why does the traitor sleep? Eh? What's this?" Inferno picks up the dart and turns to ask Waspinator a question, but finds the insect sleeping peacefully on the ground. "What? What is going on here?" Any other speculation is cut short by a small black dart that narrowly misses him and thuds into a tree beside him.
"Damn!" curses a quiet voice as the shadow steps out into the light. The small bot has a silver face plate and no mouth or nose, much like Optimus's in battle mode. His chest plate is jet black, and his stomach is light grey. A fox head splits in half and settles on each side of his torso. His one good eye is light, almost sea green, while the other is nonexistent, with a painful-looking scar running over it. His back is likewise covered with the grey fur of his beast mode. His helmet has three spikes on top, each ending in three smaller points. His legs are grey from the knee down, and black everywhere else. The only colorful part of him are his wrists, they are blue. Lightning glints off his polished armor as he aims a small silenced pistol at Inferno. The shot is never fired, however. Because a purple laser beam lances through the night and clips the top of the small bot's head. He falls to the ground unconscious.
* * *
So dark.....Can't feel.... body....Where?...Maximal base?...But how?...When?...Who? Memory foggy... ...Arggghh!...Lights!...Bright!...Who am I? Predacon?...Name?...Bazil?....Ok....Bazil, it is.
Bazil regains consciousness in a small, well-lit room. He winces in pain and shields his optics as he studies his surroundings, a bare room with a door at one end. He gets shakily to his feet and begins slowly toward the door. He stumbles and leans against the door, then gives a surprised yelp as the motion activated door slides open. What, no lock?, he thinks as he falls. Further speculation is cut short as Bazil hits the hallway floor with a metallic 'boom', and his world goes dark.
* * *
The CR chamber door hisses open, to let out a quietly groaning Rattrap.
"Hoh, boy. I am gettin' really tired of wakin' up in the slaggin' CR chamber!" Rattrap shakes his head to clear it and looks around the com room. The entire contingent of Maximals, excluding Dinobot, Silverbolt, and Tiagtron, are standing around waiting. Rattrap shakes his head again and realizes where he is. "What happened?"
Optimus steps forward, "That's what we were hoping to ask you."
Rattrap rubs the back of his neck and replies, "I don't know, Optimus. All I remember is me an' chopper face findin' the pod empty. Then I got stabbed in the neck with something, and everything got real woozy and then I fell asleep. Next thing I know, I'm here waking up in the CR chamber."
Rhinox, who is sitting by a computer screen cuts in, "Hmmmm. Optimus, do you think that the one-eyed fox we picked up had something..." His question is cut short when a comlink crackles and Tigatron's voice cuts through the static, "Optimus?"
* * *
Tigatron walks lazily through the thick underbrush, savoring the fresh morning air. The world feels so alive after a storm, he thinks to himself, It's as if the very land is talking to me. He rounds a bend, the natural beauty ends, and the Axalon comes into view. It's around my check in time, the tiger muses as he enters the correct access code for the base's 'back door'. The portal slides open, and Tigatron steels himself for the inevitable interaction with his fellow Maximals. He is really an antisocial person, but it was his duty to report. Tigatron smiles to himself, his only motivation is not his duty. He also loves these visits to the base, for another reason: Airazor.
Tigatron rounds a corner and stops dead in his tracks. Here, in the middle of the floor, is a transformer. A small unconscious transformer, who is probably a new recruit. Why he was left like this is a mystery to Tigatron. He decides he better alert Optimus, he raises his wrist to his face and activates the comlink there. "Optimus?"
The static on the other side speaks of interference, but the Maximals' leader answers, "Tigatron? What is it?"
"I'm just inside the 'back door', and I've found something I think you should see."
"Oh?" he asks. "And what's that?"
"I've found a small unconscious 'bot here. He appears to have... What the?" Tigatron's conversation with Optimus is terminated by the 'unconscious' bot that, until recently, was laying on the floor. Bazil attacks with such speed and ferocity that the larger Maximal never has a chance to react.
* * *
Bazil regains consciousness for the second time slowly. He tries to remember where he is. Oh yeah, I'm in the Maximal base! Slag! If they catch me, I'm headed for the recycling bin for sure! Bazil opens his good eye to see if anyone is around and finds himself staring at a pair of white and black striped legs. Oh, shit! The tall Maximal is talking to someone on the other side of a comlink, and completely ignoring Bazil. That was his first mistake, Bazil thinks to himself, and it will be his last!
Gathering his strength, Bazil makes his first desperate move. He grabs Tigatron's ankles and quickly pulls them out from underneath him. Tigatron hits the hallway floor with a resounding 'clang', and has the wind knocked out of him. Bazil's joints and gears scream in protest as he leaps upon the prone Maximal and punches him solidly in the jaw. Tigatron's head is rocked by the punch, and Bazil quickly follows it with many, many others. Even through this bombardment, Tigatron continues to struggle weakly, until Bazil head butts the tiger in the temple. After that, Tigatron gives into the blissful serenity of unconsciousness.
* * *
"Tigatron? Do you read? Tigatron!" screams the Maximal leader into his comlink. "Still no answer." replies Optimus to the others' inquisitive stares.
"Ow! She bites!" yelps Rattrap as he shakes his injured hand. He and Cheetor are having to hold Airazor back, or else she would charge off to help Tigatron. Even though they could only speculate about what had happened.
Rhinox looks at Optimus with a concerned look on his emerald face, "Optimus, I'm betting that the fox is the cause of this."
Optimus looks at his friend, "I'm beginning to agree with you Rhinox. Even though I don't want to believe it."
"Bah!" cries Dinobot, who had just recently emerged from the CR chamber. "We must stop talking and act! Every second we waste in here, Tigatron could be moving farther away!" At this revelation, Airazor brakes Cheetor's and Rattrap's grips and flies swiftly toward the rear of the base.
"Airazor! Wait!" cried the transmetal cheetah as he runs after her.
Optimus turns to Rhinox, "Rhinox, you did disarm him, didn't you?" Rhinox nods holding up a pistol, a dozen black darts, and some silver cylinders. "Good. You and Dinobot stay here and guard the front entrance. Rattrap, you come with me!" The Maximal moves in the direction of Airazor and Cheetor with Rattrap in tow.
"So, uh. Those were the weapons of this 'fox' I keep hearin' about?" asks the rat. Optimus nods and continues down the hallway. "Well, I hate to brake it to you. But, those darts are what put me to sleep!"
Optimus stops and stares at the small Maximal. "You mean that the 'bot I left in an unlocked room was a Predacon?"
"To quote Rhinox, 'Yup'" replies Rattrap sarcastically.
"Slag!" curses the gorilla, "How could he be a Predacon?"
"Whatdyah' mean how? How could you not see he's a Pred?" asks Rattrap with thinly veiled sarcasm.
"Well,"replies Optimus angrily, "he was attacked from behind by Megatron when I arrived at the pod's crash site!"
Rattrap starts in surprise, "Megatron? What was he.... Wait a nanocycle! What were you doin' there?"
"When I arrived back at the base, Rhinox told me where you and Dinobot were. I thought that you might need a flyer to carry the pod back to the base." replies Optimus defensively. "And when I arrived, Megatron and Inferno were standing over you, Dinobot, and the fox. I chased them off and brought you three back here...."
"And dropped the Pred off in an unlocked, unguarded room." finishes Rattrap. But before they could continue, their conversation is terminated by the matter at hand.
"Stay back! Stay back or I'll shoot him!" screams a panicked voice. Optimus and Rattrap run in the direction of the voice and come upon a startling sight.
Bazil is backed up against a wall and has Tigatron in a rear headlock. He has the unconscious Maximal's rifle in the other hand and is threatening to shoot Tigatron if they moved any closer. 'They' are Cheetor and Airazor, who both have drawn weapons. Rattrap draws his pistol and joins the others.
Optimus takes one look at the situation and groans inwardly, "Well this is just Prime."
Spice and Dice (2 of 2)
By: Xavier (jwhelan@utk.edu)
"Stay Back!" warns Bazil as Cheetor begins inching closer.
"And what are you going to do about it?" snarls the youngest Maximal in rage. His question is answered by the ominous hum of a quasar cannon preparing to fire. "Oh." he replies, more subdued than before.
Bazil smirks through his faceplate and presses the barrel harder against Tigatron's helmet, "I don't want to make trouble."
"Hah!" snorts Rattrap sarcastically as he re-aims his gun at Bazil's head. "Ya couldah fooled me!"
Bazil shifts position, placing Tigatron's head in Rattrap's way as he replies, "From what I've gathered, rat. That isn't exactly the hardest thing to do!" He snickers through Rattrap's many return insults. "All I want is to get out of here in one piece."
Airazor fires up her jets and hovers closer, "And why should we let you?" She stares hard into Bazil's eye and waits for an answer.
Bazil returns the stare and replies calmly, "Because if you don't, your 'hubby' here will be decorating that wall over there." I hope this works! I'm working only on her facial expressions here! I don't even know if she knows this guy! he thinks as he begins inching the rifle away from Tigatron's head, and toward the wall behind him.
Airazor's optics go wide as she replies with more malice than any of the Maximals had ever heard from her, "My, WHAT?"
Bazil smiles coldly, as if expecting this reaction. "My, my. What a shame! She can't even admit it to her self! You hear that? Tisk, tisk!" That's right, keep her talking.
Airazor's optics widen further then closed tightly, a single tear trickling down her cheek. She begins sobbing with her head in her hands, "He's....right!" she slumps against the wall crying.
Optimus transforms into robot mode and held his hand out to her, "Don't listen to him Airazor, he's only toying with your emotions!"
Did that big green lummox miss my extra weapons? Yes, yes! Just a little closer.... thinks the Predacon as he moves the rifle a little farther.
She shrugs away his hand and replies harshly, "But he's right! I've known all along how I feel. And couldn't even admit it to myself!"
That's right, keep talking. The timing on this is going to have to be perfect! Utilizing the confusion caused by Airazor, Bazil slowly lets go of Tigatron and reaches into his subspace pocket while simultaneously blasting the wall behind him with the quasar rifle.
"What the?" cries Rattrap as he and the others dive for cover. He looks up and sees a silver canister flying through the air. "Incoming!"
Bazil grabs Tigatron and rolls backwards out of the new 'door' he had created in the wall, dragging the unconscious Maximal with him.
Rattrap looks up and sees the Predacon escaping, "He's gettin' away!" Any pursuit is cut off by the cylinder.
*Fa-BOOM!*
The grenade explodes in a flash of light that catches all in the room off guard.
"A flash grenade!" cries Rattrap as he vainly tries to cover his optics in time, but to no avail. He and the other Maximals are blinded as the flash overloads their optics, causing a shutdown.
"Slag!" curses Optimus as he vainly rubes his eyes in an effort to see. The others are affected in the same manner and are stumbling around like Maximals in a Pred bar.
The tromp of heavy footsteps alerts the blinded Maximals to the approach of a friend.
"Optimus raises his blinded optics, "Rhinox? Is that you?"
"Yes Optimus, it's me." replied Rhinox. He notices their white eyes and became worried, "What happened here? Where's the fox?"
Optimus hangs his head in shame, "He tricked us and escaped, with Tigatron."
"What did he do? Your... blind!" exclaims Rhinox as he picks up Optimus and begins carrying him over to the CR chamber.
"He, threw a flash grenade at us and blinded us. Then blasted the wall and escaped!" explains the Maximal leader. "Rhinox, put me down! We've got go after him! Put me down!"
Rhinox struggled with the thrashing transmetal gorilla for a few nanocycles, "Don't worry, Optimus. Dinobot went after an unknown signature that we picked up on the scanners. Shortly after the explosion in the back."
"So, Dinobot is going after the Predacon? By himself?" asks Optimus as Rhinox gently lowers him into the CR chamber.
Rhinox is closing the lid as he replies, "Did you expect anything else?" He begins walking away to get more of the Maximals.
Despite the grim situation, Optimus smiles at his friends answer.
* * *
The wind whistles through the tight canyon as Bazil drags the inert form of Tigatron through the dirt. He looks up, the sky is less than comforting. It looks like another storm is brewing. He will have to find shelter fast, to get out of the storm and for another reason.
Green laser beams land a few inches away from the Predacon's foot. Damn that incessant reptile! Where is he? Bazil sees a flash of movement to his left and quickly squeezes off a few shots from the quasar cannon, which is quickly running out of power.
Dinobot ducks behind a rock just in time to avoid the energy blasts. He is quicker than I anticipated. thinks the former Predacon, I will have to be more careful. He chooses a new position and bobs his head quickly over a rock with his eyes glowing green.
The resulting eye beams graze Bazil's shoulder, knocking him down to one knee. He looks up in time to see more green beams knock the rifle out of his hand, and yet more knock him on his back. The last shot dazes Bazil so that his optics flicker on and off. He hears the crunch of footsteps grinding small rocks as they approach his position.
His optics flicker, and he catches a glimpse of the reptile's smiling visage. Oh, great. Captured by a combat happy lizard! What else can go wrong? he thinks despairingly as Dinobot leans close to him and begins striping him of his weapons. Only one chance, got to take out his legs.... Bazil attacks quickly, giving the knee of Dinobot's left leg a swift, powerful kick. For Bazil, the only result of this attack is a smashed foot. "Yeeeeeoooowwwwww! My foot!" screams the Predacon as he clutches his broken appendage.
Dinobot laughs as he calls the Axalon on his comlink, "Dinobot to base, come in Optimus." All the while keeping a wary eye on Bazil.
A voice cackles over the com, fighting through energon interference. "Optimus here. Dinobot, did you...."
Dinobot answers with a sort bark of laughter, "Yes, I caught him. As a matter of fact, it was very easy. I can't imagine why you had such a hard time with him."
The com goes silent for a moment, and Optimus replies, "Bring him and Tigatron back to base."
"Understood." replies the raptor.
As Dinobot begins to turn off the comlink, Optimus's voice comes weakly through, "Oh, and Dinobot?"
"Yes?" he asks.
"Be careful, that guy's a slippery one!" There is a trace of fear in the Maximal leader's voice.
Dinobot smiles to himself, "I will. Dinobot out."
As Dinobot bends to pick up the unconscious Tigatron, he notices that Bazil is not where he should be. "Slag! Where is he?" Dinobot looks up and notices that there are marks in the dirt, as if something, or someone, had been dragged. Dinobot follows the marks to a bend in the narrow canyon, and pauses. Now wait, thinks the raptor to himself, if I were running away from a superior foe, where would I set up an ambush? Right here!
Bazil looks down on the large Maximal from the top of the canyon, and tries to remain absolutely quiet. That fool has absolutely no idea where I am! thinks the cocky Predacon to himself. I'm just glad my servos and optics were able to repair themselves quickly enough for me to fake the tracks and climb up here. That stupid reptile has no idea that I can create short range holograms! As Dinobot readies to jump around the corner, Bazil quietly transforms into beast mode and runs in the opposite direction. Hoping that he can put enough distance between himself and the raptor so that he can hide. The storm overhead is just beginning to empty its rage upon the land. Oh yeah, thinks the fleeing Predacon as the first droplets of water hit his gray coat. I remember something, I hate rain!
Dinobot lunges around the corner firing his eye lasers, only to shred rocks and an unlucky iguana. He rolls into a combat crouch and surveys the surroundings for any sign of the Predacon, only to find a dead end. Once the fact that he has been duped gets through his thick skull, Dinobot is quite unpleased, "*&%$#@!*#?+-%$!"
The unhappy reptile transforms into beast mode, gathers up Tigatron, and heads back to the Maximal base. Dreading the confrontation with Rattrap once he arrives.
* * *
It is dark in the cave, Almost as dark as my memory. Bazil thinks to himself as he transforms into robot mode. The fox walks slowly around the cave, exploring all of the little side passages. "Well, this is just what I've been looking for! A secluded, small, private place to deduce my new strategy." Bazil stops as a small flicker of recognition flashes over his memory circuits. A small, dark room. On a distant planet. Where I.... I....I can't remember!
The memory is greeted by his computers voice, "Unit Bazil attempting to access forbidden memory files. Access denied. Beginning program, Omega." Pain explodes through Bazil as he crumples to his knees while clutching his head. His cries of pain soon turn to cries of agony as his spark convulses with the excess energy. He slipped into blissful unconsciousness and collapses in a heap. Bazil's computer drones on to deaf ears, "Playing recording planted in program..." The computer's voice cuts off and the recording starts with a little static, "Well, well." Begins a deep baritone voice. "I see we have finally awoke. I hope you enjoyed your stay on the Axalon, yesssss!" The recording ends with the speaker laughing maniacally. The air around the fallen Predacon seemed to become heavier as he struggles weakly to rise. Oh great! he thinks to himself, Now what am I going to do?