Unity
By Snowlily
The day started out like usual for Cheetor. He got up and prepared to go on patrol with Dinobot. Ugh! The raptor made everything so difficult. He looked down on the cat as if he knew nothing of responsibility or honor. Just because of his inexperience and age Dinobot disliked him! Snowlily was the only one he.well.tolerated. Why? No one knows. Maybe it's because the snow-bot won't stop asking questions until she got what she wanted. That was Snowlily's tactic, just keep talking. Cheetor thought maybe he should try doing that, but it was the time to go on patrol. The cheetah met up with the raptor on the bridge and nothing was exchanged. The two Maximals stepped out in the partly cloudy day with a south breeze flowing over the land.
They began their routine in the river country where many waters criss- crossed the area and without saying anything, though the words were on the tip of Cheetor's tongue waiting to be said, but fear of what would be the response kept him from speaking. Dinobot as usual said nothing. The cat hated that his comrade was so anti-social. Cheetor felt he communicated his feelings fairly well, but the ex-predacon was his complete opposite.
Voices ripped him out of his thoughts as 'Predacons! Terrorize!' rang out ahead of them. Before the two could maximize several rounds cut into their position sending them flying toward the riverbank. Upon landing Dinobot slammed into a riverside rock knocking him unconscious.
"Aw no! This is no time for a nap Big D!" The cat transformed as a hail of shots continued to sail around him. As best as he could he dragged the raptor behind some shrubbery near the bank of the fast currents of the river. Cheetor charged his gut gun to full power and began unloading an array of blasts in all directions for he only had a few nanoclicks to fire. The Predacons were only scattered a bit but quickly reformed. The Maximal clicked his comm link.
At the base, Rattrap was bragging to Snowlily saying he's the best poker player in the galaxy.
"No one can beat da rat at his own game ya see." He told her, but she was most assuredly not convinced.
"Optimus tells me differently. He says that you owe the computer quite a lot. and I bet I could beat you." Rattrap raised his brows questioningly.
"I bet you never even played poker before, am I right?"
"Yes, I've never played, but I'm a fast learner." Snowlily said smiling and sat down. Optimus heard the conversation and a few cycles later the sound of the rat whining about how he was losing to a feline was heard. The commander chuckled as Snowlily tried to cheer him up.
"But Rattrap wouldn't have been worse if Dinobot beat you?" He perked up.
"Yeah I guess so.but I still wanna a rematch." The snow-bot shrugged at Optimus, but then her expression changed to a worried look.
"What's the matter?" The comm link abruptly interrupted his question.
"Cheetor to base!" In the back they could hear explosions from artillery. "Dinobot and I are under a full scale Pred attack! We need-" Static filled the room eerily. Optimus flew to the computer to locate his soldiers.
"Optimus! Follow me! I know where they are!" Snowlily transformed to beast mode and boarded the lift not saying anything more for she knew Megatron intentions of this attack and she couldn't allow him to do so. The Maximal commander shot out the top hatch following the snow leopard below.
Cheetor's comm link sputtered and then gave nothing but static. Nothing would revive it no matter how many times he hit it. The Predacons were advancing on him quickly; he had to do something. Dinobot was just now coming to, but he was not in the condition to fight. Only one thing crossed Cheetor's mind: he had to get his comrade out of there. The cat looked at the river and grinned to himself then reached down to talk to the raptor.
"If you can understand me you'd better hold your breath." Cheetor quickly shoved Dinobot into the swift waters and with that was about to join him when something grabbed hold of him from behind. Tarantulas cackled as he sent the cat cutting through the air landing into the trunk of a medium- sized willow tree. His head floated around as the image before him talked of how incompetent his soldiers were.
"But Megatron we may have not retrieved Dinobot but we still have the cat."
"Very well! Terrasaur! Waspinator! Take him back to base before the other Maximals come!"
On the way to the Pred base, the wasp's buzz was making Cheetor queasy as they carried him over the ground. He couldn't hold it anymore. His puke got all over the two Predacon flyers, which shrieked out in disgust.
"EWWWWW!" Terrasaur almost dropped the young Maximal, who them began to short out from the long period of time he had been in bot mode.
"Ewwww! Kitty-bot get Wazzpinator all yucky! Wazzpinator not carry anymore." Below Megatron was listening in.
"You idiots! Don't stop! Or you both will be given to the Maximals as a gift!" The flyers complied with not dropping Cheetor.
Snowlily ran at full speed but knew it to be futile. Megatron had already gotten what he wanted, which was one of the Maximals to try out Scorpinok's invention. They originally sought after Dinobot, but Cheetor had hidden him somewhere. Little did they know that somewhere was the river. Reaching the river, Optimus transformed to beast mode as the snow leopard arrived, seeing no one present. Snowlily sniffed the ground looking for traces of their friends. They stopped at the river where they split.
"Cheetor's been taken by the Preds, but Dinobot's scent stops at the river. Megatron was after him, but they took Cheetor instead."
"We'd better find Dinobot first then we'll find a way to get Cheetor." They began to scan the rushing waters looking for the lost raptor. Snowlily stepped along the bank when something caught her attention. She stopped and listened. Then something grabbed her back foot and she screamed jumping six feet away. She looked back to see the missing raptor hanging on to tree root that had long ago been exposed from the eroding powers of water.
"Dinobot!" Snowlily transformed a helped him back onto solid ground. "Are you okay?" Optimus came running up after hearing Snowlily's sudden scream. Dinobot was obviously in pain from the damage he'd taken but as usual tried not to show it.
"Dinobot, what happened here?" Optimus asked.
"That slagging feline threw me in the river! I almost drowned!" He snarled back.
"Dinobot! Cheetor just saved your life and this is how you thank him! Megatron is going to try to reprogram him. It would have been you if he didn't shove you into the water." Snowlily rebuked him harshly and he hated it, but she was the only one who actually made him feel guilty for something he'd done. The raptor just grumbled and didn't say anything more.
"Well, let's get you back to base." Optimus suggested.
"Optimus, you two go on ahead I'm going to talk to Megatron maybe I can convince him to release Cheetor." Snowlily returned to her cat mode and the other two headed off to the Axalon. She was left alone and then was the time to call the Predacon leader. She really didn't expect it to work, but maybe it would buy some time.
"Megatron." She called.
At the Darkside, Scorpinok was making the last adjustments on his Bug, which he called the device that would change him into a faithful follower of Megatron. The captive Maximal still queasy was locked in a cage above the lava in robot mode. For some reason they wouldn't allow him to transform to beast mode. The Predacon commander was growing impatient of the scorpion when Snowlily's call reached him.
"Megatron."
"Wha-? Eh, Snow Phantom?" Blackarachnia at her station looking at him strangely as he appeared to talk to himself.
"I know what you're planning and it's not going to work. You know Scorpinok, he's going to fumble this up."
"You're trying to arouse my doubts, it's not working."
"We will NOT allow you to harm him."
"We're not going to harm him, noo, not at all." Then he spoke aloud to his scientist. "Is it ready yet?" He grumbled.
"Ye-yeah, Megatron, it's ready."
"Good. Proceed." Scorpinok held in his pincher a miniature cyberbee only the size of walnut. He pushed a small button as it came to life. It flew around above the two Predacons before buzzing into the cage where Cheetor lay, who barely noticed it. The tiny bee then rested on the back of the cat- bot's neck. It made a few noises and..
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" Cheetor grabbed his head in rapid, searing pain screaming at the top of his lungs. The PAIN! Megatron and Scorpinok just stared as then he went limp. The two stood in silence for a few nanoclicks.
"What happened?" Megatron didn't sound happy as he glared at his fumbling scientist.
"Uh.I don't know." Scorpinok opened the cage with the Maximal and checked the cyberbee to see if it was working properly. He was fiddling with it when a hand grabbed his wrist.
"Wha-?"
"Get OUT of MY FACE." Cheetor growled at the scorpion, which jumped back. "What's the big idea anyway?"
"Cheetor, what are you?" Megatron asked hopeful. The cat-bot gave him an insulted glare and shake of the head.
"Duh! Stupid! I'm a Predacon! You can congratulate Scorpinok for actually not screwing up." Even though the now ex-Maximal degraded him, Megatron didn't care. Soon he will want to release numerous cyberbees to seek out the remaining Maximals and turn them into Predacons completely loyal to him.
"Yes, indeed, Scorpinok you deserve a reward." The scorpion grinned at his success. "So, Cheetor, how about sharing some information on the Maximal base yess."
"I wish to be repaired first if I may." He politely asked his new leader.
"Of course. Blackarachnia!" The she-spider tensed up. She hated those felines! They were so stupid and incompetent that it made her sick. She turned her hover platform towards her commander.
"You bellowed."
"Show Cheetor where the R tanks are." Blackarachnia would roll her optics if she could but her void-filled eyes were limited in emotion although sometimes it was an advantage.
The two walked down the hall silently reaching the R chamber room.
"It's in there. Knock yourself out." She started to walk away when his hand caught her arm.
"Wait a moment." The spider looked down at his hand and then smiled at him.
"Let go. Now. I don't tolerate felines." She warned with a hint of malice in her scratchy voice. Cheetor didn't heed her warning.
"Listen, for what I have to say might interest you, but not under the prying eyes of Megatron. Do you know of such a place?" Blackarachnia narrowed her optics trying to get past his face and into his mind to figure out what he was thinking.
"All right, I'll give you an answer tomorrow." She tugged her arm away and disappeared around the corner. Cheetor watched the fem-bot until she was no longer to be seen and he grinned.
Megatron grimaced at seeing the unusual behavior from the spider and cat. The spy cameras were his favorite weapons for they eavesdropped on the treason around him. He knew that Blackarachnia twisted things to her liking and already she was planning with his new recruit. He would have to protect his new advantage long enough for Scorpinok to finish the other cyberbees and after all the Maximals were assimilated into the Predacons he would destroy her and Tarantulas for their treachery. Snowlily would be the hardest to control for the Predacon didn't want to have her under the influence of the cyberbees; he wanted to have her under the influence of his own spark within her. Megatron would deal with her personally.
A snow leopard sat in green grasses by a rushing river. Snowlily saw through Megatron that Cheetor was reprogrammed, but she didn't believe him to be lost and they would find a way to get him back. She watched everything intensely not wanting to miss anything that might be helpful in the coming struggles with the Predacons. She sighed for the time had come to return for a report of the situation. Cheetor would not remain a Predacon forever; Snowlily vowed that she would do whatever it takes to release him from the grips of Megatron.
"So.he plans on reprogramming all of us with these.Bugs?" All the Maximals were called in to get the information on the current situation with the Predacons. Snowlily definitely was their advantage in this time of danger. She informed them of Megatron's lack of trust with Cheetor and that there is a way to detach the Bug once it's activated. The danger however proved to be the size of the Bugs for they easily could attach them to an unsuspecting Maximal without warning. Scorpinok equipped the miniature cyberbees with a specific Maximal signature. That enabled him to release the Bugs to seek out the Maximal that matched the signature it was given. Primal didn't want anyone leaving the base, but yet they can't just sit and wait for the Preds to ambush them. They couldn't just hide leaving Cheetor to remain a Predacon.
"What are we going to do? I don't like letting the Predacons claim everything outside as we hide in here." Tigatron said worriedly thinking of his tiger friend, Snowstalker.
"I don't know Tigatron. There's risk any way.." Optimus slammed his fists on the computer. "I know one thing and that is I can't leave Cheetor there no matter what he thinks he is!"
"I agree, but we can't go off half cocked." Snowlily tried to comfort her commander by putting her hand on his shoulder. "I've got a plan though." Optimus looked at her with hopeful optics. "Let me go out." Dinobot had his arms crossed but now they dropped to his sides as Snowlily suggested her going out.
"Are you mad? Megatron would certainly capture you." The raptor snorted.
"That's the point exactly. He doesn't want to use the Bugs on me therefor I should go.and spy a bit." She smiled playfully at Dinobot who mumbled something under his breath.
"That IS a good plan but.what if something goes wrong? What is going to be our back up plan?" Optimus thoughtfully asked.
"Well.if I sense any danger I'll come back and we and figure out a different plan, but I really believe this will work." Snowlily replied showing Megatron's confidence.
"Alright, you can go but remember-"
"I know. you don't have to tell me." She smiled at Optimus. Her snow leopard beast mode now replaced her robot mode and the cat traveled down the lift to the outside world. Snowlily looked up to see Primal and Airazor waving "goodbye". Again she reassured Optimus before running off in the direction of the Darkside.
In Predacon territory, a black widow and fire ant crawled along the familiar route of the northern border. The giant ant walked several feet in front of the spider in a continuous march. Blackarachnia slowly and less enthusiastically marched behind Inferno. Something to her left caught her eyes. Cheetor nodded his head towards the trees as the she-spider noticed him. She cautiously watched the ant as she disappeared into the close growing trees to reminisce with the cheetah.
"Make it quick feline! I don't have time to waste on you!" Cheetor tilted his head and smirked at the impatient Predacon, who narrowed all eight of her eyes threateningly. The ex-maximal sat on the swaying grass silently with a huge grin on his spotted face.
"Well?!" Blackarachnia tried not to yell so Inferno wouldn't hear her.
"Blackarachnia."He shook his head as he spoke. "I would appreciate it if you would be patient with me." The cat's expression now turned into an evil frown. "Or I will forcibly take control of you with the other fools on this planet!" The she-spider cocked a brow at the sudden rant from the Predacons new addition.
"What was that all about? And control me? Ha! You're even more idiotic than I thought." Cheetor glared at her but knew how to convince her. "Besides weren't you supposed to be one hundred percent loyal to Megatron?"
"Yes, I was, but you know Scorpinok.he tends to screw up things. However this invention was not a complete failure."
"You have my attention, Predacon."
"NO! I don't want to be part of either faction! I want to bring them together in unity." Blackarachnia stared at the cheetah then burst out laughing.
"You're not serious?!" She managed to get out between her laughter. Transforming, Cheetor reached inside a subspace compartment revealing one of Scorpinok's Bugs. The spider stopped laughing long enough to see him activate it. The mini cyberbee flew off in the direction of the ant far ahead. Cheetor reverted to beast mode and ran after it.
"Huh? Where are you going?" The cat ignored her call and continued following the Bug. Blackarachnia crawled quickly after him for she still was curious about his plans. Cheetor pulled out his gut gun and charged it coming up to Inferno, who saw him coming fast. He sent blasts directly at the loyal follower of the "Queen". The ant barely had time to jump out of the way and transform.
"Traitor! You will BURNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!" Inferno pulled out his flame- thrower, but suddenly stopped and put away his weapon. "Royalty! What do you command?" The ant bowed to his new leader. Cheetor smiled again as Blackarachnia ran up now transformed with a disbelieving look. She walked closer to Inferno to see one of the cyberbees changing his loyalties to the ex-Maximal.
"You see I plan to control both Maximals AND Predacons with these little Bugs."
"Why are you giving me a choice?"
"Because I know you're smarter than everybody else. Either control yourself or let me control you; it's your choice." The female Predacon thought a moment. In a sense she didn't really have a choice. Refusing the offer would assure his control over her, but following Cheetor was not appealing. Accepting the offer was the best decision for the time being.
"Alright.you have my complete alliance." The cat's smile grew more board with her decision to join him, but kept the option open to reprogram her if she changed her mind.
"Inferno continue you patrol and remember to not let Megatron be aware of any of this. Act as if there's nothing going on." The fire ant saluted his new commander and returned to beast mode, as did the other two Predacons. "As for you and I, we must release the remaining Bugs I have programmed. So far I have only a few of the Predacons such as Tarantulas, Scorpinok, and Megatron, but that will be enough for now. I'll let you have the pleasure of getting all of the Predacons." The cheetah gave Blackarachnia cyberbees with the other Preds' signatures.
"I think I might like this, but how many of the Maximals do you have?"
"Dinobot, Snowlily, and Rhinox will be our first victims in the Maximal ranks. I will retrieve them as you get Megatron's forces. It should be fairly easy. Oh, and don't forget to have Scorpinok program more of his Bugs for the rest of the Maximals." The two Predacons started to laugh out loud as they went to release their Bugs on the unsuspecting factions.
As the trio went on as usual, a pair of violet eyes watched then from the trees. Snowlily watched in concern as the two departed. She ran in the direction of the Darkside to reach it before Blackarachnia. The Maximal would call Megatron, but he was too busy with the arrangements of the take over to notice her. The only hope was to arrive before the Predacon.
Snowlily crept up to the downed Pred ship in caution. Coming to Megatron's secret door that led into his room, she entered unnoticed. No one was found in the room and she exited into the hallway heading towards Scorpinok's lab where her Link would be found also.
"YOU!" Snowlily whirled around to see Blackarachnia aiming her weapon at her firing. The snow-bot dodged the shot and ran down the corridor to find Megatron. The Predacon spider followed close behind the Maximal.
"You're too late Maximal! I've already released the Bugs. They should be attaching themselves to 'my comrades' as of now!" Snowlily stopped as she realized that Megatron indeed had been taken control of and that he knew of her presence. Looking down into the dimly lit passageway, she saw a scorpion, a tarantula, and the predacon commander in robot mode coming for her. With Blackarachnia cackling and the other Predacons closing in on her she made a small cry for help to Optimus before being taken.
Meanwhile in the Axalon, Optimus paced the bridge. So far no alarming calls came from Snowlily so he assumed she was well. The others lurked around the base impatiently, especially Dinobot. He tried doing computer work but ended up getting frustrated and almost blowing it to scrap. Then the raptor disappeared to his room only to come out every five cycles to see if there was any word from his friend out on her own. Though of course he didn't say 'friend' just if the feline had any word. Rattrap spent his time working on strategies to win against Snowlily, who beat him last game. The rat secretly hoped he would get his rematch. Rhinox sat at the computer trying to focus on diagnostics and scans to keep his mind off of their current situation. Tigatron and Airazor leaned against the back wall quietly talking together. They were not used to being shut up like this in a ship. The tiger could not figure out why the other Maximals wished to stay in such confinement. He was glad his falcon partner loved the wild as much as he did. In fact he'd grown quite fond of Airazor over the time he'd spent with her in battle and peace. Her zeal and liveliness attracted him very much. Soon Tigatron would have to reveal his feelings to her but uncertainty kept him from telling her.
Primal suddenly jerked as Snowlily's cry was heard. His team's attention turned towards him with fright in their optics.
"Snowlily is in trouble! Megatron did something to her."
"Like what?" Airazor asked worriedly.
"I don't know.something went wrong." Dinobot entered the command room in beast mode fearing the worst and expecting it.
"What is our current situation?" A long pause followed before Optimus answered.
"Futile." That was all he could say to the raptor.
"So.eh. whata we do now?" Rattrap asked not with a lot of hope.
"I'm open to suggestions."
"I knew you should not have let Snowlily go out on her own! Now you have lost two soldiers! You incompetent-"
"'Eh! Watch it Dino-dork!" Dinobot snapped at Rattrap, who had to duck. Rhinox grabbed the raptor before he could make another bite at his annoying teammate.
"Stand down Dinobot!" He roared out in anger trying to loosen the rhino's grip unsuccessfully.
"You're not helping by being unruly." Optimus rebuked. "Our only chance now is to come up with a new plan." The ex-Predacon snarled loudly at this and threw his captor off and maximized. He fired his optic lasers randomly around the room sending the Maximals down on their knees to avoid being hit. Now was his chance to reach the lift. Soon he was outside and running at top speed. Dinobot could no longer hide from the challenge that Snowlily was brave enough to face alone. Subconsciously he also had an overwhelming need to protect his female comrade. It was not madness that he fought off his own comrades in arms to save their only advantage in the Beast Wars. If Megatron dominates her than they would lose and he was not about to let that happen. Not while he still breathes, it will NOT happen. The raptor- bot could hear yelling behind him but continued to advance to reach the Pred base to aid his friend. His beast mode took over his bot mode to conserve time to fight. Dinobot could hear jets behind him and as he glanced back Optimus came closing in on him with Rattrap in beast mode on his back. As Primal passed the raptor, the rat jumped onto his back forcing him to the ground.
"GET OFF OF ME RODENT!" Desperately, Dinobot clawed at the Maximal, who transformed. Optimus did the same and caught his soldier's arms to prevent him from hurting anyone.
"Listen! Dinobot! It's too dangerous to be out here! Come back to base. That's an order!"
"Slag your orders!" Again transforming the irate raptor threw of his 'attackers' and began to run again. Optimus and Rattrap tried to go after him but started to short out from energon exposure. The escapee reverted to beast mode once more noticing them not following. All night long he would plan his attack against the Predacons and plan to release Snowlily from her own situation whatever it might be.
A cheetah curiously watched the events that took place outside the Maximal base. He frowned at the fact that Dinobot didn't stay in bot mode long enough for the cyberbee to attach itself to him. Blackarachnia contacted him earlier informing him of her success in taking all of the Predacons including the bonus Snowlily. She was tagged with an extra Bug that Scorpinok under the command of the ex-Maximal rigged up. The cat then decided that things were going well so far and he would follow the raptor to tag him as well.
The horizon began to show a sliver of light from the rising sun. Dinobot ignored the natural beauty for more important things saturated his central processor. He was closing in on the Pred base. The raptor had concocted his own battle strategy while hiking to the ship. Walking around a few boulders Dinobot spotted something lying on the ground to his left. Coming nearer to the object he gasped to see Snowlily! Her face was in the dirt and her arms were twisted under her body. Maximizing, the raptor-bot turned her face up when WHAM! Snowlily's fist caught him in the jaw sending him on his back on the earth. As he shook it off her wrist cannon drew up to his face with sword in her other hand. Dinobot didn't want to hurt Snowlily, but this situation called for it. He swiftly shot his leg under her sending the cat- bot the ground. Drawing his rotating sword they met in a clash. Throwing each other away, Snowlily threw her foot into his side forcing him to double over then upper cutting him. Dinobot grabbed her on his way down causing her to fall on him. Quickly, she rounded his neck with her arm in a headlock. The Maximal gripped Snowlily's hands pulling them off and throwing her into a nearby boulder. Before either could continue, hands clapping interrupted them. Cheetor came out from behind the boulders with Blackarachnia both in robot mode grinning evilly. The snow-bot lifted her laser up to the back of his head.
"It's your turn, Maximal!" The she-spider laughed loudly as Dinobot dropped his sword on the ground in surrender.
"Good! You're going to make it easy on all of us! For you know it futile to fight back. You're smart Dinobot. I always knew you were." Cheetor gave the raptor-bot a mocking smile while taking out one of the small cyberbees. The Maximal narrowed his optics threateningly at the Predacons before him and gave a small smirk. The ex-Maximal caught notice of this and became amused. "What? What is this?" He pointed grinning. "A smile?"
"Yes, it is." Dinobot replied still with the upright twist on his face.
"Heh, that's a first." Cheetor laughed. The Maximal's face then turned sour and swiftly grabbed Snowlily by the arm throwing her over his shoulder into the cheetah and black widow reducing them to the ground. Dinobot took off in the opposite direction disappearing behind the rocks that littered the barren plain. The snow-bot began to pursue him but Cheetor caught her hand.
"Wait! That is unnecessary, I've already activated the Bug. It will find him fairly soon."
Dinobot began to retrace his steps back to the Axalon for he thought that maybe this wasn't the best idea to be out alone. He heard a buzzing sound near his receptors and swatted at a bug that flew around his head. Only when he realized what the "bug" was it was too late. It attached itself to the Maximal's neck changing him to a loyal and powerful warrior of Cheetor.
At the Maximal base, the remaining could not devise a plan to rescue their comrades.
"I say we should leave Dino-butt out there and worry about getting Spots and Snow." Rattrap put his opinion on the situation quite bluntly.
"We'll remember that next time when you're out on your own Rattrap." Optimus scolded.
"See that's just it. You won't find me out there at all." The other four Maximals joined in saying, "Shut up, Rattrap!"
"I can't stand staying in this ship much longer!" Airazor wished to help her friends who were in danger. Being held back from that made her restless.
"Optimus, you know what our last option is.though I do not like fighting," Tigatron then pulled out his gut gun and cocked it. "We must take this to the Preds!"
"I'm afraid you're right Tigatron. We can no longer sit here and hide from this ensuing fight. Rattrap!" the rat was sitting lazily in one of the chairs but jumped up at Optimus's command saluting in mockery.
"Yes, Fearless Leader!"
"You will have to prepare for demolition to destroy the Pred defense systems."
"An' how am I supposed to do that? Knock on the Pred door an' ask pretty please?!" His leader smiled at the rat and looked at Airazor, who grinned with Primal. Pitifully Rattrap swore, "Aww! Slag!"
"AAAAAHHHHHHHH!" A peregrine falcon with a giant rat screaming swooped into the swift wind currents gracefully.
"Just don't look down, Rattrap and you'll be fine." Airazor chuckled as the rat closed his black eyes tightly.
"Easy for you to say! If rats were meant to fly they'd have wings!"
Down below a rhino, a gorilla, and a white tiger ran across the rocky plains leading up the Darkside.
"Now remember, Snowlily said that we should stay in beast mode as much as possible so the Bugs can't attach to us." Optimus reminded his crew on the vital information.
"That's going to be tricky since the Preds will most likely be in robot mode." Rhinox added in his usual pessimistic tone.
"Our beast modes can surprise us sometimes." Tigatron replied.
Coming closer to the Predacon ship, Optimus halted his ground forces to let Rattrap and Airazor go ahead to plant the charges to disable the defenses. Immediately, the blasters came to life firing continuously at the falcon-bot, who tossed her load behind a boulder before transforming. She dodged the projectiles easily without incident while the Maximal rat quickly maximized and set off on his mission. He came close within throwing distance of one of the huge mounted guns and prepared a charge and was about to throw it when green laser caught his hand blasting the charge out of his grip.
"OW! SLAG!" Rattrap held his badly singed hand gritting his teeth in agony. Looking up he stared into two simmering crimson optics squinted at him in hatred. "Dinobot!"
"Vermin." Grabbing Rattrap by the head, the raptor-bot charged his eye beams to destroy him when something hit him from behind knocking them both to the ground.
"I told you! I want them fully functional!" Cheetor had blasted Dinobot in the back before he injured the Maximal.
Up above, Airazor continued to elude the rounds of energy being shot at her. Seeing Rattrap in trouble, her bot form dove down to aid him. A bright flash blinded her for a moment then Terrasaur fired his shoulder-mounted cannons at her. One shot impacted her right side forcing her down. Upon landing on the ground, the Maximal saw Cheetor helping Rattrap up for his loyalties were changed to follow the ex-Maximal.
"No!" She cried as her former "brother" approached her for her turn.
"Don't worry 'Raze, it will only take a nanoclick." He smiled at her squatting next to her. Though leaking mech fluid and in severe pain, Airazor grabbed him against her and lifting her wrist arrows to his throat. Dinobot and Rattrap began to advance at her but she choked their leader harder making him gag.
"Stay there!" Her voice quivered along with her pain-stricken body. Airazor's former teammates stopped but watched for any chance to take her down.
"Airazor! Stop! It's me, Cheetor! I-I've been released! Please! Let me go!" The Maximal yanked her arm violently choking the cat-bot once again.
"Don't toy with me! I know Cheetor likes to play pranks on others; I would expect something like that!" The cat sneered at remembering that Airazor shared circuitry with him. "Now I want you to release my friends!" She tugged her arm again punctuating her threat. "Now!" Behind the falcon-bot, a small figure emerged with a blade in her left hand. With the hilt, Snowlily punched the Maximal's head forcing her to let go of her hostage, falling in a heap on the rocky surface. Airazor's head swam and she breathed heavily as she watched Cheetor lean down taking her bloodstained head gently in his yellow hand.
"Don't worry, this WILL hurt."
Tigatron only realized the extreme situation when he heard Airazor's scream. Before Optimus could signal an attack or retreat all the reprogrammed Predacons and Maximals surrounded the trio with weapons trained on them except Airazor and Dinobot who took her to CR tank. Blackarachnia stood by her partner in this plot to control both sides of the Beast Wars, which they were about to achieve.
"Why do you resist Primal? It will only bring ALL transformers together under my careful hand of course." Cheetor grinned that all too familiar grin with a slice of malice as the she-spider tensed at hearing him say "his careful hand."
"Thousands of Transformers' lives do not belong in the command of-of a child!" Optimus tried distracting his former, young friend, which indeed worked.
"CHILD?!" The cat-bot seized the Maximal commander by the throat and spit in his face. "You dare call me.CHILD?! Would a CHILD do this?!" He aggressively jerked his quasar cannon at the she-spider and pulled the trigger. At the last second she tried dodging the blast but it ended up blowing her right arm's set of spider legs off, splashing them across the gravelly earth. The spider landed on the earth spilling mech fluid, Blackarachnia lifted her body up of the ground seeing Cheetor with a murderous expression on his speckled face puffing in frustration from being insulted.
"YOU FOOL! LOOK WHAT YOU DID!" The spider struggled to her feet to face the almost insane ex-Maximal clutching her arm where her beast mode spider legs used to be.
"I was making a point." He replied softly and calmer.
"Why couldn't you have made your point with Grape-Face over there?!" He only stared at her with a blank face. "This has gone too far, Kitty-Cat! This has ended!"
"You dare talk back to me, witch?!"
"Sorry, kiddo, but I agree with the Maximal on this one! I don't like the idea of a child controlling all of Cybertron." Cheetor lunged at the she- spider that nimbly dodging his attack but was caught from behind by a giggling Tarantulas. Inferno aided the spider-bot with the struggling Blackarachnia.
"I'm sorry Blackarachnia, but you pushed ME too far." Cheetor had a false tone of concern in his voice as he pulled out a cyberbee programmed with her signature. "Wait a second." He stopped in front of her. ".maybe I'll just blow your head off." The cat-bot raised his gut gun in her face. She could hear the weapon whir inside to soon detach her head from her shoulders. The other spider and the ant held on to her for the she-spider's execution. Blackarachnia turned her head, as the light from the quasar cannon became brighter. The blast blinded her, but then realized that she was still functional. Looking up, Optimus Primal had Cheetor in a headlock trying to rip off the Bug from his neck. The ex-Maximal gave quite a fight but it proved to be irrelevant.
"AHHHHH!"
Optimus forcibly tearing the device caused extreme anguish upon the cat. Primal now holding the tiny cyberbee in his burly hand crushed it in one squeeze with no resistance. The victims' own Bugs began falling off for they had no direction or leadership. They shook off the effects of Cheetor's insurrection.
"What? What happened?" Megatron sputtered then saw Optimus with the limp Cheetor in his arms and everyone else very confused. "Ah, yes, that traitor used our own advantage against us. Brilliant I must say." The two factions then jerked up their weapons at each other drowsily, but really none were in the condition to fight. "No! Put away your weapons!" The Predacon leader commanded his soldiers. Optimus ordered his soldiers to do the same.
"But Wazzpinator want to slag Mazzimalzz!" The wasp complained. The purple Predacon shot a glare at the lowly bug. They're bodies began to shimmer from exposure from energon and both factions transformed to their beast modes.
"Primal, I believe this fight is over, do you think not?" Megatron said with a big grin spreading across his dinosaur face.
"I agree with you.for once." The Predacons and Maximals were then both free to go to their bases without incident. Optimus placed the unconscious cheetah-bot on Rhinox's back and he plodded towards the Axalon. Snowlily walked up to her leader quickly.
"Optimus! What about Dinobot and Airazor?" Before he could answer they heard laser fire and Megatron yelling something like "Blasted Traitor!" They then saw Dinobot's muscular form come running from the direction of the Darkside with Airazor slung over his shoulder who still had heavy damage. Upon reaching the pair the raptor-bot changed to beast mode to prevent energon build-up.
"Optimus, Airazor needs a CR chamber immediately." He bluntly stated, as Snowlily couldn't resist giggling at him.
"You're really something Dinobot." Was all Optimus could say as the falcon- bot was laid on raptor's back to be taken to the base for repair.
Cheetor's whole body ached. He painfully opened his optics, as his friends appeared before him all looking at him.
"Welcome back kiddo!" Rattrap said joyfully at seeing his favorite kid making it home once again. Though the rat preferred the cat not knowing he cared.
"I'm glad you're back to normal." Airazor greeted him with a smile as she rubbed the back of her neck intentionally.
"How are you feeling?" Optimus asked.
"Totally slagged Big-Bot. And.sorry guys.I couldn't help it." The cat-bot apologized to his teammates. He heard Dinobot snort and Snowlily elbowed him in the gut, which surprised the raptor-bot that she'd dare silence him.
"Don't apologize Cheetor. There was nothing you could do.any of us really." The snow-bot reassured the downcast bot. "If there's anyone here who needs to say he's sorry is Dinobot." She crossed her arms and everybody looked at the ex-Predacon.
"What do I have to slaggin' be sorry about?!" He shouted at Snowlily.
"All the times you've ever doubted Cheetor. He's as capable as everyone else is. I think he's proved that." Dinobot stared at her in disbelief and no one objected to her suggestion. He could see Rattrap with a giant smirk on his rat-face just waiting to see him apologize to the cheetah. The raptor-bot looked from face to face knowing he had to do something. Cheetor saw his discomfort and spoke up.
"Hey Snow-Cat, it's okay. Let's just forget this whole ordeal, kay?" No one spoke as he left the room to get some rest in his quarters though it was early on in the day.
Cheetor stared at the ceiling in bot mode as he heard the usual noises outside his room. He thought about the last couple of days he spent as a Predacon. It was strange almost as if he couldn't stop himself from the things he did yet also he controlled his actions. The young Maximal couldn't believe his Predacon self almost defeated both factions. It was almost.tempting. The idea of Maximals and Predacons being lead together didn't seem like such a bad idea, but he most certainly would not be the leader. Perhaps the leader would have too much control over his subjects. If one did rise to control both factions the followers lacked individuality and free minds. Cheetor would not want to be a zombie. Voices and footsteps coming down the hall interrupted his train of thought. They came from Dinobot and Snowlily that from the sound of it were in beast mode.
"That was so sweet, Dinobot, that you came after me." The smaller fem bot complimented the raptor's earlier actions.
"I did NOT come after you." He snarled at her.
"Right Dinobot, I know your lust for battle was not the only reason for fighting off your commanding officer." The cat giggled.
"It was the challenge that provoked me!"
"Then why are you acting as if you're defending yourself?"
"I'm NOT defending myself! That was my reason for wanting to destroy the enemy."
"Riiiight." Dinobot narrowed his raptor eyes angrily then he hissed.
"Why do you badger-wait," he saw Snowlily fixated on him for his question, smiling. He almost forgot that's what she wants. "Nevermind." The raptor continued down the hall as the snow leopard followed.
"I know, I know, why do I always bug you? I know."
Cheetor laughed softly at their debating against why Dinobot had fought off everybody to get outside. Personally, the cat thought that the ex- Predacon's actions were provoked of Snowlily's capture. Of course he would NEVER admit it. The cat-bot sat up and transformed to his cheetah mode. The fur softened his recharge bed for more comfort. Lying down again his eyes remained open. His mind wondered to the what if things about his reprogramming. What if his plan had worked? He'd be controlling the warriors here and then eventually repairing a ship. After that they would've gone to Cybertron and released billions of cyberbees that would seek out any Cybertronian no matter what faction they were. Again Cheetor felt tempted to find one of those Bugs and continue his work, but no that was not right. He wanted free will for all Transformers. No. No. No. No. He tried to remind himself. It's not right. But.he sighed.
"What if."
By Snowlily
The day started out like usual for Cheetor. He got up and prepared to go on patrol with Dinobot. Ugh! The raptor made everything so difficult. He looked down on the cat as if he knew nothing of responsibility or honor. Just because of his inexperience and age Dinobot disliked him! Snowlily was the only one he.well.tolerated. Why? No one knows. Maybe it's because the snow-bot won't stop asking questions until she got what she wanted. That was Snowlily's tactic, just keep talking. Cheetor thought maybe he should try doing that, but it was the time to go on patrol. The cheetah met up with the raptor on the bridge and nothing was exchanged. The two Maximals stepped out in the partly cloudy day with a south breeze flowing over the land.
They began their routine in the river country where many waters criss- crossed the area and without saying anything, though the words were on the tip of Cheetor's tongue waiting to be said, but fear of what would be the response kept him from speaking. Dinobot as usual said nothing. The cat hated that his comrade was so anti-social. Cheetor felt he communicated his feelings fairly well, but the ex-predacon was his complete opposite.
Voices ripped him out of his thoughts as 'Predacons! Terrorize!' rang out ahead of them. Before the two could maximize several rounds cut into their position sending them flying toward the riverbank. Upon landing Dinobot slammed into a riverside rock knocking him unconscious.
"Aw no! This is no time for a nap Big D!" The cat transformed as a hail of shots continued to sail around him. As best as he could he dragged the raptor behind some shrubbery near the bank of the fast currents of the river. Cheetor charged his gut gun to full power and began unloading an array of blasts in all directions for he only had a few nanoclicks to fire. The Predacons were only scattered a bit but quickly reformed. The Maximal clicked his comm link.
At the base, Rattrap was bragging to Snowlily saying he's the best poker player in the galaxy.
"No one can beat da rat at his own game ya see." He told her, but she was most assuredly not convinced.
"Optimus tells me differently. He says that you owe the computer quite a lot. and I bet I could beat you." Rattrap raised his brows questioningly.
"I bet you never even played poker before, am I right?"
"Yes, I've never played, but I'm a fast learner." Snowlily said smiling and sat down. Optimus heard the conversation and a few cycles later the sound of the rat whining about how he was losing to a feline was heard. The commander chuckled as Snowlily tried to cheer him up.
"But Rattrap wouldn't have been worse if Dinobot beat you?" He perked up.
"Yeah I guess so.but I still wanna a rematch." The snow-bot shrugged at Optimus, but then her expression changed to a worried look.
"What's the matter?" The comm link abruptly interrupted his question.
"Cheetor to base!" In the back they could hear explosions from artillery. "Dinobot and I are under a full scale Pred attack! We need-" Static filled the room eerily. Optimus flew to the computer to locate his soldiers.
"Optimus! Follow me! I know where they are!" Snowlily transformed to beast mode and boarded the lift not saying anything more for she knew Megatron intentions of this attack and she couldn't allow him to do so. The Maximal commander shot out the top hatch following the snow leopard below.
Cheetor's comm link sputtered and then gave nothing but static. Nothing would revive it no matter how many times he hit it. The Predacons were advancing on him quickly; he had to do something. Dinobot was just now coming to, but he was not in the condition to fight. Only one thing crossed Cheetor's mind: he had to get his comrade out of there. The cat looked at the river and grinned to himself then reached down to talk to the raptor.
"If you can understand me you'd better hold your breath." Cheetor quickly shoved Dinobot into the swift waters and with that was about to join him when something grabbed hold of him from behind. Tarantulas cackled as he sent the cat cutting through the air landing into the trunk of a medium- sized willow tree. His head floated around as the image before him talked of how incompetent his soldiers were.
"But Megatron we may have not retrieved Dinobot but we still have the cat."
"Very well! Terrasaur! Waspinator! Take him back to base before the other Maximals come!"
On the way to the Pred base, the wasp's buzz was making Cheetor queasy as they carried him over the ground. He couldn't hold it anymore. His puke got all over the two Predacon flyers, which shrieked out in disgust.
"EWWWWW!" Terrasaur almost dropped the young Maximal, who them began to short out from the long period of time he had been in bot mode.
"Ewwww! Kitty-bot get Wazzpinator all yucky! Wazzpinator not carry anymore." Below Megatron was listening in.
"You idiots! Don't stop! Or you both will be given to the Maximals as a gift!" The flyers complied with not dropping Cheetor.
Snowlily ran at full speed but knew it to be futile. Megatron had already gotten what he wanted, which was one of the Maximals to try out Scorpinok's invention. They originally sought after Dinobot, but Cheetor had hidden him somewhere. Little did they know that somewhere was the river. Reaching the river, Optimus transformed to beast mode as the snow leopard arrived, seeing no one present. Snowlily sniffed the ground looking for traces of their friends. They stopped at the river where they split.
"Cheetor's been taken by the Preds, but Dinobot's scent stops at the river. Megatron was after him, but they took Cheetor instead."
"We'd better find Dinobot first then we'll find a way to get Cheetor." They began to scan the rushing waters looking for the lost raptor. Snowlily stepped along the bank when something caught her attention. She stopped and listened. Then something grabbed her back foot and she screamed jumping six feet away. She looked back to see the missing raptor hanging on to tree root that had long ago been exposed from the eroding powers of water.
"Dinobot!" Snowlily transformed a helped him back onto solid ground. "Are you okay?" Optimus came running up after hearing Snowlily's sudden scream. Dinobot was obviously in pain from the damage he'd taken but as usual tried not to show it.
"Dinobot, what happened here?" Optimus asked.
"That slagging feline threw me in the river! I almost drowned!" He snarled back.
"Dinobot! Cheetor just saved your life and this is how you thank him! Megatron is going to try to reprogram him. It would have been you if he didn't shove you into the water." Snowlily rebuked him harshly and he hated it, but she was the only one who actually made him feel guilty for something he'd done. The raptor just grumbled and didn't say anything more.
"Well, let's get you back to base." Optimus suggested.
"Optimus, you two go on ahead I'm going to talk to Megatron maybe I can convince him to release Cheetor." Snowlily returned to her cat mode and the other two headed off to the Axalon. She was left alone and then was the time to call the Predacon leader. She really didn't expect it to work, but maybe it would buy some time.
"Megatron." She called.
At the Darkside, Scorpinok was making the last adjustments on his Bug, which he called the device that would change him into a faithful follower of Megatron. The captive Maximal still queasy was locked in a cage above the lava in robot mode. For some reason they wouldn't allow him to transform to beast mode. The Predacon commander was growing impatient of the scorpion when Snowlily's call reached him.
"Megatron."
"Wha-? Eh, Snow Phantom?" Blackarachnia at her station looking at him strangely as he appeared to talk to himself.
"I know what you're planning and it's not going to work. You know Scorpinok, he's going to fumble this up."
"You're trying to arouse my doubts, it's not working."
"We will NOT allow you to harm him."
"We're not going to harm him, noo, not at all." Then he spoke aloud to his scientist. "Is it ready yet?" He grumbled.
"Ye-yeah, Megatron, it's ready."
"Good. Proceed." Scorpinok held in his pincher a miniature cyberbee only the size of walnut. He pushed a small button as it came to life. It flew around above the two Predacons before buzzing into the cage where Cheetor lay, who barely noticed it. The tiny bee then rested on the back of the cat- bot's neck. It made a few noises and..
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" Cheetor grabbed his head in rapid, searing pain screaming at the top of his lungs. The PAIN! Megatron and Scorpinok just stared as then he went limp. The two stood in silence for a few nanoclicks.
"What happened?" Megatron didn't sound happy as he glared at his fumbling scientist.
"Uh.I don't know." Scorpinok opened the cage with the Maximal and checked the cyberbee to see if it was working properly. He was fiddling with it when a hand grabbed his wrist.
"Wha-?"
"Get OUT of MY FACE." Cheetor growled at the scorpion, which jumped back. "What's the big idea anyway?"
"Cheetor, what are you?" Megatron asked hopeful. The cat-bot gave him an insulted glare and shake of the head.
"Duh! Stupid! I'm a Predacon! You can congratulate Scorpinok for actually not screwing up." Even though the now ex-Maximal degraded him, Megatron didn't care. Soon he will want to release numerous cyberbees to seek out the remaining Maximals and turn them into Predacons completely loyal to him.
"Yes, indeed, Scorpinok you deserve a reward." The scorpion grinned at his success. "So, Cheetor, how about sharing some information on the Maximal base yess."
"I wish to be repaired first if I may." He politely asked his new leader.
"Of course. Blackarachnia!" The she-spider tensed up. She hated those felines! They were so stupid and incompetent that it made her sick. She turned her hover platform towards her commander.
"You bellowed."
"Show Cheetor where the R tanks are." Blackarachnia would roll her optics if she could but her void-filled eyes were limited in emotion although sometimes it was an advantage.
The two walked down the hall silently reaching the R chamber room.
"It's in there. Knock yourself out." She started to walk away when his hand caught her arm.
"Wait a moment." The spider looked down at his hand and then smiled at him.
"Let go. Now. I don't tolerate felines." She warned with a hint of malice in her scratchy voice. Cheetor didn't heed her warning.
"Listen, for what I have to say might interest you, but not under the prying eyes of Megatron. Do you know of such a place?" Blackarachnia narrowed her optics trying to get past his face and into his mind to figure out what he was thinking.
"All right, I'll give you an answer tomorrow." She tugged her arm away and disappeared around the corner. Cheetor watched the fem-bot until she was no longer to be seen and he grinned.
Megatron grimaced at seeing the unusual behavior from the spider and cat. The spy cameras were his favorite weapons for they eavesdropped on the treason around him. He knew that Blackarachnia twisted things to her liking and already she was planning with his new recruit. He would have to protect his new advantage long enough for Scorpinok to finish the other cyberbees and after all the Maximals were assimilated into the Predacons he would destroy her and Tarantulas for their treachery. Snowlily would be the hardest to control for the Predacon didn't want to have her under the influence of the cyberbees; he wanted to have her under the influence of his own spark within her. Megatron would deal with her personally.
A snow leopard sat in green grasses by a rushing river. Snowlily saw through Megatron that Cheetor was reprogrammed, but she didn't believe him to be lost and they would find a way to get him back. She watched everything intensely not wanting to miss anything that might be helpful in the coming struggles with the Predacons. She sighed for the time had come to return for a report of the situation. Cheetor would not remain a Predacon forever; Snowlily vowed that she would do whatever it takes to release him from the grips of Megatron.
"So.he plans on reprogramming all of us with these.Bugs?" All the Maximals were called in to get the information on the current situation with the Predacons. Snowlily definitely was their advantage in this time of danger. She informed them of Megatron's lack of trust with Cheetor and that there is a way to detach the Bug once it's activated. The danger however proved to be the size of the Bugs for they easily could attach them to an unsuspecting Maximal without warning. Scorpinok equipped the miniature cyberbees with a specific Maximal signature. That enabled him to release the Bugs to seek out the Maximal that matched the signature it was given. Primal didn't want anyone leaving the base, but yet they can't just sit and wait for the Preds to ambush them. They couldn't just hide leaving Cheetor to remain a Predacon.
"What are we going to do? I don't like letting the Predacons claim everything outside as we hide in here." Tigatron said worriedly thinking of his tiger friend, Snowstalker.
"I don't know Tigatron. There's risk any way.." Optimus slammed his fists on the computer. "I know one thing and that is I can't leave Cheetor there no matter what he thinks he is!"
"I agree, but we can't go off half cocked." Snowlily tried to comfort her commander by putting her hand on his shoulder. "I've got a plan though." Optimus looked at her with hopeful optics. "Let me go out." Dinobot had his arms crossed but now they dropped to his sides as Snowlily suggested her going out.
"Are you mad? Megatron would certainly capture you." The raptor snorted.
"That's the point exactly. He doesn't want to use the Bugs on me therefor I should go.and spy a bit." She smiled playfully at Dinobot who mumbled something under his breath.
"That IS a good plan but.what if something goes wrong? What is going to be our back up plan?" Optimus thoughtfully asked.
"Well.if I sense any danger I'll come back and we and figure out a different plan, but I really believe this will work." Snowlily replied showing Megatron's confidence.
"Alright, you can go but remember-"
"I know. you don't have to tell me." She smiled at Optimus. Her snow leopard beast mode now replaced her robot mode and the cat traveled down the lift to the outside world. Snowlily looked up to see Primal and Airazor waving "goodbye". Again she reassured Optimus before running off in the direction of the Darkside.
In Predacon territory, a black widow and fire ant crawled along the familiar route of the northern border. The giant ant walked several feet in front of the spider in a continuous march. Blackarachnia slowly and less enthusiastically marched behind Inferno. Something to her left caught her eyes. Cheetor nodded his head towards the trees as the she-spider noticed him. She cautiously watched the ant as she disappeared into the close growing trees to reminisce with the cheetah.
"Make it quick feline! I don't have time to waste on you!" Cheetor tilted his head and smirked at the impatient Predacon, who narrowed all eight of her eyes threateningly. The ex-maximal sat on the swaying grass silently with a huge grin on his spotted face.
"Well?!" Blackarachnia tried not to yell so Inferno wouldn't hear her.
"Blackarachnia."He shook his head as he spoke. "I would appreciate it if you would be patient with me." The cat's expression now turned into an evil frown. "Or I will forcibly take control of you with the other fools on this planet!" The she-spider cocked a brow at the sudden rant from the Predacons new addition.
"What was that all about? And control me? Ha! You're even more idiotic than I thought." Cheetor glared at her but knew how to convince her. "Besides weren't you supposed to be one hundred percent loyal to Megatron?"
"Yes, I was, but you know Scorpinok.he tends to screw up things. However this invention was not a complete failure."
"You have my attention, Predacon."
"NO! I don't want to be part of either faction! I want to bring them together in unity." Blackarachnia stared at the cheetah then burst out laughing.
"You're not serious?!" She managed to get out between her laughter. Transforming, Cheetor reached inside a subspace compartment revealing one of Scorpinok's Bugs. The spider stopped laughing long enough to see him activate it. The mini cyberbee flew off in the direction of the ant far ahead. Cheetor reverted to beast mode and ran after it.
"Huh? Where are you going?" The cat ignored her call and continued following the Bug. Blackarachnia crawled quickly after him for she still was curious about his plans. Cheetor pulled out his gut gun and charged it coming up to Inferno, who saw him coming fast. He sent blasts directly at the loyal follower of the "Queen". The ant barely had time to jump out of the way and transform.
"Traitor! You will BURNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!" Inferno pulled out his flame- thrower, but suddenly stopped and put away his weapon. "Royalty! What do you command?" The ant bowed to his new leader. Cheetor smiled again as Blackarachnia ran up now transformed with a disbelieving look. She walked closer to Inferno to see one of the cyberbees changing his loyalties to the ex-Maximal.
"You see I plan to control both Maximals AND Predacons with these little Bugs."
"Why are you giving me a choice?"
"Because I know you're smarter than everybody else. Either control yourself or let me control you; it's your choice." The female Predacon thought a moment. In a sense she didn't really have a choice. Refusing the offer would assure his control over her, but following Cheetor was not appealing. Accepting the offer was the best decision for the time being.
"Alright.you have my complete alliance." The cat's smile grew more board with her decision to join him, but kept the option open to reprogram her if she changed her mind.
"Inferno continue you patrol and remember to not let Megatron be aware of any of this. Act as if there's nothing going on." The fire ant saluted his new commander and returned to beast mode, as did the other two Predacons. "As for you and I, we must release the remaining Bugs I have programmed. So far I have only a few of the Predacons such as Tarantulas, Scorpinok, and Megatron, but that will be enough for now. I'll let you have the pleasure of getting all of the Predacons." The cheetah gave Blackarachnia cyberbees with the other Preds' signatures.
"I think I might like this, but how many of the Maximals do you have?"
"Dinobot, Snowlily, and Rhinox will be our first victims in the Maximal ranks. I will retrieve them as you get Megatron's forces. It should be fairly easy. Oh, and don't forget to have Scorpinok program more of his Bugs for the rest of the Maximals." The two Predacons started to laugh out loud as they went to release their Bugs on the unsuspecting factions.
As the trio went on as usual, a pair of violet eyes watched then from the trees. Snowlily watched in concern as the two departed. She ran in the direction of the Darkside to reach it before Blackarachnia. The Maximal would call Megatron, but he was too busy with the arrangements of the take over to notice her. The only hope was to arrive before the Predacon.
Snowlily crept up to the downed Pred ship in caution. Coming to Megatron's secret door that led into his room, she entered unnoticed. No one was found in the room and she exited into the hallway heading towards Scorpinok's lab where her Link would be found also.
"YOU!" Snowlily whirled around to see Blackarachnia aiming her weapon at her firing. The snow-bot dodged the shot and ran down the corridor to find Megatron. The Predacon spider followed close behind the Maximal.
"You're too late Maximal! I've already released the Bugs. They should be attaching themselves to 'my comrades' as of now!" Snowlily stopped as she realized that Megatron indeed had been taken control of and that he knew of her presence. Looking down into the dimly lit passageway, she saw a scorpion, a tarantula, and the predacon commander in robot mode coming for her. With Blackarachnia cackling and the other Predacons closing in on her she made a small cry for help to Optimus before being taken.
Meanwhile in the Axalon, Optimus paced the bridge. So far no alarming calls came from Snowlily so he assumed she was well. The others lurked around the base impatiently, especially Dinobot. He tried doing computer work but ended up getting frustrated and almost blowing it to scrap. Then the raptor disappeared to his room only to come out every five cycles to see if there was any word from his friend out on her own. Though of course he didn't say 'friend' just if the feline had any word. Rattrap spent his time working on strategies to win against Snowlily, who beat him last game. The rat secretly hoped he would get his rematch. Rhinox sat at the computer trying to focus on diagnostics and scans to keep his mind off of their current situation. Tigatron and Airazor leaned against the back wall quietly talking together. They were not used to being shut up like this in a ship. The tiger could not figure out why the other Maximals wished to stay in such confinement. He was glad his falcon partner loved the wild as much as he did. In fact he'd grown quite fond of Airazor over the time he'd spent with her in battle and peace. Her zeal and liveliness attracted him very much. Soon Tigatron would have to reveal his feelings to her but uncertainty kept him from telling her.
Primal suddenly jerked as Snowlily's cry was heard. His team's attention turned towards him with fright in their optics.
"Snowlily is in trouble! Megatron did something to her."
"Like what?" Airazor asked worriedly.
"I don't know.something went wrong." Dinobot entered the command room in beast mode fearing the worst and expecting it.
"What is our current situation?" A long pause followed before Optimus answered.
"Futile." That was all he could say to the raptor.
"So.eh. whata we do now?" Rattrap asked not with a lot of hope.
"I'm open to suggestions."
"I knew you should not have let Snowlily go out on her own! Now you have lost two soldiers! You incompetent-"
"'Eh! Watch it Dino-dork!" Dinobot snapped at Rattrap, who had to duck. Rhinox grabbed the raptor before he could make another bite at his annoying teammate.
"Stand down Dinobot!" He roared out in anger trying to loosen the rhino's grip unsuccessfully.
"You're not helping by being unruly." Optimus rebuked. "Our only chance now is to come up with a new plan." The ex-Predacon snarled loudly at this and threw his captor off and maximized. He fired his optic lasers randomly around the room sending the Maximals down on their knees to avoid being hit. Now was his chance to reach the lift. Soon he was outside and running at top speed. Dinobot could no longer hide from the challenge that Snowlily was brave enough to face alone. Subconsciously he also had an overwhelming need to protect his female comrade. It was not madness that he fought off his own comrades in arms to save their only advantage in the Beast Wars. If Megatron dominates her than they would lose and he was not about to let that happen. Not while he still breathes, it will NOT happen. The raptor- bot could hear yelling behind him but continued to advance to reach the Pred base to aid his friend. His beast mode took over his bot mode to conserve time to fight. Dinobot could hear jets behind him and as he glanced back Optimus came closing in on him with Rattrap in beast mode on his back. As Primal passed the raptor, the rat jumped onto his back forcing him to the ground.
"GET OFF OF ME RODENT!" Desperately, Dinobot clawed at the Maximal, who transformed. Optimus did the same and caught his soldier's arms to prevent him from hurting anyone.
"Listen! Dinobot! It's too dangerous to be out here! Come back to base. That's an order!"
"Slag your orders!" Again transforming the irate raptor threw of his 'attackers' and began to run again. Optimus and Rattrap tried to go after him but started to short out from energon exposure. The escapee reverted to beast mode once more noticing them not following. All night long he would plan his attack against the Predacons and plan to release Snowlily from her own situation whatever it might be.
A cheetah curiously watched the events that took place outside the Maximal base. He frowned at the fact that Dinobot didn't stay in bot mode long enough for the cyberbee to attach itself to him. Blackarachnia contacted him earlier informing him of her success in taking all of the Predacons including the bonus Snowlily. She was tagged with an extra Bug that Scorpinok under the command of the ex-Maximal rigged up. The cat then decided that things were going well so far and he would follow the raptor to tag him as well.
The horizon began to show a sliver of light from the rising sun. Dinobot ignored the natural beauty for more important things saturated his central processor. He was closing in on the Pred base. The raptor had concocted his own battle strategy while hiking to the ship. Walking around a few boulders Dinobot spotted something lying on the ground to his left. Coming nearer to the object he gasped to see Snowlily! Her face was in the dirt and her arms were twisted under her body. Maximizing, the raptor-bot turned her face up when WHAM! Snowlily's fist caught him in the jaw sending him on his back on the earth. As he shook it off her wrist cannon drew up to his face with sword in her other hand. Dinobot didn't want to hurt Snowlily, but this situation called for it. He swiftly shot his leg under her sending the cat- bot the ground. Drawing his rotating sword they met in a clash. Throwing each other away, Snowlily threw her foot into his side forcing him to double over then upper cutting him. Dinobot grabbed her on his way down causing her to fall on him. Quickly, she rounded his neck with her arm in a headlock. The Maximal gripped Snowlily's hands pulling them off and throwing her into a nearby boulder. Before either could continue, hands clapping interrupted them. Cheetor came out from behind the boulders with Blackarachnia both in robot mode grinning evilly. The snow-bot lifted her laser up to the back of his head.
"It's your turn, Maximal!" The she-spider laughed loudly as Dinobot dropped his sword on the ground in surrender.
"Good! You're going to make it easy on all of us! For you know it futile to fight back. You're smart Dinobot. I always knew you were." Cheetor gave the raptor-bot a mocking smile while taking out one of the small cyberbees. The Maximal narrowed his optics threateningly at the Predacons before him and gave a small smirk. The ex-Maximal caught notice of this and became amused. "What? What is this?" He pointed grinning. "A smile?"
"Yes, it is." Dinobot replied still with the upright twist on his face.
"Heh, that's a first." Cheetor laughed. The Maximal's face then turned sour and swiftly grabbed Snowlily by the arm throwing her over his shoulder into the cheetah and black widow reducing them to the ground. Dinobot took off in the opposite direction disappearing behind the rocks that littered the barren plain. The snow-bot began to pursue him but Cheetor caught her hand.
"Wait! That is unnecessary, I've already activated the Bug. It will find him fairly soon."
Dinobot began to retrace his steps back to the Axalon for he thought that maybe this wasn't the best idea to be out alone. He heard a buzzing sound near his receptors and swatted at a bug that flew around his head. Only when he realized what the "bug" was it was too late. It attached itself to the Maximal's neck changing him to a loyal and powerful warrior of Cheetor.
At the Maximal base, the remaining could not devise a plan to rescue their comrades.
"I say we should leave Dino-butt out there and worry about getting Spots and Snow." Rattrap put his opinion on the situation quite bluntly.
"We'll remember that next time when you're out on your own Rattrap." Optimus scolded.
"See that's just it. You won't find me out there at all." The other four Maximals joined in saying, "Shut up, Rattrap!"
"I can't stand staying in this ship much longer!" Airazor wished to help her friends who were in danger. Being held back from that made her restless.
"Optimus, you know what our last option is.though I do not like fighting," Tigatron then pulled out his gut gun and cocked it. "We must take this to the Preds!"
"I'm afraid you're right Tigatron. We can no longer sit here and hide from this ensuing fight. Rattrap!" the rat was sitting lazily in one of the chairs but jumped up at Optimus's command saluting in mockery.
"Yes, Fearless Leader!"
"You will have to prepare for demolition to destroy the Pred defense systems."
"An' how am I supposed to do that? Knock on the Pred door an' ask pretty please?!" His leader smiled at the rat and looked at Airazor, who grinned with Primal. Pitifully Rattrap swore, "Aww! Slag!"
"AAAAAHHHHHHHH!" A peregrine falcon with a giant rat screaming swooped into the swift wind currents gracefully.
"Just don't look down, Rattrap and you'll be fine." Airazor chuckled as the rat closed his black eyes tightly.
"Easy for you to say! If rats were meant to fly they'd have wings!"
Down below a rhino, a gorilla, and a white tiger ran across the rocky plains leading up the Darkside.
"Now remember, Snowlily said that we should stay in beast mode as much as possible so the Bugs can't attach to us." Optimus reminded his crew on the vital information.
"That's going to be tricky since the Preds will most likely be in robot mode." Rhinox added in his usual pessimistic tone.
"Our beast modes can surprise us sometimes." Tigatron replied.
Coming closer to the Predacon ship, Optimus halted his ground forces to let Rattrap and Airazor go ahead to plant the charges to disable the defenses. Immediately, the blasters came to life firing continuously at the falcon-bot, who tossed her load behind a boulder before transforming. She dodged the projectiles easily without incident while the Maximal rat quickly maximized and set off on his mission. He came close within throwing distance of one of the huge mounted guns and prepared a charge and was about to throw it when green laser caught his hand blasting the charge out of his grip.
"OW! SLAG!" Rattrap held his badly singed hand gritting his teeth in agony. Looking up he stared into two simmering crimson optics squinted at him in hatred. "Dinobot!"
"Vermin." Grabbing Rattrap by the head, the raptor-bot charged his eye beams to destroy him when something hit him from behind knocking them both to the ground.
"I told you! I want them fully functional!" Cheetor had blasted Dinobot in the back before he injured the Maximal.
Up above, Airazor continued to elude the rounds of energy being shot at her. Seeing Rattrap in trouble, her bot form dove down to aid him. A bright flash blinded her for a moment then Terrasaur fired his shoulder-mounted cannons at her. One shot impacted her right side forcing her down. Upon landing on the ground, the Maximal saw Cheetor helping Rattrap up for his loyalties were changed to follow the ex-Maximal.
"No!" She cried as her former "brother" approached her for her turn.
"Don't worry 'Raze, it will only take a nanoclick." He smiled at her squatting next to her. Though leaking mech fluid and in severe pain, Airazor grabbed him against her and lifting her wrist arrows to his throat. Dinobot and Rattrap began to advance at her but she choked their leader harder making him gag.
"Stay there!" Her voice quivered along with her pain-stricken body. Airazor's former teammates stopped but watched for any chance to take her down.
"Airazor! Stop! It's me, Cheetor! I-I've been released! Please! Let me go!" The Maximal yanked her arm violently choking the cat-bot once again.
"Don't toy with me! I know Cheetor likes to play pranks on others; I would expect something like that!" The cat sneered at remembering that Airazor shared circuitry with him. "Now I want you to release my friends!" She tugged her arm again punctuating her threat. "Now!" Behind the falcon-bot, a small figure emerged with a blade in her left hand. With the hilt, Snowlily punched the Maximal's head forcing her to let go of her hostage, falling in a heap on the rocky surface. Airazor's head swam and she breathed heavily as she watched Cheetor lean down taking her bloodstained head gently in his yellow hand.
"Don't worry, this WILL hurt."
Tigatron only realized the extreme situation when he heard Airazor's scream. Before Optimus could signal an attack or retreat all the reprogrammed Predacons and Maximals surrounded the trio with weapons trained on them except Airazor and Dinobot who took her to CR tank. Blackarachnia stood by her partner in this plot to control both sides of the Beast Wars, which they were about to achieve.
"Why do you resist Primal? It will only bring ALL transformers together under my careful hand of course." Cheetor grinned that all too familiar grin with a slice of malice as the she-spider tensed at hearing him say "his careful hand."
"Thousands of Transformers' lives do not belong in the command of-of a child!" Optimus tried distracting his former, young friend, which indeed worked.
"CHILD?!" The cat-bot seized the Maximal commander by the throat and spit in his face. "You dare call me.CHILD?! Would a CHILD do this?!" He aggressively jerked his quasar cannon at the she-spider and pulled the trigger. At the last second she tried dodging the blast but it ended up blowing her right arm's set of spider legs off, splashing them across the gravelly earth. The spider landed on the earth spilling mech fluid, Blackarachnia lifted her body up of the ground seeing Cheetor with a murderous expression on his speckled face puffing in frustration from being insulted.
"YOU FOOL! LOOK WHAT YOU DID!" The spider struggled to her feet to face the almost insane ex-Maximal clutching her arm where her beast mode spider legs used to be.
"I was making a point." He replied softly and calmer.
"Why couldn't you have made your point with Grape-Face over there?!" He only stared at her with a blank face. "This has gone too far, Kitty-Cat! This has ended!"
"You dare talk back to me, witch?!"
"Sorry, kiddo, but I agree with the Maximal on this one! I don't like the idea of a child controlling all of Cybertron." Cheetor lunged at the she- spider that nimbly dodging his attack but was caught from behind by a giggling Tarantulas. Inferno aided the spider-bot with the struggling Blackarachnia.
"I'm sorry Blackarachnia, but you pushed ME too far." Cheetor had a false tone of concern in his voice as he pulled out a cyberbee programmed with her signature. "Wait a second." He stopped in front of her. ".maybe I'll just blow your head off." The cat-bot raised his gut gun in her face. She could hear the weapon whir inside to soon detach her head from her shoulders. The other spider and the ant held on to her for the she-spider's execution. Blackarachnia turned her head, as the light from the quasar cannon became brighter. The blast blinded her, but then realized that she was still functional. Looking up, Optimus Primal had Cheetor in a headlock trying to rip off the Bug from his neck. The ex-Maximal gave quite a fight but it proved to be irrelevant.
"AHHHHH!"
Optimus forcibly tearing the device caused extreme anguish upon the cat. Primal now holding the tiny cyberbee in his burly hand crushed it in one squeeze with no resistance. The victims' own Bugs began falling off for they had no direction or leadership. They shook off the effects of Cheetor's insurrection.
"What? What happened?" Megatron sputtered then saw Optimus with the limp Cheetor in his arms and everyone else very confused. "Ah, yes, that traitor used our own advantage against us. Brilliant I must say." The two factions then jerked up their weapons at each other drowsily, but really none were in the condition to fight. "No! Put away your weapons!" The Predacon leader commanded his soldiers. Optimus ordered his soldiers to do the same.
"But Wazzpinator want to slag Mazzimalzz!" The wasp complained. The purple Predacon shot a glare at the lowly bug. They're bodies began to shimmer from exposure from energon and both factions transformed to their beast modes.
"Primal, I believe this fight is over, do you think not?" Megatron said with a big grin spreading across his dinosaur face.
"I agree with you.for once." The Predacons and Maximals were then both free to go to their bases without incident. Optimus placed the unconscious cheetah-bot on Rhinox's back and he plodded towards the Axalon. Snowlily walked up to her leader quickly.
"Optimus! What about Dinobot and Airazor?" Before he could answer they heard laser fire and Megatron yelling something like "Blasted Traitor!" They then saw Dinobot's muscular form come running from the direction of the Darkside with Airazor slung over his shoulder who still had heavy damage. Upon reaching the pair the raptor-bot changed to beast mode to prevent energon build-up.
"Optimus, Airazor needs a CR chamber immediately." He bluntly stated, as Snowlily couldn't resist giggling at him.
"You're really something Dinobot." Was all Optimus could say as the falcon- bot was laid on raptor's back to be taken to the base for repair.
Cheetor's whole body ached. He painfully opened his optics, as his friends appeared before him all looking at him.
"Welcome back kiddo!" Rattrap said joyfully at seeing his favorite kid making it home once again. Though the rat preferred the cat not knowing he cared.
"I'm glad you're back to normal." Airazor greeted him with a smile as she rubbed the back of her neck intentionally.
"How are you feeling?" Optimus asked.
"Totally slagged Big-Bot. And.sorry guys.I couldn't help it." The cat-bot apologized to his teammates. He heard Dinobot snort and Snowlily elbowed him in the gut, which surprised the raptor-bot that she'd dare silence him.
"Don't apologize Cheetor. There was nothing you could do.any of us really." The snow-bot reassured the downcast bot. "If there's anyone here who needs to say he's sorry is Dinobot." She crossed her arms and everybody looked at the ex-Predacon.
"What do I have to slaggin' be sorry about?!" He shouted at Snowlily.
"All the times you've ever doubted Cheetor. He's as capable as everyone else is. I think he's proved that." Dinobot stared at her in disbelief and no one objected to her suggestion. He could see Rattrap with a giant smirk on his rat-face just waiting to see him apologize to the cheetah. The raptor-bot looked from face to face knowing he had to do something. Cheetor saw his discomfort and spoke up.
"Hey Snow-Cat, it's okay. Let's just forget this whole ordeal, kay?" No one spoke as he left the room to get some rest in his quarters though it was early on in the day.
Cheetor stared at the ceiling in bot mode as he heard the usual noises outside his room. He thought about the last couple of days he spent as a Predacon. It was strange almost as if he couldn't stop himself from the things he did yet also he controlled his actions. The young Maximal couldn't believe his Predacon self almost defeated both factions. It was almost.tempting. The idea of Maximals and Predacons being lead together didn't seem like such a bad idea, but he most certainly would not be the leader. Perhaps the leader would have too much control over his subjects. If one did rise to control both factions the followers lacked individuality and free minds. Cheetor would not want to be a zombie. Voices and footsteps coming down the hall interrupted his train of thought. They came from Dinobot and Snowlily that from the sound of it were in beast mode.
"That was so sweet, Dinobot, that you came after me." The smaller fem bot complimented the raptor's earlier actions.
"I did NOT come after you." He snarled at her.
"Right Dinobot, I know your lust for battle was not the only reason for fighting off your commanding officer." The cat giggled.
"It was the challenge that provoked me!"
"Then why are you acting as if you're defending yourself?"
"I'm NOT defending myself! That was my reason for wanting to destroy the enemy."
"Riiiight." Dinobot narrowed his raptor eyes angrily then he hissed.
"Why do you badger-wait," he saw Snowlily fixated on him for his question, smiling. He almost forgot that's what she wants. "Nevermind." The raptor continued down the hall as the snow leopard followed.
"I know, I know, why do I always bug you? I know."
Cheetor laughed softly at their debating against why Dinobot had fought off everybody to get outside. Personally, the cat thought that the ex- Predacon's actions were provoked of Snowlily's capture. Of course he would NEVER admit it. The cat-bot sat up and transformed to his cheetah mode. The fur softened his recharge bed for more comfort. Lying down again his eyes remained open. His mind wondered to the what if things about his reprogramming. What if his plan had worked? He'd be controlling the warriors here and then eventually repairing a ship. After that they would've gone to Cybertron and released billions of cyberbees that would seek out any Cybertronian no matter what faction they were. Again Cheetor felt tempted to find one of those Bugs and continue his work, but no that was not right. He wanted free will for all Transformers. No. No. No. No. He tried to remind himself. It's not right. But.he sighed.
"What if."