Minor Backfire. (or my version of Feral scream.)
A golden bolt flew through the sky, into a pair of very ragged blast doors the Maximal's had set up. Cheetor landed in the command center in front of a very large orange monkey.
"Cheetor, status?" asked Optimal.
"Ol' Crablegs is dragging some of the Axalon out of the lake." Optimal sighed and thought a moment.
"Depthcharge can't be trusted to do the right thing, Rattrap, go take a look." Optimal ordered.
"'Ey! I Ain't gonna go near Crabcakes! Send the cat!" Rattrap responded from his repairing the blast doors. Cheetor shrugged.
"Okay."
"Only watch him Cheetor. Don't do anything rash." Optimal warned. Cheetor nodded and flew out.
Inferno loved his job, working for 'the Royalty'. Currently he was picking up bits of Optimus Primal when he had gone to destroy the Planet smasher and putting them in a bag.
"The Royalty will be pleased." He cackled as he picked up what was left of Primal's head, which had a somewhat amusing expression of terror on it's face.
Meanwhile, back at the Predacon base, Tarantulas and Megatron were working on some very intricate CR Tank designs. Quickstrike was dragging a trail of stasis pod's, one of which was rather humongous and had a Medical sign on it.
"Here ya go boss, dunno what ya wann'em fer." Quickstrike reported.
"Excellent my dear Quickstrike." Megatron complimented. Then he walked over leaving Tarantulas to begin construction on the Tanks. Then Waspinator flew in carrying a blank Stasis pod, which meant it had no spark. Waspinator looked rather haggard.
"INCOMPETENT BUG!" Megatron bellowed at Waspinator. He cringed at Megatron's Bellow. Waspinator didn't know why everyone yelled at him so much.
"Waspinator sorry! Waspinator got bitten in aft by an asp! Then Waspinator Got caught in Sandstorm and got sand in places Waspinator didn't know Waspinator had! THEN Waspinator had to dig up Pod from Giant sand hill! GIVE WASPINATOR SOME CREDIT!" Megatron shrugged.
"TARANTULAS!" Megatron yelled. Tarantulas rolled his optics.
"I have no time for your prattling Megatron!"
"I could kill you for your Treachery Spider! Status report!"
"We need to test it Megatron."
Megatron Pulled out a disk and slid it into one of the CR tanks Input slots. Nothing happened. Tarantulas reminded him they needed to put in something Organic. He pulled out Rampages Spark and put it in.
"Tarantulas! Put the Blank Protoform in. I might have a use for it after all."
A Distance away after Rampage had dropped off the Axalon hulk and had headed toward Depthcharge's location, Rampage felt a twinge within him. Cheetor heard him mumble something, then head back to base. Cheetor followed, being impetuous and didn't radio in.
Back at the Predacon base, the Tanks hissed and started bubbling and misting over.
Megatron read some readouts and cried, "YES!"
Tarantulas cackled. The computer made a sound like a ding and the Tank stopped. A white figure emerged from the mist. Megatron looked at the new figure.
"Welcome back Dinobot."
Rampage felt something bizarre deep within him, he knew his spark was being used by someone else. Suddenly he began to twitch violently and uncontrollably. Cheetor, seeing his opportunity to prove himself to Optimal, swooped in, transformed, and shot Rampage with several Laser bolts, stunning Rampage.
"The Cobalt kittty strikes again!" Cheetor cried. Suddenly he heard maniacal laughter behind him and felt himself being burned. Then someone conked him on the head and knocked him out cold.
"The Queen will be pleased at my catch." Inferno cried as he stuffed Cheetor in his bag and jetted off, leaving Rampage for dead.
Rhinox Turned from his Computer monitor to Optimal.
"Cheetor hasn't reported in yet. Think he's in trouble?" Rhinox asked. Rattrap turned from his monitor.
"Gee ya think? Ah'll probably haveta save his furry butt yet again!" Rattrap sighed.
"Yeah you will. You're going to go find him." Optimal Ordered.
"WHAT??!!"
"It was your suggestion." Rhinox pointed out. Rattrap mumbled and grumbled and trudged out.
At the Predacon base, Megatron was studying a round object. His readings said it was organic, but it amazed him because it was as hard as his hide and a brilliant red. Plus it was the size of his hand. He silently complimented Waspinator for finding this when he was digging up Dinobot's pod. He had asked Tarantulas if he could identify it, but to no avail. He believed it belonged to a now extinct Dinosaur specie, but it didn't match any on record. He put it aside and looked at Quickstrikes Pods he had brought in. He stopped on one that was about as big as Optimal and about as wide. He smiled.
"Hmmm,a big soldier, yessss." He laughed. Suddenly he heard Inferno come in.
"MY QUEEN! I have what you requested and more Royalty!" Inferno bowed. Megatron sighed. Inferno lifted Cheetor from the bag.
"I have captured this Maximal for you Royalty!" Inferno cackled with glee. Megatron nodded. Then he smiled at a thought.
"Put him in the CR Tanks and activate it. When he is done, put him in the cage." He pointed to several large cages behind him. He wondered what would happen if he put a Transmetal in the Tanks. He watched as the machine hissed and misted over and did it's thing. Inferno pulled the still unconscious Cheetor from the Tanks. Megatron growled, for nothing had happened to Cheetor.
"Throw him in the cage and make sure he's disarmed." Megatron ordered. Inferno saluted and jetted up to the cages, where he tossed Cheetor in and locked it. Megatron tapped his comm-vid system. He watched on a screen as Tarantulas was experimenting on a rat, putting it in a vat of chemical's.
"Tarantulas, we are about to put the Stasis pod's in the Trans-2 Tanks. Would you care to join us?" Megatron asked sweetly. Tarantulas moaned.
"I'm on my way." He grumbled. Megatron turned the screen off. He looked again to the red scale. He smiled and grasped it. He flew over to a Tank and slipped it in.
"Inferno! Take the rather Large stasis pod and put it in Trans-2 Tank Alpha." Megatron ordered. He radioed Waspinator and Quickstrike to come immediately. He couldn't contact Rampage so he called Dinobot next. Then he put the parts Inferno collected into another tank. Then he heard a moan and saw that Cheetor was waking up, but something wasn't quite right. Megatron hovered over and transformed to beast mode.
"I see the cat has finally awoke."
"Where am I?" Cheetor muttered. Then he looked around and moaned. "Not again."
"Oh yes again my dear Cheetor. Welcome back to the Predacon base." Megatron smiled sweetly. Cheetor felt a mind numbing wave of pain wash over him as his right front leg bulged. Cheetor let out a cry of surprise as his right front leg shattered to reveal a large, long arm with razor claws with yellow and orange fur.
"Wh-What'd you do to me??!" He cried as he yelped in pain. Megatron hovered in surprise backward and watched as more of Cheetor started to shatter to reveal his new form.
"Hmm. A delayed reaction to the Trans-2 Process provided by the already Transmetal Tissue." He mumbled to himself.
Rattrap was watching through an air conditioning grill, mouth wide with surprise. He watched as Cheetor's body shattered, revealing his new form. Looking more like a yellow and orange were-wolf, Cheetor's tail had turned into a long, wicked whip, thrashing about in his cage. He looked himself over. Rattrap pulled out two thing. A smoke bomb and explosives. He knew if he didn't act fast Cheetor would be scrap since he was starting to bend the bars. He kicked the grill open and threw the smoke bomb to the ground, making it so foggy none could see anything. He ran as fast as he could and blew Cheetor's cage apart. He fell to the ground.
"Well, well, well. Looks like da cat got hisself a new coat 'a fur." Rattrap said. Cheetor just nodded. Rattrap timed the explosive and threw it at the nearest wall, blowing a nice big hole in it. They swiftly ran out. They dodged Auto-gunfire and ducked behind a boulder.
"SO can ya still call yerself Air cheetor?" Rattrap asked. Cheetor shook his head.
"Ho boy. Well what can ya do?" Rattrap asked.
"I dunno, let's find out!" Cheetor transformed and pulled out a big gun. He aimed it at an Auto-gun and was amazed as the blast made the auto-gun explode.
"Well, that's a good thing ta do." Rattrap whistled. He got on Cheetor.
"How fast are ya cat?"
"I don't know."
"Let's find out. BURN RUBBER!" He yelled and Cheetor sped out of there. Megatron growled.
"BLAST THAT INSEPID RAT! Dinobot, turn on the smoke fans, Inferno, Quickstrike, Waspinator, keep loading the rest of the stasis pods. Tarantulas, Begin initiation sequence." Megatron spat out orders and growled. He walked over to a console and slammed a red button, activating Sentinel. Immediately the Shields went up.
Optimal, Silverbolt ,Blackarachnia, and Rhinox looked at the 3-D Picture of Cheetor's new form while he was in the CR chamber.
"Basically, Megatron threw him into whatever made the Cyber-raptor's and started it up." Rhinox said. Optimal nodded.
"Can we reverse the process?" Optimal asked.
"Not likely. This is a change right down to the molecular scale. No-one has ever been able to reverse something at that level." Blackarachnia answered. Silverbolt hugged Blackarachnia.
"My love, do you know anything as what Megatron used to transpire and change Cheetor?" Silverbolt asked. Optimal sighed inward, he really hated how Silverbolt fussed over Blackarachnia.
"Well, a little after the Metalhunter base incident, I found some pre-designs for a Special CR Tank, but nothing more than how it worked, and THAT was Quadruple incrypted and all this was in his security files." Blackarachnia answered. Everyone stared at her. She looked around.
"I was hacking his system, give me a break." She admitted. Optimal sighed again.
"Has Depthcharge reported in yet?"
"Yes, he said he'd be here in about 20 cycles." Rhinox answered. Optimus nodded and turned to Rattrap who was drawing on the computer.
"Done yet?"
"Yep, basically he had a coupla' CR Tanks modified and upgraded. But if ya ask me, what worries me is dat I saw more'n a Couple of Stasis pods, one a' which was 'bout the size of a coupla small houses." Rattrap said. Optimal looked at his picture. It was a rough layout of what the scenario had been. His optics stared at the stasis pod.
"I know that Protoform. Rhinox, remember that special Protoform we had on board?"
"Protoform X?'
"No, the one that had a Spark condition?"
"Oh! Yeah, The Medical one. We don't know his name, didn't have time." Rhinox muttered. Blackarachnia and Silverbolt just stared. Optimal began to explain.
"Before we chased Megatron to Earth, we had stopped at a colony in the Gamma system. Magnus Prime I think. After we had stopped for supplies, we got orders to take on a Medical case. He had a Spark condition that had worsened to the point they had to turn him into a protoform or lose it. So we were ordered to take him back to Cybertron so his spark could be stabilized. Right after we boarded him, we had to go chase Megatron." Optimal said.
"So if he is removed from his Life-giving stasis pod, he will die?" Silverbolt asked.
"Well, maybe. If we had gotten to him we could have used the Ark's facilities to make something that would stabilize if not cure his condition. But since Megatron has him, he'll probably die when he's taken out of that machine." Optimal said.
Megatron smiled as four new soldiers came out from his Trans-2 tanks. A Transmetal 2 Bat, Lemur, Ram, Beetle, and a crumpled form that was a brilliant red and orange with slight hues of yellow.
"Tarantulas, what happened to him?" Megatron pointed to the crumpled figure.
"I don't know. The process is still experimental." Tarantulas pointed out. Megatron growled.
"Inferno, put him in the cage till later. Inferno?" Megatron looked to Inferno, who was wrestling with The Lemur and Ram.
"Waspinator! Quickstrike! Stop Ramulus and Optimus Minor and put them in the cage too!" Megatron ordered after shooting both Transmetal 2's. They obeyed.
"Tarantulas come here a moment." Megatron said. The Protoforms shouldn't have acted that way.
"Yes Megatron?"
"You did remember to reprogram the pod's into Predacons correct?" He asked. Tarantulas shifted uncomfortably.
"I did manage to reprogram two, but then the rat interfered." Tarantulas explained. Megatron sneered and shot him into pieces. Then Rampage stumbled in.
"Rampage, Dinobot! Gather this fool's parts and Repair him in the CR Chamber, you too Rampage, then come back here. We have plans to make." With that everyone got busy. Inferno couldn't life the dead form so Megatron and Waspinator had to help. While everyone was getting things done, Minor and Ramulus sat on the Dead bot.
"Well great. First step out of the Tank and I'm thrown in here 'cause I'm am maximal and not a Pred. That's just so Slagging magnificent." The gold, red, and black Minor grumbled. Ramulus nodded.
"AAAAND not only thaaaat. Only other guy here waaas this guy aaaand now he's deaaaddd." Ramulus said. Minor noticed a hint of Goat accent.
"Geez, this guy is huge. How much you figure he weighs?" Minor asked, pointing to what they were sitting on.
"Don't know, three hundred?"
"Easily. More like about two tons. Too bad he's dead, could really helped us get out of here." Minor sighed. He sat back and watched the group of Predacons with Ramulus. Unbeknowst to them, the figure they were sitting on wasn't quite dead. His optic's lit to an almost unnoticeable shade of reddish orange. Then his optics went dead again.
Minor and Ramulus were left alone when the Predacons headed out to attack the Maximal base. Ramulus started messing with the corpses arm.
"What are you doing Ram?" Minor asked.
"Well, I aaaaain't gonnaaa staaay here. I'm looking for aaa coolaaant wire. Maaaybe I caaan short the caage's electric system." Ramulus explained. Minor nodded. Ramulus plucked a little hose.
"Help me draaag him closer." Ramulus asked as he pulled the guy closer to the cage door with little success. Minor pushed the corpse while Ramulus pulled. After about two minutes they had him close enough. Ramulus prepared to take action.
"Braaace yourself." Ramulus warned and stuck the wire into the electric lock. The cage sparked and crackled. The door sprung open and the cage started to fall toward the lava.
"JUMP!" Minor cried as he grabbed Ramulus and leapt. He fell short. He grabbed the edge of floor above the lava with his free hand.
"NICE PLAN HORN-HEAD! You shorted the lock but made the cage fall." Minor said.
"Well how waaaas I supposed to know it waaas electricaaaally held to the ceiling? Now is not the time to aaaargue! CLIMB MONKEY BOY!" Ramulus cried. Minor threw Ramulus up first then climbed up himself.
"Poor guy, what a way to go, melted into slag." Minor said.
"Hello? The guy waaas aaalreaaady deaad? How could he die aaany more?" Ramulus asked.
"Nevermind. We gotta catch up to The Preds. C'mon." Minor said. Ramulus transformed to beast mode. Minor jumped on him and grabbed his horns as Ramulus ran out of there. As they rode out, a red hand popped out of the lava and drove it's fingers into the metal floor.
Optimal looked at the readings.
"So the Shield program isn't ready yet?" Blackarachnia and Rhinox stood in front of a console with many tubes running to the Ark.
"Maximal and Predacon tech is different from Autobot. Mixing the three is tricky." Rhinox explained.
"And more complicated." Blackarachnia mumbled. Optimal sighed.
"We need a shield program. With the pods that Megatron has, he'll attack any cycle. He has the advantages." Optimal said for the umpteenth time. Cheetor was scanning in his new form, which he actually liked. Suddenly the entire place rumbled.
"Uh-oh, looks like the tin tyrant's here." Rattrap said.
"Maximals, Outside!" Optimal ordered. He transformed to jet mode. Depthcharge transformed to space mode. Rattrap jumped on Depthcharge as they moved out.
At the Predacon base, dozens of Tarantulas's Spider-lights were downloading data from Megatrons computer, when a giant red and orange hand popped from the edge of the lava pit and grabbed the floor, crushing many a Spider. Fiery eyes pierced the darkness as another hand came out of the lava and then followed a huge body. The giant stomped over to the computer, batting away spiders. It typed away and looked at the data. It smiled as a Picture of the Maximal base appeared along with coordinates. It transformed and a pair of red wings spread and slammed through Sentinels Shields and headed toward the Base.
Megatron pointed to the two cannons on either side of the blast doors. Rampage aimed his cannon and fired, blowing both stations away. The Predacons jumped down from their positions and were in time as the Maximals came outside, guns blazing.
"Predacons, ATTACK!" Megatron cried and started shooting.
"Hold your ground Maximals!" Optimal responded. Depthcharge transformed and tackled Rampage while Rattrap started shooting at Waspinator and Sonar. Cheetor tackled Dinobot and Blackarachnia fired her machine guns at Inferno. Quickstrike paralyzed Silverbolt's wings and wrestled him to the ground. Tarantulas aimed his Transmetal gun and fired, hitting Optimal in the head.
"Optimus!" Rhinox cried, and shot wildly with his chain guns. Tarantulas fired back at Rhinox, distracting him while Scarem snuck behind Rhinox and sunk his scythe arms into his hide. Megatron laughed as he Shot Rattrap and Cheetor.
"THE ARK IS OURS!" He cried as he started walking towards the blast doors. Megatron looked up as a loud shriek filled the air, in time to see Ramulus and Minor charge him, headbutting him out of the way. They transformed and stood in front of the Blast doors.
"You ain't getting nothing from here Megs!" Minor cried, whipping his tail.
"Who the heck are you two? The Dynamic Duo?" Rattrap yelled as he dove behind a rock as Onyx fired his shotgun at him.
"Naaaahh. I'm Raaaamulus, thaat's Optimus Minor." Ramulus answered as he Fired his Slagmaker at Megatron. Megatron ducked and shot back, slamming Ramulus against the Blast doors, knocking him unconscious.
"Fat lotta good yer helpin'." Rattrap muttered as he shot Waspinator. Minor jumped and wrapped his tail around Megatron's throat.
"Alright punk. You gotta ask yourself. Do ya feel lucky?" Minor asked. Megatron snorted.
"How Cliché. Rampage!" Megatron cried. Rampage threw Depthcharge off and fired one round, nailing Minor and slagging a good half of his body. He slammed into a boulder. Megatron pointed his claw at Minor and it glowed purple.
"I should've scrapped the both of you as soon as you were thrown in the cage with that lifeless husk!" Megatron snarled.
"I WASN'T QUITE DEAD." A giant voice said from above. He stopped snarling when a shadow covered the battle field, blocking out the sun itself. He looked up and gaped along with everyone else. A creature was slowly descending from the sky, it was half the size of the Axalon and half as wide. It's wings stretched across about 14 yds. And it's feet and razor sharp talons the size of Megatron himself. It was a Transmetal obviously because of metallic appearance. Depthcharge took advantage of Rampage's staring and broke away, sending Rampage in the exact place where one of It's feet came down.
"NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" Rampage cried as the foot Smashed him. The Red beast stared at everyone through orange optics and it opened it's mouth and gave a roar that could've shattered diamonds, revealing it's curving teeth. It breathed a fire ball that sent everyone disengaging from their opponents. Rattrap stared.
"Who, no scratch that. WHAT the cheese are you?????" He asked.
"It's a dragon." Blackarachnia whispered. Silverbolt Hugged Blackarachnia close.
"By the Matrix." Optimal muttered. Then the dragon lifted it's huge bulk, standing on it's back legs, revealing it's orange armored underbelly.
"Firelord, MAXIMIZE!" It cried in a voice that shook the rocks. It's body shifted and changed, and Shrunk. All that bulk shifted into one Robot figure the size of Optimal Optimus. The bulky armor was a brilliant red with Orange patches, two red wings were folded around his neck, combined with his Staff made him look like a noble knight. He tapped his staff on the ground once and fire lit up at both ends.
"I advise you to leave Megatron." Firelord said simply. Megatron smiled as his Predacons readied their weapons.
"Really? I'm impressed, but not that impressed. My dear Rampage, if you will?" Megatron said simply. Rampage crawled out from the hole and staggered to his feet, then armed his cannon with his Giant missile and aimed it at Firelord. Immediately Firelord's wings opened and curled in a sort of protective shield like Depthcharge. Rampage fired the missile, laughing. The explosion knocked the Maximal's off their feet. Megatron smiled and turned back to the Maximal's.
"Now where were we?" He asked himself. As the smoke cleared, Megatron looked back at the blast site. There was a humongous crater with Firelord standing in the middle, with his wings uncurling around him. He had not a wound, not even a singe mark.
"Is that all you got?" Firelord said. Megatron pointed at him.
"Predacons, ATTACK!" Immediately a barrage of guns fired at Firelord, who swiftly jumped up and soared towards the Predacons. He aimed his staff at them and a fireball fired off the end of it. The Predacons leapt aside, with the exception of Sonar, who swiftly exploded.
"NOOOOO!" Waspinator cried as Firelord landed on him, crushing his head. Quickstrike leapt at Firelord.
"Ah dunno how ya came back from the dead, tinhorn, but ah'll send ya right back!" Quickstrike cried as his Snake arm prepared to bite him. Firelord simply pulled out a gun and shot Quickstrike off his back, and as a finishing touch, he fired a fireball at the soaring Quickstrike, sending him even farther. Firelord put the gun away as Scarem came at him, his scythe's raised to slice him. Scarem sliced downward, Firelord simply using his staff to hit him backward a little. Scarem shook his head and ran at him again. This time Firelord grabbed both scythes with one hand and picked him up. He swung him in the air and sent Scarem flying at Inferno, who ducked.
"Time to burn, Traitor." Inferno said, lighting his flamethrower and dousing Firelord in it. Firelord simply smiled.
"Hm, another fire-bug." Firelord quipped. "try mine." Firelord pointed his staff at Inferno and bathed him in his own fire, melting the organics and some of the metal right off him. He finished with a punch to Inferno that sent his head flying. Firelord looked behind him at Rampage.
"You want some punk? BRING IT ON." Firelord cried, leaping at Rampage with his staff above his head. Rampage fires his gun to no avail as Firelord slammed his staff into Rampages head, sending it down in his body. He proceeded to beat Rampage with his staff, slamming the fire ends all over him. Finally he tripped Rampage and stuck his staff behind him into Tarantulas, who was sneaking up on him.
"Uh-oh." Tarantulas said before he was flung into Dinobot. Firelord turned to Megatron and transformed to beast mode. He roared loudly at the wounded Predacons.
"LEAVE OR BE SLAGGED PREDS! YOU HAVE 5 SECONDS." Firelord roared.
"PREDACON'S RETREAT!" Megatron hollered, then flew off at top speed. Firelord watched them fly away then rose up onto his hind legs. Suddenly he staggered and grabbed his chest. Then he Promptly fell over unconcious.
"Rhinox what's wrong with him?" Optimus asked. Rhinox had made Firelord Transform to robot mode and brought him to the Med bay. He tapped his console a few times.
"This is the guy with the Spark condition. Looks like the Fight really stressed his Spark, although It seems that Megatrons Transmetal 2 process stabilized the Condition a bit. But not enough to eradicate it completely." Rhinox reported. Blackarachnia held up a large square box object, only two little door's connected with wires and other various devices made it different from a large metal carrier.
"Which is where this thing comes in. Rhinox and I cobbled it together from Spart parts and Autobot Technology." Optimus stared at Blackarachnia with a nasty look on his face.
"So I used the code's to get some tech, big deal." She shrugged.
"It's a stabilizer unit. It'll keep the Spark online. Plus it's Die-cast construction so it'll withstand massive damage." Rhinox explained.
"Tthe spark goes INSIDE it. We remove Flame-heads spark from his body and put it in here. Only problem is that it'll take time to put it in here and hook it up. So long that by the time we're done, Flame's Spark will be kaput." Blackarachnia finished. Optimus sighed.
"I don't think you need to worry about that." Blackarachnia started to ask, but Rhinox shook his head.
"Go ahead and do it." Optimus walked out. Rattrap and Cheetor we're talking about the new guy.
"Can you believe how BIG that overgrown lizard is?"
"Yeah, I know! Bigger than a Ship! And you see how he took the Atom missile Crabcake's shot at him?"
"Saw? I still got the ringing in my ear." Optimus chuckled.
THE END
A golden bolt flew through the sky, into a pair of very ragged blast doors the Maximal's had set up. Cheetor landed in the command center in front of a very large orange monkey.
"Cheetor, status?" asked Optimal.
"Ol' Crablegs is dragging some of the Axalon out of the lake." Optimal sighed and thought a moment.
"Depthcharge can't be trusted to do the right thing, Rattrap, go take a look." Optimal ordered.
"'Ey! I Ain't gonna go near Crabcakes! Send the cat!" Rattrap responded from his repairing the blast doors. Cheetor shrugged.
"Okay."
"Only watch him Cheetor. Don't do anything rash." Optimal warned. Cheetor nodded and flew out.
Inferno loved his job, working for 'the Royalty'. Currently he was picking up bits of Optimus Primal when he had gone to destroy the Planet smasher and putting them in a bag.
"The Royalty will be pleased." He cackled as he picked up what was left of Primal's head, which had a somewhat amusing expression of terror on it's face.
Meanwhile, back at the Predacon base, Tarantulas and Megatron were working on some very intricate CR Tank designs. Quickstrike was dragging a trail of stasis pod's, one of which was rather humongous and had a Medical sign on it.
"Here ya go boss, dunno what ya wann'em fer." Quickstrike reported.
"Excellent my dear Quickstrike." Megatron complimented. Then he walked over leaving Tarantulas to begin construction on the Tanks. Then Waspinator flew in carrying a blank Stasis pod, which meant it had no spark. Waspinator looked rather haggard.
"INCOMPETENT BUG!" Megatron bellowed at Waspinator. He cringed at Megatron's Bellow. Waspinator didn't know why everyone yelled at him so much.
"Waspinator sorry! Waspinator got bitten in aft by an asp! Then Waspinator Got caught in Sandstorm and got sand in places Waspinator didn't know Waspinator had! THEN Waspinator had to dig up Pod from Giant sand hill! GIVE WASPINATOR SOME CREDIT!" Megatron shrugged.
"TARANTULAS!" Megatron yelled. Tarantulas rolled his optics.
"I have no time for your prattling Megatron!"
"I could kill you for your Treachery Spider! Status report!"
"We need to test it Megatron."
Megatron Pulled out a disk and slid it into one of the CR tanks Input slots. Nothing happened. Tarantulas reminded him they needed to put in something Organic. He pulled out Rampages Spark and put it in.
"Tarantulas! Put the Blank Protoform in. I might have a use for it after all."
A Distance away after Rampage had dropped off the Axalon hulk and had headed toward Depthcharge's location, Rampage felt a twinge within him. Cheetor heard him mumble something, then head back to base. Cheetor followed, being impetuous and didn't radio in.
Back at the Predacon base, the Tanks hissed and started bubbling and misting over.
Megatron read some readouts and cried, "YES!"
Tarantulas cackled. The computer made a sound like a ding and the Tank stopped. A white figure emerged from the mist. Megatron looked at the new figure.
"Welcome back Dinobot."
Rampage felt something bizarre deep within him, he knew his spark was being used by someone else. Suddenly he began to twitch violently and uncontrollably. Cheetor, seeing his opportunity to prove himself to Optimal, swooped in, transformed, and shot Rampage with several Laser bolts, stunning Rampage.
"The Cobalt kittty strikes again!" Cheetor cried. Suddenly he heard maniacal laughter behind him and felt himself being burned. Then someone conked him on the head and knocked him out cold.
"The Queen will be pleased at my catch." Inferno cried as he stuffed Cheetor in his bag and jetted off, leaving Rampage for dead.
Rhinox Turned from his Computer monitor to Optimal.
"Cheetor hasn't reported in yet. Think he's in trouble?" Rhinox asked. Rattrap turned from his monitor.
"Gee ya think? Ah'll probably haveta save his furry butt yet again!" Rattrap sighed.
"Yeah you will. You're going to go find him." Optimal Ordered.
"WHAT??!!"
"It was your suggestion." Rhinox pointed out. Rattrap mumbled and grumbled and trudged out.
At the Predacon base, Megatron was studying a round object. His readings said it was organic, but it amazed him because it was as hard as his hide and a brilliant red. Plus it was the size of his hand. He silently complimented Waspinator for finding this when he was digging up Dinobot's pod. He had asked Tarantulas if he could identify it, but to no avail. He believed it belonged to a now extinct Dinosaur specie, but it didn't match any on record. He put it aside and looked at Quickstrikes Pods he had brought in. He stopped on one that was about as big as Optimal and about as wide. He smiled.
"Hmmm,a big soldier, yessss." He laughed. Suddenly he heard Inferno come in.
"MY QUEEN! I have what you requested and more Royalty!" Inferno bowed. Megatron sighed. Inferno lifted Cheetor from the bag.
"I have captured this Maximal for you Royalty!" Inferno cackled with glee. Megatron nodded. Then he smiled at a thought.
"Put him in the CR Tanks and activate it. When he is done, put him in the cage." He pointed to several large cages behind him. He wondered what would happen if he put a Transmetal in the Tanks. He watched as the machine hissed and misted over and did it's thing. Inferno pulled the still unconscious Cheetor from the Tanks. Megatron growled, for nothing had happened to Cheetor.
"Throw him in the cage and make sure he's disarmed." Megatron ordered. Inferno saluted and jetted up to the cages, where he tossed Cheetor in and locked it. Megatron tapped his comm-vid system. He watched on a screen as Tarantulas was experimenting on a rat, putting it in a vat of chemical's.
"Tarantulas, we are about to put the Stasis pod's in the Trans-2 Tanks. Would you care to join us?" Megatron asked sweetly. Tarantulas moaned.
"I'm on my way." He grumbled. Megatron turned the screen off. He looked again to the red scale. He smiled and grasped it. He flew over to a Tank and slipped it in.
"Inferno! Take the rather Large stasis pod and put it in Trans-2 Tank Alpha." Megatron ordered. He radioed Waspinator and Quickstrike to come immediately. He couldn't contact Rampage so he called Dinobot next. Then he put the parts Inferno collected into another tank. Then he heard a moan and saw that Cheetor was waking up, but something wasn't quite right. Megatron hovered over and transformed to beast mode.
"I see the cat has finally awoke."
"Where am I?" Cheetor muttered. Then he looked around and moaned. "Not again."
"Oh yes again my dear Cheetor. Welcome back to the Predacon base." Megatron smiled sweetly. Cheetor felt a mind numbing wave of pain wash over him as his right front leg bulged. Cheetor let out a cry of surprise as his right front leg shattered to reveal a large, long arm with razor claws with yellow and orange fur.
"Wh-What'd you do to me??!" He cried as he yelped in pain. Megatron hovered in surprise backward and watched as more of Cheetor started to shatter to reveal his new form.
"Hmm. A delayed reaction to the Trans-2 Process provided by the already Transmetal Tissue." He mumbled to himself.
Rattrap was watching through an air conditioning grill, mouth wide with surprise. He watched as Cheetor's body shattered, revealing his new form. Looking more like a yellow and orange were-wolf, Cheetor's tail had turned into a long, wicked whip, thrashing about in his cage. He looked himself over. Rattrap pulled out two thing. A smoke bomb and explosives. He knew if he didn't act fast Cheetor would be scrap since he was starting to bend the bars. He kicked the grill open and threw the smoke bomb to the ground, making it so foggy none could see anything. He ran as fast as he could and blew Cheetor's cage apart. He fell to the ground.
"Well, well, well. Looks like da cat got hisself a new coat 'a fur." Rattrap said. Cheetor just nodded. Rattrap timed the explosive and threw it at the nearest wall, blowing a nice big hole in it. They swiftly ran out. They dodged Auto-gunfire and ducked behind a boulder.
"SO can ya still call yerself Air cheetor?" Rattrap asked. Cheetor shook his head.
"Ho boy. Well what can ya do?" Rattrap asked.
"I dunno, let's find out!" Cheetor transformed and pulled out a big gun. He aimed it at an Auto-gun and was amazed as the blast made the auto-gun explode.
"Well, that's a good thing ta do." Rattrap whistled. He got on Cheetor.
"How fast are ya cat?"
"I don't know."
"Let's find out. BURN RUBBER!" He yelled and Cheetor sped out of there. Megatron growled.
"BLAST THAT INSEPID RAT! Dinobot, turn on the smoke fans, Inferno, Quickstrike, Waspinator, keep loading the rest of the stasis pods. Tarantulas, Begin initiation sequence." Megatron spat out orders and growled. He walked over to a console and slammed a red button, activating Sentinel. Immediately the Shields went up.
Optimal, Silverbolt ,Blackarachnia, and Rhinox looked at the 3-D Picture of Cheetor's new form while he was in the CR chamber.
"Basically, Megatron threw him into whatever made the Cyber-raptor's and started it up." Rhinox said. Optimal nodded.
"Can we reverse the process?" Optimal asked.
"Not likely. This is a change right down to the molecular scale. No-one has ever been able to reverse something at that level." Blackarachnia answered. Silverbolt hugged Blackarachnia.
"My love, do you know anything as what Megatron used to transpire and change Cheetor?" Silverbolt asked. Optimal sighed inward, he really hated how Silverbolt fussed over Blackarachnia.
"Well, a little after the Metalhunter base incident, I found some pre-designs for a Special CR Tank, but nothing more than how it worked, and THAT was Quadruple incrypted and all this was in his security files." Blackarachnia answered. Everyone stared at her. She looked around.
"I was hacking his system, give me a break." She admitted. Optimal sighed again.
"Has Depthcharge reported in yet?"
"Yes, he said he'd be here in about 20 cycles." Rhinox answered. Optimus nodded and turned to Rattrap who was drawing on the computer.
"Done yet?"
"Yep, basically he had a coupla' CR Tanks modified and upgraded. But if ya ask me, what worries me is dat I saw more'n a Couple of Stasis pods, one a' which was 'bout the size of a coupla small houses." Rattrap said. Optimal looked at his picture. It was a rough layout of what the scenario had been. His optics stared at the stasis pod.
"I know that Protoform. Rhinox, remember that special Protoform we had on board?"
"Protoform X?'
"No, the one that had a Spark condition?"
"Oh! Yeah, The Medical one. We don't know his name, didn't have time." Rhinox muttered. Blackarachnia and Silverbolt just stared. Optimal began to explain.
"Before we chased Megatron to Earth, we had stopped at a colony in the Gamma system. Magnus Prime I think. After we had stopped for supplies, we got orders to take on a Medical case. He had a Spark condition that had worsened to the point they had to turn him into a protoform or lose it. So we were ordered to take him back to Cybertron so his spark could be stabilized. Right after we boarded him, we had to go chase Megatron." Optimal said.
"So if he is removed from his Life-giving stasis pod, he will die?" Silverbolt asked.
"Well, maybe. If we had gotten to him we could have used the Ark's facilities to make something that would stabilize if not cure his condition. But since Megatron has him, he'll probably die when he's taken out of that machine." Optimal said.
Megatron smiled as four new soldiers came out from his Trans-2 tanks. A Transmetal 2 Bat, Lemur, Ram, Beetle, and a crumpled form that was a brilliant red and orange with slight hues of yellow.
"Tarantulas, what happened to him?" Megatron pointed to the crumpled figure.
"I don't know. The process is still experimental." Tarantulas pointed out. Megatron growled.
"Inferno, put him in the cage till later. Inferno?" Megatron looked to Inferno, who was wrestling with The Lemur and Ram.
"Waspinator! Quickstrike! Stop Ramulus and Optimus Minor and put them in the cage too!" Megatron ordered after shooting both Transmetal 2's. They obeyed.
"Tarantulas come here a moment." Megatron said. The Protoforms shouldn't have acted that way.
"Yes Megatron?"
"You did remember to reprogram the pod's into Predacons correct?" He asked. Tarantulas shifted uncomfortably.
"I did manage to reprogram two, but then the rat interfered." Tarantulas explained. Megatron sneered and shot him into pieces. Then Rampage stumbled in.
"Rampage, Dinobot! Gather this fool's parts and Repair him in the CR Chamber, you too Rampage, then come back here. We have plans to make." With that everyone got busy. Inferno couldn't life the dead form so Megatron and Waspinator had to help. While everyone was getting things done, Minor and Ramulus sat on the Dead bot.
"Well great. First step out of the Tank and I'm thrown in here 'cause I'm am maximal and not a Pred. That's just so Slagging magnificent." The gold, red, and black Minor grumbled. Ramulus nodded.
"AAAAND not only thaaaat. Only other guy here waaas this guy aaaand now he's deaaaddd." Ramulus said. Minor noticed a hint of Goat accent.
"Geez, this guy is huge. How much you figure he weighs?" Minor asked, pointing to what they were sitting on.
"Don't know, three hundred?"
"Easily. More like about two tons. Too bad he's dead, could really helped us get out of here." Minor sighed. He sat back and watched the group of Predacons with Ramulus. Unbeknowst to them, the figure they were sitting on wasn't quite dead. His optic's lit to an almost unnoticeable shade of reddish orange. Then his optics went dead again.
Minor and Ramulus were left alone when the Predacons headed out to attack the Maximal base. Ramulus started messing with the corpses arm.
"What are you doing Ram?" Minor asked.
"Well, I aaaaain't gonnaaa staaay here. I'm looking for aaa coolaaant wire. Maaaybe I caaan short the caage's electric system." Ramulus explained. Minor nodded. Ramulus plucked a little hose.
"Help me draaag him closer." Ramulus asked as he pulled the guy closer to the cage door with little success. Minor pushed the corpse while Ramulus pulled. After about two minutes they had him close enough. Ramulus prepared to take action.
"Braaace yourself." Ramulus warned and stuck the wire into the electric lock. The cage sparked and crackled. The door sprung open and the cage started to fall toward the lava.
"JUMP!" Minor cried as he grabbed Ramulus and leapt. He fell short. He grabbed the edge of floor above the lava with his free hand.
"NICE PLAN HORN-HEAD! You shorted the lock but made the cage fall." Minor said.
"Well how waaaas I supposed to know it waaas electricaaaally held to the ceiling? Now is not the time to aaaargue! CLIMB MONKEY BOY!" Ramulus cried. Minor threw Ramulus up first then climbed up himself.
"Poor guy, what a way to go, melted into slag." Minor said.
"Hello? The guy waaas aaalreaaady deaad? How could he die aaany more?" Ramulus asked.
"Nevermind. We gotta catch up to The Preds. C'mon." Minor said. Ramulus transformed to beast mode. Minor jumped on him and grabbed his horns as Ramulus ran out of there. As they rode out, a red hand popped out of the lava and drove it's fingers into the metal floor.
Optimal looked at the readings.
"So the Shield program isn't ready yet?" Blackarachnia and Rhinox stood in front of a console with many tubes running to the Ark.
"Maximal and Predacon tech is different from Autobot. Mixing the three is tricky." Rhinox explained.
"And more complicated." Blackarachnia mumbled. Optimal sighed.
"We need a shield program. With the pods that Megatron has, he'll attack any cycle. He has the advantages." Optimal said for the umpteenth time. Cheetor was scanning in his new form, which he actually liked. Suddenly the entire place rumbled.
"Uh-oh, looks like the tin tyrant's here." Rattrap said.
"Maximals, Outside!" Optimal ordered. He transformed to jet mode. Depthcharge transformed to space mode. Rattrap jumped on Depthcharge as they moved out.
At the Predacon base, dozens of Tarantulas's Spider-lights were downloading data from Megatrons computer, when a giant red and orange hand popped from the edge of the lava pit and grabbed the floor, crushing many a Spider. Fiery eyes pierced the darkness as another hand came out of the lava and then followed a huge body. The giant stomped over to the computer, batting away spiders. It typed away and looked at the data. It smiled as a Picture of the Maximal base appeared along with coordinates. It transformed and a pair of red wings spread and slammed through Sentinels Shields and headed toward the Base.
Megatron pointed to the two cannons on either side of the blast doors. Rampage aimed his cannon and fired, blowing both stations away. The Predacons jumped down from their positions and were in time as the Maximals came outside, guns blazing.
"Predacons, ATTACK!" Megatron cried and started shooting.
"Hold your ground Maximals!" Optimal responded. Depthcharge transformed and tackled Rampage while Rattrap started shooting at Waspinator and Sonar. Cheetor tackled Dinobot and Blackarachnia fired her machine guns at Inferno. Quickstrike paralyzed Silverbolt's wings and wrestled him to the ground. Tarantulas aimed his Transmetal gun and fired, hitting Optimal in the head.
"Optimus!" Rhinox cried, and shot wildly with his chain guns. Tarantulas fired back at Rhinox, distracting him while Scarem snuck behind Rhinox and sunk his scythe arms into his hide. Megatron laughed as he Shot Rattrap and Cheetor.
"THE ARK IS OURS!" He cried as he started walking towards the blast doors. Megatron looked up as a loud shriek filled the air, in time to see Ramulus and Minor charge him, headbutting him out of the way. They transformed and stood in front of the Blast doors.
"You ain't getting nothing from here Megs!" Minor cried, whipping his tail.
"Who the heck are you two? The Dynamic Duo?" Rattrap yelled as he dove behind a rock as Onyx fired his shotgun at him.
"Naaaahh. I'm Raaaamulus, thaat's Optimus Minor." Ramulus answered as he Fired his Slagmaker at Megatron. Megatron ducked and shot back, slamming Ramulus against the Blast doors, knocking him unconscious.
"Fat lotta good yer helpin'." Rattrap muttered as he shot Waspinator. Minor jumped and wrapped his tail around Megatron's throat.
"Alright punk. You gotta ask yourself. Do ya feel lucky?" Minor asked. Megatron snorted.
"How Cliché. Rampage!" Megatron cried. Rampage threw Depthcharge off and fired one round, nailing Minor and slagging a good half of his body. He slammed into a boulder. Megatron pointed his claw at Minor and it glowed purple.
"I should've scrapped the both of you as soon as you were thrown in the cage with that lifeless husk!" Megatron snarled.
"I WASN'T QUITE DEAD." A giant voice said from above. He stopped snarling when a shadow covered the battle field, blocking out the sun itself. He looked up and gaped along with everyone else. A creature was slowly descending from the sky, it was half the size of the Axalon and half as wide. It's wings stretched across about 14 yds. And it's feet and razor sharp talons the size of Megatron himself. It was a Transmetal obviously because of metallic appearance. Depthcharge took advantage of Rampage's staring and broke away, sending Rampage in the exact place where one of It's feet came down.
"NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" Rampage cried as the foot Smashed him. The Red beast stared at everyone through orange optics and it opened it's mouth and gave a roar that could've shattered diamonds, revealing it's curving teeth. It breathed a fire ball that sent everyone disengaging from their opponents. Rattrap stared.
"Who, no scratch that. WHAT the cheese are you?????" He asked.
"It's a dragon." Blackarachnia whispered. Silverbolt Hugged Blackarachnia close.
"By the Matrix." Optimal muttered. Then the dragon lifted it's huge bulk, standing on it's back legs, revealing it's orange armored underbelly.
"Firelord, MAXIMIZE!" It cried in a voice that shook the rocks. It's body shifted and changed, and Shrunk. All that bulk shifted into one Robot figure the size of Optimal Optimus. The bulky armor was a brilliant red with Orange patches, two red wings were folded around his neck, combined with his Staff made him look like a noble knight. He tapped his staff on the ground once and fire lit up at both ends.
"I advise you to leave Megatron." Firelord said simply. Megatron smiled as his Predacons readied their weapons.
"Really? I'm impressed, but not that impressed. My dear Rampage, if you will?" Megatron said simply. Rampage crawled out from the hole and staggered to his feet, then armed his cannon with his Giant missile and aimed it at Firelord. Immediately Firelord's wings opened and curled in a sort of protective shield like Depthcharge. Rampage fired the missile, laughing. The explosion knocked the Maximal's off their feet. Megatron smiled and turned back to the Maximal's.
"Now where were we?" He asked himself. As the smoke cleared, Megatron looked back at the blast site. There was a humongous crater with Firelord standing in the middle, with his wings uncurling around him. He had not a wound, not even a singe mark.
"Is that all you got?" Firelord said. Megatron pointed at him.
"Predacons, ATTACK!" Immediately a barrage of guns fired at Firelord, who swiftly jumped up and soared towards the Predacons. He aimed his staff at them and a fireball fired off the end of it. The Predacons leapt aside, with the exception of Sonar, who swiftly exploded.
"NOOOOO!" Waspinator cried as Firelord landed on him, crushing his head. Quickstrike leapt at Firelord.
"Ah dunno how ya came back from the dead, tinhorn, but ah'll send ya right back!" Quickstrike cried as his Snake arm prepared to bite him. Firelord simply pulled out a gun and shot Quickstrike off his back, and as a finishing touch, he fired a fireball at the soaring Quickstrike, sending him even farther. Firelord put the gun away as Scarem came at him, his scythe's raised to slice him. Scarem sliced downward, Firelord simply using his staff to hit him backward a little. Scarem shook his head and ran at him again. This time Firelord grabbed both scythes with one hand and picked him up. He swung him in the air and sent Scarem flying at Inferno, who ducked.
"Time to burn, Traitor." Inferno said, lighting his flamethrower and dousing Firelord in it. Firelord simply smiled.
"Hm, another fire-bug." Firelord quipped. "try mine." Firelord pointed his staff at Inferno and bathed him in his own fire, melting the organics and some of the metal right off him. He finished with a punch to Inferno that sent his head flying. Firelord looked behind him at Rampage.
"You want some punk? BRING IT ON." Firelord cried, leaping at Rampage with his staff above his head. Rampage fires his gun to no avail as Firelord slammed his staff into Rampages head, sending it down in his body. He proceeded to beat Rampage with his staff, slamming the fire ends all over him. Finally he tripped Rampage and stuck his staff behind him into Tarantulas, who was sneaking up on him.
"Uh-oh." Tarantulas said before he was flung into Dinobot. Firelord turned to Megatron and transformed to beast mode. He roared loudly at the wounded Predacons.
"LEAVE OR BE SLAGGED PREDS! YOU HAVE 5 SECONDS." Firelord roared.
"PREDACON'S RETREAT!" Megatron hollered, then flew off at top speed. Firelord watched them fly away then rose up onto his hind legs. Suddenly he staggered and grabbed his chest. Then he Promptly fell over unconcious.
"Rhinox what's wrong with him?" Optimus asked. Rhinox had made Firelord Transform to robot mode and brought him to the Med bay. He tapped his console a few times.
"This is the guy with the Spark condition. Looks like the Fight really stressed his Spark, although It seems that Megatrons Transmetal 2 process stabilized the Condition a bit. But not enough to eradicate it completely." Rhinox reported. Blackarachnia held up a large square box object, only two little door's connected with wires and other various devices made it different from a large metal carrier.
"Which is where this thing comes in. Rhinox and I cobbled it together from Spart parts and Autobot Technology." Optimus stared at Blackarachnia with a nasty look on his face.
"So I used the code's to get some tech, big deal." She shrugged.
"It's a stabilizer unit. It'll keep the Spark online. Plus it's Die-cast construction so it'll withstand massive damage." Rhinox explained.
"Tthe spark goes INSIDE it. We remove Flame-heads spark from his body and put it in here. Only problem is that it'll take time to put it in here and hook it up. So long that by the time we're done, Flame's Spark will be kaput." Blackarachnia finished. Optimus sighed.
"I don't think you need to worry about that." Blackarachnia started to ask, but Rhinox shook his head.
"Go ahead and do it." Optimus walked out. Rattrap and Cheetor we're talking about the new guy.
"Can you believe how BIG that overgrown lizard is?"
"Yeah, I know! Bigger than a Ship! And you see how he took the Atom missile Crabcake's shot at him?"
"Saw? I still got the ringing in my ear." Optimus chuckled.
THE END