iAuthor's Note: This story is set in the First Season
with one noticeable difference: Silverbolt and Quickstrike
landed earlier than they did in the T.V. continuity. It is also
the prequel to "Asura"./i
The Misfit
by Architeuthis (aegerton@erols.com)
The two stasis pods plummeted toward the Earth, their gyros too badly damaged by low-level cosmic radiation to keep them in orbit. Those mechanisms, however, did function well enough to ensure safe landings on the planet surface. Unfortunately, they landed near a large Energon deposit, which damaged the scanners. Consequently, the malfunctioning scanners each scanned itwo/i animals and combined their traits into one bizarre form. One of the pods' scanners even selected animals more typically associated with Predacons: a scorpion and a cobra. The pods finished replicating the grotesque results and opened simultaneously, revealing a pair of monstrosities. One was a silver-gray wolf with the wings and talons of some great bird of prey, while the other was a gold and turquoise scorpion with a cobra's head on its tail, where its stinger should have been.
"Who are you?", asked the wolf/eagle creature, sounding confused and groggy. "For that matter, who am I?"
"I dunno." The cobra/scorpion creature also seemed confused. Both these unfortunates had also suffered damage to their data tracks, giving them amnesia. The cobra/scorpion decided he didn't care. "But I ido/i know one thing: I bet I kin thrash yer tail!"
"What?!"
"Let's wrassle, Fuzz'n'Feathers! You and me both! Right here, right now!"
With those words, the cobra/scorpion charged the wolf/eagle, who was still too dazed to fly out of harm's way. The charge bowled him over, but he quickly recovered his feet.
"Why are you doing this? I've done inothing/i to you!"
"Cause I feel like it, tinhorn!" The cobra/scorpion charged again, striking with his snake's head. The wolf/eagle now discovered that he could fly and avoided the strikes by doing so. "Get back down here, ya mangy varmint! I ain't finished with ya!"
"If you insist!" The wolf/eagle flew down at the cobra/scorpion, his jaws agape...
*************
Airazor soared in falcon mode, on a routine patrol. Her assignment was to look for "anything out of the ordinary", which included Energon deposits, Predacons and/or signs of Predacon activity, and downed stasis pods. It was the kind of assignment that was tailor-made for a flyer, particularly one with her airspeed and visual acuity. There was little that Airazor could not see from her lofty vantage point. She was especially watching for Predacons just now because she knew that she was near their territory; in fact, she was somewhat puzzled by their absence from this region.
"Whoa! I guess that explains it!" Below her was one of the biggest Energon deposits she'd ever seen. There was so much Energon that nobody could go near it in robot mode, for they'd be knocked into stasis lock within a cycle, if not nanoclicks. It was quite difficult to mine or gather Energon when in beast mode, so the Predacons apparently simply avoided the area.
Airazor made a mental note to herself to include the deposit in her report, to warn the Maximals of its location. She continued to scan the area, not expecting to find anything else when she saw two downed stasis pods. Near them, a pair of grotesque beasts battled one another. Both had Maximal energy signatures. She flew down at them, determined to break up this insane fight.
"What do you think you're doing?! Stop this at once!"
The two creatures stopped fighting immediately, and regarded her with an odd deference.
"We're just wrasslin', ma'am." , said one of the creatures. Airazor couldn't believe that he had a Maximal energy signature, for his beast mode looked Predacon.
"I intended no harm, milady", said the other, a wolf with bird of prey features.
"Apologies accepted. My name's Airazor. We're all Maximals, so we shouldn't fight one another--especially not this close to Predacon territory."
"Maximal?"
"Predacon? What in tarnation are you talking about? Er, sorry 'bout that, ma'am."
Airazor's heart sank at this; they both obviously had badly damaged data tracks. She needed to get them to the base and into Rhinox's capable hands as soon as possible.
"Maximals and Predacons are two factions of Cybertronians. We have different values and beliefs, so we tend not to get along with one another. In fact, we were at war with each other until about three hundred years ago."
The two creatures stared at her, showing little or no comprehension.
"How about if I take you both back to base with me? You can meet the other Maximals, and we have data files that can answer your questions a lot better than I can. Meantime, what are your names?"
There was a long silence, as both chimerae pondered this question. The cobra/scorpion spoke first. "Call me...Quickstrike." He made a striking feint with his serpent's head.
"I think my name is...Silverbolt. Swift, strong, and pure." The wolf/eagle proudly raised his head.
"I'm pleased to meet you both. I'll carry you, Quickstrike. Silverbolt, you follow us."
"Well, ma'am, I ain't sure I want to impose on you like that..."
"Don't worry, you're no bigger than Rattrap, and I can carry him easily."
"I can carry him, milady."
"After the way you were both fighting? I think not. I'll carry Quickstrike, and you follow us back to base."
"As you wish, milady."
Airazor picked up the cobra/scorpion in her talons and flew off toward the iAxalon/i, with Silverbolt following close behind.
**************
Roughly a megacycle later, Airazor and Silverbolt landed near the iAxalon/i's hydraulic lift.
"Much obliged for the ride, ma'am.", said Quickstrike.
"You're welcome. This is the iAxalon/i, our base and your new home. Let's go in, and I'll introduce you to everybody and show you around."
Nervously , the two newcomers boarded the lift. Airazor joined them. Both newcomers started when the lift began to rise, taking them into the iAxalon/i. Apparently, their programming about Cybertron technology had also been damaged. Rhinox, Airazor thought, definitely had his work cut out for him with these two poor souls.
"Welcome back, Airazor. We got your most recent report, and your warning about the Energon deposit in Sector Ditillio. Good work. It's unfortunate that you couldn't retrieve the pods, too, but I suspect that the Predacons will have just as much difficulty retrieving them as we would. We'll just have to keep a close eye on that region.", said Optimus Primal.
"Perhaps.", said Rhinox. "On the other hand, Energon does interfere with sensors, so the Predacons may not have detected those pods."
"I don't think we can afford to take that risk, Rhinox. In the meantime, let's get acquainted with Airazor's new friends." Turning to the creatures, Optimus continued, "I'm Optimus Primal, commander of the iAxalon/i. This is Rhinox, our engineer, and this is Rattrap, our intelligence expert, and this is Cheetor, our helmsman. Dinobot and Tigatron are also members of our crew, but they're on a patrol; you'll meet them later."
"I am Silverbolt, and I'm honored to meet you all."
"Same here, pardners. And the name's Quickstrike."
Cheetor and Rhinox greeted them politely, if somewhat hesitantly. Rattrap hung back, visibly shocked and repulsed by the newcomers' looks.
"What the slag happened to them? Are you sure Quickstrike's a Maximal? He looks like a Pred from over here."
"What in tarnation is your problem, ya buck-toothed galoot? And whaddaya mean I look like a Pred? What's a Pred, anyways?"
Optimus sighed. "He means your beast mode is more characteristic of a Predacon than a Maximal. The Predacons are an enemy faction of Cybertronians who frequently use reptilian or arthropod beast modes. However, your energy signature is Maximal, so we know you really belong here. The Energon you were exposed to apparently damaged your data tracks; you should have known all of that. Given that, I'd like Rhinox to take a look at both of you; he may be able to help restore some of your memory."
Rhinox nodded. "I would also like to see if your being Fuzors has had any adverse effect on you."
"Whaddaya mean by 'our being Fuzors'?"
"A Fuzor is a Cybertronian whose beast mode combines the forms and attributes of at least two different animals. You and Silverbolt are Fuzors."
"Does that mean we are both...freaks?", Silverbolt asked. He'd been listening to the conversation with growing unease.
"That's a harsh and ugly way of putting it....", Rhinox began.
Rattrap cut him off. "Yeah, you're freaks. Got a problem with that, Bird-dog?"
"Rattrap!" Optimus was furious. "I don't expect you to make friends with them, but you iare/i going to be civil to them, and you are inot/i going to insult them anymore than you already have. Do I make myself clear?!"
"Oh, yessir, Fearless Leader! But I bet they'd be easier on the optics if they shifted to robot mode."
"Robot mode?", both Fuzors wondered aloud.
"Like this.", said Airazor. "Airazor, Maximize!" She shifted from falcon to robot, as both Fuzors stared, astounded.
"Now, hold on there.", said Quickstrike, obviously mulling over what he'd just seen. "Ya mean, all's I gotta do is say, 'Quickstrike, Maximize'--WHAT IN TARNATION?!"
In robot mode, Quickstrike was around Rattrap's height. His proportions were off, however; he looked top-heavy. His most striking and bizarre feature were his arms: his right arm ended in a cobra's head, his left in a set of peculiar jointed appendages, and both arms were also disproportionately long. Looking at him, Rattrap decided that his robot mode was not an improvement at all.
"I will try that. Silverbolt, Maximize!"
Silverbolt was both taller and larger than Quickstrike. He had large feathered wings. His head had both a lupine muzzle and ears, and a birdlike, feathered crest.
Rhinox quickly scanned the two Fuzors. "I've found ione/i piece of good news: your transformation sequences are both normal and fully operational. So you should be able to shift between your two modes as easily as the rest of us. It looks like your weapons systems should be fully functional, too."
"Weapons systems?", they both asked.
"Each Cybertronian has different weapons that are either built into them or that they can access from subspace. I think it's time that I examined your data tracks, though. I have to do that in my lab, so if you'll both come with me, I'll check your data tracks."
The two Fuzors docilely followed Rhinox to his lab.
*********************
Several megacycles later, Optimus Primal asked Rhinox for his report on the two Fuzors.
"The good news is that most of their systems are functioning normally. They can transform, access subspace, all that good stuff. Their fuel intakes are normal: they can feed on either Energon or organic matter. Given their beast modes, they will probably be carnivorous."
"The bad news is that their data tracks have been scrambled: they know their names and not much else. According to Airazor, they even had some trouble remembering those. I've already deleted their most severely corrupted files, and I'm downloading replacements into them as we speak. That will give them at least a basic grasp of Cybertron technology, history, and politics--the kind of knowledge every well-programmed bot should have."
"Something tells me that the news isn't all good.", remarked Optimus.
"No, it isn't." Rhinox sighed. "Some of the damage is beyond my capabilities to repair. For instance, their cognitive skills will be definitely below par. They won't be as bad off as, say, Waspinator or Inferno, but they won't be quite normal, either. Their behavior will also be somewhat abnormal. Quickstrike is extremely aggressive, and Silverbolt...I'm not sure if I'd call him delusional, but he seems to think of himself as a...iknight/i. "
"A knight? Weren't those ancient warriors on Earth?"
"That's right. I know, I know....how did ithat/i happen to him? I'm guessing he once studied ancient Earth cultures, and was exposed to the concept that way. Knights followed a code of honor, something they called the code of chivalry. A cornerstone of this code was that knights defend those weaker than themselves. That's fine, but unfortunately, knights also believed that it was wrong to take advantage of a weakened opponent. That means Silverbolt may not press an attack when he should, out of misplaced pity for an enemy. And while he now knows about the Predacons, he maintains that he does not hate them. He claims that the average Predacon is but the victim of a corrupt society."
"Well, that's just iprime/i."
"I've also noticed a peculiarity that they both have in common: their excessive deference toward Airazor. Both have expressed a belief that all femmes are deserving of such treatment. In Silverbolt's case, it seems to be a part of his "knight" mindset. I haven't figured out the cause for Quickstrike's deferential attitude toward females."
*************************
Quickstrike and Silverbolt gradually made themselves at home on the iAxalon/i. They had a few problems--and most of those problems were named Rattrap and Dinobot. Rattrap would not leave the Fuzors alone and constantly teased them. He especially liked to torment Quickstrike, who could be counted on to eventually explode in fury and frustration:
"You take that back, ya buck-toothed galoot!"
"Ehhh, come up with another insult, for Primus' sake-- you've used that one ten million times already."
"When I get mah hands on you---"
"Get your ihands/i on me? You ain't igot/i hands, Freakazoid!"
These exchanges would continue until Optimus Primal or Rhinox intervened to separate them and send them to their quarters or on assignments where they wouldn't be near each other. Quickstrike soon learned to hate Rattrap, but he was fascinated by Dinobot. He greatly admired the latter's courage and fighting prowess. His shady past as a Predacon criminal and traitor added to his allure, in Quickstrike's eyes. Unfortunately, the feeling wasn't mutual, for Dinobot considered Quickstrike a tagalong pest:
"These are imy/i quarters, Serpent."
"I know that. Don'tcha feel like talkin'? I mean I'm sorta curious about why you came here and all, and where you learned to fight, you're really good. I ever tell you how good you are?"
"Only about a million times, Pest. Now leave!"
Despite such rebuffs, Quickstrike continually followed Dinobot about the iAxalon/i, much to the latter's annoyance. Silverbolt, on the other hand, seemed to find Dinobot's aggressiveness and ruthlessness repugnant and thus avoided him. Since Dinobot felt the same way about Silverbolt's naiveté, the two had little contact. Silverbolt wasn't so fortunate with Rattrap, who enjoyed teasing him. Unfortunately for Rattrap, Silverbolt was extremely literal-minded and thus seldom understood his taunts and insults:
"Ha ha, ha. Most amusing, very amusing."
"Oh for booting up cold, don't you know an insult when you hear one?! What are you, Scorponok's brother or something?", demanded Rattrap, thinking that being likened to the despised Predacon XO would surely get to Silverbolt.
It didn't.
"As far as I know, there is no one by that name in my family.", replied Silverbolt, who had taken the question literally, and had apparently not recognized the insult at all.
"He's a iPredacon/i, lame brain! He's also the only person on this planet who's as dense as you are. That's why I think he's your brother."
Optimus Primal was aware of the problems involving the two Fuzors. He wasn't too concerned about Silverbolt, who so far seemed able to handle his conflicts, but he was more worried about the volatile Quickstrike. He ordered Dinobot to teach Quickstrike hand-to-hand combat (so to speak).
"Why should I teach that undersized pest anything?!", demanded Dinobot.
"First of all, because I say so. Second, he needs the training and I know he'll listen to you.", said Optimus.
"Have Airazor teach him; he will also listen to her."
"Airazor is a remote scout, and you're our best fighter. Quickstrike could learn a lot from you."
After some more arguing, Dinobot sullenly went to collect Quickstrike, whom he soon found playing virtual poker.
"Come, Pest! Optimus wants me to train you."
"To do what?"
"Fight."
"Yeehaw! 'Bout time I got to kick some kiester!"
Dinobot led him to the training room and then ordered Quickstrike to attack him. Quickstrike cheerfully obliged, charging Dinobot head on. Dinobot easily dodged the clumsy charge and then took the offensive. Quickstrike blocked the blows and struck at Dinobot with his snake's head. Dinobot grabbed the head and slammed Quickstrike into the nearest wall. He kept him pinned there, until Quickstrike stomped on his foot. Dinobot instinctively stepped back, grimacing in pain, thereby giving Quickstrike an escape route. But Quickstrike didn't have long to use it, for Dinobot quickly recovered and tackled the much smaller bot. The two briefly wrestled on the floor until Dinobot pinned Quickstrike and kept him pinned.
"Hmmm. I can see why Optimus wanted me to teach you.", said Dinobot.
"Whaddaya mean?"
"You fight willingly and bravely, but your skills are....crude. We will have to work on them."
"Ya mean, we're gonna do this again? Kin we do it right now?"
"Hmmm, you do have enthusiasm, I will give you that..."
*******************************
"Big Bot, I'm picking up several Predacon signatures! They're right outside our base!", exclaimed Cheetor.
"That's just iprime/i.", said Optimus. Rhinox had taken Sentinel off-line to install some upgrades, so, naturally, the Predacons had decided to attack. Fortunately, the Fuzors' arrival evened the odds for the Maximals--maybe.
"Rhinox--we're under Pred fire; get Sentinel back on-line. Rattrap--stay here and fire the back-up cannons. Everyone else- -outside! We're taking the fight to the Predacons. Silverbolt-- you're with me; we're tackling the Predacon fliers."
"As you command, Optimus.", replied Silverbolt.
"Yeehaa! Finally, I'm gonna get to kick some Pred kiester!"
"Be on guard, Pest, for Predacons will do much more than kick your kiester, whatever that may be--they will idestroy/i it!", warned Dinobot.
"Which one should I take?"
Dinobot thought for a minute. "Tarantulas. He is ground- bound. He is also very cunning so be on your guard."
Quickstrike and Dinobot then followed Cheetor out of the lift and into the fight. Dinobot immediately closed with Megatron, while Cheetor had his paws full with BlackArachnia and Scorponok. Rattrap targeted Terrorsaur, who was furthest from the Maximal fliers, and downed him with a spray of projectiles. Terrorsaur landed hard and went into stasis lock. Rattrap scanned the battlefield for more targets. He did not dare fire at any of the pairs engaged in hand-to-hand, for there was too great a risk that he'd hit a teammate by accident. And while slagging Chopperface or Freakazoid was tempting, it was also probably a bad idea. He saw that Cheetor and his two Predacons were simply firing at one another with their weapons systems, and he felt confident that he could nail at least one of the Preds without hitting Cheetor. He targeted Scorponok, fired, and scored a direct hit on the gray scorpion, knocking him into stasis lock. Before he could target BlackArachnia, however, the female spider closed with Cheetor and begun kicking him viciously. Cheetor was at a disadvantage, for martial arts were not his forte, and they were obviously BlackArachnia's.
Elsewhere, Quickstrike dove behind a rock. He'd found Tarantulas and he'd also found that Tarantulas could fire multiple projectiles from his spider's legs. The only long- range weapon that Quickstrike had was the cyber-venom blaster that he could fire from his snake's head. So he fired and missed.
"Interesting weapon, Minimal--and I ido/i mean Minimal.", giggled Tarantulas. "Are you aware that toxic stings and cyber-venom are usually iPredacon/i weapons?"
"No, I din't know that, Eight-eyes. Guess what, I don't care!", cried Quickstrike, as he aimed another venom blast at Tarantulas, who dodged behind a rock. Now both were behind rocks and firing their weapons at one another, and neither could gain an advantage. They continued to exchange fire for several cycles--until a spray of projectiles struck Tarantulas, knocking him into stasis lock.
"Dagnabbit! He was imine/i, ya bucktoothed varmint!", Quickstrike shouted toward the base. "Oh well, who else kin I fight?" He scanned the battlefield for likely opponents, and saw that his mentor and idol, Dinobot, was fighting a large purple Predacon--and appeared to be losing. "Yeehaa! Here I come, Dino!"
In the air, Optimus Primal and Silverbolt squared off against Inferno and Waspinator. Inferno brandished his flame thrower, laughing insanely, and tried to incinerate Optimus, who dodged the fiery blasts. Optimus returned fire with his shoulder cannons, but Inferno dodged as well. Neither could gain an advantage.
"Flying doggie-bot?", asked Waspinator, too confused by the apparition in front of him to shoot.
"I'm a Fuzor.", said Silverbolt. "I have the traits of an eagle and a wolf. You are going to fight me, are you not?"
"Doggie-bot let Waspinator shoot ifirst/i?! Waspinatori like/i doggie-bot!", cried the insectoid. He fired and Silverbolt dodged.
"However, Predacon, I said nothing about letting you actually ihit/i me!", said Silverbolt as he loosed his bolts, both of which struck Waspinator, damaging his flight mechanism and sending him plummeting toward the ground. Silverbolt glanced down, and seeing Waspinator had fallen into stasis lock, flew over to help Optimus battle Inferno.
On the ground, Quickstrike had reached Dinobot and his large, purple adversary. Quickstrike was not a particularly smart bot, but even he knew that directly attacking an enemy twice his height and only Primus knew how many times his weight was a good way to get slagged. So he decided to attack from the side, striking with his snake's head. The fangs sank deeply into the Predacon's thigh, injecting a large dose of cyber- venom.
"Smelt you!", Megatron cursed, viciously backhanding Quickstrike and sending the much smaller bot reeling.
"Pest!", cried Dinobot, seeing his protégé staggering backwards.
Megatron took advantage of Dinobot's distraction to quickly scan the battlefield--and saw that at least half of his troops were down. The only one who had not sustained damage was BlackArachnia. Megatron made a quick decision.
"Predacons, retreat!", he cried, and began hobbling away in beast mode.
*****************************
Quickstrike was disappointed about the way things were going. He'd thought that at least some of the other Maximals would like him at least a little better after the battle. Nailing the Predacon boss had to count for isomething/i. He'd thought that Rattrap would at least be a little nicer, but that varmint was still as ornery as ever. On the other hand, he and Dinobot were now getting along just fine, even though Dinobot still called him "Pest". Dinobot had told him that it had been the Boss-bot's idea to pair them up, so he reckoned he owed the Boss Monkey one.
Airazor was another disappointment, for Quickstrike had hoped to get to know her a little better, if not go out with her. Trouble was, she was a remote scout, which meant she was never around the base, so he didn't see a whole lot of her. And he'd heard from Dinobot that Airazor had her eye on Tigatron, the other remote scout. Quickstrike barely knew the fellow: he'd seen him once or twice and had heard him say maybe five words both times. What Airazor saw in the tinhorn was beyond him.
As part of Quickstrike's training, Dinobot showed him the iAxalon/i's files on the Predacons. "The humans had a wise saying: 'Know thy enemy.' If you know an enemy's motives, strengths, and weaknesses, you will be able to deduce the best way to defeat them."
"Makes sense.", replied Quickstrike, who was looking at the files. "Hey, looky here! Here's one who's got the same beast mode as me, almost! Now, don't that beat all? Both sides got a resident scorpion."
"An interesting observation, Pest, but not particularly useful. What else do you notice about him?"
"Wellll, says here that he's got missiles in his pincers, a toxic sting that he kin shoot out of his tail, and...Cyber- bees? What in tarnation is a Cyber-bee?"
"A Cyber-bee is a remote drone capable of flight. It can deliver toxins or small arms, and can also be programmed to relay information or messages. Scorponok used them to "case" the Archives right before we stole the Golden Disk. He also used them while he acted as lookout during the theft."
"Heh, he's loaded for bear alright. Sounds like he kin do almost anything, too. I kin see why Megatron picked him as an XO."
"There is one problem.", replied Dinobot. "He is a iterrible/i XO. Leadership is inot/i one of his strong points, and he lacks both the communication skills and people skills to do the job effectively. But Megatron had no choice after I left, for the alternatives were Terrorsaur, Tarantulas, and Waspinator."
"I see what you mean. He was left with one who is plumb crazy and two he couldn't trust. But no 'communication skills or people skills'? Quickstrike read Scorponok's file a bit more. "He's ishy/i?! Is that what this part here means?! That's a new one on me! I never heard of a shy Predacon before!" Quickstrike whooped with laughter.
"Ehhh, what is this: a training session or a male-bonding exercise?", demanded Rattrap, who had overheard them.
"What it is, Vermin, is none of your business!", snarled Dinobot. "Now leave!"
"Yeah, leave.", said Quickstrike. "We didn't invite you here anyways."
"Try and make me, Freakazoid. We both know you can't. You can't do nothin' without Dino-boob proppin' you up. You act like he's your father or somethin'."
"Vermin, you have said more than enough! Now go!", said Dinobot.
"Awww, how sweet. The raptor adopted a screwed-up scorpion so ugly and dumb even his own mother didn't want him. So she stuffed him in a stasis pod--"
"I've had it with you!", screamed Quickstrike. "Just cause I don't know who mah mother is don't mean she didn't want me! I'm gonna make you pay!"
So saying, he launched himself at Rattrap, who sidestepped out of the way, snickering.
"I'm over ihere/i, ya ugly moron!", jeered Rattrap.
"Vermin, enough! You have gone too far!", cried Dinobot.
"He's your kid, ain't he, Scalebelly? You're always trying to protect him."
"I don't need inobody/i protectin' me! And I'll iprove/i it!", screamed Quickstrike as he charged Rattrap again. This time he succeeded in tackling the rodent. The two bots wrestled on the floor.
Dinobot watched the two enemies with a trainer's appraising eye. They were around the same size, and while Quickstrike had the benefit of Dinobot's training, Rattrap had the advantages of cunning and experience. He also prided himself on his willingness to fight dirty. So far, however, Quickstrike was holding his own, Dinobot noted proudly.
Rattrap kneed Quickstrike between the legs. Yelling in pain and rage, Quickstrike lashed out with his snake's head, biting Rattrap in the face. Rattrap shrieked in agony--and then went into stasis lock.
"Vermin! No!", cried Dinobot. "Are you iinsane/i?!", he demanded of Quickstrike. "You inever/i use cyber-venom on a comrade, regardless of the provocation!"
"And since when is that varmint iyour/i comrade?!", Quickstrike retorted. "You hate him as much as I do! I've heard y'all fighting."
"That doesn't matter! What matters is that we are all Maximals. What matters is that you used a dishonorable means of attacking him!"
"'Dishonorable'?! The varmint don't fight fair, either-- you saw what he did!"Quickstrike suddenly remembered something. "That Tarantulas fella said something about cyber-venom bein' a Predacon weapon. Was he right? Is that how come no-one else here has cyber-venom--and how come y'all don't like me usin' it?"
"Enough! What Tarantulas said is irrelevant! You have acted despicably and dishonorably! That is what is important. Now get out of my sight!"
Quickstrike briefly looked into his mentor's eyes and saw only rage and disgust. Dinobot hated him, too, now. Dejected, Quickstrike left Dinobot--and the iAxalon/i. He knew that when Optimus Primal found out about what he'd done to Rattrap he'd be in a whole mess of trouble. After all, Primal iliked/i Rattrap. Dinobot hated Rattrap, or so it seemed to Quickstrike, and he'd istill/i gotten mad when he'd bitten the varmint. So, the folks who liked Rattrap would get even madder. And those folks included Primal and Rhinox.
He could just lay low for awhile--but then what? How long would his shipmates stay mad at him? How long would it be before they forgave him? iIf/i they forgave him.
No, simply staying away until things cooled off wouldn't work. He had to do something to make up for what he'd done, something that would make Dinobot like him again. Dinobot had taken a real liking to him after the battle, when he'd helped Dino fight the boss Predacon. Before that fight, Dinobot hadn't really cared about him; he'd been training him just because Optimus had told him to. But after the battle, Dino had definitely warmed up to him. That was it, then. In order to make Dino like him again, and to make the other Maximals forgive him, he was going to have to take down a Predacon or two. If he did that, and brought back proof, then the Maximals would forgive him, and Dinobot would be his friend again.
He'd seen enough maps of the area to know where the iDarkseid/i was. Getting there would not be a problem, although it would take some time...
*****************
BlackArachnia was bored, which was nothing new. She found most activities and people tedious. About the only activity she really enjoyed was verbally sparring with Megatron or Tarantulas, the smartest of the Predacon males. In her opinion, Megatron was nowhere near as intelligent as he thought he was; he was the intellectual inferior of both herself and Tarantulas. She suspected that he knew it, which might explain why he kept the spiders around. After all, if he got rid of them, he'd have no-one left but a bunch of accident-prone morons. Waspinator was the worst of the bunch--he had to have CPU damage or something, for there could be no other explanation for his speech impediment or childish behavior. Inferno was insane and Terrorsaur was a major annoyance, for he actually thought he was smart and capable when he wasn't. Scorponok had just enough brains to 1) keep his mouth shut for the most part and 2) know that he was an idiot.
"Slag. You know you're bored when you start thinking about those losers. You also know you're bored when you start talking to yourself. Why did Megatron send me out here, anyway? There's nothing out here."
Patrolling an area was usually boring, too. There were only a couple of good things about patrolling: 1) it got her out of the base and out of even more tedious jobs like monitor duty and 2) it did sometimes present opportunities, for anything ranging from visiting Tarantulas to pilfering Energon to fighting Maximals.
"Speaking of which..isn't that a Maximal energy signature I'm picking up?" To give herself a better view, BlackArachnia climbed on top of a rock formation.
Quickstrike paused, for he'd begun picking up a Predacon energy signature somewhere in the area. He was in a desert not far from the Predacon base, which meant there wasn't a whole lot of cover for the Predacon--except some big cacti and rock formations. So where was the Predacon?
"Ugh, another scorpion--with a snakes' head for his tail? Talk about scraping the bottom of the barrel! Now is that moron going to walk right past me?", said BlackArachnia as she watched the approaching Maximal.
"Dagnabbit! Where iis/i that Predacon?! To go by this here signal, I gotta be on top of him!"
"You're half right, Maximal--but I'm not a 'him'.", said BlackArachnia. "BlackArachnia, Terrorize!"
Quickstrike looked up and saw the speaker standing on top of a rock formation. No wonder he hadn't seen the Predacon--he hadn't been looking up!
"Quickstrike, Maximize!" He took a second look at his opponent, the better to aim his snake's head...and stopped. "Dagnabbit, this ain't my day! I cain't fight a female! T'wouldn't be fittin'."
"Well...are you going to shoot me or not?", taunted BlackArachnia. "I haven't got all day to wait for you to make up your mind, assuming you have a mind, that is."
"I ain't gonna shoot you, miss. You're free to go."
"iI'm/i free to go? This is Pred ground, Slag-For- Brains. You're the one in trouble, not me."
"I still ain't gonna shoot you. You're too purty to shoot, with all that black and gold..."
BlackArachnia sighed. Just what she needed: being propositioned by the enemy... "Just what is your major malfunction, Maximal?"
"Ya really wanna know?", answered Quickstrike--and then began telling BlackArachnia all about his troubles. She couldn't believe this; the little twerp actually thought she cared! "Little twerp" was right, she decided, for he was even shorter than she was. But as she listened to the Maximal pour out his woes, she began to realize that not only was he about as stupid as Waspinator, he was also plainly very unhappy with the Maximals. And to judge from what he'd said about Dinobot, he had miserable taste in friends. All in all, he presented an opportunity...a minor opportunity, to be sure, but an opportunity nonetheless.
She favored Quickstrike with a ravishing smile and said, "You have had a bad time of it, haven't you? Well, Quickstrike, I'd say it's obvious that you belong on my side of the street."
"Ya mean join the Predacons? I cain't do that!"
"Why not? Think about it. You're more like us than the Maximals. You've got a scorpion beast mode with snake parts, you've got cyber-venom, you fight dirty, and you like to fight."
"Your boss ain't gonna want me around, not after what I did to his leg!"
"Megatron respects able fighters. Fight for him as effectively as you did for the Maximals, and he'll forgive your putting him in the C.R. tank that one time."
Quickstrike tried to think things over. This here lady Predacon seemed a lot friendlier than any of the Maximals, and she was real easy on the optics, too. She didn't seem to mind his being a Fuzor or his having cyber-venom, either. In fact, she'd said that a lot of the Predacons had poison-based weapons. Dinobot probably wouldn't approve, but then Dinobot didn't like him any more, and he'd switched sides, too.
"I hope I ain't makin' a mistake here, BlackArachnia, but I'm in. I'll join the Predacons."
*********************
"No good, Optimus.", Rhinox reported. I can't reach him by com and I can't pick up his signal. I'm afraid that means..."
"Quickstrike is near one of the Predacons' jamming stations.", finished Optimus Primal. "That's just iprime/i. We will just have to wait for Airazor and the others to report their findings."
Airazor, Silverbolt, and Dinobot had gone searching for Quickstrike as soon as it was established that he was not in his quarters or anywhere else on the iAxalon/i. Despite Optimus' misgivings about his ability to control his temper, Dinobot had insisted on joining the search party. He blamed himself for Quickstrike's disappearance, for he had obviously been much too hard on the younger bot, and he believed, that since he knew Quickstrike better than anyone else, that he would have a better idea of where to look for him. Optimus had reluctantly agreed--but extracted a promise that he would bring Quickstrike back unharmed. Quickstrike did deserve to be disciplined, but the nature of that discipline was for Optimus Primal to decide. Dinobot had readily agreed.
The searchers knew they were on the right track for Quickstrike's unusual scent and energy signature grew stronger and easier to detect the closer to Predacon ground they came. Finally, they reached the iDarkseid/i. Inferno was on guard duty outside.
Airazor flew over the grim Predacon ship. She had the most sensitive scanners and was the most maneuverable flier among the Maximals, which meant she had the best chance of scanning the Predacon vessel without being harmed. Since Inferno was outside, that meant she should detect no more than six signals within the base: the original five, plus BlackArachnia. Instead she picked up seven--and that seventh signal had all the peculiarities associated with Fuzors. It had to be Quickstrike. Sorrowfully, she flew back to where the other two waited.
"Quickstrike's been reprogrammed. Is there any way to get him back?"
"What is the status of the other Predacons? Do any of them appear damaged?", asked Dinobot.
"No, their energy signatures all appear normal. Why?"
"That means he has fully accepted and assimilated the Predacon programming. If he hadn't, he would have gone berserk and attacked them. Given his skills, he could have harmed them grievously. Incomplete assimilation also would have made undoing the programming, which is always a highly dangerous task, both safer and easier, for he would have been less likely to fight us. As it is, he is now fully Predacon--and he is therefore as lost to us as Inferno and BlackArachnia are."
"Dinobot, I'm sorry. I know you liked him.", said Airazor.
"Quickstrike was a good student, and I had high hopes for him, both as a warrior and...a friend. It is my fault he is now with the Predacons, for I let my anger get the best of me and thereby drove him off. I accused him of being dishonorable, but I am the one who failed in my duty, to him and to the Maximals. There is nothing more we can do. Let's go home.", said Dinobot.
The Misfit
by Architeuthis (aegerton@erols.com)
The two stasis pods plummeted toward the Earth, their gyros too badly damaged by low-level cosmic radiation to keep them in orbit. Those mechanisms, however, did function well enough to ensure safe landings on the planet surface. Unfortunately, they landed near a large Energon deposit, which damaged the scanners. Consequently, the malfunctioning scanners each scanned itwo/i animals and combined their traits into one bizarre form. One of the pods' scanners even selected animals more typically associated with Predacons: a scorpion and a cobra. The pods finished replicating the grotesque results and opened simultaneously, revealing a pair of monstrosities. One was a silver-gray wolf with the wings and talons of some great bird of prey, while the other was a gold and turquoise scorpion with a cobra's head on its tail, where its stinger should have been.
"Who are you?", asked the wolf/eagle creature, sounding confused and groggy. "For that matter, who am I?"
"I dunno." The cobra/scorpion creature also seemed confused. Both these unfortunates had also suffered damage to their data tracks, giving them amnesia. The cobra/scorpion decided he didn't care. "But I ido/i know one thing: I bet I kin thrash yer tail!"
"What?!"
"Let's wrassle, Fuzz'n'Feathers! You and me both! Right here, right now!"
With those words, the cobra/scorpion charged the wolf/eagle, who was still too dazed to fly out of harm's way. The charge bowled him over, but he quickly recovered his feet.
"Why are you doing this? I've done inothing/i to you!"
"Cause I feel like it, tinhorn!" The cobra/scorpion charged again, striking with his snake's head. The wolf/eagle now discovered that he could fly and avoided the strikes by doing so. "Get back down here, ya mangy varmint! I ain't finished with ya!"
"If you insist!" The wolf/eagle flew down at the cobra/scorpion, his jaws agape...
*************
Airazor soared in falcon mode, on a routine patrol. Her assignment was to look for "anything out of the ordinary", which included Energon deposits, Predacons and/or signs of Predacon activity, and downed stasis pods. It was the kind of assignment that was tailor-made for a flyer, particularly one with her airspeed and visual acuity. There was little that Airazor could not see from her lofty vantage point. She was especially watching for Predacons just now because she knew that she was near their territory; in fact, she was somewhat puzzled by their absence from this region.
"Whoa! I guess that explains it!" Below her was one of the biggest Energon deposits she'd ever seen. There was so much Energon that nobody could go near it in robot mode, for they'd be knocked into stasis lock within a cycle, if not nanoclicks. It was quite difficult to mine or gather Energon when in beast mode, so the Predacons apparently simply avoided the area.
Airazor made a mental note to herself to include the deposit in her report, to warn the Maximals of its location. She continued to scan the area, not expecting to find anything else when she saw two downed stasis pods. Near them, a pair of grotesque beasts battled one another. Both had Maximal energy signatures. She flew down at them, determined to break up this insane fight.
"What do you think you're doing?! Stop this at once!"
The two creatures stopped fighting immediately, and regarded her with an odd deference.
"We're just wrasslin', ma'am." , said one of the creatures. Airazor couldn't believe that he had a Maximal energy signature, for his beast mode looked Predacon.
"I intended no harm, milady", said the other, a wolf with bird of prey features.
"Apologies accepted. My name's Airazor. We're all Maximals, so we shouldn't fight one another--especially not this close to Predacon territory."
"Maximal?"
"Predacon? What in tarnation are you talking about? Er, sorry 'bout that, ma'am."
Airazor's heart sank at this; they both obviously had badly damaged data tracks. She needed to get them to the base and into Rhinox's capable hands as soon as possible.
"Maximals and Predacons are two factions of Cybertronians. We have different values and beliefs, so we tend not to get along with one another. In fact, we were at war with each other until about three hundred years ago."
The two creatures stared at her, showing little or no comprehension.
"How about if I take you both back to base with me? You can meet the other Maximals, and we have data files that can answer your questions a lot better than I can. Meantime, what are your names?"
There was a long silence, as both chimerae pondered this question. The cobra/scorpion spoke first. "Call me...Quickstrike." He made a striking feint with his serpent's head.
"I think my name is...Silverbolt. Swift, strong, and pure." The wolf/eagle proudly raised his head.
"I'm pleased to meet you both. I'll carry you, Quickstrike. Silverbolt, you follow us."
"Well, ma'am, I ain't sure I want to impose on you like that..."
"Don't worry, you're no bigger than Rattrap, and I can carry him easily."
"I can carry him, milady."
"After the way you were both fighting? I think not. I'll carry Quickstrike, and you follow us back to base."
"As you wish, milady."
Airazor picked up the cobra/scorpion in her talons and flew off toward the iAxalon/i, with Silverbolt following close behind.
**************
Roughly a megacycle later, Airazor and Silverbolt landed near the iAxalon/i's hydraulic lift.
"Much obliged for the ride, ma'am.", said Quickstrike.
"You're welcome. This is the iAxalon/i, our base and your new home. Let's go in, and I'll introduce you to everybody and show you around."
Nervously , the two newcomers boarded the lift. Airazor joined them. Both newcomers started when the lift began to rise, taking them into the iAxalon/i. Apparently, their programming about Cybertron technology had also been damaged. Rhinox, Airazor thought, definitely had his work cut out for him with these two poor souls.
"Welcome back, Airazor. We got your most recent report, and your warning about the Energon deposit in Sector Ditillio. Good work. It's unfortunate that you couldn't retrieve the pods, too, but I suspect that the Predacons will have just as much difficulty retrieving them as we would. We'll just have to keep a close eye on that region.", said Optimus Primal.
"Perhaps.", said Rhinox. "On the other hand, Energon does interfere with sensors, so the Predacons may not have detected those pods."
"I don't think we can afford to take that risk, Rhinox. In the meantime, let's get acquainted with Airazor's new friends." Turning to the creatures, Optimus continued, "I'm Optimus Primal, commander of the iAxalon/i. This is Rhinox, our engineer, and this is Rattrap, our intelligence expert, and this is Cheetor, our helmsman. Dinobot and Tigatron are also members of our crew, but they're on a patrol; you'll meet them later."
"I am Silverbolt, and I'm honored to meet you all."
"Same here, pardners. And the name's Quickstrike."
Cheetor and Rhinox greeted them politely, if somewhat hesitantly. Rattrap hung back, visibly shocked and repulsed by the newcomers' looks.
"What the slag happened to them? Are you sure Quickstrike's a Maximal? He looks like a Pred from over here."
"What in tarnation is your problem, ya buck-toothed galoot? And whaddaya mean I look like a Pred? What's a Pred, anyways?"
Optimus sighed. "He means your beast mode is more characteristic of a Predacon than a Maximal. The Predacons are an enemy faction of Cybertronians who frequently use reptilian or arthropod beast modes. However, your energy signature is Maximal, so we know you really belong here. The Energon you were exposed to apparently damaged your data tracks; you should have known all of that. Given that, I'd like Rhinox to take a look at both of you; he may be able to help restore some of your memory."
Rhinox nodded. "I would also like to see if your being Fuzors has had any adverse effect on you."
"Whaddaya mean by 'our being Fuzors'?"
"A Fuzor is a Cybertronian whose beast mode combines the forms and attributes of at least two different animals. You and Silverbolt are Fuzors."
"Does that mean we are both...freaks?", Silverbolt asked. He'd been listening to the conversation with growing unease.
"That's a harsh and ugly way of putting it....", Rhinox began.
Rattrap cut him off. "Yeah, you're freaks. Got a problem with that, Bird-dog?"
"Rattrap!" Optimus was furious. "I don't expect you to make friends with them, but you iare/i going to be civil to them, and you are inot/i going to insult them anymore than you already have. Do I make myself clear?!"
"Oh, yessir, Fearless Leader! But I bet they'd be easier on the optics if they shifted to robot mode."
"Robot mode?", both Fuzors wondered aloud.
"Like this.", said Airazor. "Airazor, Maximize!" She shifted from falcon to robot, as both Fuzors stared, astounded.
"Now, hold on there.", said Quickstrike, obviously mulling over what he'd just seen. "Ya mean, all's I gotta do is say, 'Quickstrike, Maximize'--WHAT IN TARNATION?!"
In robot mode, Quickstrike was around Rattrap's height. His proportions were off, however; he looked top-heavy. His most striking and bizarre feature were his arms: his right arm ended in a cobra's head, his left in a set of peculiar jointed appendages, and both arms were also disproportionately long. Looking at him, Rattrap decided that his robot mode was not an improvement at all.
"I will try that. Silverbolt, Maximize!"
Silverbolt was both taller and larger than Quickstrike. He had large feathered wings. His head had both a lupine muzzle and ears, and a birdlike, feathered crest.
Rhinox quickly scanned the two Fuzors. "I've found ione/i piece of good news: your transformation sequences are both normal and fully operational. So you should be able to shift between your two modes as easily as the rest of us. It looks like your weapons systems should be fully functional, too."
"Weapons systems?", they both asked.
"Each Cybertronian has different weapons that are either built into them or that they can access from subspace. I think it's time that I examined your data tracks, though. I have to do that in my lab, so if you'll both come with me, I'll check your data tracks."
The two Fuzors docilely followed Rhinox to his lab.
*********************
Several megacycles later, Optimus Primal asked Rhinox for his report on the two Fuzors.
"The good news is that most of their systems are functioning normally. They can transform, access subspace, all that good stuff. Their fuel intakes are normal: they can feed on either Energon or organic matter. Given their beast modes, they will probably be carnivorous."
"The bad news is that their data tracks have been scrambled: they know their names and not much else. According to Airazor, they even had some trouble remembering those. I've already deleted their most severely corrupted files, and I'm downloading replacements into them as we speak. That will give them at least a basic grasp of Cybertron technology, history, and politics--the kind of knowledge every well-programmed bot should have."
"Something tells me that the news isn't all good.", remarked Optimus.
"No, it isn't." Rhinox sighed. "Some of the damage is beyond my capabilities to repair. For instance, their cognitive skills will be definitely below par. They won't be as bad off as, say, Waspinator or Inferno, but they won't be quite normal, either. Their behavior will also be somewhat abnormal. Quickstrike is extremely aggressive, and Silverbolt...I'm not sure if I'd call him delusional, but he seems to think of himself as a...iknight/i. "
"A knight? Weren't those ancient warriors on Earth?"
"That's right. I know, I know....how did ithat/i happen to him? I'm guessing he once studied ancient Earth cultures, and was exposed to the concept that way. Knights followed a code of honor, something they called the code of chivalry. A cornerstone of this code was that knights defend those weaker than themselves. That's fine, but unfortunately, knights also believed that it was wrong to take advantage of a weakened opponent. That means Silverbolt may not press an attack when he should, out of misplaced pity for an enemy. And while he now knows about the Predacons, he maintains that he does not hate them. He claims that the average Predacon is but the victim of a corrupt society."
"Well, that's just iprime/i."
"I've also noticed a peculiarity that they both have in common: their excessive deference toward Airazor. Both have expressed a belief that all femmes are deserving of such treatment. In Silverbolt's case, it seems to be a part of his "knight" mindset. I haven't figured out the cause for Quickstrike's deferential attitude toward females."
*************************
Quickstrike and Silverbolt gradually made themselves at home on the iAxalon/i. They had a few problems--and most of those problems were named Rattrap and Dinobot. Rattrap would not leave the Fuzors alone and constantly teased them. He especially liked to torment Quickstrike, who could be counted on to eventually explode in fury and frustration:
"You take that back, ya buck-toothed galoot!"
"Ehhh, come up with another insult, for Primus' sake-- you've used that one ten million times already."
"When I get mah hands on you---"
"Get your ihands/i on me? You ain't igot/i hands, Freakazoid!"
These exchanges would continue until Optimus Primal or Rhinox intervened to separate them and send them to their quarters or on assignments where they wouldn't be near each other. Quickstrike soon learned to hate Rattrap, but he was fascinated by Dinobot. He greatly admired the latter's courage and fighting prowess. His shady past as a Predacon criminal and traitor added to his allure, in Quickstrike's eyes. Unfortunately, the feeling wasn't mutual, for Dinobot considered Quickstrike a tagalong pest:
"These are imy/i quarters, Serpent."
"I know that. Don'tcha feel like talkin'? I mean I'm sorta curious about why you came here and all, and where you learned to fight, you're really good. I ever tell you how good you are?"
"Only about a million times, Pest. Now leave!"
Despite such rebuffs, Quickstrike continually followed Dinobot about the iAxalon/i, much to the latter's annoyance. Silverbolt, on the other hand, seemed to find Dinobot's aggressiveness and ruthlessness repugnant and thus avoided him. Since Dinobot felt the same way about Silverbolt's naiveté, the two had little contact. Silverbolt wasn't so fortunate with Rattrap, who enjoyed teasing him. Unfortunately for Rattrap, Silverbolt was extremely literal-minded and thus seldom understood his taunts and insults:
"Ha ha, ha. Most amusing, very amusing."
"Oh for booting up cold, don't you know an insult when you hear one?! What are you, Scorponok's brother or something?", demanded Rattrap, thinking that being likened to the despised Predacon XO would surely get to Silverbolt.
It didn't.
"As far as I know, there is no one by that name in my family.", replied Silverbolt, who had taken the question literally, and had apparently not recognized the insult at all.
"He's a iPredacon/i, lame brain! He's also the only person on this planet who's as dense as you are. That's why I think he's your brother."
Optimus Primal was aware of the problems involving the two Fuzors. He wasn't too concerned about Silverbolt, who so far seemed able to handle his conflicts, but he was more worried about the volatile Quickstrike. He ordered Dinobot to teach Quickstrike hand-to-hand combat (so to speak).
"Why should I teach that undersized pest anything?!", demanded Dinobot.
"First of all, because I say so. Second, he needs the training and I know he'll listen to you.", said Optimus.
"Have Airazor teach him; he will also listen to her."
"Airazor is a remote scout, and you're our best fighter. Quickstrike could learn a lot from you."
After some more arguing, Dinobot sullenly went to collect Quickstrike, whom he soon found playing virtual poker.
"Come, Pest! Optimus wants me to train you."
"To do what?"
"Fight."
"Yeehaw! 'Bout time I got to kick some kiester!"
Dinobot led him to the training room and then ordered Quickstrike to attack him. Quickstrike cheerfully obliged, charging Dinobot head on. Dinobot easily dodged the clumsy charge and then took the offensive. Quickstrike blocked the blows and struck at Dinobot with his snake's head. Dinobot grabbed the head and slammed Quickstrike into the nearest wall. He kept him pinned there, until Quickstrike stomped on his foot. Dinobot instinctively stepped back, grimacing in pain, thereby giving Quickstrike an escape route. But Quickstrike didn't have long to use it, for Dinobot quickly recovered and tackled the much smaller bot. The two briefly wrestled on the floor until Dinobot pinned Quickstrike and kept him pinned.
"Hmmm. I can see why Optimus wanted me to teach you.", said Dinobot.
"Whaddaya mean?"
"You fight willingly and bravely, but your skills are....crude. We will have to work on them."
"Ya mean, we're gonna do this again? Kin we do it right now?"
"Hmmm, you do have enthusiasm, I will give you that..."
*******************************
"Big Bot, I'm picking up several Predacon signatures! They're right outside our base!", exclaimed Cheetor.
"That's just iprime/i.", said Optimus. Rhinox had taken Sentinel off-line to install some upgrades, so, naturally, the Predacons had decided to attack. Fortunately, the Fuzors' arrival evened the odds for the Maximals--maybe.
"Rhinox--we're under Pred fire; get Sentinel back on-line. Rattrap--stay here and fire the back-up cannons. Everyone else- -outside! We're taking the fight to the Predacons. Silverbolt-- you're with me; we're tackling the Predacon fliers."
"As you command, Optimus.", replied Silverbolt.
"Yeehaa! Finally, I'm gonna get to kick some Pred kiester!"
"Be on guard, Pest, for Predacons will do much more than kick your kiester, whatever that may be--they will idestroy/i it!", warned Dinobot.
"Which one should I take?"
Dinobot thought for a minute. "Tarantulas. He is ground- bound. He is also very cunning so be on your guard."
Quickstrike and Dinobot then followed Cheetor out of the lift and into the fight. Dinobot immediately closed with Megatron, while Cheetor had his paws full with BlackArachnia and Scorponok. Rattrap targeted Terrorsaur, who was furthest from the Maximal fliers, and downed him with a spray of projectiles. Terrorsaur landed hard and went into stasis lock. Rattrap scanned the battlefield for more targets. He did not dare fire at any of the pairs engaged in hand-to-hand, for there was too great a risk that he'd hit a teammate by accident. And while slagging Chopperface or Freakazoid was tempting, it was also probably a bad idea. He saw that Cheetor and his two Predacons were simply firing at one another with their weapons systems, and he felt confident that he could nail at least one of the Preds without hitting Cheetor. He targeted Scorponok, fired, and scored a direct hit on the gray scorpion, knocking him into stasis lock. Before he could target BlackArachnia, however, the female spider closed with Cheetor and begun kicking him viciously. Cheetor was at a disadvantage, for martial arts were not his forte, and they were obviously BlackArachnia's.
Elsewhere, Quickstrike dove behind a rock. He'd found Tarantulas and he'd also found that Tarantulas could fire multiple projectiles from his spider's legs. The only long- range weapon that Quickstrike had was the cyber-venom blaster that he could fire from his snake's head. So he fired and missed.
"Interesting weapon, Minimal--and I ido/i mean Minimal.", giggled Tarantulas. "Are you aware that toxic stings and cyber-venom are usually iPredacon/i weapons?"
"No, I din't know that, Eight-eyes. Guess what, I don't care!", cried Quickstrike, as he aimed another venom blast at Tarantulas, who dodged behind a rock. Now both were behind rocks and firing their weapons at one another, and neither could gain an advantage. They continued to exchange fire for several cycles--until a spray of projectiles struck Tarantulas, knocking him into stasis lock.
"Dagnabbit! He was imine/i, ya bucktoothed varmint!", Quickstrike shouted toward the base. "Oh well, who else kin I fight?" He scanned the battlefield for likely opponents, and saw that his mentor and idol, Dinobot, was fighting a large purple Predacon--and appeared to be losing. "Yeehaa! Here I come, Dino!"
In the air, Optimus Primal and Silverbolt squared off against Inferno and Waspinator. Inferno brandished his flame thrower, laughing insanely, and tried to incinerate Optimus, who dodged the fiery blasts. Optimus returned fire with his shoulder cannons, but Inferno dodged as well. Neither could gain an advantage.
"Flying doggie-bot?", asked Waspinator, too confused by the apparition in front of him to shoot.
"I'm a Fuzor.", said Silverbolt. "I have the traits of an eagle and a wolf. You are going to fight me, are you not?"
"Doggie-bot let Waspinator shoot ifirst/i?! Waspinatori like/i doggie-bot!", cried the insectoid. He fired and Silverbolt dodged.
"However, Predacon, I said nothing about letting you actually ihit/i me!", said Silverbolt as he loosed his bolts, both of which struck Waspinator, damaging his flight mechanism and sending him plummeting toward the ground. Silverbolt glanced down, and seeing Waspinator had fallen into stasis lock, flew over to help Optimus battle Inferno.
On the ground, Quickstrike had reached Dinobot and his large, purple adversary. Quickstrike was not a particularly smart bot, but even he knew that directly attacking an enemy twice his height and only Primus knew how many times his weight was a good way to get slagged. So he decided to attack from the side, striking with his snake's head. The fangs sank deeply into the Predacon's thigh, injecting a large dose of cyber- venom.
"Smelt you!", Megatron cursed, viciously backhanding Quickstrike and sending the much smaller bot reeling.
"Pest!", cried Dinobot, seeing his protégé staggering backwards.
Megatron took advantage of Dinobot's distraction to quickly scan the battlefield--and saw that at least half of his troops were down. The only one who had not sustained damage was BlackArachnia. Megatron made a quick decision.
"Predacons, retreat!", he cried, and began hobbling away in beast mode.
*****************************
Quickstrike was disappointed about the way things were going. He'd thought that at least some of the other Maximals would like him at least a little better after the battle. Nailing the Predacon boss had to count for isomething/i. He'd thought that Rattrap would at least be a little nicer, but that varmint was still as ornery as ever. On the other hand, he and Dinobot were now getting along just fine, even though Dinobot still called him "Pest". Dinobot had told him that it had been the Boss-bot's idea to pair them up, so he reckoned he owed the Boss Monkey one.
Airazor was another disappointment, for Quickstrike had hoped to get to know her a little better, if not go out with her. Trouble was, she was a remote scout, which meant she was never around the base, so he didn't see a whole lot of her. And he'd heard from Dinobot that Airazor had her eye on Tigatron, the other remote scout. Quickstrike barely knew the fellow: he'd seen him once or twice and had heard him say maybe five words both times. What Airazor saw in the tinhorn was beyond him.
As part of Quickstrike's training, Dinobot showed him the iAxalon/i's files on the Predacons. "The humans had a wise saying: 'Know thy enemy.' If you know an enemy's motives, strengths, and weaknesses, you will be able to deduce the best way to defeat them."
"Makes sense.", replied Quickstrike, who was looking at the files. "Hey, looky here! Here's one who's got the same beast mode as me, almost! Now, don't that beat all? Both sides got a resident scorpion."
"An interesting observation, Pest, but not particularly useful. What else do you notice about him?"
"Wellll, says here that he's got missiles in his pincers, a toxic sting that he kin shoot out of his tail, and...Cyber- bees? What in tarnation is a Cyber-bee?"
"A Cyber-bee is a remote drone capable of flight. It can deliver toxins or small arms, and can also be programmed to relay information or messages. Scorponok used them to "case" the Archives right before we stole the Golden Disk. He also used them while he acted as lookout during the theft."
"Heh, he's loaded for bear alright. Sounds like he kin do almost anything, too. I kin see why Megatron picked him as an XO."
"There is one problem.", replied Dinobot. "He is a iterrible/i XO. Leadership is inot/i one of his strong points, and he lacks both the communication skills and people skills to do the job effectively. But Megatron had no choice after I left, for the alternatives were Terrorsaur, Tarantulas, and Waspinator."
"I see what you mean. He was left with one who is plumb crazy and two he couldn't trust. But no 'communication skills or people skills'? Quickstrike read Scorponok's file a bit more. "He's ishy/i?! Is that what this part here means?! That's a new one on me! I never heard of a shy Predacon before!" Quickstrike whooped with laughter.
"Ehhh, what is this: a training session or a male-bonding exercise?", demanded Rattrap, who had overheard them.
"What it is, Vermin, is none of your business!", snarled Dinobot. "Now leave!"
"Yeah, leave.", said Quickstrike. "We didn't invite you here anyways."
"Try and make me, Freakazoid. We both know you can't. You can't do nothin' without Dino-boob proppin' you up. You act like he's your father or somethin'."
"Vermin, you have said more than enough! Now go!", said Dinobot.
"Awww, how sweet. The raptor adopted a screwed-up scorpion so ugly and dumb even his own mother didn't want him. So she stuffed him in a stasis pod--"
"I've had it with you!", screamed Quickstrike. "Just cause I don't know who mah mother is don't mean she didn't want me! I'm gonna make you pay!"
So saying, he launched himself at Rattrap, who sidestepped out of the way, snickering.
"I'm over ihere/i, ya ugly moron!", jeered Rattrap.
"Vermin, enough! You have gone too far!", cried Dinobot.
"He's your kid, ain't he, Scalebelly? You're always trying to protect him."
"I don't need inobody/i protectin' me! And I'll iprove/i it!", screamed Quickstrike as he charged Rattrap again. This time he succeeded in tackling the rodent. The two bots wrestled on the floor.
Dinobot watched the two enemies with a trainer's appraising eye. They were around the same size, and while Quickstrike had the benefit of Dinobot's training, Rattrap had the advantages of cunning and experience. He also prided himself on his willingness to fight dirty. So far, however, Quickstrike was holding his own, Dinobot noted proudly.
Rattrap kneed Quickstrike between the legs. Yelling in pain and rage, Quickstrike lashed out with his snake's head, biting Rattrap in the face. Rattrap shrieked in agony--and then went into stasis lock.
"Vermin! No!", cried Dinobot. "Are you iinsane/i?!", he demanded of Quickstrike. "You inever/i use cyber-venom on a comrade, regardless of the provocation!"
"And since when is that varmint iyour/i comrade?!", Quickstrike retorted. "You hate him as much as I do! I've heard y'all fighting."
"That doesn't matter! What matters is that we are all Maximals. What matters is that you used a dishonorable means of attacking him!"
"'Dishonorable'?! The varmint don't fight fair, either-- you saw what he did!"Quickstrike suddenly remembered something. "That Tarantulas fella said something about cyber-venom bein' a Predacon weapon. Was he right? Is that how come no-one else here has cyber-venom--and how come y'all don't like me usin' it?"
"Enough! What Tarantulas said is irrelevant! You have acted despicably and dishonorably! That is what is important. Now get out of my sight!"
Quickstrike briefly looked into his mentor's eyes and saw only rage and disgust. Dinobot hated him, too, now. Dejected, Quickstrike left Dinobot--and the iAxalon/i. He knew that when Optimus Primal found out about what he'd done to Rattrap he'd be in a whole mess of trouble. After all, Primal iliked/i Rattrap. Dinobot hated Rattrap, or so it seemed to Quickstrike, and he'd istill/i gotten mad when he'd bitten the varmint. So, the folks who liked Rattrap would get even madder. And those folks included Primal and Rhinox.
He could just lay low for awhile--but then what? How long would his shipmates stay mad at him? How long would it be before they forgave him? iIf/i they forgave him.
No, simply staying away until things cooled off wouldn't work. He had to do something to make up for what he'd done, something that would make Dinobot like him again. Dinobot had taken a real liking to him after the battle, when he'd helped Dino fight the boss Predacon. Before that fight, Dinobot hadn't really cared about him; he'd been training him just because Optimus had told him to. But after the battle, Dino had definitely warmed up to him. That was it, then. In order to make Dino like him again, and to make the other Maximals forgive him, he was going to have to take down a Predacon or two. If he did that, and brought back proof, then the Maximals would forgive him, and Dinobot would be his friend again.
He'd seen enough maps of the area to know where the iDarkseid/i was. Getting there would not be a problem, although it would take some time...
*****************
BlackArachnia was bored, which was nothing new. She found most activities and people tedious. About the only activity she really enjoyed was verbally sparring with Megatron or Tarantulas, the smartest of the Predacon males. In her opinion, Megatron was nowhere near as intelligent as he thought he was; he was the intellectual inferior of both herself and Tarantulas. She suspected that he knew it, which might explain why he kept the spiders around. After all, if he got rid of them, he'd have no-one left but a bunch of accident-prone morons. Waspinator was the worst of the bunch--he had to have CPU damage or something, for there could be no other explanation for his speech impediment or childish behavior. Inferno was insane and Terrorsaur was a major annoyance, for he actually thought he was smart and capable when he wasn't. Scorponok had just enough brains to 1) keep his mouth shut for the most part and 2) know that he was an idiot.
"Slag. You know you're bored when you start thinking about those losers. You also know you're bored when you start talking to yourself. Why did Megatron send me out here, anyway? There's nothing out here."
Patrolling an area was usually boring, too. There were only a couple of good things about patrolling: 1) it got her out of the base and out of even more tedious jobs like monitor duty and 2) it did sometimes present opportunities, for anything ranging from visiting Tarantulas to pilfering Energon to fighting Maximals.
"Speaking of which..isn't that a Maximal energy signature I'm picking up?" To give herself a better view, BlackArachnia climbed on top of a rock formation.
Quickstrike paused, for he'd begun picking up a Predacon energy signature somewhere in the area. He was in a desert not far from the Predacon base, which meant there wasn't a whole lot of cover for the Predacon--except some big cacti and rock formations. So where was the Predacon?
"Ugh, another scorpion--with a snakes' head for his tail? Talk about scraping the bottom of the barrel! Now is that moron going to walk right past me?", said BlackArachnia as she watched the approaching Maximal.
"Dagnabbit! Where iis/i that Predacon?! To go by this here signal, I gotta be on top of him!"
"You're half right, Maximal--but I'm not a 'him'.", said BlackArachnia. "BlackArachnia, Terrorize!"
Quickstrike looked up and saw the speaker standing on top of a rock formation. No wonder he hadn't seen the Predacon--he hadn't been looking up!
"Quickstrike, Maximize!" He took a second look at his opponent, the better to aim his snake's head...and stopped. "Dagnabbit, this ain't my day! I cain't fight a female! T'wouldn't be fittin'."
"Well...are you going to shoot me or not?", taunted BlackArachnia. "I haven't got all day to wait for you to make up your mind, assuming you have a mind, that is."
"I ain't gonna shoot you, miss. You're free to go."
"iI'm/i free to go? This is Pred ground, Slag-For- Brains. You're the one in trouble, not me."
"I still ain't gonna shoot you. You're too purty to shoot, with all that black and gold..."
BlackArachnia sighed. Just what she needed: being propositioned by the enemy... "Just what is your major malfunction, Maximal?"
"Ya really wanna know?", answered Quickstrike--and then began telling BlackArachnia all about his troubles. She couldn't believe this; the little twerp actually thought she cared! "Little twerp" was right, she decided, for he was even shorter than she was. But as she listened to the Maximal pour out his woes, she began to realize that not only was he about as stupid as Waspinator, he was also plainly very unhappy with the Maximals. And to judge from what he'd said about Dinobot, he had miserable taste in friends. All in all, he presented an opportunity...a minor opportunity, to be sure, but an opportunity nonetheless.
She favored Quickstrike with a ravishing smile and said, "You have had a bad time of it, haven't you? Well, Quickstrike, I'd say it's obvious that you belong on my side of the street."
"Ya mean join the Predacons? I cain't do that!"
"Why not? Think about it. You're more like us than the Maximals. You've got a scorpion beast mode with snake parts, you've got cyber-venom, you fight dirty, and you like to fight."
"Your boss ain't gonna want me around, not after what I did to his leg!"
"Megatron respects able fighters. Fight for him as effectively as you did for the Maximals, and he'll forgive your putting him in the C.R. tank that one time."
Quickstrike tried to think things over. This here lady Predacon seemed a lot friendlier than any of the Maximals, and she was real easy on the optics, too. She didn't seem to mind his being a Fuzor or his having cyber-venom, either. In fact, she'd said that a lot of the Predacons had poison-based weapons. Dinobot probably wouldn't approve, but then Dinobot didn't like him any more, and he'd switched sides, too.
"I hope I ain't makin' a mistake here, BlackArachnia, but I'm in. I'll join the Predacons."
*********************
"No good, Optimus.", Rhinox reported. I can't reach him by com and I can't pick up his signal. I'm afraid that means..."
"Quickstrike is near one of the Predacons' jamming stations.", finished Optimus Primal. "That's just iprime/i. We will just have to wait for Airazor and the others to report their findings."
Airazor, Silverbolt, and Dinobot had gone searching for Quickstrike as soon as it was established that he was not in his quarters or anywhere else on the iAxalon/i. Despite Optimus' misgivings about his ability to control his temper, Dinobot had insisted on joining the search party. He blamed himself for Quickstrike's disappearance, for he had obviously been much too hard on the younger bot, and he believed, that since he knew Quickstrike better than anyone else, that he would have a better idea of where to look for him. Optimus had reluctantly agreed--but extracted a promise that he would bring Quickstrike back unharmed. Quickstrike did deserve to be disciplined, but the nature of that discipline was for Optimus Primal to decide. Dinobot had readily agreed.
The searchers knew they were on the right track for Quickstrike's unusual scent and energy signature grew stronger and easier to detect the closer to Predacon ground they came. Finally, they reached the iDarkseid/i. Inferno was on guard duty outside.
Airazor flew over the grim Predacon ship. She had the most sensitive scanners and was the most maneuverable flier among the Maximals, which meant she had the best chance of scanning the Predacon vessel without being harmed. Since Inferno was outside, that meant she should detect no more than six signals within the base: the original five, plus BlackArachnia. Instead she picked up seven--and that seventh signal had all the peculiarities associated with Fuzors. It had to be Quickstrike. Sorrowfully, she flew back to where the other two waited.
"Quickstrike's been reprogrammed. Is there any way to get him back?"
"What is the status of the other Predacons? Do any of them appear damaged?", asked Dinobot.
"No, their energy signatures all appear normal. Why?"
"That means he has fully accepted and assimilated the Predacon programming. If he hadn't, he would have gone berserk and attacked them. Given his skills, he could have harmed them grievously. Incomplete assimilation also would have made undoing the programming, which is always a highly dangerous task, both safer and easier, for he would have been less likely to fight us. As it is, he is now fully Predacon--and he is therefore as lost to us as Inferno and BlackArachnia are."
"Dinobot, I'm sorry. I know you liked him.", said Airazor.
"Quickstrike was a good student, and I had high hopes for him, both as a warrior and...a friend. It is my fault he is now with the Predacons, for I let my anger get the best of me and thereby drove him off. I accused him of being dishonorable, but I am the one who failed in my duty, to him and to the Maximals. There is nothing more we can do. Let's go home.", said Dinobot.