The Matrix of Conquest
By Cris Brackenridge
All The usual Disclaimer crap, I don't own any of the Transformers characters in this story. They all belong to Mainframe and Hasbro. This is the first in a long line of Beast Wars stories that introduce a new character. They are not in any particular order, so I may write a story introducing a Transmetal Character before I ever think of writing a story with a Fuzor or original. This one introduces Shokaract, an evil titan fighting for Unicron with his own special force, the Decepticon Matrix of Conquest. But others still will introduce many others. For example, one of them introduces Air Hammer and Sky Shadow, two Fuzors who were never introduced in the show, and another three-part story introduces Ramulus, a Transmetal 2 Ram with an identity crisis. Another one introduces Antagony, a time-traveling psycho female transformer with a black ant beast mode. Also, some characters that weren't on the show will be in these, but will never get their own story. These include: Iguanus, a psychotic Frilled Lizard; Razorclaw, a surely Fiddler Crab with a dark personality and mysterious past; Manterror, a hyper-energetic Praying Mantis with a dead-man's trigger finger and serious emotional problems; Razorbeast, a gruff and abusive maximal Razorback Boar; and Polar Claw, Optimus Primal's REAL second-in-command with a Polar Bear beast mode. I could go on and on, but then I'd reveal every surprise character (by the way, ALL of these are real Beast Wars toys that were available at one point or another.) So, enjoy.
"So, what's the good word, rat-face?" said Cheetor to Rattrap, who was monitoring the security screens. "Nuttin' much, kid," replied Rattrap. "All sectors are as quite as an oiled joint." "Great, 'cause I'm going out and relieving Silverbolt of patrol duty. I've had enough of the Preds lately. They seem like they're giving their fights extra effort lately. Makes me think they're up to something." "Heh! Wouldn't surprise me a bit, but I think we should be more concerned with the Stasis pods." "What do you mean 'Stasis Pods'?" asked Cheetor. "I thought they were all trashed during the quantum surge." "So did I, but I guess Depth Charge and Polar Claw found some evidence of active Stasis pods on a northern patrol. At least, that's what the boss monkey said." "Well, why don't we go and rescue them?" asked Cheetor. "Good, great. Wonderful idea. Except for one problem," said Rattrap. "What's that?" Rattrap turned to his console and activated the screen. An image from space appeared on the screen and began zooming in on the planet, and stopped with an overhead picture of Rampage, Iguanus and Inferno in a tall tower. The screen showed a little bug walking by in the snow. It showed the bug walk close to the tower, then showed the bug get blasted by an absolutely HUGE laser cannon mounted on the Predacon tower. "Wha!?" exclaimed Cheetor. "'Wha!?', is absolutely right." Said Rattrap. "The Preds installed some new kind of mega cannon or somethin'. A slaggin' Turbo Fox couldn't fly through there without gettin' vaped." "Well, why don't we go up there and get rid of it?" asked Cheetor. "There's only three Preds, and if we get the drop on them they won't be able to use their mega cannon." "Whoa, Whoa, Whoa!" yelled Rattrap. "Talk to the fearless leader, 'cause that ain't my department. Now, I'm gonna turn around and watch my quite little security screens and pretend you didn't even suggest that." With that, Rattrap turned his chair around and settled back to take a nap, not knowing that Cheetor intended to take things into his own hands.
"He-he-he-heh-he-ha-ha-ha-HA!" cackled Tarantulas, who was in his lab by himself. "Perfect, absolutely perfect. He came, just like he said he would." Tarantulas, referring to his visual scanners, proceeded to contact who he had detected. "Special Police unit Shokaract, this is Special Police unit Tarantulas. Do you copy?" Tarantulas waited for a nano-click before trying again. "Answer me, you pompous windbag! I know you're here, I see you on my scanners. Show yourself, brethren!!!" "I copy, unit Tarantulas" answered the voice on the other side of the connection. "I have arrived to realize the vision of Unicron, like I promised I would." "Ah-yeess, go on!" "However, Some events took place after you left with Megatron, and I am left without a body. You are talking to the Spark of Predacon Special Police unit Shokaract, and I am in need of a vessel to inhabit." "Hold on, I think some of Megatron's goons are guarding a blank Stasis pod you can inhabit. I'll just have to manipulate the situation a little. Tarantulas out." Tarantulas spent a little more time laughing to himself, then grabbed the communicator and contacted Rampage at the guard station. "Rampage, this is Tarantulas," said Tarantulas. "Go on, what do you want, arachnid?" responded Rampage with a hasty tone. "I don't want to spend anymore time than I have to on you." "Don't provoke me, crab, I have a message from Megatron and have no time for your irrelevant joshing." "Ohhh..." grumbled Rampage at the mention of more orders from his unwilling commander. "Very well. Relay the orders, treacherous one." "Megatron orders that you open the blank Stasis pod and investigate it." "Whaaaat!?!?" Yelled Rampage. "What is there to investigate!? It's a slagging blank protoform!" "I'm just a messenger," replied Tarantulas. "Now, off with you. Tarantulas out." With that, Tarantulas transformed into hot rod mode and roared off to solidify his plans.
"Insect, come and help me get this blasted thing open!" Yelled a frustrated Rampage, who was having trouble opening the frozen blank Stasis Pod. "By whose authority?" "By MY authority! Megatron has ordered me to inspect this blank, for reasons I can't possibly conceive." "Well, if it is the royalty's wish, then I must abide!" Rampage rolled his eyes and continued trying to force the Stasis Pod open, while Inferno went at it with a fusion welder. "Ahh! There, we have it!" exclaimed Rampage. "Now, what does Megatron want me to do with..."
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"Shokaract!" yelled Tarantulas as he rode on towards the Predacon outpost. "Rampage has activated the blank Protoform! Now is your chance! Assimilate his beast mode and inhabit the Protoform!" "I copy, Tarantulas" responded Shokaract. Tarantulas watched the skies overhead as he saw a Spark surrounded in a foggy purple energy descend quickly towards the Predacon outpost....
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"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" Screamed Rampage as a cloud of bright purple energy descended upon him. "AAAAAARRRRRRGGGGHHH!!! Get... it... OFF ME!" He fell on top of the Stasis Pod, were he was shocked by the purple energy as it left him and entered the Stasis Pod. Rampage got up and shook his head, then looked at what was happening to the Stasis Pod. It began to spark and surge with the purple energy, then glowed a bright blank white as the Protoform took shape. The top blew open and a tall form stepped out. It was a King Crab, similar to Rampage, but a little smaller and a different color scheme. It was Metallic blue and silver instead of gold and purple. It then spoke with a loud and high-pitched voice. "Ahhh, X, so you really ARE here. I wasn't sure I believed Unit Tarantulas, until now. Well, now that the search is done, sadly, I must end the fun and finish my job. Shokaract, Terrorize!" With that, Shokaract converted into a robot form just slightly smaller than Rampage's. It otherwise looked the same, with the exception of it's blue and silver shell and it's spider-like face that looked a lot like Tarantulas's. "For the good of the Predacon cause I have hunted you, X. The Tripedacus Council wants you for their own agenda, and I have never denied them." Rampage realized that he recognized who he was talking to, and looked around for an escape route. Instead, he spotted Depth Charge in vehicle mode, jetting towards them. "Sorry, old friend, but someone else already has dibs on me..."
*Beep*: "Protoform X Spark found, coordinates 11906.18227" announced Depth Charge's computer. "Great," Depth Charge said to himself. He banked heavy right to match the coordinates he was given.
"Who is that?" demanded Shokaract. "I will not be denied! You are mine!" He drew his weapon, a sawed-off energon semi-automatic pulse rifle, and fired at Rampage. Rampage was knocked back by the blast of unstable energon and was forced to revert to beast mode by the overload effects of the weapon. Then Shokaract shot a huge electric blast from his GalvaConducters on his shoulders. Depth Charge was knocked out of the air and crashed on the ground a couple dozen meters from where Shokaract standed. "You are all fools!" raged Shokaract. "Not even you, X, and your putrid mutant spark can match the pure POWER of the children of Unicron!!!" Both Rampage and Depth Charge, who had been fighting unconsciousness, showed shocked looks on their faces. "Feel the wrath of the Decepticon Matrix of Conquest!" Suddenly, the ground began to crack, and as Shokaract raised his arms, a surge of purple electricity burst from the cracks in the snowy ground. Iguanus was electrocuted as he stepped out of the Predacon outpost. Inferno, Rampage and Depth Charge convulsed with pain as Shokaract battered them with wave after wave of the power from the Matrix of Conquest. Then, he stopped. "No, but I do not wish to kill any of you today," He said. "That will have to wait for another day. I have... brethren... to seek out." He then looked at his scanners, converted to tank mode and roared off looking for Tarantulas. "Uhhh... what the Pit was that?" said Depth Charge, grunting with pain. "An old friend..." responded Rampage. "What, another slaughter victim? Another lone survivor?" "No, fool! Much more serious than that! I have no more time to waste on you. I must seek refuge." Rampage converted to robot mode and proceeded to walk away." "Wait!" yelled Inferno, who had been listening. "Where are going, slave of the royalty? You must stay to serve your queen, as you were ordered!" Rampage simply turned around and blasted him off-line with his missile launcher. "Naïve insect. He has no idea what is at stake" Stated Rampage. Then he was gone. Depth Charge looked off at the direction Rampage had walked off into. He then activated his communicator. "Depth Charge to Maximal Base, do you hear me? Depth Charge to Maximal Base, I am badly damaged and stranded in the northern wilderness, where the Predacon outpost... used to be. Had a run-in with X and a new ugly. I repeat, I am badly damaged, requesting immediate assistance!" "I hear ya', fish lips," responded Rattrap on the other side of the communication signal. "I'm sendin' bird dog and the sky cat to bring ya' in." Depth Charge turned off his comm unit, then went into Stasis Lock.
"You WHAT!?" Yelled Megatron to his minions Iguanus and Inferno. "I swear, Megatron, the second I stepped out of our tower, the traitor knocked me off-line!" pleaded Iguanus. "Yes, Royalty!" exclaimed Inferno. "There was nothing we could do! The Maximal fish interfered. And..." Inferno trailed off. "Yeess, Inferno? Do you have something to tell me?" "...There appeared to be TWO of him," Inferno finished. "One looked just like him, the other was smaller with very strange weapons." "Hhmm... yeess," Megatron mumbled to himself. "Very interesting... so, you say you could not find Rampage anywhere?" "Absolutely, Megatron!" Iguanus stated. "He would not show up on our scanners. He's completely disappeared." Megatron turned around and pondered for a nano-click, then turned to his console. "This is Megatron," he said over the ship's intercom. "Waspinator, Razorclaw, Manterror, report to the helm. I have an assignment for you." With that he turned off the intercom and thought to himself for a minute, while Iguanus and Inferno stood and wondered what Megatron was up to. Megatron looked around his helm for his half of Rampage's Spark. "Hmm... maybe I shall let Rampage play out his hand before I jump to conclusions," Megatron said to himself. "Inferno, Iguanus, I want you to go back up there and rebuild the security tower. Report to me when you finish. Things are about to get rather strange."
"Aww, Wazzzpinator always get slag assignment!" complained Waspinator, who had been ordered to hunt down Rampage with two partners he did not particularly like; Razorclaw and Manterror, who he both had decided were funny in the head. "I don't like it any more than you, bug," said Razorclaw in his mystery shrouded tone-of-voice. "But it's what Megatron has ordered us to do, and I'd rather go up against Rampage than be thrown to Megatron's pack of dogs for treachery." "But Crab-Bot really big and mean!" exclaimed Waspinator. "Tear Wazzzpinator to tiny pieces of scrap!" "You may be right, but Megatron could have done without insulting my warrior skills by sending you and this hyper mental case over here with me" he said, referring to Manterror who was twitching and screeching like he had twenty cups of coffee and a bag of Pixy Stix. "OooOoh, Wazzzpinator agreeez! Twitchy bug-bot makes me nervous." "Focus on the job at hand, insect. Rampage is no joking matter. But he is not a coward. Something went on up there that scared him good to make him hide. We must be cautious not only of Rampage, but what frightened him." "It's them, it is!" Manterror suddenly shouted from behind them. "Them and their Twiddly-Tiddly bag of heinosity!" "What are you ranting about, maniac?" Razorclaw questioned Manterror. "You know not of who I speak? Thou art foolish, flying and swimming ones! The spawn of the One are here to reap the end of all fellows! They lurk among us, the Predacons, posing as ones of us, but do not be fooled! I have taken the wrath of the One, and lurking and hiding they do well." "Uhhh... OK. If you say so," said Razor Claw. "OooOoh... Wazzzpinator thinks bug-bot has his wires crossed" said Waspinator. "To much weed for Manterror." "Bach!" Manterror exclaimed. "Thy be the fodder of One if heed not my advice." "Ignore him," Razorclaw ordered Waspinator. "He is insane and does not know what he is talking about." The three continued on, but Manterror was in an increasingly foul mood because the other Predacons did not believe him. Did they not realize that Transformers do not simply just GO insane, something MAKES them insane? Manterror's thoughts strayed back to his time on the Predacon space station in Nebulan space...
... ( "You, you, you. You three are in charge of security," said the Nebulan Predacon space station captain. Manterror was one of those three, long before he was ever called by the name 'Manterror'. The Predacon space station was parked over the planet that belonged to the Nebulans. The Nebulans were a species not too different than the Transformers, except they had normal bodies that turned into hand-held weapons during combat. There was a time when the Decepticons and Autobots made pacts with Nebulans and used them as large-scale weapons. The Predacons had brought their space station above their planet to leave any negotiations between them and the Nebulans open in case the war began again. Many Mega-Cycles passed before anything worthy of notice caught Manterror's attention. A relatively small shuttle, which Manterror couldn't recognize, was head for the station docking bay. " This is Security General .02 to Generals .03 and .01. An unidentified shuttle is attempting to dock in the loading bay. Order all troops to intercept them. And bring the survivors to the Captain." Manterror felt fairly satisfied with handling his first emergency so smoothly, but after a few nano-clicks, he began to worry. He decided he'd go down to the loading bay and double-check the situation himself. "Security General .02 to all station staff. I am leaving to personally inspect the unidentified craft myself." He proceeded down to the bay to find... nothing. None of the troops were there, and the craft was sitting safely in the middle of the loading bay. There were no bodies to indicate an attack. Then he realized the craft's hatch was open. He tried to communicate with the other generals only to discover he was being jammed. Then suddenly he was hit from behind. He pushed himself back up to discover a hulking transformer. "Baahh! Feel my wrath, pitiful one!" The being obviously intended to extinguish Manterror's Spark somehow, but he soon realized the full extent of the being's intentions. "That what does not become a part of the One will become void! Decepticon Matrix of Conquest, I call upon thee!" The station began to shake, and then it was flooded by a wave of cloudy, purple energy. The pain was intense. "Ahh, but I feel a little torture is appropriate before you are destroyed!" The Transformer walked up to Manterror. Then he picked him up. Then... he plucked Manterror's right leg right off! "Foolish Predacon!" the Transformer berated. "When you go to the Matrix, remember the one that destroyed you as Shokaract!" Shokaract turned his comm unit on. "Shokaract to the Tripedacus council. I have the Predacon space station in my mercy! I have here a survivor. Do I continue torturing it before I leave or simply destroy it?" "This is Cicadacon," the Transformer on the other line answered. "Bring him to us. I think we've done enough. Leave the space station and activate the explosives." So Manterror was dragged, unconscious, to Shokaract's ship. When he awoke, he was at the feet of The Tripedacus Council, Shokaract, the being he would go on to know as Tarantulas, and another fifth one he did not recognize. "So, Megatron offered to hire you to help steal the Maximals' precious disk?" asked the one Manterror remembered as Cicadacon. "Ah-yeess," Tarantulas answered. "I plan to go with him, too. Do you also approve, Sea Clamp and Ramhorn?" "Yes, of course," answered Ramhorn. But I have an idea." "What is that, council?" asked Shokaract. "Shokaract, you have been in charge of hunting down Protoform X for some time now, right? We will let Tarantulas take this Predacon with him into Megatron's scheme. We know the Maximals have custody of X. When Megatron inevitably encounters the Axalon, this Predacon will act as a beacon and let us know when they find X. Then we will send you, Shokaract." Manterror, who had already begun his downward spiral to insanity, still noticed how the Council had mentioned that Megatron would 'inevitably' encounter the Axalon. How could they know the future? He had no longer to ponder, because Tarantulas knocked him out and he was not awakened until he was on Megatron's ship with his crew, which was, interestingly enough, having a firefight with the Maximal ship Axalon...)
..."Manterror, did you hear me?" Razorclaw demanded. "I asked you a question." "Ask away, Fiddle-faddle" Manterror responded, using 'Fiddle-faddle' as what he apparently interpreted was a fiddler crab. "I asked, why weren't you following us? You suddenly stopped and drifted off to who the pit knows where in that empty head of yours." "Visiting old burial grounds I was, within my battered past-pasted head" Manterror answered, although Razorclaw didn't feel like any questions were answered. Razorclaw had long since suspected that Manterror was hiding something from his past, and this apparent trip down memory lane had confirmed his beliefs. Razorclaw, although he ached to know, did not ask Manterror questions about his past. Mostly because Razorclaw had secrets about his own bad past, and he understood why Manterror kept secrets about the past. "OooOoh, Wazzzpinator thinks we should be moving on!" Waspinator interrupted. "Wazzzpinator's sensors picking up strange signature." "Rampage?" asked Razorclaw. "OooOoh, Wazzzpinator thinks not. Smaller, but signature looks familiar. Like, Tarantulas..." "That backhanded arachnid... all right. Waspinator, tell me where that signature is coming from." "Wazzzpinator thinks it comes from Spider-bot's lab." "Head out, troops!" Razorclaw ordered.
Depth Charge woke up just in time to spot Cheetor and Silverbolt come flying in to his rescue. "Thank... the Matrix..." he mumbled to himself, then he went back off-line. "Depth Charge!" Cheetor exclaimed. "Do you think he's hurt bad?" "If it involved Rampage, then undoubtedly so" Silverbolt replied. "Then let's get him out of here!" The two fliers zoomed down to Depth Charge's rescue. They both yelled 'Maximize' and transformed to robot mode. "Here, I'll work on repairing him," offered Silverbolt. "You get more help from Optimus. "Got it!" Cheetor acknowledged. He transformed to beast mode and flew off.
"Cheetor to BigBot, come in Optimus," Cheetor said into his comm unit. No one answered. "Slag! I must be in one of Megatron's jamming zones." He flew onward towards the Maximal base, but then he noticed something: Rampage limping off, headed towards a cave. He appeared to be seeking refuge! What on Cybertron would Rampage need to hide from? Cheetor got a bad feeling from it, but he decided to just stay away from Rampage in any case. He flew on for a couple of cycles before he noticed something else: Tarantulas zooming off towards his lab. That didn't seem so odd, but with him he had... Rampage in Tank mode? He thought he had just seen Rampage limp into a safe cave a few cycles ago. Then he noticed something about this Rampage. He was smaller. And he was a different color. Cheetor just got more creeped out, but he didn't have long at all until Tarantulas halted, turned around, transformed and fired missiles at Cheetor. "Aaaahhh!" Cheetor yelled, right as he got clobbered by Tarantulas's shoulder missiles. "I'm hit!" He fell to the ground where Tarantulas was waiting. "He-he-he-ha-HA! Have anymore astute observations, kitten?" Tarantulas mocked. "Shokaract, hold up! It seems we have ourselves a sky spy." "Ahhh!" Shokaract exclaimed. "Good! More prey to torture!" Cheetor immediately realized that that wasn't Rampage's voice at all. "Ugh... man... what's wrong with the crab?" Cheetor queried, mostly to himself. "Ahh, glad you noticed!" Tarantulas started. "It seems my partner here duped you into thinking he was X. Not so, and you'll wish he was!" "Shokaract, Terrorize!" the 'fake' Rampage yelled. He transformed into what looked like a shorter, shinier version of Rampage that had a face similar to Tarantulas's. "Decepticon Matrix of Conquest, I call upon..." "No, no, no! Not yet! You'll destroy us both!" I think a more subdued power will be sufficient." "Very well" Shokaract agreed. He pulled out his pulse rifle and fired a single burst at Cheetor. The energon overload effects of the weapon forced Cheetor to revert to beast mode. Then, Shokaract set upon Cheetor to belittle him with his monstrous GalvaConductors. "Aaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!" Cheetor screamed as he was electrocuted by the generators. "He-he-he-he-he-ha-ha-HA-HA-HA!" Tarantulas cackled maniacally. "You two!" said a voice from the air. The two ceased torture and looked at the source of the voice. It was Optimus Primal in Supersonic Jet mode, accompanied by Silverbolt and a newly repaired Depth Charge in Flight mode. "Uhhh..." was all Cheetor could say. "I think you've had enough fun, X, or whoever you are," said Depth Charge. The three of them descended and transformed to robot mode. They began firing with all the ammunition and firepower in their possession. "I think it is time for a tactical retreat, do you not agree?" Tarantulas asked Shokaract. "Absolutely. Let's go back and see if anyone fell for your trap." The two went screaming off in vehicle mode. "Cheetor, are you OK?" asked Optimus. "Uhhgg... I guess... need some CR action soon..." Cheetor managed to mumble. "Bring him back to base for repairs, Silverbolt," he ordered. "Depth Charge, you're relieved. I'm going for a walk... need to think some things over." Optimus converted to beast mode and walked southwestward. Depth Charge and Silverbolt looked at each other, and then Silverbolt took off with Cheetor's tattered body. Depth Charge just looked off into the distance, at the ever-disappearing Shokaract, and glared.
Shokaract and Tarantulas arrived back at their lab to find Manterror, Razorclaw and Waspinator hanging in a net of webbing, unconscious. "Fools," Tarantulas muttered. "Fell right into my trap." He then picked up the thermal radiator he had placed on the ground below the trap to disable any intruders, specifically Rampage. "Shokaract, hide out of holocam range. I don't want Megatron to see you." Tarantulas connected to Megatron's holocommunicator. "Megatron, this is Tarantulas." "Yeess, what do you want?" Megatron responded, who had a shower cap on and was holding his rubber duck. "I'm... taking a bath." Megatron hastily hid the rubber duck behind his back that he had been holding. "So make it quick." "Ah-yeess, of course. I simply contacted you to alert you that your three imbeciles here fell right into the trap I set in my lab for Rampage. Maybe you should get them a map next time." Megatron wore a suspicious look on his face for a moment, than responded. "Yeess, very well. I'll... take it under advisement. Now, leave me be, arachnid." Tarantulas signed out, then motioned Shokaract out from his hiding place. "Now, we have them all where we want them." "Ha-HA!" Shokaract exclaimed. "Including X..." "He-he-he-ha-ha-HA-HA-HA-he-ha-HA!!!!!"
The End
Now, there was some stuff that wasn't explained in this. So her it is. One, the Decepticon Matrix of Conquest is a powerful Space Shuttle, and its computer contains the mind of Unicron. Since the Tripedacus Council, Tarantulas, Shokaract and a member to be later named (Wink-Wink) are all smaller descendants of Unicron, and Shokaract possesses the Matrix of Conquest, they know the future, present and past. That's why they knew the future, because Unicron knows all that stuff. Two, the purple energy is NOT the actual Matrix, the Decepticon Matrix of Conquest is a ship that empowers Shokaract to simply destroy whatever he wishes. Three, the reason that Shokaract was only a Spark at the start of the story was because the Predacon grand leader Predaking found out what Shokaract was and destroyed him. However, the power of the Decepticon Matrix of Conquest protected his Spark, allowed him to assimilate Rampage's king crab beast mode, and inhabit the empty Protoform. Four, the Nebulans were a REAL gimmick in mid 80's Transformers. They came with Transformers called the Targetmasters and the Headmasters. Five, the Tripedacus council is the same one from "The Agenda Pt. 1", and the whole story arc I've created is an extension and elaboration of those three and their supposed "Origins." Lastly, guessing who will be the sixth Spawn of Unicron is no great difficulty. He's sinister, ugly, and will be introduced as a Transmetal 2. Like I said, not a long stretch, but I'm obligated to not directly tell you. Oh, and a short preview of the next introductory story would go something like this:
"A rip in time space, a mysterious, feminine figure stalks Megatron, the future becomes the past, the past becomes the present. Transformers, who shouldn't exist yet, do. A lost soul finds it and pays for it. Rampage meets... ANOTHER old friend!?"
Cool, huh? Or does it sound like I just came up with it to fill space? Well, you'd be right if you thought the later, but I think it's cool anyway. Once again, the indications are obvious but indirect. By the way, one of the characters in the next story are loosely based on the personality of a character created by a Transfan that I believe called herself Lady Dementia or "The Demented Angel". I believe the Character was a Transmetal Sea Slug, and was named Overdose. That's all the subliminal hints for you... Adios!
(P.S.: The explanations will not always be this long)
"Jerichoholic 2020"
By Cris Brackenridge
All The usual Disclaimer crap, I don't own any of the Transformers characters in this story. They all belong to Mainframe and Hasbro. This is the first in a long line of Beast Wars stories that introduce a new character. They are not in any particular order, so I may write a story introducing a Transmetal Character before I ever think of writing a story with a Fuzor or original. This one introduces Shokaract, an evil titan fighting for Unicron with his own special force, the Decepticon Matrix of Conquest. But others still will introduce many others. For example, one of them introduces Air Hammer and Sky Shadow, two Fuzors who were never introduced in the show, and another three-part story introduces Ramulus, a Transmetal 2 Ram with an identity crisis. Another one introduces Antagony, a time-traveling psycho female transformer with a black ant beast mode. Also, some characters that weren't on the show will be in these, but will never get their own story. These include: Iguanus, a psychotic Frilled Lizard; Razorclaw, a surely Fiddler Crab with a dark personality and mysterious past; Manterror, a hyper-energetic Praying Mantis with a dead-man's trigger finger and serious emotional problems; Razorbeast, a gruff and abusive maximal Razorback Boar; and Polar Claw, Optimus Primal's REAL second-in-command with a Polar Bear beast mode. I could go on and on, but then I'd reveal every surprise character (by the way, ALL of these are real Beast Wars toys that were available at one point or another.) So, enjoy.
"So, what's the good word, rat-face?" said Cheetor to Rattrap, who was monitoring the security screens. "Nuttin' much, kid," replied Rattrap. "All sectors are as quite as an oiled joint." "Great, 'cause I'm going out and relieving Silverbolt of patrol duty. I've had enough of the Preds lately. They seem like they're giving their fights extra effort lately. Makes me think they're up to something." "Heh! Wouldn't surprise me a bit, but I think we should be more concerned with the Stasis pods." "What do you mean 'Stasis Pods'?" asked Cheetor. "I thought they were all trashed during the quantum surge." "So did I, but I guess Depth Charge and Polar Claw found some evidence of active Stasis pods on a northern patrol. At least, that's what the boss monkey said." "Well, why don't we go and rescue them?" asked Cheetor. "Good, great. Wonderful idea. Except for one problem," said Rattrap. "What's that?" Rattrap turned to his console and activated the screen. An image from space appeared on the screen and began zooming in on the planet, and stopped with an overhead picture of Rampage, Iguanus and Inferno in a tall tower. The screen showed a little bug walking by in the snow. It showed the bug walk close to the tower, then showed the bug get blasted by an absolutely HUGE laser cannon mounted on the Predacon tower. "Wha!?" exclaimed Cheetor. "'Wha!?', is absolutely right." Said Rattrap. "The Preds installed some new kind of mega cannon or somethin'. A slaggin' Turbo Fox couldn't fly through there without gettin' vaped." "Well, why don't we go up there and get rid of it?" asked Cheetor. "There's only three Preds, and if we get the drop on them they won't be able to use their mega cannon." "Whoa, Whoa, Whoa!" yelled Rattrap. "Talk to the fearless leader, 'cause that ain't my department. Now, I'm gonna turn around and watch my quite little security screens and pretend you didn't even suggest that." With that, Rattrap turned his chair around and settled back to take a nap, not knowing that Cheetor intended to take things into his own hands.
"He-he-he-heh-he-ha-ha-ha-HA!" cackled Tarantulas, who was in his lab by himself. "Perfect, absolutely perfect. He came, just like he said he would." Tarantulas, referring to his visual scanners, proceeded to contact who he had detected. "Special Police unit Shokaract, this is Special Police unit Tarantulas. Do you copy?" Tarantulas waited for a nano-click before trying again. "Answer me, you pompous windbag! I know you're here, I see you on my scanners. Show yourself, brethren!!!" "I copy, unit Tarantulas" answered the voice on the other side of the connection. "I have arrived to realize the vision of Unicron, like I promised I would." "Ah-yeess, go on!" "However, Some events took place after you left with Megatron, and I am left without a body. You are talking to the Spark of Predacon Special Police unit Shokaract, and I am in need of a vessel to inhabit." "Hold on, I think some of Megatron's goons are guarding a blank Stasis pod you can inhabit. I'll just have to manipulate the situation a little. Tarantulas out." Tarantulas spent a little more time laughing to himself, then grabbed the communicator and contacted Rampage at the guard station. "Rampage, this is Tarantulas," said Tarantulas. "Go on, what do you want, arachnid?" responded Rampage with a hasty tone. "I don't want to spend anymore time than I have to on you." "Don't provoke me, crab, I have a message from Megatron and have no time for your irrelevant joshing." "Ohhh..." grumbled Rampage at the mention of more orders from his unwilling commander. "Very well. Relay the orders, treacherous one." "Megatron orders that you open the blank Stasis pod and investigate it." "Whaaaat!?!?" Yelled Rampage. "What is there to investigate!? It's a slagging blank protoform!" "I'm just a messenger," replied Tarantulas. "Now, off with you. Tarantulas out." With that, Tarantulas transformed into hot rod mode and roared off to solidify his plans.
"Insect, come and help me get this blasted thing open!" Yelled a frustrated Rampage, who was having trouble opening the frozen blank Stasis Pod. "By whose authority?" "By MY authority! Megatron has ordered me to inspect this blank, for reasons I can't possibly conceive." "Well, if it is the royalty's wish, then I must abide!" Rampage rolled his eyes and continued trying to force the Stasis Pod open, while Inferno went at it with a fusion welder. "Ahh! There, we have it!" exclaimed Rampage. "Now, what does Megatron want me to do with..."
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"Shokaract!" yelled Tarantulas as he rode on towards the Predacon outpost. "Rampage has activated the blank Protoform! Now is your chance! Assimilate his beast mode and inhabit the Protoform!" "I copy, Tarantulas" responded Shokaract. Tarantulas watched the skies overhead as he saw a Spark surrounded in a foggy purple energy descend quickly towards the Predacon outpost....
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"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" Screamed Rampage as a cloud of bright purple energy descended upon him. "AAAAAARRRRRRGGGGHHH!!! Get... it... OFF ME!" He fell on top of the Stasis Pod, were he was shocked by the purple energy as it left him and entered the Stasis Pod. Rampage got up and shook his head, then looked at what was happening to the Stasis Pod. It began to spark and surge with the purple energy, then glowed a bright blank white as the Protoform took shape. The top blew open and a tall form stepped out. It was a King Crab, similar to Rampage, but a little smaller and a different color scheme. It was Metallic blue and silver instead of gold and purple. It then spoke with a loud and high-pitched voice. "Ahhh, X, so you really ARE here. I wasn't sure I believed Unit Tarantulas, until now. Well, now that the search is done, sadly, I must end the fun and finish my job. Shokaract, Terrorize!" With that, Shokaract converted into a robot form just slightly smaller than Rampage's. It otherwise looked the same, with the exception of it's blue and silver shell and it's spider-like face that looked a lot like Tarantulas's. "For the good of the Predacon cause I have hunted you, X. The Tripedacus Council wants you for their own agenda, and I have never denied them." Rampage realized that he recognized who he was talking to, and looked around for an escape route. Instead, he spotted Depth Charge in vehicle mode, jetting towards them. "Sorry, old friend, but someone else already has dibs on me..."
*Beep*: "Protoform X Spark found, coordinates 11906.18227" announced Depth Charge's computer. "Great," Depth Charge said to himself. He banked heavy right to match the coordinates he was given.
"Who is that?" demanded Shokaract. "I will not be denied! You are mine!" He drew his weapon, a sawed-off energon semi-automatic pulse rifle, and fired at Rampage. Rampage was knocked back by the blast of unstable energon and was forced to revert to beast mode by the overload effects of the weapon. Then Shokaract shot a huge electric blast from his GalvaConducters on his shoulders. Depth Charge was knocked out of the air and crashed on the ground a couple dozen meters from where Shokaract standed. "You are all fools!" raged Shokaract. "Not even you, X, and your putrid mutant spark can match the pure POWER of the children of Unicron!!!" Both Rampage and Depth Charge, who had been fighting unconsciousness, showed shocked looks on their faces. "Feel the wrath of the Decepticon Matrix of Conquest!" Suddenly, the ground began to crack, and as Shokaract raised his arms, a surge of purple electricity burst from the cracks in the snowy ground. Iguanus was electrocuted as he stepped out of the Predacon outpost. Inferno, Rampage and Depth Charge convulsed with pain as Shokaract battered them with wave after wave of the power from the Matrix of Conquest. Then, he stopped. "No, but I do not wish to kill any of you today," He said. "That will have to wait for another day. I have... brethren... to seek out." He then looked at his scanners, converted to tank mode and roared off looking for Tarantulas. "Uhhh... what the Pit was that?" said Depth Charge, grunting with pain. "An old friend..." responded Rampage. "What, another slaughter victim? Another lone survivor?" "No, fool! Much more serious than that! I have no more time to waste on you. I must seek refuge." Rampage converted to robot mode and proceeded to walk away." "Wait!" yelled Inferno, who had been listening. "Where are going, slave of the royalty? You must stay to serve your queen, as you were ordered!" Rampage simply turned around and blasted him off-line with his missile launcher. "Naïve insect. He has no idea what is at stake" Stated Rampage. Then he was gone. Depth Charge looked off at the direction Rampage had walked off into. He then activated his communicator. "Depth Charge to Maximal Base, do you hear me? Depth Charge to Maximal Base, I am badly damaged and stranded in the northern wilderness, where the Predacon outpost... used to be. Had a run-in with X and a new ugly. I repeat, I am badly damaged, requesting immediate assistance!" "I hear ya', fish lips," responded Rattrap on the other side of the communication signal. "I'm sendin' bird dog and the sky cat to bring ya' in." Depth Charge turned off his comm unit, then went into Stasis Lock.
"You WHAT!?" Yelled Megatron to his minions Iguanus and Inferno. "I swear, Megatron, the second I stepped out of our tower, the traitor knocked me off-line!" pleaded Iguanus. "Yes, Royalty!" exclaimed Inferno. "There was nothing we could do! The Maximal fish interfered. And..." Inferno trailed off. "Yeess, Inferno? Do you have something to tell me?" "...There appeared to be TWO of him," Inferno finished. "One looked just like him, the other was smaller with very strange weapons." "Hhmm... yeess," Megatron mumbled to himself. "Very interesting... so, you say you could not find Rampage anywhere?" "Absolutely, Megatron!" Iguanus stated. "He would not show up on our scanners. He's completely disappeared." Megatron turned around and pondered for a nano-click, then turned to his console. "This is Megatron," he said over the ship's intercom. "Waspinator, Razorclaw, Manterror, report to the helm. I have an assignment for you." With that he turned off the intercom and thought to himself for a minute, while Iguanus and Inferno stood and wondered what Megatron was up to. Megatron looked around his helm for his half of Rampage's Spark. "Hmm... maybe I shall let Rampage play out his hand before I jump to conclusions," Megatron said to himself. "Inferno, Iguanus, I want you to go back up there and rebuild the security tower. Report to me when you finish. Things are about to get rather strange."
"Aww, Wazzzpinator always get slag assignment!" complained Waspinator, who had been ordered to hunt down Rampage with two partners he did not particularly like; Razorclaw and Manterror, who he both had decided were funny in the head. "I don't like it any more than you, bug," said Razorclaw in his mystery shrouded tone-of-voice. "But it's what Megatron has ordered us to do, and I'd rather go up against Rampage than be thrown to Megatron's pack of dogs for treachery." "But Crab-Bot really big and mean!" exclaimed Waspinator. "Tear Wazzzpinator to tiny pieces of scrap!" "You may be right, but Megatron could have done without insulting my warrior skills by sending you and this hyper mental case over here with me" he said, referring to Manterror who was twitching and screeching like he had twenty cups of coffee and a bag of Pixy Stix. "OooOoh, Wazzzpinator agreeez! Twitchy bug-bot makes me nervous." "Focus on the job at hand, insect. Rampage is no joking matter. But he is not a coward. Something went on up there that scared him good to make him hide. We must be cautious not only of Rampage, but what frightened him." "It's them, it is!" Manterror suddenly shouted from behind them. "Them and their Twiddly-Tiddly bag of heinosity!" "What are you ranting about, maniac?" Razorclaw questioned Manterror. "You know not of who I speak? Thou art foolish, flying and swimming ones! The spawn of the One are here to reap the end of all fellows! They lurk among us, the Predacons, posing as ones of us, but do not be fooled! I have taken the wrath of the One, and lurking and hiding they do well." "Uhhh... OK. If you say so," said Razor Claw. "OooOoh... Wazzzpinator thinks bug-bot has his wires crossed" said Waspinator. "To much weed for Manterror." "Bach!" Manterror exclaimed. "Thy be the fodder of One if heed not my advice." "Ignore him," Razorclaw ordered Waspinator. "He is insane and does not know what he is talking about." The three continued on, but Manterror was in an increasingly foul mood because the other Predacons did not believe him. Did they not realize that Transformers do not simply just GO insane, something MAKES them insane? Manterror's thoughts strayed back to his time on the Predacon space station in Nebulan space...
... ( "You, you, you. You three are in charge of security," said the Nebulan Predacon space station captain. Manterror was one of those three, long before he was ever called by the name 'Manterror'. The Predacon space station was parked over the planet that belonged to the Nebulans. The Nebulans were a species not too different than the Transformers, except they had normal bodies that turned into hand-held weapons during combat. There was a time when the Decepticons and Autobots made pacts with Nebulans and used them as large-scale weapons. The Predacons had brought their space station above their planet to leave any negotiations between them and the Nebulans open in case the war began again. Many Mega-Cycles passed before anything worthy of notice caught Manterror's attention. A relatively small shuttle, which Manterror couldn't recognize, was head for the station docking bay. " This is Security General .02 to Generals .03 and .01. An unidentified shuttle is attempting to dock in the loading bay. Order all troops to intercept them. And bring the survivors to the Captain." Manterror felt fairly satisfied with handling his first emergency so smoothly, but after a few nano-clicks, he began to worry. He decided he'd go down to the loading bay and double-check the situation himself. "Security General .02 to all station staff. I am leaving to personally inspect the unidentified craft myself." He proceeded down to the bay to find... nothing. None of the troops were there, and the craft was sitting safely in the middle of the loading bay. There were no bodies to indicate an attack. Then he realized the craft's hatch was open. He tried to communicate with the other generals only to discover he was being jammed. Then suddenly he was hit from behind. He pushed himself back up to discover a hulking transformer. "Baahh! Feel my wrath, pitiful one!" The being obviously intended to extinguish Manterror's Spark somehow, but he soon realized the full extent of the being's intentions. "That what does not become a part of the One will become void! Decepticon Matrix of Conquest, I call upon thee!" The station began to shake, and then it was flooded by a wave of cloudy, purple energy. The pain was intense. "Ahh, but I feel a little torture is appropriate before you are destroyed!" The Transformer walked up to Manterror. Then he picked him up. Then... he plucked Manterror's right leg right off! "Foolish Predacon!" the Transformer berated. "When you go to the Matrix, remember the one that destroyed you as Shokaract!" Shokaract turned his comm unit on. "Shokaract to the Tripedacus council. I have the Predacon space station in my mercy! I have here a survivor. Do I continue torturing it before I leave or simply destroy it?" "This is Cicadacon," the Transformer on the other line answered. "Bring him to us. I think we've done enough. Leave the space station and activate the explosives." So Manterror was dragged, unconscious, to Shokaract's ship. When he awoke, he was at the feet of The Tripedacus Council, Shokaract, the being he would go on to know as Tarantulas, and another fifth one he did not recognize. "So, Megatron offered to hire you to help steal the Maximals' precious disk?" asked the one Manterror remembered as Cicadacon. "Ah-yeess," Tarantulas answered. "I plan to go with him, too. Do you also approve, Sea Clamp and Ramhorn?" "Yes, of course," answered Ramhorn. But I have an idea." "What is that, council?" asked Shokaract. "Shokaract, you have been in charge of hunting down Protoform X for some time now, right? We will let Tarantulas take this Predacon with him into Megatron's scheme. We know the Maximals have custody of X. When Megatron inevitably encounters the Axalon, this Predacon will act as a beacon and let us know when they find X. Then we will send you, Shokaract." Manterror, who had already begun his downward spiral to insanity, still noticed how the Council had mentioned that Megatron would 'inevitably' encounter the Axalon. How could they know the future? He had no longer to ponder, because Tarantulas knocked him out and he was not awakened until he was on Megatron's ship with his crew, which was, interestingly enough, having a firefight with the Maximal ship Axalon...)
..."Manterror, did you hear me?" Razorclaw demanded. "I asked you a question." "Ask away, Fiddle-faddle" Manterror responded, using 'Fiddle-faddle' as what he apparently interpreted was a fiddler crab. "I asked, why weren't you following us? You suddenly stopped and drifted off to who the pit knows where in that empty head of yours." "Visiting old burial grounds I was, within my battered past-pasted head" Manterror answered, although Razorclaw didn't feel like any questions were answered. Razorclaw had long since suspected that Manterror was hiding something from his past, and this apparent trip down memory lane had confirmed his beliefs. Razorclaw, although he ached to know, did not ask Manterror questions about his past. Mostly because Razorclaw had secrets about his own bad past, and he understood why Manterror kept secrets about the past. "OooOoh, Wazzzpinator thinks we should be moving on!" Waspinator interrupted. "Wazzzpinator's sensors picking up strange signature." "Rampage?" asked Razorclaw. "OooOoh, Wazzzpinator thinks not. Smaller, but signature looks familiar. Like, Tarantulas..." "That backhanded arachnid... all right. Waspinator, tell me where that signature is coming from." "Wazzzpinator thinks it comes from Spider-bot's lab." "Head out, troops!" Razorclaw ordered.
Depth Charge woke up just in time to spot Cheetor and Silverbolt come flying in to his rescue. "Thank... the Matrix..." he mumbled to himself, then he went back off-line. "Depth Charge!" Cheetor exclaimed. "Do you think he's hurt bad?" "If it involved Rampage, then undoubtedly so" Silverbolt replied. "Then let's get him out of here!" The two fliers zoomed down to Depth Charge's rescue. They both yelled 'Maximize' and transformed to robot mode. "Here, I'll work on repairing him," offered Silverbolt. "You get more help from Optimus. "Got it!" Cheetor acknowledged. He transformed to beast mode and flew off.
"Cheetor to BigBot, come in Optimus," Cheetor said into his comm unit. No one answered. "Slag! I must be in one of Megatron's jamming zones." He flew onward towards the Maximal base, but then he noticed something: Rampage limping off, headed towards a cave. He appeared to be seeking refuge! What on Cybertron would Rampage need to hide from? Cheetor got a bad feeling from it, but he decided to just stay away from Rampage in any case. He flew on for a couple of cycles before he noticed something else: Tarantulas zooming off towards his lab. That didn't seem so odd, but with him he had... Rampage in Tank mode? He thought he had just seen Rampage limp into a safe cave a few cycles ago. Then he noticed something about this Rampage. He was smaller. And he was a different color. Cheetor just got more creeped out, but he didn't have long at all until Tarantulas halted, turned around, transformed and fired missiles at Cheetor. "Aaaahhh!" Cheetor yelled, right as he got clobbered by Tarantulas's shoulder missiles. "I'm hit!" He fell to the ground where Tarantulas was waiting. "He-he-he-ha-HA! Have anymore astute observations, kitten?" Tarantulas mocked. "Shokaract, hold up! It seems we have ourselves a sky spy." "Ahhh!" Shokaract exclaimed. "Good! More prey to torture!" Cheetor immediately realized that that wasn't Rampage's voice at all. "Ugh... man... what's wrong with the crab?" Cheetor queried, mostly to himself. "Ahh, glad you noticed!" Tarantulas started. "It seems my partner here duped you into thinking he was X. Not so, and you'll wish he was!" "Shokaract, Terrorize!" the 'fake' Rampage yelled. He transformed into what looked like a shorter, shinier version of Rampage that had a face similar to Tarantulas's. "Decepticon Matrix of Conquest, I call upon..." "No, no, no! Not yet! You'll destroy us both!" I think a more subdued power will be sufficient." "Very well" Shokaract agreed. He pulled out his pulse rifle and fired a single burst at Cheetor. The energon overload effects of the weapon forced Cheetor to revert to beast mode. Then, Shokaract set upon Cheetor to belittle him with his monstrous GalvaConductors. "Aaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!" Cheetor screamed as he was electrocuted by the generators. "He-he-he-he-he-ha-ha-HA-HA-HA!" Tarantulas cackled maniacally. "You two!" said a voice from the air. The two ceased torture and looked at the source of the voice. It was Optimus Primal in Supersonic Jet mode, accompanied by Silverbolt and a newly repaired Depth Charge in Flight mode. "Uhhh..." was all Cheetor could say. "I think you've had enough fun, X, or whoever you are," said Depth Charge. The three of them descended and transformed to robot mode. They began firing with all the ammunition and firepower in their possession. "I think it is time for a tactical retreat, do you not agree?" Tarantulas asked Shokaract. "Absolutely. Let's go back and see if anyone fell for your trap." The two went screaming off in vehicle mode. "Cheetor, are you OK?" asked Optimus. "Uhhgg... I guess... need some CR action soon..." Cheetor managed to mumble. "Bring him back to base for repairs, Silverbolt," he ordered. "Depth Charge, you're relieved. I'm going for a walk... need to think some things over." Optimus converted to beast mode and walked southwestward. Depth Charge and Silverbolt looked at each other, and then Silverbolt took off with Cheetor's tattered body. Depth Charge just looked off into the distance, at the ever-disappearing Shokaract, and glared.
Shokaract and Tarantulas arrived back at their lab to find Manterror, Razorclaw and Waspinator hanging in a net of webbing, unconscious. "Fools," Tarantulas muttered. "Fell right into my trap." He then picked up the thermal radiator he had placed on the ground below the trap to disable any intruders, specifically Rampage. "Shokaract, hide out of holocam range. I don't want Megatron to see you." Tarantulas connected to Megatron's holocommunicator. "Megatron, this is Tarantulas." "Yeess, what do you want?" Megatron responded, who had a shower cap on and was holding his rubber duck. "I'm... taking a bath." Megatron hastily hid the rubber duck behind his back that he had been holding. "So make it quick." "Ah-yeess, of course. I simply contacted you to alert you that your three imbeciles here fell right into the trap I set in my lab for Rampage. Maybe you should get them a map next time." Megatron wore a suspicious look on his face for a moment, than responded. "Yeess, very well. I'll... take it under advisement. Now, leave me be, arachnid." Tarantulas signed out, then motioned Shokaract out from his hiding place. "Now, we have them all where we want them." "Ha-HA!" Shokaract exclaimed. "Including X..." "He-he-he-ha-ha-HA-HA-HA-he-ha-HA!!!!!"
The End
Now, there was some stuff that wasn't explained in this. So her it is. One, the Decepticon Matrix of Conquest is a powerful Space Shuttle, and its computer contains the mind of Unicron. Since the Tripedacus Council, Tarantulas, Shokaract and a member to be later named (Wink-Wink) are all smaller descendants of Unicron, and Shokaract possesses the Matrix of Conquest, they know the future, present and past. That's why they knew the future, because Unicron knows all that stuff. Two, the purple energy is NOT the actual Matrix, the Decepticon Matrix of Conquest is a ship that empowers Shokaract to simply destroy whatever he wishes. Three, the reason that Shokaract was only a Spark at the start of the story was because the Predacon grand leader Predaking found out what Shokaract was and destroyed him. However, the power of the Decepticon Matrix of Conquest protected his Spark, allowed him to assimilate Rampage's king crab beast mode, and inhabit the empty Protoform. Four, the Nebulans were a REAL gimmick in mid 80's Transformers. They came with Transformers called the Targetmasters and the Headmasters. Five, the Tripedacus council is the same one from "The Agenda Pt. 1", and the whole story arc I've created is an extension and elaboration of those three and their supposed "Origins." Lastly, guessing who will be the sixth Spawn of Unicron is no great difficulty. He's sinister, ugly, and will be introduced as a Transmetal 2. Like I said, not a long stretch, but I'm obligated to not directly tell you. Oh, and a short preview of the next introductory story would go something like this:
"A rip in time space, a mysterious, feminine figure stalks Megatron, the future becomes the past, the past becomes the present. Transformers, who shouldn't exist yet, do. A lost soul finds it and pays for it. Rampage meets... ANOTHER old friend!?"
Cool, huh? Or does it sound like I just came up with it to fill space? Well, you'd be right if you thought the later, but I think it's cool anyway. Once again, the indications are obvious but indirect. By the way, one of the characters in the next story are loosely based on the personality of a character created by a Transfan that I believe called herself Lady Dementia or "The Demented Angel". I believe the Character was a Transmetal Sea Slug, and was named Overdose. That's all the subliminal hints for you... Adios!
(P.S.: The explanations will not always be this long)
"Jerichoholic 2020"