interLUDE
By THEXenomorph
Disclaimer: I own only Perfection and Wraith.
DigitalMan and K2 are © My close friend.
Everything else is copyrighted to their correct owner.
Universe: Spliced-Verse (Misfit-Verse, Evil Dead, Mask TMNT Planeteers, Beast Wars, Jurassic Park)
Duel at High 11 O'clock
"I shall rend you to pieces and feast upon your tattered remains!" Rapticon shouted as he charged the statuesquely still Dinobot.
"You shall have no such pleasure." Dinobot drew his katana expertly at the single moment before Rapticon's claws struck; metal met metal and sparks flew as Dinobot used the leverage to toss the young Predacon to the side.
"We shall see!" Rapticon shouted as he flipped to his feet and charged Dinobot once more.
Again the weathered warrior deflected the younger's attack with ease. "I see only a foolish and untrained spark, not a warrior."
"Then I guess I am no warrior…" Rapticon enunciated with his back to Dinobot. "Perhaps then I am a killer!" At the last word Rapticon launched himself at Dinobot, wildly waving his claws back and forth. Dinobot guarded once more, but could not counterattack the swift and powerful blows.
"Agreed, you are no warrior!" Dinobot said as he quickly brought his blade to a horizontal stance and caught Rapticon's claws. "A warrior would know when to control his or her emotions." Dinobot then drew the sword from the lock like he would draw it from its sheath. The result was Rapticon's claws sailing in the air to rest at Megatron's feet.
"AGGAAAAHHHHHH!" Rapticon screamed in pain as he clutched his hands to his chest and fell to the ground where he crawled towards Megatron.
"All right Hero-Bot!" Waspinator cheered. "Wazpinator knew you could beat cheap lizzy-bot."
"Excellent show Dinobot!" Silverbolt ran to his comrade's side. "Now let us finish this."
"I think not." Megatron frowned as he leveled his dragon's head at the Maximals.
"Oh, I forgot about him." Silverbolt's face fell.
"Run." Dinobot said in a quiet hiss. "FAST!"
The Maximals all ran or flew at their fastest pace towards the rendezvous for the return Warp Point. When Dinobot got to the field though he quickly transformed into his vehicle form and made for the sky.
"NAGH!" Rapticon growled as he tried to grasp his broken claws.
"Tarantulus, help Rapticon recover from his first and hopefully last failure. I must recover Tohka and Rahzar." Megatron glared down at his newest subordinate.
"Boy, I would not want to be you." Terrorsoar cackled.
"Shut up and help me!" Rapticon growled. "And I'll rip your face off!"
"I think you mean 'Or I'll rip your face off.'" Tarantulus corrected Rapticon.
"And." Rapticon glared at the spider.
"Oh, he'll fit in just perfectly." Terrorsoar rolled his eyes.
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A few hours later Dinobot, Silverbolt and Waspinator were finishing up their debriefing with Optimus. No one was ultimately pleased with the outcome of the island expedition.
"Only one protoform and the Predacons got it." Optimus sighed.
"And worse yet, it is a mimic of my clone's appearance and power." Dinobot let a low, dissatisfied growl escape. "And the battle only showed his personality to be near identical."
"But ya won." Rattrap said as he typed away at a console not to far away.
"I won our first encounter, but only because he was not a trained warrior and now I fear he may focus all too intently on becoming something other than that." Dinobot growled again.
"Even worse; Megatron can now freely adapt protoforms to be either fuzor or Transmetal 2." Silverbolt sighed.
"At least they not have fleshy-bot-bot." Waspinator said.
"I wonder why that is?" Optimus said.
"Perhaps the mutant DNA won't scan properly." Rhinox said as he walked in. "Or maybe because he actually has some one he can share his ego trips with."
"I bet it's the second one." Rattrap said, when no one said anything he looked confused. "What, no 'Shut up Rattrap?'"
"Actually I think that's probably the case." Optimus blinked.
"Megatron has a friend?" Silverbolt asked in confusion.
"I think I'm to be ill." Dinobot sighed.
"Wazpinator think that sound right. Magneto very friendly with Megatron when Wazpinator left, Megatron was same way." Waspinator said.
"Well then I guess we'll just have to step up the search for any new Protoforms." Optimus sighed. "Which means we will also have to take away from the protection of our friends."
"To be fair Optimus, the only ones who need the protection are the Planeteers." Dinobot said. "You'd have to be a fool or a lunatic to attack the others."
"You know I hate to say it, but Choppaface has a point." Rattrap said. "Those kids could level half-a Cybertron in two hours."
"Be that as it may, they are still vulnerable to Predacon weaponry…" Optimus was interrupted.
"Optimus they are children, we all know this, but these children are fast approaching the time when their lives will become a war zone, and a much as it pains me to say it, hiding them from that war zone will only hurt them in the long run." Dinobot said. "They can handle themselves and I believe they would understand the importance of finding the protoforms before Megatron does."
"I know." Optimus sighed. "I just wish we could push that time back so they can grow up first."
"We all do Optimus." Rhinox said with a heavy sigh. "But Dinobot has a point. We've got our priorities in a little bit of a fix."
"Then..." Optimus sighed. "Recall everyone. I'll explain our situation to others."
"I shall join you." Dinobot said solemnly. "If only to say my own goodbyes for such a time."
"I'm leaving now Dinobot." Optimus said. "First stop is the Pit."
"Very well, lead on." Dinobot said in his usual detached manner.
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"Believe me Optimus, I completely understand." General Hawk of the G.I. Joe said as the two made their way around the bunkers of the Pit.
"Thank you for understanding General Hawk." Optimus smiled. "I just wish we could keep everyone safe and find the protoforms.
"I do to…" Hawk laughed. "It's not everyday COBRA just up and flees because they've angered a nasty robotic raptor."
"AHHHHHHH!" Stanley dashed in front of Hawk and Optimus, Stanley's head was on fire for the fourth time that day.
"I swear that kid goes through more Ritalin than the entire population and it still does nothing!" Hawk said with an exasperated sigh.
"Well at least it's not one of those so called 'Great Debates' I've heard so much about." Optimus smiled.
"You know I still can't believe you haven't had one yet." Hawk smiled.
"Well I guess we've just been lucky." Optimus said as Althea and Todd came running after Stanley with a fire extinguisher.
"STOP DROP AND ROLL!" Hawk shouted.
"I AM!" Stanley shouted back.
"Ugh…" Hawk groaned. "He's headed for the ammo stores…" A few seconds later a small bunker exploded and pieces of Stanley's body landed in a comical pile next to Hawk.
"I think I hurt myself…" Stanley's soot covered head coughed a smoke ring.
"I'm sorry Optimus, I'd love to talk some more, but I think there's going to be a lot of potato peeling today…" Hawk sighed.
"Well then my friend we shall talk soon." Optimus said with a smile as he left to find Dinobot.
As fate would have it though, Dinobot found him not shortly after that incident and he was covered in pink paint and had a blonde curly wig on his head.
"Not one word Optimus, not one word…" Dinobot growled.
"Triplets?" Optimus asked as the two took their vehicle forms.
"And Spyder." Dinobot growled.
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"Thank you for understanding." Optimus smiled as he hid behind Xavier's mansion, safe from the prying public. "I just wish we could…"
Xavier raised his hand, "Optimus, you must do what is in your people's best interest, and though I will regret having a few less helpful hands around, I do thank you for your assistance, especially you Dinobot."
"Me?" Dinobot looked confused as he stood next to Optimus.
"Yes, you've helped Rina out quite a lot." Xavier smiled. "Your practice sessions with her and Logan are beginning to shine through. She's even stopped trying to kill Bobby for every last joke he makes."
"Are you sure that's my influence?" Dinobot asked.
"Well, actually I attribute that to everyone else getting revenge for her." Xavier sighed as a window blew out on the third floor. "Forge's lab?"
"No, Kurt's room." Optimus said. "There's a lot of foam…"
"Oh lovely…" Xavier sighed. "Well, if you'll excuse me I must make certain no one was injured or will be injured."
"Perhaps you should institute a reason for good behavior." Dinobot said as he gazed at the window. "Merits and demerits or some such rules."
"Dinobot, I don't want the children to behave because of some sort of academic contest, I want them to behave because they have respect for their home." Xavier explained.
"You expect this of your students?" Dinobot blinked in confusion. "Have you been drinking earlier than usual today?"
"No." Xavier was offended, but finally admitted. "Well, maybe a little."
"I think we should leave now…" Optimus tugged on Dinobot's shoulder.
Dinobot looked up to see a giant aluminum mushroom growing in the kitchen; it was already breaking through the window.
"DUCK AND COVER KITTY'S COOKED STOVE TOP POPCORN!" Roberto called from within the mansion. A second later the kitchen had a new patio exit minus the patio it previously had.
"Maybe I've been looking at this the wrong way." Dinobot said. "I should be thinking of this search as a vacation from the lunacy of the other students!"
"I think you may be right…" Optimus winced as the oven in the kitchen exploded and sent a strange orange gunk all over the place. "We should go…"
"Going…" Dinobot said as he transformed into his vehicle form once more.
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"Thank you for understanding." Optimus smiled on the view screen as Splinter smiled and disconnected.
"Well, that means we're all gonna be searching for the remaining protoforms, huh?" Rattrap asked.
"Yes, and from what the Joes have supplied us with…" Optimus punched up a satellite read out onto the holo-viewer. "There are only three protoforms remaining with in physical reach."
"'With in physical reach'?" Black Arachnia asked.
"To put it bluntly, the others are buried under so much of the earth's crust, with so much pressure and so many dangers lying around them that even risking a dig for them would be suicide." Optimus said.
"What about Fish-Bowl-boy?" Rattrap asked, using one of his nicknames for Lance Alvers of the Misfits.
"He's still struggling with forming the earth into forms out of conscious desire." Rhinox said.
"So we're just going after these three?" Silverbolt asked.
"Yes, and we have to act fast, security information on the satellite was compromised a few days before the Scion's trip to Isla Sorna." Optimus frowned.
"So how do we split up?" Cheetor asked.
"Well the good news is that one of them is with in running distance." Optimus smiled. "Cheetor, you and Tigatron are going to these coordinates and you are going to dig as fast and as carefully as possible."
"All right, no problem Big-Bot." Cheetor smiled. "You ready Big-Cat?"
"Of course Cheetor." Tigatron smiled as he handed his son to Airazor.
"Silverbolt, you and Waspinator are coming with me to the Congo; we need to be careful with that one too." Optimus said.
"Which leaves…" Rattrap looked around the room. "Me, Legs, Choppaface, Wings, Rhinox and the Tin-Tuna, if he shows up soon."
"Actually it leaves you, Dinobot and Black Arachnia to get the fourth." Optimus said. "And you three need to be extra careful, it's already been compromised by the weather and location."
"Let me guess; Antarctica?" Black Arachnia cracked.
"Close." Optimus said. "High on Mount Everest and the Joes recent scans show that's where Release has been staying."
"Oh this just gets better and better." Rattrap sighed.
"Rat-bot should be shutting up." Waspinator said.
"Hey, you can't say that!" Rattrap shouted.
"Why not? Wazpinator is Maximal now and it the truth." Waspinator crossed his arms indignantly. "Rat-bot talk too much."
Rattrap, for once, was left entirely speechless.
