Author's Notes: No way to tell if anyone likes this; perhaps my description of the series in general could use a better word, ah well I'll have to think on it before I can explain any confusions that some of the silent readers might possess. Perhaps it's because there are some who are unfamiliar with the Transformers Universe Toyline; from which I've derived the characters for this series, check out w w w. bwtf. c o m (Without the spaces naturally)under the Universe section to get some info and see pictures of the toys.
I make no claims to owning any of these characters; at least not their names, their personalities are mostly fabricated from my own imaginations and thus I've managed to surprise myself with the level of creativity I've revealed. The second story follows the events of the first from the viewpoint of the Predacon turned Decepticon Reptilion... The first three stories will be written mostly from each of the Decepticons POVs for the most part and the subsequent three will be the flipside POVs' of the Autobots. Please Read & Review to let me know what everyone thinks...
"Black Arachnia! Wherever my spark goes I shall find you!" A voice cried echoing amongst the sheer emptiness of my mind.
"And I you brother!" Her voice called out weak and faded as though a mere fragment of a memory. Memories fell away elusive as the very shadows as once again the red agony bombarded me; I slowly turned to face the monster planet. He had seen better days; the once fearsome chaos bringer was little more then a husk decayed and ancient as the very cosmos themselves. I despised him for how he took me from my sister just as I had reunited with her; this made him laugh a sound so twisted by darkness and age that it reminded me of the cackle of the deranged Alpha Duos.
"Still you dwell upon her my herald." He stated; I churned at his words, I would never be his herald no matter what he did to me. "So you believe Reptilion, but remember even now as I speak destiny and fate will take a different track. Proceed on your way… To conquest." His last words echoed among the very stars until a swirling purple vortex formed behind me as if called down by the echoing voice itself; I felt the great pull and I at once vanished from his sight, though never his touch…
Reptilion
Cybertron stood before me; a desolate wasteland I found myself before the entranceway to the once proud and mighty city of Iacon. The once beauteous golden archways stood listless; the top of the archway caved in upon itself and perched precariously above the long stretch of former bustling highways. A sick grayish black color represented the last remnants of the noble Autobot faction; I lowered my head in respect of the ancient ones for unlike those under the Tripredacus Council I held no ill will towards those who sired the twin races.
Many believed we Predacons to have descended solely from the Decepticons; I however had long since discovered the truth before my posting to the Axalon and the events that led to my current position. Entering the hallowed realm I vowed internally to discover just why Unicron had sent me here; taking my first steps within Iacon I sensed a kinship with those of the past long since lost to the ravages of time. Optic sensor whirring with sound my vision switched; elongating past the lip of the collapsed Energon storage facility and locking onto a fluctuating spark signature, estimated thirty-five kilometers within the city limits.
"Beast Mode!" I cried expecting to revert to my frilled lizard form; nothing happened and I looked confusedly upon my form. Gone were my cool metallic blue and orange colors; replaced with a primary dark brown highlighted by bright green and metallic purple flaking.
My spark chamber swung open as I studied these changes; the pulsating crystal-like soul had sunken in and a new covering, presumably enhanced armor of some sort, covered it. The familiar; though ancient sigil of the former Decepticon Empire graced my body resting prominently upon the armor covering, so this was Unicrons game. With a quick and simple mental command and the once symbolic sounds of gears; joints and pistons re-arranging themselves I assumed beast form. Verifying that the unknown hadn't moved I used my clawed feet to slip under the roadway; no sense leaping into the situation like a certain former comrade of mine. As I began to crawl along the underbelly of this great thoroughfare my mind slowly slipped back into itself and images of my past returned, centering upon the day all first began…
The rich foliage of the ancient world vibrated and hummed with the songs of the wild; droning cicadas and singing birds nested in the trees. A herd of elephants basked in the cool waters of a peaceful lake and a silent leopard stalked a herd of antelope in the tall grasses of the Savanna. Without warning a seven foot long frilled lizard struck from his hiding place and bit into the pelted hide of the leopard; he gorged on his meal, serrated teeth tore trough the flesh, bone, sinew and organs of the beast rapidly. Blood soon coated his fangs and he reveled in it all basking in the lazy heat of late afternoon as he settled down to conclude his feast.
Suddenly the antelope fled; they had not seen or scented the beasts' kill, but the nine foot locust fluttering down from the sky proved to startle them into a run. Slitted reptilian eyes watched the insect for a moment longer before the organic beast swallowed the last of his meal and verbalized.
"Reptilion Terrorize!" He cried instantly transforming into his smaller robot form; detaching his tail from it's' perch on his back he raised the revealed cannon at the giant locust and would have smirked if he could.
"Peace friend Reptilion." The transformer spoke shifting into his own robot mode; he proved to be taller and closer inspection revealed that his organic parts clashed with numerous mechanical influences.
"I know you not; nor do I call you friend." Reptilion stated though lowering his weapon in curiosity. "And yet I wish to know who you are and how it is you appear so differently." He wondered.
"My name is Scourge and I am a Transmetal Two." The unit responded; his voice made Reptilion wary, but the power resonating from him made the smaller Predacons' optics flicker with great desire. "I know what you most desire Reptilion; your hidden thoughts are laid bare and naked before me as primitive as the so called humans." He stated optics flaring with bemusement.
"What could you possibly know?" Reptilion scoffed flicking his cannon in a show of bored annoyance. "I grow tired of your word games, leave me to my life." He added whirling and heading off towards the nearby jungle.
"You seek reunification with your sibling." Scourge called out bringing Reptilion to a sudden halt. "I can take you to her." He added in a lower sly tone. Reptilion spun to face Scourge and glared at the larger Predacon hiding his true feelings of fear behind a mask of anger.
"You presume much dark one." He snapped raising his weapon once again. "Tell me why I shouldn't destroy you for your words."
"Because you know I speak truthfully, you can not deny your spark… However if you do not wish my aid." Scourge trailed off and turned once more taking into the sky; Reptilion eyed him briefly debating if he should accept the strangers offer.
"Wait!" He finally called out before Scourge could get further away. "I will listen to your proposal." He added lowering his head in disgust.
"There is no proposal." Scourge returned landing so quickly it belied the natural order of things. "Simply take my hand." He continued reaching out with his left hand; Reptilion hesitated briefly before re-holstering his weapon on his back and taking the clawed hand in his own relatively normal one. Scourges' optics flickered darkly as the four insect legs hanging on his lower arm lashed out with honed reflexes. Reptilions' optics widened in fear as they dug into his metallic skin and dark purple energy began to flow; he cried out in raw agony as his body trembled. The quadruple energy tendrils burrowed deep surrounding his very spark and he soon blacked out from the sheer torture.
Reptilion heard voices and his optics flickered back to life as he slowly sat up; something felt different, his left visionary input seemed sharper then his right. Glancing about in the large cavern his optics fell upon others; a hulking light green and blue behemoth stood farthest out. Sharp teeth revealed in his smile and a fin atop his head; his left arm actually ended in a four pronged claw. Straddling one of the stalagmites was a web footed mostly dark blue hunchbacked robot who was closely scrutinizing him in return, head tilted at a slight angle. Two short robots stood closer by; one a light grey and orange combination with wings on his back the other a darker grey and red with obvious feminine undertones.
Sitting cross legged and oblivious to the rest was a scythe armed blue and black insect inspired mechanoid while a metallic green and dark brown ram paced back and forth before the entrance energy bars shimmering. A sudden hand appeared red in color and Reptilion allowed the stranger to help him to his feet; he was black and red with multifaceted optics, transparent blue wings and metallic silver on his beast modes' abdomen, which hung off his back. After helping him up he offered a goofy smile and turned to address the others.
"Maybe now locus-bot let us all return to Cybertron." He stated.
"I'll believe that when I see it." The stalagmite clinger muttered in a low tone; obviously Reptilion had not been the first tricked by the locust. Remembering the odd tendrils of energy he glanced down at his superstructure to check for damages only to discover that he had undergone some form of reformat. His entire body was now a combination of dark blue and orange; not to mention that somehow it had been completely re-arranged, his transformation was altered drastically if the lizard-modes frill formerly resting on his back; now serving as a strange half-skirt around his waist was any indication. His tail had always been attached to his back for quick access to his blaster, but now it was thinner, and attached to his head helmet in such a fashion as to evoke a long flexible head of hair. Even his feet and hands were altered, being slightly wider and tapering off with far sharper claws.
"What did he do to me?" Reptilion exclaimed unaware that insect guru was carefully studying him.
"The same thing as most of us; well except Ramulus over there." The largest unit stated indicating the ram pacing near the cave entrance.
"Yes, locus-bot make us all Transmetal or Transmetal Two." The helpful winged unit with the odd speech elaborated.
"Pipe down Waspinator." Scythe unit snapped. "You're messing up my audios."
"Scarab-bot keep opinion to himself; lizard-bot want answers and Wazzzzzpinator has answers." Waspinator shot back; Reptilion was mildly surprised that Waspinator didn't have a far stranger speech quirk considering the way he kept referring to everyone by their beast modes; still at least he seemed to be the only sane one in this group at the moment.
"Reptilion." He corrected introducing himself to the group in general, he still did not know any of their names save two and he hoped his forwardness would net him new knowledge.
"Ah I see you have recovered; excellent." Scourge called out suddenly as he revealed himself among the group; the shark unit reacted first cocking a loaded missile launcher and aiming it in one fluid motion. Ramulus shifted into robot mode so swiftly Reptilion hadn't seen him coming, his ram-modes horns now rested in his hand forming an impressive cannon that crackled with red tipped energy. Scarab unit as Waspinator had called him leapt from his crouch-legged position and landed, revealing four legs not two. His arms were poised inches from Scourge's chest their scythe-like nature hinting at a messy and gruesome end for the betrayer. The others among them seemed indifferent; stalagmite clinger shifted and moved up further into the shadows for observation, winged female and winged male seemed to accept their fate their shoulders sagging in defeat. Reptilion ignored their strange reaction and turned now to face the one who'd gotten him in this mess.
"You had best be explainin' these actions Scourge." Ramulus growled the odd cannon in his grip flaring with even more power; his voice struck Reptilion as odd dialect-wise, but he ignored this new revelation and scrutinized the mysterious one eager to gauge his reaction.
"My actions are simple; I have the means to send one of you home, only one. Therefore instead of forcing myself to decide, which of you to take and which to leave to their death I chose a more colorful solution." Scourge began his tone indicating a hidden malice that appeared particularly bemused at the weapons facing him. "The rule is a simple one, the last unit standing gets to come home." He finished smugly before he vanished yet again; everyone continued to eye the place he'd been for a good five seconds longer before they began to shift sights on those around them.
"We won't do as he wishes will we?" The small winged male demanded fear coating his tone like well aged energon.
"Wazzzzzpinator thinks we should track locus-bot down and make him take all of us." Waspinator suggested.
"And I say stuff it bug-eyes." Scarab unit snapped before he charged at the winged male; his scythe-like arms came down in a death dealing blow only to connect with a large blade that had mysteriously appeared in his opponent's hand.
"Scarem; Nightglider stop this at once." The female unit ordered her optics narrowing in disgust.
"Hot tip Sonar you're not in charge." Stalagmite clinger spat with a smirk before he pounced on the bat inspired unit.
"Oh no; Wazzzzzpinator knows this is bad idea, Cybershark do something to stop the fighting." Waspinator pleaded addressing the largest member of this little clique of survivors; Cybershark smiled showing off both sets of teeth and switched his aim from empty air to Waspinator.
"Guess again bug-boy." He stated opening fire with a deranged glint in his optics; Waspinator dodged the missiles and let out a cry of dismay.
"Transmetal Two Maximal is insane! Wazzzzzpinator sick of pointless wars and fighting, Wazzzzzpinator Flight Mode!" He cried instantly adopting his wasp form, which quickly rearranged several panels revealing an F-15 style nosecone and wing assembly where wasps' wings had been before. Jet engines flaring the strange unit barreled into the wall of the cavern bypassing the secure entranceway entirely and rocketing off into a cloud filled sky.
"Two can play at that!" Cybershark began stowing his launcher back wherever he'd spirited it from; before he could pursue Waspinator, Scarem leapt in front of him his arms dripping with the life-fluids of Nightglider a psychotic glee in his optics. Reptilion glanced over at Nightglider and lowered his head in silent respect; the Maximal had put up a valiant effort after all.
"A pity you killed the rodent; I'm rather fond of fury prey, but in a pinch I can settle for Insect Tartar." Cybershark stated before the two began to fight; Reptilion grimaced how could a Maximal be so disturbed?
"And so laddie it's left to us two to choose; should we fight each other or follow Waspinator?" Ramulus wondered causing Reptilion to turn to the forgotten unit in surprise; his optics widened as he saw the sheer determination in the other units optics though a hint of torn despair could be detected as well. Raising his special cannon Ramulus chose to follow the set course; Reptilion leapt away as a swath of pure energy tore across the ground gouging into it and tearing up a hail of dust and tiny rocks. Reptilion marveled at the sheer destructive power of that weapon; reaching for his tail blaster he made a very big discovery.
"Slag; looks like that reformatting omitted long-range weapons as part of it's' package deal." He muttered rolling out of the way of a second blast that ripped apart a good chunk of cave floor, several stalagmites and a large boulder conveniently placed in between Ramulus and Reptilion. A third shot was quick to follow and Reptilion was hard pressed to dodge the energy wave due to Ramulus sweeping his cannon across their makeshift battlefield in order to ensure hitting his target this time. His spark chamber opened as he moved weaving and jerking in a haphazard flight path in hopes of evading the blast; twin stalks of orange energy coalesced snaking out to each hand and solidifying into identical battle clubs. Grinning slightly and now armed Reptilion backpedaled flipping up over the energy beam and bounding off of a broken chunk of stalagmite; he flipped through the air tucking his legs into a somersault as he barreled closer and closer to Ramulus. Finally he landed to the left of his attacker right beside the hand clutching that devastating cannon; using one club he batted it aside as Ramulus pivoted to meet him and jammed the second in between the linkage and the small arm blades on Ramulus' wrist. His eyes widened in surprise as the cannon began to crackle and whine with overloading energies.
"It didn't have to be this way." Reptilion whispered taking a moment to genuinely apologize to his opponent.
"Survival is the only way; and I gladly sacrifice myself fer the others." Ramulus returned; Reptilion suddenly understood why Ramulus had been so conflicted prior to instigating his attack; he watched with respect as Ramulus charged across the cavern and continued to pour energy into his weapon. Now Reptilion could see that his own spark energies provided the power source; with a great cry intermixed with righteous fury and deep sorrow his lips twisted into a smile of contempt as the cannon at last incapable of supporting the volume of sheer energy particles infused within the barrel detonated. The explosion engulfed the cave entrance with intense radiance; Reptilion shielded his optics only to find himself thrown slamming into an ancient sturdier stalagmite by the backwash. Ramulus himself was eaten away; his body ripped itself apart and his spark imploded.
Once the debris and dust settled down Reptilion saw the light; the entranceway had been blasted open revealing a murky colored sky with occasional flashes of lightning and a desolate wasteland as far and wide as any he'd ever encountered. Preparing to head out after Waspinator; Reptilion felt something slam into his chest and he glanced down to find the half-eaten form of Scarem, quadruple legs still twitching. Cybersharks' shadow fell upon him and he looked up in true fear noting that he was still chewing on one of Scarems' arms.
"Chitin was too chewy." He remarked with a gleeful smirk. "Wonder if you taste like chicken." He added that deranged glint still in his optics.
"You are one seriously disturbed Carcharodon Carcharias." Reptilion observed before summoning a third battle club; Cybershark merely shrugged and launched his anchor arm, Reptilion leapt over the claw as it dug into the ground landing on the extended arm; charging along its length. He bounded up onto Cybersharks' shoulder armor and slammed a fist into that grotesquely disturbed visage; following up with a roundhouse kick his talons ripping open four long gouges in Cybersharks' cheek. He spun hard and fast like a top whipping his tail across the behemoths face hoping to finally disorient him enough for a finishing blow; instead he felt a sharp sting of pain shoot along its' length and then a hard yank.
Tumbling back to the ground he stared up in revulsion and shock seeing his tail dangling from the Maximals' mouth; Cybershark chewed on it a little and then quickly spat it out.
"Far too bitter; oh well that just means I'll have to fricassee you with some TNT." He exclaimed removing his launcher once again and opening fire; Reptilion leapt aside from the initial assault and quickly calculated the amount of explosive energies in each missile. With a small smirk of triumph he flipped over the carcass of Nightglider and quickly crawled up into the shadowy recesses of the cave using a vast stalagmite.
"Get back down here you pathetic coward!" Cybershark cursed tugging free his forgotten anchor arm and rushing over to the location he'd last seen his quarry; Reptilion chuckled sending his laughter echoing out amongst the confines of the cavern. Cybershark bellowed and began to fire blindly into the air. "Nobody mocks me!" Explosions rang out continuously as missile after missile collided with the ceiling; eventually Reptilions' laughter stopped and Cybershark ceased firing heaving with the exhaustion brought on by berserker fury. A sudden sharp crack caused him to whip his head back to the ceiling missile launcher ready; a stalactite tumbled from the sky gravity and weight causing it to speed up as it drew closer to him. Screams of rage shifted into those of blinding agony as the pointed end tore into his lower abdomen and brought him crashing to the ground where he was pinned mech-fluids pooling about his legs.
"A pity; it appears you missed." Reptilion mocked acidly lightly landing next to his fallen opponent; Cybershark twitched and raised his anchor arm in a futile attempt at salvaging victory from obvious defeat. Reptilion side-stepped the futile assault leapt atop Cybersharks' chest and drove his battle club into the jewel resting there. Violet energies coursed all along Cybersharks' body and he convulsed twice in quick succession before slumping lifeless to the floor.
By now Sonar and the un-named unit had ceased their pathetic struggle; Reptilion surmised they'd been fearfully awaiting the outcome to his struggle with Cybershark worried that they'd have to deal with him next. They now eyed Reptilion afraid he would turn on them, but he wasn't interested in further pointless pursuits. Twisting the club free from its resting place he hopped off of Cybershark and surveyed the area; with a grimace of disgust he turned back to the two shorter units. Before he could utter a word Waspinator appeared barreling through the gaping entranceway and colliding with the far wall; he was being driven through the air by Scourge who had dug a blade-tipped quarter staff into his chest.
He body-slammed the hapless wasp up against the wall a second time crushing his left wing before removing his bladed weapon and allowing the pathetic wasp to tumble to the floor.
"You have forfeited the right to depart Waspinator; there can be only one penalty for that." Scourge stated twirling his weapon around and preparing to sever the Predacons' head from his torso; without warning a spike-tipped mace collided with his shoulder as stalagmite clinger hopped to Waspinators' defense. "I see you need to be taught a lesson as well Spittor." He growled lashing out with his left leg; the force of the blow sent Spittor barreling off into the shadows of the distant secondary chamber, which Reptilion now noted as existing. This cavern couldn't truly be called a cavern anymore, with all the structural damages it had sustained he was surprised the whole roof hadn't caved in by now.
Scourge nodded in satisfaction and turned to face Waspinator again only to find Reptilion and Sonar barring his path.
"This farce ends here Scourge; too many have died already in your twisted little game." Sonar growled her claws glistening as a bolt of lightning ripped across the sky at this most opportune moment.
"Apparently I chose in error; now I'm afraid none of you miserable lot shall ever see Cybertron again! The Pit take you all." Scourge spat twirling his quarterstaff once again this time for a more advantageous attack position; Sonar leapt first only to be batted aside; Reptilion charged battle clubs in hand he blocked the first swing effortlessly and leapt over the second whipping his re-grown tail around striking Scourge across the chest.
Spittor returned leaping from the shadows and landed atop Scourges' grotesquely long legs, gripping one of the dark units' wings with one webbed hand he smashed the other with his mace. Next a large metallic green claw rose off his back and swiveled around; it dug into Scourges' back eliciting a cry from the larger unit even as green energies traveled through the claw and into Scourge.
"Have some Cyber-Venom on me." He mocked; Scourge hissed and the antenna on his right arms' mounted insect head swiveled to face Spittor, twin bursts of energy erupted from their tips ripping into his armor and sending him tumbling through the air. Spittor landed on the self-same stalagmite he'd been clinging to when Reptilion first saw him, this time however he was impaled and cried out in agony as he slowly began to die.
"Yes, your death shall be a slow and painful one as befits a common thug. For you shall witness their deaths before you die." Scourge mocked; Sonar unleashed a sonic scream that collided with Scourges' back and sent him barreling into the open air outside the entrance. She flew after him; Reptilion turned to Waspinator briefly to see that he was alright.
"Get Spittor off of there, no one deserves that kind of death." He ordered before tightening the grip on his battle clubs and charging after Sonar.
"Even without Megatron around Wazzzzzpinator always salvage." He sighed before moving to his task.
Reptilion came flying at Scourge fast and hard, both of his clubs connected with his quarterstaff sending a jolt through both combatants' arms; Sonar swooped out of the sky bringing her claws down on his unprotected flank and severed his insect head from his arm. Scourge snarled in rage and brushed Reptilion aside turning to unleash a burst of those strange energies from his insect legs; instead of connecting with Sonar his attack went wide seemingly drawn by a bolt of lightning. She took advantage of this gift and dived at him a second time shearing the legs from his arm and effectively cutting off any further attacks of that nature.
Backhanding Sonar, Scourge unleashed a kick into Reptilions' chest sending him flying through the air a deep gouge in his armor; next he leapt high and grabbed Sonar with his free hand by the neck. She choked in his grasp as he slowly tightened his hold on her trachea and then he let his quarterstaff fall momentarily. Digging his hand into her chest he reveled at the look of sheer terror imbued in her optics as she realized death was inevitable; suddenly a large tail collided with Scourge and he wound up tumbling backwards losing his grip on the female.
"Thank you." She whispered coughing through the pain.
"Get back inside and help Spittor and Waspinator." Reptilion ordered his knuckles cracking with the tightness with which he held his clubs. Sonar nodded and limped back inside; Scourge climbed to his feet and mentally summoned his quarterstaff back into his grip twirling it about as he eyed Reptilion.
"He said you would be the one." He remarked cryptically.
"We end this." Reptilion stated a strange sense of calm washing over him as the storm above erupted drenching the land and washing away the evidence of battle, hard rain pelted both warriors armor.
"It was inevitable." Scourge conceded with a nod; and the two combatants charged. Scourge attempted to cleave Reptilions' head from his shoulders only to feel the jarring impact of battle club against quarterstaff; each opponent swung back and forth attempting victory through brute strength yet each time their weapons clashed ringing out in tandem with the massive peals of thunder. After half an hour of back and forth with neither gaining the upper hand Scourge switched tactics and once again kicked Reptilion through the air. He tore across the ground coming to a stop eighteen feet away; Scourge chuckled as he pointed at Reptilions' fallen form.
"You are beaten it is useless to resist." He stated beginning to approach at a slow even pace.
"Scourge." Reptilion groaned attempting to struggle to his feet and failing; Scourge regarded him quizzically. "These aren't just battle clubs." He added hurling both weapons through the air; they flew straight and true slamming into Scourges' chest and imbedding there. Scourge stared at them bemusedly and continued his inexorable approach opting to ignore them.
"How pathetic." He scoffed.
"Wait for it." Reptilion smirked; Scourge eyed him incredulously before his audio circuits detected the faint beeping he hadn't paid much attention to earlier, realization hit yet too late for as he feebly attempted to remove them discovering they were stuck tight both missiles detonated. Scourges' body flew apart torn open from within his upper body flew across the landscape in tiny pieces even as his legs tumbled smoking to the ground twitching in a grotesque parody of life. Reptilion at last managed to struggle to his feet even as his spark chamber initiated repairs; the rain still falling though now in a gentler peaceful downpour.
"Excellent Reptilion; Scourge was one of my strongest creations and you have terminated him." A deep voice praised startling Reptilion. "Thus you have earned the right to take his place, but I shall honor his original bargain and return you to your sister." The voice concluded; Reptilion searched in vain unable to locate the source as he adopted a dubious expression.
"No strings?" He demanded unaware that even as he spoke a small vortex opened behind him.
"You have my word." The voice agreed with a deep chuckle; Reptilion nodded and entered the portal not once thinking of those three that may yet still be functional.
I returned from my reverie and examined the region; it appeared to be a former industrial center with factories and foundries dotting the landscape, or at least their remains. The signature I had been tracking was just above me opposite the highway and moving along' apparently they'd finally decided to seek out other life forms. Slipping over the railing and back atop the metallic surface I discovered much to my surprise a spindly legged dark metallic blue and orange black widow spider with a splash of purple on her abdomen. She seemed to sense me and whirled around faster then I'd give her credit for.
"Reptilion." She greeted her chelicerae twitching in excitement.
"Black Arachnia." I returned with a curt nod; at least Unicron had a sense of humor giving her my old color scheme, though it wasn't identical.
"Sibling you've changed again." She noted; I grinned flicking my tongue out to indicate her own changes.
"Unicron I assume." I remarked noting the new Decepticon insignia hidden in a recess of her abdomen; this was beginning to make certain sense, she had been found next to a mysterious warrior similar in vein to Scourge.
"I was debating whether or not to go in search of someone; it appears that taking my time allowed you to find me yet again." She observed approaching me and stroking my back with one of her legs in a rare show of sisterly affection.
"My sensors." I exclaimed surprised by a sudden new energy signature when this planet had only held two previously; or at least within my sensor range. I turned my head to pinpoint the exact location and discovered it with minimal effort; then again something that big was hard to miss. "I believe our next stop is in there." I stated indicating the large black obelisk where none had been before. Black Arachnia shivered in apprehension and made a small hissing sound as she observed the strange obelisk; she could sense the darkness emanating from it same as me.
"Shall we greet this newcomer?" I wondered adopting a wide smirk.
"Lead the way dear brother." She returned indicating the long stretch of highway before us.
We chose to travel in silence and now as we arrived I wished we had done anything but; the obelisk in question was a dark spike in the center of this once pristine city; its smooth elegance belied the sinister intentions of those who had once dwelled within. As evidenced by the rich amount of negative energy I was getting just from being next to the place; as Iacon surrounded it, the construct was devoid of any living individuals save for the one my sensors had detected. The entrance hall beckoned through the thick sheets of glass-like substance that served as a doorway; it was barren of any furnishings and the walls showed nothing of the history of this place. As we passed within a jolt screamed from within my spark; this building was as foreboding and evil as Unicron himself.
The hallway leading deeper within was worse; it appeared to have been polished more times then was prudent and proved just as bare as the entranceway. The doorways leading off appeared to be sealed; only the turbo lift opposite the main entrance was accessible. We made our way slowly towards the shaft and slipped inside cautiously; my sensors however detected no foreign power sources therefore the device should be safe. It rose silently traveling up fifteen floors before letting us off; this hall was shorter then the other and had no other avenues open save the door at the end.
Black Arachnia shared a curious look with me and together we pushed onward; entering the room I was surprised to find the place practically buried in computer consoles and monitors. Wires and cables littered the grounds connecting all of these devices to the central control chair, which proved to be designed for a large individual.
"Greetings Reptilion, Black Arachnia I see Unicron saw fit to bestow upon my personage two extraordinary units to serve as my lieutenants." A dark toned voice stated as the chair slowly turned to face us. "After all not many can claim they have bested two of the Chaos Bringers heralds." He added with a small knowing smile. My optics widened in shock as the lighting levels rose and I could see the full extent of this mysterious signatures' form; he was massive, black, purple, and red in color with a green Maximal emblem situated dead center on his chest. And yet he was obviously a Decepticon as evidenced by his sheer size for no Maximal had even been equal in height to the great warriors of the past.
"Tigerhawk?" Black Arachnia gasped in shock.
"Negative Ms. Arachnia; I merely resemble that Maximal unit, I am Razorclaw the leader of this new Decepticon army." He returned with a second slight smile this one hinting at the true cunning of this behemoth.
"An army of three." I pointed out speaking before considering all possible reactions this stranger might enact upon.
"For the moment." Razorclaw began rising to his feet and clasping his hands behind his back as he turned to examine several monitors hidden in the recesses of the shadows surrounding him. Seeing him standing at full height made my circuits tremble; this Razorclaw was indeed a Decepticon and one to be wary of, he stood at least as large as the original Megatron had been. Only his mechanical beast mode, which resembled a Transmetal Two design aesthetic showed him to be far more open then that relic. "But Unicron has assured me that more Decepticons shall join us as time and situations permit; we shall become the conquerors of the entire Multiverse."
"Setting his sights a little high isn't he." Arachnia muttered to me.
"Not if Unicron is truly behind this." I returned; alarms began to blare instantly before she could counter my remark with one of her own and Razorclaw turned back to us a wolfish grin gracing his features.
"Ah the Autobots have arrived; shall we go to meet our chosen adversaries." He suggested assuming his beast mode; it was a powerful looking fusion of tiger and hawk and his wingspan alone dwarfed us. He circled above us briefly and glanced down with a dark smile a thick purple tongue flicking out to lick his upper lips in a semblance of lustful desire. "Decepticons follow me to Victory!" He cried; his voice ringing out in the confines of this cluttered room and reverberating off the walls until it sounded as if an army truly was answering his calls to battle.
Razorclaw took us to the Autobots' location on his back most likely so that he could meet his adversary quickly. As we approached Arachnia and I leapt off and stood facing our foes; one was a purple wolf, eagle fusion with a red and silver streak running down his back and neon green highlights. The second was Technorganic in nature like Black Arachnia; he was a mostly black and red lion with purple, yellow and orange thrown in for good measure. Their leader was a blend of maroon, green and yellow with a red and silver marking on his head similar in vein to the fuzors'; he was a gorilla and therefore could be only one unit I knew of.
"Ah Optimus Primal." Razorclaw stated in an almost cheery tone confirming my suspicions.
"Razorclaw." Primal returned with a curt nod; had the two already met or did Unicron and Primus bestow their chosen leaders with ultimate knowledge?
"What was it your old adversary once said?" Razorclaw wondered tilting his head in thought. "Ah yes." He exclaimed optics twinkling with amusement. "You will forgive any paraphrasing of course… Across the Multiverse it has all boiled down to this; tooth to tooth, claw to claw… Yesssss." He concluded; I eyed Razorclaw confusedly, ultimate knowledge it had to be judging by the tense expression on Primals' face and the way his shoulder muscles were bunching up.
"Silverbolt." Black Arachnia suddenly exclaimed interrupting this strange confrontation; the fuzor bristled his feathers and nodded choosing not to speak.
"Enough of this benign waste of time." Razorclaw snapped landing beside us. "Let the very battle for the ultimate prize commence this day, Decepticons Transform and Attack!"
"Autobots! Take them down." Primal countered even as all six of us transformed the ancient sounds more associated with our ancestors echoing across the sky; as each of us chose a dance partner, so to speak I began to generate my armaments. As we charged one another I could have sworn that a melody began to play; I quickly shook this distracting thought aside and fully solidified my trusted battle clubs; not surprised that they'd altered into a green coloring as well. Arachnia and the lion clashed; Primal and Razorclaw faced one another and that left me to deal with Silverbolt.
He brought his twin blades down and I countered the blows; his teeth glinted in the lazy early evening sunlight as he growled and swung a second time. I dodged; ducking low to the ground and sweeping my tail under his feet knocking him down; he turned his fall to his advantage rolling backwards rising back to one knee. Both blades crossed to block my incoming clubs; he forced me back with a show of impressive strength and regained his footing while I fought to retain my balance.
I lashed out with my right foot catching him in the midriff and sending him crashing through one of the myriad broken windows of the warehouse or whatever who's shadow we were in. Leaping after him I was met with twin explosions; knocked backwards I stumbled over a piece of debris, but still managed to catch his renewed assault with the edge of one of my clubs turning his blade aside. Our battle devolved into another series of parries and counter moves club against sword echoing my last such encounter with Scourge as we danced around the twisting shadows of the decrepit construct caused by the slowly sinking sun. Our blows and grunts echoed among the buildings silence drowned out only by the explosions tearing across the sky caused by Primal and Razorclaws' battle.
"You fight well." I acknowledged as our weapons locked and our faces drew to within mere inches apart.
"As do you." He returned pushing me back with a mighty heave; I bent low once again and attempted an uppercut, but he leapt out of my reach twirling in midair to use full momentum in a kick to the face. I crashed to the ground with a curse and flung both clubs fast; they detonated about him as my spark panel opened and two more solidified in my grip, I could say this much for Unicron his upgrades did offer enhanced speed. Silverbolt circled me searching for an opening; I circled as well keeping my front to him not relinquishing any footing. We eyed each other wondering who would make the first move; when suddenly Primals' voice rang out amongst the growing dusk.
"Autobots' fall back!" He ordered; Silverbolt appeared shocked, I smiled.
"Another time perhaps." I mocked. He shifted into beast mode with a growl and took a parting shot at me; both missiles detonated at my feet sending me over the lip of the highway where we'd wound up. My tail caught the railing and I grinned at his retreating form.
"Not so noble is he." I remarked; Arachnia appeared above me with a grin.
"Need a hand brother." She called down.
"If you can spare one." I quipped willing my clubs away with a single thought.
"They shall think twice before returning to Iacon for another confrontation I think." Razorclaw remarked as he joined us; he was once again in beast mode and took to pruning his feathers as Arachnia helped me up.
"The war has begun." She stated sounding too prophetic for my tastes.
"Not just a war sister." I countered. "This is to be the ultimate clash and the possibilities are… Limitless."
"Indeed Reptilion, but we shall be ready for whatever pathetic personages Primus chooses for his side." Razorclaw stated.
"And whatever Unicron chooses for us." Arachnia added. "Decepticons; at least some of them can be notorious traitors after all."
"Indeed fair widow." Razorclaw intoned eyeing my sibling with a knowing look; she turned her gaze away from him and regarded the still retreating forms of the Autobots. Only Unicron himself could know what was traveling through her head; yet I believed I had a rough idea.
The decaying form of Unicrons' planet mode observed these events and seemed pleased; for he had chosen a worthy commander.
"Well Primus old foe; you have… How shall we put it? First dibs on new additions I believe." He reminded his deep baritone addressing the invisible form of his adversary who he could detect hovering nearby. "I trust you won't wait too long to augment our forces."
"Patience chaotic one was never your strength." Primus' ethereal voice called out; Unicron chuckled and watched the sun finish its' descent on this chosen battlefield.
The Beginning
R&R Folks, if you please.