Maelstrom Chapter 29
Viper Part D

Author's note: This story is part of a LONG series called Maelstrom. It is strictly Gen. 1 - sorry, but that was all that was out when I started writing back in the late 1980's. It began as a fan-publication so the first chapters are in the form of a comic book! If you have not read the nine original Maelstrom Comics and the preceding text stories, I strongly suggest you do. This is a complex universe. They can be found at http// illmatar. deviantart. com (I have put double spaces between the URL here or FF . Net eats the link.) The comics and art which accompanies this series are there...and believe me I am a better artist than writer.

Most chapters of this series contain strong language and violence. Rated M for adult themes! Really! Transformers characters belong to Hasbro. Critiques adored! This scene contains strong language, violence, and sex. Rated M for adult themes!


Transformers characters belong to Hasbro. Story and OC characters are mine. Critiques adored!

Viper - Part D

Continued from Part C!

The reporters, appalled as they were, hung on Viper's every word and filmed her more than any of the others. She preened under the attention even as she insulted them. Her behavior led to some perfectly natural questions from one of EDC's ranking generals about how this new generation was being programed. From the tone in his voice and his nervous looks at both Viper and Adder there was the implication he felt something had obviously gone very wrong.

Rodimus pounced on that question even before the swarms of reporters did. "Why General!" he crowed, "We took a lesson from you humans. Their personalities are being programed randomly. We will no longer determine what our new ones will be like before they are activated. It will be left to entirely chance." He suddenly had everyone's complete attention. Even the reporters stared at him as if he'd gone totally insane. The EDC personnel could all be seen carefully sizing up Viper's weapons arrays and blanching.

One of the reporters finally came out with "Why....?"

Rodimus grinned hugely. "Excellent question! I'll let my partner explain. Chromia and I need to take our newborns to their quarters. It's been a busy first day for them. Come along ladies!" As he walked away he made sure to twiddle his fingers goodbye at Optimus over his shoulder.

The elder Prime would have liked to throttle the ingrate but couldn't move because of all the reporters swarming around his ankles. He had to settle for glaring murderously at Rodimus who kept looking back to smirk until the door closed behind them.

X

X

X

Several hours later Optimus and Magnus flopped into the chairs in Prime's office. Optimus smiled grimly. It took severe energon AND emotional drain to get Magnus to flop into anything. They both felt wrung. Never in Optimus' career as a warrior-diplomat had he had so much trouble explaining himself and calming the fears of those questioning him. He couldn't decide what was worse - the reporters' tendency to sensationalize and their civilian tendency to panic, or the military personnel's only too accurate and insightful concerns which then panicked the reporters further.... Several times during the barrage Optimus had found himself stumbling for answers and wondering to himself exactly why HAD he agreed to let Vector Sigma program the next generation with Decepticon characteristics. At those moments it was actually very hard not to blurt out "It was all Rodimus' idea! It's not my fault!"

For the first ten minutes they both sat there muttering curses at Rodimus without even listening to each other. After that they actually began listening and embellishing on what the other was saying, having a very good time getting murderously creative with the things they would like to do to Rodi's smirking face and his oh-so bendable twiddling fingers. Some of their ideas would have made Galvatron blanch.

After a solid half hour of such quality time, they actually turned their minds to the problems they were so pleased with Rodi for creating. Optimus had no confidence in the way he'd handled the humans at all and Magnus was no help in restoring that confidence.

"I think it was perfectly obvious you were making it all up as you went," the City Commander stated.

"Thanks Magnus," Optimus said, holding his head in his hands.

"I was only agreeing with you..." Magnus reminded Optimus testily.

"I was rather hoping you wouldn't do that," Optimus said.

"Ah, but that would be lying," Magnus stated loftily.

"Thanks Magnus," Optimus said, "Will that be all or would you like to shoot me too?"

"Now you're being petulant. Quit sulking and let's get together some answers that DON'T sound idiotic for when they come back at us tomorrow!"

"You think they'll wait till tomorrow? I should be so lucky! .... You know Magnus, it's days like this I almost miss Megatron."

Magnus nodded in assent and they got started. Very soon they were completely engrossed in trying to refine Optimus' earlier uncertain answers and anticipating as many new questions as they could think of. After two solid hours of that the whole idea of having Vector Sigma program the young ones randomly was starting to sound like solid policy again, although part of Optimus retained its very uncomfortable reservations.

Neither of them heard the lock disengage because it didn't. The door didn't open - it melted, or rather the form passing through its molecules simply compressed the atoms for a moment to allow it room to pass at the bottom of the door. Then, they neatly rearranged themselves and the figure slid into the room...the tip of its tail didn't clear in time but the intruder was unhindered. Silently...even more silently than its quiet form of motion should have allowed for, the serpent coiled into the room....it rose up behind Magnus' head and prepared to strike.

Magnus never could put a finger on what alerted him... Lancer had been trying to explain to him that the meditation exercises she'd been teaching him were not just therapy for his possession...they would extend his awareness beyond what he was normally conscious of. Magnus didn't contradict her...but he didn't necessarily believe her either. The way he saw it if millions of years of hard combat hadn't taught him to use his sensors then a few vague mental exercises weren't going to help. Nevertheless he moved...whirling into the strike aimed at the back of his neck...blunting its force and deflecting most of it to the heavier armor on his shoulders. Not too mention giving his assailant a solid blow as he shoved his weight back towards her. The damage to his armor was minimal...a good thing since he could feel some kind of fluid running out of the scratches....poison?

His shove deliberately toppled his chair and he rolled backwards and up into a defensive posture. The serpent he was facing....Viper?!...reared up with hood spread and spit venom at his face. He dodged the spray and dove for her but she moved almost faster than his optics could follow...and not for him... She was going after Optimus who was still in the process of reaching for his gun. As she struck, she transformed into her intermediate form...bowling Optimus right out of his chair and holding a small pair of fang-like daggers to his throat.

Magnus didn't have time to think...he launched himself to the top of Prime's desk and swung at Viper with a sweeping kick that took her from the side and knocked her half-way across the room.

The City Commander was about to throw his whole body at the snake when an incongruous noise froze him in his tracks.

Laughter....laughter and applause...from behind him.

Everyone in the room turned to stare at Rodimus as he grinned and clapped. He went right past his stunned partner and his even more stunned City Commander to help Viper to her feet. She took his hand and rose gracefully...standing beside him with a pleased smile.

"Well done Magnus!" Rodimus crowed. "Lancer says she's pleased with the way you've taken to her training."

Magnus, still perched on Optimus' creaking desk amongst the scattered remnants of the whole day's work came up with "What?"

"Your training! It seems to be working."

"What?" Magnus repeated.

Optimus finally came out of his shock enough to help, "WHAT IN CYBERTRON'S NAME IS GOING ON AROUND HERE!? VIPER JUST TRIED TO KILL ME!"

"Well of course she did! I asked her too!" Rodimus said with a smile. "Magnus, don't you think you'd better get off there before Optimus's desk gets totaled?"

Magnus got down very slowly...he was having a dispute within his motor functions...a good portion of them wanted to assault something... preferably something with flames on it.

"YOU WHAT?!" Optimus roared.

"I asked her too. I wanted to test her abilities and our security, and Lancer wanted to see Magnus in action when he wasn't expecting anything."

"YOU ENCOURAGED A ONE DAY OLD, RANDOMLY PROGRAMMED SNAKE TO TRY TO ASSASSINATE US FOR A TEST?!" Optimus shouted. Magnus, by contrast, was ominously quiet.

Rodimus, (coincidentally out of arm's reach) grinned. "No...I encouraged KC to try to assassinate you for a test. Show them KC."

Optimus and Magnus both gawked as the olive cobra-bot opened like a flower and revealed Perceptor's young mutant aide resting comfortably inside.

It was Magnus' turn to erupt.

"KC! Have you gone mad?! I could have killed you! Of all the moronic things to do! I thought you had more sense than that! And...and...AND YOU PUT HER UP TO IT YOU INGRATE! HOW DARE YOU RISK HER LIKE THAT?! I COULD HAVE SQUASHED HER!"

KC smiled and walked her gaping suit over to the desk. It was a disconcerting sight - with the suit's torso pealed away from her cockpit "Viper's" head and chest were contorted back out of the way. She looked like a horrible casualty... and yet the legs worked smoothly and one of the displaced arms reached forward to put a hand on Optimus' desk. The crumpled legs and dented work-surface smoothly repaired themselves. The bizarre apparition she made walking around this way was enough to choke off Magnus' tirade.

"Don't worry. You didn't hurt me at all, Sir," she said politely. "I didn't even feel the impact...the suit absorbed it all. Since my powers are fully functional now it may be harder to hurt me than you think."

"You hope!" Magnus growled, shaken. Honestly, he'd forgotten to take her powers into account. He wasn't used to thinking of her as being able to stand up to him. Lancer was one thing...she had made her abilities and her aggressive attitude quite clear the day he'd met her. Marissa was another...he had long grown used to her self-assurance and competence. KC on the other hand was just another small life he had to avoid stepping on in his mind...and even when he'd gone human she'd still seemed quite small and quite shy. He was used to thinking of her as brilliant but fragile, although intellectually he knew her new powers could easily be devastating.

"Why Rodimus? Why are you having her attack us? Why are you having her pose as one of our new ones?"

"She's not posing Optimus. KC IS Viper. 'Viper' isn't alive. The suit does have a set of directives which imitate a personality program but it has no life-force. I instructed Vector Sigma to design a body shell and personality without taking that final step. The others are alive, and they think she's one of them but really Viper is just a very sophisticated exo-suit for KC."

"And the reasoning for this ever-so elaborate prank of yours is...?" Magnus prompted...his tone implying "and it'd better be good."

"Babysitting. KC is our new Decepticon watchdog," Rodimus said, crossing his arms and waiting patiently for them to quit shouting at him before continuing. "Guys...the alternative is more like Astrotrain..."

That remark got immediate silence and Optimus and Magnus shared a long grim look. Rodi's earlier transgressions were forgotten (for the moment) and they gave him their attention...although they both kept looking a bit fearfully at KC now and then while Rodi went on.

"The Decepticons need a guardian...they need someone to check them for Conversion and keep tabs on what they're doing. We need to set up a way to monitor them so we can protect them if we can. KC is our best choice."

"I disagree Rodimus!" Magnus argued. "We've got the rest of our new... err..Cybertronians to choose from or we could have Vector Sigma make us a spy if we asked it!"

"Our new additions are still wild cards Magnus. We don't know them that well to trust them with something this sensitive...and I refuse to let Fucking Shit dictate a single more living program. Besides, KC's abilities are not something the Shit can replicate. Tell them your idea KC."

"Well," KC said softly, obviously still a bit uncomfortable explaining herself, "I think I can rewire ALL the Decepticons' computers and long-range sensor systems to be under our control without them ever suspecting. It will be easy to feed them whatever data we like that way so we can set up the targets they raid, when they raid them, whatever. We can keep track of their movements. That way if one of them gets snatched we'll know it...and if we get REALLY good at manipulating them we can steer them out of trouble in advance."

Rodimus smiled a bit grimly, "Oh we will...never fear that. I also have plans to send them gallivanting into a few locations I'd like to see flattened. I never dreamed I'd say this, but if a few of those little humans go up under Galvy's fusion cannon I won't cry over it."

"So we're basically going to subvert all the Decepticons' sensors and computers so we can enslave them the way Vector Sigma enslaved us," Optimus said quietly. "And we're sending in a human girl to do it."

"In a nutshell, yes," Rodimus said. "The difference being, assuming there is one, that we are doing it to protect the Decepticons as well as ourselves. Their lives ARE going to be a part of our considerations. Try to think of it as a prison for them even they won't be aware of. We will contain them and render them pretty harmless while they will be free to happily plot universal domination and think they have hope of succeeding."

"I don't like it," Optimus said. "And I don't like sending KC in there alone! How will she survive?"

"The suit is designed to accommodate my body Sir. And it has a teleport node to send me food and supplies. I won't be in it all the time either...'Viper' is sophisticated enough to interact with the others on its own. I'll be able to sleep and take short vacations when I need to. I can repair the suit internally so I don't need to fear discovery in their repair facilities. Once Char is wired I can come home and only return if there's something I need to do in person. Really, my biggest concern is if Perceptor will be able to find his tools without me!"

"If that's really true then you aren't thinking," Magnus rumbled, "This is going to be exhausting dangerous work and we won't be close enough to save you if you're discovered."

KC sobered a bit, "I know Sir," she said. "But unless you can think of a better person, then I've got to go. We can't let the Jabez just pick up Transformers whenever they like and use them the way they did Astrotrain! All that information he transmitted from right under our noses! All the women he seduced! We may never find out the extent of the damage he did and the others are just sitting there like big, tempting targets!"

Magnus grumbled a bit and sighed in disgust, "I never thought I'd see the day we'd be sending a HUMAN to protect the Decepticons!"

"Does make for an interesting irony doesn't it?" Rodimus said.

"I still don't like thinking of her there without backup," Optimus said.

"She'll be equipped with a teleport panic button Optimus," Rodimus assured his partner.

"Oh! A teleporter! One of those same teleporters which sent you and Lancer careening off into space? I feel much better about the whole thing now Rodi!" Optimus snapped.

Rodimus blanched a little. He and Optimus were used to challenging each other's plans, but it rarely got personal. Well...they used to rarely get personal. Today, Optimus really seemed angry with him...probably for being stuck with the reporters, even though handling public relations was usually Optimus' job. He had a gift for it Rodimus didn't have the patience to share. They hadn't discussed it, because usually they just automatically knew their roles.

"Well, hopefully she won't have to use it." Rodimus said. "She certainly just demonstrated she's capable of taking care of herself and she didn't even cheat by melting your feet to the floor Optimus! REALLY slow reaction time by the way...Lancer is appalled. KC had you on your back and if she'd been serious about killing you it would have been close! You didn't even get your weapon drawn. Magnus had to 'save' your butt and she got him too. If that had been the real toxin we plan to arm her with, Magnus' motor functions would be frozen right now. None of the real Cons would have given you guys that much trouble."

"That's true enough," Optimus muttered, "The only Transformer I truly fear is you!"

"Me?!" Rodimus said.

"Yes you! You and your schemes and your dementia! How could you just dump those reporters on me like that? I very nearly cost us everything floundering for answers! I think the EDC must be ready to terminate our alliance!"

Rodimus felt a bit of guilt, a bit of consternation. It must have been bad...why hadn't Optimus prepared ahead of time? Usually the Senior Prime went for overkill...and they'd been gearing up for this day for weeks. Had he thought Rodimus would handle the PR this time? If so, why hadn't they discussed it in advance?

He almost tore into Optimus for his lack of preparation, or at least communication, but decided he didn't want to fight. Not today. Not when he had that other business to attend to.

Time to play the Hot Rod card.

"Nah! Don't be silly. They bought everything you told them...even if you did stutter. It made the presentation more real and believable. I think our act is getting too polished and that might cause some suspicion. Besides, the challenge is good for you!"

It was a good thing Rodimus was so fast. Both his partner and his City Commander saw fit to shoot at him at that moment.

X

X

X

Hours later, after letting the two of them chew him out for not backing them up or considering their stress-levels, Rodimus entered the Dinobots' Lair via Swoop's entrance.

They were all recharging, except for one.

He reflected, as he skirted through their home, invisible and silent, that the Dinobots were seldom seen in their humanoid forms these days, except when recharging. Maybe that was why so many had a hard time thinking of them as more than animals.

Well, he knew they weren't animals, and he paused, considering again leaving well enough alone.

They would grieve.

Was it really necessary to hurt them this way?

Could he stand to leave it?

He came upon Snarl's room. Den really.

Snarl was not recharging. Snarl was just standing there, still as a stone, in root-mode.

Snarl was dead. Converted.

Rodimus noted to himself sadly that obviously it wasn't all that sophisticated a Conversion chip, but no one had really noticed Snarl wasn't himself. Always touchy and often isolated, becoming a Convert hadn't done much to change his behavior.

Rodi wavered. For Snarl it was too late, but could he leave the Convert in place like he did Marissa's CO? The other Dinos might never know their brother was dead.

The assassin frowned. If he let the Convert continue, he likely wouldn't find Snarl's killers. They might take others. They might dare hurt another one of his people....

He got around behind the motionless Convert and shoved a toxin laced needle into the shoulder joint...into the major fuel line that pulsed there. The Convert wasn't even sophisticated enough to respond to pain, and within seconds the Dino was completely dead on his feet.

Rodimus tipped the corpse over his shoulders and lifted the much larger Dinobot with relative ease, courtesy of being a Prime. He took Snarl's private door out into the endless night of Cybertron and down into the tunnels. There he tore open Snarl's head like an obscene birthday present and hunted through the circuits until he found the Conversion chip.

He stared at it...his evil prize. It would lead him back to Snarl's killers.

Snarl's other killers.

Rodimus grimaced. Killing Snarl tonight he had no choice in, but he was Prime. He shared guilt in Snarls death by failing to protect him in the first place.

The next day he knew, Rodimus would have to stand next to his partner in front of reporters again, asking for help this time. He would have to make sure to look worried, not grief stricken.

The search for Snarl would never really end. No one would have the heart to call it off, but Rodimus knew he would see Snarl again soon.

Rodimus threw the body into the smelters and stood there while Snarl's form melted into the glowing orange ocean of molten metal and slag.

Vector Sigma would use it for the next generation of Cybertronians.

Author's notes:

This is basically the end of my older work. There are parts of the story missing between this scene and those that follow that need to be addressed. I haven't had time or inspiration enough for them and they are a significant chunk of time as far as my poor, abused characters are concerned. A few years in fact.

Let's start with KC, since her events are where we are leaving off. KC (as Viper) will cause trouble publically for a few weeks, insulting people in general but humans in particular. The media will follow her around like a swarm of gnats and broadcast everything she does. She keeps people on 3 worlds riveted to their screens - Earth, Cybertron, and Char....

Poor Chromia and Kup do their level best to keep her out of trouble, but of course she is under orders to give them grief. She is also pressured by her more affable "sisters" to be more civilized, but she is cold to them as well. Rodimus does ask KC to find out what Adder's problem is, but she succeeds in nothing more than becoming the source of Adder's fixation every time she comes into Adder's area.

Her "desertion" is a carefully staged event in which she has a public quarrel with Rodimus over the presence of so many humans on Cybertron. She goes so far as to attack (and injure) some EDC officers passing by. Rodimus is hurt in the scuffle to "save" them. Rodimus orders her locked up, and the chase is on. She leads Autobot security (including Rodimus) on a merry chase around Central, which ends with her "poisoning" Rodimus. He lets her hurt him pretty seriously so that it looks like a genuine attempt on his life. She flees Cybertron for Char...and Adder follows her.

The Decepticons are suspicious of course, and both femmes are in for a rough probation, but they are allowed to land. Adder couldn't care less about her probation - she never speaks, never really responds to anything. The Cons learn not to mess with her though - she attacks anything that moves too quickly with a deadly corrosive acid venom. "Viper" has to earn a place for both of them basically. Within the suit, KC uses her metal shaping abilities to rewire Char right out from under the Cons.

She gets there just in time too. During her supposedly short stay, Long Haul comes home acting just fine and dandy... Not a thing about his behavior gives him away but the other Constructicons want nothing to do with him. He's a Convert, and they don't know it, but they know he isn't what he seems. They turn violent towards him out of revulsion and have to be physically stopped by Cyc and the Sweeps from killing him. Galvatron (being the rational sort) decides all will be just fine if they will merge. So he orders them to - at cannon point. They refuse and argue even in the face of Galvie's threats, but when it comes down to it he really means to kill them. KC is frantically calling for help of course - she knows a Convert when she sees one - but her backup is days away.

When the Constructicons merge to become Devastator the Conversion program spreads from one to the next in seconds - effectively killing the whole team. Devastator's Convert is programed to head back to the Jabez that Converted Long Haul and he attempts to leave. KC is able to get a hand on him during the ensuing fight with the Cons who are trying to restrain him. She is able to cause an overload in his power core that causes a chain reaction of explosions throughout his body...hiding Conversion from the Cons and preventing a Jabez from gaining control of Devastator.

Rodimus is not amused....and KC gets pretty much permanently assigned to Char until they can come up with a better way to protect the Cons. Obviously, if she hadn't been on scene it would have been much worse. Neither Jazz nor Perceptor are thrilled with this, but haven't got any better ideas.

She is stationed there pretty much full time, with just a few days off a month where the suit acts on its own.

Moving on, at the time of this last story Marissa is pregnant. She won't be for long. Magnus is not a Jabez-morphed Autobot. Marissa will have a series of miscarriages over the course of the next few years. They end up resorting to fertility drugs to help her. It's hard for Lancer too, but that's because her body is a very harsh place. Survival of the fittest basically - any baby conceived there has to be able to take the heat. She does get pregnant and goes to term before Marissa does though.

Lancer and Rodi's second child is also a girl. They name her Alexandra. Both girls are raised primarily on the Maelstrom. L and Rodi are both up to their necks in Slaver missions and are lucky to see each other in person every other month. Rodimus sees his youngest child 6 times in her first year - including the day she's born.

Edana scans as a class 1 empath with class one latent pyro-kinesis. Alex they can't get a scan on at all. She's a strawberry blonde with green eyes, and she's never ever uncomfortable. Never sweats, never shivers, cries when hungry or lonely, but never from pain or discomfort.

The addition of Arcee and Springer to the council eventually drifts into full membership and it does take a huge burden off of both Primes to have them helping. This is partly why Rodimus sees his kids so seldom - because he's after Slaver's full time. In spite of the lightened work load, Rodimus and Optimus never really quite get back the level of understanding they had before the fight in "Fracture". Optimus is more and more running a reviving planet - with all the successes and annoyances that implies. Rodimus is more and more in the underbelly of all that and their paths rarely cross. When they are in the same room together, it is always tense.

On the political side Op and Rodimus are pushing Spike to use his influence as Earth's ambassador to help tighten Earth's screening of ships going off world. Their public excuse is the illicit drugs and black market goods that are finding their way to Cybertron.

This irritates some major bad guys. And then things get ugly...and my stories get um...long.