Disclaimer: I don't own Beast Wars. Gee, that's boring to say over and over.
A/N: Yepee, another chapter. And the song from the last one is now on youtube after my internet connection finally decided to cooperate. I'm also working on a video for this fic but that will probably take a little time.
I had a tiring few days but I'm back and ready to write so enjoy.
Chapter seven
Tarantulas cackled in delight as distant booming reached his underground lair. One of his arachnids confirmed that it was indeed the rat, politely knocking as the last time.
The spider had been hoping he would come back and there he was. Alone, apparently. So he hadn't called his Maximal buddies to back him up and attempt to destroy the lab.
Even if he had, Tarantulas was prepared for them. There were traps everywhere and on top of that this wasn't even his main lab, just a convenient little establishment he had set up near the Maximal border. It would have been completely stupid to put all of his eggs in one basket, wouldn't it? So as the Beast Wars had progressed he had managed to equip not only one main really, really well-concealed lab but a few other little lairs as well.
He had been hanging around this one since his encounter with the short Maximal the day before. His patience had obviously been worth it.
He abandoned his hacking trough Megatron's personal files and crept up the tunnel to meet his guest.
Rattrap had a gun ready but he didn't look very enthusiastic about firing right now.
"So, you decided you want your big scaly friend back, didn't you, hehe?"
"Tell me more." Rattrap demanded, ignoring the question. "I want to know how this would work. And it better be plausible because if there's a single thing I don't understand in your explanation, I'll just decide you're screwing my bolts and blast you to pieces!"
With an amused chuckle at the rat's attempt at being threatening. It was plain as daylight he wanted to believe Tarantulas was not lying just as much as tarantulas himself wanted to convince him. The spider settled comfortably on top of the boulder and started explaining.
A thunder cracked somewhere in the distance. A storm was brewing and it was probably over the Predacon base already.
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Megatron's optics were fixed on the sky. More clouds were gathering and the first raindrops were beginning to fall. He and his troops were outside. Inferno, Quickstrike and Waspinator were currently working a few feet away in an energon deposit that was as close to Maximal territory as they had been able to find.
"Hurry up, you imbeciles, we'll miss our chance!"
The arrogance in the tyrant's voice had been replaced by a dangerous edge and a steely determination. This better work. It well may be their last chance.
"We are ready, Royalty!" Inferno informed him, bringing over a closed crate full of raw energon crystals and starting to attach it to his commander's back. The rest of the Predacons were doing the same with similar crates.
The energon would interfere with their signatures, and with all the disturbance the storm was causing, they could infiltrate Maximal territory unnoticed. But they would have to stay in beast mode at least until they found their target.
And to think that he had Tarantulas to thank for this! Even in his current somber state of mind Megatron allowed himself a smile. The amusing part was that the spider wasn't even aware that he was helping. Megatron had just been lucky enough to finally discover exactly how his treacherous servant was drawing information from the base's main computer. He had then used the same connection to hack into Tarantulas' own computers. Apparently, one of his little establishments was close to Maximal territory and so he could now spy on his enemies on their own land.
The scanners had told him that a certain young Maximal was out on his own. And a plan had formed in the cunning Predacon's head. It was a very risky plan but if it worked it might turn the scales to their favor once more. And the Predacons needed that to happen fast, before the Maximals took their heads out of their skidplates and attacked.
As only he and Waspinator were able to fly in beast mode, they had to carry the other two. Waspinator was having some difficulty but Quickstrike was a fairly small 'bot so eventually all four Predacons rose into the air and, on Megatron's command, disappeared into the clouds in order not to be seen.
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Rampage sensed the storm even as he sat in his cell in the hangar. Apart from the fact that he could hear the distant howling of wind, the half of his spark that rested in Depth Charge's subspace also felt it quite strongly as it was out of the base. The Guardian had left the Ark a while ago.
Oh, how Rampage wanted to be out there! He loved storms. The wind, the rain, the thunder and lightening… The whole chaos of it made him feel at home.
Plus, storms suited him, they accentuated his optics, he thought with a chuckle.
They were the perfect setting for stalking and frightening someone. But he also enjoyed them when he was alone. He shut his optics and, aided by the rest of his spark, tried to imagine what was going on outside. After all, what other entertainment did he have here? It had just been one day and the Maximals were practically trying to kill him with boredom. He still had no idea what they intended to do with him and not knowing made him nervous. He could try to escape but it was little use with Depth Charge in possession of his spark. Maybe the Guardian would really kill him now that he had gotten his answers. Rampage considered this possibility. Should he just let his playmate kill him? He had after all planned for that to happen at some point. Yet another reason why Depth Charge was allowed to live time and time again. But…
No, he wasn't ready yet. Not yet. Something was missing. Something important that he needed to find before he could let go. Freedom, real freedom, the kind he had spoken to the ray about… But that he could never have. Then at least understanding! He was closer now than he had ever been. Someone was beginning to really see…
Suddenly, he shivered. Depth Charge had taken the spark out.
It was a strange thing. Sparks didn't feel temperature changes but they did register them for the benefit of the body they inhabited. Therefore a spark without a body wouldn't feel cold. But if a spark that was connected to one was exposed to the elements, it would make that body shudder in order to remind it to close its slagging chest plates before said spark was damaged.
It was like standing in the middle of the storm completely naked, with all of your armor stripped. Rampage shifted in irritation and curled up futilely.
"Put it back, you Fishbrain!" he muttered to the empty room.
Of course, Depth Charge couldn't hear him and the crab had to settle for cursing the ray with all the rude vocabulary he could muster and shivering.
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Depth Charge watched from his perch on a cliff as the waves below crushed with a vengeance. He had Rampage's spark in his hand and was resisting the urge to just throw it in the angry blue depths.
He didn't want this responsibility! Not anymore. Not like this.
It had been so simple before! Still painful, but simple. Your friends die so you find the one responsible and give him what he deserves. But who was really responsible?
He was tempted to say 'Rampage' and simplify things once more but it wasn't that easy. In fact, the task of killing an immortal seemed laughably easy compared to this.
Why did he suddenly feel like he was supposed to do something more? To set things right? He had always claimed he was looking for justice. But what could restore justice in a situation like this?
He understood Rampage's logic now. He didn't want to, but he understood. And the horrifying truth was that that logic wasn't very different from his own.
When Rampage had killed so many 'bots, Depth Charge had thought that he should be punished with the same and only that would have brought justice to his fallen comrades. But by this logic the ones who had tortured Protoform X from the moment of his creation hadn't really gotten what they deserved. And never would because they were simply dead. They had even died rather quickly as the raging experiment had been too anxious to get out to take his time. They should have been punished with immortality, torture and seclusion.
For the first time in his life the treacherous thought crossed Depth Charge's mind that this was wrong. That he had been wrong. That this wasn't the way to go about it.
He stomped on the thought with all his might.
X deserved to die, slag it!
Then why was Depth Charge unable to do it?
Because Rampage had hit a sore spot when he had suggested there was nothing else he could have done but start murdering people left and right. That he had acted normally under the circumstances. At first the ray had wanted to dismiss the comment as ridiculous. But why was it ridiculous? Why was it so obviously wrong? So, what should he have done?
If everything was so clear, Depth Charge should have been able to think of answers to these questions on the spot. Instead, he was sitting here in the pouring rain, unsure of his own feelings, afraid that if he allowed himself to feel sorry for the crab, the emotion would become overwhelming.
Because it just might be true that Rampage had really never had a chance. And there was something so desperately sad about that that the Guardian's spark which was still able to feel compassion battled with his mind which insisted mostly by habit that the killer did not deserve any such thing. Images of the Omicron massacre flashed before his eyes but were immediately countered by the recently acquired memories of Protoform X. In the end Depth Charge was ready to scream. How was he supposed to solve this puzzle in which everyone was a victim?
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"Hey, not so fast!" Quickstrike yelped in fright, clinging to Waspinator's back as the inertia almost managed to detach him from the bug.
"Wazzzpinator findz it easier to fly fast, this way Two-head not zzo heavy."
"But I'm gonna fall off!"
"Wazzpinator won't let Two-head fall off, cut Wazzpinator some slack! Wazzpinator don't harm other Pedaconz, Wazzpinator usually salvage."
Unable to disagree with this statement, Quickstrike clung on for dear life as they sped trough the watery grey mist the clouds consisted of. Megatron was barely visible in front of them with Inferno on his back.
The tyrant cursed as he dived beneath the clouds to check on their prey. Cheetor was flying home. Far below them and way ahead.
"The cat is too fast to follow." Megatron muttered to himself angrily. No way! He wasn't going back empty-handed this time!
Just then he spotted something else in the forest below. A grin spread slowly on his face.
"Oh, yess."
His plan might still work with a few adjustments. It could prove harder than taking care of Cheetor but if he played his cards right the Predacons would come out on top.
He flew back up to inform his troops of the change of plans.
Inferno answered with 'Yes, Royalty' as always. The other two secretly groaned.
Quickstrike seldom stopped to think when a battle was ahead but this time he couldn't seem to get rid of the bright neon letters that flashed before his eyes. The letters read: THIS IS INSANE!!!
"We're all gonna die…" Wazzpinator whined quietly beneath him.
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Cheetor entered the Ark just a little after the first heavy drops of rain had started falling. He stood in the middle of the control room and shook himself thoroughly, spraying Optimus who laughed and put an arm up to protect himself from the droplets.
"Had fun, Cheetor?"
"Oh, you bet, Big Bot!" the cat replied happily, jumping on one of the big Autobot chairs and curling up with a contented sigh. "It felt like good old times when we didn't have to think about protecting the future all the time."
"Yes, we all needed a little break from that." Optimus agreed. "With Rampage no longer a threat, I hope Megatron will think again before trying to attack us. Speaking of which, I should go get Rampage his energon."
Optimus made a move to stand up but Cheetor jumped from the chair and stopped him with a paw.
"I can do that! You go back to your reading. You've been keeping an eye on the monitors and I have just been playing around all day."
Optimus' first instinct was to refuse but he was finally starting to learn that questioning Cheetor's competence was a really bad idea. It always caused the kid to try to prove himself which, in turn, led to him becoming more reckless. And, really, he could trust his young comrade with feeding a prisoner, couldn't he? He settled back down and saw Cheetor grin, happy that his commander hadn't objected.
"Just be really careful with him." Optimus said seriously, hoping his words were registering with the hot-headed youth. "Contained or not, he's still very dangerous."
"I'll be careful, Big Bot, you don't have to worry all the time." The cat assured him, rolling his optics and skipped in the direction of their storage room to get the energon.
Optimus glanced after him fondly. Despite his shortcomings (and who doesn't have those?) Cheetor was growing up to be a fine Maximal. He was kind-sparked, brave and devoted to his friends. And smarter than his raging puberty allowed him to show. He'd probably make it out of this alive after all.
Having those thoughts calmed his worries about Cheetor but he was suddenly feeling a bit worried about other 'bots. The storm had been causing disturbances all day and while he hadn't seen any Predacon signatures on the scanners he had to wonder what was taking Silverbolt and Blackarachnia so long. They wouldn't want to be out in the storm would they? Maybe they had found a shelter and decided to wait it out?
He searched the screen. They couldn't be seen anywhere but that wasn't surprising right now. The bad weather had been causing signatures to flicker on and off.
He tried to radio Silverbolt but only got static.
Well, that could also be due to the storm.
But without being sure why, Optimus was rapidly becoming more anxious.
And then something on the screen caught his optics. Two Predacon signatures flashed on the screen for a moment, one after the other, close to where he had last seen the Maximal couple. That was all he needed to fall in a state of controlled panic.
He had underestimated Megatron again. He should have never let his comrades out of his sight!
But they had all been so sure the Predacons would stay put!
He radioed Rhinox and he was already heading out of the base when the Rhino answered.
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It shouldn't have happened like this.
Silverbolt was sure the Universe simply could not be this cruel.
It had been their time off, for Primus' sake and they weren't even too far away from the Ark! The Predacons knew they were currently outnumbered and they had just been beaten a day ago. They should have been hiding in a hole licking their wounds! They shouldn't be so stupid as to attack to Maximals on their own territory.
It wasn't stupid though, was it? It was desperate and risky but it wasn't stupid. It had been a brilliantly executed plan, very precisely calculated and it had worked.
He and Blackarachnia had been off duty and had gone out for a walk in the forest to get some time on their own. It was long overdue. With the Maximals now having such a clear strategic advantage over their enemies, the mood in the base had been quite cheerful and most of their comrades felt relaxed enough to allow for a little fun. Optimus was reading a book, something he hadn't done since the beginning of the Beast Wars. Rhinox was examining some organic plants. Cheetor was also out, running with the wild cats like in the old days. Depth Charge was probably somewhere near the ocean. The fuzor sympathized with the manta. It must be hard for him, suddenly having to adjust to not being a hunter anymore. But he should be fine once he learned to relax.
Oddly enough, Rattrap had seemed quite gloomy when he had come back from his scouting about noon and he had locked himself in his room. But since there didn't seem to be any obvious reason for it, Silverbolt had just dismissed it as one of his teammate's odd qualities. He didn't understand the rat very well, he admitted.
So he and Blackarachnia had felt free to finally have an afternoon on their own. Optimus was glad to let them go with just a few warnings to watch out for Preds and mind the bad weather.
A storm had been brewing all day but it wasn't upon them yet and they thought they would be fine as long as they didn't go too far.
It had turned into a disaster.
All four Predacons (Tarantulas was missing again) had jumped them on a pretty little clearing while he was kissing his beloved and she was complaining about him being mushy again. The Predacons had been in their beast modes, carrying some kind of crates on their backs, which they now dropped and transformed. The attack had been so unexpected, the four enemies looking so out of place and surreal in this setting that the two Maximals had just been unable to react properly.
A quick and very neat shot from Megatron had knocked the fuzor off his feet. A nano-klik later Silverbolt had realized the shot had been specifically aimed at his radio and he found himself unable to contact the base. Blackaracnia had meanwhile managed to shoot the Predacon leader and drive him to take cover but then she was knocked offline but two simultaneous shots from Quickstrike behind her and Waspinator to the side. Watching in horror as his mate fell to the ground, Silverbolt had been too distracted to notice Inferno and a moment later the ant's flamethrower blasted him away. Before he was completely toasted, he heard Megatron shout:
"Leave him! Take Quickstrike and retreat before the rest of them get here, they might have figured out something's wrong!"
Trough the red mist of pain and the smoke from his own feathers that was clouding his optics, Silverbolt saw the T-Rex transform to his flight mode and pick up the she-spider's body while Inferno gathered Quickstrike and all of them took off to the air, leaving the crates behind.
The winged wolf howled after them desperately. He was alone, in pain, unable to call for help and overwhelmed with guilt. He had not been able to protect his beloved! They had taken her! And, enraged as Megatron was at his last defeat, Primus only knew what they would do to her.
That was the last thing that ran trough his processor before pain finally wiped out any conscious thought. He instinctively transformed to his beast mode and curled up, licking the burns on his skin and whimpering, waiting for someone to discover him.
A drop of rain fell on him and hissed.
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A/N: Revieeeeeeeeeeeeeewssssssssssssssss! Yesss ;P. And if you have any questions I could answer, ask away :)).
