"Remember that organic planet with the Sauropods? I believe I have another use for it," Tigressa mused.
Entity and Poltergeist were playing a betting game when she mentioned the serpent-like creatures. Eerily, they looked up at her, unsure on how to take her idea. The orange and black dragon grimaced, "You know if you keep disagreeing with Dad, karma may bite you in the aft when you least expect it."
The tiger-dragon raised brow didn't falter as she narrowed her optics. "Highly doubtful. Besides, what if I bite back?"
Neither of the two retorted on her comment. Instead, they went back to their competition. They paused again, however, when the doors to the Training Chamber opened and their sire entered.
"Tigressa," the elderly King motioned, "a word, if you please."
She hesitated but left with him and both took a walk into the silvery blue-planted Southern Gardens.
"Now, you are not in trouble but I need to know if you have any information regarding several new murders among the kingdom and its neighboring cities. A guard, who we finally found out was Vanali, was discovered torn to pieces with various body parts missing almost like he had been eaten. Who, in their right mind, would do that?"
The masculine femme hid her sadistic smirk as he continued.
"An entire family has been desecrated by teeth and claws and a nursery of sparklings, mere babies, have been brutally ripped apart. Whoever is behind these attacks will suffer greatly for doing such horrendous acts! Your mother is in tears, praying for this massacre to end. I mean sparklings, little innocent hatchlings, are now being targeted? Not even Megatronus would do such a thing."
This aroused the tiger-dragon's curiosity, "Megatronus is a loose cannon, Father, and he'll do whatever it takes to rise to power. Even Solus has declared him too unstable to be around his brothers and her as well. Then again, why aim for power; it has only a few good things to offer. Why not use your abilities to guide nature instead of taking it by force? Let yourself be one with it and thrive on what it has to bid between life and death. Fair rules, don't you think?"
Kronos growled before stopping their walk, "Do you have any notion of what you are suggesting? You think nature decided to play the cruel tyrant and give us those…those abominations to deal with that run wild on many planets today? It sounds to me you believe Vanali and the sparklings and the citizens of each world are being killed off because of natural selection! You think they are getting what they deserve!"
"I said no such thing," she hissed, "all I said is that someone may be letting nature take control once more and is helping it carry on its duty: to protect itself from anything it may consider a threat. Think about it, what do predators usually do when they find an unwanted visitor in their territory? They kill it, not because they want to but because they think whatever it is may be a potential threat. Nature has finally reached its limits so now it believes the intelligent inhabitants of each planet are a major threat to it, therefor it created something powerful enough to carry out its task of ridding itself of pests, us!"
King Kronos rubbed his temples while more smoke released from his nostrils, "And what about the animals? It seems nature also intends to extinguish the harmless, mindless animals that have been around longer than intelligent life. Why do you think that is? Surely, animals aren't pests either, are they?"
Tigressa opened her mouth to say something but shut it when no words came out.
The King didn't smile at his victory over her, "Tigressa, we aren't dealing with something nature created. We're facing something brought to life by a homicidal maniac who thinks he or she can simply take over with an army of ever-growing monsters that are rampaging out of control. What happens after they achieve what they wanted? What happens to the Metal Heads whom are built only to destroy and nothing else? If they keep continuing what they are doing, there will be no one to command, no place that isn't infested with their own creations, nobody from their kind to ever see again. They'll only trap themselves in their own madness and die trying to break free."
Peering down at the floor for a second, she replied, "What if that's what they want? What if all they want is to kill and watch the millions of worlds burn in their own customs each had praised long enough: tyranny, selfishness, pain…?"
This time, Prometheus was dead silent, no words attempting to leave as he understood her meaning. Finally, he said, "Then there's nothing we can do to stop them, not without killing them first which may prove extremely difficult since we can't even hurt their army."
She couldn't say she wasn't surprised that he didn't freak out by her "knowing" that much about the Metal Heads' leader's plan, which the leader, of course, was her. Though technically, however, she never claimed the official title of such to keep her part in the galaxy-wide gridlock quiet, so she wasn't the Metal Head leader at the same time.
At least he was blind to the truth, which saved her the mess of having to upstage him then and there. Dethroning him needed time and time could only tamed with patience. If the whole thing started now, she'd lose more than she would desire and that could lead to a devastating setback. Luckily, time was graciously on her side.
Tensas walked past with a toothy grin, nodding in approval which she assumed signified that Koana's memory has been successfully altered. After a few minutes, he joined her stroll back to the Training Chambers.
"Was your enlightening ordeal with your father finally solved?" He asked, letting his tail rattle in annoyance at a three-horned saber lynx that seemed to be stalking him hungrily.
"Yes, and no. The poor fool has no idea what awaits him. I have new projects I need to start and I don't want anybody snooping around my recent shipments of Precursor metal. Let's just say, if everything goes as planned, the Metal Heads will be unstoppable and my loyal followers will be untouchable."
The crocodile's smirk died down a bit, "Aren't they already?"
"It's best to make sure because you never know when someone may find a way to exploit their weakness and warn everyone else. I cannot take chances! If things don't go exactly as I need them to be, we'll all be dead and the future I promised you will be no more. Do you get it?"
He nodded with snarl. "Koana won't be a problem. That I can assure you, Master."
As Tigressa left…
Blossom watched from afar as Tigressa and King Kronos began their journey into the Southern Gardens. She looked sorely at Ghost who was across from her, peering down on the two as well. He was leaning against a post with his arms crossed, not happy about what he was seeing.
"Tigressa has become lost in her own delusions of power; she has forgotten her duty to surpass the darkness before it consumes both her and those she does not want to suffer. Her cause is as dead as her."
The green wolf narrowed her eyes in question, "Cause? What do you mean 'cause'? She isn't behind our dilemma, is she?"
The purple and black dragon sighed, "Tigressa is the creator of those wretched abominations! She's the one behind the attacks and she plans on destroying worlds with her army. She is no longer our sister, but our killer. If she continues with this, I fear our world, Cybertron, and even the new planet will be gone, ending all possible former and future life. Her mind is in shambles, darkened by her own greed."
"That can't be. She's helping us stop the Metal Heads."
"She's only fooling us. Metal Heads are expendable since there is so many of them, as well as knowledgeable; they know Tigressa is deceiving us and they are allowing her to go against them. Don't you get it? She's the villain; she's the Metal Head leader! If we don't stop her, the planets will most likely turn on each other, fall into her hands, and then die."
Blossom bowed her head in sorrow, "She wouldn't kill her own family, will she? What about Gemelo, her home?"
"If she gets her way, there may not be Gemelo left to defend nor rule," he hissed as he turned from the window and jumped to the ground.
"How did you figure this out?" The flowered femme asked, optics wide with terror.
Ghost growled, "After the Metal Heads began appearing and Tigressa's growing impatience, it wasn't that hard putting the pieces of this puzzle together, especially when Vanali was brutally murdered and her disappearance that night. No Metal Head has made it past the security walls surrounding the entire kingdom so the only logical answer was Tigressa herself."
"Sephtis, I need a new favor from you. I cannot manage the Metal Heads and keep my sire off my aft at the same time so I ask, would you do me the honors of becoming the new Metal Head leader?"
Sephtis grinned at her with two of his most loyal friends by his side. He bowed with no hesitation, "It would be my pleasure, my liege."
AN: Guess who Kor is! Everybody's figuring out what Tigressa is doing but what ever will they do about it? Find out soon!