"Explosives… The only that might work is a high amount of explosives placed INSIDE Unicron," Optimus stated calmly.
Cheetor groaned and closed his optics. He felt Optimus look at him. He knew what Optimus would see. Cheetor had aged, literally aged, years in a few cycles.
'I'm not ready to lead anybody, ' he thought. 'I really wish that I could back out of this… but I can't. '
"So, how do we get them inside?" Cheetor heard Megator ask Optimus. Cheetor opened his optics and answered the question. Even though Megator hadn't been asking him.
"Some Maximals and Predicons take them in, set them, and then try to get out before they blow."
"Oh goody," Rattrap said. "So who goes?"
"The Strike Team."
"WHAT!?! Cheetor are you CRAZY?!?"
"No, Rattrap. Windchaser and I go in. We're the real fighters of the Strike Team. Nightwolf and Skywitch will stay behind."
Oh dat's just GREAT kiddo! What happens if ya don't get out in time?"
"Then we're all in trouble… Megator, who are you planning to send with us?"
"Waspinator and Inferno."
"Oh goody," Windchaser said sarcastically. "The bug-brigade…"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wazzzpinator not like this. Wazzzpinator alwayzzz getzzz zzztuck with zzzlag azzzzzzignment. Oh, why univerzzze hate Wazzzpinator?"
"I am beginning to hate that bug…"
"Calm down 'Chase, we need them in order to set the explosives."
"You want to trust THEM with high explosives?!?"
"No 'Chase, but we do need them to carry it."
"Just out of curiosity," Windchaser asked as the four fighters landed on Unicron. "How are we supposed to get INTO Unicron?"
That question answered itself as the ground under the Transformers suddenly was noticeably lacking.
"Oh no," Cheetor said, as for a nanoclick they hung in midair. The four fighters fell through the tunnel, "There isn't enough room to open our wings!!"
"Switch to beast-mode!"
"Too late!!"
After a long fall past strange spikes, three of the four robots fell heavily to the hard metal ground.
"Well - that hurt," Windchaser said as she slowly got to her feet.
"Wazzzpinator hates this azzzzzzignment."
"You should be glad, Wasp. Every assignment from the royalty is a gift!"
"Wazzzpinator thinkzzz ant-bot is major zzzuck-up!"
"Hold it, buggies… Where is Rodeesh?"
"Wazzpinator not know."
"Great! Well, I sure don't know where he is but… Primus! I sure hope THEY didn't get him!"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cheetor was NOT having a good day…
First, he had been captured and placed in a new body after being killed. Then, he had had to fight through about 20 Predicons to save his teammates. Then his teammates weren't sure how to treat him, which didn't make sense because Cheetor was still the same person. 'Maybe they just don't see that it's still me. Just older and with old memories. '
That of course wasn't the worst part of the day. Just as it looked like life could get back to normal, or as close as it could come to normal… Unicron showed up.
Then it had become obvious that the only way that they could fight Unicron would be from the inside. Deep in his spark, Cheetor knew that the real reason he had insisted on going himself was because of a gut feeling. He hadn't told the others except for 'Chase because he had a feeling that no one would let him do something like this on impulse alone. Windchaser had been adamant that she should go with him. Cheetor had originally planned to go at it alone. But it honestly hadn't taken much for Windchaser to convince him to let her come.
When they had fallen out of the tunnel, the four fighters had fallen past giant horizontal spikes. Cheetor's wing caught on one of the tips that spun him around so that he slammed chest first onto the next spike. Fortunately, he hit it from above. So, besides having all the air forced out of his chest, he received no further damage. Cheetor looked down; he could see the others beneath him. Cheetor struggled to get air flowing again and get off the spike when he saw giant claw like things come out of the walls and begin attacking the others. Cheetor finally got his lungs working normally again and jumped off the spike, firing his laser as he went.
Windchaser began shooting at the claw things. To her surprise; red laser fire joined in at firing at the claws. Rodeesh landed beside her.
"I was afraid you wouldn't make it to the party," she said.
"Hey, can't keep me down for long. Come on you three, let's get out of here!"
Rodeesh switched to beast-mode and ran off. Heading away from the claws, the others followed. The two Predicons stayed in robot-mode, while Windchaser switched to beast-mode like Rodeesh and did her best to keep up with the cheetah. Windchaser dodged and ducked, bobbed and weaved, avoided and advanced, and wished and cursed for Rodeesh's speed. The claws were nearly as big as they were, and easily as fast. Windchaser risked a break in her concentration to ask through her 'Seer link', >PLEASE tell me that you have a plan, Rodeesh. I don't want to die in here!< p> >Cheetor. I've got a bit of a plan, I think. We're heading towards Unicron's control room I guess, since the defenses are getting stronger. I just hope that we make it.< p> >I trust you… Rodeesh.< p> >Cheetor. < p> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back on Earth…
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Megator looked up at Unicron. The monster planet was no longer a planet. It had transformed into a robot of titanic proportions. It's feet were creating valleys where they were placed on the ground. Megator realized for the first time that there were something's more important then destroying Optimus Primal and winning the Beast Wars. Staying alive, for example.
Megator looked up at Unicron again. He found himself praying to whatever, or whoever, might be on their side that the two Maximals would succeed. Because all the fire power that the fighters out here had combined was not even close to enough to destroy Unicron.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back in the Belly of the Whale…
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Here!"
Windchaser quickly tossed the last explosive to Rodeesh. They had miraculously made it to the control room, and now the last explosive was being set.
"Do you think that this is enough, Rod?"
"I sure hope so. Now, let's get out of here. I've got a REALLY bad feeling about this… and for the last time it's CHEETOR!"
"Why cat-bot and bird-bot argue about name?"
"Will you just stay out of this?!?"
Inferno and Waspinator looked at each other and shrugged. There was no understanding Maximals. They had done almost nothing on this mission. It had been the two Maximals that had saved them from the claw things, found the massive room with it's strange globe of views that they assumed was the control room, and now it was the Maximals that set the explosives. If they wanted to argue over what the cat-bot's name was, well, as long as the explosives were all set and all four of them got out in time. Who were they to argue?
"Okay… the last explosive is… set!"
"Wazzzpinator wants to know what do now?"
"Getting out of here would be good buzz-breath… Right, Rodeesh?"
"Right… and will you call me Cheetor?!?"
"Wazzzpinator thinkzzz cat-bot and bird-bot zzzound like rat-bot and lizzzard-bot uzzzed to."
"Rod… I am really going to hurt that bug."
"Save it 'Chase! Let's fade outta here!"
"Ummm… Where's the exit?"
"YOU NEED NOT WORRY ABOUT EXITS, TRANSFORMERS!"
"Rod… please tell me that that wasn't Unicron."
"We might be in trouble…"
"YOU WILL ALL SOON JOIN WITH THE MATRIX. THEN LEAVING ME WILL NO LONGER BE OF CONSEQUENCE. PROCEED… TO OBLIVION."
"We're in trouble. RUN! Get out of here before Unicron really begins concentrating on killing us!"
"I NEED NOT WASTE THE ENERGY."
"I don't like this Rod…"
"Get out of here! GO!!"
"HE WILL DO SO FOR ME."
"He? Rodeesh who is Unicron talking abou…"
"Windchaser, RUN! NOW!!" Windchaser turned to look at Rodeesh when she heard the fear in his voice, "What? Why? Who is it?!?"
"Galvatron 'Chase. Unicron brought back Galvatron!"
"Galvatron?!?"