Hello, and welcome one and all to yet another instalment of New Beast Wars, chapter 36. As usual, I am forced to admit that I do not own Beast Wars, Beast Machines, IDW Comics, The Transformers or any of the characters that are associated with The Transformers...shame about that, but oh well. Anyway, last chapter, a huge battle occurred between a small handful of Maximals and Predacons and a powerful, malicious and dangerous enemy within their own base occurred. Who was this enemy? Read the last two chapters to find out, I'm not revealing it here! Anyway, some things happened and it ended with the return of Megatron, the final death of Rampage and the mysterious disappearance of Starscream, which some readers cleverly picked up on, props to you...whatever that means. Well, that just about does it for the introduction, so I suppose I had better get on with the actual story...hmmm, but first, I have to say this...Thank you for choosing Ultimos-11 stories, we hope that you enjoy the following story presented here, don't forget to leave a review when you're finished and finally, thank you for reading! On to the story then!
At the Decepticon Spire, the Maximals and the Predacons were standing around the smoking remains of Noble, a gaping hole in his chest. Not far away were the heavily injured Night Glider, Razorclaw, Onyx Primal and Manta Ray, the stasis locked Armordillo, Injector and Skystorm and a holographic image of Rattrap's head.
"Noble...Noble was a traitor?" Optimus Primal murmured, staring down at his former ally's corpse.
"Isn't he about the fourth one?" A perplexed Terrorsaur asked "Seriously, how do we keep falling for this?"
"Ha! I knew it!" Blackarachnia cried triumphantly.
"He wasn't just a traitor Optimus, he was Megatron, Rampage, Rhinox and Starscream all combined into a single entity." Razorclaw explained.
"Incredible...they managed to upload four different sparks into a single protoform! It's never been done before, the risks were too great, but it seems that it can be done! It is indeed possible" Rhinox exclaimed in wonder.
"Yeesh, ya know Rhinox, you seem awfully proud to know that a part of you was in that jerk, takin' pot shots at us!" Rattrap piped up.
"I'm impressed that four sparks combined could actually form a sapient being, it's fascinating, even if it is somewhat morbid." Rhinox clarified.
Optimus sighed "Well, now that we've settled this, we need to get back to hunting down the remaining Vehicons. Rhinox, Insecticon, Drill Nuts, Noctorro, can you take Dinobot, Armordillo, Injector and Skystorm to the med bay? Night Glider, Razorclaw, Onyx Primal, Manta Ray, I assume that you can get there unassisted?" Optimus asked.
The group answered in the affirmative and walked off.
Optimus sighed, now that yet another fiasco had been effectively avoided, it was now time to get back to the real mission, tracking down the remaining Vehicons. With Megatron dead, it was now just a matter of finding and capturing Thrust, Jetstorm and the traitors Antagony and Cataclysm. They were the last remaining barriers that stood in their way of saving Cybertron.
Or so he thought.
In the Vehicon encampment, Megatron was sitting on a throne, watching as Scorponok set up a mad of the surrounding area and highlighting key locations that would serve well as bases.
"...And as you can see here lord Megatron, the Cybertronian zoo and botanical gardens would make an excellent base, providing we removed the animals of course." Scorponok said, pointing out the building on the map.
Megatron however, was not convinced "I am not constructing a base in a zoo! No, instead, I believe we shall go to the Pit, we can rebuild it, make it larger and capable of churning out ten times as many Vehicons as before!" Megatron exclaimed, standing up from his throne.
"An excellent idea Megatron! I'll have the others set out for the Pit at once!" Scorponok gushed, before calling out to the others "Thrust! Jetstorm! Cataclysm! Get in here, Megatron need us!" Scorponok bellowed.
The others quickly entered the room, Thrust leading them, while Jetstorm sullenly trailed behind him and Cataclysm, still brooding over the death of his beloved Antagony.
"I have called you here in order for you to go out to the Pit and oversee it's reconstruction, I'll need all of you to go for this, understood?" Megatron asked.
"Yes sir." Thrust answered.
"As you wish Megatron." Cataclysm replied.
"Whatever..." Jetstorm muttered.
Megatron frowned "Are you still brooding over the death of that treacherous little ant?" Megatron asked, glaring at Jetstorm with contempt "How pathetic, she was weak, and if you don't snap out of your little slump, then I can promise that you will join her!"
Jetstorm sighed and looked up at Megatron "Now? Somehow I doubt that, we're your only remaining Drone Generals, you can't afford to kill any of us, no matter how much you want to. Besides, at this point, I would welcome the sweet embrace of oblivion..." Jetstorm said, glancing sadly at Megatron.
Megatron scowled "Don't push your luck Jetstorm, I have already proven that I am completely ruthless, and besides, I can always make more generals, it wouldn't be hard...But, if you wish to die so much, perhaps I will allow you to suffer a little longer!"
Jetstorm looked down, miserable "Yes lord Megatron."
Cataclysm giggled in sadistic glee, only to freeze when Megatron turned to gaze at him.
"Remind me again who you are?" Megatron asked, narrowing his eyes at Cataclysm.
"Uh, Cataclysm sir, I worked briefly as a Predacon spy from within the Maximal base, before my cover was blown, now I only live to serve you, oh mighty Megatron!" Cataclysm snivelled.
Megatron expressed no emotion "Just like Antagony?"
Cataclysm shivered visibly "Uh, yes sir...just like...Antagony..." Cataclysm answered hesitantly.
"Well, I hope that you fare better than her, perhaps you've learned from her mistake of betraying me?" Megatron asked.
"Uh...yes, sir" Cataclysm said meekly, shrinking slightly in his leader's presence.
"Good, now go." Megatron commanded.
The three of them quickly left, fearing Megatron's wrath. Scorponok made to follow them, but Megatron raised his hand to signal Scorponok to stop.
"Not you, I need you by my side Scorponok, I am still weak from my time in that pathetic creature Noble." Megatron told his second in command.
"Nothing would please me more than to stay by your side, lord Megatron!" Scorponok replied, unable to contain his glee.
Meanwhile, Scavenger, B'Boom and Stinkbomb were patrolling the streets of Cybertron, looking for any more Vehicons to scrap.
"Any sighting yet?" B'Boom asked as he walked along, weapons at the ready in case of an ambush.
"Negative, quiet as a tomb in here." Stinkbomb replied as he walked on a narrow beam connecting two buildings.
"Yeah, I got nothing either." Scavenger replied as he scurried along in Transmetal ant form.
"Damn!" B'Boom hissed "It's strange, we haven't had any sightings at all since Noble was destroyed, normally we're crawling in straggling Vehicons, so where did they all go?" B'Boom mused.
"No idea, maybe they're getting smart enough to hide when they see us coming?" Scavenger suggested.
In response B'Boom sighed and massaged his brow "Scavenger, that was a soliloquy, you weren't supposed to hear that."
"Oh...sorry." Scavenger replied in a confused tone of voice.
"Heads up guys, I'm picking something up on my motion sensors! Jeez, this thing is going wild, I'm picking up movement all over the Goldbug Building!" Stinkbomb exclaimed.
"Any sign of what they're doing?" B'Boom asked.
"No, I...wait...Jeez, the Vehicons are disappearing at an impossible rate!"
"What? What do you mean?" Scavenger questioned as he scurried closer to B'Boom.
"I mean they're off lining! But...the motion sensor isn't picking up any Maximal or Decepticon signals, only this weird flicker! Whatever's taking out the Vehicons is demolishing them!" Stinkbomb said in shock.
Scavenger turned his insectoid head to B'Boom "What do you think, should we check it out?"
B'Boom paused to think about it "We'll scout it out first, see what's going on, and engage if we have a good chance and once we figure out what's going on here."
Scavenger seemed to grin, despite having the expressionless face of an ant "Excellent! My mandibles itch for the chance to rend these Vehicons limb from limb!" Scavenger hissed, before taking off for the Goldbug Building.
B'Boom stared at the Predacon before following him Strange beings, these Predacons... B'Boom thought.
From atop a building opposite the one on which the Vehicons were being slaughtered, Stinkbomb magnified his vision and tried to see what was going on, to no avail, the difference in building height was too great.
"What is going on up there?" Stinkbomb muttered to himself from atop his perch.
From his position, Stinkbomb could hear the sounds of explosions and see bursts of energy being shot off, but little more than that. He sighed and hoped that the others would be able to hand whatever was going on up there.
Scavenger slowly scaled the Goldbug building as B'Boom clung onto him as if he were some kind of beast of burden. Scavenger could have gone faster if not for the extra weight, but as B'Boom could neither fly nor climb the vertical wall which offered no handholds, Scavenger was forced to carry the Maximal explosives officer.
"Are we close?" B'Boom asked.
"Yeah...almost there...just a few...more...steps...There!" Scavenger exclaimed as he climbed onto the rooftop and witnessed a magnificent spectacle.
Both were completely shocked by what they saw.
It was complete and utter chaos as a number of Aero drones attempted to fight off a ghostly Seeker, who seemed to absorb any damage that he received, before retaliating with a pair of weapons on his arms.
"Use me will you? ! I'll show you what happens to those who dare to use the mighty Starscream as a mere pawn in their pathetic, twisted little games!" The apparition screamed as he shot down another Aero drone.
Scavenger and B'Boom glanced at each other in shock. Could this really be the legendary Decepticon warrior Starscream?
"Nobody has the power to wield my strength except me!" Starscream continued as he seemed to absorb a volley of fire from four airborne Aero drones, before he utterly destroyed them with quick bursts of fire from his Null Rays.
Scavenger turned to an astonished B'Boom "Should we...should we help him?"
B'Boom shook himself out of his daze "Yes, I suppose we should...Beast Mode!" B'Boom cried out as he transformed.
"Vehicle Mode!" Scavenger exclaimed, adding a pair of drills and tank treads to his ant like frame.
Together, the two leapt into the fray, joining Starscream as he decimated the Vehicon soldiers. Scavenger roared into their midst, ripping them to pieces with his drills and finishing off the wounded with his treads. B'Boom yowled as he tore an Aero drone's upper body off with his claws, before turning to see seven others all training their weapons at him.
B'Boom snarled "Artillery mode!"
Quickly, B'Boom's beast mode split apart, revealing dozens of concealed guns from within his body. The Aero drones looked shocked, and while they paused, B'Boom ripped their frame's to pieces with his fire. Soon, there was not a single drone left, and B'Boom and Scavenger turned to face Starscream's ghost.
"B'Boom, Maximise!"
"Scavenger, Terrorize!"
Starscream sneered at them as they transformed "And what do you want?"
Scavenger slowly approached Starscream "We witnessed what you did to those drones, and we are impressed..."
"So?" Starscream asked, venom dripping in his voice "Are you just going to admire my glory, or is there a point to all this, because I am very pissed off and I don't want to waste time talking to you when I could be out taking my revenge on those Vehicons!"
"We did help you." B'Boom pointed out.
"And I did not need your help!" Starscream snapped, glaring at the Maximal.
"Well...we were wondering...with your talents and fighting abilities...would you possibly consider...joining us?" Scavenger asked.
B'Boom asked "What? We were never-!" B'Boom began, only for Scavenger to cut him off.
"We were never going to come out here, but we heard rumours that a magnificent warrior was destroying Vehicons with a prowess never seen before!" Scavenger lied, hoping to butter Starscream up "We all live in awe of you and your skills!"
Starscream swelled visibly "As well you should, but I am not joining your little group! I am through with factions, they always lead to trouble!"
Scavenger thought for a moment, before replying "You know...we're hunting the Vehicons, if you worked with us, you'd have the technology to track them down as quickly as possible, plus, we can lead you to their leaders...And besides, you'd be surrounded by adoring fans who worship your very being...so, what do you say, will you join us now?" Scavenger asked.
Starscream pondered on the offer for a moment, before he answered "Very well, for the moment, I shall join you, but once I have carried out my vengeance, I shall discard you and your pathetic band of Autobot and Predacon offshoots...who knows, perhaps I will even destroy you to prove my power!" Starscream said with a sneer.
"Thank you! I assure you, you won't regret this!" Scavenger gushed, glad to have another Predacon in his group.
"Now, I'll need a body, I would rather not stay in this one, it reminds me of my past life too much..." Starscream murmured, before floating over to the least destroyed Aero drone and seemingly pouring into it as if he were smoke.
When the process was done, Starscream sat up in the drone's body.
"Wow..." B'Boom muttered, at a total loss for words.
"Ah, it feels so good to be corporeal again, perhaps it will stay that way this time!" Starscream said as he flexed his new fingers.
"This is so cool! Optimus will be so pleased when we get back!" Scavenger exclaimed, his eyes shining with expectation.
Later, back at the Decepticon Spire...
"YOU DID WHAT? !" Optimus could be heard shouting, his voice echoing throughout the base.
Meanwhile, at the Pit, Thrust was overseeing the reconstruction of the building, while Cataclysm flew overhead, directing the Aero drones. Jetstorm on the other hand, just floated and moped, pining for his dear Antagony.
"Soon...soon, it won't matter at all..." Jetstorm muttered to himself.
Elsewhere...
"Ah! It feels so good to be back! And, with those fools powering my spark, I am more powerful than I ever was before!" He gloated.
He ignored the faint groaning sounds and proceeded on his way.
"Quiet! As much as I love hearing you two pitiful fools in agony, I need a moment to think!"
He pondered for a moment, before reaching a conclusion.
"Ah, in order to succeed where the others have failed, I must go to Cybertron myself, with any luck, I might even be able to rid the universe of Megatron, once and for all! Yes, soon Megatron, I shall arrive, and we can settle what we started!"
And with that, he burst into a bout of maniacal laughter, drowning out the pitiful moans of the two damned souls.
And...end of chapter 36. Another lapse, sorry about that, but I've had so much stuff to do. Anyway, what did you think? I hope you enjoyed it in any case. Well, what will happen now that Starscream is one of the Maximal's? Will the Vehicons succeed in rebuilding the Pit? And who is this mysterious figure? Only time will tell, and who knows, maybe we'll find out next chapter! In any case, I hope you enjoyed it, please leave a review and finally...thanks for reading! Until the next chapter!