Beast Wars: Symmetries
Archon
"I told you, Optimus," protested Cheetor. "I'm better now."
"You sure, kiddo?" asked Rattrap. "You were really out of it for a whole month."
"Hey, I got my act together," huffed Cheetor. "Isn't that what I'm supposed to do?"
Standing once more, Cheetor looked at Optimus, Rattrap, and Rhinox with his youthful but weary optics. It had been a while since his torture and reprogramming at the hands of Megatron, though the lingering after-effects could still be seen. The lad wasn't quite the same energetic 'bot he'd once been and it showed.
"Easy Cheetor," Rhinox urged. "We just want to make sure you're alright."
"I think this round of tests will be our final one," Optimus nodded. "I believe Cheetor's made a full recovery."
"Thanks big 'bot," Cheetor hopped out of the medical bay.
Nonetheless, the color in Cheetor's eyes was returning and it was only a matter of time before he'd be back to his old self. Or at least that's what the Maximals hoped for.
"So, uh, anything you need, kid?" Rattrap opened the door for Cheetor.
"Just to get some fresh air," Cheetor replied.
"I'll be going on patrol soon," Optimus said hesitantly. "Do you want to join me?"
"Sure Optimus," Cheetor said. "I've been kinda craving some action though."
Rattrap and Rhinox looked at each other hesitantly. Cheetor had not been there at the battle against Tigerhawk on the floating island. The young Maximal had been most disappointed because he didn't get a chance to participate. But what else could they have done? Cheetor hadn't even fully recovered at that point. They needed to keep him safe, which was their first priority.
Evidently, Optimus felt the same way.
"Well, hopefully nothing too bad will come our way," he said, hoping to deter Cheetor from any possible bouts of thrill-seeking while on patrol.
"Aw, come on!" protested Cheetor. "I barely have anything to do these days!"
"I'm sorry, Cheetor," Optimus put his foot down. "But it's for your safety."
"Come on, I'm no longer a cub!" a frustrated Cheetor replied.
"Eh, kids these days," Rattrap muttered and turned on the channel.
"Mister Staghorn," the news anchor asked. "When will you unveil your new invention to the public."
"Oh, I'll be sure to do it soon," the old man on the TV replied. "This new suit contains state-of-the-art cybernetics and it's equipped with a Virtual Reality simulator."
"Whoa, Optimus," Rattrap beckoned. "Come check this out."
Immediately, the four Maximals went up to the screen. As the reporter continued her interview with Staghorn, one thing stood out to them. It was a stasis pod mounted against the wall in the laboratory where the discussion was being conducted.
"How did he come into possession of that?" Rhinox pondered.
"I don't know," Optimus stroked his chin. "But we'd better investigate this."
With a small motion Cheetor did not catch, Optimus motioned for both Rattrap and Rhinox. After catching it, they nodded.
"Say, Cheetor, do you think you can help me with my new stasis cuffs tonight?" asked Rhinox.
"But I thought you already had 'em ready," Cheetor asked.
"No, they still have to go through some new field work," Rhinox replied.
That was the cue both Optimus and Rattrap needed to head out.
Life had not been treating Terrorsaur and Waspinator. After a steady string of failures, both Predacons had been questioning their own worth. Just a few weeks ago, Megatron had vanished without a trace and the other Predacons they had lost contact with. The fiasco with turning Cheetor into a Transmetal Two had cost them strategically. Not only that, but they had been taken out by two human teens which had been the most embarrassing aspect of it all. But that had not completely deterred the flyers.
The two of them snuck behind the hallway where the cybernetics room lay. Not too long ago, they had observed Staghorn Cybernetics' new acquisition, a stasis pod they had seen here on live television.
And there was no doubt a new Transformer lay in this pod. They would bring it to either Scorponok or Tarantulas to have it reprogrammed. Then they'd have another member to the Predacon forces to bolster their numbers.
"Once Waspinator and Terrorsaur get new Predacon, Maximals will be finished!" declared Waspinator.
"Shouldn't be too hard," Terrorsaur said. "I already disabled security."
Terrorsaur was not the most intelligent 'bot when it came to technological know-how. But the past few months had forced him to take on skills above and beyond his usual comprehension. He was better versed now in the computer sciences and the very basics of engineering, in addition to knowing how to disable alarm systems.
After all, why shouldn't he learn these things. Someone had to pick up the slack now that Megatron was gone. Waspinator was the only companion he had left now whereas the other Predacons made it no secret that they despised him.
"Come on," Terrorsaur gestured to Waspinator. "Once we get the stasis pod, we can—"
"Not so fast!" a familiar voice boomed.
"Optimus Primal!" Waspinator recognized it immediately.
"Yeah, and don't forget his wise-crackin' sidekick!" added Rattrap.
"You're not getting that stasis pod!" Optimus declared.
Terrorsaur figured that Optimus was also here for the same reason he was. He must have also seen the news on the stasis pod here.
"Go get the pod!" he ordered Waspinator. "I'll hold them off!"
"Waspinator on it!"
Leaping into action, Terrorsaur flipped out his rifle and sent several plasma shots flying towards Optimus and Rattrap who immediately took cover behind some crates. On cue, Waspinator flew off towards the location of the pod.
"Give it up, Terrorsaur!" Optimus shouted as Rattrap returned fire.
"Over my sparkless body!" Terrorsaur fired two missiles, forcing the Maximals to take cover again.
Buzzing into the room, Waspinator wasted no time and transformed to robot mode. The cybernetics core lay at the center of the room with the stasis pod located on the surgical table.
Right now, Terrorsaur was occupied with the Maximals so it was up to he, Waspinator, to retrieve the pod.
Waspinator walked forward but did not do a thorough survey of his surroundings. A small soda can beneath his feet tripped him and sent him sprawling on his chest.
"Oooh, why Waspinator get raw deal?" he complained.
He got up again and walked up to the pod. Attempting to get a firm grip, he grabbed on to both ends. Once accident, however, he slipped and pressed down on one of the buttons on the pod's console.
The stasis pod hummed violently, forcing Waspinator to let go. Finally, the lid opened as a barrage of smoke steamed into the room, covering Waspinator.
"What happened?" Waspinator wiped away the fog at his optics.
A looming figure that now stood before him was all the answer he needed.
"Oh no," Waspinator whimpered.
"Why can't you Maximals drop dead?" Terrorsaur shrieked as he unleashed more blaster fire from his gun.
From behind the heavy machinery they were hiding, both Maximals had decided they had had enough.
Optimus gripped his mace with its lower end facing up and leaped out from behind where he was hiding. Taking aim, he hurled the mace which sailed across the air and struck Terrorsaur's hand, knocking the blaster out of his grip. Terrorsaur shrieked and grabbed his injured hand.
That gave Optimus the distraction he needed. In a split nano-klik, he tackled Terrorsaur to the ground and restrained him. Holding on tightly, he took out the stasis cuffs that Rhinox had built and snapped them on to Terrorsaur's wrists.
"You're not going anywhere," Optimus told Terrorsaur. "Rattrap, go get Waspinator."
Rattrap nodded and headed down the hall where fog seemed to be emerging. Noting the peculiar situation taking place before his eyes, Rattrap gave pause and took out his gun. The fog emerged from the hall and soon covered the whole room where both Maximals and Terrorsaur stood.
"Hey Optimus," Rattrap said. "I think we got a—"
An electro-magnetic staff erupted from the smoke and thrust into Rattrap's chest, sending a jolt of electricity through the Maximal's core. As Rattrap cried out, a large hidden figure in the mists flipped the staff around and smashed the other end into Rattrap's jaw, knocking him on his back.
"Rattrap!" shouted Optimus.
At this point, it was becoming harder and harder to see.
"So you are the leader of the Maximals," a foreboding voice came through the mists like a foghorn.
Technically, that was incorrect, Optimus noted. He was only leader of the Axalon crew, not leader of the Maximals on Cybertron. But seeing how he and his crew were the only Maximals on this planet, that assessment may as well have been true.
"And you are?" Optimus demanded.
"I am Archon," the voice declared. "And it is I who shall lead the Predacons to liberation!"
Optimus frowned. A new Predacon. Swell. And since when did Waspinator know how to reprogram stasis pods?
"Whoever you are, show yourself!" Optimus took out his battle mace.
Archon did not show his face, at least not immediately. The sound of a weapon swishing through the air was enough to alert Optimus who raised his mace just in time to block a staff aimed towards his skull.
Optimus ducked another swing and lashed back, meeting the staff with a stiff blow from his mace. The staff was easily visible but his attacker, still shrouded in smoke, was not. Archon countered another blow from Optimus with the center of his metal staff and thrust forward with his own weapon, knocking the mace out of Primal's hands. Seeing his opportunity, Archon drove the staff into the ground, unleashing an electrical shockwave across the floor. Optimus quickly leaped out of the way and turned on his prime jets to avoid the discharge. Quickly, he flew away from the new Predacon and grabbed Rattrap, lifting his second-in-command up into the air before the shockwave could hit him.
Finally, the smoke cleared. At that point, both Terrorsaur and Archon were gone.
"Oh man, what just happened?" Rattrap rattled his head to clear out the stinging sensation.
"We've got ourselves a new Predacon," Optimus said plainly.
Though his head was throbbing from the stasis cuffs, Terrorsaur still managed to reach the run-down apartment at the edge of town that he and Waspinator now called home. It was abandoned for the most part and was also cited for demolishment in the next few months. The being named Archon helped him easy onto the couch.
Now he had a clear view of Archon. His mysterious benefactor was cloaked in a black cape that flowed down to his feet. The rest of his body was much simpler and streamlined with basic body armor attached to his chest, split into two sections. Archon's face, however, had no jawbone. His face was shaped in the likeliness of one of the Death Masks of Kaon with a gem at the center of his forehead. His yellow, malevolent eyes surveyed Terrorsaur with great interest.
"Thanks for helping me out," Terrorsaur said.
"It was the least I could do to help a fellow Predacon," Archon tilted his head.
"Your name's Archon, right?" asked Terrorsaur. "Would you happen to know what happened to Waspinator? A green and yellow Pred with stripes?"
"Ah yes, him," Archon replied. "He told me to tell you that he would make it back later."
"Hmph," snorted Terrorsaur. "Wonder what he's got that's so important."
"Are you two the only Predacons on this planet?" asked Archon.
"Nah," Terrorsaur shook his head. "I used to be part of a team until our leader got taken off-line."
"I see, so the Maximals destroyed him?"
"Not really, he just… disappeared one day."
"Interesting indeed," Archon seemed to be deep in thought. "Tell me, where do you see yourself in the next ten stellar cycles?"
It was a good question indeed. Terrorsaur often liked to think of himself as a Predacon warlord on Cybertron, having overthrown the Maximal regime. But reality told a far different story. He really didn't know what he'd actually become in that length of time.
"Guess I don't know," Terrorsaur admitted. "Always wanted to make it big as a Predacon Commander but never made the cut."
"That is most unfortunate," Archon stated. "Tell me something."
"Sure," Terrorsaur agreed.
"At the end of your life when you are about to pass away from rust, what will be your legacy?" asked Archon. "Will it have been wasted on years of failed missions to secure leadership of all Predacons or will you have proven yourself as a Predacon worthy of respect?"
"Easy for you to say," Terrorsaur sighed. "You didn't get stasis cuffed by a couple of human brats."
"With the way you are now, there is the possibility of you regretting your life when it all comes to its final conclusion," Archon said directly.
Terrorsaur said nothing. He only shook his head in disappointment.
"What if I were to tell you that you can become that which you desire most," Archon continued. "What if there was a way for you to gain that power and respect you deserve?"
"I'd take it!" Terrorsaur hopped out of his seat. "No way I'd give up a good deal!"
"Then listen carefully," Archon began.
"So what happened?" asked Rhinox as Optimus and Rattrap returned.
"There's a new Predacon," Optimus replied. "He's with Waspinator and Terrorsaur now."
"A new Pred?" asked Cheetor. "How'd that happen?"
"I'm not sure," Optimus confessed. "I didn't even get a good look at him."
"Well whoever he is," Rattrap clenched his rifle. "He's gonna get some Grade-A payback soon!"
"Rattrap, could you return to Staghorn Cybernetics to dig through their files?" requested Optimus. "I have a feeling that company's hiding something."
"What makes you think that?" asked Rhinox.
"They were competitors with Megatron Industries after all," Primal reminded them.
"I'm on it," promised Rattrap.
"Rhinox, search the database," Optimus told him. "Look up our files to see if we have anyone named Archon."
Rhinox nodded and got to work.
The only Maximal without anything to do was Cheetor.
"Anything I can do to help?" asked Cheetor.
"Well, you could—"
The truth was, Optimus really couldn't think of something to give to Cheetor to do. His blank stare must have become evident after a while because even the young Maximal noticed it.
"Come on, Optimus," insisted Cheetor. "I've recovered!"
Optimus then snapped out of it.
"Come with me," Optimus said, hoping he was choosing his words wisely. "We'll go on patrol together."
After having fallen asleep for roughly one or two hours, Terrorsaur was woken up by the sound of the door closing. He got off the couch and looked up. It was Waspinator, a little shaken up but otherwise fine.
"Where ya been?" demanded Terrorsaur. "I've waited hours for you!"
"Waspinator knocked out cold but Terrorsaur never came to help!"
"Yeah, well how was I supposed to know?" asked Terrorsaur. "You didn't radio me for help."
"How did Terrorsaur escape Maximals?" asked Waspinator.
"I had some help," Terrosaur explained. "This new Predacon named Archon came to my aid."
"Eh?" Waspinator seemed confused.
"Oh yeah, and good job with reprogramming him," Terrorsaur congradulated.
"Waspinator did not reprogram new Predacon," Waspinator insisted. "Waspinator didn't even put Predacon chip in stasis pod and BAM! New Transformer emerge!"
"That's strange," Terrorsaur scratched his head. "That guy had a Predacon energy signature and he was wearing a Death Mask of Kaon. No Maximal would wear that."
"New guy stepped out of stasis pod and next thing Waspinator know, Waspinator out cold!" Waspinator wringed his hands together for emphasis.
"Well, maybe he mistook you for a Maximal," Terrorsaur rationalized.
Deep down, Terrorsaur wondered whether or not he should tell Waspinator about Archon's plans to lure the Maximals into a trap. But after a brief moment of contemplation, he decided against doing so. It was best that this plan be laid-out only by himself and Archon. Other external factors might complicate it.
"Waspinator going to sleep off headache," Waspinator grumbled and walked away to his room.
"G'Night," Terrorsaur said and looked at the clock. Tomorrow would be the moment he was waiting for.
"So 'dis is what 'dis guy's been doing," Rattrap snuck through the security files.
He was in one of the facilities of Staghorn Cybernetics. After rummaging through the information, he had found quite a few tidbits. Apparently, the stasis pod was meant to be a holding cell for the new enhanced bio-armor Staghorn Industries were creating. All that must have changed when they found out that an actual Transformer lay within the pod.
But be that as it may, the project was still ongoing, noted Rattrap. He took the paper files and scanned them with a small camera he brought along with him. Optimus and the others would definitely want to see this.
There was something else on the tables. It looked like a pair of binoculars but Rattrap could tell from their designs that it was something more. Looking down, he observed the blueprints for it.
Suddenly, the lights flickered on.
"Who's there?" a voice demanded as Rattrap quickly took cover.
From behind the stacks of books, Rattrap watched as Mr. Staghorn slid into the room with his repulsor chair. The old man was a paraplegic, unable to walk with his own two legs which was why he relied upon machinery now.
"Poor guy," muttered Rattrap.
The old man looked at the files spread across the tables. Naturally, the only thing he could assume was that thievery or sabotage had just occurred here.
"Security," he spoke into his cell phone. "We have an intruder in our premises!"
Deciding not to stick around any longer, Rattrap put away the devices in his compartments and transformed to beast mode. He exited the same way he came in, through the ventilation systems where he knew nobody would search for him there.
Staghorn looked around the room, feeling an unnatural chill. Perhaps it was his old age or perhaps there was something to this that was more than just mere industrial sabotage.
"There he is," Terrorsaur hovered in the air, overlooking Crimson City High.
Archon stood on the rooftop with him. They had just identified the weaknesses of the Maximals, namely one of their main human allies on this world. Jack Whitman was with two of his friends, engaged in a conversation.
"He's the one who stasis cuffed me," Terrorsaur looked down angrily.
"Then he shall be the one whom we target," Archon nodded his head in confirmation.
"You guys ready to go camping this weekend?" asked Jack.
His two friends walked side by side. To his left was Steve Liu, a Chinese-American classmate who already had his hiking gear ready. On the right was Raj Singh, his Indian-American friend who had also gotten ready for the trip.
"I'm ready," Steve confirmed.
"You pack enough food for two nights?" asked Raj.
"Got 'em," Jack nodded. "I brought some trail mix too."
"Say, what's that?" Steve looked up.
A mechanical orb floated overhead where the boys could see. Suddenly, a bubble of energy erupted around them, trapping them effectively in place.
"What's going on?" demanded Raj.
"It's…" Jack struggled against the energy field.
"Greetings boy," Archon leaped off the building, appearing before them.
"Who the heck are you?" demanded Jack.
"And what's with the mask?" asked Steve.
"You shall make a most excellent diversion," Archon informed Jack. "Your close ties to the Maximals will be their undoing."
"Yeah, so kiss 'em goodbye!" added Terrorsaur.
"Maximals?" asked Raj.
"It's a long story," Jack slapped his forehead.
"So what do we do now?" asked Terrorsaur.
"We contact the Maximals," replied Archon.
"But we don't know their coordinates," Terrorsaur reminded.
"True," Archon held out an ultra-sound wrist-band. "But my wavelengths can reach all Cybertronian radars within the planet."
"Nice…" Terrorsaur grinned. "You do come prepared."
"Greetings Maximals," Archon spoke into the receiver, making sure to direct it to the three human teens to capture the scene. "Your moment of defeat is upon you, for I have captured one of your human allies. Whether or not I shall spare him and the miserable lives of his friends depends on how willing you are to negotiate. Meet me within Sector Delta, Six Five Seven Nine. Then we shall discuss the terms of surrender."
"Any particular reason you decided not to bring Cheetor along?" asked Rhinox. "The boy's been itching to get out and do more."
"I don't want to send Cheetor out on more dangerous missions," Optimus replied. "We saw what happened the last time he went out on patrol alone."
"Yeah, but he's a big kid now," Rattrap tried to reason. "He can make his own decisions."
The three Maximals had entered into the location Archon had ordered them to. It was an ice rink near the edge of downtown. Since it was already closed for the night, it didn't take too long for them to get in.
"Maybe we should've taken him w—" began Rhinox.
"My decision is final," Optimus told them with an almost uncharacteristic sternness to his voice.
"Okay, I'll be quiet," Rattrap made a zipping motion to his lips.
The rink lay before them. At the center was the energy bubble contained in a stasis field. Jack was there, along with two of his human friends the Maximals did not recognize. Next to it was none other than Archon and Terrorsaur. It was now that the Maximals finally got a good look at him. And as expected, they did not like what they saw.
"Let them go!" Optimus ordered.
"Gladly," Archon agreed. "It is you that I want."
Terrorsaur pressed down on a button to unlock the stasis field, freeing Jack and his friends.
"Wow, this is unreal," Steve gaped.
"What's going on here?" asked Raj. "Talking robots?"
The three kids ran up to the Maximals.
"You okay?" asked Optimus.
"We will be," Jack replied.
"Good, now get out of here as fast as you can," Optimus told them. "Thing are about to get ugly."
The three of them immediately took off but Steve and Raj were still in awe of their encounter.
"What's going on here?" asked Steve.
"That big robot acted like he knew you," Raj told Jack.
"Ehh, tell you all about it another time," promised Jack.
"You've made it," Archon told Optimus. "Just like I knew you would."
"How did you get into our com-frequencies?" demanded Rhinox.
"Oh, I didn't find you specifically," explained Archon. "My ultra-sound device can reach all Cybertronian radars on the planet."
"Just who are you?" asked Optimus.
"You already know my name," Archon told them. "But if you want to delve further, then I'll be glad to oblige. You see, I am Predacon Elite Archon, sent on behalf of the Predacon Alliance! My goal was to infiltrate your exploration ship and retrieve Protoform X for the Council. Unfortunately, you were stranded on this planet before I could carry out my plans."
"The Predacon Elite Guard…" Rhinox muttered. "This is bad news."
"Oh man, just the stories I heard of 'dem guys," Rattrap seemed to be visibly scared.
"We are the personal bodyguards of the Tripredacus Council themselves," Archon described. "The most skilled and deadly of their assassins!"
"Heh heh heh!" cackled Terrorsaur. "You Maximals have no chance!"
"If the Predacon Elite are every bit as deadly as the archives say they are, then this isn't good," Optimus told Rhinox and Rattrap.
Archon motioned to Terrosaur who responded straight away. The Predacon flier latched onto both of Archon's arms and flew him into the air just as Archon pressed down on a remote.
At once, the ice rink was set ablaze with electricity, short-circuiting all three Maximals where they stood. After a few moments of savoring their cries, Archon turned off the power and stepped down once more. He stood over the fallen Maximals triumphantly and laughed.
"Ugh," Optimus finally woke up. "What happened?"
"Found you unconscious at the rink," Cheetor replied. "Rhinox and Rattrap were kidnapped."
"Swell," Optimus got up. He was back at base again and he could still feel some of the surges through his circuitry.
"Easy big 'bot," Cheetor said. "I haven't even gotten you into the CR chamber yet."
"How did you find me?" asked Optimus.
"I traced your com-link when it went haywire," explained Cheetor. "Then I found you unconscious. Archon also left another message."
Optimus figured the surge messed with his com-link as well. Archon had really come prepared to face them. He went up to the screen and turned on the message Cheetor had traced through the radar.
"Greetings Optimus," Archon clasped both hands together. "Your numbers have been thinned and I now have your friends in my possession. Tonight, meet me within the inner city's subway station. It is there that we shall end this."
"Looks like I have no choice," Optimus said resignedly. "But first I'll have to pay a little visit to Staghorn Cybernetics."
"I'll come with you," Cheetor said.
"No Cheetor, it's too dangerous," countered Optimus.
"I'm a part of this team!" Cheetor raised his voice. "And I'm going with you!"
"Cheetor!" Optimus growled sternly.
For a minute, the two Maximals stared each other down. Finally, Optimus relented after turning away.
"Very well," he said. "But stay close to me."
Staghorn sat next to his desk as the lights around his room dimmed. Glancing down bitterly, he picked up a family photo of himself and his grandson. The picture had been taken back in happier times before his accident. It was when he recalled being truly happy.
His moments of nostalgia, however, were interrupted as a gust of wind blew out from his windows.
"Who's there?" he demanded.
Before he knew it, two mechanical beasts were standing there, one resembling a gorilla while the other appeared to be a cat of some sort. In no time at all, they had transformed into their respective robot modes, just as Staghorn had expected.
"Oh, so there's more of you," Staghorn coughed.
"More of you?" Cheetor blinked. "Am I missing something?"
"You've encountered our kind before?" demanded Optimus.
"Yes I have," Staghorn told them. "And to what do I owe the honor?"
"Your new so-called body suit's gone missing," Optimus told him, pointing to the stasis pod. "I assume you were the one who freed the Predacon in there?"
"Me?" Staghorn was incredulous. "I should think not! I was given that stasis pod as a gift!"
"A gift?" Cheetor raised an eye-ridge.
"After the industrial accident I had, I lost the use of my legs," explained Staghorn. "One day, a strange fellow named Anansi contacted me and gave me this so-called stasis pod. He'd said that the protoform within this pod was a blank and that I was free to mold it into whatever suit I wanted after giving me some lessons. In exchange, I had to grant him access to my company's resources to fund his own project. He never did tell me what it was."
At this point, Cheetor was clearly confused. If the protoform had been a blank like the old man said, how was it that it gave off a perfect Predacon energy signature?
"So you created a robotic body suit from the stasis pod as a new way for you to walk again?" inquired Optimus.
"Yes," Staghorn nodded.
"Would that explain this?" Optimus took out the VR simulator Rattrap had retrieved.
"Yes," Staghorn admitted. "This was just one of the older versions. I had already installed a new version of the VR simulator before it disappeared."
"Why would you need one of these things?" Cheetor looked at the old man, looking for any discernible signs of guilt.
"On the day of the industrial accident, I wasn't the only victim," Staghorn said honestly.
To prove his point, Staghorn turned around two family portraits. The first picture was one of him and his grandson in the park. The second picture was grimmer by contrast, as indicated by the young boy bound in the wheelchair.
"I wanted to give Jonathan his life back as well," Staghorn said, a single tear flowing down his cheek. "The boy always did enjoy video gaming."
Optimus closed his eyes, feeling the burden of guilt once more. He looked at Cheetor, wishing to say something but unable to.
"Where Terrorsaur been?" asked Waspinator. "Terrorsaur never around anymore!"
"Buzz off," Terrorsaur told him. "I've been busy. Someone has to pick up the slack especially since Megatron's gone!"
"But Terrorsaur not here last night!" Waspinator piped in. "Not come back until early in the morning."
"So? I've had plans?"
"Such as?"
The screen in their room suddenly hummed to life, showing the darkened features of Archon's death mask.
"Terrorsaur, are you ready for tonight?" he demanded.
"Sure am, boss," Terrorsaur beamed.
"Don't forget it's the train station in the inner city," the image of Archon finally flickered off.
"Told you I had plans," Terrorsaur shrugged.
"Waspinator has plans too!"
"Hmph," snorted Terrorsaur. "If you say so."
"Who would steal the suit like that?" asked Cheetor.
Back at base, the two Maximals were trying to complete as much detective work as they could before the allotted time could come for Optimus Primal's duel with Archon.
"Better question," mused Optimus. "Who is Anansi?"
A thought sprang to mind for Cheetor who quickly searched up the internet. After a few moments, the answer came.
"Check this out, Optimus," Cheetor pointed up. "According to the info here, Anansi is a folk hero and trickster in African folklore. He sometimes alternates back and forth between both man and spider."
"Tarantulas!" Optimus narrowed his optics.
"Why would Tarantulas just hand over another 'bot like that to Staghorn for free?" Cheetor looked at his commander.
"He wouldn't," Optimus deduced. "He'd reprogram the protofom into a Predacon and keep him as a servant or ally. Which means the protoform in the pod must have really been a blank for him to just give it to Staghorn."
"Then that means it was turned into a suit," Cheetor finished. "And someone's in that suit taking it for a test drive!"
"I think I know just who it might be…" Optimus put a finger on his chin.
As Archon had expected, Optimus Primal was there to greet him at the abandoned subway post where he had requested. The Maximal leader was alone. Archon, on the other hand, had Terrorsaur by his side.
"So, you came as I requested," Archon raised a hand. "Your friends are tied to the tracks and if you cannot defeat me within the next three cycles, they will meet their end."
"Then let's do it!" Optimus raised his weapon.
Archon obliged by swinging his electro-staff down. Catching it with the front end of his own mace, Optimus switched on the electrical conductors to his own weapons, absorbing the surges.
Stepping to the side, Optimus swung with his second mace which Archon immediately countered with the middle end of his staff, stopping it in mid-swing. The Predacon swung overhead only to have Optimus duck quickly. Before Optimus could retaliate, Archon slammed the end of his staff into the ground, forcing Optimus to leap aside to avoid the electrical shockwave.
"Oh man, sounds like Optimus met that Pred scum already," Rattrap commented. He and Rhinox were tied down in stasis cuffs with the two of them sitting back-to-back on the tracks. In just a few moments, the train would come and finish them.
"He won't be alone!"
"Cheetor, is that you?" Rhinox's head perked up.
"Yeah," Cheetor quickly undid the bolts to their stasis cuffs. "Now let's hurry! Big Bot needs our help!"
"You got it!" Rattrap leaped back up.
Very soon, Optimus found himself dealing with two Predacon opponents as Terrorsaur began firing upon him as well. Moving as fast as he could, Optimus swung his mace to deflect the shots being fired. Archon, however, did not approve.
"Terrorsaur, cease this immediately!" he ordered. "Optimus Primal is mine!"
"Aw, come on! I'm just having a little f—Rawwwkkkkk!"
A shot from Rattrap's pistol quickly knocked Terrorsaur down from the air. Archon turned around to see Rattrap, Rhinox, and Cheetor behind him. That distraction was all Optimus needed.
Pouncing into the air, Optimus grabbed onto one of the overhead lighting and used it as a springboard to slam both feet into Archon's chest, kicking him and causing him to stumble forward. Archon caught himself before falling but not quickly enough. Both Rhinox and Rattrap slammed into him, tackling him to the ground. Archon raised his staff underneath their chins and pushed up, trying to throw them off. Finally, both ends of his electro-magnetic staff hummed to life and caught both Maximals in the surge. With that, Archon mustered enough momentum to throw them off. Just as the two got up again, Archon swung with his staff and knocked the two aside.
He whirled his staff and attacked Optimus again, striking and swinging while keeping the Maximal on the defense. The best Optimus could do was raise his mace at the right moments to keep from being pulverized.
A shot whirling by was enough to distract Archon momentarily. Archon immediately knew it was Cheetor and turned around. He knew that the distraction could now be turned into an advantage. Driving his staff into the ground once more, Archon sent another surge of electricity from the ground directly to where Cheetor stood, trapping the young Maximal in his electro-magnetic field.
"Cheetor!" Optimus shouted and ran forward. This had been what Archon anticipated. And just in time too, when the train was coming.
The Predacon Elite Guardsbot spun around and drove the end of his staff into Optimus's chin, knocking him back right into the speeding train that just arrived. Optimus banged his head against the train with a merciless thud and fell to the ground, laying there in pain. Finally, the train left and Archon stood triumphantly over the fallen Maximal.
"Your time has come!" Archon raised his staff to deliver the spark-extinguishing blow.
"I don't think so!" Rattrap raced forward and extended his tail into a "hook" position.
Grabbing Archon with his tail, Rattrap raced onto the train tracks just as the train left and swerved around, releasing Archon and throwing him against the tracks.
"You will regret your meddling, rodent!" Archon raised his staff.
"Kinda what I was hopin' for," smiled Rattrap.
A sudden tug at Archon's extended arms alerted him that something was very wrong. Tilting his head around, he noticed the electro-magnetic end of his staff humming dangerously, being pulled back further and further. There was no way for him to move at this point.
Everything soon became clear before it ended. He was standing right in front of the third rail.
A shriek of horror and a powerful surge alerted Rhinox, Cheetor, and Optimus who had now hobbled onto his feet. Cautiously, they moved closer to the train tracks when a hand emerged from below.
"Don't worry guys," Rattrap climbed up and dragged Archon with him. "He ain't getting' up after 'dat shock to 'da system."
Archon's body was laid out clearly before them. Optimus removed the charred robes and pressed down on a few keys on his chest-plate. Finally, they opened up.
"Is… is that?" Terrorsaur had gotten up as well, looking at the scene from a distance.
Rhinox removed Waspinator's body from the suit and laid him down.
"Waspinator was the one in there," Optimus explained. "The VR simulator in the suit enabled him to construct a new persona for himself."
"In other words, it allowed him to be the Predacon he always wanted to be," concluded Rhinox. "The simulator must have been so advanced that it created a separate personality from Waspinator himself
"Waspinator…" Terrorsaur was incredulous. "I can't believe it."
"Take him and go," Optimus ordered. The rest of the Maximals watched Terrorsaur carefully as he took Waspinator's fallen frame and went off.
Now that the Predacons were out of the way, a separate matter needed resolution.
"Cheetor," began Optimus. "I'm sorry for trying to shelter you lately. You are part of this team and it's your call to make your own decisions."
"Thanks Big Bot," Cheetor smiled. "And I'm sorry as well for lying."
The rest of the Maximals did not speak but stayed silent out of respect to allow Cheetor to continue.
"I lied about having recovered," confessed Cheetor. "I'm not over what Megatron did to me and I won't be for quite a while."
"I understand," Optimus nodded.
"But it's alright really," Cheetor finished. "Because I have friends… friends who can help me through it all."
"Got that right, kiddo!" Rattrap high-fived Cheetor.
"Looks like things are going back to normal," Rhinox smiled.
"Come on Cheetor," Optimus put a hand on his ward's shoulder. "Let's go home."
Terrorsaur watched the Maximals go as he slung Waspinator's arm over his shoulder.
"Yeah, friends…" he muttered.
Soon, Waspinator started becoming conscious again. The stirring of his companion made Terrorsaur take notice. It reminded him of the time he first met Waspinator when they were trying out for Predacon Elite Guard. Of course, they both didn't make it in but that was how they got to know one another before meeting up with Megatron.
"Oooh, what happened? Did Waspinator go to Matrix?"
"Nothing," Terrorsaur said. "I never thought you had it in ya."
"Had what?"
"I'll tell you about it later."
Without another glance back at the Maximals, Terrorsaur flew into the sky with Waspinator in tow.