Disclaimer: Beast Wars, Beast Machines and all characters related to those series are the property of MainFrame Entertainment and Hasbro Incorporated. The Transformers and all characters related to that series are the property of Hasbro Incorporated. This fan fiction is dedicated to the cast and crew of all three Transformer generations.
The following story, the personal histories of the characters, portions of the history of Cybertron both past and future, and the briefly mentioned Valnatron are all my creation.
Special thanks goes out to Ben Yee of www.bwtf.com for the use of his "Cybertroninan Dictionary" and reviews of the episodes of Beast Wars and Beast Machines; to Gemini83 for his persistence in making sure I stayed on my schedule; to the talented voice actors who brought the characters to life and the people who worked behind the scenes to give those voices a frame to dwell in and adventures to endure.
Beast Wars: Basic Program
Chapter 13; The Final Hour
Spike yawned and rubbed his eyes. Optimus and Silverback had been gone so long that he had fallen asleep. Spike cautiously peeked out from behind his bush and looked around. No sign of either of the older gorillas. Spike frowned and crept out of the bushes and onto the path.
The sun was just moments away from setting and the land was just beginning to dawn its evening colors. In the distance was a strange rumble, a mixture of thunder and the rushing of the ocean at high tide. Spike wasn't sure what made this new sound, but he could remember the exact day it was first heard and from which direction the wind had brought it.
Spike turned towards the cavern entrance as a cold breeze rushed out. The entrance wasn't as dark as it had been, nor was it as scary. Spike took a deep breath and started into the cave. The brightly colored rocks seemed to glow with a life of their own, but Spike paid little attention to that. He was trying to follow Optimus' scent.
Nose to the ground and determined to find Optimus, Spike followed the trail deep into the cave, up a flight of steps and into the center of a circular platform surrounded by crystal pillars. Spike was trying to figure out which way the trail went from there when he heard a loud grinding sound. The young gorilla looked up just in time to see the last useable rays of sunlight collect in the pillars and start the Generator.
Rattrap waved the frustrated Predicon on, a big grin on his face.
"Come on, ya ova grown Toasta! What ya waitin' fa?"
"When I'm finished with your frame," Tarantulus snarled as he charged "no one will able to identify you."
Rattrap ducked and tripped Tarantulus as he lounged. Tarantulus tumbled to the ground and crashed into his scanners.
"Promises, promises." Rattrap snorted, getting back to his feet "Ya do realize dat any energy blasts dat hit deses crystals brings 'em one step closa to explodin', right?"
"Of course, you miserable vermin," Tarantulus hissed, stumbling to his feet "you learned that little piece of scientific knowledge from MY scanners! I happen to know everything about this valley's little secret."
"Jist checkin'." Rattrap said, pulling out his pistol. He twirled it around his trigger finger for a moment then shot the crystal behind Tarantulus. The crystal charged, sparked, and exploded, sending Tarantulus flying into the forest and Rattrap towards the river.
Rattrap crashed onto the beach, bounced, skid and rolled for a few klicks before slamming into a boulder at the water's edge. Dazed but not injured, he managed to pull himself to his feet, saying "Ain't neva doin' dat again."
As Optimus, Air Razor and Tigatron made their way towards the stunned Inferno a red haze started to filter out of the forest. A strange and very unnerving energy impulse washed over the valley and sent a chill down everyone's back.
"ENOUGH!!!" a voice boomed over the valley. Every battle stopped and all the combatants turned towards the voice.
Rattrap massacred his throbbing temples as he tried to remember the first 13 Autobot leaders -- a drill he always did when ever he had taken a blow to the head -- when an energy blast raced passed him and took out most of the forest behind him.
Rattrap gasped and looked over at the other side of the river.
Megatron, his frame a pattern of hellish reds and blacks, stood at the edge of the forest, glowing a bright red. He laughed a dark, sinister laugh that sent chills down everyone's spine.
"You!" Megatron thundered, pointing towards Rhinox "You are mine!"
"He doesn't give up, does he?" Rhinox said to Dinobot
"Not easily." Dinobot snorted, raising his sword.
"No, he challenged me." Rhinox said "Besides, you're wounded."
"That has never stopped me before!"
"Well, there is always a first time for everything."
Dinobot snorted angrily, but stood down. The giant Maximal cracked his knuckles as he approached the Predicon Leader, whose burning eyes seemed to be glaring right into Rhinox's spark. Rhinox stopped a few feet in front of Megatron and they squared off.
The Maximals and Predicons watched, holding their collective breathes.
Rhinox charged, letting out a roar that shock the jungle canopy. He clenched his fist and swung as hard as he could. Megatron dodged the punch, spun and slammed his foot into Rhinox's stomach. The giant Maximal was sent flying! He crashed into Dinobot, and the two Maximals raced across the river, crashing to the ground by Optimus' feet.
"Rhinox!" Rattrap shouted, but he was too shocked to move.
Cheetor swallowed hard. Megatron raised his Rex Cannon and aimed at Cheetor. The two red crystals Megatron had hooked to his cannon began to glow. A high pitched whistle filled the air. The light grew brighter. The whistle became a hum. Cheetor covered his face with his hands.
Megatron smiled a savage smile as he rose his Rex Cannon high above his head and fired. A pulsing beam of red light raced towards the sky, the air cracked with its power.
Every nano-klick of Rhinox's frame hurt, his head was spinning, his vision was blurred, and he was certain that something was broken. Optimus took his old friend by the hand and helped him to his feet.
"I know this is a stupid question, but are you two all right?" Optimus asked
"As Rattrap used to say 'As long as I can remember my name and basic program'." Rhinox groaned
"Are you all right, Dinobot?" Tigatron asked as he grabbed Dinobot by the arm and helped the Pred to his feet
Dinobot snorted and shook his head to clear it. The hum admitted by the crystal was rising in pitch, and it was killing Dinobot's audio senors.
Slowly, painfully, Inferno managed to sit up. He placed his hands on his head and groaned, vowing never to let his guard down around Optimus again. Then something caught Inferno's optical sensors. Several small crystals on the ground were starting to tremble. Then they started to rattle. Finally, they danced and jumped into the air.
The world shook from the power admitted from Megatron's lazer blast. The air was burning hot and beginning to roar.
Giant energon crystals tumbled down from the top of the waterfall, landing nano-klicks from the river's edge and micro-klicks from Inferno's right leg. The Predicon lept to his feet and took a few steps back, eyes fixed on Megatron.
"Royalty?" Inferno whispered, shocked
Ribbons of energy flowed from Megatron's cannon. The beam had begun to heat up the air, the water and the earth all around Megatron. The sky was fill with the whistle of steam striking hot rock.
The rocky cliff began to break apart, its pieces sending waves of glowing water onto the riverbank as they crashed into the river. Black Arachnia sat up groggily just in time to see the supports of her web snap. She screamed as the web arched down towards the river. The supports on the trees held and the web brushed the surface of the boiling river. Suddenly the web twisted in the middle and snapped in half. Black Arachnia was thrown across the river...right into Rattrap's open arms. Rattrap stumbled back a few steps, braced all his weight on his right leg and stood.
"Heh, look what I caught." he hissed "A Flying Widow."
"Eww!" Black Arachnia growled "Gross!"
"You ain' my dream date eitha, Webs." Rattrap snorted, dropping her onto the ground.
Black Arachnia lept to her feet and glared down at Rattrap, her teeth bared. The thundering sound of angered earth caused her and Rattrap to turn just in time to see the cliff collapsed, cutting the lake off from the river, forming a land bridge.
Megatron started to laugh. The heat and the waves of energy increased as the beam roared through the sky. Cheetor raced towards the newly formed bridge, determined to get to the other side. He was followed closely by the three frightened Predicons.
On top of the Energon Mountain the crystals cracked and tumbled towards the river below them. They bounced and rolled along the edge of the valley before landing with a splash in the glowing water.
"MEGATRON!" Optimus hollowed "STOP! YOU'LL DESTROY US ALL!"
The water in the lake was rising. Lethe's glowing liquid crept towards the valley like a snake towards its prey.
Cheetor and Scorpinok raced across the bridge, one behind the other, as fast as they could. On one side of the bridge was the boiling lake, on the other was a three klick drop that gained depth as the river was drained. Cheetor allowed himself one brief moment to be awed at how deep the river had been, then he returned to trying to save his skidplates.
The raging lake water slammed into the barricade, shaking some of the rocks loose. Scorpinok lost his footing and started to tumble towards the draining river when Terrorsaur and Waspinator flew over head. They grabbed him by the claws and carried to the other side.
"Thanks for the lift." Scorpinok said
"I owe you one." Terrorsaur replied "If you hadn't of knocked me out I would still think I was a Maximal."
The water slammed into the bridge again, and Cheetor stumbled and crashed to a halt. He lay there, afraid to move, as the world around him shook from heat and energy. The water from the lake swelled towards the bridge and the collision tore away the back portion. The remainin stones started to slide back to fill the gap.
Cheetor turned to see the bridge falling away behind him. Now he had no choice. He lept to his feet and charged toward the shore, stumbling as he went. The falling stones caught up with Cheetor's feet. He was almost at the shore.
"SPOTS!" Rattrap shouted "JUMP!"
Cheetor bit his bottom lip and lept. The bridge washed away. Chettor sailed through the air, arms streched out behind him. He landed at the edge of the new beach, the water lapping his ankeles, and his legs gave way beneath him. He stumbled forwards, right into Black Arachnia's arms. Black Arachnia's body tensed in surprise as Cheetor stood and their eyes met.
With the bridge gone the lake raced out towards the jungle, flooding the river banks and washing the energon crystals down stream.
The world continued to vibrate, and it continued to grow intensively worse as each moment passed. The energon ground began to crack and splinter, pieces rose and sank at a whim.
Rattrap stumbled back as one energon block sank beneath his left foot.
"Yikes!" he shouted
"Rattrap! Cheetor!" Optimus shouted "Get your skidplates over here!"
"You heard Fearless Leada," Rattrap growled, pulling Cheetor away from Black Arachnia "let's git outta 'ere."
As Rattrap and Cheetor raced towards the other Black Arachnia started to follow. She hesitated, not sure what to do. Scorpinok made her mind up for her. As Terrorsaur and Waspinator dropped him next to the Widow, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her along, Waspinator and Terrorsaur at their heels, as they followed to Maximals.
Suddenly Megatron ceased his fire, collapsing onto one knee, gasping for air. The crystals in his Rex Cannon sparked and sent bands of energy down his arm. The world stopped shaking. The water calmed, clouds of steam rushing towards the cooling sky. The lake began to shrink as the river was reborn.
Cheetor skid to a halt right next to Optimus as the two groups merged. No one knew what to make of what had happened. No one knew what Megatron had done or why he had done it.
Until Rhinox cast an unsteady glance towards the sky.
"By the Matrix!" he gasped
Dinobot and Black Arachnia followed his gaze.
"By the Pit!" Black Arachnia hissed
"All great leaders leave their mark," Dinobot quoted an ancient Decepticon text as he turned towards Optimus "Be it physical or in memory. The memory fades, so etch your mark in stone."
"What?" Optimus turned his eyes towards the sky...and gasped.
One of the two moons, the farthest moon to be exact, was engraved with the Predicon symbol.
Megatron chuckled weakly to himself then stood up and roared with such emotion that even Inferno was shaken. The masochistic Predicon ducked behind Optimus for protection.
In the near by jungle, Tarantulus slowly got to his feet.
"I'll.....get.....that......rat." he hissed, then he heard the thunderous roar. "What the~?"
He stumbled towards the valley and stopped at its edge. The Maximals and Predicons were intermingled, all of them staring down a super charged Megatron.
"Behold!" Megatron howled "The future leader of the universe! The leader of the Predicons, the destroyer of the Maximals, the RULER of ALL EXISTANCE!" Megatron started to laugh hysterically.
Black Arachnia shock her head, her short fuse shortened even more by Megatron's last action. She stomped over to the edge of the lake and screamed "YOU'RE CRAZY!"
Megatron stopped laughing and glared over at Black Arachnia. "WHAT!"
"You could have gotten us killed," she screamed "and for what? So you could doodle!"
Tarantulus covered he eyes and shock his head.
Megatron looked Black Arachnia over with narrowed eyes. He rose his Rex Cannon and fired. Cheetor lounged and knocked Black Arachnia away from the beam. Waspinator and Terrorsaur ducked as it raced over their heads and took out a portion of the forest behind them, klicks to Tarantulus' left.
Black Arachnia shoved Cheetor off of her and got to her feet.
"Thanks." she growled
"Any time, Sweetheart." Cheetor snorted
"What has gotten into you, Megatron?" Optimus demanded
"Power," Megatron thundered "my dear Optimus Primal, power! Pure, untainted, untouched power! The power spoken of in legends, the power recorded on the Golden Disks, the power Unicron devoured, the power that my ancestors craved, the power your ancestors chased across the galaxy! The power I have waited my whole life to find. The power to destroy planets, rule peoples, and conquer galaxies."
Megatron took a deep breath and let it out slowly, glaring at Optimus. He rumbled "Come. Taste that power."
Megatron fired. The heart of the beam was aimed right at Optimus, but it was so wide it appeared Inferno and Dinobot were going to join Optimus on the path to the Greater Spark.
The group scattered, ducking behind what ever they could find for cover.
Optimus dove behind a collection of crystals near the waterfall with Inferno and Air Razor; Tigatron and Cheetor wound up behind a boulder not to far from them. Dinobot, Rattrap, Black Arachnia and Waspinator took shelter behind some of the boulders that still lined the river bank. Not far from them was Rhinox, Scorpinok and Terrorsaur.
Megatron continued to fire...but his blasts never reached the Maximals or Predicons. The energon fragments they hid behind were big enough to absorded the blasts, and since most of them were growing out of the energon ground, the energy was directed away from the Transformers.
Optimus sighed as he watched the energon absord the lazer fire. But he had to wonder just how much of Megatron's fire power the Valley could absorb. One thing was certain, they couldn't find forever. They had to fight back!
"This not how Waspinator planned on going." Waspinator mooped, his wings saged sadly on his back
"And it will not be the way any of us go." Dinobot snarled, getting to his feet. He fired his optical lazers at Megatron...only to have them bounce off and hit Energon mountain. The mountain shimmered as the energy was absorbed.
As Megatron fired at Dinobot, Black Arachnia grabbed his arm and yanked him down, growling "You Block-Head, you want to get all of us killed!"
"Better to die fighting, as warriors should, than perish hiding like cowards!" Dinobot roared, pulling his arm free.
"Yeah, well, sometimes hiding like cowards is the wiser thing to do." Scorpinok snapped "Besides...we won't let you hurt Megatron."
"Get a clue, you Block-Head!" Terrorsaur snarled "Megatron is trying to kill all of us!"
"NO!" Scorpinok growled "Megatron wouldn't kill one of his own!"
"You have forgotten the insident at Silicon Valhan." Dinobot snorted
Scorpinok's turned away pointedly.
Megatron continued to fire at the Maximals and Predicons, and the Energon continued to absorb each blast. As Rattrap watched the energon shimmer with power he got an idea.
"If you're going to commit suicide," Black Arachina hissed at Dinobot "at least give me a chance to get away. Some of us actually ENJOY living!"
"No kin do, Webs," Rattrap said, slamming a new charge in his pistol "we need ya fyah powa."
"What?" Black Arachnia asked
"Energon kin only hold so much energy." Rattrap said "even if it iz pure. If we kin supercharge da energon on Megatron's side a da Valley, we kin short 'im out. Ready, Choppa-Face?"
"I've BEEN ready, Vermin." Dinobot snorted
The two rose to their feet opened fire. The blasts bounced right off Megatron and refracted, some hitting the mountain some hitting the valley floor, but the energon was charging. Megatron ceased his own fire, crossed his arms and stood perfectly still.
"FOOLS!" he lauhed "You can't kill a god!"
After a moment or two, Waspinator joined the two Maximals in their shot out and finally, Black Arachnia joined in.
"What the slag are they doing!" Cheetor asked, pointing towards the others
"Rattrap, Dinobot cease fire!" Optimus ordered "You two trying to get killed!?!"
The two Maximals kept firing. As did the two Predicons.
Terrorsaur watched for a moment, then angrily shoved himself to his feet and started firing at Megatron. Scorpinok looked over at Rhinox, shrugged, and joined in the firing squad. Rhinox took out his Double Barrel guns, cocked them, and started shooting the moment he got to his feet.
"What are they doing?" Air Razor asked
"Venting." Optimus sighed, then he caught a glimpse of Tarantulus' fried scanners and the burned ground where the crystal exploded "No, they're trying to charge the crystals."
"But doesn't energon explode when it picks up an extra charge?" Air Razor asked
"We don't have enough power to get one of these monsters to explode," Optimus said, charging his guns "but we might be able to give Megatron one heck of an energon surge."
"What makes you think I will allow you to harm The Royalty!" Inferno demanded, getting to his feet and glaring down at Optimus. Megatron saw him and opened fire. Inferno had just enough time to dive to the ground before the blast hit the energon ledge behind him.
"Any more questions?" Optimus asked
Inferno looked down at his reflection in the energon. After a while he lept to his feet and raced across the clearing. Megatron opened fire. Inferno lept, dove for his gun, and rolled out of the blast's way. It missed him by a nano-klick, crashing through the forest and leaving a trail of burned wood in its wake. Inferno rolled up behind Scorpinok, changed his gun from fire to lazer, and fired on Megatron.
"MAXIMALS!" Optimus shouted to Tigatron and Cheetor "On my mark, open fire on Megatron. NOW!"
The four Maximals stood and opened fire. The air was filled with the sound of lazer fire and the crackling of energy as the Valley absorbed each blast.
"Well, I can say this," Tarantulus said, changing into his beast mode and heading back to the Darkside "for every ounce of stupidity these Transformers have...they have a keload of bravery."
Megatron laughed as the lazers bounced off him, unaware that the energy was being absorbed by the energon around him.
Unaware of the thinning waterfall.
Rattrap's charge clip started to die and Rattrap could tell that Dinobot was getting tired. They hadn't scratched Megatron and the crystals were no where near surging. It was the stupid waterfall!!! If only there was a way to stop the water from neutralizing the Gemini Flux, from absording the extra energy.
Megatron smiled and bearly opend his Rex Cannon. He fired and the blast flittered out through the teeth, fanning out towards each group. The Maximals and Predicons dropped behind their protection, their guns drained of energy.
"Nice try, Rattrap," Optimus' voice came over his com-link "but it would appear that trick doesn't work twice."
"No good trick eva does." Rattrap sighed
"Pathetic fools!" Megatron hissed "Did you really think you could defeat a god?"
"You are not a god." a deep voice said
Megatron whirled around, eyes blazing.
Optimus recognized the voice and stood, eyes wide with shock... and joy.
Silverback came out of the forest, eyes narrowed and mouth set in a bitter frown.
"WHAT!" Megatron roared
"You are not a god." Silverback said again "You are a mortal who wishes he were a god. But take it from one who deals with gods; it is not their power or their ability to control existence that makes them gods, nor it is their knowledge or their control over life and death. What makes a god is the one thing you will never have. Compassion."
The others got to their feet and watched as the ancient Keeper confronted the insane Predicon.
"SILENCE!" Megatron roared. He aimed his Rex Cannon at Silverback and fired. The ancient Keeper lept out of the beam's path and charged Megatron, slamming his shoulder into Megatron's stomach. Megatron stumbled back, shocked.
"Remove the power crystals from your weapon and leave this place, or I will be force to destroy you." Silverback ordered
"Don't be absurd!" Megatron snorted "That was a lucky shot!"
"My dear boy, luck has nothing to do with this. Only skill."
Megatron lounged, swinging his Rex Cannon at Silverback. Silverback grabbed Megatron by the wrist with both hands and raised himself up onto Megatron's arm. He then slammed both his feet together, with Megatron's head in the center. Megatron reared back as Silverback rolled off Megatron's arm.
"Impressive," Inferno said "for a primitive."
Megatron growled, frustrated and amazed. Silverback took a few steps back and snorted. Megatron roared as he transformed into his beast mode and charged Silverback. Silverback raced between Megatron's legs as the monstrous tyrannosaurus chopped down on him. Megatron whirled, knocking Silverback to one side with his tail. Silverback rolled a few kicks, shock off the sting and got back to his feet.
Megatron took a deep breath and roared, a wall of fire raced out of his mouth. Silverback lept aside as the fire blasted the mountain behind him. The Energon Mountain shock and pieces tumbled towards the lake below.
"I think now would be a good time to retreat." Scorpinok whispered to Terrorsaur.
"Lead on, MacDuff." Terrorsaur whispered back
The two slowly backed away from Rhinox, motioning for the other Predicons to follow them. Dinobot raised his head and watched out of the corner of his eye as Waspinator, Inferno and Black Arachnia crept after Terrorsaur and Scorpinok.
Dinobot stepped on Rattrap's foot.
"HEY!" Rattrap slugged Dinobot in the shoulder "Whazat~!" He caught sight of Waspinator creeping away "Where da slag you goin'?"
The Maximals turned just in time to see the Preds disappear into the forest.
"He who fights and runs away!" Terrorsaur laughed "So long, Allies!"
"Until next time, Kitty-Cat!" Black Arachnia blew a kiss towards Cheetor
Cheetor growled and lounged, but Optimus held him back, saying "Forget them, we've got to save Silverback!"
"Who?" Cheetor asked
Megatron charged Silverback, ramming his head into the old gorilla like a bulldozer. He kept charging until he slammed into the Energon Mountain, with Silverback wedge between his head and the crystals. Silverback howled as Megatron took a step back then rammed into him once more.
Megatron took another step back and charged. Silverback balled his hands together and swung, knocking Megatron aside. Megatron stumbled to the ground, enraged! He transformed into his robot mode and aimed....but Silverback was gone.
"What?" Megatron gasped
"I despise this!" Dinobot hissed
"Wha?" Rattrap asked "Sittin' a round out?"
"Relax, Dinobot, until we know how to deal with Megatron~" Rhinox started
"We're going to let a primitive deal with him for US!" Dinobot demanded. Rhinox frowned. He didn't like the idea anymore than the others did, but what else could they do?
"You got a better idea?" Rhinox asked
Dinobot pulled out his sword and growled "What energy lacks, the blade has in abundances!"
"Only one problem wid dat idea." Rattrap said, slugging his fist in Dinobot's wounded side. The Pred grabbed his side and sank to his knees as Rattrap said "I've made my point."
Megatron approached the spot where Silverback had been cautiously. All that he saw was the cracked impression Silverback's body had made in the mountain. Megatron narrowed his eyes and turned towards the forest. Suddenly, Silverback lept out from behind the thinning waterfall and landed on Megatron's back.
Megatron roared and tried to grabbed Silverback with his Rex Cannon. Silverback grabbed the gapping jaws of the cannon and tried to forced them shut, clinging to Megatron's neck with his feet.
"Get off of me, you ape!" Megatron snarled, swinging his Tail Vise at him. Silverback dodged the tail and snarled back.
Megatron started to charge the crystals in his cannon.
Optimus could feel his temper rage.
Silverback swallowed hard as the Rex Cannon filled with blood red light. He looked around frantically for a solution. He saw the waterfall. Silverback lept off Megatron's back, grabbing his wrist as he did. Megatron's arm tilted back under Silverback's weight, the cannon aiming towards the waterfall. Megatron fired.
The blast slammed into the top of the water fall, shattering the mouth into giant pieces of charged energon which tumbled towards the valley below. Silverback let go of Megatron's wrist and rolled away from the enraged Predicon as the crystals rained down on them. Silverback looked up at the falling crystals and covered his head.
Megatron turned towards the falls, knocking away the falling crystals with his tail. The last of the shards landed in the lake with a thunderous splash, that sent a glowing wave rushing over Megatron. He turned away, shielding his face with his Rex Cannon, then turned his eyes towards the falls.
The waterfall was blocked.
"Oh boy." Rattrap gulped "Dat can't be good."
Megatron narrowed his eyes, his anger and the crystals' power raced through him and clouded his thoughts. All he knew was that he had to kill all that stood between him and domination. He turned towards Silverback and aimed his Rex Cannon. It charged.
A roar of rockets sent Megatron flying. He crashed to the ground and his blast raced off into the forest. Megatron growled as he turned to see Optimus land a few klicks in front of him.
The two leaders glared at each other for a moment before Megatron lounged, swinging his Rex Cannon at Optimus. Optimus lept back then activated his Prime Jets and rammed his shoulders into Megatron's chest. Megatron was sent flying. He crashed, shattering the crystal ground beneath him.
The sun cast its rays of light down on the valley. The lake slowly began to drain and the river began to shrink. Tiny waves of energy rippled through some of the smaller crystals.
Cheetor swallowed hard "Uh, guys, we've got a problem brewing."
Megatron lept to his feet, dropped his tail, and charged Optimus, who hovered over the shimmering ground with clenched fists. Megatron swung his newly freed fist at Optimus. Optimus dodged the swing and spun around, kicking Megatron in the face. He then slammed his fists into Megatron's face. Megatron stumbled back, trying to put some distance between himself and Optimus. Optimus moved back for charging room, then rocked towards Megatron with a mighty roar.
The bigger energon crystals started to spark. The mountain began to shimmer with energy as the pulsating hum of charged energon began to echo through the valley. Great waves of energy rushed through ground, sending great arms of energy racing towards the Maximals. Rhinox lept away from his boulder as one of these arms crashed into it, shattering it into a thousand charged fragments.
"We've got to get out of here." Air Razor said, changing into her beast mode
The other Maximals followed suit. Though they won't be safe from the explosion, at least their circuits wouldn't get fried by the energon shock wave.
"Optimus!" Cheetor shouted "We've gotta bail!"
Optimus swung at Megatron as hard as he could, but the super charged Pred managed to dodge it. Optimus turned and swung again, Megatron grabbed him by the wrist and held him. Optimus swung his other arm, Megatron caught it in the mouth of his Rex Cannon and chopped its teeth down on Optimus' arm. Optimus howled!
"Optimus!" Cheetor hollered
The energy crackled off the energon as the last of the lake water disappeared down the river. The smaller crystals started to pop, shattering into tiny fragments and sending waves of energy rushing through the valley and surrounding forest. The humming was getting louder.
"Looks like your trick worked after all." Tigatron said to Rattrap, dodging an arm of energy
"Yeah, lucky me. Okay, time ta blow dis joint 'fore it blows its top!" Rattrap shouted "Everybody outta here!"
"What about Optimus?" Cheetor demanded
Rhinox knocked Cheetor towards the woods with his horn and said "He knows what he's doing, let's move!"
Optimus tried to pulled his arm free from Megatron's Rex Cannon, the teeth grinding deep into his arm. The energon around them cracked and sparked. Arms of energy surrounded them. Their frames started to pick up the charge.
"Warning." the two central computers said "Approaching critical energy exposure level. Stasis lock will commence in 2.3 cycles."
"More than enough time," Megatron growled "to deal with you, Primal."
Optimus bared his teeth and slammed his leg into Megatron's wounded side. Megatron's hand released Optimus' wrist as he went to grab his side. Optimus slugged Megatron in the jaw, then swung again, but Megatron grabbed his arm.
"Face it, Primal!" Megatron growled "You're finished!"
Two energy beams crashed into each other behind Megatron.
"Says you." Optimus hissed
"That's right," Megatron smirked, crunching his Rex Cannon down harder on Optimus' arm "says me."
Megatron started to charge the two crystals in his cannon and glared into Optimus' eyes. Optimus glared back. Blood red light stared to stream out between the Rex teeth, getting brighter and brighter as the energon cracked all around them.
A sly smile crossed Optimus face as the light from the Rex cannon reached its brightest. Optimus activated his wrist gun on his trapped hand and fired. The blast hit the crystals and they exploded, sending the two leaders flying in opposite directions.
Optimus crashed into the energon mountain, leaving an imprint of his frame behind as he collapsed to the ground. Megatron, his Rex Cannon cracked and charred, crashed to the ground and rolled into an energon boulder. Their frames crackled with energy as the two tried to get to their feet.
Optimus got to his knees and looked at his damaged hand. Fixable if he could get back to Axalon...but he was too drained to move. Waves of energy rushed over his frame. This was his end. A heroic and lonely end. He sat back and waited....
A quiet moan caused him to turn towards a pile of crystals.
"Silverback." Optimus gasped
The old gorilla was half-buried beneath the charging crystals. Optimus stumbled over to the crystals and began to dig Silverback out of his glowing grave.
Megatron managed to get on one knee before noticing his damaged cannon. Part of the lower jaw was missing, wires and circuitry exposed to the growing energy, and the rest was cracked and charred beyond recognition. There was no way he could change into beast mode.
"Curse you, Primal." Megatron growled, stumbling to his feet "I'll get even with you.....yes." Megatron raced towards the forest, grabbing his tail as he ran, and disappeared.
The valley was glowing like a 800 watt florescent bulb. Energy lept from ground into the sky, where beams collided, sending out intense shockwaves of heat and electricity.
Optimus grabbed Silverback by the arm and pulled him out of the rubble. Draping the unconscious gorilla on his shoulder, Optimus activated his Prime Jets and took off. He rose as high above the valley as he could, then turned and started towards Crystal Cave.
The valley sparked.
The ground shuck.
The energon cracked.
The mountain crumbled.
The sky was filled with the sound of raw energy.
The Maximals raced as fast as they could through the forest, trying to get as far from the valley as they could.
Scorpinok lead the Predicons, now all in beast mode, towards the Energon River and back towards the Darkside.
The valley suddenly fell silent.
It was the silence that caught Silverback's attention. The faithful Keeper forced his eyes open and weakly turned his head towards the valley.
The glow faded.
Optimus flew as fast as he could.
'Please,' Silverback prayed 'I know they are not one of us, not an original part of Your master plan....but I beg You, if You can hear me, if You have not forsaken us, Atronai, to protect them. Protect them all. PLEASE!'
The valley remained silent. Strangely silent.
Then it exploded.
A giant wave of energy billowed out in all directions, a thunderous sonic boom preceded it.
The wave festered in the valley for a moment, gathering up power and perhaps some courage, before it burst out of the valley and into world that surrounded it.
It knocked down everything in its path and slammed head long into the Maximals, sending them flying.
It rushed towards the meadow and careened into the fleeing Predicons.
Megatron had little time to react before the wave sent its double surge through his frame and knocked him back into the collapsing forest.
Optimus turned his head back towards the explosion and caught a glimpse of the charging energy.
"Prime Jets!" he shouted "Maximum~"
The sonic boom slammed into Optimus' back, sending him forward faster than his jets ever could. Optimus held on to Silverback as he was sent head over heels through the sky. The wave pulled back, giving Optimus time to figure out where the ground was, before it rammed into them once again, knocking both ape and Transformers from the sky. Optimus and Silverback tumbled towards the forest as the energy wave rushed over them.
The wave charged on. It raced over the land with the force of an atomic blast. But as it ran it lost its power. By the time it reached the edges of the continent on which the Maximals and Predicons had crashed, it was nothing more than a whisper in the wind.
But the land of its origins suffered.
The following story, the personal histories of the characters, portions of the history of Cybertron both past and future, and the briefly mentioned Valnatron are all my creation.
Special thanks goes out to Ben Yee of www.bwtf.com for the use of his "Cybertroninan Dictionary" and reviews of the episodes of Beast Wars and Beast Machines; to Gemini83 for his persistence in making sure I stayed on my schedule; to the talented voice actors who brought the characters to life and the people who worked behind the scenes to give those voices a frame to dwell in and adventures to endure.
Beast Wars: Basic Program
Chapter 13; The Final Hour
Spike yawned and rubbed his eyes. Optimus and Silverback had been gone so long that he had fallen asleep. Spike cautiously peeked out from behind his bush and looked around. No sign of either of the older gorillas. Spike frowned and crept out of the bushes and onto the path.
The sun was just moments away from setting and the land was just beginning to dawn its evening colors. In the distance was a strange rumble, a mixture of thunder and the rushing of the ocean at high tide. Spike wasn't sure what made this new sound, but he could remember the exact day it was first heard and from which direction the wind had brought it.
Spike turned towards the cavern entrance as a cold breeze rushed out. The entrance wasn't as dark as it had been, nor was it as scary. Spike took a deep breath and started into the cave. The brightly colored rocks seemed to glow with a life of their own, but Spike paid little attention to that. He was trying to follow Optimus' scent.
Nose to the ground and determined to find Optimus, Spike followed the trail deep into the cave, up a flight of steps and into the center of a circular platform surrounded by crystal pillars. Spike was trying to figure out which way the trail went from there when he heard a loud grinding sound. The young gorilla looked up just in time to see the last useable rays of sunlight collect in the pillars and start the Generator.
Rattrap waved the frustrated Predicon on, a big grin on his face.
"Come on, ya ova grown Toasta! What ya waitin' fa?"
"When I'm finished with your frame," Tarantulus snarled as he charged "no one will able to identify you."
Rattrap ducked and tripped Tarantulus as he lounged. Tarantulus tumbled to the ground and crashed into his scanners.
"Promises, promises." Rattrap snorted, getting back to his feet "Ya do realize dat any energy blasts dat hit deses crystals brings 'em one step closa to explodin', right?"
"Of course, you miserable vermin," Tarantulus hissed, stumbling to his feet "you learned that little piece of scientific knowledge from MY scanners! I happen to know everything about this valley's little secret."
"Jist checkin'." Rattrap said, pulling out his pistol. He twirled it around his trigger finger for a moment then shot the crystal behind Tarantulus. The crystal charged, sparked, and exploded, sending Tarantulus flying into the forest and Rattrap towards the river.
Rattrap crashed onto the beach, bounced, skid and rolled for a few klicks before slamming into a boulder at the water's edge. Dazed but not injured, he managed to pull himself to his feet, saying "Ain't neva doin' dat again."
As Optimus, Air Razor and Tigatron made their way towards the stunned Inferno a red haze started to filter out of the forest. A strange and very unnerving energy impulse washed over the valley and sent a chill down everyone's back.
"ENOUGH!!!" a voice boomed over the valley. Every battle stopped and all the combatants turned towards the voice.
Rattrap massacred his throbbing temples as he tried to remember the first 13 Autobot leaders -- a drill he always did when ever he had taken a blow to the head -- when an energy blast raced passed him and took out most of the forest behind him.
Rattrap gasped and looked over at the other side of the river.
Megatron, his frame a pattern of hellish reds and blacks, stood at the edge of the forest, glowing a bright red. He laughed a dark, sinister laugh that sent chills down everyone's spine.
"You!" Megatron thundered, pointing towards Rhinox "You are mine!"
"He doesn't give up, does he?" Rhinox said to Dinobot
"Not easily." Dinobot snorted, raising his sword.
"No, he challenged me." Rhinox said "Besides, you're wounded."
"That has never stopped me before!"
"Well, there is always a first time for everything."
Dinobot snorted angrily, but stood down. The giant Maximal cracked his knuckles as he approached the Predicon Leader, whose burning eyes seemed to be glaring right into Rhinox's spark. Rhinox stopped a few feet in front of Megatron and they squared off.
The Maximals and Predicons watched, holding their collective breathes.
Rhinox charged, letting out a roar that shock the jungle canopy. He clenched his fist and swung as hard as he could. Megatron dodged the punch, spun and slammed his foot into Rhinox's stomach. The giant Maximal was sent flying! He crashed into Dinobot, and the two Maximals raced across the river, crashing to the ground by Optimus' feet.
"Rhinox!" Rattrap shouted, but he was too shocked to move.
Cheetor swallowed hard. Megatron raised his Rex Cannon and aimed at Cheetor. The two red crystals Megatron had hooked to his cannon began to glow. A high pitched whistle filled the air. The light grew brighter. The whistle became a hum. Cheetor covered his face with his hands.
Megatron smiled a savage smile as he rose his Rex Cannon high above his head and fired. A pulsing beam of red light raced towards the sky, the air cracked with its power.
Every nano-klick of Rhinox's frame hurt, his head was spinning, his vision was blurred, and he was certain that something was broken. Optimus took his old friend by the hand and helped him to his feet.
"I know this is a stupid question, but are you two all right?" Optimus asked
"As Rattrap used to say 'As long as I can remember my name and basic program'." Rhinox groaned
"Are you all right, Dinobot?" Tigatron asked as he grabbed Dinobot by the arm and helped the Pred to his feet
Dinobot snorted and shook his head to clear it. The hum admitted by the crystal was rising in pitch, and it was killing Dinobot's audio senors.
Slowly, painfully, Inferno managed to sit up. He placed his hands on his head and groaned, vowing never to let his guard down around Optimus again. Then something caught Inferno's optical sensors. Several small crystals on the ground were starting to tremble. Then they started to rattle. Finally, they danced and jumped into the air.
The world shook from the power admitted from Megatron's lazer blast. The air was burning hot and beginning to roar.
Giant energon crystals tumbled down from the top of the waterfall, landing nano-klicks from the river's edge and micro-klicks from Inferno's right leg. The Predicon lept to his feet and took a few steps back, eyes fixed on Megatron.
"Royalty?" Inferno whispered, shocked
Ribbons of energy flowed from Megatron's cannon. The beam had begun to heat up the air, the water and the earth all around Megatron. The sky was fill with the whistle of steam striking hot rock.
The rocky cliff began to break apart, its pieces sending waves of glowing water onto the riverbank as they crashed into the river. Black Arachnia sat up groggily just in time to see the supports of her web snap. She screamed as the web arched down towards the river. The supports on the trees held and the web brushed the surface of the boiling river. Suddenly the web twisted in the middle and snapped in half. Black Arachnia was thrown across the river...right into Rattrap's open arms. Rattrap stumbled back a few steps, braced all his weight on his right leg and stood.
"Heh, look what I caught." he hissed "A Flying Widow."
"Eww!" Black Arachnia growled "Gross!"
"You ain' my dream date eitha, Webs." Rattrap snorted, dropping her onto the ground.
Black Arachnia lept to her feet and glared down at Rattrap, her teeth bared. The thundering sound of angered earth caused her and Rattrap to turn just in time to see the cliff collapsed, cutting the lake off from the river, forming a land bridge.
Megatron started to laugh. The heat and the waves of energy increased as the beam roared through the sky. Cheetor raced towards the newly formed bridge, determined to get to the other side. He was followed closely by the three frightened Predicons.
On top of the Energon Mountain the crystals cracked and tumbled towards the river below them. They bounced and rolled along the edge of the valley before landing with a splash in the glowing water.
"MEGATRON!" Optimus hollowed "STOP! YOU'LL DESTROY US ALL!"
The water in the lake was rising. Lethe's glowing liquid crept towards the valley like a snake towards its prey.
Cheetor and Scorpinok raced across the bridge, one behind the other, as fast as they could. On one side of the bridge was the boiling lake, on the other was a three klick drop that gained depth as the river was drained. Cheetor allowed himself one brief moment to be awed at how deep the river had been, then he returned to trying to save his skidplates.
The raging lake water slammed into the barricade, shaking some of the rocks loose. Scorpinok lost his footing and started to tumble towards the draining river when Terrorsaur and Waspinator flew over head. They grabbed him by the claws and carried to the other side.
"Thanks for the lift." Scorpinok said
"I owe you one." Terrorsaur replied "If you hadn't of knocked me out I would still think I was a Maximal."
The water slammed into the bridge again, and Cheetor stumbled and crashed to a halt. He lay there, afraid to move, as the world around him shook from heat and energy. The water from the lake swelled towards the bridge and the collision tore away the back portion. The remainin stones started to slide back to fill the gap.
Cheetor turned to see the bridge falling away behind him. Now he had no choice. He lept to his feet and charged toward the shore, stumbling as he went. The falling stones caught up with Cheetor's feet. He was almost at the shore.
"SPOTS!" Rattrap shouted "JUMP!"
Cheetor bit his bottom lip and lept. The bridge washed away. Chettor sailed through the air, arms streched out behind him. He landed at the edge of the new beach, the water lapping his ankeles, and his legs gave way beneath him. He stumbled forwards, right into Black Arachnia's arms. Black Arachnia's body tensed in surprise as Cheetor stood and their eyes met.
With the bridge gone the lake raced out towards the jungle, flooding the river banks and washing the energon crystals down stream.
The world continued to vibrate, and it continued to grow intensively worse as each moment passed. The energon ground began to crack and splinter, pieces rose and sank at a whim.
Rattrap stumbled back as one energon block sank beneath his left foot.
"Yikes!" he shouted
"Rattrap! Cheetor!" Optimus shouted "Get your skidplates over here!"
"You heard Fearless Leada," Rattrap growled, pulling Cheetor away from Black Arachnia "let's git outta 'ere."
As Rattrap and Cheetor raced towards the other Black Arachnia started to follow. She hesitated, not sure what to do. Scorpinok made her mind up for her. As Terrorsaur and Waspinator dropped him next to the Widow, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her along, Waspinator and Terrorsaur at their heels, as they followed to Maximals.
Suddenly Megatron ceased his fire, collapsing onto one knee, gasping for air. The crystals in his Rex Cannon sparked and sent bands of energy down his arm. The world stopped shaking. The water calmed, clouds of steam rushing towards the cooling sky. The lake began to shrink as the river was reborn.
Cheetor skid to a halt right next to Optimus as the two groups merged. No one knew what to make of what had happened. No one knew what Megatron had done or why he had done it.
Until Rhinox cast an unsteady glance towards the sky.
"By the Matrix!" he gasped
Dinobot and Black Arachnia followed his gaze.
"By the Pit!" Black Arachnia hissed
"All great leaders leave their mark," Dinobot quoted an ancient Decepticon text as he turned towards Optimus "Be it physical or in memory. The memory fades, so etch your mark in stone."
"What?" Optimus turned his eyes towards the sky...and gasped.
One of the two moons, the farthest moon to be exact, was engraved with the Predicon symbol.
Megatron chuckled weakly to himself then stood up and roared with such emotion that even Inferno was shaken. The masochistic Predicon ducked behind Optimus for protection.
In the near by jungle, Tarantulus slowly got to his feet.
"I'll.....get.....that......rat." he hissed, then he heard the thunderous roar. "What the~?"
He stumbled towards the valley and stopped at its edge. The Maximals and Predicons were intermingled, all of them staring down a super charged Megatron.
"Behold!" Megatron howled "The future leader of the universe! The leader of the Predicons, the destroyer of the Maximals, the RULER of ALL EXISTANCE!" Megatron started to laugh hysterically.
Black Arachnia shock her head, her short fuse shortened even more by Megatron's last action. She stomped over to the edge of the lake and screamed "YOU'RE CRAZY!"
Megatron stopped laughing and glared over at Black Arachnia. "WHAT!"
"You could have gotten us killed," she screamed "and for what? So you could doodle!"
Tarantulus covered he eyes and shock his head.
Megatron looked Black Arachnia over with narrowed eyes. He rose his Rex Cannon and fired. Cheetor lounged and knocked Black Arachnia away from the beam. Waspinator and Terrorsaur ducked as it raced over their heads and took out a portion of the forest behind them, klicks to Tarantulus' left.
Black Arachnia shoved Cheetor off of her and got to her feet.
"Thanks." she growled
"Any time, Sweetheart." Cheetor snorted
"What has gotten into you, Megatron?" Optimus demanded
"Power," Megatron thundered "my dear Optimus Primal, power! Pure, untainted, untouched power! The power spoken of in legends, the power recorded on the Golden Disks, the power Unicron devoured, the power that my ancestors craved, the power your ancestors chased across the galaxy! The power I have waited my whole life to find. The power to destroy planets, rule peoples, and conquer galaxies."
Megatron took a deep breath and let it out slowly, glaring at Optimus. He rumbled "Come. Taste that power."
Megatron fired. The heart of the beam was aimed right at Optimus, but it was so wide it appeared Inferno and Dinobot were going to join Optimus on the path to the Greater Spark.
The group scattered, ducking behind what ever they could find for cover.
Optimus dove behind a collection of crystals near the waterfall with Inferno and Air Razor; Tigatron and Cheetor wound up behind a boulder not to far from them. Dinobot, Rattrap, Black Arachnia and Waspinator took shelter behind some of the boulders that still lined the river bank. Not far from them was Rhinox, Scorpinok and Terrorsaur.
Megatron continued to fire...but his blasts never reached the Maximals or Predicons. The energon fragments they hid behind were big enough to absorded the blasts, and since most of them were growing out of the energon ground, the energy was directed away from the Transformers.
Optimus sighed as he watched the energon absord the lazer fire. But he had to wonder just how much of Megatron's fire power the Valley could absorb. One thing was certain, they couldn't find forever. They had to fight back!
"This not how Waspinator planned on going." Waspinator mooped, his wings saged sadly on his back
"And it will not be the way any of us go." Dinobot snarled, getting to his feet. He fired his optical lazers at Megatron...only to have them bounce off and hit Energon mountain. The mountain shimmered as the energy was absorbed.
As Megatron fired at Dinobot, Black Arachnia grabbed his arm and yanked him down, growling "You Block-Head, you want to get all of us killed!"
"Better to die fighting, as warriors should, than perish hiding like cowards!" Dinobot roared, pulling his arm free.
"Yeah, well, sometimes hiding like cowards is the wiser thing to do." Scorpinok snapped "Besides...we won't let you hurt Megatron."
"Get a clue, you Block-Head!" Terrorsaur snarled "Megatron is trying to kill all of us!"
"NO!" Scorpinok growled "Megatron wouldn't kill one of his own!"
"You have forgotten the insident at Silicon Valhan." Dinobot snorted
Scorpinok's turned away pointedly.
Megatron continued to fire at the Maximals and Predicons, and the Energon continued to absorb each blast. As Rattrap watched the energon shimmer with power he got an idea.
"If you're going to commit suicide," Black Arachina hissed at Dinobot "at least give me a chance to get away. Some of us actually ENJOY living!"
"No kin do, Webs," Rattrap said, slamming a new charge in his pistol "we need ya fyah powa."
"What?" Black Arachnia asked
"Energon kin only hold so much energy." Rattrap said "even if it iz pure. If we kin supercharge da energon on Megatron's side a da Valley, we kin short 'im out. Ready, Choppa-Face?"
"I've BEEN ready, Vermin." Dinobot snorted
The two rose to their feet opened fire. The blasts bounced right off Megatron and refracted, some hitting the mountain some hitting the valley floor, but the energon was charging. Megatron ceased his own fire, crossed his arms and stood perfectly still.
"FOOLS!" he lauhed "You can't kill a god!"
After a moment or two, Waspinator joined the two Maximals in their shot out and finally, Black Arachnia joined in.
"What the slag are they doing!" Cheetor asked, pointing towards the others
"Rattrap, Dinobot cease fire!" Optimus ordered "You two trying to get killed!?!"
The two Maximals kept firing. As did the two Predicons.
Terrorsaur watched for a moment, then angrily shoved himself to his feet and started firing at Megatron. Scorpinok looked over at Rhinox, shrugged, and joined in the firing squad. Rhinox took out his Double Barrel guns, cocked them, and started shooting the moment he got to his feet.
"What are they doing?" Air Razor asked
"Venting." Optimus sighed, then he caught a glimpse of Tarantulus' fried scanners and the burned ground where the crystal exploded "No, they're trying to charge the crystals."
"But doesn't energon explode when it picks up an extra charge?" Air Razor asked
"We don't have enough power to get one of these monsters to explode," Optimus said, charging his guns "but we might be able to give Megatron one heck of an energon surge."
"What makes you think I will allow you to harm The Royalty!" Inferno demanded, getting to his feet and glaring down at Optimus. Megatron saw him and opened fire. Inferno had just enough time to dive to the ground before the blast hit the energon ledge behind him.
"Any more questions?" Optimus asked
Inferno looked down at his reflection in the energon. After a while he lept to his feet and raced across the clearing. Megatron opened fire. Inferno lept, dove for his gun, and rolled out of the blast's way. It missed him by a nano-klick, crashing through the forest and leaving a trail of burned wood in its wake. Inferno rolled up behind Scorpinok, changed his gun from fire to lazer, and fired on Megatron.
"MAXIMALS!" Optimus shouted to Tigatron and Cheetor "On my mark, open fire on Megatron. NOW!"
The four Maximals stood and opened fire. The air was filled with the sound of lazer fire and the crackling of energy as the Valley absorbed each blast.
"Well, I can say this," Tarantulus said, changing into his beast mode and heading back to the Darkside "for every ounce of stupidity these Transformers have...they have a keload of bravery."
Megatron laughed as the lazers bounced off him, unaware that the energy was being absorbed by the energon around him.
Unaware of the thinning waterfall.
Rattrap's charge clip started to die and Rattrap could tell that Dinobot was getting tired. They hadn't scratched Megatron and the crystals were no where near surging. It was the stupid waterfall!!! If only there was a way to stop the water from neutralizing the Gemini Flux, from absording the extra energy.
Megatron smiled and bearly opend his Rex Cannon. He fired and the blast flittered out through the teeth, fanning out towards each group. The Maximals and Predicons dropped behind their protection, their guns drained of energy.
"Nice try, Rattrap," Optimus' voice came over his com-link "but it would appear that trick doesn't work twice."
"No good trick eva does." Rattrap sighed
"Pathetic fools!" Megatron hissed "Did you really think you could defeat a god?"
"You are not a god." a deep voice said
Megatron whirled around, eyes blazing.
Optimus recognized the voice and stood, eyes wide with shock... and joy.
Silverback came out of the forest, eyes narrowed and mouth set in a bitter frown.
"WHAT!" Megatron roared
"You are not a god." Silverback said again "You are a mortal who wishes he were a god. But take it from one who deals with gods; it is not their power or their ability to control existence that makes them gods, nor it is their knowledge or their control over life and death. What makes a god is the one thing you will never have. Compassion."
The others got to their feet and watched as the ancient Keeper confronted the insane Predicon.
"SILENCE!" Megatron roared. He aimed his Rex Cannon at Silverback and fired. The ancient Keeper lept out of the beam's path and charged Megatron, slamming his shoulder into Megatron's stomach. Megatron stumbled back, shocked.
"Remove the power crystals from your weapon and leave this place, or I will be force to destroy you." Silverback ordered
"Don't be absurd!" Megatron snorted "That was a lucky shot!"
"My dear boy, luck has nothing to do with this. Only skill."
Megatron lounged, swinging his Rex Cannon at Silverback. Silverback grabbed Megatron by the wrist with both hands and raised himself up onto Megatron's arm. He then slammed both his feet together, with Megatron's head in the center. Megatron reared back as Silverback rolled off Megatron's arm.
"Impressive," Inferno said "for a primitive."
Megatron growled, frustrated and amazed. Silverback took a few steps back and snorted. Megatron roared as he transformed into his beast mode and charged Silverback. Silverback raced between Megatron's legs as the monstrous tyrannosaurus chopped down on him. Megatron whirled, knocking Silverback to one side with his tail. Silverback rolled a few kicks, shock off the sting and got back to his feet.
Megatron took a deep breath and roared, a wall of fire raced out of his mouth. Silverback lept aside as the fire blasted the mountain behind him. The Energon Mountain shock and pieces tumbled towards the lake below.
"I think now would be a good time to retreat." Scorpinok whispered to Terrorsaur.
"Lead on, MacDuff." Terrorsaur whispered back
The two slowly backed away from Rhinox, motioning for the other Predicons to follow them. Dinobot raised his head and watched out of the corner of his eye as Waspinator, Inferno and Black Arachnia crept after Terrorsaur and Scorpinok.
Dinobot stepped on Rattrap's foot.
"HEY!" Rattrap slugged Dinobot in the shoulder "Whazat~!" He caught sight of Waspinator creeping away "Where da slag you goin'?"
The Maximals turned just in time to see the Preds disappear into the forest.
"He who fights and runs away!" Terrorsaur laughed "So long, Allies!"
"Until next time, Kitty-Cat!" Black Arachnia blew a kiss towards Cheetor
Cheetor growled and lounged, but Optimus held him back, saying "Forget them, we've got to save Silverback!"
"Who?" Cheetor asked
Megatron charged Silverback, ramming his head into the old gorilla like a bulldozer. He kept charging until he slammed into the Energon Mountain, with Silverback wedge between his head and the crystals. Silverback howled as Megatron took a step back then rammed into him once more.
Megatron took another step back and charged. Silverback balled his hands together and swung, knocking Megatron aside. Megatron stumbled to the ground, enraged! He transformed into his robot mode and aimed....but Silverback was gone.
"What?" Megatron gasped
"I despise this!" Dinobot hissed
"Wha?" Rattrap asked "Sittin' a round out?"
"Relax, Dinobot, until we know how to deal with Megatron~" Rhinox started
"We're going to let a primitive deal with him for US!" Dinobot demanded. Rhinox frowned. He didn't like the idea anymore than the others did, but what else could they do?
"You got a better idea?" Rhinox asked
Dinobot pulled out his sword and growled "What energy lacks, the blade has in abundances!"
"Only one problem wid dat idea." Rattrap said, slugging his fist in Dinobot's wounded side. The Pred grabbed his side and sank to his knees as Rattrap said "I've made my point."
Megatron approached the spot where Silverback had been cautiously. All that he saw was the cracked impression Silverback's body had made in the mountain. Megatron narrowed his eyes and turned towards the forest. Suddenly, Silverback lept out from behind the thinning waterfall and landed on Megatron's back.
Megatron roared and tried to grabbed Silverback with his Rex Cannon. Silverback grabbed the gapping jaws of the cannon and tried to forced them shut, clinging to Megatron's neck with his feet.
"Get off of me, you ape!" Megatron snarled, swinging his Tail Vise at him. Silverback dodged the tail and snarled back.
Megatron started to charge the crystals in his cannon.
Optimus could feel his temper rage.
Silverback swallowed hard as the Rex Cannon filled with blood red light. He looked around frantically for a solution. He saw the waterfall. Silverback lept off Megatron's back, grabbing his wrist as he did. Megatron's arm tilted back under Silverback's weight, the cannon aiming towards the waterfall. Megatron fired.
The blast slammed into the top of the water fall, shattering the mouth into giant pieces of charged energon which tumbled towards the valley below. Silverback let go of Megatron's wrist and rolled away from the enraged Predicon as the crystals rained down on them. Silverback looked up at the falling crystals and covered his head.
Megatron turned towards the falls, knocking away the falling crystals with his tail. The last of the shards landed in the lake with a thunderous splash, that sent a glowing wave rushing over Megatron. He turned away, shielding his face with his Rex Cannon, then turned his eyes towards the falls.
The waterfall was blocked.
"Oh boy." Rattrap gulped "Dat can't be good."
Megatron narrowed his eyes, his anger and the crystals' power raced through him and clouded his thoughts. All he knew was that he had to kill all that stood between him and domination. He turned towards Silverback and aimed his Rex Cannon. It charged.
A roar of rockets sent Megatron flying. He crashed to the ground and his blast raced off into the forest. Megatron growled as he turned to see Optimus land a few klicks in front of him.
The two leaders glared at each other for a moment before Megatron lounged, swinging his Rex Cannon at Optimus. Optimus lept back then activated his Prime Jets and rammed his shoulders into Megatron's chest. Megatron was sent flying. He crashed, shattering the crystal ground beneath him.
The sun cast its rays of light down on the valley. The lake slowly began to drain and the river began to shrink. Tiny waves of energy rippled through some of the smaller crystals.
Cheetor swallowed hard "Uh, guys, we've got a problem brewing."
Megatron lept to his feet, dropped his tail, and charged Optimus, who hovered over the shimmering ground with clenched fists. Megatron swung his newly freed fist at Optimus. Optimus dodged the swing and spun around, kicking Megatron in the face. He then slammed his fists into Megatron's face. Megatron stumbled back, trying to put some distance between himself and Optimus. Optimus moved back for charging room, then rocked towards Megatron with a mighty roar.
The bigger energon crystals started to spark. The mountain began to shimmer with energy as the pulsating hum of charged energon began to echo through the valley. Great waves of energy rushed through ground, sending great arms of energy racing towards the Maximals. Rhinox lept away from his boulder as one of these arms crashed into it, shattering it into a thousand charged fragments.
"We've got to get out of here." Air Razor said, changing into her beast mode
The other Maximals followed suit. Though they won't be safe from the explosion, at least their circuits wouldn't get fried by the energon shock wave.
"Optimus!" Cheetor shouted "We've gotta bail!"
Optimus swung at Megatron as hard as he could, but the super charged Pred managed to dodge it. Optimus turned and swung again, Megatron grabbed him by the wrist and held him. Optimus swung his other arm, Megatron caught it in the mouth of his Rex Cannon and chopped its teeth down on Optimus' arm. Optimus howled!
"Optimus!" Cheetor hollered
The energy crackled off the energon as the last of the lake water disappeared down the river. The smaller crystals started to pop, shattering into tiny fragments and sending waves of energy rushing through the valley and surrounding forest. The humming was getting louder.
"Looks like your trick worked after all." Tigatron said to Rattrap, dodging an arm of energy
"Yeah, lucky me. Okay, time ta blow dis joint 'fore it blows its top!" Rattrap shouted "Everybody outta here!"
"What about Optimus?" Cheetor demanded
Rhinox knocked Cheetor towards the woods with his horn and said "He knows what he's doing, let's move!"
Optimus tried to pulled his arm free from Megatron's Rex Cannon, the teeth grinding deep into his arm. The energon around them cracked and sparked. Arms of energy surrounded them. Their frames started to pick up the charge.
"Warning." the two central computers said "Approaching critical energy exposure level. Stasis lock will commence in 2.3 cycles."
"More than enough time," Megatron growled "to deal with you, Primal."
Optimus bared his teeth and slammed his leg into Megatron's wounded side. Megatron's hand released Optimus' wrist as he went to grab his side. Optimus slugged Megatron in the jaw, then swung again, but Megatron grabbed his arm.
"Face it, Primal!" Megatron growled "You're finished!"
Two energy beams crashed into each other behind Megatron.
"Says you." Optimus hissed
"That's right," Megatron smirked, crunching his Rex Cannon down harder on Optimus' arm "says me."
Megatron started to charge the two crystals in his cannon and glared into Optimus' eyes. Optimus glared back. Blood red light stared to stream out between the Rex teeth, getting brighter and brighter as the energon cracked all around them.
A sly smile crossed Optimus face as the light from the Rex cannon reached its brightest. Optimus activated his wrist gun on his trapped hand and fired. The blast hit the crystals and they exploded, sending the two leaders flying in opposite directions.
Optimus crashed into the energon mountain, leaving an imprint of his frame behind as he collapsed to the ground. Megatron, his Rex Cannon cracked and charred, crashed to the ground and rolled into an energon boulder. Their frames crackled with energy as the two tried to get to their feet.
Optimus got to his knees and looked at his damaged hand. Fixable if he could get back to Axalon...but he was too drained to move. Waves of energy rushed over his frame. This was his end. A heroic and lonely end. He sat back and waited....
A quiet moan caused him to turn towards a pile of crystals.
"Silverback." Optimus gasped
The old gorilla was half-buried beneath the charging crystals. Optimus stumbled over to the crystals and began to dig Silverback out of his glowing grave.
Megatron managed to get on one knee before noticing his damaged cannon. Part of the lower jaw was missing, wires and circuitry exposed to the growing energy, and the rest was cracked and charred beyond recognition. There was no way he could change into beast mode.
"Curse you, Primal." Megatron growled, stumbling to his feet "I'll get even with you.....yes." Megatron raced towards the forest, grabbing his tail as he ran, and disappeared.
The valley was glowing like a 800 watt florescent bulb. Energy lept from ground into the sky, where beams collided, sending out intense shockwaves of heat and electricity.
Optimus grabbed Silverback by the arm and pulled him out of the rubble. Draping the unconscious gorilla on his shoulder, Optimus activated his Prime Jets and took off. He rose as high above the valley as he could, then turned and started towards Crystal Cave.
The valley sparked.
The ground shuck.
The energon cracked.
The mountain crumbled.
The sky was filled with the sound of raw energy.
The Maximals raced as fast as they could through the forest, trying to get as far from the valley as they could.
Scorpinok lead the Predicons, now all in beast mode, towards the Energon River and back towards the Darkside.
The valley suddenly fell silent.
It was the silence that caught Silverback's attention. The faithful Keeper forced his eyes open and weakly turned his head towards the valley.
The glow faded.
Optimus flew as fast as he could.
'Please,' Silverback prayed 'I know they are not one of us, not an original part of Your master plan....but I beg You, if You can hear me, if You have not forsaken us, Atronai, to protect them. Protect them all. PLEASE!'
The valley remained silent. Strangely silent.
Then it exploded.
A giant wave of energy billowed out in all directions, a thunderous sonic boom preceded it.
The wave festered in the valley for a moment, gathering up power and perhaps some courage, before it burst out of the valley and into world that surrounded it.
It knocked down everything in its path and slammed head long into the Maximals, sending them flying.
It rushed towards the meadow and careened into the fleeing Predicons.
Megatron had little time to react before the wave sent its double surge through his frame and knocked him back into the collapsing forest.
Optimus turned his head back towards the explosion and caught a glimpse of the charging energy.
"Prime Jets!" he shouted "Maximum~"
The sonic boom slammed into Optimus' back, sending him forward faster than his jets ever could. Optimus held on to Silverback as he was sent head over heels through the sky. The wave pulled back, giving Optimus time to figure out where the ground was, before it rammed into them once again, knocking both ape and Transformers from the sky. Optimus and Silverback tumbled towards the forest as the energy wave rushed over them.
The wave charged on. It raced over the land with the force of an atomic blast. But as it ran it lost its power. By the time it reached the edges of the continent on which the Maximals and Predicons had crashed, it was nothing more than a whisper in the wind.
But the land of its origins suffered.