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Expect the Unexpected
By nightdragon0
"Over here!"
I was running. Running and firing. Despite my best efforts, my rifle was still jerking in my hands, seriously throwing my aim off.
"Fire in the hole!" Someone tossed a grenade.
The explosion took out a bunch of the guards. I fired, taking out one of the survivors. They retaliated. Someone fell, screaming beside me. Never knew his name.
"They're gaining on us Phantom!" someone beside me yelled.
Doesn't he seem familiar?
"Hey Bladewing! They haven't got us yet!"
More firing. Tossing of grenades. Frags, flashbangs, smoke bombs. Too hard to keep track of.
"Let's fly!"
"Copy!"
I transformed, becoming a Cybertronian fighter jet. The star filled night sky filled my entire view screen. We soared above the smoke.
Hey! What's going on? What in the name of Primus…The scene had already changed.
I was staring at the night sky, flying out in space. Coming in fast. The transmission was blurred, barely audible.
"S…hiss…Sky…Ly…hiss…come…! …ky…hiss…nx! ….need lift o…now!"
"I'm doing my best!" I replied, "But even with my superior talents, it will be difficult under heavy fire!"
"We…cover you! Ju…et…here now!"
I turned and plunged into an almost vertical descent. Beneath me, the battle raged. The odds weren't exactly in our favor. A small number of the enemies saw me. I almost laughed as their laser blasts failed to penetrate my reinforced armored plating.
"Here I come!"
All of them…what's going on?
With the most of the enemies' attention diverted, I approached. At the last possible instant, I turned my plunge into a horizontal dash, feet grazing the rocky surface, smashing through the enemy ranks and finally reaching my friends. I threw open my hatch doors.
"A true work of art, if I do say so. Quickly chaps, on board now!"
I turned my massive head, laying cover fire for my comrades.
Syndrea awoke with a start, knocking over a couple of chairs in the process. It took a while to catch her breath and shake the dream out of her head. But it never seemed to want to leave.
"Not again…" she gasped.
"Hey Syndrea, you OK in there?" it was Calico's voice.
"I'm all right."
"Can I come in?"
Syndrea stumbled to the door and let the brown vixen in.
"Sorry, but my quarters is right next to yours." Calico smiled, tapping the side of her head, "Plus, I've got fox ears you know."
Syndrea just nodded.
"Hey, just trying to lighten thing up. Anyway, I suppose it's those dreams again. It's been nearly a month."
"Yeah." Syndrea dropped back down on her bunk.
As she did, her foot accidentally knocked the Phoenix Blade, leaned against a wall, over. The female raptor reached for it and placed it on a table.
"Can we talk Syndrea?" Calico asked.
"Guess it couldn't hurt." She gulped.
"I apologize for bringing the topic up, but we're all upset about what happened to Nightfire. Have you seen Cheetor? He doesn't even want to meet eyes with you."
"I suppose that's it. Guess I'm still a little shaken up."
"I can't say that I know exactly how you feel, but I know I've lost friends before. In war, it's practically inevitable."
Syndrea looked up.
"I thought you were the one who said the reason for losing some of your friends was because of him."
"True. But that was when he was different. Now, I'm forgiven him, but I still don't like em'. We were never best friends. And don't you dare tell anybody else I said that!"
"Cross my heart and hope to die." Syndrea grinned.
"Believe me, between that time I was in emergency stasis after the destruction of my ship and my revival here, my sub-consciousness was really acting up. And I wasn't lucky enough to be able to wake up."
"Yeah I know, I'm supposed to get over it."
Calico patted her shoulder.
"It takes time. You take it easy, OK." Then, to change the subject, "By the way, I heard you're a real natural with the sword."
"Oh, Optimus told you too?"
It wasn't exactly a big secret that Syndrea had approached the Maximal commander asking to the taught how to use a sword. As they soon found out, she actually had some hidden talent with it. Syndrea was one of those who seemed to be able to feel where the opponent's next blow was coming form and react accordingly. Especially since she'd surprised everyone managing to disarm Optimus on her second lesson.
"Just let me ask, why? You didn't really strike me as the fighting type."
"Well," Syndrea picked up the Phoenix blade and turned it around in her hands, "I wanted to be more useful to the rest of you guys. Nightfire once told me I had potential. Since I'm holding on to this, I wanted to honor his memory. Beside, why let such a fine weapon go to waste?"
"Now you're talking girl! That's the spirit!" Calico gave her a thumbs-up. "I'd better go now. And you should be getting some rest."
"Thanks." Syndrea waited until the door closed, then placed the Phoenix Blade back on the table.
"But those were definitely no dreams," she said to herself, "they were memories. Clear ones."
Syndrea shot a glance at the Phoenix Blade.
"I wonder what Nightfire did with you?" she asked, expecting no reply, "Did he go so far as to share his thoughts and memories with you? Or are they from your previous owner? Cause I'm sure Nightfire was never any kind of transport carrier."
Or am I? That last thought escaped her mind before her exhaustion came in. Guess I'll never know…
Unseen to her, the core crystal in the center on the Phoenix Blade was glowing in its strange, fiery red color.
"Whoa!"
The Maximals ducked to avoid another volley of fire.
"Just another typical afternoon in the life of the Maximals." Rattrap muttered, loading his gun.
"Shut up and shoot vermin." Dinobot growled.
The pair sprang from their hiding places and returned fire to the attacking Predacons.
"Of all places," Calico muttered as she fired her twin Uzis, "they had to pick the top of a waterfall. And my fur is dry clean only."
"Then maybe I should be glad I don't have fur." Syndrea replied.
She was letting her shiny Desert Eagle do the damage for her. Still, they were against four Predacon flyers, conditions not exactly favorable to them.
"Hey Syndrea," Calico pulled her arm, "let's drop some rocks on their heads." She pointed a finger at a rocky outcropping overlooking the battlefield.
"Great idea!"
"Then come on and give me a hand! The boys'll keep em' distracted for us!"
Leaving Dinobot and Rattrap to hold off Waspinator, Inferno, Terrorsaur and Deathwing, the duo made a mad dash for the rocks.
"We'll have to get to the top then blow the top off!" Calico gasped, pulling Syndrea up the steep hillside.
"Easier said then done and…uh-oh! We've got company!"
Deathwing had broken off from the main group. The vulture fired off a couple of blasts, causing both Calico and Syndrea to scramble for cover. Not like there was much anyway.
The Maximals returned fire, but the aerial Predacon easily dodged their attacks.
"Split up!" Syndrea suggested, "He can't follow both of us! And at least one of us will get to the top!"
"All right! Be careful girl!"
Deathwing frowned as the two Maximals split up, running on opposite sides of the hill.
Calico noticed the silent Predacon going after her partner.
"Good luck Syndrea." She whispered. She pulled out a pair of daggers and used them as handholds to grip onto the rocky hillside. Pulling herself up wasn't an easy task, and Calico only hoped she wouldn't have to do it under fire.
BAM! BAM!
Syndrea jumped to avoid the shots, almost losing her footing. The Predacon swooped past her, intending to make another round. Syndrea held on to the wall with one hand and grasped the hilt of the Phoenix Blade with the other.
"OK, time to show you a few new tricks of my own."
She let him fire off a couple of shots from his rifle, then drew the sword and deflected them with one swift motion. Deathwing hadn't been expecting that. He was hit by his own shots, but managed to regain his balance and stay in the air.
Syndrea still had the element to surprise and decided to try a crazy stunt. Pressing both feet flat against the wall, she pushed against it, using it to propel herself forward. Right onto Deathwing's back. Started, he lost his rifle.
"Aarrrgghh! Hey!"
"Urrgghh! Whoa!"
A desperate struggle ensued between the two combatants. Finally, Syndrea pulled down on one of his wings, causing the vulture to hit the top of the hillside. Throwing the female raptor off him, Deathwing reached for his gunblade.
Syndrea had the same idea, going for her own sword. The Predacon took a swing. Syndrea rolled under his weapon and lashed out with the Phoenix Blade, knocking the gunblade out of his hand.
That annoyed Deathwing much more than it startled him. Even more so when he discovered Calico had her Uzis trained on his back.
"Well fought." He growled, taking off and stopping only to retrieve his weapon.
"Slick moves Syndrea!" Calico commented. "Never knew you could pull em' off!"
"Well neither did I. Come on!"
The pair fired their weapons, blowing up the hilltop and sending tons of rocks down on the area below.
"Wwwoohhhaaaa! Look out!"
Dinobot and Rattrap ran for cover, but the remaining three Predacon flyers weren't so lucky.
Calico and Syndrea waved to their comrades below. Rattrap started yelling something about being crazy and such. Dinobot chose to keep any comments to himself.
"Really Syndrea, that was great." Calico patted her on the back.
"Yeah thanks." The velociraptor put on a smile.
But was that really me? I wonder?
She took another glance at the Phoenix Blade before returning it to its sheath.
Later that night…
"You should've seen her today Optimus!"
Syndrea pressed the side of her velociraptor head against the door and listened. Eavesdropping wasn't something she pictured herself doing, especially in a meeting like that, but she just had to hear this.
"If I didn't know better, I'd sear those were a bunch of Nightfire's moves." Calico's voice continued.
"Those two were together. It wouldn't surprise me if Nightfire had managed to show her a few of his tricks." That was Rhinox.
"Possibly. But that doesn't explain the abrupt personality change." Optimus said.
"In my opinion, it's for the better. Even if she is a female." Dinobot's voice.
"That's not it. If it's revenge she wants…"
"I wouldn't call it that Optimus," Calico interrupted, "she just wants to be more useful. Even if she was meant to be one of the non-combat personal, it's a war situation, and we need all the help we can get. Besides, what do you want to do? Tell her off? That'll really hurt her feelings."
"I didn't mean it like that…"
Syndrea pulled away, deciding she'd heard enough.
Thanks for taking my side Calico. But they're right. It's more than just getting nightmares. It's like…I don't know. One moment I'm myself, the next, I'm like someone or something totally different. By the Matrix, what's happening? Maybe I'm just losing my mind…huh?
Syndrea snapped up. She'd swear she'd just heard something.
"Maximize!" she commanded.
(Syndrea, I need your help. Come quickly…)
There it was again. Syndrea drew her gun, just in case.
"Who's there?" she called out. There was no one in sight.
(Syndrea, I need your help. Come quickly…)
This time, it seemed to come from a different direction.
"What…?"
The raptor blinked. Had she just seen someone down the hall?
"Hey wait!"
She ran down the hallway, towards the control room. Barging through the open door, she crashed into someone. Screaming, she pointed her weapon at the figure.
"Cheetor!"
"Syndrea! Oh sorry!"
Cheetor scrambled to his feet and helped her up.
"Cheetor, what were you doing. You really scared me." Syndrea wiped her forehead.
"Me? Wasn't it your voice I heard?"
Both stopped short and stared at each other.
"You heard it too?" they exclaimed simultaneously.
"Whoa! This is too weird."
"Yeah, I know."
Syndrea walked up to the computer and called up a map.
"What are you doing?" Cheetor asked, coming over.
"This may seem weird, but I sorta got some image popping into my head just now. Looked like it was from here." She jabbed a finger on the map.
"OK this is real freaky, but I sorta saw something too. It was here." Cheetor turned the map a little and pointed to a spot just close-by. "This ain't no coincidence."
"Seems that way. Something seems to be calling us. And it seems to need our help."
"But is there anything in that sector?"
"Hmmm…wait, that was where we discovered that odd stone pillar! You know, the one that blew up our scanning equipment."
"Think we should go check it out?"
"Definitely."
"Then come on! I know the quickest way there!" Cheetor grabbed her hand and dragged her onto the elevator.
"Shouldn't we at least tell the others?"
"They'll never believe it. Besides, just a quick check up right? We'll be there and back before they know it! And we can get big cat and Airazor to help us out!"
The elevator hit the ground outside.
"And don't worry! This cat'll be a whole lot more careful now! Beast mode!" Cheetor transformed.
"Hey, wait a second!" Syndrea grabbed his tail, "Just let me say this, I don't blame you for what happened to Nightfire."
Cheetor stopped short.
"Well….I…" he begun.
"And you shouldn't be blaming yourself either." Syndrea transformed and walked up beside him. "We'll all make mistakes sometimes in life. But the greatest thing is that we can learn form them."
"Thanks," Cheetor smiled, "you're the best!"
"Glad I could put your mind at ease. But now…" Syndrea pointed her velociraptor head forward, "we've got a job to do."
"Alright! Make sure you keep up!" Cheetor yelled back as he started running.
"Just watch me!"
Geez, now Cheetor and I are hearing voices in our minds, Syndrea thought, Nightfire, if only I still had you to check this out…
"Here's the stuff you wanted Megatron." Shadowflare spoke.
"Although I don't see why." Blackarachnia's voice added in.
It was a fact that most Predacons just couldn't pass up the opportunity to peek into their leader's affairs and Deathwing was no exception. He was pressing his black-colored body against the wall outside and listening.
"Excellent." Megatron grinned.
"Luckily the flyers were distracting those stupid Maximals for us," Shadowflare said, "and were we able to make off with enough of this metal for this project."
"Those things in those pods are essentially protoforms, constructed from the new metallic substance we discovered underground." Blackarachnia said, "Now, they only lack the sparks to bring them to life. And sparks are something you can't just make out of thin air."
"I am indeed aware of that. But I've been conducting a little research that just may help us turn the tide of this war in our favor." Megatron said proudly. Then to his troops, "Well done, both of you are dismissed."
At this point, Blackarachnia noticed Deathwing spying on them outside the door. The soldier snarled and then tapped his wrist, indicating for Blackarachnia to meet him later. The vulture then disappeared into the darkness of the hallways.
The black widow winked, but made sure it didn't look like it for intended for him.
"Always happy to serve you Megatron."
"Did you get the data?" Deathwing asked.
"Most of it anyway," Blackarachnia smiled, holding up a disk, "it's mainly all the research notes from my tests on that new metal. They're calling it substance 'P'. And there's as much of Megatron's notes as I could obtain on such short notice."
"Does Megatron have this information?"
"Not all. I just gave the old dino what he wanted: the protoform. The rest of the stuff is my own. Especially that little hacking trick I pulled off while he had his back turned." BA showed off a small spider robot, shaped like a circular disc. "Now…"
"Yes. This is what you wanted, right?" Deathwing produced a small box and displayed its contents to her. "Stealing from Scorponok's lab was hardly a challenge."
"Hmmm. Pleasure doing business with you, feather-face."
"From someone as lovely as you, I'll take it as a compliment. I have to go now, Megatron wants me in a couple of cycles."
"Shame. When you're done, how bout you and I take some time off together, eh?" Blackarachnia pulled off a sexy pose.
"You know I would." Deathwing blew a kiss, "Later!"
Blackarachnia waited till he was well out of range, then quickly ran round the corridor and pulled open one of the floor panels. Reverting to beast mode, she crawled to a specific point and waited.
Tarantulas appeared soon after.
"Did you get the data, widow?" he asked hurriedly.
BA produced another disk.
"You know you can always trust to, partner."
I'd trust you about as far as I could throw you, witch. Tarantulas thought.
"Well, hurry it up then!"
"Not so fast legs, your part of the bargain first."
"Oh, fine then."
The spider produced a small black box.
Well, not like I trust you either, you maniac. BA thought.
Up above, Deathwing had anticipated what was happening below.
Two-timing spider! He thought angrily.
"This is taking longer than we expected." Syndrea muttered.
Having met up with Tigatron, all three were in beast mode, now just a short distance from their destination.
"Guess you're right," Cheetor said, "the sun'll be up soon. If we don't want to get found out, we'd better head back."
"Hmmm. I don't like it, but if this is really important to you, I'll radio the base and tell them that I needed some help with my weather recording equipment and borrowed you two because I didn't want to disturb the rest." Tigatron suggested.
"You'd do that for us?" Cheetor grinned.
"Just this once. Anyway, it's because Syndrea stopped to help fix my equipment that we got off schedule. Wait here for me." Tigatron ran off to find some higher ground.
Cheetor and Syndrea sat down and waited.
"Hey, at least we get to watch the rising sun." Cheetor said.
"Yes, unfortunately though, it won't compensate for the lack of sleep." Syndrea laid her head down and looked up towards the sun, rising behind a hill to the east.
A flicker of movement caught her eye. Someone was waving towards them, though he was silhouetted against the rising sun.
"Look! There's big cat!" Cheetor pointed to the same figure.
"You were calling me?" Tigatron's voice came from behind.
"Huh?" Both jumped in surprise.
"Then who's that?" Cheetor pointed.
The figure seemed to be in beast mode now. It ran on four legs, immediately disappearing from their view.
"Who…"
"What in the blazes?" Syndrea muttered, then looked up. "Airazor! Did you see that guy just now?"
Airazor, having just arrived, was taken aback.
"He just disappeared from my scanners. I thought it was one of you people!"
"OK," Cheetor muttered, "now I'm convinced."
"Something or someone definitely wants us to find him." Syndrea agreed.
"I saw it too," Tigatron said, "whatever it was."
"Excuse me, would you mind explaining what's going on here?" a confused Airazor asked.
"Later! Just stick with us!" Cheetor yelled.
The cats and the velociraptor took off running.
"Hey wait! Oh, never mind!"
"Well, this is it." Syndrea muttered.
The four Maximals stood at the entrance to the cave.
"This is where we found the pillar all right." Airazor said, "Are we going?"
"I think that I shall stand guard here, at the entrance." Tigatron suggested, "We do not know if this mysterious figure is friend or foe."
"Good thinking, big cat!"
"I'll wait here too." Airazor volunteered, "You two go on."
"Gee, what's with them?" Cheetor whispered as they walked.
"Can't you tell? I think they have a thing for each other." Syndrea grinned, "If you get my meaning. Hehe."
The pathway ahead was dark. Syndrea pulled out the Phoenix Blade and used its glowing green blade to light their way.
"Cool, multi-purpose."
The pair continued on until they reached the pillar.
"Whoa!" Cheetor gasped.
It seemed the same as when Syndrea had previously seen it. Huge with the same strange markings all over it.
"Are we…supposed to see something?" Cheetor wondered.
(Try hearing something instead. )
Both Maximals jumped.
"OK, I definitely heard that." Cheetor muttered.
"But not out loud." Syndrea added in, "Like it was in our minds."
(Right. But why so surprised Syndrea? You of all people should know it. )
What the…no way! It couldn't be! That was the first thought that came to her mind.
"Who are you?" Cheetor called out. "And where are ya for that matter?"
(I'll give you one clue, I'm harder to kill that you think. )
"Nightfire?" Syndrea asked, "Is that you?"
(Hey, don't tell me I've been forgotten already? )
Cheetor stared with his mouth open.
"Nightfire! You're alive! I thought…never mind." Syndrea made a point to hold back her tears, "And enough playing around. Just come out."
(Well, there is a problem with that. You'll have to look down at the Phoenix Blade. )
"What about it?" Syndrea brought up the sword and turned it around in her claws.
(Watch. )
The blue crystal in the center changed to a fiery-red color. After which, an image of the Nightfire's dragon head appeared on the crystal.
"His spark! It's in the sword!" Cheetor concluded.
(Exactly. Although you did spoil my surprise Cheetor. )
"Nightfire…" Syndrea begun.
(Hey, please don't break down in front of the kid, it'll embarrass us both. ) Syndrea could tell that he'd sent her a private message.
"Tell us how." Syndrea quickly finished.
(Well, remember that last instant when I got you out of there, Cheetor? )
"Yeah…" Cheetor hung his head.
(Forget about it. Then, I really thought I was a goner. But then, I realized I was lying on the Phoenix Blade. It was partially my own will, and possibly the sword's as well, but somehow I managed to transfer my spark into it. Even when my exo-structure was destroyed, my spark survived. Like I told you before, this sword is more than just a weapon, but I never expected it to be the instrument of my survival. )
"Boy, will the others be surprised or what." Cheetor brightened up, "Who's cares how? You're alive pal!"
"Yes and….Ahem."
"Oh, you two want to talk." Cheetor got the message, "I'll go back to Tigatron and Airazor."
Syndrea waited until she was sure Cheetor was out of earshot.
(OK Syndrea, what first? You want to scold me, start crying, tell me how much you missed me or… )
"What I want to know is, if you've been in there all this time, why didn't you communicate with us."
(Should've guessed you'd ask that first. See, I was too energy depleted to do anything for quite a while. Hell, at first I didn't even know where I was. Everything seemed so blurred. I couldn't move, couldn't feel anything. I thought I'd gotten thrown into the pit or something. Trust me, this is not something you'll ever want to go through! )
"So, you could hear all my conversations?"
(Hey! I swear to Primus and all the gods I tried not to listen! Especially that one with Calico a couple of nights ago…seriously, yuck! )
"Boy, she'll be mad. And why here?"
(Something about that pillar you see there. Just being close to it gave me the boost I needed to talk to you guys. It seems to amplify my powers, somehow. Like all those illusions, the voices, I put those in your minds. And the way you've been fighting in the past month, I influenced it, but in the slightest bit. It really took a lot out of me. I was praying you'd reach here so I could at least communicate with you. And my faith in you was not misplaced. )
"How about all those dreams?"
(That's kinda my fault. You did have the Phoenix Blade close to you. And I can't control when my dreams start acting up. Sorry they kept getting to you. )
"I'll say that I've learnt quite a bit about your life back on Cybertron. I can't say I fully understand what it was like, but even I can see that it wasn't nice. But then, how about the other visions? Were you ever a carrier or a space transport of some sort?"
(You know, that's a question I've been asking myself since I started getting those dreams. And since I've had plenty of time to ponder in here, I think I may have an answer. )
"And that is?"
(They must've been from my previous life. )
"What?" Syndrea yelled.
(Well, you know how our sparks all go to the Matrix when our time's up right? )
"Of course."
(They had a theory that while most have earned their place; some still have other missions to fulfill. Their sparks are sent out again and reincarnated into new forms, with no memories of their past lives. That could happen anywhere, anytime, regardless of the time passed. They relate that theory to psychics like me, saying we have the powers we do because we've actually been to the Matrix and 'touched' its power. It's never been proven, but I think the explanation fits. And because for a brief moment, I stood at the line between life and death, I must've gotten some of those old memories back. It was like looking at a thousand view screens at once. )
"I have to agree. I actually remember some of them pretty well, considering I saw it through your eyes. What was that they called you? Something about Sky?"
(It was Sky Lynx. )
"Yes, I think that's it."
(And I'm thinking it was way back. As in Autobots and Decepticon from the Great Wars three centuries ago. The 4th Cybertronian War. )
"That pretty far. We'll probably have to do some research."
(Cause I can almost feel it. )
"Hey Syndrea!" Cheetor's voice came over the com-link, "We've got trouble! Lousy Preds tryin' to burst into our gathering!"
(Go. We'll talk later! )
"Maximize!" Syndrea wasted no time in transforming, getting out her weapon and rushing for the entrance.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
"Man, how'd feather-freak find us here?" Cheetor muttered.
"Maybe he just got lucky." Airazor suggested.
The Maximals ducked into the cave entrance as Deathwing fired off a few more shots. Syndrea arrived and joined her companions in returning fire.
"We'll never beat him from the ground." Syndrea said aloud, "And I don't think he'll fall for the same trick twice."
BOOM!
"I should be able to get close enough to knock him out." Airazor yelled over the sound of the bullets, "Just give me some cover fire!"
"We've got it." Syndrea answered.
While the others fired, Airazor took to the sky and charged, firing off her wrist guns. Deathwing made it a point to dodge, but was slightly grazed by shots from the others. Airazor turned and made another round.
The Predacon turned to attack her, unintentionally exposing his back to the rest. Syndrea aimed and fired one shot straight into his back. Stunned, he was barley able to dodge Airazor's missiles afterwards. Seeing the others furiously firing, Deathwing then decided he'd had enough. He drew his gunblade and used it to deflect enough of their shots so he could escape.
"He obviously wasn't expecting us." Tigatron muttered.
"Doesn't seem like a scouting mission." Airazor said, "Cause it seems hard to believe that he'd come all the way into our grounds."
(Deathwing is no fool, he was definitely seeking out something. ) Nightfire's telepathic voice remarked.
"Nightfire, hard to believe it's really you." Airazor smiled. "But how…"
(You guys can welcome me back later. And I'll explain it all too. But we have to get the others. It seems like the Predacons are interested in that pillar behind us. )
"But could Megatron know more about it than we do?" Tigatron asked.
"That's the part that worries me." Syndrea replied.
(But first, I need you to get a small chip of that stone pillar. )
"How?" Asked Airazor, "Remember that last time we tried? Our weapons just bounced off it."
(Just use me…uh the Phoenix Blade. I'm certain. )
Deathwing watched as the four Maximals left. The vulture departed from his hiding place amongst the rocks and flew to a further location to minimize the energon interference.
"Megatron." He tapped his com-link.
"Report." Megatron said from the other end.
"I ran into an unexpected bunch of Maximals. Seems that they've found it too."
"Blast! They are guarding it?"
"No, they just left. But I guarantee that they'll be back."
"Hmmm, perhaps they do not understand its true power yet. We may yet be able to turn this battle in our favor. Hold that position and keep any Maximals away. I'll send Terrorsaur and Inferno to provide back up."
"And the original plan?" Deathwing queried.
"It proceeds as planned. With a few modifications that is."
"Affirmative. Over and out."
"Ah, I could almost say I like this mercenary," With the com-link off, Megatron was talking to himself, "if only he wasn't charging so much."
"Humph. The longer I stick around you, the more I think you're insane." With the com-link off, Deathwing said out loud. "Be glad you're not paying me to ask questions, purple face."
"I still find it hard to believe." Rhinox was saying.
The Phoenix Blade had been placed on a scanning device in front of him.
"You'll believe it all right," Syndrea assured, "once the tests are done."
"Just a little more and…wow!"
The screen showed a diagram of the sword. It made an arrow pointing to the core crystal.
"There really is a spark in there!"
(Now do you all believe me? ) Nightfire asked aloud.
"Sorry, but we just had to be sure." Rhinox said.
"Great, how about the rest?" Cheetor asked.
"They're all out on…"
The com-link suddenly beeped. It was Calico.
"Home base! I need back up! The spiders just popped out of no where and got the jump on me! Then, a bunch of their pals decided to join the party and now I'm takin' heavy fire!"
Loud explosions could be heard over the sound of Calico's rapid firing Uzis.
"Calico," Rhinox answered, "I'll have Optimus and the others rendezvous at your position."
"Tell them to hurry!"
While Rhinox worked with the radio, the others were involved in their own discussions.
"This smells like a set up." Tigatron growled. "And the battle out there is the diversion."
"But we can't abandon Calico!" Airazor said.
(Seems my suspicions were confirmed. Megatron knows something about that pillar. )
"Darn! I knew we should've left the cave unguarded!" Cheetor said. "We've got to go back!"
"Problem is, they've most likely set a trap. And we haven't the slightest clue what they're doing there." Syndrea spoke up, "Unless…"
(Analyze the sample we got. )
Syndrea brought out the small piece of the strange rock and placed it on the scanner. Everyone watched in awe as the screen printed out the results.
"Seems like it radiates a great amount of energy." Syndrea read out, "But it's not energon, or anything else we know of for that matter."
(That's all I need to know. )
Everyone glanced towards the Phoenix Blade on the table.
"What do you mean?" Tigatron asked.
(There's no time to explain it now! But we've got to get there now! Cause we'll be in big trouble if Megatron's planned what I think he has! )
"Then what are we waiting around here for?" Cheetor hit the elevator button, "Come on!"
"Hold on!" Rhinox came running back towards them. "I've got to tell Nightfire something very important!"
(Shoot. But make it quick. )
"When I was scanning the sword just now, I made a startling discovery. The central ions within the core of the sword are undergoing a spontaneous reaction in conjunction with the molecular structure…"
"Hey big R! How about in a language that the rest of us can understand?"
"Nightfire, your spark is bonding with the energies of the core crystal."
(Bonding? As in? )
"Your spark, having become reliant on the power emitted by the core crystal, is beginning to fuse with it."
(Fuse? You don't mean… )
"Afraid I do. Once the process is complete, there's no reversing it. You'll be stuck in there…permanently."
(WHAT! )
"Can you do anything?" Syndrea asked.
"For now, a strong ionic charge could break the existing bonds. But we won't be able to do it again without causing damage to his spark. Neither will it prevent the bonds from forming again."
(Go for it. ) Nightfire agreed.
Rhinox brought up a device and hooked the Phoenix Blade up to it.
"All right, this may sting a little."
Rhinox flicked the power switch. The sword lit up with a bright light, forcing everyone to turn away or be blinded.
(GGGGGGGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH! )
Everyone instinctively clasped their hands over their ears, even though it was impossible to block out his telepathic voice.
(STING A LITTLE? DAMMIT! I THOUGH I WAS GOING TO DIE! )
"Well, you're a dragon. Act like one." Syndrea said, picking the sword up.
(So, how long will this delay the process? )
"According to my calculations, you're got two mega-cycles before crunch time."
"Just two mega-cycles?" Cheetor yelled, "We're in the middle of a crisis here!"
(Our priority is to stop the Predacons. ) Nightfire insisted, (My well being is secondary. No matter what… I will accept my fate. )
"Nightfire…" Syndrea begun.
(Hey, are you Maximals or what? Get a move on! )
"All right." Rhinox decided, "Cheetor, you come with me. We need to give Calico a hand. The rest of you will have to handle the Predacons at the cave. Judging from the number involved in the attack, there can't be too many."
"All right! Let's go!" The others agreed.
"I'll fly on ahead!" Airazor yelled as she took off.
Syndrea and Tigatron ran beneath her.
"Nightfire?" Syndrea gasped between breaths.
(Yes? )
"Now I know you meant everything you said in that note."
"Don't worry, let's keep it between just the two of us."
"Be careful you fools!" Deathwing growled.
"Ugh!" Terrorsaur grunted, "What's with these things anyway?"
He set down the 'stasis pod' in front of the stone pillar.
"Whatever the Royalty commands, we shall follow!" Inferno declared, bringing in the second pod.
Deathwing knelt down and begun attaching several wires and devices to the stone pillar.
"Let me explain it in such a way that even your simple mind could understand, Terrorsaur. This structure you see before you is no ordinary piece of rock. It's a gathering point for the spirits of the flesh creatures that inhabit this world. A gathering point before they pass on to the afterlife, or whatever comes after death. But Megatron's been conducting a little research and now, we're going to tap into its power…"
"And create a whole bunch of Predacon warriors!"
"I'm amazed, you actually figured that one out for yourself."
"Well, doesn't take a genius to know what stasis pods are for." Terrorsaur pointed. He then bent down and whispered, "Hey, how bout' you and me take care of the ant, program these pods into our very own Predacons and use em' to overthrow Megatron! Whadda say? Equal partners!"
"For one thing my friend, being backstabbed afterwards by a feather-less freak wouldn't exactly earn me a place in Silicon Valhalla." Deathwing replied calmly, "And another thing, even I can't tell what sort of Predacon is going to be created. But it will be wild, savage with strong beast instincts. There."
The vulture stood up, dusting his hands.
"It's done. Just a couple of cycles…"
"Sorry, party's over boys!" Airazor appeared at the cave entrance, hovering in the air.
"Intruders! You will BBUUUURRRNNN!"
"Let's see if you can catch me first!" Airazor fired off a couple of shots, then flew off.
"Get her!" Terror yelled.
He and Inferno flew off after her.
"Hold on!" Deathwing called, running out onto the ledge, "They might be more…"
BOOM! The floor beneath his feet was blown apart, sending him tumbling down the mountainside.
"How right you are." Tigatron growled at the bottom.
Deathwing drew his rifle and fired at the same instant as Tigatron, both transformers shooting the weapons out of each other's hands.
"Humph. I do not need a weapon to deal with you." Deathwing taunted, raising his fists.
"We shall see. Hiyah!" Tigatron punched him in the face.
Meanwhile, Airazor was leading the other flyers on a merry chase around the mountain. She quickly circled back to the cave entrance and stepped in. Using the cave entrance as cover, she managed to hit Inferno, sending the ant plummeting out of the sky. Terrorsaur flew off, probably to reload his weapon.
Airazor then heard a low grow come from behind her. She spun round, aiming his wrist weapons.
"Who's there?"
"Your worst nightmare Maximal. DIE!"
Airazor only caught a glimpse of the cold, blue eyes and the flash of a brown coat before it plowed into her, sending them both rolling down the mountain.
Syndrea, scrambling up the mountain nearby, saw this.
"Airazor!"
(As I told you! They're creating new Predacons by tapping into the spiritual energies that dwell here, essentially formatting them into sparks. It was that same energy that gave my psychic powers a boost. We have stop it, now! )
"But Airazor!"
(She can take care of herself for now! But we've got to make sure no more new Predacons are coming out! )
This new Predacon was a Smilodon, a saber-toothed tiger. Her coat was brown with several whitish patches. The look of fury in her eyes was equaled only the huge pair of white fangs on her jaws.
Airazor aimed her weapon, but the saber-toothed tiger simply bit down on her hand. Hard. The falcon screamed out in pain.
"Airazor!" Tigatron yelled.
Her cry of pain distracted him long enough for Deathwing to smash his head into the rocky mountainside, knocking him off-line.
"Foolish." Deathwing growled in satisfaction.
"Look! There!" Syndrea made a mad dash.
(Looks like they haven't hooked up this pod yet. ) Nightfire said.
"That's a relief." Syndrea panted. "But what now?"
"There's one more! Inside!" Terrorsaur's voice could be heard from outside the cave.
"We're busted!" Syndrea muttered.
(Syndrea, I've got an idea. Get me out and hook me up to those wires from the stasis pod. )
The velociraptor did as she was told.
(Now, jab me into the pillar! )
"Like this?" Syndrea raised the Phoenix blade.
(Yes! Do it! )
She forced the sword into the pillar. Immediately, lights on the pod begun to flash. The Phoenix Blade began to glow.
(You have to hold them off till this is done! )
"Me? But…"
(Syndrea, you may not feel it, but you have a warrior's heart. I've felt it! Even though you can't fight with brute force, use your mind. Please, do this for me! )
Syndrea gritted her teeth and pulled out her gun.
"All right."
(I promise, everything'll work out. )
The Terrorsaur and Inferno were already at the entrance to the cave. Syndrea fired, forcing them to back off a little. They returned the shots, giving her very little opportunity to shoot back.
"Grrr! What am I supposed to do now?" she wondered. Glancing up, she noticed a section of the ceiling seemed a little lose. And that the cave sloped downwards in their direction.
"Gottcha!" She fired up, jarring lose a massive amount of rocks and boulders.
"AARRGGGHHH!" the Predacons yelled as the huge stones rolled towards them. The rocks slammed into them, knocking them out of the cave and sending them off the mountain.
Syndrea ran out to take a look, only to be shot in the shoulder, lose her weapon and sent flying to the ground below as well. Dazed, she still managed to see Tigatron and Airazor lying on the ground, unconscious.
"This is over." Deathwing pointed his gunblade at her.
"Muricate, terrorize!" the saber-toothed cat transformed into a brown and white humanoid. The process was similar to the standard cat bots', just with her beast head folding onto her robot form's back instead. With cold blue eyes and a malicious grin on her face, Muricate trained a shotgun on her.
Terrorsaur and Inferno were pulling themselves up too. Tigatron and Airazor were getting up, but they didn't look in good shape either.
This is bad!
"Any last words?" Deathwing taunted.
"RRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!"
A thunderous roar was followed by several bursts of flame, each one taking the weapons out of the Predacons' hands. All heads glanced up with different reactions.
"ARGH! It's a ghost!" Terrorsaur squawked.
"By the Matrix!" Tigatron gasped.
"Could it be?" Airazor wondered.
Inferno stared with his mouth open.
"Grrrrr." Deathwing growled.
"Who dares attack?" Muricate snarled.
"I never doubted you for a second." Syndrea smiled.
On the ledge above them, looking alive and well, stood Nightfire, the black dragon.
"They're not answering Megatron." Shadowflare cried over the din of the battle.
"What?" the Predacon commander growled.
"I said that they're not answering."
"It was just a figure of speech you idiot!"
"Well, how was I supposed to know?" The panther protested, lifting his bowgun and firing at the approaching Maximals.
"Those fools had better have gotten the job done." Megatron said to himself. "We'll hold this position for a little longer." He ordered.
Megatron raised his tail weapon and fired, causing Optimus Primal to dive for cover.
"Tell it to them." Shadowflare pointed.
"Ugh! Let's get out of here!" Blackarachnia shouted.
She, Tarantulas and Scorponok turned to flee.
"Wwaaiiittt for Wwwaasp—" BOOM!
"How sad." Shadowflare muttered.
"Fools!" Megatron yelled after his troops, "Get back here and fight!"
"Ah, what the heck! I'm outta here too!" Shadowflare holstered his weapon, grabbed Waspinator's pieces and ran off after the others.
"Gggrrrrraarrgghh!" Megatron was not happy at all. "There'll be another time, Primal!" He yelled as his retreated, waving his fists angrily.
"Woohoo! See ya around mega dork!" Rattrap called after him.
"Calico?" Optimus asked.
"I'm all right." She insisted, pulling herself up.
"But we've got to go help the others." Rhinox said, storing his chain guns, "And we have a little bit of information we'd like to share along the way."
"Yyyaarrggggghhhh! The dragon's ghost has come back to get his revenge! Let me outta here!" Terrorsaur flew off faster than anyone had ever seen him fly before.
"I told him reading about all those bad luck charms was a bad idea." Deathwing sighed.
"Ha! Ghost or not, he will still burn!" Inferno snatched up his weapon and rose to the sky, menacingly welding his flamethrower.
Nightfire rose to the challenge, meeting Inferno in the air.
"Take this! Hahahahahaha!" Inferno went berserk with his flamethrower, spewing flames everywhere.
Nightfire didn't stray from his chosen path and charged straight into the flames.
"Stop firing you idiot!" Deathwing yelled, "He's absorbing your flames!"
And he was. Gathering the flames and forming them into a glowing ball of fire. Nightfire swallowed it and immediately fired it off, slamming into Inferno and charring him till he was black. The deep-fried ant him the floor with a thud.
"Rrowww! Now try me!" Muricate fired.
Nightfire dodged again and again until her shotgun clicked empty. He took advantage of his opponent's second of hesitation and lunged. Muricate lashed out with the claws mounted on her wrists. The dragon nimbly used her shoulders as a springboard to somersault over her.
"Huh? What?"
The dragon was just as suddenly upon her, sinking his fangs into her shoulder. Roaring with pain, Muricate rose the shotgun and attempted to use it as a club. Nightfire reacted quickly, catching her hand and driving it back, thrusting the butt of the gun into her chest. He immediately followed by pulling it up, striking her squarely on the bottom jaw.
Deathwing, meanwhile, was aiming his gunblade.
"Look out!" Syndrea shouted.
Nightfire shoved Muricate forward, using her body to take the shot. With the female Predacon off-line, Nightfire transformed and turned his attention to Deathwing.
The black dragon drew the Phoenix Blade and taunted his opponent with a 'come on!' gesture with his claws.
"Giving me the silent treatment won't help save you!"
The two met each other's swords and were soon engaged in a furious duel. It was difficult to see who had the upper hand and the other Maximals could only stand and watch.
Parry, slash, parry, swipe…it seemed to go that way for a while. Nightfire leapt over a low attack and kicked his enemy in the face. As Deathwing stumbled back, Nightfire rushed forward to attack. Deathwing blocked then twisted his body and thrust out with his sword.
He was so intent on fulfilling that intention that he failed to notice Nightfire's tail until it connected with his head. Nightfire lashed out again and again with his tail, forcing Deathwing to guard repeatedly.
Nightfire suddenly attacked with his sword, locking it with his opponents and turning his wrists, twisting Deathwing's hand at an odd angle and forcing the gunblade out of his grasp. The dragon finished off with a forceful punch into Deathwing's chest, sending him stumbling backwards into the hillside.
Nightfire had a satisfied smirk on his face as he holstered his sword beneath his left wing.
"So, our battle continues…" Deathwing managed to grab Inferno's and Muricate's unconscious forms before flying retreating, flying off into the distance.
"Hey, Nightfire!" Syndrea waved.
Nightfire took a step in their direction, tripped on his own tail, and ended up flat on the floor.
"Guess being stuck inside that sword for a month really took its toll on you." Syndrea offered a helping hand.
The dragon snarled.
"Hey, it was just a joke! Don't take it too seriously."
Nightfire shook his head and growled again. With a claw, his tapped his throat.
"Is something wrong? Why don't you tell us?"
Nightfire shook his head again. This time, he made a cutting motion with one hand while tapping his throat with the other.
"I don't think he can answer." Tigatron said, coming over with Airazor. "He seems to imply something about a fault with his vocal cords."
The dragon gave an affirmative growl.
(Considering the Preds put this body together from scratch, I'm not surprised that there are a few defects in it. ) He told them telepathically.
"This body?" Tigatron asked.
"He transferred his spark into one of the 'protoforms' the Preds had created." Syndrea explained. "Talk about turning their own tools against them."
"At least he can still talk to us." Airazor commented.
(I can't do this consistently, ) Nightfire said, referring to his telepathic voice, (It… )
He stumbled forward. The others caught him in time to prevent him from falling.
"It must drain him too much." Syndrea suggested, "Especially his current state. But he should recover in time."
The dragon gave a thumbs-up.
"Hey, looks who's here." Airazor waved.
The rest of the Maximal fleet was approaching.
"And basically, that's it." Syndrea explained the whole thing on her friend's behalf. On his request, they'd left out a few minor details: the part about the dreams and his 'previous life'. Those were best kept secret until later.
"Woah, woah, woah!" Rattrap said, "You expect us to believe this guy's some kinda psycho or sumthin'?"
Growling, Nightfire used his telekinetic ability to lift the rat up into the air and tuned him upside down.
"I don't think he appreciated that comment Rattrap." Optimus laughed.
"Ok! Ok! I'm convinced! Just put me down!"
Nightfire made it a point to drop him on his head.
Dinobot let a faint smirk creep across his face.
"Anyway, we're all glad you're alive Nightfire." Optimus offered his hand, "Welcome back."
Nightfire stared at his hand for a moment, then turned away.
"What's wrong?"
Nightfire tried to say something, but all that came out was a series of growls and barks.
"Try this." Rhinox tossed him a palm-sized notepad.
The dragon typed out something then showed it to Optimus.
" 'Are you sure you want me back?' " Optimus read, "Why wouldn't we? I can tell from your recent actions. You've done more than just earned a place here and earned our trust. You've won my respect too. Believe me, you have a place here."
"As they say, action speak louder than words." Calico said.
Nightfire stared thoughtfully at the ceiling for a while, then typed out another response. This one, he gave to Syndrea to read out.
" 'Even though I'll always be an evil, malicious, deceiving, backstabbing Predacon Assassin at heart,' " she read out loud, " 'I'm on your side of the war.' "
(After all, ) he sent the message to everyone, ( The best achievements are worth repeating. )
Nightfire gave a claws-up and nodded. The dragon finally excepted Optimus Primal's handshake.
"And now that we've blasted the cavern entrance shut, I doubt the Preds'll try to use it again." Rhinox said, "But as for his new body, well, Megatron worked around with that new metal he found and configured it so that it was exactly like the same material our Protoforms are made off."
"But won't he try to make more?" Cheetor asked.
"Doubtful, considering the way this one turned out." Optimus said, "Although we do have to watch out for that new Predacon, she'll be rather unpredictable."
"I'm more interested in that metal Megatron discovered," Rhinox said, "It could have some hidden properties that could come in handy. And I want to see if it has any effect on Nightfire."
"Sounds like you're getting very important," Calico teased, "no fair!"
Nightfire had turned away and was pretending not to hear the last comment.
"You're blushing." Syndrea told him.
The dragon backed off, shaking his head.
"Come on!" Syndrea gave his tail a yank, causing him to look up and reveal his highly controlled, embarrassed smile.
"Has it ever occurred to you how girls can practically turn guys into zombies?" Rattrap joked.
The rodent was immediately pelted with various bits of junk thrown by the other Maximals.
"So, although the Maximals now have their dragon back," Megatron was saying, "but we are joined by your delightful acquaintance, Muricate."
"Pleasure to be serving you, mighty Megatron." The female Predacon bowed. Some soft snickering could be heard from the other Predacons gathered in the room.
Wonderful, add this one to the list of troops who'd want to replace me as leader…maybe this was not such a brilliant idea after all.
Elsewhere in the base, Deathwing was busy polishing his gunblade. He stopped to glare at his reflection on its shiny surface.
"This time, we'll play the game my way." he declared softly. "Let us see how the future plays itself out. Seek and thou shalt find…"
One week later…
"Nightfire, if you want to come down here, can you not do it in the middle of the night?" Syndrea moaned, stepping into the room, clicking her velociraptor killer claws on the metal flooring. It was a smaller computer room used when the main control room was occupied.
The dragon growled out what was meant to be an apology.
"Rhinox did tell you right? You vocal cords are really messed up and he couldn't do a thing without being sure that he wouldn't make it worse. If it was possible, that is."
Nightfire had pre-prepared a message on his notepad. 'And I'm the only one who could possibly fix it. Ironic isn't it?'
"Guess so. And what is it you're looking for anyway?"
Even in beast mode, his claws flew across the keyboard as quickly as Rhinox's fingers. Nightfire snapped his claws and brought up a screen.
Syndrea immediately realized what he was doing. Searching through whatever records the ship was carrying for information on the Autobot, Sky Lynx. Even though they were very limited, with the main files stored in the Great Archives of Cybertron, there was still a chance. And apparently, he'd found what he was looking for.
Syndrea bent down to read the entry. It was dated at the year 2006 AD…the end of the fourth Cybertronian Wars.
There had been an Autobot commander known as Sky Lynx. He had been a larger, carrier type fighter, with a space shuttle as one mode and a dinosaur/bird hybrid as his other. Such types were practically extinct in current times, with Cybertron having gone through many changes in the years.
The entry described him as being fearless, daring and constantly brimming with energy. Despite being able to lead with great skill, he often butted heads with others because of his ego and self esteem. The entry continued on to list the warrior's battle achievements, but Syndrea decided she'd seen enough.
"Hmmm, you must've been quite something if you could get those comments. This must've been entered right after the start of the new Golden Age of Cybertron, after the incident involving Vector Sigma and the Plasma Energy Chamber. That was when they were making records of all the heroes that fought in the war to be kept for all eternity."
Nightfire was silent for quite a while.
"Then again, all commanders generally want to say good things about their troops."
He then snatched up his notepad and begun to type, something he'd become very adapted to during the past week.
'I definitely can't deny it now. This was me all right, somewhere, somehow, deep within my spark, I can feel it. Heck, I was actually pretty much like this back on Cybertron.'
"You've got the better few of those qualities now." Syndrea placed a hand on his shoulder.
Nightfire took up the notepad and added in a few more things.
'It's strange. How I have the spark of an Autobot warrior, the heart of a Predacon Assassin and the soul of a dragon. Yet, you have my love.'
The moment she'd read the last part, he pulled something from under his wing and placed it in her hands.
"I…what's this?" Syndrea struggled to find words. The object seemed like an elongated cylinder about the size of her palm, but small enough so her hand could fit around it. One end was topped with a crystal.
Putting his claws over hers, he brought her fingers onto a button at the side and made her push it. Immediately, a blue energon blade emerged from the end with the crystal.
"A retractable energon sword!" the raptor gasped.
(Been working on it for the whole week. Consider it as a token of my gratitude for everything you've given me. And… ) he brought his dragon head closer, (you wouldn't mind me kissing you in beast mode, would you? )
"Come on! After I saw you hunt and eat three deer for lunch…"
Nightfire hadn't really meant it to be a question.
And so, the final scene was of a black dragon kissing a velociraptor.