Okay, bear with me. Most of this is just exposition and a few
introductions.
Chapter Fourteen:
The Space Dock had been practically deserted; the few transformers that were present were dispatched of easily. The three of them made their way into the nearest shuttle. Nightscream seemed agitated as he entered the Planet Hopper. He stopped; "Does anyone actually know how to fly this thing?" He asked. Silverbolt turned. He looked to Waspinator before settling his gaze on the young Maximal.
"We were hoping you could," He said. Nightscream laughed, "You're joking, right?" He began, "I don't have a license." Silverbolt glanced to Waspinator: "It can't be that hard, right?" The Predacon shrugged his shoulders, "Waspinator never tried." He said, almost chuckling. Nightscream flew ahead of the two and deeper into the shuttle.
"Oh boy," He said, "This is gonna be fun."
* * *
"I don't understand Optimus," the Maximal said, his voice weary; fatigue showing with every sentence. "How is it possible? How is Megatron alive?" He ventured further into the technorganic wasteland. The place had once held a beautiful forest; that's what he had always seen. Now, however, the trees were dead, rotting and the plants below had wilted. It was a facsimile of the orchard and pained him to see it. Cheetor looked through the trees to the shape beyond. Optimus Primal glanced to him as he moved towards him.
"I cannot give you any answers as to why," He said, "I can only offer solutions." He sat in his beast form, on the tallest rock in this desert that surrounded them both. Cheetor sat down in front of him; his legs were unstable beneath him and he gritted his teeth against the pain they caused him. His wounds were worsening; he garnered the impression that it wouldn't be too long before he joined Optimus for good.
"How can I stop him?" He asked. Optimus smiled, "Find Suteneko Prime." Cheetor stood, "How can I find someone who doesn't exist?!" Again, Optimus simply smiled, "If you look, you will find him." Cheetor growled in frustration, "Tell me!!" A flash of lightning illuminated the sky. Optimus looked up towards it.
"I cannot," He said, "I cannot interfere." He stood. "I must go. There's a storm coming." Thunder rumbled loudly and the wind began to rise. It chilled Cheetor's exposed metal and he shivered. He stepped forward as:
A voice sounded behind him: "Cheetor?"
He kept his eyes on Optimus. "Bigbot? I need to know." Primal stayed silent. "Optimus!!!!" He bellowed with the little strength he could muster. The voice behind him shouted again: "Cheetor?"
The lightning flashed a second time and:
Cheetor sprang up from the bed that had been prepared for him. He breathed heavily. Above him stood Hammerstrike. He smiled, "Cheetor, come. It's time to meet some of the others."
* * *
The console lit up brightly as the three transformers squeezed themselves in. The planet Hopper was built for one occupant primarily but was capable at full capacity, of carrying two. The ship was basically a small cargo ship; used to transport small goods to nearby Hubs. Used frequently, they were not the best mode of transport one could acquire. But they had had no choice. Their energon reserves were depleted which made flight out of the question and it was simply too far and too late in the day to walk the distance to Iacon. No: this was their only option of reaching Black Arachnia.
"Push buttons do anything; just get us airborne," Silverbolt uttered frustratingly. Waspinator pushed him, "If Birdbot get elbow out of Waspinator's eye, Waspinator might have chance of flying this junkheap!" Silverbolt grunted and shifted round; half his body sat in the corridor that led to the miniscule cargo bay. Nightscream giggled. Being the smallest of the three, he sat quite comfortably in the pilot's seat; Waspinator directly behind prodding buttons. The dashboard in front of him flashed the buttons lighting up intermittently. "Hey," exclaimed Nightscream, "Waspinator, keep doing whatever it is you're doing. I think we're ready to go."
* * *
The once grand city was bathed in darkness. Its buildings lay in pieces, its inhabitants long gone. It had once been a buzzing metropolis; the capital of Cybertron. Now, the city stood in a supposedly contaminated zone; the casualty of war. This was Iacon.
Black Arachnia stood at the city limits gazing up at the twisted buildings. They sat in shadows; the only light to penetrate came from the ravaged moon that orbited overhead. She could feel her heart beat heavily in her chest plating. It didn't look inviting but she couldn't turn back now. She began to walk forward, slowly at first gathering speed as she ventured further in. And as she did so, something watched. . .
* * *
The base had been cleared up since he last looked upon it. The cycle and tank drones now stood against one of the walls, guns poised; yet motionless. Lifeless. He eyed them suspiciously; he had his fair share of those things and he didn't plan to (nor was he in the shape to) combat them. Hammerstrike glanced back to him as he walked on ahead. He caught his look:
"Don't worry Cheetor," He said. "They're on our side." Cheetor smiled to him, "I'll believe that when I see it."
Hammerstrike stopped and turned to him: "May I introduce you to the warriors for our journey?" He raised his arm to shoulder height and pointed to the transformers stood by the wall. Cheetor recognised two of the three stood; but only from pictures that pre-dated his time. In fact, they were from the last Cybertronian war. Could these relics still put up a fight? He thought. Hammerstrike spoke softly:
"They will go with you to Iacon. This is Buzzsaw. She will be your eyes and ears in the air." Buzzsaw stepped forward on slender legs. Cheetor smiled to her. She looked at him, her face blank. His smile dropped. Hammerstrike continued:
"This is Cloudburst. " The Pretender stepped forward; his human eyes peered over his pitted, battered mask at Cheetor. He gave a mock salute and the Maximal frowned. Beside Cloudburst, another transformer stepped forward. Hammerstrike continued:
"And lastly, we have Cosmos." Cheetor eyed the transformer cautiously. Cosmos obviously sensed it as: "I may be old but I've lived through worse than this. I've experience in the battlefield that you could only dream of." Cheetor turned away from the group and glanced to Hammerstrike. "Is this all?" He asked. Hammerstrike laughed, "I think you're forgetting your friends over there." He pointed to the lines of drones. Cheetor began to hobble away; every other step a limp.
"We better pray that it's enough." He said.
* * *
The buildings loomed over her; closed her in as she made her way through the deserted streets. The moon offered little light or comfort and her sensors may as well not be working as the readings she received made no sense. Something was scrambling her connections. Was this the contamination at work? She didn't feel ill and her body gave no warnings to the contrary but something was definitely up. Black Arachnia halted and cocked her head. She smiled.
"You can come out. I heard you a mile away." She waited for a response and got none. Again, she said: "I know you're there, you're not exactly light on your feet." And from within one of the buildings, something emerged. "Well, hello there." She said as the Dinobot known as Sludge, stepped into the moonlight.
* * *
The Planet Hopper flew feet from the technorganic fields as it passed the city limits of Cybertropolis, causing waves in the rows of flowers there. It ran silently; the engines were hardly noticeable which made the transport a favourite with dealers on the Black Market.
Nightscream held the shaking controls in his hands tightly. He breathed heavily. The Maximal wasn't used to manually flying a shuttle; the closest he had ever come was in the arcade on the latest video game. Or in the simulator; in which he had crashed on every tested occasion. If he was capable of sweating he would have done so in buckets. The ship was harder than he had anticipated but there was auto-pilot function available; and swapping places now with Waspinator seemed a bit risky. Any movement in the cockpit would surely send them nose first into the ground below. And that wasn't a pleasant thought. And then:
"Uh, I think we're here." He said as the city of Iacon loomed over them in the viewport.
* * *
Sludge towered over her yet she felt no menace from the transformer. His dinosaur form looked over her before he transformed; the process seemed clunky and clearly showed his age in comparison to Black Arachnia. He stepped forward.
"What are you doing here?" He asked. Black Arachnia smiled, "You know," She began, "I'm not sure." The Dinobot began walking ahead of her, "Iacon's not a safe place for you. Swoop will not be pleased you are here." She shrugged her shoulders.
"Until I found out why I'm here," she said defiantly, "He'll have no choice."
Chapter Fourteen:
The Space Dock had been practically deserted; the few transformers that were present were dispatched of easily. The three of them made their way into the nearest shuttle. Nightscream seemed agitated as he entered the Planet Hopper. He stopped; "Does anyone actually know how to fly this thing?" He asked. Silverbolt turned. He looked to Waspinator before settling his gaze on the young Maximal.
"We were hoping you could," He said. Nightscream laughed, "You're joking, right?" He began, "I don't have a license." Silverbolt glanced to Waspinator: "It can't be that hard, right?" The Predacon shrugged his shoulders, "Waspinator never tried." He said, almost chuckling. Nightscream flew ahead of the two and deeper into the shuttle.
"Oh boy," He said, "This is gonna be fun."
* * *
"I don't understand Optimus," the Maximal said, his voice weary; fatigue showing with every sentence. "How is it possible? How is Megatron alive?" He ventured further into the technorganic wasteland. The place had once held a beautiful forest; that's what he had always seen. Now, however, the trees were dead, rotting and the plants below had wilted. It was a facsimile of the orchard and pained him to see it. Cheetor looked through the trees to the shape beyond. Optimus Primal glanced to him as he moved towards him.
"I cannot give you any answers as to why," He said, "I can only offer solutions." He sat in his beast form, on the tallest rock in this desert that surrounded them both. Cheetor sat down in front of him; his legs were unstable beneath him and he gritted his teeth against the pain they caused him. His wounds were worsening; he garnered the impression that it wouldn't be too long before he joined Optimus for good.
"How can I stop him?" He asked. Optimus smiled, "Find Suteneko Prime." Cheetor stood, "How can I find someone who doesn't exist?!" Again, Optimus simply smiled, "If you look, you will find him." Cheetor growled in frustration, "Tell me!!" A flash of lightning illuminated the sky. Optimus looked up towards it.
"I cannot," He said, "I cannot interfere." He stood. "I must go. There's a storm coming." Thunder rumbled loudly and the wind began to rise. It chilled Cheetor's exposed metal and he shivered. He stepped forward as:
A voice sounded behind him: "Cheetor?"
He kept his eyes on Optimus. "Bigbot? I need to know." Primal stayed silent. "Optimus!!!!" He bellowed with the little strength he could muster. The voice behind him shouted again: "Cheetor?"
The lightning flashed a second time and:
Cheetor sprang up from the bed that had been prepared for him. He breathed heavily. Above him stood Hammerstrike. He smiled, "Cheetor, come. It's time to meet some of the others."
* * *
The console lit up brightly as the three transformers squeezed themselves in. The planet Hopper was built for one occupant primarily but was capable at full capacity, of carrying two. The ship was basically a small cargo ship; used to transport small goods to nearby Hubs. Used frequently, they were not the best mode of transport one could acquire. But they had had no choice. Their energon reserves were depleted which made flight out of the question and it was simply too far and too late in the day to walk the distance to Iacon. No: this was their only option of reaching Black Arachnia.
"Push buttons do anything; just get us airborne," Silverbolt uttered frustratingly. Waspinator pushed him, "If Birdbot get elbow out of Waspinator's eye, Waspinator might have chance of flying this junkheap!" Silverbolt grunted and shifted round; half his body sat in the corridor that led to the miniscule cargo bay. Nightscream giggled. Being the smallest of the three, he sat quite comfortably in the pilot's seat; Waspinator directly behind prodding buttons. The dashboard in front of him flashed the buttons lighting up intermittently. "Hey," exclaimed Nightscream, "Waspinator, keep doing whatever it is you're doing. I think we're ready to go."
* * *
The once grand city was bathed in darkness. Its buildings lay in pieces, its inhabitants long gone. It had once been a buzzing metropolis; the capital of Cybertron. Now, the city stood in a supposedly contaminated zone; the casualty of war. This was Iacon.
Black Arachnia stood at the city limits gazing up at the twisted buildings. They sat in shadows; the only light to penetrate came from the ravaged moon that orbited overhead. She could feel her heart beat heavily in her chest plating. It didn't look inviting but she couldn't turn back now. She began to walk forward, slowly at first gathering speed as she ventured further in. And as she did so, something watched. . .
* * *
The base had been cleared up since he last looked upon it. The cycle and tank drones now stood against one of the walls, guns poised; yet motionless. Lifeless. He eyed them suspiciously; he had his fair share of those things and he didn't plan to (nor was he in the shape to) combat them. Hammerstrike glanced back to him as he walked on ahead. He caught his look:
"Don't worry Cheetor," He said. "They're on our side." Cheetor smiled to him, "I'll believe that when I see it."
Hammerstrike stopped and turned to him: "May I introduce you to the warriors for our journey?" He raised his arm to shoulder height and pointed to the transformers stood by the wall. Cheetor recognised two of the three stood; but only from pictures that pre-dated his time. In fact, they were from the last Cybertronian war. Could these relics still put up a fight? He thought. Hammerstrike spoke softly:
"They will go with you to Iacon. This is Buzzsaw. She will be your eyes and ears in the air." Buzzsaw stepped forward on slender legs. Cheetor smiled to her. She looked at him, her face blank. His smile dropped. Hammerstrike continued:
"This is Cloudburst. " The Pretender stepped forward; his human eyes peered over his pitted, battered mask at Cheetor. He gave a mock salute and the Maximal frowned. Beside Cloudburst, another transformer stepped forward. Hammerstrike continued:
"And lastly, we have Cosmos." Cheetor eyed the transformer cautiously. Cosmos obviously sensed it as: "I may be old but I've lived through worse than this. I've experience in the battlefield that you could only dream of." Cheetor turned away from the group and glanced to Hammerstrike. "Is this all?" He asked. Hammerstrike laughed, "I think you're forgetting your friends over there." He pointed to the lines of drones. Cheetor began to hobble away; every other step a limp.
"We better pray that it's enough." He said.
* * *
The buildings loomed over her; closed her in as she made her way through the deserted streets. The moon offered little light or comfort and her sensors may as well not be working as the readings she received made no sense. Something was scrambling her connections. Was this the contamination at work? She didn't feel ill and her body gave no warnings to the contrary but something was definitely up. Black Arachnia halted and cocked her head. She smiled.
"You can come out. I heard you a mile away." She waited for a response and got none. Again, she said: "I know you're there, you're not exactly light on your feet." And from within one of the buildings, something emerged. "Well, hello there." She said as the Dinobot known as Sludge, stepped into the moonlight.
* * *
The Planet Hopper flew feet from the technorganic fields as it passed the city limits of Cybertropolis, causing waves in the rows of flowers there. It ran silently; the engines were hardly noticeable which made the transport a favourite with dealers on the Black Market.
Nightscream held the shaking controls in his hands tightly. He breathed heavily. The Maximal wasn't used to manually flying a shuttle; the closest he had ever come was in the arcade on the latest video game. Or in the simulator; in which he had crashed on every tested occasion. If he was capable of sweating he would have done so in buckets. The ship was harder than he had anticipated but there was auto-pilot function available; and swapping places now with Waspinator seemed a bit risky. Any movement in the cockpit would surely send them nose first into the ground below. And that wasn't a pleasant thought. And then:
"Uh, I think we're here." He said as the city of Iacon loomed over them in the viewport.
* * *
Sludge towered over her yet she felt no menace from the transformer. His dinosaur form looked over her before he transformed; the process seemed clunky and clearly showed his age in comparison to Black Arachnia. He stepped forward.
"What are you doing here?" He asked. Black Arachnia smiled, "You know," She began, "I'm not sure." The Dinobot began walking ahead of her, "Iacon's not a safe place for you. Swoop will not be pleased you are here." She shrugged her shoulders.
"Until I found out why I'm here," she said defiantly, "He'll have no choice."