TRANSFORMERS : THE DEVIL'S GAMBIT

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Death's Head – I do not own The Transformers, nor Death's Head. Takara Industries/Hasbro/Marvel US/Marvel UK/Sunbow Entertainment/Saban Entertainment, all own parts of The Transformers. Marvel UK owns Death's Head. There are five characters in this story, which are of my own creation. Outlaw : The new form of Raiden, former Decepticon. Black Autobot, which transforms into a black truck trailer (Kenworth design). Valkyrie : Decepticon femme, who has been brought back as an Autobot. This time, she is a Tripler Changer, a silver futuristic fighter jet and a hover tank (If you've seen the movie Sgt. Bilko, with Steve Martin, the hover tank in that is the same form of Valkyrie's.). Seraphim : Autobot femme, who is the sister of Outlaw. Her vehicle form is that of an F4 McDonnald Douglas Phantom. She is also a Targetmaster. Citadel Supreme : A Decepticon version of Fortress Maximus, now back as the Autobot Fortress Maximus. Alpha Destroyer : Decepticon version of Omega Supreme.

Also, please, please, PLEASE read all of my first Transformers story : Transformers : Book 1 : Death's Head and Transformers : Book 2 : Megatron's Revenge. A lot of information is in that story, which is carried over into this one.

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At that exact moment, onboard Scorpononk :

Galvatron sat upon his throne, deep in thought. The defeat his warriors had suffered at the hands of Megatron was on his mind. The dementia that had once become his trademark, had lessened quite dramatically, that he was now capable of thinking strategies and planning his next move. He knew that the Decepticons with him, were loyal, to a point. Of them all, only Cyclonus, Scourge and Triggerhappy could truly be trusted. A grimace crossed his face as he counted how many troops he had left. Fourteen Decepticon Micromasters, Mindwipe, Wierdwolf, Apeface, Snapdragon, the Horrorcons, Dreadwind, Darkwing, Six-Shot as well as Scorpononk.

Cyclonus approached his leader, apprehension in his steps. Galvatron watched him.

** They still think I'm possessed by the dementia I had before. Huh, little do they know how clear my thoughts are. Better they think I'm still mad, that way I know who I can trust. **

Cyclonus bowed.

"My lord Galvatron. Scourge has some news you may find useful."

Galvatron snorted.

"Scourge? Useful information? From Him? HAH!"

Galvatron stood, and stormed out of the room, Cyclonus right behind him. Galvatron smiled to himself. Scourge was indeed a useful Decepticon. He had brought the Constructicons back and rebuilt them, even though they joined his past self. No matter, if the fallen bodies the Tracker had in his lab could be salvaged...

The doors to Scourge's lab slid open, and Galvatron walked in. Inisde Scourge, Fracas and Ratbat faced him.

Scourge bowed.

"Mighty Galvatron."

Ratbat flapped his wings.

"Why do you have these bodies here? We should've brought back others who could've been repaired, not lifeless husks like these."

Scourge faced Ratbat.

"Have a care rodent. The information within them is important, more important than you!"

Before Ratbat could reply, Cyclonus spoke.

"Scourge, Ratbat has a point. We didn't need to bring the dead with us."

Scourge chuckled.

"I am surrounded by incompetents." He faced Galvatron "Of course, you are the exception my lord."

Galvatron allowed one of his old evil smiles to cross his face.

"Oh, but of course Scourge. You never meant me in your statement!" He walked towards the table and picked up one of the heads "And you say these things are useful?"

Scourge nodded, and was about to speak when he remembered Ratbat. He motioned at the cassette. Galvatron glared at Ratbat.

"Leave. NOW!"

Ratbat muttered something and flew out the room. Fracas, knowing his presence wasn't required, left the room as well. Cyclonus locked the door, so no one could enter, and faced his friend and his leader.

"Well Scourge? Can it be done?"

Scourge laughed.

"Of course! The information encoded in their CPU's is the same information Raiden used to bring our 'others' back from the dead! I've already altered the same procedure on how I brought the Constructicons back, and have made it ready for your use Lord Galvatron. All we need are the bodies."

Galvatron looked at the wrecks on the table, and noticed one missing.

"You're one short Scourge."

Scourge nodded, a smile on his face as he motioned at the wrecked parts on the table.

"You think I'd be stupid enough not to of tested this procedure out, before calling you here? Not only have I brought one of these back," he pointed to a screen next to Galvatron "But I also have my Sweeps!"

Galvatron and Cyclonus looked towards the screen, and saw three Sweeps outfitting themselves with weaponry. Galvatron nodded.

"And what else? There are others in this room with us."

Scourge's smile broadened.

"Of course! Raiden brought Thundercracker, Skywarp and Megatron from the original programming within our CPU's. When Unicron created us, he just put the other programming behind a firewall protectorate. In the case of our 'guests' here, I broke it, and brought THEM back."

Galvatron and Cyclonus faced the rear of the room, as Bombshell, Shrapnel and Kickback stood there.

"WE'RE BACK!!!" cackled Shrapnel.

Bombshell and Kickback flexed their arms and looked at Galvatron.

"Believe it or not Galvatron, we're with you. We want revenge on Starscream for what he did to us, all those years ago."

Kickback nodded.

"Yeah, I want to blast a hole in him, and let him drift in space. Preferably near a Black Hole!"

Cyclonus laughed.

"Now, we have the means to bring our comrades who fell at Autobot City back!"

Another voice spoke.

"I got no problem with Megs or the other scrap rejects with him, but leave Soundwave alone."

Galvatron faced the speaker.

"He betrayed me. It was he who handed the information to Raiden which brought Megatron back, as well as Thundercracker and Skywarp. Why shouldn't we destroy him?"

The speaker walked towards the table his comrades were on, and leaped on top of it. He faced Galvatron.

"Because Soundwave didn't know what he was doing. He was reacting to a program hidden within him, a program installed by Raiden, when Soundwave first came back to Cybertron."

Cyclonus frowned.

"And how did Raiden do that? Soundwave was always in the command center with Megatron and the others."

The speaker sighed.

"Soundwave was tricked by Raiden, into having a maintenance check done on all of his systems. Raiden put the program into Soundwave's CPU, when he was deactivated for the repairs and check up. Raiden activated it, while Soundwave was doing a check on Galvatron. That was how Soundwave got that programming from you."

Galvatron's mind was racing as he remembered. Ever since that check up, he had begun to think things through more thoroughly.

"So, I should thank Raiden, for what he did. If he didn't have Soundwave...." he stopped and faced the speaker "Fine, your master is safe from me Frenzy."

The red and black Decepticon smiled and folded his arms across his chest.

"Good, then, speaking on behalf of my comrades," motions at the other cassettes "You have our aid."

Scourge looked up, a look of shock on his face. He glared at Frenzy.

"Frenzy, you said all of the cassette's had the info to bring dead back. Does that include Buzzsaw?"

Frenzy's smile vanished.

"Yeah, and knowing the little coward, he's probably told Megatron." his optics went wide "They could be looking for the Decepticons from the battle on Earth!"

Galvatron nodded.

"Then we have to get them first. Scourge, how is our little 'friend' doing?"

Scourge pressed a button, and the screen showed an image of an Autobot inside a holding cell.

"Fully operational. The hidden programming will not be detected by the Autobots, until it's too late of course."

Galvatron smiled.

"Good work Scourge. Get a shuttle ready. If the Autobot can get the information on where the fallen Decepticons are, it'll make things very easy for us."

Sitting slumped against the wall of his cell the Autobot sighed as he rubbed his shoulder, where the beam from Fracas had taken his arm off, aboard that shuttle so long ago. He thought he had taken the Sweeps and Constructicons with him, when he activated the self destruct. He was wrong.

He looked up at the ceiling and sighed again.

"Well Rollbar my lad, you're in deep sludge now."

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Death's Head : Here's the second chapter. I've got more planned for Galvatron and his group, as well as the cassettes. How will Soundwave react to their return? What's gonna happen when Megatron and Galvatron get in a room together? Heh, find out in later chapters. The next one has Death's Head back on Earth and also a little more history about Outlaw/Raiden, Valkrie and Seraphim. But hey, if Death's Head is in it, it should be good, yes? R&R please.