Hello again! Here is the next chapter of Beast Wars. I don't own Beast Wars, Transformers, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Star Trek, Terminator, Back to the Future, E.T., Jumanji, Hulk Hogan, or G.I. Joe. Beast Wars, Transformers, and G.I. Joe is owned by Hasbro. Back to the Future and E.T. is owned by Universal and Steven Speilberg.
Chapter 4: Guardians
Witwicky House: 5:30 PM
It was twilight by the time Cheetor and the Witwicky's returned to their farm. The fields were still covered in large holes and burns from the laser fire. Splintered wood lay scattered from the barn that nearly stood on its frame. The tractor was split in half from Terrorsaur. The only place on the farm that was completely unscathed was the house that stood in the center of the war zone. Luckily, none of the animals were hurt.
Daniel held open the front door for the others to walk in.
Evan held his hand out to the anterior of the house and said, "Cheetor, welcome to our humble abode! It's not fancy, but it's home."
The young Maximal was in beast mode as he scanned the entire first floor with wonder and curiosity. Even though he already entered the house before, Cheetor had yet to see the rest of how the Witwickys lived.
Theresa sat at the dining room table with a mug in her shaking hands. She turned around and gasped at the sight of her whole family covered in dirt and torn clothes as if they had just come back from World War 3. She noticed Ethan's limp and immediately rushed towards her eldest son. Her motherly instincts kicked in and examined every part of his body.
"Oh my goodness! Ethan, what happened?" cried Theresa.
Annoyed, Ethan pulled away from his mother saying, "Mom, I'm fine, seriously."
"You look like you just came out of an explosion!" said his mother.
"You should have seen it, Mom! It was so AWESOME!" said Evan. "The Predacons were about to steal the Maximals' spaceship but we were able to stop them. Then this one Predacon, named Dinobot, decided to join our side-"
The nine-year-old rambled about the whole battle in front of his mother with great enthusiasm. Theresa's eyes widened in fear, unable to comprehend the idea of Ethan nearly killed by a t-rex.
Daniel interrupted his youngest son's storytelling by saying, "Evan, why don't you show Cheetor around the house while the grown-ups talk."
"Good idea!" replied Evan. "Come on, Cheetor!"
The nine-year-old ran off with the cheetah right behind him.
Theresa immediately took out the first aid kit and attended to Ethan's wounds.
As she dabbed his scratches with disinfectant, she gave a stern glare towards her husband and asked in an angry tone, "How could you let this happen? Letting our boys get involved in this!"
"Mom, everything is fine. The Maximals kept us safe," replied Ethan.
"And you were thrown against a rock wall by a dinosaur! You're lucky you don't have any fractures," retorted his mother.
"Come on Theresa, what matters is Ethan is alive and well. If it wasn't for Optimus Primal, hitting that rock wall wouldn't have been the worst thing to happen to him," replied Daniel.
"And now you're allowing these…invaders into our house?!" said Ethan's mother.
"Mom, it's the Predacons that are the bad guys. The Maximals are trying to protect us," said Ethan.
"Theresa, whether you like it or not, we're all involved now, and we need to get ready for the upcoming battles these Predacons will bring," said Carly.
"And you want to risk our children's lives in this?" asked Theresa hysterically.
"Evan and I can take care of ourselves. Besides, we both know how to shoot," replied Ethan.
"To hunt deer, not giant robots," retorted Theresa.
"The Predacons are threatening to harvest all the Energon on our planet, which could also ravage everything. They also said they will enslave the human race. We can't allow that, Theresa," said Spike.
"Besides, that's why Cheetor is here. He will watch over us while the Beast Wars are going on. This way, the farm will remain safe and Cheetor can call the rest of the Maximals through his commlink," said Ethan.
Theresa took a long pause. Her face was scrunched in anger with a hint of fear from the series of events that occurred in one whole day. She didn't want her children to be involved in a war at such a young age, but she also knew this was beyond her understanding. Theresa was angrier at the fact that her husband and in-laws kept this secret from her and the kids. However, Spike had a point that they probably wouldn't believe them before unless they saw it with their own eyes, which now they have. This was going to take some time to comprehend.
Evan's Room: 6 PM
After the basic tour of the house, Evan led Cheetor to his bedroom, where the spotted Maximal was going to rest while he lived with the Witwickys.
"And last but not least, this is my room where I sleep," said Evan.
The nine-year-old opened the door to reveal walls covered in movie and video game posters. Rows of action figures were aligned on the shelves with a few framed photos of the family. A desk was covered with scattered drawings of various fictional characters and different colored pencils. Avengers-themed sheets covered the bed at the far end.
Cheetor's eyes widened in wonder as he said, "Woah! This is like my room on the Axalon."
"Make yourself at home," said Evan.
The cheetah climbed up on one of the shelves to get a better look at the various action figures. The majority of them were G.I. Joe characters in different poses, holding their signature weapons. One, in particular, was clad in a black suit, wielding a katana.
Evan noticed the spotted Maximal's interest. "That's Snake Eyes. He's a super cool ninja that fights the evil forces of Cobra. He's my favorite out of all the G.I. Joes."
Cheetor turned back to Evan and repeated, "G.I. Joes?"
"It's a TV show I stream on weekends. We should watch it sometime," replied the child. "Sorry I don't have an extra bed for you to sleep in."
The spotted feline smiled. "It's not a problem, Evan. The floor will actually keep me alert in case the Preds try to attack us in our sleep. Plus, I can always contact the other Maximals and they will be here before Megatron and his goons get a chance to fire their first shot."
After he brushed his teeth and dressed in his pajamas, Evan crawled into bed with Cheetor curled up beside it.
The nine-year-old looked down at the spotted feline. "Cheetor."
Cheetor looked up and replied, "Yeah?"
Evan was silent for a second until he said, "I'm glad we met you guys."
The young Maximal smiled back. "Me too. I'm hoping I can learn more about your planet while I'm here."
"Well, be prepared to have your mind blown when I show you everything Earth has to offer," replied Evan.
The two said goodnight to each other and drifted off to sleep. The rest of the Witwicky family followed after.
The next morning
The morning sun rose over the Witwicky farm. Evan was sprawled out on his bed with his covers completely ruffled. It didn't take long for the nine-year-old to wake up. Evan yawned and wiped the sleep from his eyes, feeling a little drowsy. However, his eyes widened when he remembered the events of yesterday if they even happened. Evan looked over the side of his bed and saw Cheetor curled on the floor like a house cat, snoring quietly.
"So, it wasn't a dream," whispered Evan.
Cheetor woke up and let out a yawn while he stretched.
"Good morning Cheetor," said Evan.
"Good morning!" replied the Maximal.
The spotted feline sniffed the air, following the scent outside of Evan's room. "Something smells good."
"Grandma is probably cooking breakfast," replied Evan.
The little boy jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom with Cheetor following behind. Right when Evan's hand touched the doorknob to the bathroom, Ethan's hand touched it at the same time.
The nine-year-old narrowed his eyes up at his big brother and said, "I was here first, Ethan!"
"Nope! I touched the knob first, so I'm the first one to use the bathroom," retorted the older brother.
"No you didn't, I touched it first!" said Evan.
The argument turned into a heated struggle, as both brothers wrestled each other to enter the bathroom first. Cheetor just sat back and watched, puzzled by the sudden quarrel between the two brothers. Eventually, Ethan triumphed as he shut the door on Evan and turned the lock.
Evan slammed his fist on the door yelling, "No fair! You cheated!"
"Tough luck, Mini-Me. You're going to have to wait until I'm done," said Ethan from the other side.
"But you always take the longest!" retorted Evan.
The youngest brother continued to bang on the door while the older brother cleaned up for the day.
Eventually, both boys finished their hygiene and got dressed before climbing down the steps to the dining room. Cheetor still followed from behind. Daniel, Spike, and Theresa all sat at the table while Carly cooked breakfast in the kitchen. The boys said good morning to their family and took their seats. Carly eventually entered, placing an assortment of breakfast foods on the table.
Evan filled his plate when he noticed Cheetor sitting patiently by the table; his tail slid back and forth across the floor.
The nine-year-old took a hand full of bacon and placed it on the floor saying, "Here, Cheetor, you must be hungry."
Ethan said, "Evan, he's a robot. He can't eat-"
But the eldest Witwicky boy was unable to finish his sentence when he stared dumbfounded at the cheetah eating the bacon.
Cheetor lapped up a few crumbs off the floor and looked back up while licking his chops. "Mmmm, that was good. Is there more?"
"Wha-…but…I…how? Rhinox said you guys only eat Energon for fuel," said Ethan.
"Well, another thing about us Cybertronian's, we can consume other sources of energy in our alternate forms and convert it into Energon," replied Cheetor.
"Oh! I get it! Like Mr. Fusion from Back to the Future," said Evan.
The family continued to eat breakfast, while Ethan was still baffled at the discovery the Maximals can consume organic matter for energy. Evan continued to feed Cheetor from the table much to the irritation of the adults. The whole time, Theresa glared suspiciously at the young Maximal, not fully trusting the alien around her youngest child. Suddenly, there was a loud knock at the door and everyone turned their attention to the foyer.
"Now who could that be this early in the morning?" said Spike.
Daniel stood up from his seat and went to answer the door. He was startled for a second but relaxed when he realized it was Optimus Primal and the other Maximals in beast mode. All of them carried strange tools and equipment.
"Hello, Daniel, I hope we're not interrupting anything," said Optimus.
"Not at all, what brings you here so early?" asked Daniel.
Optimus held up what looked like a drill and said, "We're here to help repair the damage to your farm."
Surprised, Daniel said, "Well, that's very generous of you all, but you don't have to worry yourself about this mess."
"Please, we insist. It's the least we can do to repay you for your help," said Airazor.
"Especially since we're partially responsible for the damages," said Nyx.
Daniel could tell the Maximals were adamant about fulfilling this request, aside from Rattrap, who didn't want to be there. Without putting up an argument, Daniel permitted the Maximals to fix the damage to their farm while the family finished breakfast.
Rhinox, Rattrap, and Nyx worked to repair the barn while Optimus and Tigatron filled the holes left by the explosions. Dinobot and Airazor rounded up the animals, though this proved to be the hardest task with Dinobot's beast mode scaring the sheep, chickens, and cows. Eventually, the entire Witwicky family and Cheetor came out to help the Maximals with the rest of the repairs. The Maximals alternated between beast mode and robot mode, depending on the task. Though most of the family appreciated the help of the Maximals, everyone was still wary of the velociraptor. Rattrap, in particular, constantly gave a stink eye to the former Predacon. With help from their robotic friends, the Witwicky farm was fully repaired before noon.
Eventually, Derek and Connie came over to confirm whether or not the Maximals were something that they dreamed up. Much to their lack of surprise, the robotic animals were truly real and living in Mt. Saber behind the farm.
Since all of the kids were now back together, Rhinox suggested they would follow them back to the Axalon. The teens and nine-year-old did as the rhino suggested and used the ATVs to ride back to the cave with the Maximals. A few of them transformed into robot mode to use their light features so the kids could see inside the cavern. The group followed the tunnel back to where the Axalon was laid, only for the humans to see a large rock wall where the smooth metal used to be.
"Where's the ship?" asked Derek.
Rhinox smirked and stepped forward, reaching his large green hand towards the wall, only for it to phase through a ripple of static.
All of the kids starred in awe as Ethan said, "Holographic projection."
"Cool!" cried Evan.
"Computer, deactivate force field," ordered Rhinox.
"Deactivating force field," replied a robotic voice as the rock wall faded away to reveal the Axalon's familiar metal exterior.
"Wild!" cried Connie.
The humans followed the Maximals inside the Axalon as they all transformed into robot mode. The kids were astounded at the white halls illuminated by lights with no trace of debris or scuffs on the walls.
"Wow! You guys clean up fast," said Derek.
"It's like the ship was never damaged," said Connie.
"Nothing a little elbow grease and several cans of Energon oil couldn't fix," said Nyx.
"Is there a reason why you brought us here, Rhinox?" asked Ethan.
The large green Maximal turned back to the humans. "Yes. Since you will be assisting us during the Beast Wars, we want to ensure easy access to the Axalon for all of you."
They walked further down the brightly lit halls until they came to the now fully functioning bridge. No loose wires hung from the controls anymore as the dashboards blinked and beeped from various buttons and switches. All of the projector screens displayed various status reports of the ship or maps of the world. The big circular table in the middle displayed the surrounding area of the Axalon. Ethan felt like he walked onto the Enterprise from Star Trek.
Rhinox pressed a few buttons on the controls and said, "Computer, activated identity scan for new authorized personal."
"Initiating authorization scan," said the AI.
A moderately small mechanism lowered itself from the ceiling as the green Maximal grabbed both handles and aimed a black visor towards the kids.
"What is that?" asked Ethan.
"It's a scanner for the ship's AI to recognize you whenever you enter the Axalon," said Rhinox. "Now with the security measures fully operational, the ship will activate its automated defenses on any Predacon threats nearby or switch to its stealth mode on any other humans in the area. However, we want to ensure you kids can easily enter and exit the Axalon without setting off the alarms and be able to pass through the force field."
"So, like a membership," said Derek.
"More or less," replied Rhinox.
"I see! So, the ship will let us through the force field but keep the Predacons and other humans out," said Connie.
"And if the Predacons break through the force field, the ship will go guns blazing on their butts," said Ethan.
"Exactly," said Rhinox.
"You turned the ship into Fort Knox," said Derek.
"This isn't going to hurt, is it?" asked Evan.
"Not at all, it's just a scan of your genetic code so the ship's AI will permanently see you as a friend," said Rhinox. "Now, I'm going have to scan you one at a time, so if you can all just stand in an orderly fashion."
The kids stood in a straight line as Rhinox pointed the scanner at Ethan first. A green beam of light slowly swept up and down the teen's body and a few audible beeps were heard throughout the ship.
"New identity signature confirmed. Welcome aboard, Ethan Witwicky," said the AI.
Rhinox scanned the rest of the kids to register them in the Axalon's database. They were officially part of the Maximal crew.
Unknown Location
The office was covered in complete darkness. The only source of light was the desk lamp on a long mahogany desk. A black leather swivel chair had its back turned to the front of the desk, facing a video screen that took up a large portion of the back wall. On the wall displayed several surveillance recordings in a grid-like fashion. The silence was broken by a knock on the door.
"Come in," said a woman's voice from behind the chair.
A man in a military uniform opened the door with a vanilla folder in his hand. "Colonel, we've received some satellite images and abnormal energy readings of strange phenomena two days ago."
The man left the vanilla folder on the desk. A thinly gloved hand reached out from behind the chair and grabbed the folder. The woman flipped open the folder and observed the various photographs of the Axalon and Darksyde near the planet Earth before crash landing. Underneath the photographs were graphs and charts of energy readings.
"Have there been any witnesses to these activities?" asked the woman in the chair.
"Not to our knowledge," replied the man.
"And these energy readings. Where were they detected?" she asked.
The man straightened his tie and said, "Somewhere within the local radius of a town called Copper Wood in the Washington state."
The woman behind the chair remained silent, observing the contents of the folder.
"Is it them, colonel? Have they returned?" asked the man? "I can assemble a squadron to-"
The man was interrupted as the woman held up a hand and replied, "No! We cannot afford to draw attention to ourselves, nor can we afford to cause mass hysteria at the discovery of this."
"So…what shall we do?" asked the man.
"Just observe," said the woman. "You know the drill. Scrub any evidence that leaks through the media and silence any squealers who dare to expose any findings. All we can do right now is keep a watchful eye on our visitors and see whether or not they prove to be a global threat. If this is like last time, diplomacy will not be an option."
Witwicky Farm: Monday 7:30 AM
The sky was a light blue as cracks of sunlight peeked from the distance. Having eaten their breakfast, the Witwicky boys walked out of their farmhouse with their backpacks. The weekend was over and it was time to go back to school.
"Sorry we didn't fix your bike, little bro. But I promise dad and I will work on it this weekend. Until then, we just have to walk."
"Nuh-uh! You go ahead and walk," replied Evan with a smirk.
The nine-year-old pulled out a pair of goggles from his pocket and fastened them over his eyes. "I'm taking the express."
Suddenly, Cheetor crept up beside Evan and asked, "You ready, Evan?"
"Ready," replied the child with a nod.
The youngest Witwicky boy climbed onto the back of the cheetah and gripped his spotted pelt with both hands. In a millisecond, Cheetor shot away from Ethan and into the woods, creating a strong gust of wind that nearly knocked the teenager over. The sudden force of air created a temporary path towards the tree line.
In the distance, Ethan heard his little brother yell, "Woooooooaaaaaaaahhh!"
"Could have at least given me a ride," grumbled the eldest Witwicky boy with his arms crossed.
Cheetor ran at blinding speed through the wilderness with Evan on his back. The nine-year-old smiled big as his hair wiped widely from the g-force. All the trees became a blur of brown and green to the human child as the spotted Maximal sprinted faster than a rocket.
"Yeah! Woooooohooooo!" cried Evan.
They passed by a bird-watching couple who were unable to see the cheetah and child due to their blinding speed. Because of the immense wind speed left by Cheetor, the husband was knocked down on his face while the wife's hat was blown several yards away and her hair whipped in her eyes.
"Sorry!" yelled back Evan.
The young Maximal kept running through the forest and out onto a wide-open plain with hills of grass. The sun was high enough to illuminate the landscape in an orange glow. Evan gazed in wonder at the beauty of nature surrounding them. Flower patches scattered in several areas, clouds floated slowly across the pink sky, and Mt. Saber could be seen in the distance. Cheetor smiled and his eyes widened from the entrancing view of this natural landscape. Cybertron had its sense of beauty with its technologically advanced cities, but Earth contained a different atmosphere that was strange yet peaceful to the young Maximal.
Both Evan and Cheetor giggled from excitement, feeling gitty from the adrenaline as they closed the distance towards the town. Eventually, Cheetor halted on top of a hill that overlooked the street across from the school. The human child continued to giggle as he slowly slid off the spotted Maximal, slightly dazed from the intense speed.
It took a few seconds for Evan to regain his balance before saying, "That was wicked!"
"There's no such thing as too fast when it comes to this cat," said Cheetor striking a heroic pose.
The young Witwicky looked ahead to see only a few students waiting in front of the school. "And the first bell doesn't ring for another hour."
Evan took off his goggles and turned to his guardian smiling. "Thanks for giving me a ride to school, Cheetor. We should do this more often."
"Totally! There is still more to this planet I want to explore," replied the young Maximal.
"The others and I will come to visit the Axalon later. You better head back before my classmates see a wild cheetah roaming near the town," said Evan.
"Gotcha. See you around, Evan," said Cheetor before vanishing back down the hill in a flash.
Evan made his way across the street to school, surprising other students and staff who were not used to seeing him so early. Ethan, Connie, and Derek eventually arrived and rejoined with Evan before the first bell.
School Cafeteria: 12 PM
For the teens and the nine-year-old, classes progressed normally like any other day. Evan couldn't focus due to his distracting desire to sketch the Maximals in beast mode in his notebook.
When it was time for lunch, the Witwicky brothers and their friends gathered around an empty table that was far enough from the rest of the student body.
"I don't know guys; don't you think we should do the smart thing here? LIKE CALL THE MILITARY!" exclaimed Derek.
The rest of the group shushed him before Connie whispered, "And tell them what, Derek? That a bunch of shape-shifting robot aliens crash-landed on Earth and are waging a war against other robot aliens to protect our planet? Everyone will think we're nuts!"
"Your dad was in the army and is the sheriff of the town. Maybe he has some connections," said Derek.
"Okay, first of all, it's not like my dad can call up the Pentagon and ask them to nuke the Predacons wherever they're hiding. Secondly, who's to say they won't think of the Maximals as a threat and attack them instead?" explained Connie.
"That's right! If E.T. has ever taught me anything, never trust the government," said Evan.
Ethan gave a deadpan look at his little brother. "You watch G.I. Joe, which is about military soldiers."
"But they don't fight for the government, they fight for liberty, justice, and to protect the United States of America!" replied the nine-year-old with a salute.
"Still means they work for the government," mumbled Ethan so his brother couldn't hear him.
The eldest Witwicky boy turned to his friend. "Connie is right, Derek. We need to keep this to ourselves so we don't make things worse for our families, and the Maximals."
"But we don't know a thing about fighting these Predacons. We saw what that psycho dino almost did to you," said Derek.
"That's why our dad, our grandparents, and Optimus have promised to train all of us after school," replied Ethan.
"What?!" cried Derek.
Everyone shushed him again.
"If we're going to help the Maximals win this war, we need the skills and knowledge to fight back," said the eldest Witwicky boy.
"You three are crazy!" replied Derek.
"Do you want to spend the rest of your life as an alien slave?" asked Connie.
"No, but I don't want to get killed by giant bugs and reptiles either," said Derek.
"This doesn't just concern us, Derek, it concerns everyone in the world. Whatever Megatron and his group are planning, we can't let them get away with it. Otherwise, everything we know and love…will be gone. The Maximals are willing to help us. If they can send a message to their home planet, maybe they can call for reinforcements," said Ethan.
Connie smirked and nudged the teen saying, "Come on, Derek. You always said you wanted your name to go down in history."
"Yeah! If you can be brave during the paintball tournament of 2018, then you can be brave for the Beast Wars," said Evan.
"We can't do this without you. You're my wingman…you always have been since kindergarten," said Ethan.
Derek took a long pause as he looked over the pleading faces of his friends. Last Friday, he never thought his life would turn into a sci-fi movie. He just wanted to graduate high school and earn a basketball scholarship. But he knew his friends spoke the truth. If these Predacons were serious, there would be no future for anyone if they won.
The dark-skinned teenager looked up and smirked saying, "Fighting evil robots to save humanity's future? Sounds like I'm in a Terminator sequel…Alright, let's do this."
The quartet of friends fist-bumped together as Ethan said, "Let's teach these Preds what happens when they mess with the wrong humans."
Forest Trail: 4:30 PM
The humans drove back to the cave on their ATVs. The vehicles kicked up dust and branches as they rolled up the trail.
"You think Dinobot will allow me to try out his sword?" asked Evan.
"I doubt it," replied Ethan.
"I promise I'll be careful," said the younger brother.
"I don't think it's a matter of you being careful, Evan. It's more about you being big and strong enough to even lift that thing. That sword is practically the size of a flagpole," said the older brother.
"Besides, I don't think Dinobot is the sharing type," yelled Derek.
Suddenly, a familiar pick-up truck appeared up ahead and parked in front of the teens, blocking their path.
"Oh no," groaned Connie.
"Can this day get any worse?" complained Derek.
Wayne Pierce climbed out of the truck with his group following behind. All of them shared the same devious smiles that were too familiar to the Witwicky brothers and their friends.
"Well well well, it's the geek squad. You here to fix my tablet or are you still working on that stupid bike?" said Wayne.
Ethan, Evan, Derek, and Connie pulled off their helmets and glared at their tormentors. Evan tensed when the lead bully mentioned his bike.
"You know, Wayne, we are nowhere on school property, so none of you have the legal right to bother us here," replied Connie.
"Don't throw rules around like my dad," retorted Wayne. "It is a free country, which means we have the legal right to visit you guys anytime or anywhere."
"We can get a restraining order from Connie's dad!" yelled Evan.
The group of bullies laughed hysterically before the leader said, "You get that from a courthouse, Oompa Loompa, not a police station!"
"Listen, Wayne, we don't want any beef. We're just going up for a relaxing hike in the mountains like we always do, so back off and let us pass!" said Ethan.
"Why the rush? We're just saying hi," said the bully with the mohawk.
The bully with the varsity jacket cracked his knuckles saying, "Yeah, we made some sandwiches to share."
"Those look like some pretty sweet rides…mind if we try them out?" asked Wayne with a notorious glare.
Before any of them could turn on the ignition of the ATVs, the group of bullies swarmed the teens, pulling each of them off of their vehicles. The bald bully held Connie in a bear hug while the bully with the mohawk held Evan. Both the girl and child kicked their feet in the air, yelling at their tormentors to release them. The bully with the varsity jacket beat Derek while Wayne got into a fistfight with Ethan. The eldest Witwicky boy tried his best to defend himself, but Wayne easily dodged and countered most of his attacks while laughing maniacally.
"Come one, Old McDonald! I thought you would have learned some pig wrestling from that stupid farm of yours?" taunted Wayne.
Infuriated, Ethan charged his opponent but was completely outmatched by Wayne Pierce. The fight continued as the eldest Witwicky boy became exhausted and the lead bully delivered painful blows. Eventually, Ethan was so weak he knelt on the ground in pain; parts of his face bruised and bloodied.
Wayne knelt at Ethan's eye level and stared at him with a twisted grin.
"Why are you doing this? What have we ever done to you?" groaned Ethan.
"Because it's fun!" replied the bully. His face contorted into anger and spoke in a threatening tone. "You think you're so smart the way you show off in math and science like you're some super genius. Well, guess what? Your big brain is nothing compared to the crown I wear in this town, and I don't want you or your little freaky friends to forget. In fact, I'm going to imprint it in your mind so you will always remember who owns you."
Wayne gripped Ethan's shirt collar to pull him closer and balled his hand into a tight fist. Connie, Evan, and Derek all yelled at the lead bully to stop but their cries fell on deaf ears as Wayne pulled back his fist, ready to mercilessly beat on Ethan.
"Say goodnight, Weirdwicky!" said Wayne.
There was a roar as a flash of white and black jumped out of the trees and tackled Wayne, releasing Ethan from his grasp. A large white Siberian tiger pinned the lead bully to the ground, growling and snarling; its razor-sharp teeth only a few inches away from his face. The intimidating and ruthless nature of Wayne completely vanished and was replaced with sheer terror. He stared up at the large feline, screaming in a high pitch.
All of the bullies stared in shock and horror while Connie, Derek, Evan, and Ethan smiled in relief.
The bully with the varsity jacket stood up off of Derek and picked up a tree branch as thick as a baseball bat. He charged forward, ready to whack the tiger when a brown velociraptor leaped in front of him and screeched. The varsity jacket bully swung the tree branch at the dinosaur, but the giant reptile caught it between its jaws and snapped it in half with a chomp. With no weapon, the bully fell on his backside and crawled away, but the dinosaur bit down on his pants leg and dragged him across the ground. The varsity jacket bully tried to claw at the dirt, but the raptor was too strong.
The other two bullies holding Connie and Evan were petrified at the wild animals attacking their group. Their minds were unable to fathom how a jungle animal founds its way in Washington state and how an extinct lizard was still alive.
A large gorilla came out next, beating its chest and roaring behind them. Both bullies screamed and let go of Connie and Evan as they tried to run away, but were intercepted by an angry hissing Cheetah. The bald bully was suddenly picked up by a small pair of talons and lifted off the ground by a giant bat. He kicked and flailed to break free, but the bat's grip was too strong. The gorilla picked up the mohawk bully with both hands and raised him high in the air, spinning the trouble-making teen like a propeller. The mohawk bully got motion sickness to the point he had to hold back his vomit.
Tigatron glared at Wayne as sweat and tears dripped from the lead bully's eyes and face. The striped feline's claws dug into the leather of his jacket, being careful not to puncture the skin. Panicked, Wayne used his free hand to pick up some dirt and throw it in the tiger's eyes. The big feline was temporarily stunned and Wayne took this chance to crawl away. Tigatron lashed out angrily with one claw and snapped off the belt to the bully's pants. As Wayne tried to stand up, his pants fell and he tripped, revealing his bright red, polka-dotted boxers. The lead bully got up again without his pants and tried to run away, but was cut off by the cheetah.
The varsity jacket bully was able to break free from the raptor and ran to regroup with Wayne; his clothes torn in several areas from Dinobot.
Optimus eventually stopped spinning the mohawk bully and tossed him to the ground. Feeling dizzy, the mohawk bully lazily ran to his two friends while regaining his balance.
The whole time, Derek, Connie, and the Witwicky brothers smiled and laughed from the side, watching their tormentors get a taste of their own medicine.
The ground began to rumble as a rhinoceros charged and rammed the truck over the side of the road and tumble down the mountain. The vehicle smashed against trees and rocks before crashing to the bottom in a heaping wreck. The rhino gave a snort, pleased at his work.
"My truck!" cried the varsity jacket bully.
An audible squeak was heard and the three bullies turned to see a giant rat beside them, standing on its haunches.
"Aaaah! A rat! It's ginormous, get it away from me!" screamed the mohawk bully as he jumped into the arms of the varsity jacket bully.
"Get off me!" yelled the varsity jacket bully.
Meanwhile, Nyx played a game of hot potato in the air with Airazor, using the bald bully. After they tossed him up and down several times, Nyx caught the bully in her talons again.
"No! Please! Let me go!" cried the bald bully.
Nyx looked down with a smirk and said, "Poor choice of words."
The bat released the bald bully from her grasp, dropping him into a nearby mud pit.
The Maximals closed in on the bullies in a semicircle, making them back down from the path. They continued to growl and snarl as the bullies cowered in fear. The mohawk bully wet his pants while still being carried by his friend.
"This is crazy, guys! Let's get out of here!" cried the varsity jacket bully.
Wayne ran down the path, screaming, while the varsity jacket bully dropped the mohawk bully and followed after.
Behind them, the bald bully ran out of the mud pit yelling, "Guys, wait up!"
The mohawk bully crawled away from the group of animals but froze when he saw the rat come forward. The two locked eyes with each other for a few seconds.
The large rodent raised its claws in the air shouting, "Boo!"
The mohawk bully screamed as he stood up and ran after his gang.
Evan ran forward and shouted, "That's right, you jerks better run! Because we got the entire animal kingdom on our side! And if you ever think about bossing us again, our friends will go Jumanji on your sorry butts!"
Once all of the bullies ran out of sight, the teens and the child cheered at their Maximal allies for saving them.
"You kids alright?" asked Rhinox.
"Yeah, thanks to all of you," said Connie.
"You guys were awesome!" cried Evan as he jumped in the air. "The way Tigatron pounced on Wayne and ripped his pants off, Rhinox rammed Terrance's truck over the side, and how Optimus failed Greg around like a ragdoll. It was the coolest thing I've ever seen in my entire life!"
"Who were those lowlifes?" asked Cheetor.
"A bunch of morons who think they own the town. They like to make us feel inferior by making our lives miserable, mostly at school," said Ethan.
"Hopefully, those numskulls finally got the hint," said Connie.
"If I didn't know any better, the way they acted, I'd think they were Predacons," said Nyx.
"Yeah, you can say they are the human version of the Preds," said Derek.
"We should have disposed of them, Optimus. They know of our existence and invaded our territory," said Dinobot.
The Maximal leader gave a stern glare to the raptor. "No, Dinobot! As defenders of this planet, we must not inflict severe harm on the inhabitants, even if they show hostility towards us or our allies."
"A warrior always finishes a fight to the death," replied Dinobot.
"Can anyone remind me why we're keeping Chopper Face around?" asked Rattrap.
Ethan went up to the raptor and said, "Dinobot, I know they were trying to harm us, but that doesn't mean they deserved to die. Optimus is right; by showing mercy means we're better than them and won't stoop to their level."
Dinobot lowered his head to Ethan's level and growled, "You've got a lot to learn about war, boy. Don't let your foolishness get the better of you. It will mean the difference between the death of your enemy or yourself."
The older Witwicky boy said nothing but gave a stern glare towards the raptor, unphased by his morbid words.
With the bullies gone, the Maximals and their human allies continued to climb the mountain back to the Axalon.
Copper Wood Police Station: 5 PM
The four tattered bullies sat in front of the desk of Sheriff Willard, who stared lazily at the teens as they explained how they were attacked by jungle animals, a dinosaur, a giant rat, a giant falcon, and a giant bat. Each of them explained their versions of the story in hysterical tones. The sheriff scrunched his eyes and rubbed his temple, annoyed that his time is being wasted on a ridiculous story from a bunch of kids with the most infamous reputation in town.
When they were finished, the sheriff sat up in his chair and said, "So, you want me to believe that you four were attacked by a bunch of animals and a dinosaur while you were driving up the mountain?... Were there any dodo birds or unicorns you forgot to mention?"
"We're serious! A rhino totaled my truck!" said the varsity jacket bully.
"I was nearly killed by a tiger!" shouted Wayne.
"I was tossed around by a talking bat and bird!" said the bald bully.
"A gorilla spun me around like Hulk Hogan and there was a rat as big as a person!" said the mohawk bully.
An officer leaned through the opened door and said, "Sir, I just called the local zoo. There have been no reports of any of the animals missing or escaping."
The sheriff turned back to the four bullies and glared at them. "You know, you four have been in this station so many times, those chairs your sitting in might as well have your names on them. Now that the zoo just clarified for us that none of their animals are missing, it's become perfectly clear that you're not telling me the whole truth…again."
Furious, Wayne yelled, "This is so unfair! We're not making it up this time and we're not crazy! We were really attacked by jungle animals and a dinosaur on the mountain."
"So these jungle animals took your pants?" asked the Sheriff.
"YES!" retorted Wayne. "You're the sheriff! Call animal control or something!"
"Wayne, every story you spin sounds stranger and stranger when you're in my office. We usually do get bobcats, mountain lions, and even black bears in these parts, but you are off your rockers if you expect me to believe you four encountered a gorilla, tiger, cheetah, rhino, and dinosaur up the mountain. Last I checked, dinosaurs were extinct, meaning they no longer exist! Unlike before, your dad is not here to bail you out this time since he's working on an important case in Los Angeles. So, you better give me straight answer or things will get difficult for all of you! Also, don't think I'm oblivious to all the harassment you give my daughter and her friends at school," said the sheriff.
The faces of the other bullies turned pale while Wayne's turned red.
He stood up in his chair and yelled, "You think you can threaten me? My dad is Richard Pierce, one of the greatest attorneys on the west coast, which means I practically own this town and you! I can have him take your badge away and be sure you cannot do any law enforcement in this country again! Now, you either be a good cop and send animal control up that mountain or you can kiss your position as sheriff goodbye!"
The air was silent as Wayne glared at Connie's father, who lazily starred at the teen, not even slightly intimidated. The other three bullies shrank back in their chairs from fear of their leader's rage. The only sounds to be heard were the few phones that rang in the main office of the station and the occasional walkie-talkies.
Eventually, the sheriff leaned under his desk and placed four plastic cups in front of the four teens.
"You're going to have to take turns. This station only has one bathroom," said the sheriff.
The four bullies stared at the cups in disbelief. Wayne continued to glare at the sheriff with one eye twitching.
Next Day: 10 AM
The projector on the screen showed a map of the solar system as the teacher lectured the students about the various planets. Evan sat quietly at his desk and scribbled in his notebook.
Behind him, he overheard a student whisper, "Hey, did you hear what happened to Wayne Pierce? He said he and his friends got attacked by a bunch of escaped zoo animals."
"I heard it was a family of sasquatch," whispered another.
"No! It was a bunch of mutant rats and they stole Terrance's truck," whispered another.
"Hey! Unless you three have a question related to our subject, no talking during class," shouted the teacher.
The students fell silent as Evan smirked and continued to draw his funny sketch retelling how the Maximals scared off the bullies.
Hope you enjoyed it. As always, thank you so much for your patience. Feel free to leave a review. The next chapter is going to introduce a new Maximal and another familiar Predacon.
