Hello readers! Hope you all are having a nice summer. Here is another chapter of Beast Wars. I do not own Beast Wars or Transformers. Both Transformers and Beast Wars are property of Hasbro.


Chapter 7: The Bonds We Share

Axalon: 5 PM

Ethan and Evan waited by the main entrance of the Maximal ship for their guardian to join them on their walk home.
Inside the control room, Cheetor stood in front of Optimus Primal. The young bot's shoulders were slumped and his head hung low, thinking back to the mission in Alaska. Optimus gave a stern look at Cheetor with his arms crossed.

Eventually, the spotted Maximal looked up at his commanding officer with an apologetic frown. "Optimus, I want to start by saying…I'm sorry. You were right; I should have listened and stayed close to you when we searched for the pod. I ended up putting Evan in danger when I was supposed to protect him as his guardian. I took the mission too lightly and because of that, we could have lost one of our fellow Maximals or our human allies to the Predacons."

The large blue leader finally spoke. "I expect you to follow orders and think before charging into uncharted territory. Not once, but twice you put Evan in danger. Risking your own life is one thing, but risking the lives of your allies is plain foolishness. As a team, we must learn to work together to win this war. That means you must take into consideration the thoughts and safety of your charges."

"Are you going to have me replaced as their guardian?" asked Cheetor.

Optimus shook his head. "No, I'm only going to give you a warning this time, Cheetor. I just hope you learn from your mistake and take your duties seriously. Remember, Ethan and Evan depend on you to protect them when the rest of us are not there. With the Predacons out there plotting Primus knows what, we can't afford to take anything lightly."

"I understand, captain," replied the young Maximal with a nod.

The Maximal leader was silent for a few seconds before he smirked. "However, regardless of your actions, it was because of you and Evan we were able to locate the pod before the Predacons could. You both have proven to work well together and I hope to see more of that quick thinking and cooperation in the future. Just know I'm lecturing you only because I care, Cheetor. You're a capable scout with an unfathomable spark and your loyalty to this crew is unwavering. It is why I chose you for this mission in the first place."

Cheetor gave a smile to his commanding officer. "Thanks, Big Bot. I won't let you down, and I will try harder to guard Ethan and Evan with all of my core."

Optimus smiled back. "I know you will. Now, you better get those boys home before their parents start to worry."

The young Maximal transformed to beast mode and left the Axalon to join the Witwicky brothers for their walk back to the farm.

The sky was a dark blue as nighttime fell over the wilderness surrounding Mt. Saber. The Witwicky boys walked down the trail with Cheetor following behind. All three of them remained silent as Ethan lit the way with the flashlight he pulled from his backpack.

Evan's shoulders were slumped as he stared at the ground with a crestfallen expression on his face. The nine-year-old knew that charging into the mountains in Alaska was a reckless thing to do. If Wolfang had not emerged out of his pod sooner, their new ally would have been corrupted by the Predacons. Plus, he and Cheeotr could have hurt themselves when the young Maximal nearly sprinted off the cliff.

Evan turned up to look at his older brother. "Hey, Ethan."

"What's up?" replied the eldest Witwicky boy.

"I'm sorry for not listening to you back in Alaska. When you warned me and Cheetor to be careful, we both acted stupid," said Evan.

Ethan stopped in his tracks and turned to his younger brother, kneeling at his eye level.

The eldest Witwicky boy let out a big sigh. "Evan, just understand when it seems like I'm ruining your fun or when I sound like Dad at times, I only do it because you're my little brother and I love you. I know it's cool we get to go on these amazing adventures with the Maximals. Believe me, it feels like a dream come true. But we also got to consider the reality of this situation. Any one of us can get hurt in the Beast Wars. You saw me take a dinosaur tail to the chest and a rock wall to the back, remember?"

Evan nodded.

Ethan continued, "We have to take our fights with the Predacons seriously. That's why we have to listen to Optimus and the other Maximals when we're out on the field. Do you think G.I. Joe is able to beat Cobra all the time because they just recklessly charge into battle? No, they have to come up with a strategy and be cautious when sneaking into enemy territory. But most importantly, they rely on each other as a team to complete the mission and make sure they return home safely. That's what we have to do. So, can I trust you to listen the next time I ask you to do something?"

The nine-year-old was silent for a moment before smiling and nodding his head again. "I promise."

Ethan smiled back and ruffled his little brother's hair. "That-a-boy."

Evan giggled as the older brother stood up and all three of them continued their walk back to the farm.

But the youngest Witwicky's smile faded again and he asked, "Are you going to tell Mom what happened to us with the pterodactyl?"

Ethan looked down at his little brother. He saw the worry in Evan's eyes, knowing how distrusting their mother would be with Cheetor if she knew the young Maximal broke his promise. Ethan also knew it wasn't entirely the spotted feline's fault and that he didn't mean for Evan to get caught in a firefight. If anything, the eldest brother was thankful for how kind Cheetor was to Evan and willing to surrender a fight to save them both. The young Maximal was probably the only friend his little brother ever had.

Ethan gave a smirk and a wink. "It will be our little secret. All she has to know is that we're back and we have all of our limbs still attached to our bodies. Besides, I think Mom has suffered enough heart attacks from discovering aliens exist."

Evan giggled again at his brother's joke.

When they reached the farm, the front door to the house was pushed open by a familiar woman in hospital scrubs. With a smile of relief, Theresa ran out and embraced both of her sons in a tight hug.

"Thank goodness you boys are alright," she said.

"We're okay, Mom. Cheetor kept us safe," said Evan.

She released her sons from her arms and looked at the spotted feline that crawled up from behind.

Theresa smiled and said, "Thank you, Cheetor, for keeping your promise."

"Just doing my job," replied the young Maximal.

Even though they didn't tell their mother the full story of what happened in Alaska, Cheetor made a vow that night to never endanger the lives of the Witwicky brothers ever again. Now back in the comforts of their home, Evan rambled to his mother about the exciting parts of their mission along with the description of their new ally, Wolfang.

Somewhere over Copper Wood: 5:15 PM

"Woooooohooooo!" cried Connie.

Her long curly hair whipped in the wind as she spread her arms out in the air. The whole town was a small diorama beneath her. Nyx was in beast mode, gripping the young human securely in her talons. The large bat's wings flapped in the wind as they glided over the town.

Connie had a wide smile on her face, amazed at the view she saw from up above. She flew before on commercial flights with her parents during the summer, but none of that compared to the experience she enjoyed right now.

Nyx could only smile, happy and relieved to see the sorrow from the young girl melt away and be replaced with joy and excitement.

"This totally beats hand gliding!" cried Connie.

"This is just the beginning," replied Nyx.

The bat dived and glided upward into a loop as Connie squealed and laughed.

"Was this what it was like for Ethan and Evan when you went to Alaska?" asked the girl.

"Evan was just as excited," replied Nyx. "I'll admit, when I was given this beast mode, it was strange at first. But since I am a pilot, it fits well with my programming."

They flew passed the central street towards a cul-de-sac with rows of houses aligned on each side of the road. Some of the lights were on while others were completely dark.

Connie pointed down. "That's my house over there! The two-story white one with the black roof."

With their destination identified, Nyx slowly and quietly descended towards the backyard of Connie's home. Once they were an inch from the ground, the bat gently dropped the human girl on the grass before landing beside her.

Connie turned to the Maximal pilot. "That was so awesome, Nyx! Thanks."

"Don't mention it. I enjoy stretching my wings. Flying feels ultragear without the help of a ship," replied the bat.

"Yeah, that was something I needed," said Connie.

"Hey, anything I can do for a friend," said Nyx.

"Yeah…I guess we are friends now," replied the teen.

Connie's smile softened from excitement to warmth as she stared up at the giant bat. The two shared one more hug as Nyx wrapped her leathery wings around the girl. Connie never thought her newest friend would be an alien robot bat from another planet.

But the moment was interrupted by barking coming from the other side of the yard. A white and orange corgi sprinted towards the two, growling and snarling. It didn't take long for Connie to realize that her dog was charging towards Nyx.

The Maximal pilot backed away with her wings covering her front for defense as the tiny canine sprinted on his stubby paws. Quickly, Connie wrapped her arms around the dog and scooped him up to her chest.

"No! Heel! Biscuit, heel!" whispered the girl.

The corgi's barks reduced to growls as he flashed his fangs at the giant bat.

"Sorry about that, Nyx. This is Biscuit, our pet. Don't take it personal, he's just very protective of us," said Connie.

"It's fine. He's probably never seen an eight-foot tall bat before," said Nyx.

Inside the house, a woman's voice called out, "Connie, is that you?"

"I'll be right there, Mom," replied the girl.

She turned back to the Nyx and whispered, "You better go before she sees you."

Without hesitation, the giant bat speared her wings and flapped back into the air, disappearing into the darkness. Biscuit continued to bark up in the sky where the Maximal pilot vanished.

The sliding glass door opened as Connie's mother, Rebecca, stepped out of the house. Her hair matched the same shade of red as Connie's but was straight and in a bob cut. She wore a white blouse with black dress pants and matching high heels.

"Honey, I didn't hear you come through the front," said her mother.

Connie turned around and faced her mother with a fake smile; Biscuit still barking in her arms.

"Oh, yeah! I decided to climb the fence today since it was closer to the mountain," replied the teenager.

Rebecca cocked a suspicious brow at her daughter. "Well, okay. But please let me know ahead of time. I almost thought you were a burglar."

"Sorry, Mom," said Connie.

The corgi continued to bark as Rebecca asked, "What's up with Biscuit?"

"Oh!...Uhh…He probably saw a squirrel. You know how defensive he gets with his territory," said the girl.

"Well, come bring him inside. Dinner is ready and your father will be back from the station any minute now," said Rebecca.

Connie took one more look up at the large flapping silhouette in the sky before entering the house with her mother and Biscuit.

I apologize if this chapter was much shorter than usual. I wanted to give more insight into Connie as a character and begin to develop her friendship with Nyx. I also wanted to show how both Cheetor and Evan learned from their first mission. Next chapter, we will be taking a break from the plot and focus on the Maximals adjusting to life on Earth. If I were to pick an actress to voice Nyx, it would either be between Tara Strong or Ashley Johnson. As always, thank you for your patience, and feel free to leave a review for your thoughts on this chapter.