Disclaimer: I do not own Beast Wars. It belongs to Hasbro.
Chapter 6: A Herald of Things To Come
"You sent us to Unicron's belt?" Terrorsaur said with a shriek even as he continues blasting away at the zombies. "A black hole would have been better why send us here?"
"Well I wanted you all to suffer, you see I'm what you'd call a sadist." Tarantulas said explaining his reasoning in a 'duh' voice. Waspinator jabs him with his stinger-rifle again. "OW!"
"Right how could I forget?" Terrorsaur said sarcastically.
"And well I was planning on leaving, but the Tripredacus Council deemed me a loose end and left me here to share your fate." He said and holds up his wrists with the stasis cuffs. "Seeing as we are no longer enemies why not take these off and I can help in whatever way I can?"
"Like we trust you." Waspinator said.
"Despite what you might think we're not that stupid. Wait." Terrorsaur said going over what he just said before face palming. "That came out wrong."
"Hehehe the way I see it you don't have a choice. One optic on me is one less optic on the horde trying to devour us. Free me and you'll have another gun on hand to fight them off." Tarantulas said.
"I hate to say it, but he's right cut him loose." Rattrap said as he shoots off the head of another zombie. Waspinator sighs and complies freeing Tarantulas. Who gets up pulls out his gun and joins the firing line with enthusiastic zeal whether to show his reliability or to take out his anger on something no one knew maybe it was both. Either way no one really cared as long as he didn't desert them. Finally, the last zombie fell and the group could take a break if only for the moment. They went into the medical lab and Ramulus and Jawbreaker barricade the door with some lab tables in order to keep out any uninvited guests.
"So what's the plan?" Rattrap said after everyone had a chance to let their fuel pumps take a rest.
"We get to the hangar and find a ship to escape this cursed place!" Tarantulas said.
"They say no ship that has ever gone into Unicron's Belt has ever come back." Scorponok said with a whimper recalling some of the horror stories he'd been told of this place as a sparkling.
"Then where do those stories come from I wonder?" Stinkbomb said to him and Scorponok dips his head to think on that.
"This place is littered with dark energon… the blood of Unicron." Nightglider said in a terrified whisper.
"I'd rather fight and die than say I ran away! / No, no we must escape or lose our spark!" Scarem said to himself.
"I really hate to say this again, but spider-boy is right. We need to leave or we're all gonna die." Rattrap said and for once no one told him to shut up. He felt oddly vindicated about that. If that decided it the group pulls down their barrier and prepares to leave.
"Out of my way." Tarantulas said pushing his way to the front to reach the exit first he wanted to leave this pit damn place as soon as possible. That was when he came face first with the door as it suddenly seals the opening shut. He stumbles backwards clutching his face.
"Well that was unexpected." Rattrap said.
"But hilariouz." Waspiantor said.
"Uh, guys? Look at Vivisect." Snarl said getting everyone's attention pointing to the doctor's corpse.
Everyone looks to see the body of the not so good rising up in the air alongside that of several pieces of medical equipment including an EMP generator and several laser scalpels. Vivisect and the items became bathed in the darkness of Unicron's blood his form twisting and changing as he and the medical tools were merge together by the touch of the unholy light. When Vivisect is visible again he stands before them changed now a conglomerate of himself and medical tools. Vivisect looks himself over and examines his scalpel laser sword in place of his right hand and his EMP cannon in place of his left. He was also much bigger than everyone else in the room.
"Interesting it would appear I am now a Herald of Unicron." He said to himself before fixing his eyes on the group in the room. "Time for a new experiment and look I have a literal lab rat as a new test subject as well! Simply marvelous!"
"I do not at all like what he just said about me!" Rattrap said.
"Well I see his personality hasn't changed much." Ramulus said to Jawbreaker who simply nods.
"Wait if he'z alive again doez that mean Wazpinator can't be charged for murder?" Waspinator said to Prowl.
"Well yes, but I believe we have bigger concerns at the moment." Prowl said, as he and the rest got ready for a fight. Rattrap ever the pragmatist was already shooting only for his attacks to barely even slow Vivisect down as he charges at them like a gorilla and taking a swing at him with his laser claws.
"Let's get out of the way." Scorponok said to Buzz Saw and Snarl and the three do just that unable to do much in beast mode at least against a Herald of Unicron.
"Spread out and keep him off balance!" Prowl said and the rest did just that scattering around the lab Prowl and the other flyers taking to the rafters to gain an aerial advantage while the rest take cover behind lab counters.
Rattrap and Stinkbomb find themselves taking cover with Tarantulas who was turning his head back around after being sent flying.
"Ideas?" Rattrap said to them.
"We're up against a Herald of Unicron… so we pray to Primus?" Stinkbomb said.
"We should find an escape route." Tarantulas said.
"I doubt doctor dissection here is going to just let us leave and we are not leaving anyone behind." Rattrap said before Tarantulas could open his mouth. "Except you. Because let's be honest no one likes you."
Tarantulas grumbles, but doesn't respond and just starts shooting at the eviler or less evil depending on who you ask mad scientist in the room.
Behind another table were Ramulus and Scarem. Ramulus was blasting away with his "slagmaker cannon" while Scarem was well talking with himself or themselves to be accurate.
"What do we do? / We must fight! / No we should hide!" Scarem said arguing with himself.
"Will you just make up your mind and fight already!" Ramulus said before ducking to avoid return fire from Vivisect's EMP cannon.
Jawbreaker and Iguanus had opted to switch to beast mode and charge at Vivisect. Iguanus blasting away with missiles from of his mouth on one side while Jawbreaker gets in close from the other side and bites down on Vivisect's arm cannon. Vivisect uses his free arm to grab Jawbreaker by the throat and rips him from his arm and tosses him right at Iguanus sending the two sprawling on the ground.
Before Vivisect could move in for the kill Prowl and Nightglider dive down and take swings at him with their talons and tail-sword. Only for his attention to focus in on them and to be blasted by his EMP cannon.
"This isn't good he's picking us off! What do we do?" Terrorsaur said as he continues to stay at a safe distance while blasting away with his shoulder cannons.
"Wazpinator not know Wazpinator is only good for getting blown up." Waspinator said before his optics brightens as an idea pops into his mind. "Can Terrorsaur keep doctor-bot busy for a bit? Wazpinator needz to get in cloze for thiz to work."
"Well since you have plan." Terrorsaur said before switching to jet mode and blasting straight for the herald dodging an EMP blast and flipping into robot mode and bringing down his swords which Vivisect blocks with both arms crossing them in front of him like an X.
"Have you chosen to die?" Vivisect said as he charges up his EMP cannon.
"Have you?" Terrorsaur said back while smirking. That was when Vivisect feels something shove its way down the barrel of his cannon and looks to his right to see Waspinator's stinger rifle jammed into it.
"Ready to blow up?" Waspinator said with a smile before pulling the trigger. The resulting explosion rocks the room as Terrorsaur and Waspinator are blown backwards and Vivisect is blown everywhere. Seizing the opportunity everyone shoots and rips apart whatever pieces land near them. They're going to make sure he stays dead this time.
"Huh? Wazpinator is in one piece for once." Waspinator said looking himself over in surprise. It would appear becoming a transmetal made him more durable.
"Wait to go bug-boy!" Rattrap said as he stood up from behind his cover and starts cheering along with everyone else.
"Good plan Waspinator!" Scorponok said appearing out from his hiding place with Echo sitting on his back. The cyber-dog jumps off and runs over to her own and starts sniffing at him to make sure he's ok.
Their cheers were cut short as alarms began to sound and Vivisect's voice could be heard over a pre-made recording from his computer.
"Greetings if you're hearing this. It means an experiment most likely you have killed me and are attempting to escape. Foreseeing this possibility I set up safeguards to protect the rest of the ship."
"I don't like the sound of that." Rattrap said.
"I guess this means he was only in stasis lock before Unicron got to him. If no murder occurred the charge would be assault." Prowl said to Waspinator.
"Not the time Prowl." Nightglider said.
Then the entire room began to shake.
"I really don't like the sound of that." Rattrap said.
"The lab will now separate from the ship and launch off into his space with you along with it. Have a nice day." Vivisect said and the message ends.
"We've got to get out of here!" Terrorsaur said looking around frantically for an escape route. He could already feel his claustrophobia kicking in.
However they had no time to come up with plan as the lab detaches from the rest of the ship and becomes adrift in space.
"Great, we're all gonna die." Rattrap said summing up their situation.
"Yup." Buzz Saw said.
Ever levelheaded Prowl looks around and focuses in on Waspinator and Terrorsaur or to be precise their jet parts.
"Maybe not. Can someone find some rope or cord? I have a solution to get us back to the ship."
"Uh, sure." Snarl said at the group starts searching but are unable to find anything.
"Well so much for that plan." Ratrrap said only to jump as Tarantulas starts chuckling.
"Perhaps I may be of use after all. I can create quite a length of cyber webbing. What do you need it for?" Tarantulas said to Prowl.
"If Terrorsaur and Waspinator are willing I was thinking we could use them as tug vessels and pull us back to the Triptych." Prowl said. The two flyers turn to one another then back to Prowl and nod in agreement.
"Well it looks like we're saving the day again Waspinator." Terrorsaur said smirking. This was going to inflate his ego to gigantic proportions, Scorponok thinks to himself.
"Yay! Wazpinator like zaving the day!" Waspinator said with a cheer. His cheering was cut short as something hits the exterior.
"Was that a meteor?" Nightglider said. The sound of something scratching then suggests that no, it wasn't a meteor. Buzz Saw buzzes over to a window and looks outside trying to see anything only to buzz backwards in reverse as something stares at him from the other side.
"Uh guys, we might have problem." Buzz Saw said.
Scorponok despite being in beast mode is still able to switch to his thermal scanners and looks around.
"They're everywhere!" He said.