I do not own Transformers: Beast Wars. *sniff*
Chapter 11: Changing of the Guard
"Looks like these reinforced doors held pretty well, good job Trailblazer" I complimented as I inspected the blast doors, both of which were still in good condition aside from a variety of different sized dents. Those dents the result of a half-assed assault led by Megatron the day before, the attack pointless yet prolonged because of the lack of hands…and the Grape-Faced tyrant's tenacity. A small handful of the Maximal team had complained that that same attack could have been shortened if a certain manta ray had been present whereas I stood on the sidelines unsure whether to defend the stubborn guy or not…Depth Charge had, after all, just arrived several days before the assault. I figured he was still adjusting.
"Yeah, I guess so-" the horse-former grunted as he pressed out another dent from the detached plating with a special tool "still gotta deal with these dents though" and welded it back in place. I hummed and did the same with a smaller piece. It was easy work, but because of all the dents it was time-consuming. Thankfully, me and Trailblazer had started very early (with Optimus's permission of course) to start the repair. And so when we were finished, there was nothing to do for 'our help' as they strolled around the corner.
"Heh, and big monkey said you guys would need our assistance-" Rattrap studied our work "assistance my tail…nice work ya two" as he held up both his palms, we high-fived him.
"So you feeling better?" Cheetor looked at Trailblazer, a small tinge of guilt in his optics.
"You know kid, it's not you or RatFace I'm mad at…"
My eyes glanced between the two, then on the ground "Trailblazer, if you don't mind me asking; what did happen?"
Rattrap scratched the back of his head "Will ya be satisfied if we jus' said 'Dinobot'?"
"Oh, that makes sense. Other than you, Dinobot likes to argue with Trailblazer quite often"
"A little too often" Trailblazer huffed "honestly, I enjoy a good argument. But Dinobot just ticked me off that day-"
We casted worried glances at Rhinox as we heard a rattling, and then flinched when the object of the rhino's attention blew up in his face. I winced and resumed our topic of that morning.
"Have you two ever apologized…?" I blinked as I was given a blank stare by PonyBoy "it would be a good start"
Cheetor and Rattrap nervously shifted on their feet "We should all probably report back ta boss monkey now" my rat-faced friend patted my shoulder.
"I agree. Cass? We can talk about this later"
"Okay…"
After that fun group chat, and Rhinoxs' unsuccessful attempt at utilizing Teletraan-1's shield as our own, we all gathered around the holographic display of the strategy table by Optimus' request…with some protest by Rattrap about the 'plan B', that being someone had to go salvage Sentinel. And we all had one bot in mind.
"Optimus to Silverbolt, do you copy?"
:"Silverbolt here":
"Any sign of Depth Charge yet?"
Nope, because he's as elusive as a frickin' unicorn
:"I, am afraid not. I believe he may be inside Megatrons' jamming zone":
There was a snort from Dinobot. Optimus hummed.
"Abort search and return to base immediately"
"Ehhhh so much for plan B-" Rattrap feigned disappointment but was slapped upside the head.
"Quiet vermin" Dinobot snarled and walked closer to the table "We must think of an alternative then"
Optimus nodded "There might be another way" and smiled.
We walked to another room –one of the storage rooms to be correct, to find a very busy Blackarachnia working on a submersible. I watched with curious eyes as she made some last second adjustments. Rattrap sniggered as he walked up for a closer inspection "Hehehe, what the heck is it? Besides ugly"
"Shut up Rattrap" I smirked when BA gave me a nod of approval.
"It's a sub-aquatic stealth vessel garbage breath" she ran a claw over her invention and pressed something to open it up "it's powered completely by hand…no noise, no energy signature" and pressed that same button to close it, an electronic beep confirmed it had been sealed.
"Clever"
"It should do the job"
"Naturally…" she walked over to a table "so when do I leave?"
Actually…
"You don't" Optimus corrected.
Hmmm… "I can do it" he intended to send Rattrap, so when I unexpectedly volunteered, Optimus shifted his worried green optics over onto me.
"…Are…are you sure? I was going to send Rattrap-"
"What-YOW!" the rat was slapped upside the head, again, by Dinobot.
"Is it because he's small and knows what to look for?" I want to do something right for a change! "Because I fit that description too"
"…yes, but I didn't think you'd want to go back down there…"
"Nah, I'm not afraid of a watery abyss. Sign me up"
There was a soft chuckle from Dinobot as Optimus's optics went wide, "It seems she's recovered quicker than one would assume" the raptor (in his beast form) walked up to me and patted my shoulder.
"Okay…I'll send you in with Silverbolt once he gets back"
"Awesome!" I skipped over to the submersible to better understand its' functions.
I was sure I waited at the blast doors, Optimus beside me with the submersible in his hands. And so once Silverbolt arrived I hopped straight into the tiny vessel. The Maximal leader made sure it was properly fastened to the heavy-duty cable that Silverbolt was to carry, and when that was done, we flew off back to the gorge.
And yes, the ride was very nauseating (I thanked Primus I ate early).
"We're approaching the target area…how are you faring in there Cassandra?"
"Peachy…" I looked up to see bird-dog give a small smile "also helps when the vessel is just right for my size too. Though, I can't imagine how bitter Rattrap would be if he were in here"
"I would imagine he would be quite miserable...the target is dead ahead, are you ready for drop?"
"Do it"
I was dropped. I braced myself as the mini-submarine impacted the water's surface, "Oomf!" and placed my hands on the crank to start mobility. It was hard at first because of the mechanical resistance, but once the gears started rotating, I was able to keep at a steady pace. "Yeah sure this is fun…just keep cranking or else you'll sink" I quickly turned on the lights in time to swerve around a boulder, damn that was close, I should probably have turned those on before I started cranking I scolded myself under my breath as I journeyed through the ocean and kept an eye out for any large shape that would have hinted toward a ship –or half of one anyway. I enjoyed my time down there, given how I'd never been that deep underwater, and for such a long duration. Curious fishes and even sharks swam up to greet me as I maneuvered around kelp and other plant life that would have snared me.
:"Silverbolt to Cassandra, what is your status?":
"Not fish food yet"
There was a faint chuckle, :"You seem to be enjoying yourself?":
"I most certainly am" It's pretty down here, I steered around more jagged rocks, this is the first mission that's NOT on land…no pressure…
:"Any sign of wreckage?":
"Plenty…" I shivered and shook my head, snapping my attention back to my surroundings. And it was good timing too as I saw none other than the other half of the Axalon, Primus… "Wait, I found it" I steered the submersible toward the hallway that I knew led to Sentinel.
:"Standing by":
A small chill traveled down my spine as I went down the ghostly corridor and ultimately to the room that held the Maximals valued security program. "Oookay dokey then, easy does it" I manually extended the claw "caaaarefully, caaaarefully –yes!" and succeeded in grasping it, now all I need to do is- I screamed as something long and green busted through the loose panel in front of me…and after realizing it was an eel, it took me a few seconds to regain my composure.
"Damn it all to the Pit, the little bugger actually got me" I grabbed at my chest and willed my heartbeat to slow down. After it had, I released my hold over my heart and slowly pulled on the lever to move the submersible backward. Sentinel easily slid out as I did so, okay, okay I got this, actually got the thing out before- a loud beeping from the radar gave me another jump-scare and my mouth dropped at the sight of an incoming enemy. And I had a very good idea who.
"Ah CrabCakes" I don't need any distractions… I remembered that time at the shore when DC arrived 'Maybe some other time my dear' echoed in my head, oh okay, walked right into this one! "Come on, come on! Back up-!"
A massive claw crunched down on the vessel; uh oh, green optics sparkled at the sight of me.
"Why hello! You certainly do have a knack for showing up where I least expect you!" Rampage eased his grip, but there was mischievous intent in his crab-optics "To be honest, I thought you were the rat"
I gulped and eyed Sentinel worriedly "Hehehe, uh, funny you should say that…I uhm, volunteered in his place"
Mandibles shifted into a 'smile' "After what happened to you all those weeks ago-?" he brought the aquatic ball-o-death closer to his face "And I thought you'd never want to be near water ever again! My, you are courageous" then came that dreaded moment where he eyed Sentinel. He hummed, very much interested… "And what is this?" as his other claw hovered over Sentinel.
"Rampage" I narrowed my eyes, I will NOT fail this "Don't. You. Dare"
"I thought friends shared? And what is with that tone –oohooo I rather like it! You should use it more often! It makes things so much more fun-!"
"You want fun creep?!" bright gold energy discs ripped through the darkness and knocked me and Rampage off the underwater cliff. As the crab fell, or rather sunk, down, I quickly cranked so I wouldn't go any deeper. As I maintained a decent level, I found my eyes on the big golden ones of a large transmetal ray. And oh boy, he looked surprised.
"What are you doing here?!"
Getting shit done… "Not now! I need you to keep Rampage away from Sentinel!"
Golden optics stayed fixed on me for a full five seconds before DC blinked "Get out of here before you get yourself hurt" and then swam off to engage Rampage. And he thinks I can't take care of myself –oh well, I got a job to do! I made my way to the surface and pushed my arms to crank faster, please don't get blown up, please don't get blown up and thankfully, I broke the surface in one piece. Upon my return, the winged wolf greeted me.
"You are alright! And you have Sentinel, good work!"
No time for praise! "Yea, yea, now get me the heck outta here…please" I said hastily, sure to throw in a 'please' in order to not be completely rude.
"What's wrong? Do you have injuries I can't see?"
"No, no it's not that. Rampage and Depth Charge are tearing up the sea floor, I got out of there as fast as I could" I pointed to Sentinel "We should really leave, as in now"
"I understand. Hold on!" he got a hold of the vessel, and grunted a little at the weight he had to lift as we ascended "this-" grunt "-load is-" another grunt "-rather heavy-"
I ain't-! I squeaked loudly at the sight of a very familiar green flier "Silverbolt watch out!" but that proved to be futile when my fuzor friend was shot.
"Waspinator help! Hehehe" shot by an opportunistic Waspinator.
Next time I see that little bug-faced jerk I'm gonna-ARGH! I grunted in pain as I bounced off of a rocky surface, and kept grunting as the vessel continued to rebound off of multiple solid objects as if I were in some sick game of pinball.
"Ow-" grunt "-shit-" grunt "-erg-" grunt "-sunuva-" growl, hiss "-motherfu-" and then I finally rolled across the sandy shore. The mini-submarine (unfortunately) had not had a roll-cage or any kind of cushioning. The hatch popped open, and I pitifully rolled onto the sand "Ouchie". I…almost…forgot…about…that…part… I wheezed.
"You take this back to the boss bug-eyes, I'll clean up these here Maxi's"
My eyes shot up to see Quickstrike hand Waspinator Sentinel, seriously?! "Nope!" I whipped out my blaster, but held my trigger-finger don't shoot you idiot! You'll damage Sentinel! I frowned as bright red optics focused on me, no duh I knew that! Maybe –no! I'll use that as a last resort!
"Well whaddo we have 'ere? I gotta bone to pick with you lil' missy!" the Predacon fuzor stomped toward me eagerly. I aimed center mass and fired away, which proved to be a predicted move as Quickstrike easily sidestepped the rounds "Hehehe, you're not that great ah shot small fry!" and took a few swipes at me. I dodged his cobra head and landed a punch, but that only stunned him. I had to remind myself that human fists weren't that lethal against Predacons, so I went with the next best alternative. I kicked him hard in his abdomen, and that succeeded in knocking him down, yeah now stay –eep! Apparently my reflexes decided not to work in that moment as Quickstrike's cobra landed a swift hit and sent me into the same position he was in. Difference was, he had more time to recover.
"Come on now, you're a tough girlie hehe…" he aimed the cobra, "now get up so I can-yeAAHH!" completely oblivious to Silverbolt as the bird-dog fuzor threw him across the shore. And if that didn't finish the job, an airborne Rampage sure did as the crab crushed him. I took Silverbolts' hand and helped myself up, and couldn't help but giggle at the strange sight.
"I didn't know Rampage had a flight mode"
"I uh-" the White Knight chortled "don't think he does" we both turned our heads once we heard something -or someone- emerge from the water. Depth Charge easily towered over both of us as he approached.
"Quickly, we must pursue Waspinator!" Silverbolt only got a shake of the fist from DC.
"Outta my way, I got a job to finish" red optics glanced at me, I didn't quite catch the expression.
"No!"
DC stopped.
"Waspinator has the Sentinel control module. If Megatron get his hands on it-" Silverbolt was grabbed by the scruff of his neck. This time Rhinox ain't here to stop me FishBoy!
"Put him down!"
I was ignored. "That's your war, I've got my own" DC's optics narrowed dangerously. And since I was feeling especially stupid that day I pulled out my blaster and shot DC on the shoulder. Gasping in surprise, DC dropped Silverbolt.
"Then maybe you should remember what it means to be a Maximal!" my eyes wandered over to a damaged Silverbolt "come on 'Bolt, we got a bug to squash" with a nod, bird-dog transformed. As I hopped on, I was sure to give Depth Charge the same gesture he gave Silverbolt earlier. When we got some distance cleared, I looked over my shoulder to see Depth Charge looking right back at me with a solemn expression. Or maybe it was my imagination.
Soaring through the air, we eventually caught up to Waspinator. "Looks like the module is a little heavy for him, hey, you feeling brave?"
"I suppose, what do you have in mind?"
"How does a Power-Dive sound?"
He hummed "I…I do, but, are you sure you can pull it off? You might get hurt"
"I'll live…" I smirked and readied my blaster "just get as close as you can".
Silverbolt closed in quietly, undetected by Waspinator as he got close enough for me to shoot the green flier right in his (bug) abdomen. Karma's a bitch, I stood and then bounced once on Silverbolts' head (while uttering an apology) as I performed a few flips and then nose-dived. Silverbolt got a good grip on my legs as I did so. With a howl, the bird-dog dove down, ready for the finishing move of the aerial maneuver as we sliced through the air.
My head was mere feet from the ground as I dangled upside-down with Sentinel in my grip. The excitement too strong to have felt nausea as all the blood rushed to my head.
"That was some nice flying!" I peered up at Silverbolt, who smiled –but that smile went away when he caught sight of something in front of us. A falling tree made me gasp as I was completely sure that Silverbolt was too close to dodge it. However, the bird-dog pulled a wild-card and quickly tossed me to the side. And since I was not ready, I relinquished my grip on Sentinel out of surprise, my only goal being to make my landing as less painful as possible. Oops… the module fell, but was thankfully caught by Silverbolt, I should really stop worrying so much, things seem to like to go according to the plot, I watched on with worried eyes from the edge of the cliff.
"Give me the module or burn Maximal-!"
"Yo 'Bolt I'm open!" I yelled as loud as I could from above/behind the fuzor. Without any delay and likely guessing my position, Silverbolt tossed the module backward and as far up as he could. It was a heavy catch, but I caught it none-the-less. I booked it as fast as I could into the forest.
"Stand and fight wench!"
"Shrivel up and die ant!" I yelled over my shoulder and pumped my legs faster. It was no secret that I was one of the quickest on the Maximal team. Although I was hindered by my condition, I could still dodge Infernos' shots, but I ultimately slowed down near a thin rocky bridge.
"You have nowhere to go" the fire ant's large frame blocked my way and then advanced. I tightened my grip, a pointless effort as Inferno simply grabbed my throat and ripped Sentinel from my hands. Gee he's a lot more hostile than I remember him I placed both hands on Inferno's arm, not sure why, but did so anyway. I guess it would be a reflex?
"No!" Silverbolt flew in and stopped mid-air as he found himself in Infernos' crosshairs.
"One wrong move and you will burn fuzor!"
My eyes wandered to Sentinel as a grim thought resurfaced, never thought I'd have to resort to the last resort I pulled out my blaster, an action unbeknownst to Inferno as he taunted Silverbolt and shook the module in his face, in case it fell in enemy hands… and in one swift motion, I aimed and fired at Sentinel. The module was blown out of Inferno's hand. And if the shot itself didn't destroy it, the crash on solid ground that reduced it to itty-bitty pieces probably did the trick.
"No!" angry red optics narrowed at me "You insolent –AHH!" and so I punched one of them and shattered the lens. Whether he wanted to or not, Inferno threw me. The fire-ant (though shocked) still aware enough to blast Silverbolt when the fuzor made his attempt to catch me, and so that left me plummeting to my death, or almost plummeting to my death as I landed into a pair of large hands instead. "I've got you" DC murmured and cradled me protectively to his chest, uhhhhmmm, did he bump his head? It's not normal to go from a Grade-A asshole to 'here let me cradle you like a damn baby', my confused eyes looked up into red ones as the manta landed close to Inferno and blasted away the enraged fire-ant before he could roast Silverbolt. A jet or two of fire and a few death threats later, Inferno then retreated. Once the red figure became a speck, I sighed as loud as I could.
"As fun as this was…I'd really like to head home now"
We flew home wordlessly, (I rode on top of DC's manta-flight mode, too tired to be excited) and the silence persisted even as we arrived on base. Well, that was until we reached the command center and Optimus saw the condition me and Silverbolt were in.
"By the Matrix…"
"Sentinel has not fallen into Megatron's hands" Silverbolt limped up next to DC, and then collapsed.
"Dinobot, bring Silverbolt to the R chamber"
Snarling, the raptor walked over and pulled the fuzor to his feet and half-carried him to his much needed destination. Optimus' green optics locked onto me, a soft smile present on his lips, oh my…that's going to be gone soon enough
"Good work"
"Don't thank me just yet" I extended my arms to clearly show I was empty-handed.
"Where…-?"
"I destroyed it"
Dead silence. Then:
"Hehe, that's a kick in-" a ferocious glare from OP shut Depth Charge up. That same intense look snapped back to me.
"Why?"
"Because it was either that or have it in enemy clutches"
There was a hum from Rhinox "…if the situation was that dire…"
"Still, are you sure there were no other options?" green optics studied me.
"Absolutely" I felt my eyelids get heavy. Or at least from my point of view there were none...
"How about you Depth Charge?"
"Why me?"
"Did you assist Silverbolt and Cassandra when they needed it?"
"…I was kind of busy with Rampage"
I coughed.
"Of course-" there was a sharp exasperated sigh "if you weren't damaged I'd scramble your circuits"
"Don't let that stop ya Primal"
I coughed again, and got both bot's attention "He still kept Rampage off my back and saved me from falling to my death-"
"She also shot me" the manta-ray mumbled.
"-…please show some leniency for whatever sportsmanship he did offer"
Optimus looked surprised; a small flicker of hope for his thick-headed acquaintance was present in his optics "Is this true?"
DC only shrugged "You're not gonna get gushy on me are you?"
"No, you still cost us a major strategic advantage by not lending support when she-" OP pointed at me "and Silverbolt needed it the most. Proof that you can't continue to operate on your own…" and then held out one of his massive orange hands "…we need you Maximal"
"I'll think about it" red slants looked down at me, and for the first time since he had been in the Maximal team he 'smirked' "this team sure needs something" and then looked back at OP, winking as he slapped the giant metal ape's palm.
"Good…" green optics winced at my battered frame "...you wouldn't mind taking Cassandra to her room would you?"
"Doesn't she need-"
I smacked his chest, a sure sign I didn't want an argument. Funniest thing was that Optimus knew what he was talking about when he wanted me delivered straight to bed instead. Rhinox knew too. "Bring me to my quarters, slave!"
"...nevermind…" DC drawled in defeat "I don't want to know" and ambled into the hallway. As we got further down the hallway I looked over his shoulder and gave Optimus and Rhinox a thumbs up when the manta wasn't looking. Both Maximals grinned in return. With a smile, I adjusted for comfort and started barking directions to my room.
And even if he kept a stoic face, I could tell Depth Charge was deeply embarrassed.