This story is a work of fiction. In this story, I use several Original Characters, including Dustfang, Veteran, and Bull-Strike, and several others. All other characters are property of Hasbro and whoever owns the copyright for said company and its creations.
Trails Un-followed: A Beast Wars Fan-Fiction
Chapter Three- Bachelor once more...
Dustfang was in his room. His quarters were a mess, and only Optimus knew why their energ-ohal was disappearing at an accelerated rate. Dustfang was using it to drink away his sorrows. Bottles littered the floor as Optimus forced the door open with his override code.
He glared into the darkness at the lumpy form on the sleeping platform, and, after it did not respond to his presence, said "Hey! I got a job for you."The form rolled over and Dustfang sat up, his wings unraveled from their coat-like form and merely hanging from his back like limp blankets.
"What, Chug...Can't yuh let meh die in peace." The slightly slurrred drawl made Optimus' eyes narrow in sympathy. Then he got angry.
"You are so pathetic, Dustfang." The drunken bot sat up a little straighter. "You are diving into the liquor like we had an unlimited supply of it, and you are calling in sick for every assignment. I have let you off because I know how you are feeling right now, but I can't let you keep doing this!"
Dustfang shifted slightly, and his wings began to slowly wrap around his form, back into their customary coat form.
"Now, get off your high, drunken, horse and, as the humans say, GET YOUR ASS OUT OF BED!!"
Dustfang forced himself to his feet, chugged the last of his energ-ohal. "What do yuh got fer me to do that is so danged imper'tant, I have to get up?"
Optimus nodded and said "I need you to teach Cheetor how to shoot." Dustfang looked dumbstruck as Optimus turned around. Before leaving, however, the large ape said "You are to report to the firing range at 1200 sharp. Understood?"
Without waiting for an answer, Optimus left. Dustfang searched for another bottle of Energ-ohal.
Cheetor fidgeted slightly on the firing range. it was 1200 hours, but Dustfang wasn't here. He checked his chronometer and thought quietly He isn't here... Cheetor turned to leave.
He snarled as a blast at the ground in front of him forced him back a step. He looked up and locked his eyes on his 'mentor.'
"Howdy, runt." Dustfang said, loud enough for 'runt' to here.
Cheetor snarled and the faux hair on his back shot up, and he drew his weapon.
"You could have hit me." Dustfang just smiled.
"I'm cawlled sha'pshoota' fo a reason, runt." Cheetor hissed again.
"Lets get ta work." Dustfang said, shrugging his shoulders resignedly.
For hours, Cheetor fired at staionary targets. He had reloaded dozens of times, had fired hundreds of times, and had missed most of them. He was frustrated. Dustfang just sat back and drank Energ-ahol.
Cheetor roared, twirled around and threw his gun at Dustfang.
"You are supposed to be teaching me!!" he growled. Dustfang sat up and glanced at the gun lying on the floor a few feet ahead of him. He looked up and smiled at the younger bot.
"You want some advice? Then shoot'a damned target!! You stand there, point, then pull 'a trigger. Aim, stupid!" Then the bot leaned back in his chair and lowered his hat on his head, covering his eyes/
Cheetor snarled again and walked over, picked up his gun and fired. He missed. He hissed. He set his feet and snarled at the target. He fired a dozen more times, mising each one. His hands squeezed the gun as he lowered it, then he raised the gun and roared, planning on swinging it down and smashing it on the ground. He hesitated, though. He saw a slight bump on the gun, near the end. It was thin and only a few centimeters high, but he saw it clearly for some reason, saw it for the first time. He lowered the gun slowly. Holding it in close, and just ofr a second, glanced at Dustfang. The bot was still leaning back, but cheetor saw that the hat was pushed back and that the veteran was watching. Cheetor turned back and, this time, used that small, inobtrusive bump to aim. He fired. The shot struck the ground...a foot directly in front of the waspinator replica. He heard a chuckle from his 'mentor's' direction, and cheetor focused again. He aimed up slightly...squeezed the trigger...and knocked over the piece of junk that was his target.
He let out a whoop of joy, punching the air, and he looked back over at Dustfang. The bot's hat was low once more, but his mentor's smile was obvious. Cheetor fired five more times, all but the middle shot striking the target. He reloaded and fired again, and waspuinator was reduced to a piile of molten metal. Cheetor laughed, and his smile widened when Dustfang chuckled.
"Faster!!" Dustfang growled, and cheetor snarled as he twisted. He tried to keep a lock on his target, but the Quickstrike motif was moving too fast. He growled and fired, but the target was already gone.
"Patterns, Runt! Patterns!" Dustfang called, and Cheetor growled, not understanding. "Patterns!" Dustfang shook his head and turned away, heading back for his chair. Then he heard a shot ring out, and he turned around, to see Cheetor, panting, his gun lowered, and a smoldering hole punched right through the target.
"Movement...patterns..." He panted. Dustfang nodded, then walked out of the training chambers.
They had been training almost nonstop for four days, and the kid had shown great improvement. He was glad that kid didn't expend a hundred shots on a target; he had gotten to a point where he could hit a stationary target everytime, and he was getting better at leading targets. Dustfang did not feel proud of this, though, because everyday he taught the kid something new, every day the kid figured out how to fire his gun properly, it reminded him of the last bot he had taught to shoot: Silverbolt.
About an hour after the end of Cheetors training session, an alarm Klaxon went off. Rhinox called all the MAximals in the base to the makeshift bridge, and he told them what was going on. Three stasis pods were falling out of orbit, and two were landing in close poximity to the Predacon base.
Optimus asked about the third one. Rhinox shuffled his massive, flat feet, and said "Well...umm...It is heading, right for us."
Every Maximal's eyes widened in shock, and only Optimus did not look even more surprised when Rhinox said his next little tidbit of information.
"Also, it is not a standard issue por. It is about twice the size...and it wasn't from our vessel." Optimus nodded, then a smile widened on his face.
"I want Dustfang, Cheetor, and Silverbolt to get to the other two pods. Black Arachnia and Rattrap, you follow as best you can. Rhinox, you and I are gonna meet our knew friend."
Rattrap looked up at the huge bot and cocked a shining eyebrow. "Uh, boss-monkey? Are ya sure we should be welcoming an unknown craf' into our sweet home-sweet-home?"
Optimus just shook his head and grinned. "Trust me, Rattrap. Now...MOVE OUT!!" He bellowed out the last two words, and everyone scrambled into position.
Cheetor rocketed out of the base, following Dustfang and Silverbolt as they flew by. His rocket booster propelled him along just as fast as them. Rattrap and Black Arachnia followed as best they could. Optimus and Rhinox waited outside their base, and a dot on the horizon marked what they were looking for.