( Mumbai zoo )
Arcee was in her solidogram form, a black woman with dark hairs, a lean yet muscular and well-endowed body wearing a blue tank top and a black short. She came here to rest after a mission to locate an energon mine. As she observed the animals, she also was listening to her radio who talked about a disaster here in India.
" And now, let's talk about this mysterious sickness that doctors call " great rage ". This sickness appeared three days ago and is mainly spreading through the poor districts in the cities. Witnesses told victims become highly agressive and attack every living being they see. For now, there is no cure and the authorities are forced to lock up those poor people in cells in order to try to stem this outbreak. Doctor Amelia Dawson, brilliant researcher in contagious diseases, is said to be working hard to create a cure for this virus but hasn't been seen since her statement."
Arcee then cut off the radio when she came near the tiger enclosure. There was a male and a female with two cubs who were payfully fighting. She couldn't help but smile at this.
" Look mom, the baby tigers are so cute. They are asking to be hugged. " A little girl said to her mother
" Not a good idea : Tigresses are very protective of their cubs. They'll attack anyone or anything coming near them. " The mother responded
But cries of panic were heard and stones were thrown against the glass of the enclosure, shattering it. Arcee and the others two turned back and saw grey-skinned people, snarling and running at them.
" The great rage ! " The mother cried, placing her daughter behind her
Arcee put herself in front of the two humans but the three of them fell in the enclosure. Arcee was okay but the other two were unconscious from what she could tell. But the tigers got up and advanced towards her as the infected entered the enclosure. Under normal circumstances, Arcee would have deactivated her solidogram to go away but she couldn't abandon the other two.
" Scrap ! I don't want them devoured by tigers or changed into zombies ! " Arcee said to herself, not knowing what to do
" Do not be afraid of the tigers. " A voice said
" Huh, who said that ? " Arcee asked, looking around
" Down there. " The voice responded
Arcee looked down and saw, inside a shard of glass, the face of a black woman wearing what looked like ancient jewelry. She thought she was hallucinating.
" Accept help from the tigers to protect those innocents. " The woman said
" Are you crazy ?! No way one of them is gonna be like a pet and help me. " Arcee protested
But the male tiger came near her and nuzzled her with affection.
" See, he is accepting you as a friend. " The woman said, a bit smugly
Two infected advanced on her but the tiger pounced on them and stunned them with powerful strikes of his paws.
Just then a zoo guardian jumped into the enclosure.
" Miss, come with me, I'll get you and the others out of here. " He asked
But another infected jumped on the guard and struck him on the head which made him unconscious. The tiger then jumped on the infected, roaring and striking her with his paws. After this, the male tiger laid down near Arcee, while the tigress led her cubs to safety.
" Thanks, big guy. " Arcee said, while petting the tiger.
She then picked up the guard's tranquilizing gun. " This is the perfect way to stop the infected and keep people safe. " She decided
" You can use the tiger as a mount. He is strong and fast. " The mysterious woman suggested
" That would be a good idea but he may be too small for me to ride on. " Arcee pointed out
" Use your power. You can give him another more practical appearence. Focus on this image. " The woman explained
Arcee visualized the image in her mind and the tiger grew to the size of a horse.
" Perfect, let's go. " Arcee said, picking up the two civillians and the guard and placing them on the tiger's back and they got out of the enclosure.
After putting the three down, Arcee rode the tiger towards the majority of the infected, but she stopped to realize she forgot a small detail.
" I may have been too optimist by thinking I could solve this with a single gun. I'd need ten arms to defeat them all. " Arcee thought aloud
On a close window, the mysterious woman appeared once again, showing she wore a ancient indian red dress and had ten arms.
" You have those ten arms. You just have to think about what you want to do for them to appear. " She explained
Arcee did as she said and eight arms made of purple solid light appeared from her back. " Wow, it's amazing. " She then patted the tiger's head. " I'm counting on you, big guy. "
They ran everywhere in the zoo, with Arcee using her new arms to send her anesthesia darts on the infected until all of them were sleeping.
" Alright, we did it. " Arcee said, before hearing sirens signalling that medic teams were coming. So the two went to hide.
" Thank you for your help, big guy. I am glad to have met you but I have to leave you in the zoo. " Arcee said, petting the tiger
" No, you can keep him with you. I had a lion companion. " The mysterious woman suggested
" That was possible in your time but now he is too big for me to let him come. " Arcee countered
" Remember your power. " The woman reminded her
" Oh right. " Arcee sheepishly said, before focusing
The tiger then shrunk and went towards her body until he became a tatoo on her midrift.
" That's so cool. I think I'll call you... Jumper. " She said after a moment of thinking
She then returned to her alt-mode and drove away towards the forest. Once near a river, she turned back to robot mode and was looking through her connection to the internet. The woman from earlier was there in the river.
" Those powers are very useful but I'd like to know where they come from. " Arcee said
" I can explain : I am Durga and you are my reincarnation. To prove it, you have my mark on your body. " The now named Durga said
Arcee looked on her right shoulder to see ten orbs relied by a single thread.
" If the mark appeared it means that our great enemy has returned on Earth. " Durga said
" Who ? The decepticons ? " Arcee asked
" No, way worse than them. One you and your kind know through myths and legends : Megatronus Prime. " She revealed, making Arcee freeze in dread
" The Fallen ?! " She said in fear
" Yes. My companions and I managed to seal him away on Mars but your astronauts inadvertantly freed him. " Durga responded
" And you want me to defeat him ? I can't do it, I am not Optimus. " Arcee argued, looking defeated
" Of course you are not Optimus Prime. You don't have to be him. You are yourself, Arcee. You are strong, brave and you have a great heart. And you won't be alone. " Durga reassured her
Then Jumper materialized in front of the blue fembot and nuzzled against her leg, as if to confort her. Arcee kneeled and petted him on the head, smiling. She then thought about all the times where she, Valeria, Optimus and Team Prime stood victorious against impossible odds. This was what convinced her to act.
" I'll do it, Durga. For my family. " Arcee stated with certainty
" I know you will, Arcee. But before, you must give a little of your energy for me to leave the spirit realm. Open your heart and it will happen. " Durga asked
Arcee did as the goddess said and she appeared in the real world, albeit shrunk to the size of a human head and glowing in gold.
" You're pretty cute like this. " Arcee said
" Namaste, Jumper. " Durga greeted the tiger, who tried to nuzzle her only to pass through her.
( elsewhere, Underground lab )
A sect of Ravanna worshippers were kneeling in front of a statue of the demon while some were working on chemistry products and testing on people infected by the Super-rage. A blond woman wearing a medical outfit was bound and gagged against a pillar by spiderwebs. This was Amelia Dawson, kidnapped by the sect.
" May Ravanna, he who wields the head-cleavers and is adorned with garlands of skulls, honor us ! May Ravanna, he who wields the sword, spread destruction ! May Ravanna elevate us, his vile servants, to the final destruction ! " They prayed
Ravanna then appeared and seized one of his worshippers by the neck and lifted him until they were at eye level.
" You vermins ! My virus is spreading too slowly ! Without me, nothing is progressing ! " he berated them
" O great Ravanna, I understand your wrath, but we are doing everything we can. We are lacking in test subjects and the virus strains are too weak... " The worshipper tried to explain
Ravanna growled and slammed him against a pillar. He then held a sword against his throat.
" I am Ravanna, the most important god in India, so I don't care about your excuses ! Suffering and terror must ravage the country ! My body and my master demand all those tears and cries of despair ! If you can't give them to me, you are of no use ! " He snarled, ready to cut the cultist's throat here and now
" O great master, we would need a demonic force to accomplish your masterful plan. " The worshipper said, fearing for his life
A look of realization came across Ravanna's face and he let the man fall.
" Of course, I'm a genius ! Is this possible to be this smart ? Without my superior mind, you really are useless. I will unite the blood coming from this alien, demonic nature and modern science to plunge humanity in chaos and destruction. Once, I befriended a demon who disfigured a goddess. He will be perfect. As for you larvas, you'll make yourselves useful by bringing other test subjects. " Ravanna explained before flying away
( meanwhile)
Arcee was training to use her eight arms in close combat until they faded away.
" Oh dear, I didn't think it would happen so soon. You are not in full possession of your powers. You will need to find my legendary weapons to be at full power. I hid them away in a cave on the west coast before retiring in the spirit realm. " Durga explained
Arcee then took a look on the internet with the Key words " cave " and " Durga's weapons " until she found a cave that matched the description.
" Luck is with us, Durga : your cave was explored and the archeologists brought your weapons to Mumbai's history museum. " Arcee said before transforming into her vehicle mode and driving towards the museum.
She arrived, activated her solidogram, paid for the entrance and walked inside the museum.
Thankfully, she didn't have to seek them for long before they came across a statue of Durga riding a lion and holding her ten weapons : a Trident, a Solar disc, a Thunderbolt, a bow and arrows, an ocean conch, a burning spear, a sword, sunrays, an axe and a mass.
" Yes, that's them. You can take them all with your ten arms. " Durga said
At this moment, the ground erupted and Ravanna emerged from it.
" Perfect. Precisely at the right place ! I am never wrong, isn't it fantastic ?! " Ravanna boasted
" Ravanna ! So Megatronus brought this narcissistic creature back. Take the weapons, Arcee. " Durga said
" Let's roll out. " Arcee said, before taking the weapons
A purple light was emitted from them and when it turned off, Arcee was now taller at 7 feet, more muscular and curv with F-cup breasts, wearing a red and gold leotard, golden boots, wrist bracelets and shoulder pads. Jumper emerged from his tattoo form and roared, making Kali turn towards them.
" So you are Durga's replacement. Ha, I'd love to chat but I think some underlings will be enough to get rid of you. " Ravanna snarled before spitting a gaz, which was breathed by the visitors and guards, turning them grey and agressive. " Now, slaves, kill her and her pet. "
The new infected rushed towards Arcee and Jumper who had to stop them without killing them before they went ahead to confront Ravanna who smashed an urn and freed his demon friend, who looked like a lion head with a body made of green smoke. Arcee took the axe and attacked the blue god who parried with his sword.
" So you did made it. I was expecting less, Arcee. " Ravanna stated, smirking
" How do you know my name ? " Arcee demanded
" Oh that's right, you only knew my host body. " Ravanna responded, changing his face into that of...
" Cliff ! " Arcee yelled, letting her guard down.
Ravanna then threw her against the wall and backhanded Jumper away.
" So that's his name. Pitiful I'd say. But now is the time to complete my plan. " Ravanna stated before returning underground and fleeing with his demon.
Arcee then struggled to get up before checking on Jumper.
" Are you okay, Jumper ? " She asked, kneeling and petting him.
Jumper got up and nuzzled against her before looking at her as if to ask : " Are YOU okay ? "
" I don't know. Seeing my friend again... It was hard. I thought I left all that behind me. " Arcee explained
" The past is never truly gone from us, Arcee, no matter how we wish for the contrary. But you cannot let it stop you. The only thing you can do is accept it and move forwards. " Durga comforted her " Your story may not have a happy beginning but that doesn't make you who you are. It is the rest of your story, who you chose to be. "
Arcee then took a deep breath and focused on her past encounters with Airachnid, the War on Cybertron then on Earth, Cliffjumper's passing, Team Prime, her meeting Valeria, Cybertron's restoration, Optimus's sacrifice. All this was part of her and she couldn't deny it all because of the bad things that happened to her.
" So, who are you ? " Durga asked
Arcee reopened her eyes, determination shining in them. No more would she let her doubts and fears get in the way again.
" I am Arcee, the new holder of the ten arms. " She said, before going inside the tunnel, Jumper following her.
" That's my girl. " Durga proudly stated, following them.
As it was dark, Arcee used her sunrays to illuminate the tunnel until she arrived in an underground laboratory. There Ravanna's worshippers were mixing ingredients to create a new strain of virus, while Ravanna was placing his hand on Doctor Dawson to rape her mind in search of knowledge and the demon was breathing smoke in the mixing.
" Great master, the demon's gaz is perfectly mixing with the virus and the blood of the alien robot. The effects should be devastating. " The lead worshipper said
" Good, then let us test it on a subject. " Ravanna suggested as another worshipper arrived with a kidnapped man.
" No, have Mercy ! " The man begged
" Oh no, you don't ! " Arcee yelled, drawing her bow and sending arrows of solid light against all the worshippers, immobilizing them. She then reflected her sunrays on her Solar disc towards the demon, dissipating it.
" Well, our meddling robot is back. I thought seeing your greatest failure again would have been enough. " Ravanna taunted
" I'm done blaming myself for something I had no control of. Cliffjumper's death was Starscream's fault only. Fight me if you're a god " Arcee responded
" It is too late, Arcee. Soon the virus will be finished and humanity will go back to its bestial and destructive instincts. " Ravanna boasted, while letting out his own ten arms from his body in a shower of blood.
Arcee shot arrows again but the blue god parried them all with his Swords. Seeing this wasn't working, Arcee drew her axe and sword before charging at Ravanna.
For minutes, the two were equally matched in the use of weapons, clashing them with ferocity until they were locked trying to push each other away. But Jumper, who stayed out of sight, leaped on Ravanna's back and bit him on the neck.
" Aaah ! You stupid animal ! Get off me ! " He yelled in pain, while trying to dislodge Jumper
Jumper leaped off, allowing Ravanna to regain focus, only to see Arcee jumping at him with her Sword ready. She swung the weapon, cutting off Ravanna's head. The god's body stumbled then fell on the floor while the worshippers cried in despair.
" This time, you will rest in peace, Cliff. " Arcee said, before going to free doctor Dawson
The woman lied against the pillar, her chest heaving from rapid breaths and her heartbeat pounding in her ears. Arcee then changed Jumper into a kitten form and he placed his head on Amelia's belly and nuzzled it. Amelia calmed herself soon after and petted him, making him purr. She then turned towards Arcee.
" Thank you so much, for saving us. " Amelia said
" You're welcome, Doctor. " Arcee responded
( one day later )
The cultists were all arrested for bio-terrorism and Doctor Dawson could continue to search for a cure to the great rage. Arcee was ready to return to base, only for a strange light to engulf her and she disappeared.
Next time : June's turn