It's been a few days now since Raf awoke in this new world and he has steadily been getting accustomed to it. After his little breakdown in front of the Maximals he was fully welcomed into their group. Over the course of the few days he's been here Raf has gotten to know more about his new friends, past events, as well as current events. Apparently they've been marooned on this planet for a few months now after engaging the Predacons' ship in high orbit and subsequently crashing on this planet. Since then the two sides have been at war with one another, looking for any advantage to tip the scale in their favor. Besides that Raf was more interested in their original mission before they got tangled up in a war with the Predacons; deep space exploration and the studying of unknown worlds.
This leads to why Raf has asked to join Optimus and Dinobot in their scouting of the surrounding areas near their base. He wanted to go out and see this new world he's ended up in, as well as learn more about it. His reason earned him an approving smile from Optimus who gladly welcomed him along; Dinobot just growled something unintelligible.
So here he was over a dozen miles west of the base following Optimus and Dinobot. Raf was still not use to moving around in his beast mode and he was lagging behind the two as a result; he was use to moving on two legs not four! This lead to Dinobot pointing out how he was slowing them down but Optimus was patient enough to wait for him to catch up.
Soon the trio arrived at a small peninsula jutting into a lake with a cliff face and two waterfalls on either side of it. Optimus got right to work in studying the local fauna while Dinobot patrols the area. Raf meanwhile walked over to the cliff face that's near one the waterfalls to see how far down it went. The sheer drop before him made Raf gulp as he quickly moves away from the edge; he did not want to accidentally fall to an early grave.
Meanwhile Optimus seems to have found an odd plant growing against a boulder and has peeked his interest. "Ah, here's a new specimen." Optimus said to himself as he kneels down to look at the plant more closely, must be a flower of some kind. "Dinobot, come on! You're supposed to be assisting!"
"Of course!" Dinobot sarcastically replies as he came around a rock formation. "Pardon my lack of enthusiasm for a bunch of worthless weeds." He was now next to Optimus and he couldn't help but 'criticize' the situation. "You realize that we are targets out here. TARGETS! And still, you stop to smell the roses. Or whatever."
The flower hissed at him, revealing that it had a mouth with sharp teeth.
Optimus just sighs in exasperation. "Dinobot, I signed on for this mission as an explorer. Just because we bumped into Predacons is no reason to stop learning new things."
"Well, if we encounter any of Megatron's forces, you may learn it is unwise to dally with plants. We should be devising battle strategies."
"Knowledge of the territory can be an advantage in battle, Dinobot." Optimus wisely states. "You're a soldier, you should know that!"
"I somehow doubt this plant will be a turning point. But very well. If have it you must, stand aside! I'll blast it out! Dinobot, Maxi-" Before Dinobot could finish the command phrase his mouth was covered by Optimus's hand.
"Hold on! Hold on." Optimus ordered. He then begins to look around the bolder as if he were looking for something of note. Quickly he found what he was looking for; a small rock that kept the bolder propped up and in place. Grasping the bolder with both hands he reached for the small rock underneath with his Gorilla feet and grabbing it. Using the bolder as leverage he tugged at the rock a few times and after his third tug he managed to yank the rock out, sending the bolder rolling away.
With the bolder gone the flower was no longer obscured from their view. Optimus kneeled back down and lightly rubbed it. "You see? It is possible to look for non-violent solutions first."
"Perhaps. But I think you have lost your battle edge, Optimus. In our fight against Megatron there is nothing you can learn from this worthless weed." Dinobot then leaned in close to the plant and hissed at it before turning to walk away.
The flower seems to have taken offense to this and reared its head back before firing a spiked ball from its mouth. The ball sailed through the air and nailed Dinobot right at the nape of his neck, causing him start freaking out.
"Get this thing off me! I can't reach it! Get it OFF!!!" Dinobot screams as he tries to reach the offending projectile stuck to his neck.
"Hold on. Hold on!" Optimus tells him as he moves to his side and grabs the ball off his neck. Primal couldn't help but chuckle. "Got you right in the one place you can't reach, didn't it." The ball in his hand then begins to shake and he drops it. As the ball hits the ground it splits in two, sprouting a smaller version of the other plant. "You see? That's how it spreads its seed. We've learned something."
"Yes." Dinobot cynically replies. "From now on I shoot my dinner salad before I eat it."
It was then that Raf rejoined the two with a grin on his turtle face. "Hey guys, did I miss anything?"
Dinobot just growls angrily while Optimus just chuckles. "Not really. Just learning of how plants spread their seeds." Primal then kneels down to Raf. "How about you, find anything interesting?"
Raf just shook his head. "No. All I found were just some weeds and rocks." He then gave Optimus an inquisitive look. "By the way, are you sure this planet isn't Earth? While I may not be familiar with flora from other worlds I am pretty sure that these plants are of Earth origin."
Optimus nods to this. "The Axolon's data base would suggest that, but the presence of two moons refutes this."
"What about your beast forms? I know for a fact that those are animals that live on Earth."
Optimus rubs his chin as he ponders this. "Yes... records do indicate these forms are creatures of Earth. My best guess is that this world has gone through the same processes as Earth did, making it a twin of sorts."
Raf looked unconvinced. "The chances of that seem astronomically high."
"Weirder things have happened." Optimus admits. "For now let's find some more specimens." As he got up something at the corner of his eye caught his attention. Turning in its direction he gasps as Scorponok could be seen across the water behind some rocks.
"How about an arachnid?" Scorponok suggests before raising a claw and firing a missile at the three.
Optimus and Dinobot quickly jump out of the way while Raf hides in his shell. The missile sores pass them and hits the rocky hill behind them. Afterwards the three immediately began transforming.
"Optimus, Maximize!"
"Dinobot, Maximize!"
"Rafael, Maximize!"
Now in robot mode the three moved to anything that could be used as cover, which happen to only be a few boulders; all the while Scorponok kept firing missile after missile at them. Optimus and Raf brought out their guns and returned fire, Dinobot just fired lasers from his eyes instead. As the fire fight went on neither side seems able to hit their intended target.
Raf himself was having a hard time getting his shots to hit anywhere near Scorponok. With each shot he felt the recoil of his weapon and it threw off his aim. This was his second fight and last time he was lucky to have even hit something. It was clear to him he needed some weapons training so as to use his more effectively and made a mental note to do so when they get back to base.
As the battle waged on Optimus began to notice that Scorponok wasn't aiming at him or Raf but Dinobot, more specifically the hill behind him. The reason why was quickly revealed as a giant boulder was knocked loose.
"Dinobot!" Optimus tries to warn, but it came too late.
Dinobot turns around just as the boulder came tumbling down the hill, pinning him between it and his cover. He lets out a roar of pain as he was being crushed.
"Dinobot!" Optimus calls out again as he moves out of his cover to try and free Dinobot from his predicament, but that was what Scorponok was hoping for.
"I have a special cyber-bee just for you, Optimus Primal. Enjoy!" Scorponok says as he raises his other claw up and opens it, revealing said cyber-bee. He fires the bee and it sores through the air and nails Optimus right in the chest just as he turns, the impact pushes him into the hill behind him.
Optimus quickly raises his arm-gun up and fires off one last shot. The shot hits Scorponok, flinging him out of cover and onto a log behind him. Groaning from the hit he sits up, only for the log to shift and begin moving. Scorponok could only gasp as the log takes him over the waterfall, screaming as he fell.
By now Dinobot had managed to free himself. "Optimus..." He says as he weakly reaches out to him. Primal himself was groaning in pain as the cyber-bee dug its legs into his chest.
(%)
Back at the Maximal base Raf and Dinobot were sitting around the bridge's table with Rattrap and Cheetor, Rhinox was also there but was on one of the consoles.
"You were suppose to be his back-up!" Cheetor chastises angrily.
"We were ambushed!" Dinobot argues. "And don't tell me my duty, fur-ball, or you shall soon be occupying several recycling bins!"
"You wanna try it now, Lizard-Lips?" Cheetor snaps back.
Just as the two looked like they were about to leap over the table and strangle one another Rattrap intervened. "Ey hey hey hey here! As much as I'd love to see the both of you scrap yourselves... eh, save it for my birthday. Right now we've got bigger concerns."
That reminds all of those at the table of the situation as they look to the repair chamber in the room. Raf was mentally chastising himself for how useless he was out there; if only he could actually use his weapon properly then maybe Optimus wouldn't have gotten hurt. He needs to get better, so he isn't so useless in a fight anymore.
"Rhinox, what's the sitch?" Rattrap asks his pal at the console.
"Looks like a viral mine. It's fused with his net-core. He can't transform while the thing's attached." Rhinox answers.
"Then let's get it off!" Cheetor suggests as he gets up from the table and walks over to Rhinox. "He took enough energon damage just getting back here!"
Rhinox shakes his head. "Can't be done! The mine's rerouted all his life support functions to itself. We yank it; he lives for less than a minute."
"Whoa, that's bad."
"Gets worse. Right after that the mine explodes taking out everyone within sprintin' distance."
Cheetor was in disbelieve upon hearing this. "Man, I don't get it! Why? For What?"
"A viral mine, you say..." Dinobot says as something clicks in his mind. "I know Scorponok's creations. This one is intended to turn our leader into a coward, one who will lead us to defeat! Only Scorponok would have the anti-virus."
"Which would no doubt be guarded constantly now that Optimus has been tagged." Raf sums up. The situation was looking even more hopeless.
"There's gotta be a way to put the skids on it-" Rhinox was then cut off by an echoing boom.
Everyone jumps from their seats and turn to the source of the boom just in time to see a hole blown in the roof of the CR chamber. More holes were quickly made all over it before stopping, only to be followed up by dents forming on the chamber's door. A few heavy bangs later the door fell off and smoke bellowed out of the chamber. Out of the smoke stomped Optimus, teeth grit, arm-gun out, and a glare fixed on his face.
"Alright, WHO WANTS SOME?" The other Maximals went on guard at Optimus's words. They began to cautiously surround their leader, readying themselves in case he does something reckless.
"Nobody takes it off! Understand? You hear me?" Optimus pants out. Then he catches Dinobot and Raf moving behind him and whirls around and aims at the two. "I'll blow your slaggin' heads off!"
"No, BigBot!" Cheetor shouts out.
Rhinox then rushes forward and restrains Optimus. "Hold on there!"
"Get off of me!" Optimus shouts as he struggles to free himself from Rhinox's grip.
"Yes! Listen to him!" Dinobot tells him.
"Optimus, please calm down." Raf joins in trying to get through Optimus.
Optimus takes a few deep breaths and glares harshly at the pair. "I don't fear you... I don't fear any of you!!!" His struggles increased even further, and Rhinox was visible straining to keep him still.
"I thought that thing was supposed to turn him into a coward." Rhinox grunts out.
"No doubt that was its intention... but Scorponok is notoriously incompetent." Dinobot clarifies. He then moves closer to them and slouches slightly to look Optimus right in the eye, as if he were examining him. "I would say instead that we have... a berserker. Interesting."
"Optimus can beat it!" Cheetor States. "Come on, BigBot, fight against it! You can do it! Please."
After a few tense moments Optimus seems to have calmed down, if only slightly. "It's too much. I can't... can't fight it! Disarm my weapons, lock me up!"
Cheetor gasps at his leaders words and looked disheartened.
(%)
Scorponok was busy tinkering away in his lab without a care. So busy was he that he was unaware of the figure creeping up behind him. Though, he did become aware of them when their head appeared right next to his. He gasped, clearly startled, as he saw Megatron standing right next to him in beast mode.
"Ah Scorponok, yess, I have been waiting for your report." Megatron states as he looks down on his subordinate.
"Yeah I stuck it to 'im, Megatron! And GOOD!" Scorponok gloats.
"Excellent, and the anti-virus?"
"Just one, like you said, right behind you." Scorponok points to the vial sitting on the table behind his leader.
Megatron turns to the vial and looks at it with an evil chuckle. "By now Optimus Primal has most assuredly exchanged his... courage for a nice cowardly yellow stripe, yess. But he will not want to stay that way, noo." He then picks up the vial with his T-Rex hand. "So when he leads his misguided mechanoids on a futile raid for this anti-virus it will be their final battle, in the Beast Wars!"
"And what about the new guy?"
"Him? Oh the Maximals will be in for quite a surprise, yess."
(%)
Optimus Primal, leader of the Maximals, was currently bashing himself against the laser bars in the brig. Even as the bars shocked him he still continued; he needed an outlet for all this aggression. All of this anger, this rage, it was driving him insane! He needed to get out; he needed tear something apart!
It was then that Optimus notices that he has a visitor, standing safely behind the window viewing into the brig room. "WHAT DO YOU WANT?!" Upon seeing that it was Cheetor and he tries to rein himself in. "Cheetor... I'm sorry... it's hard to conTROL!"
Cheetor shook his head dejectedly at the sight. "Is there any of the old Optimus left?"
"Yes... some." Optimus manages to weakly get out; his head twitching every few moments.
"Don't let it go, BigBot. Don't let this... thing tweak you outta control."
"I DON'T know if I can BEAT it..." Optimus was now panting after struggling to say that. He then looked up at Cheetor with a determined look. "But I think I can... adapt to it. Maybe hold the suppression down; even use it... to our... advantage."
"Really? I knew it! You are too tough to be dropped by any techno-flu!" Cheetor then banged his hand against the window in elation. "Let's do it."
(%)
Raf was silent the others talk amongst each other, too locked up in his own mind. He's been trying to come up with a solution of his own, but nothing he thought of seemed to work. It was frustrating to be so useless in this situation! He was the Autobots tech support back home and would usually help them with making plans, even come up with some of his own, but here he can't even think of one that would be useful!
He needed to get out of his head for a while. By now maybe the others have come up with their own idea. Focusing back in on what the others were talking about he manage to hear what was being said.
"What do you mean - use it to our advantage?" Rhinox questioned skeptically.
"Optimus is a war-machine. I say we point him in the right direction, give him full armament and then unleash him upon the Predacons! If we want the anti-virus, that is the only way to get it." Dinobot said it as though it were their only course of action now.
Rattrap then pipes up. "Yeah, normally I would love to see the Preds get their little scheme tossed right back at 'em, but your forgetting just one little thing."
"And that would be?"
"Optimus would get blown to scrap. Big problem." Rhinox states.
"Well, that depends on your viewpoint."
"Ey hey hey, SHUT UP!" Rattrap did not like what he just heard.
"Actually, that's not a bad idea." Optimus said as he walked onto the bridge, Cheetor flanking him.
"Cheetor, what have you done?" Rhinox asks in shock.
"It's gonna be OK! Optimus has got it under his thumb." Cheetor reassures. "Tell 'em, BigBot!"
"I... I think I can do this. By channeling this new fighting instinct we can storm their base and... with your help, obtain the anti-virus." Optimus explains.
"Yeah! Piece of basic programming! We blast our way into Scorponok's lab for the anti-virus. All we want is to get BigBot here back to normal."
"Yeah? And, uh... what if he goes ape-slag on us?" Rattrap was not so easily convinced of this plan.
"Hmm, fine by me." Dinobot was on board for this.
"I don't know..." Raf wasn't sure if this was a good idea.
"Hey, they made me what I am today... so I figure it's time to say THANK YOU! NOW!!!" Optimus then raised his arms in the air with cheer, and fired off a blast that activated the alarms. As the alarms blared around him he became more and more angry. "Stupid slaggin' circuit systems! SHUT UP!"
Optimus then started firing wildly around the room and everyone dove for cover. Those that were sitting at the table hid underneath it as lasers flew over them. At one point Rattrap decided to peek his head out, only to duck back down as lasers shot pass where his head just was.
"We gotta stop him before he hurts himself!" Rhinox tells the others.
"HIM?!" Rattrap said in disbelief. "Try US!"
Taking decisive action, Rhinox rushed out from underneath the table and tackled Optimus to the ground. He struggled to keep Optimus pinned beneath him and nearly lost hold of him, but then Cheetor jump in to assist.
"Keep his arms down!" Cheetor yells as he struggles to keep Optimus's legs pinned. By now Rattrap and Raf joined in, each taking a limb to pin.
"Watch that laser!" Rhinox warns as Optimus almost had his gun pointed at Raf's head.
Their struggles were for naught though as Optimus, in a feat of berserk strength, threw all of them off of him. As the others were tossed around the room Optimus got back on his feet and looked at them all with a demented expression. "You... you don't understand. It's like Dinobot says, we gotta hit the Preds the only way they understand! Hard, fast, and right where it hurts!" He then pulled out his machete and activated his shoulder cannons. "But if your caution circuits are overriding your courage, then SMELT YOU ALL!! I don't need you! I'll handle this myself!" Activating his battle mask he stomps over to the lift and exits the ship.
"Optimus!" Cheetor calls out to him.
His call fell on deft ears as Optimus was already soaring through the airing, his destination clear.
(%)
"This is not the way, Cheetor." Dinobot tries to reason as he walks into the armory. He sees the yellow youngster arming himself with all manner of weapons, seemingly readying himself for war.
"We gotta back him up!" Cheetor argues, aggressively so.
"It is a doomed mission! There's no strategy, just blind aggression!" Dinobot stresses. He was a warrior and a soldier; he knew a bad play when he sees it.
"Maybe that's what we've been needing! A little less brains and a little more guts!" Cheetor says as he continues to stock up on ammo and grenades.
"We must try to think what Optimus... the OLD Optimus... would do."
His would seem to have finally reach Cheetor as he stops and looks at him questionably. "And that would be?"
Dinobot turned around and took a deep breath. "Negotiate."
(%)
"Got a Maximal tight beam transmission coming in." Terrorsaur informs Megatron and Scorponok. The moment he picked up the transmission he had called for Megatron, who was still in his beast mode, and Scorponok seems to have just tagged along. "It's a little garbled by the energon fields, but..."
"Bring it up, yess." Megatron was interested in what could be.
With a click of a button the transmission was picked up and they listened in to what the Maximals had to say. "...Predacon base. Come in."
"Hmm, Pussycat. Yess!" Megatron curiosity was now peeked and got right down to business. "State your business."
"Listen up you miswired metal-heads. You botched up your little attitude adjustment on Optimus. He's flaming towards you on the red-eye express and he's loaded for mainframe combat so what do you say you fork over the anti-virus before you get vaped?"
"Any renegade Maximal who blunders into our base will... not survive. Megatron out." With the transmission cut he looked at Scorponok, not pleased in the slightest. "Incompetent bug!" He then kicked him, HARD.
(%)
Cheetor shook his head dejectedly at the failed negotiation. "Beast mode." He transformed into a cheetah and looked down at the ground sadly. He could be seen stand atop a cliff with a clear view of the area the Predacon base located in, which is how he was able to even send a tight beam transmission in the first place. The other Maximals then walked up behind him in their beast modes, looking at him expectantly.
"Well?" Rattrap was the first ask.
"It didn't work. All we did was tip'em off and now they're going to be waiting for him." Cheetor then glared over at Dinobot. "You and your bright ideas."
Dinobot was unbothered by the cat's glare. "It would appear that only Optimus can truly think like Optimus... For the rest of us... we must now... think on our own."
(%)
High above the Predacon base Optimus could be seen flying down towards it. He armed his shoulder cannons and fired at the base, making an entrance for himself. Not even a moment after the hole was made Optimus flew right in, ready for battle.
Within said base Blackarachnia was currently station on one of the bases monitors when the base shook. She quickly used the monitor to see what was happening just as Megatron walked into the room, Scorponok and Terrorsaur flanking him.
"Report." Megatron demands.
"Three direct hits. Outer hull has been breached." Blackarachnia informs him. Then Megatron moves beside her to use the monitors' comm system.
"Tarantulas, destroy the intruder."
(%)
Back with Optimus we see him surveying his surroundings and found himself in one of the base's metal corridors. Ignoring the alarms blare around him, he decided to go left and hopefully run into some Preds to fight. He didn't even make it halfway down the corridor when he heard cackling behind him. Turning around, he saw Tarantulas standing there with his harpoon gun aimed right at him. Tarantulas cackled as he fired a harpoon at him, only for Optimus to catch it mid air. He wagged his finger at Tarantulas before, moving towards him.
Tarantulas was a little taken aback at Primal catching one of his explosive harpoons. Acting quickly, he bends spider limbs forward and begins firing at Primal. Optimus did nothing to dodge or even block any of his shots; instead he took it in stride and kept on walking towards him. Soon enough Optimus was standing right in front of him, looking down on him. In the next moment he was picked up and slammed against the wall, being held there with one hand by Optimus. He could only watch fearfully as Primal raised the harpoon he fired up for him to see. Tarantulas could only let out pain filled gasp as Optimus then stabbed the back end of the harpoon into him, pinning him to the wall.
With Tarantulas dealt with, Optimus continued on into the base.
(%)
Blackarachnia watched all of this go down on the monitors. She inwardly smirked at this, finding it quite amusing to see. Then the monitors picked up the other Maximals approaching outside the base.
"He's inside. And the other Maximals are coming." Blackarachnia tells Megatron.
"Take Terrorsaur and defend the perimeter." Megatron instructed before activating his comm's. "Waspinator, stop Optimus now."
(%)
"Waspinator get him."
Waspinator walks down one of the corridors in search of Optimus. As he's walking he heard Optimus's shout echo throughout the corridors. Now effectively scared, Waspinator presses his back against the corridor wall. He could hear Optimus stomping but didn't know which way it was coming from. As the stomping got louder and louder Waspinator could feel the ground shake and readied his gun.
He stood no chance.
Optimus's hands burst through the wall behind and grabbed him before pulling him through. Waspinator didn't even get a chance to scream before he was thrown through another wall by Primal. Lying on the ground, Waspinator could only raise an arm to shield himself as Optimus fired a single shot at him and everything went dark.
(%)
Meanwhile the rest of the Maximals have arrived outside the Predacon base and were charging for the entrance. Their advance was stopped by Blackarachnia and Terrorsaur running out and firing on them. The Maximals were quick to move behind some nearby rocks for cover and return fire.
Now both sides were stuck in a stalemate as they continued to fire upon each other.
(%)
Optimus continued to stalk down the halls in search for the anti-virus. He could feel his body start to weaken and the damage he's taken certainly doesn't help. As his pace slowed his head began to hurt and heard a voice echo inside his mind.
Is there any of the old Optimus left?
Don't let it go, BigBot.
Don't let this... thing tweak you outta control.
He knew that voice. "Cheetor. Cheetor..." His head hurt so much.
(%)
"Cheetor, now!" Rhinox says as he opened fire with his rotary cannon at the Predacons, making them duck behind their cover. "Raf, follow after him!"
"Beast mode!" Cheetor quickly transformed and bolted for the base's entrance.
Raf on the other hand didn't transform and simply ran for the entrance, taking a few blind pot shots at the Preds along the way. Unfortunately, the moment he stepped on the ramp to enter the base he was knocked to the ground by a punch to the face from the shadows. Slightly dazed he tried to find who had socked him and, when his vision stopped spinning, he laid eyes on the culprit.
Standing at roughly the same height as Raf was an intimidating Predacon. He was a bulky Pred sporting a green and bright yellow color scheme, with some white. Most of his beast form appeared to be some kind of spiky pill bug and it looked to be draped over his shoulders; the head of the insect had pincers and the back-end had a wicked stinger. He stared down at Raf with his blazing red eyes, the horns atop his bright yellow head certainly added to the intimidating look.
"W-who are you?" Raf timidly asks.
"The names Retrax and you're going to be my new playmate." The now named Retrax said as he stalked towards Raf.
Raf quickly got back on his feet and readied himself to fight for his life.
(%)
Optimus could feel his body beginning to succumb to the virus; he needed to find that anti-virus now or it will all be for naught. As he weakly stumbled into another room he took in his surroundings. This was clearly a lab of sorts, what with all the odd equipment and machines he could see, so that means the anti-virus must be in here. He looked around the room and all of its surfaces but couldn't find it; where was the anti-virus?!
Just then his body began to spasm and he let out a pained grunt as he fell to one knee. Looks like this is it. His systems were short-circuiting now and he can feel parts of him slowly shutdown.
"Looking for this, perhaps?" Walking out of the darkness was Megatron, and he had the anti-virus in his hands.
Optimus could only give him a weak glare in response.
"Gorilla warfare suits you. The old Optimus would never have made it this far." Megatron said with a smug calmness, as if he had nothing worry about in the slightest.
"What is it you want?" Optimus painfully asks; he was losing feeling in some parts of him now.
"Your allegiance in exchange for this anti-virus, yess."
"And if I refuse?"
"You cannot refuse! Noo, not if you want to survive! Join me, or perish!" Megatron states face to face with Optimus, looking down at him.
Optimus mulled over Megatron's words for a moment. He doubts Megatron would give him the anti-virus even if he grovels at his feet. Well then, if he was going to go out might as well take Megatron with him. With what little strength he had left Optimus jumps to his feet with a crazed look in his eyes. "OH YES! THEN WHY NOT END IT HERE AND NOW, MEGATRON!" Optimus then rips the cyber-bee from his chassis.
"You FOOL! You'll destroy us all!" Megatron quickly turns around to flee.
"Just a little trick I learnt from a flower, Megatron!" Optimus then throws the cyber-bee at Megatron, nailing him on the back of the neck.
Megatron lets out a shout of pained surprise as he unintentionally tosses the anti-virus into the air. He did not care about that now; he was more concerned with getting the ticking time bomb off of his neck. Running off into the darkness, he called out to the cyber-bee's creator. "Scorponok!"
With no strength left Optimus could only watch in dismay as the anti-virus began to fall back down to the ground, his last hope was about to be destroyed right in front of him. Just then Cheetor came running in and leaped into the air, transforming in the process, and grabbed the anti-virus before it hit the floor.
"Spark... fading..." Was all Optimus could get out before shutting down.
"Hang on, BigBot! Got the anti-virus right here!" As Cheetor ran up to Optimus, he wasted no time in injecting the anti-virus into him. The anti-virus worked fast as, in a few moments, Optimus came back online and shook his head. "YES! We're online! Let's bail before that thing blows!" Cheetor helps Optimus to his feet and the two made a run for the exit.
(%)
This whole fight was not going well for Raf in the slightest. Retrax has been using him as nothing more than a punching bag and he could do little to stop him. All this was proving to Raf was his inexperience in fighting and lack of pain tolerance. To make matters worse the other Maximals couldn't help since they were being pinned down by the other Preds. At this rate he'll most likely kick the bucket here.
Raf quickly raised an arm to block a punch aimed for his face from Retrax, only for it to be a faint and instead got a knee to the gut. He's trying his best to hold his own against Retrax, but the Pred is making it abundantly clear who was the superior fighter. Another blow to his mid had brought Raf down to one knee as he clutched his abdomen in pain.
"Oh come on, this is all you have to offer me? I was hoping you would give me a real fight!" Retrax then knees Raf in the face and sent the boy sprawling on his back. "Instead you're turning out to be a disappointment."
Raf struggles as he props himself up on his elbows and glares at Retrax. "Well, sorry to be such a letdown."
Retrax simply walks over and grabs Raf by the face as he lifts him up into the air. "You've proven to be a waste of my time." He attached his left arm to the back-end underside of his beast mode and brought its stinger up close for Raf to see. "So how about I just gut you and call it a night, yes?" Retrax took pleasure in seeing the fear in Raf's eyes as he reared his arm back, ready to skewer him here and now.
Fate had other plans however as Optimus and Cheetor took this moment to run out of the ship. "Time to fade, heroes!"
This was enough to draw Retrax's attention for a few moments to look at the two rushing out of the ship. Using the distraction to his advantage, Raf raised his feet and kicked Retrax with all his might, freeing himself and launching away from him. Raf wasted no time in making a break for it and ran after Cheetor and Optimus. The others seem to have the same idea as they disengaged from the Predacons and began to retreat as well.
They didn't stop running even as the Predacon base started to explode.
(%)
Slowly Optimus came to as his eyes flickered back online. It looks like he's in his quarters and lying down on his bed. Turning his head a bit he spotted Dinobot kneeling beside him, watching over him. "Bedside vigil, Dinobot? Not like you."
"It was... my shift." Dinobot says, trying to save face. "Well... it's good to... have you back." He then gets up and walks to the door.
"Back home, or back to normal?"
"Both." Dinobot answers with a slight grin.
Optimus then notices the plant from earlier in a pot resting on his bedside table and Raf sleeping against his bed. When he turned to ask Dinobot about this he was already out the door. Optimus couldn't help but chuckle at this and continued to rest on his bed; though he did rest a hand on Raf's sleeping head and gently rubbed it.
It has been a long day, for everyone.
Finally done!
Sorry this chapter took so long to get out to you guys. I had wanted it out last week, but I underestimated how difficult it would be to write an entire episode. It doesn't help that I have a hard time reading people in general so trying to accurately describe what the characters were feeling in the episode was a bit challenging for me, at I won't have this problem when doing original chapters.
Besides that I've introduced the new Predacon! I had a plethora of Predacons to chose from with the Beast Wars extended media, like comics and toys. He seemed like a good character to add, and will help me in developing Raf a bit.
I hope you all enjoy the chapter. Please like, follow, and comment on the chapter. I'm serious about the comments, I want to see what you all think of my work.
7/19/2023