SZ:...no sign of Z0...
GT: I'm sure Z0 will turn up sooner or later for this. In the meantime, I shall…*gets tackled and chained up to a wall by SZ*
SZ: Don't even think about it, mister! No explosion or anything!
GT: What? I wasn't gonna do that.
SZ: You know what!
GT: That's the job of the space vehicle falling into orbit this chapter.
SZ: Th...nevermind. We own nothing aside from original content, so enjoy the chapter folks!
GT: Well, that and the Charged Creeper from Minecraft that's right behind you. *SZ looks behind himself to see a Charge Creeper about, hissing and waving with a stubby limb at him*
SZ: ...Aw cr-
*KABOOM!*
Depending on where you live on a planet, day and night are dependent upon which side of the surface faces the sun. For one vessel, the side facing away from the sun was its destination. Inside of the vessel, a hand tapped on a glowing console.
"These are the coordinates provided by them," the pilot noted before something crashed into the ship and an alarm blared, "What the slag?! Frag! Something clogged the thrusters!" the pilot typed rapidly, "Alert! To anyone who can pick up on this communication! This is the Orion Pax Sigma! I have lost control of the ship and am falling into orbit! Wherever I land, please find it! I am here on urgent business! I repeat, alert! To…" the pilot cried out as the console began to spark and blow up in places, "Gah! Slag! Gotta get to a pod!"
The pilot spun around only to scream when the console exploded behind them, sending them crashing into another console, letting the screen display 'SCAN MODE: ACTIVATED.' The console sparked as the pilot laid still on the ground, the impact having knocked them out. Outside, the vessel began glowing as it entered the atmosphere. The console sparked again and the display read 'ERROR: UNABLE TO PERFORM COMPLETE SCAN. SOLUTION: SECOND SAMPLE OBTAINING'. Outside, a wave of yellow energy spun around the vessel in the form of two large discs just as it flew over a zoo. One wave washed over an eagle flying nearby while the other washed over an artificial den in the zoo. The fire-engulfed vessel finally crashed down in a forest lake, sending up a pillar of water just as the screen sparked and read 'EMERGENCY EJECT: ACTIVE.' Soon, the water settled and a calmness covered the forest, the full moon above it all, seemingly the only observer alongside the stars.
"Mou…" Makoto muttered, just flipping through channels on the TV while wearing just a white sports bra and gym shorts.
"Are you still annoyed that we couldn't go with Ben and Rook to see Rook's planet?" Tsubaki questioned, wearing a cream blouse and brown pants as she was on her laptop at the table.
"What do you think?" Makoto muttered, "Also...ugh! I'm so boooooorrrrred!" she added as she plopped onto the couch.
"Why not go to the gym then?"
"Can't...it's closed down for renovations…also there's nothing on TV!"
"Really?" Jenny asked as she sat down beside her, "It looked like there was a lot on to me. Not like the petting pantries where you'd sometimes end up seeing the same ol' cartoon twice in a row and you had to pay for all that, too."
"True, but most of the time there's usually nothing good on TV," Makoto argued as she changed the channel, "...There's a show on paint drying?! Who watches that? Snails?!"
"If you're that bored Makoto, then why not help Noel in the kitchen? Or help Mai out in whatever Kajun has her doing?" Tsubaki suggested.
"...Noel's in the kitchen?" Makoto asked, her ears drooping in worry.
"Yes. She's trying to make a new type of banana...bread…muffins..." Tsubaki replied as she slowly blinked in realization "...Noel, you are using bananas right?"
"Hai! Demo..I think they can use more...OH! Fruit Basket Bread Muffins!" Noel gasped from the kitchen, "And to give them a sweeter taste, I'll add some jelly in the middle so they can also be both hot and cool on the inside!"
"...That...that actually sounds normal," Makoto admitted.
"What kinds of jelly?" Tsubaki asked.
"Magister Tennyson showed me how to make jelly made from coffee beans!" Noel beamed.
"I spoke too soon…" Makoto muttered with a sweatdrop.
"Some days, I'm jealous of some of the stuff organics can do...then there are days like this where I'm glad I can't," Jenny noted before Makoto gave her a look, "...Eh-heh-heh...Um…" she ran off, "I'll go check on Kajun and Mai! Okay-thanks-bye! I'm blousing!"
"Wait! Don't leave us w-" Makoto began before Jenny closed the door behind her, "..."
"Blast it all!" Kajun groaned, hitting her forehead on the desk.
"Seriously, what are you doing?" Mai asked, going through stances with her spear nearby.
"Blukic and Driba found Dr. Wakeman's account in the Plumbers Earth database, but I just can't figure out her password to look!" Kajun explained, showing her laptop reading 'ACCESS DENIED.'
"Maybe Jenny knows something. It is her mother after all," Mai offered, "Chances are she'd know her quirks of her mother and what secret word she'd use. Chances are I could do the same for one of my parents and you, too."
"..." Kajun glanced away from Mai as an awkward silence filled the air.
"...Oh...um...I…" Mai stammered, realizing she may have touched a bad thing.
"Girls, help! I think Makoto's going to do something to me!" Jenny yelped as she ran through the door, leaving a hole shaped like her in it, "...oopsie. Um, I can fix that?"
"...Jennifer, good timing!" Kajun declared, shooting up and pulling Jenny over, "I need your help with something!"
"Hmm?"
"I've recently obtained your mother's account in the Earth Plumbers database, and I was hoping you might know what passwords she would've possibly used," Kajun explained as she moved Jenny before her laptop.
"Huh? Mom's password?" she blinked, taking a few moments to think, "This is multiple tries, right?"
"Yes...for the past hour and a half…" Kajun sighed.
"Okay I might have a few guesses…" Jenny muttered as her fingers extended and multiplied, allowing her to rapidly type and enter every password she could think of as well any numbers added as security variables. Mai and Kajun awed as after a few seconds of rapid attempts, a final try ended when a ding went off, indicating the proper password, "She used 'Jenny' as the password."
"Huh...why didn't I think of that?" Kajun muttered.
"You were thinking like a scientist first," Mai reasoned, "Mrs. Wakeman was thinking like a mom."
"..."
"...Kajun?"
"...I...of course…" Kajun whispered, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"So why did you want to get into mom's account?" Jenny asked.
"Hmm? Oh! Yes...I was hoping to find some…" Kajun began before her Plumber's Badge went off, "..." '...Of course...OF COURSE JUST AS I FINALLY GET IN!'
"FINALLY! SOME ACTION!" Makoto exclaimed from the next room.
"Can we not…?" Mai asked.
"No complaints! Let's go!" Makoto shouted, grabbing everyone and dragging them out.
"GET CHANGED FIRST, MAKOTO!"
"I got my Armor!" she declared, kicking the door open as her armor formed around her, "Now let's go!"
"The account…" Kajun whined.
"Question," Jenny spoke, "Do we even know where we're supposed to go?"
Makoto halted there, "...uh…"
Tsubaki sighed as she answered her badge, "Tsubaki Yayoi reporting."
=Sorry to interrupt you all, girls, but we've got transport ready for you girls. I'm sure out of all of you, Jenny will be the most excited=
"Hm? Why, sir?" Jenny asked.
=You're going to Mt. Rushmore, the base Dr. Wakeman was in charge of=
"Wait...this is a sciency thing!?" Makoto asked shocked, "You mean...no punchy punchy…?" she asked in a dejected tone as if a child ready to cry in disappointment.
"Makoto…"
"I WAS SO HYPED~!"
"Now Kajun is hyped…" Mai sighed noting the giddy look on her face.
=There might be, Makoto. Reports have been coming in on people being attacked at night. So far, no casualties= Max explained as a Plumbers ship landed near them =Patelliday is at the Mt. Rushmore base and will fill you in when you get there. Good luck=
"And once more I'm hyped!" Makoto beamed before rushing into the ship, "Ikuzo, Team Remix Heart!"
"Ahh…" Noel comically cried as she was dragged out, "But...my muffins…."
"Whoa…!" Jenny awed, looking upon the four faces of the monument.
"I'm not surprised you didn't see this in the twenties, it was only just beginning to be made when you were put into that repair chamber," Tsubaki noted, "From what I've read, it took from 1927 to 1941 to build it, starting on August 10."
"I went into the chamber in July," Jenny noted.
"She must have joined the Earth Plumbers not long after…" Tsubaki theorized.
"Now it's not as...fancy as what we got back home," Patelliday spoke while walking over to them, "But this old base still got some use to it. You know...after we fix the damage Ben caused from his fight with Dagon Empowered Vilgax…"
"How bad could it be?" Makoto asked.
"Washington's face is a hologram…" Patelliday explained, chucking a rock through said face and causing it to flicker for a moment, "But while doing maintenance, thankfully, we discovered the lower levels were perfectly intact! And opened up some older looking labs and offices, ooh boy the things we found!"
"What did you find?" Kajun asked, excitement in her tone.
"Well in the labs was some real handy tech! In the offices were records and reports that fill in a lat of gaps from the early 30's 'till the 60's!" Pateliday spoke, "30 years where history for Earth Plumbers was all gobbledygook! Though, uh...we did destroy something that was in there, some sorta raggedy thing that tried to get onto Robucket."
"Whoa, what happened?" Makoto asked.
"Heck if I know. All I was told is one of the rookies panicked and began shouting: KILL IT WITH FIRE!" he shouted, "Which he did...he uh...dumped the remains in that literal dumpster fire over there…" he pointed where several male Plumbers tossed entire logs into a roaring fire.
"Raggedy? Um...did they describe it as some sorta patchwork cloth? Had orange 'hair?'" Jenny asked.
"I think so. Why do you ask?"
"That...was kinda mine," Jenny admitted, "It was supposed to make me look like a human, but it became sentient and took over my body until I managed to force it off by dunking an egg creme on my head. I guess mom kept it here to try to fix what went wrong." her left eye extended before projecting a silent film of a shapely young teenage girl with pigtails in a dress, "When I put it one, I looked like this."
"A prototype to the ID Masks we use today," Patelliday noted.
"We'll never know," Makoto spoke, lifting a giant log over to the fire as the Plumbers cheered.
"...So what can you tell us about these attacks, sir?" Mai asked.
"From what we've been able to get, the attacks happen at night and often go after campsites that are in the area," Patelliday explained, "Whatever it is…" he pointed over at the remains of a vehicle being brought in, "It was able to total that with just one blow."
"Meep…" Noel replied.
"Well...this seems like a fun game of 'Hunt the Dangerous Forest Monster'…" Makoto added with the strongest sarcasm she could muster.
"...Makoto, let go of my chest," Mai deadpanned.
"Ehehehe…"
"Makoto...We talked to you about this," Patelliday put his hands on his hips.
"I can't help it! It happens when I get scared!"
"Well...we know what class you're gonna have to sit through again, young lady," Patelliday sighed, "We never thought those office harassment tapes would need to be used for one person alone…"
"Jumpin' jimminies, what could've caused this?" Jenny pondered as she and Kajun walked over to the vehicle."
"Hmm...whatever did this was large. Possibly as big as the Rustbucket," Kajun guessed, putting a hand on a series of deep gashes tearing through it, "It could have claws and, hm? Hello…" she reached in and pulled out a feather as big as her arm that was primarily silver and turned bronze and white near the end, "Now what's this?"
"We'll have the boys look it over," Patelliday noted, "But I don't think there's an animal on this planet that's got wings big enough for that feather. And if'n there is...I am not going to become its dinner, no siree."
"...We're gonna investigate that, aren't we?"
"Of course," Tsubaki replied.
"...oh…" Noel groaned as she fainted, being caught by Makoto's tail.
"Um...how are we gonna do that?" Makoto asked.
"'How are we gonna do that,' I asked…" Makoto grumbled, pulling a rope that pulled up a large bag up into a tree.
"Uh, why are you doing that, Makoto? We haven't even gotten anything for dinner out," Mai asked.
"So Noellie doesn't cook everything," Makoto replied, "Now don't get me wrong, I love camping. But we're camping to bring out some sorta monster! Ugh...How come Kajun and Jenny got a pass?!"
"Because Kajun is helping with studying the feather and Jenny is looking at everything her mom and friends from the twenties did involving the Plumbers," Mai replied.
"This is quite nice," Tsubaki noted as she and Noel came over from a nearby path into the campsite where a blue RV was set up, "And quite nice that they lent us one of the Rustbuckets they had in the base to rest in."
"H-hai," Noel nodded in agreement
"Who knew Max had so many...wait. Never mind...Ben's probably the reason," Makoto sighed.
"Actually, they're standard issue for mobile agents," Tsubaki explained, "Magister Tennyson has one because it doubles as his home."
"Ahh…" Makoto nodded a bit, "I wonder how Jenny's doing...?"
"Huh?!" Jenny gawked.
"Yes, this is just a shell," a human Plumber noted, tapping the chest of a bulky silver humanoid robot with the head shaped to resemble a handsome man of the 1920s before it opened up, showing a cockpit, "See?"
"How could someone tear out his insides and turn him into a suit?!" Jenny gawked before hugging it, "Oh, Silver Shell, what did they do to you?!"
"...She's aware that the blueprints we found show that this was always meant to be true, right?" the agent whispered to Kajun, who was looking at said blueprints.
"Read this line," Kajun replied, pointing to a little scribble in the corner.
The Plumber muttered the line to himself before blinking twice, "Wait. This is…?"
"Yes. Was in repair since the end of the 1920s due to a malfunction in the repair system," Kajun explained.
"...Wow. ...The guy knew that she's a robot, right?"
"Most likely. Hence the armor."
"...The more we find down here, the more I'm left in shock at the personalities of the people who worked in the Plumbers from the 1920s."
"Indeed," Kajun nodded.
"I hope t…" Jenny began before she noticed a wanted poster of herself, "...someone kept that?"
"You were wanted?"
"...Twice actually. Once on the Cluster Home World when Vexus was still in charge, and the other…" Jenny paused as she sheepishly rubbed the back of her head, "Was because I ended up destroying every holiday on Earth."
"Hacking unit? Or Mind control?" Kajun asked
"A bit of both...this one rich kid used me to do it, and I became the most wanted person on Earth for a while."
"Hmm...remind me to update your mental...security so that doesn't happen again," Kajun muttered, tapping Jenny's head with a pen, "It would be really annoying if an enemy learned of that."
"Agreed," Jenny replied, cringing a bit before thinking for a moment, "Though now I'm wondering if that Billy brat is a descendant of his..."
"Nightmares for another day…" Kajun shook her head, "Let's finish looking around. For all we know, your mother left you something."
"Right," Jenny agreed.
"Makoto…"
"What?" Makoto asked, looking up from the stick she had stuck several marshmallows to and currently holding over the fire.
"We're supposed to be on lookout, not roasting marshmallows," Tsubaki scowled, hands on her hips.
"Aw c'mon~! What's wrong with a little snack while waiting?" Makoto asked, "Sides...it's a campfire. You're supposed to keep it lit and roast marshmallows over it! Seriously, having a campfire and not roast marshmallows is like...not adding chestnuts to a chestnut parfait!"
"Ugh...honestly…" Tsubaki sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose.
"Just one?" Makoto asked, "C'mon! The alternative is Noel's whatever she's making with Max's emergency rations."
"...On second thought, move aside," Tsubaki said as she grabbed a nearby stick, "Also Mai, check on Noel, would you?"
"Yay!" Mai cheered as she skipped off to the RV.
"...Uh...should we ask the Galvans if they could figure out how to cure her tongue?" Makoto asked.
"Hmm?"
"I mean, I know she likes the taste...but I mean, what are the long term effects on her digestion system?" Makoto pointed out while rubbing her own stomach for emphasis.
"I'm...I'm not sure," Tsubaki replied, blinking twice, "...Do you think Kajun has notes on it?"
"Eh, probably," Makoto shrugged as she pulled her stick back and blew out the marshmallow that had caught fire, "Nice." she opened her mouth when her tail shot straight up, "?!"
"Makoto?" Tsubaki pondered as the Beastkin jumped up and looked around.
"We're not alone…" Makoto whispered, pulling her tonfa out as she cautiously looked around, "Something's watching us...something...big."
For a moment, all was still. The full moon and the stars above twinkled and shone. Nothing was out of the ordinary, and yet…
*Awooooooeeech…*
"?!" Tsubaki tensed as she shot up, pulling out her sword and shield.
"You heard that, right?!" Mai called out as she and Noel rushed out of the RV, weapons out as they joined the two.
"W-Was that a wolf or an eagle?!" Noel asked.
"Not sure..I think it was a combination of both," Makoto replied as the four stood back to back, "...Think maybe it's Animo?"
"I doubt it. He's still in his cell back at HQ," Tsubaki replied, "I think he was making a Beastkin doll using an octopus plush."
"RED FLAG!-!" Makoto snapped at that.
"Um...d-did it get darker all of a sudden?" Noel asked.
"Huh?" Mai blinked before looking up, "OH SHOOT! MOVE IT!"
The four girls jumped out of the way just before a massive object crashed onto the fire, dispersing it and bringing up a burst of dirt and ashes. Glowing red eyes flared in the improvised smokescreen before whatever struck the ground slammed against the tree holding their food supplies, knocking it over.
"Hey...HEY! That's OUR FOOD!" Makoto snapped as she rushed and grabbed a boulder almost as big as her before tossing it at the monster, knocking it down before it could take off again, "Bullseye!"
"Ow!"
"...Did...did it just say….'ow'?" Noel gulped as she hid behind her three friends.
"Oh, so you're sentient huh!?" Makoto snapped, ripping a tree out of the ground, "COME HERE!" she snapped, swinging it around like a club, "This is personal now!"
She swung it at the figure, who snarled and jumped over the tree. A blast of wind slammed into Makoto, knocking her over and caused the tree to land on her.
"Gah!" Makoto grunted beneath it.
Mai threw her spear at the figure, who dropped the bag before moving to the side and snatched the spear in its large jaws before dropping it. Noel began to open fire, earning grunts from the figure until another blast of wind sent her into Tsubaki, knocking them over. The figure grabbed the bag before charging at the blue Rustbucket. With a swipe, it was knocked over with a large gash along the side. The figure bent down before it before running off, another blast of air kicking up the dirt and making another smokescreen.
"Our food!" Makoto snapped, pushing the tree off her, "I'm gonna kick your...whatever you got for a butt!"
"It's escaped," Mai groaned as she ran over and picked up her spear, "Ugh...there's slobber all over it!"
"And a lot of..a...achoo!" Noel sneezed when a feather brushed past her, "...A lot of feathers…"
"So...we got a freaky Dog...Bird...freak! And I'm calling it that 'cause it's clearly some freaky mutated animal!" Makoto ranted, "Which I am going to beat up and bring home so we can mount it in our house for this horrible atrocity it has commited!"
"Yes, that's all good and fine, Makoto...Now please help us flip the RV back onto its wheels so we can contact base," Tsubaki ordered as she pointed at the damaged vehicle...which now sported a fire.
"Ah! My quiche was in the oven!" Noel exclaimed.
"Right. Flipping…" Makoto sighed as she jogged around the side and, after a couple seconds, the vehicle was pushed back up onto its wheels.
Noel rushed in first followed by Tsubaki and Mai who went to check on the equipment inside the RV. They just tried to ignore Noel's bout of despair over the destruction of her food...even more so when Makoto used a fire extinguisher on the flames.
"My Quiche~" Noel sobbed.
"Aw man…" Mai pouted.
"Mai, focus…" Tsubaki ordered as she checked the damage, looking at the gashes, "Hmm...it doesn't seem that anything of vital importance was removed but several components inside of where the beast struck are highly damaged."
"The winch on the front's missing along with the front bumper," Mai noted.
"Aw, I liked that plate it had," Makoto whined before blasting the oven with another shot of foam when it sparked up another fire, "Seriously though, if we're dealing with one of Animo's escaped 'research projects,' I'm personally paying him a visit and sending him to the dentist."
"I'll try to contact Magister Tenyson to request Animo be interrogated on if he had any experiments near here," Tsubaki noted, "In the meantime, Mai, try to contact Mt. Rushmore base for some backup and possibly a new vehicle."
"Gotcha."
"My...these notes are...detailed…" Kajun muttered as they found the work of Ms. Wakeman and were now sifting through all of it: all material pertaining to Plumber tech alone was filed away to be scanned and digitized for records. Meanwhile, any and all personal studies were in hers and Jenny's hands.
"No kidding…" Jenny whispered.
"It seems Dr. Wakeman used your 'human suit' to make the first working ID Masks. Granted, they were more like helmets back then instead of opera mask-like as they are now," Kajun noted, looking at one page showing a rough draft of a helmet with a mask.
"...Think the prototype is still here?" Jenny asked.
"Perhaps...you want to try it, don't you?"
"A little, yes," Jenny replied, "I mean...it won't hurt to walk around looking like a normal teenage girl, right? That and...I'm not sure if there are any cafes that are...what would you call the term in this time? People who say nasty things about robots?"
"Technophobic," Kajun clarified, "...I take you met someone like that in the past?"
"The owner of this one place my friend Brad worked at once. He refused to let me be in there because I was a robot."
"I see…" Kajun noted before putting a hand on Jenny's shoulder, "You're not the only person who's dealt with prejudice such as that."
"Hmm?"
"Makoto. She...she's dealt with something similar, if not worse back in school...even before then," Kajun explained, making Jenny blink a bit in surprise.
"What? Why? She's so nice."
"She wasn't always like that," Kajun stated, "At the start of the school year at the military academy, she was...not as friendly as she is now. From what Noel and Tsubaki told Mai and I, Makoto was cold, distante, and...she was the type that, were she provoked the wrong way, she could've...turned out different."
Jenny cringed at that, "I can't even imagine her being like that."
"With how she is now, I couldn't agree more," Kajun agreed, "If it weren't for Noel and Tsubaki, she wouldn't be the happy, energetic squirrel girl we know her as today."
-linebreak-
"I am not a happy, energetic squirrel girl right now…" Makoto grumbled.
"Is it because we have to be towed back to the base since one of the systems that thing's claws tore into was the starter system?" Mai asked, pointing outside to the tow truck piloted by Patelliday.
"That, and the fact our food is gone!" Makoto snapped, "I had a some sweets stowed in there, too! Mmm...my chocolate acorns~"
"Of course," Mai sighed, rolling her eyes.
"Ugh! Stupid giant winged mutt!" Makoto grumbled.
"At least this attack let us get another feather to study while the other is back in Bellwood," Tsubaki noted, looking over the large feather, "I wonder how things are being handled…"
A door slid open and two Plumbers escorted a yawning Dr. Animo into the room. He sat down at a desk welded to the floor with two revolving chairs also welded to the floor and the two agents left the room, closing it behind them. A few minutes passed before it opened again, letting Max enter and sit down across from the mad scientist.
"Must this be done so early in the morning? I was barely starting to rest after repairing some tears in one of my 'subjects,'" Animo noted, giving a yawn.
"Yes I know, but we just need to ask you a few questions," Max stated, "First off; we've received reports of a hybrid animal beng spotted around Mt. Rushmore. Are you behind this creature?"
"A hybrid creature at Mt. Rushmore? Hmm...Rushmore...Rushmore...Hmm...Can't seem to recall," Animo replied.
"It's been attacking people in the middle of the night," Max explained before pulling out the feather and put it on the table.
"Hmm...interesting...avian in nature...what form of hybrid is this creature?"
"From the reports, half eagle, half wolf."
"Hmm...let me ruminate on that," he replied, "Let's see...Eagle and wolf...I've done wolf and goat...eagle and crocodile...uh nope, never done that one. But I'll take that idea for next time I escape!" he chuckled before taking the feather, "Hmm...But for the nature of it...It looks to be the feather of the Haliaeetus leucocephalus, yet the texture is more of the fur of a Canis lupus. Judging by the feather alone, it would be approximately 13.716 meters in length, possibly 2.7432 meters in width minus the wings. And what's this? Why…" he gasped before throwing it away, "A mockery of all things biological! What sick game is this?! Who is the maker of such a...a...a mockery of my field of research?!"
"I beg your pardon?" Max asked.
"Maxwell, do recall that outside of the devices I use to create my mutations, I never integrate the newly evolved with machinery," Animo growled, glaring at the feather, "To do that would put shame to my field in veterinary sciences! Whatever this is...whoever made it...has made nothing short of an utter and horrific abomination!"
"Abomination?" Max repeated as he picked it up.
"There's a minor fracture from where it was removed from the wing," Animo explained, "My goggles have magnification to let me perform delicate work on my 'subjects' and it is the only reason I saw what filth lies within!"
"Wait wait wait...Animo are you telling me...there is technology in this feather?" Max asked.
"Well, I thought I made that rather abundantly clear. Now remove it from my sight! Thank you~!" he turned away while crossing his arms.
"Right," Max nodded, "Any requests before you're taken to your cell?"
"A Canis lupus plush and a Haliaeetus leucocephalus plush, if you would. Abomination it may be, I will create what it should be."
"Of course," Max replied.
"Jumpin' jimminies! What happened?!" Jenny gasped as she ran up to the quartet with Kajun following behind, still looking at Dr. Wakeman's papers, "...Did Makoto get zozzled and attack the truck?"
"No...some...THING attacked us and stole our food!" Makoto snapped, "I'm still saying Animo's behind it somehow!"
"We won't know until…" Tsubaki began before her communicator went off, "...Perfect timing." she took it out, "Tsubaki Yayoi, reporting."
=We just finished speaking to Animo. It's not one of his= Max informed.
"He's lying!" Makoto snapped
=No. He was telling the truth. We also found out something from the sample you've sent...the feather had technology in it=
"Hm?" Kajun blinked as she looked up from her papers.
=Yes= Driba noted on the line =A deep scan detected a rather unique form of genetics. Cybernucleic Acid or CNA for short=
"Cybernucleic acid?" Tsubaki spoke.
"It's...Cybertronian?" Kajun realized/theorized.
=Possibly= Driba replied =Though...it's shocking. From the few interactions the Plumbers have had with them...organics are, well…=
=A lot o' them think organics are dangerous critters that have some sorta disease that can infect 'em= Blukic surmised.
=Supposedly this 'Sentinel Magnus' is the one behind this rumor=
"So what? He's...prejudice to all organic life forms?" Makoto asked, "That's a new one…"
=Yes...and it is odd because Cybertronians have helped the Earth before when the Decepticons invaded=
"Wait. There's another planet full of robots aside from Cluster Prime?" Jenny asked.
"Yes," Kajun replied, "There are two seperate factions that fight against one another for control of the planet: The Autobots and the Decepticons."
"...I'm gonna take a guess the Decepticons are the bad guys, right?" Mai asked.
=In essence, yes. Though it's more of a grey area with both factions at the moment= Max explained =The Decepticons originally came to be as an act of rebellion from a caste system Cybertron originally used before a several millenium-long war known as the 'Great War' occured. After, the Autobots soon formed something akin to a Communist regime that's gone on even today=
"Huh?!" Makoto gawked.
=Now don't get me wrong. While it may seem the Decepticons were freedom fighters...their methods are...very horrific at times=
=And th' worst of 'em is there leader, Megatron=
"...Why did I just get the hebe-jebes from hearing that name?" Makoto asked.
"Mm hmm…" Noel added with a whimper, instantly hiding behind Makoto.
=If a Cybertronian is there...there could be a chance they're an Autobot or a Decepticon= Max stated, the group unaware that they were being spied on by a large figure.
"...And it does raise some questions," Kajun spoke, earning their attention, "Normally for Cybertronians, they have two modes. A robot mode, and a vehicle mode...though there have been a few exceptions with insects and dinosaurs on occasion...but one based on an animal is new...a fused one at that."
"So...what? It's a...Fuzor?" Makoto asked.
"Oh great... That's its title now, isn't it?" Tsubaki sighed.
=Nice and simple= Max agreed =Good title, Makoto=
"Thanks s-" Makoto began before her tail shot up, "?! ...Girls...it's back…"
"So soon?!" Mai gasped as the girls-minus Kajun-pulled their weapons out.
"How do you know?" Jenny asked, blasters out and at the ready.
"I know when a canine is staring hungrily at something all too well…" Makoto replied, "Add in an eagle-which normally hunt small rodents like squirrels- and...yeah…"
"It's like Makoto has her own predator now," Noel blurted.
"SHH!" Makoto hissed, covering Noel's mouth as she looked around, "Don't give Khyber any ideas! I know he's not here, but he's gotta have some weird spy cam or something to spy on us!"
"Makoto, you're being paranoid," Tsubaki deadpanned.
"Well excuse me for dealing with...why did it suddenly get dark?"
"..." Mai looked up, "Incoming!"
"Ahh!" the girls screamed as they scattered just in time as a large figure landed right where they were standing.
Once the dust settled, they finally got a look at what the figure was. As described, it looked like a mix between a wolf and an eagle. Its body had the torso, hind legs, and head of a grey wolf while its front legs were the legs and talons of a bald eagle with the wings of the eagle on its back and its tail actually a bald eagle's tail feathers. It tilted its head up and let out a howling screech at the moon before snarling at them, its red eyes aimed at Makoto.
"Meep," Makoto squeaked, her ears and tail drooping with her eyes wide, "I know that type of look…"
"Grr…"
"...I'M NOT FOOD!" Makoto freaked as she bolted for a nearby tree.
The Fuzor roared before giving chase. Makoto scurried up the tree and the Fuzor crashed into it. Makoto yelped and barely jumped to another tree as the first fell.
"Why do dogs always chase after me?!" Makoto complained, jumping away through the trees as it gave chase, "In fact...why do dogs love to chase squirrels in general?! I'm not trying to annoy it or anything!"
"Technically, he's not a dog!" Kajun called.
"DON'T CARE! HELP!"
"R-right!" Tsubaki nodded, "Jenny, you try and distract it. Noel, stay here and provide cover fire. Mai, you're with me. Kajun, keep track of our locations on the badge."
"Got it!" the girls replied.
Jenny quickly flew off after the Fuzor as Noel summoned her guns. The Fuzor snarled as it knocked over another tree before a large fist slammed into its face, knocking it away. It got up and snarled as Jenny glared at it.
"Bad dog! Don't eat my friend!" Jenny demanded.
"Uhm...right…" Noel spoke, watching how erratically they jumped around from tree to tree, "Oh dear…"
"At least Makoto is using this to get distance," Kajun noted, looking at her badge displaying a map of the area with a chibi image of Makoto moving from tree to tree while a chibi image of Jenny was moving around far behind her and a joined chibi image of Tsubaki and Mai moving elsewhere.
"Ahh!" Jenny yelped as she barely dodged an attempted leap from the Fuzor, "I'm not a chew toy!"
"Now you know how I feel right now!" Makoto shouted, earning a snarl from the Fuzor, "Uh oh. ...Wait. I'm all the way over here! You can't get me!" The Fuzor spread its wings and flew over the trees at her, "But...but that's not fair…" she screamed and barely avoided the swooping dive the Fuzor tried, "Bad doggy! Bad flying doggy!"
"I got it!" Jenny shouted, flying after it as she grabbed it by its tail, "Ha! I g-AHH!" she screamed when it flicked her off, sending her crashing into a tree, "...ow…"
"What kind of freaky monster are you!?" Makoto snapped, "I thought you were a Cyber-whatsit! AHH! Don't tell me you're one of the bad ones!"
=It could be that due to its organic alternate mode, its mind is currently overridden by its new instincts= Kajun suggested.
"Oh great! It's stupid, too!" Makoto complained, yanking a branch off a tree and thwacking the Fuzor across the muzzle, "Eep! I made it mad!"
"Move it closer, Makoto!" Tsubaki's voice shouted.
"Hah?! Wh-"
"Just trust me!"
"Alright...um...uh...Oh! Your mother…"
=Cybertronians don't have parents= Kajun informed.
"...You look like you got smacked with an ugly stick!" Makoto declared, "And you're fat and lazy, too! And you fly horribly!" that last one earned her a loud howling screech, "Fleeing!"
The Fuzor snarled as it flew after her at high speed, the Beastkin quickly jumping onto the ground as she ran as fast as her legs could. It then landed on the ground and began to chase after her, fangs bared as it bolted for Makoto in hopes of biting her. Just as it did a leaping jump at her, a large net was pulled up in front of it, making it tense as it was caught up in the net and began to tumble along the ground until stopping by a lake.
"Got it!" Mai shouted, poking out from behind a tree.
"Hopefully it'll hold…" Tsubaki whispered as she moved out from the opposite tree, "Makoto, are you okay?"
"NO, I AM NOT! I SAW MY LIFE FLASH BEFORE MY EYES!" Makoto snapped, "...Man, did I eat a lot of chestnut parfaits."
"Hurry after it!" Kajun called, going by them.
"...She had the glint in her eye," Makoto squeaked.
"Oh not again," Mai groaned, "Kajun, no!"
"Kajun yes!" Kajun beamed as she pounced on top of the captured Fuzor's head, "Transform! I must see it firsthand!"
The Fuzor attempted to growl at her before noticing the look in her eyes. The unsettling look they gave off...it made it whimper as its ears drooped.
"I know you are capable of speech somewhat! Noel had mentioned you said 'ow' when Makoto hit you, so speak!"
"Kajun, you're scaring it!" Tsubaki called as the lake water bubbled.
"Transform already!"
*SPLASH!*
"..." Kajun spat out a small stream of water.
"Hey, guys!" everyone looked to see Jenny fly onto the shore, carrying a large white and red ship with a red stylized stern face on a wing, "I found this under the water!"
"...Why were you in the lake when I was being chased?!" Makoto exclaimed.
"I tried to stop the flying wolf, but it threw me into the lake," Jenny explained, sheepishly rubbing the back of her head.
"I can't stay mad at a face that adorable...Your mother did that on purpose, didn't she?" Makoto sighed.
"No clue," Jenny replied before looking at the caught Fuzor, "Oh, you caught it!"
"Yep...now...can we toss it in the fire dumpster?" she asked, making the Fuzor's ears stick up at that, seeming to understand it was now in great danger, "No. Right...too small!"
"Makoto…" Tsubaki groaned as she looked at the ship, "Hmm...What is this face?"
"I believe that is the symbol for the Autobots," Kajun replied, right beside the red head.
The Fuzor blinked twice, realizing the scary thing wasn't on it. It looked for it to flee in the opposite direction when its eyes laid on the emblem. It let out a howling caw as it struggled with itself.
"Rrrr...rraarrr...errrawrrr…" the Fuzor snarled and grunted, "T...TRANSFORM!"
The net tore apart as its body began to reshape. Its back section underneath its tail split into two as its upper legs extended out from its sides. Its head and part of its back flipped down, exposing the inside of the back of the head sported a red jewel surrounded by a bronze circle of spikes with a bronze tribal pattern underneath its removed backside. The upper legs attached beneath the folded in head as the removed backside acted as a loincloth of sorts. The split backend moved to where the front legs had been while the hind legs reshaped in arms and fists sporting claws on the ends of each finger. A bronze armored torso opened and let a wolf-like humanoid head covered in a black mask come out, its eyes a solid glowing white. It...or rather, he...groaned as he fell to a knee, holding his head with one hand.
"Ugh...my processor…" he groaned.
"...mmmm~" Kajun gave off a faint squeal as she fell onto her back and fainted, a look of pure bliss on her face.
"...Did...did Kajun just faint?" Mai blinked.
"Huh? Uh, wha…" the Autobot opened his eyes and saw his reflection in the lake, "GYAH! What is that?!" he jumped back with fists raised...before spotting his fists, "AH!" he looked down, "That's me!" he looked up at his fluttering wings on his shoulders, "Wait...are...these are wings. I...have wings? But...I'm covered in fur and feathers...but I have wings."
"Ahh...ahh...ah…" Noel panted as she ran into the area, "K...Kajun...sl...slow down..you...you…" she stopped when she noticed the Autobot, "..."
*THUD*
"Ah! Noel!" Jenny gasped as she ran over to the fainted blonde.
"Can I smack it again?" Makoto asked.
"No…" Tsubaki sighed.
"Too late," Makoto spoke, tossing a rock at his head and getting his attention, "Hey fuzzy butt! Down here, stupid!"
"Ow…" the Autobot groaned, rubbing his head before looking over at them, "Huh? O-oh! Eh-heh. Um...hello?"
"What's the big idea taking our food and wrecking peoples RVS?!" Makoto snapped, making him jump.
"I-I did what?!"
"Yeah! You've been stealing food, attacking people's recreational vehicles, and scaring the heck out of poor innocent folks! What's your problem!?"
"I..oh..oh dear…" the Autobot whispered before shooting up and bowing, "My deepest apologies, madam! I was not in control of my own actions in that mode!"
"I'll forgive you after we get back to the base, I get food, and Kajun stops freaking out like some kind of pervert!" Makoto listed.
"Um...what?"
"I apologize. She's just a bit cranky after you chased her," Tsubaki stated.
"Ah. My humblest apologies for that as well," the Autobot apologized with a cringe.
"Ah, so you're the big feller that's been spooking the folks," Patelliday noted, looking up at the Autobot.
"Great. We caught it...can we just ship him home?" Makoto asked, eating while talking.
"That's, um, not possible," the Autobot noted, "Sentinel Magnus…" he snorted at that, "Decreed that any and all Cybertronians that gain an organic alt mode are hereby banished from Cybertron and if they ever return will be offlined immediately."
"Oh right... The buttface who hates organics." Makoto muttered.
"Oh you poor thing," Noel added, sympathising with the Autobot.
"So...then this means he is trapped in exile here on Earth?" Tsubaki asked, "Surely there must be something that can be done to help."
"I...don't mind, really," the Autobot noted, "I mean...do you see these?" he pointed at his folded wings with a grin, "Wings. Actual wings! Ah, flying with Delta Supreme was thrilling as is normally piloting smaller vessels since he went down, but these? Ah, such a glorious thing to have!"
"You start singing and I'll throw President Roosevelt at ya," Makoto warned.
"Settle down there, youngin'," Patelliday scolded as he pulled out a clipboard, "Gotta go through proper procedures right now. Now then…" he clicked his pen, "Name?"
"Oh! My apologies. Silverbolt Major, er...well...just 'Silverbolt' now considering I might be losing my rank due to this new alt mode," he replied.
"Seriously, how did this Sentinel jerk even get the job as...well I'd guess President or Prime Minister, of your world?" Makoto asked.
"Promotion due to him being the second in command at the time Ultra Magnus was assaulted by Decepticon spy Shockwave. He offlined just a few cycles after Megatron was captured and brought to Cybertron to be tried for his crimes," Silverbolt explained, a solemn expression on his face.
"Oh, we are so sorry," Tsubaki spoke, "From how you speak of this Ultra Magnus, he was a truly great leader."
"He was an honorable leader."
"I mean it's too bad this role isn't election based. I'd suggest electing the guy who caught that Megatron guy." Makoto shrugged.
"You mean Optimus Prime," Silverbolt explained.
"That...is the most heroic sounding name I've ever heard…" Makoto muttered.
"Mmhmm…" Noel nodded in agreement.
"True, it is a...AH!" Silverbolt jumped up, "Detroit! Please, I need to get to Detroit as soon as possible!"
"Whoa there! Where's the fire, fido?" Patelliday asked in concern, "You sound like you're sounding the horns of war there!"
"I have to get there and warn Optimus Prime and his team!" Silverbolt explained, "A Decepticon many of us hoped and prayed to the AllSpark and Primus, depending on the religion, was offlined...has resurfaced and has been making signs of heading here to Earth."
"Ah!" Makoto gasped, "More adventure!"
"No…" Noel and Mai complained.
"Who?" Patelliday asked.
"During the Great War, there was a minor Civil War that broke out in the Decepticon ranks. The leader of one faction was someone equal in almost every aspect of Megatron in every way," Silverbolt explained, "Before it and the Great War, they were fierce rivals as gladiatorial 'bots neither one able to come out over the other until Megatron finally won. He's heard of Optimus being the one Autobot that's truly beaten Megatron in one-on-one combat and he's coming here to fight him and he doesn't give a frag about anything or anyone that gets in his path. His name...is Overlord."
"Awesome…" Makoto spoke.
"No…" Tsubaki replied, thwacking her upside the head with the paper fan, "Not awesome. A deadly space gladiator is coming to tear up the Earth in search of a Cybertronian war hero. Nothing about any of this is awesome."
"Well Detroit is a…" Patelliday paused.
"It's about a 17 hour drive by car." Kajun explained, "Passing through 4 to 5 states."
"Bet it's a faster flight!"
"You are really excited by those wings," Jenny noted.
"Of course I am! Only Decepticons were able to access flight-based alt forms back in the Great War. We Autobots were stuck with land-based ones until Ultra Magnus approved of a project of giving Autobots flight-based alt forms. I did sign up for it, but…" he sighed, "Sentinel Magnus halted the project after considering it a failure after just two Autobots got them." he rubbed his chin in thought, "...Okay. I'm liking banishment more and more."
"Wait...just two?" Makoto asked.
"What happened to them?" Jenny asked.
"Oh, they're part of his Elite Guard," Silverbolt replied, "Apparently, he didn't want any Autobots that gained them to turn tailcoat."
"That's it...really?" Most of the girls blinked.
"Yep."
"Bet you he worked on a flight system for himself…" Makoto grumbled.
"Hope you weren't expectin' to fly in this," Patelliday noted, looking at Silverbolt's ship in the back, "Your engines are fried worse than I was the last time someone convinced me to go to a tanning salon. Looks like you got an old satellite stuck in it." he looked at his clipboard, "And there's also the matter of damages you incurred during your stint in a berserk state."
"Ooh...right…" Silverbolt paused, "I will gladly perform community service...after we save the Earth!" he quickly declared.
"Oh great...he's another Ben…" Patelliday groaned.
"Except bigger, fluffier, and not able to change into dozens of forms," Makoto joked.
"But track of mind...he's rather similar," Tsubaki replied.
"And just our luck that the day a hostile transforming alien bent on coming to Earth for a fight...our ace is on another planet to visit his partner's homeworld," Patelliday sighed, "All right, I'll fill Max in on this. You kiddos go with the big guy here to Detroit and find this 'Optimus' fellow and provide any assistance needed."
"Sweet! Another cross-country road-trip!" Makoto beamed.
"This is not a positive!" Tsubaki snapped.
"Well we might as well try to be positive." Mai sighed, "It might be a long...long trip."
"...Which would give me time to study more on Cybertronians!" Kajun beamed a bit...making Silverbolt slowly back away from her.
"...Don't worry. I can give ya company while we're flying there," Jenny said to Silverbolt.
"Oh thanks." he sighed, "It's nice having a fellow non-organic to talk to, you know."
"Yeah. And it would be nice to chat with another robot," Jenny added.
'...why do I feel jealous about that?' Noel thought upon hearing that.
"I'll get the snacks!" Makoto cheered.
"Revoke her mess hall privileges…" Patelliday whispered to a Plumber agent.
"HAh~!?" Makoto gawked at that, "But..it's a…"
"We're on a mission Makoto," Tsubaki frowned, "Plus we don't want another incident like what happened at Golden Corral."
"Hey. You said 'four plates'," Makoto argued.
"I said Four NORMAL plates. Not four serving trays!" Tsubaki growled, making Makoto shrink back, "Plus you ended up breaking the ice cream machine there!"
"...To be fair, they shouldn't have made the dessert bar all you c-" Makoto tried to argue, only to flinch at the glare Tsubaki gave her.
"This is why you pay for your own food when we get take out." Kajun added.
"...mou~" Makoto slumped, her ears and tail drooping.
"Well..I could always make something," Noel offered, making Makoto tense while Mai beamed at that.
"That sounds...like a nice idea Noel, I'm sure Makoto and Mai could use some snacks." Tsubaki smirked, walking off.
"...Ah geez…" Makoto slumped further.
-linebreak-
Meanwhile, out in the deepness of space, a lone ship was seen flying towards the Earth. From inside the pilot lifted himself off the command chair. He gripped his hand tightly as the sound of clanking metal filled the room. A dark laughter followed as he walked towards the monitor's showing an image of Earth.
"Oh...just you wait Optimus Prime, I'm coming for you. If you're as strong as they say, it'll be worth coming to this disgusting little mud clod." a purple hand cupped the holographic image, distorting it with his presence. The purple insignia of the Decepticons glistened from the flickering light, "Hahaha...Megatron you old bastard, losing here on this disgusting backwater planet to an Autobot...you disgrace...I'll get back the honor lost by you. By crushing that puny little Prime…" he laughed as he crushed the hologram as he leaned forward, revealing a white Cybertronian face framed by a blue helmet, red eyes glowing as he laughed, "Get ready...I'm on my way."
SZ: 0-0….oh….shit.
Z0: Hahaha...I'm looking forward to this, as a long time fan of the Transformers comics...Hahahaha...my body...is ready.
SZ: The only time I've seen this guy was in the Machinima Prime Wars trilogy, and hoo...lordy.
Z0: Oh boy you in for a ride. While technically he kinda has an Animated design...its...just a head and I doubt he's meant to be as scary as the original version is, so we're drawing on the comics iterations. Maybe a little from Masterforce for rounding, but oh boy you bet he'll be scary as F...wait can I curse in this story?
SZ: It is T rated..so kinda...Ragna has dropped F bombs before in this story.
Ragna: *pokes head in*Someone call me?
Z0: We are in for some Scary as FUCK shit here folks! Overlord is here!
SZ: Read and review folks!
Ragna:...*grins*sounds fun. Am I…?
SZ: Still focusing on the girls.
Ragna: Fucking damn it!