Happy Halloween everyone. I'm fresh out of Tricks, so here's a treat in the form of the newest chapter. Sorry for leaving you all on a cliffhanger, but I wanted to build up tension. So, for now, kick back, enjoy your candy and the treats of this latest chapter.
Arcee came too amidst the sounds of battle. This was nothing new to her, although she couldn't quite remember how she'd gotten there this time. It would help if her head would stop hurting so much. Then it all came back to her. Airachnid, the explosions and being trapped, the kids. She remembered being flung by Defensor and slamming through the iron grating at the top of the airshaft.
Remembering she was still in her vehicle mode, Arcee transformed. Groaning a bit at the pain she looked down at herself. The grating she'd crashed through had left some deep cuts, a couple of which were still leaking energon. She'd need to do some first aid before entering the battle around her.
"Arcee?" Came a familiar voice. Looking to her right, she saw Overdrive coming to her. Behind him was a dead rhino beetle Insecticon. "How'd you get up here?"
"I had Defensor wing me up the air shaft." She groaned, putting a servo to a deep gouge on her right arm. "I forgot about the grating." She explained as she staggered to her feet.
Overdrive looked around. "You came out right next to the lab." He said with a wince. "I'd take you to Rhinox but he's clear on the other side of the base. I'll let you in so you can get patched up, but I need to get back in the fight." With that he opened the hangar door just enough for Arcee to slip in before several locust Insecticons flew at him.
As the hangar door closed behind her, Arcee noticed that she wasn't alone in the lab.
"June?" Arcee queried. "What are you doing in here?" She figured the elder Darby would be in the thick of the fight with her children, both by blood and adopted. Instead, she was on top of the computer control panel for the "reformatting chamber", as the Maximals had taken to calling it behind the science teams backs, trying to work the controls.
June jumped. With everyone outside and the battle raging, she didn't expect anyone to enter the lab. "Arcee? I thought you were down in the." She looked over her injuries and decided against asking how she got there. "Never mind, can you help me figure out how to work this? That honorable dummy I call a son locked me in here to 'protect' me." She explained, her annoyed tone conveying how she felt about that decision.
Arcee took a Cybertronian first aid kit off the wall and began treating her injuries. "Yes, I can operate the chamber, but why?" She already had a feeling as to the answer, but was hoping to talk June out of it.
"Arcee." June stated, turning to look at her. "My kids keep getting into danger. I know they're growing up but I cannot stand to sit helpless on the sidelines anymore while that keeps happening." Her expression turned to a pleading one. "Please, let me help them."
Arcee was surprised to hear the same plea that she'd given Optimus just minutes ago be repeated back to her. She wouldn't be able to say no to this request without being the world's largest hypocrite. Pausing her ministrations, Arcee came to a decision. Walking over to the controls, Arcee held a servo out for June to sit on.
"Alright." She agreed. "I'll help you do this. I've been around this kind of equipment before and know how to use it. Thankfully, it's still connected to the Enigma of Combination." She lowered June to the floor. "Start getting ready." She added, as she stood back up.
"Thank you." June said at a tone barely above a whisper as she gave Arcee an appreciative look. Taking a steadying breath, June pulled off her shirt and reached behind her back to undo her bra.
Turning back to the computer to give the woman some privacy, Arcee set up the chamber. Looking at the readouts, she realized they had a problem. "June, we don't have any DNA to give you a beast mode." She said, turning back to the now naked human.
June climbed into the chamber. "We'll figure something out." She replied. "You told me Jack Miko and Raf didn't have beast modes at first either."
Arcee nodded and closed the chamber door behind June. She never realized during their brief conversation that some of Arcees' energon had leaked into the part of the console that would normally be used for beast mode DNA.
"Starting the sequence." Arcee announced moments later. Her servos flew over the controls as June braced herself. "Administering cybermatter. June, take a big breath." She added as the grey material flooded the chamber. "Engaging the Enigma." She whispered as magenta energy electrified the tube.
For a moment, there was silence. Arcee hoped that on top of having to fight the hive she wouldn't have to explain to Jack why his mother was dead. The second that thought crossed her mind a beam of blue light lanced out of the tube into a corner of the ceiling.
For a moment, June Darby felt weightless after the initial jolt from the enigma. While it was a curious sensation, she was more worried about what was happening.
"I can sense that." Came a voice from nowhere and everywhere. "You worry about your children, even those who you did not birth. An admirable trait."
"Who, who are you?" June asked. She didn't remember anyone explaining this.
"That's because no one did explain my presence June Darby. I, am Vector Sigma, the voice of Primus and the one who enabled your children to become my new Maximals. A form I now sense you seek as well." Vector Sigma explained.
"I, I just want to help my kids." June explained, hoping it didn't sound like an excuse.
"A genuinely worthy reason." Vector Sigma responded. "I shall grant you the form you seek. While formidable, new dangers are appearing rapidly. You shall become another guardian to aid the one you call Depthcharge."
June gave a nod. "I'm ready." With that, her world was flooded in magenta light, pulling her back to consciousness.
Staggering out of the chamber, the first thing June did was trip. Opening her eyes, she saw that she could now see more of the hangar than she could before entering the chamber. Trying to recenter herself she could've sworn there was an earthquake happening from the vibrations she felt through the floor. What was happening to her?
"June?" Arcee whispered.
"Arcee, did it?" She stopped short and gave a yell when she caught her reflection in a nearby surface. "A spider? What the hell?" She quickly managed to get her legs back under her.
Steadying herself she walked over to the surface and looked at herself. Her body was now a scrub green and white spider. While most of her body was a hard metal exoskeleton, she could see some circuitry in the joints of her new legs as well as around her head. Her spider head had the standard eight eyes arranged around the vertical slit that was currently her mouth, a pair of fangs sat in alongside it. Adorning her rounded green abdomen, she saw the Maximal insignia on the back of it like the hourglass of a black widow spider.
"Know what? I'll make it work." She said, shaking her head. "Are you ready to get out there?"
Arcee nodded. The shock of seeing June like that had pushed the reality of the situation from her mind for a moment. "Let's go."
Exiting the hangar, the two femmes saw pure chaos. The Insecticons were swarming all over the base and demolishing everything in sight. Arcee deployed her blasters and fired a few well-placed shots at a stag beetle, causing it to crash into the hangar it was passing.
June, acting on instinct, leapt high into the air and landed on a rhino beetle. Jabbing her new fangs into the back of the Insecticons' neck, she subconsciously pumped a type of toxin into it. Jumping off and landing near Arcee, June heard a sentence that chilled her to the core.
"For that, you die first." Came Airachnids' voice as clear as day. Turning, the two saw the psycho hunter closing in on a webbed-up Jack and Miko. "Game over you two." She grinned as she deployed her blasters.
All other thought fled Junes' mind as she saw what was about to happen to her kids. Clearing the distance rapidly with her extra legs she curled her abdomen downward and launched two balls of green webbing at Airachnid, jamming her blasters. Taking a mighty leap into the air, she landed between Jack and Miko and their attacker.
"Get away from my kids!" She yelled. This time she ended up spitting a glob of green webbing right in Airachnids scarred face. While she was disoriented, Arcee sped up to her in vehicle mode. Transforming, she slammed her good shoulder into Airachnid, knocking her to the ground.
"Mom!?" Jack asked in shock. When last he'd seen her, she was in the lab. And how did Arcee get here?
Turning around and going to her son and Miko, she saw that Jacks' wrist was probably dislocated based on the angle and Miko seemed scared of her. June winced internally; she'd forgotten Miko was afraid of bugs. Then again, this wasn't her first choice of beat mode either.
"Yes, it's me." June replied. "And after all this is over, you and I are going to have words young man." She looked at the webs binding them before wrapping Jacks' wrist with some of her own webbing. She knew her kids needed help, all of her kids.
With that thought, Junes' acid green spark glowed brightly as her body began to change. Her four back legs shifted and combined into two human like ones, although the angle gave them the appearance of her having high heels. Her spider abdomen shrank into the thorax as it restructured into a familiar femme torso and a pair of arms.
Her spider head vanished into her chest, being replaced by a replica of her human head, albeit with her hair pulled back and green streaks adorning the sides and center of it. Finally, the remaining spider legs rearranged themselves, moving to her back and reforming into a pair of spoilers. Overall, Junes' new look seemed familiar.
"Woah." Miko whispered as Arcee cut her and Jack loose, the shock of seeing June as a giant spider starting to wear off. "Is it me, or does your mom look like a Maximal version of Arcee?" She asked, earning a look from the femme in question.
Before anyone else could comment, Airachnid pulled Junes' webbing off her face and stood back up. "Well, well, well." She began looking June up and down. "I'm impressed, after all, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Although you missed the mark on your bot mode."
Any further comment was cut off by a green spider web shaped shuriken flying from Junes' right hand and embedding itself in Airachnids left arm. "No more games." June replied, unknowingly using Airachnids' own words against her. "You have hunted my family for little more than your own pleasure."
June held up her arms. A pair of short swords that looked like they were made from her beast modes' fangs emerged. "You've endangered and killed who knows how many in your sick little games." She prepared to strike. "You won't leave here alive."
She took a breath. "Insecticons, I order you to stand down." She called. Hopefully she could command these insects like Airachnid could. Maybe even command them to turn on her.
Airachnid laughed. "Controlling Insecticons is a skill you need to learn, it's not something you're born with." She held out her arms, reminding them of their surroundings. "My Insecticon hive has supremacy over your pathetic pack of Maximals, and with the Autobots trapped underground, there's no help coming to the rescue."
As if on cue a space bridge opened up near the edge of the base. "What!" Airachnid exclaimed. "That's impossible, Venom is still jamming their space bridge!"
Out of the space bridge came six bots, four of them as large as Ultra Magnus, one as tall as Optimus, and one the size of a Maximal. The group all had similar coloration of red, grey and gold and all of them looked ready for a fight. The bot in the center with a red visor and three glowing red orbs in his chest stepped forward.
"Dinobots!" Grimlock called. "Transform and kick butt!"
With that, the six transformed. Not into vehicles like the Maximals expected, but into dinosaurs. More specifically a Triceratops, a Stegosaur, a Pterodactyl, a Velociraptor, Apatosaur, and a Tyrannosaurus Rex. The group then began to tear through the Insecticons with a vengeance, taking out two or three at a time.
Depthcharge grinned. "Looks like someone called in the cavalry." He knew that had it been any other group of Autobots, they would've never stood a chance. But seeing Slug smash through a locust before impaling a rhino beetle with his horns reminded him that the Dinobots were one of Optimus Primes elite fighting units.
"You know it." Sludge grinned as he snatched a stag beetle out of the air with his maw and flung it at Snarl who smashed it with his spiked tail. Snarl then turned around and, after absorbing solar energy, launched a ball of solar radiation from his tail at another stag beetle, causing it to explode as well.
Swoop was enjoying himself immensely, one thing he loved about Insecticons was that when they swarmed, they weren't very bright. He enjoyed letting several locusts follow him through the air before going into a divebomb. Pulling up hard he heard the satisfying booms of a handful crashing into the ground.
A couple survived the crash and made to take off after Swoop when a burst of flame from Grimlock incinerated them. Grimlock was in his element. The Insecticons just came to him, ready to be destroyed. A stomp of his foot or a swing of his tail was enough to take out most Insecticons. The more stubborn ones he could just flame broil.
Smash!
"Mloc."
Stomp!
"Imloc."
Kill!
"Grimlock!" Snarl yelled as he slammed his tail into Grimlocks' side. The Dinobot leader roared at his teams' medic as said bot transformed. "Grimlock, get ahold of yourself. You're losing control again."
Grimlock shook his head before transforming back into bot mode. "Sorry." He muttered. Ever since the Dinobots' last encounter with Shockwave, he'd been having a harder and harder time controlling his beast modes' fury. Thankfully the others were able to snap him out of it. This was made easier with the newest member of the team.
Speaking of. "Snarl." Grimlock asked, looking around. "Where's Slash?"
Mach Hoof ducked behind a partially demolished wall. This particular stag beetle Insecticon had been dogging her for a while now. Mostly because he seemed immune to her nucleon attacks. She honestly didn't know what was creepier though, his taunting or his speech quirk.
"Are you tired of our game already, already?" Shrapnel taunted, voice echoing. He'd decided to play with his prey a bit before handing her off to his queen. He purposely walked past his preys' hiding place and around the corner. Waiting a moment he jumped back around, startling her as she tried to leave it.
"Oh well, well." He laughed as he generated a ball of lightning in his hands. "End of the line, line." He raised his arms, never seeing the grey gold and red blur until it was too late.
Mach Hoof was in awe as a Velociraptor leapt from the roof of a neighboring hangar and sank its' teeth and claws into Shrapnels' head and neck. Seeing the raptor leap off her tormentor she saw it transform into a femme about her height.
"End of the line." Slash taunted as she drew and fired a handheld blaster into Shrapnels' neck wound, taking his head off. Once the Insecticons' body stopped twitching, Slash turned to the Maximal and held out a hand. "Name's Slash, Dinobot espionage agent, you gonna be alright?"
"A-Allison Blackrock." She stuttered, accepting the offered hand. She didn't know if it was the nerves of nearly getting killed or the savagery of her saviors' attack, but this femme seemed cute to her. "Pleasure to meet you." She immediately kicked herself, how corny could she get? She was sounding like Jack.
"Nice to meet you A-Allison." Slash teased. She took a breath. "While the rest of our groups are busy, do you think you can help me take out whatever's jamming the space bridge on the Lost Light? I heard you Maximals are pretty good in a fight."
"Yeah, we can fight pretty girl, pretty good." Allison quickly corrected herself. What the heck. She'd never stuttered like this before. Deciding to save her anymore embarrassment, Allison transformed. "Lead the way."
Slash transformed. "Oh, I plan to, pretty girl." She replied before setting off at a run towards a nearby mesa. An embarrassed Allison followed soon after, careful not to lose sight of the sassy Dinobot.
On the other side of the base, Rhinox and Bombshell were going rhino to rhino. Rhinox was panting heavily, he'd inadvertently used up a lot of his energy in his chain guns trying to take out other Insecticons and now this general had cornered him.
Bombshell stood up and transformed into bot mode. "For something so small, you put one pit of a fight." He groused before smirking. "But I didn't get to be a general by playing fair all the time."
Leaning forward, a small hatch opened on Bombshells back. From it launched a quarter sized device he'd dubbed a "Cerebro Shell". After it became apparent that Airachnid desired more than just rhino beetles for her hive, he began employing them to manipulate other rhino beetles to their destruction and enabling his rise to a general.
He laughed as his shell latched onto Rhinoxs' head. "I believe humans might call this a 'life hack'. Don't fight it too hard though, you'll only hurt yourself." He strode up to Rhinox as the Maximal fell to the ground. Believing the shell had paralyzed him like he wanted, Bombshell deployed his swords, he stood over him and prepared to stab Rhinox through the chest. "Say goodnight."
To his surprise, Rhinox opened his eyes and redeployed his chain guns. "Goodnight." He smirked, firing into Bombshells' midsection. Several seconds later Bombshells' top and bottom halves fell in different directions. "Never try to out hack a hacker." He whispered, removing the Cerebro shell before the exhaustion from fighting both the Insecticons and the shell took him.
Elsewhere, Depthcharge and Overdrive had finally cornered the final general. However, Kickback had been moving too fast for them to get a decent lock. What few shots they did take ended up damaging the buildings. As fast as he was moving Depthcharge could almost swear he was running on red energon.
Looking behind him, Overdrive noticed they were next to a hangar wall. An idea suddenly came to him. "Fire into the sand!" He yelled. Together they unloaded their weapons into the loose, sandy soil the base was built on, kicking up a sandstorm.
Kickback cackled. "A little sand won't hide you from me." He transformed into his locust mode and took off toward the duo. Opening his maw, Kickback prepared to take a bite, only to fly smack into the side of the hangar.
Depthcharge and Overdrive stopped firing, letting the sandstorm die and showing that they'd moved enough to let the Insecticon fly between them and slam into the wall. "Like a fly on a windshield." Overdrive laughed. Together, the two fired on Kickback, destroying the general entirely.
Sitting atop the mesa where his queen had left him, Venom looked down at the base. He'd been watching the battle unfold and keeping anyone from bridging in. So, imagine his surprise when a space bridge opened up and the six Dinobots began decimating the hive. For a moment he contemplated joining the others in the fray, but decided that not only was his position safer, if the queen died, he could potentially take control of the remaining members of the hive and return to Megatron.
What he hadn't expected however was for a Maximal and a Dinobot to climb over the far side of the mesa and open fire on him. Transforming and drawing his axe, he turned to face the newcomers, making sure to keep the jamming signal going. "Ah, visitors." He grinned at the two.
Slash drew her pistols as Mach Hoof deployed her saber. "It wasn't that hard to figure out." Slash admitted. "To get the coverage needed to block the bases space bridge with a sonic signal you needed to be close and above a certain elevation. This mesa was the closest landmark to the base that fit the criteria."
Venom chittered. He hadn't taken into account that someone would figure that out. No matter, they were only two, and small at that. Focusing in on the Dinobot, Venom charged, axe raised. Mach Hoof blocked his axe with her saber, throwing in a little nucleon shock hoping to stun him.
This caused him to laugh. "Insecticons are a lot stronger than your standard Decepticon." He smacked Mach Hoof with the side of his axe, stunning her. "Stunning us is harder than you think."
He turned just in time to catch Slash by her clawed foot. He may not be as strong as one of the beetles, but he was no slouch either. With a mighty heave, he threw her towards the edge of the mesa. Barely transforming in time, Slash grabbed onto the side of the cliff and held on.
"You know." Venom grinned as he looked at the helpless Dinobot. "The humans have a saying that I find quite appropriate right now." He raised his axe. "Sometimes one must say farewell to arms." He went to swing down and slice through her forearms when a long saber blade pierced through his chest.
Mach Hoof was breathing heavily and her head was throbbing. Between the prolonged use of her powers and the blow to the head, she was just about done in. However, she did have just enough in her to put this guy down.
"Another saying we have here on Earth." She panted. "The bigger they are." She ran a nucleon charge through him and retracted her weapon, causing Venom to fall over the edge of the mesa. "The harder they fall."
Pulling Slash up the two looked over the edge of the mesa in time to see Venom hit the ground and explode in a fireball. Seeing the threat was dealt with, they collapsed onto their backs and looked up at the sky. "Alright. After that, I need a drink." She activated her comms. "Swoop, we need a pickup when you get a sec."
Allison snorted. "You and me both, but dad and Mrs. Darby won't let us drink."
Slash cut her comms and looked at her. "Well, that sucks." She smirked. "How about I sneak something for you later?"
Allison giggled. "It's a date."
Slash looked at her and smirked. "Sure, we can call it that."
While Mach Hoof and Slash were engaging Venom. Airachnid was now having trouble of her own. Standing in a defensive position she was being circled by Arcee, June, Leobolt, and WIngsaber with their weapons. Further adding to her problems was the fact those prehistoric peon Dinobots had decimated her hive, her generals even falling to the Maximals.
"Nowhere for you to slink away this time Airachnid." Arcee growled as the group circled. "And no way we won't kill you."
"Oh, the hunt may be over." She said, trying to play it cool while searching for an escape route. It was a staring contest at this point. She just had to get one of them to blink first.
Deploying her webbed blasters did the trick. June attempted to web Airachnid again, only for her to sidestep causing her web to hit Leobolt instead. Wingsaber teleported in front of him and went to slash her with her katanas, forcing Airachnid to backflip away from the group.
"You see." She taunted as June and Arcee ran towards her, Wingsaber now cutting Leobolt loose. "You'll never be able to-." He words died in her throat as several feet of sword burst through her chest, surprising the group. Looking down at the blade she sank to her knees, revealing her attacker to the group.
"Cyclonus?" Arcee exclaimed. The swordsbot looked terrible. He was standing on shaky legs with energon still trickling from where Airachnid had stabbed him. His optics were beginning to flicker, a sign of imminent death for Cybertronians. Apparently, he had just enough strength to throw his sword like a javelin.
"That." He breathed. "Was for Tailgate." He fell to his knees and looked up at Arcee. "End it."
Nodding, Arcee deployed her blaster and aimed at Airachnids' head. "This is for Tailgate, Jack, June, Miko, and every other bot you've hurt or killed. You'll face them soon enough." Closing her optics, Arcee fired and was rewarded by the thud of Airachnids body as it hit the ground.
Avoiding Airachnids corpse, the group ran over to Cyclonus. "Hang on Cyclonus, we'll get Rhinox." Arcee looked around for the large Maximal, but he was nowhere to be found.
"No." Cyclonus whispered. "I'm too far gone, and I'm ready to move on." He coughed, energon now dribbling out his mouth. "My tale is at its' end. Tell it to those who'll listen. For good or ill."
Shutting his optics, he smiled and uttered one final word before passing.
"Tailgate."
There was a moment of silence for the fallen bot. A moment that was interrupted by both a space bridge manifesting and the lift activating. Out of the space bridge stepped Optimus Prime flagged by Ultra Magnus and Ratchet. When the lift made it to the surface, Bulkhead, Bumblebee Nightbeat and First Aid rushed to meet the group.
"Everyone, stand down. The threat is passed." Arcee called. Looking to her left she saw the Dinobots bringing the scattered Maximals with them. Doing a quick head count she was relieved to see that every last one had survived.
"So it has." Optimus said, eyeing Airachnids now headless body. Looking over at Grimlock he continued. "And I see that Commander Magnus' message made contact."
Arcee cocked a brow. "Ultra Magnus called the Dinobots?" She asked. She knew the by the books bot had issues with a unit that, in his words. "Never met an order they could follow."
"Yes." Optimus replied, seeing Arcees' face. "He knew that the situation was partly his fault and called in the one unit he knew to help fix it."
"If that's your way of apologizing for those files." Ratchet growled at Magnus. He was still furious about the officer stealing the kids' confidential files. He, First Aid, and Velocity all agreed that Magnus was no longer allowed in the med bay unless he was either a patient or had direct supervision.
"No." Ultra Magnus replied. "This is. I hereby step down as supervising officer of the Maximals. In my stead, I nominate Rodimus as my replacement."
Rodimus, who had just exited the lift alongside Trailbreaker, Skidz and Smokescreen was shocked. "Why me?" He questioned. His captainship alone was fraught with issues, now Magnus wants him to supervise the Maximals.
"I want you to because you've proven to be impartial and approach every conflict fairly. You also proved during your captaincy that you can think outside the box. I believe you can be the bot that I am unable to." Magnus answered.
Jack looked at Rodimus. He felt that they were kindred sparks in a way. They were both trying to be leaders and both felt they weren't doing the job like Optimus would. In the end though they did it well, which was good enough for either of them.
Rodimus knelt down. "If you'll have me." He offered a servo.
Jack shook his finger. "We look forward to working with you." He replied.
"Aww, do you boys wanna hug it out?" Miko teased, earning a flick on the pigtail from June.
Grimlock meanwhile was looking at the Maximals. Turning to Raf, who had woken up and was helping Vince and Sierra off of Sludges' back so he could transform, he asked. "Me only guessing, but Shockwave?"
Raf jumped and looked at the bot. "Knockout invented the procedure with me and those two." He answered, indicating Jack and Miko. "He did however replicate it with these two, and the one your raptor friend is talking to." Hs said pointing to Vince Sierra and Allison, who was still talking with Slash.
"She's Slash." Grimlock nodded. "Bot behind them is Swoop." He said pointing at the flyer behind the pair. "That's Sludge." He said indicating the transforming Apatosaur. "They Slug and Snarl." He now pointed to the Triceratops and Stegosaur walking towards them. "And me Grimlock." He finished, pointing to himself.
Snarl transformed. "He asked because Shockwave's the one who turned us into this." He explained, indicating the saurian modes. "We have a score to settle with old one eye." He looked at Arcee who was pulling Cyclonus' sword out of Airachnids' corpse. "Want us to get rid of her?" He asked.
"Oh." Arcee spoke in surprise. She hadn't had much interaction with the Dinobots but didn't avoid them like a lot of Autobots were prone to. If anything, that would make her a hypocrite. "Please, but leave him for me." She explained, nodding towards the body of Cyclonus.
Snarl nodded. "Slug, you're up." The Triceratops walked over to the corpse and let loose a stream of fire from his mouth. The heat was intense but seconds later all there was of Airachnid was a pool of molten metal that was sinking through the broken pavement and into the ground.
The normally rage-a-holic Triceratops sighed. "That, felt good." He said before transforming back to his bot mode. The six Dinobots formed up as Optimus came over to them.
"Greetings Dinobots." He began. "I thank you for coming to the Maximals' aid. I must ask though, do you intend to stay, or return to Cybertron?"
"Shockwave here." Grimlock replied as if that explained everything. Then again, it sort of did. "We stay."
Optimus nodded. "Very well, we'll take you to the Lost Light and get accommodations set up for you."
"No." Grimlock replied. "We stay up here. The other Autobots avoid us so we avoid them."
"Grimlock, I won't tolerate prejudice or bias against the six of you." Optimus began.
"You can say all you want." Slug threw in. "But what you say and what they do are often two very different things."
"We'll come down if we need to, but we'll stay up here otherwise." Sludge added.
"Besides." Swoop interrupted. "The Maximals seem like they'd be good neighbors." He said as Slash nodded.
Optimus sighed. He knew they had a point. "Very well." With that he walked away.
A couple hours later Arcee and the Maximals, including June, were getting a checkup in the Lost Lights' med bay. Most of them had been cleared with a prescription of bed rest by Ratchet and Velocity. However, while examining June, Ratchet made some interesting observations.
"I don't know how to explain it." Ratchet sighed, rubbing his optics. "While the human aspect of her hybrid nucleic acid is purely nurse Darbys', the Cybertronian aspect is registering as Arcee."
"How is that possible?" Jack asked. He agreed with Miko that his moms' new body was eerily similar to his partner, but how did she get like that?
"I may have an answer to that." Wheeljack explained as he came into the med bay. "Perceptor was checking the chamber after she used it. We didn't find spider DNA in the controls, we found energon."
Ratchet turned to Arcee, who was being patched up by First Aid, with wide optics. "Arcee, do you remember if you were bleeding when you helped June with her procedure?" He asked.
"Yeah, I cut myself up a bit going through the grate at the end of the air shaft." Arcee explained as First Aid finished up. "Why, how is that significant?"
Ratchet sighed. Knowing Arcees' history, he was trying to figure out how to bring this up without it being awkward.
First Aid beat him to the punch however. "Essentially it means that technically, you now have a new techno organic sister." He butted in, making everyone stiffen a bit. Only the three Maximals knew about Arcee already having a sibling.
"First Aid!" Ratchet yelled before sighing again. "Essentially the computer was confused about the CNA and decided to use it as the template for your new bot mode." He looked at June and Arcee, who were now avoiding each other's gaze. Jack and Miko didn't look much more comfortable.
"We're going to clear the med bay and give you two a chance to talk about this." Ratchet continued. He turned to First Aid. "And you, are going to get a refresher course in bedside manner." He grabbed the protesting doctor and led him out of the room.
Velocity Jack and Miko made to leave to. "Jack, would you mind staying?" June asked. "This involves you too."
Miko hugged Jack. "I'll talk to you later." She gave him a kiss and followed Velocity out.
A heavy silence permeated the air for a few seconds before June spoke up. "I'm sorry Arcee, I didn't plan on."
Arcee held up a servo. "It wasn't your fault June. I'm just sorry my CNA interfered with the procedure."
"Is this going to be a problem for you Arcee?" Jack asked.
"No, honestly." Arcee explained. "I know your mom isn't like Galavar." She finished, referring to her black sheep of a brother. She scoffed. "If anything, June." She said turning back to her. "You've acted more like a sister to me than Galavar ever acted like a brother."
"I was an only child, so I wouldn't know." June explained. "But if you want me to, we could call each other sisters?" She asked.
Arcee smiled as she knelt down to Junes' level. This may not have been ideal circumstances, but she'd made her decision. "I haven't called anyone family in a long time June, but I'm willing to try." The paneling on Arcees' chest shifted, exposing her pale blue spark and bathing June in its' light.
"I bid you stand in the light of my spark, so that you may feel the heat of my words." Arcee began. "In my life I have lost my brother, yet along the way, I have found my sister. I invite you to be my kin from now until the end of time." She finished.
June was shocked. Those words sounded like a combined legal formula and religious ceremony, but she didn't know how to reply. Feeling her own chest shift (an awkward sensation), she realized her own acid green spark was now exposed, illuminating Arcee as she did her. Taking a breath, June decided to ad lib it.
"I accept the light of your spark, and bid you stand in mine." She began her reply. "Throughout my life, I've had little family that I care about, and am pleased to have found my sister at long last. I accept you now as kin and family, from now until the end of time." June willed her chest shut, then nodded to a wide-eyed Jack.
Nodding, Arcee turned to Jack. "Jack." Arcee began again. "You love June as a mother and I as your partner. As your mother has accepted me as her sister, I ask that you shine the light of your spark on me as kin, from now until the end of time."
Jack felt tears in his eyes. This was almost too much. Blinking his eyes clear and feeling his chest shift, he began his reply. "With the light of my spark and the heat of my words, I accept you now and forever as family and kin, until the end of time." At those words both of their chests closed.
Jack looked up. "Welcome to the family, aunt Arcee." He teased good naturedly.
Arcee snorted. "Just keep calling me Arcee, Jack. Aunt or no, you're still my partner."
June smiled at the pair. "Welcome to the family, sister." June replied, placing a hand on her new sisters' shoulder.
The silence was now a contented one. After a few moments, Arcee had a serious look in her optics. "Would you be willing to help me with something? To be there for me as my family?" Arcee asked.
An hour later the trio as well as Miko had gathered at the edge of the base. Standing before them was a pyramid shaped device keeping Cyclonus' body aloft, his sword in his hands. Atop the pyramid, beneath his body, was a low purple fire. This funeral would be a small one, attended by only by his only living friend, as well as her new family.
Arcee stepped forward. "In life, Cyclonus was a mech of honor. His decision to stay out of the war stemmed from the belief that sometimes the greatest battles, were those unfought." She took a breath. "He lived a warrior, and died a hero. May his spark find its' peace in the after spark, and may his wisdom join with the matrix, the greatest of Cybertron."
With that, the flame beneath Cyclonus blossomed into a proper pyre, rendering his corpse into motes of light that rose into the heavens. Stepping back and surrounded by her family, Arcee smiled as the motes ascended skyward. She knew that Cyclonus would find peace, as would Tailgate and Cliffjumper. She turned and followed June Miko and Jack back to the Maximals' den, smiling. She knew that someday, hopefully a long time from now, she'd see her friends again.
A/N: Now how were those treats? I based Junes' beast mode off of Beast Machines Blackarachnia, albeit with a palate swap and different head mold. I have a few ideas on a name but am always open to other possibilities. The Dinobots, I based on the 'official' comic book iteration for the Prime universe. Specifically in Rage of the Dinobots. (I'd recommend it, it's good.)
And while the original Insecticon hive is gone, who's to say there isn't another one on Cybertron somewhere...hint hint. And as to Venom, he's actually one of the lesser known 'deluxe' Insecticon from the G1 toy line and the nominal Insecticon leader apparently.
I hope the part about June and Arcee accepting being sisters wasn't too forced. It just seemed to flow naturally to me and the fact that they now share CNA will come up again in the next arc. Until then, read and review.
Next time: Megatrons endgame begins.