SZ: First Multiparter for GSESS!
GT: Indeed.
Z0: This should be interesting, *Venom forms off my shoulder and tosses things at the others*
SZ:Ahh!*ducks under some thrown debris*Let's get to it! We don't own anything aside from original content!
Z0: Hey! I told you to stop doing that, *slaps the Symbiote back into my body*
GT: *pulls down the curtain*
"Hmmm…there," Sari smiled as she stood up, backing away from a small generator plugged into a series of lights…which practically covered the entirety of Sumdac Tower, "That should do it."
"Sari, are you sure this is a good idea?" a rotund man with tanned skin and a lab coat questioned.
"It should, Dad. I wanted to give the people of Detroit a festive Halloween," Sari stated, "Plus I had the Jet Twins help set up the lights."
"We were being the curious on these Halloween lights you had mentioned," Jetfire admitted as he and his brother sat nearby.
"We promised Cheetor colorful pictures," Jetstorm added.
Sari just giggled as she and her father stepped back. The redhead raised her arm up before, with a snap of her fingers, green lightning crashed down into the generator, powering it up as the lights covering the building began to glow brightly, forming into the Autobot and Maximals' symbols in Halloween colors, followed by the name 'Sumdac Industries' as the lights blinked to show as if a sandstorm had formed the letters with 'electricity' crackling off them.
"Ohh~" The Jet Twins whispered in awe.
"Yes! I knew it would work!" Sari beamed.
"Amazing…" Mr. Sumdac whispered in amazement, pulling out a small device as he examined the generator, "You were able to reactivate that old generator. It's acting almost as if it was brand new…"
"Well, I have picked up a lot since moving in with Ben and the others," Sari sheepishly chuckled, lightly scratching her cheek as her scarf blew a bit in the wind.
"Oh you've grown so much. It's really hard to remember how not so long ago you were my little girl." Isaac sighed, "Look at how capable and amazing you are, that has to be the Cybertronian side of you."
"Maybe…but deep down, I'm still human," Sari assured with a soft smile, "And you'll always be my father…"
"Oh, you are such a sweet girl, smart, too. One day you might just run this place better than I ever did. Ah…if you want, of course. I think I've learned enough to know that you have your choices, and…" he just rambled on as any silly but well meaning father does.
"Dad, dad. It's okay," Sari giggled as she put a hand on his shoulder, "I'll be alright. You don't have to worry about me."
"Oh I know…I just c-" Isaac began.
"Excuse me, Professor Sumdac?"
"Hmm?" Sari and her father blinked as she and the Jet Twins turned to see a pair of men in white suits approach them.
"We'd like to ask you an important question…" the first one began..before staring at the Jet Twins, "Alone if able."
"Hmm?" Jetfire blinked, "But why?"
"Business between humans," the second one stated before showing Isaac a photo of a fairly large bronze gauntlet with claws ending at each fingertip, "Tell us…have you seen this object by any chance?"
"...hmm…No, I do not think so," Isaac whispered as he looked at it.
"Mmm…" the two men in white frowned at that.
"We find that hard to believe considering you deal in Cybertronian technology," the first stated.
"Be thankful you were able to build your company freely," the second added.
"...Are you threatening my dad?" Sari asked as she glared at the two.
"Unless he tells us the truth, yes," the first stated.
"Besides, be thankful the government lets him keep you," the second stated before the first one smacked him, "GH?!"
"Idiot, shut up…!" the first one hissed.
"Yeah, I'm gonna put a moratorium on this topic," Sari crossed her arms, "If you guys know about Cybertronians in decent detail, and me, that means you have access to top level information the Plumber Intergalactic Peace force lets only top level government groups have access to. Meaning you know what a Plumber Badge is." she held one up, "Meaning…I…" she smiled, "...outrank you, and if I make a call…I can have you both be demoted to alien restroom attendants, so…how about we show some respect when entering someone else's home? Or…should I make a call and get Ben? You know Ben, right? Saved the world, did your job, and is prone to…violent outbursts towards really nice looking cars?"
"!?" the two men in white tensed up at that, "N-no, ma'am. There is no need for that."
"Oh Sari, you have become so mature, I half expected you to pummel them with your Energon hammer," Isaac muttered.
"Hey, I learned maturity and pulling rank rocks," Sari chuckled before resuming her stern expression aimed at the two, "Now speak. Why are you harassing my dad, and personal friend of the Autobots?" she waited, "Well…I'm waiting…"
"Is not nice to make the lady wait," Jetfire smirked.
"Oh, maybe we call Optimus. He loves the waiting!" Jetstorm added, "Especially with big Energon axe of his!"
"No no no! There is no need!" the first one panicked.
"Yes! We will tell you…but promise you won't say any of this to anyone!" the second begged.
"Well…" Sari paused as she leaned forward to them a bit, "I'm listening~"
"Ahem! You uh….recall the Incursean Invasion that took place months ago?"
"I've heard about it from my friends…why?" Sari asked.
"Well turns out they stole...or rather attempted to steal a very dangerous artifact," the first man in white stated as the second held up the photo of the Gauntlet, "The Reality Gauntlet."
"The what?" Sari deadpanned at the name.
"That be sounding…" Jetfire muttered.
"Boring?" Jetstorm asked.
"Please…tell me it's not like that silly glove thing from Marvel Comics Makoto doesn't talk about…" Sari groaned.
"...We can't…"
"It's honestly what that 'silly glove thing' is based on."
"Are you kidding me?!" Sari exclaimed.
"No, we kid you not. Jim Starlin was an agent in our organization who found the thing and used his role at Marvel to make a warning about it through the Infinity Gauntlet issues," the first explained.
"Actually…a lot of the people who work at comics…used to be…working in the alien industry. So…they often used a lot of things they learned to their favor," the second added.
"I be tellings you I was being right about the man of sand in the Spiders man was soundings familiar," Jetfire whispered to Jetstorm.
"Oh Primus, Makoto will go nuts about this…" Sari groaned, "Okay…so you want to find it, okay, cool." she sighed in annoyance, "How can my Dad help you, and why him?"
"Wait," Isaac spoke up, "Does that include Horror movies with aliens as well…?" he couldn't help but ask.
"Dad…" Sari sighed.
"Oh sweetie, threatening government folks come by all the time, learning if the alien from The Thing is real, that is slightly more important to me." Isaac explained.
"Ew Dad…why that movie?" Sari complained.
"It's a classic of special effect master work." Isaac replied, "You already told me Xenomorphs are real."
"Yeah but Hollywood made them way worse than they actually are." Sari sighed, "If Ben's grandpa can cook and eat them…I don't think they'll be a danger to Earth." hearing that made the Men in White cringe at the thought, "But just let me do the space cop thing first, then I'll put you in touch with Magister Tennyson, he loves telling stories to folks."
"I would very much like that," Isaac admitted, "You speak so highly of him, like an actual grandfather."
"He has that effect on people," Sari nodded before looking back at the men in white suits, "Now spill it…why do you need my dad?"
"We….were hoping if he saw it in the area…like on display or something at a museum," the first stated.
"Or build a device to track the gauntlets and gems u-doh!" the second grunted when the first hit him.
"Shut it!"
"Ah…I already know this is probably going in Ben's vault of scary alien weapons and armor he strips off villains." Sari sighed before tapping her badge, "Tsubaki, you there?"
=I am…just getting off this migraine= Tsubaki admitted with a groan =What's wrong?=
"I got two men in white suits trying to be all secret government agents on me…and they were talking to me about an artifact called the Reality Gauntlet."
=Oh lord not another knock-off 'Infinity Gauntlet'…=
"It's not like that one from that meathead tournament Ben and the guys took part in," Sari clarified, "Turns out this one…is what the Infinity Gauntlet was BASED on…"
=Hah…this is another thing that's totally going in Ben's vault of cool things he steals from villains, isn't it?=
"Tsubaki, he has the sword that Vilgax used to seemingly kill him once in there…he's taking it regardless…just to mount it," Sari sighed, "And we know it will be safer mounted on his trophy case then letting jerks try and take it."
=...Ugh. Fair point…I'll go get a team and meet you in Detroit=
"Thanks," Sari nodded as she taped her badge, "Fire, Storm?"
"We will go inform Optimus about the Gauntlet of Reality!" the Jet Twins saluted as thy both flew off.
"Uhm can…?" the second man in a white suit began.
"No. You're gonna get yelled at by the Boss Lady with more command, and issues, than me," Sari declared to the two, "And if you run…she will find you…in your homes."
"Meep…" they both yelped.
"...What?" Jin deadpanned at Tsubaki.
"The Reality Gauntlet…which the Infinity Gauntlet was based on…" Max added.
"Yes," she sighed, holding a glass of water and some aspirin for her migrain, "It's a thing, this is happening, I am in no mood for any nonsense, get on the ship, I need muscle. One complaint and I'm skipping the warnings and kicking your butts myself," she lingered on Jin, "And it won't be in a fun way…" she left with that to maybe give people a wrong impression of their leisure activities.
"...ugh. When do we leave?" Jin sighed.
"Hopefully this won't take long," Max spoke with his own sigh, "I'd promise Kajun I'd help her with a new experi…" he began before Nyx was suddenly in his arms, "?!"
"She can use a bit of exercise!" Kajun shouted nearby, "I'd come, but I need to make sure Blukic and Driba don't mess up my lab, so I'm trusting you and Steel to look after her, Max!"
"Okay, now wait, I'm taking the pet on a mission? Has she finished her training to determine when to use lethal force?!" Max called out, getting no response, "Ah…she's gonna drive me crazy one day," he sighed as Nyx shrank to kitten form and was sitting on his shoulder, "I'm bringing the kitty…"
"Why do we need to bring the pet?" Jin asked, getting close to Nyx as the currently small cat put a paw to his face, "Eh…Neko Punch…?" he blinked before Nyx pushed and sent him flying, "GAH!"
"Good kitty…" Max muttered.
=Very good kitty…= Steel added.
"Ow…" Jin groaned as he pulled himself out of the Jin-shaped hole in the wall, "Let's just…get this mission over with…I'd like to get back to torturing Zombozo for what he pulled on Tsubaki…"
"...not sure whether to feel flattered about that or not…" TSubaki whispered as Jin walked over, "...ugh right. Hibiki?"
"Opening a Groundbridge to Sumdac Tower in Detroit," Hibiki replied as he finished putting in the command on the computer, causing a portal to open up before Tsubaki and her chosen team.
"Thanks…and if you can…"
"Will keep you updated on anything involving the Reality Gauntlet."
"Thank you," Tsubaki thanked as she and her team walked straight into the portal.
"...You just had to say something," the first guy in white frowned at his subordinate, currently sitting on the sidewalk with Sari looking over them.
"I was trying to be intimidating."
"Yes, and look where that got us," he sighed before looking at Sari, "I'm sorry about him; he's new. My previous partner retired after the invasion happened."
"It's fine…I often deal with that from a pair of Galvans back in Bellwood," Sari stated before she saw something drive up as a Groundbridge began to form, "Oh the timing…hello, Optimus sir."
"GH?!" the two men in white tensed at that as they shot up.
"Okay, we're h-WOAH!" Max exclaimed as he, Tsubaki and Jin appeared through the portal, the first of them noticing how big Optimus was once he transformed.
=Whoa nelly! He's huge!= Steel gawked.
"Sari," Optimus spoke up, "It's great to see you again, and not be stuck going through all my Lieutenants field reports." he began stretching around a bit, "Tell me, what's this I heard of someone threatening our dear friend and variable family members?" he asked as he slammed the bottom his giant Energon Greataxe to the ground for emphasis.
"Gh?!" The men and White tense up at that, making Tsubaki look over and notice them.
"...oh…you guys," Tsubaki sighed in an annoyed tone, "The Men in White…"
"What…like The Men In Black, like the movies?" Max asked, "I thought that was based on one of those conspiracy urban legends…"
"No, the legend of the Men In Black were…just Alien Plumber Agents who used poor ID Masks, and had…horrible naming sense," Tsubaki explained, "Their antics spread as a whole legend, these guys however are part of a government Funded team that handles any and all paranormal activity reports. But more emphasis on the paranormal as in Cryptids, Ghosts, and magical nonsense…"
"So you mean the Men In Black are aliens being bad at being humans…and these guys are Men In Black…but white…and…for ghosts?" Max asked.
"Correct," Tsubaki replied in a deadpanned tone.
"Now I have a headache…" Max replied.
=Same= Steel groaned.
"We're getting off track," Jin spoke up before approaching the two Men in White, "You two mentioned something about this…Reality Gauntlet?"
"Yes…and it and the three jewels we had with it were stolen by the Incurseans, but were separated when the ship carrying them exploded," the first one responded.
"How did it Explode…no wait…dumb Question, Ben?" Max sighed.
"We believe so…" one replied.
"Great, so…we need to find an Infinity Gauntlet and The stones…the only thing left is a giant space titan coming out of a portal with a master plan to use them to wipe out life in the galaxy…" Max began looking around, "Anyone seen Vilgax yet?"
"I sense no presence of Megatron." Optimus looked at a holographic screen forming from his hand.
"Then let's hurry before they...or any villain knows of it and the jewels' existence," Tsubaki stated.
"Well we shall need something to go off of." Optimus spoke, "Spanning the globe for some shiny stones isn't an easy task if we don't know their composition or if they give off any form of energy radiation. Even my top minds need something to start the trail off with."
"Hey Dumb and Dumber, got anything at all for us?" Max asked as Nyx jumped off his shoulder and grew to full size…then even larger as armor formed around her, the TURBO powered Cyber Panther growling at the two Men in White, "Either tell me or tell the cat,"
"Ulp.." the second Man in White gulped, "We….we don't know where the gems are right now…but we managed to trace the gauntlet itself here in Detroit."
"So your first idea was to interrogate my dad and try to threaten him?" Sari deadpanned.
"...uh…" he began before the faint sounds of sirens going off were heard, "?!"
"...hah," Optimus sighed as he tapped the side of his head, "Ratchet?"
=Already checkin'...oh, Primus it's Angry Archer again…= Ratchet replied.
"Wait…you have a supervillain who is an Archer…does he use trick arrows?" Max asked with a big smile, "Most of my villains are alien abominations of nature or mutants who have been twisted into monsters, so I find this charming as heck."
"Mmm…you and Ben have such cool villains…" Sari complained, "I'm stuck with guys like that…and these bozos…" she motioned to the Men in White.
"Hey…" One spoke up only to yelp when Nyx growled, "Sorry!"
"Technically, they were our enemies first," Optimus chuckled.
"Yeah, but you're so jacked you could flick them into a full body cast." Sari argued.
"Hmm…you're right, I might be too strong for these types of fights now," Optimus sighed, "Oh! This is perfect for some of my newer cadets and officers to get proper experience with Earth born dangers."
"New cadets?" Tsubaki repeated.
"Some more of our Cybertronian brethren have decided to gain organic-alt forms and wanted to become Maximals like Silverbolt," Optimus informed, "Perhaps they can give you assistance in capturing Angry Archer."
=Huh? Cybertronians with an organic alt-mode?= Steel pondered =This I have gotta see=
"Ha ha! Nice try!" Angry Archer laughed as he swung away from the police cars chasing after him, a large clawed gauntlet with empty slots over one of his arms, "Thou shall remember this day as the time yeh hath almost captured the Angry Archer!"
"How do these nuts keep getting out!?" one cop exclaimed.
"They keep hiring this Chadzmuth guy!"
"Freaking Galvan lawyers…"
"Apparently…it's just the one who became a lawyer."
"Don't correct me in the middle of a police pursuit of a super villain!" the first snapped before a cheetah's snarl went off and a yellow blur raced past their cars, "Gah! Sweet mercy! Does he have to do that?!"
"Considering he's got the form of a cheetah?"
"Don't get started on me, Jenkins…"
"Oh ho! The feline of the automatic metal giants!" Angry Archer declared, flipping off a lamp post before landing on top of a rooftop, "Did thy leader not want to face me in combat?"
"Eh, we've all agreed he doesn't get called unless the threat is one he needs to be called on to fight," Cheetor replied, skidding to a halt to look up at the archer before his eyes spotted the gauntlet, "Huh…New glove, Robin Reject?"
"Oh? You noticed, wonderful is it not?"
"Meh…clashes with the greens…" Cheetor replied.
"Mmm…well I hast been thinking of giving it a new fresh coat," Angry Archer admitted, "But before then…I may as well procure the necessary materials…"
"By which you mean steal, right?"
"Well..it depends thy view of course."
"Nah I'm pretty sure stealing is stealing dude." Cheetor replied flatly.
"Mmm…mayhaps, but…" Angry Archer paused, pulling out his bow as he slipped in an arrow with a boxing glove on it, "I shan't be caught by ye, autonomous feline."
"Oh yeah? Cheetor, Maximize!" Cheetor declared as he changed into his robot mode and caught the arrow, "Heh…nice t-" he began before the arrow suddenly exploded, making him stagger back in surprise, "What the…?!"
"Surprise. I hast upgraded thy arsenal to further deal with your Cybertronians!" Angry Archer declared, "Rather explosive surprise, was it not?"
"Gh…okay. That took me by surprise," Cheetor muttered before looking up, "...counterpoint: don't look up."
"Hmm? What d-" Angry Archer began as he looked up..only to tense as he fired his wrist-mounted crossbow, swinging away just as Max came down from above to grab him, "Talley ho!"
"Dude!" Max complained, "You can't spoil a sneak attack like that,' he groaned, "Go Turbo Flight!" He changed his armor to flight formation and took off.
"What ho? A new young youth playing at super hero?" Angry Archer noted as he swung away.
"Playing? Dude I am a bonafide superhero, I have a rouges list, I have almost died like several times since I got this job. Respect the game man." Max called out, "Now if you don't mind we have a long day of saving the planet from reality warping cosmic nonsense, so if you'd please stop with the Shakespear in the park, and ripping off of both Hawkeye and Green Arrows bit with an evil twist, it be greatly appreciated."
"Nay! I hath tasted freedom, and I ashan't give it up!"
=Welp we tried= Steel 'sighed' =Let's get his fake shakespearean butt, Max!=
"Alright, Steel, lets steal his bit." Max spoke flying up as he held his hand to his chest and pulled Steel from his chest armor as his partner twisted around and reformed his body into a white bow with Steel's eye in the center.
=Aimed, primed, charging= Max pulled back on a string of energy as an arrow of energy formed in his new weapon, =Target locked=
"Fire!" Max cheered as he let go and unleashed an arrow of turbo energy that flew through the air much faster then him due to combined momentum, and struck the Angry Archer's wrist mounted crossbow…causing it to malfunction and let him fall through the air…before slamming into the wall of a building, "Hey~ Not bad. And to think we never even used this thing 'till just now."
"That was so cool…" Cheetor whispered in awe.
"That…was most surprising…" Angry Archer grunted as he pulled himself up, poking out of the hole as he used his bow to keep himself standing.
"Exploding Boomerang!" Max cheered, tossing Steel in his Boomerang formation as he slammed into the hole with Angry Archer, resulting in an explosion that knocked him out and let the super criminal fall to the street below, "You'd think that would get old,"
=But it never does= Steel flew back up to Max and docked to his chest.
"Ngh…verily you are indeed a tough opponent," Angry Archer grunted as he forced himself up once more.
"I should be, I fight the forces of nature, living toxic waste, a mutant animal shapeshifter," Max explained as his armor flashed and turned into Turbo Speed Mode, "hold that thought," he dashed away before the Angry Archer found himself wrapped up.
"Zounds!"
"That…was fast," Cheetor blinked as he walked over, "That…Felt too easy…"
"Well it either is or isn't. Depends on the situation." Max replied.
"Ahh…true I guess," Cheetor nodded before picking up Angry Archer, "Alrighty buddy, time to get your butt back to jail."
"...heh…lies," Angry Archer smirked a bit, making Cheetor blinked, "You should know metal feline…I always have my merrymen!"
"Huh? What's that supposed to…" Cheetor began before an orange blur shot by…and Angry Archer was soon out of his hand, "!?"
"Oh come on," Max groaned as the blur stopped, revealing a skinny looking human in an orange and black jumpsuit.
"Sorry…you try to catch one of us, you face all of us," the skinny man stated.
=Oh god there's more of you?= Steel deadpanned before he heard hissing, prompting him and Max to look down…and see the cat-themed bombs at the latter's feet =...did Nyancy g-=
*BOOOM!*
"WOAH!" Max screamed as he was sent flying.
"Shut up, stupid gross boy toy!" a small pink haired child in a pink dress shouted as she poked out of a nearby alleyway, a crown in her hair as she held a small magic wand.
"I feel insulted…" Max muttered.
=HEY! I am not a toy!= Steel snapped.
"Steel, we look like an awesome armored superhero…we are totally an awesome action figure." Max sighed.
=Then say Action Figure, there is a difference! Toys are meant to be broken by snot nosed little monsters you humans produce endlessly for some stupid reason…Action figures are collectibles for people of culture=
"No! Boy toys are stupid and gross!" the little girl argued, "They need to be pretty and not corrupting people…like girl toys!"
=You mean teaching dated gender roles that are harmful to moder-Gah!= he grunted as Max grabbed and tossed him in boomerang mode into the one who freed Angry Archer.
"It explodes?!" the orange suited man grunted tumbling along the ground.
"He does many things." Max explained.
=That's r-!= Steel began before a beam hit him, causing him to freeze in the air =?!=
"Ahh! St-!" Cheetor began before he was hit with a similar beam.
"What th-!?" Max began before he was hit as well, freezing him in place.
"Honestly, you fellas had to take up much needed time," a woman in a red dress and beret stated in a fast pace, lowering the dark-gray blaster with a small pocket watch attached to it.
"Apologies, madam. We were held up by one of the Autobots and a new companion of theirs," Angry Archer admitted.
"Yeah, what's the deal with him? Where did he come from?" the orange suited man asked, "And how can we profit off that armor?" he blinked as Max's body began glowing, "Uh…what's…"
"GAH!" Max shouted as a blue burst of energy knocked them all off their feet, "Ah…that…was not pleasant…Turbo Energy did not react well to whatever that was…"
"Impossible…" the woman whispered in disbelief, "That would've slowed down a Kineticerlian to a snail's pace."
"My thing ain't just speed, I produce infinite energy, can't really slow that down." Max declared before he looked at Steel, "No, yeah he's just a battery powered alien symbiote."
"...So he basically powers you?" the orange suited man questioned.
"Yes, but…" Max began before pausing, "...Don't you even think about it."
"...Angry Archer?" the woman spoke up.
"Talley ho!" Angry Archer declared as he threw an arrow to the ground, causing a bright flash to fill the area.
"Gah! Oh you…!" Max grunted as he was blinded for a moment, rubbing his eyes as he opened them…to see not sight of the four…nor Steel, "...oh those dirty…."
"GAH!" Cheetor gasped as he fell to his knees, "Oh Primus, that was horrible…!"
"Well at least now they think I'm without power…but they took Steel…those poor bastards won't last an hour." Max sighed.
"Really?"
"Trust me…you don't wanna know teh type of chaos Steel can do," Max stated before pulling his badge out, "Hey, Tsubaki, heads up. That Angry Archer guy has friends..and went off with Steel."
=They stole Steel?=
"Meh, we'll be fine, I'm still in Speed Mode which drains the most Energy, I'll be okay." Max explained, "and you know Steel is perfectly able to take care of himself. We'll track him down and get him back, but I want to show you something," he tapped his helmet as he began replaying things he saw, "Here," he paused on something, "Look at this guy's glove."
=?! That gauntlet…Sari?=
=Mmm….yup. According to those guys' photo, that's the Reality Gauntlet= Sari stated.
"Alright, I'll track down Steel and we'll get them. They got four members including bow-boy, a dude with super speed, a little girl with issues and violent weapons, and a lady with some sort of time based power."
=What was that last one?= Tsubaki blinked.
=Oh Lord…The SUV…= Sari groaned
"The what?= Max and Tsubaki deadpanned.
=Apparently short for for 'Society of Ultimate Villainy…..seriously, why do I get to have the lame bad guys!?=
"I feel bad for comparing my villain list to them, but they did get a decent jump on me." Max spoke, "Look, no worries I could break out of that time power no problem. So it's not like Ben's Clockwork powers at all."
=Well I suppose that's a good thing, but given it's still some sort of temporal ability, this will be annoying at the least= Tsubaki sighed.
"Agreed."
"I can't believe we got away with that," the orange jumpsuit man muttered as he and his cohorts hid within an abandoned storage building, a still frozen Steel strapped to a small metal table.
"He seemed to be a kid, so they aren't the most clever of sorts." the woman in red spoke, "Though it still feels like fighting him was a bad idea. I think he's the kind who swings too hard. Isn't left-handed. Doesn't pull his punches."
"He blew up this one," the little girl pointed to Angry Archer.
"Tis true."
"Okay then….so…what is this thing?" the man in orange asked as Steel blinked.
=Thing…oh sure like you're a looker yourself, snaggletooth? Dude, seriously, a dentist…ever heard of one? You'd think with the money you stole you could afford a good orthodontist. 'Cause…yeesh…you look like a piranha got jacked up by a monkey with a tire iron, and don't even get me started on that chin= Steel spoke up earning their attention =I mean…you could cut glass with that thing…is that how you rob banks?= he asked as the man rubbed his chin and hid his teeth at all that.
"Well, this automaton is very rude," Angry Archer muttered.
=Oh…so now The Man in Green Tights has something to say, not back when I was a better bow than yours. Here's an idea, Shakespear in the park: Go back to the park! Let stupid college students and teenagers that think watching Romeo and Juliet in a public park is a good date idea have to suffer your horrible nonsense! Cause you sound like you failed middle school English and are ashamed to pick up a new bit!=
"Wh-?!"
"See?! I told you boy toys are rude and naughty!" the small girl frowned.
=Oh shut up, little Miss Push-Feminism-back-50-years. Your stupid ideals are just as harmful to the development of children as the so-called violence of male targeted toys. News flash: boys can play with dolls and girls can play with action figures, and you want to know why? 'Cause they're kids! Let them have their imagination, you overprotective idiots!= Steel snapped, =And has anyone ever told you that you sound like you huff helium!? And not in a charming way!=
"It's…really talkative…" the woman began.
=Oh give it up already. You guys got lucky we never faced you. We've fought alien beings who command the classical elements, freaky mutants, and even Space Gods!= Steel laughed, =Ah…you should probably be calling a lawyer to get you out of prison for when my partner tracks me down and kicks your butts. Which…by the way, he can do. We are a symbiotic pair; we know where the other is. And if you thought you-HAHAHAHAHA! You idiots could somehow profit off me? …Oh…you must clearly be idiots. Oh wait…I remember who you are! Most all of you got your powers from Megatron, 'cause none of you are smart enough to make half this stuff yourselves, and then let's talk about the space SUV who tricked all of you into doing free work for him=
"?!" the quartet tensed up at that.
=I have read the entirety of the database, I know a lot of things, but unlike you I can file them away 'till I need them. Then I remember Sari's file of: Loser Supervillains=
"Hey, we are not…" the orange jumpsuit-wearing man began.
=Oh yes you are. In fact, the only debatable threats amongst those that are not Cyebrtronian are Headmaster and Meltdown and his mutated creations!= Steel snapped, =Do you know how many mutants I need to fight? If you guess less than five…wrong! And I mean a guy who fell into a vat of chemicals and walks around in an exosuit that lets him absorb toxic waste and literal pollution to empower himself. The other guy messed around with alien technology, so now he can turn into giant mutant animals with organic crystals growing out of their face, and don't even get me started…on the Former Zombie Clown we collected last night. Yeah…former…as in past tense…because Zombies! Are! Real! You are four average Joes with tech that an evil alien overlord gave you to treat you as puppets in his grand schemes!=
"I think it has anger issues…" the little girl muttered, hiding behind the woman.
"Well there's no need to be so harsh," the man in orange muttered.
=Oh I disagree, Nino Sexton, Alias: Nanosec…by the way…how badly did you get teased for that name in middle and high school?= Steel teased, =Is that why you got this whole speed thing, aye Minute Man~= Steel made a digital eyebrow to wag.
"...I hate this thing so much…" Nanosec fumed while blushing like crazy.
=Thank you! You're a horrible audience!=
"Mayhaps stealing this thing was a bad idea," Angry Archer muttered.
=Uh, ya thi-= Steel began before a beam hit him, causing him to freeze once more.
"Mmm…surely there is a use we can find for this thing," the woman muttered, "Even with all these fancy new devices and weaponry we've procured."
"Kinda scary how easy it is to get Alien tech now these days," Nanosec muttered.
"So we can use them to get rid of all those naughty toys and video games, right?" the little girl frowned.
"Yes, yes. Worry not, Professor Princess. We will continue to stop the advances of our mortal enemies and false knights, the Autobots," Angry Archer assured.
"Speaking of knights…What's with that gauntlet?" Nanosec asked once he noticed the gauntlet.
"Oh this? I was looking for a new glove after my last tie in with the Autobots' metal feline, and I happen to hath come across this," he replied as he held up his arm with the gauntlet on it, "Rather unique, I must say…though a strange sensation the more I wear it."
"Hmm…seems to be missing something," the woman spoke, holding her chin in thought as she looked at the empty slots on Angry Archer's Gauntlets, "Jewels, components…perhaps a powersource?"
"Hmm?" Angry Archer blinked as he looked at his gauntlet, "Yes…it does feel like it's missing something…perhaps it may have a more mystical power to it…"
"Hmm…oh! What if we…?" Nanosec began before a claw erupted from a nearby window, "?!"
"Grr~ Syndicate…"
"...Oh no…" Nanosec began to pale, "Not that crazy raptor again…"
"I got to ride on a Dinosaur!" Max shouted as he crashed through a different window, Nyx on his shoulder, "Okay, I'm here for my buddy. Give him back…and I won't feed you to the cat I co-parent with a mad scientist girl."
"That's a kitten…" most of them blinked.
"Oh right, she's still in travel form. Nyx…play time," Max snapped his fingers just as Dinobot broke in, Nyx jumped down and grew to full size as her armor formed.
"AHH! Big cat!" Nanosec panicked, about to run off before he ended up crashing into Dinobot, "...oh no…"
"Oh yes…" Dinobot growled out as he transformed, about to reach out and grab him before the woman hit him with a shot from her blaster, freezing him in place once more, "?!"
"Sorry, but we're aiming to vamoose, amscray, get out of here, make it out of here, see?" the woman stated as she lowered her weapon.
"Not with my friend y-" Max began as he charged at them only for a series of sparkly tape to wrap around him and knock him over, "Gah!"
"Ha ha! That's what you get, you naughty bad guy!" Professor Princess taunted as she lowered a tape gun with the sparkly tape in it.
"Kid, the only…naughty bad guy…is you…!" Max grunted as he struggled to free himself, "Also…Nyx."
"Huh? N-AHH! BAD KITTY!" Professor Princess panicked as she ran from Nyx.
"No, a very good kitty. She is very good and sociable with other pets," Max grunted as he hobbled around a bit, "Steel…time to do something here! Me and Dino-dude rushed here once he said he knew where they'd been hiding for weeks and waiting for a chance to pounce while they slept…"
"Wait, what?!" the SUV all asked.
"It's true. You fools…entertain me…" Dinobot admitted with a toothy grin, "And I mean that in the worst possible way for you…"
"Oh come on…" Nanosec groaned.
"Now…" Dinobot grunted as his body began to move again, "I believe you owe me for the humiliation last we encountered, Nanosec…"
"...better idea…" Nanosec began as Angry Archer held up an arrow, "Scatter!"
"Wh-" Max began before the archer threw the arrow down, engulfing the warehouse in smoke, "Oh come on!"
"RAGH!" Dinobot roared as he swung his weapon, dispersing the smoke cloud…and reveal the SUV was already gone…well except for Professor Princess as she struggled to get out of Nyx' grip.
"Good kitty. Kajun is right, you are so good at catching little things." Max sighed, already freed as he walked up and began petting Nyx, "I guess we can toss this one into the ground bridge and let Sari handle it." he tapped his helmet and a Groundbridge formed, "Nyx…I know you like holding what you catch for a while, but we need to catch the other losers, be a good apex predator and release the walking Irony."
"I still don't get what that word means…" Dinobot growled.
"No one does, and that in of itself is irony." Max explained.
"Why can't the rest of this planet speak a sensible language?" Dinobot growled.
"What, like there's a Galactic Common?" Max chuckled.
"I…you…" Dinobot tried to argue…but couldn't think of a word to say, "...Gr…I suppose you have a point…"
"Nyx, drop the loony in the portal and lets get back to finding those others." Max ordered his shared pet.
"Don't you are you naughty k-" Professor Princess began before Nyx thew her into an already formed Groundbridge, "You bullies!"
"Don't listen Nyx, you're a good kitty."
"Reow.." Nyx mewled as she changed back into her smaller state.
"I'll chase after Steel's signal, you sniff out the others." Max looked to Dinobot, "I…do not care the condition you bring them in, just so long as you don't ruin that new glove arrow boy has."
"I like you," Dinobot smirked.
"Phew…lost track of that crazy dino…" Nanosec muttered as he hid inside the sewers, "But they caught Professor Princess….eh no biggie. I can just zoom in and pick her up later."
"Wow. Youse have some brass bearings dere, speedy."
"?!" Nanosec tensed as he turned, seeing Rattrap standing there in his beast mode, "Oh…it's just the rat."
"Oh, and he's a regular Sherlock too, yeesh," Rattrap rolled his eyes, "Look...how's about you save me da trouble and tell me where yer buddies went…preferably the walking bad-shakespeare-in-da-park wannabe."
"'And why should I tell you? You can't even catch me," Nanosec taunted.
"Eh, true."
"...unless you have some traps waiting for me," Nanosec tensed as he quickly looked around
"I don't know, do I?" Rattrap asked as he cupped his chin, "Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. You wanna pull the pin?"
"What pin?! Where?" he asked in panic.
"No pin, but…heads up someone faster!" Rattrap shouted as a white and blue blur slammed into Nanosec and proceeded to unleash a barrage of punches all across his face and torso.
"Stick around." Max spoke coming to a stop and stomping on Nanosec's ankle making him yelp in pain as a loud crack could be heard. "Come on man, Supervillain 101, learn how take a punch." He began punching him across the face with super speed rapidly, "And Superhero 101 is how to land a nasty punch." He landed a final uppercut that knocked him down.
"Yeah…we don't really hit 'em…" Rattrap admitted, "Kinda…unfair given we's Cybertronians."
"Well…I'm half human, so…it's kinda okay." Max shrugged, Nyx turning to Rattrap as her eyes went wide, "Nyx?"
"Mrrow…" Nyx raised her hindquarters up as she aimed at the giant Cybertronian rat.
"...hey…hey…" Rattrap realized as he began to step back, "Don't even think about it, pussycat…"
"Mrrroow…"
"Nyx…you okay? You never chase rats…oh…cause he's techno-organic…" Max realized.
"...ahh scrap…" Rattrap whispered.
=RUN MAN RUN!= Steel screamed.
"Oh hey, he did nab you." Max spoke, picking Steel out of Nanosec's pockets.
=Freedom!= he cheered, =Did you break his leg?=
"I dislocated his ankle." Max corrected.
=...you should've busted his kneecaps=
"Come on, he's not that bad," Max sighed as he slapped Steel to his chest and finally reverted to his base form. He then flinched when Nanosec gasped, and proceeded to punch him in the face again.
=...hit him again=
"No…we're not messing his teeth up any further then his horrible dentist already did." Max sighed.
"Help!" Rattrap snapped as Nyx, still in kitten mode, was now flinging him around by the scruff of his neck fur., "Being rat-handled here!"
"...ugh," Max sighed before tapping the side of his helmet, "Good news, I got Steel back…but still got two other bad guys left to catch,"
=No worries. I have Jin with the other new recruits to deal with Angry Archer and Slo-Mo=
"That's good, it should be a fair first challenge." Max spoke, "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to stop my pet cat from ragdolling a Maximal Rodent."
"Why's it so strong! Stop this crazy thing!? Why can't you have a dog like normal male humies!?" Rattrap snapped.
"...It's actually kind of adorable, I'll send videos." Max added.
"DON'T YOU DARE!"
=We'll keep them private,= Tsubaki chuckled a little, =I'll be in touch, you just bring in Nanosec=
"Sure thing, just let me bind his legs." Max spoke, "No…Nyx, no piercing skin, don't be mean with your new friend."
"Mrrow?" Nyx tilted her head.
"I think I'm startin; to hate felines…" Rattrap deadpanned.
"Well…this is a fine pickle, a sticky citation, a rather tight jam," the woman/Slo-Mo muttered as she hid within an alleyway, "Those Maximals were a bit of a bother before…but now Plumbers are on the scene. Space cops, the 5-0 of the stars, the cosmic…brr…" she began to shiver as the area began to grow cold, "Not even November…and it's already this cold?"
"No…but you better start running."
"?!" Slo-Mo tensed as she turned and fired a laser shot from her time freezing gun, only for the laser to be split in half by a sword slice as it hit a pair of streetlights.
"Save it..I already know how you work from your file," Jin stated, Yukianesa half-way out of its sheath as he glared at her.
"Impossible…" Slo-Mo whispered in disbelief, "You should've been frozen the moment that beam hit you, not being able to move an inch, a frozen breathing statue."
"I've trained with someone who's swords can cut that which normally can't be cut…It was just a matter of when to freeze the beam itself," Jin retorted.
"Freeze the…" Slo-Mo gasped as she began to back away...only to tense as she bumped into something, making her slowly turn to see a large white tiger growling at her, "?!"
"Nowhere to run…nowhere to hide," Jin stated as he quickly resheathed his sword, causing a giant icewall to form behind him, "The choice is yours, Samantha Lomow. Either surrender peacefully…or by force."
"By all means…push your luck," the Tiger growled, "You could hit one of us…but not both."
"..." she dropped her weapon and held her arms up, "I give!"
"Mildly disappointed…" both muttered as Jin pulled his badge out.
"Tsubaki, me and Tigatron have captured Slo-Mo. All that leaves is Angry Archer…=
=And he has the Gauntlet we're looking for…still haven't heard back from Sari, Airrazor, nor Dinobot yet…=
"Hmm…Often the best place to hide amongst the forest is in the trees," Tigatron noted.
"What?" Jin looked over at the white tiger Maximal who raised a paw up to point at a poster, showing a medieval festival happening at the park that day, "Oh you have to be kidding me."
=A clue?=
"Hah…there is a Renaissance Fair going on in the park…Where best for a reject from Shakespearean works to hide then among those who also butcher his works?" Jin asked.
=Hmm…fair point…maybe we can take advantage of this=
"Hmm?"
=He expects us to not find him there…but we could turn it around on him=
"..." Jin stood silently there for a moment, looking back and forth before whispering into the badge, "If only to outperform that fake Robin Hood and his fau-Shakesperian accent…"
=Okay, but you're no longer allowed to play antiheroes or antagonists, not after last time=
"Don't remind me…" Jin muttered before an idea popped into his head, "...Can you contact Silverbolt?"
=...Jin…this isn't Game of Thrones related, is it?=
"Maybe. Or something from our Dungeons and Dragons nights."
=Well I trust you…but I'm also concerned=
"It's fine, Tsubaki," Jin assured.
=Alright, but please no glaciers in the park=
"I…promise to try." Jin replied as he cut the call.
"...You…are an interesting human," Tigatron noted, keeping a paw on Slow-Mo to keep her from trying to sneak away.
"Ahh…ye ol' Renn Faire grounds. How hath I missed thee," Angry Archer whispered as he walked through a crowd of people wearing medieval-era attire, "Truly a time when those that love the golden arts come together and celebrate on the good meals of the middle ages. And best all…no Autobots, Maximals..nor Plumbers in sight."
"Excuse me, kind sir."
"Hmm?" Angry Archer blinked as he turned, seeing a woman in an elegant female knight outfit as a helmet covered her face.
"Mayhaps thy eyes deceive ye, but are you not the Angry Archer?" the female knight questioned.
"Ah…no. I doth understand thy confusion," he lied casually, "Tis but the attire of the good thief Robin Hood who doth steal from the rich to give away to the poor. Twas quite the noble man despite his 'villainy.'"
"Indeed, though...if thou can allow me to say this, I heed you a challenge."
"A challenge?"
"Yes…by his majesty," the female knight nodded as she moved to the side, letting a cloaked figure walk up to him, though from the small opening in the cloak, Angry Archer could see a royal prince-like attire underneath…and soon yelped when he saw the large wolf/eagle hybrid he was riding on top of, "Lord Elfhiem Gaeisius, Prince of the kingdom of archers…and best archer within the forests."
"What? Ha! Rubbish…I hath honed thy skills to emulate the legendary Robin Hood himself."
"...This…is happening…" Max spoke, watching via his helmet's visor zooming in like binoculars, "This is happening and we're not even allowed to get mutton…"
"What's mutton?" Cheetor asked.
"A type of meat that you eat at these things," Max explained, "But I don't have the time to change since…my armor is either always on or hidden inside my body. Wait…can Maximals eat meat? Or is it only Energon?"
"Meat, vegetables, fruits," Cheetor listed, "What the animal form we take on can eat, we can and convert it into Energon. Just…" he grimaced, "...don't let Rinox eat beans."
"...ech. Noted," Max cringed a bit at that.
"Very well!" Angry Archer declared, catching their attention as he was pointing at the cloaked prince, "If ye hath claimed to be the better archer between us, then let us settle this on the archery range!"
"Very well…just do not complain if thou loses thy cool just because you cannot keep up," Elfhiem stated.
"We shall see who earns the right to Robin Hood's Legacy!" Angry Archer declared as he began to walk off.
"...Elfhiem Gaeius?" the female knight deadpanned to Elfhiem, removing her helmet to reveal it was Tsubaki underneath, "Really Jin?"
"I wanted to make it feel more authentic," Elfhiem argued as he lowered the hood of his cloak, revealing him to be Jen, "Plus…been debating on a new character class for D and D night…."
"Was riding on top of me necessary?" the wolf/Eagle…or rather Silverbotl questioned as he looked over at Jin.
"Of course. The Cygnus Lupis is the great steed of the Gaeius dynasty. Loyal to no end, fierce warriors to fight with their masters…the perfect hunter for land and air," Jin stated.
"I fear for the day we let you DM…" Tsubaki sighed.
"Hmph…" Jin snorted at that.
"I do not know what this 'D and D' is…but it sounds oddly fun," Silverbolt spoke.
"It is, and a good way to let loose those inhibitions in a creative way," Tsubaki explained, "It relies on mathematically determined outcomes for chance, and creative interaction. It's how we've gotten so good at dealing with on the fly situations and nonsense."
"Truly now?"
"You never know what the person who acts as the Dungeon Master…or Game Master, whichever, comes up with during the game. And most times…depending on who does it…things get weird." Tsubaki sighed, "We also agreed no more AI hologram technology to play after last time…"
"...Did we ever have that talk with Mai about…?" Jin muttered.
"No…we haven't…" Tsubaki sighed, making a shiver go up the mentioned friend's back at this topic being brought up, "Though something tells me Lambda has been handling that until we've had time to address it."
"I would honestly not be surprised…"
"...I hate this," Dinobot deadpanned in his Beast Mode, decked out in medieval armor, as Sari rode on top of him with a Beast Mode Airrazor flying overhead…and the two Men in White tied up and hanging off the back.
"Is this really necessary?" the first of the two asked.
"Considering you were going to intimidate my dad? Yes, yes it is," Sari huffed.
"At least she gave us time to keep our uniform's colors," the second noted…not wanting to look at the white jester costumes they were in.
"You're both imbeciles," Dinobot bluntly stated.
"Hey, we're just trying to do our job here."
"And yet, you are as imbecilic as Cheetor and Bumblebee when they're around each other for too long," Dinobot huffed.
"...Well that's just not fair."
"Well…" Sari began.
"Beg pardon, young lass…"
"?" Sari blinked as Dinobot halted in his walk, letting her look to the side to see a fortune teller's tent with a lanky cloaked figure sitting before a crystal ball.
"Mayhaps you like to have your fortune told?" the figure offered as they moved their hands around their crystal ball, "I can foresee what is in your future…see what is in your past…tell you what is hidden deep within your soul…"
"A fortune?" Sari raised a brow.
"Indeed. Wouldst thou care to try?"
"...I guess it wouldn't hurt," Sari muttered as she hopped off Dinobot, "Hopefully this won't take long…"
"As long as I get this mutton thing…I don't care…" Dinobot grumbled under his breath.
"I'll treat ya to an extra big one," Sari assured before she walked over to the tent, "Alright, sir…or ma'am, please…tell me what's in my future."
"Hmm hmm hmm….very well," the figure chuckled before motioning to the crystal ball, "Please….put your hand on the crystal ball."
Sari's hand slowly reached out for the crystal ball, gently putting her hand on it before she tensed up, her eyes glowing as the area around her darkened.
"I see many things in your future…Gemstones of ultimate power…" the figure's voice stated as three colored lights-red, blue and yellow- shone before they scattered, "The return of an old nemesis, I see…" the demonic version of a Megatron's head appeared above her, making the redhead jump back in surprise, "And….hmm? Now what…is…?"
Slowly, but surely…the figure's voice began to go silent, making Sari tense a bit as the area itself began to grow quiet. Red and black mist began to seep into the area, making Sari tense as she took a step back…right into the body of something, making her slowly look up…and the dark red eyes looking down at her.
"AHH!" Sari gasped as she pulled away, panting as the area changed back to normal, "Wh….what…..what was that?"
"Hmm…unsure myself…that last part was too veiled for me to see," the figure admitted as they looked at the crystal ball, 'Which should be impossible…this thing literally looks into one's soul…'
"...h-hey. Are….we done?" Sari asked as she began to calm herself.
"Hmm? Oh! Yes my lady…you may go along your way now," the fortune teller stated as they picked up the crystal ball, "I need to go…investigate something."
"Yeah…yeah you do that…" Sari whispered as she began to walk back over to Dinobot.
"...something up, kiddo?" Airrazor asked as she landed on a tree branch.
"Yeah. Just…taken aback is all," Sari assured.
"Your hand is shaking," Dinobot pointed out.
"I…It's…"
"Do not say it's nothing," Dinobot cut her off, "Optimus speaks highly of you, little hybrid, you, who stared down the same dangers as he and his team, would not be shaken by nothing."
"...I saw….something," Sari replied as she gripped her shaking hand, "I…I don't know what…but amongst that red mist…I saw…eyes."
"Eyes?" Airazor repeated.
"Yeah. As if…someone was staring right into my soul…"
"Hmph…I guess you have battles to come," Dinobot spoke, "Rather than fear them, it would be best to steel yourself for when they come."
"...yeah. Yeah, you're right," Sari muttered as she took a deep breath to calm herself, "L…let's hurry and get ready to capture Angry Archer."
"Alright…but if you have another episode, I'll contact Optimus," Airazor stated as she took off into the air once more.
"I will not, he'll just rush here in concern." Dinobot assured, "I'd like to sink my teeth into that buffoon at least once,"
"Morbid…" the second Man in White muttered…before Dinobot's tail smacked him upside the head, "Ow!"
"No one asked you, imbecile…"
"Hmm hmm…here's the challenge, my good prince, "Angry Archer told 'Elfhiem' as they both had a bow and arrow ready as a set of targets were placed far far far away from them, "To whomever hits a bullseyes three times from that distance…will prove which of us is the better archer, and who deserves the right to carry on Sir Robin Hood's legacy."
"Hmph...tis all?" 'Elfhiem' questioned, "I was expecting something more from thee, fellow archer."
"Ahh…but here is the beauty of it…" Angry Archer began as he pulled out a pair of blindfolds, "We cannot use thy sight...just let the wind guide our arrows."
"Now thou are making this the sporting event," 'Elfhiem' grinned.
"Mayhaps, but…" Angry Archer began as he handed him one of the blindfolds, wrapping the other around his eyes before pulling three arrows out, pulling his bow back as he sent all three of them flying. Each one flew through the air while often curving through a few objects before each arrow landed in the dead center of the target, "Nothing I'm sure isn't a challenge for thee, your majesty."
"I suppose compared to our normal reaction speed, we failed to notice the actual skill…" Tsubaki muttered to herself.
"Don't worry...I've got this covered," Jin whispered quietly to her as he picked up a bow, grabbing a set of arrows, and tied the blindfold into place before he took his stance.
Angry Archer merely grinned as he pressed something on her personal bow, causing the arrows in Jin's hands to start beeping before an explosion went off. Before he could gloat in victory, however, something leapt out of the resulting dust cloud. It was Jin, holding onto a bow made of ice, before he fired off a series of ice arrows. Three right into his target..and three that pierced right through Angry Archer's arrows, much to the man's shock.
"...h…how…?"
"Robin Hood was always aware of his surroundings..and knew when a trap would be sprung," Jin stated as he landed, "Plus…he didn't need to resort to cheating unlike the Sheriff of Nottingham did…"
"Wha…why…how dare you," He growled.
"I dare because you are a mockery of the good name of Robin Hood," Jin replied with a frown, "You claim to follow his creed, but thou in truth has spit upon it by stealing not just from people who deserve it…but from people who don't just to satisfy ones ego."
"Grrr…" Angry Archer growled at that, "I will not stand for this insult! I…" he stopped as he heard the loud gnashing of sharp teeth and the ripping of clothing, making him spin around to see Dinobot with a good chunk of his green trousers in his jaws, "..."
"Hello~" Sari greeted as she sat on Dinobot's back.
"...uh…I thinketh I hear my merrymen calling for…" Angry began as he tried to sneak off...only for Airrazor to land before him, "?! ...uh...I think it was th-" he began as he tried to turn...only to tense when Cheetor in Beast Mode and Tigatron got in front of him, baring their fangs.
"Just give it up…" Rattrap muttered as he rested against the latter, "You're surrounded by Cybertroninans, a half one…and two scary strong humans."
"Wait…where's Max?" Tsubaki blinked.
"I got mutton!" he shouted, walking over in his Hulking Strength Mode, a bowl of mutton in hand, "Oh shoot…Did we jump him already? The kitty talked me into it." he motioned to Nyx, who had a piece of Mutton in her mouth in her larger form.
"...h..how…?" Angry Archer whispered as he looked at 'Elfhiem' and his knight, "What did they tell you, fellow archer? Did they th-" he tensed when Jin and Tsubaki dropped theri disguises with Silverbotl changing into robot mode, "...Oh…tis…a trap…."
"Yes…and you fell for it," Jin stated as he summoned Yukianesa, "Now A.A Archer….the gauntlet. Hand it over."
"My Gauntlet?"
"It's actually an important antique that was lost," Max spoke up, "Ah…but not worth money, sentimental value mostly. We're here to get it back and take the Maximals on a field test, you idiots just happened to trigger this." he lied so as to not tell this idiot what it really was, and give him delusions of grandeur and victory if he somehow kept it.
"...Then what of these slots?" Angry Archer questioned as he motioned to the empty slots on the gauntlet, "Surely something goes in these."
"Yes…Four powerful gems th-" one of the men in white began before the other nudged him, "Ow!"
"Shut it…!"
"...Truly now…?"
'Damn/slag it!' most of the group mentally snapped.
"Hmm…well then that changes things then," Angry Archer noted with a smirk, "If this gauntlet truly is of the mythic proportion if it requires jewels of power…then I shant be a fool to give it up!"
"IDIOTS!" Sari and Dinobot snapped at the two men in white still tied on the latter's back.
"Right…You're going back to basic training after this," the first groaned.
"Hah…had him defeated. Now we gotta break his face and feed him to my cat," Max sighed.
"Mrrow!" Nyx complained, before motioning to the mutton.
"...You don't want to eat him…you'd rather the mutton?" Max asked.
"Mrrow…"
"Hmph. What an…unfortunate…set of circumstances. The feline shall not dine upon this fool," Dinobot noted.
"Phew…" the medieval villain sighed in his relief.
"Unfortunately for him…I do not care what I dine on," Dinobot stated.
"?!" Angry Archer tensed at that.
"Also…I can track you down easily in Beast Mode," Silverbolt added as he crossed his arms over his torso…before looking at Dinobot, "Truly?"
"Is it not obvious? Before my creation was perfected, there was a predecessor of mine with the same Beast Mode, but could not Transform," Dinobot noted, "I'm…afraid he's gone for good. A shame really. He was such a…handsome creature and…quite tasty."
"..." Rattrap, Cheetor, and Sari said nothing as they inchaed away from the raptor-themed Maximal.
"...May I request yon restraining order for the raptor in trade for thine gauntlet?" A.A Archer asked, looking at Tsubaki while sweating buckets.
"...That can be arranged." Tsubaki muttered, "The gauntlet first though." she held her hand out.
"Curse your stupid human litigation…" Dinobot growled.
"...Of…Of course…." Angry Archer slowly nodded as he gripped the gauntlet and slowly slid it off. He then slowly began to hold it out to Tsubaki before something flew by and grabbed it, "?!"
"OH NOW WHAT?!" Rattrap snapped before tensing, seeing the blur was a large ghostly snake as it held the gauntlet in its mouth, "Ahh! Da heck?!"
"Is…is that a ghost snake?" Airazor blinked.
"...?!" Tsubaki tensed in realization, "Don't tell me…"
"Genius, is it not?" a voice spoke, making everyone turned to see the cloaked figure approach…with the fairgrounds itself fading away as they held a medallion in their hands, "Your chaos across town made things so much easier for me to set up my brilliant trap…then again…" they paused to look at Tsubaki, "YOu should've been able to see through that…my former clown…"
"Clown?" Sari repeated as she looked at Tsubaki.
"I am…just as lost here," Silverbolt muttered.
"...Freakshow," Tsubaki frowned as the figure removed their cloak, revealing it to be the former ringleader of Circus Gothica.
"Correct! The true star of this performance has arrived!" Freakshow laughed as the tattooed ghost flew over to him, the snake holding the gauntlet flying over to its master, "And with the help of the Medallion of the Mists, I was able to lure that…ugh…moron who makes Shakespear coil in his grave here to enjoy a nice 'renaissance faire'...and you all gave me the perfect opening to take what is rightfully mine."
"...I have to agree with him."
"Dinobot!" Cheetor gawked.
"What? It's true that this one makes a mockery of such…marvelous works."
"...You had to introduce him to Shakespear…" Airazor and Tigatron deadpanned at Silverbolt.
"I could not help it. He looked like he'd enjoy the performative arts!"
"I love how people die so much, a genius!" Dinobot cheered.
"Oh very much agreed. But as as much as I'd like to chat…" Freakshow began as he slipped the Reality Gauntlet on, "I believe it is time to wrap up Act one of this little play…one I like to call 'Freakshow's rise to Godhood…'"
"Ha! As if!" the second Man in White mocked, "The gems are missing, so all you have is just a fancy piece of armwear."
"Hmm….hmm…very true," Freakshow nodded…before plucking the red jewel hanging off his ear, "Were it not for having the very jewel that powers it...the Gem of Power!"
"I really gotta learn when to shut up…"
"You think…?!" his partner snapped as Freakshow slipped the triangle-shaped jewel into the gauntlet, causing it to light up.
"GAH!" Freakshow gasped as he felt a power course through his body, ignoring the slight burning sensation in his arm as he panted, "...well…that felt invigorating…"
"Oh yeah? Well it's gonna feel painful in a moment!" Max retorted as he charged with Nyx.
"Yeah!" Cheetor added as he joined.
"Wait! We don't know…!" Tsubaki began before a flash of red went off, the three being sent flying overhead as they crashed through a few trees, "...what it's capable of…"
"And that was just with one gem!" Freakshow laughed as a red ghostly aura surrounded the gauntlet, "Imagine what would happen if I had the remaining three…" he grinned before holding his gauntlet arm up, letting it catch Dinobot's blade as a loud metal clang echoed throughout the area, "It worked!" he grunted when Max in his base form landed a kick to his face, "GAH! OH! MY…THAT HURT!" he cried in pain, holding his face, "Grr…you insignificant slugs!" he snapped as he fired a blast at Max and Dinobot, sending them flying straight into Airazor before she could get a chance to transform.
"Tigatron, Maximize!" Tigatron roared out as he transformed into Robot Mode, oddly looking like an older Cheetor with a more feline-like face, before pulling out his blaster as he fired off a few laser shots while Silverbolt sent out a flurry of feather missiles, only for Lydia to fly before Freakshow as one of her tattoos glowed, coming to life as a large cartoon ghost opened its mouth and 'ate' the incoming shots, "?!"
"Seriously, what did I miss while I was away from Bellwood?!" Sari gawked as she quickly pulled out her sword and shield.
"A lot," was all Tsubaki replied before she quickly used Excalibur to block an incoming energy blast from Freakshow.
"Come now…don't disappoint the lead performer!" Freakshow challenged before punching the ground, causing a piece of it to rise up and block the incoming ice sword heading his way.
"He's…weirdly fast to learn," Jin noted.
"Yeah, but…that's just the glove. Without it, he's a scrawny looking beak nosed reject from a horrible teen vampire romance movie." Max added.
"Hey…" Freakshow muttered at that, "Aren't you guys the good guys?"
=We are! What of it, big nose? You wanna cry about it? Too bad! Nobody has cared for your feelings since you decided to dress like a reject vampire clown!= Steel cackled.
"...That robot's words…hurt…" a downed Angry Archer muttered.
=Nobody asked you, Robin Fake!=
"When did Steel get so cutting with words?" Sari asked.
"He's been watching a lot of Celebrity Roasts," Max explained.
=And I have more material to work with!= Steel declared =Especially for the faux goth standing there!=
"Well you certainly are a rude machine," Freakshow muttered before he and Lydia moved aside from a bolt of green lightning that tried to crash down on them, "Also ha! Nice try!"
"Rattrap, how about a little help here?!" Sari complained.
"Oh really?! Send me at da guy with a freaking power gauntlet and da freaky ghost chick?!" Rattrap argued.
"Rattrap…" Tigatron growled.
"Fine fine…" Rattrap sighed as he pulled his blaster out, about to fire a shot before Lydia summoned a giant ghostly lion as it glared down at him, "...NOPE!" he panicked, throwing his blaster as he ran off.
"RATTRAP!"
"Nyx…get the toy," Max ordered as Nyx in her full sized form pounced on Rattrap, "Throw," Nyx bit Rattap by the neck before flinging him around and through the ghostly lion and right into Lydia who was taken aback by the sudden giant armored Panther, "Good girl."
"Bad…girl…" Rattrap groaned.
"Is that a Battle Cat?" Freakshow asked only to be blindsided by a punch from Max, followed up by a kick from Dinobot that sent him flying back and into a tree.
"You wanna join the big leagues, get ready for a real fight." Max spoke, cracking his knuckles.
"I agree. Don't think a fancy little weapon is all it takes to stand up to real warriors," Dinobot smirked.
"Ugh…N-Noted…" Freakshow replied, "But…I do have one thing down pat."
"And what's that?" Cheetor asked before a clatter made him look down to see a white and green sphere.
"Sleight of hand," Freakshow replied before closing his eyes as the device beeped rapidly before going off with a bright flash and a loud 'BANG!' from it.
"GYAH! Flashbang! That was a flashbang!" Max yelped.
"Grah! Vermin!" Dinobot screamed.
"Is anyone here?! All I hear is ringing!" Cheetor panicked.
"What was that, military grade?!" Max grunted as his visor began to glow blue, "Wait…uh…nevermind…I have echolocation mode…"
=Aaaand they're gone= Steel groaned.
"Oh great…" Max sighed before grabbing Sari as she nearly jumped at a tree, "Right…Should probably keep everyone from moving until they get their sight back."
=Everyone stand still and wait 'till we give you a buddy to hold hands with. If you're in animal mode, please just lay on the ground 'till your optics are rebooted= Steel sighed, =And no one move lest you step on the cybernetic super jaguar's tail…=
"MROW!" Nyx cried out before growing to larger size as she pounced on the Men in White agent.
"...That was my partner, wasn't it?" the first asked in exasperation.
"Basic training?" Tsubaki suggested.
"I'm close to sending him back to preschool," he grumbled, facepalming.
A faint yellow glow was seen within a small cave, the dirt barely able to hide a small diamond-shaped topaz jewel as it lit up the darkened cavern. Soon the dirt was moved, causing the jewel to shrine brighter and brother as a certain pet 'pterodactyl' cryptid belonging to a certain Secret scientist family looked on at the stone in interest.
"Zon~! Where are ya, girl?!" Zak's voice shouted from outside the cave.
Zon clicked her tongue in response before scooping the unearthed gem and a good bit of dirt in her jaw. She turned around and began taking a few steps before leaping into the air to take off and fly out of the cave.
SZ: Thus….begins a rather interesting arc…the ….Reality War? No no….hmm…Reality Hunt?...no no I got this…
Z0: He's gonna be there for a bit folks. But yes this is a first…Galactic Shift Extend Side Stories, has an arc! Yeah we have so much stuff we are putting an entire ass arc in the side content Fic! Hahaha…see I told you we were hitting kinda close to our Endgame. And spoiler…we legit have almost everything planned out…what kind of plans…hahahahaha…I would rather kill you then say anything~ That's right, I mean you. You shall keep out secrets in the grave foolish ones! *gets chained up with holy chains* Oi…did you guys lock me up to stop killing people again?
GT: It's past Halloween, Z0. You gotta be good for Santa Claus. He saved those pickled boys, after all.
Z0: Hey, I have the karma system rigged. Besides if I kill someone, its someone no one will miss.
GT: …Read and Review, Folks
Z0: Release me! I'm due in hell to make Mammon my bitch!
SZ: Later folks…and I am tempted to see that happen…