Return to the Main Page
Episode 13: Cybertronian Roulette - Part 2
Last time on the Waspinator Chronicles
Poison Bite struggled to force himself up on his feet, but stray wiring shot sparks from the gaping hole in the center of his body. Mech fluid flowed like a river from the devastating wound.
"I... I will not be... defeated..." Poison Bite coughed.
Scavenger loomed over the weakened war machine with a grin stretched across his faceplate. "You already ARE."
He lifted his drill hands and aimed them at the bot when he suddenly lurched forward in pain. As he hunched over, a familiar wolverine fell off and spun to face Scavenger.
"Must... protect... the leader..." Razor Claw growled, his body racked with pain.
"Slag," Scavenger growled quietly as he raised his optics.
Atlas fell to the ground holding his chest in agony.
"No... *wheeze* This is our last chance... to win..." he protested weakly.
"Victory is at hand!" bellowed the voice from above, and Icebird dove down again, lifting Atlas into the air, gripping him by the shoulders. "Defeat lies with you, vile being!"
Atlas's onboard computer chimed in. "Extensive damage received. Stasis lock recommended."
"Terrorsaur, you better be half as good as you say you are, because we've got four Maximal signatures closing on our location," Aquasting said.
"There's no way the could know about the jailbreak yet," Injector explained. "As far as our old friends Atlas and Scavenger know, they know, they're the only two Autobots left. So why would they attack the Mutants? They should be fortifying their defenses, not trying to take on a team that outnumbers them, and especially not in unfamiliar territory. They're up to something."
"Right," Buzzclaw replied. "You do realize that you think too much, right?"
"Somehow I get the feeling that's an accusation you've never faced," Injector retorted.
"Meh, everyone thinks they're a comedian."
"Quiet you two," Icefire ordered. "Their base is dead ahead, and I don't see the escapees anywhere. Get ready for a fight!"
And now, the continuation...
"Waspinator wonders where Auto-bots are. Why have Auto-bots not attacked Maximal team yet?"
With a resounding boom, Waspinator launched into a downward spiral, a smoky trail following his descent to the ground.
"Scramble!" Icefire shouted. "They're firing on us!"
Buzzclaw and Icefire pulled hard to the side to dodge the firing weapons as Injector dove down to retrieve their leader. The two in the sky transformed and returned fire while Injector landed next to Waspinator's body.
"Waspinator feels like one big skid mark..."
Injector transformed and offered a hand to Waspinator. "C'mon Waspy, let's get back in there and give ‘em back the same."
Waspinator transformed and accepted the hand, dusting himself off as he got to his feet. He reached behind himself and pulled out his gun, setting a stern look on his face.
"Waspinator is ready to kick tailpipe!"
Injector grinned and they took to the air.
Aquasting stared at the 4 blips on the viewscreen that danced around the exterior of the Autobot base. "Hopefully the auto-guns can hold them off, but we need reinforcements."
He tapped the controls a couple times more and scowled at what he saw.
"Slag! They're both in the swamp... fighting all three Mutants!? Slag and a half..."
Terrorsaur thought for a moment before speaking up. "I know a place where we can get another member. He's a Predacon too."
Aquasting frowned. "I don't like the idea of working with two of your ilk, but I suppose exceptions can be made when my spark's on the line. Follow me."
"To where?"
The Autobot pointed at the stream that ran through the base. "The back way out."
"Underwater!?"
"I don't see your problem with this. But then, I'm half aquatic myself." At that, he transformed into his jet mode. "Now come on!"
"What makes you think YOU should be leading the way? Wait up!" Frustrated, Terrorsaur transformed to vehicle mode too and followed into the stream.
High in the air above the swamp, Icebird dug his talons even more deeply into Atlas's shoulders. Atlas grimaced in pain as his onboard computer interrupted again.
"Repeat, severe structural damage. Stasis lock recommended."
Icebird laughed. "Vengeance is mine!"
"Computer..." Atlas spat out, "Shut UP!"
His jet pack roared to life, and suddenly he gained control of the situation. As he rocketed forward, Icebird flopped backwards, unfortunately placing him directly underneath the mouth of the jet pack. Hanging helplessly by his still connected talons, Icebird's body was bathed in flames.
"RRRAAAAAAAHHHRRGH!"
Atlas grinned despite the pain in his shoulders, and he began a slow turn, making his way back to -
- Scavenger stepped back carefully. Poison Bite was wounded, with a massive hole torn through the center of his body. Preventing him from taking advantage of the situation, Razor Claw, though wounded as well, stood fiercely between the two.
"There's just no sense of decency these days," Scavenger snapped. "Really Razor Claw, you need to wait your turn. As soon as I'm done with Poison Bite, I'll gladly tear you limb from limb, but not until you've learned a little patience."
"I... I must defend..." Razor Claw looked uneasily at Poison Bite. The scorpion cringed as he realized the reprogramming he had wrought upon Razor Claw was beginning to wear off already.
He coughed as he tried to speak, barely managing to force out, "... Me."
"Yes!" Razor Claw said confidently. "I must defend Poison Bite."
Looking down from above, Atlas shook the mutant off his back and landed firmly beside Scavenger.
"You're not giving my friend any trouble, are you, hm?" Atlas asked.
"Nothing I can't handle," Scavenger responded.
"Well I'm sure you won't mind if I offer a hand here," Atlas said.
"I said I can handle it," Scavenger growled.
To the side, the scorched Icebird transformed to bear mode and weakly crawled over to his teammates. "My liege... You are wounded!"
"So am I," Razor Claw snapped. "And so are you, for that matter."
Poison Bite weakly raised his claw. "...Combine..."
"What!?" Razor Claw turned to face the scorpion. "We need Icebird to heal us!"
Shaking his head slowly, Poison Bite said, "No... must pool... our resources. Combine."
"But we can just-"
"I said... COMBINE... Razor Claw!"
Icebird took a step forward, making a point to bump Razor Claw as he did so. "As you command, my liege."
Razor Claw scowled darkly but nodded anyway. He lowered his head, and parts began to move as Icebird climbed on top, raising Poison Bite above him as well. Hearing the sound of transforming bots, Atlas and Scavenger slowly turned and gazed at the monstrosity before them.
Icefire and Waspinator weaved back and forth over the mountain that covered the Autobot's base, firing as they dodged the blasts from below They got off a few good shots, but there was still more than enough weapons fire to keep them at bay. Fed up with waiting, Injector grabbed Buzzclaw.
"You're coming with me."
"Wait what!?"
Injector started a nosedive, aiming straight for the source of the firing and Buzzclaw struggled as he was dragged along by the much larger fuzor.
"What do you need me for!?"
"Live bait."
"Oh... WHAT!?"
"You're small. It's easier for them to miss you when we're close... Like now!"
Having drawn as near as he wanted, Injector flung Buzzclaw out to the side, who immediately zipped away as fast as he could. Most of the auto-guns immediately tried to target rapidly retreating fuzor, and Injector swung himself into a feet-first position, slamming solidly into the ground. The nearby auto-guns swivelled around wildly, unsuccessfully trying to target him amidst trees and rocks. He sprinted forward, dove, and rolled beneath the firing of the nearest gun. As he landed at its base, he leapt into the air, swinging his powerful stinger arm and neatly slicing the auto-gun in half. Landing on one knee, he immediately turned and fired, neatly beating another auto-gun to the punch. He made his way towards yet another gun, and the three in the air quickly began picking off the others... Except Buzzclaw. He was busy sulking.
"Stupid raggin' fraggin' live bait. I'll show him live bait!"
Terrorsaur stopped short in the midst of the lava fields, right over a crater. "We're finally here!"
Aquasting looked around, taking in the environment around them. "This is where we recovered you."
Terrorsaur smiled broadly. "Right. Now dig!"
The two lowered themselves to the ground next to the crater, and Aquasting pulled out his gun-blade.
"I only have one digging tool. You have two. So help or I'll gut you."
Terrorsaur stepped back uneasily. "Of course I was going to help! I was just letting you know that this is the spot."
He popped his shoulder blasters into place as Aquasting shook his head. "Of course you were..."
But his words were conveniently drowned out by the sound of the two of them firing upon layers of obsidian.
Atlas and Scavenger slowly stepped backwards, gaping in awe at the towering beast that slowly lumbered towards them. Razor Claw formed the legs... Icebird formed the body and arms... And topping them off was Poison Bite. Step by step it awkwardly drew closer to the retreating Autobots.
"Scavenger," whispered Atlas as he nudged his teammate, "you have greater destructive capabilities than I. You can finish our mission more quickly and efficiently. Go take care of it. I'll distract this... thing."
"And if you fail?"
"Then I will join the Matrix as a hero, fighting to save history. All I need to do is buy enough time for you to take care of business. Just remember my story, and tell it well."
"Indeed. Primus be with you."
Scavenger turned and sprinted further into the swamp. The quick movement caught the gestalt's attention and it looked up, stepping in the direction of the rapidly vanishing Scavenger. Atlas quickly drew his sword and swung it about wildly.
"Down here, behemoth! Try me, if you're brave enough."
The Mutant gestalt looked down, and as it spoke, its voice grated and growled at the same time.
"You... Atlas... Your oversized ego is humorous to us."
More quickly than Atlas thought possible, the gestalt grabbed and lifted him into the air. As it tightened its grip, the Autobots arms were pinned uselessly to his side, along with his sword. Despite his struggles, he was completely trapped.
"Rrrgh! Are you sure you wouldn't like to stop and right here and finish me off? I'm far more interesting than my insectoid companion, I assure you."
"Your attempts to distract us are both blatant and pathetic. They are NOT humorous."
It gripped Atlas even more tightly, causing him to make a pained choking sound. Turning in the departed Scavenger's direction, the gestalt slowly began to jog, sending tremors throughout the landscape as it did so.
Torca, still in beast mode, arrived just as the earth began to die down. He looked over the area, recognizing the signs of a battle, but nothing he found was terribly useful otherwise. He lifted his head and gazed off in the direction of the still fading quakes.
"I'm not sure what's going on over there, but I bet I know who's to blame..."
As he turned to follow, he sunk forward and nearly tripped. In wonder, he stared at the footprint that dwarfed even his.
"Hm. Something is amiss here..."
Still puzzled, Torca charged after the Mutants and Autobots.
With a resounding BOOM, the door to the Autobot base tumbled in. Injector stepped forward, but was immediately yanked back.
"Hey, hands off!" he snapped.
Buzzclaw released his grasp from Injector's wings. "You're lucky I'm much nicer than you, Mr. ‘You're live bait'! I know this base too well to just walk in."
"What're you talking about?" Injector asked.
"Booby traps," Icefire responded, shaking her head.
"Waspinator knows about booby traps! Megatron liked those, but Waspinator always got stuck in them..."
Buzzclaw leaned forward a little, peering at the edges of the doorway.
"Yep," he said, mostly to himself.
He kneeled and aimed his wrist blasters, firing once at the top middle, and twice at each side. Each shot caused a small eruption of fire. Injector kneeled and picked up a chunk of scorched metal, and Icefire snatched it from his hand to look it over.
"Ionized field generators?"
"What's that in basic Cybertronian?" Injector snapped.
"We've seen ‘em in action before, but you were a bit under the weather at the time," Buzzclaw interjected. "It's like a ‘localized lightening bolt'. I assume it's about as much fun as kick in the face."
"It's NOT lightening," Icefire said in annoyance.
"Whatever."
"Whatever!? Listen, lightening bolts are created when-"
"Waspinator is sick of being on teams that argue with each other!" Waspinator shouted, shutting them all up. "Stupid arguing-bots not even notice that Terrorsaur and shiny bug bot are not here!"
All four of them turned and stared at the empty room.
"Well. So much for our retrieval mission," Icefire said.
They all moved forth cautiously. Icefire made her way to the computer console in the center and began keying in data requests.
"Hm... It looks like Aquasting and Terrorsaur are back over in sector 12, where we recovered Terrorsaur. I'm also reading some heavy weapons discharge over there. Ha! I'll bet that slag-spouting Predacon picked a fight and Aquasting's pasting his skidplate all over the place!"
"No..." Waspinator said thoughtfully. "Terrorsaur is taking shiny bug bot to find another."
All three gave him a puzzled look.
"So anyway," Buzzclaw said, "I had this idea-"
"Wait," Injector interrupted. He pushed his fellow fuzor to the side and walked over to Waspinator. "What are you talking about? Is there another bot out there!?"
Waspinator nodded. "Auto-bot and Terrorsaur must be slagging rocks to dig!"
"Well, they're probably mostly done now. Not much we can do there," Buzzclaw said. "But I do know something we can do something about! See-"
"By Primus!!" Icefire shouted from her console. "Atlas is in the swamp fighting... some... THING! It looks like the Mutants... only not? And Scavenger's there... And-"
BLAM!
Buzzclaw slowly lowered his weapon as dust trickled onto his head from above. "I'm sorry, did I startle you? THEN PAY BETTER ATTENTION TO ME!! Anyway, now that you're listening, I'd like to point out... There are NO Autobots here. We've just secured the enemy base! There's superior technology and resources at our disposal here; just what we've been needing!"
"Like what?" Icefire asked.
"Like spare weaponry, more of the green goo that made the mutants, a transwarp cell or two-"
Icefire leapt over her console and grabbed Buzzclaw by the arm. "A transwarp cell!? Where!? Do you realize we could get off of this planet, maybe even finally get home!?"
"Uh, yeah, that's what they're usually used for. That, and self-destruct sequences," Buzzclaw retorted sarcastically.
"Wait, Waspinator wants to know why Auto-bots not use transwarp cell already."
"Because they think it's their mission to rid the world of you and the rest of us ‘traitors'. Mostly you though," Buzzclaw explained.
Waspinator gulped, and Icefire walked off with Buzzclaw.
"So show me exactly where these transwarp cells are..."
Buzzclaw and Icefire turned down a hallway and opened a door to a supply room. Icefire gazed in marvel at the numerous items that filled the shelves. Without a doubt, there was more than enough for her to construct the systems for a vessel to escape the planet. All she needed now was the scrap metal to piece together. Looking over the various items, she noted that she was familiar with them all, except for a strange set of three black spheres. She lifted one in her hands and looked it over.
"What's this?" she asked.
Buzzclaw shrugged and looked at a data readout just beneath. "This says they're ‘Dataspheres'. Hm. No clue what that'd mean though."
He hefted the other two into his hands and held them in front of his waist. "Ha! Bearings of chrome steel ain't got nothin' on me!"
"Maybe we should just leave them be..." she suggested in exasperation, setting hers down. "Childlike male," she muttered under her breath.
"Boring broad," he quietly muttered as he returned the other two to their places.
They left the room, and Buzzclaw further showed her around the insides of the Autobot base. In the darkness, one of the black spheres glowed red and suddenly jumped into the air, hovering a few inches over its shelf. It darted forward, nudged the door open, and shot down the hallway in the opposite direction of the two Maximals.
Meanwhile, Injector was staring at the readout on his screen as he typed some more. A list of three names popped up near Scavenger's current location, with"Insecticons" as the list's title. Something clicked in his head, and Injector typed up a few commands to get a better view of the location. Suddenly Injector's jaw fell loose as he looked from Waspinator to the console and back to Waspinator again.
Waspinator walked over curiously. "What is fish-head doing?"
"Forget the two at the lava pits... We need to get to the swamp NOW!" He turned towards the hallway Icefire and Buzzclaw had vanished down. "ICEFIRE!!!!"
Scavenger walked up to the large boulder. "Well... It's finally time to finish things before any of it ever started. Au revoir, wasp!"
The Autobot reached forward, feeling along the side of the rock, until finally he hit the switch. He stepped over and gave it a solid tap, causing the boulder popped open and small amounts of dirt and rubble broke free. Scavenger stumbled back as a fierce wind whipped up and dark clouds suddenly began swirling about in the sky above. Ignoring the bothersome weather, he peered within the boulder and scowled.
"Slag... I was hoping the data Aquasting and Noctorro gave me was wrong. Now why in Primus's name are there seven of you demons in here? Ah well, I suppose it doesn't really matter; I'm just going to smelt you all anyway. After all, I only need to hit the right one to take out the bug. The rest are just bonus Decepticon kills."
He jabbed his drill hands forward, impaling them on the large green and yellow body. He tossed the bot onto the ground in front of him and unleashed the full force of his weaponry. In a couple brief moments, the bot was nothing more than a puddle of molten metal on the ground. Scavenger reached in again and brought out a large brown and orange bot, tossing him to the ground too. As he grinned and raised his drill hands again to fire, the Autobot heard an unfortunately familiar click behind him.
"Don't move a micron, ‘Autobot'," Torca commanded.
Earlier, as the Mutant gestalt had lumbered along in pursuit of Scavenger, it sensed something closing in on its position. To hide itself, it had grabbed the strongest trees and lifted into the air. Suddenly, Torca chugged along, drawing to a halt directly beneath the Mutants. Razor Claw's core consciousness jumped suddenly, recognizing the fuzor, but he contained any emotional response in fear of retaliation from the two with whom he was sharing his body. Such a combining needed a great deal of concentration from all three.
Torca had stopped when he saw the deep footprints suddenly come to an end. He looked around, wondering what happened, but found nothing. Instead, he came across fresh footprints from Scavenger. In the distance, he could hear the sound of weapons fire, and he knew that the ant lay dead ahead. Choosing to pursue the Autobot rather than some heavy, unidentified beast, Torca began to move forward.
When Atlas gazed down from the massive claw, he saw the Maximal Torca crawling around beneath them. Atlas stopped to think, realizing that if Torca continued onward, he would disrupt Scavenger's mission. For a moment he entertained the thought of making noise to draw Torca's attention, but he then remembered that he was enveloped in a giant, powerful fist. Any such action could result in instant death. However, upon further review, he realized it would also result in a greater delay on the gestalt's part. He looked down to yell at the Maximal, but Torca was already heading off to Scavenger's position...
"Did you hear me, ant? I said, back away from the... Is that a pod?" Torca ordered.
Wind tore through the swamp and churned algae throughout the water along their position. Again the ground began to shake beneath their feet, interrupting Torca's control of the situation. The Mutant gestalt broke into the clearing and slammed Atlas into the ground with all its might. As Torca turned to gawk, Scavenger took advantage of the distraction and rammed his drill hand into the back of the orange and brown bot. He fired straight with all his might and obliterated its laser core, cutting through with enough force to bowl Torca over.
Inside the shapeless consciousness of the gestalt, conflict broke out. Razor Claw was the first to react, and the gestalt stepped towards Scavenger, moving to crush him for assaulting his friend. Poison Bite immediately regained control with Icebird and moved towards Torca.
"What are you doing!?" Razor Claw roared.
"Attacking the closest enemy first," Poison Bite replied. "It's tactically more sound."
"No, we take out the Autobot first!" he returned.
"You are NOT in command here," Icebird cut in.
"Well he certainly shouldn't be!" Razor Claw snapped, jabbing his foreclaw at Poison Bite.
"Mutiny!?" Poison Bite roared back.
"Yes!" Razor Claw answered. "I... I am a Maximal! I'm not your slave! I'm not yours to control! I - WILL - BE - FREE!!!"
The gestalt faltered in its steps and slowly toppled forward. Scavenger threw the limp bot to the ground and leapt to safety inside the pod. The brown and orange bot he held was crushed beneath the massive gestalt as Torca barely managed to roll out of its way. On contact with the ground, the Mutants scattered loosely into their separate components. Torca crawled to his feet and was immediately bowled over by the polar bear.
"Torca, beast mode!"
He turned to face Icebird and planted his feet into the ground.
"Well?" Torca asked expectantly.
The still charred mutant snarled and jumped at Torca. Torca easily darted under the attack, but as Icebird landed, he shifted his weight to his front, leaving him free to kick with his back legs, smacking Torca solidly from behind. Torca turned and lunged, but Icebird reared back on his hind legs and slammed the fuzor in the head with his foreleg. Torca flinched back and turned away.
"You are skilled, I admit, but not as much as I, Maximal!" Icebird bellowed.
With Torca's side facing him, Icebird ducked and slammed the full weight of his body into Torca's side, dropping him to the ground.
"I somehow doubt you're as skilled as I am, but you certainly make up for it in brute strength," Torca grunted. "However... I do have one thing you don't."
"Such a possibility is doubtful, but I must know... what did you have in mind?"
"Torca, maximize!" Reaching behind himself, he pulled out his rifle and placed it flat against Icebird's face. "A weapon."
He pulled the trigger and Icebird stumbled backwards. The Mutant roared in pain and squinted his optics shut. Torca rose to his feet and again placed his gun against Icebird's head, pulling the trigger once more. Icebird fell limp, but one more time, Torca fired on the motionless body. Wearily, the Maximal fell to his knees, wheezing.
Atlas forced himself up against the ever-growing winds, making his way over to Scavenger. The ant was busy lifting out a third bot, this time a black and yellow one with wings. Scavenger tossed it out the door, and it landed at Atlas's feet. He stepped outside and walked over to his fellow Autobot.
Atlas held his side painfully. "I will continue with the demolition of the Insecticons. I'm too wounded to handle battle with the others."
Scavenger frowned but pointed at Razor Claw and Poison Bite.
"Fine, but I'm holding off on stepping in just yet. I'd rather they do my job for me."
Razor Claw spat as he crawled forward. His dinosaur mode was worn, but still functional.
"You made me betray the Maximals... my friends... And you made me serve you."
Poison Bite met his gaze unwaveringly. His body was weak, but his optics glowed with contempt.
"But I'm free now," Razor Claw continued. "And I stopped you. I've helped my friends, despite you and your sickening reprogramming!"
He stepped forward, now within arms reach of the scorpion.
"Do you hear me? I'm through with you!"
"Listen... to yourself..." Poison Bite wheezed. "Listen to how you speak... I did more for you... than they ever possibly could."
"You FORCED it on me. Don't pretend nobility, you disgusting piece of slag! You only did it so I could better serve YOU! And now I've overridden the protocols you programmed into me. You can't use me any more!"
"You're... right," Poison Bite forced out. "Now... you're just... useless. Time... to take out... the trash."
"Huh?" Razor Claw asked, noticing too late the glint in Poison Bite's optics.
Poison Bite's tail jabbed forward, latching itself solidly into the small of the Razor Claw's back. As his tail retracted, cyber venom coursed through to Razor Claw's body, and the dinosaur froze, paralyzed with pain. Poison Bite then aimed his claw and unleashed the full fury of his gun. Calling upon the last of his reserves, Razor Claw forced himself a step closer, raised his foreclaws into the air, and slammed them into Poison Bite, tearing deeply into the Scorpion's faceplate. The scorpion ceased his firing, instead flailing weakly at what he could no longer see. Not content just to break the surface, Razor Claw slashed again, and again, and again, tearing deeply into sensitive circuitry.
"Never again will you do this to ANYONE!" Razor Claw roared,
Searing pain ran through his circuits, but he continued his assault. Sparks flew from Poison Bite's limp body as Razor Claw savagely pounded on him. And with Razor Claw lost in the heat of battle, Scavenger stepped forward.
"I have to say... I do appreciate your help, but I believe I can take it from here."
Razor Claw turned to face Scavenger, shocked at the sudden proximity of his enemy. The Autobot moved quickly, ramming his drill-hands into the sides of Razor Claw's head, boring his way past the outer layers. As he drilled his way through, Razor Claw flailed about helplessly, scrabbling at Scavenger's arms.
"A good effort, but too little too late," Scavenger snarled.
Having cut in as deeply as he desired, he fired his drill-hands, and a blaze of fire erupted from Razor Claw's mouth and optics.
"NO!!!!" Torca screamed. He sprinted forward and lowered his shoulder. He connected with Scavenger from behind, sending him flying well away from Razor Claw. He knelt down and lifted Razor Claw into his arms.
"Torc... a...?" Razor Claw croaked out, shivering slightly. "I see... only... darkness. Is... it you?"
"Yes... Yes, it's me," Torca answered, choking back the pain welling up inside his spark. "I'm sorry... I've failed you."
Razor Claw coughed quietly. "No... I can... finally... rest easy. I... am..... finally...... free....."
His head slowly lowered, and with one last shudder, he fell limp in Torca's arms. Torca hung his head and gently set Razor Claw down. Lifting his head to the sky, he roared in anguish. As he lowered his gaze, he saw Scavenger struggling back to his feet, and the Maximal's yellow optics suddenly blazed bright red.
"YOU..."
He stepped forward, but drew to a sudden halt as a massive, shining, blue vehicle slid to a halt in front of him. A deep gravelly voice, one that didn't sound terribly bright, emanated from within.
"Is this one of the Maximals?" it bellowed.
"Yes, Scorponok!" came the shout from above. Terrorsaur laughed gleefully, in his vehicle mode as well. "He's one that we have to destroy!"
Torca took an uncomfortable step backwards as Scorponok revved his engine.
Aquasting landed next to Atlas. "Sir... I've-"
"Brought some new recruits! Excellent. Even managed to woo over the new one? Fine work, Aquasting."
"...There's something I have to tell you."
Atlas raised a brow. "Yes?"
"They're Predacons."
"Predacons?" Scavenger asked, as he weakly walked up behind them.
Aquasting nodded.
Atlas pondered the thought for a moment. "Well, it's good that they're right here in our hands. We can eliminate them right after we take care of these relics," he said, indicating the Insecticon pod beside them.
Scavenger coughed. "Wouldn't that be a little... wasteful? Isn't it possible that they know the wasp Predacon? Maybe we could use them to strike his weakness-"
"Our sole mission is to annihilate the enemy! And the enemy are the Predacons! As the warriors of our race, we exist to destroy them, and keep them in their deserved place. And regardless, if this assault works, we won't have to worry about the insect ever again!"
Scavenger clenched his jaw in frustration. "That's true, but for the moment, you should at least consider using them to hold our enemies at bay."
Atlas nodded. "Hm, also true. They certainly do have their advantages at this precise moment. But when I say that they go, I expect you to help me execute them! In the meantime..." He kicked at the limp, black and yellow body at his feet. "I think I've cut him up enough."
Above, the clouds churned more madly than ever while Atlas stepped into the pod again.
Waspinator led Injector, Icefire, and Buzzclaw as they tore through the air at a breakneck pace.
Icefire sighed. "You should have just gone without me! I could have finished recoding the securities without you guys."
"Bird-lady is wrong," Waspinator responded. "Lizard-bug-bot and Waspinator know that base too!"
"Uh... What about me, Waspinator?" Injector asked.
"Waspinator sorry. Waspinator cannot make everyone feel useful everyday."
Buzzclaw snickered.
Torca immediately dropped to a knee and raised his rifle, firing a single shot. He blasted a hole through one of Terrorsaur's jets. Between the dual problems of flying with a single jet and the strength of the wind, Terrorsaur spun off, crashing awkwardly into the ground.
"Hey! That's my teammate!" Scorponok growled, still in vehicle mode.
He pulled forward and swung his tail like a crane, stabbing into Torca's shoulder with it. With Torca now attached, he swung the fuzor around a couple times before slamming him into the ground.
"Scorponok, TERRORIZE!"
His powerful claws clacked, and he towered mightily as lightening crashed into the land all around.
"Who ARE you!?" Torca yelled, fighting to be heard over the raging storm.
"I am Scorponok! I'm here to destroy you, Maximal!"
"That's right!" Aquasting shouted. "Finish him off!"
"As you command Megatron!" Scorponok responded.
"Megatron!?" Torca asked.
He never got an answer, because Scorponok fired a blast from green scorpion legs that extended over his shoulders. Torca tumbled, and Scorponok opened a claw, revealing a missile inside.
Atlas dragged out two more Insecticons from the pod, one in each hand. One was green and orange with wings, and the other was purple and black with two large metallic antennae. He tossed the black and purple one to Scavenger and Aquasting.
"I'll take this one here," he said.
Aquasting lifted the purple and black one by the antennae and poked at it with his gun blade.
"Seems soft enough," he said.
"I assure you, they are," Scavenger answered with a grin, pointing at the smelt and shrapnel on the ground from the two earlier slaggings.
"Then stop stalling!" Atlas snapped.
"Alright, we're on it," Scavenger growled.
Scavenger and Aquasting opened fire at the same moment that Atlas plunged his sword into the cranial plate on the bot in his hands. As they attacked their prey, a scream of pain erupted from the sky. Waspinator came hurtling down like a comet and crashed, leaving a muddy trench in the ground. He flickered brightly and the churning clouds in the sky slowly lowered to touch down on his location. Lightening smashed down repeatedly, sending dirt everywhere.
"NO!!" Injector roared. "You're all causing a timestorm!! That bot you hold in your hand, that Insecticon... You can't destroy him!!"
When he heard the familiar scream, Scorponok turned curiously from his prey. "Waspinator?" he called out.
With his opponent distracted, Torca kicked Scorponok's leg's out from under him. Scorponok fell flat on his back, and the missile in his claw launched, hitting the bot Aquasting was holding between him and Scavenger. Both Preds and the damaged Insecticon went flying, along with splattering mounds of dirt.
Atlas laughed loudly as he ducked the flying mud and shouted his reply. "What we're doing is simply making time RIGHT! We knew the bots inside here affected the fate of your friend. So if we kill the right one, we not only unmake your friend, but in turn, unmake the survival of any of you and your traitorous lot!"
Waspinator groaned quietly as he flickered in and out of existence. "Why stupid bots always want to undo time? Dohhhh... This never turn out good."
"Autobots! ...Er, and Predacons! Move out!" Atlas ordered. He thought aloud to himself, "The one in my hand, eh? Though I can't say the storm's timing proves him wrong. Well, I'll just have to ensure they can't get to him..."
He flung the orange and green bot over his shoulder.
"Everyone, back to base! Now!!"
Eager to escape the crazy storm, Scavenger and Aquasting jumped at the command, but Aquasting pulled away as he remembered his two charges. He flew over and took a couple shots at Torca while Terrorsaur, now in bot mode, flew to his side.
"Scorponok, get with it! We're moving out!" Aquasting shouted.
"As you command, Megatron!" Scorponok shouted back.
He transformed to vehicle mode and roared off after them.
Seeing the Autobots and Predacons retreating, Icefire grabbed Buzzclaw by the arm and ignited her rockets. "You and me, we're heading back, NOW. We have to beat them there!"
"Hey, what's with grabbing me all the time! Do people not remember that I can still fl- whoa!"
The two shot off as Injector dragged himself over to the pod, fighting the overwhelming power of the wind. He hunched over and grabbed the purple and black bot. It was cracked badly and losing mech fluid, but as he lifted it into his arms, the time storm died down enough that wasn't so difficult to move about any longer.
"Idiots..." Injector said in wonderment. "I can't believe they actually left the wrong one."
"And I can't believe you actually let them know that he's the key to unraveling time!"
Injector spun around to find Torca right behind him, with a familiar body sitting in his arms.
"Razor Claw!" Injector exclaimed.
Torca just shook his head sadly, and Injector nodded slowly, understanding. "I see..."
"I'd like to give him a proper burial," Torca murmured.
Injector nodded and he hefted what was left of the mangled black and yellow Insecticon over his other shoulder.
"Hope this'll do for parts," he thought aloud. "Grab him, and follow me," he said, pointing at Waspinator. "We need to get out of here NOW."
Torca grabbed the strangely flickering bot and quickly ran to keep up with Injector.
"They may have had the misfortune of grabbing the wrong Decepticon," Injector explained, nodding at the purple and black Insecticon on his right shoulder, "but we still don't have the resources to repair this guy at our base. Our only hope is to get to the Autobot base, and soon, otherwise Waspinator's getting wiped from existence... And most likely us with him!"
Torca glanced back as he ran and his optics widened at what he saw. The tornado-like timestorm was growing rapidly again as it tore up the earth behind them. "Looks like we just ran out of time..." he whispered soberly.
Injector took a peek back too and saw the timestorm tear a tree free from the ground. He struggled to pick up the pace, but the ravenous storm rushed forward, and the outermost edge finally slipped around the two fleeing Maximals.
The two shouted helplessly as the raging whirlwind dragged them into the air...
Go HERE to see the updated image gallery!! (Includes pics of the gestalt and Scorponok!)
Return to the Main Page
Questions?...Comments?....Send mail to Dru