Beast Wars Anonymous:
Beast Wars and all related belong to Hasbro. The story, its original contents and ideas, and any original characters belong to the author and cannot be used or reprinted without the author's permission.
Author's note: This takes place immediately after "The Agenda," pt. 3. My continuity starts here and stops following the show. Anything that happened before these stories happened is what you've seen in the show up till Agenda III. Enjoy.
Closed
Agendas
by Chris Lilwall (admiral@brisbane.crosswinds.net)
The fabric of space rippled briefly before ripping open in a flash of bright white light. A large vessel glided through the opening and came into orbit around the third planet from this system's star, Earth. The vessel was sleek, with a goldy brown superstructure, yet large enough to carry an entire city across the cosmos. It's nose faced the planet below, gleaming in the sun that shone upon it so intensely. It pointed directly over what one day would be called North America, where a crucial battle was being fought. A battle, which could mean the end of one existence, and the beginning of another. All but one of this existence, wants to stop that from occurring. None are too keen to stop existing, who would? The universe was a delicate thing, each and everything that occurred within it, effected it's future. The vessel which graced the orbit of the planet below it drifted silently doing so. After a second attempt to remove the unwanted guests from the planet, the occupants of the vessel had altered their decision, and instead decided to observe the guests. They had proved to be a most resistant species. Pitted against themselves in civil war, one side wanted to destroy the other...so a path for galactic conquest was laid open for them. These members of that faction however were nothing more than lowly thieves. True enough they were capable warriors, but they were gathered together by greed. The other half wished to close the path to conquest, so that the galaxy could go about it's business freely, without oppression and death at every corner. They were an exploratory crew forced into a war none of them wanted to fight. A shuttle from the orbiting vessel was being readied for launch. It contained two of the freedom fighters, who were captured for study prior to the last attempt at a cleansing.
THE ARK
"And you...you no longer exist!" Megatron bellowed as he let loose with full force the power of his weapon. The bright purple light emitted from his weapon speared at the legendary Optimus Prime. Whom had laid in stasis for countless years, and according to history would do so for countless years more. He was the Autobot Commander, by far one of the most famous Cybertronians ever to exist. But no longer, the great Optimus Prime would no longer be great, he would not lay in stasis for years to come, he would cease to exist from this point on. Megatron's blast exploded upon Optimus Prime's neck, severing his head from his body. Megatron roared with laughter and the very universe began to collapse on itself. Everything was being torn apart, even the stuffs of space itself. Outside the once mighty Ark, the Maximals fell the to the ground in agony as their existence began it's end. Megatron had done it, he had altered the timeline in a such a manner to allow victory to the Decepticons under the command of the original Megatron. The mighty laughter seized up and become a ghastly scream of pain, as he too, Megatron...began to fad from existence. But he was dying in victory, and he didn't mind one single bit.
EARTH ORBIT
The vessel shook violently as the time rip raced over them. The hull threatening to collapse under the enormous strain.
"One has altered the timeline. More drastic than before."
"Agreed. Calculations show this time change will mean the end of us and our culture."
"This is not viable. Action must be taken."
"It shall. We will reverse this." A beam fired from the nose of the vessel, and flew down towards the planet...
THE ARK
"Time...itself..is being..destroyed!" Primal cried out in agony. Then...everything began glowing a bright green. The blinding white light was replaced with an eerie green glow on everything. The pain stopped. As quickly as it began it ended. The Maximals returned to their feet and faced the entrance to the Ark once more.
"What in the spotted heck is going on now?!"
"I don't know Cheetor," Primal started, "But whatever it is, it isn't the time changes...something is happening inside the Ark no doubt."
"Oh man, now what could wrong?" Rattrap sighed,
"That's what we're going to find out, Rhinox, Cheetor, help me open this door. Rattrap, help Silverbolt and meet us inside." With that Primal, with the help of Rhinox and Cheetor pulled the door as far they could and charged inside to find Megatron. Rattrap brought Silverbolt to his feet and soon followed. As they entered the mighty ship, Silverbolt seemed distracted..
"Wh..where's Blackarachnia?" Rattrap shot him a look of anger.
"Hey fuzor! Forget the Pred will ya?! If you'd had your mind on the job like you shoulda had, we might be in a better situation than this right now! Did it ever occur to you we might have needed your help back at the base? It was only almost obliterated but hey, I guess a Pred comes first in your book eh?"
Silverbolt struck out at Rattrap and flung him to the floor. He stood above the mechanical rat and pointed at him with accusation.
"Shut your mouth Rattrap! You have no right to speak to me about my actions!"
"Oh yeah?! Well someone outta! For booting up cold she's a Predacon!"
"So what?! You want to make something out of it?"
"No Silverbolt," Rattrap stood up and dusted himself off, "You've already done that. This is your race fuzor. If she shoots us in the back at the finish line, it will be because you let her. She's got you....comrade." Rattrap had wasted enough time already, this wasn't helping the others. He ran off down the dark corridor after Primal and the others, leaving Silverbolt alone, in the dark. With plenty to think about.
"What...what in the name of..." Megatron rose to his knees in the green light that surrounded him, and only him. The pain was gone, he was still here, and although the halls of the Ark were once again dark and dim, something one could describe as a green spot light...shone down on Megatron with fierce intensity.
"What is going on here?!" He questioned at aloud to no one in particular. On the ground not far away, he could see the scorched head of Optimus Prime, the mighty Autobot leader, lay still. And then, another spot light of green bore down upon it, and it slowly began to rise into the air and hover above it's former body. "No! This cannot be! This is to be my victory! It cannot be taken away from me!" Megatron raised his weapon and brought it again to full charge, "This time Optimus Prime, you stay dead!"
"Bigbot look!"
"I see it Cheetor! Optimus Primal, flight mode!" Primal leapt into the air and rocketed towards Megatron.
The green spot light on Megatron turned to a pale blue, electricity zapped all over Megatron's body and he cried out in pain.
"What..what is happening to me?!" His internal computer chirped up.
"Warning, energon field build up, stasis lock immanent."
"No! That is...impossible!" Megatron looked on as the green light surrounding Optimus Prime's head removed the scorch marks from Megatron's blast, the head lowered to the body of Prime and reattached, the damages done now repaired. Optimus Prime lay in emergency stasis, just as he did before.
"No! NOOOOO!!" Megatron bellowed his anger for all to hear. Optimus Primal flew into the area and returned to robot mode, his weapon drawn and pointed on Megatron.
"Game over Megatron...you lose." Megatron could only growl at Primal as his body edged closer and closer to stasis lock. With the green light gone, a new yellow light swirled before the beast wars commanders. Rhinox, Cheetor and Rattrap arrived on the scene also. The swirling light formed into a solid entity....the head of Unicron.
TELETRAN 1
"Blackarachnia....are you alright?" Silverbolt helped the spider to her feet as she shook her head.
"I've been better, what happened to your Maximal friends?"
"They are stopping Megatron from destroying the future."
"And why aren't you helping them?"
"I had to help you."
"Oh." There was a long pause as the pair looked each other in the eye. "W.we should go to."
Blackarachnia muttered quietly, Silverbolt picked her up and flew off down the hall to meet with the others.
"Your actions will no longer be allowed. We will stay and watch guard over you. Your troops shall be restored, and this area protected so such an attempt cannot be made again." Unicron's head bellowed the statement, once again Primal did not understand the motives of these alien visitors.
"Why? Why restore those who wish to destroy?" He asked almost immediately,
"What must be, must be. The guardian has been launched. Leave this place." The head vanished, leaving only a once again dark room, with faint outlines of Autobots and Decepticons everywhere. The energon interference the aliens had placed on Megatron was gone, and he rushed the Maximals while they were distracted.
"The game may be over Maximals...but the war goes on, and so it shall until I am the victor!" He hurried away down the dark path, leaving the Maximals in hot pursuit.
Silverbolt dropped to the ground and set down Blackarachnia, he could see Megatron approaching them, he pointed his missiles and fired...
"Megatron! Halt!" The missiles hit but didn't slow down the Predacon commander, only enraged him,
"Maximal fool! Now I shall do what I should have outside!" Powering up his weapon, Megatron fired, the blast sent Silverbolt to the floor. "No!" Blackarachnia fired at Megatron this time, not because she wanted to...but because it just happened. Megatron took the hit hard...he stumbled backwards before marching up to the spider and looking her square in the eyes. Blackarachnia, for the first time...didn't know how to save herself,
"M.M...Megatron...I..I..." Megatron drew back his fist and punched the spider clear across the enormous room. With the other Maximals in weapons range, they began firing. But Megatron ignored it, he walked up to Blackarachnia, lifted her by the neck and held her before his face.
"So be it, Maximal. I once told you that should you betray me again, I would make you wish you'd never come online." Blackarachnia was actually quivering for the first time, Megatron continued... "Know this then Maximal....I shall keep my word. Oh. Yes." He dropped the spider and transformed to flight mode before disappearing from sight out the doors of the Ark. Blackarachnia sat on the ground, still slightly shaken, feeling the sizable dent in her face left by Megatron's blow. Silverbolt and the other Maximals stopped at her, as Silverbolt knelt beside her, she looked at him and said with mild shock,
"He..he called me...a Maximal...." Silverbolt lifted her to her feet, the other Maximals looked at them both with contempt, a brief silence fell upon them. Blackarachnia looked as if she was in deep thought....her gaze fixed to the floor. Primal began to speak but was interrupted by her,
"Silverbolt I..."
"Primal..." Her gaze did not move from the floor.
"Uh...yes Blackarachnia?" Primal was afraid of what she might say next, everyone focused on her now...
"I...I want to join you...."
"Whoa whoa whoa! What did you just say spider lady??" Rattrap almost spat out,
"I...I want to join the Maximals."
"Did she say what I just thought she said?!" Exclaimed Cheetor as he turned to the group, Blackarachnia gazed at Cheetor,
"Yes yes yes yes YES! You heard me right. I want to become a Maximal." She threw her arms up in the arms almost with disgust. Rattrap stepped forward, eyeing the spider bot...
"Eh? Why? So you can stab us in the back?!" All but Blackarachnia turned to Rattrap and said in unison,
"Shut up Rattrap." Primal held up his hand motioning them to listen,
"We'll discuss this later, we've got to get out of here, now!" They wasted no time in following Primal out of the Ark, the doors shut securely behind them and they were once again in a large cave with flowing lava all around. They rushed for the hole in the side of the volcano through which they had entered. They stopped and took cover as an alien probe, identical to the one they had encountered at the standing stones, hovered in through the hole and made it's way to stand guard at the Ark's entrance.
Megatron flew over the rocky plains at full throttle, the ground below him rushing by just as fast. It was night once again on this planet, and the sky was filled with billions of stars glistening like glitter. The light of the moon shone down on the planet, lighting Megatron's way. Over the next few minutes he had gone from rocky plains to bushlands. In the moonlight, a flicker of light on the ground caught the eye of Megatron.
"Well, what is this?" He flew down towards the flicker.
"No telling what that probe will do if it sees that we're still here." Rhinox noted to Primal quietly,
"Well we can't stay here," Blackarachnia replied, and Rattrap replied himself,
"Thanks for the newsflash spider lady, but I think we kinda figured that ourselves!" Silverbolt shot Rattrap a look, as did Primal,
"Enough, we have to get of here, Rattrap, any gadgets you have with you that could help?" Queried Primal. Rattrap grinned and took out a small box from within his arm. He activated it and threw past the probe, a holographic image of Rattrap appeared from the box.
"This is an interesting situation, yes...even though my ultimate goal can no longer be achieved, I gain another advantage...yes." Megatron approached the stasis pod. It was almost in perfect condition, save for the large tree branch that lay on top of it, and the faint glowing blue light that surrounded it.
"Hm, a fallen tree branch stopping the scanner probe from emerging. Oh what luck this is, yes." His computer chirped when a sudden energon surge again hit Megatron, however this time is was minor,
"Warning, energon field build up."
"Hm, energon saturation emanating from the pod. Possibly as a result of the energon being destroyed by the orbital alien device, computer, divert power from weaponry to field dampeners."
"Acknowledged." Megatron pulled open a small compartment on the pod and ripped out the Maximal programming chip, replacing it with a blank chip, he crushed the Maximal chip with a grin. He threw the fallen branch off the pod and opened the console, he then commenced to write a new program for the protoform. A Predacon one.
A green beam of light descended from the probe and onto the hologram as the probe commenced a scan of it. The Maximals took their chance and headed for the volcano's opening.
"Hurry! before it knocks us offline!" Primal called out as they approached the exit.
"Scanning for lifeforms." The stasis pod chirped as the scanning probe emerged. Megatron stood back and watched as the probe scanned for a lifeform to place to the protoform.
"Within every failure, there is a victory, yes." Thought Megatron out aloud. He activated his comm,
"Attention all Predacons, gather those of us who are badly damaged and return to base, there is much to do."
The Maximals darted out of the side of the volcano. Seconds after, the probe fired a beam above the opening, causing tonnes of rock to collapse and close the Ark off to the outside world.
"Well, that was fun eh? So whadda say we scoot our Maximal rears back to base?" Rattrap said as he dusted himself off. Primal nodded in agreement.
"Yes, I don't think Megatron will try another attempt at that again."
"Don't be so sure king ape, Megatron still has the disk, and all its secrets." Blackarachnia spoke out.
"Not all the disk, only a fragment." Rhinox corrected, Primal nodded again...
"And only a fragment of the secrets. Move out team, the Axalon is going to need some big time repairs. Cheetor, come with me. I want to be sure Megatron isn't going to try anything while the base is in such a state."
"Gotcha bigbot, I've already got his trail locked in. Beast mode." Cheetor transformed and shot into the sky. Optimus followed while the remaining Maximals headed for the Axalon.
Megatron chuckled to himself as the pod confirmed a life form had been found.
"Life form found. Checking programming. Programming confirmed, commencing replication." Chirped the computer, Megatron gave a slight chuckle at his triumph as such.
"The beast wars are not over yet Optimus Primal, oh no. Even though I failed this time, I shall have the last laugh. As I steal all of your stasis pods and reprogram them Primal. Then, we shall see how you fare against an army of Predacons." The inside of the pod glowed instensly with a an almost blinding light. When it subdued, the pod lid hissed as it slowly opened, mist poured out of the pod.
"Hey Optimus, I think we just found ourselves one Predacon leader. Bearing one four delta."
"I see him Cheetor, what is he up to this ti...no! He's found a stasis pod! Let's move Cheetor, maximum burn!" Primal and Cheetor raced in on Megatron's position.
"Megatron!" Optimus yelled, Megatron turned to see the Maximals approaching, his grin broadened.
"Welcome Optimus! I'd like you to meet someone!" Megatron stepped aside to reveal a large black snake with pinkish red all down it's underside, coiled infront of the pod with it's head reared. The snake's eyes glared at Primal with their bright yellow gleam, it's tongue darting in and out of it's mouth every few seconds. The snake slithered out of the coil and hissed loudly, showing off it's razor sharp fangs.
"Deathssstrike...terrorissss!" Another hiss and Deahstrike's head split apart with the next section of his body. The head became feet and the body legs. The rest of the body stood on top the legs and split and twisted again and formed the rest of the robot body. The left arm was the snake's tail, split down the middle to reveal a laser pistol. Deathstrike raised his gun arm and fired off a number of shots at the incoming Maximals.
"Slag! We're too late big bot!" Cursed Cheetor dodging the blasts that screamed towards him.
"Unfortunately so, all we can do now is defend ourselves! Optimus Primal, maximize!" Primal transformed to robot mode and fired his mace gun at Megatron and Deathstrike, who leapt for cover. "I'll handle Megatron, you take the snake!"
"You got it!" Cheetor transformed and clapped his hands together and fired in Deathstrike's direction as he made his landing. Megatron charged his weapon and returned fire on Optimus.
"No matter the situation, I will always arise the victor Primal! Yes!" He goaded,
"Not while I'm around Megatron."
"Then that is something I shall have to remedy!" Megatron leapt from his cover and wrestled Optimus to the ground, the leaders began a fist fight with neither gaining an advantage.
By the dozens they came. Walking lights, many large, and many small. Over the rocky ground they marched, and into the smoldering ruins that was once the stealth ship belonging to Ravage. The spider lights of Tarantulas' scoured the wreckage for him. And found him they did. Here, there, and a number of other places. The transmetal spider had been blown to many pieces along with Ravage's ship. The spider lights gathered the pieces and began dragging them back to the Predacon base. Rampage dragged himself from the ruins and observed his scorched body and his surroundings. He had received Megatron's command and quickly came to the conclusion that Megatron himself was not at the base. The perfect time to reclaim his spark in it's entirety, however...he could take advantage of the situation and also destroy the Axalon while it was unguarded. He chose freedom over slavery and transformed to beast mode, grabbed Quickstrike's mangled body and followed the spider lights back to the Darkside. He noticed Ravage's charred and disembodied head on the ground.
"Hmm...goodbye Decepticon." He grabbed the head his massive claw and crushed it then threw it over the edge off the near by cliff. The head bounced off the rocky cliff face and landed in the lake below and sank to the bottom. Rampage chuckled and continued back to base.
Cheetor darted left and right dodging Deathstrike's blows. Only barely escaping hits, Cheetor may have been fast, but so was Deathstrike.
"Sssstand your ground Maxsssimal! Thisss won't hurt for long!" Deathstrike hissed as he speared his gun arm at Cheetor. The transmetal cheetah ducked and Deathstrike's arm plunged into a tree, stuck tight. Cheetor was still beneath the snake.
"Maybe so scales..." He clapped his hands together and pushed them into Deathstrike's gut, "But this will!" Cheetor fired off his hand weapon and sent Deathstrike flying into the bushes several meters away.
"Sssssslag!" Cried the snake as he crashed to the ground and barely able to stand from the blow.
Cheetor turned to see Primal and Megatron in a dead lock.
"This time Primal...you'll stay dead!" Megatron flung Primal to the ground and charged up his tail gun, he set the gun on Primal's head...
"No can do Megatron..." Primal grabbed the weapon and flung it with Megatron to a large rock behind him, "I happen to like being alive." Primal arose and slowly walked towards Megatron, who was struggling to stand. "It's over Megatron, your beaten. More authorities from Cybertron will arrive and..." Before Primal could finish, Megatron had thrown fragments of the rock into his the Maximal commander's face,
"Let them come! I shall be ready! Hahaha! Deathstrike...follow me, we're leaving! Megatron...flight mode!" Both Predacons left the scene with good speed, leaving Primal and Cheetor watching them go.
"Do we follow them bigbot?"
"Negative Cheetor, there's been enough fighting for now."
"What do you think he meant by being ready?"
"I don't know, but whatever it is...we'll handle it. Let's go." Primal and Cheetor went to flight mode and made their way back to the Axalon.
The grate rose from the liquid within the restoration tank with Waspinator on it in wasp mode. He buzzed a groan and slide into robot mode.
"Doooh...Wazzzpinator tired of being beaten up!" Giving his wings a quick buzz he jumped off the grate and walked off to see if any other Predacons had returned when a large number of spider lights met him at the corridor. "Oooo! Spider bot beaten up! Wazzzpinator laugh at spider bot!" Waspinator broke into a laughing fit as the lights dragged various pieces of Tarantulas past him. His laughter soon turned to a gasp as sighted Quickstrike thrown at him, he crashed to the ground with a heavy metal thud. "Hmph! Everyone pick on Wazzpinator!" He managed to push Quickstrike's immobile body off himself only too Rampage's crab face staring at him... "Gah!"
"Fix the fuzor now insect." Ordered Rampage in his menacing voice, he left Waspinator and set out to obtain his spark. Waspinator wasted no time in dragging Quickstrike to the restoration tank. Giving a quick look down the corridor in case Rampage was still near by he decided he wouldn't take any chances and quickly loaded the parts of Tarantulas in the next tank. He activated the tanks and shifted to wasp mode and hastily left the scene.
"Ah, home...messed up home." Sighed Rattrap as the Maximals arrived at the Axalon. Rhinox transformed to robot mode and turned to Blackarachnia,
"You'll have to stay out here until I add you to Sentinel’s data files."
"Very well." Blackarachnia sighed, Silverbolt nudged her slightly.
"I'll wait with you my dark one." Rhinox nodded at the pair and entered the ship, followed by Rattrap. Rhinox approached the console,
"Sentinel, change unit files. Shift Predacon unit Blackarachnia to Maximal. Allow unit Blackarachnia access level two." Sentinel beeped in response.
"Adding unit Blacharachnia to files. Complete, level two access granted to new unit." Rhinox activated the outside speaker,
"Alright, you can come in. And I recommend you change your activation code if your going to be one of us now." The speaker shut off just as Primal and Cheetor arrived. The pair transformed and landed beside Silverbolt and Blackarachnia. The spider's eyes closed for a few moments then reopened as her computer chirped up.
"Activation code reset complete." Blackarachnia sighed...
"Blackarachnia...m, max...oh slag it! Blackarachnia, maximize!" Transforming to robot mode she looked on as Optimus gave a slight grin. She tapped her Predacon symbol and it morphed into a Maximal one. Silverbolt also transformed and the four Maximals entered the base. Optimus looked at the damage all over the bridge.
"Let's get to work." The other nodded and went about repairs, Rattrap sighed out aloud,
"Oh man...times like this I wish I hadn't taken care of that lousy maintenance bot before we hit this mudball." Optimus swung around to face Rattrap,
"You did what to our drone?"
"Ah....'oops'?" Rattrap gave a broad grin,
"Spill it Rattrap, what did you do with it and why? And it had better be good." Optimus said sternly.
"Ah well...it was ah, always gettin in my way...everytime I turned around the stupid thing was in my face. So I eh...took care of it." Optimus stood with his arms crossed, staring at Rattrap,
"And?"
"Well...when you Rhinox and Cheetor were down on Jelsa Seven, I uh...stashed it away...in a stasis pod." Rattrap's grin got even wider, Cheetor shook his head and smiled, while Blackarachnia burst out laughing. Rhinox and Primal gave a brief look and she was quiet again. Primal turned back to Rattrap.
"So. That's what happened to it. I had just thought it was destroyed out sucked out into space during the battle which lead to our crash here." Primal sighed and threw his arms in the air, "Ugh, sometimes I don't know why I even try, get back to work Rattrap."
Rampage entered Megatron's chamber and saw his spark in it's cage hanging from the ceiling. He approached it and reached out with his claw to take it, his claw went through the...hologram?
"What?!" Exclaimed Rampage, from behind him he heard a loud chuckle, he spun around to see Megatron in robot mode leaning against the wall.
"You didn't honestly expect me to be so foolish and leave your precious spark just hanging around did you?" Megatron chuckled at his own joke, "Your spark is safely hidden away from prying claws, yeees." Rampaged grunted and strode out of the room, pushing Megatron aside. Megatron deactivated the hologram of the spark and returned to the command center of the base. As he walked in he noticed Deathstrike and Waspinator locked in a stare contest, and Tarantulas and Quickstrike rose from the restoration tanks. Rampage also entered the room, Megatron took his seat and pulled the computer close to him.
"Everyone, this is our newest Predacon, Deathstrike." Waspinator broke the stare and looked at Megatron, then the snake and the fuzor,
"Quickstrike...and Deathstrike?"
"Yees...now, where is that blasted ant? Computer..." Megatron angrily spoke out,
"Unit Inferno, destroyed." The computer calmly replied. Megatron frowned,
"So, not only have we lost one Predacon, we lost two."
"Two Megatron? Has Blackarachnia also been destroyed?" Queried Tarantulas in anticipation,
"Hardly, that witch has gone turncoat on us, she is a Maximal now." The other Predacons didn't seem to concerned, aside Quickstrike and Tarantulas, the spider just hummed to himself, while Quickstrike let out a barely audible,
"Sugar bot?" Megatron pressed a few buttons and the image of the moon appeared on screen.
"This is our course of action...."
"Alert, Predacon signal detected location, Predacon base." The computer blurted out suddenly.
Optimus brought up a visual on the monitor, which showed a thin beam of light in the distance rising up to the moon, and scattering into many separate beams that raced back towards the planet in just as many locations. The Maximals looked puzzled, all but Blackarachnia, darted to a console and punched buttons. Primal turned to her...
"What is it?" He asked her,
"I'm not sure, but I know the commands for the Predacon base, I can ride that beam on their frequency without them even knowing it." She replied without turning,
"Clever...patch it through to the main display." Primal turned to the desk in the middle of the room and watched as a grid map of the planet showed up. Various areas were pinpointed and flashed over and over.
Primal thought for a second, "Hmm, Blackarachnia, scan the closest of those locations and display findings." The spider nodded and a few moments later what she found appeared before them all. The Maximals gasped and looked at what had been discovered. Cheetor thought out aloud,
"By the spotted heck...Megs is finding stasis pods!"