Beast Wars Anonymous:

Timewarp
by Triceratron (sbroad@theonramp.net)

In the midst of the Beast Wars, long after the catastrophe that destroyed Optimus Primal had past, a warp in the fabric of time opened from a far distant future. A metallic warrior stepped onto the ground. He had a single task, one that was almost too evil to comprehend, and yet too important to avert.

He looked around and saw no one. He thought about what had to happen, what he had to do, and how it would affect them all. He activated a device and faded into invisibility, his mind focusing on the task at hand. He walked in the direction of the Axalon spaceship, knowing there was no other way and yet wishing there was.

Triceratron stepped out of his cramped ship to examine the surroundings. *Such natural beauty,* he thought, *and so much wasted.* He went back to the ship and switched on his communications screen. He typed in a code and screen divided into two images. The left one showed Optimus Primal's face, the right showed Megatron's. "I have my weekly report prepared. Alien activity is low in this sector. No further word on the Skriix battle fleet that was said to be planning the attack. I am sending you both a log of all transmissions received here, and have translated them for readability. As you can see, there is very little concerning this planet, and no one seems to notice your presence. It appears that the aliens that attacked don't share their planet's problems with many. I will be heading to the Axalon in thirty cycles for evaluation and training of the Maximal troops. Message ends," Triceratron told the two.

Optimus's image disappeared, yet Megatron's lingered for a few moments. "I have a matter to discuss, Triceratron, yesss. I wish to have further relations with you. You seem to favor the Maximals over the Predacons."

"I do," he said.

"And yet you claim to be working in the best interests of all Cybertronians. Do I not have a best interest?"

"Megatron, as much as I'd like to help you out, it's exactly that reason that is keeping me from helping you," Triceratron said.

"I don't understand," said Megatron.

Triceratron's short temper expired. "Your little war is putting all Cybertronians in danger. When I left your previous timeframe, you had set all of Cybertron against each other. You restarted the great war, and I don't know how long it's going to last. Not to mention the fact that you would retake the galaxy and destroy Cybertron if you had the energon you came here for. And that's just what I know about. If I thought you were any more of a threat, I'd kill you myself."

"Ah, yes. You see, I'm helping Cybertron!! I plan to--"

"Computer, disconnect," said Triceratron. "Primus, I'm sick of that small- minded tyrant. Why did this have to happen? After three centuries of peace, one Predacon just destroys all that the Autobots worked to achieve." He hit a button on his computer, and an image of a ship appeared on it. "And they may yet destroy everything else."

"So Triceratron will not join the Predacon cause? I think he's more a Predacon than he is letting on. From my experience with him, he has all the basic tendencies of ourselves, except his preference of the Maximals. Perhaps what is needed is a little incentive," said Megatron.

"Megatron, it seems more likely that he is incorruptible. From what I have seen, he believes in his cause too much to be stopped."

"Perhaps, Tarantulus. I know intimidation will not turn him since he has proved more advanced than ourselves. But, you see, I will have him. He will be a Predacon! One way or another..."

"Megatron, the computer is detecting a temporal disturbance near the Maximal base!" Tarantulus exclaimed.

"What?" asked Megatron. "Computer, on screen!" He stared at the computer terminal as a small hole in time appeared and disappeared. "Computer, what was that?"

"Unknown," was the reply. "Not enough information."

"Something is going on here, and I want to know what it is."

Triceratron was on route to the Axalon when his personal scanning device activated, detecting the same disturbance. Not knowing what to expect, he broke into a run. As he got closer to the Axalon, he tried to see if there was any damage. When he saw nothing he turned on his scanner. It detected an energy surge near the Axalon. Triceratron knew the energy surge as one a small cloaking device would give off. He hit a button on the side of his head; a pair of goggles slid over his eyes. He saw his enemy through the cloak. He chased it; it began to run.

He pulled out his weapon. "Anti-cloaking beam," he said. He pointed and fired.

The cloaked being fell and decloaked on the ground. He got to the being and turned him over; he punched it without looking. He prepared to hit it again, but then he looked. The body was different, but one of a Maximal he knew. He recognized the face--older with a special eyepiece over his left eye, but still the same one.

"YOU!!" he gasped.

Optimus Primal and the other Maximals watched as Triceratron and a mysterious time-traveler slid into view on the entrance lift. He had been informed of this discovery, but was not prepared for what he saw. They stepped off and the stranger, who had been looking at the ground, came out of the shadows and looked at Optimus.

"Cheetor!" he gasped.

Surely enough, it was Cheetor. He still was a transmetal, but his look had changed. He appeared more streamlined, sleeker. He appeared much older as well.

Cheetor-- from this time period-- looked astounded as he walked around his older double. No one could find the words to speak, until Optimus shook it off and said, "What are you doing here? What time are you from?"

He looked at Optimus sadly, and then began to speak. "I am from 200 years in the future, and I have been sent here to destroy the Axalon."

"What?!?!?" said the entire group in unison.

Megatron looked angrily at the horizon in the direction of the Axalon. He stomped the ground in his beast mode, trying to figure out why there had been a disturbance. He had several theories: a Maximal trick, a freak of nature, a new weapon, but none made sense. He finally decided that he would know, and to do that he would attack the Maximal base. "Prepare for an assault on the Axalon!" he yelled into the base. "We will find what came out of the disturbance, and we will take it from the Maximals!"

"It all began when, after several years, the Maximals won the Beast Wars. All the Predacons were transported back to Cybertron for trial. Those that weren't Predacon to begin with were reprogrammed and sent back to Cybertron for rehabilitation. Some Maximals went back home, including Optimus, but some chose to remain and colonize this planet in the name of Cybertron. Unfortunately, the Maximals that left never returned, and we were stranded again."

"We started in earnest, trying not to damage the planet's ecosystem but using whatever resources we could obtain from this planet. However, we didn't ever find out what planet it was exactly until we discovered something that couldn't have been on any other planet-- the Cybertronian Ark.

"We found a two million-year-old crash site that was the Ark that contained the deactivated Autobots and Decepticons. This planet was Earth all along, and we had been damaging our own past by staying here," said the future version of Cheetor.

Optimus looked at Triceratron. "You knew! Your ship detected this, didn't it?"

"Yes."

"Then why didn't you tell us?"

"And what? Knowing would only make it harder. Eventually one of you, Maximal or Predacon, would have found it and your simply being there would destroy the space-time continuum. The Predacons would have tried to destroy the deactivated Autobots, or stolen something, or some other devious act that would permanently change the future of Cybertron. Little do you know the fragility of the time stream. Doing anything to the Ark would have created a temporal paradox that would rip the universe apart!" he yelled angrily.

"Optimus, he was correct not to tell us. It kept us from directly destroying the future. But, indirectly, however was a different story. We only realized this when we found the Ark," said Cheetor.

"Explain," said Optimus.

"By staying on Earth, by fighting a terribly destructive war, and by destroying the environment around us, we prevented humans from evolving."

"Humans, bah! Insignificant fleshlings," interrupted Dinobot.

"Unfortunately, Dinobot, you couldn't be more wrong. Humans played an important part in the wars the Autobots and Decepticons fought on this planet. First, Teletran 1 chose forms from the human vehicles, then the war would have turned out much different due to human intervention. Without humans, we could not exist," said Cheetor. "By remaining on this planet, by even being here in the first place, we jeopardize our existence."

"Why did we even stay here after the war? We knew this wasn't the right timeframe and someone should have revealed it to us. The golden disks--" said the present version of Cheetor.

"Disappeared," finished the future version of Cheetor. "Triceratron never revealed it to us and after what happened to him--" he stopped mid-sentence. "I'm saying too much. I must not reveal the future in so much detail, if I don't wish to jeopardize it in another way."

"Why, what happened to Triceratron?" asked the present Cheetor. Triceratron interrupted him.

"You cannot ask him to reveal that. I refuse to allow anyone's future, even mine, to be compromised by knowing too much about it."

"But--"

"Enough. We cannot know."

"It was shortly after we discovered the Ark that the storms began," continued the future Cheetor. "Temporal storms that began to rip the planet apart. Our past and our influence on the Earth was being replaced with a different past and future. I chose to use a timewarp to carry me back here, before the damage was done, and do what I knew was possibly the only course of action. I had to destroy the Axalon and the Predacon base to prevent the war from continuing."

"Cheetor, there are always other ways," said Optimus. "That is clear. By telling us what you did, you may have stopped the damage before it happened."

"Optimus, part of the damage was not done by us. There are forces beyond our control that I can't reveal that worked against us," said the future Cheetor frantically.

"Perhaps, but now we know, we may be able to prevent most of the damage," said Optimus. "You can't think the only way to protect our past is to destroy our future!"

The Axalon suddenly shook from a blast that struck the hull. All the Maximals ran to the windows to see the Predacons attacking. "Maximals! We will find out what came through the timewarp and we will obtain it! Hand it over or be destroyed!" yelled Megatron.

"Well, Cheetor, you have any objections to kicking around some Preds?" asked Rattrap.

The present Cheetor looked at his future self and said, "I'm game if you are."

"Well, it's been a while, but I don't see any more harm in it than telling you what I have told you."

"Let's move!" said Optimus.

The Maximals moved down on the lift and ran toward the Predacons. They all began firing. Megatron started to counterattack, then noticed the new Maximal. He knew that shape! He looked back and forth between the two Cheetors. "That is it! That Maximal is what came through the timewarp. Get him!" he yelled to his troops.

They were knocked back in the air, but recovered quickly and began to attack again. They laid out heavy fire trying to get closer to the Maximals. The Maximals returned shot after shot. Waspinator and Inferno dived forward, aiming their weapons at the future Cheetor, who replied with a powerful blast from his advanced weaponry.

"You want to take the battle to them?" the future Cheetor asked his present counterpart.

"Sure!" he replied. "Beast mode!" he said and transformed, then his two stubby wings came out of his sides.

"Ahh, that brings back memories. I have altered my jet mode since then." The future Cheetor transformed into a delta-winged jet mode. The legs of his cheetah mode became rockets, and a small windshield came up over the top of his head.

"Ultra gear!" exclaimed the present Cheetor.

"That's what I said when I got this form." They lifted off the ground, the future Cheetor hovering slowly up, the other jumping and firing his jets. They began to fly toward the two Predacon flyers.

"You take buzz-brains, I've got old crash-and-burrrrn," commanded the future Cheetor.

"Affirmative!" said the present Cheetor. "I've got Waspy in my sights." He fired at Waspinator's wings and the enemy fell out of the air.

"Bzzzzzz, Wazzpinator not have to take this!" Waspinator said as he plummeted to the ground.

The other Cheetor shot toward Inferno and began to fly around him. He sped up and continued flying around Inferno until he became a golden streak in a circle around the Predacon. Inferno's head was spinning around as well, trying to track the enemy. Cheetor suddenly stopped in midair and transformed. He hovered in front of Inferno until his head slowed to a stop, and then he punched him in the face. The disoriented Predacon tumbled down as well.

The two flyers smashed into the ground on either side of Megatron. "Fools! Must I do everything myself?" Megatron yelled angrily. He transformed into his T-Rex mode, then deployed his turbines, lifting into the air and charging the future Cheetor from behind. He did not turn around fast enough and Megatron rammed him at full force. Cheetor fell out of the air, spinning wildly out of control. He hit the ground, bounced and rolled crazily, unconscious and unable to stop.

"NOOOOO!" yelled the other Cheetor, but didn't notice the shot that Tarantulus fired from the ground that hit his wing. He lost control and fell toward the ground also.

"Predacons, retrieve that Maximal! We will know what he knows and why he came here!" yelled Megatron. He began to fly toward the ground, but was stopped in the air. He turned to look at his tail. Optimus, in his hoverboard mode, had grabbed it, and began to spin. Megatron was spun in a circle, his speed rapidly increasing as Optimus flung him around. At last, Optimus released his tail, and Megatron was flung outward, sailing in the direction of the Predacon base.

Silverbolt ran toward Tarantulus and jumped, extending one foot in front of him. He smashed into Tarantulus, knocking him over. He then transformed into beast mode and lifted Tarantulus into the air, carrying him off and dropping him into a nearby chasm.

The Predacons, weakened, injured, and without a leader, turned and fled back to their base. The Maximals all went to the future Cheetor that now could not move. Cheetor stood over him, crying. "I won't make it," said the future Cheetor.

"Don't say that. We will take you to the CR chamber and--"

"No. I'm too badly damaged. He knocked out my timewarp circuits. I can't remain in this time." He began to become transparent as he faded in and out of reality. "Don't worry about me," he strained. "I was living on borrowed time anyway. My present was compromised, I could not return. I can only hope I was able to save your future. Cheetor," he told his younger self, "remember what I have said. Save the future, and you will save me. I have given you the knowledge to avoid my fate, now use it as much as you can." He began to fade again. "I'm grateful that I didn't have to hurt any of you. There was a better way, Optimus." He flickered, faded, and disappeared.

The disheartened Maximals returned to the Axalon's bridge. Triceratron stood near his place at the window, where he saw the entire battle but retained the position that he would not fight. "This may not help you right now, but you have been given something very few ever get-- a second chance. I realize seeing one of your comrades die is hard, and it's even harder on Cheetor to see his own death, but what you saw wasn't real." The Maximals looked at him, puzzled. "Not now at least. That was one of many possible futures for Cheetor, and the rest of you. By his revealing this information, he has prevented that future from ever happening again."

"Well, Maximals, it seems that the message put forth today was clear-- when we leave, we go together," said Optimus. "We cannot leave any trace of our existence on this planet which could drastically alter the future of Cybertron. Everybody goes home--no matter what."

"Ahh, man, even Dinobutt?" whined Rattrap, somewhat inappropriately.

"Perhaps I should prevent you from existing right now, vermin!" replied Dinobot angrily.

Triceratron looked at Optimus, confused. Optimus just shrugged.

Back in the Predacon base, Megatron lifted out of his CR tank, fully repaired. He walked to the bridge and looked at his troops. He then took his seat. "The Maximals, it appears, have discovered something about their future they previously did not know. Whether this proves to be an advantage has yet to be determined. Maximals have recently been gaining ground in the Beast Wars, first with Triceratron and then with this visitor. We need to tighten our offensive if we wish to prevail!" He looked at Tarantulus and said, "Prepare all troops for full time battle preparedness. The Maximals will soon know what Predacon determination is capable of, and I promise you they will not win while I am leader of the Predacons!"

He looked at his computer and switched it to a three-dimensional picture of Triceratron. "And you, my friend, will know as well, yessss."