Another long one, I apologise, but hey, I'm going to stick to the one chapter thing. 'Unearthed' did my head in O=x
So yes, a little warning. There may be content in here that some people may not like. Nothing dirty or anything like that, but everyone has their own views and opinions and what not. Just warning you.
Hopefully, this chapter will surprise you. If not, then I have failed. Ah well, enjoy another laboriously long installment of REBIRTH!
VOULUME 1
Chapter 8: CONFRONTATIONS
In a dark back street on the outskirts of Cybertropolis, a large red figure was darting between hiding places. The only thing apart from its size that would have given its location away was the flashing yellow optics.
He was not alone. He was in beast mode, but did not fly for fear of being spotted. He constantly thrashed his dragon head and tail behind him, even though somehow he knew the assailant wasn't there. But he was somewhere.
He reached an empty allotment, sheltered by a broken-down, unused bridge. He finally stopped running.
"Megatron, Terrorise!"
The ferocious red dragon transformed into the large, threatening red Predacon. He bared his teeth, breathless and livid.
"Show yourself!" the furious Predacon leader demanded. A strange voice answered him.
"Oh be quiet, you cheap knock-off. You are in no current position to make such demands." The voice was hoarse, gloating and… coming from his own mouth.
"Wha…?" Megatron stuttered, astounded. His optics began to flash yellow again when he turned his head and the other voice spoke.
"Oh please, don't tell me you haven't noticed me floating about in your obsessively occupied mind…"
Megatron thought…he knew he was never alone in that cell, but now that he had space and momentum to think about it, he knew right away.
"So…am I so honoured to have you share intelligent conversation with…Megatron?"
"Don't flatter yourself Halfling. From what I have seen of your race, you are nowhere near the standards the Decepticons are…"
"Were," the second Megatron corrected, "if you were that riddled with intellect, you would have realised we are somewhat ahead of your time…"
"I meant what I said," whispered the original Megatron, "the Decepticons will always be the greatest force Cybertron ever saw!"
"Mhm. So tell me, my belated genetic superior," the dragon mech sung sarcastically, "why come out now and not before?"
"Do you really think I would reveal my existence to the Autobots?" the original Megatron replied.
"There are hardly any Autobots left on Cybertron, only Maximals." Megatron II explained, shaking his head.
"Yes, I thought that was a bit strange. It seems I've got a bit ahead of myself. From what I've manage to access from your core memory…"
"You've done what?" bellowed Megatron II, enraged.
"Hush! I got you out of that tin can, and I can get you recaptured just as easily. And don't try to blame me, no one will believe you, for I gather the entire planet thinks that I am…"
"Dead, extinct…defeated…" the second Megatron interrupted darkly, "It is obvious that my purpose was to complete what you failed to accomplish. Conquest of Cybertron!"
"Yes, yes, I know. And it is laughable to think that a second-rate rip-off artist like yourself could ever compare to the original Megatron. You have my name, granted…but you have no army to that name. At least, not any more." He was referring to the fact that the second Megatron returned to Cybertron strapped to the back of an Autobot shuttle…and alone.
"Yes, very drole. But you really think I haven't planned ahead?"
"That's exactly what I think." Megatron answered.
"Shut up. But I found your message on the Golden Disk before I even left Cybertron."
"Oh?" the original tyrant enquired, his curiosity peaking.
"Ah, I see the snag you have run into, my old namesake. You only have access to my recent memories for some reason." The old Megatron huffed inside the new dragon Meg's head. "That is how I recruited my highest ranking troops in the first place. Unfortunate that only a few stayed loyal to me. And then, as you rightly know…"
"The drones just followed the flock." both Megatrons said together, laughing.
"You have yet to tell me how you got to be within my body, nor why you helped me escape," the second Megatron observed.
"Helped? I'm the one who orchestrated the whole thing. Your arms and legs were just there for my convenience. As for that shenanigan you attempted involving my spark…" Megatron II shifted a little uncomfortably, "we formed some sort of celestial bond in limbo of the Matrix continuum. Oh, and speaking of which: You have my spark!"
"What?!"
The original Megatron smiled using his descendant's face, "And you call yourself a Megatron. When your Optimus attempted to reunite my spark with my body – yes, I was aware the entire time – he made a grave mistake. Your spark is now in my body back on Earth. I want it back."
"Impossible," Megatron II said defiantly, "then how am I still here in my own body?"
"That is complicated…" the Decepticon replied slowly.
"You don't know, do you?"
"No. Care to make something of it, child?"
"Not now, no. Did you have any plans beyond this point of the escape?" the 'young one' asked.
"I roamed this planet several hundred stellar cycles ago. It has changed somewhat," the other replied, irritated.
Ah yes, of course…the Great War hasn't started to him…
"I have connections. Old friends, if you will, dedicated to the Predacon cause. Let us pay them a visit. This 'bond' of which you speak could yet prove beneficial to both of us. Yesss…"
---
Back on Earth, the still dazed Maximals at Pangaea Two were trying to fathom what happened the previous day.
"How did they get to the info banks? We kept an eye on every single Predacon there." Bounder complained, having just exited the CR Chamber to fix his crushed shoulder.
"Not everyone…" Skylark interrupted slowly. The owl had remained at that base to make sure there was no unseen damage to the data banks.
"Say what?"
"Well, look at the security hologram," she brought it up and displayed it to everyone who was in the third chamber (namely Bounder, Jagna, Rattrap, Lightwing and Sunset), "look in that corner…" She pointed at the edge of the hologram. Everyone squinted, and gasped. Out of nowhere, a femme bot appeared where they thought was just air.
"Who the heck is that?" Lightwing asked, picking up her jaw.
"I have no idea, I don't recognise her," Skylark replied, zooming in on the femme bot's face, "She's not listed in any of our files…I think she might be new."
"Impossible!" said Sunset brashly, "We'd know about it, wouldn't we?"
Skylark shook her head, "Not if I know Kahn. He's unusually good at keeping things hush-hush."
"Besides, I've met her before…" stated Rattrap. He described the scenario he experienced with this mystery femme when he, Cheetor, Nightshaft and Sandskimmer were ambushed in the forest nearly a decacycle ago.
Jagna shook her head, still bitter with herself, "So that's one more Predacon to worry about…"
"Worry about? Who did we have to worry about in the first place?" Lightwing asked, starting to get panicky. Skylark caught Jagna's eye, and drew her finger across her throat. The leopard was about to answer with an, 'Uh…', when Sunset barked at the squirrel.
"Duh, the entire Predacon force, maybe?"
"I was just asking…" Lightwing whimpered defensively. Sunset was actually rather unpleasant a lot of the time, and very demanding and bossy.
"Ease off, Sunset," Skylark said, rolling her optics, "the last thing we need is your attitude upsetting everyone further."
"Oh really?" the husky protested, "Well then…"
"That's enough!" hissed Jagna, rubbing her forehead, "Get out please, Sunset."
"What? But…"
"Out!"
The canine femme stood staring for a second, open mouthed, then stormed out of the chamber in a huff.
"She seems a bit like Accinon…" Rattrap whispered quietly to Bounder.
"Nah…she's worse…" the hare replied, shuddering.
Jagna was taking deep breaths, obviously trying not to explode. Sunset almost never listened, nor did she seem to care about others' feelings.
"So what do we do now?" Lightwing asked.
"We've informed Pangaea One, Base Three and all field units of the situation," Skylark answered for Jagna, "we don't know just yet, but we'll figure something out…" She tried to catch the leopard's eye again, but she turned away and left too.
"Better leave her," the owl said quickly as Bounder began to follow his leader. She nodded at him to confirm that all she needed was time to forgive herself. However, she didn't mention it might take a while.
Just then, Accinon came in with something for Skylark. She found it in that chamber earlier and had taken it to the main console for analysis.
"I think it might belong to the Preds, but I can't tell which one…" The other Maximals explained to her about the mystery femme and showed her the footage. "Ah. Well, it's probably hers then. But the computer can't give me a detailed enough analysis, so I figured you might be able to, Sky."
Despite the severity of the situation, the owl took what Accinon handed her with eagerness. It looked like a shell casing from a small handheld device.
"I'll meet Rhinox at the Hercules. Perhaps the equipment he has there will help us out a little more."
"Can I come too?" Lightwing asked just as eagerly, "I haven't seen their ship yet."
"Not many of us have yet." Accinon answered, giving Rattrap a funny look. He held up his hands defensively.
"Don't look at me, it ain't my hunk-o-junk!"
"Ah, don’t worry guys. I heard we might all be on it someday: exploring the galaxy or whatever," commented Bounder. Skylark coughed uncomfortably, pretending not to hear him.
"Sure, you can come Light. Just don't touch anything without asking. He doesn't seem to like that…" She looked at Rattrap, who nodded and chuckled.
"Cool, thanks!" They both smiled and left.
"What was Jag on about?" Bounder asked mostly himself.
"Eh, probably nuttin'. C'mon, let's see if the others are out o' the CR Chambers yet," said Rattrap.
He, Bounder and Accinon went back into the main chamber.
---
Meanwhile, in the Predacon base, the so-called 'new' Predacon Camophlage was standing in Kahn's chambers, closely watched by Serpentia and Obertron, who were both sneering at her with disapproving dislike. Outside, Darkwing, Webneck and Pteradonna were leaning against the door, listening in, while a few of the others waited next to them.
"Serpentia tells me…" wheezed Kahn, who was, as always, floating in his life-support tube of glowing yellow liquid, "…that your…mission was suc…cessful…"
"But of course," the chameleon gloated, "I'm just relieved you didn't entrust it to these bozos." She jabbed her thumb towards the two units behind her, whose scowls deepened. "Imagine the calamity!"
"Yes, well, it's been lovely having you here, bye now!" Obertron wailed loudly, gesturing to the door.
"One…moment…fuzor…" Kahn interrupted, "If my guess…is correct…we could…use your assistance…once more…" he added to Camophlage.
She folded her arms and shifted her weight onto one leg. "For you…double or nothing of the best you got," she stated firmly.
"Shhhall I disssspossse of her for her insssssolencccce?" Serpentia hissed, drawing her sword and placing the blade across Camophlage's chest.
Kahn considered it, but he begrudgingly agreed to the chameleon's terms.
"Here is what I want…you to do…"
---
In a very mountainous area, a pack of wolves was roaming a large, grassy plain next to an evergreen pine forest.
One wolf, however, strayed away from its pack. It had different colouring: most of the wolves had white, brown and black fur, but this one was grey.
He made his way up to the top of a rocky outcrop and scanned the area.
"Come on, guys…" the Maximal muttered. Then he spotted a creature that was very out-of-place in this northern forest. It was looking for something.
"Jag! JAG!" Greyback called from his rocky outlook post. The leopard finally spotted the grey wolf and leapt up onto the ledge to meet him. He noticed she was alone, "Sky with you?"
She shook her head, "She was with Rhinox last I checked." They both chuckled slightly, wondering if she was staying for the science after all.
Just then, a large tawny owl swooped in and landed just behind them.
"Sorry I'm late," Skylark apologised, "I got kind of distracted…what are you smiling at?" The other two shook their heads.
"Sorry for dragging you both out here," Greyback explained, "I just thought we should talk away from the others…for now."
The leopard and the owl nodded in agreement. He continued.
"Let's get right down to it…"
---
Back on Cybertron, Silverbolt was still getting over his…he didn't know what to call it…Pred-attack. It had been a few hours since he and Blackarachnia left the warehouse. They didn't go far, only to meet another bot in another warehouse to do a second check on them. They were informed to await confirmation.
"On what?" Blackarachnia had asked.
"Confirmation," the bot repeated every time she asked before he threw them out.
Now there were sitting in their make-shift home: an apartment of sorts given to them by the Council. Blackarachnia pointed out that A) they would probably not be staying in one place for too long, and B) they could not stay in a Maximal-owned state apartment if they were to be Predacons spies.
Silverbolt was getting bored. That wasn't a frequent occurrence, and he did not enjoy it. Blackarachnia was leaning on a high table, going through some files.
Silverbolt's optics slowly wandered over to her and she was facing away from him. He smiled and made his way over to his poison widow.
She didn't flinch at the touch of his hand on her back. In fact, she didn't move at all. Let him do the work, she thought with a grin.
"Okay then, my love, let's play." He grabbed her hip and swung her round to face him, making her drop her files. She smiled as he pulled her closer to him. Their aces were an inch away when…
A deafening ringing rang through the room.
"Ah!"
They covered their audios, silently cursing their 'telephone'.
"That's awfully loud!" Silverbolt roared over the noise.
"I know you're a hound, just answer it!" Blackarachnia shouted back.
Silverbolt pressed the answer button on the wall panel not far from them. "This is Silverbolt reporting," he announced formally.
"This is Ultra Magnus speaking," the tanker replied through the com link.
"Got something for us, Big M?" Blackarachnia asked.
"Terrible news, I'm afraid. Have you infiltrated the Tripredicous Council yet?"
"Sheesh, give us a break, big guy, it's gonna take more than a few days to…" Blackarachnia began, but Ultra Magnus cut her off.
"You're going to have to do it quick, or we scrap the whole project." Ultra Magnus announced.
"But sir, why?" Silverbolt asked, "We believe we have a good chance…"
"Megatron has escaped." Ultra Magnus interrupted blatantly.
The two Maximals stood staring at the wall panel, mouths agape, optics larger than dinner plates.
"You still there?"
"Yes sir…" Silverbolt replied abruptly, snapping out of his stunned trance.
"How?" Blackarachnia asked simply.
"Were not sure yet," Magnus replied, "I'm still on my way there, Diamond Nine and Claymor are still working the scene. Apparently, he was working alone."
"But you don't believe that, do you?" the spider asked.
"I don't know that yet, either, but I'll figure out soon enough. I just wanted to inform you in case Megatron tries anything with the Tripredicous Council."
"I don't think he will, chief. They did try to kill him," the widow pointed out.
"And yet, there are still Predacons with opposing views on the Predacon cause, of course," Silverbolt continued. Ultra Magnus huffed through the radio.
"If you still think you can pull it off, go ahead with the operation. Just be careful. Ultra Magnus out."
The radio went silent. Silverbolt and Blackarachnia looked at each other.
"Well slag…"
---
Meanwhile, back on Earth…
Streakhorn, the Maximal gazelle femme, was waiting in a cave about 30 klicks from the mountain base. A swan suddenly swooped in from the sky, and transformed into robot mode Sleek.
Streakhorn looked her up and down, feigning surprise.
"Heeeey, you're not whose supposed to be taking over my patrol…"
Sleek smiled, "I filled in for Spanner, so I'm here to switch shifts with you…"
"Uh-huh." The two winked at each other, pleased they had arranged this beforehand.
"Anything to get away from Cheetor, I just can't shake him," the swan complained, "following me around, ugh, he's like a child!"
"Isn't he at P Two?"
"Yeah, but he's due back soon, and then it begins again."
"Must be your animal magnetism," Streakhorn joked. Then her smile faded slightly, "You've always had they guys after you…"
Sleek smiled jokily as well, "Jealous much?"
"Oh, please…" the gazelle clutched her left arm, "…okay, a little…"
"Well look, you have absolutely nothing to worry about," Sleek assured her, moving closer to her. Streakhorn looked awkwardly at the floor as the swan got even closer.
"You're the only one for me…"
Sleek lifted the gazelle's chin with her fingers, and brought their lips together.
After a few moments, Streakhorn pulled away.
"What's wrong?" Sleek asked.
"I'm sick of hiding. I mean, look at us, we're in a cave, a hole!" She raised her arms to emphasise her point, "Put a door on the entrance and we'll have created a whole new meaning to…"
"Babe, calm down," Sleek went over to her partner and took her hand in hers, "just give it time. One day we'll be ready."
She gave her another quick peck, which Streakhorn only reluctantly accepted.
"We…or you?" the gazelle harshly asked. She turned away, transformed into beast mode and leapt out of the cave, leaving Sleek alone and winded.
---
The gazelle galloped down the mountainside and towards her shortcut back to base, muttering irritably to herself. She crossed a grassy plain and was headed towards a wall of rocks when he heard voices. She stood as still as she could, raising her ears up and down, as her instincts instructed her. They could be Predacons…She edged closer to a particularly large boulder, her hooves barely touching the ground. As she drew closer, the voices grew louder, and more familiar. She detected no Predacon signatures in the area, so he was relieved to discover they were friendlies. She was about to go behind the boulder and greet whoever it was, but the topic of conversation she was about to overhear stopped her.
"He's definitely getting stronger, he never would have risked something like that before."
That was Greyback's voice.
"We can't be sure of that…"
Skylark.
"Well, we can never be too sure with him, now can we?"
And Jagna. Streakhorn stayed behind the rock, curious as to what they were talking about.
"This new bot is bigger trouble than we thought. Not only did Kahn attack P Two, but he allowed her existence to be revealed. He's obviously trying out some new cloaking technology." Greyback grumbled, shaking his head.
"Hardly new though, is it?" replied Jagna, "I mean, who knows how long this femme has been operating under his command? Could be a few days, years, maybe even decades."
"I think it may be her," Skylark commented. The other two looked inquiringly at her, "Kahn's smart, but he's hardly got personal shielding down just yet. Rhinox and I were having a look at that casing Accinon found. I haven't told him yet, but I'd cautiously assume it's part of her own armour."
"So, he's not using advanced technology…he's using advanced bots?" Jagna asked.
"Just the one…I hope…" Greyback murmured uneasily. Skylark shook her head.
"Not necessarily advanced, just gifted. There are a few bots here who have unique abilities, aren't there? Cheetor is the only one who can travel beyond Mach Two, Signia can emit a localised sonic boom. Perhaps this Pred is another one to add to the list."
Jagna nodded, in deep thought. "Perhaps. Still doesn't explain why she decides to pop up now. Kahn's more careful than that. Unless…" she began, not wanting to finish her own sentence.
"Unless he's close…" Greyback finished for her. Skylark gasped with a squawk and Jagna bit her fist. The wolf mech scowled. "We need to know. Now."
"How? We're not exactly in any position to find out Grey," Skylark stammered.
"The new Predacon. We have to find her." Jagna stated. Skylark and Greyback looked at her, not saying a word. Streakhorn's beady black eyes widened. Grey sighed deeply.
"I suppose that's it then. We're going to have to find her, and get her to talk."
---
Later, Streakhorn returned to Pangaea One very confused. Not only about what she heard Grey and the others talking about, but about Sleek. When would she make up her mind? Would she ever?
"Something up Legs?" Nightshaft enquired, observing the gazelle's slumped posture and puzzled expression.
"Hunh?" Streakhorn looked distractedly towards the spider monkey, "Um…ask me later."
Nightshaft tilted her head. The gazelle was not often like this, nor was she going to let it go. "You'll feel better when you get it off your chest. Come on, tell."
"Well," Streakhorn replied, unsure whether she should tell anyone at all, "I kinda overheard something…"
"Something what?"
"Uh…y'know what, it's late, I should probably get to my monitoring duties." She turned around to head for the main chamber, but her path was blocked by Shellshock.
"Got something juicy, Legs?" the tortoise asked with a grin, "Come on, kiss and tell."
Streakhorn looked hopelessly between the two, who had sandwiched and trapped her, both grinning maliciously. She caved.
"Fine. I walked in on Grey, Sky and Jag talkin' about Kahn," Shell and Night stared inquisitively at her, "They're going after the Predacon that stole the info from P Two…"
"They what?!" Nightshaft burst out, "Are the insane? How could they not tell us?!"
"Easy, Night…" Shellshock warned, moving away from Streakhorn and putting a hand on his friend's shoulder, "…They probably have a valid reason for…"
The blue/black femme shot him a nasty look, shutting him up. She breathed in deeply, taking the situation a little personally. "Tell everyone to try and contact and locate them."
"Night, I don't think we should pry or anything, and we'll need some sort of clearance to…" Streakhorn began before being cut off.
"Clearance nothing. Our leader, our lieutenant AND our tech head aren't here. And I happen to be the next in the chain of command. So let's get to it, 'kay?"
Shellshock and Streakhorn look at each other, shrugged, and headed for the consoles in the main chamber of Pangaea One.
After a few minutes when everyone else in the base had been informed, the three Maximals were being tracked. To no avail, which puzzled many of the base units.
"Nah, it don't surprise me," Spanner commented, a little smugly, "Skylark has a knack for hiding things she doesn't want anyone to find. But don't worry. Gimme a few megacycles and them things'll be found." He cracked his knuckles and 'worked his magic'.
"Alright, I guess we'll have to wait that long." Nightshaft turned away and huffed. Greyback, she could understand, but why would Jagna and Skylark keep her out of this where she was usually kept in the loop? While she considered finding them herself, she begrudgingly accepted that this had little to nothing to do with her. But she still wanted to know.
They all waited for any kind of word, having sent a message to Pangaea Two.
---
At Pangaea Two, everyone was murmuring to one another about the message they had just received from their big sister base.
"What could they be doing?"
"Why didn't they tell anyone?"
"I could've helped, why didn't they at least tell me?!"
All sorts of questions and theories were flying about as to what the high-ranking wayward trio could be up to, as they hadn't been given the full story. Theories were as simple as a get-together to reminisce, and as absurd as starting their own tribe of chipmunk warriors…(Sandskimmer had not slept since the attack).
In a quiet corner of the lake entrance chamber, Rattrap and Cheetor mused over where they could be going. They, like many of the others theorised an attack on the Pred base, but with just three of them, they had two chances: fat and slim.
"Unless they plan to infiltrate," Cheetor suggested, "Grey seems to be an OK tactician, and Skylark's got enough brains to figure out how to keep the Preds busy with a few gadgets,"
Rattrap mumbled. Truthfully, he wasn't really concentrating on what they were talking about, and the only reason he was still in the conversation was because the situation reminded him of a documentary he saw on Cybertron before they came back.
"Yo! Ratface!" Cheetor was waving his hand an inch in front of the rat's empty expression.
"Eh, sorry kid, yeh must've been borin' me…" Rattrap apologised distractedly, snapping out of his daydream of returning to Cybertron…again…
"It could actually work…" the cat said eagerly.
"What could?"
"An assault on the Pred base! You said it was in Sector 12, right? What if Tarantulas' old spider holes are still there?"
Rattrap thought. That was a fair point, but…
"That's how Night and I got out, so I'm kinda guessin' the Preds've picked up on that, Spots."
"Yeah but…do you remember…that time I, uh…ahem…you know…" He spoke as quietly as he could, looking down at his feet while he did.
"Y'mean the time you went awol, ran off to the lava pits and nearly got yerself eaten and almost got me killed?...Nope. Ain't ringin' any bells…" the rat replied satirically. But then Cheetor reminded him that that entrance only appeared o be sealed off at the time, and maybe the rocks had dislodged themselves.
Rattrap was starting to see where the youngster was going with this. "Yeah, that's a point. I don't think anyone else found out about it…"
"Really? I've never heard this story…" Optimus was standing near then with his arms folded, drumming his fingers.
Cheetor and Rattrap immediately shut themselves up, looking at each other with blank expressions. How long he had been there, they did not know.
"Uuuhhhh…."
"Care to explain, either of you?" the optimal gorilla asked, bending down to their level, smiling slyly.
"Not really," Cheetor replied, turning his head as far away as possible to avoid eye contact of any kind.
"Rattrap?" Optimus bore into Rattrap's optics with his own.
"It's, uh…" the rat began slowly, trying to catch the cat's eye, which was impossible as he was 'conveniently' facing the other way, "…it's…not my place…to…tell…" he continued, laughing nervously. Optimus raised a brow ridge.
Cheetor sighed deeply, turned his head back to face Optimus, and painfully recounted that day's events when he blatantly disobeyed direct orders when Rattrap came to his aid…and never spoke of again.
When he had finished, both he and Rattrap had dropped their heads onto their chests, swapping glances saying, 'You're in more trouble,' and 'Don't try to pin this on me,' while Optimus shook his head disappointedly at the two of them. But he concentrated more on what he overheard them saying about secret passageways into Tarantulas' old lair.
"Hm. Where's Jagna? Or Greyback?"
"You're not much of a gossip, are yeh, Fearless Leader?"
"What about Skylark?" Optimus asked, shaking that last comment off.
"She was at the Hercules with Rhinox earlier," Cheetor answered with a suggestive grin.
"Okay then." Optimus turned to leave, and the other two sighed. But he turned around again, "Oh, and we'll talk about this later."
---
It had been 40 cycles since Streakhorn had unknowingly dropped in on their conversation. The trio of Maximals in search of a new enemy had hit a snag, that was obvious from the start…where to start? They ended up deep in the forest by the plains somehow, but couldn't think where to go next.
"Did we stop to think she might be a little hard to find?" Greyback snapped, frustrated after over half a megacycle or clueless searching.
"For pity's sake, Greyback…" Skylark said exasperatedly.
"Just…" Greyback attempted to keep a hold of himself, "Huh. Whatever."
"When you two are quite finished," Jagna interrupted, "Let's get going, shall we?"
"And do what?" Greyback barked, slowly creeping into one of his moods, "How are we supposed to find someone we can't see?"
"This was your idea, Grey," Skylark replied.
"Nu-uh! It was hers!" He pointed accusingly at Jagna, who raised her arms defensively
"Hang on just a minute, who called this meeting?"
"Guys!" Skylark yelled, "Come on, let's just think. If I were an invisible bad guy, where would I hide?"
They stared blankly at each other.
"Slag, this is stupid. We didn't think this through properly," Jagna started, annoyed.
"You think?!"
"I'm having serious déjà vu, Grey," she replied coolly to his outburst.
"Perhaps we should split up," Skylark suggested, growing uneasy, "We'll cover more ground that way."
Greyback laughed. "Two things wrong with that, Sky. One: there's only three of us, and two: she's invisible!"
"Yes, I know, you've said that five times!" the owl retorted.
"It seems I have to in order for it to sink in with you two!" Greyback was starting to lose it. Jagna was about to tell him to calm down, but Skylark jumped in before she could open her mouth.
"No slag!" the owl yelled uncharacteristically. She was very uncomfortable with their situation, and Greyback's attitude was not helping her nerves one bit. "Hey, here's an idea: fin her yourself!" And at that, she spread her wings and stormed off through the trees.
"Hey, don't you fly away from me!" he hollered after the owl, following her into the rest of the forest.
Jagna shook her head at the backs of her comrades. While she waited for them to cool off and sort things out, she stood still and listened. For anything.
She thought she heard a twig snap. She quickly turned around and whipped out her claws. But she couldn't see anything. She hoped it was an animal. She scanned the canopy of the trees. The jungle was her sanctuary, but lately it had been the perfect place for a…
…trap.
Something grabbed her throat. Something hard and cold. It took her completely by surprise, for she heard nothing after the snapping twig. She tried to pry what she guessed was a hand from her neck. She felt it, and it was a strong grip, but when she tried to move her head, she couldn't see it.
What?
The hand adjusted its grip of her, and forced her to turn around. The leopard femme found herself dangling three feet off the floor, held by an unseen force.
A pair of red optics suddenly appeared just below her eye level.
"Hello, sweetie…"
---
Elsewhere, Skylark was hovering above the ground with her arms folded.
"Sky! Where are you?" she heard Greyback call. She did not answer.
He found her a few moments later.
"What's your problem?" he asked her, panting.
"My problem? You're not making this easy for any of us, Grey," she replied.
"Wha…?" he stammered. Then he took a closer look at his old friend. He hadn't seen her distressed in a long time, so had forgotten how she got when she was. He sighed. "I'm sorry, Sky…" he began awkwardly, "You're right, this isn't making things any easier…"
She turned towards him. She sighed. "It's OK. You're just lucky I like you so much," she added with a smile.
"Well…" he began, putting on an exaggerated smug expression.
Suddenly, in the distance, they heard what sounded like a fusion of a scream and a roar. They looked at each other, wide-eyed.
"Jag…"
They had left her alone.
"Oh scrap…"
Skylark immediately zoomed away, leaving Greyback to straggle behind her on foot. She arrived where they last left their leader, who was no longer there.
"Jag?" she called, zigzagging through the trees, pushing away the lianas that blocked her path 20 meters in the air.
"Peek-a-boo!"
"What? AHH!"
She felt a hand clamp around her wrist and twist her arm behind her back. It threw her off balance, but instead of just staggering a few feet in the air, the hand remained around her wrist, and consequently, the rest of her body twisted itself to be at the same angle of her arm. She flipped upside-down, and that's when the hand let go. She began to fall, but she got herself tangles amongst the lianas, and ended up…swinging from the vines.
Below her, she saw something large crawling slowly up a tree. The shape was blurred, in fact, it was almost as if it wasn't there at all. Skylark squinted to focus on the object. Her hand automatically reached for her 'glasses', but her hand was caught. She didn't notice as she struggled that the shape came higher and closer to her.
Suddenly, a pair of red optics flashed right in front of her face.
She screamed.
Not far from her position, Greyback heard her. He was in beast mode, and when he heard the second yell for help, he ran faster.
But before he reached Skylark, he caught a glimpse of something…or someone…in the corner of his eye. He screeched to the halt, panting.
"Jagna? What the Pitt, are you OK?"
She didn't answer him. She didn't even look at him. He was about to characteristically snap at her, but then he noticed her optics were shut off…and her feet weren't touching the ground.
"Jag…?" He cautiously moved towards her, but when he was almost at her, she disappeared.
"The hell?!"
Then a voice echoed through the leaves above him.
"This way…"
He frantically looked around him, searching for the source of the voice.
"This way, bozo…"
It came from his left. Before he followed it, he trotted to the place where Jagna had been. He stood exactly where she was…but he could not feel anything but the leaf little beneath his paws. He bared his fangs, and followed the echo.
As he ran, sunlight peeking through the leaves hit his eyes. An out-of-place dark patch suddenly passed over him, and once again he screeched to a halt.
He craned his neck to look skywards…
"Skylark!"
She was hanging…or something…10 metres in the air.
"Sky!"
But like Jagna, she disappeared.
"Ready or not, come on down!" The echo voice mocked his helplessness, but he continued to pursue it.
He ended up in a less dense part of the forest, where the trees were spread further apart, but the buttress roots were twice as high. He stopped, sniffed the ground and air, and transformed. Growling, he withdrew his weapon.
"I wouldn't suggest that, you might get careless…"
There was that voice again. He saw movement out of the corner of his eye, and he fired, narrowly missing Skylark. He gasped and lowered his weapon. Skylark, like earlier, seemed to be hanging from something, or was maybe even suspended.
"Which one, which one?"
Skylark appeared again, this time on his other side. As soon as he turned, she disappeared just as quickly, and Jagna appeared on his right.
"Eeny, meeny, miny, mo…"
With each word, one Maximal appeared while the other vanished, forcing Greyback to dart his head back and forth between them, hoping he would find some way of freeing them.
Finally, it stopped on Skylark. And for the first time, a third figure materialised just behind her. It was the femme they had been tracking….but she had found them.
She smiled widely down at him. She then pointed at Skylark with a lazy expression on her face, "Miny…" her finger travelled across to the other tree, where Jagna appeared again, "Mo. Okay then. I'm allergic to feathers, anyway."
Very suddenly and quickly, Skylark was thrown at Greyback. The femme's hand, which had the owl in its clutches, detached from her arm and darted towards the wolf, taking Skylark with it. Grey collapse as his comrade landed on him, sending them both toppling backwards. The hand was then sucked back into its wrist socket, attached by a long, pink thing.
The femme leapt over to Jagna. Greyback and Skylark were coming round and groggily got to their knees. When they looked up, the unknown femme had Jagna over her shoulders. She smiled cruelly down at them.
"And now, I make my dramatic exit, stage right. Adieu."
She saluted them, bowed, and threw down something that exploded in smoke. The two units on the ground tried to fan away the smoke as they tried to see.
It cleared away, and they were gone.
"Jag, NO!"
---
Meanwhile…
Rhinox had the casing from Pangaea Two in Hercules' latest-technology holo-scanner. He couldn't wait for Skylark to return from wherever she went to have a peek at it. The results were fascinating.
"Lightwing, look at this…" He beckoned the flying squirrel femme to inspect his findings, "…it seems to have a coating of some sort…I can't quite figure out what it is, its properties keep changing."
"…Huh?" the femme enquired confusedly.
"Would you run a few tests for me?" the rhino asked.
"With the fancy gismos?" The squirrel began to bounce excitedly, making Rhinox smile. He nodded, and quickly taught her how to work the equipment. She was a fast and eager learner.
Optimus entered after about 20 cycles when they were halfway through tests.
"Where's Skylark?" the optimal bot asked, looking around for her.
"Oh, she left while ago," Lightwing answered automatically.
"Did she? I thought she was working in this with you two…"
"She was, but she got a call from Greyback. He said it was important, personal or something like that…"
She was rather distracted by the vast number of technologies aboard the Hercules she didn't notice Optimus had come up right next to her until she turned round and walked into his leg.
"Where did she go?" the Optimal gorilla asked as she rubbed her nose. He held a slight advantage over this small femme: the 'gossip' from Pangaeas One and Two had not reached the Hercules.
"I, uh…don't know…"
Rhinox had taken an interest in this conversation now, as he wanted to know where his science project partner had run off to.
"She's lying, Optimus…" he said slyly.
"No! Lightwing?" Optimus asked exaggeratedly. He had not known Lightwing very long, but he had a feeling this would work, "I think you must be mistaken, Rhinox. If she doesn't know, she doesn't know. It would just be a shame if you uncovered anything about that casing without Skylark…"
Behind the two mechs, Lightwing finally blurted out, "She didn't want me to say…" Optimus and Rhinox turned to face her, "Grey said it was private…"
"Fair enough," Optimus replied, "just tell me where they went."
---
"This is bad, this is bad, this is bad…"
"Snap out of it!"
"But it's really bad!"
"Yes, and I don’t need you to keep reminding me…"
Greyback and Skylark had been a bit tetchy with each other for the last few minutes. They hadn't given themselves much time to sort themselves out, but made finding their leader a priority.
"Wow. This brings back memories, doesn't it?" Skylark asked, trying to break the tension.
"Hm? Oh yeah, I'd give anything to relive those days," the wolf replied sarcastically, "But yeah…this does seem a bit familiar, doesn’t it?" They smiled at each other.
"By the Matrix…" Skylark exclaimed, as she looked around the area they were searching, "Grey…this is where we first met! Remember?"
Greyback looked around too.
"Holy slag, you're right!"
Both of them rewound to that cloudy day. Skylark had managed to transform into robot mode, but Grey had had problems controlling his beast instincts, especially at lunch time.
"Can I just say, I'm glad you didn't eat me…" Skylark joked.
"You know what, me too," he replied, "feathers give me indigestion."
"Mm. The gears wouldn't have been too good for you either…"
Quite suddenly, a loud rustling came out of nowhere behind them. They spun around to face whatever it might be.
"It could be her again…" the owl whispered, withdrawing her pistol.
The rustling got louder and closer.
"I don't think so, it sounds bigger…" Greyback replied, his own weapon ready.
It was Optimus, who came out of the bushes in tank mode, crushing everything he rolled over, nearly giving the pair a spark attack. They had never seen him in that mode before.
"Primal!" Greyback growled and put his weapon back into his subspace. "What are you doing here?" he barked.
"I was going to ask you to the same thing," Optimus replied simply.
"That happens to be none of your business," the wolf replied dryly, "now beat it!"
"Grey…" Skylark whispered quietly, "…we could use his help, you know…"
"With what?" Optimus asked. They had yet to learn about his exceptionally good hearing.
Skylark looked at Greyback, who scrunched up his optics and nodded. The owl sighed, and explained what happened to Optimus.
"Why didn't you inform anyone of what you were doing?" he enquired, greatly insulting the Maximal lieutenant.
"Okay, one: you're not our boss and two: we didn't want to cause any panic. Besides, we weren't expecting to get ambushed by an invisible lizard, thank you very much! Hey…" he suddenly realised something, "Why are you out here/ how did you know we were doing anything?"
"I didn't come here to berate either of you, I was just wondering…" Optimus said defensively, tactfully avoiding the question, "and I think I might be able to help. Sector 12 harbours a lot of ground-level tunnel entrances that the Predacons used to use when we were on Earth…"
"Optimus, we already know about the entrances on the surface," Skylark protested.
"Not all of them, apparently" replied Optimus, and began to explain quickly what Rattrap told him just before he left Pangaea Two.
Rattrap said he recognised where he and Nightshaft were when they were closer to the surface of the Predacon base. When he though about it, he realised that the tunnel structure was similar to if not exactly the same as the underground tunnel complexes that he and Dinobot once used to find the counter virus for Rhinox long ago. As well as an unreported incident that Optimus only just heard about.
"I'd say we'd be better off using that. The Predacons must know you're aware of where their main entrances were, but this one is, to my knowledge, just outside of their defence perimeter."
"That could work…" Greyback scratched his head thoughtfully, "We'd need to…"
"I'll go," Optimus offered.
Greyback rolled his optics. "You've gotta stop playing the sacrificial hero part, Primal. Not only is it getting really old, but it's going to get you killed one of these days."
"And, no offence, Optimus," Skylark interjected, "you do kind of stick out, and…y'know…"
"Yes, but they'd be expecting you two to go in after her, wouldn't they?" the gorilla pointed out, "They wouldn't expect me to be there at all. After all, you three were all together when this happened, weren't you?
"Yyyyyeaaaahhh…" Grey answered guiltily, looking awkwardly over at Skylark. He cleared his throat "…what are you getting at?"
"A diversion?" the owl chimed thoughtfully. When Optimus nodded, she smiled. "We're good at those, aren't we, Grey?" She nudged him in his side, and he shook his head.
"Don't remind me."
"Well, I suppose it's all up to you lieutenant," Optimus said with the utmost respect, which took Greyback a little by surprise. The wolf mech glanced at Skylark, who smiled and nodded supportively.
"No pressure, then."
He looked at the other two, who were awaiting his instructions.
"Okay. Here's what we'll do…"
---
Inside a dimly lit chamber of the Predacon base, Jagna was stirring. Her optics attempted to focus on her surroundings. When she realised she was nowhere familiar, she tried to move, but her limbs were anchored to something. She shook her head and looked down at her hands, and her wrists were surrounded by energy bonds, holding her against the wall.
She grunted as she tried to struggle free, which alerted the Predacons in the room to her awakening.
"Ah, she hath awakened!"
She groaned. That was Obertron's bawling voice. She looked up and saw his mismatched self swagger towards her. He wasn't alone in the room. Three reptiles were there, too.
"I do hope you're comfortable," he began, leaning closer to her, unable to contain his smug grin, "I made sure your accommodations were exemplary…" He was starting to snigger, something he didn't often do. She scowled at him.
"You're having fun with this, aren't you?"
"More than should be allowed!" Obertron replied with the widest smile she'd ever seen on him. It was not a pretty sight.
"Your gloating is obviously misplaced. Do I get to meet the bot who actually captured me?" she jeered. Obertron's smile quickly disappeared. He distastefully looked at one of the reptiles behind him and stepped aside.
A very colourful reptilian femme stepped forward dramatically. Now that she was close up and in the light, Jagna could make out her beast mode.
"A chameleon. That makes sense…" she said bitterly. "I don't suppose you have a name, do you?"
"It's Camophlage, deary, don't wear it out. I've become quite the celebrity over the past few days, haven't I, Oby?" She turned to Obertron with a cheeky grin, and he scowled. Neither he nor Serpentia approved of her shenanigans and demanding nature.
The alarms suddenly went off, and Webneck brought up the security hologram.
"We've got two Maximals incoming…how drole, it's the dog and the birdie."
"No…" Jagna exclaimed quietly. Clearly the don't-rush-in discussion she had had with all her troops many times had not sunk in.
"This could prove to be rather entertaining," Obertron observed lazily. He and the frilled lizard exchanged grins. "All available units, converge!"
"Converge nothing." Camophlage stated stubbornly, "I've done my part. You and your little tree house gang can converge, I've got some serious catching up to do…"
She left the room, swaggering, leaving Obertron seething and practically foaming at the mouth.
"Fine. Gearcrush, take this feline ferocity to the holding chambers. And make sure her bonds are good and tight," he instructed. Jagna attempted to struggle free, but the boa's colossal size made that very difficult. He only had to have one arm around her chest to immobilise her, and he left the room with his hostage.
---
Outside, Greyback felt like a lamb at the slaughter.
"This had better work…" he muttered, staring down the barrel of an auto gun that just popped up, "Any ideas, Egghead?"
"Come on out and fight like Predacons!"
As soon as she said it, a trap door shaft opened and a band of Predacons exited to face them.
"That's your idea?!" Greyback yelled, flailing his arms, "There's at least six of them!"
"Hey, it's a distraction, isn't it?" she replied defensively.
"Well, like I said, this better work. I hope the big monkey wrench knows what he's doing…" Greyback replied hurriedly, cocking his rifle.
---
The battle began, and Optimus saw his chance. As stealthily as he could, avoiding the sightlines of the fighting transformers and headed for the so-called secret entrance. As Rattrap had said, it was quite large and noticeable…in fact, now that he saw it, Optimus recognised it. He believed they had escaped through it when they had attained a counter-virus for Rhinox long ago. That brought back some…memories…
Fortunately, it was large enough for him to slip down in beast mode. He only prayed that the tunnels he heard about would be wide enough o accommodate his bulk. Then again, Gearcrush was nearly his size, so he was cautiously optimistic.
Meanwhile, Greyback and Skylark hid behind a large pile of basaltic boulders, avoiding heavy fire from several Predacons such as Obertron, Webneck, Steelclaw, Sabergem and more. Skylark's wrist began to beep. She opened the flap and inspected it.
"He's in, let's go!"
"Before we get our tailpipes handed to us? Fine by me," Greyback replied, dishing out a few more shots before running back towards the banks of the lava rivers with his comrade.
"Yeah, you better run!" the coyote Steelclaw hollered, "Can't take it, can ya?!"
"Oh, shut up," Sabergem snarled, whacking the canine on the back of the head.
"Careful, kitty. How'd you feel if I broke those teeth right off your face, how tough would you be then?"
"I'd like to see you try…" the sabre-toothed tiger snapped his large jaw at the small dog, causing him to yelp.
Obertron shook his head, "Why are we cursed to work alongside such rapscallions?"
"Embarrassing…" commented Darkwing, a jet black raven.
Inside, Serpentia was in her leader's quarters, observing the skirmish.
"They're retreating. What a missserable attempt at a ressssscue," hissed Serpentia. Kahn laughed hoarsely.
"I…think…not…" he gasped, "Scour the rest of the base. You'll know…what you're looking for….when you find him…"
The serpent nodded and left the room. Kahn was left to watch the monitor screens, wheezing all the time.
"Come out, come out, wherever you are…"
---
Optimus crept through the unknown hallways of the underground tunnel complex. As he'd hoped, it was large enough for him, and with a little breathing space.
It was a very impressive complex. The walls were stable and lined with thick steel plates, and yet the bare rock was exposed deliberately in places. Optimus guessed this was to allow for ground movement in a volcanic area. He couldn't tell where the light was coming from, for he was in a rather dimly-lit corridor.
But that was the last thing on his mind. He had to find where they were holding the Maximal leader and also, if there was opportunity for it, to find out what was going on. Anything. This planet held a lot more unanswered questions than before they left, and he had a feeling that certain things were being hidden from him and the rest of the crew.
He stooped when he heard voices. He pressed his back against the wall, although it probably wouldn't have helped him much if he was in brighter light. Two Predacons he didn't recognise waltzed past him. A green and black komodo dragon and a griffin fuzor.
"Really, darling, any longer and I might have a fit!" exclaimed the griffin, a female with a very smug voice.
"Yes, yes, and I will be far away," replied the komodo, flicking his tongue lazily while he pretended to be listening to the griffin. His voice sounded very familiar: or perhaps just like someone familiar. Optimus remained motionless.
"Did you hear that?"
Optimus froze, and so did his spark. The griffin cocked her elegant head and ruffled her golden feathers. The lizard stopped too, and flicked his tongue again. His eyes narrowed, and he slowly started making his way towards Optimus' hiding place. Optimus was careful not to grind a single gear.
But before the unnamed reptile reached him, both Predacons widened their eyes and listened. Optimus wondered what was going on.
"Well, you heard the boss, let's get going," instructed the komodo. The griffin huffed.
"Really, Gammatron, this is the last thing we need!"
"Indeed. Come along then, Tora…"
"If you are to address me, you will do so properly!"
"Very well, Antiquitora. Would you like a 'Your Highness' added on as well, hm? Maybe a curtsey too?" Gammatron replied sarcastically. The griffin Antiquitora huffed again and trotted off, Gammatron snickering behind her.
Optimus sighed heavily with relief, and moved on.
A few minutes later, he turned into a corridor and there was…
"Jagna?"
She was staring at him, wide-eyed. He narrowed his optics curiously. She was shaking her head. Was it a…
…Trap.
A whole group of Predacons, including Gammatron and Antiquitora were suddenly uncloaked. He flung around in surprise, but before he could do anything, he felt a familiar jab of pain in his left leg. It was clearly the same device that was used to neutralised him when he first arrived back on Earth.
He fell to the ground, and when he looked up he saw that Jagna was being held by the new femme while she was 'invisible'.
"We've been expecting you…" she jeered, "Come with us."
---
The two Maximals were led into a large, circular chamber. There was little inside but several energy compartments dotted on the curving wall like decorative wallpaper.
In the centre was a cylinder containing glowing greenish yellow liquid. And suspended within this compartment, covered in sensors and wires, was the distorted figure of a transformer facing away from the visitors. It was breathing hard and heavily wheezing, like an engine on its last mile stretch.
Optimus felt a chill crawl down his metallic spine. He looked down at the leopard, who, for the first time since he’d met her, was quivering with fear. Optimus looked at her curiously, wondering what could possibly be so terrible.
That question would soon be answered.
“That will be all,” said a voice from within the tube.
“But…” objected Webneck, who was one of the 'escorts'.
“That will be all,” the voice repeated firmly, “I can handle it…from here…”
The reptile Webneck hissed softly, her collar expanding threateningly, and jerked her head to the Predacons holding Optimus (Gearcrush and Colossus) to leave. They did, but not without giving Primal another little shock first, just for fun.
Optimus did not look at them as they departed, but kept his optics on the strange figure floating before him. He was transfixed with anxiety and curiosity.
“So good…to see you again…feline…” the bot wheezed, jeering malice in his voice. She shuddered, but quickly reverted to staring at the thing in the suspender with utter hatred.
“How long…has it been…do you know?” he asked, his gasping penetrating every few words like a scratch on a playing record, “I daresay…you’ve missed me…”
“I certainly miss stringing you up like tinsel, Kahn,” she spat, all traces of fear now gone, revulsion taking its place, “you haven’t changed much since I last gave you a hiding…”
“Indeed not…And I told you last time…you would pay…”
Her optics narrowed to slits. Optimus had picked up on her contempt for this ‘Kahn’ during his time back on Earth, but now it was crystal clear.
“And, Optimus Primal!” the assailant added with a vulgar tone, “What an…unexpected bonus…” He laughed, with some effort.
“You know who I am?” replied an astonished Optimus.
“Very much so…it’s been…such…a long time…”
Optimus’ optics widened with dread. “Who are you?”
Jagna slowly turned her head to the optimal bot. She looked at him inquiringly, and he shrugged.
“I…am…an old friend, Optimus…one you thought you were rid of, many eons ago!”
The room suddenly filled with a blinding light. Neither Maximal dared shield their eyes for fear of missing what was happening. The form inside the suspension tank began to spin madly, the wires connecting him to his life supporting snapping off like dead twigs in a hurricane.. The energy compartments on the walls were glowing bright red. Lightening-like beams emitted from them and shot into Kahn’s body, breaking the glass. He raised his arms and yelled a mixture of pain and triumph. There was a small explosion of compressed energy that knocked Jagna off her feet, slamming her into the wall, and was enough to force Optimus to stagger backwards.
The glowing dimmed. Optimus tried to focus his optics. He looked behind him to see if the other leader was damaged. Terror had washed over her face and her mouth was agape. To see why, Optimus reluctantly turned his head.
There, standing before him, glowing as red as the surrounding energy compartments was a towering being with bright yellow optics, a massive torso, and a beast mode that looked like it was made of both organic and Transmetal parts.
Optimus looked on, as horrified as the feline behind him.
The Predacon warlord Kahn looked himself over, and let out a maniacal laugh.
A laugh that was all too familiar. Optimus gaped and shook his head hopelessly.
“Tarantulas…”
HA! Betcha didn't see THAT coming! ....Oh yeah, and I'm sure the last thing was a surprise too
Again, sorry if that little scene in the cave offends anyone. It shouldn't, but there ya go.
I'm already halfway through chapter 9. I work out of order, so almost every chapter has at least been thought out. Doesn't mean the job'll get done any sooner, though XD