This party will be attended my me, my Sean Connery alter-ego, my melon and the giraffe that loves on my sister's shoulder...............don't ask. You're all welcome to join me
This is my shortest chapter I think....only 7 pages....and yet it's still long. Puh. Must just be me
This chapter is really only a filler. I'm more excited to move on to the next ones, actually, I'm already nearly finished chapter 11. I've told you before, I don't work logically.
So here it is, Chapter 10. It's late and I need to get to bed, so I won't be putting this up on FF.net til later.
Enjoy! (If you read this at all, that is....) I apologise for any dramatic grammatical errors, but I'm too lazy to check
Disclaimer: I claim no rights to Beast Wars Transformers © Hasbro. I do not own any of the canon characters; however the plot line and original characters are mine.
VOULUME 1
Chapter 10: Comes the Dawn
Dusk was looming. The sun edged closer to the horizon much slower than usual, lurking over the earth, as if it too wanted to stay and watch what would happen next outside the Maximal base.
The Maximal leader slowly emerged the side of the mountain, taking the long way round to meet Arachnikahn to avoid them getting wise to the entrance. All she thought about as she made her way was how idiotic it was to be out alone against a large group of Predacons, lead by their resurrected leader, but also how selfish it would be to leave her friend with said maniacs.
There he was. Grinning smugly at her, like he had done many times before. She knew this would be no walk in the park, but there was more to this meeting that she hadn't picked up on.
"My dear Jagna!" he hollered when he saw her, opening his arms wide as if to embrace her. Several of his troops snorted behind him, and he silenced them with a conspicuous hiss.
"What do you want?" she snapped, getting straight to the point.
He sighed, and did the same, "I think it's obvious what is going to happen now. You know full well they’ll be back. As I have always said…"
"You don't know that…"
"Oh, yes I do. Remember last time?"
"Signia…" she stated firmly, ignoring his last comment.
"Just thought I'd warn you about the new Maximals you've embraced so readily. They're different. They're dangerous. I'm surprised at you, Jagna, letting in strangers so quickly?…or do you know already?"
"Signia." The leopard said again, her optics glowing.
Kahn chuckled. He snapped his fingers, and K-Scale came forward with his captive.
"I do sincerely hope there are no hard feelings, feline," he said snidely, holding out his hand. She scowled at him with her optics narrowed to the extent she almost couldn't see him. With a dangerously explosive sense of self-control, she took his hand, thinking at that moment she'd rather have it cut off.
Arachnikahn smirked widely. He tightened his grip on her hand, and she felt a hard pinch. She immediately withdrew it, muttered inaudibly about how he should file down his claws, and retrieved Signia from K-Scale. She hooked the dolphin's arm over her shoulder and left without another word.
"That was easier than I thought…" Razorblade commented.
"Hush! Keep your voice down till she's out of earshot, confounded fuzor!" Kahn hissed. He looked towards Jagna and Signia and his smile grew even wider.
"Well, aren't we going to follow her?" Crowbeak asked, his wings twitching with anticipation.
"Hmmm?" Kahn asked casually, turning to face the vulture, "Whatever for?"
"You know, back to their base? Wasn't that the point of his escapade?!" He was starting to get annoyed again.
"Watch that temperament, my skulky scavenger. We will be seeing her again very shortly…"
…
……
…
Back inside Pangaea One, Signia was being put into a repair chamber.
"She'll be fine," Skylark commented distractedly as she checked the dolphin's specs, "just a bit rattled. She's lucky they didn't do more to her…"
Greyback had stolen his leader away to a quieter corner of the room to ask her about her conversation with Kahn. But she said nothing, which annoyed him greatly.
"Did he say anything about…"
"I don't know."
"What?" he asked, confused, "Then what…?"
"I don't know, Greyback. If you want to know, why don't you ask him yourself?" she snapped. He was taken aback, but he quickly snapped out of it with a cutting reply.
"I just thought that perhaps our almighty, all knowing leader might have thought to use her head!" he snarled. His response was louder than hers, and turned a few heads.
"My head? MY head?! You talk about using heads as if we were bowling! Whose bright idea was it to ambush him the first time?!" By now they had everyone's attention. Nobody said anything, for they knew to interfere was futile, but the atmosphere was tense nonetheless as they tried to ignore it.
"That was not my fault! If it was anyone's fault, it was YOURS!" He paused, "Everything, this whole thing is YOUR fault!"
The leopard femme opened her mouth to respond, but as she did the harshness of his words sunk in, and she closed it. He was still hot with anger and annoyance that he did not notice her eyes flickered hurtfully, nor did he care when she walked away.
He felt a few stares coming his way. "What?!" he barked, and stormed off himself in a different direction.
Optimus shook his head disapprovingly. He was used to spats amongst his own crew, but the two highest ranking officers having such elaborately public displays of disagreement he regarded as highly unprofessional.
Shellshock seemed to know exactly what he was thinking. "Don't worry," he assured the Optimal gorilla, "that's as bad as it's ever been. They get over it…eventually…"
…
……
…
Elsewhere, a small, black figure was darting through the trees of a sparse coniferous forest at the foot of a steep mountain. Before the mountain actually started, a steep face surrounded it, littered with crags and ledges like old age lines of the lithosphere.
The black blur landed on a sort of porch under a ledge. It transformed into Nightshaft, and she seemed to be looking for someone.
"Don't you have a curfew?" cooed a soft, monotonous voice from behind her.
"You should talk. Isn't it past your bedtime?" Nightshaft sneered back.
Crowbeak emerged from the shadow of the ledge in beast mode, his beady black eyes scanning hers.
"Why did you come here?"
"What, you weren't expecting me to? Otherwise, you wouldn't be here yourself." Nightshaft stated simply in response. He remained still, then nodded. He swooped down from the ledge and landed in front of her, folding his wings as he did so.
"So…" he began.
"So…" She replied.
"Before we get at this 'So' thing for hours, let's get right down to it, ok?" he continued impatiently. She nodded. "Why are you here?"
She thought carefully about her reply. "I want to know why he's back," she stated simply.
"You want to know 'Why', huh?"
"I don't care about how. Why," she stated just as simply, as if it were obvious.
Crowbeak hesitated. His hatred for Arachnikahn was enough for him not to be scrapping this Maximal, but he was still a Predacon. There was a limit to what he was doing.
He leaned sat lazily on the ledge. He swung one foot and perched his arm on the other knee.
"He's been getting closer to Endgame, not stewing in a test tube like you guys liked to think," Or me, for that matter, he added in his head, "in fact, you gave him a little too much time to think."
Nightshaft clutched her arm and turned away, "About what?"
"Everything. You Maximals had better come up with something fast…" He transformed and turned clumsily on his large talons. He spread his wings and twisted his neck to glace at her out on one beady eye, "…before you're all scrap."
He took off, leaving Nightshaft standing alone on the windy ledge.
…
……
…
It was night, with not a cloud in the sky, but there were no stars visible. Like the nervous Maximals, they seemed to be hiding behind a curtain of uncertainty, waiting anxiously for the moment they could come out and shine again.
However, there were a few Maximals about. Jagna had left hours ago to think things over, but no one knew where. Right now, though, Optimus flew over a river, following it downstream towards a waterfall. From Pangaea Two, Cheetor and Rattrap also made their way towards this waterfall, as did Rhinox from the Hercules.
Cheetor was the first to arrive at their meeting place. He stopped at the edge of a gorge that looked down at the pool of water that swallowed the Axalon many years ago. The waterfall had retreated about a hundred metres, but the cat recognised it, and it filled him with sadness thinking about their old home and their old friends. So long ago…
Rattrap and Rhinox soon joined him, and seemed to feel the same thing, but they didn't feel the need to share it. Then Optimus arrived.
"I think you all know why I called you here," he stated in his matter-of-factly tone. They nodded. "Rhinox, have you been able to analyse the time rift yet?"
"You haven't given me much time, Optimus," his friend replied, shaking his head, still stunned by the news, "pardon the pun, but it could take me years to understand it even if I did."
"How could he be alive?" Cheetor asked absentmindedly, his gaze unoccupied and unfocused, "I saw him blow up, the aliens, they…spotted slag…" He sighed, and gave up trying to think too hard about it.
"I'm also guessing," Optimus continued, "that I don’t have to remind you the seriousness of the situation now. One of our old enemies has returned, we don't know how or why. But not only does he know what we do he knows what we don't. And even though there are some things these Maximals aren't letting on, I don't think they have a clue…"
"About what, exactly?" Rattrap asked, his usually cynical tone laced in with hidden worry. "Planet Busters or Life Haters?"
"If you're talking about the aliens and the Tripredicus Council, Rattrap," Optimus answered dryly, "it could be either."
"Or both," commented Rhinox. The four of them looked at each other. Then Optimus shook his head.
"Well, let's sleep on it and talk about it when things settle down, if they do. Let's get back before they realise we're gone…"
The four friends and comrades said their goodbyes for now and left in beast mode, with a few more questions than when they had arrived. They had not discussed much, but those two possibilities sent their minds buzzing.
…
……
…
Nightshaft crept back through the entrance tunnel, over the gorge and swung between the chimneys of the cave, taking advantage of everyone's distracted manner. She managed to get to her quarters, where she could think a little more about what Crowbeak said. She wasn't sure how she felt about it, but a loud and angry cough from behind her prevented any further thought on the matter.
"Where've you been?" Shellshock rumbled from behind her. She turned sharply on her heels in slight astonishment. But she quickly recovered.
"I've been…out…"
"No slag, Night. I hadn't noticed," he replied, oddly sarcastically. Nightshaft could see that trying to soften him back into his usually upbeat mood might take some doing.
"I…went to…meet…" She was not only getting nervous, but there were odd feelings bubbling inside her. Whenever she saw Crowbeak they would emerge rapidly, confusing her terribly.
"You what? Night, are you off your nut? What if you were attacked?" he shouted, waving his arms at her in frustration. She kept her head down.
"I…I…" she stammered. What words could possibly explain? She summoned all her strength to lift her head to look into his optics. He was still wearing his serious, beyond-annoyed face, a look he rarely used. But whenever he did, it made her feel very small. After about two seconds of trying to speak, she looked back down, twisting her hands.
It took him a moment to realise what she was doing. He observed her fidgeting, and his serious face dropped instantly. He suddenly felt very guilty. Not for shouting at her, but for how she was feeling, for he had seen her in this type of mood before. He didn't know why she was acting like this, but lowered himself down a little to get a look at her face. She was on the verge of tears.
He placed a sympathetic arm around her shoulder tightly, and as soon as she felt it she lamed herself against him, scrunching her face up as she tried to stifle her sobs. He pulled her closer into a reassuring hug. Her knees lost their strength, but instead of holding her up he dropped to his knees too so hat she could rest against him comfortably.
"It's OK, Night. It's OK…"
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……
…
Meanwhile, hours before the sun was due to crack the boundary between earth and sky, Arachnikahn was leisurely leaning against a wall in a camber on the first level (closest to the surface) of his underground base. He was inspecting a small monitor screen of one of the surveillance cameras on the lowest level, and he was smiling to himself.
"Are they ready?"
"Affirmative, sssssir," Serpentia hissed softly back, "But I confessssss my protessssssst to thisssss…exxxperiment…" she continued awkwardly. The former Tarantulas crept up beside and placed his face eerily close so that she could hear him hissing, too.
"Have no fear, my loyal lieutenant," he replied confidently, "I have been planning this for thousands of years. Much longer and harder than you could ever dream to comprehend."
"Boss, we've got a Maximal signature approaching our sector," Darkwing alerted her leader and the others.
Arachnikahn loomed over the image of the surrounding areas on the surface. His twisted mouth further deformed itself into a crooked smile.
"Right on schedule…"
He laughed as the feline drew ever nearer to being in his clutches forever.
Only a few conspiracy thingies beginning to make themselves known.....or ARE they? Wait for chapter 11, 12, 13 etc to find out. Goodnight!