- Winner of "Best Battle Sequence" 2005

Epoch:

Deep Within

Joshin Yasha (joshinyasha@yahoo.com)

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.

Disclaimer: No money, no rights, no life. I own all original characters unless otherwise specified.

Dedications: Like usual, the story is dedicated to the writers for their excellent work. It's also dedicated to all the voice actors, especially David Sobolov and Campbell Lane, for bringing these wonderful characters (especially my favorites) to life. As well as the writers of Beast Wars, it's also for the people I love in hopes that this will show that one day I can do something better.

Author's notes: Well, it's my original series, revamped for a fourth time, but now with a lot less stereotypes (I hope).

Misery had been silent for too long and Gunslight had had enough. Gunslight preferred a consort who would speak at least once a megacycle. "Hey," he whispered so that the bots walking below could not pick up his voice. "Log into me."

She complied and placed her hand next to his neck. Holding her palm flat, she forced a hole to open in the center of her hand. A connection cable slid out and Misery plugged herself into a port in Gunslight's neck. /'What is so important that you needed privacy?'/

\'We need to talk about you,'\ he did not allow himself to look at her; that would draw attention to their private conversation. \'The lord has been pondering as to what to do with you.'\

/'He would concern himself with a lowly servant such as I?'/ She closed her golden blue optics and wondered. If he would concern himself over her, then she must have done something wrong.

\'You owe me a favor, Misery. I have simply come to collect.'\ He turned the corner and bots who were in their flight modes spun to miss him. He was really too big for the streets of Cybertron.

/'I know I am still in your debt,'/ she leaned her body against his neck and closed her eyes again. Misery draped her arm across her stomach to allow the connection cable to slack. To any who looked their way, she would appear asleep.

\'And that is why the lord wishes to see you,'\ Gunslight could feel the discomfort that ran through her body. \'I offered your name to his lordship. He seems thrilled to meet you.'\

/'Why would you do such a thing?'/ Misery opened her eyes and watched as they passed the gateway to the lower levels. /'I thought we were going home.'/

\'We have stops to make; a dealer to meet, and an inspection to make.'\ When Misery tried to ask how he knew about her packages he cut her off. \'Did you honestly think that we do not keep track of our own. Look around you, Misery, do you see them? Do you see them all?'\

As they entered the market alley and waded through the crowd, the femme took in the faces of those lurking in the shadows. There were more than what she had thought there would be, and from the looks she received from them, she was not supposed to know of their locations.

/'You have been watching. Why me?'/ she realized that Gunslight had stopped next to Dealer's shop.

\'We only recently started a few days ago. If we had any idea that they were going to take Xyston, we would have helped you.'\ He raised his hand to her and she stepped into his grasp. Gunslight waited a moment for her to unplug from his systems. Misery glanced over her shoulder towards his face. One of his large, red optics winked at her. "Go collect your things, Misery."

Misery stepped from his hand and made her way to the doorway. She turned one last time and saw that Gunslight was making himself home against the building. Then she entered into Dealer's domain.

The mixed and matched bot was currently tinkering with a taser weapon. When he glanced up and saw Misery he had to do a double take. "Holy Primus, darlin', they've been posting your description all over the news." He took a sigh of relief. "They said you killed a guy on one station and they say you gutted him on another."

"I decapitated him. There is a difference," she walked to the counter and sat opposite him. "I have come to collect my things."

"Right," he reached under the table and pressed a switch. Misery did as instructed and turned towards her starboard side. The floor panels opened and the crates rose from the ground. "Your adamantium is in back, still."

Misery raised her eye arches. "Smelt the adamantium. I know you. Where is the bot I killed?"

Dealer raised his chin in regards to her question. "I take it you want his magneticus program."

"I am in need of an upgrade. My mission requires power, not steel," she watched as he stood and left for the back room. He returned carrying the detached arms of Stranger. In his grasp, he also carried several cordless tools.

"Gimme your left hand," he sat the instruments and severed arms on the counter. Dealer waved his hand over an orb and the doors locked. The old Decepticon spent five cycles prying the necessary components from the left arm of the Stranger's. "You realize this is costing you extra, Misery."

The femme had laid her left hand, palm up, upon the tabletop before she answered. "I will pick up the tab in full." Dealer took a deep sigh before he used a knife to pry the metal from her wrist. Then, pulling the remaining metal from her palm, he settled into moving and removing wires.

Misery could not help but flinch and twitch every time he moved certain wires. When he had made enough room in her wrist, he moved to her bare palm and removed a piece of metal. Dealer picked up the magnetism component and slid it carefully into her palm. The attachment snapped into place and then Dealer connected the wires to the respective areas.

After several more cycles, he finished reapplying the metal to Misery's wrist and palm. "Give it a whirl, gal," he watched as she raised her left hand, flexed it, and then swung it to her side. She stretched her hand wide and focused.

The walls began to rattle and the things not bolted down began to rise from their place. Just as suddenly as it had begun, she closed her hand and the metal things settled. "It will be more effective with the other in. You ready for me to finish?"

Misery contemplated a moment before presenting her right hand to him. She examined her left while he went to work. A bit more power, a bit more of a chance. If she had had this power back during the Great War, maybe she would not have been in Gunslight's debt. Then again, if she had had this power during the Great War, she would never have let him live.

Misery drew her attention to Dealer as he reapplied the metal to her palm and wrist. She flexed her hand, testing her reflexes, and then she pulled four credit chips from her side. Dealer opened his hand as she dropped them, and without missing a beat, his microscopic attachment scanned the money to verify its authenticity. "No harm, Misery," he winked with his good optic, "now get outta here and enjoy your little upgrade."

She made sure to thank him before leaving, carrying the crate of plasma charges with her. Gunslight was still there, waiting for the Decepticon femme when she exited the building. "Where to now?" she asked.

The massive Decepticon picked her up once again and sat her on his shoulder, "To the flat. We've business to attend." He began walking, wading again through the crowds and towards their new destination. It occurred to Misery then that Gunslight was too big to fit within the corridor to the flat, and when she asked him how he planned to carry out the investigation, the Juggernaut gave her a smile and answered evasively. "We are being met there by my eyes."

"You know I hate ominous responses," she narrowed her golden blue optics.

"And that's why I do it," he held his straight face, but inside he was laughing.

It did not seem as long as it should have for them to arrive at the corridor. "It's about time you showed up," a figure stepped forward; a nylon cloak about his shoulders and wings. His hand grasped the railing while he raised his head to the two. Gunslight lowered Misery to the ground and she watched the other with curiosity. "It's nice to finally meet you, Misery. I've been hearing such things about you."

She gave him a nod and waited for a reply as he stared off into the distance. Misery realized her error, then. "Greetings, brother," she put a smile into her voice so he could hear it.

He smiled and turned his head to her. "I was wondering how long it would take you to notice that," he had followed the sound of her voice for her location. He was blind.

"My apologies, brother," she closed the distance between them and took one of his hands in hers. "Are you willing to plug into me?"

He nodded to her and drew his other hand from the railing. His palm spread wide and a small connector embedded into her shoulders. The cords drew back into his hand, leaving the connector sections in Misery, and then the visor over his optics became lit. "It's very amazing what my range is, isn't it?"

"It is interesting. To say the least," Misery was seeing double vision; part of her lower optic on the right had flickered to show her what the other was seeing. As for him, his vision was now adequate enough for him to see where he was going. It could almost be compared to the dog of Terra III with its black and white vision.

Gunslight glared down at the two, "Zeppelin, you'll be my eyes down there. Misery, fill him in on everything that happened." The two smaller Decepticons broke their necks to look up at him to nod. Then, the two entered the lower level corridor and made their way towards the flat.

"Zeppelin . . . I see, it fits your form," she turned her cranium to face him as they walked through the ankle high sludge. The leaks were getting worse; must have been why they arranged the building structure of the corridor to go down and then up so that the leaks could not enter the rooms.

"Of course. My transformation is taken from an Earth zeppelin. I only thought it was appropriate." He quirked the corner of his mouth even though he continued staring forward as he walked, "I was one of the monitors of the planet. I sacrificed my eyes to be able to really see the planet. As such, I can see when not plugged in, just not the way that you or Gunslight can."

"How do you see, brother?" she inquired, ducking under a broken, hanging rafter, and continuing slipping her legs through the slick sludge.

"Normally," he, too, ducked the same rafter. Had he been using his normal vision, he would have walked right into it, "I see only the energy in the spark and its extension through the body. If I were to watch them walk behind something, I'd still see them, and end up walking right into that something that they avoided."

"Must be hard," she drew her handgun and checked the charges in it. Zeppelin had already begun charging the rifle attached to his side and leg. "I take it you picked that up through me."

He smiled, "More like the other way around. My sensors are more attuned to the spark energy, and there are two sparks in your flat at the moment. Most likely they are awaiting your return."

"They have come back to finish me. I shall not keep them waiting," Misery snarled and quickened her pace through the sludge and up the small stairwell into the dryer part of the corridor. Zeppelin did not stray too far behind her, and kept himself close to her and the wall. If there were two bots waiting in there, then he did not want the chance of them sneaking up behind himself.

Misery approached the corner to what remained of the wall and grasped her handguns tighter. Zeppelin waited behind her and against the opposite wall, ready to give her back up when she needed. She stepped around the corner and metal touched metal. The tips on both sides were hot and ready, but it was Misery who lowered her weapons first. "What are you doing here?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing," the bot trained his gun on Misery's face, not giving her one inch of movement. He glanced down her body to see that she had uncharged her guns and placed them back to their respective placeholders. "You got a lot of lugnuts to come back to the scene of the crime."

"Still think I killed him?" she cocked her head to the side and glanced inside to find the other bot that she and Zeppelin had picked up.

"Who are they, Misery?" Zeppelin stepped forward, dropping his rifle to his side, but still keeping it charged.

"Better yet," the black and orange bot targeted his second gun in Zeppelin's direction, "who are you?"

Misery answered for all. "Zeppelin, meet Nainsook. Nainsook, greet your superior, Zeppelin." She placed her hand over Zeppelin's, indicating for him to place the safety back on his rifle. "The bot inside is Ultimatum, former Autobot."

Zeppelin stepped closer to the Maximal, and he trained both his weapons on the Decepticon. Zeppelin smirked, "You're honestly a fool."

Misery wrapped her arms under Nainsook's and drop kicked his stomach. The Maximal went down without a sound and the femme pinned his neck to the floor with her hand. "Are you going to play fair with the rest of the class?"

Nainsook clasped his jaw shut and puffed his chest up and down with a noticeable effort to keep calm. It was one thing to lose his temper in the detention center when he had others to back him up; it was another to do it on a potential battlefield. "Let go of me," he sneered through gritted teeth.

"Settle down, Nainsook," Ultimatum approached the three and shifted rubble from his path.

"Listen to your master, Nainsook," she glared down at him through narrowed optics and a moment passed between them.

It was an understood agreement between the two. Whenever possible, they would annoy the other to all extremes. When she released his neck, he flipped her over his head and rose to his feet. "Come on, Deceptiglitch. Right now, let's go! You and me!"

Misery ducked from his punch and fell to her aft. With a swift kick, she sent him flying over her head. She climbed to her feet and went after him, picking up a pipe and swinging it after him. "Misery! Nainsook!" Ultimatum yelled, trying to stop them. Zeppelin stuck his hand in front of him and shook his head. They had to get it out of their systems sooner or later.

Nainsook threw his arm up to protect his face and took the full force of her swing. The pipe made a spark against his armor and bent from the force. He forced her arm to the side, grabbed both sides of her helm, and smacked his forehead against hers. Both came out of that one with dented helms, and Misery returned his attack with a punch to the side of his face.

He wiped at the side of his face, now dented and bruised, "Gotta do better than that, 'Con -I was built for brawlin!" The Maximal lunged forward and punched her across the face, sending her flying back into the left over shrapnel from the firefight. She shook herself from the hit. Boy, could that Maximal hit!

"Here we go again!" Ultimatum threw his hands up in defeat. If they wanted to fight, then he would be in the cubicle of the flat with Zeppelin sipping on a big cube of energon.

Misery rolled out of the way as his foot stomped down where she had been. Quick to recover, Nainsook kicked at her with his other foot and connected with her stomach. She hit the wall and slid to the floor, breathing heavily trying to get to up again.

He charged at her again, kicking her side in and denting her frame work; another kick, and she was down for the count. Nainsook took a deep breath, turned, and smacked into the remains of the desk. Misery was ready for him again when he turned, and she whacked him good across the face with the already bent pipe.

Dropping the pipe, she punched him across the face and managed to break a crack into his bridge. Misery forced her full weight into him and they both hit the floor with a smack. The femme Decepticon rode him down, punching his jaw before Nainsook rolled to where he was on top. He fisted his hands together and swung at her, knocking the side of her helm in with much effort.

Misery slowly turned her head back to regard him. She narrowed her optics before she swung her legs upward and hooked them around his neck. With as much power she could place into it, she tried snapping his head against the floor by the pressure. Rising slightly with the use of propping herself on her hands, Misery was caught off guard as Nainsook worked his legs straight, sweeping them to the side and then straightening them.

Ultimatum leaned back from the cubicle so he could see into the room. He raised an eye arch and allowed his seat to fall back on all fours. "Give 'em about five more minutes," he said to Zeppelin who took another sip from his energon cube.

Nainsook raised his right leg and pounded his heel against the side of her face. He then straightened his leg, forcing Misery back to the floor with enough force to put them both in the same type of situation. "As much as I would enjoy this with most femmes," he swallowed hard, his throat working against the backs of her legs, "I just can't get into it with you!"

"Encouraging to know that you feel such compassion for me," she wrapped her hands around his leg and tried to force him off, "but we are in a stand off at the moment that I would so enjoy to rectify."

"My," he tried to force her legs open so he could free his face, "must be nice to know you're about to go down, glitch."

"On the count of three?" she asked, hesitating in forcing his foot from her jaw line.

"One," he counted, slackening his hold on her, "three!" Both released the other and climbed back to standing positions. They did not hesitate in continuing their fight, throwing some good punches to the face. At one point, they had punched at the same time and cracked each other's hand open. They both cradled their hands and spun around to different corners. It did not matter who you were, that hurts!

"Slot," she wiped mechfluid from her hand and face. Misery managed to duck again as he threw another punch and his hand went through the wall. The Decepticon femme retaliated; dropping low, she crossed her arms and forced him the rest of the way through the wall.

His hand now freed, he grabbed at her hands and laced their fingers together. Nainsook slung her up against the wall and held her, sliding her gradually upwards until her skull was touching the ceiling. The Maximal's head whipped backwards as Misery gave him two swift kicks.

Misery slid down the wall, her fingers still laced with Nainsook's, and she tried to force herself free. Straining to force him back, Misery pushed with all her might, but he still held her pinned to the wall. "Give it up, Misery, I was built for this."

It was shocking by how much the lack of light could cause the Maximal to look so evil, so Decepticon. "Aye . . ." she whispered, and the wall began rattling, "but I was built for war!" The wall tore with massive screeches and, despite what Misery had originally planned, they both hit the floor from the lack of support.

They looked at each other in surprise, and then both let loose a roar of laughter. "You should see your face!" he rolled off her and propped his back against some rubble.

Misery sat herself up and continued her laughter. "But your face is more hilarious. You should see what I did to your bridge." She watched as he reached up to feel and flinched when he found that there was a large crack. "Most definitely the most interesting fight I have ever experienced."

Zeppelin and Ultimatum stood side by side, and took another sip from their energon. "Are you finished?" the ex-Autobot inquired and then finished his drink.

Misery and Nainsook looked at each other, then Nainsook spoke, "Rematch later, chickypoo. Next time, I'll really show you how to brawl." She nodded to him and then rose to her feet.

The male Decepticon looked her over suspiciously, "You look kinda hot when you're beat up." Two seconds later, he retracted his statement with her gun pointed at his face, "Of course, it's only an old bot thinking."

The ex-Autobot made his way to his partner and helped him to his feet. "Glad that you got that out of your system?" The black and orange Maximal shrugged his shoulders with a smirk. Ultimatum turned to Misery. "Zeppelin and I discussed our reasons for being here. Same except for a few minor details."

"It appears we all have reports to make, and," Zeppelin held Misery close to him, no longer able to see (he was working on adding more connections into her back since her upper body had taken so much damage) the others in the room, "that we have our objectives to meet."

"Be advised that you may not under any circumstances interfere in our investigation," Misery flexed her cracked hand, awaiting the slow development of repairs that had already begun.

"Yeah, well, we sorta need you to help with our investigation," Ultimatum retorted as he took a seat across the room.

Zeppelin drew his arm away from Misery and his visor became lit once again. He stalked to the center of the room and allowed his eyes to take in everything as he slowly turned. "Are you reading this, brother?" he asked to the air. He must have received a response, because he began pacing the flat, measuring distances while he worked out the math in his head.

He turned back to Misery, "Where was Xyston when you returned?" Misery indicated to the remains of the shot up desk and Zeppelin closed in on it. The Decepticon ran his dactyls over the metal, counting the bullet holes in the framework. "All on this side -most concentrated on the desk. Hid for cover, eh?"

"You would too if you had several bots firing at you," Ultimatum approached the Decepticon and looked over the desk. "Judging by the size of the shots, I'd estimate that they had at least two double hitters."

Zeppelin nodded in agreement. "Three of them had double shots. I can tell by the number of holes in the frame . . ."

Nainsook looked at Misery from the corner of his optics. "They came in through the front door," when she turned to him he continued, facing the remains of the wall and speaking low, "five or six of them. Shot up the room, left a bomb in the center. Came back in and finished it."

"You were just pretending to be stupid," she held him in a higher regard, now. "You were playing us all. How very un-Maximal of you."

Nainsook tilted his head to her and smirked, "I only put on the show in the interrogation room. It sometimes gets bots to confess what they really did just to get me to shut up." He walked forward and knelt to the hearth. Wiping his hand across the rubble, he retrieved a fragment from the floor. "Ultimatum, I found something here."

The ex-Autobot approached his partner and inspected the piece of shrapnel. Both Decepticons watched in interest as Ultimatum turned back to them. "Looks like a chunk outta someone's armor."

Misery narrowed her optics and approached the ex-Autobot. She took the armor piece in her possession and inspected it. Without saying a word she handed the piece back to him, walked a few paces, and then dropped to the ground. The Decepticon femme strained as she tried to pull the remains of the wall upward.

Ultimatum soon got the point and joined her, handing the shrapnel piece off to Zeppelin. He lowered himself, latching his fingers under a support post and started to pull with her. The rubble only moved a foot, nowhere near what they needed. " 'Sook, 'Sook, you gotta help us here," Ultimatum pleaded through gritted teeth.

Zeppelin faced the Maximal and gestured with his hands; Nainsook got the point and stomped up behind the two. Still sore from his fight, he delicately lowered himself so he could grip the wall. With all his might, he lifted and the rubble finally gave way for the three. Misery and Ultimatum felt the difference of the weight and blinked in surprise as Nainsook took over to completely lift -and shove- the wall backwards and into the hallway.

The other two picked themselves up from the floor and all four gawked at the remains of bot that had been trapped under the wall. He was missing an arm at the elbow, and his head was turned in such an angle that anyone would know it had snapped. Zeppelin smiled a twisted grin, then, "Ah, perfect. Misery, collect our evidence and let's be on our way to the ship."

"Whoa, whoa, hold it," Nainsook turned to the two Decepticons. "We have our own investigation to complete."

"And, as such, we bid you adieu," Zeppelin about-faced and began making his way down the hallway. He stopped at the remains of the corner stone and faced Misery. "Come, my sister, we must away. Leave these Maximals to their business."

The femme stepped forward and gathered the partial body from the floor. "Wait," Ultimatum grabbed the body from her and smiled. "We have our investigation, and our orders, and until we collect something suitable, we'll be partners."

Zeppelin narrowed his optics behind his visor. "The master will not approve of this."

"Yeah, well," Nainsook pushed passed the Decepticon male, "he doesn't have to like it. We're just coming along for the ride so we can get the full story."

"Would the lady like an arm?" Ultimatum presented her with his elbow and continued his noble Autobot smile.

Misery shook her head. "Keep up if you can, Autobot." She then took off in a long stride and kept pace with Zeppelin.

"I don't think she likes you much," Nainsook whispered to his partner.