30.April.07
Mission: Deplorable
By: SilverfromOZ
The dense jungle surround the party, slowing their movement forward. Sentinel had detected a large reserve of energon towards the centre of the dense foliage. Optimus, Rattrap, Dinobot, Rhinox and Silverbolt marched through the trees in single file.
Humidity generated in the environment affected their circuits making them detect movement in places where there was none. Each bot carried his own respective blade and helped cut the path through the unfriendly wilderness.
“Blast this jungle to the inferno!” roared Dinobot.
“I hear ya chopperface.” Agreed Rattrap. “This slag is thicker than some of the dirtier drinks I ordered back on Cybertron. Ain’t ever seen jungle this thick before.”
“Yeah.” Entered Rhinox. “Maybe the energon has had som…”
“Quiet.” He was interrupted by Optimus. “Listen” was all he said.
After a few moments of nothing Rattrap broke the silence “What? I don’t hear anything.”
“Exactly.” Explained Optimus “No birds, animals. Nothing.”
It was true. Up till then, there had been numerous background noises from various birds, animals and insects which called the jungle home. Now there was nothing.
“Keep an eye out.” Ordered Optimus as he waved the group forward.
As the team started to move, Rhinox sensed something off in the distant cluster of trees. He stood there frozen as the group moved past him. Silverbolt, being the last, approached Rhinox and asked “What’s wrong?”
“Something doesn’t feel right.” Mysteriously replied the Rhino.
“Come on.” Said Silverbolt after a brief pause.
Rhinox turned to follow Silverbolt and as he did, his chest exploded in a bright flame, showering pieces of exo-structure and circuitry everywhere. Silverbolt stood there, shocked for a moment before picking up one of his fallen comrade’s mini-guns and began firing in the direction the shot had come from. Silverbolt’s screaming and the roar from the chaingun brought the rest of the group back to his position. They all joined in the barrage as trees fell and dirt was churned up. This punishment continued until the chaingun ran out of ammunition. In this moment of silence and contemplation, Silverbolt did not realize that he was still holding down the trigger in shock. The only accompanying sound was the empty whine of the weapon’s motor.
Optimus turned to Silverbolt and asked “What were we shooting at?”
“The trees…. Came out of the trees.” Was Silverbolt’s garbled response.
Dinobot stomped forward and surveyed the environment with his keen optics. His scanners fell on a bush which appeared to be stained with something. He increased magnification and recognized the irregularity. “Mech-fluid” he identified. “If it leaks, we can slag it.”
Optimus turned back to Silverbolt and asked “Could you see what it was?”
Before he could get an answer, a volley of fire erupted from the trees, striking Optimus, Dinobot and the stunned Silverbolt. Rattrap had found the cover of a nearby tree and was returning fire. This seemed to work as the forest’s onslaught ended shortly after.
Rattrap looked to his injured friends and asked if they were alright.
Optimus surveyed the group and said “We need to get back to base for repairs.”
Rattrap replied “You guys go on. I’m gonna find out who our little ghost is.”
“Are you sure?” enquired Optimus “Could be a trap.”
“Eh! Danger’s a part of the job description.” Joked the rat.
“Alright.” Agreed Primal “Radio in as soon as you find out something and we’ll do what we can.”
Rattrap turn and proceeded into the dense foliage as his comrades begun their slow retreat.
It had been a while since he started his solo hunt and he had carved a considerable way through the undergrowth. His optics sensors continued to scan for the leaking fluid from his predator-turned-prey which guided him along the difficult path.
He finally came to a clearing and taking advantage of a thick bush, he surveyed the new terrain. He was lucky enough to catch sight of a familiar form scurrying into a tunnel entry.
“Tarantulas.” Rattrap identified the transmetal form as it disappeared from sight.
He waited a few moments before creeping forward in beast mode to minimize the sound of his approach.
Continuing down the dark corridor, he was led into an underground labyrinth of intersecting passageways. It was here he was most grateful for the arachnid’s leaky joints. “I get the feelin’ I’m a story about two lost protoforms.” Mused the mechanical rat as he continued on.
In the gloom, the journey felt like an eternity, however Rattrap was ultimately rewarded with a dim glow further ahead in the tunnel. He was given the bonus prize of the spider’s raspy voice. Using the shadows to conceal his shiny exterior, he crept within the range of his audio sensors.
“…completed my part of the operation, might Megatron.” Came the voice of the Predacon “The Maximals will be reeling and recovering from my ambush giving us time to complete the device.”
“Excellent.” Replied to deep, smug voice of the Predacon Commander. “Ahh… yeesss. Here come Waspinator and Inferno with the other piece of our puzzle. Bring whatever auxiliary components we require and report here at once. Megatron out.”
There was a light beep as the communication was cut. The arachnid then cackled as he transformed into his motorcycle mode and sped off down another tunnel.
Rattrap waited a few moments before emerging from the shadows. He then transformed into robot mode and declared “What’s dis? Ol’ Rattrap left to poke about in spider-boy’s new lair? Heh heh heh.”
He then proceeded to casually walk about the area and place thermo-charges all around the cluttered room. “I love gate crashin’.” The Rat mused to himself.
During his search, he stumbled across a piece of equipment he had not seen since his time on Cybertron. “Wow! A working pair of comm.-goggles. I bet dese things can reach all the way back to Maximal base even dis far underground.”
He picked up the device and slipped it over his optic sensors. As soon as he did, wired unfurled from inside the glasses and attached themselves to the back of his head. He used a nearby reflective surface to admire his appearance. “Pretty cool.” He said impressed at the style. “All of us secret-agent guys should get a pair o’ dese.”
The show was interrupted by a female voice emanating from the headset. “Unauthorised spark detected. One minute to disintegration.”
“Looks like eight-legs didn’t want anyone stealing his little toy. Oh well. Just enough time for a long-distance call.”
He conjured up the frequency codes and decryption ciphers and established a connection with the base. “Maximal base, dis is agent double or nuttin’ here. Respond Maximal base.”
The visors on the glasses showed static, then the Maximal insignia and finally the battle-damaged face of Dinobot.
“Whoa! Choppaface, you look like scrap.” Exclaimed Rattrap.
Dinobot snorted before saying “I have no time for pleasantries you malodorous mouse.”
“Easy there dino. I just overheard Megs and Tarantulas talkin’ about some nutty new gismo. Turns out that the spider was sent to cause us just enough damage ta slow us down while they finished it.”
“Of course.” Rasped the Raptor. “A diversionary tactic of sorts. However, that is not the only concern. While we were returning to Maximal base, we were ambushed again. This time by Waspinator and Inferno. The first volley sent Optimus into stasis lock and the rest of us took up positions behind cover. Before we could retaliate, they claimed Optimus and flew off.”
“Well. That’s jus’ slaggin’ Prime den ain’t it.” Responded Rattrap. “So that’s the other “puzzle piece” Megs was yammerin’ about.”
“Hmmm…. This is a very dire situation indeed. Rhinox is currently in the CR chamber, being the worst injured of us, and the others will require a few cycles.” There was a brief pause as the raptor cleared his voice “Very well.” He continued in a more formal voice “Your mission, if you choose to accept it rodent, is to locate Optimus and disable this device. We will be there when we can.”
Before Rattrap could respond, the female voice began a countdown. “Disintegration in 10, 9, 8….”
“I’m on it.” Was all Rattrap said as he reached up and casually discarded the glasses and walked away. The device appeared to dissolve as soon as they left his hand.
Rattrap continued down the corridor with the same nonchalance and determination, leaving behind the slowly detonating lair.
As soon as Optimus became aware of his surroundings, he knew he was in chains. He had been in this situation one too many times for his liking.
“Ahhh… you’re awake.” He’d also heard that voice too many times as well.
“Megatron.” He responded with as much malice as he could muster in his dazed state.
“Well unless you have somehow managed to locate an equally as challenging an opponent as my humble self on this primitive rock, then I do not believe it could be any one else.” Mused the confident dinosaur. He was sitting atop a simple metal throne with an arrangement of button banks built into the arm rests.
“Equal and challenging. Maybe you should try thinking along those lines before cronies to do your dirty work.” Responded Optimus.
“Dirty work?” said Megatron, feigning to be hurt by the remark. “I merely needed you out of the picture to make a fair test of my device… and a Maximal spark for referential purposes.”
“Regardless of how many doomsday weapons you create Megatron, we will always stop you.” Huffed the captive gorilla.
“Doomsday weapon? Oh Primal you have always lacked imagination. Have you ever heard the phrase Knowledge is power? Say Hello to power.” He said activating a button on the console.
At this, Primal’s temporary chaining post rotated so that he was now facing away from Megatron. The sight before him left him speechless. A crater had been dug out of the ground. Lining the sides of the crater was a layer of pure, stable energon crystal. At the lowest point in the crater was a ring constructed of Cybertronian alloy which was supported on its side by a rotating pole. Four similarly spinning rings were placed symmetrically along the rim of the crater so the axes were at a considerable angle. The rings had been perfectly calibrated to avoid colliding during movement. While Primal sat and watched, Tarantulas appeared out of a nearby service tunnel and transformed to stand beside Megatron.
Optimus stood for a few moments and eventually spoke in a terrified voice. “No… you… monster… You’ve built… a… giant egg-beater.” He added the last part with a cheeky grin.
“What?” Megatron, for once was lost for words. He stuttered for a few brief moments before regrouping. “No Primal. That is not an… egg-beater.” He said the last with a real feeling of pain. “This device will give me opportunity to observe your new transmetal troops in action and allow me to harvest accurate data and develop new strategies.”
“So it’s a giant camera.” Optimus joked.
“THIS,” Megatron continued in an annoyed tone “device can generate a field which will slow down time in a concentrated area. It has been tuned to detect large levels of conflict which is registers primarily from firepower. If combat turns to close quarters there is a meter which registers the adrenal circuitry of combatants and automatically activates when a certain level is reached. I call it The Chronos!”
“I thought we agreed on Chronometron.” Interrupted Tarantulas.
Megatron responded by punching the spider in the face and yelling “Interrupt me like that again and I’ll melt you down, one twitching limb at a time!” He then cleared his throat and turned back to Optimus. Before he could continue another voice cut in.
Quickstrike, who had been working on some final cable connections to the device said “Uh.. boss. Why don’ ya jes freeze time around tha Maxies an’ we can jes walk in thur and slag ‘em without ‘em fightin’ back.”
Megatron roared and slammed his tail arm down. The weapon stiffened and sent a purple bolt arcing into the curious Predacon. “Idiot. Don’t you think I had thought of such a tactic? Time does not work that way you dolt! If you attack and enter the frozen area you will be trapped just like the Maximals.”
There was a cough from behind Megatron and Tarantulas’ dazed voice interjected “Actually, Megatron.”
At this, Megatron leapt off his throne and lifted the spider single-handedly so that they were face-to-face. “Yeeeessssss….?” He asked in a deep, threatening voice.
“Uhhh…” continued the spider. “I believe I have a device which may allow the wearer to remain unaffected by the time distortion.” He said, reaching into a storage compartment and producing a disk the size of his hand. The object had a slightly curved top with a red button situated in the middle and a semi-circular meter running along the upper curve.
“Hmmm…” contemplated the despot. “Very well then. We will use it in our coming experiment.”
“Sounds stupidly complicated to me.” Optimus gave his professional opinion.
“We’ll see.” Was Megatron’s response. “Now that you are awake and your spark has been given time to recover, we can attach you properly.”
“What?” Optimus demanded.
“Well, the device requires a spark imprint to determine the correct troops to identify. There’s no real point in watching my own troops squabble amongst themselves, so this ensures activation when a Maximal is engaged in combat. Now I could simply take a print of your spark, however a direct connection means a more stable reading and I’ve always preferred stability. Haven’t you?” Megatron added with a chuckle.
Optimus
tried to struggle against the chains as Waspinator walked forward carrying a
conduit which ended in a sharp point. “Ohhh… Waspinator stick Optimus like
fly.” He said as he stabbed the spike into Optimus’ chest. The gorilla
screamed as the cable attached itself to his very spark. The scream was cut
short as The Chronos activated, a large ball of plasma forming within the
containment field of the central ring and arcing energy leaping from ring to
ring and Optimus’ optic sensors were covered in a white glow. Megatron’s
maniacal laughter was the last sound he registered.
--------------
Rattrap
could hear the scream echo down the tunnel. He prayed that he had not arrived
too late. Creeping up to the edge, he peered out and surveyed the scene.
Megatron
sat atop his oh-so-typical throne, cackling in time with Tarantulas who was
standing beside him. Waspinator milled about beside Optimus admiring his
handiwork and Quickstrike appeared to be picking himself up closer to Megatron.
Optimus was hooked up to a big spinning thing which was no doubt Meg's new toy.
He
retreated back down the tunnel and after a few minutes contemplation he declared
"Ah... slag it! Kenevil mode!"
The
wheels lowered to the ground, the exhaust pipes extended and his tail went
stiff. With a roar of his powerful engine, he raced back towards the light and
shot out the entryway. In mid flight, he transformed into robot mode,
unholstered his gun and aimed. As Megatron's device detected a spike in the
weapon's power pack, the rings began to spin more rapidly, generating a blinding
white light.
Rattrap
aimed at Waspinator, the closest target.
----------------
Megatron
observed Waspinator's body shatter while the rodent remained suspended in mid
flight. "Well that went as expected." musing over Waspinator's
destruction. At this point Inferno chose to return from guard duty, cresting a
hill near the device.
"I
will destroy the rat royalty!" he declared before leaping into the bubble.
"No..."
Megatron began before shrugging. "Oh very well."
-----------------
Out
of nowhere, Inferno appeared in front of Rattrap almost as soon as he had fired
at Waspinator. The ant flew head on and they both fired at each other.
------------------
Megatron
was intrigued to see that when the time bubble was established, the scene
captured within would rotate in a 360 degree motion. "We should recalibrate
that for the next test." suggested Tarantulas.
"No."
responded Megatron. "I quite like it,"
They
proceeded to observe the aerial ballet. The shots sailed past each opponent
leaving a ripple effect in their wake. When the two ended up face-to-face, they
used their free left hands in an attempt to deflect the other's shot. The result
was more spinning and ripples until they both thudded heavily to the ground,
gun's held to the other's head.
--------------------
"You're
empty vermin!" exclaimed Inferno.
"So
are you." countered Rattrap.
Inferno
glanced at his weapon and after a brief pause, slowly picked himself up as
Rattrap launched himself into the air, spinning before he landed.
The
machine had deactivated sensing no more firepower in the area and brought the
two back into real time.
-------------------
Quickstrike
turned to Megatron pleading "Can't I scrap 'in boss?"
"Not
yet." answered the dinosaur. "Now they will begin close combat."
Unfortunately
for Megatron, Rattrap had other ideas. Inferno flexed his empty hands in
preparation but paused as he heard a beeping coming from behind him. He realised
that it was a thermo-charge just as it detonated and sent pieces of him flying
everywhere.
The
Chronos misread the explosion as another gun fight and activated, giving
Megatron a slow motion view of Inferno's immolation and Rattrap who was in the
process of being knocked over by the explosion.
Megatron
growled and turned to the fuzor. "Quickstrike. Go. However, no guns. I want
to see the hand-to-hand process working,"
"Yee
haw!" was his loud reply and he leapt into the distortion.
---------------
Through
the flame of Inferno's departure leapt the familiar form of Quickstrike. Boy
these Preds could move today. he hit the ground and rolled to narrowly miss the
large snake head which hand sunk partially into the ground he had just occupied.
Drawing
his tail sword and rising in one smooth motion he took an en garde position
holding the weapon directly before him, pointed at his assailant.
Quickstrike
ripped the snake teeth out of the ground bringing the weapon behind him. H
brought his empty hand forward entering into a pre-offensive stance. He then
chuckled and said in his southern drawl "There can be only one."
Before charging forward.
--------------
Megatron
had noted that the field had deactivated once the explosion had ended and the
fight before him was happening in real time.
The
fuzor leapt forward with a large swing of his snake-head. The blow was parried by
the vermin's vertical sword which was stabbed at Quickstrike's chest. He ducked
under the blade and slapped at it with his free hand. The rat leapt back taking
him out of swing's range.
Megatron
could detect a hum from the Chronos. IT was almost ready.
Thrust,
flail and parry were exchanged between the two combatants until Quickstrike
reached back for another strike. The Chronos shot to life again as the fuzor
continued the action. Megatron was rewarded with a broken time, rotating view of
Rattrap suspended mid-leap as he jumped over the dangerous limb.
---------------
"Heh
heh. I haven't had this much fun in a long time." Thought Quickstrike. The
rat was putting up a fight, but it was easy to see he was getting tired. He
pushed his attack forward, one, two, three strikes between the two of them. It
was like a dance. One he would end real soon. With adrenal circuits burning, he
lashed out once again with a trio of blows, pushing Rattrap off balance.
"NOW!" screamed his mind. The snake head coiled, ready to deliver the
fatal blow. With only a brief pause, he released it with lightning speed. As the
head shot forward, deadly fangs gaping in anticipation, the rat actually fell
forward with a roll. The last thing Quickstrike saw was the blade arcing towards
him.
------------------
Rattrap
remained crouched, holding the blade sideways. Quickstrike's head thudded
reassuringly behind him and the body slowly fell backwards before him. Only
after the dust settled did he rise and survey the carnage. He could see Megatron
sitting on the throne at a distance, merely observing the battle, Primus knew
why he had not joined in himself.
--------------------
Megatron
turned to Tarantulas and said "I do believe it is time we tested your little
device."
The
latter chuckled and leapt into his motorcycle mode and headed towards the
recently restored real-time battle zone.
----------------------
Rattrap
saw the spider making his move and reverted to his own vehicular beast-mode. The
two raced towards each other until they were within firing distance. At this
point, they used uneven pieces of terrain as ramps and launched at each other.
Upon leaving the ground, both transformed into robot mode and started firing at
each other, Rattrap's gun having been filled by the auto-loaders in his beast
mode. Shots whizzed by until the two collided at the apex of their flight,
sending their guns clattering away. The struggle continued even as they came
crashing to the ground.
---------------------
This
scene played before Megatron in the spinning freeze-time, he had now become
accustomed to. The bubble dropped soon after the two had lost their weapons. Now
it would get interesting.
-------------------
Rattrap
leapt up in a Circuit Zu stance with one arm behind him and the other in front,
palm raised upwards. Tarantulas casually picked himself up off the ground,
pressing the red button on the device attached to his leg. Once he reached full
height, he leaned his head to the right producing a slight crackling sound. He
look at Rattrap who responded by flexing his fingers in a "come get
it" gesture.
Tarantulas
obliged with a wind-up punch to commence the exciting exchange. Back and forth
their blows went, their training making them perfectly matched for each other.
Each limb was used with precise, deadly moves. At one point, Rattrap went for a
face punch, whereby the spider responded by trapping the arm between both of
his, pausing the blow just out of range. Tarantulas' cackle was then interrupted
as Rattrap extended his fingers pressing them against his vocal circuitry
causing him to briefly choke as Rattrap landed a few additional blows.
It
was at this point that the device on Tarantulas' leg warbled. The spider stood
up and leered menacingly at his opponent before practically vanishing and
reappearing directly in front of him. Rattrap was stunned for a few moments as a
powerful blow for Tarantulas sent him flying backwards into a cliff wall.
Rattrap picked himself up but Tarantulas had positioned himself in front of him
again. The Predacon's fists blurred as they repeatedly pummelled his torso.
Tarantulas
let the rat fall to the ground and stood back to gloat whilst admiring his
handiwork. Rattrap shuddered on the floor and spit up some mech fluid as a
result of a ruptured internal system. Then with a great strain on his servos he
slowly rose and returned to the circuit zu pose, mocking the spider once again.
The enraged spider charged just as the device on his leg winked off bringing
back into slow-time. Rattrap landed several punishing blows on Tarantulas as he
charged forward, causing him to collapse to the ground. Rattrap took advantage
of this situation by grabbing him by the feet and starting to spin. He then
proceeded to hammer-throw the arachnid into the air causing him to sail into one
of the spinning rings of the device, shattering his own leg weapon. This sent a
pulse through the ground creating a deep fissure between Rattrap and the Chronos.
Tarantulas continued to fall and collided with the prone form of Optimus.
This
caused the connection to the device to be partially disrupted. Optimus' eyes
flickered back to their original glow and he surveyed the scene before him,
optics falling on Rattrap who had just retrieved his gun.
Rattrap
noticed the movement from Optimus and took aim. His shots destroyed all the
chains bar the one holding Optimus' arms behind his back. "Come on
boss-monkey," muttered Rattrap to himself as he saw Optimus struggling to
stand. With a great effort, Optimus pushed to his feet and let out a scream of
defiance as the chains shattered between his mighty arms. He then reached up and
tore the spike from his chest with another scream.
This
scream was echoed by Megatron who, now being trapped within the displacement
himself, had begun to charge from his throne to prevent his test-subjects from
escaping. Optimus began to run. Stopping briefly to calculate trajectory,
Megatron raised his tail gun and fired three shots which sailed at just above
floor height. The first two shots narrowly missed, but the third caught Optimus'
lower leg just as he approached the fissure.
"He's
not gonna make it." said Rattrap, seeing his leader's plight and running
towards him. He drew his tail and whipped it into the ground as he leapt across
the fissure at the same time as Optimus. The two collided and Rattrap grabbed
Optimus' arm saying "I've got ya!"
As
they hung from the edge Optimus looked up and said "Uh.. thanks Rattrap,
but I was actually going to transform into flight mode."
"Oh..."
responded the rat "well, let's make like trees."
Optimus
let go yelling "Flight mode!" and Rattrap clambered over the edge and
transformed into his kenevil mode. Purple shots flew past the two as they began
to race away.
-----------------------
"Blast
it! Blast it all!!" yelled Megatron as he continued to fire. He paused as
he heard a large whine. As he turned, he noticed the sparks and lightning arcing
from the Chronos. "Oh no." he said realising that the combination of
the spider's collision and the sudden removal of Primal from the system had made
the machine dangerously unstable. He transformed into his own flight mode
pushing his rockets as hard as they could go to get him away from the danger.
-------------------
The
device exploded spectacularly. The resulting fireball and shockwave caught the
two Maximals even at this distance and pushed them up and out. They were in the
air for a few long moments, Optimus with his board up, one hand clinging to it
and the other outstretched for balance and Rattrap, mouth open, limbs out and
wheels spinning uselessly in the air.
They
both landed with a thud and then looked up to see Dinobot, Rhinox and Cheetor
standing there.
"Hey
boys." Rattrap greeted them "You just missed the battle."
The
three of them laughed in response.
"What
did I say?" asked Rattrap confused, looking at Optimus who shrugged in
response.
"Looks
like Megatron's new toy played around with time fields," explained Rhinox.
"You succeeded in destroying it, but the resulting shockwave carried with
it a time distortion which you were caught in."
"Yes."
continued Dinobot "The both of you have maintained your airborne, dramatic
suspended animation for over a cycle."
"Yeah
and if you guys had been a little quicker in breaking through, I wouldn't owe
Dinobot here five credits." quipped Cheetor.
"Well
I thought it would take a whole mega-cycle but I think I forgot your
acceleration before freezing."
"Fortunately,
you emerged when you did." added Dinobot with a grin. "Additionally we
have been blessed with a temporary reprieve."
"What
do you mean?" asked Optimus.
"A
majority of the Predacon forces were trapped within the pulse and according to
Rhinox's calculations, the distortion will remain for at least another three
mega-cycles."
Optimus
sat and contemplated this for a moment. "Prime." he eventually said.
"I could do with a vacation. Rhinox find us the nearest oasis."
They
all chuckled and helped the two injured Maximals to their feet. Dinobot slung
Rattrap over his shoulder and Optimus climb aboard Rhinox as they commenced
their slow return to Maximal base. "Good work Rattrap." said Optimus
to his rescuer who hung unceremoniously from the raptor's shoulder.
"Yeah
yeah." he said. "I'd better be getting a pay rise."
"Just
double what you're getting now." replied Optimus. "Zero times two
equals zero. I can live with that." he added with a wry smile.
"Oh
very funny." said Rattrap in an unimpressed voice. The laughter of the
group carried them on their journey.
If
any of them had turned and strained their optics, they may have been able to make
out the still, distant figure of a transmetal dinosaur, frozen in time,
surrounded by fire and seething with hatred.
The
End