Chapter 13: Fate of the Fallen

Had Unicron himself been about to devour him, Tarantulas could not have been more apprehensive than he was now. His scanners had detected the incoming Quantum Surge, and news reports had spread concerning the deaths of the Tripredacus Council. Now the last of the Chaos Bringer's spawn found himself alone, surrounded only by minions he was not at all sure he could trust.

Most immediate on his list of concerns was the incoming Quantum Surge. Generated by the destruction of the Transmetal Driver, it would affect different Cybertronians in different ways. Some would become Transmetals, some Transmetal 2s, while still others would mutate into Fuzors. No matter what the various Cybertronians turned into, it would be disastrous; it was only the superiority of his fellow Predacons' Transmetal, Vehicon, and hybrid bodies that kept the whole of Cybertron's populace from swarming down on them. Tarantulas needed to accomplish his goals, and quickly, or else nothing would save him.

"Rampage, Nemesis Prime, Jetstorm, Obsidian, and Strika! Get in here now!"

All five remaining 'Cons filed in. Rampage's cold green eyes fell upon his supposed "leader," sending a shiver up even Tarantulas' spine. Rampage's only loyalty to him was prompted by fear of being overwhelmed by the Maximals without his various comrades. "What are you bellowing about now, arachnid?"

Composing himself, Tarantulas spoke with an air of authority. "The time to act is now. We must strike and destroy the Maximals before they have the chance to thwart our plans. If the Quantum Surge I've detected hits the planet before we achieve power, then we are all doomed!"

"Some of us will last longer than others," Nemesis Prime rumbled.

Jetstorm chuckled at the giant's statement. "Took the words right out of my vocabulator, big guy!"

"Now is not the time for dissension; we must work together. I say that Tarantulas' plan is perhaps our only chance of taking over Cybertron," Obsidian mused.

"I concur, dear partner," added Strika.

Trademark cackle sounding, Tarantulas told them his plan.


Yawning, Cheetor continued work on the outer defense equipment. "Why doesn't Rattrap have to do all this hard labor? I'm sick of him slacking off while I have to work!"

Blackarachnia turned to look at him, her impatience with his complaining evident. "Cheese-for-brains happens to be out looking for the Predacon base, as you know. Given that there are six Predacons and Vehicons out there, we can't afford to spare anyone else to help him out. Ergo, you're stuck here with the rest of us."

"Don't be so hard on him, beloved. Cheetor has more of a taste for combat than the rest of us, and this maintenance work does not occupy his interest," Silverbolt soothed.

Primal Prime walked out of Axalon Tower, carrying a laser cannon that wouldn't have budged without the combined efforts of at least four standard Cybertronians. Setting the weapon down, Primal Prime turned to gaze at the horizon. Green eyes narrowed as a pair of rapidly approaching black dots appeared in the sky. "Maximals, battle stations! We've got some unwanted visitors!"

Transforming, Primal assumed his jet mode. Shooting from the tower runway, the crimson armored aircraft flew towards the two approaching flyers, who were revealed as Obsidian and Jetstorm. Opening fire, Primal caused them to veer off. He then went into gorilla mode and dropped, landing between the tusks of a charging Nemesis Prime in Beast Mode.

"Jetstorm, Afterburn!" Shifting into his own Robot Mode, Jetstorm came under attack from Silverbolt. Sharp fins on the Vehicon's arms clashed with the sharp-edged feather weapons wielded by the Maximal. Though Silverbolt was no longer motivated by hatred, he still fought with impeccable skill that Jetstorm matched blow for blow.

Growling, Cheetor went for Obsidian. The two traded shots, Maximal missiles flying in response to Vehicon laser beams. Though Obsidian dropped low enough that Cheetor could have reached him, the generals' sheer skill was enough to keep the Transmetal 2 at bay.

Depth Charge and Rampage each had weapons in both hands. Unloading rockets at each other, the two moved closer, their intentions clear. Sure enough, once they ran out of ammo, the two leaped at each other and went into a grapple. As the two large Transformers battled, Depth Charge roared at his enemy. "You're going to the Inferno this time, Rampage!"

Giving up their conflict of Beast Modes, the Primes had gone into a grapple of their own in Robot Mode. After minutes of struggling with no results, the two broke apart. Drawing their guns, they fired on each other, each sending their opponent flying. Back on their feet in seconds, the huge hybrids went at it again, firing with devastating accuracy and power.

Tigerhawk and Tarantulas found themselves engaged as well, various weaponry sending out attacks. Missiles, lasers, and bolts of lightning flew between the pair. Tigerhawk growled, focusing his energy into a bolt that struck the ground and toppled Tarantulas. "Tremble at the power of the Vok, Predacon!"


Blackarachnia backed up as Strika stalked towards her. Towering over her opponent, the female Vehicon glared. "I will squash you like the insect that you are!"

Lifting a huge foot, Strika tried to bring it down on Blackarachnia. However, the spider proved too quick, getting out of the way. Demonstrating that her petite feminine form had every bit as much power as the tank-like physique of the general, the Maximal sliced across her adversary's belly. "You'll have to be faster than that!"

Enraged, Strika fired with her two cannon barrels. Pulses of energy flew out, narrowly missing Blackarachnia. The former Predacon drew her own gun, firing with accuracy that would have been lethal on a less heavily armored female Cybertronian. Neither was willing to give in, and it made for a struggle that caught the eye of all the other combatants.

Without warning, a large silvery shape streaked down from the sky to land nearby. "Windrazor, Maximize!"

Drawing his Energon katana, the futuristic binary glared at Strika. "A battle such as this can only end in death, Vehicon. It will be either yours or Blackarachnia's, because neither of you will tolerate the survival of the other this time. However, I will not see Blackarachnia made into a killer. Thus, it falls to me to exterminate you!"

"I'll show you extermination! Strika, Obliterate!" Her activation code sounded, Strika went into her vehicle form, trundling towards the paladin. Completely unworried, Windrazor shot forward, his katana a blur of light. Pieces of Strika's hull fell away as they were sliced by the powerful blade, and the Vehicon switched to Robot Mode. Too late, her eyes widened as Windrazor's sword plunged into her chest, grazing her Spark. It wasn't enough to kill her instantly, but the damage was obviously lethal. Swaying, the tall figure toppled to the ground.

"STRIKA! Obsidian, Terminate!"

Obsidian swooped down in helicopter mode, his lasers pelting Windrazor. Driven beyond caution by the fall of his most treasured companion, the Vehicon didn't even realize that he had exposed his back to Cheetor. Taking aim, the Maximal cat opened fire. "This is for Nightscream!"

Crash-landing, Obsidian shifted to Robot Mode as he skidded to a stop next to Strika. Their eyes dimming, the two Vehicons gripped hands. "So...this is how it ends for us...my dear Strika," Obsidian uttered weakly.

Fighting her pain, Strika smiled. "At least we greet whatever death has for us...together."

Not a single combatant moved as a pair of Sparks lifted from the broken bodies, hovering briefly before flying off into the sky. Seeing that they were now clearly outnumbered, the remaining 'Cons retreated, fleeing as rapidly as they were able. At last, only the Maximals stood upon the battlefield.

Windrazor sheathed his sword, walking up to the fallen Vehicons. Kneeling, he bowed his head. "Though you fell from the light of the Matrix, you two were still among Cybertron's greatest heroes. May Primus be merciful upon you."

Silverbolt and Blackarachnia walked up. The paladin hesitated, then spoke to his double. "You performed admirably, Windrazor. Tell me, why did you seek to protect Blackarachnia?"

A slow smile crept over the warrior's face. "It's a matter of family loyalty. At some point in the future, the line of the Maximals Silverbolt and Blackarachnia will give birth to a Predacon. That Predacon, at least in my past, came to be known as the Cub."

"You mean...we're your ancestors?" Blackarachnia asked.

Nodding, Windrazor went into Beast Mode and flew away. Tigerhawk walked up, looking down on the broken Vehicons. Lighting shot from his hands, and the two bodies disintegrated. "This is all I can do for them; perhaps it is more than they would have expected."

Staring after Windrazor, Depth Charge shook his head. "Do you think we'll ever know everything about that guy?"

"There are some secrets that only the one they are about can know, Depth Charge. However, I think I can say one thing for certain: whatever other mysteries involve Windrazor, we'll see him again, and he will have a role in events to come," Primal Prime said.

All of them paused at that, thinking over their commander's words. Then a loud voice, filled with a complaining tone, spoke from behind them. "Do I have to do everything? These defense systems aren't going to fix themselves!"

Laughing, the Maximals turned towards Rattrap, ready to continue their labors and tell him a story he would no doubt have quite a bit of trouble believing.

To be continued...