Episode 5: Fortified

“So it was one of your troops who fired first?” pressed Syntax. Cycles had dragged by as the Predacon prosecutor had found multiple ways to ask the same question over and over again.

Optimus sighed, rubbed his optics and glanced at Magnus. The large Autobot sat at the centre of the panel with an uncomfortable cringe across his face. Ironically, the pain exhibited by Magnus gave Optimus resolve. It was good to know that he had the unwavering support from the most important bot in the room. He looked back at the prosecutor and narrowed his eyes. “As I have said many times before..”

Optimus clenched his teeth and said “On the ground, yes, it was one of my troops, however the battle was started earlier when the Darksyde opened up its side gun batteries and shot at the Axalon while in orbit around ancient earth. The resulting cross-fire sent both of our ships crashing down and so the hostilities were already started before then.”

“Didn’t you just hear what I said?!” exclaimed Optimus. “None of my troops started the conflict!”

“Then what was the name of the soldier who fired first?” pressed the prosecutor.

“OBJECTION!” interrupted Stonewall, the Predacon defence council. “Relevance your honour? The prosecution is clearly glitching the witness.”

“Agreed.” responded Magnus “Syntax you have pressed the issue for too long. What more is there to be gained by covering old ground.”

“Well as you are fully aware, Your Honour,” began Syntax adding a disrespectful tone to the final two words “we are here to determine the fate of the Golden Disc, and what better way to do so than to analyse the actions leading up to that moment from the beginning of the conflict?”

“AND,” continued Syntax “to ensure that the information maintains consistency by our ONLY witness, we must review certain areas. UNLESS the other Maximals happen to finish their convenient “missions” and assist us in this inquest.”

“Out of order?” interrupted Syntax. “Yes, I apologise and withdraw my previous statement.” The Predacon retained his composure, however there was no doubt from everyone in the room that he was beaming internally.

Magnus released his fingers from the fists they had reflexively formed on the table and said “Very well. You have made your point. Now may the prosecution proceed on to the next line of questioning as we appear to have covered this area enough to ensure “validity.””

“Nutso” merely nodded affirmation before muttering something about flying fish and spaghetti before turning back to the device. He had managed to remove the primary area scanner and transformation circuitry from the Spear of Primus and the combined strength of Cheetor, Razor and Bomber had managed to drag out a CR chamber to their temporary base. The stocky cylinder stood in the centre of the area and “Nutso” was busily attaching wires to power packs borrowed from the heavier equipment and weaponry they had salvaged. The connections were sufficient at best however it was a miracle to get this far. Only “Nutso’s” technical expertise could forge something as effective as this out of rudimentary resources. Cheetor doubted even Rhinox could have pulled it together in such a short time.

Cheetor turned to the rest of the onlooking unit “OK bots. Time to get yourselves some slick new beast modes.”

Glider spoke up at this “I don’t get it sir. Why are we bothering with Beast modes when our Cybertronian modes are just fine. You said that the raw energon has been broken down so buildup’s not a problem so what's the point?”

Cheetor turned to him and said “Yeah. The energon fields are no longer a prob. But Beast modes have a few extra goodies. When you’re in Beast mode, it’s almost as good as having your own personal CR chamber and Beast mode has saved my spots a couple of times on this whacky planet. Trust me, you’ll thank me later.” He finished with a smile and then addressed the group again. “So who’s first?” Before he could receive an answer, the entire area was washed with golden rays of light and a resounding tone echoed in his audio receptors. “What the...?” he began as he turned to see the CR chamber door hinge upward and release a cloud of smoke. Through the mist strode a strange looking, brown scarab with dual drill ends protruding alongside the mandibles. “Nusto?” enquired Cheetor. The scarab chuckled and yelled “DRILL NUTS MAXIMISE!” With that the scarab leapt up, shifted and changed into the familiar form of “Nutso”. Cheetor merely shook his head with a bemused smile on his lips before turning back the group “OK... who’s SECOND?” They all laughed and proceeded into the CR chamber all while being observed by a familiar pair of optics.

Megatron sat in the chair situated in the observation deck of the duelling arena. Both arms were at rest on either side of him as he observed the two combatants. Thrust and Buzzsaw were pitting their respective skills against each other. Buzzsaw had the advantage of flight granted by his interceptor mode, however Thrust had the greater strength and firepower. Buzzsaw would dart in with quick strafing runs and fast strikes only to be answered by Thrust’s rapid fire plasma cannons. It was an impressive display, however they both needed to hone their skills. They needed to be ready for their assignment. Terris stood by the two fighters silently observing their technique, clearly unimpressed by their wasted opportunities and overall lack of patience. He understood that not all bots had the advantage of being tutored by some of the best Metalliko masters on Cybertron, however that did not mean he had to approve of it.

Megatron sometimes wished he had both hands ending in fingers for he would no doubt be pressing the tips together in a pensive pose. This would have been merely for show because he already knew what directions his plans must take, G1 Megatron’s data tracks had given him that much. Now it was time to stack the wager in his favour before showing his hand.

Obsidian chose this moment to hover into the room. He did so reverently and merely said “Excuse my interruption lord...” and went still as the sounds of the conflict below echoed about them. Megatron waited a few moments, he knew that Obsidian would simply hover there until his energon reserves were used up or Megatron ordered him otherwise. This was something he could definitely count on at any time however he would not let any of his troops take personal satisfaction in their own attributes. Treat them mean, keep them keen. “Yes Obsidian.” He said, finally breaking the awkward silence.

“My lord, we have located the opening within the compound.” He informed the tyrant.

“There is a problem, lord. The entryway is permashielded and the doorway appears to be constructed of an adamantine composite material.” Continued Obsidian.

“Hmmm...” pondered Megatron. “Very well. Then we will need to obtain some new equipment.”

“Yes, lord.” Agreed Obsidian. “Scavenger is currently analysing the structural dimensions of the portal and believes that a seismic amplifier, combined with a number of other disruptive charges will grant us the necessary force to break the obstacles.”

“Good.” Answered Megatron before turning back to the arena and activating the voice amplifier. “Terris.” He began as his voice boomed around the large room. Terris looked up to face the dragon. “I believe it is time to get our troops ready to make a purchase.” Terris nodded before activating his energo blades and stepping into the combat area.

“So what do you think you can bring to our organisation?” asked the interviewer.

Silver groaned inwardly. He had been asked this same question the same time on countless moments over the last mega-cycle. He had tried answering it in a number of different ways but every time seemed to be the wrong answer for the job. He took a breath and said “Well, sir, with my experience and leadership skills, I would be perfectly suited for this role. I am reliable, helpful and provide a good role model for fellow employees. I will work hard and my loyalty is always ensured.”

The interviewer paused for a moment and pondered the answer. Silver felt a cold, sinking feeling creep up his spark. “It was going to happen again. Blast it! Why didn’t I focus more on leadership? No! Retail...” the ideas flowed, ebbed and transmuted in his mind and he could not stop it. But he needed this. He had not known so much failure. So much heartache for something as simple as finding some ounce of purpose.

“Welcome to Cyber Fried Cubes Mr. Bolt.” The interviewer said in the midst of the mental rant.

“...yes. Retail is the area and that is what you should have looked at... wait... he said something.” Silver shook his head looking slightly lost.

Silverbolt was so amazed at this development that he stared with a glazed eyed expression for a moment with his jaw hanging open. He maintained this for a few awkward moments, but then realised that he may in fact be jeopardising his good luck and then coughed, shook the bot’s hand frantically and said “Thank you very much sir. You don’t know how much this means to me.”

The interviewer was thrown back and forth by the strong handshake and replied “No..o.oo. pr..roblem..m.m.. lad.”

With that, Silverbolt bounded out of the room safe in the knowledge that he had achieved his objective. The interviewer simply shook his head after the fuzor had left and said “Anyone who is that desperate to work in the fast food industry must be pretty down on his luck. Seems like a good guy though. Hope we don’t break him.”

Buzzsaw and Thrust picked up their aching forms from the arena floor as the warrior spoke to them. The marks where the energo blades had performed their task were abundantly clear as sparks shot forth from the gaping wounds. Still the fighters regained their footing. Good. They at least showed some promise. Both formed up the Preying Virus and RAM stances that Terris had taught them. These positions would allow them to use their strengths whilst protecting their counterpart. Naturally Terris had more skill than the both of them combined and they would be unable to strike him, however what better way to train than against the best.

He turned to Buzzsaw and said “You must use your speed to ensure that the strikes are short and concise. The distinct lack of armour on your exo-structure will ensure that any strikes against you will cause considerable damage.”

Buzzsaw leapt forward, darting from side to side, to prevent Terris from determining which angle he would be striking from. So far so good. As he drew close, he activated his retros and shot forward at Terris. Good. Close the ground and surprise your opponent. Then he made a mistake. He drew his arm back. In the mere seconds it took Buzzsaw to retract his fist, Terris had lashed out with his own and struck the poor Predacon square in the jaw, sending him sprawling into a nearby wall.

Without a pause, Terris turned to Thrust. “You are strong, but your attacks are predictable. Wait until you see a proper opening and then strike.”

“Oh...” mused Thrust as he crept forward. “Wait for an opening... hmm.. you mean.. like... THIS!” With the last word, he drew out both of his plasma cannons and began firing. Terris leapt up, but the biker bot continued to track him through the air. As Terris began his descent, he activated the energo swords and deflected the more accurate shots away from him. He then landed a few metres behind Thrust, however the biker spun quickly round to face him.

Thrust said nothing but charged forward plasma gun arm stretched out completely to strike the warrior. Terris remained perfectly still and stared down his opponent as the distance closed. He was about to counter attack when he noticed a flicker of movement behind him. He instinctively leapt upwards to see Buzzsaw sail beneath him. A look of surprise passed over both Buzzsaw and Thrust’s faces as they collided with each other in a nasty heap. Terris landed silently on the floor and said “Fast strike. Good. Unfortunately, my audio sensors are well attuned. Were I any other opponent I would have been in stasis lock. That is enough for today.”

The mess on the floor groaned from dual audio processors and started to pick themselves up. At this point Obsidian hovered into view and said “Scavenger has managed to reactivate the old CR chambers located at the rear of the arena. Go repair yourselves and prepare for another few cycles worth of hard training. Lord Megatron has a mission and we must not fail.”

“Is it true that on one occasion during the Beast Wars, you nearly allowed a Predacon traitor an opportunity to remain alone on ancient earth?” asked Syntax.

“During the first leg of your.. adventures, your data tracks indicate a period where you managed to make the Axalon space worthy once again. Is this correct?”

“The report also indicated that within the vessel were the units Rhinox, Cheetor, Rattrap, Tigertron and yourself. Is this also correct?”

“Hmm... interesting how there was no mention of the traitorous Dinobot. So you left him behind with the future of our race in the hands of a turncoat?”

“Ah. So you left him an entire planet to himself? And if it had not been planet earth then this would be fine. Rewarding cowardice and betrayal, or perhaps dooming an innocent civilisation to the whims of a warrior? That’s not very Maximal of you.”

“Sustained.” Casually retorted Syntax before continuing without breaking stride. “Also during this takeoff, had you managed to reclaim the golden disc?”

“But you forgot the entire point of your mission?” Ended Syntax “Or did you....?”

“Well. Is it possible that your own negative perspective towards Predacons forced your hand into a conflict which never should have begun?”

“Ah ha! So you at least admit that you have a negative disposition towards the Predacon faction.”

“There you have it my fellow Cybertronians. We have in our midst.... a Pred hater.”

At this point, Magnus rose from his chair and thundered “The prosecution is out of order!”

Syntax spun and retorted “NO! It is YOU who are out of order! Maximals! Autobots! You believe that we Predacons are poisoning this glorious planet merely by being who we are and it is this thought that brings about such unfortunate circumstances as the matter at hand! We did not start the Great War and yet we are being punished for it!”

All through this speech, voices were yelling confirmations and disagreements from the amassed Cybertronian body and Magnus tried to restore order, however his cries fell on deaf ears. It was only after Enforcer and his team took up position that the crowd quietened down enough for Magnus to call a brief interlude to the proceedings.

Blackarachnia sat in a dark corner of the Cosmic Rust energo cafe. Agony had given her specific instructions to wait for her here tonight. It was finally going to happen. She was going to meet with the Coven.

She had positioned herself so that she was facing the crowd ensuring no one could sneak up behind her. It was still highly possible that she had been set up and she was not going to take any chances. She sipped her non-alcoholic beverage and carefully eyed the crowd. The usual drunken rabble, loose fembots and wannabe gangsters filled the halls with no new faces to speak of. It appeared as though a recent repair had been done on the bar and she was surprised to see a large poster of Rhinox’s face with a big “DO NOT SERVE” written beneath it. She could only imagine why it was there.

The chronometer above the bar indicated that Agony was already late by 10 clicks. Not her usual style. She started to get a little worried but decided to sit through it. There were bigger things at stake than her patience and she had endured worse in the previous cycles. “Its all for Silver.” She told herself. “All for Silver.”

“Well, you’ll have all the riches you’ll need if you get in.” Said a voice to her left audio sensor.

She froze and physically stiffened as she was surprised by the voice. “Do not worry. If we wanted you offline you would never have known we were here.” Continued the voice. Blackarachnia remained exactly where she was. “Good. You know not to panic. That is a valuable skill. Many an apprentice has ended their career because of a slight twitch or twinge. You are made of stronger stuff as Agony predicted.” There was a pause and the voice continued “Meet us out back in 30 nano-clicks.” At that, the presence vanished into the crowd and Blackarachnia was left alone.

She flexed her joints and causally raised herself up from the table. She then proceeded to the rear exit and entered the dark alley. There were two cloaked figures waiting for her. The slender build beneath the robes clearly indicated that they too were female Cybertonians. One spoke in the voice she had heard earlier. “28 nano-clicks. A little eager, but I’ll let that slide in light of your excellent performance back in there.”

Blackarachnia said nothing and waited for instructions. “Follow us.” Ordered the speaker “We will see if you are truly worthy to join our holy order.”

Hammer emerged from the CR chamber. Her gunmetal exo-structure had been replaced with a white, scaly texture, various parts of her body were covered in feathers and pair of wings elegantly protruded from her back. “Hmm..” she said admiring her new body. “Fairly light weight and manoeuvrable. I like it. My primary programming is telling me... I’m Air Hammer.”

“Killer change Hammer.. uhh.. Air Hammer.” Complemented Cheetor. “Let’s have a look what your beast mode is like.”

“OK.” Agreed the reformatted Maximal. “AIR HAMMER BEAST MODE!” She yelled. Her body flipped into the air as various components slid in and out of position. The group gasped as they witnessed a long fish-like animal flapping avian wings to keep itself afloat. The head appeared to be a long cylinder positioned on its side with eyes on each end and a long mouth running along the base. Seeing obvious cringing from some of the bots she asked “What? Is it bad?” She then observed her reflection in the shining metal of the CR chamber and was shocked at what she saw. After an awkward silence she quietly said “Maximise.” And reverted to her robot mode. She then slunk to the back of the group and sat curled up against a tree. Glider, who had been blessed with a simple bat-mode went over to Hammer to comfort her about the obvious discomfort of her fuzor mode.

“Hey. Fine by me. I’ve hung out with Rattrap so you know I can’t be that picky.” Quipped Bomber with a grin and a wink before vanishing into the dreaded chamber.

A scan, some noise and some smoke later and there was the distinctive glint of blue, silver and yellow metal. Out of the CR chamber strode a proud, strong, transmetal.... skunk. “HA!” laughed Bomber. “Call me STINKBOMB!” This seemed to cheer up Hammer somewhat, however she was still far from having her old self-confidence. “Stinkbomb Maximize!” yelled the Maximal and he reverted to his robot mode. “Sweeet!” he yelled as he discovered the hidden compartments gifted to him through the transformation “Explosives, trackers... ohhh... stasis mines.... I love these.” He then looked at Cheetor and said “Can I take it for a spin now?” with a childish glee.

“Now now.” Said Cheetor in a mock patronising tone. “You have to wait for the others to get theirs first.”

This was an easy fix, because the remaining bot was Razor. He had sat behind during the rest of the transformations and eyed the equipment suspiciously. The main reason being that it had been built by “Nutso.” “I still don’t trust it.” Stated Razor.

Cheetor sighed and said “I am giving you a direct order. Get in the chamber.”

Razor locked eyes with the cat and after the fierce exchange he growled and climbed in. Razor emerged in his robot mode and flexed his actuators. He appeared to have grown considerably in size, his servos flexed with raw power and segments of his armour had become red and smooth. He tilted his head to the side which released a cracking sound from one of his servos and said “OK. Not bad.”

Cheetor smiled at this and was glad to see that nothing had gone wrong. “Now let’s see the beast mode.”

“Razorbeast! Beast Mode!” yelled the reformatted Maximal. Where Razor stood a few moments ago was a large snarling boar.

Razor merely turned to him and snorted. Then his eyes flared red and he let out a piercing bellow before the thick head flicked and struck his comrade. Stinkbomb was sent flying into a tree and said “What the slag?” as Razor began to charge about the headquarters. He lashed out at other Maximals, pieces of equipment, patches of bush and anything else that got in his way. “Scramble!” yelled Cheetor as he tried to get his unit out of the way of the marauding Maximal, but he needn’t have bothered because Razor had leapt through some bushes and vanished into the wilderness.

“What’s in the energo-burger?” enquired the considerably obese female whilst her younglings scampered about and created general havoc at the front of the extensive cue.

“Well ma’m,” began Silver. “It contains processed energon and non-synthetic oil dressing.”

“Oh.” She paused as she pondered the ever important question of what she should order. “I don’t know if I want that.”

Silver merely smiled because he did not have the necessary mental telepathy to assist in this situation.

“Ummm...” continued the female staring blankly at the various pictures displayed on the menu behind Silverbolt. “And... what’s in the Big Bot Burger?”

Silver sighed and said “It contains the same as the Energo-Burger along with filings of tungsten and chromium.”

“Oh...” dragged on the cruel customer. “Filings tend to make me produce extra gas. Last time I had it I couldn’t...”

“Well it uses a..” Silver began, however he was interrupted by one of the children grabbing the straw canister located on the bench and sending the small, long cylinders sprawling out over the floor with a crash. At this the Maximal reflexively shuddered, before continuing. “The Lightspeed Burger contains a lighter Energo-mix with non-synthetic oils and a platinum wrap. It sits rather well with our customers.” He said the last part eyeing off the crowd which was growing more and more disgruntled.

The customer paused for a moment before declaring “You know what? I think I will go with the Energo-burger.”

“Hmm..” mused Megatron as he stood before the sealed doorway. “So you believe you can get through it.”

“Get me the right tools and I’ll have that down in a few cycles.” Replied Scavenger. The engineer held a datapad in his hand and continually glanced at it to recheck his calculations.

“Excellent.” Replied Megatron. “Now, go and find Terris and have him instruct you on basic combat techniques.”

Megatron turned to face the engineer for the first time in the conversation and narrowed his optics. However the blow Scavenger expected never came. Instead Megatron said “I understand that you would not want to sully your technical expertise with savage, primitive fighting skills, however we unfortunately did not choose this battle.”

“Yes. The war has already begun. For years we have seen the signs and been subjected to the suffering. Maximals taking all positions of power within the Cybertronian hierarchy leaving us to fight over meagre scraps. I wish it were any other way, however I need to know that each of my troops can look after themselves... Especially the most valuable ones.”

Scavenger sat silently for a moment before replying “Yes Megatron. I will not fail you.” And set off to seek the metalliko master.

After the engineer left, Generation 1 Megatron appeared before the tyrant. “What was all that?!” he exclaimed with an amazed expression.

The dragon merely grinned and said “You know nothing of political positioning. You were around during a time where things were simpler. Us and Them. Decepticons and Autobots. Now, due to the lack of resources, it is occasionally useful to make a mere tool feel like the saviour of his race. Then at the end of it all, like any piece of equipment, it is discarded.”

“Be that as it may.” Retorted Megatron “I have found it to be a rather useful tool of deception in the past. Unless of course you don’t condone the key values instilled by our Decepticon forefathers.” He sarcastically finished with a smirk.

G1 Megatron snarled at the mockery and changed the topic, turning towards the doorway. “Behind this door contains some of the early experiments which were orchestrated by myself and my lieutenant Soundwave.”

“The key difference here is the permashielding.” Pondered G1 Megatron. “I had sealed the area and reinforced it a millennia ago, however the shielding is a new addition. Someone placed something behind there meant only for Decepticon hands.”

“Whatever it is, it will only mean pain and anguish for the Maximals and the first step in re-establishing our ascendancy on Cybertron.”

The room was shrouded in darkness. Blackarachnia knelt with one knee joint on the floor and one hand resting on the other knee. Her head was bowed as a sign of respect and she remained completely motionless. Three sets of glinting optics hovered above her as they contemplated the new initiate.

“You intend to join our order?” spoke a voice from the central optics. The question was directed as a statement more than a question however Blackarachnia still responded. “Yes.”

“You do not know of the order and yet you believe you are suited to join us. How is this?” asked the final set.

At this point, Blackarachnia looked directly at the eyes and said “Because I AM the best you will ever find.”

She locked into the glaring match and refused to budge. Nothing was said. No challenges made or accepted. Merely one set of combatants weighing up a single opponent. “Good.” Said the middle pair, breaking the tension. “You have strength but we will test your purity in time. Welcome initiate Venom.”

Blackarachnia nodded her acknowledgement and the optics vanished into the darkness. For a moment she held position waiting for something to happen. The silence was eventually broken by the sound of clapping. It was slow yet purposeful. She stood and turned to see Agony leaning nonchalantly against a dimly lit doorway delivering the applause. The female was grinning and for the first time Blackarachnia saw her happy. “Well done.” She said “Just enough sass to show you had fight without being disrespectful.... Just like I told you.”

“Thanks.” Responded the transmetal spider. “I could never have gone this far without your help.”

Rattrap entered the console room once again. He hated this place. It was dark, cramped, badly ventilated and foetid. What was there not to like? The reason was simple. It was showing him up. It was a place where failure was written on the walls and the mocking laughter haunted him. “Find Mega-butt.” He said to himself “Oh yeah. Sure. Shouldn’t be a problem. Someone as big and ugly as that stompin around Cybertron should stand out like a gearbox at a Miss Cybertron pageant.” He shook his head and collapsed into the seat which woke the computer up from standby. He placed his hands on the keyboard and struck something on the desk which fell to the floor. “What the....?” he started as he reached down to claim it. A data disk. “Who?” said Rattrap looking around the room. Nip nada ziltch and a whole lotta nuttin. “With any luck its a copy of last month’s Torsoplateless review. Heh heh.” He said, inserting the device to the computer. It was registered by the console and a directory appeared before Rattrap indicating a number of files, all of them videos in the format used by Cybertronian security systems. Curious, Rattrap opened the first one. The screen went black and hazy before focusing into a clear picture of the front of the Cybertronian mausoleum. At first there was nothing out of the ordinary. Quiet, empty, everything as it should appear to be. Then he noticed a flicker of movement in the left corner of the screen. The flicker became a complete image of a Predacon elite. This figure was soon followed by no less than five others. Whatever was going down, it was not anything good. The unit then melted into the shadows of a back alley to await their prey. Again a period of nothing until a familiar form of a Predacon general burst through the doors. “Obsidian?” whispered Rattrap. The general sped around the corner, directly into the alley. Rattrap’s spark sank. Even a Pred didn’t deserve to be slaughtered like that. The general vanished into the dark and it was replaced with flashing flickers of energo-blades and the ensuing battle. “Poor Obsidian.” Said Rattrap when the scene calmed down. Out of the darkness staggered a single elite only to be eviscerated by Obsidian with his own energo-blade. The madness exuding from his optics brought out a sense of dread Rattrap had never felt before. Then the Predacon vanished from sight and the image returned to the directory.

Rattrap paused for a moment in contemplation of what he had seen before reaching for the second file. This scenario was considerably different, yet no less disturbing. The front entrance of a living spire occupied most of the frame and the occasional Cybertronian would pass through it. Then came the obvious point of interest. A single Cybertronian of mid-size build lurched through the portal and froze for a moment. Rattrap zoomed in to observe the optics and sure enough the same glow he had seen in Obsidian’s eyes were present in this subject. It seemed as though he was looking without actually using his optics. After remaining still for a few nano-clicks, he spun to the left and began to lurch out of view. Only when the figure had vanished, did the directory return.

The next video was considerably shorter and Rattrap had to slow it down as he viewed it a second time. Focus was on an exit to a dark back alley where only the bravest or most foolhardy Cybertronian would dare to venture. The stillness of the night was clear and the litter scattered about the floor remained motionless. A bright light pierced the darkness of the alley, starting off as a pinprick and rapidly expanding to engulf the entire alleyway. This was proceeded by a red two-wheeler tearing past the camera, leaving scattered trash and blackness behind it. Through a frame-by-frame analysis, Rattrap was able to locate the optic sensors on the alternate mode and they too were glowing an eerie white.

After viewing three other videos, one containing a two-time loser leaving Cosmic Rust and the other some kind of warrior leaving entering the city from the isolated outskirts of Kaon-12. Each with the zombified expressions and optics as the first. Whatever the connection, it couldn’t be good.

Scavenger stood before Terris holding the energo-blade uncomfortably. “Strengthen your stance.” Spoke the master. “Grip firmly and do not fear the weapon or your opponent.” Scavenger shifted slightly from one partially awkward position to another. If Terris was getting annoyed, there was no indication of it in his passive expression. “Now. Attack me.” Scavenger looked at him with a lost expression and began to slowly raise the weapon when Terris yelled “NOW!” The engineer panicked, and ran forward brandishing the weapon above his head. Terris merely raised his own weapon and deflected the paltry attack with a single swipe. At that, the assault lost momentum and Scavenger stood waiting for the next order. “Do not stop.” Ordered Terris. “In true battle, you will not be graced with such a reprieve.”

“Our esteemed tutor is correct.” Spoke Megatron as he entered the arena. “Once you give a micron, the battle is lost.” Scavenger appeared to shrink out of embarrassment from his lack of skill in the area of combat.

“Come here.” Megatron ordered and the engineer complied. “Now I want you to visualise this,” began the tyrant once his trooper was near “every opponent you battle against is just another one of those Maximal scum that passed you on the advancement ladder. All those sparkless dogs which stole YOUR rightful position, time after time. Now. Try it again.”

Scavenger stiffened and strode back to the sparring area to stand before Terris. The master activated his energo-blade and Scavenger likewise. The engineer steeled his optics raised both arms to his sides and charged forward with a yell. The attack was faster and more directed, however the opponent’s energo-blade swung forward with such ferocity that Scavenger’s was sent spiralling across the floor, then Terris followed up with a closed fist to strike the Predacon square in the face with the same result to Scavenger himself. Megatron groaned, for no doubt he would have to restart all of the character building nonsense to ensure that the engineer would not crack.

Scavenger’s body shuddered on the floor and using his right hand he propped up. Fluid leaked from his hanging head in a number of joints however a disturbing grin appeared across his vocal unit followed by a strange rasping sound. At first it appeared he had been damaged considerably because of the unnatural noise and shaking, however it began to grow in pitch until the laughter became clear. Manic, uncontrolled, mirth. Scavenger’s head shot up with a wild expression in his eyes and he let out a bestial roar, leaping at Terris. Surprisingly, the master was caught off guard by the assault and the energo-blade was knocked out of his hand. His arms instinctively deflected a majority of the blows and he struck the engineer down once again. A glance to his torso plate revealed a clear indentation of his opponent’s fist. Terris then strode over to his student and towered over him for an uncomfortable moment, one where Megatron hoped he would not have to intervene, before reaching down and helping the fallen Predacon up. All that Terris said was a simple “Excellent.” And Megatron could not have agreed more.

Optimus collapsed into the big lounge in Magnus’ quarters while the large Autobot walked over to the personal bar area and poured them two glasses of pure energon before sitting down to follow suit on another seat. “Here, it may help take the edge off.” He said offering one of the drinks to Optimus which was graciously accepted. “Careful though, this is strong stuff.”

Optimus nodded his acknowledgement and took a sip. After his coughing fit had subsided, he asked “We got slaughtered in there today didn’t we?”

“It was quite tough,” Magnus agreed “but I didn’t think that they would push this hard so soon.”

“Yeah. Even if it wasn’t likely you still hold on to the hope. Ah Autobot pride.” Laughed Magnus.

“That’s the problem with you later models. No respect.” Magnus joked shaking his fist in mock accusation.

Optimus chuckled at the banter and there was a brief silence as both bots sipped their drinks and mulled over their thoughts. “I hope Cheetor’s having more fun than we are.”

Once again Cheetor stood and surveyed the remains of the headquarters. Razor had really done a number on this place. Pieces of equipment were strewn about as the rest of the unit tried to re-salvage what had already been rescued components. He shook his head and sighed. As he did so he thought he caught a glimmer of lights in the bushes however when he properly focused, there was nothing. “Probably my stress inhibitor causing some feedback.” Mused Cheetor.

Turning back to the unit he realised that there was one person missing. “’Nutso’?” he cried “Drill Nuts?” The rest of the team looked about searching for the engineer and shook their heads and shrugged indicating that they had no clue where he had gone.

Drill Nuts stalked through the jungle wielding a large rifle. After the boar fled from his destructive scene, he had retrieved it from one of the recovered storage containers. Drill Nuts had every intention of using it to stop this creature once and for all.

The undergrowth surrounded him as he stalked along, following the freshly pressed hoofprints laid by the renegade Maximal and noticed the damaged wreaked in his wake. Bushes squashed, smaller animals trampled, bark torn from trees by hard tusks. This was not good. It gave Drill Nuts the resolve to carry on. He could not let this continue.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of battle up ahead. He raced to the edge of the clearing and peered through the bushes. What he saw made his very spark freeze. An early human settlement was being besieged by the crazed Maximal. Fortunately, the humans were armed and had managed to get their women and children to safety, however Drill Nuts could see there had been some casualties. What surprised him the most was the sheer size of the human leading the attack. He stood almost doubly tall than the largest male and wielded his spear with thick strong arms. Drill Nuts could not make out too much because most of the human was covered in a large pelt of some kind and war paint covered the rest. He could make out only flickers of green and yellow on the leader. Perhaps these were the chosen colours of royalty in this particular tribe.

Razor snarled and bit at his attackers, who were wise enough to remain at a safe distance, and ignored the continual jabs of the spear heads. The thick armour would protect the Maximal from all but the heaviest blow and Drill Nuts could see that the humans were starting to fatigue. He had to act now. Raising the rifle, he peered through the scope, aimed and fired. Directly into Razor’s central processor.

Cheetor had ordered the rest of his unit to stand guard over their makeshift headquarters while he took care of this situation personally. He didn’t know what Drill Nuts was planning but he had a gut instinct that it was not going to be peaceful. The jungle streaked past as he tore along at breakneck speeds to catch the engineer before he did something drastic. He just hoped he wasn’t too late.

Razor lay prone on his side in the clearing with the gaping hole in his beast mode’s skull displaying the exposed circuitry beneath. Drill Nuts coughed, muttered and shook as he rummaged through a small tool box. The clink and clank of metal echoed about him as the search continued. He straightened and stood as he produced his sought after prize. Sharp, long and hard metal glinted as he faced to turn his unconscious prey.

A scent! Cheetor’s beast mode located the direction Nutso had taken and he darted to the left. Continuing down the hill, he came to a wall of leaves. Without a moment’s hesitation, Cheetor burst through it, landing softly in the clearing just in time to see Drill Nuts stab the blade right into Razor’s primary processor as the Maximal leader let out a helpless “No!” All too late. The deed had been done.

They all continued to cry out in search for their lost comrade when they were answered by a bellow from the belly of their former spacecraft. As one, they sprinted back to the wreckage to see it shaking and rumbling as something within roared to life. Priming their weapons they each took cover and trained on the ominous sight.

Suddenly there was an explosion through the hull of the ship which knocked everyone on their backs