25.Nov.06
Beast Wars Symmetries:
By: Everblue
“You called,
boss?” asked Lori Sage.
The young
journalist looked across the desk to stare directly into her manager’s face.
Her manager,
Mr. Joseph Schneider, a middle-aged man whose hair had seen better days, glared
at her with a stare that told her he sure wasn’t inviting her to his office
for a simple chat.
“Your
articles on Megatron Industries constitute as libel, Ms. Sage,” Schneider
puffed his cigar. “I want you to stop printing these articles on our
benefactors.”
“But Megatron
Industries has polluted our rivers and sold cargo to arms dealers from South
America,” Lori protested. “Their grip on our city is sucking the life out of
it and… wait, did you just say that they were our benefactors?”
“That I did,
Miss Saga!” Schneider said proudly. “Several days ago, I finalized a deal
with them. Our building is owned and operated for the most part by Megatron
Industries now!”
“You sold
this firm out to Megatron Industries?” Lori’s eyes widened. “But how did
you…?”
“Just be
thankful you’re not being laid off,” Schneider replied. “Besides, from now
on, you’d best be careful not to bite the hand that feeds you.”
This was not
the first time Lori had been caught between her ethics and her work, but it most
definitely was not something that she enjoyed being put through. Before she
could struggle to find the right words, Schneider interrupted her thoughts.
“You know,
you could continue writing those articles,” the older man said with a
crooked smile. “In fact, I’d encourage you to. All you gotta do is come over
to my place tonight for a little dinner.”
“No thank
you, sir,” Lori finally replied weakly. “I’ll stop printing those articles
as you’ve requested.”
“That’s a
good girl,” Schneider nodded.
------------------------
“He
threatened you with that?” Jessica demanded. “That lecherous old man!”
“It’s not
that simple,” Lori shook her head. “Megatron Industries is destroying the
city I’ve called home ever since I was a little girl. And there’s nothing I
can do about it.”
Jessica was
worried about her friend’s despondent state. Even though they were at the
downtown pizza plaza, Lori’s attitudes were sinking rapidly and it was easy to
see why.
“I’m
guessing the police aren’t doing anything about it, eh?” asked Jessica.
“Megatron
practically owns the police,” Lori responded with little hope in her voice.
“The officials here have also been bought out.”
Try as she
might, Jessica could not bring her friend out of the state that she was in.
------------------------
“Are you
getting this, Rhinox?” asked Optimus.
“All of
it,” Rhinox replied through the com-link.
Optimus Primal
was currently on top of the rooftop over the pizza place, watching down and
observing the daily regiments of human life.
“Seems we
have kindred spirits here on Earth,” Optimus observed. “This young woman
also opposes Megatron. Her efforts are really something.”
“What’s the
whole story?” Rhinox asked.
“Well, the
increases in pollution, the poisoned waters, and rise of arms dealers across the
continent can be attributed to Megatron,” said Optimus. “His power is
growing and there doesn’t seem to be any way to stop it.”
“We could go
in with all guns blazing,” Rhinox suggested and then relented. “Okay, bad
idea… not the Maximal way.”
“We’ll have
to play it subtle,” Optimus agreed. “Somehow, we’ll have to expose his
operations to the world without calling any attention to ourselves.”
“How are we
going to do that?”
“Your guess
is as good as mine, old friend.”
------------------------
Waspinator sank
into the CR bath happily. Several weeks had passed and they had not yet engaged
the Maximals.
Looking down,
Waspinator picked up the rubber ducky that he had found a few days ago.
So far, it had
been quite a pleasant companion to have around, especially during these CR
baths. Neither Scorponok nor Terrorsaur had been as understanding as his
newfound toy.
As for Megatron,
the only thing his commander cared about was power. Waspinator had always found
his leader’s fixation on Optimus Primal to be rather unhealthy. Right now, the
only thing he was concerned about was amassing more power for a possible
takeover of Cybertron.
“Waspinator
thinks Megatron needs to relax more,” he sighed as he sank further into the
tub.
The two spiders
had been another concern on Waspinator’s mind.
While
Terrorsaur’s scheming did not bother him in the least, Waspinator was far more
worried about Tarantulas. The Predacon scientist had always been much more aloof
and secretive about his goals. It bothered Waspinator a great deal that neither
he nor any of the other Predacons were in on any of his secrets.
Blackarachnia’s
scheming was a secondary concern compared to those of Tarantulas. While she had
never openly rebelled against Megatron, both Waspinator and Scorponok understood
her intentions without her having to say a word.
These thoughts,
however, disappeared quickly as Waspinator leaned back to finish the rest of his
bath before Megatron could order him to scout patrol on the loudspeakers.
------------------------
“What kind of
Predacon am I?” Megatron lamented as he sat on his chair. “For all my
boasting, I’ve yet to conquer one mudball planet…”
Opposite to
him, Tarantulas sat with a small electronic notepad. The Predacon scientist had
been quite upset that he was being forced to act as Megatron’s therapist and
counselor. It was bad enough that he had to put up with the tyrant’s speeches
on a regular basis but now…
“Why
couldn’t I have named myself something less ambitious than my namesake?”
Megatron shook his head. “I’ve yet to accomplish his feats.”
Now Tarantulas
was forced to listen to Megatron when the Predacon leader’s moods were at an
all-time low. Though he dared not say it, Tarantulas was getting really annoyed
with having to listen to Megatron’s moaning and bellyaching.
Although most
Maximals did not give it much thought, the fact remained that even Predacons
underwent bouts of low self-esteem.
Tarantulas
swallowed quickly. “Would you… like to share anything with me during this
session? Any thoughts”
“Ever since I
was but a spark, the stories of the original Megatron had been an inspiration to
me,” Megatron admitted. “I thought if I had destroyed the cursed Maximal
regime, I would have become a legend amongst our people. Alas, all I’ve
managed to do is play a god amongst insignificant insects.”
“You make me
sick,” Tarantulas muttered when he was certain Megatron could not hear him.
“I just feel
that I’ve… accomplished so little in my lifetime,” Megatron confessed.
“The conquest of Cybertron is not yet within my grasp and I cannot even
destroy a ragtag team of Maximal scientists.”
Tarantulas
groaned inwardly. How much more of this drivel would he have to take?
“Surely
there’s nothing wrong with me, is there?” Megatron asked. “Am I but a pale
imitation of a past life?”
“There’s
absolutely nothing wrong, Megatron!” Tarantulas urged. “What you are
experiencing is a momentary lapse. You should be back to your old self by
tomorrow!”
Megatron
smiled. “That’s what I like to hear.”
“May I be
excused now?” Tarantulas asked.
“Yes, go
about your business,” Megatron waved. “I have other matters to take care
of.”
As Tarantulas
transformed to beast mode and crawled out of the window, a knock at Megatron’s
door was heard.
“Yes?”
Megatron called.
“Hey boss!”
Schneider walked in casually. “How’s business been?”
“Pleasant as
usual,” Megatron affirmed. “Chechnya’s terrorists now have a new ace up
their sleeve.”
“Keep this up
and you’ll practically own the world!” Schneider laughed. “We gonna
celebrate tonight or what?”
“Yes, of
course,” Megatron nodded. “But first, I must know whether or not you’ve
ended those articles being written about me and my company.”
“That’s
been taken care of,” Schneider chuckled. “She was just a pesky journalist.
Small fry, really.”
“Excellent!”
Megatron smiled. “You have served me well, Schneider!”
“So, uh, got
any human-style drinks with you for our toast?”
“Yes, of
course,” Megatron smirked. “You are a god amongst men, Mr. Schneider.
Tonight, we drink to your good health!”
------------------------
“Megatron’s
in one of those moods,” Terrorsaur groaned. “Couldn’t he have chosen a
better time for this?”
“Shut up,”
Scorponok nudged him. “Megatron’s just going through some tough times right
now.”
“You shut
up!” Terrorsaur shoved Scorponok. “I’m sick and tired of you sucking up to
that lizard! Think for yourself for once, you drone!”
“Think for
yourself… right,” Scorponok retorted. “Look how far it’s gotten you in
life!”
“Now, now,”
Waspinator began, hoping to end the dispute in its early stages. “Terrorsaur
and Scorponok not want to get in trouble with Megatron…”
“Out of the
way!” both Predacons yelled as they shoved Waspinator aside.
------------------------
As the
explosion was heard from the other side of the mansion, Megatron was forced to
end his conversation with Schneider prematurely.
“Excuse
me,” he said to Schneider. “I have some… urgent business to take care
of.”
“Uh, sure
thing boss,” Schneider replied nervously. Not surprisingly, the explosion had
come as a shock to him.
“Make your
way to the left and exit down the stairs,” Megatron told him.
As soon as
Schneider had left, Megatron transformed to beast mode and raced towards the
scene of the disaster.
As he had
suspected, the bodies of Terrorsaur and Scorponok lay there, both of them
twitching convulsively. Before Megatron had the proper chance to do it, the two
Predacons had entered into stasis lock.
“You
idiots!” Megatron shouted. “Must this day get any worse!”
Suddenly, to
his amazement, Waspinator managed to crawl out from under some of the rubble.
“So,”
Megatron looked down. “Terrorsaur and Scorponok have caused this, correct?”
“Yes,”
Waspinator replied nervously. “Waspinator try to warn them of Megatron getting
angry but Terrorsaur and Scorponok not listen!”
“Very
perceptive, insect,” Megatron scowled. “I would have punished them if they
were still conscious at this very moment.”
“Megatron not
angry anymore?”
“Oh, I
wouldn’t say that,” Megatron grinned sadistically. “Since the two of them
are out of commission, I plan on taking my frustrations out on the nearest
target!”
Waspinator
gulped. In an instant, the T-Rex jaws around Megatron’s arms clamped around
his body and squeezed down on him hard. Waspinator cried out in pain as Megatron
dropped him and used the jaws to grab him by the leg, swinging him around
violently.
As
Waspinator’s body slammed into several pieces of broken concrete, Megatron
continued his previous tirade as if lost in thought.
“Those
blasted Maximal Elders think they can capture me and put me on their mock
trials!” raged Megatron. “I’ll prove to them and the universe beyond the
shadow of a doubt that I am their rightful master!”
With one final
swing, he threw Waspinator through an entire wall.
Cursing loudly
and unrepentantly, Megatron finally walked away.
“Ooh,”
Waspinator moaned through the smoke. “Waspinator not having a good day.”
------------------------
Although it was
late at night, Megatron still sat brooding in his armchair. The ticking of the
clock had not helped to ease his nerves nor had the chirping of the crickets
outside his window.
“This is
hopeless,” Megatron muttered to himself. “How will I ever prove myself
worthy of the mantle of Megatron?”
In his
desperation, Megatron reached for the controls and turned on his TV screen.
Despondantly, he slumped down.
“Within the
next few days, according to NASA’s observations, Sarah’s Comet will pass
Earth through our solar system,” the reporter announced. “Currently, from
their estimations, the comet stands a one out of thirty thousand chance of
hitting Earth.”
Megatron’s
eyes widened. This was the chance he had been looking for.
Immediately, he
turned on his com-link.
“Tarantulas!
Report to me this instant!”
------------------------
“A plan most
interesting,” Tarantulas mused. “You want me to build a magnetic rail gun
that would lure this comet straight into Earth’s Atlantic Ocean?”
“In the
ensuing explosion, the oceans will rise and overcome the once-mighty
civilizations of Earth!” Megatron declared. “It will launch an evolutionary
cataclysm unparalleled by anything before it!”
“And we,
being Cybertronians, will survive,” Tarantulas finished. “It is an ambitious
plan, Megatron.”
“Yes, and I
plan on implementing it with no deliberate speed!” Megatron said with
conviction.
“I like
it,” Tarantulas agreed. “It’s a plan that’s right up my alley.”
“I wasn’t
asking for your opinion,” Megatron crossed his arms.
“But you’re
asking me to finish your science project,” Tarantulas replied haughtily.
“Surely you’d give a penny for my thoughts.”
Without
warning, Megatron struck Tarantulas furiously and knocked him to the floor.
“No more of
your games, you sniveling spider!” Megatron growled. “I’ve had it up to
here with your conniving! Unless you plan on joining Primal’s platoon,
you’ll not take that tone of voice with me EVER again!”
To illustrate
his point, Megatron aimed his T-Rex cannon directly at the back of Tarantulas’
head.
“Yes,
Megatron,” Tarantulas whimpered.
Satisfied that
he had fully established himself as head of the Predacon pecking order, Megatron
kicked Tarantulas away and walked off with his pride restored.
“I should
have done that the moment I found him on my ship,” Megatron said to himself,
completely in bliss with how he had carried himself.
------------------------
“Is this the
facility?” Tigatron asked.
“Affirmative,”
Optimus replied. “The plan is to get in and obtain the necessary documents
that could indict Megatron’s company.”
“Why tonight
of all nights?” inquired Tigatron.
“Let’s just
say I’m playing the role of guardian angel,” Optimus winked.
“Mmm, if you
say so,” said Tigatron. “From what I’ve observed, the human guards in this
building are under the influence of mind control.”
“Prime,”
Optimus muttered. “We’d better make it quick.”
------------------------
Sneaking in, as
Tigatron had found, was not the hard part. His job was to disable the security
systems as quickly as possible.
The encoded
encryption within the computer was difficult enough. Several fallen guards also
lay unconscious across the ground. It hadn’t taken too long for Tigatron to
dispose of them, overall.
Taking notice
of the reflection off the steel layer that held the computer, Tigatron quickly
jabbed his elbow into the stomach of a guard that had snuck up from behind him.
As the henchman fell, the Maximal scout quickly returned to his work.
So far, the
files he had opened contained basic company information. He had already
discovered startling information on the amount of toxic wastes that were being
dumped into the rivers.
After having
found everything he needed, Tigatron saved the files to a small disc and after a
few cycles of waiting on the downloading, placed it carefully within his wrist
compartment.
“My work is
done,” Tigatron noted. “Though I did not find what was urgently needed,
perhaps Optimus is having better luck than me.”
Suddenly,
Tigatron was struck with a sudden curiosity. On the lower right hand corner of
the screen, a small file by the name of Project: Dominion. Without any
inhibitions, Tigatron clicked on it.
“By the
Matrix!” Tigatron exclaimed. “I must report this to Optimus!”
“Not for long
you won‘t!” a voice from above the ceilings hissed.
“You!”
Tigatron growled.
------------------------
Smiling
inwardly, Optimus breathed a sigh of relief. The cabinets he had searched
through had finally revealed Megatron’s riskier business ventures such as the
high-power laser rifles being sold to fund the juntas of South America.
Indeed, it did
not surprise him that even now, Megatron was responsible for much suffering
across the world.
Optimus had
seen his fair share of Predacon would-be dictators. Almost none of them shared
Megatron’s absolute disdain for life in the quest for power. This barely
concealed fact made Optimus nearly sick to his stomach.
“One way or
another,” Optimus vowed. “I’ll put a stop to you, Megatron!”
As Optimus ran
down the hall to meet back with Tigatron, he could hear Megatron’s mocking
laughter in his head.
------------------------
Tigatron braced
himself as Blackarachnia transformed to robot mode and leaped down from the
ceiling, sending several shots from her dart gun. As the small cyber-venom
filled darts struck the wall near him, Tigatron rolled out of the way as several
more darts flung themselves towards his direction.
“You would
not support such a mad plan!” Tigatron snarled.
“Oh, but I
would!” Blackarachnia cackled as she flipped through air and disappeared
behind several large pieces of machinery.
Tigatron took
out his gun. There was no telling what the black widow spider was truly capable
of. It would be best to be on his guard.
Wicked laughter
could be heard from behind him. Tigatron ignored it, knowing full well that it
was a ruse to distract him.
A slight sound
to his side stirred him to his senses. Tigatron quickly turned around and fired
off a shot. The blast destroyed the machinery behind him but no remains of the
Predacon female were seen.
“Right behind
you, Tabby!”
Before Tigatron
could react, it was too late. Blackarachnia caught him across the face with a
spinning heel kick that sent him reeling back. As Tigatron caught himself from
falling, several bullets from Blackarachnia’s arm-mounted machine guns struck
him and forced him to the ground.
When
Blackarachnia ended the stream of bullets, she stopped to gloat.
“Guess you
cats don’t really land on your feet,” mocked Blackarachnia.
“No, but apes
do,” Tigatron replied.
“What do
you--AWK!”
Immediately,
Optimus Primal rammed into Blackarachnia from the side, knocking her into
several crates. Without giving her the chance to recover, Optimus aimed his arm
mounted rifles and fired, destroying the machine guns mounted on her arms. As
Blackarachnia shrieked in pain, Optimus grabbed her and slammed her against the
wall.
“What’re
you doing here?” Optimus demanded.
“Haha, you
think I’ll tell you, Apeface?” Blackarachnia spat. “Go ask Megatron!”
“Freeze!”
several soldiers appeared from behind Optimus. “No being may challenge Lord
Megatron’s will and live!”
“This is your
cue to let me go,” Blackarachnia smiled venomously.
“Sure
thing,” Optimus replied wryly.
Quickly, he
lifted Blackarachnia up and threw her into the security guards. Grabbing
Tigatron by the arm, he blasted a hole in the ceiling and flew off with his
companion in tow.
------------------------
“So this is
his plan,” Optimus mused. “A massive rail gun in space to lure that the
upcoming comet to Earth.”
“The prints
in here also describe the place and location where a planetarium will be needed
to control the rail gun,” Rhinox pointed out.
“Megatron’s
gone mad!” Optimus exclaimed. “I never thought he’d be capable of this!”
“Yeah, well,
‘da Maximal Elders didn’t think he’d steal ’dem golden discs either,”
Rattrap pointed out.
“What’s the
plan, Big Bot?” asked Cheetor urgently.
“We stop
him,” Optimus replied firmly.
“Now ‘yer
talking!” Rattrap cheered. “Let’s go kick Megatron’s scaly hide!”
“Not so
fast,” Rhinox cautioned. “We’ll need a plan first.”
“Agreed,”
Optimus noted. “Rhinox, you stay here and monitor us. We’ll need tactical
support from your end. Rattrap, you and the others will back me up as I head
inside the planetarium.”
“Yeah, I got
‘yer back,” Rattrap agreed.
The other
Maximals nodded in accordance.
------------------------
“Megatron,
what if the Maximals interfere with your plan tonight?” asked Scorponok.
“Yes, well…
that’s what you idiots are for,” Megatron coughed.
“Hey! I
resent that!” Terrorsaur protested.
Normally,
Megatron would have smashed Terrorsaur’s beak in. This time, however, Megatron
simply chose to ignore him.
“Do any of
you fools realize the grand-scale importance of our goals tonight?” Megatron
asked.
Tarantulas
glanced away furtively. The beating that Megatron had given him earlier had left
him in a dour mood.
“You plan on
turning the human race into fossils, we know already,” Blackarachnia huffed.
“You don’t have to give a speech every chance you get.”
“Ah yes,”
Megatron smiled. “It is entirely possible that I have overexerted myself a
bit. Perhaps you’d like to entertain us with your sterling attributes, Miss
Arachnia? Or is that something you reserve only for Tarantulas?”
Angrily,
Blackarachnia stomped away after Megatron rebuttal. Satisfied that he was
finally taking control of the situation, Megatron turned to face the remaining
Predacons.
“So, is there
anything else anyone would like to contribute?” he asked cheerfully. “I am
quite sure that there is much you have to say!”
“Nope,”
Waspinator shook his head.
“Not a
thing,” Terrorsaur replied quickly.
“Not from
me,” Scorponok answered.
It was to
Megatron’s profound disappointment that his three lackeys chose not to
criticize his plan. He had been quite intent on bludgeoning one of them into
stasis lock for speaking out against him. Now, unfortunately, he was forced to
restrain himself from such an act.
“You
disappoint me,” Megatron grumbled. “Yesss… but nonetheless! You imbeciles
will be the welcoming party for any hapless Maximal that wishes to interrupt my
ascension.”
Slowly, each
Predacon nodded their heads compliantly. They knew much better than to
contradict Megatron at this stage.
------------------------
“Are the
Maximals really going to show up?” Scorponok yawned.
“They’ll
show up alright, you fool,” Blackarachnia scoffed. “Optimus stole several of
our documents. He knows about this already.”
“Waspinator
ready for Maximals!” the Predacon wasp declared.
“Don’t
overextend yourself,” Tarantulas said mockingly. “Cybertron knows we’ll really
need your help.”
The glib insult
soared over Waspinator’s head, unfortunately.
“Hey,
Waspinator,” Scorponok put a claw on Waspinator’s shoulder. “Thanks for
taking one for the team.”
“Yeah,”
Terrorsaur agreed. “If Megatron hadn’t slagged you so badly, he would’ve
done it to us after the CR dip.”
“No need to
thank Waspinator… Megatron would slag Waspinator anyways!”
“Did you hear
that?” asked Blackarachnia cautiously.
“Hear
what?” Terrorsaur demanded.
“There’s
something crawling up this hill,” the female Predacon replied. “My scanners
are picking it up.”
“Mine are as
well,” Tarantulas nodded. “It’s those Maximals!”
“Our
auto-guns can take care of them,” Scorponok said dismissively. “They won’t
get past them.”
“Either ways,
we can’t allow them to enter the planetarium,” Tarantulas growled. “I put
too much planning into this to allow it all to go to waste!”
Immediately, a
shot from the dark whizzed forward and dislodged a boulder from behind
Waspinator. Leaping out of the way in time, Waspinator avoided the boulder as it
rolled downhill.
In no time at
all, the Maximals were seen from below with all weapons blazing. After taking
one good look, the Predacons retaliated with their own firepower.
------------------------
From the far
end of the cliff, Optimus Primal maintained a steady grip on the rock he was
currently scaling. His teammates had agreed to distract the Predacons outside
while he, Optimus, entered into the planetarium to stop Megatron.
Hoisting
himself up, Optimus was faced with the sight of the enormous planetarium.
“Impressive,”
Optimus remarked.
Transforming to
robot mode, Optimus unlocked open the door and entered.
------------------------
“So what’s
our next plan, boss?” Schneider asked as Megatron entered in several codes
into the main controls.
Ignoring his
human servant, the purple tyrant pressed down on the lever to raise the
telescope into the night sky.
“We gonna
hold the world for hostage with a giant laser?” inquired Schneider.
“Oh, it is
something much more magnificent than that, my miniscule minion” Megatron
finally replied.
“I don’t
get it,” Schneider scratched his head.
“I’ve
converted this telescope into an electro-magnetic rail gun,” explained
Megatron. “Once the comet draws close enough to Earth, I will send a signal
into space, luring it with this rail gun's magnetic waves straight into the
heart of the Atlantic Ocean!”
“Y-You’re
joking, right?” Schneider demanded.
“It is no
jest, no…” Megatron smiled.
“Do you even
know what you’re doing?”
“As a matter
of fact, I do,” Megatron replied. “You see, I intend to launch the next
chapter of mass extinction by tonight. The meek shall not inherit the Earth…
nor will they ever!”
“You’re
crazy!” Schneider yelled. “I only signed up for this for the money! Not the
destruction of the human race!”
“Not my
problem,” Megatron replied dismissively as he flipped on a few more switches.
Sensing his own
predicament, Schneider took the hand pistol from his coat and fired several
shots at Megatron. Each time, the bullets bounced off of Megatron’s armor.
“That’s
really going to stop me, isn’t it?” Megatron sneered.
“No, but this
will!”
Before Megatron
could react, Optimus Primal jumped down from the balcony and kicked him with
both feet in the chest, knocking Megatron back several meters.
As Megatron got
up, Optimus smashed his fist into Megatron’s stomach, forcing the Predacon
leader to lean over. With one punch after another, Optimus knocked Megatron on
his back again.
Charging again,
Optimus leaped forward only for Megatron catch him in the stomach with both
feet, flipping him over.
“I was
prepared for this moment,” Megatron smiled as he wiped the mech fluid away
from his mouth. “Beast mode!”
------------------------
“These
Maximals are stalling us!” Tarantulas finally noticed. “Their intentions lie
elsewhere!”
From what the
Predacons had observed, the Maximals made no move to advance forward. In
Tarantulas’s view, only the flier Airazor had made any such attempts at
attacking them from higher ground.
“We advance
on my order!” Tarantulas shouted. “Wipe them out while they’re still
dawdling!”
“Hey!”
Scorponok growled. “I give the orders around here! I’m second in command!”
“You’ll be
second to last if you do not heed my words!” Tarantulas warned.
“Good
advice,” a deep voice from behind the Predacons purred.
Before
Terrorsaur could react, a shot from behind him destroyed his jetpack and sent
him hurtling out of control until he crashed to the ground with a sickening
thud. Tigatron quickly blasted Scorponok away before Tarantulas shot him
directly in the chest to take him out.
“Ohh, not
good!” Waspinator wailed.
Airazor took
the opportunity to blast Waspinator from the side as she soared towards the
battlefield above.
“No!”
Tarantulas shrieked. “I’ve put too much planning into this! You cannot
interrupt it now!”
Rhinox ran up
the hill as fast as he could but several bullets from Tarantulas and
Blackarachnia halted his advance and forced him to hide behind a boulder.
Cheetor bounded
forward much more quickly and pounced atop of Blackarachnia who immediately
kicked him off before Tarantulas blasted him from behind with a small missile.
“Curiosity
killed the cat,” Tarantulas chuckled.
“But it
ain’t got nuthin’ on the rat!”
Rattrap quickly
tackled Tarantulas from behind and took him to the ground. Whirling around,
Tarantulas struck the smaller Maximal across the face with the blunt end of his
gun to knock him down. Getting back up, Tarantulas aimed his gun towards
Rattrap’s head.
“Die,”
Tarantulas snarled.
Lashing out,
Rattrap kicked Tarantulas’s hand as his gun fired. Spinning out of reach, the
missile struck Blackarachnia and exploded on contact, sending her flying into
the air.
“You’ll pay
for that, rodent!” Tarantulas shrieked.
“I don’t
think so!”
Before
Tarantulas could react, Rhinox grabbed him from behind and smashed him headfirst
into the rocks.
------------------------
The
tyrannosaurus charged forward and slammed into Optimus, grinding him against the
wall. Seizing the opportunity, Megatron bit down, only for Optimus to roll away
in the knick of time.
As Optimus
leaped back to his feet, Megatron spun around and slammed his tail into the side
of the Maximal leader, knocking him back. Before Optimus could steady himself,
Megatron struck him across the face again with his tail, knocking Optimus off
the railing completely.
Catching
himself in mid-air, Optimus flew back up and smashed Megatron across his chin
with a powerful uppercut, sending the Predacon staggering back.
Landing back on
the platform, Optimus took aim at the main controls and fired several shots from
his arm-mounted rifle.
To his shock,
the blasts were immediately deflected by a force field that glowed brightly
around the machine.
“Energy
weapons will have no effect, no!” Megatron got back up. “You and I shall
finish this with no further interruptions!”
Charging
angrily, Megatron slammed into Optimus and knocked the Maximal commander against
the wall. Raising his tail vise with all intentions of spearing Optimus into the
wall, Megatron thrust his left arm forward.
Optimus quickly
shifted to the side as the tail vise smashed into the part of the wall where his
head used to be. Seeing how Megatron had his weapon stuck against the metal
plating, Optimus grabbed the tail vise as a springboard and launched himself
into the air, kicking Megatron in the chest with both feet. As Megatron fell on
his back, Optimus landed gracefully and drew his sword.
“Give it up,
Megatron,” he warned.
Silently,
Megatron cursed himself for being so careless. He had lost his tail vise and
now, the only weapons afforded to him were his T-Rex cannon and one last
option…
Reaching within
his leg compartment, Megatron withdrew an energon-powered sword that crackled
with electrical power.
“The skirmish
has not ended yet, Primal,” Megatron growled. “I can fight on your terms as
you will soon attest to!”
With an angry
war cry, Megatron attacked Optimus relentlessly. Effortlessly, Optimus deflected
the blows with his own swords and ran forward, slashing Megatron across the
side.
Not much of
a swordsbot, are we? Optimus took note.
As the tyrant
yelped in pain, Optimus turned around and fired at the main controls with his
shoulder-mounted missile launchers. Unfortunately, however, the missiles were
quickly deflected by the energy shield as well, shorting out in the process due
to the electro-magnetic interference.
“It should be
painfully obvious to you now, Primal,” Megatron scoffed. “Neither
heat-seeking projectiles nor energy weapons will work!”
“Why are you
doing this, Megatron?” demanded Optimus.
“Why else?”
Megatron snorted. “To prove my worthiness of this name!”
“You’ve
made your point now end this madness!” Optimus urged. “We know how dangerous
you are, both ourselves and the Maximal Elders!”
“That’s not
quite enough,” Megatron responded with more conviction. “I must demonstrate
my caliber before returning to Cybertron!”
“But at the
cost of six billion lives?”
“Yes!”
Megatron roared.
“I won’t
allow that!” countered Optimus.
“And what
will you do, Optimus?” Megatron taunted. “My rail gun will be fully
operational within five cycles to draw in the comet’s magnetic properties!
Until then, I won’t allow you anywhere near it!”
Slowly, a grin
crept up on Optimus Primal’s face.
“Oh, I
don’t have to get near it, Megatron,” he replied.
Turning around,
Optimus grabbed hold of his sword and flung it with all his might. As the sword
sailed through the air, it slashed into the main controls, halting the countdown
sequence entirely as the machine overloaded with dangerous amounts of
electricity from the damage. Humming uncontrollably, it shook the entire
planetarium down to its very core.
Seeing his
opportunity destroyed, Megatron bellowed in rage and slashed Optimus viciously
from behind. Crying out, Optimus clutched his wound and fell to the ground,
completely defenseless before his enemy.
“For that,
I’ll have your spark!” Megatron shouted.
Raising his
foot, Megatron brought it down towards the Maximal’s chest. Reacting quickly,
Optimus used both hands to grab Megatron’s foot before it could slam down on
him. With the last of his upper-body strength, Optimus threw Megatron off of
him.
As Megatron was
thrown back, he teetered to the side and grabbed on to the railing for support.
The railing, however, could no longer support his weight and snapped, sending
the Predacon rogue plummeting down. Screaming in both rage and horror, Megatron
smashed into the controls, triggering an enormous explosion that immediately
began tearing the planetarium apart.
“Maximals,
fall back!” Optimus shouted into his com-link.
Without haste,
Optimus blasted into the air and flew out of there at full speed.
------------------------
Panting
heavily, Optimus finally found enough strength to stand up. His fight with
Megatron had taken quite a lot out of him, he noticed.
“So, you must
be the good guy, huh?”
“And you
are…?” Optimus asked.
“Joe
Schneider,” the man replied. “I used to work for that tin can, Megatron.
Then he went crazy and tried to kill us all.”
Recognition
finally dawned upon Optimus.
“You were the
one who funded his illegal dealings!” accused Optimus.
“Hey now!”
Schneider protested. “All I wanted to do was make a quick buck, not turn the
human race into dinosaurs!”
“Nevertheless,
you were still his accomplice,” Rhinox pointed out as he and the other
Maximals emerged.
“Oh, come
on!” Schneider pleaded. “Give me a break!”
Optimus grabbed
Schneider and lifted him up by the collar.
“You’re
going to jail.”
“Who says
I’m gonna?” Schneider grinned smugly.
------------------------
Surprisingly,
Lori felt her life returning to normal slowly but surely. One thing that she had
learned this morning was that her boss, Schneider, had been arrested last night
on account of smuggling and illegal arms trade. He had turned himself in to the
police muttering nonsense about how some white tiger was going to shred him to
pieces.
After several
investigations, the police had indeed found files and bank account deposits
which proved without a shadow of a doubt that he did indeed sell weapons to
guerrilla groups that had been responsible for the deaths of hundreds.
Personally, she
was glad that she no longer had to put up with her boss, even if she did feel a
tiny bit sorry that he was now no longer a free man.
Walking up to
her desk, she blinked in surprise at what lay there.
Several
documents lay neatly bundled on her desk with a small note attached to them.
Curiously, Lori
walked over and removed the note to read it.
Hello, Lori,
I’ve read
up on some of your work and felt that a talented young lady like yourself would
be better served with more concrete evidence. These files contain most, if not
all, the illegal activities of Megatron Industries. I hope they can be of help
to you in your crusade for justice.
Sincerely,
O.P.
“O.P.,
huh?” Lori remarked thoughtfully as she sat to read through the documents.
“I must have a guardian angel now.”
------------------------
“Get out!”
Megatron bellowed.
“But you’ve
already taken a CR dip!” Terrorsaur protested. “Can’t we enjoy
ourselves!”
At the moment,
both Terrorsaur and Waspinator were immersing themselves in the CR’s healing
glow.
“Don’t make
me repeat myself,” Megatron growled.
Grumbling
angrily, Terrorsaur got out, slowly followed by Waspinator. In no time at all,
Terrorsaur had left the room while Waspinator took his time in a far more
meticulous manner.
“Quit
dawdling, insect!” Megatron barked.
“Ohh,
Waspinator must find his plushy!”
“Your what?!”
“Ah!
Waspinator got it!” the Predacon scout beamed triumphantly.
“And what
exactly is that?” demanded Megatron.
“Rubber
ducky!” Waspinator gave the toy a squeeze. “Waspinator likes his new toy!”
The mere sound
of the rubber ducky seemed to bring out a strange, new reaction from Megatron.
Almost amicably, Megatron’s expressions seemed to relax and take on a far more
benign look.
“Waspinator…
might I see that?” inquired Megatron.
“Umm, yes,”
Waspinator complied hesitantly. “Megatron will give it back to Waspinator
later?”
“Yes, yes,”
Megatron replied dismissively. “All in due time, Waspinator.”
Yanking the
rubber ducky out of Waspinator’s hands, the Predacon leader crawled into the
bath and leaned back in relaxation. Smiling contentedly, he squeezed the toy
several times, savoring its squeaks with a bizarre affection.
“I believe
this day is finally getting better, yesss…”
The End.