Chronicles of the Doomcat
Part Four: Berserker
By: Miss Special
"It works!" Spirit proclaimed happily, pointing at the fish in front of her. "See? I ate organic food and I'm not going crazy!"
"No," Rattrap said, "Yer crazy, but it's not from eatin' organic food. Yer crazy ta test da program on yerself."
"Hey, beats having someone else test it. Besides, it works! This is a step forward for reformatteds!"
"Yeah. Now, go home! Yer shift ended two megacycles ago! Get outta here!"
"But I still have to check and make sure there aren't any bugs or mistakes, or if there's something I can improve-"
"Go home! Ya can do dat tomorra!"
"It's not like I'm getting paid for overtime-"
"Look, Cyberkitty, it's great ya figured da program out, but yer gonna work yer whiskas off if ya keep dis up."
Spirit sighed. "Okay, I'll go home. But make sure no one touches anything!"
"Go home!"
"I'm going!" Spirit walked out of the lab and onto the street. It was nighttime, but the streets weren't completely empty. She headed homewards, making sure she didn't get stepped on.
Why did she feel like she was being watched? She picked up her pace to a trot, looking around warily.
She was being followed. She couldn't get a good look at the bot who was following her, but she knew he was there. She had to lose him.
She broke into a full-out run, dodging bots here and there, hoping they would slow her pursuer down. It didn't work, so she decided to lose him in an alleyway. She found the nearest one, turned into it, and ran right into someone's legs. Then she felt a sharp pain in the back of her head and fell into blackness.
Destroyer Angel looked at the sheet music closer. She wasn't sure if she was reading it right. Which meant the rest of the flute section might have been reading it wrong. She pointed her problem out to the flute player sitting next to her, a femme named Siren.
Siren looked at the music and nicely clarified it for Angel. "That note comes on the second beat, and then the sixteenth-note run comes between the third and fourth beats. See?"
"Oh, yeah, it does. I get it now!"
The director called the band to attention, and said, "All right, let's begin this at the flute soli. We'll play the rest of the song through to the end, and then we can go home." There were a few "yay!"s from the trumpet section, and a "finally!" from a clarinet. The director raised his baton, and the band played until the big finale at the end. Then everyone packed up their instruments and music, and went home.
Spirit wasn't home when Angel got there. She was probably working late at the lab, especially since she was so close to finishing that program.
Time passed. Spirit didn't come, or even call. Maybe Cheetor knew. Angel flew to Cheetor's apartment, but he wasn't home, either. Maybe he was out on a date. But he usually told Angel when he went, and would he really be out this late?
So Angel went to the lab. It was closed. Which meant Spirit wasn't there. Angel sped home, thinking something bad had happened. Something was wrong.
She was right. There was a note on her door when she got there. It read, "Come to the abandoned warehouse in the slum section of Cybertropolis if you know what's good for your friends."
Someone had crossed the Doomcat. She was burning with rage- someone had DARED to mess with her and her friends. That someone would pay. That someone would be torn apart, rendered into small bits until- Angel stopped thinking, trying to get a hold of herself. She couldn't succumb to anger! She had friends who needed help!
As she flew at top speed to the warehouse, she was aware of everything that was going on around her- everything. She knew about the bots walking around on the ground below her, she knew about the thermal to her left, even about the air molecules getting displaced by her flying.
She landed at the warehouse, and silently entered. Even before they came out of the shadows, she knew the people who had crossed her were waiting there, with Spirit in a cage, and Cheetor tied up. Cheetor was unconscious.
And that was the last thing she remembered clearly.
Spirit paced nervously around her cage. She was surrounded by twenty-odd bots, all with bad breath, except for the leader, who seemed to be some sort of upscale businessman.
He'd explained to her that Destroyer Angel had made herself an enemy when she threw the tournament, and now was the time for revenge. Spirit tartly replied he was getting himself into a lot more than he could handle. He bopped her on the head and told her to shut her mouth of she knew what was good for her.
And now she was crammed in a wire cage, beside Cheetor. He was still unconscious, but he stirred when Spirit poked him.
Everyone waited in the shadows in silence.
"I see you've come," the leader said, stepping out of the shadows. Spirit, who was facing Cheetor and not the entrance, realized her fur was standing on end. She turned to face Angel, and didn't like what she saw one bit.
Destroyer Angel's eyes were blood red. And she was standing completely still- not even her tail was moving. And it always moved.
"Now, if you want to see your friends again, you'll have to do what we say." Destroyer Angel did nothing, so he continued. "First, you must-" He clutched at his throat, gasping for air. He looked like he was drowning.
"Hey!" one of his minions shouted. "What're you doing?" He didn't wait for an answer as he drew his gun and fired at Destroyer Angel.
The bullet stopped in midair, turned around, and embedded itself in the shooter's arm. Then, the gun he used disintegrated. And he burst into flames.
The minions ran at the Doomcat, but were sent back by a torrential wind. Chaos broke out. The ground started rumbling. Fissures opened up, support beams fell down, water, wind, and fire were everywhere. And in the middle of it all was Destroyer Angel, standing stock still.
Spirit knew if she were going to survive, either Cheetor would have to wake up, or she'd have to get herself free.
"Cheetor! Hello-oo? HEY, SPOTHEAD, WAKE UP!!!"
"Nng... Huh? Spirit? What're you doing here?"
"Get a grip! We have to get out of here or we're toast! Or drowned! Or whatever the slag else is going on!"
Cheetor jumped to his feet. "Angel's just standing there! What's wrong? Did I miss something?"
"I think Angel's doing all this. Look at her eyes! Remember the last time they were that color? Now, would you mind getting me out?"
"Fine, here." He opened Spirit's cage and let her out. "We'd better get Angel out of here before she hurts herself- Whoa!" He jumped to the side as a fissure opened up and nearly swallowed him.
"I don't think that's a good idea. Do you think she'd let you fall like that if she were in control of herself? C'mon, let's go!"
"But Angel-"
"If I thought Angel were in any danger," she sidestepped a falling beam, "I'd be the first to help. But she can take care of herself. However, she's obviously not taking care of us, so we'd better. Follow me!" The little white cat led the cheetah through the rubble and out of the warehouse.
Things weren't much different outside, so they decided to get the heck out of dodge and left the slum section altogether. Spirit hoped people had the intelligence to leave, because almost the instant they were out, the entire block fell in on itself.
It was declared a disaster area. Bots were working round the clock to dig injured out. They found Destroyer Angel first, in a small hole in the rubble that was untouched. She had no injuries, however she was unconscious. She was released to Spirit and Cheetor after they checked her out, but she hadn't woken up yet.
No one was dead. So far. The rescue crews weren't finished excavating the ruins, but nearly everyone had been found and accounted for, and some of the rescued were just barely clinging to life. One had been burned beyond recognition.
An investigation was being conducted to determine the cause of the horrific incident.
Cheetor and Spirit told the other Beast Warriors what they saw, but they didn't tell the authorities.
"If Angel did it, how? Nothing possesses that kind of power." Nightscream had never dealt with a Doomcat, or anything Vok, so he didn't believe someone like Angel could level an entire city block.
Spirit had already thought of this. "The Vok gave Destroyer these powers, but they must have been misplaced when the programs were merged. And Destroyer Angel accessed them."
"Yeah, but Tigerhawk and Angel couldn't do..." Cheetor couldn't find the right words to describe what Destroyer Angel did, "...that. They could only manipulate weather, and things like that."
"Apparently they've made some improvements," Spirit replied.
"But what made her able to access her power then, and not anytime else?" Silverbolt asked.
"My guess is she got mad. Really mad. Off the scale mad, and she lost it."
"She is a berserker," Botanica stated. Spirit nodded sadly.
"What coulda made her so mad dat she went berserk?" Rattrap said.
"I think Cheetor and me getting captured set her off, but it might go back farther than that."
"How far?"
"The original Angel wasn't a very angry person. Sure, she threw tantrums now and then, but did you ever see her truly angry? I think she bottled most of it. She had a lot to be mad over- things that were done to her or us. And then there were the circumstances involving Destroyer Angel's creation."
"What about them?"
"Angel's worst fear was getting captured by the Vok. And she was. The original Angel spent her last moments of life as she knew it terrified and alone. Eventually, fear goes to anger... Essentially, Angel's fear becomes Destroyer's wrath."
"That's disgustingly poetic," Blackarachnia muttered.
"If anyone finds out she did this, Angel's going to be in a ton of trouble."
"Has a Transformer ever been a berserker? How do we deal with one?"
"Easy. Don't make her mad."
Spirit knew this would happen. "Stop thinking that way. How do you think she's going to feel if you whenever you see her, you go out of your way to keep from getting her mad? You'll be walking on eggshells, and Destroyer Angel will think she's lost her friends. And right now, we're all she's got."
"What do you mean?"
"Sooner or later, they're going to figure out she did it. And they're either going to want to make her pay or dissect her. She can't stay here for long."
"We're going to have to get her off the planet."
"Wait," Botanica said, "Angel is essentially a criminal now. We would be aiding a criminal escape, and become criminals ourselves. Do we want to do that?"
"I will," Spirit said confidently.
"I have to look out for my little sister," Cheetor stated.
"I'm in," Blackarachnia said.
"Well, that means I am in it as well." Silverbolt put an arm around Blackarachnia.
"Don't leave me out," Rattrap spoke up.
"Or me," Nightscream said.
Everyone stared at Botanica, but before she said anything, a metallic voice asked, "What's going on?"
"Angel! How're you feeling?" Spirit went over to her friend.
“Hard to describe- like I fell out of the sky and got hit by a train, then dragged through a-”
“Do you remember what happened?”
“Sort of? It’s really blurry. Like a dream.” She blinked a few times, trying to clear her head. And then she realized what she had done. “Spirit did I really do all that? What happened? Is everyone okay? I didn’t kill anyone, did I?” Spirit very calmly explained everything to Angel.
“You’re going to help me escape? You don’t have to do that. I’ll find a way out myself, or I’ll turn myself in-”
“No you will not.” Spirit looked Angel dead in the eyes. “I will not allow you to be caged up and become a science experiment. And we’re helping you whether you do or not, miss Doomcat, because we’re your friends, and that’s what friends do. So, sit up and help us figure out how we’re going to get a ship.” Destroyer Angel listened to Spirit as if the small cat were a drill instructor.
“How ARE we going to get a ship?” Cheetor repeated.
“How are you going to help me without getting in trouble yourselves?” Angel asked, still bewildered. “And I still don’t see why I shouldn’t be turned in. If I’m capable of what I just did, I should be locked up.”
“That’s precisely why you shouldn’t be locked up,” Spirit said.
“What?”
“You show remorse, and you think you should pay. Which means you aren’t the monster you think you are. Angel, you can fight off anything Cybertron can throw at you without breaking a sweat. They couldn’t hold you in a cell unless you wanted to be in a cell, and you haven't thought about any of this. You’re still Maximal under all that Vok stuff, and you’re still good. And,” Spirit lashed her tail dramatically and puffed out her chest, “after dealing with Megatron and the Vok, being stranded on a prehistoric planet, messing with the past, and everything else we’ve done, I think we can handle the authorities.”
“But is it right? There’s gotta be something illegal in all that I did.”
“Sometimes there’s a difference between what’s right and what’s legal.”
“But it’s Maximals who follow the law, and Predacons who break it.”
“Hey,” Cheetor interjected. “We’re not just Maximals, we’re Optimus Primal’s Maximals. Optimus would do exactly what we’re doing right now if he were here.”
“And he was the best of ‘em,” Rattrap said.
Knowing she was both beaten and surrounded by the truest of friends, Destroyer Angel the Doomcat smiled and said, "So let's find a ship already!"
"That's the spirit!"
"Y'know," Rattrap mused, "I might have what we're lookin' fer, but it's only a prototype hasn't been tested..."
"You have a ship, and you're just now telling us?" Cheetor said.
"Like I said, it's experimental, and I dunno if it'll work or blow up upon startup. I haven't even turned it on."
"What's so experimental about it?" Angel perked her ears up.
"It's designed so instead of a full crew, it only takes one or two bots to fly. But it hasn't been tested..."
"I'll test it myself!" Angel jumped to her feet. "I can fly a ship, and I'm not afraid of blowing up!"
"It's a good thing you're not," Spirit agreed. "Alright, we have a ship. Now we need cover. We can rule out false identity, since there aren't too many Doomcats running around."
Angel sniffed. "I should think not. I'm the only one."
"Anyways," Spirit continued, ignoring her friend's ego, "we may be able to fake her death, but it'd be hard for Angel to show her face in public."
"Have they said I can't leave the planet?"
"It's assumed you're not supposed to until the investigation's complete."
"Assuming is a very dangerous thing," Blackarachnia said slyly. "Especially if the message doesn't get across."
"It sure didn't get across to me," Spirit said, pretending innocence. "We may get into a little trouble, but they can't legally do anything about it. Okay, now we just load the ship up and blast off before they figure out what we're doing."
"Right." Cheetor took over. "Spirit, you and Angel fly to your apartment and get any stuff you're going to want to take with you. The rest of us will load the ship with supplies." He was about to leave when he stopped. "Hey, Rattrap?"
"What?"
"Where IS this ship?"
"The restricted access part of da lab," Rattrap replied.
"Alright, Maximals, move out!"
Destroyer Angel didn't pack much. Truth was, she didn't have much to pack- her flute, piccolo, bow, sword, and armor were all she needed. Spirit packed a blanket or two, and that was it.
The ship was small, compact, and sleek. Angel thought it was beautiful.
"What's it called?" Spirit asked.
"Well," Rattrap said, "I call it-"
"The Little Bomber!" Angel interrupted.
"The Little Bomber?" Cheetor repeated, tapping the hull skeptically.
"I was gonna call it da Axalon II, but since I'm not da one who's gonna get blown up, ya can call it whatever ya want."
"The Little Bomber it is," Spirit said, slightly exasperated. "We'd better get a move on. They're going to try to check up on you soon."
"Where will you go?" Nightscream wondered.
"To where the stars point!" Angel said brightly.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I have no idea. It sounded like a good answer."
"Less talking and more loading, please." Spirit walked onto the lift and indicated to Angel she should follow suit, so she did.
The interior was set out similarly to the Axalon, but on a smaller scale. The control room was tiny, there were three sets of living quarters, storage, and not much else. To both Destroyer Angel and Spirit, it felt like home.
"Should we start it up?" Angel asked, eyeing a control panel.
"We'll have to sooner or later. Let's say our goodbyes first."
"Hey, Cyberkitty, you don't have to go with me, you know."
"Don't you start again! Destroyer Angel, I am your best friend, and there's no way you're going to ditch me on this technologically confused rock to have adventure all by yourself. When you split your Spark in half, you took on a responsibility to make sure that sacrifice isn't wasted. So I'm going with you, and there's nothing you can do about it."
"You're right. You'd probably just stow away again."
"Exactly. Now, let's say goodbye before our friends get tired of waiting."
"'Kay!"
"Hey, Anginator," Cheetor said, using Angel's old nickname, "You'd better write us, or I'll hunt you down. Got it?" Angel nodded. "And Cyberkitty, make sure she does." Spirit nodded, too.
"Understood, Spothead," the cats said simultaneously.
"Hope you don't blow up!" Nightscream said.
"Take care of yourselves," Blackarachnia said.
"And try to stay out of trouble," Silverbolt added. "Although, I suppose that's a wasted effort."
"Don't listen to 'im," Rattrap said. "Get inta as much trouble as ya need ta."
"I wish luck to both of you," Botanica said. Angel and Spirit stepped onto the lift.
"Thanks, guys," Angel said. "I'll think of all of you every time I start the ship up."
"So she's think of you during her last moments." Spirit grinned. "You'd better get out, or you might get blown up, too." The lift took the cats up, and they both positioned themselves in the control room: Spirit at navigation, and Angel in the pilot's seat.
"You ready to die, Cyberkitty?"
"It was a good life."
"It sure was!" Destroyer Angel hit the ignition button.
BOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Spirit started laughing as she realized she wasn't dead and the sound was created from the engines starting up.
"We're not dead!" she exclaimed.
"Not by a longshot! Let's blow this popsicle stand!" Destroyer Angel took the ship up, out of the hangar, and then out of the atmosphere.
"Where to? Earth?" Spirit asked.
"Not a good idea. There's still a lot of Vok influence there, and things would be awkward. Um, let's see..." Angel got out of her chair, spun around in place a few times, and pointed. "That way!"
Spirit shrugged. "Looks as good as any other direction." She plugged in the vector. "Sit down and take us into Transwarp space. We'll come out if it tomorrow and see where we wind up."
"Sounds like a plan. Here we go!"
End Part 4.