Epoch:

Grace

Joshin Yasha (joshinyasha@yahoo.com)

PG L

Beast Wars and all related belong to Hasbro. The story, its original contents and ideas, and any original characters belong to the author and cannot be used or reprinted without the author's permission.

Disclaimer: No money, no rights, no life. I own all original characters unless otherwise specified.

Dedications: Like usual, the story is dedicated to the writers for their excellent work. It's also dedicated to all the voice actors, especially David Sobolov and Campbell Lane, for bringing these wonderful characters (especially my favorites) to life. As well as the writers of Beast Wars, it's also for the people I love in hopes that this will show that one day I can do something better.

Author's notes: Well, it's my original series, revamped for a fourth time, but now with a lot less stereotypes (I hope).

The group turned to face the two as they entered the chambers. "So, you've finished your fight?" Gunslight inquired.

Misery and Nainsook stood by the door, both had different looks on their faces that read to the others as meaning upset. Nainsook's looked like he was upset because he had been lied to; Misery's looked like she had just had the world dropped on her back. "Xyston is dead," she breathed.

Zeppelin was the first to ask what the other two wanted, "How could you know this? How?"

She looked away, "Do not ask me that because I do not know. Xyston is dead." Misery turned back to them, optics burning with the need to unleash her anger. "They dropped him in acid. I could feel it. It burned me, too."

"Nainsook?" Ultimatum inquired, his hands reaching for his data pad. "Is this true?"

"I . . . don't know. I saw her start freaking out and then when I touched her she felt like she was burning from the inside out," he shook his head. "I'm not really sure what to believe anymore . . ."

Zeppelin stood, drew closer to Misery, and held his hand above her face. "Sister, if I may?"

She nodded, "Proceed, brother."

His palm opened and two plugs made their way out. With his mental command, the two cords slithered behind Misery's cranium and locked into the nape of her neck. Her optics fluttered and eventually shut; she may not normally let another into her mind, but for a monitor, she would allow it.

Images, almost televised, appeared on the inside of his visor and flashed across his face. He swept through them slowly, measuring each one and processing them. Zeppelin paused, rewound, and replayed her most recent memories, and, he too, blinked in surprise. "Well, she saw him die. But I cannot tell if that is indeed the truth or fiction."

"You doubt me?" she asked, flinching as he unplugged from her neck and drew the cords back into his hand.

"It is not that I doubt you, Misery, it is that I doubt the possibility that you could possess telemetry. Especially for such a distance."

"Distance? You believe Xyston far away from here?" she raised her hand to the back of her neck and ensured that the connecters had closed.

"Would you honestly kidnap someone and have them close to such a compound as the Predacon home colony?" Gunslight asked her as he drew away from the wall.

Nainsook and Ultimatum had both noticed by now: it was Decepticon habit to keep their back to the wall.

"Either way," she walked towards Gunslight and stared up to him. "The master is waiting. He has been patient, and I would not like to abuse said patience further."

Gunslight closed his optics and nodded to her before turning to the giant doors. He spoke plainly, and it was enough of a warning as he read the Decepticon language above the door. "Only those of Decepticon lineage may pass. No Predacon, no Maximal, and no Autobot may pass this doorway."

Misery raised her head and looked back to the other three. "The Tripredacus Council will keep you company until we return. Zeppelin, make sure you keep them out of trouble."

"Nothing to fear, sister. On with you, now," the purple and black Decepticon took his seat and followed Gunslight and Misery with his extrasensory ability until the buffers silenced his 'eyes.'

Gunslight's optics illuminated the walls with a red gleam as they passed through the dark corridor. "Remember your manners, Misery," he whispered as he pressed the doorway open into another dark room.

The darkness enveloped everything and the temperature was enough to tell them that many had died in this room. As a matter of fact, there were still bodies strewn about the floor with steam and sparks and mechfluid pouring from the remains of their bodies. Misery's insides began to clench tighter and tighter from the feeling of being watched. And what made it worse: she knew who was watching her.

Movement in the distance caught her optics and she dropped to her knee, bowed her head, and offered the proper greeting. "My master, I have come to you per your bidding. What would you have of me?"

The purple and grey Decepticon master stepped forth from the shadows and a sullen look was upon his face. "I was told that you are a loyal Decepticon." Misery remained silent. She knew better than to immediately reply. That would show insubordination for speaking without being asked.

He stepped closer, his red optics glowing in the darkness. "I was also told that you are worthy of an offer." She did not dare raise her head to him. Her first reason was that she had her priorities in order, the second reason was that she was scared shitless.

"So I ordered you be brought to me. I needed to see for myself just how loyal you are -just how co-operative you are," he stopped before her and began charging his laser cannon. "And here you are, cowering at my feet. Why should I believe you to be loyal and deserving?"

That time the question was directed to her, and thus she answered. "My master, in all truth I am but a soldier for the Decepticon cause. I am not worthy enough to be here in your eyes." Flattery worked.

Sometimes, at least.

"Very well," he pointed his laser at her and prepared to fire.

"My lord," Gunslight stepped forward and blocked Misery with his body. "Misery is only cowering because she knows that you are her master."

"Am I your master?" he asked her. She bowed her head lowered and replied with an agreement. "And am I your master?" the Decepticon leader raised his head back to Gunslight and awaited his answer.

"Yes, lord Galvatron, you are my master," he answered.

"Than she is a worm -a leech; a thorn! She is not deserving of my presence, she has spoken it herself," he pointed his laser at Gunslight. "And you have troubled me with bringing her here. I do not appreciate your sense of humor at my expense."

"My lord, I only troubled you with her name. You asked me of one who I thought would be submissive enough to serve you. I gave her name to you because I believe she will be willing to help you."

"You speak without being spoken to, Gunslight. You are wearing my patience thin," Galvatron snarled, readied the release on his laser, and raised his arm towards Gunslight's chest cavity.

"My lord," Misery raised her head but held her optics trained on the darkness. "Gunslight gave my name to you for your decision and choice. If you do not think of me as being worthy, then I retract Gunslight's words on my behalf."

Galvatron widened his optics, anger dancing across his face. "Very bold of you," he lowered his weapon to her level and watched as she stood and raised her optics to meet his. "Too bold."

"Lord Galvatron, if you request of me to perform a service for you, I shall answer it because you are the rightful ruler of us," she forced her stomach to stop tap-dancing inside her throat. "If you are in need of my services, then here I am to serve you."

"Pretty words for a soon to be scrap pile," Galvatron snarled and released the trigger on his laser cannon. The room became lit, Gunslight moved to help her, but the body parts all ready hit the floor. Misery lowered her hands and the magneticus program dropped the rest of the body parts and metal paneling she had used to block his fire. "You defy my will!"

"I defy death!" she screamed, regretted it, but held her ground.

Galvatron stood motionless and then threw his head back in fits of laughter. "She defies death! Gunslight, you were right to bring her to me. You and she shall make a grand centerpiece for my mantle should she fail. Go! Take her away! Take her from my sight before I change my mind and scrap you both now."

"Yes, Lord Galvatron," Gunslight bowed his head.

"Yes, Lord Galvatron," Misery bowed her head. They turned, quickened their pace from the chamber, and made their way back to the others. From there, they departed for another chamber.

Nainsook inspected the vats along the table and minutely paid attention to what was going on behind him. "The Maximal High Council has deemed it necessary to create a being capable of taking on the Predacons," a scientist began. "To answer their charge, we have decided to replicate their experiment and create a sense of balance between our two nations."

"That is where my part begins?" Misery asked, raising an optic to the group of scientists.

"Yes; rest assured you have a better chance of survival than the Maximal experiment, though," the one speaking cracked a smile. "We'll be using the real thing to what they have based their experiment on."

"And the real thing being . . . ?" Ultimatum asked, taking a seat against the wall and crossing his arms.

The scientist glared at him before he continued. "The Maximals have created an immortal spark in an attempt to create the perfect soldier. While the Maximals had to recreate the product from scratch, we, however, have the true base of the project."

Misery took a deep breath and relaxed her shoulders. "Starscream. You have found his spark."

Everyone in the room suddenly became more attentive to the details. "Yes, he is contained in the next room. Misery, if you'll come with us, we can begin." The scientist turned and led the other four scientists to a clean table. "Here, Misery."

Misery drew closer to them and observed the equipment. "How will this work?" she asked.

"We're going to loosen the nanites from your body, and when that happens, they will fall into this containment unit," he pointed to the openings under the table, "and the machines inside the container will began reprogramming the nanites. While this happens, we will attach Starscream's spark to yours and force a copy of his immortal programming into your spark."

"And my nanites?"

"When your spark becomes immortal, you will know it. Your nanites will be attracted back to your body. With their reprogramming, they will be stronger, alive, as it were, and able to be drawn back to your body more quickly."

"How fast?"

"We are estimating anywhere from fifty to one hundred times faster," he said. "Now, if you'll lie down and go into recharge mode, we can begin."

Misery did not like being defenseless, but with Gunslight in the immediate area, she knew she was safe. She did as she was told and laid down on the table. "See you if I wake up," she then closed her golden blue optics and fell into recharge mode. It was then that the scientists began their work.

They worked quickly, connecting her to monitors and preparing the drop away chamber for her nanites. The machines below were readying with a steady hum, notifying the scientists that everything was almost prepared. "Well, is everyone ready?"

Nainsook shifted and walked over next to Ultimatum and sat down, crossing his arms and watching diligently. "Do you think she was telling the truth?"

"About what?" the ex-Autobot inquired, laying his head back against the wall.

The Maximal shook his head, watching as they brought in the container with the immortal spark inside. "What she said to me about the High Council. Do ya think she was right about them reprogramming her boy, Xyston?"

Ultimatum sighed, turned his head to his partner, and lost his smile. "You're young, 'Sook, you haven't lived long enough to know what people are capable of--"

"I didn't ask you that, I asked if you thought she was telling the truth," Nainsook began climbing to his feet, but Ultimatum's grip on his wrist stopped him and forced him to look back.

He licked at his lips for a moment, opened his mouth to say something, closed it, took another sigh, and then spoke. "Yes. I think she's right."

That was not very comforting to know.

Both turned their heads and widened their optics as they watched Misery's body peal away from her frame work and fall into the containment hold. Seeing her bare chest cavity, her pulsing spark, the basic alignment for her cheeks, jaw, and optic-less sockets made Ultimatum and Nainsook turn their heads away.

She was floating in the dark place where dreams happen. She was comfortable being held there in warm arms, she was comfortable knowing that Xyston was dead, but she was very comfortable with knowing that she would have her revenge. Her body grew cold, rigid, and silent. Her spark began pumping faster, new sensations coursing through her as her optics dashed back and forth while streamlines poured into her.

"Such an insipid specimen," he purred, his voice an enemy in the darkness. He stroked the back of her helm tenderly, yet in that touch there was more violence and ice than one would think. "Devoid of everything but loyalty. Much like a child -my child."

Misery stirred and shifted in her arms, pointing a nonexistent gun to his midriff. She opened her eyes and glared dangerously at the Decepticon who held her. "You would do wise not to touch me," she tilted her head to the side, trying to get a better look at him.

The red, white, and grey transformer threw his head back in cold laughter. "Such gratitude for one who just saved your life." He saw the look she gave him. "Yes, you died not even halfway through the experiment. They hooked my spark up to your body before yours had the chance to flee to the Pit."

"You saved my life," she smiled something evil. "Your life gives birth to new life; mortal to immortal. Tell me, Starscream, does that make you father to me as Soundwave to his cassettes?"

"It means nothing, Misery. You were just something they forced me to create. Nothing more than an excrescence; a tumor with foul optics, as well."

"The way I look is no concern to you--"

"It's all my concern!" he wrapped his hand around her throat and snarled in her face. "Everything about you, from your optics to your spark, they are me in every form. Your body is just a shell; a vessel to which I have strengthened. Without me, you would be dead, wasted on a table and on your way to the Pit."

Her smile faded and she closed her optics. "I do not fear you, Starscream. I only fear two bots: Lord Galvatron and Gunslight."

"Galvatron is a fool!" he hissed, tightening his grip and fighting with all his will not to crush her in his hands. "I deserved to lead the Decepticons before he did!"

Misery threw her head back and laughed, cold and evilly. "Lord Galvatron was spawned from Megatron. I serve the one and true master of the Deception legions, and that, dad, is lord Galvatron."

"Call me that again and I'll take away my blessing I bestowed upon you and then kill you myself," Starscream snarled as he drew away from her body and disappeared in the darkness.

"What is the matter, Starscream? Do you not like the fact that you are no longer the only one of your kind? Three instead of one?"

His voice echoed about her head and held a nails on metal sound, "You may be cheeky, now, Misery, but remember this: without me you would no longer be able to seek your vengeance for your precious little boyfriend. On the other hand," she could hear his voice become more delighted, "there is still that chance that your vengeance would be acted upon in vain. Ergo, your friends did not tell you the full story, yet."

"What story?" she turned her head, scanning the darkness for him. "Answer me, Starscream, king of treachery!"

The ancient Decepticon's laugh carried about her with no source. "Oh, Misery, I've decided to leave you with something else, too. A little kiss goodbye from me to you. Such a pretty little thing you've buried inside your mind. I think I'll set it free . . . For your brashness, I leave you with another side to your mind released."

Misery cradled her head in her palms, feeling the presence take hold of the back of her mind. She turned her head to the right and a wicked smile crossed her lips. She then rotated her head to the left and a placid look took hold of her features once again. "What did you do to me?"

"Gave you more of a personality," the Decepticon smirked in his hiding place and then began to disappear completely. "That, and I made your actions more interesting. I woke up that little piece of you that you forgot about. Let's see how you fair with it again." Then he was gone.

"There, it's finished," after four straight megacycles of work, the scientists stepped back and admired their handiwork on Misery's frame. "Now, someone wake her up."

Ultimatum and Nainsook stood, watching in interest as one of the scientists approached the female Decepticon's body. With sudden movement, the two were drawing their weapons with instinct, but hesitated. Misery's frame was now sitting upright, and with slow movements surveyed the room. With no optics, the metallic skeletal face looked sickening to the ex-Autobot and Maximal.

She turned her head to the right and rotated her jaw. The scientists stepped back further and continued staring in admiration. "Misery," the lead scientist found his voice. "You must call your nanites back to your body. Can you understand what I'm saying?"

Her skull rotated and faced the direction of the speaking scientist. Pushing herself forward with her hands, she slid her framework from the table and stood on diminished legs. As she began walking forward, the nanites in the container crawled out after her like a large body of liquid. When they caught up with her feet, she turned and the nanites began climbing her body and taking their positions on her.

Misery turned her head again, this time to face the ex-Autobot, and as she did, the nanites settled over her skull and filled out her face. Once again, she was whole, but this time she had new abilities. She could feel in her hands that the magneticus components were now a physical piece of her, not just an added attachment. "Misery?" Ultimatum asked, amazed by the display.

She turned her head again and faced Nainsook with closed optics. "I believe you owe me a rematch," she bared her Decepticon smile and widened her golden red optics cynically. Nainsook took a moment to blink before he realized that she had forced her nanites to change her optics.

"Wait," Zeppelin entered the room with three Predacons trailing behind him. "Save your rematch for later, we have something better suited to test your new abilities. Allow me to introduce Switch, Decepit, and Jabot."

The purple and black Decepticon drew off to the side as the three approached Misery. "So, all we have to do is kill her? Psh, shouldn't be too hard," the one called Decepit smiled, drew his cannon from his back, and fired point blank into Misery's midsection. The power of his cannon knocked her backwards and into the wall. She hit the ground and slumped forward. He smiled, "Simple enough."

The laughter made everyone stop smiling. Misery climbed back to her feet, face turned to the right and staring at the three with her red optics shining. The tears in her body twisted and sealed back into their proper places, then she stood tall. She continued her wild stare, and in the blink of an eye, she was close to Decepit.

The Predacon widened his optics and choked on his stomach. Misery's hand tightened around his spark, her arm wrist deep into his chest cavity. She turned her face to the left and blinked, tightening her grip on his spark. "I shall rip you apart and crush your sparks with my bare hands." And she was true to her word.

She spun, drawing her hands in front of her, and swinging her arms upward. Switch and Jabot hit the ceiling and slid towards her, both yelling for their lives. She clenched her fists, lowered her arms, and the two Predacons dropped to their backs in front of her. Misery stepped forward, twisted her head to the right, and bent down until she was able to glare into Switch's optics. "Cross my heart hope to die . . . pluck out my slotting eye . . ."

Switch cried out, begging Misery to stop, but she traced her fingertips around his optics. "Misery, please, you can't!" he whimpered, trying desperately to move his body, but unable to.

She smiled, grinning from audio to audio as she drew a knife and pried one of his optics free from his face. He screamed the whole time as she then stuck the knife in through the open socket and began twisting it around. "There!" she cackled, pushing the knife into his core processor and disconnecting his mind from his body.

His screams silenced and his body stilled. Misery smirked and plunged a finger into his open socket, latched it on the inside, and jerked the metal free from his face until there was only a jagged hole. "So easily ripped. Faulty metal," she cackled and pressed her palm against his core processor. "Wake up," his good optic shot open, and he screamed again, "time to die!"

Ultimatum closed his optics and turned his head. Nainsook tilted his face and forced himself to watch. Gunslight, the scientists, and Zeppelin smiled. "Enough, sister," Gunslight ordered. "You've proven your new skills."

The Decepticon looked up to face him, blinked, and gathered her senses. She stood, freeing Jabot from her hold, "My apologies, brother. I lost myself." Jabot did not wait for her to finish before he ran.

Zeppelin clapped his hands together, "Marvelous, stupendous, fascinating. Now, dear sister." He waved his hand to the side in presentation fashion. "Our transport awaits."

She acknowledged him, "Of course, brother."

Ultimatum raised his hand. "Oh, pick me! Pick me! I wanna go! Can I go?"

Nainsook punched him in the arm playfully. "Ya nutcase. You act like a child."

Ultimatum smiled, "And you love me for it."

"Very true."

"Can we go now?"

"Yeah, yeah . . ."

"Are we there, yet?"

"I'm seriously going to hit you, now."