25.Nov.06
Reconciliation
By: Spectre
the Hechidnat
Chapter 6: Mysteries Upon Mysteries
Primal Prime cupped his chin with his enormous
hand as he listened to the reports of the Transmetal 2s. Awakening from the CR
Chamber, he had demanded to know what had happened while he was offline. Now
that he had heard it, he was more confused than ever. Apparently, his
subordinates and Axalon Tower had been saved by a Maximal swordsman of
unparalleled skill who was a dead ringer for Silverbolt.
Unlike Prime, Rattrap was forthcoming in his skepticism. "Are you sure the
'Cons didn't hit you guys a little too hard?"
Tigatron glared at the diminutive Maximal. "Show some respect for our
comrades, Rattrap. I believe their story."
"You've got to admit, it does sound just a little far-fetched,"
Airazor remarked.
"I myself have doubts, and I saw it with my own eyes," Dinobot
muttered.
"Everyone who was active saw it: this guy Windrazor was exactly like
Silverbolt except for color scheme," Blackarachnia retorted.
Cheetor was silent for a moment, then he spoke up. "Why don't we ask
Silverbolt about this? And where's Depth Charge; we could use a little
support."
"Both of them have been dispatched out on patrol; and the rest of you
should get to work as well. If we can, we'll unravel the mystery of Windrazor.
If not, then that's the end of it," Primal Prime said.
Depth Charge flew over Cybertropolis, looking down on the empty city. After the
Predacons had landed, the entire area had been evacuated to protect its
citizens. Depth Charge didn't mind; it made hunting his targets much easier.
Converted into Starhopper mode, the Maximal hunter thought about what he had
seen just recently. Windrazor, the enigmatic warrior who had come to the aid of
Axalon Tower, was certainly a subject that interested him. In all his years of
combat, Depth Charge had never seen a being so skilled with an Energon sword. It
was a dangerous weapon to use, and had been all but discarded from arsenals
since the Great War between Autobots and Decepticons. The warrior who carried
that weapon had been able to drive off all nine Predacons and Vehicons, a feat
that no member of the Axalon crew had pulled off.
Axalon crew, Depth Charge thought with a short chuckle. Even though he himself
had never traveled on the vessel, he had come to think of himself as a member of
that group. His fellow Maximals did nothing to discourage him. It was all a very
different situation from what it had been when he first landed on prehistoric
Earth.
Without warning, Depth Charge's sensors went off. "Attention: Predacon
Spark signature detected."
"Prime," Depth Charge whispered. He had calibrated his scanner systems
to detect Predacon and Vehicon Sparks. It was principally to locate enemy
troops, but Depth Charge had an ulterior motive. Rampage had somehow learned to
mask the Protoform X Spark signature that Depth Charge had always used to track
him before. Thus, Depth Charge's only chance of locating him was to locate a
Predacon Spark.
Landing on the balcony of the building his sensors said the signature was coming
from, Depth Charge got his bearings. According to his readings, the Predacon was
just inside on the top level. Smiling grimly, Depth Charge spoke quietly.
"Depth Charge, Maximize!"
Shifting to robot mode, he drew his trusty double-barreled gun. Moving as
stealthily as a Cybertronian his size could, he made his way around to an
entrance. By his readings, his target was just on the other side of this door.
Trying his best to remain silent, he pushed the door open.
"MAXIMIZE!"
Out of the door came flying Windrazor in Robot Mode. Depth Charge was knocked
from the balcony, falling down towards the street below. It was only activating
the jets on his back that saved him from becoming a junk heap. He looked up to
see Windrazor flying at him, Energon katana drawn. Holstering his gun, Depth
Charge drew the spear that in Beast Mode served as his tail. Just in time, he
lifted it to intercept a slash from Windrazor.
"Why are you following me!?" Windrazor howled, his sword a blur of
motion.
Struggling to block his attacks, Depth Charge replied. "I had no idea that
you were here! I detected a Predacon Spark signature, but it was coming from
you!"
Replying with a kick, Windrazor sent Depth Charge flying into a nearby building.
Before he could press his attack, he was suddenly struck from behind, causing
him to drop his sword. Turning, he found himself face to face with Silverbolt.
"I don't know who you are, but I will not stand by and let you harm my
comrades!" The Maximal knight snarled. He launched and caught a pair of his
feather weapons, watching in amazement as Windrazor did the same. Moreover, as
he twirled his weapons in a salute, his adversary matched his every move. With a
howl, Silverbolt flew forward.
Depth Charge gaped as the two engaged. Silverbolt and Windrazor were both blurs
of motion, their twin weapons moving so quickly that they were virtually
invisible. To top that off, the two were so similar in appearance and style that
they appeared to be mirror images of each other. Clangs echoed as their weapons
met again and again, neither landing any strikes on the other. In desperation,
Silverbolt activated a tool he had never before used: the Spark extractor built
into his chest.
Windrazor froze as he felt a force drawing his Spark away from his body.
However, his expression was unworried. Silverbolt, trying to draw in the Spark,
was shocked when he realized that the Spark was not one, but two.
'A binary Spark,' Silverbolt thought. Such a thing was almost unheard of; fusing
Sparks was incredibly dangerous. Only one had ever been known to exist:
Tigerhawk, the fused form of Tigatron and Airazor. With a cry, Silverbolt shut
down the extractor, unable to absorb two Sparks at once. Windrazor's smirk
prompted him to attack anew with his feather weapons.
"Silverbolt, stand down!"
Each combatant stopped and turned as Primal Prime flew in, transforming from Jet
Mode to Robot Mode. Growling, Silverbolt replaced his weapons. As Windrazor did
the same, Depth Charge flew up with the rogue's sword in hand. Taking it,
Windrazor sheathed it by his side. Before he could speak, Silverbolt blurted
out.
"He's got a binary Spark! There are two Sparks in his body!"
Primal Prime looked stunned. Depth Charge snapped his fingers in realization.
"That's the reason I detected a Predacon Spark signature; one of his Sparks
must be Predacon!"
"Indeed," Windrazor confirmed. "Now, is there some way I can help
you?"
"My name is Primal Prime; I lead the Maximals you helped to save. I'm
grateful for your help, Windrazor, and I would like to offer you a chance to
join us."
"The offer is appreciated, but I must refuse. Your conflict is with
Tarantulas and his forces; mine is solely with Nemesis Prime. Now, if you excuse
me, I must be off."
With that, Windrazor went to his Beast Mode and flew off. Primal Prime,
Silverbolt, and Depth Charge watched as he left, wondering if and when they
would ever understand him.
To be continued...