19.Aug.06

The Truth of War, Or, Heaven or Hell?

 By: Zucca

  Nobody in the control deck could believe what they were hearing. Did Megatron know where the wayward crab was? Was this an elaborate trick?

Optimus leaned down to the comms. “You understand if we have a hard time believing you.”

Rampage’s monstrous face twisted into a cruel sneer. “You may believe whatever you desire, it isn’t my place to tell you what you should and shouldn’t do. But I can personally assure you that without my help, Megatron will grind you into metallic paste.”

Silverbolt bared his fangs at the screen. “We do not bargain with Predacons! Much less, particularly murderous ones!”

“Ah yes, you still must be upset over our scuffle some time back. You’ve plenty of gall to complain after what murder did to you.” Rampage said softly.

Silverbolt snarled. “You have no idea what it feels like to die!”

Rampage let out an unexpected howl of rage, eyes fastening. “AND I NEVER SHALL!” He bellowed, then reverted to calm in a disturbingly short time. “Which is why I am ideal for organizing a coup de etat against our dear friend, Megatron.”

Silverbolt slammed his fist down on the console, leaving a sizable dent. “WE SHALL NEVER ALLY WITH YOU!”

Rampage… smiled. “That’s not very Maximal of you. Heh heh heh.”

The words echoed in Silverbolt’s mind, reminding him of that dreadful night… The night when he almost committed cold-blooded murder.

Ironically enough, Rampage, in attacking him, saved him from staining his heart and soul with a crime so grievous.

Silverbolt was at a loss for words, shoulders and wings slumping slowly. Optimus glared at the screen. “Silverbolt is correct. We have no reason to trust you. Megatron is the only one who keeps you on a leash after all. If we deal with him, we will have you to contend with.”

Rampage chuckled softly. “Then you’ll have to evaluate who is the lesser of the two evils.” He said darkly, then cut the transmission.

Silverbolt looked up at Optimus. “Do not even consider that monster’s proposal!”

Rattrap sighed, shaking his head. “I dunno. The crab’s got an edge, and I’d love ta’ see Megs get it where it hurts.”

Silverbolt growled. “You have no idea what you speak of! I have seen the worst of both these devils, and I assure you that the ‘worst of the two evils’ is Rampage!”

Rhinox stroked his chin. “Maybe we could use their opposed views to our advantage?”

Blackarachnia smirked. “If you’re thinking what I think you’re thinking, then you’ve gotten a lot more devious in the past years, rhino.”

Silverbolt frowned. “What is your plan?”

Rhinox looked to Optimus. “If we play both of them against eachother, let the other know of the schemes, then there is a chance that they’ll both be destroyed. And even if one wins, he’ll end up being damaged. That’s when we move in and take out the other.”

Silverbolt was again at a loss for words.

Optimus took a deep sigh. “Rhinox… we cannot resort to tactics that the Preda…”

Rattrap spoke up. “Wait a minute, if we can win da’ Beast Wars with this idea, then let’s do it! I’m tired of sittin’ around a coupla’ million years in da’ past!”

Thundermare winced. “But anything we do to gain an edge reflects on us… what do we tell our children when the war is over?”

Blackarachnia snarled. “Who says we’ll even have any children if we don’t survive this blasted war?! We’re stuck between two titans who’ll eat us for lunch! What will I tell my children if they’re born in the middle of a war for survival?!”

“I’m with widder’ gal! Mah’ ol’ pals’ll be gunnin’ for us with ever’thang they got! We can’t fluffyfoot it!” Quickstrike jeered.

Optimus shook his head. “We can win this war without using tactics like that…”

Silverbolt couldn’t take hearing anymore. “Why can you fools not sit down and talk rationally?! We are in a war! We will NOT survive by playing it by rules laid down by those who have never set foot on a battlefield! I despise war just as much as the next individual, but we are in this now. We will not win by playing it nice with the Predacons. Yes, there are times for humanities. Yes, there are times for empathy. But fighting with humanities does not mean we roll over and allow them to lay our entrails out!”

Optimus held his breath.

Bounder sighed. “But Bolt… The Pred blokes ain’t gonna give us anything but a nifty tether to hang ourselves with. We’d be no diff…”

Silverbolt felt a surge from within him, something he’d never felt before gaining a soul…

“WE ARE NO DIFFERENT!!” He screamed, tears surging from his eyes.

All talk fell silent. All eyes fell upon Silverbolt.

“We are the same, the Predacons and us Maximals! I’m not saying we are bloodthirsty, I am not saying we are cold and callous! But I am saying that we and the Predacons share so much in common! We both vie for the protection of our people. We both want to save our people from oppression. We both fear for our lives. But we are both in this war. When we are at war, we must take it gravely serious. We are not playing a game here. We both have lost people on both sides. So let me tell you all now… We are going to work against The greater of the two evils. And the way I see it, the greater of the two evils is Rampage.” Silverbolt said, passion dripping from each word, his eyes flaming with truth.

Optimus felt his jaw fall agape.

The Maximals were flung into a raptured silence.

“We cannot continue to make believe that we are the heroes of this war… THERE ARE NO HEROES IN WAR!!” Silverbolt cried. “The heroes… the heroes are the ones who do not come home… Dinobot is a hero… Tigatron and Airazor are heroes… Even Terrorsaur and Scorpinok… But while alive, we are nothing but normal Maximals and Predacons trying to survive. If we’re going to make it through this alive, we have to take it seriously or we will fail.”

Optimus was at a loss for words himself. The words Silverbolt spoke were full of passion, heart and… soul.

“If we inform our chief adversary, Megatron, of the wiles his demonic servant plans against him and all of us, then we’ll have that much less to worry about. The best scenario we can hope for is that Megatron destroys Rampage with his newfound power, but doesn’t survive it. The worst case is that one wins and turns on us. It is my opinion that we cannot defeat either of them if they’re allied. In point of fact, I believe it to be nigh impossible to defeat even one of them. So, we will need to ally with the survivor. I do not think anyone here sees the appeal in allying with Rampage. Never have I believed I would say it, but it is our best interest to see to it that Megatron wins.” Silverbolt said. “We will not ally with Rampage, no matter. I believe he has the Predacons support on his attempting coup.”

“Now…” He said, taking a deep breath. “Who here believes in this strategy?”

To everyone’s surprise, including the speaker himself, Optimus spoke first. “I do.”

Rhinox took a breath. “Me too.”

“Ditto.”

“I’m in.”

“Ya’ got mah’ vote.”

“I’m all o’er it, mate.”

All Maximals affirmed.

Rampage came back to the Predacon base, smirking to himself. He knew they would refuse. He knew they would attempt to turn him against Megatron

He also knew that Megatron would know of this right away unless he took immense care to ensure the beastly Predacon Commander was kept thoroughly distracted. Suppose Rampage tell him they have a genuinely dangerous traitor in their midst? Maybe more then one? The ways he could make Megatron’s head spin brought a hideous smile to his cruel face.

He entered the base, looking up at Megatron who floated inches above the lava, staring at it as if pondering.

“Your late arrival gives me cause to worry, Rampage. Yeees. I believe you are six cycles and twenty seven minicycles late. Why is that? You’ve always been very punctual, yes.” Megatron said without taking his crimson eyes off the molten rock.

Rampage shrugged. “A run in with a Maximal. The rat. He ran away before I could devour his spark.” Rampage said, knowing even with his new powers, Megatron could not read his thoughts.

Megatron let a hand rise to his chin and give a bit of a rub. “And what damage did you inflict?”

Rampage smiled cruelly. “Enough to give him cause to cry out like an infant animal.”

Megatron frowned, but didn’t move. “Leave me, if you have nothing else to report. I sense our time is running out. There is something deep in space that represents an incredible threat, but even though it feels like the aliens, I know it is not them who come.”

Rampage glanced over his shoulder as he strode out. “Whatever it is, it shall find naught but ruins of you, foul one.”

Deep in space, the three bolts of light soared towards the young, blue planet, transwarp trails spiraling off of them.

Strange as it may seem, odd as it may be, as if by the slimmest chance, the three bolts struck the aftermath fringes of the transwarp explosion created so long ago. Fate is an often disputed subject for any race, in any culture. Whether or not our lives are guided by destiny or by strange chance hasn’t yet been answered…

The transwarp radiation killed the three aliens possessing the glowing bolts, leaving their original occupants alive and conscious just in time to feel the burning of Earth’s atmosphere at their shells…

The Maximals had felt it too. The presence in space that sped towards the planet.

Optimus watched the screen as the computer tracked them. “Cheetor, I want you to investigate the one falling in grid Trion. Blackarachnia will go with you.”

Cheetor expected the seething glance from the wolven Maximal that he always received when Blackarachnia was assigned with him before… But, as if tapping into some unseen reservoir of patience, the knightly one simply nodded, understanding the orders and trusting Optimus.

“Silverbolt and I will investigate the one falling near grid Omega.” Optimus said. Rhinox, Thundermare, Bounder and Waspinator will check out the one landing…” He paused, checking the latest readouts. “… on the Predacon base… By Primus… let’s move, Maximals! ”

The Maximal team blasted out of the base, leaving Rattrap and Quickstrike by themselves.

Rattrap glanced over at Quickstrike. “Thingies fallin’ from space, Megatron turnin’ into some kinda nutty demi-god and now everyone but us stuck behind. We’re all gonna die…”

Quickstrike looked back to him. “Huhh? Dun say stuff like that, varmint. Them shootin’ stars might be somethin’ good fer a change.”

Rattrap heaved a sigh. “I hope yer right, Strike.”

Rhinox, Bounder, Thundermare and Waspinator all reached the Darkside just in time to see it shatter and explode into a heaving of lava, metal and escaped gasses and munitions…

“Sweet hobblin’ Primus!!” Bounder yelled, setting down. Thundermare landed with Rhinox, jaw dropped.

Rhinox looked over the wreckage. “Something’s not right here…”

Thundermare looked to him incredulously. “Golly, do you THINK?!”

A sudden screeching of metal being pulled apart brought their eyes to slowly draw upon the flaming rubble.

Something crawled out of it…

Rhinox could not believe his eyes. The creature that emerged from the wreckage of the Darkside was one he had never before seen, or even imagined.

It looked like a praying mantis, but was pitch red, had four arms and was slender, agile and more cybernetic in appearance then robotic.

It leveled a gaze on him, it’s skull-like face bearing fierce green eyes, reptilian in appearance.

Thundermare, Bounder and Waspinator all ran up beside Rhinox to gape at the strange, nightmarish creature.

It looked at them and cackled, head thrown back. “HAHAHAHAHAAA! I’m back, Maximals!!!” Howled a hauntingly familiar voice that Rhinox and Waspinator knew well…

“Terrorsaur!” Rhinox hollered.

The creature laughed, green eyes blazing. “No… Terrorsaur was a weakling. A fool. A coward. I am Terror! Power incarnate!”

Bounder huffed. “Ya’ look like an oversized mosquito ta me!”

Waspinator whimpered, looking up at the bizarre one. “T-Terrorsaur…? Why you look so different now?”

Terror snickered. “W-Waspinator? Why are you standing with the Maximals?” He asked mockingly.

Waspinator looked at his comrades, then to Terror. “Waspinator with Maximals now! Balance of power changed!”

Terror sneered. “You’re right, you babbling retardicon! The balance of power has shifted in favor of… ME!”

With that, the monstrous hybrid launched a bolt of energy that ripped through the ground like a tremor. It made the lave itself blast from the cracks it created and molten rock rained down on Maximal and Predacon alike, but only the Maximals were harmed by it…

The glowing matter slid off of Terror like butter off hot Teflon.

“Run for it!” Rhinox bellowed.

Bounder transformer into her vehicle mode and snatched Rhinox. Waspinator began trailing behind, flying as fast as his wings could carry him.

Terror laughed to himself. “Run, cowards. There will be time for you all later.”

He turned to the wreckage. “There was no one in here when I destroyed it…. Have the Maximals won? No…. no they haven’t. My old ‘comrades’ have simply relocated. When I find Megatron, he’ll be lucky to wind up as a toaster in the palace I’ll build.”

The horrible creature transformed into a stiletto-like ship with flawless execution, the sound of whirling blades accompanying it, and blasted off for parts unknown to consider his next move.

“Where am I?” She asked herself, rubbing her head. “Is this…. The Matrix?”

She stood up, her diagnostic screen looking… far different from what she remembered.

“Computer… re-calibrate sensors.” She said, and a chirp later, her previous question was answered.

Vibrant green eyes looked out across the landscape. She smelled ozone.

A familiar voice suddenly spoke behind her… “Airazor!”

Her heart leapt. “Tigertron!”

To be continued…