CHAPTER SEVEN
"Who is this?" Tigatron asked as Blackarachnia helped the gray bot out of the hidden compartment.
"He calls himself Cerebros," the Predacon replied. "He was already here when Airachnid moved in."
Tigatron looked Cerebros up and down, noticing a red insignia on the bot's chest. "You're an Autobot?" he asked the mech.
"Yes," Cerebros said, speaking softly. He looked over to Blackarachnia. "You said you'd be back soon."
"Airachnid caught wind of my plotting," Blackarachnia muttered. "She tossed me into a dungeon before I could get anywhere near the control room."
"That's not good," Cerebros said. "Now it will be even more different to make a second attempt."
Tigatron shook his head. "I'm sorry, can you two please clue me in here?"
Cerebros glanced at Blackarachnia. "Can he be trusted?" he asked.
"More than me," replied the spider.
Nodding, Cerebros turned to face Tigatron. "This fortress is a Titan," the Autobot explained. "I arrived on this world with it about a month ago, although I was forced to put us both into stasis to evade this planet's anti-Eukarian defenses."
"And so you allowed Airachnid to move in?" Tigatron asked.
"Yes," Cerebros said glumly. "I didn't even know about it until Blackarachnia here found me."
"Purely on accident," the Predacon was quick to add.
"And she helped you?" Tigatron questioned.
"I had long grown tired of working for the witch," Blackarachnia said. "I wanted to get off this planet any which way I could."
"All Titans have a space bridge," Cerebros said. "I've been trying to help her get there without Airachnid noticing. So much for that...."
Tigatron frowned. "Can't you command the Titan to just fly off of Eukaris?"
Cerebros shook his head. "That'll awaken Chela, and we'd all be in a far worse situation than before."
"Does Airachnid have any control over the Titan?"
"She only cares about her labs," Blackarachnia said. "She might be using the space bridge to acquire resources, but beyond that...."
"So she doesn't know we're in here?"
"Not unless she's in the control room," Cerebros muttered.
Tigatron nodded. "Right. No problem then."
Blackarachnia sneered at him. "What do you mean 'no problem?'"
"I've lived on Eukaris for nearly two thousand years. This situation we're in right now? No different than the jungle. We just need to utilize stealth and avoid the Insecticons as much as we can."
"In case you haven't notice, Maximal, we're in a fortress, not a jungle. We can't exactly use foliage as disguise here."
"Then we improvise. Adaption is key to survival."
Rolling her eyes, Blackarachnia glanced at Cerebros. "Please don't tell me this makes any sense to you."
"It doesn't," the Autobot admitted. "But then again, nothing for the past two months have made sense to me."
* * *
Things were quiet in the Predacon fortress. This upset Tarantulas greatly; he so longed for the days at his former base, where he had tortured his prisoners for endless hours. While Gnashteeth had promised to let him play with anyone who was still loyal to Cryotek, the spider had yet to get his pincers on any potential subjects.
At this point, he was practically craving for those screams of agony....
Outside, he could see the space bridge of Talon Valley. It had been switched off for the night to prevent any Predacons from getting bright ideas. Only Gnashteeth had the code to activate it again... but Tarantulas didn't need codes to turn it back on.
He knew what the Predacon leader was planning to use it for; what his intended destination was. But the goal itself was of no use to someone like Tarantulas. What scientific use could a myth possibly have?
Oh, but there was far more to the world that laid beyond the space bridge than what Gnashteeth was after. So much more. Seven and a half billion more, to be precise.
Tarantulas felt himself salivating at the mouth. The wait, he could safely assume, was going to be well worth it.
* * *
"This is it."
The seven Maximals came to a stop at the location Bantor had brought them to. The fortress stood far taller than any they were accustomed to, surpassing even that of the Predacons' original fortress. In fact, in some ways, it looked far more like a city than a fortress, with a number of towers stretching up through the forest canopy.
"Jumping gyros," Cheetor murmured in amazement. "This looks like something straight out of Backstop's tales."
"In a way, it is," Bantor said, smiling slightly. "If I'm not mistaken, this is what one would call a Titan."
"Impossible," Sonar whispered. "Chela is the Titan of Eukaris. How can there be another?"
"Your guess is as good as mine." Moving over to the Titan's outer wall, Bantor parted a few pieces of botanical growth to reveal a hidden door. "This is the only entrance I could find."
"Have you been inside?" Wolfang asked.
Bantor hesitated for a moment. "Once," he murmured. "I didn't exactly get further than the first room."
"Why not?" Airazor asked.
"Well...." The Fuzor sighed as he opened the door. "Let me just show you."
The Maximals followed him in and immediately saw what had Bantor unsettled. Various limbs and parts were scattered all around the dungeon they had entered. Incomplete bodies hung from the walls while severed heads dangled from the ceiling on chains. All of them were Eukarian, whether they be Fur, Scale, Cloud, or Wave Walkers or any of the other tribes.
"This is where she disposes the failures," Bantor said quietly, keeping his optics to the floor. "She keeps them around in case she needs to salvage their materials."
"Was this where you were made?" Airazor asked, examining a deceased Scale Walker with wings patched onto them.
"No, she only moved into this place recently. I was made long before then, after she returned to Eukaris."
Rhinox glanced at the Fuzor. "Returned?"
"She was exiled during Magmatron's reign," Bantor explained. "As I understand it, she was with the Decepticons for some time, where she was able to acquire a large amount of resources and materials."
"And what was her name again?"
"Airachnid."
All seven Maximals tensed. Diablo and Sonar scowled while Wolfang bowed his head. Rattrap and Cheetor shifted uncomfortably. Rhinox looked over to Airazor, who was standing stock still.
"I take it you've heard of her?" Bantor remarked.
"It would appear so, although I imagine all our stories are different." Rhinox turned back to the Fuzor. "In any case, I believe our situation has become much more clearer now that we know who is behind all of this."
"So you have a plan then?"
"Somewhat." The Maximal rhino drew out a pair of gatling guns. "It's rather straightforward...."
Bantor grinned. "Straightforward is how I like it."
* * *
Purple optics stared at the wide array of viewscreens the control room provided. None of them offered any good news.
As much as she was remiss to admit it, Airachnid had not been using the Titan's utilities to their full potential. She had only relocated into it after discovering its space bridge, something which she knew she could use. With camouflage and security systems already in place, the very idea of someone escaping from the dungeons or breaking in had never crossed her mind until now.
Fortunately, this was a minor inconvenience that could be easily dealt with.
Not requiring any other form of communication, she sent a call out to her Insecticons. Content that the situation was under control, she turned away from the viewscreens and returned to her lab.
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