CHAPTER TWO
"Insecticon sighting in Ibex. All units to Sector C-79. Repeat: All units to Sector C-79."
It was strange, Strongarm thought, to be back in action so soon after being dead for nearly two years. The doctors and even Rodimus himself had repeatedly offered to let her rest, to catch up on everything that had transpired since her death. But she had never been much for rest, not when there were Decepticons that needed a good apprehending.
In fact, speeding down the speedways alongside her fellow security bots, Strongarm found herself feeling more energized than ever before. Perhaps Shockwave's magic ore had given her and the others an extra kick upon bringing them back to life.
As she and her entourage neared Ibex, Strongarm could already see the Insecticons swarming around the race tracks, terrorizing racers and spectators alike. Being smaller and faster than her, Groove and Sparkride sped ahead of her and got to the scene before anyone else. Strongarm was about to rebuke them for breaking protocol when a gleam of light caught her visual sensors.
Transforming to robot mode, Strongarm drew her gun and swung it in the direction of a black and gray Insecticon. The dark warrior had a sword pointed at a hapless Autobot while holding a green stone in his other hand. Upon noticing Strongarm, the Insecticon flashed her a devious grin as he waved the stone in his hand.
"You're too late, Autobot! We already have what we came for!"
Strongarm had absolutely no idea what importance the stone had to the Insecticon. Still, knowing Decepticons, it couldn't be anything good.
"Shadow Raker, in accordance to Section 8, Subsection 30 of the Tyrest Accord, I command you to stand down!"
Shadow Raker chuckled. "Come now, Autobot. Surely by now you realize there is little point in--"
He was cut off by a coil of electricity snapping in his face. Crying out in shock, Shadow Raker staggered back and dropped the stone. This gave Strongarm the opening she needed and she fired her gun into his shoulder.
Growling in subdued pain, Shadow Raker transformed to his bug form and picked up the stone with his legs. Strongarm continued shooting at him, but the Insecticon evaded all of her shots, flying off towards the city skyline. The remaining Insecticons continued fighting the Autobots until Shadow Raker was well out of reach; they then quickly broke off from their attack and followed their brother out of the city, leaving behind a race track in ruins, yet thankfully no casualties.
"Man," Groove commented as he and Sparkride rejoined Strongarm, watching the retreating swarm. "So much work for a stupid rock."
However, Strongarm was no longer concerned with the Insecticons. Instead, she had turned her attention to the Autobot Shadow Raker had had at his mercy. The black and silver bot was helped to her feet by a blue femme and immediately fell into her arms. Head tilted quizzically, Strongarm carefully approached the couple and smiled when she finally put a name to the familiar face.
"Hey, Livewire."
Her old friend stiffened at the sound of her name as she slowly broke away from Spiral's embrace and turned around. Upon seeing Strongarm, the energon drained from Livewire's face.
"S-Strongarm...?"
Strongarm chuckled. "Don't worry, I'm not a zombie or anything. It's a long story, but I am actually alive and not some weird undead thing. Got a spark and everything."
Livewire said nothing, staring slack-jawed and ashen-faced at her resurrected friend. Spiral held onto her hand, looking away in what almost looked like either embarrassment or... worry?
Strongarm frowned in confusion. "Is everything all right? Why do you look so... scared?"
Groove cleared his vocal processor. "Uh, I think we should all go back to base," he said, placing a hand on Strongarm's shoulders. "You have two years-worth of events to catch up on...."
* * *
"Boy, that sure didn't take long."
"Cease your prattle," Shadow Raker snarled as he shouldered past Barrage into the Ultracon hideout. He was still clutching his other shoulder from the injury he had sustained back at Ibex. "The important thing is that we have the stone."
"Uh-huh," Barrage grunted. "I'm sure you'll win Ultracon of the year for stealing a precious rock."
Shadow Raker ignored him and continued walking. He eventually reached the center of the base, where the leader of the Ultracons awaited him. Despite having been reformatted into a more standard body-type, Ratbat still preferred to hang from the ceiling as he had in his bat body. Upon seeing Shadow Raker enter, Ratbat gracefully dropped down to the floor.
"Ah, Shadow Raker!" Ratbat spread his arms in greeting. "I had worried you'd lost your way. Were you able to find anything on Rikev-Har?"
"Not on Rikev-Har," Shadow Raker said. "However, the proprietor there did tell me he had sold the stone to an Autobot living here on Cybertron. Fortunately, it didn't take long to find."
The Insecticon held up the green stone and Ratbat swiftly moved over to retrieve it. As the Ultracon leader turned it over in his hand, Shadow Raker shifted on his feet, still clutching his wound.
"So, ah, if it's not too impudent to ask, when do you think we can discuss the matter of payment?"
"Where's the rest of it?" Ratbat asked.
Shadow Raker blinked, taken aback. "The rest of it?"
Ratbat snarled as he whirled to the Insecticon. "This is only a piece of the Emberstone! The legends describe it as an artifact comprised of five stones! Where are the others?!"
Shadow Raker scowled. "Hey now, you didn't specify.... You sent us to get the Emberstone and that's what you--"
Ratbat let out an oil-curdling shriek as he unsheathed a double-edged blade and plunged it into Shadow Raker's chest. The Insecticon's optics flashed in agony as the edge of the blade pierced his spark casing, before going dim. Ratbat then pulled his blade out and allowed Shadow Raker's body to hit the floor.
"Imbecile," Ratbat growled as he wiped his weapon clean of energon.
"Imbecile or not, I do not approve of you disposing of my children so callously."
A shadow fell over Ratbat as a black figure, suspended by long violet legs, emerged from the shadows. The Ultracon leader regarded the Arachnicon coolly as he stowed away his blade.
"Nowhere in our agreement am I obliged to coddle your 'children,' Airachnid," Ratbat said darkly. "I have only agreed to provide them shelter so long as they prove their worth to me."
"And has what Shadow Raker done for you not suffice?" Airachnid snarled, stepping over to her child's corpse. "He got your precious Emberstone, even if it was only a fragment."
"You do not understand what is at play!" Ratbat snapped. "The Emberstone has an important role to play in the coming events. The powers that be have little patience for those who perform an incomplete task."
Airachnid narrowed her violet eyes. "This doesn't sound like you, Ratbat. I thought you were in charge of this whole operation; why are you speaking of some higher power?"
"Do not question that which you cannot understand." Ratbat's tone suddenly sounded very off, as if someone other than him was speaking. "Just do as you are ordered and all will become clear."
Airachnid opened her mouth to retort but the Ultracon leader had already retreated into the shadows of his lair.
No comments:
Post a Comment