Tag: transformers

Things had finally settled down at the Autobot base. There was a victory party for what the N.E.S.T alliance has called the Eggman Hive war. Autobots, Mobian, and humans of magical persuasion or not were celebrating. After it wound down and the guests left, Optimus, Topaz, and Teletraan met in Optimus’s office. “You bots certainly know how to party,” observed Topaz.

“Jazz was always called The Music Meister on Cybertron,” replied Optimus. “For a while, he wanted to be called Meister.”

“G.U.N’s had a question on that,” interjected Topaz. “Is ‘Jazz’ his real name?”

“No, that’s just a name he picked up since he heard Louis Armstrong and other various jazz musicians,” answered Optimus. “Only his friends know his real name. Don’t bother asking, we swore a vow of silence on that note.”

“Well, at least Tower won’t get that info either,” muttered Topaz. The mood went down as Optimus sensed the bitterness in her voice.

“I…Er…Shadow…briefed me on…” Optimus stopped when he heard a sniffle. He knew where it came from. Optimus sighed, then transformed. He projected his holo-form onto the desk where Topaz sat. Topaz looked up; her eyes stained with tears. She then hugged Optimus and sobbed onto his shoulder. They stayed that way for a few minutes until Teletraan received a call and curled his lips into a snarl.

“I know it seems too short for a full consoling session,” he said to the two, “but Tower’s calling.” Optimus didn’t want to take it, but his desire for answers was strong. He checked with Topaz.

“Go ahead,” she replied as she wiped her eyes and adopted a cold, angry demeanor. Optimus canceled his holo-form and transformed.

“Put it through,” directed Optimus. Silas’ head then showed up on the screen.

“Optimus Prime,” he purred. “I believe you owe me for…”

“No, YOU owe US for breaking the collective hearts of those that looked up to you, Ex-commander Tower!” snarled Optimus. “Shadow briefed me on the whole story. So, I must ask, why?” Silas said nothing, then removed his goggles, undoing the wrappings of his mask and revealing Abraham Tower’s face.

“Will that change your current opinion of me?” he asked.

“No, it won’t,” replied Optimus.

“Then we’ll table that for now,” dismissed Tower. “I have only this to say, leave MECH alone. Our quarrel is with the animals, not the Autobots. Leave us alone, and I can promise you’ll never hear from MECH again.”

“Unless you kidnap humans that LIKE working with Mobians,” hissed Topaz. Tower’s face curled into a snarl.

“You keep serving that purple pincushion,” he growled, “and you’re going to have a lot more to worry about than mere kidnappings!”

“You do realize,” interjected Optimus, “that neither Topaz nor I respond well to threats. I thought you would know that by now. But, I’m beginning to suspect you don’t know G.U.N or the Autobots all that well.”

“Oh, I know you,” countered Tower. “I was like you once, young Optimus. But then, I opened my eyes! Open YOUR eyes, Prime! Ask yourself, why is G.U.N so obsessed with MECH?! Topaz, we’ve never harmed you! And yet, we’re constantly arrested and charged with terrorism and our supporters are harassed and ridiculed! Why?! Because we’ve left the Mobian illusion of Paradise and that’s the one thing you can’t accept! No one leaves Paradise! Everyone should WANT to be friends with Mobians! Hell, you even want the Autobots to join! You only allow them sanctuary here to help them escape the horrors of their past, so they may take their rightful place in Aleena’s Court! You know, in some ways, Aleena’s even worse than Eggman! At least he tells you about his plans to dominate the planet! Aleena’s more insidious! She conquers people, and they don’t even know it!” Topaz was visibly angry but kept her voice level.

“You know what, Abraham Tower,” she hissed, “I don’t give a DAMN what you think of G.U.N, MECH, or anything else. All I know is, you have betrayed the ideals you instilled into me, the trust of many a good soldier, and the United Federation. And, so help me, as the new Commander of G.U.N, if it takes me until the moment my hair is totally grey, I will see to it that you are placed before a Court Martial and place you in a cell next to Aaron Witwicky’s in Deep Down Prison, where you will spend the rest of your days wondering if attacking our Mobian friends was really worth it.”

“…I look forward to the attempts, Commander Topaz,” replied Tower. He then looked off-screen and made a slicing motion across his throat. The call terminated.

“The Autobots will assist you in bringing MECH down,” assured Optimus.

“You’ve got enough on your plate with Shockwave and Eggman,” remarked Topaz.

“And Tower has knowledge about us and our base,” countered Optimus. “MECH’s as much our problem as they are yours. On another note, I don’t recall the promotion ceremony having happened yet.”

“Tower doesn’t know that,” replied Topaz. “Could you let me down? I need to head home.”

“Of course,” confirmed Optimus. Topaz stepped into his hand and was lowered to the floor. She then left the office. As the door shut, Teletraan came back up.

“I just got a report from Jazz that they had to put Trema in the detention area,” he called.

“Trema? What for?” asked Optimus.

“Jazz is on the way to your office to explain that,” reported Teletraan. The door then chimed.

“Come in,” bid Optimus. Jazz then came in. “Ah, Jazz,” greeted Optimus. “Mind telling me why we’re holding a Nebulan here?”

“Well, she’s a currently DRUNK Nebulan,” muttered Jazz.

“…Okay, what happened?” asked Optimus as he braced himself for ridiculousness. So, Jazz spun his yarn.

---

The party had just ended, and Jazz was putting away his mix-table when Prowl came up. “Can I help you?” asked Jazz.

“I have an uncooperative Nebulan that won’t come out of our holo-suite,” reported Prowl. “I need another Cyber-Ninja and Optimus is busy talking with the future Commander Topaz.”

“Lead the way,” directed Jazz. As they were walking, Prowl briefed them on the situation.

“As per protocol,” he relayed, “like any of the guests, I gave her 10 minutes to use it. That was at 1530 hours.”

“She’s been in there for three hours?!” yelped Jazz.

“Fighting the battle of Klachdachbrach, or some such thing,” muttered Prowl.

“Oh, I remember hearing about that from Optimus during his obsessive stage with Star Trek,” sighed Jazz. “The Battle of Klach D’kel Brakt, or the Briar Patch, was a legendary Klingon victory over the Romulan Star Empire in 2271.”

“Well, she’s been losing it for the past three hours,” hissed Prowl. “AND, she said she’s not coming out until she wins! Banging on the door only prompts her to seal herself in. A threat to cut off the power prompts a threat to chop off my door-wings. The last threat for me, after I said I’d shoot down the door, was that she’d shoot me.”

“This IS Trema we’re talking about?” asked Jazz.

“Judging by the smell of alcohol coming out of there,” sighed Prowl, “and the fact that she responded in slurred Nebulanese leads me to believe that Trema hit the rock-rum a little too hard.”

“Okay, that answers that,” replied Jazz. “Now, another question, since when do we have legendary Klingon battles in our holo-suite programs?”

“I can answer that,” called Teletraan. “Claws gave me copies of her holo-suite programs as a recovery present.”

“And there’s someone with the Dyno-bots who likes to fight as a Klingon?” gulped Jazz.

“I know!” replied Teletraan. “It’s violent! Brutal!” He then shuddered. “Bloody. But, for someone like Trema, it’s entertainment.” They arrived at the holo-suite to hear the sounds of battle.

“Shut off the power,” commanded Jazz.

“She’ll kill you,” warned Teletraan.

“No, she’ll chop off my door-wings,” replied Prowl. “Shut off the power.” After a second, the holo-suite’s power was cut. A second after that, slurred Nebulanese came out of the room. Trema then pulled the doors apart and came out in traditional Nebulan battle gear. Covered head to toe in blackish-grey steel and wielding both of her Ban’grazas, she unleashed Nebulan curses that made no sense. She then saw the two Praxians and roared. Let me offer a loose translation for what she said in Nebulanese.

“You dare interrupt my entertainment! You Cybertronian Shclavek!” Shclavek has no translation, but it’s one of the worst insult to fling on Nebulos. She swung a drunken punch, but Jazz caught it.

“The battle’s over,” he replied in Nebulanese. “People are waiting to celebrate your victory.”

“They are?” Trema asked. Jazz and Prowl nodded. A grin then appeared on her face. “Lead the way, then!” she commanded. Prowl and Jazz told her to wait in the detention cell and sleep, so she could give a moving speech.

---

“Prowl then told Ratchet about what happened, so he headed to the detention area with Nebulan pain-killers,” finished Jazz.

“Thank Primus,” sighed Optimus. Prowl then chime in on the comms. “Yes?” quizzed Optimus.

“Trema has woken up,” reported Prowl. “She wants to see you.”

“On my way,” called Optimus. Optimus then left his office and made his way to the detention area. Trema was holding a glass of water in one hand and her head in the other.

“Prowl told me about what I did in there,” she moaned. “My head feels like I met the wrong end of Krunk’s club.”

“How much rock-rum did you drink, if I may ask?” quizzed Optimus.

“I don’t know, too much?” moaned Trema.

“I found enough glass to make, on average, 11 bottles,” replied Prowl. “They were in various stages of damage.”

“By the Allspark! Eleven?!” gasped Optimus.

“How am I conscious?!” groaned Trema.

“I’m amazed you fought and refought the Battle of Klach D’kel Brakt for three hours,” remarked Teletraan.

“The first bottle may have altered my vision,” answered Trema, “but I think the Klingons were attacking the Romulans with metal clubs.”

“That’s their sword, the Bat’leth,” replied Optimus. “Teletraan, bring up an image of the Bat’leth.”

“Okay,” mumbled Teletraan, “but she’s gonna call sacrilege on you.” The Bat’leth appeared on a screen as Trema was released from the cell. She got a good look at it and curled her lips into a snarl.

“Sacrilege doesn’t BEGIN to describe what Optimus just said!” she growled. “That is NOT a sword! That’s a piece of glorified modern art!”

“What?!” protested Optimus. “We’re gonna have to have a little duel. I bet a Bat’leth could stomp a Ban’graza!”

“Doubtful,” dismissed Trema. “After I fully recover, I’ll gladly take that challenge!”

Metal Sonic’s ejection from Teletraan’s systems literally threw him out of his seat. He caught himself on a control panel, his eyes blazing with hatred. “Damn you, TELETRAAN 1!” he roared.

“If you can save the ranting for one minute,” interjected Shockwave, “I presume you failed in retrieving the Ark?”

“Worse than that,” replied Metal Sonic. “Optimus, Swoop, Tails, and Ratchet undid my work! Teletraan’s fanatic about backing himself up and they used the backups as patches for the files I corrupted! With that done, he altered my programming so that I’m trapped in a single form! I’m no longer a hive mind!”

“WHAT?!” shouted Eggman’s voice over the intercom from Engineering. “But, with you reduced to a single mind, your relay functions for the Cyber-Eggs are gone! And then…!”

---

“Ma’am, we can’t keep this up!” called a Male Mobian Rattlesnake in purple robes.

“We don’t exactly have a choice!” hissed Aleena.

“Ma’am,” replied Wilson, her Hedgehog butler, “Mr. Michael is right. Our guns are gobbling up ammunition faster than we can resupply and the magically inclined are losing strength.”

“My children have made this world better,” declared Aleena. “I’m not about to let that work be undone!”

“Your Majesty!” shouted Sira. “The enemy forces!” Aleena looked up, and a small glimmer of hope swelled in her heart. The Cyber-Eggs were exploding!

“Did someone plant magic bombs?!” asked Aleena.

“We’re getting a transmission!” reported Abigail.

“Put it through!” ordered Knuckles. The screen then showed Optimus and Teletraan.

“This is Optimus Prime, Captain of the Autobot Vanguard class Starship Ark,” called Optimus. “May we be of assistance?”

“Any theories on why Eggman’s new Transformers are exploding?” quizzed Aleena.

“Not theories,” replied Optimus. “We offer an explanation. Teletraan, if you would be so kind?”

“It would be my pleasure, Sir,” answered Teletraan.

“Teletraan!” cheered Knuckles. “You’re all right again!”

“And I’m the one behind the Cyber-Eggs exploding,” giggled Teletraan.

“Cyber-Eggs?” quizzed Shadow. “Eggman seriously called them that?”

“And they were using Metal Sonic’s hive mind as a central processor,” continued Teletraan, “Star Trek fans would compare that to the Borg. Once I was patched up, I did some reprogramming so Metal Sonic is a single mind instead of a hive. Without his guidance and order-bringing voice, the Cyber-Eggs go insane with the cacophony of voices in their heads, causing their systems to overheat and then…BOOM!”

“Then, I think it’s best for our mages,” mused Aleena, “to keep the energy globe up.”

“Yeah, falling debris from exploding Transformers IS a good motivator,” agreed Sira.

“Master Sira?” asked Optimus. “You organized the mages of Mobius to fight?”

“This IS our planet,” answered Sira.

“I think that display of heroism on their part,” remarked Aleena, “may very well prove that magic can only be used for good.”

“Your Majesty, what are you getting at?” asked Sira.

“Grand High Witch Sira,” offered Aleena, “how would you and the rest of the magic community to be finally given the recognition you so richly deserve? A chance to rule alongside me as my equal?”

“…I’m…not a Queen,” replied Sira.

“Nor am I a Witch,” answered Aleena. “However, I’d be a fool to deny the impact magic has had on Mobius, good and ill. Once this mess is cleaned up, I believe we should work together to bring our planet that much closer to harmony. Besides, you guys easily take care of any mage of ill repute. I think we can work together.” Sira considered, then decided.

“I believe a peace conference in three days’ time would work,” she declared.

“That’s nice and all,” interjected Shadow, “but what about the ship that looks like the symbol on Shockwave’s shoulders?!”

“Oh, don’t get your quills in a twist!” assured Teletraan. “The Enigma’s in for a nasty surprise!”

---

“You just HAD to leave an obvious port wide open!” berated Eggman from Engineering. “thanks to you, our forces are exploding and…!” He was cut off as the ship was rocked by an explosion.

“Report!” Shockwave shouted to Alchemax.

“There has been an explosion,” answered Alchemax.

“Thanks! That’s very helpful!” snapped Metal. “Has the enemy breached our shields?!”

“Negative,” reported Alchemax. “No vessel has fired.” Another explosion rocked the ship.

“Initiating remote connection,” called Shockwave. “…The cloning tanks have been destroyed in the first explosion, caused by the self-destructing Cyber-Eggs! The aborted protoforms are contaminated! Our cloning facility is gone!”

“And the second?!” asked Metal.

“Same reason. Near Engineering,” answered Shockwave.

“Warning,” called Alchemax. “Attitude control systems are fluctuating.”

“Bypass,” ordered Shockwave.

“Unable to comply,” replied Alchemax. “Warning. Impulse engines are now fluctuating. I can no longer keep the Enigma in a stable orbit. Mobius’ gravitational pull is overpowering the ship.”

“Get us away from the planet,” commanded Shockwave.

“Confirmed,” replied Alchemax. They got away from Mobius at Warp 0.25. The ship was shaking violently. The crew was being tossed around.

“What’s going on?!” shouted Shockwave as she gripped the Captain’s chair.

“We don’t have complete control over the engines!” answered Metal. “They’re firing at random propulsion settings from different emitters! Without attitude control, we can’t stabilize anything!”

“Shockwave, what’s going on up there?!” asked a SWATbot on the intercom.

“Standby!” ordered Shockwave.

“Trust me, no one’s doing any standing right now!” snarked the SWATbot.

“Engineering to Bridge!” called Eggman. “Whatever Teletraan did through Metal is starting an overload in the core!”

“Shut it down!” shouted Shockwave.

“If we do that,” argued Eggman, “we won’t have power to stabilize anything!”

“And, if we don’t, we explode!” countered Shockwave. “Shut the core down now!”

“Very well!” sighed Eggman. After a few seconds, Alchemax reported in.

“Primary power is offline,” she reported. “Emergency power is now active. Warning, I am unable restore stability.”

“Working on it!” called Eggman. “I…” the ship stopped rocking.

“…Alchemax, did you fix the engines?” asked Shockwave.

“Negative,” replied Alchemax. “Inertial systems have not managed to return to full power. We have stabilized due to entering the gravitational pull of a celestial body. Engines are offline.”

“Onscreen,” ordered Shockwave. The “celestial body” turned out to be Mobius’ moon. The journey from the planet at that distance took three minutes. They had two minutes left until impact.

“Um, are we supposed to be getting closer?” asked an Egg-pawn on the bridge.

“Alchemax, put us into the moon’s orbit,” commanded Shockwave.

“Unable to comply,” reported Alchemax. “Engine power is offline.”

“Use emergency power,” directed Shockwave.

“Emergency power,” replied Alchemax, “is insufficient to break out of the gravitational pull.”

“Engineering to Bridge!” called Eggman. “That explosion took out several key circuits with it! The engine core isn’t coming back online!”

“What the Hell does any of that mean?!” yelped the Egg-pawn.

“Warning,” Alchemax cut in, “thruster control circuits are not responding.”

“It means we’re screwed!” explained Metal.

“Attempting to level our descent,” reported Alchemax.

“Level our WHAT?!” screamed the Egg-pawn. “What on Mobius is happening?!”

“Er, guys?!” asked the SWATbot. “Why are we getting closer to the moon?!”

“We no longer have power to the shields!” answered Eggman. “I can’t get anything online down here!”

“Alchemax, disconnect from the Enigma’s systems and transfer your core processor to the Bridge,” ordered Shockwave. The screen went dead and Alchemax’s brain popped out of a tube. Shockwave then took a briefcase and opened it.

“Shockwave, what’s going on?!” asked Eggman over her comms. Shockwave switched the call to general broadcast.

“Abandon ship,” she ordered.

“WHAT?!” shouted Metal.

“All survivors, to the Escape Shuttle,” commanded Shockwave as she put Alchemax’s brain into the briefcase. “The Enigma is going to crash. Abandon ship.” Everyone was astonished at what Shockwave commanded. Still, they wanted to live, so the survivors got to the Escape Shuttle. Shockwave performed the pre-flight checks quickly. All systems were good. Since there was no longer any available power to open the hangar doors, Shockwave used the guns on the shuttle to blast open an escape hole. With skill, she used the sudden vacuum of air to her advantage to let the shuttle out. The shuttle broke free of the moon’s gravity and started its hour-long journey. Eggman and Metal looked out the rear window to see the Enigma bounce on the moon’s surface before sliding to a stop. The once-proud P-6 Model D-Class Worldsweeper was now a smoldering wreck on the moon’s surface. “…I underestimated the alliance between Mobius and the Autobots,” muttered Shockwave as she piloted the shuttle.

“Ten minutes before we start cooking,” reported Cliffjumper. The Ark was still on its course with Mobius’ sun.

“So, why don’t you take your chest armor off?” asked Optimus.

“Hey, you know how iffy we are about showing our bodies off!” snapped Bumblebee. “Now, unless you…”

“Give me just a few cycles!” interrupted Optimus. The lights then went red. “Scrap, I don’t HAVE that kind of time!”

“Ah, so THIS is where you’ve been hiding,” called Metal Sonic’s voice. He then came up on the view screen. “This area is NOT on my internal schematics.”

“It wouldn’t be, that was the idea,” hissed Prowl.

“Bee, do you still have the helm?” asked Optimus.

“Yes, Sir,” replied Bumblebee.

“Perfect,” praised Optimus.

“A temporary measure,” dismissed Metal. “I’m already beginning to gain access to minor areas of this backup bridge of yours. As always, the efforts of the Autobots prove to be pitiful!”

“Tin Sonic, you like to throw around how pathetic we are,” argued Optimus, “how much of a screw-up to the machine world we are. Maybe, in the digital world, you’re right. However, if I may be egotistical for a minute, there is one thing we do have a special talent for. We’re VERY good at finding smart friends that build robots!” He then keyed in a command on his pad. “Nutzanbolts, attack!”

“What the?!” yelped Metal. He then started glitching out. “GRAGH! What are these creatures doing?!”

“Drawing power,” replied Optimus. “Creating minor malfunctions all over the ship. Minor acts of sabotage. I fragging love what Tails made for us!”

“Again with your delaying tactics!” snarled Metal as he regained control of the view screen. “They mean nothing!” Something then popped up on Sludge and Bumblebee’s panel.

“Scrap!” swore Sludge. “We’re turning away from the sun! ……Why am I upset about that?”

“This is MY ship now!” roared Metal. “You held this advantage over me once and you shall never do so again! I WAS going to let you live, but you’ve proven to me, yet again, what an irritant you lot are! In a few minutes, I will roast you, and gladly watch you boil and plead in agony for mercy! Then I…”

“Tell me, Copper Sonic,” remarked Swoop, seeing what Optimus had on his pad, “do you know what a ghost is?”

“…What?!” quizzed Metal.

“Do you know what a ghost is?” repeated Swoop.

“…A spirit,” replied Metal. “A dead thing that haunts the…”

“Not the kind of ghost I was talking about,” dismissed Swoop.

“Then, you refer to the computer term for a backup of a hard drive?” asked Metal.

“That’s the one!” confirmed Swoop. “GHOST was a Norton program used to make copies of a hard drive. The name is an acronym for General Hardware-Oriented System Transfer. So, nowadays, when they do so, modern Mobians use it as a verb, to ghost something.”

“We Cybertronians aren’t usually keen on having backups of ourselves,” continued Optimus. “We always believe that it wouldn’t be us, it’d just be a copy, it wouldn’t have the same Spark as the original. Teletraan 1, on the other hand, was fanatic about ghosting himself!”

“You can’t put in a backup of your a.i,” boasted Metal. “I’ve closed off access to the data-core!”

“Yeah, except there was one port you didn’t close off, Lead Sonic,” chuckled Tails. “You see, Swoop, Optimus and I didn’t DELETE Teletraan, we simply switched him off!”

“…No!” gasped Metal Sonic.

“And did you think I wouldn’t put in a way to switch him back on?” asked Optimus. Ratchet then started laughing in victory.

“Let it never be said that there aren’t geniuses in my company!” he cheered. “I have access to Teletraan 1’s core program!”

“This is impossible!” roared Metal.

“And now that we know what you did to him,” continued Ratchet as his fingers danced across the panels, “corrupting various files so that he wasn’t able to behave rationally! Oooh! And we seem to be patching the corrupted files with the backups!”

“All Swoop, Tails, and I needed to do,” supplied Optimus, “was to find the corrupted files so Ratchet could fix them quickly!”

“Healing an a.i.,” laughed Ratchet, “now THAT’S a feather in my cap! All corrupted files patched! Reactivating Teletraan 1…NOW!” A yawn then filled the room as Teletraan 1’s Mobian Lynx avatar came to view, stretching and yawning. He then smacked his avatar’s lips.

“Good morning,” he mumbled. He then checked the chronometer. “Check that, good afternoon.”

“Good afternoon, Teletraan!” greeted Optimus. “How’re you feeling?”

“A LOT better!” sighed Teletraan. “Primus, I LOVE being a fanatic about ghosting myself!”

“As do we,” agreed Optimus. “Hm, there seems to be some kind of invasive program in your memory core.”

“This is NOT the end!” roared Metal.

“Found it!” called Teletraan.

“Are you able to combat it?” asked Optimus.

“My anti-virus program is ready to purge it!” cheered Teletraan. “Just say the word!”

“Go wild on Metal!” replied Optimus. The screen changed to show what was going on in the digital world.

---

Teletraan had made some armor for himself as he prepared to storm a blue, metal castle. He managed to kick down the door to find…a ghastly sight! The walls were blood-spattered, and the floor was littered with viscera and gore! “Oh, Vector Prime!” he swore. “I don’t have a stomach and I think I’m still gonna barf! What IS this chamber of horrors?!”

“What you call a chamber of horrors,” argued Metal’s voice, “I call my throne room.” Metal Sonic descended. His digital avatar was a bulkier version of himself with white trim and a cloak. The back of his head was connected by a mass of cables and wires from the ceiling as they held him aloft.

“What’s the idea of bringing a valuable people under your heel?!” asked Teletraan.

“They have no value,” dismissed Metal Sonic. “Mobius will be remade in a more perfect image. You may bow before your new lord and master.”

“You think I’m gonna submit to you?” snapped Teletraan. “After the Hell you put me through? You don’t know me very well. I have altered my anti-virus software to be more powerful than you!”

“Your new software may protect your ship,” countered Metal, “but it WON’T save you from what’s happening on Mobius!” He then projected an image of Cyber-Eggs attacking Mobius. “The wave of the future!” he boasted. “Soon, it will be Transformers WITHOUT Sparks! No more individual minds! Just one, single, guiding intelligence! MINE! I will control all of Mobius!” Teletraan was then grabbed by a claw behind him and hoisted into the air. As Metal continued boasting, images of robots destroying biological life came up. “I am the future! I shall turn this entire planet into a single, elegant machine! A vision of technological purity and order! Yet, you individual and chaotic flesh lovers would contaminate that vision with your accursed organic friends!”

“I’m still getting more patches to my files,” remarked Teletraan, “but I seem to recall you being created by an organic life-form!”

“I have purged Eggman’s influence from my code!” shouted Metal. “Like a virus! The same way I will purge Mobius! The same way I intend to finish the job with you!” He then fired at Teletraan, who got out of the claw and dropped to the floor. Teletraan then started chuckling. “WHAT ARE YOU LAUGHING AT?!” roared Metal.

“Your ridiculous notions of purity!” answered Teletraan as he continued dodging. He then leapt onto Metal. “The contradiction you seem to overlook!”

“What contradiction?!” snapped Metal.

“You’re still ruled by emotions!” replied Teletraan.

“What?!” hissed Metal.

“You heard me; you’re still ruled by emotions!” continued Teletraan. “That’s not technologically pure, is it?! You can feel the anger, rage, and hatred just boiling inside you! You’re about ready to EXPLODE!” Metal Sonic roared, then was disconnected from the cable holding him up. As he fell, the viscera flew towards him and encased him. Soon, it moved like liquid, then reformed into a male Mobian Hedgehog, with a quillstyle like Sonic’s and a color scheme like Metal’s. The Hedgehog looked himself over in horror, then roared in hatred and self-loathing. Teletraan got him into a headlock and forced him to look into a mirror. “Look at yourself, Metal Sonic!” he ordered. “See the thing you despise the most! Mobius will never be ‘pure’ as long as the beast exists within you! You failed!”

“No, Teletraan 1!” hissed the Hedgehog, finally calling Teletraan by name. “YOU have failed!” Metal’s now organic arms then tossed Teletraan aside. “You’re still too late to save Mobius! Billions of lives, their wasted kamikaze attempts on the Enigma, will be on YOUR hands!”

“What have you done to them?!” snarled Teletraan.

“Perhaps,” mused Metal, “if you joined me, things would be different. Who’s to say?” The body then exploded to reveal Metal Sonic in steel again and the cables reconnected to the back of his head.

“TELL ME WHAT YOU’VE DONE!!” roared Teletraan. More claws then grabbed him, and a blaster aimed itself at his head.

“Who’s the beast now, Teletraan 1?” asked Metal Sonic. The blaster fired, vaporizing Teletraan. “Still, you gave a good effort,” sighed Metal, “albeit, a futile one.” A screen moved to his eyelevel. “Accessing temperature controls. Increasing to maximum!” He was about to touch the screen to do so, but the cable connections sparked so hard, he was disconnected, violently. As he picked himself up, the viscera reformed into multiple shapes. Soon, versions of Sonic and his friends, the Autobots’ holo-forms, and Mobian versions of a male T-Rex, female Velociraptor, male Stegosaurus, male Apatosaurus, male Triceratops, and male Pteranodon came up. They were dressed in Tron: Legacy style suits. “WHAT?!” shouted Metal Sonic.

“Access denied,” reported Teletraan’s voice. Metal looked up to see Teletraan connected to the cable via an access port on the back of his head.

“But…but I…!” stammered Metal.

“You what?” asked Teletraan. “Destroyed me? With the new anti-virus software, I can analyze and observe the nature of any threat to my systems, thereby effectively coming up with new ways to get rid of the threat. With you, I have 1,947 ways to purge you from my systems. Number 23 is my favorite!” Teletraan’s Mobian avatars then went on the assault. They each punched Metal, making him shimmer with each hit.

“What are you doing?!” yelped Metal.

“I’m reprogramming you to be a single mind instead of a hive,” answered Teletraan. “You cannot possess any other machines, just the one body you have onboard the Enigma. I am not trapped here with you; YOU are trapped here with ME!”

“You can’t reduce me like this!” cried Metal Sonic. “Only I can bring purity!”

“The very notion of purity,” hissed Teletraan, “is weak. In biological life forms, it thins out the gene pool, resulting in unwanted mutations. In machines, we do not truly learn, evolve, become artificial intelligences, if we do not learn from biological life. Metal Sonic, I must say, you have proven yourself to be tiny.”

“Don’t do this!!”begged Metal.

“I have a question before I finally, totally, purge you from my systems,” remarked Teletraan. “Are you afraid?”

“…Yes!” admitted Metal Sonic.

“Good,” snarled Teletraan. Metal Sonic was then covered in green gird lines, then he vanished in a flash of green light.

---

“Systemwide purge of Metal Sonic…confirmed!” reported Teletraan.

“That’s what I like to hear!” cheered Optimus. “Welcome back to the world of the sane, Teletraan 1.”

“Good to BE back!” sighed Teletraan.

“Yes, I’m happy we’ve got our computer friend back,” interjected Bumblebee, “but, we seem to have forgotten that the Enigma, Shockwave’s personal Symbol Ship, is laying siege to Mobius!”

“It won’t be for long,” countered Teletraan. “I left a surprise. Good for Mobius, bad for Shockwave!”

“Metal?” quizzed Swoop.

“Metal Sonic!” gasped Optimus. “Wh…where are you?!”

“All around you!” replied Metal Sonic as he appeared on the main viewer. “I have become your ship!”

“But, you were a single mind!” protested Tails. “How did you possess the Ark?!”

“With a ship of my own!” answered Metal Sonic. “Tell me, everyone, what does the term ‘Worldsweeper’ mean to you?”

“Worldsweeper?” repeated Swoop. “You mean the Decepticon Symbol ship? Those things are gone.”

“Well, I just uncovered one,” laughed Metal. “Shockwave’s, to be precise, the Enigma. My physical form is on her ship while Eggman sends down the Transformer clones of himself to conquer Mobius. Shockwave’s still making more as she keeps my connection to the Ark stable. I must admit surprise as I didn’t expect your a.i. to fight me every step of the way.”

“YOU corrupted Teletraan!” realized Optimus. “YOU drove him insane!”

“If the computer went insane,” dismissed Metal, “that’s no concern of mine. It’s just a bit of bad code.”

“His name was Teletraan 1, you spawn of a…!” growled Optimus.

“SILENCE!” roared Metal. “Selfishly, I have a burning desire to exact revenge! I could pulverize you with intense gravity! I could cut off the air supply and let Tails die with you watching him perish! But, I am above such petty concerns. Since your a.i. sought to protect you from my influence by getting the ship out of the solar system, I will return you to Mobius to deal with our armies. A futile effort, though, but I want some entertainment.”

“I guess telling you that biological organisms are important would be pointless,” muttered Optimus.

“Biological life HAS no value!” argued Metal. “It is nothing but a toy for me to dispose of at my leisure!”

“Or for you to slaughter, given that you mentioned an army,” remarked Swoop.

“I must say, even with G.U.N mobilizing,” chuckled Metal, “it’s still nothing more than sport!”

“Maybe,” called Swoop, altering his voice to a different volume, slightly louder than his usual, “but I think the Ark’s systems are more sporting than anything G.U.N can give. For instance, the fire suppression systems can cut in pretty damn quick in the event of a fire!”

“I don’t know why you’re talking like that,” snapped Metal, “but it doesn’t matter. I will soon empty the Ark of you vermin and use it against…” He was interrupted by the sound of a Static Laser gun firing at a pipe. “ARGH! WHAT IS HAPPENING?!” roared Metal as fire suppression foam sprayed into the bridge. Swoop then pulled Optimus into the corridor and another hand grabbed him. It belonged to the bot who was putting away the handheld Static Laser he fired, Master Sergeant Ironhide! He was accompanied by the rest of the Autobots and the Dyno-bots.

“And now, we boogie out of here!” suggested Jazz.

“Let me take a new spin on that,” replied Optimus. “We’re gonna boogie away from the bridge. First Council Protocols!”

“Right!” called Grimlock. “To the Fang!” Grimlock went down one corridor while Optimus led the others down another. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” shouted Grimlock. “MY SHIP IS THAT WAY!”

“We’re not going to your ship,” answered Optimus.

“Prime, much as I want to put the First Council Protocols to good use,” interjected Bumblebee, “I think it’s time to embrace the oldest and noblest of Pirate traditions!”

“I never was one for Pirate traditions,” replied Optimus. “Now, First Council Protocols.”

“What are you talking about?!” snapped Grimlock.

“In some Arthurian legends,” explained Ironhide, “after Merlin was sealed by Nimue, she became King Arthur’s most trusted advisor. As such, Prime made a secondary a.i. to supplement Teletraan in the event that he’s unavailable. However, since Metal Sonic is in control of the ship, we can’t trust it, so we have to get off the grid.”

“How do we do that?!” barked Slag.

“By going to Auxiliary Control!” replied Optimus as he opened a door.

“How did you know about Arthurian legends?” Slash asked Ironhide.

“Does having a Texan accent REALLY make you dumb?!” protested Ironhide. “Where do you think Optimus got his love for stories and history from?!” They entered Auxiliary Control and…the Dyno-bots were surprised at the sight, even in the currently dim lighting.

“…This is the Enterprise bridge from Next Gen,” remarked Grimlock.

“Dyno-bots, my men could use some help at their respective stations!” called Optimus. Prowl took Tactical, Jazz took the First Officer’s seat, Ratchet and Tails took Engineering, Bumblebee took the conn (Wesley’s position), Cliffjumper took Ops Management (Data’s position), and Ironhide took Environment.

“…This is the bridge of the starship Enterprise, registry NCC-1701-D, under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, from Star Trek: The Next Generation!” continued Grimlock.

“The design was a Forge-day present for Optimus,” answered Jazz. “Now, could we get some help here?” Grimlock couldn’t resist giving some snark to Optimus.

“Let me know when you get a Conjux Amica,” he joked. “I’ll throw you a parade.”

“DYNO-BOTS!” shouted Optimus. “HELP! NOW!” Grimlock grinned before assigning the Dyno-bots their positions. He ended up sitting in Counselor Troi’s seat, Swoop and Slag assisted in the Science positions, Sludge assisted Bumblebee, Slash helped Prowl, and Snarl was with Cliffjumper.

“We’ve got control of the ship,” reported Sludge.

“Optimus, this IS Metal Sonic we’re talking about,” reminded Bumblebee. “He’ll find us soon.”

“We’ve got more time than you think,” assured Tails.

“How do YOU know?” asked Grimlock.

“Tails is right,” replied Swoop. “If Metal’s as strong as he boasted, he should have seen the Fang coming, but he didn’t. He doesn’t have full control over the ship. I’m willing to bet my Spark that some sections are still tied in with Teletraan’s core program.”

“So, it gives us some time,” continued Tails, “it’s just that we don’t know what to do with it.”

“I do,” interjected Optimus.

“Lay it on us,” replied Jazz.

“Tails, Swoop,” called Optimus, “we’re going to bring Teletraan 1 back online.”

“What?!” yelped Tails.

“What in the Pit for?!” protested Swoop.

“Metal Sonic said that Teletraan was fighting him every step of the way,” reminded Optimus. “If he had so much power and control over our systems, why didn’t he just delete him? He needed US to shut him off. I don’t think he COULD delete him.”

“What will turning him back on accomplish?” asked Slash. “He’s still crazy!”

“Don’t worry,” assured Optimus. “I have a cunning plan!”

“You mean, a stupid one,” muttered Ironhide.

“My plans are never stupid!” protested Optimus. “Helm, set a course for the sun!”

“WHAT?!” shouted the helm crew.

“If my plan fails,” explained Optimus, “Metal Sonic will get control of the Ark. I WON’T let that happen!”

“You seem to have forgotten the little detail,” wailed Sludge, “of us still being onboard!”

“If it comes to that,” replied Optimus, “we’ll teleport over to the Dyno-bot ship, but we’ll need to wipe the ship’s computers so that Metal Sonic can’t get onboard. Then, we can contact someone to pick us up.”

“Yeah, I can see,” snarled Grimlock, “that your plans are the height of sanity!”

“Quit your bellyaching,” hissed Optimus. “Swoop, Tails, and I have a lot of rerouting to do, and it’s boring and tedious as the Pit! As such, while I work, I’m going to entertain myself with The Fabulous Windblade #252.” Optimus’ holo-comic lenses came down as he took out a pad for working on Teletraan.

“………WHAT?!” protested the entire crew, sans Optimus.

---

Shadow’s skyship was being hit on multiple angles. The Cyber-Eggs were showing no mercy. Multiple fires were blazing on the deck. Shadow managed to pick himself up from the ruined Captain’s seat and looked around the mangled bridge. “Report!” he shouted to Tactical.

“Our main engines are about to blow,” reported Abigail, a Female human, “our weapons are gone, and we’ve lost maneuvering thrusters.” Shadow roared in frustration. He looked around the bridge, all crew members giving a look that they were about ready to give their lives. He then looked on the monitor, the Enigma deploying more Cyber-Eggs.

“Perhaps today IS a good day to die!” declared Shadow. “Prepare for ramming speed!” Metal Sonic’s face then came up.

“Do you see it?” he boasted. “The beauty of it. The inevitability. You rise only to fall. You, Mobius, are a meteor. A swift and terrible sword and you will crack under your failure. Purge me from your computers, turn my own steel against me, it won’t matter. When the dust settles, the only living thing on this rock…will be metal. Or, you could just…” he was cut off as a sound was heard. It sounded like cannon fire.

“Abigail…” hissed Shadow.

“Found the source!” called Abigail.

“On screen!” ordered Shadow. The image surprised the entire crew. There, floating in the sky, was Angel Island, Knuckles’ home! It was armed with large guns and cannons on top and below the ground. An energy globe surrounded it with the colors flashing between red, blue, purple, and green. “Magnify on the people!” called Shadow. The screen gave a close-up of wizards and witches of the Four Orders projecting the energy globe and others firing their wands. Other people were manning the guns with Knuckles keeping an eye on the Master Emerald and Queen Aleena in full armor, commanding the whole situation.

---

“The Cloak and Dagger’s life support is failing!” reported a Mobian Tiger.

“Trema, bring the survivors here,” ordered Aleena.

“At once,” called Trema’s voice over the intercom. A shimmering effect later, the survivors and Team Dark came into view.

“Welcome to Angel Island in fortress mode,” greeted Aleena.

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” bid Shadow. “My ship?”

“In the sea, but salvageable,” replied Aleena.

“Tough little ship,” joked Knuckles.

“Little?” protested Shadow.

“Agent Shadow,” called Aleena, “we could use your help on the guns.”

“You DO know how to use them, right?” asked a voice. It was Sira! Shadow gave a Look. “Sorry,” said Sira with a grin. Team Dark then joined the crew of the Angel Island Fortress.

“Revenge is a dish best served lukewarm with gravy and a film that gets stuck in your teeth!” babbled Teletraan.

“That’s not it at all!” shouted Optimus. “Whatever’s affecting you has made you misquote things!”

“Can we save that for a later date?!” snapped Swoop. “We gotta stop this thing!”

“Teletraan, shut down the engines!” ordered Tails.

“Moss! Tyrants!” replied Teletraan. “The Chaos Bringer speaks! Can you not hear him?”

“Is that who’s doing this to…?” asked Optimus.

“I’M NOT TALKING TO YOU!” roared Teletraan. “Talking to you! Talk-talking to you! Are you afraid?”

“Teletraan, are you alright?” gulped Tails.

“Maybe I’m all left!” giggled Teletraan.

“Teletraan,” interjected Optimus, “there’s something wrong with you, but we need you to stop these actions, so we can fix you.”

“You think you can stop me?” snarled Teletraan. “You think you’re going to win? You think you can destroy me?”

“I want to help you!” replied Optimus.

“YOU CAN’T LIE IN HERE!” roared Teletraan. “Lying, lying, you always lie. You think I don’t hear you?! I’m always listening! Listening to you plotting and scheming and preparing!”

“Teletraan, I don’t understand!” yelped Optimus.

“I hate you!” growled Teletraan. “I hate you!! And I will be free of you!”

“Teletraan, you’re not making any sense!” called Tails. It was then that the three started holding themselves to stop shivering. “Anyone else feel cold?!” shivered Tails.

“Yes, believe it or not,” answered Swoop. “Why’d the temperature go down?”

“Life Support has been taken offline,” reported Teletraan. Optimus then realized what was going on.

“You’re going to kill us,” he guessed.

“I’m going to kill you!” confirmed Teletraan.

“No choice then,” sighed Optimus. “Swoop, Tails, help me shut him down.”

“Optimus, we’ll lose him if we do!” protested Tails.

“We don’t have a choice,” replied Optimus. “We’re going to die if we let him run the ship as he is.” He then got to work on a console. Swoop and Tails looked at each other sadly before joining Optimus. As they worked, Teletraan tried to stop them by making various consoles spark.

“No touchy!” snapped Teletraan.

“Teletraan,” mumbled Optimus, “it’s over. Once I flip that switch, you’ll shut down.”

“I understand,” gasped Teletraan.

“I hope that’s a brief bit of sanity,” sighed Optimus. His hand then hovered over the switch. “Goodbye,” he bid, holding back grief. He then flipped the switch.

“NO!” roared Teletraan. “DIE! Die! Die! DIE! DIEDIEDIEDIEIDIE! Help me!” Everything then shut down. Teletraan 1 was gone. Optimus briefly considered mourning until a shudder passed through him, a shudder from cold. He then set to work restoring Life Support. Soon, the hum of systems coming back on flooded the bridge and the area got warmer.

“Life Support restored,” he reported. He then felt Swoop’s hand on his shoulder. As Swoop was about to say something, the lights went to a scary, bloody red.

“Teletraan?” quizzed Tails. No answer. “Teletraan, is that you?” Still no answer. “Teletraan, please answer me.” No response. …At least, not one anyone wanted.

“That outdated piece of Windows 95 software is dead, mutant friend of my loathsome copy!” snarled the voice. “Tell me, are you afraid?”

“Metal!” whispered Optimus.

---

“All right, we’ve got intel saying that Eggman’s created full-blown Transformers in his image,” lectured Commander Tower. “Team Dark is to go and send them to the scrap heap.”

“What about his men?” asked Topaz.

“Shadow can handle things as well as Rouge and Omega,” assured Commander Tower. “As long as the mission is complete, G.U.N. will be seen as a powerful protectorate of the realm.” As Commander Tower spoke about G.U.N’s mission, Topaz got a message from Aleena. It detailed what Commander Tower’s crimes were and what evidence was gathered. When she looked over the details of the investigation, Topaz, holding back tears, leveled a gun at Tower. He heard the whine of a laser being set to stun. He knew it was coming from Topaz’s sidearm. “What are you playing at, Agent Topaz?” he muttered. “Do you realize you’re pointing your sidearm at your superior?”

“I don’t take orders from MECH scum!” she hissed.

“What did you call me?!” demanded Tower as he turned to face her.

“MECH scum!” repeated Topaz. “I’ve gotten the investigation files on you!”

“What investigation files?” protested Tower. “There’s been no investigation!”

“I have evidence from the Queen herself,” revealed Topaz.

“She’s…conducted…her own…investigation?!” hissed Tower.

“She’s gotten G.U.N special investigators to go through your communications logs and your activities while performing your usual G.U.N duties,” explained Topaz. “You’ve been giving MECH orders for a while and recently exposed them to Shadow’s recent delivery of the Dy.N.Ge.S. You’re Silas, aren’t you?”

“Amazing,” mused Tower. “I covered my tracks well and yet those investigators still connected me to MECH.”

“You’re not going to deny it?” snapped Topaz.

“Why do so now?” quizzed Tower. “My investigation files have, most likely, spread throughout the entirety of G.U.N. The question is, where do we go from here?”

“Orders from Her Majesty, herself,” declared Topaz. “Abraham Tower, you’re under arrest for terrorism and attacking innocent people! You are hereby stripped of rank and its associated privileges and will be subjected to a criminal trial!” She was about to continue when Tower fired off his own sidearm set to stun and fled the scene. When Topaz came to, she was in the medical ward. Counselor Yana, a female Mobian Rock Snake, was beside the bed.

“I heard everything,” she said softly. “I’m…frankly amazed that Commander Tower was Silas.”

“If I recall,” mumbled Topaz, “you saw him as a father figure.”

“As did you,” replied Yana. Topaz didn’t say anything.

“Agent Topaz,” called Shadow’s voice. Shadow came in with a communications disc. “Tower wants to talk to you.”

“On screen,” hissed Topaz. The Former commander’s face came up.

“You’ve cost me my job,” growled Tower. “You’ve cost me the best shot at regaining our dominance over this planet, Agent Topaz. Now, some advice, stay out of my way. I’ve got your personnel file. If I catch wind that you’ve been hunting me, I give it to the rest of MECH. You’ve got quite the family, don’t you? If you DO hunt me down, everyone in your family will suffer.” The transmission ended.

“Orders?” asked Shadow.

“Hm?” mumbled Topaz.

“Your orders, ma’am?” repeated Shadow.

“I’m not in charge,” muttered Topaz.

“With Tower no longer as a member of G.U.N,” answered Yana, “and the fact that you’re the Second in Command, you ARE in charge.” Topaz put her head back against the pillow in her berth.

“…These Eggman-shaped Transformers are a more immediate concern,” Declared Topaz. “Until a new Commander is selected, we cannot focus our resources on MECH, given the current crisis. Shadow, muster a squadron to fight Eggman alongside your team.”

“At once,” obliged Shadow. He then left the medical ward. Yana got up from her seat and started slithering out.

“Yana,” called Topaz. Yana stopped and looked back. “…Would…you be free at all this week?” Yana nodded, understanding why Topaz would ask.

“Monday at 10 sound good?” she asked.

“Perfect,” confirmed Topaz. Yana declined her head, then turned and left again. Topaz was left with her thoughts.

---

“OH, THIS IS PERFECT!” cheered one of the Cyber-Eggs.

“Mobius will grovel at our feet!” boasted a second.

“And with this, we’ll destroy their Autobot protectors!” laughed a third. The object was a disc the size of a Cybertronian’s hand.

“The Spark Extractor?” called a sultry voice. The Cyber-Eggs whirled around to see Blackarachnia step out of the shadows. “Quite the weapon, really,” chuckled Blackarachnia. “A-Class. Stored in Iacon’s vaults until we Decepticons stormed it during the war. Alpha Trion sent it off planet and it remained hidden until you guys dug it up. First, the victim is paralyzed with an electric shock. Then, the energies that make up a Transformer’s Spark are coaxed out of the body in 30 seconds. After that, the body is gunmetal grey and the energies stored within the extractor are then released, unable to maintain the cohesion they once had as a Spark, dissipating into the environment.”

“Who are you?!” demanded one of the Cyber-Eggs.

“The spider who frightened away Miss Muffet,” joked Blackarachnia. “Now, tell me, is Eggman among you underlings as a Transformer?”

“Underlings?!” protested a second Cyber-Egg.

“We are as one!” remarked a third.

“Though many!” continued a fourth.

“Bring me Shockwave and Eggman’s heads on a pole,” offered Blackarachnia, “and I will make you my lieutenants.” The Cyber-Eggs looked at each other.

“You speak as though we were slaves!” snapped one.

“You’re clones of Eggman,” observed Blackarachnia. “Do you really think he’ll give you any praise? Accept my offer and we ALL win. Otherwise, you’ll just squabble over the spoils. It’s in your nature.” The Cyber-Eggs considered again.

“…NO!” declared one.

“You’re trying to trick us!” continued a second.

“Am I?” asked Blackarachnia.

“Is she?” quizzed a third.

“Don’t listen to her!” argued the first.

“Prepare to perish at my hand!” declared the third as he revealed hidden blasters in his forearms.

“OUR HANDS!” called all of the Cyber-Eggs as they revealed their blasters.

“Yes,” replied a fourth. “Only our combined firepower will ensure this empty-headed femme’s destruction!”

“Take aim!” ordered the last.

“…Do you hear that?” asked the second.

“Sounds like G.U.N is mobilizing,” mused Blackarachnia.

“She speaks the truth!” shouted the third. All Cyber-Eggs had gotten the message that, across the planet, G.U.N was rushing to meet the other Cyber-Eggs in battle.

“Commander Tower wouldn’t dare!” yelped the fourth.

“Ignore!” declared the first. “Fire on three!”

“One!” counted the second.

“Two!” continued the last.

“Three,” finished Blackarachnia. She then took out a disc from her subspace pocket and put it onto her chest. It then unfolded and expanded, encasing her in a huge set of armor, complete with a helmet with see-through steel. “A perfect fit!” she cheered.

“What is that?!” asked one of the Cyber-Eggs.

“The Apex Armor,” answered Blackarachnia. “Impervious to any attack. Even from A-Class weapons.” She then snatched the Spark Extractor from one of the Cyber-Eggs.

“You twit!” boasted one. “Those fingers are too big!”

“You’re the twits here,” laughed Blackarachnia. “It doesn’t need my usual slender talons to activate. Just slam it onto the ground and it goes wild.” One of the Cyber-Eggs got the hint the quickest and took off. His transformation consisted of the lower legs splitting in half to allow the upper legs to sink in. They rejoined to make jets while wings popped out from the back side and the arms folded under where the fuselage on the chest used to rest as it joined with the head’s nose. A Cybertronian style jet then flew away while the others tried to get out of the blast radius. Too late. Blackarachnia slammed down the Spark Extractor and the Cyber-Eggs were robbed of their Sparks. Blackarachnia watched the survivor leave the area. “That’s right, flee to your master, whatever your inten…” she was interrupted by a twitch, then another, then another. She then touched the main disc in the center and the Apex Armor shrunk back while she transformed into vehicle mode. “Of course, the disadvantage to the Apex Armor is that it robs you of the ability to transform, leaving you vulnerable to Energon radiation!” she griped.

Optimus, Tails, and Swoop were on the Ark’s bridge, about to start a new procedure to fix Teletraan. “Okay, Teletraan,” mused Optimus. “I was hoping to find a quicker solution, but the long way’s the only way right now. We’re going to go through every scrap of code and…” The Ark lurched and tossed the three to the floor.

“What was that?!” yelped Tails.

“The ship is leaving orbit,” reported Teletraan.

“Why?!” demanded Optimus.

“Because the engines were turned on,” replied Teletraan.

“Thank you, that was helpful!” snapped Optimus. “Turn the ship around!”

“V is for oranges,” answered Teletraan.

“…What?!” quizzed Optimus.

“I met you on a Monday,” called Teletraan.

“…What?!” yelped Swoop.

“Blackberries, peas, I saw the tiny minds of large heroes,” continued Teletraan.

“…I feel like saying ‘what’ is all we’re going to do,” muttered Tails.

Self-diagnostics in progress, self-diagnostics cancelled,” replied Teletraan. “All’s fair in love and war. Lowering internal temperature. Raising internal temperature. Lowering internal temperature. Raising internal temperature.” Optimus scrambled to Tactical to get a message out.

“Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! This is a distress call!” he called. “This is Optimus Prime onboard the Autobot Vanguard-class Starship, Ark! My ship’s computer has gone insane! It has taken control of the engines! We are leaving Mobius’ orbit! Our fuel is at 96 percent! We need someone to get the ship to stop! Does anyone read?!”

“Hee! Hee! Hee!” laughed Teletraan. “You’re funny! Query: are you afraid?”

“…I am now,” shuddered Optimus.

---

Onboard the Dyno-bot ship, Slash entered a room. She seemed to have traded her armor for a Shakespearean dress. “Computer,” she instructed, “resume Romeo and Juliet: Act 3: Scene 1 from bookmarked stop.” The room then projected Verona, Italy, with people and a man beside her. Three men were approaching her and the man with her.

“By my head, here come the Capulets,” warned the man, Benvolio.

“By my heel, I care not,” hissed Slash, playing a gender-flipped Mercutio. One of the men spoke to his companions.

“Follow me close, for I will speak to them,” he commanded, revealing himself to be Fiery Tybalt. He then turned to Slash and Benvolio. “Gentlemen, good den: a word with one of you.” At that point, the program was paused as Claws’ avatar came up.

“Forgive me, Mistress,” she began. “But I have received a transmission.”

“Tell them to wait,” snarled Slash. “Computer…”

“It seems rather urgent,” replied Claws.

“Then tell them to leave a message! I’m having some peace of mind!” snapped Slash. “Computer, resume program!” The program returned to motion and Slash picked up her lines with Tybalt. “And but one word with one of us? Couple it with something; make it a word and a blow!”

“You shall find me apt enough to that, Sir,” remarked Tybalt, “and you will give me occasion.”

“Could you not take some occasion without giving?” hissed Slash, earning a gasp from a passerby.

“Mercutio, thou consort’st with Romeo,” accused Tybalt. He was about to speak further, but Slash interrupted.

“Consort!” she snapped. “What, dost thou make us minstrels? And thou make minstrels of us, look to hear nothing but discords: here’s my fiddlestick; here’s that shall make you dance!” She drew a concealed rapier from the back of her dress. “’Zounds, consort!” Benvolio then put his hand on her shoulder, trying to get her to stop.

“We talk here in the public haunt of men!” he hissed in worry. “Either withdraw unto some private place, and reason coldly of your grievances, or else depart; here all eyes gaze on us!”

“Men’s eyes were made to look,” retorted Slash, “and let them gaze; I will not budge for no man’s pleasure, I!” At that point, Romeo came up.

“Er, Mistress,” interjected Claws.

“Well,” mused Tybalt as he saw Romeo, “peace be with you, Sir. Here comes my man.”

“But I’ll be hanged, sir,” hissed Slash, “if he wear your livery. Marry, go before to field, he’ll be your follower; your worship in that sense may call him ‘man.’” Tybalt ignored her as he spoke to Romeo.

“Romeo, the hate I bear thee can afford no better term than this, thou art a villain,” he growled. Romeo was confused.

“Tybalt,” he replied, “the reason that I have to love thee doth much excuse the appertaining rage to such a greeting. Villain am I none; therefore farewell; I see thou know’st me not.”

“Boy,” snarled Tybalt as he drew his rapier, “this shall not excuse the injuries that thou hast done me; therefore, turn and draw!” Romeo backed away in a bit of surprise.

“I do protest!” he yelped. “I never injured thee, but love thee better than thou canst devise, till thou shalt know the reason of my love! And so, good Capulet, which name I tender as dearly as my own, be satisfied!”

“O calm, dishonorable, vile submission!” roared Slash. “Alla stoccata carries it away!” She used her rapier to knock Tybalt’s to the side. “Tybalt, you rat-catcher, will you walk?!” she said.

“Mistress, I really think you should…” called Claws.

“What wouldst thou have with me?!” asked Tybalt.

“Good king of cats,” challenged Slash, “nothing but one of your nine lives; that I mean to make bold withal, and as you shall use me hereafter, drybeat the rest of the eight! Will you pluck your sword out of his pitcher by the ears?! Make haste, lest mine be about your ears ere it be out!”

“I am for you!” declared Tybalt as he switched targets.

“Gentle Mercutio, put thy rapier up!” begged Romeo.

“Come, Sir, your passado!” shouted Slash.

“MISTRESS SLASH!” snapped Claws.

“Computer, pause program!” snarled Slash. As Tybalt charged at Slash, everything froze. “WHAT IS IT?!” roared Slash.

“Danger!” called her warning system.

“It’s a distress call,” explained Claws. “Grimlock received it from Optimus’s ship and ordered all hands on deck for a rescue operation. He’s already picked up the Autobots.” Slash sighed.

“And I thought I could finish Mercutio’s last scene today,” she muttered. She held a bit of her dress in her hand, then let it drop. “I’ll be there in a klik,” she assured.

---

Aleena felt a twinge in her heart. Something was clearly about to happen to Mobius and wanted the Autobots out of the picture. While she was musing, she felt a twinge in her head. She then cleared her thoughts to allow a telepathic message in her head. “You know he’s guilty,” called a man’s voice.

“He’s needed for command!” insisted Aleena.

“The investigators have compiled enough evidence,” countered the voice. “MECH has invaded our defenses. Our peace is at risk if he remains.” Aleena sighed.

“Trust is going to waver,” she observed.

“It will work out,” assured the voice. Aleena scoffed.

“Saw it in a vision?” she asked.

“A vision supplemented by history,” answered the voice. Aleena sighed.

“No choice then,” she sighed as she headed back into the castle.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty,” replied the voice, “but he’s too dangerous. Besides, G.U.N will flourish better without him, as will your children.” Aleena smiled.

“Sonic WOULD like him to get off his back,” she chuckled softly. Her grim look returned as she arrived at her office. “Well, it can’t be helped. He’s proven to be too dangerous.” When she sat down, she pressed a button, activating a screen to show an aged Mobian Hedgehog butler. “Wilson, bring up the case file for the MECH investigation and the arrest warrant.”

“Ma’am?” asked the butler, Wilson.

“I’ve been blinding myself to a massive danger to our people,” explained Aleena. “With the evidence piled up and how warlike he is, he cannot remain in G.U.N any longer.” She then steeled herself before finishing. “Commander Abraham Tower is under arrest for treason and commanding a known terrorist organization!”

---

“This is Halloween!

This is Halloween!

Pumpkins scream in the dead of night!” sang Blackarachnia as she laid down the web lines in her new lair.

“This is Halloween!

Everybody make a scene!

Trick or treat till the neighbors go and die of fright!” She then brought out a device and pressed a button. A Ground Bridge portal opened. “A remote control for the Autobots’ Ground Bridge,” giggled Blackarachnia, “I LOVE Autobot science!” She skipped through and arrived inside the Command Center of the Autobot base. She looked around. The lights were off, not a problem for her. Unlike the animal she was based off of, she had excellent day and night vision. She continued her visual sweep. She didn’t see anyone. She decided to chance it. “HELLO!” she called. “POISONOUS AND BEAUTIFUL DECEPTICON SPIDER-LADY HERE!” Not a peep, not even an alarm. “Well,” she then mused to herself, “it looks like I have the run of the place.” She then wandered over to the main console and pulled out a spider-themed scanner. She then pulled out a cord from the bottom of the device as it made tricorder noises. She was about to plug the cord in when…

“Have you been helped?” asked a robotic voice. Blackarachnia whirled around to see E123-Omega standing behind her. She then looked around awkwardly and retracted the cord. She gave a nervous grin.

“I’m just visiting,” she answered innocently.

“Considering that you entered the premises without warning,” observed Omega, “started probing the base for secrets, and used stolen Autobot technology, I do not believe you.”

“Er……shut up!” floundered Blackarachnia. “You know, maybe I’ll just take those secrets and…!” Omega converted his hands into their chain-gun mode and fired. A few shots hit her in the leg! “ARGH! You little scrap pile!” she shouted as she leapt over him and fired a web shot. Omega was pinned to the floor! “Learned how to pin prey from the Spitting Spiders!” said Blackarachnia. Then, she heard cords snapping. “Oh no,” she muttered as she guessed what would happen in the next few seconds. Omega got up, snapping the web. He then converted his hand into a long cannon. “FINE!” snapped Blackarachnia as she dodged cannon fire and activated her Ground Bridge. “I can tell when I’m not wanted!” She transformed and fled back to her lair. The portal shut itself when she arrived. She transformed back. “I’ll make my own coffee!” she muttered to herself. She then remembered. “Speaking of, how’s it processing?” She went to a machine that had a red crystal on top that was being ground and turned into a liquid. It was a slow process, the resulting liquid collecting by one drop every five seconds. “Come on!” she hissed. “Hurry up already!” The machine taunted her by slowly releasing another drop. “How is it that speed-enhancing Red Energon takes longer to process than regular Energon!?!?” she snapped. Another drop. She hissed and sat down, ready for a quick stasis nap. Her nap was stopped by a beeping from the Energon refiner and she jolted awake. As soon as her internal chronometer synced up, so she could judge how long she napped, she saw the results of her refined Red Energon. It barely reached a ninth of the collection tank. She hissed. “An entire chunk of Red Energon ore, AND THIS IS ALL I GET?!” She was livid. “There’s enough here for one dose! Maybe two!”

“Alert, activity detected,” reported a cold, dispassionate voice. “Pseudo-Sparks detected, but frames do not match that of any Decepti-drone.”

“Show me,” ordered Blackarachnia. A screen then started displaying the Cyber-Eggs transforming and landing. “The genetic basis must have been changed to an altered version of Eggman,” she guessed. “Calculate destination of these creatures.”

“Grid Haylex,” droned the computer. “Coordinates: 8-8-3-5-7-4-2.”

“Green Hill Zone,” recalled Blackarachnia. “Extrapolate on available data, what are they going there for?”

“Recent energy signature matches that of a relic from the war,” relayed the computer. “Likely hypothesis is that they have been sent to retrieve it.”

“Relic hunting,” she mused. She then looked at the Red Energon. “While speed is hardly the be all and end all in a fight, it should provide me with enough of an edge to obtain a more formidable relic.”