Inferno, Terrorsaur, and Waspinator leveled their guns at the lab’s entrance. “On my command,” called Megatron. “When they come out, fire around-”
“HERE THEY COME!” called Scorponok. Terrorsaur, Inferno, and Waspinator then opened fire, their shots exiting the lab.
“I SAID ON MY COMMAND!” roared Megatron.
“HOLD YOUR FIRE, YOU FOOLS!” shouted Saurion. “WAIT FOR A TARGET!”
The shots died down as Slash hoisted Tarantulas up by the head. He had regained consciousness by then. “And just what, pray tell, do you intend to do with those trigger-happy lunatics?” he asked. Slash declined to answer and just spoke to Rattrap.
“Cover me, Vermin,” she growled. She then tugged Tarantulas with her and approached the lab entrance. Rattrap then spotted a pipe near him.
“…Well, no sense in denying my beast instincts now,” he mused.
“Do not fire, Villains!” shouted Slash as she shoved Tarantulas ahead of her before holding her rotary sword to his neck. “I have a hostage!”
“Why, so you do,” purred Saurion. He then prepared to fire his hip rockets!
“NO!” shouted Megatron as he kicked Saurion, cancelling the rockets’ firing sequence. As Saurion massaged his hips, Megatron berated him. “I don’t know if you recall, but we need him! Want a list why?!”
“Astound me with it,” muttered Saurion.
“One: he’s the only one who knows how to make more of the virus! If you want to infect the rest of the Maximals, you need him alive! Two: He’s still in the middle of his research into the Omega Keys!”
“Cyber Planet Keys.”
“NOT THE POINT! We still need him to complete his work on that front! Three: Shockwave needs a lab assistant!”
“Allow me to counter your list with my own! One: Shockwave is replacement enough for him! She can decode his data-trax and make it herself, possibly make it better. Two: I had Scorponok take over that project! Three, the most important bit: We intercepted a little message of his!” He then pressed a button on a nearby console and played the message. Tarantulas goggled in horror. “It was on an open frequency, to answer the question you’re keeping locked behind your chelicerae. Don’t bother saying it wasn’t you, we ran vocal matches and Spark checks.”
“S-Saurion, I can explain!” begged Tarantulas. Saurion then fired his hip rockets, causing Tarantulas and Slash to dive out of the way. Inferno and Terrorsaur then grabbed him by the arms to hold him in place.
“Now, are there any other stupid Maximal or Autobot ploys you wish to try?” Saurion asked Slash. A ceiling tile then fell as if it was kicked down from someone. Rattrap then landed on a table, kicked Saurion, making Animatros’ Cyber Planet Key fall from his subspace pocket, then Rattrap grabbed it and rolled to another part of the lab.
“How’s this, Scale-belly?!” He then fired his gun and knocked the enemy’s guns out of their hands. “Ha HA, gotcha!” Just then, they all heard a noise that sounded like someone winding up for a sneeze.
“TAKE COVER!” shouted Megatron. The sneeze was accompanied by a wall-destroying Energon discharge. The wall to the right of the lab’s door was nothing but rubble and Optimus’ forces stepped inside with Hydran wiping his nose.
“Nobody move!” ordered the Prime.
“Hey! Boss Truck!” called Rattrap as he handed Kong the Cyber Planet Key in a casual manner. “Nice of you to show, but, eh, we’ve already been there and done that.”
“What the rodent is trying to say,” snarled Slash, “is that the situation is under control.”
“I think not, no!” growled Saurion. “For I still have…the counter-virus!” he then pulled out the container. Megatron then leveled a fusion cannon at it.
“Unless you lot convert to your alt-modes and surrender immediately,” threatened the Decepticon Lord, “the Flame Convoy goes offline…PERMANENTLY!” Hydran then place a hand on Kong and Optimus.
“Don’t…” he groaned.
“…No choice,” sighed Kong. “Right now, our first priority is your survival.”
“Everyone, transform and surrender,” muttered Optimus. He and his army then transformed into their vehicle or beast modes.
“There are times,” grunted Slash, “when I would prefer to be a Decepticon!” She then went to beast mode.
“You see? A bargaining chip is ALWAYS useful!” Saurion remarked to Megatron.
“I suppose you DID have some merit,” mused Megatron. He then turned to his foes. “But, now the game is over and…” Hydran moaned pitifully and sat down so he could clutch his stomach.
“What’s wrong?” asked Optimus.
“Wild bean vines,” groaned Hydran. “Hard to digest!” He then got up and moved around.
“DO NOT TURN YOUR BACK ON ME, MAXIMAL SCUM!” roared Saurion. Optimus then noticed that Hydran was rotating in a way that looked like he was aiming his rear. A thought then struck the young Prime and it made his holo-form’s face display fear.
“Back up, back up, BACK UP!” he ordered.
“Wait, why are you…” Megatron then realized what Hydran was doing! “You wouldn’t!” The instant his rear was pointed directly at Saurion, he raised his tail! Saurion then got the idea.
“Oh no! Not that!” he begged.
“RETREAT!” Megatron’s order came too little, too late! The rear-based Energon discharge launched him and his forces out of the lab and into the sky.
“BLEARGH!” gagged Kong as he tried to wave the stench away from his nose. “That did it!”
“Let’s get out of here!” called Optimus.
“Not without the counter-virus!” interjected Rattrap.
“Gotcha!” cheered Grimlock as he picked up the container in his teeth. Everyone then left the lab at top speed.
They were back in Fortress Maximus when Hydran had the counter-virus given to him via an IV needle. Ratchet got readings that made him smile. “He’s responding well to the counter-virus,” he reported to Optimus. “A little rest and he’ll be good to go in two hours.”
“And the Cyber Planet Key’s currently under heavy guard,” replied Optimus. Tails then came up to them.
“Repairs are almost done!” he cheered. “Fortress Maximus will be ready to fly again within an hour!”
“What about Scorponok’s old body?”
“From what Swoop and Airazor reported, they still haven’t recovered from…well…the last discharge.”
“I’m not too terribly proud of that one,” mumbled Hydran. Then…he wound up for a sneeze!
“TAKE COVER!” called Ratchet. Everyone hid behind the repair berths again as Hydran reached the climax of his windup. He then sneezed! …Although, there wasn’t any additional noise of damage to the walls. Ratchet poked his head up to see that Hydran wasn’t discharging any Energon. The sneezing fit then stopped.
“Couldn’t it have cured my seasonal allergies?” groaned Hydran. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief before they laughed.
Meanwhile, with Megatron and his army, they were still draped across various trees. “This is certainly the most humiliating defeat of my entire career!” groaned Saurion. “Yeeessss!”
“…This never happened!” Megatron growled to Shockwave.
“What never happened?” asked Shockwave, feeling equally embarrassed as her Lord.
“Exactly.” Megatron then addressed the troops. “We’ve been lazy for long enough! We have repairs to make!” Everyone got out of the trees, then Terrorsaur gathered up the pieces of Waspinator and put him back together. Megatron arched an eyebrow. “The way you put him back together so nonchalantly…”
“It happens a lot,” replied Terrorsaur.
“Wazzzpinator hazzz been called Chew Toy of Fate for mozzzt of life,” grumbled Waspinator. Once everyone was divided according to tasks, Saurion addressed his Predacons.
“This is not yet over, no,” he growled. “Once we’re done, Tarantulas WILL be placed on trial!” Tarantulas gulped in fear.