Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Apr 27, 2011 7:32:49 GMT
This is the fourth and final story in my series inspired by the unearthed Transformers Universe entries of the Deluxe Autobots and Insecticons. But their chronological order is as follows:
1. Powers Unknown
2. One of our Dinobots is Missing
3. The Army of the Damned
4. The Fall and Rise of the Deluxe Insecticons
Martin
___
After four million years away, the Autobot Inferno was looking forward to seeing his homeworld again. He was prepared to be confronted by the ravages of war when he stepped through Spanner’s prototype Space Bridge. But he was not prepared to face-
THE ARMY OF THE DAMNED
Cybertron, home planet of the Transformers. Earth date: 2510.
Here, for countless thousands of years, the evil Decepticons have waged war on the heroic Autobots. Few can remember how the war started. Fewer still can now make the distinction between good and evil. But everyone will remember this particular day…
Shockwave: “Imperative: Decepticons, cease fire.”
…because this is the day the war ended!
Shockwave: “Observation: The last Autobot has fallen.”
Polyhex.
Gnaw: “Ratbat… Ratbat!”
Ratbat: “What is it, Gnaw?”
Gnaw: “The war, the war, the war is over!”
Ratbat: “Over…? Over. Really over. Thank the Matrix!”
Later…
Ratbat: “I have called this meeting to confirm the rumours that have been sweeping the planet over the last few hours. Earlier today, the Decepticon forces in Cybertron’s southern hemisphere, led by Shockwave, successfully routed and destroyed the last remaining warriors of the Autobot army. The war is finally over!”
Chop Shop (thinks): No!
His name is Chop Shop. He is not a Decepticon. He is an Autobot spy!
Chop Shop (thinks): I don’t believe it! I didn’t spend the last nine hundred years as a double agent just to make sure the Decepticons won! No. Despite the Decepticon commander’s words, the war is not over yet!
Ratbat: “With this news, I am stepping down as leader of the Decepticons. I am… so very tired. It is time someone new took over. Consequently, I have asked Shockwave to succeed me as guardian of the Underbase, and he has accepted-”
Chop Shop: “Hey! Wait a minute! Shockwave’s a thinker, not a war-lord! If we are to dominate the universe, we need someone who thinks with his laser cannon, not his mind! And I have the ideal candidate. Someone who was a soldier, not a tactician… Trypticon!”
Trypticon: “No, wait, I-”
Ransack: “Yeah, Chop Shop’s right!”
Chop Shop: “Have you forgotten that Shockwave had his chance to wield the Matrix before you took over, and blew it?”
Ratbat: “No, I… I-”
Octane: “Watch your mouth, shorty! Where was your precious Trypticon while we were winning the war, eh?”
Chop Shop: “Back off, Octane – now! You’re way out of your league here!”
Blitzwing: “That’s enough, Chop Shop – that is enough! It’s time someone shut your mouth – permanently!”
Venom: “Wrong, Blitzwing…”
Blitzwing: “Venom?”
Venom: “Dead wrong!”
Blitzwing: “REEAAH!”
Ratbat: “No! No…”
Astrotrain: “Chop Shop… this was your fault!”
Trypticon: “Astrotrain – don’t…”
Chop Shop: “GHAA!”
Cybertron, home planet of the Transformers. Here, for countless thousands of years, the evil Decepticons have waged war on the heroic Autobots. Few can remember how the war started. Fewer still can now make the distinction between good and evil. But everyone will remember this day…
Because this is the day the last Autobot fell… and the war began again!
___
Chop Shop awoke from his PARD-induced nightmare to find himself in another one, as he witnessed the Autobot Roadbuster coolly blowing the legs off the Insecticon’s headless body with his linear blaster gun, then using his laser rifle to slice his torso diagonally from the right shoulder down to the left hip. The two pieces fell apart cleanly onto the floor, the arms continuing to twitch and squirm of their own accord.
“What the-?”
“Oh, awake at last, are you?” grunted the Autobot Ground Assault Commander. “I’ll be with you in a minute, once I’ve-” He turned at a movement on the periphery of his vision and fired his shrapnel-missile launcher, perforating an already decapitated Ransack that had shuffled out of an alcove.
“He’s really enjoying this,” observed Venom’s head from its place on the table to the left of Chop Shop’s.
“What’s going on?” demanded the thief, totally disorientated.
“You have been out for a long time, haven’t you?” remarked Barrage from somewhere to his right. “That Autobot’s being blowing limbs off our bodies for the best part of two hours now.”
“We’re on Cybertron,” explained Ransack from further along. “We were captured months ago on Earth and transported to the Autobot base here in Kalis, our heads separated from our bodies to ensure we wouldn’t make any fuss.”
“But why are our headless bodies walking around for the Autobot’s target practice?”
“We don’t know, and neither does he. The theory is that they’re being controlled by a computer signal, but it’s a very crude one. They won’t transform or use their weapons, which makes it sickeningly easy for Roadbuster to bring them down.”
“Quiet,” ordered Venom. “One of the other Autobots is reporting in.”
“Inferno to Roadbuster. I am at the border with Tyrest. The terror that has gripped Kalis appears to end here, but the Decepticons aren’t letting anyone in or out. I got into a skirmish with a trio of Firecons, but I got the better of them. Firecons are my speciality – I’m their worst nightmare.”
“Acknowledged, Inferno. Return to Autobase. Roadbuster to Whirl – please report.”
“This is Whirl. It’s the same up here. I’ve picked up Battletrap and Flywheels on my scanners, patrolling the border from the air. Want me to engage?”
“Negative. We’ve enough problems avoiding reanimated corpses without risking further conflict with the Decepticons. It’s clear that they’re not the ones responsible for Kalis becoming a ghost town.”
“So what are we going to do?”
“Finding Emirate Xaaron and the other Wreckers is our top priority, but we need help if we’re to carry out a proper search. Our friends Hubcap and Swerve are currently stationed at the Manganese Mountains Autobase, and should be able to give us access to a sufficient number of Guardian and Powerdasher units to do the job systematically, whilst simultaneously keeping the robot zombies at bay. The three of us can use our tunnel network to cross the border to the mountains, but the journey will take us several weeks.”
“Xaaron and the others may not have several weeks!”
“What choice do we have? It would take us years to search Kalis on our own.”
A pause, then: “Confirmed. Returning to base.”
Roadbuster left the room, dragging the carcasses of Chop Shop and Ransack behind him.
“Hey,” said Barrage. “The Autobots don’t know about the Decepticons’ Baird beaming transmitter. It has advanced capabilities that could block the computer signal controlling our bodies and track it back to its source. This thing seems to be a threat to Autobot and Decepticon alike. Figure we should tell them?”
“Well…” began Venom.
“No!” intervened Chop Shop. “We’re Decepticons! The Autobots are our most hated adversary, the antithesis of everything we stand for. All other considerations are secondary. Whatever becomes of us, the enemy of the Autobots is our friend. No matter the cost, Xaaron must die. We cannot take steps that may lead to his survival.”
“Agreed!” resolved Venom, a note of relief in his voice. “We must pray that the Autobots fail and are killed by the reanimated hordes. And if they survive and we do too, we must do all in our power to kill them, even if it means pretending to be their allies for a while.”
“One thing more, though,” said Chop Shop. “We must never again allow ourselves to be captured alive. The humiliation is too much to bear.”
“You’re right,” said Ransack. “We must regain our honour, and kill those who have heaped this indignity upon us. Our moment of glory has yet to come!”
THE END
1. Powers Unknown
2. One of our Dinobots is Missing
3. The Army of the Damned
4. The Fall and Rise of the Deluxe Insecticons
Martin
___
After four million years away, the Autobot Inferno was looking forward to seeing his homeworld again. He was prepared to be confronted by the ravages of war when he stepped through Spanner’s prototype Space Bridge. But he was not prepared to face-
THE ARMY OF THE DAMNED
Cybertron, home planet of the Transformers. Earth date: 2510.
Here, for countless thousands of years, the evil Decepticons have waged war on the heroic Autobots. Few can remember how the war started. Fewer still can now make the distinction between good and evil. But everyone will remember this particular day…
Shockwave: “Imperative: Decepticons, cease fire.”
…because this is the day the war ended!
Shockwave: “Observation: The last Autobot has fallen.”
Polyhex.
Gnaw: “Ratbat… Ratbat!”
Ratbat: “What is it, Gnaw?”
Gnaw: “The war, the war, the war is over!”
Ratbat: “Over…? Over. Really over. Thank the Matrix!”
Later…
Ratbat: “I have called this meeting to confirm the rumours that have been sweeping the planet over the last few hours. Earlier today, the Decepticon forces in Cybertron’s southern hemisphere, led by Shockwave, successfully routed and destroyed the last remaining warriors of the Autobot army. The war is finally over!”
Chop Shop (thinks): No!
His name is Chop Shop. He is not a Decepticon. He is an Autobot spy!
Chop Shop (thinks): I don’t believe it! I didn’t spend the last nine hundred years as a double agent just to make sure the Decepticons won! No. Despite the Decepticon commander’s words, the war is not over yet!
Ratbat: “With this news, I am stepping down as leader of the Decepticons. I am… so very tired. It is time someone new took over. Consequently, I have asked Shockwave to succeed me as guardian of the Underbase, and he has accepted-”
Chop Shop: “Hey! Wait a minute! Shockwave’s a thinker, not a war-lord! If we are to dominate the universe, we need someone who thinks with his laser cannon, not his mind! And I have the ideal candidate. Someone who was a soldier, not a tactician… Trypticon!”
Trypticon: “No, wait, I-”
Ransack: “Yeah, Chop Shop’s right!”
Chop Shop: “Have you forgotten that Shockwave had his chance to wield the Matrix before you took over, and blew it?”
Ratbat: “No, I… I-”
Octane: “Watch your mouth, shorty! Where was your precious Trypticon while we were winning the war, eh?”
Chop Shop: “Back off, Octane – now! You’re way out of your league here!”
Blitzwing: “That’s enough, Chop Shop – that is enough! It’s time someone shut your mouth – permanently!”
Venom: “Wrong, Blitzwing…”
Blitzwing: “Venom?”
Venom: “Dead wrong!”
Blitzwing: “REEAAH!”
Ratbat: “No! No…”
Astrotrain: “Chop Shop… this was your fault!”
Trypticon: “Astrotrain – don’t…”
Chop Shop: “GHAA!”
Cybertron, home planet of the Transformers. Here, for countless thousands of years, the evil Decepticons have waged war on the heroic Autobots. Few can remember how the war started. Fewer still can now make the distinction between good and evil. But everyone will remember this day…
Because this is the day the last Autobot fell… and the war began again!
___
Chop Shop awoke from his PARD-induced nightmare to find himself in another one, as he witnessed the Autobot Roadbuster coolly blowing the legs off the Insecticon’s headless body with his linear blaster gun, then using his laser rifle to slice his torso diagonally from the right shoulder down to the left hip. The two pieces fell apart cleanly onto the floor, the arms continuing to twitch and squirm of their own accord.
“What the-?”
“Oh, awake at last, are you?” grunted the Autobot Ground Assault Commander. “I’ll be with you in a minute, once I’ve-” He turned at a movement on the periphery of his vision and fired his shrapnel-missile launcher, perforating an already decapitated Ransack that had shuffled out of an alcove.
“He’s really enjoying this,” observed Venom’s head from its place on the table to the left of Chop Shop’s.
“What’s going on?” demanded the thief, totally disorientated.
“You have been out for a long time, haven’t you?” remarked Barrage from somewhere to his right. “That Autobot’s being blowing limbs off our bodies for the best part of two hours now.”
“We’re on Cybertron,” explained Ransack from further along. “We were captured months ago on Earth and transported to the Autobot base here in Kalis, our heads separated from our bodies to ensure we wouldn’t make any fuss.”
“But why are our headless bodies walking around for the Autobot’s target practice?”
“We don’t know, and neither does he. The theory is that they’re being controlled by a computer signal, but it’s a very crude one. They won’t transform or use their weapons, which makes it sickeningly easy for Roadbuster to bring them down.”
“Quiet,” ordered Venom. “One of the other Autobots is reporting in.”
“Inferno to Roadbuster. I am at the border with Tyrest. The terror that has gripped Kalis appears to end here, but the Decepticons aren’t letting anyone in or out. I got into a skirmish with a trio of Firecons, but I got the better of them. Firecons are my speciality – I’m their worst nightmare.”
“Acknowledged, Inferno. Return to Autobase. Roadbuster to Whirl – please report.”
“This is Whirl. It’s the same up here. I’ve picked up Battletrap and Flywheels on my scanners, patrolling the border from the air. Want me to engage?”
“Negative. We’ve enough problems avoiding reanimated corpses without risking further conflict with the Decepticons. It’s clear that they’re not the ones responsible for Kalis becoming a ghost town.”
“So what are we going to do?”
“Finding Emirate Xaaron and the other Wreckers is our top priority, but we need help if we’re to carry out a proper search. Our friends Hubcap and Swerve are currently stationed at the Manganese Mountains Autobase, and should be able to give us access to a sufficient number of Guardian and Powerdasher units to do the job systematically, whilst simultaneously keeping the robot zombies at bay. The three of us can use our tunnel network to cross the border to the mountains, but the journey will take us several weeks.”
“Xaaron and the others may not have several weeks!”
“What choice do we have? It would take us years to search Kalis on our own.”
A pause, then: “Confirmed. Returning to base.”
Roadbuster left the room, dragging the carcasses of Chop Shop and Ransack behind him.
“Hey,” said Barrage. “The Autobots don’t know about the Decepticons’ Baird beaming transmitter. It has advanced capabilities that could block the computer signal controlling our bodies and track it back to its source. This thing seems to be a threat to Autobot and Decepticon alike. Figure we should tell them?”
“Well…” began Venom.
“No!” intervened Chop Shop. “We’re Decepticons! The Autobots are our most hated adversary, the antithesis of everything we stand for. All other considerations are secondary. Whatever becomes of us, the enemy of the Autobots is our friend. No matter the cost, Xaaron must die. We cannot take steps that may lead to his survival.”
“Agreed!” resolved Venom, a note of relief in his voice. “We must pray that the Autobots fail and are killed by the reanimated hordes. And if they survive and we do too, we must do all in our power to kill them, even if it means pretending to be their allies for a while.”
“One thing more, though,” said Chop Shop. “We must never again allow ourselves to be captured alive. The humiliation is too much to bear.”
“You’re right,” said Ransack. “We must regain our honour, and kill those who have heaped this indignity upon us. Our moment of glory has yet to come!”
THE END
