Earth, millions of years before the first appearance of the first Homo Sapiens...
In the currently-crashed spaceship of the Maximals, the Axalon (which also serves as their base), Rhinox was sitting at his working bench, killing time by working on his newest experiment: A coffee machine made from spare Maximal parts, to create a coffee that is actually edible for robots. He got the idea after viewing a few of those old human Detective Series from Earth. A few of them had managed to appear on the daily Maximal program on TV, and 'Kojak' was his favorite.
Every once in a while, he would take a sidewards glance to the Axalon's main computer, which was scanning the immediate area for any signs of unusual activities, like the appearance of Predacons, for instance.
Until now, everything was quiet.
Rattrap was sitting in another chair, challenging the computer to a game of digital Poker.
"Oh, curse that bloody computer," he ranted. "How come every time I challenge it to a game, I'm the loser?"
"To say it with the words of the great Optimus Prime, Rattrap..." his burly friend smirked. "It's destiny!"
The sabotage expert sighed in defeat and switched off the game simulator.
That's when the scanner suddenly started beeping. Both Maximals looked up from what they were doing and Rhinox went over to the main computer.
"Now what do we have here?" he mumbled. "Hmmmm? Four energy signatures... and they seem to be Stasis Pods."
Optimus Primal, the Maximals' leader, just entered the control room and overheard Rhinox' last statement. "How could they have appeared there without our scanners having detected them earlier?" he wondered.
"Why, indeed?" Rhinox murmured. "Would they have descended from orbit, we would have noticed them as soon as they had entered the atmosphere. And if someone had brought them there, we would have noticed as well. Besides, the only ones who could do this would be the Predacons... and what use would it have for Megatron to put four Stasis Pods into our territory?"
"Yeah, old dino-butt would use any chance to corrupt any fallen Protoforms into Preds, that's for sure," Rattrap exclaimed.
"Well, whatever happened, we have to make sure the Predacons don't use them for their purposes. Rattrap, contact Dinobot and Airazor. They're the closest to that sector. I will go and join them. Rhinox, find out if the Stasis Pods in orbit are still the same amount."
"I'm on it, Optimus!" Rhinox nodded and got to work. And while Optimus (unlike the other two, he was in Beast Mode) went for the escape hatch, Rattrap reached for the communicator.
"Rattrap to Dinobot! Yo, chopperface, do you read me?"
The annoyed voice of the former Predacon came out of the device: "What do you want now, vermin?"
"We found four stasis pods near your current position. Optimus is on his way. He wants you and Airazor to check it out."
Dinobot grumbled. "The day I'm gonna listen to one of your orders is the day the Pit freezes over!"
"Well, then, don't do it because I told you so... do it because Mega-jerk is gonna send his flunkies at the Stasis Pods if we don't hurry! So get your scaly butt in gear and get over there!"
Dinobot snarled through the communicator. "We'll talk about this later, vermin! Dinobot out!"
Rattrap disconnected. "Sheesh, chopperface is getting grumpier by the day..."
----
Some time later, Optimus Primal came descending from the skies, using the jets of his robot mode. Airazor and Dinobot were already waiting for him, in Beast Mode.
Just before he landed, Optimus called: "Beast Mode!" and transformed into his gorilla form.
He looked into the rocky cave where the scanner had found the Stasis Pods.
"Status?" he asked.
"The pods are intact," Airazor reported, her falcon head tilting as she spoke, indicating the bird-like behavior of her Beast Mode. "And no signs of any Predacon since we arrived here."
"I'm still saying this is a trap!" Dinobot growled. The brown-scaled Velociraptor looked into the cave suspiciously. "Maybe Megatron somehow covered the pods' presence from our scanners and is using them to lure us into a trap. I say we fire a few shots in there, to lure out any Predacons that might be hidden in there."
"Out of the question," Optimus stated. "The cave might not be stable, not to mention that we might hit the pods. Besides, if there are active Protoforms in there, Megatron would already have brought them back to his base. Still, we should hurry and bring them back to the Axalon."
"I agree," Airazor nodded. "The fact that no Predacons have appeared yet doesn't mean that they won't come here."
"Very well, then let me go first," Dinobot insisted. "In case of an ambush, I can defend myself best against any close combatants."
Optimus sighed. Dinobots suspiciousness could be tedious at times.
"Very well, do it."
Dinobot nodded. "Dinobot - Maximize!"
After having turned back into his robot form, he pulled out his rotating blades and carefully stepped into the cave.
Shortly after, he called: "It looks like no one is around. Still, there might be hidden tunnels. I request that we thorough search the cavern walls for hidden entrances."
"Dinobot, we don't have time for this," Optimus shouted. "We have to get the Protoforms out of here, now!"
Airazor stepped up to the pods. "The cavern walls prevented the pods from scanning for any life forms the Protoforms could use as a Beast Mode, they are just too thick."
"We might have to transport them to the base like this," Optimus said in a worried voice. "I don't like it, but it seems to be the only option we have. Lucky thing Rhinox was able to construct a hovering carriage in case we would have to transport bigger objects across the plains."
"I'll go out and contact him," Dinobot volunteered. "The Energon within these walls prevents me to call him from within."
Optimus nodded and Dinobot turned back to his raptor form, walking out of the cave.
"This is strange..." Optimus said as he looked back at the Stasis Pods. "I don't remember that we had this many female Protoforms back on the Axalon... after all, not that many female Transformers exist at all."
"I know, we always have been a minority on Cybertron," Airazor smirked. "Maybe these pods aren't from the Axalon at all..."
"I wonder..." Optimus frowned. "Or someone changed the Protoforms' appearances..."
Dinobot came back in. "The vermin sent the cat to bring the carriers," he hissed. "He will be here shortly. No Predacons are approaching us, and the number of Stasis Pods in orbit is still the same as before."
"Well, that's just prime..." the Maximal leader sighed.
----
Ami blinked. What happened? The last thing she remembered was that Setsuna, in her new form as 'Time Splitter', had reached for the Garnet Orb... and then there was a bright flash.
Her vision was a bit blurry, and she could hear voices in the same room as her. Finally, she could see clearly again.
"Hey," a male, cheerful voice spoke up. "You're awake? How do you feel?"
Ami gasped in surprise and sat up. That creature in front of her... it looked similar to what Setsuna had turned into. But at the same time, completely different.
It was a male, with blue, metallic 'skin' visible on his face. His metal plating had a strange pattern on it. Almost like that of a cheetah...
"Hey, it's okay!" he told her. "You're safe now. We found your Stasis Pod outside. Can you get up?"
Ami shook her head. "I... I think so," she said, a bit woozy. She felt really strange... as if her body wouldn't quite respond as she wanted.
She stood up and looked around the weird, technological chamber. It looked right out of a scene in 'Star Wars'. She saw other humanoid robots standing nearby. Again, she wondered how she got here, and if those guys had to do anything with Setsuna's change.
"Where... where am I? And who are you?" she asked.
"I'm Cheetor!" the tall robot grinned. "The coolest cat around here. And these are my friends."
"You are in our base, the Axalon," a more bulky robot explained. He had hands similar to those of a monkey. "I am Optimus Primal, the leader of the Maximals. May I ask for your name?"
"M-maximals?" Ami wondered. "What's a Maximal?"
They looked at each other in confusion. "Oy, seems like the girl's circuits are all messed up," a slightly smaller robot with buck teeth said. "Hey, we all are Maximals, you and me, even chopperface here."
The tall, dark-faced robot next to him growled as if he was offended.
"Me? But I'm not a... I'm... I'm..."
Ami had just looked down at herself... and saw a pair of wite-furred paws. "W-what's going on? Why am I on four paws? What happened to me? Where are Usagi and the others?"
Rhinox leaned over to Optimus and whispered: "Seems like her memory data is a bit scrambled. I might have to take a look at it later."
"Maybe it's something similar that happened to Inferno," Airazor assumed. "He also seems to believe that he's a real fire ant."
"Hey, no worries! You can go back to normal in no time," Cheetor assured her. "Just say your name, and then 'Maximize'. Say, what's your name?"
"Ami..." the female Arctic Fox muttered. "My name is Ami."
"Ami?" Airazor asked. "An unusual name for a Maximal, but a pretty one!"
"Um, thank you..." Ami decided to give it a try. "Uh... Ami, Maximize!"
It felt weird, extremely weird. It was as if all her internal and external organs were rearranged, but she felt no pain. When the transformation was complete, she almost stumbled backwards, but was able to catch herself.
She then looked down at herself once again and saw... a humanoid robot.
'So, what happened to Setsuna must have happened to me as well,' she figured and remembered how Setsuna had transformed from a giant cockroach into her humanoid robot form.
"Welcome aboard, Ami," Optimus said and offered her his hand. Hesitantly, she accepted the handshake.
"Now we only have to wait until your friends wake up from hibernation," Rattrap joked.
"My friends?" Ami gasped. "They are here as well?"
See other episodes by Shritistrang
(Posted Thu, 12 Apr 2007 17:53)
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