~{ Beast Wars Chronicles }~
~{ The Artifact }~
By Eliot Lefebvre

Megatron glanced behind him.  "Scorponok, you IDIOT!!!" he 
bellowed.  "I ordered you to stay behind!"

"No, actually, you just told me I was in charge until you got back," 
replied Scorponok.  "So, I gave someone else the job and came 
after you."

*Why me?* thought Megatron.  "Very well.  You and Inferno will 
probably make yourselves useful in this matter."

"My Queen?" asked Inferno.  "What exactly are you going after?"

At this, Megatron smiled.  "We are going after the reason why I 
kept both of the Golden Disks, after the one sign I had that 
lifeforms more powerful than the aliens existed, after the one 
artifact that will ultimately seal the fate of the Maximals and the 
Decepticons..."

"What?" asked Scorponok.

Megatron's smile broadened.  "The Singularity Orb."

	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*

Hamstor and Razorbeast were lagging signifigantly behind the 
other members of the Arctic Squadron.  "I've got a stasis pod on 
scanners," announced Hamstor as he rode on Razorbeast's 
back.

"Is it his?"

Hamstor double-checked his readings.  "Yep," he replied.  "How 
are we going to keep these guys from getting suspicious?"

Razorbeast thought for a moment.  "I've got an idea," he said.  
He shrugged for Hamstor to get off of his back, then 
transformed.  "Hey, Wolfang!" he called.

The sleek grey wolf skidded to a halt.  "What do you want?" he 
snarled.  He really didn't like the "Trio", as they were unofficially 
called - Rattrap, Razorbeast, and Armordillo.  Of course, Rattrap 
was dead, but Hamstor looked to be gunning to take over 
Rattrap's position, and it was not an idea that Wolfang was 
paticularly thrilled with.

"Oh, nothing much... we just want to plant a listening post.  
We've got a new design, and we want to see if it works more 
efficiently."

Wolfang could tell that Razorbeast was lying, but even so, it was 
a chance for him to get rid of him and Hamstor for a while.  
"Sure, fine, go knock yourselves out.  Just be sure to catch up."

Razorbeast nodded and transformed back to boar mode.  
Hamstor hopped onto his back and sped away.

Behind him, Wolfang noticed Polar Claw advancing.  
Transforming, he gave a quick salute.  "Optimus back on-line so 
soon, sir?" he asked.

Polar Claw nodded.  "I'm glad.  It's nice to be back with my own 
troops."

Wolfang agreed.  The Arcitc Squadron was confined, and due to 
that factor, they had formed a sort of bond that few groups of 
Maximals ever did.  The only other group that shared such tight 
bonds between so few was the "Trio", and they were not an 
official team.  "It's good to have you back.  I was hoping that I 
wouldn't have to deal with Razorbeast and Hamstor all by my 
lonesome."

"They're here?" moaned Polar Claw.

"Yeah, but they're off doing their own thing right now," replied 
Wolfang.  "They'll catch up, but until then, we're free."

Polar Claw nodded.  "I say we take advantage of that and move 
out."

The two transformed back to beast mode and scampered along 
with Icebreaker and Seachill.

	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*

Razorbeast and Hamstor were both unusually cold.  Still, they 
endured it as the stasis pod careened towards their location.

"Are you absolutely sure it's him?" asked Razorbeast, watching 
the pod come closer.

"Positive," replied Hamstor.  "Correct energy signature, correct 
body patterning, but most of all, I can read the component.  It's 
him, all right."

As the pod plowed into the ground, Hamstor and Razorbeast 
advanced towards it.  It quickly scanned the area, then found a 
wolf and fully developed into final form.  The pod hissed open, 
and the wolf sprang out, then transformed and saw both Hamstor 
and Razorbeast standing before him.  "What's the matter?" 
asked the robot.

"It's good to see you again, sir," said Hamstor with a slight bow.

The robot chuckled.  "You can call me Wheeljack."

"Bad news," said Razorbeast gravely.  "We've found Tyrasix, and 
he's got the other four segments."

Wheeljack gasped.  "Do we have any way of getting them away 
from him?"

"If we can draw him out, yeah," replied Hamstor.  "But if the other 
Maximals know who you really are, then you'll attract a lot of 
attention and he probably won't risk it.  You'll need a new name."

"Hmm..."  Wheeljack pondered for a moment.  "How about... 
Sawjaw?"

"I like it," nodded Razorbeast with approval.  "We'd better get 
moving, though.  Our only chance at getting the segments from 
Tyrasix is moving away from us, and we'll need them."

Sawjaw nodded, and transformed back to wolf mode.  
Razorbeast and Hamstor followed suit, and the trio set out to 
catch up with the Arctic Squadron.

	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*

"Hey, Fishboy, what's happening?"

Dolphonoch looked up.  "I've told you before, don't call me that," 
he said in a mildly irritated tone as Stormcloud descended 
through the hatch.  He was smiling, though.  "It's nice to have you 
stop by and visit."

"The feeling is mutual," said Vixen, descending behind 
Stormcloud.  "How are you holding out down here?"

"Ahh, we're doing all right," he replied.  "It's kind of different now 
that Cybershark's gone, though.  We were always a pretty small 
group, and with his departure..."

"You'll be okay," said Stormcloud.  "Another aquatic warrior is 
bound to come along sooner or later - I'm betting sooner."

"Thanks for the reassurance, Dives," said Dolphonoch.  He and 
Stormcloud had established something of a friendship since his 
pod had landed, and little visits from he and Vixen were fairly 
common.

Out of habit, Vixen glanced over at the perimeter display.  "Uh-
oh," she said.  "Cybershark, Seaskimmer, and Razorclaw are 
approaching from the south."

"Not good," said Dolphonoch.  "Orcanoch and Claw Jaw are on 
recon.  We'll have to take care of them ourselves."

Stormcloud quickly sent a comm message to the other two 
members of the aquatic division, then drew his launcher, knowing 
his lightning gun would be untargetable underwater.  He, Vixen, 
and Dolphonoch all loaded into the airlock, then armed their 
weapons as they were shot out into the water.

Dolphonoch headed straight for Cybershark.  Firing his sonic 
blaster, Dolphonoch brought his claw out of subspace, and 
spiraled towards the former Maximal.  Cybershark transformed to 
robot mode and nimbly sliced through the water, avoiding 
Dolphonoch's blasts, and let loose a barrage of his chest 
missiles.  Dolphonoch dove, then came up, blasting and 
slashing.  Cybershark was not expecting that tactic, and tried to 
react in time, but was a bit too late.  Dolphonoch pressed the 
advantage, clawing at Cybershark and slashing through the 
Predacon's thick metal skin.

With a flip, Razorclaw transformed and began firing his laser at 
Stormcloud.  The beam was extremely distorted underwater, and 
Stormcloud easily dodged it and fired a strafe of missiles at the 
Predacon.  Razorclaw's heavily armored body took the blasts 
easily, then came at Stormcloud, opening his larger claw and 
extending his massive spines inside.  Stormcloud flipped away 
and fired another pair of missiles at Razorclaw.  Letting himself 
drift, Razorclaw slid out of the way of the missiles, then fired his 
laser up at Stormcloud again.  The Maximal spun away and 
returned fire.

Vixen let loose a quick swath of crossbow bolts as she advanced 
towards Seaskimmer.  The Predacon female flipped and 
transformed, then brought her deadly electro-ray cannon to bear 
and started firing at Vixen, figuring that the medic would be easy 
prey.  She was suprised when Vixen moved like lightning, 
dodging the blast and sending another volley towards 
Seaskimmer.  This time, Seaskimmer was not expecting the 
bolts, and she was torn into by the blasts.  With a smile 
unbecoming of her, Vixen grinned and spiralled towards 
Seaskimmer, firing unrelentingly.

Twisting, Cybershark began to spin at a ridiculous rate, throwing 
up a massive whirlpool of water and shoving Dolphonoch away.  
As the Maximal scientist recovered, Cybershark pressed the 
advantage and let loose a swath of missiles, pounding 
Dolphonoch unrelentingly.  Dolphonoch fell backwards, and 
Cybershark advanced with his claw to finish the job.  As the 
Predacon approached, Dolphonoch set his sonic blaster to a 
wide blast, maximum intensity, and fired in Cybershark's general 
direction.  Amplified by the water, the blast ripped through 
Cybershark, sending him hurtling backwards and nearly tearing 
him apart.

Razorclaw and Stormcloud were locked in a sort of dance, each 
firing and missing, but unable to stop firing because that would 
allow the other to tear him apart.  Slowly, a plan formed in 
Stormcloud's mind, and he decided that it was certainly worth a 
try.  Concentrating, he let his internal turbines kick in, churning 
the water around him feverently.  Pushing the winds, he sent a 
huge column of froth towards Razorclaw, disorienting him.  
Arming his launcher once again, he blasted at the Predacon as 
best he could, letting the froth die down.  Ravaged by the blasts, 
Razorclaw transformed and swam away from Stormcloud.

Seaskimmer was drifting backwards, numb from Vixen's 
unexpected assault.  As the medic swam around and began to 
fire again, Seaskimmer quickly snapped back to action and dove 
away from the bolts.  Bringing her own cannon back on-line, 
Seaskimmer decided to try something a little risky and darted 
straight towards Vixen.  The Maximal shrank back slightly, and 
that was all the opening that Seaskimmer needed.  Jabbing her 
spiked elbow into Vixen's midsection, Seaskimmer whipped out 
her electro-ray cannon and pressed it into Vixen's midsection, 
and fired.

The blast ripped through Vixen, tearing a massive hole through 
her.  Seaskimmer grinned to herself, but her triumph was short-
lived as both Dolphonoch and Stormcloud began frenetically 
assaulting the female.  Transforming, Seaskimmer darted off 
after Cybershark and Razorclaw.

Stormcloud swam over as fast as he could to grab Vixen.  
"Dolphonoch, get a CR Chamber ready," he said hurriedly.  
Dolphonoch nodded, and both he and Stormcloud headed 
towards the underwater base.

	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*

The trio of Predacons drifted over the Arctic Squadron, watching 
the four members scurry along.  Megatron glanced to one side, 
and noticed three other Maximals approaching from the south.  
"Perfect," said Megatron with a toothy smile.  "They don't even 
realize we're here."  He transformed and rapped his tail cannon 
against the air.  "Scorponok, get off of Inferno's back."

"But I can't fly!" he insisted.

"Yes, you can.  Remember your flight unit?"

Scorponok thought for a moment.  (Not something he normally 
does.)  "Oh, yeah."  Jumping off of Inferno's back, he let his flight 
system kick in, then grinned semi-sheepishly at Megatron in 
hopes of forgiveness for his inborn ineptitude.

Megatron sighed.  "Scorponok, I want you to attack these 
Maximals from up here.  I and Inferno have other targets to take 
care of."

"But - I'll be shot down!" insisted Scorponok.

"If I'm lucky, yes, you will," replied Megatron under his breath.  
Aloud, he said, "How tempted are you to disobey a direct order, 
Scorponok?"

The Predacon second-in-command gulped, torn between 
potential damage and certain death.  "S-s-s-sorry, mighty 
Megatron.  I'll be happy to follow your orders."

Megatron's face split open in a toothy grin.  "Excellent.  Inferno, 
come with me.  We've got more important targets to take care 
of."

"Of course, my Queen!" snapped Inferno, saluting sharply.  "It 
would be an honor to serve the Royalty in such a dignified 
manner!"

"A simple 'Yes sir' would suffice, Inferno," sighed Megatron.  
Letting his thrusters go to full force, Megatron rocketed away 
from Scorponok, with Inferno moving behind him at top speed.  
Scorponok gulped, then opened fire on the four Maximals below.

Polar Claw glanced upward as the missiles pounded into the 
snowy ground, sending up billows of flame and snow.  
"Squadron, break up and return fire!" he shouted, although he 
knew that his squad already knew the procedure by now.  As he 
transformed to robot mode, Wolfang, Seachill, and Icebreaker 
had already circled around and were ready to open fire on 
Scorponok from all sides.  Polar Clar launched his claw, 
Icebreaker fired his charge gun, Wolfang let loose with his 
crossbow bolts, and Seachill fired his powerful twin razordisk 
launchers.  The assault pounded into Scorponok, and he fell 
from the sky.

"That was pretty stupid, even for Scorpy over here," noted 
Wolfang as Scorponok slammed into the snow and pummelled it 
into nothingness.  He kicked Scorponok's body for emphasis, 
and evicted a slight moan.

Polar Claw leaned over to inspect Scorponok - he wouldn't put a 
simacrulum past the Predacons.  "Would Megatron let his 
second-in-command get wasted like this?" he asked, as much 
posing the question to himself as the others.

"Not unless he was using him as a diversion..." began 
Icebreaker.

The same thought snapped into the minds of all assembled.  
"Hamstor and Razorbeast," breathed Seachill.

"Come on, move it!" shouted Polar Claw as he converted to bear 
mode.  The others quickly converted as well, and the Maximals 
streaked off.

Still lying in the snow, Scorponok transformed to scorpion mode 
and let his autorepair kick in.  *At least it didn't take long,* he 
noted as cheerfully as he could, plodding after the Maximals in 
the snow.

	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*

Stormcloud and Dolphonoch had never moved quite as fast as 
they did now.  Carefully but swiftly, they brough Vixen through the 
airlock, cradling her damaged body between them.  "I can't 
beleive this is happening again," whispered Stormcloud to 
himself over and over.

Freeing one of his hands, Dolphonoch pressed a few buttons, 
and the CR Chamber slid open compliantly.  The two of them 
helped Vixen into it, then let the chamber close and begin to work 
on repairing her.

Alerted by an erratic display, Dolphonoch slid over to a console.  
"Well, the fun continues," he moaned.  "The damage to Vixen 
disrupted the support link to an unknown data module in her 
forehead -"

Stormcloud immediately knew what Dolphonoch was talking 
about.  "Our son..." he moaned.

Dolphonoch looked up, hurt.  "You never told me you were 
expect-"

"Not the time, Dolph," said Stormcloud curtly, effectively ending 
the conversation.  Dolphonoch nodded, then turned back to the 
console to see what he could do for Vixen and her son.

	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*

Razorbeast, Hamstor, and Wheeljack - sorry, Sawjaw - were 
rarely silent.  All three had healthy reputations as gabbers, and 
gossipers, and rumor mills.  This time, though, it was obvious 
they were tense, because none of them said a word.  The tension 
between them seemed thick enough not just to cut with a knife, 
but to grind up and serve as dip as well.

Finally, Sawjaw spoke.  "Are you sure that he has the other 
segments?"

"I know he has both Golden Disks," replied Hamstor, "and I know 
that the first ship Tyrasix was assigned to also had Recluse and 
Alleycat on it, as well.  He claimed to have killed the entire crew 
of that ship..."

The weight of the last statement hit them all fairly hard.  It was 
difficult, imagining one of their classmates murdering two other 
classmates.  The fifteen students and their teacher had promised 
each other that they would keep in touch, but they failed to.  They 
knew what had happened to six of their mates, but what of the 
others?  What of Flightform?  Wavelight?  Dual?  Archer?  The 
names floated through their heads, along with others.  The loss 
of a class that tight was as mournful as the extinguishing of a 
spark, certainly.

Ironically enough, as they sat in rememberance of their lost 
classmates, one of their classmates that they would have 
preferred to remain lost was approaching their position.  "Inferno, 
I want you to give them an initial pass before I make my 
entrance."

The insanely loyal Predacon saluted snappily.  "At once, my 
Queen!"

"Try 'King', Inferno.  Trust me, it's a relatively painless concept."

Inferno was not listening anymore, because he had already dove 
towards the Maximals, firing away.  "Who the slag is THAT?" 
asked Sawjaw, astonished at the sudden assault.

"That would be Inferno, Tyrasix's number-two bootlick," replied 
Razorbeast, transforming as he drew his rifle.

Sawjaw looked up towards the sky, and saw Inferno careening 
madly through the air, still firing at the ground, but not even 
specifically at the Maxiamls.  He was laughing maniacally - 
indeed, his entire demeanor was unbecoming of someone so 
adept at flight.  "Is he always this NUTS?" asked Sawjaw, 
confused.

"Actually," replied Razorbeast, "this is kind of subdued for him."

Sawjaw shook his head as he drew his weapons.  "I wish I were 
back in orbit."

"Fat chance," muttered Razorbeast, spreading his wings and 
rocketing skyward.  Hamstor and Sawjaw provided cover fire 
from the ground as he rocketed towards Inferno, strafing the air 
with his rifle.  Inferno turned as shots raked across him, then 
armed his flamethrower and let loose a long column of flame 
towards Razorbeast.  Diving, Razorbeast aimed for Inferno's 
rotor and fired, beginning to pierce the thrust director.  Inferno did 
not see him, but he felt it, and turned, firing at Razorbeast again.  
Razorbeast let himself get hit as he blew Inferno's rotor, and the 
two went tumbling to the ground.

"Razor!" shouted Hamstor, instinctively trying to lunge forward.  
He was held in place, however, by the sight of Megatron 
descending to the ground, the snow reflecting off of Megatron's 
golden armor.

"I'm assuming this is Tyrasix," noted Sawjaw dryly.

Megatron transformed and glared at Sawjaw.  "It's Megatron 
now.  And which one of our classmates would you be?"

"Does it matter?" asked Hamstor, training his rifle on Megatron.  
"Make one move and you die."

Megatron laughed.  "Go ahead and fire, you insignifigant little 
speck."

Enraged, Hamstor fired repeatedly.  Megatron laughed as the 
blasts hit his armor, leaving a scorch mark but little else.  "Pitiful.  
Let me show you how it's done."  Rapping his arm cannon 
against the air, Megatron casually brought it to bear, and fired, 
sending Hamstor careening backwards.

Smiling, Megatron turned towards Sawjaw.  "I never doubted that 
I would be the one to reassemble the Singularity Orb."

Sawjaw glanced behind Megatron.  "Um, Tyra - er, Megatron - 
you'd better turn around."  He knew that Megatron would.

Swiftly, Megatron turned and fired, sending the Arctic Squadron 
into disarray.  *Why the hell did he do a stupid thing like that?* 
thought Hamstor as he got to his feet.

Hamstor got his answer soon.  Sawjaw had been simply waiting 
for the right moment to make an attack, and that had been it.  
Leaping onto Megatron's back, Sawjaw popped out a demolition 
charge and stuck it on the Predacon leader's back, then leaped 
off.  Megatron struggled to remove the charge.  As he finally got 
a grip on the charge, there was the unmistakable, final "beep", 
and the charge exploded.

*Wow,* thought Polar Claw as he transformed.  *Did he finally 
manage to nail Megatron?*

Polar Claw got his answer as the smoke cleared to reveal a 
batttered, angry, and very much alive Megatron, his free hand 
missing all of its fingers.  Removing his cannon, Megatron 
replaced it on his left arm, and let his still intact right hand air out.  
"Now," he said slowly, "you've managed to make me angry."

The warning went unheeded as the Maximals resumed their 
assault.  Wolfang and Sawjaw peppered him with crossbow 
bolts, Polar Claw let loose his claw, Seachill fired his razordisks, 
Icebreaker fired his charge gun, and the recovering Hamstor 
fired his rifle.  The assault pounded into the already-weakened 
Megatron, and the Predacon leader staggered from the damage.  
Bringing his shoulder blasters to bear and rapping his main 
cannon against the air, Megatron let loose a wide swath of 
firepower, knocking the Maximals backwards.  The Predacon 
leader smiled, and began to fire again.

Not far away, Razorbeast stood, and Inferno was not far behind.  
Turning, Razorbeast fired at the massive Predacon.  Either 
Inferno wasn't harmed, or he simply didn't care, but either way, 
he made no effort to stop Razorbeast immediately.  Instead, he 
calmly fished through the snow until he grabbed his 
flamethrower, then turned, let his face split into his usual 
demented grin, and unleashed his firepower upon Razorbeast.  
Razorbeast hurled himself to one side, still firing at Inferno.  "A 
little help here?" he called, hoping that his call would be 
answered, but doubting it actually would.

Hamstor looked up, and saw Megatron advancing towards 
Icebreaker, arm cannon charged.  Glancing to one side, he saw 
Razorbeast locked in combat with Inferno, and doubted that 
battle was going terribly well, either.  None of Arctic Squadron 
were moving, although Hamstor knew they were still alive.  
Swallowing hard, Hamstor stood and fired his rifle into the air.  
Megatron heard the discharge, and turned to face Hamstor, a 
grin spreading across his face.  Hamstor swallowed even harder 
than before, and tried to remain calm as he fished for the correct 
recording.  Sighing, he grabbed the first one he found and let rip.

In a second, Megatron doubled over, clutching his audio sensors 
in pain.  Hamstor had rerouted his playback through his internal 
sensors, and Mick Jagger's voice was tearing through the icy 
landscape.  Hamstor was straining his audial filters just to keep 
from falling over, while Jagger complained of not being able to 
get satisfaction.  The other members of Arctic Squadron were 
beginning to come to, and were equally debilitated by the noise.  
Hamstor dashed towards Megatron, then, as he reached the 
Predacon leader, blasted him point-blank with his rifle.  Megatron 
stumbled, then fell backwards.

Razorbeast noticed Inferno's sudden inability to act, and took 
advantage of it by slamming into the much larger Predacon.  By 
all metric standards, Razorbeast should have simply bounced off 
of Inferno's thick hide, but Razorbeast had taken on much larger 
opponents, and still won.  Inferno was only slightly suprised as he 
fell, because he was too busy being in agony.  Razorbeast 
yanked the Predacon's flamethrower out of his hand, then 
pressed it into Inferno's chest and fired.  The powerful cannon 
tore through Inferno, and the large Predacon twitched in pain.

Hamstor fell to his knees, and the noise finally subsided.  
Scorponok began to advance behind him, but Polar Claw and 
Seachill had recovered enough to assault the Predacon's 
second-in-command, and Scorponok was sent scurrying.

Razorbeast tossed the flamethrower to the ground, and stumbled 
over towards his teammates.  "My flight system's fried, maybe 
permanently," he coughed out through ragged breaths.  His fight 
with Inferno had taken a toll on him.

Megatron, weakened, went unnoticed as he grabbed Inferno and 
Inferno's flamethrower.  For a moment, he was tempted to 
resume his assault, but he knew that discretion was the better 
half of tyrrany, and simply transformed, then rocketed off, Inferno 
firmly in his grip.  The Maximals obviously saw him, but did not 
make any effort to stop him.

Hamstor slowly got to his feet as Icebreaker rushed over to help 
Razorbeast.

	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*

"Attention all Predacons: You are as of now stripped of your 
previous rank and duties, because this faction is now under NEW 
MANAGEMENT!!!"

Blackarachnia threw back her head and laughed.  "YES!!!  
Finally, I've WON!!!"  She couldn't beleive it.  All of her efforts to 
overthrow Megatron, and in the end, she was simply appointed 
as leader.  Under any other circumstances, this would make her 
furious, but she was too happy at the moment to even care.

She leaned back in the throne and hit the comm.  "Juliet, report 
to the throne room immediately to begin your duties as my 
second-in-command."

There was a moment of stunned silence from the other end.  
~...I'll be there at once.~

Blackarachnia's smile widened.  She knew that Juliet was 
somewhat unprepared for the job, but she needed someone 
exceeding loyal to herself, and Juliet was the best candidate.  
She hit the comm again.  "Tarantulas, report to the throne room."

There was no response.  Blackarachnia hit the comm again.  
"Yo, Legs, haul ass!"

A muffled thump, and then Tarantulas came on.  ~Er... sorry, you 
were calling me?~

"Yes.  I was going to order you to get down here and to begin 
your new duties as third-in-command."

~Understood.  I'll be right there.~

Blackarachnia terminated the connection with Tarantulas.  It was 
suprising how quickly he had gotten over their little - well, she 
wasn't entirely sure what it was that they had done together.  She 
half expected him to bring it up again any time now.

She smiled and shoved it out over mind.  "Empress 
Blackarachnia," she said aloud.  "Has a nice ring to it..."

	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*

Icebreaker fused another pair of wires together.  "I have to thank 
you, Razorbeast.  My medical skills were slowly wanning away, 
and you're the perfect opportunity to improve them a little."

"Well, I'm glad to see one of us is enjoying themselves," replied 
Razorbeast somewhat sarcastically, wincing with pain.

The seven Maximals were sitting in the temporary shelter that 
Hamstor and Sawjaw had assembled from their supplies.  Polar 
Claw had stayed silent for a while, but finally, he turned his gaze 
on Razorbeast, Hamstor, and Sawjaw.  "I'd say the three of you 
owe us an explanation," he said.

"What do you mean?" asked Hamstor, trying his best to look 
genuinely confused.

"You hide the landing of a stasis pod from us, after tagging along 
with us for no apparent reason.  For whatever reason, you've got 
Megatron, Scorponok, and Inferno hot on your trail.  And then 
Megs starts babbling on about some Singularity Orb - or 
something like that.  There's more than meets the eye here, and I 
want an explanation."

Hamstor sighed.  "I suppose we should fill you in."  He took a 
deep breath, then continued.  "Back on Cybertron, me, 
Razorbeast, and Sawjaw were all members of a class of fifteen, 
with Wheeljack as our instructor.  Megs - or Tyrasix, as he was 
called back then - was in that class."

"And how does that tie all of this together?" asked Polar Claw.

"I'm getting to that.  We were slated to do a survey of a 
demolished city to get an idea of the uniformities and 
discontinuities between current architecture and the architecture 
in the city.  While we were there... we found the Singularity Orb.

"It was obvious that it was immensely powerful.  When we tried to 
destroy it, it nearly killed us.  After that, nobody could seem to 
make up their mind about what to do with it.  Tyrasix wanted to 
use it as a weapon, Alleycat wanted to take it apart and see how 
it functioned, Druid suggested sending it into the sun - there were 
a bunch of suggestions about it.  While we were bickering, 
Tyrasix stole it, and began using it on the buildings around us.  
When he found out how incredibly powerful it was, even he was 
slightly worried about using it.

"When we decrypted the runes on it, we could get a reference to 
twin golden disks that weren't with it, and that we couldn't find.  
We found Tyrasix, and he returned the orb.  Wheeljack figured 
out that the orb could be seperated into 14 pieces, and we 
agreed to seperate the orb, giving everyone except Druid and 
Tyrasix one of the pieces - Tyrasix because it seemed risky, and 
Druid because he didn't want one - to keep anyone from ever 
getting hold of the orb again."

"And now, Megatron is trying to reassemble the orb," finished 
Polar Claw.  "I take it he just needs your three segments?"

"Presumably," replied Razorbeast.  "That's why he's after us."

"So why here?" asked Seachill.  "Why not face him at the 
Starrunner?"

"We need to be sure that whatever power Megatron releases 
won't hit anything signifigant," said Razorbeast.  He winced in 
pain again.  "Icebreaker, pay attention to what you're doing!"

"Sorry."

"We intend to try and get the components from Megatron, then 
reassemble the orb," said Sawjaw.  "Once we do that, we'll be 
able to destroy it."

Polar Claw said nothing for a moment or two before speaking 
again.  "All right, then, what does it have to do with the planet?"

"Well..." began Hamstor, "after rexamining the data we had on 
the orbs, we noticed that a lot of it mirrored the information about 
that staff Nightpounce retreived.  We have a feeling that the orb 
is somehow linked to the planet, just like the Golden Disks are."

"But... wouldn't that mean that the aliens have been monitoring 
Cybertron, as well?"

Hamstor nodded gravely.  "That's what really worries us... it 
makes us think that this whole thing has been more carefully 
engineered than we originally surmised."

Silence settled over the campsite.

	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*

The trio of Predacons had been trudging in the snow for over five 
hours, and Scorponok had had more than enough.  "Are we even 
GOING anywhere?" he asked.  "Our autorepair patched us up a 
long time ago, and this isn't the direction of the Soundwave, so I 
ask once again: what are we doing?"

"Heading for the ambush site," replied Megatron.

"Huh?"

"Oh, come on, you didn't think I just rushed up here without any 
preparation, did you?" Megatron snarled.  "I notified Maquis 
Squadron to prepare an ambush for the Maximals - I already 
knew they would be here.  Once we reach the site, the Maximals 
will most likely follow, and my power will finally be made 
absolute."

"Maquis Squadron?" asked Scorponok, confused (as usual).

Inferno rammed sideways into Scorponok.  "Silence, fool!  It is 
not for us to question the actions of the Royalty!"

"Inferno, do not assume to answer questions for the Royalty - I 
mean me - confound it, I'm starting to talk like you!"  Megatron 
scowled.  "What were you saying, Scorponok?"

Scorponok tossed an imperious glance at Inferno, then turned 
back to Megatron.  "I've never been informed about any Maquis 
Squadron - who in Cybertron are they?"

"Maquis Squadron is the covert demolitions team that destroyed 
Arctic Squadron's first base," replied Megatron.  "They're a secret 
known only to me.  That way, no information about them can be 
learned via interrogation of a captured Predacon."

Scorponok nodded in understanding, although he still didn't really 
quite understand.  "So, um... what is the plan, anyways?"

"Very simple.  When the Maximals reach us, Maquis Squadron's 
setup will disorient them long enough for us to take hostages, 
whom we will agree to release in exchange for the three 
remaining components of the Singularity Orb."

"We're going to let the Maximals go afterwards?"  Scorponok 
was suprised.

"Scorponok, you are an utter idiot," sighed Megatron.  "I said that 
we would claim to release them.  We will not release them - we'll 
kill them, then have the Maquis Squadron finish off the rest of 
their fellows.  With the power of the Singularity Orb, our victory in 
the Beast Wars is assured."

Scorponok nodded again, still not understanding.  "Okay - I just 
didn't understand a little of what you said."

"Which part?"

"Umm... everything before 'is assured'."

Megatron sighed.  "Stop trying to think, Scorponok, you simply 
can't do it."

Continuing to walk, the Predacons soon reached a small ice 
cavern.  Megatron surveyed it for a moment, then smiled and 
transformed.  "Well done, Spittor.  I can't pick out the work you've 
performed, and I'm certain the Maximals won't be able to either."

Scorponok and Inferno were both suprised as a compact, 
somewhat smug-looking robot stepped in front of Megatron.  
"Thank you, lord.  We did our best."

Scorponok and Inferno transformed, aiming their weapons at the 
unknown individual.  "Identify yourself, or face the wrath of the 
Royalty - I mean... um... identify yourself!" snapped Scorponok.

The robot made a gesture with his hand, and Scorponok and 
Inferno heard guns cock behind them.  Turning, they saw 
Swampsnap, Iguanus, and Snapper, weapons trained.

"An excellent demonstration," nodded Megatron, pleased.  
"Scorponok, Inferno... meet Maquis Squadron."

The trio aiming at Inferno and Scorponok lowered their weapons 
as Spittor waved his hand again.  "What are our new orders, sir?" 
asked Spittor, ignoring the rather confused actions of Inferno and 
Scorponok.

"Now," said Megatron, "we wait for the fish to take the bait."

	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*

"He's still destabilizing," announced Dolphonoch.  "We need to 
get him a new body, and now."

Stormcloud was still numb.  Vixen's life was still teetering in the 
balance, and their son wasn't doing much better.  They had 
managed to transfer his spark to a memory backup cell, but the 
spark was still unstable, and Stormcloud was facing the imminent 
possibility of losing them both.  It was a concept that terrified him 
beyond belief.

"Dives, haul ass!"

Dolphonoch's exclamation managed to knock Stormcloud out of 
his stupor.  "All right, we're too deep down to scan for a beast 
mode," Stormcloud quickly assessed.  "That means we'll need to 
give him some method to scan for a mode once out of the base."

"Meaning a vehicular mode."

"The Metalformers," decided Stormcloud.  "If we can give him a 
third mode capable of getting into the air, he has a chance."

"I'm transferring the memory cell into the CR Chamber now," said 
Dolphonoch.  "Now, we need to find a mode, and fast..."

	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*

"I've got the last monitor in place," announced Drill Bit.  
"Arachnid, could you weld the connection?"

The overly paranoid spider grumbled as he picked up a laser 
welder with his feelers and scurried up the wall.  "You could have 
done this yourself," he mumbled as he activated the torch, 
welding the monitor to the Soundwave's computer system.

Blackarachnia was giddy.  She already had ordered Tarantulas to 
break into Megatron's personal files and command files, and 
would soon have him working on any other encrypted files.  
Fractyl, Headlock, and Flatline were in the laboratory, studying 
the designs that Aquasting had scanned in the most recent 
skirmish.  Insecticon and Buzz Saw were placing her newly-
designed CEII (Complete Enviroment Input & Information) 
listening posts in design grid that Juliet had suggested.  In short, 
the entire Predacon community were rushing to shift leadership 
over to her liking.

As Drill Bit and Arachnid finished their job, Blackarachnia sat in 
the throne.  The room had been completely redesigned - instead 
of a single, main viewscreen, it was covered in monitors, allowing 
Blackarachnia massive amounts of input from as many sources 
as she wished.  The throne was now mobile - it could instantly 
move to face any monitor she desired.  Overall, the room 
seemed more efficient than Megatron's design.

It was time for a test run.  "Computer, call Tarantulas, monitor 
seventeen."  The chair quickly moved her to the correct monitor, 
and the recently-Transmetallized Tarantulas appeared onscreen.

~Interesting design, Blackarachnia,~ commented Tarantulas.

She shrugged.  "It works.  Have you cracked Megatron's 
encryption yet?"

~Yes.  I've gotten the files broken down into readable format.~

"Excellent.  Get the results onto the network as soon as 
possible."

~Already done.  Subdirectory TFTA299.~

"Wonderful."  She hit another button on her chair.  "Computer, 
display contents of subdirectory TFTA299 on monitor twenty-
three."  The chair compliantly shifted position, bringing 
Blackarachnia to face the file.  "Excellent," she hissed, tapping 
her claws together.

~Er... Blackarachnia?~

"What?"

~Is it safe to come down and pursue our relationship further?~

Blackarachnia laughed.  "Look, Tarantulas, we don't HAVE a 
relationship.  Case closed."

~Oh, well, what about that time in my cave -~

"As far as I'm concerned, THAT NEVER HAPPENED!!!"

~Now, Blackarachnia, I'm the only one here, you don't have to lie 
-~

"JUST GET THE INFERNO AWAY FROM ME, YOU 
LECHEROUS LITTLE EXCUSE FOR A SPIDER!!!"

The monitor snapped off with no further sound.  Blackarachnia 
sighed, then began examining the files.

	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*

"Well, how do you feel?"

Razorbeast flexed his arms and legs, experimenting with the 
newly-repaired systems.  "Eh, it could be a lot worse," he noted, 
retracting his wings.  "I still don't think I can fly, though."

"Hey, I'm not perfect."  Icebreaker shrugged and continued 
packing the supplies that the Maximals had cobbled together into 
a shelter onto the anti-grav sleds.

"So, what's our next course of action?" asked Seachill of Polar 
Claw.  "Do we follow Megs or escort Razorbeast, Hamstor, and 
Sawjaw here into a padded cell?"

"I'm inclined to say both.  However, assuming they are telling the 
truth, we'd probably better finish this right here, right now, to 
make sure that there aren't any more repercussions."  He loaded 
another few supplies onto the sled.  "Sawjaw, got any way of 
tracing them?"

"Yep," replied Sawjaw, holding up a modified scanner.  "When 
we first found the segments, I created this thing to track them.  
As long as Tyrasix - er, sorry, Megatron - is still on the planet, we 
should be able to find him."

"Well, then, find them and quit babbling about it!"

Sawjaw shot Polar Claw an icy glare, then activated the tracker.  
"They're about... two megacycles to the northwest."

Polar Claw nodded in acknowledgement.  "Alright, then, we're off 
to get those segments.  Transform and move out!"

The assembled Maximals transformed to beast mode, then 
moved towards the Predacons, unaware of what awaited them 
there.

	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*

Wolfang entered first, crossbow at the ready.    Slowly he 
activated his visor, letting his wolf mode's enhanced vision 
substitute for his own.  Glancing over the entire room, he sighed, 
then deactivated the visor.  "Looks like your tracker-thingamabob 
isn't working right," he shot back at Sawjaw.

"That's ridiculous!  Nothing I build malfunctions!"  As Sawjaw 
transformed somewhat angrily, following Wolfang into the cave, 
Razorbeast and Hamstor looked at each other as they 
transformed.  They knew that Wheeljack - er, Sawjaw - was 
notorious for making slight miscalculations several times before 
his devices worked.

"Oh, really?" said Wolfang patronizingly.  "Then why, pray tell, is 
there nothing in the cave besides us?"

"Don't be so sure," Polar Claw stated as he transformed, Seachill 
and Icebreaker behind him.  "The Predacons were a criminal 
operation on Cybertron, and they learned millions of ways to hide 
from sight that we haven't even imagined.  I have a feeling that 
Megatron's in here, and more importantly, knows we're here too."

"I can't stand this much longer!" hissed Inferno to Megatron.

"Quiet!" Megatron hissed back to Inferno in their cramped hiding 
spot.  "As soon as they're all in position, we'll release the trap."

Polar Claw and Seachill stepped into the cave, glancing around.  
Next came Razorbeast and Hamstor, checking as best they 
could for any structural hiding points.  Only Icebreaker lingered, 
unsure.

"Icebreaker, what the slag are you doing?" snarled Wolfang.  
"Come in here!

"Something's... wrong..." he said as he slowly stepped into the 
cave.

"NOW!!!" bellowed Megatron, bursting forth from his hiding 
place.  The Maximals immediately took combat positions, but 
Iguanus detonated the explosives housed right above the cave 
entrance.  There was a huge explosion of snow and ice, burying 
Icebreaker in moments.  Floodlights activated, and the Maximals 
saw themselves in a massive domed cave, with the Predacons 
advancing.  Razorbeast noticed a small spot that didn't look quite 
right directly above them, and dived out of the way.  Hamstor and 
Sawjaw followed suit as another explosive was set off, burying 
Polar Claw, Seachill, and Wolfang.

Megatron grinned at the three remaining Maximals.  "Oh, this is a 
day that has been long in coming.  Oh, yesss."

	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*

"I've got a mode!" Stormcloud excalimed.  "A Cybertronian 
Hybriskimmer.  Nothing fancy, but enough to get him out of the 
water and scanning a form."

"Gotcha," said Dolphonoch, quickly moving away from the control 
panel for Vixen's tank as he moved to the panel for Stormcloud's 
son's.  "We can't explain any of this to him, though - we won't 
have the time.  I can launch him in vehicle mode out of the CR 
Chamber - after all, these chambers used to be torpedo bays - 
but he'll be on his own after that.  We've just got to hope that he 
figures out what he has to do."

Stormcloud's fuel pump raced.  "Do it," he said, taking Vixen's 
control panel and hoping that the plan worked.

Nodding, Dolphonoch's hands began to fly across the control 
panel with practiced ease.  As the readouts began to register the 
bonding of the quantum metal with Stormcloud's son's 
superstructure, he was already working on equipping the mode 
with a temporary DNA scanning device.

"Vixen seems to be destabilizing!" shouted Stormcloud in a 
panicked tone.  "You'd better hurry - I'm no medic!"

"Primus, Dives, if you're going to panic, at least be quiet about it!" 
snapped Dolphonoch.  He was not normally quite so snappish, 
but the stress of the situation forced him to take responsibility.  
WIth a few final button presses, he launched Stormcloud's son, 
then dashed over to Vixen's console.

"Her Spark activity is a little disrupted since I removed your son 
from her memory banks," said Dolphonoch, working as quickly 
as he could.  "I'm trying to get her to eject the memory card, but 
she's not responding very well..."

"Magnetize the card," announced Stormcloud quickly.

"What?  That's ridiculous, it could wipe her memory banks -"

"Not too signifigantly - the CR Chamber can repair any damage.  
The magnetized card will be assessed as a threat by the 
chamber and it'll force her to eject the card to protect her 
memory cells."

Dolphonoch looked at him, suprised.  "When did you learn that?"

"Never mind that, just do it!"

With a shrug, Dolphonoch turned back to Vixen's console and 
magnetized the card her son had been stored on.  Surely 
enough, the chamber almost immediately ejected it, and Vixen's 
Spark activity returned to normal.

"Really, when did you learn that?" asked Dolphonoch.

"Well, it works along the same principle as a trick I learned for old 
human computers," replied Stormcloud.  "If the computer refuses 
to delete a harmful file, then you'd give a harmless file the same 
name and drop it in the same place as the harmful file.  You 
basically trick the computer to ignore its protocol through a 
loophole in its programming."

Dolphonoch nodded, then turned to the console again.  "The 
chamber's finished repairing her... she'll be released in five... 
four... three... two... one..."

The CR Chamber hissed open, and Vixen stumbled forward, in a 
bit of pain but otherwise fine.  Stormcloud threw his arms around 
her.  "Thank Primus," he muttered.

Vixen returned the embrace.  "What did I miss?" she asked.

"A lot," replied Stormcloud.

"We're not out of the woods yet, people," said Dolphonoch, grimly 
looking at the viewscreen.  "Your son hasn't found a form yet, 
and he needs to find one soon..."

	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*

"Do I have to carry this irritating weevil?" groaned Buzz Saw, 
acting as if he were exerting a great deal of effort.  "He's awfully 
heavy - why can't Manterror carry him?"

"Oh, shut up!" snapped Drill Bit.  "It's not my fault I can't fly."

"Both of you be QUIET!" snapped Lazorbeak, gliding at the head 
of the group.  The four Predacons had been sent to determine 
the state of the Maximal's defenses by order of their new leader, 
Blackarachnia.  There hadn't yet been any problems with 
Blackarachnia now being in charge.  Lazorbeak wasn't suprised.  
The Predacons were an extremely mercurial operation, and as 
long as their leader wasn't some sort of nut - or at least, no more 
insane then the rest of the Predacons - they didn't really care 
who it was in charge.

"How far away are we from the Maximal base?" asked Manterror 
idilly.

"Half a megacycle," replied Lazorbeak.  "I doubt we'll find much 
of anything there yet - they're most likely in worse shape than we 
are.  After all, at least some of our ship was salvageable."

"Eh, whatever, just as long as we get to send some of 'em to the 
scrap heap!" exclaimed Buzz Saw energetically.

"We won't," said Manterror, drearily as usual.  "Blackarachnia's 
orders were to scout and not to engage the Maximals if at all 
avoidable."

"Aw, slag!" cursed Buzz Saw, nearly dropping Drill Bit in 
frustration.  "I miss Megatron.  He would have let us slag 
something."

"Not to mention slagged us if we didn't carry out his orders to the 
letter," noted Drill Bit.  "Don't start badmouthing Blackarachnia."

"Oh?  And what are you going to do about it?"

"I'll..."

"Since when have you been her official guardian, anyhow?  Last I 
checked, she's got more intrests in Tarantulas than in you..."

"SHUT UP!!!" bellowed Lazorbeak, half-ready to transform and 
shoot the others out of the sky.  "Primus, does any of this matter 
in the SLIGHTEST?  I want you both to be quiet, and stay that 
way until we reach the Maximal base, or I will personally tear off 
your heads and use them as paperweights!!!"

Buzz Saw and Drill Bit looked at each other swiftly, then at 
Lazorbeak.  "We'll be good," they assured him smultaneously.

*Now THAT'S leadership ability,* thought Manterror to himself.

	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*

Razorbeast, Hamstor, and Sawjaw stood slowly, feeling the 
multiple guns trained on them.  Megatron was grinning widely.  
"The ultimate weapon of destruction... this is truly the most 
satisfying victory that I've had in a long time.  Oh, yesss."

"You don't understand," began Sawjaw.  "If you combine that 
thing, you'll be bringing doom upon us -"

"Am I holding you at gunpoint so that you can feed me 
prophecies?  I think not."  Megatron held out his free hand.  
"Now, all of you, draw your segments from subspace - slowly.  I 
don't want you trying to pull out any other weapons."

Looking at each other hopelessly, the Maximals reached into 
their subspace pockets, drawing forth three small segments of a 
sphere.

"Good.  Now, Sawjaw, you take all of the pieces, and come 
here."

Sawjaw took the pieces from Razorbeast and Hamstor.  As he 
turned to take them, he saw Wolfang's hand move in a quick, 
almost unnoticeable signal.  Although Sawjaw wasn't entirely 
sure what it meant, he knew the basic meaning.

Slowly, Sawjaw advanced towards Megatron.  Behind him, 
Razorbeast and Hamstor had seen Wolfang's signal, and their 
hands were in position to yank out their guns.  The Predacons, 
however, still had a lock on the assembled Maximals.

Sawjaw was only a couple feet from Megatron now.  "Hand over 
the segments," he snapped, grinning widely.  Sawjaw began to 
extend his hands...

And, without a word, snapped them back over his head, tossing 
the segments towards the other Maximals.  "Guys, get the 
segments out of here!" he shouted as Megatron smashed into 
him, dropping him to the ground.

The Predacons started firing, but the other Maximals had burst 
free from their burial spot and were returning fire.  As the sides 
traded projectiles, Razorbeast and Hamstor grabbed two of the 
segments, with Minimus Primal, Polar Claw's bat companion, 
swooping down and grabbing the other.  Megatron snarled, then 
advanced towards the trio, but Polar Claw slammed into him, 
knocking the Predacon leader back.  Wolfang's bolts hit Spittor, 
taking the Maquis Squadron commander down, but Iguanus and 
Snapper trained their fire upon him, and he was forced 
backwards, using his shield to resist the assault as best he could.

Sawjaw began to stumble to his feet as Seachill charged, firing 
his dual razordisk launchers into the fray.  Swampsnap leaped on 
him from behind, and Seachill quickly grabbed the Predacon and 
flung him across the room, but was taken down from a blast from 
Scoponok.  Icebreaker's charge gun fired across the room, but 
Spittor, slowly rising to his feet, shot the gun out of Icebreaker's 
hand, and Inferno smashed through the smaller Transformer.  
Acting quickly, Wolfang fired upon Spittor again, knocking him 
out cold, and hit Inferno repeatedly, joined by Razorbeast and 
Hamstor.  The large Predacon fell backwards, smoking from 
damage.

Iguanus's force cannon slammed into Hamstor and Razorbeast, 
and they fell backwards, not too badly damaged but still smoking.  
Polar Claw, meanwhile, tore into Megatron, pounding him with a 
furious assault of punches and claws.  Megatron grabbed Arctic 
Squadron's leader, and hurled him away, letting him slam against 
the wall with a snap and an enormous thud.  Seachill finally came 
to his feet, and let his razordisk launchers fire around the room, 
tearing into Snapper.  Megatron turned, and hit him with a blast 
from his tail cannon, then turned and hit Wolfang.

Lifting Sawjaw, Megatron hurled him at Razorbeast and Hamstor, 
preparing to move in and strike a final blow.  Before he had the 
chance, Polar Claw stuggled to his feet, hefting both Snapper 
and Iguanus and hurling them at Megatron.  Megatron stumbled 
backwards from the assault, and Polar Claw took the opportunity 
to hit Megatron hard, blasting his claw extender forth and letting it 
dig through Megatron's Transmetal armor, revealing the 
vulnerable wires below.  Megatron, snarling, grabbed the 
extender and snapped the cord, then made a motion to 
Scoponok, who blasted Polar Claw with a bevy of missiles.

Razorbeast and Hamstor drew forth their weapons again, firing 
on Megatron and Scorponok.  Scorponok withstood the assault 
initially, but was hurled back when Wolfang fired his explosive 
bolts at Scorponok.  Megatron withstood the assault easily, but 
began to falter as Sawjaw joined the assault.  Slowly rising, 
Inferno grabbed his flamethrower and blasted Wolfang again, 
then raked the others with a stream of flame.  The three 
Maximals put up little resistance, already heavily damaged and 
barely clutching the small segments of the sphere they held in 
their hands.

"An admirable effort, Maximals," growled Megatron as Spittor 
and Iguanus slowly recovered, and Inferno helped Scopronok to 
his feet.  "However, the end result is the same.  You... LOSE.  
Now hand over the segments!"

"No... Megatron... you know not what you do..."  Sawjaw wasn't 
strong enough to speak with his usual clarity.

"I know full well what I do!" snapped Megatron.  "I seize control!  
And it is time for you to submit!"

"Not so fast!" gasped Icebreaker, pointing his charge blaster at 
the top of the dome.  "If I fire this right now, the entire cave 
collapses, and you'll never get your weapon."

"How true," noted Megatron.  With blinding speed, he fired a shot 
at Icebreaker, tearing off the Maximal's arm.  "Now hand over the 
artifact and watch as I win the Beast Wars!"

Hamstor, Razorbeast, and Sawjaw struggled to their feet, their 
weapons still in hand but hanging limply by their sides.  With 
darkened optics, they tossed over the three segments, letting 
them fall in the snow.

Megatron smiled, and drew a nearly-completed sphere out of 
subspace.  Slowly, he picked up the first segment, and inserted it 
into place.

Then the second.

Then the third.

"VICTORY IS MINE!!!" he cried as the orb began pulsing, 
sending out waves of energy.  His eyes took on a maniacal 
gleam, watching the orb slowly rise.

"NOW!!!" shouted Razorbeast.  Without another word, he, 
Sawjaw, and Hamstor brought up their weapons, and fired 
massively charged blasts at the orb.  The guns fried and 
jammed, but the blasts hit the orb with a resounding sound, and 
the orb began to crack.

"NOOOOO!!!  What have you done?!?!?!?" shouted Megatron, 
watching the orb, and his victory, crack and lose form.

"Saved the planet!" replied Hamstor, in what seemed to be a last 
act of defiance.

For miles around, the massive blast could be seen.  The cave 
was ripped apart, flung far and wide from ground zero.  Of the 
Maximals and Predacons that fought there, or the orb, or of the 
fleeting doom that was unleashed upon that spot, there was 
nothing left to indicate they were there.

Inferno slowly dug himself out of the snow.  "We must be miles 
away," he creaked out.

"Fifty, by my count," groaned Scoponok.

"Is there any chance that the others survived, besides us?"

"Not much," replied Scorponok.

The two Predacons, who they beleived to be the only survivors of 
the blast, stared into the blank, starless night sky.

	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*

Nightpounce and Dinobot looked up simultaneously as Grimlock 
walked up.  "What's going on?" asked Nightpounce.

"It had better be big, considering it's about to ruin my lunch," 
snarled Dinobot.  He and Nightpounce had been having a 
perfectly enjoyable conversation, outside the Starrunner, and 
Dinobot was not pleased that Grimlock had found them and 
decided to bring up business.

"It is," replied Grimlock.  "There was a huge explosion seconds 
ago, right at the northern polar reigons.  The discharge was 
massive - no explosive we've developed could possibly do that 
much damage.  We think that whatever it was is of alien origin -"

Grimlock's explanation was cut short as a tear emerged in the 
sky, glowing yellow and orange.  Out of the rift came a massive 
fireball, which slowly diapated to reveal Mercutio.

"Well, there's reinforcement for the alien theory," snarled 
Nightpounce, bringing her weapons on-line.

Mercutio held up a hand.  "No... there isn't time."

Dinobot was confused.  "What do you mean?"

"Never mind that!  Nightpounce, do you still have the staff?"

Nightpounce drew the staff from subspace.  "Why?"

"Just activate it, now!"

Behind the Maximals and Mercutio, Lazorbeak and his patrol 
were hurtling towards them.  "Just a little closer, and I can get 
them," muttered Lazorbeak, as the others armed their weapons 
systems.

Shrugging, Nightpounce pressed the button on the staff.  The 
device opened, slowly rotating with a slight glow.

Then, there was an explosion.  "What are you doing to us?!?!?" 
bellowed Dinobot, drawing his sword and preparing to charge at 
Mercutio.

Lazorbeak, Manterror, and Buzz Saw toppled to the ground, and 
Drill Bit grunted as Buzz Saw landed on top of him.  
Transforming, they watched as Nightpounce involuntarily let go of 
the staff, and it slowly drifted upwards.

"It's a trap!" shouted Nightpounce, about to fire on Mercutio.

"No," he replied, "it's probably your last hope!"

Another rift opened, and the staff drifted in.  The Maximals, the 
Predacons, and Mercutio were all yanked in by the glowing green 
light.  THe rift swiftly closed, and the sky above the Starrunner 
was silent once again.

	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*

And somewhere, not far from the planet, the activation, and the 
destruction, of the artifact known as the Singularity Orb has been 
noted, and a powerful force that has lain dormant for longer than 
any race can chronicle stirs slightly...