Pest Control
Hound and Drift would be lying if they said they were surprised Rainbow Dash had stowed away for this mission; they just cast her fairly annoyed looks as they all emerged from the SpaceBridge. “What, like I’m gonna miss this?” Rainbow pointed out seriously.
“Don’t you think you spent enough time in the spotlight on Velocitron?” asked Drift.
“Hey, that wasn’t just me.” Rainbow pointed out. “We all know that if it weren’t for my friends, I never would’ve made it to the final race.”
“Well, at least you’re humble.” Hound rolled his optics. “C’mon, let’s get to the ridge and scope things out.”
Drift seemed confused as Hound simply tromped off. “Shouldn’t we meet up with the others?” he suggested.
“Snake Eyes and Jinx? Please: they’re ninjas.” Hound countered. “They’re watching us right now.” That seemed to discomfort Drift more than it probably should have as he quickly followed Hound.
Rainbow seemed confused about that and quickly moved after him. “You alright, dude?”
“Fine. Just… a little nervous.” Drift shrugged, his eyes darting around.
“Why? We’ve handled Cobra before; they’re no problem.” Rainbow smirked.
“It’s not Cobra I’m worried about.” Drift assured. “And it’s not Bludgeon if that’s what you’re wondering.”
“What are you worried about, then?” asked Rainbow.
“I think I know,” Hound smirked as he rolled his optics. “And I think you’re being paranoid, Drift. The DJD doesn’t exist; it’s just an urban legend Megatron made up to keep his soldiers in line.”
“Yeah, say that again when Jetfire and I disappear in the middle of the night and no one on the Ark knows what happened to us.” Drift pointed out.
“What are you guys talking about; what’s the DJD?” asked Rainbow.
“Decepticon Justice Division; Megatron’s personal attack dogs,” Drift explained. “Any Decepticons transgress the cause, they go on their list. Trouble is you never know if you’re on the list until they come for you, and when they do, your friends would be lucky to find your skid plate.”
“Yeesh, thanks for the visceral description,” Rainbow remarked.
“Relax Rainbow; even if the DJD did exist, their killing fields are rumored to be out around planet Messatine, and that’s a long way away from Earth,” Hound assured. “But like I said, they’re an urban legend, so you got nothing to worry about. The only Con that Drift should really be worrying about is Turmoil; if he finds out you deserted, you’re scrap metal.”
“Guh, why’d you have to remind me of him?” Drift groaned in annoyance… before Hound suddenly stopped dead in his tracks.
“Well maybe this’ll help take your mind off it; get down,” Hound ordered quietly, prompting the team to drop down onto the ridge, where they looked out and saw a large array of MARS exosuits and Cobra soldiers drilling around a massive metal pod.
Rainbow couldn’t help but give an impressed whistle at the sight of the pod. “Man, that’s big,” she remarked. “What is it?”
“Hard to tell.” Hound shrugged as he pulled a set of bot-sized binoculars off his waist and examined the pod. “Could be anything from a waste disposal canister to a planet-annihilating bomb.”
“I doubt either option.” a familiar voice came from the shadows nearby. Almost immediately, Rainbow and Drift leaped to the ready, but Hound kept his eyes on the pod.
“Snake. Jinx. Took you long enough.” he remarked bluntly as Jinx and Snake Eyes emerged from the shadows of the trees.
“Had to make sure no one else was following us,” Jinx said simply.
“And was there?” Hound glanced back, only for Snake Eyes to shake his head. He then tapped his wrist almost impatiently. “I know we’re on a time crunch, but I wanna know what that weapon is before we move.” Snake Eyes simply tilted his head forward, as if asking if that was a good idea. “If you’d prefer to go in and bust heads, be my guest. I’d think you’d prefer stealth.”
“How do you know what he’s saying? He doesn’t even talk.” Rainbow asked.
“Because he can’t.” Jinx pointed out bluntly. Rainbow was confused until she saw Snake Eyes move part of his suit’s collar, allowing her to plainly see two disgusting scars on either side of his neck; a clear remnant of a through-and-through bullet probably aimed at his vocal cords.
“Ugh. Sorry I asked.” Rainbow groaned in disgust as she looked back out at the dig site. “So what do you think it is, Jinx?”
“Containment capsule,” Jinx noted. “I saw a hatch on one side and given the level of precision Destro’s men are exercising, they probably think it’s sensitive material.”
Hound couldn’t help but agree; Destro’s men were being extremely deliberate as they drilled around the pod. Rainbow’s eyes popped as she laid eyes on one of the men. “Whoa. Who’s the cyclops?” she asked.
“That’s Major Bludd; an Australian assassin and one of Cobra Commander’s own top attack dogs,” Hound noted. “He’s probably down there as security.”
“Not simply him.” a voice echoed from the shadows, prompting everyone to suddenly go on guard.
“Should’ve figured you’d show up sooner or later, Storm Shadow,” Hound called out. “You never could pass up a chance for a good duel with Snake Eyes.”
“You know me too well, Autobot.” the voice pointed out… before a few small arrows flew from the forest. Snake Eyes quickly chopped them out of the air with his swords before he tossed a few shuriken in return, only for them to bounce away as well and the white-clad ninja to leap from the forest at him, clashing blades with Snake Eyes and Jinx, the latter of whom drew a large ornate sword from her hip to block her opponent’s blade.
“Old rival?” Rainbow remarked.
“You could say that.” Jinx shrugged simply.
“Nice to see I’m not the only one in the mood for a reunion.” another voice remarked from the shadows before a large cannon fired. Drift quickly drew his blades and slashed the shell in half out of the air as a familiar tank rumbled in and transformed.
“Bludgeon. I was wondering when you’d come back for a rematch.” the samurai-bot smirked, flipping up his battle mask.
“This time, no draw,” Bludgeon said darkly as he drew his own sword and clashed with Drift.
“Uh, we got more company incoming.” Rainbow pointed out as Destro’s men started firing up the hill at the group.
“Looks like it’s down to you and me, Dash,” Hound remarked as he quickly transformed and raced down the hill, firing his guns at Destro’s soldiers.
Rainbow quickly followed him as she transformed and took the air, firing down at the Cobra soldiers with her jet-mode’s machine guns and accidentally allowing some of her shots to ricochet onto the pod, knocking some stone off around the lower edge.
“Careful; you might damage it!” Hound called up to her… before he saw the writing her bullets had just revealed. “What in Liege Maximo’s name…?” He got a closer look and quickly screamed to a stop before transforming. “Oh, you have got to be kidding me!”
“What? Do you know what it is?” asked Rainbow.
“Yeah, that’s the good news!” Hound barked as he fired his guns in every direction and called the Ark. “Hound to base; I’ve ID’d what Destro’s digging up. It’s a Scraplet trap.”
Wheeljack was more than stunned to hear that back at base. “Scraplets?! Guh, just our luck.” he groaned.
“Won’t be a need to feel annoyed if you can get me a thermobaric Detpak in the next two minutes,” Hound ordered.
“Comin’ right up.” Wheeljack nodded. “Rattrap, you do demolitions, right? Might need some help with this.”
“Yeah, no prob, Jackie.” Rattrap nodded as the two bots dashed to Wheeljack’s lab.
“Whoa, why the rush? What are Scraplets?” asked Sunset.
“Only the most dangerous vermin to ever plague technological life,” Ironhide assured, all color from his faceplate gone in what looked like fear. “I’ve seen a swarm of them the size of Moonracer strip a bot down to the endoskeleton in thirty seconds… and then eat that too.”
“Why’d you have to single me out for that comparison?” Moonracer asked in annoyance.
“Wait… these things eat metal?” Applejack asked in surprise.
“Yeah. Especially living metal.” Sunstreaker pointed out. “And if Destro gets it in his head to try and weaponize them…”
“Oh, there’s no ‘if’ about it, Sunstreaker,” Powerglide assured. “Once Destro sees what Scraplets are capable of – and presumably pries one of them off that titanium dome of his – he and Mindbender will go straight into figuring out how to control them. And if they succeed…”
“No Autobot or Decepticon on Earth – present or future – will be safe.” Optimus agreed.
“Hence the need for this little beauty.” Wheeljack smiled as he walked out with a large explosive charge in his hands, Rattrap right behind him.
“I don’t understand; how did Cybertronian pests end up in Cambodia?” asked Twilight.
“Eh, little bugs get around,” Cliffjumper explained. “Big extermination companies used to make a mint rounding them up before the war.”
“Most likely, whatever ship this pod came from was aiming it for the sun.” Red Alert agreed. “But it probably got caught in Earth’s gravity and crash-landed like us. I just hope the pod’s onboard stasis containment systems haven’t been damaged in any way.”
“If that happens?” Rarity asked in concern.
“Chow time.” Red Alert answered bluntly.
“Relax; it’s not gonna come to that. This baby will make sure of that,” Rattrap assured, patting the Detpak in Wheeljack’s hands. “Thermite burn-charge into the center of the trap, then about a dozen megatons of fuel-air explosive punch to vaporize the little bugs into oblivion.”
“That don’t sound safe to take through the bridge,” Applejack remarked in concern.
“We won’t have to,” Jumpstream assured as she took the Detpak in hand. “I can teleport, remember?” Then without even waiting for a response, she suddenly disappeared in a flash of blue light.
She reappeared on the ridge in Cambodia and just barely managed to duck a strong backswing from Bludgeon’s sword as he clashed blades with Drift. “Go; I got you covered!” Drift ordered.
Jumpstream quickly nodded and transformed into an advanced Cybertronian supercar before she roared down the hill with the Detpak in her cabin, covered by Hound’s gunfire at the Cobra soldiers.
Rainbow meanwhile had swooped down next to the pod and was laying down covering fire of her own to keep Destro and Major Bludd away until she heard a metal scrapping from the pod. “Uh, Red Alert? Remember those stasis systems you were worried about?”
“Dead?” Red Alert surmised.
“Yeah, I think so.” Rainbow noted as the metal of the pod suddenly burst out… and allowed a small metallic orb-like entity with deep indigo optics to crawl out on small spider-like legs.
Destro and Major Bludd just looked at it in confusion along with Rainbow before she burst out laughing and ran a hand down her faceplate in amusement. “Oh man… I- I can’t breathe…” she laughed as she turned to Jumpstream nearby. “These are the worst pests on Cybertron?! Man, the way you talked about them made them sound worse than the Decepticons!”
“Rainbow Dash, retreat exactly five steps toward me if you value your Spark,” Jumpstream ordered in quiet distress.
“Alright Jumpstream, joke’s over; let’s get serious here. I can crush this thing in my hand. Watch.” Rainbow smiled as she grabbed the Scraplet and clenched her metal fist around it calmly… before she suddenly felt a powerful chomping pain in her palm. Quickly she opened her hand in pain and saw the Scraplet eating her hand and it then quickly started eating up her forearm. Perfectly reasonably, Rainbow screamed and swatted the Scraplet off onto the ground before she lit it up with her Gatling guns.
Bludgeon suddenly stopped dueling Drift when he saw this. “Whoa wait, what? No one told me we were dealing with Scraplets here,” he remarked in shock.
“Amazing what a little openness between allies can net you,” Drift smirked.
“Okay, I take it back; these things are evil,” Rainbow remarked simply. “Jumpstream, bomb please?”
“With gusto.” Jumpstream nodded as she handed Rainbow the Detpak, which she promptly set on the trap over the hole the first Scraplet had escaped through.
“Fire in the hole!” Rainbow called as she triggered the charge, letting the thermite burn into the pod. Quickly the Autobots all rallied around Jumpstream who swiftly teleported them back to the Ark.
“Forget this. Soundwave, GroundBridge; now!” Bludgeon ordered as he transformed and roared away.
“Best we get goin’ too, shiny.” Major Bludd remarked to Destro.
“Aye, I can’t help but agree, Major.” Destro nodded. “Pack up and retreat, boys; now!” No one had to be told twice as Destro’s men quickly packed up and ran from the pod as the thermite burned deeper in.
Storm Shadow scowled as he saw this and glared at Snake Eyes and Jinx. “This will be settled another time.” he scowled, quickly dropping a smoke bomb and disappearing, leaving the GI Joe ninjas behind.
“Time to go,” Jinx noted, to which Snake Eyes nodded and the two slipped away into the forest just before the Scraplet trap exploded in a massive fireball.
When Megatron heard Bludgeon’s report of what had happened, he was livid. “Scraplets?! On this planet?” he asked.
“Yes, my lord. And Cobra was digging for them without our prior knowledge.” Bludgeon assured.
“Not entirely, Bludgeon.” a purple bot with a yellow helmet and large tank cannon on his back pointed out. “I gave them the coordinates; I just didn’t know what was there.”
“Then perhaps, Blitzwing, next time you send Cobra out on a treasure hunt, you should accompany them to ensure what they locate is safe to both sides of the alliance.” Sky Shadow pointed out.
“I’d hardly call it an ‘alliance’, Sky Shadow.” Starscream pointed out. “They found Scraplets, for Primus’ sake. Scraplets!”
Megatron scowled as he looked at the communication feed to Cobra’s HQ. “Well? What excuse do you offer for this turn of events, Cobra Commander?”
“Merely the same as Blitzwing, Megatron.” Cobra Commander assured. “Perhaps if our alliance is to bear fruit, you should hold up your end of our deal better. You have yet to truly assist Cobra in its global conquest.”
“Because I have more important things to do than cater to your own petty desires.” Megatron scowled. “Which if you’ll excuse me, I must return to. It’s a welcome distraction from your soldiers’ incompetence.” Soundwave quickly terminated the connection as Megatron turned to the door.
“As I’ve said countless times, Lord Megatron, organics are wastes of space who only ever get everything wrong.” Starscream pointed out.
“Save your preening, Starscream. We’re returning to Eukaris; Hydrax will have made his decision by now.” Megatron ordered.
“Yes, Lord Megatron.” Starscream scowled and followed Megatron to the door.
“My liege, if I could have a moment of your time?” Knock Out asked before the warlord left.
“Make it brief, Knock Out,” Megatron ordered simply.
“You’re aware that astronomy and stellar cartography are hobbies of mine.” Knock Out pointed out as he brought up a complex star map. “Well, I’ve noticed that a few planets in the far outer rim of known space have somehow… disappeared.” As if to accentuate that, a handful of dots on the map suddenly disappeared.
“And?” Megatron asked, as if asking his soldier to get to the point.
“Well, I’ve double-checked old records from before the war on these lost planets and none of them list any possible cause for why they should disappear like this.” Knock Out explained. “And that’s not even the most alarming thing about it. Observe.” He pressed a button on the console and brought up a trajectory line between the previous planet locations, showing they were all in a straight line from each other, which confused Megatron.
Starscream saw something somewhat more disturbing than that. “That trajectory… it leads straight to Cybertron.” he noticed, seeing the line pass over their homeworld.
“Which is particularly why I’m concerned; I fear that what befell these planets may soon befall our home as well.” Knock Out nodded. “I grew intrigued so I asked Soundtrack to run an advanced scan of the lost planets’ locations, and the search yielded a strange energy resonance I have yet to match to anything.” He brought up the energy reading as an example, and indeed, it did look unusual.
Megatron couldn’t help but raise a metallic eyebrow at the sight of this strange turn of events, but he didn’t appear overly alarmed. “Send your findings to Shockwave so he can run his own analysis,” he ordered. “If anything comes of it, inform me.”
“As you wish, My Liege.” Knock Out nodded as Megatron and Starscream walked out of the bridge.
Breakdown had been nearby when Knock Out reported that and couldn’t help but be intrigued himself… though equally concerned. “What do you think it is, Knock Out?” he asked in worry.
“If I subscribed to any of the old religions, Breakdown?” Knock Out remarked. “I’d say it’s the apocalypse.”
Back at the Ark, Ratchet was tending to Rainbow’s arm. “Maybe next time we deal with something terrifying, you’ll listen to us when we tell you not to mess with it.” he pointed out.
“Whatever, doc.” Rainbow rolled her optics as the doctor backed away, letting Rainbow see her arm was back in one piece. “Thanks. We good to go?”
“Essentially. Your real wrist might be a bit stiff for a while, but that should fade with time.” Ratchet assured.
“Cool.” Rainbow nodded and quickly collapsed her Armor back to her geode. “Well, it’s been fun, but I think I’m adventured out for now.”
“I think that’s the first time I’ve heard you say that, Rainbow.” Sunset smiled as she transformed her Armor into her car.
“Hey, we all have our limits,” Rainbow assured as she walked over. “It just happens that mine is only reached after winning an insane road race on an alien planet, becoming part of a giant Combiner, finding an ancient relic that let us become that Combiner, and getting my arm chewed on by an alien robot parasite.”
Applejack just chuckled. “How much did you bet that sentence would never leave your mouth?” she remarked from her truck.
“More than I care to admit,” Rainbow said as she cast her eyes off to the side nervously, climbing into Sunset’s car.
“Well, just be glad you didn’t make that bet with Swindle; trust me, when someone owes him money, he collects,” Mirage assured.
“Do… I wanna know how you know that?” Twilight asked in concern.
“No. No, you don’t.” Mirage said bluntly.
“Alright well, now that we’re clear on that, I think that’s our cue to go home, girls,” Twilight remarked as she transformed into her car. “Fluttershy, you can carpool with me and Spike.” Spike promptly deactivated his Armor and leaped into Twilight’s car.
Fluttershy collapsed her Armor and climbed in with Twilight while the other girls revved their own engines. “See you guys tomorrow,” Sunset called as the girls all raced out of the Ark toward town.
“Whew. First old weapons, then Relics of the Primes, now Scraplets…” Elita smirked, turning to Optimus. “What do you think we’ll unearth next?”
“With luck, the location of the next Galaxy Key,” Optimus noted as he continued his decryption process on the Iacon files. “But failing that, I would gladly welcome either of the first two options.”
“Speaking of which, any update on where we’re going next?” asked Airazor.
As if on cue, Teletraan toned. “As a matter of fact, yes.” the computer toned and brought up the map from the Omega Lock, placing it over another map and highlighting one planet in particular.
Optimus’ optics went wide at the sight of it for a split second before he regained seriousness and uttered a single order. “Contact Tigatron.”