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Traveling Northwest

Again. Again the miniature Cybertronian began rambling like a delusional syk junkie. Hun-Grrr had lived longer than most species existed. And during that considerable span of time he had encountered organic lifeforms that did not run from fire only few times. The two-headed Algean Razorbeast had been such creature. The beast had been able to breath fire due to some quirk in its evolution and was extraordinary resistant to heat for an organic being. However over 99,7% of the fauna Hun-Grrr had ever encountered had been wary of fire. It didn't matter whether the beasts had been predators or pray. Small or large. They all shared fear for the might of this natural element. There quite simply were fires that were too much for even Cybertronians and the Terrorcon leader had yet to encounter and organic that could survive extreme heat greater than the most well protected Cybertronians could.

No. Hun-Grrr was not going to just accept the possibility that there were creatures here that would not flee fire. If they would not - they were quite frankly going to be burned alive or they were going to asphyxiate due to the noxious gasses and lack of breathable elements. And if some of the more hostile beasts on this planet decided to attack them once the fires had died out - well, Hun-Grrr was going to welcome them to the slaughter. He had not wasted his energy to come down on this backwater planet to not cause destruction and mayhem. Something would suffer his wrath. Sooner or later.

It ended up happening definately sooner.

Behind the Decepticons where the fire was not raging freely, some kind of local ambush predators appeared. While the creatures were larger than Wheelie, they were still considerably smaller than the Terrorcons and Mindwipe. While being smaller than most of the Decepticons, there were more of them. The Decepticons however had an edge these creatures were not accustomed to. They relied on their chameleon like ability to blend to the surroundings. For the first time they were about to face an opponent that could see through their disguise. Wheelie might have forgotten, or perhaps he had never learned to use all his abilities.

That was not the case with battle hardened warriors like the Terrorcons. Their vision was not limited on light visible to human eye. No, multilayered optical sensor grid of a Transformer went far beyond that - thermal vision or ability to see in the dark as well as in day light were just part of it. There were even some Cybertronians that could see through walls that were not designed to stop this ability. To Hun-Grrr and the other Terrorcons, these chameleons Wheelie so feared were ridiculously visible as they sat in the bushes, believing to be unnoticed. And thus, when one of Hun-Grrr dragonic heads lashed at one of the creatures without any warning and bit it in half - everything changed for these particular animals.

The chameleons themselves had become the prey.

Traveling Northwest

Wheelie had avoided his question, but Mindwipe allowed for a little distraction, given that roaring flames had erupted all around them thanks to the efforts of Hungrr and his violent minions. He would make a point to ask again later. He was very curious to know the answer, as it would likely offer some assistance in ensuring his own survival.

Though surviving the wilds of this planet and proving yourself worthy enough to not be made a meal by your own "teammates" were two very different things.

The fire had managed to stir all manner of native wildlife. Much of it fled the devastating flames while a select few seemed to seek them out as the root cause of the destruction of their habitat. Like a wasp when someone had poked its nest, they would defend their territory in the only manner they understood. Fortunately, the Terrorcons were living up to their name on all fronts.

"I think hiding will be unnecessary for the moment. Lead with haste, young Cybertronian. My associate Cipher and I wish to see that which is not native to this world. Our Terrorcon friends will take care of that which is.

"You must understand, Wheelie. We seek peace. Our leader espouses it. But that peace will be achieved through unorthodox but necessary tactics."

That is to say, tyranny.

Still, it would come.

Someday....

Traveling Northwest

A series of high pitched cackles rose over the canopy of the burning forest. Rippersnapper was enjoying the carnage and destruction immensely, the fire was spreading steadily and the trees were burning to cinders much faster than expected. Not even the escaping fauna went unnoticed. When he saw something skitter close to him Rippersnapper would simply raise his foot and bring it down hard squashing the disgusting organic.

As the flames ate their share of organic flora, the terrorist moved deep into the wood. He stopped suddenly when some kind of large organic moved in on the group. The sneer on Rippersnapper’s face turned to a mirthful smile as he watched Hun-Grrr dispatch the creature with one snap of his powerful jaws.

His smile faded as he looked around the immediate area and noticed the hidden lizards. The white and blue mech lowered his optics and shook his head. These creatures still believed they were the alphas on this planet. They were sorely mistaken.

Rippersnapper relinquished his flamethrower for his cyclone gun. The terrorist took aim at a group of chameleons camouflaged in the nearby thicket and fired. The raging wind moved faster than any of the creatures hitting them with sickening results.

Once he stopped firing the small group of three was left as nothing more than a heaping mass of bones, skin and blood. The terrorist then turned his attention to the next set of targets. This was actually fun.

As the group moved steadily toward their intended goal Cipher was sure to keep behind their personal body guard in Blot. Of course standing down-wind of the Terrorcon foot soldier was just as dangerous as if he were to take point, but with the lumbering oaf in front of him he’d be sure to arrive in one piece.

The sound of the chameleons was a tad frightening, but the ease with which Hun-Grrr dispatched the first was somewhat calming. While Blot continued to work at clearing a path for them, Rippersnapper went to work eliminating any small organic that happened by him and upon the arrival of the lizards, he too began to exterminate them using his hand held weapon.

Cipher had to admit, for a bunch of brutish thugs, the Terrorcons were very efficient. He would have to be sure to commend then in his reports once they return. After several minutes of watching the carnage, Cipher looked over to Wheelie.

“How much farther, little one? This trek is taking much longer than anticipated.”

Forest - Heading Northwest

Wheelie looked with fear as the Chameleon leaped at Wheelie, jaws open and razor sharp teeth ready to devour him. He was pushed to the ground by the shrieking beast, it's thirst for blood and revenge seen only in it's eyes. Wheelie grabbed it's throat, pushing it's jaws away from his faceplate, snapping only centimeters from his nose. It's claws dug into his torso and scratched at his metal, Wheelie responded by whipping out his Knife and swishing it on the side of it's scaly face.

It cried out in pain as it's eye was pierced and it's face was mangled. It leaped off Wheelie, avoiding the shots by the group of "Decepticons" and backed away from Wheelie, holding it's eye. Two others joined it and looked at Wheelie. The look in their eyes was not that of a beast, but it was as if something was actually there. It was like they could understand them...

The three darted away, no doubt to regroup and watch them from afar.

Wheelie stood up and panted. He looked over to Mindwipe who was explaining that they didn't want to hurt the creatures, but that they had to. Wheelie could relate. But he didn't quite believe that the others did not want to kill them, judging from their eagerness.

Such an odd name, "Terrorcon". It was a mix between "Terror" or "Terrifying" and "Decepticon". That meant that the group Wheelie found himself in was to be feared. How lucky of him.

He would have to chew on it later. Much as he hoped a Chaosterous wouldn't on his limbs.

He turned to Cipher, who was asking him how much further they would have to go. Wheelie looked toward the sky, it was darkening with each passing moment. It would be dark soon.

Wheelie beckoned Cipher and anyone that wanted to follow over to a ledge, over this ledge was a tall cliff. They had trekked across one of the two mountains.

Wheelie pointed at a metal structure across a river and at the center of thick jungle. It was partly overgrown with vines so thick you could see it from the mountain.

"We need to go that way, we will be there at the end of the day!" Wheelie said, but there was more.

"A terrible creature lives right down there, so dangerous that every step needs special care," Wheelie warned, even though he knew they would not listen, "If you heed my warning then we will try, if you do not, then we will die."

Wheelie looked back at the group and began to lead the way down a steep slope along the cliff. He only hoped that the Chaosterous would let them pass.

Traveling Northwest

Mindwipe appreciated his fellow intellectual's eagerness. Cipher had asked a question that Mindwipe himself had been thinking of asking. In terms of curiosity, it was right up there with Mindwipe's wanting to know how the proto had managed to stay functional on a planet of this kind for any significant span of time.

Perhaps the answer was being given to him without words. From what he had seen of the young mech so far, he certainly appeared to be exceedingly resourceful. Nevertheless, Mindwipe enjoyed a good story to go along with most situations. Bludgeon and Bugly had always excelled in that regard. He certainly wouldn't have minded having either, or both, of them along for this little expedition.

They were losing daylight at an ever-increasing rate. That was hardly encouraging. Mindwipe suspected that some of more dangerous life on this planet was also likely to be nocturnal. At the end of the day, however, they were Decepticons. They were now the most dangerous life on this planet.

At least that's what he kept trying to tell himself.

Standing on the cliff's edge, Mindwipe actually gained a somewhat better appreciation for the planet with this elevated view. He could hear the remnants of the Terrorcons finishing off the chameleon species that had tried to assault them as he focused in on the river that Wheelie had indicated. Beyond that, a forest. And deep within...a structure that was most definitely not native to this world, even if Mindwipe's optics had to zoom in and amplify the image m over to get a clear sense of what he was looking at, given the distance.

Wheelie's final admonition caught the Decepticon hypnotist a little off guard. That said, he enjoyed it. The young one had a flair for the dramatic, given both his warnings and his curious speech patterns. Bludgeon and Bugly would have a riotous time interacting with him, once this was all said and done. If he kept proving himself as useful as he had, he might even be granted the honor of receiving his Decepticon insignia from Scorponok himself. Or...he would become a snack for Cutthroat. Or Rippersnapper. Or Sinnertwin.

Just like all of them might.

"By day's end, then," Mindwipe said, following after Wheelie as he lead them down the long, steep path toward the river. "Caution, yes. But use haste, also. I would rather be within that structure when night falls than out here."

Traveling Northwest

Now that the path was more easily accessible and the Terrorcons were finishing up with the group of chameleon type creatures, Cipher moved on until he came to a stop at the cliff’s edge where Mindwipe and Wheelie were now standing. The scientist took in both mechs before he too cast his gaze across the vast expanse of this world. Unfortunately, Cipher had no real love for organic planets that is unless it was home to some kind of Cybertronian life from the past. And this was one of those planets.

Cipher was curious about the forest that lies behind the rushing waters of a river. The slight mech adjusted his optics in order to see through the tree line and nearly gasped in surprise at what he was able to see. The structure was large, large enough easily be Cybertronian in nature. This preliminary look verified to him that this piece of architecture was exactly what they were sent here to find.

“Oh, Primus! That is absolutely incredible! It…it’s beautiful! I have to see it up close. Let’s go…NOW!”

Cipher moved in step behind Mindwipe and Wheelie excitement plastered on his face and radiating through his form.

Traveling Northwest

The forest strip where the chameleons had tried to ambush the Decepticons had turned into a slaughter field very quickly. Hun-Grrr had opened the game by biting one of the creatures in two - or three really, given most of the creature had fit his mouth. To say he had been disappointed by the creature's taste was severe underestimation. Only his curiosity had made the large Terrorcon to forget his bias towards organic creatures. The disgusting taste of the chameleon had been a good reminder of why he preferred devouring metals or pretty much anything that was not of organic origin. After spitting the remains of the chamelon out of his mouth Hun-Grrr made sure that instead of attacking the rest of the creatures in similar fashion to his first victim - he set them on fire. Well, at least those that had not been taken apart by Rippersnapper and Blot with various ways. In less than one klik, dozens of incinerated, torn apart and mangled corpses were littered around the field, accompanied by the sickening smell of burning flesh.

The battle had died out as soon as it had began. Those few chameleons that had actually survived the carnage brought to them by the Terrorcons had run for their lives. These ambush predators clearly were intelligent enough to understand they were horribly outclassed by these new type of monsters they had never met before. Quick optical sensor sweep revealed that these particular beasties had learned their lesson. They were not going to challenge the Decepticons again.

For Hun-Grrr however, the challenge had been underwhelming. In addition, this journey to the lab was taking far too long as well. Wheelie certainly was not helping with ramblings about beasts - each more dangerous than the other. And how well had those beasts fared against them this far? Exactly.

"Why does the rrrhyming little fool still trrry to convince us of therrre being anything we couldn't handle?" Hun-Grrr growled as he arrived to the cliff edge and saw the structure first time with his own optical sensors. The effect of the view? For the first time in the presence of Wheelie, Hun-Grrr transformed into his towering robot form. But the reason for him to do so would likely to shock the survivalist.

"Estimated distance to target: 120 miles. We are far enough from the impact zone." Hun-Grrr addressed the other Decepticons and opened a panel in his forearm, revealing a communications laser beacon which shot a powerful data transmission through the atmosphere of the planet and with it, coded information to the Semper Tyrannis on the high orbit of the planet.

"One klik to impact event." Hun-Grrr simply stated and reverted back to his two-headed dragon form and rose to stand on his hind legs. This allowed his dragonic heads to rise high above the level where his head would have been in robot form. "Now you will see why we do not fearrr this worrrld."

Precisely one klik later a series of pillars of purple hued light struck the jungle between the position of the Terrorcons and the bunker and number of explosions beyond anything Wheelie had likely seen on his stay on this planet took place. As the explosions died out it revealed an enormous collection of craters with glassed surface and total diameter of the blast zone being 100 miles. All signs of life in the area prior the explosion were gone. Obliterated. By calling an orbital strike of a single destructo beam battery from the mighty battleship on the orbit, Hun-Grrr had just cut the time they'd need to reach the bunker into a mere fraction of what it would have been had they been forced to walk through the jungle. No beast could surprise them in an opening of such scale and perhaps even Cutthroat who had for reason or another fallen behind was now able to find the rest of the exploration team.

"Beautiful."

Traveling Northwest

Wheelie began to walk forward into the Chaosterous' territory. This was a place even these "Terrorcons" should fear. The Chameleons were easy prey, but they were less than a peanut against a Chaosterous. So far so good, the Antlions that inhabit the cliff walls were not taking much notice of them.

Wheelie heard a transforming sound behind him, Wheelie turned to see the massive form of Hun-Grr mumbling something about an "impact zone". Were they sending other Decepticons from orbit? Some sort of orbital drop from high above?

Wheelie squinted and saw a streak of light come from above. His eyes widened, this was no carrier, this was weapons fire.

Wheelie's jaw dropped as it struck the ground, then a wave of air pushed away from the explosion struck him and pushed him against the wall. The fire from the explosion rippled up like an eruption, it spewed molten stone and flaming chunks of earth into the air like meteors, only to shower upon the ground and crush local fauna and trees. He fell to his knees, breath hard and slow. Wheelie heard nothing, he saw nothing but the fire that engulfed his home. He felt the fire and rumble in his chest, he could feel the pain that the planet was feeling. No matter how hard Wheelie wished for the fire to stop, it wouldn't. The fire engulfed everything in it's path and incinerated the wildlife and earth alike. Earth rippled and cracked in the fire's wake as it crawled across the ground like water. Before Wheelie's heart could take no more, the fire subsided and smoke rose from the blackened crater where a home once was.

"You wondered how I survived this long," Wheelie said as he turned to Mindwipe, ignoring his playful speech pattern, "It is because didn't do things like that."

He turned away and walked forward. Every part of him yearned for Hun-Grr's destruction, but he was better than that. This planet will have it's revenge, it was not his to take. But one of their biggest mistakes of all was that they thought that the Chaosterous was dead. Wheelie doubted that. One thing about Chaosterous is that not only are they hard to find, but they are also extremely hard to kill.

He stormed forward, ignoring those behind him. He began to doubt himself, why he was helping these moronic "Decepticons". Perhaps he would take the shuttle while the others were not looking... No, no one should endure the time he has had in this jungle prison. No one.

Wheelie felt a rumbling beneath him. He knew what it was: It was an Antlion. He held up his hand in a gesture to stop, then he picked up a rock in front of him. He gave it a gentle toss in front of him until it came to a rolling stop on some softer stone.

The instant the rock touched the softer stone, massive jaws with long barbed mandibles came from below and completely enveloped the rock and a good majority of the path. A small beaded eye darted from left to right, then sank back into it's tunnel.

Wheelie marched forward and leaped over the soft stone and looked back with a stark frown. His patience was wearing thin with these "Decepticons".

Traveling Northwest

Finally finished with the extermination of the group of chameleons that had showed up and attempted to eat them…Rippersnapper let out a snort. How could any organic creature believe that they were superior enough to face the Terrorcons? It mattered not. There was no beast that existed who could ever destroy a them.

There was a great sense of pride in all of what he thought. But his reverie was broken when he noticed the others had already begun to move on. Rippersnapper let out a low growl as he holstered his cyclone gun and trudged along the scorched earth to where he knew his commander would likely be.

The terrorist emerged from the thicket…or what was left of it…and made his way to Hun-Grrr who was now in robot mode and announcing their position in relation to the “impact zone”. With a wide grin Rippersnapper took a step closer in an attempt to witness the impending eradication. Moments later the awaited pillar of purple light laid waste to the central point of the forest between the group and the bunker.

Once the beam had dissipated the white and blue mech looked over his shoulder at Hun-Grrr who had just voiced the feeling Rippersnapper had wash over him. Cipher had been bringing up the rear with Blot not far behind. The scientist was so eager to get to their intended location that he began to move ahead before the others. Cipher let out a low yelp when he felt someone grip his forearm.

“Calm yourself scribe. You move too quickly you’re liable to lose a body part.”

Cipher looked to the white and blue mech with wide bright optics. He had forgotten that they were on an alien planet filled with all kinds of strange and dangerous fauna…those chameleon creatures were proof of that.

The scientist took in a deep breath and gave Rippersnapper a quick nod in understanding. If he wished to remain functional he would have to rely on the rest of the group, and most importantly Blot, who was assigned to guard him. Cipher looked from Rippersnapper and over to the Terrorcon foot soldier.

Upon the outskirts of what remained of the forest the two Terrorcons and the scientist stopped behind Wheelie. Cipher then looked down to the ground beneath his feet and then back up at their guide. He watched as the small mech picked up a rock and tossed it along the ground. The chunk of earth came to a stop next to a softer stone, what occurred next caused the scribe to back away and right into Blot who had kept his position behind Cipher.

From the ground directly under both stones rose the gaping maw of a large creature. Large by the scientist and Wheelie’s standard, but a mere appetizer to any of the Terrorcons. After composing himself, Cipher cleared his vocalizer and dusted himself off. He gestured with a quick jerk of his head for his bodyguard to take the lead…Blot readily complied trekking along the same path their diminutive guide was taking. With any luck they would not have another encounter with anything inhabiting this Primus forsaken mud ball.

Traveling Northwest

The explosion that ripped its way in to the planet from above caught Sinnertwin's full attention. Both of heads lurched upwards, one of them keenly taking in the destruction and its aftermath while the other appeared to be tracking new scents that had wafted in to the air.

With flames from the dying forest surrounding him, Sinnertwin lunged forward into a near-dash in order to catch back up with his pack leader and the other Decepticons.

"Apply heat...everything burns. Evvverything," the cerberic beast growled as it ran.