Transformers:  Next Wave
		Chapter 6
		Devided we stand
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Feral lay injured in the besieged citidel.  The autobots
had left him laying there.  They now were making
their own plans.  Purplebolt had been taken captive
by the vehicons.  Flytrap was missing.  Now only
the mysterious Geckobot remained.

"Geckobot.  Tell me more about these weapons
from the future.  Can we use them against this
power coming to cybertron."

Feral said.

"They won't be enough but they might help you to
back off the vehicons....well if you have any more troops."
Geckobot replied dishartened.

A loud crash was heard.
"Someone call?"  Said Nightscream as he entered the room through
a hole in the wall by Galvastorm who was a few paces behind.

"Nightscream Galvastorm you made it!"  Said Feral
who then wenced in pain.

	Galvastorm walked to Feral's side.
"Feral.....brother...Who did this to you?"
"V...vehicons" Feral replied."  "I promise I'll
help you through Feral.  I won't leave your side....
....but first I'm gonna go tear the vehicons a new wasted
disposal unit."  Said Galvastorm crackling his knuckles.

	"Feral has it become that bad?"
Said Nightscream.  "We're losing Nightscream.  I failed cybertron.
I no longer have the right to lead.  I...."

Feral struggles to get up.  "I am but a soldier.
And I will fight as a soldier  GECKOBOT now
that we have these two how about those weapons."

Geckobot looks back to Feral.  "I won't give them to you.
Not if you're going to go out and try some blaze of
glory thing.  I'm here to make sure there's a cybertron
for the future.  Honor won't mean anything to those who will
never be born!"

	"The lizard has a point"  Says Galvastorm.
"Feral I've known you for too long.  Back even
when you were just plain old Cheetor.  and the
Cheetor I knew...."  Nightscream is cut off by
feral.  "Cheetor......It's been a long time since anyone
has called me that.  Is that all I am now?  Am I not
even worthy of the title optimus...."

Feral turns his back and begins to walk away.
"OPTIMUS WAIT!"  Yells Geckobot.  "I....If you
stay here in the citidell I'll give you and any other
transformers you can get here all the weapons you need."

	Feral looks back to Geckobot.  "but what troops."
Galvastorm gestures behind him  "I dunno how about those guys"
Feral looks over to see a wall of predacons ready for battle.
"Galvastorm have I mentioned lately that you're my favorite
of any psycho I've ever met."  "Awe yer flattering me.  Come on
in troops....AND WHIPE YOUR FEET!  we aren't barbarians after all."

	An elder protests.  "FERAL you can't let those predacons in
here they're a threat to...." the elder is silenced as botanica
plants a solid punch on his jaw.


	"now how about those weapons Geckobot"  Feral
says with a smirk.

	Elsewhere

	Vehitron stands over Purplebolt who is just
regaining conciousness.  "So you're awake." Purplebolt looks to Vehitron
"Ungh.  W...what is this place?  Wh..who...VEHICONS!"

	Vehitron grabs Pruplebolt in his massive clawed hand.
He holds her by the head and lifts her off the ground.
"I would only have to apply a slight preassure to crush
you're dellicate head.  Such a frail vessel for something
so precious as a spark.  If it were a vehicon it would be
a simple matter to replace you."

Purplebolt spits in Vehitron's one red glowing eye.
"Go ahead.  Do it if it feeds your pathetic ego."
She says in spite.
"Oh no I couldn't do that.  You're too valuable to
me alive.  Maximals have a weak sentimental side
that makes them easy to exploit.  Feral will come
for you.  My predecessors memories made that
very clear.  Feral or shoudl I say Cheetor is weak
and sentimental."  Vehitron boasts.

	"Who?"  Asks purplebolt.  "Ah a famed character
of the beast wars and later the so called hero of
the hollocost.  Cheetor was an impressive warrior
but his emotions were his weakness.  However I do have to thank him.
It was he who awoke my predecessor.  You see there was another
warrior from the beast wars.  Once on cheetor's side he found
himself on the oposite side of the hollocost of cybertron.
His name once was Rhinox.  Later as Tankor.  I call him....
....father."

	"You....you are the son of rhinox?"  Purplebolt
says in shock.  "You could say that.  While his spark was going
offline he had already begun his own experimentations with the nature of
a spark.  He created a fraction of his spark and implanted it in
a new body.  This body.  The newest vehicon prototype.  Once it
was going to be an enhanced tank drone.  Now it is me.
Bigger, stronger and faster.  He had already prepared.
He knew that things had gone awry so he passed on his knowledge to me.
In the event of his demise I was to carry on the dream of a perfect
unified cybertron.  It took my own spark a long time, fed with a
hidden energon reserve to grow and mature.  It took me one hundred
stellar cycles to evolve to sentience floating between 
this world and the matrix I gained a greater wisdom.  I can
hear it.  The voice of primus. All that time I have gained wisdom
beyond anything your feeble mind can comprehend."
Said Vehitron in a long exposition.

	Purplebolt gazed with an almost terror at
what she had learned  "You.....you think you're some kind of
prophet!"  "That I am.  I have heard the will of Primus and
that is that cybertron shall be unified as one.  Haven't you heard
the words of Optimus Prime?  Till the day when all are one.
It is the goal of all cybertronians.  And even as we speak primus 
is coming to cybertron.  His great mortal embodiment is on its way.
He shall purify cybertron.  And finally unify the matrix as one all
mighty being."  "Y....YOU'RE INSANE!"  "Heed the words of primus
young one.  That which does not become one with me 
shall become one with the void.  So sayeth Primus."

	"Stop your preaching I don't care what dellusions you've
had."  "Believe what you will.  When lord primus comes to cybertron
then all will be revealed."  "THAT'S A LIE!"  

	Purplebolt's scream carries into the next room.  
Mirage has already overheard.  "This....was this lord 
vehitron's plan?  This is not the machine utopia he promised.
This....this is a hollocost.  But....if I run away....
....where is my honor...."  Mirage steps away and out into the
streets.
"MIRAGE TIREBURN!"  Mirage transforms and
speeds down the streets.

	From the shadows steps Scavenger.
"Brother.  You betray us.  And now I too.....am dishonored.
I'm sorry brother...but I must now kill you."

	Mirage continues to travel down the streets of cybertropolis.
When he has put enough distance between himself
and Vehitron's temporary home base he transforms into robot mode.

	Rain begins to pour down.  "Rain...this never happened on
cybertron in the old days.  Feral and his organic core did this....
....Feral....Could he...He is my enemy.  And yet I too
have made myself the enemy.  I have no place now.  I can no
longer be a vehicon and yet niether am I a maximal....
...I am a transformer with no place in the world then this leaves me
with no choice...."

	Mirage takes his gun in his hand and points it toward his
head.  He wraps his thumbs around the trigger.  "May the matrix
have mearcy on my honorles spark."

	Mirage is stopped when he hears another voice from behind him.
"To be or not to be.  That is the question.  Whether tis nobler
in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles."
Mirage drops his gun and turns around to be confronted by a towering
purple robot.  "You are...."  Mirage begins.  "My name is Galvatron.
I have known many like you.  Those who live only by their loyalties.
And when you have no one to swear your loyalty to.  You have no reason
to exist.  Once long ago I knew someone like you.
Cybertron had different rulers.  He threw off the shackles of opression
and fought for what he believed to be right.  His name was Megatron.
The true Megatron who freed cybertron from the quintisans."

	Mirage stared up at Galvatron. "Are you saying....I should
forge my own path?  But what can I do alone?"  "There is a divinity
that shapes our ends.  But you are still free.  Don't be a pawn any
longer."  Mirage takes a few steps back from Galvatron.  "Thank you.
MIRAGE TIREBURN."  Says Mirage as he transforms and speeds down the
street.

	Galvatron looks the skys.  "But I...am still nothing but
a slave.  Be it to the quintisans, to unicron, or even to this omnicron.  
Why must I the mightiest of all decepticons be nothing but a pawn.
Who is the master who controlls the board?"

	Later at the citidel.  Nightscream, Geckobot, and
Galvastorm are no longer present.  

	In a darkneded room Feral lays as his body slowly
heals its self.  He hears footsteps.  Metal against metal.
This was not a maximal approaching.  And yet not loud enough to
be one of the autobots.  It could be only
one thing.  A vehicon.  Mirage's glowing blue eyes shine in the
darkness.  "So....Vehitron has finally sent my assassin."

	Mirage drops his gun to the ground.  "Optimus Feral
I come in peace."  "You're changing sides?" Feral asks  "I know I must sacrifice
what I believe in for the greater good of cybertron."
Mirage responds.  "What you believe in?"  "Go ahead.  I will
give up my technological body.  Go ahead and reformat me."
"But why?  If you want to help you are welcome.  I don't descriminate
between races."  "But you wanted all of cybertron to be technorganic didn't you?"
"It wasn't my choice.  Cybertron will grow as it pleases.  The planet
is becoming more and more organic but transformers are given a unique option
that no other being in the universe has.  We can choose our bodies.
I would never take that or any other freedom away.  That is what I believe in,
freedom."  "Then...I can remain a vehicon?  Even if I serve the maximal 
cause?"  "It's not just the maximal cause.  It's the cause of every transformer
since the days of the quintisans.  Maximal, Predacon, Autobot, Even vehicon.
We all work together to preserve freedom on cyberton."  

	Botanica enters the room.  "A VEHICON!"  She charges an energy ball
in her hand.  "Please wait I'm on your side"  Says Mirage.
"You Lie vehicon!"  Botanica yells.  "No Botanica wait!
He's telling the truth."  Feral interupts.  "Feral are you sure?"
asks Botanica.  "I am.  He had the chance to kill me.  I'm unarmed
and unable to deffend myself.  And he chose only to talk.  He even
offered to be reformatted."  "If Feral trusts you then I trust you.
Welcome aboard.."  Botanica begins but is unable to recall his name.
"I am called Mirage."  Mirage answers.  "and I have information for you"
Mirage continues.

	Inside the duct system of the citidel.
Rattrap has finally cought up with Flytrap.  "Dad..." Flytrap begins
"I know what you're feelin son.  I've been down that road."
Rattrap replies.
"Dad you don't know.  Purplebolt is dead because of me.  All
because I was too weak."  "Hey you don't know she's dead.  
There's not one ounce of proof.  Instead of crying about how you
failed why don't you go out and try to fix what's wrong."
"But...I can't I don't have any power."  "You got plenty of power.
You're the son of the great Rattrap after all.  An probably smarter than
even me."  "But I can't fight"  "HEY YOU DON'T NEED TO FIGHT!  
There's going to be a day some time soon on cybertron where we
won't need to worry about fighting.  You're type is the future son."
"I'm.....the future?"  "Yeah that's right.  You're type is gonna be
the end of these wars." 

	Rattrap's communicator blares a message.  "Rattrap as soon
as you find flytrap come back.  We have some surprizing information
for you."

Rattrap takes notice of the message
"You ready to go son?"  "Yeah let's go"
Flytrap and rattrap scurry away through the ventilation system.
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