Transformers Fan Fiction ❯ Beast Wars: Hidden Repaints ❯ 1: Enter the Exclusives ( Chapter 1 )

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Hidden Repaints is the first fic I've done as part of the TMUK (Transmasters UK) fanfiction group ( www.warwithoutend.com ), a long running group creating fanfiction based around the UK G1 comic. In this group, the cartoon NEVER happened but the movie did (as the comic did post-movie stories and had Galvatron travel back in time to the 1980's), as did the G2 comic, the BW and BM shows, the Botcon (USA TF convention) BW stories and HUUGE amounts of fanfics!

Now, the Botcon stories (viewable at www.botcon.com ) use characters NOT included on the TV show; these characters are repaints of existing toys and were available at the conventions. But where did these guys come from? And could we REALLY use the Botcon story "Visitations", which would need MAJOR rewriting to be a serious story. So this is what this fic sets out to do; show how the repaints arrived, staying in the continuity of the show; rewrite Visitations so it fits within TMUK; and along the way, explain WHERE the Transwarp Driver came from and why we didn't always see Tigatron and Airazor.

Death's Head is a freelance peacekeeper and a TF: UK character (you can see pics of him at the TMUK website). Chapter 3 is the Visitations adaptation; subplots from this are left hanging, unfortunately, because that's how it was in the original.

BEAST WARS: HIDDEN REPAINTS

Chapter 1: Enter The Exclusives

A TMUK PRODUCTION by Charles "RocketBoy" Reilly

CYBERTRON: PREDAPOLIS CITY: 2943 AD

" Invisibility cloak… check. "
He is Onyx Primal. A Predacon.

" Tracker… check. "
One of the nearly-unknown members of the Tripredacus Council's operatives. He doesn't deal in MURDER, oh no.

" Sniper blaster… Check. "

His job is to deal with all those annoying little problems that disrupt the Tripredacus Council's plans. He's the second-best at what he does, and has, in his 100 Stellarcycle career, never failed a mission.

He transforms into his bat mode and swoops out into the Cybertron night.

EARTH: SECTOR TRAEGON: 2, 000, 000 BC

BRATATATATAA
" I need COVER FIRE here, Chopperface! "
" Shut up and work on the pod, rodent! "

Rattrap muttered under his breath and continued working on the damaged stasis pod. Two of them had come down in this forest, and the Predacons had reached the other one first. So now, instead of 2 Maximals VS 2 Predacons, it was 3 Predacons, each one a gunnery powerhouse. And they'd decided they didn't have time for the other stasis pod, so they blasted it to make sure the Maximals didn't either.

" Can't believe this, me stuck in a slaggin' forest with Dino-butt, having to save a protoform while I get pounded by Scorponok, Terrorsaur and some beetle he calls himself Vice Grip! I mean, VICE GRIP?! That's worse than WHEELIE! "

Dinobot tuned the gunner's ranting out. He was a warrior, and warriors had to be focused. Otherwise they stopped being warriors and, for that matter, alive. He intended to be alive for a long time.

He fired off an eye-laser blast; a scream from Scorponok made him smile. He'd HATED that mindless yes-con…

BLAM
Dinobot's shield finally shattered under the firepower. The raptor cursed and rolled away to the shelter of a nearby tree. He started to fire back-

-and cried out as Vice Grip leapt down from the branches.

Vice Grip was a large Predacon, metallic blue with grey beast parts. His beetle shell bulged from his back, his mouth was covered by a drooping mask and a wicked pincer weapon protruded from his wrists.

He pointed this weapon at Dinobot and fired an electric blast at point-blank range.

CYBERTRON: PREDAPOLIS CITY: 2943 AD

He flew through a throng of flying Maximals, Predacons and even a few Autobots. He sneered at those ancient relics; they could never know how it felt to be able to move and fly, completely silent, able to swoop down and finish the enemy without them ever knowing you were there…

" Invisibility cloak, activate. "
He disappeared.

It was a move he loved. Technically it was illegal and punishable by termination, but the Tripredacus Council sneered at these Maximal laws. Onyx was glad for this; it made his job a HELL of a lot easier. Not only did it make him invisible, but he could modify it to either make his Predacon energy signature disappear utterly… or change it to another, be it Maximal, Decepticon, Autobot or even Junkion.

Now, which building is it… Ah yes….

He swooped down, transformed silently (another useful mechanism) and latched on to the buildings window. And he waited.

EARTH: SECTOR TRAEGON: 2, 000, 000 BC

Dinobot lay in stasis lock.

Vice Grip called up to Terrorsaur; " OK, fellas! Cover fire's been disabled; let's go slag us some Maxies! "
You have to say ONE thing about him, thought Rattrap. He's got a great personality. The wanker.

Rattrap knew he was outnumbered and outgunned. He knew Dinobot would die if he didn't do something- and as much as he hated to admit it, he was beginning to like the guy, slag-sucking saurian he was. However, he had to protect the damaged protoform. It was stable but wouldn't last very long if it didn't pick up a beast mode…

Then it hit him.

" BEAST MODE! "

Snickering slightly, he let the pod scan him, therefore giving the new protoform a RAT mode. Now he'd have an ally to help them get out alive…

" Scanning complete. You may emerge. "

The pod's lid was knocked open, and a scruffy, blue rat head poked out.

" Hiya! " said Rattrap brightly. " And you are-? "
" Packrat! What the slag is going on?! "
" Well, we're kinda under fire from the Predacons right now… "
Packrat was a blur, zipping through the forest.

" HEY! Come back here, ya slagging COWARD! "

Behind him, Terrorsaur chuckled. " Well, well, well… One little Maximal, all lost and alone against the big bad Predacons… "

Rattrap sighed and threw a bomb at him. " Have to deal with you pegwarmers MYSELF! "

CYBERTRON: PREDAPOLIS CITY: 2943 AD

They entered the room, eventually. Onyx recognised two of them; Fangry and Laserbeak, members of the True Path. He knew many of the members named themselves after old Decepticons, but all the good names had been taken when THESE two had joined up.

The other 4 were not known to him.

Then the 7th 'Con entered: Cryotek, a powerful crime boss with a metallic dragon alternate mode.

Hmmm… I'll let him live; I'm not being paid to terminate him.

Laserbeak was ranting about something, probably about how badly Predacons were being treated and how they should do armed rebellion. Cryotek had a case with him, and was handing out state-of-the-art weaponry. Fangry gave him some credits.

So, that's why he's here. I know he doesn't believe all this "the oppressed must rebel" slag, but he's always after money. … Heh, I can't point fingers, now can I? Suppose I better complete this…

He hoisted his sniper laser and aimed at Laserbeak.

The beam cut silently through the glass and vaporised the terrorist's head.

Onyx moved away from the window two seconds before random fire tore through it. He grinned. This would be too easy…

He leapt through the window, a almost-invisible blur, and grabbed Fangry's arm. Resorting to Metallikato, he tore the arm from its socket, shattered the terrorist's eyes with a finger strike and pulled the Shrapnelizor gun from the severed limb & opened fire.

One Predacon was shredded instantly.

He dropped his shield; it wouldn't work now. The others fired shots at him; he rolled to the side and they ended up finishing off Fangry instead. He leapt, used a Fracture Spin Kick to shatter an enemy chest and then used him as a shield.

Cryotek had already run. Onyx didn't bother to chase after him; HE'D never tell anyone about this hit. Instead, he threw the bullet-ridden corpse down and fired.

One 'Con lost his head, the other his hand.

He screamed and stared in shock at the stump. Onyx just sneered and pulled out his standard mini-gun. He fired 4 times in carefully marked places, causing marks that LOOKED like damage gained from glancing blows in a firefight.

Then he used the Shrapnelizor to blow open the enemy's side.

" ARGH! "
Onyx did one more Metallikato move, this one inside the 'Cons wound and on the exposed spark. It would cause incredible pain… and damage recent memories in the terrorist's memory banks.

Onyx transformed, cloaked and flew away into the night. As he left, he heard the police arrive at the scene.

They diagnosed it as a terrorist meeting that broke down into argument and then violence. After all, the deceased's weapons HAD been used on each other. It also seemed on person had managed to survive before suffering a near-fatal blow.

He was charged with murder and locked up. His memory banks were damaged, but the evidence was stacked against him.

Onyx Primal heard about all this, and chuckled. Another 1, 300, 000 credit job, completed.

EARTH: THE AXALON: 2, 000, 000 BC

" GAH! Blast that slag-sucking Packrat! "
Optimus sighed. " What now, Rattrap? "
" He's only gone and pinched some of me Waspinator parts! " he said. " You'd think 2 Decacycles of being in the Beast Wars woulda changed him, but OH NO! "
" We've had to place him on patrol all the time because of this! I don't know, we just can't work with him… The Predacons outnumber us now, for all the good Packrat does. "
" They ALWAYS outnumbered you, " said Dinobot. He was in his beast mode; he seemed to prefer it for some reason. A sneer appeared on his face. " They had Fractyl from the beginning. "

" Who? "

" A geochemist; I have no idea why Megatron hired him, he is no warrior. He's never been in any of our battles; he seems to stay in the Darkside all day. "

Optimus sighed. " Well, it's better than having him IN the battles, or we wouldn't win as much as we have. Now, I understand Packrat is a problem but we can't really do anything about him… "
" I could, " said Dinobot. " Something… permanent. " He grinned, showing off his fangs.

" I wouldn't do that, Chopperface, " said Rattrap. " Ya dunno where he's been. "
" I DO, " spoke up Cheetor, entering the room. " He's been in MY room! "
" Worse, he's been in YOUR room, vermin, " sneered Dinobot. " Anything from there is likely to have some incurable disease… "

" Aw, go slag yourself… "
" We can't afford to bicker, " said Optimus sternly. " Ever since Vice Grip showed up, Megatron's been getting bolder. We've had several attacks on the base, and Sentinel is the only thing that's keeping them back. " He sighed. " We need an edge, badly. We also can't afford Packrat to split us up; I find him aggravating too, but if we break up, we're cold slag. We CAN'T AFFORD to lose our unity. "

CYBERTRON: PREDAPOLIS CITY: 2944 AD

Onyx Primal yawned and worked on his computer. He wanted to check what the Council was up to.

Heh. They didn't know he had hacked into their mainframe; he knew EVERYTHING they were doing. Extremely useful in his line of business; Tripredacus agents were well known for… disappearing.

So… Let's see what they have planned… Hmmm, something to do with the Ark? Odd. And they've scheduled…

His optics widened.

They'd KNOWN. The sly bastards had known all along he was spying on them.

He calmly shut his computer down, activated his security measures and walked out of his apartment. He locked the door, activated the cloak and began walking down the street. Just to be on the safe side, he changed his signature to read Maximal.

He walked leisurely; they'd KNOW it was him if they located a "Maximal" signature legging it. And after a cycle…

BOOOOOOOOOOOM

His security measures had worked. OK, he'd taken out half the building but now any Predacon assassin would surely be scrap-

" SLAGGING HELL! "
" What was that? "
" There's someone moving up there! "
Onyx tensed. No, they couldn't have survived. Not unless they were a Decepticon or something stronger…

From the wreckage, a skull-faced figure growled, " I'll need a bonus for THIS, yes? "

CYBERTRON: PREDAPOLIS CITY: 2944 AD- 10 CYCLES LATER

DEATH'S HEAD!

Slagging Death's Head!

I didn't think they'd hire HIM! Crap, I can't fight this guy, he's out of my league…

" ONYX PRIMAL! " Up above him, the not-bounty-hunter skimmed overhead on a Hoverbike.

" This is getting annoying! Just DIE already! "
Onyx ducked into an alleyway and doubled back. That'd buy him about 20 extra nanoclicks… NOT ENOUGH!

As luck would have it, he was near the Predapolis Spaceport. And he KNEW they had some smaller ships with Transwarp drive there… He could get transported through time and space if he got one of those…

He dashed through the spaceport, using Metallikato on any guard who got too close.

Behind him, Death's Head entered on foot.

" Blasted bat… " He turned his arm into a rocket launcher and fired. " Ah well, seeker missiles should slag him. "
Onyx got inside a hanger and locked the door two nanoclicks before the missiles hit. The door turned to shrapnel.

BLAST IT! I have to reach the ships NOW…

He found a small, Maximal one and leapt inside. He had no time to take off; he just switched it on and activated Transwarp drive. He read somewhere that doing this could transport you ANYWHERE, but he was desperate.

The result was a massive explosion, taking out the hanger and the other two near it.

" Ah. " Death's Head gulped. " Oh dear. Tripredacus Council are NOT going to like this… Oh well, we all make mistakes, yes? "
And he walked away, not giving another thought to Onyx Primal.

TO BE CONTINUED