Chapter 123: The Red Spider's Disguise
"I order you to release me right now, or you'll regret it!"
"Oh, really? How exactly are you going to make me regret it?"
Shadow sneered, his single crimson optic glowing fiercely. "I'm a full-fledged Decepticon warrior now, and my combat power far surpasses yours. If you truly have any special abilities show me! Let's see them!"
The newly transformed Decepticon mocked Diablo's warning.
If not for the Fallen's command, this giant mechanical dinosaur would have already crushed the insect-like mech into scrap. How could he possibly tolerate this runt's arrogant tone?
"You'll pay for that, you oversized lizard!"
"Shhh!"
Realizing that Shadow had no intention of letting him go, the mechanical ant tried to rely on his natural instincts digging. Being a burrower, his first thought was to tunnel underground and escape.
If the colossal dinosaur refused to move from the surface, he'd simply vanish below it.
Crude… but effective.
To his surprise, the plan worked better than expected. The massive Decepticon suddenly felt his footing shift his target had slipped away beneath him!
But escaping from a mechanical dinosaur of Shadow's caliber? Unrealistic.
"Heh. You're a clever little bug… but did I say you could leave? Come back up here now!"
The giant Transformer stomped the ground, creating a violent shockwave that rattled everything within hundreds of meters. His right hand shaped like a dragon's head plunged into the tunnel, twisted, and yanked the metallic insect out by one of its legs.
Diablo dangled helplessly, caught like a chick in a predator's jaws.
"Curse you! Let me go, you bastard! Put me down!"
No matter how fiercely the mechanical ant struggled, the enormous claws held him firm. Shadow's grip was like an unbreakable vise. Unless Diablo was willing to tear off his own leg, there was no escape.
"Enough!"
The Fallen's booming voice cut through the chaos. "A little sparring is fine but don't forget what I told you. This planet's civilization is still primitive, and I don't have spare parts for you. You're lucky you're prehistoric beasts when fighting Autobots, you can scavenge the weak and digest their components for repairs. But as far as I know, the Autobots don't have many beast-type warriors. Don't get yourselves severely damaged… or you'll end up like them!'"
The Fallen's intervention worked.
Shadow immediately released the ant from his grip. Diablo, trembling, transformed back into his robot mode and scrambled away, optics wide with fear.
"Good." The Fallen nodded approvingly. "It seems you two have finally established a proper superior-subordinate relationship. I won't say more about your next battle. Now go gather me a new batch of soldiers. I intend to form a true Predacon army. I believe the Autobots have already found their allies. Things are about to get… interesting."
The Fallen's words oozed satisfaction.
This was exactly the result he wanted allowing these beasts to prove their worth through natural selection, rather than arbitrary choice.
A fairer test of survival.
Yet, from the shadows, a pair of glowing red optics observed everything.
The observer was none other than the saber-toothed tiger–like Decepticon Starscream.
After hunting down the Predacons blocking his path, Starscream had cleverly masked his energy signature using his diodes and bio-converters. Then, pretending not to notice anything, he slipped seamlessly among the Predacon ranks.
And conveniently, the mechanical ant named Diablo was rather close to him especially when the fool was in a foul mood.
"Uuuuuh…!"
Not long after the Fallen and Shadow left, Starscream approached the battered ant, pretending sympathy, his voice soft and concerned.
The moment Diablo saw him, it was as if he'd found a long-lost friend. The insect threw his arms around Starscream's shoulders, shaking with frustration.
"That guy's out of control! The Fallen promised that whoever transformed first would be the leader! They're all liars hypocrites!"
Hopeless.
This fool's stupidity was beyond repair.
Starscream kept his disguise perfectly, his expression calm. If he truly wanted to, he could end this Decepticon's life in an instant one bite to the neck, a short-circuit, and the Spark would be his.
But keeping the idiot alive was useful.
Much of the information Starscream had gathered so far came directly or indirectly from this very source.
"Rooooar!"
To maintain the act, Starscream let out a theatrical roar toward the direction where Shadow and the Fallen had vanished.
The display of mock anger made Diablo grin widely.
"Good brother! As they say, time reveals all truths. Out of all these prehistoric beasts, you're the only one truly loyal to me! Don't worry, my brother I'll make sure you get a chance to transform under Lord Fallen himself. Then we'll join forces and crush them both! I'll blind that oversized lizard's other eye just watch!"
It seemed Diablo truly believed that "Red Spider" was some kind of giant feline completely unaware that this "ally" had nearly killed him more than once already.
"System, do you see this? I swear I could rip out this ant's neural core right now!"
Starscream gritted his metallic teeth. "I was the commander of the Decepticon Air Force and now I'm being treated like a pet! This kind of intelligence work is humiliating!"
He hadn't planned on infiltrating the Predacons at all.
But just as he was about to leave, the Transformers System reminded him this infiltration was crucial. It was the perfect opportunity to learn what the Fallen was plotting… and a test of whether Starscream, the impostor, could truly handle it.
And so, in a moment of impulsive defiance, he dove straight into this madness.
"Host, this infiltration is a noble act. The future rebirth of Cybertron may depend on what you do here. Would you not wish to be remembered… for eternity?"
Ah.
Now that was a reason he couldn't resist.
(End of Chapter)