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Chapter 6: Vamps R Us
this page added by Mop-Boy
mop-boy@mindless.com
It was a dark and stormy night, when they loaded the last stasis pod onto the cargo bay. So many hundreds of pods lined the bay, there was little room left to move. The Maximal rescue ship had come to this planet to retrieve stasis pods...but they got more than they barganed for...
"Oof!", grunted the stout Maximal as he dropped the stasis pod against the wall.
"Be careful Limeare!", exclaimed the small Maximal as he began strapping the protoform egg down to the cargo supports. "These are newbies we're helping, not a bunch of crates of marshmellowtrons. We have to make sure they get back to Outpost 15 intact."
"Sorry Pock.", apologized Limeare. "After lifting 200 hundred some-odd stasis pods, they tend to get a bit heavy. This planet's gravity field doesn't help either."
"Yeah, luckily the planet is mostly composed of styro-rock and oceans of tar. Otherwise all of the pods might have been smashed to pieces. A nice insulated planet if you ask me." Pock finished securing the pod then turned to face the rest of the cargo bay. "Look at all of these pods. What ship was it that crashed here anyway?"
"Dunno.", replied the larger Maximal. "Section 23 hasn't unclassified the files of the mission the crew was on. In fact, the agents didn't even want us to come in contact with anything of the ship. If the tractor beams, and loading arms weren't malfunctioning because of the odd radiation coming from this system's sun, we wouldn't have even been allowed in the same deck as these pods."
Pock looks around at all of the stasis units, and shivers a bit. "This whole rescue mission gives me the creeps. The sooner we get home the better!"
"I know what you mean.", aggreed Limeare. "I want to put as much distance between this system, and these pods as possible."
Suddenly the cargo bay doors flew open. Wind and rain blew threw the bay, not leaving one nook or crany dry. Outside the lightening flashed, and the thunder boomed as it rolled across the landscape. Nothing could be seen outside, except the brief views of mountains and dead looking plantlife each time a flash of lightening gave a few seconds of light to the abyssmal countryside.
"What the slag??", Limeare shouted as he and Pock covered themselves from the intruding weather. "Who opened those doors??"
"'Ah did!", shouted the sleek black cruiser jet as it flew in, carrying a beat up stasis pod. The cargo bay doors quickly closed, after it entered and the room became quiet, except for the flying Maximal's roaring engines."'Ah know 'Ah told ya'll that 'Ah brought in the last pod, but 'Ah found this one laying in a nearby canyon."
The unsightly unit was lowered gently to the ground, and the duo on the floor rushed to secure it. The pod was beat up and fairly smashed. The scanning arm was fully locked in an extended position, and the internal computer was looped in scan mode speaking, "Scanning for life forms...Scanning for life forms...Scanning for life forms..."
As soon as the pod was down, the grapple attached to it was released and winched back into the black crusier's undercarrige. The jet then swooped down and transformed into robot mode."Thats the last one. Ya'll better get it strapped down real good before take off.", the dark Maximal said as she removed a palm-sized data pad from her wrist compartment. She pressed a few buttons on it then stored it back to where she got it. "As soon as yer done, get off this deck and seal it off. No one, 'ah mean NO ONE is to have access to this cargo bay! Do 'ah make mah'self clear??"
"Yes sir!", replied the two loaders, as they saluted the sleek femme.
"But...", added Pock, "What about this pod here?"
The dark female gave a mean look to the small Maximal and then calmly replied, "What about the pod?"
"Well...it's stuck in a recursive scanning loop. Are we to just leave it like that?", peeped Pock.
The jet bot sighed, "Whatever. Do what you must to deactivate it then get the slag out of here." After she said this, she immediately jumped into the air and transformed into cruiser mode again. "Computer, open cargo bay doors!"
"Acknowledged." replied the dark jet's internal computer.
The airborne Maximal then roared her engines and shot off into the storm. "Remember! Finish your job then get out!", she reminded the loading crew as she dissapeared into the raging storm. Then the cargo doors shut and locked down, as the area quieted down.
"And we didn't even get her name." said Pock as he began inspecting the damaged stasis pod.
"M.I.B.s don't have names. They don't exist to us.", replied Limeare, as he began setting up a spot to store the new pod.
The smaller Maximal looked up and asked, "M.I.B.s? What's that??"
"Maximals In Black", replied the stocky loader. "They're believed to be part of a top secret Maximal government department, bent on bringing disinformation and chaos into the universe. Some say that the MiB is responsible for the destruction of Helios Alpha."
"Bah. That's all rumors that bots have been spreading to cause suspect of conspiracy in the Maximal government.", Pock said in disbelief.
"Attention all decks! Prepare for lift off!", announced a voice over a nearby loud speaker. All of a sudden there was a shaking and the star ship began to move.
"Hey, why'd that femme leave the ship?? This planet is the most inhospitable place I've seen, and the ship is gonna leave. Who knows when another ship is gonna be in this sector??" Pock said as he braced himself against the roughed up stasis pod.
"Maybe this planet is where the MiB stronghold is located. The base known as Area Omega", replied the large Maximal as he swayed side to side from the ship's movement.
"Oh enough of that already!", exclaimed Pock. "There's no evidence of..."
The small Maximal was interrupted by a loud high pitched cry. "SKREEEEEEEEK!!" Out of a row of stasis pods came a small winged creature. It's small rat-like body shot at Pock and attacked his neck.
"AGGGG!!!", Pock shouted as he fell to the floor in shock.
Limeare rushed to the small Maximal's aid, and pryed the flapping pest from his throat. The large lifter crushed the bat in one hand then threw it against the worn stasis pod. "Not to worry. It was just a little Neobat."
Pock took his hand and rubbed it against his neck, then looked at it. "Not to worry?? I'm leaking!! That Neobat tried to eat me!!"
"It can't eat you." Limeare said, "It's too small."
"Yeah but what if it was bigger??" asked the worried Maximal.
"Trust me.", assured Limeare, "That was a full grown adult. You'll never see a larger Neobat ever! Never!"
"Scanning and replication complete.", the computer on the beat up stasis pod said as it retracted its scanning arm. "Initiating activation..."
"Uh oh!" both Maximals exclaimed as the pod began to rattle.
The pod shook and jumped as if something large was trapped inside, and trying to break out. "SKRAAAAWWKK!!", roared the trapped being as it began beating dents into the pod hatch. Then the pod burst open, and out leaped a drooling Maximal Neobat.
Limeare and Pock both jumped up and began dashing for the exits screaming, "HELP!!!"
The Maximal beast spotted the fleeing loaders and leaped. "SKRAAAWWK!!" screamed the psychopathic bat as it pounced on the smaller Maximal. It pinned the scared Maximal to the ground and began ripping at his body with it's fangs.
"Limeare!! Help!!!", Pock cried as the beast tore into his armor like a can of sardines.
The large Maximal turned and saw his friend was being eaten. "I have to go get help!", Limeare thought to himself as he shook with fear. "But by time help arrives, there may be nothing left of my little buddy! What do I do??"
What do you do now?
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