Fantastic Four and the Transformers (CONT)

by Chris McFeely

CHAPTER EIGHT

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THE ULTIMATE DOOM

“YES!” Johnny exclaimed, as he tore a strange looking artifact from the rubble of a bank of computer controls. It was shaped almost like a pistol, but of an alien design, and far more deadly.

“You found it?” Rodimus asked, eagerly.

“Sure did, buddy!” Johnny almost laughed with elation. He activated his costume radio. “Reed! Do you read me?”

There was no response.

“Reed?” Johnny’s voice grew concerned.

“I’m here Johnny,” came the voice of Mr Fantastic at last. “You’ve found the Nullifier?”

“Yep!” Johnny replied. “We’re heading back up to big-mean-and-ugly’s mouth now. Have Springer ready for us.”

“That’s easier said than done,” Reed said. “We appear to have hit something of a snag. Doom is back, and he’s brought some beings known as Quintessons with him.”

Rodimus froze at the mention of the Quintessons. “Oh, no.” he breathed.

“Springer will do his best,” Reed said, “but --ARRGH!” A static hiss took the place of Reed’s voice.

“Reed?” Johnny yelled into his comm-link. “REED?” He looked at Rodimus in desperation. Rodimus grimaced, and smacked a clenched fist into his open palm, which echoed with a metallic clang.

“Roll out!” he roared in anger, transforming to truck mode, and racing off down the passageway. Johnny did the same, and tore off after his robotic companion, eager to find out what had happened to his friends.

* * *

Reed Richards doubled up in pain as a bolt of energy struck him in the stomach, straight from the armoured fist of Doctor Doom, who settled to the ground a few metres away from the bunker with a hiss of boot-jets. Beneath his armoured mask, his face bore a smile from ear to ear.

“I told you I had a trick up my sleeve,” Doom chuckled, as Reed looked up at him through bleary eyes, full of tears created by the pain it caused him just to perform that simple action. Behind Doom the Quintesson ship set down, causing an ear-splitting wrenching sound as it burrowed through the surface of Cybertron to stabilise itself as it stood. A wave of mechanical creatures, similar to the Transformers, except more ferocious-looking, swept from the ship as its main door opened with a hiss of compressed air. “These charming fellows -” Doom indicated the Quintessons with a wave of his armoured hand “- were more than happy to aid me when I told them that I had returned their master to them.” Doom paused and took a moment to enjoy the viciousness of the battle still raging between Galactus and Unicron, the latter being the Quintessons master, Reed realised, even through the haze of pain in his mind. Doom continued, “and they were very unhappy to hear that you were trying to get rid of him.” He chuckled evilly. He gestured for the growing throng of Quintessons behind him to move forward. “Destroy them.”

* * *

Unicron was getting the upper hand. Galactus looked up at his opponent, whose body was peppered with scorch marks and dents from the force of his blows. Despite this, he still looked better than Galactus felt. He knew blood was running from his nose, and his cheek was bruised and swelling. His knuckles felt raw from the constant pounding on Unicron’s metallic hide. He could barely stand up straight. His ears were ringing. No... no, they weren’t. Galactus looked around, searching for the source of the thrumming noise which made his mind ache, and automatically ducked as a green helicopter shot overhead, inches from his face. Galactus growled as he recognised it - the being who had the audacity to confront him earlier that day. He was about to reach for it with a gloved hand, when another blow from the eerily quiet Unicron sent him crashing to the ground. He spat blood, then heaved his massive frame up again to continue the battle.

* * *

That was too close, thought Springer as he circled around, well above the combatants below. Galactus threw a punch at Unicron ,who easily caught it in his metallic claws and began to crush Galactus’s fist. The purple-clad titan began to bellow in pain. Then, Unicron stopped, and clutched at his throat, releasing Galactus from his grasp, who staggered back, clutching at his limp wrist, flinching in pain. Unicron began to utter peculiar hacking sounds, and Springer tensed. The titan took a step back, and began gasping for breath. Springer swooped down low, right between the over sized combatants, just as Rodimus Prime and the Human Torch burst from Unicron’s mouth. Rodimus transformed and grabbed Johnny as they sailed through the air, landing inside Springer’s open cockpit as he zoomed past. Unicron swiped at the green Autobot as he shot past, but missed and raked the approaching Galactus across the face with his talons.

“Perfection!” cried Springer, as Johnny and Rodimus crashed into his cockpit.

“You weren’t worried, were you?” Johnny asked sarcastically as he transformed his armour.

“Who, me?” Rodimus smiled at the being he now considered his friend.

Johnny clutched the Ultimate Nullifier in his mechanical hand. “Can I take this thing off now?” he asked Rodimus, looking down at the suit.

“I’d wait if I were you,” Rodimus said darkly. “If the Quintessons truly are here, you may need it.”

“They’re here all right,” Springer’s voice said, as they flew passed the only proof Rodimus Prime required - the hauntingly familiar battleship, similar to the one he had flown prior to his first experience within Unicron.

“Then may Primus help us all,” he said quietly.

* * *

Benjamin J. Grimm’s rocky fists pounded off the cranial unit of a Quintesson warrior with a force the mechanical being would not have thought possible of a measly fleshling. Though diminutive in comparison to the fierce robot, the Thing had never been a quitter. His final blow split the Quintesson’s skull and it crumpled to the ground. Ben leapt from its body, deftly avoiding the business end of a Quintesson battle staff which was swung in his direction. “IT’S CLOBBERIN’ TIME!” he yelled out his famous battle cry as he tore open another Quintesson from chest to groin.

Ben paused as the elasticated form of Mr. Fantastic shot past him, his fist morphed into a powerful mallet, striking a Quintesson squarely on the jaw, knocking it back on top of the staff of another, killing it instantly. Reed’s fist rebounded and entwined itself neatly around another of the robots, the rest of his body following, wrapping the Quintesson in elastic tissue, until Reed began to contract his form, crushing the ‘life’ from the metallic monster.

Sue soared through the air on a platform of invisible energy, riding it as a surfer would ride his board. A bolt of energy that the Quintesson did not see but most certainly felt smashed through his torso, and he collapsed, bleeding a puddle of oil all over the ground. Sue herself then became invisible, and flipped the unwitting Quintesson by sliding a thin forcefield under his feet, and yanking it out.

“Look out below!” cried the Human Torch as he and Rodimus leapt from Springer’s cockpit. Springer transformed and he and Rodimus set into the Quintessons. Springer whipped out his detachable rotor blades, and began slashing through the evil robots. “FLAME ON!” came the familiar cry from the Human Torch, and his armour erupted in a miniature supernova, as his flaming form was free once more. “Oh man, that feels good!” Johnny cried, as he circled a small group of Quintessons, and increased his flame to an incredible degree, melting the metal monstrosities to slag.

“Johnny!” Reed cried over the sound of battle. “Do you have the Nullifier?”

“Springer has it!” Johnny shouted back, remembering how he had left the device inside the cockpit before he leapt out, afraid his flames would damage it in some way.

Reed looked to Springer, who replied “Yes, its in my subspace pocket!”

“We have to get it operational!” Reed shouted to the robot, tearing out a Quintesson’s optical circuits by forming claws from his fingers. “Ben, Johnny, Sue, Magnus - do you think you can hold the Quintessons off?”

Magnus was about to answer doubtfully, when, as if in answer to some silent prayer, Powerglide and Sky Lynx flew into sight, weapons blasting a path through the throng of opponents. Arcee sped along under them, in vehicle mode, and behind her was an even more welcome sight - the Aerialbots had combined into Superion. The mighty warrior lifted a handful of Quintessons, and crushed them in his grip, dropping their bodies in front of the transforming Arcee, who pulled out her weapon and entered the fray.

“I should hope so!” Ultra Magnus yelled back, blasting away at the horde of opponents.

“Rodimus, Springer, follow me!” Reed yelled across the battlefield. He stretched his upper body forward with incredible force, smashing through a wall of Quintessons, knocking them down like skittles, and headed for the bunker with speed. Rodimus and Springer transformed, and shot off after him with a squeal of tyres on the metallic surface of the planet. “Cover us, Ben!” Reed yelled to his trusted friend, who responded by slamming his rocky fist into a Quintesson’s skull, causing it to roar in abject agony.

Doom turned to watch his hated adversary go, and a contemplative look swept across his armoured visage. “What are you up to now, I wonder Richards?” he said out loud, but his train of thought was interrupted as a searing heat wracked his body, courtesy of one the Human Torch’s flame blasts. Doom turned to face the young hero, and activated his boot jets. “Insolent whelp!” he bellowed, as he soared into the air. “I’ll slay you for this impudence!”

“Take your best shot,” Johnny teased, swooping in to face the armoured tyrant, who, quite unexpectedly, seized his throat in a pneumatic grip with surprising speed.

“Prepare to meet your doom,” the despot said, coldly.

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