Beast Wars and all Transformers parts are owned by Hasbro. Summary: Manterror arrives and trouble ensues... I would appreciate your comments, please!

The Predacon base. It is late at night, and all is quiet. In a darkened corridor Tarantulaus is working late into the night, leaning over his work table he laughs, "With this new technology I will destroy Megatron and rule the Predacons!" He begins to laugh hysterically. In the hallway a sound is heard, footsteps. Tarantulaus runs to the doorway and peers out, Inferno is walking down the hallway. Tarantulaus thinks for a moment, and smiles. //This could work to my advantage.// the insane arachnid cackles in his own mind. //The bug is loyal to Megatron, but stupid. It won't be hard to trick him.// Tarantulaus walks over to the table and picks up a small recording device, an earlier experiment, it allows someone to duplicate any other persons voice. Hitting a few commands he speaks into it and waits for Inferno to walk past the room. As Inferno does Tarantulaus activates the device and the sound of Megatron's voice becomes clear, "Inferno, I need you in here. Now!" Inferno turns around and turns his head to the side, "Royalty?" He says walking back to the room, as he reaches the door he looks in, only to be met with Tarantulaus's gun. "Hello Inferno." Tarantulaus laughs. Inferno's eyes burn, "You are not the Royalty! You will burn for this insolence! BBBUUURRRNNN!" Inferno raises his gun and screams. Before he can fire Tarantulaus smiles and fires his weapon. Inferno hits the ground unconscience, and Tarantulaus steps over top of him and laughs.

//Internal systems coming back on-line. New programming detected. Loyalty chips modified.// The Systems inside of Inferno relate. Inferno rises up off of the table and looks around, upon seeing Tarantulaus he salutes saying, "Royalty! I serve you, what is your wish my Queen?" Tarantulaus snickers and says, "I would like for you not to call me by that title." Inferno looks puzzled, "What title my Queen?" Tarantulaus shakes his head, //A small price to pay for a personal soldier. And if my calculations are correct I shall soon have another.// Tarantulaus smiles.

In the void of space a ring of stasis pods orbit the planet. As a small meteor hits the side of one it begins to fall from the sky, a small section of the hull exposed, the computer reacts. //All loyalty circuits have been eliminated. All other systems intact.// As Tarantulaus and Inferno walk along the dark path, they see a light in the sky. "Royalty! Something falls from the heavens!" Inferno shouts pointing into the air. Tarantulaus laughs and rubs his hands together, "Yes! The stasis pod, just as I calculated! Soon my loyal follower we shall have another join you!" Inferno stands up straight and salutes, "He cannot be as loyal as I am, my Queen! I only live to serve you!" Tarntulaus smiles and looks back up at the sky, "Oh, but he will be as loyal as you, once I program him that way!" They head towards the direction the stasis pod is going.

The pod crashes against the earth and disrupts the local wildlife. A single cricket chirps in the grass around the pod, suddenly a large insect grabs the defenseless cricket in its huge green claw, a Praying Mantis. As it tears into the cricket with its jaws, Inferno and Tarantulaus arrive at the crash scene. The internal computers had already began scanning, Tarantulaus steps over the pushed up ground and opens the pod's computer port. Reaching in he pulls out the Maximal chip and replaces it with a Predacon one. "Now to ensure it's loyalty!" He said reaching around to the back of the pod, his face filled with terror as he found a large hole where the loyalty programming systems should have been. Looking down at the pod he saw that the loyalty circuits had been destroyed. "NO!" He screamed pounding his fist down on the pod. Inferno reached forward, "Royalty! Is everything all right?" he asked with concern for his leader. "No, you moron! It's loyalty circuits are gone! It would be a Predacon, but I won't be able to control it! So it is best I don't activate it's systems." He says pounding his fist down on the top of the pod again, as he does he trips the computer's systems and the pod begins to run. //Suitable life-form found, beginning replication.// Tarantulaus stood back and watched as the pod simmered and smoked, it's systems trying to run without the missing circuits. The pod stopped moving, Tarantulaus waited and nothing happened. Stepping forward Tarantulaus hoped that the pod had not been able to work without the missing circuits. Suddenly the top of the pod opened and a large green form emerged raising up from the pod. Its reddish-orange eyes glowing in the darkness. Tarantulaus took a step back as the creature stepped out of the pod and towards Tarantulaus and Inferno its jaws moving back and forth, as it glared at the two Predacons.

It rose it's head up and let out a blood-curdling scream. Looking down at the two robots it seems to smile, and yells in a shattering voice, "Mmmannnterror! Terrorize!" he screamed rolling his 'n' and his 'm' as he spoke. Tarantulaus and Inferno watched as the insect transformed into a robot form, his insect legs folding across his chest as his claws formed into his arms. He smiled exposing his gleaming teeth, Inferno stepped forward, "Do not fear Royalty! I shall protect you!" He screamed pulling out his gun and pointing it at Manterror. Manterror's expression never changed, swiping his massive arm up he cut through the weapon, the barrel of the gun hitting the ground. Inferno dropped the rest of his gun and clenched his fists. Manterror laughed as he opened his right claw revealing a large purple disk inside. He swiped down the disk flinging from his arm hitting Inferno in the chest as the disk dug through the ant-bot he fell to his knees, the disk went all the way through and didn't stop. It circled back around hitting Tarantulaus in the back and digging through his systems, when it went through his shell it sped towards Manterror, Manterror reaching out with his claw catching it. As Tarantulaus and Inferno both hit the ground their circuits exposed and surging, they went into stasis lock. Manterror stood over them laughing. Turning Tarantulaus over he examined his transmetal form, and then looked at Inferno. Noticing the difference, he reached down with his claws scratching the plating of both Tarantulaus and Inferno, "Be themmm mmmetal, or be themmm flesh, Mmmannnterror shreds themmm all!" He screamed in a voice that could have sent a chill down the spine of the Decepticon Megatron. Turning from the scene he opened a pair of huge purple wings on his back and flew off into the night.

The next morning Tarantulaus awoke to find himself back at the Predacon base, Megatron stood above him. Beside Megatron stood Inferno, a look of hate burning on the ant's face. Megatron glared down at Tarantulaus, "Inferno here tells me you were attacked last night, Tarantulaus." Tarantulaus tried to stand only to find himself chained against the ground. "What is the meaning of this Megatron? What have I done?" He shouted out. Megatron's eyes glowed, "I don't appreciate you tampering with my loyal soldiers Tarantulaus! Fortunately I managed to delete your programming and had Inferno tell me everything!" Tarantulaus's face filled with fear as he realized that everything had gone very wrong. "I will decide what to do with you, after I have managed to solve this 'Manterror' problem. I don't like the idea of a loose Predacon running around out there." Tarantulaus screamed as Megatron turned away, "Wait, Megatron I can help! With a few adjustments I could use the same technology I did on Inferno to help you control Manterror!" Megatron turned around and looked at the spider, "And why should I let you help me Tarantulaus?" Tarantulaus smiled, "Because you have no other choices. It is the only way you can solve the problem!" Megatron thought for a moment scratching his chin. "Hmm, Yeees. From what Inferno tells me this 'Manterror' is quite powerful, exactly what I need!" He glared at Tarantulaus, "But betray me again Tarantulaus and you'll pray that it was Manterror you were facing!" Tarantulaus gulped.

Far away from the Predacon base and Megatron's ranting the opening of a cave sat empty, or so it seemed. From inside a form emerged, Manterror. "What a glorious day!" He screamed out as he stretched, "Yes, glorious innndeed for Mmmannnterror! Annnd a sad onnne for all other creatures!" He laughed as he spread his wings and headed towards Maximal territory. To Be Continued...