“Are you sure? You don’t sound like yourself.”
Maximus said, clearly worried.
Axis took a step towards him and cradled the side of his face in her hand.
“Oh why so nervous? I don’t know exactly what’s happened, but what I do know is that I love it.”
Maximus was barely able to sputter and mumble in response, having no idea how to handle the situation.
Firestorm suddenly felt a literally splitting headache as a dark mass of energy started to bleed off of him.
He keeled over to his knees, clutching his head and his chest as the pain only increased.
After some time he blacks out.
“Hey!” He heard a growling voice say, “Get up, or I’ll ensure you go to the sickbay!”
He opens his eyes to see a nightmarish version of himself, Transtector and all.
“What are you looking at?” It growled.
Dark was oddly absent, scratch that, quiet; in Firestorm’s mind. He looks at the warrior, the colors, attitude, even his presence felt like Dark but a thousandfold of what it normally was.
“So, this is what I’d look like if Goody Two-feet got to call the shots.” It growled, almost disapprovingly.
Seraphicon heard something running past and was holding a dormant Matrix and gave chase to it, “Stop right there!” He yelled.
“It’s mine!” It yelled, “Nobody can be trusted!” Seraphicon stumbled a bit, that sounded exactly like his own voice.
Sparkplug left the brig.
The two Bootlegs look at each other, eyes slowly widening. Then they both screamed loudly and scrambled away from one another.
"Frak, I’m going rampant, aren’t I?’ Iota tries to rationalize the situation.
“What is going on here, Beta Maxx, you have any clue?” asked Hammer.
“This is getting pretty weird pretty fast and I don’t like it.” Hydro Rex shrugs.
Before Maximus could completely comprehend what happened to his love, a second version of him appeared in a burst of energy.
This Maximus stood about a head taller than the average bot, and a head shorter than current Maximus. He looked quite different though. The only recognizable feature being his unique head.
“Oh boy! Where am I now?”
The new Maximus said as he looked around.
“Well… This is interesting.”
“Who the hell are you?”
Axis asked, looking at the newcomer.
“Maximus Primal, at your service. Slayer of Unicron and genuine Prime.”
Axis looked the new Maximus up and down, before pulling her Maximus close to her.
“I like mine better.”
She said.
“Stop that thief!” They could hear from Seraphicon as he and his cowardly doppelgänger were still in chase.
“Help!” The Coward yelled, “He’ll doom us all if he gets me!”
“You really are a piece of work.” The Darkstorm said, “Too bad you aren’t the right colors.” Suddenly a punch to the gut was thrown to Firestorm, causing him to double over.
“So you’re real; that’s interesting-” he began before Firestorm swept his legs out from under him.
“You’re definitely not either of us; you would’ve seen that coming.” Firestorm said as he got up.
“You little-grah!” Darkstorm yelled as his talisman, rusted and chipped, yet somehow still working, glowed red hot. “Fine!” He yelled, “I’ll work with them, just stop burning me!”
“We are currently within an unstable nexus point for multiple streams of reality,” answers Beta Maxx. “Take a guess.”
The two Bootlegs continue to eye each other from opposite ends of the room.
“There is a way to fix this right?” Hammer asked.
Hydro Rex was a bit worried what if an alternate version of himself will appear.
“If there is, I imagine Rhisling will play a part in it,” answers Beta Maxx.
Liege Maximo begins to leave the brig.
“Alright. This is a lot to take in. How about both of you sit down while I try to process this.”
Maximus said. Soon after another flash of energy revealed a third Maximus. This one was nearly identical to the original, but only came up to the predacon’s knee. Upon materializing, he fell flat on his face.
The small Maximus looked up at the giants around him.
“Who are you! Where am I! Where are my friends!”
He shouted, completely panicked.
“Oh you are adorable!”
Axis exclaimed and picked up the little Maximus.
“Put me down! Right now!”
The mini-Maximus protested. But his struggles ultimately ammounted to nothing.
“That could be it.” Hammer said. “The more the reason to take it, so we could stop…what is currently happening, I wouldn’t want to face somebodies dark version of themselves because I already did that.” Beta Maxx would know what Hammer meant.
Darkstorm grumbled something about not getting paid enough for this crap then realizing he could change that. “Oh ho-ho-ho-ho! My client is gonna have one heck of a bill when I’m finally done with this job.” He said.
“Job?” Firestorm asked.
“What?” Darkstorm said, “I get to hunt any target I want and get the chance to get famous and rich beyond my wildest dreams doing it; what’s wrong with a simple life as a bounty hunter/mercenary saving the universe and turning the biggest profit this side of the Mirror Universe?” He asked.
“What happened?” Firestorm asked.
“HELLOOOO!!!” Darkstorm said, “I got bored being the nice guy when we got out of limbo and the idea of being a gun for hire was like a dream come true because I don’t pay for the damages, my client does!” He laughed like he told the funniest joke ever.
“Okay, you’re grounded!” Seraphicon yelled as he opened fire, setting his pistol to stasis/stun, on the Cowardly Angelicon.
“Ah! No! Stop! You’ll kill us all if you do thi-grah!” He yelled as he finally got shot down and crashed to the ground. He was locked in the most sad and defensive posture possible for an Angelicon: clutching the item as they are in the fetal position and their wings are draped around them like some kind of armor shell.
Chopbot and Hornblow heard about the alternative selfs popping up from everywhere, and headed towards the others to see them. On their way a portal opened up and two robots stepped out of it:
“I have a big Infinity War vibe going on right now.” said our Hornblow.
“Look how cool our future selfs are!” Chopbot said.
“I don’t think they are future selfs. More likely alternative dimensions selfs.”
“There is only one way to find out. Hey, you!”
“Yes?” asked alt Chopbot.
“Where are you from.”
“I am from Cybertron but I spend my time through the galaxies fighting monsters.”
“How cool is that!” said Chopbot.
“Alright. So if you’re this reality’s Maximus”
The golden Maximus said (Now referred to as Primal)
“Then who is she?”
“None of your business!”
Axis snapped back.
“Her name is Axis.”
Maximus said.
“Huh. She’s a lot different than the Axis I know.”
Said the small Maximus (Now referred to as Minimus)
“The Axis I know is red, and feathery, and doesn’t have super huge murder claws!”
“Hush you.”
Axis said. She then placed one hand on top of Minimus’ head.
“Alright. Calm down.”
Said Primal.
“Interdimensional travel is nothing I’m new to. Just take me to your captain and we’ll get this all sorted out.”
Maximus sighed, having to simply force himself to accept the situation as is. He then lead the others to the bridge.
“Daybreak”
Said Maximus
“We have a… Situation.”
He motioned to the two other versions of himself, and Axis.
“One of them says he’s a prime.”
Daybreak’s eyes widen.
“Yup,” AU Iota decides, “definitely rampancy. Goodbye, cruel universe…”
AU Bootleg looks at Primal, beaming.
“Yo, Maximus!” he calls to him. “Remember me?”
H: “What about you?”
Alt H: “What about me?”
H: “You have shiny armour! And swords! And cool weapons! You are nothing like me! Why?”
Alt H: “I… Don’t know? I just got them.”
H: “From who?”
Alt H: “From Chopbot.”
H: “Really, Chopbot?”
Both Chopbots: “What?”
H: “Not you Chopbot, I was talking with Chopbot!”
Both Chopbots: “Which one?”
H: “The other one.”
Both Chopbots: “Are you idiot?”
H: “Hey! I am talking with Chopbot! Stop interrupting me, Chopbot!”
Alt H: “Sweet Prime…”
He said, facepalming.
“Hammer I think we should hallaft right now, this is getting to weird.” Hydro Rex said.
Hammer nods.
The two left the bridge and went to the Hanger.
“Vaguely? I’ve met a lot of bots in my time. Wait, weren’t you that one guy I saw while I was stuck in purgatory?”
“Wait. There’s two of you too?”
Maximus said, looking at the second Bootleg.
“Alright. I’m sleeping this one off. It’s too much.”
Maximus turned to leave, but was stopped when Axis grabbed his arm.
“You’re not going anywhere hun. I want you right with me.”
Maximus groaned.
“Yes dear.”
He sighed.
On his way he would meet six Minicons fighting each other.
