Episode 1: Where It All Began Part 1

It all began at the end.

Out within the deepest recesses of space, there once thrived a race of sentient robots known as the Medabots, so named because of the mysterious medals that give them life. For a time, the Medabot race was a peaceful one with the ability to merge with an organic host, bolstering both sides with incredible power and abilities. For countless millennia, the Medabots stretched beyond the borders of their world, investigating new life, and searching for new possibilities. However, those that walk in the light tend to cast a shadow, and those walking within hide terrible secrets. Unbeknownst to the majority of the Medabot populace, plans of conquest had been set, and the first step took the form of the horrible Mega-Emperor Medabot, a non-sentient death machine with only one goal: to eliminate and intimidate. In a desperate move, the Medabots cast off their organic comrades and sent them into the stars, falling back on robotic interskeletons in order to continue function, and the Medabots united in the hopes of defeating their monstrous foe. Sadly, it would not be so…

…

"ACQUIRING TARGET! FIRE!"

The building rocked as a massive burst of energy struck it's broadside. Inside was a small unit of Medabots, whom clung to one another as they waited the assault out. When it stopped, the first to rise was a yellow Medabot resembling a sabretooth tiger equipped with a flexor sword and straw hammer. This was Sumilidon, the acting general of the fifth platoon of the Elite Medafighters.

"Brass, status report!"

A small, purple female medabot with a large bow on her chest rose shakily to her feet. After giving her head a few hearty shakes, she addressed her commander.

"My sensors indicate that this structure has suffered over sixty percent to it's overall integrity. I calculate that it will be unable to withstand another blow from the Mega-Emperor. I propose that we abandon this place in favor of something more favorable."

"You might have a point there." Sumilidon grumbled as he peaked out a window.

A generous estimate told him that the behemoth was maybe fifty yards away from his current position. The last shot was more or less a wild blast meant to draw them out for a direct assault. The Mega-Emperor was definitely worthy of it's moniker as a WEA-type Medabot, and it was just as soulless as any weapon. It was also one of the few Medabots to be equipped with Death model weapons. Fighting one of these things as a normal sized Medabot would have been a challenge, but this thing was taller than the ruined skyscraper they now inhabited. To fight it head on would be suicide. Then again, trying to evacuate as Brass suggested would also be a difficult situation to negotiate. Too much of the city had been ruined from Mega-Emperor's attacks, and it was getting to the point that there was little room to hide anymore. What's more, there was the matter of a certain someone that seemed to be missing.

"For crying out loud, where is he? We need every able bodied Medabot in on this, otherwise…"

Suddenly, the building shook, and a series of cracks began to form in the floor.

"The floor is giving way! Everyone evacuate!"

No sooner had the words left Sumilidon's mouth, the floor caved in, and one bot, a nurse themed Medabot, found herself falling through the cracks and out into open air.

"Neutranurse!" Sumilidon called out, but there was nothing he could.

Neutranurse continued to fall with no sign of anything to grab hold of. Suddenly, there was a cry from below, and the next thing she knew something had grabbed hold of her and now she was jetting back up to the others. When her feet finally touched solid ground again, she looked up to see her rescuer. He was a bright yellow Medabot modeled like a beetle, complete with missile launchers on his head shaped like antenna. He was also armed with a light machine gun on his right arm and a revolver on his left.

"Ah, yeah!" the Medabot cheered. "Why fly like a Botafly when you can sting like a MEDABEE! That's me!"

The bot, Medabee, looked to Neutranurse, and he leaned against a wall while folding his arms across his chest.

"Hey, babe, come to this place often?"

Neutranurse stared at him with a bit of a confounded look, but before she could say anything Sumilidon had waltzed over and smashed his straw hammer into the side of Medabee's head, knocking him over.

"Hey!" Medabee snapped as he bolted to his feet. "What the bot, Sumilidon?! That's how you repay the guy that saves your medic?"

"No." Sumilidon said curtly. "But that is how I treat idiots that take their minds off of the battlefield."

Medabee rolled his optics, and he went nose to nose with Sumilidon.

"Fine, whatever. But did you have to use your left hand?"

"I could hit you with my right if you prefer!"

"Stop fighting, please." Neutranurse squeaked from between them. "The enemy is out there, not in here."

The two male Medabots parted from one another in a huff, and Medabee was even pouting. After a few moments, Sumilidon finally sighed, and he turned back to Medabee.

"Alright, personal squabbles aside, I think we might have a plan to take that abomination out. Where the rest of the panzer battalion?"

Medabee didn't answer right away. Sumilidon was about to berate Medabee again, but he paused when he saw that Medabee's shoulders had slumped, and his head was lowered just slightly.

"You see the missile barrage from a couple of blocks down?"

Sumilidon gave his head a weary nod.

"Welp, let's just say that made for a not so peaceful stroll down main street."

Neutranurse gasped, and Sumilidon lowered his gaze as the reality of Medabee's words sunk in.

"You were the only one that made it."

Medabee nodded. "It was a total mess, and I couldn't even find their medals after they had ejected. Destroying the body is fine, we can always remake parts, but if something has happened to their medals…"

Sumilidon cut him short by placing a hand on his shoulder, showing that he shared the yellow bot's feelings.

"There is nothing we can do for them now. If their medals are in tact, we will find them later. For now, there is only the mission. We need you, Medabee."

Medabee looked at the Medabot commander, and he sighed.

"Ok, you got it boss-bot. So, what's the plan?"

Sumilidon beckoned Brass over, and the bow on her chest began to emit a holographic image of the Mega-Emperor.

"We received intel from command concerning Mega-Emperor's functions. According to our data, while it doesn't possess a true medal, it does have some medal-like object in it's back which provides motion and commands. However, any attempt to get close has proven fruitless, and it seems our only choice would be to attack it from a distance. While we do have some ranged fighters amongst our ranks, none of them have any beetle-type medals like you or significantly strong fire power. So here's the plan: I and my fellow units will draw Mega-Emperor's fire and distract it. While we're doing that, you'll move in from behind. You're machine gun and revolver should be able to remove the outer covering, but you'll have to fall back on your missile launcher to take out the medal itself. I don't think I have to tell you that a lot of Medabots will be forced into function cease when it all gets started, so you're only gonna have this one chance."

Medabee gave a haughty laugh and brushed a thumb across his face plate, his confidence returned.

"No sweat, commander. I'm your bot. Let's meda-wreck this beast!"

Without another word, Medabee leapt from his spot. Sumilidon watched him go, and he groaned.

"Him and his puns. Oh, well. So long as he is here, we can get things started." He turned back to his fellow Medabots. "Alright, everyone, listen up! Medabee is moving into position for an assault run. Chances are, he'll only have one shot at this, so we have to make it count. I'll act as point man and draw the beast's attention to the east. Everyone else will attack it's legs. It won't be able to get you with it's weapons from there."

He turned his back to them, and he set his sights on the Mega-Emperor, unsheathing the three blades of his flex sword,

"For the glory of the Medabot race! MEDABOTS, RO-BATTLE!"

With a cry from his forces, the Medabots charged into the scarred city. Smilidon took the high road jumping from rooftop to rooftop, until he came to a stop just in front of the Mega-Emperor. He punched a piece of the rooftop loose, and he hurled it at the monster with great force. It impacted upon the Mega-Emperor's body harmlessly, but it yielded the necessary results. The giant Medabot was now looking at him.

"TARGET ACQUIRED! FIRE!"

A burst of energy went sailing through the air, and Sumilidon leapt from the rooftop. An instant later, it erupted in a fiery explosion. Down below, a swarm of multicolored Medabots were led by Brass, who opened fire on the treads of the Mega-Emperor. As expected, it couldn't lower it's death laser and death missile arm parts, but it did manage to run over several Medabots with the tread-like legs. Back with Medabee, he was quickly scurrying through a building as fast as he possibly could. He smashed through the door leading through the roof, skidding to a stop. He peaked down over the rooftop, and he immediately wished he hadn't when he spied the littered parts of downed Medabots. He gave himself a few moments, and then he gave his head a shake.

"Ok, Medabee, this is it. Make it or break it."

He moved as close to the edge of the rooftop as he could, lifted his right arm, and he took aim for where the hinge connected to the back of the giant Medabot's head.

"Laser cannon!" he cried as he unleashed a full barrage of yellow energy bolts from his submachine gun. The shots met their mark, and the hinges gave way. The back covering slid loose from its moorings, and it clattered to the ground with a loud crash. The Mega-Emperor froze.

"WARNING! MEDAL SHIELDING HAS BEEN REMOVED!"

"You better believe it, ugly!" Medabee snarled. He planted his feet, and he aimed his head towards the false medal. "Time to kiss your bot goodbye! Missile launch!"

Two red-nosed missiles erupted from his antenna, flying straight and true until they collided with the back of the Mega-Emperor. The result was a massive explosion as fire and smoke billowed from the massive Medabot's back while it cut loose with one final, deafening cry. It then toppled forward, taking down one last building as it hit the ground.

Then, there was silence. The remaining Medabots, along with Sumilidon, slowly approached the downed behemoth. One of the bolder bots, a red, cat-like bot named Peppercat, tapped her claws against it's treads before running a safe distance. When it didn't move, a collective sigh ran through the crowd, which eventually evolved into cheers of victory. Sumilidon even collapsed onto his back, laughing like a maniac as he allowed his battered limbs a moment to recuperate. Medabee soon joined them, hooting and hollering with joy as he wrapped his arms around Neutranurse and gave her a small twirl. Medabee then turned to Sumilidon, the latter now in a sitting position.

"What do ya say? Not bad for somebody from the panzer battalion, eh?"

Sumilidon chuckled.

"Nope, not bad at all. Good work, soldier."

He then placed a hand to the side of his head, switching on his radio.

"This is Captain Sumilidon of the fifth platoon of the Elite Medafighters calling command. General Samurai, are you there?"

There was a brief moment of static over the communicator, and then a grisled voice filled Sumilidon's ears.

"General Samurai, here. Report, Captain."

"Target has been neutralized." Sumilidon replied as he got to his feet. "Added reinforcements from the panzer battalion arrived just in the nick of time. However, casualties are catastrophic."

General Samurai hummed a grave tune on the other end of the line.

"Hopefully a good portion of the medals haven't been lost. Any ideas on where the monster came from?"

"Negative." Sumilidon replied. "I can see Brass is attempting to splice into it's memory circuits, but we won't have anything solid for a while."

As Sumilidon carried on with his report, Brass was busily scanning through the many safeguarded files inside of the Mega-Emperor's head. Medabee moved up next to her and leaned against the fallen beast.

"So what's the word, beautiful? Anything useful?"

Brass didn't reply. Her usually stalwart face seemed to be a bit more intense than normal, and she would occasionally rub her chin.

"Interesting." she muttered to no one in particular. "There is an odd string of code still running through it's processor. With no medal to power it any longer, all data should have gone into storage. How is it still running this code, and what is it for?"

Suddenly, the Mega-Emperor shook and shuddered. Medabee jumped back, and he snatched Brass away.

"Hey, boss bot! I don't think this thing is dead yet!"

Sumilidon whirled about, and he ran over as the Mega-Emperor rose back to it's full height.

"Attention all Medabots!" Sumilidon called to his troops. "The target is not done with us yet! Fire on my command!"

"Hold on, commander." Brass piped in. "I don't think it's still functioning. From what little I could decipher from the memory circuit, I could tell it was activating something. I think it's arming some sort of failsafe."

Medabee looked at the sailor themed Medabot, and he gave her a sidelong glance.

"Eh, what kind of failsafe?"

Suddenly, the chest piece on the Mega-Emperor exploded, and now the group could see a strange black vortex swirling inside of the monster's chest. Brass' optics grew wide, and she took a few weary steps back.

"That kind of failsafe! No wonder it can still function without a medal. It has a black hole reactor!"

"B-B-BLACK HOLE?!" Sumilidon sputtered.

"And that's not all." Brass said. "My emergency alert system detects an anomaly within the vortex. It is about to rupture!"

"It's gonna what?!" Medabee declared. "As in blow up?"

Brass nodded. "To put it simply."

Sumilidon switched back on his communicator. "Come in, command! We have a Code:Omega alert! The Mega-Emperor is equipped with a black hole generator, and it is in the process of rupturing. We request orders! General, what do we do?"

"Is there anything we can do?" Medabee said in a frenzied panic. "It's a black hole, for crying out loud! What do you expect the old man to say?"

"Sir, do you copy?" Sumilidon shouted into his communicator, ignoring Medabee. "Can you hear me?"

On the other side of the line, General Samurai hummed thoughtfully, gently drumming his fingers against a console as he considered his options. At least, he would if he had any. He disconnected from Sumilidon, and he switched over to a more secure line.

"It's worse than we thought. We have no choice but to do it; there's no way we would survive a black hole collapsing in on itself. I'm going to hate this, but it is our only chance. Initiate Operation: Exodus."

"ArE yOU SuRe?" the voice on the other side said.

Samurai took a deep breathe, and he let it out very slowly.

"Yes...unfortunately. Send out the beacon."

Back with the fifth platoon, a bright light suddenly filled the sky, blinding the troops and throwing them into a further fit of panic. Then, it happened. Suddenly, all of the medabots within view of the light began to shudder and shake, electricity sparking through their bodies.

"W-w-w-what t-t-the b-b-b-bot-t-t-t?!" Medabee stammered as his body refused to still itself. "W-what's...h-happening...to...us?"

"Anon-non-nomaly d-detected!" Brass exclaimed. "Origin...unknown. Cannot...cannot resist!"

Suddenly, Brass' back popped open, and her medal ejected. An instant later, it shot up into the sky, vanishing into the light. One by one, more and more medals were sent into the heavens above. Soon, Medabee was the only one left, his eyes glued upwards as he tried to keep his medal inside. At last, his constitution gave way, and he collapsed to his knees.

"What...the...bot?"

His medal then ejected before shooting off into the sky. The Mega-Emperor then imploded, and a massive black vortex enveloped the entirety of the Medabot homeworld.

Then, there was silence. Nothing remained of the planet, nor were there any traces that a planet had once been there. The only sign of life was the millions of glowing gold shards that were the Medabot medals, all of which were zipping through space towards the unknown.

And this is where the story begins…

For those reading this, I would like to say something before you comment. I understand that the ending of this chapter may seem a bit campy, but that's what I'm going for. I grew up in the nineties with the original series, and I'm sorry to see that the series never made the cut like Pokemon and Digimon. So, here's my own little twist. The reason for the camp is because I want it to have that old saturday morning cartoon feel. If that ain't your thing, that's fine. But I promise if you stick with me, and have patience, the story will get more serious as it goes along. I've got a lot of plans for the characters, old and new, with some interesting backstories planned. Thank you for reading. Write on!

P.S. Yes, I realized that I made it sound like transformers in a way. Bear with it, that's where the similarities end...mostly.