Final Fantasy 7 1/2: Magic Planet A Final Fantasy 7/Beast Wars crossover fanfic written by Stella Quetzacotl First created: Aug 10, 2001 Last modified: Aug 10, 2001 ~~~~~Legal Stuff~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This is a work of fiction written for entertainment purposes only. All FFVII characters are the sole property of Squaresoft. All Beast Wars characters are the sole property of Hasbro. All other characters are the sole property of the author. Most of the Maximals' and Predacons' dialogue in this chapter is taken from the Beast Wars pilot episode. While I have tried to keep it as close as possible, some changes were necessary due to storyline. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~Setting~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This is a TOTAL rehash of the Beast Wars saga, in which the group lands on the FF7 planet (what would you call it, anyway?) instead of Earth. They'll take different beast modes, but I'll keep the same names for convenience. The time is twelve years after the FF7 saga; Marlene is sixteen years old. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~Text Conventions~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [This is a character thought] *This is emphasized text* Chapter 3 Marli clapped her hands over her ears as the air became superheated by laser blasts. Laz's limbs began to tremble, inexplicably, and horror washed over his face in waves as he tried to will them to stop. The two huddled close to each other, watching with flinching eyes as the landscape was streaked with yellow and purple and green and white light. Something shuddered up Marli's spine like the feel of alien magic and without thinking her fingers found the earth and began to dig at it. Her arm's movements were forceful and smooth, plunging her fingers into the loam, grasping the dirt and crumbling it in her hand. With this repetitive motion her heart slowed and she calmed. Laz glanced at Marli as her muscles relaxed, and he was struck by how strong the lines of her face were. He leaned against her again and felt the tension drain from his limbs. "Laz," Marli whispered earnestly. "Got your Materia?" "Yeah, but I can't use it," Laz whispered back. "Not enough magic in me." "'S okay." Marli held out her hand, dirt lining her palm. "Give it to me, I'll use it." Reluctantly, Laz reached for his back pocket. "You know how to use these?" "'Course I do. What do you think I do all day in school?" Marli pulled a fierce scowl. "I've got enough magic for maybe two shots if I need it." Laz pressed the yellow marble of Materia into her hand, his gray eyes reluctantly trusting. Cheetor and Traveller leapt a split nanoclick before the rock they were hiding behind shattered. Traveller ran three steps before she realized she was alone, and she wheeled to see Cheetor lying helplessly on the ground, pieces of the shelter rock pinning his foot in place. He yowled. "I'm stuck!" "Hang on!" Traveller moved to help him and was intercepted by Terrorsaur. Stuck in beast mode as she was, she could only dodge the Predacon's wrist missiles and warble her anger. "Optimus?" she called. Optimus knocked Tarantulas to the ground with a well-placed laser barrage. "I see him!" He turned to Rattrap. "Rattrap, help Cheetor! We'll cover you!" Rattrap straightened in what would have been offended dignity if he'd had any to start with. "Yeah, right!" Cheetor yowled again, a purely animal sound. "That's an order, Rattrap!" Optimus said, forcing all his budding authority into his voice. "Yeah? An' you can kiss my skid plate, Fearless Leader," the Trickplay retorted angrily, ducking as another mini-missile flashed by. "I ain't goin' out there and gettin' *my* pelt punctured!" With a growl, Optimus straightened and activated his booster jets. They weren't standard issue for Maximals, but he'd done a favor for a mechanic once and the reward had been well worth it. As two Predacons converged on Cheetor, Optimus fired his shoulder guns and sent the leftmost Pred spinning. But even as he sent most of his available power to his jets and dove at the remaining Pred, the emerald-and-brass one whose beast form was that of a scorpionlike creature, he knew he would never get there in time to save Cheetor. Fire erupted from the left, engulfing the Predacon in red heat. Optimus banked in midair and tumbled before gaining the presence of mind to stabilize himself. Orienting, he had just enough time to glimpse a pair of humanoids before hot pain flared in his back. He dropped, booster jets suddenly offline. "Optimus!" Rhinox cried. "See? Told ya!" Rattrap called. Optimus landed clumsily, stumbled, and glared at Rattrap before turning to Cheetor. Unsheathing his wrist guns, he fired once at the rocks and his scout leaped free as if fired from a cannon. "Do NOT let them escape!" Megatron raged. "And I want those humans alive!" Optimus looked at him, confused, then at the two humanoid figures. The smaller one spoke urgently to the bigger, and Optimus could only catch a few of its words above the scream of atmospheric laser fighting. The Bizarre Bug shouted, "Flezzshie-botz not ezcape!" and went into a steep dive. Optimus fired at it and missed. He shouted a warning. The bigger one stretched out its arms and was engulfed briefly in waves of red light. Then it motioned at the Bizarre Bug and shouted something. A column of flame erupted from its circled hands and roared upward, ignoring almost all of the laws of physics Optimus knew, to enfold the Predacon in red fire. It dropped, wings aflame. Marli shook her head, limbs buzzing with fatigue. "That's it," she told Laz. "No more magic." Laz nodded. "Can you staff-fight?" "Maybe. For all the good it'll do us." Marli shivered and drew her staff from its sheath. "Watch my back, all right?" Laz ducked as a laser whizzed over his head. "Yow. Too close. Um, is the Doorbull a good guy or a bad guy?" Marli looked up and followed Laz's eyes. The Doorbull, in its monster form once again, was thundering toward them, the characteristic emotionless look of all humanoid-featured monsters on his face. "He did warn us about that one bug. I guess he's a good guy." All the same, she eyed it as it galloped up. Optimus skidded to a halt in front of the two humanlike creatures - he refused to call them 'humans', at least with so little evidence on hand. "Get on!" he panted to them, bending his knees. The little one stared at him with wide gray eyes as the big one jumped back with a yelp. "Come on," Optimus prompted, "hurry!" Behind him, Rattrap and Rhinox were providing cover fire, but the Predacons were still able to get off a few shots - mostly at him. Marli looked at Laz, then at the Doorbull. "To the Crater with it," she cursed, sheathed her staff and swung herself onto the monster's back. Laz followed. Optimus rose - slowly, so as not to dislodge the new weight on his back - and made his way back up the ridge to his comrades. Cheetor and Traveller were there already, both in beast mode. Optimus thundered past them, shouting, "Back to the base! Let's go, let's go!" The kids were the first to react, almost colliding with each other in their haste to follow Optimus, and Rattrap and Rhinox transformed back to beast mode before bringing up the rear. Optimus could hear Megatron shouting in rage, but the rant was cut short by a cry of pain. He risked a look back. The Predacons, metal skin sparking with alien energy, were transforming back to their beast forms. Optimus allowed himself a grim smile. They'd stayed out too long in robot mode and now the alien energy fields were affecting their systems. Then the Maximals went over a ridge and Optimus could no longer see them. They ran on. Eli Samuels had a good profession, he thought. He was the sole high-school-level teacher in the North Corel area, and as such was a respected figure in the community. There were very few high-school-age students in the area, but all of them were sent to learn math, science, magic, literature, all manner of subjects from him. Next spring there would be an even bigger crop of young minds waiting for his touch. The middle-school graduate class was exceptionally large this year. Eli surveyed his class. A perfect vista of bowed heads, students bent to the task of a worksheet, met his eyes. It was a satisfying sight. A perfect vista... except for that one empty spot near the front of the classroom. A small blemish, but one that drew his attention like a magnet. An empty seat meant an idle mind, an unstimulated mind. He frowned. [Just where is Miss Marlene Wallace today?] he wondered. Marli clung tightly to the Doorbull's waist, feeling a little dizzy from the excitement and the lack of magic power in her body. [I wonder what my friends are doing right now?] she wondered. [I bet old Mister Samuels is having fits trying to figure out where I am. I've never been absent for a class before. Heck, I've never even been *late*. ] Marli was suddenly aware of what a goody-two-shoes she was. [Man. Mister Samuels is probably having a heart attack right about now.] She was aware of Laz's arms around her torso, clinging to her as tightly as she to the Doorbull. Laz had skipped class before, she knew - he'd probably be in less trouble. [Funny thing how that works out,] she thought bemusedly. [Dad's gonna give me the third degree, and he'll just get off with a slap on the wrist.] The Doorbull was lecturing the Trickplay for something or other, and the Trickplay was giving flip answers like some rebellious teenager. [Mental note,] Marli told herself. [Don't act like that when I get home.] She was definitely not looking forward to going home to her father in the first place, but maybe being contrite would help matters some. [Mako demons, how am I going to explain this? That I skipped school to check out those meteorites and got caught in the middle of a battle between monsters that turn into robots?] "Whoa." The Chocobo stopped short. "What's that?" Marli looked. From behind a low thicket of stunted trees a column of blue-green light rose into the clouded sky, casting the surrounding area in a strange sort of sunlight. "That's a Mako fountain," Marli explained, all worries of her inevitable confrontation gone for the moment. "It's where the Lifestream of our planet flows close to the surface." The Doorbull and the Behemoth looked at each other, intrigued. "I know this place," Laz added. "There's a recovery spring nearby." He slid down off the Doorbull's back. "Come on, Marli." "I'm right behind you," Marli answered, following suit. The two kids made for the stand of trees. "Wait!" the Doorbull called. "The Predacons are still following us - " "This'll only take a second!" Marli answered over her shoulder. Rhinox watched with interest as the two humans immersed their faces and hands in what would have been an ordinary pool of water if it wasn't for the fountain of cool faceted light at its edge. "You called this a 'recovery spring'," he began conversationally. The boy looked up at him with a slight smile, face dripping. "Recovery springs are the product of water touched by Mako. They can heal wounds and restore magical power." "Huh." Rhinox wasn't sure if he believed the boy - the whole thing sounded like cockamamie superstition to him - but it wouldn't be polite to say so. The girl stood and dried her face on her sleeve. "There aren't many in the mountains like this," she said. "Mostly you find them underground, or in caves. Hey, careful!" she warned. Cheetor snatched his face back from the fountain, eyes instinctively wide with manufactured innocence. "Undiluted Mako like that's really bad poison. Even a small amount can kill you if you're not careful." Cheetor blinked at her. "If it's that bad, why're you usin' it to wash with?" "I'm not. I'm using it to restore my magic." The girl put her hands on her hips. "Mako's very powerful because it's a product of the Lifestream, and the Lifestream's made up of the spirits of living things that are constantly dying and being reborn. I don't even dare drink from this water - one kid I know tried it once and he got majorly sick." Cheetor glanced at the water with new respect in his eyes. "Jumpin' gyros." The boy stood and brushed off his pants. "Besides, the Lifestream is the source of all magic. It's the knowledge of the Cetra in the core of the Lifestream that gives us the power to cast spells." Rhinox looked up abruptly. "When you attacked the Predacons with that fire - " he started, scholarly wonder in his voice. The boy reached into his pants pocket, drawing out two transluscent yellow marbles that clinked against each other merrily. "Materia," he said, holding them out for Rhinox to examine. "These are command Materia, Sense and Enemy Skill. They're concentrated Mako matter, formed in fountains like this one." He jerked his head to indicate the shining beacon of Mako. "Hmmm." Rhinox moved closer, eyes fixed on the yellow crystals. "Um, people?" Optimus, standing at the edge of the clearing, stamped his hoof impatiently. "The Predacons have already gained enough time on us. Can we leave before they catch up?" The girl ducked her head. "Sorry." Marli, back on the Doorbull's back, tried to work out where they were headed. She'd been farther from home than this, but that had been in the opposite direction, toward Nibelheim and Rocket Town. The sun was hidden by a thick cloud cover, but she could still see faint shadows on the ground cast by the robot-monsters. Marli assumed it was still morning and quickly oriented herself compass-wise before beginning to work out distance from her hometown. So engrossed was Marli in her calculations that she didn't notice the Doorbull's addressing her until Laz poked her in the side. "He's talking to you," he informed her. Marli looked up. "Yes?" The Doorbull had his head craned back, one eye on Marli. "I said," he repeated patiently, "where did you two come from?" "North Corel," Marli replied automatically, then clarified, "A small town to the west of here." She took a deep breath. "I saw those ships, or whatever they were - " the Doorbull nodded - "crash down last night, and I wanted to check them out. I would've come alone, but Laz kinda forced me to bring him along." Laz snorted. "And if I hadn't, you'd be monster food right about now." "Hey, I'm not disputing that, I'm just sayin'." "What're your names?" asked the Chocobo, keeping pace at the Doorbull's flank almost effortlessly. "I'm Marlene," Marli answered. "Marli for short. That's Laz." She jerked a thumb at her companion. "Short for Lazarus," Laz clarified. The Cuahl looked up at them inquisitively from where he loped alongside the Doorbull. "Are you guys really human?" he asked breathlessly. "Y-yes," Marli answered uncertianly. The Behemoth drew up alongside. "So this is Earth." "Earth? No," said Marli. "I've never heard of Earth." "So what do you call this planet?" Marli shrugged. "It's the Planet, that's all." "Hmph." The Behemoth looked away, purple brow furrowed with thought. Marli got the impression that she hadn't helped much. "Well, anyway," the Chocobo continued, "I'm Traveller. Nice to meet you." "I'm Cheetor," added the Cuahl, emboldened by his comrade's introduction. "Yo. Name's Rhinox," the Behemoth rumbled. "Rattrap," said the Trickplay when Traveller glared at him. "And I'm Optimus Primal, leader of the Maximals," Optimus finished. "Charmed," Marli said weakly, trying to memorize the names. "Maximals?" Laz questioned curiously. Optimus simply answered, "Our race." Laz cocked his head to the side. Cheetor looked over his shoulder. "I think we gave 'em the fade, Optimus." "Keep your sensors on full," Optimus replied. "According to the Golden Disk theft reports there were six Predacons. One of them was missing from the battle." "This, um, Predacon," Marli spoke up, "he wouldn't happen to look like a Vlakorados, would he?" "No tellin' what he looks like," Rhinox answered. "His beast mode could be anything on the planet. Why?" "Laz and I saw a talking Vlakorados earlier. He said something about someone named Megatron betraying him." "Hmm," Optimus said musingly. "Wonder what that's about." "What's a Vlakorados look like?" Traveller asked, a bit of nervousness edging her voice. "Um, about so high -" Laz gestured with his hands - "red reptilian skin, purple spikes at the joints and along the spine from forehead to tail. Why?" "Look!" Traveller pointed her beak straight ahead. Optimus skidded to a halt, and his troops followed suit. Just ahead was a natural stone bridge hanging over a sickeningly deep crevasse, barely wide enough for one person or monster to cross. In the middle of the bridge, on the narrowest part, stood a Vlakorados, switching his tail nervously. His face was sullen and challenging. As if on cue Marli and Laz slid off Optimus's back and the group of monsters shifted to surround them protectively. The Vlakorados's eyes flicked over the two humans but gave no sign of recognition. "Should we blast 'im?" Rhinox rumbled quietly. "Keep that option open," Optimus answered. "But hang on." "Attention Maximals!" the Vlakorados bellowed. Marli jumped and Laz squeaked. Their monster group fell silent. "My name is Dinobot," the intruder continued now that he had their attention. "I have left the Predacons to join your group - as leader." "W-what?" Cheetor burst out. "Did I hear the word 'leader'?" "Dude's got bearings of chrome steel," Rhinox put in, half- approving, half-apprehensive. "I hereby challenge you, Optimus Primal," Dinobot snarled, raising his claws threateningly, "to a one-on-one battle. The winner shall lead the Maximals - and the loser shall be destroyed!" "We're in big trouble," Laz murmured to Marli. Marli clutched his hand, mouth dry. She couldn't help but agree. "Mister Wallace? A moment of your time, sir?" Barret straightened. "Now what?" Eli Samuels, the high-school teacher, was loping toward him at what for him was a fast clip. Brow furrowed in annoyance, Barret brushed the coal dust from his hands and waited. He'd never liked Eli Samuels. The man was annoyingly obsequious and yet at the same time managed to be unsufferingly arrogant. Samuels reached Barret, puffed a few times, then straightened to his full five feet five inches. "Pardon me if I'm interrupting, sir. But I wish to inquire after the health of your daughter, Miss Marlene." "Marlene? Why?" Barret cocked his head, eyeing the man. "She fall asleep in class?" "Oh, no sir." Samuels blinked from behind his owly glasses. "Have you not seen her? I'd assumed she was bedridden with illness. After all, she is salutatorian of her class, very serious about her schoolwork - " "Samuels, jest spit it out," Barret snapped. Samuels squeaked. "Yes sir. Well, you see, sir, she never showed up for class today." "WHAT?" Next chapter... Dinobot, Gravity spells, and collapsing bridges. Never a dull moment!