Tag: sonic

Optimus was now in Maximal City with Grimlock and Llyra. “So, let me make sure I understand this,” he remarked, “you guys tied your defense A.I. to the most powerful super-computer in Transformer history and keyed it so that only your leaders could access it, is that correct?”

“…I mean, it sound stupid when you say it like that,” replied Nightscream.

“I don’t know what the original Maximal Elders were thinking,” sighed Optimus, “but their decision has clearly left you guys vulnerable. We first need to sever Sentinel from Vector Sigma.”

“Hold on!” protested Kong. “The Oracle can look into the future! It can teach a computer how to predict an enemy’s movements!”

“We can do that just fine without it!” argued Grimlock as Optimus keyed in a command. An image of a mere fraction of the universe then appeared in the table.

“I am the Oracle,” greeted an ethereal voice. “After the Central God, Primus, was, before the ancestral home-world, Cybertron, was, I was. Who awakens me?”

“Oracle…Vector Sigma…you know, you got more names than a Tolkien character!” snapped Optimus. “In any case, it’s Optimus Prime again, on Animatros.” There was silence for but a moment.

“…Why have you awakened me again, Optimus?” asked the super-computer in the voice Optimus was familiar with.

“You have an A.I. bound to your programming, Vector Sigma,” explained Optimus.

“An A.I. that is an extension of my will. To sever it from me would be like asking you or the Maximals to cut off one of your limbs.”

“So we DON’T touch Sentinel just yet,” guessed Kong.

“Not until you hear what I can only hint at about all Transformers.”

“What’s THAT supposed to mean?” asked Llyra. The room was then surrounded by stars as the planet of Cybertron appeared in the center. An explosion of red, purple, blue, and green light then erupted from Cybertron’s canyons. Vector Sigma then resumed speaking in its ethereal voice.

“The Great Transformation awaits, Optimus Prime. Prepare for all that you knew to be reformatted. The Divine Experiment will end and those who seek a conclusion will try to stop you. Remember this: the seeds of the future lie buried in the past. To unleash the warrior within, you and your brother must do as your Animatronian allies have done and tame the beast without. Seek balance, Optimus Prime. Transform your destiny. Transform and transcend.”

---

Over with Megatron, the Predacons were ignoring Megatron’s orders to remain. They seemed to be in a trance. “DON’T LEAVE! I SAID STOP!” roared Megatron. The Predacons didn’t listen, they just left the Decepticons. Megatron snarled before turning to Thundercracker. “Get those deserters back NOW!”

“They won’t listen to outsiders,” called Weirdwolf in full robot mode. “It’s the Call.”

“…The Call?” asked Megatron.

“The Call of the Flame Convoy,” explained Weirdwolf. “All those with a beast mode can hear a frequency that calls them to the Pangea so the Flame Convoy can address all of Animatros in one place. It can be resisted until all business is concluded, but it prevents an Animatronian from killing another.”

“Well, that’s fine!” grunted Megatron, sarcasm thick on his voice. He then doubled over in mental pain and heard Vector Sigma’s words.

“The Great Transformation awaits, Megatron. Prepare for all that you knew to be reformatted. The Divine Experiment will end and those who seek a conclusion will try to stop you. Remember this: the seeds of the future lie buried in the past. To unleash the warrior within, you and your brother must do as your Animatronian allies have done and tame the beast without. Seek balance, Megatron. Transform your destiny. Transform and transcend.” The prophecy then stopped and Megatron steadied his breathing

“Reformatted?!” he gasped. “Experiment?!”

---

Back in Maximal City, Vector Sigma showed another vision. It was set in the jungle. A yellow-orange femme with mobile crane alt-mode kibble was stumbling around in pain. Optimus’ optics lit up. “Roadblock!” he breathed.

---

With Rattrap and his group, Rattrap continued sifting through Inferno’s mind. Sonic, as usual, was getting restless. “Man, I could go for a run right now!” he groaned.

“You and me both, Sonic,” muttered Cheetor.

“Hey, be patient, will you?” admonished Airazor.

“Hang on a cycle,” muttered Rattrap, “this can’t be right!”

“What’s wrong?”

“Whenever I see her glancing at herself, I see another body! It’s like she was Cybertronian!”

“No way, from Cybertronian to Animatronian?!” asked Cheetor. “That’s so cool!” He then felt his partners’ gazes on him. “I mean, under normal circumstances, it would be cool! I mean, the circumstances…yeah, I’ll just shut up.”

---

“Oracle,” Kong asked Vector Sigma, “is Roadblock on the planet?!”

“I am,” replied the femme.

“…You can see us?!”

“I can. And I can communicate with you now.”

“Who’s Roadblock?” asked Llyra.

“An Autobot war hero,” explained Optimus. “She led the charge against Jhiaxus’ predecessor, Deltron!”

“Roadblock, thank the Matrix you’re alive!” cheered Kong.

“…I became trapped!” hissed Roadblock. “I was abandoned!”

“This is Megatron’s doing, no doubt,” replied Optimus. He then held his hand out. “But, my and my friends can hel-”

“STAY AWAY FROM ME!” shouted Roadblock. “The Decepticons aren’t the problem, the Dynasty of Primes is!”

---

Back with Rattrap and his team, Rattrap uncovered more. “Slagheap City!” he swore.

“What’s wrong?!” asked Sonic.

“The bot Inferno was! I just saw her shake hands with Tarantulas!”

“So HE’S the one behind all this!” declared Cheetor. “We’ll scrap him for that!”

“Can you uncover more?” urged Airazor.

“Give me a cycle!” The Maximals then heard something.

“…Oh no, the Call!” groaned Cheetor.

“We’ve still got business to settle here, kid!” Rattrap went back to work as Cheetor explained the Call to Sonic. Rattrap only lasted a few seconds before he gasped. “Say it ain’t so!” he gulped. He then pulled his tail out of Inferno’s head. “Inferno is…the Autobot war hero, Roadblock!”

---

“Roadblock, what do you mean?!” cried Optimus in shock.

“Do you know how my husband died?!” accused Roadblock. “My brother too?! Hoist and Grapple were the only lights in my dark world and Zeta Prime let them die when their shuttle drifted to a star that went supernova! Sentinel Prime then covered up the truth! There was only one choice I had left; to join the Decepticon Empire and cast off my old Cybertronian shell!” Optimus was stunned at what Roadblock said.

“You don’t know what you’re saying! The Decepticons and their allies have started a second war between them and us! But we CAN overcome their rampant misuse of darkness and bring us all together under the Matrix’s wisdom!”

“Don’t you get it, boy?! The MATRIX is the destructive force!” Roadblock then slowly shifted into…Inferno! “The Decepticons are right! As long as leaders are elected by some outdated mystic bauble, the wars will only continue!” The vision faded abruptly and left the heroes stunned. The Maximals then heard something.

“The Call,” observed Kong.

“Perhaps we should pick up the remainder of our forces on our journey to the Pangea,” suggested Tigatron.

“Maximals, let’s find our friends and make our way to Hydran,” called Kong. They left the room in a somber mood. Optimus, Grimlock, and Llyra sat alone, contemplating the recent vision.

Sonic and Cheetor raced through the jungle that stood between Maximal City and the mountain. “You’re too slow!” taunted Sonic.

“Oh, please! How many seconds behind are you again?!” laughed Cheetor. He then looked ahead, as did Sonic, and they saw Inferno in beast mode! They quickly went behind her and turned to face her. Cheetor transformed to bot mode and leveled his gun at her. He then fired on her. Inferno just shrugged it off as she turned to face her enemies.

“FOOL! Pain is my friend! Allow me to introduce YOU to it!” she cackled as she went to bot mode. She then leveled twin flame throwers at her opponents and fired explosive blasts. Sonic and Cheetor got out of the way. Inferno then heard a screech and turned her head skywards to see Airazor swooping down with Rattrap screaming in their talons. “Invaders from the air!” she cackled. “More meat for the Colony!” She fired at the two airborne Maximals.

---

“WE’RE ALL GONNA DIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEE!!!!!!” screamed Rattrap.

“Isn’t there a rule,” snapped Airazor as they dodged Inferno’s shots, “that heroes have to face destruction with dignity?!”

“Hey! What’s the use of dying if you can’t enjoy it?” Airazor simply released their grip on Rattrap and let him fall screaming. Rattrap then recovered enough of his wits, transformed to robot mode, and kicked Inferno in her face. He then looked to Cheetor and Sonic. “You kids okay?”

“Doing fine,” replied Cheetor.

“Come on! Let’s scrap her!” called Sonic. He then spin-dashed Inferno right in the face, knocking a few of her teeth out. Rattrap whistled.

“Not too shabby there, Blue Boy,” he remarked.

“Hey, Cheetor! Your turn!” called Sonic.

“CYBER KEY POWER!” called Cheetor as he invoked his Cyber Key. The Key inserted itself into his shoulder and turned, deploying curved swords from the shoulders. Cheetor then ran around Inferno and managed to slice off the jet engine inside her abdomen. Inferno howled in pain.

“My turn!” called Airazor. They swooped down, grabbed Inferno, and threw her into a tree, knocking her out cold. They then prepared their wrist rockets.

“Hey, hey!” called Rattrap. “An opportunity like this don’t come but once in a lifetime, you know?”

“Opportunity for what?” asked Cheetor.

“Come on, Spots! Use your head! Remember when I talked about being a Memory Sifter?”

“A Memory Sifter, what’s that?” asked Sonic.

“Well, have you heard of a Cortical Psychic Patch?”

“Yeah, it allows one bot to read the mind of another.”

“Well, I was born with one. Right here in the beast mode’s tail. Back in the day, I used to read a perp’s mind and present my findings to the court so they could be used as evidence. …Maximal Elders decided it was an ‘infringement on a person’s rights’!”

“You know that there are other, more safer means available!” snapped Airazor.

“Hey, I was born with a Cortical Psychic Patch! What’s the use of having it if I’m forbidden from using it?! Besides, she’s not exactly conscious. She won’t fight.”

“That sounds like a slippery slope I’m not sure I want to go down!”

“And if she consents?” asked Inferno’s voice. Everyone whirled around, ready to fight as Inferno picked herself up. “At ease, I have no reason to fight right now.”

“Yeah, right!” scoffed Rattrap. “Aren’t you the one who burns all the trees in the name of your ‘Queen’?!”

“I’m with Rattrap! Let’s get her!” called Sonic.

“The bird’s actions,” continued Inferno, “knocked some of my previous memories to the forefront.”

“What, now you’re a goody two-shoes?” snarked Rattrap.

“Nothing of the sort, I still hate the Maximals, but now it’s becoming clear to me why I do, as well as Autobots. If you can access my memories and make me remember what I once was, I will owe you.”

“Yeah, right, then you’ll stab us all in the back at some point!”

“Of course, and then you will try and undo the damage I would do.”

“Rattrap, this could be a great opportunity,” urged Airazor.

“Hey, hey, hey!” argued Rattrap. “You were against me using my patch earlier!”

“Because I didn’t hear any consent! Now I did, so it’s not an issue anymore!”

“But-!”

“Shut up and just do it, Rattrap,” sighed Sonic. Rattrap rolled his optics.

“Yeah, yeah, story of my life! All right, Mandibles, sit down and open the back of your head.” Inferno did so and powered down. Rattrap inserted the back of his tail as he put a helmet on. He lowered the helmet’s visor and began his work.

---

Meanwhile, Kong, Rhinox, Tigatron, and Knuckles made their way through the empty city. “I gotta say, I think I’d prefer the hustle and bustle,” muttered Knuckles.

“I don’t know,” mused Rhinox, “under better circumstances, I’d enjoy the peace and quiet.”

“There’s the Council Chambers,” called Kong as he pointed to a door. “That’s where Nightscream was last seen.” They cautiously entered the room and looked around. Knuckles then looked up to see Nightscream snoozing on the ceiling. He quietly got the attention of the Maximals and pointed upwards.

“It seems his beast mode’s starting to affect him,” rumbled Rhinox.

“It’s not the beast mode, it’s the program block,” replied Tigatron.

“…Access Nightscream’s Core Consciousness,” Kong ordered his personal computer. “Passcode: Kong Primal.”

“Passcode: accepted,” came the reply. It startled Nightscream into waking up and screeching while flying around the room. Tigatron then jumped up to Nightscream and brought him down, pinning him to the table. Nightscream continued screeching.

“ENOUGH!” shouted Rhinox. Nightscream stopped making noise and looked to Rhinox. “…You’re scared, Young Nightscream, but we’re here to help.” At this point, Tigatron sensed Nightscream was calm enough to hear his fellow Maximals out. “You fear your beast mode, but it’s part of you, just as ours are part of us.”

“The programming block we all got as Sparklings?” continued Kong, “we don’t need them. We’re both beasts AND bots. That block has been suppressing our beast side when they should be partners. There’s a way to get both beast and robot forms together, the first step is to merely delete the programming block.” Nightscream blinked, then he sent a mental command.

“Programming block: deleted,” reported his computer. His bat face then softened.

“I think I get it now!” he sighed happily. “Thank you, Sir!”

“It looks like the Dyno-bots fixed what they could,” remarked Rhinox as he looked at the repaired consoles. “We can pick up where they left off.”

“The other Maximals!” yelped Nightscream. “Where are they?!”

“Still out in the jungle,” replied Tigatron. “If we can gather them back here, we can fix what Saurion did.”

“But Saurion still has-!” Nightscream stopped.

“The Cyber Planet Key, yes,” finished Kong. “Which is why we need to access the Oracle.” The Maximals then gave Kong a look. “…Did I grow a tail?”

“Kong, I have nothing but the highest respect for you,” began Tigatron, “but did you blow a fuse?!”

“The Oracle’s meant for the Maximal Elders!” agreed Rhinox. “We’re not allowed to-!”

“I don’t know if you’ve all forgotten,” interrupted Kong, “but the Maximal Elders were the first casualties along with the Tripredacus Council! We’re the senior Maximals here!”

“Could someone explain what or who the Oracle is?!” snapped Knuckles.

“The Cybertronians have another name for it, its original name,” explained Kong, “Vector Sigma.”

“Wait, you guys have a link to some mystic super-computer that can repair the Matrix?”

“…That IS one of its many functions, how do you know that?”

“Oh, I’ve got a story to tell you. Let’s get Optimus here. He’s had access to it before.”

Kong and Saurion were just hammering away at each other, trying to tear wires out of their opponent’s joints. “I have to tell you, Saurion, you’re giving cosmic rust a bad name!”

“Primal, you are too flippant for my tastes!” growled Saurion as he pulled out a Cyber Key. “I think I preferred you when you were a mindless animal!” He flicked the Key into the air. “CYBER KEY POWER!” The Key inserted itself into the back of his beast mode’s head and it moved from his shoulder to become a new forearm. The jaws then opened to reveal a laser weapon inside the throat. Saurion fired his new weapon as Kong transformed to beast mode and rolled out of the way. He transformed back into robot mode and flicked his own Cyber Key into the air.

“CYBER KEY POWER!” called the boss monkey. The key inserted itself into his back and deployed missile launchers. Kong Primal fired and scored a direct hit on Saurion, knocking the Predacon back.

---

With Optimus and Megatron, their melee weapons were swinging into each other. “You just couldn’t stay out of this, could you?!” growled Megatron as he tried to get his mace untangled from Optimus’ axes. “You had to interfere in local planetary business!”

“We have allies, just as you do!” retorted Optimus as he yanked hard, pulling Megatron face first to the ground.

“Worthless idiots!” Megatron then swung his arm out and tripped Optimus up. Optimus transformed and barreled through Megatron. It was then that Megatron started shorting out! “Wh-what?!” he managed to get out. Saurion then suffered the same problem, as did all Decepticons and Predacons.

“Energon Field Build-up!” strained Saurion. “The hunt has gone too long!”

“DECEPTICONS! PREDACONS! RETREAT!” shouted Megatron. The Decepticons and Predacons transformed to their alt-modes and took off. The Maximals then helped the Autobots to their feet before they all transformed to their alt-modes.

“All right!” cheered Cheetor. “Beast or bot, we’re STILL the baddest! YEAH!”

“And it looks like things are about to return to normal,” observed Rhinox.

“Maybe, even better!” Kong Primal then gave off a roar of victory and pounded his chest.

“Hold off on the victory party!” called Optimus. “Kong Primal, was it?”

“Yes, and you are?”

“I’m Optimus Prime.”

“PRIME?!” squeaked Rattrap in a panic. The Maximals then transformed and saluted.

“As you were,” replied Optimus. The Maximals returned to beast mode. “Look, Grimlock’s made a startling discovery. I think we better discuss it in Fortress Maximus.

---

Once they were briefed about Saurion’s theft of Animatros’ Cyber Planet Key and the other Maximals having fled the city with their programming blocks still up, Kong’s troops went back to Maximal City to help Nightscream. Knuckles accompanied them on the way. “Man!” complained Rattrap as they trudged through the jungle. “All this for a lousy oversized Cyber Key!”

“What IS the deal with it, anyway?” asked Knuckles. “It’s clearly important to you guys in general.”

“The Cyber Planet Key, Mr. Knuckles,” explained Kong, “is Animatros’ most carefully guarded relic. It’s the greatest source of earth-based magic among the Transformers. That’s why Saurion stole it!” That last sentence was directed at Rattrap, seeming wholly unconcerned.

“Yeah, like I care!” he said. “You know, we were supposed to be doing deep-space exploration on the Axalon! Playing home-world defense was nowhere in MY job description, you know what I’m saying? You sure you’re cut out for this commander gig?” Kong sighed in annoyance.

“Remember the Great War, Rattrap! If the Predacons and Decepticons tap into the Cyber Planet Key’s power, they end this one in THEIR favor! We can’t let that happen!”

“Besides, you wanted exploration,” remarked Knuckles, “and now, here you are with an organic alien life-form. What more do you want?”

“Well, call me picky,” snarked Rattrap, “but an organic alien my size would be nice!” Kong ran his hand down his face.

“Just no pleasing some people,” he sighed once more.

“Mr. Knuckles, why don’t you climb up here?” offered Rhinox.

“You sure?” asked Knuckles.

“Positive, it would be no trouble at all.”

“I think I’ll take you up on that.” Knuckles hopped onto Rhinox’s back. Soon, the Maximals and their passenger made it to Maximal City. Tigatron tensed up.

“It now feels strange to see an artificial structure,” he muttered.

“Well, we’re gonna have to get in there and try and fix up the Predacons’ damage,” remarked Kong.

“So, hurry up and open the doors!” called a voice ahead of them. “I’m waiting!” They all yelped and whirled around to see Sonic smirking at the City Gate.

“SONIC?!” cried Knuckles. “HOW DID YOU-no, wait, no, I know exactly how you got here. I guess the REAL question is why?”

“Do you know how little of Nebulos I saw?!” replied Sonic. “I’m not missing out on this planet!”

“Does Optimus know you’re here?” asked Kong.

“Sure he does! He’s cool with it!”

---

Optimus presented a hastily scrawled note to Tails. “Going for a run. Meeting with the Maximals. Catch you later,” read the note.

“Sonic?” asked Tails with a deadpan voice.

“Sonic,” replied Optimus in the same voice.

---

“How long were you here?!” asked Cheetor.

“About 45 minutes,” remarked Sonic.

“WHAT?!”

“Sonic’s maximum speed,” replied Knuckles, “can make a sonic boom.”

“So THAT’S why he’s called Sonic,” mused Rhinox.

“Well, I mean, it ain’t inaccurate,” remarked Rattrap.

“NO WAY!” snarled Cheetor. “HEY! BLUE BOY! HOW’S ABOUT YOU GET A TASTE OF THE GOLDEN ROCKET?!”

“Uh oh,” gulped Knuckles.

“Oh? Is that a challenge I hear?” chuckled Sonic.

“Here it comes!” sighed Knuckles.

“First one to that mountain is the winner!” Cheetor pointed his paw to a mountain in the distance.

“A mere jog!” taunted Sonic.

“Oh no!” groaned Rattrap. The rest of the Maximals followed suit.

“Oh yeah?! Prove it!” challenged Cheetor. The cheetah-bot and blue Hedgehog then prepared for a run.

“Here we…GO!” called Sonic. The instant Sonic said “GO!”, the two took off.

“CHEETOR, NO!” yelled Kong.

“SONIC, DON’T TAKE THE and you took the bait,” sighed Knuckles. Kong Primal activated his comms.

“Cheetor! Return to the city immediately!” he ordered. “We don’t have time for this!” His reply was met with static. “…Cheetor?! Please respond!” He then recalled something Grimlock said during the briefing. “Oh, that’s right, they had to report to Optimus via laser signal. The comms towers are out. That’s just prime!”

“So, uh, this your first day on the job or what?” snarked Rattrap.

“Shut up, Rattrap.”

“Oh, yes, SIR! You know, I feel just HEAPS better knowing that our lives are in your capable hands! …We’re all gonna die.”

“Airazor, take Rattrap with you and get Cheetor and Sonic back here.”

“You got it, Big Bot,” replied Airazor.

“Hey!” protested Rattrap. “I ain’t the kid’s babysitteeaaaAAAAAHHH!” Airazor’s talons scooped up Rattrap by the front legs and carried him off into the sky. “IF I WANTED TO FLY, I’D BE A BAT, NOT A RAT!” wailed Rattrap. They soon got out of sight.

“…How often does Rattrap do this?” asked Knuckles to Kong.

“Too frequently, for my tastes,” replied the gorilla Transformer.

Optimus and Megatron’s teams clashed farther down the plains. The axes and mace were out and Optimus and Megatron personally dueled. “Megatron, you can’t do this!” snarled Optimus. “The Maximals have a right to live!”

“Yeah, yeah! I heard it all before!” dismissed Megatron. “‘Oh! I have a right to live! I need to exist like anyone else!’ You know what Animatros has? Limited resources! The Maximals are content to horde them, so they gotta go!”

“They ARE acting like animals,” remarked Saurion. He then bit into Prowl and tossed him aside. “Best to get rid of them when they can’t understand how to utilize the natural materials like we do.”

---

With Sonic and his friends, they were fighting the ant and Eggman. “OH HO HO HO HO! Oh, this is just too good! A beast fighting more beasts!” cackled Eggman.

“Less talking, more defense!” snapped the ant. “The invaders of the Colony will be destroyed! I will gladly lay down my life for my Queen!” Her mandibles then grabbed Shadow. She slammed him to the ground, causing him to gasp in pain.

---

Meanwhile, with the Maximals and Dyno-bots, Rhinox and Slag led the way. Rattrap, riding Slag, squeaked in fear. “Hey! Heads-up! Roadblock ahead!” A line of rocks blocked the path.

“Rhinox! Slag! Veer left!” called Kong as he rode Rhinox. “There’s a clearing about a hundred meters!”

“Belay that!” called Rhinox to Slag. “Just use your head!” Rhinox lowered his. Slag caught on and lowered his head. The two then increased speed and charged THROUGH the barrier! They were none the worse for wear, surprisingly.

“…Ah, yes,” sighed Kong, “silly me.”

---

“Lord Megatron, we have multiple Spark signatures coming our way!” called Ravage. “Six belong to the Dyno-bots!”

“Where do the other six come from?!” demanded Megatron as he slammed Optimus to the ground. Just then, the Dyno-bots and Maximals arrived.

“Ah, there’s our prey!” cheered Saurion. “And too stupid to do anything but run, yes! Honestly, what was the idea of bringing frightened animals to a battlefield? It serves no purpose, no! All you can do is watch us slaughter them, Grimlock! What say you to that!”

“I don’t know what he would say to that,” interjected Kong, “but I would say that’s just prime!” Saurion and the Predacons gasped. Megatron snarled.

“You said they WERE their beast modes!” he roared at Saurion.

“I did! I mean, they are!” protested Saurion.

“Well, obviously not! Take care of them!”

“Dyno-bots, you go help the Autobots,” suggested Airazor.

“Are you sure?” asked Slash.

“Positive,” replied Kong. “We’ll swat those pesky Predacons!”

“Oh, I would not count on that, Kong Primal, no!” growled Saurion to the Maximal Commander. “For I believe you’re soon to have…how shall I put it…difficulties of your own, yes!”

“We don’t have to do this, Saurion!” urged Kong. “There has been peace between the Maximals and Predacons since the end of the Great War! Why start this up again?!”

“Peace, perhaps, on YOUR side, Maximal Scum, yes, but not on ours! Permit me to inform you that an enemy which appears to be ‘peaceful’ may, in fact, be merely…biding its time! We Predacons have NEVER abandoned our Decepticon brethren’s goal of galactic conquest, no! We have merely been waiting for the right moment…TO STRIKE!”

“You mean, like THIS?!” called Cheetor as he dashed towards Saurion and slashed his enemy’s face.

“CHEETOR!” called Kong. Saurion seemed more amused than angry at Cheetor’s actions.

“AH! A treacherous, underhanded sneak attack! Oh ho ho, I like you, pussycat, yes!” he praised before adopting his commanding tone. “But it shall avail you not, no! For now, the power gauntlet has been cast! Predacons, TERRORIZE!”

“Do it!” Kong called to his Maximals. “MAXIMIZE!”

“Wazzzpinator, TERRORIZZZZZZZZZE!” shouted the Wasp. His head then split in half as arms folded out from under the head, making a torso unit with the wasp head serving as the chest. Part of the abdomen then split away as lower legs unfolded and feet flipped out. The robot’s head popped out of the torso, revealing red insect eyes and a set of mandibles over his mouth. “Wazzzpinator will zzzcrap Maximalzzz!” buzzed the bot, Waspinator. The mandibles opened every time the hidden jaw moved.

“Cheetor, MAXIMIZE!” Cheetor’s belly split and unfolded into humanoid limbs as his cat legs folded to the back with his tail. His beast head became the new torso unit as the head popped out. The face was cat-like, similar to Ravage’s, and had a yellow helmet. “Time for this cat to POUNCE!” He drew a gun that looked like it had a colon at the back, just above the handle.

“Tarantulas, TERRORIZE!” The tarantula’s transformation was exactly like Black Scar’s complete with pincers for hands. His head had a visor over his eyes, and his mouth was almost spider-like with three fangs on each side of the face moving out at every syllable. He cackled madly as he snapped his claws. “Time to feast on some Maximals!”

“Rhinox, MAXIMIZE!” Rhinox’s transformation was like Slag’s. His robot mode’s head was green with gold trim. “I’d prefer to tag along and smell the flowers,” he then drew out a pair of hand-held gatling guns that had a circular saw blade surrounding the barrels, “but you Predacreeps have put me in a bad mood!”

“Inferno, TERRORIZE!” The ant’s transformation was like Waspinator’s. Her abdomen then opened in four parts like a lotus blossom to reveal a jet engine. Her head had a mouth with pointed teeth and her eyes were permanently marked with an insanely angry expression. However, her laughter belied the angry look. “Maximals, you will all BURN!” She cackled as her jet engine ignited and the abdomen panels rotated like helicopter blades to lift her into the sky.

“Airazor, MAXIMIZE!” Their falcon head became the torso unit as their taloned feet extended on longer legs. Their wings folded to the back as their arms sprouted from their sides. Their head popped up with a helmet design looking like Laserbeak’s, but feathery. They smiled as they activated wrist-rockets. “They stoop to conquer!” they cheered.

“Scorponok, TERRORIZE!” Scorponok shifted to robot mode and opened his claws to reveal missile launchers. “Would have liked to have been Metrotitan-sized, but, oh well!”

“Tigatron, MAXIMIZE!” Tigatron’s transformation was like Cheetor’s. His face looked wiser.

“Terrorsaur, TERRORIZE!” squawked the red Pteranodon. The head and neck folded to the back as the wings folded under the head while the limbs sprouted from the chest unfolding into them. The head popped out, revealing a red helmet. “Time to fry some Maximals!” screeched Terrorsaur.

“Rattrap, MAXIMIZE!” Rattrap’s transformation was rather simple as the head folded down to the chest while the legs and tail folded to the back to let the arms and legs stand the robot up. His head had a brain-like pattern on the scalp, and he had a pair of buck teeth, like a rat’s.

“Saurion, TERRORIZE!” A robot arm unfolded from the neck of the t-rex, making it into a shoulder, while the tail became an arm-mounted weapon on the new arm. Like Grimlock, the sides with the arms became wings. The arms and shoulders rotated, allowing the new wings to rest on the back as the beast feet became the robot’s feet. The head popped up to reveal a head with a purple helmet sporting the Predacon symbol on the crest.

“Kong Primal, MAXIMIZE!” Kong’s feet rotated and new feet unfolded, making the hands into heel spurs. The upper arm fur then folded up to make shoulder pads as the face of the gorilla swung down to reveal a head that looked like Optimus’.

“Predacons, OBLITERATE THEM!” ordered Saurion.

“Maximals, SWAT THEM!” called Kong Primal. It was then that the fight began in earnest!

A gorilla knuckled his way through the jungle. As he did, he came to a clearing with strange beasts. They were shaped like him, but they made noises he did not understand. As he observed them moving things around the strangely-colored mountain, he felt footsteps near him. He turned to see a beast he knew all too well, the one we know as a T-rex. He roared and pounded his chest in an attempt to scare the beast off. The T-rex’s reaction, however, surprised him. He looked serene, unlike the one he knew. This piqued the gorilla’s interest, so he followed him.

---

A rhino looked around the plants for something to eat. He then found a good patch of leafy plants and started munching. As he ate, he noticed a triceratops stomping through. The triceratops looked at the rhino and moved his head in a way to direct the rhino to follow him. The rhino considered, then decided to follow the triceratops.

---

A tiger prowled through the jungle, looking for prey to kill and feast on. As he moved, he noticed a brontosaurus lumbering through the jungle. The tiger noticed that the brontosaurus had seen him but looked unconcerned. This confused the tiger. Prey should be very worried. He then figured the size difference between them was a good reason. The brontosaurus then leaned his neck towards the tiger and nudged him to go ahead of him. The tiger growled, not liking being directed, but he did as requested and went ahead of the brontosaurus.

---

A peregrine falcon flew the skies, looking for prey. As they flew, a Pteranodon flew over them. He didn’t make any aggressive moves against them, so they were curious as to why he flew over them in the first place. For the moment, the falcon put hunger to the back of their mind and flew after the Pteranodon.

---

A rat scurried through the undergrowth looking for something, ANYTHING to eat. He was also looking for a good place to hide. As he scurried through, he bumped into a velociraptor’s leg. He chattered in a threatening manner, warning that he would bite if he was cornered, but the velociraptor appeared unconcerned. She simply stomped off. The rat looked perplexed, as if the dinosaur was familiar. He then followed the raptor. He wasn’t sure, but the noise that sounded like “vir-min” made him twitch in annoyance.

---

A cheetah ran through the open plains, looking for a good kill. As he did, he saw a stegosaurus lumbering along. He crouched, thinking it was a good kill, then the stegosaurus managed to sidestep the cheetah’s leap! The cheetah was stunned! As he tried to bring the stegosaurus down, the other dinosaurs led their beasts to the plains. The noise of all the animals echoed throughout the plains. The t-rex then roared for quiet. Once everyone stopped making noises, the t-rex spoke. “Hear me, Maximals!” he called. “I know you’re scared now, but me and my Dyno-bots can help you, just as you helped us long ago.” The t-rex, Grimlock, then activated his computer. “Access Maximal Core Consciousness. Passcode: Grimlock!”

“Passcode accepted,” came multiple voices. The animals roared in fear.

“SILENCE!” shouted Grimlock. It was noisy enough to get the animals to stop again. “…Much better. Now listen well…and learn as we once did from you.”

---

Back with the Predacons and Decepticons, the villains looked like they were preparing for a big game hunt. “Oh, I’ve longed to hunt prey!” chuckled Megatron as he examined an automatic weapon. He turned to his allies. “Everyone, move out!” Eggman grabbed a rifle and caressed the stock.

“Hunting helpless Transformers with automatic weapons and various predators at your side! Now THAT’S a sport!” Eggman laughed as he fired some shots into the air. As they moved out, some of the Decepticons were banging drums to try and scare the Maximals into leaving their hiding places.

---

“Once, we were just robots in disguise,” Grimlock continued at the plains. His audience seemed more receptive. “But, on this world, we beast machines have become something more! A program from Cybertron was designed to help us remember who we are and block anything that resembled the functions of our alt-modes. With beast modes, that has proven to be an error. Our beast forms are part of us. Fighting their nature only made our urges stronger. We must accept both beast and robot forms. Feel your core consciousness. Find the programming block and delete it! Bring your beast and robot modes together! Let them work in harmony…and let them both make you stronger than you were before!” The tiger growled in an animalistic tone before it became more…human, for lack of a better word. He then smiled.

“So, the student has become the master,” chuckled the tiger. The falcon then squawked before shaking their head.

“Phew!” they sighed. “That’s a processor-ache I don’t want again!” The gorilla then roared before he massaged his head.

“I understand now!” he breathed. The rat chattered before speaking.

“Rat. Robot. Rat! Robot!” he exclaimed. “I’m a robot AND a rat! Yeah, yeah, I LIKE it!” The rhino lowed before talking.

“Phew! That’s better!” he sighed. The cheetah yowled, then started laughing.

“I think I get it now!” he cheered.

“Grimlock, old friend,” called the tiger, “it’s great to see you again!”

“I thought it was you,” chuckled Grimlock. “What other big cat would be named Tigatron? And is that Airazor over there?” He nodded to the falcon.

“Sure is!” they answered. “Looks like you’re comfortable with your beast mode.”

“It took some genetic work to keep our rage down,” explained Grimlock. “Now, you two, I know, but I don’t know about the rest of you.”

“Then let’s introduce ourselves,” declared the gorilla. “I’m Kong Primal, head of Maximal Security and Captain of the Axalon.”

“And don’t think of just calling me a cheetah,” called the cheetah. “I’m Cheetor!”

“Interesting,” mused Grimlock.

“Interesting?!” protested Cheetor. “Grimlock, the word is spot-on smooth!” He then chuckled smugly. “It’s a crime!”

“Eh, bit tacky,” remarked the rat. “You never had taste, did ya, kid? Now THIS!” The rat stood up on his hind legs and puffed out his chest. “THIS is what class is all about! Grimlock, call me Rattrap!”

“I would rather call you VERMIN!” snarled Slash.

“Chopperface?!” yelped Rattrap as recognition flashed across his muzzle. “I don’t believe it! YOU came back!? That’s it, I’m scrapping her!”

“Rattrap, please!” called Kong.

“Please?! Ah, for booting up cold! The only thing worse than a stinking Pred is a stinking Decepticon!”

“Shut up, Rattrap, or I’ll cut meeces to pieces!” snarled Cheetor as he flashed his claws.

“Ease back, Cheetor,” rumbled the rhino. “Living large is for forms like me, Rhinox.”

“Yeah, and just consider yourself lucky I didn’t get rough on youse!” taunted Rattrap.

“Moderate your conflict circuits, Maximals!” called Kong. He was clearly annoyed with the whole situation. He turned to Grimlock. “Forgive my teammates’ rudeness. We were stuck in beast mode for so long.” Explosions then echoed across the plains.

“Whoa! Talk about your nick of time!” yelped Cheetor.

“It’s Prime and his team!” reported Swoop. “They’re fighting Megatron’s forces, and a team of animals led by a purple t-rex!”

“Saurion!” growled Kong.

“Remember, don’t fight your beast instincts!” reminded Grimlock.

“He’s right,” agreed Tigatron. “We must let them help our robot forms, both in battle and in peace. …But for now, let’s get ourselves to the battlefield and slag some bots!”

“Maximals, move out! We’re helping the Autobots!” called Kong as they mounted Rhinox, Grimlock, and Slag. The whole group then tore through the plains, running towards the battle!

“Save them from their beast modes?” asked Tails once Grimlock spoke to the other captains about what they learned from Nightscream.

“It has to do with Transformer programming,” answered Galen. “You see, each Transformer has a sort of program block that keeps them from slipping into their alt-mode too easily.”

“Whenever we transform,” explained Optimus, “we ARE the alt-mode. However, it’s perilously easy for us to forget our own robotic nature, so Cybertronian programmers developed software that allows us to block out those thoughts. Unfortunately, it varies from bot to bot. For those of us who transform into other machines, there’s a mental trick that allows us to stay in alt-mode indefinitely. We feel like we’re compressed, so whenever we transform, it feels like a good stretch.”

“But those with animal alt-modes,” guessed Tails, “feel like they’re not totally compressed, that they merely changed shape as outward appearances suggest for all Transformers.”

“Exactly,” answered Optimus. “For us machines, the programming block can easily allow us to stay in alt-mode indefinitely. For beasts, though, they can only stay in alt-mode for about a half-hour, not nearly enough to recycle their Energon Density Dampeners to full capacity. That’s why a rectifier coil is so important for an Energon Shield.”

“But the Dyno-bots are animals,” remarked Tails. “They’ve stayed in alt-mode as long as you. Why don’t they start believing they’re dinosaurs?”

“That, I think I can answer,” replied Grimlock. “You see, on the way to Mobius, during the Metarex affair, we…deleted our programming blocks.”

“WHAT?!” everyone else cried out.

“Without them, you guys should have been animals by now!” exclaimed Optimus. “What possessed you to even delete them in the first place?!”

“They were configured for our old vehicle modes,” answered Grimlock. “Remember? Shockwave altered us on the genetic level. That patch you guys gave us was making the programming blocks act like a virus, so Swoop decided it would be a good idea to get rid of them until we made new ones. However, now that we’ve got a better handle on our emotional states, we’ve been able to test out our beast modes more effectively that they became a part of us. …In fact, I think that can help the Maximals!”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea! To convince a whole civilization to give up a part of themselves has always been disastrous! Besides, the Maximals are animals now! Their brains are no longer wired to understand the concepts we do!”

“Well, we have to try! If we don’t, the Decepticons and Predacons will tear them apart!”

---

Speaking of the Predacons, Megatron and Saurion were talking. “So that’s what this whole affair was about?” asked Megatron.

“Quite the tale, yes,” replied Saurion. Ravage then approached them. He looked angrily at Saurion.

“So, you knew about what the Tripredacus Council’s agent was ordered to do!” he growled. “After that, you set a trap for that agent with that Energon cache!”

“Oh, no! Really?” Sarcasm was thick within Saurion’s voice.

“An agent of the Council?” asked Megatron.

“I believe you met him as he accompanied me to greet you and your Decepticons,” replied Saurion. “That spider currently being patched up by Knock-out.”

“He’s the agent? What is his designation?”

“He was once called Mesothulas, though, nowadays, he’s called himself Lieutenant Tarantulas of the Predacon Secret Police.”

“A mole?! Within your own organization?!”

“And, for a while, I never suspected.”

“I sent Tarantulas out to retrieve an Energon cache, but,” Ravage snarled at Saurion, “it was a trap! Saurion, you are a piece of work! Even with all the power you’ve secured, you still operate your own agenda!”

“I am not naïve, Ravage,” replied Saurion. “You had received orders from the Tripredacus Council as well. I believe you were trying to terminate me…unless that was a lie, yes?”

“No, it wasn’t a lie.”

Because, of course, they still wanted to smooch the skidplates of the Maximal Elders. It’s no secret that such was why I betrayed them, no.”

“Your crew is all in one place and I want no witnesses! So, tell me, why should I tolerate your existence any longer?”

“Ravage, if you harm one square centimeter on him-!” Megatron’s threat was cut off by Saurion’s chuckling.

“My dear, Ravage, did you ever wonder why I went after the Cyber Planet Key in the first place?”

“…You were looking for local Energon deposits,” replied Ravage. Megatron grinned. He had already heard the story from Saurion.

“A mere bonus, from what he told me,” chuckled the Decepticon Lord.

“It allowed me to recruit followers and gain potential for power,” supplied Saurion. A dark grin then crossed his T-rex lips. “But the real reason was this: the Cyber Planet Keys are the rawest of magic implements, each one carrying a certain aspect of magic; the Beast Cyber Planet Key for Earth, the Velocity Cyber Planet Key for Air, the Construction Cyber Planet Key for Water (for reasons unknown), and the Solar Cyber Planet Key for Fire. How public the knowledge on the Cyber Planet Keys would be was left up to the rulers. The Functionist Council, your old rulers, had every intention of keeping their planet in order in accordance with the Grand Taxonomy and to a supposed order to magic, but like good rulers, they covered their bets. They inscribed a secret message onto the Solar Cyber Planet Key, a message which I discovered and decoded.”

“I’m expected to believe you?!” scoffed Ravage. “The Solar Key was destroyed, along with Xitra!” Megatron then chuckled.

“Xitra WAS destroyed, no question,” he replied as he pulled out another gold Cyber Key, this one with an image of a rising sun, “but the Key survived. And we’re not expecting you to believe US.” Ravage was stunned at the Key’s appearance, then took it from Megatron’s offering hand. He plugged his tail into the Key’s back. “I must warn you,” called Megatron, “the original message has degraded over time. Saurion and his crew could only get parts of the message.” Ravage’s optics then projected a bot with a single camera eye for a head.

“This is One of Twelve, Convener, of the Functionist Council of Xitra,” began the bot, “and if you are receiving this, it means Xitra is dead…for now.” Ravage arched his eyebrows. “However, the Council has learned that the four Cyber Planet Keys can restore planets, so I leave this message to any person sympathetic to us that may find…may find…may find…may find…may find…” The message wound down and Ravage considered his next actions. He then activated his personal computer.

“Delete mission from Tripredacus Council,” he ordered.

“Complying,” replied the computer. Every mission detail was then purged from his databanks.

“Now,” he said to his Lord and his former target, “let us talk.”

The Dyno-bots trudged through the jungle, the trees cracking as Slag and Snarl shoved them aside. “Stupid trees! Stupid mud! Stupid muggy air clogging my cylinders!” grumbled Slag.

“Save it,” growled Grimlock. “We’ve only got a few meters to go anyways.”

“Shorter than that,” remarked Slash. “I see the city!” The Dyno-bots found Maximal City, on the top of a high hill and shaped as a massive ziggurat.

“Maximal City!” sighed Grimlock happily. “Man, this brings back memories from when we hunted down magic weapons. Hey, remember Tigatron?”

“Him AND Airazor,” replied Sludge. “I wonder how they’re doing?”

“…You mean Airazor specifically or both them AND Tigatron?”

“…Yes.”

“Smart-aft.”

“Hey, Sentinel should be talking to us, yes?” asked Sludge. Grimlock then thought about what Sludge said. After a few seconds, he turned up to Swoop.

“See if you can attract their attention,” he ordered.

“You got it, Boss Bot,” replied Swoop. He soared to the city and called down. “Maximal City, this is Swoop of the Dyno-bots. I am here as a representative of the Autobots and me and my team request access into your city. …Maximal City? …Maximal City, please respond. …Sentinel?! …Grimlock, something’s wrong! They aren’t responding!”

“Dyno-bots, we gotta get in!” called Grimlock. They went to the main gate and started tearing into it. They did so easily. Once they got in, they saw that the city was deserted. “The Maximal Council of Elders!” called Grimlock. “Come on!” He led the Dyno-bots to the topmost structure of the ziggurat. They entered the structure to see that the chambers were empty…all except for a brown bat with blue trimming. The bat was sitting with its mouth open in a silent scream. Swoop transformed and did a Spark Check.

“…Sweet Primus, it’s Nightscream!” he exclaimed. Grimlock then transformed and grabbed the bat by the wings.

“Kid! Nightscream, it’s me! It’s Grimlock!” Swoop knelt down.

“His capacitors are out of sorts,” he muttered. “A little electro-stim should do it.” He pressed a little device on the back of Nightscream’s neck and sent the tiniest of electric charges into him. Nightscream became more lucid.

“Kid, are you all right?” asked Grimlock. Nightscream’s optics then came into focus.

“G…Grim…Grimlock?” he panted.

“Nightscream, what happened?” urged Grimlock. “Where are the rest of the Maximals?”

“Th…the-the Predacons…Saurion!” gulped Nightscream. “Th-tha-that…THING!”

“What thing?! What did Saurion have?!” Nightscream returned to a silent scream, only with a more fearful expression. “Nightscream! What thing did he have?!”

“Grimlock! Easy!” snapped Swoop. “The poor kid’s in a state of shock!”

“Preparing duplicate logs, Sir,” called Slash. Grimlock calmed his mind at Slash’s initiative.

“Go ahead.” Slash played the footage on the main screen. Nightscream appeared on it and continued his report.

“Security Officer’s Log: Supplemental. The rogue Predacons under Saurion’s command have made multiple excursions to the colony ship, Pangea. The Tripredacus Council personally visited Maximal City to help us build a new rectifier coil after the rogue Predacons destroyed our original one beyond repair. We don’t know what Saurion’s endgame is, neither does the Tripredacus Council, so we’re working closely with them to figure it out.” After the log played, Nightscream nudged Grimlock.

“W-W-We tried to contact the Predacons still within their city,” he managed to report, “n-no one heard! They didn’t hear their own rulers! T-The renegades, th-they attacked Maximal City!”

“What happened to the rest of the Maximals and the Tripredacus Council?” asked Grimlock.

“Th-they had to evacuate! W-We were dead! No power! Sentinel was taken offline! I stayed to try and fix him! Someone had to try and salvage the situation! That’s what we’re supposed to do, right?! A-And then, they hit again and…that thing in Saurion’s hands! It-it-it…they were out there and I was here!”

“What was in Saurion’s hands?” Nightscream returned to his silent scream for just a second.

“They say that the power of the Ancients’ can’t be harnessed by mortals…but it can! Straight from the Pit, I-I-I saw him use it!”

“Nightscream, what did Saurion use?!”

“A-A g-g-gold…the Cyber Planet…the Key!”

“…You mean your planet’s Omega Key?” Nightscream could only nod. “Nightscream, the Omega Key is secured aboard the Pangea!” Nightscream then gave Grimlock a fearful look.

“Don’t you think I know that?! It was, but not anymore! They all called me! They BEGGED me to save them from their beast mode! Maximals and Predacons alike, 900 in all! …I COULDN’T! I couldn’t! I couldn’t!” Nightscream then sobbed into the room’s table.

“Grimlock,” called Swoop, “we got the communications network back online.”

“Call the Autobots,” ordered Grimlock as he patted Nightscream’s back. “The situation is worse than we imagined.”

---

Back with Megatron’s crew, Megatron was talking with the Predacons. “I must admit surprise,” he rumbled. “I had no idea that the Predacons had a civil war.”

“And what a short civil war it was,” replied the purple T-rex. “I must say, it was quite nice to finally end those idiots in the Tripredacus Council, yes!”

“And you said you have some sort of prize from a secure area? A prize Hydran once kept secret?”

“Indeed, we do.” The T-Rex turned to the Ant. “Retrieve our prize!” A woman’s voice came out of the Ant’s mandibles.

“As you command, my Queen.” As she scuttled off to retrieve the prize, the T-rex rolled his optics. Megatron smirked.

“I was unaware that, after you won,” he joked, “you gave yourself that title.”

“The Ant has some faulty programming,” replied the T-rex, “but her loyalty is without question.” The Ant then returned with a large Cyber Key in her jaws. This one had the image of an animal’s paw with its claws extended and had gold trim. Megatron was amazed.

“The Omega Key?!” he yelped. “How did you get onto your ancestors’ colony ship?!”

“Oh, I had my ways,” purred the T-rex.

“…Okay, I admit, I’m impressed! What did you say your name was?”

“I am Saurion, the current leader of the Predacons. I will not let our enemies get the jump on us, no!”

Within a jungle, a dark blue-purple gorilla with glowing blue eyes knuckled his way on the ground. He stopped and sat down so he could fill his belly. He grabbed some of the familiar vegetation and ate it. As he ate, he noticed lights in the sky. His mind immediately went to fight or flight mode. He chose the former option and found a good tree to hide in. He went inside it and decided to sit out the light show until it stopped.

---

Beyond the atmosphere of the jungle planet of Animatros, two massive starships were unleashing their arsenal on each other. One was colored in blues, grays, and whites, known as the Metrotitan, Fortress Maximus. He and his Autobot, Nebulan, and Mobian crew were being rocked by laser fire coming from the old Metrotitan body of his hated nemesis, Scorponok. Inside Fortress Maximus’ bridge, Optimus and his buddies were being tossed around as they struggled to man their stations. “Hull breach in sector seven!” called Tails. “Guidance systems failing!”

“This is ridiculous!” groaned Fortress Maximus as his robot mode appeared on screen. “I’m an Exploration-type Metrotitan, not a Battle-type!”

“No choice!” grunted Optimus. “You were the only one who could lock on to the Decepticons’ transwarp trail and get us to catch up in any reasonable time!”

“Shields are doing a major fade!” called Teletraan 1 as his avatar appeared next to Fortress’.

“Plasma cannons to full power!” ordered Goldbug. Prowl’s fingers keyed in the necessary commands.

---

On the bridge of Scorponok’s old body, the former Headmaster-Metrotitan-downsized-to-Predacon got a reading on the enemy ship. “Their shields are down!” he called to Megatron.

“We must destroy them now!” urged Strika.

“Where’s the fun in that?!” asked Morgane.

“She’s right, a little torment is in order!” agreed Megatron. “Side guns!”

---

Scorponok’s body maneuvered alongside Fortress and fired the side guns right into his sides! Fortress howled in pain on the bridge. “Rupture!” he cried. “The hangar’s been breached!”

“Guys, engines are offline!” reported Tails. “We’re going down!”

“Launch all ships inside the hangar!” ordered Optimus. “Get them into safe orbit!” Tails, Goldbug, and Grimlock dashed to their ships. Once they were on their respective bridges, the ships launched out of damaged hangar and made it into orbit around Animatros. As Fortress fell, he turned in a way that his guns were pointing at his old rival’s underside.

“Cliffjumper!” called Fortress.

“I see it!” answered Cliffjumper as he fired the plasma cannons. The shot struck true and knocked Scorponok’s body out of orbit.

---

On the enemy bridge, Scorponok got a new report. “Engines offline!” he called. “We’re going down!”

“Get our ships in orbit!” ordered Megatron. Shockwave, Eggman, Morgane, and Thundercracker made their way to the hangar and got the ships out.

---

The Metrotitans soon went through the heat of atmospheric entry. They would soon reach an area where they would be cooled, but it would be long after they crashed. They managed to separate from each other. When they landed, they bounced, then skidded, leaving a huge cut of desolation on the surface of Animatros. They soon stopped. Scorponok’s body ended up in a lava-ridden area while one of Fortress’ front landing strips straddled a canyon with a river flowing beneath it.

---

Within Fortress’ bridge, the crew picked themselves up and started checking themselves over for damage. They had seen better days. As they checked themselves, a console beeped. Prowl looked at it and reported what it was. “The Ark, Fang, and Blue Typhoon are hailing us.”

“Open a channel,” directed Optimus as he looked at the scar running across his left optic. “Scrap, that was a landing!” Tails, Goldbug, and Grimlock appeared.

“Is everyone okay?!” asked Tails.

“Thankfully, yeah, we are,” replied Fortress. “…For the most part, at least. We’re pretty banged up.”

“Some more than others,” remarked Optimus. “Fortress, damage report.”

“Believe me, you DON’T want to know,” replied Fortress. Optimus sighed.

“That’s what I thought.”

“The good news is that Maximal City is about four miles south of us. The bad news is that they aren’t responding to us.”

“Okay, if a Metrotitan crashed near me, I’d wanna investigate,” muttered Prowl.

“Uh oh,” gulped Cliffjumper.

“Uh oh?” asked Optimus.

“Prime, we’re gonna need to adopt our old Mobian transformation restrictions here.”

---

“Well?!” snarled Megatron to Scorponok. “Can any allies be reached?!”

“I wish I had a clear answer,” replied Scorponok. “No Predacon’s ever ventured this far, even though it’s a tactical fallback position for Predacon City. It’s five miles north-northeast of us.”

“Then we’ll get to them later. Is there Energon on this planet?”

“Of course there is!”

“Good.”

“Not so good, it’s too much.”

“Lord Megatron, I just got an Energon Field Density reading,” called Knock-out. “It looks like the Energon Field’s just like Mobius.”

“SLAG!” Megatron snarled, then took a breath. “All right, we’ll just have the same transformation restrictions as we did on Mobius.” An alarm then rang through the ship.

“Proximity alert!” warned Scorponok. “Someone’s coming!”

“Identify them!” The cameras spotted what was coming. It was a variety of metal animals roughly Cybertronian sized. They were a purple and yellow Tarantula, a purple T-rex, a red Pteranodon, a red Fire Ant, and a green Wasp. Scorponok ran another scan and managed to find a match.

“It’s all right! They’re Predacons!” he reported.

“Then let us greet them,” chuckled Megatron.

---

“Maximal City, please respond!” Optimus urged over the comms.

“No good, Sir,” grumbled Perceptor. “The Maximal Communications Towers are all offline. We could only communicate with each other on Mobius because of a good network that could pass through the Energon field. Here, we don’t have that luxury. Anything over a hundred meters, the comms aren’t worth scrap.”

“Peachy!” groaned Optimus. “With our alt-modes, we’d stick out like a sore thumb! The only ones who could potentially…wait, they just might be the answer! Get the Fang! Have Grimlock beam down!”

---

Grimlock was brought to Animatros’ surface. “You rang?” he asked Optimus.

“I want you and your team,” explained Optimus, “to get to Maximal City to announce our presence. Our vehicle modes would make us stick out, but you guys are already beasts, since it’s been confirmed that there are Animatronians who have dinosaur alt-modes.”

“I get it, you want us to ease the Maximals into seeing cars and trucks and other things that go.”

“Bingo.”

“All right then, let me just rally the Dyno-bots and we’ll be good to go.”

“I knew I could count on you!” Grimlock headed off to find his team.