Transformers Prime react to Beast Machines: Transformers

The Weak Component

"But Optimus isn't here." Nightscream argued, aiming for Megatron.

"You agreed, Rattrap? What's it going to be? Are you going to honor your word?" Megatron egged Rattrap.

Reluctantly, Rattrap fired a laser cannon yelling "LEAVE HIM!", shooting Nightscream down midflight.

The Autobots gasped. Having a history of unscrupulous Autobots that would turn on them when given the chance, this was shocking to him.

Nightscream coughed in pain and glared "Why?" at Rattrap.

"Why did it come to this?! Why'd you come here and mess things up?!" Rattrap replied in manic fury. "Just get out of here, before I really hurt ya!" he then opened fired, which Cheetor deflected.

"Nothing to it, traitor!" Blackarachnia then casted forth a web of electric-webbing down on the ground, striking Rattrap with a dose of bio-organic lightning. Yet that didn't stop him, as Rattrap pushed onward, delivering a hail of fire that forced the Maximals to give ground.

"This isn't looking good. Rattrap's outgunning the Maxies here." Ironhide stated.

"If only Primal was there now...." Ultra Magnus said next.

"He could have brought Rattrap to reason as he was going to before, but it should be now." Ratchet added.

"No... we're supposed to leave together, but you had to come and mess things up! Did ya?!" Rattrap challenged.

"Mess what up?" Nightscream challenged "Your deal with your new buddy Megatron?!" and casted forth a disruption bolt that pushed Rattrap back.

"You don't understand! I said we wouldn't attack them!" Rattrap retorted, opening fire again, which Cheetor deflected and retorted "You sold us out for weapons?!"

Dodging Rattrap's blast by a turn of the head, Blackarachnia spat out "Sort 'em out later! Short it out now!" yet Cheetor's deflection wouldn't hinder Rattrap's warsuit for not more than the slightest.

"Don't make me do this." Rattrap replied in a heartbroken tone. He never wanted this, but they left him no choice. Cheetor threw one of his swords at Rattrap, but he met it with a high-powered laser bolt.

"Or Megatron's just going to use him and dispose of him when their deal's over." Knockout pointed out.

Meanwhile, the drone informed "Master, your strength is returning...  to 50%.... 60....70....80....90...full power!"

"YESS!!!!" Megatron arose, anew once again. He then dispatched two screens behind Rattrap. "See how quickly your friends turned on you. You were promised power, but you received nothing but scraps in return. I delivered it to you. And yet here they are. They deserted you, Rattrap. They did more than hate you. They pitied you."

"Manipulation at it's most eloquent! I like that!" Knockout smirked.

Feeding Rattrap's anger and resentment, the latter angrily replied to the Maximals "You still think you can come FOR ME?!" and fired. The hard-pressed Maximals were quickly losing ground. "You really want me out?!" and fired, forcing them to turn back to Beast Forms.

"You'll never get the jump on me. Never." Rattrap replied with bitterness in his tone.

"I didn't get how they'd just jump in to get Rattrap right there and now." Bulkhead replied.

"They're too shocked by his betrayal, Bulk." Ironhide stated.

"Why? You fought with me, stood with me. You even had my back." Primal showed up, weakened still, barely limping towards Rattrap.

"Primal!" gasped the Autobots.

"He's here for Rattrap..." Elita replied heartfeltly.

"What do you hope to prove by firing at your friends, Rattrap?"

"Optimus... I-" Rattrap was cut off by Megatron.

"Yess.... you wanted him do you? Optimus Primal?" Megatron showed up next, at his full power while Primal was at his weakest. "He, who offered you power, strength, and offered you nothing but weakness in return, kept making promises that he never kept. He's the one who rendered you the weak component in his team of beasts. He made you weak. Defenseless!"

"Don't listen to him and look inside, Rattrap." Primal limped, though weak still. "You never needed his weapons, his armor. You're better than you know. I know it's because you don't really have a weapon at your side... but you have a stronger one inside you! It's your Spark, Rattrap. That's what's the most powerful weapon you have. Not this junk Megatron gave you."

The Maximals (minus Nightscream) looked down in shame. Perhaps they misjudged Rattrap too harshly back then, that it caused him to defect to Megatron.

Prime smiled. His strongest weapon was never the top-of-the-line weapon churned out at the Autobot arsenal, or the biggest artillery gun he ever fielded. It was the Spark inside that was, and is, his most powerful weapon. Elita joined as well, having remembered such a lesson during her days as a Autobot cadet. Especially when it was taught to her by her late friend, Chromia.

Bumblebee awwed in the wisdom that was apparent of the descendant of Prime himself.

"What are you waiting for? Destroy him!" Megatron demanded.

Rattrap turned to remind him "Didn't we revise a policy of killing defenseless opponents?"

"It was never my policy."

"LIAR!" Bumblebee angrily shouted. Cliffjumper didn't reprimand him, only spouting "That son of a scrap...."

Seeing the sun rising, Rattrap noticed and replied "Solar cycle's over. And no Maximal to haunt you. I kept my end of the deal. Are you going to do yours as well? Let me walk away?"

With the arrival of the Vehicon generals, Megatron looked ready to renege on his deal.

"What are you going to do now?" Barricade looked with a glare in his eye.

"You'd better turn this deal off and take them out at once..." Breakdown replied.

"Or you'd rather keep your end of the bargain and let Rattrap be." Dreadwing objected.

"Let's watch this. Stop speculating what would happen next." Skyquake replied.

But eventually, Megatron replied "Very well, rodent. Leave him." he ordered, prompting the generals to stand down. "You impress me greatly, Rattrap, barganing with the precision of a machine. You could have been a Vehicon in record time, yes...."

"Really?" Megatron replied in a dull and deadpan tone.

Rattrap transformed back to Beast Mode and dismounted the exoskeleton. He retorted to Megatron "Not from where I'm standing, Megz. The boss monkey's right. I'm a lot better than you know." then departed with the Maximals.

The drone caught up and questioned "You let them go, sir?"

"Indeed, my dear minion. He played fair. We'll liberate their Sparks another day. But this is but a temporarily reprieve. We will return for them when it's over. Prepare my army at once." Megatron ordered.

"Yes sir." the drone retreated back as soon as the Maximals walked out of his palace at a distance.

The Orb cuts off afterwards, leaving the audience dumbstruck at what just happened.