With everyone completely stunned after seeing Megatron carry the halve of Rampage's Spark with intentions of mixing it with Transmetal technology that he has developed as a weapon against the Maximals, they wordlessly allowed Omega Scion to give them the next viewing which counted down to three.
Amidst a heavy storm in a dark region that may have been the heartland of Predacon territory, Cheetor regrouped with Primal and reported "Not a ping, blip, or blurp, Big-bot. Maybe it was just a little frequency flap from the charge airwaves?"
"No, it was a beacon. There's a stasis pod out here somewhere." Primal stated.
"It must be the Predacons. They must have reached the stasis pod first but not before they disoriented the Maximals to ensure they don't reach it first." Bulkhead stated.
"Jeez, thanks, Captain Obvious." Wheeljack jokingly replied to his friend.
"Then, something must be jamming us."
"More like 'someone'."
"Gee, I wonder who."
Until both Primal and Cheetor ran into Waspinator and Megatron, who immediately fired at both of them. They returned fire as quickly as they can.
"Protect that pod with your life, Waspinator! Your life!" Megatron demanded.
"Scrap, now that they've got the stasis pod, what sick experiment's Megatron going to do to it now?" Onslaught asked.
"Something me and the Dinobots went through." Grimlock grimly stated.
Having been pelted with chest-built autocannon fire by Primal, Megatron fired back furiously. The result had accosted the Predacons the stasis pod.
"Nooo!" Waspinator transformed and dived below to retrieve the stasis pod before it would fall down to the crevasse below.
"Hang on, BigBot! I'll give 'em something to fret about!" Cheetor moved to intercept by taking aim then stood up preparing a sniper rifle to aim at Waspinator while he flees with the stasis pod in tow. But fortunately, Megatron intercepted his charge by shooting him in the back.
"Hah!" Starscream chuckled. Shooting in the back was his favorite method.
"Cheetor, wait!" Bumblebee shouted.
"No, Cheetor!" Primal yelled.
But the shot landed on the cliff instead of Waspinator, sending Primal falling below with rocks buried beneath him "Oh no! Optimus!" Cheetor yelled after standing up then moved towards his leader to check on him while he's damaged greatly. "BigBot? Oh no..."
"Rookies." Ironhide facepalmed.
"Reminded us of the time Hot Rod tried to collapse a pillar on the Cons in Iacon, and nearly got Optimus killed." Ratchet stated.
Prime was silent. Hot Rod was much impulsive and reckless than Bumblebee in his asinine quest to prove his worth to the Autobots.
Having pulled back away from the Maximals while they are distracted, the Predacon team, composed of Megatron and Waspinator, took to a Transmetal experimentation facility. There, Megatron then prepared his dramatic hamming "And carved into this lofty peak, where tempest dwells, a noble birthplace. It is time." as he held some kind of experimental core nd snapped towards Waspinator.
Intimidated, he complied. "Yess, mighty Megatron. Yess!"
The audience was silent, yet the Autobots felt that they were going to be incensed about it.
"That core... that must be some kind of experimental device the future Megatron used for the creation of the transmetal raptors that attacked those children before." Shockwave stated "Interesting... transmetal is a concept I've not engaged before."
"Would you be interested in it now, Shockwave?"
"Indeed Soundwave. But further study and analysis is required for this Transmetal project I've been looking forward to. There, upgrading our chassis is necessary."
Megatron was skeptical.
Cheetor tried to dig out Primal from the pile he accidentally created and dodged when a shot from Depth Charge broke the pile, allowing Primal to breathe more easily.
"Hey, take it easy with the power pizzas!" Cheetor shouted, despondent that such a blast nearly killed him.
"Almost like when Red Alert tried blasting Hot Rod for giving away their position." Bulkhead stated.
Again, Prime was silent.
"Looks like you have trouble." Depth Charge replied.
"Megatron and Waspinator." Primal stated.
"And Rampage?"
"Er, no... We'd have remember him." since Primal remembered that Rampage was not with them by the recent time they were attacked by the Predacons.
"I don't think Rampage was there with them, ray-boy. Chill." Jazz commented.
"I've tuned my scanners to his spark. The reading is this way!" Depth Charge departed to the mountains where their spark is spotted.
"That's the halve of Rampage's spark you found." Ratchet pointed out.
"Wait! You are not to engage them without back-up! Do you hear me? Depth Charge!" yet the latter was already gone by now.
Cheetor helped Primal up on his feet. "Big water-bat totally shined you!"
"Seems to be a trend." Primal groaned then snapped to Cheetor.
"He's never going to let go of what Rampage did to him, is he?" Bulkhead stated.
Bumblebee shook his head. "You put your leader in that rock pile."
Knockout feigned being offended "Talk about trends! I should make my form of social media as the humans call it now."
"You put that protoform at risk, Cheetor!" Primal berated.
"Wha-? I...I was trying to save our circuits!" Cheetor naively explained.
"Even so. We don't trade one life for another!"
"But it was a blank. Even if Megs is able to fire it up, it's just gonna be a Pred!"
"I can see, how that might make sense, but right now, Cheetor, it's innocent! I'm going for repairs. You get some back-up, then assist Depth Charge." Primal transformed to his vehicle mode then departed, too heavily damaged to continue the mission by now.
"Convienient. No bot would to be insane enough to continue the mission while they're heavily damaged at first glance." Megatron commented.
"Backup... uninstall that." Cheetor disregarded. "No matter what some people may think, this cat can handle a situation."
The Autobots were skeptical.
"Just like these knuckle head-plates." Arcee pointed out to Smokescreen, Bumblebee and Cliffjumper.
They were embarassed at the mere mention of it.
"You couldn't handle Primal's situation while he was buried under rock, kitty." Knockout derided.
Back with the Predacons...
"The clone cells, Waspinator. Infuse them into their new host." Megatron ordered.
"Yes, Megatron." Waspinator pulled a lever that retracted up his chin, causing six infusion claws to inject upon the protoform, beginning the process.
"Install the transmetal driver."
"Yes, master." Waspinator piloted a modified hoverboard that dragged the transmetal driver, the very device Megatron carried eariler to the power processor, beginning the accelerated birth of the protoform.
The Dinobots were getting angry, this reminded them the time Shockwave experimented on them.
"And now I bequeath you half a spark, the very core of a nightmare!" as he gave the halve of Rampage's Spark to the Protoform, which it grabbed by a claw, snatching it from Megatron.
"Ah, hungry for life, yess!" Megatron gloated "Ready!"
Waspinator pulled down a command that unfurled a Tesla coil. A large one.
Shockwave looked at the experiment with intrigue. "Interesting..."
"Must I remind you that you are forbidden to performing such experiments, Shockwave."
"Of course, Lord Megatron, it's only just an afterthought..."
"Stand by!" Megatron ordered.
"Organic Transmetal Unit on-line!" Waspinator backed away when the lightning strikes, powering up the machine enough to begin the process.
"From the tempest's fury, the spark ignites, to sire new life, Transmetal II life!" Megatron hammed dramatically then shielded his eyes when the machine gained enough power to create a beast out of the protoform.
Those with sensitive optics cover theirs as well.
Out of it, came forth a Transmetal II beast similar to Dinobot's Beast Form but MUCH metallic.
"Ahhh, YESS." Megatron ogled and gleamed in satisfaction and excitement as his success.
"No..." Grimlock breathed out.
"It can't be..." Dreadwing stated.
"It's impossible..." Predaking added next.
"Sadly, it is possible now." Shockwave pointed out.
"Welcome, yess, welcome Trans-metal II Dinobot! To a new body, a new mind, a new allegiance to the Predacons!"
Everyone was silent at the announcement of the new Dinobot. Everyone. For the future Megatron to accomplish what may seem to be a clone of the original Dinobot was shocking beyond comprehension. Nothing like what they've gotten used to before.
Until Grimlock tried to approach Omega Scion with his face screaming in anger and murder, held back by Prime, Bulkhead, Ultra Magnus and Smokescreen "WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON PRED-MEGS, HE'LL HAVE MY BLADE SHOVED UP RIGHT THROUGH HIS AFT! LET ME GO GUYS! SCION, TAKE ME TO THAT FUTURE SO I CAN SMASH MY SWORD RIGHT INTO THAT MEGATRON'S SMUG FACE-PLATE!"
"I cannot do that. I can only show you the future. But I cannot show you the means into changing it."
"Grim, calm down! Like Omega says, we can't change the future! He can't change it!" Bulkhead said restraining the furious Grimlock.
"THIS IS YOUR FAULT! YOU MADE HIM INTO THIS!" Grimlock accused Megatron who was silent throughout the whole ordeal. "YOU MADE DINOBOT INTO A MONSTER!" then he calmed down sobbing, comforted by his fellow Dinobots.
Megatron innately admitted that Grimlock was right. "In my foolish quest for oppression against the Autobots, I have set my descendants into a course that I hope could be changed. So that they would not follow our mistakes."
Dreadwing and Predaking were as angered as well. The former wishing he should have defected to the Autobots rather than confront Starscream for revenge for Skyquake, the latter, well, he blamed Megatron for giving the Predacons a bad name.
"Waspinator not like new lizard-bot!" he said cowering behind Megatron.
"I agree with the bug. But then, I'm not crazy about any of you!" Depth Charge arrived.
"Ah, we have a guest." Megatron turned to the newly born Dinobot and said "A sterling opportunity to a... hm, test your mettle, Dinobot."
"And to think I was wondering who to shoot first!" He fired, knocking Megatron down. Prompting Dinobot to leap at Depth Charge shredding at him mercilessly with his claws.
"No..." Grimlock sobbed seeing the change the new Dinobot had undertaken. It was nothing like the honorable Dinobot he knew of.
"Your spark... it stinks of Rampage!" Depth Charge groaned while being pinned to the ground.
"Perhaps..." Megatron stood up. "But it is the spark that keeps on sparking, unlike yours! Dinobot, you may start the feast."
"Don't do it!" yelled Warpath.
"Hey! Let me add some hot Cheetor pepper to spice things up!" Cheetor fired at the Predacons, but once Waspinator was out, he focused firing at Megatron more than once, taking him out rather comedically.
Megatron groaned. It reminded him the time Bumblebee shoved the Star Saber right into his chest, ending his spark right before Unicron resurrected him.
Cheetor then focused at Dinobot, yet the latter tackled him while he was frightened. Looking deep at him yet not able to remember him, Dinobot swept him away with his tail, sending him towards Depth Charge.
They both took cover as Dinobot began inspecting himself.
"Is that... Dinobot?!" Cheetor asked.
"Some kind of clone." Depth Charge replied. "Trans-metalized with that alien unit."
Grimlock can't help but find much reason to hate the future Megatron more, even if the Dinobot there was a clone, not a resurrection.
Dinobot began to transform to check out his robot form, but more specifically, his laser eye laid out like a sight of sorts, then pointed it to one of his claws, accidentally blasting one of it out in the process. Once he test-fired it on some rocks, it prompted Cheetor to take cover.
"Talk about a test drive." Knockout stated.
Once Dinobot got used to his new laser weapon quickly, it prompted Depth Charge and Cheetor to separate once he fired at them.
"Now, there's some technology in the wrong hands." Cheetor pointed out the transmetal driver after hijacking the hover board, extracting it from it's processor. "Depth Charge, go deep!" then tossed the driver right at Depth Charge, who caught it like a goalkeeper.
"He shoots, he scores!" Warpath yelled pulling out a 10/10 score care up high.
Angered, Megatron then fired at Cheetor into the transmetal processor, trapping him inside while the transmetal energies lay shock upon him.
"Cheetor!" Bumblebee shouted.
The result caused the machine to go haywire and obliterate itself, prompting all in the vicinity to take cover.
"Cheetor..." Depth Charge muttered upon seeing Cheetor's scorched skin, believing him dead.
"No..." Prime gasped. It reminded him of the time Bumblebee supposedly died by Megatron's hands.
Back in the Maximal base, Primal repaired himself since the R-Chamber was too small for him.
"Communications are still shut and your systems aren't much better. You're in no condition to pick a fight!" Rhinox protested.
"Fight's been picked." Primal retorted.
Ratchet facepalmed. It reminded him of the time Prime was still recently in command and reckless as he was then.
Depth Charge arrived... heavily charred and damaged.
"Where's Cheetor?" Primal asked.
"Cat was tough... he went out fighting." Depth Charge replied, revealing Cheetor's charred skin to Primal. He left Primal to shock of the news while he went to his quarters to scan the Transmetal driver.
"I don't believe you! Cheetor's still alive!" Bumblebee protested.
[Function scan, all variables. Data unknown. Device is of alien manufacture. Functions has been altered by Megatron. Transmetal qualities enhanced beyond known parameters.]
"Has it, now?" Depth Charge took the Transmetal driver "Never again, Megatron..." and cast it down the fiery chasm below, but it was quickly caught by Blackarachnia, who was interested of the device out of curiosity.
"Now what are you going to do with that?" Arcee asked with her eyes glaring with suspicion.
"Cheetor..." Primal then turned to his second in command "This is my fault, Rhinox...I was rough on him, so he...so he tried to prove something..."
Prime had felt the same the day Bumblebee had lost his voice to Megatron.
"Don't give up hope. I'll try to get long range scanners on-line." Rhinox then left Primal to mourn for Cheetor.
Unbeknownst to them, Cheetor survived the destruction of the transmetal cloning device, but was nearly destroyed in the process. He awakened, fighting off the feral urge inside of him, yet inspected his critically damaged state. With all his systems offline, Cheetor decided to walk back to Maximal Base.
"YES! I KNEW IT!" Bumblebee stated.
Prime felt gladdened "You are either made of sterner stuff, or that miraculously lucky, Cheetor."
Aboard the Darksyde, Rampage confronted Megatron with news that he was completely unpleased about.
All while Megatron relaxed in his celebration tub.
Megatron contemplated having such a luxury.
"You gave THIS the core of my spark?" Rampage questioned. "I shall rip it from his chest, and restore it within me!"
When he was about to start, threatening and growling, Dinobot countered by unfurling his Spark, which brought Rampage pain, bringing him down to his knees.
"As you see, that will not be easy Besides, only I have the technical knowledge to accomplish such a fusion. For now, you must share. I need your new half brother for another mission." Megatron stated.
Dreadwing and Skyquake were angered at that statement.
Megatron snapped to Dinobot with orders "Dinobot! The alien Transmetal Driver. Depth Charge has it... yess... Get it back!"
Dinobot transformed and departed.
"Hadn't he known Blackarachnia has the driver yet?" Knockout pointed out.
"He would need that driver to create more soldiers for his army." Ratchet replied.
Depth Charge walked out of the R-Chamber after recovery and heard from his systems.
[Attention! Rampage Spark detected nearby.]
"Where?"
[Subgrid Zarak. Tracking.]
Depth Charge readies his weapon and walks out of the base to find what he presumed to be Rampage stalking out in the base. But in his back, too late as Dinobot pounced on him.
The young Cybertronians jumped out of the seats in fear of Dinobot jumping Depth Charge.
"Kids." Ratchet shook his head.
Meanwhile, Primal looked around in the dark of night in unchartered territory to look for Cheetor's remains or the new Dinobot.
"Optimus to Rhinox. Grid Darcerin complete. No sign of Cheetor, or the new Dinobot." he hailed. But he heard something akin to a cheetah's roar, so he transformed and moved to investigate.
"That has to be Cheetor. But in regards to his damaged state, it may be a matter of time before he joins the Allspark." Prime stated.
However, somewhere, Dinobot interrogated the captured Depth Charge.
"The Alien Transmetal driver. Now!" he demanded.
"Don't have it." Depth Charge refused.
"Too bad for you." Dinobot transformed.
Megatron arrived with Quickstrike and Rampage as his side. "The other equipment has been salvaged, but you took the alien transmetal unit. Where is it?" he interrogated.
"Gone." Depth Charge replied.
"No chance for you to make your soldiers now." stated Blast Off.
"Ain't that a kick in the lug nuts." Quickstrike stated. "Heh, snotty little flounder, ain't he. Let me gut him for you, boss." he suggested.
"No, he's mine!" Rampage protested, wanting the thrill of Depth Charge's end at his hands. "I shall feast upon his still pulsating spark!" his jaws shrill with anticipation.
"I can't see this." Sideswipe shielded his eyes. Seeing their attempts to torture Depth Charge wasn't on his list.
Until they were interrupted by a cheetah's roar they hear from afar. Unknown to them, a red eyed predator lurks in the shadows, ready to strike.
"Cheetor... what has become of you?" Prime wondered.
"The transmetal thing! It could have changed him into that thing!" Warpath pointed out.
"Hold a bunch, we don't even know if it is Cheetor yet." Ironhide interrupted.
The predator, presumably Cheetor, barged through the Predacons, catching them off guard.
"What is that thing?!"
"I dunno, Boss... Some kind of ghost, maybe. Or it will be, when I'm done with it!" Quickstrike replied, prepared to attack "Here comes poison!" and charged at where the unseen predator was, but the monster tore him to scraps, leaving his prosthetic as proof.
"Looks like this monster isn't so easily overcome with a mere batch of poison." Megatron stated.
Alarmed, the Predacons turned their lights and searched for the predator stalking them.
"Who?"
Yet this predator of sorts moved faster than their lights could spot, until it jumped out of the open and charged right into the Predacons.
"Fire! Fire!" Megatron ordered, yet the gunfire could not keep away this predator. It leaped right into Megatron himself, but since it was faster than either Rampage or Dinobot could track, it accidentally caused both to fire at each other.
The Renegatrons laughed their afts off at the pathetic display. Only Shockwave and Soundwave were not affected.
"Pathetic! I suppose they haven't upgraded their competence circuits, did they?!" Breakdown stated.
"Not for one." Barricade stated.
Alone, Megatron turned around and fired, yet he mistook Waspinator for the predator.
Megatron can't help but laugh harder.
Without any kind of light or sense to find the predator, he was blind in the dark, which the latter exploited to spin Megatron around like a Beyblade until he found himself in a chasm which he then fell, regrouping with Dinobot.
"Re... treat..."
The Predacons routed, leaving Depth Charge alone just as the predator began to register him.
"Nonononono, don't eat him!" said Sideswipe.
"Depth Charge!" Primal regrouped, causing the mysterious predator to run away.
"What was that thing?" Yet Depth Charge himself didn't know trying to ask Primal.
"It must be Cheetor. But what happened to him?" Prime wondered.
Back in Maximal Base, Rhinox announced "I got through to the others. They've been warned about the creature- - Whatever it is."
"Or who..." Primal wondered.
"What?"
"Nothing." Primal replied. He then gave orders "Silverbolt and Blackarachnia are combing sector Tallories You join Rattrap in--
But their sensors read off the heavily damaged Cheetor limping back to base barely.
"Cheetor? Cheetor!"
Primal and Rhinox rushed towards him as he passes out.
The Orb cuts off midway afterwards.
The audience looked in shock.