The sun peeped above the horizon, casting a golden shine across the brightening earth. Its light chased away the night, the once black sky now shifting to bronze. It was coming close to eight o'clock in human time, and what they called the morning. The 'morning' temperature was rising slowly, warming the air slightly and causing steam to rise once again from the pools of liquid below. It was perplexing to the beast above, who was soaring low in the sky. The morning light shone off its armor, making it shine like a polished gem. The beast turned its aureolin optics to the steam below, halting in the air with a mighty beat of its wings.

Predaking didn't understand it. Why was steam rising from this… liquid below him? Though he had managed to learn of his ability to transform and pound a harsh beating on the Autobots, he had not learned much about the planet he had been taken to. He knew it was called Earth, and knew the existence of its inhabitants, humankind. The human girl in the Cybertronian armor that had somehow escaped his crushing maw flashed across his processor, perplexing him further. He had spotted a minuscule platform of some sort, leading to the pool below him. However, it continued on to a smaller, turquoise colored pool that still continued on to a hole in the ground, a geyser spewing the same liquid into the air. But what caught his attention was the largest pool. Around its edges, the ground varied in shades of oranges and yellows, but the farther it went, the liquid became green-ish, then a deep blue. Curious, Predaking lowered himself to land in the middle of the pools, geyser, and the tiny platforms. The white ground crumbled beneath his talons, the steam getting blasted away with each wing beat. When he transformed, the ground crumbed beneath his peds, making it hard for him to gain his balance. After teetering around for a moment in hopes of becoming steady, Predaking growled in annoyance and shifted back to his beast mode, digging his talons into the white ground, which felt strange beneath his peds and in the grooves of his armor. Cautiously, he approached the large pool, sniffing the ground and the liquid. It smelt slightly like the chemicals he had been cloned in (and the Predacon brethren that was supposed to join him, but the Autobots had already disposed of them), but wasn't fowl. Lowering his helm in curiosity, he allowed the lower parts of his jaw enter the liquid. Jerking his helm up in surprise, he was startled to realize the liquid was hot! Shaking his helm slightly, Predaking put a taloned ped in instead, allowing himself to grow used to the irregular temperature. Soon it was about a Mechanometer around his ped, and it was quite soothing. He walked forward, splashing the liquid onto his face and body, but it was more relaxing than it was annoying. Soon he was in the very center, the scalding liquid up past his underbelly. The mighty Predacon stood there for a moment, then collapsed on his side. The liquid was divine. It seeped into all the knicks and crannies in his overlapping armor and warmed him to his very Spark. His wings shot out from their orderly laid position, sending a huge wave of the liquid in all directions. Flailing around, he basked in the warm substance, enjoying the sensation of warmth everywhere. Rolling around like a dog, the beast cooed and purred from the warm liquid, allowing it to rush between his armor and into his internal circuitry. The sun had now risen, the sky streaked with bright colors, but the Predacon was more concerned about his scalding bath.

"Prime!" Agent Fowler's agitated voice rang out from the datastation.

Ratchet answered instead. "Fowler, Optimus isn't here right now. He and the others are scouting."

"I will report for his absence," Ultra Magnus responded, walking up behind the medic.

"Scouting again? What, is this like the fourth time this week?" Fowler's face appeared in the middle of the datascreen, showing him in his military jet.

"Fifth," Ultra Magnus corrected. "The hunt for Predacon bones has reached a standstill, for the time being."

"Huh." Fowler replied. Then he shook his head. "Never mind that. Now will someone please tell me why there's a massive metal dragon taking what it appears to be a bath in the Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone?!"

"Dragon?" The two 'Bots asked at the same time.

"Giant, fire breathing lizard? Usually can fly?" Fowler explained skeptically.

"I'm…. not following," Ratchet replied in confusion.

Agent Fowler let out a huff of annoyance before transferring a satellite image to the datascreen. "Seem familiar?"

"The Predacon," Ultra Magnus said, subconsciously flexing his claw.

"And it seems like he's taking a bath in one of the hottest springs there is. I didn't know you 'Bots could handle 160 degree bacteria water."

"Predaking isn't any ordinary 'Bot," Ratchet said with a scoff. "He was cloned from his predecessors, whom we didn't even know existed until now."

"I don't care who he came from!" Fowler yelled, throwing his hands up in the air. "I just need him out of there! How am I supposed to explain the dragon footprints in million-year-old bacteria mats?!"

"Calm down, Agent Fowler." Ratchet almost scolded.

"Calm down?! That spring in open to the public year round, and if anyone sees footprints in a historical site, they'll think aliens walk among us!"

"We do." Ratchet smirked. "But we see your urgency. As soon as the team returns, we will send them at once to get rid of your 'dragon'."

He ended the connection, much to the agent's annoyance. Ultra Magnus glanced at the medic. "Open the GroundBridge."

Ratchet whirred around. "I said we would wait for the others to return before getting rid of the Predacon."

"I will go myself," the Commander announced.

"No you will not!" Ratchet ordered. "You have no experience with your new appendage and you can't fight that beast alone! We are waiting for the others!"

He turned back to the datastation, opening up a mass comm to the rest of the team. "Ratchet to Optimus. We have a problem."

Predaking had been lying on his back for over an hour now, his wings outstretched completely. The tips were brushing the bank, only his legs and peds not submerged. The scalding liquid had numbed his internal circuitry to the point he felt like mush. Purring deeply, he shifted his helm, dipping the other side of his face. All he knew now was the warmth of his discovered pool and the tingle of his numb circuitry.

It was why he didn't hear or notice a GroundBridge open to his left, nor react when the Autobots gawked at the greatest beast of Cybertron laid out like a massive house cat, his talons twitching pleasently.

"Sooooooooo, what now?" Bulkhead asked.

Predaking opened his optics when he heard his muffled voice, for the liquid somehow amplified the sound. He turned over and righted himself, folding his wings and scowling when he saw the six Autobots standing about a half a klik away. He tucked his peds underneath his body and growled softly.

"Predaking, you must leave Yellowstone at once." Optimus called, taking a few steps forward. "You have damaged thousand-year-old bacteria mats that have formed on this planet, and are ruining one of the hottest springs in the country."

Predaking screeched loudly, opening his maw threateningly. He wasn't about to abandon his beloved pool for some mangy Autobots. Although this was the perfect opportunity to exact his revenge, he didn't want to leave the warmth of the pool. The Autobots, however, had different plans. They whipped out their weapons and took a defensive stance, though the Prime hadn't moved.

Predaking held the gaze of the Prime, lifting his helm to get a better view and to intimidate him. He was just about the power up his fire when another GroundBridge opened to his right and Vehicons came pouring out of it, Starscream at the head.

"Predaking!" The Seeker yelled, having not noticed the Autobots yet. "Where have you been? You haven't been answering your comm and Megatron demands your presence back on the warship!"

Predaking roared in response, whipping out his wings with a whoosh of the liquid and causing everyone to take a few steps back. With an annoyed shake of his helm he shot off into the air, not wanting to fight two battles; one with loyalty and one with the enemy. The pools he could return to. The warship…. might take a few hours. He left the two sides to fight their battle in peace, smugly thinking how they were damaging the bacteria mats more than he did.