This would be the last time that bastard would be allowed to exist.
"Transmetal 2 Dinobot". A monster specifically designed to look like a twisted, undead version of the original, so Megatron could slap them in the face every time he went into battle. It was the ultimate 'sod you' to the Maximals and Dinobot's sacrifice.
Except for Blackarachnia.
Rattrap had been planning this little mission for weeks now. His stints on patrol and casual discussion with the others had enabled him to work out where the monster spent its day – right in the middle of the Predacon jamming zone, looking around for Maximal intruders to hunt down. It was big on hunting. Rattrap's plan banked on it.
He'd rigged a decoy device to emit a passable copy of a Maximal Spark signature, as well as a faint radio signal. To any Pred on guard that sensed it, it would seem like a Maximal was in the zone working on radio frequencies that could bypass the jammers. And once the monster showed up, he'd walk right past the hidden Maximal and right into his gun sights.
A few blasts from the Positron rifle would be enough to take him down. After that, he just aimed for the head and the monster would never get up again.
Come on, slagger. I ain't got all day.
It was Blackarachnia that got to him more than the monster. Everyone thought he hated her for being a former Predacon, and that was partly it; she'd been trying to kill them for far too long to be forgiven. But it was more than that.
She was a treacherous, self-serving Predacon defecting to the Maximals for reasons of safety and becoming part of the unit. That was Dinobot's role. He was the one who did that, and he was dead now. She was replacing him. She didn't have the right to replace him. She wasn't worthy to replace him.
There was a big Dinobot-shaped hole in the Maximal team dynamic and she was slinking her way inside it so it looked like there'd never been a hole at all, and Rattrap was never going to stand for that.
And he wasn't going to stand for a bastardised corpse walking around pretending to be Dinobot either.
The Transmetal arrived right on cue; slowly, cautiously, silently. It didn't notice Rattrap, hiding in the trees with a camouflage blanket over him as disguise. It was too busy focusing on its intended prey. It was already growling, hoping to frighten the 'Maximal'.
Rattrap fired and the monster dodged.
Half a ton of Transmetal smashed into the tree, knocking him out, and as he fell a whirlwind of claw and tooth leapt up to meet him, only backing down from a pistol shot to the snout. Rattrap landed on his feet, drew his machine gun, and peppered the monster as it transformed while he dived towards the Positron. An enemy laser blast slagged the rifle before he could grab it.
"Your trap nearly worked, vermin," it hissed in its damnable cloned voice, "but your camouflage was not as good as it needed to be. I knew you were there. It just suited me to-"
Rattrap shot it in the kneecaps.
"Weeeell, guess I won't be mountin' your head on my wall any time soon, what with the Positron as melted as it is. Kinda needed that to finish you off, what with that regeneration thing ya got going for ya." He unclipped several of his bombs as he talked. "Still, it'll take ya a few more seconds to regrow those broken joints, and while I'm here…"
Three highly powerful grenades landed on the monster's chest.
"Dis won't kill ya, but it'll sure hurt." His face contorted into a snarl. "And I'm gonna try this again and again until yer dead. Count on that."
And he dived for cover as the grenades explode and flung bits of Transmetal across the area.
Rattrap knew he had to leave- the explosion was going to attract other Pred patrols, and he didn't want to be around when the monster got up again. He transformed and rolled out, but before picking up a piece of the monster's tail; it'd make a nice addition to his Pred parts collection.
So he'd failed. He'd made his point, and second time lucky, right? Now he just needed to head back to base to throw as many insults at Blackarachnia as he could think of and work on a new plan to kill the Transmetal. Easy.
"The others may be willin' ta let it stand, but don't worry Chopperface. I've got you covered."