Once upon a time, I wrote this fic based on two one-shots. I even posted about half of it, before putting it on hiatus. Looking back, I find it rather poorly written. So, while the overall premise will stay the same, Rhyme and Reason: Spark Core, will be very different from Rhyme and Reason: Original Version. I am keeping the original version up for people to compare, and as proof I am a better writer now. (Someday, I might re-upload the 2 one-shots; they were pretty good, though.)

This is AU after the Feral Scream episodes- but there are some major differences in this Alternate universe, mostly because when I originally started this fic, I watched the episodes out of order, so I didn't have a clear idea of when certain characters arrived or were killed. (Still don't.) Also, it's going to get pretty dark, mentions of experimentation, some torture, some character/animal death . . . nothing too graphic, but you might want to know. Also, with the exception of BlackArachnia and Silverbolt, there aren't going to be any pairings. I am focusing on Friendship/Family vibes, not Romance.

Disclaimer: . . . I have no clue who owns the right to Beast Wars, but it ain't me.

A Fatal Shot

"Ah!" Optimus Primal gripped his head, having had hit it on the low ceiling of the cave.

"You okay, Big Bot?" Cheetor looked up to him, red optics glowing.

"Just fine. Any sign of the Predacons?"

"Not yet, yer sure the scanners weren't on the fritz again?" Rattrap called out to the two from where he was scouting the energon crystals. "Or that they're even underground?"

"We followed their scent, Rattrap, they're in here." Primal turned to ask Cheetor to scout further on, only to see him pounce at a shadow. "Cheetor!"

"Watch where you're going." Depth Charge shoved the younger bot as he emerged from the shadows.

"Sorry about that, Depth Charge." Cheetor backed up, tail lashing.

"Hmph." Depth Charge turned his attention to Primal. "X is nearby, be careful."

"Understood. Rattrap?"

"I heard."

"So did I." Rampage slipped out from yet another shadow, accompanied by Dinobot II, Quick Strike, and Inferno.

The following fight and taunts were rather predictable, Cheetor noticed, and focused on battling Dinobot II without much thought for the others, in fact, both Transmetal II's were so wrapped up in their fight they didn't notice the trouble the Maximals were in.

Optimus found his fight capabilities limited compared to the others, his size a serious handicap that Inferno was gleefully exploiting.

Quick Strike very quickly got Rattrap cornered between the cave wall and an overlarge stalagmite. Quick Strike had also very quickly had the snake's head arm disabled due to a precision bomb that Rattrap used.

Depth Charge, however, was far more annoyed. It hadn't been a sneak attack, but he had let his guard down all the same, and it had cost him a few milliseconds. Rampage used them to great effect, and pressed Depth Charge back, away from the other Maximals. Eventually, without much care to their surroundings, he brought part of the cave wall down onto Depth Charge, stunning the ray and knocking his gun out of his hands.

"I'm going to enjoy this!" Rampage was right on top of him.

"Cheetor!" The yell from Optimus echoed, and distracted Rampage.

At some point during their fight, the two Transmetal II's had shifted back to robot mode, and Dinobot II had hit Cheetor with the eye beam, knocking him into several energon crystals. Dinobot II had moved forward to finish his downed opponent, which was when Optimus had noticed the younger mech's predicament and yelled out.

Rampage fired, and Depth Charge was barely able to bring up one arm in a reflex to shield himself when he realized that Rampage hadn't been aiming at him.

Instead, the shots hit above Cheetor and caused the younger mech to be buried in rubble. Before Depth Charge could process this bizarre turn of events (he'd been at point blank range, Rampage could not have missed an easy target) Optimus sent Inferno flying and then blasted Quick Strike to free Rattrap.

By this point, the mostly stable energon began to pulse, and anyone with half a processor could see that it was slowly becoming unstable- a few more blasts would do it. Combined with the ominous rumbling of the cave, only a fool would have kept fighting.

"Retreat!" Dinobot II ordered, and the Predacons left, Inferno stopping briefly to pull Quick Strike along.

Depth Charge pulled himself out of the rubble, wincing as he realized one of his wings had been damaged. It didn't take him long to find his slightly battered gun, either.

"Spots! Can you hear me?" Rattrap and Primal were already shifting debris, trying to get to Cheetor. "Spots! C'mon kid, don't do this to us!"

"Depth Charge, help us!" Primal commanded, and while Depth Charge bristled at the order, he put up his gun to help. "Cheetor, respond!"

"I got his head! He's out cold!" Rattrap announced, and moved so he could protect Cheetor's processor from anymore debris falling on it. Thankfully, it was still attached, but it appeared scratched with a few small dents. "Kid, when you wake up, we're gonna have to talk about this habit of yours." Rattrap informed the unconscious mech.

"Legs are almost free- Slag." Depth Charge stopped. As a result of the change to Transmetal II, Cheetor's spark had moved to his left hip, in both beast and robot mode. It was something they had all noticed, and worried Rhinox and Primal to no end that his spark was in a far more vulnerable spot than the center of his chassis like normal.

"What is it?" Optimus finished freeing Cheetor's torso, and for a brief moment froze as he processed the scene.

Cheetor's spark casing was broken. Some of it had bent inward. There was a small energon leak that was extremely worrying to them all.

"Optimus . . ." Rattrap managed.

"Computer, Maximal Cheetor's status?"

"Stasis Lock." The computer responded, and Rattrap looked as relieved as Depth Charge felt.

"We need to get him to Rhinox, now!" Optimus snapped, but gently and careful picked up the injured Cheetor, careful of the damaged spark casing.

Rattrap shot off, transforming and using his wheels to speed off, hoping to get back in range of the base and alert them to the emergency as soon as possible.

Optimus moved as quickly as he could back out of the cave, leaving behind Depth Charge who briefly turned his attention to the battle zone.

Rampage had a clear shot at him, but missed; and while Cheetor had been in the line of fire, Rampage still should have hit Depth Charge . . . unless Rampage had purposefully aimed towards Cheetor, rather than kill him. It was entirely out of character for the mech that Depth Charge had hunted, and it made him uneasy.

It meant Rampage had decided to change his tactics, and someone always died before Depth Charge could compensate.

Depth Charge shook his head. He'd puzzle this new development later, right now, what remained of his conscience circuits were yelling at him to find out if the cat was going to survive.

BlackArachnia had been having a rather boring day. She'd debugged several programs for Rhinox, and worked on finding a way to use the Transmetal drive to upgrade to Transmetal II. She was fairly close, she thought, to being able to use it.

She was not expecting a distress code, and Rhinox barreling pass to set up a crude medical bay.

For the most part, all injuries were now treatable by CR Chamber, unless something had gotten jammed in where it wasn't supposed to be. Medical bays were quickly becoming unnecessary, save for the few that were set aside for organic aliens.

So for Rhinox to be setting one up, something really bad must have happened to one of the others. "What's happened?" BlackArachnia asked as she pitched in to help set it up, more out of curiosity than any real concern for whoever it was that was injured.

"Cheetor's spark casing was damaged, he's gone into stasis lock, but that might not last." Rhinox explained shortly, dragging the table from the 'galley' into the former storage room.

"Can't you move it?" BlackArachnia was fairly sure that this wouldn't be the first time Cheetor's spark casing was damaged. It was the absolute worst place for a spark to be, and yet no one had tried to move it to a better location.

"The change to Transmetal II moved and changed his internal systems. If I had been able to help him right away, I might have been able to keep his spark in a normal spot; as it is now, it's too late to do anything to change it, not without killing him." Rhinox scowled as he finished setting up the computer he'd need for monitoring Cheetor's systems. "Go see if they're here yet."

BlackArachnia hadn't gotten very far before Optimus all most ran over her. Her vocalizer seized up as she saw how still Cheetor was, so she could only mutely point the way to where Rhinox was waiting, before following and watching as Optimus laid the too still mech on the table.

"Don't interrupt me." Was all Rhinox said as he all but pushed them both out, and shut the door.

"Rattrap's in the CR chamber." BlackArachnia glanced over her shoulder in surprise at Depth Charge's arrival. She was even more surprised when the ray-bot glanced at the closed door in what was clearly concern.

"Our Tabby's still got several lives." BlackArachnia wished she hadn't spoken, but some part of her programming insisted on trying to reassure them. "He'll survive this."

"Let's hope so." Optimus' attention stayed on the door.

A/N: Battle scenes are the bane of my existence. Sometimes, I can write them just fine, especially if it involves swords and arrows, but describing hand to hand and shooting? I still need work.

What's Changed?: Well, for starters, the title. It actually comes from a line of Rampage's in Feral Scream, when he finds out Dinobot II has the other half of his spark. "You gave him the core of my spark!" (Slightly paraphrased, going off memory). I thought 'Spark Core' sounded good.

There's no Cheetor randomly destroying a boulder and freaking out Rattrap, and Depth Charge and Cheetor don't run into Rampage and Dinobot II by themselves. Looking back, it was an incredibly forced coincidence on my part. This scenario is hopefully much better.

I've also brought up a plot point that bothers me about Cheetor's new upgrade- his spark is where his left hip is. You actually see the spark at one point, when Cheetor first detaches his gun to shoot Waspinator. No one else has such an obvious placement- everyone else (as far as I can tell) has their spark in the chest area. This is a glaring weak point that I'm amazed no one else has noticed.

When I previously wrote this story, I didn't mention where the spark was because I was convinced I was mistaken and it wasn't on his hip. (After reviewing the episode, I can admit I was wrong.)

BlackArachnia's characterization is slightly more in tune with her actual portrayal, because at this point, she isn't TM2, and hasn't regained her maximal programming. I messed up on that point, and am trying to fit this story into the canon a little better.

Next Chapter: Plot exposition, technical terms, and everyone gets some Ill News.