The silvery protoform was covered in a fine layer or lunar dust to hide it from prying eyes. It had found its way to the natural satellite ages ago after running from a dying Cybertron. The journey hadn't been easy and it hadn't been straight. Small damages accumulated and upon reaching the planet was too damaged to survive the decent.

So it had landed on the Moon and slipped into stasis.

It had learned the art of remaining unnoticed before its second frame was fully settled. A fact that was reinforced when it woke and saw a rather large footprint in the lunarscape barely two feet from its aft.

That would have been a horrible way to be exposed, being stepped on by an over sized mech, and a heavy one if the ped-print was anything to go by. Hiding on the shadow-line covered in dust had been a very good idea.

It had woken in time to view the battle between the Autobots and the Decepticons over the humans' satellite network.

And saw him.

-He's here!-

-Danger?-

-Don't care. Sparkbond.-

-AllSpark gone?-

_Don't care. Sparkbond!-

-Danger!-

-Don't care. SPARKBOND!-

-Danger! Hunt!-

-Don't care! SPARKBOND is worth ANYTHING!-

And really, there was nothing those instincts could say to that.

It was many more months before the form was able to move freely again, the stasis having released when most of the repairs were done. It had consumed what minerals it could from the lunar surface, replenishing its stores and moving to the light side when it could to absorb additional energy. It watched as Autobots and Decepticons alike made landfall on the planet, but no others like itself.

Stepping into full light for the first time in vorns the form shook off the lunar dust and started for the planet, aiming for the desert by the city called Mission. He wouldn't move on too soon from that site, not if the information it had gathered proved true.

They were a pack of two now, but it would be enough to be pack again.

The protoform slid its cometary shielding into place as it touched the atmosphere, beginning the decent burn.

It wouldn't be long now.

"Optimus!"

"What is it, Blaster?"

"We've got a set of landfalls. One is prowl and the Twins, another is headed down about 300 miles from where they'll land."

"Do we have any info on the other one?"

"Negative. And I'm getting reports that one of the trio is injured. If it weren't for the signal getting out while it shifted forms we wouldn't even have known it was there."

"No choice then. Ironhide, Ratchet, Mirage and Cliffjumper will go meet Prowl and the Twins. Hound will remain here with us to keep the base secure as it can be. We can't risk sending out a lone bot to see to the other landfall and we can't leave just one bot here by himself. We'll just have to hope that whoever that bot is can survive and hide."

"Understood, Sir."

This was not as close as it would have liked, but it was infinitely closer than the surface of the planet's natural satellite. A few hundred miles were nothing compared to that.

There was a rumbling nearby, and a screech in the air.

Not Autobots.

Decepticons.

The form rose from its cometary form, getting its limbs in order even as its scanner picked an appropriate form nearby. Looking over the features and information it could attain about the form it was quite perfect.

Very fitting.

Changes settling into place it shook, sending dust into a thick cloud around it.

Things were about to get interesting.

"Barricade, have you found the site yet?"

"No sir, though it should be close."

A plume of sand and dust rose from the desert landscape, making the landing obvious to anyone looking.

"No chance for it to pick a vehicle mode, I want that bot brought in immediately. If he's one of ours we'll need to get Hook to fix what he can. If not, bring him in online, but not necessarily undamaged."

"Yes, sir."

Barricade chafed at having to follow Starscream of all mechs. He was a glory-seeking fool.

But he could still kill Barricade if he chose, and far too easily at present.

Soundwave had been sent with him, along with a few of his symbiotes. They were more than enough to deal with any mech just out of cometary form. Skidding to a stop on the road by the crater he slid into his bipedal form and stalked over, careful of the shifting sand.

"Soundwave, can one of your symbiotes go down there and see what's going on?"

"Affirmative."

One compartment slid open. Ravage landed lightly enough and started for the thick dust cloud.

The two larger bots watched as the cat-like bot vanished into the cloud of sand, maintaining contact via comm.

A rattle of metal plating and kibble sounded and the dust cloud grew thicker and billowed out further.

The bot was alive and relatively unharmed if it was shaking off the landing dust. Still, it had to be in protoform and there for weaker.

This shouldn't take long.

Barricade let his attention wander a bit to past fights, analyzing his reactions and his opponents. Being in the right frame of processor for a fight could decide things before they started. Not that he really expected one.

Both bots stood stock still as a sudden sound reached them from the cloud.

"Did Ravage say what that was?"

"Negative. Communications with Casseticon Ravage, down."

Suddenly something was flung at them from the dust cloud.

Ravage landed with a clatter near his creator. His armor was torn and rent, dents in his hide, one leg dangling useless, and the 'ear' that held his communications relay was gone.

"Need to leave! NOW!"

A menacing snarl sounded from within the dust cloud. Both Decepticons turned, optics watching for any sign of movement.

The faint clanking of metal joints moving and shifting reached their audios. A dark form started to show through the settling dust, moving smoothly, as large as one of the humans' transportation drones.

The snarl sounded again, two green-gold optics lit up through the dust.

Followed by energon blades on what passed for its teeth and claws.

"Retreat! NOW!"

Ravage had managed to get his feet under him, unsteady and unbalanced from the damage he'd taken.

"It's a FERAL!!!"

Taking a running leap he was back to his compartment.

Soundwave shifted to his alt almost immediately after.

The frontliner stood and stared at the new bot with narrowed optics.

The… bot, because it couldn't be a Feral, Megatron had offlined them all, stared back at him and made an odd sort of chittering howl.

It was laughing at him.

With a snarl he launched at the figure only to miss, vocalizers screeching in pain the next moment when energon edged fangs bit into and tore one of his hydraulics.

He barely managed to keep it from taking a chunk out of his leg as it turned for another assault.

After that it was one frantic move after another until he managed to push it away with a ped, quickly changing to his alt mode and roaring off down the road towards the main base, that eerie laughing howl seeming to follow him.

Maybe it was a Feral after all.