Disclaimer: Do not own Beast Wars . . . wouldn't mind having a few of the characters, though.

Shot in the Dark

Cheetor kept running, quiet and focused on just running. The energy he had as a transmetal II was more than he normally would of had . . . so was the power. He could feel it, and he knew what his limits were. What bothered him was the thoughts that would creep into his mind, the most recent coming during an argument with Rattrap, he'd wanted to pounce and shred his friend to bits, just so his claws could tear metal and fur . . . hitting a rock, he took out the violent urge by ripping into it, leaving claw marks. He started growling and roaring, though he didn't realize it.

Depth Charge watched him from a distance, watching him reduce a boulder to a bunch of pebbles.He's upset about something. Depth Charge started to head in the opposite direction, ignoring Cheetor. It wasn't his concern. Besides, he didn't want to get shredded.

Rattrap, reluctantly, was on patrol and muttering to himself. Rattrap came up over a hill, and saw his friend ripping a boulder to bits. "Ah!" Cheetor stopped he heard Rattrap's gasp of surprise. He glanced at him.

"Rrrrrr." Cheetor blinked, then glanced at the rock. " . . ." He turned and started to walk away.

"Cheetor, what's wrong?" Cheetor glanced over his shoulder. Then at the former rock.

"Nothin'." He took off again.

"Nothin', my aft." Rattrap looked at the new gravel. "I'd hate to see him angry, for real."

Cheetor ran straight into Depth Charge. (He'd wound up running in the same direction as Depth Charge had gone.)

"Oomph!" The two went down a hill, and landed in a heap.

"All this open space, yet you run into me . . ." Depth Charge tried to get up, Cheetor looking apologetic, transformed and helped him up.

"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention . . ."

"So I guessed. Got done making gravel out of that boulder?"

"Er . . ." Cheetor flinched.

"Are you still having nightmares?"

"Yeah . . . They aren't as bad though, not as frequent." Cheetor glanced away.

"All right . . ." Depth Charge blinked, the tracking system for Rampage came up. Two fairly close together- "Rampage and Dinobot are close by. Want to go hunting with me?" Cheetor just transformed for an answer. As Depth Charge followed the signals, Cheetor moved quietly next to him in beast form. He liked hunting in that form, Depth Charge noted.

"They're close . . ." A shot hit Cheetor making Depth Charge turn. Dinobot grinned at them.

"They're here. CHEETOR MAXIMIZE!" Cheetor lunged at Dinobot. The two started to fight. Depth Charge ducked back from laser fire, and started firing at Rampage. "ROWRR!" Cheetor and Dinobot went to beast mode. They kept alternating between the two in a fight.

"Go to the Pit, Rampage!" Rampage and Depth Charge exchanged blows and blasts, Rampage eventually sending him flying into an immovable boulder. Depth Charge felt all his system warnings flash. One of his legs had been hit hard.

"Depth Charge! Look out!" Depth Charge could only blink in surprise as Dinobot, probably trying to mess with Cheetor, fired at him, and Cheetor, in beast mode, got in the way. "ROWRR!" Cheetor went in to stasis lock.

"Cheetor!" Depth Charge grabbed his comrade, the blast had hit and penetrated his spark chamber but- "Primus . . ." The spark was still there, he was alive! "Hang on . . ."

"Impossible, Megatron must kn-" Dinobot didn't get very far. Rampage grabbed him and hit several wires that would overload his short term memory circuits, effectively erasing the memory of what he'd seen, and knocking him out.

" . . ." Depth Charge looked at his enemy. His gun was too far away, and Cheetor was injured.

"Next Time, Depth Charge." Rampage took Dinobot with him, the other waking up. Depth Charge held onto Cheetor and took to the sky. He had to get back to base, quick, or Cheetor could die.

First chapter, I know it's short, but . . . what can I say? I'll update again, I promise, in the mean time, I'd recommend reading Rhyme to Rage and Reason to Fight, this is the story based off those two one shots, so it would be helpful to you to read the other two. (I had to re-edit them due to spelling mistakes, should be better now.) My other story is on hold due to the fact I'm actually writing two versions and can't decide which way to go.