Disclaimer: Beta's mine. Plot too. Nothing else.

RG: Enjoy my new story.

The femme groaned as she opened her optics. She sat up from where she had been laying in the stasis pod she had been forced into by the Maximals back on Cybertron and looked around. She spotted a huge red mech with crab legs on his back that was leaning against a tree rather lazily. The mech reminded her of someone she knew back on Cybertron in her...previous 'life'. She shook her head free of those thoughts and smiled brightly. "Hi!" She said happily, her voice like that of a child's. "Who are you? Where am I?" The femme asked, mood not changing a bit as her optics brightened so she looked like a sparkling.

The mech's head shot up upon hearing her speak to him. He turned around-he had his back to her and was scanning for something-and looked at her. He blinked.

Rampage growled as he scanned the area for nearby Maximals. He hated stasis pod missions because he couldn't do to the protoform inside what he wanted to do to every other Transformer he met. He had a feeling that the only reason he was allowed to go on stasis pod missions was because the Predacon leader, Megatron, knew he hated them...that and, because he controlled the crabbot, he could not and would not hurt the protoform inside. He just knew that was the reason. It had to be. However, he was yanked from these thoughts when a female voice spoke to him. His head shot up and he turned around. Spotting her, he realized that the protoform had woken up. She was a fuzor...chameleon mixed with a liger...odd, yet it could be useful. Rampage cleared his throat, "I am Rampage. Who are you?"

The femme cocked her head to the side. She smiled brightly at him again and clambered out of her stasis pod. "Hi, Unit Rampage!" She said cheerily, "I am Maximal Experiment Beta. Created in an attempt by the Maximal Elders to bring a lost Elder to life and then later tested on so I could gain powers. I am one of three named Experiments and have the ability to cloak and have heightened senses." She explained quickly, sounding like a computer.

Rampage blinked. He looked at the fuzor over and folded his arms. Beta's beast mod was simply, yet it explained her powers...or rather, her powers explained her beast mode. Her limbs and tail were that of a chameleon's and her blue eyes were angled and shaped like that kind of lizard's. Her body as well as her head was that of a liger's. Rampage shook his head, "Beta...that name's sounds...familiar...where do I know you from?"

Beta grinned. "Experiment Beta and Unit Rampage shared a cell together back on Omicron before Unit Rampage escaped. Before Unit Rampage went on a Rampage...before Unit Ramage was even Rampage...when he was Unit Protoform X..." She said, optics going dark for a minute, but then brightened up. She smiled even more, "That's where Unit Rampage knows Experiment Beta from."

Rampage nodded. He remembered her now. Beta was one of three triplets to be created by the Maximals in an attempt to bring some wise Elders back to life, but since it failed, they were reduced to the kinds of tests Rampage was doomed to as well, only not as sever because they weren't immortal like him. And it showed. Beta's brother and sister hadn't made it through all of the tests like she had; Beta was the only survivor. He remembered the day she had been thrown into his cell. She had snapped that day upon seeing her sister's lifeless body. Beta had killed three guards and two scientists easily, but was recaptured and reprogrammed. Once that was done, she had been tossed into his cell so the scientists could see who attacked first. However, nobody attacked anyone. Why? They had no reason to. Beta spent a month in his cell with him, always referring to him as Unit X or Unit Protoform X and herself as Experiment Beta because of the reprogramming she had went through. She was always perky and happy because of the reprogramming she had went through as well, though deep inside, Rampage knew how troubled and distressed she really was. However, when that month was up, she was forcibly taken from his cell, her screaming and kicking despite her reprogramming and him having to be restrained by ten guards. He knew that she was going to be melted down into scrap...he wouldn't loose the only friend he had...but he did. And he was sure she had been killed.

Yet here she was. The only other surviving Maximal Experiment was smiling in front of him and her optics were shining brightly. Hmph. Maybe...today's stasis pod mission wasn't so bad...after all, he now had someone who knew what he went through...only she could die while he couldn't. Rampage refolded his arms, "As for where you are, Beta...welcome to Earth...and to the Beast Wars." He said, looking at his old cellmate.

Beta's optics brightened and she grinned, bouncing up and down. "Earth? Really? Wow!" She exclaimed when he nodded, "Experiment Beta has always wanted to come to Planet Earth! This is Experiment Beta's chance to explore Scientist Richard's home planet!" The fuzor said gleefully, running and bouncing around Rampage.

Rampage blinked for a second time. He would definitely have to get, or force, the spider to re-reprogram her so she'd be back to normal so Beta would be like she used to be when they talked from cell to cell to each other in the labs. The crab shook his head, "Beta..." He said calmly, "Who is Scientist Richard?" He asked, looking at his first friend.

The fuzor quit bouncing. She looked at Rampage and smiled, "Scientist Richard was a good human scientist. He told Experiment Beta about his home, Planet Earth, and that Scientist Richard would take Experiment Beta to Earth if she passed all her tests and did not make a fuss or cry or scream or attack like she had done before." She said, looking at him. Her facial expression then changed to sadness, "But then Scientist Richard left Experiment Beta. He left Experiment Beta alone...with the pain. Scientist Richard didn't keep his promise to me, Unit Rampage." With that, Beta plopped her butt down and frowned. Her optics went sad, "Why didn't he, Unit Rampage?"

For a third time, Rampage blinked. He looked down at the sad femme and sighed, "I don't know, Beta...but those damned scientists never did us any favors...I don't know why you believed him." The crab said, looking at her and crossing his arms. He knew he had said the wrong thing.

Beta's bottom lip trembled and she whimpered. "Experiment Beta believed Scientist Richard because Scientist Richard swore he would take Experiment Beta...he was just using Experiment Beta's feelings and hopes against her, wasn't he, Unit Rampage?" She asked, looking at him with innocent optics.

"Probably, Beta..." Rampage nodded. "Come. Let's get you to the Darkside. Megatron will be wanting to see you..." Before Beta could ask, Rampage answered, "He is the leader of the Predacons, which you are now a part of. And you now, unfortunately, work for Megatron..." He muttered, walking away.

Beta's optics lit up and she smiled, sparkling like happiness returning. She bounded after Rampage in beast mode, humming something. "Coming, Unit Rampage! Wait for Experiment Beta!" She said, hurrying to catch up to him. Once she had, she started to sing, "Experiment Beta following Unit Rampage to meet Master Megatron! Oh what fun this'll be...Experiment Beta following Unit Rampage to meet Master Megatron today!" She sang, laughing.

Rampage couldn't help but chuckle. He cringed as well, though, when he thought about why she was like this. Those scientists...from the moment Beta was created, she had been forced to be put through tests and other horrible things...she was only a sparkling when her brother died...and she had to watch. Rampage growled a bit. He was so into his thoughts, he hadn't noticed that Beta had stopped following him and was playing with a yellow butterfly until it was too late. He jumped upon hearing Beta's scream of pain. Turning around, the crab saw that Beta had been shot by the rat and was lying on her back in stasis. "You!" Rampage snarled. He whipped out his cannon.

"Boy...da Preds dese days keep gettin' uglier and uglier..." Rattrap muttered, looking at Beta's stasis locked body. "An' she's a dame too!" He blinked after a moment. It was then he noticed Rampage, "Crabcakes...shoulda known dat dis dame was yers. What 're ya gonna do ta her? Hand 'er over to Mega-Dork? Rip 'er spark out? What?"

"Make you pay for hurting her!" Rampage snarled, firing his cannon at the rat. When Rattrap was distracted, he ran over to Beta and nudged her slightly. "Beta?" He asked as he aimed his cannon at Rattrap. "Wake up."

Beta didn't move. Rattrap growled and stood up. He dusted himself off. "So is de crabcakes goin' soft? Carin' for a femme? An' an ugly one at dat..." He muttered, talking about her beast mode. It was then he received a cannon blast to his chest. He flew back, hit a tree and was knocked offline.

Rampage went pick Beta's stasis locked body up and then stood up. He looked around and flared his mind through the woods, trying to find any conscious Maximal's emotions. When he couldn't find anything, the crab returned to his own mind and fled towards the Predacon base, not even bothering to kill the rat.

RG: Ya read. Now please review.

Beta: ...Damn that Rat...I'm not that ugly...

RG: Nope. In fact, you're bot mode is pretty.

Beta: Thanks.

RG: Even if your beast mode is scrap.

Beta: HEY!

RG: Review now.