Chapter 3

"What do we have here?" a familiar voice said as Waspinator and Terrorsaur hung from the taller robots grip like beef slabs, their feet not even touching the ground. "Two Predacon spys!"

Terrorsaur twisted his head back to see who had grabbed them. Dinobot glared back at him, his red optics showing an unreadable but dangerous expression. "Uh oh," the Predacon flier gulped.

"You had better have an good excuse on why you are here, old comrades," the raptor said.

Yume heard the voices and turned away from what she was doing. She spotted Dinobot standing by a large rock, holding two smaller figures. "What is it, Dinobot?" she called to him.

He walked forward, taking the two Predacons with him. "Look what I have found," he said, holding the two up high like trophies. "Predacons."

Everyone stopped what they were doing and went to Dinobot and his captives. "What are they doing here?" Airazor asked, eyeing the fliers.

"I believe they were spying on us," Dinobot told her. He shook the two. "I wonder why."

"It's likely that Megatron sent them here," Optimus replied, glaring at the two unfortunate fliers. "I wonder why."

"We know what you're up to!" Terrorsaur blurted out, pointing a finger in their faces. "We know all about your Christmas plan!"

The three stared at him. "Our Christmas plan?" Yume said, blinking once. "What do you mean by that and how do you know about Christmas anyway?" she looked at the Maixmals. "Have you all been lying to me? Do you know about Christmas? How could you be so cruel and play me like that?!"

"We don't know what Christmas is," Optimus replied. "We don't even celebrate it. I don't know how they know."

Dinobot came up with a simple explanation. 'They must have heard us talking about it."

"Yeah!" Waspinator broke in. "We heard all about your plot! You won't get away with this! Megatron will stop Maximals and female fleshy-bot before you attack us Predacons."

Yume blinked. "Attack you?" She thought about it a moment then burst out laughing.

The two Predacons didn't get what was so funny. "I see no humor in a take over plot," Terrorsaur commented, glaring at the human girl who was bent over and holding her sides as she cracked up.

She quickly got ahold of herself before she corrected him. "We're not trying to take over anything," she replied. "And Christmas isn't a plot either."

"Then what is it?!"

"It's a holiday," she replied.

The two Predacons looked at each other. "A holiday?" they said.

She nodded, still smiling. "Yes," she confirmed. "It's a holiday that happens every year around this time."

"I don't believe that," Terrorsaur said. He pointed a black finger into her face. "You're lying. There's no such thing."

She giggled, shaking her head. "You two are reacting the same way these guys did," she said, waving her hand around to indicate the three Maximals. "Look I'll explain it to you." she looked at Dinobot. "It's getting cold out here. Let's all go inside where it's warm and I'll explain it to them."

Dinobot wasn't sure he liked the idea. "I do not think it is wise for us to bring Predacons into the base," he said. "They might try something."

She ignored him and looked at the two Predacons. Waspinator and Terrorsaur had been the very first transformers she'd encountered when she'd ended up in this time line of earth history. She wasn't scared of them anymore. The two amused her. She smiled at them. Terrorsaur frowned at her. "What are you looking at?"

She looked away from them and glanced at the Maximals, especially Primal. "Would it be okay if we brought them inside so I could explain to them?" she asked.

Optimus wasn't sure he liked that idea.

"You can keep them at bay by pointing guns at them if you have to," she added.

He thought it over a minute then nodded. "All right," he conceded. He looked up at Dinobot. "Let's get them inside."

Dinobot grudgingly did what he was told.


Megatron tried to contact Waspinator and Terrorsaur again. "Terrorsaur! Waspinator!" he shouted into his comlink. "Terrorsaur, Waspinator, answer me right now!" Nothing. "ANYBODY!"

The only sound he recieved was silence. "Blast!" he exclaimed, getting out of his hot tub. "Why won't they answer?"

He stalked out of his room. In the hall he nearly ran into Scorponok. Luckily he noticed the second in command in time and stopped. Scorponok noticed his leader glaring at him and wondered what he'd done wrong. "Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked, taking a few steps back. "Whatever it is I didn't do it."
"I know you didn't," Megatron snapped. "It's got nothing to do with you."

"Then why are you-"

"Have you recieved any word from Terrorsaur or Waspinator?" he cut him off.

"No," Scorponok replied. "Why?"

"I told them to find out all they could about the Maximal's Christmas plot," Megatron replied, scowling. "I tried to get in contact with them and they won't answer."
"Maybe they're fighting the Maximals and that's why they can't answer," Scorponok suggested then asked. "What Christmas plot?"

Megatron growled to himself and started walking. Scorponok followed him, still asking. "What Christmas plot?"

"The Maximals have come up with a plot to get rid of us," his commander replied, still walking and not looking at his second in command. Scorponok, being shorter practically had to run to keep up with his leader's long strides. "Terrorsaur and Waspinator overheard that traitor Dinobot and the human girl talking about it."

"Why do they call it Christmas?" the scorpion wanted to know. "What does Christmas mean?"

"I have no idea," Megatron replied. "It's probably a codename."

"For what?!"

"How should I know?!" Megatron snapped. "I tried every combination of words I could think of that that could mean and nothing made any sense."

Scorponok didn't know what to say to that. "So what are you going to do about it?" he wanted to know.

"I won't let them get the chance to do it, no," Megatron replied, determindly. "We'll strike first before they can even put their little Christmas plan into action, yes!"


Terrorsaur and Waspinator had about the same reaction to Yume's explanation of Christmas as the Maximal's. Only, unlike them, they couldn't hold in their laughter. The two fell over each other in hysterics.

"Are you telling me that you're decorating the base because some female flesh creature had her flesh spawn in a barn and there's another flesh creature that's as fat as a planet that comes down the chimney and puts presents under a tree?" Terrorsaur asked, holding his stomach plating as he cracked up.

Yume put her hands on her hips, annoyed. "Yes," she said as if the answer was obvious. "And stop saying it that way. The nativity is a lovely story except when you transformers talk about it."

"Either way if some fat flesh creature came down my chimney I wouldn't give him the chance to put gifts under my tree," Terrorsaur said, calming down somewhat. "I'd shoot him before his fat boots even touched the carpet."

"You can't shoot Santa!" she exclaimed, her gray eyes widening in horror.

"Well if he broke into my house I would," Terrorsaur folding his arms. "I don't need some fat flesh creature ripping me off."

"Santa won't rip you off," she shot back. "Santa gives not takes."

"I doubt some fat fleshy would just come into a house to give. I'm sure he's taken something."

Yume shook her head. "Forget about Santa," she told him. "Do you understand now that this thing called Christmas isn't some kind of plot to kill you Predacons."

"Waspinator would have perfered that," Waspinator commented.

Yume rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Forget it," she said. "You all will neverunderstand. None of you. I don't even know why I'm bothering." She turned from them and stomped out of the room.

The Maximals glared at the Predacons. "What?" Terrorsaur asked.

Aiazor stepped forward and slapped Terrorsaur across the face. "Look what you did," she said. "You upset her."

"So what?" he asked, rubbing his face. Airazor had a harder hit than he thought she did. "It's not like she's my pet."

"She's not a pet," Airazor snapped. "and you had better apologize to her."

"What for?"

"Because this Christmas she is talking about is very important to her," she said, folding her arms. "Just because we don't know what it is doesn't mean we have to make fun of it. At least we're making an effort to understand. You could do the same."

"Why?" Terrorsaur demanded, still rubbing his face. "That human isn't my friend. I don't want anything to do with her."

"Well she wants everything to do with you Predacons."

"What do you mean?"

"This was for both fractions," Rhinox told him, seeing that Airazor was getting very upset explaining. "That's one of the reasons she took those things from your base. She wanted you all to have en excuse to come here. She wanted you all to be involved as well."

"So?"

"She also said she was going to give you Predacons something." Optimus cut in.

Terrorsaur couldn't think of a comeback. The girl wanted to what?! "She's crazy," he finally said, shaking his head.

Waspinator seemed interested now. "Female fleshy-bot was going to give Waspinator a present?" he asked. "Nobody has ever given Waspinator a present."

"Waspinator-" Terrorsaur began.

But his wing mate wasn't listening. He stood up and said. "Waspinator would be happy to help!"

Terrorsaur nearly fell out of his chair. He stared at the other flier in horror. "You what?!" he gasped. "You can't be serious!"

"Waspinator is serious!" the wasp replied. "If female Fleshy-bot is nice enough to get Waspinator a present, Waspinator should be nice enough to do something for her."

Terrorsaur covered his face with his hand. "Oh brother," he muttered."You're crazy!"

Waspinator ignored him and looked at the Maximals. "What can Waspinator do to help?" he asked.

Rhinox took him aside to explain what Yume wanted done. When they were gone Terrorsaur looked back up to see the others still looming over him. "What?" he demanded, feeling claustrophobic at their closeness.

"Well?" Optimus asked, folding his arms. "You have two choices, Terrorsaur. Either help us or we lock you up."

Terrorsaur sighed, knowing he didn't have any other options. The last things he wanted was to be locked up, in a tiny space.. closing in one him... "I'll help," he said relunctantly.

"Good," Optimus said. "Now go with Rhinox and Waspinator."

Terrorsaur grouchily got to his feet. He stalked away with his fists clenched at his sides.

"When did Yume say she had presents for the Predacons?" Airazor asked taking Optimus aside.

"She didn't," he replied. "But I thought it would be the only way to get them to help, and it worked."

"Ohh..."


Optimus wanted to surprise Yume. He called Dinobot and Rattrap to him and told them to go out and cut down a tree. The two argued with him a moment, wanting to know what the big deal was and he informed them that it would be a nice gesture. Relunctantly the two left. Dinobot led Rattrap back to the forest, complaining all the way about this being the wrong way to use the sword of a warrior.

"Aww, quite your complaining, Chopper-face," Rattrap said, annoyed. "It's just a sword."

"It is not just a sword," Dinobot corrected indignantly. "It is an honorable warrior's blade."

"It's also a good ax," Rattrap retorted. He stopped and pointed at the trees. "Now out it to some good use. Chop us down a Christmas tree."

The raptor grumbled bad temperedly to himself as he stalked toward the trees. "Stupid human and her stupid holidays," he muttered.

He stood in front of the tree Rattrap had pointed out and sized it up, trying to figure out the best way to cut it down.

"What are you doing?" Rattrap demanded. "It's a tree not an enemy. Cut it down at the trunk."

"I know that, vermin!" Dinobot shouted then started hacking away at the tree. When he was done the tree was still standing but it had lost all it branches except for the one at the top. Rattrap got one look at it and cracked up. "That's one less tree to spike bunnies," he cackled.

Dinobot glared at him. "Shut up! I'd like to see you do better!"

Rattrap got ahold of himself and walked over to Dinobot. "Give me that," he said, taking the raptor's sword. "That's not how ya do it."

'Then how do you do it?"

Rattrap shoved him back. "Watch and learn, Dino-butt," he said. He faced another tree and started chopping at the base of the trunk. "You do it like this."

Dinobot folded his arms and watched sulkily as Rattrap chopped expertly at the tree. A minute later he was done and the hole tree fell to the ground. "There, ya see," he said, turning to the taller robot. "It's not as hard as you make it seem."

Dinobot growled and took his sword back. "Let's just bring it to the base," he snarled.


Yume was in one of those moods. The Maximals and Predacons were really getting on her nerves. Of course she shouldn't be too surprised that they didn't know what Christmas was but the way they tried to understand it was annoying. "Imagine wanting to shoot Santa Claus," she muttered, scribbling some sketches on her notepad. She was sitting on her bed in the room she shared with Airazor when the female Maximal spent the night in the base, which wasn't really often so most of the time the girl had the room to herself, and brooding about what had happened. "That's one of the worst things I've ever heard. That's almost as bad as saying Mary had her baby in a barn. Though that isn't really a lie or anything, it's still really degrading." She shook her head. "All well. I guess I should have expected that." She set down her pad and put it in her back pack. "They are robots from another planet anyway."

She stepped out of the room. "Well I'd better work on everyone's gifts," she said to herself. 'Maybe that will get my mind off it." and she turned away from the control room and ran in the opposite direction, toward the lower levels of the ship. "I just hope nobody finds out about my other surprise."


Megatron once again tried to get in contact with Terrorsaur and Waspinator but the two had turned off their comlinks so they couldn't be bothered as they helped the Maximal's get the Axalon ready for this holiday called Christmas. This did not help Megatron's mood. "What in the Inferno could they be doing?" he growled, pounding down hard on the arm rests of his chair. "Why won't they answer?"

"Maybe the Maximal's captured them," Scorponok suggested from his spot in front of the main console. He turned around to look at his leader's face."Maybe they've been knocked off line."

Megatron growled then sat there quietly, thinking about it for a few minutes. 'Yes," he said after a long moment. "Yes, that had to be what happened. The Maximal's don't want us know what they're up to so they're going to resort to dirty tricks to keep it that way." he drummed the fingers of his left hand on top of the arm rest of his chair. "Yes..."

Suddenly he stood up. "Scorponok, contact Tarantulas, Inferno and Blackarachnia," he ordered.

"Yes, Megatron," Scorponok said, turning back the screen. "May I ask why?"

"I won't give the Maximals anymore time to put their plan into action, no," he said, walking over to Scorponok and leaning down to look over his second in command's shoulder to look at the screen. "We shall launch a full scale attack."

Scorponok looked over his shoulder and gaped at his commander. "What?!" he exclaimed. "We can't do that! They'll have us out numbered!"

Megatron wasn't in the mood for whiny excuses. "Just do what you're told!" he snapped.

"Y-yes Megatron," Scorponok said, turning back to the screen.

Megatron watched his second in command summon the three remaining Predacons. You're not going to over throw me, Primal, he thought grimly. I won't allow you to win the Beast wars, no. I shall win this. I will win this!


All the outside work was finished. The lights were up and running. The snow storm had passed and now only flurries fell from the sky. Dinobot and Rattrap had returned with the Christmas tree and the Maximals and the two Predacons fliers had decorated it with things they'd found around the base and the forest. Terrorsaur still wasn't enjoying anything but Waspinator had gotten into the spirit of things and was having the time of his life.

"Waspinator likes Christmas," he proclaimed as he put holy sprigs on the tree. "Waspinator wishes it was Christmas all the time!"

Terrorsaur rolled his optics. He'd been saying that for hours. Oh brother!

"Eh," Rattrap said, putting some pine cones on the tree. "Maybe that girl has something here."

"So you regret laughing at her then?" Cheetor wanted to know, giving the smaller robot a smirk.

Rattrap shrugged. "I guess so."

A few minutes later they were done. The group stepped back to stare at the tree. It looked pretty good. It even had lights on it thanks to Rhinox.

"I hope she likes it," Tigatron said.

The others, including Waspinator nodded. Terrorsaur still wasn't feeling it. To him the tree looked like a tree just decorated with strange objects and lights. "I don't get it," he commented.

"Neither do we," Cheetor told him. "But it was a nice thing to do."

Terrorsaur shrugged. "Whatever." he turned away from the tree. "It still looks like a dead plant to me."

"Hey!" Rattrap exclaimed, glaring at the Predacon. "At least try to pretend you're enjoying yourself."

"Why?" Terrorsaur demanded, looking back at Rattrap. "It's not like it's important."

"Aw I hope Santa puts coal in your stocking," Rattrap muttered, turning away.

"I highly doubt it." Terrorsaur sneered. "If he did I'd shoot him."

"Enough," Optimus broke in. "Save the argument for after the holiday. Now shake hands and stop fighting."

The two other robots looked at them. Rattrap shrugged. "Fine, whatever you say, Boss monkey."

Terrorsaur said nothing but dropped the subject anyway.


Yume was finished. She sighed with relief and collected the gifts up, putting them into her back pack. She also grabbed Megatron's ducky off the work table and set it inside too. Smiling to herself she slung the pack over her shoulder and saundered out of the work room, humming a score of "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" under her breath.

Well I might not be having the Christmas I wanted but at least I can give presents to them, even if they don't understand what it all means.

A/N

I'm determind to get this story done by Christmas so I'm rushing a few things. I hope you don't mind. Making Beast Wars Megatron slightly paranoid is kinda fun. It might not be in character but it makes me laugh none the less.