Same disclaimer. Sorry for the long delay. I have this chapter and the next one completely written in my notebook, plus the first half of 13. I know things are dragging, but will pick up soon.

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Dinobot glared at Optimus who returned the look. They were fighting once again over Optimus's leadership abilities. Rinox rolled his eyes and went into his lab as Rattrap and Cheedor seemed to enjoy watching the verbal sparring match. Kat was trying to ignore them but was failing. She was about to yell at them when a blip moved on the screen from space.

"Guys?" She watched it move through the atmosphere. "Guys." Typing quickly, she plotted its course and turned around in her chair. "Guys!" Optimus and Dinobot continued to bicker as Rattrap and Cheedor looked over.

"What's up Kat?" Cheedor walked over looking at the screen as Rattrap came to stand behind them.

"Hey Boss Monkey, we got a pod." They watched as the signal nit in the mountains. Rattrap looked over at Optimus as he put a paw on Dinobots' snout, silencing him and looked at the location.

"All right. Lets move out. If we found it then Megatron did as well." Optimus turned, waiting for the others to get ready when he thought on something. "Dinobot, stay here and guard the base with Kat." Both Kat and Dinobot looked over at him, offended.

"Sir, I can defend the base myself. I have once before and I can do it again." Optimus gave her an odd look as she quickly looked down, realizing what she said.

"I am not babysitting a human. It is below me as a warrior to do so."

"Dinobot, I need you here while Kat's leg is still healing. She can't move fast enough if something does happen. And you and I will have a talk young lady when I return." Kat and Dinobot glared at Optimus but said nothing more and turned away form each other. Optimus sighed and went to get Rinox.

Cheedor put a hand on Kat's shoulder as she typed. "Just signal us if Dinobot does something. We'll come running."

"Yea. Unless Chopperface turned and lets his Pred pals in to play." Dinobot growled at Rattrap who was smirking at him but said nothing as Optimus returned with Rinox. As they set off Kat sighed and put her head on the console as she felt a headache coming on.

"Asleep already? You humans sure are lazy." Dinobot snickered as she growled at him and walked out of the control room, leaving it in her care. He was confident that she could handle any threat that came their way. He had other things on his mind at the moment that required his attention.

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Disruptor followed the path the pod had taken with the computers tracker. Tarantulas stood at his worktable humming. "Sir, the pod has crashed in the mountain range."

"Excellent. With any luck I'll be the able to get to it first." He chuckled and headed for the door when Megatron radioed him. Disruptor quickly went to her spot on the ceiling as her master replied. "Slag it. Megatron did find it. Now I have to retrieve it for him before the Maximals get to it." Disruptor rolled her eyes as he ranted. Sometimes she wondered if he too was an idiot like so many of his comrades.

"Sir, why not just rewire his computer so it doesn't pick up anymore pod signals." Tarantulas thought for a moment then chuckled.

"Good idea. Glad I thought of it. Get to it Disruptor." With that he left, giggling madly to himself. She watched him go then dropped from the ceiling, landing on her feet as her stomach growled softly.

"I need to feed." As if on cue, the door slip open as Scorponic entered the labs, looking for the spider and stopped, seeing her.

"Who are you? Where did you come from?" She smirked at him, her optics glowing brightly as the door slid closed. He raised his claw, shakeing as she advanced on him. She jumped on him, causing him to hit the wall. The last conscious thought going through his processor was wondering if Megatron would notice him missing from the mission.

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Optimus looked at his wrist monitor. They were getting closer but so were the Predacons. He hoped that the snow and ice that was slowing him down was also slowing them down. "Only a few more clicks." Rattrap groaned from atop Rinox as they pushed through the snow.

"Why can't pods land in warmer places? Like on the beach?"

"I'll be sure to ask the new Maximal that once we get there." Optimus sighed after saying this and went back into beast mode just as his comm. came to life. Though the signal was weak, he could make it out perfectly. "Optimus to base. What's wrong Kat."

"Another pod just landed and it's close to the base."

"Alright. Send Dinobot out but tell him to be quick."

"Yes Sir." Kat cut the transmission and looked at Dinobot.

"It seems I am now a retrieval unit as well." He turned and left the base as Kat radioed directions to him.

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At that time, only two remained at the Darkside. One was knocked out, the other tampering with the computers. Disruptor looked up at the screen as it showed where the new pod had landed. Thinking for a moment, she pushed the wires back into the control panel quickly and left the base.

"Tarantulas would want this pod if he fails with Megatron. And he never said anything about not retrieving a protoform." Going into beast mode she flew quickly over the lava fields toward the second crash site.

Dinobot reached the pod first, finding the lid open and the pod empty. "Hmm. It seems to have come online already. But where did it go." He stalked around a little but found nothing. A large shadow flew overhead. Looking up, he found a large black and blue bat hanging upside down, watching him. "This must be the one that came from the pod. Dinobot, Maximize!" As he changed, a deafening screech came through the air, tearing up the ground in front of him and sending him back through a tree.

"Maximal scum!" The bat screeched as it let go of the tree limb and went for him. Just as she reached him, a falcon slammed into her, sending her into the dirt. Dinobot stood, sword drawn as he watched the two. Disruptor flew up, screeching again as the falcon flew to the side, a tree behind it splintering in the middle. Dinobot growled, firing his optic beams toward the unknown bot, hitting its wing. It shrieked, and quickly flew over the trees disappearing. The falcon landed on the pod, watching him.

"If you are what came out of there, then show yourself before I fire upon you."

"I am. I wasn't sure whose side you were on till that bot attacked." The falcon flew up, flipping in the air as it transformed and landed in front of him, putting her arms behind her back. "You may call me Airazor."

"Great, another femme. Although, a flyer will be most useful." Dinobot growled softly before turning and began walking back the way he has come. "Come, we must tell Optimus that I have found you, and that there is another one running around the forest somewhere." Airazor followed quickly, nodding.

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Optimus and the other's seemed to be having the same problems Dinobot had with finding an empty pod. They had been searching when Megatron found them.

"Thank you Primal, for finding the pod for me. It saves me so much time, yes." He smiled as Terrorsaur approached the pod. He cocked his head when he reached it and opened the lid slightly.

"Megatron, its empty"

"What do you mean its empty." Terrorsaur opened the pod fully, showing him the inside. Megatron growled, turning to the Maximals, finding their numbers unchanged. "Where's the protoform Optimus?"

"Apparently its empty Megatron. Sorry to disappoint you." Optimus smirked as Megatron yelled in frustration, hitting Waspinator back in the process.

"Well, it seems fate has deemed it necessary to laugh at me once again. No matter. But I will not leave the loser, no. Predacons, attack!" The Predacons rushed forward toward the Maximals. Two Siberian tigers moved into view from behind a snowdrift, watching the battle.

Waspinator stood dizzy and he fixed his head. He aimed and fired, just missing Rinox's head. In the distance a low rumble began to grow in volume as the blast hit a snowy mountain peak. Both sides stopped fighting, looking up at the sound. The two tigers watching looked over then quickly ran, one breaking off and jumping on Waspinator, mauling him. Megatron turned, running down the mountain, his troops following behind him and leaving Waspinator to the tiger.

The snow came down hard, the wayward blast causing an avalanche. Optimus grabbed Rattrap, throwing him under a rock outcropping as the others followed quickly, the waves of snow missing them by inches. After some time, the snow settled. Optimus pushed snow away from himself as he and the Maximals emerged from the snow. The tiger walked over to Optimus, Waspinators head held in its jaws.

"Thank you. I'm guessing you are the transformer we were looking for"

"Yes. I am Tigatron. Tigatron, Maximize!" He stood quickly as he transformed, nodding to the others as they walked over to them.

"Its good to have another to aid us against Megatron. With your help, we can stop him sooner and recover the golden disk he stole." Tigatron looked down as he thought this over. He had always chosen to stay away from battle, choosing to stay away from it if he could.

"I am sorry Optimus, but I will not join your fight." He looked back at the once smooth, white landscape, now finding it covered in small smoking craters where the snow had not covered. The white tiger that he had taken his from looked out from a cave, afraid of the odd beings in its home. "But, should the need arise, you need only call and I will come to your aid." Optimus was less then happy with Tigatron's response, but he understood the tiger's choice. He would not push a war on someone who did not want to fight. It was not the Maximal way, no matter how badly they needed the help.

"I respect your wishes Tigatron. Perhaps you could monitor this area. We don't have anyone to do long range scouting and could use someone up here." Tigatron thought for a moment then agreed.

Rattrap crossed his arms grumbling about wasting time and turned to head back to base. "We came all this way for nothing."

"I wouldn't say nothing Rattrap. We gained a new friend and a scout for here. Now we'll know if the Predacons are up to anything in this area." Rinox looked at the smaller robot as he turned back into a rhino for the trek home. Rattrap sighed and jumped onto his back in rat form.

"Yea, yea. Maybe Dinobutt had better luck on his end."

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OMG, to long. Well, here's the next one. I have a lot more chapters to type up.