I was going to post a different chapter up, but word of advice from a friend told me not to pull an info dump on my readers. So I went with it and got this was a chapter up, as I was dying to get it out because... OMG! Action and shocking revelations, people! Read it please! And first one to give me a 100th review gets a little sneak peek of a certain chapter! Bwahahaha!

Darkness had settled onto the abandoned town, the only sign of light was the casting of the moonbeam, granting would-be-travellers the light that they needed to see through the gloominess. An old fuel station with rusty barrels filled with petrol was the only thing that Hot Rod needed to satisfy his unquenched hunger.

As he drove into the station and switched off his headlights, he waited for a moment, checking to make sure that no human was around. But the only signs of life he could hear were the hooting of a Burrowing Owl and the rattling tail of a rattlesnake.

Sighing with relief, he transformed silently into his bipedal form, towering over the buildings for a moment and then sat down cross-legged. He reached over for a barrel of petrol, flipped open its lid and downed the disgusting contents. As the liquid sloshed down his throat, a foul taste overwhelmed him and he gagged. Closing his optics, he continued to swallow the petrol in an attempt to remove his hunger.

"Energon tasted a lot better than this..." he sighed in disgust.

Hot Rod couldn't work out why he had wanted to leave behind his friends and never see them again, but alas, Optimus had forced this upon him and now he was never going to set foot into the Autobot base again. But no matter how many times he tried to push away the image of the pained faces of Sideswipe, Bumblebee, and Arcee, it always came back and made his spark ache at his terrible decision. For a moment, he wanted to turn back and return to them, but his stubbornness forced him to push it away into the depths of his processor and never let it out again.

But no matter what he tried to do, he always stayed in the exact same state near the Autobot base. Why couldn't he just force himself to take the road to the next state over? Why didn't he just forget about his worries?

Frustration gnawed at his throat as he growled and tossed aside the barrel of half-drunken petrol. The barrel hit the ground and started spilling its precious contents all over the concrete ground. Realising at what a fool he had been for wasting such a good opportunity, he quickly picked the barrel up in his hand and downed the thick liquid in one go. How could he just throw away the life he had come to know and love, especially when he had left behind the ones he had started to call family?

Once again, doubt crept into his processor, but again, he pushed it away, letting it fade away into the blackest void of his mind. He just couldn't let his choice get in the way of his old life. He had been dying for freedom, and now he got it. He just wasn't sure on whether or not it was the correct choice or not. The nagging feeling of guilt weighed heavily on his spark.

As he satisfied his hunger, but the disgusting taste of petrol was left on his glossa, he lay down on his back and placed his arms behind his head as a form of cushion, his optics looking up at the starry night sky. He remembered how Tracy told him about the variety of different stars that made pictures and sometimes told stories about them. She would even point them out and tell him each of their names and what they meant. Her favourite had been Venus. Despite it being a planet and not a star, it was often named the Morning Star, or better known as the Evening Star because it was always the first star to rise during the evening, and the last star to fall in the morning.

"Tracy, if you're up there," Hot Rod whispered to himself, "please show me what to do. I'm so confused about everything, about my life, and about the people I have met. What do I have to do in order to find my place in this universe you always spoke highly of?"

When he received no answer, he sighed and turned on his side, his back facing the empty road and the lonely darkness. Recharge was a lot harder to come by, despite being exhausted from his several day drive across the countryside, and he somehow missed the warm and comfortable berth he slept in back in his quarters. He even missed recharging in between Sideswipe and Bumblebee on their way back from their racing.

He missed everything and everyone. Heck, he even missed his talks with Optimus and the comfort he provided whenever he felt depressed and lonely when his guardians couldn't be there for him.

He shook it off and closed his optics, letting his deprived mind drift into recharge. He wasn't sure how long he rested for, but it wasn't until the early morning sun began to peek over the horizon and slip into his half-closed optics. He groaned in annoyance and tried to cover them up, but the sun only seemed to mock him and get even brighter, letting its rays wake him up.

Since he had no choice, Hot Rod sat up and stretched his muscle cables, some of them creaking in discomfort at having to lie down on the concrete for several hours. For some reason, his recharge hadn't been as comfortable as he liked, and his aching side was only proof of how much he disliked recharging in his bipedal mode. His vehicle form used to be so much more relaxing and less painful. But thanks to spending so much time in his two-legged form and getting used to resting on a berth, it had been made quite a habit that only ended up pissing him off.

He rubbed his optics to clear away some of the exhaustion and grabbed an old barrel of petrol, opened it with his fingers, and sloshed it down his throat. Once again, he was met with the disgusting taste. He had been so used to petrol back in the past, stealing some when no one was around, and then disappearing without a trace. Now he hated it thanks to drinking energon for awhile.

He was really beginning to miss his Autobot life now.

When he had finished, he placed it beside the other empty barrel and picked up the last one. But instead of drinking it, he stored it away inside his storage unit for later in case he decided to stop and take a break from his driving. It was better to be prepared in case he ended up breaking down in the middle of nowhere.

He twitched his doorwings as he stood up and glanced up at the pink and orange hued sky. It was time to get moving again, and he wasn't going to get anywhere just by standing around and playing 'Stare up at the Sky' all day long. If he stayed around any longer, then he was bound to be spotted by a passing vehicle, and he didn't want to be questioned by the very creatures that were aware of Cybertronians.

Transforming into his vehicle form, he set off down the road, continuing on with his endless journey.

The open desert was hot! Hot enough to make Hot Rod's tyres melt into a sticky substance. There was nothing but cactuses, sand, rocks, and tumbleweeds. It hardly seemed like a place to support life, but as Hot Rod drove over the dusty road, lizards skittered across ground to get out of his way and hissing snakes protested as he interrupted their sunbaking.

As he stopped to catch his breath, he transformed and took a sip of the old petrol that he had stored in his chest cavity. After several minutes of standing around and staring at nothing but the hazy mountains in front of him, Hot Rod emitted a sigh of frustration and anger.

He couldn't take it anymore! The endless driving, but getting nowhere, had driven him to the point on wanting to turn around and head back to the base in order to apologise to Optimus and make up for his stupid pride! He was already going insane with the way he was missing his friends and the friendship and love they had provided him. Maybe he should give up his foolishness and return while he still could.

But every time he stopped and attempted to turn around, he only ended up conflicting with his other half that told him that they wouldn't miss him and that Optimus deserved to be punished for being so overprotective of him. Thus forcing his anger to swell up again and he'd go in the opposite direction. Then he would stop again and the cycle would continue: stop, fight, and continue onward. Stop, fight, and continue onward.

It was a repeating process that had driven him to the point on wanting to give into his need to go back to his friends, to his newfound family... to his home. Why couldn't he just let go of his pride and go back home where he truly belonged? Once again, anger gnawed furiously at his processor, but it was not directed at Optimus, rather it was directed at himself.

Maybe he should suck it up and be a mech for once in his life, embrace his true self and go home. Ugh, who was he kidding? It was best that he kept on going while he still could. He just couldn't afford to waste another chance of being alone for the first time in a good long while without having to glance over his shoulder to check to make sure that Sideswipe and Bumblebee were nearby.

He glanced in the direction he had come from, his fury twisting and bubbling deep inside his gut. But then he changed his mind and prepared to move on, storing his barrel of petrol into his chest in front of his spark chamber. He was about to transform when a jet's whooshing thrusters caught his attention.

At first he thought it might be some random jetfighter that was on its daily patrol, but when he looked up and his cyan optics locked onto it... he was surprised to see it was red and blue and of alien origin. Shocked as realisation hit him in the pit of his midsection, he backed away several steps as the Cybertronian jet swooped in low, hovering for a moment as it kicked up dust and sand in his optics, and it transformed into none other than Cloudburst.

"Hello, Hot Rod," Cloudburst greeted once he removed himself from his kneeling position. "It's fancy meeting you out here. I thought you would be halfway across the country by now." He raised an optic ridge. "Tell me, why are you still so close to the base when you could be in California where you were born?"

Hot Rod wasn't sure what to say after being alone for quite awhile. He had quickly gotten used to not having company, but somehow it felt good to see a friendly face, a face that had told him the truth about the Primes and someone he trusted as well. He looked away from Cloudburst, ashamed to look him in the optic. "I should think the same thing, Cloudburst," he admitted. "I thought I could run away from my future, when instead I should be back there and helping them out."

He shook his head, the frustration eating away at his confusion.

Cloudburst looked to one side, listening intensively as he waited for Hot Rod to continue.

The youngling paced furiously in front of his friend, stomping his pedes and growling words in a language that Cloudburst didn't understand until Hot Rod stopped and sighed, continuing, "I don't know what to do... I'm lost and confused. I don't know whether or not to believe the fact that the Primes are really good leaders. But..."

He grabbed his head with both hands in an attempt to shake off his worries. He sighed again and pointed to the symbol on the side of his head, the very one that translated into his Cybertronian name and spoke about his destiny.

"I have to go back. I've realised what a fool I have been and that I think Optimus is right about me. All this fighting inside my head and dwelling on being this 'Chosen One' for the Autobots is my destiny. I can't afford to let my personal feelings get in the way of what I am supposed to do."

He stood tall and he faced Cloudburst. "You're right about the Primes being corrupted in the past, Cloudburst, but Optimus isn't like that. He and the Autobots saved my life from the Decepticons. He appointed Sideswipe and Bumblebee to be my guardians. Optimus fights for peace, justice, and freedom. I will follow in his footsteps and do what I must to help him and the Autobots until my time comes to lead them.

"I am Rodimus, and I am the Chosen One."

He must've sounded silly to speak like that, but his spark had forced him to speak what had been hiding deep inside. He was surprised at how mature he sounded for his age, but he put that aside. He was going home where he belonged. The Autobots were his family, and nothing was going to stop him from doing what he must to become what he was meant to be.

"Is that it then, little Hot Rod?" Cloudburst asked, his optics squinting into a scowl. "You're going to accept your destiny and purify the universe with your foolish youthfulness and your immaturity? You Autobots disgust me to the pit of my waste tanks!"

Hot Rod blinked. What was Cloudburst saying? No Autobot spoke like that. He had never even heard the red and blue mech say things in regards to the Autobots whenever they were in presence of each other. Something wasn't right with Cloudburst, especially with the way he was talking about how he was going to 'purify' the universe with his so-called youthfulness and immaturity.

"What are you talking about?" Hot Rod asked, lifting an optic ridge in suspicion. "I don't understand what you are trying to say."

A smirk fell over Cloudburst's facial features, giving him a dark look that Hot Rod had never seen before. The youngling backed off several steps, his doorwings twitching with nervousness and uncertainty. The scowl on the red and blue mech's normally kind face seemed to cause his cyan optics to glow purple until they formed into a ruby red colour, the same colour as every Decepticon optics normally would look like.

Then it hit Hot Rod like a tonne of bricks! Cloudburst was a Decepticon!

"Surprised, Hot Rod?" Cloudburst snarled as he took a few steps closer to the still backing away youngling. "Are you surprised that a mech such as myself was able to worm his way into your life, gaining your trust until you considered him as a friend? Well, worry no more, because I am about to do what I was ordered."

As Hot Rod took a few more steps, he watched in horror as Cloudburst got down on his hands and knees, his armour began to shift and slide into pieces, changing colour from red and blue to jet black and silver. His mouth opened to reveal snarling fangs, and a fifth appendage snaked its way out of his aft, growing longer until it was at least ten feet in length. Claws snuck their way out of the gentle looking fingers of his hands until they were as sharp as the fangs in his mouth.

The last part of the transformation to happen was the mech's head. It grew longer, turning into a fierce tigerlike face, only without the whiskers and catlike ears, and he began to grow bulkier and heavier than the usual light-weighted Cloudburst that he used to be.

With his transformation complete, Cloudburst let off a furious roar that echoed across the valley. He then extended his claws until they pierced the sand that he walked on, leaving massive paw prints in his wake.

"Say hello to Doubledealer, filthy Autobot scum!" the Decepticon snarled as he stood back up on his back legs, his long tail swinging furiously.

Fear held Hot Rod in place as he continued to stare in horror at the new creature. He had never seen anything like it. Sideswipe had warned him of Transformers that were capable of shape shifting into anything they pleased just to hide their true identity until the last second. Now he was face to face with one of the most terrifying Decepticons on the face of the planet.

He didn't stand much of a chance against such a powerful Decepticon. Even if he fought with his fists, it would be nothing to stand against the might of such a formidable adversary. And before he can even pass the thought of willing to defend himself, Doubledealer leapt at him with furious speed, knocking him off his feet and sending him head first into the sand.

Hot Rod coughed, but a clawed hand shoved his face into the sand in order to suffocate him. He could feel the Decepticon's hot breath beside his neck as he whispered into his audio receptors, "Pathetic, just like any other Autobot I've fought in the past. We've barely even started and already you're underneath me, just waiting for me to put you out of your misery like the turbofox that you are."

The youngling felt his muscle cables bunch up underneath him, fury fuelling him with newfound strength. In a swift act of motion, he gathered up his hands beneath him and pushed with all his might, surprising Doubledealer. He turned to face the Decepticon, determination flashing across his cyan optics.

"I don't understand why you did it, you disgusting asshole! I trusted you when you saved my life!" he bellowed as he charged towards the shocked Doubledealer and tackled him to the ground, punching him in the face over and over again. "Why did you go and do this to me? I thought you were my friend!"

Doubledealer screeched as Hot Rod's fifth punch dented his face and left a crack in his right cheek. Hot Rod was about to throw in another punch into his face when he caught the fist with a single hand and kneed Hot Rod in the gut, winding the youngling badly. Hot Rod gasped as he took several steps backwards, clutching his midsection in agony as Doubledealer threw in several punches into his face, energon splattering onto the sand and soaking it. He then threw back his right fist and thrust it into Hot Rod's chin, sending him hurtling through the air and he landed on his back painfully.

Doubledealer roared in triumph and began moving slowly towards the downed youngling.

"I did it because it was my job," the Decepticon answered, liquid drooling from his massive jaws as he spoke. "Megatron needed someone to get in close enough to get you away from the protection of the Autobots, especially your guardians. He knew I was the right mech for the job, and I never questioned his reasons. If I am to go offline while taking you down, then you will go with me!"

Once again, Doubledealer charged at Hot Rod in an attempt to headbutt him, but Hot Rod quickly picked himself up and leapt aside, wrapping his arms around the bipedal Decepticon's neck, surprising him completely. Despite the pain he was in from the assault the Decepticon had placed upon his body and the energon dripping from his lips, Hot Rod was determined. Snarling in fury, Doubledealer shook himself to try and get Hot Rod off his neck. He even tried using his bulky arms to attempt to pry the youngling off, but it was no good.

Hot Rod grinned enthusiastically. He had Doubledealer right where he wanted him, and he was going to make him pay for calling him names and for tricking him into believing that the Primes were as evil as they were in the past. There had been mistakes, but Optimus was making up for it by being the best Prime he had ever been!

Using all his weight, Hot Rod planted his feet into the ground and used all his strength in an attempt to flip Doubledealer onto his back. However, the massive quadrupedal beast dug his clawed feet into the ground, holding him in place and did the opposite with Hot Rod. Knowing what was coming, Hot Rod twisted his body and released Doubledealer, performing a helix twist and landing on his feet some distance away, digging his fingers into the ground to slow the dragging in his fall.

Doubledealer bowed his head and then threw it to the sky, releasing an enormous roar in Hot Rod's direction as he picked himself up and got into the fighting stance that Kup had taught him, glaring furiously at the behemoth. They were going to go again soon, and Hot Rod couldn't afford to let his foolishness get in the way of this fight.

For a moment, no one moved as Doubledealer stood on his back legs like a Tyrannosaurus, his forearms curling up into winglike appendages and eyeing Hot Rod with a suspicious optic. His tail twitched from side to side, sweeping up the sand beneath it before it lifted up and straightened out into a line, giving no indication of what he was planning. Then, he got back on all four and began to move to Hot Rod's left, head lowered and his blood red optics never straying from his prey.

Hot Rod followed his every move, his own optics never wavering nor giving away his emotion as he struggled to figure out his opponent. He was big and bulky, he could move on four or two legs depending on his choice, and he was definitely someone that no one would want to tangle with if you were small and speedy.

"Fuck..." Hot Rod cursed underneath his breath.

"Having a hard time working out your opponent, young one?" Doubledealer hissed as he walked behind Hot Rod and out of his line of vision, forcing him to turn his neck to keep an optic on him in case he leapt from behind. "Oh do not worry. Once I'm finished with you, I'll go for your precious guardians and Arcee. On second thought, does your femme friend scream as loudly as all the femmes I've taken in the past?"

Hot Rod's optics widened in horror and disgust and he whirled to face Doubledealer. Without warning, he charged directly at him, yelling at the top of his vocal processor as he tackled him to the ground, shocking the Decepticon completely. Hot Rod placed his foot on Doubledealer's chest and pulled out his plasma cannon, aiming it directly at his head. For the first time, the quadrupedal Decepticon saw true fury in his optics.

"If you so much as even think about touching Arcee," Hot Rod warned as his cannon's barrel touched Doubledealer's face, "then I will blast your face in and leave you lying on the ground to rot and waste away into nothing like the dog that you are!"

"How touching," Doubledealer smirked as he spat energon from his mouth, unflinching as the barrel's tip brushed against his metal skin. "Who knew you have a soft spot for that pretty femme?"

"Don't you even dare think about coming near Arcee!" Hot Rod spat angrily.

"My dear, dear Hot Rod," the Decepticon chuckled. "You don't even know who you're dealing with!" His jaws latched onto the cannon and tossed it aside like as if it was trash that needed to be thrown away. His tail wrapped around Hot Rod's midsection and he threw him away as if he was a ragdoll.

Hot Rod found himself rolling several times in the dust and down a sand dune. He kept on rolling until he ended up landing face first in a pile of sand. Some of the yellow grains ended up in his joints and some even came into places he didn't even want to describe. He heard Doubledealer's laughter echoing from above him.

He emitted a deep sigh, the sand shifting from his exhale. He couldn't win against such a beast! It was just impossible. Doubledealer was much more experienced in fighting than he was, and he didn't have the strength to fight on anymore. He was tired and his recharge systems had just started to blare, demanding that he rest and recover his strength. But if he lost this fight, then Doubledealer would end up winning and would even attempt to harm his friends. He had to fight on for their sake! For Arcee's sake!

Closing his optics as he groaned in agony, he pushed himself up off the ground until he was standing back on his feet. His chassis was bent overly partially, his head twisted to one side to look up at his amused enemy, who continued to look down upon him with disgust. Exhaustion fluttered through his body as he trembled from the beating he had received from Doubledealer. He didn't know why he was forcing himself to keep on going, but he had to in order to protect the ones he cared about.

"You still fight on?" Doubledealer asked, raising an optic ridge. "Fine then, my friend! If you insist on being stubborn instead of just lying on your back and begging me to end your pitiful life once and for all, then I'm going to give you the quick and painless death!"

Without warning, Doubledealer bunched up his muscle cables and leapt high into the air, his claws extended to extreme measures.

Hot Rod bowed his head and closed his optics in defeat, wishing for anything but the end of his life. If only he had the strength to continue the fight against this scumbag, but he didn't. He was pathetic and he was going to die before he even got the chance to see his friends again. At least he was going to see Tracy again and be reunited with her...

Suddenly, as if everything went in slow motion and someone had heard his thoughts, a code flashed across his HUD and he realised what it was. Oh, if there was such thing as God or Primus, then he would send a thousand thanks to the heavens above!

Glancing up at the still slowly descending Doubledealer, Hot Rod stuck his right hand out from behind him and concentrated, remembering what his teacher had taught him. Slowly, his hand began to tremble, the transformation activating as he continued to push with all his might. As it finished transforming, laughter escaped from his mouth and he looked at Doubledealer, his optics squinting into a burning ball of spite.

The falling Decepticon must've noticed what was happening and had realised too late what was about to transpire, because the look on his face convinced Hot Rod that he was afraid of what he was facing: death.

Hot Rod didn't waste a moment as he thrust his transformed blade upwards and straight into Doubledealer's chest. Doubledealer landed on the blade and Hot Rod had fallen thanks to the weight of the assassin. Energon splattered on Hot Rod's face and Doubledealer's shocked expression eventually wiped away and was replaced with a look of pain and horror. To make matters worse, Hot Rod twisted the blade, pushing it deeper into his spark chamber, and earning a satisfying roar of agony from his opponent.

Hot Rod then pulled the Decepticon's face closer to his lips. "Before I kill you, tell me what your plans are."

Doubledealer gagged several times and spat out several words that shocked Hot Rod to the core of his spark. "Monster... Megatron... plans to release his monster on the Earth. They're... in Alaska..."

The young mech nodded his thanks and emitted a deep sigh of regret.

And before Doubledealer could even think, the Hot Rod removed the blade from his chest and then took a swing at his head, slicing off his head. It fell into the sand with a thud, the optics flickering on and off several times until they became a lifeless gray colour. The assassin's body continued to stand for several seconds longer until it fell to one side, twitching a few times until no more life could be given to it anymore.

Standing up on wobbly feet and moving away from the corpse of the fallen assassin, Hot Rod turned in the general direction he needed to go. Several emotions played across his face and spark. He knew exactly what he needed to do, and it was time that he embraced his heritage and destiny.

It was time to go to war.