Episode 2
The New Allegiance

What a dreary planet.
He hated the place. It was filled with organic life. Disgusting.
Plants and trees held sway over untamed fields. Revolting.
The planets sentient species were small creatures known as human. Pathetic.
But this planet also held the key to everything. Everything he had waited so long to build...
And there were those who would stand in his way. Inconsequential.
So, he had to be forced to adapt. A waste of time.
But he was still outnumbered. That would not be the case for much longer. If there was one thing he had thought out well, it would be the arrival of his new troops.
One robot was ready to face off against the world. But unlike his predecessors, he would succeed.

Koji sighed as he looked out Side Burns window. It was raining hard. That wouldn't have been so bad if it were not mixed with a thick fog. The outlook was overall... dreary.
Something wrong Koji? his father asked from the seat beside him.
Yeah, you sound a little depressed. Side Burns voice called from a small monitor. The robots familiar face appeared on it.
Not depressed. Koji smiled. Just bored. I hate rainy days.
Your telling me. Side Burn sighed. I can't see any chicks in this weather.
Dr. Onishi laughed out loud, and placed a hand on Kojis shoulder. Don't worry, I'll take both of you fishing tomorrow, when the weather clears up. Just like I promised I would.
All right! Way to go Onishi! Side Burn laughed.
Koji smiled. Thanks dad.
They continued on for awhile when something bounded in front oh Side Burn. Side Burn yelled for Dr. Onishi and Koji to hold on as he weaved out of the way, barely missing the bounding form.
What was that? Koji cried out.
Side Burn shook his head. Beats me. Hey T-Ai? The Autobot switched to long range communications. This is Side Burn.
Yes Side Burn? T-Ais voice fluttered through the com.
We almost hit something.
With your driving I'm not surprised. T-Ai said, sounding vaguely annoyed.
Ha-Ha T-Ai. I'm, serious. It was too large to be a dog or a cat.
You think it was a Predicon? T-Ai asked, instantly turning serious.
I ain't making suppositions, could ya just check to see if you see anything?
Sure Side Burn. There was a brief pause, then T-Ais voice rang through again. Nothing I'm afraid. You must be seeing things.
Side Burn sighed. Thanks T-Ai.
No problem.
Side Burn sighed again. Well, I guess I'd better get you two home before I run into anything else.
Good idea.' Koji muttered.

He stood alone, staring out over the city. The rain fell on and around him, and the dark fog obscured most of his vision. But he could still see the lights- the lights of the city below.
He heard a deep throated growl behind him- three of them actually. He turned and faced his one and only henchmen- at the moment anyway.
Bruticus was ugly. Very Ugly. His beast mode was some sort of three-headed Dog thing. And his robot mode was even uglier- scrawny, out of proportion, with a skinny head atop of it. He disliked Bruticus, but for now he accepted the dogs service. It was, for the moment, all he had. He was the only one that still remained faithful.
I- I- I almost ran into one of them. Bruticus throaty growl echoes three times as the three heads spoke it.
You got careless. He said quietly.
S- S- Sorry boss. I- I- I- tried my best.
Fine. No harm done for now.
Wh- Wh- What are your orders?
Are the pods ready?
Of- of- of course.
Excellent. We'll head out tomorrow.
R- R- Roger.
And knock off that echo.
S- S- Sorry.
He frowned and turned around. Again he looked over the city, and the base that he knew was hidden within.
Soon, soon... He muttered quietly. Soon Prime, Megatron. We will meet again. And this time you shall not escape me.
With that, he transformed. In the robots place, a sea-blue dragon now stood. He let out one screech, and then, the being known as Cryotek leapt into the sky.

Nearly 200 miles away, another leader contemplated his fate. His new mission, his only mission, seemed simple enough, but was much harder. Prime had to remain on Earth, dead or alive. It wasn't so much that they had to remain on Earth, that it was that Galvatron had to be there for them to do so. Galvatron was worried. The Autobots were a powerful foe. They had defeated his master plan, his assault on their base, in an attempt to retake the power of Fortress Maximus. They had sent him to some forgotten Pit to mine, where only by the Matrix's luck he had been rescued by the council. And now, he was here, again.
But there was another threat, Scourge. Scourge was the designated leader of the small group of Decipticons, and he was hopelessly treacherous. Once before, Galvatron had been forced to recalibrate Scourges spark, but if Scourge could do it before, there was no doubt that he could do it again.
Of course, none of troops knew that, especially Sky-Byte Poor Sky-Byte. Galvatron smiled. Sky-Byte was his most loyal servant, but the poor fool was always bumbling in his attempts to please Galvatron. Galvatron knew full well that Sky-Byte could be a perfect soldier given the opportunity.
But that was not important now. Only victory was.
And Victory is what Galvatron desperately needed.
Galvatron bellowed across the halls of Deciptibase. Sky-Byte appeared in moments.
Yes, your great, powerful, cunning, leading, mighty, praiseworthy, life giving, super-
Can it Sky-Byte.
Sky-Byte finished quickly. How may I serve you?
Take the Predicons, and collect some energy. Galvatron waved Sky-Byte off. That is all.
But, Galvatron! Sky-Byte protested. We've tried every method possible to get energy! We simply can't! It didn't work before, and it won't work now!
Shall I send the Decipticons instead? Galvatron asked slyly. If there was one thing he knew would get Sky-Byte going, it was the threat of using the Decipticons.
Sky-Byte sighed. No Galvatron, I shall try my best.
You shall succeed Sky-Byte. Galvatron contradicted. Go now.
Sky-Byte bowed and trudged off. Galvatron smiled. That would get both Sky-Byte and Scourge off his case for awhile. Scourge would undoubtedly follow Sky-Byte, and attempt to one up him again.
Not that it was any surprise.
Galvatron sat down in his throne, and smiled. At least a couple hours and peace and quiet, was all he needed for awhile.

Autobot Headquarters was a sprawling underground complex, which was home to a large group of Autobots, the current protectors of the world. Not that they had any choice.
They had followed Megatrons mad rampage through the galaxy, all the way to Earth, where they hoped the final conflict would take place. They thought they had succeeded before. Galvatron seemed on the verge of Victory before Omega Prime defeated him, finally.
But now, they continued to fight a struggle. Galvatron had escaped, and had returned to Earth. It appeared he was determined to make the planet his, and was not about to stop for anything.
Optimus Prime sighed. He hated to admit it, but his command was in shambles. Being out of the job had left them almost unbearable. Between the three Car Brothers fighting, the Trains demanding their vacation, and the mysterious disappearance of the Skid-Z (a rather common occurrence), it was almost too much to handle.
Thank Primus for T-Ai, he thought. She was really his only comfort in his sea of turmoil that was called command. The skippy young hologram managed everything at Autobot HQ, just like her original creator Teletran One had on the Ark, except even more so.
T-Ai was currently engaged in debugging some faulty software in X-Brawns system. The long absence from combat had made some of the Autobots slow, and not on the tip of combat, and X-Brawn was one of them. Now, in a quick confrontation with the Predicons, one of the joints had shaken itself loose. And the rustic old Autobot was none to happy about it.
Watch it T-Ai! He protested and the holographic representation motioned some mechanical points to dig around inside his arm. That smarts!
Well excuse me X-Brawn! She said in a huff. I'm trying to help!
Relax X-Brawn. The Autobots younger brother Prowl ordered.
Can't you just put me off line for awhile? X-Brawn pleaded.
Autobot regulations number 456-7a: Anesthetic is not to be wasted on minor injuries. Prowl replied matter-of-factly.
Minor Injuries? X-Brawn protested. My arms almost off!
Prowl shrugged. Its not listed under the critical injuries list.
Besides, you know we're running low on supplies. T-Ai added. If the next shipment doesn't get here from Cybertron soon...
I get it, I get it. Just get this gosh-darned thing over with, K? X-Brawn demanded.
Optimus could barely suppress a chuckle. They may have been disorganized, but at least they were entertaining.
A few minutes later, T-Ai completed her arduous task, and X-Brawn sat up and stretched his arm. Dang, but if that don't feel better. He said satisfactorily.
Glad that's over with. Prowl got up. Ok, we're back on patrol.
X-Brawn muttered.
Say, where's Side Burn? Prowl asked on the way out.
You get free guesses, and the first two don't count. T-Ai rolled her eyes, and hovered over to the com pad so she could yell at Side Burn.

Kelly groaned. Only a week ago it seemed that her life was perfect. But now things were starting to go downhill. The giant animals were back. She'd been fired from her job (actually, she had been Put on the Mobility Train to better enhance her career, but it was the same thing) And what was worse, the Mysterious Blue Freak was back too. There must be some connection...
The Mysterious Blue freak was the bane of her existence. He chased her constantly, everywhere she went, no matter where. And as far as she could tell he was TALKING TO HER CAR.
Today was no exception.
Hey Baby! How ya feeling? The Viper rolled alongside her talking again to her car.
GO AWAY! Kelly yelled desperately, and stepped on the gas.
Oh come on baby! The Viper called back. You're cute, you know that?
Shut up and go away!

SIDE BURN! Kelly sighed in relief as two other familiar cars, a Police Car, and a Grayish SUV that looked suspiciously like the one her father owned (Which had also taken to disappearing on a regular basis) pulled up behind them.
Ahh, guys! The blue wonder protested as Kelly quickly left the scene. She's leaving, you've scared her of!
Kelly watched their forms shrink in her rearview mirror, and sighed in relief.
She looked back up at the road, almost read y to burst with joy at escaping the Blue Freak, only to see the Giant Shark burst out of the ground in front of her.

Really Side Burn, don't you think you could show a LITTLE restraint? Prowl asked in annoyance.
Ahh come on! Side Burn said indignantly. I- SKY-BYTE!
You what? X-Brawn asked in confusion.
Side Burn cried. He's attacking my sports car!
Technically, he was. Sky-Byte pretty much ignored Kelly, and was more focused on the task at hand, namely, trying to rip the engine from Kelly's car.
What's he doing? X-Brawn asked.
He's pulling the engine from the car. Prowl observed.
I KNOW that! But why???
Lets find out! Side Burn yelled, and transformed. The top of the car came off, and rolled to the side as the feet unfolded from the back. His other arm came from inside, and the head pulled itself into the junction formed, and no longer was there a blue Viper, but a sleek robot.
X-Brawn and Prowl both followed in similar suit. The SUV's hood came to the side as the car virtually leapt into the air. Legs came down from the back, and the right arm pulled itself around, completing the transformation.
The Police cars top came off as two feet shot through. The car inverted itself, and two arms came from the back of the car, and the head whirled into position.
Ok guys, lets move out! Side Burn yelled, and the three charged.

The Transmetal shark looked up as the three ran towards him. His mouth opened, dropping the severed engine from his mouth. He yelled.
At that moment, the sharks plan swung into action. From nowhere, three more Predicon forms leapt on the Autobots, trapping them in an energy net in one toss.
We got them! Slapper yelled triumphantly.
Good work! Sky-Byte said happily. Now quickly, go do what I told you.
We don't even get to finish them off? Darkscream, asked in confusion.
Sky-Byte replied. This is all part of my plan.
Ahh, you're no fun... Gas Skunk grumbled as the three raced off.
What do you want Sky-Byte? Side Burn demanded as the triumphant shark floated over to them. Sky-Byte grinned, and transformed. Two feet came out of its mouth, and the body split in half, revealing a second, robotic body inside. Sky-Byte turned and landed in front of the Autobots.
Quite simply, I am holding you hostage in return for several hundred energon cubes. He smiled.
Oh really, Sky-Byte? That's news to me. Sky-Byte whirled to see once again, a massive gun pointed at his head. Not again...
Ultra Magnus grinned. I don't think you'll be holding anyone hostage.
Sky-Bytes face fell. He already knew he was no match for the giant Autobot.
So why don't you just run back to your little hidy-hole under Galvys shadow. Magnus continued. You ugly little squid.
Now if there is one thing that Sky-Byte hated, it was being called any aquatic animal lesser than a shark. So in a desperate rage, he threw himself at Ultra Magnus, who in retaliation, quickly blasted Sky-Byte into several pieces.
Ultra Magnus shrugged. Gave him the option.
Would you mind kindly enough to get us out of here? X-Brawn asked.
Magnus shouldered his gun and pulled the net off the three.
There'd the three goons go? Side Burn asked as he stood up.
Who cares? Magnus muttered, and turned to leave.
Hold on! Side Burn protested. Your not leaving!
Yeah, I am.
No, your not! A new voice interjected as a massive black oil tanker charged into the scene.
As one the three Autobot brother whirled.
And company! Another voice yelled as five more vehicles, each some sort of combat vehicle pulled up behind Scourge.
As one, the six Decipticons transformed. Scourge, Mega-Octane, Movar, Rollbar, Armorhide, and Ro-Tor stood facing the four Autobots.
What do you want Scourge? Magnus demanded.
Your death. Scourge hissed. Decipticons, COMBINE!
Mega-Octane leapt into the air as his four smaller comrades twisted and turned, and in an instant, a massive robot known as Ruination landed next to Scourge.
Aww man.. Side Burn moaned as they were suddenly faced by two of the most powerful beings in the planet.
This just went from bad to worse. Magnus hissed, and pulled his gun, letting loose a torrent of pure energy aimed at Scourges chest.
But Scourge was too fast. The black Decepticon leapt into the air and came down almost on top of Magnus. As the two locked in combat, Ruination stomped towards the three Autobot brothers.
Side Burn groaned, I don't need this today.
At that moment aid came in the form of three massive bullet trains. With shouts and battle cries the three trains transformed into the entities Rail Spike, Rapid Run, and Midnight Express. Ruination took a step backwards. Each of the three train bots was almost as large as himself.
Rail Spike glanced at the other two trains. Well boys, you ready to link up?
With that, the three trains shifted and transformed, merging together to bring another warrior on to the scene, Railracer.
Ruination stared down the enemy he had so hated for so long and charged.
Seeing the beasts attention turned from them, Prowl motioned to his siblings. Lets help Magnus!
No need Prowl. Looks like he's got help! Side Burn pointed. Optimus (who had emerged at the same time as the Trains) was wrestling Scourge off of Magnus.
Thanks Prime. Magnus grinned. Shall we?
Of course. Prime extended his hand, and Magnus grabbed it. Immediately the two came together, forming one last combiner on the battle field, Omega Prime.
Scourge glared at Omega Prime. He was clearly outclassed by the giant, who was triple the power of either Prime or Magnus, Then one idea hit him.
Don't move! Scourge announced.
Omega Prime chuckled. And what, pray tell, is going to keep me from destroying you?
Scourge grabbed his gun, and pointed, not at a robot, but at the small wreck of the red sports car.
Omega Prime halted. Why should I care about the human vehicle?
Not the vehicle, Scourge hissed evilly, The young woman inside!
That not only halted Omega Prime, but Rail Racer and the three car brothers as well. Indeed, Kelly (who had long since fainted) was still in the wreck which Sky-Byte had totaled. And though unconscious, she was most definitely alive.
The Autobots were suddenly forked. It was their code not to let harm come to any human, and they were now at the Decipticons mercy.
Ruination took advantage of Rail Racers surprise, and punched, sending him the gestalt flying.
Omega Prime glared at Scourge. All right Scourge. His deep voice rumbled. What do you want?
Just to let myself, and my Decipticons leave with the energon.
What energon? Side Burn demanded.
At that moment, Slapper, Gas Skunk, and Darkscream ran past them, laughing like maniacs, and carrying several large containers full of energy. Omega Prime made no move to stop them. Mega Octane transformed into his vehicle mode, and let the Predicons load the energy on. Prime watched, helpless to do anything. Inside of his spark, Magnus was demanding Prime stop the Decipticons, but Prime would not, could not, allow the human to come to harm.
Scourge chuckled as Darkscream loaded the last of the energy and as Slapper picked up the fallen Sky-Byte. And now we leave you Prime, with a parting gift. Scourge tossed a detonator at the red sports car, then quickly fled the scene.
As one the Autobots moved to protect the human, but they were to late. They were thrown off their feet by the explosion. Side Burn was on his feet in seconds, and digging through the wreckage, barely pulling the poor woman from the wreckage alive. X-Brawn and Omega Prime rushed over.
She looks bad.... X-Brawn murmured.
Omega replied. Magnus, we must separate. The two disconnected from each other. And Prime bent down. Lets get her back to HQ. He said, the concern making itself obvious in his voice.
Prowl called. Ok lets move out! Magnus, you coming with us?
But Magnus had disappeared. Prowl sighed and turned back to his comrades, as Prime announced Lets Roll.
Unnoticed by all sides, one giant hound leapt away from the group, and headed back to his master.

When Kelly awoke, all she felt was pain. She gave out a cry. She had many strange encounters since that first day with the blue freak, and the flying shark. Many of them had ended in pain, but never before like this. Her entire body seemed to scream with burns and fractures in her entire frame.
She moaned, and a gentle voice answered her. Please remain still. You're not fully recovered yet.
Kelly opened her eye - even that was a painful, arduous task - and looked to see a cute young woman looking down at her.
Where am I? Kelly groaned. What happened?
You've been through a lot. The girl said softly. Try not to move.
Kelly, although somewhat unwilling, obeyed. She looked around, and realized she was on a small steel table covered by a white bed sheet. The place didn't look like a hospital though...
After awhile she decided to ask another question.
Who are you?
The girl paused. After a minute, she finally said, Call me T-Ai.
That's an... odd name. Kelly said curiously.
T-Ai giggled. It will make sense later. Try and get a little more sleep.
Kelly closed her eyes, and forced herself to relax. She was sleep in a few minutes.

A massive blue robot glared at Bruticus. This is a most... interesting tale you tell me. His narrow face contorted with thought. His one true hand reached up and stroked a small blue transmetal bird that perched on his shoulder. The small creature, which he had named Lazorbeak after a great hero, was his only constant companion, a pet of sorts. Bruticus really didn't know what the birds purpose was,. but seeing the boss show his affection for it made him nervous Whenever he petted that creature, he was dreaming up something big.
Th- Th- Thank you boss. The hound said nervously, his stutter this time being slightly more than an echo.
Tell me more about these... Decipticons.
We- We -Well, their like Pre- Pre - Predicons, except they have ve- ve- vehicle modes like Autobots.
Cryotek looked at Bruticus. Hmm, A Predicon spirit inside an Autobots fighting body... interesting. How do you suppose it was accomplished?
Bruticus shrugged his massive dog shoulders. Be- Be- Beats me.
Cryotek frowned, and turned away. If what you tell me is true, these, Decipticons, will be a much greater threat than either Autobot or Predicon.
Pr- Pr -Probably.
Cryotek stared off into space. I will need some time. His gentle petting of Lazorbeak became slightly more intense.
F- F- For what?
To modify our pods sufficiently to become Decipticons.
-To be continued-

Afternote: The only change you'll probably notice is that I finally fixed Cyroteks- I mean, CRYOTEKS name. I've been writing it wrong this whole time, yeesh! Also, the original name for this fic sucked, so I fixed that to. As well as some minor continuity errors. Keep reading folks!

Cryotek is that Bad Blue Rid Repaint, and Bruticus is well, Rid Bruticus.