Disclaimer; I own Shadow Stalker and the plot. That's it.

Warning: Due to language and violence, this series is rated PG-13.

Of Shadow And Light

Chapter 2

Reunion

by Switchblade X

"Oh, Shadow…" Dinobot moaned, gently touching the woman's cheek.

Her name was Shadow Stalker, and she was Dinobot's best friend. They had been friends for as long as either of them could remember, sticking together through thick and thin. Shadow was the only family he had, though they weren't related in any way. They had lost contact after he had left Cybertron with Megatron.

He fought back tears as he stroked her face. "Of all the people to be taken, why did it have to be you?"

Because she meant something to you. answered a voice in the back of his mind. She was your best friend, the one thing that you could honestly say you loved. It's only natural that she would be taken. Face it, Dinobot; you've obviously angered someone with a great deal of divine power.

He silenced the voice with a sharp mental stab, trying to convince himself that it wasn't true. It didn't work.

Shadow Stalker groaned almost inaudibly.

Dinobot perked. "Shadow?" he asked, unable to keep the excitement out of his voice. She was alive!

She coughed, her optics struggling to light up. "D?" she rasped, forcing her vision to focus as she tried to move.

"I'm here, Shadow, I'm here." he replied, helping her sit up.

A sudden wave of dizziness hit her, and she paused for a moment. She looked at him, smiled, and then wrapped her arms around his neck.

Dinobot returned the hug, wanting to hold her as tightly as he could, but deciding against it for fear of worsening her injuries.

"What just happened?"

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"Uh…impact, I think."

He nodded, "Fortunately, I was nearby. I managed to get you out of the cockpit before the engines exploded. …I thought I'd lost you, Shadow."

"For a while, so did I." She relaxed against him, trying to ignore the pain that coursed through her body. "Where are we?"

"We are somewhere in Oregon about four million years before the beginning of the Earth-bound part of the Great War."

She groaned, "Aw, man." Something sparked in her left side, making her grunt.

"I'd better get you back to the base for repairs." Carefully, he picked her up, and headed back toward the Axalon. "What are you doing way out here, anyway?"

"Lookin' for you."

Lightning arced across the sky, illuminating the crash site.

Dinobot waited until the thunder had stopped rumbling before he spoke again. "How did you know where to go?"

"Easy; I hacked into the spaceport's computers, and found the last coordinates that Megatron's ship had transmitted. Then, I grabbed a Starhopper and headed out, hoping to at least find some debris. Instead, I found a rip in the space-time continuum. And, here I am. …Now, how did you get here?"

"It's a long and very complicated story." he sighed, before beginning the tale of how the Beast Warriors had ended up on prehistoric Earth.

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Shadow Stalker's energy levels were dangerously low by the time the Axalon came into view. It was all she could do to stay awake, and the pain was becoming unbearable. Rain poured steadily into her open wounds, only adding to her discomfort, and amplifying her injuries.

"How long has it been since I've carried you?" Dinobot asked, trying to keep her from slipping into stasis-lock. He would run (or at least walk faster) with her, but he was afraid of worsening her injuries.

"I have no idea. …How long has it been since I've carried you?"

"I don't ever recall you doing that."

"Oh, c'mon, D! I've dragged your sorry carcass away from fights several times, and you know it."

He smiled, "I know. I'm just trying to keep you awake."

She chuckled, "It's working."

The rain had begun to let up, which was natural, because now they were only a few hundred yards from the base. It would have been nice if the rain had let up two miles ago. Dinobot mentally grumbled.

Shadow Stalker shuddered, whimpering as her side sparked again.

Instinctively, he tightened his hold on her, "Hang in there, Shadow." It came out more harshly than he had intended.

"I'm trying…"

"We're almost there. Just stay with me for a few more minutes."

"I'm trying."

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Silverbolt was waiting at the elevator entrance when Dinobot returned. "What happened?" he asked, as the raptor rushed past him, depositing Shadow Stalker in the nearest CR chamber. Unbeknownst to the Fuzor, Dinobot removed her gun-belt, and hid it behind his chest plate.

"Her ship crashed." Dinobot answered quickly, programming the chamber to not only repair her, but upgrade her alternate mode to one more suited for Earth as well.

"Ship?"

"Starhopper, actually." He growled when the scanner couldn't find a single creature that was within range. "Slagging Maximal technology." he grumbled, programming the chamber himself.

"I don't understand." Silverbolt said. "The scanners didn't pick up anything."

"Of course not! It's storming! Nothing in this infernal place ever works properly when it's storming!" He sighed, dropping unceremoniously into a chair, resting his elbows on his knees, and burying his face in his hands.

"…Are you all right?" Cautiously, Silverbolt approached Dinobot, readying himself to dodge if the ex-Predacon struck at him.

"I'm fine."

He took the sharp words to mean, "I'm not fine. Something is really wrong with me, but I'm not going to talk about it."

Dinobot took a deep, shuddering breath, and looked at Silverbolt. "Go back to your post. I will explain everything to the best of my ability when everyone is present."

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"So, let me get this straight; Shadow Stalker hacked into a Predacon spaceport's computer system to get the last coordinates that Megatron's ship transmitted, then stole a Starhopper so that she could hunt for you. Instead of finding you where you were supposed to be, she found the same rip that we did. How did she know where to go after exiting the rip?" Optimus asked.

Dinobot shrugged, "I don't know; she didn't tell me."

"Why didn't Megatron take her? He took you."

"He was going to take her, but decided not to literally at the last minute. Megatron is a bit on the sexist side."

Rattrap shifted his weight from one foot to the other, "I didn't know you had friends, Chopperface."

"There are many things you don't know, vermin. And if you value your life, I suggest you butt out." Dinobot snapped.

Rattrap was about to snap back, but the CR chamber hissed and opened.

Slowly, Shadow Stalker staggered into the light.

Dinobot was at her side in an instant, talking to her in a language that none of the others understood.

She stiffened, glancing around his arm at the curious Maximals, a look of confused shock on her face. The expression on her face was reflected in her voice when she spoke back to him.

Dinobot stepped aside, gesturing to Optimus, "This is Optimus Primal. He leads this team."

Optimus smiled, "Hello."

Shadow Stalker glanced uncertainly at Dinobot, then at Optimus.

Dinobot continued, "This is Rhinox, Cheetor, Silverbolt, and, unfortunately, Rattrap."

Rattrap made a face at him.

The raptor hissed, and then turned to Shadow Stalker, "Megatron has gone mad with his lust for power. This is the side I fight for now; the side that will stop Megatron's insanity."

"How can you stand here among these Maximals,"— she said the word like it was a curse— "and act like they're no threat at all? They slaughtered our families like cattle! How can you stand among them like they're friends?"

The Maximals were stunned into silence.

Dinobot sighed, "It's hard, Shadow, believe me. But, considering our alternative, I would rather be standing here. With you, preferably."

Optimus stepped forward, "Shadow Stalker, I am deeply sorry for whatever it was that happened to your family and Dinobot's, but if Megatron isn't stopped, the whole universe is in danger. Please…help us stop this maniac."

Shadow Stalker growled, mulling over her extremely limited options. She looked at Dinobot, who was watching her with pleading optics. "…All right, I'll fight with you. But that doesn't make me a Maximal; I am a Decepticon. And, as soon as this war is over, so is this coalition."

Optimus paused for a split second, suddenly uncertain of letting a self-proclaimed Decepticon into the ranks. But, what choice did he have? The Maximals needed all the help they could get… "Deal. Dinobot, if you don't care, take Shadow Stalker on a tour of the base."

Dinobot nodded, and motioned for her to follow him, which she did.

"I sense much anger and hatred in this one." Silverbolt said.

"A few anger management courses would do that chick a world of good." Cheetor decided.

Optimus sighed, "Cheetor, unfortunately about ninety-percent of the people like her aren't willing to talk things out."

"Yeah. An' she's a half-breed, which don' help matters none." Rattrap said.

"How do you know?" Rhinox asked. "She just said she was a Decepticon."

"I knew her folks; used ta be her neighbor. Her dad was a 'Con, an' her mom was a Autobot. Nice people, really. Anyway, I was dere when some gang 'a nutcases stormed our apartment buildin' wavin' guns around an' hollerin' for everyone ta come out inta da halls. Dey singled out Shadow Stalker's an' Chopperface's families.

"Dey didn' give 'em no explanation, dey just told 'em ta go ta da streets. Once dey got dere, da militants lined da rest 'a us up on da sidewalks an' made us watch 'em rip out dose poor people's sparks."

"And where were Dinobot and Shadow Stalker during this?" Optimus asked.

"I dunno. A few 'a da psychos found 'em somewhere an' made 'em watch deir own families' execution. …I never found out why dey did it, either. …Shadow Stalker had a younger brother an' sister; Chopperface's mom had been expectin' one in da next couple 'a weeks."

"I remember that." Rhinox said. "Those radicalists were part of a huge anti-Decepticon militia. After that incident, all of them were captured, tried, and executed. They killed Dinobot's family and Shadow Stalker's father because they were Decepticons. They killed Shadow Stalker's mother because she married a Decepticon."

Rattrap spoke again, "…Y'know, I look back at it now, an' I feel really bad 'cause nobody did anything. I mean, we was all scared outta our minds, but still…"

"Why is her name Shadow Stalker?" Cheetor asked. "Is it because of the fact that her armor's mostly black?"

Rattrap shook his head, "Nope. Shadow Stalker has dis ability ta disappear inta da shadows, which makes her extremely dangerous at night. It's kinda like what Mirage used ta do wit 'is electro-disrupter, only on a more high-tech level. If you can keep 'er in da light, however, ya might stand a better chance 'a beatin' 'er."

"You sure do know a lot about her." Rhinox said. "How come she didn't recognize you?"

The rat shrugged, "Like I said; I knew 'er folks an' I used ta be 'er neighbor. I'm pretty sure she remembers me just fine. An' I'm also pretty sure dat she ain't too happy wit me."

Author's Note: Thanks to PerennialOutlander for this story's first review. I'm glad somebody reads this crap. More to come!