Author's Note: Don't bite my head off because I killed Sixshot in the last chapter, okay? As I said at the beginning of Chapter 6, you could view Sixshot as my own version of the character, and I needed a strong opponent to pit against Ultra Rodimus. Flames will be used to roast critics, so keep them to yourself. "If you can't say something nice, don't say nothing at all."

Disclaimer: You know already. Ultra Rodimus is mine. Everyone else belongs to Hasbro.

Transformation

Chapter 7: Revelations

The Autobot commanders filed into the meeting room, eager to hear what First Aid had discovered about Ultra Rodimus's various alternate modes. Ultra Rodimus was already there, leaning back in his chair, propped up by several cushions to take the pressure off his still-unhealed back. His wounds from his duel with Sixshot had been terrible, and would take time to heal.

"How are you feeling, lad?" Kup asked.

Ultra Rodimus smiled tiredly. "Miserable, to be honest."

"At least you can be honest about it. Lots of others wouldn't be so honest about their pain."

"I prefer being honest. Dishonesty gets me nowhere."

"So that explains the pillows." Kup nodded at the cushions supporting Ultra Rodimus's body.

"Those cannons on Sixshot's tank form packed one hell of a punch."

"And those teeth didn't help matters any," First Aid added. "I had to stuff the guts of Ultra Roddy's dino-mode back in before I could repair him."

"So, what did you learn about his alternate modes?" Jazz asked.

"He has several," First Aid began. "He's the most adaptive bot I've ever seen. His truck mode is meant for use in the civilized world. It has a very large cargo capacity, and all-wheel drive. The trailer section contains an entire armory, and three different types of missile launchers."

"A very powerful mode," Blaster agreed. "What about his jet mode?"

"It's based on a human CF-18 fighter jet. His jet mode is larger, and more heavily armed. It has a top speed of Mach Nine, and a range of over one million miles. It can't fly in space, but he can transform it into this." First Aid changed the display to show a different craft. It had wings that were raked forward instead of swept back, and its body was covered in heavy armor. Laser cannons and launchers studded its hull. Its engines were large for the hull, and massively powerful. "His third alternate mode is a starfighter. He has the ability to fly interstellar distances and fly faster than the speed of light. His weapons are powerful enough to take a good-sized bite out of a moon if he fires them all at once."

"When he fell in the ocean he transformed into a shark," Springer pointed out.

"Well, sharks are the rulers of the ocean, the most dangerous creatures under the waves. His shark mode is wired with extremely sensitive sensors, and his sense of smell is extremely sharp. He can detect an enemy from miles away. Add to that several rows of very sharp teeth and an entire arsenal of underwater weapons, and you get something you really, really don't want to be in the same ocean with. He swims with his tail, but he can use built-in thrusters for bursts of speed when he has to. His shark mode is supremely adapted to underwater warfare."

"So his animal-based forms are adapted to life in various environments?" Magnus clarified.

"Yes." First Aid changed the display. "Which brings me to his next mode, his dinosaur mode."

The screen showed what looked like an allosaur, with the slender body of a runner. Its back bristled with long-range weapons, and it had sharp claws and teeth. Both legs were covered in armor, and its feet were shielded.

"It has big feet," Sideswipe noted.

"Yes. The armor increases the surface area of his feet."

"Why would he need feet that big?"

"We've all had the annoying experience of being stuck in the mud. His larger foot area prevents him from sinking in soft ground. It will slow him down, but he won't sink. That's why he has those distance weapons. To defend himself before anyone could get close. If anyone does manage to get close, he has his natural weapons to fight with, and his tail can crush an unwary enemy in one blow."

"Cool."

"His next mode is a serpent. His scales are made of the same alloy as his battle armor. He has laser guns spaced along his back and head. This mode can move easily through dense forests and swamps. He can strike with lightning speed, and his fangs are poisonous. When he wraps his coils around an enemy, he can literally crush them to death. His coils are so powerful he can crush even a city-bot the size of Fortress Maximus. He moves like a sidewinder, so that only two sections of his body ever touch the ground, but he can slither in a straight line if he has to. Like a pit viper, he can track enemies by sensing their body heat."

"What about his scorpion form?" Perceptor asked.

"I wasn't sure what the purpose of that mode was until I took a close look at his legs." First Aid brought up a diagram of Ultra Rodimus's scorpion legs. Each leg ended in three hooked claws surrounding a thick footpad. "There are pneumatic launchers in his lower legs that fire sharp spikes into whatever his foot lands on. Then each spike launches a number of hair-thin spikes into the surrounding material to anchor him. It happens in less than a second. With this system he can climb straight up a vertical surface."

"So he's a climber."

"Exactly. And his eight legs allow him to move very quickly. Because he could be a vulnerable target, his armor exoskeleton is very thick, and there is no sensor net inside it. Now look at his tail." First Aid pointed to it. "It's heavily armed, and he can shoot at anything approaching from any direction. If anyone tries to approach from the front, they'll come within reach of claws that can cut an enemy in two with one snap. If the claws don't get them, that tail will. The sting is deadly poisonous."

"So he's someone no one in their right mind would want to mess with," Jazz translated.

"Basically."

Ultra Rodimus chuckled. "Firing those weapons really drains me, though. I can't fire them in rapid succession."

"That explains why your energy levels were so low after that duel."

"Yeah. I used up a lot of my energy."

First Aid made a note on his datapad. "I'll see what I can do about that. Perhaps I can find a way to install a powerpack or energy converter."

"Thank you." Ultra Rodimus nodded. He shifted position slightly and winced.

"Still sore?"

"Hell, yes." The young Prime frowned. "Sixshot got some good hits in. I'll be sore for a few days."

"What about the Decepticons?"Sideswipe asked.

"They have problems of their own," Magnus explained with a nasty grin. "While they were watching the duel I had Blurr sneak onto their ships and do a little sabotage work. I doubt we'll have to worry about them for a while yet."

Ultra Rodimus snorted. "I wasn't aware that you had such a mean streak."

"I prefer to think of it as being a mischief-causing streak," Magnus corrected with a chuckle.

"If that's your definition of mischief, I'd hate to see your definition of nastiness."

Everyone laughed at that. Then Ultra Rodimus lurched to his feet, and Magnus walked over to catch him.

"I guess that's all the business we have for today," Kup commented, getting up.

"Dismissed," Ultra Rodimus said.

The Autobots filed out, still chuckling at what Magnus had done to the Decepticons. The door slid closed behind them.

To be continued...

Up next, the epilogue. Well, what do you think? Good? Bad? Sucked big time? Tell me!