Author's Note: Thank you to my readers for being so understanding. Also, I don't write on weekends. I stay with my grandfather, and he doesn't have a computer. Sorry!

Disclaimer: I think you know.

(Ultra Rodimus to Magnus, Falcon)

((Magnus, Falcon to Ultra Rodimus))

Unexpected Encounters

Chapter 7: Reunion

The replicant took a step toward Ultra Rodimus, raising its gun arm. Ultra Rodimus's instincts screamed a warning, and he dodged seconds before the replicant fired. The shot burned a hole in the undergrowth, blasting nearly halfway through the trunk of a large tree. The Autobot Prime swore. He brought his skrill arm up and fired back.

The shot didn't even phase the replicant. Falcon yelled a mental curse word.

(You said it,) he muttered to the skrill.

((That shot should have destroyed it!)) Falcon insisted.

(I guess they've adapted.)

((Impossible!))

(Nothing is impossible.)

The replicant fired again. Its aim was improving. The shot burned the end off of Ultra Rodimus's silver-white braid, and it promptly began to unravel. Ultra Rodimus snarled, wishing he could bring out one of his other weapons. Unfortunately, humans didn't have subspace access. He couldn't even reach any of his weapons.

He fired again, with Falcon concentrating all of its energy into that shot. The replicant took a single step back, but was undamaged.

(I'd say they've adapted to skrill fire.)

The replicant's speed and aim were improving. It fired three times in rapid succession, all three shots connecting. Two bounced off the nearly indestructible snakeskin jacket he wore, but the third burned a hole deep into his thigh. His leg promptly collapsed, unable to support him, and he went down with a cry of pain.

The replicant stood over him, pointing the barrel of its weapon at his forehead.

He tensed, fear, an emotion he hadn't felt in a long time, surging through him. The replicant was completely undamaged by Falcon's fire, and now he was helpless to defend himself. He'd faced down Unicron, the Decepticons, and countless other races, all of them as intelligent as his own people, and none of them had even been able to scratch his paint. Now a mindless drone was about to do what no other race had ever managed.

Something snapped inside of him. He was suddenly aware of his subspace links, and able to access them. He reached into his armory and pulled out his pulser rifle.

It was one of the most powerful weapons he had. Its normal ammunition cartridges carried flechettes, and each shot pumped out half a dozen of the tiny darts. The darts didn't look very dangerous, but they had monomolecular edges, edges a single molecule thick. They went through even the toughest armor like tissue paper, ripping the target's innards to shreds on their way through. They were fired at a velocity so great that they often went through two or three targets before stopping. But his time he wasn't using the flechettes.

He was using something worse.

The cartridge he slammed home in the rifle was one of the seldom-used "special actions" munitions he carried. He had a number of different types, from glue-filled "sticky balls", knockout gas cartridges, and other riot-control devices, to ones whose purpose was pure destruction. He'd used the riot-control cartridges now and then, but never any of the destructive type. Until then.

Once the cartridge was loaded and locked, he brought the weapon up in one smooth motion. In less than a second, he'd aimed and fired.

The instant the relatively low-velocity shot exited the barrel, it blossomed like a flower from the depths of hell to deploy the twenty-five heavy-metal beads in a beautiful geometric pattern, like a high-tech spiderweb.

Strung with monomolecular wire.

The wire between the beads was only a single molecule thick. It went through anything in its path with little to no effort. Perceptor had created those cartridges after reading about an Earth weapon called chainshot. Only Ultra Rodimus carried them. Only he could be trusted not to misuse such a powerful weapon. Perceptor had stored his notes on the construction of that weapon in a place only he knew about.

The replicant never saw it coming.

Before it could even twitch, the wire had passed completely through it and continued on with its velocity unchecked, slashing trees and rocks apart. The thunderous crack! of the shot brought Sandoval and Liam running.

"What was--" Liam bit the question off when he saw the replicant, frozen in place. It wasn't moving. Sandoval immediately took aim at it.

Ultra Rodimus picked up a twig and tossed it at the replicant. The twig bounced off its leg. The replicant promptly fell apart, cut into small pieces by the wire web that had cut through it.

"How did you do that?" Liam asked.

"Autobot secret."

Sandoval smelled something and looked down only then noticing the small pool of slightly bluish blood forming beneath Ultra Rodimus's right thigh. "You're hurt!"

"The damn thing got me before I got it. They've adapted to skrill discharges. Skrills are useless against them now. You'll have to find another way to fight them."

The Asian implant cast a significant look at Ultra Rodimus's rifle. Ultra Rodimus shook his head and subspaced it.

"No chance in hell. This weapon is too powerful to be left in your hands. The risk of it being misused is too great. Only I have one of these weapons, and only because I can be trusted to use it responsibly."

"He's right," Liam pointed out. "I don't even want to think about what Zo'or would do if he had one of those weapons at his disposal."

Sandoval nodded reluctantly, kneeling down to check the wound. "It's deep, but it missed the artery. It needs to be treated."

"He's got to weigh twice what I do," Liam pointed out. "I highly doubt we can carry him out of here, and the foliage is too thick to bring the shuttle here."

Ultra Rodimus was about to speak when something else exploded into his mind. It was the lifebond, bringing with it awareness of his mate's presence in the same dimension he was trapped in. He closed his eyes and reached for it.

(Magnus?)

((Ultra Rodimus!)) There was relief in Magnus's mind-voice. ((Where are you?))

(Down on the planet. Get the coordinates from one of the Taelons. Ask Da'an; he'll tell you. I've got a nasty hole in my leg, and a new friend I won't be getting rid of.)

Falcon chuckled in his mind.

((What was that?)) Magnus demanded.

(I'll explain when I see you. Just get down here, please. I can't walk, and I'm too heavy for these two humans to carry out of here. So I'm kinda stuck.)

((I'll be there as soon as I can.)) Magnus sent a wave of affection, and then turned his attention back to his own business.

"Hello!" Liam snapped his fingers in Ultra Rodimus's face.

Ultra Rodimus batted his hand away. "I'm fine. I was just communing with someone. We should be getting visitors soon."

"How do you know?"

"I am linked to another of my race by the mind. I can communicate with him mind-to-mind. Once he gets our coordinates, he'll be here, with company."

((Beloved, Da'an isn't here and the one called Zo'or is being a bastard.))

(I know. He's an ass. Feel free to slap him senseless.)

Liam obligingly gave him their coordinates. Ultra Rodimus relayed them to Magnus. His mate grinned.

Ultra Magnus pointed his gun at Zo'or, and his finger tightened on the trigger. A bolt of energy shot out, blowing a gaping hole in the deck between the suddenly nervous Taelon's feet.

"We need a shuttle, now," Magnus snapped. "Or next time I'll take off your foot."

To be continued...

There! Seven chapters in, and who knows how many to go. Thank you, Gromia, for being so understanding of my situation. Ivan hung around for two days, taking out the power in Glace Bay, Whitney Pier, parts of North Sydney, and most of Sydney. Fortunately, no one was injured, but more than a few homes were damaged, and plenty of big trees were blown over. At least he's finally gone. He was a really lousy visitor.