Primal Hunter
by: Takashidaimao
Chapter 9: Ghosts of the Past

Rattrap sat at his station, brow plates furrowed at the screen in front of him. He turned a data disk over repeatedly in his hand, a habit now every time he found himself thinking about how everything seemed to have crumbled away from under the Maximals' feet. Their ship was all but scrap, the bridge being one of the only structures left intact enough to remain functional. The Preds, once overrun with incompetent idiots, now had more firepower than they knew what to do with. Megatron had almost succeeded in destroying the original Optimus, and didn't seem like he was about to give up on that goal any time soon. But worse than all that was how many of their friends they'd lost in the past few months. Dinobot, Airazor, Tigertron... they were all dead. And Gorgonus... He didn't even want to think about what happened to that poor kid. It had taken him long enough to convince Cheetor to get over it. The scout had been there when the Axalon fell, and was forced to watch as the little bot's pod smashed against the rocks in the canyon below.

And what of their fearless leader? Needless to say, he was taking everything a bit harder than the rest of them. Who could blame him? He'd just lost his mate, and now his son. As if that wasn't bad enough, Megatron had added insult to injury by cloning Dinobot again, and even managed to make this one meaner and more bloodthirsty than the original had ever been. Still, the rat supposed Optimus was doing a good job of staying focused through all that crap. A lesser bot would have cracked under the pressure long ago.

"Rattrap, status report." Well, speak of the devil... The rat stowed the data disk in a compartment on the inside of his 'shell', turning to face the commander. "All clear, Boss Monkey. Ain't a Pred in sight." he replied, doing his best to sound as chipper as possible. One of them had to at least. The hulking bot gave a nod. "Good. Maybe Megatron will give us a chance to rest for once..." He paused, mulling his previous statement over in his head. "Keep scanning the area. I'll have Silverbolt relieve you in an hour. I'll be with Rhinox if you need me." Rattrap gave Optimus an exaggerated salute before turning back to his work.

"Whoa, hold that thought, fearless leader. Looks like you an' big green might have ta hold off on yer play date. We got us a flyin' flounder comin' in hot. My guess is he's here ta see you?" Optimus could be heard letting out a reluctant groan. Depthcharge. Great. He was long overdue for a round of 'what the slag did I do this time'. That ray has had it out for Optimus ever since Rampage trashed his colony. And if anything ever went wrong in his hunt for the psychopathic crab, you can be sure Depthcharge would find some way to pin the blame on the Maximal leader. Unfortunately, this was one of the many times that ignoring the problem would inevitably make it worse. "You'd better let him in..."

As Optimus predicted, Depthcharge looked absolutely furious as he marched inside the base, all of his anger directed rather blatantly towards the commander. No big shocker there. What caught him off guard was the numerous holes punched through the ray's hull. It looked like he'd been caught on the wrong side of the shooting range. "What happened? Are you alright?" he asked, concern apparent in his voice despite the fact that he knew it wouldn't be appreciated. He was right, of course. "Funny. That's what I came to ask you." The ray grumbled, pointing as acusatory finger his way. "Would you care to explain to me why I just spent the last four hours trying to shake a Maximal sniper off my trail?" Optimus' brow plates furrowed. Well, that certainly was a new one. "I beg your pardon?" he asked hesitantly, earning a gruff scoff from the ray. "What's wrong, Primal? That fancy upgrade of yours burn out your audio sensors? I said one of your men just shot the living slag outta me!"

Optimus folded his massive arms over his chest. "Surely there must be some mistake. None of us has left this area all day." It was true. He didn't have the manpower to spare on patrols anymore, so he had to change his strategy to mainly defense, especially since their new base guarded the Ark. Optimus could tell from the look on Depthcharge's face that he wouldn't take an excuse like that right now. "Did you happen to see who it was at all?" The ray seemed to hesitate before answering. "No. He stayed up on higher ground, under cover of the trees. But whoever it was had a Maximal energy signature! And unless you know if some other Maximal military unit hiding around here, I got no choice but to think it was one of you!" Actually, they were originally a research team, but that was beyond arguing at this point. What mattered was that there was an unknown Maximal signature out there, and whoever it was seemed openly hostile. "I'll look into the matter immediately, if only to prove to you that my team had nothing to do with this. Would you be willing to come along?"

"Why? To clean up after another of your messes? I'll give you the coordinates where I last saw him, but other than that you're on your own, Primal." After giving the Maximal leader what little information he was willing to give, Depthcharge stormed out no more confident that the problem would be solved than when he'd arrived. Optimus vented a sigh before turning to face Rattrap. "Have Cheetor and Silverbolt meet me at the gate. The last thing we need right now is for a renegade sniper to go unchecked, be it Maximal or Predacon..."

"That might not be tha greatest plan ya ever had there, Fearless Leader..." Rattrap warned. Optimus narrowed his optics, at which point the rat quickly aimed to explain himself. "Hey, no offense intended, big guy. It's just... Yer goin' after a sniper, right? A good Cybertronian sniper with tha right gun can hit a target the size of a fly from half a mile away. You think he'll have any trouble gettin' his sights on a two story tall orange and blue gorilla like you?" The commander furrowed his brow plates once again. It was a valid point. They'd be hunting down a precision shooter, one who specializes in stealth warfare. He would only serve to make the group a waking target. No, to catch this new foe, they had to be able to hide right under his nose. And it seemed he had just the bot for the job.

"Aw man... Why'd I hafta go an' open my big mouth..." Rattrap grumbled to himself as he followed behind the other two. Cheetor could be heard snickering to himself before glancing back over his shoulder. "Hey, you're supposed to be the hot shot sharpshooter here. Isn't that just as good as any sniper?" he teased, earning a grumble from the rat. That kid sure developed one hell of an attitude since becoming a transmetal 2. Or maybe it was just puberty kicking in finally. Silverbolt, who'd remained on foot with the other two as to not give their position away by air, shook his head at Cheetor. "Optimus wouldn't have sent Rattrap if he didn't think he was capable of taking on this rogue. We should trust his judgement."

It was dark by the time the group arrived at the area where Depthcharge first encountered the sniper, the pale light of the full moon illuminating the tree tops. It was a heavily wooded area with plenty of high ground surrounding the lower valley. There weren't many gaps in the tree cover, so they stayed to the low lands for the time being. Rattrap transformed to his robot mode, a long rifle already in his hands. "Alright, here's tha plan, guys. I'll play lookout down here. When he fires off a shot, I'll zero in on his location an' relay tha coordinates ta Cheetor. Yer fast enough ya get to him before he has a chance ta find a new perch." The feline nodded in acknowledgement of the plan. Silverbolt merely shook his head. "And I suppose you're expecting him to just start firing at nothing?"

"I'm beginning to question Optimus' judgement..." the wolf grumbled to himself as he glided uncomfortably over the dense forest. He now saw why he wasn't mentioned in the initial rundown of their strategy; he was the bait. "Hey, Fido! Would ya at least try ta look like yer on patrol or somethin'? He ain't gonna fire if ya look like ya want him to!" Rattrap barked over the com link. The rat watched the fuzor through the scope of his rifle, occasionally scanning the darkened horizon for signs of movement. He was starting to get antsy. They'd been at this for almost an hour, and it was getting harder for them to look like they were out there for any other reason than to draw out their target. Eventually he vented out a sigh, lowering his firearm. "Ah, screw it... If he was gonna shoot ya he'd have done it by now. Come on back. Time ta pack it up an' tell tha big ape we lost him." Silverbolt wasn't about to a argue the point, glad that he no longer had to fly around doing his best impression of a game fowl in the middle of hunting season. Rattrap turned to Cheetor, who'd been standing by until the sniper fired. "Man, I'm startin' ta think old Charlie Tuna sent us out here as a joke or-"

The rat was cut off by a loud thunder clap from behind him. He spun around in time to watch Silverbolt plummet to the ground. He immediately grabbed his rifle, peering through the scope and scanning the general direction where he thought the shot came from. "Cheetor! Go make sure tha flyin' pooch hasn't kicked tha bucket in us!" Rattrap ordered, the feline taking off almost immediately towards where the wolf fell. Within seconds, there was a report. "He's okay, but it looks like his wing's gonna be out of commission for a while." The rat vented a sigh of relief. Thank the Matrix... Of course, the instant he thought he could relax was the instant he was proven wrong. There was another shot fired, accompanied by the sound of shattering glass. Rattrap was thrown backwards, slamming against the trunk of a tree. By the time he was able to pull himself back up to his feet Cheetor was already sprinting up to him. "Hey! Are you okay?" the scout shouted. Rattrap didn't reply. Instead, he snatched up his rifle from the ground, inspecting it closely. The scope was ruined, but that was a given. He paid close attention to how it had shattered, what direction the bullet seemed to be traveling. He then recalled the direction and angle he'd been looking at the exact moment he heard the shot. "Vector thirty-seven, fourteen, oh nine!" Rattrap shouted out suddenly, catching Cheetor off guard. He tilted his head slightly, earning an impatient grumble from the rat. "Waddaya waitin' for! Get after 'im before he takes off!" "O-oh! Right!" Cheetor replied before sprinting off towards the designated coordinates. After the scout sped off, Rattrap collapsed into a sitting position, rubbing the back of his neck. "Jeez... I think I've been doin' this way too long..."

Cheetor rocketed up the mountain face, the jet on his back trailing flames behind him. At top speed it took only seconds for him to reach his destination. As he circled around to approach the cliff's edge, a blackened figure came into view. This was it! No time to stop, no time to slow down, the feline tackled into the figure, sending the two of them tumbling down the cliff to the valley below. Cheetor could only make out flashes of silvery chrome in a sea of black as the bot struggled to get away. Once they came to a stop on level ground, the feline pinned the bot against the ground. The black figure never stopped his struggling, trying desperately to claw his way out from under the saber-toothed cat. "Hey, take it easy! We don't want to hurt you." Cheetor assured. Miraculously, his prisoner seemed to calm down, giving the Maximal his first good look at the sniper. His eyes widened. "No way... That's impossible!"

Optimus couldn't help but stare in slack-jawed amazement as his away team escorted their prisoner in. He was pitch black from head to toe, broken up only by the occasional chrome accent. His face was especially eerie, the surface so dark one could hardly make out any of the features of his face, save for his two bright red optics. There were hundreds of long strips of hexagonal panels layered over each other draped down his back, almost like a tattered cloak. This cloak seemed to provide the bulk of his mass, as his frame was short and very thin, similar to Blackarachnia's body type before she upgraded to transmetal. Strange, since he appeared to be male otherwise. All of that seemed to pale in comparison to one particular feature, though. Running down over his shoulders all the way down to the bottom of his chest plates were several dozen silvery cords.

"So... What should we do with 'Bot Marley' here?" Rattrap asked hesitantly, snapping the commander out of his daze. He was so much at a loss for words that he didn't reprimand the rat for making a joke about this mysterious bot's appearance. It couldn't possibly be who he thought it was... Could it? After a moment, it seemed Optimus' ability to speak finally returned to him. "Bring him to the bridge. I want Rhinox to check him out as soon as possible."

The science officer responded immediately when he was told the situation. Within minutes, they had the prisoner in the large scanner at the center of the bridge. Much to their surprise, he didn't put up a fight at all when asked to do something. There was a vibe that he didn't fully understand what was happening, but was otherwise silently obedient. Rattrap had reported similar behavior out in the field. They didn't have to restrain him to bring him back to base, all they had to do was tell him to follow. Even as Rhinox began his tests, the black bot merely glanced around curiously, never uttering a word. After a while, Rhinox shook his head. "I don't believe it..." he mumbled aloud before looking up at Optimus. "It seems impossible, but... There's no doubt about it. It's him."

Optimus, still in absolute shock, approached the scanner table as it slowly titled upwards, allowing the patient to climb out. As soon as the Maximal leader came into view, a small smile spread across his abyssal face, silver fangs standing out against the pitch darkness. The ape couldn't help but smile back. "Gorgonus... So it really is you..." he said softly, extending a hand out to the bot. Gorgonus happily grabbed a hold off one of his father's massive fingers, allowing himself to be pulled up to his feet. Cheetor, who'd been standing off to the side with the others, shook his head. "There's no way that's him! I saw Gorgonus' pod smash into a thousand pieces when Megatron took out the Axalon! Not to mention the fact that he's only supposed to be a year old!"

"I know. Trust me, I've looked at every possibility, but there's no way even Megatron can copy a spark's unique signature, and his matches Gorgonus' exactly." Rhinox explained, still going over the results of his scans. "As for his age, well... Megatron might have something to do with that one. There's a program in his core data tracks that seems to have accelerated his body's growth. It's just junk data at this point, but it looks like it had lied dormant in his systems until given the right signal. Megatron must have installed it when he captured Dinobot before he was born and must have activated it just before he destroyed the Axalon." Optimus nodded slowly in understanding. "That explains why we couldn't find any trace of his body in the wreckage. He was able to escape before the crash."

"Whoa, whoa, hold up... You tryin' ta tell me that Megs went outta his way ta save his worst enemy's son, and gave him an age boost so he can fight? What, he thinks we suck so bad we need an extra guy as a handicap?" Rattrap interjected, folding arms over chest plate. Megatron may have had some crackpot strategies in the past, but this was by far the stupidest he'd ever heard of. Rhinox shook his head again. "I have no idea why he would do something like this. Maybe he tried to install his shell program, but Gorgonus overrode it just like when he turned his weapons online without clearance."

To that, Blackarachnia could be heard letting out a scoff. "No offense or anything, but this kid doesn't look like he could override a calculator, much less Megatron's programming. Was he always this... special?" Cheetor had to stifle a snicker at that one. Optimus looked down at Gorgonus, who gave him what had to be the blankest look he'd ever seen. Okay, there was some truth to the statement. Once again, it was Rhinox to the rescue. "Megatrons program may have accelerated his physical growth, but he still only has what little knowledge and experience he had when he was last put into stasis. There's nothing wrong with him mentally, he just doesn't have the knowledge and skills one develops as they grow up."

"Great. So now we gotta babysit this six foot fall toddler on top of fighting the Preds? And here I thought this place looked like a daycare before..." Optimus shot Blackarachnia a glare. Unfortunately, he couldn't deny the truth in her statement once again. It was the same situation as before, only this time his son appeared older. He vented a sigh. "Rhinox, do we still have that stasis pod in the cargo hold?" he asked reluctantly. Almost immediately, Rattrap stepped forward. "Hey, wait a minute! We get the kid back after thinkin' he's dead, and you wanna put him on ice again?"

"I don't want to, but I've got no choice." he began predictably, something Rattrap didn't want to hear. "C'mon, I've seen 'im out there. He's a crack shot! He can hold his own against tha Preds, I know it! Can't ya give him a chance at least?" Optimus shook his head. "From what I've heard, his skills are the last thing I should be questioning. But he's still just a child, mentally at least. He wouldn't understand what he's doing if we sent him out there to fight, even if he's an excellent sniper. I couldn't possibly ask him to do that."

There was a long silence. Rattrap ended up staring at his feet, the look on his face making it clear that he didn't agree with such a course of action. Optimus could sympathize. This was the last thing he'd wanted to do, but he really didn't have a choice. He refused to let Gorgonus share the same fate as Transmutate. Eventually, Optimus nodded towards Rhinox before making his way down towards the cargo holds. Gorgonus followed behind his father automatically, Rhinox bringing up the rear. As the three of them disappeared around the corner, Rattrap pulled out the data disk he'd been looking at earlier. Would it even work? And even if it would, was it the right thing to do? "What would you do if you were still here, Choppaface?" he thought aloud, turning the disk over in his hand.

Suddenly, the rat took off at a sprint, running to catch up with the other three. As soon as he caught up, he trotted up to Optimus' side. "Hey, if there was some way ta bring his mind up ta speed with his body, there shouldn't be any reason to keep him locked up, right?" he asked hastily. The ape stared down at the rat, brow plate raised. What was he up to this time? Rhinox had jogged up to join the two of them by now, curious to hear what scheme Rattrap was cooking up. "I'm not about to reprogram my son just so he can fight our war. I know it seems wrong to throw him into stasis, but you've got to understand it's for his own good."

"I'm not talkin' about reprogramin' him, just... Kinda buffin' up his data tracks with someone else's." Rattrap explained, earning a snort from Rhinox. "And you think uploading your data tracks will make this any better?" Optimus had to stifle a chuckle at that. The last thing they needed was another Rattrap. The rat shook his head. "No, not mine!" he retorted before pulling out that data disk again. "What if I told ya I had a copy of Dinobot's data tracks?" He couldn't help but smirk as he watched the other two bots' jaws drop. "What? Where did you get that?" Optimus shouted out, unsure if he should be delighted that a trace of his mate had somehow survived, or infuriated that Rattrap had kept it from him. The smaller bot jumped back a bit, afraid for a moment that the commander would kill him. "Well... It was in the computer's backup memory. Choppaface musta uploaded it just before he died. The only catch is... This is the only copy. The original was deleted automatically when I made it..."

Optimus still couldn't believe it. Every memory Dinobot had, every moment they'd shared was right there in that disk. This was his chance to have his mate back, but... Did he really want to sacrifice his son's personality for that? He glanced over towards... "Wait... Where'd he go?" Rattrap turned around to find nothing but an empty passageway behind him. Oh great. The kid flew the coop.

It was still dark out by the time Gorgonus made it back to the valley. His father had gotten distracted by one of the other Maximals, affording him the opportunity to go back and retrieve his rifle. The saber-toothed cat had knocked it from his hands when he was tackled. Soon enough, he found what he was looking for. At first glance, it looked more like a sword than a gun. It was a huge blade, just as long as he was tall and nearly a foot across. The blade was split down the middle where the barrel of the rifle was hidden. As the black bot grabbed the hilt of the weapon, the blade snapped shut over the rifle barrel, concealing it completely. He placed the sword in its sheath, which was hidden under the cloak of hexagonal panels on his back.

He was all set to return back to base when he heard movement behind him. He turned, catching sight of a skeletal raptor as it emerged from the brushes. They stood there for a long moment, frozen in time as they stared at each other. Suddenly, the raptor turned away, walking off into the woods once again. Gorgonus let a content smile spread across his face before following behind the Predacon warrior without a second thought. Dinobot glanced behind him, red optics narrowed back at the black bot. So, Megatron was right. The fool really would follow him. Fortunate, but... He hadn't the faintest idea why this Maximal would do such a thing...