-Personal Log: Entry #012-

As soon as I made it back to my quarters, I took another look at the file I had downloaded earlier. (See Attached) My intuition has not led me astray; this file holds the answers I have been seeking. All but one.

It's time to go back.

"Your former lodgings, correct?" Megatron showed Ravage a hologram of the Axalon.

"Yeah," Ravage replied. "What about it?"

"I would assume you have knowledge of the weak points in the security system," Megatron explained. "Am I correct?"

"No," Ravage said bluntly. "I wasn't even off probation for a full solar cycle before I formally joined you. Not much time to learn such things. And Rhinox might have put another one in, on top of Sentinel. If he's as good as I've given him credit for, then he's had more than enough time to do so. But I think I can beat it."

"How?"

"With my sonic refractor."

Megatron gave Ravage a blank look.

"The focused scream I shot Scorponok with in beast form."

"Ahhh. A powerful weapon, that one. Yes."

"That's the point. Missiles won't bring down an energy shield so easily, and it would take too long to find the right wavelength for lasers to pierce it. But with the right DJ, sound can destroy anything. Just ask any human parent; all you need is someone who can really crank it up."

"Interesting. And you are certain you could... 'crank it up' enough?"

"With the way my refractor works, easily."

"Explain."

"Any sound I hear can be added to my beast mode's voice. When I'm in beast mode, I can take the combined blunt force of the sound waves I've collected and focus it to a single point. Then I let loose."

"And using your sonic attack, you can bring down their shields?"

"It might take me a couple of tries, but I don't think that'll be a problem."

"What sort of sounds would you need to reach the required magnitude?"

"Any sound will do, if I'm exposed to it long enough," Ravage said.

"Do you have a particular preference?"

"The clang of metal against metal." Ravage smiled. "There's no substitute."

Optimus and Tigatron were in the forest, in beast mode. The tiger was telling the gorilla the story of the previous night's battle.

"He finished it by shooting me with his panther's eye," Tigatron said, beginning to wrap up the tale.

"He could have scrapped you right there," Optimus observed. "But he let you live."

"More than that; he gave me a message to pass to the Maximals."

"What message?"

"'I've given you first bite.'" Tigatron looked directly at Optimus. "Those were his exact words. What do you think it means?"

"I don't know." Optimus looked at the sky. "I wonder when we'll find out."

All of the Predacons were standing at a natural formation of rock that served as an arena. Ravage was standing within the ring, waiting while everyone lined up outside it for the fight.

"Our dear Ravage has put forward an open challenge," Megatron was saying. "Simple rules. Any of you who are brave enough may face him in one-on-one, hand to hand combat, until one of you either surrenders, is thrown from the ring, or is rendered offline."

"If I win, another may step forward," Ravage added. "This chain can continue for as long as it takes to exhaust the supply of challengers. Who's first?"

"Waspinator will engage Gargoyle-bot."

Ravage waited until Waspinator stepped into the ring, then rushed forward, took hold of the bee's arm, and spun around to grab the other one from behind. Waspinator barely had time to gasp before he found himself on his knees, with Ravage's foot on his back, pressing down as he pulled back on the insect's arms.

Thrice over, Ravage applied extra pressure, and then released Waspinator's arms. There was a loud crunch as Waspinator's head slammed into the ground.

Ravage kicked the inert robot out of the arena, then turned toward the other five. "Who wants to join the oversized thumbtack?"

Scorponok charged forward, swinging his chelae fiercely. Ravage met him head-on, blocking attacks as they came, but not putting much effort into his own strikes. Then, Scorponok tried to catch Ravage off-guard with a quick sting. Ravage saw the tail swing forward, and he grasped it with both hands.

"Big mistake," Ravage said, tightening his hold. Putting all of his strength into it, he swung Scorponok overhead and threw him to the ground.

"And please," he taunted, "don't get up. You'll only make it worse for yourself."

Taking the words to heart, Scorponok crawled away.

"Meet you in the air!" Terrorsaur said, taking flight. He stopped about two stories up and hovered there, waiting.

"Yeah, good luck with that." Ravage transformed and leaped. When he came down, the saurian was trapped under his claws. "Pre-evolved birdbrain."

Their relative positions made it impossible for Terrorsaur to hit Ravage with his shoulder cannons. So when he felt the beast's breath on his chest plate, Terrorsaur freaked.

"I surrender!"

"Already?" Ravage smiled, showing his fangs. "Giving up, backing down, tapping out, throwing in the towel?"

Terrorsaur screamed at the sight of the huge teeth.

"You're pathetic." Ravage released him. "And here I was, hoping to have a little more fun with you."

Megatron watched with growing admiration as each of his soldiers fell, one by one, before Ravage's might and fury. Inferno, Terrorsaur, and Tarantulas thought to challenge him again after he had been worn down, and regain their pride. None of them lasted long.

With the exception of Scorponok, who was thoroughly terrified of fighting Ravage a second time, Ravage ended the chain battle as the last one standing, but suffered injuries himself. The most prominent was the heavy shiner he'd sustained in beast mode, which had disabled his left eye.

"I do hope that's enough sound waves to start with, Ravage," Megatron said, surveying his broken and busted warriors. "I don't think we'll be able to do this again anytime soon."

"Yes, it seems I did go a little overboard," Ravage agreed. "Still, trifles make perfection, and perfection is no trifle."

"Well said." Megatron smiled. "It appears you are prepared for the attack. However, we will have to wait until everyone is restored."

"Then we should begin collecting the pieces, Megatron. The sooner we're all back at full power, the sooner we can blast some Maximals."

-End Chapter Twelve-