…..Well, not really much to say about the delay. (Dangit, I rhymed again. ...Don't ask.) Either way, here we go, next chapter. Hope you like it.

DISCLAIMER: We've been through this about a billion times, haven't we? Do not own Transformers: Animated. Plain and simple.

Transformers: Animated

Finding One of Their Own

Ch. 5-The Double-Crossing Deal

After finishing with the search on which Vampiricon had landed on Earth the day before Optimus, Moisar, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead were headed to the med bay to join up with the others to discuss the findings, sepecially with Ratchet, to figure out the next step in finding where the enemy is located and stopping him before anything bad might happen. As they entered, they found Lightningray lying on the berth with the docbot examining her detail by detail, hoping to find clues as to how te femmebot ended up on the planet. While he was working he was explaining what he was finding, saying as the others filed in, "There's definitely some battle damage here and there. By the way you got it, you must have been in a serious fight before falling to the surface. Or at least thrown because there's no sign of atmospheric burn mark to suggest you fell from space."

Then noticing the youngobt leader and the others had arrived, the oldbot finished up and then asked Optimus, "Well, did you figure out who's here or not?"

"By what we discovered, and by what Moisar remembered, we concluded that it's possible it's the leader of the Vampiricons," the red and blue mech replied, a bit of uncertanity ringing in his voice.

"Then we're probably going to be in for a long and possibly dangerous endeavor," the red and white mech suggested. "The first Vampiricon that Megatron created was made tob e cruel, conniving, manipulative, and a true monster. If he is the one roaming the streets of Detroit, we could be facing an evil more destructive than all of the Decepticons combined."

"Whoah, and I thought just fighitng Lugnut and Blitzwing alone was destructive enough," Bulkhead pointed out. "If we do find him and we do get into a fight, it could mean the destruction of all of Detroit."

"Not if we find him as soon as possible," the young man proposed, thinking of something. "If he's been in space for so long, he would be at least very weak from not getting a good charge or getting the proper enegy source. Either way, if we were able to find him in a few days at least we can put him out of his long and unending misery and save the city a couple thousand dollars worth of damage."

"He's got a point there," Bumblebee agreed. "We've done enough damage while fighting the 'Cons and I don't think the mayor would want anymore destruction to the city."

"I would agree on that," the docbot added.

Then thinking of something, well more like remembering, Ratchet then muttered, "But if he syaed alive for that period of time, his unnatural spark must have gotten weak from not sustaning it, which means-"

"Which means what?," Prowl interrupted, catching the medibot talking to himself.

"Which means," the old warbot answered aloud, shooting a small glare at the black and gold ninjabot's way. "That he will probably be finding something or someone with the same spark matrix as he does or else his mech-made spark will burn out for good."

"Spark matrix? What's that?," Sari asked starting to get a little confused.

"It's what Megatron called the sparks that he made for the Vampiricons," Ratchet explained. "He designed them to stat in case the worst happened, he encoded them with a matching code that was somewhere out in space. They were picked at random, so they could either match somebot's natural spark or even maybe human DNA, if I remember that's its called. If I'm right about this, the Vampiricon will be trying to find his match as soon as he can so that he can absorb it and turn it into his new matrix."

"So in simple terms he would be roaming the streets right now, looking for his ideal match as fast as he can or else he'll die," Lightningray concluded in the simplest of terms.

"Eh, more or less," the red and white mech agreed.

"Then we better get moving," Optimus finally decided. "The sooner we find a trail, the more chances we get to stop him in the long run."

"Optimus," the young man piped up, remembering something else from the day before. "I think that we may have to search at night. When he emerged from the ship, the Vampiricon moved so fast into the shadow of a nearby alleyway I'm thinking that being so used to the darkness of space he might have developed a problem to the light, not being able to stand it at all after all this time."

"Which would make things a bit more difficult," the medibot pointed out, moving closer. "The Vampiricons were made to work more effienctly in the dark than in the light. Only being able to perform in the black of night would give him the upper advantage and only make it harder to find him."

"Not necessarily," Prowl suggested. "If we do find him during the night hours and also find where he's been using as a base, all we have to do is return the next day while the Vampiricon is hiding and jump him then."

"Yeah," the femmebot agreed leaning up and getting off the medical berth. "Take his weakness and use it as our advantage."

"Exactly," her fellow ninjabot clarified.

"Very well, then," the Autobot team leader concluded. "Tonight is approaching fast already. If we want to catch him, especially before tragedy strikes, it's got to be now. Sari, it's best if you stay here in case things take a turn for the worse. Moisar, both you and Lightningray are coming with us. Autobots, transform and roll out!"

With that, all six bots transformed and as the youg man was swinging his leg over to get on his best friend's vehicle mode, he saw his other friend's disappointed expression in which he smiled and said to the pink-haired girl, "Hey, what's with that look? I promise once we get back from this, I'll tell you every detail that happened so at least you won't be left out of the loop. Okay?"

Her sour look brightening up, Sari smiled big and replied, "Okay! Sounds perfect!"

Nodding in agreement, Moisar waved goodbye as he and the Autobots drove off in their search for the decrept vampire-typed mech.

Deep below the Detroitian streets, in an underground storage unit under an old warehouse a huge communication station had been set up in the darkest reaches of the area made from the wreckage of the Vampiricon's ship and now he was typing on the console, going through connection signals that ran in and out of Detroit's airspace and finally found the one he was looking for and sent out a hailing frequency which was instantly answered by none other than the most feared Decepticon of all, Megatron. A scowl instantly appearing on the Decepticon leader's faceplate, he warned, "How you found this transmission frequency is of no importance but if you do not stop hailing it you will be hunted down and terminated on the spot."

"And a warm greeting to you as well, Lord Megatron," the evil creation remarked back.

A few seconds of silent shock became the Decepticon on the screen, then composing himself yet did not show it, the Cybertronian traitor replied, "And here I thought that you were off-line or all this time."

"Oh, I've been very much alive, though I do not know of my fellow commrades," the first and last Vampiricon pointed out, hinting at the fact that the Decepticon leader split all of the creatures up and sent each one in a different direction. "The matrix you made for each of us lasted quite long, but for eternity. It's rather quite fascinating how my match is on the very same planet that you're on. Figures that even the great Megatron cannot run from his past."

Having to force himself from lashing out, the gray and red mech took the quick opportunity to change the subject. Having noticd that his once-great masterpiece was standing quite a bit back in the shadows, he asked, "Why, pray tell, are you standing so far back?"

"I'm afraid that's the problem, my lord," the former exhiled Decepticon explained. "Due to being stuck in the black night of space, it has somehow affected me and now my optics can't handle anything bright, such as the screen. That is why I am so far back. But we must press on with the matters at hand. I have a proposition to make."

"And what proposition might this be?," Megatron inquired getting both curious and wary at the same time.

Smirking evilly a bit, being thankful that his former leader couldn't see his faceplate, the Vampiricon answered, "It is that I wish to join back into the Decepticon cause, but not as the loyal servant that you're thinking that I'm going to be talking about. Since due to my little 'condition', there will be no way possible to make it to your base of operations. The one that I have set up here in the city shall serve as the base here for your plans. I shall run so that my search for a new spark will proceed much more quickly. Is it a mutal agreement?"

Several moments of silence passed as the dark leader considered the proposal, weighing the options very carefully. On the one servo having two bases would mean that he would have the upper advantage against those wretched Autobots and have more firepower to crush them. But on the other this could be nothing more than a trap that could turn ugly in his favor. Having made his decision, the leader replied, "Very well. I shall agree to this deal of yours. But if I even get a single hint that this is a trap I shall destroy the very spark I made for you myself. Understand?"

"To the letter, my liege," the diaboical work of old complied, making sure that his voice sounded the same.

"Then welcome back to the Decepticons...Powerdrain. As soon as you acquire your new spark matrix, report to me so that we can begin the conquest of this miserable plant and Cybertron."

With that, the monitor turned to snow which gave the former Vampiricon leader the chance to smile evilly in relief and add to himself, "Then feed off your spark, kill you then take control of everything for myself. Just as I have been planning ever since being banished so long ago."

…..Oh, boy. Things are getting heated up, that's for sure. Next chap get ready for a serious battle and a discovery that's going to be a real shocker. Quick challenge: who do you think that the match is? Whoever gets it right gets free energon treats!