A/N Okay people sorry for the delay... this one contains some pretty heavy stuff so that is your warning... thus I give you
Roller-coaster Of Emotions
As time went on, Dinobot and Rattrap were often seen together. Auguring, to be sure, but working well together. They often laughed together now as well. However, neither saw that the friendship was there. If it was ever brought up they would say that the 'bot was seeing or hearing things. Their fights were still physical at times, and death threats were still made; however, if an enemy were to shoot at one of them, the other would say something like, "Oh, no you don't. He's mine to kill."
One day, when Dinobot and Rattrap were out on patrol, the other Maximals were sitting around enjoying a day in the sun, talking. Eventually Cheetor said, "Ya know, it's going to take something drastic for those two to realize they're friends."
"You're probably right, Cheetor." Rhinox looked up from the flower he'd been sniffing. "But there's little we can do about it."
"Are you sure?" Airazor asked from her perch. "I mean, can't we do something to make them realize it?"
"They have to see it for themselves, Airazor," Primal told her. "They can't be pushed. Just give it time."
Meanwhile, Dinobot and Rattrap were patrolling close to Predacon territory. The pair of them were silent, each lost in their own thoughts. Rattrap finally broke the quiet.
"So Chopperface," he started. Lately he'd been wondering things. Things his crew had often said but he, himself, never understood. Most of it was because he didn't understand the Predacon language.
"What do you want, Vermin?" Dinobot turned his neck to look at Rattrap.
Rattrap hesitated, not knowing quite how to ask his question without sounding stupid. Even in his head it sort of sounded like a kid asking, "What does this word mean?" He sighed mentally and said, "Eh, never mind, fossil face."
So in silence they traveled for some time, each thinking about the other - Dinobot wondering just how naive Rattrap really was and Rattrap wondering if Dinobot was bullshitting him about his old gang. Both of them were so lost in thought that they didn't notice Terrorsaur and Waspinator bearing down on them. At least until the fliers fired on them. "Whoa!" Rattrap yelled. "We're under attack!"
"No? Really, Vermin? I hadn't noticed!" Dinobot yelled back. "Dinobot, Maximize!"
"Rattrap, Maximize!" Rattrap called out. Both transformed and started shooting at the fliers. "Hey, Chopperface. Is it just me or are dey actually dodging our shots?"
"You simply can't shoot worth slag, rat," Dinobot said, although he privately agreed with Rattrap. The fliers indeed seemed to be dodging the blasts. Part of the problem was that the fliers were flanking them and they had no way to block their backs. "We need to get to cover, Vermin!" Dinobot called out, leaping out of the way of a blast.
"Ya t'ink, scale belly?" Rattrap yelled back. They both transformed and started to run towards the nearby mountains, dodging shots left, right, and center. The fliers followed them as they reached the rocky wall. Nearby was a cave, but the fliers seemed to be blocking the way at the moment.
"Rat. Head to the cave, I'll hold them off!" Dinobot said as he transformed and fired his optics at them.
"Are ya nuts, Chopperface?" Rattrap yelled back.
"Just go, Vermin! I can handle those two morons!"
"Make dat t'ree, Scale Belly. We got Inferno incomin'!"
"Vermin, get going or I'll start shooting you!" Dinobot roared.
Rattrap transformed and started to fire. "De only bot dat's gonna be killin' ya is gonna be me!"
"You are the most irritating Maximal I have ever come across!" Dinobot hollered as he shot at Inferno.
"Yeah. An' I've met posts who listen better den you!" Rattrap yelled back. The pair of them began to make their way towards the cave, firing along the way. They just managed to get to the cave when all three of the fliers converged on them and fired, causing the entrance to collapse. Dinobot shoved Rattrap into the cave and out of the way of the falling rocks.
-----
Some time later Rattrap woke up, a large rock having hit him on the head and knocked him unconscious. "Eh, Chopperface, yous alive?" Rattrap asked as he got up.
"Alive? Yes," Dinobot answered from the gloom.
As Rattrap switched to infrared, he saw that Dinobot was badly damaged and one of his legs was crushed under tons of rubble. "Chopperface!" Rattrap exclaimed as he ran over to Dinobot.
"Yes, Vermin?"
"Holy slag, Scale Belly." Panic crept into Rattrap's voice.
"Vermin, calm down. I'm going to need your help," Dinobot said, taking deep breaths to keep himself from panicking... or passing out.
"Okay, whatcha need?" Rattrap asked, still shaking a bit.
"First, scan for energon. My scanners are offline."
"Okay, gotcha." Upon scanning, Rattrap found that the energon radiation levels were nil here. Most likely the cave was shielding them. He did some fast calculations. "We're good for a few days if we need ta be," he told Dinobot.
"Good. Now I can't just stay under this rubble. I'm losing mech-blood fast, and I can't get to my sword. You are going to have to amputate my leg," Dinobot said calmly.
"WHAT!? Ya gotta be fuckin' kiddin' me Chopperface -"
"Rodent," Dinobot said calmly, "if you don't, I'm going to lose more vital fluids. If that happens, I will most likely go into stasis lock, and I won't wake up from it."
"How can ya be so slaggin' calm about dis?" Rattrap asked, nearly panicking.
"Two reasons," Dinobot replied. "First, panicking would only make the situation worse. Second, I was in the Maximal-Predacon war for most of my adult life. This is nothing compared to some of the things I've been through."
Rattrap nodded and took out a dagger. "Okay, Chopperface. Where an' how?"
"Just below my hip, and use all the strength you have. Try to sever it in one clean cut. Understand?"
"Yeah, Dinodip. I get it. Ready?" asked Rattrap, trying to keep his hands from shaking. He raised the dagger and Dinobot nodded. Rattrap gauged his location and swung.
Dinobot grunted, gritting his teeth as Rattrap's dagger severed his leg. "Now, Rodent... you need to find... a way to seal the wound. My internal... repair system is offline, as are... my optic lasers."
Rattrap dragged Dinobot away from the pile of rubble. Once he had Dinobot far enough away, he pulled out a laser torch cutter. "Okay," he said, trying to reassure himself as much as Dinobot. "Dis might hurt." And, wasting no time for an answer, he brought the torch to what was left of Dinobot's leg.
Dinobot tried to suppress the howl of pain that came to his lips. At first he managed to keep most of it in, but a low growl finally found its way out. Once that growl escaped, he could not hold back the scream of agony any longer and the walls of the cave echoed with it.
Once the wound was cauterized, Dinobot leaned over and looked at what remained of his leg. "Nicely done, Vermin," he said laying down.
"T...t'anks, Chopperface," Rattrap stammered. He felt weak, faint even, both from what he'd done and from hearing Dinobot howl with pain like that. It shook him to hear Dinobot in so much pain. Then he found himself wondering, why? Why did he care about whether a Pred was hurt? And why did it bother him so much? Why did he care so much about this Pred? He thought about what the other Maximals had said on occasion about them becoming friends. He thought they were out of their collective minds then, but now he wondered if they had see something he hadn't. Or didn't want to.
'Maybe dey were right after all,' he thought to himself. Out loud he said, "Is der anyt'ing I can... ya know... do fer ya?" He was wringing his hands.
Dinobot looked at the vermin. Something was different about him. First, he was being nice, and second, he actually seemed worried. It didn't make sense. He watched the rat looking at him, his face full of... concern? He couldn't believe it. Why did the rat care? That rat didn't ever seem to even listen to him before, so why now? He couldn't see why. It just didn't make sense. Could it be some kind of trick? He didn't know, but what he did know was that he was exhausted from the mech-blood loss and needed to stay awake.
Finally he said, "Talk to me, rat."
"Huh?" asked the confused Maximal.
Dinobot growled a bit. "Did I stutter? I cannot be allowed to sleep." He thought for a moment, then asked, "What were you going to ask me earlier?" He hoped that it might prompt the rat to talk.
Rattrap looked down at Dinobot and sighed. "'Scuse da bad pronunciation," he said. "But what does..." Here he did his best to pronounce a set of words in Predacon that he never could figure out. "...mean?"
Dinobot peered at the rat through the gloom of the cave. The rodent seemed be a bit sheepish. "Do not be ashamed of your question, Vermin. Our two languages are fundamentally different."
"Yeah? Den why can a Pred speak Maximal, but it's almost impossible de other way 'round?"
At this, Dinobot laughed. "I have absolutely no idea, Rodent. Never had." Rattrap couldn't help himself; he began to laugh as well.
After some time both calmed down and Dinobot said, still chuckling, "As to your first question, Cheese Eater, the rough translation would be 'Family above all and this is family'. I take it this was most often said to other Predacons while gesturing to the Maximals of your gang?" Rattrap nodded dumbly. Family? Those Preds he'd hung out with thought of him as family? "You look baffled, Vermin." Dinobot shifted a bit, trying to get more comfortable on the cold rock floor. "One might think you never suspected that fact..." He then took another look at Rattrap's expression and said, bewilderedly, "You really didn't know?"
"Hadn't a clue, Chopperface," Rattrap returned.
"Which part?" Dinobot asked. Now he was really confused. Rattrap's gang thought of him as family and he didn't know it? Absurd. He must not know just what being referred to as family entailed, at least for Predacons.
He was floored when Rattrap said, "Whatcha mean 'which part'? I had no clue dat dat's what dey were sayin'."
Dinobot sat up very quickly, causing him to growl in pain and grab his side. "And you're unaware of the connotations of what I just said?"
"Just what are ya babblin' about, Lizard Lips?" Rattrap looked more concerned over Dinobot's spasm. "Hey, shouldn't you be lyin' down?"
"If I continue to lie down, Rodent, I shall fall asleep," Dinobot told him. "Didn't they tell you what family means to a Predacon?"
Rattrap just shook his head. "Not a clue, Scale Belly."
Okay. Now Dinobot was really, REALLY confused. Then, thinking back, he understood. The Predacons, knowing that Rattrap wasn't born in a mixed district, must have felt that he wouldn't understand, or believe it if he did.
His musings were interrupted by his body giving a violent shiver. He had lost so much mech-blood that he was hypothermic. "Chopperface?" Rattrap leaned over and touched the raptor. "Holy slag. Yer cold as ice. Wait here," he said, hurrying off into the gloom.
"Where would I go?" Dinobot asked the dark.
A short time later Rattrap came back with an armload of rocks. He set the larger rocks in a circle around Dinobot, then placed the rest in a pile next to him. He then proceeded to use his welding torch to heat the rocks. "Dere ya go. Dat should help."
Dinobot could not help the sight of relief that escaped him. The warmth felt so very welcome. "Yes... very much improved," he said in a hiss while closing his eyes in satisfaction. His optics opened in surprise when Rattrap sat down next to him and threw what looked a fire retardant blanket over them both and over the hot, brightly glowing rocks. Dinobot gave Rattrap a quizzical look.
"Hey, when ya work wit' explosives ya learn ta keep some a' dese handy," Rattrap answered the unspoken question. "Nevah know when an incendiary bomb might go off when it's made from scrap, ya know."
Dinobot shifted a bit under the make-shift tent and in doing so bumped the rat's head. He heard Rattrap inhale sharply. "Are you alright, Vermin?" he asked.
"Yeah. Got hit in da head by somethin', dat's all. I've had worse," Rattrap responded. "Now what was yous sayin' 'bout family?"
"To a Predacon, family is everything. Beyond power, beyond conquest, family is everything. If for whatever reason a Predacon has no family, their comrades are where their loyalties go next. Then faction," Dinobot explained.
"But I know dat my crew had families," Rattrap stated, confused.
Dinobot chuckled. "You all were brothers, yes even the females, and that made you family." He let out a soft sigh.
Rattrap looked up at Dinobot. "You don't have either, do ya, Chopperface?"
Dinobot growled in rage. "What's it to you, Vermin?"
"Hey, Chopperface, calm down." Rattrap patted Dinobot on the arm. "I, uh, didn't mean nothin' by it."
Dinobot looked down at the rat. He looked rather ashamed of himself. "It's....alright Vermin. I did have a family, but I haven't seen them in years."
"Sorry ta hear dat," Rattrap said, and he meant it.
Dinobot nodded and asked, mostly to change the subject, "Any idea when the Maximals will find us?
"Well, we're supposed to be back by night. When we don't turn up, dey'll come lookin' fer us," Rattrap answered.
"So..." Dinobot tried to break the silence that had fallen on them. "Why are you on Primal's crew?"
"Mainly as a navigator," Rattrap answered. "But partly 'cause a' my demolition skills. Ya nevah know when ya might need one."
"I see," Dinobot hissed.
"What about you? Why did ya join ol' Megs's crew?"
Dinobot was silent for a time, then said, "After the war was over, I had become superfluous. I was a soldier without an army. A warrior without a war to fight. I became a sell sword." Dinobot shook his head at the memory. "Megatron made his roundup call for his crew. Some Predacons thought that the Tripredacus Council was not acting in our kind's best interests. Megatron seemed to have the right idea about what to do. Gather energon, recruit more Predacons to our cause, and overthrow both governments and rule Cybertron. I wanted to be a part of that."
"So what happened, Chopperface?" Rattrap asked.
"I was betrayed by Megatron and Scorponok. Megatron only wanted power, to be in charge - all he wanted was the power, not the revolution he had painted when he first spoke to me. The last wire was when he led us to the wrong planet. I challenged him for leadership. Instead of accepting my challenge, like a leader should, he turned his back on me. Then Scorponok shot me," Dinobot told him, looking down at the rocks.
"Ouch," Rattrap stated.
"Tell me about your gang, Rodent," Dinobot told him.
Rattrap chuckled, "Well, dere was our leader Tri-Claw, not very tall but strong. He was yella' wit' deep red highlights. He took care of us mostly. Black Orchid was hot, I mean damn. She could seduce a glacier. She was a study in dark greens and when she sang, she could bring tears even to Tarantulas' optics, or make a funeral party wanna dance." Rattrap grinned a shit-eating grin. "When I got older I used ta fantasize 'bout her if ya get what I'm sayin'!" he said, elbowing the larger bot in the side. Dinobot shook his head to hide the half smile that crossed his features.
"Den dere was Hammer. He was gray an' brown. Big, kinda dumb, but he was actually gentle. He had a kid bruddah, an' woe betide anyone who tired to hurt dat kid. HardFist was silver wit' some red, he was actually de brains a da bunch. A wiz at math an' chemistry, but despite his name, not very strong. An' can't forget Marauder. A powerhouse in gold an' black..." He stopped and chuckled. "An' he was sweet on Black Orchid, but she was no one's girl."
He paused and thought for a moment, then said, "Den dere were de other Maximals. Sunbeam, painted yellow an' gold, anodder girl - pretty enough, but next to Orchid, well... Anyways, she was smart as a whip an' fast too. She could outrun any of us easily. Last but not least, dere was Starblank. Pale blue, pale gold an' white. Bit of a nerd, but he had been best friends wit' Tri-Claw like since they came on-line.
"An' dat's about it really," Rattrap finished. "Tell me somethin' 'bout yer days in da army." When Dinobot just looked at him with that look he said, "Hey, ya said ta talk, so talk."
Dinobot was quiet for some moments, then he chuckled with a slight shake of his head. "Well, there was one thing that myself and several other bots in my Section managed to pull. I was a much younger bot in those days... Anyway, we bugged one of our female commanders' quarters."
"Why'd ya do dat?" Rattrap asked as he re-heated the rocks.
Dinobot laughed a bit at the memory. "We heard that she had some strange kinks, and being the young, virile mechs we were, we wanted to know what they were."
"What were dey?"
"Well, after we set up the bugs and the cameras, we put the receiving equipment in another room and watched. It turned out that that particular commander preferred females in her bed. However, she and her primary lover liked to bring a male into the room and tie him down, forcing him to watch while they interfaced. Then they would climb over him, not quite touching his unit. We would laugh at his predicament." Dinobot grinned.
Rattrap grinned lecherously back and said, "Ya can't tell me yous guys wasn't strokin' it ta all dat."
Dinobot couldn't help but laugh. "No, you're right, Cheese Eater. We did. The best part, however, was that we were never caught!"
"Really? I nevah figured ya for a spy." Rattrap chuckled.
"Not me. One of my squad mates, he set it up. I just wired up the monitors and recorders. The third member of our little group, he kept an optic on the time and made sure no one saw us enter the room."
"Huh...Wait, you're tellin' me dat you can wire bugs?" Rattrap asked, completely taken aback.
"Vermin, I am not some front line, cannon-fodder grunt. Between you and me, Rodent, I could rewire the weapons systems in the Axalon to shoot in patterns if I wanted. I could rework all the lights to blink in Morse code. Slag, give me enough time and I could make all the doors in the Darkside reverse their current positions at the mention of Megatron's name if I so chose. However, I prefer combat. I live for it." Dinobot sighed. "Forget it..." he started.
"I wouldn't understand. Right?" Rattrap mocked. "Gimme a shot, Chopperface," he said indignantly.
"Alright," Dinobot said with a small smile. "Combat is my life. Do you know the thrill of combat, Vermin? When you know that every blow misses you. When every shot you make hits. When you take your life in your own hands..."
"Actually, Chopperface, I kinda do. Bein' in demolitions an' all. Durin' da war, I used ta make bombs under some a da worst conditions. Spare parts, frayed wires, blastin' caps dat were two different cap halves welded together. Ain't safe," Rattrap explained. He then grinned. "Ya know anyt'ing 'bout buildin' bombs?" Dinobot shook his head. "A blastin' cap contains da primary explosive. Well, Pyrotechnic Fuse Blasting Caps are da most dangerous kind dere are. Ya gotta put da fuse inta da cap end crimped inta place by crushin da base a' da cap around da fuse. If ya crimp it too close ta da explosives, it can go off. Ya followin' me?" Dinobot nodded. "'Kay. Well, most bots'll use pinchers ta crimp da cap..." Rattrap grinned. "Not me. I bit 'em."
Dinobot nodded and gave him a look of admiration for his chrome-steel bearings. He then chuckled. "You've missed the point, however, Vermin. To me, combat is like a drug and sex combined, with an added adrenaline rush that people pay large amounts of credits to get a taste of. Battle lust courses through my body like a fire..." Here Dinobot gave a shudder of pleasure.
Rattrap's optics widened in realization. "You get off on battle?"
"Exactly, Rodent. I can't get enough of it. Battle fills my spark."
"That explains it," Rattrap mused.
"Explains what, Vermin?"
"Let me guess. You don't get wit' femmes much 'cause dey don't give ya da same pleasure dat fightin' does. Am I right?"
"You are correct, Cheese Eater. Females do give me pleasure, but they cannot compare to what I feel when plunging headlong into enemy lines. Because of this, it has been...difficult...for me to find a worthy lover." Here he paused, then said angrily, "Bah! Why am I telling you all this?"
Dinobot went silent after that, and Rattrap didn't dare break it. He couldn't explain why he felt... He really didn't know what he felt. Part of him wanted to comfort Dinobot, but he didn't know how. How do you comfort a Pred? Then it came to him. He remembered what Orchid had once told him.
"Listen, mech," she'd said once. "You're way out of your league. We Predacons don't put much stake in words. You want me, take me. Strength is what we admire. Soft words mean nothing to us." At the time he wasn't quite sure what she had meant. Now he knew. Dinobot had put the last puzzle piece into place. But could Dinobot handle that sort of thing in his condition? And even if Dinobot could, could he? Dinobot was bigger and stronger then he was. And what if he was wrong? Rattrap sighed.
"What's wrong now, Vermin?" Dinobot asked exasperatedly.
"Nothin' Dinobutt. Nothin' at all," Rattrap said softly.
"Whatever," Dinobot growled. Rattrap got up, draped the blanket around Dinobot, reheated the rocks, then walked to the other side of the cave. There he sat, taking peeks at Dinobot now and then to make sure that he was still awake. Finally Rattrap heard Dinobot say, "Beast Mode." Dinobot slowly began to transform. Rattrap heard Dinobot's gears and servos grind and groan as he became a Raptor, minus his arm and a good portion of his chest, instead of a leg. He then walked over to where Rattrap was sitting and asked, putting a clawed hand on the rat's shoulder, "Are you alright?"
Rattrap looked up and said, "Yeah."
"No you're not, Vermin," Dinobot stated quietly.
Rattrap looked into Dinobot's face. Did the Pred know? Did Dinobot know what he felt, when he, Rattrap, didn't even know what it was he was feeling? "Whatcha mean?"
"Vermin, you're sitting in a puddle of mech-blood."
"Oh. Okay. Can ya see where it's comin' from?" Rattrap asked, a little crestfallen.
"It seems to be coming from the back of your head. Most likely where you were hit and knocked out," Dinobot told him. Rattrap's expression didn't escape him. However, there were more important things he needed to do. Like fixing Rattrap. "Vermin, I need that torch of yours. I think your repair systems are off line."
"'Kay," Rattrap said, handing it over. "Just try to be quick, okay?"
"Alright. Hold still." He then brought the torch to Rattrap's wounds.
Rattrap's screams echoed around the cave as Dinobot sealed the wound. "H...h...how's it look, C...C...Chopperface?" he asked, shakily.
"Better, Vermin." He saw that Rattrap was trembling badly. "Are you alright?" he asked again.
"I...I'll be fine," Rattrap stammered, looking up at the Raptor. "Didn't know I was hurtin' is all."
"Good," Dinobot told him. "Get up, rat. You should stay near the heat."
"Okay, Chopperface." Rattrap got up on shaky legs and walked over to the rocks. Dinobot reheated them and sat down next to Rattrap, pulling the blanket back over them both. "T'anks, Chopperface." Rattrap just sat there, staring at the rocks, and Dinobot did the same. Silently the two waited.
Finally Dinobot broke the silence and said, "Why are you here, Vermin?"
"I don't know," Rattrap stated softly. "I just wanted ta get offa Cybertron, I guess."
"What is bothering you Rodent? You are not yourself," Dinobot said, flexing his tail.
"Nothin' Chopperface," Rattrap said to the pile of rocks.
"Vermin, we may be here awhile, and if this rather...uncomfortable...silence continues much longer I shall dose off," Dinobot told him a bit aggressively.
"Hey, yous ain't talkin' much either, Dinodip," Rattrap snapped back.
"I am not one for -snarl- conversation," Dinobot said. "Never was."
"Da strong silent type huh?" Rattrap asked, smirking.
Dinobot nodded. 'The mech-blood loss must be making me light headed, for I'm going soft. Talking to a Maximal as though he were family,' Dinobot thought to himself. 'So the Rat isn't acting like his usual annoying self. I should be glad of it. And yet I'm not. It bothers me. What's wrong with me? I shouldn't care if something's troubling him. And just what was with that look a few moments ago? I just know I'm going to regret this.'
Out loud he said, "Look, Vermin, I saw that look a few moments ago. You looked as though someone had kicked you while you were off line. You've been too quiet, and not at all yourself." He shuddered as he felt dirt enter his chest. It would be safer, he surmised, to remain in robot mode. "Dinobot, Maximize." Dinobot transformed slowly, pain racking his body as he did so, and sat back down next to Rattrap. He resigned himself to hear about some Maximal drivel, but all that silence was even more disturbing to him. "So out with it, Rodent. What has got you so down?"
Rattrap looked at Dinobot. Part of him wanted to tell Dinobot what was the matter but he couldn't manage it. 'Dinobot'll laugh at me. I'm not even sure what da problem is.' He put on a 'Devil-may-care expression and said, "What's it to ya, ya slag spoutin' saurian?"
"Because, you omnivorous piece of molten slag, either we get whatever it is out in the open, or we drive each other crazy with our silence and half attempts at conversations. It's already getting on my nerves," Dinobot said exasperatedly.
Rattrap just let out a chuckle he didn't feel. He couldn't say anything 'till he figured it out himself. So instead he said, "Nothin's botherin' me, Big D. Just wonderin' if my crew is still alive is all." It wasn't really lying, for his old gang was on his mind.
"Some of them decided to join up, did they?" Dinobot asked, relieved that he wasn't going to have to listen to some pathetic Maximal sentiment. Worrying about one's family was natural. Even if you aren't aware that that's what you are.
"Yeah. An' I haven't thought a' dem in years," Rattrap responded.
"I wouldn't worry too overly much, Rodent. We Predacons are tougher then we sometimes look, and much more dangerous as well. Those of your gang that went in, most likely, ended up in the same platoon. They already knew how to work well together after all, Mouse."
This topic kept the two occupied for some time. However, Dinobot's head began to droop a bit, and several times Rattrap was forced to shake the larger 'bot to keep him awake. He realized that there must be massive internal damage within the Pred. "Come on, Chopperface. Ya gotta stay awake," he said as he shook Dinobot rather hard, trying to keep him conscious. He had to keep Dinobot talking, so despite a strong desire to not EVER hear about Predacon military practices he asked, "So tell me, what was P.T. like for yous?"
So Dinobot talked. Rattrap asked as many questions as he could think of to keep the large Pred talking and therefore keep him awake, little knowing of the damage that he himself had sustained when the rock had crushed part of his head. In the middle of a tale about one of the myriad battles he had been in, Dinobot noticed something. "Vermin, you're shaking," he said.
"Yeah, I know. Been doin' it for a few hours now," Rattrap responded. "I t'ink dat rock did more damage den we can tell, Dino-boob."
Several hours passed, and both were starting to wonder if the Maximals would find them this night. While they could survive in robot mode for several days due to whatever this cave was comprised of, the lack of fuel was going to be a problem, both of them being injured and needing to replenish lost fluids.
More time passed, and the pair of them ceased talking, needing to conserve their energy for more important things. Each kept an eye on the other, occasionally touching each other's shoulder to make sure they remained awake. However, Rattrap began to nod off despite Dinobot's attempts to keep him conscious. Dinobot had been through worse and knew how to keep himself awake through some of the worst conditions. Rattrap didn't. Dinobot could do nothing for him now, and simply tried to make the rat comfortable. Time stretched on - how much he couldn't tell, for he had turned off his internal chronometer. He had been told once that in situations like this, watching time tick by could drive a bot mad. He kept himself occupied with meditation techniques.
Time seemed to tick by forever, when he suddenly heard the sound of rock moving. Fearing a cave-in, he tried to shield Rattrap, but his own strength had given out ages ago and he could barely move. He soon realized that the sound was someone moving the rocks, and he grabbed the welding torch, willing to fight to the death. As the rubble cleared he saw a sight he never knew he'd be so glad to see. Rhinox was literally nosing his way through the rubble, with Optimus Primal moving the rock away, both in beast mode. "Optimus, I don't think I've ever been this glad to see you," Dinobot said.