Greetings to everyone, sorry that it's been a long wait. I was currently unwell for 2 weeks, but it's over. And now the VISION-KING has a new chapter of everyone's favorite Beast Wars Season Three. I would also like to announce a question previously asked about when I'll have these chapters out. Sometimes it could be either a month, or two months, plus maybe half a month, depending on how much work I need to finish plus some research on Transformer related stuff. Anyway, I'll have to begin checking over some recent OC Request so that I don't end up missing anything outside the reviews in case anyone sent me messages. Till then, enjoy the story's next chapter…
Chapter 03: Deep Metal
THE EARLY MORNING
The scene slowly opens around the volcano mountain area of Mount St. Hilary, but the camera zooms down near some rocky canyon cliffs. Then upon closing in, find the once open passage way was fortified with large metal doors with a satellite disk on top for any large Transformer to walk through. And on two tall boulders on each side, were triple gun turrets where someone can sit to operate them: which was Blackarachnia on the left and Silverbolt on the right. Soon the fortified doors creak open to allow one entry into the newly fortified Maximal base. The scene opens to show Optimus Primal walking towards the setup Command Center of the Axelon setup to observe the Ark. Right now within the Command Center was Rhinox, Long-Rack, Dive-Bomb, and Quick Fix, having trouble working the monitors that were getting all static and glitch-up. Jeremie and Aelita were working around other areas to help make the Command Center function like it use to be.
"Hmm…SLAG!" Rhinox groans to complain, seeing another issue to fix.
"Oh boy, there goes another one?" Quick Fix yelps as he tries to study and figure out where the problem started.
"Everyone. How soon until we're operational?" Optimus Primal asked Rhinox with a concerning voice on everything being at full function.
"With nothing to work with but salvaged parts?" Rhinox turns his chair to address Optimus about how their progress is going. "I'm making no promises." Rhinox shook his head, uncertain if they can get by with just the salvage hardware and components from the Axelon they scrap together.
"It's a wonder we managed to salvage enough of what was left of our ship to even turn this volcano mountain into a fortress." Dive-Bomb exclaim on how they had to work with what they got, turn what was once an exploration spaceship into materials to fortified a mountain area. "Mind you, it's far from perfect as what we got." The guy was not holding anything back, it's a wonder so many Maximals managed to quickly get things setup.
"We have had a few things thanks to Jeremie and our human allies in acquiring a few components." Long-Rack explain on having received a few materials to help in quicken the paste on making this volcano into a base front. "But materials aside, some components from our world are hard to remake given how we're in a war." He sign lightly that while they can made some good layouts, when it comes to circuits and systems, Cybertronian tech-wise, they are short handed.
"Friends, I know it's tough, we have to hold the line as long as we can." Optimus firmly but gently spoke to those that need some encouragement. "But if the Maximal Elders don't send the rescue ship soon, we may have to change our strategy." The Maximal Commander begins to ponder about changing their original intention from waiting for a rescue to something else entirely…
"Guuagh!?" Rhinox yelped as another spark occurred when he was typing to get something to run. "If the Elders were going to send a ship, it would have been here by now." Then Rhinox got up to approach the center table, then bang his right fist on it in anger because of doubts of help coming. "You now that." He issue to Optimus that from what has been occurring, there may not be anyone from Cybertron that knows where they are or will come to help them.
"And base on what Ravage told us, did the Maximals ever pick up the signature from the Quantum Surge?" Aelita felt very concern with worry, what if only the Predacons who worked with Ravage come to this world next.
"It's possible that he was lying Aelita. It has to be it, right?" Jeremie tries to stay positive, knowing that everyone is on edge: who wouldn't be that it's not just the Key they gotta protect, but the Ark and the future as well.
"Sometimes, what little hope we have just might not be enough." Rhinox shook his head to sadly turn down Jeremie's hopes on wishing for a miracle. "The Elders wouldn't have given up knowing the Key remains missing. But the fact remains, they might not even know as much as we want to know if anyone is coming." The Maximal Scientist knew that unless the Maximals on Cybertron know where they are, and know that's where the Key is, then no action will happen.
"I'm not sure what I know any more, old friend." Optimus expressed his own thoughts of what he thought he knew has yet to come. "None of us are quite who we were when we began this war." He looked above and around the area, stating how they change ever since the Beast Wars first began. "And neither is our universe."
MEANWHILE
SOMEWHERE IN SPACE
The scene was opening in outer space, there were many stars and different cosmic arrangements forming clouds or distance universes. Then zooming through space, was what appeared to be a single-passenger spaceship which had deep blue theme, silver and gold components. It even had vertically-oriented triangular 'wings' held out from the hull on the thin shafts. Even on the wings, was the Maximal symbol logo which meant it was a Cybertronian spaceship, plus on the hatch was '04' which meant the number of how many such ships were made. This ship was known as a Starhopper.
"This sector has been declared forbidden by order of the High Council." A male computer voice was speaking in reminding the area was off limits.
"Slag the High Council." A Mystery Cybertronian retorts with a deep male voice as one could see a silver exoskeleton hand typing on the controls flip switches and buttons. "Give me a quantum scan." He asked after having done some set programing from the monitor displaying digital layouts of planets and codes under Cybertronian language.
"That would contradict program directive, 9-3..." The system's male voice replied after a 'beeping' system recognize what the request went against.
"Just do it." The Mystery Cybertronian in blue theme exoskeleton frame remarked firmly, as he had a light-blue energy tube connecting to a helmet with his yellow face and red optics seen.
"Acknowledged." The male voice system replied after some 'beeps' were heard to process the request. "Scan positive." The system replied after another beep, as information came on the monitor screen on the controls. "Energy signature of Protoform X detected." On a digital planet blinked white out of the others, stating where to find…Protoform-X's location.
"Yes. Lock on and follow." Mystery Cybertronian exclaim in sounding pleased, and wants to begin following where he can find his target.
"Beep-Beep, Beep!" Then an alarm noise went off on the ship's system. "Alert! Another Ship Detected And Closing In." The male computer voice announced which alerted the pilot; he was about to receive company.
At this moment, a warp portal appeared at the location near the Starhopper. It was a medium-size spaceship was long and shaped like a dark green dragon with the head having a visor window and blasters underneath, and engines on the backside of the wings portion. This ship was called the Arclight, owned by a Maximal Unit.
"Attention Maximal Vessel, this is a restricted sector. Return to Cybertron at once or…" The camera zooms to a dark command room aboard the Arclight, where the captain was giving the order to the Starhopper….
"Sir, we've detected another signature….it's coming to our location!?" Then one of the other Cybertronian Maximals report something else was coming their way.
"Another Maximal ship?" The captain asked in who else would be out here.
"No, it's…Predacon!?" Another Maximal nearby reports the signature belong to a different Transformer race.
Wasn't long before something appeared through another warp near the Starhopper and the Arclight. It was a medium-sized spaceship shape like a vicious dark grey predator bird with spikes across the wings spam and the backside, a clear visor window for the head controls. This ship was called the Harbinger, owned by a Predacon Unit.
"Who owns that ship?" The Arclight's Captain demands answers on who the unknown vessel belongs to.
"We're in the dark here?" Another bot replied confused, as they all were busy observing the Starhopper and the Harbinger for ID.
"Great, as if I didn't want to get attention?" Mystery Cybertronian was seen rolling his optics on how things escalated. "Can anything else happen?" He remarked on how much can go wrong now.
"Beep-Beep-Beep…" Suddenly, alarms were going off on an alert notice.
"Attention! Anomaly detected dead ahead." The male computer voice announced as everything in the spaceship shook. "Reverse course." The system request that the pilot perform such a maneuver to evade the encounter.
Then without warning, the Starhopper, Arclight, and Harbinger were on route towards something that began to slowly form in the empty portion of space. Sparks of energy glitter before a blurring vortex appeared within the center was a bright light-blue spark of massive energy.
"Ugh…Ugh…" The Mystery Cybertronian yelped as his entire ship was vibrating from the strange action. "What the Pit's going on?" The guy swear, trying to understand what was the cause of this unexpected action.
"Beep-Beep, Beep!/Temporal anomaly vortex." The system replied to alert the pilot of what they were encountering was a temporal anomaly. "Affecting all systems. Analyzing: Now." The male computer system states to begin running an analysis on what was currently happening.
Just then, the Mystery Cybertronian looked to his left hand that was glowing a bright whiteness without warning. "GRRAURRGH!?" He yells in shock, unknowing what was happening to him.
"Uuughh…./AAAahhhh!?" Some Maximals aboard the Arclight were
"Engage Engines! Try to yank us out of here!?" The Arclight Captain
"We're trying but the anomaly is shorting out our circuits. Resorting to backup engines and power, we have to…hugh?" Just as one of the Maximal crewmates spoke, he noticed something off. "AAAAAHHHHH!?" Some portion of his body was glowing a bright white color that alerted the others.
It wasn't long before the three ships were soon pulled into a transwarp portal. Inside the Starhopper cockpit, the system was sparking out of control, and then the rest of the bot's body was glowing bright white too.
"GRAAAAUURRRAAAAHHHHH!?" The mystery Cybertronian screamed from not knowing what was happening to himself.
Some Maximals in the Arclight began to show signs of being affected by the strange white light on parts of the body before it spread all over. We even zoom to the Harbinger, where in the dark spot some light with a few Preds reacting to the weirdness and some to the weird light affecting them.
"Sir, something is effecting much of the crew? We may end up in Stasis?" A Predacon crewmate alerts the bot in charge of their situation.
"It doesn't matter…" Near the center, three glowing eyes were seen after entering the room. "This is what we hoped to find by tailing these Maximals." Then without warning, the three glowing eyes flash off before someone transformed and now stood a giant bot towering everyone. "The rest, is up to fate how we survive the rest…" This mysterious Predacon issue in not turning his gaze away from the vortex and of where he hopes it shall take them…
Suddenly without warning, the entire Transwarp Portal began to shrink in on it's self, taking anything that was currently caught in it's pull with it. And soon the vortex vanished in the blink of an eye, nothing but a flashing starlight occurred at that moment where none could tell what had occurred…
MEANWHILE
BACK ON NEXUS EARTH
AT THE MAXIMAL'S FORTIFIED BASE
The scene returns around the front side of the volcano mountain, where someone was scouting the area. The thing seen was zooming to scan Silverbolt and Blackarachnia on the turret guns, and then at the fortified door entrance into the volcano mountain. The one doing the scouting was none other then Inferno in Robot Mode, observing the scene.
"Inferno to the Royalty!" Inferno called forth to Megatron on the com-link. "We are in position." He salutes to standby as next to him was Rampage, they were located on a high cliff area.
AT PRED BASE
The scene shows Megatron in his commander's chair. Then his tech sphere orb adjust to display the images of what Inferno saw of the Maximals' new base setup.
"Begin the exercise, Sub-commander." Megatron firmly gave the order and address Inferno under his new title: as a sub-commander to lead his troops.
BACK ON THE SCENE
The scene focuses on the Predacons with Inferno, they were Rampage, Bisk, Buzzclaw, and Blitzwing. They were task in preparing to scout the fortified base and try to take claim so the Predacons can seize the Ark for Megatron.
"I will attack the Fuzor and the traitor to our colony, Bisk and Blitzwing will join me, in a plan of drawing Optimus out." Inferno held his Flame Launcher while explaining his plan to Rampage on what will be done. "When he joins the battle, target him with all your firepower." He looks to Rampage, shook his weapon in wanting the heavy fire power bot to unleash everything to take down Optimus who is the biggest threat. "Understood?" He points in wanting to hear if Rampage caught all of that,
"Hmmm! Hardly a difficult concept, is it?" Rampage hums to himself in observing the scene, knowing that such a plan is not so difficult to perform but it's just so basic and predictable.
"Just follow my orders, drone!" Inferno shook his weapon in wanting Rampage to not be a wise guy and follow his orders to the point.
"Powwvh…" After marching his legs in a soldier pattern, Inferno launch himself off the cliff with his rear jet-repulsion.
"Rememeber to follow the plan through." Cold Blitzwing stated to remind Ramapge to not forget his part. "OR ELSE YOU'LL BE SORRY!" Angry Blitzwing shouted in fury what's gonna happen if the giant crab bot doesn't follow through. "Hahahah, and with that said, I guess we join in!" Crazy Blitzwing's personality spoke with excitement as he took off carrying Bisk.
"Oh yeah! Gonna one, two, can earn a double BONUS Score!" Bisk cheered in sounding excited to view this as another game challenge.
"Hmmm…Ugh…" Rampage let off a sign in how things are hardly as fun with him following orders then causing destruction. "Huh?" Rampage suddenly turns upwards in having felt something strange.
Through Ramapge's scanners, two tiny lines in a crunch box shape was trying to locate something in the dark cloudly skies. There appeared to be nothing, even the Cybertronian language display showed only little intel except… For a strange abnormal pattern occurring outside, perhaps in space…
"Someone's... coming." Rampage muttered out in realizing what was occurring outside the planet's atmosphere. "Someone... I remember." Rampage narrow his optics from mentioning this last part, as if having…a familiar sense of who is coming to this planet from his past…
After having reach a conclusion, Rampage transforms into his Vehicle Mode. And then moves off without a word of warning as the scene fads out…
ABOVE THE PLANET
The scene changes just above Nexus Earth, within the vast motion of space are the tiny stars. But without warning, a flash occurred before the large vortex of a Transwarp Portal appeared. And from it, came the Starhopper only it was spiraling with sparks off the spaceship from being damage. And following afterwards, was the Arclight and Harbinger, though they were scatter towards the opposite direction of the Starhopper, one was heading further north and the other heading south. Once those that travel through the vortex existed out, the portal closed on it's self.
"NUURRAAAUUURRRRRHHHHH!" Then the Mystery Cybertronian let off a howling scream, as he and the ship spiral across space.
Soon we see the Starhopper was heading directly for a certain blue planet. It was heading for one of the blue oceans below…
SOMEWHERE ON THE PLANET
The scene changes to a rocky area with trees and mountains pass some ocean of water by a shore. It was around here that we spot Cheetor in Flight Mode, flying through the area on some scout patrol. He was join by Blaze-Wing and giving Jackrabbit a ride while in Beast Mode. Suddenly without warning, a loud 'boom' sound came from above in the clouds. This cause those on a flight path to cease movement to listen in.
"Woah! Did you hear that?" Blaze-Wing turn to the others in knowing she wasn't the only one who heard that sound.
"Sure did, it sounded like it came from….above? Kinda reminds me of when watching out for Stasis Pods that drifted down from above." Jackrabbit points upwards, having only heard the loud boom sound whenever a pod drifting in space came down; but after the Planet Buster event, all the pods are on the planet now.
"Cheetor to Optimus, do you copy?" Cheetor used his com-link to contact his commander from his end.
"What is it, Cheetor?" Optimus' voice was heard responding to Cheetor's call.
"I'm in grid Alpha-7 with Blaze-Wing and Jackrabbit." Cheetor mention of the current location that the cat bot was in. "Something's coming out of the sky….Something hot!" As Cheetor mentions it, above in the sky was indeed something burning on re-entry at this moment.
"And it's not a rocket or missile hot either! Or a Stasis Pod!" Blaze-Wing confirms on what was not related to what's falling.
"Right, it kinda looks like something's entering through the planet's atmosphere?" Jackrabbit mentions the topic of what they were able to figure.
BACK AT THE MAXIMAL FORT BASE
"What!?" Rhinox yelped as he and the ones in the Command Center heard the news; it brought in some curious thoughts.
"Did they say entering the planet?" Long-Rack raise an optic after what they all heard clearly.
"By that description, it means something from space is coming in?" Dive-Bomb states firmly in knowing that something is coming towards the planet.
"FOLLOW IT, Cheetor! Take Blaze-Wing and Jackrabbit as backup!" Optimus yelled out firmly in wanting the cadet to not lose sight of what was seen. "And stay in touch, I'm on my way." Optimus finished the com-link from there, vowing to show up without any delay. "This could be what we've been waiting for." Optimus turns around to briefly feel a sign of relief: if what's entering the planet is what they hope it is, not everything is lost.
"Huugh…Let's hope so." Rhinox turns around to stand up, hoping that Optimus was right about what he said before: of help coming for them.
"Hey, do you guys think it could be help from Cybertron?" Quick Fix looked to Jeremie and Aelita, wondering if help from their home planet has finally come.
"It does sound like there's something that was seen. But we haven't finished setting up the scanners for outside space yet?" Jeremie scratch his chin to ponder on what ideas to theories about what they might find.
"But still, if they are Maximals, maybe they need help?" Aelita suggest they help find whatever has come since they could be what Optimus and the others have desperately wanted the most: those that have come to find and help them home.
"Which is why it's important for us to learn the truth, before Megatron or the Predacons reach it first." Optimus firmly explain this to the children on how they must not delay. "You all keep finishing the setups, I'll be back soon. Hopefully with an answer." The bot stated in wanting to hope, what he'll find is what they all want to help ease themselves. "Open Blast Doors." Optimus turns to give the order for their front doors into the mountain be open.
A sound was heard of the system responding to the request to open the front doors. Wasn't long before Optimus jumped into the air, and began to switch mode change into his Flight Mode. After that, flew off down a general direction leading out of the mountain base.
AND OUTSIDE THE MAXIMAL FORT
The scene switches to show the Blast Doors keeping anyone from going into the volcanic mountain with the two turrets. A long distance away, we spot Inferno hiding behind a rock cover, kneeling down and looking at his left wrist. By his side was Bisk, Buzzclaw and Blitzwing, keeping themselves behind the cover until the right time came.
"Alright, we're in position." Buzzclaw lightly spoke that they were ready to begin.
"Excellent, time to begin." Inferno silently replied as he knew they must begin at once. "Rampage…" Inferno whispered into his wrist com-link device while inspecting things. "Prepare to fire." Inferno instructs the big bot that it's time to begin attacking when he goes on the assault.
However, it's proven that the cliff spot where Rampage was suppose to take aim from was deserted. Apparently the big bot had other plans and left without a word.
"AAAAAttack!" Inferno shouts as he stood up from behind the boulder after making the battle cry announcement. "WAARRUUAAAHHHHH!" Then he leaps over the boulder cover to run forward to the Blast Doors.
"GAME ON!" Bisk roared as he and Buzzclaw jumped out soon afterwards.
"ARRRrrughhh!" Angry Blitzwing roared as he was the last to jump out to follow the others.
"Pant…Pant…Pant…" But apparently the distance was so far, the someone was panting from running too long. And not just one, Inferno, Bisk, Buzzclaw, and Blitzwing had to run far to reach the front of the fortified base.
Silverbolt was on a turret before a 'beeping' sound was going off to check it. The readout shows that the number of those approaching was only…a single Pred unit composed of only four bots? Silverbolt looked to Blackarachnia about there was not many enemies and what they should do. Blackarachnia shrug off her shoulders, knowing that some Preds apparently don't have much a brain to just attack even on their own.
"GRRAAAAUUAARRRHHH!" Inferno lets off a mad battle cry, as he was slowly closing in to the Blast Doors when… "Huuuugh!?" Without warning the Blast Doors open and Optimus in Flight Mode turn on a side to squeeze through and flew over the confused Inferno and his unit.
"Wait, did Optimus just flew by and nothing happen?" Buzzclaw raise an optic after seeing what happen didn't go according to their plan assault.
"Apparently the plan to attack him was given the cold shoulder…?" Cold Blitzwing remotely state that the setup was abandon. "URGH! THAT MAKES ME SO MAD!" Angry Blitzwing took over and sounded very mad about how this plan fell apart.
"Urrrrrghh…." At this point, Inferno became infuriated because the target of the attack had slipped by. "Buuuuuuurn, Maximals!" Inferno was jumping up and down while looking like an angry ant at it's prey.
Blackarachnia shook her head at the pathetic sight, before she used her right pincer to cut something like a rope. That caused something tied above to drop, revealing it was a large boulder tied by a rope. And it was heading for Inferno and his unit…
"AAAAauuuhhhhh….?" Inferno looked up, then let off a heavy sign in knowing this will not end well for him.
"Hahahahha…Should have seen this coming!?" Crazy Blitzwing laughed off, not caring of what was heading straight for them.
"Oh, this'll hurt?" Buzzclaw moans in knowing what happens to them.
"Aw, Game Over…" Bisk signs to groan, the game ended before they even begun…
"BASH!" Then with a heavy impact, the large boulder had squashed Inferno, Buzzclaw, Bisk and Blitzwing underneath: this was just not the Predacons' day.
MEANWHILE
IN GRIND ALPHA-7
The scene opens to reveal that the Starhopper was burning on re-entry of the planet's atmosphere face first. After having endured that sort of event, the flames pass and now the spaceship was plummeting towards an area with rocky mountain land structures and an open ocean of water. The ship was falling and one couldn't see through the window of the hatch of how the pilot was doing.
"I see it!" Jackrabbit points up as she and the cadets spotted the ship.
"What is it?" Blaze-Wing raise an eyebrow in not recognizing such a thing.
"A Starhopper!" Cheetor exclaim in amazing surprise, recognizing a Cybertronian ship. "NO!" Then he yelps as he saw something about to happen to the spaceship.
The Starhopper continues to plummet without stopping, it at first looked like it was gonna crash down hard on the rocky surface. But the trajectory was off that it curved to the right to just about come near…the open waters!? "SPLASH!" Through the haul window, the ship made a huge splash contact with the water. Cheetor saw the whole thing, and let off a sign of relief: the Starhopper was not destroyed along with the pilot. Wasn't long before Cheetor and Blaze-Wing with Jackrabbit on her back began to fly over where the Starhopper was, as it was slowly sinking into the water as bubbles were forming around. Apparently the spaceship completely was submerge into the water and only the flowing bubbles show where it was…
"That ship…it had a Maximal logo on it? Maybe it's part of the search party Optimus was hoping for?" Jackrabbit stated a guess in thinking that must be part of some rescue unit sent to find them.
"Woah, this might not be a time to joke around if that's true. We gotta call this in Cheetor!" Blaze-Wing felt like they shouldn't fool around, they gotta report this in.
However, unaware of what was currently going on, someone else was on the scene. Rampage in his Vehicle Mode rolled along the cliff shore sides, witnessing the events that happen, and who was on sight.
"This game's not for you, kitty and friends." Rampage muttered off about Cheetor, Blaze-Wing and Jackrabbit not needing to be part of what's about to occur with his own plans in motion. "Wha-Hahahahahh…" He lets off an evil laugh before loading his Triple-Launcher in front beneath his chin. "POWvhhhmm…" Then he aim his weapon to fire a lonely missile off across the ocean towards the spaceship submerge site.
"Cheetor to Optimus, we got..." Cheetor held his left wrist to his mouth to contact his commander of what he's discovered when…
"Hugh! Cheetor! Blaze-Wing! Watch…" Jackrabbit gasped in seeing the missile coming to warn the others, but...too late.
"BOOM!/AWW!" Cheetor yelped from not seeing the missile coming that blew him out of the sky.
"AAAahhhhh!?" Jackrabbit and Blaze-Wing yelped from being caught in the explosion force that blew them out too.
From a distance, Rampage shot his shot made contact from the little explosion cloud, followed by the vibration of the force. Signaling that the extras were taken out of the picture.
"Now it's you and I... Old friend." Rampage muttered out in knowing who was left that he wanted to meet up with…
Rampage transforms to Beast Mode, as he began to walk around the rocky cliffs. Preparing to scale down for the crab bot to enter the ocean waters…
MEANWHILE
IN THE OCEAN WATERS
The scene opens to reveal the Starhopper was slowly sinking down in the ocean's water after having splashed on the surface. There were still many bubbles leaking out to slow it's descend down…
"Activating emergency transformation." Then without warning, a male computer voice spoke while two green energy waves were spreading forth all over the scenery. "Scanning: Now." It stated as the system was preparing to find a life-form suitable for the bot inside to acquire a Beast Mode.
The Starhopper slowly descends down deeper in the water, as the DNA Scan Wave picked up certain life-forms such as a school of fish. "Boom…Booom….Boom…" After a bit of drifting downwards, the Starhopper made ground impact in a gently manner, before fell to the side corner and all the center portion.
"Scan complete." The male's computer voice system announced as the DNA Scan Wave vanished when it's task was completed.
After that, a manta ray was seen swimming pass the spaceship…
"Activating transformation sequence." The male computer voice announced as it prepared the Cybertronian for it's transformation from Beast to Robot Mode.
Then at that moment, the ship's glass haul pops open, letting extra air bubbles float up to the surface. As the bubbles clear, we see the Cybertronian that has undergone a major change. But currently the bot was still in a coma-like state even after acquiring a Beast Mode and still maintain Robot Mode.
"Beep-beep, beep!" Then an alarm sound went off from the ship. "Alert! Protoform X detected." The malke computer voice announced after the system detected the target was near. "Vector 9-5-8." It clarified where Protoform-X was located at this precise timing.
At that very moment, the Cybertronian's crimson optic color eyes flashed upon being activated…
"He's here." The Mystery Cybertronian issued as his visor mouth moved in motion in sounding eager to find his target. "Depth Charge - MAXIMIZE!" The bot announced his name and activation code on the spot.
Soon the one called Depth Charge moves out of the Starhopper to transform from Robot Mode into his newly acquired Beast Mode. Depth Charge had turn into some Transmetal Version of a Manta Ray. This giant metal version manta ray had top blue fin wings with a silver coating on the body, and yellow color eyes. His purpose, find Protoform-X by any means…
ELSEWHERE
IN GRIND ALPHA-7
The scene changes around Grind Alpha-7 from the rocky mountains to the ocean waters. And from zooming in closer at the water, we dive in to find something else that's out of place. It turns out to be that which came from above the water and bubbles were escaping from it…it was Cheetor, Blaze-Wing and Jackrabbit!? Apparently after being blasted by Rampage, those hit fell in the water in an unconscious state, drifting around with their backs to the ocean's depths… At this very moment, Depth Charge was swimming around another area of the sea floor in his new Manta Ray form.
"Launch remote scanner." Depth Charge issue an order on what to release at this moment.
Then something that was attach underneath of Depth Charge was released. It was some drone which resembles a light-blue shark with yellow triangle form eyes and a beeping yellow light top. It even had two empty launchers from the open mouth. And whatever the Shark Drone was seeing, Depth Charge could see it too. The readouts were in red Cybertronian, a yellow triangle was above the center in what direction the drone was following as a signal tracker to locate a certain target.
"Reading: Unknown maximal signatures…" The male computer voice announced as the camera was zooming upwards pass some fish. "Vector 7-5-6." As the camera zoom in, it identified the Maximal signature belongs the still drifting unconsciously in the water: Cheetor, Blaze-Wing and Jackrabbit.
"It's some kind of cat-bot, a honeybee and a rabbit." Depth Charge exclaim in having studied what the bots in Beast Mode resemble of some sort of living creature: even for those that have become Transmetals. "And I'd bet neither are not enjoying the water." He stated in knowing that just like different animal forms live under different environments, those with Land/Air Base Modes probably don't do so well underwater.
Depth Charge swims forward towards those in trouble. And on a lucky moment, Depth Charge caught Cheetor, Blaze-Wing and Jackrabbit, gently landed on the backside of the Manta Ray. Now Depth Charge swims himself upwards to the surface…
MEANWHILE
AT PRED HQ
The scene changes towards the Predacon Base. Where within the Commander Center, we spot Megatron on his commander's chair with those of his troops on the hover platforms: Quickstrike, Six Shot, Q-Bee, Absol and Waspinator. The sphere orb was rotating to present it's self in front of those with a static signal display.
"Unit Inferno, Buzzclaw, Bisk, and Blitzwing disabled." The female computer voice announced what has currently happened to Inferno's unit. "Unable to locate unit Rampage." The next report was about Rampage's signal was not being detected by the system.
"Grrrr…." Megatron growls in annoyance to pound his arm-rest which force the tech sphere to pull out after completing it's report: which was bad news for the Predacons.
"Looks like sub-commander-bug, his little band buddies an' ol' Crab-cake got their keisters kicked, boss." Quickstrike held his cobra arm one minute and squeeze his eight fingers left hand when addressing what became of Inferno, Buzzclaw, Bisk, Blitzwing and Rampage. "Hehehehh…." He laughs in finding it amusing that such bots couldn't even handle a simple task of taking down Optimus.
"Not much like it would work, the Maximals are setting up defenses to keep us away from the mountain and mobilizing everyone just be crazy at this time. Especially since we don't know how fortified they worked out to protect the Ark." Six Shot shrug off his shoulders, knowing the Maximals are on their toes to insure, that the Preds can't approach the fort base so easily.
"Enough! Onto other matters!" Megatron silences those that were chatting to listen up. "Waspinator, take Q-Bee and Absol! Salvage Inferno, Bisk, Buzzclaw and Blitzwing." Megatron firmly points to Waspinator to tell him to go and salvage Inferno and bring him back.
"Um, ri-right…um, what about the Maximals?" Absol was a bit concern, if they salvage the others in Maximal turf…what's to say they won't get blasted doing it.
"Please, the Maximals won't shoot you for salvaging my troops if you don't come with any hostile means. If it was the other way around, we wouldn't spare them." Megatron rolled his eyes in knowing that the Maximal code doesn't have them doing things that's the Predacon way. "NOW GO!" He yells in wanting those to get moving.
Soon Waspinator jumps off the hover platform to transform to Beast Mode, and begins to flew off. Q-Bee transforms to Beast Mode along with Absol before the bumblebee picked up the Fuzor.
"NUrrrrgh….Inferno and others blow up, Wazzpinator must Zzalvage." Waspinator remotes off in repeating what his order was to do. "Wazzpinator blow up, nobody Zzalvage." Waspinator complains in stating that whenever he's blown up, he has to salvage himself. "Oh, why universe hate Wazzpinator?" Waspinator moans to sign from feeling like nobody really gives him any time of day…
"There-there, not all of us are like that." Q-Bee tried to gently calm the wasp bot down from sounding sad. "At least we try to help pick up your pieces." She mention how she and Absol were at least helping pick up Waspinator when he went to pieces during a Stasis Pod crash event.
"Hugh, Wazzpinator still have bad memories of doing hizz own Zzalvage…." Waspinator sign to moan and groan, still reliving those unhappy moments of his life.
Pretty soon a gloomy Waspinator left out the corridor to complete the mission of salvaging Inferno's unit with Q-Bee and Absol following behind.
"Hmm…" Megatron shook his head from seeing the buggy wasp bot also doing such things, as were Quickstrike and Six Shot.
"You two. Find Rampage." Megatron then turns to Quickstrike in firmly giving out this next order. "I want to know how he's eluding my scanners." Megatron narrow his eyes in finding that Rampage not showing up could cause problems in keeping track of such a dangerous bot.
"Maybe it's a glitch in the system? Ever fix it after this place was hit pretty hard before?" Six Shot mentions something of when Ravage attack the Pred Base, there might be some things that need fixing.
"I don't care. Just Find Him!" Megatron lectures narrow his eyes to lecture the bot to focus on his task.
Quickstrike humbly bows his head to Megatron before squeezing the control level for the hover platform to take him out. Six Shot signs to shake his head, as he willingly obeys before using the hover platform to follow after Quickstrike.
"Hmmm…?" Megatron watch those having left, only to turn to firmly huff…finding that things are not well: damages aside, losing troops whereabouts are concerning…
AT THIS TIME
IN GRID ALPHA-7
The scene slowly shows dry rocky land near water, as Cheetor, Blaze-Wing and Jackrabbit lay unconscious. Then signs of movement came, as those that were shot down regain their senses.
"Uuuugh..Aaaagh!?" Slowly Cheetor groans from opening his eyes, aching from waking up. "Ugh-aaagh!?" Even when woken up, Cheetor could still feel so much aches from what hit him.
"Felling all right, pussy cat?" Depth Charge spoke that earn those waking up to spot the bot in his Robot Mode. "Hmm, looks like your friends are coming around too?"
Blaze-Wing and Jackrabbit were slowly coming around before staring at the big bot in surprise just like Cheetor was. It was someone that the cadets don't recognize, but could make out his Transmetal features. The exoskeleton had a purple theme from the arms and inside portion of the legs. The manta wings were lay out on the backside like triangle pattern and apparently the Beast Mode head was apart of the legs since each ankle side had one of the yellow optic feature, plus had dark tan light-blue kneepad and boots. The chest-plate area had a dark gray version of a manta ray head with eyes, and the mouth was open like something could shoot out of it. The helmet was given a more aquatic style with yellow fins around the ear side, yellow metallic face cover and had red optic eyes.
"Woah!?" Blaze-Wing was utterly amazed by such a tough looking aqua bot.
"Yeah, woah…?" Jackrabbit was also in the same boat, this guy seem so different from others they seen before.
"Who the spotted heck are you?" Cheetor sat up to raise an eyebrow, not recognizing who this Transformer was.
"Name's…Depth Charge." Depth Charge points his left hand's thumb to introduce himself.
"Beep!/Alert!" Suddenly an alarm noise came from Depth Charge followed by a male voice system. "Remote scanner detects Protoform X…Vector 3-6-8." The male computer voice announced as Depth Charge listens in which left Cheetor puzzled to here the name 'Protoform-X' after so long.
"Gotta go." Depth Charge issued to the ones he saved of his need to leave. "Protoform X is waiting, and I don't want to disappoint him." Depth Charge firmly issue with narrow eyes, wanting to go after his foe who's waiting for him.
Then without warning, Depth Charge leaps into the air, and transforms to Beast Mode. Except he adjusted the manta ray wings into a crescent-like triangular shape outside the body and thrusters beneath the rear. It was like some Vehicle Mode of a Rocketed-Powered Manta Ray Flight Object. Now the guy flies off while leaving those saved on a tiny rock island in the middle of the open water and away from the shore.
"Protoform X? E-he-hey, Hold on!" Cheetor yelped from recalling the name belonging to Rampage, but before he could do anything…Depth Charge flew off.
The eyes spot Depth Charge fly over the water, then while flying upwards, convert the manta ray wings back into the Beast Mode feature. "SPLASH!" And Depth Charge made a big splash upon making contact with the water. Realizing what was going on, those that were saved knew they had to act from what just happen.
"Protoform-X, where have I heard that name before?" Blaze-Wing tilted her head, feeling like the name held meaning.
"Duh!? That was what Rampage used to be called. Why's that bot looking for him?" Jackrabbit rolled her eyes in recalling Rampage's old name, but none of them knew why Depth Charge was looking for the bot.
"Let's ask after we get in contact with the others. Cheetor to Optimus." Cheetor spoke into his com-link for anyone to respond: only to hear static glitch noises that were very low. "Great, that dunking fault my comlink." Cheetor remarked in seeing that when he went for a swim in the water, some water must have scrambled some circuitry and now he can't reach anyone.
"Hello!? Anyone can here me?" Blaze-Wing tried to use her comlink, but got the same static glitch noise as Cheetor.
"No good?" Jackrabbit shook her head as she did the same, and got zero results. "And it looks like we're pretty far from the main land?" Jackrabbit noticed that they were pretty far since they are on a tiny rocky island in the open ocean by the shore.
"Then lets just fly out." Cheetor suggest an idea that can help them out. "Jets on." Cheetor announced in preparing to fly himself off this rock. "GRRRRrruuuurrrr…./" Cheetor stood up, grits with all he's got as if trying to push something out…
"Ugh, Cheetor…what are you doing?" Jackrabbit raise an eyebrow, a bit disturb by this scene.
"I'm…Trying to JUMP START….Gotta Push Harder!?" Cheetor groans as he was trying to get his jets to ignite.
"Okay, but push too much and something else might come out that reeks. And I rather be down wind from if that happens." Blaze-Wing exclaim to lightly joke that if it's not jet flames, it might be a loose Energon fart if Cheetor pushes any harder.
"ALMOST….UURRRrrrghhh…." Cheetor felt like he was about to make some progress when… "Trusvhmm…Choo-Choo…" Course as the jets spark, nothing was igniting right before becoming exhausted.
"I guess…no luck?" Jackrabbit sheepishly shrug off the shoulders, seeing that Cheetor's chance to fly was a no go.
"Huuuuugh!?" Cheetor made a heavy sign before sitting down: his jets are soaked so much that no flames can come out. "I hate water." Cheetor shook his head to complain that to him, water is not his friend…especially when it comes to being a cat.
"Well, don't be a buzz kill. I got wings, I'll fly us out!" Blaze-Wing opened her insect wings, and began to flatter them. "HURrrrraannn…." But no matter what she did, she was unable to take off from the ground. "Guuuagh…pant-pant…" She dropped short and panted heavily, as the others realize she couldn't fly out either. "Oh no!? My Insect Wings are too WET!? They won't work? Which means even my Vehicle Mode won't work either?" The fembot was realizing just how much she couldn't do things from her situation. "Ohhhh, now instead of me bugging others, now I'll be BUGGED about this embarrassing moment!?" She moans in realizing how she liked to bug and prank others, when word of this gets out she'll never live it down.
"Looks like we're stuck here, and neither of us wants to go for another dip in the water." Jackrabbit stated on seeing they can't fly or swim, so they are stuck. "Maybe…someone will come by and give us a lift? Heh…in a couple of minutes….hours…give or take? Heh-heh, heh?" She sheepishly tried to laugh off one how bad the situation and to think positive…which wasn't working out.
Those stranded on the little rocky island were too far to swim back to shore. All any can do is wait for help to arrive…
MEANWHILE
BACK UNDERWATER
The scene changes to show the Shark Drone swimming along some rocky and sand areas where kelp is growing. Wasn't long until Depth Charge swim around to position himself. As the Shark Drone re- docks underneath the giant manta ray bot.
"Computer, where is he?" Depth Charge asked the system of where his target was at.
"Vector 0-0-0." The system's mae voice replied, as beneath Depth Charge appeared to be rocks: yet strangely some metallic crab-like components were conceal underneath.
"There's nothing there but rocks." Depth Charge looks around, only seeing the top surface. The system says Protoform-X was here, but it can't be right?
"GRRAAAUGHH!" Then without warning, Rampage leaps up from his disguise cover to grab the back wings of his prey.
"GRUUAARGH-GRAAAURRRRH!" Depth Charge let off an agonizing cry, as something was restraining him very painfully.
"Greetings, old playmate." Rampage exclaim in saying hello to Depth Charge. "So glad you could come!" He stated as the dou began to slowly drop down in the water…
"X!" Depth Charge glares at recognizing who this strange giant metallic crab-bot was…Protoform-X!
"I'm called Rampage now! A bit obvious, but to the point. Don't you think?" Rampage introduced himself as though his name is simple, it says a lot about his character.
"GRRrughh-GRAAAAughh!?" Depth Charge groans as he felt the crab claws trying to crush his wings.
"Ahhh…the pain is lovely." Rampage was enjoying to hear the sounds of someone feeling pain. "But where is your terror?" The bot question that the prey is hurting, but yet he shows no terror at all. "It would make this so much more amusing." The guy was clearly wanting to enjoy tormenting his foe while witnessing the fear expression they display.
"Nrrrugghhh!" Depth Charge groans from feeling the pain continue.
"Just like our little party on Omicron." Rmpage exclaim in recalling how much they had fun long ago.
"You want amusing, creep." Depth Charge remarked on how to give this dangerous bot something to be amused with.
"POwwvhmmm…." Without warning, Depth Charge's rear thrusters point down at Rampage's face after igniting. "NUURRAAHh-UURRAaahh-OOrrrrhhhh!?" Rampage yelped from the sudden action as the duo were going upwards in a spiral formation.
ABOVE THE WATER
The scene changes to show those still trapped on the tiny rock island: Cheetor, Blaze-Wing and Jackrabbit. There was no way off the rock besides flying and swimming. And since flying was out, and those without Aqua Base Beast Modes can't swim across to the shore, options were short. Only receiving help could save those in need, question was, where was it?
"Well, any signs of our commander?" Blaze-Wing turn to Jackrabbit, hoping the little rabbit Maximal spotted Optimus.
"Not since the last time you asked?" Jackrabbit rolled the eyes, seeing that someone was really wanting them to be rescued.
"Come on, Optimus, what's taking you?" Cheetor exclaim in wishing his commander would be here to help those unable to swim out.
Suddenly, a loud booming commotion distracted a yelping Cheetor and the others to look at what came out of the water: Rampage holding on against Depth Charge on his top side. After Depth Charge escaped the water, he transform to Vehicle Mode to fly him and Rampage through the sky. It's almost like the Manta Ray wings were in the same position style as the Starhopper when making a comparison.
"Was that…a Flying Manta Ray?" Blaze-Wing raise an eyebrow in not believing what she say: a Flying Fish Bot.
"And with a Crab riding on top?" Jackrabbit pointed out in noticing that Rampage was right on top of the bot who saved them.
"Now I've seen everything..." Cheetor exclaim in having seen something new like that is a strange sight out of the ordinary.
"GRARRRH!/GUUUUUAGH!?" Depth Charge yelps as a Rampage used his right claw to pinch the manta ray's head while trying to ride the flying fish bot and hurt him to boot.
"Gurgh...Nurgh…" Then Rampage transforms into Robot Mode while riding his old foe: then used one hand to pull off a plating on the manta ray head portion which was painful to who received it.
"GREEeuurraaaaahhhh!?" Depth Charge groans in pain as he suddenly felt very hurt, and looking like he couldn't stay awake.
Depth Charge was struggling as he tried to throw off Rampage, but he used the pulled plating to hold like rod as he rode the flying manta ray.
"You're trickier than before." Rampage exclaim from witnessing some new tricks Depth Charge brought to the table. "I LIKE That." He praised on seeing that his old foe is making this more fun for the two. "Tuchh…/BOOM!" Then Rampage aim his Triple Launcher at the expose head portion to blast it from close range.
"GRAAUURRRGH!?" Depth Charge cried out in pain, the pain was hard to bear.
"GRUUAGH-WAAUURGH!?" Rampage yelped as Depth Charge shifted his flight path towards the shore. "WWuuah-Waaaugh…Waaah-AAAuughh!?" Rampage yelps as he held the rip plating connected to his foe as he was swinging them around close to the shore. "Uh-oh!?" He yelped as Depth Charge was flying too close to the rock wall when… "SMACK!/GRUUUUOOAAAGH!" Rampage yelped as they ram into a wall, as he fell backwards while Depth Charge spiral down away from him. "STABVMmm…./GRUUOOAARRRRRRRHHHHH!" Then Rampage fell and got stab through the back to his chest by a stalagmite as he scream in pain. "GUuwaahh-AAAaauuugh!?" Rampage aches as he held the stalagmite that punctured his chest plate.
"BOOMvvhmm…" Depth Charge had crash himself against the sandy shore ground, skidding to a halt. The manta ray bot was current out cold after the ordeal he went through enduring all the pain recently. Right now both Rampage and Depth Charge were disabled for the time being…
Back on the tiny rock island, those that witness what occurred felt helpless, wishing to help despite being stuck. Suddenly salvation came when something flies through the air to close near their position was…Optimus in Flight Mode.
"Big Bot! Down here!" Cheetor held up a paw to signal his commander where he was.
"Yeah! Look at the tiny island with a cat, a bee and a bunny stuck together!" Blaze-Wing issued on not being able to miss spotting them from the air.
Optimus soon flies down to gear shift change and transform from Flight Mode to Robot Mode and land where Cheetor remain stuck on the rocky island.
"Cheetor, Blaze-Wing, Jackrabbit, what happened?" Optimus yelled out in immediately needing a report on the situation.
"Rampage blind-sided me." Cheetor reports what occurred as the commander firmly listens what happen to the cadet.
"And we all nearly drowned too." Jackrabbit pointed out what nearly happen to them.
"We thought we were goners." Blaze-Wing sign to shake her head, believing they might never make it out.
"And then without warning this weird fish-bot saved our hide and swam outta here looking for Protoform X!" Cheetor revealed another shocking surprise about being rescued by someone looking for Rampage and addressed him as Protoform-X from long ago. "Said his name was Depth Charge." Cheetor then gave out a name of the bot who saved those and was hunting for Rampage.
"Depth Charge?" Optimus narrow his eyes from hearing that name to softly repeat it: recognizing both the name and who the bot that saved Cheetor really was.
NEAR THE SHORE AREA
Meanwhile, back where Rampage and Depth Charge fell on the shores…
"GRUUARRr-URRRGH!? GRUUARRH!" Rampage was seen standing up while moaning because of a large stalagmite still jab through his chest. "GRAARugh-GWAAAAAARRRRAAAHHHHHHH!" Then Rampage grabbed and yanked the stalagmite out of his chest, roaring from the pain he felt.
But slowly that subsided, as the dangerous bot looks ahead to a fallen Maximal. Depth Charge slowly was awake, but yelped because of the ripped forehead, his circuits spark from the damage. Suddenly, the exposed hole on the left side of Rampage, the wires slipped in while the metal plat components were slowly folding up: making it appear like there was no hole in the bot to begin with.
"Hahah…Hahaha…" Rampage let off an arrogant laughter that his invincibility has proven that he's not so easy to die. "Quhohoho-Wooohh…" After a bit of laughing, Rampage began to move towards his target.
"Alert! Protoform X still functional." The male computer voice spoke from Depth Charge in warning the guy of an enemy still active. "Activate defense systems." The system issued to the seemingly out cold Depth Charge, all while Rampage was approaching and held a stalagmite.
"Ignore the pain. It's only gonna get WORSE!" Rampage advise on what's yet to come in making Depth Charge suffer further "GWAaaugh-Hohohoo…" He lets off another derange insane laughter at this time. "HGaaaa…Hahahaaahhh-Haaahh….." Rampage's evil laughter could be heard, but Depth Charge was not responsive at all from his damages. "HAAAahh….Hahahah-Hahahahaahh….Ohhhohoho…." The heavy stomps and the evil laughter from Rampage, he sounds like he's enjoying every moment of this. "I'm flattered you chased me so far…" Rampage express his feelings that Depth Charge came all this way just to find him as he stomps ever closer to the out cold bot. "But then it was YOU who caged me the last time, wasn't it?" Rampage stops to point out in recalling that it was Depth Charge who caught him as the hunter vs the hunted: oh how the tables have turn.
Now Rampage held up the stalagmite, preparing to finish off his foe. However when it seem over, Depth Charge opened his optics, as if having awaken at such a right timing. "Powvvmmm…" Using the jet thrusters below, Depth Charge managed to evade an incoming attack.
"STAB!/GRAUUUUUAAAH!" Rampage roared in rage as he jab the stalagmite in the ground but missed the target.
As Depth Charge flew off and away, he quickly transforms to Robot Mode. Then Depth Charge lands across from Rampage, looking ready to fight again. "PUSvhm-PUSvhm…" Then without warning, Depth Charge fired energy disc straight from the manta ray mouth on his chest.
"BOOM-BOOM!/GRUUAAAAAhhhhh!?" Rampage yelped as he got hit by a double blast that knock to skid him across the area.
"This Time, I won't bother with a CAGE, Creep." Depth Charge points his right index finger before gripping it, stating he won't bother capturing Rampage like he did in the past.
"GROOARRRRH!" Then Rampage roared in rage as he stood up again. "POW-POW!" Then Rampage brought out two different blasters and open fire at his foe.
"BAM-BAM!" Depth Charge turned and used his manta ray wings to act like a shield that took the explosive impacts. Then Depth Charge brought out his Shark Drone which became a Shark Missile Launcher. "POWvhmm…" Then fired a double attack like a shotgun.
"Blink-Blink…/WAAARRUUUAGH!?" Then Rampage's weapons were knock out of his hands, much to his shocking surprise. "I'll FILLET You For That." Rampage snapped in going to make Depth Charge pay for that little stunt.
Then without warning, Rampage transforms from Robot Mode to his Tank Mode. And with his Triple Launcher in front, the Crab Tank was moving forward….
"You've got a few 'New' tricks, too." Depth Charge gripped his shaking angry right fist, seeing that Rampage could do new things he couldn't the last time they tussle.
"GRUUAOOORRRHH!/POW-POW-POW…." Rampage roars as he fired his triple missiles out. "BOOM-BOOM, BOOM!" Depth Charge leans down to use his back's manta ray shielding to block the powerful explosives from hurting him. "POW-POW-POW, POW-POW-POW…/BOOM-BOOM, BOOM-BOOM!" Rampage continued to fire a seemingly endless amount of missiles, leaving Depth Charge with nothing but to endure the attacks with his Manta Ray Shield.
"Rampage, Attack!" Rampage announced forth, preparing to continue attacking until his opponent falls.
"Urrgh…Urrragh!?" Depth Charge groans as he clutch his gut with his gut while getting up from having kneel down. Apparently even with his Manta Ray Wing defense, there were some mighty explosive blast that got through to give him damage on his body.
"ROOARRRrrrrrr!" Rampage roars in preparing to strike without mercy.
"Ugh…" Depth Charge groans lightly, but he bears with it when gazing angrily at Rampage. "This is for Colony Omicron." Depth Charge yelled out as his right hand reach behind to pull out a Manta Ray Tail with became harden like a spear weapon.
Rampage was rotating his Triple Launcher, preparing to open fire another powerful attack move… Depth Charge seem to rear his right arm back while holding his Manta Ray Tail in position. Then the top of the triple launcher had a missile for Rampage to unleash. But then Depth Charge perform a javelin toss of his tail, heading straight for Rampage.
"STAB!/GUAAAAUGH!?" Rampage yelped, as the Tail's end had jab into his launcher, blocking the missile. "GUUUAAAH!?" Now Rampage was worried, cause now the gun case expanded from an explosive force occurring with no way out until… "BOOOOM!/GRUUAAAAAAARRRRH!...ARRRRRrruughhhhh!?" An explosion knocked the crab tank onto his backside, as Rampage cried out in pain: sparks occurred as the body twitch. Apparently he was knock out of action thanks to that one unexpected move by his worthy foie…
"Warning: Activate repair sequence….immediately." A male computer announced, but it sounded somewhat slow before shutting down.
Depth Charge clutch his right hand to his chest from feeling battle damage, and though he heard his system's warning…he ignored it. Holding the Shark Blaster in the left hand, Depth Charge slowly drags himself to Rampage.
"Nrugh-RUURrrrARrrrhh…." Rampage made weird sounds as if struggling to return from the pain. "WAAaaauhhhh!?" Rampage's body twitch and spark, he was too damage to move or do anything in his helpless state.
"Let's finish it, X." Depth Charge stood and aim his Shark Blaster at Rampage, narrowing his eyes to terminate the bot that has cause so much pain and destruction in his wake.
"Not so fast, hombre!" Depth Charge stops to look upwards, spotting the one who called out to him was Quickstrike. "That crab may be ugly, but he's a Predacon." Quickstrike points his cobra arm and stomp his feet, declaring that despite what Rampage is, he's a member of the Predacon unit.
"Right, what he said." Then walking from behind Quickstrike turn out to be Six Shot. "So listen, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way. Your choice given your current state." The bot gave Depth Charge a choice, and depending on it, the bot will lose something: his prey or his life.
Rampage twitch from still not able to move, and Depth Charge was still too bang up to deal with freshly new foes. But the Maximal took aim to shot when…
"Pusvhm…" Quickstrike fired his Venom Ray from the cobra arm faster then the opponent.
"KABOOM!/GRAAAAH!?" Depth Charge cried out as the explosive blast knock him on his backside and drop his weapon. "Urrrrgh…." He tried to get up, but Depth Charge was too badly damage that he dropped with little resistance.
"Guess you choose'd the hard way. I warn him." Six Shot shook his head, seeing that someone was very stubborn.
"Few!" Quickstrike blew in the cobra mouth after firing. "Heh! To slow." He laughs to brag that the opponent was not fast enough to beat him in a shot out. "Heh-Heh-Heh, heh…" He laughs off to boast, unaware that from the sky two missiles were flying behind.
"Hugh…? Say, do you hear something?" Six Shot cuts in from hearing a weird sound…like missiles flying through the air.
"Hugh!?" That's when Quickstrike gasped when hearing the noise, and both he and Six Shot saw missiles approaching. "Oh-oh." Quickstrike yelps in knowing this wasn't a good thing. "KA-BOOM!/HAARRRRH!?" The missiles land behind as Quickstrike tried to flea but was blasted away.
"GAAAaughhhhhh!?" Six Shot yelled as he too, was blasted away from the explosion force of the blast.
Those flying through the air that took care of Quickstrike and Six Shot, was Optimus in Flight Mode. And in Robot Mode was Cheetor, Blaze-Wing and Jackrabbit riding the Maximal Commander. After approaching Depth Charge, he was out cold with sparks coming out of certain damages he took. The cadets got off of the commander, as Optimus transform to Robot Mode, landed on the ground hard to where those present found the unconscious Depth Charge.
"It's him." Optimus muttered in surprise, recognizing Depth Charge despite his newly acquired Transmetal form: everyone else was curious about who the bot was but knew he was badly damaged. "Let's get him back to base." Optimus instructs those that they need to take care of Depth Charge.
"Well…What about..." Cheetor looked ahead to ponder about one more thing to deal with: namely Rampage. "Huuugh!?" But then, the cadet gaped in silent shock…
When the Maximals looked to where Rampage was earlier…he was gone. The spot where Rampage was, there was only the manta ray tail that was jab into the bot. It would appear Rampage fled at a right timing either up the rocky shore cliffs or into the ocean's water.
"But-but…wasn't he damaged? How could he have walk off from that?" Blaze-Wing
"Man, that guy really is hard to take down? What now?" Jackrabbit
"I think he's had enough..." Optimus stated that after the battle, even Rampage knew when to call it quits. "For now." Optimus and the rest looked to Depth Charge laying on the ground: apparently Rampage will be back to fight against the bot he wants badly to torture to no end.
AFTER SOMETIME
AT THE MAXIMAL FORT BASE
The scene changes to show Depth Charge stood up and was being healed in a larger, newly made CR Chamber. The CR Chamber was reconstructed larger for bigger bots, and place in a corner of the cave connected to power generators. Depth Charge was undergoing repairs after his battle against Rampage. And many Maximals were gathered to stand nearby or enter the area, awaiting for the new visitor to recover. Among the Maximals were as followed: Optimus Primal, Rhinox, Rattrap, Cheetor, Dive-Bomb, Long-Rack, Armordillo, K-9, Quick Fix, Blaze-Wing, Jackrabbit, Trans-Mutate, Volpex, Shellter, Liepard, and even Taros. And we even see Jeremie and Aelita among the group followed by the Lyoko Warriors members: Ulrich, William, Yumi, Odd, and Sissi.
"How's the new CR Chamber working out?" Optimus asked those at work on their new repair system for the fort.
"With a bit of work, we managed to make this thing be almost double what the old model on the Axelon use ta be, ye know?" Volpex exclaim in mentioning how much they managed to do several improvements.
"We calibrated and used enough of our own medic experience to upgrade the old CR Chamber we recovered from the wreckage." Liepard mentions how they salvage this CR Chamber when taking half portion of the Axelon they could to be used in fortifying their new base inside the volcano mountain.
"Still, Quick Fix's ideas and engineering prove very useful in developing this latest model." Shellter complimented the new bot for having made such a wonder work on working over and making a new version of a CR Chamber.
"Aw shucks, glad I could help." Quick Fix felt a bit bashful for being praise for what any other bot would do in his situation.
"With this, the repairs should be nearly done." Dive-Bomb issue that they are almost through on fixing Depth Charge.
"So, ah, who is this herring any way?" Rattrap asked from not knowing who Depth Charge really was.
"Yeah, seems like some of you guys know who he is?" Odd raise an eyebrow in seeing that some of the older members of the Axelon Crew know the new big bot.
"Depth Charge was in charge of security for Colony Omicron." Optimus explained the history behind who Depth Charge was, and of what his task was back on Cybertron. "Protoform X escaped there...and leveled the colony." Optimus explain the history of when Protoform-X was on Colony Omicron, he destroyed everything and everyone after the dangerous Transformer escaped.
"Only Depth Charge survived." Rhinox stated in knowing that the only survivor of that tragedy on Colony Omicron, was Depth Charge himself.
"Hugh…destroyed a whole colony?" Yumi gasped in hearing this horrible piece of news.
"Man, we knew Rampage was bad news, but one bot could do all that." Ulrich felt like the more stories they hear about Protoform-X, the worse it gets.
"Makes us worried if he was not under restriction and restrain by Megatron, who knows what damage he do next?" William felt almost glad that the Preds are keeping Rampage under control instead of letting the bot run around like a loose cannon.
"So, what happened next?" Jackrabbit asked from wanting to hear more of the story.
"From then on, Depth Charge hunted Protoform X." Optimus firmly explain what Depth Charge would do as the sole survivor, hunt down Protoform-X who destroyed the colony in which the bot failed to do. "After four stellar cycles he brought him back to Cybertron." Optimus mention how long it took before Depth Charge caught Protoform-X and brought the dangerous bot back.
"If one stellar cycle is like one year, then 4 stellar cycles is like 4 years." Jeremie calculated on how long the time difference from Cybertronian and Earth can be estimate. "To think that whole time, one bot could do so much in 4 years." The boy was literally horrified to imagine such a thing occurred for that long.
"What happen next Optimus?" Aelita asked what happen afterwards.
"Depth Charge had put Protoform-X in a cage after capturing him and brought him back to our world. He asked the High Council to find a way to destroy his Spark." Optimus mention what Depth Charge wanted, a way to destroy the Immortal Spark that created the dangerous Protoform-X in the first place.
"Except as what we knew, Protoform-X was an experiment to recreate Starscream's Indestructible Spark. They may have succeeded, but it drove the bot into being a real killer." K-9 shook his head in knowing that Protoform-X was a bot that's extremely hard to destroy.
"There weren't many ways or options available on how to destroy Protoform-X during the time." Armordillo mention the limited actions that could be taken when no one had any solid answers at the time.
"They turned him over to us instead." Rhinox mentioned that in the end, the Axelon Crew was given a secret mission that would remain in the dark: find an uninhabited planet and dump Protoform-X there where he could do no harm. "Depth Charge wasn't too happy with the decision." Rhinox looked back at the bot himself, stating that after everything, Depth Charge found such a decision unwise of dumping Protoform-X on an uninhabited planet instead of finding a way to destroy X's Spark.
"I guess it makes sense, a bot that's killed so many only to live out his days exile, not many would find that was a good solution." Sissi shook her head in feeling that was just too much for anyone who saw such things happen, only to see the culprit get it off easy.
"Eh, so he's got a lot of angst. Heh?" Rattrap shrug off a left hand from his cross arms while leaning on a wall nearby. "The question is: How he'd get here?" The rodent asked a good question: how did Depth Charge end up here without a Trans-Warp Drive like the Maximals and Predacon ships were equip with.
"That's right? We saw he rode a Starhopper, but…do they come with Trans Warp Drives like the Axelon, Predacon Ship and the one Ravage rode in?" Jackrabbit was curious, since the only way Cybertronians could find them was to travel through Space and Time which needed a special device for such measurements.
"No, they don't. Which only raises the question on how a normal ship ended up here?" Long-Rack scratch his chin from knowing that such ships don't come equip with such things.
"Repair cycle complete." A male computer voice announced with a 'beep' noise, stating that Depth Charge was all fixed up.
"Now's our chance to ask." Rhinox exclaim in knowing they can get some answers from the bot himself.
Now Rhinox walks over towards a lever, then slowly pulls it down. That cause the lit square button lights to power down. And then in response, the CR Chamber opens to release white steam. Cheetor and the other cadets lets off a gasp in seeing how the new CR Chamber works. Then the front hatch goes upwards while two sides open both left and right. The CR Chamber insides were very much the same except design for larger bots in need of repairs. Slowly Depth Charge managed to reawaken himself, as he walks out of the CR Chamber and stop with his hands to his waist. Wasn't long before the bot's optics slowly flash on, and he saw the first thing before him…
"What the Pit are you?" Depth Charge narrow his eyes in staring at Optimus, never having seen a Transformer quite like him.
"I guess I've changed since we last met, Depth Charge." Optimus slowly lifts his left hand to study it, but stated how he's undergone much change since the two last saw one another.
"Primal!" Depth Charge leans forward in shock, this large bot was Optimus Primal, how was that possible.
"Beep!/Alert! Protoform X still functional." Then a male computer from Depth Charge's systems alert the bot of Protoform-X was still active.
Depth Charge narrow his eyes looking around, trying to find a way out. If Protoform-X was still active, he has to find and end him. The bot was slowly walking to find his way out of this place.
"I'm Cheetor. Thanks for pulling me and my friends out of the water." Cheetor held up a hand to thank Depth Charge for the save in the water earlier.
"Yeah, it would have been un-Bee-lievable!" Blaze-Wing smiles as she and Jackrabbit were behind Cheetor to give their thanks.
"So, we wanna say thanks and welcome aboard." Jackrabbit offer a friendly greeting to the new bot joining them.
"Go chase some mouse and eat honey and carrots." Depth Charge firmly glares at those thanking him, and spoke in an uninterested manner.
"Boink!/Ugh!?" Depth Charge had actually knock Cheetor a bit off to back away from the bot not caring while walking away.
"Ugh!/Cheetor!?" Blaze-Wing and Jackrabbit gasped after seeing how Cheetor got treated, the other cadets and the human children were also very shock and surprised.
Cheetor was a bit wobbled off, as he watch as Depth Charge just walk off. A bot that saved one's life, and doesn't exactly show much thought the next minute. It could leave anyone puzzled of what Depth Charge's deal was.
"Oh-ho! Heh…Talk about rude..." Rattrap held up his hands, then looks to Rhinox to point a thumb at how rude Depth Charge was to follow Maximals.
Rhinox shrug off his shoulders, as he was uncertain about the behavior too. It was very much unbecoming of a Maximal…
"Why…did friend…behavior like that?" Trans-Mutate ponders why Depth Charge would treat his fellow bot in such a way. "I'm uncertain myself?" Artemis spoke through Trans-Mutate as even the gynoid sharing the body could not make sense of this act.
"Depth Charge!" Optimus then called out the bot's name, which made Depth Charge slightly annoyed of someone stopping him from going anywhere.
"Why are YOU here, Primal?" Depth Charge walks up to demand why someone like Optimus was even here in such a place on such a planet that the Axelon Crew dump Protoform-X and yet still remain.
"We were about to ask you the same thing." Optimus rest his hands to his waist, as the other Maximals gather in wanting to know how Depth Charge came to be here.
"I have no idea." Depth Charge replied off with a straight statement on not knowing himself. "Some kind of anomaly trashed my ship." Depth Charge issue in recalling something strange came and wreck his ship before bringing him to this planet. "It pulled me and two other ships through a vortex, and the next minute…found myself here." He mentions how it all happen, right down to his arrival.
"Wait, two other ships? What kind of models?" Dive-Bomb raise an eyebrow, finding this information to be curious.
"Ugh, medium-spaceship vessels." Depth Charge replied in trying to recall what type model the spaceships he saw were. "One was pursuing me for entering a forbidden sector, the other…was an unexpected group of Predacons." The guy revealed something big that caught everyone's full attention.
"A Maximal Spaceship and a Predacon Vessel?" Long-Rack exclaim in realizing what sort of information they just received. "If our system was working, we might have detected them. Did they come after you and enter the planet?" The bot asked another question, they needed to know more to handle what else was there.
"Probably, but they are not my concern of why I was out looking for clues on where to find you." Depth Charge remark in focusing on changing the subject towards something else that sounds personal. "I was searching the galaxy…for YOUR mistake." Depth Charge glares at Optimus, reminding the bot that it was a mistake not to destroy Protoform-X.
"We have bigger problems here, Depth Charge." Optimus firmly issue that there are more things going on then Protoform-X running loose.
"Good. Then X is mine again." Depth Charge exclaim in seeing they are on a agreement, Optimus deals with his thing, and he'll hunt for Protoform-X: the bot turns to leave.
"Wait!" Optimus called out to stop Depth Charge from leaving.
"Back off, Primal." Depth Charge held his left hand to stop Optimus right there. "You blew it!" He points off in stating what Optimus did in messing up of disposing of Protoform-X. "Just as I told the High Council you would." Depth Charge remarked in knowing that the task was too much for Optimus, and he was right. With that, the guy turns around to leave once more.
"Stubborn as ever." Optimus narrow his eyes to shake his head, seeing how stubborn Depth Charge was even from way back on Cybertron.
"Let 'em go. Heh!" Rattrap lightly laughed off in stating they leave Depth Charge be. "The Preds will change his mind…or make him into fish sticks." Rattrap issue to say and even joked this towards Cheetor on what will happen when Depth Charge encounters the Predacons.
"I don't like him much either, but his still Maximal." Optimus states that despite the rude attitude, Depth Charge is a Maximal in the end.
"And some bots are stubborn, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't all help each other out." Armordillo shook his head, knowing they got a few stubborn mules, but at least they are working together.
"Apparently, he has yet to know what it is he's fallen into." K-9 shook his head that to a guardsman, Depth Charge views things differently.
"Heh, bet he'll change his mind when he finds one or two things that will really shock him." Odd had a sly smirk on his face that they know what will really leave Depth Charge speechless.
"That's probably something that could work, lets follow along." Optimus nods slowly in hoping that when Depth Charge learns what they have, he may listen.
With enough said, Optimus leads the other Maximals to follow after Depth Charge. Knowing that sometimes, it's better to have more help for their cause even if there are personal issues clouding one's judgement. We spot Depth Charge entering a larger portion of the cavern area when…
"HUGH!?" Depth Charge stopped to gasp when his widen eyes stares up at something that shock him. "It can't be..." Depth Charge utter the words, almost unable to believe what he was seeing.
Just belong Depth Charge's view, he saw the Command Center, but just pass that was something else. The legendary ship of the Autobots: The Ark!
"It's the Ark." Rhinox spoke forth in answering Depth Charge's question of what he saw. "And this is Earth." Rhinox stated on the name of the planet they are on. "You've traveled back in time." The Maximal scientist explain that Depth Charge had ended up traveling through space and time to end up where they are.
"Yeah, a few million stellar cycles back in time." Rattrap exclaim to lightly mention about how far back they are before the Great War began.
"Another way to view it, this world is similar to Earth but exist in a separate dimensional version as an alternate source. Hence, we live on Nexus Earth." Long-Rack corrects Rattrap's theory on how to actually view their situation. "Connecting both the original and this one into the main prime timeline source." He explain the basic similar function of the prime and alternate timelines connecting together.
"Yeah, and boy is it something keeping a low profile when meeting a bunch of humans while it's yet the time for them to learn about the Transformers from the Ark. Course, they've already come to know we're aliens." Rattrap issue off in remarking how one can see things are as crazy and messed up of the original timeline. "Heh! And if that ain't enough, Megatron and his Preds are trying to slag the Autobots." Rattrap mentions this which made Depth Charge turn towards Optimus' crew, hearing all this was just so shocking to believe.
"It's not a joke." Optimus firmly issue that what was reveal is the truth. "We're in a war to save our own future…and we could use your help." Optimus states that in their fight to protect their future's reality, every help is needed: even someone like Depth Charge is welcome to join.
"You want my help?" Depth Charge raise an eyebrow to point at himself, hearing that Optimus was looking to request he help the Maximals here. "I still have your first mess to clean up!" He points off that he hasn't settle the issue of not having properly dispose of Protoform-X that he has to take care of himself.
"Well gee buddy, if that's how you feel about the timeline, I wonder how you feel about us or even about my cousin?" Then Odd summoned his OverBoard to hover up to Depth Charge's face, lecturing the bot who thinks he's all that and not caring about anything majorly important.
"What about you? And are you even human with those weird…cat features?" Depth Charge raise an eyebrow in not recalling intel about humans with any cat-ears and tails; especially since he's never seen a Meta-Human before.
"These are our friends we came across, Jeremie, Ulrich, William, Yumi, and Sissi. And you meant Odd." Optimus introduced the human children that the Maximals have meant when they came to this world. "And this is Aelita, someone we have to protect from Megatron." Optimus then revealed Aelita who seem shy but put on a brave smile to wave to greet the bot.
"What for?" Depth Charge raise an eyebrow, not sure why the Predacons would go to such lengths for this pink haired child.
"Believe it or not, she's the Key!" Jackrabbit hops in to reveal just who Aelita really was.
"What!? The Key?" Depth Charge slightly yelped in shock in recalling the Key of Cybertron: the bot looks down to study Aelita. "Hmmm, strange…I thought they said the Key was in an endless stasis-lock?" The bot was uncertain if Aelita is what others say, recalling the Key was in a strange Stasis Pod in a deep stasis-lock state.
"Endless stasis-lock?" Aelita raise an eyebrow in finding this info about her past, a bit curious for thought.
"How do I even know this one's the real thing? According to the legends, the Child of the Creator can do untold feats, as if she was Primus himself?" Depth Charge raise an eyebrow to question if Aelita was capable of doing things that legends from Cybertron describe.
"Aelita, why not show him?" Yumi signal Aelita to show a little of what she can do.
"Yeah, let him see what you can do." Sissi nods in agreement, time someone got a clear of doubts here.
"Alright….AAaaahhhhh…../Qrusvhmmm…" Aelita soon began letting out an angelic voice, as parts of the rocks were becoming digital layouts. "Creak-Creak…/Truspvhmm…" Some of the features were vanishing, but others were being reform differently before the girl stopped. "How's that?" Aelita asked as Depth Charge had widen eyes in having witness….such Creativity by the child.
"Ugh, okay…I guess she is the real deal?" Depth Charge lightly replied, after witnessing such a feat, there's no doubt that Aelita is truly the Key.
"Then you'll help…" Jeremie was about to say in realizing how important it is to help them keep Aelita safe when…
"I said I wanted to know if she was real, and she is. But even if she's the Key, I have no interest in her. My only focus, is X." Depth Charge remotely states that he isn't interested like others are about obtaining the Key, he just wants to find Protoform-X, nothing more. "Now, where's the way out?" He looks around to ponder, as he walks off still trying to find a way out of this cavern maze structure.
"What's with him?" Cheetor scratch his noggin, looked to Rattrap; pondering why Depth Charge was not interested to help them out.
"Eh…Probably rust." Rattrap shrug off his shoulders in guessing it's likely old age that's making Depth Charge so cranky.
"I'm surprised that neither the Ark or the Key could convince him to join up?" William shrug off his shoulders, finding that someone was not interested in either such things.
"Guess Optimus was right, he is stubborn." Ulrich shrug off his shoulders in seeing that Depth Charge was too stubborn to understand their cause.
"Depth Charge, Let It Go!" Optimus yells out to get Depth Charge to listen to reason.
Optimus began to walk off ahead of the other Maximals, catching up to Depth Charge who was still looking around to find an exit. Many of the others were also concern about this. Aelita felt like Depth Charge was not just being stubborn, but sense…something broken that can't be fix. Wasn't long before Optimus caught up to Depth Charge who was very much lost and very much hurting at this time…all because of Protoform-X.
"You're not responsible for what X did on Omicron, and neither am I." Optimus spoke to explain this as Depth Charge turn around to face the bot trying to talk him down. "Stop looking for revenge and do something to help." The Maximal Commander firmly request that Depth Charge not look for revenge, and focus on what can help them all out instead.
"It's not revenge I'm looking for." Depth Charge remarked coldly that revenge is not his goal against Protoform-X. "It's justice." He issue that to him, Protoform-X must pay for the crimes he did that will put those that perish to rest in peace.
"I know what justice you seek." Then we see Taros coming from behind Optimus to enter in on the conversation. "And I'm all too familiar with it." He spoke with a very serious tone, especially focusing on the subject that has Depth Charge's attention.
"Wait, your…?" Depth Charge raise an eyebrow, as if recalling this bot from somewhere but the name escapes him.
"Taros…you saved me from Protoform-X back on Starbase Rugby." Taros introduces himself to Depth Charge with a little history they once shared. "I watch with the others without saying anything, wondering what you would do. You and I are both victims are X, we each share hatred, and wish to end the nightmare." The Heavy Defender bot explain how the two each have a personal beef with Protoform-X who has caused them nothing but pain.
"So, you want to team up?" Depth Charge raise an eyebrow in thinking this bot wants in on hunting down Protoform-X with him.
"As much as I want to, I'm needed here. Should X come for the Ark or the Key, someone needs to guard them if such an event occurs." Taros informs Depth Charge that if the bot that caused them pain shows up, he must be ready to defend those that need the most protection.
"Then you do what you wanna do, and I'll focus on the field work." Depth Charge exclaim in leaving Taros to his own devices as he'll handle his own things. "As soon as I find a way out of here?" The bot stated, it's like walking through so many different cave paths, it's a wonder one doesn't get lost.
Depth Charge turns around to continue to walk away, completely focus on accomplishing his own goals…
"I am sorry, but it seems even my own presence and words, cannot change his mind." Taros shook his head to Optimus, knowing that convincing Depth Charge is not a small easy task.
"You did your best Taros, but as you made up your mind…so has Depth Charge." Optimus lightly nods his head to Taros for the effort, knowing both bots share pain from what Protoform-X did to them in the past. "Huuuugh…Open the doors." Optimus signs before he turns to address to the other Maximals to open the Blast Doors: so that Depth Charge can find a way out.
OUTSIDE THE MAXIMAL FORT
The scene changes to where the Blast Doors were, as they began to open. Of course the doors couldn't open all the way, so Depth Charge saw he had to go through with the space he had.
"Urrrgh!?" Depth Charge groans as he tries to squeeze himself through the doors since they weren't fully open.
Depth Charge got through, then open his manta ray wings out as he looked around the open space outside the fort. Of course Blackarachnia saw the new bot with suspicion, and turn the turret guns to aim at him. Silverbolt did the same in turning the turrets to lock onto Depth Charge. Security was pretty tight and they were not certain if the bot was trusted yet. Then Optimus soon came, force open the Blast Doors a bit to approach a puzzle Depth Charge of the security measurements.
"X is not alone." Optimus used his left hand to turn Depth Charge around to here the bot's warning. "He's a Predacon, now under Megatron's control." He mentions what's become of Protoform-X, that he's now under the control of Megatron and the Predacons. "There were 6 originally, but now are at least nearly over 50 of them as far as what we come to know." He warns Depth Charge that if he's going after Protoform-X, he must be aware that he'll be fighting a lot of enemies.
"I gotta hand it to ya, Primal." Depth Charge raise an eyebrow in having heard such information. "When you screw up, you do it big time." He exclaim that not only did Optimus fail to perform his job of disposing of Protoform-X, but letting such a dangerous Transformer fall under Predacon control is top of the list. "But thanks for the tip." Depth Charge he gave at least a friendly left hand salute thing, thanking Optimus for giving him the fair warning.
Soon Depth Charge turn around, jumps up before transforming from Robot Mode to Flight Mode. With that, Depth Charge activated his lower thrusters to flight off. Optimus watch Depth Charge head outside the canyon walls and up into the sky. During the moment, Cheetor, Blaze-Wing, Jackrabbit, Jeremie and Aelita approach Optimus seeing the bot leave them.
"I guess he left without so much as a thank you for the repairs?" Jackrabbit exclaim on how the bot left even though they helped fix Depth Charge up from his earlier damages.
"So, you think he'll come back?" Cheetor raise his right hand, trying to ease his leader in thinking Depth Charge may come back to help them in the future.
"Really, after what we seen? He doesn't seem like he wants anything to do with us?" Blaze-Wing raise an eyebrow in not thinking that Depth Charge wants anything to do with them or their mission.
"That's not entirely true. There was a time he would never have left." Optimus looked out in telling those here that long ago, Depth Charge was different compared to who they saw today.
"Really Optimus?" Aelita looked to Optimus in surprise, that hardly seems like who they come to know presently.
"That's right, he and Taros are very much similar, yet before today…they were trusted with responsibly in safe guarding and protecting places and being the bots others could look to. Once upon a time…" Optimus explain a brief story about those that had different lives in the beginning.
"Once upon a time…" Jeremie repeated, having a bad feeling of what Optimus would say next.
"Imagine, all the friends you ever knew, have grown to know over the years…Then suddenly, they were gone the next minute. And in the most horrible end befalling them." Optimus explain what it would feel like if the friends one has come to know, just disappear and were found no longer functional. "Depth Charge and Taros may have been survivors of terrible events, but the scars have not been healed." The guy sign in knowing that when something hurts, repairs are not enough by emotional means.
The cadets each feel silent, even the human children began to have uneasy thoughts on how they view Depth Charge. Many only saw the angry uncaring side, but deep down, there was a lot of other things going on.
"Then, the reason for Depth Charge's behavior…?" Aelita spoke up in knowing precisely what Optimus was getting to with this history and information about living in someone else's life.
"Was because of a lose, had it never occurred…You might have seen a Maximal who would help us keep this place safe." Optimus finished stating how everyone could have seen the old Depth Charge back in the old days. "But in the end, Rampage changed that." Optimus got serious in knowing that because of Protoform-X, it change the life of one bot who feels haunted of the past: and Depth Charge suffered the worse of it of all…
MEANWHILE
UNDER THE OCEAN FLOOR
The scene slowly opens to show the sight of where the Starhopper remain. The ship that Depth Charge used to find Protoform-X, still remain at the bottom of the ocean water. However, it was still a bit wreck from the abnormal vortex portal travel. Right now it was still in one piece, meaning it could be used to leave the planet and send word to Cybertron about Optimus and the other Maximals along with the major situation… However, someone was near the ship…
"It was really so very nice of you to come..." Rampage's voice was heard, sounding ever so eager in knowing that Depth Charge came all this way just for him. "So glad you could stay. Oh, we'll have such fun. Ho-ho, yeah!" Rampage exclaim with a twisted sense of knowing how much fun things are going to be now that Depth Charge is gonna be apart of the Beast Wars. "Wahahahaahh…OOoohhh-Hahahahaahhhhh-AHHH!" Rampage lets off a crazy laughter, as two missiles were fired spiraling towards the Starhopper.
"BOOM!" Then without warning, the missiles impacted and cause a huge underwater explosion: blowing the Starhopper to pieces and scatter all over the ocean floor. This was Rampage's way of making certain that Depth Charge was here to stay, and for the two old foes to finish an old grudge rivalry from long ago. With that, the scene darkens as more things are about to be underway of what will take place in the Beast Wars…
NOTES: The two extra Cybertronian ships never occurred in the original episode. They were added as something to help with introducing certain bots from the Transformers/Beast Wars Universe, it's a working progress. However, it will help the story about there existing Cybertronian Ships that can get one back to Cybertron along with the occasional objective about the Ark (and the Key).
The Arclight is a ship mention in the Transformers Universe series, but the design appearance matches Blastwave''s Ship from Transformers Robots In Disguise (2015 cartoon)
The Harbinger is a spaceship name and matching appearance to one seen in Transformers Prime.
Rampage did damages in places that hurts Depth Charge the most. Taros may play a role in aiding Depth Charge in hunting down Rampage at certain events.
Well it's taken sometime, but I managed to get this story through. And now we can be ready for what comes next. The next chapter, focuses on the Maximals struggling to protect their mountain fort base. Working with very little things, Optimus puts together a plan to salvage the Maximals' old force field module, Sentinel. But the problem lies that it's with the ruins of the Axelon explorer ship that sank underwater and drifted out. And if that's not hard enough, they need bots that can handle exploring underwater but they have very limited help there. So instead, they plan on using a subaquatic stealth vessel, a single occupant submarine which only the smallest bots will pilot: AKA, Rattrap. But if things aren't hard enough, one can find themselves caught between a battle against Depth Charge and Rampage!? And if that's not the worse, then Predacons coming after the gang to steal Sentinel will increase the problems. What's gonna happen, and what advantage will anyone gain? Stay tune to find out…