Tarantulas was confronting the Vehicon Generals after their latest failure.
"I gave each of you a Spark, granted you independent thought, individual identities; I asked only one thing in return... The complete and utter destruction of six puny Maximals! ...WHY HAVE YOU FAILED ME?!" Tarantulas roared.
Jetstorm floated up to his leader.
"Okay, majesty; check this out: I had the whole zoo on the ropes, bobbing, weaving and flying circles around them like it's nobody's business... THEN THESE SEVEN LUGNUTS HAVE TO COME ALONG AND... Mess up my timing..." Jetstorm complained.
"An interesting tale..." Tarantulas muttered, activating a laser-powered device to punish the jet for lying.
"...Now, here are some meaningful words: I am your creator; please me, and I *will* reward you... Disappoint me, however..." Tarantulas hissed.
Another laser-powered punishment zapped all eight of the Vehicons.
"...And you will *suffer*. It's not a difficult choice, is it?" Tarantulas explained.
Later on, the Vehicons were out on patrol...
Suddenly, Mirage and Thrust stopped and transformed; they seemed to be surveying the surroundings...
Jetstorm and Spy Streak noticed this, transforming and approaching their "comrades".
"What's up with you two?" Spy Streak asked.
"Nothin'." Thrust answered.
Mirage quirked an eyebrow.
"Why?" he asked.
"Yeah, right; what're you hiding from us?!" Jetstorm asked aggressively.
Thrust and Mirage looked at one another and blasted an overpass above the two jets, appearing to flatten them.
"Suckers..." Mirage chuckled.
As the two racing-themed Vehicons inspected the damage, the pair of jets arose menacingly from behind them...
"THRUST!" Jetsorm yelled.
"MIRAGE!" Spy Streak screeched.
The land-based Vehicons whirled around in panic as the aerial Vehicons began blasting at them.
The traitorous twosome were now hanging by their hands off a railing...
"There's no room for a *full* team-up when your Spark is on the line!" Spy Streak reckoned, shaking Jetstorm's hand. "Partners?" she asked of her fellow jet.
Jetstorm paused to consider...
"Partners!" he agreed, growling.
The twin jets then noticed Tankor and Blastcharge; the tanks seemed to wander around aimlessly!
"No competition from those two!" Spy Streak assumed.
Behind them, Thrust and Mirage were being helped up by Megabolt and Scavenger...
"There won't be any competition from you, either!" Mirage announced, snarling.
The racecar sped full-tilt at Jetstorm and Spy Streak, knocking them through a window!
Meanwhile, Primal Prime was viewing a holographic projection of his missing teammates...
"Rhinox... Silverbolt... Waspinator... Dinobot... Snowstalker... Raptrix... All your Sparks are here somewhere; we *will* find you..." he whispered.
"Ohh, you three just HAD to tell him, didn't you?! Now we're gonna be searchin' for our missin' buds for the rest of our lives! ...Which won't be long if Tarantulas's goon squad finds us!" Rattrap complained.
"Oh, quit griping, cheese-lips!" Shadow replied.
"Besides, they can't track us when we're in beast mode, or did you forget?" Blackarachnia added.
Rattrap rolled his eyes.
"*Please*, like I could forget *that*... I'm the only one on the team stuck in FIRST GEAR, in case YOU forgot..." he mumbled.
Primal Prime hushed the rest of the group.
"I'm sensing some Sparks! The details are a bit fuzzy, but they could be anywhere among these warehouses..." he explained.
"Rattrap, go with Cheetor and Aurora. Blackarachnia and Shadow, you're with me... And everyone, stay alert." the ape ordered.
As the others began walking away, Rattrap had one thing to say:
"Any OTHER needles you want us to look for in this haystack?" he groaned.
Aurora was inspecting one of the warehouses; it seemed a little suspicious...
"Dad, Rattrap, check out this one! The security's pretty amped up for what's supposed to be a spare parts warehouse..." she whispered.
Cheetor smirked.
"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree; it looks like you inherited your mother's keen observation skills!" he complimented. Frowning, Cheetor then sighed. "I hope we can find her, and soon..."
Aurora felt sorry for her father; she didn't know what it was like to lose a partner, but she undoubtedly missed her mother...
"Ugh; mushy stuff... Anyway, there's not a trap made that this rat couldn't find his way out of... Or into," Rattrap announced, noticing an air vent in the front of the warehouse.
Aurora and Cheetor rolled their eyes at Rattrap's callous attitude to their grief but still kept an eye out for trouble as he climbed into the air vent.
As the door to the warehouse opened before them, Rattrap couldn't help cracking another joke.
"No applause, please; I embarrass easily..."
Inside were dozens of computer terminals, each one displaying a biohazard symbol...
"Whoa... It looks like somebody's been cooking up one NASTY virus..." Aurora said, observing the logos.
"That's Tarantulas's specialty, all right..." Cheetor replied, recalling the time he'd been trapped by the arachnid.
"It's not just ANY virus, kitty-cats; this is the thing that froze up our transformation protocols in the first place!"
"So this lab brewed the poison that screwed with our systems when we landed?!" Aurora gasped. Cheetor shuddered.
"Looks that way, Ora..." he said, shivering.
"Hey... I wonder if..." Rattrap began, typing in some commands on the terminal.
Eyes lighting up, Rattrap's smile nearly split his face!
"YES! There's a counter-virus! It's like a transformation ENHANCER!" he whooped.
A canister opened nearby, revealing the so-called "Enhancer"...
"Goodbye fur coat, hello full metal jacket!" Rattrap snickered, cuddling the enhancer to his face.
"I hate to be a wet blanket, but shouldn't we run this by Primal Prime BEFORE we get too excited?" Aurora asked. Cheetor nodded.
"Good idea, Ora; this could be one mondo trap..." he agreed.
Rattrap chuckled hesitantly.
"Uhh... Yeah! Good thinkin', Sunshine! Listen, why don't you two report this discovery to the Boss Monkey while *I* keep an eye on things here?" Rattrap suggested.
"You got it, Rattrap!" Aurora replied enthusiastically. Cheetor playfully rolled his eyes.
"Just don't touch anything until we get back, okay?" he told the rodent.
"Oh, uh... Rat's honour," Rattrap replied. He was holding the enhancer behind his back as he saluted...
Primal Prime, Shadow, and Blackarachnia were creeping along a wall... Suddenly, Cheetor and Aurora arrived!
"Prime, we found-" Aurora started when Primal hushed her.
"I'm closing in on the Sparks; this way..." he said, pointing around a corner.
As the quintet of beasts rounded the corner, they were suddenly illuminated by bright lights!
"Beast bots!" Blastcharge announced.
"We must smash them!" Tankor ordered, speeding full-tilt at the Maximals.
Firing upon his targets, Tankor kept missing his mark as the "Beast Machines" ran for cover!
Rounding a corner, the Maximals were out of the twin tanks' sight... For the moment...
"Use me for target practice, will ya?! That's it; I am-" Aurora started before her father clamped her jaws shut with his paws.
"Not here, Ora! The other warehouses could have explosives inside them!" he advised. Primal Prime nodded in agreement.
"Good call, Cheetor! One wrong move and we could ALL be obliterated!" their leader announced.
Blackarachnia and Shadow groaned in unison.
"Aren't you being a little TOO cautious?!" Shadow asked.
Blastcharge suddenly fired missiles at three separate warehouses, causing multiple explosions!
"Next question?" Primal asked. "Look, those two aren't the brightest bulbs in the box; we can sneak by them with some... Stealth," the ape advised. Shadow grinned.
"That's my specialty, Ape Escape! Just watch and learn..." Shadow whispered.
"Zero Maximals signatures detected!" Tankor and Blastcharge's internal computers informed them.
"Beast bots GONE?!" Blastcharge gasped. Tankor was... Unhappy, to say the least.
"NOOO!" he yelled, firing blindly at his surroundings.
Continuing to search, Tankor and Blastcharge were again met with the error message that plagued them:
"Zero Maximal signatures detected!"
From a rooftop, Primal Prime and the Maximals were stumped about the situation.
"I don't understand it; with my connection to the Matrix, I was able to detect the presence of some familiar Sparks!" Primal Prime explained.
"Maybe it was a decoy set up by Tarantulas!" Shadow reasoned.
Aurora quirked an eyebrow.
"How could he have known?"
"He DID get inside our heads back at that spaceport, y'know..." Cheetor reminded.
"Let's just find Rattrap and get out of here... Quietly," Primal Prime said.
More explosions rocked the area as Tankor and Blastcharge fired blindly. Suddenly, a shrill whistle sounded!
Turning around, the Maximals saw Rattrap on the same rooftop.
"Hey, guys! Look at what *I* can do!" he shouted as he... Transformed?!
The others were shocked, but not for the reasons you might think...
"Rattrap, no!" Primal Prime whispered harshly.
Tankor and Blastcharge began to sense the rodent's signature...
"Don't everybody cheer at once," Rattrap said sarcastically.
"Transform back before Tankor and Blastcharge lock in on you!" Primal ordered.
"B- but... *I* transformed!" Rattrap whined.
"Maximal signature detected!" Tankor and Blastcharge's internal computers informed them. Firing, they exposed the Maximals' hiding spot!
"We're REAL happy for ya, fleabag; now, how about you change back before the whole PLANET is on our tails?!" Aurora said, seething.
Rattrap rolled his eyes.
"Killjoy..." he muttered, transforming back into beast mode.
Primal Prime hurled two large rocks at the twin tanks before running off with the others.
As Tankor and Blastcharge continued to fire at the Maximals, Rattrap was experiencing... Technical issues.
Rattrap couldn't stop transforming! One mode, then the other and back again! He couldn't control it!
The "Maximal signature detected!" alert kept going off inside Tankor and Blastcharge's heads, driving them crazy!
Once the Maximals were in a safe spot, Rattrap showed the others his problem.
"What's wrong with you, garbage-eater?!" Shadow asked.
"Yeah, what're you doing?!" Blackarachnia hissed.
"The Hokey-Pokey! What does it look like I'm doing?! I can't stop!" Rattrap replied.
"The transformation enhancer!" Cheetor realised.
"Tell me you didn't..." Aurora groaned.
"Can we discuss this... Later?" Rattrap asked as he grew a second head.
As the alert kept going off in Tankor and Blastcharge's heads, one thing was on their one-track processors...
"BIG HEADACHE!" they announced in unison.
They began blasting blindly again as their headaches overwhelmed them.
As the Maximals ran, Rattrap kept transforming; Aurora decided that enough was enough...
"How are we supposed to lose them with you carrying on like that?!" she asked as she came to a halt.
"So much for stealth..." Primal Prime sighed. "I am transformed," he announced, transforming into robot mode.
"Music to my ears, Abu!" Shadow said with a smirk.
"I am transformed!" the other Maximals announced.
"Uh, guys? Please wait for me! I am TRANSFORMING!" Rattrap whined as he continued having problems.
Meanwhile, the other Vehicons were still fighting...
Jetstorm knocked Mirage through a window pane, making him crash into the side of a building. He cackled at the sight of Thrust being beaten up by Spy Streak before crashing into a wall himself.
Scavenger and Megabolt were watching the debacle in dismay.
"And you guys call *ME* the immature one..." Scavenger sighed. Megabolt perked up as an alert registered in his internal systems.
"Maximal signatures detected!"
"Hmm... It looks like there's ANOTHER party awaiting us, Vehicons!" the spaceship announced, transforming. Scavenger followed his lead.
"We'll see you there, snail-trailers!" Mirage announced as he and Thrust also transformed and sped off.
"Not if WE get there first, SLOWPOKES!" Jetstorm yelled as he and Spy Streak followed suit.
The Maximals were getting ready to confront the tank Vehicons.
"Try to get in close to them! Tankor and Blastcharge can only target at long range!" Primal Prime ordered/advised.
"Now he tells me!" Rattrap whined as a shot sailed over his head.
Blackarachnia and the twins provided a distraction, while Primal Prime and Cheetor ran full-tilt at Tankor and Blastcharge!
The tanks transformed and brushed off every attack! They saw an opportunity...
Blasting an overhead structure, Tankor and Blastcharge imprisoned the Maximals under a heavy dome.
"Try to maintain your focus..." Primal Prime advised his team while Rattrap lit the darkness with a flashlight.
"We slagged the beast bots!" Tankor shouted. Blastcharge grinned.
"We'll be rewarded!" Blastcharge cackled.
"Yes! A reward is good!" Tankor replied.
Vehicular revving sounded behind the tanks as the other six Vehicons showed up!
"That reward belongs to the SMART Vehicons, TANK-TREADS!" Jetstorm announced as he and the others transformed. "There's no WAY we're sharing it with YOU!"
Tankor and Blastcharge backed towards their prize, guarding it with their massive bodies...
Unknown to the Vehicon Generals, Primal Prime had lifted the dome from inside...
"Come on, let's go!" he whispered.
As Jetstorm and the other Vehicons sped at Tankor and Blastcharge, the Maximals escaped. At that moment, Tankor and Blastcharge were blasted away from the dome while they blasted an overhead structure!
A gigantic explosion rocked the area, and only the two tanks remained unfazed by...
In the explosion's aftermath, it was revealed that the Maximals had reverted to their beast modes; they lay groggily on the ground...
The other Vehicons were also grounded, laying motionless in temporary stasis lock.
"We win the reward!" Tankor announced triumphantly.
"A reward is... GOOD..." Blastcharge replied.
The Maximals were now held prisoner before Tarantulas, trapped in their beast modes... With Rattrap's exception, of course.
"Primal Prime... Oh, how I've awaited this moment..." Tarantulas cackled.
Continuing to transform in and out of robot mode, Rattrap couldn't help feeling guilty.
"I'm sorry, guys! It's all my... FAULT!" he yelped as the transformation became more than he could cope with.
"You appear to have acquired a nasty virus... But don't worry my friend; soon, you will be free. Free from pain, your freakish beast modes, and the chaotic nature of your Sparks..." Tarantulas said.
Rattrap's transformation was beginning to affect his power bonds...
"We want our reward!" Blastcharge shouted.
"That's right!" Tankor announced.
"And you shall have it, my minions... You've earned your freedom, as have your fellow Vehicon Generals. Tell me, where ARE the others?"
"We WON'T share! We want our freedom, NOW!" Blastcharge announced.
"He's volunteering to have his Spark yanked out?!" Aurora asked.
"Talk about not being clear on the concept..." Shadow replied.
Rattrap's transformation continued to short out the power bonds until...
He was free!
Noticing that Tarantulas was busy with Tankor and Blastcharge, Rattrap hit the controls for the others' power bonds with his tail, freeing them.
"Now, if there are no further interruptions... What?!" Tarantulas gasped, seeing his prisoners were free.
"I'm afraid there will be..." Primal Prime stated.
"I am transformed!" all Maximals but Rattrap announced.
Tarantulas launched energy bolts at the Maximals, but they missed their mark as the "Beast Machines" dodged! Raising his control suit's arms, he shut the doors to the Citadel and scattered the floor tiles...
"Stop them, Tankor and Blastcharge, or you risk losing your REWARD!" Tarantulas commanded.
"Tankor PULVERIZE!"
"Blastcharge ANNIHILATE!"
The twin tanks transformed and rushed at their opponents, firing along the way. Primal Prime deflected the blasts with his forearm shields, hitting the cables that connected Tarantulas to the control suit. The arachnid fell to the ground...
As the Maximals reached the door, they encountered a problem...
"It's magnetically sealed!" Primal Prime reported. "There's still a chance, though. If I can contact Tankor and Blastcharge's Sparks and make them understand, they may join us..."
Taking in a deep breath, Primal contacted Tankor and Blastcharge's Sparks...
"Tankor, Blastcharge... Listen to me. If you destroy us, you won't be of any more use to Tarantulas..." he explained.
Tankor and Blastcharge struggled to comprehend why the ape could speak inside them...
"Monkey-bot talking in our heads!" Tankor whimpered.
"How is monkey-bot doing this?!" Blastcharge asked.
"If you want your Spark to *survive*, you must help us to fight Tarantulas!" Primal Prime explained.
"Fight..." Tankor began.
"...Tarantulas?" Blastcharge finished.
"Ignore them! They're trying to confuse you!" Tarantulas ordered.
Reassembling the floor, Tarantulas enabled Tankor and Blastcharge to proceed.
Tankor and Blastcharge began firing at the Maximals again, hitting Primal Prime in the chest and forcing his transformation into beast mode!
Hitting their marks again, the Vehicon Generals forced the Other Maximals into their beast modes!
Rattrap was still having transformation issues...
As Tankor and Blastcharge trundled up to the rodent, they couldn't help feeling... Sorry for the rat.
A viewscreen assembled itself behind the Vehicons, Tarantulas's image upon it.
"Your Sparks are MINE... Now, Tankor and Blastcharge... DESTROY THEM!" Tarantulas commanded.
Primal Prime tried contacting the Vehicons' Sparks again.
"Tankor, Blastcharge, do what you know is right... Listen to the Spark deep within you..." he requested.
As they turned to Tarantulas, Tankor and Blastcharge got headaches again.
"We're... CONFUSED!" Tankor announced.
"Monkey-bot won't shut up!" Blastcharge complained.
"Do what you know is right..." Primal's voice echoed in the Vehicons' heads.
Tankor and Blastcharge rushed at Tarantulas! The Predacon launched energy bolts at the pair, but to no avail; the tanks were determined!
Tankor and Blastcharge transformed into their robot modes and continued to persist...
The arachnid tyrant launched a pair of power cables at them, making their circuitry short-circuit!
With his legs transformed into the wheels of his robot mode, Rattrap saw the pair's pain. He began revving up...
He launched at the cables, which were quite close together, and bit into them! This freed the Vehicon pair from torment and Rattrap from his transformation troubles!
"Hey... I'm back to normal!" Rattrap cheered. His smile fell as the Vehicons cocked their weapons in his direction...
Tankor and Blastcharge shot at the door, opening a hole for them to escape through!
"Run!" Tankor urged.
"Quickly!" Blastcharge added.
Tarantulas witnessed his lackeys' betrayal...
"NOOO!" he shrieked, beginning to detach from his control suit and transform again...
"Tankor, Blastcharge, come with us! We can fight Tarantulas together!" Primal Prime urged the Vehicon tanks. The pair followed the Maximals.
"Together..." they said in unison.
Tarantulas was still seething...
"You made the right choice... Both of you," Primal
Prime told the Vehicon tanks as they walked through the underground.
"Yeah, especially the part where you didn't slag us!" Rattrap added.
Tarantulas was recovering from his rage.
"Hmm... It would seem that Primal Prime had the correct notion..." Tarantulas realised. Transforming back into robot mode, he reconnected to his control suit. "Bypass the body and target the mind to get a soldier's attention..." he speculated. "Computer, bring up Tankor and Blastcharge's CPUs! Delete ALL memory files from the previous twenty Cycles..." Tarantulas said with a smirk.
Tankor and Blastcharge were having migraines this time...
"MY HEAD HURTS!" Blastcharge complained.
"BIG HEADACHE, NOW!" Tankor added.
Suddenly, their migraines ended... There was only one thing on their processors...
"We'll destroy the beast bots..." Tankor announced, transforming into vehicle mode...
"Oh, yeah..." Blastcharge added, following suit.
As they fired at the Maximals, Tankor and Blastcharge were being somewhat judged by Aurora...
"Can't they make up their minds?!" she asked harshly.
"Not with Tarantulas tampering with them! I have to re-establish the Spark link!" Primal Prime explained.
As the Maximals ran, Primal Prime tried to get the link going again...
"Tankor, Blastcharge... Do you- AGH!" Primal tried but was met with an engaged tone in his ears and Tarantulas's face in his vision...
"I'm sorry, Tankor and Blastcharge aren't available right now... Would you like to leave a message?" Tarantulas cackled.
Blackarachnia webbed up the twin tanks, restraining them. Their weapons were NOT contained, however...
Charging up, Tankor and Blastcharge were ready to fire when Blackarachnia pulled on her webbing, making them topple to their chests!
Their weapons fired upon the ground, launching the Vehicons through the ceiling!
"If I EVER see those two bulldozer-brained SLAGHEAPS again, it will be too soon..." Jetstorm complained as he and the other recovered Vehicons slowly approached the Citadel.
Suddenly, Tankor and Blastcharge erupted from the ground before them and landed upon their comrades.
The Maximals were still feeling a little sore...
"Look on the bright side; at least we're no worse off than we were!" Blackarachnia said brightly.
"Speak for yourself..." Rattrap muttered.
"Hey, Darwin, I've got a question for ya: How did you convince Tankor and Blastcharge to join us in the first place?" Shadow asked.
Primal Prime cupped his chin in thought. "I sensed something in them; it was almost... Familiar," he explained. "Then it was gone... Maybe I imagined it," Primal reasoned.