Hello readers! I'm back with another Beast Wars chapter. Lately, my progress with fanfiction has been slow due to most of my focus being directed toward publishing my original writing lately. But that won't stop me from giving you all new content of this reboot of the ongoing war between the Maximals and the Predacons. I hope you enjoy this chapter. I do not own Transformers, Beast Wars, Sonic the Hedgehog, or Ben 10. Both Transformers and Beast Wars are Hasbro's property. Sonic is the property of Sega. Ben 10 is the property of Cartoon Network.
Chapter 13: Wasteland
Copper Wood High School: 3:30 PM
The final bell rang as the students poured out of the school and down the steps. Some took a bus, some took their bikes or skateboards, while others just walked. Part of the crowd was none other than Ethan Witwicky along with his friends, Derek and Connie, and his little brother, Evan. The group walked down the steps of the school.
"Sorry to hear you can't come with us to the Axalon today, Derek," said the eldest Witwicky boy.
"Believe me," said the dark-skinned teen. "There is nothing I would like more than to hang out with you guys and the Maximals. Instead, I'm stuck babysitting the little nightmare that is my sister tonight while my parents are out."
"Oh, come on Derek," said Connie. "Magenta isn't evil. She's only four years old."
"You haven't known her as long as I have!" retorted Derek. "She rips up my sports cards, paints my trophies, glues stickers on all of my jerseys, blames me for everything she does, and always does the opposite of what I say just to get underneath my skin!"
Evan grimaced at Derek's complaints about Magenta. "She still doesn't have a crush on me, does she?"
"Unfortunately, she still does."
The nine-year-old shuttered.
"Well, we'll tell that Maximals you said hi. It's going to feel weird without you in the Axalon with us," said Ethan.
The dark-skinned teen gave a small smile. "Hopefully it's just for this one night. Afterward, it will be back to the four of us watching Rattrap and Dinobot insult each other or beating more Preds on another mission."
Connie raised a skeptical brow. "Since when do you look forward to fighting Predacons?"
"Since I found my courage back in the Louisiana swamp," replied Derek.
The human kids climbed on their bikes.
"Well, we'll see you around Derek," said Ethan.
"See you guys," replied Derek. "Tell the Maximals I said hi."
He rode home while the rest of the group rode up Mt. Saber to meet up with the Maximals.
Axalon Bridge: 3:50 PM
Rattrap and Nyx sat at the controls of the ship, typing various buttons and tracking the recent stasis pod signals identified by the Axalon.
At the same time, Ethan, Connie, and Evan walked in.
"Hey Rattrap, hey Nyx, what's up?" asked Evan.
The bucktoothed Maximal held up a finger to his mouth. "Shhh, not now, Shortstack, we're busy."
"The Axalon detected three stasis pods entering Earth's orbit," said Nyx.
"More stasis pods?" said Connie.
The large holo screen in front of the engineer and pilot zoomed in on the map of the Earth. Eventually, three dots appeared in the southern areas of the United States.
"Found them!" cried the Maximal pilot.
Rattrap pointed to the map. "Looks like one is in an area called Texas."
"And the other two are in New Mexico," said Ethan.
"We should alert the others," said Nyx. "Initiate another recovery operation before the Preds discover the pods themselves."
"You don't have to tell me twice," replied Rattrap.
The engineer tapped into the commlinks for all of the Maximals. Alerting them of the three new stasis pods that landed on Earth.
Darksyde: 3:50 PM
Meanwhile, Insecticon and Powerpinch monitored the systems on the Predacon base, when their ship's scanners picked up three familiar signals.
"Maximal signal identified, beginning decryption sequence," said Insecticon.
"Probably that annoying rat or cheetah fooling with their human allies," said Powerpinch.
The blue and green Predacon typed on the controls to zoom in on the map of the Earth. Eventually, the image came to the same three dots the Maximals found.
"Decryption complete. Three Maximal stasis pods have broken through the planet's atmosphere. Must alert Megatron of this discovery."
Insecticon activated his commlink to alert Megatron and the others of their Maximal stasis pods.
Axalon: 4 PM
All of the Maximals were gathered at the bridge with Ethan, Connie, and Evan. Optimus stood up front, facing his fellow Maximals.
"Three more stasis pods have landed on Earth," said the leader. "As always, our mission is to recover the protoforms inside the pods before the Predacons can reprogram them or they become discovered by humans. One has landed in the state of Texas while the other two landed in New Mexico. As always, we'll split into two teams to ensure better success in extracting all the pods. One team will go after the one in Texas while the other team retrieves the two in New Mexico. However, rather than dividing or forces right at the Axalon, we will all use the Aurora to travel together until we reach the radius that is of equal distance for both teams to slit up."
"That way, we'll have a better chance of reaching the pods before the Predacons," said Nyx.
"It is more logical, seeing how the pods are closer together than previously," said Tigatron.
"Precisely," said the Maximal leader.
Using the map, Optimus pinpointed where the teams were going to split up once the transportation shuttle was far enough. "Once we reach this area, I will lead Nyx, Wolfang, Tigatron, Connie, and Razorbeast to retrieve the pod in Texas while Rhinox leads the second team to retrieve the two in Texas."
"Hey, why does Horn Head always get to lead when you're not around?" whined Rattrap.
Optimus gave a stern glare to the bucktoothed engineer. "Because, Rattrap, I personally appointed him second in command when I gathered this crew, and secondly, he's had more experience on off-world missions apart from anyone else here."
"For once, I agree with the rodent," said Dinobot. "From our experience with retrieving protoforms, the Predacons have always been able to reprogram more than we can recruit. It would be better if someone with experience in Predacon tactics were to lead and who knows how Megatron thinks."
Ethan crossed his arms and gave a deadpan stare to the former Predacon. "Let me guess," groaned the teen. "You nominate yourself to lead the second team."
Dinobot snarled and turned to the eldest Witwicky brother. "Don't try my patience, boy! I won't hesitate to execute you where you stand."
Cheetor stepped forward and shoved the warrior. "Hey, back off, Lizard Breath!"
Dinobot snarled while the young scout hissed.
Bonecrusher stepped forward and pushed them away with his massive arms. "Alright, you two. Let's not start any unnecessary showdowns amongst ourselves. Remember, the Preds are our enemies, not each other."
"Bonecrusher is right," said Airaizor. "You all are acting like sparklings, while our main objective is to ensure Megatron does not corrupt any more of our fellow Maximals."
"Plus, Dinobot has a point," said Optimus. "Which is why I approve of his request."
"What?!" shouted Cheetor, Rattrap, and the humans in unison.
"In our previous efforts, the Predacons have been able to reprogram more of the protoforms rather than us rescuing them from such a fate. Allowing him to lead could probably enable us to turn the tables."
Dinobot gave a rye smile. "Finally, Optimus. You have come to our senses."
Nyx leaned in to whisper into the leader's audio processors. "Uh, Optimus, are you sure leaving Dinobt in charge of the second team is a good idea?"
"Belive me, Nyx," said Optimus. "I have my doubts, but he has provided a sound argument. Plus, allowing Dinobot some authority will hopefully strengthen everyone's trust in him despite his past. With his combat experience and Predacon knowledge, maybe the second team will stand a better chance."
"I'm alright with whatever Optimus decides," said Rhinox. "The top priority is saving those protoforms."
"Then it's settled," said the Maximal leader. "I'll lead the first team into Texas while Dinobot will lead the second team into New Mexico."
"You got a few screws loose, Monkey Boss?" shouted Rattrap. "The moment we turn our backs, Dino Brawn here will stab us!"
Optimus glared at the small engineer again. "That's my final decision, Rattrap. Everything Dinobot says, you will follow."
The former Predacon gave a snicker to the bucktoothed Maximal.
Rattrap could only facepalm himself and whispered, "We're gonna die."
The human children immediately gathered their supplies and dressed in the appropriate clothes for the hot deserts of the south. With everyone prepared, the Maximals and their human allies fastened themselves into the Aurora as Nyx took the controls and flew them out of the caves.
As they flew south, Evan stared anxiously at Dinobt before whispering to his brother. "Ethan, I don't know how I feel about Dinobot being in charge of our group. He can be a real jerk sometimes."
"I know, Evan," said the older brother. "But we have to trust Optimus on his decision. I'm sure he has his reasons why he chose him to lead for a change."
"I'm more worried about Rattrap," said Connie. "Those two fight with each other more than the debate club at school."
The brothers turned their gaze at the bucktoothed Maximal as he starred daggers towards the former Predacon. Dinobot did the same. The brothers could only give an irritated sigh, knowing they were stuck listening to Dinobot and Rattrap's bickering throughout the entire mission.
Somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean: 4:30 PM
Meanwhile, the Predacons soared through the air on their transportation shuttled, the Banshee.
Spittor stared at Tarantulas and Blackarachnia in their seats before turning to Megatron and whispering, "Hey, jefe. You think it's a good idea to let those traitors on this mission? I mean, they did try to reprogram all the Maximal pods so they would serve only them and not you."
Megatron replied, "Are you familiar with the Earth saying, keep your allies close but your enemies closer?"
Spittor scratched his head in confusion.
"It means I have as much faith in Tarantulas and Blackarachnia as much faith I have that Waspinator could last long enough in the air before getting shot down."
Spittor scrunched his face at his leader's insult to the green Predacon. "Owch!"
"Yes, those two have betrayed me, but they are highly too valuable to dispose of. I still need them to fulfill my ultimate goal on this pathetic rock. Which is why I gave Insecticon the special task of watching our arachnids if they try anything suspicious, yes."
"Oooh! I get it! We're pretending everything is bueno, but you're secretly spying on them in case they try double-crossing us again."
Megatron grabbed Spittor by his throat and pulled him close to his face. "And if you breathe a word of this to either of them, having Insecticon spy on you will be the least of your worries."
Though it was hard for the blue and orange Predacon to breathe, he let out a faint, "Comprendo, jefe."
The leader of the Predacons let go as Spittor gasped for air.
Even though the two were discreet in their conversation, Tarantulas took an interest in what Megatron and Spittor were discussing. Even though he could not make out what they were saying, he knew it had something to do with him.
Somewhere in the desert: 4:45 PM
The Aurora landed on the dry dusty landscape, where the crew was an equal traveling distance between the pod landing areas. All the Maximals transformed into their beast modes and crawled out with their human allies.
Ethan checked his communicator. "I'm already getting readings from the stasis pods."
"Luckily, we beat the Predacons here," said Connie.
"Then we have no time to waste," said Optimus. "Both teams begin their search. Stay hidden from any humans you detect in the area, and defend yourselves if you do encounter Megatron or any of the Preds."
Evan gave a salute. "Will do, Optimus."
Optimus's team began their journey across the Texas border while Dinobot's team began traveling further into New Mexico.
Dinobot passed by Rattrap, glaring at him with his reptilian eyes. "You better keep up, vermin. I do not intend to fail this mission because of you!"
"Yeah?" said the engineer. "Well, I hope you know where you're going, because last time I checked, Ethan and Evan are the ones with the trackers!"
As another heated argument began to stir between the raptor and the rat, Evan quickly jumped on Cheetor as they took off into the desert while Ethan whispered into Airazor's commlink and the falcon lifted him off the ground. The only ones left to suffer the discordance between the two Maximals were Bonecrusher and Rhinox as they traveled by foot.
Somewhere in the Texan desert: 4:50 PM
Wolfang, and Tigatron sprinted across the desert with Razorbeast riding on the tiger's back. Above them, Optimus flew in his robot mode with Nyx beside him. Connie was held in the bat's talons.
The teenager looked at her communicator as it beeped louder and faster. "We're getting close."
The Maximals scanned the ground below, only to see a large cotton field.
"That's where it must be," said Optimus.
"In that field of clouds?" said Nyx.
"It's a cotton field," corrected Connie. "Humans use them to harvest cotton to make clothes and furniture."
Optimus used his scanners to ensure that there were no humans in the field, luckily none were identified. "No other humans in the area, so it is secure for us to land. Tell Tigatron, Wolfang, and Razorbeast to head towards the field."
As Nyx got in contact with the rest of their team down below, the flyers slowly descended toward the cotton field.
The group was surrounded by millions of knee-high plants, covered in white fluffy cotton, ready to be picked.
"Well, it shouldn't be too hard to find a stasis pod in a place like this," said Nyx.
Razorbeast sniffed one of the cotton plants when he accidentally sucked a piece of cotton in his snout and got stuck. The red boar tried to fight the urge to sneeze but was no use.
"ACHOO!"
The area exploded into a shower of white fluff as cotton rained down upon the team.
Connie stifled her laughter at the sight of all the animals covered in white as if they were made of snow.
Tigatron and Wolfang shook the cotton off while Optimus brushed his gorilla fur and helped Nyx brush the cotton off her wings.
Meanwhile
Megatron stomped through the cotton field with Skold, Spittor, and Tarantulas behind him. Terrorsaur and Jetstorm flew from above to get a better view of the area for the stasis pod. All of them were in Beast Mode.
The purple t-rex sniffed the air, picking up a scent. "As I expected, the Maximals are here as well."
He turned towards the rest of his group. "Fan out! Find the stasis pod before the Maximals and their organic pets find it. I want to overwhelm Optimus and his crew with my vast army of Predacons, yes."
"Whatever you say boss," said Spittor before hopping away.
Skold crawled in the opposite direction while Tarantulas skittered in another. However, when the giant purple spider separated from the group, Spittor hid in the cotton field as he watched the arachnid from afar.
Somewhere in the New Mexican Desert: 4:50 PM
Dinobot, Rattrap, Rhinox, and Bonecrusher wandered the fast dry wasteland as the smoldering sun beat down on their hides. Airazor watched them from above with Ethan still in her talons.
Rattrap wiped his brow. "Oh man, if there is one thing I hate more than wandering this barren dump of an oven, it's wandering in this barren dump of an oven with you!"
"The feeling is mutual," replied Dinobot.
"That's enough, you two," said Rhinox.
But the bucktoothed engineer was not having it.
The giant rodent stood up on his hind legs and faced the dinosaur. "No! I think it's stupid that Optimus left you in charge even though you are a stinking Pred!"
Bonecrusher stepped forward. "Dinobot is no longer a Predacon, he's one of us now!"
"Yeah right," said Rattrapt. "And Razorbeast can suddenly sprout wings and fly."
The raptor let out a roar and stomped his foot on the ground. "I had enough of you, vermin! It astounds me that the rest of the Maximals can withstand your constant complaining. If I was leader of the Maximals, I would not hesitate to throw you into the trash dismantling dump!"
"Is that a threat?" asked Rattrap coldly.
"If the rat-shaped shoe fits."
The bucktoothed engineer pointed his finger saying. "So, you admit it! You are not only threatening me, but you are threatening Optimus too!"
"Come on Rattrap, I'm sure Dinobot did not mean it that way," said Rhinox.
"Sorry, Horn Head, but if there is one thing I learned while on Cybertron, it's to NEVER trust a dirty, rotten, backstabbing, sparkless Pred!"
Up in the air, Ethan heard the whole conversation from his communicator.
He looked up to the falcon and said, "I'm so glad we're up in the air."
"One of the many benefits of being an Avian," replied Airazor.
Suddenly, Evan's voice came through the communicator. "Ethan, we're at the strongest point where the pods' signals are coming from. I'm sending you the location."
"Roger that, little bro, we'll relay the message to the others," said the Eldest Witwicky boy.
Even though he was high above them, Ethan knew just by looking down, a physical fight broke out between the dinosaur and the rodent. The teenager let out a groan and facepalmed himself.
Meanwhile, Bonecrusher was in robot mode as he tried to restrain Dinobot from ripping Rattrap apart. At the same time, Rhinox was also in robot mode, preventing the engineer from attacking the former Predacon.
Through their comms, Ethan said, "Guys…hellooooo?...we found the pod…HEEEEEEY!"
The scream was enough to cause strong feedback, making all the Maximals wince from the slight pain in their audio processors.
"If you both are done trying to kill each other, Cheetor and Evan located the two pods. I'll forward the location to your systems."
"Ethan is right," said Rhinox. "We've got a mission to complete, and we can't waste it bickering at each other while the Predacons are possibly hot on the trail as well."
Both Dinobot and Rattrap finally settled down. The raptor snorted angrily at the rodent before continuing forward with Rattrap behind. Rhinox and Bonecrusher turned back to beast mode and followed their comrades, hoping there would be no more discordance between the two from there on out.
Texas Cotton Field: 4:55 PM
Wolfang and Tigatron followed Connie through the thicket of cotton as she followed the signal on her communicator.
"We're getting close," said the teenage girl. "The pod should be somewhere right around…woah!"
Suddenly, Connie disappeared underneath the cotton.
Both the lupine and the striped feline were stunned by their human ally's sudden disappearance.
"Connie? Where are you?" called out Wolfang.
"Connie?" cried Tigatron.
Suddenly Spittor popped up from underneath the cotton, with Connie coiled in his long sticky tongue.
The blue amphibian gave an evil laugh before saying, "Let's see you find the pod without your little navigator, Maxilosers!"
Spittor hopped away with Connie still in his tongue. Tigatron and Wolfang chased after them, determined to save their human friend.
Little did they know that a purple arachnid hid in the cotton. "Excellent, now with that insufferable toad out of the way, I can continue to seek the pod for myself before Megatron or the rest of the Maximals do."
Tarantulas scurried away, continuing his search for the pod now that Megatron's spy was gone.
While they sprinted after the giant blue amphibian, Tigatron connected with the rest of his team through his commlink. "Everyone, Spittor has Connie. Wolfang and I are in pursuit."
"I'll lock onto Connie's location and follow as well," said Optimus. "Nyx and Razorbeast, you two continue searching for the pod. If Spittor is here, that means Megatron and the other Predacons are not too far behind."
"You got it, Optimus," said Razorbeast.
"Aye aye, captain. Just, please make sure Connie is safe," said the Maximal pilot.
"We'll get her back, Nyx," reassured Wolfang. "Safe and sound."
The lupine and striped feline pursued Spittor through the cotton field to rescue their human ally.
Somewhere in the New Mexican desert: 5 PM
Dinobot's team followed the coordinates Evan sent them through his communicator. Eventually, they found the 9-year-old with Cheetor, waving to the group. They stood in front of a tall mountain formation. Airazor gently dropped Ethan by their side as they regrouped.
"So, where are the protoforms, Short Stack?" asked Rattrap.
Evan grimaced at the rodent's question. "Well…that's kind of the bad news."
He turned around and pointed to the top of the mountain, which was none other than Shiprock.
All of the Maximals and Ethan craned their necks upward to see as far to the top as they could. The eldest Witwicky boy took out his communicator to confirm what his brothers said and sure enough, the signal was beeping extremely high.
Ethan's whole body slouched and groaned, "Of course, they would land on the top of Shiprock."
"Out of all the places on this giant rock of a planet, it had to land all the way up there," grumbled Rattrap.
"Well, I guess we have to start climbing," said Cheetor.
"I'll fly up ahead to secure the area when the rest of you get to the top," said Airazor.
"Very well," growled Dinobot. "The bovine and pachyderm will remain here to be on alert of any ground forces while the rest of us begin traversing up this mountain."
Rattrap poked the raptor's chest with his claw. "And what makes you think I'm taking orders from you?"
"Since Optimus had officially made me the leader of this group for this mission, and as leader, I order you to START CLIMBING!"
"Last time I checked, I don't take orders from stinkin Preds!"
Evan pulled on his face with both hands. "Oh my gosh! Will you guys shut up already?!"
Both the giant rodent and the velociraptor turned their attention to the nine-year-old, stunned by his sudden outburst.
"You argue more than human grown-ups! Can we please get back to the stasis pods while we all still have our sanity?"
"For once, I agree with the human sparkling," said Dinobot. "We must continue with our mission before Megatron's forces beat us to the protoforms."
"Well, last one up has to do routine maintenance on the Axalon!" cried Cheetor.
Evan quickly climbed on the back of the spotted feline and he pounced on the closest cliffside of Shiprock.
Airazor took Ethan in her talons and flew up.
"Show off!" shouted Rattrap to the falcon.
He used his paws to scurry up while Dinobot turned into his robot mode and impaled his sword into the mountain, pulling himself up.
Rattrap looked down and snickered. "Too bad you don't have paws for climbing, legs for jumping, or wings to fly, huh, Chopperface?"
Dinobot growled and used his laser eyes to shoot his beams at the rodent, but Rattrap moved out of the way in time. The beams flew upward, nearly hitting Cheetor and Airazor.
The falcon faltered for a moment, nearly dropping Ethan.
"Watch it!" cried the teen. "You nearly hit us!"
Texas Cotton Field: 5:15 PM
Wolfang and Dinobot continued to pursue Spittor as he leaped through the field of cotton. Every stomp the frog made created clouds of white fluff in the air, temporarily blinding the two Maximals.
Eventually, Wolfang decided to end this game of chase and turned into robot mode, firing his blaster at Spittor when he was in the air.
The frog let out a yelp as the energy hit him in the back and tumbled in the cotton. With Spittor unconscious, Connie quickly wiggled her way free from his tongue. Tigatron also turned into robot mode as they both came up to her.
"Are you alright, Connie?" asked Tigatron.
The teenager wiped herself down. "Other than being covered in frog spit, I'm good."
But their relief was short-lived when more laser fire rained down on them.
"In coming!" cried Wolfang.
Tigatraon took Connie in his arms and rolled out of the way while acting as a shield for her.
Jetstorm and Skold were both in robot mode, delivering suppressing fire on the Maximals.
"Connie, no matter what you do, stay behind me," said Tigatron.
The green and white Maximal laid the teenage girl down and equipped his energy weapon, helping Wolfang with covering fire. Connie equipped her energy rifle and did the same while staying behind Tigatron for cover.
Meanwhile, Nyx continued to scan the cotton field from above for any sign of the stasis pod.
"Razorbeast, do you see or smell anything?"
Down bellow, the red boar sniffed the ground with his snout. "I'm picking up a scent that's getting stronger the further west I go."
The Maximal pilot sighed. "I just wish Connie was here. She was always good at this. I hope she's okay."
"It will be okay, Nyx. Have faith that Tigatron, Wolfang, and Optimus will save her. For now, we have orders to find our Maximal brethren somewhere."
The bat shook her head to regain her focus. "You're right, we have to find the pod before the Preds do."
Soon after Nyx's last statement, she discovered something metallic resting in the field of white. "Rozarbeast, I found it! Lock onto my coordinates."
"You got it!"
But suddenly, Nyx heard a familiar squawk as a red pterodactyl dived in her direction. Quickly, she transformed into robot mode and shot her blaster at the flying Predacon. Terrorsaur dodged out of the way and had to swoop around before facing the Maximal Pilot again.
He turned into robot mode with his signature devious grin. "We meet again, little bat. I'm starting to think you like me."
Nyx rolled her optics. "Oh please, I would have to have an IQ of a service drone to like you."
"Ouch! I didn't know a flying rodent could spit fire."
The two flying bots began their dogfight in the air, firing and dodging each other. Some of the blasts landed in the cotton field, blowing the white fluff to cinders and creating craters in the field.
Nyx took a moment to catch her breath while hovering in the air, panting heavily.
Terrorsaur let out a laugh. "It's such a shame you are a Maximal, we could have-"
But before the red and white Predacon could finish his sentence, two huge blasts of energy hit him from behind. Terrorsaur let out an avian-like screech as he fell into the cotton field. Nyx looked down to see Razorbeast in robot mode, with his two shoulder cannons smoking from the shot he took to the flying Predacon.
"In your dreams, you prehistoric turkey!" said Razorbeast
She smiled down at the red and tan robot. "Thanks Razorbeast."
He gave a salute. "Nothing to it."
But their focus was turned back to the pod as a familiar purple arachnid crawled on top of it.
Nyx dived down, laying suppressing fire. "Oh no you don't, you eight-legged freak!"
The Maximal pilot was able to shoot Tarantulas off the pod and into the cotton. The Predacon scientist turned into robot mode and glared at the flying Maximal.
"You'll pay for that!" shouted Tarantulas.
"How about I pay for her?" asked Razorbeast.
The red and tan Maximal had his shoulder cannons armed and ready again to fire. But Razorbeast was blasted away by purple energy, as Megatron stepped forward in robot mode with his infamous smile.
Shiprock, New Mexico: 5:20 PM
Dinobot's group continued to traverse up the high mountain while Rhinox and Bonecrusher kept guard at the base.
Rattrap panted from exhaustion and took a moment to pause. "How…*pant**pant*…much…*pant**pant*…further?"
Dinobot caught up with the Maximal engineer and smirked. "Don't tell me the vermin is tired already?"
"Shut it, Scalebreath, before I scratch out your optics!"
"Less fighting, more climbing!" shouted Cheetor from above.
Evan contacted his brother on his communicator. "Ethan, how are the pods?"
On top, the eldest Witwicky boy examined one of the giant metallic containers. "Both pods seem to be working. It doesn't look like either of them suffered any severe damage. Airazor said they should be scanning for alternate forms any moment now."
"Let's hope, any moment, doesn't involve the Preds ambushing us," said Bonecrusher on the commlinks.
As if on cue, the group heard the familiar buzzing and insane laughter of some familiar Predacons. They all looked up to see Waspinator, Inferno, and Insecticon flying towards the top.
"Me and my big snout," said the bison.
"And it's your big snout that you're bout to kiss goodbye," said a familiar voice.
Rhinox and Bonecrusher both looked to see Blackarachnia, Powerpinch, and Scorponok in robot mode with their weapons drawn. The two large Maximals wasted no time as they transformed and prepared for battle.
Cheetor, Rattrap, Dinobot, and Evan noticed the Predacons swarming in on Shiprock.
Dinobot quickly took charge. "Feline! Rodent! You and the boy continue upward. I shall deal with the witch, insect, and kiss-up down bellow."
"Hey!-" shouted Rattrap.
But Cheetor interrupted. "Not now, Rattrap!"
Despite his anger towards the former Predacon, the engineer knew the spotted feline was right. They had to get to the top to help Ethan and Airazor defend the pods. Without another word, Rattrap growled and crawled up the rock wall faster while Cheetor pounced up the cliffs with Evan on his back.
Dinobot pulled his sword out of the earth and allowed himself to fall towards the three Predacons down below, roaring with fury. Scorponok, Powerpinch, and Blackarachnia looked up before the former Predacon landed on Megatron's second in command. The two wrestled with each other, rolling around the dust.
Rhinox and Bonecrusher opened fire on Blackarachnia and Powerpinch as they rolled behind a boulder for cover.
Meanwhile, Insecticon and Waspiator turned into robot mode and laid suppressing fire on Ethan and Airazor. Ethan, hid behind one of the pods while the avian turned into robot mode and took to the skies. The teenager whipped out his rifle and tried to support Airazor by firing at the flying Predacons. But the flames from Inferno's flamethrower made the human duck in cover, nearly having his face singed.
The red Predacon laughed insanely.
Ethan turned to the pod yelling, "Now would be a really good time to wake up!"
While the firefight continued in the air, Waspinator flew away from the battle and lowered himself towards the second pod adjacent to the one Ethan sat behind for cover.
The teenager peeked out, noticing the green Predacon lifting the metal pod in the air, trying to fly away with it. At the same time, Cheetor, Evan, and Rattrap finally made it to the top and noticed Waspinator trying to fly off with one of the pods.
"Oh no you don't!" shouted Rattrap.
He sprinted forward and tackled Waspinator, knocking both of them, Ethan, and the pods off of Shiprock.
"Rattrap!" cried Cheetor.
"Ethan!" cried Evan.
But before any of them could attempt to save their comrades, laser blasts and fire rained from above. Cheetor turned into robot mode and shot back at Inferno and Insecticon.
The blue and green Predacon turned to his comrade. "Distract Maximals, I shall retrieve pod."
Insecticon turned back into beast mode and dived towards one of the pods.
While falling, Waspinator and Rattrap wrestled each other with the pod and Ethan beside them. The human teen screamed for his dear life. The rat eventually looked down at the bottom to see where they were going to land, and a snicker crept across his face.
He faced Waspinator again. "Pred's first!"
Before the green Predacon could react, Rattrap spun him around with his front facing the bottom while the rodent held onto his back.
Rattrap stretched out his paw to the human shouting, "Ethan, grab on!"
The eldest Witwicky boy quickly maneuvered his body closer and grabbed Rattrap's paw. They both huddled together on top of Waspinator as they continued falling.
"Nooooooooo!" cried the green Predicon.
The three landed into a large formation of cacti. Luckily, for Rattrap and Ethan, Waspiantor cushioned their fall and prevented them from getting hurt by the prickly green plants.
The giant rat sat up and sighed. "Well, that was a soft landing."
Waspiantor could only give a weak, "Oooowwww."
The pod landed with a big clang. Rattrap and Ethan wasted no time running over to the pod, leaving Waspiantor face down in the cacti. The Maximal engineer turned into robot mode.
However, Ethan noticed something was off as he scanned the desert. "Uh, Rattrap…where's the second pod?"
Insecticon descended from above with the second pod wrapped in his insect legs. He gently dropped the metal container on the dusty ground and turned into robot mode, gently caressing the metal structure.
"Shell program installment complete, process of alternate form shall begin momentarily," said Insecticon.
Pod made a few beeping noises. "New programming accepted. Scanning for alternate form."
"No!" shouted Ethan and Rattrap in unison.
The antenna rose from the pod and scanned the area. On the ground, a few pill bugs crawled out from underneath a rock. The purple light slid across them and they rolled into little balls. Steam seeped out of the pod as it made the proper altercations to the protoform.
Eventually, the pod said, "Installation of alternate form complete. Unlocking stasis pod."
The door slid open as a giant green and yellow pillbug crawled out; its red eyes glaring at the Maximal and human in front of it. Both of them stared in horror at the new Predacon before them.
The giant pillbug's mandibles clicked before saying, "What is this strange feeling? It feels strong…almost like…hunger. Unlike anything I've felt before. It's…pleasure…pleasure to kill! Yes! Retrax, TERRORIZE!"
The pillbug's body began to bend and fold until it became a bipedal robot covered in white and dark armor. His head was yellow with two black curved horns and contained no mouth but something similar to a respirator. Most of his insect armor was strapped on the back of his arms and his shoulder.
Insecticon stepped forward to the new bot. "Greetings, fellow Predacon. I am Insecticon, communications and security expert of Megatron's army."
The blue and green Predacon pointed to Etan and Rattrap. "Those are Maximals and humans, they are enemies. Our objective, to destroy them."
Retrax glared at Rattrap and Ethan with a devious look in his red optics. "With pleasure."
Suddenly, the legs from his bug armor clicked as if loading the magazines in a firearm.
Little did they know that the antenna for the other pod shot up and scanned the area with a yellow light. In the distance, a lone armadillo searched the desert ground for food, when the yellow light passed by, it and immediately curled into a ball.
Retrax was ready to open fire on his two targets as Rattrap quickly wrapped himself around the human to shield him from the onslaught of laser fire.
From above Shiprock, Evan's eyes widened in terror as the new Predacon was about to turn his brother and the Maximal engineer into Swiss cheese.
"Ethan!" he cried.
But just when Retrax shot out rapid-firing lasers, the second pod opened and an orange flash flew out.
Ethan, and Rattrap closed their eyes, waiting for the barrage of laser fire to end them. But to their bewilderment, nothing happened. They heard Retrax's weapons going off but felt no impact or pain. The two opened their eyes and turned around to see a large orange orb in front of Retrax, deflecting all of his laser fire. The new Predacon stopped firing, also confused at the giant orange orb that suddenly appeared. The orb unraveled, revealing itself to be a giant orange armadillo.
The armored mammal spoke in a Southern accent. "Hold on there, partner, that wasn't very nice. Looks like I'm going to have to teach you some manners. Armordillo, MAXIMIZE!"
The giant armadillo's body began to fold and bend, revealing a white robotic structure. Most of the orange armor stayed, along with his front claws for hands. His optics were red.
Rattrap and Ethan stared in awe at the new Maximal, named Armordillo, as a morning star connected to a chain unraveled from his gauntlet. He swung the spiky metal flail at Retrax, knocking him backward, and did the same to Insecticon.
The new Predacon sat up and shouted, "You'll pay for that!"
"Well then, why don't we settle this a more natural way," said Armordillo.
The orange and white Maximal turned back into beast mode and curled himself into a ball while Retrax did the same in his pillbug form. Both balls rapidly spun and rolled across the desert, charging each other; clouds of dust and sand kicked up from the friction. Upon contact, the two rolled-up bots bounced away from each other but continued to roll and charge each other again. Each impact created a mini shockwave that kicked up more dust and sand.
To Ethan, this was like watching a giant version of marbles as the two orbs rolled around the desert and bounced against each other.
Meanwhile, Bonecrusher and Rhinox continued to fight Blackarachnia while Scorponok finally kicked Dinobot off of him. The second in command fired his pincer rockets while the former Predacon used his laser eyes and sword. Rhinox used his turret guns while Bonecrusher used his plasma breath.
The large black and white Maximal also used his laser breath on Blackarachnia but missed it by a hair.
"You dare hurt a lady like me?" asked Blackarachnia in a mock hurtful tone.
"Normally, I wouldn't, but I'll make an exception for an evil twisted Pred like you," replied Bonecrusher.
Suddenly, a brown and orange blur hit the large Maximal, knocking him back. He quickly stood up and scanned the battlefield for whoever struck him but could not find anyone. Suddenly, he was hit again, and then another. Eventually, the blur stopped before Bonecrusher, revealing none other than Powerpinch, waving with his pincer hand.
"Too slow, stupid buffalo!" said the brown and orange Predacon.
"I'm a bison!" retorted Bonecrusher.
Powerpich continued to zip passed the large Maximal, delivering a fury of strikes. Bonecrusher tried to hit back, but his opponent proved too fast for his slow swings. Not even his laser breath could hit the Predacon.
Powerpinch was laughing to himself as he continued to torment Bonecrusher until a yellow blur struck him and he skidded across the desert floor.
Cheetor appeared in front of the fallen Predacon in robot mode with his weapon drawn. "You want to test your speed? Why don't you see if you can beat this cool cat?"
Powerpinch growled and stood up. "I will rip off your spots and wear them as a trophy!"
The Predacon's pincer claw snapped.
The two delve into their battle, giving Bonecrusher a moment to regain some strength after the beating he took.
Armordillo and Retrax continued to roll across the sand in their ball forms bumping each other. Rattrap and Ethan were too busy facing Insecticon.
Eventually, the new Maximal and Predacon charged each other again, except this time, Armordillo turned back into robot mode and equipped his morning star and chain. Before Retrax could react, the orange and white Maximal used the chain to wrap it around the pillbug's body and swing him around like a lasso.
"Yeeehaaaw!" cried Armordillo.
He swung Retrax towards Insecticon, knocking the blue and green Predacon against the ground. But Armordillo did not stop there. He charged forward and used his new flail to hit Scorponok, knocking him down as well. Then he moved to Blackarachnia when she was distracted with Rhinox. Much to the Maximals and humans' surprise, the new guy was laying the pain on the Predacons without the use of firearms. Eventually, When most of the Predacons were down, Armordillo used his chain to swing down Retrax, smashing him back against the desert floor back and forth.
When he was done, he swung the giant pill bug one more time shouting, "Yeehaaw!"
He released Retrax in the air as the giant insect uncontrollably crashed into Inferno, making them both fall and smash into a boulder, cracking it in half. Both of them were dazed, Reatrax more than Inferno as he let out a long, slow wheeze. Airazor was surprised by the sudden deus ex machine.
"Wooooooeee! Now that's what I call a hoedown," said Armordillo.
However, he turned his attention to Powerpinch still fighting Bonecrusher and Cheetor. The young Maximal was holding his own so far until the Predacon whipped out a weapon and shot him with it. Suddenly, Cheetor was covered in a blue mist as his movements completely slowed down, like the slow-motion button on a TV. Bonecrusher charged forward but Powerpinch did the same thing, slowing both Maximals.
The Predacon laughed to himself, delighted at his dirty work, but was unaware of the giant orange ball rolling towards him.
When Armordillo was close enough, he turned into robot mode and threw an array of grenades at Powerpinch. The black and orange Predacon did not have enough time to get out of the way before the grenades detonated and sent him hurling in the air, landing on top of Waspinator, still in the cacti.
All of the Pedacons groaned as they slowly got up, weakened by the sudden beating they took from the new Maximal.
"Predacons, retreat!" shouted Scorponok. "We at least got one Protoform, Megatron, and the others have surely reprogrammed the other one."
The rest of the Predacons followed the second in command's orders and turned into beast mode before scurrying or flying away. Waspinator groaned in pain from the cactus needles stuck in his structure as he flew.
Once the effect of Powerpinch's disrupter ray wore off on Cheetor and Bonecrusher, the Maximals and humans regrouped with their new ally.
"Woah! That was wicked!" cried Evan.
"Indeed, you sure know how to handle yourself in a fight," said Rhinox.
"Well, it just came naturally," said Armordillo. "Almost like I was born with it. Plus, I didn't think it was fair how them no-good Preds were hogtying y'all. Though, I also have some basic engineering programming to help build and fix whatever ya'll need."
"Your skills will surely prove useful in the Beast Wars," said Dinobot.
"In our robotics club, we always believe that more engineers get the job done faster and better," said Ethan.
"As fun as it is to give the new guy the typical orientation," said Rattrap. "Didn't Stingertail say something about Megajerk going after the other Protoform in Texas?"
"Yeah, if the Preds have located the pods from this area, there's no doubt they're after the last one where Optimus's team is located," said Bonecrusher.
"We'll return to the Aurora and fly the rest of the way there, it will be faster," said Rhinox.
"Then, let's make like hot rods and hit the road!" cried Evan.
All the Maximals turned to beast mode and returned to the Aurora. Evan rode on Cheetor while Airazor carried Ethan in her talons. Armordillo turned into a ball and just rolled all the way there.
"He's kind of like Sonic the way he rolls," said Evan.
"More like Cannonbolt from Ben 10," said Ethan over his communicator.
Cotton Fields, Texas: 5:30 PM
Tigatron, Wolfang, and Connie continued to fight back against the Predacons, as massive explosions destroyed the cotton field. Spittor eventually woke up from unconsciousness and joined the fight in robot mode. Connie struggled to stay behind Tagatron for cover while the green and white Maximal maneuvered around the battlefield, trying to avoid enemy fire.
Laser blasts shot off some of Wolfang's armor as he grunted in pain. "We're taking heavy fire. We must take cover!"
"Where to?" asked Tigatron. "This field is too open with nothing for us to take cover."
"We need to fall back!" cried Connie.
Jetstorm laughed evilly. "Looks like we'll be getting ourselves a new tiger and wolfskin rug for the Darksyde."
Tigatron and Wolfang took more damage when a large figure landed in front of them, duel-wielding a pair of blades. Using his melee weapons, he crossed them together to deflect some of the firepower from the Predacons while defending his fellow Maximals and human.
"Optimus!" shouted Connie and the Maximals in unison.
"Well, this is just prime," grunted Optimus.
The amount of firepower his armor took was already overwhelming him. Quickly, Tigatron, Wolfang, and Connie stepped in to deliver covering fire for their leader while also staying behind his large exterior for cover.
With all his strength, the large Maximal leader pushed forward, continuing to deflect the laser fire from the Predacons. They were getting worried as they continued to lay all of their firepower on Optimus, but he continued to push forward.
Eventually, Tigatron, Wolfang, and Connie's shots were starting to do damage to the Predacons. When they were close enough, Optimus used his blades to slash at Skold and Spittor, knocking them both back and cutting through their armor.
Jetfire was the only one left as he struggled to fight back against the overwhelming amount of laser fire now coming from the Maximals.
"Like shooting dragonflies in a barrel," said Connie.
The teenager and Tigatron aimed their blasters at both of Jetstorm's wings and fired, eliminating his means to fly. The flying Predacon fell to the ground, where Wolfang delivered a single punch to the face, knocking him out.
They all sighed with relief having bested their Predacon enemies. The Maximals began to grunt as their bodies sparked with blue energy and quickly turned to beast mode.
"Thanks for the help, Optimus," said Connie.
The gorilla looked down at the human. "I'm just relieved I made it in time before any of you suffered dearly."
"Now that we have saved Connie and taken care of those Predacons, we can regroup with Nyx and Razorbeast for the protoform," said Tigatron.
As if on cue, everyone's commlinks buzzed as Nyx's voice shouted, "Optimus! We're under attack, Megratron, Terorsaur, and Tarantulas have found the pod. They're overwhelming us."
Optimus responded. "We're on our way, Nyx, just hold on a little longer!"
Without hesitation, Optimus transformed back into his robot mode and Connie climbed on his back before he flew away. Tigatron and Wolfang followed them from the ground, sprinting as fast as their legs could carry them.
Meanwhile, Nyx and Razorbeast struggled to keep Megatron and his two accomplices at bay while the Predacons delivered suppressing fire on both of them. The Maximal pilot wrestled with Terrorsaur in the air. Razorbeast tried to return fire to Megatron and Tarantulas while dodging all of their attacks at the same time. Unfortunately, the red and tan Maximal's luck ran out as an energy blast from Megatron's dinosaur cannon hit him, knocking him donw into the cotton field. Tarantulas restrained him with webbing so he could not get away, while it electrocuted him. Razorbeast tried to break free, but every time he moved, the webbing would zap him with a high voltage.
"Razorbeast!" cried Nyx.
"Looks like your little porkchop won't save you this time, batgirl!" said Terrorsaur.
Suddenly, a blast of energy hit Terrorsaur, freeing Nyx from his grip and sending him spinning in the air.
Optimus Primal flew up with his blasters smoking.
"I was never a big fan of flying dinosaurs," joked Connie.
Wolfang and Tigatron also appeared, transforming into robot mode and aiming their weapons at Tarantulas and Megatron.
The Maximal leader and pilot landed beside them while Connie slid off his back and onto the ground.
All of them had their weapons pointed at the two remaining Predacons.
"It's over Megatron," said Optimus. "That protoform is a fellow Maximal and we will not allow you to corrupt it to your twisted agenda."
The giant purple Predacon gave an evil chuckle. "Oh Optimus, don't you ever get tired of playing the chivalrous heroic leader all the time? You are sounding like those silly characters in one of these so-called television shows humans watch."
"Better than that stereotypical evil British accent you speak with!" retorted Connie. "All you're missing is a top hat and a curly mustache."
"We won't allow you to reprogram another protoform," growled Wolfang.
The blue and grey Maximal barred his fangs, like in his lupine form.
"Then fighting four Maximals and one human should make this more interesting, yes," replied the Maximal leader.
Tarantulas stepped forward. "I shall use the shell program while you-."
But before the PRedacon scientist could finish his sentence, Megatron clamped his t-red claw around his throat and held him closer to his face.
The purple Predacon's optics glared with hatred. "I'd rather you stand and fight than crawl away and cower like the little bug you are!"
Tarantulas struggled to breathe from his leader's grip as he responded in a weak voice, "Yes…sir."
Megatron let the scientist go, dropping him to the ground like a rock.
"Connie, can you free Razorbeast while we handle these two?" asked Optimus.
"I'm on it!" replied the teenage girl.
She ran towards the webbed Maximal while the others charged the two remaining Predacons. Razorbeast groaned from the amount of electricity his body took from Tarantulas's webbing.
He turned his head to see the girl kneeling beside him. "C..Connie?"
"It's okay, I'm cutting you loose."
She unsheathed a bowie knife she had taken from the Witwicky bunker and began to cut through the webbing.
Meanwhile, the Maximals and Predacons continued to fight. Though the Predacons were at a disadvantage in numbers, Megatron proved to be a formidable opponent for all of them. The purple leader proved to be as imposing as Dinobot with combat. He swatted and blasted away the Maximals as if they were flies.
Eventually, it was only him and Optimus facing each other. Both of them stood between the stasis pod. They stared each other down. Optimus pulled out his two blades; his face frozen with steely focus. Megatron had his typical sinister smile. The situation turned into a typical standoff as the cotton reeds blew gently in the wind. The only thing missing was a tumbleweed.
The two leaders charged, letting out battle cries. They locked weapons with each other, with Optimus's blades scrapping against Megatron's gauntlets. The stasis pod lay right by their feet. The leaders pushed away to gain distance as they slashed at each other with melee attacks. Sparks flew from the clanging of Optimus's blades as they clashed against Megatron's armor.
Meanwhile, Connie was able to break Razor Beast free, but her victory was short-lived when a familiar red pterodactyl dived towards them. The red and tan Maximal quickly grabbed the girl and rolled out of the way, before Terrorsaur could slice them with his talons. Now there were three Predacons back in play.
Megatron and Optimus Primal continued to fight as they danced around the stasis pod. Unfortunately, when Optimus thrust forward for a strike, he exposed himself and the Predacon leader took advantage of the situation. Megatron opened his t-rex claw and activated his energy cannon underneath the Maximal leader's abdomen. Before Optimus could react, a large energy blast erupted from the t-rex claw, and the large blue Maximal was blasted far away in the cotton field.
"Optimus!" cried Nyx.
With his opponent out of the way, Megatron stepped forward and began inserting the shell program into the pod. The other Maximals and Connie tried to charge forward and stop him, but it was too late. The pod had already begun the process of scanning its surroundings with a purple light for an alternate form. Climbing up one of the stocks of cotton was a little weevil as the purple light passed it.
"Installation of alternate form complete. Unlocking stasis pod."
Steam poured from the pod and made a few audible beeps before opening. A giant brown weevil, with purple legs, crawled out of the pod and into the field.
"Yes!" said Megatron.
The giant weevil said, "Finally, I'm free! Drill Bit, TERRORIZE!"
The insect's body transformed into a bot mostly covered in his insect armor with his right arm being a giant drill.
Optimus's eyes narrowed. "Well, that's just prime."
The new Predacon scanned the field of cotton. "Hmmm, this planet is…weird. What is this place?"
"It is called, Earth," said Megatron. "And you, my friend, are a fellow Predacon who has been brought here to fulfill our ultimate goal."
"Who are you?"
The large purple bot gave a slight bow. "I am Megatron, leader of the Predacons."
He pointed to Optimus and the other Maximals. "Those bots over there are Maximals. Our greatest enemy! They want to stop us from completing our mission and must be destroyed at all costs!"
Drill Bit turned to look at Optimus and the other Maximals before a devious smirk crept across his face. "Then, I shall make sure these Maximals hit rock bottom!"
Suddenly, the new Predacon used his drill arm to dive into the ground and out of sight. Optimus was stunned for a moment, trying to locate Drill Bit with his senses, but could not gather any readings under the earth.
Suddenly, the ground rumbled underneath Connie and Wolfang when the brown and purple Predacon burst up from underground, knocking them back. Drill Bit let out an evil laugh as his drill arm spun rapidly.
"Oh, don't be upset, this is going to be a blast!" he shouted.
His spinning drill began to glow until it got so bright that it blasted a pulse of energy toward Nyx, shooting her down from the sky. The Maximals were back to being overwhelmed now the Predacons had a new addition to their group.
Optimus gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on his swords. Anger filled his core from Megatron reprogramming another one of their Maximals. He charged Megatron and the two engaged in melee combat again while the rest of their troops battled each other.
Connie and the Maximals tried to get a hit on Drill Bit, but the new Predacon constantly disappeared into the ground and surprised them from a different angle, always getting the jump on them. The situation did not help with Tarantulas and Terrorsaur giving Drill Bit covering fire in the process. Although, the Predacon scientist was annoyed he was unable to reprogram the protoform to only listen to him. But despite his failure, Tarantulas figured it was best to work alone, especially after his temporary alliance with that annoying Blackarachnia.
Megatron had his armored gauntlets locked with Optimus's blades again. "It is over, Maximal! The protoform is mine and I will be sure to scrap you all before sundown!"
Suddenly, more laser fire rained from the sky, aimed towards the Predacons. Everyone stopped fighting and looked up.
In the air floated the Auroa with Airazor flapping beside it. The hatch was open to the transportation shuttle as the rest of the Maximals stood at the opening, along with the Witwicky brothers and a new bot covered in orange armor.
"Not if we have anything to say about it, Megadork!" cried Cheetor.
Optimus and his team smiled with relief while the Predacons' optics widened in terror. Now they were the ones outnumbered.
"Let's Maximize!" shouted Rattrap
They all leaped down towards the battlefield. Airazor transformed into robot mode and dived down. Ethan and Evan held onto Rhinox so they would not get injured on landing. They all landed with a thunderous thud in the cotton field and began blasting away at the Predacons.
"Yeeehaaaaw!" cried Armordillo as he swung his morning star in the air.
With only Megatron, Tarantulas, Drill Bit, and Terrorsaur being the remaining Predacons, it was clear they were not going to scrap any Maximals today.
"Predacons, fall back!" ordered Megatron. "We've reprogrammed the protoform, let us return to the Banshee and plan our next maneuver at our ship."
The Predacons did what their leader commanded as they turned back to beast mode and ran as far away from the Maximals as they could.
The Maximals cheered at their victory and honored the cavalry that came to their rescue.
"You're timing could not be any more perfect," said Optimus.
"We figured Megatron sent some Preds to your location when we encountered them in New Mexico," said Cheetor.
"It's a good thing our locations weren't too far from each other," said Rhinox.
Nyx hung her head in disappointment. "But Megatron reprogrammed another protoform. We failed…again!"
"Not entirely," said Bonecrusher. "Have you met the new guy?"
Armordillo gave a wave. "Howdy!"
Rhinox gestured to the new Maximal. "This is Armordillo, he was a protoform the Preds did not reprogram."
The Maximal leader gave a small smile. "Well, a slight victory is better than no victory."
"Still, why is it that the Preds are reprogramming more protoforms than us saving them?" asked Evan.
"Tell me about it, it's almost like Survivor, where our team is getting smaller with every challenge we lose." Said Connie.
Wolfang placed a hand on Evan's shoulder. "Don't get upset, children. Optimus is right, being able to save one protoform is better than saving none."
"For now, let's return to the Axalon and help our new friend get acquainted with our base of operations," said the Maximal leader.
Armordillo walked up and shook Optimus's hand with his claw. "It will be a real honor to work with you Optimus and getting to know everyone in your posse."
"The honor is mine, Armrodillo. Any fellow Maximal is welcome in our ranks."
As they walked back to the Aurora, Evan said to the orange Maximal. "Wait until we show you to Derek."
With all of the protoforms recovered for now, the group returned to Washington to recover from another thrilling mission and help a new Maximal get settled.
One new Maximal and two new Predacons! Yeah, I know the Predacons seem to keep reprogramming more protoforms than the Maximals can save. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. The next two are going to involve some original episodes from the show that I have been receiving a lot of requests for, so your wish will finally be granted. If I were to pick someone to voice Armrodillo, I would go with Jeff Bennet, because I imagine him having a voice similar to Clay from Xiaolin Showdown or Cid from the Kingdom Hearts franchise. As always, feel free to leave a review with your thoughts on this chapter and the new characters introduced. Who do you think should voice the new characters? Also, don't forget to lend me your ideas on the OC concepts I presented to you in the previous chapter. Remember, you will be providing me with ideas for their characteristics. As always, thank you so much for your patience. Until next time!