Child
By: Sinead
Part Three
There was a knock on the door, and Dinobot sighed. He stood to open it, and when he did, he saw Rattrap there. The rat grinned, and said, "’Ey, Choppuh . . . Wassa matta?"
Dinobot shook his head. "Nothing. Why do you ask?"
Rattrap sighed, and shook his head. "I’ve known ’ya since da beginnin’ of da Beast Wars. Why do ’ya even hafta ask me why I ask you?"
Dinobot looked Rattrap squarely in his optics. The rat saw fatigue hovering around the bot’s face. "Because I was three nano-klicks away from sleep."
"Oh. Sorry."
Dinobot sighed. "Very well. The last time I checked in on you, you were dead asleep. What woke you?"
"Eh, nuthin’."
Dinobot gave Rattrap a bored look. "Don’t pull that slag on me. You were still sleeping off your seven-megacycle shift in the CR chamber a half-megacycle ago. For four days, no less. What in the Pit below awoke you?"
Rattrap shook his head, and Dinobot growled to himself. "In. And shut the door behind you."
The rodent did so, and leaned against the wall. "A dream."
"Primus save us, he’s showing signs of sentient behavior."
"Shaddup. An’ ta tell ’ya da truth, I’d say da same fer you, if our roles were switched."
"Thank the Matrix that isn’t true."
"Tellin’ me. Anyway, Somethin’ happened in dis dream, an’ somethin’ exploded–"
"Your brain. Too much thinking," Dinobot cut in quickly.
"–an’ I woke up. AN’ ENOUGH WITH DA COMMENTS!!!!!"
Dinobot grinned. "What else can you expect from me? By the Matrix, you idiotic vermin! I’ve been having arguments with Depth Charge for four days straight! And he is a bot I can come to respect!"
"Wow. You’re stoopin’ low, ta be throwin’ insults back an’ forth with dat bot. Has he tried to kill Rampage yet?"
Dinobot sighed, and rubbed at his one remaining optic. "No. Thankfully for us, otherwise he may end up as dead. We don’t even know if Megatron’s still living, although I’m beginning to think that Rampage has taken over the Predacons by brute force."
"Yeah, dat seems possible. How much longer will dis war last, if Crabby-Cakes is in charge?"
Dinobot shook his head. "Not that long at all."
The door slammed open, and Cheetor stood there, panting. "Command center . . . now . . . Big Bot’s orders . . . both of you . . ."
The two sped off, with the younger bot behind them. They arrived not a moment too soon, as the screen lit up with Rampage’s features. He glared at the Maximals, before speaking. "I have taken over the Predacons, as you should have already assumed. Megatron still lives, unfortunately, and I now ask for peace between our factions."
Blackarachnia stopped dead in her tracks, as those words were said. "Woah, woah, here, Rampage. Say again? I thought that you wanted to kill everything that’s anything! What happened?"
Rampage looked at the troops, then at one bot in particular. "Dinobot happened. And do not get me wrong: I hate other bots. I hate those who did this to me. That hate is what has kept me alive. You turn in all those other bots, and leave me somewhere. Not here. This is not a place where I care to cause the inhabitants to fear me."
Dinobot looked up at his commander, who shrugged. "Very well, Rampage. Where shall you surrender your troops?"
"And when. They will bring over all valuable components from the Darkside, even scrap metal, to your base," Rampage sneered. "I will leave it outside the doors, right within range of your cannons, lest Tarantulus should conveniently forget my lesson, and try to steal something."
"I hope that you repeat it, anyway," Blackarachnia muttered.
Rampage snickered evilly. "Oh, I will, she-spider, I will. On the other hand, if you wish to escort them, be free to do so."
Rattrap snorted. "Why should we believe you? You’re a Pred; you’ll trick us."
Rampage looked at the rodent, then shook his head. "If Predacons had honor, as a whole, even if I had honor, I would swear upon it."
Dinobot snorted, and glared at his former brother. The crab blinked back. "I said, Dinobot, as a whole. There are exceptions, and I had you in mind as I said that."
"What of Megatron?" Dinobot asked. "What will you do to him?"
"I have forced him into Stasis Lock, therefore you shall have no trouble with him."
The large leader sighed, then looked back up at the screen. "When will the first ones arrive?"
"Five cycles. Maybe less, if they hurried. Please receive them, if you will."
Optimus looked to Rhinox, Dinobot, and Depth Charge. The Manta Ray gave Rampage a cold, hard stare, before obeying his leader. Rampage looked back at Optimus, and nodded once, before the screen went black. This was the last battle, and it wouldn’t be physical.
Only emotional and spiritual.
*~*~*~*~*
Silverbolt and Blacharachnia manned the cannons. Already, they shot at Tarantulus twice, just as a warning. Dinobot was standing watched at the great iron doors, glaring at the Predacons, his former comrades. Waspinator was now coming. He was nervous, and was twitching. Dinobot snorted. "Your problem, wasp?"
"Not like! Not like Crab-bot’zz rule! Very bad!" He buzzed quietly, "He control’zz commzz."
"So he’s hearing this?"
"Yezz."
"You’re taking a risk, telling me this, Waspinator."
"Wazzpinator not like being Predacon any more," he said, almost too quietly to be heard.
The rumbling of a tank was soon heard, and Waspinator fell to the ground, cowering in a ball. His knees had been pulled up to his chin, and his optics were dead black. Rampage transformed, and picked the smaller bot up by the back of his neck, and held him up. "Look at me."
Silverbolt’s fingers twitched. It was torture to see someone treat another like this. He looked to his lover, who frowned in return. She didn’t approve of it either.
"Yezz?" Waspinator warbled, starting to shudder.
"You want to become a Maximal?"
Waspinator spluttered crazily, unable to get his words past his malformed mouth. Rampage growled deep in his throat, and Dinobot snorted. "I know you’re feeding off of his fear. Back down."
Rampage looked at the smaller bot, then set Waspinator down. "If you do not mind bringing him to Primal, then . . ."
"Dinobot to Rattrap."
**Yo, sup, Lizard-Lips?**
"Come and take my spot. Something has arisen, and I have to speak with Optimus."
**Right. Be right dere. Rattrap out.**
The comm-link went dead, and a minute later, Rattrap arrived. Dinobot grabbed Waspinator’s elbow, and marched him inside. "If you are lying, and you are part of a trap, I will kill you personally. Do you understand, wasp?"
"Wazzpinator not lie! Rampage–"
"I do not care to hear about how Rampage treated you. You tell the truth, otherwise you will die. Do you understand?" Dinobot snarled.
"Yezz, Zzir."
"Good."
Waspinator whimpered, as he was lead into the main cavern. Optimus turned, and saw the Predacon, held by Dinobot. "What is he doing in here?"
"Explain. Everything," Dinobot snapped. "The truth would be preferable, and remember my warnings."
"Wazzpinator being tired of being blown to scrap every time he izz turning around. He think’zz that being Maxzzimal would be better."
"Why should we believe you?" Cheetor asked from the platform.
"Why else would Wazzpinator try to turn Maxzzimal?"
That shut Cheetor up promptly. Dinobot snickered. "Outsmarted, Boy?"
"Ah, shove it, Dino-Breath."
Optimus looked in shock at the young bot. "What was that?"
Rhinox was laughing quietly at a console. "Optimus. You heard him quite well!"
The Maximal leader turned back to Dinobot, the pinpoints of light representing his pupils rolled heavenward. "Go figure."
He looked down at Waspinator, then over to Depth Charge. The manta ray caught his drift in that simple look. "Get over here, Wasp. Rampage wouldn’t try anything with me keeping an eye on you."
Dinobot returned to his post, and leaned against the stone walls. "Everything going well?"
"Tarantulus is takin’ dancin’ lessons," Rattrap sniggered. "Dat freak just don’ get da idea of keeping ’is hands ta ’imself!"
Dinobot looked out over the landscape, a rare smile tugging on his mouth. "Well, now, isn’t that something ever so normal?"
Rattrap looked up at his companion, and was shocked at the sight of his face. "What do ’ya mean?"
Dinobot sighed, and shook his head. "I don’t know. I’m finding that I can’t seem to concentrate on anything, today. Something keeps trying to tug my attention farther and farther away."
"Where about?"
Dinobot pointed over a ridge. "There."
**Rhinox to Dinobot!**
"Yes. What?"
**Stasis pod in Sector Orbsah, and it’s not looking too good! You go and get over there! Rattrap, you stay there, and keep an eye on those Predacons! Rhinox out.***
"Jeesh, he was a little uptight. But, if da Big Green says dat it ain’t lookin’ too good, den it’s bad. Get ’ya scaly butt outta ’ere!" Rattrap advocated.
Dinobot nodded once, dropped to his beast mode, then booked it out of there, as fast as his two legs could carry him . . .