"Until today!"  The former Decepticon narrowed his gaze and shot at Dinobot, who quickly swerved to avoid being hit.

 

"You are outdated, Decepticon, and will join your commander in the Pit!" snarled the raptor as he fired on Ravage again.

 

"Then you have forgotten part of your history lesson, Dinobot.  I have fought in the Great War."  Ravage ducked, barely sending his hoverpad into the lava, and then returned fire twice.

 

"As a dog."  Dinobot fired his eye lasers and made a drive for Ravage across the lava beneath them, hoping to take turn the battle into a true, land-based duel.  "Soundwave no longer exists to protect your miserable hide, traitor."

 

 

Ravage's spy instincts kicked in and the panther retreated as he fired at Dinobot.  For once, he had size as an advantage since he was one of the few who were upsized instead of downsized after the Great War, but Predacon Elites were not to be underestimated.  He was uncertain as to how far Dinobot had chased him, but when he looked, the panther saw that they both stood on the narrow bridge that hovered over the Darkside's two CR tanks.

 

"Coward!  Stand and fight me."  The enraged Dinobot fired his eye-lasers as he continued to charge.

 

 

Ravage's talons dug into the metal of the bridge as he attempted to stand his ground, but Dinobot was still powerful enough to drive the former Decepticon back.  Ravage then allowed himself to fall back as far as he could before pointing his twin blasters in Dinobot's direction.  Without taking aim, he fired off blindly, counting on the close range to hit Dinobot.  As was expected, the raptor tumbled off the bridge and used his rotary tail shield to slow his descent until his landed next to one of the CR tanks.

 

"Goodbye, traitor."  With those words, Ravage sent his final shots at Dinobot, catching the recovering Maximal in the midsection.

 

As Dinobot reached upward for support, his long talons dug into something soft.  He pulled himself up and heard something squeak in the most unusual manner.  He then felt the mysterious object atop the console deforming under the pressure from his nails.

 

"Dinobot, no!  I'll do anything!  Please don't hurt Mr. Ducky!  I'm begging you!  Anything but him!"  Megatron pleaded from behind the bars.

 

"I was unaware that you had become attached."  Dinobot snorted in disgust as he squeezed the rubber ducky even harder.

 

"Oh?"  Asked the puzzled Ravage, who was also more interested in the rubber ducky than the duel for the moment.

 

"You will pay for this, traitor!  He has been the most valuable Predacon since I was a mere lieutenant."

 

Dinobot wanted to laugh, but then heard a clicking noise from Ravage's direction.  Without waiting to be fired upon, the raptor shot his eyebeams at the panther.  Perhaps the ducky was the source of the strange noises of the CR tanks when Dinobot was one of Megatron's officers in the Elites.

 

 

"Coward."  Dinobot snarled as debris from what was left of the damaged wing of the Darkside crashed all around him.

 

"I use every tool available.  You should know that," taunted Ravage.

 

"Yes, however, you still have no honor," snarled the reptilian warrior as he hopped atop the sleek, silver vessel, landing at the wingtip.

 

"Always so blunt," Ravage sighed in his Russian accent, firing a last shot at Dinobot as he attempted to climb down the hatch to the cockpit.  Unfortunately for the former Decepticon, Dinobot anticipated the move and sent multiple blasts from his eye lasers, prevent Ravage from entering the ship.  He cursed silently as he telepathically commanded the ship to rise.

 

"On my honor, you will not destroy Prime's spark."

 

"Then that will have to change."  Ravage fired again at Dinobot, this time burning a hole in the target's left shoulder.  Dinobot reeled from the impact, but before he could recover, Ravage shot him again, this time more squarely between the shoulders, almost sending the former Predacon flying into the rapidly receding horizon behind them. 

 

Razor-sharp talons dug into the sleek ship's hull as Dinobot attempted to pull himself back up, refusing to fall.  It was ironic how a former Predacon was now attempting to preserve Prime's spark.  Ravage contemplated returning to his cockpit before returning his gaze to Dinobot and attempting to target the raptor.  However, that moment of indecision was enough for Dinobot to push himself up and fire twin beams around Ravage.

 

"You missed.  How pathetic," the covert agent spat in his Russian-accented voice.  Dinobot ignored the comment and tried again, this time hitting something inside the ship after the lasers traveled past the trapdoor.

 

"No!"  Ravage cursed, his eyes widening as something inside the ship exploded.

 

"Yes.  To the end with you and your accursed ship."  Dinobot gave a feral grin and chased after Ravage, barely managing to stay on top of the ship's slippery hull.  None of that seemed to matter, for the continuous blasts from the warrior's optics apparently set off several chain reactions in the spacecraft's systems as the dunes beneath the ship's belly zoomed in.

 

As Rattrap watched the surveillance, he cursed before punching through to Optimus and Cheetor.

 

"Yes, Rattrap?"  Optimus answered the hail.

 

"Do you want the good news or the bad news?" asked the rat.

 

"What's the good news?" Optimus sighed.

 

"We don't hafta kowtow to dat Decepticon anymore.  Tha bad news is, he's duelin' Ole Chopperface."

 

"Well, that's just prime," muttered the Transmetal leader before continuing.  "Rattrap, where is he heading?"

 

Rattrap gave a description of the path.

 

"Great.  Rattrap, head for the Ark.  Rhinox, stay and guard the ship.

 

"Warning:  power reserves 95% depleted.  Stasis lock commencing."  Dinobot heard the faint voice of his internal computers.

 

"Override," he replied grimly, even though heavy smoke was blowing from every part of his overheated armor.

 

"Further expenditures will result in loss of spark.  Stasis lock must commence."  The computer argued back.

 

"Override."  Dinobot only kept his voice low because Ravage did not need to know of his weakness.  Only he, Rhinox, and Optimus knew that ever since the valley, his systems had been riddled with power leaks and irreversible bugs that drained his energy at twice the normal rate in battle.  He usually compensated for the weakness by hunting on his patrols, but then was not the time to hunt.

 

"Acknowledged."  The computer ceded.

 

"Very brave, my former pupil, but you are defeated.  I will have you recycled with full honors."  Ravage shot twice at Dinobot, the first shot scrapping the hoverboard under Dinobot's feet and the second hitting the raptor below the chest on one of the beast head's nostrils.

 

 

"I heard that Elites who live to your age are immortal.  Perhaps you will prove them wrong."

 

"No, for, in this time, age is immaterial."  Dinobot snarled.

 

"I still count by Cybertronian cycles."  Ravage attempted to blast the Maximal again, but Dinobot swiftly ducked.  The shot went wide into the cliff behind Dinobot, causing rocks to tumble upon the former Elite's armor, further damaging it.

 

Dinobot then tried in vain to force beams from his eye lasers, which dissipated.  Desperate, the former Predacon hurled a few stones into the trajectories of Ravage's next shots and attempted to transform into beast mode.  However, his plan of pouncing the panther also failed when Dinobot found himself unable to transform.

 

"Rocks at talons?  You have become as primitive as the ones who left our ranks to rule over our planets."  Ravage commented.

 

"They were adaptable."  Dinobot lamented as he picked up a stone and began to charge at Ravage.  He could hear bolts being sheared off within his body and felt pain griping at his very circuits, particularly the ones in his arms, but he could not stop or slow down.  Just like he did that night in the forest, he found that he had no choice but to turn against even a former commander in order to save Predacon and Maximal alike from destruction.  Perhaps, like that night, the current battle was a heated test from destiny, a test that Dinobot was determined to pass.

 

When the rock finally flew from Dinobot's grip, it sailed through the air and smashed into Ravage's right hand rather than torso, disarming the secret agent.

 

"It is a shame that you deviated from our course to pursue a lost cause."

 

"I merely fight an insane fool."  Dinobot replied.

 

"Yet you threatened to reveal our secrets the day you joined Megatron.  That should have been your last mistake."  Ravage tried to hit Dinobot with his bare claws, but the raptor blocked with his left forearm, or what was left of it.  Dinobot's grip began to falter when he realized how much he agreed with Ravage.

 

When silence ensued amongst the deadlock between Ravage and Dinobot, the panther added.  "You put up a brave fight, but you will not win."

 

"Rhinox to Optimus."  The leader's comlink crackled as a strange, unnatural lightning glowed in the sky.  He and Cheetor were both heading for the Ark.

 

"Optimus here."

 

"Remember Ravage?"

 

"Yes, what about him?"

 

"His journey here from our time has created a disturbance.  You'd better come back and take a look.

 

 

"Power reserves 97% depleted.  Stasis lock…"  The computer began, but Dinobot interrupted.

 

"Will be delayed indefinitely."  The raptor finished the sentence.

 

"Further expenditures will result in loss of memory and spark."

 

"Understood."  Dinobot growled in order to silence his internal computer.  Even though the raptor tried to be as quiet as possible, Ravage heard him and punched him in the undefended, severely damaged, stomach area, causing the raptor to stumble backwards to the mountain base.  As he felt a ticking within him, Dinobot realized that Ravage had given him a hidden missile.

 

"No!  The Council will punish me indefinitely for this!"  Ravage suddenly abandoned his battle with Dinobot when he noticed something in the sky.  From the glints in Ravage's eyes, Dinobot could deduce that the panther no longer wanted to win.  As Dinobot fished the missile from his structure, several high-energy blasts from the sky knocked him off his feet.  When the missile detonated, the explosive energy seemed to combine with the volley from the air and send jolts of pain throughout Dinobot's structure.  The Maximal expected to feel his spark and body weaken and prepared to embrace death, even though it would not be a warrior's death.  However, he only felt his spark grow stronger despite all evidence against such phenomena and then he went offline.

 

When Dinobot awoke, he found himself lying at the base of the mountain several meters from Ravage.

 

"Get up, so that this duel may resume."  The raptor snarled as he pushed himself to his feet.  Oddly, whatever tiredness and pain he previously felt was gone and the parts that he considered to be damaged beyond recovery acted as if they were fresh from a cycle in the CR Chamber.  The second time the energy reserves went so low, Dinobot was without a doubt that he was finally dying the death he always waited for, and yet, once again, he was proven wrong.

 

"Oh no, you won't be dueling me, but him!"  Ravage grinned slyly and pointed to Megatron, who was flying toward the Ark at top speed.

 

"No…  But how?  Impossible," Dinobot muttered, his gaze transfixed on the flying Transmetal T-Rex.

 

"The bonds do not work without my presence."  Ravage pushed himself up and when he finally proved himself able to battle, Dinobot's singular eyebeam hit him, sublimating the former Decepticon's armor wherever it hit until Ravage went down again.  This time, Dinobot charged violently and slashed his claws into the armor to extinguish the spark.

 

"Old Chopperface?" asked the surprised Rattrap upon entering the scene.  Smoke and internal fluids were everywhere and Dinobot looked rather different.

 

"Secure the Ark, vermin," snarled Dinobot.

 

"Whoa… wha---okay!" Rattrap was surprised at Dinobot's demeanor.  To the warrior, there was nothing but the next phase of battle.  "Oh dang, oh no!"

 

Dinobot's optics followed the direction of Rattrap's fingers and saw the ship crawl for the mountain the contained the Ark, firing its powerful twin lasers as it glided along the ground.  He muttered under his breath, "Ravage.  Go and stop Megatron, Rattrap."

 

Ravage mustered all of his waning strength into a grin.  "You missed again, trainee."

 

That did it for Dinobot, who shot several blasts at the ship before clawing Ravage again, this time making a thorough trip through all of the tape's vital circuits and disassembling the opponent.  It was time to finish the duel to the death.

 

"Y'must be nuts," Rattrap muttered but complied, knowing the gravity of Dinobot's request.  "There won't be enough left of me to make a paperclip."

 

Inside the cave, Blackarachnia gave a surprised shriek as the ground beneath her shook.  For the last several minutes, there had been a very strange, purple glow in the sky and even though she considered herself a creature of darkness, she could not help but shudder at the lightning.  The black widow chided herself, for even Silverbolt was handling the fear better than her.  The lightning set the skies ablaze again, but this time, the collateral thunder was mixed with Megatron's voice.

 

The Predacon leader was standing at the entrance, with his back facing the storm outside, his purple form blending into the darkness of the shadows.

 

"The treacherous spider, yesss.  Waspinator, Transtermite, take care of the fuzor.  I have some special business with Miss Arachnia regarding some stolen codes."  Megatron ordered as he transformed from vehicle mode to robot mode.

 

 

"You will pay for your insolence, mouse.  Waspinator, exterminate the vermin," Megatron modified the orders and advanced toward the entrance to the Ark again.  "Now, Miss Arachnia, I believe we have some business."

 

"I don't know what you're talking about, Mega-jerk," the black and gold femme shook her head.

 

"Don't play idiot with me!  Now where are the codes that you stole?"

 

Meanwhile, Rattrap easily dodged the shots from Waspinator as Silverbolt met no opposition from the transmetal termite, who considered the fuzor to be a friend.

 

"Is Megs getting soft or what?"  Rattrap muttered as he easily nailed the complaining Waspinator.  The cave suddenly shuddered, sending all but the downed Waspinator falling toward the lava as stalactites fell all around the Cybertronian warriors.  Reacting quickly, Silverbolt spread his wings before catching both Rattrap and Blackarachnia.  Megatron, in the meantime, was nowhere in sight and there was total darkness, save three pairs of optics.

 

"Do you have to save me again, Bowser?" she asked in a disgruntled tone.

 

 

Ravage's internals were spread out roughly on the sandy soil with fluids leaking everywhere.  Originally, Dinobot would have given Ravage a warrior's funeral, but the former Decepticon proved too dishonorable.  Satisfied that the old spy was truly dead, Dinobot rose and shot repeatedly at the skidding warbird.  Yes, Warbird.  That was the craft.  This time, it was much easier to score semi-substantial damage, since the ship suffered several hull breaches from its first touch with the ground.  Still, his eyebeam could only do so much, especially from a distance.

 

However, it was no use, for the ship still crashed into the mountain, only at a slower rate.  Dinobot merely lessened the impact of the hit and the future was still in danger.  Finally, a combination of friction and explosions halted the bird and thanks to its size, the damage to the mountain was barely noticeable.  It was time for Dinobot to join the other Maximals, if he could.

 

Sparks flew from his armor again and the warrior dropped to his knee.  The mysterious upgrade did not mean full repairs and all of the remaining damages began to take their toll.  Energy was still at only 40% and stasis lock was still imminent.  It was time for Dinobot to make his overdue report to base.