It was another sunrise on Earth.  The dawn of yet another morning stuck on this floating mudball.  The dawn of another day in which they would be forced to use valuable materials protecting the Ark from Megatrons schemes, lest they be wiped out of existence.  Another day of being shot at, beat up, attacked, mistrusted, insulted and pined after.

 In short, another regular day for Blackarachnia.  She was stuck on watch in the remains of the Axalon, the original base of the Maximals.  It was a pretty pointless job, as Megatron never seemed to attack at night.  So basically, it amounted to a night spent playing Rattraps dumb games.  She was getting really good at “Blast Waspinator” though.

 “Good morning, Blackarachnia.  Any news?”  A deep, metallic-tinged voice startled her.  Spinning her chair around, she looked up at the Maximal leader, Optimal Optimus.  The giant transformer, the product of a spark-meld with the greatest Autobot of all time, Optimus Prime, was easily the most powerful active Transformer on the planet.  His status was one that Blackarachnia envied greatly.  As one of the few remaining beast warriors, and the smallest one, she was constantly forced to rely on others.  And trusting others was something Black Widows were pretty poor at.

 “Of course not.  Is there ever anything to report?  Frankly, I don’t know why you bother assigning anyone.” she said.  Her exasperation is clearly evident in her voice, as she doesn’t bother to disguise.

 “Just because Megatron’s lain low during the night up until now doesn’t mean he always will.” Optimus replied.  “As a former Predacon, I would think you would appreciate the element of surprise.”  That one hit home, as Blackarachnia looked away.  She had, actually, considered just how off guard the Maximals would be if old grapeface decided to launch a sneak attack at night.  With the poor sensor equipment the Axalon had remaining, Megatron would be able to get pretty close before they picked him and his group up.  Still, Blackarachnia definitely had better things to do with her time.  The technology used in the cyber-raptors, for instance, was something she was dying to learn more about.  Not that she would tell anyone, of course.  A girl’s got to have some secrets, after all.

 Optimus was walking away now, and Blackarachnia could see Rattrap heading out of the living section.  He was just about the last Maximal she wanted to see right now.  Lately, he seemed to know something about her, something he seemed reluctant to share.

 “Morning, eight legs.” Rattrap said once he reached the bridge.  “Any sign of your old pals out there?” he asked.  Rattrap, for his part, didn’t trust Blackarachnia.  He still couldn’t be sure what she had taken from that top secret area, and he wasn’t able to come up with a quiet way to find out.  It seemed that every time he tried to bring up the subject, Silverbolt would show up.  And Rattrap wasn’t about to say anything in front of the furry Lancelot.  He’d probably tell Blackarachnia.
Instead of answering Rattraps question, Blackarachnia simply walked past him and back to her quarters.  She had a lot to do today, and very little time in which to do it.

 “Stasis pod located.” the computer chirped.  Leaning forward in his chair, Megatron studied the area in which it had gone down.  Firmly in Predacon territory.  Excellent.  And, as it’s landed in a chasm clear of energon, it is both hidden from Maximal scans and safe from Energon build-up, something which would force Megatron to act faster than desired.  And Megatron was in no mood to make his move until all the pieces were in place.

 “Well?”  From behind Megatron, a voice spoke, exasperated.  “Aren’t you going to go after it?”  The speaker stepped into the light, revealing himself as Tarantulas.  The resident mad scientist of the Predacon ranks, the treacherous arachnid was here only because it fit into his own agenda.

 “Not just yet, my impulsive arachnid.” Megatron responded.  “The pod is safe, for now, and hidden.  There is no energon to damage the protoform, and no organisms to scan for DNA.  Without those two catalysts, the pod will remain there, with a protoform just waiting for a form.  I can retrieve it at my leisure.”  Turning back to the computer, he called up a different scene.  Similar to the rocky area he had just been looking at, there were obvious differences.  For instance, it was clear that this location was underground, in a large cave.  That, however, was not what interested Megatron.  Rather, it was the two Predacons standing in the foreground that he focused on.  Waspinator and Inferno, the only two other flight capable Predacons, had been dispatched on a very special assignment.  “Report, sub-commander.” Megatron commanded.

 “We have reached the coordinates, royalty.” Inferno responded, adding a salute in as well.  Waspinator, on the other hand, was looking around furtively.  It seemed that the bug was wary of just about everything these days.  Not that Megatron could blame him.  When you’ve been blown up as many times as Waspinator, you tend to get jumpy.  “But, there is no sign of the object.”

 “Patience, Inferno.  As I told you, you will have to wait for a specific event.  but it will occur today.  And by being there, you will earn great glory for… er… the colony.”  Megatron was less than enthusiastic about encouraging the ant’s odd fixation with its beast mode instincts, but he needed Inferno to concentrate here.  If they missed the opening here, it could be cycles before another occurred.  And Megatron did not have cycles to waste.  “Now, contact me at the first sign of alien energy.”  Once Inferno had saluted, again, Megatron cut the connection.

 “The aliens are returning?” Tarantulas asked from behind him.  His own information hadn’t mentioned them arriving for a good while yet.  Still, Megatron had seen the alien disk and studied it, so he accepted that the Predacon leader knew something he didn’t.  Not that that made it any less interesting.

 “In a manner of speaking” Megatron responded.  He was in no mood to talk now, especially to an underhanded Council
operative.  Besides, he had things to accomplish before Inferno’s next transmission.  A tyrant’s work is never done, it seemed.  Instructing the computer to display project ‘Next step’, he went over the designs again.  There was only one thing missing now.  And that would soon be his as well.

 In the cave, Waspinator and Inferno stood patiently.  Or rather, Inferno stood patiently.  Waspinator was wandering about, muttering to himself.  The insect Predacon was upset that Megatron had stuck him out here with Inferno.

 “Megatron give stupid orderssss.” he muttered.  “Wassspinator does not want to be in stupid cave with crazy fire-bot.  Wassspinator knowsss he will get blown up sooner or later.”  He continued to pace around.

 Meanwhile, Inferno stood rigid, his flame-thrower held over his shoulder as always.  “Quiet drone!  The Royalty has commanded us to remain here, and here we will remain.”  As always, the deranged ant was fully convinced in the infallibility of Megatron.  No doubt entered his mind at any time.  The Royalty knew what it was doing.

 Suddenly, there was a burst of noise from behind them.  Turning, the two Predacons were awed by   a column of pale green energy, stretching from the ground to the roof of the cavern.  Quickly, Inferno remembered his duty to the Royalty.  Activating his com-link, he signaled Megatron.

 “Royalty, the invaders come!” he yelled, over the roar of the energy discharge.  Megatron replied quickly, informing the ant and wasp to remain there.  “I will be there immediately.”

 With his wheels deployed and his jets on full blast, Megatron made good time.  he was worried about missing the discharge, but it couldn’t be helped.  Things were reaching the critical point, and required his personal oversight.  With Inferno as his only trustworthy Predacon, he was distressingly short of competent, trustworthy minions.

 Blasting across the rocky terrain, Megatron was struck again by the unenviable position he was stuck in.  With Dinobots treachery, the death of Terrorsaur and Scorponok, the unmasking of Tarantulas and the defection of Blackarachnia, Megatron seemed to have been handed defeat after defeat.  Coupled with the loss of the Metalhunter and the failure of his ploy to kill Optimus, it seemed that he was close to his wits end.

 But at last, here was something that could not go wrong.  Megatron had taken no chances, allowed no hint of his plan to show.  He had even kept up random attacks against the Maximals, so that they suspected everything was normal.  At last, things would go his way.

 “Royalty!  At last!” Inferno called out.  Megatron had arrived after ten minutes, and those minutes had been rather nervous ones for Inferno and Waspinator.  The energy column had expanded in the meantime, forcing the two Predacons back against the wall.  Megatron, coming in through a separate passage, was slightly surprised by the size.  His calculations, it appeared, had been a little off.  No matter, however.  It was still within acceptable levels.

 “Indeed.” he said, by way of acknowledging Inferno.  “Now, wait for me outside the cavern.  I will be along shortly.”  Inferno saluted and sped off, with Waspinator in pursuit.  Alone now, Megatron switched over into his robot mode and reached into his subspace storage device.  Withdrawing his hand, he held a small, oblong lump of metal.  Created according to alien specifications, it was no longer what it had once been.  It was about as large as his hand, with small indents in places.  Dark gray, with black indented portions, it looked thoroughly inactive.

 That, however, was about to change.

 When he had been in possession of the alien disk, he had learned more than how to use the Metalhunter and when the aliens would return.  He had learned how to harness the power of these alien sites.  This one was one of the few remaining on the planet, and the only one near the two factions.  It was also easy to use.

 Gripping the device firmly, he steeled himself and thrust his hand into the stream.  It would have been nice if there had been an easier way, but some sacrifices had to be made.  Grimacing in pain, Megatron consoled himself with the thoughts of how this new technology could tip the balance for him.  At last, he would prove that he was worthy of the name Megatron.  With his conquest over the Maximals, he would be able to salvage the Axalon and strip the Ark of anything he needed, allowing him to repair his ship.  With a working spacecraft, he could harvest all the energon he needed and return to Cybertron triumphant.
 It was done.  The column collapsed downwards, all the energy used in the modification of his construct.  Admiring his handiwork, he stared into the pulsing red recesses of the Transmetal driver.  Now, the Maximals would fall to him.  And they would merely be the first.

 At the remains of the Axalon, Rhinox was startled when his scanners lit up.  Long range sensors revealed a massive energy eruption within Predacon territory.  Turning around, he looked up at Optimus.  The massive Maximal commander had just
arrived, and looked questioningly at Rhinox.

 “We’ve got a burst near the Pred base.” Rhinox said, by way of explanation.  “Looks like Waspinator and Inferno are nearby.  And Megatron is dead center.”  After a moment, the board went quiet again.  “Looks like the lightshow’s over.” he said.

 “Still, we should check it out.” Optimus said.  “Who have we got nearby?”

 “Closest units are… Silverbolt and Rattrap.” Rhinox responded, after taking a moment to check.  “You want me to give them the order?”  Optimus nodded his head, and Rhinox set to work.  The orders were sent broadbeam, and Rattrap and Silverbolt replied almost immediately.  Rhinox relayed the co-ordinates, and the pair were off.

 While Rhinox was calling Silverbolt and Rattrap, and Megatron was admiring the Driver, Blackarachnia was busy with work of her own.  The Axalon, while useful as living quarters and a base of operations, was unsuited for her designs.  No, like Tarantulas, she needed a secluded area to do her secret work.  Work which she might eventually share with the Maximals.
 “It seems like Megatron has made some interesting advances.” she murmured to herself.  She was examining the remains of some of the Cyber-raptors, and it was most impressive.  It seemed he had taken the original Transmetal technology, but amplified it’s power.

 For reference, she was using Rhinox’ data on Transmetal technology.  She had ‘borrowed’ it from the Axalon records, and it seemed like no one was the wiser.  Not that it hadn’t been close.  The two protohumans had almost trampled her, and then that lovestruck child Cheetor had nearly bowled her over.  In all, it was a wonder half the base hadn’t bumped into her, given how those first few minutes had gone.

 Still, she had safely made it here, and now she was free to try and figure out how to make the technology work for her.  It was only a matter of time, she knew.

 “We must be cautious, my friend.  Rhinox warned us Megatron himself was within this cavern.”  As usual, Silverbolt spoke as formally as he could.  Sometimes, Rattrap  wondered how anyone could act so righteous all the time.  Personally, Rattrap didn’t think he could do it for more than a minute.  On a good day.

 “Look, if Megatron is in there, of course we’ll be careful.” Rattrap responded.  “But we do gotta see what’s up.  That energy surge Rhinox spotted wasn’t a lightning bug, that’s for sure.”  Slowly, the two Maximals crept forward, both in beastmode.  Peering over the edge of a high ledge, they spotted Megatron still standing in the center of the cavern.  He seemed to be cradling his arm, and there was an odd pulsing light coming from his hand.

 He dropped his head, and said something into his communicator.  Unfortunately, Rattrap and Silverbolt were too far away to make out what it was.  However, that question was answered a moment later, when Waspinator and Inferno flew in from opening across the cave.  The two Predacons clustered around Megatron, but the Transmetal T-Rex ordered them back.  Straightening up, he held whatever the glowing object was out of sight of Rattrap and Silverbolt.  Rattrap strained for a better look, leaning farther over the edge than he should have.  Unfortunately, his feet dislodged a storm of pebbles, which alerted the Predacons below them.

 Looking up at them, Megatron pointed and bellowed “Destroy the Maximals!”  Immediately, Waspinator and Inferno leapt into the air, heading towards Rattrap and Silverbolt.  Megatron, meanwhile, transformed back into his beast mode.  Engaging his wheels and jets again, he sped out of the cave, not wanting to risk damage to the driver.

 Rattrap and Silverbolt, however, had other things on their minds.  Quickly, they transformed as well, their weapons drawn.  Inferno and Waspinator let loose with everything they had, forcing the Maximals back along the passage.  Once they had passed the opening, they were out of the line of sight of the Predacons.

 Their respite, however, proved brief.  Cautiously, Inferno peeked over the ledge.  Though he drew some scattered fire, none of the shots connected.  He dropped back down again, but quickly reappeared, with Waspinator at his side.  The two took cover at the edges of the entrance, and for a few moments, the Maximals and Predacons traded shots.  Eventually, however, Rattrap scored a hit.  Blasting Waspinator high on the shoulder, he spun the Predacon around.  They could hear him drop off the edge, one of his wings useless.

 Though Inferno fought on bravely, the numerical superiority of the Maximals soon proved too great a handicap to overcome.  Snapping off a few last shots, to keep the Maximals pinned down, he also dropped off the ledge.  His flight device, however, was still in working order, and they could hear his jets engage.

 Rushing to the edge, Silverbolt and Rattrap watched as Inferno grabbed Waspinator and flew to one of the lower ledges.  Then, acting on orders from Megatron that he and Waspinator had received, he opened fire on the roof of the cave.  Within a few blasts, it was starting to crumble. and Inferno and Waspinator were gone.  Deciding to follow suit, the Maximals rushed out, barely making it before the cavern collapsed.

 “So, Megatron used an alien power source, which has subsequently been sealed off?” Optimus asked.  After escaping the cave, Rattrap and Silverbolt had returned to the Axalon to report on what they had seen.  They had told Optimus and Rhinox the entire story twice now, and Rattrap hoped they wouldn’t ask a third time.

 “That’s what we saw.” he replied.  “And whatever Megs picked up, he was bein’ real careful with it.  Didn’t even stick around for the fight.”  Rattrap reclined against the corner of a CR chamber, his arms folded across his chest.

 “Well, it looks like he’s succeeded in whatever it was.  We’ll just have to wait and see what happens next.” Primal said.  He was worried, however.  Megatrons experiments and schemes had never been anything but life-threatening, and the thought of him wielding alien technology only made matters worth.  Unfortunately, there was nothing to be done.  Assaulting the Darkside would be an effort in futility after Megatron retrieved Sentinel, and even if they succeeded, they wouldn’t have a clue what they were looking for.

 The massive Maximal turned to Rhinox.  “Keep an eye out for anything strange.” he ordered.  “I doubt Megatron will stay quiet for long, now that he has a new toy to play with.”  He turned to face Rattrap and Silverbolt next, while Rhinox turned back to sensor console.

 “As for you two, good job.” he said.  “Now, get some time in a CR chamber and a little rest, then head back out.  I want to know the instant Megatron does anything.”

 “You got it, boss monkey.” Rattrap replied.  He was followed by Silverbolt, who responded with “As you command, sir.”  Quickly, they entered chambers and activated them, the machinery inside repairing what damage they had taken.  Optimus turned away, deep in thought.  Whatever Megatron was, Optimus was sure it wouldn’t be good.

 As it turned out, Optimus didn’t have long to wait before Megatron made his move.  The next day, Predacon units were spotted all over the place, scavenging bits and pieces of metal and technology from all the stasis pod crashes.  Fortunately, none of the pods contained any active Transformers.  However, Optimus was loath to give up so much material to the Predacons, and clashes occurred frequently over medium and large drop sights.

 Though the Maximals fought hard, it was clear that Megatron held the advantage.  The surprise engendered by his first few attacks had allowed him to amass a large cache, and he could afford to lose more than the Maximals could.

 At last, there was only a single remaining crash site remaining.  Sure that this was the pivotal moment, Optimus decided to take a personal role in this fight.  With him he took Rattrap and Rhinox, leaving the rest to guard the base.  Many of the defenses were still badly damaged from the Megatrons last attack, and Primal wanted to make sure it was secure this time.

 With a maximal on each wing, Optimus Primal rocketed forward and out of the base, towards the last crash sight.

 Unfortunately, it seems the Predacons had been him to it.  When they arrived, there was no sign of any wreckage.  Actually, there was no sign anything had ever been here.  Suspicious, the Maximals spread out.  Surely a pod crash would have left evidence in the area.  A crater from the crash, destroyed vegetation, anything.

 “Bad news, Optimus.” Rhinox called.  Quickly, Optimus and Rattrap moved towards Rhinox’ position.  When they got there, they found Rhinox kneeling over a small box, half concealed in the dirt.  There were a pair of blinking lights on it, and a small switch.  Flipping the switch the opposite direction, the lights stopped.

 “Looks like Megatron pulled a fast one on us.  There was no stasis pod here, just this false signal.” Rhinox explained.  Slowly, realization dawned on the massive Maximal commander. Quickly, he transformed to his aircraft mode.  “Get on!” he ordered, his voice betraying his fears.  Hurriedly, Rhinox and Rattrap clambered up onto his wings, and Optimus was gone in a flash, speeding back to the Axalon.

 They were too late.  Arriving, they were startled to see the doors badly battered.  Pushing inside, they were confronted by a badly damaged Silverbolt.

 “Optimus, thank Primus you’re back.” he said.  One of his wings was obviously inoperable, he had large blast marks all over his chest, and his left arm was hanging limp.  “Megatron and his Predacon scum attacked while you were away.  We held them as long as we could, but they made off were several crates of equipment.”  From behind Silverbolt emerged the rest of the Maximals, each damaged to varying degrees.

 “Rhinox, figure out what’s missing.” Optimus ordered.  Though he had been surprised by the violence done here, he was still a commander, and he had to take control.  Rhinox hurried off, with Blackarachnia pointing out which crates had been taken.  Oddly enough, she seemed to by in excellent shape, with only a few scratches on her superstructure.  Rattrap seized on this almost immediately.

 “Looks like the bird-dog’s been using himself as a body shield, eh?’ he muttered to Optimus.  Primal, however, had other things on his mind.

 “Hmmm?  Oh, yes.” he replied negligently.  “Rattrap, I’m getting tired of Megatron strolling in here.  Figure out some way to at least slow them down if they come back.” Optimus ordered.  However, he didn’t stick around to find out what Rattrap thought of.

 He stomped off towards the command center, and called up the records of the attack.  It looked like Megatron had waited until Optimus, Rattrap and Rhinox had gone, and then attacked with everything he had.  Optimus watched as the Predacons smashed through the doors, easily destroying the autoguns placed outside.  The ones inside worked somewhat better, but really stood no chance against six battle-ready Predacons.  It wasn’t long before they had smashed the autoguns inside as well, leaving only three Maximals between him and his goal.

 Sending Rampage forward first, with Tarantulas as support along the ceiling, Megatron slowly advanced.  Silverbolt attempted to launch an aerial assault, but was shot out of the sky by Inferno and Waspinator.  Retreating, with damaged wings, Silverbolt landed with the rest of the Maximals.

 Megatron had now advanced into the storage area, and here he stopped.  Setting Rampage and Inferno as sentries, he quickly ordered the other Predacons to gather up whatever it was he wanted.  The Maximals, Cheetor in the lead, attempted to counterattack, but were easily repulsed, falling back after suffering too much damage.

 “We tried our best, big bot.”  Optimus whirled around, and looked down at Cheetor.  The young maximal was heavily damaged, with large gashes and blast marks on his body.  “Guess we just weren’t enough.”

 “You did fine, Cheetor.  No one could have done better.” Optimus said, trying to restore Cheetors confidence.  Unfortunately, it seemed this time, Depth Charge hadn’t been around to help.  The aquatic Maximal was hardly reliable, though he had saved Rattrap and Rhinox during the last attack.

 “But it still wasn’t enough!” Cheetor yelled.  It seemed like he had been badly shaken up by this.  Hopefully, he would recover
soon.  The boy was hot-headed enough as it was, and the last thing Optimus wanted was for him to think he had something to prove.

 “Cheetor, calm down.  Go take some time in the CR chamber.” Optimus said, his voice making it obvious that this was not a request.  Frustrated, Cheetor moved back to the CR chamber, and stepped inside.

 “So, what was it you took?” Tarantulas asked.  The insidious arachnid had been curious ever since they left the Axalon, and Megatrons refusal to reveal his plan was driving him crazy.  Well, crazier.  Tarantulas was hardly a stable Transformer to begin with.

 “That is none of your concern, Tarantulas.” Megatron replied.  The Predacon leader was busy, and in no mood to bother with pleasantries.  Things had reached a head, and Megatron had to play his cards close to the vest.  It would be most unfortunate if the Maximals were to learn of his plan now, before everything was ready.  Most unfortunate indeed.  “Inferno!” he bellowed.  Though somewhat… confused, the ant could still be used to set the material stage of the plan into action.

 “What is your command, my Queen?” Inferno asked.  Fanatically loyal, he was always happy to show his devotion to the Royalty.

 “Inferno, take Quickstrike to these co-ordinates,” he said, handing Inferno a pad with a set of directions on it, “and use the supplies we have gathered according to this blueprint.”  On the pad, the numbers were replaced with a wireframe diagram of a very tall, very narrow structure.  “And remember, the Maximals must not know of your efforts.”  Inferno saluted, and sped off, with Quickstrike on his back.  Megatron through for a moment.

 “Hold!” he cried out, stopping Inferno in his tracks.  “Tarantulas, as a reward for your loyalty, you can go with them.  Your curiosity will be appeased, I take it?”

 “That will be excellent Megatron.” Tarantulas responded.  Quickly, he followed after the two Predacons, the trio soon out of sight.

 “Excellent.” Megatron muttered to himself.  Calling up one last program, Megatron leaned over and tapped the ship-wide intercom.  “Waspinator, report to the bridge at once.” he bellowed.  It was almost finished now.  Only one more step.

 “So, what did Megatron take?” Optimus asked.  Rhinox had finished his inventory, and reported back to Optimus immediately.  The other three Maximals had finished their time in the CR chambers, and looked good as new.

 “Mostly just power converters and programming supplies.” Rhinox replied.  “I can’t figure out what he would want with them.  He didn’t take enough for any major operation, and there were certainly other supplies here that would have been more useful.”  Rhinox was puzzled, and he didn’t much like that.  It seemed like there was something here, some pattern to Megatrons recent actions, that he should be aware of.  It was a feeling that Optimus shared.  It seemed that lately, Megatron had been one step ahead

 “What is he up to?” Optimus muttered.

 “Construction is complete, Royalty.”  Over the comm link, Inferno reported the status of the construct.  “We are returning to the colony, just as you ordered.”

 “Excellent, Inferno.  You are as loyal as ever.” Megatron responded.  Shutting down the link, he turned to Waspinator.
 “Now, it is time for us to begin the final phase.”  Getting out his chair, he activated the jets on his back, flying out of the Darkside with Waspinator in pursuit.  Their destination: the final key to victory.

 “Hey boss monkey, we got Preds on the move.” Rattrap called out.  “Waspinator, Inferno and Tarantulas, heading back to the base.  We only got ‘em cause they're between jamming stations.”  Optimus hurried over to Rattraps position, checking out the board.  he arrived just in time to spot the three Predacons before they vanished again, hidden by Megatrons network of jamming stations.

 “I don’t know what they were doing there, but I want to find out.” Optimus said.  Double-checking the last known coordinates, Optimus turned to leave the Axalon.  He was stopped, however, by Cheetor.

 “Wait, Optimus.  I’m coming with you.” he said.  Since the attack, Cheetor had been anxious to prove himself.  Optimus hoped it was just a phase.

 “Alright, hurry up.” Optimus replied at last.  Quickly, Cheetor transformed to beast mode, extending his jets outwards.  The
two Maximals sped out of the Axalon, headed towards the last known Predacon position.

 “Excellent, Waspinator.  Now, lift the pod.” Megatron commanded.  It was dark, much more so in the chasm.  Occasionally, lightning would split the sky, illuminating the area for a brief second.  Mostly, however, the Predacons were working in the light given off by Megatrons powered-up tail blaster.  It had taken a few minutes to reach the pod, and then a few more to tie the pod to Waspinator.  Now, all they had to do was take it to the driver, and the last part of Megatrons plan would be complete.
 Slowly, Waspinator lifted the pod, pulling it up out of the chasm.  It was clear almost the whole way up, but at the lip of the chasm, it bounced around.  The damage it took, though negligible,  proved enough to jostle the computer.  At the movement, it activated its homing beacon.

 “You fool!” Megatron shouted.  Moving quickly, he attached a small, circular device to the pod.  Immediately, the device hacked through the computer systems, shutting down the beacon.  “Now, quickly.  And carefully, this time.  If the Maximals find us now, this could all be for naught.”  The two Predacons sped off, Megatron leading the way.

 Elsewhere, two Maximals sped through the night, searching for any sign of the three Predacons they had scanned.  Unfortunately, Megatrons jamming towers were proving to be their usual hindrance.  Unable to get a location lock on them, they were required to scan visually.

 Suddenly, a signal on Optimus’ arm lit up.  Transforming back to robot mode, he pulled out a small pad.  Hooked up to the sensors back at the Axalon, this was more powerful than the personal sensors Transformers mounted.  Immediately, he called up a map of the area, and was shocked when a small purple circle appeared.  The symbol represented a stasis pod, something Optimus hadn’t expected.  He had thought that that unfortunate business with Transmutate had been the last of the stasis pods.  It seemed, however, he had been wrong.

 But as quickly as it had appeared, the signal vanished.  It had been there for only a second, and the sensors had only managed to pin it down to a very broad area.  However, Optimus knew it had to be found, and found by the Maximals.  If Megatron got his hands on it, the odds would be evened.  The advantage the Maximals had gained from Blackarachnias defection could be lost, and the Maximals might loose the war.

 “What was that, big bot?” Cheetor asked.  Optimus belatedly realized that Cheetors sensors hadn’t picked it up.  Optimus turned, still hovering in the air, and showed the pad to Cheetor.  Pressing the ‘replay’ button, Optimus showed the ping to Cheetor.  “A stasis pod.” Optimus said.  “We’ve got to find it.  Cheetor, go scout the area.”  With an affirmative, Cheetor rocketed away, his optics on high, searching for the pod.