"It is around the next bend, Airazor!" Tigatron lifted his voice to his falcon partner who flew above him. The winds blew fierce that day which made talking difficult. They mounted a sloping hill revealing the cascading mountains beyond. Airazor held her breath as she took in the scene with awe.

"It’s…beautiful, Tigatron! I can’t put it in words."

"There are no words for such beauty," They leaned in closer to enjoy the view together in silence. Something startled the tiger as he pulled away from Airazor; he pricked his ears up, listening.

"What is it?" She whispered.

"Everything went quiet," He was right the grassland creatures had disappeared. Nothing moved, then footsteps…coming closer…louder. "Airazor, we should take cover." She complied by resting inside shadows of branches. Tigatron crouched in the high grasses. Airazor raised her sensors to maximum, looking for whatever approached. A voice rang out over the hill but they could barely make it out. It sounded as a cry for help. Tigatron sent a worried glance to the bird. What if it was a trap? Should they chance it? Tigatron spoke to her softly, "Razor, I will venture out to talk you stay under cover until or if I need you." Without another word he went forth carefully from his hiding place. "Who is in need of help?" his deep voice called out. Streams of fire sailed over the ridge hitting the ground at Tigatron’s feet. The next thing Airazor saw was his tiger body being thrown far away.

"Tigatron!!!" No thought of safety touched her mind. All she knew was to save her partner. "Airazor! Maximize!" she transformed before reaching his motionless body. There came a mocking laughter from atop the ridge. Airazor saw the entire Predacon force standing ready for battle with weapons pointed at her. One of them stepped forward. One she found to be the new pred that Optimus had mentioned.

"Airazor, we see you to be in a jam. Megatron and I, Snow Phantom, are willing to spare you if you join are cause." The Maximal shot a look at Tigatron who was still out a commission. She wished to seek his guidance, but no, this was to be her own, her choice. Snow Phantom’s voice grabbed her receptors again. "You both will be terminated. It’s your decision; you choose your fate here, Maximal." Airazor took breath selfishly, thinking do we live or die? Like a sign the bird caught the hum of jets filling her ears. Optimus! She knew what to do. The Predacons watched, as the Maximal stood prideful in her stance. Optimus and the others were still far away and she had to answer.

"I am a MAXIMAL!" The last thing Airazor heard was weapon fire, then everything disappeared. Megatron shrugged,
"That was a waste of ammunition." Waspinator rushed up to his leader panting.

"Megatron! Waspinator see Optimus Primal approach with rest of Maximals! Can Waspinator engage?"

"No, let them come to us."

Optimus raced across the lands in vain, trying to reach their comrades. Dinobot had picked up all of the Preds’ signatures with that of his soldiers. He glided near the ground and transformed to beast mode. The Maximals ran over the ground coming to a field with the Predacons waiting. Optimus’s gaze fell upon the shattered bodies of their comrades. He heard his fleet gasp at the site; even Dinobot couldn’t keep in his groan of disgust. Optimus’s mind swelled with anger and regret. He faced his team, "Maximals! Maximize!" They transformed to their bot modes, hearing Megatron bellowing for the Predacons to terrorize. With the absence of fear the two factions collided together for hand-to-hand combat. The Predacons had their own battle plan to defeat the Maximals. They were assigned to a certain Maximal. Snow Phantom was to fight Cheetor. He held his gut gun out in hesitation before the female cat.

"What’s the matter Little Cat can’t shoot me?"

"Hey! Only TIGATRON can call me that!" Enraged he lunged at her with full force, firing. Snow Phantom deflected the shots with her sword; one hit the maximal cheetah. He landed at her feet. She started to choke him.

"Here’s some advice, Little Cat. Don’t ever attack in anger!" The predacon raised her sword to unleash death upon him when she stopped above Cheetor’s face. She jerked her head to the left and saw Optimus blowing a hole through Megatron, knocking him out. "MEGATRON!" Roaring all the way, she leaped into the cool air and slammed into Optimus, who had already taken damage. He tried getting on his feet again but was thrust down by a high-heeled foot, which belonged to a psychotic Snow Phantom. "That was your last mistake Optimus Primal!" She dove for the final blow when a green laser dug through her side, making her turn to face the origin. Dinobot came crashing down with his own sword piercing the right side of her chest. Silently she fell beside Optimus. Ignoring the injuries he’d acquired, Optimus moved to Snow Phantom’s side. She gazed at the darkness that fell across her optics, gasping for breath like a fish out of water.

"Dinobot, what have you done? Didn’t I tell you not to mortally injure any of our maximal protoforms?"

"I was saving your maximal hide!" Dinobot couldn’t believe it! Why was he upset with him?!

"Never mind. Get Rhinox over here fast!" The ex-predacon rushed over to aid Rhinox in his fight against Inferno and Tarantulas. He let out a few eye blasts, all of which eliminated the cackling spider. Inferno blazed his flame-thrower laughing wildly. Rhinox grounded him with his chain guns.

"Thanks, Dinobot. I needed some help,"

"No time for thanks. Optimus needs your help." Rhinox left Dinobot to assist Optimus. The raptor-bot’s attention turned toward Rattrap who was finishing off Blackarachnia and Waspinator. The spider flung backwards with heavy damage, then fell in exhaustion. The Predacons had been defeated.

"Whoo-hooo! Just the way, uh huh, uh huh, I like it." Dinobot was about to degrade his quarrel partner when Optimus called them over. They all returned to beast mode. Cheetor damaged but able to travel limped to his leader. Rhinox now was in beast mode and Optimus lifted Snow Phantom on to his back.

"Dinobot, Rattrap! Go check on Tigatron and Airazor." They ran to their comrades and found Tigatron awake.

"Hey! Stripes! You okay?"

"I am alright. What of Airazor?"

"She is alive, but heavily damaged." Dinobot commented while carrying Airazor’s tangled body to the waiting rhino. She was carried off with Snow Phantom to the Axalon. The least injured of them all, Dinobot trudged along with the white tiger on his back. Rhinox would certainly go straight to work on repairing Snow Phantom. Her damage needed more than what the CR chamber provided. No one asked Optimus what they should do with the Predacons. The Maximals were more worried for the survival of their friends.

Upon reaching the Maximal base, Rhinox immediately dispatched to the med lab. Optimus accompanied him, which his soldiers were informed on their trip that they were going to try Rhinox’s experimental surgery. Normally, there was protest but Optimus had made up his mind. Airazor and Tigatron recuperated first in the CRs, leaving the others with their thoughts.

"Optimus is a fool to try to her. She is not worth it." Dinobot disliked the Predacon almost as much as Megatron.
"Hey, ya know, that’s what I told Optimus after he saved your scaly butt," informed Rattrap. The raptor growled at him. Cheetor slammed his foot on the floor, which caught the quarrelers’ attention.

"Be quiet! Optimus considers every life to be worth while. And remember that she was reprogrammed, she isn’t really like that. I would have volunteered if Optimus hadn’t yet. Optimus would have done it for any of us." The other two Maximals contemplated Cheetor’s words.

"I hafta agree with ya on that one kiddo. I hafta agree."

Megacycle after megacycle whizzed by with no contact from Rhinox or Optimus. Tigatron had finished his repairs and joined the trio in the wait. The sound of the computer beeping startled them. Airazor came forth from the CR chamber, completely restored.

"Hey, Razor! You’re okay!" Cheetor embraced her in delight.

"Of coarse I’m alright! You guys didn’t give up on me that easily did you?" She chuckled. Tigatron came to her with eyes down cast.

"Airazor, I was foolish and-" The bird-bot laid her finger on his feline mouth.

"Don’t blame yourself. We made it through, that’s all that matters." Tigatron smiled joyfully at her forgiveness.

Then all of their attention turned toward the med lab door as it opened. Rhinox stood there with his face beaming.
"You can come in now." The group filed in to see Optimus sitting next to unconscious Snow Phantom, grasping her hand.

"Hey, Big-Bot? How do you feel?" Cheetor asked.

"I’m doing fine for now." Then Rhinox cut in.

"He’s not out of the woods yet. We still have to see if it worked for Snow Phantom."

"In the mean time, we need to keep an eye on her, for when she wakes up. So we’ll go in shifts. Who wants to go first?" Cheetor chimed in to the request.

"I’ll go first!"

"And I’ll do the second shift." Airazor called, for some reason she felt drawn to her in a weird way. Even though she almost blasted her to the Matrix.

"Alright then, the rest of us should get some sleep. I know that I’m exhausted. Dinobot I believe the watch stations are yours tonight." Everyone walked out of the med lab thinking of the how Snow Phantom would be like now that she was maximal again. Cheetor took his place beside her, watching her until his optics went dark in slumber.
Megatron laughing…killed Airazor…and Tigatron. The others…suffering…dishonorable deaths…NOOOOOOO!!!!!!! Cheetor ripped from his sleep, shot up to see Snow Phantom sitting up, breathing hysterically. Dinobot came crashing in sword in hand. Cheetor jumped to her side taking her trembling hand.

"Hey, it’s okay! Relax! You’re among friends." The cheetah tried to calm her as the rest of the Maximals entered with worried looks.

"What’s going on here?" Optimus asked.

"I’m alright now. It was just a dream."

"Good, I was worried that someone was getting killed." Optimus smiled to himself, as his crew looked at him puzzled.

"Who are you talking to, Big-Bot?" The Maximal commander went from face to face all staring at him.

"I knew it," Rhinox turned to Snow Phantom lying down now. "You can hear him can’t you?" She looked at him then to Optimus, who let out gasp.

"She’s telling me that…it is hard for her to talk. She wants me to talk for her." The Maximals gave each other weird glances. "She wants to tell us she’s sorry. Which is unnecessary, we know you were reprogrammed." Snow Phantom looked down and shook her head, okay. She turned her eyes from the crowd to think. Should she tell them? Why shouldn’t she? Her optics set on Optimus again as he heard her words in his mind. "She has something important to tell us about Megatron. How she survived was because he placed his-what?" Optimus couldn’t believe what she was telling him.

"Megatron’s spark is in YOU?!" The others were surprised as well.

"Whoa! How in the universe did Megajerk pull that off?!" Rattrap questioned.

"She knows but it would take to long to tell." Then Dinobot interrupted.

"How can we be sure Megatron doesn’t influence her decisions?" He sneered at Snow Phantom. Rhinox answered that question.

"Optimus’s chip should block out the predacon in her." The raptor just snarled and turned away.

"Snow Phantom, is Megatron in your thoughts as well as mine?" She nodded her head yes, but then looked displeased.

"She saying she wants to change her name. Megatron gave her the name Snow Phantom and doesn’t want to be that person anymore." They looked at Optimus waiting for the reply but he didn’t answer. In a weak voice she answered.
"Snowlily…" A snicker erupted from Rattrap and Cheetor slapped the back of his head. The rat was silenced.

"And my chip, she says, created a rift between herself and Megatron. That is she can hear him, but he can’t probe her thoughts anymore." Optimus wanted to let Snowlily get rest, so he changed the subject. "Okay, Snowlily, well I think you need rest and we can talk more later," Optimus signaled everyone out while Airazor settled for the remainder of the night. As all the Maximals closed their doors on the world once again, Optimus sat up in his recharging bed. He knew that Megatron might come after her, try to over power her again, but that was something he must ponder later. The light clicked off and he relaxed his body.

"Optimus? Are you asleep?" A calm steady voice crossed his mind; it had to be Snowlily. "You don’t have to talk aloud, I can hear you."

"What’s on your mind, Snowlily?" There was a pause in his thoughts.

"Dinobot…" the voice worried. "He doesn’t like me does he?" Optimus grinned.

"Well I’m afraid Dinobot doesn’t really like anybody."

"Hmm, I’ll be the first one to get him out of his closet. I’ll make him be my friend." Her sound was cheery.

"Good luck! You’re going to need it."

"Thank you, I know. I’ll let you sleep, goodnight." Optimus heard her no more and fell into deep slumber.
Snowlily laid still while thinking about everything that had happened. She some what feared the future although she couldn’t sift through all the thoughts in her head. One was Optimus’s and then Megatron’s as well. And another voice that was barely comprehensible, she knew to be her own. Somewhere deep inside her true self was under wraps. Linked to the two great leaders of the Beast Wars did have its advantages. Optimus’s endurance, wisdom, and courage flowed into her. And Megatron’s strength, cunning, and intelligence improved her ability to fight. Snowlily didn’t know what she used to be like. Megatron wiped her memory files, leaving no remembrance of Cybertron. Maybe she would find out someday. Finally Snowlily managed to shut her optics and then tumbled into her dreams. Tomorrow would be another day…
The Predacons had crawled back to their base. Megatron hadn’t spoken a word since returning. He didn’t even care to make repairs. His thoughts were of Snow Phantom. No thoughts were hers in his mind, only his own. She used to be open to him, now she was silent. The Maximals have done something to her; he could feel it. The Predacon menace would return her to him. He thought, No matter what it takes!