CHAPTER TWO
Grimlock followed Knockdown through the dense jungle, turning at every strange sound he heard. He could see bright eyes staring at him from behind bushes and jumped whenever something flew or ran past him.
"Are you normally this jumpy?" Knockdown asked. "Or have you just never left Cybertron before?"
Grimlock growled at him. "Less talk, more move."
Knockdown smirked but said nothing as the two of them continued their trek. They eventually reached a cave surrounded by floral growth, making it almost invisible. Standing guard was a white and blue canine-like creature, which reared up upon seeing Grimlock but then relaxed when it saw his Autobot symbol.
"Another one, eh, Knockdown?" the canine asked.
Knockdown nodded. "Yep. That makes four, so we should at least be expecting one more."
"One more?" Grimlock repeated. "What do you mean?"
Knockdown said nothing and instead led the Dynobot into the cave. Once inside, they both morphed into their robot modes and moved through the fire-lit tunnel. Upon reaching what Grimlock presumed to be the center of the cave, they found three mechs standing around a fire.
One of them, whose face looked strikingly like Optimus Prime's, turned to Grimlock and Knockdown and nodded. "Welcome to Animatron, Grimlock," he said. "I am Leo Prime, leader of the Maximals."
Grimlock snorted. "Prime? You must not be up to date on recent events on Cybertron for the past millennia."
Leo Prime's emerald optics narrowed. "The politics on Cybertron do not concern us. Only the law of the jungle."
Grimlock grunted as he dropped himself down against the cave wall. "So how did I end up here? And why am I some kind of animal?"
"We do not know for certain," said an elderly Maximal with a similar body to Knockdown. "However, we presume you were transported here by the Fallen."
Grimlock tilted his head. "The Fallen?" he scoffed. "Just a myth."
"Not so, apparently. Knockdown spotted a figure resembling shortly before your arrival," Leo Prime said. "Anyway, we presume he transported you here and likely changed your alt mode."
The Dynobot leader growled. "So everyone here turns into beasts."
"Pretty much," said Leo's other companion, who also resembled Optimus Prime somewhat. "Vehicle modes aren't much use here. My crew and I were forced to scan the native lifeforms to adapt better to Animatron's terrain."
"Wait, your crew?"
The Maximal nodded. "I am Primal Major, captain of the Autobot vessel Axalon. We clashed with a Decepticon ship during the campaign here and were shot down. The Maximals saved us in time before the Predacons could capture us."
"Predacons?" Grimlock shook his head incredulously. "Now I know you guys are crazy. Spouting myths like the Predacons... they're no different then the Guiding Hand or the Thirteen."
Although his mouth was covered by a mouthplate, Leo Prime was clearly frowning. "You do not believe in Onyx then. In that case, you may have some difficulty fitting in with us."
"What do you mean?"
"All of us Maximals believe in and worship Onyx Prime, one of the first Thirteen," said the elderly Maximal. "Even though it was Nova Prime who established Animatron as a colony and it was the original colonists who scanned the beast forms that we descendants would inherit... we believe it was all ordained by Onyx Prime."
Grimlock snorted again. "Ridiculous. But the Predacons...."
"They're the rulers of Animatron," Leo Prime said. "And we Maximals are the rebels."
"I see," Grimlock muttered. "One last thing: what did Knockdown mean about there being 'one more' when I got here?"
Primal Major smirked. "You are leader of the Dynobots, correct?"
"Yes...."
"Then are these not your teammates?"
Grimlock's visor widened as three of his fellow Dynobots- Slag, Sludge, and Snarl- stepped into view.
"Hey, boss," Snarl muttered. "Miss us?"
Grimlock grunted out a laugh. "Least I'm seeing some familiar faces." He then frowned behind his mouthplate. "Where's Swoop?"
"Last any of us saw him was when we were on the Victory," Slag growled. "After that, bam, we're here."
"This is bad," Leo Prime murmured, scratching his chin. "The others were brought in here in reverse alphabetical order. First Snarl, then Sludge and Slag... and now you. Which means...."
"That Swoop should have been here first," Grimlock muttered, not liking where this conversation was going.
The Maximal elder sighed. "Meaning that the Predacons have already gotten to him."
* * *
Swoop groaned as his systems came back online. Finding himself lying flat on his chest, he lifted his head up to see that he was in a cage of sorts. Outside were two other cages, each one containing a strange beast which he had never seen before.
He then raised an arm to rub his head... only to find that said arms were instead wings.
Before Swoop could dwell on this disconcerting discovery, a feminine voice prompted him to look up. "Ah, so you're awake. Glad to see that."
The figure now approaching him was absolutely terrifying. Colored in teal and red, large wings sprouted from her upper back while a clawed tail swayed behind here legs. Scarlet eyes glared from her face and energy seemed to illuminate her mouth whenever she opened it to speak.
"You may have noticed your new form. Frankly, I would have preferred a dragon, but what the Fallen desires, he receives."
"What the Pit is a dragon?" Swoop asked. "And who the heck are you?"
The horrific figure grinned. "I am Ripclaw. And I will tell you everything... in due time, of course."
Then, before Swoop's very eyes, she transformed into a winged draconian beast. It then opened its mouth and the last Swoop saw was a jet of flame shooting towards him.
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