CHAPTER EIGHT
"Think Sky Lynx will pull through for us?" Snarl muttered to Grimlock as the four Dinobots were led into a lab by a group of Predacons.
Grimlock was about to respond when the female Predacon leading the group struck Snarl with her tail. "Quiet, you," Ripclaw growled. "I want this to be a dramatic moment for you."
Slag snorted. "Dramatic? What's that supposed to-" He stopped, along with the other Dinobots, when they saw what it was that awaited them.
Swoop, in his winged beast form, was perched on a table. His optics flared green instead of blue, and his edges were sharper and more jagged than usual. His body was entirely in dull gray, rather than light gray and blue.
It was Sludge who voiced the question on the other Dinobots' minds. "What... what happened to Swoop?"
Ripclaw chuckled. "Handsome one, isn't he?" She strode over to the Pterosaur and stroked him under the chin. "I will admit, he's not perfection like us true Predacons... but good enough, in my opinion."
Snarl scowled. "So you want to make us like... like that?! What for?"
Ripclaw grinned savagely. "Honestly? Because I wish to turn every living Cybertronian into a Predacon. But since the Fallen dropped you off here, I decided I had to start somewhere."
"Don't give us this rubbish about the Fallen!" Slag angrily snapped. "Tell us why we're really here!"
Ripclaw shrugged. "Telling you anything else really would be rubbish. Now be quiet while I get things read. Darksteel, Grimwing, would you please restrain them?"
The blue and gray Predacon known as Darksteel grunted as he shocked Grimlock and Slag towards two lab tables, while Grimwing handled Sludge and Snarl. Grimlock's mind raced, knowing that Sky Lynx would not be able to save them in time. When he finally reached the table, the Dinobot leader decided it was time to do what he did best:
Forget about the plan.
He thrust out his arms, converting them into their alt mode position, and then kicked backwards, knocking over Darksteel while finishing his transformation. Now in his Tyrannosaurus form, Grimlock let out a tremendous roar.
"Dinobots," he growled, "crash and burn."
* * *
The fortress shuddered. Almost all activity came to a halt as the Predacons wondered what the cause of it all was. Having just returned to the Council's Chamber, Razorclaw immediately froze.
"What is going on?" he demanded.
"Sounds like it's coming from Ripclaw's lab," Rampage muttered. "I presume the Dinobots have escaped captivity."
Snarling, Razorclaw barked, "Lazerback! Vertebreak!"
At his call, two stout Predacons, wearing the same body-type but in different colors, came rushing into the chamber.
"Go to Ripclaw's lab and find out what's going on," the Predacon ruler ordered. Once the two had left, he turned to Divebomb. "Send Stormrazor to Cryotek and have him strengthen the defenses."
"As you wish," Divebomb said with a mockful bow.
Razorclaw then turned his baleful gaze on Sky Lynx, whom he had been speaking with just moments before. "Go down into the dungeon. Release the Beast."
* * *
"Ooh! Waspinator's been itching for a fight for solar cycles!" the green and yellow Predacon said excitedly as he loaded up his stinger gun. "Waspinator can't wait to blow Maximals to scrap!"
"All we're doing is guarding the gates," Wreckloose snapped at him. "Besides, it was the Dinobots that were brought in. You wouldn't last two seconds against them."
"He wouldn't last two seconds against a baby driller worm," chuckled Undermine.
As the two Predacons burst out into laughter, Waspinator shuddered with umbrage. "Knife-Head and Lizard-Bot just mocking Waspinator because he former Decepticon and has been through a lot more action than you two!"
"Oh, no, no, no," said Wreckloose. "It's not that. We're just jealous of you being a Triple Changer."
Waspinator blinked. "Waspinator have three modes?"
"Sure you do," Undermine said. "You can turn from a robot, to a wasp, to a pile of scrap, and then back again!"
He and Wreckloose started laughing even harder, drowning out Waspinator's weak retorts. All three Predacons quickly fell silent when a guttural cry broke through the jungle. They looked in time to see a large nosoron charging towards them, its front horn poised to strike.
"Ouch time," Waspinator murmured as the rhino collided into them, knocking Undermine and Wreckloose to the ground and breaking Waspinator into dozens of pieces, sending them all flying into the air.
"Why universe hate Waspinator?" the hapless Predacon cried as his head vanished into the thickness of the jungle.
The rhinoceros continued its charge, smashing into the outer gate of the Predacon fortress and rendering it a pile of rubble. The beast then started to transform, forming a tall, burly mech in light brown and green.
Rubbing his aching head, Rhinox muttered, "Ouch. I am not doing that again for a while."
"Hang in there, old friend," Primal Major said as he and the rest of his team- Cheetor, Airazor, and Rattrap- arrived. "We've only just started."
"Strange though," Rattrap murmured. "Those three- especially that Waspinator fella- were from the bottom of the Predacon barrel. Where are the big guns?"
"You rang?"
The five Maximals looked up to see several heavy-set Predacons, led by the warlord and ex-Decepticon Cryotek, who bore his mighty axe in a prideful manner.
"You will rue the day you crossed our territory, Maximals," Cryotek said with a savage grin. "If you live, of course."
"Rattrap," Airazor muttered, "when will you learn to keep your mouth shut?"
Rattrap shrugged. "Eh. Since when do I ever take the time to learn something?"
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