After deliberating with the delegation, they all took a seat.

"Man, peace with these guys? After they spent a long time killing us?"

"It's for the best, Smokescreen."

"Not sure if 'for the best' means getting a blaster bolt in the back, Ironhide."

"Get used to it. At least they'll be scrambling their processors to come up with a new name."

"I don't know..."

"Megatron's changed. We also have to, Jetfire."

"I'll give this a chance. But if Megatron or his goons pull out any kind of funny business, it's on your head."

Prime sighed, but nodded.

"Omega Scion, is the Orb of the Future ready?"

"Just recently."

"As much as I hated viewing with our hated enemies, I'm afraid we've had not a choice at the moment."

"Now you're getting downsided, Shockwave."

"Would I, Swindle?"

"Never mind. Let's just watch the future."

Everyone took their seats.

In the Darksyde, Megatron was overseeing an experimentation of an Energon crystal.

"Yess. Yess, almost there... This may be the refinement process I have been seeking. Yess..."

Just as the crystal was close to refinement, it suddenly distintegrated.

"NO! Blast." Megatron curses.

Shockwave facepalms "This future Megatron could have left the process to a more qualified scientist."

Knockout sneered while Ratchet felt chills. The Dinobots frowned; they knew too well to be subjected to Shockwave's experimentations.

"Terrorsaur! Get me another energon crystal NOW!" Megatron ordered.

"No! I've had enough. I refuse to serve such an incompetent leader any longer." Terrorsaur refused. "You've wasted our precious energon crystals for the last time, Megatron!"

Back at the Axalon, they revealed to be under surveiliance by the Maximals.

"Whoa! Bad karma at the loser lair!" Cheetor commented.

"Waspinator wants to fight now!" Waspinator rebelled, readying his weapon at his leader.

"Seriously? This Megatron's their leader, and he's having trouble keeping his Predacons in line?" Warpath smirked.

"From the looks of it, they appeared to be undisciplined criminals than actual soldiers." Onslaught said.

"What a bunch of wimps. How that Megatron got such lame-aft rabble's not something I'd ever know anyways." Swindle commented.

"It appears serious this time." Dinobot commented. (Soundwave: Or it can be something else.)

"You will regret this rebellion, Terrorsaur. Yesss!" Megatron threatened.

The Predacons raised their weapons at Megatron in apparent full-on mutiny.

"That's dissention, all right." Primal commented.

"Cool!" Cheetor turned to Rhinox "Now aren't ya glad we got cable?"

"Looks like we hardwired that spy camera just in time." Rhinox replied.

"WE!? It was MY fuzzy butt on the line out there..." Rattrap retorted.

Primal shushed Rattrap and said "LOOK!"

Megatron backed away and took cover behind the Energon tube, just as the mutineers are about to fire at him, but the cover will not last.

"NO! You fools, you'll hit the Energon..." Megatron warned. (Warpath: Your fault, you hid behind there in the first place!)

"Lord Megatron, you seem quiet, is there something wrong?"

"Patience, Barricade. I have a feeling that the Predacons would have known that the Maximals were spying on them firsthand and thus staged the rebellion to appear weak in their eyes." Megatron assured.

The Axalon soon loses it's feed when Scorponok's missile hits the Energon tube. Curious, they advanced to the outskirts of the Darksyde, but found it a smouldering mess.

"That place looks, like, totally slagged." Cheetor commented.

"It is. I detect no signs of life. Not a Pred energy signature anywhere." Rhinox said, raising a detector at the Darksyde.

"Can that be confirmed?" Dinobot asked, unsure.

"He doesn't seem to be sure of the apparent destruction of the Predacons."

"That's because he was once a Predacon himself, Breakdown. Before he defected to the Maximals over a disagreement."

Breakdown frowned. He was not used to traitors.

"Hey! His sensors don't lie, Dinodip." Rattrap argued.

"Then we may have to accept a rather unexpected development, friends. It looks like the Maximals... have won the Beast Wars." (Barricade: I wouldn't be sure of that if I were you, monkey boy.)

In the Darksyde, no Predacon could be found; the interior is a smoking mess, devoid of anyone still alive.

"No life forms. But the base energon field dampers are still functional." Rhinox replied.

"Good."

"Awright! Let's pillage and plunder!" Rattrap gleefully commented, sounding like a pirate.

"Only for space drive parts. It is a Predacon ship, and still very dangerous." Primal strictly ordered.

"Yeah? Then what say we make ol' Chopperface go first?" Rattrap suggested.

Dinobot swiped the pipe from Rattrap and retorted " Yes. That would be logical. I will take point." and goes ahead, dropping the pipe.

"Man, I'm pushin' all of his hot buttons and I'm gettin' nada! What's WITH him?" Rattrap asked, sensing Dinobot's bitterness.

"Can't you figure it out?" Primal asked.

Across the deeper interior of the Darksyde, Dinobot looked, but found no enemies around.

"This is what you seek. I detect no hostiles. I will...reconnoiter elsewhere." Dinobot said stepping out of the Maximals' way.

"Yo, scrape ape." Rattrap spoke next "So...what are we gonna do with Dinobot?"

Jetfire spoke next "Yeah, what are you gonna do with an ex-Predacon?"

"Why should we DO anything?" Primal asked.

"Man, look at him! He's still a Predacon. He's only with us 'cause he knew we'd win, not 'cause he believed in what we stood for."

Dinobot continued patrolling the halls looking for his former comrades, who may not be around.

"He's a soldier. With th' enemy gone, who else is he gonna fight?"

Primal and Rhinox moved ahead, but Rattrap continued to press the issue.

"Looks like the rat's got a point." Silverbolt commented.

"Look...This ain't a good time to prove you're a wimp chimp, buddy. He'll snuff you out the minute you turn your back."

"I'm pretty sure he's too honor-bound to commit something that underhanded, rat." Predaking corrected.

"Get the others. I've got what we need." Primal ordered.

Before Primal, Rhinox found something that looked essential.

Just as Dinobot was on the patrol, a mysterious set of legs crawled up behind him. He sensed it and turned back... only to find Cheetor carrying just a handful of those legs.

"Gotcha." Cheetor commented.

The young Autobots laughed at seeing an practical joke, they thought that a Predacon was sneaking up behind Dinobot.

"Where did you find these?" he asked.

"Just over there..."

Dinobot snatched the handful of legs from Cheetor.

"Alas, poor Tarantulas. I knew him, Cheetor. This is the leg that stalked so many victims..." he emphasized his point by raising it up high in a dramatic tone. "That it should come to this."

"Quite vaudeville of you. It made Knockout look second rate." Megatron commented.

Knockout smirked and chuckled in agreement.

"Awww. Do you need a hug?" Cheetor teased.

Dinobot glared at him until Rattrap interrupted.

"Hey, we're leavin'! We got th' parts we need. Come on!"

Dinobot still glared, prompting Cheetor to sidestep away from him.

Back at the Axalon, where Rhinox was making repairs at the ship's transwarp engine.

"But we still can't trust Dinobot. Before we decide where he's going, we better decide where we're going." Rattrap commented.

"I'm almost done with these drive repairs." Rhinox went back to welding the drive in the engine.

"First order of business is the stasis pods still in orbit. They have to be recovered and our comrades rescued. We also have to alert Tigatron." Primal suggested.

"Stasis pods?" Shockwave asked.

"Those metallic objects we have seen before you. They are responsible for the creation of the spark and the protoform inside, in which they also create animal forms first to allow the protoform to adapt from excessive Energon oversaturation."

"Energon oversaturation? Such cases are... extremely rare, so far. But the creation of these stasis pods... can certainly help in creating more and more Cybertronians." Shockwave mused. "Soundwave, I propose the research of these stasis pods."

"Stasis pod research commencing."

"Oh boy, here comes more from the logic machine..." Breakdown rolled his eyes.

"Get used to it." Barricade chatised "He's always like that."

"That's not a bad idea, Shockwave. I will permit such research if it helps Cybertron greatly."

"As you will, Lord Megatron."

"I still wonder why Primal thought it was a good idea to let out all them stasis pods in orbit."

"The ship's crash would have destroyed the stasis pods, Air Raid." Arcee reminded.

"Okay, but after that we start exploring th' galaxy again, right?" Cheetor asked while assisting.

"Someone's eager to explore the galaxy." Warpath commented.

"Whoa Whoa Whoa Whattaya talkin' 'ere!?" Rattrap objected "You taken a good look at this scrap heap lately? We even MAKE it t'space, the only place we're headed is back to Cybertron."

"I'm afraid Rattrap's right." Primal sighed.

"An' about time, too. I can just hear the dames cryin' for me."

"In your dreams." Arcee rolled her eyes.

"Perhaps it is the thought of your return that causes their unhappiness." Dinobot commented poetically.

"Chopperface! An actual comeback! Eeehh, little lame, but I can tell yer feelin' better. And for good reason." Rattrap quipped.

"I shall not see you again." Dinobot said.

"What?" Brawl asked.

"He's staying?!"

"Whoa! Another dig!" Rattrap replied sarcastically, uneased with Dinobot's decision even when the latter walked up to his face.

"What are you saying, Dinobot? You will not return with us to Cybertron?" Primal asked.

"No. On Cybertron I will merely be a Predacon criminal. But on this planet, I have no equal. I shall remain... to conquer and rule."

"He does realize the Maximal council will pardon him of all crimes during his time with the Predacons, right?" Ultra Magnus asked.

"Yep. But it seems like Dinobot here isn't likely to come home a hero anymore." Ironhide retorted.

"We should at least respect his decision to stay. It's his right after all." Perceptor added.

"I understand. Nonetheless, let the record show that I advise against this action. It will eventually lead to your destruction. Eventually." Primal said.

"Eventually can be a long time, Optimus Primal. I salute my former Maximal leader And my former comrades." he literally salutes and says "Goodbye." then departs, leaving the Axalon.

"Dinobot?"

Not a reply.

"Dinobot?"

"It's quite sad to see a comrade go. He's definitely the best." Grimlock said.

"I concur." Jetfire agreed.

But below the outskirts of the Axalon...

Dinobot was wandering on his own outside, until he smelled something strange and decided to look down on where the scent was strong... finding his former comrades in hiding.

"Stop slobbering on me, Tarantulas!"

"I am feasting." the tarantula Predacon was eating a snack.

"Give Waspinator more room! Tarantulas fat enough already!" Waspinator whined.

"If Waspinator does not stop cuddling me like a stuffed toy when he sleeps, I'll eat him as well!" he threatened.

"I dare you'd try!"

"Yes, I will!"

"No, you won't!"

"Sez who?"

"You all make me sick! I can't stand this any longer, Megatron, I... I've got to get out." then Terrorsaur started to act like a maniac (Swindle: Wow, he made Vortex look like the sanest bot in the east side of Kokular.), prompting Scorponok to just knock him aside.

"We wouldn't be here if you didn't trip over that spy cable." Scorponok reminded.

"So they DID find out the Maximals were spying on them the entire time. The rebellion was a ruse." Onslaught deduced.

The Combaticons had a good sneer at the act.

"We definitely should have one in case Starscream gets to order us around." Blast Off suggested to Onslaught.

"Agreed. But only if he's back. I don't see him around these days."

"Quite cunning of the Predacons. It seems they are not as incompetent as they seem." Shockwave commented.

"They are still weak and foolish compared to my Predacons." Predaking sneered.

"You are correct, Scorponok. But thanks to Terrorsaur's inadvertent discovery of our enemy's spy camera, we were able to pull this little... deception. Yesss." Megatron replied.

"But what if they detect us?" Blackarachnia piped up next "Don't forget my signature-damping device is only experimental."

"Signature-damping device noted." Soundwave commented.

"We have only to wait until they repair their ship...and then attack while their guard is down. With the Maximal ship in our posession, we will be able to recover the orbiting stasis pods... containing Maximals eager... to become Predacons. SO NO ONE LEAVES!" Megatron declared, glaring at Terrorsaur.

"Leaving? Who said anything about leaving?" Terrorsaur cowered until a loose rock fell on him in the head.

"What was that?" the Predacons look up to see Dinobot eavesdropping on them. Alerted they cried out...

"A SPY!"

"It's that traitor DINOBOT!"

"Stop him!" Dinobot immediately makes a run.

"Predacons TERRORIZE!" Waspinator and Terrorsaur gave chase as the fliers, but they were quickly cut off by a boulder falling on them.

The former Decepticon leadership facepalmed while Soundwave just shook his head.

By the time they all made it out of the crevasse, they all transformed via vocal command and chase and fire at Dinobot. Outnumbered, Dinobot flees.

"Megatron's forces survive! I must warn Optimus..." Dinobot sneers, running as fast as he can, forgetting to use Beast Mode to reach to the Axalon faster.

Inside the aforementioned ship, Tigatron arrived.

"It feels strange to be inside an artifical structure." he commented. (Ironhide: No kidding, you spent quite a lot of time in the frozen woods.)

"It's Tigatron the barbarian! Welcome back to civilization, guy. We're goin' home!" Rattrap commented.

Swoop snorted "Barbarian. It's like you don't even know what a wheel is."

"And you're just in time." Rhinox then performed a system troubleshoot.

"All systems... check."

The Autobots were hopeful that their descendants were going home... but their former enemies were skeptical.

"Let's do it!" Primal ordered.

"Power up!"

"Liftoff in three cycles and counting!" Rhinox pressed the button to prepare for ignition.

The Axalon's transwarp engines were propelling up and high again. It was about to take off.

"Man, when we get back t' Cybertron I'm gonna take you to this weet little hole in the wall where I guarantee..." Rattrap tried to comment to Tigatron but was interrupted with...

"Dinobot!"

"Naw, he ain't gonna be there..." Rattrap denied.

"Optimus!" Rhinox notified.

"I see him!" Optimus sees Dinobot running back to the Axalon.

"Oh man, that just shorts my circuits..." Rattrap whined.

"All right! He's comin' back!" Cheetor cheered.

"Problem is... he's not alone!" Rhinox warned.

Dinobot continued running to the Axalon with the Predacons catching up at his tail, firing hot lead into him, one of which knocked him down. But he managed to kip up slightly, firing his optic lasers, eliminating half of the Predacon strike force, while Megatron and Blackarachnia dived for cover.

"NO! Dinobot!" Primal announces next "I'm going for Dinobot!"

"Are you crazy?! The Predacons are coming in hot!" Bumblebee asked.

"He's risking his life to save a comrade. Just as I would have." Prime commented.

"You ALWAYS have risked your life for ours, Optimus." Ratchet reminded.

"Like, plenty of times Boss-bot. We wouldn't have made it without you anyways!" Jazz added.

"We have less than two cycles to liftoff! This thing's barely hanging together as it is! I can't shut it down." Rhinox said.

"I don't want you to! If we're not back in time, lift off without us." Primal ordered.

"No way!" Rhinox refused.

"That's a priority order! Understood?" Primal argued, once Rhinox nodded begrudgingly, Primal transformed "Optimus Primal- Maximize!" then grabs a blast shield to go down.

"I'll help! Wait for me!" Cheetor attempted to transform and moved in to help Primal. "Cheetor- MAXIMIZE!"

"Cheetor, NO!" Rhinox beckoned.

"Cheetor, get back to your post! That's an order!" Primal ordered.

"You'll never get to Dinobot without backup, besides, Cybertron wouldn't be the same without you." Cheetor retorted.

"All right. Lets have it fine and fast." Primal relented.

"I'm your bot." Cheetor grabs a blast shield and jumps down the shaft.

"I can not sit idle while my comrades battle the enemy." Tigatron attempts to go next. "Tigatron- MAXIMIZE!"

"Back in your seat. You heard the orders." Rhinox reminded.

"But..."

"I said SIT!" Rhinox repeated, forcing Tigatron to relent. "We're taking this bird to Cybertron, and I need all of you to do it."

"Rattrap astro-navigation!" Rattrap went to the navicomputer.

"Tigatron, get ships gun on-line!" Tigatron went to the defense computer to work on the ship's weaponry.

"Optimus is gonna need some firepower. MOVE!" Rhinox finished sternly.

"Yes Sir!" Tigatron complied with the order.

"Man, Rhinox sure does know how to lead, doesn't he? Kinda like Ratchet when Prime isn't around!" Cliffjumper reminded.

"Sure, Cliff, sure, he does." Jazz agrees.

Ratchet grumbled "I'm not that much of a leader anyway..."

"Nah, Ratch, you definitely did the commanding when Optimus was out." Bulkhead reminded.

"And if it weren't for you, we wouldn't have our leader here with us." Arcee added.

"Alright, enough. I didn't need your credit anyway." Ratchet replied.

Optimus and Ultra Magnus nodded.

Outside, where the fire was too heavy, Dinobot was knocked out by Megatron.

"Give me cover fire. I've got to get to Dinobot." Primal ordered.

"My pleasure." Cheetor complied, readying his weapon and fired, temporarily supressing Megatron and Blackarachnia.

Primal was able to reach Dinobot and pulled him out of the fire. "This is strategically unsound." Dinobot slurred.

"Tell me about it back at Cybertron." Primal replied and picked up Dinobot at his shoulder, only to be interrupted by a shot to the back by Terrorsaur, who cackled gleefully.

"Man, kinda like when we snagged Prime back in Serdana." Barricade commented.

This pretty much angered Cheetor, who fired back to blast Terrorsaur off. But he was cut off by a fusion blast from Megatron.

"Oh, you mean back when the Bee beat the scrap outta ya for throwing that stun prod at Prime's back?" Breakdown commented, prompting Barricade to glare at him.

"You had my back, and it's when you caught Bee, Breakdown!"

The enforcer chuckled. Bumblebee and Prime were not amused nor impressed.

"They're finished! Head for the ship!" Megatron ordered once the Predacons regrouped and charged at the Axalon.

"Ship guns: Fire!" Tigatron ordered.

The Axalon's weapons fired, cutting down most of the Predacon strike force. Just as the ship itself was preparing to take off.

"The train's pullin' out!" Cheetor then beckoned "Optimus!" just as Primal was quickly hobbling back with Dinobot in tow.

"Come on, come on..."

"That kitty's much like you, eh Bumblebee?" Cliffjumper commented.

"Wh-what? What're you talking about Cliffjumper?!" Bumblebee asked, embarassed.

"Well, think about it, you both looked up to your leaders like role models, you get mad when they get hurt and you both kinda got along as if he was your daddy."

Most of the Autobots had a mirth of amusement once they understood what Cliffjumper was talking about, even some of the ex-Decepticons as well.

Bumblebee refused to say anything out of embarassment. Prime heeded no attention to his friends' gossip.

Primal jumped high enough to reach Cheetor, dumping Dinobot in the platform.

"Got you, BigBot."

Scorponok got up and fired a missile, eventually cutting off Primal's grip on Cheetor, much to the young Maximal's horror.

Bumblebee gasped in horror.

"Yep, I can see the similarities alright." Jazz joked, earning him a laughing ovation from his comrades.

"Primal was left behind and you think it's funny?!" Bumblebee angrily asked Jazz.

"Whoa, calm down, Bee, I was just-"

"What?! What were you-"

"Enough!" Prime ordered.

Bumblebee calmed down and takes a seat.

"Man, I never saw the Bee getting all piped up like that." Air Raid said to Silverbolt.

"There's a lot more to him and Prime then what you've seen, Air Raid."

"NO!" Cheetor despaired at seeing his leader being left behind "Optimus!" just as the Axalon was now about to fly... but not before Megatron was about to reach it, jumping into one of it's metallic radars and climbing on it.

"At least the Pred attack wasn't such a waste." Onslaught commented.

"You... should have left me behind." Dinobot said.

"Hey, pal... Optimus has got left behind just to save your scaly skin so don't spoil his sacrifice, capish?

"Oh, but it is already spoiled, yess." Megatron said, in surprise of the Maximals aboard the Axalon.

"Oh, boy..." Rattrap whined in cowardice.

"Now only YOU stand in the way of my ultimate conquest!" Megatron commented, blasting all of the Maximals aboard.

"Rattrap, Maxi..." but Megatron interrupted him by grabbing him.

"None of that, vermin, noo! For now... I shall crush you like a rat... in a trap!" he began to apply pressure to crush Rattrap.

"Do something for the love of Primus!" Jazz bawked.

"Blast him!" Warpath shouted.

"No way!" Rattrap tried to resist.

"Not... A... CHANCE!" Rhinox sprung up and approached Megatron with a fist at his face, just as the latter tossed Rattrap away.

"Yeah!" Cliffjumper commented.

"Smash him, Rhinox!" Grimlock commented.

"Give him a scrapyard beatdown!" Warpath cheered.

Rhinox easily overpowered Megatron and dumped him out of the Axalon overboard by the elevator shaft. Megatron fell out of the Axalon like garbage.

"Ha! Like yesterday's model that's ready for the scrap heap! You got him, Rhinox!" Warpath cheered.

Shockwave facepalmed at the display of utter incompetence. As do the Combaticons.

"AAGH!"

Suddenly, the Axalon's systems began to fail. Thanks to one little thing Megatron left out before he was dumped out, his weapon in the main computer. Much to Rhinox's shock.

"Oh come on!" most of the Autobots whined.

"But at least the Megatron of that future wouldn't allow the Maximals to win that easily." Barricade commented.

"We're goin' down! Do somethin'!" Rattrap panicked.

Too late, as the Axalon was beginning to list nose first, causing gravity to suddenly fall as the Maximals then fell to the computer like they were falling to a cliff.

"We're all gonna diiiiieeee....!" Rattrap whined.

But something was coming to intercept them in the sky...

"Wait! Look! Down in the sky! Is it a bird?" Dinobot asked.

"Maybe a plane?!" Rhinox asked next.

"Naw! It's OPTIMUS!" Rattrap answered.

Knockout laughed at the reference. He knew it was obviously familiar, given his time in Earth.

Help had arrived. Optimus Primal had come to help by halting the Axalon's quick descent, causing Rhinox and Dinobot to crash at each other as their faces wipe the ship's window.

Some of the audience laughed.

"That aside, it's good to see Primal saving the day again." Ratchet commented.

Primal had managed to slow the descent quick enough for the Axalon to land safely again... back to where it had crashed. He was soon reunited with his comrades...

"Damage report?" Primal asked.

"In a word: busted. She won't fly again." Rhinox replied.

The Autobots were demoralized. The Maximal's only means to come home is now... busted.

"What about Rattrap and Dinobot? Are they okay?"

Rattrap confronted Dinobot while the latter was making a recovery.

"Man, you know, it's your fault that I ain't kickin' back on Cybertron right now, you overgrown stinky iguana!" Rattrap accused Dinobot.

"I have done the planet a favor."

"Hey! Ya want me to show ya just how Velociraptors got extinct?"

"They're taking it well." Primal dully commented, not wanting to interfere in the friendly clash between old rivals.

"Friends do fight a lot. It's a natural part of friendship." Ultra Magnus surmised sagely.

"Wouldn't want 'em any other way." (Bumblebee: Nor would I, Cheetor.)

"Go scurry through a maze, mouse!" Dinobot taunted.

"Yeah? Well, why don't you come an' make me, lizardlips! If you wasn't inside that chamber..."

The rest of the time inside was filled with Rattrap and Dinobot arguing like children.

"Are you ready for the next?"

"Wait a cycle, Scion. We have words with the ex-Cons next..."