The run rose above Tokyo Bay, illuminating both the city and the water in magnificent shades of red, orange, and yellow. Beyond the city, rising out of the land itself, rested Mount Fuji and its snow-capped peaks, surrounded by acres of untouched forests. From a single tree, a chipmunk carried a large cranberry in its paws, stopping on a branch only to watch a strange gathering of beasts foreign to this land.

Optimus Primal sat in his bat beast mode with legs folded beneath him. Closing his eyes for a moment, the Maximal leader spoke aloud to his comrades, "Concentrate, clear your minds to allow the warrior within to transform. Focus…"

The Maximals with Optimus, Coyotek, RedStreak, Rattrap, Scaleblade, Tigatron, and Dinobot, complied, closing their eyes and lowering their heads, focusing their thoughts. In a near-by pool of water, Depth Charge watched in his blue-green manta ray beast form.

The fish bot snorted, shaking his wide head. "Hmph! I can’t believe you guys are really into this stuff!"

Optimus Primal opened his eyes and glanced at Depth Charge. Waving a wing towards him, Primal said, "This meditation is necessary Depth Charge. In order to master our technorganic bodies, we all must practice…ESPECIALLY if you expect to be leaving that pond anytime soon."

As Depth Charge stared defiantly at Optimus, Dinobot growled irritably. Tigatron peaked and glanced at the Velociraptor, noticing how he shook with stress. Finally Dinobot screamed angrily, "AGH! I CAN’T TAKE THIS INSANITY! WE SHOULD BE DEVISING BATTLE STRATEDGIES…NOT SITTING IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS STINKING FOREST PRETENDING TO…."

In the middle of his ranting, Dinobot suddenly lost his balance, falling with a heavy thud to one side. His clawed toed became entangled, preventing him from getting up. Dinobot roared loudly, his limbs flailing about uselessly. Unable to contain themselves, the other Maximals laughed, notably Rattrap.

"Heh heh! I figured you’d be the one with problems, ‘ol chopper face!" Rattrap giggled.

Dinobot arced his neck up and growled at the rodent. "When I get untangled, rodent, you are going to be in serious pain!"

Rattrap chuckled, muttering in front of Dinobot’s face, "Yeah, yeah…but not when I can still do this…" Dropping to all fours, Rattrap confidently said, "I am…trans…formed!" In a flash of red light, Rattrap transformed into his wheeled robot mode, laughing almost like a schoolgirl. Raising up one of his wheeled legs, he said to Dinobot, "You won’t be catching this speeding rodent anytime soon, lizard-butt!"

Primal turned to Tigatron, who looked up to his leader-turned-mentor. "You try, Tigatron," Primal suggested to the large feline.

Tigatron grunted, sitting up somewhat awkwardly in his white beast mode. "Ahem…I…am…transformed." Like magic, an aura of purple light enveloped Tigatron’s body. His tiger head flipped backwards, his front paws becoming large feet. His hindquarters divided in two, forming stripped arms and a torso as a green and white head emerged, Tigatron’s bright blue eyes gazing out. Tigatron looked at his body, muttering aloud, "Hmmm…easier than I thought, but this will take some getting used to."

Eyes next shifted to Depth Charge, still stuck in his small pool. Depth Charge sighed heavily, then closed his eyes and muttered, "All right. I…am…transformed." The water around him bubbled, green light radiating out as his body changed. His manta ray eyes unfolded, becoming legs as the tail folded behind him, unveiling his head. Arms emerged from his sides, broad wings attached to them.

"See," Primal said to Depth Charge, "It is possible. We all can learn how to do this. By practicing and working together, the transformation shall become easier. Coyotek and RedStreak are particularly adept at their own forms…but only because they’ve mastered their sparks and bodies."

Sitting across from the others, the two metallic canines sat in their respective beast modes, RedStreak and Coyotek held their paws together with closed eyes as they muttered in harmony, "Oummmmm…" They were deeply in meditation, a pair of peaceful bots.

Suddenly, a large quake shook through the ground. In the treetops above, the chipmunk squeaked as it was startled. The raspberry it held fell, bouncing on top of Coyotek’s and then RedStreak’s head before resting on the ground. The two canines opened their eyes and beamed at the luscious-looking berry on the ground.

"MINE!" they both shouted at once. Coyotek leapt at it, but RedStreak tackled him, growling loudly. Holding ‘Tek with his legs and right paw, the fox desperately reached for the berry, but a coyote paw abruptly nabbed him and pulled him back into the fray. A cloud of dust was quickly thrown up, paws swiping at one another as angry profanities were exchanged.

While everyone was looking at Coyotek and RedStreak, Scaleblade scooted close to the unsuspecting raspberry, whistling to herself. Her long dragon tongue quickly snatched the berry, and she merrily chewed on the delicious little fruit, scooting back to her original position.

Optimus Primal, Depth Charge, and Tigatron all looked towards the city, watching as a large corkscrew-shaped spaceship descended in the distance, a huge purple flare blasting out of its base. "Looks like Maral’s transport ship has just arrived…"

"Yup," Rattrap agreed, eyeing the flying craft, "Finally here to get ‘rid of those stinkin’ Vector computers. Good riddance!"

Still watching the Quintesson ship, Optimus muttered, "I’m still worried. That particular ship has no weapons, no defenses. Were the Decepticons to attack it..." He shook his head, not wanting to think of it. "Come on team," he addressed the group as a whole, "We’d better meet up with Botanica. I don’t want any unexpected surprises."

As the Maximals bolted toward the distant bay, two pairs of eyes watched from within the woods. The same chipmunk that dropped the berry looked up and squeaked, scurrying off to another branch as a large and dark metallic bird swooped in from above, its black wings momentarily blotting out the sun. It landed hard on the branch, its gold-tipped talons cracking the bark beneath it as its glowing red eyes stared at the transformers fading off in the distance.

"Vultor to Nova," the robotic vulture softly muttered, "The Maximals are leaving. Deactivate stealth mode and pursue from afar. I shall report this to Galvatron."

Near the base of Vultor’s tree, a large sandy boulder morphed its shape to that of a stocky, twin-barreled tank. It momentarily arced its weapons upward, seeming eyeing the bird up above. Over a com-link, the vehicle spoke, "I…shall comply." From within Nova, his engine revved up, powering the servos and gears controlling his treads. The Decepticon drove off, leaving narrow sets of tracks in his wake as Vultor took to the air.

Roughly ten minutes later, Primal stood near the asteroid with a tall Quintesson ship looming over him. Up above him, several Quintessons pushed the last of the Vector computers across a ramp leading into their ship. Botanica and Coyotek helped them along, though there was a certain solemn look to their faces.

"It is time, Optimus Primal," Maral said, hovering toward the blue and silver Maximal commander, "The Vector computers have been recovered and secured inside our ship. We Quintessons shall take leave of this world now."

Optimus put a hand on Maral’s shoulder, gently holding her back for a moment. "You’re sure you can’t stay? We could really use your help in this war. The Decepticons will…."

Turning her face to Primal one last time, Maral spoke somewhat stiffly, "The Decepticons are your concern, not ours. This war of yours is strictly the internal affair of your species, not that of the Quintessons."

As Maral started off towards her ship, Primal said with concern, "But surely you realize that we are all at risk; Quintessons, Humans, and Maximal alike! Now that you have the megacomputers again, the Decepticons may attempt to steal them from you again. Please Maral, this is the sake of the galaxy, possibly the universe we’re talking about! We’re not at war…we’re allies now."

Maral paused for a long time, her tentacles ceasing their undulation. She thought for a moment, then took a deep breath. "At peace…we are. But despite the truce between our races…we can never be allies. It is not the way of my people…Optimus. Farewell…forever." The Quintesson magistrate entered through a hatch, which automatically sealed behind her.

Seconds later, the twisted craft blasted off, exiting into the stratosphere above. Optimus Primal watched the ship vanish into the blue void above as Dinobot approached, still trapped in his beast mode. The raptor snarled at the Quintesson ship, growling disgustedly. "Egh…cowards! Their like is useless in these wars! Why even bother trying to enlist their aid?"

Looking to Dinobot, Optimus Primal tried to explain, "This war is bigger than any of us know, Dinobot. I’m not sure how, but I have a feeling both Galvatron and Megatron are up to something, and we need all the help we can get to stop them!"

As Optimus Primal walked off, Dinobot shook his head and snarled to himself. "I can not believe this peace-mongering nonsense! This is war, not some game!" he yelled angrily. Dinobot grunted, trying to focus himself. He quaked with rage, finally bursting out, "AGH! AND I STILL CAN’T TRANSFORM!"

A familiar laugh squeaked from beneath Dinobot’s feet. Rattrap crawled out from between the raptor’s legs, boldly saying, "Ha! You always have your problems, don’t ya chopper face?" Dinobot snarled angrily, and snapped at the rodent. In a flash, Rattrap transformed and bolted away, letting Dinobot trip over himself and fall to the ground. "HA HA!" Rattrap laughed loudly, "What’s the matter? Got a glitch in your system, dino-butt?"

Dinobot growled louder than he ever did before. Still lying on the ground, Dinobot bitterly snarled, "WHY YOU LITTLE…DINOBOT…TRANSFORM!" Dinobot’s rage catalyzed his long-awaited transformation, the thought of Rattrap’s demise finally giving him something to focus on. The head of his raptor form divided into two feet and legs, his robotic form emerging from the rest. Dinobot now towered over the puny rodent, breathing right in his face with rows of fanged teeth.

"Uh oh…" Rattrap gulped, sensing trouble.

Pulling out his large battle-ax, Dinobot roared, "RAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" In the span of a few nano-clicks, he chased Rattrap a hundred yards, sand from the beach flying in their wake. The rodent jumped up from a pointed boulder, landing on the asteroid’s surface above, but Dinobot easily jumped the twenty-foot distance, resuming the chase in the makeshift base within the Quintesson ruins.

Rattrap raced down a hall, panting as the roars of Dinobot echoed close behind. He took a swift turn, ducking into a room where Scaleblade rested on a stone bench, reading from a Japanese comic book she picked up recently. Rushing up to her, Rattrap begged, "Oh please, scales! Lemme hide out here for a nano until chopper face leaves! He’s got an ax with my name engraved upon it!"

Scaleblade casually turned a page, not even acknowledging Rattrap. She muttered, "Deh."

Dinobot’s yells filled the hall just outside the room. Rattrap glanced in the open doorway’s direction, seeing the lizard-bot’s shadow on the stone wall. "I’ll take that as a yes," he said to Scaleblade, ducking under the bench she was resting on.

His feet thudding loudly, Dinobot stormed into the room. "Where is he?" he demanded to know, his thick hands firmly wrapped around his weapon, "I NEED to find that diminutive creep…SO I CAN SKIN HIM ALIVE!"

Still looking at her comic, Scaleblade mumbled, uninterested, "Deh."

"Huh?" Dinobot bent down, looking the dragon-bot in the face. "Is that a yes or a no?"

Still just lying there in her robotic form, reading without a care, she again said, "Deh."

Dinobot shook with frustration, his grip tightening further. He growled, then, with extreme difficulty, politely said in his own way, "LOOK…JUST TELL ME WHERE THAT ACCURSED RODENT WENT…IS THAT SO HARD TO UNDERSTAND?!"

Scaleblade glanced up at Dinobot, looking him straight in the face. Shrugging her shoulders, she said, "Deh."

"AGGGGGH!" Unable to take it any more, Dinobot raised up his ax above Scaleblade. She looked up, her eyes widening and turning white as the ax fell at her. In an instant, she bolted off the bed, Dinobot’s ax cutting her comic in two along with the bench she was sitting on. The bench cracked, collapsing in a great pile of dust, exposing Rattrap beneath it. The rodent glanced up, grinning embarrassedly.

In another room, Botanica examined a pair of marked stones, unaware of the drama prevailing a few rooms down. Through her open doorway, one could see Scaleblade, immediately followed by Rattrap, run down the hall screaming in terror. Two nano-clicks later, Dinobot ran by, his battle-ax high in the air as he yelled, "COME BACK HERE YOU TWO SCRAP PILES! I’M NOT DONE WITH YOU YET!"

Another minute later, Optimus Primal flew in from an open hole in the ceiling, landing directly behind Botanica. "Found something?" he asked her, noticing the hieroglyphics on the wall in front of her.

"Yes," she said, holding up stones in three of her four hands, "The markings in this place, though by far more ancient, are almost identical to the ones we found in the Temple of Primus!"

"You’re serious?" Primal asked, rushing up for a closer look, his interest peaked.

Pointing to a line of inscriptions leading to a carved figure, Botanica said to Primal, "The same prophecy is repeated here. ‘A warrior shall emerge for the final battle, powered by the spark of light.’"

Primal and Botanica looked at one another. "Could it be pertaining to RedStreak?" suggested Optimus.

Botanica shook her head. "I don’t know. RedStreak does possess the spark of light, but the inscription further says ‘And he shall strike at his enemies with the elements of nature: the heat of fire, the strength of stone, waves of the waters, the whirl of wind. And he shall be the one in all.’" Looking straight at Primal, she concluded, "None of this makes sense. RedStreak doesn’t have any powers even remotely like the ones described here, and neither does any living transformer…at least…to my knowledge."

Optimus Primal shrugged his shoulders, simply saying, "It’s not in our place to understand. As the prophecy says…this is all in the future."

Roughly halfway between the Earth and its moon, the Quintesson ship continued onward. Inside the command chamber, Maral sat in a crystal-silver throne with various pilots at the controls. One pilot reported, "Exiting human-controlled space, magistrate Maral. We should be able to cross the transwarp threshold in approximately nine cycles. All transwarp engines are standing by."

"Good," Maral replied from her throne, "Set a course for Photoneron, but raise the shields before we cross the threshold. I don’t want any unexpected…."

A huge blast shook the entire ship, nearly throwing Maral out of her seat. In the ship’s midsection, a large jagged hole had been made, exposing the Quintessons’ cargo bay and the nine Vector computers within. DarkStar decloaked, flying parallel to the alien ship. On her underside, a large ramp deployed, Vultor, Afterburn, Chibi-Bat, and Nova flying out from it.

Over the radio waves DarkStar exclaimed, "Hurry! Galvatron wants this operation done swiftly! Get those billiard balls and get back inside!"

Landing inside the cargo bay and transforming, Chibi-Bat deviously chuckled, "Heh heh! Chibi-Bat love explosives! Looove to blow things up!"

Nova grunted, heaving one of the large computers in his arms. "That part is over, brother! Grab these and let’s split…THEN we might consider blown’ this place!" He quickly chucked the spheroid device up, passing it to Afterburn, who quickly flew back inside of DarkStar.

In the span of three minutes, most of the Vector computers had been taken, except for two, one of which was Vector Delta. Just as Vultor and Chibi-Bat grabbed the two glowing devices, a platoon of Quintessons rushed at them, blasters blazing.

Hiding behind his computer, Chibi-Bat snarled, "Heh! Foolish five-faced freaks not stop us! Chibi make them go BOOM!" He reached into an internal compartment, pulling out a rectangular grenade. Clicking on a round button, he chucked it at the Quintessons.

"NO! YOU FOOL!" Vultor shouted.

Another explosion rocked the Quintesson ship, a plume of red plasma erupting out, taking with it Vultor, Chibi-Bat, and the two Vector computers. Vultor quickly transformed and flung himself at the escaping spheroid computers. He latched onto one with his powerful talons, capturing it in his grasp. Looking onward, he watched as Vector Delta plummeted back towards Earth, already entering its outer atmosphere.

"Blast! We’ve lost one! Galvatron won’t be very pleased…" Vultor and Chibi-Bat quickly flew back inside DarkStar, who quickly turned around and vanished against the blue backdrop of Earth.

The Quintesson ship drifted onward, a large hole in its side as it slowly spun. Its various crewmembers worked furiously, repairing all damaged systems. Lights flashed back on inside the command chamber, Maral left bewildered and confused. One of her pilots reported, "Magistrate, we’ve got main power back online, but the quantum reactor is leaking so it won’t last! Security also reports that the Vector devices have been stolen! Should we pursue?"

Maral glanced at the image of planet Earth, reminding her too much of the humans and Maximals upon it. She finally asked, "Is the transwarp drive still functional?"

The pilot manipulated a few control crystals at his station then replied, "Yes Magistrate. We have just enough power to jump back into our own space."

"Then do it," Maral ordered, "We can not spare the power to track them down. Set a course for the nearest Imperial outpost." As her minions readied the ship, Maral took one last look at the Earth, with green Cybertron in the distance. "This is their war now…" she stated. A minute later, the damaged Quintesson ship rocketed off, a transwarp gate opening before it and swallowing it whole.

On Cybertron, or rather within it, Galvatron, Shockwave, and SkyScourge manned the refitted Decepticon headquarters while power bonds tied up Starscream. SkyScourge walked right up to the traitorous Decepticon and punched him square in the stomach.

"Escape from my cell, will ya? This will teach you never to try that again!" SkyScourge said, readying for another hit.

"ENOUGH!" Galvatron shouted, marching up to both Starscream and SkyScourge. As he approached, SkyScourge walked away, leaving him to speak with Starscream as Shockwave monitored some of the computers. "You have always been a traitor and a poor lieutenant, Starscream, but you serve a greater purpose for us now."

Starscream narrowed his eyes at Galvatron. "I will never serve you, Galvatron! Not now or ever!"

His eyes glowing bright red, Galvatron muttered in Omergracon’s voice, "You shall serve us, whether you wish it or not." Galvatron’s chest opened, revealing the red cylinder Omegracon’s power was contained it. It shot out a broad beam of red light, inflicting burning pain on Starscream as Omegracon possessed Galvatron.

"Galvatron!" Shockwave shouted, interrupting Starscream’s torture, "The other Decepticons are reporting in from their raid on the Quintesson vessel! They have disturbing news."

The red light subsided, and Galvatron shook his head as he regained true control over himself. "Very well," he muttered dizzily, "Bring up the communications array. I want to hear this for myself." Galvatron walked over to a large monitor, leaving Starscream unconscious on the floor as he focused his mind elsewhere. An image of Vultor appeared on the monitor. "What have you to report?" Galvatron asked, "Did you manage to obtain all nine of the Vector computers as I ordered?"

Slightly hesitant, Vultor replied, "Negative…my liege. During the battle, one of the Vector computers was lost. It fell towards Earth and…."

Slamming his fist into the console, Galvatron yelled, "FIND IT THEN! AND IF SO MUCH AS A SCRATCH IS ON IT, YOU AND YOUR COUNTERPARTS WILL BE CRUSHED LIKE OIL CANS! IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?"

Vultor gulped and nodded quickly.

"Good," Galvatron said, clicking off the monitor. His eyes glowing red, Galvatron turned to Shockwave and SkyScourge. "Shockwave, you guard the base while SkyScourge and myself personally attend to this matter. And as for you…Starscream," Galvatron muttered, eyeing the red and silver Decepticon at his feet.

On Earth, Coyotek and RedStreak patrolled a rocky beach where some children played with kites shaped like dragons and diamonds. The children giggled as they rushed by, barely noticing the two canine transformers in their beast modes.

RedStreak shook his head, letting out a little laugh. "Kids…."

A thunderous boom echoed from high above. Coyotek arched his neck up, spying something in the sky. "Cool! RedStreak, check it out! Something’s coming in from high orbit!" Sure enough, a small meteor fell through the clouds above, plummeting straight down toward the far end of the beach, a cloud of steam shooting up as it landed. "We’d better see what it is," Coyotek suggested, bounding off with RedStreak close behind.

The fox and coyote came to a large rocky cove that hissed with boiling clouds of steam. At its base, in a very shallow pool of water, rested a red-hot sphere. RedStreak reached out to touch it, but yelped and pulled his paw back in, the object still too hot to handle. In just a few minutes, the sphere cooled down, dulling to an emerald green in color.

"By the Matrix! It’s Vector Delta!" RedStreak declared.

Coyotek blurted out, "But that’s impossible! Didn’t the Quintessons just leave with this thing?"

"Correct…Maximal dog!" a loud voice shouted. A black missile flew to the ground, blowing RedStreak and Coyotek away from the cove. When the canine pair got back to their feet, Vultor hovered above the cove in his robotic form, Chibi-Bat, Nova, Afterburn, and Triceradon all landing behind him. With another large missile in his hand, Vultor said, "We stole the Vector computers from them, just as we will steal this from you!"

"Not…very…likely!" RedStreak growled. In a heartbeat, both he and Coyotek transformed, assuming their robot forms despite the lack of their armor. RedStreak bared his pointy teeth, growling at the flying bird.

Suddenly, a bright beam of purple light materialized just a few meters away, out of which emerged Galvatron, SkyScourge, and Starscream, the later still bound in chains. His cannon already pointed at the two Maximals, Galvatron said, "I think very likely, young transformer! And you will do nothing to interfere…."

"Got it!" Nova yelled, climbing out of the grotto, lugging up Vector Delta in his arms.

Galvatron smiled, then turned back to the Maximals. "Ah…good. And now that I have what I want…I can eliminate you two!" the Decepticon said, charging his weapon.

A loud thud sounded near-by, a huge shadow cast over both Maximal and Decepticon. Coyotek and RedStreak looked behind them, finding giant Ironwood looming over them all. "Whoo-hoo! The cavalry has arrived!" RedStreak declared.

Reaching down with a giant hand, the green guardian easily snatched away Vector Delta from Nova, holding it in his palm like a modest rubber ball. "Not…belong…to you!" Ironwood managed to mumble, keeping Vector Delta firmly in his left palm.

Raising a fist up at the giant, Galvatron yelled, "RETURN IT TO ME, GUARDIAN, OR SUFFER MY WRATH!" Glancing at Vultor, Galvatron ordered, "Vultor, you and the other Decepticons merge with Starscream! Unleash the power of Oblivion!"

The power bonds holding Starscream deactivated, but before he could even try to escape Triceradon and Nova latched onto him, holding him with their remarkable strength. "NO! NO! LET ME GO SPAWN OF UNICRON! LET ME GO!" Starscream demanded in his high-pitched voice.

As Vultor, Chibi-Bat, and Afterburn approached, a red aura surrounded them all. "It is too late to resist, Starscream," Vultor said, his eyes growing brighter and brighter, "Now is the time to become one of us…to join in…Oblivion!"

Powerless to resist, Starscream started to fuse with each of the five surrounding Decepticons, his control slipping as the combined consciousness of Oblivion grew. Coyotek watched the conglomeration of robotic bodies mold together, forming limbs, hands, and weapons. "Oh this is bad…very bad," Coyotek muttered nervously.

"This is bigger than any of us! I’m calling for back-up!" RedStreak stated, clicking on his com-link, "RedStreak to Optimus, RedStreak to Optimus! We’ve got a code X down here! The Decepticons have arrived with Oblivion! We need some MAJOR back-up!"

At the Quintesson asteroid roughly two miles away, Primal’s com-link suddenly came online, RedStreak’s voice screaming out of it. All the other Maximals around him, Botanica, Gold Blade, Dinobot, Tigatron, and Depth Charge all heard it as well. "I repeat, code X! Code X!" RedStreak yelled.

"Code X? Sounds like a major emergency!" Depth Charge said, looking to Optimus.

"Right, and RedStreak isn’t the type to cry wolf in an emergency…well, except when Megatron’s around…but we’ve gotta move out now!" Optimus Primal exclaimed.

"RedStreak?!" Scaleblade flew in, transforming to her dragon mode. Flapping her wide wings, she said worriedly, "My little bro’s in trouble! Optimus, let me come!"

Raising up a hand, Primal said, "No! You must stay and guard the base with Rattrap and RazorLeaf. We can handle the Decepticons!"

Her eyes widening, Scaleblade shouted, "BUT YOU SAW WHAT THAT MONSTER CAN DO! NOBODY CAN STAND A CHANCE AGAINST IT ALONE! PLEASE, I’VE JUST GOTTA COME!"

"No Scaleblade, you stay!" Optimus Primal firmly said, ending the conversation. Turning to the others, Primal yelled, "All right! Everyone transform and roll out!" Everyone except Scaleblade transformed and rushed out the door, Depth Charge taking to the water while the others roughed it by land.

Scaleblade snorted, smoke coming out of her nostrils. "Hmph! Nobody tells me when I can’t help out!" Disregarding Primal’s direct order, Scaleblade flew out the door, soaring high into the atmosphere and towards the approaching battle.

Ironwood, RedStreak, and Coyotek all watched as Oblivion completed his transformation. The great giant flexed his arms and then looked at the Maximals before him. His eyes glowing deep red, Oblivion muttered in a deep voice, "Surrender…computer. Oblivion and Galvatron…want…computer!"

The guardian glanced at his left hand, and then at Oblivion. His eyes flashing for a moment, Ironwood replied, "Vector Delta…not yours! Ironwood…not surrender…Vector…Delta!"

"It is unwise to force the hand of Oblivion, Maximals!" Galvatron reminded them, "Hand over the megacomputer, or we shall destroy you!"

"Fat chance!" RedStreak and Coyotek yelled in unison. The two merged, becoming Red ‘Tek once again. The Autobot stood directly between Ironwood and Oblivion, ready to aid the guardian. "Ironwood! I’ll hold him while you hide Vector Delta!"

Ironwood bent down, concerned for his slightly smaller friend. "But…Oblivion…."

"JUST DO IT!" Red ‘Tek blared.

Again Ironwood looked at Vector Delta, and then at Oblivion. Frowning with a heavy brow, Ironwood turned away, reeling his arm back. To the surprise of both Maximal and Decepticon, the guardian threw the Vector computer like a baseball right at the city, Vector Delta landing somewhere in the heart of Tokyo. "There! No one…get…Vector…Delta! Ironwood…protect…friends!"

Growling, Galvatron muttered, "That was a mistake…."

A voice shouted from directly behind the Decepticons, "Not as big a mistake as you’re making!" A geyser of water erupted from the cove, Depth Charge himself launching into the air, landing on his feet in robot mode with a blaster in either hand. "I suggest you guys give it up while you’re still in one piece!" Depth Charge suggested.

From above, Optimus Primal’s voice shouted, "I second that idea!" Mere seconds after Depth Charge’s appearance, Dinobot, Tigatron, Botanica, Gold Blade, and Optimus all appeared, surrounding the Decepticons and transforming with weapons ready.

Without warning, a ball of flames shot from the sky, hitting right at Galvatron’s feet. The Decepticon leader looked up, seeing a dark dragon approaching from the same direction as the Maximals. "Hang on guys! Scaleblade’s here to save the day…and her brother too!" Scaleblade exclaimed, flying at them.

His metal brow scrunching up, Optimus Primal yelled, "Scaleblade, I told you to remain at…."

Galvatron suddenly yelled loudly, "OBLIVION! DISPATH WITH THE MAXIMALS, NOW!"

Obediently, Oblivion growled, his eyes glowing bright red and humming loudly. Out of his optics blasted out twin lasers of immense strength. They hit the ground in front of the Maximals, creating a huge explosion that echoed for hundreds of miles. It threw the Maximals in all directions, scattering them all over the Japanese island of Honshu. Tigatron, Dinobot, and Scaleblade were flung towards Mount Fuji itself, while Depth Charge, RedStreak, Coyotek, and Ironwood flew towards Tokyo. Botanica and Gold Blade were both flung back to the asteroid base, smashing through the roof of the central structure.

Only Optimus Primal remained, unconscious and scalded, his silver-plating now black with carbon scoring. Oblivion, Galvatron, and SkyScourge all loomed over him, grinning at one another. "Excellent, this will make things much simpler," Galvatron decreed, "I shall handle our…friend here. SkyScourge, seek out the others and dispose of them. Oblivion…go to the city and retrieve the remaining Vector computer. Use any means necessary."

Mumbling ignorantly, Oblivion said to Galvatron, "City…large. Many people…get in way."

Galvatron frowned at his giant soldier. "I do not care. Destroy the city if you have to, and as for its inhabitants…wipe them out…all of them."

Nodding in acknowledgement, Oblivion marched off, heading towards the city limits of Japan’s capital. SkyScourge nodded as well, jumping into the air and transforming into a jet, flying toward Mount Fuji in pursuit of the Maximals. Galvatron stood there and glared at Primal, plotting his final demise.

Several miles away, upon the snowy summit of Fuji, three of the Maximals crashed, all groaning loudly in pain. A large pile of snow quivered, finally bursting open to reveal Scaleblade, Tigatron, and Dinobot in their beast modes.

Shaking the snow off his head, Tigatron muttered, "I wouldn’t care to go through that again."

Scaleblade rose to her feet, flexing her sore wings. "I couldn’t blame ya, cat-bot," she agreed.

Dinobot grunted as he got up, his cocked his head to one side. "Do you hear that?" he asked the others. All three Maximals listened in, a faint hiss in the air growing louder and louder. In mere minutes it became the thunderous roar of a spaceplane coming straight at them. "SkyScourge!" Dinobot hissed, "It appears this battle has just begun!"

In a great swoop, SkyScourge fired upon them, snow flying into the air as the Maximals were knocked away.

Over the bay of Tokyo, several transformers could be seen soaring in the air, one of which was the size of a building. Depth Charge fell straight down, splashing into the heart of Tokyo bay. As he slowly sank into the water, a strange aura of blue-green light surrounded him. It disappeared with him into the bay…but on the surface, numerous bubbles began to appear…as if the water was boiling….

Depth Charge awoke slowly, finding himself still sinking…but not merely that. He gasped, finding himself in a cloud of glowing green bubbles. "AGH! WHAT THE PIT’S GOIN’ ON?!" he exclaimed, feeling a strange energy emanating from the very water around him. As he panicked, a great current of water thrusted him back to the surface, erupting as a giant geyser from the center of the bay with Depth Charge standing atop it in robot mode.

Looking down, Depth Charge was amazed to find large waves circling about the base of the geyser, the water pulsing in sync with the energy that enveloped him. "Incredible!" he muttered. With a mere gesture of his hand, the waves moved in a straight row, bending to his whims. "I can control the water…" he realized. Glancing toward the city, he saw Ironwood, RedStreak, and Coyotek land amid the buildings. "Hang on, Maximals," Depth Charge said, transforming to beast mode, "This fish is coming to save the day." A huge surge of water enveloped the metallic stingray, becoming a large wave that pushed Depth Charge toward the shore.

In the city streets of Tokyo, a large shadow passed over the various citizens as they commuted by bikes and cars. They shrieked and ran as giant Ironwood fell, crashing into the streets hard. Dozens of cars were crushed, but fortunately their occupants had fled seconds before the guardian landed. Ironwood got up with a loud groan, shaking his weary head.

RedStreak and Coyotek screamed as they fell. Ironwood saw them coming, and held out his open hands. The two Maximals landed with a thud in his palms, intact and online. Coyotek sat up and looked to the green giant who smiled down at him. "Thanks, big green!" Coyotek saluted the mighty plant-bot.

A loud thunder drew their attention, the sound of Oblivion’s footsteps approaching. Scarcely three blocks away, the giant Decepticon marched his way straight down, slamming his arms and fists into the sides of buildings and firing his eye lasers at parked cars as pedestrians continued to flee in terror.

Eyes fixed upon Oblivion, Ironwood set his Maximal companions down and rose to his feet, his emerald armor glinting in the sunlight. "Oblivion…destroy city. Ironwood…stop Oblivion," he openly rumbled, taking a step toward the approaching Decepticon.

"Wait!" RedStreak shouted, trying to get Ironwood’s attention, "You can’t! He’s too strong, even for you!" As Ironwood marched off towards certain doom, RedStreak groaned, muttering, "Slag!"

Watching the guardian move towards Oblivion, Coyotek said, "It’s no use. He can’t go against his programming, even if it means sacrificing himself. We’ve gotta help him or else Oblivion will destroy the city and possibly this planet trying to find Vector Delta!"

"But how?" RedStreak asked his friend, "The last time we merged into Red ‘Tek and fought, Oblivion just threw us away like a rag doll! How are we ever gonna stop him?!"

Staring at Oblivion, Coyotek could only replied, "In any way we can…."

Ironwood and Oblivion came within striking range. They stared at one another, Oblivion’s red eyes glowing harshly as Ironwood’s eyes shined a bright blue. Holding out his hand, Oblivion demanded, "Guardian…return…Vector…computer! Oblivion…want…NOW!"

Ironwood stood his ground, the weapons in his arms deploying in readiness. "Ironwood…protect city. Oblivion…shall not pass. Ironwood…protect!" With that, the guardian opened fire on Oblivion.

The giant Decepticon was forced back by the sheer firepower, but his armor easily deflected the blasts, not even a ding put into them. Oblivion growled deeply, ripping some streetlights from the ground. Wielding them like a bat, he swung at Ironwood, knocking in into a building, shattering its countless glass windows as the guardian fell into a pile of rubble.

Crunching the streetlights in his bare hand, Oblivion’s voice rumbled, "Oblivion…destroy Ironwood…destroy…guardian." His red eyes glowed brightly again, bright lasers shooting out from them.

At Mount Fuji, explosions continually went off around the peak, rocks falling as SkyScourge circled the mountaintop firing upon the Maximals. Laughing merrily, SkyScourge transformed and landed. "Ha! Even three of you puny Maximals are no match for one powerful Decepticon!"

"I don’t think so, fumes for brains!" Scaleblade snarled, leaping at SkyScourge. She latched onto his right arm, biting with her strong dragon teeth. Grunting, SkyScourge forced her away. The dragon tumbled backwards uncontrollably, falling into an open crevice within the mountain.

The dragon fell hundreds of feet downwards, plummeting into a pit of molten lava within the mountain. She splashed, disappearing into the molten void as a strange red light began to radiate out.

"SCALEBLADE!" Tigatron yelled.

"She’s the least of your problems!" SkyScourge said, firing upon the tiger. Tigatron yelled as he was blasted toward the peak of the mountain, landing out of sight. Dinobot growled and leaped at SkyScourge, biting him just as Scaleblade tried. "Ha! You’re no match for me, fossil!" SkyScourge muttered, delivering a swift punch to Dinobot.

The raptor tumbled away, falling straight down an icy cliff and landing several yards down on top of a granite ledge. SkyScourge followed, hovering with his jets just a few feet above the raptor. Dinobot moaned, trying to transform but left too weak. A blaster popped out of SkyScourge’s left arm, which the Decepticon aimed at Dinobot’s chest. "Any last words, Maximal?" SkyScourge asked.

Dinobot growled defiantly, still too weak. "I’ll…never surrender…to you!" Dinobot swore.

Just before SkyScourge could fire, the mountain itself began to rumble. Both Dinobot and SkyScourge looked around, unsure of what was happening. Up above, Tigatron awoke with a headache, looking up to find a powerful storm circling around the mountain. As the winds started to grow stronger, a bolt of lightning sped downwards, zapping Tigatron with all its might. As the Maximal roared in pain, a strange white energy enveloped his body. Transforming, Tigatron was lifted into the air, a great vortex surrounding him.

Sensing the storm’s energy as one with his spark, Tigatron muttered, "By the Matrix!"

As SkyScourge watched in wide wonder, the rocky ledge Dinobot rested upon started to glow. Its energy enveloped Dinobot, filling his spark and making him glow with its same light. Almost instinctively, Dinobot transformed. SkyScourge looked down, surprised but pointing his weapon back at the raptor. Dinobot leaned back, brushing the ledge with his hand slightly.

The rocky ledge suddenly split in two, the half SkyScourge stood upon thrusted up into the air, creating a massive spire of solid stone. SkyScourge stood unsteadily at the pointed tip, wobbling on one foot as he looked down at the jagged cliffs around him. Then, as the mountain continued to tremble, a part of Mount Fuji’s cap collapsed, a sizeable hole leading down into its heart shining with bright orange-red light.

"BRAAAAAAAAG!" a voice roared from within. Scaleblade herself, now bright red in color, flew out, hovering above the mountain. With fiery energy enveloping her robotic form, she pointed a claws finger at SkyScourge. "SKYSCOURGE! IT’S TIME YOU GOT A TASTE OF SOME REAL FIREPOWER!"

On cue, fountains of lava bubbled out of the volcano, red-hot coals filling the air. Waving her arms at SkyScourge, the lava fountain turned, blasting the Decepticon with molten rock hundreds of degrees hot. SkyScourge screamed in pain as his body was enveloped completely. As the lava’s fury subsided, slowing to a mere dribble, one of SkyScourge’s robotic arms floated to the top, then melted into the lava like slag.

Landing beside Dinobot, Scaleblade rubbed her hands together, knocking the volcanic ash off. "Well…so much for him!"

Snarling a bit, Dinobot muttered, "Good riddance...one less Decepticon to worry about. But I don’t understand these…powers we possess! Where did they come from?"

From above, Tigatron yelled, "I don’t entirely know…but look towards the city!" Sure enough, explosions were going off near the center of Tokyo, a few buildings collapsing as the screams of countless thousands echoed with weapons fire. "Our friends no doubt need our help!"

"You take them by air…since it’s your specialty now stripes! Me and Dinobot will take the low road!" Scaleblade suggested. Grabbing Dinobot by the arm, the dragon-bot flew straight up, then right into the volcanic hole at the mountain’s peak. Tigatron watched for a moment, and then waved his hands. Powerful gusts of wind sent him flying toward the rendezvous of his life.

The battle between Oblivion and Ironwood raged onward, but it was decidedly a one-sided battle. No matter what Ironwood threw at the giant, Oblivion took it all and gave double back to the guardian. Despite it all, Ironwood fought long and hard, knowing his efforts gave the humans of the city more time to escape. But then…despite his endurance, strength, and dedication, the great guardian fell.

Ironwood smashed into an already battered building, causing half of the structure to collapse around him. Amid the rubble, Ironwood’s body laid, slumped over with chunks of armor ripped off to expose crackling wires and circuits. His head turned to the one side, Ironwood’s eyes flickering off.

"NO!" RedStreak and Coyotek yelled, their giant ally deactivated.

Above them, a laugh filled the air, Galvatron flying above with Optimus Primal in his clutches. "Surrender now while you can, Maximals! Your demise is but moments away! Surrender yourselves and Vector Delta…and I might space this city and your precious leader!"

Clutching his fists, Coyotek yelled to Galvatron, "We know your ways too well Galvatron! You never keep your word!" He and RedStreak merged, standing up as Red ‘Tek, who pointed to the Decepticon commander. "The sparks of Rodimus Prime and Ultra Magnus within me told me so!"

With Oblivion just below him, Galvatron said, "Does it look like you have any choice, Autobot-spawn? With the combined powers of Oblivion and the Vector computers, none shall stand in my way! I…."

A loud rumble interrupted Galvatron, who glanced to his right. Flowing from the bay and onto the streets came a large wave, pushing aside cars, trucks, and debris in its wake. His eyes widened in surprise, the wave nearly upon both him and Oblivion. Riding the crest of the wave, Depth Charge shouted boldly, "Time to wash out the filth!" He jumped into the air and transformed, the wave blasting Galvatron and Oblivion into a large building.

Depth Charge caught Optimus Primal in mid-air, performing a back flip and landing beside Red ‘Tek. "Hope I arrived just in time," he said, "Oh…and I believe this is yours." He handed Primal over to Red ‘Tek, who set the awakening commander on the ground gently.

As the water drained away, Oblivion reactivated, pulling himself out of the building he was slammed into. He took a step forward, the street crumbling beneath him. He glanced down for a second, steam hissing from beneath his foot. A blast of molten rock erupted out, hitting the giant right in the face, covering him completely over. Scaleblade and Dinobot leaped right out of the volcanic geyser, also landing before Red ‘Tek.

"Incredible," Red ‘Tek said, watching the geyser continue to erupt, "But who did you manage to…."

A gust of wind surged through the street, Tigatron hovering above them. "We can not say, but somehow the Earth itself has given us power over the elements!" Turning towards Oblivion, Tigatron stretched his arms skyward, directing the storm above. A bolt of lightning arced down and hit the giant, sending surging of electricity through them. Oblivion yelled in pain, but once Tigatron’s concentration failed him, the lightning faded. Gasping, he muttered, "It’s…it’s too much! I can’t stop him!"

"We should combine our efforts…the results might be more promising!" Dinobot suggested.

"An excellent idea, Dinobot!" Red ‘Tek agreed, "Maximals…attack!"

A whole new united front was formed against Oblivion, with the Maximals using their newfound powers against the titan. Dinobot roared, causing the streets to quake beneath him as Scaleblade circled, blasting lava balls at his face. Depth Charge caused water to erupt from the sewers, drenching the Decepticon as Tigatron caused hail and ice chards to pummel him further.

Optimus Primal awoke with wide eyes. "By the code of Primus…" he mumbled in amazement. As he watched the epic fight, Rattrap arrived with Botanica on his back, the rodent screeching to a stop as he and his beloved stared.

"What the slag is going on here?!" Rattrap exclaimed.

"This is unbelievable!" Botanica stated.

"No," Primal said, still watching the fight, "This is the work of the Matrix."

At first things seemed to be well, but Oblivion overcame them inevitably. With a swift kick, he knocked away Depth Charge and Dinobot. With a sweep of his arm, Scaleblade and Tigatron were thrown to the ground. Red ‘Tek’s blaster was knocked from his hand as Oblivion lifted him up, throwing him back towards Optimus Primal and the other Maximals. Oblivion marched on, slamming his fist into his head as he glared at the Maximals from his lofty height.

"It’s no use. Even with the powers of nature he’s…too powerful!" Tigatron declared.

"We can’t give up yet!" Primal said, glancing toward the busy end of the street, "There are too many humans still evacuating from this area!"

"Oblivion…destroy Maximals!" the giant’s voice trembled, "Oblivion…is…ultimate power!"

Coyotek stared at the giant for a long time. He then looked back, seeing all the people struggling to escape from certain doom. The golden coyote clenched his fists, shaking them hard. "No!" Coyotek firmly said, "We make our stand here! For both Maximal and human! The Decepticons can tear our or circuits and grind us to dust, but WE WON’T fall before them!" Even as the others looked at him weird, Coyotek raised up his blaster and yelled, "TILL ALL ARE ONE!"

A red sword clashed with the side of his blaster. RedStreak stood at Coyotek’s side, standing with his friend. "Till all are one!" he said, repeating Coyotek’s words.

A sickle joined, followed by a battle-ax, trident, and a silver mace. Standing beside Coyotek and RedStreak, Scaleblade, Dinobot, Depth Charge, and Tigatron joined in arms and proclaimed, "Till all are one!"

Suddenly, a light shined from the middle of Coyotek’s chest. A white spark emerged, hovering before the gathered Maximals. "The spark…of light?" Optimus Primal said, glancing at Botanica, who was equally bewildered, "But I though RedStreak was…."

From RedStreak’s chest his own spark emerged, floating side-by-side with Coyotek’s. The two glanced at each other, and then at the sparks. Soon light enveloped the two, which spread next to Scaleblade, Dinobot, Depth Charge, and Tigatron. Their sparks also exited from their bodies, rising into the air where they joined together in one giant sphere of light.

Like magic, they all began to transform, but not into beasts or robots or vehicles. Their bodies changed, components shifting and lengthening. Coyotek and RedStreak fused once again, but instead of Red ‘Tek they merged into a different, blockier form. Scaleblade and Tigatron merged to the right and left of them respectively. Depth Charge’s fins and Scaleblade’s wings united into what resembled a set of butterfly wings, fusing in the back as Dinobot and Depth Charge themselves became legs and feet. Finally, as all six bodies merged, the weapons of all the Maximals came together, fusing into a somewhat mismatched but large and powerful sword. The giant spark entered the new body, bringing it to life. A head emerged from the chest with a three-pronged crown and a steel faceplate, resembling that of Optimus Prime himself.

"By the Matrix," Rattrap said, "They’ve all…become one!"

Staring at the new warrior with wide eyes, Botanica gasped, "The one…in all! The prophesied warrior!"

The warrior gripped his mighty weapon with his five-fingered right hand and his dragonhead for a left hand, pointing it straight at Oblivion, who gazed at him with steel eyes. With the sun glinting off his wings, the warrior spoke in a heroic voice, "Now, Oblivion, your rampant destruction shall proceed no more! Now you face Ultra Maximus!"

Megatron flew outwards, entering uncharted territory at the fringes of the galaxy. Uncharted, he thought, On Maximal star maps. As he flew near the speed of light in his flight mode, a collection of beacons hovered in place, all marked with worn-away but recognizable signs of the Predacon Alliance. Further still, near a barren, ringed world, a large and seemingly abandoned space station orbited.

Megatron transformed and flew in his robotic form. Nearing the space station lights suddenly started to come alive. Panels opened to reveal hidden guns, fully loaded and aiming toward Megatron himself. Now, in place of a junked, useless derelict was an armed battle station poised to attack.

The Predacon simply smiled and floated in place, even as numerous blasters and missiles targeted him. As Megatron waited, a projector deployed from the station. A large hologram was created, one that glared at Megatron with an evil sneer.

Via Megatron’s com-link, the hologram said to him, "You have entered the forbidden orbital space of the Predacon Alliance, outpost Omega-138. Leave now, Megatron, and we will not be forced to open fire upon you…."

Megatron openly laughed. "Open fire? On me? Ha! I am no Maximal coward! I have come here to speak with the Tripredicus Council…in person."

The hologram narrowed its eyes upon Megatron. "State your business with us," it insisted.

A smile beamed across Megatron’s faceplate. "I have come to discuss…the return of the Predacon Alliance to Cybertron…."