Behold! An update on my humble fic. Thanks are in order for Starfire201, GhostLord, Donna Noble, The Cat Crusader, Dierdre, and TheMechanaGnome for reviewing. You guys rock. A shout-out to Ouchimoo, who happens to be one of my favorite Transfiction writers. I salute you! And many of you are on par; Sector Seven just might be making their debut soon...

I wanted dearly to skip a head and give you guys s'more backstory, but I figure I might as well make the suspense last, before I introduce some real problems for our Beast Warriors. Beast Wars is mine, Beast Wars is mine, Beast Wars is mine, Beast Wars is mine... (sigh) no matter how many times I say it, its not true. They're not mine, I'm on a lease. :P

Project NBE

"Depth Charge," Rampage said suddenly.

Airazor and Dinobot raised their heads, optics flickering warily. Since Rampage and Dinobot's last conflict, the three had lapsed into silence.

Together, they had been putting together any dregs of information they could scrap from their data tracks. Airazor had willing given her sparse memories. Memories of a two-sunned sky, the combination of a red sun and a blue sun painting the sky purple. Dinobot contributed very little, and what he did add was in the context of a history book; Airazor suspected he was keeping his personal memories just that: personal. Rampage danced around the subject, obviously using this meager power over the two other Dinobot to irritate nearly to blows. Yet somehow, they managed to piece together a crude timeline.

Somewhere in the past, they had been assigned aboard a ship. Naturally, that meant the statues were their fellow crewmates, the three just couldn't remember them. Rampage maintained they were abducted and stashed in this prison until their captors decided to come out and play. Dinobot refused to believe it, reasoning that they must've landed here peacefully, making the ship an exploration vessel. Rampage undermined him, saying he came on a warship, intent on conquering the universe, which is exactly why they were imprisoned; their captors obviously saw them as a threat, using a memory that all three bots shared as a key point: cannon fire from the windows of their ship. Airazor, distinctly mistrustful of anything Rampage said, suggested Rampage might've exaggerated a bit. The giant glowered, threatening her gently. Dinobot silenced the two with a fierce glare.

The timeline had a myriad of unimportant details surrounding it. The ship they had traveled on came from Cybertron. Who or what that was, the trio couldn't fathom. Optimus was an important name. Usually the thought of Engeron triggered a thirst deep within their empty tanks. Rampage hypothesized that that must've been the reason for their confinement. With pleasure, he outlined his idea, that Energon was the lifeblood of whoever had imprisoned them, and they were kept here for the natives' safety. Again, Dinobot deflected the idea, but behind his stern front, Airazor could see the subtle hesitation. Rampage had caught it too, leaping on the opportunity with gusto. Dinobot's optics lit up so vehemently that the small space was lit with red.

Until now, they had stood in silence, more or less in the empty spaces between the true statues.

"What?" Dinobot demanded, the venom from their last disagreement apparent in his chilled tone.

"His name…" Rampage trailed off dreamily, his spiteful green optics burning on the finned blue statue. A cruel hunger was at the core of his stare. Airazor felt chilled watching, averting her own optics to Dinobot.

The cantankerous mechanoid had settled into a look of disgust. "You… did know… something… more," he accused, voice still sluggish.

"To what end might I withhold such a delicious detail?" Rampage answered, unwillingly allowing his attention to be attracted elsewhere. "Do you think I enjoy your company? You flatter yourself, Dinobot."

Airazor tuned her audios low. Their squabbles were growing more and more repetitive. She hated it. Being trapped with them. Of all the personalities to be partnered with, she was cursed with a devious sadist and a cold loner. Whatever higher power had awoken her certainly enjoyed tormenting her.

The femme's optics glowed briefly with a wave of understanding. With stiff fingers, Airazor traced her fuel lines through her armor. A small section of her chest piece had been punctured then crudely bent back into place. The length of the tear was larger than her own fingers and right above her main fuel line. Raising her optics, she discovered Rampage staring impassively at her. Audios readjusting, the femmebot found herself in the thick of an uncomfortable silence.

Timidly, Airazor spoke after a moment. "You do enjoy… our… company."

Stone-faced, Rampage seemed privy to her sudden breakthrough. And he didn't like it one bit. "Do tell, Airhead," his tone was carefully modulated. His poisonous green optics narrowed, daring her to continue.

Choosing her words carefully, she forced them past the rust clogging her throat, "You… gave us… some of… your Energon… your fuel." Her optics wavered away from Rampage's face. Dinobot's visage gave her no more comfort than Rampage's. The warrior looked skeptical, pitying even. It only strengthened Airazor's determination to expose Rampage's deed. "Here…" Airazor said agitatedly, reaching for Rampage's hand. Her joint squealed, resisting, then finally giving in.

Still watching her with cold optics, Rampage allowed the action. Maybe he was starved for contact. Maybe he wanted to recognized. Or maybe he knew if he resisted, he'd only look more suspicious.

His fingers fit the contours of her dented armor perfectly. Airazor's optics dimmed in satisfaction, whipping to meet Dinobot's. He inclined his head, fingering a similar dent on his own chest plate.

"Not quite… the insidious… fiend… you claim to be," Dinobot hissed softly, the heat from his gaze blistering into Rampage's back.

The giant did not flinch away, but his optics narrowed. Turning, Rampage let all his sneering glory seep into his words. "Overlooking a small detail, stupid slag," he retorted irritably, the extra legs attached to his back twitching. Removing his hand from Airazor's grip, Rampage spread his arms wide, allowing his companions a full view of his armor. It was dusty, but unblemished. Airazor's CPU spun for a bit, reeling. How was that possible? He had to given them his fuel. Unless... Airazor's eyes darted around to the figure's around them. It was impossible to tell if they were still alive, trapped in their peaceful hibernation, or if Rampage had drained them dry. Unexplained fear shuddered through her chest, fear for one of these statues in particular.

Rampage gave a purr. Airazor's optics fluttered to his. He gave her a satisfied look, contented with her unseeable fear. How had he known? Airazor told herself she was jumping to outlandish conclusions. Glaring at him, she demanded, "Did... you ki- steal... from any... of them?" Kill was too harsh a word for siphoning off fuel, even though for them, it was a true enough term.

"Don't be shy, my sweet," Rampage tutted, grinning with his optics more than his slit mouth. "I did. I committed murder. I killed a few of these." He considered for a moment, a horrible glint in his optics. "But if you are sentimental, you could say they live on through your fuel lines." The supersoldier roared with laughter, enjoying the sorrow and horror on Airazor's faceplate.

Dinobot spoke from his place aside the shortest statue. "Which... did you... murder, Rampage?" there was a steely edge beneath his cool tone.

"Why don't you guess?" Rampage asked suggestively, optics lingering on Dinobot's diminutive neighbor.

The warrior's optics hardened, narrowing to glowing embers of hatred. "Do not... play your games... with me, I am every... bolt as a formidable... player as you." A trace of green warmed under Dinobot's usual red optics, than vanished. "Admit to whom you terminated."

Chuckling, Rampage crossed his powerful arms, optics sparkling. "Hmm, yes you are an impressive warrior. Megatron had a peculiar fondness for you as a game piece." Dinobot's eyes narrowed. Airazor was sure Dinobot was just as clueless as to who Megatron was, but Rampage's tone insinuated nasty implications. "A choice reason why I chose you."

Airazor noticed he failed to answer Dinobot's question. But she spotted an inconsistency with his story. "When we... awoke, you made it... seem like you were... unsure of... whom would awaken," she pointed out, lessening the tension in the room.

"Ignorance is the best cover, my dear," he laughed lowly again. "And you two believed me. How deliciously kind of you."

"What is your... impetus... for bringing... us online?" Dinobot said in a deathly quiet voice.

"Perhaps this is my plan," Rampage growled maliciously, optics dancing with some type of twisted glee. "To let you rot while I dissect your every move, every thought, driving you utterly into the void before I watch you dissolve into rust." Rampage's voice had gained its taunting edge again.

"Unlikely… what is your… true reason?" Dinobot replied, unconvinced. He grasped Rampage's arm with steel-clawed digits with a splitting grate of rusty metal. They dug into the giant's plating, metal on metal scraping through the quiet. The two met each other's optics with pronounced dislike.

Rampage seemed to struggle internally for a moment. Then some higher program forced him to answer, the words drawn out of his vocal synthesizer. "Instinct, if you will," he said delicately. "I had to chose carefully. Any of the statues that surrounded me would've wanted to unravel the mystery of our confinement. Yet some would surely be detrimental to re-awaken." Rampage gestured at 'Depth Charge.' "While I would prefer his company over yours, Dinobot, I knew you had focus and cunning." Dinobot opened his rust-riddled jaws, but Rampage continued, cutting him off. "Why not Megatron? Well, I doubt you retain your full memory of him. He was too cunning, oh yes, far too devious a mind for my purposes." He paused, waiting for some type of objection from Dinobot, a glimmer flickering in his optics. When neither of his companions stopped him, he spoke again. "And I had to plan for my future. When I escaped, I would need useful friends." The underscore on friends made Airazor uneasy. "A flier and a warrior would be excellent company to keep. And you two were of a more honorable stock than myself. I could trust your intentions, even if I longed to blot out your dim sparks. All of yours!" His optics flashed passionately, wrenching his arm out of Dinobot's grip, addressing the silent statues. "Yet, I restrained myself, in the interest of my future freedom." The giant towered over Dinobot, giving him an absolutely deadly look. But his voice became casual and playful again. "You don't seem to grasp your lives dangling on the threads of a killer's mercy. Threads that are fraying and twisting as we speak."

Airazor glanced away from Rampage and Dinobot, fuel pump pounding stolen fuel through her lines. Killer? Was that what Rampage was? She wasn't sure if she believed him. In this small space, she couldn't believed he had snuffed out sparks. In another life, maybe, but here… he was just like them. Wasn't he?

"Then it... seems your future... balances... on the... whims of two... 'dim sparks,'" Dinobot retorted, dropping his arm to his side. He seemed satisfied to stalemate. For now.

Rampage gave Dinobot a murderous look.

And that's where we leave our trio for now. I wanted to solve the mystery of how Dinobot and Airazor fairly quickly- Rampage didn't need one, being a supersoldier 'n' all- and give some depth to Rampage. I hate reading him as a sap who falls for the OC or a hive for angst- that's Dinobot's job ;).

I hope most you knew that Rampage is immortal, so honestly, we can't be sure if he donated any of his own fluids to bring Dinobot and Airazor online. But, another mystery arises. ooooh.

PS to Donna Noble: Dinobot is in his original form, as are all of Beasties featured.

As always speculation, reviews & all that jazz is most definitely welcomed.