This is mid-way through season two, after Dinobot has fallen, though for a good reason. Right away we zoom to a sleeping Megatron, and see that Rampage’s spark box is on an end table beside him. Can you guess what’s about to happen next? Well, I’m about to tell you; a determined crab forces Megatron’s doors open. Stealthily he reaches for his spark box, though it seems too easy. And, in fact, it is! Megatron awakes and gives the homicidal killer a reminder not to try to outwit the tyrant,  who "is your master.”

Rattrap and Silverbolt are the next two that we see, though miles away, or so we are to assume. They are near some rocky cliffs/mountain like terrain scouting, which we find out a minute later is called Grid Deltron.  Apparently recently there has been a series of earthquakes hitting this area.

Megatron gets an announcement from the ship's computer that three Maximals (Cheetor, Silverbolt and Rattrap) are near his recent jamming station. Hearing that information, he turns to Rampage and says, “I believe we can put your delightful rage to good use.”

Silverbolt decides that he can scout the mountain peaks and Cheetor and Rattrap can try the crevices. “We’re on it bird-dog.”  Rattrap says. The three go to their designated spot.

Back at the Axalon: “More tremors...” Optimus tells Rhinox, who replies saying that the trio is close to the epicenter. But they can’t warn them through their comm links, since Megatron is jamming the links. “I’m not in the mood to loose anymore friends!” Optimus declares, referencing Dinobot's death in the episode before. The transmetal monkey has his mind set; he’s going to warn the other three.

Rattrap is driving in his “knevil mode” ( I heard that in one of  The Agenda episodes.)  aka his vehicle mode, when all of a sudden the earth around him begins to crumble. Rattrap finds himself stranded on a small chunk of earth. Fortunately Cheetor is about to help: “Air Cheetor to the rescue!” The transmetal cheetah flies down to catch Rattrap, who is forced to transform and leap from the crumbling outcropping of earth. Grabbing the rat by his tail, they both think they are safe and in the clear. They have been flying for only a few seconds when a purple, electronic force field electrifies them, casuing them to fall quite a distance! Both are buried in rocks, as more ‘tremors’ continue to destroy the surrounding terrain. 

The same purple electric force that electrified Cheetor and Rattrap is on a stasis pod, which was uncovered as the Earth began to break apart. Back at the Darkside: “Activity has uncovered stasis pod.” the Predacon computer announced to Megatron. “In Grid Eletron? (Not sure on the name, I couldn’t hear it that well from my laptop.)  Coordinates 917.” Of course he must call his most loyal Predacon, Inferno! Telling him the orders to reach the pod, Inferno responds with a, “then you will have it, for the glory of the colony!”

Though Rampage was not included in this assignment, he seems to feel left out. Watching Inferno fly off, he murmurs to himself: “Where is that bug going?” 

Silverbolt has been a way off from all the action and excitement.  He decides to check in with his comrades, though with the jamming station right there, he can’t talk to anyone through the comm links. Silly Silverbolt, he should know that by now. He is minding his own business, until he spots... “Inferno, and he’s headed right towards my comrades.”

Inferno must be the fastest flier, because in a few seconds and he’s at the pod.  “I must retrieve it before the others come.”  He lands and tries to yank the pod. Data tracks are off line, as well as the DNA scanners. Silverbolt comes in to stop Inferno.  He snatches up the antbot and flies off with him.
Rampage shows up, out of the blue. “What are you, another like me perhaps?” Rampage asks the pod.  Having disposed of Inferno, Silverbolt returns to the site and he and Rampage have a glaring match for a few seconds (though I think Rampy lost, he looked away).

Out of the pod climbs a strange and mangles-looking creature, later named by Rampage as Transmutate. It’s half mutant, half transmetal, though it is unable to transform, since basically all of its files are scrambled. Where most transformers have guns, or lasers, this creature has some other kind of weaponry.  It is able to let off an ear-piercing scream that packs enough power to put enemies in stasis lock.

Transmutate is alarmed and does this, causing the Maximals pain and temporarily disabling them.  Rampage calms Transmutate and heads off with it, followed by Inferno. In a secluded location, they try to show off how big their weapons are, as Transmutate sits there looking confused, as usual.  Megatron’s face appears in the form of a floating hologram, wanting to talk to the newcomer. After inspecting it, he deems that Transmutate, unable to transform, does not seem that useful and may as well be destroyed.  Rampage feels some kinship with Transmutate, as they are both freaks in the Transformer race. He is keen to prove that the mutant indeed possessed some worth and Megatron gives the crabbot one chance to prove this, requesting that Transmutate bring him the heads of the Maximals invading Predacon territory. 

Cheetor and Rattrap return to the base, Optimus and Silverbolt split up, trying to cover more ground in their search for Transmutate. Eventually they find what appears to be an injured Transmutate, though it isn't.  Transmutate has been asked to pretend to be hurt to lure the Maximals to the ground., Silverbolt gets taken by surprise by the Predacons and is grounded and disabled.  Inferno instructs Transmutate to decapitate the injured Maximal.   It, Transmutate is hesitant, not wanting to hurt a potential friend.  Impatient with its behavior, Inferno shoves it aside. That didn’t work out too well for the antbot, as Transmutate gets angry and knocks him out with a blood-curdling scream. Rampage has not been harmed, having stood behind the attacker, and quietly says to Transmutate, "Allow me." and braces to kill Silverbolt.

“No! Allow me!” Optimus declares, arriving on the scene to save his comrade and knocks a boulder on our beloved crab. Transmutate decides to try to help Silverbolt, noticing that he’s hurt badly, and he can be helped if he goes to the CR chamber back at the base. Optimus asks Transmutate to hand Silverbolt to him, so he can fly him to get repaired.

“Fly? FLY!”  Transmutate cries and uses a crystal on its back to levitate.  Starting to get higher in the air, the three of them, the two that are flying head off to base. Rampage breaks the humongous boulder and roars after Optimus, not wanting his one friend to leave and join the Maximals!

“No. You will NOT have it Optimus, the darkness of it’s spark, it echoes my own. It belongs with MEEEE!”

We are to assume hours have passed, since there was sun before, and now it’s night. Rhinox has scanned Transmutate’s files, and we learn that basically it’s a danger to itself, and everyone around it. The Maximal scientist says it’s best to put it in stasis lock immediately, to Silverbolt's rage and Transmutate's sadness.

Rampage, from a distance, taps into Transmutate's comm system and calls for the mutant to come to him, near the Maximal base. As it does so, it smashes through the Maximal base, flying off to find its friend. Silverbolt reacts immediately and tries to stop Rampage from taking Transmutate. They begin to battle.

“Time to go back to the Matrix, hero!” Rampage cries and fires three missiles, while Silverbolt fires two winger missiles. Transmutate is distressed watching the two bots he deems friends duke it out with each other, and flies down in between them to prevent them from hurting each other. Transmutate creates a forcefield bubble around itself and finds itself intercepting the missiles, caught in the middle of a battle between two very determined creatures wanting to save their friend from the other. “TRANSMUTATE!” they cry in horror.

“Stop! Stop!” Transmutate screams, trying and failing to hold off the missiles trying to penetrate its shield.  The mutant is sadly blown up into pieces.  Siklverbolt approaches its decapitated head after the explosion.  The dying bot gets one last look at Silverbolt; “friend, good.” it says, then, seeing Rampage it says “Friend, dark.” Its last words are: “I. Am. Hurt.”

Optimus arrives and goes to comfort Silverbolt in wake of the loss of his friend. The Maximal leader suggests that Silverbolt goes back to base, and says that he and Cheetor would take care of Rampage. In somber tone, Silverbolt says something shocking; “No. Let him be. For the moment, we are brothers.”

At the end, we see Rampage holding Transmutate’s head. This episode seems to be showing us a new side to him. Love?  The reviewer doesn't believe so, but rather believes that his empathy took over, and favored this new twisted creature, known as Transmutate.

By Darkshadow