Hysteria roamed the forest edge after departing from the Maximals, taking in the sights of this strange new land.  The crash had partially corrupted her memory, leaving confusing gaps that she couldn’t piece together, like what had happened for her to have left Cybertron or who she was before moments ago.  Yet even with what little she did recall, she knew she’d never seen a planet like this before.  It was vastly different than Cybertron.  She wandered to a river and glanced down at her reflection.  A hyena, she confirmed.  A species of animal found on Earth.  She didn’t know how she knew that… maybe it was programmed into her with the form.  Just remembering the word “Earth” had her glancing around her surroundings once more before looking back down at the river.  Earth, huh…  Was that where she was?  She always imagined it to be more… industrial.  She did not have long to think about it before noticing how her reflection began to ripple around the same time that she heard loud footsteps. 

She lifted her head and turned around, looking in the direction of the sound to catch a large creature approaching her.  Another dinosaur.  Accompanying it was a large scorpion.  The two were headed straight for her.

“Ahh, there you are… Hysteria, was it?” the dinosaur spoke, proving to her that it was a robot in disguise.  She lowered her head defensively while her fur stood up on end.

“How did you know that?”

“Do forgive me for eavesdropping,” he said with a laugh.  His voice had a haughty air that she didn’t care for.  “We overheard you speaking with the Maximals, yes…”

“So, let me guess…  You’re a Predacon?”

“Oh, yes, indeed.”  He gestured at himself with one of his tiny arms.  “I am Megatron— leader of the Predacons.”

“Well, if you overheard my conversation with the Maximals, you heard that I have no interest in your war,” she said.

“Why, yes, I did in fact hear that.  A pity, I think.”  The dinosaur laughed, shaking his large head in amusement.  “Are you… certain you don’t wish to join the Predacons?  Our ranks could certainly benefit from your spunk.”

“Positive, thanks,” she said.  “Why don’t you run along and find those Maximals to bother them instead?”

“Ooh… Feisty, I like that, yes.  Very well.  If you won’t enlist willingly, consider this a draft,” Megatron said.  “Scorponok!”

Hysteria was given little time to react after Megatron commanded Scorponok.  The Predacon launched one of his Cyberbees, which quickly reached and attached itself to her.  The moment it stung her, her circuits were paralyzed.  She collapsed onto the ground and panic set in as she realized she would be unable to escape or fight back.  She heard Megatron cackle as he and Scorponok drew closer for the brief few moments before she went offline.

Hysteria’s circuits were slow to boot when she eventually did come back online.  Her consciousness returned first.  Then, her optics and audials were functional.  She still could not move, but she was aware that she was inside what appeared to be some ship and could hear voices discussing something around her.  She had been transformed out of her beast mode, and enough of her sensors came back that she now recognized she was restrained.

“Well, well, well…  It seems our sleeping beauty is awake, yes!”

Her vocalizer had not fully come back online, so she could not respond to Megatron’s snide remark.  She merely looked over at him, flashing him a disdainful look.

“Oh, that’s no way to look at your superior, no.”

“Y… …ot… m…”

She tried to speak, but it came out glitched and unintelligible.  Her vocalizer wasn’t fully operational yet.  Whatever had been done to her really slowed her systems down. 

“Are you trying to tell me something, dear?” Megatron taunted.  “Do speak up.”

“You’re n-no… n-not…”

“I’m not what?”

Hysteria opened her mouth to speak again, but realized it was futile.  She needed to conserve the energy so her remaining processes could finish booting up.  Whatever had been injected to her when she was stung was causing latency in her system.  She hoped that effect was only temporary.

“That’s what I thought,” Megatron laughed.  “Well, since you cannot speak at the moment, I will ask you a simple yes or no question.  Nod your helm for yes, shake it for no.”

Hysteria glared at him, waiting for his question.

“I will not have NAILs roaming the land, using my resources scot-free,” he said.  “No.  To me, that’s just as bad as a Maximal…  However, you have one small advantage over a Maximal, which is why we have yet to scrap you.  That is that you do not yet have any alliance.  You must make a decision.  Now, will you choose to join the Predacon cause willingly, or will I have to get Tarantulas here to… shall we say, recruit you?”

Megatron was exactly the kind of mech that Hysteria despised.  If there was one thing that she remembered about herself, it was that she did not like to be told what to do.  Machismo especially did not work on her.  In fact, it only made her dig her heels in to challenge it.  Even outnumbered and surrounded by an enemy, she wasn’t about to take this kind of disrespect figuratively lying down.  She managed to muster enough coolant while he was speaking to do the unthinkable— she spit at him.  The other Predacons present in the room gasped at her as he wiped the fluid from his cheek in disbelief.

“You little-!” Megatron growled, raising the head cannon on his arm in anger before lowering it and twisting away.  He laughed unexpectedly and shook his helm.  “Lucky for you, no one appreciates a bad attitude more than I.  It only makes it more… satisfying when I get you to yield to me.”

“Go s-scrap yourself,” she managed to vocalize.

“Tarantulas.”  His voice was perfectly calm as he gestured behind himself back at her.  “Reprogram her shell.  Replace that malfunctioning Maximal driver with our own.”

“Yes, Megatron.”

Hysteria tried to break free from her restraints as the mech approached her, but it was no use. 

“Reprogram me if you wish,” she said now that all systems were online and on alert.  “But whatever you do, I will never be one of yours.  Remember that, Megatron.”

Megatron turned around to look at her, a sly smirk on his face.

“We’ll just see about that,” he said.  Without allowing his optics to stray from her, he added, “Tarantulas, do not tamper with those memory circuits of hers.  I want her to remember she said that.  Ta-ta, Hysteria.”

Megatron taunted her one final time with a dainty wave before walking out.  Other Predacons filed out behind him, leaving her alone with Tarantulas.  She stared at him defiantly as he stuck a needle into one of the cables in her arm, knowing she had no choice in what was about to happen, nor any way to escape.  If she had nothing else, she still had her pride, and she intended to keep it as long as she could. 

The next time she came back online, she was in beast mode again and found herself inside what seemed to be a small cage.  She felt trapped, and not just because she was in an enclosure.  She felt… pent up.  Irritated.  Aggressive.  As she pulled herself up and began to pace inside of the small space, she was certain that the reprogramming had been successful, but surprised to realize her memory actually had not been erased.  This revelation had her laughing to herself in her cage.  Megatron was an even bigger fool than she thought!  How was he stupid enough leave to her memory and identity circuits intact just so he could rub it in her face?  She remembered everything from her time on this planet.  Everything.  From being released from that stasis pod to telling Megatron that she would never follow him.  Now, she was the same rebellious little fragger, just with all the ruthlessness of a Predacon.  Her laughing turned to cackling.  She was now both more determined than ever and more suited than before to make his life a nightmare. 

“Are you certain you were successful?” Megatron asked upon seeing her.

“I assure you that she now has Predacon programming,” Tarantulas confirmed.  He pulled up a screen, showing her internal schematics.  There was a little Predacon insignia flashing over her spark chamber, indicating her Predacon energy signature.

“Let’s see about that,” he said.  He stepped closer to her enclosure to look her in the optics.  “Welcome back, Hysteria.  Glad to have you back online…  Now, think carefully before answering.  Who do you serve?”

“Oh, you, of course, Megatron.  I’ve seen the error of my ways, my liege,” she said, unable to stop herself from snickering as she said it.

Megatron frowned, looking back at the scientist.

“You didn’t scramble her processor, did you?  She will be no use to me if you’ve… lobotomized her.”

“I believe that’s just an unusual trait of her beast mode.”

“I see…” he said while stroking his chin.

Scorponok entered Tarantulas’s lair right as Megatron was saying this.

“Megatron,” he said.

The leader turned away from his captive to acknowledge his lieutenant.

“Report.”

“Maximal activity in subsector theta,” Scorponok reported.  “Two of them appear to be scouting, but I can’t determine what.”

A wide grin crossed Megatron’s face and he slapped his servo on the top of Hysteria’s cage.

“What a perfect opportunity to test out our newest recruit,” he said.  “Hysteria, you will accompany Scorponok to thwart those Maximals.”

Hysteria shot back an equally wide smile, baring teeth and causing Scorponok to give Megatron an uneasy look.

“Are you sure about this, Megatron?” he asked.  “How do we know she can be trusted?”

“We’re Predacons, Scorponok.  None of us can be trusted,” he laughed, before reaching between the bars of her cage and scratching her head.  “But you need not worry about this one, Scorponok.  No… Should she try anything foolish, you have permission to take her offline again.  If it comes to that, we’ll have no choice but to do a clean install.”

Hysteria kept her grin, leaning into Megatron’s touch.  He really was a huge idiot if he thought telling her that would frighten her into submission.  If anything, it only made her more eager to deceive him.  He was right about one thing, none of them could be trusted, herself included.  She decided to lay it on thick, purring as she nudged his servo.

“Playful as a pussycat,” he chuckled as she allowed him to pet her.  “I don’t think this one will disappoint me, no…  Release her, Tarantulas.”

The bars of the cage went offline, allowing her to step out.

“Are you familiar with your new Predacon activation code?” Megatron asked her when she was free.

“I am…  Hysteria, terrorize!” she said, shifting out of her organic disguise.

Megatron clapped his hands together in delight as he sized her up.  The way his gaze lingered on her was repulsive.  Up until this point, she had, perhaps foolishly, assumed that his conquest of her was ultimately for a militant advantage over the opposition.  Now, she began to worry that there was a bit more to it.  She wasn’t naïve enough to think he wanted anything romantic, but it was obvious he got his kicks from making others submit to him.  Her fuel tank churned at the thought of having to entertain that eventually.

She reminded herself that playing along with this farce would only benefit her in the long run.  If she could get him in a position where he was alone and vulnerable, it would be easier to usurp him.  She had to prove her loyalty to him first.  Gain his trust.  Earn her freedom… as a Predacon.  So, though all of her internal alerts screamed at her, she let out a flirtatious purr.

“What is my objective, Megs?”

She kept her tone suggestive, feeling a bit of triumph when she saw how much her attention amused him.  To her, it appeared that Megatron was completely oblivious to her true intentions.  She just had to keep this up until he was convinced that he had gained an obedient and devoted follower.

“Megs… Ooh, I like that, yes.”

Megatron's grin widened and he stepped closer to her, placing a servo on her back. 

"I knew you were a wise choice, my dear Hysteria," he said, his voice low and equally as seductive.  She had to resist the urge to rip off his limb and beat him with it as his servo slowly wandered further down her back.  "Should you please me, who knows?  Perhaps we could conquer this galaxy together."

Hysteria fought the urge to scoff at this.  She knew his kind.  His ego would never allow him to see any as his equal.  The thought of being his trophy or whatever he intended was a joke of its own, but he didn’t need to know that.

"Well, I guess I’ll just have to do my best to impress you, huh?" she said in a sultry tone she was impressed that she could muster.

Megatron leaned in, his face just inches from hers.  Hysteria's disgust reached a boiling point with him this close to her.  She braced herself for whatever he was about to do, but he then cleared his throat, seemingly remembering that the two of them were not alone.

“But for now, your objective, yes,” he said, straightening up.  “Your objective, my dear Hysteria, is to accompany Scorponok to intercept some Maximals in subsector theta.  I don’t know what they’re up to, and frankly, I do not care.  I just want their day ruined.”

Hysteria nodded obediently, giving Scorponok a sly smile.  She could sense that he was still wary of her and would be keeping a close optic on her.  She’d be on her best behavior while under his scrutiny, or perhaps worst was more fitting.  Either way, she’d be a model Predacon.

“Consider it done,” she then said to Megatron.

“Off you go then,” Megatron said, dismissing them with a wave of his servo.  “I look forward to celebrating your return.”

Hysteria followed Scorponok out of the Darksyde, switching into her beast mode when they were outside.  She kept her guard up as the two of them headed towards subsector theta.  It didn’t take a genius to realize that this one was even dumber than Megatron, so it would be nothing to deceive him.  All she needed was a convincing performance to establish herself as a valuable Predacon.

Soon enough, she was faced with this opportunity.  She and Scorponok quickly located a pair of animals that he recognized as Maximals.  A cheetah and a… rat?  She had to admit, she was a little disappointed that she didn’t see the one called Dinobot down there.  She hadn’t thought about him since coming back online, but now she found herself recalling that encounter with him.  He seemed like an interesting little mech, and he was definitely easy on the optics.  She just knew he had some fight in him.  That fierce look they shared sent a shiver through her frame.  On the outside, it may have looked like the same kind of machismo that disgusted her about Megatron, but deep within her spark, she knew it was not the case.  That wasn’t a look of objectification.  It was respect, concern… perhaps even intrigue.  He knew something she didn’t, and his warning was not an intimidation tactic.  He was right, and she probably should have considered his words instead of dismissing them, but hindsight is twenty-twenty.  The idea of crossing him at some point fired her up.  If she did well and proved herself as a competent warrior, perhaps she could get a chance to face him herself.

“Scorponok, let's take them down,” she said.  “Hysteria, terrorize…”

Scorponok nodded and transformed as well, and together they charged towards the cave, ready to take down the Maximals.

“Uh-oh, we got company,” Rattrap said when he saw Scorponok charging towards him. 

Cheetor lifted his head, looking at their incoming opponent.  “Who’s that he has with him?”

“No clue,” said Rattrap.  “But if they’re Pred, they’re dead.  Rattrap, maximize!”

Upon seeing his ally transform, Cheetor did the same.

“Cheetor, maximize!” he exclaimed.

By the time the Maximals were in fighting position, Hysteria and Scorponok were close enough to shoot.  Hysteria opened fire on the Maximals, with her first shot managing to graze Rattrap’s shoulder as he ducked behind a rock.

“Sheesh, who’s this crazy broad they got with ‘em?” Rattrap said, rubbing his arm before turning to fire back.  “Who ever heard of a Predacon that’s a good shot?”

Hysteria smirked at the off-handed compliment, but didn’t let the flattery distract her.  She was swift to dodge the return fire.

“Guess there’s a first time for everything, huh?” she called back, firing another shot that clipped the top of the rock Rattrap was hiding behind clean off. 

While Scorponok was shooting lasers of his own, his main focus was watching Hysteria.  Though he still didn’t want to trust her, he found himself impressed with her skills and how ruthless she was being.

“Nice shot,” he said.

“Less talking, more shooting,” she replied, not allowing him to distract her.  She knew that Cheetor thought she was focused on Rattrap, so she quickly turned her blaster on him.  He noticed her right in the nick of time and attempted to dodge, but she still managed to hit his foot.  Cheetor yowled in response.

“Oh, for bootin’ up cold!” Rattrap exclaimed, firing back in retaliation.

“I think we better retreat,” Cheetor said. 

“Retreat?” the rat echoed, attempting to protest.  The next shot was a little too close for comfort, and he sighed.  “Alright, alright.  Maybe you gotta point, kid.  Let’s get outta here.”

The two transformed and began to scamper off.  Hysteria kept her aim on them as they raced away.

“Aw, you’re no fun,” she said when they were out of range.

Scorponok said nothing.  He could only look at Hysteria in disbelief.  Sensing that he was gawking, she patted the bottom of his chin.

“C’mon.  Let’s not keep Megs waiting,” she said before transforming back to return to base.

In spite of the damage they took, Cheetor and Rattrap managed to make it back to the Axalon.

“Fire up those CR chambers, will ya?” Rattrap said when the two of them were back onboard.

Primal and Rhinox took notice of the scratches, dents, and even blasts in their armor.

“What happened out there?” asked Primal.

“Preds got some new sharpshooter,” Cheetor said.

“New Predacon?” Rhinox said.  “I’m not aware of any other pods landing recently.”

“Please assure me that you are truly not as gullible as you sound,” Dinobot proclaimed as he entered the room.  All optics turned to him.  “There was no new pod!  That Predacon is clearly the femme Optimus failed to enlist the other day!”

“Hold on, Dinobot,” Primal said.  He turned to the other two.  “Can you describe the new one to us?”

“Yeah, from what I could see, she was a fine piece of work, alright,” said Rattrap with a laugh as he rubbed his shoulder.  After a wistful sigh, he shook his head.  “Why is it the cute ones that are always psycho?”

“We didn’t get a look at her beast mode,” said Cheetor.  “But I did notice she had spots too.  I don’t think she was a cheetah though.”

Primal let out a deep sigh and nodded pensively.

“I’m afraid Dinobot is right,” he said.  “There’s no doubt about it.  You ran into Hysteria.”

“You’re saying she joined the Predacons?” asked Cheetor.

“No, you buffoon!” Dinobot said, slamming his fists on the table.  “She was no doubt captured and converted against her will.”

“Yeah?  How can you be so sure?” said Rattrap.  “From the sounds of it, she wanted nothing to do with us from the start.  And she was certainly enjoyin’ using us for target practice.  How do we know she didn’t just lie to the two of you so she could team up with her buds?”

“That is both a baseless and foolish assumption, vermin,” replied Dinobot.  Though his voice was low now, it was no less venomous.  “She was no Predacon.”

“And you’re the expert, right?” teased Rattrap.  “Y’know… I’m kinda starting to think she was.  It might explain why you got a such soft spot for her.”

Dinobot growled, the sound coming deep from within his chest.

“I have no soft spot,” he snapped.  He was seething.  It took him a moment before he could continue.  “It merely… enrages me to know that our failure resulted in Megatron gaining a capable ally.”

“That’s enough, both of you,” Primal said, sensing Dinobot was growing increasingly volatile, and rightfully so.  Primal was just as frustrated as he was that he had predicted this entire situation, though he knew it could not have been prevented in the way the other mech believed.

Dinobot clenched his fists, optics darting between Primal and Rattrap.  With a snort of frustration, he left the ship.  The former Predacon was often unpredictable, but he seemed more invested in this issue than expected.  Rattrap wouldn’t be satisfied until he had more details.

“What the slag happened out there?” he asked Primal, who was mulling over the situation.  “I feel like we’re missing some key points here.”

The commander sighed, running a hand down his face.

“Not much,” he said.  “We greeted her and briefed her about where she was and what was going on.  She said she couldn’t fight for a cause she wasn’t familiar with.  Dinobot seemed to take issue with her neutral stance and the two briefly butted heads over it.”

“Yeah?” said Rattrap.  “Is that all?  I butt heads with Bronto-brain all the time an’ he’s not fryin’ his circuits to defend me.”

“Well…”  Primal remembered something that seemed comical at the time, but interesting in hindsight.  “I suppose she did tease him a little.”

“Huh?” Cheetor asked, suddenly intrigued.

“Now, this I gotta hear,” laughed Rattrap.

“It wasn’t much,” chuckled Primal.  “But she called him ‘tall, dark, and handsome’ to get his attention, and it seemed to catch him off guard.”

After a pause of silence to process that Primal was indeed telling the truth, this earned an uproar of laughter out of the other Maximals.  Even Rhinox snickered a little at the sound of this.

“Yeah, no doubt his ugly mug isn’t used to that kinda sweet talk,” Rattrap joked.  “So, you’re sayin’ a little flattery has the tough guy meltin’ like solder?”

“No, not exactly,” Primal replied, his expression growing soft.  “That interaction was just a little part of the bigger picture.  Truth is, I think he saw potential in her.  Her moxie, her conviction— she didn’t back down from him.  She stood her ground and didn’t stray from her morals.  She refused to fight without reason, though it seemed like she was close to picking one with him.  I’d wager he may have even saw a little bit of himself in her.”

“Oh great, like we need two of ‘em runnin’ around.”

“Jokes aside,” the commander began with another sigh.  “Hearing that she is now sided with the Predacons, whether by choice or not, is indeed a great loss.”

“What do you think, big bot?” asked Cheetor.  “You met her.  Do you really think it was by choice?”

Primal shook his head.

“No.  I think Dinobot was spot on in his assumption.  Though, I’m not sure how we could have avoided this without upsetting her.”

“So, what do we do?” the cheetah asked.  “If they really did turn her, we can’t just leave her like that…  Right?”

“Whether or not he’ll admit it out loud, Dinobot seems to think she’s a cause worth fighting for,” Primal said.  “I let them both down once, and I feel like we have to make this right.”

“Eh…  Hate to be that guy,” Rattrap interrupted.  “But let’s not forget that’s one dangerous dame now.”

“And we don’t have the tools to reprogram her ourselves, Optimus.  Maximals just don’t tamper with the shell program like that.  It’s barbaric,” said Rhinox.  “Best we could do is take her offline and try to do a system restore, but every moment she’s fighting with them is a moment closer to losing that restore point.”

“We need a course of action, and soon…  But for now, let’s get you two in the CR Chambers.”

“I see the two are you are back in one piece, and sooner than I expected, no less,” Megatron said as his second-in-command and his newest recruit entered his presence.  His optics fell on Hysteria, and she grimaced internally at how long they lingered on her.  “Doesn’t appear to be a scratch on you either, no…  Well, Scorponok?”

Scorponok hesitated, clearly not wanting to sing Hysteria’s praises, but knowing that he could not pretend she was anything less than extraordinary in combat.

“She was impressive,” he said, lowering his head.  “Her aim was impeccable.  Good enough that the Maximals were forced to retreat.”

“My, my, dear Hysteria.  Such raving reviews are a rarity among these ranks, yes,” Megatron said with a smirk on his face.  “Let it be known, I had no doubt that you would be a valuable asset, but this?”  He paused to chuckle.  “Well, just goes to show how a little code can unlock one’s true potential, does it not?”

“I’m pleased to hear my performance was satisfactory,” she said, feigning a smile.

“Satisfactory?”  Megatron’s grin spread.  “Oh no, you were not merely satisfactory.  You were… phenomenal, remarkable— exemplary, even.  You will serve me well.”

Hysteria already knew she was good at what she did, she didn’t need that validation from a megalomaniac.  However, she needed him to think that he had her under his thumb.  So, she ducked her head, hoping she could convince him that his sweettalking was getting him somewhere.

“It’s a pleasure to hear that, Megs,” she said.

“Oh, the pleasure is all mine, I’m sure…  Scorponok?”  His predatory gaze upon her did not falter as he called to the other mech.

“Yes, Megatron?”

“You are dismissed.”

Scorponok saluted Megatron before taking his leave.

“Now, where were we?” Megatron purred.  He raised a servo, curling one digit as he beckoned her closer.

‘Scrap…’ Hysteria thought.  The last thing she wanted was to be alone with this creep.  All she wanted to do was blast that fragging smirk off his face.  Her internal alarms were sounding off again, but she ignored them in favor of closing the distance between herself and Megatron.

“Yes, my lord?”

Megatron chuckled softly at her.

“I must admit, I am intrigued by you.  Your prowess reminds me of someone I admired,” Megatron stated.  “No matter, you possess a rare combination of beauty and brutality that exceeds my expectations.  Why, keep up the good work and you may even work your way up to second-in-command.”

Hysteria’s optics genuinely flashed brighter at this statement.  Second-in-command?  If she could work her way up to that point, it’d be far easier to dispose of Megatron.  As she considered this possibility, she felt his servo touch her cheek.  For a split second, she considered knocking his hand away, but remembered her purpose.

“You like the idea of that don’t you?” he said, voice low and honied.  “I can see that glimmer in your optics.”

“What can I say?  I look forward to more opportunities to prove myself,” she said to him with a mischievous giggle.

“Oh, and those opportunities will come, don’t you worry that pretty little helm of yours,” he replied.  “Sooner rather than later, I hope.  I must say, you’d be a much more… attractive right-hand mech than Scorponok…  And far more pleasant company than that deceitful Dinobot.”

The sudden sound of that name caused her to inadvertently stiffen.  Was it the same Dinobot that she had met?  Or was it a common name?  Her physical reaction to his words was not lost on Megatron.

“Yes, that Dinobot, my dear,” he chuckled.  She momentarily wondered how he knew what she was thinking, but then recalled that Megatron had been eavesdropping that day.  “You need not worry about that insufferable traitor.  I have faith that you might even be the one to get him scrapped…  But that is another task for another day.”  His servo retreated, finding its place back on the armrest of his throne before shooing her away.  “You are dismissed.”

With a bow, Hysteria made her way out of his throne room.  The uncomfortable sensation of Megatron’s touch lingered on her cheek, and she knew that no amount of polishing would scrub that filthy feeling away.  As she walked through the corridors, she realized she had not been given any instructions.  She had not been told to report anywhere and no one had been around to put her back in that cage she had been in previously.  She grinned at the freedom this opportunity granted her.  If anything, she’d feign ignorance and schmooze up for forgiveness, but she’d deal with that if it happened.  She decided a bit of fresh air might help blow off some steam.  Transforming into her beast mode, she snuck out of the Darksyde.