Deep Metal

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Template:Episodenav Writers: Larry DiTillio

Depth Charge arrives on Earth continuing his obsessive quest to hunt down Protoform X.

Characters (in order of appearance): Rhinox, Optimus Primal, Depth Charge, Inferno, Rampage, Megatron, Cheetor, Blackarachnia, Silverbolt, Quickstrike, Waspinator, Rattrap

Original Air Date: November 1, 1998

Summary

On Earth, in their new base in the newly fortified Mount St. Hilary, Rhinox has trouble working with the hardware salvaged from the Axalon. Primal considers this as another reason they need help from the Maximal Elders to arrive soon as possible, but Rhinox doubt the help is coming. But as they speak, help from Cybertron is coming - just not exactly the kind they were hoping for.

Outside, the mountain, Inferno leads Rampage in a planned invasion of the Maximal's now base. But the stranger entering Earth's atmosphere distracts Rampage away from the exercise, leaving Inferno to attack the Maximal's on his own. The fire-ant is easily defeated by a rock. It was a pretty big rock.

Cheetor also notices the spacecraft descending and flies to check it out. Receiving a radio contact from Cheetor, Primal heads out to join the cat. Cheetor watches the spacecraft landing in a body of water, but in the middle of a radio update to Optimus, Rampages fires a rocket to blast the Maximal out of the air. Underwater, the newly arrived Maximal scans a manta for his beast mode and leaves his transport, Depth Charge is ready eager to hunt Protoform X. Surveying the area, Depth Charge finds Cheetor sinking to the bottom of the water. Depth Charge rescues the cat, but doesn't explain who he much when he strands the cat bot on an island.

Megatron, wondering where Rampage went after abandoning Inferno, sends Quickstrike to hunt the giant crab.

Underwater again, Rampage surprises Depth Charge, greeting him as "old playmate". The two battle, and Depth Charge lifts their combat into the air. Rampage blasts the manta and the forces the fight onto the beach, but finds himself impaled on a stalagmite. While the two giant transmetals are disabled, Primal arrives and meets with Cheetor who fills the Maximal commander in on what's happened, as well of telling him of Depth Charge...a name that Primal recognizes.

Rampage heals and approaches Depth Charge. Depth Charge awakens and fights back. The two show off their abilities, but Depth Charge wins the fight by throwing his tail-spike into Rampage's weaponry, causing explosive feedback. Quickstrike shows up and fires at Depth Charge with a disabling poison blast, but Primal easily takes out Quickstrike. But thanks to Quickstrike's interruption, Rampage has had the time to sneak away. Primal and Cheetor bring Depth Charge back to their base.

As Depth Charge heals, Primal and Rhinox explain that Depth Charge was in charge of security for Colony Omicron before Protoform X devoured every other inhabitant of it. Seeking vengeance, Depth Charge captured the maniac and petitioned the High Council to find some way of executing him, but instead Protoform X was placed on the Axalon so be dumped - Depth Charge followed the Axalon through transwarp to finish the job he started.

Depth Charge awakens repaired and exits the CR Chamber. He blows off the Maximals, showing obvious contempt for Optimus Primal. He leaves to go hunt Protoform X, with no interest in the rest of the Beast Wars and saving history. Meanwhile, Rampage destroys the vehicle Depth Charge used to come to the planet.

Quotes

Depth Charge: It's not revenge I'm looking for, it's justice.

Optimus Primal: X is not alone, he's a Predacon now under Megatron's control. There are six of them.
Depth Charge: I gotta hand it to ya Primal, when you screw up, you do it big time. But thanks

Rampage: It was really so very nice of you to come. So glad you could stay, oh we'll have much fun.

Notes

Technical/Animation Glitches

• When Depth Charge first scans his beast form, he yells the command to "maximize" to transform to beast mode instead of saying "beast mode".

Continuity Errors

• Waspinator appears in this episode and does not get scrapped in someway.

Transformers References

• When Depth Charge first enters Earth's solar system, he is informed by his ship's navi-computer that the area was declared off-limits by order of the High Council. This is a reference to backstory given by the story-editors that never got explicitly mentioned on the show, but was spelled out by their posts on the Internet, wherein Earth is off-limits because of some undecided-upon catastrophe, and to protect it from time-altering thieves such as Megatron.