Chapter Six

Chapter Six

James stared at the monitors in fascination. He had managed to recover some of the data from Roadbuster’s central processor and upload it to his computer. He knew that after all of his work he had found the secret to what allowed the Transformers to function. The details were sketchy, but it was something called a spark that was the essence of Transformers, it was their soul. He had worked for three years with Jetfire and Wheeljack, but they had never spoke about sparks, which wasn’t surprising, given that the subject was probably far too personal for the Autobots to discuss with humans.

To unlock the secrets of how the Transformers were able to change their bodies from one mode to another he would need to study a spark. Unfortunately all the bodies he had were corpses, their sparks were long since extinguished. That meant he would have to capture a live specimen and keep it alive. He went over to a console and contacted Marshall at the factory in the Amazon. “Celia, I need to capture an Autobot,” James said without any preamble.

Celia laughed and replied, “And after that we’ll sling Earth out of its orbit so it can be closer to Cybertron.”

“I am serious. I think I can make something far better than the Barracudas or the Executioners. Imagine if we could make similar machines that could transform into weapons: fighters, tanks, whatever?”

“I see. Simon, I know you’re a brilliant scientist, but not even the Autobots know how they are really able to transform. You think you can understand what they can’t?”

“I think so. The robots have been blowing each other to scrap for millions of years, they haven’t bothered to research this. I, on the other hand, have a reason to try and understand this. I know I can do it, I just need a live specimen. Can you help me?”

“The Autobots are cowering inside their bases. We would have to get inside one, capture an Autobot, and get out without being seen. How do you expect to pull that off?”

“You’re the military officer, why don’t you figure it out.”

Marshall sighed and snapped her fingers. “I can call a meeting with the Autobot military liason, Eagle Eye, and we can ambush him.”

“Wouldn’t it be hard to get him out of your office?”

“I can call the meeting in a neutral location to discuss something unofficially. That way we can ambush him without being seen.”

“Great. When can you arrange this?”

“How long until you can get to Toronto?”

“Two hours.”

“Good. We can discuss the details then. You know where my place is, don’t you?”

“Yes, of course.”

“See you then.” The connection broke and James smiled. He began to load his notes into a portable computer to take with him. He also located a device he had invented long ago that could easily incapacitate a Transformer. It only worked for a short time, but it would be enough. Within a half hour he was packed and driving to an airport.

***

“You will follow this course to the landing site. Any deviations and you will be destroyed,” a harsh voice said over the comlink.

“They’re really rolling out the red carpet,” Jazz commented sourly. He, Prowl, and Kup were on a transport heading for Earth, which was currently surrounded by a swarm of human fighters.

“I’ve never been treated so badly by the humans. I guess that Cleveland incident has really angered them,” Prowl observed.

“We’re probably wasting our time. They won’t be interested in listening to us,” Kup said gloomily.

“We can’t give up,” Jazz said, steel in his voice as his usual laid-back manner vanished. “Optimus never gave up, and neither will we.”

“Optimus did give up,” Prowl replied. “That’s part of the problem. Without him the humans don’t think there is a threat any longer. They feel complacent.”

“Optimus has led the Autobots for over four million years. He had every right to do something for himself, to follow one of his dreams,” Jazz shot back.

“I know that, but it has left us at a disadvantage politically. The humans respected Optimus, they don’t respect us. Face it, to them we are pretenders to the throne.”

Kup snapped his fingers and said, “That reminds me, the nominations for the elections are coming up in a month. I’ve contacted the council in charge of running the elections and so far there’s no one who wants to take the job. No one has submitted a petition of any kind to be put in the running for nomination.”

Jazz nodded, “Who would want to be head of the government at a time like this? The way things are going, I won’t even try to run.”

Prowl cracked a rare smile and laughed hoarsely from lack of practice. “The problem is that all of us have looked to Optimus for leadership for so long that we don’t think we are good enough to lead. We all think that we have to match Optimus in his wisdom, courage, and charisma. However, some Autobots have to run or it will be easy for a Decepticon to make a last minute run for the nomination, and if no one else is running, they’ll get it for sure.”

“Well who do we have that could run?” Jazz asked.

Kup pulled some files up on a computer terminal and grimaced. “Besides the three of us there’s Jetfire. He won’t want to abandon his research and the Raptors to handle political matters, though. Blaster is too caught up in launching the Earth-to-Cybertron music channel to run. Arcee has had certain...emotional difficulties that would keep her out of the running. We could try to persuade some of our colony commanders, but none of them are really up to the task.”

“Primus, why don’t we just nominate Wheelie,” Prowl growled.

“Let’s face it, it’s going to be up to the two of you,” Kup stopped as he saw that a signal was coming in from the Cleveland base. He opened the message that was from Cybertron and viewed it with amazement. “Looks like I’ll be heading for Cleveland once we land.”

“What’s going on?” Jazz asked.

“Some of the rogue Autobots we’ve been holding for treatment are suddenly starting to respond to it. Hot Rod, Springer, and Bumblebee have been reported as recanting some of their beliefs, especially about Hot Rod being the only true Autobot leader.”

“What’s so important about that?” Prowl asked.

“It gives more weight to a theory the doctors there have held for a while, that the problem with the rogues was that they were infected with some kind of virus developed by the Decepticons. The only thing is that we’ve never been able to detect any kind of virus in their systems, and the scans of those three still nothing unusual.”

“So the Decepticons invented some kind of funky new virus to turn half of our army against the other half to make things ripe for an invasion?” Jazz summarized.

“That’s the theory. I’ve got to get to Cleveland and get in contact with them. This could be something big and may help us save some face from that rogue Autobot attack.”

“That would be nice,” Prowl commented. “But getting into Cleveland will be tough.”

The transport descended onto the airfield in Toronto, but the human fighters remained in the air, circling it. The three Autobots climbed out and found a military escort of tanks and soldiers waiting for them. “We will escort you to the meeting area,” a Confederation Army captain said. The three transformed and slowly drove towards Confederated Hall. Kup would have to ask human permission to go to Cleveland or risk being shot at by the humans. Things are definitely not as they used to be, Kup thought sadly.

***

Omitron smiled as she gazed at one of the monitors in her private office. “Incredible,” Bugly breathed. “How did you send a signal to Cybertron?”

“I routed a low-beam transmission through the Autobot communications network and to the Rehabilitation Facility by piggy-backing it on the signals from the entertainment station on Iacon. Finally the signals were piped through the Facility’s intercom to the specified rooms. The frequency was so low that it would be undetectable unless someone was really trying to locate it. Unfortunately that means that it had to be a very short message. Of course the deactivation code is short,” Omitron explained.

“Impressive. Won’t the Autobots suspect that something is amiss?”

“They have suspected for a long time that the rogue Autobots went crazy from a Decepticon virus. This will only confirm their suspicions. Besides, at this point in the game, even if the Autobots can prove it’s a virus, it will not save them from having to abandon Earth and all of human space. One thing I have learned about these humans is that as a whole they are completely irrational and ruled by their emotions, especially fear. Four hundred years ago they slayed nearly twenty of their own people in one village because they thought they were ‘witches’. They fear being dominated by any species, so sure are they in their own superiority. They fear that the Autobots will take over and occupy Earth as we did. That will drive them to sever all relations with the Autobots.”

“Now, though, is the time to begin our plan. We cannot launch our attack yet, because it is too soon, but we can start to move the pieces into place. Then, when the time is right, we will crush the Autobots and humans and restore the Decepticon Empire to its glory.”

“Yes, but wouldn’t Hot Rod have been a more valuable asset to us as a rallying point for the rogue Autobots? They would flock to their leader, which would lead them to us if we held him,” Bugly pointed out.

“A good point, but as there is a disable command for the virus, so there is also an enable command. If we need him again, we can reactivate the virus.”

“I don’t understand, why can’t the Autobots detect the virus?”

“The virus itself was destroyed after contact, but not before it cordoned off a section of each Autobot’s spark to house the protocols and activation commands. The Autobots can’t detect that within his spark and none of the affected Autobots have any clue about how the virus really works. Thus, they will never be able to find it. So they will give Hot Rod and his friends a clean bill of health and he will persuade his Autobot comrades to let him back in. Being the fools they are, the Autobots will let our three unknowing agents right into their midst.”

“A brilliant plan. You seem to have every angle taken care of.”

“Of course. A good plan can only succeed if there are a very limited number of variables.” Omitron shut off the monitor and handed Bugly a pair of computer disks. “Now then, there are other matters that we need to attend to. See to it that Misfire recieves the appropriate disk, that should realign his targeting systems to compensate for his handicap. Give the other disk to Scrapper and Savage and tell them that I have a very important mission for them. In the meantime I will be on the frigate, to make some...modifications.”

Bugly bowed slightly and went to carry out his tasks. Omitron stood up and made her way to the hangar. She transformed and blasted off into the sky, speeding towards the frigate. Scrapper and Savage, a Sweep who had arrived a week ago, would be well-suited to what Omitron had in mind. It seemed that so far everything was working in her favor.

***

“Why can’t I see him?” Arcee demanded.

“No one except medical personnel are allowed,” the nurse explained. Arcee pounded the front desk of the Rehabilitation Facility in anger. She had received word that Springer was returning to normal, which had prompted her to make a trip to the facility. Jetfire grabbed her and pulled her away.

“It’ll be all right,” he told her. She had flown to the Facility inside of him since Jetfire was faster than a transport. Besides, Jetfire knew that she would need some company. He went to the desk and said, “I’m a military advisor to Jazz, can I go in and see him?”

“Let me check,” the nurse responded and left to find the head doctor. A few long minutes later she returned. “The doctor says it’s all right. Follow me.”

The nurse opened a door and Jetfire went through it. He saw the dull gray corridors of the Facility and followed the nurse down a hall to a security door. She entered a code and the door opened. This led to a dark, dingy corridor, the Facility’s maximum security wing. “This place is a dump,” Jetfire commented.

“We don’t get much funding,” the nurse explained. “There aren’t many who want to donate money to help some of the most notorious criminals in Autobot history.”

Jetfire nodded and the nurse stopped at the last door. She opened it and Jetfire saw that it revealed stairs leading down. He followed her down the stairs to another of the dingy corridors. There were only six rooms in the short corridor and the nurse stopped at one. She opened the door and ushered Jetfire inside. There was only a little light in the room and Jetfire could see that the small room was in a terrible state of disrepair. The plain metal walls were scarred with rust and grime and only a bed and a small desk occupied the room. Sitting on the bed was a green and gray Autobot, Springer.

“Come to see the prisoner, eh Jetfire?” Springer said with uncharacteristic anger. “You’re not who I expected to see.”

The nurse closed the door and waited outside so Jetfire and Springer could talk privately. “Arcee is waiting upstairs, but the doctors won’t let her in. She desperately wants to see you,” Jetfire replied.

“I don’t want her to see me like this, caged up like a Decepticon prisoner. I’m not sure I ever want to see her, not after what I did.”

“What did you do?” Jetfire already knew, but he wanted Springer to say, to test if his friend really was recovering.

“I tried to kill her. I beat her to a pulp and then I was about to finish the job. Then the Aerialbots showed up and stopped me. Weren’t you with them?”

“Yes.”

“Shouldn’t you be asking if I feel remorse for all that I did? The doctors have been grilling me about it for the last ten hours.” Springer turned away and said quietly, “I know what I did was wrong, but I still don’t feel remorse, I don’t feel guilty. Except for Arcee. She’s the only one I really care about. But I can remember gutting Whirl and blasting him to scrap. Why can’t I feel the same for him?”

“It’s going to take time. That virus probably hasn’t fully worn off yet. At least it’s a start, though.”

“Tell Arcee that I love her and I’m going to get better so I can see her again.”

“I will. Just remember that it wasn’t your fault. Your mind was infected with a Decepticon virus that made you act the way you did. It could easily have been any of us.”

“Thanks, pal. By the way, what happened with Magnus and the others?”

“They’re still on the loose. They attacked a human ship in the Vala system and injured the human president. They disappeared and no one’s been able to find a trace of them.”

Springer stood up and looked into Jetfire’s eye. “When I get out of here, I want to help track them down. I want to try and make up for what I did.”

“I’ll see what I can do. You know I’d be glad to have you on my team.”

Springer slapped Jetfire on the shoulder and smiled. “Thanks. I’ll be out of here soon enough and we can track down the others. It’ll be just like the good ol’ days.”

“Right. I’ll try and visit again soon to see how you’re doing.” Jetfire tapped the door and the nurse let him out. He sighed as he stared at the door. He suspected that soon the Raptors would be called upon to try and track the rogues down. He heard a scream coming from the end of the room and turned to the nurse with concern. “What’s that?”

“It’s coming from Hot Rod’s room. Something must have gone wrong,” she hurried to the room and Jetfire followed. She opened a slot on the top of the door and looked inside. She gasped and turned away. Jetfire looked inside and was shocked. Hot Rod was in the middle of the room on his knees, surrounded by a team of doctors. He was moaning and screaming, clutching his head. One of the doctors saw him and came out into the hall.

“I’m sorry about that, but he’s been acting like that on and off for hours. What happened during the civil war is returning to his consciousness. Since he was the leader those memories are especially painful. He keeps mumbling, ‘Decaverse’ over and over again. We aren’t sure what that means.”

Jetfire nodded and replied, “During the civil war, the rogues leveled the city of Decaverse, where they suspected sympathizers to Optimus Prime were located. However, the city was inhabited only by neutrals. It was a slaughter, everyone in the city was killed and every trace of its existence was wiped out and irradiated. It was intended to be a demonstration of the rogues’s power, but it galvanized our resolve. All records of the incident were classified and never released to the public.”

“How could something like that be hidden?”

“Once the rogues found out that the city was not loyal to Optimus they censored it themselves, so it was never told to the public. The war ended and the Decepticons invaded, so everyone in the public assumed it had been destroyed then.”

“I see. I think we’re going to have a hard time with him. He’s in so much pain.”

“In time he’ll get better.”

“I hope so.” The doctor turned away and Jetfire followed the nurse back up. He found Arcee waiting anxiously and silently escorted her out of the facility.

They walked in silence to Memorial Park and sat under an enormous oak tree. “How is he?” Arcee finally asked.

“He’s recovering. He said that he loves you and he wants to get out soon to show you.”

Arcee wiped a tear and replied shakily, “I hope he gets better soon. Does he remember what happened?”

“Yes.”

Arcee was silent, tears of various fluids leaking out of her eyes. “It must be horrible for him, to remember killing his own comrades, to remember trying to kill me.”

“It seemed like it.” Jetfire was unsure of whether he should put an arm around her or make some other gesture. He finally put his arm around her and she leaned up against him. She was sobbing uncontrollably and Jetfire knew that she loved Springer so much. He wished that there was something he could do.

“Do you think there’s a chance for him?” Arcee asked hoarsely after she composed herself a little.

“A very good one. Whatever virus infected him seems to be weakening. Obviously it could only sustain itself for a certain time before it broke up. It should continue it’s decline.” He stopped himself, knowing that he was sounding like a scientist, not a friend. He found it hard in these kind of matters to find the line between friendship and science, which is why he usually avoided such situations.

“Thank-you.” Arcee got up to go, but Jetfire stopped her.

“Look,” he began slowly. “I’ve got an apartment here in Iacon. I don’t use it often, so you’re welcome to it if you don’t want to go back to the Striking Eagle.”

“What about you?”

“I have some work to do on the ship.” He wished he could smile, but instead patted Arcee on the shoulder. “I know you need some time alone right now, and my place would be better than on the ship.”

Arcee hugged him and smiled through her tears. “You’re a good friend, Jetfire.” Jetfire nodded and gaver her his key. She transformed and drove away, Jetfire watching her good. He remained under the tree and hoped that Springer did recover and was reunited with Arcee.

Jetfire’s apartment was on the east side of Iacon, in the area reserved for Command staff. Arcee had been offered such a residence, but turned it down. After what had happened to Springer she had ceased to call Cybertron her home. The painful memories were too much to bear, so she had moved everything of hers to the Striking Eagle when given command of it. She put the key in the lock and the door whooshed open. She turned on a light and was not surprised by what she saw.

The apartment was nearly empty, except for standard-issue chairs and couch in the living area. She walked back and saw that Jetfire had set up a large computer system and some scientific equipment in one room. She entered the bedroom and noticed that it was bare except for a couple of artifacts from some campaign during the war. She laid down on the bed and was surprised to see a picture on the stand next to the bed. She picked it up and looked at it. The picture was of a female with a dark blue face ringed with black. She had intense blue eyes, but had no expression. Who is she? Arcee wondered.

She would have to ask Jetfire about it some time. In the meantime she had other things to worry about. Springer was making a recovery, but how long until they could be together again? Even if he did fully recover, would he be released? Would he want to come back to her after what he did? There were so many questions that couldn’t be answered at the moment. She started to cry anew, and didn’t fall asleep until she passed out from exhaustion the next morning.

***

Shale smiled haughtily as the Autobots entered. “Welcome, gentlemen. As you know, we have a lot to discuss.”

“What’s with all of the security? We have done nothing to harm your people!” Jazz demanded.

“I’m sorry, but we’re only protecting you from any potential rioters. I think you can understand our caution to avoid another incident.”

“Fine. Tell us what you want.” Jazz had wanted to come to apologize, but he could sense that Shale didn’t care about that.

Shale nodded and activated a holoprojector that showed Jazz and Prowl the plan he had outlined to Pacifa. Prowl, in a rare display of emotion, clenched his fists and tried not to smash through the glass and kill the human president. It was obvious that he was using the Autobots’s own code of ethics against them. It was something that a Decepticon would do, and had done on several occasions.

Jazz sighed as the presentation ended. However, he had an idea that was risky, but would hopefully work in the long run. “Given that your people insist that we are their oppressors and are demanding independence, we are inclined to grant this. However, your proposal is unacceptable. We do not have the resources for your plan. All Autobot forces will withdraw immediately via our ships. Within two weeks all Autobot installations will be property of the Terran Confederation.”

Prowl and Shale were both taken aback. “What?” They both exclaimed.

“Your people have survived for a long time without us. They will learn to take care of themselves.”

“That’s not fair! What about the lives lost in Cleveland?”

“We don’t know what happened, thus we have no responsibility in the matter. As far as we know, your people were trespassing and our troops tried to handle the situation. We have no obligation to you.”

Shale stared blankly at Jazz for a moment and before he could say anything, Jazz walked out of the room. “Prowl, you must change his mind! You can’t leave us defenseless!”

“I’ll talk to him, but there aren’t any guarantees,” Prowl snapped and followed behind. Prowl drove back to the airfield and found Jazz already in the transport. He transformed and when he found his comrade in the cockpit he slammed him up against the wall. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“I know it sounds risky, but it’s the only way,” Jazz replied. He shoved Prowl away and explained, “By withdrawing immediately without any reparations and technical support we are leaving the humans on their own. I’m betting that the rogues or Decepticreeps won’t attack, but if they do, then the humans will see the error of their way and willingly let us back in. If they do attack I’ll have a rapid deployment force on the border to respond instantly to any threats. I know it sounds evil, but we don’t have the resources for the plan the president wanted. Besides, it will make the humans let us back on good terms, if it comes to that.”

“So what do we do with all the troops we’re pulling out of human space?”

“We’ll keep some near the border along with some ships to deploy in case of trouble. The rest can be moved to Cybertron.”

“What about the Vala colonies?”

“Let the Decepticons have them. It keeps them out of our way. Besides, maybe some hard work will do them some good.”

Prowl shrugged and placed a call to Cleveland, which would send the signal to call hundreds of ships to Earth and other human colonies to evacuate Autobot personnel. It would take three or four weeks to accomplish and Prowl knew that after that the humans would be defenseless. He just hoped Jazz’s gamble paid off.

***

Banzai-Tron read the most recent top-secret reports from the mines and smiled. “So when do we begin shipping this stuff?” He asked Soundwave.

“Omitron does not have a cargo ship and we cannot steal one. We will have to wait for her instructions.”

“Great. Our hidden warehouses are getting full as it is, she’d better hurry up.” Soundwave was silent and Banzai-Tron knew that he shouldn’t press his luck about the issue. It was obvious that since this Omitron was Megatron’s consort that Soundwave was as firmly devoted to her as he was to Megatron. Such mindless devotion, he thought.

The door to his office opened suddenly and Soundwave barely managed to get behind the door and transform. Axer burst inside, looking perplexed. “A heavily-modified Autobot shuttle has appeared in orbit and is demanding to land. They have asked that we keep their landing a secret.”

“How do they plan for us to do that?” Banzai-Tron demanded.

“Their ship appeared out of nowhere, it seems that they have a cloaking device.”

Some Transformers like Ravage and Mirage could make themselves invisible, but that technology had never been adapted for starships. Too much power was needed to make the ship disappear and the effect could only be maintained for a short time. Have these Autobots discovered a secret? If so, why are they here? He remembered the short Autobot civil war and that there was still a group of rogue Autobots running around, some of which had tried to raid this system but failed.

“Let them land. Make certain it is in the wastes. Have a transport readied to meet them.” Axer nodded and left the office. “Do you want to accompany us?” Banzai-Tron asked Soundwave.

“Of course, but I will remain unnoticed.” Banzai-Tron nodded and picked up Soundwave. He opened a chest panel and set Soundwave inside so no one else could see him. Then he hurried out of his office to get to the transport.

The transport landed in the wastes of Vala Three, a desert region where little life blossomed. Banzai-Tron and Axer climbed out and saw an Autobot shuttle studded with weapons, sensor arrays, and communications gear, laying on the ground, looking like beached whale. A hatch opened and Ultra Magnus stepped out. Banzai-Tron went up to him and began, “I am Banzai-Tron, commander of this colony. Why have you not hidden your ship yet?”

“Our cloaking device is low on power. We need your help to repair our ship so we can make our journey into unknown space,” Magnus replied.

“Why should we help you?”

“We are both opposed to the United Cybertronian Government. If we help each other we can destroy it.”

“But you are Autobots, why would you want to work with us?”

“The old human saying is ‘an enemy of an enemy is a friend.’ If you want this ship cloaked again, we need power to replenish the system.”

Banzai-Tron turned to Axer and commanded, “See to it that a power generator is brought out here.” Axer turned and went to use the transport’s comlink, which had more range than his personal one. “What is this journey to unknown space you mentioned?”

“For the last thirty years we have made our home on Charr, it was deserted after your army left and of no value to the Autobot Army. We only left when we needed energon, scrounging what we needed. We were able to fashion solar collectors that allowed us to feed off the system’s star to slowly build up a supply of energon. Thus we trained and gathered power, waiting for the time to strike.”

“We did not have the energon to join your forces near Centauri and knew that it was a hopeless battle anyway. So we continued to wait, until we intercepted a Decepticon transmission saying that a new army was forming. We had built up the power we needed to launch and make it as far as Wayward, where we ransacked some energon so we could get here. Our first try to meet you was stopped by the humans, so we fell back to repair and recharge. Now that their guard is a little looser and our cloaking device is fully operational again we have managed to make it here. We need your help to repair our ship so we can meet with this new Decepticon leader and offer them our services.”

Banzai-Tron thought about the situation and realized that there was profit to be made. He could use this Autobot ship to ferry out all of the materials he had hidden away before the Autobots caught on to it. Plus he would help to build up Omitron’s army, which would make him look good in her eyes later on. And of course if the rogue Autobots continued to harass Autobot worlds then the Autobots would be too busy to try and retake their colonies. There were many benefits indeed to this alliance. “Very well, we will help you. Just provide us with a list of what you need.”

“Excellent. I have already had my officers draw up what we need to get the ship operational.”

“Of course, before you good I would like to take a look at that cloaking system, to see how it works.” Magnus understood what Banzai-Tron was implying and knew that he had no choice. He nodded and Banzai-Tron rubbed his hands together. “Great. I’ll take this list back to my headquarters and begin preparations. In the meantime keep your ship as powered down as possible so the human ships in the area don’t detect your presence.”

“I understand.” Magnus headed back for his ship while Banzai-Tron went back to the transport. If he got away with this it would not only be one of the greatest stunts in Decepticon history, but it would help the new Decepticon army rebuild much faster. Most importantly it would make him look like a hero to the new management. That could pay very big dividends in the long run. Banzai-Tron smiled as the transport took off and headed back for his office.

***

Eagle Eye saw Marshall and walked over to her. They were in a crowded park in Toronto near Lake Ontario. It was a chilly day, but many people had come even so. Marshall was wearing a heavy green coat that hid the device James had given her. She saw the powder blue form of Eagle Eye and they met near a fountain in the park that was formed to look like an ancient Greek statue of a man releasing a pair of doves into the air, comemorating the liberation of Earth twenty years ago.

“You asked to meet with me?” Eagle Eye asked.

“Yes. There is something that I need to discuss with you, about the impending withdrawal of your forces.”

“How do you know we are going to withdraw?” Eagle Eye demanded as Marshall eased the device down her sleeve.

“I think we both know it’s inevitable. How long would it take to mobilize your ships to evacuate the planet?” As she asked this she moved her hand forward a bit so it was just below his waist. She triggered the device, which was like a syringe, only it contained something far more powerful than any drug. Eagle Eye felt nothing and Marshall slipped the device back into her sleeve.

“It would take a few weeks to get all of the ships here and then to begin the evacuation itself...” Eagle Eye’s eyes turned from blue to black as he went unconscious. He pitched forward and Marshall caught him. James, who had been sitting on a park bench casually reading a newspaper, nonchalantly got up and walked over. Together they carried Eagle Eye through the park to a nearby pier. A boat was waiting for them there, a yacht James had bought twenty years ago. They eased Eagle Eye into the yacht and Marshall took the controls. She released the magnetic lock to the dock and the yacht moved forward. She stopped once they were a few miles off shore and dropped anchor. She went to the living compartments in the bottom deck of the yacht and found that James had Eagle Eye on an operating table.

“Why do you have an operating table in here?” She asked him.

“During the war there was always the possibility the Decepticons could locate my lab, so I made part of the boat into a mobile research facility. Its capacity is minimal, but it has suited my needs on several occasions. The first ultrapulse laser was fired off of the deck of this yacht.” As James talked he had opened up a compartment of Eagle Eye’s head. He took a laser scalpel and severed a trio of circuits. He knew that this would sever Eagle Eye’s spark from the central processor in his head so that he could not regain consciousness.

He began slicing into Eagle Eye’s chest, where he suspected the spark would be. He had to go through Eagle Eye’s armor and then through his superstructure and a layer of circuits. Finally, after over two hours of cutting, he saw a faint blue light and stopped. “I’ve found it,” he said with awe.

He turned to Marshall, but she had dozed off on the couch of the room. He shook his head and then cleared away the rest of the obstructions. Then he saw it in its final form, a spark! It was a sphere of blue-white with what looked like a cluster of cells in its center. The spark glowed blue and its center seemed to pulse like a heartbeat. He gazed at it with wonder for several moments and then shook Marshall awake. She got to her feet and looked at the spark in reverence. It was as beautiful as a work of art, and yet it was alive. It was by far the most amazing thing Marshall had ever seen.

James took up a sensor unit and began the spark. As he did, he could feel that he was closer than ever to unraveling the mystery of what made these Transformers so unique. He used a variety of scans, but he still felt that he had not truly revealed the secret yet. It would take more work and a lot of analysis, but he was determined to figure it out. He activated a stasis field over the operating table to keep the spark immobilized. He activated a computer terminal and downloaded the data from his scans.

He sat down and Marshall watched over his shoulder. “So what have you found out?” She asked.

“It appears that at the core of these metalic monsters is something organic, some kind of lifeforce that is not artificial. These Transformers are a perfect fusion between organic and synthetic, and I don’t think they even realize it.”

“Can you replicate their transformation process?”

Marshall was surprised when James nodded. “I think I can. What these sparks are, as far as I can tell, a manifestation of life itself, the lifeforce that powers every living creature. Therefore, with proper equipment, I think a human body can provide the spark to ignite the transformation process.”

“A human? Are you planning to brainwash people or something?”

“Not anything so evil. With the proper equipment a human mind can connect with the central processor of a machine, so that its will controls the machine. Thus if the mind says transform, the machine will do so. It seems too simple, but it should work.”

“It does seem to easy. Once you have something ready, let me know and I’ll get a test pilot here.”

“You don’t want to try it yourself?”

“Not a chance. Until you prove that this is safe, I’m not hooking my brain up to anything.”

“Set a course back for the dock, so my specimen and I can head back to the lab. Have a test pilot selected and flown to the lab within seventy-two hours.”

“That’s it, three days?”

“I’ve already studied the structure of these machines inside and out. All I need to do is to run some tests to replicate the central processor and connecting system and then install that in a Barracuda. I can run the tests I need on that.”

“Fine.” Marshall went up to the deck and reeled the anchor in. Then the yacht headed for the dock and by the time it was back it was dark outside. Marshall helped James load Eagle Eye into a truck he had rented and then she drove them to the airport, where a private plane Hoover had purchased for James waited. Eagle Eye was loaded into the plane and Marshall watched James take off. He was an accomplished pilot and flew the plane himself out of the airport. She turned and went back to her office to find a test pilot for James’s tests.

***

The sensors on the Discovery began going wild, shaking Optimus Prime from his relaxed state. He looked around in surprise and wondered what was happening. Nighthawk came to the cabin in alarm. “What is going on?” She asked, her weapons ready.

“I’m not certain, but energy readings are going off the scale. There are heavy concentrations of neutrino particles, almost as if...hold on!” Nighthawk took her seat and strapped in, as did Optimus. Seconds later a bright green disc formed in front of the ship. Optimus put the engines at full reverse, but it was no good. The Discovery was rocked by the forces the disc formed pulling on the ship as it tried to flee and bad memories of the crash landing on Earth came to Optimus’s mind. The ship was slowly being pulled towards the disc, but Optimus could not tell what it was because the sensors had overloaded.

Green light surrounded the ship and nearly blinded both Autobots as the light filled the cockpit. The ship was completely swallowed by the light and then the Discovery’s engines roared to life at full speed. The Discovery was shooting through a tunnel of the bright green light that seemed to span to eternity. Optimus clutched his station tightly as the ship bounced along. He managed a look back and saw Nighthawk holding onto her station for dear life. Her face was a mask of calm, but Optimus could see fear in her eyes.

After many long, bumpy minutes there was a flash of green light and then the ship was in calm space once more. Optimus saw that the sensors were working again and checked to see where they were. He gasped as he saw that they were a billion light years from Cybertron, placing them in another galaxy. “What happened?” Nighthawk asked.

“We unexpectedly went through a wormhole. From the computer’s estimates we are now in the X Galaxy.”

“We’re in another galaxy?” Nighthawk undid her straps and began pacing in alarm. “Then there’s no way we’re going to get home, is there?”

“Not unless the wormhole opens back up. Wormholes, as the theories go, are highly unstable, although no one has actually been through one before. It could be that this one will never open again.”

“Or?”

“Or it might given some time. At any rate, let’s make some scans and see what is in this area. We might as well make good use of our time.” Optimus began running long-range scans of the area to see what was around them. He kept a commentary for Nighthawk as the scans ran. “We’re in a planetary system with six planets, three gas giants, one small icy world, and two that could be habitable, but don’t appear to be. Some strange readings are coming from one of the habitable worlds...”

“What?”

“It can’t be.”

“Huh?”

“The second planet has high readings of...nucleon.”

“What’s nucleon?”

“A substance a thousand times more powerful and potent than energon. In our galaxy it was found only in trace quantities so it was unusable. However, sixty years ago, an Autobot expedition seeking energon located a world with high concentrations of nucleon. The Decepticons caught wind of it and sent a task force to stop the expedition.”

“Nucleon is a small green cystal that resembles raw energon in many ways. However, nucleon is far more volatile than nucleon and during the battle on the planet the entire world was destroyed when a nucleon crystal was hit. I was only informed of this because Vroom was able to get a transport out. However, he was so contaminated by nucleon residue that he died after giving us the information. That entire system is still too contaminated for any ship, human or Cybertronian to pass through so the region is quarantined. All ship captains have a warning never to go there, but the general public was never informed, because we didn’t want the Decepticons to know about nucleon. It is a powerful substance, but unless it is contained it’s too dangerous to exist.”

“So what do we do?”

“Hope the Decepticons never find out about it. If we do get back, I must tell Jazz and Prowl about this and have a ship sent to guard this system. We can’t destroy the nucleon without contaminating the entire system, something I don’t want to do. If we don’t get back then we won’t have to worry.” The scans continued, but silence prevailed between the two explorers. Then Optimus stood and went back to a laboratory, locking himself in the room. Nighthawk could only wonder what he was doing, but she knew it had something to do with the nucleon discovery. She watched the rest of the scans and wondered how things like this could be kept secret for so long.