The Secret of the Legion
This story builds on some of the history, continuity and concepts developed in my story "Fragments". Standard disclaimers apply as I own nothing.
Chip Chase:
"Damn it Kup! I told you I have information that can only be given to Rodimus Prime!"
Chip chase paused, listening to a repeat of the same excuses that Kup always gave.
"I know all that, just put me through to Rodimus Prime! If Ironhide or Optimus were still in charge, I wouldn't have to put up with this crap!"
More of the same BS from Kup, Chip simply didn't understand how Rodimus could allow himself to become so insulated from the outside world.
"Kup, I can only tell Prime. Why won't he accept any of my calls?"
…
Chip Chase slammed down the telephone.
Something was wrong, terribly wrong, but the security protocols said he had to speak directly to Prime or the head of the EDC; but under the circumstances it was impossible to go to the EDC for help. If the Autobots wouldn't talk to him, he had to think of something else.
The problem was the plans for one of the BT bodies used in the Alternator project were missing. Worse yet, two of the sleeping Alternators had disappeared as well. Since there was no indication of a break in, Chip could only assume that the EDC had something to do with it, and there was additional evidence to back that theory up.
Chip again picked up the phone and dialed a different number.
"Spike, this is Chip. How are you doing out there?"
…
"Not too good, actually. We have a situation involving a classified Autobot project, and I can't get Rodimus to accept my calls and I'm not sure I can trust anyone in the EDC anymore."
…
"I can appreciate that Prime is having some issues with the Japanese being upset about Decepticon-Autobot battles within their borders; but I think this is a bit more important than that."
…
"Fine, if you think I can trust her, I'll talk with her."
…
Chip hung up the phone disappointed that Spike was unable to assist him in contacting Rodimus although he had agreed to send over one of the few EDC members he felt he could completely trust. Spike's job as Ambassador from Earth was proving to be very demanding. Adding more stress to the situation, he had begun to suspect his wife was a Decepticon spy, and had been trying to limit her interaction with the Autobots. Chip had tried to assuage some Spike's concerns, but so far he had not been able alleviate his friend's fears, worse, he could not fault Spikes logic for thinking the worse about the love of his life.
A few hours later, an EDC officer arrived. She didn't ring him from the front desk, so apparently she had the security clearance needed to reach his research facility. Well, that meant that she at least knew more about Transformers than the public as a whole. Despite firefights between Decepticons and Autobots on the streets of New York a majority of the population were still unaware of Transformers or the space travel technology used by the EDC, UNIT, Science Patrol, Torchwood or other similar organizations.
"Captain Marissa Fairborn, at your service," the young woman said, "I'm told you're having a bit of a problem."
Chip smiled, and wheeled his wheelchair over to her, shaking her hand. "Welcome to Project Alternator. Have you heard of it in your work with Transformers?"
"I have had several dealings with Autobots during my career… and prior to joining the EDC I had the honor of meeting Optimus Prime himself. He helped me during a… difficult time." She said, trying to maintain a professional and distanced attitude. "But, I have no idea what your project is about."
"Come with me," Chip said, turning his chair and taking her down a hallway. Soon they entered the main room. The first few areas held failed experiments, human built powered down robots with partial sparks that the old staff referred to as Go Bots, but the newer workers called them spy changers. Then they passed the work stations containing car construction equipment, spark duplicators, and more equipment than he even remembered what it was for. Beyond that, row after row of cars, each one more than meets the eye as each one was a dormant human built Transformer bodies each containing a cloned spark. "This was a secret project, known only to Optimus Prime and a few of his advisors, it's been forgotten now, by all but me. A few years ago and Autobot appeared on Earth from a possible future. Using the knowledge he brought back with him, we took the Binaltechnology they used to build these Alternate Transformers.
"Sleeping here in stasis-lock is Jazz, Wheeljack, Prowl, even Optimus Prime himself, all in human-cybertronain hybrid bodies; with cloned spark cores meaning they are as real as the original Transformers who allowed their sparks to be copied. Wheeljack, Ironhide and others who died in the great war are all sleeping here waiting for me to get the call to wake them up so they can live again."
Marissa stared in silence, her eyes gazing over each of the sleeping Transformers… some she remembered, others she had never met.
"The problem, Captain Fairborn is that there has been a security breach. Several years back the Decepticons managed to steal some of the Alternator designs to build their own; so I installed programs to monitor such file transfers in the future. The program alerted me to just such an illegal file copy a few months ago."
"Months? Why are you only reporting it now?"
"I did report it when it happened. The EDC checked the systems over themselves and assured me that no such data transfer took place…. But I know full well that it did. And there is more."
"What else?"
"Two of the completed Alternators have been stolen."
"What?"
"All computer records have been altered at a very high level to say that the Transformers in question were never made, but I was playing computer games with Optimus Prime regularly until he was kidnapped."
"Optimus Prime has been stolen? Are you sure? Who was the other one?"
"Optimus Prime was stolen last night, when I found out about it I did a physical inventory and discovered that a week ago someone took Hot Rod."
What would Rodimus Prime think about that one, Marissa wondered. "Why did you have Spike call me in instead of calling it in yourself?"
"Because the only ones with enough access to the system to steal the Transformers and erase all traces is the EDC itself. I don't know who I can trust with this."
"Thank you Mr. Chase, I will look into this personally. The Autobots are good friends of mine, I won't let them… or you, down."
Chip sighed as she left. It wasn't that long ago that he thought of the Autobots as good friends either, yet now, they wouldn't return a single phone call.