Arc 1: 02 Silent Voices

by Macx

Following an anonymous call, Optimus Prime finds Hot Rod on a backwater planet called Alean, and that's not all he

Silent Voices
by Birgit Staebler (mac@gno.de)

Author's Voice and (maybe) Apology: the idea to this came after Optimus Prime's return when I wondered how Hot Rod was coping with the sudden removal of the Matrix, which was a part of him for some time and which changed him not only bodily. He didn't die (unlike Prime, who did) and was through this acutely aware of what he was and what he now is, and that something was missing that had been there before.
Reading this you might find some changes I had to make to get this story to fit my idea. I first voted to ignore the whole Targetmaster/Headmaster stuff, but then it belongs to the story line of the series and I tend to write by the guidelines given in a show. So, sorry for for the little change, but I've never been a fan of them anyway. At least I didn't kill 'em off ....
Whom to blame ... uuhh... thank for what: Ben Thomas, for getting me to write this story in the first place (ten years after I saw my last TF episode ...); and Petra Berghofer, for declaring me beyond any help and telling me I really have a problem.

Copyrights are as you know them.

The planet appeared barren and desolate, but it held a beauty best described as fascinating. The dry, rocky land stretched for thousands of miles, turning a motley green, for a few stretches, but all in all the planet was a rock floating in space, with two suns and three rather small moons. It had a breathable atmosphere, fit for most of the known humanoid life, and the g-force was only slightly lower than Earth's. Large canyons and deep chasms, high mountains and not accessible valleys, as well as glaciers, deserts and storm-plagued plains turned the search for one individual into a lifetime's journey. But the searcher had time. Then again, maybe not. His presence was needed elsewhere, though he had to finish what he had started. He had to talk to the one he was searching for.
Optimus Prime sighed silently as he surveyed the planet. Where should he start? The mountains? The canyons? The desert? Needle in a haystack, that human saying crossed his mind, and it was true this once. He was a robot, a creature stacked with technology far superior to that of other races, like the humans, but he, just like a human search vessel, could spend eternity here and not find a trace.
Where are you, Hot Rod? he asked silently as he descended onto the hard and dry surface. He walked to the edge of the canyon and stared down to the bottom. A little river, the one river which had carved this canyon into the planet's surface, flowed slowly along it's bed. Dead trees clung to the ledges inside the canyon and small animals scurried over the barren rocks.
Hot Rod, former Rodimus Prime and once leader of the Autobots, had disappeared several weeks after Optimus Prime had received the Matrix. It had turned Rodimus Prime into Hot Rod again and Optimus Prime suspected this was something that bothered the younger Autobot. He had tried to talk to him after Kup had mentioned the sullen and sometimes slightly aggressive

attitude of Hot Rod, but the events of the last weeks had left him no time to do so. When he had finally had some breathing space, when the threat of the Decepticons had been averted, he had found that Hot Rod had left -- silently, secretly, on his own. The only one who had a remote idea where he was, was Adam 'Spike' Witwicky, Earth ambassador to the Autobots and a very good friend.
"Gee, what a depressive place," said ambassador now muttered as he climbed out of the shuttle and looked around. He didn't wear his exo-suit, though Prime thought that was a bit reckless. They didn't know what they might encounter.
Spike had accompanied Prime, even insisting on it, though he had other matters at home to attend to. Since he had returned from Nebulos, leaving Cerebros and with him Fortress Maximus, a ton of work had flooded his desk.
"That would really fit Hot Rod's mood," the ambassador added.
Prime gave him a sharp look, but didn't comment. It was the truth. Something had happened to Hot Rod when he had given back the Matrix -- permanently this time -- and he intended to find out.
"I hope we find him," Arcee said softly, looking around.
"If the coordinates were right, then we will," Spike said with conviction.
Yes, the coordinates. Arcee had given them to Prime some time after Hot Rod had disappeared, telling him that they had appeared on the screen of her workstation. Someone had told them where to look; they just had to find out who this stranger was.
"So, where do we start?" Spike asked, peering into the canyon. "Uh-uh," he made. "Hopefully not down there."
If Prime could have smiled, he would. He looked around, scanning the area. Suddenly he noticed a glimmer at the horizon, a glimmer that was coming quickly closer.
"Spike, Arcee," he said.
The human looked up and his eyes narrowed. "A plane?" he asked.
Arcee turned her optic sensors toward the approaching dot as well. "It is a fighter."
"Yes; one I don't know." Optimus Prime readied himself in case there was a fight.
The plane passed over them once, then turned and slowed down a bit. To their immediate surprise it transformed into a robot. Prime didn't know this robot and it didn't wear any insignia he recognized. It had a dark blue color and there were faint white and light blue patterns all over the body, though they appeared to be covered by the much darker color. It had, like most of the Cybertronians, though Prime wasn't even sure it was one, a humanoid body, with two arms and two legs. The head showed no distinctive features, though it had a visible nose and mouth. The most unnerving were the eyes, or lack thereof. The place where the eye-shaped optic sensors, or the shield-like cover of them, sat was a smooth, gleaming surface.
"You are Optimus Prime?" the robot asked, its voice male and pleasantly dark.
"I am," Prime answered. "Who are you?"
"I am called Voodoo," the dark blue robot answered, then looked at Spike and Arcee. "Welcome to Alean."

*

"Oh, wow!" Spike breathed as they drove into the canyon. "I never imagined ... this is incredible!"
Voodoo had shown them a obstacle free, though rather steep way down into the canyon and Optimus Prime had transformed and rolled downward. Arcee, and with her Daniel, had stayed with the shuttle, just to be on the safe side in case something went wrong and they had to call for back-up.
Spike now stared through the windscreen at what they could see. The bottom of the canyon was much richer of life than either had expected. There was a forest of stones, mixing with wild grass and flowers. Voodoo, who had come down into the canyon in plane mode, had transformed again and was now waiting for their arrival. Spike got out of the driver's compartment and Prime transformed.
"Come with me," Voodoo said and gestured them to follow.
They did. The strange robot led them into a cave that soon led into a much larger cave, which looked like the inside of Autobot City. There were other robots, though not a lot of them, but none wore an insignia Optimus Prime recognized. And there were humanoids. One of them, a woman with long, white hair and a sun tanned skin, approached them, smiling at Spike. Her eyes were larger than those of an Earth human and she had only four fingers at each hand.
"Hello, Ambassador," she greeted the dark-haired man. "Nice to meet you again."
Spike ignored Prime's questioning look and nodded at the woman. "Hello, Jill."
Jill looked up at Prime. "Hi," she called, smiling. "I'd like to stay around and chat, but Wolf and I are working on a project." She shrugged and then waved good-bye.
"You know her?" Prime asked neutraly.
"In a way," Spike evaded a direct answer. In a way he knew not only her but some others as well, but he wasn't ready to confess his knowledge and Hot Rod's secrets -- not yet anyway.
Voodoo led them deeper into the cavern and into a small area. There was only one other robot here and Spike felt suddenly uneasy as he saw him, as most of the times when he had met him before. Maybe it was the color, but maybe ... maybe it was the aura.
The robot had a pitch-black body that seemed to suck in the light and form a pool of absolute blackness. It's optic sensor shield glowed in a soft green light and there were faint, yellow lines crossing along his arms and legs. Spike couldn't help it, he felt frightened by the mere presence of the robot, though his mind told him that, logically seen, he had no reason to be afraid.
"Thank you for coming," the robot said, his voice calm. "Welcome to Alean, Ambassador Witwicky."
Spike nodded, his throat a bit dry. Why was it that the black robot always gave him a chill?
"Who are you?" Optimus Prime asked. "Who are all of you and why did you give us those coordinates?"
"My name is Midnight," the robot answered. "And we are the Sentinels. As to why we called ... that is a longer story."

* * *

A sleek, dark green car shot over the rocky ground trailing a large cloud of dust and small stones. It passed close by one of the many canyons, its wheels nearly spinning over the edge, but it didn't loose its footage. Racing with growing speed along the canyon's edge it tried to get rid of its pursuer. The pursuer was a car as well, colored in flaming red, orange and yellow, it's speed not much below that of the green car. The green car made a sudden move to the right, veering off toward the plains and the red car followed, gaining speed.
"Let's see what you make of dat!" Archer cried enthusiastically, his voice laced with a French accent. There was a high-pitched sound as the back-up kicked in and he drove toward the canyon again. With a speed impossible to match by any known ground vehicle he jumped over the canyon, his wheels spinning wildly. The second he touched down he engaged the brakes, sliding over the ground. Dust settled on the shining green metal and Archer transformed, looking at what was happening at the other side of the canyon with a grin of expectation.
The red car had done the same as Archer, now speeding toward the canyon. But instead of flying over it in car mode, it transformed, somersaulting over the obstacle and landing smoothly beside the waiting Sentinel.
"Nice act," Archer welcomed the brightly colored Cybertronian.
"Much safer than what you did," Hot Rod replied.
"Look 'ho's talking safety," Archer laughed.
Hot Rod once again wondered how a robot could get an accent in his voice, especially a French one. His only explanation was Archer's Interface, the French human Michel de la Croix. But why had Archer adopted Mike's accent in the first place? Maybe it was an Interface thing; he still understood only half of the process and what it meant for the two individuals.
"Looks like he's got more brains than you do, Arch," a female voice said, followed by the whine of thrusters put into reverse.
A red-and-grey figure landed beside the two robots. It was much smaller, appeared robotic as well, with an animalistic look to it. A strong tail stabilized the bipedal figure, which now slid its wings into a 'hold' position.
Archer harrumphed as he looked down at the smaller robot. "Dat from de one who had to be told how to fly an exo-suit by me," he snorted.
"Aw, jealous?" was the light response.
Hot Rod chuckled a bit, which earned him a sharp look from Archer. "I knew you two were in league."
"Hey, guys!"
The three turned and watched the approach of a slim dark blue and yellow jet. The jet transformed as it arrived, turning into another Sentinel Hot Rod knew well.
"'allo, F/X," Archer replied. "What's cooking?"
"Nothing," F/X said with a shrug. "Simply thought I'd keep an eye on you two race guys. The ground's always treacherous."
"Uh-huh," Archer said with a mocking grin. "Except for Ms Shanygn here you could be called de most reckless guy in de air."
F/X snorted and the snort was echoed by Andrea Shanygn. "I think Mike's absence is getting to you."
Archer looked suddenly sober. "Maybe," he confessed.
Hot Rod didn't know what to say since he didn't have the slightest idea what the absence of an Interface meant, but he knew what it meant to be without friendly support. It reminded him of his time as Rodimus Prime. Sure, the other Autobots had been friends, but not as before; not like the time when he had been simply one of them. There was a certain distance between a leader and his troops, a distance that could not be crossed.
"Let's get back," Archer said. "I want to see how Jill and Wolf are getting along wit' deir project."
"I ... I'll just stay here a while longer," Hot Rod told the other two robots.
F/X and Archer exchanged a look with Shanygn, who made a shooing gesture, then nodded. F/X transformed and shot off into the sky, while Archer did the same, simply on the ground. Hot Rod watched them until the dust had settled and his optic sensors no longer detected them in his immediate area. Then he noticed Shanygn.
"What are you still doing here?" he asked.
She shrugged. "I had to get out, breathe some air, test the exo-suit." There was an amused tone in her voice.
"You made more modifications?"
"I had to. I'm dependent on that thing and it helps me to do more than just sit around all day and hope someone notices me."
Hot Rod looked down on her. "Nobody could ignore you, Shanygn."
She bowed a bit. "Thank you, my friend -- I think -- but you only say that because you don't know what it means to be completely paralyzed."
"In a way ... I do."
He turned back to the canyon, staring down. With a soft sigh he sat down on a large boulder. He had been here for several weeks now, but somehow nothing had changed. He still felt strange, inferior, now that the Matrix was gone. One moment he was Rodimus Prime, the next he was Hot Rod. There was a strong feeling of loss and emptiness inside of him. His stay on Alean had helped him cope with the depressions, but he didn't know what to make of the emptiness inside of him. And then there were the voices, no -- one voice. It came and went. To be correct, it had been there when he had arrived on this planet, not before; at least not so strong. It was sometimes clearly audible, though he couldn't make out the words it spoke, then again it was a mutter in the background. What was he missing? It couldn't really be the Matrix. He hadn't felt empty before, had he? And were the Sentinels really the right ones to help him? Yes, probably, but he wasn't sure. Skywolf had mentioned something Hot Rod wasn't sure he'd accept as the truth, but then, a Sentinel should know, shouldn't he? He looked at Shanygn again, the exo-suit hiding her features.
"Don't you have anything else to do?" he asked.
She tapped her sharp looking claws against her chin. "No," she finally said. "Not really."
Hot Rod sighed again. "Great," he muttered.
Shanygn patted his leg. "Lighten up, Roddy. It isn't that bad."
"What?" he asked, startled.
"Wolf told me. He explained what might have happened to you." She looked at him. "Would it be so bad?"
Hot Rod wondered how the Autobots would react to it .... and to the fact that their former leader knew the Sentinels.
"I don't know," he confessed softly.

// It was a mild Earth day, sunny and warm. A perfect day, as humans would call it, and they would go out and have fun. Rodimus Prime couldn't relate to that. Having fun wasn't in his vocabulary anymore, now that he had assumed his role as leader of the Autobots. He had other matters to attend to as Kup and Ultra Magnus always reminded him. Today he had finally fled those duties to be alone.
The Grand Canyon was a natural wonder on this planet and he liked to be here, inside the deep canyon, alone with himself ... and the Matrix. He was always vaguely aware of the device inside of him, the Matrix of Leadership that defined and announced who was supposed to be the leader. Rodimus would have immediately resigned to give the Matrix to Ultra Magnus, who had been Optimus Prime's choice at the moment of death, if the Matrix had announced such a transfer. But ... he was stuck with it. Whatever fateful action had declared him the fitting leader, he didn't really know. He thought of himself as too young, too inexperienced and generally to be the wrong choice. He had led the Autobots from battle to confrontation to battle and back again, mostly successful, but he wasn't sure the Matrix had chosen wisely.
Suddenly he became aware of a sound. It was a faint whining sound, like that from a jet engine. And it was rapidly coming closer. Very rapidly. Rodimus Prime didn't have any chance to evade the speeding jet shooting through the narrow canyon. He could only stare at what was coming at him with incredible speed, then everything went black.//

Hot Rod grimaced as he remembered the accident. It hadn't really been an accident; the jet had barely dented him because it had evaded a collision the very last possible second, grazing its wings at the canyon's walls and then spinning out of control toward the ground. His own black-out had been very brief and mostly caused by the backwash of the thrusters.

// Rodimus Prime focused on the jet that had crashed not far from his position. As he approached carefully, wondering why it wasn't damaged more profoundly, the jet transformed. It was a smooth and unusual transformation, unlike any Rodimus had seen before. Within two seconds a strange robot stood before him and it was also the scariest he had ever seen. It wasn't the overall built, because he didn't look very much different from every jet transformer he had met, but it was the complete lack of bright colors. The few yellow stripes looked like pulsating veins and the slightly green glowing optic shield did nothing to take away the absolute blackness. Rodimus' hand went to his gun, but before he could even aim it, he felt something inside of him twist sharply. The Matrix.
He staggered back a bit, one hand clutching his chest where the Matrix sat, staring at the strange robot. "Who are you?" he whispered. It wasn't pain he felt, merely a kind of warning.
The black robot looked at him, tilting his head to one side. He seemed to study him like a new species
"My name is Midnight," he finally answered. "You must be an Autobot." His voice held a curious tone and he seemed fascinated by the fact of Rodimus' heritage.
"I am," the leader of all Autobots answered slowly. The Matrix seemed to have calmed down and he only had the normal vague feeling of its presence inside of him. "What are you doing here? Where did you come from? You don't wear any insignia I recognize."
Midnight touched the strange symbol on his body and smiled. "Then you must be too young to remember," he said.
"To remember what?"
The other shook his head. "Not now, please. It's something I still have to come to terms with as well." He shrugged. "As to your questions, I have come here to be alone, to think."
"By speeding down a canyon?" Rodimus asked sarcastically.
"In a way." Midnight grinned. "It helps, as a friend has told me. And it seems to work, well .... a bit."
Rodimus looked at him, wondering how the light effects were achieved. He had never seen a robot that was able to look like a black hole in the middle of a sunny day.
"May I ask why you are here?"
The question startled him a bit. "Uhm, the same reason I think."
Midnight looked surprised, as far as Rodimus could tell. "Looks like we have more in common than just being transforming robots." He walked away from his crash site and Rodimus tensed a bit. "Have you ever wondered what would happen if you simply went away and never came back?"
"Huh? You mean ... dying?"
"No, I mean leaving those who think you're just the perfect person to be in a leading position, but you don't like it."
Rodimus was taken by surprise. He couldn't believe his audio sensors. "Why .... why do you ask such a question?" he demanded, wondering if this might be a Decepticon trap.
Midnight looked seriously at him. "Because that's what I came here for to think about. My kind has lost part of its leadership team and I was declared the runner-up for this job." He smiled humorlessly. "The only problem is that I'm originally of the enemy's troop and I don't have the slightest idea what leading a bunch of outcast robots means."
"Outcasts? Who the hell are you?" Rodimus asked.
"I told you, you're too young to remember. You don't know this insignia so you most likely won't know my kind."
"Try me."
"We are Sentinels," Midnight explained. "And the ones that revived me were renegades, which we call Seekers, of that kind. I told you, you wouldn't know the name," he added at Rodimus' blank expression.
The Autobot leader shook his head and spread his hands. "I don't understand any of this. You are from Cybertron?"
Midnight nodded. "Originally, yes, we all came from Cybertron. But the Sentinels left a long, long time ago." He suddenly looked very indecisive. "Listen, ah, I've gotta go before they come searching for me. It's kinda embarrassing." He grinned quickly, then waved and turned to go.
"Wait!" Rodimus caught up with him and laid one hand on his shoulder. Surprised he noted that the metal felt kind of soft to the touch, like skin ....
Midnight stopped and they stared at each other until Rodimus pulled back his hand. "What?" the Sentinel asked.
"I'd like to know more about all of this," Rodimus said.
"No, you don't."
An angry light flashed up in the Autobot's eyes as the words reminded him of how he was usually talked to by Kup, who always seemed to know better. "Don't tell me what I do and don't."
Midnight smiled all of a sudden. "Okay, I won't." He walked away and transformed. Before he roared off into the sky he called, "I'm usually around here." Then the night-black jet disappeared into the cloudless sky.

*

When Rodimus Prime returned to Autobot City he was already expected by Kup. The old warrior and most of the times grumpy advisor looked at the much younger Autobot with a disapproving frown.
"Where have you been?" he asked rather sharply.
"Out," was Rodimus' only reply as he walked past him.
"Out? Out?! Is that all you have to say, young man? Listen, there's been hell on Earth around here because no one knew where you'd gone off to! What if the Decepticons had taken your lonely wandering spree as the perfect time to hit you?"
"They didn't, Kup, so what's the problem?" Rodimus asked lightly.
"You don't seem to take your position too seriously, lad."
"I do, I do, but I needed some time alone."
"What for?" the other Autobot asked.
"Thinking. If you'll excuse me now?" He made a quick exit into the library and shut the door behind him.

Outside, 'Spike' Witwicky looked up at Kup, who glared at the shut door. He had witnessed the last part and somehow he could feel with Rodimus Prime.
"What's going on?" he asked nevertheless.
Kup's glare focused at him, but turned into a resigned shrug as he realized who he was glaring at. "He's behaving like the young idiot he is again," he grumbled, then walked away.
Spike smiled, then decided he had other matters to attend to and left as well.

Some time after he had accessed the old library Rodimus Prime found something about the Sentinels. He quickly read over the short paragraph and then began to search for more information. He found it in the deepest and oldest archives, and it left him stunned and feeling kind of nauseated. He hadn't found Midnight's name on the long list of Sentinels, half of which had been destroyed in the first wave of the war. Even if he had been on the enemy's side his name should be on the list, because even the Seekers were Sentinels.
"Damn," Rodimus whispered, shaking his head. "Who is this guy and why is he here?"
He went deeper into the old files and came upon a partly damaged file called 'Sleepers'. He opened it and waited for the repair program to do its magic. It wasn't a lot of magic as he found out some time later, because the file was still badly damaged. But the things that were readable gave him headache nevertheless. The Sleepers had been special Sentinels constructed by the Quintessons, equipped with experimental weapons or programs. One of them was Midnight, or at least a robot with a profile fitting him. There was only a serial number attached. Following the file Midnight had been constructed as a hit-and-run warrior, equipped with a self-repairing, organical skin -- which would explain the abnormal softness -- which was also able to harden within a second for defensive purposes. His reflexes were heightened, as were his Interface abilities. Well, today it was Interfacing, then it had been a weapon to kill or disable.
A sharp knock startled Rodimus out of his reading. The door opened and Springer stuck his head into the room. "Hey, Roddy, you there?"
"Yes, I am," Rodimus answered with a smile and shut off the computer.
"You got an idea why Kup's glaring at everything crossing his path?" The green-and- silver triple-changer leaned against the wall.
The Autobot leader rose from the chair and sighed. "I guess. Listen, Springer, I've to go somewhere and meet someone. If Kup asks, you don't know anything."
Springer looked a bit confused and simply nodded. "Sure, why not. It's the truth."
Rodimus grimaced and left, clapping Springer on the shoulder. He knew Kup would explode when he heard that the leader of the Autobots was once again off into the wilderness, without telling anyone where he went or what he planned to do. He transformed and drove away from Autobot City, wondering if he was really doing the right thing. //

Hot Rod shook his head as he thought back to this fateful decision to try and find Midnight. He had been reckless enough to trust that he was safe with the Sentinel. It had turned out all right, but if he had been wrong ... he would have died. But he hadn't.

// "I'm surprised," the sleek, black Sentinel confessed. "I really am."
Rodimus couldn't help but stare at him. So this was one of the Sentinels, one of the Quintessons' guards ... a killer. But Midnight's name had not been on the first list because he was a Sleeper. What did this mean? He had told Rodimus that he was too young to remember the war, but how old was Midnight?
"I found a file." That was all the Autobot said.
Midnight nodded slowly. "I thought as much. You carry the Matrix; you are the leader of the Autobots, right?"
Rodimus was taken aback. "How ... how do you know?" he wanted to know, his voice a bit rough.
"Would you believe me if I told you that I felt it?" Midnight asked rhetorically. He sat down on a boulder and shrugged. "You see, the Matrix is something old, something that recognizes Sentinels as what they are, though we have changed, except for the Seekers." He grimaced. "It warned you and I felt it in a way as well ....." He looked up. "What did you find out about us?"
Rodimus looked at the black robot, then sat down as well, staring into the Grand Canyon. "I know that the Sentinels were created by the Quintessons to be the guards of the slave robots, and their bodyguards. When the rebellion began a lot of Sentinels were destroyed and the rest escaped."
"And?"
"And that you weren't seen anymore."
"And?" Midnight prodded.
"And nothing!"
"I don't believe you, Rodimus Prime." The Autobot leader's head snapped around. "You read something else, something that disturbs everyone about us."
There was a long silence, then Rodimus nodded. "You have the ability to remove every particle of energy from another Cybertronian, leaving him either unconscious, comatose or ... dead."
Midnight kept on looking silently at him.
"And you are a Sleeper .... were a Sleeper," Rodimus added. "You were constructed for a special purpose, with more prgramming and more abilities than the other Sentinels."
Midnight smiled humorlessly. "So what do you think?"
"I think I want to know why you are here and why you are talking to me. There are still Sentinels alive, correct?"
"Oh, there are. Two very different groups. Part of the Sentinels decided to seek a peaceful existence. They were lead by Thon Roque, and they were really able to leave their past behind them. Another group did the opposite. They kept on enslaving others, removing their energy and trying to Interface with living creatures."
Rodimus stared at him anew. "Interface? Living beings?" he croaked.
Midnight sighed. "I see I have to start from the beginning." //

And he had, Hot Rod thought with a smile. Midnight had told him all, as if Rodimus Prime was just another robot, not the leader of a possible enemy. No, a likely enemy, because the Autobots had been victims of the Sentinels just like any other Cybertronian. Hundreds had died.
Midnight had started at the beginning, how the Sentinels were created as personal and deadly guards, killing whenever the Quintessons felt it was necessary to demonstrate their power. Then the Quintesson empire had been overthrown, the Sentinels had been either destroyed or chased away. Thon Roque had led a small troop of survivors to a planet called Alean, where they had met the first living creature, a human called Ray Anderson. And the very thing that enabled the Sentinels to suck energy from others into themselves also enabled them to Interface with carbon based life forms, though the Interface was limited to one partner. It was the turn for them as most of them found partners and Interfaced. The humanoids gave the Sentinels another point of view, gave them a new life.
The Seekers, on the other hand, couldn't Interface, for what reason ever. There was no explanation. Midnight was revived from the Seekers' leader Braintrust. His body was old, constructed by the Quintessons, but his personality was young because he had been a Sleeper, only peripherally aware of the world outside his chamber.
"I was never able to understand the Seekers's cause. I could never identify with them," the black jet had confessed. "I never fought the war, I only saw what was happening now and I didn't like it."
And then he had met Steven Parker, a prisoner of Braintrust and one of the many guinea pigs of the Seekers. The military fighter pilot had been captured and was doomed to end up dead through Braintrust's fruitless experiments to find an Interface. Midnight and Steven had Interfaced, though neither of them had known at that time what was happening to them and what it meant. They had fled from the prison, searching for peace and quiet to get their relationship sorted out. This way they had met the Sentinels on Alean, whose leader was dying through a Seeker attack.
Midnight had fought against the Sentinel's opposition, showed them that he was no renegade, though he had been created by them, and Ray declared him leader when Thon Roque passed away.

// "The humanoids we Interface stop ageing," Midnight said softly. "We become one unit, though both are still independent, capable of individual thought and action."
"They live forever?"
The Sentinel leader chuckled. "No. Once separated the humanoid starts ageing naturally. That was how Ray died after Thon Roque passed away. He had survived the separation, only to die because his body had grown too old."
Rodimus Prime looked at the landscape around him for a long, long time. He could relate to the other robots problems and worries. They mirrored his own.
"Why are you here?" he repeated the question Midnight had not yet answered. "Why do you tell me all of this."
What Midnight had explained to him was more than just rudimentary.
"Maybe because I have the crazy idea that we don't have to be enemies."
That drew a surprised look from Rodimus.
Midnight smiled. "I'm a dreamer ... an idealist, if you want to call it that. I knew who you were right from the start. I knew your rank, I knew you carried the Matrix because I could feel it. I risked everything doing what I did and I hope this doesn't mean my destruction. The others don't think this is such a good idea, especially since we didn't leave on friendly terms and since all Autobots react protectively toward humans. Most of my friends are Interfaced and you can't separate an Interface by force. That is the truth. If you do, both partners die."
"We would never try ...." Rodimus started to protest.
"Some of you would propose it. It's the same situation as if a Decepticon would bind a human to his very soul." Midnight stood and walked a few steps. "I don't know what would happen is Steve were gone. He's been a part of me for most of my waking time."
"Is he here?"
"No." The Sentinel shook his head.
"I would like to meet your friends," Rodimus decided.
Midnight looked slightly surprised. "You trust me that far?"
"Let's say I want to trust you and I want you to trust me. Why don't you come to Autobot City and ...."
"No!" The sharp outburst left Rodimus startled. Midnight's optic shield flashed briefly in a bright green color, a mirror of his emotions.
"Why?"
"I want to trust you, Rodimus Prime, but you can't expect me to enter the lion's mouth. Learn about us, think about what I told you. Gather information and ask older Autobots. If you still think you want to get me into your midst, do it."
Rodimus was slightly confused now. What was the danger of one Sentinel in Autobot City? And what danger was one Autobot in the midst of the Sentinels?
"Just give yourself time to think," Midnight repeated. He transformed. "We'll meet again." Then he took off, leaving one very confused Autobot behind.

* * *

Time went by. A long time with a lot of stress and the return of Optimus Prime, though not the Prime Rodimus knew. In the end Optimus Prime sacrificed himself, well apparently he did. It left the young Autobot leader in a precarious emotional state and with more doubts than ever. He was more convinced than ever that the Matrix had chosen wrong, but he managed to hide these feelings under layers of defense mechanisms. Kup gave him the critical eye and the others simply talked about his change behind his back. He wasn't schizophrenic about it, he simply knew.
Rodimus met Midnight more and more often, and they talked about anything but their heritage. Shortly after Optimus Prime's sudden return and the disastrous outcome of the whole affair, Rodimus returned to the Grand Canyon. He wasn't sure he wanted to talk to Midnight, but this was also a place where he found the necessary calm and strength to continue. As he drove to the spot where the Sentinel usually hung around he became aware of the sole human figure. Surprised he stopped and transformed.
"Hi," the human said and smiled. "You must be Rodimus Prime."
"And you are?" Rodimus asked in complete surprise.
"Captain Steven Parker," the dark-haired man introduced himself.
"Midnight's Interface?"
Parker's grin grew. "Correct."
"What are you doing here?"
"Waiting for my friend to arrive. You know, it took me that long and a lot of work to find out where he was always disappearing to."
"Uhm, he didn't tell you?"
Parker arched an eyebrow. "Have you told your friends where you are." When the Autobot was silent, he nodded. "So why are you asking?"
"How do you know my name if he didn't tell you?"
"I have my ways ..." Another grin. "Midnight and I are Interfaced, Rodimus Prime; there are few secrets an Interfaced Sentinel can keep."
"So what are you going to do about it?" Rodimus asked warily.
"Nothing. Why should I? I think it's about time someone took the initiative and tries to bridge the gap between two robot races." Parker leaned against a large boulder. "And if the two leaders become friends, there's hope."
"What about the other Sentinels?"
"Well, they suspect something because it's not normal that Midnight takes off without me, so I had to find a few explanations. When I ran out of good ones it was time to find out exactly where Mid went."
"And now you did," Midnight's soft voice said.
Steven Parker looked around and smiled at his larger friend. "Yep. Hi, Mid, long time no real see."
"I'm sorry, Steve, but I didn't think it was such a good idea to tell everyone," the black Sentinel apologized.
"I see. Would you be willing to tell everyone?" Parker had addressed both robots. Rodimus and Midnight exchanged a look, both uneasy and both unsure about it. Parker sighed. "Okay, let's keep it that way. But you both know that one day someone will discover where both of you went off to?"

And that one day came -- faster than anyone had thought. A short time after Rodimus had met Steven Parker and had learned about the human's history and his bond to the Sentinel, which was unique, because he Interfaced 100%, unlike the others, who had only partial Interfaces, the Autobots received a distress call from a small town near Autobot City. Gentsy was a town around a large psychological research facility and mainly populated by scientists. And those scientists had called for help when a bunch of strange robots had attacked them.
Rodimus had felt his circuits miss an energy pulse when he had heard that, hoping it wasn't a Sentinel attack. Together with Arcee, Springer, Kup, Ultra Magnus, Silverbolt and Blaster he had rolled out to help the humans, and was kind of relieved to see that none of the robots looked anything like Midnight. They all wore strange symbols and generally looked like a mean bunch of robots. All in all there were about seven or eight of them, partly on the ground, partly in the air.
"Take care of the evacuation!" Rodimus ordered, addressing Arcee and Blaster, and both Autobots nodded. "We will take care of them," Rodimus added and looked at the attackers.
Some of them had noticed their arrival and veered away from their original targets to blast the newarrivals.
"Take cover!" Springer yelled, firing madly at the oncoming green-golden jet.
Arcee went for cover, pulling two scientists with her. She got out her gun and fired at the attacker, who regrouped with a grey jet for another attack.
A blast ripped open the ground and Rodimus whirled around, discovering a large robot not far from their position. It looked like a bad cross between a dragon and an insect. The scorpion-like tail was raised high over the head with the bulging eyes, aiming at the group of Autobots. It snarled at them and fired again. Rodimus evaded the blast with barely an inch to spare and rolled around, firing at the enemy. The insectoid merely hissed and continued showering the younger robot with deadly fire.
The others didn't fare better. Springer tackled a blue/silver robot, which moved even faster than Blurr and kept on appearing and disappearing. Blaster and Arcee were busy taking care of the humans while Ultra Magnus and Kup tried to ward off the ongoing attacks on the scientists as best as they could.
And then it happened. Rodimus Prime didn't believe his own optic sensor as he watched the sleek, black jet shoot out of the sky like a mad bullet, intercepting the green/gold jet and grounding it with two well-placed laser blasts. The insectoid dragon turned around, baring his teeth and snarling in rage.
"YOU!" it cried. It aimed at the newcomer and fired. "I will KILL you, Midnight! And then I'll take your soul!"
The blast didn't hit Midnight, but it delivered him right into the path of another attacker who happily began to fire at him. The maneuvers the black jet then presented were nothing any of the Autobots had ever seen.
"Who is this guy?" Silverbolt hissed. "He's incredible!"
A second plane appeared, this one dark blue and full of strange swirling patterns. It easily entered a bulk of fighting robots and left most of the attackers confused and unable to shoot at anything. Then another plane popped up, a dull grey stealth fighter, who seemed so inconspicuous that none of the fighters had seen it until it was too late. One of the attackers, a twin to the dull grey jet, immediately turned to take care of his similar newcomer.
"What's going on?" Springer demanded, helping Arcee to her feet.
"A party," a female voice answered and something flashed past Springer.
A gurgling noise told the Autobot that someone was having a bad time right behind him. He turned and discovered an animal transformer, a cougar, a staff sticking out of his chest.
"Watch your back, Autobot," the female voice said.
Springer stared at the cougar, who sagged to the ground, clutching the staff and trying to extract it, then at the dark red and white female robot. Hair-like extensions grew out from under what looked like a helmet. The lower, visible part of the female's face showed an ironic smile. A similar staff to the one sticking out of the cougar's chest was in her slim hands. Then she was gone, back into the fight.
Rodimus Prime stood like frozen to the spot as he watched the Sentinels help them defend the human town. It was like a dream ... or maybe a nightmare. Kup, who was at his side, finally found his voice chip again.
"Sentinels! They are Sentinels!" was all he said, then he aimed for the closest one at hand, which was a silver-and-black helicopter.
"NO!" Rodimus protested and pushed Kup's aim off target. The blast went wild, setting a tree on fire.
"Watcha doing, kid?" the older robot demanded hotly. "You don't know who they are! If they're done with the other ones they'll slaughter us!"
"No, they won't, Kup. They're helping us!" Rodimus told him.
"You don't know what you're talking about!" Kup's optic sensors seemed to flare with the hatred he felt.
Now was the time, Rodimus told himself, the time to tell, but he couldn't say a thing. A laser blast melting the metal beside Kup decided everything else and the two Autobots went back defending the city.
"Rock'n Roll!" one of the Sentinels, a golden/white female, cried enthusiastically. She looked like fiery comet as she shot toward an attacker.
Midnight made a sharp turn, leaving the green-and-golden jet to one of his Sentinels, a silver/blue jet, and moved in on the insectoid dragon, his guns blasting away. The dragon lifted his tail and swung it at the jet. Midnight evaded the attack and transformed in mid-flight. He fired his thrusters, which were built into his feet and slowed a bit, simultaneously still firing at the dragon. The dragon roared in pain as his face was scorched by fire and it turned away a bit. Midnight made a perfect landing, sliding a few feet sideways like a skier, then stopping only a few steps away from Rodimus Prime.
"Get out of here!" he told the Autobot leader. "Now! We'll take care of them!"
Kup stared at the black robot. Rodimus felt that the older robot was close to shooting at the Sentinel every second now.
"Who are they?" Rodimus demanded, ignoring Kup and the battle around him for a second.
"Seekers. They want the humans." Midnight's optic shield flashed in bright green. "Braintrust wants them for his Interface experiments."
"Interfacing?" Rodimus asked, aghast. 'Seekers on Earth. No ....'
The strangely patterned jet approached, transforming and landing smoothly beside his leader. "The humans are on their way out of here, Mid," he reported. "Aurora, Knight and F/X are covering them and the other Autobots. Our only problem is Braintrust now."
Midnight nodded sharply. "I know. He's too strong to take on."
"What if we combined our strength?" Rodimus asked.
"No way," the other jet said immediately. "He'd butcher you like nothing. Trust us, we know what this guy means -- he's more than just trouble."
As if to emphasize this point, Braintrust slashed his way through some fighters, regardless whether he hit friend or foe.
"We have to lure him away from here and then gate him," Midnight decided.
"Lure him with what?" the other Sentinel inquired.
A grim smiled appeared on Midnight's face. "With something he can't resist."
His optic shield flashed shortly and out of nowhere a human materialized, wearing what looked like a black battle armor.
"Me," the human said darkly.
"Too dangerous," the other Sentinel immediately objected.
"Cover the humans," Midnight told Rodimus. "Voodoo, you get the others together. When I give you the sign, gate him!" Then he looked at the human. "Ready?"
"No, but let's try it." With that the human ran over to where the dragon was rampaging through the abandoned buildings.
"What's he doing?" Rodimus asked, confused.
Voodoo shook his head. "Something incredible foolish and dangerous: distracting Braintrust enough to us a chance to gate him somewhere where he isn't likely to return in the next few weeks. If Steve can attack Braintrust's mind enough to make him unaware of what's going on around him, we'll have a chance."
"What?" Rodimus asked in disbelief. "But it will kill him!"
The Sentinel looked grimly at him. "Let's hope not. You better collect your troops and cover the humans. There'll be all hell breaking loose in a few seconds." //

Voodoo had been right; all hell broke loose for real. The Autobots witnessed as the armor-clad human approached the dragon and how Braintrust whirled around, a greedy look in his bulging eyes. Looking back, Hot Rod now realized what a risk this had been. If Braintrust had succeeded, Steve and Midnight would be dead now. And maybe the others as well, including the Autobots.

// Ultra Magnus stared at the Sentinels who were warding off the Seekers with a lot of success. "Who are they?" he finally asked.
"Sentinels," Kup answered darkly. "The worst enemies of all Cybertronian kind. Killers, Quintessonian guards."
Rodimus wanted to object, but he decided it was a bad time to reveal his knowledge. Instead he watched the battle. Braintrust's tail lashed out at Midnight, who received a nearly crippling blow to the chest. He was thrown into one of the buildings. With a painful slowness he rose out of the ruined building, aiming at Braintrust again. The dragon didn't mind. He concentrated solely on the human.
"You're mine!" he crowed.
He stretched out one giant claw to capture the wanted Interface.
"I don't think so, buddy," Steven answered, slightly elevating his arms, his head thrown back.
Suddenly the Seeker leader howled in pain and writhed in agony. Steven Parker stood like rooted to the spot, looking at the giant robot with a calm Rodimus didn't know a living being possessed. Braintrust moved away from the Interface, hissing and crying.
"I'll kill you!" he rampaged. "I'll make you pay with your miserable life and devour your essence!"
His troops fell back, covering their trembling leader. Rodimus wondered what this was all about. Then Parker crumbled to the ground, unconscious.
Braintrust cried in agony again. Midnight pushed himself to his feet and transformed. He shot toward the dragon, firing disks at the large robot. The disks stuck to the metallic golden skin and Braintrust roared, lashing out again at the black jet, delivering another blow to the already damaged Sentinel. Midnight crashed down, trailing black smoke and fire. The golden comet, the Sentinel Rodimus Prime had seen for only a fleeting moment in the overall battle, took a position hovering only a few feet over the trashing dragon.
"Ready when you are, Fox!" the golden female yelled.
F/X approached from the other side and transformed. He readied his guns. "Okay, Aurora, hit it!" he called.
Aurora's body seemed to flare like a miniature sun. The dragon cried in agony and pain as the disks did the same. F/X shot at the nearest one of the disk and the Seekers were engulfed in a bright white fire. And they disappeared. From one second to another they were gone, leaving only a few afterimages.
Voodoo gave a little cheer. At his side, another human materialized, clad in a blue jumpsuit, a helmet protecting his head. A small name tag identified him as 'K. Scott'. Scott raced toward Parker, closely followed by Voodoo.
"What happened?" Springer demanded. "What was that all about? Who are those humans?"
Kup's lips were pressed into a tight line and his fingers curled around his weapon. "They are an evil that should be perched from this galaxy."
"Huh?" Springer made.
Rodimus didn't know what to do. Why had the Sentinels helped them? What had happened? He watched as the helicopter landed, transforming into a tall Sentinel. The Sentinel walked briskly over to Midnight, helping him up. In the meantime the dark-clad human was taking care of Parker, who hadn't moved.
Kup lifted his weapon. "We have to stop them."
"From what?" Silverbolt asked. "They helped us!"
"You don't understand! You're too young to remember the Sentinels, but they were killers, murdering in the name of the Quintessons!" Kup aimed at Voodoo, who still stood close to Rodimus Prime.
"Kup, no!" Rodimus ordered.
But before Kup had time to reply Voodoo's patterns seemed to come to life. They began to move and shift all over the dark blue body.
"Stay," Voodoo said in a hypnotic voice.
With a look of total disbelief Rodimus witnessed as his friends became rigid and stared blankly ahead. He himself didn't feel anything, though he had looked at the patterns as well. Voodoo smiled in satisfaction at his handiwork and the disconcerting patterns disappeared again.
"What did you do?" Rodimus asked.
"Nothing serious. They just won't remember anything from this point on. The effect will cease in about an hour. This will give us the time to take care of our friends."
"Why wasn't I affected?"
"Because you carry the Matrix ... and because I didn't want you to be. You know who we are. You know that we won't hurt any of you." Voodoo smiled a bit.
"Midnight told you?"
"He did," Aurora said. Rodimus discovered her standing close by.
"I did," Midnight said weakly and smiled shakily at the Autobot leader. He looked like he was close to fainting. Strangely enough his formerly dark skin looked greyish and the optic shield was dark; dents and cracks were all over his body. "Someone had to make the first move." He sat down heavily.
"He's stabilized," a voice said from somewhere around Rodimus knee level.
He looked down and discovered the human he had seen running toward Parker. He had taken off his helmet and mop of blond hair was the first distinctive feature visible.
"We have to get him back to Alean though. And you need to Interface, Mid. He's too weak to last much longer."
"I know," the Sentinel leader whispered.
"What did he do?" Rodimus Prime asked. "What's going on here?"
"We gated Braintrust," the silver-and-blue jet said.
"Gated?"
"It's like a transporter," the jet explained. "Takes a lot of power and coordination, but I guess Braintrust and his troops are now somewhere at the other end of the galaxy; he'll need some time to come back."
"More explanations later," the helicopter Sentinel said briskly. "We have other matters to attend to."
He helped Midnight to his feet and Rodimus witnessed how all of a sudden the unconscious human body disappeared. Midnight seemed to flinch, then his skin darkened again, giving him a more healthy look.
"Damn, it hurts!" Midnight muttered, swaying.
"It should," the blond human, K. Scott, said dryly. "Steve's vitals aren't the best. I guess you'll get some backwash now and then until he's conscious again. So ... take it easy."
"Yes, Doc." Midnight grimaced a bit. He turned to Rodimus. "I can't explain now. Your friends will come around in a few minutes and we need to be far, far away by then."
"The usual place?" Rodimus only asked.
Midnight nodded. Then he and the other Sentinels took off, disappearing within minutes. //

"The other Autobots never knew that Rodimus Prime knew about us," Midnight finished his explanations. "He wanted to keep it a secret and I knew he was right. Kup's initial reaction to us showed me what kind of problems we would be facing. True, he was only one individual, but an individual with the necessary strength to convince others that we should be destroyed." The black Sentinel shrugged. "So we kept on meeting secretly until you came back. I had once witnessed the devastating effects the removal of the Matrix had on Hot Rod's psyche, but this time it was worse. Last time the separation was incomplete due to your .... health. Now he isn't bouncing back as I thought he would, and one of my team, Skywolf, suspects he knows the reason why."
Optimus Prime digested the whole story in silence, wondering what to do. He knew about the Sentinels from stories; he had never met them in battle. The stories had been wild and scary enough and in his mind there had always been the picture of savage, uncontrollable machines, mindless to a point, absolutely loyal to the Quintessons. Now this picture had been erased, replaced by what he had heard and seen here today.
That Midnight had called them to help Hot Rod was the first surprise, one he was still trying to deal with appropriately. The other fact was the existence of Sentinels. Midnight was correct that Kup, and some other Autobots, would want them to be destroyed or disconnected. Prime knew that this was one action he would never be able to allow to be taken. The Sentinels were living creatures, intelligent and now peaceful. The Seekers held the same status as the Decepticons in the Cybertronian society, and that the Seekers had attacked the human city was no excuse to rid the galaxy of every Sentinel still alive.
"How many of you are left?" Prime finally asked. It was a question unrelated to the story, but it was something he needed to know.
Midnight smiled. "Not much. There are about fifteen of us on Alean, and maybe there are a few others spread through the galaxy, but that's about it."
Prime nodded. Fifteen robots were no comparison to the Autobots' number. Then again, they were Sentinels, stacked with a power none other robot held: the power to remove another one's energy. Midnight seemed to read his mind.
"You could wipe us out, Optimus Prime, I believe this is possible. Only a few of us still possess their original ability that made them killers. Most of us lost that when we Interfaced."
"The Interface takes the place of the energy converter," Prime muttered as if he had realized it just now.
"Exactly. And those of us who aren't Interfaced never use their deadly weapon. But we don't want a war, we're perfectly happy with living here in peace. My problem is your young friend, who won't be able to get over the Matrix's removal that easily." Midnight's optic shield flashed briefly. "Am I right that he's the first Autobot alive who was relieved of the Matrix and lived on?"
Prime nodded. Normally the Matrix of Leadership was passed on when the current leader was dying. What had happened now, with Prime taking back the Matrix, was unique and he had never thought about what it might do to Hot Rod's mind. No-one had.
"You didn't call us here to simply return Hot Rod to his friends," Prime finally said.
"No. We don't mind his presence here, but it doesn't help him; he needs more. Skywolf suspects that the Matrix, when placed inside a compatible Autobot, forms a space for itself. When removed this space doesn't close again." Midnight spread his hands. "But Skywolf can explain this much better."

* * *

"Hot Rod?"
The voice startled the Autobot out of his thoughts and he turned, coming to face a female robot.
"Hello, Knight," he greeted her.
Knight joined him and Shanygn, who had remained standing at his side, silent and watching ..... waiting. Knight's artificial hair whipped in the wind that had started some time ago. Her eyes were covered by the helmet-like construction and it was even more disconcerting than Voodoo's complete face plate. Even more amazing was her midsection, which appeared translucent, as if made out of glass. Hot Rod had not yet found out if that was an illusion or reality.
"Whatcha doing here?" she asked.
"I could ask the same," he replied.
"I asked first."
"Thinking," he answered.
"Don't hurt yourself. The damage might be permanent."
"Ha-ha, very funny, Knight." He pulled a face. "I think you spend too much time with Shanygn."
"Oh, thank you so very much," Shanygn muttered. "If it wouldn't hurt me more than you I'd punch you for it."
"And you spend too much time alone out here." The female Sentinel shook her head. "I know why you've come here, everyone does, but being alone doesn't help. I also talked to Skywolf and he told me about his suspicions."
"It's only a wild guess," Hot Rod began.
"No, it isn't," Knight and Shanygn nearly said simultaneously.
Knight smiled. "We Sentinels know what this feeling means, Hot Rod," she interrupted him. "The voice, the emptiness ..."
"And that from a Sentinel who isn't Interfaced."
Knight glared at him. "That's not the topic. You are. You have to face it, as you have to face your friends. You have lost the Matrix and gained something else. Accept it."
Hot Rod was silent. The voice in the background seemed to mutter soothing words as he felt the loss again. It tried to compensate for the black hole in his chest, but it didn't succeed yet. It was merely a comfort in an otherwise bleary day.
"Your friends have arrived," Knight suddenly said.
"What?!" He whirled around, staring at her in disbelief.
"A human, Spike, and the Autobot leader arrived a few hours ago," Knight explained calmly, reasonably.
"Prime is here?" Hot Rod gasped. "How could you ....? I thought ...."
"Hot Rod," the female Sentinel said, her voice level, "they are worried about you. Very worried. I think they want to talk to you."
"I can't," the young Autobot whispered. "Not now."
Shanygn placed a comforting hand on his leg again. The voice increased, but he didn't notice it so much anymore. It was a welcome friend now.
"Not ever?" Knight asked.
"Listen, I .... it's so strange all of a sudden. I thought the loss of the Matrix would be no big deal, but left an emptiness behind that wasn't there before." Hot Rod shrugged. "I thought I could get over it, but I couldn't. Not even the partnership with the Nebulon helped," he finally admitted.
Knight knew that Hot Rod had separated from his Nebulon friend some time ago. He had been unable to work with the Targetmaster and they had both agreed to go separate ways.
"Maybe you were looking for another partnership," she said.
"No! It can't be! I'm an Autobot!" he protested frantically.
"That is a matter of perspective," Shanygn said softly.
"And a matter to discuss with your friends," Knight added.
Hot Rod knew there was no way out of this. He sighed deeply and transformed. "Let's go," he said softly.
Knight smiled and transformed into a slim, but powerful horse and ignited her thrusters, which were built into her hooves.
"Let's go," she agreed and shot away, her mane and tail fluttering wildly in the wind.
Hot Rod's wheels spinned wildly and he followed her with the same speed. Shanygn had opened her wings and was following the two transformers back to the base.

* * *

Skywolf was a medic and engineer, one of the oldest Sentinels still alive. He had been constructed around the time Thon Roque had come to life as well, and his sole purpose then had been to fine tune the Sentinels' abilities of energy removal. The Quintessons had wanted to perfect the 'art of death', as they had called it, and Skywolf, then merely a robot with a number, had to comply. Not any longer. No one knew more about the intricate and delicate system built into the Sentinels which had developed into an Interface later than him.
Skywolf was always busy around the cavern city of the Sentinels. In the last few weeks since Hot Rod's arrival he had been mostly busy with the young Autobot's change. It was a fascinating project, shared by his own Interface, Jill McKennan. Though he hadn't believed it at first for himself, there was hard proof for his theory. Right now, Jill was going through the latest evaluations, her forehead wrinkled in deep thought.
The door to his lab opened and Skywolf turned. To his surprise he noted that it was Midnight, accompanied by a large red-and-blue Autobot. A human followed the two robots, one he didn't recognize.
"Mid," he greeted his friend, wondering where Steve was. Skywolf knew the young black Sentinel better than anyone since he had seen him inside and out when he had tested the Interface. "Who's your friend?"
"Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots," Midnight introduced the Autobot.
"Oh, so that's you," Skywolf addressed Prime, studying him like a rare specimen -- which he was. He had never known for a dead robot to come back to life -- twice in a row!
Jill looked up, her brows rising in surprise.
"I was telling Optimus Prime about Hot Rod's possible problem," Midnight said, "which you might be able to clarify a bit."
Skywolf rubbed his chin. "Well, where do you want me to start?"
"What is happening to Hot Rod?" Prime asked.
"Well, that is something very complicated." Skywolf leaned against his computer console. "First of all he's suffering from the separation from the Matrix. It's something I'd call post-traumatic depressions, if he were a human being." He looked at Jill, who nodded at him to go on. "The changes the Matrix evoked, not all just bodily, were extreme. He's gone through one transformation already and now he was reverting back to what he was before, which," he held up a hand, "I won't say is bad, because he's been Hot Rod for all his life, even if his body was altered."
"So, where's the problem?" the human wanted to know.
"The problem is that with the removal of the Matrix he was left with an empty space inside of him which he can't cope with." Skywolf crossed his arms in front of his black/silver chest. "He coped with that emptiness quite well in the beginning because he was too busy trying to stay alive in the battles you faced to think about what happened. He was also presented with a possible new partner, your Nebulon Targetmaster, Firebolt."
"Firebolt and Hot Rod terminated their partnership," Prime pointed out.
Skywolf nodded. "Exactly."
"But most of the Targetmasters returned to being normal Transformers after the crisis on Nebulos and Cybertron was over. The Nebulans wanted to go home and rebuild their planet," the human said. "I terminated my own Headmaster link with Cerebros to go on with my normal life. What is this leading to?"
"It is leading to someone who has a space inside of him that was created by an interfacing device you call the Matrix." Jill entered the conversation for the first time. "Skywolf studied the effects and the mystery of the Matrix since the Sentinels became aware of this device, and I read everything there was about his studies. It's a fascinating piece of machinery, I have to confess, something that not only stores information but also enables its wearer, which it chooses itself, to perform the task of leading the Autobots. I believe that the Matrix is always looking for a suitable wearer in those who show distinct interface qualities. Everyone can carry a Matrix, but few really do Interface."
"So," the human companion of the Autobot mused out aloud, "it's like an Interface between Sentinels and humanoids."
"Exactly." Skywolf nodded.
"What are you implying?" Prime asked carefully. "That Hot Rod has turned into a Sentinel?"
Skywolf chuckled. "No. He could never do that. Wrong construction and such things. I can only tell you the facts. Hot Rod has the ability to Interface, just like all Autobot leaders had or still have." He looked at Optimus Prime. "You Interfaced with the Matrix once and you gave it up; now you're Interfaced again. If you ever gave it up _and continued living_ you'd experience the same problems. Some part is missing and it can't be replaced."
"Hot Rod came to us because he thought we could find a way out of this emptiness for him," Midnight said. "The problem is, we can't. We can only help him with our experience. There are Sentinels which are not Interfaced with a humanoid life-form. Knight is one of them and she's coping very well. I can't remember her ever mentioning that she's missing something vital. F/X is the same."
"We were hoping," Skywolf picked up the explanation again, "that Hot Rod might find a way out of his depressions, which he did, though slowly, but he's still suffering from the removal. It's not as bad as severing an Interface bond, because then he'd be dead by now, but it's still a big problem."
"I understand your point," Prime said slowly. "But how can we help him? The Matrix can't be shared and since he isn't a Sentinel he won't be able to Interface like you do." The Autobot leader looked pointedly at the two Sentinels.
"Ehm, not really," Jill said carefully. "We are not talking about an Interface like we share with our partners. It's more about sharing a soul bond. I know it's a strong word for it, but that's the only explanation I have for it."
"So you're saying Hot Rod needs an Interface partner?" the human asked.
Skywolf wondered who he was. Then he remembered what Jill had once mentioned some Earth ambassador. So this was Adam Witwicky.
"He had a Targetmaster partner," Prime said.
"Which didn't do any good. Targetmasters don't Interface, they help in a single task," Skywolf explained. "They might become friends, close friends, but they never live the life of their partner. Hot Rod needs a soul partner."
"Which you have already found?" Prime asked with a knowing voice, crossing his arms in front of his massive chest.
"In a way, though both don't know it -- I think." Skywolf smiled.
"Huh?" the dark-haired man made.
Jill shrugged. "Tough to explain, Ambassador. When I met Skywolf for the first time, I didn't know what would come in the future. I was intimidated by his presence -- who wouldn't be by a being much larger than yourself -- and we worked side by side for some time until I noticed the voices."
"Voices?" Optimus Prime asked.
"Yes, we call them voices. It's like a background mutter in your brain. You tend to ignore it after the Interfacing, but until then those voices are always there. The robotic Interface partner feels it as well." Jill walked up and down in front of the robots. "Hot Rod and I talked for some time and he told me something which made me suspect that he hears those silent voices, he just doesn't know what to make of them. He believes it has something to do with his memories of the Matrix."
"So all he has to do is Interface," the Ambassador said.
"Which he can't," Prime added. "Being an Autobot he won't ever be able to Interface like a Sentinel."
Skywolf smiled. "But he could join with a partner."

* * *

Shanygn stayed with Hot Rod as they entered the cavern leading to the city while Knight veered off to the left, most likely going down underground to the training chamber. Hot Rod transformed and looked down the corridor leading deeper into the city. Shanygn stopped beside him.
"So, you wanna grow roots here?" she asked.
Hot Rod grimaced. "I just need to decide what I'm gonna do when I meet Prime."
Shanygn looked up at him and shook her head. With a few swift moves she undid the helmet hiding her face. With a soft hiss it opened. "You know, you have a problem," she stated.
"Tell me about it." The young Autobot smiled wryly.
"Have you ever thought about Skywolf's theory about your Interfacing capabilities?" she suddenly asked as they walked deeper into the city.
"A bit."
To tell the truth, he had thought about nothing but what Wolf had once mentioned. And to his surprise he believed it. Looking at the severely handicapped human in the exo-suit he wondered if Shanygn knew, because .... well, she seemed to understand ... she seemed to make all of this much easier to suffer through. When he had arrived on Alean he had noted right from the start that her presence gave him an inner peace he had been missing since Optimus Prime's return.
"You?" he finally asked.
Shanygn brushed the dangerous looking claws of her exo-suit through her sweaty hair. She had acquired a mastery of this suit that bordered to the incredible. Then again, she had to. Being paralyzed from the neck down but having an IQ of a genius were two things that didn't go well together if you weren't able to move either hands or feet.
"I believe him," she said.
"You do?" he echoed.
Her dark eyes looked up at him. "I do," she repeated firmly.
The voices seemed to increase, the chatter no longer keeping in the background. "Uh ...."
"Let's go and find the others," Shanygn decided.
Hot Rod opened his mouth to say something, then shut it again. It couldn't be, could it? Shanygn had explained to him once that she was unable to Interface because of her handicap, so ..... was it possible?

*

Optimus Prime looked thoughtfully around the cavern. He wasn't sure he had understood completely what Skywolf and Jill McKennan had wanted to tell him, but he guessed he had. The Matrix was a mechanical Interface that left the wearer with a gaping hole once it was withdrawn, which was filled by death. That would also explain why he hadn't died before he had given the Matrix to Ultra Magnus that long time ago. He still remembered passing away the second he had removed the Matrix. At that time he had been mortally wounded and that's why he hadn't experienced what Hot Rod was going through now.
He turned to Spike, who was still with him. "From where do you know the Sentinels?" he asked.
"Uhm...." The Ambassador brushed through his hair. "Well ..... I once met Jill and Steven when they had a word with Rodimus, but I never knew who they were. I only suspected something when I saw the black jet and when I noticed Rodimus behave strangely over a long period of time. I began to do some research and I also followed him sometimes. Most of those times he managed to loose me, but at the other times I discovered just what he was doing."
"You never mentioned it," Prime remarked.
"Guess I forgot." Spike grinned innocently.
"It could have meant danger," the Autobot leader reminded him.
"Maybe, but it didn't."
Optimus Prime looked thoughtfully at his human friend. There was something there Spike didn't tell him. One day he had to find out.
"Guys?"
Prime looked around and discovered a female humanoid in a metal exo-suit standing in the doorway to the small cavern Prime had chosen to wait for Hot Rod's return. The woman had long dark blue hair and a light blue skin color.
"Oh, you must be Optimus Prime," she said with a smile on her face. "I was looking for you ... and the others."
Prime studied her. "And you might be?" he asked.
"Andrea Shanygn, just call me Shanygn. Everybody does." She smiled. "You've come to find Roddy, right?"
"You know where he is?"
"I'm here," a well-known voice said carefully.
Prime looked up and discovered Hot Rod standing behind Shanygn. The young Autobot looked apologizingly at his leader.
"I know I screwed up when I left, but .... I just ..."
Prime held up one hand. "I already heard the explanation, Hot Rod."
"You did?"
"I had a long conversation with Midnight and Skywolf. They clarified a lot of things, and though I've to say I'm not pleased with the way you kept the Sentinels' existence a secret I've to congratulate you on how you handled their reappearance." Optimus Prime walked over to Hot Rod. "Midnight told me he won't object to us revealing their existence, though that is something we both have to talk about ..... with the others."
"Oh."
"And we need to find a solution to the problem my return has created for you."
"It didn't ...." Hot Rod started to protested, then sighed. "I think we do."
"Well, then why don't you two start while I get myself a shower and a burger," Shanygn said with a smile. She waved with her claw and exited.
"Who is that humanoid?" Prime asked.
"Uhm, she's a physicist and engineer," Hot Rod explained readily, glad to have this change of subject. "She also invented that exo-suit for herself. And she's a very good friend."
"She is an Interface?"
The younger Autobot shook his head. "No. I think she has the capabilities, but her handicap also hinders her from Interfacing properly."
Prime looked first at where Shanygn had been a mere minute ago, then at Hot Rod. "I see." He turned to Spike. "We should call Arcee and Daniel and let them know what happened."
"Agreed. I'll find a phone and give 'em a call." Spike grinned and left the room.

* * *

"So?"
Shanygn looked up and discovered Archer looming over her. There was a smug smile on his face.
"So what?"
"Aw, come on, Shany..... we all know."
Shanygn sat down on one of the many Sentinel-sized desks and tapped her claws on its surface. "So what?" she finally asked. "It would never work, Archer, you know it, I know it ... everybody does."
Archer straddled a chair and crossed his arms on the back of it. "Why not?" he asked simply. "You are capable of Interfacing. You do it all de time when you use dis exo-suit. You also do it wit' F/X sometimes, though everybody is disappointed dat it never works permanently."
"That's business, and you know it. And this suit is not a sentient being. It's a machine." Shanygn sighed. "It would never work. We could never properly Interface anyway. I'd just be a handicap."
"Damnit, Shanygn!" Archer said forcefully. "You are not a handicap to anyone. I thought you were able to work through dat indoctrination." He touched her shoulder carefully. "Try it. It might help 'im and you both."
She hopped down from the desk. "Let me get something to eat first."
Archer watched her leave and shook his head. "Damn," he muttered.

*

"We have two problems here," Spike said, pacing up and down in front of Hot Rod and Optimus Prime. He had informed his son and Arcee a few minutes ago that they should rendezvous with one of the Sentinels at the canyon. Most likely it would be either Voodoo or Archer waiting for them. "There's the problem of the Sentinels getting known to every other Autobot and then there's you," he looked at Hot Rod. "Wolf and Jill mentioned the possibility of an Interface."
"I know," the younger of the two Autobots muttered. "But it's impossible."
"We don't know that, Hot Rod," Prime said. "I will deal with the appearance of the Sentinels because I know that not only Kup will object their presence anywhere near Earth or Cybertron, others will as well. Then there's also the threat of the Seekers, which comes with the Sentinels."
"As the Decepticons come with our alliance to the Sentinels," Spike added with a grim look. "Both sides won't just get the better part."
The Autobot leader nodded. "It's a difficult move, but Midnight said he'd be ready."
"Knock, knock," someone said and they turned to discover Shanygn, out of her exo-suit but still clad in a full-body exo-skeleton that enabled her to moved. It looked like a diver's suit with metal parts. "Hot Rod, could we have a little chat?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Uh, sure." Hot Rod glanced at Prime, who nodded. Then he followed the humanoid into one of the smaller caverns. "What's up?" he finally asked.
Shanygn sighed and hopped onto a desk. "Listen, we both know that we have a problem, don't we?" she started.
"We do?"
Shanygn looked at him in slight annoyance. "Please ..." she started.
The Autobot sat down beside her. "I'm not sure ...."
"Me neither," she confessed.
"I mean, I hear the voice ... and I know that ... that it is stronger and more insistent when you are around, but," Hot Rod looked questioningly at Shanygn, "it might not be you."
"It is," the humanoid sighed. "You see, I've experience with that kind of thing. We really got a problem there."
Hot Rod looked at her. "Why? I mean, I would like your company."
"Roddy," Shanygn interrupted with a pained expression. "I can't interface properly. It's not the company we're discussing here, it's the way we can work together."
"So what? I mean, I'm not a Sentinel; I can't Interface either." He shrugged. "I'd say it's worth a try. And we could help Optimus Prime with introducing the rest of the Sentinels to the Autobots."
"Do you know what you will get?" the humanoid asked.
"A very good friend?"
"Someone who won't be able to move on her own without mechanical help."
Hot Rod looked down on her. He knew Shanygn's history and through it was aware that she was unable to do anything without her suit. Since the artificial nerves could not be surgically implanted she was stuck with the exo-skeleton.
"I think," he said slowly, "that you are grossly underestimating your own value and capabilities. You can do it. I know it."
"Have you listened to yourself just now?" Shanygn asked, a smile on her face.
"Huh?"
"Listen to what you tell me and try to act by it yourself."
Hot Rod looked at her in surprise. "So you wanna try?" he finally asked.
Shanygn rubbed her nose, then nodded. "Okay, we try it. If it doesn't work ..."
"Then it doesn't," Hot Rod finished, rising from his position. "We'll deal with that when the problem arises. So, what now?"
"Now we try to find Midnight and Optimus Prime." She hopped down from the desk.

* * *

The Autobot shuttle left the small planet of Alean. On board Spike looked at the robots which now traveled back with them. He didn't exactly know how the others would react to the arrival of the Sentinels, or the revelation that Hot Rod and Shanygn might be an item -- of a sort. He grinned.
Midnight stood at the window showing Alean getting smaller and smaller. "Well," he said softly, "here we go."
"It will work," Hot Rod stated.
"And if it doesn't, we still might have a good time," Shanygn commented with a wry smile. She was once again in her exo-suit, though her helmet was off.
Hot Rod grimaced. "I think we need to have a long talk about your definition of a good time, Shanygn."
She cocked an eyebrow at him. "Well, race boy, I think we have to because I hate reckless races."
Midnight grinned. "Uh-huh," he made and shook his head.
Arcee came over to Spike and kept him company watching the Sentinels. "What do you think?"
Spike leaned back. "Well, I want it to work because I know those guys really mean it; they want to help. I hope that the other Autobots are liberal enough to forget a past most of them can't even remember without being told to look in the archives."
She nodded. "I agree. I never heard of the Sentinels and though I have to confess that I looked them up in the archives I believe there is a large chance that they will be accepted. We would accept a Decepticon if he ever changed, so why not a Sentinel?"
"Maybe because dere is a little difference between de Decepticons and de Sentinels," Archer entered their conversation. "De Decepticons are of your kind, we are in effect of Quintessonian heritage."
Arcee shook her head. "No, I don't believe that. You have been used just as we have."
Archer smiled. "I hope dat a lot of you see dat point."
"We all do," Optimus Prime said softly. "We all do."

The shuttle gained speed and left the system. Alean continued its elliptic course around the two suns, peaceful and alone.